Fairy Tale Ending
Disclaimer: If I owned this, do you really think I would only write these fics that pair Heero and Duo and Quatre and Trowa? Heck no! I'd have put it in the series making it VERY clear! Obviously the series isn't like that so alas, I do not own it…Don't sue… all you'll get is a very old cup of tea with intelligent life growing on the top of it…. Eww…
Warnings: 1X2 implied, 3X4 implied If you don't like it, don't read it! A few bad words here and there. A couple bad attempts at humor. And just a dash of all around cuteness.
A/N: OK! Here it is. The much awaited sequel to Silence, Fairy Tale Ending. muses sweatdrop Go ahead, tell me it isn't much awaited… I dare you… holds up drumsticks muses turn around and busy themselves with various activities ok… yeah… I lost the first copy of this I had wrote seeming as how some s.o.a.b. had the nerve to hack my laptop while I was redoing some stuff and uploaded a stinkin virus onto it… oh yes, I was thoroughly ticked… but yeah, this time around the fic took a bit of a different direction but I'm pleased for the most part. Let me know what you think. Flames will NOT be tolerated! Constructive criticism ONLY!
Dedicated to Izu-chan for keeping my spirits up plus just because she's obsessed with PoTC!!
Flashbacks are done in italics! Except for when it's a single word then it just means the word is stressed…
It had been a month since the pilots had taken their last vacation together when Duo had proposed. Duo and Heero had been married a couple weeks after that. It hadn't taken long to get everything planned and invitations sent out. Of course all of the pilots had been in attendance, as well as Howard, Hilde and her husband, plus a few of the people that had had a major role in the war. Even Relena had been in attendance. Once the war was over, she had grown up realizing that Heero had found what he was looking for and she should move on and be happy for him. She had done just that. Currently she was dating a wonderful gentleman whom she was devoted to and was devoted to her as well. Since then, she and Duo had become very good friends. Every once in a while Duo and Heero both would tag along with Relena to some of her peace talks, taking up positions as her body guards. But, that had been before they had joined the preventers. After joining, they were normally kept at headquarters either doing paper work or helping train new recruits. They were rarely sent for field missions, which was a direct order from Lady Une herself. Her reasoning was that they had fought for their whole lives and now was their time to relax and reap the benefits of what they had suffered for. The few field missions they were sent for were top of the line missions that Une felt only an ex-gundam pilot could handle. Those were few and far between leaving the pilots to their massive amounts of desk work.
"Morning Quat!" said Duo as cheerfully as he could at eight in the morning. He had seriously wanted to sleep in today but knew he couldn't. He had finally finished the rings last night and was anxious to give them to Quatre.
"Morning Duo. How are you?" asked the blonde looking up momentarily from the stack of papers currently hiding the blonde's desk from view.
"Pretty good. Just a bit tired. I was up all night finishing them." Duo grinned as Quatre's head flew up, all paper work now forgotten.
"They're done!?" Quatre reached for Duo, grabbed him, and gave him a bear hug.
Duo laughed. "Yeah Q. They're done. Want to have lunch and I can give them to you then. That way we don't have one pesky boyfriend turned soon to be husband and one pesky husband hovering over us." Duo grinned. "Plus we need to get you something sexy for when you propose." Duo winked at the now blushing blonde. "So anyway, I'll see ya at lunch k?" asked Duo as he started away.
"Sure Duo." Replied Quatre burying himself in his work once again.
The morning passed quickly for both Quatre and Duo. They both had a ton of work to finish and it had to be done by the end of the day. They were well through the huge amount by the time their lunch hour came so they decided to treat themselves and walk to the little café down the street.
Walking in, they took a booth at the back corner of the restaurant and sat in silence until after their order had been taken and their plump jolly waitress was well out of hearing range.
"So how has work been so far?" asked Duo as he rummaged around in his pockets.
Quatre shrugged. "Just busy as usual."
Duo nodded. "Yeah, same for me today too." He rummaged a bit more. "Aha!" Triumphantly, Duo pulled out box and slid it across the table to Quatre.
With hands shaking, Quatre reached for the little box in front of him. He pulled off the top of the small box and looked inside it. With awe on his face he reached in and pulled out one of the rings. It must have been Trowa's since it was grey with a single red strip through the center. It was more beautiful than Quatre could have imagined. They were just as smooth and shiny as the ones made before it.
"Duo… I don't know how you do it. You're full of surprises… But, thank you. I owe you more than I could hope to repay." Quatre looked up at his friend, tears in his eyes.
Duo waved his hand brushing it off. "Don't worry bout it Quat. I owe you more than just two rings for all the help you gave me during the war."
Quatre merely nodded knowing his friend would accept no charity no matter what the conditions. He had never once given financial aid to any of the pilots even though he had offered numerous times. They all politely refused saying they could make it. And they had, they all had. After the war they all went their own ways. Him going back to his family's business. Trowa to the circus. Duo to the scrap yard. Heero went missing but eventually showed up on Duo's doorstep apparently soaking wet with nothing but the clothes on his back. He had never asked, Heero had never told. He figured Duo knew but never asked him either, figuring that if Heero wanted them to know, he would tell. And Wufei, well, Wufei had gone directly to the preventers. But either way, they had all ended up together again.
Quatre had gotten tired of all the meetings and business deals and was looking to take a vacation. It was then that he overheard about a circus from L3 that was visiting. That night, he had gone to the circus knowing it was Trowa's. He ended up getting a front row seat right in the center. He laughed along with the audience as well as oohed and awed with all the different acts. Finally it was Trowa and Catherine's turn. The ring went dark but was momentarily lit back up revealing Trowa pressed against the board with Catherine walking towards the edge of the ring to take her place. As she walked forward she spied Quatre, her smile widening. Turning around and standing for a moment, she let the crowd quite down. As soon as the noise subsided she tossed a knife up in the air, caught it and just as quickly let it go again, her aim the board quite a ways in-front of her. The audience gasped as the knife missed Trowa by a hair. He didn't even blink. Quatre's smile grew a bit sad. A longing feeling tugging at his heart. Catherine threw a few more knives like that, then a few blindfolded which had even Quatre gasping a few times. Trowa though, didn't seem to mind. All through the performance Quatre clapped and cheered along with the crowd. At the end of it, Trowa stepped forward and bowed with his adopted sister. As he stood back up, his eyes locked with Quatre's, a smile appearing on his face. He leaned over to Catherine and whispered something in her ear. Catherine's smile grew malicious as she announced that they would need a volunteer to come up to the board. Quite a few people raised their hands, and even though Trowa and Catherine pretended to look around for a volunteer, Quatre knew he was their doomed prey. He thought about getting up and running but decided against it as Trowa made his way towards him. A small smirk on his lips, Trowa extended a hand to Quatre and pulled the blonde boy up and into the center of the ring. Walking him to the board, he pulled out the knives that were currently stuck there and showed Quatre how to stand. After assuring him Catherine didn't miss, normally, he smiled then walked back to Catherine handing her the knives. He could see Catherine focusing on him and as he heard the crowd quiet down he knew what was about to happen. WHAM! Right next to his cheek. Quatre's eyes went wide and a few seconds later, another knife slammed into the board right next to the other cheek. It continued for what seemed like eternity to Quatre but in reality was only a minute or so.
Duo snapped his fingers in front of Quatre's face again, this time lightly flicking him on the nose.
Quatre shook his head then rubbed his now red tipped nose. "oww…"
"Sorry Q. Ya zoned out on me there. What's up?" asked Duo a confused and slightly worried look crossing his face.
"Oh. Sorry. I was just thinking about the first time Trowa and I met after the war was over." Said Quatre now noticing his food was sitting before him. He put the ring back in the box with its counterpart and put them in his pocket.
Duo took another bite of his sandwich and nodded. He'd heard the story a few times and had gotten a few of the details that happened afterwards though Quatre almost always skipped out on those if there were people present that didn't need to know. Apparently it went something along the lines that after the act, Catherine had dragged Quatre backstage with her and Trowa to talk to him again. It had taken a while but Catherine had eventually forgiven him for taking her adopted brother away from her during the war. They were now fairly good friends. After she and Trowa had both changed, they all sat down to talk. It had been Quatre who finally glanced at the clock and realized it was almost three in the morning. When he got up to leave, Trowa offered to let him stay with him since it would take a while for Rashid to come and get Quatre. Graciously, Quatre had agreed. He and Trowa had stayed up a while after that talking, and apparently, ended up confessing their feelings for each other. Since they had been sharing a bed that night, Duo had also received details about their little exploration of each other. It was Quatre who had been cherry red through the whole story and Duo grinning like the Cheshire cat. Seeing as how he had been focusing on his friends' relationship, that ultimately left him to think about his own.
It had been a long week and Duo had been planning to fully enjoy it. Hilde would be leaving to visit her boyfriend for the weekend leaving him at home to do what he pleased. Seems the L2 weather system once again decided to ruin something for him. It malfunctioned, rain pouring down the whole weekend. By the time Sunday afternoon came Duo had given up any hope of being able to go out. Even if it did stop it would be too wet to go anywhere. There was standing water everywhere. Finally he had settled on grabbing a stack of movies, a couple two-liters of coke, and of course, munchies. Spreading his treasures out on the table in front of him, he debated what movie he wanted to watch. They didn't have much so he decided on Pirates of the Caribbean. After all, Orlando Bloom, and Johnny Depp for that matter, were about as hot as they came. He laughed out loud when Will and Jack boarded the Dauntless and Will nearly screamed, "Aye, Avast!" He could easily imagine Heero saying that, which he couldn't decide if it was more scary or hilarious. He quieted himself and continued watching the movie. It had been not five minutes that there was a knocking on his door. Annoyed, Duo paused his movie and got up to answer the door. Hilde had called to tell him she was staying an extra day so it couldn't be her. Grabbing his gun and hiding it behind his back, Duo cautiously opened the door. Old habits died hard but what awaited him on the other side of the door completely shocked him, rendering him unable to do anything but stare. There before him stood a boy… no, a man, slightly taller than himself, dripping wet with chocolate colored hair plastered in different positions across his head. Shyly the persons' head looked up. Piercing cobalt eyes peered at him from under the dripping strands of hair.
"Hello Duo." Came the quiet unsure voice.
Duo gaped unable to reply. The person that had invaded his thoughts merely minutes before was now standing in front if him. 'Heero…' he thought. He couldn't comprehend it but he didn't question it either.
"May I come in? It's raining.." Stated Heero slightly pointing to the rain still falling.
Duo, jaw still hanging open slightly, tried to reply… He worked his jaw a few times before he snapped out of it.
"Yeah. Sorry bout that man! Come in, come in!" Duo stepped away from the door and frantically motioned for Heero to enter. He set his gun down on the table next to the door and started for the hall closet as Heero bent down to take off his shoes. Duo rummaged through the closet a few moments before grabbing a couple towels and heading back to Heero.
"You can go dry off, take a shower if you want. Bathrooms' through there. I'll go grab a change of clothes for you."
Heero nodded and handed Duo his gun from the table quirking an eyebrow as he did. Duo shrugged and smiled a bit. Reaching behind him, Heero pulled his own gun out, waved it a few times then headed off to the bathroom.
Duo smiled a bit as he turned and hurried up the stairs to grab a change of clothes for Heero. He noticed Heero had filled out nicely since they had parted after the war. Though he was just a few inches taller, they were about the same size. He grabbed the clothes and headed downstairs. As he walked over to the bathroom door, he noticed it was cracked slightly. He knocked on the door a couple times, careful not to push it open in case Heero wasn't decent… even though he wouldn't have minded it. He had known about his own sexual preferences since before Operation Meteor had even begun. A muffled "Come in." was heard so he cautiously pushed the door opened. He peeked in the door. Heero was standing in front of the mirror, face hidden by the towel currently drying his hair, and in nothing but his boxers. Black silk with a big yellow smiley on the butt saying 'kiss it.' For the second time that day, Duo was at a loss for words.
Peeking out from under the towel, Heero noticed Duo staring at his butt, jaw open. Suddenly, he laughed. Not a snicker or a quiet hn, but a full fledged deep rumbling laugh. It was enough to bring Duo out of his stupor. Knowing he had been caught, Duo blushed and held out the clothes.
"umm, sorry bout that… Just wasn't expecting to see something like that from the perfect soldier."
Heero grinned. "What'd you expect then?"
Duo shrugged. "Chibi Wing Zero's?" He answered with a roll of his shoulders.
Heero merely shook his head and took the offered clothes, shutting the door behind Duo as he left.
Duo shook his head and went back to the couch. He un-paused his movie and starred at the screen watching the story play out. A while later he heard the door open and Heero approach the couch. Sitting down on the opposite end of the couch, Heero looked at Duo for a moment then focused on the movie. He was well aware of Duo's preference on movies after having roomed with him during the war. He preferred the old movies made before the colonies were built. Though Heero didn't like all of them, some of the ones Duo had watched were extremely entertaining. As far as he could tell, it was about a pirate named Jack and another one not so keen on being called a pirate named Will. They were currently talking to a group of pirates, one of them being a female who had just slapped the one named Jack. After the movie had ended, they had sat on the couch and talked all night. Heero had figured that since Duo had been living with Hilde, they were a couple. He was shocked to hear Duo explain Hilde's absence was because she was at her boyfriends place. After a while, the topic of the conversation had turned to him, where he had been, what he had been doing. At first he had followed Relena around as her bodyguard for a few months after the end of the war, making sure that all their efforts had not been in vain. After that, he had wandered. He confessed to keeping a close eye on all the pilots. He had even gone to a few of the speeches that Quatre had made, keeping a close eye on the crowd. He had happened to be at the speech when there was an assassination attempt on Quatre. He saw the man pull the gun and before he had a chance to fire off a shot at Quatre, he had shot the man, waited to make sure he was the only gunman there, then left not wanting to be caught. The investigators, while they figured out that the shot had come above from the lighting panels, couldn't figure out who had saved the young Winner heir since the blonde had assured them he had no bodyguards posted there. By the time they went to bed it was well into the morning. Duo refused to let Heero sleep on the couch and Heero refused to inconvenience Duo by letting Duo take the couch. Instead, they finally agreed to share the bed like they had done many times before during missions. Of course, the one night Heero was there, Duo had a nightmare. It replayed every horrific moment of his life. Losing Solo, having Sister Helen die in his arms, Heero self-detonating… Every single thing that had brought the Deathscythe pilot to the edge. When he woke, he was shaking, but safely wrapped in Heero's arms with Heero smoothing his hair, assuring him everything would be ok. Once he had calmed down enough to speak, Duo had told Heero about his nightmare. Every last bit of it. He had even confessed to Heero that he had been attracted to him ever since he had shot him. Once Duo realized what he had confessed, he panicked. He didn't know what had come over him. His eyes widened and suddenly he flailed, trying to untangle himself from the sheets. He was finally free and made a dash for the bedroom door only to plummet to the carpet, Heero's body on top of him pinning him to the carpet. Duo shut his eyes tightly, his body tense, awaiting the blows he was sure would come. They never came. Instead, he had felt the hands pinning his wrists loosen but remain firm. He felt soft lips pressing against his bare shoulder blade. Tenseness leaving him slightly, Duo lay motionless under Heero afraid to move even though the Wing pilot was now softly kissing his back, shoulders, and neck. Eventually, Heero had picked him up off the floor and carried him back to the bed where they had continued their exploration, not only of their feelings, but of each other.
Duo's attention snapped back to reality as he felt ice cold water in his face. Frantically he wiped at his face trying to remove the water. Glaring he looked up to find Quatre now standing with the check in hand.
"As I was saying, lunch is almost over. We need to go Duo."
Duo wiped his face one more time, removing the last of the water Quatre had flicked at him. As he got up he pulled out his wallet, handed Quatre a five, then added his dollar for the tip. As Quatre went up to pay, Duo grabbed another drink then headed to the door. The two made it back a few minutes before their break ended and made it back just as their lovers did. They all stood outside a few minutes idly chatting about their day before they headed back inside to get back to work.
Quatre sat at home brooding about how he was going to get Une to let him and the others off work again since they had taken a weeks worth of vacation already. He looked over at the calendar hanging in his home office. Well, they did have a three day weekend coming up again soon. He supposed he could just invite them all to a nice restaurant and propose there. In the back of his mind he thought he heard the phone ring but thought nothing of it. A few seconds later Trowa poked his head into the room.
"Quatre… Duo's on the phone for you. He says it's urgent."
Quatre nodded. "Thanks. I'll take it in here." He reached over and picked up the phone. "Hello, Duo."
"Quatre! Man! You're not gonna believe the luck! You heard about that new night club opening up right? Dante's Angel right? Yeah. Well, I know the owner and he got us in opening night man! You want to know how many people would kill to get in there opening night! This is awesome! But yeah, he said I could bring four people with me! I was gonna call Wuffers too and see if he wants to come too. So can you come? Hu hu hu? Can ya?"
"DUO!" shouted Quatre. "Calm down!" regardless of how annoyed Quatre was at the moment, he couldn't help but smile at his friends idea of urgent. "Ok Duo. When is it?"
"This Saturday! Come on Q! It's a once in a lifetime chance!"
Quatre glanced at his calendar. That was the day he wanted to do dinner but then again, this could be just as well. "Duo. You and I need to meet sometime tomorrow. I'll pick you up around eleven tomorrow morning ok?"
"Eleven!? Quatre! That's too early! Expecially since it's one of the few Friday's we get off!"
"Duo… please… First off, no it's not too early and second of all, this is important ok?"
Duo was quiet a moment. "Fine. Eleven."
"Thanks Duo. I'll see you then." Quatre sighed and hung up. "I'm so going to regret doing this… I just know it." Mumbeled Quatre to himself. He sat for a few more moments the got up to find his lover. Being with Duo tomorrow would wear him out more than any mission. He'd need his rest.
Heero was surprised when his lover was up, dressed, and in the kitchen by ten.
"Going somewhere?" asked Heero as he set a plate of food on the table as Duo noisily bounced into the room. Part of the noise was due to the fact that Duo's now normal jeans and smart-ass saying T-shirt had been replaced with baggy black pants drenched in chains and criss-crossed straps and a thin black muscle shirt with a red anarchy symbol and many safety pins down the sides of the shirt. A couple different chokers, bracelets with chains, as well as kohl-rimmed eyes also greeted Heero.
"Hmm? Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Quatre and I have some things to take care of today. He said he'd be here around eleven."
Heero nodded. "The two of you have been together a lot lately… He can be just as devious as you when he's near you. What are the two of you planning?"
"Always Mr. Observant aren't you?" Duo laughed, placed a quick kiss on Heero's lips, put his plate in the dishwasher, and started out of the room to finish getting ready. "Don't worry. Nothing will explode… hopefully." The last part he threw over his shoulder and hurried out of the room. Heero shook his head, praying that the two would stay out of trouble. Maybe Trowa would know something. He decided he would call once Duo and Quatre had left.
At eleven on the dot, Duo's cell phone rang.
"Duo's house of chibi macaroni men. Would you like that fried or roasted?" asked Duo holding the phone with his shoulder as he grabbed his apartment keys, wallet, and whatever else he deemed necessary for the day.
"Remind me again why they let you become a gundam pilot." Said Quatre's voice over the phone. It was obvious the blonde had not gotten a lot of sleep last night.
"Easy Q. I know how to kill someone sixty-five different ways with just my hands, my aim is perfect, I'm a master of stealth, and of course the minor fact that I'm…"
"Duo!"
"…Shinigami…" Duo waved as he bounded down the stairs to the street. He flipped his cell shut, shoved it in one of his pockets and climbed into the thankfully non-conspicuous car that Quatre had decided to bring.
"Who's driving?" asked Duo as he clambered in.
"I am Master Duo." Came a voice from the front.
"Yo! Rashid! What's up!? I haven't seen you in like… a month!"
Rashid grined as Quatre rubbed his temple.
"Ok Duo… About the club, yes Trowa and I will come. And I had an idea. Do they have karoke?"
Duo raised his eyebrow. "Umm, Q.. This is the type of club…" he looked over at his friend. "What'd you have in mind?"
"I'm not really sure. I thought about singing to him, and once I was done, proposing." Quatre blushed a bit.
Duo grinned. "I'll see what I can manage. Now, as for clothes, we are so buying you something new for it. I know just the place."
Duo proceeded to give directions to Rashid. Ten minutes later, they were walking through the door of some little hole in the wall shop. Duo greeted the lady behind the counter. Quite frankly, she scared Quatre with all her piercings, tattoos, and unnaturally red hair. Duo though, didn't seem the least bit fazed by her. After a few minutes, the girl led them over to a corner of the store, pulling different things out, holding them up to Quatre, putting some back, handing some to Duo. Once she was done, she took the pile of clothes from Duo and, handing them to Quatre, shooed him into the dressing room. By the time Quatre came out with the first outfit, another customer had arrived so the girl was busying helping her, leaving Duo as the only one to inspect. Timidly, Quatre peeked around the edge of the door.
"Duo… This is humiliating. I can't walk out in this."
Duo grinned and said nothing but motioned him out with a wave of his hands. Instantly a cat-call filled the room causing the girl working there as well as the other customer to turn and look which in turn led to a cheer and another cat-call. Quatre blushed… hard.
"Definitely that one sweetness!" called the girl working there.
Duo nodded his agreement. "Q, that one fits you to a T. No pun intended." winked Duo.
"But Duo!" started Quatre in protest.
"Nuh-uh buddy. Come on, look in the mirror at yourself… If that isn't the image of a sex god… honestly Q! Just go look in the friggin mirror!"
Sighing, Quatre moved over to the full length mirror.
'Wow!' thought Quatre. 'Maybe Duo's right.' He continued to look himself over in the mirror. The shirt was half black mesh and half some sort of material that looked like silk that was dark cobalt blue. As he turned in the lights, he noticed traces of a lighter blue and crimson red in it. It had rips across the shoulder and stomach showing a good deal of shoulder as well as a nice view of his muscled abs. The pants were black, leather, and looked like they were painted on. Even Heero's spandex left more to the imagination. Plus they rode so low on his hips, he was surprised they didn't just fall off. They had rips just inside the things as well as in the back, right under his butt giving a bit of a view if he moved just right.
"Okay Q. Accessory time! Go change, I'll grab a few things."
Quatre nodded and scampered back to the safety of the dressing room.
Duo got up and browsed some of the shelves in the shop. He grabbed a few things like chains for Quatre to use as a belt, though, they would do little to hold such low cut pants on the blondes' thighs. He grabbed a few more things like a few different chokers that would draw attention to the blondes' flawless neck. He grabbed a few other things for Quatre and a few for himself and proceeded to the register to wait for Quatre.
"Hot boyfriend. A bit timid though." Said the girl as she picked up Duo's items and began to scan them.
"Nawh. He's not mine. Mine's at home right now. Just helping him shop for a uh, special event." grinned Duo.
The girl laughed and decided not to comment further since Quatre was now making his way towards the register with the clothes.
They paid for their items then left, Quatre feeling much better the second he hit the street. The shop had left him feeling uneasy though. They climbed back into the car and asked Rashid to just drop them downtown. Nodding, Rashid stopped in front of a small diner letting the two boys off.
"We'll call you later this afternoon Rashid. Just take the afternoon off." Said Quatre leaning his head back inside the door.
Rashid nodded. "Be careful Master Quatre. Call me if you need anything."
Quatre grinned and shut the door, following Duo down the street into another shop he was sure would scare him like the last one.
"Just wanna grab a few things Q then we'll go." Said Duo over his shoulder already scanning one of the shelves.
Quatre nodded even though Duo couldn't see it. There were quite a bit more people here so Quatre made sure to stick close to Duo, especially since he was on the receiving end of many predatory glances of lust. A few minutes, the two were walking out of the shop, Quatre practically pulling Duo down the street, away from the shop. Duo laughed sensing the reason for his friends' discomfort.
"Q. You're gonna have to relax. That was nothing compared to what this club is going to be like."
Quatre deadpanned. "Great." His tone dripped with sarcasm causing Duo to laugh a bit.
The rest of the afternoon was spent just browsing shops even though Duo ended up getting them kicked out of quite a few because he scared the customers.
"Closed minded…" Duo's voice faded into a mumble of rapid curses as they walked out of another store. It was the sixth one they had gotten kicked out of.
Quatre sighed and rubbed his temple once again. He did have to agree though, a lot of the people they had met that day were closed minded.
"Come on, Duo. Let's go get something to eat." Quatre started off to the diner where Rashid had dropped them off hours ago.
They walked into the diner expecting to once again be kicked out. Instead, they received a few glances from customers and waitresses alike but no one said anything when they took a seat. They each ordered a sandwich and a drink.
"So… How do you plan to hide your new clothes from Trowa?" asked Duo reclining as much as he could in the booth.
Quatre shrugged. "I haven't thought that far ahead yet."
"Well, I did buy some other stuff for you that I'll probably have to apply. Black nail polish, eyeliner, stuff like that." Replied Duo.
Quatre nodded. "Well, I guess you and I could meet up and just have Trowa and Heero meet us there… Then again, won't we have to make sure they dress appropriately?"
"Yeah. Heero I don't have to worry about though. He's gone to clubs enough with me that he actually picks out his own things to wear. And looks damn sexy in them too. It's always more fun undressing him though instead of watching him get dressed." Added Duo.
"Duo!" scolded Quatre whose cheeks were now lightly dusted with a blush.
Duo laughed. "Sorry Kitty Kat. I forgot you're supposed to be the innocent one. But yeah, I'm sure I can send Heero over to your place to help pick out something for Tro. Then, you can just bring yours over to mine and Heero's apartment and we'll get dressed and just meet them there. Sound good?"
Quatre nodded. "Yeah, that'll work. I know Trowa has enough of a wardrobe to fit the club so it probably wont be too hard to find something for him. Quatre looked at his watch. "I'm going to go call Rashid and ask him to pick us up in about half an hour ok?"
Duo nodded.
By the time Quatre had returned, their food was there. He sat down and began to eat. When the two were done, they paid then went to stand outside to wait for Rashid. They didn't wait long before Rashid pulled up. They climbed in and relaxed as Rashid drove Duo back to his apartment.
As Duo opened the door to his apartment, he noticed it was pitch black except for the light that was on over the sink. He shrugged and made his way inside, dropping his keys, wallet, and cell phone on the table right inside the door. He made his way into the kitchen, noticing a note taped to the refrigerator. It read 'Going out for a while. Heero'. Duo wadded it up and tossed it into the trash. As he did, he noticed the phone blinking, signaling that there was a message waiting for him. He walked over and pressed the play button.
"Maxwell… err, Yuywell… uh, Duo…This is Chang. I accept you're invitation to the club this Saturday. Tell me when to be there and what the dress is."
"ahh. Short, sweet, and to the point… and still can't remember my new name… It's Duo Yuywell thank you very much Mr. China man…" Mumbled Duo, grabbing the phone and dialing Wufei's number.
"Chang here."
"Hey Fei. It's Duo. Yeah, first off, the dress is… well, obscene is the best word I can come up with." He heard Wufei give a little huff of air over the phone. "As far as the time, Quatre and I will pick you up around eight. Work for you?"
"Sure Maxwell. See you at eight." Wufei immediately hung up after that.
"And it's not just Maxwell anymore!" Shouted Duo at the innocent piece of plastic in his hands. He shook his head and hung it up deciding not to worry about it. Wufei would eventually get it right… eventually…
He walked over to the refrigerator, pulling out a can of Diet Coke. As he did, he heard the door open and Heero walk through the door. As long as they had roomed together during the war and after the war, Duo knew exactly what Heero's steps sounded like. Small, light, yet purposeful.
"Heero?" called Duo, not bothering to look. Strong arms suddenly found their way around Duo's waist and he grinned.
"Been home long?" asked Heero resting his chin on Duo's shoulder.
"Nawh. Quatre and I have a favor to ask you though." Said Duo between taking a drink of his coke.
"What's that?" asked Heero guiding Duo's coke to his own mouth.
"Quatre and I were wondering if you could help Trowa pick out an outfit to wear to the club tomorrow night."
"Why can't Quatre?" questioned Heero stealing another sip of Duo's drink.
"Cause I'm helping him." Said Duo stealing his drink back.
Heero nodded, not questioning further.
Duo spun around kissing his husband. "Thanks babe."
Quatre dragged himself into his and Trowa's room hoping his boyfriend would be there. He had already taken care of hiding his new clothes with the rings.
"Tired babe?" came a voice from the shadows behind Quatre. Muscled arms made their way around his body, lifting him into the air.
Quatre sighed contentedly, cuddling into Trowa's embrace.
"Next time I want to go shopping with Duo, shoot me." Mumbled Quatre.
Trowa laughed, his deep yet sweet voice soothing Quatre. "Bed. Now." Said Trowa setting Quatre down and shooing him into the bathroom. He stripped down then crawled into bed, waiting for Quatre. A few minutes later his blonde lover crawled under the sheets with him and promptly fell asleep. Trowa wrapped his arms around Quatre a bit tighter and pulled the little blonde boy closer against his chest. "Night Angel." Mumbled Trowa into Quatre's head as he too was taken by the black abyss of sleep.
The next morning was uneventful for Duo. He and Heero had lounged in bed until about noon when Duo reluctantly got up to call Quatre about later that evening.
"So you did talk to Trowa about Heero coming over later right?" clarified Duo one last time.
"Yes. He said that's fine with him. Did you tell Heero about what we bought yesterday?" asked Quatre.
"Nawh. I just told him we had did some shopping for you. Oh! And I talked to the club owner. He said that at the moment, there's no way to do any karoke, but, he can get you enough time to get up on stage and propose if that's how you want to do it."
"Sure Duo. That'd be awesome. Thanks so much!"
"No sweat, Q. See ya tonight around six-thirty ok? Heero and I are going to be out that way later so I'll drop him at your place and then you can just catch a ride back to my place with me. Work for you?"
"Yeah. That's fine. See you then!" said Quatre hanging up the phone.
The day past quickly for all five pilots. Heero and Duo had gone out to pick up a few things that Trowa might not have. It was a little before six-thirty when the two ex-pilots arrived at the Winner estate. They got out of the jeep, Heero grabbing the bag containing the few newly bought items for himself and the uni-banged ex-pilot. As they reached the door, it was opened by Abdul. Duo bounced in followed closely by Heero who nodded his thanks. Abdul returned it with a smile.
"Master Quatre and Master Trowa are waiting for you in the music room."
Duo mock saluted and with an "Aye Aye Captain!" then bounced down the hall.
Heero shook his head and hurried after his braided lover. Duo was standing just outside the door waiting for Heero and listening to Quatre and Trowa who were currently at the climax of their song. Duo pushed the door open a bit and opened his mouth to say something but was quickly silenced by Heero's hand. Slowly, Heero removed his hand, leaned against the door frame, and closing his eyes, pulled Duo into his arms. They stood there until the last of the echoes from Quatre's violin had faded. The melody had been swift and sweet, longing, with a touch of angered sadness. As it had slowed to the end, Trowa's notes became long and drawn out, a sirens wailing for her lost lover, while Quatre echoed Trowa's notes, his notes the sirens lover calling back. As the two faded out, Neither Duo nor Heero moved, the last of the song still echoing through their mind.
"Enjoy it?" a quiet, monotonous, yet amused voice asked a few seconds after the song had ended.
Heero's head made the slightest movement indicating a yes. Opening his eyes, he found Trowa and Quatre facing him, sullen looks on their faces.
"Beautiful…" murmured Duo opening his eyes as well.
Quatre nodded. "I'm glad the two of you enjoyed it." He looked at his watch. "Guess we should get going. We will still have to go pick up Wufei."
Duo nodded as Quatre moved to the large oak cabinet to put his violin away. Trowa walked over to the table in the middle of the room, tenderly taking apart his flute and laying it in the case. After latching it shut, he picked it up and walked over to lay it on the bottom of the shelf in the cabinet. Quatre leaned up giving Trowa a quick, yet sweet kiss on the lips.
"See you later tonight." Said Quatre.
Trowa nodded, shooing his boyfriend out the door. "And stay out of trouble." He called as the two friends exited the room.
Heero and Trowa stood, starring at each other for a moment. Trowa nodded and Heero followed him out of the room and upstairs to Trowa's and Quatre's shared room. When they arrived, Heero dumped the contents out of the bag onto the bed then proceeded over to Trowa's closet, scanning it for a minute. He then pulled out a pair of tight leather pants with dark emerald green on the waist, edge of the pockets, and bottom of the pant legs. He handed them to Trowa then turned back to the closet looking for a shirt. He pulled out a black tank top as well as a green mesh shirt. He handed them both to Trowa then went over to his own bag pulling out his own clothes. Trowa took that as a sign that Heero was done with him until he had changed. Obeying the silent command, he went to the bathroom to change. He returned a few minutes later just as Heero was about to change shirts. He pulled off his shirt revealing his back. Trowa raised an eyebrow. There, tattooed on Heero's back was a white outline of angel wings. Down his spine were the kanji symbols for Tenshi (angel).
"Tattoo? Since when?" asked Trowa continuing on with his business.
"Since Duo got his. Black bat looking wings with kanji symbols for Shinigami. He also has a small black rose on his left hip." Said Heero pulling the pure black mesh shirt over his head then rummaging through the different things lying on the bed. With the stark white tattoo showing through the black mesh shirt, it gave an incredible effect to Heero's well sculpted back.
He first grabbed white eyeliner then silver glitter and walked into Trowa's bathroom to use the mirror. Trowa stayed seated on the bed watching Heero apply the makeup. He closed one eye and applied the white eyeliner across the top eyelid then drew the line out, adding a few more thinner strokes under the main one giving it the effect of wings. He did the same to the other eye then added the silver glitter enhancing the effect.
He walked back into the room, grabbed a bottle of neon green nail polish, and tossed it to Trowa. "Think you can manage?"
Trowa gave an indignant huff and began to apply the nail polish. No sooner had he finished than Heero turned around, all his nails black except for the pointer finger on each hand, which was painted white. Heero nodded his approval. He then walked overtoTrowa, who, upon seeing thelime green eyeliner, obediently closed his eyes.A few seconds later, Heero was applying the silver glitter tothe edge of Trowa's eyes as well.When he finished, Trowa went to the bathroom to admire Heero's handywork. After cleaning up, the two boys went downstairs to wait a while before leaving. On their way down, they ended up scaring many of the maids, Trowa silently laughing to himself.
Back at Heero's and Duo's apartment, Duo was busy applying Quatre's makeup. He had yet to get dressed or do his own knowing it wouldn't take more than five minutes. By the time he was finished, Quatre truly did look like a sex god. Duo had applied a bit of hair gel, giving it a pointed look at the ends, giving Quatre a soft yet punkish look. He was dressed in his outfit that had been bought the day before. Black, cobalt, and crimson nail polish alternated on his fingers. And now, leather chokers, some with spikes, others with studs and thin chains adorned his neck, just as the chains and leather bracelets adorned his wrists.
Walking out of the bathroom, Quatre's jaw dropped when he saw Duo. His hair was in its customary braid with a deep lavender colored ribbon wrapped between the different sections and finally tying off at the end. His nails were painted black with his pointer fingers crimson. Adorning his neck were several chokers similar to Quatre as were his bracelets. Duo's pants were shiny and slick looking, loose in the waist but tight through the butt and legs showing off his nice firm ass and well sculpted legs. The top of his pants were still at least an inch under his belly button, showing off his pierced belly button as well as what looked to be a black rose on his left hip. His shirt was white mesh and skin tight. When Duo turned around to grab some different things off the bed, Quatre noticed the black bat wings as well as kanji symbols down his back. As Duo straightened out, his hair fell over his back covering the kanji.
"Umm, Duo? How long have you had those tattoos?" asked Quatre still processing the newly acquired fact.
"The day the war ended. Heero and I both went. You'll see his later tonight. Well, I did get the rose about 5 months ago though. So of the three, it's the newer one." Said Duo pulling out his kohl eyeliner and applying it quickly.
"All-righty then… Let's go grab Fei then party our asses off!" smiled Duo whirling around in a flurry of excitement.
Quatre took a deep breath, straightened his shirt once more, then left the apartment, letting Duo lock up before continuing to the street where the jeep waited for them.
At seven-thirty they stopped in front of Wufei's and Sally's apartment building. Duo honked the horn once and a minute or so later, Wufei came walking out. Black leather pants with a burning red dragon stretching down one leg. His shirt was a black tank top which had a red phoenix on the back, it's tail wrapping around to the front a bit. Other than that, nothing had changed about the Chinese youth's appearance. Duo whistled as Wufei climbed into the jeep.
"Hey good lookin. You taken?" asked Duo as he looked in the rear-view mirror of the jeep.
Wufei held up a bright red finger, making it easy for Duo to see it.
"Well, what'd ya know… Fei even did his nails! Man, you went all out this time!"
Wufei sighed and rolled his eyes. There would be no winning this battle. Better to stop now than let it explode and ruin the night.
They three pilots arrived at the club a little after eight. Duo picked up his cell and dialed Heero's number.
"Heero speaking."
"Hey babe. We're here. How close are you and Trowa?"
"About 5 minutes. I assume you have the jeep?"
"Yeah."
"Ok. Trowa and I will come find you once we're there."
"Mm'kay. See you soon."
Duo flipped his cell shut. "They'll be here in a few minutes." He looked over at Quatre who was watching the people slowly shuffle inside the building. "You gonna be ok over there Q?"
Quatre nodded. "I'm just wondering what Trowa's going to say about me wearing this."
Duo grinned. "You means besides him saying he wants to rip the rest of it off you and fuck you senseless?"
Quatre turned around and whacked Duo on the head. "OWW!! Geeze Q! What happened to all the fighting for peace?" Duo mock pouted.
They sat in silence for a few minutes longer. Suddenly there was a knock on Duo's window. Startled, Duo whipped his head around to see Heero and Trowa standing there.
"Alright guys. Let's party!" said Duo as he opened the door and got out, looking his lover over.
They all started towards the door, Trowa's eyes glued to Quatre's ass the whole time. As the five of them walked to the door, they were stopped by the bouncers at the door.
"Invitation only."
Duo leaned forward. "Apparently you don't know who I am… I'm Shinigami… Surely Dante gave you word of me."
Instantly the man at the door backed down, allowing the five boys to enter.
Once inside, Duo led them to the bar. One of the men working there, obviously the owner saw Duo and waved. Coming over, he leaned against the counter.
"Duo! Glad you could make it! And who might your friends be?"
Duo grinned. "My husband, Heero. Quatre and his boyfriend, Trowa. And That's Wufei." He pointed to each in turn as he said their name.
When he introduced Heero, Heero moved over closer and put his arm around Duo's shoulders. Trowa did the same to Quatre, effectively stopping some of the lustful glances.
Dante nodded. "Good to see you. Grab a drink on me and party away." Duo grinned. Dante winked back at him. Duo had called him earlier asking him about letting his friend propose tonight. Of course, Dante had agreed. The five friends found a table at the back corner of the room. After they had, Duo made his way back to the bar to grab drinks for everyone. As he did, Dante came back over to him.
"When does he want to propose?" asked Dante, carefully handing Duo drinks for all his friends.
"We talked about it a bit. Most likely midnight. Once the party really gets going." Said Duo being careful not to spill any.
Dante nodded. "The two of you come see me when you want to. And make sure to have lover boy somewhere close to the front of the stage."
Duo nodded. "Thanks." He then took off with the drinks back to the table.
They sat idly chatting and drinking for the first couple hours. Duo and Heero eventually got up to go dance. The other three watched as the their friends joined the mass of people on the floor. All of them lost in the same world, the music pulsating and becoming them.
After a few minutes of watching their friends dance, Wufei commented.
"Heero's a good dancer. Wouldn't have thought that in a million years."
The other two nodded. He really was. Though, Duo still had him beat but not by much. They continued like that, dancing through three or four songs before returning.
"Their music guest is supposed to be up soon. Want to grab a table closer up front?" asked Duo after sitting a few minutes to catch his breath.
The others all nodded. It was eleven-fifteen. The music guest was supposed to be Chevelle and they we're supposed to start at eleven-thirty.
They found a table up front and after they had, Duo dragged Quatre with him back to the bar to see Dante.
"Ok. I've got it figured.Somewhere in their setthey can do 'Grab Thy Hand'. Afterwards, they can say something about someone wanting to take someone else's hand, blah blah blah, then you can go up there and propose… We've got a table front and center stage… It'll be perfect… okay?" asked Duo, grabbing Dante's attention and explaining it to them both at the same time.
Quatre gulped and nodded. Dante smirked and nodded his approval.
"You can go talk to them real quick if you want. They're backstage. Just go clear it with them." And with that, Dante left to get back to serving the customers, leaving Duo to drag Quatre backstage.
Backstage, they caught the attention of Pete, the lead vocal. After quickly explaining the idea to him, he agreed enthusiastically.
Twenty-nine minutes into their show, they had finished 'Grab Thy Hand'.
"…so it is my pleasure tonight, to introduce Quatre, who I believe has something to say to someone in our audience." Finished Pete.
Trowa's, Heero's, and Wufei's heads shot up when they heard Quatre's name. Sliding into his chair next to Heero, Duo leaned over to whisper in his ear.
"I miss anything?"
"I would say yes but I know you're the one who planned it." Heero said, placing a quick kiss on Duo's lips then returning his attention back to Quatre who had already started his speech.
"… and through those five years that we've known each other, every day I've fallen deeper under your spell. And if you will, I would like to be with you and stay under that spell for the rest of my life." Quatre reached over and pulled Trowa up on stage with him. He then got down on one knee and held out the ring to Trowa. "Trowa Barton, will you make me the happiest man on earth and all space and marry me?"
The whole club was deathly silent. Every last person holding their breath to hear the answer.
Shyly a smile appeared on Trowa's face. "I will."
The club erupted into cheers, whistles, and shouts.
Standing up, Quatre placed the ring on Trowa's finger. Trowa then returned the favor and pulled his blonde lover into his arms for a deep searing kiss.
Hand in hand, the two made their way off-stage, the band staring up their next song, 'Closure'.
While most people hadn't noticed it, Duo and Quatre had both heard, the second Trowa had accepted, the clock had struck midnight. And that, was a happily ever after ending.