Note: Many thanks to KS, as usual.

Chapter 98/99 – Empty Nest Syndrome:

'Jiang, come!' Wufei gave the command in the clear, calm tones recommended by the dog-training manual.

The puppy, a tiny splodge of honey-tawny fur wriggling at the end of the lead, regarded him solemnly for a moment, and then darted sideways to grab a dangling shoelace.

'No! No chewing!' he said firmly, and shortened the lead, putting a tiny amount of pressure on the puppy's neck, copying the dog trainer he'd watched on TV. 'Come. Good boy.'

Jiang yelped delightedly at this new game, and flung himself up like a yo-yo, bouncing happily.

'No,' Wufei said again, crouching down. 'Sit. There's a good boy. Good Jiang.'

The puppy sat still for precisely one second, and then threw himself onto his back, squirming with joy at so much attention.

'Oh, you.' Wufei sighed, and scooped the little creature up into his arms, laughing when Jiang licked his nose. 'Abominable animal.'

They'd had the puppy for all of three weeks; already, Wufei couldn't imagine life without him. Ridiculously besotted. Unbelievably, he hadn't really wanted a Chow at first, fearing too many memories of his family's dogs, but Jiang was nothing like the dignified, impeccably-trained animals who had guarded temples and halls on L5. The puppy was composed of diabolically destructive tendencies, and an over-flowing bladder, and was utterly adorable.

'You're such a brat,' Wufei scolded lovingly, settling the little creature more securely against his chest, and strolling across the terrace to where Zechs was sitting, laughing at them.

'I don't think I'm cut out to be a dog-trainer,' he said ruefully. 'I can't believe he's so stubborn.'

'Mm, must be a Chinese thing,' Zechs teased, holding out his arms for the puppy. 'Come here, angel. He's just a baby, sweetheart. You can't expect him to do everything perfectly the first time you try.'

'I don't, even though he is exceptionally intelligent,' Wufei huffed; at least, he tried to sound indignant but he melted the minute he looked at his lover cuddling the little dog. He shook his head firmly; it had only taken a couple of days for him to realise that he would have to be the strong one, the disciplinarian, while Zechs crumpled at the first whine. 'You have to stop spoiling him so much, or he'll never learn to behave properly. It says in the book that Chows need to be trained early or they develop all kinds of behaviour problems. We don't want him thinking that he rules the household.'

Zechs laughed, setting Jiang down on the grass, and sitting back down at his easel. 'Don't look now, my darling, but we're already doomed. He already has us both wrapped around his tiniest paw.'

'He has, hasn't he?' Wufei said wryly. They'd started off with so many clear rules they'd both agreed upon; the puppy would stay mostly in the kitchen, at least until he was trained. He wouldn't be allowed on the furniture. He certainly wouldn't be allowed in their bed.

Not one of them had lasted past the first day.

He gave a rueful shake of his head, sitting down on the grass beside Zechs' chair. 'Good lord. How do you think we'll ever cope with a child, if we can't even manage a dog?'

'Oh, children are far easier than pets, everyone knows that. They don't chew things, don't piddle everywhere, don't bite any unwary fingers.'

'We should have got a baby then. Still, I suppose he'll grow out of it.' Wufei reached down to tickle the puppy's ears, and then looked at the latest painting, an ethereal cloudscape in dreamy watercolours

'That's so beautiful, Mil,' he said, meaning it. Since they'd come home, two months ago, Zechs' paintings had all been totally different. No more jagged edges and angles; no loud, violent blocks of primal colour. They were delicate fantasies of clouds and shadows and reflections in clear water.

Daydreams, not echoes of nightmares.

Odd, considering how close they'd come to losing each other

He loved the man with his heart and soul and everything in him, and it had terrified him, and he'd always tried to hold back something, out of sheer self-preservation. He'd made a part of his life which didn't involve Zechs at all, a private sanctuary in his studies and his writing; something that could sustain him if Zechs ever left, because he'd been scared of making Zechs everything in his life.

Somehow, he didn't need to do that anymore.

A week after their return home, he'd had an interview with his Ph. D. supervisor, saying he wanted to postpone the submission of his thesis, and that he had no definite date in mind. She hadn't been too impressed, understandably enough, but at that point he hadn't cared. He'd spent too long shut up in his study, absorbed in the past. Not nearly enough with the man he loved, and he was going to remedy that.

He'd come so close to losing Zechs, and the universe had given him a second chance. He wasn't going to waste any of that.

'You'll have to have an exhibition,' he said idly.

'Around Christmas, perhaps. That's five months.' He dabbled his brush in a puddle of blue paint and then put it down again. 'A baby. Really?'

'Mmm.' It was deliciously warm, in late July, with just an occasional whisper of a breeze from the mountains. He stretched, ending up full-length on the grass, looking at the clouds drifting overhead. 'Didn't we talk about children, months ago?'

'We talked. I wasn't entirely sure how keen you were.'

'I wasn't, really,' Wufei said honestly. It was something Zechs had wanted, so of course he would have gone along with it. After spending time with Nat and the girls, though, and watching his lover with them, he'd started to imagine them having their own family. 'I think, now, I am keen though. It's something I would like, very much. One day.'

'Well, we did say a few years, didn't we?'

'Absolutely.' He had his Ph.D. to finish, first, and then they still had a wedding to plan, although at this point it was more to keep their friends happy than anything else. As far as Wufei was concerned, they'd already made their vows, that awful day on L4. Zechs had even suggested an impromptu honeymoon, but he'd wanted to go home more than spend a couple of weeks on some exotic island.

It had been the right decision, he thought happily, propping himself up one elbow to look at his partner. Just the two of them, in the house Zechs had chosen for him, the house where he'd first told Zechs he loved him.

'Well,' Zechs said, leaning over with his paintbrush to drop a smear of paint on Wufei's nose. 'What's that delicious smile for?'

'You.' Wufei wrinkled his nose, and touched one finger to it. It came away with a cobalt-blue tip. He laughed and flicked it at the other man. Zechs had his hair pulled into a sloppy ponytail, and streaks of paint on his skin, and he was wearing a loose white shirt over his favourite jeans, which were deliciously worn and soft and clung perfectly to all the perfect places and… 'You look like a pirate. A very artistic one.'

'Do I, indeed?' He dabbed a little more colour on the canvas, the faintest stain blooming across his cheekbones. 'Is that a subtle hint that you want me to ravish you?'

Wufei grinned. 'I didn't think I was being all that subtle, to be honest.'

'I see.' He replaced the brush carefully in its jar, and then he was on the grass beside Wufei in a swirl of gilt hair and white linen.

'You've become horribly demanding lately, love,' he teased. 'I should have known, once you got the ring on your finger.'

'I haven't actually got a wedding ring,' Wufei pointed out reasonably. He looked down at his left hand though, at the exquisite ancient treasure on his ring finger.

'Mmm,' Zechs reached out and cupped his chin in one paint-spattered hand. 'We'll have to remedy that at some point. When we don't have anything more…pressing to attend to.'

Wufei shivered. Pressing, yes. Very. He had Zechs sitting over him, and certain matters were emphatically pressing and…

'Oh. Sorry, guys. Is this a bad time?' Duo asked.

'Yes, actually.' Zechs tightened his arm around Wufei's waist, stopping him from pulling away. 'Duo, darling, lovely to see you but we're in the middle of something. I don't suppose you could come back in an hour. Or maybe two.'

'Fuck off, Merquise,' Duo glared at him, and Wufei jerked free, jumping up and catching his best friend in a tight hug.

'Are you all right? What's wrong? Why didn't you let us know you were coming? We could have come and met you.'

'No, I'm bloody well not all right,' Duo muttered. 'I've left Heero, and I'm sorry if that inconveniences your love life, Zechs. It's not much fun for me either, if you're interested.'

'It was inevitable, I suppose,' Zechs said airily. 'All right, my love. You win. I never dreamed he'd last this long.'

'Excuse me?' Duo spluttered.

'You and Heero,' the prince explained. 'We had a little bet between us on how long it would take before you came running back home.'

Duo flushed. 'Screw you. I did not come running back, for your information. Great to see that my so-called best friends are having a laugh about my love life, though. Like, it's not remotely important that my heart is broken.'

'It wasn't a bet!' Wufei said defensively. They'd certainly talked about it, wondering when they'd have a row bad enough for Duo to come home, but things had seemed to be going so well. Communicating even, although some of that seemed to take the form of loud arguments. After the third week, he'd let himself hope that maybe they'd work it out, this time. Even Quatre seemed to think so.

'Well, it was maybe more of a discussion than an actual wager,' Zechs allowed. 'You don't look terribly heart-broken, Duo. You look rather well, actually.'

It was true, Wufei realised. Duo looked fine. He had a lightly glowing tan, and he was dressed more smartly than his usual baggy, black outfits in fitted jeans and a snug, midnight-blue shirt, just a few shades darker than his eyes.

He looked nothing at all like he had looked before, the last time he and Heero had broken up, lost and broken, just mildly irritated at Zechs' teasing.

Zechs sprawled backwards on the grass and looked him over appraisingly. 'I assume we have Heero to thank for the new fashion sense. Very nice.'

'Mil!' Wufei reached down and poked him in the side. Hard. 'We're married. You're not allowed to do that anymore.'

'But he's taken,' Zechs protested. 'It doesn't count.'

'I am not fucking taken,' Duo snapped.

'Oh, Duo.' Zechs shook his head, allowing an utterly filthy smile to spread over his face. 'You most certainly are. I must say, getting laid on a regular basis really suits you. Heero's obviously doing some things right.'

'Shut up, Merquise.' Duo made a face at him, and bent to pick up the puppy. 'I forgot you guys got a dog. He's cute. Jiang, right? Hey, baby. So, doesn't look like you've been missing me too much.'

'Of course we did,' Wufei protested. 'Every day! But we have been rather preoccupied with Jiang.'

'Great. Just great,' Duo groused. 'You've replaced me with a dog.'

'A very expensive one,' Zechs assured him. 'Intelligent, too.'

'Tell us about what happened with Heero,' Wufei invited.

'I told you. It's over. I left him. Didn't you get that part? End of.'

Zechs leaned up and gave his braid a quick tug. 'Stop playing to the gallery, Maxwell. You can't really do grand tragedy. Now, what did you do?'

'Oh, that's charming. Of course, it just has to be my fault, whatever happened. Thanks for the vote of confidence.'

'I'm sure it's not all your fault,' Zechs said brightly. 'Considering Yuy is a hopeless workaholic with limited social skills and no sense of humour.'

'He does so have a sense of humour,' Duo flashed. 'Better than you anyway. And he has social skills. Some.'

'There you are,' Wufei said, trying not laugh. 'Defending him. I hardly think it's as over as you think. And you came straight to the first place he'll look for you.'

'Yes, it's going to be exhausting,' Zechs agreed. 'I suppose he's bound to storm up sooner or later, looking for you, and trying to drag you back to Italy by the hair. And we'll get caught in the middle of it all when we're just trying to have a peaceful life.'

'It's over,' Duo said sullenly. 'I keep telling you.'

'Nonsense,' Wufei said briskly. 'You had some sort of petty argument over something that was probably quite insignificant, and you both presumably said some silly things, and you ran away because it's what you do.'

'I did not run away. I …made a strategic retreat.'

'Yes, yes,' Wufei agreed. 'As Zechs said, you came to us and of course that's where he'll come after you. It was inevitable, you know,' he added, more gently. 'And perfectly normal. It's been a month now; you're over the novelty of it all, and starting to live with the practicalities. It's probably no harm for you to take a little break away from each other.'

'Just a pity your timing was so bad,' Zechs chipped in.

'You're not helping, dearest,' Wufei scolded fondly. 'Mil, go away, will you? Maybe you could get us some drinks? And perhaps a snack? I'm sure Duo's starving.'

Zechs got up obediently, and gave Duo a hug. 'You see what he's like? More demanding than ever, I'm afraid. Are you all right? Really?'

Duo shrugged. 'Yeah. I guess. Thanks.' They both watched the blond walk off, and then Duo wandered over to the easel. 'This is amazing. I know he did stuff like this for the girls, back in Italy, but I never thought he'd keep it up.'

Wufei nodded. 'So far, anyway. Now, tell me what's wrong?'

'God, 'Fei. How many times do I have to say it?'

'You can stop being so ridiculous about the whole thing,' Wufei ordered. 'Honestly, Duo. Of course it was going to be difficult to begin with. Every relationship has teething problems; you know that perfectly well. You've got so much history, and then you were apart for years; it was never going to be easy.'

'I know.' Duo sat down on the grass, in front of the painting, resting his chin on his knees. 'I know, OK? But all we do is have rows. And this isn't the first time I've left.'

'You know that's not true,' Wufei said bracingly. 'You've had some wonderful times with him in the last few weeks. And even if you did walk out a couple of times, you went back to him. It's what couples do. Gods, you were there for me and Mil, from the very beginning. Precisely how many times did I say I never wanted to see him again?'

'It's not the same,' Duo muttered. 'You guys, yeah, OK, you were always blowing up over stuff, but it was pretty damn obvious from the start that you were meant to be together. That it was going to work.'

'Was it really so obvious?' Wufei shrugged. 'I certainly didn't think so. The first time we met, he was hitting on you. Our first date was a disaster, until the very end. You forced me to go, and I was sure he only wanted to get closer to you. That day in China was a nightmare at the start. I think we spent the first couple of months doing nothing but argue.'

'And making up,' Duo reminded him, grinning and pretending to fan himself. 'All that scorching passion. Zowee!'

'Some making up,' Wufei assented. 'The thing is, Duo, we took it slowly. It was months before I even stayed a night at his apartment. You and Heero, you've just jumped straight into living together.'

'Yeah, I guess.' Duo bent over the little dog in his lap, tickling his tummy and laughing at Jiang's squirms. 'But, come on, it's not like we haven't lived together before. What else were we going to do? I moved to Italy to be with him, not to rent my own place and see him a couple of times a week.'

Wufei crouched down beside him. 'It might have given you both a little space, just to get used to each other.'

'We are used to each other! We lived together for a year, pretty much, after the war.'

Wufei lifted an eyebrow at him. 'When Heero wasn't away on missions, or you weren't travelling with him, or on L4 with Quatre. You didn't exactly spend a lot of time together, did you? Listen, Duo. We were lucky, Mil and I. We met, I think, at precisely the right time in both our lives.' He looked at the watercolour, the glow of pink in the puffed clouds. When they had met…Wufei had got over leaving Preventers, had accepted his sexuality, had even dated a few men. Had made a life and a home for himself with Duo, before embarking on a proper relationship.

'If we'd met during the war, we'd probably have ended up killing each other. I think. When we did meet, we were both ready. You and Heero were so young, and then after the war, I think we all fell apart, didn't we? In our own ways?'

'I guess. It is better now, honest. It's just kind of….it's great when he's around. Mostly. But he's not, a lot of the time, and…'

'You're bored?' Wufei guessed, grinning at Duo's expression. 'That's hardly surprising, is it? Come on, Duo, be honest. I hardly think walking Heero's dog, and a weekly Italian class are enough to occupy you.'

'Yeah, I dunno.' He pulled up a few blades of grass, and began to pull them apart. 'I suppose I'm still not sure what I want to do when I grow up. Heero said I could maybe look at doing some sort of counselling. You know, kids who've been abused and stuff.'

'That's the most insensitive thing I've ever heard!'

'You think? Sort of, maybe. It was kind of nice that he thought I'd be able to do it, though. Like he had that much faith in me, that I could help people. I'd have to do some kind of course first, I guess.'

'You're not doing anything of the sort,' Wufei said firmly. 'If that's the sort of thing, Heero wants you to do, then maybe it's better that you're not with him.

'It was just an idea,' Duo said quietly. 'You're probably right. God, it's nice to be back, 'Fei. I forgot how amazing it is here.'

'Florence is beautiful too.'

'Yeah. But it's a city. I miss the country. Heero did mention maybe looking for a house in the countryside a few weeks ago, but he hasn't said anything since. It'd be kind of awkward for him, having to commute.'

Wufei shook his head. 'Duo, he'd move to Mars if you suggested it. I don't think he'd mind having to commute.'

Duo grinned faintly. 'It's just…. Things are kind of up in the air, you know? I don't want him selling his house and uprooting everything, and then if it doesn't work out with us, he'd be stuck with this place out in the sticks, that he bought for my sake. That wouldn't be fair on him.'

'Hmm. Maybe it isn't entirely fair on him either that you're so determined not to make any sort of commitment.'

'Who's not ready to make commitments?' Zechs asked, walking over. 'Duo? Surely not?'

He set his tray down on the grass, and scooped up Jiang. 'That's human food, not for puppies. 'Fei, have you asked Duo about tonight? If he wants to come, we'll need to call and see if they have any extra tickets.'

'Oh, the exhibition! I'd forgotten all about it. We could cancel, I suppose,' he offered, hoping he didn't sound quite as half-hearted as he sounded. 'Or maybe try to get an extra ticket and bring Duo with us.'

'That thing at the museum?' Duo asked rather thickly, through a mouthful of sandwich. 'The exhibition of Chinese manuscripts you were telling me about? The first night, you've got special tickets and stuff? No, it's cool, you guys go. Not really my thing.'

'Nonsense,' Wufei said staunchly. 'We couldn't leave you here alone on your first night back. We wouldn't dream of it.'

'Honest, it's fine. Really, it's not something I'd be into, and I know you were looking forward to it.'

'Well, if you really don't mind?' Wufei looked at Zechs who just shrugged.

'He's just said he doesn't. Actually, if Duo's sure he's happy to stay here, he can puppy-sit, and we can go in earlier and have dinner first. And possibly go somewhere after.'

'Why not? I'm pretty wrecked, seriously,' Duo faked a giant yawn, and laughed. 'Jet lag and all. I can get to know Jiang a bit, right? Then I'll probably just go to bed and crash. What? Why are you guys looking like that?'

'It's nothing!' Wufei said hastily. 'We've just been storing some things in your room, but it won't take any time at all to clear them out. Jiang tends to chew anything and everything, so we had to put a lot of stuff away.'

'You had to use my room?' Duo demanded. 'It's a massive house; you couldn't have used somewhere else without using my room as a junk store?'

'I'm sorry, but it was convenient, being on the ground floor, it just meant we didn't have to haul things upstairs.'

'If you'd bothered to tell us you were moving back home, we'd have moved everything out,' Zechs said.

'FYI, I haven't moved back. I'm visiting. For a while. I thought I might go and see Quat and Tro, next. They keep inviting me; they actually want me to visit. They might even be glad to see me, not like some people.'

'We're overwhelmed with rapture to see you,' Zechs declared extravagantly, picking up one of Jiang's paws and waving it. 'Isn't it obvious? Even if your timing was as inconvenient as always. It's going to superb having a resident puppy-minder. Dogs are wonderful but they are rather a tie.'

'Oh, just fuck off, you, and I hope your damn dog pisses on you.' Duo grinned at him. 'Thanks for the food, that was great. I'll go dump my stuff, assuming I can get into my own damn room.'

Zechs gave him a critical glance. 'Well, you've maybe put on a little weight – all that pasta and gelato, obviously – but you should manage to squeeze in the door, if you breathe in.'

'Thanks.' Duo said, very dry.

Zechs laughed and grabbed him, giving him a smacking kiss on one cheek. 'It's wonderful to have you back.'

'Live-in dogsbody?' Duo quipped. 'See you guys in a bit.'

Wufei watched him walk into the house, and turned to Zechs. 'You were a little hard on him, weren't you? It can't be easy on him, if he really has left Heero.'

'Of course he hasn't,' Zechs said dismissively. 'And you were exceptionally forbearing. I thought you'd want us both on the first flight to Italy, to beat Heero up.'

'Oh, well. I think maybe I've been infected by Quat's new resolutions not to try to solve other people's problems. They can work it out themselves.'

'Exactly. They're a pair of idiots, they had a row; I suppose we'll have Yuy here at any moment, banging doors all over the place until he starts banging Duo to shut him up. Excellent tactic, and I imagine he'd have plenty of staying power. Not,' he added quickly, 'that I've ever had two thoughts about anything like that.

'I most certainly hope not,' Wufei stated, 'although, knowing you, I doubt it. Mil, do you really think he's all right.'

'Well, he looks all right.' Zechs' eyes danced. 'Considerably more than all right, really. You said it yourself; they had some sort of disagreement and Duo ran off because it's what he does, and then probably regretted it the minute his 'plane took off. He's probably inside now, calling Heero. Now. We, my darling, have some unfinished business to take care of, and I think that's more of a priority. Yes?'