Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ X-13 ❯ Chapter 2
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: deathangel125 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Drama / Romance / Suspense / Angst | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 07.16.2013 | Pages: 5 | Words: 7.9K | Visits: 435 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Drama / Romance / Suspense / Angst | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 07.16.2013 | Pages: 5 | Words: 7.9K | Visits: 435 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimers: Not mine. I wish they were, but sadly, they belong to someone else with a lot more money than I.
Warnings are in first part. Be sure to read them or you might be shocked by what you find.
X13 – PART 2
“Have you talked to Duo yet?”
Although his expression never changed, Trowa’s fingers fumbled with the tie knot, revealing his nerves at the simple mention of the long-haired man. “He didn’t get in until late yesterday afternoon, Quatre. He called and we spoke for a few minutes, but that’s all. There will be plenty of time to speak to him later. We’re all supposed to have dinner tonight after the briefings.”
“Yes, but that’s all of us. When do you plan to speak to him alone?”
Jerking the knot out for the third time, Trowa gave the blonde an exasperated look. “I never should have said anything to you, Quatre. Stop playing matchmaker.”
Batting Trowa’s hands aside, Quatre efficiently tied the stubborn knot Trowa had been struggling with for ten minutes. “I can’t help it. I think you two could be good together.” Trowa thought the same but didn’t say so. Even if he could find the courage to say something to the long-haired man, several obstacles would still be in the way, the largest two being the distance between their homes and Heero. “You still need to talk to him about the job offer, Trowa.”
Adjusting the tie so it wasn’t choking him to death, Trowa gave his best friend an irritated look. “Why don’t you talk to him about it yourself? He would be working for you, after all.”
“Only indirectly; he would be working with you and you’re the one that knows all the details of the job. You could tell him exactly what his duties and responsibilities would be.” Hands on hips, Quatre lifted a delicately arched eyebrow, “He’d be working with you day after day, very closely. You should be the one to explain what he would be doing.”
It was an appealing offer, Trowa knew, with a number of the bonuses and perks he received himself. “Duo is the liaison between the L2 Preventers office and the Preventers home office. He gets to travel, basically set his own hours, and the pay is excellent. Do you really believe he’ll give all that up?”
“Working with you he would get to travel frequently, the hours are good, his pay would be better, and he could live here for free. Added to that, he would be able to stay here, closer to us. If I were him, I’d take the job, wouldn’t you?”
Truly amused, Trowa smiled, “You seem to forget I did take the job, remember? But I already lived here. My switching jobs was as easy as quitting one and starting another. Duo might not be willing to move.”
“I don’t know why not. He’d finally be able to get away from that woman.”
It wasn’t necessary to ask who Quatre was referring to. Duo had told them all how Hilde pursued him constantly, pleading for him to move in with her time and time again. The level of obsession matched the one Relena still had with Heero. Checking his weapon, he hid his concern but did ask, “Do you believe she could become dangerous?”
“Duo says no. She’s fixated on him, but he swears she wouldn’t hurt him in any way. I hate to say it, but I don’t think she’s smart enough to hatch some sort of nefarious scheme to cause him any danger.”
Nodding in agreement, Trowa grabbed the keys to the SUV he used when driving the blonde around. “You ready?”
“Eight full hours of mind-numbing details…looking forward to it,” Quatre replied sardonically.
“You don’t have to go, you know. You could always send a written report of the activities WEI is doing to help in the cases that are connected to the Preventers investigations.”
“I wouldn’t dream of skipping it and having you miss the opportunity to see Duo. I notice the way you always sit beside him.”
Trowa’s face turned red before he had a chance to control the reaction. Ignoring the blonde’s laughter, he went out the front door first, holding up a hand until he was certain there was no danger then waved for Quatre to get in the car. Once he was seated behind the steering wheel, he muttered, “Duo saves a seat for us.”
“He saves a seat for you,” Quatre pointed out as they passed through the guarded gate, waving to the security man at the controls. “I think that means something.”
“He also saves one for Heero. It’s a way to ensure he won’t have to sit beside someone he doesn’t know.”
“You still need to talk to him before he leaves. How long is he supposed to stay?”
“His shuttle leaves Saturday night.”
“Two and a half days? That’s it? Why is he leaving so soon instead of staying the full weekend?”
“Quatre, I haven’t talked to him. Heero would probably know. You can ask him.”
“While I do that, you can tell Duo about the job. It’ll give him some time to think about it before we go to dinner tonight. I’d like an answer before he leaves for L2.”
Anything Trowa said would only encourage Quatre to keep pushing him, so he kept his thoughts to himself for the remainder of the short drive. In the Preventer guest parking lot, Trowa lifted a hand in greeting as he saw Duo and Heero getting out of Heero’s car. Pulling into a spot, Trowa sighed heavily.
“I’ll tell him about the job, Quatre, but that’s it. There’s no point in bringing up anything else.”
“You don’t know they’re together. They don’t act like a couple.”
“It’s hard enough to see him without hoping for more. Please let it go,” he asked as they got out of the SUV.
“I won’t bring it up again, Trowa. I didn’t realize what it was doing to you,” Quatre laid a hand on his arm in sympathy as they reached the back of the car.
The gesture brought no real comfort, but Trowa covered Quatre’s hand for a moment in appreciation of the attempt. He quickly let go, knowing how quickly rumors could spread inside an organization like this one. Looking at the front door, he spied the long braid as it whipped through the doors just an instant before it shut and let out a long sigh.
“Stop looking so depressed,” ordered Heero as he and Duo stepped inside the elevator. “It’s your own fault for avoiding him.”
“I’m not avoiding him. I called when I got in yesterday. He seemed…distracted.” Duo leaned on the wall of the elevator, crossing his arms over his chest in a defensive posture. “He didn’t really sound like he wanted to talk to me.”
Heero mirrored the other man’s stance on the opposite wall. “Did you ask if he didn’t want to talk to you?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“He was probably just busy. It’s not like he doesn’t have a twenty-four hour job. I heard there’s an opening on Quatre’s security staff. Perhaps you should talk to him about it.”
Duo blinked at the sudden change in topic, letting his surprise show at the news. A position on Quatre’s security team was a highly coveted positing, one many Preventer agents, even from L2 and other colonies, kept an eye out for. “How long has there been an opening?”
As the elevator came to a stop, Heero frowned, “Almost a week. Rumor says Quatre and Trowa have someone in mind, but I don’t know where that information came from. Neither of them has mentioned it to me.” Stopping at his own office, the blue-eyed man gathered the files he would need for the day, shaking his head as he looked at the briefcase Duo carried out of necessity. “It would be a perfect job for you and you could move here instead of coming here just for the briefings,” he continued as they made their way to the large conference room, dodging agents still milling in the hallway.
“I don’t mind the trip, but it gets hard to keep up with everything. I miss you guys, you know. It’s the best part of the whole thing. Even if, by some miracle, I managed to land a position here or with Quatre I’d still have to be a liaison between this place and L2.” Duo shook his head and lowered his voice as they entered the room, aware people were always looking for news to spread. “There are too many differences at that office and the others to just let it go. It’ll be at least two or three more years before agents that aren’t from L2 will understand how it works.”
Heero waited until Duo had stuck his briefcase in the empty seat next to his to save the seat for Trowa, Quatre wouldn’t be at the main table because he wasn’t directly involved with any of the current investigations, but the tall, quiet brunette was, and sat down before he leaned closer. “I’m sure Trowa would understand the difficulties of the position you’re in, he is the liaison for WEI, so he knows better than anyone what you would require. Why don’t you talk to him about it?”
“Well, if they’re already considering someone for the position and I ask about it, they might give it to me because we’re friends.” Duo paused for a moment as Quatre and Trowa entered the room, unable to stop his eyes from focusing on the tallest of the pair. As Trowa led the blonde toward the seats in the back of the room, Duo shook his head, “I’ll stay where I am for now and wait for a spot to open here.”
“There was a position open, but I didn’t bring it up.”
Duo stared at the other man for a few seconds then hissed, “Why not? You know I’ve wanted to transfer here. It’d be great to move away from that hell-hole I grew up on.”
Appearing out of nowhere, Wufei set down mugs of coffee in front of Heero and Duo, then took his usual seat on Heero’s left. He had apparently overheard part of the conversation, because he let out a snort of disdain. “The position was a courier and receptionist job, Maxwell. It’s beneath you.”
“Thanks, Fei, I think.” Duo took a sip of his coffee and sighed. It wasn’t good, but it was better than the crap they served at the L2 office. “I’m almost at the point of taking a courier job,” he mused softly for Heero’s ears only.
Leaning even closer, Heero frowned, “She still bothering you?”
“Does Relena still bother you?” Duo retorted, rubbing his temple, where a headache was forming. “It’s a constant these days. When I left I had fourteen phone messages and over thirty emails, begging me not to leave her.”
“She’s beyond obsessed, Duo. She’s psychotic. Someone needs to get her help before she does something drastic.”
“Hilde?”
The soft word of question had Duo jerking in his chair and staring up, up into the patient green eyes of the man standing by his chair. Flushing, he grabbed his briefcase from the reserved seat and shoved it under his feet, only to pull it back out to get the files he needed for the first part of the meeting. “Yeah, Hilde,” he said when Heero cleared his throat, inclining his head at Trowa so Duo would recall the query.
“Quatre and I were discussing her this morning,” Trowa stated, holding a closed hand out to Duo, “For your headache, Duo. Is she dangerous?”
Grateful for the medicine, Duo held out his hand so Trowa could drop the aspirin, his breath hitching slightly when long fingertips brushed against his palm. Recalling the question, he sat back in his chair and blew on his coffee to help it cool, also giving him a few seconds to gather his scattered thoughts. “I wouldn’t have thought so before. The last couple of months have been enough to make me change my mind. She’s more erratic, her moods from one end of the scale to the other. I had to ban her from the office because she started showing up four or five times a day for no reason. She almost got violent with a female agent.”
He stopped talking long enough to take the medicine, washing it down with coffee and scalding his tongue. “A few weeks ago she demanded I stop denying how I feel and move in with her. I was actually afraid of what she was gonna do when I left this time. Even after all the emails and phone calls, she showed up at the shuttle port and begged me not to leave, saying we were meant to be together.”
“She does know you aren’t interested in her, correct?” asked Wufei, leaning forward in his seat to peer around Heero.
“I’ve told her I don’t feel that way about her, or any woman. She’ll nod and smile and then tell me it’s a problem we’ll work on together.” Duo rubbed his face tiredly, “I may be hard up and all, but I’m not that damn desperate.”
Trowa choking on his soda got Duo’s attention and he eyed the man with concern. When the tall man finally caught his breath, he stared at his lap with a red face. “You should get away from her and move here.”
When Duo didn’t say anything, too stunned to think of a response, Heero replied for him, nudging him with an elbow, “Duo is on the waiting list for an agent’s position here. He says he would have taken the last open job if he had known about it.”
“Your skills would be wasted in such a menial position.”
Basking in the compliment, Duo let the conversation go on around him, hand clenched tightly where Trowa had touched him so briefly. His attention was brought back to what was being said when Wufei forged back into the conversation. “I was surprised to learn the man that took the job used to be one of yours, Barton.”
Duo watched with fascination as Trowa shrugged, the material of his suit jacket pulling tight over broad shoulders. “Don’t be; he was already in danger of losing his job because of incompetence. There was a review scheduled for next Tuesday where we would have decided to let him go or not.”
“Would he have been fired?”
Green eyes pinned Duo at his question, making him want to sigh like a swooning schoolgirl. “Yes, he was part of a team assigned to one of Quatre’s sisters, Taylia. He let a man through security that said he was her boyfriend without a background check.”
“I’m guessing he wasn’t her boyfriend?”
“She’s married. He was a stalker that’s been trying to get to her for some time to show her his brand of… affection. Luckily, another member of the team recognized him and called me. I got to her office just before he shot her so they could be together forever. Taylia is taking a week off and he is in a maximum security mental health facility.”
Looking away from Trowa, Duo got his brain to work again. “That was a stupid mistake a rookie would make.”
“If he had been a rookie I could have overlooked it. This man has been with WEI security for almost ten years. It was as if…” Trowa shook his head and opened one of the files in front of him.
“As if he wanted her to be hurt or killed,” Duo finished for him, receiving a small nod.
Heero tapped his fingers on the table in front of Duo. “You need to find a way to make Hilde understand you, or you could be the one getting shot. Obsession is a dangerous thing.”
“How do you get Relena to leave you alone?”
Wufei chuckled, “He threatens to shoot her.” A frown appeared on his face, eyes darkening in thought. “She has been a bit quieter in the last few weeks, hasn’t she, Heero?”
“Maybe she finally realized I can’t abide her presence.”
“Or maybe she’s plotting against you,” teased Duo.
Their conversation faded as Une called the meeting to order, blushing when several agents laughed when she yawned widely in mid-sentence. Duo spoke when asked questions about the L2 cases, patiently explaining things in-depth to lower confusion about the way things were done on the chaotic colony. His patience was beginning to fray after answering questions from one senior agent for almost an hour, his headache coming back in full force.
“I still don’t understand why you can’t arrest these people if you know they’re the ones selling the drugs.”
Duo lifted his mug, only to set it down again when he found it empty. “Because it’s more important to find out who is manufacturing the drugs. Arresting the handful of dealers we’ve found so far won’t do any good.”
“Why not? I thought the Preventers’ policy on drugs was no tolerance. Any dealers you can remove from the street would make things better.”
This was why Duo’s presence was required at these meetings; most people didn’t understand L2 wasn’t like every other colony. “You could arrest the dealers we’ve identified already, hell, you could arrest a hundred of them and it wouldn’t make a difference. There’s always someone to replace them and they can be on the street in a matter of days, even hours, to take over. We have to stop the drugs at the source to stop the influx.”
“I don’t see how it could be so difficult. Your office has had this one case open for over six months and there’s been very little progress. Maybe the Preventers would do better if someone else took over as team leader on this case. It might even be better to replace everyone on staff.”
Head pounding, Duo aimed a glare at the man and considered borrowing the gun he knew Trowa was carrying. “Have you ever been to L2?”
“No, but I don’t see what that has to do with anything,” the man snorted, writing in his file and basically showing he didn’t think what Duo had to say was important. “It’s just like any other place with law-breakers.”
“It’s nothing like any other place. Let me give you an example of how it’s different,” Duo stated calmly, ignoring the warning hand Heero put on his shoulder. “Here on Earth, you wear your Preventer’s uniform with pride, don’t you? I bet you enjoy the respect you get from civilians.”
“Of course I’m proud to wear my uniform. It shows how I’m working to make the universe a better place.”
“I’ve got an idea. When I return to L2, you can go with me,” Duo offered, eyes glittering with rage only a few people understood. “I suggest you don’t wear your uniform, though. It’d be better if you left if here all together.”
Obviously infuriated by the suggestion, the agent slapped his pen onto the table and stood, glaring across the table at Duo, who stood in response to the unspoken challenge of his authority. “Why not? I’m not ashamed of being an agent. If you are, you should resign.”
“Because you’d be dead before you could make it from the shuttle port to the office. An office, I may add, where there have been nine drive-by shootings and two bomb threats in the last four months. I won’t even tell you how many threats there have been in the last two years. Thankfully, we have bulletproof glass or most, if not all, of the thirteen agents that work there would be dead, including me. Here you can work in the open. Have a suspect? Bring him in and put him in holding until you can collect the evidence you need. There, a badge doesn’t bring respect. It brings hatred and suspicion. If we arrested someone without all the evidence to prove, without a doubt, they were the person we were looking for, the office would most likely be bombed while agents were still inside. Anyone that happened to get out alive would be hunted down like dogs, and killed. If that wasn’t enough, their families would probably be murdered, too.
“We work in the dark and behind the scenes to do what we can and we’ve done a hell of a lot of good so far, but not at the expense of our lives or the lives of agent’s families. You think you’re proud to be a Preventer? You don’t know the meaning of the word. The people I work with do their jobs knowing every day could be their last if they ask the wrong person the wrong question. We can be killed every time we go in or out of the office, so don’t you dare question our results unless you can comprehend the obstacles we’re up against. Think you can do a better job? Be my guest, but you better leave your badge, your uniform, and your love for adoration on Earth because on L2 those things will just get you killed.”
Breathing hard, Duo dropped back into his seat, realizing abruptly that the room was deadly silent. Hazarding a look around he found all eyes on him and blushed deeply. A glance to his right showed Trowa was watching him with an odd expression he couldn’t read, so he focused his eyes on his own hands where they rested in his lap.
Une cleared her throat, “I think it’s past time for morning break. Be back in half an hour to resume the meeting. Maxwell, I’d like a word with you first.”
“We’ll stay,” Heero stated as the room began to clear.
Quatre hurried from his own seat, looking at Duo with worried blue eyes. “We’ll wait for you.”
Smiling at the support, he shook his head. “Nah, the worst she can do is fire me. I’ll meet you guys in the break room.”
He was starting to walk toward Une when a hand caught his sleeve. Confused, he followed the arm until realizing it belonged to Trowa. Lecturing himself not to act like a fool, he smiled, glad the joker mask had never been discarded. “I’ll be out in a few minutes, Tro.”
Trowa stared down at his own hand as if stunned it was still grasping Duo’s sleeve. Jerking it away, he lowered his head and focused on the floor. “I didn’t realize how hard it was there,” the tall man finally said after several long seconds. “You put the rest of us to shame. You are a better person, a stronger person, than anyone else I know.”
Duo was still gaping at the spot where Trowa had stood a few minutes later, stunned at the words. Shaking his head, he went to where Une sat at the end of the table, the only other person left in the room. Sitting down next to her, he winced in embarrassment. “I shouldn’t have said all of that. I apologize for taking up so much time.”
“You saved time. I don’t think Warren will be asking anymore stupid questions now.”
Staring at the table, he jerked a shoulder, “I still shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Then why did you?”
“I hear what everyone says when I come in. How we aren’t really doing anything and should be replaced. I guess it got to me, having to defend those people who work so hard but don’t get any credit for it. I mean, on Earth and the other colonies there are at least a hundred agents scattered around each major city. On L2, we have thirteen to work the entire colony. I just wish people were able to understand.”
Une was silent for a moment while he picked at his fingernails nervously. “Why didn’t you want command of the L2 office?”
“I didn’t want that responsibility.”
“Yet you personally helped me choose the agents that would do well there and picked your captain from over a hundred possible candidates. You’ve always been straight with me, Duo. Why didn’t you take a job many agents wanted? Running an office is a dream of most people that work here.”
The use of his name had him meeting her eyes. Seeing the worry directed at him, he sighed. In his mind, no one had changed more than Une since the wars, dedicating her life to preserving peace instead of causing conflict. Other than the four men he was closer to than anyone, he respected her the most. “I’ve had to look over my shoulder my entire life. I’m tired of doing it. To be completely honest, I’m on the edge of burning out and I don’t want that,” he admitted to her, something he hadn’t told the others yet.
“You want to quit?”
“I don’t know. I’m just tired of waking up every morning and wondering if that day will be the day someone takes me out. The other agents are fairly unknown and able to hide their faces when they come to work. Their families and peers are the only ones that know what they are. I don’t have that luxury. Everyone in the darker and more dangerous sectors knows who I am and what I do. One day, someone is going to come after me, either for what I do now or what I did during the war. I can handle it for a little longer, but I’m hoping for a transfer. It would be nice to be with the guys again, other than a few days at a time.”
“I’ll see what I can do. I would hate to lose you as an agent, Duo. You’re a damn good one, but have you considered taking a job with Barton? You would be an excellent security member for the Winner company.”
“I was going to talk to Trowa about it at some point, I guess. Heero’s pushing me about it.” Knowing he was being dismissed, he began to rise.
“Are you feeling well? You seem pale,” Une noted as he stood.
“I’ve got a headache. It’ll go away when I get some caffeine.”
“If you begin to feel worse, you are free to leave. We can wait until tomorrow to discuss the remainder of L2 business.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep it in mind, but I should be okay.”
“Go take what’s left of your break. I have to go find Warren and have a chat with him.”
Cheered a little at the thought, Duo walked out of the room with a smile. Just outside the door he almost ran into a man pushing a cart, filled with coffee urns and pastries. “Jeez. I’m really sorry,” he apologized, grabbing a honey bun before it hit the floor.
“No problem. I should’ve been watching what I was doing. I’m in a bit of a rush. Gotta get everyone’s coffee refilled before break is over.”
Something in the man’s cheerful tone set warning bells off in Duo’s mind, but he assumed his talk with Une had left his nerves raw and his headache was making him imagine things. Giving the man a smile, he pointed to his cup. “Can you make sure to fill that one all the way up? I have a feeling I’m going to need it to get through this whole meeting.”
“Sure thing. I don’t know how you can drink this sludge, though.”
The comment had Duo laughing as he tried to put his uneasiness aside. “This might be sludge, but on L2 the coffee tastes like mud and has the consistency of oatmeal. Trust me, this is an improvement.”
“You must be Agent Maxwell. Everyone’s talking about the way you cut Warren down to size. I’d have loved to see that.”
Blushing at the reminder of his outburst, Duo made his way to the break room, filled to capacity with agents. His face turned deep scarlet as there was a smattering of applause at his appearance, lowering his head and rushing to where his friends waited.
Trowa was the first to speak, surprising everyone. “She didn’t say anything bad, did she? You had every right to say what you did.”
Duo gave a brief recap of the conversation between himself and Une, rubbing his forehead. Minutes later, Wufei had excused himself to speak to someone else and Quatre had pulled Heero a few feet away and was in deep conversation. Duo was searching his mind for something to say and coming up blank when Trowa stepped a bit closer, killing any hope for a coherent thought.
“Are you going to dinner with us after this is over?”
Realizing he had gotten his hopes up Trowa was going to say something personal, Duo felt his shoulders drop before he could control the motion. Seeing Trowa frown, he tried to cover the movement. “As long as I can get rid of this damn headache that’s been plaguing me all morning, I’ll go. If I can’t I’ll probably go to Heero’s and go to bed early.”
“Then Heero wouldn’t go either.”
Baffled at the statement, Duo glanced to where Heero and Quatre were talking, eyes growing wide when he saw the cobalt-eyed man actually smiling. “He’d still go. Why wouldn’t he?”
“I assumed he would want to take care of you.”
The very idea had Duo chuckling. “I hope not. Having Heero Yuy as a nurse sucks, trust me. He has a terrible bedside manner. It’s basically like this, he tells you to quit whining and go to sleep and that was right after he broke me out of an Oz facility. Not something I want to repeat, ever again.”
“Won’t he wake you when he gets home?”
Duo didn’t give the question any thought before replying. “Nah, he’s pretty quiet and his room is down the hall from mine. If I don’t go, I’ll sleep through the night.”
Trowa was staring at him intensely, making him swallow. “You don’t share his room when you stay with him?”
“He has two perfectly comfortable guest rooms, Trowa. You’ve been to his - ” Duo closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. “We aren’t lovers.”
“You…aren’t lovers?”
“How long have you thought that? We’ve never slept together, unless it was actual sleeping. Does Quatre think so, too?”
His disbelief became intrigue when a blush spread across Trowa’s face, the tall man ducking to hide behind his hair. “We’ve both believed you were involved for a number of years. You were always close.”
Seeing agents beginning to return to the conference room, Duo began walking. “Not that close. We aren’t like you and Quatre,” he commented, wincing as he said the words.
He was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder. Looking back, he gulped from the expression on the other man’s face, caught between fear and excitement at the intensity in the green eyes. “Quatre and I are not lovers, nor have we ever been lovers. He is my best friend and employer.”
“You live together,” Duo felt the need to point out.
“In separate wings of the house,” countered Trowa. Once he was released, Duo waited until Trowa was beside him to move his feet again, nearly tripping when the other man spoke softly, “If you do go this evening, there is something I would like to discuss with you, alone; a couple of things.”
Curious about what could make Trowa sound so hesitant and unsure, Duo nodded as he sat down, reaching for his cup. “I should be there. My headache is going away…again”
Wufei was already in his seat but Quatre and Heero rushed in as the door was about to close. Duo lifted an eyebrow at Heero in question as the other man sat but had no time to ask what was going on before Une began the meeting again. As she had promised, the L2 cases were skipped and they went to the next in line, letting Duo relax in his chair as he listened, sipping his coffee.
Once he thought he detected a slightly bitter flavor, but figured it was from the medicine he had taken on an empty stomach. Wanting to keep his stomach from hurting, he set the cup down still half-full, shaking his head at Heero, who noticed the move. A little while later, Duo found his mind wandering, always a problem during the long meetings. The fact that he was daydreaming didn’t bother him, the content of those daydreams did.
He had imagined himself with Trowa before, it was a dangerous by-product of strong attraction and a vivid imagination. He had idly wondered what going to bed with Heero would be like, but he had never, ever thought of being with them both at the same time and had never entertained those kinds of thoughts while at a meeting for work, surrounded by at least two dozen other agents and six or eight business owners.
Swiping a hand across his forehead, he was stunned to find sweat beaded there. Staring at his hand, he could only blink at how badly he was shaking. It was disturbing to realize the feel of his own hand on his leg had him biting back a moan as his body tingled.
“Duo, what’s wrong?”
Heero’s breath at his ear had him shivering and he grew instantly hard, glad no one could see under the table. Appalled at his body’s reaction, he shook his head and stared straight ahead, not daring to look at either of the men beside him. A hand on his knee that didn’t belong to him had him jumping, turning to stare at Trowa, who was regarding him with a worried frown.
It only took an instant for his mind to fill with images of what the tall man would look like over him, moving inside him as they both moaned…
“I don’t feel very good,” he announced softly, fighting to keep the tremor from his voice. Pushing Trowa’s hand away he grabbed the files on the table and shoved them into his briefcase, then fled the room, using the briefcase to hide what he assumed would be an obvious bulge straining his pants.
He managed a nod at Une, who nodded back, and then he was in the hallway, running for the bathroom. Leaning against the sink, he splashed water on his face, hoping to cool his body. When a moan burst from his lips he pushed away from the porcelain sink he had been unconsciously rubbing against. “What’s wrong with me?” he asked himself, staring at his own reflection. The man staring back frightened him, wide eyes that were wild, his own face pink with heat.
Approaching voices had him pulling his shirt from his pants, yanking it down to cover his erection. He wouldn’t fool these guys by using the briefcase as cover for long. When Heero, Trowa and Quatre burst into the bathroom, he actually wondered why he was hiding his problem; surely he could convince at least one of them, if not all, to help him out.
The worry written on Quatre’s face had him burning with shame. Letting himself slide down the wall, he buried his face in his hands, flinching when hands stroked over his hair, the innocent touch burning in his blood like flames.
“Duo, what is it? Good grief, he’s burning up.”
“I just need to go to Heero’s and lay down,” he muttered, wishing the blonde would stop touching him. It was causing sparks to go off in his brain, cock twitching in response.
“I think you need to go to a hospital.”
“No!” The thought of people seeing him in this condition was mortifying. “I think I may have caught a bug or something. I just need to lie down for a little while.” Preferably somewhere he could lock the door and climb into a shower of freezing cold water.
“I’ll take him home.” Heero’s hands replaced Quatre’s, pulling Duo from the floor with little effort.
“You need to be here for the review of your cases.” Trowa’s voice was soft and low, yet still managed to have Duo trembling as his body tensed in readiness. “I can take him to Quatre’s. It’s closer.”
Duo closed his eyes and took a deep breath, deciding it was a bad idea when he became even more aware of the hands on him. He opened them in time to see Trowa reaching for him and he was carefully lifted in strong arms. The look on Heero’s face was conflicted, but he finally gave in. “I’ll watch over Quatre and bring him home when this is over.”
Trying to control the shudders racking his body took most of Duo’s attention, though he managed a weak smile as his briefcase was placed on his stomach. Minutes later he was settled into the seat of Trowa’s SUV, clenching his hands into fists to keep them from wrapping around the tall man.
“Try to relax. We’ll be home in a few minutes,” Trowa said, his hand covering Duo’s in an attempt to offer some comfort.
Instead of relaxing, Duo’s body strained. Somehow he knew how those hands would feel on him, the long fingers able to slide across his skin and into the most intimate parts of his body …stroking … stroking…
With a gasp he jerked his hand away, on the edge of orgasm from the mere images playing in his head. Focusing all his attention on the man driving, he saw the fleeting flash of hurt and stammered an apology. “I’m sorry, Tro. For some reason my skin feels…” he trailed off, not sure how to describe it without sounding like he was in heat. “Sensitive,” he finally managed.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”
“No hospital. I’ll be fine.”
Trowa was pulling through the gates to the Winner Estate in less than five minutes. Duo was determined to look at the passing scenery even as he was aware of the eyes on him. As soon as the car was stopped his door opened and Duo was confused by how quickly the other man had made it around the vehicle. He tried to argue when he was swept into Trowa’s arms and carried inside, but the tall man ignored his feeble attempts to get away.
Duo gave up trying to fight, letting his head rest on Trowa’s chest, very aware of the way muscles were shifting under the thin material of Trowa’s suit. When the man carrying him suddenly tensed, Duo realized his hand had worked between the suit jacket and thin shirt and was stroking up and down Trowa’s side. “Trowa, please put me down,” he moaned as he pulled his hand away.
Not understanding the reason for his plea, Trowa tightened his arms. “It’s okay, Duo. We’ll be in my room in just a second.”
Trowa’s room. Trowa’s bed. Trowa’s body naked and writhing as he pushed himself deep inside Duo. “Trowa, please….” he had no idea what he was asking for, his brain growing foggy.
“Here we are.”
Duo had a quick view of the room Trowa stepped inside. In other circumstances he thought he would have found the room calming, but as he was laid down on the bed he felt anything but calm. Seeing Trowa poised over him was abruptly more than he could take. His arm lashed out and grabbed the other man around the waist, pulling Trowa onto the bed and rolling them at the same time so Trowa was pinned under him. Grinding his erection into the firm thigh pressed against him, he attacked the mouth that had opened in a gasp of surprise.
He cried out as he came, but it gave no relief and he abruptly realized what he was doing. Horrified at his actions, he sprang from the bed, the moisture in his pants proof of what he had done. Trowa was looking back at him with eyes wider than he’d ever seen before.
Understanding he had just ruined any chance of ever developing a relationship with Trowa didn’t lessen the way his body was urging him to climb back on the bed and finish what he had started. Whipping his head from side to side, Duo looked for an escape, his eyes falling on the open door where he could see the bathroom on the other side. Edging to it, he kept his eyes on the stunned man still on the bed, whimpering as his pants rubbed his erection. “Christ, Trowa, I’m sorry. I can’t seem to stop myself.”
When Trowa moved from the bed, Duo did the only thing he could do under the circumstances. He ran into the bathroom and slammed the door, locking it behind him. He began stripping off his clothes immediately, stopping when he heard Trowa’s voice through the door, pleading with him. “Duo, come out. I’m not mad at you. Open the door.” A fist pounded on the wood, jarring Duo when he leaned against it. “Open the fucking door!”
“I can’t,” he sobbed as his hand circled his cock, pumping quickly in hopes of taking the edge off his all-consuming lust. “I can’t.” As soon as he came again he rushed to the shower and jumped in, turning the cold water on and dousing himself with it, though it did nothing to ease his erection, still hard. “I wish I could, but I can’t,” he whispered through the water.
Warnings are in first part. Be sure to read them or you might be shocked by what you find.
X13 – PART 2
“Have you talked to Duo yet?”
Although his expression never changed, Trowa’s fingers fumbled with the tie knot, revealing his nerves at the simple mention of the long-haired man. “He didn’t get in until late yesterday afternoon, Quatre. He called and we spoke for a few minutes, but that’s all. There will be plenty of time to speak to him later. We’re all supposed to have dinner tonight after the briefings.”
“Yes, but that’s all of us. When do you plan to speak to him alone?”
Jerking the knot out for the third time, Trowa gave the blonde an exasperated look. “I never should have said anything to you, Quatre. Stop playing matchmaker.”
Batting Trowa’s hands aside, Quatre efficiently tied the stubborn knot Trowa had been struggling with for ten minutes. “I can’t help it. I think you two could be good together.” Trowa thought the same but didn’t say so. Even if he could find the courage to say something to the long-haired man, several obstacles would still be in the way, the largest two being the distance between their homes and Heero. “You still need to talk to him about the job offer, Trowa.”
Adjusting the tie so it wasn’t choking him to death, Trowa gave his best friend an irritated look. “Why don’t you talk to him about it yourself? He would be working for you, after all.”
“Only indirectly; he would be working with you and you’re the one that knows all the details of the job. You could tell him exactly what his duties and responsibilities would be.” Hands on hips, Quatre lifted a delicately arched eyebrow, “He’d be working with you day after day, very closely. You should be the one to explain what he would be doing.”
It was an appealing offer, Trowa knew, with a number of the bonuses and perks he received himself. “Duo is the liaison between the L2 Preventers office and the Preventers home office. He gets to travel, basically set his own hours, and the pay is excellent. Do you really believe he’ll give all that up?”
“Working with you he would get to travel frequently, the hours are good, his pay would be better, and he could live here for free. Added to that, he would be able to stay here, closer to us. If I were him, I’d take the job, wouldn’t you?”
Truly amused, Trowa smiled, “You seem to forget I did take the job, remember? But I already lived here. My switching jobs was as easy as quitting one and starting another. Duo might not be willing to move.”
“I don’t know why not. He’d finally be able to get away from that woman.”
It wasn’t necessary to ask who Quatre was referring to. Duo had told them all how Hilde pursued him constantly, pleading for him to move in with her time and time again. The level of obsession matched the one Relena still had with Heero. Checking his weapon, he hid his concern but did ask, “Do you believe she could become dangerous?”
“Duo says no. She’s fixated on him, but he swears she wouldn’t hurt him in any way. I hate to say it, but I don’t think she’s smart enough to hatch some sort of nefarious scheme to cause him any danger.”
Nodding in agreement, Trowa grabbed the keys to the SUV he used when driving the blonde around. “You ready?”
“Eight full hours of mind-numbing details…looking forward to it,” Quatre replied sardonically.
“You don’t have to go, you know. You could always send a written report of the activities WEI is doing to help in the cases that are connected to the Preventers investigations.”
“I wouldn’t dream of skipping it and having you miss the opportunity to see Duo. I notice the way you always sit beside him.”
Trowa’s face turned red before he had a chance to control the reaction. Ignoring the blonde’s laughter, he went out the front door first, holding up a hand until he was certain there was no danger then waved for Quatre to get in the car. Once he was seated behind the steering wheel, he muttered, “Duo saves a seat for us.”
“He saves a seat for you,” Quatre pointed out as they passed through the guarded gate, waving to the security man at the controls. “I think that means something.”
“He also saves one for Heero. It’s a way to ensure he won’t have to sit beside someone he doesn’t know.”
“You still need to talk to him before he leaves. How long is he supposed to stay?”
“His shuttle leaves Saturday night.”
“Two and a half days? That’s it? Why is he leaving so soon instead of staying the full weekend?”
“Quatre, I haven’t talked to him. Heero would probably know. You can ask him.”
“While I do that, you can tell Duo about the job. It’ll give him some time to think about it before we go to dinner tonight. I’d like an answer before he leaves for L2.”
Anything Trowa said would only encourage Quatre to keep pushing him, so he kept his thoughts to himself for the remainder of the short drive. In the Preventer guest parking lot, Trowa lifted a hand in greeting as he saw Duo and Heero getting out of Heero’s car. Pulling into a spot, Trowa sighed heavily.
“I’ll tell him about the job, Quatre, but that’s it. There’s no point in bringing up anything else.”
“You don’t know they’re together. They don’t act like a couple.”
“It’s hard enough to see him without hoping for more. Please let it go,” he asked as they got out of the SUV.
“I won’t bring it up again, Trowa. I didn’t realize what it was doing to you,” Quatre laid a hand on his arm in sympathy as they reached the back of the car.
The gesture brought no real comfort, but Trowa covered Quatre’s hand for a moment in appreciation of the attempt. He quickly let go, knowing how quickly rumors could spread inside an organization like this one. Looking at the front door, he spied the long braid as it whipped through the doors just an instant before it shut and let out a long sigh.
“Stop looking so depressed,” ordered Heero as he and Duo stepped inside the elevator. “It’s your own fault for avoiding him.”
“I’m not avoiding him. I called when I got in yesterday. He seemed…distracted.” Duo leaned on the wall of the elevator, crossing his arms over his chest in a defensive posture. “He didn’t really sound like he wanted to talk to me.”
Heero mirrored the other man’s stance on the opposite wall. “Did you ask if he didn’t want to talk to you?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“He was probably just busy. It’s not like he doesn’t have a twenty-four hour job. I heard there’s an opening on Quatre’s security staff. Perhaps you should talk to him about it.”
Duo blinked at the sudden change in topic, letting his surprise show at the news. A position on Quatre’s security team was a highly coveted positing, one many Preventer agents, even from L2 and other colonies, kept an eye out for. “How long has there been an opening?”
As the elevator came to a stop, Heero frowned, “Almost a week. Rumor says Quatre and Trowa have someone in mind, but I don’t know where that information came from. Neither of them has mentioned it to me.” Stopping at his own office, the blue-eyed man gathered the files he would need for the day, shaking his head as he looked at the briefcase Duo carried out of necessity. “It would be a perfect job for you and you could move here instead of coming here just for the briefings,” he continued as they made their way to the large conference room, dodging agents still milling in the hallway.
“I don’t mind the trip, but it gets hard to keep up with everything. I miss you guys, you know. It’s the best part of the whole thing. Even if, by some miracle, I managed to land a position here or with Quatre I’d still have to be a liaison between this place and L2.” Duo shook his head and lowered his voice as they entered the room, aware people were always looking for news to spread. “There are too many differences at that office and the others to just let it go. It’ll be at least two or three more years before agents that aren’t from L2 will understand how it works.”
Heero waited until Duo had stuck his briefcase in the empty seat next to his to save the seat for Trowa, Quatre wouldn’t be at the main table because he wasn’t directly involved with any of the current investigations, but the tall, quiet brunette was, and sat down before he leaned closer. “I’m sure Trowa would understand the difficulties of the position you’re in, he is the liaison for WEI, so he knows better than anyone what you would require. Why don’t you talk to him about it?”
“Well, if they’re already considering someone for the position and I ask about it, they might give it to me because we’re friends.” Duo paused for a moment as Quatre and Trowa entered the room, unable to stop his eyes from focusing on the tallest of the pair. As Trowa led the blonde toward the seats in the back of the room, Duo shook his head, “I’ll stay where I am for now and wait for a spot to open here.”
“There was a position open, but I didn’t bring it up.”
Duo stared at the other man for a few seconds then hissed, “Why not? You know I’ve wanted to transfer here. It’d be great to move away from that hell-hole I grew up on.”
Appearing out of nowhere, Wufei set down mugs of coffee in front of Heero and Duo, then took his usual seat on Heero’s left. He had apparently overheard part of the conversation, because he let out a snort of disdain. “The position was a courier and receptionist job, Maxwell. It’s beneath you.”
“Thanks, Fei, I think.” Duo took a sip of his coffee and sighed. It wasn’t good, but it was better than the crap they served at the L2 office. “I’m almost at the point of taking a courier job,” he mused softly for Heero’s ears only.
Leaning even closer, Heero frowned, “She still bothering you?”
“Does Relena still bother you?” Duo retorted, rubbing his temple, where a headache was forming. “It’s a constant these days. When I left I had fourteen phone messages and over thirty emails, begging me not to leave her.”
“She’s beyond obsessed, Duo. She’s psychotic. Someone needs to get her help before she does something drastic.”
“Hilde?”
The soft word of question had Duo jerking in his chair and staring up, up into the patient green eyes of the man standing by his chair. Flushing, he grabbed his briefcase from the reserved seat and shoved it under his feet, only to pull it back out to get the files he needed for the first part of the meeting. “Yeah, Hilde,” he said when Heero cleared his throat, inclining his head at Trowa so Duo would recall the query.
“Quatre and I were discussing her this morning,” Trowa stated, holding a closed hand out to Duo, “For your headache, Duo. Is she dangerous?”
Grateful for the medicine, Duo held out his hand so Trowa could drop the aspirin, his breath hitching slightly when long fingertips brushed against his palm. Recalling the question, he sat back in his chair and blew on his coffee to help it cool, also giving him a few seconds to gather his scattered thoughts. “I wouldn’t have thought so before. The last couple of months have been enough to make me change my mind. She’s more erratic, her moods from one end of the scale to the other. I had to ban her from the office because she started showing up four or five times a day for no reason. She almost got violent with a female agent.”
He stopped talking long enough to take the medicine, washing it down with coffee and scalding his tongue. “A few weeks ago she demanded I stop denying how I feel and move in with her. I was actually afraid of what she was gonna do when I left this time. Even after all the emails and phone calls, she showed up at the shuttle port and begged me not to leave, saying we were meant to be together.”
“She does know you aren’t interested in her, correct?” asked Wufei, leaning forward in his seat to peer around Heero.
“I’ve told her I don’t feel that way about her, or any woman. She’ll nod and smile and then tell me it’s a problem we’ll work on together.” Duo rubbed his face tiredly, “I may be hard up and all, but I’m not that damn desperate.”
Trowa choking on his soda got Duo’s attention and he eyed the man with concern. When the tall man finally caught his breath, he stared at his lap with a red face. “You should get away from her and move here.”
When Duo didn’t say anything, too stunned to think of a response, Heero replied for him, nudging him with an elbow, “Duo is on the waiting list for an agent’s position here. He says he would have taken the last open job if he had known about it.”
“Your skills would be wasted in such a menial position.”
Basking in the compliment, Duo let the conversation go on around him, hand clenched tightly where Trowa had touched him so briefly. His attention was brought back to what was being said when Wufei forged back into the conversation. “I was surprised to learn the man that took the job used to be one of yours, Barton.”
Duo watched with fascination as Trowa shrugged, the material of his suit jacket pulling tight over broad shoulders. “Don’t be; he was already in danger of losing his job because of incompetence. There was a review scheduled for next Tuesday where we would have decided to let him go or not.”
“Would he have been fired?”
Green eyes pinned Duo at his question, making him want to sigh like a swooning schoolgirl. “Yes, he was part of a team assigned to one of Quatre’s sisters, Taylia. He let a man through security that said he was her boyfriend without a background check.”
“I’m guessing he wasn’t her boyfriend?”
“She’s married. He was a stalker that’s been trying to get to her for some time to show her his brand of… affection. Luckily, another member of the team recognized him and called me. I got to her office just before he shot her so they could be together forever. Taylia is taking a week off and he is in a maximum security mental health facility.”
Looking away from Trowa, Duo got his brain to work again. “That was a stupid mistake a rookie would make.”
“If he had been a rookie I could have overlooked it. This man has been with WEI security for almost ten years. It was as if…” Trowa shook his head and opened one of the files in front of him.
“As if he wanted her to be hurt or killed,” Duo finished for him, receiving a small nod.
Heero tapped his fingers on the table in front of Duo. “You need to find a way to make Hilde understand you, or you could be the one getting shot. Obsession is a dangerous thing.”
“How do you get Relena to leave you alone?”
Wufei chuckled, “He threatens to shoot her.” A frown appeared on his face, eyes darkening in thought. “She has been a bit quieter in the last few weeks, hasn’t she, Heero?”
“Maybe she finally realized I can’t abide her presence.”
“Or maybe she’s plotting against you,” teased Duo.
Their conversation faded as Une called the meeting to order, blushing when several agents laughed when she yawned widely in mid-sentence. Duo spoke when asked questions about the L2 cases, patiently explaining things in-depth to lower confusion about the way things were done on the chaotic colony. His patience was beginning to fray after answering questions from one senior agent for almost an hour, his headache coming back in full force.
“I still don’t understand why you can’t arrest these people if you know they’re the ones selling the drugs.”
Duo lifted his mug, only to set it down again when he found it empty. “Because it’s more important to find out who is manufacturing the drugs. Arresting the handful of dealers we’ve found so far won’t do any good.”
“Why not? I thought the Preventers’ policy on drugs was no tolerance. Any dealers you can remove from the street would make things better.”
This was why Duo’s presence was required at these meetings; most people didn’t understand L2 wasn’t like every other colony. “You could arrest the dealers we’ve identified already, hell, you could arrest a hundred of them and it wouldn’t make a difference. There’s always someone to replace them and they can be on the street in a matter of days, even hours, to take over. We have to stop the drugs at the source to stop the influx.”
“I don’t see how it could be so difficult. Your office has had this one case open for over six months and there’s been very little progress. Maybe the Preventers would do better if someone else took over as team leader on this case. It might even be better to replace everyone on staff.”
Head pounding, Duo aimed a glare at the man and considered borrowing the gun he knew Trowa was carrying. “Have you ever been to L2?”
“No, but I don’t see what that has to do with anything,” the man snorted, writing in his file and basically showing he didn’t think what Duo had to say was important. “It’s just like any other place with law-breakers.”
“It’s nothing like any other place. Let me give you an example of how it’s different,” Duo stated calmly, ignoring the warning hand Heero put on his shoulder. “Here on Earth, you wear your Preventer’s uniform with pride, don’t you? I bet you enjoy the respect you get from civilians.”
“Of course I’m proud to wear my uniform. It shows how I’m working to make the universe a better place.”
“I’ve got an idea. When I return to L2, you can go with me,” Duo offered, eyes glittering with rage only a few people understood. “I suggest you don’t wear your uniform, though. It’d be better if you left if here all together.”
Obviously infuriated by the suggestion, the agent slapped his pen onto the table and stood, glaring across the table at Duo, who stood in response to the unspoken challenge of his authority. “Why not? I’m not ashamed of being an agent. If you are, you should resign.”
“Because you’d be dead before you could make it from the shuttle port to the office. An office, I may add, where there have been nine drive-by shootings and two bomb threats in the last four months. I won’t even tell you how many threats there have been in the last two years. Thankfully, we have bulletproof glass or most, if not all, of the thirteen agents that work there would be dead, including me. Here you can work in the open. Have a suspect? Bring him in and put him in holding until you can collect the evidence you need. There, a badge doesn’t bring respect. It brings hatred and suspicion. If we arrested someone without all the evidence to prove, without a doubt, they were the person we were looking for, the office would most likely be bombed while agents were still inside. Anyone that happened to get out alive would be hunted down like dogs, and killed. If that wasn’t enough, their families would probably be murdered, too.
“We work in the dark and behind the scenes to do what we can and we’ve done a hell of a lot of good so far, but not at the expense of our lives or the lives of agent’s families. You think you’re proud to be a Preventer? You don’t know the meaning of the word. The people I work with do their jobs knowing every day could be their last if they ask the wrong person the wrong question. We can be killed every time we go in or out of the office, so don’t you dare question our results unless you can comprehend the obstacles we’re up against. Think you can do a better job? Be my guest, but you better leave your badge, your uniform, and your love for adoration on Earth because on L2 those things will just get you killed.”
Breathing hard, Duo dropped back into his seat, realizing abruptly that the room was deadly silent. Hazarding a look around he found all eyes on him and blushed deeply. A glance to his right showed Trowa was watching him with an odd expression he couldn’t read, so he focused his eyes on his own hands where they rested in his lap.
Une cleared her throat, “I think it’s past time for morning break. Be back in half an hour to resume the meeting. Maxwell, I’d like a word with you first.”
“We’ll stay,” Heero stated as the room began to clear.
Quatre hurried from his own seat, looking at Duo with worried blue eyes. “We’ll wait for you.”
Smiling at the support, he shook his head. “Nah, the worst she can do is fire me. I’ll meet you guys in the break room.”
He was starting to walk toward Une when a hand caught his sleeve. Confused, he followed the arm until realizing it belonged to Trowa. Lecturing himself not to act like a fool, he smiled, glad the joker mask had never been discarded. “I’ll be out in a few minutes, Tro.”
Trowa stared down at his own hand as if stunned it was still grasping Duo’s sleeve. Jerking it away, he lowered his head and focused on the floor. “I didn’t realize how hard it was there,” the tall man finally said after several long seconds. “You put the rest of us to shame. You are a better person, a stronger person, than anyone else I know.”
Duo was still gaping at the spot where Trowa had stood a few minutes later, stunned at the words. Shaking his head, he went to where Une sat at the end of the table, the only other person left in the room. Sitting down next to her, he winced in embarrassment. “I shouldn’t have said all of that. I apologize for taking up so much time.”
“You saved time. I don’t think Warren will be asking anymore stupid questions now.”
Staring at the table, he jerked a shoulder, “I still shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Then why did you?”
“I hear what everyone says when I come in. How we aren’t really doing anything and should be replaced. I guess it got to me, having to defend those people who work so hard but don’t get any credit for it. I mean, on Earth and the other colonies there are at least a hundred agents scattered around each major city. On L2, we have thirteen to work the entire colony. I just wish people were able to understand.”
Une was silent for a moment while he picked at his fingernails nervously. “Why didn’t you want command of the L2 office?”
“I didn’t want that responsibility.”
“Yet you personally helped me choose the agents that would do well there and picked your captain from over a hundred possible candidates. You’ve always been straight with me, Duo. Why didn’t you take a job many agents wanted? Running an office is a dream of most people that work here.”
The use of his name had him meeting her eyes. Seeing the worry directed at him, he sighed. In his mind, no one had changed more than Une since the wars, dedicating her life to preserving peace instead of causing conflict. Other than the four men he was closer to than anyone, he respected her the most. “I’ve had to look over my shoulder my entire life. I’m tired of doing it. To be completely honest, I’m on the edge of burning out and I don’t want that,” he admitted to her, something he hadn’t told the others yet.
“You want to quit?”
“I don’t know. I’m just tired of waking up every morning and wondering if that day will be the day someone takes me out. The other agents are fairly unknown and able to hide their faces when they come to work. Their families and peers are the only ones that know what they are. I don’t have that luxury. Everyone in the darker and more dangerous sectors knows who I am and what I do. One day, someone is going to come after me, either for what I do now or what I did during the war. I can handle it for a little longer, but I’m hoping for a transfer. It would be nice to be with the guys again, other than a few days at a time.”
“I’ll see what I can do. I would hate to lose you as an agent, Duo. You’re a damn good one, but have you considered taking a job with Barton? You would be an excellent security member for the Winner company.”
“I was going to talk to Trowa about it at some point, I guess. Heero’s pushing me about it.” Knowing he was being dismissed, he began to rise.
“Are you feeling well? You seem pale,” Une noted as he stood.
“I’ve got a headache. It’ll go away when I get some caffeine.”
“If you begin to feel worse, you are free to leave. We can wait until tomorrow to discuss the remainder of L2 business.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep it in mind, but I should be okay.”
“Go take what’s left of your break. I have to go find Warren and have a chat with him.”
Cheered a little at the thought, Duo walked out of the room with a smile. Just outside the door he almost ran into a man pushing a cart, filled with coffee urns and pastries. “Jeez. I’m really sorry,” he apologized, grabbing a honey bun before it hit the floor.
“No problem. I should’ve been watching what I was doing. I’m in a bit of a rush. Gotta get everyone’s coffee refilled before break is over.”
Something in the man’s cheerful tone set warning bells off in Duo’s mind, but he assumed his talk with Une had left his nerves raw and his headache was making him imagine things. Giving the man a smile, he pointed to his cup. “Can you make sure to fill that one all the way up? I have a feeling I’m going to need it to get through this whole meeting.”
“Sure thing. I don’t know how you can drink this sludge, though.”
The comment had Duo laughing as he tried to put his uneasiness aside. “This might be sludge, but on L2 the coffee tastes like mud and has the consistency of oatmeal. Trust me, this is an improvement.”
“You must be Agent Maxwell. Everyone’s talking about the way you cut Warren down to size. I’d have loved to see that.”
Blushing at the reminder of his outburst, Duo made his way to the break room, filled to capacity with agents. His face turned deep scarlet as there was a smattering of applause at his appearance, lowering his head and rushing to where his friends waited.
Trowa was the first to speak, surprising everyone. “She didn’t say anything bad, did she? You had every right to say what you did.”
Duo gave a brief recap of the conversation between himself and Une, rubbing his forehead. Minutes later, Wufei had excused himself to speak to someone else and Quatre had pulled Heero a few feet away and was in deep conversation. Duo was searching his mind for something to say and coming up blank when Trowa stepped a bit closer, killing any hope for a coherent thought.
“Are you going to dinner with us after this is over?”
Realizing he had gotten his hopes up Trowa was going to say something personal, Duo felt his shoulders drop before he could control the motion. Seeing Trowa frown, he tried to cover the movement. “As long as I can get rid of this damn headache that’s been plaguing me all morning, I’ll go. If I can’t I’ll probably go to Heero’s and go to bed early.”
“Then Heero wouldn’t go either.”
Baffled at the statement, Duo glanced to where Heero and Quatre were talking, eyes growing wide when he saw the cobalt-eyed man actually smiling. “He’d still go. Why wouldn’t he?”
“I assumed he would want to take care of you.”
The very idea had Duo chuckling. “I hope not. Having Heero Yuy as a nurse sucks, trust me. He has a terrible bedside manner. It’s basically like this, he tells you to quit whining and go to sleep and that was right after he broke me out of an Oz facility. Not something I want to repeat, ever again.”
“Won’t he wake you when he gets home?”
Duo didn’t give the question any thought before replying. “Nah, he’s pretty quiet and his room is down the hall from mine. If I don’t go, I’ll sleep through the night.”
Trowa was staring at him intensely, making him swallow. “You don’t share his room when you stay with him?”
“He has two perfectly comfortable guest rooms, Trowa. You’ve been to his - ” Duo closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. “We aren’t lovers.”
“You…aren’t lovers?”
“How long have you thought that? We’ve never slept together, unless it was actual sleeping. Does Quatre think so, too?”
His disbelief became intrigue when a blush spread across Trowa’s face, the tall man ducking to hide behind his hair. “We’ve both believed you were involved for a number of years. You were always close.”
Seeing agents beginning to return to the conference room, Duo began walking. “Not that close. We aren’t like you and Quatre,” he commented, wincing as he said the words.
He was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder. Looking back, he gulped from the expression on the other man’s face, caught between fear and excitement at the intensity in the green eyes. “Quatre and I are not lovers, nor have we ever been lovers. He is my best friend and employer.”
“You live together,” Duo felt the need to point out.
“In separate wings of the house,” countered Trowa. Once he was released, Duo waited until Trowa was beside him to move his feet again, nearly tripping when the other man spoke softly, “If you do go this evening, there is something I would like to discuss with you, alone; a couple of things.”
Curious about what could make Trowa sound so hesitant and unsure, Duo nodded as he sat down, reaching for his cup. “I should be there. My headache is going away…again”
Wufei was already in his seat but Quatre and Heero rushed in as the door was about to close. Duo lifted an eyebrow at Heero in question as the other man sat but had no time to ask what was going on before Une began the meeting again. As she had promised, the L2 cases were skipped and they went to the next in line, letting Duo relax in his chair as he listened, sipping his coffee.
Once he thought he detected a slightly bitter flavor, but figured it was from the medicine he had taken on an empty stomach. Wanting to keep his stomach from hurting, he set the cup down still half-full, shaking his head at Heero, who noticed the move. A little while later, Duo found his mind wandering, always a problem during the long meetings. The fact that he was daydreaming didn’t bother him, the content of those daydreams did.
He had imagined himself with Trowa before, it was a dangerous by-product of strong attraction and a vivid imagination. He had idly wondered what going to bed with Heero would be like, but he had never, ever thought of being with them both at the same time and had never entertained those kinds of thoughts while at a meeting for work, surrounded by at least two dozen other agents and six or eight business owners.
Swiping a hand across his forehead, he was stunned to find sweat beaded there. Staring at his hand, he could only blink at how badly he was shaking. It was disturbing to realize the feel of his own hand on his leg had him biting back a moan as his body tingled.
“Duo, what’s wrong?”
Heero’s breath at his ear had him shivering and he grew instantly hard, glad no one could see under the table. Appalled at his body’s reaction, he shook his head and stared straight ahead, not daring to look at either of the men beside him. A hand on his knee that didn’t belong to him had him jumping, turning to stare at Trowa, who was regarding him with a worried frown.
It only took an instant for his mind to fill with images of what the tall man would look like over him, moving inside him as they both moaned…
“I don’t feel very good,” he announced softly, fighting to keep the tremor from his voice. Pushing Trowa’s hand away he grabbed the files on the table and shoved them into his briefcase, then fled the room, using the briefcase to hide what he assumed would be an obvious bulge straining his pants.
He managed a nod at Une, who nodded back, and then he was in the hallway, running for the bathroom. Leaning against the sink, he splashed water on his face, hoping to cool his body. When a moan burst from his lips he pushed away from the porcelain sink he had been unconsciously rubbing against. “What’s wrong with me?” he asked himself, staring at his own reflection. The man staring back frightened him, wide eyes that were wild, his own face pink with heat.
Approaching voices had him pulling his shirt from his pants, yanking it down to cover his erection. He wouldn’t fool these guys by using the briefcase as cover for long. When Heero, Trowa and Quatre burst into the bathroom, he actually wondered why he was hiding his problem; surely he could convince at least one of them, if not all, to help him out.
The worry written on Quatre’s face had him burning with shame. Letting himself slide down the wall, he buried his face in his hands, flinching when hands stroked over his hair, the innocent touch burning in his blood like flames.
“Duo, what is it? Good grief, he’s burning up.”
“I just need to go to Heero’s and lay down,” he muttered, wishing the blonde would stop touching him. It was causing sparks to go off in his brain, cock twitching in response.
“I think you need to go to a hospital.”
“No!” The thought of people seeing him in this condition was mortifying. “I think I may have caught a bug or something. I just need to lie down for a little while.” Preferably somewhere he could lock the door and climb into a shower of freezing cold water.
“I’ll take him home.” Heero’s hands replaced Quatre’s, pulling Duo from the floor with little effort.
“You need to be here for the review of your cases.” Trowa’s voice was soft and low, yet still managed to have Duo trembling as his body tensed in readiness. “I can take him to Quatre’s. It’s closer.”
Duo closed his eyes and took a deep breath, deciding it was a bad idea when he became even more aware of the hands on him. He opened them in time to see Trowa reaching for him and he was carefully lifted in strong arms. The look on Heero’s face was conflicted, but he finally gave in. “I’ll watch over Quatre and bring him home when this is over.”
Trying to control the shudders racking his body took most of Duo’s attention, though he managed a weak smile as his briefcase was placed on his stomach. Minutes later he was settled into the seat of Trowa’s SUV, clenching his hands into fists to keep them from wrapping around the tall man.
“Try to relax. We’ll be home in a few minutes,” Trowa said, his hand covering Duo’s in an attempt to offer some comfort.
Instead of relaxing, Duo’s body strained. Somehow he knew how those hands would feel on him, the long fingers able to slide across his skin and into the most intimate parts of his body …stroking … stroking…
With a gasp he jerked his hand away, on the edge of orgasm from the mere images playing in his head. Focusing all his attention on the man driving, he saw the fleeting flash of hurt and stammered an apology. “I’m sorry, Tro. For some reason my skin feels…” he trailed off, not sure how to describe it without sounding like he was in heat. “Sensitive,” he finally managed.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”
“No hospital. I’ll be fine.”
Trowa was pulling through the gates to the Winner Estate in less than five minutes. Duo was determined to look at the passing scenery even as he was aware of the eyes on him. As soon as the car was stopped his door opened and Duo was confused by how quickly the other man had made it around the vehicle. He tried to argue when he was swept into Trowa’s arms and carried inside, but the tall man ignored his feeble attempts to get away.
Duo gave up trying to fight, letting his head rest on Trowa’s chest, very aware of the way muscles were shifting under the thin material of Trowa’s suit. When the man carrying him suddenly tensed, Duo realized his hand had worked between the suit jacket and thin shirt and was stroking up and down Trowa’s side. “Trowa, please put me down,” he moaned as he pulled his hand away.
Not understanding the reason for his plea, Trowa tightened his arms. “It’s okay, Duo. We’ll be in my room in just a second.”
Trowa’s room. Trowa’s bed. Trowa’s body naked and writhing as he pushed himself deep inside Duo. “Trowa, please….” he had no idea what he was asking for, his brain growing foggy.
“Here we are.”
Duo had a quick view of the room Trowa stepped inside. In other circumstances he thought he would have found the room calming, but as he was laid down on the bed he felt anything but calm. Seeing Trowa poised over him was abruptly more than he could take. His arm lashed out and grabbed the other man around the waist, pulling Trowa onto the bed and rolling them at the same time so Trowa was pinned under him. Grinding his erection into the firm thigh pressed against him, he attacked the mouth that had opened in a gasp of surprise.
He cried out as he came, but it gave no relief and he abruptly realized what he was doing. Horrified at his actions, he sprang from the bed, the moisture in his pants proof of what he had done. Trowa was looking back at him with eyes wider than he’d ever seen before.
Understanding he had just ruined any chance of ever developing a relationship with Trowa didn’t lessen the way his body was urging him to climb back on the bed and finish what he had started. Whipping his head from side to side, Duo looked for an escape, his eyes falling on the open door where he could see the bathroom on the other side. Edging to it, he kept his eyes on the stunned man still on the bed, whimpering as his pants rubbed his erection. “Christ, Trowa, I’m sorry. I can’t seem to stop myself.”
When Trowa moved from the bed, Duo did the only thing he could do under the circumstances. He ran into the bathroom and slammed the door, locking it behind him. He began stripping off his clothes immediately, stopping when he heard Trowa’s voice through the door, pleading with him. “Duo, come out. I’m not mad at you. Open the door.” A fist pounded on the wood, jarring Duo when he leaned against it. “Open the fucking door!”
“I can’t,” he sobbed as his hand circled his cock, pumping quickly in hopes of taking the edge off his all-consuming lust. “I can’t.” As soon as he came again he rushed to the shower and jumped in, turning the cold water on and dousing himself with it, though it did nothing to ease his erection, still hard. “I wish I could, but I can’t,” he whispered through the water.