Warnings: mild violence, mention of fictitious death, mention of prostitution & drugs, coarse language, M/M lime/lemon, and general adult situations.

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is a product of Sunrise & Bandai Entertainment, I do not claim ownership to these characters, only to my own words.

A/N: Wow, thank you so much for your feedback! I am so pleased the response I am getting for this fic, you guys are awesome. So without further ado, here's another juicy chapter- enter some more internal conflict and a concerned comrade to the mix...


Chapter 3: Contingency Plans

After thirty minutes of aimless driving in hopes of losing whatever tail they might have gained from the comm hack Duo had so haphazardly discovered, Heero had pulled the car into the parking lot of a coffee shop boasting 'free communications and intrasphere connection.'

He'd since been instructed to wait in the car and as much as he might've liked to argue with the command he had recently discovered how drained his body felt since their arrival on L2, a sensation of jet-lag just now catching up with him like a smack to the solar plexus. So, now in his 'old age-' years past his days as the indestructible 'perfect solider,' Heero didn't mind waiting in the car if only to close his eyes for a few brief moments of quiet, Duo-free time all to himself.

It didn't last as long as he would have liked.

"Guess what?" Duo slammed the passenger door behind him as he slid back into his seat.

Heero didn't bother with opening his eyes. "What?"

"Got a new palm-top and a lead." At that he managed to crack open his lids to observe Duo through lash covered slits. He didn't bother to ask where Duo had gotten the tech. "You know that email? Well I did a bit of screening and you'll never guess who the address was attached to."

Duo licked his lips. Heero forced himself to actually open his eyes and turn to give his full attention. "A prominent businessman who lives in Brussels. He's been arrested multiple times for suspected drug abuse, but conveniently enough his witnesses never seem to show up."

"The bed-warmers?" Heero interjected. "They're just black-mail pawns, but only the drug-runners know that."

Duo's head bobbed a couple of times, his bangs brushing against his forehead. "Rumor has it the guy- Cyrus Emir's his name - makes quite a few undisclosed 'business trips' specifically to the the L2 sector."

"So if Sawyer knew about the drug problem then he'd become a fast liability for someone in the ESUN's capital." Heero was fully awake now.

"Exactly. But that doesn't add up with the theory about the murders coming from the inside- if Sawyer was in it for the guy's money that makes sense, but there's no way an earthbound cartel would've had anything to do with it. The thing being a cartel murder would't be plausible- there's no connection, no way Sawyer was one of their mules, not all the way out on L2."

Heero's brows furrowed, eyes turning to study the new palm-top as Duo's fingers drummed across the surface in some sort of hyperactive pattern. He again wanted to bring up the idea of perspective, but held back in lieu of another possibility. "A copycat? To get rid of a witness without leaving any possible ties to Emir himself? Would be convenient if Sawyer was threatening blackmail."

At that Duo's lips curled upwards into a wide smile. "See? Without all that tequila floating around your system you're just as smart as ever, 'Ro."

He wasn't sure if he should take that as a compliment or a jab, but either way Heero was just glad they were making some sort of progress here, even speculatory. The faster he solved this puzzle, the faster he could go back to his customary haunts, no matter what Duo had to say about it.

He watched as Duo placed his thumbnail between teeth, staring out the windshield as if thinking crucially about what to say next. Heero wanted to prompt him, wanted to ask if he'd looked at shuttle schedules, wanted to know how much longer this little arrangement was actually going to last before either Duo himself up and ran out or Heero spontaneously combusted.

Duo chewed on the nail for a few more seconds then turned to stare at the other man's harshly pursed lips. "Emir's having a quiet little get-together at his mansion this weekend. Only the prominent will be there, probably a lot of politicians and big-wigs and minor celebrities. And-" He hung on the word, drawing out the syllables, while his eyes studied Heero as if waiting to see how long it might take for him to bite.

Count it, exactly four and a half seconds. Heero grunted in annoyance. "And?"

"And the ex-King of the World would definitely be a desirable addition to his guest list, don't you think?"

That was not what Heero had been expecting. He actually found himself flushing over it, crossing his arms stiffly in hopes of passing the color in his cheeks off as anger instead of agitation. "I was never the 'King of the World,' I was barely her fiancé."

Duo shrugged, reaching over to turn the keys still lodged in the ignition before Heero could react. "Eh, the details aren't important. With a little creative hustling I'm sure we can swing a couple of invitations." He smiled sideways then as the car rumbled to life. "Better get your tux out of storage, buddy."


Heero awoke to the enticing sensation of lips traveling along the shell of his ear.

"Missed you," purred a voice that wound it's way into his central nervous system.

His eyes were glazed with familiar lust, but as his vision focussed and came to rest on flashing indigo Heero's entire body tightened. "What are you doing?" he hissed out, though gave no command for his limbs to fight against the new force climbing atop him.

Duo smirked against the edge of his jaw. "Don't worry, they won't hear."

Warning bells rang through Heero's skull, but he found his hands coming to rest against the lithe hips that settled against his own. Duo was leaning over him on straddled legs, fingers dusting over the naked skin of a sharp collar bone, tongue mingling against the sensitive planes of a quivering neck.

Heero tried to turn his head to observe Duo, to reason with him, but all he could see were the muscles constricting against his pale back, the familiar priest's shirt abandoned on the floor somewhere, the only thing separating their dual arousals thin, black jodhpurs and skin-tight spandex.

Finally Heero brought his hand up to grip against Duo's wrist, catching his balance and causing the man to unlatch his devilish lips. He looked up, quirking a smirk. "You really don't wanna?" he whispered out, almost disappointed.

Staring into those imploring eyes Heero wasn't certain how much longer his resolve would hold out. It had been too long- for both of them. But this was not the most opportune place to have such a reunion as this. The walls were thin, Heero knew that well from a similar reunion that had taken place the night before with fellow comrades who were still unaware that he knew of their little romp.

He felt himself flush at the thought, but Duo took it for something else. His features glowed in the shadows, mischievous. Slowly lips came in contact with Heero's own, a tongue flicking along the bottom until he released his suddenly clenched teeth to invite the playful intruder.

"Duo," Heero muttered out as they broke apart, the mouth trailing down his jaw. He gasped back a moan as a slickness grazed the lobe of his ear. "We must-" he did moan this time. "-be silent."

Fingers found a hardening nub on his chest and pinched. "I can, but I'm not so sure about you, 'Ro."

For a moment Heero was uncertain what he meant by that; it wasn't as though Duo was any less vocal than he- in fact he was usually more so. He supposed in the heat of the moment, when things got particularly passionate or even violent-

His train of thought was lost entirely as a tongue swirled against the muscle between neck and shoulder, the skin tinging with the gentle ministrations just before a set of sharp teeth latched on without mercy. Heero's yell was cut off by a hand crushing against his lips and that's when he knew it was all over. Desperately he tried to suck in air as Duo's lips traveled further south until finally-

With a strangled cry Heero's body heaved upwards, eyes flashing open to stare at the darkness engulfing him. There was no Duo atop him, kissing and teasing, though the arousal he could feel in his groin gave every indication that there was.

Fingers came to his temple to swipe away beads of sweat that had accumulated there. Heero's eyes adjusted and then he took in the surroundings of Trowa's brownstone, the hard, leather couch he was resting on, the faint hum of a ceiling fan overhead.

With a deep breath Heero fell back against his makeshift bed, digging the heels of his hands against his eyes and willing himself to forget. He fell asleep thinking about the vivid sensation of weight against his body and painful heat on his neck.

It hadn't been a dream- it had been a memory.


The cavernous automat situated two blocks south of Preventer Plaza in Brussels was clean and white and a place on the opposite end of the spectrum from where he and Duo had been frequenting lately. He welcomed the change even if the familiar establishment came with a good helping of muddled chastising in the form of an infamous Chang Wufei lecture.

"He wants your help on a Preventer case?"

Immediately Heero had regretted the slip of his tongue as his ex-partner had inquired about his recent absence here on earth- not like his whereabouts mattered much being unemployed and since unattached- but still Wufei was his friend- as hard as that pill was to swallow- before anything else and so he supposed the concern was duly appropriate.

He swiped his card in the reader next to a glass case featuring an acceptable looking plate of dark greens scattered with other chopped vegetables he'd not encountered in some time. "Yes," Heero answered as blandly as possible.

Wufei was turning the little chrome-plated knob next to his own choice in a precise manner to deposit his work-issued coins. "Need I remind you that neither of you are employed by Preventer anymore?"

Heero retrieved his plate to place on the tray in front of him, his body moving independently of his mind, the process ingrained in his muscles. His recent unemployment certainly hadn't stopped him from flashing his expired badge days before. If Preventer chose to hire security guards that ignorant then he felt comfortable enough working outside the lines on a case that had- according to Duo- been stagnate for almost two years now anyways. No amount of guilt tripping was going to affect his decision at this point.

He watched Wufei grab a little wooden box of dumplings from their compartment. "Yes, I am well aware, Chang."

They picked up their trays to head towards a beverage island in the center of the automat. Wufei's eyes faced forward, but his words trailed out the side of his mouth as they walked. "And you trust him?"

Heero didn't really care to answer that question, not because of the obvious amount of offense placed behind it, but because Wufei was undoubtably right about placing it there. Duo had been a bit of an unpredictable agent, a firecracker- or more likely a bomb- placed amongst Preventer ranks; he was notorious throughout the entire organization. Even during the war the man had been a bit unpredictable, but Wufei himself did not have much room to speak in that category either.

Heero resigned himself to focussing on finding an open table while Wufei fixed a cup of tea behind him. Eventually he spied a group of female agents vacating a booth situated in the corner and he made a beeline.

They'd been sitting, chewing in silence for a good few minutes before Wufei decided to tackle the subject once more. He pushed food around with his chopsticks in a purposeful manner so as to not meet Heero's gaze. "How do you know this isn't one of Maxwell's grand schemes-"

"I can assure you, Wufei, if I were concocting one of my apparently infamous schemes, I wouldn't be holding this neat little Prev badge right about now, would I?"

Both men looked up just in time to see a flash of what indeed appeared to be Preventer identification before Duo was sliding into the seat next to Heero, fingers reaching across the table to filch one of Wufei's dumplings.

Heero waited for the explosion, but Wufei managed to hold back any true anger behind grinding teeth. Instead his eyes took in the- indeed very much real- sight of their old companion now sitting across from him and, after his moment of incredulous contemplation, found the badge now lying haphazardly on the table top between them. "How in the hell did you get that?" he ground out.

Duo smirked around the mouthful of stolen food. "Even Preventer needs a consultant once in a while."

"Consultant?" Heero asked then, scooting his body a few inches after realizing the intense proximity Duo had so hastily created.

"I spoke to Une just this morning- she seemed to think the work we'd done in one week outmatched most of what her other agents had managed to accomplish in a whole year." He went to pick up the badge again, waggling it in front of Heero's widening eyes. "Temporary Preventer reinstatement."

Duo let him snatch the card away. Heero studied it, flipped it over in his hand, feeling the slickness of fresh lamination beneath his fingertips. It was real and official and the most utterly confusing thing that had happened since their impromptu coalescence.

"What are you talking about?" Wufei asked, his initial anger seeming to melt into incredulous frustration. He didn't wait for Duo to answer before he turned his gaze onto Heero. "What is he talking about?"

Heero, still staring at the badge clenched between his fingers, gave an unceremonious shrug. He knew, in theory, what Duo was talking about, but he also knew well enough not to share any of the details with Wufei, lest he have the Preventer Handbook violently thrown at him.

Duo took back the card and pocketed it. "Don't worry about it, 'Fei. I'm sure you've got a caseload miles high on your desk back at HQ," he explained, his eyes flicking to the Chinese man in all sincerity. "Mind if I borrow Heero for a sec? I promise I'll bring him back in one piece."

Wufei didn't have time to formulate much of an answer as Duo hooked a hand around Heero's elbow and proceeded to drag him from the booth and out the front door of the automat.

"Duo," he growled, managing to wrench his arm from the surprisingly strong grasp as they neared the building's corner. "Explain."

The other man did an odd little shrug, turning to lean against the cinderblock exterior with hands behind his head. "Wufei seemed pretty pissed about the whole Preventer thing."

It had not exactly been the statement he'd been looking for, but still Heero let out a rough sigh before responding. "I can understand why. It took him a long time to climb up the ranks there. Think about how it must feel to see you waltz in and practically take back your job with a few shreds of evidence and some fanatical ideas."

Duo shot him a sharp glare, real or exaggerated Heero couldn't be sure. "'Fanatical ideas?' Give me a little more credit than that, 'Ro."

Heero's shoulders slumped, not in the mood for an argument over something so impertinent. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I guess." Duo unfurled his arms from their raised position and reached into the pocket of his leather jacket. "You're still up for our little recon party on Saturday, yeah?"

Heero hadn't even bothered with a nod before Duo was shoving a familiar looking earpiece into his palm along with a thin, folded piece of paper.

"Where did you get this?" he wondered, staring at the tech he'd grown accustomed to during his time with the organization.

It wasn't a big surprise when Duo shrugged again, nonchalant. "With Preventer protocol comes Preventer perks."

Heero found his jaw clenching. He pocketed the earpiece and then proceeded to unfold the paper to view what appeared to be an outline of an elaborate looking structure with several floors and even the sewer systems mapped out. Duo had scribbled some notes in near unreadable scratch and highlighted a few areas that would not have appeared important otherwise.

"And the blueprint?" Heero looked up to watch for the real answer.

Unfortunately Duo gave nothing away. "That's something for me to know and- well let's just say I've got my connections."

These types of roundabout answers were starting to weigh heavily on Heero's mind. He squinted, trying not to actually glare. "Duo, I don't understand why you need my help."

"Geeze, 'Ro. Why don't you just twist the knife while you're at it," Duo laughed out, though there was an odd light in the depths of his eyes. "Seriously, no one's forcing you to do this."

Heero let out a growl. "You came looking for me specifically to ask for my help."

"Yeah, man." Duo rubbed at the back of his neck. "I mean, it's not like I held a fuckin' gun to your head or anything."

"But why, after all this time?" Heero could feel the tension in his voice, painful confusion seeping out of his every pour now. None of it made any sense, this man standing before him made absolutely zero sense. "And to help with a case that has nothing to do with me. Why?"

He watched as Duo thought for a long moment, his brows furrowing deeply. "Because, Heero, you're the best of the best. And you're just sitting in bars wasting away. And I needed your help." The last part came as a low whisper, powerful and almost spat out at him in sharp annoyance.

Heero's fists clenched. He did not particularly enjoy the fact that Duo kept harping on his apparent alcoholism. "You needed my help," he said then, as calm as possible. "So you could consult on this case?"

Almost instantly he knew he'd said the wrong thing, pressed the wrong button, gone too far. But it was true, wasn't it? Duo was just using him, that had to be it. Wufei was right, this didn't make sense, he couldn't trust this man, Duo was too unpredictable for that. He'd been fired from Preventer after all, hadn't he? But then he watched the braided man's eyes dip to the ground, a smile wrap his lips, but not one of happiness or even amusement, no this was much more feral than that.

"I get it. You think the only reason I came to you is so I could get reinstated at Preventer," Duo spoke towards the ground, his lips quivering like he might begin laughing at any moment. But then he looked up, his gaze piercing. "Listen Heero, I've done a lot shit I ain't proud of in my life, but I certainly don't jerk around my friends and manipulate people I care about just for a crummy job I don't really even want." He did laugh then, something cold and harsh. "It's just consulting- and so I can feel better about things when this asshole is behind bars. Don't you trust me?"

Heero's shoulders slumped as the tension in them began to ache. "You never struck me as the kind of person who'd feel guilty about matters he has nothing to do with."

Duo's eyes managed to brighten then. "Ah, but that's where you're wrong. You know I spent the better part of my childhood living under the care of a Catholic church. What's the old Golden Rule? 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' If I'd never gotten off L2 I myself might have ended up as one of those vics."

Heero's mind flashed back to the image of Sawyer, body laying in the alley cold and dead and naked. His stomach clenched and an odd feeling began to tingle down his sternum, something aching and empty. "I'm sorry," he said, the words feeling fuzzy against the roof of his mouth.

Duo's brow quirked. "Wow, you really have changed, huh?"

"Changed?" Heero found himself asking, genuine confusion marring his features.

"Never mind, buddy." An arm was suddenly snaking across his shoulders, Duo's face only inches from his own. "Will you believe me that I actually want your help, not just need it?"

At this proximity Heero could see the little flecks of ultraviolet hidden within the man's indigo irises, the tiny crick in his nose from an old forgotten war-injury, the way his bangs hung nearly hiding a faint scar snaking down the side of his forehead.

He nodded once and then, after a heartbeat, added, "I do trust you."