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"The Wedding Planner"Written By: Snowdragonct Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved. Warnings: AU, yaoi, some OOC, angst, potential lemon(s), sickening sappy fluff Pairings: to be announced, or it’d be too easy (but you know who I like) A/N: This idea hit me while I was driving somewhere, and I needed to start it before the inspiration faded. But it will take second place to Boot Camp and the sequel to Boot Camp, so I can’t promise regular or frequent updates. It’s probably totally predictable FLUFF, so you have been warned. And I’m trying out the world of first-person here, with point of view shifting between Heero and Duo (maybe others…not sure yet). Rating: NC 17 Summary: Heero isn't thrilled when Relena hires
someone to plan their wedding, but once he meets the young man, he's
downright unhappy. Duo Maxwell is friendly, good looking, and spending
way too much time with Relena...Heero's jealousy knows no bounds.
"The Wedding Planner"
Duo’s Point of View I pulled into my parking place at the office feeling pretty damned good about how the day had gone. I’d made peace with my most difficult client, and had a great time doing it. What more could you ask of a workday? When I opened the office door, I was whistling contentedly. I tossed my briefcase onto the couch. “Hey, boss-man…how was your day?” Quatre looked up from his desk, where he had photographs laid out for perusal. “Well, aren’t you the cheery one?” he grinned. “I thought you had an appointment with Miss Peacecraft and ‘the Evil Fiancé from Hell,’ as you so charmingly put it yesterday.” I grinned back. “My appointment turned out to be with just him…and he’s not entirely evil.” “Do tell.” Quatre pushed aside the pictures, and fixed his attention on me. I flung myself on the couch, happily stretching out and putting my feet up on top of my briefcase. “Well…when I got there, Heero told me Relena wasn’t coming with us. I figured he was getting ready to chew me out for being too friendly with her, and I was pretty much right. But it’s all cool now.” “How’s that?” Quatre’s pretty blue eyes narrowed slightly, wondering at my leap from hating Yuy to getting along with him. “I have excellent people skills, Quat. You know that.” “You’ve been convicted of assault, Duo. You have a lousy temper with people who push you.” A slight frown creased his face. “You didn’t…kill him and dump the body somewhere?” I laughed at his half-serious question. “Naw, I’ve run out of places to hide the bodies,” I joked. “He isn’t locked in the trunk of the Jag, is he?” “Oh, that would have been a good idea! But no.” “Then how’d you go from hating the ‘bastard son of Satan’ to conceding he’s not totally evil?” “We talked.” I sat up and gave Quatre a reassuring grin. “He told me he didn’t like my informality and never to touch Relena again. I told him he was pussy-whipped and I didn’t need the job that badly. And then we got along fine.” Quatre had turned an interesting shade of pink. “You t-told him he’s—?” “Right to his face,” I smirked. My dear friend placed a hand across his face, fingers splayed, and muttered something under his breath. “Chill out, Quatre. We blew up at each other, realized we were both being inflexible assholes, and decided to start over without some of our preconceived notions about each other.” “He didn’t fire you on the spot?” “I told you, Quatre. Relena wants me and no one else to plan her wedding. He couldn’t fire me…not and get laid again any time this century.” “God, Duo. One of these days you’re going to be wrong,” said my boss, scowling deeply. “And when you do, I won’t be able to bail you out.” I stood up, walking over to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I won’t screw up that badly, Quatre. Promise. I know how much I owe you, an’ I won’t let you down.” “And what if Yuy had fired you? Do you know how much damage losing Miss Peacecraft’s wedding because of your temper could do to this business?” I had the decency to hang my head at that. “I’m sorry, Quatre…I wasn’t thinking about that possibility. I really was sure she’d insist on using us no matter what I said to Yuy.” “And what if you’d been wrong?” I walked away again, slumping back onto the couch, and resting my head in my hands. “I wasn’t,” I muttered defensively. Quatre sighed, and I could practically hear him regain control of his emotions. “I don’t mean to scold you,” he said evenly. “And everything’s worked out fine. Just…think next time, okay?” I nodded, knowing that Quatre’s frustration with me was gone as quickly as it had come. “Love you, Quat,” I said teasingly. He rolled his eyes, his relief at the positive outcome restoring his good humor. “That’s another thing, Duo. You could’ve just as easily admitted to Yuy that you’re gay and avoided the whole issue to begin with.” “I’m not. I’m bi.” Well, there was a knee-jerk reaction. Way to be defensive. “Duo, you’ve been engaged to be married twice. Both times to guys. Trust me, you’re gay.” “But I’ve dated lots of women,” I pointed out. “Yeah, and ended up friends with them, rather than lovers.” I pouted. “Still—.” “Face it,” Quatre scowled back. “You’re gay.” “Bi.” Okay, so having fought a lot of prejudice on the issue as a kid, I’d always been loathe to come right out and confront my sexual orientation. It was so much easier to hide behind the slightly less controversial label. “Tell me something…who’s got a nicer ass? Relena, or her fiancé?” I fumbled at that point, picturing Heero’s silk-clad rear end as he climbed into the carriage in front of me. I couldn’t actually recall ever having looked at Relena’s. I could feel the heat on my face, and knew I was busted. “Okay, Yuy’s got a fantastic ass.” “So just tell him you’re gay and he’ll stop being jealous of the time you spend with Relena. Plus, he’ll probably want to avoid being around you himself. Isn’t that what you want?” “Hell, yeah!” I asserted, even as a little voice in the back of my head asked me if that was really what I wanted any more. I mean, hey, the guy hadn’t been so hard to be around once we were away from his princess, the object of his jealousy. And once we cleared the air. I kind of thought after our pleasant outing, he might even be all right around Relena from then on…and all right with my being around her. Besides, he was undeniably nice to look at. I couldn’t honestly say I wasn’t looking forward to the next day’s appointment with both Heero and Relena. Quatre was giving me a rather suspicious look by then, and I decided it might be a good time to go on the offensive. “Speaking of being gay, Q-man…how’re you and the hot bartender getting along?” I asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively. The deep blush that started at Quatre’s collar and worked its way up his face was a dead giveaway. “Oh, don’t tell me. You’re sleeping with him already?” I demanded. “Uh…um…only…well…” I laughed at his fumbling attempt to come up with something coherent to say. “Wow. He must be really, really good.” Quatre looked down at his desk, his silken bangs hiding his eyes. “I think…maybe…I’m in love with him, Duo,” he confessed in a whisper. I was on my feet in a heartbeat, crossing to his desk and leaning both hands on it to glare at him. “Love?” I demanded. He looked up almost guiltily. “Yeah, Duo. Love. I think I love him.” “Are you nuts? You hardly know him!” The aquamarine eyes narrowed. “I know a lot more about him than you think. We’ve talked. A lot.” “Pillow talk!” I snapped. “You can’t trust that, Quat!” I felt a surge of panic on his behalf. Quatre was a sweet, generous guy, with a heart bigger than the Earth, and a bank account twice as large. And I was an overprotective asshole. “When I said you should ‘go for it,’ I didn’t mean you should fall in love.” “Isn’t that sort of the definition of ‘going for it?’” he shot back. I pushed away from the desk, turning around and looking out the window of the tall skyscraper. “Not my definition,” I assured him, trying for a cynical tone. “My definition is more like dragging the guy back to your place for hot, steamy sex, and then thanking him for a nice time, and sending him on his way. Love’s not necessary for that equation.” “So you say,” Quatre commented wisely. “But I notice you’re still looking.” “Looking for what?” I demanded, turning back around to see him giving me that frustratingly patient, sympathetic look. “Love.” “I had it,” I reminded him. “Twice. For all the good it did me.” “You don’t mean that,” he said gently. “It did you a lot of good, and you’d give anything to find it once more.” I gave a skeptical snort at that. “Y’think I’d set myself up for that kind of pain again, Quat?” I shook my head. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll stick to short-term relationships. No strings. No commitments. No heartbreak.” “You can’t shut it out forever, Duo.” Quatre was warming up to his argument now, and I could tell Trowa really had him thinking about love and relationships, and all that deep emotional shit. “You’re a gorgeous guy…smart, outgoing, and affectionate. You need someone to love you.” When in doubt, sarcasm and humor always worked for me. I walked over and threw my arms around Quatre from behind. “But I thought you loved me!” I cooed in his ear. He laughed quietly, with a serious edge to it. “I do love you. That’s why I’d like to see you happy. And I know the one-night stands aren’t doing it for you.” I straightened, dropping my arms from around his neck. “They satisfy a need,” I said simply. “God, Duo, you sell romance for a living,” he pointed out. “You work with people who are head over heels in love and planning the most important day of their lives. Do you really expect me to believe you don’t buy into the concept?” “So I know romance,” I shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I crave it.” “Of course you do. So do I,” he insisted. “I crave love. And I think I’ve found it with Trowa.” “And you’re so sure he’s not after your money,” I suggested, keeping my voice fairly neutral. I mean, sure I’d pushed Quatre to make a move on the hot bartender…but I hadn’t anticipated he’d get so serious so quickly. And what did we really know about the guy? I wanted to be sure he felt for Quatre the way my dear little friend felt for him. This wasn’t a new discussion for Quatre and me, and he took my doubts in stride. “Of course I can’t be one hundred percent sure, Duo. Nothing’s for sure.” “Oh, don’t throw my own quotes back at me,” I warned. He gave a dauntless grin. “You were the one who taught me about the ‘here and now,’ Duo. ‘Enjoy it while it lasts.’ ‘Go for it.’” I recognized lots of my stupid comments in there. “Just…be careful?” I asked. “I am,” he asserted. “And introduce me to him, so I can tell him what I’ll do to him if he hurts you?” I added helpfully. “You’ve been introduced.” “I know him as the bartender at the bar…not your ‘significant other.’” Quatre smiled, knowing that I was finally willing to give the guy a fair chance. “He’s off work tonight. You wanna come to dinner with us? We’ve got reservations in two hours.” I shook my head. “Thanks, but I need to turn in early. I’ve got a whole day with Heero and Relena tomorrow.” I didn’t tell him that watching Trowa and him make starry eyes at each other would probably ruin my appetite anyway. Jealous much? He smirked at me. “Good. Maybe watching them together will remind you how it feels to be in love.” But all I could remember was how much it hurt to lose the ones I loved, and how much of a void it left in my life. Even if love walked up and bit me in the ass (minds out of the gutter, please!) I didn’t think I’d want to risk it again.
tbc... |
