This is based on a Valentine's Day card featuring GW Gunpla by grandfathergoose on Instagram, and requested by echryxius (Don't say I didn't warn you! XD) !

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing!

Totally worth it

Humorless was not a word one could use to describe Duo Maxwell. The daredevil extraordinaire was known all around Preventer Headquarters for his witty jokes and devilish grin. He was also well known for the pranks he played on the ones he considered friends. It never got old to cover the receiver of Chang Wufei's desk phone in ink, and watch him walk around with a black ear until he went to the bathroom and had a good look at himself in the mirror. To hear him yell obscenities in the small space was something Duo just couldn't tire of. Or when he put salt in Heero Yuy's coffee, or made Trowa Barton's desk chair squeak obscenely.

But if you got on the ex-Gundam Pilot's wrong side, there would be hell to pay. And boy, did he get creative with his revenge then. Nothing illegal, I promise you, but Duo was pro at making your day absolute hell by means of little annoyances. He'd manipulate your stapler so it would practically shoot the staples out and pin your papers to your desk. Doors were suddenly very heavy to push open, because he'd pull a nifty little trick that made the hinges seemingly work against you. Or it could be that the coffee machine would give too much milk and too little coffee. Small grievances, but grievances nonetheless.

And so it happened one day, that Commander Lady Une got on Duo Maxwell's bad side. She hadn't exactly done it on purpose - it was most probably her dimwitted assistant's fault – but she still ignited his wrath. Because Duo had asked for a day off on Valentine's Day and he had not gotten it. He'd even filled out the application form in time, way before Christmas even, and had been planning to woo his girlfriend of a year on their anniversary. No comments on how cheesy it was that their anniversary happened to be on February fourteenth, thank you.

But then the mission brief had been dropped on his desk in the first week of January and he'd gone storming up to the top floor to question his commander. But Une had sat there like a straight-faced bitch and had told him there was no way he was getting out of this. So Duo had yelled at the assistant and she had just smiled sweetly. His application must have gotten lost. Oops, my bad. Sorry!

It had been a fucking set up. And so Duo had plotted revenge. And this time he wouldn't bother with small grievances. Oh no, he would go all out. Une would know not to fucking mess with him. Oh yeah.

It was a pain to get all the stuff he needed. He really had to pull some strings, with Howard, Hilde even, and he knew that if he got caught he'd be in very deep shit, but frankly he had long since given up caring. He worked on his not so little prank the hours after work, and always made sure to be at his girlfriend's place in time. She never seemed to notice anything – she never batted an eye at his dirty or greasy clothes, because she knew he loved to tinker with old cars and engine parts. Surely she would have noticed the pink paint splatters on his overalls one day, but she had not commented on it.

Valentine's Day came around and Duo got up in the wee hours of the night to prepare for his stunt. He kissed his half asleep girlfriend, apologized once again for missing this day, and left the apartment. Dawn hadn't even announced itself and that suited him just right.

It was a pain to get his project in place. What he was doing was highly illegal, and never backing down from a good challenge, Duo had chosen the large square between the ESUN building and Preventer Headquarters as his grand stage. He made sure to disable the board computer before disappearing like a thief in the night, cheshire grin in place as he took one look over his shoulder to appraise his handiwork. It was, after all, a fucking master piece.

He was well on his way to some remote and forgotten place in South America when his phone started ringing. He gave the shuttle's pilot an apologetic look and stepped out of the cockpit to answer the video call.

"Maxwell! Care to explain what the hell this is?!" Anger had turned Commander Une's face purple, and she was glaring daggers at him through the small screen. Duo dared to bet that if he had been in her near vicinity, she would have had her hands wrapped around his throat.

Duo couldn't help but chortle. Oh, he had gotten her good. "Happy Valentine's Day, Commander."

"You. Are. Done. For. Three months of unpaid leave after this mission ends. You imbecile! How am I to explain this to the ESUN president?!"

He grinned. "Thank your assistant for making me miss my anniversary. Anyway, I gotta go! Mission to complete and all. Bye!"

He hung up and blocked her number. Immediately his phone rang again. But this time it was someone who he definitely wanted to talk to.

"Hi Babe. How does it look?"

"Duo!" Relena sounded breathless from laughing. "You really got me a Leo?"

"And it's all pink."

"I can see that." She broke out into another fit of giggles. "Une is having a fit over this."

"It is totally worth it. Turn on video for me, will you, Babe? Show me the view from your office window."

Relena did as he asked and for a moment all he could see was a blur of images as she walked to the window of her office and aimed the phone's camera at the square between the buildings.

"How did you even manage to get it?" Relena asked, while trying to control her laughter.

Duo grinned at the image on his phone. Fuck, it really was a master piece. The Leo stood proudly in all its pink glory in the middle of the square, one arm up in the air, aiming a middle finger in the direction of the top floor of the Preventer building. Heh. No wonder Une had turned purple.

The other hand was holding a large wooden sign aimed at the ESUN building. It simply read. Happy Valentine's Day, Babe!

The square was crowded with people, civilians, news reporters, and Preventers, all staring up at Duo's big 'fuck you' in Une's direction.

"I had to pull some strings," he cheekily answered her question. "But it looks good, doesn't it?"

"This…" She burst out laughing again. "You're gonna be in a lot of trouble for this."

"Again, it's totally worth it." His tone turned more serious. "Sorry for missing our day."

"I told you a hundred times it was fine, Duo."

"I know. But I still would have liked to take you out for dinner."

"Well, we can go once you get back."

"Yeah, I'll have three months of unpaid leave, so plenty of time."

"Oh, Duo."

"Worth it. Not another word."

"Okay, okay!" Relena laughed again. "Oh, Wufei is passive aggressively texting me that I need to hang up. He wants to talk to you."

"Right, gotta go then. I'll call you once I'm on my way back."

He hung up, shuffled through his contacts, and called Wufei. "You were asking for me?"

"Fuck you, Maxwell! Leaving me to clean up this mess! The board computer is totally screwed!"

"Well, I couldn't have someone else pilot it," Duo said dryly. "Ask Heero to fix it."

"He is not setting foot in this pink abomination. And neither am I!"

"How'd you know the board computer is screwed then?"

And as Wufei sputtered for an answer, Duo just cackled evilly and hung up.

Oh yeah. Totally worth it.

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