Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Winning Duo ❯ Chapter 38
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Calic0cat 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.02.2003 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.02.2003 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed
*****************************
Title: Winning Duo
Chapter: 38/38
Author: Calic0cat <calic0cat@fastmail.fm>
Story Started: Jan. 2003
Story Completed: Nov. 2, 2003
Genre: Yaoi, Romance, Humour, Angst
Pairings: 1x2x5; 3x4; 6x9
Rated: R
Warnings: OOC, Swearing, Shifting POV, Threesome
Archives: At Lev's Lair http://www.gwaddiction.com/levlair/ and at http://calic0cat.freeservers.com (my site) and at Mediaminer.org under Calic0cat. Anyone with archive permission for my other fics can help themselves.
Disclaimer: Duo and Heero and the rest of the GW gang aren't mine. This story is. Nuff said.
Notes: Starts one year after Endless Waltz. POV changes frequently.
'Thinking'
"Speaking"
*** Time passing or scene change
Author's Notes:
Well folks, the "winning" part is pretty much over with so - the story is as well. Will there be a sequel? Right now, I don't know. Maybe. No guarantees, though.
Thanks to Sunhawk for editing help and general suggestions along the way. And for the little bit of "Omake Theatre"... *snicker*
Feedback is, as always, appreciated.
#################################################
"We should never have made that promise," Wufei muttered grimly, then corrected himself, "*I* should never have made it." He *was* the one who'd brought it up at the time; Heero had just agreed with him.
Heero grimaced. "He needed it. And we *meant* it. We just..."
"...can't keep it," Wufei finished, scowling. He could not believe that he hadn't thought of this sooner. That *neither* of them had. Now Duo was leaving in just one more day, going back to L2 to help Hilde hire and train someone to take his place, and neither of them was going to be with him.
And they'd more-or-less promised that he would never have to wake up alone again.
Wufei sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He and Heero had spent their entire lunch trying to find a way around breaking their word. 'Now that we finally *remembered* and realized what was going to happen...' He sighed again, irritated with himself for not thinking of this sooner. 'It wasn't *exactly* a promise... But that was certainly the implication...'
"You're sure that giving him a wake-up call every morning is out?"
"Yes," Heero answered firmly. "We could probably afford it but he'll never agree to it. He'll see it as a waste of money and feel guilty; the expense would bother him more than the reassurance would be worth."
"I wish he wasn't quite so... so..." Wufei searched for a word to properly express his feelings without going overboard.
"Frugal?" Heero suggested, the corner of his mouth twitching as he resisted the urge to smirk at Wufei's obvious dismay. "Thrifty?"
"Penny-pinching," Wufei growled irritably, then immediately took it back. "No, that's unfair. You're right, he's just very budget-conscious. Which is an admirable trait. Though rather - frustrating - at times."
Heero simply shrugged in acceptance. "He knows what it's like to not have enough money even for the most basic of necessities. Of course he's going to be careful not to waste it."
"I know. But it's still..."
"Frustrating," Heero finished for him.
"Yes." Wufei glanced at his watch and frowned. "We need to head back to the office." He rose and started out of the restaurant, Heero close behind him.
On the way back to the office, Heero spotted a pet store. He stopped in front of the window and gave Wufei a questioning look. "A pet?" he suggested. It certainly wouldn't be the same as having them with him but it would at least be a reminder of them. Something to help keep the loneliness at bay until his return to Earth.
Wufei stopped and looked in the window thoughtfully. "A dog?"
"No."
The flat refusal made Wufei blink. Almost immediately, he remembered what Heero had told them about his past. 'The girl and the puppy... Chang, you're an idiot...' He leaned his shoulder against Heero's casually. "No, you're right. A cat would be better. With the long drive and our hours as Preventers, a dog would be left alone too much of the day for it to be happy." He checked his watch and said, "We've got a few minutes. Let's take a quick look."
Heero followed Wufei into the pet store, grateful that the dog idea had been so easily dropped. He knew that Wufei must have realized why it bothered him; he was glad that the other man hadn't made an issue out of it. He listened while Wufei inquired about breeds and price and supplies. Frowning, Heero shook his head when Wufei looked for confirmation before putting a deposit on one of the kittens. It was far too expensive; Duo wouldn't appreciate them spending that much money on a pet. Not when there were dozens of them in shelters in dire need of homes. "We need to get back to work, Wufei; we'd better come back later," he said aloud.
Surprised at Heero's sudden resistance, Wufei agreed immediately, thanking the sales clerk for her time before following Heero out of the store. "Heero?" he said quizzically as they hurried towards HQ.
"They're too expensive. One from a shelter would be better," Heero explained.
"Ohhhh." Heero's reasoning made complete sense to Wufei. He wished that he'd thought of that himself. He nodded decisively, "Of course."
***
Duo set the candles in the middle of the table and stepped back. He eyed the table dubiously, not sure whether maybe the vase that was already in place was a little over-the-top. He was trying for a nice, romantic dinner - it seemed appropriate for his last night here - but at the same time... 'We're all guys... Maybe the rose is a little too girly...' He finally decided to leave it alone for now; he still needed to finish fixing supper. Worrying about how the table looked could wait.
As he washed the lettuce and fixed the salad, Duo wondered whether maybe he should tone down the mood a bit anyway. He didn't want to give the wrong impression; didn't want to imply that he was ready to move their relationship to the next stage. Picking the night before his departure to take things beyond the fairly mild kissing and making out that they'd been doing all week would *not* be a good move. Not just because they were all still getting comfortable with touching and being touched but also because it would leave them all with far too much time to second-guess their actions before they would be together again. 'And if everything didn't go absolutely perfect, we'd all have *way* too much opportunity to worry about it before we'd have a chance to try again...' And the odds of everything going perfectly the first time... were probably not very good.
And if by some miracle everything *did* go perfectly... Well, then he'd have a whole month of knowing *exactly* what he was missing before they were all together again.
'Leaving tomorrow's going to be tough enough anyway; I don't need any more reasons to regret it.' Duo swallowed past the unhappy knot that formed at the mere thought of leaving. He didn't want to go. But he couldn't just leave Hilde in the lurch either. She'd been a damn good friend and a great business partner since the end of the war. She'd kept him from moping over his non-existent lovelife. Helped him learn how to live a more-or-less normal existence. She'd never minded getting a call or visit at some god-awful hour because the nightmares had been bad and he'd needed to hear a friendly voice. He *had* to help her get things arranged so that his departure wouldn't cause her a lot of problems.
But it was going to be tough.
***
"Duo? We're home..." Wufei called as he stepped into the apartment. He waited while Heero entered, cat carrier in hand, then pushed the door shut. Gratefully, he removed the duffel bag of supplies that he had been carrying from his shoulder while Heero put the carrier and the other bag of accessories on the floor. It was astonishing just how many things they'd needed to buy for one small marmalade cat. And thanks to *his* injured arm, Heero had gotten stuck carrying most of it.
"Great! I was expecting you earlier; I was starting to worry that supper would be wrecked. I turned the oven down so it wouldn't burn. The baked potatoes are getting a little crispy, though, and I hope you like your steaks well done..." Duo said as he appeared in the doorway.
"It smells delicious," Heero offered apologetically. They hadn't called to warn Duo that they would be late because they hadn't wanted to tell him *why*. They'd wanted the cat to be a surprise.
Apparently the cat thought that supper smelled delicious too because it gave a plaintive yowl.
Duo hadn't noticed the cat carrier before; he'd just looked at Heero and Wufei's faces. Now, however, he turned a startled look in its direction. "Uh, guys?" he queried.
"Surprise?" Wufei suddenly wondered whether perhaps they should have talked this over with Duo before going ahead with it.
Heero knelt and removed the cat from its cage. Rising, he carried it over to Duo and held it out. Duo stared at the animal suspiciously, not offering to take it. "Guys?" he repeated insistently. "An explanation would be good... Preferably before our supper shrivels away to nothing..."
"He's for you," Heero said uneasily. This - wasn't exactly the response they'd been expecting.
"For me," Duo echoed. He racked his brain, trying to recall ever mentioning that he wanted a cat but completely failed. It was not a topic of conversation that he remembered ever coming up. 'I know about two damn things about cats. One of which is that their litter boxes have to be emptied regularly. Why the hell did they buy me a *cat*?!' He opened his mouth to ask them just that question - and saw the worry in Heero's eyes and the tension of Wufei's jaw - and with an inner sigh of resignation, realized that he couldn't do that. For whatever reason, they'd thought he actually would like a pet and they'd gone out and bought one for him. 'It's the thought that counts,' he reminded himself silently. "What's his - or is it a her? - name?"
Relief rushed over Heero. For a moment, he'd thought that he'd made a mistake in suggesting this to Wufei. "The shelter said his previous owner called him Max. We couldn't possibly have taken another cat after we learned that."
"*Max*?" Duo sniggered. That was - quite a coincidence. He held out his arms and let Heero put the cat in them.
"Unbelievable - but true," Wufei commented drily. "His previous owner was elderly and had to go into a nursing home. So Max here ended up at the shelter."
"Uh, guys, sorry, but - I've gotta go save our supper," Duo said apologetically. He handed the cat back to Heero and scratched its chin for a moment before turning to hurry back to the kitchen.
Heero stared after him for a moment, the cat draped comfortably in his arms. He turned to Wufei and asked uncertainly, "Was that how you expected him to react?"
"Ah - not really, no," Wufei answered hesitantly. "But - we didn't exactly explain, did we?"
"No... And - we are late... and he mentioned steaks..." Heero sighed, "We - didn't handle this very well, I think..."
Ruefully surveying the cat lying in Heero's arms rather than Duo's, smelling the faint tinge of smoke tainting the delicious smell of supper, and realizing rather belatedly that Duo had not been wearing casual clothing but rather dress pants and a deep blue sweater, Wufei agreed, "As Duo would say, 'No shit'.
"I think we'd better hurry up and get cleaned up for supper before we mess things up any worse..."
***
Lying in bed and trying *not* to wake up just yet - because once he woke up, he would have to *get* up and actually get ready to *leave* - Duo's nose started to tickle. He opened his eyes and glared balefully at the orange cat that had made itself comfortable on the pillow beside him, its fur just barely brushing his face. "Damn cat," he mouthed silently. The cat's tail twitched. The tickle turned into a hastily smothered sneeze.
Duo scowled and pushed the cat out of the way gently so that he could roll away from Heero without waking him up. Wufei was snoring softly on Heero's other side. For a moment, Duo was tempted to lie back down but a glance at the time told him that wasn't really an option. 'If I get up now, I can have my shower done before they wake up for work, then I can fix breakfast for the three of us while they get ready... Sounds like a plan,' he decided.
***
Waking, Heero was surprised to discover that Duo was already up. He could hear the shower running and realized that Duo was obviously trying to get done in the bathroom before he and Wufei got up for their turns. 'Considering that Duo has to be at the spaceport for check-in less than three hours from now, that's probably a good idea,' Heero thought regretfully. 'But it would have been nice to all wake up together this morning since it's the last time we'll even be in the same place for a while...'
***
Slipping quietly into the kitchen, Duo heard the mattress creak as one of the others crawled off of it. A few minutes later, the shower turned on which confirmed that Heero was the one who'd gotten up. Wufei still needed assistance covering his cast before he could shower.
The instant that Duo opened the fridge door, he acquired an assistant. A four-legged, furry one.
He scowled at the cat wrapping itself around his ankles and muttered, "I really do *not* need your help, Max. Honest to god, I don't." Trying not to step on the creature and trying equally hard not to say anything he might regret someone overhearing, he set the table and started to prepare breakfast. Pausing to feed the cat did *not* help matters any; Max remained convinced that whatever Duo was fixing was vastly preferable to the food in his own dish. Duo bit his tongue, counted backwards from ten in three different languages, and managed not to swear out loud in his annoyance. Barely.
"Good morning, Duo."
"Morning, Heero," Duo said, crossing the room to greet him with a kiss. "You fix Fei's cast so he could shower?"
"Yes," Heero answered. He slid his arms around Duo's waist and hugged him. "You sure you don't want us to take you to the spaceport?" he asked softly. "I'm sure Une would let us..."
Duo shook his head. "Nah. I'd rather say our goodbyes in private. It's gonna be tough enough getting on that shuttle without knowin' you guys are standing there watching me go." He kissed Heero tenderly then pulled away to start the French toast, narrowly avoiding tripping over the cat as he went.
***
Wufei showered quickly, not wanting to waste what little time they had together this morning. He still felt a bit guilty about last night; the candles and single long-stemmed rose on the table made it clear that Duo had planned a romantic evening for the three of them. Instead, they'd ended up playing with Max and reading the book on cat care that Heero had selected and purchased with the pet supplies. Duo hadn't complained and he'd laughed till he coughed at the cat's playful antics but... 'It still was not what he had planned...' Wufei thought ruefully.
***
Hearing the shower shut off again, Heero took over the breakfast preparations from Duo, suggesting, "Why don't you go help Wufei? That will give the two of you some time together..."
Duo grinned thankfully at Heero and agreed, "Sure!" He brushed a quick kiss over Heero's cheek before heading off to assist Wufei with unwrapping his plastic-covered cast and rewrapping his ribs.
"No, Max," Heero said firmly, blocking the cat's attempt to hop up on the counter. "Go eat your own food." He checked the time and decided that the cat's food could be left out for another fifteen minutes but then it would have to be picked up. When he and Wufei had contacted the spaceport yesterday to arrange for the cat to travel with Duo, they'd been given a list of recommendations for travel with a pet. No food for several hours before the trip - specifically, before launch in the case of shuttle travel - had been one item on the list. Duo's check-in time was only two hours away but launch was a little over an hour after that.
'So little time left...' Heero thought regretfully. He just hoped that it wouldn't take Duo very long to help Hilde hire and train someone to take over his job as yard manager. 'It would be nice if he would be back when we take possession of the house...'
He knew that was somewhat unrealistic though. Not impossible - but not too likely either. Duo had told them that he really needed to be there at month end to show the new employee the routines followed at that time. Which meant that Duo would be gone at least a full month and they would be taking possession of the house in just over three weeks. He and Wufei had both given notice on their apartments, so they would have to move out the week after that, at the end of the month. Meaning that they would probably already be in the new house when Duo returned.
But Heero still wished that Duo would be able to come back sooner. He and Wufei would spend time together, keep increasing their degree of comfort with one another, keep deepening their friendship. And they would be in touch with Duo regularly - daily through e-mail in addition to weekly phone calls. 'But I'll still miss him...'
***
"Ribs okay or have I got them wrapped too tight?" Duo asked.
"They're fine," Wufei assured him. "Leave that for a minute." He pulled Duo's outstretched hand away from the uniform shirt he'd been reaching for and tugged Duo towards him instead. "I - we - will miss you," he murmured softly before pressing his lips to Duo's. He broke the kiss off before they could get too caught up in it, all too aware of the passing time.
"I'll miss you guys too," Duo replied, tucking his head into the crook of Wufei's neck and hugging him carefully. He swallowed hard and pulled away before the emotions could overwhelm him. "At least you two will have each other for company."
"Yes, we will. And I am sorry that neither of us can take time off to..."
Duo stopped Wufei's apology by kissing him again. When he drew away, he said firmly, "We've been through all that already. This is just the way things have to be. None of us like it but we can live with it. It's only for a month or so, anyway."
Wufei nodded and observed, "And at least you will have Max for company."
With an effort, Duo managed not to roll his eyes. "Uh, yeah." He'd have Hilde too and frankly, he'd take her company over the cat's any day.
***
The brief time before Heero and Wufei had to leave for work passed all too quickly. In what seemed like no time at all, they were standing just inside the apartment's door, preparing to say goodbye.
"Take care of yourself," Heero said. "You're not completely over the bronchitis yet. You still cough too much and I thought I heard you sneezing this morning."
Duo just grinned. 'Heero Yuy, Perfect Worrywart,' he thought in amusement. "I will," he promised. "You just make sure Fei doesn't overdo things before he's properly healed."
Heero smirked slightly. "I will," he agreed, trying to match Duo's lighthearted, teasing tone. There was no way to make this parting, however temporary, easy - but Duo's attempt not to let things get too serious and intense might help make it bearable.
"I am perfectly capable of judging my own capabilities," Wufei protested.
"Capable of judging them, yes. Capable of abiding by that judgement, on the other hand... Need I mention the Morrison case?" Heero inquired drily.
Wufei flushed at the mention and Duo's grin became more genuine. "Oh, a story I haven't heard yet..." he said enthusiastically. "And a *good* one judging by Fei's reaction..."
"Never mind," Wufei muttered, hastily clapping a hand over Heero's mouth. "We're going to be late if we don't leave now. No time for stories." 'Thank god.'
Pulling Duo to him, Wufei said seriously, "Safe journey and a quick return. Remember that we love you and miss you." He kissed Duo deeply before he could speak, then turned and exited the apartment quickly before his composure deserted him entirely.
Duo blinked and swayed slightly after Wufei released him, startled and a bit dazed by his sudden actions. "Love you," he called softly before the door closed completely behind the Chinese youth's exit.
Heero stepped towards Duo, hands raising to cup his face. "Hurry home," he said simply before pressing their lips together in a kiss that tried to say all the things that he couldn't seem to find the words for. He pulled away reluctantly and turned towards the door.
A quiet "Love you too..." followed Heero out of the apartment. He hurried down the hall to find Wufei holding the elevator for him. He wasn't sure which of them reached out first but, on the way down to the lobby, their hands met and squeezed almost painfully tight, only releasing when the elevator doors opened again.
It was going to be a very long month.
***
Duo stood and stared at the closed door for a few very long minutes, fighting to regain his composure. "And they wondered why I didn't want them to take me to the spaceport," he finally muttered to himself. "Shit. Saying goodbye *sucks*."
Then he picked up the phone, called for a cab, and tried to figure out how the hell he was going to manage his own luggage plus the cat carrier and all the cat supplies. In the end, he made several trips from apartment to elevator, loaded everything in the elevator, then had to drag everything out of the elevator and through the apartment building's lobby to get to the cab.
At the airport, he just decided "to hell with it" and rented a luggage cart. The cat had more fucking luggage than he did and he was getting damn tired of lugging it around.
By the time that the shuttle was preparing for launch, Duo already missed Heero and Wufei so damn bad his stomach was tying itself in knots, he was sneezing on a regular basis, and he was even more sick and tired of lugging the damn cat around with him.
It was going to be one hell of a long month.
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Omake Theatre, courtesy of Sunhawk and her "perverse sense of humour":
Hilde : And then they gave you a cat as a going away present?! Without even asking? What were they thinking?!
Duo : *heavy sigh* Oh, it was their stupid code of honor. They made some totally unrealistic promise that they would never let me wake up alone again and...
Hilde : *snickers* So they gave you a cat?
Duo : Yeah. *rolls eyes* It's not like I didn't know it was just one of those promises lovers make. It was nice to hear at the time, but I never expected them to get so damn caught up in it.
Hilde : But Duo... you're allergic to cats!
Duo : *groans and wipes nose* You don't have to tell me!
Hilde : *falls out of chair laughing*
Calic0cat: *snickers and grins* Take Sunhawk's little contribution as seriously as you like... But Duo *was* sneezing after the cat showed up...
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Title: Winning Duo
Chapter: 38/38
Author: Calic0cat <calic0cat@fastmail.fm>
Story Started: Jan. 2003
Story Completed: Nov. 2, 2003
Genre: Yaoi, Romance, Humour, Angst
Pairings: 1x2x5; 3x4; 6x9
Rated: R
Warnings: OOC, Swearing, Shifting POV, Threesome
Archives: At Lev's Lair http://www.gwaddiction.com/levlair/ and at http://calic0cat.freeservers.com (my site) and at Mediaminer.org under Calic0cat. Anyone with archive permission for my other fics can help themselves.
Disclaimer: Duo and Heero and the rest of the GW gang aren't mine. This story is. Nuff said.
Notes: Starts one year after Endless Waltz. POV changes frequently.
'Thinking'
"Speaking"
*** Time passing or scene change
Author's Notes:
Well folks, the "winning" part is pretty much over with so - the story is as well. Will there be a sequel? Right now, I don't know. Maybe. No guarantees, though.
Thanks to Sunhawk for editing help and general suggestions along the way. And for the little bit of "Omake Theatre"... *snicker*
Feedback is, as always, appreciated.
#################################################
"We should never have made that promise," Wufei muttered grimly, then corrected himself, "*I* should never have made it." He *was* the one who'd brought it up at the time; Heero had just agreed with him.
Heero grimaced. "He needed it. And we *meant* it. We just..."
"...can't keep it," Wufei finished, scowling. He could not believe that he hadn't thought of this sooner. That *neither* of them had. Now Duo was leaving in just one more day, going back to L2 to help Hilde hire and train someone to take his place, and neither of them was going to be with him.
And they'd more-or-less promised that he would never have to wake up alone again.
Wufei sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He and Heero had spent their entire lunch trying to find a way around breaking their word. 'Now that we finally *remembered* and realized what was going to happen...' He sighed again, irritated with himself for not thinking of this sooner. 'It wasn't *exactly* a promise... But that was certainly the implication...'
"You're sure that giving him a wake-up call every morning is out?"
"Yes," Heero answered firmly. "We could probably afford it but he'll never agree to it. He'll see it as a waste of money and feel guilty; the expense would bother him more than the reassurance would be worth."
"I wish he wasn't quite so... so..." Wufei searched for a word to properly express his feelings without going overboard.
"Frugal?" Heero suggested, the corner of his mouth twitching as he resisted the urge to smirk at Wufei's obvious dismay. "Thrifty?"
"Penny-pinching," Wufei growled irritably, then immediately took it back. "No, that's unfair. You're right, he's just very budget-conscious. Which is an admirable trait. Though rather - frustrating - at times."
Heero simply shrugged in acceptance. "He knows what it's like to not have enough money even for the most basic of necessities. Of course he's going to be careful not to waste it."
"I know. But it's still..."
"Frustrating," Heero finished for him.
"Yes." Wufei glanced at his watch and frowned. "We need to head back to the office." He rose and started out of the restaurant, Heero close behind him.
On the way back to the office, Heero spotted a pet store. He stopped in front of the window and gave Wufei a questioning look. "A pet?" he suggested. It certainly wouldn't be the same as having them with him but it would at least be a reminder of them. Something to help keep the loneliness at bay until his return to Earth.
Wufei stopped and looked in the window thoughtfully. "A dog?"
"No."
The flat refusal made Wufei blink. Almost immediately, he remembered what Heero had told them about his past. 'The girl and the puppy... Chang, you're an idiot...' He leaned his shoulder against Heero's casually. "No, you're right. A cat would be better. With the long drive and our hours as Preventers, a dog would be left alone too much of the day for it to be happy." He checked his watch and said, "We've got a few minutes. Let's take a quick look."
Heero followed Wufei into the pet store, grateful that the dog idea had been so easily dropped. He knew that Wufei must have realized why it bothered him; he was glad that the other man hadn't made an issue out of it. He listened while Wufei inquired about breeds and price and supplies. Frowning, Heero shook his head when Wufei looked for confirmation before putting a deposit on one of the kittens. It was far too expensive; Duo wouldn't appreciate them spending that much money on a pet. Not when there were dozens of them in shelters in dire need of homes. "We need to get back to work, Wufei; we'd better come back later," he said aloud.
Surprised at Heero's sudden resistance, Wufei agreed immediately, thanking the sales clerk for her time before following Heero out of the store. "Heero?" he said quizzically as they hurried towards HQ.
"They're too expensive. One from a shelter would be better," Heero explained.
"Ohhhh." Heero's reasoning made complete sense to Wufei. He wished that he'd thought of that himself. He nodded decisively, "Of course."
***
Duo set the candles in the middle of the table and stepped back. He eyed the table dubiously, not sure whether maybe the vase that was already in place was a little over-the-top. He was trying for a nice, romantic dinner - it seemed appropriate for his last night here - but at the same time... 'We're all guys... Maybe the rose is a little too girly...' He finally decided to leave it alone for now; he still needed to finish fixing supper. Worrying about how the table looked could wait.
As he washed the lettuce and fixed the salad, Duo wondered whether maybe he should tone down the mood a bit anyway. He didn't want to give the wrong impression; didn't want to imply that he was ready to move their relationship to the next stage. Picking the night before his departure to take things beyond the fairly mild kissing and making out that they'd been doing all week would *not* be a good move. Not just because they were all still getting comfortable with touching and being touched but also because it would leave them all with far too much time to second-guess their actions before they would be together again. 'And if everything didn't go absolutely perfect, we'd all have *way* too much opportunity to worry about it before we'd have a chance to try again...' And the odds of everything going perfectly the first time... were probably not very good.
And if by some miracle everything *did* go perfectly... Well, then he'd have a whole month of knowing *exactly* what he was missing before they were all together again.
'Leaving tomorrow's going to be tough enough anyway; I don't need any more reasons to regret it.' Duo swallowed past the unhappy knot that formed at the mere thought of leaving. He didn't want to go. But he couldn't just leave Hilde in the lurch either. She'd been a damn good friend and a great business partner since the end of the war. She'd kept him from moping over his non-existent lovelife. Helped him learn how to live a more-or-less normal existence. She'd never minded getting a call or visit at some god-awful hour because the nightmares had been bad and he'd needed to hear a friendly voice. He *had* to help her get things arranged so that his departure wouldn't cause her a lot of problems.
But it was going to be tough.
***
"Duo? We're home..." Wufei called as he stepped into the apartment. He waited while Heero entered, cat carrier in hand, then pushed the door shut. Gratefully, he removed the duffel bag of supplies that he had been carrying from his shoulder while Heero put the carrier and the other bag of accessories on the floor. It was astonishing just how many things they'd needed to buy for one small marmalade cat. And thanks to *his* injured arm, Heero had gotten stuck carrying most of it.
"Great! I was expecting you earlier; I was starting to worry that supper would be wrecked. I turned the oven down so it wouldn't burn. The baked potatoes are getting a little crispy, though, and I hope you like your steaks well done..." Duo said as he appeared in the doorway.
"It smells delicious," Heero offered apologetically. They hadn't called to warn Duo that they would be late because they hadn't wanted to tell him *why*. They'd wanted the cat to be a surprise.
Apparently the cat thought that supper smelled delicious too because it gave a plaintive yowl.
Duo hadn't noticed the cat carrier before; he'd just looked at Heero and Wufei's faces. Now, however, he turned a startled look in its direction. "Uh, guys?" he queried.
"Surprise?" Wufei suddenly wondered whether perhaps they should have talked this over with Duo before going ahead with it.
Heero knelt and removed the cat from its cage. Rising, he carried it over to Duo and held it out. Duo stared at the animal suspiciously, not offering to take it. "Guys?" he repeated insistently. "An explanation would be good... Preferably before our supper shrivels away to nothing..."
"He's for you," Heero said uneasily. This - wasn't exactly the response they'd been expecting.
"For me," Duo echoed. He racked his brain, trying to recall ever mentioning that he wanted a cat but completely failed. It was not a topic of conversation that he remembered ever coming up. 'I know about two damn things about cats. One of which is that their litter boxes have to be emptied regularly. Why the hell did they buy me a *cat*?!' He opened his mouth to ask them just that question - and saw the worry in Heero's eyes and the tension of Wufei's jaw - and with an inner sigh of resignation, realized that he couldn't do that. For whatever reason, they'd thought he actually would like a pet and they'd gone out and bought one for him. 'It's the thought that counts,' he reminded himself silently. "What's his - or is it a her? - name?"
Relief rushed over Heero. For a moment, he'd thought that he'd made a mistake in suggesting this to Wufei. "The shelter said his previous owner called him Max. We couldn't possibly have taken another cat after we learned that."
"*Max*?" Duo sniggered. That was - quite a coincidence. He held out his arms and let Heero put the cat in them.
"Unbelievable - but true," Wufei commented drily. "His previous owner was elderly and had to go into a nursing home. So Max here ended up at the shelter."
"Uh, guys, sorry, but - I've gotta go save our supper," Duo said apologetically. He handed the cat back to Heero and scratched its chin for a moment before turning to hurry back to the kitchen.
Heero stared after him for a moment, the cat draped comfortably in his arms. He turned to Wufei and asked uncertainly, "Was that how you expected him to react?"
"Ah - not really, no," Wufei answered hesitantly. "But - we didn't exactly explain, did we?"
"No... And - we are late... and he mentioned steaks..." Heero sighed, "We - didn't handle this very well, I think..."
Ruefully surveying the cat lying in Heero's arms rather than Duo's, smelling the faint tinge of smoke tainting the delicious smell of supper, and realizing rather belatedly that Duo had not been wearing casual clothing but rather dress pants and a deep blue sweater, Wufei agreed, "As Duo would say, 'No shit'.
"I think we'd better hurry up and get cleaned up for supper before we mess things up any worse..."
***
Lying in bed and trying *not* to wake up just yet - because once he woke up, he would have to *get* up and actually get ready to *leave* - Duo's nose started to tickle. He opened his eyes and glared balefully at the orange cat that had made itself comfortable on the pillow beside him, its fur just barely brushing his face. "Damn cat," he mouthed silently. The cat's tail twitched. The tickle turned into a hastily smothered sneeze.
Duo scowled and pushed the cat out of the way gently so that he could roll away from Heero without waking him up. Wufei was snoring softly on Heero's other side. For a moment, Duo was tempted to lie back down but a glance at the time told him that wasn't really an option. 'If I get up now, I can have my shower done before they wake up for work, then I can fix breakfast for the three of us while they get ready... Sounds like a plan,' he decided.
***
Waking, Heero was surprised to discover that Duo was already up. He could hear the shower running and realized that Duo was obviously trying to get done in the bathroom before he and Wufei got up for their turns. 'Considering that Duo has to be at the spaceport for check-in less than three hours from now, that's probably a good idea,' Heero thought regretfully. 'But it would have been nice to all wake up together this morning since it's the last time we'll even be in the same place for a while...'
***
Slipping quietly into the kitchen, Duo heard the mattress creak as one of the others crawled off of it. A few minutes later, the shower turned on which confirmed that Heero was the one who'd gotten up. Wufei still needed assistance covering his cast before he could shower.
The instant that Duo opened the fridge door, he acquired an assistant. A four-legged, furry one.
He scowled at the cat wrapping itself around his ankles and muttered, "I really do *not* need your help, Max. Honest to god, I don't." Trying not to step on the creature and trying equally hard not to say anything he might regret someone overhearing, he set the table and started to prepare breakfast. Pausing to feed the cat did *not* help matters any; Max remained convinced that whatever Duo was fixing was vastly preferable to the food in his own dish. Duo bit his tongue, counted backwards from ten in three different languages, and managed not to swear out loud in his annoyance. Barely.
"Good morning, Duo."
"Morning, Heero," Duo said, crossing the room to greet him with a kiss. "You fix Fei's cast so he could shower?"
"Yes," Heero answered. He slid his arms around Duo's waist and hugged him. "You sure you don't want us to take you to the spaceport?" he asked softly. "I'm sure Une would let us..."
Duo shook his head. "Nah. I'd rather say our goodbyes in private. It's gonna be tough enough getting on that shuttle without knowin' you guys are standing there watching me go." He kissed Heero tenderly then pulled away to start the French toast, narrowly avoiding tripping over the cat as he went.
***
Wufei showered quickly, not wanting to waste what little time they had together this morning. He still felt a bit guilty about last night; the candles and single long-stemmed rose on the table made it clear that Duo had planned a romantic evening for the three of them. Instead, they'd ended up playing with Max and reading the book on cat care that Heero had selected and purchased with the pet supplies. Duo hadn't complained and he'd laughed till he coughed at the cat's playful antics but... 'It still was not what he had planned...' Wufei thought ruefully.
***
Hearing the shower shut off again, Heero took over the breakfast preparations from Duo, suggesting, "Why don't you go help Wufei? That will give the two of you some time together..."
Duo grinned thankfully at Heero and agreed, "Sure!" He brushed a quick kiss over Heero's cheek before heading off to assist Wufei with unwrapping his plastic-covered cast and rewrapping his ribs.
"No, Max," Heero said firmly, blocking the cat's attempt to hop up on the counter. "Go eat your own food." He checked the time and decided that the cat's food could be left out for another fifteen minutes but then it would have to be picked up. When he and Wufei had contacted the spaceport yesterday to arrange for the cat to travel with Duo, they'd been given a list of recommendations for travel with a pet. No food for several hours before the trip - specifically, before launch in the case of shuttle travel - had been one item on the list. Duo's check-in time was only two hours away but launch was a little over an hour after that.
'So little time left...' Heero thought regretfully. He just hoped that it wouldn't take Duo very long to help Hilde hire and train someone to take over his job as yard manager. 'It would be nice if he would be back when we take possession of the house...'
He knew that was somewhat unrealistic though. Not impossible - but not too likely either. Duo had told them that he really needed to be there at month end to show the new employee the routines followed at that time. Which meant that Duo would be gone at least a full month and they would be taking possession of the house in just over three weeks. He and Wufei had both given notice on their apartments, so they would have to move out the week after that, at the end of the month. Meaning that they would probably already be in the new house when Duo returned.
But Heero still wished that Duo would be able to come back sooner. He and Wufei would spend time together, keep increasing their degree of comfort with one another, keep deepening their friendship. And they would be in touch with Duo regularly - daily through e-mail in addition to weekly phone calls. 'But I'll still miss him...'
***
"Ribs okay or have I got them wrapped too tight?" Duo asked.
"They're fine," Wufei assured him. "Leave that for a minute." He pulled Duo's outstretched hand away from the uniform shirt he'd been reaching for and tugged Duo towards him instead. "I - we - will miss you," he murmured softly before pressing his lips to Duo's. He broke the kiss off before they could get too caught up in it, all too aware of the passing time.
"I'll miss you guys too," Duo replied, tucking his head into the crook of Wufei's neck and hugging him carefully. He swallowed hard and pulled away before the emotions could overwhelm him. "At least you two will have each other for company."
"Yes, we will. And I am sorry that neither of us can take time off to..."
Duo stopped Wufei's apology by kissing him again. When he drew away, he said firmly, "We've been through all that already. This is just the way things have to be. None of us like it but we can live with it. It's only for a month or so, anyway."
Wufei nodded and observed, "And at least you will have Max for company."
With an effort, Duo managed not to roll his eyes. "Uh, yeah." He'd have Hilde too and frankly, he'd take her company over the cat's any day.
***
The brief time before Heero and Wufei had to leave for work passed all too quickly. In what seemed like no time at all, they were standing just inside the apartment's door, preparing to say goodbye.
"Take care of yourself," Heero said. "You're not completely over the bronchitis yet. You still cough too much and I thought I heard you sneezing this morning."
Duo just grinned. 'Heero Yuy, Perfect Worrywart,' he thought in amusement. "I will," he promised. "You just make sure Fei doesn't overdo things before he's properly healed."
Heero smirked slightly. "I will," he agreed, trying to match Duo's lighthearted, teasing tone. There was no way to make this parting, however temporary, easy - but Duo's attempt not to let things get too serious and intense might help make it bearable.
"I am perfectly capable of judging my own capabilities," Wufei protested.
"Capable of judging them, yes. Capable of abiding by that judgement, on the other hand... Need I mention the Morrison case?" Heero inquired drily.
Wufei flushed at the mention and Duo's grin became more genuine. "Oh, a story I haven't heard yet..." he said enthusiastically. "And a *good* one judging by Fei's reaction..."
"Never mind," Wufei muttered, hastily clapping a hand over Heero's mouth. "We're going to be late if we don't leave now. No time for stories." 'Thank god.'
Pulling Duo to him, Wufei said seriously, "Safe journey and a quick return. Remember that we love you and miss you." He kissed Duo deeply before he could speak, then turned and exited the apartment quickly before his composure deserted him entirely.
Duo blinked and swayed slightly after Wufei released him, startled and a bit dazed by his sudden actions. "Love you," he called softly before the door closed completely behind the Chinese youth's exit.
Heero stepped towards Duo, hands raising to cup his face. "Hurry home," he said simply before pressing their lips together in a kiss that tried to say all the things that he couldn't seem to find the words for. He pulled away reluctantly and turned towards the door.
A quiet "Love you too..." followed Heero out of the apartment. He hurried down the hall to find Wufei holding the elevator for him. He wasn't sure which of them reached out first but, on the way down to the lobby, their hands met and squeezed almost painfully tight, only releasing when the elevator doors opened again.
It was going to be a very long month.
***
Duo stood and stared at the closed door for a few very long minutes, fighting to regain his composure. "And they wondered why I didn't want them to take me to the spaceport," he finally muttered to himself. "Shit. Saying goodbye *sucks*."
Then he picked up the phone, called for a cab, and tried to figure out how the hell he was going to manage his own luggage plus the cat carrier and all the cat supplies. In the end, he made several trips from apartment to elevator, loaded everything in the elevator, then had to drag everything out of the elevator and through the apartment building's lobby to get to the cab.
At the airport, he just decided "to hell with it" and rented a luggage cart. The cat had more fucking luggage than he did and he was getting damn tired of lugging it around.
By the time that the shuttle was preparing for launch, Duo already missed Heero and Wufei so damn bad his stomach was tying itself in knots, he was sneezing on a regular basis, and he was even more sick and tired of lugging the damn cat around with him.
It was going to be one hell of a long month.
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Omake Theatre, courtesy of Sunhawk and her "perverse sense of humour":
Hilde : And then they gave you a cat as a going away present?! Without even asking? What were they thinking?!
Duo : *heavy sigh* Oh, it was their stupid code of honor. They made some totally unrealistic promise that they would never let me wake up alone again and...
Hilde : *snickers* So they gave you a cat?
Duo : Yeah. *rolls eyes* It's not like I didn't know it was just one of those promises lovers make. It was nice to hear at the time, but I never expected them to get so damn caught up in it.
Hilde : But Duo... you're allergic to cats!
Duo : *groans and wipes nose* You don't have to tell me!
Hilde : *falls out of chair laughing*
Calic0cat: *snickers and grins* Take Sunhawk's little contribution as seriously as you like... But Duo *was* sneezing after the cat showed up...
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