Author's Note: Don't own. Didn't write it all. Mixed project. Lots of us. No brain… there is no spoon…. Eeegh. (I hate school)

The Finest Line… by Onions Make Me Cry

third chapter... the Ride...

Wufei took Duo's things, so the former pilot wouldn't have to lug them across the port. "What have you been up to lately?" he queried, hoping that Zechs would follow them back to the car park, "I know you went back to L2."

"Weeeeeell," Duo began, falling in stride with his companion, Zechs trailing some few feet behind like a dark storm cloud. "I've got a sweet little setup with Hilde now, so that's gold. She's really a peach, you know, pretty young thing like her. A girl like that is hard to find! I mean, she's hard working, and loyal, and won't let me pinch funds from other places when we need them." He grinned sheepishly, and the brilliant look reduced the weariness his face had taken on, if only by a little. "But I think she gets lonely sometimes, you know? Like all our scrap work is bullshit, or something."

'She must still love him' Wufei mused, watching Duo's expression change. He was amazed sometimes at his ability to read people through their motions and slight movements. It never worked with the people he cared about but with other people he hardly knew. He knew from the moment he saw Hilde that she had it bad for Duo. 'You ain't the only one sister…' he added to himself sourly.

The light in Duo's expression dimmed a little, though a grin continued to linger on around the corner of his mouth. Balling his sweatshirt up even more tightly, the youth tucked it again, even more securely, under his arm as they continued to walk on. It was practically basic common knowledge to anyone who had ever come within ten feet of Hilde and Duo together that their chemistry was a good one. They thought alike and spoke alike both, which made for a lucrative and easy business partnership. However, sometimes, in the evening when all the work was done for the day and both were settled, a particular glint could be seen dogging Hilde's expressions. Her deep fondness for Duo was an easy thing to see during evenings like these… as was the sadness which tailed such a realization. For Hilde, to be so close to her source of happiness and to not be able to have it, was her greatest, and most poignant sorrow.

"Oh, hey, and I got a tattoo." Duo flashed bright teeth at Wufei, breaking the mood and jerking to his back with his thumb. As they walked shoulder to shoulder, the braided boy twisted a little to give the other a view of the black and white magpies which now adorned his body. Though only partially visible, the craftsmanship and attention to detail was obvious, and knowing the treasure of it, Duo's pride was also easy to see.

"It was so fucking dollar heavy, man…I had to whack like ten guys to be able to get the funds up for this shit."

The ambiguity of the sentence left something to be desired. Duo wasn't particularly well known for abstaining from either sex or violence, and so, such a statement always served an equivocal purpose. It really could have been either. But then again, it could have been neither at all. The braided ex-pilot was also known for his ability to exaggerate-- or, to "spice", according to the interpreter.

"Please don't elaborate…" Wufei groaned a little, "and it's a nice tattoo... I was thinking of getting one myself just haven't made up my mind."

"Yeah, thanks. You could get a magpie too, huh? Then we could be like brothers! But… heh, that might not be your boat. Oh well. Anyway," Duo sighed, rolling his neck a little while keeping his eyes on the side of Wufei's face. "How about you? What've you been up to? Heh.. Getting into a lot of prime shit without me and the guys to keep you back, huh? Yeah, I can tell." A cheesy, mocking grin spread across a face long since used to the comfortable ease of teasing. "And what the hell is up with you and his royal highness back there? Please don't tell me you're fucking him or anything like that… I'd be all jealous and have to kill him. Not that I have a problem with that or anything but, it'd be all messy."

"In your dreams Maxwell…and knowing you it's a dirty one." A grin peeped through Wufei's serious expression. "He's my partner on this particular excursion, but usually he's my boss. I tried getting involved with a superior before and it didn't turn out well."

He paused, doing the 'look up for further info' thing people tend to do when thinking about the past.

"True it was Sally and it was a one time thing…and I was drunk…but that's beside the point." Wufei added with a shake of his head. "I work for the Preventers now, I have an apartment in NYC…I have a fish that one of my co-workers is looking after while I'm here. Still upholding justice as expected and not living the life of wine, men and song. I hardly get out." He finished drolly, opening the door for Duo and Zechs as they headed across the sky way to the car park. "Besides I know you came for someone else, not for me."

Shooting Wufei a suddenly weary, resigned look, Duo began to shake his head. All in all it was a reaction that practically sung I don't want to deal with this right now. Don't talk to me about Heero, I'll hate your guts if you make me do it so save yourself the trouble'. After
spending hours on the shuttle over, contemplating just that character, conversation anywhere remotely near Heero wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms. It was a hypocritical move on Duo's part, as the entire point of his presence was, after all, Heero, but then again, when had Duo ever been practical in the relationship sense?

"Oh man, don't dig yourself a grave, Wu. Sore subject." Duo chuckled, running a hand over his hair and examining his shadow as the sun cast it out in front of him. "I'm just game for some food. And, I dunno, maybe a bath? And a nap. I'm totally wiped."

"Are you catching a cold?" Zech's monitored, and his easy tone wafted up to the pair from behind. Duo paused briefly, a flicker of mistrust blinking across his face, before answering.

"Yeah…" the braided boy groaned, not bothering to look back. The ground, apparently, was still too interesting. "I guess I must be. Heh, man, Wufei, you're totally gonna laugh at me, but I haven't been able to sleep! Dunno why. Insomnia catching up to me out of spite, I guess."

"Then we'll head back to the hotel as planned, you can catch up on some sleep, get something to nosh on, and use all the hot water in the place. We don't actually have to do much of anything until tomorrow." Wufei replied, mentally making a note to himself that this was going to be MUCH harder then previously perceived. Some part of him wished that Hilde was with him, to berate Duo and check him out. That sick twisting feeling of worry began to knot up in his gut. Part of it mumbled about Duo's visible condition, another part grumbled about how he was going to deal with the whole 'Don't talk to me about Heero' vibe Duo was giving off, and yet another moaning about trying to get Zechs and Duo to not kill eachother…

Where the HELL is Quatre when I need him? Wufei thought as they moved to the car park.

The three men passed down a case of concrete stairs, the sun blazing hotly down their backs as the fiery day began to totter over the noon day point. Skipping the last step, Duo switched topics.

"So….. No Sally, huh?" he glanced at Wufei out of the corner of his eye, as they kept on. "She's fucking hard on, lemmie tell you. Great job. I mean, I think she's totally awesome! Never met a woman quite like her. Rambo Po, you know? Heheh, get it? You should seriously reconsider shacking identities with hers again, because… I mean, come on! Damn! Only one night?" Laughing, Duo punched his friend in the shoulder. "She obviously still wants you. I can tell, and Im not even around. Man, I don't even live on the same planet anymore."

Still trailing behind in silence, the grimace Zechs wore deepened into something like a hateful glare.

Wufei cast a glance back at Zechs after Duo's little rant. /So… he's not a fan of this conversation either. For different reasons than myself, but I can't be sure of why yet./ Wufei thought to himself as he fished for the keys. "While Sally has her merits as a woman, she is just that…a woman. Not to degrade the more terrifying half of the species, especially one who is a Doctor, and enjoys causing me pain just to see what I did to myself on a mission but… she isn't my type. More like an annoying older sister."

Turning off the security alarm on the car Wufei popped the trunk, tossing Duo's things inside. It was getting hot and he wished he hadn't chosen to wear black.

"Zechs do you want to drive?" He asked, part of him knowing that it may seem an insult, but the uncomfortable glaring man might be better off in the front of the car, where he might not strangle Duo. He went around and opened the back door for Duo. "After you."

Zechs took the keys wordlessly, and circled the car, listening to Duo mouth off a saucy word of thanks to Wufei before clambering into the back seat. ("Aw man, door to door service! Damn, Wufei, all you need is a Chippendale bowtie and I'd be set for life!") Ignoring the obnoxious voice from behind his head, the count turned the ignition and the car sprung to life.

This was purely a business venture, wasn't it? Zechs settled on a neutral face as he drove. Heero Yuy was the ultimate goal the final detail to answering the questions which buzzed endless circles in the prince's mind. (and often enough in his stomach, and sometimes from there, around his heart.) Distractions like Maxwell were a necessary evil. The boy was a fishing bait not even the great Wing pilot Heero Yuy could turn away. Glancing in the rear view mirror briefly confirmed the prince's suspicions. Even through the rough after-graze of sickness and sleeplessness, a slice of charm was still visible in 02's face. Even now, his lips, lingering on the edge of a smile, were attractively colored, and his long auburn hair fell in pleasant shocks against obviously fair skin. No doubt he would be able to entice anyone he chose into practically anything he wanted, with those luminous violet-blue eyes of his. His mouth may have, on many occasions, (including today) gotten in the way of his physical charm, but Zechs had absolutely not a doubt that inside Maxwell dwelled an intelligent, appraising professional- and that fact on top of everything else, was a reassuring bet indeed. However, just because Maxwell's presence was required, didn't require the count to enjoy it. In fact, the running line of suggestive commentary aimed at Wufei was growing steadily more and more obnoxious, and nothing short of the hand of god would take the irritation from Zechs's attitude if 02 persisted in that unwelcome habit.

Frowning a little through his mask of neutrality, the prince's eyebrows drew together as he mused, monitoring the traffic. Why was he so irritated? Where was this aggression coming from? Was it his original tension with 02? Or was it that he was feeling more than a little… undermined? Chewing on his bottom lip, Zechs tried to relax. What charm could the count draw on that wouldn't be outshined by the glorious Duo Maxwell? And in response to such a thought, when had he become so unconfident in himself? Where was the prideful, blustery prince? This peace time, and Treize's absence, were together beginning to wear on his reaction time. This would be the end of him one day-- this humanization of himself.

"So, Zechs." Duo prompted from the back seat after a few minutes of silence. (The very tone of the jaunt caused Zechs's teeth to go on edge. ) "What's up with YOUR love life? Now that the biggest, baddest, blondest guy in the universe is out of the picture."
Something slightly aggressive tagged the humor in Duo's tone, and the prince's knuckles whitened around the steering wheel. "You must be pretty lonely, huh?"

"Not lonely, persay." Zechs returned, surprisingly cool. "I could be far worse off. At least my lover didn't abandon me, stock and stone. Treize died. He didn't desert."

A stinging silence rung between the three men as Duo leaned forwards from his position in the back, and settled his elbows on his knees. Surprisingly, a look of defeat crossed his face, instead of anger.

"Touché."

The silence rung on a few seconds more, and the count smiled dryly. "You're the Cyrano, Maxwell, aren't you? Why don't you tell me about my love life?"

Shooting Zechs a disgusted glance, Duo leaned back again, hitting the seat with a huff. He remained silent.

That was a first, in the history of the world, of the universe on top of that, and of Duo Maxwell. The lightning count had seen 02 effectively shut down.

But somehow, seeing Duo's defeated expression brought Zechs very little joy. In fact, one could say, he was almost moved to pity.

Taking in a thick sigh, the youth drove on in silence. This was going to be a frustrating few days.

Wufei listened with half an ear as he checked his messages. Apparently he had missed one of Master's calls, noting the illegal access to the air port's video systems but no luck on tracking down who it was. He had his own theory about who it was, which hopefully meant that Heero was in the area, watching them. //Good…get an eye full and come after us...I will welcome whatever you bring.../

His thoughts though were broken by the little spiteful conversation between Duo and Zechs. Wufei had thought that they wouldn't get along, but if this went on nothing would get done and he would need more time off to deal with the stress. Or end up killing them and thus screwing himself over all the more. He waited a moment, closing his phone and putting it away, watching Zechs stare ahead, and Duo pout in the back seat, before speaking.

"Are you boys done posturing now?" he said drolly, "I understand that neither of you probably like one another and will try to undermine, annoy, piss off and in general frustrate one another to no end, but I for one will not put up with that shit, got me?"

He leveled a glare at Zechs first,

"You volunteered to come with me, and to help me, and putting Duo into a funk will not help in the slightest. If this is how you intend to spend the rest of the mission, trying to get someone's goat, or prove you're stronger than someone else, then you can just drop us off and go the hell home. I am the one you usually posture with, and that's fine by me, but Duo doesn't need that crap. You'll just make me jealous. I also believe that I am more or less in charge of this pseudo-mission, not you. "

That said he turned to Duo, an equally cold glare that would have been better intimidating had he had his glasses,

"I also don't need you prodding Zechs into positions that will make him want to joust verbally with you. You came because you wanted to find Heero, and hopefully see me even for a bit, can I assume that much? Distracting Zechs with unnecessary hate and resentment won't help worth shit. I also don't have the patience to deal with your usual tirades, teasing is fine, I actually missed it sometimes, but do anything to get in the way of this operation and I will bring it down. So, I'm asking you, as a friend, to just chill… and deal with the fact that Zechs is here, or YOU can get your damn skinny ass back on that damn shuttle and I'll let you know what happened."

Wufei heaved a sigh, tucking some of the hair falling out of his ponytail back behind his ear.

"So here is the ultimatum gentlemen… suck up your pride and, whatever issues you have with each other, work to be productive in finding Yuy and dealing with him however you perceive is necessary or choke on your god damned pride and die. I am not Quatre. Do not expect me to give you tea and ask you to talk this over, or work to try and make compromises, because as much harder as it would be, I am quite fine with doing this all on my own. I never got in arguments with myself over trivial shit. You both don't need the stress and I won't put up with two professionals getting into a constant pissing contest. Do we have an understanding?"

He may not be as eloquent as Quatre, and his particular choice of words were rather harsh, but there was a lot to do, a lot that would take time he felt they didn't have, and it would be best just to get this said and done and out of the way before the shit hit the fan and they were all screwed.

"When we get back to the hotel, Duo, go get some rest and feel free to call room service for something to eat. Zechs, log onto my laptop and something from Masters should be waiting for you there. Hopefully some more information on where our target is. I'm going to go down to the gift shop and get a map and some aspirin, because I know I am going to need it."

He then waited for someone to reply, ready to defend his position on the whole thing.

The pregnant silence which preceded Wufei's tirade lasted several long moments. Looking slightly guilty, the lightning count clenched and unclenched his fingers around the steering wheel a few times, though his eyes remained on the road.

Moments passed, and were witness to a dumbfounded looking Duo, staring at the back of Wufei's head. The initial shock, however, once worn down by time, was done away with completely a few seconds later. The braided boy exploded into laughter.

"Maxwell, come on." Zechs scolded over Duo's ringing mirth, with a hint of guilt still lingering in his voice. "He's right. I apologize. But for Christ's sake, stop laughing! This is serious."

"hahah, no way man-- that was way too precious! Wufei as Quatre!" Duo doubled over, giggling mercilessly. "pissing contest! Ah- hahahaha!"

Rolling his eyes, Zechs shot the weary looking Wufei a dubious glance before returning to the road.

/Thank you, Wufei. Thank you for associating with psychopathic ex-convict street wash-ups like Duo Maxwell. Maxwell may be brilliant, but he's totally and completely undesirable./ Zechs thought to himself, bitterly. /Who could work with him? We're going to die in our sleep tonight, aren't we/

Laughter tottering off from the back seat, Duo wiped away a few tears of mirth.

"I'm glad I amuse you, Duo." Wufei said, staring out the window.

A reply, heavy with mirth, from the back seat. "Aw man, it's so good to see you, Wu."

(tbc)
Author's note: Cranky everybody! A hot car in the summer full of people who supposedly hate each other must be terribly un-fun. But as a side note… who likes the saucy Duo? Saucier, or more sarcastic?