Chapter 13

Thank you to those who have reviewed, favorited and subscribed to this story! It's been almost a year now…time sure flies haha. Thanks for sticking with it :). I think I've replied to everyone who reviewed…but if not, then feel free to tell me so! I have a bad habit of not checking my e-mail.

Day 5 10:00 AM

Quatre woke to the sound of rain hitting the window. He looked up and saw that the curtains were open, allowing him a view of the grey clouds and steady rainfall. He drew in a breath, stretching, when he froze. He shrunk down into his covers, listening to the voices inside the room, trying to identify who was speaking.

Duo was speaking –it was hard not to recognize that tenor. But who else was in the room? Pulling back his covers slightly, he dared to take a peek. Across the room Duo was standing, pouring some coffee into a cup, a hand on his hip. His hair hung in a loose braid and Quatre supposed he hadn't re-braided it from yesterday.

"Thank you," the other person said and took a sip from the cup.

Quatre nearly choked on his relief, and after admonishing himself for being ridiculously paranoid, he sat up and said good morning to Duo and Heero.

Quatre slid into the seat next to Heero and Duo passed him a bagel.

"So what are you doing here Heero?" Quatre asked.

"I heard about yesterday," Heero said, "I wanted to know if you guys were okay."

Heero watched Duo as he rifled through the fridge. Heero met Quatre's gaze after Duo closed it rather forcefully. Quatre shrugged one shoulder, nibbling on his bagel.

"I think we should go to a different park today," Heero said.

"Who said we're going to a park?" Duo asked as he stared at the fridge top, frozen.

Heero blinked, "Well, I thought you wanted to make the most of your vacation."

"We're not going anywhere."

"Alright," Heero said slowly, "then I suppose we could just relax at the hotel, perhaps enjoy the pool."

"You're staying here?" Quatre asked.

"I work a late shift tonight. I thought I'd spend the morning over here."

"What about Trowa?" Quatre kept the note of hope out his voice.

"He'll be here shortly," Heero said.

Duo dragged a hand through his hair, letting out an unsatisfied grunt. Heero frowned, and was in the process of standing up, and Quatre had to quickly prevent that little disaster. He stood up rather quickly, shooting Heero a panicky look, and said, "Look, I'm going to take a shower. Maybe you could get us something from the Food Court Heero? Or maybe see if they have board games at the front desk or something?"

Heero raised his eyebrow, but he had frozen on the spot, and didn't point out that all of them had already eaten and that Quatre would be literally shoving Heero out into the rain. But Heero wordlessly complied, and as soon as he was gone Quatre carefully maneuvered himself to the shower. Duo still stood by the fridge and Quatre quietly shut the door, leaning against it for a moment. His friend was shaken, obviously, and his nerves were frayed, perhaps splitting apart. What Duo needed now was not the touch of a friend, or inquires or words of comfort…he needed time alone. Time to breathe. And to get a hold of himself.

When he got out of the shower the room was remarkably warmer, muggy almost, and the scent of rain was on the air. He poked his head around the corner to see the room door open, letting in the humid air and the occasional sprinkle of rain. Duo was outside, leaning against the door frame, calmly smoking a cigarette. Quatre blinked in surprise. Duo rarely smoked, Quatre wasn't even aware Duo had brought a pack along.

He went to his friend's side, waiting a moment before speaking, "Where's Heero?"

Duo languidly pointed to the Food Court below them.

"Perhaps I should help him bring up whatever he's got," Quatre said, and stepped through the doorway.

Duo's eyes followed his movements, coolly observing his footsteps. Quatre had to wonder, for a split second, if Duo was going to prevent him from leaving the room. But Duo only handed him his cell phone. Quatre sighed and slipped it into his back pocket before he made for the stairwell, running out in the rain and feeling his tension dissipate. Fresh air and lots of room to move would do that, he supposed. As he ran by the pool he felt that itch on his back though. Duo's assessing gaze followed him as he ran, like a guard in a tower, waiting to spring an attack should anything unexpected come up. His cell phone felt heavy in his pocket (just in case, Duo's eyes had said). Quatre tried very hard not to feel like a prisoner.

Heero was selecting foods, as only Heero could, with meticulous scrutiny.

"This lettuce is wilting," Heero said as he inspected yet another pre-wrapped sandwich.

Quatre decided to humor him, "Looks that way."

Heero snorted and continued to inspect every sandwich he thought could be appeasing to Duo's appetite. Quatre let him, sitting himself down at a table. The Food Court was filled with the comfortable hum of water splashing against the roof. The sound put Quatre at ease, and it helpfully drowned out the conversations of the other patron's. He was staring at the table, idly tracing patterns with his finger, when Heero abruptly sat down across from him.

"Nice choices," Quatre nodded towards Heero's food.

Heero looked at him, inscrutably for a moment, before sitting back. Quatre awkwardly realized they were sitting in an uncomfortable silence. He shifted, intending to get up, but Heero's eyes snapped back to his.

"He doesn't want to talk about it," Heero said.

Quatre had to take several moments to contemplate what that might even mean.

"I had taken Duo to be a rather…emotionally stable person, perfectly comfortable sharing his thoughts with others. I cannot imagine I was wrong."

Quatre blinked, and wondered how he had gotten in such a position to have a conversation about Duo's feelings with one of Duo's flings.

"What didn't he want to talk about?" Quatre asked.

"The accident," Heero said, "he has been particularly tight-lipped, when before he was eager to share his theories of conspiracy and his concern towards your safety."

Vaguely, Quatre remember a night years ago, when Duo had ingested unhealthy amounts of alcohol and Quatre had watched over him during the night, taking shifts with Father Maxwell. Duo had been mumbling in his delirium, and Quatre had been the only one there to listen. "Don't let me burn Quatre – I don't want to burn again! Not like her, Quatre. I don't want to burn like her." Quatre shut his eyes and he could feel, all over again, the flare of heat and see the flames licking the side of the jeep. That accident had been different for Duo – a nightmare from his past, come to haunt him all over again. Quatre shook his head, dragging himself back to the present. He wondered how long Heero had been in the room before Quatre had awoken, trying to get Duo to open up.

"I…don't know what to do," Heero jiggled his foot nervously. He avoided looking him in the eye, as if embarrassed.

There is nothing you can do, Quatre wanted to say. But he couldn't bring himself to say the words for some reason. After all, he wasn't normally so pessimistic. Quatre licked his lips, stalling for time. How could he explain this to Heero? Should he explain this to Heero? Would Duo want him to? What could Heero do anyway?

"Did you know Duo was an orphan?" he asked, because he didn't know how else to start.

Heero stilled, "I did not."

"Well, he was…and that…I mean. Listen, I don't know how to explain this," because how could he explain Solo? And how could he explain the fire, the incident that Duo had never mentioned but once and that had been completely by accident?

Quatre held his head in his hands, and decided that maybe this wasn't worth the effort. This was painful and really, really not something he wanted to talk about with other people.

"How do you usually help him cope?" Heero asked gently.

Oh God and wasn't this just going to sound stupid? Guys didn't share stuff like this, did they? Sure, he and Duo did, but that was different. They had gone through stuff together. They had tried to find each other boyfriends when they were fourteen, and sometimes fell asleep on each other while watching reruns of Star Trek.

"I just listen to him, give him a hug, and then make a joke and we go do something that Duo loves to do," Quatre answered. He was not about to admit that sometimes they cried together, and had pillow fights and…snuggled. That was downright embarrassing. And Quatre couldn't picture, in a million years, Heero snuggling with anyone.

"What does Duo like to do?" Heero asked.

"He likes playing video games, going to arcades, playing paintball, stuff like that." Duo also liked ogling hot guys and trying to get their numbers, but Heero had already gotten his dose of that.

Heero rubbed his chin absently and Quatre squinted at him suspiciously.

"I think it's time to go back," Heero said.

"What are you planning?"

"I was thinking it would be a good idea to distract Duo somehow."

Quatre bristled, "And how are you going to do that? You barely even know him."

Heero quirked an eyebrow and Quatre quickly bit down his anger. True, Duo's usual flings rarely knew what was good for Duo, but maybe Heero was trying to be more than just a fling…maybe he was trying to be a friend.

"Lead the way," Quatre said.

Duo had finished his cigarette. Quatre counted that as a good sign, and was a little bit relieved when Duo seemed mildly interested in the sandwiches Heero had selected. However, the room was filled with little details that hinted at Duo's agitation. He had opened both their suitcases, but he had only tossed in a shirt or two. Their toiletries were packed and the packet that had contained their tickets was on the table, a picture of a smiling family on the cover.

But when Heero started to put back all the food Duo had taken out of the fridge, Duo snapped.

"Stop that," he snarled, "did I ask you to put the food away?"

Heero blinked and paused in his actions. Duo stomped over to survey his "mess."

"What kind of fucking organizational system is this anyway?"

"I am arranging the food according to its molecular complexity."

Duo choked on his laugh, "Oh Jesus you've got to be kidding me."

Heero remained silent.

"Oh no fucking way. You're serious. What purpose does that even serve?"

Hero looked at the apple he held in his hands, as if confused as to how it got there, "I don't know."

Duo's agitation seemed to deflate. He rubbed his brow, sighing.

"I think," Heero began cautiously, "that I was stalling."

"What for?"

Heero licked his lips, and he was leveling the apple a particularly focused stare, "I have been thinking Duo…"

"Yes?"

"That you need to go on a date."

"What?" Duo fell back onto the bed, laughing so hard he started to hyperventilate.

"We need to go on a date," Heero said decisively. Ordeal over with, he finally released the apple and put it back on the shelf. He brushed imaginary lint off himself and stood at perfect ease.

"Wait – what?" Duo sat up quickly.

"You have made your intentions towards me very clear, and since I reciprocate the same intentions, I have concluded that a date would be an ideal way for you to relax and for us to commence our summer 'fling'."

Duo gaped. Quatre gaped. Heero did not gape. He simply blinked expectantly. He was awfully good at doing that.

Duo still couldn't seem to find words, a rare occurrence, and Quatre didn't know if he could burst out laughing without hurting Heero's feelings.

"An acceptable first date typically consists of a dinner and a movie. However, Watson also mentioned that you enjoy activities such as paint-ball and video games. I would not be averse to either of those activities."

"You mean you're…you want…" Duo licked his lips, "you're interested in me?"

Heero frowned in a 'weren't you listening to what I was just saying?' kind of way, "Of course."

"Wow," Duo said, fiddling with his braid.

Heero blinked expectantly again.

"I mean, great," Duo said, "Jesus, that was unexpected."

"You can refuse," Heero reminded him gently.

"That's not what I was getting at! It's just that the timing wasn't great. I can't leave Watson alone while we go on a date."

"I don't need a babysitter," Quatre said.

"I beg to differ," Duo muttered.

"Trowa wouldn't mind keeping him company for a few hours."

Duo huffed, "Yeah, but, c'mon. I'd still be out my mind with worry."

Quatre stomped his foot and pointed to the door with vehemence, "Out."

"You can't just kick me out!"

"Can to."

"Cannot!"

"Can to."

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try."

They stared fuming at each other, and Quatre knew Duo was stronger than him, so he couldn't force him out by brute strength. Thinking quickly, he dashed to the huge Yeti Heero had bought Duo, and hugged it in his arms.

"I've taken the Yeti hostage," he said as seriously as he could, backing up towards the fridge. He kicked it open with his heel as Duo watched him with some sort of horrid fascination.

"I'll count to three Duo. And at 'three' you'd better outside ready to go on a date…or else the Yeti gets it."

Quatre inspected their fridge, "Milk or Jell-O Duo? What'll it be?"

"Watson, what are you, in grade in school?"

Quatre took out a cup of Jell-O and inspected it thoughtfully, "You know, I don't think this will come out even if we put him in the wash."

"I am not going to sacrifice your safety for the well being of a toy!"

"Hey, you know, if I spill this milk on him, and let him sit in the sun for a while, the milk will turn sour. Then you'd have to throw him out. Wouldn't that be a horrible waste of Heero's money?"

Quatre opened the small bottle of milk they had purchased to eat with their cereal.

"This is ridiculous. Put the milk down."

"One."

"Watson!"

"One and a half," Quatre held the milk over the Yeti's head.

Duo clenched his fists.

"One and three quarters."

"You aren't going to do it – you would never!"

"Two," Quatre tipped the bottle, just a little, just enough so that the liquid inside hovered close to the lip of the bottle.

"Two and a half."

"That BFF thing? Yeah, it's over with, done, dead… and you're the one who killed it."

"Oops," Quatre said, and he let a single drop of milk land on the Yeti's soft head. It rolled down over the odd stitching in its left little eye.

"Traitor! Bastard!"

"Two and three quarters."

"I am amazed," Heero abruptly spoke up, "that going on a date with me is so undesirable."

"Wait – what?" Duo leveled Quatre a nasty glare before turning beseechingly to Heero, "Listen, that's not what this is about."

"I am unconvinced. If you cannot stand up and tell the truth, then I'll just let myself out and-"

"No," Duo flailed, "don't do that. Just hang on for one second, one second."

Duo spun around to face Quatre, his face in one big scowl, but Quatre just smiled at him naively. Duo looked back and forth between Quatre and Heero, Quatre with the milk bottle and Heero with his hand on the doorknob.

"Damn it!" he groused and thrust a finger at Quatre's face, "This is not over."

He whirled around, snagged his jacket, and marched right out the door.

Quatre sagged with relief.

Day 5 12:30 PM

Cell phone in hand, Quatre sat on the bed, running his thumbs over the screen of Heero's phone nervously. Any second now and Trowa's number would show up on the display. Sliding off the bed he began to pace the room, jittery and excited, his stomach tingling. Come on Trowa…you have to be ready by now! When Heero had said Trowa would be along shortly, Quatre was positive he had not meant nearly two hours later. He opened the phone and found a number in the address book. His finger hovered over the call button, but he snapped the phone shut instead. No. Heero had given him his phone for answering calls, not sending them. He sighed and flopped down on his bed. The sun, finally out, climbed over his face. On the sill next to him, his phone was lying on a paper towel, hopefully drying out. Apparently it hadn't liked the rain from this morning. Quatre glared at it. Of course it had survived the Kali River Rapids (never mind the fact that it was stored in the raft's protective pouch), but it couldn't handle a little rain (that will teach you to try to keep tabs on me, Duo, were the vicious thoughts Quatre tried to suppress).

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Quatre jumped and nearly lost his grip on the phone. Flipping it open without hesitation he brought it to his ear and said breathlessly, "Trowa!"

"…Heero?"

"Guess again."

"Watson?"

Quatre paused, frowning in confusion.

"Watson…that is you, right?"

"Oh! Yeah, yeah it's me," he answered sheepishly, cheeks burning.

"What are you doing with Heero's phone?"

"Nicked it."

"Yeah. Right. If you tried that you'd be calling me from the hospital."

"Maybe I am," Quatre pouted, reclining on the bed.

"Then if you're looking for sympathy, you've come barking up the wrong tree," there was a smile in Trowa's voice, Quatre could just picture it.

"What if I barked real nicely?"

"How nicely?"

"Very nicely," Quatre said.

"Not very descriptive."

"Well, I'm more of a show than a tell person. So when you finally decide to arrive, I can show you how nicely I can bark."

There was pause, "Shit. Sorry Watson. I forgot to tell Heero."

"What's wrong?"

"One of the employees here fell ill. She wasn't drinking enough water. She had to be taken to the hospital. I offered to cover her shift, that's why I couldn't come earlier."

"Oh," Quatre said, and he wondered when his insides had decided to just vanish. He couldn't feel anything in his chest. Completely empty.

"When do you get off her shift then?" Quatre asked.

"Not until this afternoon. But you know…this means I get to take her lunch break."

Quatre sat up so fast his head went dizzy, "When's lunch break?"

Trowa began to breathe just a tiny bit heavier on the other end of the line, "In half an hour."

"I'll be there."

"Barking I hope."

"Barking nicely."

"Right," Trowa laughed.

"Hey, if you had Duo as a best friend you'd be barking too."

"Ah, but whereas Duo is barking mad, you're barking nice."

"But only for you."

"I appreciate it," Trowa said, "So…one o'clock?"

"It's a date!"

After hanging up, Quatre quickly spiffed up his appearance, the butterflies inside his stomach fluttering around at warp speed. Ignoring Duo's command (to "stay the fuck inside the hotel and don't even open the curtain"), Quatre opened the hotel door and stepped out into the muggy heat. He headed for the buses, a big smile plastered on his face as he boarded the one headed for Animal Kingdom - accidents be damned.