Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Happy Trails ❯ Chapter 7

Warnings and disclaimers in first part

Hours later, Trowa gave up on the idea of sleep. Sliding from his bed, he was careful not to make a sound as he crept down the hallway and into Duo’s room. The cube was exactly where his host had dropped it, so he picked it up, glancing at the man on the bed to make sure he wasn’t awake.

His heart clenched painfully and his throat tightened when he saw the pained expression on Duo’s sleeping face. Positive he could be of some help, he moved to the head of the bed and put a hand on the other man’s shoulder, squeezing lightly, gasping when the slender man moved into the touch and turning onto his back with a sigh. Unable to stop himself, Trowa let his hand trail across tanned shoulder before moving his fingers up and stroking Duo’s face.

Realizing what he was doing, he stepped back, eyes wide. He had never felt tenderness like this toward Quatre. That relationship hadn’t ended well, but it still felt like a betrayal to feel this strongly about someone that had turned him down a number of times. How could he feel this way about a man that had made it clear he had no intention of becoming involved with Trowa?

He wanted to believe he wouldn’t try to convince Duo to see him again after his time here was at an end, but he could clearly recall the pain in Duo’s voice after he had left the room. That torment had him returning to his room and turning on the photo cube, frowning as he studied the picture of Duo with another man, both smiling cheerfully at the photographer. Frowning at the photo, Trowa tried to figure out where he had seen the other man, the light blonde hair and deep blue eyes reminding him of Quatre, bringing a sneer to his lips.

After a moment he realized why the man made him think of his former lover and had to assume it wasn’t coincidence one of Quatre’s cousins had been photographed with Duo at some point. Leaving the cube on his bed, he went to the desk and used the computer to do a search for a man named Calvin Premiere. It wasn’t difficult to locate several hits for the name and he clicked on the first one, quickly verifying it was the man by using the picture that accompanied the article.

Stomach rolling as he had a horrible thought, he continued to go through articles, all of them at least six or seven years old. Hearing noise in the house he glanced at the clock, stunned when he saw it was past four in the morning, meaning Duo had already gotten up to start his day. Light footsteps in the hall had him clicking a random news sight, hiding what he was actually looking at.

“Have you been up all night?” Duo’s voice was thick with sleep, making Trowa wonder how it would sound in passion, admitting he was obsessed with the smaller man.

Slapping himself mentally, he turned to look at the door, his breath coming out in a gasp when he saw Duo’s hair framing his face, the small man sleeping with it down at night, making the cobalt eyes seem even larger. It only took a moment for Trowa to remember the photo-cube on the bed and less than a second to devise a plan to keep his host from seeing it. Making sure the wide eyes stayed on him, he stood slowly and moved to the door where Duo stood.

What began as a diversion became something else as Duo’s gaze followed his motions, eyes tired yet aware of Trowa. Forgetting about the cube, Trowa framed the heart-shaped face then circled his hands around, burying them in the thick hair.

“Trowa, I’m not going to sleep with you.”

Staring down at the man that seemed abruptly unsure of himself, Trowa whispered in an awestruck tone, “You’re beautiful, so beautiful.”

Duo’s cheeks reddened as he gazed back, “Pretty words won’t make me change my mind. You aren’t going to seduce me.”

“I think you’re seducing me,” he said softly, stunned at his own emotions.

“I haven’t done anything.”

“You don’t have to; you seduce me by being so damn strong. You’ve made it on your own with no one to lean on.” Before Trowa was aware of his own intentions, he put his lips on Duo’s in a gentle kiss, a mere touch.

A hand pushing at his chest made him pause, looking into Duo’s eyes to gauge the other man’s feelings, only mildly surprised to see the confusion and wariness. “I’m not sleeping with you. Please stop doing this.”

“We’ll discuss sleeping together later,” he replied with total honesty. “It’s just a kiss. What could be so dangerous about one kiss? I need this, Duo. For some reason, I need this.”

When the braided man said nothing, Trowa took the silence as acquiescence, carefully kissing Duo briefly once, then again. The sensation of a hand grasping his arm made him braver, letting his mouth linger for a moment before pausing to see Duo’s reaction. Wide eyes were stunned when they fluttered open, Duo’s breathing harsh as he looked up at Trowa. Moist lips parted as Duo began to let go of Trowa’s arm, gasping when the tall man gripped his hand to pull him closer. “Don’t,” Duo said in warning.

“This isn’t about sleeping with you,” whispered Trowa as he moved his free hand to the back of Duo’s neck, ensuring the smaller man would stay where he was. “That’s for later. This is about…something else,” he evaded, not sure what it was about. “This one time, take what you want from me, Duo. I plan to take all I can from you.”

This time when their lips met there was no gentle searching, no asking for permission. True to his word, Trowa took what he wanted, invading Duo’s mouth and searching every corner for all he could get. The feeling of another tongue meeting his boldly made him shiver, shuddering when he heard the soft moan. The urge to pull Duo to the floor and take everything he wanted was swift and strong and ruthlessly shoved down as he tilted his head, taking the kiss deeper.

Hands were suddenly on his shoulders, clenching again and again, as if Duo was trying to keep himself in control. Tearing their mouths apart, Trowa hissed, “For five damn minutes, stop thinking and feel.”

“I’m going to hate myself for this later,” Duo groaned. Not giving Trowa time to ask what he meant, he pulled the tall man back down and fused their mouths together with such ferocity that Trowa gasped.

Duo’s hands gripped the hair on the back of Trowa’s head while Trowa’s hands molded to slender hips. One pull had Duo pressed to him, long legs encircling his waist as he supported the smaller man against the doorframe. Bringing their groins together, Trowa groaned as he felt the hard length pressed to his own, legs shaking as Duo unexpectedly sucked on his tongue. When they finally pulled apart, Trowa was afraid he wasn’t going to be able to pull air into his lungs, chest heaving. His eyes rolled back in his head when he felt the slide of a tongue up his throat before Duo leaned back, meeting his eyes. “Five minutes is up, Trowa.”

Surprised how strongly he wanted to be inside the other man, Trowa shook his head. “Forget five minutes. Stay right here for five hours, five days. Take what you want from me for five months.”

As Duo removed his legs from Trowa’s waist and applied gentle pressure to the tall man’s chest to move Trowa back, he gave a wistful smile, “Five minutes is all I can have. I have to get to work.”

Forcing himself not to grab Duo and pull him back, Trowa watched as the other man walked away, closing the door of the bathroom behind him. The sound of the shower running had Trowa contemplating what would happen if he joined Duo in the shower, shaking his head at himself for the thought.

Grabbing the photo cube, he took it back to Duo’s room and placed it just under the edge of the bed, where Duo would assume it had fallen. Aware Duo would be out of the shower soon, he took a deep breath in a wasted effort to calm his body, sighing as he moved down the stairs.

When Duo came into the kitchen twenty minutes later, his hair was neatly braided and he was dressed in a pair of black jeans and a flannel shirt. His eyes went to Trowa, sitting at the table, clearly startled by his presence, “I figured you’d be ready to sleep by now. It’s amazing you’re still awake at all,” he commented quietly as he poured a cup of coffee from the pot Trowa had brewed.

“I was tired before. Now, it seems I have a surplus of energy I would love to put to good use,” he replied as he stood, refilling his own coffee cup. It was satisfying to hear the way Duo’s breath stuttered when he neared, proving Trowa wasn’t the only one affected by the earlier experience.

Setting his cup down with a snap, he shifted so he had Duo trapped between his body and the counter. Taking Duo’s own cup, he set it on the counter beside his own, “Five minutes wasn’t enough. I want more, Duo.”

“Five minutes is more than I should have taken. I can’t give you anymore. I don’t have anything left to give,” Duo replied with a wince. “Upstairs…what happened was because I had a few minutes where I didn’t think. It won’t happen again.”

Abruptly sealing his mouth over the other man’s, Trowa was electrified when Duo’s response was instantaneous, hands clasping Trowa’s arms while he opened his mouth in invitation. When Duo pulled away seconds later, Trowa started to demand answers until he saw tears in the other man’s eyes. His hands gentled, rubbing across Duo’s neck, “Why won’t you talk to me? Whatever it is, we can work it out.”

Breaking free from Trowa’s grasp, Duo shook his head. “There is no we, Trowa. Stop doing this to me, all right? Stop acting like you care.” As soon as the words were voiced, Duo was gone, heading quickly into the darkness of early morning.



After getting a few hours of sleep, Trowa briefly considered going to find Duo before admitting it would be best to let his host have some time to himself. He also had to admit he needed some time to sort out what he felt and try to make some sense of what he had done.

In his entire life he had never felt the need to force himself on someone the way he had Duo. He had never experienced the uncontrollable desire to claim someone, had never needed to hear he was wanted as much as he had wanted Duo to say so. Knowing those things about himself made him wonder if he was losing his mind.

During the war there hadn’t been much interaction between himself and Duo. He understood now part of that was due to Quatre’s interference and there simply hadn’t been time. Now he needed to figure out why he had gone from barely knowing the man to being fixated. Duo was right, if it had just been sex he was after it could have been easy and fun. Unfortunately, Trowa wasn’t made that way and he had a sense Duo wasn’t either.

Rubbing his face, he gave up trying to think clearly for a while and stumbled his way down the stairs, hoping there was some coffee left. In the kitchen a smile came to his lips when he spotted a pot of coffee and a full plate of biscuits beside a sealed jar of grape jam. Touched Duo had thought of him while he and Mick were having breakfast, he stood at the counter and ate half of a biscuit. “It’s like trying to fight a battle you know you’re going to lose,” he mused softly. Quatre had never done anything without having a reason, usually wanting Trowa to do something the tall man didn’t want to do. Spreading jam on the other half of the biscuit, he realized his former lover had never done anything unless there was an ulterior motive. If there was an important dinner Trowa didn’t want to go to, he would be presented with a new watch. If Quatre wanted him to meet a business associate, Trowa was given a new weapon for his extensive collection.

Leaning against the counter, he slowly chewed his way through three grape biscuits, washing them down with strong coffee. Since his arrival, he had been gifted with a variety of small items, yet Duo had asked for nothing in return. The computer in Trowa’s room had been put there while he had been with Duo in the barn after expressing a desire to check his email. One morning he had commented about not liking the toothpaste he had, having grabbed it in a hurry to leave Quatre’s. That night there had been a different kind sitting beside the bathroom sink, still in the box. An idle comment about preferring grape jam to strawberry had ended up with the grape appearing in the fridge beside Duo’s usual strawberry.

Anytime he made a pointless statement about what he liked, small changes were made within the house to accommodate him. There were likely other things he hadn’t noticed, as well. Duo had never asked for anything; the braided man had never even brought the subject up, though he had to be the one making the arrangements, possibly using Mick or Sara, the big man’s mother who cleaned the house, to make the alterations while Duo and Trowa were out of the house.

Hearing his cell phone ringing, Trowa almost went back up the stairs, stopping as he recalled the suggestions Duo had made the night before. Since he rarely received calls from anyone other than Quatre, he assumed that’s who it was and decided to ignore the call. As soon as his cell stopped ringing, the phone in Duo’s living room began to shrill. Curious who would be calling Duo in the middle of the afternoon he stood in the kitchen door and waited as the answering machine turned on.

“Duo, this is Heero, but you know that. I was trying to call Trowa but he isn’t answering his phone. Can you tell him to call me if he’s still there or let me know if he’s already left?”

Leaping over the couch, Trowa jabbed buttons, hissing as he jammed his finger. “Heero, I’m here. Hold on.”

After a few incorrect guesses, Trowa finally hit the right button and Heero appeared on the screen, blue eyes filled with humor. “Have you ever answered a regular phone, Trowa?”

Embarrassed, Trowa winced as he confessed, “Not in the last seven years or so. Quatre’s servants screen all calls and everyone calls me on my cell phone. There wasn’t any reason for me to use the house phone.” Rolling his eyes when the other man smirked, he tried to redirect the conversation, “Did you call to make fun of me or was there a real reason?”

Heero’s expression went from amused to apologetic in an instant. “When you told me about Quatre, I didn’t believe you.”

When he paused, Trowa lifted an eyebrow, “Heero, am I supposed to be angry with you? If I hadn’t been there I wouldn’t have believed it, either. Knowing what I did, I wanted to think Duo wasn’t telling the truth, but I have to admit Quatre’s capable of all of it and possibly worse.” Rubbing a hand across his chin, he reminded himself to shave as he continued, “I’m not mad at you. If you choose not to believe me, I won’t hold it against you. I simply thought you should know.”

“I do believe you; I didn’t want to. In my mind, Quatre was…innocent, I suppose. I didn’t want to think he had been cruel for so long and none of us had ever seen it.”

“Duo saw it,” reminded Trowa softly. “Quatre made him go back to the colonies as soon as the war was over, Heero. Duo knew he didn’t stand a chance against someone that had as much money as Quatre, so he went without arguing.”

“That explains Duo’s sudden need to leave,” muttered Heero, blue eyes sad. “All I knew was that when I was released from the hospital he was gone.”

Taking a guess, Trowa watched the other man for a reaction. “You had a relationship.”

“I wanted to. We talked about it, but we weren’t willing to get involved until after the war. I didn’t want my concentration divided and he didn’t want the risk of losing someone he cared about. When he left I assumed he had changed his mind. If I had been aware of Quatre’s threat I would have followed him to the colonies.”

“With Duo gone, you had no reason to turn down the offer from Une, a job Quatre encouraged you to take, although you didn’t stay with the organization,” added Trowa, seeing how the blonde had played Heero against Duo. “How long did it take for you to speak to Duo again?”

“Not until after he moved back to earth,” Heero winced. “I think it was about six months after he had bought his land.”

“Did you consider asking why he left?”

“I thought about it, almost asked him about it when we spoke, but then I remembered the way he had left. I decided I couldn’t trust him, Trowa. For nine years, since the end of the war and I woke to find Duo gone, I’ve blamed the wrong person and Duo never mentioned it.” Dark eyes pinned him from the screen, “Why did he tell you about the things Quatre did?”

“After I told him the way Quatre had treated me I guess Duo thought I would believe him. It’s why he never said anything during the war. Quatre admitted to me he had done everything he could to keep Duo away from me.”

“Why?”

“His excuse was that Duo had enough charm to tempt me.”

“Quatre wanted you for himself,” Heero shrugged. “That wasn’t a secret. He was very quick to tell people you were together. It was almost the first thing he said to anyone, even before you were actually together.”

Being a pawn was not a feeling Trowa liked. “I think he was jealous.”

“Duo was jealous?”

Snorting at the incredulous expression on his friends face, Trowa shook his head. “Quatre was jealous of Duo. Compare them, Heero. Who was the more liked of the two? Who was able to make friends everywhere while the rest of us had no idea what to do?”

“Duo could always become part of a crowd. At schools, he was one of the most popular people in days without trying,” Hero replied with a nod.

“Who was the better pilot – Gundam or shuttle?”

“Duo,” was the quick reply. “Piloting has always been second nature to him, although Quatre’s skills were exceptional.”

Nodding in agreement, Trowa looked over the screen to stare at the wall. “Who was more dedicated to the cause? Who was stronger, both physically and mentally? Who had people willing to take risks on his behalf, not because they felt they owed him something, but because they wanted to?”

“Howard and the whole crew supported Duo because they cared about him, not because they had to; G also had some affection for Duo.”

“There’s one more thing, Heero. Which one of them is more attractive?” Trowa asked softly, looking back at the man on the screen.

Dark eyebrows disappeared under Heero’s bangs, “Aren’t you supposed to say Quatre is more attractive? You were with him for over six years.”

“Look at them objectively, Heero. Imagine them side by side. If you didn’t know either of them and had to pick by appearances alone, who would you choose?”

“I think the answer to that is rather obvious,” Heero snorted, then watched Trowa with narrowed eyes. “Based on appearances alone, who would you choose?”

Although he already knew the answer, Trowa stalled by conjuring up images of both men in his mind. Letting out a slow breath, he mumbled, “Duo.”

“I’d always wondered,” the man on screen commented, smirking when Trowa gaped at him. “If Quatre hadn’t been there, I don’t think I would have been as close to Duo as I was. When you and Duo first met I saw the way he looked at you. I didn’t understand it until I found myself looking at Duo the same way and recognized it as attraction.”

For several seconds, Trowa couldn’t think of anything to say. Eventually, he focused his eyes on the table, “Now that you know the reason Duo left, are you going to become involved with him?”

“We’re different than we were, Trowa. I hardly know him anymore.”

“You could come spend time with him.”

“A few years ago, I might have tried. Duo likes his life the way it is now and I like mine. If there could be a compromise where we could spend part of our time in the city and part of it in the country it might be worth a try, but it wouldn’t work.”

“You wouldn’t be able to live here part of the time?” Trowa didn’t understand the reservations everyone seemed to have about where Duo lived. For him, it had been quiet and peaceful, something he had missed in the cities where Quatre preferred to live.

“I might be able to for a few months, but that wouldn’t be the problem. Duo hates cities. When he stayed here with me for a few weeks I thought he was going to go crazy. He can’t stand the way people and buildings are crowded on top of each other; it reminds him of being on a colony. He is where he needs to be. Don’t try to take him away from there.”

It took a moment for Trowa to response, stunned by the words. “I don’t plan on doing anything. This is Duo’s home. When my truck gets fixed, I’ll make the rest of the trip to your house. Maybe I’ll visit here if he agrees, but I won’t be staying.”

“Why not?”

“He doesn’t want me,” answered Trowa without thinking. Rather than let Heero question him, he shook his head, “Why did you decide to believe me about Quatre?”

Blue eyes studied him for a moment before Hero shook his head, possibly in frustration. “I decided to look up some events during meetings that were newsworthy for some reason or another. Any time someone crossed Quatre they was practically destroyed a few months later.” At Trowa’s horrified look, Heero explained, “I don’t mean they were killed, but they were financially ruined, leading to the loss of almost everything they had, including their families. I checked out each incident I found, Trowa. The one thing all those people had in common was Quatre.”

Remembering what Duo had said the night before, Trowa frowned deeply, “Only a few people would challenge someone like Quatre. It doesn’t surprise me, unfortunately. The more I find out, the less surprised I am about the things he’s done.”

“Trowa, we have to stop this.”

“The best we can do is put in a call to the Preventers and let them know what we suspect. We don’t have the power to go after someone like Quatre.”

“You’re right, I just feel like we’re not doing enough. I’ll keep digging and see what else I can find and make the call.”

“Do you still have the large camera?” Trowa spoke cryptically of the satellite Heero had hacked into before, one strong enough to read the name on a mailbox from space.

“I do. Anything in particular you want a picture of?”

“The area here; it really is beautiful, but I’d like to be able to see the big picture.”

Heero nodded slightly, consulting something to the side of the screen. “It might take a day or so before I can take any pictures, but I’ll send them as fast as I can.” This meant it would be at least a day before the satellite would be in range, allowing Heero to detour it slightly from its normal path. “Is there anything else you need?”

“Find out everything you can about Calvin Premiere. I think Duo was involved with him at some point. Whatever happened didn’t end well. I’ve done a search but can’t find anything about him in the last seven years.”

“You don’t think the timing is a coincidence?”

“Do you? He suddenly falls out of the media right before Duo decides to come back to earth? It’s suspicious and likely had Quatre’s cruelty all over it.”

“Agreed. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Tell Duo I said hello and I’ll try to call him later.” Heero disconnected the call without a formal goodbye, something Trowa was used to.

He was shutting down the connection from his end, frowning at the multitude of buttons, when an arm stretched over his shoulder and pressed the correct one, making the screen go blank. With a wince, Trowa looked up into annoyed cobalt eyes. “Do you mind telling me why you and Heero are doing a search on Cal? It better be a damn good reason, Trowa.”