Chapter Ten

Time for a Vacation

Duo was pleased with the response he received from the others. None of them seemed to be upset with Heero and best of all; none of them were upset at him. This had turned out better than he could have hoped. The only thing that still bothered him was…why? Why did Heero take the fall for him after he was the one who asked Duo to confess? He wanted to ask him but wasn't sure if he should.

The party lasted long into the night. Wufei had actually managed to get himself drunk and Trowa had to carry him back to their car despite the complaints flying from the Chinese man's mouth ("I'm not drunk. That is ridicules! Let me go, I can walk myself!"). Zechs was a little tipsy, so Quatre had to drive them back to his mansion after saying goodbye to Heero and Duo. As soon as the door closed behind Quatre, Duo turned and faced Heero, who was just beginning to pick up the used champagne glasses.

"Why'd you do it?" He asked, crossing his arms.

Heero paused before continuing with the glasses. He had expected Duo to ask, and it wasn't like him to beat around the bush. The stoic brunette pushed past his friend and gently placed the glasses in the sink to wash later.

"Because I didn't want you to risk ruining your chances with Quatre." He said.

Duo raised a brow. "But Heero…you had more to risk than I did. What if everyone hated you after? You'd loose everyone."

Heero shook his head and turned to his friend. "No. I'd still have Relena."

"But Zechs…"

"I'm not afraid of Zechs. I once tried to kill him and I know I can at least hold my own against him. I would fight him for Relena if I had to. I wasn't worried about that."

Duo nodded and looked down. He knew Heero was telling the truth. He was never afraid to fight. After a long pause, Duo looked up and offered a hand to Heero.

"Thank you."

Heero looked at the hand a moment and then accepted it. "Anything for a friend."

Duo was beginning to feel burnt out on work, so he decided to take a little vacation. Business was always slow in between tourist season anyway, so he knew that Hilde could handle the shop. He left the shop after saying his goodbyes and climbed inside his car. He wasn't really sure where he was going – he hadn't even packed. All he knew was he needed to drive. Quatre had often told Duo about a summer house of his up in the mountains. He figured that would be a good place to start, so he drove. The trip took longer than he thought and when he arrived he was starving. He wasn't sure if Quatre kept the refrigerator full when the house was empty, but he figured it was worth checking into.

He pulled into the large driveway and turned the car off. The garage door was shut and he made a mental note to open it and park inside later. He walked up to the front door and remembered Quatre's reminder that the key was above the door. He reached up and felt around. Sure enough, the key was there and Duo silently wondered what could make Quatre so careless.

The war must be over after all…he sighed. He still wasn't used to the "normal life" he was living.

He opened the door and walked inside, heading immediately to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and was surprised to see it full. He shrugged it off as being Quatre's prepared nature.

Guess old memories die hard. He chuckled, pulling out the bread and sandwich fixings. He quickly made himself lunch and then wandered into the living room in search of the vacation he was longing for. He took a bit of his sandwich as he plopped down on the comfortable couch. That was Quatre, nothing but the best for his friends. Duo shook his head at the memory of his only love and lay his head back.

Stop it Duo…you're suppose to be on vacation, not thinking about Quatre. He scolded himself.

He took another bite of his sandwich and then decided to take a look around. Out of all the safe houses they had stayed in during the war, this one hadn't been touched so everything was still new to him. It was smaller than most of Quatre's mansions, only two stories and small rooms. He found the bathroom and den easy enough and was just heading upstairs when he heard a crash.

Duo froze, war instincts taking over. He wouldn't be surprised if someone had snuck in being that Quatre was so careless with the hiding place for the key, but then wouldn't the key be missing when Duo arrived? He placed his sandwich on the stairs and pulled out his gun, another old instinct. Walking silently down the hall he inwardly thanked Professor G. for teaching him stealth techniques. The sound came again, louder this time, from the furthest room from the staircase. Duo approached the door and placed his ear against it. He heard shouting and two voices, though he couldn't make out the words.

Taking a deep breath, Duo positioned himself in front of the door and kicked it open, holding his gun straight. The sight that met his eyes shocked him. Quatre was laying on his back, his arms and legs bound to the bedposts, with Zechs towering over him doing something to his lower regions.

"Oh God…" Duo gasped.

Zech's head jerked up and Quatre's whole body went red.

"Duo!" Quatre gasped struggling with his bonds before Zechs snapped out of his shock and threw a blanket over him.

"I…I'm sorry." Duo stuttered and quickly backed out of the room and shut the door. He shouldn't have been surprised; this was Quatre's house! He should have called or something. He practically ran down the stairs, leaving his forgotten sandwich, and collapsed on the couch. The image of what he had just seen was burned into his mind. He closed his eyes and began shaking his head, trying to make the picture leave. The last thing he wanted to think about was the man he loved being…being…he couldn't even form the words.

He stood up to leave when the sound of his name being called alerted him to another presence. He turned and saw Quatre hurriedly rushing down the stairs, sloppily pulling a robe tighter around himself. Duo swallowed, trying to will the image of Quatre's naked body out of his mind as his blond friend approached.

"Duo, I'm so sorry-"

Duo held up his hand to silence hi friend. "Don't be. It's my fault. This is your house I...I should have called.

"No Duo, I should have said something about coming here." Quatre pleaded.

"Telling someone negates the point of spontaneity, Love." Duo and Quatre looked up to see Zechs walking down the stairs, also in a robe and his long hair askew.

Duo suddenly had the urge to vomit. He couldn't stand the thought of Zechs doing anything to Quatre let alone…whatever he saw. Quatre didn't seem comforted by Zechs' comment and Duo felt bad for the smaller man.

"He's right, Quat. I'm the one who should have informed someone. I shouldn't have assumed that this place was empty. It was just a matter of miscommunication." He shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant.

"But…" Quatre started but was silenced when Zechs placed his hand on his shoulder. The small blond finally sighed and bowed his head. "Alright…" he looked up. "Duo…nothing is wrong is it? I mean…your not in trouble are you?" He asked, suddenly realizing that Duo had snuck to his house without telling anyone.

Duo laughed out loud. "Trouble? Me? Come on, Quat! Give me a little credit!" He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "No, I was just getting tired of the same old thing at work. I know the war is over and everything but…" He shrugged.

Zechs nodded in understanding but Quatre didn't seem convinced. "This doesn't have to do with you and Heero does it?"

Duo smirked again and shook his head. "Naw. He's happy and I'm happy for him." He looked into Quatre's concerned eyes and he softened. "Don't worry so much, Q-man. I promise, it has nothing to do with Heero." It wasn't a lie. He wasn't there to escape Heero. He was there to escape the very thing he ran into.

Quatre seemed to feel better, though Duo could still see the concern in his eyes. Damn him for being so considerate.

"Anyway, I'm sorry for…interrupting." Duo said uncomfortably. "I'll leave." He said turning.

"Duo?"

He paused and turned back to face Quatre. "If you wanted a vacation…well, will you let me make it up to you?" He begged.

Duo smiled. That was Quatre; always wanting to make things right. The braided ex-pilot sighed and nodded. "Sure Quat. You can make it up to me as soon as you two love birds get back into town." He said and waved, leaving the house.

Climbing back into his car, Duo was hard pressed to keep from slamming his head into the steering wheel. It would take everything he had to get that image out of his mind. He shook his head and sighed.

"So much for a peaceful vacation…" he grumbled as he drove back down the road to his shop.