Pairings: Duo/Heero, Quatre/Trowa

Warnings: possibilities of later violence, supernatural stuff, kinky moments, guns...um...gundams?

Author's comment: Honestly, I'll admit there will be a double post this weekend. I have at least five chapters written up, including this one.

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Operation Blank Conspiracy 20

Time: 14:55

Heero looked down at the phone, checking it for what felt like the twentieth time. In his mind he wasn't really expecting Duo to show up. For one thing, the words had been tossed out in a spur of the moment. It wasn't like Duo was given that much time to really think about it.

The other thing was Duo's fear of nurses. Sure just suggesting Duo go was one thing. But Duo just going to something he quite clearly had a phobia of was something else altogether. And Heero honestly didn't want to think of what would happen if Duo did start going crazy with fear.

When Heero looked at his watch again, he frowned seeing it was now 15:03. A part of him felt frustrated at the whole situation. Duo was probably still with Wufei doing heaven knows what. Wufei would be leaving tomorrow for a mission. He was probably opting to stay there for that reason. Duo had no real obligations towards Heero or Heero towards him aside from the training.

At 15:05 he left out of his room letting it auto lock behind him. Duo was nowhere in sight on either side of the hallway. It wasn't like Heero could just call him up and ask him either. They really needed to invest in getting him a cellphone. He did think about calling Wufei to see where Duo was but he opted out of that. He really wasn't too…keen on talking to the man right now. It wasn't like he had anything against him except maybe the fact that he focused on Duo more than Heero felt he should.

He was still hesitant as he headed to the elevator pushing the button still subconsciously glancing around for the other male. Nothing. There was not a sign of the other male at all. The elevator dinged before opening up and he waited for the few people inside to step out before he stepped in pressing for the first floor. Maybe he'd gotten his hopes up that Duo would go with him. Though why he even cared at all what Duo did was beyond him. He hated admitting it to himself, but he wanted Duo to be there with him and not staying around Wufei. He wanted Duo close by his side where he could keep an eye on him.

As the doors were closing, a hand quickly reached in stopping the doors and forcing them to open again as the braided boy with vibrant indigo eyes squeezed inside with him. Heero found himself staring at him in surprise, really having not expected the other to come. The door closed behind him and Heero found himself enveloped with the scent of body wash and Duo Maxwell. He could see that Duo's hair was still damp and that the hair had been braided up quickly but messily as if he'd been rushing. He smelled good and it was literally punching Heero's body into reacting to it. There were many things he could do to Duo Maxwell right here in this elevator with only the two of them inside. Why was he even thinking about this?

"Sorry I'm late," Duo said smiling at him and making his heart beat faster just that easily. His cheeks were still flushed from his shower and the imagery was killing Heero's imagination. Heero glanced down taking in the sight of the new shoes he'd bought for Duo and he felt like something warmed up inside of him seeing the other wearing them. They really did look good on him.

"It's fine," Heero said. His body relieved by having the other there close to him. He had to admit, the nurse was right about one thing. Being near Duo more did make his anxiety go down. It had nothing to do with being lovesick. But he did like that Duo trusted him enough to want to go with him to a place he really despised. He hoped this all worked out.

Heero didn't say anything else and the door opened with a ding signaling them to get off and for others waiting right outside to get on. He got off first before starting towards the nurse's station. He did glance behind him to reassure himself that Duo was present since the other's footfalls were so silent. His eyes looked nervous even though he showed more determination in his expression.

Duo's eyes still had a startling glow to them that made Heero swallow when they looked at him. But he didn't look away, forcing himself to keep staring. They were really getting easier to look at and he found himself starting to look forward to seeing those eyes more.

"I'll protect you," Heero said watching how Duo's eyes widened before Heero looked way to lead them inside smirking to himself as he thought about that surprised look. He really did like causing that kind of facial expression to appear on Duo's face. And he noticed he was seeing it a lot more lately along with other things that Duo tried to keep hidden.

He swore he could feel Duo tensing up behind him and moving closer to him. He didn't voice complaint when Duo reached down and held his hand tightly though he did feel his face heat up. It wasn't like the two times that Heero had grabbed Duo and forced him to join him in the hallway. This time Duo was holding his hand voluntarily. In that grip, he could feel that Duo trusted him on this. He couldn't let him down.

There were a few giggles and stares from the female staff around the office. Heero didn't really have a problem with it himself but when he felt Duo's hand trembling he frowned then glared around the room at the nurses until they looked away. The action seemed to stop the trembles though the grip was still pretty firm.

Nurse Sicily was sitting there like she'd been expecting him. Of course he'd called her ahead of time to let her know when he was coming and that he had a guest. Despite that, she still seemed surprised though amused to see Duo standing with Heero. She especially seemed to get some joy out of looking at their linked hands.

She was dressed casually, as was Heero's suggestion. It seemed to be working well since Duo relaxed enough to let his hand go. He didn't seem to recognize the nurse at all, which was a good thing though a bit odd. That reminded him that Duo hadn't mentioned that kiss at all. Had he forgotten everything that happened last night? He must have if he couldn't even remember that he had scratched Quatre up earlier.

Heero found himself brushing his fingers against his lips again, completely missing how Duo was watching him curiously. He could still remember the kiss himself perfectly well. He hated to admit it but he'd liked it, the softness against his lips. It just frustrated him to know that Duo didn't remember it at all. Then again, did he really want him to remember that?

Then it dawned on him. Things he was going to be talking about with Sicily pertained to Duo. He'd have to be careful what he said around the braided one and hope Sicily would do the same.

"So," Sicily said waiting until Heero sat up on the table before continuing. "How have your conditions been since last time?"

"They've improved," Heero said glancing over at Duo who was standing beside him who lifted a brow at the words. He was no doubt wondering what kind of conditions he had. "The chest pain seems to be becoming less extreme now."

"And you're facing this problem eye to eye huh?"

"…Yes." Sicily slid forward on the stool taking the stethoscope and pressing it to Heero's chest under the shirt. It was cold on his otherwise hot skin but he didn't flinch.

"Uh…what is that thing?" Duo asked eyeing it.

"It's a listening device called at stethoscope," she said smiling at him kindly. "It lets me listen to his heartbeat to see if anything sounds irregular." She pulled the ear tips from her ears and holding the device out to him. "Want to hear what Heero's heart sounds like?" Heero gave her a hard look but she just smiled at him innocently. He understood what she was doing. Getting Duo used to the items and what they did would make it less scary and mysterious when it came time for them to be used on him. But he didn't like the fact that she was using him in the midst of it.

"Hm…I guess." Duo frowned but he looked more than a little intrigued. Well Heero wasn't surprised Duo wasn't familiar with these things. The guy stayed away from doctors and probably didn't even attempt to research anything about them. He'd seen enough in his captivity.

Duo reached out his hand pausing in hesitation before he grabbed the ear tips.

"Here," she said moving out of the stool for him. "Sit here. It's easier when you're in front of him. Just be careful how you move around, they can hurt you ears if you're bumping it against things too loudly." It was obvious what other things Sicily was plotting as she stood to the side observing them both and grabbing her clipboard. Heero wasn't just here for his own benefit. Duo was, in a way, being seeing as a patient as well.

But Heero lost track of all of that when he saw Duo sitting in front of him holding the end of the stethoscope up looking like a lost child that was waiting for guidance. "So," Duo said looking at Sicily. "I just need to stick this under his shirt?"

Duo seemed to hesitate and looked at Heero who probably looked like he wanted to bite someone's head off. When Heero saw Duo was looking at him with that unsure look, he sighed ignoring the heat in his cheeks and lifted his shirt up. This was to help him get over his fears of doctors. Heero would have to suck it up and ignore his own discomforts.

He still has bruising on his chest from the last time they had trained together, though it was starting to lighten up some. For a moment, a worried look passed over Duo's eyes before he sighed and leaned forward resting the metal on Heero's chest. Heero tensed slightly, cursing his heart for beating so fast.

"What do you hear?" the middle-aged nurse asked leaning closer to them.

"Beating," Duo said pupils wide in amazement. "It's beating faster."

"Is that so?" And she gave Heero a look before mouthing the words, 'lovesick.'

"Hn." Heero pointedly looked away in stubbornness. She didn't know what she was talking about. Delusional was the word that came to mind. Well she was getting up in years.

"And you use this flashlight to see up his nose and ears to look for fluids." Heero lowered his shirt barely listening when the two started going off on a tangent. He was just glad that at least half this torture was over with. He'd just have to wait on them to finish so he could get out of here.

"Whoa, cool!" He was glad that Duo seemed to get along with the nurse. But he hadn't banked on there being some sort of school lesson to keep him here longer. This was getting annoying fast.

"…so we use this to….and then this is for…and this is…and this…"

"Wow really? ...cool…oh awesome…eh…don't want that near…uh huh…"

"…checks colds, coughing, sneezing…"

"…yeah?"

"...upset stomach, dizziness, nausea…"

"…I see…hm…"

"…and therapy for lovesick people."

"Huh? Really? You do that too?"

Wait…what was that?

Heero tuned himself back into the conversation at the last few words. Duo's face had this sort of oh look to it while Sicily was smiling and glanced innocently at Heero who knew better by now. He'd been teased plenty of times to know.

"So glad to have you back in the conversation, Heero," she said it as if she knew he'd zoned out. Then she was turning her attention to Duo again who lifted his brow at the exchange. "Some people come to me for nonmedical reasons like family problems, past fears, relationship problems, and lovesickness."

"Lovesickness too?"

"Yeah…though some people won't admit to being lovesick despite all the evidences pointing to it." She gave Heero a sideways glance. Heero just sniffed and glared at her in return.

The glance was long enough that Duo caught sight of it and Heero saw Duo swallow hard. Damn that nurse. Now she was starting to put things in Duo's head too. It wasn't like he needed Duo imagining things about him as well. He already had that problem with Quatre.

"…What kind of medical problem does Heero have?" he asked staring at Heero before looking back at the nurse. Things were getting awkward again and Heero swore he wanted to punch his heart for beating harder. He gave the nurse a look as if trying to make her to keep her mouth shut. He was pretty sure it wasn't going to work.

"Anxiety attacks," Nurse Sicily said not missing a beat and Heero mentally sighed with relief. Good, he was still safe for now. "Tough guys like this don't have lovesickness." But she still gave Heero a look as if to say that he did.

"Yeah," Duo said then laughed a bit rubbing at his drying hair and glancing away from them. It was a nervous kind of laugh that made Heero wonder what Duo's expectations had been. Was he hoping that Heero would be lovesick? No, that'd be impossible. "Course tough guys don't usually have anxiety attacks either, right?"

Duo glanced at Heero after he'd said it as if wanting confirmation for his question. Heero glanced away when he found the eyes on him and grunted.

"Hn." Heero hopped down from the table looking at the nurse. This wasn't any of Duo's business to begin with anyway. He was only supposed to come and observe, not become the nurse's assistant in analyzing his symptoms.

"We're done here, Heero," Sicily said knowing what he wanted by the look. "Try to come back again tomorrow." She looked at Duo again smiling. "Will you be coming back as well?"

"I'll uh…think on it," Duo said before smiling. "You're definitely…different from what I expected."

"So are you," she said smiling. "You're definitely different from yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Duo blinked confused before frowning. "Right, I heard about that. I guess I must have blacked out or something when it all happened."

"Ah, so then you know about how Heero ki-"

"He doesn't need to know about that," Heero interrupted cutting her off just in time. She covered her mouth actually looking apologetic about the outburst. Heero, on the other hand, felt like his skin was getting cold with how Duo was looking at him.

"Heero's key?" Duo blinked in confusion staring at him before frowning. His look demanded an answer, one that he couldn't give the male. "What do I not need to know about? Did someone do something to me?" The confusion turned from a look of disgust to a more anxious look. He saw Duo lick his lips nervously and Heero moved his fingers up to his own lips. Duo was watching him staring at him with muddled eyes making the brunette blush and lower his hand quickly.

"It's none of your concern," Heero said glaring at them though he couldn't fight the blush down on his face. He was pretty sure that Duo had seen the blush this time. Duo was staring at him like he was close to solving some hidden mystery. The way he was staring at Heero was only making the blush more noticeable. Turning away quickly, Heero pressed the back of his hand to his mouth cursing his body's reaction to the look. His heart was drumming hard in his chest and he literally forced his legs to move as he exited out the door.

He heard someone call his name but continued walking not willing to take a chance on looking back. He couldn't when he was like this. He hated feeling like this? He had no control over it and it just seemed to get worse when he was around Duo. He kept walking until he could calm himself down. And he was surprised how long it took him to make that happen. At least ten minutes. He needed to be calm if he planned to meet with Duo tonight for training.

He didn't expect to bump into Wufei again and frowned when the other just gestured with his head that he wanted to be followed. Heero almost went the other way just to spite him. But he followed anyway, more out of curiosity than anything.

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"That boy…" Duo frowned looking at the nurse when she spoke. She looked amused and it only made Duo even more suspicious. Heero had given a pretty cold shoulder before he left so why would she be amused by that. And the way he held his hand to his mouth like he was going to be sick was very odd and troubling for the young male. He was even avoiding Duo's eyes when it happened. Then there were the undeniable red cheeks that showed that Heero either had a fever or he was sick with love.

….Lovesick? No, that wasn't it. That had to be out of the question. Still the thought lingered there in the back of Duo's mind. He wasn't stupid…even though when it came to love and relationships involving his own wellbeing he didn't catch on quick. But he was talking about Heero here. Heero was the type of person that he just couldn't see getting close to someone, even if he himself didn't mind the idea of getting closer to him.

But if Heero really was lovesick…who was he lovesick over? Well it obviously wasn't him. He quickly cut himself out of the equation and started to think about Heero's interactions with the others. Well…he seemed pretty mellow around Quatre. Trowa too, it seemed. And Wufei…he seemed like he'd been hanging around Wufei a bit more lately. Like how they had been when they were at lunch today. They stared at each other like there was jealousy there.

Now that he thought about it, the both of them buying Duo something…did it have something to do with making each other jealous? Were they trying to get each other's attention by using Duo as the middle man? Were they past lovers that wanted to get back together by making each other jealous?

They did it before back on L2. It was like the two of them were always at it about something. It was like watching some husband and wife act where they start arguing with each other and then get back together again. Except this time, Duo was in the middle of them of starting their relationship up again.

He felt like his cheeks were heating up as he thought more on it. No way…no way no way! Did he just happen to appear in the middle of some soap opera drama between two guys who wanted to be together without realizing they did? Was he witnessing with his own eyes, this belligerent sexual tension? Argh! He used both his hands rubbing at his cheeks ignoring the weird look the nurse gave him.

Well there was no way that Duo was going to stand for being the middle guy! They could have just asked him for his advice if they wanted to. He just so happened to be very good at match making. But he wouldn't let them know he'd caught on to their little plans. No, he was going to guide them down the right path. Even if it meant giving up on Heero, whom he never had a chance with anyway, it must have meant that Wufei and Heero were meant to be together. Oh god, the mental image of the two of them naked and making out was just too much for his virgin mind. Why was he even thinking about that?

"Nurse!"

"Sicily's fine," she said smiling at him. "Is something wrong?"

"I think I figured it out," Duo said having this look of determination on his face as he stared up at her. She didn't turn away…but he was almost certain she wasn't looking at his eyes to begin with. Some people were good at that, finding some other part of his face to look at like his forehead. Heero and Wufei were both different with that. They were able to look him straight in the eyes without flinching. The thought of that made his heart pound and reminded him that he wasn't supposed to be thinking like that about these two lovebirds.

"I think Heero really is lovesick," he continued, looking up at her with his red cheeks.

"Oh?" She tilted her head to the side a little. "So you know who it is he likes then?" Bingo! So Heero really was lovesick! She was literally admitting to it herself.

"Yeah I think I have an idea of it," Duo said his cheeks a little red just thinking about it. How did those two even have a relationship together? It sounded like just about the oddest pairing he'd ever heard of. Then again, the idea of him with Heero must have seemed odd as well. "I'm going to fix everything. Then Heero won't feel so sick anymore."

"That sounds like a good idea. I think you're the only one that can do it."

"Yeah," Duo said smiling. "I'm the only one who can help them now."

"…Them?"

"So I'll see ya tomorrow, nurse, uh…Sicily. I've got a relationship to mend."

"Duo wait-" He was already out the door before she could stop him. He was going to try talking to the two of them and see what it was he needed to do to make them literally kiss and make up. Something in the back of his mind was telling him he was wrong, but his goal was already in front of him and he ignored the little voice. He knew what he was doing. He couldn't have Heero being like this, even though the thought of him being with Wufei didn't sit well with him.

He was about to walk past an empty storage room in the hallway when he heard voices and pressed himself flat against the wall by the door, frowning. It sounded like Heero and Wufei. They were meeting in secret? What could they be talking about? He seriously wished he was able to tap into the cameras here. He'd be able to see exactly what he wanted by now. But it seemed like every electronic thing here had that weird code he couldn't seem to bypass.

"…the hell are you up to, Heero?" Wufei was talking. Though his voice was low like he was trying to keep from being too loud, he was still speaking heatedly. "Why would you even suggest taking Duo to that place knowing how much he hates it?"

"He needs to adjust to it someday," Heero said in return sounding somehow just as mad. "Besides, everything went fine."

"I asked you this before but you never gave me an answer. Are you getting jealous now because Duo spends more time with me?" There was a pause, one that made Duo want to peek his head around the corner to see what was happening. But then again he'd be caught if he did that. This was it. This was just the information he needed to know what was going on with the two.

"And I told you before that's none of your business."

"It's plenty of my business if it involves you and Duo. Your actions lately have been very suspicious and I worry that you may be plotting something no one else knows about."

"This is coming from someone who spends far more time with Duo than I do. Are we done yet?"

"No we are not done yet! While I'm on this mission, I want you to keep your distance from Duo. I don't know what your motive is but I won't have it while I'm not here! Furthermore, I won't let you just-stop walking away while I'm talking to you!"

Oh crap!

Heero stepped out of the room before Duo even had a chance to move. Duo was sure he had the guiltiest look on his face. Heero looked up just taking notice of him and blinked staring at him obviously surprised to see him. Duo, on the other hand, felt like his cheeks were hot to the touch and started stammering out some random excuse.

"I uh…that is…um…t-toilet! Yeah, just looking for the toilet!" Heero didn't say anything, just staring at him before he lifted up his hand and pointed towards the bathroom…which Duo had apparently passed two doors ago. "Oh, what do you know? It's right there…ah…heh heh…I'll uh…" Duo started backing himself away moving in the direction of the bathroom. "Toilet…and…so yeah." He ducked his head quickly and turned rushing into the restroom.

His heart was thundering against his chest as he rushed to the sink and literally reached down clutching it tight. What the hell just happened?! One minute he was standing there listening in to the conversation like some hidden paparazzi, and in the next he was making an excuse to escape from said eavesdropping. This was going to make training later so weird! It wasn't like he couldn't skip out of it. It was part of his agreement to becoming a Preventer. Not to mention he'd already skipped two training practices, one of which was with Heero.

Ah! How the hell was he going to get himself out of this one? And he still needed to talk to the others about the party! He still had time. Maybe he could take care of talking to Quatre and Trowa before his training with Heero. Geez, what was he going to do about that? Wait…maybe if he texted him and told him he wasn't feeling good.

…Naturally the only number he had in his phone was Wufei's. And after what just happened, he wasn't planning on calling him if he could avoid it. Argh! Would Heero even look at his phone if Duo texted him from an unknown number? Would Heero even look at it if it was from Duo?

By the time he left out of the bathroom he was exhausted. He'd come up with the perfect plan to get Heero to let him off the hook on training today. Now he just needed to run by the store and buy some supplies. Ugh, there goes his dinner money. But it'd be worth it if it let him avoid more of these awkward moments with Heero.

TBC…

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Hope you enjoyed the update.