Title: The Valentine's Way part 2/?

Author: Vuli

Rating: PG

Review Response:

*anna may: Glad you liked it!*

*Erynna: Here's your first strawberry! Although it's more like strawberry flavour. ^_^;*

The Valentine's Way

During the months that had passed since the end of the Eve Wars, Heero had come to appreciate peace and quiet. The faint hum of a monitor, the clacking of keys, had been background noises for years, sounds he'd gotten used to, but it was remarkable how different a room seemed without them.

He made a mark on the report – a paper report – and turned the page. It was these sorts of moments he savoured the most, when he had the office to himself. No distractions, no teasing, and no arguments between Duo and Wufei, who apparently made it their purpose in life to nettle each other. In fact, they'd done so from the moment Chang had moved into the office several weeks ago, recently reassigned from his duties in space.

While Heero made a point of not getting involved, he usually sympathised with Wufei. After all, Duo had his small following of fellow Preventer agents, dubbed "Maxwell's groupies" by a disparaging Spirit, to fall back on when he needed to exact revenge. Wufei, one of the elite Preventers, was essentially friendless outside the people he had been connected to during the war.

Heero stopped reading, tapping his pen against the page, and his gaze strayed to the vase of roses on his desk, which had been ignored for most of the morning. He had mixed feelings about the Valentine's Day stunt, concocted between Duo and Quatre. The general rule, he gathered, was that encouraging "office romances" was a bad idea; however, Une had approved it, and it was all supposedly harmless fun. Duo had insisted he participate, shipping roses to him all morning, but he had drawn the line at giving his own rose away. Fun or not, what the flower represented was something he wasn't willing to impart on a whim.

"Fine, keep it then," Duo had said with a shrug as he deposited another rose in the vase. Heero hadn't bothered to check any of the tags. "I guess if there's one person you should love, it's yourself, right?"

Sighing at the memory, Heero spared a glance at his watch, and a not-quite frown passed across his face as he noted that Wufei was nearly an hour late. His eyes turned automatically to the vacant desk, perpendicular to his own. The office had seemed cluttered with three of them sharing a room designed for two, but he had been surprised how quickly he had adjusted to the extra occupant. Wufei, like himself, preferred to work in peace, and he was a tranquil, unobtrusive presence when it was just the two of them.

He would be an ideal housemate, Heero mused. The airy flat he called home was the only place where he didn't like quiet, especially at night. That was silence, empty and…lonely. It wasn't that he craved noise. He craved company, the feeling of knowing that he wasn't alone, that there was someone to help fill the space. Perhaps the ebony-eyed Preventer was the solution.

For a few moments, he wondered how permanent Wufei's accommodation was, then forced his attention back to the report. Duo's enthusiasm over Valentine's Day must have been affecting him after all.

---------------------------

Wufei stood by the door of his office, waiting for his usual calm to return before venturing inside, mortified by the thought of Heero seeing him flustered over such a petty thing.

He might as well have been chasing a braided wraith around the building for all the good it had done. Not only had he failed to retrieve the rose Maxwell had snatched from him, he had gained several others from various admirers, who had unintentionally helped Duo escape by hindering him…not to mention a terribly embarrassing run-in with his partner, Sally Po. Stars only knew what fate had befallen his flower, although he had a sinking feeling that the ever-faithful groupies would have it spread all over Headquarters by the end of the day.

A little more composed now, Wufei plucked uncomfortably at his tie. He had taken to wearing the full Preventers uniform while he was planet-bound, rather than just the jacket, but today he regretted it. The shirt collar was chafing slightly, and he was starting to wonder if he had knotted the tie slightly too tight this morning. It was his imagination, of course. His mind was finding physical discomfort to distract him from the emotional ones.

Self-consciously, he brushed down his trousers, then grasped the door handle. If there was one person he could count on to feel as out of place as he did, it would be Heero Yuy. And he'd had enough of Maxwell for one day.

His regained poise faltered when he saw the rather large vase of roses on Heero's desk. Surely the Japanese agent hadn't been lured in too?

Heero looked up briefly and smiled a greeting. "Afternoon."

Scowling, Wufei inspected his watch. "It's not –" 12.03 p.m. Well, it was afternoon, barely. He stalked across the room and tossed the handful of flowers, almost carelessly, on his desk. "I had other business to attend to this morning."

"So I see."

Wufei spun, his temper over Duo's idiocy flaring at Heero's remark, but the other Asian wasn't watching him anymore. Sighing noiselessly, he calmed himself again, then moved to stand in front of Heero's desk. "I didn't think you'd be interested in Valentine's," he said, tapping the vase.

"I'm not. But it kept Duo quiet," Heero replied as he underlined several words.

"Oh." Wufei brushed his fingertips across the crimson blooms. "Aren't you curious about who sent you them?" he asked.

"Not really." Heero turned a page and continued to read. His gaze flickered toward Wufei's desk, eyeing the roses that he had dropped there before returning to the report. "Who are yours from?"

Wufei blinked, surprised that the other agent had even bothered to ask. "The requisitions girl...a few junior agents...Quatre - don't look at me like that, we all got one," he interrupted himself, examining Heero's flowers before pulling out a tag which, sure enough, bore the young billionaire's name. Grunting, Heero focused on his report once more, cocking his head to indicate he was still listening. "Sally."

"Sally Po?" Heero didn't look up, but there was a faint smile on his face.

"Yes, Sally Po." Wufei crossed his arms and glowered. "The woman took it upon herself to give me a rose, in case no one else did." The last words were mumbled with resentful reluctance.

A full-throated laugh escaped Heero, startling his companion. "Mothering instinct?" the Japanese Preventer ventured, smirking.

"It's not funny," Wufei growled, but the corners of his lips curved ever so slightly. "Besides, I doubt you fared any better than I did." As though to prove his point, he flicked through the nametags tied around the flower stems...and froze when he spotted a familiar name. "This is mine!" he exclaimed, plucking the rose from the vase.

Heero frowned and lifted his head, reading the small heart-shaped card that dangled from the bloom. Chang Wufei was printed neatly on one side.

"Last time I saw this was in Maxwell's hand, right after he stole it. Damn that braided idiot!" Wufei grumbled, then sighed and slid the rose back into the vase.

"Don't you want it back?" Heero asked.

Wufei shook his head, fingering the soft petals a moment. "You might as well keep it. I have no one to give it to." His expression was slightly wistful.

After a small hesitation, Heero set down his pen and pulled the vase closer, examining the tags until he found the one he was searching for. "A trade, then," he said quietly, pulling the flower free and extending it to the other man.

Confused, Wufei accepted the offering, his eyes widening when he read Heero Yuy on the tag. When he looked curiously at his colleague, Heero merely shrugged and picked up his pen again. "I had no one else either."

Wufei stared down at the rose and felt his throat tighten suspiciously. "Thank you," he murmured, shifting as though to take his leave. Perhaps it would have been wiser to do just that - Heero had already returned to his work, and the unexpectedly touching moment had passed. Instead, he placed his hand flat on the surface of Heero's desk and rested his weight on it, leaning forward. His tie hung free, brushing the dark wood.

"Something else, Wufei?" Heero enquired, glancing up.

Before he could think twice, Wufei lifted the rose and tapped it against Heero's nose, surprising the Japanese agent. "Isn't a kiss part of the tradition?" he asked lightly.

Heero's face hardened, and he half-rose from his chair. "Are you mocking me, Chang?" he snapped, glaring, and Wufei drew back a little in alarm.

"No! It's just...ah, forget it." He pulled away, turning to retreat to his own side of the room, but Heero leapt up and caught his wrist, rounding the desk to stand in front of him. Misinterpreting the action, Wufei snorted irritably and thrust the rose at him. "You'll want this back, I suppose."

The harshness in Heero's gaze softened slightly. "Keep it. I want to know why you asked."

Wufei frowned and looked away self-consciously. "This ridiculous custom has put me in a...strange mood," he replied, struggling not to blush.

"Is it so ridiculous to celebrate love?" The comment drew Wufei's gaze back to Heero. There was an expression on his face that could have been regret, or even sadness.

"That's not love," Wufei retorted, his tone unintentionally sharp, and he waved at the small pile of roses on his desk. "That's silly infatuation and well-meaning friends." He paused, looking at the flower in his hand once more. "At least you were honest."

Heero was silent, studying his colleague as though watching for some sign of insincerity, then half-turned and reached out to pull Wufei's bloom from the vase. Releasing the Chinese Preventer's wrist, he held out his hand and looked at Chang expectantly.

Wufei couldn't keep the hurt from his eyes, feeling a pang of bitter disappointment as he returned the rose to Heero and accepted his own back. In the past, he wouldn't have thought Heero Yuy capable of meaningless gestures, but apparently his 'gift' had been nothing more than that – he'd had no use for the rose, so he'd given it away. And now Wufei was going to be left standing there like a fool, clutching a flower with his own name on it and wondering why his heart was aching...

"Let's do this properly, hmm?"

The sound of Heero's voice startled him. "What?" he snapped, humiliation melting into bewilderment.

Heero chuckled quietly. "You should pay more attention, Agent Chang," he scolded, and it was his turn to tap the rose on the other man's nose before extending the stem, a small smile curling his lips. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Wufei stared, pulse beating just a pace too fast - the sudden change of heart had him utterly baffled, and somewhat wary. However, when Heero waggled the stem at him, his face oddly soft and encouraging, he took the rose with numb fingers, barely aware that he was offering his own flower even as he did so and uttering a rather hoarse, "Happy Valentine's Day." He was grateful that his voice remained steady as he returned the sentiment.

Rather than take the rose, Heero closed his free hand around Wufei's and drew it to his chest, moving a half-step closer. "Still want that kiss?" he asked softly, leaning his head forward.

Wufei never got the chance to answer; Heero's mouth was already pressed to his, stifling any remark he might have made. It was barely more than a touch of lips, but it was enough to make his eyes flutter shut in pleased shock…and not nearly enough to curb the regret he felt when Heero drew back, pulling the rose smoothly from his fingers.

"I'm going to get a coffee." With that abrupt, almost jarring comment, Heero turned toward the door, as casual as though nothing had happened between them. "Do you want anything?"

Wufei stared at Heero's back, astonished and wondering if he should be offended by the implied dismissal. Had he done something wrong? He hadn't even had a chance to respond to Heero's kiss before the man pulled away.

Do I want anything? Colonies, yes. I want you to kiss me again.

"Wufei?" Heero prompted, one hand resting on the door handle.

"I…I…" Mortified by his own inability to answer, Wufei looked away from the questioning cobalt gaze. If only his heart would get out of his damn throat…

The hint of a smile appeared on Heero's face. "Why don't you come with me?" he suggested, opening the door. "You can decide when we get there."

Wufei hesitated, wondering what Yuy meant by the invitation, and wondering if he wanted to accept it regardless of its intent. Stop this, he chided himself quickly. You can't continue to second-guess everything he says. Just be clear on your own intentions. Clearing his throat, he returned the half-smile and nodded, moving to join Heero.

He was certain, as he stepped past, that he felt Heero's hand rest briefly on the small of his back, and his smile grew a little.

TBC…

Ah, I love the taste of strawberries. ^_^ Next up: the dreaded OC. Will he get in the way of true love?