Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Dating Services ❯ Chapter 2

Disclaimers and warnings in first part


The next evening, Duo slid out of his SUV, grabbing his briefcase from the passenger seat with an irritated grumble. He was staring at his feet when he moved up the sidewalk, stopping suddenly when he almost stepped on the man sitting in front of his house, long legs stretched across the single step, “Trowa, oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

Green eyes regarded him as the tall man stood with grace that Duo envied, “For what?”

Unlocking his door, Duo left it open and dropped his briefcase as soon as he stepped inside the house, “For running late; Zechs had a meeting that ran over. Want a drink?” he asked, shedding his suit jacket as he made his way toward the kitchen.

“There’s no need to apologize. Heero wanted to take Quatre to dinner, so he came by WEI and I got off a bit early. I’ve never seen you in a suit,” the tall man noted as he accepted the beer Duo held out.

“Don’t get used to seeing it. I hate the damn things.”

“Then why are you wearing it? I didn’t think Zechs would make you wear one.”

Gesturing to the living room, Duo led the way to his computer, yanking off his tie with an irritated grumble and tossing it across the back of the desk chair before sliding into it and turning on the computer. While waiting for the computer to load, he took several drinks of his beer while unbuttoning his shirt until it no longer felt like he was being strangled. “I usually don’t have to wear one, but when he has meetings like the one today, he wants me to fit in…and not be visibly armed,” he added as he removed his holster and gun, leaning over to drape the holster on a nearby lamp. “For some reason, he doesn’t want the board members to feel threatened. I thought that was my job.”

“Your job is doing what’s necessary to keep Zechs safe. I feel the same way when Quatre tells me to wear a suit because we’re meeting with the board.”

“That makes me feel a little better,” Duo snorted, trying to imagine Trowa in a suit. Shaking his head to dispel the image when he realized the tall man would look good in such clothing, he moved his hands to the keyboard, “What’s the name of this service, anyway?”

“Dates Anonymous.”

Typing in the name, Duo spared a glance at the man that had been nice enough to help him, “Thanks for doing this, Trowa. I really have needed some help in the dating department for a while.”

“It’s no problem. I would have said something sooner, but I didn’t really think you would need help. You never seemed to have difficulties getting dates.”

Turning his head, Duo blinked when he realized how close the other man was. Trowa was leaning over the back of the chair, eyes focused on the computer screen. “Getting dates isn’t the problem. Getting a date that isn’t a completely crazy person is.”

Meeting his eyes, Trowa gave a small smile, “Maybe this will help.”

Finding the site, Duo sat back and waited for it to load, extremely aware of how Trowa’s chest was pressing against the back of his head, like some strange embrace. Assuming the awareness had more to do with numerous failed dates he put the strange thoughts out of his mind with little a little difficulty. “Thanks for sticking up for me last night, too. Wufei didn’t mean to be such a jerk.”

“Whether he meant to be or not didn’t make it hurt you less.” Duo’s surprised jerk made Trowa chuckle, “I know how much it bothers you to be constantly teased all the time; it’s why I’ve never said anything.”

“I guess if it was someone else I’d think it was funny as hell, but they don’t understand what it’s like. They aren’t alone anymore.” The braided man winced, “I’m happy for them, I really am, but sometimes…”

“You feel like bashing them in the face for being so happy?”

Duo let out a startled laugh. He had never expected Trowa would be so blunt. “Exactly; what do I do now?”

“Fill out your basic information.”

After a few seconds, Duo frowned, “It doesn’t ask for my name or anything. Did I miss something?”

“It’s Dates Anonymous. They don’t need names. The choose dates according to your profile and preferences.”

“That’s a new concept. I like it.”

“I like that no one can do a search on someone just by looking up their name. I didn’t want people seeing my background or where I work. If I like them after we meet, I can decide whether to tell them or not myself.”

Although he didn’t like infringing on Trowa’s personal life, curiosity prompted Duo to ask, “How many dates have you had lately? You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want.”

The tall man moved away with a chuckle, leaning on the wall beside the desk rather than hover over the braided man as Duo began to answer more questions, “When I offered my help, I assumed you would have questions. I’ve been on five or six dates the last few months. There could have been more, but with the annual budget meetings…”

“Yeah, your schedule gets a lot more hectic. I hate the end of the quarter. I can remember a time when I didn’t know what budgets were used for and quarters were some of the money people used in the past. When I started working for Zechs, he made me take a business course so I would know what was going on. That’s what he said, at least; I think he got tired of me asking questions all the time.”

“Did you stop asking questions?”

Duo grinned, “Nope, I just found other things to ask about.” He keyed in a few answers and stopped with a frown, “Why do they want to know if I’m a native of Earth or the colonies?”

“I assume some people only wish to date others from Earth or the colonies.”

“Does it really make that much of a difference?”

“I don’t think so, but there are differences between the two. As a whole, Earth natives are more relaxed while colonists are used to constantly being on alert for hull breaches and the like.”

“I’m pretty laid back,” Duo pointed out with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“I think you’d be relaxed if you were on a colony when there was a hull breach,” Trowa smiled. “You would be the only one kicked back in a chair, holding a beer and telling everyone to hold on because it was going to be a bumpy ride.”

Delighted by the image Trowa painted, Duo burst out laughing, “I wouldn’t be the only one; you’d probably be standing there somewhere with a hand shoved in one pocket and holding a tool kit in the other so we could figure out a way to fix the damn breach before we all died.”

It was a well-known fact that Trowa was an excellent mechanic and he kept a cool head in every possible situation. The statement had green eyes shining, “I’d have to have someone to hand me tools.”

“Alrighty then, if we ever end up on a colony that’s been breached, I’ll gladly offer my services as tool handler and deliverer of sarcastic comments, just to keep you grounded. I’ll even bring the beer to celebrate after.”

As his chuckles died out, Duo forced himself to concentrate. He was doing fine filling out the required questions until he hit one that had him blinking, “What should I put for sexual preference? I doubt they want me to say ‘yes, please’.”

“Men or women, Duo. They’re asking which you prefer.”

“I get that, but I don’t see the right option. I guess I prefer men to women, so should I put that?”

“Do like I did and choose ‘other’. In the blank space, you can type no preference.”

Doing as suggested, Duo could feel his ears turning pink, “I didn’t realize you were bisexual, Trowa. I assumed you were straight.”

“In the camps, there were two possibilities for lovers, and they weren’t male or female; the choices were unattractive and unavailable.”

“So that would have made you unavailable,” Duo replied absently.

“What?”

Moving his eyes from the screen to Trowa’s face, Duo realized his comment had the other man looking at him with clear surprise, “If those were the only two choices, then you had to be unavailable.”

“How did you come to that conclusion?”

“Because you’re attractive. I doubt you were unattractive when you were younger. I’ve known you for almost ten years and you’ve always been attractive.”

“That was the strangest compliment I’ve ever gotten…and one of the most sincere.”

“No problem,” Duo shrugged. “It was just an opinion. I’ve been told I have a lot of them.”

Trowa stayed close while Duo finished answering his questionnaire, answering questions or offering more detailed explanations when necessary. Once the braided man had sent in his membership form, he leaned back in the chair, “What happens now?”

“It’ll take a few days for you to get a match. When they find one, a message will be sent to your phone, giving you some information about the possible date. If you like what you read and have time, you send back the possible times and places you could meet. Once the date is confirmed, you’ll get a message confirming time and place.”

“Sounds complicated and simple at the same time.”

“It’s easier than it sounds,” Trowa assured. “Since you’re done, I should go. It’s past time for dinner.”

Enjoying Trowa’s company and faced with another meal alone, Duo hesitated only for a moment before asking, “Would you like to stay for dinner? I was planning on making some fried chicken and potatoes.”

The offer clearly surprised Trowa, but he nodded, “That sounds a lot better than the microwaved dinner I have at home. I didn’t know you could cook.”

“I didn’t know you couldn’t cook,” Duo retorted, standing and rolling up his shirt sleeves. “Come with me and I’ll teach you the fine art of frying chicken. My first tip: never fry anything while you’re not wearing a shirt; it hurts like hell.”