Please pay attention to the dates, particularly the last section, to prevent confusion.

.

At The End of the Day
~ Chapter Thirty-Six

January 3, AC214
- Veterans Affairs Headquarters, Colony L4-A00001

Heero tapped his finger impatiently against the table. He'd expected to be home by now but was held up post-hearing on Quatre's case by a request to immediately head for the veteran's office in L4. They'd asked him questions at the hearing, a lot more questions than he'd expected and just as personal as he'd anticipated. He was rather confident in all his responses since he had nothing to hide. He was the last person who would prescribe Quatre medication, any medication, whether it be for purposes of controlling his symptoms or harming himself. He was not his doctor, he'd reiterated more than once, just a friend. That didn't go over very well with the people asking the questions mostly because it was publicly broadcast. His potential for entertainment fodder, it seemed, was overestimated.

Luckily enough, more than a couple of hours into the second day of the interrogation, some higher up had ordered the hearing dismissed. He was promptly dropped as a suspect. If Relena had anything to do with it, he'd know, but this was not his ex-wife's doing. Rather, he was picked up by a Preventer officer who quietly transported him to the veteran's office where he now was.

"We apologize for the wait, Mr. Yuy," he was greeted by the young man who'd escorted him out of the courthouse. Once in discreet casual clothes, he was now in standard Preventer issue uniform.

"Tell that to my son."

Halfway to the veteran's center, he'd requested that they picked-up the boy from Annette's place. Junior stayed over with her and the Winner girls since going anywhere near Quatre while the investigation was ongoing was out of the question, never mind that Quatre lived right across the street from them. At least, after everything that went on, his son was with him now, annoyed and disinterestedly sucking on his bottle of milk.

"We're sorry. We didn't think it would take this long."

The response was sparse and so was the reason for bringing him where he was. At least they treated him with respect.

Heero responded to the apology with a non-committal sound. They were going to get as much out of him as they were giving him and right now, he wasn't getting much.

"She's here now," he was told. Who she was had not been specified.

The young man stepped aside to let the person behind him pass through. Unexpectedly, it was someone he was already familiar with.

"Lady Une," he said. He was not known for being polite so he remained seated where he was. "If this is about something you need from Quatre then I might as well save you some time and tell you right now to go to hell."

"Mr. Winner is not the reason why you were brought here," Lady Une greeted instead, ignoring his hostilities. "Your son looks exactly like you."

Junior let his discontent be known at the overused comment with a fierce stare, one that resembled his father's in every way. Heero was not up for pleasantries either so he went straight to the point.

"I was brought here because L4 is the only colony without a Preventer division, by Quatre's persuasion. The veteran's office in this colony is the best you could do."

Une cleared her throat though she did not look affronted or bothered by his words.

"You were brought here to clarify why you were acquitted," Une explained, ignoring any point of topic irrelevant to her purpose.

This was the first time he'd seen the infamous Lady Une since his one day stint with the Preventers long ago. He couldn't trust that she meant no trouble because she held one of the higher positions with the Preventers and anything Quatre did not trust he did not trust either.

"Tell me, Ms. Une," he started. "Are you ready and capable enough to accept the consequences of the blunder your organization caused my friends? You can save the explanation for saving my hide for later."

Une stood from her seat to address her subordinate on the other side of the closed door.

"Make sure everything is secure," she instructed and then locked the door behind her.

"Mr. Yuy," she addressed him. "What we are about to discuss is strictly confidential."

He answered her with a dismissive 'hn' before making sure his son was comfortable where he was only to find that he was already fast asleep.

"ZERO's blueprints are a dangerous relic of the past, one that should not exist into the future. Mr. Winner is the only connection anyone has to the blueprints."

"So you stage Quatre's abduction by a heinous criminal and had him personally handed over to the same criminal by his own friends? Might I add that said friends thought it was in the best interest of innocents who would have been harmed if not for the exchange. Allow me to recap. The heinous criminal breaks the deal with the Preventers, keeps the abductee to himself and tortures him. The Preventers don't find him until a month later but keeps that information confidential because Quatre is L4's money-maker and the leak would cause a stir in the colonies' stock markets. Wufei and Trowa were kept unaware as the Preventers spent the next eight months treating and rehabilitating him. Quatre was barely in his twenties when it happened. He hasn't been the same since. By the way I see it, the Croc is no more heinous than the organization you take pride in."

"That saves me the trouble of explaining," Une replied and crossed her fingers over the table. "L4's money-maker made a deal of his own and that is exactly the reason why you are here and not in court."

.

April 22, AC201
- Preventer Headquarters Moon Base

"I apologize on behalf of the organization, Mr. Winner, for the inconvenience caused to you, but we advise that you do not reveal this incident to anyone, including those within this organization. This information will be kept confidential, within and between only the people now in this room."

"Inconvenience…"

"Silence is necessary to-"

"Silence?"

"What will it take to buy your silence?"

"Surely more than your veiled threat. But I'm a very reasonable man, Ms. Une. I've come up with an exchange of sorts. It so happens that I am in need of this war hero status designation I've been hearing about."

"War hero is a status limited to very few in history. If that is what it takes then we can guarantee your-"

"Not for me."

"Again, as it is a limited, often misused designation, I cannot guarantee it for all four of them."

"That's fine. I only need one."

.

January 3, AC214
- Veterans Affairs Headquarters, Colony L4-A00001

"War hero?" Heero said with skepticism. "I've never heard of it."

"You are protected from needless defamation as was being staged by L4's courts in connection with Mr. Winner's apparent suicide case. It is a… special, I would say, designation, with immunity to court proceedings if you will. Also, for all the crimes you've done in the past, you get immediate amnesty."

"In other words, I could get away with whatever I did during the war."

"Something like that."

"Exactly like that," Heero corrected and then shook his head in disbelief. "What an idiot. I'm not the one who blew up a civilian colony. If anything, he needs one."

"Now that you understand, we will escort you home."

"Oh, I'm not done," Heero said, crossing his arms. "I'm just getting started."

Lady Une's eyes narrowed in silent warning, but Heero would not be so easily swayed with just that look. He'd been waiting for the chance to converse with the Preventers without actually having to seek them out personally. He promised Quatre not to tell the other three everything he knew and bode his time until the day he came into contact with one of the higher-ups of the organization. He thought the day would never come, but he was lucky enough to run into Lady Une.

"Let's talk about Trowa next."

"The exit of both Mr. Barton and Mr. Chang is still a sore spot within the organization."

"After making good use of Trowa and his impeccable abilities to infiltrate, I'm sure that spot is more than sore."

When Lady Une did not speak, he continued.

"Getting him involved with the PPM, sending him to investigate them when you were well aware that the PPM was the same organization that tricked you into getting the information on ZERO was beyond criminal. Knowing that he was in a relationship with the administrator was unconscionable. Keeping him in that case when he was already compromised and then having Quatre make another deal with you to get him out of it was plain cruel. It doesn't matter who gave the orders or who made the decisions where, but that's two out of three of my friends the Preventers have fucked over."

Wufei was, more or less, spared, but his sense of righteousness could not handle the knowledge that it was by his ignorant hand that Quatre was put to harm by a vicious criminal. Quitting the Preventers didn't do it for him. Heero was sure he was still trying to find a way to make amends both with Quatre and with his own conscience.

"I will not defend the actions of my organization."

"I don't need you to," Heero said, standing. He gathered his son into his arms and made sure he was still asleep and comfortable.

"It's not like you're solely responsible. I've known these four for years now and I'm sure that whatever happens, they will prevail because we're used to being losers. But if the Preventers do anything again to harm them, especially Quatre, know that I will come after this organization with everything I have."

Une smiled at him in that chilling way she used to, but made no move to oppose or threaten him. She simply nodded once in understanding and headed for the door to unlock and open it for him.

"I am certainly aware of what you're capable of," she said, taking one last look at his son as she led him out. "A man with something to protect is surely more capable than any other."

"Give my regards to Treize's daughter," he said and then made a beeline for the exit. He really wanted to get home and finally throw his suit and tie on the floor and relax with his son. Constant talking was more draining than he'd expected.

However, it seemed as though he would be intercepted at every turn when it was Trowa who showed up next, blocking his way to the exit. Heero cursed - out loud - for all the occupants in the room to hear. Junior never stirred in his sleep.

"I'm happy to see you too," Trowa greeted, graciously opening the door for him to pass through.

"I was looking forward to a nice, long bath and a good night's sleep."

"I resent being considered a nuisance. Quatre asked me to pick you up."

Heero adjusted his hold on his son. Quatre knowing where he would end up only meant that he'd already predicted this would happen. To send Trowa sealed the deal and most certainly slapped it in the face of the Preventers.

"That would mean he's also sending you home."

Trowa did not give an affirmative response, but it was obvious enough since picking him up would mean that they would both have to head to the spaceport to take a shuttle back to L3 where they lived. Quatre would do almost anything for Trowa, but the fact was that he couldn't stand him. Quatre had more patience dealing with the media than spending five minutes with him.

"That would mean there's no progress in that department," Heero stated as his own conclusion.

"It depends on your definition of progress."

"Go on, spit it out," Heero urged.

"I slept with him."

"Mother of," Heero started before clarifying. "That's not what I meant."

"Then tell me your definition of progress."

Heero certainly didn't think Quatre would go as far as sleeping with him considering that he couldn't even handle him without blowing a gasket, but Quatre was Quatre. When it came to Trowa, he was predictable and painfully weak. Heero wondered when that started to happen. During the war, it had been Trowa who'd been weak against Quatre, even going so far as trusting him when he'd been under ZERO's influence. It almost cost him his life.

"Is he talking to you at least?"

"Barely," Trowa responded, opening the car door for him.

.

August 13, AC213
- Yuy Residence, Colony L3-X18999

"You're mad."

"I'm mad at both of you."

"Quatre, there was no way we were going to leave you in there. God knows your pheromones are potent. If they could auction you off for that much, imagine how else they could and did do to make a profit out of you."

"So you send him to retrieve me? Is that it, Heero? You have him come to get me and everything would turn out okay?"

"I honestly didn't plan that far ahead."

"You vouch for him then?"

"I do because he's the one thing you want but won't allow yourself to ask for."

.

January 3, AC214
- Zayed Winner Boulevard, Colony L4-A000001

Heero secured his boy on the car seat surprisingly installed in the back - again Quatre's foresight - and then took his seat on the passenger side. Maybe he needed to stop getting in their business. He was no matchmaker and certainly thought that this was out of his hands. Still, he'd seen his best friend, his very influential, dictatorial, self-controlled best friend, reduced to tears by one man.

"Alex told me that aside from them, you're the only other person who'd been to Quatre's room."

"I've never slept with him," Heero said instantly as if this would be the next line of questioning. The Winner heir was one sly kid goading Trowa, a full-fledged adult, the way he did. It reminded him of Annette because Quatre was not the type to take the underhanded route.

"Then what does he mean?" Trowa questioned.

"The kid is picking a fight with you," Heero explained. "You don't need me to tell you not take the bait and be the better man. Most likely he's testing you, because that child's tactics are sometimes more complicated than Quatre's."

"I can't get along with that boy," Trowa commented offhandedly, watching only the road as he was driving.

"Are you forgetting who first picked a fight with him when he was infant?"

"I did no such thing."

"Trowa, you resented his heir for being born. That confirmed he was someone else's, not that it matters any more right now. If you want to get on his good graces, then you better start by trying to get along with his son."

"His daughters don't seem to hate me."

"His daughters look like him. His son doesn't and that's a loud, constant reminder that he had a child with someone. At least with his daughters, you could live with your delusions that they're your kids."

The car came to a screeching halt. If it wasn't the noise of the tires protesting against the pavement, then it was the honks that followed that woke Junior up. He cried instantly in an outburst of anger at being disturbed so suddenly.

"You have too many conclusions about me," Trowa said, refusing to look at him and also refusing to move the car out of the way to at least ease up the congestion he'd built up by stopping abruptly.

"Believe me, I could hit all the right spots," Heero said, letting his son cry it out for now because he was in the right circumstance to confront Trowa about his constant denials. "You've been suspicious since day one. I don't buy your claim that he used to follow you around like a chick to a mother hen."

Trowa, again, stayed quiet. This cued Heero into an apparent quirk of his - he was quiet person but just plain mute when caught red-handed. He, did, however, resume driving to the spaceport, much to the delight of the other drivers on the road.

"It takes guts to admit that you were the first to fall for him," Heero continued.

Most people assumed it had been Quatre who'd been hopelessly pursuing Trowa all these years. While that may have partly been true, Heero concluded based on his own observations that the idea did not come from him originally. Quatre was a naïve fifteen year old emotionlessly sheltered by his father's wealth.

"He told you I was first," Trowa said with no inflection indicating it was a question.

Heero answered the non-question anyway.

"Trust me, he wouldn't know unless you told him. As smart as he is, his emotional intelligence hasn't caught up with everything else."

.

June 21, AC 195
- San Francisco Starley Hotel, Earth's American Nation

Quatre accepted the bowl of popcorn from the man with a quick thank you. Closing the massive doors of the suite, he failed to wonder if the extravagance was really necessary considering that he was currently fighting in a war. Using one of his family's aliases during stays at any particular hotel afforded him nothing less than the biggest room available. In this case, it was a one bedroom suite. Quatre could very well curl up on one of the larger dining room chairs with ease, but that was not to be the case.

"The popcorn came," he announced, making his way to the bedroom where Trowa had already set-up the movie they were going to watch. Quatre was not one for movies, but he'd always been taught to be an obliging person and Trowa suggested they watched one. He supposed it was for purposes of keeping them both quiet in hopes of not revealing any unnecessary information between them.

After much coaxing, Trowa agreed to stay with him in the hotel for the night as opposed to spending it in a truck parked in the cold outside. Since then, he'd set his parameters which Quatre had respected. He'd left him alone only to be later invited to watch a movie. He was given no reason, so Quatre came up with his own conclusions. And the popcorn? Not his idea either. But again, he was taught to be obliging.

A thorough investigation was already done into this fellow Gundam pilot, but he was not so foolish as to let his guard down too easy. He was cautious when he handed Trowa the popcorn and sat at the lower left hand edge of the bed to view the film. There also was a television set in the living room, he'd already mentioned, but his comment was easily dismissed. Trowa was hard to read and even harder to predict.

"Sit here," Trowa instructed with no polite 'pleases' or 'thank yous' or no explanations of whether it would be more comfortable there or he was blocking his view or what have you.

Quatre's mind tried to come up with reasons for everything he did and it was becoming tiring. The best course of action, he'd concluded, was to go along with it, but to always be aware. Quatre sat where he was told and the movie commenced.

It was an action flick he'd picked, apparently, with cars flying everywhere and secret agents getting shot down at every corner. It was exciting enough that he'd lost his guard. About halfway through the film, he felt Trowa come up from behind him to snake his arms under his armpits and wrap his arms around his torso. Unprepared, Quatre stiffened.

"Trowa?" he'd asked, imagining having his neck cracked for being so gullible.

Quatre didn't remember ever being held as a child. His oldest memory of such an elusive thing was of seeing a picture of himself being carried by one of his nannies as an infant. His father only did so much as touch the top of his head from his skyscraper height, but that was it. If Trowa had meant any affection, he wouldn't be able to identify nor understand it.

"Just watch the movie." Trowa instructed him again.

Again, Quatre obliged him. Comfort was a different matter. The entire time Quatre worried over their position, Trowa seemed to meld into it. His body got closer, his hold tighter as the movie went on and at the end of the film, his head had fallen right into his shoulder emitting a slight snore. That was when Quatre concluded that he'd simply used him as a pillow.

"Interesting," Quatre said, untangling himself from Trowa and then arranging him into a more comfortable position on the bed. It hadn't been him who had been too trusting. It was Trowa and he'd judged him earlier as a wise decision-maker. How strange that he'd misread him or perhaps it was Trowa who rightfully judged that Quatre could be trusted. Either way, it was unexpected because Trowa rarely spoke.

Sleeping Trowa's face, he noticed, did not hold the same edge and for once, Quatre realized that like him, he was still a child and that whatever comforts he could have during this difficult time, he would take advantage of. He was used to being held, Quatre deduced and then smiled. At least one of them was.

Pulling the blankets up Trowa's form, he retrieved some extra pillows and blankets from a closet and made himself comfortable in the living room couch for the night. Tomorrow would be an early day, so it was best to get some rest before the battle ahead of them. He would not ask Trowa about tonight because he knew for sure that he wouldn't answer. He wanted this new friend - finally a friend close enough to his own age - so he was going to take this one encounter at a time. Only time could tell if the simple acquaintance would progress into a true friendship.

Little did he know that for his sleeping companion, this was already something entirely different.