Note: Forgive me. I had a thought earlier today. It quickly turned into a standalone fic. I'm so sorry. I didn't even edit. I'm an idiot. But my brain just wanted this written and published today.

Lunchtime Prince

A hand extended out into the slot where the elevator doors just barely missed coming together, and Wufei turned to give Trowa and Heero a funny look. Someone, it seemed, was running late and causing their ride to run late, too. As the doors opened to reveal Duo, two Preventers agents froze.

It was going to be an uncomfortable ride down to the cafeteria.

Duo eyed Heero with the most intentionally neutral expression he could muster and hit the already lit button for the first floor. No one dared to talk for an agonizing three minutes while they stopped on various floors and other people came and went. Finally, the doors opened on the first floor and Duo strode out.

"Quat! You joining us? Hey, I'm gonna head over to the sandwich line. I'll see ya in a few!"

He was gone before even Quatre, waiting in the lobby, could react.

Trowa turned to Heero as they exited the elevator car.

"How long is this going to continue?"

With no response from Heero, Wufei chimed in, knowing their friend couldn't let a factual inaccuracy stand.

"It's been what? Two weeks?"

"Two weeks and five days."

"Ah, yes. That's nearly three weeks the two of you have been at odds." Quatre joined them as they began their walk towards the cafeteria. He knew better than to say anything, given how tensions rose lately in their group. Wufei nodded to acknowledge him, then continued his line of thought. "You know, it wouldn't be so bad if the two of you didn't actually still spend time with us together. Why don't you make like a couple who broke up, and divide your time with friends? Maybe create some kind of custody agreement?"

Heero sent a withering glare in Wufei's direction. A lesser man would cower, but Wufei was unfazed.

"We didn't break up."

"Right. Because you weren't together."

Annoyed, Heero asked "What's your point, Chang?"

"My point is that this can't go on forever. You two are making our lives miserable. Fix this, Yuy. You did something wrong. So take action. Anything is better than this." Then, in a softer voice with a very intentional tone, he added "If you don't, Maxwell is going to run out of excuses not to date other people."

Heero stopped in his tracks. He wanted to respond in protest that they weren't dating, but by the time he got his wits about him, his friend was already gone.

Wufei scouted the empty tables for whichever one Duo claimed. He spotted Duo's phone, distinct with the scythe art on its case, holding a round table that was appropriately positioned in case of an attack. Even at Preventers HQ, old habits died hard.

He took a seat next to Duo's phone with the lunch he brought from home. The guys had a system in place for the past two weeks in which they coordinated their seating arrangement to keep Heero and Duo separated. Across from each other, their warring friends would stay mostly quiet. Lunch was easier when they weren't within arm's reach of one another. So far the system worked. Maybe not well, because tensions were always high, but certainly better than the alternative.

Unfortunately, Heero and Trowa arrived at the table together, and it was Heero who took the other seat next to Duo's phone. He ignored looks exchanged between his friends as he sat down, obviously stealing the seat Trowa intended to take. His choice surprised them both, and he saw Wufei's eyes narrow.

"Duo's sitting there," he gestured "and he'll be back soon. You should switch."

Heero began to unpack his bento box and replied without making eye contact.

"I know. And I'll keep this spot, thank you."

He could feel their stares, but Trowa and Wufei said nothing further. Had he really screwed up so badly? It made him wonder just how much he'd put Duo through. Was his behavior so terrible that everyone had to step in and get involved? Then he heard a familiar voice.

"You would not believe the chaos when Maria told the line there was no more cheese. No cheese! Of any kind! And some asshole—"

That voice stopped, just for a moment, when he noticed where Heero sat. Quickly recovering, Duo put down his tray and continued the story. "Some asshole who arrived late got cheese on his sandwich, after she announced they were out!" He paused for dramatic effect. "There was no cheese, and then there was! It's madness!"

"Duo!"

They turned to see Quatre approach.

"How the hell did you end up the last person to get cheese? People in line before you couldn't get any!"

Heero watched as a familiar smile spread across Duo's face. His eyes took on a dangerous glint as Quatre sat across from them. It reinforced how much he missed Duo smiling at him.

"Quat, some assholes are just blessed with bein Maria's favorite."

As Quatre complained to Trowa that it wasn't fair how charming Duo was in Spanish and how much Maria loved his L2 accent, Heero felt Duo sneak a glance his way. The braided man didn't lean over when he spoke, but his voice was low. Not too low to hide what he was saying from the others, but low enough to convey how his question was meant for Heero alone.

"What'd I do to gain the favor of His Royal Highness enough for him to sit next to me today?"

He wanted to snap back at Duo that it wasn't his choice to be separated these past few weeks, but rather their friends who forced it. He thought better of commenting and kept that thought to himself. Their friends were miserable because he and Duo couldn't get along. If Duo finally addressed him, even sarcastically, he felt he could play with that. Duo's choice of words reminded him of a persona the braided baka once took up in a fancy boarding school in order to make fun of their classmates.

Teasing was something his partner enjoyed, right? He'd put up with a lot of teasing since they began working at Preventers and were paired together. Perhaps teasing was the way to win Duo's favor again. He was still accused a bit too often for his liking of never being relaxed. At least once a month someone made a comment about him never expressing humor. Plus, Wufei suggested he take action. It was time to go out of his comfort zone.

"Your prince demands both your fealty and your fries." While Duo was frozen, dumbfounded over his response, Heero snatched one of the fries from the plate next to him. There was no mistaking the four sets of eyes suddenly laser focused on him as he popped the potato stick into his mouth. It snapped Duo back to reality.

"The fuck, Ro?"

"That is not how to speak to royalty. You will be penalized for your insubordination."

He stole another fry. No one moved, not even Duo, who looked at him like he'd grown a second head.

"You don't even like the fries here. And you're picky when it comes to junk food."

Wordlessly, Heero stole and ate another, right off Duo's plate.

"You gonna say anything, Ro?"

"Not until you address me with the proper title."

Though he wasn't looking at Duo, and was instead focused on his bento box, he could feel the other man's annoyance. He knew their friends were staring, wide-eyed at him. But that was the point, right? To tease? To surprise? To do something, anything, that was different?

"Fine. Your Majesty, the exalted and holier than thou Heero Yuy," Duo was grinding out his words now. "How did you even gain your title in the first place?"

"Same way as anyone, I suppose."

"By marrying the Princess?"

No one else at the table breathed. It did not occur to Heero that he was entering dangerous waters. It never crossed his mind that they all knew an actual princess, and that her unhealthy relationship with him, and Duo's dislike of her, was putting everyone else on high alert.

"That would make me a consort, not a Prince."

"Then, pray tell, how did you get your title?"

He missed the vicious undertone of Duo's sarcasm. He missed the sarcasm entirely.

"The most important person in the kingdom addressed me as His Royal Highness, so I made a logical leap and applied an appropriate title."

Anger clouded Duo's face, and he slammed his hands onto the table, stood up, and stormed out. Heero was left staring at his wake, confused. He looked to his friends, cocked his head, and pointed at himself with his index finger, then turned his thumb to point towards Duo's last direction. Three heads vigorously nodded and, understanding their signal, he scrambled from his seat to make chase.

The remaining men sat in an awkward silence until Quatre took it upon himself to restart their lunch.

"That sure was... something."

Wufei rounded on him.

"Right? Did you see Heero? Was I hallucinating?"

"No, you weren't. He really did... all of that."

Trowa chimed in, his voice calm.

"I think it went well."

Two sets of eyes snapped to him.

"How can you misinterpret something so badly, Trowa?"

With a small smile, he turned to Quatre.

"They were talking. And for more than two words at a time. I think it's a win." He looked to Wufei, whose expression was one of complete disbelief. "Maybe your words got to him, Wufei. You did tell him to take action."

"They'll kill each other!"

Trowa shrugged.

"They'll sort it."

Quatre sighed.

"How are you always so optimistic?"

"Those two are nothing compared to the drama that unfolds at the circus."

After checking a few places he knew his partner liked to hide, Heero found his way back to their office as a last ditch effort to corner him before lunch was over. To his surprise, Duo was there. He must have assumed he wouldn't be followed, and that their shared office would provide refuge for the remainder of their break. The braided man was sitting at his desk, elbows propped up and hands covering his forehead.

"Duo, what's wrong? What did I do?"

Without looking up, he answered.

"You lied."

For Heero this didn't compute. To the best of his knowledge the only thing he lied about was being Prince of anything. But it didn't make sense for Duo to get upset over that. After two weeks and five days of being ignored, his patience ran out.

"What? What the hell did I lie about?"

Duo dropped his hands to reveal complete displeasure on his face.

"The most important person? Are you for real? You've made it abundantly clear how unimportant I am to you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Over the last year, Heero grew to hate that phrase. Originally, he considered it a validation to truly not worry about something. Gradually he realized that whenever Duo told him not to worry there was a 50-50 chance he absolutely should worry. Having to parse out which situation he found himself in was tedious.

"I'm obviously worried, Duo. I miss my best friend. I miss us talking, I miss—"

"We didn't talk, Heero."

"Yes, we did!"

"I talked, you listened sometimes."

That hurt, and Heero felt a strong need to defend himself.

"That's not true! I always listened!"

"It's not how I remember it."

Duo's voice was defeated, but Heero didn't care. He was angry. The accusation that he only sometimes listened cut deep. People always assumed he didn't pay attention to them. He thought Duo knew better. He genuinely thought Duo understood that he cared, that he listened, that what he said mattered to him. And he wasn't going to let Duo's accusation stand.

"You stopped talking to me on a Saturday after you cancelled plans to see me via text. I remember everything we spoke of outside of work for the week leading up to that. On Sunday, you called me excited about the parts you found for your bike. You got the mirrors you really wanted and were clearly still talking to me then, you spoke for half an hour. Monday at lunch was gossip about Quatre's latest investment on L3 and also how someone in accounting, whose name I don't recall, thought you went to high school together and called you the wrong name for weeks. Tuesday night you called to recommend a documentary to me, and let me know how worried you were about Howard's pneumonia and how he was stuck with inadequate care while docked on a small island in the South Pacific during a severe storm. Wednesday I was on assignment, and we didn't talk, but this is normal when work doesn't allow it. Thursday you were quiet at lunch and talked only a little after work when we played basketball with the guys. Friday you said hello and not much else. By Saturday I was a criminal who you couldn't give the time of day to."

Impassive violet eyes stared at him.

"So you did listen."

"Yes!"

"That means you knew exactly what you were doing."

Again, Duo's words didn't process. They made no sense.

"What?"

"You told me, over and over, that I should come to you when something was wrong. For years you'd tell me to stop letting you in only after whatever was hurting me, or stressing me, was done. And when I finally did? You ignored me!"

Heero was lost, even as Duo got progressively angrier.

"What are you talking about?"

"Howard!" Duo stood from his desk and rounded it to confront Heero. "I was worried sick about Howard! He's the closest thing I have to a living parent, or uncle, or whatever the hell he is to me. He's old now, Heero. Like really gettin up there! And he was too sick to even be on a call with me. I had to talk to Vitalie instead. I tried my best to let you know how upsetting this was, I even mentioned how I wanted to go see him but couldn't because of work, and how annoyed I was with Howard apparently insisting through Vitalie that I not come. And you just..."

Anger and pain was pulsing off of him. It was in his hand gestures, in his eyes, in the frown on his face. To see Duo like that pained Heero.

"You didn't even have a fucking follow up question! You didn't ask how he was doing, how I was coping, none of it!" Duo's shoulder's sagged, and he leaned backward against his desk. "It was scary to admit how I felt, it was hard to even hint that I was scared, and in return I got nothing!"

Things finally began to click into place as Heero's brain caught up.

"I handled that poorly."

"Damn right you did!"

"I should have told you that I spoke with Vitalie that night, after you told me about Howard."

If a pin dropped, Heero was certain it would sound like a bomb in the unnatural silence that followed.

"Wait. What?"

"I called the Sweepers and spoke to Vitalie, as he's Howard's second. I arranged for a contact of mine in Japan to bring medical aid to the Sweepers ship via drone, because like you said the storm was too rough for them to move out of dock in order to seek someplace with appropriate infrastructure and supplies to care for Howard. And he's an old man. Pneumonia is extra serious for him."

Duo was visibly stunned.

"Vitalie said they found the meds in storage behind boxes."

"I told him to lie. I didn't want you to be angry at me for involving myself when it wasn't my business."

The seconds that followed before Duo reacted were long.

"Oh."

Duo's face was some mix of concern and worry, and Heero didn't understand it.

"What's wrong?"

When Duo spoke it was softly, and with hesitation.

"Ah. See the problem is... I'm not an idiot. Now that I know the story... I know you didn't do all that for Howard. You did it for me."

"Correct."

"So now I'm left feeling... foolish. I can't quite work out why you'd put all that extra effort in for me."

Heero's eyes widened a notch.

"You can't?"

"Not... really?"

"You think so little of yourself that you can't figure it out?"

"It's just... People don't care about me, Heero. I'm always caring about them. Not the other way around."

Eyes narrowing, Heero examined Duo's face. He was speaking genuinely, but his words were ridiculous.

"You think people don't care about you?"

"Kinda, yeah?"

"What makes you think this?"

"Well... no one ever asks how I'm doin, you know? I ask other people. Or they'll come to me when they have something wrong, or on their mind. But nobody... nobody ever asks how I'm doing."

"Do you indicate anything is wrong?"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because." Heero stared at him, willing him to continue. Duo relented. "Because I learned a long time ago that when I stop being useful people don't want me around. And if I need help, I'm not an asset. I'm a burden."

Heero did not hide his displeasure, and Duo almost cowered at the venomous look shot his way.

"Am I a person who needs help?"

His voice was harsh, and Duo swallowed hard before answering.

"Not... really."

"So why do I keep you around if you're not actively useful to me? Why does it hurt me when you stop talking to me? Why do I phone up people I haven't had contact with in almost a decade just to call in a long overdue favor, much to their chagrin, to benefit neither me, nor you, but someone you love? Why is it that when you cost me effort, and time, and money, I gladly accept all of that? Why do I always know your time zone, Earthside or off planet? Why do I answer my phone every time you call no matter where I am or what I'm doing? Why is it when I have an internal monologue it's often actually an internal dialog between you and me?"

Duo was floored. Not only at how much Heero said, but the content, and the way duress crept into his voice with every point, every sentence. It scared him, too.

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do. You're not stupid."

"Shut up!"

At Duo's yell, Heero backed down a little. His voice became much gentler, and his eyes softened.

"Duo. You have to know by now how much I care about you."

Unwilling to admit to anything, Duo chose to stand his ground, firmly in a land of denial.

"You're just that kinda guy, though. You're a perfect goddamn friend."

The softness in Heero's eyes trickled out.

"No, I'm not."

"Please. Of course you are, you're always perfect."

Whether it was Duo's sarcasm or simply his patience running out, Heero wasn't sure. But he was done playing games.

"You are the only person I go out of my way for. I'm friends with more people than just you. But my treatment of everyone else does not equal my treatment of you and it never has!"

Duo frowned.

"What the hell is your point?"

At that, Heero lost it. Something in him snapped, and he knew no amount of logic or verbal communication would open up Duo's eyes. The man was a lost cause.

"You really are a baka, aren't you? I thought my actions would be enough to get it through your thick skull. I was wrong."

With anger vibrating off him, Heero turned to leave.

"Wait! Ro! Hey, I'm sorry I—"

Duo didn't finish what he was saying. Instead Heero whipped around and quickly advanced on him, grabbing him by the arms and forcefully kissing him. At first, he didn't respond, and stood in complete shock. The moment he thought to reciprocate, Heero pulled away.

They stared at one another. Heero's eyes were intense, and that deep blue bore holes directly into his soul. Duo was definitely scared.

"What was that for?"

"You are the only person I put all of my effort into. Who I gladly put all my effort towards. Figure it out."

"That's not an answer!"

"Duo, how are you so... dense?"

"I just—"

"Why do you never—"

Heero didn't finish his thought when hands grasped the front of his shirt and dragged him into another kiss. This time, Duo wasn't just participating. He was leading. One hand held firm to his shirt, the other snaked away, trailing to his shoulder and then up is neck and into his hair. He shuddered at the fleeting skin on skin contact, gasping just enough in surprise to give Duo the opportunity to slip his tongue past his lips. Suddenly, with that change, Heero's competitive streak blossomed. He grasped Duo roughly, stepping forward and pressing them closer. The desk behind Duo gave under their weight and slid backwards a little, creating leverage to act and lift Duo onto it.

Now on the desk, Duo wrapped his legs around Heero. They lost all sense of time, eventually barely pulling apart just for air. Heero wasn't sure when he closed his eyes, but he didn't want to open them yet, in case this was a dream. He heard Duo's voice, speaking around labored breath.

"So like... are we friends... with benefits... or are we dating?"

Finally, Heero dared to open his eyes. Duo was flushed, his lips red, his eyes sincere.

"Figure it out, Duo."

"For real? That's..." He paused, then a joyful glint came into his eyes. "Unexpected."

"Unexpected?"

"Yeah."

Heero pulled away, still close enough to keep his hands on Duo's knees but not close enough to be wrapped around each other.

"That's all you have to say? Unexpected?"

"Well, what else should I say?" Suddenly Duo's expression soured. "Hey, don't roll your eyes at me!"

Had he rolled his eyes? He couldn't recall. He was far too annoyed.

"Relena following me around for so long after I told her I was going to kill her was unexpected. Quatre destroying an abandoned colony under the Zero System was unexpected. Sally agreeing to date Wufei after years of barely tolerating each other was unexpected. Is me kissing you really something to be lumped with those events?"

For a moment Duo processed his words and he thought he'd get a solid answer. Then the baka spoke.

"Come on, Ro. Just because it's unexpected doesn't mean it's not welcome."

"Uh huh."

"I'm serious!"

"Sure."

He moved to step away, but Duo grabbed his hand.

"I just... never let myself feel that way about you, yanno?"

He didn't know.

"What does that mean?"

"Figure it out, Ro."

"Duo!"

The braided man hopped off the desk and pulled him with enough force for him to lose some balance. This time they didn't kiss. Duo just held him close, their faces tucked towards each other's necks. He could smell Duo's shampoo, faint and bright. It held a citrus note. The warmth of his embrace was welcome and inviting, and when Duo whispered against him he felt his breath tickle the hairs on his neck.

"It means I knew a long time ago it'd be easy to fall for you, that I kinda already had. So I made sure to shut that down. Didn't wanna complicate things. Didn't wanna end our friendship by making a move you didn't want. Didn't really know what else to do with myself, and those feelings."

Heero considered that as they remained in each other's arms. Wufei was right about Duo, and his excuses to remain single. He hated Wufei being right.

"And now?"

A low rumble vibrated against his chest when Duo chuckled.

"I think I can handle my forbidden feelings, knowing you feel the same and we're not going to stop being friends."

Elated, Heero moved just enough to place a trail of kisses from Duo's neck down into his shoulder, tugging and stretching the collar of his shirt for further access. Duo's hands found their way under his shirt, not to remove it, just to touch his skin. It brought an electric feel and snapped Heero's brain back into reality.

"Wait!" He pulled away and Duo frowned at him. "We can't do this!"

"Why the hell not?"

"If we date, then Chang and Winner are right."

"What?'

"They said we were already dating. Referred to the last couple of weeks as a breakup."

Duo processed those words, and it was obvious the others never said anything in front of him by the way the news hit. All at once, Duo looked incredibly determined.

"We can't let them be right."

"I agree."

"We'll never hear the end of it."

"I agree."

"How about we sneak around for the rest of our lives, or until they're both dead?"

Heero's face went against his orders and he smiled in spite of himself. He tried to look disgusted. It just didn't work out the way he wanted.

"Until they're both dead? That's... rather morbid, Duo."

"Says the guy dating the God of Death."

No longer wanting to hide his smile, Heero relaxed into it and brushed a hand against Duo's cheek.

"Fair point. Sneaking around for the rest of our lives or until they're both dead it is."

They fell back into each other, tasting one another, until Heero's brain clicked back on and he yanked himself away again. Duo looked displeased.

"Wait. You're not planning to kill them, are you?"

The way Duo laughed, brightly and loudly, was a thing of beauty. But as they straightened out their clothes to head back to lunch, he realized he never got a clear answer.

He must be planning to let them live, right? Duo loved stealth, but didn't take pleasure in killing. Sneaking around would be a lot of fun, and their shared office would help. His baka already looked happy to secretly put his appearance together and rush back to the cafeteria, where he obviously hoped his sandwich still waited.

At least Heero thought that was the case. But he couldn't be sure...

"Wait. Duo! You're not planning to kill them, are you?"

Duo was already out of sight. He'd have to ask again, later.