"That Which Mends"

Written By: SkyLark

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters. I just love playing with them.

Pairings: 2x1x2, past 2xOC, 5xOC, 3x4

Warnings: Angst, Violence, Sap, Lemons/Limes, AU

Archives: http://www.gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com/gw/SkyLark/gwSkyLark.htm and http://www.mizunoamy.bravepages.com/skylark/skylarkfics.html

Betaed by ShenLong *hugs*

Summary: Heero is a straight A student studying Psychology and finds his world turned upside down when he attends a Frat party.

"That Which Mends"

Part 2

Just when it did not seem as though his day could be any more of a nightmare than it already was, Heero found himself kneeling on the floor of a federal office half curled over and vomiting into a trash can that seemed to have materialized in front of him just in time. As the last convulsions set in, something cool was pressed against his neck and another hand soothingly rubbed against his spine.

Mortified, the scholar groaned as he leaned back until he was sitting up. Kneeling beside him, Anna continued to hold the ice pack against his base of his neck. "Don't worry," she smiled to the embarrassed face that turned towards her, "I've had a some experience with a hangover or two. Plus, you've had a hell of a morning on top of it, so it's only natural it caught up."

Wufei rushed back into the room with a chilled bottle of water he had left to get from the nearest vending machine. Opening the lid, he handed it to his redheaded counterpart. "Just take a few sips of this until you think you can take the rest," Anna urged as she held the bottle out to their charge.

As he took hold of the offering, Yuy murmured, "Thanks." Following her instructions, he took small gulps of the cold water, shocked by how thirsty he was and how much better it was already making him feel after his being sick.

Duo appeared in the doorway, his worried violet eyes settling immediately on the scholar. "You okay, 'Ro?" he asked in sincere concern.

The braided agent's referral to others by a shortened version of their name as a sort of nickname was telling of a lot of thing about him. But then, Heero was a young man of keen observation... a trait that was already serving him well for the field that he looking to go into.

"He'd be a hell of a lot better if you'd have just stuck to your mission," Chang groused under his breath. "That chip could have detonated before you got him here!"

Suddenly, Heero was not feeling as well as he'd thought.

Maxwell held a hand out to the redhead, retorting, "I knew Annie would have it disarmed long before the timer on that thing ran out. There was still the better part of the day before it came to that!."

At that, Anna tilted her head side-to-side. "More or less," she shrugged, "give or take an hour or two." Her nonchalant demeanor over the matter was as becoming as it was startling for Yuy. Sensing his growing discomfort over the discussion, she glared at both her teammates. "Now, if you both insist on fighting over this, take it outside and away from my friend here."

Downs' order hit Wufei and Duo as though she had physically struck them out of their ire and both were stricken wide-eyed at their reminder of the student sitting beside her. Both bowed their heads in an apology to their guest before they stepped from the room.

Shoulders sagging as soon as Chang closed the door after them, the redhead dry washed her face. "What am I going to do with him?" she murmured in a heavy, drawn voice. Dropping her hands, she blinked widely at her company as though she had not meant to say those words aloud.

That was the first time Yuy noticed the dark circles that were forming under her red-blotched eyes. Wufei had mentioned in the call how she'd been working at the office all night into the morning waiting to hear back from Maxwell. Only it was not just physical fatigue that was picked up on, but a long-standing weariness brought on by worry over him... something that existed between the closest of people.

And he couldn't explain it right then, but the revelation almost made the future psychiatrist jealous. 'Almost,' he told himself with a scoff. 'There's no logical reason to feel that way about someone I just met.'

"I hope you'll forgive Duo," Anna smiled sadly, "this is the first time that he's ever potentially hurt someone other than himself. Normally, he's the one I'm cleaning up after."

Oh, they were very close then. That annoying tinge of some unexplainable emotion crept back in for Heero as that sentiment seeped in. He squashed it quickly and considered the request instead.

Up until that moment, he only had ire for the braided agent who had so carelessly endangered him. But then, even the scholar had to admit that he wasn't exactly innocent in his own actions that had lead up to this odd scenario. In the end, he found himself letting go and not holding a grudge over the mishap that transpired between them.

What was more, Maxwell had been true to his word in taking care of him. In the end, all Yuy wanted right then was to return to his dorm, close off the world for the remainder of the weekend and pretend that the whole fiasco had never happened.

Digging into the pocket of her jean shorts, Anna produced a plastic bag and a magnetized rod.

"Always be prepared for anything," she said in a sing-song with a wink for her charge. Hovering the end of the long lure over the top of the trash can, she quickly shoved the wet and nearly invisible chip that stuck to it into the bag. "I'll just get this nasty little thing cleaned up and analyzed. At least it came out this way as opposed to us all having to wait for nature to take its course."

Horrified by the thought, the student bit back a low moan and forced down a long swig from the water bottle while the trash can was removed from the room. "How are you holding up there?" Downs asked as she returned and helped him onto his feet, staying close to his side to serve as a prop until he could steady himself upright.

"I'm getting there," Heero let out in a huff that he regretted with the headache it caused. At his wince, a handful of Tylenol and a protein bar appeared.

To his surprised gaze, Anna giggled, "Always be prepared. Like I said... I've been there and I'm used to cleaning up after Duo if I'm not the mess. Be sure to keep drinking with those pills and nibble until you feel up for more. Pedialyte is a surefire way to get rid of the worst of that edge. I'll have whoever takes you back to campus stop and pick some up for you." Biting her lip, she asked, "Are you alright with Maxwell driving you?"

Prior to their conversation, Yuy would have refused. However, having had forgiven the agent for the mistake in his mission, he couldn't help but be compelled into nodding, "Yea. That's fine." Handing over the cold pack that he had been holding to the back of his neck, he grinned a sincere, "Thank you for looking after me, Anna."

Beaming, the redhead nodded back. "Don't mention it. I just wish we'd got to meet under different circumstances," she commented. On her way for the door, she stopped herself short and peered over her shoulder to say, "You know, you must have made one hell of an impact on him. He's not one to stick around after a night like the one you just had."

Waving her free hand that wasn't holding the wrapped magnet and chip, she smirked, "Take care, Heero."

The student stared after her as she opened the door and slipped from the room. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why he felt a little better about his evening with a complete stranger possibly having meant something to the braided young man.

Once again, whatever that lightheartedness that came over Yuy might have meant, he buried it and left the office.

Anna must have briefed Duo on being cleared to serve as Heero's driver because he was standing close by. Clearing his throat, the agent rubbed the back of his neck and approached cautiously. "Hey," he greeted as casually as he could manage in that awkward situation.

"Hey," the scholar smirked with a hint of a snicker meant to let him off the hook. Wide, violet eyes snapped up to lock onto cobalt and that captivating smile spread across the heart-shaped face before him.

Breathing in relief, Maxwell nodded firmly, "Alright. Let's get you the hell out of here." Spinning on his heels, he led the way back to the elevators.

While the pair was preparing to exit the floor, Chang shook his head to himself in watching their departure from the cluster of desks in the center of the spacious area. "What I going to do with him?" he sighed to himself when his fellow agent disappeared at the closing of the lift doors.

Downs emerged from the restroom with the newly cleaned chip that had been at the center of their newest investigation. "Just love him, Wufei," she suggested with a small, wistful smile. "Love Duo and let him be, just like I do. Anything else will only frustrate you."

The Chinese agent snorted, "I guess you would know better than anyone."

Humming an affirmative, the redhead winked at him and sat at her desk facing his own.

"Got you now, you bastard," she muttered as she carefully installed the chip that was sitting no bigger than the tip of her finger that it was perched on into the scanner tagged to her computer. Typing in her access code as she closed the glass dome lid of the reader it glowed red to indicate that the device was deep in the process of transferring everything that was saved on the card.

Content that their case was back on track, Downs turned her chair towards her computer and began to type. Yawning widely, she reached over for her tall latte cup for a long swig without missing a keystroke from her other hand.

Frowning deeply, Wufei rose to his feet and rounded the sides of their linked desks to sit on the edge of hers. "Anna, go home," he urged. "You're running on fumes. Trowa and Quatre are going to be here within the hour. They're more than capable of supervising the scan."

The corner of his lip curling up, he added in a threatening tone, "And you know how Winner will fuss if he sees you fighting to stay awake like you are now. If he isn't busy insisting you take better care of yourself, he'll just find some crazy way to blame your lack of sleep on himself."

Instantly, the clicking of Anna's keys came to a stop when her fingers paused over them. Practically melting in her chair, she grumbled, "Damn it." Biting her bottom lip, she eyed the cushy couches in the rec area.

"Oh, no. Not this time," Chang insisted, his eyes narrowing as he folded his arms across his chest. "You're going to sleep in an actual bed and I don't want you to get out of it until at least tomorrow morning."

The bomb expert's mouth began to open in protest and the Chinese agent raised a finger, vowing, "If the scan finishes before we're all back on Monday, I'll make sure you're the first person outside of whoever's here for it to know. But that won't be until after you've had long enough to rest. I'm not budging on this."

Defeated, Downs lowered her head and rubbed her face with her free right hand that wasn't gripping her dose of caffeine like a lifeline. "Alright," she relented with a sigh. "You win." Climbing from her chair, she smirked, "Just don't get used to that." Funny as it was for her to say it when the full light of day glowed beyond the windows of their floor, she mumbled, "'Night."

Wufei leaned into the peck he received on the temple on her way past him, snickering, "Good night." A thought hitting him, he requested, "Call me when you get home so I know you didn't fall asleep behind the wheel." Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he offered, "That or you could always crash at my place since it's a lot closer than yours."

Giggling, Anna peered over her shoulder back at him as she continued to head for the elevator. "I'll call when I get into mine," she declared decisively. "The only time I 'crash' anywhere is when I'm living there or too drunk to walk, let alone drive." Still clutching her latte, she waved her other hand and disappeared behind the elevator columns.

His head shaking, Chang murmured under his breath, "What am I going to do with you?" He laughed quietly, shrugging "Go on loving you, too, I guess. It's not like I have any other choice there."

Quickly following the bright bell chime announcing the arrival of the first lift, the second elevator rang seconds before the rest of his team emerged onto the floor. Noting the blonde of the pair searching the area, Wufei smirked, "Don't worry, Winner. Anna's on her way home and we have the chip."

"I told you Duo would come through," the taller agent with hair coming down over half of his face smirked. "He always does, and yet you insist on doubting him."

Shaking his head, the team leader griped, "I wouldn't exactly sing his praises, Barton. He got careless..." Not wanting to get into the whole story, he sighed and shrugged, "but we got what we were after in the end, so I suppose that's all that really matters."

Quatre took to his desk that was side-by-side with Trowa's as he smiled, "That's good, Wufei. I think you're finally coming around to looking at the cup half full." Gesturing to the card reader that was still glowing red and humming softly, he stated, "Now it's just a sit and wait game until we know what our 'friends' are up to."

Whistling through his teeth at a closer inspection of the screen on the scanner, Trowa straightened himself. "And we're going to have a long wait at that," he informed. "Right now, the unlocking is only at two percent and sitting there. It's probably going to take the better part of the weekend for it to wrap up."

"In that case, we'll work shifts," Chang suggested. "I'll babysit until I can't keep my eyes open anymore and have to head home for the night. You guys can hang out or do whatever you like-"

He paused mid when his fellow agents each raised an eyebrow and glared at them. "That's anything I wouldn't mind actually walking into, hearing, etcetera," he clarified. "I have no problem with your relationship, but a little showing of restraint at work would be appreciated."

Barton snickered, "Kill joy." Removing his long skate board from below his desk, he stated, If we knew you were going to use the bathroom when we were occupying it, we would have been more careful-" It was his turn to stop in the middle of his sentence when his supervisor's eyes narrowed all the more. "Okay," he grinned. "Got it. Not in the office."

Chuckling, Winner gave his lover a half-hearted chastising look. "I'll take over when you have to step out, Wufei," he advised their friend, back to the serious matter at hand. "In the meantime, I'll follow up on my informants to see if they've heard anything new."

At that, Trowa met his partner's gaze and said, "I'll get a some time on the ramps in and crash on the couches before I relieve you for the late shift."

Satisfied to have a plan in mind, Wufei nodded firmly, "Alright. Let's get to it, then. With any luck, we might actually have good news for Lady Une when she's back in on Monday."

* * * *

Handing over the bagged jug that he'd purchased in the drug store on the way back to the campus, Duo smiled, "The cure for what ails you. You're going to feel like a million bucks when you start drinking that."

Yuy mumbled a quiet 'Thanks' as he lowered the jug to his feet slowly and carefully as to not undo the progress in his recovery. How people purposely drank themselves to such a point was beyond him. At the rate he was going, the last thing he wanted to do was even think about setting foot into another party again.

Smoothly navigating the car back onto the open highway, Maxwell glanced over at his passenger from the corner of his violet eye. "So... your first time for a lot of things last night, huh?" he mused, referencing part of their conversation from earlier that morning.

Despite his tendency to keep to himself, Heero found himself endeared enough to the captivating agent that he actually managed to smile as he snorted, "Yea. And my last for a long time, if I have any say. I suppose this is what I get for breaking the rules."

Blinking widely at that, Duo hummed in silent wonder to himself. Oh, he had come to his own conclusions of the young scholar. But somehow, having it confirmed that there might have been some regret over everything that had happened between him almost stung a little.

Weird. That would make it a first for him to ever care what one of his many conquests thought of him or their time together.

"I never heard of the Preventers before," Yuy frowned in sincere curiosity. "I know enough now that you track terrorists, but what specifically do you do if you're not officially the FBI or homeland security?"

For a brief moment, his driver just stared ahead to the road in an evident pause to consider how he should answer. "Well, I can tell you we take on the cases that not even those guys would take on," Duo responded as he met the gaze on him. "That's why we take offense to anyone comparing us to them. We work the hardest and deal with the worst shit imaginable without any of the credit... not than any of us signed up for any recognition."

Surprised to find himself further intrigued, Heero asked, "Anything you can tell me about what you're looking into now with that chip now that I was involved?"

Maxwell snickered to him, "I'd have to kill you if I did tell you."

His tight smile and controlled laugh didn't hide the reality in his sentiment. There was a danger, born out of something frightening that Yuy hadn't seen in his violet eyes, when he spoke. Suppressing a shiver, the student refrained from pressing the topic further.

In the silence that smothered them for the next mile, Duo cleared his throat and took his focus off the road once more to look on his charge. "I really am sorry for getting you in this mess, 'Ro," he stated.

Chuckling against his defenses, Yuy corrected, "Heero. And it's alright." He peered through the windshield, shrugging, "As soon as you drop me off, we'll both go back to our lives and not have to think another thing of any of this."

Back to his quiet world centered around getting his Masters degree ahead of schedule so that he could get an early start on his promising career. It was a predictable, safe world that he never should have stepped out of in the first place.

Duo nodded to himself, resigning himself that it was for the best that they both move on in their separate lives. What fun they had was nice while it lasted, same as many other such encounters he'd experienced. This was just another in a lengthy line of parting ways... though this farewell was easily the longest by far since he hadn't snuck out before his bedmate woke up.

The remainder of the ride was made without another word between the two. Stepping out when the car came to a stop before his dormitory, Heero tucked the bagged jug under his arm and closed the passenger behind himself. "Well... thanks again," he told the braided agent as he rounded the vehicle to the driver's side as its window rolled down.

"Yea," Maxwell smirked up at him. "Same here. Take care, 'Ro."

Closing the window again, he reversed his black car from the parking bay and rode off through the trees flanking the main road leading through the campus, veering around its first corner to vanish from sight.

And just like that, the beautiful stranger had slipped out Heero's life as mysteriously as he had slipped into it.

It was for the best.

Sighing to himself, the college student cradled his offering against his side and headed inside to piece together some sense of normalcy for the remainder of the weekend.

* * * *

It was well into the night when Wufei was on his way to bed in his lakeside home when someone rang the doorbell. Frowning, he descended the steps he had begun to climb and opened his residence to his late visitor.

Standing on the dimly lit front porch with a filled duffle bag hanging at her side with her things that served as one of her over-night rules, Anna fought to keep her eyes open as she bit her lip at his appearance.

"Hey," she sighed, "I'm sorry for just showing up like this, but you know how I am when my mind gets running and well... I'm coming around to the fact that I sleep better when I'm here." Her confidence slipping, she added nervously, "That is, if you're okay with me staying, of course-"

In the midst of her talking, Chang had stepped up to her, removed the strap of her bag to take it for her and welcomed her with a firm embrace. "It's more than fine, Anna," he reassured quietly by her ear. Blinking her red-rimmed, blue eyes in shock before she closed them, Downs melted against him and retuned the hug.

"Thank you," the redhead breathed in relief as they pulled apart. "It's just that I can't stop thinking about that chip. There's a pretty good chance we've been making this whole exchange something bigger than it really is... but then, the coders sure went to great lengths to make that message hidden..."

With a small , charmed smile on his face, Wufei took her hand and led her inside as she rambled on through her exhausted daze. Locking the front door and closing the light off as they moved for the staircase, he gently led her up to the master bedroom.

Growling, Anna shook her head, "And it still pisses me off that Duo let his guard down while he was on a mission. He's never let his guard down when it comes to keeping others safe."

Though she wasn't fully aware of where she was, she unconsciously stepped out of her clothes with Chang's assistance and changed into a simple, lilac slip from her bag that he helped her into while she went on without pause, "If he ever slips up like that again, it's going to come back to bite him hard and there won't be any way out of it-"

She froze when she noticed she was lying in the queen-sized bed that she had come to be quite acquainted with. Removing his shirt along with his hair tie, Wufei slid to her side. As he pulled the comforter over them, he smirked, "You can fret all you want another time. Until then, the world' troubles can wait for you while you're here with me."

Downs smiled at him in the dim moonlight that served as the only glow in the room. Snuggling against her lover, she pillowed her head on his bare chest and let out another sigh at the closing of her eyelids that could no longer fight the weight on them. "You know... right?" she half-murmured-half-yawned.

"Yea," Wufei whispered. Pressing a kiss against the top of her head, he told her, "I blank you, too."

The grin on her face growing, Anna finally gave up the ghost and allowed slumber to pull her in as the familiar feeling of strong arms enveloped her.

* * * *

At the beeping of the card reader, Trowa's head shot up from his desk. Crawling over his desk to reach for the scanner on Anna's desk before the sound woke his partner sleeping on one of the nearby couches, he carefully removed the data storage and appraised it closely.

"So we finally meet," the tall agent stated. "Now to see what little secrets you're holding onto."

TBC

Chapter 3

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