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"To The Power of Worse "Written By: t-shirt Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters are
copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties.
I make no money with this fic. Rating: R Warnings: Post War Cannon, Fluff, sap, mild language,
some angst and the malicious misuse of Murphy’s Law. ^_^ Pairings: 1x2x5, 3x4 Summary: Duo is having a very bad day. "To The Power of Worse"
Duo woke to the sound of pouring rain rolling over to note that it was three minutes before the alarm was set to go off before he rolled back and hid his head under the covers. This just wasn’t going to be his day. Not only had he not gotten to bed before four a.m., but he also found himself unable to even claim that extra fifteen minutes the snooze bar usually offered. He had just managed to doze back off when the alarm sounded the morning and he rolled over to slap the snooze bar finding it had somehow become desensitized during the night and refused to be silenced. “Damn it,” he grumbled slapping it again and again to no avail until his frustration prompted him to pick it and hurl it against the wall where it splintered into a thousand pieces and groaned pitifully when it hit the floor. “Great,” he moaned rolling out of bed. There was no dozing then for fear he would fall back to sleep so he headed for the shower discovering the gum he had dropped the night before when his sock stuck to the carpet. “Awww, maaan!” he groused hopping on one foot until he banged into the dresser sending a sharp pain through his hip where an instant bruise sprang to life. “Shit!” he barked trying to catch the half empty beer can before it toppled into his underwear drawer but narrowly missing and groaning as the malt soaked his boxers through. “Son of a bitch,” he cursed dragging the can back out to drop in the bathroom sink as he headed for the toilet only to discover it had no water in it. Furrowing his brow he reached out and pushed the handle wondering if the water had been shut off during the night. “Damn!” he barked dancing backward as the bowl quickly filled and overflowed onto the floor drenching his gummy sock along with two towels and his favorite car magazine in the process. “Jesus! I don’t believe this shit!” he grumbled pulling his socks off. Forget it, he’d clean it up later, after he got a shower and had some breakfast so he climbed into the shower and turned on the water gasping loudly when the hot refused to cooperate. Well, at least he was awake. Breakfast was a bust because all he had left was the dried up raisins in the bottom of the cereal box so he tossed the box at the trash can ignoring it when it bounced out and spilled crumbs all over the kitchen floor as he walked out the door and left his miserable morning behind. At least until he got to his car. Why couldn’t the little bastards come up with something other than `fag`? It didn’t much matter as this time they had made it a permanent addition to his cars surface as they had abandoned the usual shaving cream for scratching the derogatory remark into his paint job. He narrowly missed stepping in front of a passing car that honked and cursed him vehemently, stumbled into a puddle and discovered a hole in his front pocket instead of his keys all before he managed to jerk angrily on the door handle of his car and found it resting in the palm of his hand. “Fuck,” he sighed dropping the chrome handle on the pavement as he turned his back on the whole mess and quietly walked away. The bus was late, the train was broken down and there wasn’t a cab in sight that was about to stop for an unwashed, disgruntled looking fare like him. “Hey, Duo,” Hiiro greeted wondering why his partner hadn’t shown up until it was almost time to leave their usual morning café to go to work. “Bad morning?” he grinned seeing the discontent in his friend’s eyes. “Don’t even ask,” Duo grumbled nodding to the attendant who smiled and went to get him his usual coffee frowning at the empty pot when she picked it up. “I can make some more,” she offered. “We don’t have time,” Hiiro informed her dropping a ten on the counter. “Wait!” Duo groused snagging a piece of toast from Hiiro’s plate as he was dragged out the door but it was drenched in that nasty marmalade his Japanese partner was fond of so he dropped it in the trash can and hoped the machine at work would have something at least eatable. “You smell like a brewery,” Hiiro commented as they got in his car. “My underwear fell off the wagon,” Duo grumbled. “Where’s your car?” “Sulking.” “Cheer up,” Hiiro grinned turning the ignition. “Sounds like it can’t get any worse.” “Don’t say that!” Duo snorted then barked, “Wait!” as Hiiro dropped the car in gear and it lurched before his partner slammed on the breaks. “What?!” Hiiro gasped looking for signs of danger. “Wh… you mean it works?” Duo blinked apparently amazed the car hadn’t blow up. Hiiro looked angry for a moment then laughed heartily as he pulled out into traffic, “Of course, it works,” he chuckled shaking his head at his restless partner. Five minutes later it was Duo who was shaking his head as Hiiro attempted to change out the flat tire without the aid of a lug wrench. “Winged Demon, this is control. Report your 10/20.” the com crackled and Duo sighed heavily as he reached in the window dreading having to explain to Une why they were late. “In the middle of the Southside Bridge,” he grumbled into the mic. ”ETA?” “Sometime today?” Duo replied sarcastically as a string of curse words filled the air when Hiiro busted a knuckle. ”Cut the crap 02,” Une reprimanded. ”O5 is in need of immediate assistance.” “Wufei?” Duo relayed to Hiiro who had forgotten his troubles for the moment to pay closer attention. “Where?” Duo inquired tossing Hiiro his jacket off the front seat. ”Crab Bay Warehouse two miles north of you. Officer under fire. Immediate backup required. Can you assist?” “Already on our way,” Duo informed her as Hiiro stepped out in front of the next car passing and Duo tucked a portable com unit in his pocket as the driver slammed on the breaks and subsequently got his car commandeered. There was little that could slow down two ex-Gundam Pilots on the move, however, a truck load of fish sprawled all over the road was something they could do little about. Duo cursed loudly as they ran up on the spill slamming on the breaks even as Hiiro raised Wufei on the com and they took off down an ally merely inches wider than the car. “05! Status?” Hiiro called to their friend. “Where the hell are you?!” Wufei’s frantic voice shouted back. “A minute/five,” Hiiro replied bracing his foot on the dash as Duo careened out of the alleyway and into a line of traffic. “Make that two.” “Better make it now,” Wufei growled, his comment accompanied by the sound of gunfire as Duo blew through a traffic light leaving a sprawl of screaming horns behind him. “Layout?” Hiiro barked. “Two rifles on the second floor,” Wufei informed them. “They have me penned behind some crates on the lower level and you better get your asses here quick cause their flanking and it wont be long before I can’t…” the com went dead under the cracking of a gun as Duo slid the car into the parking lot. He and his partner were out and on their way inside, guns draw and at the ready before the gravel had bounced off the building. “Wufei!” Hiiro called into the com but there was no response as the teammates slammed into the doorframe on either side of the door. Duo popped his head around just as a shot was fired. “Left side, floor level,” he informed Hiiro who nodded and did another quick check. “Shooter 1, upper level, center right, 2 unknown.” “We are agents of the Preventor’s!” Duo shouted the required information gaining nothing more than a bullet bouncing off the doorframe. “You are ordered to lay down your wea…” “Eat shit and die, cop!” one of the gunmen shouted and Duo cocked an amused brow at his less than amused partner. “I think that constitutes refusal.” “Be careful,” Hiiro grunted. “Ain’t I always?” Duo grinned just before he rounded the corner and unloaded a clip in the direction of the known shooter while Hiiro darted in behind him. He just narrowly missed getting shot in the head by the second gunmen as he ducked behind an I-beam and shouted for Wufei but there was no reply. The desperation he felt over their Chinese friends welfare was mirrored in Hiiro’s eyes as Duo reloaded his gun and nodded to his partner. Hiiro dropped his chin once and darted out into the center of the warehouse dumping bullets into the second story while Duo tried to identify the position of the second shooter but he wasn’t firing. Taking a deep breath and noting Hiiro’s readiness where he hunkered down behind a forklift he took his turn at the dash managing to wound the known shooter in the arm which he was still grinning about when things suddenly started moving in slow motion. Hiiro had altered his aim and was now shooting at the barrel of a rifle but the gunmen was hidden behind a crate from his angle so he couldn’t get a shot. Duo had no time to spin around, his mind capturing the scene one frame at a time as Wufei stepped out from in between two crates. “DUO!” the Chinese boy shouted just before the shot nailed him full in the chest, his body recoiling from the blast as he was knocked off his feet to sprawl on the cement floor at Duo’s feet. “TAKE COVER!” Hiiro shouted but Duo couldn’t hear him over the sudden rushing of blood in his ears as he stared down at the black clad form of one of his best friends and all sibilance of humanity simply fled his amethyst eyes. “DUO!!” Hiiro shouted again still unable to get a clean shot at the assailant as the first shooters next shot bounced off the floor at Duo’s feet. “Get out of there!” the Japanese boy growled taking down the one man he could before sending more shots at the hidden gunmen, his timely return off setting the mans shot just enough that it only grazed Duo’s left leg but the longhaired boy appeared despondently unaware as his eyes slowly lifted to the target. “Shit,” Hiiro breathed watching helplessly as Duo stepped over Wufei’s silent form, raised his gun and began to fire. Another shot rang out from the rifles tip once again only managing to inflict a flesh wound to Duo’s left upper arm that he chose to ignore in favor of more precisely calculated shots that were slowly rounding the corner of the gunmen’s shield. The barrel raised again as Hiiro shouted Duo’s name and Duo took another step, purposeful and firm and let fly the mans death as he brought him down with a clean shot to the head. “Call an ambulance!” the longhaired boy shouted dropping his gun the moment the danger was neutralized and Hiiro called back an affirmative even as Duo dropped to the ground at Wufei’s side. “Wufei!” Duo called his desperation painful to hear as he ripped at his friend’s shirt to get a look at the damage. “Ah, come on, man! You can’t be dead,” Duo cried feeling hot tears sting his eyes as Hiiro dropped to the floor beside them. “Is it bad?” the Japanese boy asked. “Damn,” Duo hissed wiping hard at his eyes as his shaking fingers did their best to open Wufei’s shirt, his breath stilling when the fabric finally gave way to reveal a full body flak jacket complete with a lead dimple right over his heart. “Wufei!” Duo shouted slapping his friends face as tears of joy now escaped his eyes and Hiiro took a deep breath and fell back on his ass. “Unnn,” Wufei groaned. “You son of a bitch!” Duo grinned man handling him in his enthusiasm and Wufei grimaced in pain. “Good to see… you, too,” the Chinese boy groaned under the sudden presence of sirens in the air. “Are you ok?” Duo smiled releasing him. “Hell no!” Wufei tried to chuckle but coughed painfully instead. “That had to hurt,” Hiiro smirked in relief. “Could be worse,” Wufei smiled gazing at Duo and the longhaired boy paused long enough for his face to catch fire. “Asshole,” Duo chastised grinning like a loon as the medic’s came rushing toward them with a gurney, the words challenging the power of worse only echoing distantly in the back of his mind. The gunmen were both pronounced dead at the scene and Wufei was forced to make a trip to the hospital for the night for observation while Duo flatly refused anything more than a band aide and insisted he and Hiiro be allowed to accompany their friend. Once Wufei had been examined and tucked in and the nurses got the message that Duo was not only not seriously injured, he was not willing to offer any of them a date; Hiiro excused himself to go make a report to Une while Duo comforted their teammate. “That was not one of your brightest moments,” Duo laughed sitting on the edge of Wufei’s bed. “Couldn’t let you die,” Wufei shrugged and Duo’s brow creased at the strange nuance in his tone. “I really owe you one this time,” he smiled punching his friend softly in the arm, his brow creasing again when Wufei caught his hand and held it. “I really don’t know what I would do without you,” Wufei said softly drawing him near. “Fei,” Duo breathed feeling suddenly very hot and embarrassed and wishing whole heartedly he could get his hand back but… “You could have died today,” the Chinese boy whispered, his black eyes dancing with something that was scaring Duo right out of his socks. “You’re the one that got shot,” he chuckled nervously uncomfortable with the close proximity of Wufei’s mouth. “And I never told you…” It was all moving in slow motion again as Wufei reached up ever so slightly and brushed his lips along Duo’s, the longhaired boy swallowed hard as a shiver ran down his arms before his friend closed in and the heat exploded in his chest. So that was what true desire felt like? It was nice and not something he had been entirely oblivious to, as Wufei had shown up more than once in his dreams. But to have it actually happen was like having your cake and getting slapped with a cold fish at the same time. Wufei wasn’t the only one that visited Duo’s dreams. “Fei,” he breathed softly pulling away. “I just wanted you to know,” Wufei smiled but before Duo could correlate a reply his stomach turned over as his senses told him they were no longer alone, his chest thumping loudly as he turned to see Hiiro standing in the door looking very much like the two of them should have been barbeque by now. “Hiiro,” Duo gasped softly but his partner pinned him with a glare so dark saying anything more seemed like a death sentence. Duo felt his heart crack right down the middle when Hiiro suddenly turned and stormed away. “Damn it,” Duo sighed heavily. “Sorry,” Wufei offered. “I hope he’s not offended but I needed you to know.” Duo nodded gracing his friend with a thankful smile as he clasped his hand tighter and wondered what he had done to piss the gods off so badly. Une insisted on a live, one by one, account of the incident meaning that Duo and Hiiro were forced to spend a good deal of time in her office explaining why two men were dead and one of her best agents was currently lying in a hospital bed. When all was said and done they were offered time off and a bonus was promised for actions above the call of duty and Duo was glad to be out of the small room where Une’s stiff demeanor and Hiiro’s cold hearted stare were stifling him. He had no idea how to explain what had happened between himself and Wufei to his partner but it was clear Hiiro was going to need some time to cool off before he even tried. They split up for lunch, not that Duo really had any say in the matter since Hiiro had simply disappeared so he headed over to Quatre’s office to see what he and Trowa were up to. It was fairly certain they had been up to their pits in each other from the bright glow on Quatre’s face and the shit-eating grin on Trowa’s. Duo’s mind drifted back to Wufei’s kiss and he smiled knowing how good it must have felt before he decided to burst in on them. “You guys got plans for lunch?” he asked smirking at the smirk on Trowa’s lips. “We could go for burgers,” Quatre suggested. “Where’s Hiiro?” Trowa asked. “Skipped out,” Duo replied ignoring the way Trowa’s brow wrinkled. The burger joint down the block was so packed at that time of day they ended up having to wait in line most of the lunch period and when they finally did get to order all they had left was tossed salads and deep fried peach pie. Duo grumbled to himself ordering a salad and sneering at the peach pie, which he would rather have used for jock itch that ate. There wasn’t anywhere to sit so they ended up going back to the office where Trowa made it clear he’d like to have a moment alone with his lover before they were out of time so Duo took his meager salad back to his office and discovered he had forgotten to pick up any dressing. “Son of a bitch,” he groused realizing he also had no crackers or silverware. “Mr…. Maxwell?” one of the runners, a pretty young woman that was constantly harassing him for a date poked her head in his office, blinking twice as she watched him shove a handful of dry lettuce in his mouth and raise a brow at her. “I um… wondered if you’d had lunch,” she grinned eyeing the bed of lettuce. “Just ate,” Duo sighed pushing his rather revolting meal away. “Well, then,” she smiled clasping the folders in her hand to her chest, “Maybe we could catch dinner instead?” “Eva, when are you going to give it up?” Duo groaned. “When I find you in my bed in the morning,” she smiled. “I’m gay.” “I don’t mind.” “Duo?” “Heeeeey! Marco! Come on in, man!” Duo smiled ushering Eva out the door. “She never quits,” Marco chuckled as the door shut. “What’s up?” Duo asked after a quick roll of his eyes. “Hiiro asked me to partner you for the rest of the day.” “What?!” “Said you’d had a bad morning and needed some down time,” Marco elaborated backing away from Duo’s suddenly malicious air. “Did he say where he was going?” Duo asked through clenched teeth. How dare he set him up!! “Solo mission in Chinatown I think,” Marco informed him. “Solo mission my ass,” Duo grumbled grabbing his coat. “Hey!” Marco called after him. “Don’t you wanna hang out in some nice A/C for the afternoon?” he grinned. “Just as soon as I get my foot removed from Hiiro’s ass!” Duo called back ignoring the ringing laugher that peeled throughout the seventh floor. What in the hell was he thinking going off on a solo mission, setting Duo up with an alternate partner, making snap judgments about things he didn’t understand!? This was total bullshit and Duo had no intention of allowing his partner to face any mission alone no matter how freaking homophobic he was. A quick call to headquarters clued him in on the where and why and he found his reluctant partner right where he expected him to be, in the women’s bathroom of seedy pub in the shadowed streets of Chinatown. “Comfy?” Duo asked sitting on the pot in the stall next to where he knew Hiiro was hiding. “What are you doing here?” Hiiro asked flatly. “Partnering a stubborn jackass,” Duo replied. “I don’t need you for this one.” “What are you so pissed about?” Duo asked choosing to cut through the bullshit as he had had somewhat of a shitty day. Hiiro was silent for a time, long enough for a woman to come in and use one of the other toilets and leave before he finally asked, “Do you love him?” Damn. Hiiro didn’t pull any punches. Well, he deserved a truthful answer. “Yes,” Duo sighed feeling the silence between them growing terrifyingly uncomfortable. “Kind of like the way I love you,” he confessed hoping Hiiro would understand the depth of his feelings for all of his friends. Hiiro was quiet for a moment longer before his feet suddenly appeared under the wall and the door was summarily opened. “You love me like that?” Hiiro asked and Duo’s mouth suddenly went dry as he gazed into the most hopeful blue eyes he had ever seen in his life. “Y… yes,” he choked gasping softly when Hiiro took one huge step closing the distance between them and kissed him hard. JESUS! What the hell?! Holy freaking gods in Heaven! His mind turned and spun until all that was left was the searing heat of Hiiro’s kiss and the knowledge that his ass was being firmly manhandled. “Nnnn!” he groaned fighting to regain control. “Sorry,” Hiiro gasped breathing heavily as he fell against him pushing him into the wall. “I just… when I saw you kiss him…” “He kissed me,” Duo corrected and found it difficult to breathe again when Hiiro clamped his mouth over his once more. “Shhh!” Hiiro suddenly hissed as he door opened and Duo tried very hard not to breathe as a woman and child entered. His brow knit when Hiiro silently mouth the word `target` to him, his mind working to figure out how a little girl fit into the mission when they were staking out a drug dealer. The answer was forthcoming when another woman entered soon behind them and he watched through the crack in the door as the woman took something out of the child’s purse and made the deal. Hiiro silently warned him as his eyes darkened with anger to see the little girl used in this way but he was fast reaching that point where not even Hiiro’s opinion mattered anymore. “What kind of fucking sleazebag, brain dead scav uses a kid to deal drugs?!” he growled bursting out of the stall, his eyes flashing angrily as the woman buying squeaked and darted for the door only to smash head long into it when Hiiro swept her feet from beneath her. The dealer was more composed drawing a small handgun from her pocket, which she leveled, not on Duo but the child in her arms. “Back off!” she barked glancing fearfully from one agent to the other as the child cried… “Mommy!” “Your own kid?” Duo asked evenly as a darkness fell about his frame. “Preventer’s!” Hiiro barked showing his badge. “Drop the weapon!” “Get back!” “Lady,” Duo chuckled shaking his head softly as he let his gaze fall to the floor. “You have no idea what kind of day I’m having.” “Fuck you!” she snarled jerking the little girl about as she backed away, her gun shaking at the child’s temple and Duo’s eyes suddenly locked on. “Duo,” Hiiro breathed a warning. “I’m gonna say this just once,” Duo told her, his voice an icy thread as he slowly moved forward. “Hand me the gun and we all walk away,” he instructed slowly opening his hand and the woman shook as her eyes darted from his palm to the glowering amethyst jewels of his eyes. He knew she would make the wrong decision the moment her gun hand moved, his own darting out to deflect the shot which lodged, by chance, in Hiiro’s upper, right thigh sending him crashing to the floor. The little girl screamed as Duo pushed her safely to the side and broke her mother’s wrist dislodging the gun and disabling the woman at the same time. “Hiiro?” he barked receiving a curt nod from his partner before he snatched the hysterical little girl into his arms. “Shh,” he soothed trying to catch his own breath. “It’s ok… everything’s gonna be all right…” It took a full five minutes to calm the child enough for Duo to be able to check Hiiro’s leg finding that the self-sufficient ex-soldier had already applied a decent field dressing and called for aid. “Did it exit?” Duo asked looking for an exit wound and frowning when he didn’t find one. “Guess I get to take a nap,” Hiiro grinned knowing full well how much Duo hated general anesthetics. “You have all the luck,” Duo sighed letting the little girl crawl into his lap as the bathroom was suddenly invaded by cops and paramedics. “Where’s your dad?” he asked the child. “Prison,” she replied and he closed his eyes tight against the pain. “Is mommy going to go away too?” she asked forcing him to shove his own long untended memories aside. “Yeah,” he replied truthfully. “But that means you don’t have to play this game anymore.” “I didn’t like it anyway,” she sighed in a way no seven year old should be able to as she watched her mother being led away. “We’ll take her to a safe house,” one of the female officers smiled coming to collect the child but she turned and buried her face in Duo’s chest. “Hey,” he grinned. “It’s not so bad. They have crayons and movies and lots of other kids to play with. It’ll be like a sleep over,” he assured her and she giggled and brightened as she stared up at him and he felt that age-old pain lance his chest again. “You know?” he said brushing a wisp of dark hair from her eyes. “We can’t choose who our mommy’s are, but we can choose who we want to be.” “I wanna be like you,” she chirped bobbing up to kiss him on the nose before the officer took her away. “I wish you could have my kids,” Hiiro smiled relishing the dark crimson blush that rose on Duo’s face. “Who said I was willing to play the mom?” he grinned loving it when Hiiro’s eyes went wide. It was a bit of a problem when Duo discovered Hiiro had been placed in Wufei’s room after his surgery but the Doctor had insisted that they were both on the same payroll and, therefore, should share the room. Hiiro was a great deal friendlier toward their Chinese teammate with the drugs and the fact that Duo had accepted him but the alpha male pheromones in the room were making Duo a little dizzy. “What?” Duo asked seeing Hiiro eyeing his water pitcher. “You want some water?” he asked. They had been able to extract the bullet without putting the Japanese boy under by using a general but he was still hyped up on painkillers and couldn’t feel his right leg. “Mmmm,” he grinned nodding comically while Duo poured and helped him to drink it, his dark blue eyes shifting to watch Wufei as he let his hand gently glide up the outside of Duo’s thigh. Wufei’s eyes narrowed when Duo didn’t jerk away, his gaze darting about the room until they lighted on a pillow in the chair. “Could I have that other pillow?” he asked grinning smugly when Duo went to get it for him. “Does your chest still hurt?” the longhaired boy asked tucking it behind his ailing friend and Wufei took the liberty of pecking him on the cheek before he pulled away. “A little,” Wufei smiled adoring the warm mantle his affection had wrought. “Thanks.” “My toes itch,” Hiiro complained. “Here?” “Mmmhmm.” Duo chuckled at the silly smile on Hiiro’s face. “You can’t even feel your toes yet,” Wufei grumbled. “I’ve been lying here all damn day. My ass hurts,” he groused hopefully. “No way,” Duo laughed. “You can rub your own ass.” “Can I rub yours?” Hiiro giggled. “What in the hell is that supposed to mean?” Wufei grumbled. “You’re not the only one that appreciates him,” Hiiro shrugged snagging Duo by the shirttail to pull him into his lap. “Your leg!” Duo growled. “It’s numb,” Hiiro grinned kissing him softly. “Since when are you two an item?” Wufei sulked. “We’re not `an item`” Duo sighed pulling away. “Yet,” Hiiro amended smiling drunkenly. “Then I want a fair chance, too,” Wufei demanded. “Too late,” Hiiro grinned. “Hiiro,” Duo moaned wishing they would both shut up. “He cares about me!” the Chinese boy declared. “No more than me!” Hiiro snapped. “Hold it!” Duo cut in silencing them both. “I only want one thing right now,” he told them in no uncertain terms. “Both of you to get well, ok?! ‘Cause if I’ve gotta deal with this shit too long I’m gonna go fucking nuts!” “But I thought we were in love?” Hiiro whined, his eyes rolling back in his head as the drugs tried to take him under. “I love him, too!” Wufei piped up. “There’s no reason why he shouldn’t give me equal time!” “Ah, fuck it” Duo sighed waving a dismissive hand at the pair of them. “You figure it out,” he told them leaving them to their bickering as he exited stage right. “Hi, Duo,” Quatre greeted him in the lobby, his brow furrowing when he got a good look at him. “Is everything… all right?” “Just peachy,” Duo groaned picturing the disgusting fried peach pie he had narrowly evaded at lunch. “You look like you could use a drink,” Trowa chuckled. “A bottle,” Duo agreed. “Are they that bad?” Quatre asked glancing at the elevator as if it might bear some sign of warning. “They’re arguing over who gets to date me.” He kind of got a kick out of the way Quatre’s jaw dropped and Trowa’s eyes got really, really big. “Both of them?” the ex-mercenary grinned but Duo was having a hard time holding onto his smile. “That’s… umm… great?” Quatre ventured turning to his lover for help. “Sounds kind of kinky,” Trowa chuckled slipping an arm around the blonde boy’s waist. “Trowa!” Quatre scolded. “It’s not funny. What if they make him choose?” “Why not choose both?” Oh… My…. God Duo paused at the wealth of seedy little visions that popped into his mind on that one. “He’s thinking about it,” Trowa whispered into Quatre’s ear bringing Duo back to the living as his face lit up again. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Duo said shaking his head as he quickly ducked out to avoid anymore of a confrontation. He was in the parking lot before he remembered he had no car. “Damn it!” he shouted ignoring the way some people going into the hospital glanced nervously at him. Stuffing his hands in his pockets he shuffled off toward the bus stop only to discover the last bus had already run for the night. “Why do you hate me?” he asked the sky and couldn’t help the slightly off balance laugher when it began to rain. “Ok,” he laughed suddenly feeling a massive quantity of `I don’t give a fuck` coming on. “Give me your best shot!” he shouted to the night. “There is no fucking way it could possible get any god damn worse!” he shouted letting the rain wash away the despair of the day, his mouth curling into a tiny, sardonic smile as a bolt of lightening lanced the sky and a cab pulled up by his side. “Need a ride, Mac?” “Yeah,” Duo grinned letting all the pain, frustration and dismay drain away as he climbed in. “55 Westhaven,” he instructed as he pulled away from the curb. “Nobody’s taking the Southside Bridge,” the driver informed him and Duo laughed at the memory of fish all over the road. It probably still stank to high heaven and he wondered how they would get all that slime off the road. “But I’ll take you around the north side, no extra charge,” the guy smiled, he had a nice smile, friendly, Duo liked him. He spent most of the ride home gazing out the window wondering what he was going to do about Hiiro and Wufei. Trowa’s words kept coming back to him. Why not both indeed. But they would never go for it. Hell, they’d probably change their minds about wanting him at all if he proposed something like that. But to choose would cut deep no matter what happened. His mind was so engrossed in thought over the matter he didn’t see the warning signs before it was too late. “Look out!” the driver shouted slamming on the breaks, the wipers slapping at the rain distorting the oncoming lights so that Duo just barely made out the bumper of a Chevy as it slammed into the side of the cab sending them in a death roll right off the road and into the side of a building where they finally stopped, upended on the left side in a pile of broken glass, bloody seats and drenching rain. “S…status?” Duo croaked the age-old command feeling fire lance down his left leg when he tried to move. “What? Hey! Are you ok, man?” the driver replied crawling around so he could see. “No,” Duo informed him knowing full well he had, at the very least, dislocated his left shoulder. His leg would need more assessment as he couldn’t tell if it was punctured, broken or just missing altogether. “Hey, man!” the driver, one Raul by name Duo noted upon spotting his license in a frame on the back of the seat, said rushing to his side. “Can you move?” “Don’t think so.” Not without screaming anyway. “Can you check my leg?” he asked fearing what he might find but needing to know. “Ssssssss,” Raul hissed looking it over and Duo's heart stopped. “You have a pretty bad cut in your thigh,” he told him and he felt his blood move again. A cut he could live with, missing limps would be a problem. “Should I help you out of there?” “No,” Duo replied doing his best to stay conscious. “Let the medic’s handle it.” He could already hear the sirens. “Shit!” Raul gasped suddenly and Duo's spine tingled in a way that did not make him happy. “Fire,” the longhaired boy groaned. “Yeah!” Raul nodded vigorously. “How’d you know?” “Systematic elimination,” Duo hissed trying to wriggle around so he could pull him out. “It’s the only thing that hasn’t happened to me today.” “Are you ok, man?” the driver asked wide eyed as Duo forced his body to obey and not pass out before he had maneuvered into a position Raul could handle. “Just, get me out,” he groaned feeling the blackness coming to claim him. “Don’t let me die here,” he heard himself say and the next thing he knew sirens were going off and some burly blonde guy with a bad hair cut and a mean disposition was slapping him awake. “Come on, pretty boy!” he called grinning when Duo's eyes opened and he somehow managed to stick a syringe in his thigh. “Why you little…!” “Back off, Buz,” the nice lady with the steely brown eyes ordered and big, blonde and hairy went away. “How you doing, kid?” she asked leaning over to check the dilation in his eyes. “Left shoulder dislocation, possible contusions and lacerations, slight concussion on the left lower skull, damage to left thigh possibly critical, immediate medical required.” Duo rattled off watching her face waver in and out until she began to resemble Major Sally Po and he smiled. She smiled back. “Soldier boy, huh?” she said checking his IV. “Well, your right on most counts except the leg.” Oh joy. “It’s not that bad. Few stitches and you’ll be good as new,” she grinned and he swore if he could have moved he'd have kissed her square on the mouth. He wasn’t feeling all that giddy anymore when they dumped him in the room with Hiiro and Wufei. His eyes opened to find both of them had forsaken their beds to come and wallow on the edge of his and he felt very much like a zoo animal with them staring at him like that. “What happened?” Wufei asked gently stroking his hand as he held it. “Shuda stood in bed,” Duo chuckled turning to find Hiiro smiling down at him and recoiling slightly because of how close he was. “The driver?” he asked and they both glanced at the doorway where his reluctant angel was waiting to see him. “Hey, man,” he smiled pushing his partners back a little so he could see the guy. “Thanks, you really saved my ass back there,” he told him offering him his hand which he glanced at, then at both Hiiro and Wufei nervously before he finally took it. “You are a lucky guy,” he smiled and Duo busted up laughing, Hiiro and Wufei giggling right along with him until they were all groaning in pain and had tears running down their cheeks. “S…sorry,” Duo offered trying to quail the relentless mirth. “It’s just been… one hell of a bad day.” “Oh, I don’t know,” Raul smiled donning his hat as he looked the three of them over. “You seem like a very fortunate man to me,” he grinned nodding to them before he left and Duo just sat there staring blankly after him. “A wise man,” Wufei smiled nuzzling his left ear. “Would you like some water?” Hiiro asked nibbling his right and he had to wonder what Trowa had said to them as a shiver ran down his spine. They were both released the next day but Duo was forced to remain another night to ensure no infection set into his leg. As his beautiful paramedic had informed him, the cut wasn’t that bad but it was deep and required a multitude of internal stitches, which gave his … what? His boyfriends? The time they needed to rearrange his freaking life! By the time he made it back to his apartment it had been transformed into a comfy little den for three which surprisingly made him grin like a rabbit in vegetable bin. His luck had changed after the accident and not one damned thing had gone wrong sense save for the stupid pop machine being out of his favorite soda. He couldn’t help but smile as Hiiro and Wufei fought over who got to feed him his dinner even though it was his left shoulder and not his right that was injured and thought to himself that things were undeniable looking up. owari :)
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