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"Wednesday Dinner"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, Angst, sap, fluff Pairings: 1x2, background 3x4 Summary: Duo’s mysterious disappearance after the pilots usual Wednesday dinner forces Hiiro to reevaluate their relationship. "Wednesday Dinner"
“Hello, Hiiro.” “Hi, Quatre. Can I speak to Duo?” “Duo? He’s not here. Was he supposed to stop by?” “………… You haven’t seen him?” “Not since Wednesday dinner. Why? You sound upset.” “I thought… What about Trowa?” “Trowa!” “Yeah?” “Have you seen Duo today?” “No. And he was supposed to return my plasma cutter. Is that Hiiro?” “Yes! He hasn’t…” “I heard. Did he mention anything to you about going out of town?” “Un uh. Hiiro? Are you all right? I’m sure he’s just lost track of time…” “He hasn’t come home since Thursday morning.” “………” “Thanks, Quatre.” “Hiiro! Wai…” click Why? I couldn’t sort it out. Everything had seemed fine until I came home Thursday night and found him gone. He left no word; no note or message on the phone, just… disappeared without a trace. By Friday afternoon I was investigating the possibility of foul play but came up empty. There was no evidence to warrant such idea’s, which left me all the more bewildered by my roommate’s absence. He had left willingly without even saying goodbye. It just wasn’t like him at all. That’s what got to me the most. It was one thing for him to disappear on me but to not even say goodbye to Quatre and Trowa? I knew better than to worry Wufei with the news. He had a soft spot for the crazy American though he would never admit to it in a million years and I wasn’t ready to call out the state militia just yet. But where had he gone? I checked everywhere I could think of. Not even Hilde had heard from him. It just didn’t make sense. I pondered and worried and let the thoughts run around in my head until I was dizzy and so frustrated I ended up with tea and broken china all over the kitchen floor and suddenly the last night I had spent with him came back to me in great detail. ”Ha ha haha! No way! She was under the kitchen sink?!” Duo laughed heartily wiping splattered droplets of his after dinner wine off his chin. “Yes,” Wufei chuckled. “With her shirt half on and her skirt in her hand.” “First words out of her mouth were “Please, don’t tell my husband!’” I laughed topping off Duo’s glasses and mine. “I didn’t have the heart to tell her she was facing prison for aiding and abetting a felon,” Wufei shook his head as he sipped a short brandy. “Sounds like she a-bedded him pretty often,” Trowa chimed in. “Poor kid,” Duo chuckled. “She should’ve picked her lover’s more carefully,” I sniggered and Duo frowned. He had frowned. I hadn’t noticed at the time. But why? Damn it! ”Love’s a fickle thing,” Duo laughed softly taking a long drink from his glass. “Well, I hope she loves him enough to do five to ten for him,” I snorted topping off our glasses again. The conversation had turned to Quatre’s good taste in wine after that and when I thought about it Duo had been abnormally quite for a while. Had I said something to offend him? But what!? Damn! There hadn’t been anything that should have upset him to the point of leaving! It was so damn frustrating! He left his CD’s. They were sitting in the rack next to mine. Had he left them on purpose or simply forgotten them? I stared at them for a while before surging to my feet to search the rest of the apartment. His favorite coffee cup was still in the cupboard and I found a pair of his boxers in the laundry but his books were gone, and his knifes and pistol. He’d left the box of pictures but it had been stored in the closet since we moved in as neither of us had ever gotten around to putting them in an album. They had seemed important to him though and gave me some hope that he may yet return. What in the hell was wrong with me? As confounding as Duo’s disappearance was my frustration over the situation was driving me even more insane. Suddenly all I could think about was why had he left, where had he gone, and when/if he was coming back. DAMN IT! The son of a bitch better have a damn good reason for not even saying goodbye! ”Is that a new painting?” Wufei asked after we retired to Quatre and Trowa’s living room. “Yes,” the blonde boy smiled proudly leaning a little closer to Trowa’s side. “We had it commissioned over the summer. Do you like it?” “It’s beautiful,” I interjected examining the three feet high oil painting over the mantle. “But isn’t it a little… revealing?” I chuckled smirking at the blush that rose to Quatre’s pale cheeks. “It’s… comfortable,” he replied defensively while I parried the glare I was getting from Trowa. “It’s sweet,” Duo smiled gazing up at the picture affectionately. I had seen that longing in his eyes before though I couldn’t see that he had anything to be envious of. “Yes,” I nodded draining my wine glass again. “But with Trowa holding him like that it seems a bit intimate for the living room.” “Why shouldn’t they be intimate?” Duo asked and I wondered for a moment at his strange tone. What had that been about? I wasn’t insulting our friends I just thought that sort of openness in a same sex relationship would eventually cause them problems. Had it irritated him in some way? ”Don’t let me forget to give you the Carmin report,” Wufei interjected. “You’re finished already?” “It’s a beautiful painting, Quatre.” “Duo?” Quatre called as Duo set his glass down and went to the bathroom. I had offended him in some way. He must have misunderstood somehow. Could he have actually thought I was ashamed of our friends? He knew better! Or he damn well should have! If that was all it was I had a few things I wanted to say to him about it! If I knew where he was. And if that was the reason he’d left. Shit. Knock knock “Hiiro?” “Come on in, Quatre.” “Have you heard…” “No,” I sighed tossing the jacket and shirt I’d left on the couch onto the coffee table so we could sit down. “Um… have you eaten… today?” he asked and I had to stop and think. “What’s today?” “Tuesday,” he replied sinking slowly to sit by my side. Damn it. Another two days. “He hasn’t called you?” “……….. No. Hiiro?” “Maybe I should call Wufei.” “I already have,” Quatre sighed. “He was concerned that you hadn’t answered your phone or come to work.” “I wanted to keep the line open… in case he called…” Damn. Why was I so tired? “Umm, Why don’t you go get a shower and I’ll make us something to eat,” he smiled and I suddenly realized I must stink since I hadn’t bathed since… when? Saturday? Shit. It made him unreasonably happy when I nodded though I was having trouble finding the energy to comply. By the time I managed to drag my ass into the shower and shave he had thrown together some hot soup and grilled cheese. It tasted kind of like shoe leather and pond water but I didn’t have the heart to tell him and ate most of it anyway, at least until my stomach started to hurt. “Why would he leave?” fell from my lips without any conscious thought as he tidied up the kitchen around me. “Sometimes people just need… more,” he replied softly. “More?” I snorted wondering where the bottle of rum Duo kept on hand might be. “We had everything right here!” “Everyone needs some affection now and then,” he shrugged and I huge light bulb went off in my head. “A woman!?” I barked laughing sardonically at the very idea. “That’s just great!” “Hiiro…” “Here I am worrying my ass off about him and he’s out there getting laid!?!” Fuck! But that just seriously pissed me off!! “I never said…” “You don’t really think that’s it do you?” I asked feeling irrationally frightened all of a sudden. If he had found a girlfriend he might never come back… no… “No,” Quatre smiled and the conviction in his voice helped to sooth the fear away. “You should go back to work,” he said and I blinked at the sudden change of subjects while he gathered his things. “Wufei’s worried about you.” “I know,” I sighed feeling damn tired again. “I’ll go in tomorrow. He must be buried.” “He’ll manage,” Quatre smiled. “Though I’m not so sure about you if you don’t get out of this apartment and back into a normal routine,” he told me as he left. Normal routine? There was no normal routine without Duo. He lived with someone. How could he possibly think it was that easy? Normal as waking up to Duo singing horribly off key in the shower and finding his t-shirt in the coffee cupboard after a late Saturday night. I couldn’t even watch the vid because he always had the remote and I had forgotten how the damn thing worked! I suppose I could have sat down and relearned it but it wasn’t any fun without Duo anyway. ”Ha ha ha ha! T…Trowa! Stop! Ha ha ha! D..don’t!” “Say please,” the taller boy teased mercilessly tickling his smaller lover until he had wriggled down into the couch. “NO! ha ha ha!” “You better say uncle,” Duo grinned trying not to spill his wine as his hand waved drunkenly in the air. “Ah! H…help! W’fie!” “He became your problem when you accepted him as your bedmate,” Wufei smirked unrepentantly. “Maybe.. ha ha.. I should.. ah! Re…rethink that decision! Ha ha ha ha!” “I give,” Trowa smiled instantly relenting and Quatre grinned happily up at him with sparkling eyes and breathless lips that his taller lover apparently found irresistible as he chose to kiss them. “Pansy!” Duo laughed toppling slightly on the edge of the couch. “You are so whipped,” I joined in. “Like you’d know,” Duo giggled. “I know!” I growled tackling him. “Hey! Hah ha ha ha! S…stop!” “Say please!” “Bite me! HA HA HA HAHAHAWwwait! Breathe! Ha h aha!” “Say uncle!” I demanded using his odd interpretation of the game as I mercilessly exploited his most ticklish rib. “Uncle!” he laughed squirming beneath me but I refused to relent. “Please! Ha h aha!” “Say you’re sorry!” “Ah! Ha ha! I.. I’m sorry! Ha ha ha! Leggo!” “Now look who’s whipped,” I grinned down at him and for a moment was reminded of Quatre’s bright, sparkling eyes as he gazed up at me. “Duo.” Damn it… ”No kisses for you,” I laughed pushing a pillow into his face as I retreated. “Why not?” Quatre teased. “Switch out the equipment and maybe we’ll talk,” I chortled and Duo headed for the bathroom again. Quatre had been upset though I didn’t notice it at the time but every time Duo went to the bathroom that night Quatre stopped smiling and Wufei changed the subject. What had I missed? And if they knew why in the hell didn’t one of them tell me?! I spent the rest of the night dozing in between searching flight records for any sign that he might have left the planet. I would have over slept if Wufei hadn’t shown up at my door. “You look like shit.” Joy. “Let me get my coat.” Umm, where in the hell was my coat? “Don’t bother,” he chuckled shutting the door behind him. “I just came to check on you but from the look of it,” he said looking around at the mess I hadn’t noticed until he did, “You still need a couple more days off.” “Funny,” I snorted. “Quatre said just the opposite.” “Hiiro?” “Hn” Why was I out of coffee? Beause Duo usually did the shopping, that’s why. Damn. “What in the hell is going on?” The question had caught me off guard but it was forgotten fairly quickly as my face caught on fire when I turned to find him holding the pair of Duo’s boxers I had been sleeping with between two fingers by the couch. “Nothing,” I snapped snatching them away. “You want some coffee? I’ll have to go out.” “What is that smell?” he asked wrinkling his nose as he sniffed the air. “What?” It seemed ok to me until he picked up one of the glasses on the end table and recoiled from the soured milk inside. “Did Duo do everything around here?” he asked. “Of course not,” I retorted relieving him of the glass to go put it in the kitchen sink but it was full so I sat it on the counter. “I’ve just been a little… preoccupied.” “So I see,” he said and my heart jumped in my chest when I found him taping at the keys of my laptop. “You’re using Preventer resources to try to find Duo?” he asked and I knew the gig was up. What I was doing wasn’t exactly legal. “Yeah, well… I was … curious… you know…” Honestly, a mans laptop is sacred; he shouldn’t have been poking around. “Mm hm,” he hummed and I suddenly had the urge to just smack him. “Well, try to get some sleep,” he said changing the subject again as was so common in his litany. “I’ve got everything under control at work. Get those bags out from under your eyes though, because I’m not going to cover your ass forever,” he grinned. He is a good man and I am lucky to have him as my partner. He has always been a good friend to Duo and I as well though sometimes I get the feeling he wishes he were closer to Duo than he is. There seems to be something more there sometimes, something like what I see between Quatre and Trowa but Duo doesn’t return it, at least not in `that way` so it remains nothing more than a dormant seed that anchors his deep friendship. Sleep. That sounded like a really good idea so I gave up on finding any coffee and piled up on the couch with Duo’s boxers and fell back to sleep. I dreamed of him though it wasn’t anything tangible, just images really. Snatches of reality blended with whatever dreamscapes my mind felt like creating and I felt a well of tears rise up inside me when it got to the point that I reached for him and he slipped through my fingers like smoke on the wind. “Duo…” “Wake up.” “Hm?” He was there? Or was I dreaming? “Hi,” he smiled and I felt my heart skip several beats as I lurched up from the couch. “Duo!” “Yeah, man,” he grinned cringing where I had hold of his arms. “You’re here!” “I’m here,” he repeated chuckling, “Ease up,” as he tried to pry my fist from his arm. “Where did you go!?” “I had some things to work out,” he told me clearing a spot on the coffee table so he could sit. “You didn’t call,” I reprimanded but it came out pretty lame. “Sorry about that.” “Why did you leave? I didn’t mean to offend you. That painting is really nice and you know I don’t have any problems with Quatre and Trowa right?” “Hiiro…” “This isn’t like you.” “I know…” “It was kind of a shitty way to treat your friends.” “I’m sorry,” he sighed knocking over a moldy glass of tea… or juice… I wasn’t sure. “How long has it been since you cleaned?” he laughed avoiding the spill as it glided across the table. “Fuck cleaning!” I barked and he gaped at me. “Why did you leave me!” “I…” he began but seemed unable to continue before he glanced around and had a good look at me. I had no idea what he was smiling about until he said, “You really missed me.” “Of course I missed you!” I growled feeling hurt and angry that he would think I wouldn’t. We were best friends! Had been practically since the day we had met in spite of the fact that he had freaking shot me twice! “How much?” he asked and suddenly he was just very damn close and I found it difficult to breath as the sparkle I’ve seen in Quatre’s eyes a million times when he looks at Trowa crackled to life in his. There was no second thought this time as I snatched him into my arms and kissed him madly. “Don’t you ever do that to me again!” I growled unable to move my lips from his as I dragged him down into the couch with me and was delighted to find him laughing and going along. “Never again,” he promised kissing me warmly and I suddenly realized why he had left. “Did you… work it out?” I asked feeling light headed all of a sudden. “Not really,” he smiled and I wondered how in the hell I could have missed the way his eyes glow when he looks at me. “But it looks like you worked it out for the both of us.” So I kissed him again and let my mind fondle all the amazing new desires my body was insisting we explore. However… “Where did you go?” I had to know. I had looked everywhere and come up completely empty. “Wufei’s,” he grinned. “That son of a …” but he kissed me again and suddenly Wufei was the last thing on my mind. owari :)
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