Well, I thought my little 1x2 oneshot Payment was a oneshot. Apparently I was wrong.
Payment Part 2
Duo made his way home, anticipation building in him. Heero needed a favor, and by the rules of the dance the two of them had started that meant that the other man was his for the night.
But only for the night. Duo sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He hated being away from Heero. Hated waking up alone every morning. Hated the things in their lives that held them apart.
If he was honest with himself, he was the one holding them apart. He was doing this to himself. He could have Heero all the time, in his life, in his arms and in his bed... but that would be wrong. Heero killed for money. He didn't kill just anyone, of course, only those who had killed others, but it was still killing for pay and Duo didn't like it.
Had it been for revenge alone, as it had the first time, when Duo had helped him and he had done it to gain revenge for Trowa, then it might have been different. But afterwards Quatre had burned with an angry flame and had offered to hire Heero for more jobs like that one. Heero had accepted... Duo's hands tightened on the steering wheel. Quatre had turned Heero into an assassin...
But that was hypocritical of him. Duo himself had used Heero to deliver justice, used him and paid him- not with money, but with his body. Had made Heero do the same for him... He was no different than Quatre. Worse, since he had broken off the relationship part of his love affair with Heero, had only restarted the physical part when he had needed Heero to do something for him and Heero had refused to take any money. Heero would've done it despite what Duo offered, simply because Duo had asked it of him, but Duo had made him accept the payment he offered next.
Duo pulled into his driveway and put his head on his steering wheel. Usually there were months between his and Heero's meetings. Months during which the longing would rise up higher than the need to examine his actions. Months during which he longed for something that he could use to get Heero in his bed for a night, waited for Heero to email him with a dinner offer...
Even then, he and Heero would end up arguing more often than not, ruining their time together. And he knew who always started those fights.
Someone tapped on his window. Heero stood there, dressed in his work clothes, jacket and tie, perfectly pressed, even after a day of work. Heero looked in at him, blue eyes crinkled up with worry, a faint smile on his lips.
Such a different expression than the one that was on his face when he killed.
Duo opened the door and Heero reached in, concerned.
"Are you all right?"
"Fine." Duo took the offered hand, warmth stirring in him at the contact as he got out of the car. He followed Heero up his own steps and unlocked the house.
Coming home with Heero. To Heero. Oh gods how he wanted that!
"Duo?" Heero questioned as he closed and locked the door behind them. "Are you okay?" Duo tossed his Preventers jacket over the stand, waited until Heero had hung his up as well.
"I'm fine." Duo turned and brushed his lips over Heero's. "I missed you." He admitted. It had only been a week since their last meeting, but it was the truth. It was harder and harder to be alone.
"I missed you too." Heero replied with none of the hesitancy Duo displayed. But then, he never did struggle with his feelings, or so it seemed to Duo.
He let Heero pull him into a tight embrace, holding tightly on to him in return, wanting more already.
But he had to do his part first, he reminded himself. Couldn't let this slide into something other than a business arrangement.
"What do you need?" He asked, pulling away slightly. Heero didn't let him go far, claiming another kiss before he let Duo out of his embrace.
"Just some information from the Preventers database. We have our suspicions about someone and need to know if he's on your list. Depending, Quatre wants to either give you more information so you can take him out yourselves, or if it's impossible, to give us the justification we need to take him out."
They always did that, a small voice inside Duo pointed out. Always wanted to go the legal route first. Could he blame them when the system failed them that they turned to other methods? Hadn't the system failed him on L2? Didn't he turn to them when the system failed him?
"Duo?" Heero's hands were warm on his face. "What's wrong? You keep spacing out on me. Are you sure you're okay? Is this a bad time? Do you want me to leave?"
"No!" Duo shook his head, his hands reaching up to cover Heero's. "That's not it at all. I want you here- always. That's the problem."
Heero kissed him again, harder this time, but then let him go. "All you have to do is ask, love, you know that."
But he couldn't. He had made his choices and picked the legal road. A Preventers agent should not advocate murder... but he did, didn't he? He didn't kill the men that he turned over to Heero, but their blood was on his hands as well.
"Heero-" Duo started and then stopped. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me tonight."
"It's all right," Heero replied. "Is this not a good time? I can come and get the information later..."
"No, no," Duo turned and headed for his computer, tucked into the corner of his tiny den. His house was smaller and older than Heero's place, but he made less than Heero did...
He shook his head as he sat down in his chair and logged on to the Preventers database. Heero waited patiently until he was logged on to the system.
Duo was going to get up, go and start dinner, but Heero moved too quickly. He twisted Duo's chair around, sat down on Duo's lap, and leaned over the keyboard, even as his body moved teasingly over his lover's.
"It won't take but a moment." Heero's fingers flew over the keys for a minute before they stopped. Duo twisted his head back and looked at the screen. The person looked vaguely familiar- one of the cases that their department was looking into?
Heero pulled out a disk and made a quick copy, nodding to himself, before erasing all traces of the search and then turning them so that Duo could log out. He tucked the disk into the pocket of his shirt.
"All done. Looks like you have almost enough to get him."
"So you're out a job," Duo muttered, even as he slid his arms around Heero's waist.
"No, I'll have to do some stuff to get our information to your department." Heero smiled. "A anonymous tip or email should do it. Easy enough to send an email they can't trace."
"Why can't you just stick to that?" Duo looked up into Heero's eyes. "Why can't you just be a computer guy?"
"You know why." Heero replied, and rested his forehead against Duo's. "Speaking of which, Trowa wants to see you." That comment neatly derailed Duo's train of thought.
Trowa? Trowa wanted to see him? But Trowa never saw anyone except Quatre. He never left their house. Oh, he'd email the others, but he never wanted to see them despite their entreaties. He just locked himself away from everyone but Quatre.
"He...does?"
"Yes. Quatre asked me to relay the message. And you know how often Trowa has asked to see anyone since..."
"I know." Duo hadn't seen his friend since that day at the hospital, over three years ago now. A thought occurred to him. "Have you seen Tro?"
"Not recently." Heero's expression grew unreadable.
"But you have? Other than in the hospital?" Duo pushed.
"Yes, three years ago," Heero bit his lip. "I had to- apologize to him."
"Apologize to him?" Duo tilted his head back a bit more. "For what? What did you do?" Three years ago would've been right after the incident. What had Heero done? He had avenged Trowa- why would he apologize?
Heero's grip tightened slightly. "I slept with Quatre."
Duo's breath caught. "You...what?"
"I slept with Quatre." He frowned and leaned back against the desk, even as his hands still held tight to Duo's hips. "Only once. Trowa- well, Trowa was refusing to see him, and you..." Heero stopped.
Duo had been about to shove Heero off his lap, but those last few words made him freeze. That and the pain that suddenly appeared in Heero's eyes. The memory was obviously not a pleasant one for him- so why?
Duo inhaled, thinking back. He had told Heero not to contact him. To stay away. He had been so upset that Heero had taken Quatre's job offer. And hurt, that Heero hadn't changed his mind even when Duo had ended their relationship because of it. He hadn't thought that he'd ever see Heero again, and Heero had no doubt thought the same.
But still...
Duo's mind was whirling. He said the next thing he thought of:
"What did Trowa say?"
Heero's expression didn't change. "He thanked me."
What?
"Thanked you? For..."
"Yes," Heero interrupted quickly. "For that."
"I don't understand."
"I don't either." Heero slumped a little. "Quatre was... not himself at the time, and I... I was angry. Very very angry."
Angry? "At me?" Duo couldn't blame him for that, not much anyway.
"At myself." Heero closed his eyes. "And Quatre... Quatre was out of his mind. Trowa was keeping him away, refusing to see him... he said that he wasn't fit for Quatre to touch..."
"Oh gods." Duo had never heard any of this. It hadn't been until months later when he had found himself needing Heero's help and had sought him out, starting this dance of theirs. By then, Trowa was with Quatre, a recluse in their home, but undeniably with his lover. Duo knew how intense the love those two shared was- if Trowa had refused to see Quatre for those reasons... "What did Quatre do?"
"I caught Quatre on his way out one night after work. He was heading out to the district... I'm sure you can imagine what he was after."
Having had cases in the district, the lowest part of town, Duo knew exactly what Quatre had been after. It made him sick to think of his friend there. "You didn't let him...?"
"No. I made him talk to me. He told me what Trowa had said, told me what he was after... and I obliged him." Heero shook his head, his eyes opening and meeting Duo's. "He... called me Trowa. All the way through... held his eyes closed and called me Trowa... and then he left right afterwards- went to him- to show... to tell..." Heero shivered.
"I know." Duo pulled Heero closer automatically, feeling the other's distress and wanting to soothe it. "I know. It's okay."
"Is it?" Duo took a deep breath. He understood- but oh, it hurt. It hurt to think of Quatre and Heero... but they hadn't even been seeing each other at all then. Duo himself had tried for a while to forget Heero in ways that he now regretted. And if what Heero told him about the incident was true- and Duo saw no reason to doubt him-
But that image...
"Not really." Duo admitted truthfully. "But I... I think I understand. Besides," Duo let the corners of his mouth turn up in an expression that wasn't a smile. "It's not like I have a claim on you anymore. All we do is... bargain with each other."
Heero's mouth descended upon Duo's then, claiming, demanding. Duo opened his lips and let his lover ravage his mouth, needing to feel the other's desire. Heero's mouth left his, moving down his cheek and stopping on the pulse in Duo's throat, nipping the skin with his teeth.
Ah...mine....
Duo spun the chair, pushed Heero backwards off of his lap and onto the floor, following him a moment later, pinning Heero down and making his own mark on the other's neck.
"It's my turn- my choice of payment," he growled.
"Yes..." Heero managed, as Duo's hands stripped him, pulled off his tie and shirt, even as his own hands tugged at Duo's clothes. Their mouths met again, struggling for control, demanding response.
"I can't wait," Duo's fingers worked Heero's belt buckle. "I can't..."
"Pocket," Heero mumbled as Duo's mouth moved down his body. Sure enough, Heero's pocket held a familiar tube. "I knew we wouldn't make it to the bed." He gasped as Duo's fingers tugged down his zipper and ventured inside.
"You want me," Duo's voice was low and harsh as his fingers caressed and tugged.
"Yes..." Duo's fingers removed themselves and he pulled the rest of Heero's clothes off, then his own, quickly. He leaned back down, pushing Heero's legs apart, his lips on Heero's ear.
"Say my name." His fingers, slick and ready, ran up the inside of Heero's thigh.
"Duo," Heero breathed as those fingers reached their goal.
"Again," the fingers pushed inside.
"Duo..." Heero spread his legs wider. The fingers went deeper, caressed him, opened him up, took their time, lingering, rewarding him whenever he murmured their owner's name.
"Oh, Duo..." Duo kissed him again, gently this time.
"What do you want?"
"You! Please Duo..." The fingers withdrew. Duo leaned back and away and Heero reached for him. But Duo moved quickly, flipping Heero over, tugging him up on his knees. Heero braced himself, impatient, waiting for Duo to prepare himself, rewarded for his patience by the sudden press of flesh into his.
"My name..."
"Duo!" Heero inhaled as Duo pushed all the way in. Duo stopped for a moment, waiting for Heero to adjust to him, waiting to hear the other start to beg. Needing to hear the other's desire for him, needing to know that Heero wanted him.
"Please, Duo! Please..." That was all he needed. Duo reached down and slid his arms around Heero, levering them up so that he was kneeling with Heero in his lap.
"Take what you need," he whispered against Heero's shoulder, his hand going out to wrap itself around Heero's cock as Heero began to move. He closed his eyes; listening to the sounds Heero made- his name repeated over and over- feeling his control begin to break as the other arched against him.
~*~
Duo pushed himself up a little and glanced at the clock. It was early still. He didn't work today, and he was sure Heero didn't either. At least- not officially.
Heero was sprawled in the bed beside him, one arm flung over Duo, sleeping soundly. Duo lay back down again and let his fingers wander through Heero's hair.
What would it be like to wake up beside him every morning?
But, he couldn't. He was a Preventer, even if it was in name only sometimes. He had promised to be just and lawful. Justice needed to be served, not paid for.
Though, if that was true, why did he accept his salary from the Preventers? Hadn't his work brought people to death row and the chamber at the end of it?
Heero said that he'd had to take the job with Quatre. He'd never said more than that- usually because Duo would start yelling at him.
Duo sighed.
"Duo," Heero said sleepily, curling close, his breath warm on Duo's shoulder. "What is it?"
"Why did you do it Heero? Why did you take that job with Quatre? You said you had to- why? Why did you have to?" Duo kept his voice level. Heero blinked, the sleepiness leaving his expression as he considered Duo's question.
"If not me, then who?"
"What?"
"If I didn't take Quatre up on his offer, who would Quatre had offered it to next?" Heero's eyebrows lifted questioningly.
Me, Duo thought. I would've been next.
"But I would've said no."
"Are you so sure Quatre couldn't have talked you into it?"
Duo opened his mouth to deny it, but then closed it again. No, Duo realized. I would've said yes. Quatre knows what strings to pull on me as well as he knew which ones to pull on Heero...
So, if I would've done it... how can I blame Heero for doing it?
But the money. I wouldn't have taken the money...
Duo drew in a deep breath. "When did Trowa want me to go and see him?"
"As soon as you could."
"Today?"
"I'll call and ask." Heero's arm tightened, pulling Duo closer. "But not yet..."
~*~
Trowa's room was brightly lit. Duo was surprised. For some reason he expected Trowa to be hiding in the dark. The dark was a safe place to Duo, but maybe Trowa felt the opposite.
"Duo," Trowa's wheelchair was next to the window, the other pilot looking out across the lawns. "I'm glad you came."
"Of course, Tro," Duo walked across the room to join Trowa at the window. He sat in the chair next to Trowa's- Quatre's place; he was sure, and turned to face his friend.
He had expected it to be bad. He had known that Trowa had received scars that night, injuries that marked his skin and put him in that wheelchair.
There were a few faint lines on Trowa's visible cheek, a thick mark across his forehead that vanished up into the bang on the other side, but that was all. Trowa was wearing his usual turtleneck- if there were other injures, they were covered.
So why did he lock himself away?
"It's good to see you Duo."
"You too. I've missed you."
"I know." Trowa lifted a shoulder, and then got right to the point. "I wanted to talk to you about Heero."
"Heero?" Duo blinked. "What about Heero?"
"He loves you." Trowa said bluntly, watching Duo's face closely.
"I know." Duo replied, flustered. Trowa saw his advantage and launched his attack.
"So why do you keep him so far away? Why do you only use him for your needs and then toss him to the side? Do you know what he's like in between your calls? Do you know how he waits for you to need him? How he despairs that you won't ever call him again? Do you know how much you hurt him? It's cruel Duo. I never thought you were cruel. But as I watch you use Heero, I see that you are- taking advantage of his love for you..."
"I don't..." Duo choked out. "I don't. He kills people for money! He's an assassin! I'm a Preventer!" Trowa's gaze remained level.
"And your job is all you are?" He snapped.
"No..."
"And what does Heero do with the money?"
"Do with it?" Duo repeated. "I... I don't know. I thought he kept it. He lives in that apartment..."
"His computer salary pays for all that. The money goes elsewhere. Go get the folder on the desk." Trowa gestured. "Quatre and I were wondering, so we went looking. He hid it well..."
Duo got to his feet and went to the folder. He brought it back to the window and opened it carefully.
Oh.
He considered this new piece of information for a long moment.
"I think I need to go talk to Heero." Duo said, placing the folder down on the sill next to Trowa. "Thank you. I never meant to be cruel to Heero..."
"You're welcome." Trowa replied. "I know you didn't. Several years ago, Heero showed me I was being cruel to Quatre. I figured I owed it to him to stop you- but it took me a while to find the answers you needed."
Duo met Trowa's calm gaze and smiled faintly. "Don't be cruel to the rest of us either- we've missed you."
"Even though I'm not the same?" Trowa's voice remained level as he made a faint gesture to the chair he sat in.
"No, you're the same underhanded cut-right-to-the-chase bastard you always were," Duo grinned.
Trowa smiled back, "I'll think about it."
~*~
Duo stood in front of Heero's apartment door. He hadn't called in advance, he hadn't emailed... and he wondered if Heero was even home. The doorman was a stranger- and had simply opened the door for him without comment.
He rang the doorbell and waited.
OWARI
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