Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Dance ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

<Title: The Dance - part 2

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam wing universe or any of the Gundam Wing characters. I'm doing this for fun.

 

Pairing: Main 1x5 Mentions of 3x4 and 2xHilde

 

Warnings: Yaoi, Romance, humor, spoilers to Endless Waltz

 

<Rating: NC 17

 

Archive: www.fanfiction.net, http://www.mediaminer.org, my lj under

Aidannwn

 

Betaed : by Stray ( grey_hunter)

 

Summary: There's only so much you can do as friends. How do you know when to overstep that boundary?

 

Request: < Crystal ( kyouke_no_miko>) asked me to write a 1x5 and since I had this plot inside my head, I thought I'd give it a shot. This may not be what you expected, but this is the best I can do. Hope you like it.

 

P.s. I'll hop back to Insecurities once this plot bunny is out of my head. It looks like I can't finish this in two chapters so one more chapter to go.

I don't think the boys are out of character. It's called growing up.

 

 

 

Wufei woke up with a start. He thought something was wrong with this situation but it took him a couple of minutes to remember what.. For a moment he wondered if getting up was worth it. The kiss from previous night seemed to have eaten deep into him; it should have felt like the worst moment of his life—but somehow didn't. Heero was already up, and Wufei was surprised that he had apparently slept through Heero clambering over him and off the bed. He swung his feet off the bed hurriedly as the bedroom door cracked open and Heero walked in casually, fully dressed, and handed Wufei a cup of coffee while sipping his own - something he always did when he stayed over.

 

“How long have you been up?” Wufei asked after a pause. He phrased a few more questions in his mind such as `why did you kiss me last night?' or rather `why did you feel me up?' or better yet `are we going to do it again?' then decided that he was going to take his cues from Heero. If Heero was going to pretend last night did not happen, then so was he. Or maybe, it was just something inconsequential in Heero's book; nothing worth mentioning. If he was entering it in a log, would the previous night appear as `stayed over night at Chang Wufei's house' and the incident brushed away as if it never happened? He pulled his coffee out of Heero's grasp and made a hasty retreat into the bathroom before his mind decided to skydive without a parachute.

 

Refreshed, fully dressed in his spare uniform and armed, Wufei managed to walk out of his bedroom with dignity - and trepidation - and walked right into Sharine who looked as if she hadn't slept the entire night.

 

“Good morning,” she said as she grabbed Wufei by the elbow and dragged him back into the bedroom. He got a fleeting impression of Heero looking up startled as the bedroom slammed shut behind them. “Now, can you kindly tell me what exactly is going on between you two?” she demanded, her free hand on her hips, looking ridiculous in his white shirt.

 

“What do you mean,” Wufei asked, extracting his arm and stepping back. Her tone was accusing and Wufei tried hard not squirm. Did she suspect something about what had transpired the previous night? He remembered with slight irritation the time he'd had to put a plaster on his neck to cover a hickey given to him by an overly enthusiastic and slightly drunk female he had slept with once but Heero hadn't…didn't…he really couldn't remember…

 

“I was in your bedroom last night,” Sharine said angrily and Wufei bit back the urge to say `I know' followed by `when' and then `how many times'. If he'd slept through Heero getting out of bed, he might have slept through Sharine doing a tap dance in the bedroom. “You two looked far too close to be friends,” Shrine continued. “Are you sure you two are just friends He remembered that when Sharine had walked through the room, Heero had had his arm thrown over his middle, and that would have been obvious even underneath the covers.

 

“What do you mean?” Wufei repeated, his heart pounding. He could feel his cheeks flush and hoped she would pass it off as annoyance and not embarrassment.

 

“Do you think I'm stupid?” Sharine demanded, drawing closer. “You have a part of your closet reserved just for him; you have his toothbrush in the bathroom; you even sleep in the same bed and…and have you noticed just how close you stand when you talk?”

 

“What are you trying to imply?” Wufei asked, his face burning with shame. He knew exactly what she was saying, especially after last night - he just didn't want to admit it. It was too fresh after the not mentioned previous night's incident. “Heero Yuy stays with me when he comes over here. There's nothing to it.”

 

“Are you sure?” Shrine asked looking him straight in the eye. “I'm not blind. I saw the way you look at him and the way he looks at you. More importantly, the way he looks at me, as if I'm some bug he wants to step on.”

 

“That's Heero,” Wufei said slightly relieved. Heero glaring at anyone was normal. “He's always like that and during the war…”

 

“Wufei,” Heero called from the living room. “Call for you from headquarters.”

 

It turned out to be Sally, who seemed oddly amused by the unusual trio that congregated in the sitting room. “We've got a lead on yesterday's body,” she said. “Sharine…it's good that you're here. Saves me the time of making a double call.” She left it without comment that Sharine was still dressed in a crumpled shirt that belonged to Wufei.

 

“Don't tell me you stayed up last night dissecting that body,” Shrine drawled sarcastically. “You must have worked a double shift from the look of those bags under your eyes. Doesn't look like you got any sleep last night, at all.” They both knew Sally was not the only doctor employed by the Preventers and she was more administratively inclined now. She never did autopsies to start with, but Sally did try to be present for at least one autopsy per week, just to keep her skills up to par, even if she never actually touched the body.

 

“I'm attending to that today,” Sally said with a faint smile. “I thought I'll request your presence as an observer.” At least one senior officer from the investigation had to be present at the autopsy to prevent accusations of foul play. It was not exactly the highlight of the investigation and there were never any volunteers for the job, so the invitation was hardly a flattering thing. While Sally approved of Sharine as a Preventer and as Wufei's partner, she had also been the first person to congratulate Wufei once their romance had cooled off.

 

“What about Wufei?” Sharine asked, pointing to her fully dressed partner.

 

“We've got a lead on the chains,” Sally answered. “I think he'd be more productive leading that end of the investigation.”

 

“He's not to go anywhere without a partner,” Sharine said quickly. “You know that.”

 

“I'll go with him,” Heero interjected smoothly, turning to look at Sharine. "Just like old times." Wufei remained frozen since it was not strictly true but Heero was standing next to him and he did not feel like arguing. His shoulder brushed Wufei's and it reminded him of Sharine telling him that they tended to stand too close. Funny, he'd never noticed it.

 

“He's not a Preventer,” Sharine told Sally, ignoring Heero.

 

“He is,” said Wufei, feeling the conversation get out of hand.

 

“That's settled,” Sally said with a smug smile. “Heero and Wufei can work together on this one. Why don't you get dressed in something more appropriate while I send over the reports? By the way, the autopsy's scheduled for nine…try to be there on time.”

 

From the look on Sharine's face it was obvious she knew she was being pushed to the side. There was no way she was going to arrive at the morgue in time if she did not hurry. Cursing under her breath, the blonde grabbed Wufei's half full cup of coffee and walked into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

 

“I suppose it's too late for me to tell you not to get too attached to her,” Sally said wryly. It took Wufei a few seconds to realize that Sharine appearing in his shirt had just given his superior the wrong impression. Before he could correct her, Sally gave a shrug. “Anyway, it's none of my business whom you pick…just don't elope. I'll arrange for leave if you want to get married.”

 

At that Wufei cracked a smile remembering Sally's junior secretary who had eloped with her lover when she had not been approved leave. “I'll at least send you a postcard from Hawaii,” he said before he remembered that Heero, who was standing next to him, holding a mug of coffee, was not in on the joke. Knowing that an explanation would have to wait, he changed the subject. “What's the lead and who's got it?”

 

“You've got some enthusiastic rookies in your team,” Sally said with a grimace. They both knew what that meant. “I can't remember his name, the brunette with the sideburns and the fringe, he was very enthusiastic. From what I hear, he was in the office most of last night going over the evidence…” while he had been cuddling with Heero, Wufei thought, wincing with guilt. It was his investigation; he should have been the one burning night oil, not some nameless junior out to impress his superiors.

 

“You said it was the chains,” Wufei prompted.

 

“They were ID-ed pretty quickly,” Sally said with a grimace. “Dog chains.”

 

“There were those dead dogs that were unearthed from the bog,” Wufei recalled. “And for such a large quantity of chains to be in one place, assuming no one keeps those at home…”

 

“Exactly,” Sally said. “It's mostly leg work. There was only one place close by which sold that brand of chains and it was a pet store owned by a woman called Maria Fernandez. She moved out a couple of months ago when the Project Drain Lake got approved. She's opened a new store in the Mid-town district and I'm sending everything we've got on her.”

 

“We'll take it from here,” said Heero and abruptly disconnected the call. Sally was still trying to fit in some comment as the screen was switched off. They were all familiar with Heero's terse manner so it was unlikely that Sally was insulted.

 

However, Wufei was more than surprised when Heero spun around and walked hurriedly to the kitchen. He waited until his laptop confirmed that it had received all the information before following Heero. “We'll take my bike,” he said walking in. “Sharine can take the bus.”

 

“You can go with her to check out this pet store person if you want to,” Heero said with his back to Wufei. He deposited the mug inside the sink and turned around. “I'll take the morgue.”

 

“That's extremely generous of you,” Wufei said puzzled, looking for a catch. He was also slightly disappointed that Heero did not want to be with- a part of the investigation. Was this the result of the night before? Was Heero now going to avoid him? “But I thought you hate morgues,” he said then added, “I'd feel more confident knowing you're watching my back.”

 

“Won't that affect your …relationship with your partner?” Heero asked, searching Wufei's face closely.

 

“She'll get over it,” Wufei said with a shrug as he moved to the sink to rinse the mug. He picked it up surprised to see the white porcelain surface was riddled with cracks. “When did this happen?” he asked bringing it up closer inspection.

 

“Just happened,” Heero said with a shrug, studying Wufei's laptop intently. “Must be one of those cheap Chinese things.”

 

Wufei looked back at him sharply but Heero did not seem to be joking. In fact, there was a hard edge to his voice. “Thought I'd never see the day when Chang Wufei would be ruled by a woman.”

 

“Yuy,” said Wufei, narrowing his eyes. “Are you implying something?”

 

“She runs your household, wears your clothes. Does she also fuck you up the ass?"

Wufei gaped at him with wide eyes but apparently the outburst was over. Heero pushed himself away from the laptop and shut it with a bang. Wufei was convinced the display was going to be cracked. “I'm overstepping my welcome here.” Then before Wufei could open his mouth. “Let's go.”

 

“Not before I know where we're going,” Wufei said, picking up his laptop and going through the details. He purposefully avoided looking at Heero since the conversation was starting to become awkward. “This is a little far away,” he said looking at the address.

 

“Two hours by bike,” Heero said, picking up the cracked mug and throwing it in the garbage. “Which reminds me, Duo sent you some parts you wanted for the bike. They're in my bag.”

 

“The new fuel injectors,” Wufei asked, looking up, excited by the prospect. Duo's gifts to him had always been something bike-related. Which was also one of the reasons he was reluctant to send in his bike for an overhaul. If someone from the Preventer maintenance were to open it, they'd find out that the engine was different from what it originally had been. It was faster, handled like a dream and was his pride and joy. “Why didn't you give it to me last night…?”

 

“You'd have stayed up all night making love to your bike,” Heero said with a shrug. “You can play with it when we get back.”

 

“I suppose,” Wufei said grudgingly, looking at the bedroom door which was still firmly shut. “I'll just leave a note to Sharine.”

 

“She knows where you're going,” Heero said abruptly as he picked up Wufei's jacket and threw it at him. It fluttered through the air and landed on his head, blocking his view of the laptop. “We're wasting time here.”

 

-------------!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!-----------------

 

Heero's hands were warm against Wufei's middle. The fingers flickered briefly against his shirt, and then pressed down lightly, making Wufei hold his breath. Those fingers found his abs fascinating, tracing his muscles one by one, working down his torso until one of the fingers dipped into his navel. Wufei's entire body jerked with shock as the rest of his body started to react to the touches. He was feeling far too hot; the jacket was too heavy and the shirt underneath too stifling.

 

Those fingers started to creep lower. “Yuy,” Wufei managed to gasp. “What are you doing?”

 

There was no answer but the warm palm brushed over this belt, over the zipper and settled almost above his crotch. Wufei's toes were curling in his boots as the hand began to trace the same path backwards. He let out the breath he had been holding and was about to take another when the fingers stopped their accent to dip into his waist band.

 

The bike almost rear ended a converted Volkswagen before Wufei could regain control of it. He swung left onto the pavement, almost ran over a pedestrian before coming to a halt near a small alleyway. He turned around, furious, his face burning.

 

“You nearly got us killed,” he shouted ignoring the startled passer-bys. “What exactly are you playing at?” Even as he said that, Wufei knew it was a ridiculous question. Heero always held him by the waist when they rode his bike and those hands had always held onto him. Why was he overreacting, just because he thought those fingers had dipped? Had they dipped? Or had he imagined it since he'd always wanted them to? He was going mad, Wufei decided. He was…he let the bike run down the alleyway in neutral before coming to a halt, pulling down the sidewalk as he did. He jumped off the bike and took two steps on shaky legs before turning around to look at Heero, only to look away hurriedly before their eyes could meet.

 

He couldn't do it, he really couldn't do it. What if he turned around and saw Heero with a blank face, standing by his bike, wondering what the fuck he was talking about? Heero had always held onto him when they rode his bike, he repeated the thought once again, like a mantra. Heero had always latched onto his waist and he'd always arrived at their destination safely without a word of protest over the physical contact on the way. But this was different.

 

From the moment Heero had swung his leg over the side, sat on the leather seat and slid forward so he could hold on to Wufei, he had known it was different. Heero was far too warm, his body far too close. He could feel the heat of his body as if he was sitting in front of a furnace. When Heero leaned over his shoulder to watch the road, his breath tickled his neck and Wufei almost jerked away at the sensation. And those warm palms on his waist made it hard for him to concentrate. On top of it, when those hands had started to wander his body had…

 

Wufei almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Served him right for turning his back on Heero. He spun around, steeling himself to a blank look from Heero, only to see and equally flushed face inches away from his.

 

“I'm sorry,” Heero said in a low voice. “I overstepped my boundaries.”

 

“I didn't know we had boundaries to overstep,” Wufei said, sounding a little hysterical. They were twenty minutes away from their destination, in an alleyway, discussing boundaries.

 

“Wufei,” said Heero looking at him. “I…you…” Heero was flustered, which in turn made Wufei flustered. He licked his lips in anticipation of some kind of abrupt brush off or…

 

“Oh well…”

 

Heero pushed him backwards so he tripped over his own feet and hit the wall behind him. Something -- mould layered dirt maybe -- came loose and fell onto the ground. It was terribly unhygienic and disgusting. Really. Wufei opened his mouth to protest and the next moment his lips were covered by Heero's.

 

Unlike the kiss in the bedroom this was forceful and hard. There was no way Wufei was going to forget the sex of the person kissing him. It was not the sort of soft-lipped kiss a female would give; it was cruder, more possessive and bolder. There was strength in those lips as they forced Wufei's mouth open and dived in, exploring in depth despite his muffled protests.

 

Wufei protested for as long as he could breathe but when Heero breathed through him he stopped fighting. It was impossible fight because his body had become like a crackling mass of melted wires and short-circuited machinery. Heero's chest was pressed against his, he'd wedged one of his thighs between Wufei's lifting him off the ground so their mouths were now level, and pressed their groins together.

 

But just when he was getting used to the aggressive assault, Heero tore his mouth off Wufei's, despite his strangled protest. He began to slowly kiss down the side of his jaw, then suck on a sensitive spot of his neck, which made Wufei's head snap back so hard it hit the wall with a muted thump. More dirt came loose but Wufei was far too preoccupied to care and Heero seemed to be on a mission to find the longest path from his neck to his…his navel. When had his shirt gotten undone? Or better yet…why wasn't he protesting? Wufei finally managed to open his mouth and utter a few words…and almost squealed like a teenage girl when Heero unsnapped his belt in one smooth move.

 

“Uh.” Wufei wasn't feeling very communicative.

 

“Hn.” Heero agreed with him as the zip came undone. There was an amused snicker as Heero spotted his white boxers - adorned with little flying angels (a present from Duo) and then continued to suck at the hollow where Wufei's hip met his leg

 

Wufei let his head fall backwards, stuffing a fist into his mouth to muffle a groan. Heero pulled free from him gently but firmly, making him gasp for air and contact. Had he done something wrong…? Or more realistically, what hadn't he done? He almost managed to pull free from the wall when Heero abruptly pulled down his trousers. Wufei tried hard not to gasp as Heero casually reached into his boxers and pulled out his erection through the slit. He was sure there was a step missing somewhere between the kissing and the beginnings of what appeared to be a blow job. Well, he thought it was a blow job unless Heero needed to inspect his cock at close quarters in a dirty alleyway while he stood, half supported by a grime covered wall… Wufei's train of thought ground to an abrupt halt when those same lips that had been attacking his neck, closed over the head of his cock.

 

Wufei's knees nearly gave way and he had to scrabble over his head to find an old pipe jutting from the wall to hold onto. He was going to melt, he thought, as Heero's tongue found his slit and probed it gently. Wufei actually squirmed against the wall as the hot tongue traced a line from the root to the tip before a warm wet mouth engulfed the head and gave a firm suck. Then Heero seemed to really give it some serious consideration; he took a firm hold of the base of Wufei's cock and moved his tongue in a way that shouldn't have been humanly possible.

 

Wufei lasted exactly fifteen seconds afterwards. So it seemed, since the next moment he was coming in spurts. It was embarrassing and totally unexpected. It seemed Heero hadn't exactly expected it either. He quickly drew back, coughing and spluttering.

 

“Oh…,” Wufei mumbled mortified. “I…I'm sorry, Heero.”

 

“It's been a while, has it?” Heero smirked from his position, kneeling at Wufei's feet as if it was the most natural thing in the world, wiping spunk off his face with a casual flick of his wrist. It seemed that he was pleased by that conclusion.

 

“I'm…I'm…” Wufei stammered as he searched for the correct thing to say. His face was red from embarrassment and the force of his orgasm and his ears were on fire. He didn't know what to say or do when Heero gently tucked him back into his pants and zipped him up. He even did his belt and stood up then leaned forward and kissed him, again. Wufei could taste himself on Heero's lips and it wasn't much of a turn on. The taste wasn't to his liking but he did not complain since Heero had just swallowed that stuff on his account so who was he to complain? But as the kiss heated up, he felt a stir of renewed excitement.

 

“Oh, look,” exclaimed a young but vicious sounding voice. “Fags…”

 

Heero pulled a gun from his waistband, which Wufei knew he carried but didn't know if he had a license to or not, and shot a neat little hole in the ground in front of the punk without even breaking the kiss. Wufei actually tied to break free - he could not have Heero Yuy go around shooting at civilians just because they bothered him -- but he was distracted by Heero taking his hand and pressing it down on his groin.

 

“How about something in return for the service rendered?” Heero whispered into his ear as Wufei's fingers automatically closed over the bulge he knew to be Heero erection.

 

He should be freaking out. Never before in his life had he had sex with a man, or had a blow job from a man, or had been asked to reciprocate said blow job. But here he was, calmly sliding his hand into Heero's trousers in preparation of a hand job. And he couldn't have been further from freaking out.

 

He extracted Heero's penis - it was large- and a part of him wondered if he should just put it back, jump on his bike and get on with their case before anyone else came but then…he really touched it. As hand jobs went, it was crude and hard. They both knew they didn't have time for foreplay in a dirty alleyway as they leaned towards each other, lips meeting briefly only to pull away a second later. Heero bit Wufei's shoulder as the sword callused grip brought him close to his orgasm, moving up and down the shaft firmly, if a little shyly.

 

“Faster,” Heero panted. He managed to thrust a tissue into Wufei's hand and added. “You know what to do.” Did Heero sound breathless, Wufei wondered then felt pleased by the thought he could make Heero breathless.

 

“Trust me,” Wufei said a little wryly despite the situation. “I've got plenty of practice in this department.”

 

Heero came noiselessly, shuddering against Wufei's shoulder, his eyes fluttering shut. Wufei was glad for the tissue since he did not think he was in a mood to lick Heero's cum off his palm.

 

That brought him up cold.

 

Oh, shit, what had they done?

 

Wufei was sure he was going to either wake up from one odd wet dream or…or Heero was going to morph into someone else. He was crazy, he was…he was….He closed his eyes.

 

Then he opened them when Heero gently kissed him on the forehead. “Wufei,” Heero voice was gentle but questioning.

 

“Uh,” he managed, too shaken to open his eyes.

 

“I think you'd better answer your com because Sharine has been hailing you for the last five minutes.”

 

1111______________!111

 

The apartment building looked about as welcome as the bog from the day before and Wufei grimaced as he went over the file Sharine had uploaded for him. So far, all the information they'd received, even the new data from the autopsy, did not change the overview of the case much.

 

“Wufei,” Heero said from behind him, making him falter a little. “What are you…?”

 

“Apartment four is on the third floor,” Wufei said pointing at the blueprints he'd called up on the Preventer interface. “And that would be…here,” He tapped the little square on the screen. He looked as the chosen square enlarged to fill the entire screen and the faint outline of a person inside with a red center took shape.[1]

 

“Body heat sensors,” Heero observed. “That's new.”

 

“That way we can know exactly how many people there are in the apartment before we go storming in,” Wufei stated, trying to ignore the fact that one of Heero's hands came to rest on his shoulder as he looked at the screen over Wufei's head. Heero didn't have to lean in that close - contrary to Wufei, he had more than perfect eye sight.

 

“Wufei,” Heero said as he stepped back when Wufei straightened. “We need to talk.”

 

Wufei looked behind him briefly, his eyes meeting fleetingly with Heero's, before he looked away. He was still reeling from the earlier incident but didn't know how to react. Not half an hour ago those lips had been wrapped around his cock but the only indication that such a thing had happened was the dirt on the knees of Heero's trousers. For better or for worse, they had crossed the line of no return. There was no way they could go back to being casual friends or anything remotely similar. The incident the night before could have been passed off as...as…something but not a blow job in a deserted alleyway.

 

“We'll talk later,” Wufei said brusquely, keeping his face blank. He knew they needed to talk when they got back to their…his apartment. They had crossed the unspoken boundary - Wufei paused with a start, was it the same boundary Heero had mentioned before he and Wufei had… “We need to complete this case before we start anything else. I don't need complications now, Yuy.” Wufei looked at his palm top to stop himself from blurting out any more stupid or inconsequential sentences.

 

“You are being awfully calm about this,” Heero said softly, just behind him. Wufei fought the urge to drop his palm top and jump in the air.

 

“Would you rather I start hyperventilating and gibbering?” Wufei said, sounding overly sarcastic, even to his own ears. “I've worked hard as a Preventer to be where I am. I have no intention of jeopardizing my present case just because of some hormonal slip between us.” Didn't Heero get it, Wufei raged internally? He was not good at compartmentalizing feelings like Heero was. Throughout the war, he was driven by his feelings. Now was not the time to let his emotions control his actions, just when he was about to question an old woman about the murder of her oldest son.

 

“Is that what it is?” Heero asked, his voice low but with a dangerous undertone.

 

“I don't know what it is,” Wufei snarled turning around. “Yuy, I'm trying to do my job now. Can you please stop distracting me?”

 

“So I'm a bother while your job is more important,” Heero said in the same low tone, his face blank.

 

“I'd much rather depend on my job which I've had steadily for the past six years, than on you who's always treating me as some brief stop over,” Wufei almost shouted. The moment he'd said it, he felt as if someone had yanked a rug from under his feet. Had he actually said it, was it the way he felt? Did he resent Heero for coming into his life, disrupting it and moving out just when he was getting used to the other's presence. What was wrong with him? He sounded like an insecure teenager making demands to her boyfriend, or worse, a housewife yearning for her wandering husband to return.

 

To stop Heero from latching onto that last sentence, Wufei closed this palm top and said, “I should have brought Sharine with me after all. At least she can remain professional while on the job.”

 

Heero closed his hands into fists and stepped back carefully as if he was walking on eggshells. “Let's get this investigation over with,” he said and then signaled for Wufei to precede him into the building.

 

“When we talk it'll be on my terms,” Wufei said firmly proceeding into the old apartment building. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness of the ground floor before looking around at the peeling paint and `out of order' sign above the lift. “We'll take the stairs.” Unless Heero was going to spout wings and fly them both. “I don't think she's expecting us but she must know that Central Lake is being drained so she's maybe prepared.”

 

“Weapons ready,” Heero said blankly.

 

Wufei fingered his belt and confirmed that he did have his gun. He could have dropped it while getting a *gulp* blow job and not have noticed it. Then he shook his head at his own stupidity. He had been a warrior far too long to start letting things distract him from his mission now. He stopped to consult his map, checking that there was no other entrance, then turned towards the steps.

 

“You've changed,” Heero said as Wufei started up. “You're not as uptight as you used to be.”

 

“It's called growing up,” Wufei said shortly, trying not to think too hard about what was being said. If he started thinking about it now, then he would become distracted, which in turn would result in him making an error.

 

“Just that…” Heero gave a short laugh. “Before, you used to act as if you had a stick up your ass.”

 

“And you went around threatening to kill anyone who looked at you sideways,” Wufei said before his mind could react.

 

“But I suppose it's a good thing if you've lost that stick,” Heero said, ignoring Wufei's comment. “Because I am planning to replace it with my dick.”

 

Wufei missed a step and it was only his quick reflexes that prevented him from landing on his chin.

 

!!!!!!!!___________!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

“I killed him,” Maria Fernandez said firmly. She was seventy five years old, small built, her dark hair streaked with gray was tied back in a bun. She was dressed in a faded cotton blouse and a long colorful skirt.

 

“And then you wrapped the body in the chains from your pet store, hauled it to the lake and dumped it there,” Wufei said in a blank voice.

 

“Yes.” Her chin rose as she spoke.

 

“Where did you kill your son?” Heero asked in the resulting silence. Sharine's update on the murder with what had been gleaned from the autopsy had been very informative.

 

“In my apartment,” Maria said. There was a slight hesitation but she did not back down.

 

“You lived a block away from the Lake on the fourth floor,” Wufei pointed out. “How did you move the body?”

 

“I just did,” she said defiantly.

 

“Your son was six feet tall and with the chains, he must have weighed at least 100 kilos/220 pounds,” Wufei said patiently. “Even if you'd moved him and the chains separately, there was no way you could have moved the body unless you'd cut it into small pieces. Also, he was dumped somewhere in the middle of the Lake so you must have put him in a boat and rowed to the middle. All of which suggests a very strong person…or more than one person.”

 

“I was very strong when I was younger,” she declared.

 

“That was four months ago,” Heero said dryly. The Lake bottom was extremely cold and mud there had acted to slow down the decay so it had been hard to tell the exact time of death. They'd had a rough estimate and Maria had just confirmed the rest for them.

 

“I was four months younger,” Maria said firmly.

 

“Just whom are you covering for?” Heero asked wryly. “You can either answer the questions here or you can come with us to the station.”

 

“I've always wanted to ride a bike,” she said, looking pleased.

 

“Just…” Wufei gave up. “Look, Mrs. Fernandez, we know about your son.”

 

“That he was a drunk and a regular bastard who'd beat up his mother and his wife,” Maria said in disgust. “She finally left him, you know, and there was nothing I could do about it. One day, he came home drunk, slipped on the carpet, fell backwards and hit his head. By the time I rolled him over, he was dead.”

 

“You forgot to mention the part where he shot himself as he fell backward,” Wufei said with wry grin.

 

“I only saw that after he fell,” Maria countered. “So…arrest me now and get it over with.”

 

“Who are you protecting?” Wufei asked in frustration. “We can give you protection if you are being threatened.”

 

“At my age, do you really think I'm going to be scared by bodily harm?” the old woman scoffed.

 

“Thank you, that was informative,” Heero said standing up. “We'll leave you for now.”

 

They both stood up smoothly, but Wufei stopped before reaching the door. “If you change your mind,” Wufei said giving her a small plastic card. “Or remember something you want to tell us, please give us a call.”

 

They both walked out slowly, side by side, shoulders brushing. “So, it was someone she cared about,” Heero said once they were out of the building.

 

“As even if she was not an active partner, she was present when her son was killed,” Wufei concluded. “The way she described it matched what Sharine said.”

 

“Anything else?” Heero asked, looking around alertly as they walked towards the bike.

 

“You mean that she knew I came on a bike,” Wufei said with a grimace. “I noticed…but it could mean either she had someone to watch out or she spends her time looking out her window, which in case you noticed, faces the parking lot.”

 

“And two people in Preventer uniforms are hard to miss,” Heero concluded and Wufei did not mention that only he was in full uniform. “Where to next?”

 

“We wait,” Wufei said with a shrug, mounting his bike and kicking the side stand back. “The card I gave her contains a small listening device and a chip, which will leech off the signal from her com unit. The moment she makes a call, we'll know where and to whom and will be able to listen in on what she says.”

 

Heero nodded as he settled on the seat behind Wufei and slid an arm around his middle, almost absentmindedly. “What's the signal range?”

 

“Not much,” Wufei admitted reluctantly. “We're still working on it. The tech people say anything else will need a larger power source and if we start handing out calling cards as thick as bibles people will get suspicious.”

 

“But technically speaking,” Heero asked as Wufei turned the starter. “Isn't it illegal?”

 

“You are mistaking us with the police,” Wufei said with a huff. He roared out of the parking lot, making sure that the old lady heard them leave. “And I'm not squeamish about using any means necessary to get the job done. You should know that much about me by now.”

 

!!!!!!!!!!-----------!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The com-link call they had listened to had been between Maria Fernandez and her second son had not revealed anything more than that they had paid her a visit regarding a body fished out from former Central Lake. However, a background scan of the second son, Alexander, revealed that he had been the one assisting Maria in her pet shop back when it was in the old neighborhood and that he had also been her favorite son. What was more disturbing was that he had been arrested twice, once for possessing an illegal firearm and the second time for beating up a kid who had been pushing drugs in the area he had lived in. The kid had suffered a fractured skull, two broken ribs and a whole cartload of bruises. Wufei had labeled him as the main suspect, someone who was not too shy to carry out a little justice in a heavy handed way.

 

“Which means nothing without concrete proof and you know that,” Sharine said as she looked at the data pooled between the three of them. “I don't see why you two didn't go and question him about it instead of heading back here.”

 

“Questioning him would have given him a hint that we were onto him,” Heero said blandly.

 

“Yes, but…” Sharine said with a scowl. “And now you're going to bail out on me.”

 

“From what I have been told, you are an extremely competent Preventer,” Heero said challengingly as if wanting Sharine to contest the statement. “Even you should be able to handle an investigation of this caliber-“ a clear statement that he didn't think it was much of a case “-since Wufei will be taking some time off for his eye surgery.”

 

“Which, if I recall correctly is mid-day tomorrow,” Shrine said pointedly. “It does not explain why he should clock out at two o'clock today.”

 

“Because he is sick of the two of you behaving as if he isn't here,” Wufei ground out, standing up. “I'm going to go over the case file to see if there's anything I missed and to see if there are any other missing people reported in the area for the past four months.”

 

“We've already ID-ed the body so I don't see how that's going to help,” Sharine said blandly.

 

“You're going home now,” Heero said with a scowl, blocking Wufei's path by simply standing there.

 

Wufei knew his rank allowed him to go home whenever necessary, especially since his case had just been transferred to his partner while he had been out questioning the suspect.. Still, he was reluctant to leave with everything half done. He could call up more background checks on Alexander Fernandez and see if there are any other things he'd missed out. He could actually stake out Maria Fernandez's flat to see if there were any other interesting conversations being carried out. True, they had left a recorder to capture any com-link call she might be carrying out but he knew it could not be used in any court of law as evidence since it was obtained illegally.

 

But visual evidence from the outside of the flat, collected by…

 

“I've got a few more things to wrap up before…” Wufei started to protest then stopped when he saw the look on Heero's face. It brooked no argument; it was the face just before he had pushed his self-detonator and no one ever got around to persuading Heero otherwise when he was like that. “Fine,” he said weakly, feeling his resolution waver.

 

“We need to discuss a few things before this gets out of hand,” Heero said, looking at Sharine who had also seen the look and had stood up, her hand going to her gun in an automatic response.

 

“Like making his last will and testament,” she said suspiciously. “I left my uniform in Wufei's apartment so I think I'll tag along with you and pick it up.”

 

“We'll mail it to you,” Heero said bluntly. “I need to speak to Wufei alone, so stay away.”

 

“Is that alright with you?” Sharine asked Wufei who was starting to feel like he was caught in a crossfire between two strong willed people.

 

“It's fine,” he said firmly. “There are a few things Heero and I need to clear up.” He looked into Heero eyes and nodded. “You ready to leave?”

 

“You have to type up reports for today's …whatever it was you did,” Sharine said, though she did not sound convincing.

 

Heero did not even bother to reply as he walked past her and Wufei followed with a shrug. He was not sure whether he should be going back to the apartment, he wasn't even sure if he should have this conversation with Heero now, but he knew he had to get it over with. It was one thing to receive a blow job from a total stranger and then walk away but when it was from his best friend he had known for almost nine years it was harder to pretend it never happened.

 

Not that he wanted to. Really. Did that count as a weakness?

 

[1] All technical discrepancies are passed off as technical advances of the future.

 

a/n- I really was going to finish this with the second chapter but apparently things seem to keep getting worse.