Moments of Haven Part 74
X'mas AC198 - Part III

Duo shut the door self-consciously behind him. "It was sort of more fun when I had to sneak in here at night."

"You never really had to 'sneak' in here," Heero pointed out dryly, stretching idly. It had been a short walk across an unpopulated hallway, with no one thinking twice about it before. "And I didn't 'sneak' into your room, either."

"Still. I dunno, maybe there was just that whiff of excitement or something. That little bit of you're-not-supposed-to-do-that-ness."

And Heero would have to be subjected to some wickedly delicious torture before he would maybe, just maybe, admit that perhaps he thought so, too. It was a little like an in-joke, something amusing that wasn't being 'hidden' from the others, per se, just never explained, and it was a component of their two-person clique that flavored their togetherness. "You can go back out there and 'sneak' back in, if you want."

Duo rolled his eyes and detached himself from the door. "I'm not that-- dammit. All my stuff is still in my room."

"Works out perfectly, then."

Things had a way of working out entirely differently in their two worlds. "No, now I'm just going to look stupid going back in there."

"Not if you sneak."

He closed in on his partner's location, drawing breath for a retort before letting it out in a sigh. There suddenly seemed to be better things to do, like worming his arms around a pliant Heero and snuggling in close. He kissed the skin just above the collar of Heero's sweater before resting his chin upon that strong shoulder. "Maybe later."

Heero squeezed him gently. "Come on, I don't think today went badly."

"Badly? No, I don't think it went badly. It just... I dunno. It was weird."

"I think that was Quatre's line."

"Yeah, what is up with him, anyway? I don't think I'm getting his whole vibe. Like, he says he doesn't mind, but he still seemed to have some sort of problem with us. That was weird."

He rubbed Duo's back comfortingly, feeling some tension there. "We have plenty of time to worm it out of him."

"Is that the right way to go? I mean, maybe he just doesn't want to be faced with it. Us."

"Well, too bad for him," Heero answered firmly. "I'll take an exception to his behavior if he keeps it up."

Duo lifted his head to look scoldingly at him. "Hey, Quatre's your friend, man."

"Exactly. That means I'm allowed to hit him if I don't like what he's doing."

Occasionally, that straightforwardness was charming. "Come on, Heero, he wasn't that bad."

That sounded a little familiar. His expression smoothed and he explained himself. "I know. I'm not saying he was bad. I don't think he was uncomfortable about it. But I'd still like the opportunity to talk to him at some point. Not just because it affects his relationship with us, but because there's something bothering him, and even I can tell, and as a friend, I'd like to do something about that if I can."

Duo bumped their foreheads together lightly as he smiled. "You're such a softie."

Taking advantage of the proximity, Heero stole a kiss before continuing. "What did you get off the others?"

"Trowa and Wufei?" Duo blended a shrug into his embrace. "Hard to read. But not the types to get in someone's face about their personal business, anyway, no matter what they think."

"I think Trowa has decided to wait and see."

"Yeah? I'll take your word for it. I can never get anything off that guy." It was a little frustrating, really, because he wasn't certain why. Heero hadn't exactly been the most emotive guy around either, but maybe Duo had just spent a lot more quality time with him.

"Trowa? He's not that complex." Deep, but not complex. They got along well.

"Hmpf, maybe to you." There was a brief pause while his mind jumped tracks. "You ever think it's ironic that you're the one that really gets along with everyone?"

Heero blinked. "Why would I find that ironic?" He blinked again as he processed the rest of the sentence. "And what do you mean? We all get along with each other, don't we?"

"Well, yeah, but I mean, like, you've got something in common with everyone."

"We all have something in common." Something rather large and obvious, actually.

"Duh, but-- you know, never mind."

He stroked Duo's braid in question. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's probably just one of those things that only makes sense in my head." Duo put his chin back on Heero's shoulder, and smiled privately when he felt Heero do the same in return. It was a comfortable enough feeling that he felt he could fall asleep standing right there, if only he didn't have to run back to his room for his stuff and he was pretty sure he heard someone out in the hall going to the bathroom not a minute before. He was so right about waiting for a while before nipping back to his own room for a few seconds. And he could count on Heero to make that while pass quite pleasantly. "Shit, if everyone knows now, that means Relena isn't going to have any reason to be discreet, is she?"

"She'll be discreet if I tell her to be discreet."

The breath of those murmured words drifted down to tickle the back of his neck. "Whoa, there, buddy. You're getting a little heavy-handed with your handling of friends tonight."

"I'm not hitting Relena."

"How sexist of you."

"I meant, if it bothers us, she'll stop. She knows the difference between having a little fun and outright harassment." She worked in government, after all. She ate decorum and discretion for breakfast.

*****

"Your cereal sounds like it stays quite crispy, even after a while in milk," Wufei observed mildly, setting down the magazine he had brought with him. This vacation was a good opportunity to catch up on some things he hadn't had time to pursue.

Trowa nodded amiably, finishing his crunching before swallowing. "Yes. Took me a while to find one that did. You should try some." He smiled as Wufei pulled the box to his side of the counter to read the label. "Drives Catherine nuts."

"Is that wise?" Wufei had heard of the girl's penchant for throwing knives.

He shrugged. "You can't scold a man for eating breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day."

"Do you eat the same cereal every day?" Wufei could sympathize with Catherine, in that case. It was odd to hear such sound from one normally so silent.

"No. I can make a real breakfast if I feel like it."

"A 'real' breakfast?"

"Eggs. Toast. Sausage. Whatever. Catherine isn't the type to let me just sit back and let her do all the work."

From what he remembered of the girl, he didn't doubt it. "You cooked macaroni and cheese from a ready-mix package last night." Though admittedly, it had been surprisingly good for what it was.

"I'm not about to mention that I can cook real food." It wasn't as if they had stocked the ingredients that would be required for real food, anyway, and if Heero and Duo could get away without mentioning something large because it never seemed quite relevant, then surely the excuse would hold for him as well. "If Quatre catches wind of it, he'll finesse me into cooking breakfast for him, at the least."

"He succeeded with Duo and Heero from the start." Though Duo made his obligatory complaints, it hadn't seemed as if they had cared much. Perhaps they were already used to it. There was little difference between cooking for two and five. Especially when they had shared the duty. In retrospect, they had indeed made it seem as if they always cooked together. A small sign of their togetherness, perhaps, but in retrospect, everything was a sign.

Trowa finished crunching his cereal some more. "It's expected that they must know how to cook. They have to fend for themselves."

"Hm. It seems they fend for each other," Wufei mused.

"Hm." He started placidly on another spoonful.

"You didn't seem surprised."

A shrug conveyed his answer while his mouth was otherwise occupied. "It happens."

"'It'?"

He shrugged again. "Two people, working together, living in close quarters. Young. Healthy. It happens."

Fraternization with one's co-workers was not encouraged in the Preventers, though it was known to happen as well. "With a female present, perhaps...."

"I've seen men that wouldn't otherwise be gay engage in some sexual activity with another man, if that is what's available. You do what it takes, if that's what you need. That human contact."

That sounded quite unflattering. "You don't think they're in love?"

"Heero didn't say they were yesterday."

He hadn't said that they weren't, either. "He said they were committed. For Yuy, that means they might as well be married." Who could say what that meant to Maxwell, though.

They hadn't said what they were committed to, either. "We'll see."

Wufei raised an eyebrow at him.

He shook his head. "I don't mean to say that I am waiting for them to break up, or that I think they will, necessarily. I mean simply... we'll see."

Yes, it was far too early to be jumping to conclusions. "I suppose we shall."

TBC...

 

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