A/N: Hi all – back from my trip and thankfully chapter three did work despite being in the middle of a forest (wonders of modern technology and all). Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter and new followers etc. - always appreciated! The song for this chapter is God & Satan by Biffy Clyro

Chapter Four

Savour Hate

The hotel was as swanky as I expected and I entered into what was meant to be mine and Heero's room alone, finding out it was in the general vicinity of Quat and Tro's which was located a coupla doors down the hallway. I didn't allow the bellhop to take Heero's duffle or mine as I didn't want to be separated from my shit. It was an instinct I'd always had. That as a kid when you had so few damn belongings what you did have you guarded with fists and teeth and whatever. I never let bags go in cargo holds of shuttles, I kept them in the overhead lockers, I didn't like people touching my shit and I supposed I'd always be the same. That I'd come a long way from the streets, heck, I knew that as I dropped the bags on the bed and walked over to the window and balcony that overlooked a beautiful leafy green park – but however far I came somewhere in me was that little street kid with wild hair who listened to Solo's lessons like they were the fucking ten commandments or something. Never let anyone near your shit unless you want it stolen.

Lesson learnt.

Heero didn't come with us. I found him in what had become a security war room sitting at a laptop already looking like he'd taken over command of the security staff as they were being all deferential and following his orders. I told him I'd take his bag and that he could pick up another card key for our room at the reception desk as I was gonna do, you know, what normal people do, which is get some sleep when they've crossed multiple time zones. He seemed awkward discussing our sleeping arrangement and I just thought fine and walked out in what wasn't exactly a pissy way but I will admit, not entirely dignified.

It was when I left the room that I saw Zechs who was leaning against the damn doorframe wearing a Preventer uniform that he'd discarded the jacket of and he had watched our little exchange with something that may have been curiosity. Fuck did I know. Barely knew the guy.

"Trouble in paradise?" he'd said and it took all of my saint-like patience acquired while living with Heero not to either say something inappropriate with plenty of fucks or to just punch him in the face.

I'm a better person. I didn't do either. New found maturity and all.

"None of your damn business."

And it totally wasn't, I thought, seething even now as I walked across the swanky room. I felt like everyone had a damn opinion on us – from Quatre's looks, from Relena's words and even Zechs – a guy I didn't know personally and whose only real connection to either of us was some fucked up wartime rivalry that he and Heero had. I knew this was why I didn't want to be here – it was like being in a light box and this was before we'd even talked officially to the Preventers or anything.

I opened the sliding glass door and stepped outside feeling the cool air. It was only five but it was getting dark and I could see the antiquey looking street lights turning on below and the night getting colder but I had already declined Quatre's dinner invitation. I walked back into the room, looked in my duffel and took out the dishevelled packet of cigarettes and found a matchbook from a bar a world away. Misty's. Home or as near as damn near that I'd ever come to one. It just wasn't worth thinking about as I walked back out onto the balcony and lit one leaning against the balcony edge.

I thought today had been weird and I was gonna go for the fact I was damn tired and hungry and a million other things to justify my current mood. Yeah, Heero had totally blown me off for her and I was vaguely pissed but I was more mature than that. Or so I hoped.

Really, I probably wasn't being mature, smoking out on the balcony and doing it because I knew it damn well pissed Heero off and I wasn't meant to smoke as I was meant to be super healthy now. Something that Heero would remind me of. Not that I needed reminding – the scar was there and sometimes I unconsciously felt a weird skipped beat or something and it reminded me that a piece of small tech kept me alive. Probably just me being a hypochondriac or something but I was sure sometimes I felt the thing. I thought about ordering room service and stubbed out the cigarette on the concrete before throwing it over the side to the street below as though I was hiding evidence. We didn't need to fight and I really didn't need to do something to purposefully piss him off.

I walked back into the room – thought about pouring a glass of the vodka from the dinky bottle in the mini bar despite the freaking prices and taking a shower and just getting some sleep when the vidphone rang.

I guessed it would be Quat again – he'd looked at me with those big baby blues and tried to persuade me to go with him and Trowa for dinner at a nearby restaurant where we'd be in our own private room and I just looked at him, gawping a little – talk about third wheel. I really didn't want to go but I was sure Quatre felt guilty leaving me alone, but really, I wasn't great company and I just wanted a quick buzz of alcohol and a club sandwich from the ridiculously priced room service and to go the fuck to sleep.

I clicked the button on the phone and blinked at the image on the screen. I'd expected Quatre. Not Wufei.

"Hey," I said, after a moment, realising I'd just had my mouth open a little and not responded to him.

"I think we should talk," Wufei said, straight forward as ever. "Can you meet me in the lobby bar in fifteen minutes?"

There was a part of me that thought this was totally weird – that Wufei was approaching me for some kinda heart to heart and that I really was too damned tired and on edge to be going to have a "talk" or whatever the hell we were going to be having. Then I glanced back to the room, saw the two bags left and the knowledge that Heero wasn't going to be here for some time. If he did come back when I was actually awake. I imagined he'd just come in so late that we didn't have to talk so we'd have another few days of this passive aggressive bullshit thing. I turned my focus back to the screen and to a composed face that revealed nothing. This talk could be Preventer related. It wasn't always to do with me being an asshole. So I nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be down in fifteen."

Not being one for long chit chats on vidphones anyway, Wufei just disconnected the call and I went to splash freezing cold water over my face to at least make myself feel more awake. I grabbed a toothbrush from my bag to attempt to remove some of the smoke smell and then changed outta the shirt I'd been in for far too many hours. Finally, I picked up my wallet, phone and room card key and went to find the lobby bar.

It didn't really need finding, as I walked past the reception desks and then walked into a dimly lit bar with very few people in it. I guessed, firstly, that it was only like five and I also guessed it was damn expensive so not a lotta patrons. It wasn't difficult to see where 'Fei was and he had taken a stool at the bar, an actual amber coloured drink that had to be alcoholic in front of him, staring at it as though it contained some mysteries to life and existence.

As I made my way across the bar, I saw he was still in Preventer uniform but it looked crumpled and his jacket was laid on the chair beside him, his tie loose. Suppose it was a long day for all of us and God only knew where he'd been prior to getting that call.

He looked in my direction as I approached, and removed his jacket to another seat, silently offering me the stool next to him. I hopped up to it and saw on closer inspection that he looked more tired than I'd first observed. There were even a few strands of black hair out of that tight pony tail. And Wufei was not like me in that sometimes I just gave up on my braid – occasional days when I forgotten the sentimental reasons attached to it and just wanted it damn gone – and just let strands go off in whatever direction they liked. Wufei always looked put together. Now he looked kinda scruffy. I'd never seen him look kinda scruffy.

"Long day," I said.

"Indeed."

The bartended noted me and I ordered a double bourbon knowing that it was another thing Heero would hate me for but right now I really didn't care. I started a tab, giving the room number, thinking I might be here for some time.

"So why the talk? We don't have to do the whole cloak and daggers routine anymore."

"I'm the lead on this investigation," he said, swirling the glass around and his eyes looking at that rather than me.

I felt relieved. We were gonna talk work shit – I could deal with that.

"Thought you were undercover and shit."

"I moved departments. The undercover division is no longer my responsibility."

I nodded even though I knew that – but then I didn't want him to know I talked with Quatre behind his back. We had too much history for that.

"You miss me?" I said, teasingly, then realised it crossed the line. "I mean, you miss working with a reckless asshole like me?"

A small smile graced his lips, only a slight quirk at the corners to show his amusement. "No other asset gave me grey hairs like you."

"Yeah but no other asset's middle name is trouble."

"You don't have a middle name."

"Yeah, but if I did, it so would be trouble. Or chaos. Something cool."

He took a sip of his drink and looked away and I followed suit – worrying how much the damn drink would cost in a place like this, what with how smooth the taste was. Of course, I had a tab that would just be added to the hotel bill and money was really not issue for me but I still had a certain reservation about paying a ridiculous amount of cash for something like a drink. Can take the boy outta L2 but not the L2 outta the boy or something like that. Really wasn't fucking sure of the phrase.

"I need a partner," he said, simply, putting down the drink carefully on the stupid piece of paper that barman dished out as coasters in fancy places. "I need someone who I work well with. Who thinks outside the box. Who is competent."

He gave me a moment to take in those words. I knew Wufei really had never played well with others – it took Wing ZERO for him to acknowledge the fact he needed us during the damn war and actually grace us with his presence aboard Peacemillion. Then he ended up on the wrong side during the Mariemaia shit. So yeah, I guessed someone he worked well with was a difficult thing to find. And we worked well together. Or at least, we did, when I wasn't giving him those grey hairs or fucking missions up. And thinking outside the box was kinda my thing – and hell, if he figured I was competent then I'd take that as a compliment.

"I quit," I stated. "I ran the hell away. I didn't do any formal resignation. You ain't telling me they'd have me back."

"I have not had much success with partners. Une agreed with this proposition."

"So they'd have me back? Standard Preventer and all? Uniform and shit?"

Wufei nodded, solemnly. "The tie isn't mandatory."

I chuckled and shook my head. He remembered my aversion to ties. Jesus. "I gave this up, 'Fei. I have a business. I'm just Joe Average now. Really don't wanna be back chasing after bad guys again."

"I never thought you'd be happy playing house with Yuy."

The words were cool and I felt the pissed offness that had previously been reserved for Heero rising again. Playing house? Fuck. That's what people thought we were doing? I thought I could just walk away from this conversation but maybe he'd realised he'd crossed a damn line – he'd seen me pissed. He'd seen me damn near murderous in a fancy hotel after a long undercover finding out that Heero was not only alive but fine and working for him so when he spoke again it was a less calculating tone.

"I thought with Yuy taking the job as Relena's head of security you'd want to do something that was more befitting of your skills."

Then I went from pissed, to confused, back to pissed in a nanosecond.

"You didn't know," 'Fei said, as though realising his mistake.

"No. Kinda didn't."

"I assumed –"

I put my hand up to stop whatever the hell he was going to say and then grabbed my glass, drinking the rest of the contents before putting it back and not caring that I'd not aimed for the little circle of paper. Give the bartender something to do.

"Yeah, you would assume," I said heavily.

Yeah, people would think that people who are meant to be in a committed relationship, even if it's a fucked and complicated one, talk to each other before making huge, life changing decisions. Oh, I knew I totally deserved this for the go bag but it was so… so fucking something and I was as angry as I'd been for a damn long time. It felt like Shinigami had reared its ugly head and it wouldn't be me he'd be having a fucking fight with, it would be the alter-ego I'd abandoned back on L2 when I'd killed Dallas.

Wufei started to speak again but I totally wasn't going to listen and I needed to be alone. Needed to process and I didn't need someone to try and reason with me. I wanted to be flaming pissed when he came back, I wanted us to fight and for this silent bullshit thing be done. We could break up or we could make up but it felt like it was one or the other. Fuck.

"Don't. I don't wanna hear shit. Just take this as accepting your offer."

With that I left him, walked out of the bar and only took a moment to breathe when I was in the elevator, pushing the fourth floor button with a little too much force and leaning against the metallic bar at the side. And I realised I'd just done exactly the same thing Heero did. I'd just accepted a job offer with the Preventers without considering him or us or any feelings he may have about it. I'd just said yes to being Wufei's partner and would now be investigating the Relena assassination attempt.

And damn, I thought, we really are as bad as each other.