Author's Note: Just a warning, there are some steamy moments in here. Read at your own risk!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of the characters. I just borrow them for my nefarious and fictional purposes.

Living The Lie

Chapter Four: When Plans go Awry

The young woman sipped her wine quietly as she glanced at the chestnut-haired man across from her. She had already finished her dinner and was politely waiting for him to do the same. The conversation through dinner had been tense and dull, and she had to admit that it was mostly her fault. She hadn't been exactly co-operative when he had tried to start innocent banter. But she couldn't help it. She felt withdrawn and brooded silently over what she had revealed to him. Does he hate me? One look at his grinning face told her that this was most likely not the case. For whatever reason, she couldn't see the good-natured young man hating anyone. The thought, of course, was ludicrous. It was impossible to have lived through the war and not have hated someone during or after.

"Yumi?"

She looked up at him quickly, slightly embarrassed for having allowed her mind to wander. "Yes?"

"How would you feel about playing cards?" He grinned at her as he waved a pack of cards in the air. "Or would you rather watch a movie?"

She smiled at him, welcoming the distraction. "Cards," she stated firmly.

"Good choice." He got up and dumped the dirty dishes in the sink. "We can play in the living room." He padded down the hall, not turning to see if she'd followed him, and plopped himself down on the couch. He took the cards out of the package and discarded it. He began to shuffle them with practiced flair as she sat down beside him.

"What's the game?" she asked, as her eyes followed his movements in amusement.

"Strip poker!" He moved agilely, catching the fist that had been aimed at his midsection. "Or maybe just poker," he grinned.

"Good call," she muttered, pulling her fist out of his grasp.

"I'll be dealer." He finished shuffling and dealt the cards quickly. "So, what will the wager be?" he asked, as he innocently pulled out two shot glasses and a few bottles of alcohol from somewhere behind him.

She watched this with growing suspicion, but after he had flashed her another of his disarming grins, she decided to throw caution to the wind. She was determined to have fun with the handsome young man beside her, and make the best of her current situation. Besides, she knew that she couldn't stay much longer. Yes, she thought resolutely. I will enjoy myself.

"Wager? Isn't that what the alcohol is for?" she asked him with one eyebrow arched.

He smiled mischievously. "I thought it would be more interesting than using money."

"Maybe," she shrugged. "So, how does it work?"

"Instead of chips or money, we use shots. You can bet as many as you like. Whoever wins, keeps the 'pot'. After we've played seven hands, whoever has the least number of shots loses, and the winner gets to decide the punishment of the loser. After each hand, both of us will have a shot. Don't worry, I can keep track of the numbers in my head." He grinned at her. "Seem fair enough?"

She smirked at him. "It only sounds fair for the winner which, of course, will be me. I never lose."

"Then this should be interesting, cuz neither do I," he replied, grinning at her undaunted.

"Well, then allow me to teach you a lesson in losing; I just hope you're a good loser."

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"Three eights and two threes beats two tens, two fours and an ace. I guess I can chalk up another win for me. That brings up my wins to four." He remained oblivious to the deathly glare aimed in his direction and continued to ponder aloud. "So if you've only won twice, then that brings the total number of hands to six. Next hand is the last, right?" he asked, as he turned innocent eyes to the silently fuming young lady beside him.

"Yes," she conceded, narrowing her eyes into cat-like slits.

"Do you wanna be dealer for this round?"

"No, I forfeit."

Duo looked up at the woman in surprise. "What's wrong?" Is she angry with me?

She shrugged and watched him with cool indifference. "I just don't see the point in continuing the game."

"Sore loser, huh?" He couldn't hide his smirk.

"Not at all, I just understand when to keep fighting and when to recognize defeat. Only fools fight where there is no hope. Better to save your energy for when it counts."

Duo's eyes widened of their own accord as he silently digested her cool and simplistic logic. Those were the words of a survivor. Of someone who'd had to face hopeless situations and still come out in one piece…physically and mentally. He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, trying not to think about what she'd said and how he could apply it to his own experiences.

"Okay, since you forfeit, you'll have to accept your punishment." He flashed her an evil grin.

"Oh no, I'm so scared." She smirked at him.

"Okay, one more shot for the loser while I decide what to do with you." He poured a combination of coffee liqueurs into the shot glass and placed the glass in front of her. He watched as she picked it up and downed it quickly.

She shook her head as she felt the alcohol burn its way down her throat and into her stomach. She already felt beyond buzzed and a little while later she noticed that the world had taken to moving when it pleased. She wasn't sure if he was trying to get her drunk, but she realized that she just didn't care. Shrugging, she stretched her limbs out languorously. She let her eyes wander, stopping only when they met curious cobalt ones.

"So…" he began, holding her gaze. "I think your punishment should be a little more 'truth'."

She chuckled softly and smirked at him. "Really?" She sidled up to him on the couch and placed her hand on his knee. "That's all you want?"

"Well no, I—" Duo hesitated as he felt her fingers trailing slowly up the inside of his thigh. "I just wanted to learn more about you…" He lost his train of thought as he felt wetness and warmth on his neck.

"You talk too much." She continued her ministrations, alternating between biting and soothing the nips with her tongue. She pulled away and gave him a wicked smile before crawling into his lap.

"What are you doing?" Duo sat completely still as he felt her arms wind around his neck.

"What do you think I'm doing?" she teased, shifting slightly so that she could reach up past his shoulder to nibble on his earlobe.

Duo hissed through his teeth and willed his body not to respond to her actions. He put his hands on her hips and attempted to extract the woman from his lap. "Yumi, stop it! We shouldn't do this." However, removing her from her perch proved to be more difficult than he originally thought.

She laughed softly by his ear before pulling away far enough to meet his gaze with hooded eyes. "That's not what your eyes were telling me last night," she said huskily, tightening the arms looped around his neck.

"That's completely different," he replied.

"Uh-huh," she smiled demurely.

Duo sighed and shook his head; this was going to take patience. "Look, you're drunk and I don't want you to have regrets in the morning."

"No regrets," she smiled at him and pulled his face down to hers.

Duo's eyes widened in surprise as he found his mouth a breath away from hers. He tried to tell her to stop, that she didn't want this, but the words caught in his throat. Her lips quickly caught his in their embrace, and his thoughts short-circuited. Her lips were soft yet demanding; insisting that he surrender himself to her kiss. Duo found himself returning the kiss, and enjoying it. Her fingers traced intricate patterns on his back as her tongue wound its way past his lips into the recess of his mouth. She tasted of chocolate and the sweet tang of alcohol. Her body yielded to his as he tightened the arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

He whispered her name against her lips as they pulled apart. The young woman smirked as she moved swiftly to straddle his legs between her own. Her hands found their way under Duo's shirt to caress his finely muscled chest. She raked her nails over sensitive flesh and her mouth resumed its merciless attack on his neck. Her handiwork elicited a deep moan from the young man beneath her. Her grin turned smug as she met his intense violet gaze.

Duo watched the amusement dance in her smoky blue eyes in frustration. How had she become the one in control? "Yumi, enough!" he demanded. "That's enough." His body protested against these words but he stubbornly ignored it, focusing on trying to remove himself from the intoxicated woman.

"Why?" she murmured. "Am I not good enough?"

"No! That's not it…I just can't take advantage of you like this. It's wrong, Yumi."

She studied him briefly before shrugging and allowing him to remove her from his lap. "Suit yourself," she said emotionlessly.

Duo frowned at the young woman as she struggled to get to her feet. "I'll help," he told her as he went to take her arm.

She scowled at him and pulled her arm away. "I'm fine! I don't need your help." She got to her feet, but her legs wobbled and her vision wavered.

Duo caught her on the way down, cradling her to his chest. "Why won't you open up to me? I only want to help you," he told her softly.

She looked at him angrily. "Help me? No one can help me and I hardly know you, let alone trust you."

Duo couldn't understand why exactly her words stung so badly. She was being reasonable…mostly. "Why don't you trust me?" he asked softly.

She hesitated, all her resolve not to trust anyone with her pain began to dissolve along with her anger. Maybe it was the alcohol or even the strong arms holding her up, but suddenly she was feeling very vulnerable. "I want to trust you," she said quietly. "But, I haven't trusted anyone since them—not since they betrayed me."

"I'm sorry, Yumi. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I only want to help you."

"You've helped me so much already…" she trailed off, her eyes already fluttering closed.

"I know…but that doesn't change how I feel." He hugged the woman tightly to himself, wanting to protect her from the world. He held her that way for a few minutes, waiting for her to fall asleep. He watched her pale and normally tense features relax in the lull of sleep. She looks so vulnerable. He pushed the few wispy bangs from her face, allowing his fingers to linger on her cheek longer than necessary. He brushed a thumb over her cheekbone and down to her lips. He paused there, remembering the feelings and sensations those lips had elicited in him. It'd been close—too close for his comfort.

Hauling himself to his feet, Duo carried her to his room and laid her down gently. He pulled the blanket around her shoulders, pausing to brush a light kiss on her forehead. "Sweet dreams," he whispered, closing the door. He leaned his back against the cool surface and let out a sigh. I wonder if she'll ever trust me enough.

He went to the kitchen and began to wash the dinner dishes and ended up lost in thought. No matter how he tried, he couldn't stop replaying her words to him.

"…I hardly know you, let alone trust you."

He wasn't sure why her trust was so important; she was practically a stranger to him after all. Though he'd told her the truth when he'd said that he wanted to help her. It went beyond obligation; he felt an undeniable compulsion to save her from her plight. How, was the part he was still working on. Despite his plans going awry, Duo was still determined to learn the full truth of her past. In order to protect her completely, he would have to know exactly what or whom he was protecting her against.

He couldn't pinpoint exactly when she had become so important to him. But after some contemplation he finally understood why. Staring into the soapy water, he let himself admit it. "She reminds me of her—of—" he broke off, unable to bring himself to say her name. He scowled at his distorted reflection and resisted the urge to smash the plate clutched in his hand. Why after five years am I still not over this?

Duo completed his task quickly and dropped on the couch, one arm slung over his eyes. He brooded over old memories that had been re-surfacing since he'd met the dark-haired vixen sleeping in his bed. The pain from these images was unbearable, dredging up scenes forcibly forgotten. Just when I'd thought I could move on with my life and put aside any past regrets, her ghost shows up to haunt me. Maybe it's a sign, he thought bitterly. Some wounds will never heal. These thoughts followed him into oblivion as exhaustion finally claimed him.