Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Integration ❯ Duplicity ( Chapter 15 )

Integration

Part 15- Duplicity

Working alongside Quatre Winner proved to be a busy and fairly stressful occupation. After a pleasantly spent weekend, Duo went to the office with his blond lover bright an early on Monday morning, dressed in his smart new clothing and was promptly shown to the room that was to be his office and it just so happened to be attached to the young executive's much larger one. Next, he was introduced to Esther, Quatre's executive secretary, who organized the busy young man's schedule as well as processed the paper work that made information available to him at a moment's notice. It was explained to the new employee that he would be working closely with the fifty-something year old woman as well as with Quatre to see that the important member of the Winner organization kept to his daily schedule and appointments, arriving to functions and meetings before they started.

If Duo had visions of he and Quatre fooling around during company time, they were quickly squelched. With a sense that his feet hit the ground running as they began each day, he found the succeeding hours passed quickly in a flurry of phone calls to arrange and re-arrange schedules, set up meetings and deal with any public appearances. He accompanied the well-known executive to meetings with government officials, other businessmen, lawyers, bankers, charities and occasionally to the daily boardroom meetings of the Winner Corporation. As it happened, the two men managed to share only a few brief kisses when they were alone in Quatre's office and taking a breather from the whirlwind of activity that was the blond's business life.

During their first week of working together, they came to an agreement that they would strive to leave work at the same time each day as the other employees, and that all talk of work was to be left behind them at the office. When they returned to the apartment at the end of the business day, it was designated as their time to relax, unwind and enjoy each other's company.

Duo found himself impressed by how much stamina Quatre exhibited, especially since he found himself struggling to keep up with the blond's frantic pace at the office. He fell into an exhausted slumber each night that first week while Quatre assured him he would get used to it. All it took was receiving his first paycheck for Duo to realize his efforts were certainly being rewarded.

Still, it took a little over three weeks before he began to feel more comfortable about his position in the Winner Corporation. Duo tapped into the memories he had of Jason and used his experiences of working in a high-paced, stress-filled job to become as organized as his former persona had been.

With his days filled with schedules and meetings and his nights filled with championship and affection, two months had passed by before duo approached Quatre one evening, over a leisurely game of pool, asking if he'd learned anything about Heero and his situation on Earth.

The blond chalked the tip of his pool stick and avoided Duo's questioning gaze. "I'm having Rashid check into several private detective agencies. He's going to select the best and most reputable, one who will be discrete and maintain client confidentiality, ensuring that our identities are kept safe."

"How much longer do you think it will take?" Duo asked, watching the blond set up his shot.

"He should be contacting me soon, and I would imagine the complete investigation will take another month or more."

"The investigation is well underway, though, isn't it? I mean, it's been a couple of months already."

"I trust Rashid to do a thorough job," Quatre replied, took his shot and scratched. The action roused Duo's suspicion.

"Quatre, what aren't you telling me?"

The blond looked sheepish. "That I lust after you?" The corners of his mouth turned up playfully, showing he was teasing and avoiding the answer.

Duo folded his arms over his chest, looking impatient at the change in the other man's mood.

With a resigned sigh, Quatre lay his pool stick down on the corner of the table and moved around it to stand in front of the shorter man, looking at him guardedly. Taking Duo in his arms, he kissed his up-turned forehead. "Don't be angry with me, alright?" When there was no answer, he continued. "I didn't give Rashid instructions about the investigation until three weeks ago," he confessed, then rushed to add, "It's just that I don't want you to go. I'm selfish, I know, but what we have here is good, Duo. I just thought that if I delayed giving Rashid instructions that I'd have more time to change your mind, that you'd learn to love me and you'd stay."

The burden of being responsible for this situation, for Quatre's growing feelings for him, weighed heavily on Duo's heart. He leaned into the taller man, his friend and lover, and rested his head against the strong shoulder. "I'm sorry, Quat, but you know I have to go. I've loved Heero since I was fifteen and he's always been everything to me. We only agreed to the Integration because we were promised that we'd be together. Relena and Une broke that promise, but I won't break mine to Heero. Please tell me you understand. I never wanted to hurt you - and I do love you, but I'm in love with Heero. If you'd just let me bring my friend from Earth here, you'd remember your love for Trowa and we could go and find him and free him from the Integration also. Then you could be together."

Abruptly the arms around his body dropped and Quatre turned away from him, obviously upset by his firm decision regarding his former lover. "Quatre?" Duo called his name with growing trepidation in his voice.

"Why is it you're so determined that I get back with this... Trowa?" the blond asked angrily, not turning around to face the other man. "Is it so you won't feel guilty when you leave me for another? Well I like the way things are right now. I don't wish for anything more than for you to return my feelings."

Duo cautiously approached his friend and again wrapped his arms around him, pressing his face against the stiff back while holding Quatre from behind. His voice was soft as he answered the questions. "You and Trowa had a love that was enviable, Quat. When you looked at each other, it was as if the world disappeared from around you. Trowa's music, his flute, played in perfect harmony with your violin, and that's the way your relationship was, a perfect blend."

"Did you envy us?" Quatre asked, the muscles of his back relaxing slightly.

"Yes, at times. Heero was sometimes aloof and withdrawn because of his training, much like Trowa was at the beginning of the war. But you seemed to break through to him more quickly than I did with Heero. I definitely envied that, but it also gave me incentive to keep trying."

"Did Heero love you as much as you love him?" The question came with a hint of pain in the blond's voice.

"Yes, at least he said he did. And I believed him," was Duo's reply.

"I don't want to play anymore tonight," Quatre said abruptly, then loosened the arms wrapped around him and slipped away. "I'm going to bed. Lock up when you're finished."

Duo watched as he walked away, feeling lost as to what he could do to make the situation better. When no solution came to mind, he waited, giving the blond a half hour before he entered the dark bedroom. Taking off his clothes and folding them as neatly as he could in the dark, he set them on the bottom end of the bed and then climbed under the covers. He hesitated moving closer to his bedmate, not knowing if Quatre would welcome his touch or not. But the uneasy distance between them became too much for him to bear and he rolled over to press his body against the other man's side, wrapping his arm around him and laying his head on his shoulder. "Night, Quat," he whispered, and turned his lips to press the against the warm neck .

"Good night," Quatre answered, not pushing him away, and the silence in the room continued as the awkward evening ended unsatisfactorily for both men.

Oooooooo

The next morning began with the two of them rushing through their showers and dressing quickly as a result of having slept later than usual. They'd each lain awake until the early hours of the morning, their minds going over the evening's conversation. Few words passed between them as they dressed, ate a quick breakfast and then rushed to work.

Quatre had a board meeting scheduled for nine a.m., and it was supposed to take up most of the morning. He asked Duo to stay behind to make some necessary phone calls. After he left his office for the board room, Duo busied himself with the next week's schedule, making appointments and confirming others.

Around ten a.m., a brief knock at the door was heard a scant second before it opened. A large, dark man entered, and though Duo had never seen him before, he had no doubt he was one of the Maguanacs, devoted to the Winner family's service. The tall, powerfully built man walked with purpose towards his desk and held out a thick white envelope. Looking down at it, Duo saw it was unmarked other than his pseudo name, Grayson Williams, written in what appeared to be a flourishing, feminine script. Taking the proffered envelope, he opened the flap and scanned the contents. Inside he found an impressively thick stack of Universal credits.

"What's this?" he asked, looking up with curiosity to the tall frowning man.

"Severance pay," the man's voice was deep and the look on his face showed his disdain. "You're to collect your personal belongings and I'll escort you from the building."

"Severance." Duo frowned, confused. "Do I get a reason why I'm being fired?" Yet at the very moment he asked the question, he recalled his conversation with Quatre the night before and the awkward silence between them that morning. A wave of disappointment and hurt washed over him. He told himself that he shouldn't be surprised; after all, Quatre's actions to what he'd said last night clearly told him that things had changed between them as his resolve to return to Heero had been reaffirmed.

"I shouldn't have to tell you the reasons," the man said, folding his massive arms over his chest as a sign of his impatience.

Duo nodded, wishing he and Quatre could have had some final words before they parted. He was sorry for the hurt the other man was feeling, but his course had been set from the moment he'd gotten his memory back. He couldn't quit now just because he found comfort with his best friend. He found an empty box in his closet and collected a few of his personal things, mostly small ornamental gifts and playful trinkets for his desk from Quatre, then grabbed up his jacket and threw it in also. With the other man following, he led the way out of the office he'd become very comfortable with during the last two months. He paused at Quatre's secretary's desk. "Goodbye, Esther. It was nice working with you."

The middle-aged woman straightened up from her typing and Duo could read the surprise and confusion in her expression. But when her eyes rose to his formidable escort, she looked as if she understood exactly what was going on and gave him a sad smile. "It was nice to have worked with you also, Grayson. Take care of yourself."

After leaving the tall building with his box under his arm, Duo took his time getting back to the apartment, not knowing if his pass key would work any longer. He stopped at shops along the way, bought and ate a large pretzel slathered with mustard and a soda to wash it down. Then without meaning to, he found himself standing in front of the familiar apartment building. Runnar, the familiar doorman, gave him a concerned look and asked him if he was well. Duo assured him that he was then hurried to the elevator in order to avoid any further questions.

He entered the apartment and sighed as he gazed at the harem-like decor. "Well, at least I don't have to look at this any longer," he said to himself, hoping to make himself feel better about the latest development.

Resigned to the fact that he needed to move on once again, he ignored the red blinking light on the answering machine and went straight to the bedroom and set the box he'd been carrying most of the morning on the bed. Pulling out the duffle bag he'd brought with him to L-4, he began to put his clothing into it, taking only those items he deemed necessary. Quatre had been overly generous in the selection of his wardrobe, but somehow it didn't seem right to take what he'd been given by the man he'd ended up hurting.

As he pressed some of his underwear into the bag, he heard the sound of the front door opening and Quatre's frantic voice calling his name. The sound of running footsteps followed.

The blond looked flushed, his face anxious as he entered the bedroom. A look of relief entered his eyes as they lit on Duo. They then dropped to the bed and took in the packed duffle bag and a look of worry replaced the momentary expression of relief. "You didn't answer the phone," he said, breathlessly. "Esther said Meshak escorted you from your office. Where are you going?"

"Does it really matter?" Duo replied dispassionately with a shrug.

"Duo?" Quatre approached him looking uncertain.

"Don't worry, Quat. I can take a hint and know how to bow out gracefully. You've been great, really, and you can count on me to keep quiet about our fling."

Quatre's expression gave the appearance of having been sucker punched. "I don't understand, Duo. Is this about last night? I'm sorry if I was upset but that's no reason for you to leave."

Now Duo was the one confused. "What about my severance pay? I thought you wanted me out of here."

Duo suddenly found himself engulfed in a bear hug, held firmly against Quatre's chest as the blond spoke. "I don't know what you're talking about. I've already told you how much I want you in my life. I would never send you away willingly."

Pulling away from the arms reluctant to let him go, Duo turned to grab the thick envelop from off the bed where he'd tossed it when he'd first entered the room. He opened it and pulled out the large stack of credits. "The guy you were talking about, the Maguanac, gave this to me and told me it was my severance pay. I could only imagine it was because of last night."

A light of understanding sparked within the blue-green eyes, and then they narrowed dangerously. "I think I understand. Wait here. I'll get to the bottom of this."

Quatre moved to leave the room, pulling his cell phone off his belt, but before he crossed the doorway, he stopped abruptly and turned. "You'll be here when I get back, right?"

Duo sat down on the edge of the bed and folded his arms. "Yeah, I'll be here," he answered, then watched as the blond disappeared in a hurry.

The silence in the room stretched out. Duo checked his watch several times to see only five minutes had passed since Quatre left. He stood and began to pace, letting another five minutes pass by. He looked up when Quatre swept into the room, a pleasant smile on his face.

"Now that I've taken care of that piece of business, is there anything you'd like to do? Any place you want to go?"

Duo gave the taller blond a suspicious look. "What happened?" he asked.

Quatre moved to the bed and sat on the edge. Patting the place next to him, he signaled for Duo to join him. He held his silence until the brunet complied. "Meshak," he began, slipping his arm over Duo's shoulders and holding him close to his side, "is more than just a Maguanac, he's my sister, Rachel's, husband. She sits on the Board of Directors for the company and carries a lot of clout. She's the one who decided you should be terminated because your resume seemed suspicious. She had a background check done and there were some discrepancies in the references and school data. Big surprise that." His blue-green eyes danced with humor. The two of them had worked together to produce a resume that was based on the published facts of Quatre's Integration. They used the name Duo was already using, an actual name of a student from the falsified history of schools that Quatre was supposed to have attended on Earth during his teenage years. They'd tracked the original Grayson Williams to one other secondary school and then to Oxford University where he dropped out after his second year. His data looked really good on the submitted resume and would hold up to casual scrutiny unless someone looked more closely at it; obviously Quatre's sister had.

"I told Rachel that, regardless of her reasons for your dismissal, I want you to remain as my assistant, that you have been doing an exemplary job and that I find you irreplaceable."

"And?"

"She refused to budge, so I quit."

Duo's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? You can't quit your job because of this."

The blond shrugged, appearing unconcerned, his smile in place. "Oh, I'm not worried that it will be permanent. I give her a week at the most until I get the call of apology that I'll insist on in order for me to go back to my office."

Duo frowned, looking dubious. "Are you sure about this?"

The now unemployed executive smiled confidently and his hand rose to caress Duo's smooth-shaven cheek. "Positive. I've made myself pretty much indispensable to them."

A creeping smile grew on Duo's face. "You always were the strategist, Quat. Leave it to you to make them dependant on you. The business world is a different kind of battlefield to you, isn't it, you sly fox?"

Quatre's grin dimmed slightly and a hint of sadness entered his eyes as he studied the shorter man's face. "Unfortunately my plans don't always come to fruition."

He wasn't sure, but Duo guessed the blond was referring to him. Quatre's attachment to him was fairly obvious and it was probably the real reason why his sister had initiated the background check and then followed through in her attempt to dismiss him. He couldn't really blame her, though. He knew he could probably ask Quatre for anything and his lover, in his current besotted state, would happily give him whatever he wanted. Quatre was vulnerable when he was in love, and his sister seemed well aware of that fact. He would never take advantage of the wealthy man's feelings for him, he admired and respected Quatre more than that. He realized that if he took the time to analyze his own feelings the blond, he'd probably discover, without delving too deeply, that he felt more than mere friendship for him. That brief acknowledgment to himself brought with it a wave of guilt. He had every intention of leaving L-4 as soon as he had the information he needed and then he'd proceed to Earth. No matter how he felt about Quatre, it paled in comparison to his love and need for Heero.

Looking into the beautiful eyes the blond possessed, he could see a similar need reflected there, the one Quatre had for him as well as his understanding and sadness at the inevitable split between them. Leaning forward and tilting his head up, he gently put his lips to Quatre's. He couldn't give his friend, his temporary lover, his whole heart or a promise of a future together, but he could give him the here and now and maybe, in the years to come, their time together would be a pleasant memory for the both of them. He hoped they'd be able to look back one day and smile with no lingering regrets for the time they were now spening together.

Drawing his arms around the blond's neck, Duo tilted his head and deepened the kiss, and together the two men moved slowly to lay back onto the bed. They had nowhere else to go at the moment, no phones or demands, only each other and the present moment that would hopefully become a warm memory.

Oooooooo

Opening his eyes after having taken a brief nap they'd agreed to after an afternoon of slow, passionate lovemaking, Duo was greeted to the sight of the back of Quatre's head on the pillow next to his own.

His eyes gazed fondly on the flaxen hair that curled up slightly at his neck. He let his gaze drop to the bare, pale shoulders, sculpted to perfection by his daily swim routine. The pale skin covering the sleek muscles was smooth and unblemished and seemed to beg for a kiss. Duo inched closer, not able to resist, and pressed his lips against the upturned shoulder. The skin underneath his mouth twitched slightly and a soft, sleepy chuckle of amusement was Quatre's response.

Pressing his body up against the blond's back, Duo brushed the silky hair away from the nearest ear in order to give it a proper assault. But as he studied the targeted area, his eyes opened wide with disbelief and he stopped all movement, feeling as if his blood had turned to ice. He blinked, then reached up and grabbed hold of the other man's earlobe and pulled it forward in order to study the area he was fixated on. His reaction was immediate as he roughly shoved the blond away.

Quatre squawked at the sudden action and resulting pain to his ear. He turned his head, wondering at his lover's unusual actions to see that Duo was retreating to the far side of the bed. Turning over completely, he observed the other man's angry countenance. "What was that for?" he asked, confused.

Duo gave him a heated glare, then scrambled out of bed and began to gather his clothes that had been carelessly scattered as they'd been discarded earlier without any thought. "You lied to me," he said, his voice tense as he passed through gritted while pulling on his boxers.

"How so?" Quatre sat up, alarmed at Duo's actions.

"You weren't Integrated. You never underwent the procedure, did you?" Duo said, pulling his t-shirt over his head with jerking movements. "I can't believe you've lied to me this whole time." His voice was muffled by the fabric momentarily covering his face.

"What makes you think that?" A look of worry clouded the blond's face.

"The lack of a mark behind your ear, the Sanq flag, to be specific," Duo snapped back after his head made it through the neck of the tee-shirt. "A sure sign that you've had the procedure done."

"Duo, please, listen to me," the blond pleaded as he scrambled off the bed and moved quickly around the foot of it to the other side, completely ignoring his naked state. Duo had pulled his pants on and was reaching for his shirt as Quatre reached him and grabbed hold of his hands. "Let me explain, please." The brunet looked up with sparks of anger shooting within his eyes as he tried to wrench his hands away, but Quatre's grasp held firm.

"I've been here how long?" Duo asked in a strained voice that grew louder as he continued, answering his own question. "A little over nine or ten weeks? We've had sex, shared the same bed, bath and meals together and it never dawned on you that I'd figure it out at some point?"

"I couldn't tell you, Duo," Quatre said, desperate for the other man to understand his deception. "You don't know how much I wanted to, how much I ached to tell you that I remember you and Heero, Wufei and Trowa, but it was part of the agreement. I gave an oath and signed a contract that I would never reveal my past, that I would feign ignorance if I was challenged."

The amethyst eyes were blazing at this point. "Did you bribe those damn doctors into falsifying the documents of your Integration, like that bitch Relena?" he spat out loud and angrily at the man no less than a foot away from him. "Did I just live the last three years of my life in hell because I simply didn't have any money to bribe them with? Was my life, my happiness, sacrificed because I lacked family and money?"

"Calm down, Duo," Quatre urged him, keeping his voice down while holding the two hands tightly to keep his lover from running out of his life. "Think about it. Do you really believe that my sisters would have tolerated the only male member of the family to have his life erased? I'm the one that's supposed to carry on the Winner name to the next generation. As my father's only son, I'm set to inherit the most prominent position on the Winner Board of Directors, not to mention a good part of the family's fortune and stock. With all of that responsibility falling to me, can you really believe that my sisters were going to let me go that easily?"

Duo calmed slightly, but the dark expression on his face remained.

"I did undergo a partial procedure," Quatre continued. "They took away the memory of my father and sister's death as well as my unfortunate experience in Wing Zero when I destroyed a colony and threatened another. I've read the news reports and I know what I've done. As I told you before, it's easier to live with the facts when the memory is gone. I didn't lie when I said I don't want my memories back and I like sleeping without nightmares."

"But you remember everything else, right?" Duo shouted, it was more of a challenge than a question. "Damn it all, Quatre, you remember Trowa! How can you remember him and not go to him? You loved each other so much. I just don't understand how you could forget about him."

"You're right, Duo." The blond finally let go of the other man's hands to run one of them through his sleep-mussed hair. "I do remember Trowa and I do love him. We loved each other deeply, for a time. But I'm not in love with him any longer."

Torn between being angry and feeling betrayed, Duo looked pleadingly to his friend. "I don't understand, Quat. Help me understand this so that I don't end up hating you."

"Here," Quatre took up the other's hand again, this time he gently led Duo to sit on the bed. "Sit here and I'll tell you. Just let me throw something on."

Duo complied, sitting on the edge of the comfortable mattress and watched as Quatre went to the closet and pulled out the familiar white robe and put it on. He forced himself to stay seated until the blond approached him again, his forehead wrinkled with lines of worry.

Sighing deeply at facing the daunting task ahead of him, Quatre sat close to his lover's side and closed his eyes for a moment in order to compose himself. "After the first war, Trowa came here to live with me to see if our relationship could survive during a time of peace that we'd never known together," he began, his voice soft and sad. "My family was shocked, to say the least, and barely tolerated us at first, our relationship was a offensive and disgraceful to them, and it was more than obvious that I'd disappointed them with my choice for a mate."

Though his eyes were focused on a spot in the distance, Duo could see pain reflected in Quatre's eyes as he recalled the memory, showing how much his sisters' disapproval had hurt him. "They tried to be somewhat discrete about their disapproval because they didn't want to alienate me completely, and as time went by, they became more polite, but pretty much kept their distance emotionally and physically." He paused for a moment and a small, sad smile came to his lips.

"At first, it was good between Trowa and I, despite my family's initial reaction. But after a while I sensed Trowa's growing restlessness. Having grown up with a mercenary group, he wasn't used to staying in one place for very long and he'd certainly never put down any roots. He said he had vagabond blood in his veins." Quatre paused a moment and sighed wearily. "In time, he came to hate it here and began to resent me for keeping him away from the life he longed for with the circus." Sad eyes transmitted the hurt the blond felt at his lover's rejection. "I did love him, Duo, have no doubt about that. But Trowa felt stifled here, like one of the caged circus cats unable to perform, so I felt I had no choice but to let him go. It was an amicable split, but after he left me I found a gaping hole in my life. It hurt and I missed him terribly.

"We were brought together again during the coup attempt by Deikum Barton, and then were forced to live together when we were put under house arrest at the Sanq palace. Feeling uncertain because we didn't know what the future had in store for us or if we even had a future at all, we both sought comfort from each other by returning to the familiar, comfortable relationship we once had. That was the reason why you and the others believed we were still together. For those few, brief months we recaptured what we'd once had because there was nowhere to go, no one and nothing to divided us, and we couldn't seem to get enough of each other.

"Then the plan for Integration was introduced by Relena. I spoke privately with Trowa, having learned of my sisters' plans to have only a part of my memories removed. I thought that with the impending Integration he could also have a partial procedure, removing his past as a mercenary, which I believed caused his wanderlust, and he would be content to spend the rest of his life with me on L-4."

Quatre stopped speaking for a moment, his eyes misting over as he fought for composure. Duo could see he was obviously still very much hurt by what had happened years ago. In a tight voice, Quatre continued. "He said he loved me, but that he loved Catherine and his life at the circus, too. He believed that she needed him more as a brother than I did and that she'd already agreed to act as his sister and the overseer that the government required as part of the procedure. He asked me to let him go," his voice came out small and choking. "And I loved him enough to do as he asked."

A tear fell from the sorrowful eyes and Duo moved to brush it off with his thumb as he struggled for something comforting to say.

A watery smile came to the blond's otherwise sad face. "He's happy, you know. I've checked on him several times and have even begun to form an acquaintance with him as the bright circus star he's become. Would you like to go and see him? I believe the circus is on L-1 this month."

Duo nodded, all the anger he'd previous felt towards the other man dissipated while hearing Quatre's story and seeing his very real sorrow. "I'd like to see for myself that he's happy," he answered, taking the blond's cool hand into his own. "Is there really no chance for you to have him in your life again, as your lover?"

Quatre shook his head. "No chance at all. At first I was angry and bitter, the void I told you about while I was in London was caused by Trowa's decision, and I also struggled with my feelings of having betrayed you, Heero and Wufei when my sisters arranged for me not to be Integrated. Over time and after I made a lot of mistakes, I eventually accepted his leaving me and overcame my guilt about having cheated my way out of being Integrated, and I've successfully done as Trowa asked; I truly let him go - to live his life as he chose. I'll always love him as my friend and as my first lover, but our relationship is just a memory now, and that's all it can ever be."

Duo released the hand he held and embraced the sad man before him. "He was the person you spoke of before, isn't he? The other person you asked to live with you who chose his profession over your love?" He felt the nod of the blond man's head. "I'm sorry," he added, pressing his lips against the skin of Quatre's neck as he held tightly to him.

"I swear, Duo, if I'd known what had happened to you and Heero, I would have done everything in my power to stop it or to at least right the wrong done to you. I saw pictures of Relena with Heero and knew they'd gotten married, but I couldn't dig up any information on you. I'd kept myself apart from you guys during the initial process of the Integration so you wouldn't ask me too many questions. Because of that, I didn't know the details of your Integration, so I could only guess you didn't make it as a couple in your new life. The worse case scenario I came up with was that you might have died. I could only hope that wasn't true. Then, when I first saw you outside the office building, I didn't know if it was really you or a ghost I was looking at."

Duo nodded, seeing how Quatre could have come to the conclusions that he had. "At least you can console yourself that you and Trowa had closure. I don't have that with Heero. The last time I saw him he said he loved me and wanted to be with me. They forced us apart and re-Integrated him with what appears to be implanted beliefs about himself and Relena being a couple. Our future was supposed to be our choice, and I guess I could live with our separation better if he'd had the free will to choose her over me. But with the altered Integration, there was no choice." His voice and face hardened suddenly. "And then they put me under the control of a sadistic deviate."

Quatre pulled back to look into the other man's face. "I'm not without some influence, Duo. I think Relena and Une should pay for what they've done to you. It was wrong and criminal."

The brunet shook his head. "How can you punish them, Quat, when you and your family are guilty of the same crime of altering the Integration? The government officials believe you underwent the procedure. If you accused Relena of altering the Integration, what's to stop her from turning the tables, digging up the doctors your sisters bribed and having all of us brought in to have it re-done? Can you imagine the backlash on your family for bribing a government official? What would that do to your business and the thousands of people it employs? People don't take very well to the wealthy blatantly breaking the laws just because they can bribe their way out of it."

"I know," the blond replied with a look of resignation on his face. "But I would do it if you asked it of me."

Duo's heart and head ached, seeing how great Quatre's love for him was and for the hurt he was causing him. Leaning forward, he kissed each of the other man's cheeks and then left a quick one on his lips. "I would never ask that or anything else of you that would cause you harm," he said.

The two young men gazed at each other for several moments of time before Quatre spoke again. "I talked to Rashid this morning, before the board meeting. He said he'd have a partial if not final report prepared and on my desk next week. He's researched and gathered information on Heero, or rather Kai's daily schedule, where he and Relena live and every place and person he's met in the last month. He's even doing a background check on Wufei's new identity as Chen Wong."

Even though the idea of receiving the information he'd long for excited him, Duo was well aware of how much it was costing his lover by way of his heart. "Then we have a week," he said, trying to make it sound as if it was a good thing. "And what a coincidence that you and I have the week off from work." He gave his friend the best smile he could manage at the moment, earning a shaky one in return.

"I suppose we should make the most of it," Quatre replied, his own responding smile looking forced. "Like I asked before, is there anything in particular that you'd like to do?"

"You mean other than spending the entire time in bed?" Duo asked, a mischievous smile coming to light.

A blond eyebrow rose along with the twitching corners of his lips. "Though that thought has its own appeal, we're going to need to be able to walk straight when we leave here in a week," he joked. Positioning himself so that his arm could drape over Duo's shoulders, he continued. "I have a few ideas. Let's go for a quick swim, take a shower, pack a bag for a couple of days and get the hell out of here."

Duo's question about where they were going was cut off as the other man's lips effectively silenced him. Then pulling back slightly, Quatre said, "First, I'll arrange for a private shuttle so we go see Trowa. Would you like that?"

"Yeah, I would," Duo answered. Quatre then stood, extended his hand in an invitation for Duo to join him. Hand in hand the two young men who had reconciled their earlier anger, left the room together to carry out their newly-formed plans for the afternoon.

Continued soon