Travelling in circles
By Blue Roses
Duo gets a message, and visits and old friend.
Eventual 1x2 and 3x4 (Heero/Duo and Trowa/Quatre). Warnings of shounen ai, but not really in this part. I'm not completely sure if I've got all the details of the series right, so forgive me if I've gone wrong. This is the first part in an ongoing series. Thank you for reading.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, please don't sue.
***
Duo checked the piece of paper for what must have been the millionth time, and then looked at the plane he had just sat down in. It was not just the smell of fruit rotting that bothered him, so much as the odd creaking sound that seemed to be coming from the wings. The age of the pilot both reassured him and worried him; he'd obviously survived many, many trips in this plane before, but then should he really be flying at his age?
Thoughts of escape left Duo's head as the plane began to taxi down the runway. If the worst came to the worst, he decided, he'd take over and pilot the thing himself. He'd always been able to fly, drive or steer pretty much anything, although this was a total antique. Oh well, he consoled himself, at least he wouldn't have to worry about airsickness. He'd seen on his previous flight how bad that could be. Anyone who suffered from that wouldn't last in any sort of mobile suit for more than five minutes, let alone a Gundam. They had excellent stabilisers, but in battle nothing could compensate for the quick moves you had to make.
The plane took off more easily than Duo had expected, and he had a wonderful view of the island they were flying over. He hadn't really thought about the place before, it was just the last stop on what had been a very long journey, but he realised that it was a really lovely place. The heat he had noticed, of course, that and the smell of petrol being the first thing to hit him at the airport, but it wasn't until now he'd considered that it might be a nice place.
*
His window side seat gave him a good view of the rainforest areas they were flying over. The aeroplane was flying quite low, and from his vantage point he could spot many trees and a lot of wildlife. Then they came to the sea, and the expanse of untouched sand and silver water was almost shocking when compared to the vibrant green before it.
He spent the journey over the sea wondering exactly who had asked for him to come all this way. It was one of the pilots, he knew, but he couldn't tell which one from the note. Heero he ruled out almost immediately. They hadn't parted on the best of terms, and he couldn't think of any reason why the pilot would want to see him.
It wasn't Wufei's style either. If he wanted something, he'd say so. Subtlety and mystery weren't things he enjoyed. Trowa on the other hand, cultivated mystery, but this didn't seem like something he'd set up. For one thing, the setting was far too beautiful for his tastes, and for another Duo couldn't see him bothering enough to arrange the travel and pay for his expenses.
That left Quatre. It had to be him. The thoughtfulness of the meeting Duo could definitely see as something he'd do, and he'd never been adverse to surprises. That left only the reason for the visit a mystery.
Duo was pretty sure he could work out at least part of that as well. Quatre had always been closest to Trowa out of all the pilots. There was something between them that, although it was unexpressed, it was obvious to Duo. He'd been Quatre's next best friend, although that was not a surprise given both Heero and Wufei's brusque personalities.
The last time they'd all met up, though, Trowa had seemed rather short with Quatre. Duo surmised that this visit was for Quatre to ask him what to do about his relationship, or lack of relationship with the quiet pilot.
Sitting in the rickety plane flying above the Caribbean sea, Duo almost laughed. Quatre asking him about relationships? If that was what he was going to do, this would be an interesting trip indeed.
He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the uncertain motion of the plane, and let the heat wrap around him like a blanket. It had been a long journey so far, and the revelation whether his assumption had been right would surely mean that the adventure could not be over yet.
***
Duo woke with a thud as the plane landed ungracefully on the island. It was a small, privately owned place, he had been told, and few people visited. In fact, the pilot informed him, he was only the second person to have flown there all year.
When the pilot had wrestled open the door, Duo ducked out with his bags. As he climbed down, he noticed a small blond figure rising to meet him. As expected, the mystery host was Quatre.
He grinned his best grin. "Long time no see, Quatre, how's things? Been doing much lately? I was kind of at a loose end, glad to get your note. This place is amazing."
Quatre smiled softly at his friend's chatter. "I'm glad you could come, Duo, it's been a long time. We should do this more often. I was looking forward to seeing you."
The pilot of the small plane came up and Quatre paid him, thanking him, and promising to contact him once the plane was needed again. Duo, who had been staring at the surroundings caught this final remark, and commented on it to Quatre once the man had gone.
"How're you going to contact him, smoke signals? Doesn't look like you're wired up here."
Quatre laughed. "I've got a boat, I can take it to the village on the nearest island. They've got phones there, it's not far. It is a bit of a problem in hurricane season, though."
Duo blanched. "Hurricanes? You get a lot of them? 'Cos, you know, I'm not mad about the thought of getting blown away. It's not the way I'd like to die."
Quatre shook his head. "Don't worry, hurricane season is months away. The house is pretty much hurricane proof anyway. Would you like to see it?"
"Yeah, sounds good. Got anything to drink? I'm really thirsty."
"Of course. Bad trip?"
"Well I had the passenger from hell in front of me on the first plane, she was always calling the air hostess for stupid reasons, and I had one of the most nervous guys I have ever met behind me. We only just managed to keep him in his seat during take off, I think he wanted to jump out. Apart from that, and the tin can that that guy you just paid calls an aeroplane, it wasn't too bad."
Quatre tried to hide his smile. Duo was just as he had remembered, and his humour was infectious. He felt his spirits lift as they hadn't in a long while. It was really good to be in someone's company again. The pressures of life had driven him out here, but he was a sociable person, and even the beauty around him couldn't disguise the loneliness for some company.
They approached the house, which caused Duo to stop and stare. He had been vaguely imagining Quatre living in a beach hut to complete the rural setting. This was far from that.
It was a white painted two story house, which looked airy and light. It was large, and didn't look out of place in the leafy grove it occupied. Palm trees brushed the roof, completing the impression of an ideal getaway, or a soft drinks advert.
Duo was struck by this image so much that he remained speechless for at least three minutes, which as Quatre mentioned jokingly, may well have been a record. However, by the time he had entered the house, he had recovered his power of speech, and the two chatted steadily for the next few hours, as Quatre showed Duo over the house. They talked about little things, catching up, but not really mentioning what had been going on in their lives. They were reaffirming their friendship before testing the waters about where their lives were going.
The room that most enchanted Duo was his bedroom. It was next to Quatre's and the most striking feature was the canopied four-poster bed, that stood against one wall. All of the furnishings were in white, including a small sofa, desk, chairs, and wrought iron furniture on a wide balcony, overlooking the back of the house. A bathroom with a large shower and a sunken bath lay behind a door at one side of the room, and behind another lay Quatre's room, which was similarly furnished to his.
Seeing there was a pile of pillows on his bed, Duo was struck by an odd question. "Quatre, who does your laundry?"
"There's a machine downstairs"
"You mean you do it yourself?"
"No, actually one of the ladies from the nearest village comes in and cleans twice a week. She brings some food for me too. I do my own cooking though."
Duo, who preferred take-away, although he could cook quite well when pressed, was impressed by this level of domesticity. He assumed Quatre had always had servants to do that sort of thing. Then again, if he'd been brought up being looked after, cooking his own food might seem an adventure. Duo had always had to fend for himself, so it didn't appeal to him as much as it might do to Quatre.
The afternoon faded into evening, and Duo helped Quatre prepare a simple meal (after much arguing as to who got to wear the apron and be the chef.) They ate in the kitchen, then cleaned up and wandered out onto the porch. Duo was the first to break the stillness.
"So, what do you do all the time here? Doesn't look as if you can be having a very happening social life."
"It is quiet." Quatre agreed, "But it gives me time to think."
"About who?" Duo asked.
Quatre looked up, startled.
"About him?" Duo hazarded.
Quatre dropped his head in an almost invisible nod.
"Trowa" he murmured.
There was along silence. Duo, for once, couldn't decide what to say. There were so many questions that he wanted to ask, that he ended up staying silent, just watching Quatre.
In the end, Quatre got up and said "I'm going to bed." quietly, recalling Duo to the room, and the fact that the sun had already gone down. He followed Quatre, and entered his own room, tossing and turning for a long time before he could fall asleep on the white sheets.