Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, wish I did, doesn't life suck?

Authors Note: Well, here I am taking a stab at the second chapter. This is going to be… interesting. Anyway, my goal is to make this chapter over 3,000 words. I think I can do that fairly easily, don't you? Well, we'll find out at the end of the chapter, na no da…

Wouldn't It Be Lovely

By Tani Gesakusha

Chapter Two

The taxi pulled through a pair of iron gates and coasted up a long, gravel driveway. On either side of the car stretched a smooth green lawn mowed to perfection, dotted here and there by groves of trees and rose-covered trellises. As they neared the end of the driveway, Duo pressed his face up against the glass. Dignity be damned – this was the largest house he'd ever seen in his life. More of a mansion than anything. It was easily three stories high, with wide windows and an immaculate, whitewashed appearance.

"We're here."

Heero carefully kept himself free from expression, doing his best not to smile at the look on Duo's face. Quatre, unfortunately, was not so well versed in the world of stoic-ness, and couldn't help the grin that stretched across his features. Duo jumped out of the backseat, scowling at the two of them. He stood back to let Heero pass, then jammed his hands into his back pockets and trailed behind them both.

Of course, Heero could completely understand Duo's reaction. The house was another one of Quatre's indulgence buys, a by-product of being the name-partner of a highly successful law firm. The business had been run by his father before him, so Quatre had been very rich since birth, and was appropriately spoiled. Extravagant homes like this one were nothing new to him.

Quatre unlocked the door and pushed it open, stepping back to allow Duo and Heero to pass. "Welcome to your new home, Mr. Maxwell."

Duo was regretting his decision. As the taxi doors opened, all he wanted to do was run off and never come back. He was wishing he hadn't chosen these two to pickpocket, he was wishing he hadn't chosen today to go down to the bus stop, he was wishing he hadn't chosen to stick around and act natural, and most of all, he was wishing he hadn't chosen to say 'yes'!

He noticed Quatre grinning at him and Heero doing that strange mouth quirk thing again, which he supposed was Heero's version of a smile. Scowling at them seemed to be the only answer, so he set about doing that as if there was no tomorrow.

As Quatre pushed open the door to reveal the front hall, Duo froze. It was almost like a mansion out of a dream. Curving staircases arched away and up to a balcony, which overlooked the entire hall. As Duo looked up, he was almost blinded by the light that streamed down through the massive, stained glass skylight. Three doors led out of the front hall on the ground floor; one lay straight through the curving staircases, the other two were on both sides of the hall. Through one of the side door peeked a hint of daylight. A haphazard guess suggested that it lead to the rose garden, which he'd caught a glimpse of as the taxi pulled up. The other, he was almost certain led to some sort of dining room or kitchen, simply because he could smell something delicious wafting through the door and to his nose. He had a vague awareness of Quatre saying something to him, but he was far too distracted to pay any attention. This… this… MANSION… this was to be his new home?

Holy shit, Maxwell…what on earth have you gotten yourself into this time?

"Welcome to your new home, Mr. Maxwell."

For once, Duo was too shell-shocked to reply. Heero fought the smile that was threatening to dominate his features (and failed miserably). Duo looked something like a deer caught in headlights; assuming, of course, that deer had human facial features and could open their eyes wide enough to accommodate dinner plates.

He placed a light hand on Duo's shoulder. Duo jerked himself out of his reverie and spun to face him, blinking owlishly. Heero kept his expression still as he gestured towards the stairs.

"Would you like to see your room?" he asked. Duo nodded silently, still trying to come to grips with the fact that this was his new (however temporary) home. Heero headed up the stairs, Duo trailing behind him. Duo seemed wary of touching anything, like it might disappear at a moment's notice.

Heero turned down the hall and pushed open a door, glancing around to see if anyone was in there.

Is this the guest bedroom? He wondered. The mansion was Quatre's, and to be honest, it had far too many rooms for Heero to keep track of them all. This could very well be the servant's quarters – god knows Heero wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

It seemed good enough for Duo though. He wandered into the room with eyes as wide as saucers, trying to take in everything at once.

In Heero's opinion, it was one of the better rooms he'd seen. It was one of the darker themed ones in Quatre's home – usually the blonde went for lighter colors, which were not Heero's style. This room was more of a dark blue color scheme. The walls were a plain light blue color, but the bed was a dark blue comforter with rosewood headboard and black pillows. The comforter had some sort of flower design around the bottom edge… it took Heero a moment to recognize them as irises. Dark blue – almost black – curtains hung from the corners of the windows that dominated the entire east wall. The rug was a soft, speckled blue.

This did not strike Heero as a room Quatre had designed. It had probably been furnished by Rashid, Quatre's head of security and the man who ran the household while Quatre was away.

At any rate, Duo certainly seemed to like it. He made his way over to the large window doors that lead to the balcony and pushed them open, letting the sunlight stream in. He turned around and grinned at Heero, leaning against the doorframe.

"Okay, now, what's the catch?"

"Huh?" Oh, way to be eloquent, Yuy he mentally chastised himself.

"The catch, luv. There's gotta be one. I mean, think on it f'r a sec, 'kay? I get ta live in this house, sleep in this bed, get a proper bath f'r the first time in my life, get real food for once, and all that's gonna happen ta me is that I gotta let ya turn me into some pop superstar? There's gotta be a catch, luv, there's more to it than this. What else d'ya want?"

Heero blinked at him. "…nothing."

"Nothin'." Duo fixed him with a look.

Heero shrugged. "I honestly don't want anything. Quite frankly, it wasn't my idea to bring you here in the first place. Ask Quatre – he's probably got some ulterior motive."

Duo sighed. "Whatever. Not like it matters now anyway, ain't like I'm goin' anywhere." He suddenly put his head to one side. "Say, how old'r you? 'cause if'n Zech's been around for 'bout… what… two years? Somethin' like that. Anyway, if'n he's been around that long, and you're his manager, you'd have to be a lot older than you look."

"I'm twenty-four."

Duo frowned slightly. "But that'd mean you'da been twenty-two when ya started with Sexy-Zechsy." Heero blinked slightly at the nickname, but didn't comment. "Were ya still in college 'r somethin'?"

Heero straightened up suddenly and his expression became – if possible – more closed than before. "I didn't go to college."

Duo raised an eyebrow at him. "What're you gettin' all Icicle Man on me for? It ain't like I care if ya didn't go to college. Lookit me, I can't remember ever goin' ta school, or that it did me any good if I did."

"…Hn." Icicle Man? "Dinner going to be ready in about an hour or so. Quatre will probably send Trowa up to get you when it's done. In the meantime…" he shrugged. "Why don't you take that 'first real bath' you were talking about?" Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left.

Duo blinked at Heero's sudden departure. "Geez, what continent got stuck up his ass? Ain't like I smell that bad." he muttered to the empty room. Now that he was alone, he took the time to examine his surroundings more closely.

He walked out onto the balcony and glanced down over the railing. He cursed under his breath as the fact that he was on the second story became evident, and that it was a long, LONG drop down to the ground.

"Well, I won't be getting' out that way in a pinch…" he mumbled to himself, scratching the back of his head. His attention was suddenly drawn to a large oak tree that grew a short ways away from the edge of the balcony. Clambering up and balancing precariously on the edge of the railing, he reached out with one hand until his fingers met bark. Latching on to the branch, he tested its strength with one hand. Finally, with a shrug, he reached out with his other hand, grabbed the branch tightly, and jumped off the balcony.

He breathed a sigh of relief when the branch held, and felt with his feet for a foothold he could use to pull himself to a less precarious position. Finding a knothole not too far away, he rested his weight on that and went hand over hand until he reached the trunk. Finally able to breathe easy, he glanced down below him. There was still a good 15 feet between him and the ground, maybe twenty. He shuddered at what might have happened if the branch had not held, but quickly cast that thought from his mind. He now knew that if the situation required it, he had an escape route.

He glanced around him and, spotting a conveniently located branch not too far above him, he grabbed that and pulled himself up. Slowly, with painstaking deliberateness, he made his way to the top of the tree.

When he finally reached the canopy, he was completely winded and sat down for a breather on a fork in the trunk. As he caught his breath, he took a look around him.

The view was gorgeous. There weren't that many trees in the city where he grew up, and even if you managed to find one and climb to the top, there wasn't much to see. From up here, you could see everything. Quatre lived a little ways from the city, in more of a suburban area, so there were no skyscrapers to be found. Duo was completely surrounded by what seemed an eternity of smooth, green grass. When he looked down, he saw that he was almost directly over the rose garden, which was absolutely gorgeous, even from his perch at the top of the ancient oak tree.

He turned around to look behind him and gasped. He could actually see the ocean from here! There it was, vast and blue, stretching off into forever. Solo'd told him about the ocean, over and over when they were kids. It was something he'd dreamed of in his childhood while listening to Solo tell him all about everything that lived there and how it was so strong and when the waves crashed, it almost sounded as if a lion was roaring. Duo and Solo had seen one in a zoo once, so they considered themselves well versed in the ways of big cats.

"N' when ya get down there, even the air smells like ocean air. There's jus' a diff'rence, ya see, 'tween ocean air n' this here city air. Anyway, when ya get down there, it's jus'… different, is all. The ocean goes for miles and miles, so far ya can't see th' end of it. 'N all sortsa stuff lives there, too… if yer lucky, you'll get ta see a dolphin."

"What's a… a doll–fin?" Duo had asked.

"It's a… it's a fish, but it's a special kinda fish. It's a fish what can jump outta the water, and they're bigger n' you, Kid, even bigger n' ME." He'd tapped his chest proudly when he said this, and Duo's eyes had widened. "An' they travel in gangs, like us. An' when they come near the beach so's you c'n see 'em, everybody always points and starts yellin'."

"How d'ya know all this stuff, Solo?" Duo had asked, completely in awe of his guardian and best friend's intelligence and worldly knowledge.

"'cause I used ta live by the ocean." Solo'd said, with a wistful expression. "When I was real little, 'bout as little as you. I lived there with my Mom, b'fore she went away. D'ya know, they say that if ya get a conch – that's a special shell – and listen to it, you c'n hear the ocean?"

They'd gone out and stolen one from somewhere the next day. Solo'd raised it to his ear, eyes wide with the hope that he'd be able to hear the ocean for the first time in years. He'd paused, a confused and hurt look flickering across his face.

"…it don't… it don't work…" he'd said, taking it from his ear and staring at it. Duo came up behind him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"What is it, Kid?" Solo had snapped.

"Solo, c'n I listen?"

Solo had turned then, and Duo had taken a step back in shock. There were the beginnings of tears in Solo's eyes, tears of disappointment and frustration.

"Here." He'd said, stuffing the conch into Duo's hands and running off. Duo had sat still for a very long time, just staring at the pinkish-cream coloring of the conch. Then he'd put it down very carefully and walked away.

Duo shook his head violently to rid his mind of their past musings. "C'mon, Duo, get it together. What's done 's done, n' there ain't anythin' ya can do to fix it."

He stared at the ocean for a minute longer, watching the way the sun reflected off the water and looked like so many diamonds just dropped into the sea. He sighed, sniffing the air. Solo was right – the air did smell different than in the city.

He clambered down the trunk of the tree until he was a little above his balcony then, bracing himself, he jumped. Landing on the balcony with a thud, he tipped forward and did an impromptu somersault into his room.

"Bravo." A dry voice at the door said, accompanied by slow, deliberate applause.

Duo's head jerked up so fast he almost fell over backwards. Regaining his balance, he took a deep breath.

"Holy shit, man, don't scare me like that."

A small smile was all he received from his surprise visitor. Duo brushed himself off and ran his fingers through his braid, eyeing the newcomer.

Sandy brown hair fell naturally over one eye, completely hiding the left side of his face from Duo's view. His visible eye was of a vibrantly green shade, a green that any cat would envy. He was tall – well, taller than Duo anyway, but then again, most people are. He winked at him.

"So, do I get ta know yer name, or are ya just gonna keep me wondering?"

The stranger pretended to think on it for some time, then shrugged. "I see no reason why you shouldn't know my name. By all means, call me Trowa."

"Alrighty then, Trowa, yer the one who's 'sposed ta show me to dinner, ne?"

Trowa simply nodded.

"Then what th' hell'r ya waitin' for? Ya want me to starve or somethin'?"

Trowa smiled slightly and stepped back from the door. "Follow me then."

Heero left Duo's room in a hurry, or at least, as much of a hurry as Heero Yuy can ever be said to be in. He made his way downstairs and literally ran into Quatre, who was coming out of the kitchen.

"Oh, hello, Heero." Quatre said, smirking at him. "We're having spaghetti tonight. My favorite, don't you know."

"What. On earth. Was THAT?!?" Heero yelled at him. Quatre simply smiled, whereas lesser beings would have wet their panties.

"Why, whatever do you mean, Heero?"

"…THAT!!"

"Why, you mean Mr. Maxwell graciously agreeing to accompany us?"

"You know perfectly damn well WHAT I mean, and I want an explanation."

"My, my, temper, temper."

"Quatre."

Quatre knew he was pushing it, deliberately baiting Heero this way. He knew the man's violent tendencies better than anyone.

"What exactly is it that you would like to know?" He asked Heero sighed, realizing that Quatre would finally stop evading his questions and be serious.

"How soon can we make him leave?" Heero demanded.

"Excuse me?"

"Duo. Maxwell. I want him gone, I want him out of this house. I refuse to take you up on this inane bet, which, by the way, I did NOT agree to."

"So you give up?"

"What?"

"Pay me ¥100,000, and Duo will be gone."

"Are you insane? I'm not paying you anything!"

"Well, then, according to the bet, he stays."

Heero collapsed into a chair, massaging his temples. "What on earth just happened here?"

"I called your bluff?"

Heero glared up at him with one eye, keeping the other shut. "What 'bluff'?"

"You said you could make anyone a platinum selling singer. I called your bluff and bet you ¥100,000 that you couldn't do it. And you can't."

"Says who?"

"Why else would you want Duo gone so badly unless you believe you can't do it?"

"I can make anyone famous beyond their wildest dreams, Quatre Rabera Winner." Heero growled. "The fact is, I have no reason to want to, and I refuse to devote my time to something as inane as a simple bet."

"I will pay for any and all expenses."

Heero looked up, this time with both eyes. "Do you realize just how much that will BE? You'll have to pay for clothes… makeup… recording equipment… transportation…"

"Yes. Do you know how much that kind of money doesn't matter to me?"

"…I hate you."

"I know."

Name partners… well, I suppose the use here is incorrect. Name partners are the ones who founded the firm, and therefore have their name as the company name. Like… Greenburg and Glusker. A dude named Greenberg and a dude named Glusker got together and went "Whee, let's found a law firm!" And they did, and they sued many people, and we all lived happily ever in bankruptcy.

Author's Note: Very little actual development here… just… well, we get to see a little more of Duo, and a little more of Heero. Not very much, but a little. Anyway, I just barely made it over 3,000 words!! is very, very proud The fic itself is 3,004 words, na no da. Yaaaay!!! (I am so exhausted)