Chi: Oh, cool! A new fic! This fic is based off the movie Sliding Doors. It's a really good movie. However, even though this fic is based off the movie, you don't have to have watched the movie to get what's going on!

Bo: Please read and enjoy the fic. Reviews and constructive criticism are accepted. Flames will be used to make toast.

Chi: Onwards!

DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN GUNDAM WING OR SLIDING DOORS (darn…)

Warning: This contains Yaoi, probable lemons, AU and blowing up of objects out the wazoo. You have been warned.

Revised: 6/1/11

THE DOMINO EFFECT

Chapter 1- Three Strikes and you're out!

The loud blare of police sirens resounded throughout a hospital that was being excavated by police officers. The scene of the crime was being searched thoroughly; the crime being that a thief had entered the hospital in an attempt to steal hospital equipment. The police couldn't fathom why someone would want to steal hospital equipment, though that wasn't their point of interest at the moment. They were here to find out who'd stolen the equipment. The police officers were yelling orders here and there with their mammoth megaphones. While the noise was loud enough to render anyone deaf, it couldn't compare to the indignant protests of a certain Duo Maxwell.

"I'm telling you I didn't take the equipment. I have no reason to take any of it!" Duo yelled. His boss only sighed.

"That maybe true, but you're the only doctor here who was here late and has a questionable record."

"Questionable record?"

"You're from L2. We've no idea what sort of gangs or other questionable activities you've been involved in."

"You only want to make sure I'm out of here before the police come in here and convict me. You wouldn't be able to stand giving the hospital a bad name! It doesn't matter the fact that I didn't do it, you only have eyes for your precious hospital and that I'm from L2! Is that really enough to send me away or is that just your superiority complex talking? It's probably normal for you to do this to every person with an L2 upbringing," Duo spat out in rage. He couldn't stand it when people badmouthed where he came from. It wasn't false that L2 wasn't the best out of the colonies, but just because it had a bad record didn't mean that one person spoke for the masses. Not everyone was the same on L2 and Duo hated the discrimination against him for the name others made.

"Mr. Maxwell, please understand. I have no choice in this matter. You're the only person with the means to do such a thing," Duo's boss replied, losing its kind edge.

"But-"

"I've nothing more to say to you. I'm letting you go and that's final. Please collect your things from the hospital lounge and leave."

Duo clenched his fists to keep himself from arguing further. Duo turned around and left, struggling to keep his anger in check. It'd been tough finding a job due to the prejudice certain companies had against L2 and now he'd lost it, for a crime he didn't commit! What was he going to do now?

Duo grudgingly collected his bag from the lounge and headed out of the hospital. And Duo had left his apartment in such a good mood, too… Granted, Duo was in a good mood most of the time, though today he'd been particularly happy. Maybe it was because his usually always-busy boyfriend, Klementz had finally gotten his long awaited day off? Duo wasn't able to stay with him today, but now that he'd been… relieved of his duties (he would never admit to being fired) they might be able to do something together.

They could go to the theater and maybe dinner afterwards. Or they could just fool around in bed all day. Either one suited Duo just fine. A smile made its way to Duo's face. He flicked his long, chestnut colored braid over his shoulder. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad…

The braided man visibly blanched when he came to where his car was parked. Or where it should've been parked was more like it. Duo groaned.

Apparently someone had nothing better to do than to fuck with his life today. Some jackass had gone and hijacked his car. Duo cursed his existence. Or hers, if that happened to be the case.

"How could it get any worse…" Duo muttered. As if on cue, thunder boomed and it began to rain. Duo resisted the urge to bang his head against a nearby wall.

Duo took out his cell phone and called Quatre. His blonde best friend might be able to pick him up. When Duo got the answering machine, he sighed. Quatre was probably at an important meeting if he wouldn't pick up his phone. Duo grumbled and went to call a cab.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo's luck did permit him to find a cab, and when it pulled up he'd been about to cheer. Unfortunately for the braided doctor, the driver had been Russian and didn't understand English very well. Duo had to repeat his address 3 times for her to understand him. So here Duo sat; wet, frustrated, pissed off and jobless. He honestly couldn't wait to get home to Klementz.

When the cab pulled up to his apartment complex, Duo practically threw himself out of the cab. He paid for the ride and hastily took his bag. Duo was a blur among the stairs as he grabbed his keys. He was about to stick them into the lock when he heard a moan. Cobalt eyes widened when another moan was emitted. Duo hesitantly entered his key into the lock and opened the door. Duo trailed the sound of the moans with slowly increasing panic. When Duo reached his bedroom door; he stopped. A slender hand grasped the handle with obvious fear of what would be found inside.

The braided doctor slammed the door open. There on his bed was his boyfriend, Klementz. But he wasn't alone. A woman with short black hair was there too. However, it was not so much as the fact that she was there that surprised Duo as much as it was the position they were in. Duo knew what sex looked like and this was exactly it. Duo dropped his bag with a dull thud.

"Klementz?" Duo's eyes filled with tears. Klementz looked, his fact paling.

"Duo! I swear it's not what it looks like!"

"Oh, I think it's definitely what it looks like," Duo growled. The woman had a large flush on her face and had sheepishly began to collect her clothes. Klementz got up and padded to Duo, an apologetic look on his face.

"Duo-" Klementz's head snapped to the side when Duo punched him.

"How long have you been doing this behind my back you unfaithful ass? How long, you bastard?" Duo seethed, tears streaming down his face.

"Duo, I'm sorry."

"Sorry…? Well, 'sorry' just doesn't cover it. If you think 'sorry' is going to make everything better then you're wrong! If you were truly sorry, you wouldn't have gone and done this!" Duo pointed at the woman. This was the last straw. Duo couldn't take it anymore. He'd lost his job and the stress was building up on him, threatening to overtake him. Duo valued trust and honesty. After all his motto is "I may run, I may hide, but I'll never tell a lie". Klementz's infidelity clearly went against what Duo believed in and Duo was going to break it off, right here and now. The braided man wiped his tears and sighed, "It's over Klementz. I never want to see you again."

"What! You can't be serious!" Klementz grasped Duo's shoulders. Duo's eyes narrowed.

"Don't touch me," Duo slapped off Klementz's hands. Klementz glared.

"It doesn't matter whether or not you leave. You'll just come crawling back to me. You can't stand to be alone, street rat."

"I'll never come back to a piece of shit like you! You can drop dead and go to hell for all I care! All I can say is good riddance!" Duo stormed out of the apartment, stopping only to get his workbag. Duo departed from the complex and called a cab. He had to try especially hard not to cry while telling the Driver from Hell (what were the odds of getting the same driver twice?) Quatre's address. So much for fooling around in bed…

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

When Quatre opened the door, Duo flung himself into Quatre's arms, sobbing helplessly. Both men had toppled over, almost breaking an expensive-looking, but ugly vase. It would've been a pretty funny scene if it weren't for the fact that Duo was crying and they had missed the vase. Quatre hated that vase with a passion. It was an eyesore to look at with its strange colors and abstract look. The only reason Quatre hadn't thrown it away was because one of his sisters had given it to him for his twentieth birthday. Curse his kind heart.

Speaking of kind heart, Quatre had immediately taken it upon himself to mother Duo, almost completely ignoring his guest. When Quatre did remember his poor guest, the blonde looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry Heero, but I can't continue the meeting. Would it be possible to re-schedule?"

Duo looked up to see whom Quatre was talking to. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw the man. This guy could be on the front of a modeling magazine with his messy, chocolate hair and Prussian blue eyes. Even in a suit the guy still looked hot, but more professional.

"It's fine, I needed to finalize a few documents for the transfer anyway," Heero got up giving Quatre a worried glance. The blonde smiled reassuringly and Heero left, closing the door quietly behind him. Quatre then turned his full attention to the distraught man in his arms.

"Shh, Duo, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Aw, Quat everything's so messed up. I mean, it was all so sudden and he just went and… and…" Duo was stuck by a fresh bout of tears. Quatre continued to sooth Duo, though he couldn't make heads or tails of his friend's miserable babbling.

When Duo calmed down, he began to explain what'd happened during the day.

"Someone stole some medical equipment from the hospital. No one was sure who did it. They had the police in and everything," Duo closed his eyes for a brief moment to calm himself before continuing, "I was called in by my boss and he fired me. Said somethin' about how my record was from L2 and that I was the only person on staff who could have done it."

"Duo, you didn't…?"

"Of course not! I gave up my old ways a long time ago," Duo snapped, "Besides, even if I'd done it, which I didn't, I wouldn't have left any trace of having done it. This guy clearly had no idea what he was doing-"

"You're rambling," Quatre sighed. Duo rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish gesture.

"Sorry. So anyway, I just grab my stuff and leave. And what do I find? Just a friggin' oil spot where my car used to be, " Duo fumed at the memory.

"You mean someone stole your car?" Quatre gasped.

"Damn straight! When I find that son-of-a-bitch who stole my car…" Duo left the treat unfinished.

"And then what happened?" Quatre pressed. Duo sobered up and took a deep breath.

"I took a cab home. I did try to call you, but you didn't pick up. I would've tried calling again, but it'd begun to rain and I didn't want my cell phone to get wet."

"I'm sorry, but I was at a meeting and it was extremely important," Quatre apologized.

"With Mr. Armani suit?" Duo grinned, grateful for the brief distraction.

"If you mean Heero, then, yes. We were discussing a business proposal."

"Lucky you. You got to spend all day chatting with Mr. Gorgeous Eyes while I was stuck out in the rain with the Cab Driver From Hell!" Duo pouted.

"Cab Driver From Hell? What happened?" Quatre raised an elegant eyebrow.

"The lady couldn't understand English. I had to repeat my address 3 times. It's not even that hard to remember. Hale Street Apartment Complex. I don't see what's so complicated about that," Duo crossed his arms. With the way Duo kept rambling, Quatre had a feeling that the worst had happened when Duo had arrived at home. Quatre had sneaking suspicion about what had transpired at Duo's apartment and if he was right (which he sincerely hoped he wasn't), Quatre didn't want to push Duo. The blonde businessman gently placed a hand on Duo's shoulder. The braided man caught on and continued his morose tale.

"I get home and run to my apartment. I was just about to open the door when I hear this moan," At this point duo's eyes began to full with tears. Quatre's eyes widened.

"He wasn't…?"

Duo nodded, "I caught him in bed with another woman. Right there, in our bed…" Duo couldn't finish his sentence as the floodgates burst open. Quatre wrapped Duo in his arms, offering whatever solace he could.

Duo felt like he was broken on the inside. Klementz had betrayed his trust with his infidelity and it hurt. It hurt so badly, like there was a hole in his chest that couldn't be filled. Duo wanted to forget about it, however the pain in his chest served as an upsetting reminder of the day's previous events. Klementz had been his friend, his support, his entire world. When something had gone wrong Duo could always find comfort with Klementz. But now he was gone. He'd played the braided man for a fool and used him. Duo thought he'd actually mattered to someone, but clearly Klementz hadn't viewed him that way. And the pain in that was enough to tear Duo apart.

"Was it my fault Quat? Did I do something wrong?" Duo sobbed. Quatre pulled Duo at arms length.

"It was not your fault, you hear me? It was his fault for going behind your back like that. If he felt the need to do something like this, he wasn't good enough for you."

"But…"

"No buts! You didn't do anything wrong," Quatre reasoned sternly. Duo sniffled and forced a smile.

"Thanks Quatre. You're right. I don't need the guy," Duo nodded with a determined look on his face.

"That's right," Quatre wiped a few tears off Duo's face, "Now, do you have any of your stuff with you?" Duo gave a sheepish smile.

"Um, no?"

Quatre sighed, "I'll see about getting your stuff tomorrow."

"I can get my own stuff, y'know."

"Do you want another confrontation with Klementz?"

Duo averted his eyes and didn't respond.

"I thought not. I'll go see if I have a t-shirt and sweats you can borrow for bed." Quatre got up. Duo felt like he should say something as he watched his friends retreating back.

"Quatre!"

The blonde in question turned around.

"Thanks… for everything. You really helped me out today. I owe you big time."

"Silly, you don't owe me a thing. I'm your best friend. It's what best friends do for each other," Quatre smiled. Duo nodded and glanced at the widescreen TV.

"Then, my duty as your awesome best friend declares that I must find out what kind of cable service you get in this fancy ass penthouse," Duo began searching for the remote and Quatre rolled his eyes.

"Duo you've been over here before. You know perfectly well what kind of service I get."

"Screw that and let me watch TV in peace," Duo waved his hand dismissively. Quatre chuckled at Duo's playful behavior, though knowing full well that Duo hadn't completely recovered from the pain that Klementz had dealt him. Duo could smile all he wanted and still not be able to hide his hurt from the blonde businessman.

Quatre placed a hand over his heart and looked to where Duo resided. He had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the last time he held a crying Duo.