"Why Me?"

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, language, male x male

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4

Summary: Trowa is pushed into dating Duo in order for Heero to see what he lost, realize his mistakes, and get back together. Will that work? Really?

A/N: This was started years ago and I resurrected it and Waterlily edited it, for which I am very grateful. Hope you like it!

"Why Me? "

Chapter 1

(o) Trowa's POV

"Bread stick?" Duo asked me.

"Thanks." I sunk my teeth into the presented piece before it bobbed out of reach and yanked it out of his hand, my ridiculousness eliciting a small laugh from him. I chewed and swallowed, recovering my dignity, and then offered him, "More wine?"

"Um, just a tad more, and in my glass, please," he added with a twinkle in his eye. "I'm not much of a drinker, ya know."

I didn't before, but now I did now. Duo Maxwell was a terrific guy all around. I was just getting to know him after being acquainted for years.

So.

I asked myself why? Why was I on a date with my best friend's recently turned ex-boyfriend, when I had my own lover? Not to mention that my lover, Quatre, knew where I was and with whom and that it was his idea for me to be here doing this. And that my best friend, inconveniently also Duo's ex, knew I'd made this all happen.

Why? It was really all too strange to put into words, and truly awkward to put into motion.

I needed my head examined for going along with this.

I could, at least, say that it hadn't been my idea at all.

It was a stupid idea from the start.

I was coerced.

As I recall, though, I'd tried to the last to avoid it.

It began with a strange conversation with Quatre, which had followed one started by me about work and how it sucked some days, which he will want to tell someone about later, I'm pretty sure, so I won't.

"It doesn't surprise me that it led to their breakup, considering, but their splitting up is just wrong," he concluded after hearing the details of my previous work-related story.

"I'm not sure," I told him. "If they weren't getting along sharing an apartment, then maybe they shouldn't force it."

"But Heero and Duo love each other!"

I wasn't into disputing the finer points of other people's relationships, so I shrugged. The fact that they had broken up made their feelings for each other arguable from my point of view.

"We must get Heero to see how much he needs Duo and how inflexible he is."

"Why?" I wondered aloud, having a habit of questioning everyone's motives, including mine.

"To get them back together, so they will be happy again."

Maybe they were happier now. I knew better than to say that aloud. It was obvious to me that Quatre believed what he said, and that was that Heero and Duo were meant to be together and could only find fairytale-like happiness in that blissful state. I had my doubts, that's all. "If it's true, they will."

He had his hands on his hips and a little frown on his face, which was turned up to mine. "No, they won't. Not when they are as pigheaded as they both are. We must get things rolling."

"You want me to talk to Heero about... his love life?" I suppose I looked sorrowful. I felt as if he was about to condemn me to an early death.

"Oh, no!" he laughed lightly, pooh-poohing the notion entirely. He wasn't blind to my limitations, but lucky for me he often turned a blind eye towards them. "I'll take care of Heero. You'll date Duo and-"

"I'll do what?"

And it got weirder after that. If possible. Our morning rush to get to work making the discussion taper off, unfinished, for my part, but I had the last word, "No."

Almost.

"You can do it. I just KNOW it," he shouted as he skipped to his car.

I watched him buzz off with a cheery wave. I felt no reason to return it.

Frickin' impossible. Not on my life, his life, or any innocent's life caught in the crossfire was that happening.

Shit. He'd be counting on me to carry through, though. I hated to disappoint Quatre.

Well.

I could fade into nonexistence when called for out of necessity. There was no way I'd run into Duo by accident and I surely wasn't dumb enough to seek him out. I felt marginally better going into Preventers with a battle plan.

And then the bad start to the day pissed out spores that grew like a fungus. Unseen tendrils sought me out to entrap me again.

"Barton." Chang Wufei stood before me. I didn't let on how much his smirk irritated me, or how much he reminded me of a fungal growth at that moment. "I assume you've been apprised of the situation and have approached Maxwell?"

I didn't pretend ignorance. Not only would that not get me out of the situation, but it would give Chang the chance to repeat what Quatre had said and rub it in. I was feeling put out and for a high-quality reason. "Why me?"

I made the mistake of leaving an eye visible as I looked for an escape route. He maneuvered around, hovering at my elbow, blocking my path, and preventing me from dodging out on him; a dutiful Preventer agent he was.

"Who else would be believable?" he asked.

Okay, there had to be some other sucker available, although it certainly would not be Chang. Ever since hooking up with the Preventers organization, the fungus refused to take part in any "idiotic escapades" that might "taint his image." And that was pretty much a quote. I sure as hell didn't talk that way.

"Chuck in accounting." I offered him up because he was gay and single and not good-looking enough to be a real threat.

"Don't make me laugh."

Was that even possible? I don't think I'd ever heard Chang laugh aloud.

"He wouldn't even make a decent grease spot after Heero was through with him."

"And I would?" I asked, not appreciating the back-handed compliment at all.

He brushed off my comment with the chalk dust on his pants leg. "No, there's no one else. In spite of their well-publicized break up, no one in this building will even look at Maxwell with a hint of lust for fear of repercussions from Yuy. I believe that would hold true even if, God forbid, Yuy was ever killed in combat."

"If you think he'd rise from the dead to knock-off Duo's prospective suitors, then there is no reason to do this at all."

He managed to look down his nose at me even though I stand several inches taller. "It's imperative that they both be clear-headed, and apart they sulk like a couple of roosters refused entrance to the hen house- proving they aren't capable of putting all this," his hands drew an imaginary circle in the air, generously encompassing me into the big picture he was creating, "past them and concentrate properly. We can't wait for Yuy to come to his senses, and God knows Maxwell's impossible."

I drifted off at that point. I hadn't noticed Heero being anything but his mildly broody self at work. He'd seemed unchanged to me and perfectly capable of carrying out his assigned missions without flaw. Duo was sociable and sometimes loud, but I wouldn't call him "impossible", ever, even now. Emotional, both, but no different today than from a month ago. What he needed was a less dangerous job with better hours and a commander that wouldn't let him throw away his life on treacherous missions. "I disagree with your entire assessment." With that summarization of my analysis over, I moved to leave.

He countered with a slide to intercept me. His mouth hung open longer than was attractive before it snapped into a thin line. We conducted a staring contest until he conceded the loss.

I should have suspected he had one more ace up his sleeve, though. His prim sneer returned.

"Winner agrees one hundred percent with me, and so does Merquise."

Merquise? What the fuck did that asshole's opinion matter here? Invoking his name only intensified how unimpressed I was with Chang's argument. I curled a lip.

His skill set hadn't grown to include reading my body language, though, because he chose to interpret my silence as agreement and satisfied his sense of correctness enough to continue. "We must set a plan in motion now. Yuy must be made to realize how much he has lost. Certainly Winner explained all that to you already?"

He nearly called me a "numbskull." I could see his lips move even though no sound escaped. It might have been "blockhead."

I wasn't completely insensitive; I simply didn't draw the same conclusions. As much as I didn't want to say anything or get involved, the only way I was going to get Chang to leave me alone was to state my case, and make it snappy. "I know about their fight. My point is that if you're so sure Yuy needs Duo in his life let him come to that realization in his own time-all by himself."

Wufei shook his head. "Yuy needs a kick in the ass."

The directions I could have taken that line were numerous, but mostly downhill, seeing as Yuy was gay and Chang was not- probably not, he hadn't dated man or woman to my limited knowledge- so I restricted my remarks. "Take him kick boxing." This action seemed far, far simpler, and, importantly, excluded my participation.

"Metaphorically speaking." There was that silent "numbskull" handle again. "It has to be you taking an interest, dating him, or-"

"Merquise," I offered the alternative. He was an option that Chang had himself brought up so I couldn't be blamed for doing so. "He's in agreement with you, you said. Yuy's not fond of him, to say the least." And that was the most delicate wording possible to describe Heero's dislike of Zechs. It surprised me to have said it, actually. "Let him date Duo."

"Absolutely off the table."

"Because-?"

"Maxwell reports to him. It would be improper. Entirely."

"I guess." Forgot that detail. Chang wasn't giving me other reasons, but getting brought up on breach of conduct charges wouldn't look good on anyone's résumé come review time.

"No question about it. It must be you."

"It could be you," I told him, already knowing what he'd say to that.

He gave a fungal sigh and rubbed the ridge of his nose, eyes closed. "That wouldn't do at all."

Oh, you're not gay, right? I guess that would have been insultingly obvious to have pointed out, so I didn't and he didn't.

Now his beady black eyes pinned me in place. "I was over this already with Winner. Didn't he make your role clear?"

"Quatre called me flexible." That had been the night before last.

"I'm- not touching that statement with a Gundanium-coated harpoon." His dark eyes misted over for a fraction of a second before hardening back to said Gundanium hardness.

He'd been scuba diving in the Bahamas for his vacation. I'd heard rumors that he hadn't been alone the entire time, but I had no idea who the mystery person could have been. Nor had I cared to invent possible Chang playmates. I imagined the feel of a harpoon in my hands instead, but that was too fun.

Killing the smile that had begun to erupt and spread to my lips, I said, "You think I'm expendable." It's what he'd been implying.

Wufei stamped his foot and huffed. "No, you are not! You are believable in the role, and safe. Heero won't actually kill one of his close friends. Besides, Winner agreed. He's already spreading the rumor that you two have broken up."

"!" What the hell?!

"It's either you or Qua-."

"Stop!"

There was only one likely name to follow that "or". Chang was going to say "Quatre", and toss him into the fairy ring. I couldn't take that. I definitely had to nip that blossoming "or" notion in the bud-stop the spawning of worse fungal entanglements.

Quatre dating Duo had always been niggling fear in the back of my mind. Quatre always seemed to need more in the way of response than I was capable of, and Duo seemed equipped with reaction to spare, feedback both active and vocal, from the moment he woke up to when he crashed at night, or so Heero said, and I believed him.

I knew I'd fall apart if I had to stand aside and watch Quatre flirt with Duo. I'd imagined it, let the whole scenario play across my mind, and just that act devastated me.

I was that unsure of myself after all these years.

I never proposed being perfect in any way.

But then I'd always suspected the two of them had some history neither wanted to admit. A little unfinished business back on L4 once upon a time? Or maybe it was just my imagination and insecurity working in concert. Well, that's just where I wanted it to stay, a bit of dark fantasy musical.

So, I'd do it. "I'll do it," I said.

"Of course," he said.

I didn't look at Chang's face. I knew what I'd see there: the deliberately arrogant expression of a man who prevailed once again. "It's just," I set my jaw and glared as best I could to show my extreme dislike for the plan, "I'm not looking forward to it."

"You should appreciate Winner's faith in you."

Indeed. I should have been grateful that Quatre didn't lack confidence in me. He had no problem with me being the bait. "Never in a thousand and one days or nights would you be untrue, take it too far, or fail me"-just to quote him as proof of his certain resolve and loyalty. And his last words this morning as we parted for work, "You can do it. I just KNOW it."

Damn. Frickin' hell damn.

I'da hoped Wufei the Dazzling Chang would have found an alternative. But I should have known he'd lack the creativity. I had no brilliant ideas either, so, well, there it was.

"Not looking forward to dating Maxwell? He charmed Yuy so he can't be all that terrible for company."

"I didn't mean it that way."

Damnation. I made the mistake of catching sight of his face. I wished Chang hadn't been looking so fucking smug.

"You'll do just fine. Heero needs to learn to curb his pride."

I could say the same for you, Chang-Fusilli, pestilence supreme. I thought that very, very hard and folded my arms over my chest for protection. It worked, because he didn't punch me for thinking.

"If he values Duo's affection, as we all believe, he will respond." He tagged on a condescending sniff and polished his nails on his starched cuff.

"Oh, he'll respond." I knew Heero would. "That's what I'm not looking forward to."

That show of weakness earned me a derisive snort and a stern glare. "I must get back to work. I suggest you start with a dinner invitation. Maxwell likes Thai."

"I don't need your suggestions," I grumbled. I felt like I was fifteen again, stumbling through my first attempt at a date-like-thing with Quatre, which was more of a walk-n-talk with a few awkward touches thrown in.

"Naturally. Just entertain him with sleight of hand tricks for all I care."

We left the coffee shop, me sulky and him incensed, and fast-stepped back to the Preventers building, filing one after the other through security, up the elevator, to the Code-Red Ops division.

"He shouldn't see us together."

"Why-?" I started to ask him, but I didn't bother to finish.

The "he" in this case was Heero, with his back to us talking on phone while flipping through a file. Unless it was the other player in this act, Duo, who had a knee hitched upon the corner of a desk, chatting up the pretty new agent, a woman, so nothing untoward was going on.

Chang had headed off to the men's room, leaving me to weave my way to my desk and to think. I just couldn't help wondering why three competent Preventers agents couldn't come up with a better scheme to get those two back together.

I liked my plan, which was to let them work it out on their own. Give them space and time and allow them to fix what needed fixing and move on. Even getting Merquise and Une to connive Duo into a lesser workload... Comparing the Winner-Chang plan to my own kept my brain occupied for the rest of the morning. I felt satisfied knowing how right I was and buried the other ideas before lunch, making my instant cup-of-noodles and canned clamato drink a pleasant coin-operated eating experience.

Then, in the afternoon, I spotted Duo again at the coffee urn, and this guilt-producing little voice in my head surfaced, breaking through my established calm: "You can do it. I just KNOW you can." When supplemented by the earnest eyes and accompanying smile of my boyfriend, I gave up fighting what-apparently- everyone had determined had to be done by me and me alone.

Frickin' Hell.

I grabbed my Preventers issue blue mug and ambled his way.

"Hey." He smiled at me with a toss of his braid.

"Hey." I watched his rope of hair sway and his coffee cup fill and asked, "How'yer doing?" I hated talking about feelings, mine or anyone else's. Better left boxed up and hidden. Exposure only made them fester, was my opinion.

His expression grew concerned, his eyes soulful, as he replied, "I oughta be asking you that."

Why? Oh, yeah. Quatre and I were supposed to have broken off. Fuck it all. "Fine."

I thought about filling my mug, while watching him dump two packets of sugar into his and then reach for the creamer.

He looked up expectantly, waiting for me to say something more, probably, so I said, "It's been, ah, coming on for a while."

"Yeah, same for me, too. Work's been covering for my free time," he said. "Or it would if someone hadn't stepped in and ruined that Columbia shit mission."

That had been me. "Yeah, um-" Could I hold my breath until I passed out?

"Yeah, you woulda been okay on the mission, watchin' my back? But then Merquise... damn... I didn't think he'd screw me outta that."

Thank God he hadn't discovered all the shenanigans behind that. I'd have to thank Merquise for covering for me, too. Frickin' hell's bells. "There is that."

"Yeah. Thanks. I knew I could count on you for the right measure of sympathy. None of that sappy crap I've been getting."

In light of his warm smile, I felt what little resolve I had melt away. I jumped in before I changed my mind or he walked away. "Ah, would you like to go, um, out? Dinner?"

"Huh? Dinner?"

Did I need to define a date? "I thought about trying the new Thai place and, ah, maybe drinks or dessert at-" not at Quatre's favorite French pastry shop!

"Voodoo Doughnuts!" Duo grinned and jabbed the air with his fingers in some odd, but probably meaningful, gesture. He shook off the resulting puddle of coffee-sugar-creamer he'd spilt over his hand. "Love that place and it's just around the corner." His smile wavered and his eyes looked a tad less open, hooded, and even migrated to downright wary. I couldn't believe I was fooling him with this act. "This just you and me, right?"

God, yes. "Yeah. A-" just say the damn word, Barton! "A date. Just you and me."

I think he looked paler. I felt paler.

"Okay. Tonight?"

"It's Friday," I argued, as if the day of the week mattered so much. "If you're not overloaded here." Let's get this over with.

"Okay. Sure. Sounds great."

It sounded more like a disaster-in-the-making to me. And I felt the correctness of that assessment a second later. I'd managed to hold Duo's attention long enough to attract Yuy's notice, because I could see a rakish tuft of his hair sailing over the cubicles and it was headed our way. If I left now I could make it back to my desk before he arrived.

But Duo was still talking to me!

"Whaaat... time?" he asked slowly, drawing out the words. He didn't appear to be in any particular hurry to part company.

"I'll make reservations for seven?" Now, turn and go before having to face them both together-not done.

"Do you want to meet there, or what?" Duo asked.

I couldn't let him pick me up; I was living with Quatre, who I'd just told Duo, more or less, that I was no longer seeing. That would not work. Think, Barton! "I'll drive. We can just leave from here." Heero was rounding the corner and I wanted to live to see tomorrow!

I caught Duo's gaze sliding over to Heero's direction. That seemed to amuse him and he smiled. "An early dinner?"

Before I could disappear, Heero had arrived.

Duo smiled rakishly. "Sure. Cool. It's a date, then." His emphasis.

I felt Heero's tension before I saw him, and heard his growl before I wanted to. "What is?" he asked.

"Not that it's your business," Duo told Heero tartly, "but Trowa and I are going out tonight."

Suddenly, Duo was gone, and I was left standing at the coffee urn with Yuy. That's not as special as it sounds, either.

"Have fun." Heero said it like a death wish. My death. As in "have -die, Barton, die - fun".

Yeah. Well. Yeah.

It wasn't until I was back at my desk with the door securely battened down that I was slammed by this total exhaustion and when I raised my mug to take a sip of caffeine rejuvenation, I realized I'd neglected to actually pour any coffee.

Why fight it? I rested my head on my arms, cleared my head of all thoughts, and closed my eyes.

So with the unexpected excitement of having Yuy's "consent", I took his ex out on a date that evening. Which brought us back to where we started, at the restaurant eating a bread stick, or a bit further into the salad plates a few minutes later...

"You look, ah, terrific, 'Tro. And this is a great place."

"Thanks." Shit, the conversation was about to deteriorate into talking in platitudes. After all these years working near, sorta knowing Duo, and I couldn't think of a damn thing worth saying. "I, ah, had a nap this afternoon."

"You did? That's cool. Never could do that at work. Always someone calling or pounding on my door."

We took turns stabbing at our lettuce. "Got it." I shoved the leaf in my mouth as an excuse for not talking.

Lucky for me, it was Duo sitting across the table, and he was rarely at a loss for words. "Did I tell you about the KT space-jumper up for sale?" he asked.

The tiny, two-man shuttle run-abouts were popular, but no longer available new since the KT company folded. I jumped at the topic like an acrobat for the grab bar. "No, where?"

"Just the local shuttle base. But Howard contacted me about it."

"He's still alive?"

"Yeah, of all the doctors, he made it through."

"I knew that much, it's just, well, he's getting on in years and I haven't had any reason to contact him."

"We keep in touch."

Yeah, Duo would be one to keep in contact even if the job didn't require him to do so. That didn't say much for my networking skills. "That's nice." God, how lame a response was that? Nice. Not even 'interesting' or 'remarkable'. What did Quatre see in me? Maybe I was that good in bed, because it couldn't possibly be my conversational skills that kept him coming back for more of my company. "Have you tested it out?"

"The jumper? Only the video tour, ya know? Not in too bad a condition. Needs engine work, but it works."

"You serious about getting it?" I hadn't flown in ages. I missed it. Would Duo let me borrow it? The notion intrigued me more than I'd expected.

"I wanna take a look at it first, of course, and there's the problem of funds. I'm okay for the payments, but I got no lump savings to pony up for a deposit."

I spoke without thinking anything through, a rare event. "I could do that, if you want a partner, that is."

His eyes lit up and he smiled. I thought there was nothing like Quatre's smile, but Duo's was a close second. It spread to include me in its warmth.

"That could be cool. With your engineering skills, we could have it fixed in no time, if there aren't bigger problems than advertised."

"Maybe we should go take a look?"

"You really want to? I have an appointment, tentative, you know, for Saturday morning."

Tomorrow.

I wasn't sure if he really wanted me to tag along or not, until he said, "It would be great timing, for me, getting your expert opinion and all. Yeah, I'd appreciate the second set of eyes; if you don't mind, that is."

And I found myself falling into his plans immediately. "I got nothing goin' on tomorrow." Except, maybe, lounging in bed with my actual boyfriend. I stood to get my scheduler out of my back pocket.

"Man, that would be perfect. It wasn't something... you know... he was interested in."

"He" being "Heero".

And then like black magic or something, I saw him- where "him" equaled "Heero - materialize where he shouldn't have been-in a chair at a nice window table. And not just that-!

I felt as if I'd been shot full frontal with a stun gun on narrow-band impact. I must have let my mouth hang open, giving away my complete and total shock, because Duo twisted around in his chair nearly falling as he hopped to his feet while trying to get a look.

"Holy crap! It's Quat and 'Ro!"

So it was. My Quat. His 'Ro. Together. On a date. At the same restaurant I'd picked.

What the fuck was going on?

Not only were they there but-

"Hey! What's Quat doing hugging Yuy?"

I did not know.

"I never thought they were that close."

They weren't.

"'Course, knowing Quat, he probably just thought Heero needed a hug or something."

Or something. They had never been close, and flirting was not in any game plan I knew about.

"You okay, Tro'?"

I'd give them a few minutes and then I was calling Quat.

"Good 'nuff."

(o) Heero's POV

"Agent Yuy. A moment of your time?"

I looked up into the steely gray eyes of Zechs Merquise and immediately regretted it. I hated having to look up at him. As far as I was concerned, I was the better man. I came out of the war the hero and he the fallen dark angel, the burned out Lightening Count, the current Agent Wind (of the hot air, as some joked). He should have gone to Mars colony and stayed; instead, he sailed back to work for Une.

I couldn't fault him for that act of attrition, because enter Preventers had I, and Chang, Barton, and Duo, leaving me little to feel superior about job-wise. He could have least lost his legs at the knee and been shorter. To be fair. So I could look down on him.

"-It's really for the best, you'll agree?"

"What is?" I didn't pretend to have been following him.

"You making Duo see the error of his ways?"

I hated that we had found common ground upon which to agree. I hated to admit Merquise could ever have a correct assessment, especially about Duo. Suddenly, I wanted to think better of Duo.

Duo reported to the man. I'd always admired how he did that. I couldn't have. There!

"Possibly," I said. I'd give the senior agent that. Just because he or I couldn't think of another solution, didn't mean there wasn't a better one.

I missed having Duo in my life at home.

And then I didn't. I didn't miss the fighting. But I kept forgetting we weren't... together any more. He'd left a hole the size of a Gundam incendiary blast-tear inside me. Things would never be the same and I missed the comforting routines we'd developed.

But not the danger he got into on missions, my subsequent, gut-wrenching trips to the hospital hoping to find him in better condition than reported, or the bitter days of his recuperation that would follow.

Our arguments had usually revolved around his quitting and getting a less risky job, like I had. Information retrieval over the internet didn't require I fire a weapon, or get one fired at me. Why couldn't he get a job like that? Why didn't he understand my side of things?

Merquise was still ranting. "-Duo must learn that the world doesn't revolve around him. He needs his comeuppance, and you, Agent Yuy, of all people, know that. I don't know how you tolerated his egocentricity for so long."

Then that smarmy smile appeared. Like he knew things he shouldn't about my private life. And because I hadn't said anything to refute him, he went on, "and then maybe I do. He does have the most amazing eyes and that hair-"

"Yes!" Shut up! "I know." Duo was stunning. I knew that. I couldn't be at work without seeing him and being reminded that he wasn't mine anymore. I certainly didn't need any reminders of what I couldn't touch or hear or smell or see whenever I wanted. His laugh, bubbling up from deep inside his chest, the dark brown swirls of hair nesting at the base... of his cock-

"-which means you ought to enjoy a nice evening out with Mr. Winner."

The chestnut swirls bleached to blond and my blood pressure dropped like a rock. I nearly swooned in shock, realizing how his words had shaped my imagination against my will. Me, go out with Quatre Raberba Winner? Ha! How did that follow? And then, how much of the conversation had I missed?

"Steady there."

My excellent, natural reactions turned my temporary lapse into an intentional step backwards, and discouraged his hand from threatening to enter my personal space. "Hn."

His amused expression turned speculative. "Has he ever shown you his art collection?"

My defenses shot to full alert. Was Merquise alluding to a sleazy sexual encounter between Quatre Winner and myself? "Would you like to see my ... collection? wink, wink"-that kind of invitation? I felt my fists reflexively knot tighter as I put on the darkest frown I dared in the presence of a superior (no, never superior!) a senior officer.

Or was he actually, really and truly only referring to Quatre's priceless assortment of Impressionist paintings?

I didn't want to jump to any erratic conclusions, so, I asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"It was featured in Modern Homes anthology last month," the pompass-ass-peer-of-the-realm-turned-Preventers-commander replied, "Or the month before that. I was thinking, if you hadn't seen it first-hand before, that you could begin with that, throw in a dinner invitation. I heard him remark about wanting to try the new Thai restaurant."

Preventers Commander Merquise calling Quatre Winner of Winner Universal Enterprises was a highly unlikely chance encounter. "When were you talking to him?"

The tension released across the tall man's shoulders and I knew I'd erred and fallen into his trap.

"Oh! I called Mr. Winner about the article-."

I noticed how his voice had taken on a warmer tone, leaving me to assume that our conversation was taking the direction he'd wanted in the first place. I wished he didn't look so pleased to have slipped this past me.

Why couldn't he just speak plainly, like Trowa? Like Duo. I knew that I'd been set up for this discussion from the start and had been too feeble to avoid it.

"-And he apprised me of his recent break up with Barton."

What?! No! When had that happened? "He and Trowa... broke up? He never said-" But then, Barton and I rarely discussed our personal lives, even though I considered him a close friend. Still, this was a huge turn of events. "When?"

"It's been coming on, I suppose, but only recently have they parted."

"They were happy last week." I was sure of that, having had lunch with them both and having had to avoid a discussion of Duo with the business mogul friend of his...ours. I chanced a glance to see that Zechs' steely blues looked sincere.

"That was before..." He sighed meaningfully. "He could use an old friend to lean on," he said. His smile stretched to show off a perfect line of white teeth.

I controlled the impulse to knock them out. "Quatre has Duo to talk to, if he wants to talk. Why me?"

Zechs appeared solemn for an appropriate measure of time before changing gears again. "You would do us all a favor if you'd take him out. It would cheer up the boy, and at the same time demonstrate to Duo that he's not the only suitable, available hottie in the field."

"Is that an order?"

"Dear, God, Yuy. No, don't be ridiculous. This is among colleagues- and friends."

"Hn." I'd think about it, although it seemed more fitting for me to ask out Trowa; he seemed more suitable, seeing as we worked for the same organization with fewer scheduling problems to interfere. Whatever did Quatre Winner and I have in common beyond crossing paths in the war? And a few friends.

"Why are you getting involved?" I asked.

"Because I want peace in the workplace, and you are my friends. Shouldn't I want your lives to be contented ones?"

And he presented that statement so artfully that I imagined he'd practiced saying it in a mirror. I tried to come up with a straightforward but tactful way of telling him to mind his own fucking business, when my cell buzzed, and Merquise excused himself.

Work was often pestering me to take notice. "Yuy, here."

Research results were required.

That I could do. No more killing and risking of my life-just running down the bad guys the clean way. If only Duo would do the same, make a change, then I wouldn't be considering calling Winner for... a date.

"Yes," I told the field agent who'd called, "I have prepared the Leesburg file already. What do you want to know?"

Agents new and old kept me busy all morning. There was a note penciled in for noon, but a coffee stain had long smudged it to the undecipherable stage. A lunch appointment with Duo, long forgotten and now not going to happen. I felt sad. A deep longing for his company pulled my mood into a sink hole until the lunch hour was past. It was really better when I forgot I wasn't in love anymore.

TBC

Chapter 2

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