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"Magical Christmas Party"Written By: Kaeru Shisho Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing
or its characters, nor do I make any monetary profit off this story. Rating: R Warnings: Yaoi, AU Pairings: 3x4, 1x5, 2+6 Summary: Magic is in the air and
stars are glittering at the Preventers annual Christmas party, especially
for one lucky couple. "Magical Christmas Party"
Trowa flicked away the bit of silver tinsel his boyfriend had tried to tuck behind his ear. "What is it?" Quatre looked up into Trowa eyes, surprised to have his innermost thoughts discovered, possibly, but not cowed. "It?" "You may think you're covering up something, but I can tell." Reconciled to the fact that he could hide little from his closest friend and lover, Quatre geared up for his response. He began with a clearing breath, straightened his shoulders, and then finished with a soulful expression. "Someone is in terrible pain." Trowa's hand immediately went for his cellphone. "Then call emergency" Quatre stopped him. "No, not that kind of pain." Quatre patted Trowa's chest and pointed to his pocket, over his heart. "Hurting in there." Feelings could be injured and require triage as much as a physical wound, he communicated without words. "It must be bad if you notice it in here with all these people." Trowa scanned the room full of holiday partiers. The annual Christmas party at Preventers served in a quiet way to celebrate the old war's ending. "Or maybe when you group this many agents together in one place the result is heartache." Quatre gave him the half smile his weak joke deserved. "It's one person, and you know him well." Trowa stifled a sigh and leashed in an eye roll. Of course. Who else but Quatre's "dear friend"? "Don't interfere," Trowa advised. "He won't appreciate it." Now Quatre was frowning at him and insisted, "I don't meddle." He stopped himself from stamping his foot, one of the childish actions he could control. "Giving him an outlet for his feelings and easing his suffering is a good thing, something a friend would do." He stepped back and marched away from his boyfriend oozing meaningful do-gooder attitude. "Like I said," Trowa muttered to himself, "interfering." Quatre found Duo by the punch bowl, about to reach for a refill. "I think you want water," he suggested. Duo flashed anger then softened when he recognized who had spoken to him. "Then you think wrong. I want a general anesthetic. The stronger the better." With his hand atop Duo's, he transferred his arm to the row of expensive-looking water bottles with gold embellished labels boasting curative health benefits beyond justification. "Vitamins! Minerals! Water that water sends nutrients to your brain, maintains muscle tone, metabolizes fat, removes toxins and waste and even helps prevent and alleviate colds !" "Plain old water does that," Quatre muttered. "Say wha-?" Duo asked confused. "I don't think there's any amount of alcohol that will help," Quatre said. He kept his voice even and soothing in tone. "You don't know that," Duo insisted. Quatre didn't want to get into a silly argument, so he began anew. "I think you should ask him out." Quatre caught Duo's eyes with an intense stare of his ownblue to blue. There was no need to get into "the who" he meant. They both knew with whom Duo was infatuated. Duo hadn't told anyone who it was, revealed no identities, disclosed no names, but his best friend had deduced it using his "special empathetic talents" as he called them. "Right," Duo muttered. He slipped a sideways look, taking one more glance to make sure his target, i.e. heartthrob, was still in place then back to Quatre's face to see if he'd noticed. It was hard to tell. Quatre was clearly staring, studying the person in question. "He doesn't look happy," Quatre observed. "He might like an excuse to leave the party." "He might, but not with me." Duo had made no attempt to regain his drink, but he didn't open the exclamatory water bottle either. He could rebel in a small way. Not that it made him feel any better. "Quat, don't you think I woulda tried by now if I thought there was any chance in hell he'd want to go out with me? You've seen him! Just the other day we passed in the hall and he looked right through me. You were there. You saw!" "I saw him look away, yes, but Gregson was talking in his ear, practically climbing into the poor man's arms," Quatre said. "And, I might add, Gregson's attention was unwanted. I could tell." Duo wasn't convinced that that left an opening for him to fill. "Do the math. Our social circles overlap with the empty set." "How clever you are," Quatre said with strong overtones of sarcasm. "Jeez, Quat, we got so little in common it's obvious I just got a thing for him... physical thing... amount to nothing anyway. Listen, I'm gonna split this eat-fest and" "Just give it a try, Duo. Ask him. You have nothing to lose by trying, and believe me you might be pleasantly surprised tonight." "And get lucky? Ha!" Duo shook his head and laughed. "It's Christmas eve. Can't you feel it? The magic? An enchanted evening!" "A f-uh...?" Duo coughed and choked back a choice word. "Not really." "Well, I do. Go ask him out. I'll take you out for a consolation lunch on Monday if he turns you down." "My choice?" Duo asked as if he were really considering doing it, while he already had decided to try when he had been reaching for more punch. That had been to bolster his courage or, more likely, retard his judgment. "Any restaurant in the city you want, yes." Quatre played along, but was cautious enough to keep the bet within bounds or he might be hosting Duo on L4! "Deal," Duo declared. Duo took off immediately. He passed a knot of agents, central to which stood Heero and Wufei. Duo gave them a wide berth. At one time he'd liked Heero, admired him. He'd go as far as admitting once having a boy-crush on him, but no longer. The sarcastic arrogance he'd associated with Wufei seemed to have rubbed off onto Heero as that duo's unlikely friendship had deepened. Trowa had grown out of his snarky stage, whereas Heero seemed to have embraced it. The nameless-one credited Quatre completely and entirely for the improvement in his personality. Quatre gave him value, Trowa professed. Of course Quatre said Trowa grounded him and gave meaning to the smallest things in life. They were so sweet, and Duo smiled thinking about them. Wufei managed to catch Duo's nodding glance and return a superior sneer, which seemed to express, "I won Yuy, na-nee nah nah!" Duo grinned, thinking, "I was saved!" as he advanced toward his alternative quarry. On the way across the room he geared up for the meeting, pumping up his courage, practicing what he'd say, and trying to not leave a nervous sweat trail behind him. "Hey, Duo!" came a shout and a young lady materialized in his path. "Hhhh-ilde!" he gasped when her arms wrapped him in an especially tight hug. "Yeah, I just got back from a real tour of the colonies. It's really great out there. Everything's so much better. Commerce is booming and" "I'm sure it is and as glad as I am to hear it, I'd like to catch up where there's not such a crowd." Duo hadn't meant to cut her off too inhospitably. In a way, he appreciated the distraction, because for a minute there he wasn't worrying about his next move. "Crowd? Oh, I get it," she said sounding as if she had him figured out. "You've got your eye on someone, haven't you? Who is it?" she asked and looked around, even casting a glance over her shoulder. He knew she was a smart one and would possibly figure out who he was interested in, something he wasn't at all ready to reveal or face with anyone one else tonight. He held back his panic. He did not want to talk about it, so he had to get back to discussing something else and make it quick. "I mean it. I want to hear about your trip, L2 especially. How about Wednesday?" he asked, then quickly tagged on what he hoped would clinch the deal, since it had worked for Quatre on him. "Dinner?" She grinned. Apparently she decided to let him evade answering and let him off the hook, with conditions. "Whatever. Dinner would be great, but only if my hubby can join us. He's not too ready to leave me alone with my old buddies. Maybe after we've been married a year." "That all?" He smiled back. "I want to stay on his approval list, so, sure, bring him along. Bully Burrito at six?" "Terrible food, but okay. Wednesday at Bully's. Got it! And I'll expect to hear all about how this, whatever it is, turns out. Later!" she shouted and was off to greet another agent. "Yeah, well... we'll see," Duo muttered. He turned back and saw his objective, closer now. Taller. Shoulders broader. Long, lean legs longer, even when partially hidden by his frock coat and polished knee boots. The hairs on his arms prickled with excitement, sending tingling thrills up Duo's arms. He imagined his hands down those tight pants, rolling the other man's rocks and skipping them into erotic waters... As Duo watched his mark, Lucretia Noin moved into Milliardo's embrace, nipped him on the ear, and then pulled away. The two old friends laughed. They looked comfortable together. Self-doubt hit him full-force. "You're stupid to go through with this," Duo told himself. However, Noin often accompanied her old friend to social occasions. It didn't mean either couldn't go home with someone else, and remembering that made Duo feel a bit better. To bolster his confidence more, Duo figured he'd have to amp up his game and use his imagination. He could pretend to be his better self, the guy he could have been had he not grown up an orphan on the L2 colony. He could have had a family, a father like Quatre that he'd run away from to join the rebellion. And money. He could have been a spoilt rich kid who'd made a name for himself. His back straight, a snap to his step, and smile on his faceDuo felt ready to take on anyone- even a man with stars in his hair. Stars... Someone with a flair for decorating had draped greenery swags around the Preventer's cafeteria and from them hung cascades of tiny, bright, sparkling lights. Some flickered and glittered, and Milliardo's platinum hair reflected the light like stars. Twinkle, twinkle little stars... Duo found it mesmerizing. It wasn't until he was near the regal-looking agent that Duo noticed how worn out the man appearednot boredtired. He rubbed at the deepening crease between his brows. The other hand held a rock crystal glass filled with amber liquid which, Duo guessed, was about to be drained in one gulp. Duo's smile faltered, he practically dropped his well-heeled-dude persona he'd been about to try out, toned it down a little, and went into "friend-mode", learned from another friend. In one smooth movement, he caught up the glass and removed it from the older man's hand. "I think this is what you were needing," Duo said. He replaced the glass with the water bottle. "A drink." "What?" Milliardo's face flushed, including the part dividing his shimmering hair down the middle. "Um..." Duo looked about for an escape route. He hadn't intended to infuriate the man, just to do like Quatre had done for him. But then, Milliardo hadn't moved. The longer Duo watched, the man seemed to relax a tad. He even gave off a near-peaceful aura; at least, less violent as his shoulders lost that starched appearance and the corners of his mouth eased into a curve oh-so little. Encouraged to give it his best attempt, Duo explained, "A buddy stopped me from draining the punch bowl." He was still standing. If Milliardo had wanted to, he could have punched out his lights. Duo shook his head, trying to appear casual and relaxed himself. "I really hate hangovers," Duo added. "I don't enjoy them," Milliardo said. The two men remained in place, eyes locked, weighing one another. Things could go any way, Duo thought. What did he have to lose? Nothing, as Quatre had bluntly pointed out. So. He might as well follow through to the end. So he smiled and winked. "Might wanna watch your step." Milliardo brushed a fall of loose hair back over his shoulder. "Pardon?" he asked. He followed the direction Duo's fingers pointed and looked up. "Two steps closer lands you under the mistletoe, and I gotta warn you, I'm pretty solid with the tradition on that." Duo let his smile spread across his face and watched the other man come to terms with what he'd said. "I see." Milliardo cracked open the bottle top and swigged back the water. Oh, yeah. Duo watched a tiny rill of droplets leak from the corner on that lush mouth. The Adam's apple bobbed, the tendons stood out emphasizing the long, pale-skinned neck. He was still reflecting on that perfection of skin, when the other man made his move. Milliardo closed the distance between them in a single, long stride. He handed him back the empty bottle and caught Duo staring. It was Milliardo's turn to smile, even chuckle at Duo's starry-eyed expression. He didn't have to say "I dare you." When he leaned in, Duo stood on his tiptoes, clamped a hand onto the tall man's shoulder, and kissed him without reservations. Yeah, those lips were just as warm and welcoming as Duo had hoped, the heat between them was palpable. He wondered why the fire alarms weren't shriekingan inferno blazed inside him. He'd dreamed of a moment like this, maybe without the audience in attendance, fewer lights, cozier venue, but wrapped up in Milliardo's arms. Those arms pulled away. He was still wrapped, only he was doing the wrapping, so he released his hold, cheeks flaring with embarrassment. "Um, sorry... little carried away there...ah...um... yeah." "I would say you were into me," the blond said with a smugness that embarrassed Duo further. "Um..." Duo cleared his tight throat. "Um, sorry." "I hope you aren't very sorry. I enjoyed it." "Oh...yeah?" Duo brightened, smile cautiously returning to one corner of his mouth. "Yes." "I liked it, too," Duo admitted. Then feeling courageous again he added, "Been wanting an excuse for a while... to do that." "A while?" "Quite a while. August, I think." "I only arrived at this office in August. Oh, I see." Milliardo's smile appeared to come from his heart this time. "Whatever for?" "For?" Duo wondered what he was being asked. "'Cause I always wondered what made you tick and, to be honest, you are like the hottest dude, er, man, in the building..." Duo paused to correct himself, "... the city! Not that I ever expected anything to happen. I mean, you never gave me any reason to expect anything; although, you couldn't have missed me drooling in the hallways. And, ah... stop me anytime here." "I was afraid your interest in me was more to irritate Yuy than anything else." "I never thought of that," Duo frowned. "In any case, his opinion on anything but work escapes my radar completely." "Rumor has it you two were a couple" It was Duo's turn to be a little cross. "Not true! I don't know how rumors like that get going, but it's not true." Milliardo ran his finger lightly across Duo's bangs fanning out the sides and revealing his eyebrows. Duo leaned into the touch and forgot all things Yuy. He felt a tug as a lock of hair was tucked behind his ear, followed by the dreamy warmth of breath caressing the exposed skin. "So it wasn't my clever repartee that drew you in," Milliardo whispered. Duo had no quick-witted answer to that. He was breathing faster, wanting something that he couldn't ask for. He opened his eyes and stared into the grey-blue eyes gazing at him. "Um... I don't know exactly," Duo managed to say. "Did you ever talk to me?" "I'll have to be satisfied with that for now, I see," Milliardo said and then smiled and stepped back, giving Duo back his personal space. The spell broke and with it the awareness that others in the room were watching them. "I'm glad that's resolved," Milliardo continued. "What shall we do next?" Duo took his cue to make the next move. "There's a coffee shop across the street with great cinnamon rolls, if you're into things like that?" "I could be interested in coffee and an indulgence." Milliardo winked, and then cast a quick look around the room. The man relaxed his stance. The way the tension had left him, Duo figured Milliardo must have seen what he wanted, possibly that the commander had already left. "I have put in a long enough appearance here," the blond said. "Yes, coffee would be a good idea." "Okay, that's great, I mean... I gotta stop at the coat room first," Duo said, stumbling over his words. "As do I." Duo stepped into the open elevator, while Milliardo held the door open. "You getting in?" Duo asked when the man seemed frozen in space. "Yes." He entered the small space and pressed the Lobby button. "I was still wondering." "About what?" Duo asked. Counting down the floors 25...14...12... "There must be something definitive about me that caught your attention." "Back to that are we?" Duo said. He added a smile and eye roll, keeping the mood light in spite of his racing heart, rushing him into an early heart attack or maybe he'd just collapse. Did men faint from excitement? He didn't think so. A heart attack was much more manly. "It's the hair, isn't it?" Milliardo asked in a humorous tone. "Huh?" 5...4...3... "You're asking if it's what attracted me?" With a flirty move, Duo flipped his braid over his shoulder. "Absolutely!" "We have at least one thing in common then," Milliardo said. Duo suspected it was intended as a joke. He took it that way and chuckled. "One thing, huh? Hope there's more, I mean besides flying giant killing machines." One thing was certainly a start, and wasn't that just what he needed, a new start? "And your eyes," Duo added for fun. "Of course. We have beautiful eyes, haven't we?" He gestured for Duo to exit first, and then left the elevator himself. Duo quick-stepped a bit to keep up alongside the other man's longer stride. "You don't engage in sword fighting, do you?" Milliardo asked. "Nope. Not me. That would be Yuy or Quat's area of expertiseand Wufei's. Sorry if you were looking for more commonality there. Wrong sport." "No, actually I'm relieved." Before Duo could comment on that, Milliardo asked, "I don't suppose you ride?" "Motorcycles. Tro' and I do competitive... ah, you meant horses? Once again, you tagged Yuy and Quatthe horsey set. I'm the least horse-oriented dude ever. Not in my training. Sorry if I'm disappointingly boring." "Not at all. I detest equestrian people, actually. Is this the place?" "Nic's Anytime Perks. Yeah, this is the place to go for great coffee and other great eats. Even Quat comes here for some fancy-ass doughnut thing..." "Beignets?" "Guess so... and what he calls 'dreamy buns', though he might have meant one of the pastry chiefs, heh, heh. Don't tell Tro' I said that!" "I wouldn't dream of it." Over coffees, buns and croissants, they talked the latest books they'd read, shared favorite movie titles, and other activities they engaged in with their very limited free time. "Duo," Milliardo said in a voice soft like the velvet cake under glass at the counter. He had Duo's undivided attention. "I want to be as forthcoming as you, which means I must begin with an apology." "Huh?" "You caught me completely off-guard tonight, and frankly, I was baffled by your candor earlier. I absolutely believed that you would have nothing to do with me when I first arrived at the Sanc officenone of you. My first encounter..." Milliardo hesitated, examined the dregs of coffee a moment, set his jaw, and then went on. "I offered my hand in greeting to Yuy, extending an opening of, if not friendship, then possibly... of letting bygones-be-bygones, ushering in a new spirit of teamwork." "Didn't work, did it?" "No." "Coulda called that one. I was as close a partner he ever had during the war, but since then he's come to regret that. He despises us all-Trowa, Quatre, me- except for some perverted reason Wufei. And if he hasn't forgiven himself, or us, for that slip upworking together like friends might- you've got the proverbial snowball's chance in hell to get his pardon." "Yes, well, I thought some compromise might be forthcoming." Milliardo smiled faintly. "And you would have been right in your assessment. Yuy rejected my handshake and told me if he had had a sword, he would have chopped off my hand. Chang offered to go get his. I left after that." "And Chang don't kid around about his sword. Whew! No wonder you were asking me about sword stuff, heh, heh." That drew a dry chuckle from Milliardo. "Indeed. You will understand, then, when later in passing and I could feel your eyes on me, how I might feel as if you were watching for me to make a false move, letting me know I was being observed, tested. It was my plan to remain aloof and wary of your next move." "You thought all of us ex-pilots were out to get you? I can see that, and it was kinda true, but in a different way than you thought, if you get my drift." "I do now," Milliardo said, his tone kind and warm. Duo sat back and used the tip of his braid to sweep crumbs into a pile. "Nothing to apologize for." "I'm getting to that part. Tonight when you were being open and honest about your feelings, I reciprocated with guarded statements as if I didn't take you seriously." "It's okay..." Duo sighed. "Par for the course." "No, it's not, Duo. There's no justification for my snubbing you. Just because Yuy and Chang chose to be unkind to me, didn't mean you would be or that I should have turned away your attempts to approach me." "You weren't so bad..." "I was and now I'd like to show you ... I would like to make that up to you." Duo perked up a bit. "Oh, yeah? Whatcha got it mind?" "I'd be very interested in attending your next motocross event." "Cool. It's this weekend." It dawned on Duo that he was being asked on a second date before the first one was over. Double cool. Milliardo reached for his hand and Duo let him cradle it in his large warm one. "And could I interest you in dinner after?" Milliardo asked. "You could probably interest me in a whole lot more than that, but, sure, dinner sounds great." "We'll start with that, then" The rest of Milliardo's speech was cut off when Duo pulled him halfway across the table to meet in a kiss. He tasted cinnamony sweet. No one noticed them. They'd been seated in an out-of-the-way booth and it had started to snow. Everyone seemed more interested in leaving the café and getting home before the roads were impassable. They parted lips. "Maybe we'll start with that?" Duo whispered. "I'm in no hurry," Milliardo assured him. "I live a block away." Duo felt lucky. "I live further. Let's walk the boulevard, window shop, and enjoy the lights." Duo's eyes widened. "You're a romantic!" "Just you wait," Milliardo said. He brushed the bits of powdered sugar off Duo's cheek. "I'll make you one, too." Duo no longer could see stars in the other man's hair, but he wasn't imagining stars in his eyes. Maybe there was something to what Quatre had said, calling Christmas eve a magical time? Something special was in the air and his heart lightened. "You're on," Duo said. "Make me an incurable romantic." (***:~*:~:***:~:*:~:***) Happy Holidays, everyone! (***:~:*:~:***::::*:~:***)
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