Disclaimer - the usual.

Notes - this one's back to Duo's POV.

Silk and Steel:

'No.'

'Duo, I'm just asking you to try them. That's all.'

'I said no, Zechs. I'm perfectly capable of choosing my own clothes.'

'All evidence to the contrary. You've been back from Florida for five days now and you're still wearing that same pair of jeans - and they're about two sizes too big for you!'

'No, I haven't! I have two pairs the same, that's all.'

'Which I think proves my point rather than yours. Duo, stop being so ungrateful and just get dressed, alright?'

'Fine! Anything to stop you nagging me. ' We were standing in their bedroom, glaring at each other across the bed, which was strewn with packages from Zechs' and Trowa's shopping expedition.

'I'm sorry I ever said I'd go out with you guys tonight.' I'd agreed after some heavy-duty emotional blackmail on all of their parts. Zechs was adamant that Wufei needed a night out after everything that had happened over the last two weeks but didn't want to leave me at home by myself. Wufei had claimed pretty much the same thing about Zechs. And Trowa had claimed that he wanted to take us all out, in appreciation of all our help and support, and he was afraid that Zechs and Wufei would refuse to go without me...

Of course, I wasn't going to tell them so, but I would have agreed to go quite happily, even without the arm twisting guilt-trips ; it was a while since I'd been out with Zechs and Wu, and probably over a year since Trowa and I had spent much time together. He'd already made reservations at the nicest Italian restaurant in town and we were going to go to a club afterwards.

'Nonsense; we'll have a wonderful time. Duo!' Zechs dumped a couple of gift boxes from his favourite clothes store into my arms and pointed to the walk-in closet. 'Go!'

The pants were black, very snug-fitting and cut very low on my hips and the cropped, sleeveless top also fit far more snugly that I usually like; between the two, there was far more skin on display than I'm comfortable with. Everything in my life, on the streets and as a terrorist, has taught me that clothes should be a form of camouflage, a way to blend in. Definitely not a way to attract attention.

'Duo? Are you all right in there? Do they fit?'

'Um...I guess. But no way am I going out like this in public.'

'Come out and let me decide that.'

'Zechs, seriously, I just don't feel comfortable dressed like this.'

'Duuuuuuu-ooooo!' The idiot was cracking up outside the door. 'Isn't it time you came out of the closet? Or do I have to break the door down and drag you out by the hair?'

'Uh, hello! This isn't Wufei you're talking to,' I jibed back and then decided I was being stupid. We were going to be in a gay club after all; if I did attract any attention it would probably because I was somewhat overdressed.

'Wow. Duo, why don't you look at yourself in the mirror?' He shook his head. 'How do I always forget what's hiding under those baggy clothes you wear?'

'Stop ogling me like that, Merquise.' My hands were itching to tug my top down but he'd only laugh at me.

'Better get used to it, looking like the way you do. I wish we had time to get you a tattoo.. Or a navel piercing would be cool. I'm sure we could use a needle and boiling water or something...'

'No way am I letting you stick needles into me!'

'God, you're boring sometimes, Maxwell. Well, at least you got a decent suntan in Florida.'

I'd originally flown down to Miami for a couple of days of project meetings; then my friend Patrick had talked me into staying on for the weekend so we could spend some time together. We'd gone sailing and deep-sea fishing and on my last night, his ruthlessly practical girlfriend Maureen had insisted on giving me a pep talk after I'd given her the censored version of what had happened with me and Quat.

'Duo, life's too short to waste on losers like that. I know you thought you two were still friends but you were the one doing all the running. I mean, you lived here for over two years and he only visited you once. You're way better off without him; it's not like you don't have a bunch of friends who really care about you and wished they saw you more often, OK?'

I'd grinned at her. 'You see me every three or four weeks; any more and you'd get sick of me. And Mitch needs me to come back for the seventeenth.'

'Cool! We'll arrange a party. I seriously can't believe you're still single; I swear, I know a dozen guys who'd love to go out with you.'

'All at once? Mo, sweetie, that's not a date, it's an orgy!'

'Earth to L2?' Zechs was still looking at me in a way I wasn't entirely comfortable with. 'Look, if you really feel uncomfortable, you could wear something on top.'

'Like a snow suit?'

'Like this.' He rummaged among the parcels on the bed and tossed me something. 'Just try it, OK? And don't do up the buttons. It's supposed to be loose.'

'It' was a shirt, raw silk and velvet and little bits of lace, in colours from midnight to blackberry to deep indigo and every shade in between.

'Wow.' Zechs said again and this time I really looked at myself in the mirror, seeing not myself, but the reflection of someone stylish and confident and even sexy.

'You, my friend, are going to have guys lining up around the block to dance with you.'

'Yeah, right. Like anyone would look twice at me with you three pieces of eye candy around.' I couldn't help doing a little twirl anyway, letting the shirt float around me. 'Why do we have to go to Steel anyway?' I wondered. 'There are plenty of other clubs.'

'Mmm, but Steel has the best music, the best cocktails, the hottest bartenders...And speaking of Leon, you never really told me about that date you went on.'

'It wasn't a date date. We just met for lunch and talked.'

'Oh right. For six hours? And, let me guess, you told him you really liked him as a friend but you weren't interested in anything else at the moment? Correct?'

'Something like that. It's true, Zechs. Look, I know you want me to be happy and I know you think I'd be happy if I had a boyfriend but...can you just lay off a bit? I'm sick of people trying to fix me up with someone who'd be 'just perfect' for me. If I want a boyfriend, I'm quite capable of going out and finding one by myself. I don't need everyone in the entire universe thinking that poor, pathetic Duo needs a matchmaker.'

Zechs grinned. 'You know, you're cute when you're assertive. I just think you'd be happier if you got laid more than once in a blue moon.'

'Actually, I wouldn't. Just ask Wufei what I was like when I was going through my sleeping around phase.'

It had been one of the...particularly dark periods of my life; the last months of 197. I was living in the spare room of Wufei's apartment, having screwed up my life in every way imaginable. I'd almost died, I'd lost almost six months of my life and I'd totally lost Heero. Oh, and I'd also almost been convicted of attempted murder of pretty much every major political figure in the ESUN, not that I'd known it at the time, being unconscious on a life support machine.

Ultimately, it was decided that I'd been suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, and had reacted in a crisis by doing precisely what I'd been conditioned to do, rather than being some crazy L2 separatist who'd wanted to plunge the world into another war. Probably helped that back then, no one really expected me to come out of the coma anyway. Oh, and somewhere in the nightmare that been Christmas Day of 196, I'd managed to save Relena Peacecraft's life..

Only a handful of people knew what had really happened, and I think they still mostly believed I'd been trying to kill myself.

Back then, Wufei had still been doing his Top Preventer Agent thing, and was off on assignment most of time; I didn't really know him that well anyway; we'd spent very little time together during the War, and only met up at a few formal functions afterward. Quat and Trowa were on L4, and I was desperately lonely. It had seemed like a good idea on occasion to go out on a regular basis and drink far too much, before being screwed by total strangers.

And yes, I do know it was incredibly stupid behaviour on my part, particularly as most of these little indiscretions managed to make headlines in the scummier tabloids, but back then I didn't really care. I'd had the self-esteem of a tattered piece of soggy cardboard at the bottom of a dumpster, was aching for any kind of physical contact, and I'd just needed to know that someone needed and wanted me, however briefly. Oh yeah, and there was usually just that one fraction of a second where I could pretend I was still with Heero.

Ironically, what saved me was Wufei leaving Preventers and having his own personal brand of breakdown (which, Chang Wufei being the very private, very discreet person that he is, he chose to do in the privacy of his own home, rather than in front of the world's media. My timing always sucks). We'd never really known each other during the War, and somewhere along the line, coping with each other's problems, we'd become friends, instead of a somewhat reluctant landlord who put a the highest possible premium on his personal space, and the inconvenient lodger he'd taken in out of charity.

'I'm not actually suggesting you become a slutbunny again, Duo. Just go on a couple of dates with someone you actually like, and see what happens. You don't always have to have full blown sex on the first date, despite what you seem to think.'

'Yeah. Maybe,' I supposed I didn't sound rabidly enthusiastic but it did sound sort of appealing when he put it like that. It might be nice to have a boyfriend of my own, rather than being the constant third wheel in Zechs' and Wufei's relationship. Not that they'd ever put it like that, and most of the time I don't feel like it but, at the end of the day, they are a couple and I'm the single best friend. Might be nice to have someone for whom I'd always come first. God, that sounds really insecure and needy, doesn't it?

The guy in the looking glass had actually looked like someone who could pick up guys easily enough. 'Alright. If I meet someone tonight, I promise I'll take things slowly and see what develops, OK?'

'Excellent! And if you don't happen to meet someone who catches your eye at the club, you could maybe try looking closer to home, hmmm? I don't suppose you'd consider leaving your hair loose? No? Well, go and do something with it that doesn't make you look like a schoolgirl!'

'But, Zed, I thought that was one of your fantasies,' I murmured slyly and just made it out of the room before he threw something after me.

Trowa. Another of the many things I'd been trying not to think about, but it wasn't easy with Zechs dropping his little not-so-subtle hints that we would be perfect for each other, and intimating that Trowa maybe thought so too.

Tro had locked himself in my room for three days, following Quatre's last 'phone call, refusing all of our blandishments to entice him out, such as aromatherapy baths, gourmet meals (probably scared we'd try to drug him again) and marathon wildlife documentaries on Global Geographic...He'd still been there when I'd taken my flight to Miami, so it had been a bit of a surprise to come home ten days later and find he'd come out of self-imposed seclusion in my absence.

I'd expected him either to be still withdrawn and suffering from Quat-withdrawal, or else to have reverted to his old pre-Quatre self, but instead he'd apparently reinvented himself as a happy-to-be-single stud-about-town. He'd gone on shopping expeditions with Zechs, and he'd even been out on a couple of dates with random guys he'd picked up in the course of these little trips.

Of course, I could see that he was attractive. Come on, he's a very nicely presented package - the height, that silky forelock of hair that you just want to sweep back from his face to reveal those gorgeous emerald eyes, all coupled with an acrobat's grace and flexibility...yeah, he's cute. Thing was, ever since he'd hooked up with Quat, Trowa Barton's most distinguishing feature, to me, had been the large neon letters blazing over his head that announced Exclusive Property of Quatre Raberba Winner.

I did so not want to hear that Trowa had...those sort of feelings for me. I mean, he had to be lonely, had to be missing Quatre, however much he claimed to be over him, but I was pretty damn sure he'd never once thought of me in any sort of romantic light except…

We'd been the last two to bed the night before, watching the end of a movie on the couch together. Caught up in the action on screen, I hadn't really paid much attention to Trowa shifting position beside me, so that his leg brushed mine, or that he reached across me for the chips and then left one hand lightly resting on my knee. Certain things are permissible between very close friends, even if he isn't usually the most touchy-feely guy in creation. But when he'd finally got up to go to bed, he'd kissed me on the cheek; the sort of gesture that hovers somewhere between the no-man's-land of friendship and….something a bit more than friendship.

He didn't belong to Quatre any more but…..OK, this is a horrible thing to admit but there was a part of me that was revelling in the possibility of getting together with Quat's ex. That was gloating over the fact that it would serve him right. I wasn't sure I wanted to explore what thinking like that might lead.

The fact that he was looking seriously hot wasn't helping. It wasn't until we were in the restaurant and he took off his long leather coat that I noticed that he'd apparently been possessed by some sort of S&M demon. Everything was black and revealing and there was a long, leather thong wrapped around his left wrist that looked suspiciously like it might belong in some sort of bondage fantasy.

It was easy enough to study him; ordering food in Il Pescatore never takes long; we eat there often enough that we all have our favourite dishes, but Zechs and Tro were engrossed in the wine list, commenting on the various vintages and asking the wine waiter endless questions.

Great; that was all we needed; another wine connoisseur in the group. Wufei doesn't like wine all that much, and I really only drink at home, but it never stops Zechs spending an inordinate amount of time scrutinising the wine menu whenever we go out to eat.

'I think that's everything. Perhaps a basket of garlic bread to share, while we wait,' Zechs completed the order, finally, and turned to Wufei. 'For old times' sake, hmm, kaerste?'

Wufei, predictably, spluttered into his glass of water and vanished behind his napkin, I burst out laughing and Trowa looked mystified, standing on the perimeter of an in-joke.

'We had our first date here,' Zechs explained. 'Garlic bread is something of a tradition between us.'

'I gather the first date was a success, then?' Trowa asked.

'A resounding disaster,' Wufei pronounced grimly, emerging from behind his square of linen. 'Hardly surprising, considering he'd blackmailed me into accepting in the first place.'

'Oh, but it had its moments,' Zechs grinned at his partner. 'I remember one in particular, just before we said goodbye…I'm sure you haven't forgotten, 'Fei?'

Wufei isn't all that comfortable with PDAs, even after three years of exposure (oops, didn't mean that to be a pun!) to Zechs, but he was clearly in a very mellow mood, because he let his boyfriend pull him half- way across the table into a deep kiss.

I shrugged at Trowa. 'Considering they've been together for three years, you'd think the honeymoon would have worn off a bit. But they just get worse.'

'They're very lucky,' Trowa said softly. 'Just to be so comfortable with each other, not to care what anyone is thinking of them…'

'Yeah. I know.' Luckily, our appetisers arrived at this point, so it was easy enough to turn the conversation to food and away from tricky relationship topics.

I really hadn't wanted to go back to Steel, but ... it was OK. As soon as we walked through the door, Zechs swept Wufei on to the dance floor, and then Trowa was whirled off by a well-built blonde guy, leaving me to make my way to the bar and be greeted by a very enthusiastic Leon.

'Hey Duo! I wasn't sure if you'd make it! You look amazing. I don't suppose there's any chance that you'd reconsider what you said the other night?'

It was bloody tempting, just for a few heartbeats, standing there with him wrapped around me and looking at me like that But...he'd seen me the night I'd been with Ben; I'd seen the compassion and concern for me in his eyes and I'm not very good at handling stuff like that unless it's from someone I know really well.

'Duo? Is everything alright?' Oh, perfect, now Trowa had decided I need yet another babysitter to keep me out of trouble.

'Sure, Tro,' Leon and I disentangled ourselves, and I introduced them. 'How about getting some drinks? Leon, you want to serve us?'

Leon took my arm as we walked to the bar. 'Duo, he's gorgeous! Please, tell me he's single?'

'I suppose he is. But he's just come out of a long-term relationship so he's seriously on the rebound.' Yeah, serious enough that he's possibly starting to hit on his friends.

'Well, so am I on the rebound,' Leon bent over to kiss my cheek. 'You don't mind, do you?'

'Nope, I think you two'd be cute together. Go for it!'

Whoever would have thought that Trowa Barton knew how to flirt? But that, believe it or not, was precisely what he was doing, laughing with his head thrown back, and doing some sort of cool flicky-swish thingy with his hair, and Leon, of course, was enraptured, leaning towards him if they were the only two people in the whole universe.

Well, that was a good thing, right?

Since my own personal bar-tender was otherwise engaged, I stood in line at the bar to order an iced tea. It was pretty crowded, and I was just turning away with my drink when I nudged some guy's elbow and managed to knock his glass of beer all over myself.

'Oh, shit, I'm really sorry! Can I get you another drink?' Just perfect, Duo. Spill someone else's beer all over your new shirt. Definitely fits in with the new sophisticated image.

'It's no problem. Really.' Oh. Nice, deep voice, west coast accent. And looking at me like he was happy enough to have sacrificed a beer for the privilege of talking to me. Especially when I took off my sodden, beer-dripping shirt and draped it over one arm. Hmm, so much for keeping covered up. Still, no one, least of all my victim, seemed to be complaining too much.

By the time we'd fought our way back to the bar, gone through the whole ordering process andargued over which of us was going to pay, it seemed like we'd known each other for longer than a few minutes and only natural to sit together at one of the little tables overlooking the dance floor.

'I'm Adam.'

'Duo.' Nice handshake, not the overly macho kind that threatens to squelch bones, or the sort that lingers just that little bit too long. The rest of him was pretty nice too, actually; about my height, the sort of body that gets brought to the gym just the right amount; short, brown curly hair and dark eyes laughing behind really cute spectacles.

'I hadn't imagined it would be so crowded on a week night.'

'It's your first time here then? It's pretty popular all the time, and the band playing tonight always gets a big crowd.'

'First time anywhere, pretty much. I just got transferred here with my job. Really, I'd have preferred to stay in tonight but my best friend from home made me swear I'd go out and do something sociable.'

'By yourself? That's pretty cool.'

'Oh well,' He grinned at me. 'I'd planned to order one drink, down it one gulp and head for home, not to spill it all over someone.'

'No dancing?'

' I could probably be persuaded. If the right person asked me...'

'And if I did?' Take that, Barton. I can do the flirty thing too...

Of course, all my friends were watching all staring as we stood up; Wufei grinning approvingly, Zechs making obscene hand gestures and leering, and Trowa frowning slightly over Leon's shoulder.

Adam was the ideal partner, letting me make all the first moves, letting me be the one to press just that little bit closer and to press my mouth to his. First kisses are usually slightly awkward, aren't they? Well, they are for me anyway; the first time Heero and I kissed, he almost bit my tongue off. But with Adam it was different; so practiced and polished that we could have choreographed it in advance. He was good at picking up my signals too; sensing straightaway that I tensed when he ran a hand over my hair, and practically purred when he stroked the back of my neck. I've no idea what the music was even like, except that it was a shock when they stopped for the interval and people started to leave the dance floor, heading for the bar.

'You want to get another drink? They usually just break for twenty minutes or so..'

'Duo...I really hate to say this, but I should be going. My new boss has some power breakfast meeting planned for tomorrow at eight. Walk me to my car? It's parked in the underground lot.'

'Sure.' He took my hand as we walked through the club and down the stairs like it was the most natural thing in the world and kept holding it as we walked around the parking lot and got to talk properly for the first time.

'Um, Adam, have you forgotten where you parked? I think we've already walked past here a couple of times.'

He bit his lip, looking slightly abashed. 'Actually, we've walked past my car twice. I was just enjoying being with you. And I'd really like to see you again.'