You and Me Could Write a Bad Romance

by waterlilylf

Birds do it, bees do it. Even Wufei and Zechs can do it. But can Heero and Duo turn a potentially bad romance into an amazing one? Yaoi. 1 x 2.

3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The Gundam Wing universe does not, lamentably, belong to me and I make no monetary profits from writing.

Note: many thanks to KS for reminding me of this one's existence.

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, implied 6x5. No 2x3 whatsoever.

Chapter 3/3:

'So, which of them was calling this time?' Heero asked, exasperated, rolling over in their giant, glorious bed to look at him.

'Trowa. Again, right. More damn stuff I can't stay in my speech. Can't mention that time he drank crème de menthe; can't talk about those Chinese twins hitting on him at the circus, the acrobats; can't mention that mission in Amsterdam, or the time him and Quat had sex on that Ferris wheel on L3. At this rate, I won't be able to say anything except his name.'

Heero laughed at that. 'I think it's supposed to be traditional for the best man to embarrass the groom.'

'Yeah.' Duo slouched comfortably against the door frame, taking in the view. 'But it's also traditional for the best man to be given a big fuck-off present and I'm kinda hoping for a speed boat. Don't want to jeopardise that by saying the wrong thing, and Tro's a cranky bastard sometimes.'

'Why on earth would he get you a speed boat?'

'Aw, you know. I've been dropping some pretty heavy hints. Oh, there's been a bit of a change in their plans. They're coming a day earlier than planned; should be here around dinner time. Tro says they fancied getting a bit of quality time – which I'd guess means having lots of sex on the beach - before all the rest of the guests arrive.'

'That makes sense,' Heero nodded. 'Are you planning to stand there all day, or are you coming back to bed?'

'In a sec. Just admiring the scenery. That brochure was right; the views here really are special at sunrise.' Oh, yeah. Amazing sky outside, all pinks and blues and golds dancing together. Just not quite as amazing as Heero Yuy's naked, golden body sprawled over rumpled white sheets.

'Maxwell. Come here. Now.'

'Yes, sir.' He measured the distance, took a running leap at the bed, and ended up neatly straddling Heero. 'How's that?'

'Better.' Heero's hands slid up his thighs, settling on his hips. 'God. Just look at you.'

'Super smokin' hot,' Duo agreed, smug, shaking his hair over his shoulders and arching his back.

'Beautiful,' Heero corrected. 'Mine.'

'Every last bit,' Duo agreed cheerfully, swooping down to give him a sloppy, smoochy kiss on the lips. 'Bet I know which bits in particular, huh?'

'Everything,' Heero responded, a bit hoarsely, eyes gone all darkly dilated with desire.

Lots of fun stuff happening south of the border as well, Duo realised, rocking his hips back and forth, making his lover groan. 'Feels like you're getting ready for take-off there, captain. You sure you've got enough gas in your tank, after last night?'

'What do you think?' Heero growled, grabbing him by the waist and pulling him forward.

'Mm, yeah, feels like a pretty full tank all right,' Duo teased. Oh, God, that felt amazing. 'And I just happen to have this super-jet-fuel hanging around somewhere.' He kissed Heero again, just enough distraction to rummage under the bed for the lube. 'Recommended by pilots everywhere for a smooth ride and super acceleration, I hear.'

Heero groaned again, deep in his throat 'You do it. I want to watch.'

Duo grinned. 'Show before take-off costs extra, Yuy.'

'Just do it, Maxwell,' Heero growled, tightening his grasp on Duo's hips.

OK, he wouldn't be wearing his low-rise swim trunks in public over the next few days, not with the way those fingers were digging into him.

Duo shivered, squirting a dollop of lotion into his palm. God, he wouldn't have admitted it under torture, but getting bossed around in bed was a total turn-on, Heero using that voice, and looking at him the way he was, and the hard press of hands against his skin.

'Too slow, Duo,' Heero muttered impatiently and took over the task himself, fingers pressing somewhere else entirely, and he wasn't capable of thought for quite some time.

'Zowie,' he muttered finally, when his remaining brain cells had migrated back into his head. 'That was, like, one seriously smooth landing. Good piloting there, 'Ro.'

Heero groaned again, not from desire this time. 'Can't you stop those awful puns?'

'Nope,' Duo said brightly. 'Anyway, you do it too, flyboy, and you like it. You know you do.'

'Oh, God, Maxwell. Just shut up.' Heero rolled back on top of him, tongue sliding into Duo's mouth.

Nice way to be shut up, Duo thought idly, wrapping his arms around Heero's neck. It was nice, this sort of lazy, not-going-anywhere-in-particular-but-still-naked kissing. No chance of going anywhere immediately, at any rate, he amended. Maybe in a little bit, but right now, no complaints with the snuggling and the making out.

They'd both got a lot more touchy-feely over the past two weeks. Holding hands and kissing a bit in public, yeah, but also when it was just the two of them. Cuddling and snuggling even when sex wasn't on the agenda straightaway, and curling up together in the hot tub, or the swing seat on the deck to watch the sunrise.

Both of them a lot more relaxed, really. It wasn't exactly that he'd been worried about spending two weeks on an island with Heero, OK, maybe just a teeny bit anxious; it had crossed his mind a time or two that he might get bored at some point. Heero wasn't the most talkative guy in the world; was pretty solitary, really, more than happy to snuggle up with his laptop for hours on end, and Duo liked company, liked having people to talk to, and hang out with.

It had been amazing though, all of it. Somewhere over the past year, with all the sex and the rows and making-up sex after the rows, and the trying to be some sort of couple, he'd lost track of all the reasons why he'd liked Heero as a friend in the first place. The intelligence and curiosity and that very quirky sense of humour; how he always listened to Duo's opinion, asked for his views on things.

'I really like you, you know that,' he announced suddenly.

Heero levered himself up on his elbows and looked down at him, a puzzled little frown wrinkling his forehead. 'I thought you said you loved me.'

'Yeah, yeah, I do, but I really like you as well. As, you know, my friend.'

'OK. I like you too, just so you know.'

'That's cool, then,' Duo murmured, a bit drowsily. A nap really wouldn't be the worst thing right now. Maybe a shower first, even, but that would involve having to get out of bed, and he couldn't do that with Heero moving on top of him, and oh OK, maybe the going-nowhere-kissing was about to go – somewhere.

The sun was high in the sky when he woke up a second time, a lazy breeze whispering through the silk drapes. Duo stretched in an empty bed, listening to the lapping of the sea against their bungalow. 'Hey, Heero?'

'On the deck. Come out. There's lunch.'

Lunch would be good. Movement wasn't. He sat up too fast, winced, and fell back down again. Second time round, it hadn't been quite such a smooth ride; lots of turbulence in fact. 'You damn well broke me, Yuy,' he yelled back. 'Never going to be able to walk again. Never going to be able to get out of this bed.'

'Mission accomplished then,' Heero retorted. 'I like the idea of you being stuck in that bed.'

'Hello! That's what handcuffs are for! And ropes. You didn't have to split me in half.'

'But I liked doing it.'

'Smug asshole.' Duo stuck up one finger in Heero's direction and sat up again.

'You love it,' Heero called back. 'Come and eat, Duo. Lobster salad!'

'I'm not some stray cat, 'Ro. You can't just assume I'll come running just because you've got food.'

'But you always do. There's a whole seafood platter,' Heero tempted. 'That tropical fruit mousse you like. I'm eating it all.'

'Fine! I'm coming!' Duo eased himself carefully out of bed, and pulled on a pair of shorts, something he wouldn't have bothered doing a couple of days ago, but Quat's sisters and their families had started arriving, and he really didn't want to freak anyone out with a little gratuitous nudity. 'Don't you dare eat that lobster, do you hear me?'

They ended up eating on the swing seat, Duo curled up in Heero's lap and Heero feeding him, another thing he was getting very used to, and hell, Heero seemed to enjoy it just as much.

Getting soft, Duo thought lazily. All this was something 'Fei and Zechs would do; maybe Quatre and Trowa in their soppier moments. Not him and Heero. Except, well, they were doing it, and it was great.

'All right?' Heero asked softly, passing him a piece of fresh pineapple. 'Not too broken anymore?'

'All good,' Duo affirmed, swallowing the fruit and then suckling on Heero's fingers. 'Honest, 'Ro. Just not up to anything too energetic for a few hours. It's nice just lying here. Maybe do something later, yeah? I'd love to do another dive, 'round sunset when it's getting a bit cooler. That shipwreck the guide told us about yesterday sounded cool.'

'Really? You want us to go treasure hunting?' Heero chuckled, sliding a slice of mango between his lips.

'Why not? The guy said a lot of old pre-colony Spanish ships sailed this way. They were all carrying gold and jewels and all sorts of stuff.'

'Treasure hunting it is then. What would you buy, if you found anything?'

'A speed boat,' Duo said promptly. 'In case Tro doesn't come up to scratch. And two of those jet-skis would be fun; one each. And maybe a dog. A big one, that we could bring when we go cycling.'

Heero bent and kissed him, licking his mouth open and doing his level best to tickle Duo's tonsils.

'Wow. What was that for?'

'Just for you. I love you. We could get a dog anyway…if you liked. I'm at home most of the time now; it could live with me when you're away. And now I know what to get for your Christmas present next year.'

Duo grinned. 'Kinda hard to wrap up a boat, I'd say. Or put it under a tree. Hey, talking of boats, look out there. Ten o'clock. Someone arriving,' He pointed at a small speck, still far out to sea and they both watched it grow into a boat, zig-zagging into the waves.

'Bet you anything you like that's Trowa driving,' he said suddenly. 'He always drives like a maniac, thinks he's James Bond or something.'

'Do you want to walk down to the dock and meet them?'

'Ugh, no. That would involve me having to move.' He let Heero pull him up, thought, kept their fingers entwined as they walked to the little jetty, watching their friends pull up. They both looked like some kind of advertisement for a gay romance novel or something, Duo decided. Or a porn movie.

Granted, Trowa normally looked like that anyway, given his predilection for spray-on too-small clothes, and not many of them at that. You kind of forgot what was under those business suits Quat generally wore though, or the over-sized sweaters or t-shirts he filched from Trowa's wardrobe.

'Jeez,' he breathed, taking in all the golden glory of Quatre Winner dressed only in microscopic denim shorts, the sun playing on the lights in his hair, and the gold ring in one nipple. When the fuck had Quat got that done? 'Y'know, Heero, I'm kind of reconsidering the whole sleeping-with-Quat thing.'

'Me too,' Heero murmured huskily, and laughed when Duo poked him in the ribs before running forward to hug their friends.

'Hey, great to see you guys! I know Tro said you were coming today, but we didn't expect you this early. Should have, considering the way your man there pilots. And drives a boat, apparently.'

'Officially, we're not here yet; you're the only ones who know,' Quatre explained. 'We really wanted to have a little time to ourselves before all the wedding kerfuffle starts.'

'Cool,' Duo enthused. 'You're looking great, Quat. Like the new look. A lot.'

'Obviously,' Trowa said dryly. 'Since you two pervs can't stop staring at him.'

'Hard not to look,' Duo shot back, grinning at them both. 'What's up, Quat? Business not doing well enough to afford shorts that actually cover your entire ass?'

'Is anyone here actually complaining?' Trowa slid an arm around his blushing partner's waist, and pulled him in for a kiss.

'I don't think we're complaining, no,' Heero said, flicking Duo a quick wink, and Quatre a more lingering, appreciative glance, as they walked back to the bungalow.

'Can we get you a drink or something?' Duo offered. 'We've got all kinds of fresh juices and stuff.'

'Juice sounds good,' Trowa drawled, sprawling on one of the sun-loungers on the terrace.. 'Something with a good kick, Duo. None of those stupid little umbrellas or shit. And some peanuts or something.'

'Jeez, what did your last slave die off, you lazy lump?' Duo grinned at his partner. No, ex-partner now, since he'd resigned. Damn. 'Yeah, whatever. Want to me give me a hand, Quat? You have got to see this place anyway! It's amazing!'

'Oh, it's beautiful,' Quatre enthused. 'It was stunning in the photos, but this…I can't believe we're actually here!'

Duo nodded. 'Gorgeous, right? Come on, help me to take out the drinks and stuff. We get all kinds of fresh juices and smoothies delivered in the morning.' He led his friend inside to the small kitchen, and looked at him. 'You look good, Q. Happy. Tired though.'

'I know,' Quatre sighed. 'The past few weeks have been insane. Trying to organise all of this – you and Heero have been amazing, by the way; there's no way I could have done this without you; it's been so helpful that you were both here, helping to set it all up – and get everything done at WEI so I can take a month off for the honeymoon.'

'Not fun,' Duo sympathised. 'Bet you're sorry now you just didn't elope.'

'We did think of it, actually, but we really wanted you two and 'Fei to be here, and Zechs, and all the girls, and I have some good friends on L4, and Trowa has Cathy and everyone from the circus, and then I had to invite all my sisters or I'd have caused a family feud for the next three generations, and then they wanted to invite people. Oh, it's been crazy, honestly.'

'I believe you,' Duo said, heartfelt. 'Still, you're here now and everything's sorted, pretty much. And your sisters must be OK with you and Tro if they're all going to be here.'

Quatre's mouth twisted. 'Or they fancied the idea of a free holiday. But at least they'll have to stop throwing other men at me if I'm married. Well, hopefully. Let's talk about something else. You and Heero seem to be getting along well.'

'Be hard not to get on in a place like this,' Duo said evasively, and then grinned. 'It's been a dream, Quat. Seriously. Just what we needed, having a bit of time to ourselves. Something we need to do more often, spend time together when we're not tired or stressed or whatever.'

'Everyone needs that. Honestly, that's what the next twenty-four hours are going to be for us. Just some time together.'

'Last few weeks have been rough, huh?' Duo sympathised.

'Stressful, yes. I've had a million things to do, and Trowa's been supposed to be resting after being shot, and you know what a hopeless patient he is, and most of my sisters aren't exactly over the moon about the wedding, and there have been some rather horrible articles in the L4 press about us, about Trowa,'

'Jeez, Quat. You should've said. I didn't know you were dealing with all that.'

Quatre shrugged. 'It's all right, really. You and Heero needed some space of your own, and you were doing so much here anyway. Anyway, it doesn't matter. We're here now, and we're getting married in three days' time, and we've managed to get through the last month without killing each other.'

'Seriously?' Duo asked sceptically. 'You two, fighting? I don't believe it. You always make everything look so damn easy, y'know.'

'When exactly do we make it look easy?' Quatre demanded, tart as lemons marinated in acid. 'That year we nearly broke up? When we hardly saw each other for months? When he's running off to get himself killed every other week and I can't do anything to protect him and practically every member of my family disapproves of us? Seriously, Duo? Do you really think any of that is easy?'

'No,' Duo muttered. 'I didn't mean…I don't know what I meant, Quat. Just, you guys are like the most amazing couple ever. I know you've had problems and stuff, but you always just seem so…together.'

His friend gave him a searching look. 'We are,' he said firmly. 'We always will be, but it doesn't just happen, magically. Falling in love, yes. But you have to work at the rest of it. You might like to think about that. Now, you said something about drinks? I'm parched.'

'Sure.' Duo bent down to the little fridge, taking out a variety of drinks. 'So, what's with the new personal decoration? Is it a kind of unusual engagement ring or what?'

Quatre coloured slightly. 'Oh. It's just something I got a couple of months ago. Tro likes it.'

'Yeah, I'll bloody well bet he does. So he didn't get you a proper ring, the stingy bastard.' He shook his head, picking up the tray of drinks he'd laid out and taking them outside. 'God, you're a total cheapskate, Barton.'

'Isn't he?' Quatre sighed, looking soulfully at his unadorned third finger. 'He's refusing to buy me one.'

'Hey! I offered!' Trowa objected, leaning back in his sun-lounger and reaching out one long arm to get a drink. 'In my defence, he's the one with his own diamond mine and he didn't get me one either.'

'It's the principle,' Duo said with all the authority of someone who'd been reading up on wedding etiquette. 'You proposed, Tro; you should've got him a ring.'

'Oh, well, too late now.' Trowa gave Duo a wink and took a long slug of his drink. 'Actually, talking of rings, Duo, can I see for a sec? Inside? Something I need to ask you.' He waited for them to walk inside, and then tossed Duo a small velvet-covered box. 'Right, Maxwell. Best man duties commence here. You lose these, I will actually kill you. And don't read the inscriptions.'

'I won't. Can I just look?'

'If you want.' Trowa shrugged. 'They're just plain gold bands. We didn't want anything fancy. Oh, and there's this as well.'

Duo caught the second box one-handed and smiled at the circle of lustrous gold, set with four chips of aquamarine, and three tiny emeralds. 'Nice,' he approved. 'Not such a skinflint, after all, are you? When are you giving it to him?'

'When we get to our bungalow. I only got it from the jewellers a couple of days ago; it's damn near impossible to get aquamarines on the Colonies, had to get them sent from Earth in the end. I thought I might as well wait 'til we got here to let him have it. Think he'll like it?'

'He'll totally love it,' Duo said positively. 'Listen, I'm supposed to tell you you're not to go crazy at this stag party thing tomorrow. I've even got a list of stuff we're not allowed to do. And I'm to ask if you've written your vows yet.'

'What's to write? I love him to bits, want to wake up with him every day for the rest of my life, see him smiling at me, and then roll him over and fuck him into the mattress. Think that'll do?'

'Seriously? You might want to work on that a bit, up the romance factor and stuff. If you say all that in front of his sisters, he'll have your balls in a vice.'

'You reckon?' He let a slow, utterly filthy smile spread across his face. 'I'm not sure if you know him as well as you think you do.'

Duo actually blushed, turning the little boxes over in his hand. 'So, how's it feel? Being engaged?'

Trowa shrugged. 'Haven't had much time to enjoy it, really. You know Quat; as soon as I popped the question, he was all about colour schemes and menu choices. I'm telling you, once the damn reception's over, I'm not letting him out of the bedroom for the whole honeymoon.'

Duo laughed. 'Oh, you might want to expand your range a little bit. Doing it on the beach is pretty amazing, if you've never tried anything like that. Just make sure he's wearing plenty of sun-screen, with that fair skin of his.'

'Yeah, wouldn't want him getting burnt in sensitive places,' Trowa said. 'It'd all end up being my fault, somehow.'

'What happens after the honeymoon, work-wise? You decided yet?'

'Work?' Trowa echoed distastefully. 'I'm the one who's marrying the gazillionaire, remember?'

'You're just going to settle down as his kept man?' Duo gibed. 'Tro, seriously.'

'Not sure yet. Something in IT, probably. Been talking to Heero a lot.'

'Yeah? He never mentioned that.'

'Well, I gather it's a bit of sensitive issue between the two of you, the whole resigning thing. What about you?'

Duo shrugged. 'He wants me to. I don't. I dunno. This thing with you resigning, is it because you want to or because of Quat?'

'Honestly?' Trowa gave him a long, considering look. 'Mostly Quat. if not for him, I probably wouldn't even be considering it, but….. I can't even justify it to myself any more, that I'm needed; there're other agents out there, good ones, and no real threats. I'm expendable now. I can't keep putting him through that and yeah, I'll miss being in the field. But without him, my life would be so fucking bleak. I can't even imagine. It's not like I'm making this sacrifice, Duo, or he's pressuring me into it. He'd never do that.'

'Lucky you. Heero's been fucking pressuring me for months now.'

'He's hasn't handled it too well, no,' Trowa admitted. 'But it's because he's worried about you.'

'Whatever. Like he doesn't trust me to take care of myself.'

'You know it's not about that. Sometimes, shit just happens, and you're in the wrong place at the wrong time. Like me, last month. It was nobody's fault; no one could've predicted it, but it still happened, and I could've died.'

'Tro, don't talk like that.' Duo shifted uncomfortably; he'd been trying not to think about that, over the past few weeks. He was the one who'd found Trowa, bleeding out, who'd somehow managed to staunch the blood, sat with him in the MedEvac chopper, sat outside the ER for hours.

'It's true, whether you want to hear it or not. I just – I don't want Quat having to go through that again.'

'What would I even do, if I quit?' Duo asked finally, in a very small voice, something perilously close to a whine. He'd been thinking about it over the past couple of weeks; before that even. It wasn't like he had a whole lot to offer, not like the others, with their very specialised skill-sets.

'How would I know? Anything you wanted. Be Heero's kept man. Open a garage. Open some kind of arts and crafts store if you like. You can do whatever you want, Duo. You're only twenty-two, you're not terminally stupid, not all the time, anyway.'

'I guess. It's .. kind of scary.'

'Well, that's a whole other issue. And maybe Heero shouldn't have to suffer because you don't know what you want to do when you grow up.'

Quatre gave them a suspicious look when they walked back outside. 'Trowa, you'd better not be planning any… surprises, do you hear me? I know what those circus friends of yours are like,' he added darkly. 'Duo, I don't care if you're his best man, but you're not to let him do anything crazy on this stag night he keeps talking about.'

'I always hear you, Quat. Don't worry.' Trowa bent and kissed him. 'Sorry, guys. He's a bit cranky; don't mind him. Just needs to get laid; that'll put a smile back on his face.'

'Trowa Barton!'

'Yeah, baby, I know, I know. Just a minute, OK? We've a few things to sort out first. Did you ask Heero about picking up the guys? 'Fei and Zechs are flying in at five thirty; would you two mind going to meet them at the airport? The resort's sending a car, but I'd like it if you could be there too.'

'Yeah, sure,' Duo said instantly, and then groaned. 'God, 'Fei and Zechs though. They won't care if we're there or not, they'll probably be reciting sonnets they've written to each other's toenails or something. I mean, I get everyone goes through this whole loved-up bit at the start, but they've been together for five months now and they're still all gooey about each other. Is that even normal?'

'Oh, it depends,' Trowa said calmly, smiling over at Quatre. 'Some people get lucky.'

'Wow,' Duo marvelled. 'You guys totally had a big romantic moment there.'

'He's been practising,' Quatre said, laughing. 'And, honestly, it would be marvellous if you could meet them. Really, it would be lovely for us to have a few hours just to ourselves, and Wufei keeps asking me how exactly Trowa proposed. I think if he knew the truth, he'd collapse on the spot.'

'Not exactly a big romantic moment?' Heero guessed, laughing.

Quatre laughed. 'Not exactly, no. I forget but I think it may have been something to do with L4 giving tax concessions to married couples.'

'I wanted citizenship actually,' Trowa corrected. 'Plus, I felt sorry for him. Stuck on the shelf at twenty-two. Wasn't like he was going to get any other offers.'

'Excuse me,' Quatre put in. 'I had plenty of other options.'

'Yeah, right. Who'd put up with you?' He leaned over to kiss him. 'Face it, Quat, the only thing you ever had going for you was your looks, and now you've started to put on the weight, you don't even have that.'

Quatre rolled his eyes. 'I am not fat!'

'Not fat, no,' Trowa reassured him. 'Just a bit squidgy 'round the middle. It's OK, I like it. More of you for me to play with, plus a nice little pillow for when I'm down there. Speaking of which, it's time to drag you off and ravish the hell out of you, Winner. Move that cute little ass, Winner. I've got plans for it.'

At the end of the pier, they stopped, clearly arguing over who was going to drive. Then Quat reached up to give Trowa a long kiss before jumping into the speedboat. So perfect, the two of them, Duo thought wistfully, wondering if he and Heero ever looked like that together.

'We're not…like that, are we?' Heero sounded a bit regretful himself, echoing Duo's thoughts, as they turned back to the bungalow.

'Dunno. Sometimes, maybe.'

'Me too. I'd like it all the time.'

'Quat said something about that; that people, I don't know, have to work at….relationships.' He stumbled, just a bit, over the word. 'That we have to, that it won't just happen. Us two, we're like…machinery,' he said suddenly, and Heero stared at him.

'We're what?'

'OK, not machines, exactly,' Duo said, groping for the correct words. 'Like…a block and tackle, say. You know, parts that are designed to fit together. Interlocking gears!' He decided, getting into his stride. 'The sort of parts that can last for ever but they do need maintenance now and again, like you can't just assume there won't be wear and tear over time, or a bit of damage sometimes, or that maybe you use the wrong thing for the wrong task, or you're a little bit careless 'cause you're in a rush, or you're thinking about something else, and you're not taking the proper care you should, and you have to use oil every so often to keep things working properly. Does that make any sense?'

Heero just smiled at him. 'So you're saying we need …. oil and maintenance? Is that it?'

Duo flushed. 'Can you think of a better way of putting it?'

'No, not at all. I think it makes perfect sense. For us. What sort of ….oil do we need, do you think? Objectives?'

Duo grinned. Typical Heero; everything had to be a mission. 'Happy ever after.'

'I like that,' Heero approved. 'Now, mission specs. 'I want us to move in together,' He said it a little tentatively and then his voice firmed. 'I mean it, Duo, that's non-negotiable. We've been together for over a year, you spend most of your time at my house anyway, and I hate it when you just get up in the middle of the night and leave. I know you don't like my house, but we can look for a new place that's convenient for Preventers, and big enough for both of us to have some more space. You can have a craft room if you want, a work shop. Anything. Agreed?'

'Yes, sir,' Duo said meekly, and caught the flash of surprise in Heero's eyes. 'Look, Heero. I don't hate your house. It's great. I just never feel I belong there. I don't feel I can leave my stuff lying around. It's like, it's your place, and I can stay over sometimes, but not leave anything of mine there, or you'll be pissed at me messing the place up. Shit, 'Ro, sometimes I move something, like, one inch out of place and you bitch at me for days. How'm I meant to feel comfortable somewhere like that, ever?'

Heero pulled him closer. 'I didn't think you even listened when I said things like that. I don't mean most of it; I do it without even thinking and it's just teasing anyway. I thought you knew. Duo, we shared an office for nearly three years at Preventers and your half was a total mess, and you just laughed whenever I said anything about how you should tidy it.'

'That was different,' Duo told him, in a stating-the-damn-obvious tone. 'That was work. Who cares about that? But your house is like your special place. Don't want to ruin that for you. Seriously, I wasn't sure that you even wanted me there, some of the time. I know you're big into your personal space and all that.'

'It's only special because you're there,' Heero muttered into his neck. 'And the only way you could ruin it is if you left me. I'm sorry if I've ever made you uncomfortable; I never meant to. Never. I've always liked having your things around; I can imagine that you really live with me.'

'Wow.' Duo tilted his head; there was a very uncharacteristic blush staining Heero's cheeks. 'You're seriously saying I can leave my shit wherever I want? And you'll never nag me to tidy up.'

'Well, within limits,' Heero temporised, looking slightly worried.

'Yeah, yeah,' Duo kissed him. 'Limits. I'm good at those. Listen, one thing, I want a bigger bed, one like we've got here, you know?'

'Absolutely!'

'And a dog,' he added excitedly, suddenly on a roll. It was like make a list for Christmas as a kid, except this time he was pretty sure he'd get what he wanted. 'And I want us to get another place; just a little cabin or something that's not too far from the city; in the mountains or by the sea. Somewhere to go at weekends and holidays. Get away from everything. We need that, right? I can buy it when I sell my apartment.'

'No. We'll buy it together. Then it'll be ours,' Heero said decisively. 'I think that's a great idea.' He coughed. 'What about sex?'

'Oh, well, duh,' Duo said enthusiastically. 'That's, like, totally non-negotiable. As often as possible!'

'That wasn't what I meant.' He took one of Duo's hands, traced patterns in the palm with one fore-finger. 'Do you miss it, being on top?'

Duo shrugged. 'Not particularly, nope.'

'I'm being serious. I know that…with other people, you were usually on top. I don't want you to feel you're missing out on something you like. If you want, we can try switching around more often.'

'So? I'm being serious as well, Heero. No, I don't miss it. Most of the time, I just didn't trust anyone else to do that to me, OK? And honest, I'm happy to go either way. I love you doing me, in case you somehow didn't pick up on that. I'm more than happy for to get screwed cross-eyed for the rest of our lives, trust me. If you want to try being underneath 'cause you think it might be fun or whatever, fine, we can try it again. But not if you're only doing to make me happy.' He grabbed Heero's chin with one hand, and stared into his eyes. 'I wouldn't be, doing something you weren't into. You get that, right?'

Something, some little cloud, shifted in Heero's eyes, and Duo forced himself to smile. 'It's OK, babe,' he murmured, and obviously sounded convincing enough for Heero to give a relieved smile in return. OK, of course he fucking missed topping, sometimes, but he could live without it, certainly didn't want Heero gritting his teeth to get through something he didn't like, just to give Duo a few moments of pleasure. Damn.

He swallowed. 'I've been thinking a lot over the past couple of weeks. I'm going to quit Preventers. As soon as we get back, I'm handing in my notice.'

Heero's face actually fell. 'I don't want you to give up your job because of me. I've been talking to Quatre about this; it's your life and your choice to make, and I shouldn't be trying to influence you so much.

Duo shook his head. 'It's not that. So, you and Quat, huh? I had the talk from Trowa. when we were inside. Listen, part of the reason I don't, didn't, want to quit, is 'cause I'm scared. I love my job, yeah, but it … kind of validates me as well. It makes me someone. Someone who matters, not just some street kid, or a thief, or whatever. I'm not like you and 'Fei; you're both educated and you've got skills, and I – I'm kind of scared that no one would ever want to hire me.' Heero opened his mouth to object, and Duo put one hand over it, silencing him. 'Y'know, it's really sucky that we could say all this stuff to the guys, but not each other. I don't want it to be like this anymore. We're partners, right? We should be able to tell each other shit. I want that to be a mission spec. And I dunno, maybe it's time to move on, for me. Tro was talking about getting shot: I can't stop thinking, now, of what it was like, waiting outside while he was in surgery. I don't want to do that to you. I don't know if I even want to be a Preventer without him, if I have to get a different partner.'

Heero reached out and gently removed his hand. 'What do you want, Duo?'

'I think….maybe I'd like to build things for a change. I don't know, really. Maybe do a course in Engineering or Design or Architecture or even landscaping. Maybe get a part-time job as a mechanic or something while I'm studying. Not sure, yet. But the Preventer thing, that's over. I have a ton of vacation time; I could probably take that instead of having to work out my resignation. I guess I'll need to talk to Une, but that's what Trowa did, so….uh, maybe say something?'

OK, it wasn't exactly like he'd expected Heero to jump up and down for joy, but he had expected something just a little more than Heero just gazing at him, with more than a hint of sadness.

'You're doing it because of me, aren't you? You wouldn't, otherwise.'

Duo shrugged. 'Probably not. So what? C'mon, Heero. Without you, what would I have? A few one night stands? An empty apartment? A job that'll get me killed, sooner or later? I'm seriously on borrowed time, as it is. We both know that. It doesn't add up to what I've got with you. I fucking mean that, Yuy. Honest. OK?'

'OK,' Heero echoed obediently, and enfolded him in a bone-crunching hug.

Duo just let him, burying his face in Heero's shoulder. He'd meant what he said, every word of it, but it didn't mean he wasn't going to miss being a Preventer. Didn't mean he wasn't still scared of the future.

But he had Heero, and Heero had him, and they mad a mission and it would be enough.