Note: A reminder that there will occasionally be phrases used by characters that are not spoken in English. I've written it to flow with context, and recommend waiting until the end to get those translations if you need them.

Also I was sick last night and I'm running on an hour of sleep, so if my morning re-read for edits isn't up to par, I apologize.

Chapter 62: Trajectories

"You work well with us, Maxwell. Would love you have you available full time."

The knowing tone in Zechs' voice once they were out of his car made Duo aggravated. Did everyone know about Une's job offer? Was his friend choosing to ignore the heated discussion that just happened in his vehicle? Zechs was not a stupid man. He had to know part of Duo's rant included his resentment for taking the job to guard Relena. It was obvious he accepted it just to put his friend's mind at ease. There was no way Zechs didn't pick up on that after the way Duo lost his cool and yelled about emotional labor.

In response he shot the older man a look dripping with sarcasm, but Zechs only smiled and moved on to clear out his team and secure the area.

Smug bastard.

A hand on his good shoulder startled Duo and he jumped a little only to find Trowa standing just behind him. When he turned on his phone he had multiple texts from Trowa, each with increasing urgency. In person he seemed much more calm.

"Follow me. You can debrief while you see a doctor." The taller man tilted his head in the direction of an ambulance.

Duo frowned. "Do I have to?"

In response Trowa simply mimed nudging his injured shoulder and Duo complied. There was no doubt he needed something better than a shirt to brace his arm and it wouldn't hurt to double check he didn't have a concussion. The two walked in silence to the open doors of the ambulance and Duo sat on the back of the rig while he was examined. Trowa remained only a few steps away. It was just enough to let the medical team work but not far enough to give any real distance. He was worried about Duo since the falling out with Heero and it made him protective.

Duo was tough and could survive anything. Trowa had no doubts about that. But it was increasingly important to him over the last eight months that Duo not need to be so strong. He wanted his friend to know that backup was available and he could turn over the reigns to someone else from time to time.

When Wufei found them nearly an hour later, Duo's arm was in a much more stable brace, and the paramedics were getting ready to take him away.

"You're still here? They didn't take you to the hospital already?"

"Nope!" The smile on Duo's face was like he won the lottery. "Ramirez said I got a good bump on my head but no concussion. Arm's properly affixed to me now and will make my life miserable for a while but it should be fine. They want me to get an x-ray within the next 24 hours and maybe an MRI to make sure all that soft tissue's doing what it needs to, bein all soft and the like."

Wufei looked at him suspiciously. "Maxwell you know as well as I do that you'll be in a sling for a few weeks and then physical therapy much longer. You're looking at up to six months before your function returns to normal."

The smile on Duo's face did not falter. "Yeah, I know. But I also know I heal up pretty fast so I'm hopin it'll be a whole lot faster than that." He eyed Wufei up and down. "You look really good in that Preventers uniform. Handsome. Almost my type, but not quite. Can't get past the whole—" he gestured up and down at Wufei "thing. I dunno. But I see why Sally digs ya."

Wufei was taken aback. "What?"

"But maybe lose the ponytail. She ever tell ya to lose it?" His eyes bugged and he leaned forward precariously from his perch on the rig. "Or do you only let your hair down for your lady?" Something about that delighted him because Duo started giggling, covering his mouth with his free hand.

Wufei looked to Trowa, who was equally concerned. He hadn't been paying too close attention to Duo in the last half hour while he was making plans with his team and wrapping up their lockdown. "Are you okay? You're acting... off."

"I'm a delight! Ask anyone! It's you guys who are downers. You two get a shitty missions as punishment for botching your last assessments or somethin? We got Oz on the run, and we're all in the same place for once. I bet we'll even be in the same safe house a while. I dunno why the mood is so serious."

He frowned at their blank facial expressions and looked away, spotting one of the medics. Duo waved her over, and once she was nearby he leaned closer to her and exclaimed loudly "¡Ramirez! Estoy atascado con el payaso y el departamento de justicia. ¿Dónde está el señor guapo? Tiene ojos como el mar..." As Duo trailed off, staring into the sky, Wufei pulled the medic aside.

"What did you give him?"

The woman tensed. "Just something mild for the pain."

Wufei was nearly growling as he asked, furious, "what something?" and she stuttered when she responded.

"Wha-what's the problem?"

Trowa put a hand on Wufei's shoulder and stepped in. "Hey Ramirez, how's it going?"

She relaxed, clearly recognizing him and trusting him to deescalate the situation. "Okay, Barton. You?"

Wufei shot Trowa a confused look as his friend gently steered him away from the woman. "I'm all right, no injuries on my team. But my friend sitting on your rig seems altered. Can I see what you gave him?"

"Yes, sir!" She tossed him a bottle. The drug name caught Trowa's attention and he immediately tossed the bottle back and closed in on Duo, helping him to stand on his feet. "I'll take him home for now. To my place."

"Sir!" A second medic, who began watching them once Wufei made a scene, approached. His eyes were on fire. "We aren't done with him! He needs further evaluation. That stupid reduction method he used is antiquated for a reason! He could have permanent nerve damage and—"

Wufei glared an unspoken death threat at the man, and he shut up. Satisfied, he looked to Trowa. "I'll give you a ride. I also want to make sure Maxwell settles in. If Sally wasn't away I'd volunteer our house."

"I know. But it's best if we've got more than one person keeping an eye on him."

Wufei nodded quietly.

"Hey, Barton! What's going on?"

Trowa turned to look at Ramirez. "You did nothing wrong. He's having a strong reaction to the meds is all."

"To these meds? Seriously?"

Trowa nodded.

"Sir!" The second medic regained his conviction. "I can't let you take my patient!"

In response, Wufei pulled out his phone and called Sally. The medic was technically employed by Preventers, and Sally would have the pull to sort things out in their favor. She was off work and answered immediately, knowing he was in the field and any call would be important. Trowa watched, one hand holding Duo by the arm to keep him from wandering, as Wufei explained the situation to Sally and handed his phone over to the senior medic. It took her under a minute to settle things and clear them to leave. He would later find out the only reason they obeyed her was because they knew her. She'd done training with them a few months earlier. Preventers required her to do annual rotations with their field medics, and Sally was popular among them.

Trowa lead Duo to the back seats of Wufei's vehicle, glad that his friend was being very complacent. In his current state Duo failed to buckle his seatbelt, and Trowa took care of it before closing the door and texting Quatre what was happening. He went around the other side to sit next to him and Wufei climbed in the front. As soon as the driver's door closed an angry curse in Chinese was heard, followed by "How high is he?"

"Very."

"Great. You think he took it on purpose?"

"No. I think he trusted the medics and forgot to question what they handed him."

The drug they gave Duo was a technically non-narcotic pain medication that metabolized into codeine. Standard fare, low impact stuff. Trowa surmised they probably gave it to him because he lied about, or under sold, his pain levels. Normally the pills wouldn't do much other than not really alleviating pain effectively, because the conversion happened slowly, but they'd discovered once at a safe house during the wars that Duo had the genetic disposition to hyper-metabolize the drug.

For him it was as good as giving straight opioids. They didn't need to verbalize how they'd have to arrange to monitor him for the duration. A high Duo could be a dangerous Duo. The first and last time he got high off a similar drug Duo tried, in his amicable and excellent mood, to prove he could build a bomb out of whatever spare items were lying around the safe house.

No one even challenged him, he simply did it. They caught him mid-build, insisting he was right and they'd eat their words.

Part of the reason they wanted to bring him to Quatre and Trowa's place was the distance. There wasn't a lot Duo could get into while stuck in a car, and the estate grounds were large enough to contain whatever danger he became or built. They also didn't trust him to remain in the vehicle if he caught onto them stalling for time. Jumping from a moving vehicle wasn't entirely out of the question for their friend.

Duo made two remarks about things he saw out the window but remained mostly quiet, seemingly enthralled by the scenery of the drive. His friends knew better than to trust the silence.

Back in the war that happened too. Duo was in a jovial but silent mood in which he didn't often speak unless spoken to. And then suddenly out of nowhere everything escalated and he was elbows deep in building a bomb. He was so sure the others challenged his skills that they determined his silence was likely because he'd been having conversations with them in his head the entire time. That was where the danger lied.

From time to time Wufei glanced in the rear view mirror at one of his friends. Sometimes Trowa would catch his gaze. When they started the turn towards the estate Wufei shot Trowa a look and asked Duo "what are you thinking about?"

"Trajectories" came the soft and quick reply.

Trowa and Wufei locked eyes in the mirror, fear exchanging between them. They both knew what trajectories likely meant. Trowa asked "What about trajectories?"

Duo turned to him with a bright smile. "About the consequences of miscalculating them. I don't think I failed at any in the wars, yanno? Scythe and I were real good." His smile wavered for a second. "Can't seem to calculate 'em now. Constants are all the same. Ya think it's the velocity I get wrong?"

Afraid Duo was planning to build a rocket, Trowa followed up and asked "Uh, what are you trying to calculate?"

"Told you, Tro! The trajectory!" Duo huffed a little and turned to look back out the window. He was still in a mischievous and upbeat mood. It was strange to see him pouting while happy. "Distance is clear. Could be the time? Our timing was never quite right."

Wufei didn't miss that clue. "Whose timing?"

"It's gotta be timing. Timing and maximum height. Shit man that maximum height's fuckin infinite. Coulda been amazing. Coulda had it all, but ya can't expect me to get my numbers right when infinity is a fuckin variable. It shouldn't be this hard!" He spoke the next part in a frenzied run-on sentence, his frustration growing throughout. "Our trajectory should be clear as fuckin' day it's so damn obvious all the info is right there all the damn signs point to it and we're on board with the project and we're capable men I mean we saved the fucking planet as kids so why's it so hard and why's the trajectory never right?" He stopped and whipped his head to Trowa, quietly asking "Think I'll ever get it right?"

There was a childlike hope when he asked that question, his big eyes begging to be told things would be okay.

Trowa gave him a small smile and reached over to unbuckle Duo's seatbelt. The car stopped nearly two minutes earlier and an anxious Quatre was approaching to open the car door and walk Duo inside. "I think you can do anything."

Duo gifted him a massive smile. Then his smile dropped and his eyes became wild, but briefly clearer. "Hey, promise me none of you will tell Heero about today. I don't want him contactin me outta pity. Fuckin promise me!"

His request was so urgent Trowa couldn't help but emphatically answer "Okay. I'll make sure."

The door opened and whatever Duo was planning to say faded as he turned, startled to find Quatre, and leapt out to hug him. No one was expecting that, least of all Quatre. He stumbled backward but managed to keep them both upright. The embrace was awkward, with Duo's bad arm wedged between them. The position undoubtedly caused him paid he wasn't currently feeling. He swung his good arm around Quatre's shoulder and back, and the lower third of his braid further loosened, close to unraveling.

"Wanna help me with some calculations? I could use a game plan and who better than you to help?"

Quatre stared at him in awe. "Oh wow you really are gone, aren't you?"

"Please, Quat? I just need some paper and a pen."

"You mean a pencil?"

"No. A pen. Los lapices son para dumbasses que comete errores."

Quatre shot a look to Trowa of utter confusion and then shifted Duo so they could walk side by side with Quatre's hand on Duo's good arm, guiding him. "How about we get you something to eat and some drafting paper, okay? You can work while we get you fed."

Duo nodded and let Quatre lead him into the estate without argument, though he was still mumbling about something before suddenly wailing loudly about uncontrollable variables. Quatre tried to calm him and steer him into his home, glancing over his shoulder back towards the other two with a look that screamed help me.

Wufei and Trowa hung back and watched as the two disappeared. "Well that confirms it," Wufei said as he pocketed his keys. "He definitely still loves that baka."

Trowa nodded. "I still miss some social cues and have some trouble with nuance when not hyper vigilant on the job, and even I know he was talking about Heero."

"You hear anything from him?"

"Heero's been quiet since he took leave from work, but we don't need to worry about him. He's talked to Quatre a few times about how to deal with guilt. He knows this isn't like New Edwards. He can't hand Duo a gun and offer to be shot as penance."

Wufei wasn't sure he fully agreed with the assessment that they didn't need to worry about Heero, but he wasn't sure what Trowa did or did not know. He decided to ease his way into things. "He's an idiot for throwing away what they had."

"Yes."

"Even Duo wasn't that stupid."

"Yeah."

"I'm not sure if he told you, but I feel you should know..." Wufei shot him a painful look. "Heero had a panic attack over this. It's one of the reasons he took leave from work."

Trowa didn't know how to respond. His partner never mentioned any panic attack, but he didn't say much of anything about what made him take a leave of absence. He only apologized for the workload Trowa would have to cover, and like a fool he didn't ask follow up questions. Heero covered for him when he took vacations with Quatre, and a leave of absence felt, to him, no different.

"Sally wouldn't tell me much. When I asked how he was doing she cited confidentiality. I only know because he called her while we were together at home, and I could hear the beginning of his side of the conversation before she quickly left the room. All she would tell me, after a lot of prying, was not to worry about him." He paused. "And I guess I just have to trust her with that."

Trowa nodded. "If he went to her, he's in good hands."

"It wasn't just her. Apparently when he gave her his notice of leave Heero asked Une how she dealt with being close to Duo now, after the wars."

"Hm. Seems he's taking this seriously."

"I also heard he talked to Zechs."

Trowa's usually cool demeanor couldn't hide his surprise as his head jerked towards his friend. "He did?"

Wufei was still watching the empty door where Quatre and Duo disappeared moments before. "Yes. As we were prepping for this last mission Zechs told me he got a call from Heero. Said he was sure when he saw the name displayed on his phone it was a hallucination and he answered it thinking his sister was dead. He couldn't imagine any other reason for Heero to call."

Trowa couldn't help interrupting.

"That's legitimate. Heero calling Zechs is a sign of the end of days."

Wufei smiled but ignored him.

"He said Heero asked how he coped with the guilt of leading Oz when he later changed his mind about those politics."

Trowa thought about that and gave a long and low whistle. "He really is taking this seriously if he's talking to Zechs."

"He better be." Wufei's tone shifted then to a mix of anger and determination. "I think Duo already made his decision about the job. He made it and he's stalling. He wants the position and he won't take it as things are now." He finally met Trowa's gaze. There was fire in his eyes. The same kind of fire he had during the war. "He deserves better than this. But at least this injury buys him time out of the field so he won't get himself killed while that idiot Yuy drags his feet."

"You really love him."

Trowa didn't mean to say that part. Usually he kept his thoughts to himself, but it just spilled out after seeing how seriously Wufei took Duo's happiness. Trowa wasn't clear if Heero and Duo had a fight or broke up, but he was perfectly clear on where Wufei stood on the subject. He'd die on the hill that was Duo Maxwell. He was ready to torch years of friendship with Heero in order to support the braided man. Frankly it was endearing.

He watched his friend's eyes soften, then harden again.

"Yes, of fucking course I love Duo."

"Then don't let that get in the way." Wufei looked confused all of the sudden. "I'm glad. You two are close, and you need each other. Don't think I haven't noticed how happy he's been since you declared him your family."

Wufei's nose wrinkled.

"You know about that?"

"Everyone knows. Duo was beaming for a month every time you were brought up. Even you have clear tells. But you can't force fixes to his problems just because the solution appears obvious to you. Duo taught me that. Those two need to work things out on their own. So with that in mind, how far should our interference go?"

Wufei thought about that. "Your idiot partner is on the right path. But it can't hurt to push him forward some. And I'm fine with letting him know that Duo still loves him, it's not a secret. Today confirmed that, even if he won't say it directly. But Heero needs to know that Duo's feelings won't wait forever."

"But we won't tell him anything specific, yeah? There are some things a man needs to work out on his own."

With a sigh Wufei agreed. "You're right."

"And Duo?"

"We'll need to keep an eye out while he's working remotely. Regular reminders he has friends will ground him and keep him from doing something stupid like turning down the job. If he officially says no it's going to be very hard for him to reverse that call. Une would do it in a heartbeat but you know how much pride he can have." He paused. "Do you really think Duo needs me?"

The question didn't compute for Trowa. He wasn't sure how Wufei could possibly not understand something so simple. But as he examined his friend he realized the question was sincere.

"How can you not know?"

Wufei's lips turned slightly downward. "He never seems to need anyone. Sometimes I think he has wants but no needs."

Trowa let those words sink in.

"It's true he's extremely self-reliant. But I suspect that's learned behavior. I was the same way, because I only had myself to trust for a long time. You come from a different place than us. You're looking for the usual signs. But I see Duo clearly, and he definitely needs you. Shall we go save Quatre now?"

Dark eyes became thoughtful as Wufei was left a bit stunned by Trowa's words. He wanted them to be true, and he trusted his friend wouldn't lie about something so important. Trowa didn't often lie. He called things as he saw them. And after years of knowing the man, Wufei knew that when Trowa abruptly changed a topic it was often because he thought the matter resolved. By pivoting directly from Duo needing him to rescuing Quatre, Trowa was indicating that it was a closed case. Duo needed him. End of story. Time to move on.

Wufei allowed himself a small smile.

"Yes. Let's recuse Quatre." He paused, then added "What's more dangerous? Duo while he's high on opioids, or the threat from Chevalier?"

Trowa gave him a wry grin. "Honestly? Maybe Duo."

The grin was met with a smile. "Perhaps we should rescue Quatre, then."

TRANSLATION FOOTNOTES

Estoy atascado con el payaso y el departamento de justicia. ¿Dónde está el señor guapo? Tiene ojos como el mar - means "I'm stuck with the clown and the justice department. Where's mister good looking? He has eyes like the ocean." in Spanish.

Los lapices son para dumbasses que comete errores – means "Pencils are for dumbasses who make mistakes" in Spanglish.