Disclaimer: Gundam Wing doesn't belong to me. It's the property of Sunrise and Bandai.

An Everyday Kind of Love

The last three weeks hadn't been bad but Duo was ready for a break. He hadn't been at the apartment much other than to crawl into bed for a few hours sleep. He'd seen more of the office vending machine than he had of Heero.

It wasn't unusual for their schedules to conflict. Being roommates with Heero was hardly a challenge. They often had long stretches where the only indication that another person lived in the place was the notes they left on the kitchen table.

In the past three weeks Duo had closed two cases, assigned another to a different department and appeared in court four times. He was on first name basis with not only the court reporter, but the guy who ran the coffee stand in the lobby.

When Duo arrived home that evening, he found Heero sitting on the living room floor, books lying open all around him.

Duo tossed his keys into the bowl by the door. The jacket came off next, followed by his tie and he eyed them wearily when they failed to make it to the chair he'd been aiming for.

"God please tell me it's Friday."

Heero marked his spot with his finger and then glanced up to look Duo over. He didn't appear sick or hurt, just tired. He hadn't moved from his spot in the doorway though, standing there clutching his braid and staring morosely at where his jacket lay on the floor.

Heero nodded, "Sit down before you fall down, Duo."

"You sure it's really Friday?" Duo sprawled out in the middle of the floor, then changed his mind and crawled over to nudge Heero's book away and lay his head in the other man's lap.

"Yes, it's really Friday. And Monday is a holiday so you get three days off."

Heero could feel Duo's shoulders relax a little. "I can just stay here with you? I don't have to get up early and go into work tomorrow? I don't have any court hearings to prepare for? I can just sleep in?" The words were muffled but still managed to sound hopeful and pitiful at the same time.

Heero smiled, "Yes, it's really Friday. And yes you can stay with me."

"Ok." Duo's shoulders relaxed completely and a hand crept up to grasp Heero's tee-shirt. "I'm just gonna stay here for a bit then."

Heero chuckled but didn't make Duo move.

He'd missed Duo's company this past month. Even if it was a shared cup of coffee in the morning or a few hours on the weekend, they usually saw each other at least once in the day. They ran different departments at work, Heero working with security and Duo in weapons and infiltration, so they rarely crossed paths while at Preventers. Occasionally they shared a meeting. It wasn't uncommon to receive a note with anything from a doodle to, Wanna play a game of pool after work? Mathews in forensics thinks he's a real shark.

Wufei caught them passing notes once and called them both childish. Heero didn't really care though, it was a way to stay in contact with his best friend.

When they had first discussed getting a place together, everyone at work had thought they were crazy. Wufei and Sally had started an office pool over who would be the first to blow. However, two years later there were no casualties so far, something which didn't surprise Heero in the least.

No domestic casualties anyway. He traced the faint scar on the bare patch of skin that was exposed where Duo's shirt had come untucked from his pants.

It'd been a phone call in the middle of the night. Agent down. Are you Heero Yuy? We have you listed as the next of kin to Duo Maxwell. A long wait in a cold hospital, still in pajama bottoms and shoes with no socks.

When he finally got to see Duo, he'd stood next to his bed swearing at him for being so stupid, for giving his flak vest to the newbie who'd forgotten his, for getting shot not once but twice and for thinking he could go and leave Heero just when they'd renewed the lease on their apartment damn it.

The doctor had kicked Heero out for making Duo laugh, which had pulled his stitches.

He traced the scar one last time, shaking his head, and then carefully tucked the shirt back in so Duo wouldn't get cold.

It was the sound of a book hitting the floor that woke Duo up. He opened his eyes slowly; the rustling of pages and occasional shift of Heero's arm drawing his attention away from the warmth of Heero's shirt. He lifted his head and then sat up completely, finally taking the time to look at the books Heero had strewn about.

"What's the fascination with Yankee Pot Roast?" Duo picked up a book and then another one lying next to him on the floor. All of the books were on cooking and turned to the section giving instructions on the preparation of stewed meat.

"It's for a case."

Duo was surprised. Heero didn't usually work in the field and consequently didn't have reason to be doing research that often. Heero seemed to sense Duo's confusion and smirked.

"It's for Sally. She had to go out of town to trace a lead and asked me to look something up for her. The perps alibi is they were making dinner during the time of the break-in." He gathered up the books lying around the floor as he spoke, stacking them in a pile next to the couch.

Duo nodded. "Gotcha. Dinner was pot roast, and she needs to know how long it takes to prepare." He picked up the last book and handed it to Heero. "So are we eating this stuff for dinner?"

Heero snorted and shook his head. "No. I figured I'd order a pizza."

Duo let out a sigh of relief and then laughed sheepishly. "I would have helped you man, but I'm glad I don't have to. All I want to do is eat and crash."

Heero shook his head. "Gone for days on end, only shows up to eat. Why do I keep you around?"

Duo laughed and nudged Heero's shoulder as they walked into the kitchen. "Ah, you know it's cause you love me."

Heero stopped and stared at the other man, a look of surprise on his face. "I do."

Duo turned, rather surprised himself and gaped at Heero. "Huh?"

Heero nodded slowly, coming forward and lifting Duo's shirt to point to his scar. "I figured it out today when you fell asleep."

Duo continued to look at the other man, confused, and then suddenly pulled Heero closer, almost chin to chin and stared at his eyes. "Did you spend the afternoon in Wufei's office? Cause that incense he likes to burn fucks with your head, let me tell you."

Heero shook his head and scowled. "No, moron. This has nothing to do with Wufei and his incense obsession. I'm talking about you."

Duo nodded slowly. "Ok."

Heero nodded as well. "Just so you know." Then he pushed Duo away and went to order the pizza.

Duo stood in the middle of the kitchen, staring at Heero's back as the other man spoke into the phone. Finally he shook his head, laughing softly. "Yuy, you are seriously weird sometimes."

Heero hung up and then turned to look at Duo, "But you love me anyway, right?"

Duo grinned. "Absolutely."