Holiday Thorn

Trouble's Brewing

Author: Madisonne

Part: 2/?

Warnings: Yaoi, angst, Christmas-time fic, but couldn't wait to post it!

Disclaimer: For some reason, the people at Bandai keep on forgetting to return my calls... So, no, I don't own them yet. Operative word: YET! MWA HA HA HA HA!!! Ahem... Don't steal, or else I'll sic my demon-chibis on you. Stop laughing! They can strip a cow of its meat in one minute! Or is that piranhas? Hmmm...

Notes: As you can tell, this is a sequel, but one can understand it without having read December Rose. Basically, Millardo and Treize survived the war and are living together and have adopted a deaf daughter. Thanks to Lancynth who reviewed! :-D

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He double-checked the address in his hand before reaching out a slender hand to push the doorbell. Belatedly, he hoped that his intrusion would not be awkward in the holiday season.

The door was answered quite promptly, a slender blonde in the doorway.

"You..." He found himself at a loss for words.

"Who is it, Miri?" A voice called from an adjoining room.

The newcomer turned totally white as the other man appeared in the door. "Treize?"

"Wufei?"

"Zechs?"

"Milliardo."

"Who?" The look of utter astonishment on the man's face was slightly comical.

"Never mind." Treize dismissed the point. "Why..."

"I'm sorry;" he flushed, "I must have the wrong address." He looked down at the piece of paper in his hand. "Rose gave me the number of a couple who had adopted a little girl.

Milliardo nodded. "We did."

There was an awkward pause, as neither Milliardo nor Treize were quite sure how to treat the general's former lover.

"Well, come on in." Treize invited, stepping aside to let the lithe figure in.

Wufei stepped into the warm house and shook moth men's hands politely. "It's been quite a while."

"Indeed." Milliardo commented lightly.

There was another awkward pause.

"Why don't you take a seat?" Treize offered, moving them all into the sitting room.

Settling into a chair across from the two on the couch, Wufei coughed lightly.

Milliardo took hold of Treize's hand somewhat protectively.

"Rose sent you?"

Treize's question shook Wufei's mind back into working gear. "Oh, yes. I'm sorry. I've been in the process of adopting a child. Rose suggested that I come speak with you."

"You have...?" Treize began.

"Heero." He answered, flushing slightly.

"Congratulations!" The ex-general seemed to be truly happy for him and the negative feeling that he'd been receiving from Merquise seemed to dissipate.

Wufei coughed again. "We're quite happy. Anyway, Rose gave me your address and said you might be able to give me a few pointers..."

"Of course," Treize answered, smiling lightly, "But first things first; where have you been?"

"We're living in London right now, but I'm having a house built just outside the city limits. Both he and I work at the Preventor base there and came to the U.S. for work. He's on assignment in Nevada and won't be back for at least a week."

"Where are you staying?" Treize asked.

He flushed slightly. "Actually, my reservations were cancelled accidentally, so I..."

"You'll stay with us." The ex-general insisted.

"But..."

"No 'buts'." He firmly stated.

"If you insist..." Wufei caved in, well aware of his friend's tenacity.

"Why don't you go fetch December?" Milliardo suggested to the man whose hand he still had enveloped in his own.

"But..."

"Please." It wasn't so much a request, but more a command.

"Okay." Treize left to fetch his coat and keys, waving at both of them as he left the house.

There was a silence between the two, pregnant with things unsaid.

Wufei warily spoke. "How have you both been? You seem well..."

"Yes, we're quite content."

Something in the slightly acidic way Merquise spoke made Wufei cringe.

The ringing of the doorbell interrupted their awkward quasi-conversation.

Milliardo rose and opened the door. "Yes?"

"I'm looking for Agent... Chang Wufei. Has he been here today?" A voice called, the person out of Wufei's line of sight.

"Yes, he's here now." The blonde led the young man to the sitting room and left them alone at a warning glance from the newcomer.

"Duo." Something in Wufei's voice told Milliardo that the other was not too happy to see this wartime friend. But, he figured, it was none of his business, and moved on to the kitchen to prepare tea for his unexpected guests.

The pair was quiet. Too quiet. Quiet people made Milliardo nervous. Because he was one of them and knew all too well that when they were quiet, they were plotting their most devious schemes.

Suddenly, the newest arrival's voice got loud enough for the "unintentionally" eavesdropping man to hear. "Don't you get it? The only reason he stayed with you was because you are nothing more than a whore who happens to be loaded! It was never about love!"

A loud "thunk" of flesh on wood sent the ex-OZ soldier running into the room to find Wufei crumpled on the floor and the other grinning madly. "Get the hell out of my house..." He growled.

"Why should I?" The other taunted.

Without one second of hesitation, Milliardo whipped out his gun and trained it on the young man. "Leave."

Smirking, the teen exited the house and pulled his car out onto the street while the angry blonde fell to his knees beside the unconscious agent. "Good god, Wufei... What did you do to deserve this?" With a sinking heart, he answered his own question, "Nothing."

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