Title: Finding Peace (3/?)

Author: Talaquinn

Disclaimer: Not mine, just playing.

Rating: PG13

Summary: Duo and Heero start out of the mission, but get sidetracked by personal matters; like emotions.

A/N: I have learned better, no more promising to make deadlines. Life is way to busy at this point. Provincials are coming up, so my brain is on overload. Ick, but I managed to finally get this chapter done. Hope you enjoy; let me know if you do. Let me know if you don't. Thanks to Kenny the gnome-beta, she makes me semi coherent.

Emotions have no Place at Work

//He was dreaming, he knew he was dreaming, but this was a nice dream. He was laying down somewhere with his head in 'fei's lap and someone was brushing his hair. The sun was bright overhead, and the clouds floated softly across the dark blue sky. He lay there, content, for an eternity, and then-

Pain, those he loved brutally taken away. Flashes of bright light washed over him, piercing and hot. He was fighting, fighting for his life, falling, falling-//

Duo shot out of his seat, hand on gun, facing the rest of the shuttle. He looked around, confused. Where was he? He stared confused for a moment before blushing and sitting back down. Heero put a concerned hand on his shoulder.

"Duo, are you alright?"

Duo avoided the dark haired boy's glance.

"Yeah, fine. Just a dream."

Not just a dream, a recurring dream that had been plaguing his mind for years, ever since he had fallen for 'fei. It didn't occur that often, only when he spent too much time away from the Chinese boy.

Duo stared blankly at the wall beside him, he didn't feel comfortable talking to Heero about it, the friendship they had shared during the war had faded afterwards, and what had remained was severely strained since Heero had started seeing 'fei, and even more since the blue-eyed man had begun his amorous behaviour.

Heero grunted softly and left Duo alone. The braided man sighed softly, he didn't like not telling the truth, and technically he was telling the truth, but he still felt bad.

He opened his mouth to apologize but was interrupted by a polite voice over the intercom telling them to strap in, as they would be docking soon.

There was no speaking for the rest of the trip, because Heero, after too many bad landings, had a slight fear of any sort of landings. But when Duo saw Heero's knuckles whiten he covered the Japanese man's hand with his own.

Nothing went wrong for the two Preventers until they reached their hotel.

"What do you mean you don't have our reservations?"

Duo's voice was loud, attracting the attention of all in the lobby. The clerk in desk spoke quieter.

"Please, sir, we're very sorry, but someone double booked your rooms. You're going to have to find other lodgings for tonight. We'll put a note on file, so that when you come back, you will be given first priority."

The violet-eyed man was not about to be mollified.

"Where are we supposed to sleep then? You guys are advertised as the only gig in town!"

The clerk tugged on his collar.

"Sir, you're creating a disturbance. If you could take this brochure, I'm sure that you could find adequate lodgings for the night."

Duo grabbed the pamphlet out of the lackey's hand and whipped around to exit the lobby, his braid nearly smacking the poor man in the face. Heero followed, completely ignoring the curious looks that his partner was drawing.

Duo slowed down, and relaxed his shoulders once he had left the hotel. Turning a bit he flashed a grin at Heero.

"That was fun wasn't it?"

"I'm sure there were easier ways to find out where the terrorists are staying."

Violet eyes twinkled, "but are there more enjoyable ways?"

Silence greeted that. Duo laughed and opened the door of the rental car, "I thought not. Does that mean I get to drive?"

"Hn."

"Don't be snarky."

Six hotels, ten motels, and two RV parks later, the two Preventers parked in front of the last public hotel on the colony. It was getting dark out, and Duo was exhausted. He really hoped that Heero's scans would turn up the signal they were looking for, because if they didn't his days worth of acting would all be put to waste, and they would have to look harder for the terrorists and that would be no fun at all.

He waltzed into the front office, and put his hand on the bell.

"Hey, can we get some service here? I want a bed and some food today!"

Pitching his voice in an annoying tone, Duo patted his cap to make sure his braid was hidden.

"Come on people. Paying person at the desk!"

A ruffled woman made her way out of the back, tucking her shirt in.

"Hold your horses. I'm here, we have a few rooms, and dinner will be served in half an hour. You'll get your wishes."

She looked up at Duo and her jaw dropped open.

"Oh my… I mean, nice to see you sir, would you like a room on the first, second or third floor?"

Duo opened his mouth to answer.

"Third"

He turned around to see Heero had entered the tiny office and smiled; from the corner of his eyes he could see the manager sigh and fan herself with her hand. Duo's smile grew wider and he turned back to the lady and dazzled her with the brilliance of it.

"As my partner says, third floor please. Do you want paid in advance or when we check out?"

Duo was careful to keep in character, and sneered a bit at the end.

"After your stay, one room or two?"

Heero spoke again, to Duo's surprise. "One, and can it be facing the east? We like to see the sunrise." And then Heero winked at her, he actually winked at her. Duo was astounded, and the woman smiled knowingly.

"Of course. We have a honeymoon suite third floor north side, would you like it?"

Duo didn't jump when Heero wrapped an arm around his shoulders, but he wanted to. What in hell was Heero up to? Duo knew that the terrorists must be close, but why the lovers act? Sighing mentally Duo chalked it up to Heero's unbalanced personality. He smiled and let Heero steer him out of the tiny office, room key in hand.

Once they were climbing up the stairs Duo threw Heero's arm off him and glared.

"You enjoy being weird when I have to stay in character, don't you?"

Heero frowned, "We did agree to me letting you know if the terrorists were in the vicinity. I did."

"By hanging off me like we're attached?" Duo's mind was filled with conflict, he cared for Heero, he really did, but the Japanese man was driving him insane.

Not waiting for an answer, Duo grabbed the key, and their personal duffels and ran up the stairs towards their room, leaving Heero with the professional equipment.

Honeymoon suite indeed, Duo was torn between amusement and disgust. The room was a putrid pink, with blood red decorations. Hearts of varying shades of pink, red, and white covered every available surface, and the king sized bed was piled with pillows.

"Gross." Duo most definitely was not having a good day. He took one tentative step into the garishly decorated room, and then another, slowly making his way towards the bed, where hopefully, he could crash. Maybe if he slept for a bit, and wished really hard, he could be blessed with colour blindness.

He snorted softly and sprawled across the bed.

"Oi! Hee-chan, want a honeymoon, check this place out!"

Closing his eyes, he waited for the blue-eyed man to comment on their lodgings.

He didn't have to wait long.

"This is worse then anything Relena could come up with." When said in an absolute monotone, the statement sent Duo into paroxysms of laughter.

Heero strode over to the bed and swatted Duo before talking a seat on an over stuffed chair and began dragging out the surveillance equipment.

Duo watched him for a moment, letting his laughter die out before leaping off the opulent bed.

"You requested this room for a reason. I'm guessing do that we can watch and plot." He glanced over at Heero who was assembling a telescope.

"I'm thinking surveillance tonight, attack tomorrow, find the other nests, clear them, and we should be home within a week." He paused and grinned a bit, "that is, of course, if everything goes as planned."

Duo ruffled a hand through his bangs and grimaced, spending all day driving around the colony had left his hair feeling gross.

"I'm going to take a shower. Don't have too much fun while I'm gone!"

Duo grabbed his duffle and headed towards the bathroom.

It was obscene as the bedroom, but done in putrid purples and cream. Duo shuddered and undressed, hoping he could pull off showering with his eyes closed.

He emerged an hour later to a changed room; equipment littered every flat space and cords tangled about on the floor. Not only that but the ugly wall hangings were gone, and so were most of the hearts. Duo opened his mouth to ask where everything had went, but then his eye caught on a scrap of red hanging out of the closed closet door.

"Good clean up job Heero, now I won't have to gouge my eyes out."

He ran the brush in his ran experimentally through his hair, not bad, brushing wouldn't be too bad this time around.

He sat down at the edge of the bed, which seemed to be missing most of it's pillows and started brushing his hair, he wanted to get it over with quickly, maybe he would be able to keep his hair down until it dried, braiding it wet meant that his hair didn't dry for a day.

After tugging through a particularly annoying knot Duo looked up to see Heero staring at him, and something snapped.

"What the Hell do you want Heero?"

The messy haired man looked surprised, which gave Duo a strange sense of satisfaction.

"You snub me, then kiss me, get all cuddly and third wheel me, then tell me that everything is going to be alright, kiss me again, the just leave it. Then you start treating me like your property. I don't get it. I don't get you!"

Fully worked up, Duo found himself standing towering over the seated Heero, his hair covering him like a shroud, eyes sparking purple flames.

Abruptly Duo sat back down on the bed, deflated.

"I just don't get it Heero. You're messing with my life, with my emotions, it just isn't fair."

He put his head in his hands and sighed. He didn't move when he felt a weight settle on the bed beside him, or when an arm wrapped around his shoulders.

Heero spoke quietly over the soft sound of the machinery.

"Duo, I didn't realize that this was bothering you, Wufei and I have talked long and hard, and sometimes I forget that you don't know what we have said, or decided."

Duo sniffed, surprised to feel wetness on his hands. "What have you decided?" He was proud to notice that his voice still held a hard note to it.

"Wufei loves you. As he is mine, I don't want to see him hurting, or unhappy. You'll make him happy."

For some reason that angered Duo, he threw off Heero's arm and turned to face the other man.

"So I'm just a tool to keep your lover content? A toy so his attentions don't wander? God Heero, you took away the happiness of knowing that Wufei has feelings for me."

"Not a toy Duo, a partner. We want you to be with us."

Duo stopped and stared at the blue-eyed man.

"What?" Then he shook his head. "No, screw this. The Preventers are paying for this mission; they can afford a second room. Come find me when you want me to blow some terrorists to pieces."

He grabbed his duffle, and the bag containing the explosives and stalked out of the room and down the stairs, back down to the office. He couldn't deal with this right now. They were on a mission, and Heero was dumping revelations on him. His good mood was ruined, and the high he usually rode on while on a mission was nowhere to be seen. He knew that this hadn't been a good idea.