Disclaimers: I do not own GW.

Warnings: General warnings such as OOCs, shounen ai.

Notes: This is the promised Sequel to A Place to Belong. Not a long story but I hope you like my attempt at 2x6x2 anyway.

Leaving the Past

Chapter Four

Milliardo was relieved that Duo was acting more and more like himself. In other words, his fiancé was doing his best to annoy the living daylights out of him. From the time he had woken up, Duo had been acting like a wife, nagging at him for no particular reason and alternating between 'punishing' him for not telling him about Trowa and Quatre by ignoring him. Milliardo knew Duo wasn't serious about it, but he just wanted to make a point. The former prince of Sanq got the point more than three times over but there was a certain limit to what he could take. Normally, this cycle would cease once they got to the office but it was his bad luck that they had decided to take a few days off before their wedding to prepare for it.

"Duo, please shut up," Hilde groaned, throwing her piece of toast back onto the plate.

Thank God for Hilde, Milliardo thought.

Duo glared at his friend but miracles of miracles, he subsided and peevishly nibbled on his breakfast. Milliardo suppressed a soft chuckle at the sulk his lover had on and slid a hand over to cover Duo's. He squeezed it reassuringly. It was a silent message that simply meant 'I love you despite you being an annoying shit'.

Duo returned a smile that made Milliardo melt in his shoes and started attacking his breakfast with a little bit more relish. He looked up to see Hilde staring at the two of them. "What?" He mumbled around a bite of pancake.

"Making love at the breakfast table with friends as witnesses is not a very polite thing," Hilde said primly, taking a long sip of her juice.

"We were not!" Duo protested, pounding on Milliardo;s back who appeared to be choking on his own tongue.

Hilde rolled her eyes. "Oh, please tell me you didn't just climb onto Mill here and started humping him with your eyes."

"Did not!" Duo yelled while Milliardo turned an odd shade of purple. Duo wondered if his lover might need CPR or something.

Whatever Hilde wanted to say was cut off by the sound of the vidphone ringing. Duo stopped trying to pound Milliardo's lungs out and got up to get the phone. Duo froze when he saw whose image flashed over the vidphone.

"Du… Maxwell," Wu Fei said by way of greeting. "How are you?"

Duo's eyes narrowed. "What do you want? How did you get this number?" He leaned sideways to give his lover an accusing stare. Milliardo shrugged his innocence.

"It's easy to find once we know who we are looking for," Wu Fei, with just a slight trace of smugness. He turned serious. "I… we… need to speak with you." He reached out and grabbed someone, pulling Heero into the screen.

Duo swallowed convulsively, his breathing escalating. "Wh… what…" He reached out to disconnect the call.

"Wait, stop," Heero implored softly. "We need to talk."

Duo shook his head, backing away. "No, I have nothing left to say to you." A solid body blocked him from turning and running.

"Listen to him, Duo. It might do you some good," Milliardo said. "Please," he begged.

Duo agreed reluctantly, he had never denied Milliardo anything. "Fine." He crossed his arms defensively. "So, talk." He barely registered his lover leaving him alone but noted Wu Fei slinking wisely away.

Heero took a deep breath, running his fingers nervously through his messy mop. Duo noted with some detachment that even the years didn't change Heero's inability to control his hair. "I… Well… Sorry."

"For what?" Duo grunted. "For cheating on me? For lying to our friends and making them hate me? For betraying my trust? For lying to me when you told me you loved me? That you wanted to be with me?"

Heero flinched but other than that, his expression remained for the most part impassive. "I admit to everything you have accused me of. But I just wanted for you to hear my part of it."

Duo sniffed condescendingly, looking away. He really didn't want to be there right now, speaking with Heero. He really wanted to just slam his fist and destroy the vidphone. But he found that he could stand there, he could bear listening to the voice of the person that so cruelly betrayed him without breaking down. Because despite Milliardo being in the other room, Duo could still feel his supportive arms around him, and his deep, velvety voice soothing him, telling him that he would never be alone again.

"Fine, for Mill's sake, I'll listen to you lousy excuses."

Heero's expression tightened. "I have no excuse to make for what I did with Wu Fei."

Duo noted with a little bit of jealousy at the softening of Heero's expression at the mention of his lover's name. Heero never had that expression on his face when they were together.

"But I wanted to clarify that I did love you with all of my heart and soul. I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life."

"Sure," Duo snapped back, sarcasm colouring his tone. "You loved me so much you ended up in bed with Wu Fei."

Heero's jaw tightened. "Look, do you want me to continue or do you want to stand there and make commentaries all day?"

Duo reached out to disconnect the call.

"Wait!" Heero called out.

Duo stopped and stared insolently at the Japanese.

"Please listen to me, Duo. I really wanted to marry you. Wu Fei… that night was a mistake, I freely admit it. I want to apologise for that, but I know that nothing I say will ever make it better. I screwed up, I did something I shouldn't have. But I was young, and I needed to know if what I felt for you was just friendship or otherwise. I…" Heero's voice hitched slightly. "I couldn't believe someone could love me for me without some sort of ulterior motive. And I couldn't believe I could feel a basic emotion such as love. That night with Wu Fei proved what I felt for you was real."

Duo nodded. "And yet I find you and Wu Fei together, as a couple. Right." He was really getting sick and tired of listening to Heero backpedal.

Heero took a deep breath. "I really loved you, Duo. That's why I was so torn up when you left me."

"That and the fact you were guilty? Or just putting up an act for the benefit of our friends," Duo shot back without missing a beat.

Heero slammed his fists on both sides of his vidphone, startling Duo to take a step back. "I. Loved. You. I can say it a million times more and it won't make it any more real for you. I am not making excuses. I just wanted you to know how much you hurt me. I bear the majority of the blame, I did cheat on you, but you ran. You didn't even give bother to fight for me, to confront me!"

"I saw how you looked at him, Heero," Duo muttered, his eyes trained on his shoes. His voice was tired, his posture dejected. "I never wanted to admit it to myself, but you had the softest, gentlest expression on your face. You loved him even then. You were lying to yourself." He lifted pain-filled eyes to stare at a rather shocked Heero.

"I…"

Duo sighed. "I don't care anymore. I really don't. You and Wu Fei can keep each other. I have someone who looks at me like the way you looked at Wu Fei that night." He lowered his gaze and step back. "Look, I don't really care about you, or your friends, but since Mill invited you to our wedding, you are welcome to attend. Whether you are there or not really doesn't matter to me." He disconnected the call.

He swung around and saw Milliardo standing at the doorway leading to the dining room. The blond open his arms inviting and was soon rewarded with an armful of Duo Maxwell.

"I am so proud of you, my love," Milliardo squeezed the slightly shaking man in his arms. And he really was. After seven long years, Duo had stopped running and faced his fears, his hurts. Duo had stopped running.

Duo merely nodded.

Yes, he had stopped hiding.

XXxxXX

Heero whirled around and marched up to Wu Fei, who wasn't exactly doing a good job of pretending not to eavesdrop. "Did I really?"

"What?" Wu Fei blinked, confused.

"Don't pretend you didn't hear everything," Heero grabbed Wu Fei. "Did I?"

"Stare?"

Heero nodded tersely.

Wu Fei nodded.

The Japanese man released Wu Fei, pushing his gently away. "So I am a lying, cheating bastard."

Wu Fei smiled sadly at Heero. It hurt him to see his partner so confused.

"I thought I was ready to commit myself to him," Heero murmured faintly, staring into space.

"You loved him in your own way, Heero. I know you did."

Heero raised his gaze to meet Wu Fei's. "What do I do now?" He really didn't know how he should carry on. He didn't really like it to have all his illusions ripped from him.

Wu Fei gripped his shoulder companionably.

The Japanese man realised all of a sudden why Wu Fei suited him so well, why they had managed to last seven long years without a major row. Duo was like fireworks, they were beautiful and they burn out quickly. Wu Fei was a candle. Slow and steady it burned. Duo was too flighty, too unpredictable for his taste. Wu Fei was as unpredictable as a rock.

Duo was a lover. Someone enjoy, someone to pamper and to have tonnes of fun with. But eventually, the flame would die out.

Wu Fei was a partner. He was someone Heero could grow old with.

But then again, to be extremely fair, everything was relative. Heero just didn't see Duo as a partner. Deep down, he was glad someone did. He really wanted Duo to have all the happiness he had ignorantly taken from the American.

"Do?" Wu Fei was saying, cutting through his haze of introspection. "We are going to his wedding."

Was it ever a doubt why Heero Yuy cherished Chang Wu Fei?

XXxxXX

"Uh, guys?" Hilde whispered from the table, not really wanting to interrupt an intensely private moment between Milliardo and Duo. She was half jealous of their devotion to each other, the other part, she was just a damn pervert who positively thrived on anything remotely slashy.

"Yeah?" Duo muttered, his face still stuck in Milliardo's shoulder. It wasn't very comfortable, since Milliardo was all muscle but the arms running gently up and down his back made it all worthwhile.

"The grease on the chicken is congealing. Shall I clean up?"

Duo stepped back and Milliardo dropped his arms away from him. They exchanged a wry glance. "Yes, please."

Hilde wisely slunk away, leaving the two to talk.

Milliardo pulled Duo gently to the couch and sat him down. "Are you alright?"

Duo nodded. "I'm not hearing white noise like I usually do. I don't feel like taking off from here. Why?" He tilted his head in confusion.

The former Sanq prince smiled in relief, grabbed his fiancé behind the next and kissed him for all its worth. When Milliardo pulled away, he was gratified to see a rather silly grin on Duo's face and his eyes looked like they were glazed over. He really couldn't resist a smirk. He loved how he affected his partner sometimes.

"Can I say somewhere along the lines between me socking you in the face and you trying to punish me for socking you in the face, I think you have managed to put some of what happened behind you."

"Just because you cleaned my clock?" Duo wiggled his jaw in protest.

Milliardo draped an arm companionably over Duo's shoulders. "Let's say it took you seven year to grow up and my patience has been rewarded." He kissed Duo's pouty lips and smiled.

"Please don't say like you have been babysitting a child," Duo groused, irritated. He attempted to push Milliardo away but was held fast.

"Hmm, let's not say I'm a paedophile," Milliardo teased, rubbing their groins together.

Duo really wished he had more self-control around his lover but he could feel himself smiling in amusement. He was ready to lose himself in their overly large bed and leave the cleaning to poor Hilde when the vidphone rang, again.

"What did you say about facing my past again?" Duo growled in annoyance. "If I face my past anymore, there isn't going to be any future!" He gestured to his visible arousal.

Milliardo pushed his lover onto the couch, he leaned and did his best to make Duo forget the vidphone… forget everything but the sensation of his mouth. He was half successful, since both of them forgot Hilde's existence rather quickly.

"Mill… oops!" Hilde skidded to a stop, her hand over her mouth in shocked surprise.

The two grappling on the couch sprang apart, and all three of them were stuck in a contest of who could flame red the most. Hilde was leading the competition.

Duo threw a pillow a Milliardo. "Sorry about that," he apologised, trying to steady his breathing.

Milliardo groaned. "Yes, Hilde?"

Hilde now had her eyes averted to the side. They two lovers knew she was doing this out of politeness, they had experienced her once trying to sneak in some photos of the two of them. She was heard muttering something about an auction on eBay and to feed the starving children.

"Erm… uh… Relena's on the phone."

Milliardo's expression stiffened. "I have nothing to speak to…"

"She wants to speak to Duo," Hilde amended. "She seems rather… apologetic."

Duo and Milliardo exchanged uncertain glances as the American headed toward the phone to pick up the call. Relena Peacecraft flashed onto the screen.

"Oh… um… hi, Duo…" She trailed of uncertainly. "Did I catch you at a bad time?" She noted his dishevelled hair and crumpled shirt.

"No," Duo said, running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame it. "Can I help you?" He was trying to be as civil to her as possible.

"I'm sorry," she blurted abruptly. "I am so sorry about the things I said. I didn't know what happened, and I blamed you automatically, I didn't mean about the whole gold digging thing, I didn't know. God, I even use your shampoo. It is fabulous and it makes my hair so lustrous and shiny and…"

Duo chuckled softly. He really didn't blame her for the things she said. After all, it really wasn't her fault that she was told something other than the truth. But what he couldn't believe was this young, polished politician babbling like a teenage girl. "Well, I did call you a pink-loving-stalking-obsessed freak once."

Relena frowned. "When?"

"Out of your hearing, of course." He grinned evilly.

Relena stuck out her tongue at him.

"So are you coming to the wedding?" Milliardo asked, coming from behind Duo. He had thawed considerably.

Relena nodded, her smile was like the sun coming out from the clouds. "Of course, you're my brother. And you," she looked at Duo. "You're going to be family as well." There was a little pause before she added. "Did Hilde manage to get any pictures of the two of you necking? I have this little account on eBay…"

Tbc…

A/N: I am a yaoi fangirl, I freely admit it!