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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 Nine - The Hands Are Faster Than the Eyes "I get the idea this is something different. Something big," the perky, petite young woman observed. "It is, Miss Schbeiker. To begin with," Treize said, "It's a reality show." He smiled with the self-confidence of a man who would never run out of funding for his projects. "Then I'm stumped. What do you need me for? I've only had a few bit parts in local plays." "My lovely Lucrezia will explain it to you." The tall, beautiful brunette said stepped away from the credenza where she'd been waiting. She frowned minutely. She preferred to be called Noin. The producer was her boss, not the man to correct, however. "Hilde, is it? We will follow a group of professional robbers as they execute an actual robbery." Hilde cocked her head. "An actual robbery?" "Not entirely," Treize admitted, smiling his secret smile. Hilde crossed her arms over her chest. "If they don't do it, what's the show about?" Noin stepped in again. "It will get done, but there's more to it than just that. Sensitive reasons we don't want them to know about." Hilde glanced out the window as if contemplating her exit routes. "Uh, huh." Noin said, "We don't want them to think we are hiding anything, but we want to know if they begin to figure out that we are." "Oh, yeah? What's the secret?" Hilde looked interested. "We're hiding it from you, too," Treize said. Noin cast a warning look at him, and then said, "For your own good. That way, if they become suspicious, you won't actually know any more than they do, but you'll be right there with them, know what they're thinking, and pass it on to us." "So I'm a mole," Hilde concluded. She didn't seem to mind that until Noin showed her the contract with Maxwell's signature. "Tell them to pick someone else," the young woman said defiantly. "Duo's a good guy and I'm not going to hurt him." "The reason we cast you," Treize said, one arm stationed along the window sill so he could gaze out of doors. "We were looking for a...person... he already knew and had worked with in the past, and who he would trust. A good solid actor would have been good, but we also required that this person has some little dodgy elements in his...her past." Hilde once again scanned the room for exits. "I had a few wild times." "What you have," Noin mostly assured her boss, "is just enough background to be plausible for our purposes." Hilde huffed a little, but anyone could tell she was taking the job. Her clothes were just a little too frayed along the hems, her eyes looked a little too hungry, and an air of desperation clung to her as it did to Duo and all those living on society's edges. "You know, I don't emphasize that stuff on my resume." "No, but you will be accepted on the team and can coach them to sell a scene, not stare into the cameras, be... real." Noin strode over to the desk to get a prepared contract. "I'm gonna need legal protection here," Hilde demanded. "Oh, absolutely," Noin told her. "Legal's already put together a contract addendum now, explaining what you're doing and why." "That sounds good." Noin smiled minutely. "And it protects us as well. We have invested a great deal in this...show and wouldn't...like... it if you jeopardized the deal." Hilde could sense a threat in there someplace, but pretended not to. She had no plans to try double-dealing these characters. What they were paying her was good money. She'd find a way to not hurt Duo, though. She was bright and clever and would find a way. "So, does Duo expect me or am I on my own to get him to take me on?" Hilde asked. "You are on your own, and I suggest you get on it immediately." Noin handed her the contract and a pen and her card. "Call me if you aren't on board by the end of the week." "Oh, I'll be on the team," Hilde said with a return of her confidence, helped along by the promise of her first paycheck in ages waiting for her at the cashiers. "Don't you worry 'bout that!" (o) After splitting up to go their different ways, Duo stood to watch Heero's receding back, holding onto him, mentally anyway, for as long as possible. The man was a masterful lover. He'd mastered Duo that was for sure. His feet floated above the sidewalk. His head was in the clouds. Let it rain! He didn't care! Actually, it was a stupid, stupid thing to presume nature wasn't listening. Let it rain? Why that was like a challenge or a dare, and Duo knew better than to provoke the weather gods. Or he would have had his mind been out of the bedroom. Duo generally resented starting the morning without the chemical addition of caffeine. He resented this as a rule, just as his cat (not his but an alley cat which he fed and petted) resented being on either side of a closed door. "But I just let you in and now you want out?!" But this morning he was running in fine form without even a drop of coffee. A very quick bit of Heero-loving was all he required, it turned out, since their lovemaking had lingered on late into the night and now it was rather later in the morning than Heero could make it to work on time, so they were rushed. The sounds of the city, the street, a car horn landed him back on earth. "Where was I?" Duo asked himself, correcting his question to, "Where am I?" He'd been daydreaming again while on his way to meet his burglary team. Daydreaming again. He couldn't stop thinking, re-living his night with Heero. Not the snake, elephant, monkey part, but the stripped-naked-skin-on-skin-action later at the highway motor lodge. He'd barely crossed the threshold before Heero had the door shut and locked. He could hear the click of Heero's dress shoe heels on the bare floorboards moments before he felt his back smashed up against the door, pinned under the harder chest. Gone was the mild-mannered young man in the caravan. All that passion Duo had felt before in the palace closet returned. His wrists felt banded in steel clasped over his head, and he would have fought back had Heero's other hand not felt like a velvet glove sliding under his shirt. Whether the guy knew his strength or not, Duo reminded him that he was merely flesh and blood and wanted to keep as much of the red stuff inside of him as possible. "And I bruise easily," Duo added, causing Heero to let up on his grasp. Getting the response he wanted, Duo relaxed into the invasion on his mouth by a vigorous tongue. Then the tugging began and once again he had to put Heero on notice. "There's buttons and a zipper. Use them. I don't wanna haveta go home wrapped in a sheet. Besides, these are among the best I've got." Oh, how Heero had lingered over those buttons, tender fingers slipping them free one at a time as an excruciatingly slow pace, all the while nipping and licking each newly exposed piece of skin. Duo writhed in the agony of expectation. Heero hadn't even started removing his jeans; there hadn't been more than a light brush of finger tips followed by the firm crush of a thigh over his pelvis, when Duo couldn't stave off the rising pressure any more, and a shout burst from his lips as he came. "Hee-ro!" "Hey!" Duo grumbled at a passerby who bumped into him. "Watch where yer goin' yerself!" shouted the stranger over a shoulder. Duo frowned until the figure had disappeared into the crowd. A crowd of people waiting at a familiar bus stop. Oh, yeah, now he knew where he was! He was downtown. In Sanc. His scalp itched from the braid coiled under his hat. When he raised his arm to scratch at it, he knew instantly from the weight change, that he'd been robbed! His jacket pocket was lighter than it should have been. Robbed! "Hey!" he shouted again and tore off at a full run, hunting for the person who had jarred into him. The little pickpocket was fast, but he was faster and had more stamina. Before he tackled the figure to the ground, which would have hurt, he shouted, "Stop!" The runner collapsed onto a bench at the edge of a tiny park, pushed away the dark hood, and sighed, "Finally!" "Hilde!" Duo said, panting. "What the fuck?" She caught her breath a minute later. "Just seeing if you were still on top of your game before I offered you my services." "I am, but I don't need any help right now." "I need the work, Duo. I really do. And we work so good together. If you got something going down, I wanna be a part of your team. Please?" "The timing stinks," Duo argued. "I don't like stink." Hilde moved from her defensive stance, letting out a puff of breath. "Okay, I know everything, pretty much. The TV guys contacted me to act like a...ah... production assistant on the show." "When did you become an actress?" "I've been acting... around. You know that!" "Not TV." Her entire demeanor changed and her face brightened as she came clean, or so Duo thought. "It's all the same in show business. You know, to keep control of the... storyline- and I do know something about robberies- and keep it entertaining." That he bought. "Entertaining? Oh, yeah. That's reasonable. I wondered why anyone would wanna watch this kinda shit. So, sounds like you already gotta job. What's the deal?" "I only got it if I work with you, you know, a part of the team...stealing, whatever." "Uh, huh. Makes me wonder why ole TK didn't come to me first?" He would have questioned that first off, had he less Heero and more coffee for breakfast. She had an answer at the ready. "I think it was a test of my skills to see if you and me were still tight. He really wants me on the team like a consultant? Because he doesn't want you to appear studied, like a professional actor. You gotta look real. I'm not important. I mean, I'll hardly be on TV at all, drat it all, but I can school you how to make the most out of a scene." Duo grinned. "Finally getting your big break, huh?" "Yeah, I guess. It'd be cool to get into movies someday." Her dreamy smile warmed him inside and he wrapped her in a hug. "Hey, I broughtcha outta the L2 colony, if I can give you a leg up in show business with this job, then... yeah, we're still tight. Welcome aboard." "Thanks. Oh, here's your cell phone." "Uh, huh." "You're getting old, Duo, for me to pick your pocket like that." "Old? I didn't let you get away with it, did I? Naw, I was distracted." "You sure were." A careful study of his relaxed, considering, expression and loose body language, revealed a clue to the cause. "You gotta boyfriend?" "Huh? Oh! Um... I was thinking about him. Yeah, Heero." "So, you moving in with him? Heh, heh, 'cause if you still live in that hole you used to I can guarantee he's not moving in with you." "No. No one's moving in with no one. It's complicated. Right now he's employed at the palace. A-and that's all I'm gonna say about it." "You got my number. Keep in touch," she said. "Uh, huh. I'll think about where you'll fit in and let you know. And send you my timetable." "Thanks, Duo. You won't regret having me onboard." "Yeah." He was starting to pile up regrets. What was one more? She was good for some small task and if she gave him any trouble, he'd send Trowa after her. The man was good for scaring the hell outta double dealers, so Duo really wasn't going to dwell on her any longer. He might have wondered more about the suddenness of Hilde coming on the scene, the convenience of it, had he not had Heero on the brain, but that was the way of it. (o) He continued on his walk, crossing the corner park and heading straight for the Winner building. He had been compos mentis at some point on this beautiful morning, because he'd contacted his friend to confirm the use of his offices and his team mates to verify they'd gotten his message the night before and that they would turn up. What he learned was that they were not all eagerly anticipating the meeting. A meeting of the mind everyone had wanted, but getting them all to agree to actually getting off their duffs and leaving their safe little worlds and gathering for a few hours was like-well, it was a lot like pulling teeth. Painful and definitely off-putting. No one wanted to lose a tooth, even a bad one, because there was no getting one back. Fillers were not the same. But he'd done it. They all came to agreement once Quatre offered a private conference room with refreshments in his building. Food. Who'da thunk it? Had Duo guessed from the start that food was the lure, he would have started with that! Live and learn. Pay them and offer refreshments! Why, it was a lot like running a company. Maybe, Duo got to thinking, there was a future for him in the legit business world! And when he thought about the future, the started thinking about Heero and the night before. As embarrassing as coming in his pants had been, Heero cackling with the thrill of victory had almost been worse. Almost, it did get him out of his jeans and wet shorts quickly. Then it got worser. Little Maxie looked wrinkled, spent, and unimpressive. But before Duo could succumb to a self-pity party, his attention was wholly diverted by a Heero strip party. Oh, my. Big Yuy was yearning for attention, drooling, and Duo dove right in... Fury-packed honking and raging streams of expletives woke Duo out of his daydream this time. He found himself frozen in place, mid-intersection, traffic halted in every direction, waiting, barely, for him to "Getcher ass outta here!" He did, his ass feeling every bit as used and assaulted as he deserved. He hadn't submitted to sexual penetration in a long, long time, and Heero had been persuasive, convincing him more than once that it was time for him to get back into shape. He could have said no, he was sure of it, and Heero would have backed off, he was pretty sure, and they'd still be good. He hadn't been forced. But he was paying for it now in soreness, and hoped he wouldn't pay more when he had to sit through the damned meeting he'd called. He wasn't the last one to the party. He hailed Trowa outside the building, recognizing his long-legged, determined gait from a block away. Quatre was inside, pinning on "visitor" passes and dispatching them through security to the elevator. "Rashid will see you to the proper room while I wait for the others," the executive told them, although he pressed Trowa's hand and smiled endearingly into his face, while Duo just received a polite smile and the directive. "Hey, 'Sheed, how goesit?" "Very good, Mr. Maxwell. Thank you for asking. How are you?" "Top of the mark. You know my bud here, Trowa Barton, right?" "We have met on prior occasions, yes, thank you. How are you this fine morning, sir?" Trowa shrugged. "We'll see." And that set the tone for the first part, the part where just Trowa and Duo waited. "You know, when you offered me your place to stay, you would have thought you'd have at least picked up the clothes you left scattered helter-skelter everyplace," Duo began. "I really wonder how you find anything." Trowa didn't even look up. He poured himself coffee, black, and sat down. Duo poured himself a cup of coffee, added cream and sugar because it was there, and stood, putting off the sitting part. Trowa chugged back a scalding mouthful, coughed, and then said, "I can find anything. I got a simple system. I just plop my stuff on the table next to the door so that it's handy as I rush headlong out the door. The fact that I also plop the groceries, the acrobatic tools, car keys, gloves and so on onto the table doesn't slow me down a bit. I know exactly where everything is even if it takes me ten minutes to find it." "And the clothes?" "I don't have a closet. There's a box and it had costumes in it. Sorry. Next time I'll call the cleaning service. I didn't know you were so particular about where you screwed." "I'm not-! Well, I am, and don't trouble yourself. There's not gonna be a next time, you can count on that." "Good." Trowa swallowed more, feeling the burn enough to make his eyes water. "So, you and the cop are...over?" "Over?! You mean over and done with?! Hell no! Was that what you were after? Breaking us up? God, Trowa! I don't need you fucking things up to make my life miserable. I do a splendid job at it all by my little self. I need you to... no, I don't need nothing. I don't need your kind of support for my private life. I need you to do this job and that's it. Stay outta my love life." "You don't see how dating a fucking palace cop when you're about to rob the fucking place isn't a really, really fucking stupid thing to do?" "It's my problem. The job will most likely mark the end of 'Ro and me, so just let me enjoy these last few days, okay? Geez, Tro' you'd think you were my older brother or something." Something. Suddenly, another possibility opened, like a bottomless pit at his feet. When he looked Trowa in the eyes, was there that something lurking behind that sullen exterior? God, he hoped not, not some case of unrequited love. Duo couldn't take that. Not now! "Well, he seemed pretty chill with everything," Trowa was saying in a cautious tone. "He could have high-tailed it all angry, but he didn't. That could indicate he has deeper feelings for you." "You telling me that was a test you set up? Man, Tro', you got some serious trust issues." "You bet I do! I don't trust anyone who's fought for the enemy." "Good thing I don't see things so black and white, or where would you and I be?" Trowa winced at the reminder that he had infiltrated an enemy station and in doing so, fought with them on more than one occasion. "That's different." "Oh? Well, you don't even know for sure what side Heero was on. Not for sure!" "I don't want you getting arrested, Duo. You could be put away for a long time." And, if Heero was responsible, it would break Duo's heart beyond repair. Trowa cleared his throat and said, "I'd miss you." There was that warning in Duo's head again, signaling that something else was at work here, possibly. Possibly not. Trowa was a dynamic guy on the ropes, under the lights, in a show, but Duo never knew him to be in a real relationship. He'd always hidden behind his innate shyness. There was only one way to find out. Ask. "Are you in love with me?" The question hung in the air and both men turned at the sound of Quatre in the open doorway. In his dove grey suit, white shirt and pink tie, he looked cool and flinty, Duo decided. Yes, flinty, hard, detached, and unbending. How long had he been standing there? Duo felt his scalp prickle and felt sick. "Wufei and his guest will be a little late. He just called with a client that won't leave the shop before spending several hundred thousand dollars." "Whew! I guess not. That's some hunk of change to shell out on a piece of painted canvas." Duo rattled on while keeping an eye on Quatre's body language, wondering how much of his conversation with Trowa he'd overheard-they hadn't been quiet. Quatre poured coffee for himself, and loaded it with sugar and cream before bringing the overflowing cup to the table. "Monday is never a good day under any circumstance. I do not let it set the tone for the rest of the week. Tuesday, well... off to a good start, then it's a good week; off to a bad start, and it's normal. Tuesday was a staff meeting. I was typing up my letter of resignation by the end of it. I haven't submitted it yet, but it is ready if and when I even have a superior to give it to. Wednesday at work was slightly better than Tuesday but not much. When I arrived in the office, I forced myself to tackle a job that didn't need tackling and, in so doing, made a botch of it. This is always good for the ego, and it pretty much summed up the rest of the week, too. So, don't come to me with silly complaints about how things are working out for you!" "Um, okay." What complaints, Duo wondered? Quatre turned to address Trowa, his eyes hooded. "Aren't you going to answer his question?" Not on your life, Duo said to himself. "I thought it was just between us," Trowa finished off what had to be well-cooled coffee. "Let me see," Quatre went on. "It sounds to me that Duo's friend took some prank very well but that Duo was more annoyed at you for setting them up and spoiling their romantic evening. But you did this for the best of reasons. I'm sure Duo realizes how much you must care about him to do something like that. Right, Duo?" "No." Duo felt adamant about this now that Quatre was present. "Yes." Trowa seemed to like digging hole to climb into. A real trencher. Quatre's face fell, a crack in the earlier aloof façade. "I see." "No, you don't," Trowa argued. If he dug any deeper he'd reach China, which made Duo think about Wufei and how he wished he'd show up fast and then thought about pitching Zechs Merquise to Trowa and felt like grabbing his own shovel and digging the hell outta Sanc! "I don't want Duo messing around with some dude who's capable of ruining his life. If Duo's caught at this job, with his past, they'd lock him up and bury the key." Duo groaned. What was with the burying and digging?! "None of us wants that," Quatre admitted. "Although, I'm sure a good lawyer could limit his incarceration. But the question was-" Duo felt sorry, a little, for his timid friend. Trowa was not one to speak up about his feelings and here Quatre was pressing him for a big admission. He nearly put a stop to it, when Trowa surprised him. "Sure I love him, like a brother, like the comrade in arms that we've been. Yeah, I do. We're not lovers, though. I don't want that." "You don't?" Quatre sounded hopeful this time. "You spend a great deal of time with him. In fact, you spend more time with all the gay men I'm aware of than with me." Ah... Duo understood, so surely Trowa would recognize jealousy when it knocked him upside the head. "I've made it obvious how I want to spend time with you, but there's never time! Although it seems you make time for other handsome young men." "But that's because of the job-" Trowa started to defend himself. "That's an excuse!" And a pretty lame one, Duo thought. "You hated the circus!" Trowa said. "I did not!" "Whoa," Duo cut in. "When were you ever at the circus, Quat? You never told me about that, Tro." They ignored his presence. "I found a few things very difficult to deal with," Quatre admitted with a sniff. "Yeah, it all just emphasized the social differences between us," Trowa said, standing his ground, all trace of his usual shyness gone for the time being. "No! No, it was just..." Quatre pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose. "Oh, look at me! Just talking about it makes me react." Trowa looked very concerned and put hand on his arm. "Are you okay?" "Yes, yes, well, a little not. You see, I'm allergic to animals. Fur, feathers, it doesn't matter which. And everywhere there was dust, and I have allergies to that too. So you see, it wasn't what you do but the circus itself that I had problems with." "Allergies? Can't you take medication for that? Why didn't you tell me?" Duo choked back a laugh. Where did Quat come up with this stuff? Duo knew his friend didn't have allergies; he'd been riding horses for years and once had a pet dog, for Christsakes! And Duo was pretty sure he remembered correctly Quatre's disparaging remarks about the circus hygiene and health conditions. He didn't want to make a fuss around Trowa, but Quat wasn't a fan of carnivals, zoos, and especially circuses. He was a fan of slender, well-built, shy, gay men. Trowa was just his type, aside from the unfortunate circus job. "I didn't know until I was tested. And now I do. I just knew I felt awful at the circus and didn't want to tell you how the place you loved made me feel ill." Duo held back his laughter as best he could and lowered himself gingerly to a chair while taking a sip of coffee, now cold. The sharp, painful reminder of his activity the night before, made his shuck in a quick gasp of air, and coffee, causing him to choke. He caught Quatre looking at him, not with concern (are you all right?) but with frustration (can't you do that more quietly?) Quatre didn't wait for Trowa to embrace him. Who knows how long it might have taken him to gather the courage? Not Quatre. He was too impatient. Trowa found himself with an armful of sniffling blond. Two arms full when he finally completed the hug. "I'm so sorry," Quatre said, muffled by layers of jackets. "I've started treatment, but the doctor says it take months for anything to begin to work." Duo moaned and hid his face in his arms, folded on the table. Months! And then Quatre'd be perfectly fine to hang out at the stables or acquire a pet, but Duo would bet a gold brick, when he got a hold of one, that being at the circus with so many irritants would be out of the question. And poor Trowa would be so smitten by then that he'd give it all up without question. Well, they could suit themselves! "That's all right. We'll work something out. Would you like something to drink? Can I do something to help?" God, a simpering Trowa. Duo almost threw up. Trowa, his urgency notwithstanding, wasn't going to get his answers from Quatre right then. Duo knew that what Quatre needed was going to take more effort than walking to the refreshment table. He needed to be a part of Trowa's day-to-day life and they had a start right here and now with this meeting. Poor Trowa. Poor Quatre. So far, the blond had been very much apart from what Duo and Trowa were doing. No wonder that he had felt left out and unloved! But looking at the two of them now, it seemed to Duo that he was witnessing a shift in the power base. Quatre was tired of waiting and was taking over the relationship. Good. Maybe Trowa would keep his nose out of his and Heero's affairs! "Excuse me, Mr. Winner." It was Rashid. "Mr. Chang and Prince Milliardo have arrived." Was it too late to make a run for it? It was. Oh, how Duo wished to turn back the clock and be just about anyplace else- back in bed with Heero would be excellent! Quatre had been somewhat primed to meet the man accompanying the art curator. Duo certainly knew what was going on and who Milliardo was and had dropped hints to him over the phone. Trowa was the least prepared to meet the Sanc prince and future king. It was probably a good thing that he was within arm's reach of Quatre at the time. It made it easier for the blond to ease him into a chair before he fell. Duo grinned internally. Gotcha for messing with 'Ro an' me, buster. So sensitive! This was why Duo had been putting off telling him about Mill and Mill being Zechs, a man Trowa was certain to recall from the past war experiences. Trowa was the type to let a little class distinction, and a war, get in the away of progress every time. And before he knew it, Duo was saying all this aloud. His impromptu speech turning into what Quatre once coined as his "stream of unconsciousness." "-I thought hard about giving you all a heads up, telling you about one another, but, honestly, that was just too unpleasant and complicated and time consuming. I could have let you simply run into one another on the job and maybe it wouldn't have been so big a deal, but I'm not one to chance jeopardizing a job that way. I got to thinking that if we didn't get through this, if I didn't let you in on one of the team, well, you'd find out anyway and there'd be a huge breach of trust issue." "Damned straight," Trowa murmured. "But you still should have told me the Prince of Sanc would be here today." "Glad to have your full attention." He felt particularly good seeing his mercenary clown catch fire and come to life again instead of sitting there with that smoldering, star-struck, glazed over expression on his face. On his right, however, Quatre didn't seem to be his usual chipper self. His friends were so moody! "Duo, you didn't even warn him?" Quatre said, laying on the guilt pretty damn thick, from Duo's standpoint. He killed the joy. "Okay, I'll give you that. Sorry, man. But here we are!" And at that moment, Duo lost track of where he was in his original, sensible script. His night with Heero must have seriously screwed with his brain cells, like the rest of his body, heh, heh. That made him smile a little. Which renewed his faith in his ability to wing it with an impromptu pep talk, regaling the troops with his wisdom. "Robbing buildings requires two primary attributes-patience and experience-neither of which is teachable. Of the two, experience is the less important because it is easy to gain experience, comparatively speaking, but one is always losing patience. The only secret I know is in the preparation-do the footwork, double check your facts..." Duo paused. He was losing his audience he could tell. No one cared about his warm up speech. They would like a little flattery, though! "... and last but not least, in fact, the most important secret to the success of a job is to get the best people you can trust to work with!" Go team! Trowa sighed and looked out the window. Quatre straightened his tie and adjusted his cuffs. Mill and Wufei whispered, the Chinese art collector tapping his watch face. He glared at Duo and barked, "If you have a point, get to it. Is Mill helping me, or not!" O-kay. On with the show! "Getting there! I called this meeting to introduce Mill to the team, having come to the conclusion he would make a suitable part of the gang. I wasn't sold immediately. Originally, I planned to meet with his illustriousness for a grilling, and then call in Trowa once I'd made up my mind. Then I thought about Quatre and whether or not he wanted his involvement in the... job... known. But that all just seemed like a lot of beating around the bush and time is of the essence," he had one more bromide to toss in there but couldn't think of it so, "... so I decided to just invite everyone today, come what may." "Come what may, you say?" Trowa asked, but Duo didn't like the odd glint in his eye now. "I'm glad you decided to let me know that we'll be robbing the palace with the aid of the fucking prince!" Duo had been right to be troubled by Trowa's eye glint. With the other eye mostly obscured by the long fall of bangs, Trowa could concentrate a lot of emotion and presence into the remaining one. "I rather like that title," Mill said, laughing. Duo and Trowa were standing toe-to-toe now. Trowa angry. Duo on the defensive. "It was complicated," Duo said. "I'll bet it is. The crown prince joins up with Fingers McGee to rob the Sanc palace blind. Think there could be a conflict of interest? A hidden agenda? A double cross? Sounds like a plot for a TV show. Oh, wait! It is." "What is?" Mill asked, but Duo was ignoring him for the moment. One bucket of worms to ingest at a time. "He's as eager to hide the valuables from the New Alliance as the rest of us, right?" Duo asked looking for Mill's back up. "More, I'd say," Mill acknowledged. "The New Alliance is planning to move on Sanc, take over the wealth to pay their war debts, and leave the kingdom in a financial crisis. My sister and I have vowed to stop them, and this, carrying off the wealth and putting it in hiding, will do that. I can't tell you how important it is that this... job... be successful. There simply aren't words to express how seriously committed I am." "You're doing all right." Trowa sounded so reasonable, Duo started to relax . "Okay," Trowa gestured for them all to back off. "I'll buy that, for now." "Right," Duo sighed with relief at having conquered that summit of trouble. "In the end, he's with Wufei and Wufei will vouch for him. If anyone's getting into trouble, it's him, what with the art, the jewels-" "So, he's working with Wufei and that's it?" Trowa asked. "Yeah, for the most part, possibly with you-" Duo's mouth snapped shut under the intense beam of Trowa's one-eyed stare. Trowa , apparently no longer stunned by the presence of royalty in the room, stood, gritted his teeth and warned Duo to, "Shut up." Wufei rolled his eyes. "On with the floor show." Trowa grabbed Duo by the shoulders and nearly lifted him off the ground. "You really, really ought to let me in on things like that the moment they cross that teeny weeny little spark you call a brain. How could you do this to me? I have a circus to setup, your little side show act to setup, and a treasury to break into and now, you go and add an new, unknown into the mix... and it's the Fucking Prince?!" Back to the beginning. As an aside, Mill whispered to Wufei, "They are a tempestuous couple, but I imagine hot in bed together."
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