But it wasn't just that night. Every night after, Quatre would end up curled up against Duo, no matter what position they originally fell asleep in, so Duo had finally just started pulling the blonde to him as soon as they both were in the bed. The brunette was a little surprised at how easy it was to get used to having the blonde lying next to him, to holding him in his arms and he found that he fell asleep much faster when he could feel Quatre's heart beating softly against his side.
They grew closer over the next few months, falling into an easy routine of teasing and friendly wrestling every once in a while, and curling up together to watch movies at night. household chores seperated naturally between the two, Quatre taking over cooking and laundry, Duo continuing garbage duty and maitenence.
Duo could honestly say he hadn't been happier at any other time in his life than this mostly quiet routine with Quatre. Of course, the blonde wasn't just a gentle homemaker, he was a sharp business mind and a crack shot when necessary. Duo had happily let the other teen take over business negotiations once he'd learned the appropriate scaling on payments for their kind of work.
They'd been partners and roomates for just over six months when they were scouted by a man who was being blackmailed with pictures of him with his mistress. They were currently sitting in Hilde's coffee shop getting the full story.
"So who has this incriminating evidence?" Duo inquired, resting his chin on his hand.
"Trieze Kushrinada"
"Of the Oz Mafia!?" Duo demanded, dropping his hand and narrowing his eyes.
"Best friend of Zechs, owner of the Blue Boy Club?" Quatre added.
The client nodded.
"Seven grand," Duo said promptly.
The client blinked. "S-seven? But that's outrageous1"
"Not against a man like Kushrinada," Quatre replied evenly, his smile warm and dangerous. "He has money, connections, and experience as an ex-soldier. That means that not only will his security be tighter, but he'll be more likely to be on the watch for stuff like this, so this means the job will likely be life-threatening, which will, of course, drive the price up." Quatre closed his eyes, smiled innocently and tilted his head to the side cutely.
"You're lucky I don't like Oz, or the price would be ten," Duo added with a grin of his own.
"That's ridiculous!"
"Maybe so. But who else will be even willing to steal from Treize Kushrinada of Oz?" Quatre asked sweetly. "More coffee?"
The client scowled and ignored Quatre's proffered pot. "Fine. 3 grand in advance, the rest only if I get the photos and negatives."
Duo grinned and held out his hand. "Deal."
The client glared at the hand and pointedly turned to Quatre, tossing down a card with a phone-number on it. He then stalked out without another word. Hilde came over with a fresh pot of coffee. "And here I thought you had good people skills Duo."
He held up a finger. "Effective people skills, not good. That's two different things. So Quatre, you up for some shopping tonight?"
Quatre blinked at his friend. "Shopping? What for?"
"For Blue Boy! All you wear is khaki, you can't go clubbing in khaki!" Duo said emphatically, waving his arms about.
"What? But I-"
"He's right," Hilde added, winking at the blonde. "You can't wear khaki to a club like Blue Boy. It's totally a metal-pleather kind of place."
Quatre glared at them. "I am not wearing pleather."
"Oh but you really should! You've got the perfect ass for it," Duo exclaimed. Duo wasn't aware people could actually turn that color, for Quatre was blushing nearly purple.
"I don't see why we have to go to Blue Boy anyway."
"Because-" Duo paused and gave Hilde a meaningful look. She sighed. "I know, I know. I don't know, I can't tell. You two need to start planning your jobs somewhere else," she said and started back to the counter.
"And make our own coffee?" Duo quipped in mock horror. A roll bounced off of his head before she disappeared into the back.
"Hey, free food!" Duo snatched the roll off the floor before it could be "contaminated" and took a bite.
"Duo..." Quatre sighed.
"Oh right. Well, Zechs is Treize's best friend right"
Frowning, Quatre nodded. "And he owns Blue Boy Club. Can you think of anywhere else to look for Trieze? No one knows where the guy is when he's not at Blue Boy. So we have to go scout it out, and you're not gonna make me scout without backup, are you?"
"Of course not, but-"
"And they won't let you in unless you're dressed right," Duo continued triumphantly.
"But, what makes you so sure that the negatives are at the club? Wouldn't Treize keep them in a vault or something?"
Duo paused. "Well, I suppose it's possible, but he's really a man that prefers to keep an eye on things, therefore he keeps things close, and he probably actually keeps them on him...and even if they are in a vault, we'll have to get close to him to find out, don't we?"
Quatre sighed, looking defeated. "I don't want to wear pleather," he moaned.
"Aww c'mon you'll love it. Just leave it to me."
"I want to hide more skin than I show," the blonde said sternly. Duo just gave him a wink and stood up, grabbing his hand.
"Alrighty then!"
It had been five hours since they had entered the store, and Duo had finally gotten Quatre to actually try a possible outfit on. The brunette was sitting outside the dressing room, waiting for Quatre to emerge.Everything Quatre had picked had been deemed too conservative, while anything Duo suggested was too racy for the smaller youth's comfort.
Gradually they'd begun to compromise, and this time Duo felt like they might have finally got it. Quatre poked his head out of the dressing room, his cheeks slightly red and his eyebrows drawn in pleadingly.
"Do I have to come out?"
Duo sighed. "Look, it covers most of your skin, I don't see what you're hung up on."
"B-but, the pants are so...tight," the blonde whimpered.
"That's the point, now get out here"
Taking a breath, Quatre stepped out. He was clad in tight black pants and semi-formal loose sapphire shirt. He looked good, really sexy...but something was off.
The outfit was suave, sophisticated, sexy, and completely out of place with Quatre's innocent and shy expression.
"Well?" Quatre asked, spreading his arms and blushing lightly.
Duo shook his head, feeling his braid swish comfortably against his back. "No, it doesn't work, it's just not you. We're gonna go in a completely different direction"
Quatre took a deep breath then rubbed at the bridge of his nose as if he was developing a headache. "Duo, it took forever to get this outfit."
"I know, but I can tell you don't really like that one. Just trust me. What I have in mind will look much better, and you'll like it better too."
Quatre studied him sternly for a moment, then shook his head. "I'll give you fifteen minutes to find another outfit, then we're going home. I don't mind shopping, but I'm getting tired."
"Roger, Wilco!" Duo said, throwing a sloppy salute before bounding away and disappearing into the aisles of clothes.
The brunette hummed to himself as he dashed here and there, gathering the parts for the next outfit. He paused at the shirts "White or black?" he wondered, comparing each with the rest of the outfit he'd gathered. "Innocent," he decided, grabbing a shirt that was almost two sizes too small for Quatre.
Double-checking his armload, Duo rushed back towards the dressing rooms, dodging other customers and throwing apologies over his shoulder.
Quatre shook his head and took the bundle of clothes.
"Okay, now this shirt goes on first, and you leave this one unbuttoned," Duo chatted excitedly.
"All right, let me go try it on, okay?"
Duo grinned and let the blonde slip into the dressing room once more.
A few moments later, Quatre poked his head out again. "Are you ready?"
Duo nodded. "C'mon man, I want to bask in the glory of my genius."
"All right," Quatre said and stepped out, spreading his arms to give a full view. Loose tan cargo pants hung on his hips, loops of cloth and chains hanging from various clips. The white undershirt clung tightly to his well-formed chest and was short enough to show a tantalizing glimpse of his belly button. Over this he wore a dark blue silk, short-sleeved button-up shirt. A soft pattern of Celtic knot-work danced over it in slightly lighter-blue embroidery. Duo grinned. This was right. This look of innocence that just begged to be corrupted, this was a look that Quatre pulled off perfectly without even trying.
Duo didn't realize that he'd been staring until he saw Quatre shift and blush.
"You look great. D'you like it?"
Quat smiled. "Well, I can move in it."
Duo reached forward and tugged on the shirt. "What about this? Too tight, too revealing?"
"Uh-no, it's fine. I-I like it."
Duo stood back. "Excellent. We'll go buy that, then we'll go find some accessories."
"Couldn't I just borrow some of yours? I'd like to go home," Quatre said plaintively, looking at Duo with puppyish eyes.
Duo's enthusiasm wilted in the face of such cuteness and he smiled. "Yeah, I've got stuff you can wear. Go change, and then we'll head home."
Quatre smiled in relief.
Back at the apartment Duo began digging through his closet for an outfit to wear to the club the next night. Once he'd decided on it, he set it aside and let Quatre come in to get ready for bed.
"Why didn't you want me to see your outfit, Duo?" he asked as drew off his shirt. Duo let his eyes wander over the nicely toned chest, not too soft, not too musclely, and just perfect for licking whip cream or ice cream off.
"Duo?"
Duo tucked the perverted thoughts away for later perusal and focused his attention on the conversation with Quatre.
"Sorry. I just want it to be a surprise," he said with his customary grin.
Quatre's eyes cleared in understanding and he smiled back. "Oh, all right." The blonde then turned around to take off his pants, leaving him in pair of white boxers.
Duo tried not to stare too obviously at his friend's behind and decided that he should probably get into bed and try to stop thinking like that. I mean, it's one thing to fantasize, but it's another to think about someone you actually know, he thought as he slipped under the covers. He grabbed a random manga to read so he wouldn't look at the blonde.
"Do you want me to leave the lights on?" Quatre asked kindly as he gathered up some clothes and put them into the corner that served as their hamper.
Duo set his book down and shook his head. "I was just waiting for you, slowpoke," he teased.
Quatre shook his head, turned off the light and snuggled into his customary place at Duo's side. For a moment Duo was afraid his libido would kick in and make things uncomfortable with his friend's proximity, but to his relief he only felt the usual protective contentment settle over him.
Whee! Off to the obligatory nightclub! See ya there!