An exhausted but excited Quatre greeted Duo and Heero at the door, giving each of them tight hugs. "I'm so glad you came," he told them as someone came and grabbed their bags.
They hadn't seen the blonde boy since the day at Worlds of Fun, only two and a half months ago, but the boy seemed to have aged by years. He had bags under his reddened eyes, his hair was a mess and he looked as though he hadn't relaxed in days. This was probably true, Duo thought, since he was planning a wedding.
Duo and Heero had gotten the invitation in the mail six months ago. The announcement that Trowa had asked Quatre to marry him came as no surprise to anyone; the two had been living together for almost two years and had been a couple for almost four. Duo couldn't have been happier for them and within minutes of receiving the invitation, he was on the phone congratulating Quatre and promising their presence at the wedding. He had called the Preventers minutes later informing them of his impending absence.
In the past two weeks, though, with the possible threat of Heero's life hanging over them, Duo found himself even more satisfied with attending the wedding. He knew Quatre's residences were always well guarded and knew, even though there would be many strangers there, that Quatre wouldn't allow anyone threatening near them. As an added bonus, they would get some time off to relax.
As they entered the house, Duo noticed the extravagance of the Winner estate. Large Greek columns supported the heavy ceiling, which was intricately decorated with carvings and paintings of varied subjects. The marble floor was covered in the center by an extensive rug, upon which sat beautifully carved furniture that looked as though it had never been used. Across the room was a massive staircase lined with red carpet. Tall windows were spaced out around the room, letting in the sunlight and showing a view of the garden.
Duo was glad that Quatre had chosen his Earth estate for the wedding. The amazing garden in the yard was going to be the perfect place for the ceremony.
Trowa then appeared atop the staircase, almost running towards Quatre, the same unkempt look about him as his mate. "Quatre, do you know where Maria went?"
Turning with a ferocious glare, Quatre motioned towards Duo and Heero and recognizing his rudeness, Trowa greeted them. "We've been really busy and really stressed and if I don't find Maria we are going to have to order pizza for the reception."
Both Duo and Heero found the apology in his words and told him it was understandable.
"When are the others going to arrive?" Duo asked.
"Maria!" Trowa suddenly turned and nearly ran at a stout woman who had just gone outside.
Quatre glared after him then turned to answer Duo's question. "Catherine and my sisters, of course, are already here. They're helping set up the outside right now. Wufei, I believe, is due to be here tomorrow evening. Relena's flight gets here later tonight and everyone else is supposed to be here tomorrow afternoon."
"Who is everyone else?" Heero inquired.
"Well, Rashid and the other Maguanacs are coming, as are some people from Catherine's circus. I also invited some old family friends."
"Jeeze," Duo exclaimed, "How many people are going to be here?"
"Um…" Quatre had to think for a moment, his brow furrowing above his nose. "I think about a hundred and twenty or so."
Duo's eye bulged but he then realized that, compared to what some other people do, this was a relatively small wedding. After all, he really was only inviting close friends and family. It just turns out that he had a lot of those. A sudden thought passed in Duo's mind and he decided to ask. "You know all these people really well, right? I mean, there aren't any people that would… I mean… Heero's safe here, with all the people and everything."
Heero groaned, getting tired of Duo's constant worries about him.
Quatre noticed Heero's agitation but ignored it. "Of course, Duo. After you called and told me the… situation, I actually cut down the guest list a little and double checked the security. Heero's perfectly safe." Quatre smiled at them, the smirk widening when Heero rolled his eyes.
"Oh!" Quatre suddenly turned and motioned for them to follow. "You guys must be tired from your flight…?" He looked at them and when they shrugged, he was pleased. "Ok, then. I have to show you this!"
Almost running up the staircase, Quatre took them along a wide corridor and into a small locked room. He got out his key, but even after that, he still had to enter a code into the small number pad, and have his pointer finger scanned on the small green box that rested on the wall next to the door.
"Man, Quat, you got your gold stash in there or what?"
Turning to smile slyly at Duo, Quatre shook his head. "No, this is to keep Trowa out." When his quests lowered their eyebrows in confusion, he assured them, "You'll see. Come on."
Entering the room, it looked to Duo like nothing special. It was a simple room, looking as though it couldn't possibly be in the same house as the room they had left minutes before. Gray carpet went from wall to wall, no pictures graced the walls themselves, and the only furniture in the room was a table, two chairs, a piano and a small couch. Papers were scattered all over the table and piano, as though someone had come in with a leaf blower to mess up his friend's papers.
"This is what I wanted to show you," Quatre said, handing some papers to Duo.
He looked down at the papers and noticed that they were sheet music. Flipping through the pages, Duo wasn't sure of what to make of them. "What is it?"
Quatre's smile became impossibly wide and he absolutely beamed with pride. "It's my wedding gift to Trowa."
Duo, eyes widening, smiled at his friend. "You wrote this?"
Quatre nodded.
"That's great!" Duo told him, "Can we hear it?"
Quatre shook his head. "Not yet. The only time I can work on it is when Trowa's not here. I don't want to spoil the surprise."
"What gave you the idea?" Heero interjected.
Quatre smiled again, if possible, even brighter. "I wanted something permanent. You guys know how I feel about music; it stays with you forever. It… penetrates you and never leaves your memory. I wanted to do something for Trowa that he would never forget."
"I think you will accomplish that," Heero told him.
Duo nodded and handed Quatre the music sheets. "That's really cool," he said, "I didn't know you could write music. I mean, I knew you could play, I didn't know you were a composer."
"Anyone can compose," Quatre responded with a laugh, "It's just really, really hard."
"I think that is wonderful, Quatre." Heero smiled at him.
"Thanks."
A loud crash, like that of china breaking, came from below them and Quatre's eyes widened. He dropped the papers and hurried them out of the room, letting the door automatically lock itself. They hurried down the hall and Duo heard Quatre raise his voice for the first time.
"That better not be what I think it is!" he shouted down the stairs as he jumped down them two at a time. Below him, one of his sister's daughters stood with a pile of broken plates at her feet, looking up towards her uncle with fear in her eyes.
Quatre bounded down the last of the steps and the girl took off running. Duo laughed. In the Winner family, he thought, Pacifism only goes so far.
The next day went by fairly fast. Up at dawn, Quatre and Trowa were busy making the final arrangements with the help of their respective sisters. Everything was set up by the afternoon, giving Quatre a few minutes to eat before he had to greet the rest of his quests.
Relena had arrived a few hours after Duo and Heero, and Wufei had surprised everyone by taking an earlier flight, arriving a good eight hours before schedule.
The Maguanacs came not long after three o'clock and instantly demanded that their master get the rest they knew he deserved. The blonde protested but Rashid was adamant that Quatre and Trowa spend the rest of the day relaxing, getting ready for the next day, their wedding day.
The people from the circus Trowa had traveled with arrived not long after the Maguanacs and were swiftly followed by what looked to be an entire shuttle-full of Quatre's family friends.
Everyone greeted everyone else with hugs, some with kisses, and all with joyous screams or a booming 'Hello!"
By dinner, every one of the hundred quest rooms was occupied and the dinner hall was filled to capacity. Thankfully, Quatre had prepared for the occasion, providing enough tables and chairs for everyone to have room to eat. The large room was overrun with people and noise was such that Duo could barely hear Heero speaking even though the boy was no further than a foot from him.
The two sat at a table, watching a group of Maguanacs dance wildly with some of Quatre's single family friends. They were alone at the table and Heero took the opportunity to lean close to Duo like he hadn't been able to do all day.
"They're going to be together forever," Duo said, looking over at the couple of the evening. Snuggled together on the loveseat that had been added as their dining chairs, Trowa and Quatre sat across the room, smiling at each other and nibbling at their dinner.
"Would you like this many people at our wedding?" Heero asked.
"No," Duo answered, not thinking of the implications the question held, "I don't think we know this many people."
Heero smiled and Duo blushed slightly when the stoic boy placed a quick and discrete kiss on his cheek.
It was chaos. Quatre was going mad not being able to see Trowa and Trowa was protesting against the silly superstition his sister was making him follow. Pacing the small music room, Quatre stared at his sheet music, memorizing every note as though he didn't already have the music permanently in his head.
"Quatre," Duo tried, "Stop pacing, you're driving me crazy!"
The blonde finally halted and fell backwards into one of the plush chairs. "I don't think this interval sounds right. I think I should change it."
Duo shot across the room and snatched the pen from his friend's grasp. "Quatre, it's fine. You're just nervous and you've had a little too much coffee." He look at the empty coffee can that sat on a tray in the center of the nearby table.
"No… I… it…"
"Quatre, buddy." Duo positioned himself to look directly into the blonde's eyes. "Calm down. It's not that big of a deal. You should be happy. Nothing is going to go wrong…"
"Wrong? I didn't even think about that! What if Maria messed up on the orders? What if my fingers don't stop trembling and I play the wrong notes? Oh God, I should practice!"
Quatre moved towards the piano, meaning to go over, for the millionth time, his own composed work. Duo stopped him and pinned him in his seat. "Quatre."
Indigo eyes glared fiercely at blue and after a few moments, Quatre settled down. Just as Duo leaned back, there was a knock on the door, causing them both to jump.
"Guys?" It was Catherine. "We're waiting for you."
Duo looked at Quatre and smiled at the panic in his eyes. "Ready?" Quatre shook his head but Duo pulled him to his feet anyway. "Good, let's go!"
Outside, Duo ran to take his place next to Heero. The garden was in full bloom and Catherine and Quatre's sisters had played it up. An arch of red roses marked the beginning of the isle where the hundred and some-odd people sat in gold and red chairs, waiting for the ceremony to start. Tall columns of rich colored flowers stood opposite the arch, pulling the flowers up towards the sky. Under the canopy, made of gold swooping cloth that was supported by the columns, stood Heero, Wufei, Catherine and Rashid (to take the place of the minister). Looking up, Duo noticed the clear sky and bright sun. Birds sat in nearby trees, ready to be released after the I Dos. (It was an old tradition of Quatre's family to release the birds in such a way. His father was married to his mother that way and he wanted to honor that.)
The ceremony was going to be short and the reception, more of a large party, was going to, probably, last into the early morning. Looking at the setup, Duo noticed it was not a traditional wedding - with white everywhere and a minister. Neither Quatre nor Trowa were religious, Duo knew, so there was no reason to have a religious wedding. They had spent hours planning their own, original ceremony.
Once everyone was in their place, the music began, though, much like everything else that day, the music was not what Duo expected. It was in the style of the traditional wedding music, but it was different. Duo could feel a touch of both Quatre and Trowa's music style in the piece. He liked it.
Walking slowly but anxiously, Quatre and Trowa approached the podium to stand in front of Rashid.
Duo watched his friends' eyes as Rashid spoke, the words flowing through him without him hearing them. When Rashid had finished the entrance, he turned the attention to the two in front of him, letting them say their vows. They turned to each other and as Duo saw tears swelling in their eyes as they began the Shakespearean sonnet, his thumb began to twitch and caress the golden ring on his finger.
"Let me not to the marriage of true minds," Quatre began, trying and failing to keep the tears in his eyes, "Admit impediments. Love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds, / Or bends with the remover to remove:" He had to wipe the tears from his cheeks and managed to smile at Trowa. "O no," he continued, "it is an ever-fixed mark / That looks on tempests and is never shaken; / It is the star to every wandering bark, / Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken."
Trowa then took over, rarely seen tears in his own eyes. "Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks / Within his bending sickle's compass come: / Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, / But bears it out even to the edge of doom. / If this be error and upon me proved, / I never writ, nor no man ever loved."
They then took the rings from Rashid and the man asked them each, "Do you take this man as your husband?" and each answered, "I do." A moment of pause and the birds took flight, swirling in a tornado of multicolored feathers above them.
Quatre and Trowa had presented each other with their gifts after the ceremony, before the reception began. Duo almost cried with his blonde friend when he saw Trowa's eyes glisten with unshed tears as he sat and listened to the piece Quatre wrote for him. The blonde's hands slid over the piano keys as if they had been born playing the instrument and music sounded as though Quatre's brain had been born composing. The beautiful notes drifted over everyone listening, putting them in trances that only when the music stopped were they free of.
In turn, Trowa also played a piece of his own composition on the flute. Everyone laughed at the irony but again were entranced by the music the man was able to produce.
The party began after the gifts and it had long ago turned wild, loud music much different than that of Quatre and Trowa's booming over the people that were dancing in a crowd in the center of the room. Trowa and Quatre hadn't been able to stay far from each other, both now sitting in their chairs next to Duo and Heero. While Heero finished his meal, and Trowa spoke to Wufei, Duo and Quatre talked.
"How's it feel to be married?" Duo asked.
Quatre beamed. "It's great."
"You know, I told Heero yesterday that you two are gonna be together forever," Duo told him.
Quatre nodded, not knowing how to respond. A few moments of silence passed between them before Quatre spoke. "I think it's the same with you and Heero."
Duo blushed, knowing it was his turn to be speechless. "Well, I'm happy for you, buddy," he finally said.
"Thanks."
Duo stole a glance at Heero, wondering what their wedding would be like. It had never really been said out loud, neither of them asking the other of their future plans; it was just sort of assumed that it would get to that point sooner or later. Both had long ago accepted that they weren't going anywhere, that they were happy with each other. Without him even noticing, his thumb was moving across his ring again, the simple motion having quickly become a treasured habit.
He looked back at Quatre and seeing the smile Quatre's face held, the brightness Trowa radiated when he looked at the blonde, Duo was only able to smile at them. He couldn't wait for his and Heero's day to come.
= = =
Duo eyed the man that sat behind the table. Busy scratching his neck, the man ignored Duo's frustration. The two had been in the interrogation room for over an hour and Duo had only gotten limited information out of their informant.
The short, husky man had come forward and turned himself into the Preventers only two days ago. He admitted to being part of the group that had hacked into the Preventer files and ordered the weapons but his limited knowledge was annoying.
"So the group ordered weapons from three other locations besides Danya Corp…"
The man, Kaden Jenkenson, nodded.
"Where else?"
"I don't know," Kaden replied. "The boss split us into four groups, each one dealing with a different company. I had nothing to do with the other orders, only the one from Danya Corp."
"Who is your boss?"
"We don't use our real names, even around each other. Everyone has a nickname. The boss is just 'Boss'… that or 'Veteran'."
"Veteran?" Duo raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Kaden replied. "He was in the army or something during the Eve Wars."
"Would you be able to work with a sketch artist to possibly put a face on this 'Veteran'?"
"Sure."
"So what does Veteran have against peace?" Duo asked.
Kaden reached up and began scratching the back of his neck again. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the relief the scratching apparently brought. He looked up at Duo, boredom plainly showing in his dull brown eyes. "I don't know. I know he hates a lot of the new world leaders. It's something personal, I know, 'cause he refuses to discuss it and you can just tell, you know, when someone doesn't want to talk about something 'cause it's too personal. He said he worked for one of the leaders in the past…"
Duo cut him off, a question coming to his mind that he didn't want to forget. "What about now? From what you told us, most of the guys in this organization continue on with their lives so as not to seem suspicious. You kept up with you job and you said most of the others did too. What about your boss? Does he have a current job?"
"Yeah. I overheard him talking to one of the other guys about it once. He was bragging about getting a promotion or something. I know he works for someone important, someone high up." Seeing Duo about to ask another question, he quickly added, "I don't know who that someone is… But, I do know, for a fact, that it's a 'her' and the boss hates her."
Duo nodded, the tension that had remained in his gut for the past few weeks, worrying about Heero, slowly vanished. He now knew that the target was a 'she', but he was unable to relax completely. There was still nothing saying Heero was completely out of danger. "He's obviously planning on using the weapons for terrorist action. Do you know what exactly that is? When it's going to happen? Where?"
Kaden shook his head. "I got out before I was told that much. Got too scared of what was going on. All I know was that they were spittin' around the idea of doing it at a big event - somewhere where the target would be in plain sight and focus where everyone was watching."
"Who is the target?"
Duo answered in sync with Kaden when he replied, "I don't know." Duo slowly let out an irritated breath. "But," Kaden added, "It's probably safe to say that his boss is on his shit list."
Duo stared at him, not really knowing what to think.
"Look," Kaden said to him, "I was just the tech boy. They didn't tell me all that much. Now, you know all I know, and you know I can't just go back out there. They'll kill me. Am I gonna get some kind of witness protection shit or…"
Duo nodded, grabbing his jacket to leave. "I'll make sure you don't get killed. Talk to Jason at the front desk about working with a sketch artist. We need to see what this 'Veteran' looks like as soon as possible."
He left the room, fully prepared to go home and spend the weekend with Heero. They could relax now; Heero wasn't in danger.
= = =
"Should we bring him?" Duo asked, nodding at Earl. As Duo was slipping on his t-shirt, the dog was lying at his feet, mouth hung open in a sloppy grin.
Heero looked at them, first at Earl, then at Duo. "Do you think the fireworks will scare him?"
Duo turned, eyes narrowing at Earl. He stood still for a moment, and then suddenly threw his arms forward in an attempt to scare him. "Boo!"
The dog barely flinched, too used to the sudden loud noises Duo often brought to the house.
"I think he'd be ok."
Heero nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Are you ready?"
Duo moved forward, wrapping his arms around the other boy's neck and planting a kiss softly on his lips. "Yeah. Dinner ready to go?"
Heero nodded again.
"Ok, then!" Duo shouted, bounding out of the room with Heero and Earl behind him, "Let's go!"
Heero quickly found a parking space, vacated the car and grabbed the cooler from the trunk. Duo let Earl out of the back seat, pulling the red leash to prevent him from roaming too far.
They found a spot and laid down their blanket. Duo stuck the spike into the ground and wound Earl's leash around it, binding the dog to the spot and freeing his hands. As he did this, Heero began to unload the cooler. He took out a wine bottle, two glasses, the food, plates and utensils. They set themselves up and waited for the fireworks to start.
All around them people were sitting on their own blankets, some with food, some with lawn furniture, some with pets, all looking to the sky. It was only seven thirty, however, and the fireworks were due to start at eight.
They busied themselves with small talk while eating, finishing their food quickly since neither had had time to eat since breakfast. They sat silently, watching the sky and waiting for the show to start.
Duo looked over at Heero as he poured more wine. "Do you want to be with me for a long time?" he asked.
Taken slightly aback, Heero froze for a moment before answering. "Yes… why?"
"Do you think we're gonna get married?"
"What brought this on?"
"Just wondering..." Duo shrugged his shoulders. "Never mind."
They were quiet again, Duo turning to look again at the sky. His face was turned by Heero's hand after a few moments and he was brought to look into the boy's eyes. "I love you," Heero assured him. The rarely spoken words filled Duo's heart and he was unable to stop himself when he leaned forward and kissed him.
Duo savored the feeling of Heero's lips on his, fully ready to take advantage of the end of the weekend. They both had work the next day, but all Duo thought about was eating up the moment.
The kiss was shallow at first, just their lips meeting, but as time passed it grew deeper. Heero reached his hand behind Duo's head, pulling him closer and deeper into the kiss. Their tongues brushed against each other and their lips molded together. Wanting more, Duo leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Heero's neck. He kissed Heero hungrily, wanting to devour him all at once; he deepened the kiss further and leaned forward to press Heero back onto the ground. Lying next to each other, they continued to kiss, caught in their own little world, oblivious to the few stares that were directed at them.
The first boom startled them and ended the kiss. They turned to the sky and watched, still wrapped in each other's arms as fireworks began to bombard the sky.
Duo glanced quickly at Earl and saw the total lack of concern in the dog's lazy eyes. He returned his gaze to the stars and watched as explosion after explosion raided the sky, lighting it up with reds, blues, greens, yellows and a rainbow of other illuminating colors. Twisting rockets thrust themselves into the sky with deafening hisses, blowing up at the end of their ascent into flashes of multicolored specks. Orbs of red, spirals of white and chrysanthemum-shaped blasts of purple filled the sky. As one set of fireworks faded into nothing, another set was sent up, once again lighting the sky as though it were an active battlefield. The lights cast colored shadows across their faces and when Duo looked at Heero, he saw glints of white in his eyes that he had never noticed before. Flashes of blue and red enlightened Heero's features and made Duo want to kiss him again. The loud booms and cracks faded after a few minutes and silence reigned, a pausing time for the workers to set up more fireworks.
Earl let out a large yawn and continued his nap undisturbed. Duo shook his head at the animal. "He doesn't even notice it," he said.
"It's better that way," Heero replied, taking a drink of wine, "We would have to go home if he was getting scared."
As if to assure them that he was fine, Earl rolled onto his back, stretching his legs, letting his ears flop back, and fell back asleep.
Duo laughed and turned to Heero. "You know, four years ago tonight, we first made love?"
Heero's eyes narrowed for a moment, remembering that night. It had been the first Fourth of July he had celebrated and the first holiday he'd spent with Duo. They had watched the fireworks that night too, except they had been at an apartment they had rented the day before, lying on the living room floor, watching the lights through their patio doors. They had begun kissing after the fireworks ended and eventually Heero was waking up, still on the living room floor, a blanket and naked Duo wrapped around him.
He turned and nodded. "I remember."
Once the words had left his lips, Duo was upon them again. The kiss instantly deepened as if to continue where they had left off. Heero buried his hand in Duo's hair as the other boy ran his hand up and down his side. Their faces heated, passion running through their veins, but the kiss was again cut short by the fireworks.
Duo pulled back, a little short for breath and whispered next to Heero's ear, "You wanna go home?"
Heero let out an uneven breath as Duo began nibbling on his earlobe. After a moment of sensory override, he was able to nod and the car was packed up and they were gone in mere minutes.
= = =
Earl stretched, extending his legs outward. He was laying on his back, snuggled between his sleeping parents, head near their feet. Rolling onto his side, his tail fell onto Heero's face and woke the man from his slumber. Heero twitched his nose and reached his hand up to grab the now wagging stump of a tail to hold it down away from his face. Earl raised his head and looked at him, the familiar smile was present as always as he greeted the waking human.
Heero placed his hand on Earl's rear and pushed the Rottweiler so that he had no choice but to get up and jump off the bed. The dog looked up at him for a moment before heading to the kitchen, hoping his bowl would hold some food. Heero turned his head and watched as Duo's eyelids moved as he slept. Still hazy and mostly asleep, Heero lay an arm over Duo and hid his face in the warmth between them.
A loud ring echoed throughout the apartment and Earl barked, returning to the bedroom to encourage someone to stop the noise. Rolling over, Heero reached across to the nightstand but before he could pick up the phone, he noticed the clock. Eight forty-two. Shit, he forgot to set the alarm; he was already an hour and a half late!
Picking up the phone, he answered in a hurry. It was Brenn Malum, Relena's chief advisor calling from the office.
"Heero?"
"Yeah," Heero replied, trying to hurry the conversation so he wouldn't make himself later. "I know, I overslept. Sorry, I'll be there in thirty minutes."
"Make it twenty," Brenn told him, "Relena's got a meeting and she needs you."
"Alright," Heero said and hung up the phone.
Bolting out of the bed, Heero ran to the dresser. The weight and warmth of his partner suddenly gone, Duo blinked and rubbed his eyes free of the blurriness. He looked up and watched as Heero darted around the room, the boy actually getting dressed in the tornado of clothes. Earl jumped onto the bed, finding a comfortable place in Heero's spot. "Heero?"
Not bothering to look around or stop getting dressed, Heero told him simply, "I forgot to set the alarm last night."
Duo glanced at the clock and his eyes widened. "Shit!"
"Yeah. Thankfully Brenn called." Heero, finally dressed, left the room to gather his things from the living room. Taking a moment to register Heero's words, Duo slowly woke up. A faint memory came to mind; he had met Brenn before when visiting Heero at work once. The older man was kind and friendly. Nodding to himself, Duo rose from the bed, still naked from the previous night, and followed him, causing Earl to jump up, knowing that Duo would soon head to the kitchen.
Heero hurried around the living room, gathering together papers and equipment, cleaning other things as he went. Setting up the coffee maker, Duo turned on the machine and joined Heero in the living room. Duo watched him move about the room in slight awe.
The boy was currently looking around as if he couldn't find something. He left the living room, went into the bedroom and came out again. "Duo, have you seen my…"
Duo stood in the hallway, holding the gun and its holster out to its owner.
Heero smiled. He grabbed the gun and while working the belt around his waist, planted a sweet kiss on his lover's lips. "Thanks."
"No problem," Duo said to him as he rushed out the door. Following Heero to the door, he stood somewhat behind it so as not to flash the neighbors. "See ya later."
Stopping for a brief moment in the doorway, Heero gave Duo another quick kiss. "Goodbye."
"Love you too," Duo replied, and closed the door.
Looking around the now clean living room, Duo saw his laptop on the coffee table and remembered all the work he had to do. More information had come up in the past month and he needed to research it, make sure it was credible and see if he could make any connections.
Earl stood in the hallway, smile on and tail wagging. When Duo turned around the dog let out a small whine and Duo smiled. "I'm hungry too."
Forgetting his work, Duo returned to the bedroom to slip on a pair of boxers and as a pair he and Earl entered the kitchen, both ready to eat. Duo poured some food into Earl's bowl and laughed when the dog threw his face into the dish, instantly devouring it. He glanced over at the coffee maker. Not done yet. He thought for a moment and when he'd decided, he took out a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, a bowl, a spoon and the milk. By the time he'd finished his first bowl, the coffee was ready.
Rising to grab a mug, something red caught Duo's eye on the counter. Looking back, he saw Heero's cell phone, still plugged in to the charger, the light that signaled a voice message blinking. He picked it up and flipped it open. He punched in the password and went into the mailbox. The call was from Relena.
She must have been trying to call when he didn't show up on time, he thought.
Knowing he wouldn't be able to catch Heero in time to give him his phone, Duo pushed a button on the phone and raised it to his ear, ready to delete the message that Relena left, no doubt in a panic over a Heero that was a few minutes late.
"You have one new message," said the feminine voice of the phone's voice mail. "Seven twelve A.M. Tuesday."
Static entered Duo's ear then a clear voice, Relena's, came through. "Hi Heero, it's Relena. I was wondering where you are - you're ten minutes late. You're never late. Just trying to see if everything's ok. Um… I guess I'll try your house…"
Duo glanced over at the answering machine and sure enough, red lighted strips forming the number three showed the number of new messages.
"Oh! I almost forgot," Relena continued, "if you do get this message, and I'll say it here so Duo won't hear, but I wanted to talk to you about last month, you know, what happened after the committee press conference?" Duo's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "It was… I mean, Duo'll never find out… so it's not a big deal, it's just sex. Was I that bad?" Relena laughed and continued. "Anyway, in two weeks there's that trip to L1 and I thought, I mean I would feel safer and all if we roomed together. We could repeat last month's episode…? Well I guess there's no point to keep talking. I'll call your house. See you at the meeting - hopefully! Bye!"
There was a moment of silence, then a beep, then a woman saying, "To delete this message, press one. To hear it again pre-"
Duo flipped the phone closed. He stood there for a moment, not wanting to move, hoping that if he stayed still long enough, he'd wake up and find it was all a dream. This couldn't be real. It couldn't be.
His heart pounded in his chest, pulsing the thick shock throughout his body. His hands were trembling, his thumb no longer wanting to roam to play with the ring, his breathing deepened and the room swirled around him. His eyes, narrowed and intense with confusion, were glued to the phone as if the light that was no longer blinking would explode around the phone and it would all suddenly burst into red flames.
Earl had finished his food and now hovered around Duo's feet. He whimpered and laid a paw on Duo's foot in an attempt to gain attention. Duo ignored the dog and continued to stare at the phone.
Duo's brain then began to process all the possibilities. Maybe she was lying, trying to… do what? Trying to run off Duo? Maybe? But what reason did he have to think she was lying; Heero had come home that night, Duo remembered, acting very strange. And he wouldn't explain why.
God, Duo told himself, I've been so stupid! This whole time, the denial of attraction, the attempts at friendship; it had all been a lie with her. She had never been Duo's friend as she pretended to be. She never got over Heero as she claimed to have done. Duo had been brainless enough to believe her. She lied. And for no reason and for every reason, he didn't doubt that thought for a second.
But Heero wouldn't lie to him… would he? Duo had never had to even think of questioning how honest Heero was being with him. Never once had he been suspicious of Heero being deceitful with him. His lover had done so nonetheless. No, no, no, Duo repeated to himself, this can't be true. It's not true… But what if it was?
He was, after all, stupid enough to believe Relena; maybe the same held true for Heero. His heart began to ache as the pounding continued. His throat tightened and it seemed no amount of swallowing would loosen it. Pressure built around him and he suddenly got the feeling of being trapped in a trash compactor; the walls were closing in on him and he had no chance for escape. Duo squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to let any tears fall. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.
Why was this happening? What did he do? He had tried his best to keep Heero happy… what happened?
Wait, was it his fault? Did he drive Heero away? It couldn't be his fault; he had done nothing wrong! Then what happened?! Duo's head screamed. He was so confused; he couldn't understand what was going on, why it had happened. He felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him, his body tingling in shock as if he were standing under a waterfall of freezing water. And still he did not move. He stood, eyes locked on the cell phone in his left hand, still as a statue. He thought of listening to the message again; maybe he had heard wrong…
Man, he was such an idiot!
The world had stopped, trying to give Duo time to adjust to the shock. But the news wouldn't sink in. The part of him that always put on the smile was immediately burying the emotions of fear, anger, hatred, betrayal and despair as they were initially felt, lessening the pain Duo had to feel. But no matter how strong he was, no matter how accustomed to hiding his weaknesses he was, nothing could stop him from feeling the pain that overwhelmed his heart.
He couldn't do anything, so he did nothing.
He felt so idiotic for trusting her, for trusting him. Betrayal and sadness consumed him. Duo had tried to make friends, to make things all right. Nothing was, apparently, as he thought them to be.
A few more moments of nothingness and his heart had to feel something, anything. So he filled it with anger. It's better than the pain, he thought.
Suddenly filled with rage, Duo ran into the bedroom and was dressed in a second. His head was blurred with mental images of Heero and Relena… and the invisible sights made him move faster. Some clothes were thrown into his red gym bag, his laptop, toothbrush, razor, shampoo and other equally stupid and useless objects were thrown in after them. Rushing on a pair of socks and slipping on his shoes, Duo grabbed his keys and headed for the door, snatching the cell phone off of the kitchen counter on his way.
Earl, who had been following his every move, was at his heels at the door and without thinking, Duo clipped on the leash and lead Earl outside with him. He closed the door and locked it, went to the car, threw in his bag, put Earl in the back seat, rolled the window down and pulled out of the driveway, screeching his tires carelessly.
His grip was impossibly tight on the steering wheel but he found there was nothing he could do about it. The cell phone lie in the seat next to him, having landed there when he threw it in. The look at it cost him emotionally and his foot went down harder on the pedal.
In less than half the usual time, Duo was pulling into the parking lot where Heero parked his car while at work.
Smiling with sick pleasure, Duo watched as Heero walked up the sidewalk, having just arrived. There was no thought process and a few minutes later he would have no logical explanation for what he did.
Driving up alongside Heero, Duo watched with a pain in his chest as Heero's face grew into a surprised smile. In half a second Duo had hurled the cell phone out of the window and into the quick hands of the other boy. Heero looked puzzled for a moment but didn't get a chance to say anything.
"Check your messages," Duo told him and drove off.
= = =
They hadn't seen the blonde boy since the day at Worlds of Fun, only two and a half months ago, but the boy seemed to have aged by years. He had bags under his reddened eyes, his hair was a mess and he looked as though he hadn't relaxed in days. This was probably true, Duo thought, since he was planning a wedding.
Duo and Heero had gotten the invitation in the mail six months ago. The announcement that Trowa had asked Quatre to marry him came as no surprise to anyone; the two had been living together for almost two years and had been a couple for almost four. Duo couldn't have been happier for them and within minutes of receiving the invitation, he was on the phone congratulating Quatre and promising their presence at the wedding. He had called the Preventers minutes later informing them of his impending absence.
In the past two weeks, though, with the possible threat of Heero's life hanging over them, Duo found himself even more satisfied with attending the wedding. He knew Quatre's residences were always well guarded and knew, even though there would be many strangers there, that Quatre wouldn't allow anyone threatening near them. As an added bonus, they would get some time off to relax.
As they entered the house, Duo noticed the extravagance of the Winner estate. Large Greek columns supported the heavy ceiling, which was intricately decorated with carvings and paintings of varied subjects. The marble floor was covered in the center by an extensive rug, upon which sat beautifully carved furniture that looked as though it had never been used. Across the room was a massive staircase lined with red carpet. Tall windows were spaced out around the room, letting in the sunlight and showing a view of the garden.
Duo was glad that Quatre had chosen his Earth estate for the wedding. The amazing garden in the yard was going to be the perfect place for the ceremony.
Trowa then appeared atop the staircase, almost running towards Quatre, the same unkempt look about him as his mate. "Quatre, do you know where Maria went?"
Turning with a ferocious glare, Quatre motioned towards Duo and Heero and recognizing his rudeness, Trowa greeted them. "We've been really busy and really stressed and if I don't find Maria we are going to have to order pizza for the reception."
Both Duo and Heero found the apology in his words and told him it was understandable.
"When are the others going to arrive?" Duo asked.
"Maria!" Trowa suddenly turned and nearly ran at a stout woman who had just gone outside.
Quatre glared after him then turned to answer Duo's question. "Catherine and my sisters, of course, are already here. They're helping set up the outside right now. Wufei, I believe, is due to be here tomorrow evening. Relena's flight gets here later tonight and everyone else is supposed to be here tomorrow afternoon."
"Who is everyone else?" Heero inquired.
"Well, Rashid and the other Maguanacs are coming, as are some people from Catherine's circus. I also invited some old family friends."
"Jeeze," Duo exclaimed, "How many people are going to be here?"
"Um…" Quatre had to think for a moment, his brow furrowing above his nose. "I think about a hundred and twenty or so."
Duo's eye bulged but he then realized that, compared to what some other people do, this was a relatively small wedding. After all, he really was only inviting close friends and family. It just turns out that he had a lot of those. A sudden thought passed in Duo's mind and he decided to ask. "You know all these people really well, right? I mean, there aren't any people that would… I mean… Heero's safe here, with all the people and everything."
Heero groaned, getting tired of Duo's constant worries about him.
Quatre noticed Heero's agitation but ignored it. "Of course, Duo. After you called and told me the… situation, I actually cut down the guest list a little and double checked the security. Heero's perfectly safe." Quatre smiled at them, the smirk widening when Heero rolled his eyes.
"Oh!" Quatre suddenly turned and motioned for them to follow. "You guys must be tired from your flight…?" He looked at them and when they shrugged, he was pleased. "Ok, then. I have to show you this!"
Almost running up the staircase, Quatre took them along a wide corridor and into a small locked room. He got out his key, but even after that, he still had to enter a code into the small number pad, and have his pointer finger scanned on the small green box that rested on the wall next to the door.
"Man, Quat, you got your gold stash in there or what?"
Turning to smile slyly at Duo, Quatre shook his head. "No, this is to keep Trowa out." When his quests lowered their eyebrows in confusion, he assured them, "You'll see. Come on."
Entering the room, it looked to Duo like nothing special. It was a simple room, looking as though it couldn't possibly be in the same house as the room they had left minutes before. Gray carpet went from wall to wall, no pictures graced the walls themselves, and the only furniture in the room was a table, two chairs, a piano and a small couch. Papers were scattered all over the table and piano, as though someone had come in with a leaf blower to mess up his friend's papers.
"This is what I wanted to show you," Quatre said, handing some papers to Duo.
He looked down at the papers and noticed that they were sheet music. Flipping through the pages, Duo wasn't sure of what to make of them. "What is it?"
Quatre's smile became impossibly wide and he absolutely beamed with pride. "It's my wedding gift to Trowa."
Duo, eyes widening, smiled at his friend. "You wrote this?"
Quatre nodded.
"That's great!" Duo told him, "Can we hear it?"
Quatre shook his head. "Not yet. The only time I can work on it is when Trowa's not here. I don't want to spoil the surprise."
"What gave you the idea?" Heero interjected.
Quatre smiled again, if possible, even brighter. "I wanted something permanent. You guys know how I feel about music; it stays with you forever. It… penetrates you and never leaves your memory. I wanted to do something for Trowa that he would never forget."
"I think you will accomplish that," Heero told him.
Duo nodded and handed Quatre the music sheets. "That's really cool," he said, "I didn't know you could write music. I mean, I knew you could play, I didn't know you were a composer."
"Anyone can compose," Quatre responded with a laugh, "It's just really, really hard."
"I think that is wonderful, Quatre." Heero smiled at him.
"Thanks."
A loud crash, like that of china breaking, came from below them and Quatre's eyes widened. He dropped the papers and hurried them out of the room, letting the door automatically lock itself. They hurried down the hall and Duo heard Quatre raise his voice for the first time.
"That better not be what I think it is!" he shouted down the stairs as he jumped down them two at a time. Below him, one of his sister's daughters stood with a pile of broken plates at her feet, looking up towards her uncle with fear in her eyes.
Quatre bounded down the last of the steps and the girl took off running. Duo laughed. In the Winner family, he thought, Pacifism only goes so far.
The next day went by fairly fast. Up at dawn, Quatre and Trowa were busy making the final arrangements with the help of their respective sisters. Everything was set up by the afternoon, giving Quatre a few minutes to eat before he had to greet the rest of his quests.
Relena had arrived a few hours after Duo and Heero, and Wufei had surprised everyone by taking an earlier flight, arriving a good eight hours before schedule.
The Maguanacs came not long after three o'clock and instantly demanded that their master get the rest they knew he deserved. The blonde protested but Rashid was adamant that Quatre and Trowa spend the rest of the day relaxing, getting ready for the next day, their wedding day.
The people from the circus Trowa had traveled with arrived not long after the Maguanacs and were swiftly followed by what looked to be an entire shuttle-full of Quatre's family friends.
Everyone greeted everyone else with hugs, some with kisses, and all with joyous screams or a booming 'Hello!"
By dinner, every one of the hundred quest rooms was occupied and the dinner hall was filled to capacity. Thankfully, Quatre had prepared for the occasion, providing enough tables and chairs for everyone to have room to eat. The large room was overrun with people and noise was such that Duo could barely hear Heero speaking even though the boy was no further than a foot from him.
The two sat at a table, watching a group of Maguanacs dance wildly with some of Quatre's single family friends. They were alone at the table and Heero took the opportunity to lean close to Duo like he hadn't been able to do all day.
"They're going to be together forever," Duo said, looking over at the couple of the evening. Snuggled together on the loveseat that had been added as their dining chairs, Trowa and Quatre sat across the room, smiling at each other and nibbling at their dinner.
"Would you like this many people at our wedding?" Heero asked.
"No," Duo answered, not thinking of the implications the question held, "I don't think we know this many people."
Heero smiled and Duo blushed slightly when the stoic boy placed a quick and discrete kiss on his cheek.
It was chaos. Quatre was going mad not being able to see Trowa and Trowa was protesting against the silly superstition his sister was making him follow. Pacing the small music room, Quatre stared at his sheet music, memorizing every note as though he didn't already have the music permanently in his head.
"Quatre," Duo tried, "Stop pacing, you're driving me crazy!"
The blonde finally halted and fell backwards into one of the plush chairs. "I don't think this interval sounds right. I think I should change it."
Duo shot across the room and snatched the pen from his friend's grasp. "Quatre, it's fine. You're just nervous and you've had a little too much coffee." He look at the empty coffee can that sat on a tray in the center of the nearby table.
"No… I… it…"
"Quatre, buddy." Duo positioned himself to look directly into the blonde's eyes. "Calm down. It's not that big of a deal. You should be happy. Nothing is going to go wrong…"
"Wrong? I didn't even think about that! What if Maria messed up on the orders? What if my fingers don't stop trembling and I play the wrong notes? Oh God, I should practice!"
Quatre moved towards the piano, meaning to go over, for the millionth time, his own composed work. Duo stopped him and pinned him in his seat. "Quatre."
Indigo eyes glared fiercely at blue and after a few moments, Quatre settled down. Just as Duo leaned back, there was a knock on the door, causing them both to jump.
"Guys?" It was Catherine. "We're waiting for you."
Duo looked at Quatre and smiled at the panic in his eyes. "Ready?" Quatre shook his head but Duo pulled him to his feet anyway. "Good, let's go!"
Outside, Duo ran to take his place next to Heero. The garden was in full bloom and Catherine and Quatre's sisters had played it up. An arch of red roses marked the beginning of the isle where the hundred and some-odd people sat in gold and red chairs, waiting for the ceremony to start. Tall columns of rich colored flowers stood opposite the arch, pulling the flowers up towards the sky. Under the canopy, made of gold swooping cloth that was supported by the columns, stood Heero, Wufei, Catherine and Rashid (to take the place of the minister). Looking up, Duo noticed the clear sky and bright sun. Birds sat in nearby trees, ready to be released after the I Dos. (It was an old tradition of Quatre's family to release the birds in such a way. His father was married to his mother that way and he wanted to honor that.)
The ceremony was going to be short and the reception, more of a large party, was going to, probably, last into the early morning. Looking at the setup, Duo noticed it was not a traditional wedding - with white everywhere and a minister. Neither Quatre nor Trowa were religious, Duo knew, so there was no reason to have a religious wedding. They had spent hours planning their own, original ceremony.
Once everyone was in their place, the music began, though, much like everything else that day, the music was not what Duo expected. It was in the style of the traditional wedding music, but it was different. Duo could feel a touch of both Quatre and Trowa's music style in the piece. He liked it.
Walking slowly but anxiously, Quatre and Trowa approached the podium to stand in front of Rashid.
Duo watched his friends' eyes as Rashid spoke, the words flowing through him without him hearing them. When Rashid had finished the entrance, he turned the attention to the two in front of him, letting them say their vows. They turned to each other and as Duo saw tears swelling in their eyes as they began the Shakespearean sonnet, his thumb began to twitch and caress the golden ring on his finger.
"Let me not to the marriage of true minds," Quatre began, trying and failing to keep the tears in his eyes, "Admit impediments. Love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds, / Or bends with the remover to remove:" He had to wipe the tears from his cheeks and managed to smile at Trowa. "O no," he continued, "it is an ever-fixed mark / That looks on tempests and is never shaken; / It is the star to every wandering bark, / Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken."
Trowa then took over, rarely seen tears in his own eyes. "Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks / Within his bending sickle's compass come: / Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, / But bears it out even to the edge of doom. / If this be error and upon me proved, / I never writ, nor no man ever loved."
They then took the rings from Rashid and the man asked them each, "Do you take this man as your husband?" and each answered, "I do." A moment of pause and the birds took flight, swirling in a tornado of multicolored feathers above them.
Quatre and Trowa had presented each other with their gifts after the ceremony, before the reception began. Duo almost cried with his blonde friend when he saw Trowa's eyes glisten with unshed tears as he sat and listened to the piece Quatre wrote for him. The blonde's hands slid over the piano keys as if they had been born playing the instrument and music sounded as though Quatre's brain had been born composing. The beautiful notes drifted over everyone listening, putting them in trances that only when the music stopped were they free of.
In turn, Trowa also played a piece of his own composition on the flute. Everyone laughed at the irony but again were entranced by the music the man was able to produce.
The party began after the gifts and it had long ago turned wild, loud music much different than that of Quatre and Trowa's booming over the people that were dancing in a crowd in the center of the room. Trowa and Quatre hadn't been able to stay far from each other, both now sitting in their chairs next to Duo and Heero. While Heero finished his meal, and Trowa spoke to Wufei, Duo and Quatre talked.
"How's it feel to be married?" Duo asked.
Quatre beamed. "It's great."
"You know, I told Heero yesterday that you two are gonna be together forever," Duo told him.
Quatre nodded, not knowing how to respond. A few moments of silence passed between them before Quatre spoke. "I think it's the same with you and Heero."
Duo blushed, knowing it was his turn to be speechless. "Well, I'm happy for you, buddy," he finally said.
"Thanks."
Duo stole a glance at Heero, wondering what their wedding would be like. It had never really been said out loud, neither of them asking the other of their future plans; it was just sort of assumed that it would get to that point sooner or later. Both had long ago accepted that they weren't going anywhere, that they were happy with each other. Without him even noticing, his thumb was moving across his ring again, the simple motion having quickly become a treasured habit.
He looked back at Quatre and seeing the smile Quatre's face held, the brightness Trowa radiated when he looked at the blonde, Duo was only able to smile at them. He couldn't wait for his and Heero's day to come.
= = =
Duo eyed the man that sat behind the table. Busy scratching his neck, the man ignored Duo's frustration. The two had been in the interrogation room for over an hour and Duo had only gotten limited information out of their informant.
The short, husky man had come forward and turned himself into the Preventers only two days ago. He admitted to being part of the group that had hacked into the Preventer files and ordered the weapons but his limited knowledge was annoying.
"So the group ordered weapons from three other locations besides Danya Corp…"
The man, Kaden Jenkenson, nodded.
"Where else?"
"I don't know," Kaden replied. "The boss split us into four groups, each one dealing with a different company. I had nothing to do with the other orders, only the one from Danya Corp."
"Who is your boss?"
"We don't use our real names, even around each other. Everyone has a nickname. The boss is just 'Boss'… that or 'Veteran'."
"Veteran?" Duo raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Kaden replied. "He was in the army or something during the Eve Wars."
"Would you be able to work with a sketch artist to possibly put a face on this 'Veteran'?"
"Sure."
"So what does Veteran have against peace?" Duo asked.
Kaden reached up and began scratching the back of his neck again. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the relief the scratching apparently brought. He looked up at Duo, boredom plainly showing in his dull brown eyes. "I don't know. I know he hates a lot of the new world leaders. It's something personal, I know, 'cause he refuses to discuss it and you can just tell, you know, when someone doesn't want to talk about something 'cause it's too personal. He said he worked for one of the leaders in the past…"
Duo cut him off, a question coming to his mind that he didn't want to forget. "What about now? From what you told us, most of the guys in this organization continue on with their lives so as not to seem suspicious. You kept up with you job and you said most of the others did too. What about your boss? Does he have a current job?"
"Yeah. I overheard him talking to one of the other guys about it once. He was bragging about getting a promotion or something. I know he works for someone important, someone high up." Seeing Duo about to ask another question, he quickly added, "I don't know who that someone is… But, I do know, for a fact, that it's a 'her' and the boss hates her."
Duo nodded, the tension that had remained in his gut for the past few weeks, worrying about Heero, slowly vanished. He now knew that the target was a 'she', but he was unable to relax completely. There was still nothing saying Heero was completely out of danger. "He's obviously planning on using the weapons for terrorist action. Do you know what exactly that is? When it's going to happen? Where?"
Kaden shook his head. "I got out before I was told that much. Got too scared of what was going on. All I know was that they were spittin' around the idea of doing it at a big event - somewhere where the target would be in plain sight and focus where everyone was watching."
"Who is the target?"
Duo answered in sync with Kaden when he replied, "I don't know." Duo slowly let out an irritated breath. "But," Kaden added, "It's probably safe to say that his boss is on his shit list."
Duo stared at him, not really knowing what to think.
"Look," Kaden said to him, "I was just the tech boy. They didn't tell me all that much. Now, you know all I know, and you know I can't just go back out there. They'll kill me. Am I gonna get some kind of witness protection shit or…"
Duo nodded, grabbing his jacket to leave. "I'll make sure you don't get killed. Talk to Jason at the front desk about working with a sketch artist. We need to see what this 'Veteran' looks like as soon as possible."
He left the room, fully prepared to go home and spend the weekend with Heero. They could relax now; Heero wasn't in danger.
= = =
"Should we bring him?" Duo asked, nodding at Earl. As Duo was slipping on his t-shirt, the dog was lying at his feet, mouth hung open in a sloppy grin.
Heero looked at them, first at Earl, then at Duo. "Do you think the fireworks will scare him?"
Duo turned, eyes narrowing at Earl. He stood still for a moment, and then suddenly threw his arms forward in an attempt to scare him. "Boo!"
The dog barely flinched, too used to the sudden loud noises Duo often brought to the house.
"I think he'd be ok."
Heero nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Are you ready?"
Duo moved forward, wrapping his arms around the other boy's neck and planting a kiss softly on his lips. "Yeah. Dinner ready to go?"
Heero nodded again.
"Ok, then!" Duo shouted, bounding out of the room with Heero and Earl behind him, "Let's go!"
Heero quickly found a parking space, vacated the car and grabbed the cooler from the trunk. Duo let Earl out of the back seat, pulling the red leash to prevent him from roaming too far.
They found a spot and laid down their blanket. Duo stuck the spike into the ground and wound Earl's leash around it, binding the dog to the spot and freeing his hands. As he did this, Heero began to unload the cooler. He took out a wine bottle, two glasses, the food, plates and utensils. They set themselves up and waited for the fireworks to start.
All around them people were sitting on their own blankets, some with food, some with lawn furniture, some with pets, all looking to the sky. It was only seven thirty, however, and the fireworks were due to start at eight.
They busied themselves with small talk while eating, finishing their food quickly since neither had had time to eat since breakfast. They sat silently, watching the sky and waiting for the show to start.
Duo looked over at Heero as he poured more wine. "Do you want to be with me for a long time?" he asked.
Taken slightly aback, Heero froze for a moment before answering. "Yes… why?"
"Do you think we're gonna get married?"
"What brought this on?"
"Just wondering..." Duo shrugged his shoulders. "Never mind."
They were quiet again, Duo turning to look again at the sky. His face was turned by Heero's hand after a few moments and he was brought to look into the boy's eyes. "I love you," Heero assured him. The rarely spoken words filled Duo's heart and he was unable to stop himself when he leaned forward and kissed him.
Duo savored the feeling of Heero's lips on his, fully ready to take advantage of the end of the weekend. They both had work the next day, but all Duo thought about was eating up the moment.
The kiss was shallow at first, just their lips meeting, but as time passed it grew deeper. Heero reached his hand behind Duo's head, pulling him closer and deeper into the kiss. Their tongues brushed against each other and their lips molded together. Wanting more, Duo leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Heero's neck. He kissed Heero hungrily, wanting to devour him all at once; he deepened the kiss further and leaned forward to press Heero back onto the ground. Lying next to each other, they continued to kiss, caught in their own little world, oblivious to the few stares that were directed at them.
The first boom startled them and ended the kiss. They turned to the sky and watched, still wrapped in each other's arms as fireworks began to bombard the sky.
Duo glanced quickly at Earl and saw the total lack of concern in the dog's lazy eyes. He returned his gaze to the stars and watched as explosion after explosion raided the sky, lighting it up with reds, blues, greens, yellows and a rainbow of other illuminating colors. Twisting rockets thrust themselves into the sky with deafening hisses, blowing up at the end of their ascent into flashes of multicolored specks. Orbs of red, spirals of white and chrysanthemum-shaped blasts of purple filled the sky. As one set of fireworks faded into nothing, another set was sent up, once again lighting the sky as though it were an active battlefield. The lights cast colored shadows across their faces and when Duo looked at Heero, he saw glints of white in his eyes that he had never noticed before. Flashes of blue and red enlightened Heero's features and made Duo want to kiss him again. The loud booms and cracks faded after a few minutes and silence reigned, a pausing time for the workers to set up more fireworks.
Earl let out a large yawn and continued his nap undisturbed. Duo shook his head at the animal. "He doesn't even notice it," he said.
"It's better that way," Heero replied, taking a drink of wine, "We would have to go home if he was getting scared."
As if to assure them that he was fine, Earl rolled onto his back, stretching his legs, letting his ears flop back, and fell back asleep.
Duo laughed and turned to Heero. "You know, four years ago tonight, we first made love?"
Heero's eyes narrowed for a moment, remembering that night. It had been the first Fourth of July he had celebrated and the first holiday he'd spent with Duo. They had watched the fireworks that night too, except they had been at an apartment they had rented the day before, lying on the living room floor, watching the lights through their patio doors. They had begun kissing after the fireworks ended and eventually Heero was waking up, still on the living room floor, a blanket and naked Duo wrapped around him.
He turned and nodded. "I remember."
Once the words had left his lips, Duo was upon them again. The kiss instantly deepened as if to continue where they had left off. Heero buried his hand in Duo's hair as the other boy ran his hand up and down his side. Their faces heated, passion running through their veins, but the kiss was again cut short by the fireworks.
Duo pulled back, a little short for breath and whispered next to Heero's ear, "You wanna go home?"
Heero let out an uneven breath as Duo began nibbling on his earlobe. After a moment of sensory override, he was able to nod and the car was packed up and they were gone in mere minutes.
= = =
Earl stretched, extending his legs outward. He was laying on his back, snuggled between his sleeping parents, head near their feet. Rolling onto his side, his tail fell onto Heero's face and woke the man from his slumber. Heero twitched his nose and reached his hand up to grab the now wagging stump of a tail to hold it down away from his face. Earl raised his head and looked at him, the familiar smile was present as always as he greeted the waking human.
Heero placed his hand on Earl's rear and pushed the Rottweiler so that he had no choice but to get up and jump off the bed. The dog looked up at him for a moment before heading to the kitchen, hoping his bowl would hold some food. Heero turned his head and watched as Duo's eyelids moved as he slept. Still hazy and mostly asleep, Heero lay an arm over Duo and hid his face in the warmth between them.
A loud ring echoed throughout the apartment and Earl barked, returning to the bedroom to encourage someone to stop the noise. Rolling over, Heero reached across to the nightstand but before he could pick up the phone, he noticed the clock. Eight forty-two. Shit, he forgot to set the alarm; he was already an hour and a half late!
Picking up the phone, he answered in a hurry. It was Brenn Malum, Relena's chief advisor calling from the office.
"Heero?"
"Yeah," Heero replied, trying to hurry the conversation so he wouldn't make himself later. "I know, I overslept. Sorry, I'll be there in thirty minutes."
"Make it twenty," Brenn told him, "Relena's got a meeting and she needs you."
"Alright," Heero said and hung up the phone.
Bolting out of the bed, Heero ran to the dresser. The weight and warmth of his partner suddenly gone, Duo blinked and rubbed his eyes free of the blurriness. He looked up and watched as Heero darted around the room, the boy actually getting dressed in the tornado of clothes. Earl jumped onto the bed, finding a comfortable place in Heero's spot. "Heero?"
Not bothering to look around or stop getting dressed, Heero told him simply, "I forgot to set the alarm last night."
Duo glanced at the clock and his eyes widened. "Shit!"
"Yeah. Thankfully Brenn called." Heero, finally dressed, left the room to gather his things from the living room. Taking a moment to register Heero's words, Duo slowly woke up. A faint memory came to mind; he had met Brenn before when visiting Heero at work once. The older man was kind and friendly. Nodding to himself, Duo rose from the bed, still naked from the previous night, and followed him, causing Earl to jump up, knowing that Duo would soon head to the kitchen.
Heero hurried around the living room, gathering together papers and equipment, cleaning other things as he went. Setting up the coffee maker, Duo turned on the machine and joined Heero in the living room. Duo watched him move about the room in slight awe.
The boy was currently looking around as if he couldn't find something. He left the living room, went into the bedroom and came out again. "Duo, have you seen my…"
Duo stood in the hallway, holding the gun and its holster out to its owner.
Heero smiled. He grabbed the gun and while working the belt around his waist, planted a sweet kiss on his lover's lips. "Thanks."
"No problem," Duo said to him as he rushed out the door. Following Heero to the door, he stood somewhat behind it so as not to flash the neighbors. "See ya later."
Stopping for a brief moment in the doorway, Heero gave Duo another quick kiss. "Goodbye."
"Love you too," Duo replied, and closed the door.
Looking around the now clean living room, Duo saw his laptop on the coffee table and remembered all the work he had to do. More information had come up in the past month and he needed to research it, make sure it was credible and see if he could make any connections.
Earl stood in the hallway, smile on and tail wagging. When Duo turned around the dog let out a small whine and Duo smiled. "I'm hungry too."
Forgetting his work, Duo returned to the bedroom to slip on a pair of boxers and as a pair he and Earl entered the kitchen, both ready to eat. Duo poured some food into Earl's bowl and laughed when the dog threw his face into the dish, instantly devouring it. He glanced over at the coffee maker. Not done yet. He thought for a moment and when he'd decided, he took out a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, a bowl, a spoon and the milk. By the time he'd finished his first bowl, the coffee was ready.
Rising to grab a mug, something red caught Duo's eye on the counter. Looking back, he saw Heero's cell phone, still plugged in to the charger, the light that signaled a voice message blinking. He picked it up and flipped it open. He punched in the password and went into the mailbox. The call was from Relena.
She must have been trying to call when he didn't show up on time, he thought.
Knowing he wouldn't be able to catch Heero in time to give him his phone, Duo pushed a button on the phone and raised it to his ear, ready to delete the message that Relena left, no doubt in a panic over a Heero that was a few minutes late.
"You have one new message," said the feminine voice of the phone's voice mail. "Seven twelve A.M. Tuesday."
Static entered Duo's ear then a clear voice, Relena's, came through. "Hi Heero, it's Relena. I was wondering where you are - you're ten minutes late. You're never late. Just trying to see if everything's ok. Um… I guess I'll try your house…"
Duo glanced over at the answering machine and sure enough, red lighted strips forming the number three showed the number of new messages.
"Oh! I almost forgot," Relena continued, "if you do get this message, and I'll say it here so Duo won't hear, but I wanted to talk to you about last month, you know, what happened after the committee press conference?" Duo's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "It was… I mean, Duo'll never find out… so it's not a big deal, it's just sex. Was I that bad?" Relena laughed and continued. "Anyway, in two weeks there's that trip to L1 and I thought, I mean I would feel safer and all if we roomed together. We could repeat last month's episode…? Well I guess there's no point to keep talking. I'll call your house. See you at the meeting - hopefully! Bye!"
There was a moment of silence, then a beep, then a woman saying, "To delete this message, press one. To hear it again pre-"
Duo flipped the phone closed. He stood there for a moment, not wanting to move, hoping that if he stayed still long enough, he'd wake up and find it was all a dream. This couldn't be real. It couldn't be.
His heart pounded in his chest, pulsing the thick shock throughout his body. His hands were trembling, his thumb no longer wanting to roam to play with the ring, his breathing deepened and the room swirled around him. His eyes, narrowed and intense with confusion, were glued to the phone as if the light that was no longer blinking would explode around the phone and it would all suddenly burst into red flames.
Earl had finished his food and now hovered around Duo's feet. He whimpered and laid a paw on Duo's foot in an attempt to gain attention. Duo ignored the dog and continued to stare at the phone.
Duo's brain then began to process all the possibilities. Maybe she was lying, trying to… do what? Trying to run off Duo? Maybe? But what reason did he have to think she was lying; Heero had come home that night, Duo remembered, acting very strange. And he wouldn't explain why.
God, Duo told himself, I've been so stupid! This whole time, the denial of attraction, the attempts at friendship; it had all been a lie with her. She had never been Duo's friend as she pretended to be. She never got over Heero as she claimed to have done. Duo had been brainless enough to believe her. She lied. And for no reason and for every reason, he didn't doubt that thought for a second.
But Heero wouldn't lie to him… would he? Duo had never had to even think of questioning how honest Heero was being with him. Never once had he been suspicious of Heero being deceitful with him. His lover had done so nonetheless. No, no, no, Duo repeated to himself, this can't be true. It's not true… But what if it was?
He was, after all, stupid enough to believe Relena; maybe the same held true for Heero. His heart began to ache as the pounding continued. His throat tightened and it seemed no amount of swallowing would loosen it. Pressure built around him and he suddenly got the feeling of being trapped in a trash compactor; the walls were closing in on him and he had no chance for escape. Duo squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to let any tears fall. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.
Why was this happening? What did he do? He had tried his best to keep Heero happy… what happened?
Wait, was it his fault? Did he drive Heero away? It couldn't be his fault; he had done nothing wrong! Then what happened?! Duo's head screamed. He was so confused; he couldn't understand what was going on, why it had happened. He felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him, his body tingling in shock as if he were standing under a waterfall of freezing water. And still he did not move. He stood, eyes locked on the cell phone in his left hand, still as a statue. He thought of listening to the message again; maybe he had heard wrong…
Man, he was such an idiot!
The world had stopped, trying to give Duo time to adjust to the shock. But the news wouldn't sink in. The part of him that always put on the smile was immediately burying the emotions of fear, anger, hatred, betrayal and despair as they were initially felt, lessening the pain Duo had to feel. But no matter how strong he was, no matter how accustomed to hiding his weaknesses he was, nothing could stop him from feeling the pain that overwhelmed his heart.
He couldn't do anything, so he did nothing.
He felt so idiotic for trusting her, for trusting him. Betrayal and sadness consumed him. Duo had tried to make friends, to make things all right. Nothing was, apparently, as he thought them to be.
A few more moments of nothingness and his heart had to feel something, anything. So he filled it with anger. It's better than the pain, he thought.
Suddenly filled with rage, Duo ran into the bedroom and was dressed in a second. His head was blurred with mental images of Heero and Relena… and the invisible sights made him move faster. Some clothes were thrown into his red gym bag, his laptop, toothbrush, razor, shampoo and other equally stupid and useless objects were thrown in after them. Rushing on a pair of socks and slipping on his shoes, Duo grabbed his keys and headed for the door, snatching the cell phone off of the kitchen counter on his way.
Earl, who had been following his every move, was at his heels at the door and without thinking, Duo clipped on the leash and lead Earl outside with him. He closed the door and locked it, went to the car, threw in his bag, put Earl in the back seat, rolled the window down and pulled out of the driveway, screeching his tires carelessly.
His grip was impossibly tight on the steering wheel but he found there was nothing he could do about it. The cell phone lie in the seat next to him, having landed there when he threw it in. The look at it cost him emotionally and his foot went down harder on the pedal.
In less than half the usual time, Duo was pulling into the parking lot where Heero parked his car while at work.
Smiling with sick pleasure, Duo watched as Heero walked up the sidewalk, having just arrived. There was no thought process and a few minutes later he would have no logical explanation for what he did.
Driving up alongside Heero, Duo watched with a pain in his chest as Heero's face grew into a surprised smile. In half a second Duo had hurled the cell phone out of the window and into the quick hands of the other boy. Heero looked puzzled for a moment but didn't get a chance to say anything.
"Check your messages," Duo told him and drove off.
= = =