A/N – For the love of all things, I had the worst day ever yesterday. Hence the lack of post. I'm SO SORRY and if it weren't for the fact that I've written most of this story in the last few months, I would be in deep shit. I lost control of my body in the morning, slept away the afternoon, was late picking up a friend, popped a tire, and wound up hanging out with the loves of my life for a little comfort.
DISCLAIMER - Still no ownership.
Name: Heero Yuy
Date: December 2, 201 AC
Time: 8:45 am
Location: HQ, Earth, Sanq Kingdom
Mission: Avoid girl at work
Upon reading the first email in my inbox, I immediately topple my chair over with the force of my stand. My body makes a beeline for a safe place. Duo's office.
"What's up?" He looks up at me in surprise as I whirl around his door and shut it quickly but quietly.
"She's back." I say with my back against his door, pressed up against it for all it's worth.
It takes only those two words and he's in action. He removes himself from his chair and escorts me to it after locking the door. Then he moves to the windows and closes them. Checking any cabinets for strays, he comes back to the desk and sits on it.
"Is she here now?" He asks, completely serious.
"Half day." Is all that I can say. I swallow back my anxiety as it threatens to spill over.
"Email?" I nod my head and swallow again. "I'm going to get you some water." He says as he leaves. I cradle my head in my hands at the image of that email.
Heero! I've been taken off the case! I'm coming back to work tomorrow, a half day, though if you wanted to get some lunch before my return I wouldn't say no. Pete and Pat's around 12:45? I've thought about you a lot while I was away. I thought it would never end and I wondered if you'd even remember me when I got back. Would you be waiting for me? And then I would think 'He's Heero! Of course he'll remember!' My favorite flowers are daisies! All my love, Tristi
I moaned into my hands and heard the office door shut again and a drawer open. Duo pulls one of my hands away from my face and places the cup of water in it. I bring it to my lips where the smell reaches my nose.
"Liquor?" I groan into the cup.
"If you could see yourself you'd already be on your third." He answered. "Now drink. I'll see what I can do about directing her off course." He wheeled the chair with me in it aside and got on his knees in front of his computer. I heard typing as I tipped my head back and swallowed whatever Duo had given me in one go.
"Pete and Pats? Ugh, they're fries are so gross! And you sure do remember her, don't ya buddy? Just not the way she wants you to. Daisies? Aren't those the foul smelling ones?"
I listened to him read over my email as I stared into the emptiness of my cup. Duo was my only hope against this girl. She had been transferred for a case, was gone for a wonderful year, and the second she had left I was in Duo's office asking him how I could avoid her when she came back.
"Alright. Here's what I'm going to do." He opened a drawer at his side and pulled out a small bottle of whatever liquor he had given me. "I'm going to respond with a very short clipped email about how you're too busy and that it's been so long that you don't even really know her anymore." He poured a good amount in my cup. "I'll be blunt and harsh and mean and very you-ish." I drank it all in one swallow again. It burned as it went down and I coughed in protest for my throat. "Whoa there buddy. No more for you. I'm really gonna get you some water now."
I heard him stand, still staring at my cup in disdain. There was no avoiding her was there? I was a stalker magnet Duo said once. First Relena and then there was Krista for a good couple of months (or bad depending on how you see it) and now Tristi. I reminded Duo in self defense that I was equally interested in Relena back then. I had what others would call a crush. I called it a reason for fighting.
"And you dated Krista, I know." Duo said returning from the water cooler, or what I could only hope was the water cooler. He replaced the cup in my hand with a fresh one and squatted in front of his computer again.
"Be nice." I mumbled. I didn't want to hurt her.
"That's why she keeps crawling back Heero! You're too nice, it gives her hope! Unless…" He trailed off.
"No. Not at all. Ever. No." I glared at him.
"Hey!" He threw up his hands in defeat. "You confused us all with that 'I'll kill you' bullshit against Relena, only to find out you were madly in love with her!" He turned back to the computer screen. "Don't blame me for being confused."
"I wasn't madly in love with her!" I retaliated, spilling some of the water of my sleeve. "She was… important."
If Duo wanted to retort, he didn't. He clicked twice before typing, concentrating on writing her back.
"Tristi. No, no, no. That's too personal. Okay, 'I'm already having lunch with Maxwell, as I do most days'… Still too personal. 'I'm having lunch with Maxwell. Allergies are bad this season'…. Voila!" He stated with a click of the mouse.
"Think it'll work?" I couldn't help but be wary. If I ever thought that Relena had stalker tendencies, then Tristi was a murderer.
"We can only take a long lunch and find out." Duo surmised.
The rest of the morning was relatively quiet, me drinking a few more cups of whatever Duo had hidden away in his desk and neglecting my work, a sign of how horrible a situation this was. Duo made no mind of me in his office, letting me sit in his chair, wheeling me out of the way if necessary and squatting when he needed his computer. Une had pounded on the door once to ask why I was out of commission to which Duo answered, "He gets off watching work being done." She had opened his door in a frenzy only to find Duo actually working and me gazing longingly out the window in a dark corner of his office, full cup in hand. A little scolding, the confiscating of the liquor, and an explanation later had me begging her to drop another case on Tristi.
"Make her go away." I spoke in all seriousness.
"Come on Commander! Look at the poor guy! And daisies? It's so obvious what she's after!" Duo had backed for me. Une had given him a questioning look until an amused grin took over.
"I'll see what I can do, considering this is the first time since your induction that you've called me Commander." We hadn't heard from her since and it was fifteen minutes past our scheduled lunch break.
Duo and I made our way back towards HQ, him pushing me rather forcefully. We were late which led to stares as Heero Yuy is never late. The elevator ride up made me feel sick to my stomach and I instantly regretted having a big lunch. Duo followed me into the hall and I was just outside my door when Wufei caught me by surprise for a little 'on time' gloating.
"Seems that today the fates have smiled down upon me and named me the better man."
"Not now 'Fei." Duo said from behind me.
"No. Yuy needs to hear this. It's been a long time coming and it's about time I got credit for all the hard work I do…" I wasn't listening. I was panicking in Duo's general direction, knowing that Tristi would show soon.
Duo was trying to talk Wufei out of gloating at me when it happened. I saw Tristi turn the corner from another hall, obviously looking for me, and spot me over Duo's shoulder. In the time it took her to do a double take, Duo had hoisted me over his shoulder and thrown me into my office. I had never seen him move so fast in all the times we've known each other.
I hit the floor in a heap but immediately got up ignoring the pain and stood behind the opened door. I listened as Tristi bustled up to my fellow comrades and asked about me.
"I could have sworn I just saw Heero!" She exclaimed.
"Yes, he came in la-" Wufei started.
"We just got back but we were late so he rushed off to catch up on his work." Duo interrupted. I heard scuffling about and held my breath when Tristi rested an arm on the door. "He's not in here?"
"No." Trust Duo to be eloquent. Tristi took a few steps into my office. "He wouldn't like you snooping around his office." He told her.
"Why not? We don't have any secrets!" She scoffed and I heard my drawers being opened.
"Tristi!" That one was Wufei. "Insolent woman, leave the man's desk alone!"
"Tch, fine. I'm sure he's probably looking for me anyway!" I waited behind the door for someone say something.
"Heero?" It was Duo. "She's gone, but I think she stole your extra pair of socks." I stepped out from behind the door seeing Duo was the only one left in the vicinity.
"Ow." I supplied at last from my toss into the room. Duo scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, sorry about that! Had to get you outta there!"
"You could've said, 'Heero move.'" He laughed out loud at my seriousness. "I'm serious."
"She would've heard me man! Too slow. I took the action that needed to be taken and threw your ass out of the line of fire! You should be grateful!" He started walking out of my office, obviously laughing in triumph over having thrown me.
"I am." He stopped and looked back at me. "Thanks Duo." A thumbs up is what I received in return as he continued off.
"Close your door!" I heard him from down the hall.
My doors were closed all afternoon and I breathed a sigh of relief as quitting time came around. Tristi had yet to show at my door. A knock on my door exactly fifteen minutes before I was due to find Duo and go home had me taking action. I was up and crawling out my window onto the scaffolding when my body was thrown from its perch. I looked up to the thrower expecting some sort of enemy infiltration only to find Duo dragging me under my desk.
I barely fit and it was stifling. I felt my gun digging into my thigh when Duo's legs were shoved under with me. My head ended up on one of his thighs while I clutched the other for life.
"Duo! What-" I was cut off as he lifted his leg to hit my head on the underside of the desk.
"Heero? Heero! It's been so lo - where's Heero?" I listened as Tristi came rampaging into my office.
"Dunno." Duo answered her.
"Then what are you doing in here?" She sounded skeptical.
"He's got some files on record that I need for follow up on one of my cases." Good excuse Duo! "He actually might be looking for me right now. It's almost time to go home."
"Then why do you need files for follow up? Why not get them tomorrow?"
"Why put off til tomorrow what you can do today?" I laughed silently under the desk against Duo's legs. He shifted them and suddenly I was being choked. "Why do you like Heero?" I stopped fighting against the noose of his legs to listen.
"He's different." I waited for more.
"That's all?" Duo asked when she didn't elaborate.
"He's gorgeous too. Wouldn't you want someone as gorgeous as him?" Duo's legs relaxed and I took a deep breath. I felt him laugh.
"Heero, Heero, Heero. Heero this and Heero that!" Duo laughed out at her. "Why don't you look around honey?"
"It may not seem like much to you, but I feel very strongly about him! He's different than the other guys here! Dark, mysterious, dangerous!" I felt Duo's laugh increase in passion. "Don't laugh at me!" His laughing stopped then. A strange silence fell over the room.
"I'm not. I'm laughing at myself." He said very seriously. "Go find Heero. If you catch him before me, you might snag him for a date at lunch tomorrow." Duo sighed then.
"Duo…?" Tristi asked quietly. "Do you like h-"
"You?" He interrupted. I heard a gasp and then rushed steps leaving the room.
Duo's legs left the confines of the desk and my door closed a few seconds later. I sat under the desk waiting for the all clear and didn't get it. I didn't realize that Duo liked Tristi. I furrowed my brow in concentration as I thought about it all. Duo was very eager to help me with her. Huh. I guess he did like her.
"Uh, Heero. You can come out now." I started as Duo's upside down head fell down from the desk. I crawled out and saw him lying over my desk, propped up on his elbows.
"I'm sorry." I said.
"For what?"
"I didn't realize you liked her." His eyebrows raised in a skeptical kind of look. "You can have her!" I quickly supplied.
"Heero." His arm wrapped around my shoulder. "You can be so dense sometimes. But I'll gladly take her off your hands for you." He then steered me to the window and began stepping out onto the fire escape.
"Duo? The door is that way." I said pointing over my shoulder.
"So is Tristi. And as much as I don't mind dealing with her, I'd rather get you out safely." I nodded and began to follow him after gathering my things. No words were passed between us as we scaled down the building. Once on the ground, Duo turned to me.
"She's being moved again tomorrow. You're home free." He smiled in satisfaction. I wondered how he could smile so freely when the girl he liked was moving. I figured he must've been used to pretending he didn't like her for my sake.
We started walking around the corner to the parking garage.
"HEERO?" I stopped. Duo stopped. We looked at each other then bolted simultaneously for the garage. I laughed freely with Duo at my side as I ran from Tristi's voice.
Home free.
Mission: COMPLETE
