"On the Off Chance "

Written By: Kaeru Shisho

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing or its characters, nor do I make any monetary profit off this story.

Rating: R

Warnings: AU, Yaoi, Romance

Pairings: 3+2, 1+5

Summary: In chapter 1, Trowa takes a bit of a risk when he learns Duo is running again. In chapter 2, Wufei takes a chance when he invites Heero to be his roommate.

A/N: I'd like to give a nod to Dyna Dee on her special day and a big thank you to Waterlily for her editing.

"On The Off Chance"

Chapter 2

Heero breathed into his hidden Bluetooth microphone. "Chang Wufei."

While his phone auto-dialed, Heero rested the heavy duffle bag on the cement walk outside the door and draped the suit bags atop that. He adjusted the backpack shoulder strap and readied to grip the door handle the moment the lock was triggered.

Over his earphone he heard the familiar voice of his work-friend and his stress-level dropped significantly. Unlike Trowa Barton or Quatre Winner, Wufei was one of the few comrades from the war years Heero saw off the job. Duo was the other, but since they shared a space in a work-issued, residence hall, Heero didn't count that in the same way. When he needed someone to talk to about serious things, Wufei was his first choice. He found the man to be very smart and articulate, like Duo, but in a scholarly way rather than street-smart manner. He had his rough edges, was short tempered and had a sharp tongue, but even that seemed to have smoothed out over the past six months or so.

Conceivably, moving out of the dormitory had contributed? If so, Heero hoped this move would be just as good for him, maybe lessen his own headaches, which had intensified and sprouted secondary aches and pains- a twitchy trigger finger, a locking shoulder.

"Yuy? You are early."

"Hn." Obviously. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner his friend could have dinner and return to work.

"It's unimportant," Wufei recognized. "I'm ready."

The door unlocked and Heero re-adorned his arm with the garment bags, turned the knob with one hand, and grasped the duffle with the other. With one foot in the doorway, he shouldered the door open the rest of the way and entered while still listening to the caller.

"Take the elevator on your right to the fourth floor, then the stairs the rest of the way."

"Hn" Heero acknowledged the instructions and moved on. He would have preferred taking the stairs all the way, but the two mile walk carrying all his earthly possessions in the extreme heat had left him willing to let a contrivance carry him up four flights.

Wufei stood at the opening to his new apartment, and widened the door to admit Heero. His eyes scanned the belongings as he passed. "You could have stored the arms at Preventers."

Heero set that particular bag, the heavy duffle, inside the door and surveyed the interior. "I did. These are for home protection."

Had he bothered to look, Heero would have seen the other man bristle like a porcupine at the slight; instead, he got an ear-full of "Chang-itude", as Duo called it.

"You do realize this building is owned and operated by the Winner Corporation and that this suite of rooms is where Quatre himself stays when he is in town? And that I am well armed; security is very good—"

"Where he used to stay, or so he said." Heero met Wufei's eyes with a direct stare and toed off his shoes to join two pairs, presumably Wufei's, neatly aligned at right angles to the wall beside the door jam. "Security has become lax. The surveillance cameras were all off-line."

If he was bothered by this news, Heero noticed that Wufei didn't show it this time around. He must have 'mustered up his best behavior vibes', as Duo would say. God, he was saturated with Duo-speak! He hoped he would soak up Wufei's intellect just as quickly.

"Were they?" Wufei asked, downplaying everything with a shrug and a smile. "Well, come in. Can I get you something to drink?"

"No, thank you." Surely, he could fill his own water bottle. "Which is my room?"

"You can put your bags in either one. Take your pick. All three bedrooms are alike, master suites with baths. I took the one on that side, as you can see. The one you don't choose will remain Winner's, should he come to town."

With a terse nod, Heero gave his assent and stalked through the magnificent living room, fully furnished in a style he immediately correlated with Winner's refined choices rather than Chang's (if his scaled-back taste from the dorms carried over), past the kitchenette, sporting a subdued brown teapot, a bowl of fresh-looking fruit, and nothing else, which he also put down to Wufei's ascetic style, and continued down the short hall to the room opposite Wufei's. There he dropped the backpack and hand-carried the suit bags into the walk-in closet. He hung the suits, put away the clothes, and disappeared into the bathroom for a while.

Heero opened his eyes and wondered where in hell he was. Shooting off what he discovered was a body-forming mattress of amazing comfort, gave him his first clue. He was still wearing the shirt from the day before, socks, and boxers. Seeing his belongings dotted around the room- his jacket and slacks folded over a chair, hair brush and electronics set out on a dresser, and the barest glimpse of his wardrobe of clothes hanging in the closet beyond—gave him his next clue.

"I moved into Wufei's place," he concluded. "But was that an hour ago- or was it longer?"

There was more than one way to find out. Sunlight glowed through the windows when he flung open the curtains. He remembered having arrived at Wufei's doorstep after checking out for the day at Preventers. That was evening. It was clearly day again now. Sanc in autumn. Late morning, nearly noon. He had slept through two meals! Not that his body couldn't adapt to a little deprivation. It would be good for him, in fact, to toughen up to the war-years standards. But he had slept through two meals!

At least he had showered and brushed his teeth before crashing. Too bad he hadn't taken the time to completely undress. He picked at his shirt, noting the wrinkles, and unbuttoned it at the same time he flipped through the contents of his closet. He chose a blue one just like the white one he took off. He must have been exhausted to have slept so long.

Since he wasn't expected to be at work today, he chose a pair of jeans and clean socks. The jeans fit well, he noted with satisfaction. He sat on the edge of the bed to put on the socks and felt the mattress sink—no- melt under him. Although the dormitory beds were a far cry from mats over steel-frame cots, the bed he had fallen onto last night had offered him comfort far beyond what he was used to—as it was again, sucking him down...

Winner knew about the creature comforts that counted, that much seemed clear to Heero. Sleeeeep...

He blinked himself out of another drowse. Eat to stay alert, he reminded himself sharply, then locate Wufei. Possibly purchase a firm futon. Or thin mat.

Wufei was not in residence, but he'd left out a tin of tea and a refrigerator filled with nutritious selections. While waiting for the water to boil in his mug, Heero ate two peeled hard-boiled eggs and a carton of plain yogurt. His tea steeped as he scooped out half a melon and sprinkled it with granola. He finished eating and then checked his phone messages.

Wufei had left him greetings: Hoped he was okay; he'd been alive when Wufei had left for work (funny). Help himself to whatever looks appealing and a raw-grain-filled health bar for later.

"I will," Heero said, typing back a brief message.

His phone responded with an incoming-call alert. It was Wufei. "Hi," Heero said.

"I'm on my way home," Wufei said, "Are you still there?"

"Yes. I have no plans."

"Splendid."

Splendid?! Heero startled at his use of that word. Winner might say that- or Merquise. He decided Wufei probably picked it up from working too often for Zechs. Lord only knew how many Duo-isms he'd incorporated into his lingo.

"I'll be home shortly and we can discuss..." Wufei hesitated over a word, "... matters."

"Okay," Heero agreed half-heartedly.

"Matters" stood in for any number of things. Wufei, he expected, would want to review where they stood, make changes as to how they would split expenses, schedule cleaning and cooking tasks, and plan ride-sharing to Preventers. None of these had been issues he'd had to deal with before. Dormitory living had had its benefits. Was it going to be too high a price to pay for the privacy he sought? Should he have looked for a studio just for himself?

That last choice didn't sound at all attractive. He didn't want to be alone. "Should I prepare something here?" he asked, "for dinner later?"

"No, I'm stopping for takeout we can re-heat when we want." Wufei signed off and Heero was left alone in his new home.

He remained motionless at the window and gazed over the city. Untold numbers of people going about their business, and he didn't have to be a part of it right now. He could stand there, high above it all, listen to his heart beat and hear nothing else. And he would have Wufei for company. Yes, the price was worth it.

The last week he'd been in the Preventers dormitory, he and Duo had been alone in the room they shared with two other agents.

"Listen," Duo had begun, "I know you're about to go on assignment and so am I, but—" Duo's hand shook, the one that he had on Heero's shoulder to get his attention. "I'm asking you to move in with me."

Heero remembered that earnest look in Duo's eyes when he'd said it.

"Get us a place to share?" Duo had thrown up his hands dramatically. "Get out of this rabbit warren!"

Heero hadn't been sure he wanted to live with Duo. "I'll have to think about it."

"No, you don't," Duo had said. "I've asked you before. You've had plenty of time to think. You either want to live with me or not."

Heero had just stood there unable to tell his friend that he didn't think he could live under the same roof with him. He liked Duo, enjoyed his humor and outrageousness at times. Short intervals.

"Here's the deal. I'm splitting. Right after this next assignment, I'm not coming back here. If you don't go with me, then you'll get a new roommate here in the dorm."

"I don't want that." Heero had no problem expressing that feeling. The other two strangers were bad enough, but he did not relish the thought of living in close quarters with three unknowns, even if they were fellow agents. Too many of those had past ties with OZ, and although they had passed the psychology tests prior to admission to the organization, Heero didn't trust them not to cut his throat or slip a knife into his ribs. For that reason he worked alone, and Commander Une allowed it, because she wouldn't waste Gundam fighters by pairing them up on assignments. She also authorized Duo's transfer to share living quarters with Heero and the two other agents, newbies who kept rotating in and out. If Duo moved away, that margin of safety would be gone.

While he was lost in thought, he lost track of what Duo was doing. Duo had stepped into his personal space and suddenly kissed him. He'd kissed him once before—a dart in and peck sort of thing. Heero thought his non-participation that first time had sent Duo the appropriate message. Duo hadn't tried it again—until now.

His lips had slid off Heero's and he had been looking for answers in Heero's eyes. Duo was fine in a group setting one out of four, or better, five was good for him. If he and Duo shared an apartment, then it would be 50/50, which, seeing as he was quiet and Duo was not, would alter the situation into becoming a Duo-takeover in no time.

So unbearable that had seemed to Heero that he just blurted out, "No!" It came out louder than he had intended.

"No, as in stop kissing? Or no, you don't want to move in with me?"

"Both," Heero had said, whispering.

"It's me then," Duo had concluded. He'd said it very softly.

The atmosphere had changed like someone had opened a window and let in the chill night air. Heero had known that he'd disappointed and offended his friend and felt unhappy about doing it. He had cleared his throat in an attempt to start an apology.

"No need to say more," Duo had said, stopping his attempt to speak. "Hey, gotta go." Duo had made a quick exit after that.

Heero relaxed his fists and leaned into the window frame. It hurt now, remembering. Sanc traffic moved on as usual, light reflected off windows of buildings that looked much the same, but his life had transformed overnight. Home wasn't home. His job put him into constantly different situations, but he'd always come home to the dormitory, the familiar, and Duo.

Well, at least, when Wufei came home he would have a friend. Someone he trusted and liked. And he would get used to driving to this building and to his new improved living quarters. His circumstances were better and he would adjust.

He had Duo to thank for getting him... everything. He smiled, recalling how that had come about. Two days after he had given Heero one last chance to move in with him,Duo took him completely by surprise.

He dashed into Heero's office, slammed the door, and announced, "I'm not going to chase after you, nag you into doing what I want."

"Ah... you've never come close, but I'm—" Heero began to tell him what a relief that was, but unsuccessfully as Duo ploughed on.

"-I should have known better. No matter, I do now. For a change, I'd like to have someone pursue me. Chase me! No, really! I am giving up on you entirely, and just to prove it," Duo said, smiling oddly and turning on a heel. He gestured broadly. "I give you Wufei."

Heero waited for the rest.

Duo's smile widened dangerously, but he proved he could wait, too.

With a sigh, Heero gave in. "Explain."

"Wufei, our fellow agent and friend, of sorts."

"I know whom you meant."

"But did you know he moved last month, or so, taking over Quatre's penthouse suite apartment?" Duo asked.

"Three months ago, actually," he said.

Heero not been present for the move-in date, or helped Wufei lug boxes, due to the genius of Merquise sending him on a wild goose chase to L3 in pursuit of a no-show, good-for-nothing, no-account arms dealer. Waste of time. Another squandering of his precious time and experience, thanks to Zechs Fucking Merquise.

Trowa had been following the same thug—successfully, he might point out, and he did- all the way to 32nd and Hyde in Sanc City, where he stopped the deal from going down, as Trowa had put it loftily, "all by myself". Commander Une gave him a fucking medal.

Duo hadn't said a thing, but he was scrutinizing Heero. He appeared to have given Heero his moment to reflect without interruption. "Oh, yeah?" he said when Heero looked up at his face. "Three months? I don't regularly keep up on everyone's whereabouts, but lately he's been grousing about the cavernous size—way too spacious... no... the word he used was 'capacious' and he might have complained about echoes. I couldn't help overhearing. I mean a word like 'capacious' you don't hear every day, right?"

"Why didn't you talk to him about moving in yourself?" Heero asked.

"Funny you should ask. I did, actually. Then a foot came crashing down on mine, under the table- it was the cafeteria, you see. Now, who do you think put in his sudden appearance and was sitting across from me? No one less than the illustrious, special ops guru and fearless leader, Sir Wind Bag 'the lead-footed' Merquise. You know he's been sniffing around Chang since he moved back to Sanc-?"

"Merquise?" Heero cried out in a show of emotion he'd managed to contain up to this point. It took an extreme effort on his part not to clench his jaw and grind his teeth.

Of all the men in the universe, Zechs seemed especially crafted to disturb Heero's life—not unlike Duo, but with significant differences. With Merquise there was the life-threatening aspect along with being a nuisance. As much of a pain in the neck he'd been for Heero in the past, now it was worse. Somehow the Lightening Count had reincarnated himself as his superior officer in special operations- Agent Wind, or what Duo called him in private, Sir Wind Bag. Just mentioning him was like a punch to the gut.

Duo was laughing. "I thought that would get a reaction out of you. I mean, either you fucking hate him to the core or you got the hots for—"

Heero's glare of death snuffed out the rest of what Duo had been about to say. "What do you mean by 'sniffing'?" Heero was slow to getting around to asking, but he did get there.

"I mean that Zechs has been chasing tail all over Preventers, but hit a snag when he came up against Kung-Fei."

Heero snapped. He was tired of parsing Duo-speak for information. "Does Zechs have designs on Wufei or his apartment?"

"Ah-ha! Good question—it is complicated."

"Chang doesn't date anyone," Heero stated. He was sure of it. He knew that for a fact. He had watched...paid attention. If Heero would consider dating, and he hadn't, but if he had, it would be Wufei, or someone like him, very, very like him. "You must then be implying that he is considering dividing up his apartment with Merquise."

"Okay, if you say so. What I do know is that Zechsy has been coveting that real estate of Winner's for ages, and when Wufei made the mistake of mentioning how he was 'contemplating a roommate', why, Merq-the-Jerk jumped on it like a starving squirrel on the last peanut on earth."

"Wufei wouldn't!" Zechs would jump anything dead, alive or otherwise, Heero believed.

"He didn't lay out the welcome mat, no, not yet. And do you know why?"

"I can think of several excellent reasons," Heero said with a touch of snarl at the end.

"And you'd be wrong, wrong, wrong. Beeeeecause..." Duo paused for effect. Heero thought about strangling him. "Because I told him there was another candidate he should speak to before making any final decisions. Don't get me wrong, I was thinking it might be me for a second there- just to save him from Zee Zechs Fiend. Plus, it woulda been a huge move up, but I was in the process of making other plans. Anyway... he asked 'who?', and I said 'you', as in 'Heero Yuy, agent extraordinaire, currently at large', and he smiled."

Immediately suspicious, Heero wanted to question Duo thoroughly, but in case this was all on the up and up and this was a legitimate lead to a comfortable move out of the dormitory lifestyle, he decided to keep his negative comments mostly to himself.

"If," Heero said, "Zechs thinks you have thwarted his plans to acquire the apartment suite, he could make life difficult for you at work."

"'Thwart' might be a bit over the top, heh, heh. But you're right in thinking he might see me as... not on his side. This is why you and I are not in management positions and Zechs is," Duo responded.

He seemed relieved to have something different, less personally sensitive, perhaps, to chat about; and so, Duo was off and running. "We don't think like a manager. Luckily for us, Quatre does know the way of huge, unscrupulous weasels bent on abusing their position of power for personal gain and he gave me a few pointers. You see, when dealing with employees who are doing their jobs, but that you just plainly don't like, managers have few retaliatory options. Fear and intimidation only goes so far, and with folks like us, Zechs has gotta know it's not far enough to get him what he wants. One option he has that he never thought to use is the office-supply cabinet lock. One false move on his part and I'm all over it. I'll re-distribute every item of worth to those in need. And who doesn't need a new stapler, or two, and 5000 staples in a handy-dandy box or a ream or more of paper, good for airplane making? So, by emptying the supply lockers I would bring Preventers to a standstill."

Heero shook his head, letting Duo's banter rattle around a little (this was why he couldn't live with Duo!), but it just made Duo grin harder.

"C'mon, 'Ro, remember when he tried to get us taken off-line and stuffed into meaningless desk jobs kicked into dark corners?"

"Yes."

"He tried squeezing our health benefits like a tourniquet on a strawberry. And did that work?"

"No."

"Of course not. There are limitations even he can't run rickshaw over. So, no worries, eh? With the road to Chang City practically paved in yellow-bricks, you can call 'Fei-man yourself and set up a move-in date. That much I didn't do for you."

"Why?" Heero couldn't understand why Duo had gone to so much trouble for him. "Why did you do this?"

"Oh, Heero," Duo said then sighed. "Someday... just think of it as a thing a friend would do for a friend, or two, and leave it at that, okay? Hey, I gotta go. Don't wanna give the Wind-Master any reason to mess with my plans." He hesitated and rocked from one foot to the other. "Um, so I won't be seeing you... for a while, so, ah... take care, 'kay?"

Heero wondered at this. Over the years, they both had been assigned multiple times to missions that had launched them to all corners of the universe, but he'd never said anything quite like that. This time it sounded like goodbye.

"I will," Heero assured him. "You, too."

Duo smiled faintly, gave him a little wave, and left.

Heero scanned the horizon, wondering if Duo had made it back from his mission. If he closed his eyes he could picture him collapsing over his flimsy but adequate mattress- not at all an over-indulgent, fit-for-a prince, memory-foam mattress- and telling anyone within listening distance all the exciting, though unimportant, minutiae that he had endured while "enslaved to the man".

He was dragged out of his dream world by the sound of someone clearing his throat. He spun about and saw Wufei.

"When did you get home?" he asked, angry to have been taken by surprise. How had Wufei gotten past him, and carrying a noisy paper bag?

"A few minutes ago. You looked...enthralled. I didn't want to disturb your...reflections."

"I wasn't... I was only-" Heero couldn't come up with any alibi, so he just let it go. "You have a nice view of Sanc."

"It is even better at night. The lights-."

Heero didn't want to listen to Wufei waxing poetic.

And waxing the Chinese scholar was, "—spoil the night sky and it's not dark enough for the Milky Way, but when the moon is full it is extraordinary-!"

"You have done very well for yourself, getting to live here."

"Why, yes. It was very timely, but not the result of luck at all." Wufei smiled his secret smile. He approached Heero, standing only a couple steps out of his comfort zone.

"Don't tell me. Maxwell learned of it from Winner and spoke to you about it," Heero guessed Duo was involved somehow.

"They stay in contact weekly, you know." Wufei had evaded answering directly, but Heero just assumed he'd been correct.

"I know." Heero glanced out the window, to safety. "He could have moved in here."

"Duo? Not, and I quote, 'his style'." Wufei stepped closer again. "I learned something sad today, speaking of Duo."

"What was that?" Heero asked.

"Duo has left."

"Left? He's been on assignment and was due back today, I thought."

"He walked into the Preventers downtown headquarters, into the commander's office and signed his transfer papers. I guess you didn't know anything about that? Strange, he had to have started that process before going on his last mission, you lived with him, and he said nothing about it to you?"

"... I won't be seeing you... for a while, so, ah... take care, 'kay?"

"He said... nothing about a transfer." Heero felt his gut twist.

"Interesting. What's more..." Wufei was studying his face. "You can't possibly guess!"

"What are you talking about?" Heero growled.

"Trowa Barton walked out, apparently preceding his notification of any plans to do so. Just followed Duo out the door and never came back, is what I heard. Merquise was up in arms. He had absolutely no advance notice of Barton's actions, if I understood his babbling, and seemed intensely put out."

"Trowa quit?"

"I don't know. I'm not privy to the details. But, I did discover that Duo was transferred to L2. Did you not notice his belongings were missing from the dorm when you were packing this morning?"

"No. Everything is stored in lockers, you know that. Unless he'd left open a closet or a trunk, I wouldn't have seen anything." He might have noticed a picture on the side table. "The picture he kept was gone."

"And you thought nothing of it?" Wufei asked, astounded.

"I was concerned only with packing my own things. I didn't register until now." Heero wondered how long ago Duo had planned the transfer. Wufei folded his arms across his chest, a defensive shift, Heero noted. "Preventers probably packed his things and sent them ahead while we were both on assignment."

"Very likely. He must have filed the transfer documents a couple weeks ago, which would fit your timeline. But he didn't tell you he was leaving Sanc... Earth?"

"No. He... wanted to move out of the dormitory and asked me to join him."

"Did he? And you turned him down?"

"Yes. I wonder now if that's why he's gone?" Heero asked. The suspicion that he had been the cause of Duo's running away just occurred to him.

"Possibly," Wufei said, "especially if strong feelings were involved."

Heero remembered the injured look in Duo's eyes. "I couldn't live with him. I knew that I couldn't... just him. I told him 'no'."

Heero wasn't sure he understood what Wufei was doing, stepping closer, now leaning on the wall by the window, an arm's length away. Maybe he was going to hit him for hurting their friend?

"You weren't attracted to him?" Wufei asked, keeping his tone even. "He is a handsome man with considerable charm; at least, Barton thinks so, to just chase after him without a look backwards."

"You think Trowa left with Duo to go to L2? They hardly exchange two words a week—and for Duo that is significant, don't you think?!"

"He's a chatterbox; Trowa is not. Perhaps it is a case of opposites being attracted?"

Heero thought a moment about what that meant. "I hope so," he said at last.

"I did check, and both Barton and Maxwell boarded the shuttle."

"Good. They can watch one another's backs." Heero would miss them as parts of his everyday life.

"Do you mean that, or are you feeling guilty?"

"I don't! Why should I? We parted friends, Duo and I, although I didn't know what he was up to. He's the one that brought us together, um... that is, he steered me in your direction, ah... into asking you about this place, if you wanted a roommate and... all," Heero trailed off realizing he was nervously jabbering.

He felt a hand settle on his shoulder and strong fingers squeeze. Wufei was offering comfort? At first, he welcomed the warmth, but then he felt terribly embarrassed by his show of weakness. He must have been more exhausted from his last job than he thought to let himself become so run down, so vulnerable. His eye twitched.

Wufei eased off his shoulder, but didn't back away. The paper bag crinkled as it was adjusted. Heero could feel the heat radiating off Wufei he stood so close. His reaction was to lash out. He twisted away and gave the bag a little shove.

"There was plenty to eat here. I could have prepared something. Takeout is an extravagance and unhealthy!"

He heard a hitch in Wufei's breath, but the man didn't leave. He even moved back into Heero's personal space. "A little pricey, but the Golden Garden uses top-notch vegetables grown locally and farm-raised meats and poultry. The kitchen is highly rated, very hygienic." When he smiled at Heero, he managed not to let it become a mocking one. "I need to warm it in the oven. Excuse me."

An apology and a sincere smile? It nearly unnerved Heero.

Strains of melodic violins in concert filled the room, and then Wufei's voice from the kitchen area. "You can choose anything you like, if you aren't in the mood for Tchaikovsky."

Wufei had music? Duo reveled in music, turning up the volume until he could "feel" it- the louder the better. Trowa and Quatre could make music with instruments. Wufei listened to music, by choice?

Heero remembered once Wufei complaining to Duo that 'all that noise' was making it impossible for him to listen for intruders sneaking up on them. Duo had turned down his music, but Heero hadn't really heard it over the roar of the waves. As he recalled it, Trowa had hauled Duo off to toss a Frisbee. He'd been pretty quick to do that and had ignored other requests from others to join in—a minor thing then, but more meaningful in light of his current pursuit of Duo. Wufei shut off the tiny player device the instant Duo had gone. They'd been on an outing to the beach, a rare day off, a picnic with a few other people from work. A year ago, at least.

How was it that Wufei had made this comfortable, happy life for himself? The fantastic sound system was probably Winner's, but the music selection might have been Wufei's. And he'd become knowledgeable about the local restaurants, and splurged on eating out, occasionally. He knew how to fill a refrigerator with handy, healthy food!

The subject of Heero's thoughts padded back into the expansive living room. "Heero, come sit in here. Let's talk."

Heero sat on the arm of a chair across from the couch supporting his friend. "Duo was my friend, that's all. I didn't want to live with him because he's... too much for me at times, as a steady diet. And it was just the way he was, I know. He wasn't trying to annoy me."

"I can understand that," Wufei said. "At one time I could barely tolerate the man. I can now."

"You have changed."

"I have made a point of it." Wufei leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

Heero wondered if this was the end of it, if he had said all he intended to say and they could get on with their independent activities.

"Crazed workaholic," Wufei said. "That's what they were calling me. Now, it's you."

"No."

"How many shiny belt buckles, enameled pins, ribbons, and certificates of achievement have you been given? Ah, yes, from that expression I can tell—too many. Motivational trinkets, things they give us that we'd never buy for ourselves—"

"—waste of money."

"Precisely. There's the double benefit to the managers who dole them out- "

"-Perceived benefit," Heero emphasized.

"Yes, perceived. The gift of recognition is motivating you to work harder, but also making our peers insanely jealous of the trinket, thus becoming workaholics themselves to keep up and earn one, too. Wanting to be part of the 'family' of trinket-holders. I had to fight it. I had many issues to overcome. I had help doing that, and now I'm going to help you."

"I don't need help," Heero insisted. "I don't overwork. I took today off, for instance."

"You are allotted a week for moving—"

"—I don't need that," Heero said, leaving off the "obviously," since he had shown signs of fatigue he couldn't hide—crashing in his room and sleeping in. His shoulder was aching now.

Wufei ignored him anyway. "—and you have a week of downtime coming after a major mission."

Heero shrugged and turned to look away. His left knee had been strained and the tennis elbow was acting up.

Wufei got up and closed in to stand by his chair, not letting him avoid the discussion. "I had also succumbed to the 'team leader' scam," he said.

Heero looked at him. "Scam?"

"Another one of management's tools which makes you into a workaholic. I was fooled into thinking I'd been promoted. I was designated as 'team leader' and assured that my salary was higher than that of the other agents in my group. I ate meals at my desk; worked 18 hours a day, at times. It cost them nothing and had the added advantage of me doing much of my boss's job as well as my own."

Heero was a 'team leader'. "It has benefits." He jumped to his feet to distance himself again, wincing when he put too much weight on his knee. He got as far as the couch, which looked awesomely comfortable, and sank down.

Wufei smiled. "Name one."

Heero couldn't. At first the title had made him feel more important, but that had worn thin, along with his mental health, if he thought about it. He couldn't think if he tried right now. All he wanted was to drift. "Not right off the top of my head."

"Workaholism," Wufei repeated. "And it's promoted all the way to the top. I actually heard the commander in conversation with Merquise. She was complaining about all the hours wasted because agents insisted on eating, sleeping, and procreating, and that those unproductive periods could be reduced by encouraging them to work unpaid overtime." Wufei lit onto the couch next to Heero, hands lax at his sides. "I was so far gone that I actually agreed with her! But no longer."

Good for you.

"There is a cure."

Heero met his searching eyes, but said nothing. Wufei could take that to mean anything he wanted.

"The recommended treatment is finding someone to play with," Wufei said.

"Play? I should play with who—you?" Heero asked. So completely overwhelmed was he by that notion that it didn't even enter his mind to wonder who it was that Wufei had found to 'play with.'

"I'm glad you thought of me first. I won't let you turn inward. I won't let work crush the life out of you. I'll give you alternatives." Wufei's hand dropped to his knee. Heero's awareness centered on that hand on his knee.

Then he felt another wrap around his back, drawing his head down—he knew what was coming next and didn't stop it. Wufei's face met his; their lips touched a moment and then crushed together into a breathless kiss that lasted a full minute.

He counted to sixty, felt the hand at the back of his head ease away before sitting up and announcing, "You are pushier than Duo."

Wufei did not look offended; in fact he appeared pleased. "I am."

He didn't knock away the hand either, but he wasn't going to encourage anything by joining in the hand-fest. He felt the need to deflect the situation away from hands and playfulness at the same time he wanted to tuck the stray black-silk strand of hair behind Wufei's ear. "You never seemed that way before. Other than that, how was work?" Heero asked in a flat tone, but not completely without interest.

Wufei answered first with a tilt of his head, as if to say, "Yes, Heero, that was lame but I shall let it side for now." What he did answer aloud was, "Routine mostly. Ah, yes... something that might interest you." He removed the stimulating hand from Heero's knee to pull a folded paper from his pocket. "I found this. Rather than let it get lost, I brought it here."

"You found this on my desk?"

"No, not today." Wufei murmured.

"So, you found it in your pocket?" Heero said, to which Wufei made no reply so Heero took the note and read: "It's you I love." He had to stare at it and re-read the four words to make certain he was interpreting the lettering correctly.

"Can you read it?" Wufei asked.

"Yes, but I don't believe it." Oh, but he wanted to sooo much! He wanted to believe with an intensity that shocked him—that he could feel the need for another person's love so powerfully!

"Y-you don't believe it?" Wufei repeated, looking into his eyes with a glance that made Heero's heart beat faster.

"No," Heero said with what came out (strangely) as a saucy laugh. "I get one of these on my desk every week."

For the last couple months, when he actually had been in the office, he'd found a love note on his desk and he had thought they had been an annoying joke, or a Duo-thing to tease him.

To be cherished by another person? Not just anyone. No. A special someone. He stared into the dark eyes, passionately searching his for understanding and Heero go it. It was Wufei who'd been leaving these for him!

Wufei cleared his throat. "So, you noticed. What do you do about it?"

"I practice looking unapproachable and slightly annoyed," Heero crumpled the note and met Wufei's eyes again. "Yes, that's the look." He chuckled and repeated what Wufei had said earlier, "but no longer."

And with that spontaneous decision, Heero kissed his new roommate and changed the course of his life for the better.

TBC...

Chapter 3

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