Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is the property of Bandi/Sunrise, and 'Dancing in the Dark' belongs to Mr. Springsteen. If you're not familiar with the song, sentences in italics are direct quoted from the lyrics.

Note; Many thanks, as always to Kaeru Shisho, for helping and especially for providing the most perfect last line ever.

Dancing in the Dark:

The club was off Davy Street, in the heart of Vancouver's gay village. Outside, rainbow flags fluttered above over-priced cafés, where cute guys drank the latest designer coffees, and their designer dogs were given bowls of iced water.

The place was new, and fashionable, so there was a queue outside. Waiting wasn't a hardship in the warm Spring evening. There were a couple of buskers, rather good, working the crowd, and plenty of scenery to admire.

Most people were content enough to stand in line. I wasn't; it wasn't a part of the plan. You didn't need to wait if you knew the right people, and were prepared to hand out a little money. A nod to one of the bouncers, a tightly folded banknote, and I was in.

I'd been there before, once or twice, knew which stool at the bar gave the best view of the doors. I ordered a bottle of spring water - Irish - and switched on my 'phone, to find the photograph.

I'd taken it almost a month ago. I'd been looking at it, captivated, far too frequently since.

Stupid.

Very stupid, actually; I hadn't even met the man. Not yet, but that would change tonight.

They arrived after twenty minutes. Sometimes, it is necessary to wait. The blond with the engaging smile was first through the doors, blue eyes sweeping the club as if searching for someone, then standing to wait for his companion.

He was attractive, if you liked blonds. His companion was beyond attractive. The club's strobe lighting painted streaks of colour in the long braid, cast eldritch sparks into his eyes.

They ordered drinks, at the opposite side of the bar from me, and stood sipping them for a few moments. They were approached with invitations to dance, of course, and each offer was rebuffed with laughing refusals. No one seemed to be taking offence; they were presumably a couple.

The tall man with dark auburn hair hanging over one side of his face was more persistent that the others, staying to talk and seemingly charming them both, coaxing the blond on to the dance floor. Before accepting, Blondie glanced at his friend, who nodded and added a rather obscene hand gesture.

The man with the braid finished his drink, watched his friend indulgently and then moved into the throng of dancers himself.

He really was lovely. I'd watched him over the past few weeks, very discreetly. There was no point in worrying the beautiful young man by thinking he had some sort of stalker. The clothes he had on tonight - ink-dark purple suede jeans and a paler, silky shirt - were far better than the tailored suits he usually wore. They were delightfully fitted for one thing.

He was a superb dancer, moving easily to the rhythms of the music. When he felt a hand rest lightly on each hip, he didn't pull away from the contact, just twisted his head to see who was there. Twilight-purple eyes met mine and widened.

I smiled, feeling those hips rotate under my hand. 'No one who looks like you should have to dance alone.'

'What if I want to be alone?' Those lovely eyes sparkled.

'I know of an excellent place where we can be alone,' I offered, deliberately misunderstanding.

'That's kind of forward. Maybe just dancing to start? I'm Duo.'

'Heero.'

'Cool name.' Duo gyrated that lovely body. The beat was faster now, and he spun in my arms like a whirling dervish until I had had enough. I'd been fixating on this man for weeks, this beautiful, teasing man and I wasn't sure how much more I could take. Backing Duo, my gorgeous Duo, slowly into an unlit corner, I caught a glimpse of the blond, wrapped around his tall partner like a rash.

Those violet eyes widened again as Duo felt brickwork against his back; a tiny hint of vulnerability that caught my heart. I didn't want to scare him off; the opposite in fact. I wanted….things that were not possible.

'It's all right,' I crooned, rocking Duo gently against me. The band was taking a break, briefly; I could actually hear myself think. 'I just want to touch you a little. Please.'

The first touch was exquisitely gentle; a brush of my mouth against Duo's throat, light as a feather's whisper. Duo didn't pull away, just moaned a little.

'Is that nice?' I followed it up with soft, soft kisses along the man's jaw line, exploring his ear with deft little flicks of my tongue.

'God, Heero.' He threw his head back in a delightful invitation. 'That's so..uh, oh, God.'

So beautiful, I thought, running my lips over the thin, sensitive skin at his throat. I'd wondered what he'd feel like to touch, to taste. What sounds he'd make. Not one of my fantasies had come close to the reality of having Duo Maxwell in my arms.

His shirt buttons slipped undone at a touch, revealing more pale, toned skin, begging to be touched. He jerked away when my tongue darted against a nipple; sweetly taut under the silk.

'Sorry. I know, it's far too soon for this.'

He managed a smile, a faint look of relief on his face. Interesting. 'No. I'm sorry. It's just sort of public here, you know? I'm not crazy about having an audience for this sort of thing.'

'Neither am I.' I fastened the shirt for him, wrapping him back up. Removing temptation. 'I normally have better self control than that.'

Duo's forehead creased slightly. 'It's so weird. I keep thinking I know you, like I've seen you somewhere before.'

I just shrugged; I hadn't gone out of my way to hide from him. The opposite, even. He was more likely to relax with me if he felt that I was a part of the local scenery. We'd passed each other in the street a few times; I'd even cooked him dinner, although he hadn't known it. 'You probably have. My apartment is just a few minutes away, so I come here most weekends. I work in the Italian restaurant around the corner.'

It was where I'd first seen him, as a matter of fact. I'd taken the photograph from the upstairs dining room. Duo and his blond friend had been sitting on the terrace, drinking wine, waiting for their food orders to arrive.

'Lucrezia's? I've been there a couple of times; it's really good. That linguine with the seafood sauce is mind-blowing.'

'Thank you.' I smiled a little, liking the idea that I'd blown his mind. 'I'm the head chef. That dish is my speciality.'

'Yeah? It was the best, really! Hey, you want to dance again?'

No. I'd settle for it, though. At least, I had the chance to hold him, to feel that perfect body grinding against mine. He was a bit more adventurous on the dance floor, among other people.

Duo pulled back suddenly, miming taking a drink from a bottle. At least, that was what I thought he was doing. Either that or a superlative blow job.

It was apparently the former, though, since he headed straight for the bar.

'What are you drinking?'

'A still water,' I snaked my arm about that slender waist, and Duo passed my order to the bartender.

'Same for me, but with bubbles.' He handed me my glass, grinning. 'I kind of like to live dangerously, even when it comes to bottled waters.'

'Obviously,' I said dryly, taking a sip of my drink and trying not to fixate on Duo's white throat as he swallowed.

'Hey, I love this song!' He headed back on to the dance floor, me in tow. The music was vaguely familiar; something Trowa played occasionally.

'So, Heero,' Duo yelled, sliding both hands down my body. 'Tell me; is this gun for hire or what?'

'What?' I hoped, I really hoped, that Duo would attribute the shock in my voice to the fact that one hand had slid very far down indeed. I hadn't expected he'd be this blatant so early on.

The look on the other man's face was innocence incarnate, despite the fact that he was palming my very definite erection. 'Don't you know the lyrics?' He started to sing along with the band; he was very good. 'This gun's for hire; we're just dancing in the dark?'

He let me go, found one of my hands, placing it between his own legs. 'Hey there, baby, I could just use a little help,' he sang; his voice far better than the lead singer's.

'More than a little, I think.' I squeezed gently, loving the feel of him. 'You can't start a fire without a spark, right?'

The song changed to something slower; a couples' song. We didn't really dance; just held each other closely and swayed in time to the music. It felt good.

'I'm dying for some action,' Duo whispered into my ear. 'You said you live close by.'

It couldn't be this easy.

Surely.

Then he kissed me, and I didn't care.

'Too far. There's a place on the roof. Come on.'

I dragged him up the fire escape; both of us almost falling a couple of times.

'Wow.' He let go my hand as I pushed open the fire door. 'This is beautiful. I love how everywhere in this city has a view of the water. It's like the whole city was built around the ocean.'

'You're not local then?'

'You know I'm not.' Duo swirled in my arms.

There were a couple of ways to take that. I chose the more innocuous. 'Your accent's not Canadian, no, but this city has a lot of immigrants.'

Duo nodded, apparently accepting this. 'I'm only here for a few weeks. I'd like to come back though.'

'I'd rather like that, too. So, are you here on business or pleasure?'

'Business so far.' He made a face. 'Pleasure right now. Obviously.'

'It is obvious,' I said softly, palming the bulge between his legs. It felt good; pulsating heat and hardness lying underneath that soft fabric. 'Do you still need a little help?'

This was another fantasy; sucking him off. Gasps of pleasure as and a quick snap of his hips to gain more depth. Then a soft apology, his hands stirring gently in my hair as he pulled back, letting me control the pace.

He was still lost in the throes of orgasm, eyes shut, when I put the gun to his temple.

'You won't do it.' He was trying so very hard to appear calm; just a muscle jumping in his throat to betray that he wasn't quite that confident.

Well, of course not. 'How can you possibly know that?'

'Two reasons. One. You'd hardly go to the trouble of blowing me like that if you planned to blow my brains out after.' He was very still, just a few stray wisps of hair moving when he breathed out.

'It could be what I do. How I get my kicks.'

'I know perfectly well that it isn't. It's not your style.'

Ah. We were beginning to be open with each other then. An acknowledgement that he knew something about me. Had known it all along.

Perhaps, Trowa had been right. Perhaps there would have been an easier way to do this.

'If you know that much, you must know that I vary my methods. What was the other reason?'

'This.' I never saw him move, never felt it, but there was steel at my throat. 'Hard to shoot someone if your head's hanging off.'

Interesting. Very. I'd done my own research, I'd known about his skills with a knife. I didn't know where he'd had it hidden. Of course, he could probably hide an arsenal in all that hair.

'Checkmate. Duo, put the knife down. You haven't a hope.'

Then the door opened, which was part of the plan. A little late, actually; Trowa had obviously been giving me quality time alone with Duo. The man who stepped on to the roof, however, was Quatre Winner. That wasn't any part of the plan.

'This has gone far enough!' He snapped it, training the pistol in his hand at me. He was supposed to be good. Granted, I hadn't thought much of how he'd conducted himself so far tonight, but I supposed he'd been obeying very direct orders from his employer not to interfere.

'Aw, Quat,' Duo whined. 'We were just getting to the good stuff. You're such a spoilsport.' Nevertheless, he had his clothing pulled into place before he'd finished complaining.

'Where is he?' I demanded. The plan, it appeared, was going to need a little modification. The blond was better than we'd thought. Our fault; we shouldn't have underestimated him. The question was, of course, how badly we had.

I should never have involved Trowa.

I repeated the question again, more loudly this time and Winner granted me one of those winning smiles.

'He's fine. Safe. He'll have a thumping headache in the morning though.'

'No before-breakfast sex for you then, Quat,' Duo commented idly, shoving my gun aside with one hand and standing up. The blond, surprisingly, blushed. 'Heero, whatever you're being paid, I'll double it. Not to kill me, obviously. But I need a bodyguard.'

'You have him.' I jerked my head at Quatre.

'He needs a day off occasionally.'

'I've already accepted the contract. I can't go back on that.'

'What can an assassin know of honour?' It was a new voice, familiar from somewhere, and one of the shadows from the wall fluidly detached itself and moved towards us.

Not just the voice was familiar; I knew him. He was Chinese, dressed all in black, just like me. Lamplight glinted off the blade in his hand.

He was the man who'd taken out the contract on Duo Maxwell. Not that we'd ever met, or he'd let me know his identity; he'd been terribly careful about that. Just not quite as good as I was.

I hadn't realised he'd want to witness this in person. Enough had gone wrong tonight that I couldn't be quite sure what was happening any more. Just in case, I thrust Duo, protesting loudly, behind me.

'If you're here to kill me,' he piped up, 'how come you're trying so hard to protect me?'

'Perhaps because I want to kill you myself?' I gibed, but it lacked heat. He knew perfectly well I wouldn't. 'Simple economics. This man is the one who wants you dead. If I don't do it in person, I may not get paid the full amount.'

'Uh, yeah. 'Bout that.' Duo's expression didn't seem sure whether to go for smug or sheepish. 'The thing is, Heero, Wufei works for me. You might say this is all a bit of a set up, really.'

'Why?' He looked surprised at the question; at the fact that my face remained utterly impasive.

'Like I said, I need a bodyguard. I've heard about you, that you're the best, but you're damned hard to contact. The only way we could figure out was to employ you to kill me. With certain specifications, obviously. I didn't want you picking me off one morning while I was having breakfast or something. 'Fei told you I'd be here this evening, and left the rest to you, right?'

'You played out this whole rigmarole, why exactly? I could have decided to go against orders and kill you downstairs, the minute I saw you.'

'You could.' He shrugged. 'I'm not that easy to kill, though. And 'Fei was downstairs keeping an eye on me. I'm sorry, Heero. I need people I know I can trust; who can't be bought so easily.'

'Assassins are always for sale, Duo. It's the nature of the beast. '

He flicked his braid back over his shoulder, gesturing to Quatre to put away the gun. 'You refused to back out of a contract when I offered you money. I always find poachers make the best gamekeepers.'

'It was a stupid test. If I'd accepted, you could have had me killed anyway. Why did you think I'd be remotely interested in working for you? I don't guard people; I'm the reason why people employ guards.'

Duo nodded. 'I didn't know if you would be interested. You're still here, so I guess you must be. Wufei picked up a rumour somewhere that maybe you might be interested in going straight. You know a guy called Zechs, don't you?'

I nodded, trying not to smile. I'd planted that particular rumour, of course, very carefully. I did owe Zechs a favour for helping. 'You do realise he's also in the market? And he's good.'

'I want the best,' Duo told me softly. 'Besides, he'd only distract Wufei. If you agree, you can name your own price.' He smiled, surprisingly; that glowing smile that held a warmth of its own.. It was what decided me; that smile and the comment that followed. 'I'd sort of prefer you not to go straight, though, if you get my drift.'

The door opened a second time; this time the right man walked through.

'I'd advise you to accept his offer,' Trowa Barton said calmly, 'I'd check his dental plan first though.'

'Health insurance is important,' I agreed blandly. 'You're late, Barton. You must be losing your edge, letting yourself be duped by a cute blond.'

My friend laughed, glancing over at Quatre, who was engaged in a comprehensive study of his shoes. 'Blondes like him should be illegal. And he was having so much fun, Heero, I couldn't disappoint him. It wouldn't have been polite. Besides, you know how much I like being restrained by the cute blond ones.'

'How did you escape?' Quatre demanded suddenly. He was very red, more angry than embarrassed, I thought. Another one who didn't like having his plans messed with.

Trowa winked, holding out his hand. 'I'll tell you later. Over breakfast. Now, come on. We have some unfinished business to take care of.'

Quatre looked like he was about to object, and gave up when Trowa gave him what looked like a very thorough kiss.

The rest of us just watched-- killer voyeurs—until my partner let his cute blond up for air. 'Good evening, gentlemen,' He finally deigned to acknowledge his audience. 'Mr. Maxwell, before I accept your job offer, I'll need to see a comprehensive offer of terms of employment. You may send it to Quatre's apartment in the morning. Not too early, please.' He inclined his head politely. 'I look forward very much to working with you.'

Duo gaped after them like a goldfish with amnesia. 'Is he always so…so…like that? I never offered him any job! I don't even know him.'

I nodded. 'I'd hire him if I were you. He's very good, and I work well with him. If nothing else, he'll keep Quatre occupied on his days off. And you will need someone to replace Rashid when he leaves your service, won't you?'

'You knew!' Duo spluttered. 'You knew what we were doing all along and you went along with it. Why? And how the hell did you find out? Wufei, what the fuck is going on?'

Wufei darkened; dishonored by his inability to be omniscient.

'It was fun. I wanted to meet you in person before I made any decisions. And I couldn't possibly have disappointed you when you'd gone to so much trouble to arrange all of this. Don't blame Wufei or Quatre. They'll be very good indeed when we've had a little more time to train them.'

'You could have told me you knew!' There was a definite pout settling on that pretty mouth. Wufei glared at me. Hmm. There could be a few problems to iron out in that working relationship.

'You're really cute when you're mad. Very sexy. Have you ever been told that?'

His face flamed; Wufei was dismissed with the wave of one imperious hand. He didn't look too happy about it.

'If I decide to work for you, it'll be on my terms. I name my own salary; my own colleagues. I won't work with anyone whom I can't trust. I'm not good at taking orders. From anyone.' I gave him a little smile. 'I do make allowances for hot guys who are naked in my bed, on occasion. Where your safety is concerned, I will have full authority and you will do precisely as I tell you.'

Duo snorted. 'You don't exactly sound like a model employee, if you don't mind me saying so. I'm beginning to question my reasoning. Why exactly I should hire you?'

'You want me.' That was true, in more than one way. 'You went to a great deal of trouble to get me here, because I am very, very good at what I do. I can keep you alive. I also happen to be a gourmet chef and I can provide a number of other services, upon request.'

'Those …other services,' he took a deep breath. 'Will they be part of our contract?'

'You will employ me as a security professional, and pay accordingly. Anything of a more private nature will be separate, between two private individuals, and will have no bearing on my professional conduct. They're my terms, Duo. How long do you need to think about them?'

'One more question. When you're off-duty, could I maybe persuade you to cook for me sometimes? 'Cause I'm just about starving' tonight.'

I nodded, throat suddenly dry. 'That would be acceptable, yes.'

It was an unorthodox job interview; only fitting that we accepted each other's terms in a way that wasn't verbal.

We'd work out the details in the morning. Tonight, we were dancing in the dark.