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"Duo! Duo get up, you lazy bum!" Former Altron pilot was knocking hard on the bedroom door. He dressed neatly in his Preventers uniform and practically ready to go for a work. Inside of the room, the American sleepy head was lying in his oversize pajama. His bed was filled with many different kinds of chocolate and wrapping paper along with ribbon rolls. The braid boy stirred because of the disturbing noise, and bit by bit he realized that it was Wufei who yelling outside. His eyes suddenly widened and he looked at the clock... 8:30 already! 'Shit' "Duo! If you still don't get up, I'll give you 2 choices: either I will break in and drag you to work, or you can go later but that means a report must be done for this." "No!" replied Duo, how could he let Wufei in and see these things...? No doubt he was preparing a little gift for Wufei as a Valentine present. If he gave chocolate to only Wufei, everyone would know how he felt for his Chinese friend. In spite of that he planned on giving chocolate to everyone. "No what?" "Uh, I mean don't wait up, you just go ahead." "You gotta be kidding, I'm going in." Wufei was about to turn the doorknob but Duo protested once again. "Don't come in!" He paused. "What's wrong with you, Maxwell?" Duo needed some excuses, fast... "I'm... kinda... naked." He felt uneasy saying something like that to someone, especially Wufei. It had the tremendous effective than Duo expected. Wufei Chang stopped dead right there with the blood rushing all over his face. Little naughty image were playing with his mind, "Then... ok. Right, I'll wait in the living room. Be quick." Duo exhaled heavily when he heard the footsteps fading. He started to gather all the trash and pushed them all off his bed, selecting some pieces that were done being wrapped and headed to bathroom. On the other hand, the Chinese officer was turning on the television, it was some kind of activity that he rarely did. Later he noticed that most of commercial used red as the main color along with flower as the main item. He frown, 'What's wrong with this people?' -Ding- There was someone ringing the doorbell, 'It's still early in the morning, who would that be?' He looked through the peephole. There was some stupid onna on the other side, looking merry. She was holding a rather thick file in her hands. 'What kind of joke is this?' He opened the door and suddenly the high-pitched soprano voice pierced through his ears, "Happy Valentine!... sir..." She was a bit taller than him, so her eyesight cast lower when she found no one faced her. "Chang," Wufei answered, looking annoyed. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Chang. I'm Mandy from Primavera; Italian Restaurant two block from here[1]. We are having a grand opening today and since today is also Valentine day, we would like to give you two free tickets for an unforgettable dinner!" "No thanks," he said flatly. The lady at the door looked like she had been slapped across her face. She stood stun for a minute before she speak again, "Sir, it's totally free and we guarantee our quality and taste of our food. Why don't you..." She was cut off by the appearance of long-haired, slim figure beside Wufei. Duo with his hair down looked completely like a girl, a very cute one, not to mention how sweet his face was. Wufei also turned to see Duo, he was in the bathrobe, obviously wasn't ready to leave, "Aren't you done dressing?" "No, I'm looking for spare toothpaste. What's the problem?" "Oh, dear. I'm from..." as she begun introducing herself again, Wufei briefed Duo. "She's from new restaurant and trying to convince me to go there." Duo made a small nod and ask bluntly, "Free?" "Yes, we are testing various customers in this area. It's two free tickets, I suggest that you..." again, she was cut off, this time by Duo. "I'll go," he said and smiled broadly. Wufei looked at him in disbelief. "Thank you, young lady! I'm sure you two will have a great Valentine's night!" She beamed, handed Duo the tickets, and retreated as fast as she can before Wufei would say anything in protest. Duo blushed slightly at her gratitude since she thought he was a girl and also... Wufei's lover but Wufei didn't seem to notice. "Why do you accept that?" Wufei asked. "I don't see what's wrong, it's free. Besides, I don't have any program tonight or do you?" "No, I don't." "So, we are going together, right?" Wufei didn't answer but he lifted his hand to scratch lightly behind his ear; he was looking outside in the direction which the lady just left. It was his behavior only when he got nervous but Duo didn't know about this. "Well, ... better than delivery pizza, I guess." and he walked back to the crouch. Duo was busy looking watching him, surprised that he didn't look into his eyes, the former Chinese pilot never hid them before, add to that the slightly red color on his caramel cheeks... Duo's heart was beating to strange rhythm. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Wufei was distracted by the words 'Valentine's Day' numerous times on the TV but still he didn't get what that meant. At the same time, Duo came down the stairs with the big bag of chocolate. "Are we leaving?" Duo asked. Wufei rolled his eyes and turned TV off. They exited the house, both heading to the driver's seat of their CRV[2]. "I thought we don't have much time," Duo said. "So?" "Are you gonna drive?" "Yes. It's safer. At least I can make sure we don't have to spend more time at the police station." "Hey! I'm not that bad," the braid youth pouted but he retreated to the opposite seat, holding the bag on his lap. It wasn't a long drive from their place to the Preventers HQ and as soon as they walked in the front door... it was like a grand sale of expensive brand name goods, the horde of female officers ran straight at them. Wufei was startled, not sure what to do: knock these onna(s) down or make an escape. But it was a bit too late... they all surround them and said in unison, "Happy Valentine's Day, Duo and Wufei!" and they all said many things to them but it was too loud, he couldn't hear. Some of them pulled Duo to kiss his cheeks but finally they gave them an armful of presents mostly wrapped in red paper. After surviving, they both made their way to their office, especially Wufei who avoiding others onnas who yelled 'That's him!' along the way. They set all the gifts over the pile of papers, making the messed desk looked messier. Wufei ask Duo, "What the hell is Valentine's Day anyway." Duo turned to him in disbelief, "You don't know?" "If I knew, I wouldn't have to ask." He moved to the coffee corner beside the desk. "Uh, I'm not sure how it started either but later it became tradition of giving some gifts to each other such as chocolate, roses and so on... showing their mmm... love," he murmured the last words in his throat. Wufei winced at that word but try to act normal, since he still turned his back to Duo. "What are you going to say about those onnas and these presents?" "Oh, there are many meanings of that; love of family, love of friend and as a lover..." his voice trailed down every word he spoke. Wufei froze. The memory of seeing Duo confessing his love to the snowy sky came rushing back to him.[3] It was the thing that he keep denying since he never wished to lose their friendship even to something stronger... something like 'love.' No matter how sweet he thought it would be, he still fear that the new relationship might turn his head upside down. Love and devotion, those weren't things for people of his kind. Anyway, he was very happy at the present situation; he knew that Duo loved him but Duo had completely no idea what he thought. "We should start working now." He simply turned to Duo and handed him a cup of coffee; hiding emotion wasn't the hardest thing for Wufei Chang anymore. No one would ever know what was running around Duo's head now because of standing face to face alone on Valentine's Day and discussing the meaning of it or the fact that he was only thinking about how soft those lips that cracked a small smile were... Duo blushed madly. Wufei noticed that Duo still standing at the same spot and didn't move to get the coffee from him. He called, "Duo?" "No!" He blurted out while he trying to wipe away the image of kissing Wufei right there... right now. "What? You don't like coffee?" Wufei was puzzled. "I'm outta here," Duo said and turned to the door. "Hey, don't you see how much work is undone here? Don't try to skip out," Wufei said and followed Duo closely, hot cups of coffee still in his hands. "I just..." Duo abruptly turned back, causing him to bump into Wufei, knocking them both on the waiting crouch. Duo ended up on top. Wufei let go of the cups and caught Duo's waist with one hand and upper torso with another. The light scent of soap from Duo mingled in the air and the feeling of that slim body against him made Wufei's breath quicken. Duo's problem was not far from Wufei's: one of his hands was beside Wufei's head which accidentally brushed the silken black hair lingerly. The other hand was on the Chinese boy's firm chest, preventing him from pressing their bodies entirely together. Their faces and lips were only a breath apart. They lay still for a moment, realizing how embarrassed the situation could be. They both stared into each other's eyes, which flinched with inner feelings from their owners. Finally, Duo was the one who broke the silence, the blush visible on his pretty face. 'I must say it... God... I can't keep it anymore,' he told himself, "I.. mm Wufei.. I l.." And the sudden burst of the opened door was heard by them. "Happy Valentine's, everyone!" greeted the young Arabian, his arms loaded with the boxes of chocolate in small basket. Behind him was his well known 'consort' Trowa Barton with an equal amount of variety packs of chocolate in his arms as well. Before their eyes was something unexpected... It was usually a rather busy office, everyone walking back and froth, gathering some important documents. But the scene they were seeing much different... It was of a quiet room, at one corner was the desk that overflowed with an obviously unfinished pile of paper mixed with various packages of chocolate, some of them were knocked down to the floor where two cups of coffee were also rolling. On the couch opposite to that... Duo Maxwell was hovering on top of Chang Wufei! The four boys forze; two at the door and two on the couch. ... "I ... uh.. I'll wait outside," said Quatre while half-dragging Trowa out of the room and shutting the door loudly. After they recovered themselves, Duo continued with quite different words, "I.. am sorry." He didn't dare to announce the true words. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ During work, Wufei was thinking about Duo's reaction. It seemed like Duo going to say something to him other than his apology. The only question was... what would he do if Duo really said it... He was so confused and distracted by the sight of Duo concentrating on his papers. Duo, on the other hand, sometimes stole a glance at his stern-faced comrade and wondered what was he thinking. He was trying to find a chance to give him a Valentine chocolate. The paper he was holding was just a shield to his inner turmoil. And they both sighed... -Ring Ring- It was the phone call. Duo and Wufei, at the same time, reached for the receiver but their hands came in contact with each other. Duo was startled and drew back his hand quickly without looking up because he knew that Wufei was looking at him. That made their tension grow even stronger. Wufei picked it up and greeted, "Hello, Chang speaking." "Wufei?" That was Quatre. ... There was a long pause followed with muffled voice. A moment later Trowa was on the line, "Could you come by our office, please?" "Now?" "Alone, too." Wufei quietly got up from his desk and went out of the room saying nothing to Duo. He arrived at the Winner-Barton office and found only Trowa sitting on the fluffy sofa. "Where's Winner?" "That's not important. I have to ask you something." He gestured Wufei to sit down. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ At the Chang-Maxwell office, there was a light knock on the door. The golden haired Arabian poked his head inside, looking around a little and slipped in silently. "What brings you here, Q-man?" Duo asked cheerfully, temporarily forgetting the fact that Quatre saw him and Wufei this morning. Quatre cleared his throat like an aged professor before beginning his lecture, "Due to the incident earlier between you and Wufei, I have something to ask you..." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ #next is the way Duo and Wufei answer the question, most questions were the same since Quatre and Trowa made an arrangement.. ? Of course! They are in different room *snicker*# Q&T - "What were you two doing when we .. interrupted?" Duo: "What?! Oh!... that was... an.. accident. Yes, I was just trying to get out of the room and Wufei followed me and ... Mm I turned around too fast and... and I knocked him down," he said with a little hesitation. Wufei: "Nothing," he said simply. Trowa raised a visible eyebrow. Q&T - "Are you sure?" Duo: "Of course..." he mumbled and tried not to think about it. Wufei: "What is this all about, Barton? I don't have time for this!" Q&T - "Ok, next one. Today's a Valentine's Day, did you get him (Duo, Wufei) something?" Duo: ... "Uh, actually I was going to, but I don't have any chance..." Wufei: "I just foudn out what Valentine's Day was this morning." Q - "You don't have a chance? I know you worked alone with him since the morning, don't lie to me." Duo: ... "Oh, God. Quatre... I don't know what to do..." He banged his head to the desk, "I'm going crazy!" T - "Now you know, are you planning on giving him some present?" Wufei: "I see no use in that, Barton. And why the hell are we discussing this?!" He started to leave to room. Q&T - "Do you love him?" Duo: ........................................ (His forehead still on the edge of the table.) Wufei: ........................................ (His hand stopped at the doorknob.) ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Duo, are you alright?" Quatre asked since Duo hadn't raised his head up from the table and it had been a while. "No, I'm not alright." He got up and there were tracks of tears on each of his creamy cheeks. "He hates me." "What? Duo, what are you saying?" Quatre rushed to Duo's side and held his shoulder. "After you found us this morning, he didn't say anything. He must have gotten really mad." "Duo." Quatre sighed and soothed his friend's chestnut hair, "You care so much him. You love him, right?" "Yes." Duo sniffed. "It's been so long I don't remember when it started." "Why don't you tell him, Duo?" Quatre's gentle hands made feel a little better. "I can't, Quatre. I know I couldn't stand it if he rejected me." Quatre set Duo upright and encouraged him, "Life is a die, Duo. It has many faces and none of the faces are bad. How could you know the result if you don't even dare to roll it." He wiped the tears from Duo's face and patted his back lightly. Duo gave him a faint smile in return, maybe Quatre was right... All these time, he keep thinking Wufei was against this kind of relationship but he never really talked to him about it. Quatre smiled in satisfaction when he saw Duo's spirit rise; mission accomplished. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "So my guess was right," Trowa remarked. "What are you trying to do, Barton?" It became his habit of avoiding questions with questions. He turned around and Trowa dragged him back to the sofa. "I'm not finished with you. It's quite obvious to me that you have some feelings for Duo." Wufei snorted, "Where are you getting that from?" "I know because I was once like you. I loved Quatre but I didn't want to lose his friendship. What do you think I would be if I keep saying 'No' when my heart screaming only 'Yes'." "..." Wufei didn't answer, he never knew that Trowa had situation so similar to his. "I would become someone like you, Wufei; stubborn, stupid, solitude and sexless." He stood up, yelling at Trowa's face, "That's enough, Barton! I'm not here for you to insult me!" "You know you are," and they said no more. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ In the evening, after Duo and Wufei finished their work separately, Duo gave away all his presents to the girls outside, including the one he prepared for Wufei. He gave it to Lady Une since he had something else to give Wufei. Both of them remembered that they had to go to the Italian restaurant tonight, and they feared that the other would cancel but neither did. They drove home silently, hardly saying a word except Duo's, "When will we go this evening?" Wufei's mind wondered else where when Duo asked him, "What? Oh, that dinner... around 19:00? What do you say?" Duo frowned. Wufei hardly asked for his opinion, especially something uninvolved the mission. "That's ok." and he leaned back to the glass pane. They arrived at the house and it was 17:45 already. They had little time left before dressing up but somehow they retreated to their own rooms, obviously having something registered their minds. Duo was standing in front of his dressing table; slowly he drew something out of the top drawer. Both of his hands held the small black box to his chest and he look into mirror... in those violet eyes he saw mixed with hope and despair... Wufei stared at his bed; it has two sets of pillow when he usually slept on only one side. He took a deep breath and reached his hand under the unused pillow. There was a small object wrapped neatly with red silk that now laid in his cold hand... It was 18:45 when they were both ready to go. Wufei was in a dark green long-sleeve turtleneck that fit him well and cream-colored slacks, his hair was up in the usual ponytail. Duo didn't wear black today, which surprised Wufei a little. He wore a simple white shirt but left top button undone and fitted navy blue pants that hung a little low on his hips. Wufei tried not to let his eyes linger much on Duo and hurried them out, "The restaurant is not far from here, let's take a walk." They walked together, both of them secretly enjoying each other's presence on a fine night like this; the weather was not too cold since it was in the late winter. The street was dim and quiet, some of the lamp posts along the way were broken, the grass in the open lawns of their neighbors looked slightly damp, and the braid that swung back and forth when Duo walk were all pleasant to him. "Why are you walking so slowly?" Duo suddenly turned back and asked. "Hungry?" Wufei sped up to walk beside him. "No, just feel strange when someone walks behind me." 'Especially you...' ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The restaurant was quite big and decorated completely in earth tone; the red, brown and yellow stain glass in large mosaic style, the floor was laid with hexagon white marble piece which matched the table but edged with dark brown oak. The overall light was hazy from the red candles that were placed everywhere; the roses of red and white were also placed along the way. There were already some customers but all of them were obviously couple. The doorman opened the door for Wufei and Duo, asking if they were guests. Duo handed him the tickets. He smiled and lead the way to their table, it was a corner table beside the empty flat wood stage, there were musical instruments standing by: violin, viola, cello, saxophone, and grand piano. They were quite isolated from others. The waiter came to them with two glasses of champagne. "We haven't ordered yet," Wufei remarked. "It's a special service for the couple on this day, sir." He smiled at them. They exchanged slightly shy glances. Duo was about to say something but shook his head a little in restraint. "I'll be back for the order," and he provided them with red soft leather menus. "Do I look that girly?" Duo asked while he scanned the appetizer list. "A little," Wufei answered simply before take a sip of champagne. "Must be your hair." "You have long hair, too," he countered. "But I'm not pretty." He let it slipped out before he realized what he said. He hoped Duo wouldn't take it seriously. Duo wasn't sure if he heard it right... Did Wufei just say he was pretty?! He didn't know what to do and he felt himself blushing so he brought the menu up to his face. The dinner went by very fine with Duo's Caesar salad and salmon steak, Wufei's mozzarella and gordonbleu with tiramisu as a dessert. During the meal, the musicians began to entertain customers with very sweet songs that suited the occasion well. "Are you full?" Wufei asked teasingly since Duo seemed to enjoy the food very much. Duo gave him a warning look before turning his attention to the music. Wufei noticed some of the male customers invite their date for a dance. Since their table was next to the dance floor and there was nothing they better to do, they watched those happy lovers flirting like no one else existed in the world. Wufei looked at Duo who turned his face aside thoughtfully. He surely had something on his mind and hoped he wouldn't chicken out. 'Just say it... Just say it...' His mouth opened and closed several time before, 'Damn it!! I can't!' His fingers were drawn back into a fist and he let out a heavy sigh. Suddenly he asked out of nowhere, "Dance?" Duo was in his own world of jealousy... Valentine's... it wasn't the day for him, and he was startled with the little question from Wufei. Before he would react, Wufei grabbed his wrist, said nothing, and led him to the dance floor. The beat was slow and the rhythm was right, they embraced each other loosely... no words passed between them. The violet shade of Duo's eyes seemed darker under the yellow light, the confusion was there but none was voiced. The feeling of his light framed body close to his caused a sense of protectiveness to Wufei, his black eyes were searching but not demanding... The heat of their bodies only from Duo's waist, Wufei's shoulder, and their hands agonized them both. Duo's eyesight went lower to those sheer lips, wondering where they would place in reality, not just on his lips in his imagination. They swallowed nothing and mindlessly tighten the grip of their bodies, drawing each other closer... Their lips almost touched, their hearts were racing faster and faster... They didn't want to guess what was on the other's mind. The throbbing pain in Duo's chest was squeezing his heart. And the moment their lips should have touched, Duo abruptly backed off and lowered his forehead to rest on the strong shoulder in front of him... He called out the name, "Wufei." Wufei was stunned when he recovered. Realizing what he almost done made him want to kick himself. Technically, they were only friends not mentioning the fact that he knew what Duo felt toward him. From Duo's point of view, this was the moment he had been waiting for; his love was holding him, looking at him with those gentle eyes... but over days and nights he kept restraining himself from crossing the bridge of their unbreakable friendship... he didn't dare to risk it now, even if this was only a momentary lapse of control and he surrendered to it... the damage would be done beyond repair. Wufei brought his hand to Duo's head. "Let's go home, shall we?" He felt the small nod against his chest and he led them out. How many doubtful glances and whispers they passed through? Wufei and Duo seemed uncaring, the choice of relationship was their own and maybe it was time to choose... The coldness of the night was increasing but the heat of their bodies they just shared still warm inside. Moments passed and they walked, moon and stars watching but none of them spoke. Wufei snuck his hand in his pants' pocket and inhaled deeply. He halted his pace and called to Duo, who just stop there but made no move to face him. Wufei went around to Duo's front and handed him a bolt of red silk, "It's Valentine's Day, isn't it?" Duo hesitantly received it and felt something was wrapped inside. He unfold it and found a jade hairpin, a beautiful one without any white mark, it was carved neatly with delicate pattern of swan[4]. "Wufei..." He was speechless, this ornament was obviously priceless and the way Wufei handle it looked like it was very important to him. "It once was Meiran's but I want you to keep it." "Wufei, I..." He was about to hand it back. He knew exactly what it means... Meiran was his friend's wife. "Please." Wufei reached his hands to covered Duo's, their eyes locked and the words were needed no more. "I have something for you, too." Wufei clumsily drew his hands back, allowed Duo to pick the small black box from his pocket and gestured him to open it. It was a silver crucifix with a broken necklace. He ran his fingers lightly over it. "It was the only thing Sister Helen gave me besides her kindness." "Why don't you keep it?" "Must be the same reason you don't." They gave each other the warmest smiles, the unspoken feelings and words were heard clearly in their minds. On their way back, they walked together in different feeling from when they come, smiling all that way and... Hand in hand...
Kai: Sorry for long waiting since Christmas ^^' Hmm but it's Valentine fic, too! ~^_^~
Feedback: yes, YES, Please... (*^_^*)
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