CHAPTER 24 - 'Fei's Answer

"A job well done." Une purred at them when they got back to the shuttle. She had told them, allowing no arguments, that they were going back to earth as soon as this mission was over - she was only waiting now because Wufei asked to retrieve something from his office. She and Sally had thought they had gotten everything personal, be he'd looked at the small box of items they had and shook his head. So Heero went with him, since they still didn't want to leave him alone, and the others sat and grinned while Lady Une praised them for what had actually been an easy mission.

Wufei went into his office and straight to his small filing cabinet. Heero watched, bemused, as he took the bottom drawers out and slid his arm inside the back of the cabinet. He was even more surprised when he came back out with his katana.

"Why were you hiding it?" He asked, as they started down the hall.

"It kept vanishing." Wufei replied. "I had to hunt it down several times when it just disappeared from my office, and it was stolen from my apartment once. I had to redeem it at a pawn shop. I never found out who stole it - too many missions. I didn't have the research time."

Heero grimaced. "Wufei - don't do this again." He didn't have to say what.

Wufei had the grace to blush. "I won't." He said softly, and Heero knew it was as good as a promise.

"Where are the rest of your things?" Heero asked a question Quatre and the others had been meaning to ask.

"On the shuttle." Wufei replied, blinking at him.

"No - where are your other swords, and all your books? You didn't keep your apartment on Earth, did you?"

"No. They're..." He stopped. They were going past Hernbeck's office, where the man was packing his personal belongings under the gimlet eye of the Internal Affairs man. Wufei stared at a large picture Hernbeck was taking off the wall - it was of his entire family, taken at a reunion a year or so before. Hernbeck was very proud of his lineage, and often gave his Agents lectures on the people in the picture, explaining their lives and history and why they were superior to everyone there. Even Wufei had been subjected to several. Now he stepped into the room, willingly looking at the 'Portrait of Doom' as the Agents called it, for the first time.

"Well," he said softly, "that's a bit anti-climatic."

"What?" Heero asked, while Hernbeck jerked around to stare at them.

Wufei gestured to the picture, waiting to see if Heero saw what he saw. His partner gazed at the large photo for a long moment while Hernbeck blustered, the presence of the other Agents keeping him from saying too much.

"Ah." Heero said suddenly, his eyes settling on the tall man standing next to the Major in the picture. "I see. Boss Man." He had only seen Wufei's sketch once, but easily recognized the man from it.

"Mmm," Wufei agreed, "your brother, wasn't it, Major? I mean, Mr. Hernbeck?"

The Major only snarled at him, turning away and starting to put the picture into a large box.

The IA man stepped forward and stopped him. "Now, now. No removing evidence, remember?" He took the picture and handed it to one of his own men. "You'll inform Lady Une, I suppose?" He asked the two pilots. They nodded, and he gave them a half-smile in return.

Hernbeck watched as the Internal Affairs men studied the picture, his hands twitching with the need to snatch it back. How dare they... the peasants! How dare they even consider themselves good enough to look at his family?! He turned feverish eyes on the two boys standing by the door, saw the tall one's blue eyes turn to look down at Agent Chang. Some unknown force made the smaller Agent's head lift to gaze back up at him - then he saw something he'd never seen in all the months he'd kept the damn boy here.

Chang smiled.

Hernbeck snapped.

He roared out an inarticulate curse and jumped for Wufei. Heero's eyes snapped to him and he started to move to guard his lover. Before he could even shift his weight, Wufei had moved away from him, standing easily, waiting for Hernbeck to reach him.

He would never attack the man on his own, but no one would blame him for defending himself.

He smiled again, an arrogant smirk that made Heero grin like Duo and made Hernbeck even angrier. The big man launched himself at the boy, fists swinging.

Heero settled against the doorframe, folding his arms casually. 'Hmm,' he thought to himself, 'Wufei sure hasn't lost any skill since the last time I saw him fight.' Indeed, if the grinning IA men didn't move in soon, Hernbeck was going to have to visit the hospital before they'd be able to book him for his offenses. The man didn't seem to know when to quit, howling and throwing wild punches at Wufei. He blocked them all with ease, moving like quicksilver, never landing a punch or a kick until Hernbeck swung at him, driving him back as he tried to use his height and weight to overcome the slim boy.

The men watching winced through their smiles as small hands and feet thumped solidly against Hernbeck's torso. Wufei was holding back, just hitting hard enough to leave the man with lovely bruises instead of broken bones. Hernbeck was going to be miserable if he didn't back off soon.

Heero shook his head sadly. What an idiot.

Hernbeck stopped for a second, panting heavily, and stared at the little Agent he hated. How... how was he doing this? Was this why he came back from those missions with minor injuries or without a scratch on him when other Agents were hospitalized? Hernbeck had believed, and spread the rumors, that Chang let the others do the dirty work before he stepped in and took the glory. They had all calmly ignored the fact that it didn't explain how he also aced his solo missions. The little bastard was good! How could he be...? How dare he be better than his Commanding Officer?! He couldn't be! This was a... a fluke!

He screamed out his fury one last time, snatching up the long, round paperweight he'd kept on his desk. Solid glass and shaped roughly like a snake, it had cost a fortune but he was willing to sacrifice it for a good cause. He lifted it over his head and brought it slamming down toward Chang.

Wufei was fed up. He'd given the idiot every chance he was willing to give. If he was going to be so dishonorable as to bring a weapon into the fight, he could just take the consequences. He easily dodged the clumsy blow and spun around, putting all his weight and force into a straight-leg kick to the center of Hernbeck's chest.

"Oof!" one of the IA men gasped appreciatively as Hernbeck went flying back, tumbling completely over his desk to land on the floor on the other side.

Heero smirked at him and strolled forward to stand beside Wufei, who wasn't even breathing hard. "Done?"

"I was done before I started." Wufei said calmly, watching as the IA men pulled Hernbeck to his feet - they weren't being very gentle with him.

Their superior grinned at the two young Agents. "He'll certainly be easier to handle now. Such a shame, trying to attack an Agent like that. I'll definitely be adding this to the charges." His grin was getting wider and wider, especially when Hernbeck, swaying and moaning from his injuries, groaned louder at his words.

There were times when he truly loved his job.

"We need to go." Wufei said softly.

Heero nodded, remembering the others were waiting, and they started back down the hall. After a moment Heero went back to his former question. "Where are the rest of your things? They weren't stolen, too, were they?"

If they had been, he wasn't leaving this colony until he got them back for Wufei.

"No. They're in a storage facility on Earth. I never expected..." he trailed off.

"To be here this long." Duo finished for him, appearing from nowhere beside them as they walked.

Wufei nodded.

"Well, that just makes this easier."

"What do you mean?"

"Easier for you to move in with us. If your stuff's in storage, it's already packed, right?"

Wufei stopped short. "M-move in with you?!" All the doubt and uncertainty he'd struggled with earlier came rushing back at those words. They wanted him to live with them?!

"Aw, c'mon, 'Fei." Duo stepped behind him, sliding an arm around his waist and hugging him tight. "You didn't really think we were going to let you go, did you?"

"I..."

"We aren't." Heero replied, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"So don't bother trying to get away." Duo teased. "We'll just hunt you down again."

Wufei blinked at them, taken by surprise and absolutely uncertain what he should say.

"C'mon, 'Fei." Duo chided softly, tightening the arm he had around him. "We told you we loved you. Didn't we show you, too? We want you with us."

"For... for how long?" Wufei finally managed, feeling like his world was spinning out of control.

"Forever." Heero replied, his voice low as he stepped closer to his lovers.

"Forever." Duo echoed, dropping a kiss on Wufei's slim bronze neck.

Wufei sighed and very nearly melted into a puddle - Duo was taking blatant advantage of the sensitive spot Heero had discovered the other night.

Duo pulled him back into an empty office, out of sight of any curious Agents who might be wandering the halls.

Heero followed, easing the door shut behind him. They didn't need an audience for this. He moved to wrap his arms around both the smaller boys, holding them close.

"Are... are you sure..." Wufei tried again, unable to grasp the concept that they really wanted him. Why would they want him? He wanted them, had for years, but the idea that they might want him in return had never occurred to him - well, until the other night - and he still couldn't wrap his mind around the thought that it was more than just a one-time thing, based on physical attraction. It didn't help that he had no idea what they found attractive about him.

"This is perfect." Heero said softly, tightening his arms to explain what he meant. "This is the way I want to stay."

"Me, too." Duo whispered, rubbing his cheek against Wufei's while he wrapped his free arm around Heero and pulled him even closer. "This is the way we were meant to be, 'Fei."

Wufei still wasn't sure - he had the horrible feeling that this was a dream. Or a joke. No, not a joke, his comrades wouldn't be that cruel to him - but a dream was a very real possibility.

And if it wasn't a dream, and he said yes - what if they changed their minds?

But I can't live my life like I used to - can't go back to what I was before.

"I - don't know." He tried, searching for words to explain his doubts to the two boys looking at him so eagerly.

Duo and Heero didn't have any doubts. But they understood what was going on - it had taken them almost two years to struggle this out, to become comfortable with the idea of two lovers before they'd broached the subject to each other. Wufei had two days. It was no wonder he was gazing at them with such doubtful, wistful eyes.

It was the wistful bit that kept them going. Wufei wanted them, whether he realized how much or not.

"'Fei, don't you want to be with us?" Duo deliberately played against the trace of longing he saw on the smaller boy's face.

"I... yes... but..." A little embarrassing to admit he was so weak, that he wanted what they were offering so badly - but they didn't seem to think so. They looked thrilled.

"But what?" Heero pressed him a little further.

Wufei wondered again when he had learned to speak so easily. He'd always been so silent and abrupt. Now he was asking questions about emotions and relationships, for gods sake!

'I guess Duo's been good for him.' he thought, while trying to come up with a reasonable answer to Heero's question.

"But nothing, 'Fei." Duo broke in. "What are you thinking, that we're going to get tired of you in a few days and toss you out? Not going to happen. This isn't just a fun little idea that we had the other day. Years, 'Fei, we've been wanting you for years. We are not going to let you go. We want you and you need us. You can't live your life alone."

I can't live my life afraid, either - if they change their minds later, they just do... I guess... I'll take the chance...

"All right," he said, so softly they almost couldn't hear him. "For... for a while."

"For always." Duo pushed, not happy with 'a while.'

"For as long as you want me." Wufei conceded, but would go no further.

"Then we get our forever." Heero said softly.

"And it's about time." Duo whispered, kissing 'Fei's neck again, enjoying the little sigh he got in response. "It's about damn time. Let's go home."

"Home," Heero agreed, "together."

'Together,' Wufei thought as they loosened the hold they had on each other and moved toward the door, knowing Une and the others were waiting for them in the shuttle. 'Beautiful word.'

Together.

For as long as it lasted.

At least for now, he wouldn't be alone.

~owari~

A/N: Don't DIE, I'm writing a lemony Epilogue...