Mace

By: SukiNora

Disclaimer: Don't own them. Don't make money from this.

A.N. I don't live in the best of areas. This fic came out of a necessary purchase.

Heero walked into Duo and Wufei's office and bee lined towards Duo's side of the double desk, a small cartridge clutched firmly in his hand.

"Oh, hey Heero," Duo began, his eyes wide at the unexpected visitation. "What are you doing here."

Heero responded by slamming the cartridge down on his best friends desk.

"What's this?" Duo asked, picking up the cylinder and inspecting it with a critical eye. Wufei glanced up from his paper work, intrigued by the one sided conversation.

"Is that a can of mace?" Wufei asked, cocking one eyebrow up.

Heero merely nodded.

"This is for me?" Duo questioned, twirling the can around his fingers.

Heero nodded again.

"Why?"

Clearing his throat, Heero moved to sit on the edge of Duo's desk. "Seeing as how your partner," he gave Wufei a very scathing glare. He'd never gotten over the fact that Une had not allowed Duo to be partnered with him. "Is unable to watch over you properly, I'd like you to carry this around."

"Why is it pink?" Duo deadpanned.

Heero carefully took the can from Duo and held it up. "You have to keep the enemy unsuspecting. If you pulled out an ordinary can of mace, they would automatically know you had a weapon and either try to retaliate or restrain you."

Heero stood up and walked over to Wufei, holding the can in front of his eyes.

"Yuy, what are you..."

"Would you be afraid of this?" Heero asked, gesturing to the pink cartridge. Wufei scowled in response but eventually shook his head.

"Exactly. You would be unafraid, and then you would be screaming in agony as your eyes boiled from pepper, and your lungs burned to the point of bleeding."

Duo stared at his two friends, his head leaning against a closed fist. "Thanks for that imagery Heero. Huh," he contemplated. "It'd be like a pink massacre."

Heero nodded, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Exactly. Unexpected, and potentially lethal. Here," he said, reaching for Duo's hand. He clutched it tightly in his own and placed the mace in it, folding his fingers around the can tightly. "Keep it on your keychain."

"Heero," Duo chuckled, resting his hand on top of his best friend's. Heero had many times before shown his devotion to their friendship in strange ways, and Duo had no doubt that this would be another classic overreaction to ordinary dangers. "I'm not going to put this on my keychain."

Heero's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "Why not?" He questioned, his voice sporting an offended tone.

"Well, first of all, it's pink," Duo laughed out, looking over the can again. "And second of all, I don't need any extra protection."

"You do too," Heero quickly replied.

"No I don't."

"Yes you do," Heero said urgently. "Duo, I wouldn't give you this weapon if I didn't think you needed it."

"That's not a weapon, Yuy," Wufei chimed in. "That is a pink monstrosity that is only fit to be placed on Relena's key chain."

Heero scowled at the uninvited response. "Funny," he growled. "I was just thinking the same thing about you."

"I'm a good partner, Yuy," Wufei replied.

Heero scoffed. "Is that why every time I turn around my best friend is injured in some way?"

"Hey now," Duo called out, raising his hands up in an attempt to calm his raging friend. "I'm not always getting hurt. I'm not hurt in anyway right now, anyway," he trailed off.

"Oh?" Heero asked, quickly grabbing Duo's hand and holding it up to inspect it. "And what is this?" He pointed to a skin colored band aide on Duo's pointer finger.

"Heero," Duo chuckled, pulling his hand away. "That is a paper cut."

"You can't even watch his back in the office," Heero growled, sending a scathing glare towards Wufei.

"Get over yourself, Yuy." Wufei rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his paperwork.

"May I remind you that this is all your fault," Duo asked, cocking his head to the side.

Wufei shook his head. "Please don't."

Duo continued anyway, rolling over towards Wufei's side of the desk as Heero folded his arms across his chest. "You were the one who told him that he never acted as though we were best friends, and then gave him all those instructions as to how to show he valued our friendship. I believe your exact words were," he leaned in close, gazing up towards the ceiling as though he was pondering something. "Show concern for his well being?"

Wufei gritted his teeth together and stapled a document with much more force than necessary. More than once had he regretted those words, and he hated to be reminded of it. "Your point being," he growled out.

"That this is your fault," Duo exclaimed, pointing towards Heero. "He never used to act this protective!"

Heero uncrossed his arms and patted Duo on the shoulder. "And I apologize. I was unaware of the social traditions of expressing the fact that you are dear to me. I was always under the assumption that you could take care of yourself. I'm glad to know now that this is not the case."

Duo rolled his eyes and patted Heero's hand. "Thanks, buddy."

"So you'll take the mace?"

Letting out a long sigh of exasperation Duo nodded his head, picking up the canister and looking it over. "Yeah, I'll take the mace."

"You'll put it on your keychain?"

Duo scowled. "Don't push it," he muttered, and viciously shoved the girly looking weapon into his pocket.

-------------

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Wufei asked hesitantly as he unlocked his car door. Duo merely rolled his eyes in response.

"I don't think the walking home will kill me, Wufei. It's like what? Five blocks?" He questioned, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"It's not that," Wufei responded, opening the car door, but hesitating as to whether or not he'd get in. "I don't want you to feel like I'm blowing you off."

Duo chuckled. "You have every right to blow me off. I'm the one who's always bumming rides from you. Besides, how were you supposed to know you'd be getting lucky tonight," he added, raising his eye brows suggestively.

Wufei's cheeks instantly colored. "I'm not getting lucky," he trailed off, running his hand through his hair. Duo smirked to himself, after partnering with Wufei he'd come to recognize the act as a nervous tick. He never thought he'd see the day when Wufei was rendered anxious by a woman. It must have been some odd brand of justice.

"Just go have fun," Duo said happily, slapping his friend on the shoulder and walking past his car towards the exit of the parking garage. He heard Wufei sigh loudly in the background before calling out a thank you. Duo put his hand up as a gesture of your welcome, but didn't turn around, and kept on walking.

Truth be told, he wasn't too upset about having to walk home. Sometimes he liked to walk through the abandoned streets, his only company being the light glow of the street lamps and his own thoughts. Recently he'd had a lot to think about.

Ever since Wufei had preached to Heero about the cultural norms of friendship, the man had been ridiculously protective of Duo. It was very unfounded. Duo had proved that he'd be able to take care of himself on more than one occasion, but Heero overlooked them. Instead all Heero saw was a helpless friend who needed protection. While the meaning behind the actions almost turned Duo's heart into a pile of mush, the actions themselves were infuriating.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Duo kicked a can laying on the ground and muttered a curse. At first he'd secretly liked the attention from the usually stoic pilot. Part of him was utterly thrilled that he was at the very peak of Heero's friend list. However, it turned out to be a very mixed blessing.

Duo was so deep in his moping that he neglected to think about the possibility that the foot steps behind him were of an enemy, and not a fellow walker.

"Gah!" Duo gasped out as an arm wrapped around his neck from behind. He found himself yanked forcefully against a hard chest as another arm came up under his, putting him in a choke hold. Duo instinctively reached up with his free hand in an attempt to pry away the arm restricting his wind pipe.

"Give me your wallet," a voice growled in Duo's ear. If he could, Duo would have rolled his eyes, but alas he was in no position to, or to reach to his wallet for that matter. Thinking quickly, Duo slammed his head back into the assailants nose. He let out a yelp and let go of the Preventer, who quickly turned his way out of his attackers grasp. Just as he was about to take the offensive, however, the mugger pulled a pocket knife out, and as Duo leapt at him, drove the knife into his side.

Duo gasped, clutching the wound as his blood poured out of it. He knelt to the ground as his attacker chuckled over him. As he applied pressure, he felt something hard in his pocket, and after a moment of recognition, pulled out the pink canister.

The attacker went silent as Duo held the can to his face. "What is that?" He asked, staring in confusion at the pink cylinder. Duo smirked as he compressed the bright red button on top of it, and his attacker screamed.

---------------

"This is all your fault," Heero growled out, pacing back and forth outside Duo's hospital room. "How could you agree to let him walk home by himself? You know how fast it gets dark now."

Wufei sat in a chair adjacent to the door, his face awash of any emotion. He was still in shock over the phone call from HQ saying that his partner had been stabbed and that the attacker was in custody. "I thought he could take care of himself," he said softly, staring at a water fountain down the hall. "It was only five blocks."

"And I thought you said you could take care of him." Heero growled, stalking over and slamming his hands down on each of the arm rests of Wufei's chair. Duo's partner wasn't even phased by the close contact of the crazed looking ex gundam pilot. He was still in shock.

"Heero," Quatre said softly, a nervous smile appearing on his face. He placed his hand on Heero's shoulder and gently pulled back. "Duo will be fine. This is no one's fault. It was an accident."

Heero gave Wufei one last glare, and snorted, before stalking back to the opposite wall. He leaned against it with his arms crossed and stood next to his own partner, Trowa, who looked just as shocked as Wufei. No one ever snuck up on Duo. But this person did.

"Chang, Wufei?" A doctor called, walking down the hallway towards the small congregation.

Wufei sat phased for a moment before Quatre nudged him. "Um, yes," he finally said, leaning forward a bit to stand. "I'm Wufei."

The doctor lifted up his chart to ensure he was looking at the correct file. "Your partner, Duo Maxwell?" He paused and looked for clarification. Wufei nodded. "Will be fine. We just finished up with his stitches," Heero shot a scathing glare towards Wufei again. "You can see him now if you'd like."

All four pilots nodded and followed the man down the hall a ways before coming to a single room. Wufei paused hesitantly at the door, causing Heero to let out a sigh of frustration and push past him into the room.

Duo laid on his side looking grumpy and disoriented.

"Are you alright?" Heero asked quickly.

Duo nodded and rolled his eyes. "Everything will heal but my pride."

"It was dark out, how could you have known there was a man following you," Quatre quickly replied in the most honest voice he could conjure. No need to make Duo feel more bad about what happened.

"Gee I don't know," Duo grumbled, trying to sit up and hissing as he did so. Heero quickly grabbed his arm to assist him. "It's my job to know? My job to not be followed and stabbed and get my ass saved by some girly..." Duo quickly trailed off and shook his head. "Never mind."

Heero's face seemed to light up as the others were all marked by confusion. "You used," Heero began to ask, only to find a hand shot up in his face to stop him from speaking.

"Please don't, Heero," he sighed out. "Not right now."

Heero smirked and nodded, and at that point chose to walk to the opposite side of the bed and sit rather smugly next to his best friend.

Wufei walked up in Heero's former spot and stared down at his partner.

"Hey don't you have a date?" Duo asked quickly, his eyes narrowing. "What are you doing here?"

Wufei looked floored. "I'm here because my partner got stabbed because I was careless enough to let him walk home alone! I left my date because I wasn't sure if you were dead or not."

"Probably not the best idea if you were planning on scoring tonight," Duo blandly told him, shaking his head. Trowa nodded in agreement and was quickly elbowed by Quatre.

"What were you doing anyway?" Wufei grumbled. "That you didn't sense your attacker coming."

A blush quickly formed itself against Duo's cheeks. "Uh, I was just, thinking," he said carefully.

"What could you have been thinking about so intently?" Quatre wondered.

"It doesn't matter," Duo said forcefully. "What matters is that I'm okay, and my mugger is in custody."

"How did you escape anyway?" Trowa asked, a smile tugging on his lips. Being Heero's partner, he'd been present for the purchase, and had a feeling he knew exactly why Heero was looking so smug. "Fight him off?"

"In a manner of speaking," Duo said carefully, trying to avoid a lie, but also not tell the truth.

"I see," Trowa smiled.

"Look guys," Duo whined. "I don't want to talk about it and I'm really tired. I just want to be alone in my misery."

The others looked at him in shock. Duo never wanted to be alone. "Please?" He asked again, emphasizing the word immensely.

Quatre shook his head. "He probably should rest," he muttered, taking Trowa's hand and pulling him towards the door. "Sleep well, Duo."

Duo nodded in response as he watched the others file out. Heero smiled at him smugly for a moment, before setting his hand down on the end table to help him stand. "Your welcome," he said with a smirk. Duo scowled.

"Don't," he growled. "You can brag later. For now, just go."

Heero nodded, and began walking to the door but was unable to keep the proud smile off his face.

Duo shook his head as the door closed behind him. At least his secret was safe from the others for now, but it wouldn't be for long. And then he'd be the laughing stock of the whole Preventers HQ.

Duo leaned back into his bed with a sigh. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before looking around his hospital room. Involuntarily, a chuckle escaped his lips as his eyes fell upon a familiar pink canister, only this one was still wrapped in plastic, with the price tag on it. Attached was a note, and even from his vantage point on the bed he could read the note Heero had left him: Put it on your keychain. -H

Duo let out a soft laugh. While he hated being saved by the pink canister, he was okay with the thought of being saved by Heero.

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Sorry about all the time between updates. This week went by way too fast for my taste, and way too much of my time has been dedicated trying to find a fic I want to read. Duo and Heero are in highschool on the swim team. I could have sworn the title was 10ft 3in or something like that, but after three days of nonstop searching, I'm losing hope. After tomorrow I'll give up the search and work on the stand still.

Thanks for reading : ) Thanks to all you reviewers : )