Disclaimer: Gundam is not my property. I just like to play make believe.

A/N: Shounen Ai; 2x5 pairing. This is my first attempt at writing a Gundam story. Hope it's not too blasphemous character wise. I tried to keep the boys relatively in character.

Deserving Pair

Chapter 1

Wufei drove along, silently cursing himself for his weakness. Ever since he'd become partners with Duo Maxwell in the Preventors Organization over two years ago, he'd developed a…..soft spot….for the man with the chestnut braid and deep purple eyes. And it was only a year ago that he'd faced the reality that he was in love with his partner. Gods! I have to stop letting him talk me into things! Wufei sighed and gripped the steering wheel just a little tighter. Damn it!

Two Days Ago

"'Fei! Hey partner! So what time should I expect you this weekend?"

Wufei eyed his partner suspiciously as he bounded up to the lunch table and sat down, all smiles.

"What are you talking about?"

"I need your help in packing up this weekend."

"No."

"Why not?"

"No."

"Pleeease! We've been on mission after mission and I haven't had time and I'm supposed to move next weekend."

"It's not my fault you can't get your act together. I will not support your procrastination Maxwell."

They sat there at the lunch table, Wufei trying to ignore his partner who was now pulling out all the stops to get him to help. He tried to keep his attention on the report before him but he glanced over at Duo and it was all over.

Those big, purple eyes that were so deep you could drown in them were aimed at him and they pleaded with him, the partner, the best friend, to help. And then there was his mouth. Wufei had known Duo long enough that he could detect the smallest change in his facial expression. He'd been watching him for years. And when Duo really wanted something from Wufei, he'd let that bottom lip pout just enough to destroy the man's resolve.

"Alright, fine. I'll help you Maxwell."

"Yes! Thanks partner!"

"Now may I please get back to my lunch and report?"

"I can't let you do that 'Fei. Your break is for you, not more reports."

Before Wufei could protest, Duo snatched the report and held it behind his back. "I'll give it back when you finish eating."

"I'm not some child Maxwell. Hand it over now or I will force you to in front of everyone here."

Duo knew he was in trouble by the tone in the Preventor's voice and the calm demeanor he presented. When Wufei was mad, he never showed it. When he was yelling, he wasn't really mad.

Regardless, Duo saw it as his responsibility to watch out for his friend and reading reports while on your break was not healthy.

"As soon as you finished eating 'Fei."

"Maxwell…"

"'Fei…."

Duo's singsong voice and smile set Wufei off and he lunged for his partner who quickly sidestepped him and put some distance between them.

Wufei didn't care how many people were watching. He was going to get that report back if it was the last thing he did. And he was now wiling to hurt his partner a little to do it to teach him a lesson. He raced for Duo who started running out of the cafeteria.

It took Wufei ten minutes of chasing Duo around to finally catch him and wrestle the report from his hands. As he sat there, straddling Duo's hips, triumphant in his retrieval, he heard someone clearing their voice behind him.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything….personal…gentlemen."

Wufei jumped up and faced his superior, Lady Une with an appropriately embarrassed face.

"I'm sorry ma'am. I was merely retrieving a report from Maxwell."

"Believe him. He couldn't handle me if he tried."

"MAXWELL!"

Wufei took the few steps to his smirking partner and yanked him up by his collar so their faces were inches apart.

"Why must you make such ridiculous and tasteless comments like that! And in front of Lady Une no less! Have you no pride? No shame? No respect for me!"

"Oh, just get a room you two."

Lady Une walked away and Wufei looked after her, mortified. Duo slipped from the slack fingers of his partner and straightened his uniform.

"Take it easy 'Fei. She was just kidding."

Stunned onyx eyes turned to him and Duo almost felt sorry for Wufei. Almost. He had to learn to lighten up a little. He winked at his partner and threw an arm around his shoulder, leading him back to their desks.

"And I was kidding too." Duo leaned in close to Wufei's ear and whispered seductively, "I know you could handle me 'Fei."

Wufei growled as he shoved Duo against the wall and kept walking. "You're impossible Maxwell!"

Back in the Present

Wufei sat at the traffic light, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. He looked over to his right and saw someone on a motorcycle waiting for the light. The person was obviously a sport rider. Clothes and bike full of bright colors and logos. Wufei smirked and turned back to stare at the light.

Duo loved to ride, but he wasn't into racing. He was happy to throw on his weathered leather jacket and a helmet and take off for the mountains or just ride down the highway. It still amazed him that someone who was obviously a people person, desired time to himself. He understood the inclination to be alone, but then again, he only tolerated most people.

Duo was the complete opposite. He was outgoing, friendly and very open with people. Or so they thought. Wufei doubted many others had seen the real Duo. They'd been partners with the Preventors for over two years now and he'd come to know the real Duo Maxwell. Everyone knew the happy, friendly prankster. That's what he wants them to see. But there's another Duo.

For one thing, he's a lot smarter than he lets on. And that always confused Wufei. Why would you want people to think you're not as smart as you really are?

Wufei had also seen the quiet, vulnerable side of his partner. During an especially long mission, Duo had been spending a lot of time sequestered in his room and Wufei had decided to confront him about it one night.

"Duo? May I come in?"

He heard his partner scrambling around as he answered.

"Uh….just give me a second 'Fei! I'm not decent!" More noise and Duo's muffled curses. When Duo opened the door he was smiling, a bit breathless and he looked guilty as hell to Wufei. "What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something." Wufei craned his neck around Duo, scanning the room. "May I come in?"

"Sure." Duo waved the man in and left the door open, then made his way over to his bed, throwing himself on the bouncy mattress. "What's on your mind 'Fei?"

Wufei chose to lean against the dresser, arms crossed over his chest. "You've been spending a lot of time in your room during this mission. I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

"I'm fine."

"You're not sick?"

"Nope."

"Then I want an explanation. I've known you long enough to know that this is not acceptable behavior from you."

"'Fei, I'm telling you---"

"Shh! What's that noise?" Wufei pushed off the dresser, his senses alert.

"What noise? I didn't hear any…." Duo was quickly on his feet and reaching out to stop his partner as the man made his way over to the closet door. "No! Don't go in there!"

Wufei opened the door and found the source of the sound. There, on the floor, nestled in a basket and blankets were four orange striped kittens, mewling and clamoring over each other to get out of the basket.

"Maxwell."

"Don't be mad. I can explain." Duo pushed past Wufei and kneeled on the floor, petting the appreciative kittens. "You remember that warehouse we checked out that turned out to be a bust? Well, I found these guys there. They were still pretty clean and looked healthy enough so I figured they were just recently abandoned."

"But why would you bring them back here?"

"Because no living creature should ever know what it feels like to be abandoned 'Fei."

Wufei wondered how he should respond. Or if he should respond. Duo's voice was so full of sorrow and when he looked up at Wufei, a kitten snuggled under his chin, his eyes big purple saucers of sadness, Wufei's heart hurt. My friend is upset. I should comfort him. But how?

"Maxwell? Are you--?"

Duo put the kitten back down in the basket, quickly swiping away the tear that had escaped. He knew Wufei didn't like to see weakness, especially in his partner. And nothing said 'I'm weak' more than crying over a kitten. He took a deep breath and kept his attention on the basket of soft fur.

"Ever since I was a kid, I've seen so much death, pain and suffering. When Father Maxwell died saving my life, that's when I vowed to put an end to all of it. But ultimately, me and Deathscythe just kept the cycle going. I thought that by working with the Preventors I could finally begin to achieve that goal. But I don't see that happening."

"Then you're blind Maxwell. We live in a time of relative peace. There is no war to fight."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Duo slumped back against the doorframe and grabbed another kitten, letting the playful thing bat at his finger with its tiny paws. "I just….I don't know…..I realize rescuing a litter of stupid kittens isn't going to balance out my karma enough to get into heaven, but it's something, you know?"

Finally Wufei got it. This wasn't about rescuing some kittens. This was about Duo trying to come to terms with his past and his beliefs. He still wore the small gold cross around his neck. Wufei wondered every now and again if he still wore it because it had been a gift from Father Maxwell, or because he still held onto his faith. Now he knew. It amazed him that someone who was so sensitive to such matters, could have been such an effective killing machine during the war. Perhaps there's more to Shinigami than meets the eye….

But Wufei still wasn't sure what to do for his partner who was in obvious need of comforting. He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to reach out and pull Duo into his arms and kiss away the tears, but he wouldn't dare. That's not what he wants or needs from me. So instead, Wufei knelt down and reached out, gently wiping away the trail of tears marring the beautiful face.

He couldn't tell Duo that he was going to heaven. He had no right to make such statements. That was for some other power to decide. But he could assure him of other things.

"I think you did the right thing Maxwell. We'll find all of them good homes."

Duo kept his head bowed, even as he felt the gentle touch of Wufei's cool hands. But at his partner's words he looked up, a mixture of surprise and gratitude in his eyes.

"Thanks 'Fei."

Silence reigned for several minutes and Wufei wasn't sure what to do until Duo slowly reached up for Wufei, a small frown on his face. The Chinese man froze. What's he doing? Oh god, I shouldn't have touched him like that.

Duo's hand traveled up and reached behind Wufei, easily pulling the string out of his hair. Shiny ebony tresses fell around Wufei's face and Duo smiled.

"That was easier than I thought."

Wufei's heart was racing and he knew his cheeks were blazing red. He was thankful for the little bit of coverage his loose hair afforded. He watched as Duo paid him no regard and used the string to play with the kittens.

He wasn't sure if he should laugh or bang his head into the wall. How stupid could I be? Of course he would never think of making a move on me.

Duo looked over at Wufei and saw the man lost in his thoughts. And by the look on his face, they weren't good so he immediately disrupted them.

"You look good 'Fei."

Wufei blinked himself out of his reverie at Duo's words. "What?" It sounded harsher than he would have liked but Duo didn't seem to take offense.

"Your hair. It looks really good down. You should wear it that way more often."

Wufei had always worn his hair back for fear of seeming too effeminate. It's not that he would ever classify himself as 'pretty', but he had been teased a lot when he was younger so he had been careful to make sure his hair was always tied back. Even when he was alone it rarely came loose.

"We'll see Maxwell."

Duo returned to playing with the kittens when he saw the slightest of curves at the corner of Wufei's mouth. The pair remained in Duo's room for the rest of the night playing with the kittens and giving them names.

When they returned from their mission two weeks later, they found homes for three of the four kittens. The fourth refused to leave Wufei's side and Duo convinced him that he wouldn't be happy in another home so Wufei had reluctantly agreed to keep the needy kitten. And although he grumbled about it for months, he secretly enjoyed the kitten's company and he and Nataku enjoyed a nice quiet life together.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Wufei pulled up in front of the safe house and headed for the front door, bracing himself for the chaos that he would be facing. He entered the house but it was completely quiet with no sign of Duo or the mess he expected.

"Maxwell?"

"In here!"

Wufei made his way to the living room where he found his partner sitting on the sofa, reading. The room was immaculate.

"Hey there 'Fei."

Wufei took in the entire sight before him, incredulous. "Why is nothing packed? Where are the boxes? How could you ask me over to help you and then sit there on your ass?"

Duo's smile never wavered under the glinting onyx eyes that were aimed at him. He knew Wufei was irked, sure. But he wasn't really mad.

"Uh…I was waiting for you, the boxes are in the dining room, I asked you because you're my friend, and I didn't want to start because I know you have a system for everything which I'm sure includes packing."

"Hmph. Not everything."

Duo heard the mumbled reply and saw Wufei's cheeks color slightly and he smiled that much more as he tossed the book on the table and followed the man into the dining room to get some boxes. Gotcha 'Fei!

"Where do you want to start?"

"Living room. We can pack up my books and movies."

The two friends made their way back into the living room and Duo directed Wufei to a bookcase in the corner.

"That whole case is mine. If you want to get those, I'll sift through the movies."

Wufei started at the top, working his way down. He had cleared the top shelf and started on the second when he started noticing the titles. The Art of War, The Sayings of Zhuang Zi, Three Chinese Poets, The Rise and Fall of the Empires…..

"Maxwell. All these books are yours?"

"Yeah." He didn't look up from his task of sorting movies. He knew what Wufei was thinking, he just wasn't sure if his partner would ask about them.

"I don't mean to sound insulting, but why would you have these books?"

Duo chuckled and looked up, "Well, what do you expect me to do when you only read me part of a book?"

"Me? What do I have---?"

Wufei stopped and looked up at the bookcase again, scanning the titles. Almost every book on the case was one he owned. And he couldn't be certain, but from what Duo was saying, at one point, he had read snippets of each of them to his partner.

"Oh. I see."

He ran his fingertips along the spines, remembering back to when they went on long missions together. He would sit down in a quiet corner, late at night and read a book. It was the only chance he ever got to read on missions and he refused to stop reading just so he could carry out a mission. And one night, Duo found him and asked to join him.

"Do you mind?"

"No. But I am reading Maxwell. I do not wish to carry on a conversation right now."

Duo just shrugged. "What are you reading?"

"It's a collection of Chinese myths and fables."

Wufei turned his attention back to his book and started reading.

"Well….may I join you?"

"You already are Maxwell."

"No, I mean, may I read along with you? Your book."

"You want to read this book with me?"

"Yeah. I can sit here," Duo moved over and sat shoulder to shoulder with his partner and leaned over to read the text. "And I can read along too."

Wufei just stared at his partner. Was he serious? Since when did he enjoy reading? He must be insanely bored if he's willing to read with me. He closed his eyes and sighed. He never noticed how warm Duo was before. Or how heavy.

"No, this isn't going to work. Lean up. You're too heavy."

"Then lean on me. I don't mind."

He studied the man sitting next to him and realized he genuinely wanted to be next to him, reading. But why?

"Ok, compromise. How about I read the book aloud? That way neither of us has to lean on the other and you may enjoy the book as well. Is that acceptable?"

Duo smiled and scooted down to the floor, lying on his back, hands behind his head.

"Very acceptable. Thanks 'Fei."

And thus started a tradition between Wufei and Duo. Whenever they were on extended missions, Duo would sit down with Wufei on some nights and he would listen as Wufei read aloud whatever book he had at the time.

But Wufei had no idea that Duo had continued reading the books. He felt a twinge in his chest that he couldn't identify. Pride? Am I proud that he chose to continue reading the books? Flattered? It seems his books of choice are all books I would choose. But why has he never mentioned it? We could have sat down and discussed them.

"Uh, 'Fei? Hello over there."

Wufei blinked a few times and turned to Duo who was giving him a questioning look.

"What?" His voice was sharp. He hated being caught off guard.

"Nothing. You just zoned out."

"Hmph."

Duo continued to sift through the movies and he would occasionally glance over at Wufei who didn't seem to be paying him any mind. He thought for sure Wufei would have more to say about the books but he just seemed to withdraw into himself. Realization dawned on Duo and he mentally kicked himself. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I wasn't thinking. Now he knows I went behind his back and read all the same books. I look like some freaking stalker! But he isn't mad. That much I can tell. But what is he thinking?

Wufei returned to packing books, trying to ignore Duo's occasional glances at him. He hadn't meant to sound so harsh before, but Duo didn't seem angry so that left Wufei wondering….What is he thinking?

to be continued...