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" Better Than Fine "Written By: Presser DISCLAIMER: This fanfiction is not written for profit. The author claims no ownership of the characters. Pairing: 1x2 Rating: PG Spoilers: The story refers to the final events of the series. Warnings: Post-series AU, light romance Summary: What do you do with a broken heart that never found the courage to say "I love you?"
Duo struggles to find the courage to confess to Heero, but before he can, Heero vanishes, leaving only a cryptic note that explains nothing. Weeks later, Duo finds a letter taped to his shower curtain. Who broke into his apartment to leave it? Why? Does this have anything to do with Heero's disappearance?
Better Than Fine answers these questions with
a surprise twist that will leave your pulse racing and warm your heart. "Better Than Fine " 1
Duo Maxwell looked up at tattered, slate-gray clouds stretched tight against a chalk-blue sky. Pale sunlight struggled through them here and there, lending little warmth or comfort. A chill wind prompted Duo to zip up his jacket. When the wind grew stronger, he pulled his thick braid over his shoulder and wrapped it around his neck as a comforter.
"Come on, Quatre," he whispered. "Where the devil are you? You're never late."
Duo turned toward the small porch in front of the building where he and his best friend, Heero Yuy, shared an apartment. As he contemplated whether the wind would blow less fiercely there, a bird landed near him to pick at cracks in the sidewalk. Another followed, then another, and soon a little flock was fighting over sparse blades of brown grass. Duo grinned. *Aren't you guys supposed to be hibernating or something?* Then: *Wait, you don't do that, do you?* Duo chuckled at his error. *So why aren't you flying south for the winter? And you're all supposed to be with your mates, right?* Duo grew sober. *Like me.*
Heero Yuy wasn't Duo's mate, not exactly, though he'd hoped for a long time they would be one day. They'd lived together for six years, almost since the day the war ended, and though they were close -- more than close, it seemed to Duo -- neither man had confessed more than friendship to the other.
A car pulled to the curb. Inside was the smiling face of Quatre Winner, one of the few friends Duo knew he could count on no matter how bad things got. Quatre motioned for him to get in.
"What are you hungry for?" Quatre said, and before Duo could answer, he added a string of questions. "Is it too hot? I can turn the heat down. Do you like this music? It's easy to change it to something else. And are you --"
"You're doing it again," Duo said.
"What?"
Duo half-laughed and half-sighed. "Quatre, if you weren't just about my best friend in the whole world, I'd strangle you for being so fussy."
"What's wrong with wanting your friend to be comfortable?"
"I love you, you know that?"
Quatre beamed. "How about Italian? Have you been to Donatori's yet? They've got the best --"
"It's two in the afternoon, Quat. I just ate lunch, didn't you?" Quatre blew nonexistent dust from his smartwatch. "How about a nice coffee?" Duo said.
*
"So, what's this about?" Duo and Quatre were settled at a small table at Mr. Rice's, Quatre's favorite independent coffeehouse. Laid before them were cups of steaming espresso and plates of buttermilk scones with jam. Quatre took a giant bite of his scone and smiled at Duo.
"That's all you need to say," Duo said. Quatre's eyebrows shot up as he chewed. "You're buying time, and that means you asked me out to check up on me." Quatre shrugged. "Right?" Duo said.
"What's wrong with that?" Quatre mumbled through a mouthful of scone as he reached for a napkin. "You're my friend, and I'm concerned."
"Over what? I've told you at least five times this week alone there's nothing to worry about. I'm sure Heero had -- has -- a good reason for what he did. If anyone we know thinks and plans before he acts, it's Heero. You know that as well as the rest of us."
By "the rest of us" Duo meant the five mecha pilots who ended the war against Oz in spectacular fashion. Heero was the lead pilot and the one who blew up the last section of the giant space battleship Libra to prevent Millardo Peacecraft from ramming it into the Earth and creating global chaos with a catastrophic explosion. Thanks to Heero's exemplary courage, the wings of his Gundam, Wing Zero, had been installed in a memorial park in the capital city as a reminder to all who saw them that the human spirit is capable of rising to great heights in times of terrible crisis.
"Yeah," Quatre said, "but Duo, he left so quickly. And the note he left was so short it was almost rude." Duo knew every word of that note. He'd spent hours rereading it, hoping that he could somehow wring new information or insight into Heero's actions from it.
More than three weeks before, Duo had bustled through the front door of his apartment, apologizing loudly. "I'm so sorry, Heero. Work was insane. I didn't think Derek would *ever* let me go. But deadline or not, there's no way I was going to miss your dinner toni --" Duo froze. The lights were off; the place was silent. "Heero?"
Duo had checked the kitchen, the bedroom, and the bathroom before returning to the main room in puzzlement. "Wait." He rushed to the bedroom to check the little basket on their chest of drawers where they kept keys and spare change. "The key to his bike is here," Duo whispered. "What the hell happened?" He checked each room again, though he knew it was pointless. Back in the main room, he stared at the TV without seeing it, debating what to do. Suddenly his eyes went wide. *He would've left a note.*
Duo started with the bedroom, thinking the most likely place Heero would leave a note would be the bedside table, but there was nothing there or in the drawers. *But if there was trouble, he'd have put it someplace* un*likely.* Duo looked in the medicine cabinet, the clothes hamper, and the small cupboard under the bathroom sink where they kept cleaning supplies. He froze halfway up as he stood. *Why would I think there was trouble?* As he headed to the kitchen, a piece of notebook paper on the dinette table caught his eye. *How did I not see that the moment I walked in?* He unfolded it and read twelve simple words.
*Please trust me. Go Have to go. Can't explain to you. -- Heero*
The word *go* appeared twice, the first one crossed out, as though Heero had written the note so quickly he hadn't been able to focus on thinking clearly and had to begin his sentence over.
Something touched Duo's wrist. "Right?" Quatre repeated.
"Huh?" Duo said. He was sitting at Mr. Rice's again.
"I'm just saying exactly what you said. Heero doesn't do anything off the cuff. If he left without explaining, then he must have had a good reason. I'm sure he'll come back soon." Duo gave Quatre a look that said, "Not even *you* believe that," but held his tongue.
"Look, I know you mean well, but the truth is, neither of us knows where Heero went or why he left without explaining." *Or without even a goodbye.* "I just hope he's okay."
Quatre pushed his half-eaten scone out of the way and reached across the table. Duo didn't move, so Quatre pushed his untouched food to the side. "Give me your hands." Duo did. "How long have you and Heero lived together?"
"Close to six years. Ever since things settled down after the war."
"Have you ever known him to act rashly?"
"No."
"Then doesn't it make sense that he *did* have a reason?"
"But what? He's a chip consultant for Intel, for Pete's sake. He told Preventers he wanted nothing to do with covert ops or missions anymore and announced it to the world in the only interview he ever gave. And besides, Preventers has closed its doors now, hasn't it? There's no reason on Earth for Heero to just disappear without telling me."
"You know he cares about you. Right?" Quatre said gently. Duo nodded. "Then trust him." The first words of Heero's terse note went through Duo's mind again: *Please trust me.*
"I'm trying, Quatre, but it's been more than three weeks. Anyone would worry." Quatre's eyes brightened. He released Duo's hands and sat back. "What?" Duo said.
"He works for Intel, right?"
"Not as an employee."
"With the chip developers?"
"I just said that."
"Maybe they needed him to do some corporate espionage."
Duo scrunched up his nose. "I don't see why --"
"Makes a lot of sense to me," Quatre said, becoming animated. "Chip development is major stuff. Building the fabs alone puts you in ten-figure territory, much less the other --"
"So?"
"News broke last month that Intel's planning to spend close to six billion on an upgrade of their Israeli fabrication plant.[1] Just an *upgrade,* can you believe it? If you had that kind of money on the line, wouldn't you do whatever it takes to find out what your competition has up its sleeve?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
"Do you know anyone in the world more suited for a job like spying on his employer's rivals?"
"He's not an employee."
"I bet they offered him a shitload of money too. I bet he --"
"Quat," Duo said with a warning tone.
" -- he's planning something special for you when he *does* show up. You just wait."
Duo drew breath and held it. *Don't act frustrated. It'll just trigger another fit of Ultimate Compassion.* He needn't have worried. Quatre was busily spinning a tale of intrigue with Heero at the center. Duo let him run to the end of his spy scenario. *When he's done, he'll remember I'm here and offer to --*
"Let me give you a ride home," Quatre said. "It's damn cold out today."
-------------------------- [1] True. http://bit.ly/intel-israeli -------------------------- Author's notes: 1. Thank you very much for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. 2. Expect one chapter every Sunday night. They're all written, but I won't dump the whole thing on you at once. Besides, who doesn't like a tease -- or being one? ^_~ 3. I welcome your constructive criticism. It's how I learn and grow as a writer. 4. I write gay romance and erotica professionally under the name Jude Dunn. You can find out about that here: http://www.judedunn.com/ |
