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"Recycled Valentine "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: 1x2, 3x4 Summary: A Valentine's Day themed romance encompassing all the young men Thanks to Waterlily for all the editing and humor
to keep me going "Recycled Valentine " Chapter 5 What escaped Heero's notice was that the day after tomorrow was his longtime standing luncheon date with his best friend. His mind was so clouded with Duo daydreams that the difficulty occurred to him only when Quatre called and disturbed his reverie. "Heero? I know it is usually just you and me and I know how we both hate to have anything interfere with our shared time-" At which point Heero felt the icy cold finger of guilt run up and down his spine. He was meeting Duo and had almost- no, there was no cushioning the guilt- he had entirely and absolutely wiped Quatre out of his mind! "-but I feel so bad for Wufei. He doesn't seem to ever go out and Trowa's off on a voyage d'affaires in the colonies -" "Bring Wufei. That's fine. I'll invite Duo." "Oh! What a wonderful idea! Yes, that will round out the company perfectly. Thank you, Heero, for being so flexible! You choose the restaurant this time and text me. Bye!" Flexible? His brain had warped so much it probably looked like a Mobius strip. Heero wondered how long he had until his keen edge slipped away and decided he didn't care as much as he should. He'd much rather think about Duo Maxwell. That afternoon, Duo joined Heero, Quatre, and Wufei for lunch, a bit out of breath from his mad dash from the bus stop. The weather had turned foul; rain threatened to become sleet. "Whew! Damned cold out. So, the gang's all here 'cept for Tro'. What'sup ?" Duo asked as he slid into the empty booth seat next to Heero. "He's visiting his colony clients." Quatre added a huge sigh. "He wants to finish before the party." He smiled slightly. "I found him the perfect condo here in Sanc and he's so excited to get settled in." Heero looked up with a frown. "You found him a place to live? A downtown condo, I presume?" "Yes! It just came on the market in my building. Oh, don't look at me that way, Heero! I did think of you first, but you are just so particular about everything. The kitchen was too small, believe me." "Uh, huh." Heero grumped. He wasn't stupid. He was coming to realize that Quatre probably decided a long time ago that it would be far safer for Heero's heart to keep a little distance between the two of them. It was time for Heero to just accept that and not expect Quatre to help him relocate right under his nose. And sitting there sipping his water, Heero was pleased to find that it wasn't so hard to accept at all. Not with Duo entering his life. There was lust, plenty of that. And excitement. But there was also a serenity he felt as he got to know Duo. As if his quest was over and he'd found true love, in the romance-speak of the old spaghetti westerns he read. He hoped so. Should he worry about thinking about Duo so seriously so soon? Well, Quatre certainly was thinking about Trowa seriously if he was looking to locate him in his same condo building! "- and don't worry about him. Heero often drifts away into his own world like that," he heard Quatre saying. Heero felt Wufei's aloof gaze sweep over and past him. He couldn't help but think that the security officer for Winner Industries needed a love interest in his life to bring him some joy and contentment. "Then I'll address Duo," Wufei said. "Quatre has informed me that you own your recycling business and shared the story of how he met you and helped Winner Industries." "Uh, huh." Duo said. "You have a problem with that?" "Not at all. I'm merely curious. You went to a great deal of effort to meet Heero. I don't see why you didn't simply schedule a meeting with him like you did with Quatre?" Wufei asked. "No mystery there. When I looked into 'Ro's business, I could tell I'd have nothing to sell him on." Duo looked up at the expectant and blank faces. "He'd just come from a colony, you know?" "What does that have to do with anything?" Wufei snapped. "I'd been a scrapper on the colonies and knew that nothing ever was wasted there. You couldn't! Material costs are ginormous in space. Every manufacturing process is a closed system and everything gets reused. When I checked his business license, he'd filed all the environmental impact papers and was certified A1. He ever give you the tour?" "No." Wufei answered. "I'm intrigued now." "Well, you gotta see the plant. There's not even a trash a basket. Oh, yeah, just the one and the contents, like lunch scraps, all get incinerated on the premises." "That's commendable, but isn't Winner Industries also colony-based? Wouldn't it be just as... fastidious about its waste products?" Quatre shook his head. "As much as I'd like to say we are, because our mining operations in space are very clean, here in Sanc and at our other sites on Earth, we have acquired many other companies, not all a which have switched to paperless, and cannot. Duo's company collects the paper waste and recycles that." "Primarily, that's what we do, but there's a few other things as well," Duo said. "And not all recycling is cost-effective or practical. Oh, man, wouldya look at that burger! Bison!" Quatre forked his tuna salad. "I thought those were extinct." Wufei poked at his eggplant. "No, and what he's eating is half cow." Heero leaned into Duo so only he could hear, "He doesn't know his bison from buffalo." Duo nearly choked on his mouthful of food, trying to laugh and chew at the same time. (o) When they stepped outside, huge, wet blobs of snow were falling. A rare event, or treat, depending on your point of view. Quatre, excited by this turn of events, danced about trying to catch a mouthful. "Knew a dude with a dog that did that," Duo whispered to Heero. He probably confused Duo when he laughed aloud, but Heero wouldn't explain about how dog-like his best friend really was. He wasn't ready to take on Quatre if he overheard. "If this keeps up," Wufei grumbled, "traffic will come to a halt. There isn't enough snow removal equipment for a city this large. You might want to send your workers home before the roads are impassable." "Right! Hey, I'll let you guys check the weather back at your offices. I need to catch a bus and figure out what to do. Um, can you just hold onto those clothes for me?" "Yes." Heero had, again, completely forgotten about the tuxes. "I'll put the bags away." "- hang the suits so they don't wrinkle!" "Absolutely," Heero promised, putting a reminder in his electronic notebook. "When I get home." "Okay." "I had a nice time." Heero waited him out, hoping for a kiss, but on reconsideration dismissed the possibility as too public. "Me, too. Thanks for everything. Later, 'Ro." A brief squeeze of his shoulder was all he got, and then Duo was hurrying away to meet his transport. (o) That evening, Duo called to tell him about his day. "Tuxes tucked away?" "Yes, finally. The directions on the wrapper said to hang in the shower stall after a shower to allow the warm, damp air steam any wrinkles out, so I did that. Now the clothes are hanging in my closet." "Classing it up?" "Yes. My wardrobe refinement level has gone up several grades." He chuckled and heard a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. "Tough day?" "Yeah," Duo said in a faraway voice. Heero took a deep breath and moved around getting comfortable. "Tell me about it." "You asked for it. I was on the phone getting towers to lift our rigs outta gutters disguised as snow piles. We use a special service. All the EM vehicles do. Problem is that we are number two to them, which makes sense. I mean, the public takes priority. One tow truck had to handle a school bus!" "Were the children safe?" Heero asked when Duo paused to take a breath. "Oh, yeah. A-okay all the way. It was empty as it turned out, on its way back to the lot. He sorta cheated, but that's how it goes. I got to dig out a guy's car so he could go home. Close call, but all my people made it home." "They are grown men, you'd think they wouldn't require you to look after them," Heero said, thinking of his own employees. "Just because they're old, doesn't mean they're mature," Duo snapped back. "Aw...fuck... Hope the streets are cleared tonight. Hope they remove the snow from our parking lot. Last time this happened, they used our lot to store the excess snow. That was fun, I'll tell you. Shit, I'd better get out there and see what's up." He could hear Duo tapping his teeth with a pencil. "Are you still there at work?" Heero checked the time. 10: 03 PM. "It's late." "Well, by the time I was through getting the trucks secured and all, the bus service had shut down. It's okay, though. I'm all set here and it's not the first or last time I've had to bunk at the office. Heat's propane and there's a backup generator for the lights and kitchenette. Didn't show you that, but it's right off the bookkeeping bunker, heh, heh." "Are you okay? I could come and get you." "No, I'm fine, really. Um, that's real nice of you, but your car wouldn't get far. It's still coming down off and on and you don't have much clearance." "I could borrow my neighbor's truck." Maybe. He'd hardly traded five words with the man in all the time he'd lived there. Duo was quiet on the other end and when he did speak next his voice was husky. "Hey, thanks, man. And if I was in desperate straits here I'd take you up on that, but, well, I'm good." "You're sure?" And other extended period of quiet followed, and then Duo said, "If we'd known each other another week even, I'd consider it, but-" "I wouldn't expect anything to happen!" Now Duo was chuckling. "I'm glad you've got that kind of will power, 'Ro. Me? I don't trust me around you all that much. Heh, heh... No, I'm fine tonight. We'll see what the morning brings besides a shitload of problems. Um, thanks, though." (o) The next day, Duo called and he sounded wound up. "It's raining sideways." "Not downtown. The streets are semi-cleared and...oh, yes, I see. Wind is blowing the rain at a 45 degree angle. It's not snow." Duo's agitated voice cut in, "Oh, look! It just stopped! Ya gotta love the breaks, like the weather gods are giving us a breather or something. Now, we'll get flooding, but my trucks are on the road and making up for lost time yesterday; at least for now. Aaand... it's raining again. Fuck it all!" "Will you be going home tonight?" "That's the plan. Buses are running." "I'm surprised you don't drive an SUV," Heero told him, "considering where you live." "Had one." He heard the catch in Duo's voice over the cell buzz; new interference from the weather, possibly. "But not anymore. Um, hey, my desk phone is blinking for incoming calls so I'll catch you on the flip side." "No lunch then?" Heero asked, masking his disappointment as best he could. "Yeah, maybe... aw shit. Rain check on that. I gotta take this call. Later." As promised, Duo called about four in the afternoon. "Is your place as fucked up as mine right now?" "Yes," Heero said, trying hard to keep from griping about what had gone wrong. "And I don't even know what problems you have." "Tell me about yours, first. Maybe it'll cheer me up." Heero laughed at that. "I really doubt that, but if it helps someone-" It felt good just having Duo to talk to. "The wind knocked out power to my main facility and a substandard breaker system caused sensitive circuitry to blow out, bringing production to a halt." "Oooh, that's bad." "Yes, it is." Heero wouldn't be able to get away for hours. "I'm at the plant installing some new components. Late dinner?" "That's-" "- all folks," Heero filled in when Duo's voice was cut off. "Duo? Duo! Are you there?" His phone was silent. Heero tried Quatre's numbers. Nothing. He checked the emergency news feed for a clue and didn't have long to wait. The ground satellite receivers are currently down. Repair crews are on site. Pending notification of status operational. Heero curbed his disappointment as best he could. Not only could he not see Duo, now his weather Gods had taken away his voice, something he'd been accustomed to hearing. He stared at his silent phone, willing it to come alive and bring him that voice, but it stared back at him, mute in its immaculate black and silver case, leaving him to return to his work totally annoyed. (o) They wouldn't see each other for several more days. Their businesses kept them terribly busy and the capricious weather continued to make life unpleasant and difficult. On the plus side of the life-ledger, communications returned the next evening while Heero was still at his ailing manufacturing site. Heero jumped when his cell phone sprang to life and buzzed. He opened it warily, as if it might suddenly combust in his hand, until he recognized the number. "Hello, Q." "Heero! He called!" "Who called?" He looked at the time on his laptop where he was tweaking a diagram for a new recording device relay that didn't depend on satellite connectivity. 9:00 PM. "Trowa! You know who I'm talking about!" "Tall, long, side-parted bangs, slippery smile-" Heero smiled. He was having fun teasing his friend about his new heart-throb. He especially liked that he no longer felt even a hint of jealousy. "Um, sexy smile, beautiful eyes? Yes, that Trowa. His flight was delayed, of course, because the shuttles don't land without the satellite communication interface up and running. But it's all fixed and he'll be here in two days!" "That's great news. I'm sure he's missed you as much." "Well, he's said that much. He can't wait to see the condo and, if it's all right, he'll sign the papers this week. Isn't that wonderful?" "Probably. Q, you aren't pushing things along a little too fast, are you?" "No. The condo is in the same building as mine, that's all. We aren't living together!" "All right. I know. I'm just asking so you think about what you are doing now before he re-enters the scene." "I can think clearly when he's around. Thank you for your concern. I was just looking for a little support. There aren't many people I can share personal details with." Heero hoped his friend wasn't crying. "I'm glad and honored to be one of those few. I am. I love you, you know, and want to look out for you a little bit." Sniff. "I know." "And I like Trowa too. He seems an all-around terrific guy. My thought was-" "But-!" "Q R, hear me out! He's not a schoolboy fresh out of the classroom. He's led an independent life, from all my research, and for you to start running it like one of your companies-" "I'm not-!" "Hold on! I'm not saying you are, yet. But think. You don't want to smother him and make him run off-" "Oh! Do you think that's what happened already? This last trip did come up awfully suddenly. Oh, dear! I've ruined everything already!" "Quatre! Shut up and listen! No, you haven't ruined anything. He wouldn't be calling you if that was the case. Anyway, he told me from day one how he had a lot of colony clients and had to travel frequently, so it wasn't all that sudden." "Oh. Yes, that's right. He did mention something to that effect." "Yes, he did, so calm down. I think you and he are great together and wish you both the best. I want you to know that." "Really? That means a lot, Heero. A lot!" Quatre melted hearts with the warmth of his sincerity. "Good," Heero said, feeling all fuzzy inside. "All I'm saying is don't push him. Lay it out clearly, where you live, how being that close might pose problems, and suggest that he wait for another place if he has any second thoughts. And let him know that your tender feelings won't be irreparably damaged should he turn the house deal down, all right?" He heard Quatre's bubbly laughter now. His silly overstating of the problem did the trick and lifted the dicey mood. "Yes, yes, I understand. I'll give him an 'out' large enough to fly a squadron of shuttles through. Is that enough for you?" "Make it two squadrons and I'm satisfied and done with you." They both ended the call with laughter and warm good byes. Smiling was a good thing, Heero decided, after a week like this had been, and went back to playing minesweeper and visualizing another smile and those eyes, and, like magic, Duo called next. "Hello." "Hi to you, too. Say, 'Ro, why don't you ever call me? Why indeed? "I don't know. I will if you'd like. Hang up." "'Kay, bud." Heero pressed the call back and waited through about five rings. "Hey! Whatta surprise! It's Heero Yuy!" "Hello, Duo. How are you?" "Chillin' on the couch at home, wishing you were here to watch this super sappy movie with me." "I'd... like that." "Ha! You are so such a liar! You'd hate every fucking minute of it. You'd rather... lemme guess...play something explosive... like Medal of Honor or maybe some Zombie-killing action with Resident Evil? Am I right, huh?" He was right. "Yes, but if I was to choose between what I'm doing now and being there with you watching dreck, I'd choose you." "Dreck? Yer killing me. Aw, man, that's so sweet." Duo was chuckling. "I can't come over, though. I'm running sequencing tests on the new hardware I installed and designing a new device." "You're not home?" "No. I couldn't run the test remotely without the satellite communications functioning reliably." "Oh. It's working now." "Yes." Heero couldn't leave and expect his production lines up and running the next day. He apologized and then shared Quatre's news that Trowa was expected the in a couple of days. "Trowa? The dude with the supremely hot bod? Yeah, I can see why your bud's excited. I'm excited and it doesn't even involve me...at all. Um, he's got a kinda tilted sense of humor... um... don't you think?" "I'm still thinking about the 'hot bod' statement and how to respond to that." "You think too much, 'Ro. Too much thinking for you. Just let your natural instincts react." "I didn't mean it that way. I recognize an ... attractive person. I was referring to your reaction." "Oh, I getcher. As attractive as he is, he's a little too 'out there', ya know?" "Do you mean aggressive, because I sensed that he was that?" "In a sexual way, yeah. And your little buddy really, I mean, really likes that, or, ah, so it seems to me. I don't know either of them well." "You pegged them both pretty much as I would." "Well then, Quat's got a tiger by the tail... Ha! 'C' 'A' 'T' has got a bigger cat by the tail! Heh, heh..." Heero laughed along with him. He couldn't recall an evening when he laughed so much and was all alone. Although, he wasn't lonely, not with friends to talk to. "He's got nothing over you," Duo said, his voice low and soft. Or you... Heero thought. He listened to Duo sigh and to the scuffing fabric sounds of him settling into a new position. "You know what really chaps my ass?" Heero did not. No, he had no idea, but he wanted to know before his head exploded picturing that fascinating piece of hidden anatomy. What could he mean? "Chapped" as in chapped lips? Oh, my. Heero, he shook his head, which his caller couldn't see. "No," Heero replied in a throaty whisper, a sound he didn't know he could make. "Heh, heh. Obviously we got the same thing on our minds." "What's that?" "We wanna fuck and we know it's too soon if we wanna make more of... us." Oooh yeah.... "Us. What we have... what's building here, you mean?" "Yeah. A relationship, or is that word poison?" "N-no. It's what I've been... thinking about. I do want...you... and I know waiting is the right thing." "Yeah, sucks though." "Yes," Heero agreed. "So, what I propose we do is agree to wait until after this palace party, evaluate what we want and where we want to take this, and then go from there." "That's not exactly what I'd hoped to hear, but it's what I needed to hear." "Good, I didn't wanna screw this up if we were on the same wavelength, but if we weren't then well... didn't wanna lose an opportunity either. Um... anyway. You don't disappoint, 'Ro." Not that Heero wanted to miss any opportunities either, but he was glad he had said the right things and not messed up his developing friendship. "Thanks." "And there is an 'up' side to waiting." "I'd like to hear it." "Heh, heh, you're really funny. With the ... ah... possibilities dangling there, gives you something to look forward to." "That's true. I've been dreading the party- nothing about you." "Good. Glad to hear that. Not a crowded-room, party person, eh?" "No, I'm not." Heero was happy to leave it at that. Duo wasn't. "You like things regular-like, which is logical for a precision-oriented guy like you. Not too loud or unexpected or fast or-" "I like fast cars." Heero didn't like the stodgy-sounding person Duo was describing. "That's right, you do. And you did wanna go to a club with me sometime. I remember stuff like that." "I'll try one, sure." "Anyway, I like all that about you. Someone to count on, you know?" "You can count on me." Thinking it was his turn to say something nice, Heero whispered, "I like the sound of your voice." "Ummm," Duo said, sounding like a yawn. "Thanks. It's getting hoarse and, well, gotta hellova day tomorrow. How 'bout you?" "Nothing terrible, that I know of, if this fixes everything and checks out and the line starts rolling again. One client meeting in the afternoon that I don't look forward to very much." "Yeah, those can be tense. I'll sign off then, let you finish up and get home and we'll connect somehow, sometime soon, okay?" "Yes, I promise. I want to see you." "Me, too, 'Ro. So... night." "Good night, Duo." (o) Heero fell into bed after midnight, tired, but he felt terrific. He'd made up his mind on the drive home to act spontaneously and surprise Duo in some way. He had only to think of just how and what and lay out a plan. God, he was happy! He flung his arms wide and grinned and laughed. If Duo liked him the way he was, that was nice, but just wait until he cut loose a little! Duo would be so... be so... so happy, too. Duo made him feel better in every way. And Heero just lay there, staring up at the ceiling and thought about Duo's face and how it blossomed into a lively grin, full of good humor. He could laugh at the kinks, the imperfections of the world. Heero felt a fluttering in his chest and the weight of worries lift off. Quatre, his good, good friend Q. He admired how he could beam beatifically, luring an unsuspecting person into the belief that he was an innocent! He was very glad he had introduced him to Trowa, who seemed smart enough to have figured that out. Trowa, who hid his smiles behind a snicker, wrapped in irony, could probably hold his own in that relationship. Wufei could smile more, Heero thought. But he hardly knew the man. Maybe he needed something to smile about? Duo! When he was with Duo or just listening to him talk, Heero let him fill his world. He could concentrate on just the vivacious man and enjoy his presence. At night, alone with his thoughts, Heero let his mind wander. He could fantasize the future and experience, again, the past. Duo had said he thought about having sex with him. His love life narrowed down to just Quatre and that had been one-sided. His sexual experience had been limited to Zechs, and sex with Zechs tarnished his memories. Looking back, their fling hadn't been more than a couple awkward encounters. After Relena had walked in on them, Heero had ended the relationship entirely. Zechs had expected her over that night, he confessed later, and yet hadn't secured the door. Heero always suspected he had been used by the older man to make trouble, or discourage her attraction. He abhorred being used by anyone without his consent; it broke his trust. And Relena. God, Relena. To walk in on two naked men having messy sex, one her step-brother, the other, the one on the bottom, being the boy she was in love with-that must have scarred her. It had certainly scarred Heero. He never could face Relena and feel right again and he completely avoided any further contact with her brother. It hadn't cured his love for Quatre, but it had stultified his will to act on his passions for a long time. He couldn't bring himself to recall the few "encounters" he'd had since then. Life sucked, and using Duo's term made him think about Duo and smile again. He wanted to replace it all with new, good impressions of Duo Maxwell, and imagined Duo's lips touching his. Duo. Did Duo love him a little already? Did Duo think about him all the time like he did Duo? What would it be like to be his lover? Heero swallowed hard, but he couldn't clear his mind from picturing Duo going down on him. He groaned softly. Duo. Heero so desperately wanted this wonderful thing he and Duo had started to develop into something big and lasting. He was so completely infatuated with Duo and so sure it was all going to go wrong that he almost sabotaged it himself. (o) It took him an extra day, but finally Heero had his plant back in production. He had to monitor the replaced parts and how well the entire assembly ran, practically holding the plant manager's hand to reassure him all was well. Quatre didn't call so Heero assumed Trowa had made it back on schedule. An hour or so later, he got an email with a signed contract from the company agreeing to be his beta test site. Trowa had come through. Good man. He shared a brief hello with Duo, who'd been deluged with pressing work demands. "And there's a fucking lawsuit pending, waiting for a response, which was one of many on-going suits that always get settled out of court or fall apart but are super pains-in-the-asses all the same." "That's too bad." "Yeah, it is." Duo sighed. "I'm just grumpy and pissed." He didn't want to even discuss plans to get together after work, whenever that would be. This cemented Heero's decision from the night before to do a good turn and surprise Duo tonight. All afternoon he ran over his plans, the route he'd take, the particular take-out food he'd choose. He'd remembered to bring along Duo's tux so he could deliver it this time. "Don't forget dessert." Heero started and turn abruptly to the man next to him, his chief engineer production inspector, who had spoken. "What?" "You've been smiling all morning and looking like the cat that got the canary, so to speak. So when you were ticking off your to-do list, it sounded like you were out to impress a gal." Heero hadn't thought he was speaking aloud and been so obvious. "I uh-" "We're all hopeful for you," the man grinned and tipped his head, indication that everyone in the building probably was aware of Heero's new "gal". Heero knew he was blushing and wanted it to stop. "It's not really like that." "Well, just don't forget to bring dessert. The ladies want you to think they don't eat it to stay slim, but they see it as a compliment when you offer them some, like they're perfect the way they are. I read that in a magazine, but it seems to work anyway." "Thank you," Heero said to quickly end the embarrassing discussion and walked away. The man did have a point, though. Duo did seem to like sweets; he'd loved the tote-filled candy he'd been given. If Heero left a little earlier than planned, he would make it to Quatre's favorite pastry shop before it closed. He'd find something there certainly. Even their cake crumb sweepings were good on ice cream! His fears that "everyone" knew about his upcoming "date" were reinforced when his plant manager manned up and told him to go because everything was under control. He'd never thought he might someday be required to introduce Duo around. How did he feel about that? What made him uneasy, after analysis, was the public speaking and had nothing to do with Duo, his being gay, or even his having a relationship. Of that he felt an over-flowing feeling of pride. The more he thought about Duo the more the warmth of contentment spread outward from his chest and he smiled. As he left the plant, he passed a couple of his workers and wished them a pleasant, "Good night". "He's just glowing!" "It's so good to see him happy, finally." "Whoever the lucky girl is, I say bravo." "Girl? I hear it's a very handsome young man. Katy told me-" He hurried out of earshot before finding out what Katy said about his romantic trysts. If he waited long enough though, everything would be out in the open, talked over, and old news by the time he was ready to make any announcement. That relieved a bit of his pressure. Weaving a path a little too fast through a crush of traffic, while running his errands, relieved a bit more stress. Driving very fast on the road to Duo's house made him feel on top of the world. Earlier in the day, he had made up his mind to pay him a surprise visit, to be spontaneous, pick up some take out, and visit Duo at his house. Now he hoped he could find the place. The road was unlit and looked unfamiliar, but Duo had been with him before giving directions and Heero knew by now that when he was with Duo his powers of observation beyond the Circle of Duoness was pretty much zilch. He passed his turn and had to go back. The driveway was pitch dark. He almost drove into a car parked there, an SUV. Stunned, he sat a moment, engine running, not knowing what to do. His first thought was that Duo had bought himself a car. That was hardly likely. Duo had sounded opposed to owning a car and it didn't seem likely that a man who called to tell him about the crocus blooming under a tree would neglect telling him he'd bought a car. So, Heero sat and pondered his situation, the heater blowing into his face. He'd shown up at Duo's house with dinner. He'd liked the idea so much and was so unused to dating rituals that he had neglected to call beforehand. Now, he was looking at another car parked in the driveway, a SUV, in fact. Yes, he probably should have rung him up. He immediately shut off his car and placed that call while waiting outside. "Hey, can't chat, not tonight, bud. I'll catch you later, 'kay?" "I made a special trip and... brought you something." "Sorry, but, it'll have to wait. I left you a message, didn't you read it? Not tonight." Heero thought Duo sounded upset and short-tempered, especially at the end, but couldn't understand why. "No, I didn't see any message... oh, that. My oversight. But I'm here, now. Can't I at least drop off-?" At this point Heero clearly heard a male voice in the background and although he couldn't make out the exact words, the tone seemed threatening. "Just open the door. Take this and I'll leave." "Can't make this any more clear, 'Ro. This is really a bad time. We'll talk later. Now, just go now!" Duo shouted and disconnected the call. But not before Heero heard another man's voice calling or shouting at Duo again. The windows were dark. The strange car meant he had a visitor and they were still in the house, and it was a man's voice he'd heard in the background. Duo hadn't sounded like himself. What if the stranger was threatening him and he needed help? Yes, Heero thought, he hadn't liked the sound of that other voice. He was trying to pressure Duo into something. He must go and save him!
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