Chapter 96: Rumors

For several weeks everything went incredibly smoothly at the office, other than a few days when Duo was off his game. Overall, he and Wufei blazed through assignments. He was glad for the work and the added time with his best friend. Not long into their partnership Wufei decided that a few times a week, at lunch, they's take to the Preventer's gym for some training. He loved it, and he also loved how it frustrated Duo.

One of those afternoons saw the two of them facing off in front of yet another audience.

Breathing heavily, Duo glanced sideways to the rafters where Heero and Trowa quietly watched. He enjoyed how Heero stared, but he also felt like an idiot with his lover's intense gaze on him as he made a fool of himself. The other Preventers who observed from the sidelines and rafters didn't matter to him, but Heero seeing him flounder just plain sucked.

"Eyes on me, Maxwell!"

Violet eyes rolled as he turned back to Wufei and gripped his weapon a little tighter.

"I dunno why you insist on this specific training. I'm never gonna use this skill and I sure as hell can't see myself needing it in the field."

Wufei ignored his attitude and kept focus on their lesson.

"Loosen your hold, you're limiting your flexibility. And adjust your grip higher, closer to the guard."

"It's a wooden sword, man!"

"It's a Jian, and it's good for practice. You'll benefit from these skills. Honestly I'm surprised you never picked up any sort of swordsmanship. Did Yuy not teach you fencing?"

"No, because it's stupid and uppity."

"It hones precise movements and improves stamina and focus."

"Whatever, man. Are we done today?"

Wufei frowned at Duo's tone of voice.

"You're improving, whether you see it or not. You parry well. Your footwork is... your own, but better in stance. We have another ten minutes, so try again to land a hit."

"I'm tired."

"No, you're frustrated. You're only out of breath because you're emotional."

"Oh fuck you!"

Duo advanced, and Heero smirked. He wasn't entirely sure how many days the two practiced, or how Wufei even managed to get his partner to agree to learn swordsmanship, but he enjoyed the show. Sometimes, given his baka's tenacity, it was easy to forget how hard he worked at acquiring all of his skills. There was something beautiful contained in the act of witnessing him flounder. A reminder that everyone started somewhere.

Trowa leaned back next to him and spoke in an even tone.

"He's angry."

"Yes. And rigid in his movement."

"Wufei's sword flows like water. You'd think a stealth master would have a similar movement."

"I think Chang is about to snap at—"

From below on the gym floor, they heard Wufei yell "Loosen up, Maxwell!" and then, in a flash, he was struck. For a moment it seemed the entire gym came to a halt as everyone fell into stunned silence. Then, as quickly as the silence descended, Duo raised his arms in celebration and yelled.

"Holy fuck! It worked! I had a feelin if I tanked your expectations you'd give me an opening!"

Heero mostly contained his smile as Duo dropped his sword and leapt onto Wufei, hugging him close. The Chinese man quickly altered his stance to prevent dropping his own sword as he was slammed into with full force by Duo, who was praising his Sifu at a very high volume. In spite of the noise below, Heero heard Trowa's soft voice again.

"Everyone's staring at them."

Upon inspection, he was right. Nearly every other agent in the gym was watching Duo bounce for joy with all the energy of his teenage self, still hugging Wufei as he excitedly recounted their sparring match.

"Let them stare. That baka earned this one. He's still got rudimentary technique, but he outsmarted his teacher, and should be proud."

Meanwhile, Duo was high on victory as they left to hit the showers. He smiled up to Heero, who was still chatting quietly with Trowa in the rafters, and walked out with one arm slung around Wufei's shoulders. A small voice in the back of his head told him people were staring, but he didn't care. The overall fascination of his coworkers when they observed Agent Maxwell's dynamic with Agent Chang was still going strong, long after they should have quieted down. He paid them no mind, but he did notice the comments, largely spoken in hushed tones for the past month.

Look at them! He's smiling!

Agent Chang rarely lets anyone touch him, but he never bats an eye when Maxwell has an arm around him!

Did you see them at lunch when they weren't sparring? A full conversation! As in Chang participated!

I didn't know he could laugh!

He's like a whole different person with Maxwell around!

People continued to stare any time they walked the halls. They also peeked into their office like kids dared to check out a haunted house, all on a quest to catch the normally taciturn Agent Chang behaving like a regular person. While it was low key annoying to Wufei, as evidenced by his occasional looked of disapproval, he didn't make a big deal of their curiosity. Duo, on the other hand, didn't think about other agents at all when he wasn't actively catching people staring in disbelief. He was simply happy to be around his friends more often. Their presence kept his waves of grief at bay, and when the waves hit there was someone by his side to just be there.

That was new and wonderful. A wave would hit and he'd process it, then glance up. Maybe he'd see Wufei working at his desk across the room. Or Heero in the kitchen. Or Trowa sitting with him at lunch. Or even Quatre, a little in the distance talking with their friends. When they were nearby, that wave broke and lost momentum. None of them had to say or do anything, they only needed to be there for Duo to feel exactly why moving forward was important.

Their influence gifted him an easier path to feel sad while still living with joy.

So when he returned from a chat with Trowa to find his partner scowling at his desk, throwing something into the trash, Duo wanted to reciprocate that support.

"What's wrong?"

Wufei continued to frown but didn't make eye contact.

"Come on. What's up, man?"

When he didn't get a response, Duo lightly kicked at his friend's desk. The sound was enough to earn him a glance.

"It's nothing. Just a joke I don't appreciate."

With a sigh, Duo looked into the trash bin where he saw Wufei toss a crumbled sheet of paper as he entered the office. He might be able to grab it. Wufei was fast, but maybe he wouldn't bother to stop him.

"You gonna tell me, or not?"

"Honestly not sure if I should."

That was enough for Duo, and he reached down only to have his wrist grabbed tightly.

"Don't."

"Then tell me."

They stared at each other for a moment until Duo's wrist was free. Still, he didn't make a move until he received a nod of approval. The remorse on Wufei's face made him pause, but his curiosity got the better of him. He couldn't make things better if he didn't know what was so upsetting.

Duo grabbed the balled-up paper, unraveled it, saw subject of the letter, and couldn't help himself. He laughed.

Wufei shot him an angry glare but he laughed nonetheless, and then doubled over when he read further and saw the details were all included.

"What's so goddamn funny, Maxwell?"

Lowering the hand with the paper, Duo shrugged, still trying to contain his amusement.

"I mean they're not wrong, who did this?"

When Wufei rolled his eyes, it signaled to Duo that he was halfway to getting his friend out of anger.

"Unclear. But it's disrespectful."

Duo smiled in a way that told Wufei he could read his mind.

"Nah, it's not disrespectful, but I appreciate you lookin out for me."

"They're assuming that you're a man-whore, Duo! What about that isn't disrespectful?"

Duo chuckled at his partner's intensity and began to smooth out the wrinkles in the page.

"This isn't commentary about me throwing myself at any guy who pays attention to me, regardless of his sexual orientation and relationship status. It's a commentary on us." He placed the letter, now looking a little less worn but still a bit sorry, directly on Wufei's desk. "All it says is that we love each other, have a personal relationship outside of work, and are askin permission to remain partners in light of that. I don't see a problem."

Dark eyes softened, and Duo knew he succeeded. Wufei's anger was gone.

"But they're making fun, don't you see that? This is what significant others submit up the chain of command to work together."

"You're pretty significant to me."

Wufei just smiled.

"Honestly, man, it's a harmless letter. But if someone is tryin to make one of us look bad, I think it's you they're after." Wufei opened his mouth to ask why, confusion all across his face, but Duo continued before he could fire off his question. "If there's anything mean behind this, I'm pretty sure the goal is to get a reaction from ya and make you look like a homophobic bastard. And we both know you're the farthest thing from."

Understanding took the place of confusion, and Wufei looked full of regret.

"I... fell into that trap by getting angry, didn't I?"

Duo moved to partially sit on the armrest of Wufei's desk chair and snaked a hand around the man's shoulders to pull him into a light side hug.

"Personally, I think it's honorable. Gallant, even. You getting upset on my behalf? Couldn't ask for a better friend."

Wufei's arm wrapped around Duo's waist to return the hug. They stayed like that, comfortable, until Duo leaned over, placed a kiss on his friend's head, and stood to make his way back to his side of the office. He thought they were done with the letter, until he sat down and the paper was forcefully smacked onto the desk in front of him.

He didn't even notice he was followed.

What he did notice was the pen held in his direction, and when he looked down, he saw Wufei's signature freshly scribbled at the bottom of the page.

"Wha—"

"You're right, Maxwell. There's no lie in that letter. So why not sign and submit it? Show whoever thinks they can make light of us that we're one step ahead."

Duo felt his mouth go a little dry. Obviously he knew where they stood as friends, as family, but this would be an official record. No turning back. He thought of all the families who refused to adopt or foster him after meeting him, who promptly returned him after the trial placement period, or who refused to keep him even that long. One family, when told they had to keep him for six days, simply dropped him off on the street and abandoned him by day four. He waited hours for them to maybe come back, knowing they wouldn't, but not knowing what else he was supposed to do. The last thing he wanted was to get in trouble at the church if the adults came back for him in an hour and laughed it off.

When he felt enough time passed that Father Maxwell and Sister Helen would have no choice but to believe he was abandoned, he spent the next couple of hours walking back to the church. They were sad to see him, but notably not surprised. When Father Maxwell contacted the family they claimed he ran away. After that, there were no more families, and they stopped trying to place him.

The scariest part for Duo was that while earlier attempts to find him a home ended when he knowingly acted out, the people who abandoned him did so while he was actually trying to behave. That, more than anything, cemented in his head the idea that he lacked whatever quality made someone loveable.

And now Wufei offered to put on permanent record a declaration that he was loved. It was offered so freely and easily that it didn't match any action Duo saw himself worthy of receiving. In a way it felt like he was being asked to sign an agreement that would finally make him officially adopted into a family.

He struggled to find words.

"You... you're sure? You're really... You're okay with this?"

While he didn't know anything about the many times Duo was rejected as a child, the distant and hopeful sound in his friend's voice told Wufei everything important in that moment.

"I signed it, didn't I? And you know I never sign anything I haven't thoroughly read and considered."

Wide, disbelieving violet eyes shot up to meet his.

"This is a permanent record, Wufei. This is easily searchable within Preventers."

"I don't have a problem with everyone knowing how close we are." Wufei's eyes were dark and intense. "When you left, Une asked if I would partner with Heero. She didn't want him... unsupervised. I declined, because he and I were never particularly close and I knew he and Trowa formed a partnership in the wars. Ever since, I've somehow gotten a reputation for being impossible to work with. And that's partially true. It's been an honor to prove everyone wrong and stand shoulder to shoulder with you over the last month." He gave Duo a small smile that he hoped conveyed the emotions he intended. "I don't love you any less than I love Sally. I only love you differently. It would be a true injustice to deny that fact. Because it is a fact. And I'm not ashamed to admit it, off or on any official record."

Duo examined him, then slowly took the pen and signed his name. Wufei grabbed the paper and strode back to his desk, feeling excellent about himself. He hadn't missed what this meant to Duo. Whoever thought this was a funny joke accidentally gave him an opportunity to gift something very meaningful to his friend, and for that he'd forever be grateful.

"I'll scan it and send it to HR. They'll have it shortly."

Neither of them thought too much about the letter, though they did glance at one another with amused expressions as they worked, occasionally stifling a laugh. Both felt like they'd won some battle they didn't even know they were participating in, while also feeling like they'd mocked the system Preventers had in place.

It took less than 24 hours for the gossip to change its tune.

I knew they were a couple!

Isn't Chang straight? I thought he was dating one of the doctors from Noventa Memorial.

If he is I haven't seen her here at HQ.

Don't they attend Preventers social gatherings together? I thought I saw them at the last two holiday parties.

But can't you see how he lights up with Maxwell?

Isn't Agent Maxwell involved with someone as well?

No confirmation, but I've seen him oggle Agent Yuy when he thought no one was looking.

That confirms it! If Maxwell is oggling Yuy, he's into men. Yuy is handsome, but he's too scary to risk oggling unless you're brave or very interested.

If he's got the balls to stare openly at Yuy there's no way he didn't lock down Chang!

But I thought Chang was into women!

So am I, but I could see how someone even slightly curious could be into Maxwell.

They do look good together. They look comfortable.

They look happy. Both of them look very happy. I didn't know Chang was even capable of happy.

It was Ravi who broke the news to Duo about the new rumors. She held him up at the front desk when he arrived the next morning to ask if it was true that he and Chang were partners. Duo looked at her like she was a little slow on the uptake.

"Uh, you already know that? I was assigned to him last month."

"Not like that!"

Her words were so loud that a few people turned attention towards them, and she quickly leaned forward and gestured for him to do the same.

"I meant that you're, you know. Involved."

"Wufei's been involved in my life since the war, Ravi."

"Not like that! Like, you know... involved involved!"

"You'll have to be more specific."

She frowned and scouted their surroundings to make sure no one was looking, then made a hand gesture which could only be interpreted as implying sexual penetration. Duo looked at her with wide eyes.

"You shouldn't make that gesture! On L2 that's a pretty hardcore gang sign, and we're Preventers!"

She glared at him, and he almost lost his composure and laughed. The effect she was going for was anger, but it ended up looking adorable.

"Okay, I know you're just messing with me."

"Whatcha mean? I'm tryin to protect you!"

"You're deliberately being obtuse!"

He grinned.

"Maybe I am."

"Everyone sees how you two are! And I can see how happy you are these days!"

Duo gave her a funny look, and she realized he had not one ounce of self-awareness.

"You don't know? You've changed! Your whole demeanor changed!"

"It did?"

His honesty gave her a slight pain in her heart. How could he not understand how different he was from before?

"Oh, sweetie. You really don't know?" He shook his head. "You're... content, maybe? You're not just charming anymore. My friend, Mateo, was charming and somewhat disconnected. We had fun over the years but I never really got to know him as he showed up out of nowhere and then disappeared. But Duo Maxwell? He's equally charming and teases me the same as before. But he's here. And he's got the confidence of a man who knows his place, and knows he's loved."

When he blushed, she took the opportunity to pounce.

"So tell me all about it! Are you really an item? I wouldn't have guessed him to be your type but I could see it, if I had to. I bet you have a thing for quieter, serious men..."

He blushed a bit deeper and her eyes sparkled.

"I'm right! I'm so right!"

Duo quickly glanced around, checking their surroundings for anyone looking their way.

"Could you be any louder?"

Ravi's eyes lit up as she all out yelled "YES, I CAN!"

Duo looked murderous. For a moment he flashed back to the days when he treated Heero this way, and felt a pang of regret for putting him through such childish behavior.

"Keep it down!"

She lowered her voice, but none of the mischief in her eyes faded.

"I can be quieter, sure. But I'm not hearing that I'm wrong..."

"Is my sex life that interesting to you?"

The way he hissed those words at her didn't cause her to so much as flinch.

"Yes!"

"What is wrong with you, woman?"

She grinned.

"See! That's something Agent Chang would say! You're already influencing one another! You're totally a couple! What other things have you picked up from him? Anything interesting in bed that I should know of?"

"Ravi!"

"What? Just because I don't have your same equipment doesn't mean I can't get pointers. Is he a good lay? I bet he's diligent in satisfying his partners. I mean, just looking at Agent Chang, you know that man knows his way around a—"

"We are not having this conversation!" Duo's eyes were aflame with actual anger. "Need I remind you that I don't have to arrive through this entrance anymore? You're the one who told me my surprisingly permanent ID card could get me through the employee entrance."

Her face fell.

"You wouldn't do that, would you?"

"Wanna try me?"

Her brown eyes widened. She appeared stricken, and he couldn't tell how much was genuine and how much was acted.

"I thought we were friends!"

The look on her face made him take pity on her. She obviously was simply excited to see him happy and meant no harm. I couldn't hold a grudge when her excitement was so clear.

"Okay, Ravi. Here's the deal..." he got even closer and whispered only for her ears. "I'm in a committed relationship with a very loving man who I've kind of been in enamored with for most of my life. I don't really have time or energy for rumors."

He made a fist and knocked on her desk twice before walking away. He was feeling great when she yelled after him, clearly annoyed and shouting at full volume, "BUT WHO IS HE?"

By the time he made it to the office he shared with Wufei, he'd heard some of the whispers firsthand and started to worry that maybe the game they played would backfire. He wasn't sure how Wufei would handle being the subject of any rumor, let alone this one. His friend had a lot of pride, and he wondered if being accused of two-timing Sally would set him off. After all, he could just hear Wufei's voice as he declared the entire fiasco an injustice to her.

Their office was empty and to his surprise he felt complete relief.

Part of him wanted to check Heero and Trowa's office for his missing partner, but a little itch in the back of his mind told him to lay low until he had enough intel to know exactly how to handle the rumor mill. A persistent thought asked him if Wufei would rescind the letter. Logically he knew the other man wouldn't throw him away or abandon him like the potential families who were supposed to adopt him, but no amount of logic could put his worries to rest. The knee-jerk response, expecting to be abandoned at the first sign he was causing trouble, was almost Pavlovian. He tried to shake it off.

A voice in his head reminded him that he never told Heero about the letter they submitted to HR. Would Heero understand the humor of it? There was no way he'd be angry or threatened, but there was a chance he wouldn't understand the joke. Having to explain it just didn't seem fun.

Unable to clear his thoughts, he turned on an earpiece, put on some music, and got to work. He reviewed research, humming to himself and sipping tea for nearly an hour before three former Gundam pilots all walked into his office, appearing in a good mood. He paused the music and greeted them as Wufei shut the door.

"Hey, guys!"

"Good morning, Duo. We were just talking about you."

He swallowed, a little nervous. "That's never too good, is it, Tro?"

Heero approached and got his full attention. He placed a light kiss on Duo's cheek and looked incredibly amused as he pulled away.

"I don't know, I rather enjoy you as a topic."

"Hey! Yuy!"

Everyone turned to Wufei, whose voice held a threatening note. Duo's eyes cut over to Heero's in question. They seemed in such friendly spirits only seconds before. Why was Wufei upset? Given a hundred years, Duo would've never anticipated Wufei's next words.

"Hands off my work husband!"

Duo spun in his chair towards Wufei, as though reacting to being struck.

"I'm your what?"

To his credit, Wufei gave him a curious smile that boldly declared he knew something Duo didn't, and that he was going to enjoy himself as he watched his friend struggle to follow what was happening.

"I said you're my work husband."

Heero's eyes were shining, and Duo fully missed it as he stared, confounded.

"Repeat that?"

"Work. Husband. I hear that's a thing. Outside of Preventers, Heero can have you. But here? You're my partner."

"And you don't think this is taking it too far?" Duo turned to Trowa, then Heero, his eyes wild. "This is a lot for a joke, yeah?"

Heero said nothing. Instead, he left it to Wufei to answer.

"You really are a baka, aren't you?" Wufei waited for Duo to shoot him a glare before clarifying. "We already went over this yesterday. I am not ashamed of our connection. And I prefer to stay one step ahead of any fool who thinks they can make light of us."

"But work husbands?"

Wufei sat at his desk and leaned back in his chair.

"I admit it's a bit over the top, but it was Sally's idea and I think it's funny. Perfect, even. Like you said yesterday, I'm no homophobic bastard. If anyone wants to paint me as one because of assumptions made based on my general demeanor with other agents, they can choke on their own words. I'm not backing away from you to preserve some predetermined optics about my individual reputation and our joint relationship."

Something unknown inside of him opened up to swallow Duo whole when Wufei referred to the optics of their relationship. He flashed back, years earlier, to using the same term when he angrily and sarcastically apologized to Heero for outwardly showing he cared. Back then, when Heero wanted no one to know they were a couple, he was chastised for just showing up at the hospital to check on his injured Preventers partner. Showing basic human care, the kind he would extend to even a stranger, was considered bad optics then. And now?

Now Wufei was his Preventers partner, and he was willing to display actual and public affection while never shaking off Duo's. Furthermore, Wufei was willing to declare his affection, loudly and proudly, with the whole work husbands idea and that official letter submitted to HR.

And Heero? At work they were keeping things to themselves. That was Duo's idea, as a matter of professionalism, and Heero told him he'd follow his lead. Still, he found himself getting kisses and light touches behind closed doors at HQ. Sometimes he'd come back from a meeting and find his favorite tea waiting for him on his desk. How Heero knew when he'd be returning always baffled him, as meetings with Une could sometimes drag. Outside of work he never shied from Duo's touch, regularly initiating contact in public and among their friends. The optics were so incredibly different now.

He didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry.

"Duo, are you okay with this? We don't have to roll with the joke if you don't want to."

Startled out of his thoughts, he looked about the room and noticed everyone was waiting for him to green light this ridiculous plan. He wasn't even sure if it was Wufei who spoke last, though he assumed it must be.

"It's cool."

Then, out of nowhere, another thought came to mind and Duo grinned his mischievous Shinigami grin.

"I've never been one to put too much thought into marriage, but with Wufei bein the first guy to tell me he loves me, it makes sense for him to be my first husband, too."

It was Heero's turn to do a double take, and he and Wufei both spoke simultaneously.

"First husband? How many do you plan to have?"

"Yuy waited that long to admit his feelings?"

The two looked at one another as though each thought they should've been given right of way in the conversation. Duo, meanwhile, was absolutely beaming.

"If I've already had more than one man confess his love and devotion to me, it stands to reason I may have more than one husband in my lifetime. And yes, Wufei confessed first." He was casually gesturing with his hands as he spoke, and shot his new work husband a devilish grin. "And he was a much better confession. I was so touched I cried. I hadn't cried in front of anyone since well before the war, but Wufei had me all choked up with happy tears. That man knows how to make a person feel incredibly loved. It was nothing like when Heero confessed."

Wufei sat upright in his chair at full attention.

"Really?"

"Yeah, don't you remember?"

"Not at the moment."

Duo wasn't sure if Wufei was pretending in order to play a game and embarrass Heero, or if he really was drawing a blank. Either way, they'd have fun.

"I told you over lunch one day. Ro said me he loved me, called me a baka, and then immediately said we needed to break up if I didn't quit my job. Not very romantic, if you ask me. May as well've kissed me, said he loved me, told me I'm an idiot, and then punched me in the gut."

In light of everything that happened in the months since then, including the discovery that Duo was already looking into changing his job, Heero felt terrible being reminded of his actions. But a nagging voice pitched in that baka was a term of endearment and Duo damn well knew it. He'd made sure of that, clarifying it in the past.

"Right! I remember now!" Wufei looked incredibly happy. "It was around the same time he found out he shot you and retreated to lick his wounds. Heero was the one being a baka at the time, not you. Hell, I even told you that you deserve better than him."

Heero turned on Wufei, wrath in his eyes.

"You what?"

The Chinese man was all smiles. He didn't bother to look towards Heero and kept his gaze on Duo, who filled everyone in using a sing-song voice.

"Nah, you said I deserved better than the man he was bein then, not that I should ditch the poor guy immediately. I remember the distinction in your wording."

With a twinkle in his eyes, Wufei added his own thoughts.

"Yuy did always seem well matched to you. The two of you have always been close. A suitable pair. But he's a little slow on the uptake when it comes to emotions."

"Right?"

"He dated you for years after the war without telling you he loved you. What a fucking fool!"

Duo nodded, and Trowa simply watched in silence, enjoying the show and how Duo's penchant for cursing was rubbing off on his typically more proper partner. Before speaking again, Wufei leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. It was one of Duo's favorite poses and everyone in the room knew he'd picked up the habit by mirroring him.

"You're a catch, Maxwell. Any idiot can see how great you are and how lucky they'd be if you chose them. Heero should've told you how he felt a lot sooner. You deserved to hear your first confession from someone you're in love with, rather than me. I never expected Heero Yuy of all people to be such a coward. You're dating the dumbest, most cowardly pile of space junk ever to live!"

"I know, right?"

"It's astonishing he hasn't ended up in a scrap yard!"

"Oh, man. Hilde totally woulda gathered him up and melted him down into something stronger, more useful to the general public."

No one flinched when Duo brought up Hilde. Though they still felt awkward mentioning her first, they knew it was good for their friend to feel like he could freely include her when he spoke.

"I'm sure she'd have loved that. It's a shame you didn't date someone with more brains. Must have been a struggle, dealing with an idiot who couldn't even express to you the obvious. He didn't even show his feelings! At least not in front of your friends, all of whom would clearly wish you two the best. The man's a lousy partner. But I'm pleased to say you married well. Unlike that loser, I have no problem demonstrating my affection towards you and accepting yours for me. Ask anyone at HQ who's been gossiping about us."

A cat with a bird in its mouth couldn't look more pleased than Duo in that moment.

"I heard several people claim you never smiled before we partnered up. That's pretty wild. Far as I know you smile a lot."

"I only smile when I have a reason to. I generally smile with the guys, but I smile a lot more with you and Sally."

"Is it because you love us?"

"You know it."

The image of Wufei, casually leaning back, hands behind his head, winking at Duo as he confirmed his love would bother Heero for days. To do that after so thoroughly dragging him through the mud was the final clue he was being messed with. He hated being messed with and they all knew it. Still, he wasn't a complete idiot. He understood his torment was a sign that everyone was falling back into comfort with one another. But that didn't mean he had to take their shit without pushing back.

"I'm right here, you know!"

Trowa perked up.

"This reminds me. You owe me twenty, baka."

It was true. He'd never actually paid out to Trowa after the bet they made on Easter and was not looking forward to explaining it to the two men now eyeing him funny. As much as he enjoyed the silly office gossip and how Wufei fully embraced it, he didn't need yet another example of Duo's best friend being the better man between them. And the way Duo was curiously eyeing him? It didn't bode well.

"What was the bet?"

Heero sighed, defeated, and briefly wondered if he should start practicing fencing again. The way things were going, he might have to duel Wufei in the future.

For Duo, of course.

Always for Duo.