Part Two

Meet Me Halfway

The cockpit of the Odyssey felt cold as Wufei sat curled up in the command chair, his eyes closed, his hair unbound after his exercise regime and shower. The recycled air filtered around from the ventilation ducts and moved wisps around his face as he sat silently, listening to the sounds the Odyssey made. There was never silence in a shuttle in motion, just as there was never true silence in a colony or in a Gundam cockpit, and Wufei listened to the whirring of the mechanical components as they approached Mars, the red planet now large in the glass viewing panel as he opened his eyes.

He'd opened them not because of their proximity to Mars, even though it was creeping closer, but due to the sound of the door sliding open to the cockpit and the sound of footsteps behind him. Wufei glanced to see Duo, nodding to acknowledge his arrival as he walked to take the co-pilot chair.

Wufei's eyes narrowed as he watched Duo take his seat. He was wearing only loose grey track pants and a black tank, like he usually did aboard the Odyssey so Wufei could see the traces of all those tattoos and scars that littered his chest and arms. His hair was braided, as it always was, though looser than usual and some strands had escaped the weave. [He'd guessed as he'd been woken harshly by the alarm as Wufei had discovered many things about Duo Maxwell during their month's long voyage to Mars. ]

He thought they'd come to blows, his own anger still seething, and his memory of the teenage Duo being one who was obnoxious and loud. Yet they didn't. One reason being that they saw very little of each other. This was done due to the fact they had shifts aboard the Odyssey, a brief hand over time allotted to share any relevant information before the other would go sleep or work out or spend some time in the bunk alone, relaxing. The other was Duo, while loud and brash when he spoke, spent most of his time quiet, only talking when necessary to Wufei. It had made life easier for him as despite the years, despite the pain of Trowa's death receding, Duo's return into his life had brought it back, and his grief had resurfaced in tidal waves, at times making him nauseous, when he woke up and remembered how Trowa touched him. How Trowa fucked him. How Trowa had that small smile. How Trowa was an asshole. He glared out at Mars and folded his arms across his chest. How Trowa was dead.

On L5 he'd carved a life. And Duo had just come hurtling into it and disturbing it.

"Another day?" Duo asked and Wufei turned, cocking his head. "One more day to Mars, right?"

"Yeah."

One more day. One more day until they landed on Mars and it would be the beginning of the end of the mission. They would rendezvous in the area that the ESUN still had control of, be met by a Commander Kent, and then they'd attempt to talk down Zechs. Or Wufei would. He hadn't been a negotiator for Preventer for years and he didn't understand why Zechs had made those demands. As while Wufei had stupidly ended up in bed with him, it wasn't like it meant anything. They had both had the shadow of Treize over their post-war existences but it was a few times of rough, meaningless sex. Zechs hadn't been Trowa. And Wufei hadn't been Noin, who Zechs was willing to leave everything behind for. That thought didn't even make him feel vaguely sad. He just felt nothing.

"Then we get in, get Zechsy out, go back to normal. Forget this whole shit happened."

Wufei nodded, seeing the false smile on Duo's face. He'd noticed that a lot. That Duo tried to put a front up and in their limited communication was always joking, every sentence something sarcastic or intended not to be taken seriously.

"You know why he wanted to talk to you? I mean, shit, it's like nearly ten years since you…" Duo's voice trailed off into the oblivion of the cockpit, the dead space in between them.

"Since I fucked around with him?" Wufei finished helpfully, his eyebrow arching.

Duo shrugged. "Yeah."

Wufei sighed. He had spent much time thinking on it during the hours aboard the Equinox, many hours restless in his bunk staring at the metal panels around him, trying to figure out why Zechs had requested him. Wufei doubted it was because of their shared past. So he mused on it. There was no sentimentality involved.

"He trusted me… once."

That was true, Zechs had trusted him and Wufei had trusted him. Trusted him to take his virginity with skill and precision. So maybe it was trust.

"Yeah?" Duo said, his voice lilting. "Well, maybe we gotta use that trust to save the day."

"Maybe," he replied, pushing himself out of the pilots chair to leave the cockpit to Duo.

As despite their amicable behaviour, whenever he saw Duo's stupid tattoo, and the scars that littered his shoulders – the damage done by being in a Gundam cockpit, he thought about how Duo was still alive and Trowa had been dead for years. And he seethed silently as while Duo was right, they didn't have long until Mars, once they had got Zechs they had a return journey to make, whether Zechs was dead or alive.

"Ready for us, Equinox?"

Wufei glanced across at Duo, who was in the pilot's chair. He was sat in the co-pilots seat, their spacesuits on for the landing and the exit into the partial grav of the hanger and the potential danger of entry into Equinox.

"Hanger door opening commencing in 0.30," was the response from a woman, a clipped response and Duo gave a little roll of eyes towards Wufei.

"Okay, making our descent in approximately one minute," Duo said and Wufei watched him work.

It wasn't like the piloting of their teens, and provided no challenge, but Wufei had let Duo pilot despite his tease that he would not. Wufei had known that Duo was a superior pilot to him, even Yuy had said it, so he sat back and watched. Most of the time during their journey to Mars, the autopilot worked and controlled their route, but during takeoff and landing the computers could not replace the reflexes and ingenuity of an actual human pilot. Wufei knew that piloting was a thing for Duo, unlike him. To Wufei, piloting had been something he'd done out of some duty to his colony, his people, Merian. And to Duo it was in his blood. It was something he could understand, even if he didn't feel it.

The feel of the shuttle landing seemed to vibrate through his bones and skin, Wufei looking at the readouts on the screen, his eyes glancing to see Duo's face full of concentration. He briefly remembered Trowa – realising that a lot of these recent events had reminded him of his dead lover. It wasn't that Wufei had forgotten him, only that he'd moved on, become powerful in the slums of L5, and constructed a life out of the ruins. He shook his head, trying to forget Trowa and get rid of his anger towards Duo. He'd managed to meditate and ignore that resentment but he imagined the stress of the actual mission, of seeing Merquise again, of a potential battle and how he would handle that could bring it all back. He'd lived a life of uneasy peace since Trowa's death; yes, he had still fought and killed and protected people in the poverty of L5 – the harshness dished out to the paedophiles and the rapists – but he had not worked officially in so long. At least he had not been required to wear the uniform again.

Neither of them were.

The landing was smooth, the shuttle going through the heavy metallic doors, stopping on a landing pad with an elegance that Wufei had not expected.

"You still fly?" he inquired.

Duo smirked. "Regularly. Don't ask what I do. It's better for your health."

Wufei nodded. He'd not initiated much conversation, and Duo hadn't volunteered any. It had made it a companionable and bearable flight. But it also meant he had no idea of the man Duo had become. Well, apart from the fact he didn't talk as goddamn much.

They paused for a moment, Duo glancing over at him, and he met his deep blue eyes noting the subtle shifts in his appearance since they had been teenage boys full of fire and the power of being invincible. Before Trowa had died and proven that was inaccurate.

"Ready for this?"

Wufei couldn't tell whether there was concern in those eyea, but he nodded, trying not to feel insulted at his doubt. "Yes. I can handle Zechs."

He expected some joke, some dig, some innuendo about fucking him when he was sixteen and stupid but Duo only hit the button to open the hatch and then got to his feet, put his hand on his shoulder, touching the tight material of his spacesuit and nodded.

"So let's see what the fucks goin' on that requires two of us, right?"

Duo pushed himself away, the partial grav of the hanger making him float, and Wufei watched his braid follow behind him, trailing like a beacon leading the way. He sighed, following a few moments later, walking and floating until they were in the hanger.

It was an impressive hanger. The sort that could house mobile suits or dolls but instead all it housed was a ragtag selection of old and new shuttles – some damaged and some perfectly workable. Wufei cast his eyes over them and narrowed his gaze at seeing some of the damage on them, puzzled as to why there were marks in the hulls from a beam sword, or holes from a barrage of bullets. His eyes met Duo's and he realised his "partner" on this venture had observed the same thing. At least that boded well.

A small welcoming party greeted them, and Wufei stood next to Duo then, his arms folded across his chest. They were dressed in utilitarian grey, a mix of genders, but it was clear that a tall man with a moustache was the leader, due to the deferential pose they made. They were expecting a Commander Kent. This appeared to be him.

"Agent Maxwell , Agent Chang," he said warmly, offering his hand in turn.

Duo took the hand and then scratched at the back of his head, Wufei knowing this to be a nervous gesture from their time aboard Peacemillion during the war. "We're not agents. I'm freelance and Chang is here because Merquise demanded."

"Yes," Kent replied, his hand now firmly shaking Wufei's, "but I would still prefer to refer to you as agents. We have ranks here."

Wufei didn't say anything, only let their hands drift apart as he looked towards Duo, who shrugged.

"Whatever you want Commander."

"Would you like to follow me? I imagine you want to stretch your legs and see the base and explain our current situation?"

It seemed that Duo was not answering, a pout on his face showing his annoyance at being referred to as "agent." Wufei guessed this was due to the fact he was being blackmailed into it, but didn't mention it, only answered Kent.

"Yes, please get us up to date," he said curtly, nodding his head.

"Okay, Agents, follow me."

They shared a wary glance, and Wufei saw the suspicion in Duo's bright blue eyes as they walked, following Kent and his entourage. It seemed they weren't trusted if he'd brought four people as security. Wufei didn't know what to think as they walked around the limited areas that the ESUN still had control over. It included the main control room, so they had been able to disable comms and Zechs getting any information out, and made it uncomfortable in that area of Equinox, as well as some of the cell like rooms and the cafeteria. It soon became apparent that most of the base was controlled by Zechs, only highlighted more when they returned to the control room and Kent dismissed his inferior officers, pointing towards chairs for them to take.

Kent turned towards the control panel and brought up a map of the base and Duo leant forward, Wufei observing how he looked intently at the information on the screen, his eyes taking it in swiftly. He, like Trowa, had doubted Duo during the war thinking him flippant and stupid. It was only after, in the aftermath, that Wufei realised Duo was smarter than he let people know. He wondered if that in itself was a defense.

"As you can see, this is a whole map of Equinox. And you can see how much Zechs has control of."

"What does it include?" Wufei asked as his eyes flicked to Duo who had sat down,, leaning back in the chair and looking unthreatening and casual. Wufei knew it was an act. He suspected that Duo didn't trust Kent. Or anything about this.

"Zechs has control of the labs, the green houses and the main bulk of the accommodation. Also the weapons store. He has more than half of the population on his side."

"How did he get control?" Duo asked.

Kent's eyes narrowed, looking at Duo's relaxed pose, seemingly a little annoyed at his behaviour. "A fight. He had the weapons. And he then blew all the access to the areas he gained control of. There is one way that is accessible and it is guarded… we lost many men that way."

Duo made a "hmm" noise at that and then put his hands behind his neck, leaning back in his chair, and Wufei would've rolled his eyes were it not for a small glance he gave him.

"Why have so many weapons? I thought the whole point of Equinox was creating a new colony and all. Not somewhere to fire a gun."

The Commander's face twitched, and Duo looked politely puzzled and nothing more, Wufei seeing the frustration inherent in his dark eyes. His moustaches bristled, and Wufei was reminded of many of the men he'd met during his short tenure as a Preventer. Men who were used to the "old ways," and were not keen on the upstart Gundam pilots. Men who had spent time in Romefeller and the Alliance. Wufei thought he'd check up on the guy once they had their own quarters.

"Maybe you should talk to the funder of the operation, he wanted to brief you," Kent said, his voice level despite the anger underneath the surface.

The image on the large screen turned from the maps of the Equinox base into the image of one man. A man that Wufei had not seen since the disastrous events after Trowa's funeral – when he'd threatened to kill Duo. Of course, he'd seen him on vid-screens. He'd seen a part of the wedding when he'd married Relena, but he'd not followed his stellar post-war career.

"Duo, Wufei," he said curtly and Duo sat up straighter then.

"Hey Quat."

Wufei noted the look of distaste at Duo's casual greeting and Wufei saw a different Quatre Raberba Winner than he remembered from the war. Just as Duo was older, different, so was Quatre, but maybe not in a way that was as likeable. He wore a suit, his hair darker seeming and slicked back off his forehead and his tone was harsher than Wufei remembered. But then eight years was a long time ago. He'd not even been dating Relena then. He thought they had children, but then didn't care to look further into it – all Wufei knew about them was what he saw on brief moments on the newsfeed and through seeing old magazines thrown about on the ground of the slums.

"You gonna explain why there were weapons that Merquise could steal and use against you?"

Quatre's eyes narrowed at Duo's abrupt question. "There are weapons just as there would be at any base. You know about smugglers and scavengers in space, don't you, Duo?"

"Yeah," Duo answered his voice low and deadly, "I know something about that."

"Merquise has taken over the most important area of the base. The labs and greenhouses are where the work is being done to make Mars hospitable and for the colony to be built. We want you to negotiate with him. We don't want a blood bath, or anything destroyed," Quatre said, his voice level and calm.

"We got ya, no kaboom, right?"

Wufei saw Duo's smirk and saw Quatre's veiled indignation. "We will negotiate. I knew him… once, I know how his brain works."

Even as he said the words, Wufei didn't believe them as he had known Zechs but in a purely sexual and thoughtless way. In a way where they were both fucking away their pain and confusion, Wufei finding his grief and anger at his own actions during the war fading when Zechs pushed him hard against a wall, fucked him against the cheap sheets of some fucking motel room, and he felt an anger deep in his gut. He wanted to know why Zechs had wanted him. It meant nothing. And he had been demanded for this.

He didn't want to be here. Didn't want to be sat with Duo's dangerous smirk and casual pose, with Commander Kent looking at them with veiled distaste, with Quatre's near sneer. He wanted to be back in his colony, working at his store, repairing bicycles and whatever else he could. Protecting his area from gangs and thieves and worse.

"Good. I expect you to keep me updated?"

"'Course, whatever you want, Quat," Duo drawled and with a brief curt nod, the call disconnected, and Wufei looked at Kent.

"I bet you guys want some food and some rest, work out a plan of attack before you approach Merquise?"

Duo spoke for them. "Yeah, we need to stretch our legs and all. And please tell me you have something that is not rehydrated. Fuck, I can't eat that shit anymore."

Kent chuckled and stood up, seeming more comfortable discussing the mundane.

"Can we get printed blue-prints of the base?" Wufei asked and Duo looked at him, cocking a brow in response.

"Sure," Kent replied, overly friendly all of a sudden, "I'll get someone to deliver them to your quarters."

With that, they followed Kent along the metallic corridors and Duo leant close to him, whispering in Wufei's ear, the heat of his breath across his skin making him shiver from the long forgotten feeling of having someone close to him. "You brought your sword, right?"

"Yes," he hissed back, his voice low.

Duo just nodded to that and started to whistle, casual as he liked, and Wufei knew that just like him, Duo was unsettled by their mission, and Equinox.

The quarters were shared, which was not a problem considering the small space aboard the Odyssey. And it allowed them an opportunity to talk. Wufei spread out the map of Equinox as Duo perched crossed legged on one of the military standard thin bunk, his eyes narrowed at the plans.

"You think this is all wrong?" Duo asked and Wufei stopped his study of the plans to look up at Duo, pinning him with a harsh stare.

"Yes."

"I mean… smugglers, really? Shit, I was doing all sorts of scrap and salvage and smuggling and no fucker was ever gonna come near Mars. I know this."

Wufei nodded, as Quatre's excuse for the weapons on Mars was pitiful at the very least, and he shrugged. "Maybe there have been more revolts. Maybe the condition aren't as good as they want to make out."

"Well, shit, Equinox was meant to be fully working and habitable by AC 200. And it ain't. Shit's gone down here. Fuck knows what," Duo said and then flopped onto the bed, looking at the ceiling as Wufei glanced back at the map, seeing the large space that was the labs and the greenhouses. "You think that's why Zechs wanted you? Somethin' he found out? Wanted someone he thought he might be able to trust?"

The thought was one that had already crossed Wufei's mind after their visit around Equinox as Zechs demanding him still seemed so odd. Had to be a reason.

"He's been here for nine years," Wufei answered, "why now do this?"

"Noin."

The name hung in the air for a moment as Duo then scrambled to get a tablet from his backpack, bringing it out and connecting to the base's server.

"Wonder how she died…" he mused as he keyed in something, Wufei watching the reflecting of the screen in his blue eyes. "Well, whaddya know… vague as fuck."

He passed Wufei the screen and he viewed the file, Noin's medical and personnel file, seeing the image of the woman he remembered, and he saw the same "deceased" and the "cause of death" being declared as "existing medical condition". When Wufei flicked to the medical page, none was listed.

"That's one reason to go psycho," Duo said, "fucking with the one you love."

"Would you do that for Heero?" Wufei asked, his eyes narrowed.

Duo laughed. "Naw… 'Ro and I have a whole "fuck buddies" thing goin' on. No feelings, no hurt, no shit – we can fuck each other's brains out and it don't mean nothing. I can't… relationship. I can't go through the shit you went through after Tro'."

Wufei tried not to let the anger surface, the latent grief and yet he still felt it. "Trowa. Call him Trowa. That was his fucking name," Wufei said, his voice low and deadly as he rose to his feet, seeing Duo's eyes widen at the sudden change in his demeanour.

He heard Duo say something, heard something about the fact Trowa didn't have a name just as he didn't, but Wufei was leaving their quarters to retrieve some belongings from the Odyssey before he slammed his fist into Duo's face again.

As though it might've felt good, he would do it after they were through on Mars.

His father's sword had been stashed underneath the bunk aboard the Odyssey, and Wufei removed the blade from his hiding spot, unrolling the shirt he had folded it in and then removing it from the sheath. He assumed Duo hadn't noticed the presence of his favoured weapon aboard their small shared shuttled, but then he obviously had, as he had made that enquiry. Wufei slowly ran his hand down the edge, feeling the sharpness and remembering its last few uses.

The justice in his district had been severe and been handed down by himself and the men loyal to him. The blade had killed. The blade had sliced hands off. The blade had cut and torn through skin. It had not seen battle, but it has seen bloodshed.

He was about to return it to the sheath when he heard the sound of someone approaching, the metal making footsteps reverberate and Wufei raised his weapon, turning towards the door to the sleeping quarter, the panel left open in his own haste.

Wufei worried it would be Kent or one of his men. He supposed he should've expected Duo. But maybe not with the angry look on his face, his eyes narrowed and body language aggressive.

"I'm sick of this shit. You got a problem, say it, I'm not working with you being pissy at every little fuckin' thing."

He should've lowered the sword. But he had contained his anger aboard the Odyssey due to the close proximity and Duo's seeming change of personality, but now it seemed that they would have the altercation they were always destined to have.

"You should've backed him up," Wufei said, his voice cold and dangerous and Duo flinched, his eyes looking at where Wufei held the sword. "You were his partner."

"I followed my fuckin' orders. I was told to hold my position," Duo replied, his voice level, "you know what Prev was like then – full of fucking Ozzies who hated our guts and ex-Alliance shitheads who hated us and shit… I was under investigation, and so I followed my fuckin' orders."

The words were aggressive, but Duo's voice stayed deep, pure venom in every word and Wufei lowered the weapon, throwing it aside to the bed, and held his hands in fists at his side. He had read the report, the white-wash, and was pretty sure that Preventer had hid something.

"It was eight years ago – we were eighteen, 'Fei, and shit I wanted to go, I wanted to stand beside him… fuck, he was my partner. And yeah, I didn't love the guy like you but… Tro' was my brother. The five of us were meant to be brothers and fuck, we ain't… not since Trowa."

Wufei looked down to the metallic floor, his eyes then scanning up Duo's legs back to his face. He saw the frustration.

"You still have Heero," Wufei responded.

Duo chuckled and it wasn't a pleasant sound. "I have Heero? He barely likes me… and Quat… well to say he's a douche now is kinda an understatement. And you. You left, 'Fei – you fuckin' ran away and left us. Do you know what I fuckin' did after Tro'?"

"Do you know what I did?" Wufei growled back, his anger, all those days of meditation and peace forgotten as he walked towards Duo, their bodies close, their faces glaring at each other. "Do you know what I went through?"

He knew there was a sneer on his face, an expression of contempt and they were close enough for Wufei to lash out, his body tense and ready to strike. He had never seen Duo's hand to hand combat skills apart from their own brief fight after Trowa's funeral and he imagined that he could easily win any fist fight.

"Yeah, I do as I hurt and I blamed my fuckin' self…. And you ran away and I couldn't explain myself or shit…And all of this just hung over our lives, all our lives. Me and Heero could never have anything that meant shit, as both of us were too damn fucked up, and we both just screw each other because, you know what? What if one of us dies? What if we lose another one of us like we lost him," Duo said, his voice ragged and hoarse and cracking. "Punch me again, 'Fei, fuckin' punch me if it makes you feel better."

"I'm not going to punch you, Maxwell."

Duo stepped closer, his eyes steady and face only inches from Wufei's. "Punch me," he murmured, "punch me like you want to. Blame me. I was his partner, and I failed him because of fuckin' orders. So blame me. Punch me."

"I won't-"

"Punch me, Chang!"

With Duo in his face, close, their eyes staring down each other, Wufei didn't react at first until Duo repeated the command, his hands going to Wufei's shoulders, shaking him vigorously and he acted then. His arm went back, his fist clenched and he hit hard, harder than he had done before, feeling the thrill of the violent act as his fist connected with Duo's face.

The punch back wasn't expected as it hit in his stomach, the punch making him breathless and Wufei bent over, holding his body as he felt the ripples of pain. He looked up to see Duo's face, blood on his lip and he growled, launching himself inelegantly at Duo's waist, sending then hurtling to the floor and pinning him down against the metal.

Wufei pulled his hand back for a punch and Duo smirked, the blood shining on his bottom lip. "Hit me like you fuckin' mean it!"

The taunt was irritating as he looked down at him, and Wufei wanted that smirk of his face, that smirk that he fucking hated, and he reached his hands to around Duo's throat, feeling the pulse and heat of Duo's skin. Duo leant up, his eyes sparkling in challenge and instead of tightening his grip around Duo's throat, Wufei leant down, and Duo made the move that he didn't expect. Their lips meeting in a kiss that tasted of Duo's blood.

Wufei had not been celibate since Trowa – he had engaged in brief affairs and flings, barely caring for the men and women he slept with – barely thinking about them afterwards- but it was Duo, and it was different. Maybe because it was biting kisses, kisses with rawness and aggression and anger. That Duo was pulling at his hair and he was pulling that braid and their hands were harshly grabbing at each other, the whole kiss and touch as much about fighting as it was about sex.

Duo bucked up his hips and Wufei groaned, feeling the contact of their groins, it sending a shiver through his body, and he ran a hand to Duo's thigh, grabbing it to lift it around his waist so that they could grind together roughly, their cocks hardening as their kisses became nipping and bruising, the taste of blood shared.

Their kiss halted as Wufei felt Duo's fingers sliding under his shirt and he jerked at the touch on his skin, tracing over his scars and tattoos, and his body twitched, as it was rare to be touched like that – with rough calloused hands. It made him remember Trowa. Fuck.

His response to that was a harsh grab for Duo's hair, using it as best as he could to drag him so that they were face to face, those blue eyes lust clouded.

"You have lube?" Wufei asked, his voice managing to remain careful and calm despite his raising pulse.

Duo nodded and pushed Wufei off him, standing, reaching for where his bag still sat on his bunk and Wufei rose to his feet too, the adrenalin making him push Duo face forward towards the metal wall once the tube had been retrieved.

"Fuck," Duo growled at the roughness, as he'd hit it hard but Wufei didn't care, the anger and feral energy making him act with a sexual aggression he didn't anticipate.

An aggression that made him pull at Duo's hair, kiss at his neck with biting nips, pull down tight jeans and push fingers in roughly into his body. Duo didn't protest, only muttered curses and Wufei harshly grabbed his hips when he was prepared, sliding into the heat of Duo's body with a thrust that made Duo throw his head back onto Wufei's shoulder.

It felt more like rutting, fucking, something violent but he didn't want it to be gentle, didn't want to see Duo's face, he only wanted to bury his head in Duo's neck, smell the sharp tang of his sweat, taste the blood on his lips from their vicious kisses and fuck him with the raw anger that had built up during their stay on the Odyssey, during the years since Trowa's death, since everything had fucking fallen apart.

He didn't reach to touch Duo's cock, let him do that, feeling the way his hand jerked himself off as Wufei's thrust became faster, his body slapping and slamming hard into Duo's, the sound of slick flesh smacking together loud in the confines of their bunk. It didn't occur to him that their beds were close as he dug his fingernails hard into Duo's skin, as the roughness, the roughness felt good.

And Duo was not complaining, his pants and moans, the curses, the way his fist was slamming against the metal wall as his other hand sped up on his dick. Wufei leant further forward, looking over Duo's shoulder to see him pumping his cock, breathing in the smell of his thin t-shirt and Wufei closed his eyes then as the coil of release seemed to spark in his gut, his cock hot and hard in the tight heat of Duo's body.

Duo bucked back against him and Wufei felt the spasms of his body as Duo came, the low groan, the husky voice resounding around the cabin and Wufei thrust harder, hearing Duo cry out louder as Wufei pounded into him a few more times until his cock pulsed, coming deep inside Duo's body.

There was no aftermath, no post-coital high, only the stickiness and recrimination, barely looking each other in the eye. Duo didn't say anything, only grabbed boxers and jeans, picking his duffle from his bed and not bothering grabbing for the tube of used lube, sticky from Wufei's impatient fingers. He could already see the traces of bruises on Duo's skin as he looked back before he left the bunk, left the Odyssey, probably to sit in their shared quarters in the Equinox base.

Wufei just adjusted his own clothing, wiping his sticky hands against the thin sheets of his own bunk as he sat on the edge, reaching for his father's sword and feeling the reassuring weight of the blade in his hand, holding onto the clarity and realness of it so he could forget the events that had just occurred.