Disclaimer – I don't own any part of Gundam Wing.

Note 1: For anyone interested in ALG chronology, this story takes place in April, 200 AC, three years before ALG opens and four months after Wufei and Duo meet Zechs for the first time.

Note 2: As always, many thanks to the brilliant Kaeru Shisho, who inspired this one by suggesting that problems can sometimes be helped by writing them out.

Challenges:

Buying the paints, two weeks ago, had been nothing more than a whim. Wufei had wanted some new calligraphy brushes; Zechs had been browsing around the art shop, waiting for him, and had suddenly found himself with an armload of watercolours and sketch pads.

His mother had been artistic; some of his clearest childhood memories were of playing in the palace gardens while she painted, her spaniel puppies tumbling around his feet. Later, he'd had his own little easel and palette and she'd shown him how to blend colours and apply them to paper, and he'd tried to emulate her exquisite drawings. They were all gone now; all those delicate sunlit sketches of a magical childhood.

He'd shoved the bag in a corner when he got home and taken them out a few days later, just for something to do. It had been so long since he'd drawn anything, but he'd attended classes in architecture and draughtsmanship at Lake Victoria, and somehow it all came back.

The sketch had started off as a nameless, faceless city, a collection of carefully-lineated buildings. Somewhere along the line, it had become Amsterdam; canals winding past the ESUN parliament and Preventers HQ and the High Court.

His sister had stood there, three years ago, and argued for his life, for days. She was barely speaking to him anymore.

Damn.

On impulse, he dipped his brush in a pool of vermillion paint, and slashed red across the whole painting, bathing the city in blood. Fitting. They had more blood on their hands, those faceless bureaucrats in grey, than he'd ever had.

It took a minute to realise the insistent, buzzing sound was the phone. Zechs fumbled in his pocket to check the number. Wufei.

'Sorry. Sorry. I was caught up in something.'

'If you're busy, I won't keep you,' Wufei offered at once.

'I'm not remotely busy, sweetheart.' Zechs threw his brush down, and took a deep breath, forcing himself to look away from the painting. It was just paint, just crimson paint. That was all. And he had Wufei on the other end of the line, which made the day incalculably better. 'How are you?'

'I just wanted to talk. If you're not doing anything?'

'Not a single thing,' Zechs said instantly, charmed. Wufei wasn't one for long telephone conversations; he usually just called to make or confirm arrangements. This was practically the first he'd rung just for a chat. 'What are you doing? Working on that paper you were telling me about?'

'I'm about to kill Duo,' Wufei said grimly. 'I am trying, trying, to finish my assignment and he is driving me insane. I have work to do, and he's pestering me to take the day off so we can go out somewhere. I'd go to the university library, except that people talk there, and the librarians are totally ineffective about enforcing the rules for silence. People have even tried to come and talk to me on occasion,' he added, sounding scandalised.

'Shocking. I hope you told them you were taken.'

'It wasn't like that!'

Zechs grinned; he could almost feel the blush down the phone line. 'It's always like that, dearest. Now, what can I do to help you? Take Duo out for the day?'

'I couldn't ask you to do that,' Wufei breathed.

'Why not? It's a lovely day, and I'm just sitting around. If I call by to collect Duo, I'll get to see you, even if it's only for a minute. Plus I do have one condition. I want you to come out with me tomorrow evening. Anywhere you like. Dinner; a film; romantic stroll by the harbour? And don't say you have to stay in and study. You already know everything in the entire universe. Besides, it's Saturday night, and I haven't seen you for three days. You deserve a break and I deserve to see my boyfriend occasionally.'

'Zechs, stop babbling,' Wufei laughed at him. 'I'd love to. I was going to suggest something anyway.'

'All right.' Zechs beamed into the 'phone; suddenly, absurdly happy. 'I'll see you in about twenty minutes. Tell Duo to wear something old; we might go up to the lake for a hike.'

He pulled up outside the townhouse Wufei and Duo shared exactly seventeen minutes later, a broad smile still firmly in place. Wufei's car was parked outside; the garage door was open, with rock music blaring out. Zechs ducked under the half-open door. He'd never been in their garage before; it was Duo's domain. It was a mess; motorcycle parts stacked haphazardly around the walls, and tools crammed onto three slightly slanting shelves.

Duo himself was on the ground, replacing a tyre on his mountain bike.

Zechs turned the stereo volume down slightly. 'Hi.'

Duo glared up at him. 'I don't need a fucking babysitter, whatever Fifi says.'

'I know you don't,' Zechs said mildly. 'But I'm sick of staring at my own four walls, and it's a beautiful day for a drive and I wouldn't mind some company, if you're free.'

Duo stamped over and turned his music off. 'Whatever. Fine.'

'I just want to go in and see Wufei before we go. Five minutes.'

'You'll be lucky to get that,' Duo warned, just a little maliciously. 'He's in a serious strop. So I wouldn't get any ideas about cosy little make out sessions.'

Wufei was in the kitchen, drinking tea and looking utterly dejected.

'What's wrong, my sweet?'

Wufei, who had widely opposing views on the use of endearments, frowned slightly.

Zechs grinned. 'What's wrong, Mr. Chang?'

'I'm all right. Just worried about Duo.'

'Did you two have a row?'

'No. Not exactly. I don't know. He keeps talking about how much he hates university, how he wants to go back to L4, to Quatre.' He sighed gustily. 'I'd miss him so much if he did that. I can't imagine living alone, now.'

Zechs perched on the table beside him, unsure of what to say. He didn't know Duo nearly well enough to offer advice. 'Maybe he just needs a nice day out to distract him?'

Wufei reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. 'It's terribly nice of you to offer, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea, the mood he's in.'

'I don't mind,' Zechs said softly, loving the feel of Wufei's fingers around his. Such a simple touch to give so much pleasure. 'I didn't have anything planned, and I like Duo.'

'I'm well aware of that, yes,' Wufei assured him. 'I seem to remember you trying to hit on him the first time we all met.'

'That was before I met you! Wufei, you do know there isn't anything, ah, you know I'm not attracted to him or anything. I'd never even consider being with anyone who isn't you. You can trust me. I swear, I'll never you reason to think otherwise.' Oh, wonderful. He was an articulate, intelligent adult, and one look from those dark eyes made him stutter nonsense like an adolescent in the throes of a first crush.

Those velvety black eyes gleamed up at him. 'I was only teasing.' He was serious, suddenly. 'I'm sorry. Of course I trust you.'

'Thank you,' Zechs said formally. 'I'm very glad to hear that. Why don't you come with us? We needn't stay out too long.'

Wufei looked briefly tempted, then shook his head. 'I can't. I have too much work to do. Especially if we're going out tomorrow.'

'We're definitely going out tomorrow,' Zechs said firmly. 'I have it all planned. I've booked dinner at a wonderful restaurant that you are going to love, and then take you out dancing.'

'Oh.' Wufei looked away. 'Dinner would be lovely; I'm not sure about the rest of it.'

'You don't like dancing?'

'I'm not a girl.'

'I'm perfectly aware of that, my sweet.' Zechs bent his head to kiss across Wufei's knuckles. 'It's one of the things I like most about you. I'll tell you what; you can lead if you like. How's that?'

'I don't know.' Wufei gazed up at him. 'I don't really know how to dance.'

'Then it's about time you did,' Zechs said briskly, standing up and pulling Wufei to his feet. He resisted at first and then started to laugh as Zechs twirled him around the kitchen.

'There!' Zechs said triumphantly. 'No more excuses. Agreed?'

Wufei nodded breathlessly, and Zechs kissed him, feeling Wufei's mouth smile against his.

For once, Zechs was the one to pull back because, after all, he was only human and there were limits to self control and Duo would probably barge in at any moment.

'I'll see you later. Work hard.'

Wufei gave him a sly little grin. 'I might have some problems concentrating after that.'

'Might you now? I wonder why that would be.'

'I wonder,' Wufei echoed softly, and then reached up and gave Zechs a gentle kiss on his cheek. 'Thank you, Mil.'

Mil. Duo had started the nickname; Zechs hadn't dared to say that he disliked it; disliked the remainder of his real name and everything he'd once been, and then Wufei had adopted it, and he'd found he didn't mind the sound of it at all on Wufei's lips. He shook his head; utterly, hopelessly besotted, that was what he was.

'You are most welcome. I'd better go before he gets bored waiting and steals my car. Do I get a list of Duo-instructions?

'It would take too long to write one.' He was obviously trying to make a joke. 'I don't know. I think he just needs to get out for a while, maybe. And he likes you.'

Duo was slouched in the passenger seat, fiddling with the stereo, when he went out. 'Fifteen minutes. Guess you got lucky, huh?'

'I guess I did.' Zechs fastened his seatbelt, wishing he'd never suggested this outing in the first place. A day alone at home suddenly seemed rather attractive when compared to spending the day with someone who was clearly planning to sulk for the entire time.

Duo stared out of the window for the whole drive; after a few curt replies to his attempts at conversation, Zechs gave up. God, the things men did for love. If Duo did like him, the way Wufei claimed, he certainly wasn't giving any signs of it. They'd had a slightly complicated relationship since they'd first met. He knew that Duo had pushed Wufei into going on their first date. Since then, he'd wavered between teasing – ranging from malicious to slightly flirtatious – to threats of extreme bodily harm if he ever dared to cause Wufei one moment's unhappiness, to treating him like a casual friend. It made his head spin, sometimes.

Still, like he'd said, it was a beautiful spring day and it was nice to get out of the city. Duo sat up a little as they entered the national park, and Zechs stopped to let a trail of riders cross in front of them.

'Must be a stable around here somewhere.' He sounded oddly wistful.

'Would you like to go for a ride?'

'Sheesh, Zechs, that's kind of a personal question on the first date.' Duo slumped back down. 'But, yeah, I like horseback riding.'

'I was thinking of going for a hike, but if there's a stable, we could hire horses instead. Would you like that?'

'Seriously? That'd be cool.'

'Why not?' At least the prospect gave Duo the first sign of animation he'd seen in an hour. 'We can ask at the information centre.'

Fifteen minutes later, they were standing in a stable yard, being issued hard hats and boots and trail maps and questioned about riding abilities.

Duo was given a glossy chestnut mare and vaulted into the saddle before Zechs had time to take the reins of his own horse.

'Trowa taught me that,' he said cockily, gathering up the reins. 'Well? Aren't you coming?'

'Trowa taught you to ride?' Zechs questioned, mounting and urging his bay gelding to catch up with Duo.

'Him and Quat. Tro taught me all the tricksy stuff though. Hey, this is really nice.' He looked around with pure pleasure. 'I like forests. All the trees. And it's so quiet. 'Fei and I've been up here a couple of times but only on weekends. It's always pretty busy then.'

'I like the quiet too.' Zechs fished in his pocket for the map he'd been given and pointed at a narrow trail through the trees. 'That way goes down to the lake. It's about two miles. Shall we?'

'Sure!'

Zechs let him take the lead, first to check that Duo was capable of handling the horse, and then rather enjoying his rear view, and wishing Wufei wore jeans more often, instead of those baggy Chinese trousers he favoured.

They dismounted at the lake, to let the horses drink and share a bottle of water Zechs had brought.

'Let's see that map of yours,' Duo suggested. 'Oh, hey. Cross country trails. That sounds fun. What d'you reckon? Go and do some jumping?'

'I'm not sure,' Zechs hesitated. Duo seemed fairly comfortable in the saddle but galloping and jumping was another thing entirely. And Wufei would kill him if he let Duo hurt himself.

'Don't be a wuss, Zechsy!' He swung into the saddle and grinned down. 'The trail with the yellow marks, right? Race you!'

'Duo! Wait!' Bloody idiot; taking a horse he didn't know over rough country he didn't know. He'd probably break his stupid neck and Wufei would blame Zechs for not taking better care of him. He kicked his own horse into a gallop, but Duo had a head start and was taking every advantage of it.

Zechs found him about a couple of miles later, sitting on a fallen tree trunk and giving his horse a breather.

'I won, you loser!'

'You cheated.'

'Well, duh,' Duo said cheerfully. 'What did you expect?'

His braid was half undone, straggling down his back; he had mud on his jeans, a torn t-shirt and a long scratch on one cheek. Almost for the first time since Zechs had met him, three months ago, he looked like the boy he must have been during the war; the boy filled with fire and passion and life.

'God, that was fun.'

'It was totally irresponsible.'

Duo stuck out his tongue. 'Listen to yourself, man. Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it.'

'I didn't enjoy the prospect of finding your mangled corpse around every bend, no,' Zechs said sternly.

'I can ride OK. I lived on L4 for nearly six months, you know,' Duo said calmly. 'I rode pretty much every day. Good therapy for my leg muscles.'

'I didn't know.' Looking at Duo, vivid and laughing, it was hard to imagine that he'd nearly died, the first year after the war, had been in a coma for almost a year.

'Yeah, well,' Duo offered. 'Sorry. You didn't need to worry. I just needed to, you know, work some steam off.'

'I know,' Zechs said, heartfelt.

'I guess you would at that.' Duo fell silent, flexing his right knee, rubbing it with both hands.

'Are you all right?'

'Yeah. It's been a few weeks since I was on a horse, that's all. Kind of strains the muscles. I might just walk for a bit if that's OK to loosen up? You can ride on ahead if you want.'

'Don't be ridiculous.' He took the reins of both horses, letting Duo make his own way over the uneven ground, keeping a close eye on him.

'I'm all right, you know,' Duo said quietly. 'It happens sometimes, if I overdo stuff.'

'Which I imagine you do on occasion.'

'No fun in life otherwise, is there?'

'What happened to your leg, exactly?'

He knew, really; he just wanted to see what Duo would say. He knew both versions, actually. The official one; that his sister's Christmas Eve ball to celebrate the first anniversary of the war's ending had been attacked by terrorists, and that Duo, suffering from a then-undiagnosed case of PTSD, had had some sort of flashback. Had stolen a mobile suit to fight back, not knowing most of the controls had been disabled.

That was the version Relena's press office had broadcast. Duo had saved her life earlier that evening; there was a debt owing. She'd hailed Duo as a hero, tragically damaged by a war he'd fought, far too young. She'd said so in front of the world's media, shouting down the claims that he'd been involved with the terrorists, that he'd stolen the Leo in an attempt to decimate the ESUN ministry; that he'd been acting on behalf of L2 separatists. It had only been twelve months since the war had ended; people had still been jumpy. A former Gundam Pilot in control of a mobile suit had stirred up way too many nightmares.

Zechs had been proud of his sister, months later, when he'd finally been allowed access to a computer and seen some old news footage. Relena, poised and pale, as she faced a phalanx of journalists, Heero Yuy at her side. He still didn't know all the details of the unofficial version of that night, but he'd made a few educated guesses. Duo had been a Gundam Pilot; he hadn't fallen apart, but he'd desperately needed to get away from the palace, and something other than a terrorist attack had caused that. Something that in some way had involved his little sister and Yuy.

Duo, over three years later, just shrugged. 'About a gazillion breaks. The surgeons wanted to amputate. I – I don't think I could have lived with that. Quat threw a massive fit when they suggested it, and he'd pretty much bought up the entire hospital by then so they had to listen.' He shrugged. 'Comes in handy sometimes, having a best buddy who's a freaking billionaire.'

'I imagine it must.'

'Yeah. Well, you know what Quat's like for getting his own way. Oh no, you don't, do you? I keep forgetting you two haven't met.'

'Not yet, no.' Zechs paused before asking the next question; something he'd always been a little worried about. He was well aware that of how much Wufei's friends meant to him; Quatre Winner in particular. 'Does he approve of me and Wufei?'

Duo hesitated a fraction too long; his smile, when he turned to face Zechs, was a little too forced. 'All he cares about is Wu being happy. You make him happy.'

'I try, certainly.'

'You do, yeah. If it helps at all, I've been giving you pretty good progress reports. Right, we can ride for a bit if you want. We'll be all day getting back if we walk.'

'If you're sure.' They took a roundabout track back to the stable, skirting the lake, letting the horses amble and pause sometimes to drink or graze. Duo was surreptitiously rubbing his knee for the last couple of miles but he looked happy enough and kept up a constant stream of chatter.

Zechs handed back the horses and paid and then looked at Duo, realising he had half the forest on him. 'Right. Well, I can't take you back to Wufei looking like that. You'd better come home with me and clean up a little.'

Duo shrugged. 'OK. God, you're so whipped.'

'Absolutely.' And loving every minute of it, sad person that he was. 'If you prefer, I can take you straight home. I'll risk Wufei telling me off for bringing you back covered in mud.'

Duo grinned. 'Nah, it's OK. I'd like to see where you live.'

'I should have invited you over before. I've been trying to get everything fixed up.'

'Hey, I get it,' Duo's voice was oddly understanding. 'I know what it's like, getting your own place. Wanting to keep it like your little sanctuary, shut the world out, right?'

'Exactly.' God, he should have been used to it by now, but Duo Maxwell kept knocking him off balance. In practically the blink of an eye, he could spin from being a sulky teenager to someone who actually understood. Unbelievable.

Duo flicked on the stereo as they got into the car, and they discussed music on the drive home. Duo liked classical and opera; probably Winner's influence.

Zechs handed his car keys to a valet outside his building and nodded at the doorman who held the door open for them.

'Wow, fancy. I kind of forget you're loaded,' Duo commented as they walked inside. He looked impressed, but not overly awed. He wouldn't, of course, having lived in Winner's mansion. 'Must be nice.'

'I like it, yes.' Zechs, who had no compunctions whatsoever about inherited wealth, led him over to the lifts. 'I'd like it even more if Wufei would allow me to indulge him on occasion. Or you,' he added as an afterthought, surprised to find that he genuinely meant it.

'Man, you can feel free to indulge me any time you like,' Duo assured him, grinning. 'I can write a list if you want.'

'What would you like?'

'Let me think,' Duo mused. 'I've always wanted a really snazzy sports car. Italian. A Ferrari or a Lambhourgini. One of those.'

'Yes, I can see you driving a car like that,' Zechs smiled, imagining it. 'What colour?'

'Oh,' Duo looked wistful for a second and then shook his head. 'I was just joking. 'Fei'd go nuts. Anyway, I don't really want anything. Well, something to eat, maybe, after I clean up a bit? I'm starving.'

'Of course.' Zechs opened his front door. 'Come in.'

Duo looked down at himself. 'I'm kind of manky. I'll mess up your floor.'

'It's wood. I can clean it.' He led Duo to the guest room, the room he'd thought of as Wufei's since his boyfriend had begun staying over. 'Wufei keeps some clothes here, so you should be able to find something to change into. If not, my dressing room's the one on the right. You can borrow anything of mine. I'll be in the kitchen when you're finished.'

'Cool. Thanks.' Duo stuck his head around the bathroom door. 'Hey, would it be OK if I had a bath?'

'Of course.'

The bedroom lock clicked as Zechs walked out; then he heard the gush of water. It was slightly odd, having someone who wasn't Wufei in his home. Since the first week when he'd moved in with a flurry of furniture movers and tradesmen, there hadn't been anyone else.

Zechs took a quick shower, changed, and headed for the kitchen. It was surprisingly pleasant having someone else to cook for. He'd marinated a piece of flank steak that morning; he'd meant it for two meals so there would be enough for them both, with plenty of vegetables.

He had the steaks in the oven and was peeling potatoes when Duo walked into the kitchen.

'Hey. Whatever it is you're making, it smells good.'

'Thank you. I see you found something to wear.'

Duo looked good too; his still-damp hair was tugged back into a messy ponytail, with loose tendrils floating about his face. He'd found a pair of Wufei's hideous exercise trousers, and a lavender-blue sweater belonging to Zechs. It was too big, of course, but the colour complemented his eyes, and the cashmere fell in soft folds about his slender body.

'Yeah. I hope you don't mind me going through your stuff. 'Fei just had a couple of t-shirts and I was kind of cold after the bath. I feel like this weird Zechs/Wufei hybrid.'

Zechs laughed. 'Interesting concept. I've turned on the heating so the place should warm up in a minute. What can I get you to drink?'

'Just water is fine.' Duo settled on a chair, watching him. 'I like this place.'

'Do you?' Zechs was still unsure; he'd bought the apartment partly because the décor was inoffensively neutral and minimalist, planning to adapt it to his own tastes. 'I'm not sure. I keep planning to redecorate, but I don't exactly know what I do like, to be honest. I've never had anywhere of my own before.' There'd been the Academy, and military barracks and Treize's homes, and a prison cell, and then a remote castle in the north of Sanque, until Relena had decided it was time for him come back to the real world. Nowhere he'd had any say in colour schemes or soft furnishings. 'I don't even know what sort of colours I like.'

'Oh, that's the fun part,' Duo enthused. 'I can help you a bit, once you decide, if you want. I like painting.'

'Thank you.' Zechs finished tossing his potato wedges in oil, and sprinkled chopped rosemary and crushed sea salt over them before sliding the dish into the oven.

'They look good,' Duo commented. 'Like seriously posh French fries. How come you can cook?'

'Treize, I suppose.' It always came down to him. 'And I like eating.'

Duo made a face. 'You've never heard of take-out? Or frozen food? I just don't get the point of spending hours cooking something that you eat in about five minutes.'

'I like the whole process, actually. It's relaxing. And it's not as if I have anything else to do, most of the time.' He winced; that had been a shade more bitter than he'd planned.

Duo just nodded. 'Yeah. Tell me about it. When will all that stuff be ready?'

'When it's ready. About an hour.'

'I'll be dead of hunger by then!' Duo exclaimed. 'And I'll tell Wufei you tried to starve me and he'll be pissed at you.'

'God forbid,' Zechs countered dryly. 'I'm sure we can stave off your imminent death by starvation.' He decanted a tub of olives into a small bowl. 'Here you are. Will you have a proper drink? I opened a bottle of red.' He was reaching for two wine glasses before he realised that he'd never actually seen Duo drink; that he and Wufei never had alcohol in their house; that he'd read articles hinting at Duo having a problem with alcohol. 'Or I have juice if you'd prefer?'

'Chill.' Duo looked amused more than anything. 'I'm not actually an alcoholic, contrary to popular opinion. Just went on a couple of major benders last year. You can't believe everything you read in the tabloids. You should know that. And I'd love a glass of wine.' He nodded at the bottle. 'That's a good vineyard. I like their Merlot.'

'You know about wine?' He hadn't, somehow, expected that.

'A bit.' Duo took his glass, swirled the contents around, showing off. His eyes sparkled as he grinned up at Zechs, and then lifted his glass to inhale deeply. 'Ah. An excellent bouquet. Trowa's a total wine buff. Quat doesn't drink at all, really, so Tro's dragged me to a few wine-tastings and stuff. Considering they're not meant to drink alcohol, wine's pretty big business of L4.'

Zechs clinked their glasses together. 'Did you enjoy living there?'

'Some of it. It was great being with the guys all the time, though I missed 'Fei like crazy. Parts of it were really cool, though. We used to go out riding most mornings, really early. The rest of the time I just hung out when they were working. Swam in their pool; read about a million books. Worked with this physiotherapist Quat hired. It was like an extended holiday, I guess. Not like the real world at all.' He took a sip of his wine. 'This is good. I'd probably still be there if Quat hadn't signed me up for university.' Another longer, swallow. 'D'you mind showing me 'round a bit? 'Fei says you've got a really cool little conservatory.'

'I'll give you the tour. Bring your wine.'

Duo walked straight to the easel in the corner of the living room. 'I didn't know you painted. That's Amsterdam, right. Preventers HQ?'

'You've been there?' He forgot, sometimes, that Duo had had a life after the war; a year before his accident where he'd travelled and worked and had a normal life; the year when Zechs had been in prison, under sentence of death. 'What's it like?'

Duo shrugged. 'Big-ass building full of Preventers. Nothing special. There was some kind of anti-terrorism conference on. I never actually went inside the building. It was a nice city though. We did a tour on the canals; went to this really cool art gallery.' His eyes shuttered, looking at some private memory ,and the cheerful mask was back. 'You've got nearly as many books as 'Fei has. OK if I look?'

'Certainly.'

'You like old stuff, huh?' Duo pulled out a couple of first editions, eyes widening at the dates. 'I love old books, the smell of them, the way the pages are cracked, a bit. I don't even know what language this one is in.'

'Russian.'

'Cool. You can read Russian?'

'I speak it a little, but no. I never really learned the alphabet.'

'Yeah? Then why…? Oh. Right.'

He saw sudden understanding dawn in Duo's eyes.

'Sorry. Shit. I'm seriously dumb, sometimes.'

'It's all right.' He took the book, the priceless, centuries-old copy of 'War and Peace' from Duo, very carefully, and opened the title page to glance at the sprawled signature, almost indecipherable. 'He left me everything. Most of it's in storage, or sold. It's silly, but I wanted the books. They meant a lot to him.'

'It's not silly. It's … kind of nice that you've got stuff belonging to him, I think,' Duo said quietly. 'Can I ask you something personal? How do you get past losing someone who's that important to you?'

'I honestly don't know. Time, probably. That helps. It's been almost four years and we were estranged for months before that.'

'That long? Fucking hell. I've only gone through about half that. And I was bloody unconscious for months of it.'

'The situations aren't really the same, Duo,' he offered gently. 'He's not dead.'

'Sometimes I think it'd be easier if he was,' Duo blurted, and then clapped a hand over his mouth in horror. 'I didn't mean that. I didn't.'

'I know.' Zechs tossed the book on the floor and took Duo in his arms. There was a moment where Duo was utterly, unnaturally still; where he could have either bolted or taken a swing at him, and Zechs wouldn't have been surprised at either, and then he just slumped against Zechs' shoulder.

'I know you didn't. It's all right.'

'No, it's not.'

'It will be. I promise. It will get better. It just takes time.' He slid one hand up Duo's spine, and down, smoothing his still-damp, messy hair.

'You hitting on me again, Merquise?'

'Don't flatter yourself, Maxwell. You had your chance.'

'And blew it, huh?' Duo lifted his head, those glorious storm-coloured eyes fixed on Zechs', his ridiculously kissable mouth far, far, too close for comfort. 'I'd kill myself before I'd do anything to hurt 'Fei. Ever.'

'I know.' He allowed himself one last caress of Duo's hair; since he was only human, after all. 'So would I. But that doesn't mean we can't be friends, does it?'

'I guess not.' Duo gave him a little smile; not his usual wide joker's grin that meant nothing but a genuine smile. 'That'd be kind of nice.'

'Friends, then.' Zechs let him go with just a tiny, inevitable pang, and an odd surge of relief. Duo was lovely, yes. Only a corpse could fail to notice that; of course, he'd been attracted from the start, and that hadn't really changed, but there was affection there now as well; the beginnings of friendship. Nothing to remotely threaten what was between him and Wufei. 'You wanted to see the conservatory, you said.'

It was that, more than anything, that had persuaded him to buy the apartment. Perched high over the city, it had a spectacular view, and smelt of damp earth and tropical plants.

'Oh, wow!' Duo's eyes shone, looking around. 'This is amazing. Totally. I love all the plants.' He tossed Zechs a sly, slanted grin. 'I still have that orchid you bought 'Fei last month. The one he nearly threw at your head.'

'Don't remind me, please.' Zechs sat on one of the loungers, watching Duo move around. 'That wasn't the best advised present, was it?'

'Nope.' Duo's grin broadened. 'In Wufei-World, men don't give each other flowers. Man, he was seriously pissed at you.'

'I noticed, yes.' Zechs winced, just remembering.

'Yeah, he's a fiery little thing, isn't he? Still, you seem pretty good at talking him 'round. What I said before, about you making him happy, it's true, you know.' He suddenly became absorbed in an orchid. 'And it's good that you're, you know, taking things slow.

Wooing him.'

'Wooing him?' Zechs spluttered with sudden laughter at the archaic term. 'Duo, I don't think anyone's actually used that word since the eighteenth century. '

'Well, you know what I meant. Like a real courtship. It's cool. You've been romancing his socks off. I mean, you did fly half way 'round the world in January to take him out for lunch, and that was just the second date. It's kind of impressive.' He reached out to touch the delicate fronds of a fern. 'I love all these different plants. I know he doesn't give a tonne of stuff away, and you'd better not tell him I said this but he's seriously into you.'

'I think I picked up a few hints, nonetheless,' Zechs smiled at him.

'Good. I know he's all reserved and stuff sometimes. Just don't think…it's nothing to do with you. He was brought up to think it was all wrong, being gay, and then he went through a few months of me living with him and pretty much going off the rails, and him having to drag me out of clubs when I was pissed, and well, he didn't exactly get the best intro to the whole gay scene, you know?'

'You don't have to worry. I'll wait.'

Duo gave him a quick, approving nod. 'You get it. OK. Good. I don't want to interfere or anything. I just wanted you to know that, well, he cares about you, even if he's not the type to go around saying it. And I will totally kill you if you ever breathe a word of anything I've just said.'

'I wouldn't,' Zechs promised. 'But I think he might be glad to have a friend who cares about his happiness so much.'

Duo picked up his glass, looking pleased and embarrassed and a little shy. 'We've been through a lot together. Him and me. We look out for each other.'

'I know. He thinks there's something worrying you at the moment. He's concerned.'

'I'm fine. Orchids are cool, you know. I've been reading stuff on line about them. They'd be kind of fun to grow. I wish I had someplace like this. We don't really have any space at home. I'd love a proper garden, one day.'

'Duo. Stop babbling. If you need someone to talk to, I know we don't know each other very well, but sometimes that's easier than talking to a close friend.'

'There's nothing wrong. I'm fine. Apart from being a monumental screw up and that's nothing new.' He swung around abruptly, sat in the chair opposite Zechs, nursing his wine. For all his talk about how much he liked it, he'd only taken a couple of sips.

'Don't you think you're being a little hard on yourself?'

'I don't actually, no,' Duo snapped. 'Look at me, for fuck's sake. All my friends are these amazing success stories. Fei was a star Preventer agent, and now he's this brilliant scholar, and Tro and Quat are the most perfect couple in the universe and Quat's running a global corporation and…'

'And he tried to kill himself four months after the war ended,' Zechs said coolly.

He hadn't known at the time of course; and it had been hushed up very efficiently, but Lucrezia had told him months later. He'd wondered how Treize would have reacted to hearing that the perfect Quatre Winner had survived the war only to open his wrists with broken glass.

Duo gaped. 'That's...so not the point. He was just a bit messed up, and his family were pressuring him to do stuff.'

'I'm not saying your friends aren't extraordinary people. You all are. I'm just pointing out that they have problems too. Precisely how much has Quatre Winner paid out at this stage to keep someone from taking a lawsuit against his partner? Trowa is very clearly suffering from Post Traumatic Stress and it's a miracle he hasn't actually killed anyone.'

'How the fuck do you know anything about that?'

'Lucrezia Noin. And Sally, sometimes. There are a few people in the universe who talk to me. Duo, I don't mean to criticise your friends. Simply to show they aren't perfect. Wufei's told me a little about leaving Preventers. I'm extremely glad you were there for him.'

'Oh!' Duo's face flamed. 'It was…he'd have been OK. He's tough.'

'He was one the verge of a very serious breakdown. You were there for him, and he wants to help you with whatever's wrong now.'

'Look, this is between us. I'll tell 'Fei myself. He's all caught up in getting his assignment finished; I don't want to distract him.'

'I won't say anything. Tell me what's wrong? Perhaps I could help.'

'It's not that big a deal. I know 'Fei's going to make a production of it, that's all. I just wanna drop out of college. See? No biggie.'

'Why?'

'Because.' Duo took a swig of wine. 'It's stupid. I hate it. I hate my stupid course, and I'm no good at it anyway, and I failed a mid-term test last week. And 'Fei could do any test he wanted blindfolded.'

'I'm sure you could also.'

'Well, I can't. I mean, I can do the practical stuff. But I can't do all those essays and shit. They're so stupid. You just have to copy things out of textbooks and you get marked down if you try to put in any opinions, and you have to stick to stupid word limits that don't mean anything.'

Zechs couldn't help laughing. 'It's just an undergraduate course, Duo. Wait 'til you do a Masters. You'll be able to be creative then.'

'Oh, no way. I'm dropping out. I told you, I hate it.'

'Why?' Zechs asked calmly. Duo was studying Aeronautical Engineering; it seemed perfect. 'You must have liked the idea of it at some point.'

Duo shook his head. 'It was Quat's idea. He thought I needed something to focus on. I suppose it seemed OK at the time. I thought it'd be all actual practical stuff. What's the fucking point of it? I know most of it anyway. And it's just pointless. I don't want to spend the rest of my life sitting in some office designing shuttles I'll never be able to fly.'

'You don't know that.'

'Zechs. Stop it. I damn well do. You know my history; no way in hell will anyone ever let me fly anything more dangerous than a kite again. Fuck, I don't even have a driver's licence.'

'I miss it too,' Zechs said softly.

'Yeah,' Duo sighed. 'It was, you know, freedom.'

'I know. I loved it, too. More than anything.'

'Treize was seriously that bad in the sack? Oh, shit.' He blushed, rather endearingly. 'Sorry! Didn't mean to say that out loud.'

'Ah, I'm not sure what to say to that. Duo, things change. Nothing's written in stone. You and your friends should know that, of all people, don't you think? And at least you didn't try to blow up an entire planet. Now, me, there's no way, anyone will ever let me anywhere near anything resembling a shuttle. Or a kite, probably.'

'Sorry,' Duo muttered.

'It's not remotely your fault. You can switch to another course. You like reading; you could study literature. But you should finish your first year. It's just another few months and the university will be more likely to let you change if you can show them you're capable of completing one course.'

'Maybe.' He didn't sound very convinced. 'I'm no good at all these essays and assignments and shit. I've never done anything like that. I mean, G never made me write background papers or whatever.'

Zechs smiled at that. 'I could help you with that, if you liked. At Lake Victoria, there were endless written assignments. It's mostly following a formula.'

'Thanks. But seriously, I don't think I'm that pushed. I mean, if I knew what I actually wanted to do with the rest of my life, yeah, maybe but…I haven't a clue.'

'How old are you?' Zechs asked crisply.

'Not sure. Nineteen? Maybe.'

'Then it's perfectly normal not to know what to do. That's why people go to university; to have a breathing space to figure it out. Duo, I bet if you asked half the students on your campus, they wouldn't know either.'

'So you're telling me I'm actually normal about something? Weird.'

'Very normal indeed,' Zechs assured him. 'You don't actually have to have a grand plan. Sometimes things just work out.'

'To things working out then?' Duo offered his glass for a toast. 'Thanks. So what's your plan then? Just hang around and spend as much time as possible with 'Fei.'

'That's about the sum of it, yes. But with both of you. Is that acceptable?'

Duo thought about it, clinking one finger against his glass. 'Do you know how to fly a kite?'

'Excuse me?'

'A kite,' Duo repeated, enunciating the two syllables very carefully.

'Well, yes. I used to, anyway.' He'd had one as a child; a scarlet dragon from Java. There had been a sloping lawn at the bottom of the palace rose gardens, the perfect place for a small boy with a kite on a breezy day. He'd spent hours tearing up and down it, after lessons, racing the dogs.

'Right. I saw this documentary last week, about kite fighting. You put broken glass and stuff on to the string. It looked pretty damn cool. We could maybe try it? You know, if you really did want to hang out again? Sometime when 'Fei's busy?'

'I'd like that very much,' Zechs said sincerely.