Sick Leave

1x2

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"ACHOO!"

"Duo, are you alright?"

"Yea. Just some allergies. No sweat."

Quatre's large, blue eyes scanned the braided pilots body suspiciously before continuing, "Duo, are you sure because you don't –"

"I'm fine, Quat. I was out near some mulberry trees during the mission. Some of the damn pollen must have managed to climb up my nose. I hear that a ton of people are allergic to those things." Duo wiped a finger under his nose and then abruptly sneezed.

"Have you taken anything for it? I heard somewhere that bad allergies can progress into a cold, if not treated properly." Quatre grabbed his satchel and began digging through the side pocket. "I know I might have allergy tablets here somewhere."

"Meds? Whoa! No way, man!" He thrust a thumb against the center of his chest. "I'm perfectly capable of handling this with my own immune system…not…the pharmacy's."

"I don't know, Duo. Does Une know about this? I think I heard that she was going to send you on another mission pretty soon. I don't think that going with a groggy head is a good idea."

Duo rolled his eyes and flipped his braid back over his shoulder in defiance. "You are such a worry-wart and you always think the worst of everything. No wonder Trowa hasn't asked you out yet!" Pale hands clamped in a vice-like fashion over Duo's mouth and the initial concern seen in Quatre's eyes was replaced by anger.

"Alright, you jerk, I'll leave you alone, but if you get sick and screw up the mission don't be running over to me to smooth things out with Une for you." He released his hold and pointed sternly at Duo's nose. "I've already warned you!" With that, Quatre picked up his satchel and left.

"Jeez, what got into him?" Duo wondered as he scratched his head and swiveled around in his chair for a while, hoping to put off work for a few more minutes. For some reason, he couldn't manage to wrap his mind around the case sitting on his desk. "ACHOO!"

"You alright, Duo?"

Duo looked up to see Trowa, paused in mid-step, in front of his office door with a cup of coffee in one hand and a good sized pile of case files balanced in the other. Damn handy circus tricks!

"I'm fine, Trowa. Just some allergies. I'll be fine once I get a break and some food."

The tall ex-pilot eyed him skeptically from head to toe, shrugged, and went on his way.

"Hn. Wonder what that was all about." Duo sniffed loudly and began to drag his sleeve across his nose when he heard a slight shuffle at the door.

"Very professional, Maxwell." Wufei, with his usual severe ponytail and matching gaze, snorted in his direction as he dumped another file on his desk. "You'd better make sure none of that actually stayed on your jacket, that is, unless you want Une at your throat again."

"Yea, yea. What are you doing here, 'Fei?" Duo growled, yet glancing at his sleeve. "Did you get lost or did Une finally demote you?"

Wufei scowled, "As if she'd dare. She has more reasons to fire you than she does to cast a disapproving glare in my direction." Then his eyes assessed Duo in that same calculating glance that Trowa used. "You alright, Maxwell?"

Duo swiveled in his chair a bit before facing Wufei, "Fine as can be Wu-man. Why do you ask?"

"Quite frankly, you look like shit with a braid."

"Well that's always nice to hear," Duo spat out, flipping him the one-fingered salute.

Wufei smirked, but then turned serious as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Seriously, Maxwell, I demand that you go see Sally before you agree to the mission."

"Demand, huh? Last time I checked we were both field agents, Chang. What's the deal with everyone anyway? You're the third person to tell me I look and sound like road kill today. I swear it's just an allergic reaction to some damn trees!" Duo mocked Wufei's pose, with his arms over his chest, and began to swivel back and forth in his chair.

"You haven't touched your coffee," Wufei suddenly said, motioning to the cup filled with the lukewarm substance on his desk. "That's not like you."

Duo eyed the cup and snorted in its direction, "So I'm not thirsty. Big deal…Besides, it's difficult to drink when your head is stuffed up."

"Exactly my point. It's difficult to think as well. If you're going on the mission, I need you to be at your top game." With that he placed the files next to the cup of coffee, turned on his heel, and left before Duo even had time to blink.

"Well it's not exactly the smartest thing to make a decision after getting prescribed one of your girlfriend's booster packs either," Duo yelled after him, but he knew Wufei had already blocked him out. "Shit."

With that, Duo angrily grabbed the files Wufei left for him and began sorting out the good and bad information. His head throbbed, he couldn't breathe properly, his chest felt tight, and there was a suspicious scratchy feeling at the back of his throat. Now that he thought about it, his joints seemed stiff and sore. No, he thought as he shook his head. He would not become a hypochondriac just because a couple of his closest friends were overreacting. If he was going to feel bad, it would have to be after the mission, when he could feel the pleasant hum of stress hormones coursing through his veins. He closed the first file and proceeded with the second. Losing himself in work managed to quiet his symptoms, yet he could still hear the three voices at the back of his head, telling him that he didn't feel as well as he thought. With a grunt, he throttled them down and delved deeper into the casework.

The door creaked open and the soft, familiar padding of footsteps pulled Duo from the files. Heero was almost too quiet, yet his presence was greater than he realized, making it difficult to miss him. Of course, that wasn't good for a soldier, yet Heero had managed to escape a war-hero and a top Preventers agent for almost ten years. Something Duo, who clung to the shadows whenever he could, had difficulty believing. Then again, it was Heero. The man he had lusted over, perhaps more, since he met him. The man who, time after time, managed to escape death no matter what the odds were against him. The man who fought anyway, knowing those odds.

It was a shame that he couldn't join them on this mission. The last one he was on left him with a messed up shoulder that still had a ways to go before it would be fully functional again.

Duo glanced up at the man and frowned when he noticed that Heero was staring at him oddly. The anger welled up within him, yet he managed to keep his voice steady as he asked, "What's up, Heero-buddy?"

The dark-haired man tilted his head and blinked at him curiously before asking, "Status?"

That's what did it. The camel's back was officially broken. All day the strain had been piling on, but it only took one word from Heero to force Duo to release the tempest raging just under his skin.

"What, Heero? Just spit it out! You don't think I can cut it for the mission? You think I should go get checked out? I take it Quatre and Wufei put you up to it. Trowa noticed too but he's not enough of a busy body to go and do something about it. So you think I should tell Une to scrub me from the mission, too? Then just tell me!" Duo was panting and the files he had been studying were strewn across the floor by his desk.

Heero stared blankly at him, almost as if the little outburst was expected. After a few seconds, a little frown-line appeared and he shrugged. "Not at all, Duo. I thought you had already been scrubbed since the meeting with Une should have started…" he checked his watch on his bandaged wrist resting in the sling, "twenty minutes ago."

Duo's eyes managed to reach the clock on his desktop before his heart stopped and dropped to his stomach. "Shit!" He scrambled past the desk and out the door, pushing past a curious Heero on the way out.

How could he have missed it? Was he that far gone in his work? He had never been late for a mission debriefing before. These allergies had become more of a hassle than he initially thought them to be.

As he approached the main hallway leading to the debriefing room, Duo ran a hand along the length of his braid; partially to smooth it, partially for comfort. He wiped his nose nervously approached the looming double doors.

"Man, I wonder what Une's gonna do to me for this one," he growled as he reached for the handle.

The door swung open and for the second time that day, Duo's heart stopped.

It was Jerry from Information exiting with a large smile on his face. "Hello Mr. Maxwell, are you feeling okay."

Duo bit back his anger and attempted to push past Jerry, "Fine, excuse me."

"Where are you going, Mr. Maxwell?" Jerry asked, moving to the side.

Duo jutted a thumb in the direction of the door. "The meeting…I—"

"Oh, the debriefing with Ms. Une? That was cancelled…didn't you hear?"

All the braided pilot could do was stare at the cheerful assistant. A short peek into the empty room confirmed it, so Duo slumped against the wall, unsure if he was doing so in relief or confusion.

He made his way back to the office, more than a little pissed at Heero for telling him false information. When he entered, he didn't even acknowledge the dark-haired man typing away at his keyboard one-handed. Normally, the sight of it would have sent Duo rolling with laughter, assuring the fact that Heero would be teased for the next couple of days for attempting to complete anything in his state; yet this time Duo just walked straight over to his desk, put his head down against it, and sighed.

The clicking stopped.

"What happened?"

The annoyance of another person talking to him earned a grunt from Duo. When Duo didn't answer, he noticed the significant increase of paper shuffling coming from Heero's side of the office.

"Were you scrubbed?"

"No," Duo responded before falling silent once again, and then fell silent. A prickle on the back of his neck told him that Heero was staring at him, waiting for him to elaborate. There would be no explanation and he almost laughed at the thought of finally having their roles reversed. Almost. He would have laughed if he didn't feel so bad. The slight symptoms seemed to have magnified the second he sat down. Maybe it was something in the room?

Heero made a small noise sounding like a mixture of frustration and…worry? No…Not "Iron-Man" Yuy! Sure they were partners, but nothing less than a bullet in the face could squeeze concern out of that man. Duo grimaced in combined hurt from his head and his heart and he closed his eyes. He could faintly remember registering Heero speak again. "What did Une say?"

Silence.

"Duo?" The paper shuffling began again and Heero was having trouble deciphering what he should do next. Usually, the American was the one begging him for answers and the sudden shift in roles left him oddly at a loss.

Heero rose from his desk and walked over to the American. Duo was still; far too still and Heero gently laid a hand on his shoulder. The moment he did, though, he gasped, quickly drawing his hand back. Duo was burning. "Duo?" He attempted to call again, but his partner showed no response, so he reached out and shook him. "Duo!"

TBC