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"The Heist "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: NC 17 Warnings: AU, male/male pairings, language Pairings: 1x2x1 Summary: Duo's planning a robbery, considering a reality TV show, and falling for the man who can lock him up for good. Can his friends help him? Can he help himself? A/N: This story takes place in a universe more
like ours today, where the colonies exist on land, not in space, and
where the world is on the cusp of change. Thanks goes to Waterlily
for her tireless editing and thoughtful suggestions throughout. "The Heist " Chapter Five - You Take the High Road Walking home that evening, Duo had two things on his mind. He needed to get a copy of the palace layout. This need was tied for importance with his desire to see Heero. Maybe it was because of balance that his thoughts passed back and forth from one to the other until a new, combined idea came to the fore. Heero would have a detailed floor plan of the palace! Now, if only he could get Heero to invite him into his barracks. Imagery filled his mind complete with exciting fantasy sex and took over for a few blocks. He paused in front of a dive featuring grub on the cheap, a place he'd frequented many times with good cheer. This time, however it just depressed him. He didn't want to eat alone. He rang up Heero just in case he could free up an hour or so. "Hi." "I was about to call you. Have you time to meet for dinner?" Heero asked. "You bet! I'm at your disposal all night." If you get my hint? "Good answer." Heero's chuckle was deep and sent Duo's drives into first gear. "I have an idea. Where are you?" Duo gave him the nearest cross streets, which would bring him into a seedy neighborhood, but he asked. "Give me a half hour or so and I could be further uptown." "No, stay where you are. I won't be long. Let me surprise you." A highly-honed sense of self-preservation and wariness of surprises, dragged down his chipper tone when he tried putting as much enthusiasm as possible into his reply. "O-kay." He stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets and stood near the corner just outside the circle of lamplight. He estimated it would take Heero at least twenty minutes to jog here. Time to daydream a little. What he wanted was to be over this job, be wallowing in wealth, and cruising off into the sunset with Heero. He imagined the prospect could come true in a month or so, if he could get Heero to quit his job and run away with him. Or sail away. Endless water, sun, tropical islands with long stretches of sandy beaches and lazy days... A car pulled to the curb and the window lowered. Expecting no one, but curious if Heero had a car, led him to the passenger side. He leaned over and looked in. A man waved a fistful of bills at him. "Hop in, baby." Say what? "No!" Duo hopped backwards and turned his back on the car, and put distance between him and the man. A hooker! The man thought he was a hooker! Duo couldn't believe he'd been so stupid as to parade in this neighborhood at this hour. He heard a whistle and words of admiration for his braid and butt. For fuck'ssake! A door slammed and footsteps pounded his way. "Hey! I was talking to you!" the man called after him. "Go 'way!" Duo said. He moved a hand to his pants pocket and fisted his knife, just in case. He hadn't needed to injure anyone in some time and hoped he could talk his way out of the predicament first. Still, cleaning this guy's clock would get his adrenalin going and burn off some of the excess nervous energy he'd built up while thinking about Heero. The man gripped his arm and Duo spun around, set to punch the man in the face. He leashed in his temper and ground out carefully, "Leggo the arm, dude." "If you want the alley, I'm good with it, but I was offering a nice room." The man brought his other hand into play to stroke Duo's back. A motorcycle grumbled up the street, slowing as it neared the confrontation. What if this guy had backup, Duo wondered? He didn't like being outnumbered. Enough was enough! Duo's nostrils flared, his hands flexed. "What you don't get is that I said no, go away, and let the fuck go of me. I say three strikes and you are out." Duo drew his blade. "Now, back off." "Hey, man!" the accoster shouted. But it wasn't because of anything Duo had done. Duo's accoster rose off his feet into the air, lifted by a pair of extremely strong arms. "He said 'go'," said a new voice, "so I suggest you do that or I will cite you for assault, and if you hit me, you'll be arrested for assaulting a peace protector." Feet firmly on terra firma again, the man babbled about a "knife" and demanded to see identification. Heero flashed him his Sanc Elite Palace Guard badge, which shut him up, and then Heero demanded that he apologize to Duo, which the stranger did before scooting back to his car and speeding away. "Thanks, but I coulda handled him," Duo grumbled, hands on hips. "I know, but I didn't want you to get blood on your nice jacket," Heero smiled. "Besides, I wanted to show off a little, too." He peeked through his dark bangs, looking less sure of his reception. "Did it work?" "Work? Oh, yeah, very impressive...authoritative." Duo grinned. "Good, then you can oblige me more by wearing this," Heero offered him a helmet, "and coming for a ride?" "Oh, baby! What I can do with a line like that!" Duo laughed as he wrapped his braid atop his head and jammed on the helmet to hold it safely in place. "Climb on." Duo straddled the big bike behind Heero, wrapped his arms around Heero's narrow waist, and gave him a quick squeeze. "Ready." Heero shot down the street, the cycle roaring into the dark, aiming for the highway. A few hair-raising turns broke up the breathtaking straightaways. Not that Duo would complain. This was as close to nirvana as he'd ever get, he guessed, so he nuzzled the broad back and smiled into the wind, careless of where they were going. Out of the sheltered valley of the Sanc capital and up through a mountain pass they climbed. Pines and fir trees loomed tall and dark giving a tunnel feel to the roadway. When the path opened, Duo thought he could see stars, and then they started the fast decline down, passing turnoffs for valleys and towns Duo had never visited. His eyes were closed so his first clue was the smell of the sea. That was unexpected! He straightened and watched as they turned off for the Wayside Wharf. "I can't believe your taking me out to dinner at the beach!" Duo exclaimed. "You seemed pleased." "Oh, I am, very. This is spectacular." Heero parked. "It's better in daylight when you can see things. Want to walk a bit?" "Yeah, get the kinks out. I'm still vibrating." The pair strolled the wooden wharf, hands not touching, but close. Duo breathed the air and claimed it was "The best!" He leaned out over the railing, but couldn't make out the barking animals in the dark under the pilings. "Porpoises and sea lions swim around here and there are noisy birds trying to steal the fishermen's catches." "Awesome!" "I'll bring you back here in the daylight, since you like it so much." They were standing shoulders level and close enough that Duo felt his warm breath on his cheek. "That'd be cool. I'd like that," Duo said, leaning into the other man. Being with Heero alone and being pummeled by the bracing, fresh air off the sea was intoxicating. Seeing the wildlife he'd only read about, would be over the top. For dinner, Heero bought them baskets of fish and chips and hot coffee. They sat at a rickety bench and snugged close against the rising wind, while eating the greasy, crunchy delightful morsels. Other people meandered about, cruising the eateries, bars, and peering into windows of closed shops selling t-shirts and souvenirs. "This has been good. Without question, it's been best part of my day." Duo looked over Heero's face. He though his friend looked tired. "Something go wrong today?" "Relena," he said with a long sigh. "She's not a bad person, but she puts me into awkward situations. I think she just needs to have more friends." "She needs a love interest that isn't you," Duo said. "That may be true. It's as if she's bored and I'm not her equal socially and that excites her. The only people she meets are others of the privileged few, who all seem the same to me." "Yeah, can't blame her for knowing value when she sees it, heh, heh..." Duo shook his head and blew on the coffee before taking a sip. "Hot! Good. Yeah, I got a couple friends stuck in relationship limbo, talking about pride and social separation. They could be good for one another if they could get past their biases." "That's not my problem with Relena." "Oh, I know that. You aren't a social climber and you look past our differences okay." Heero marshaled a little smile. "So far." "And you're gay, so it's got no future for her. She knows that, right?" "I haven't told her, but there are other...extenuating circumstances which she's aware of which could only mean-" "Don't be too sure!" Duo warned him. "Tell her next time she tries something." "I guess I shouldn't just assume she knows. But then, what if she thinks of me as an even bigger challenge?" "God, I hope not. What we need is a distraction for her." "That's sounding reasonable, the more I think about it." Heero smiled at him and then concentrated on his hot drink. "Good. I'm a planner sort of person. You know, there's a party coming up at the palace soon-" "How do you know about that? I just heard about it!" Duo shrugged. Duo didn't want to bring up Quatre's name in relation to the party and hoped Heero wouldn't press him about how he came by the party information. "The help is always the last to know," he joked. "Not security! Every event plan must go through us first for approval. And there's..." Heero paused to consider his words and what to give away to Duo. "... all the rest to take care of." Duo guessed that Heero was complaining about all the security problems associated with Relena's spring cleaning plans. Those were only going to get more complicated and Duo knew he was going to have to thwart his efforts and out-smart him. "That's too bad. It means you won't be able to loaf around at the party, which means the princess might be up for a new beau, am I right?" "You could be." "I am and you are in luck! I know a guy that would rock her socks off-!" Heero chuckled. "I don't think so." "Hey, you haven't even given him a chance! Don't you think I know important people in important places?" "I don't want to argue with you. Just drop it. Someone will catch her eye and I'll be forgotten eventually." Duo was glad to drop the subject if it was going to put Heero in a bad mood. He stared over his shoulder. "Is that fog?" "Yeah. I was hoping to escape that." "We gotta leave?" "While the road is okay, we should." Heero added, "Next time we'll plan to stay, if you want?" "I want!" They didn't hurry, though. When they re-traced their walk by the store fronts of the wharf, Heero stepped into one still open. "We should get sweatshirts to add to what we have. It'll be cold on the way back," he explained. Duo nearly pointed out how he could buy one and get one for free, but decided now wasn't the time to bring up his skills at stealing. Maybe there was no good time to illuminate the elite guardsman about that? When they returned to the motorcycle, Heero produced gloves and put them on. "Don't I get any?" "You can use my pockets." Why, yes, he could do that. There came another exhilarating trip, taking dips and hills at a break-neck speed, leaving Duo's heart thrumming for more as they slowed, purring into the city. "Can we do a pit stop?" Duo asked, shouting to be heard. "You just want to see where I live." "That too." Heero turned up a side road that led past security gates to a parking lot behind a low set of buildings masked mostly from public view by a row of cypress trees. "Does look like barracks," Duo mused. "You'd think the elite corps would get something more, you know, elite." "It's sufficient. None of us are married. Once you do, you get a different job elsewhere. Here," the guard pinned a visitor badge onto Duo's jacket, "wear this at all times." "Gotcha." The unadorned hall led to other halls that lead to doors, grey, beige, and scuffed brown. "Kinda drab," Duo noted. "I don't notice." Heero seemed uncomfortable and hell-bent on getting Duo out of sight as soon as possible. "What's the hurry?" Duo queried, quickstepping alongside. "I need to use the men's room." Heero pushed open a door and flipped on an overhead light. No one was in. There were four beds, side tables, and small desks at the foot of each metal-framed bed. Heero regarded a door then looked back at Duo as if measuring the distance and computing the time he'd be gone, just to ease his worry that Duo might sneak off with a roommate's treasure. "Can you behave yourself for a few minutes or do I need to cuff you?" Duo tested one frame for sturdiness, his grin spread like the rising sun cresting the hill tops. "Cuff me, please, baby?" His tone was so seductive, Heero blushed hot. "Idiot." One bed, he noted was piled with clothes, the associated desk, littered with papers. "Always one mess-maker, eh?" "The new hire must have arrived today." "Oh. Pretty sparse, otherwise." "Just stay put." Duo saluted roguishly. "Yes, sir!" And Heero left the room with a growl or laugh, depending on how Duo took it. Immediately, Duo migrated over to the desk, his curiosity burning a hole in his better judgment. He leafed through the papers, finding forms, rules, legalese agreements of no interest to him. Then, at the bottom of the pile Duo saw maps. The palace layouts?! He couldn't believe his luck! He heard footfalls from the hallway. He used the precious remaining time Heero's absence afforded him to collect and fold them so they would fit tightly between his boot and sock. He removed his jacket, turning it into a pillow, and stretched out onto the floor just as Heero entered the room. "What are you doing?" "Staying out of trouble. I got tired of standing and didn't want to muss some stranger's bed, but I stayed put." "You can sit here," Heero pulled out a chair at a desk as he sat at the nearby bed. "Thanks!" Duo stood and smiled. "Wanna show me where the john is first?" "Sure." Duo was glad Heero let him go in and use the men's room unaccompanied. This time. Under different condition, Duo just might have lured him in for some "action". They were long overdue for some lovin', Duo thought. But not this time. He closed a stall door and pulled out the maps. He found where the crown jewels were displayed and the turret with glass inset windows high above it. He shot pictures with his phone's camera. "What's this I see?" Could the dotted lines mean underground? If so, then he had to be having the best run of luck ever. Underground tunnels connected the palace with the treasury and the treasury to what appeared to be a loading dock. He jumped when he heard Heero's voice at the outer door. "You okay?" "Yeah!" He put away his phone and folded the maps, hiding them under his shirt quickly. Back in the room, his luck continued when Heero bent to pick up Duo's jacket, giving him just enough time to deposit the papers on the desk. He could hear men's voices in the distance and footsteps in the echoing hallway, and Heero made more noise when he dropped his keys. So, Duo used the opportunity presented to smooth out the paper folds a little before he pushed the maps to the bottom of the pile. "Well done!" he mentally congratulated himself, and then gave thanks to God for blessing him with the luck of the devil. "Thanks!" he said aloud to Heero, taking the jacket from his friend. "Now, about those cuffs-" "That was a-a threat, not a promise!" Heero said, his voice cracking. "Too bad." Duo stepped into his arms for a quick kiss. "Wanna introduce me to your roomies?" "No." Out in the hall, Duo greeted the other guards with a cheery "Hello", but he could tell Heero didn't want the meeting to become anything more. "Hey, 'Ro?" "What?" "I can catch the bus back to my place from here." "It's no trouble taking you home." "Yes, it is. I appreciate the offer, too, but I gotta few stops to make, things to pick up... er... purchase at the all-nighter first. It's been a great night. Let's keep it that way, okay?" "All right." Duo smoothed a hand over Heero's arm and skipped past the gate and out of sight into the night. As he stood at the bus stop, his thoughts drifted from Heero to the job. He had a lot to do. First of all, where did the TV reality show come into the picture? Could he appease them while carrying out all the tasks he'd set himself? Then there was Mr. Treize Khushrenada himself. Duo didn't trust "legal" and the liability clause. He didn't feel there was any was out of a felonious robbery of the Kingdom's treasury, captured on video and broadcast worldwide. Hauling bricks of gold bullion onto waiting train cars would be hard to cover up, especially if Trowa had been serious about putting on a little show of it. And it would be Trowa's ass on the line. Forget "legal"! Getting at the gold would have to be on the side and not televised, which meant he'd require a large-scale distraction for that. "Oh, man." He'd need another distraction. He'd planned to use the circus and the TV folks to distract Heero's guards and the party-goers from what Trowa, Wufei, Quatre, were doing. Sure, the TV equipment could cause a commotion, but would it get in the way of his job as much at that of the guards? The next morning he'd call Mr. Treize Khushrenada to give him "the what" and "the when" and to find out how much trouble this was going to give him. Yep. So he had a job with a complex "what", and soon to be determined "when", and he hoped to complete the plans for the "how" without too many more complications. Wel,l there was the problem of having multiple break-ins. One for the art, one for the legal papers, another at the treasury building, one for the reality show, and ... "That's it!" There were false jewels on display and real ones elsewhere! Maybe. And he'd call his old friend, Howard, about the crown jewel copies. And about the art copies. Confirmation of the facts was required. Everyone was getting something out of the job, too. That should have given Duo a feeling of satisfaction. Quatre would get what he wanted, including Trowa. Trowa got what he wanted, and more, probably. Wufei would be satisfied, even Princess Relena might meet her match! If it all worked out he'd never have to work again. But, he very likely would lose Heero in the process. That didn't seem right. Everyone would gain from this business. Everyone would be happy. Everyone but Duo and Heero. No, that didn't seem right at all. Definitely unfair. "Oh, suck it up, Maxwell. You want the money and this is how you get it. With enough of it, you can buy yourself a lover." But not one like Heero, a little nagging voice reminded him. "Cut that out!" he chastised himself. What he needed was something else to think about, and then he got it in the form of a ringing phone. Duo took the call. "Wufei?" "I have made an appointment for you to meet Mill tomorrow." "Mill? Oh, the boy-friend. You know, I didn't even know you were gay." "Of course you didn't. I'm not fool enough to advertise my preferences or reveal his identity to just anyone." "I feel special, then," Duo said trying to keep the laugh out of his tone. "If you want. Tomorrow at ten in the morning. Café Éclair. Be prompt." Duo was becoming tired of taking everyone's orders and nearly shouted "screw you" but didn't. "Yeah. Ten sharp. Bye." When he got home, he fed the stray cat the scraps Hilde had set aside for his use from the restaurant. "Yeah, that woulda been my dinner, so enjoy it." He fell asleep on a tide of stress, awash with melancholy, and feeling a bit adrift at sea with no horizon. Or was it more up shit creek? There was plenty of angst and a lot of water, regardless.
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