This Individual Fic Rating: PG; a bit of language
Blue Forest Banshee Part 73
Oldies Night at the Pot-Bellied Goose
Normally, I leave the kids to their own devices. We're years past the days when I had to chaperone their nights out on the town. It is, however, nearly impossible to say 'no' to the Banshee.
I've met a Banshee or two in my time, so Duo isn't that unusual to me, although he does have a personality all his own. Banshee females seem to be strong, confident creatures, quick and smart. The males tend to be a bit more relaxed, but still capable of fierce protectiveness toward their children and females. Neither is particularly bold outside of their Clanholds, though, or so I've been told.
Duo, on the other hand, comes across as bright, charming and very affectionate. He doesn't seem to be afraid of anything, but I sometimes think that's a mask he wears to avoid attracting the wrong kind of attention. Being of the Magical persuasion, I've never had to live among non-magical Humans; I understand they can be quite... daunting.
In any case, when he sidled up to my desk and purred, "Tiffany, Pot-Bellied Goose?" with that faint lilt at the end that turned it into a question, well; what could I say, but yes.
The whole gang is here this time, except Moira. Her youngest brother took a header off his horse at the last fence in a race, and he's in bad shape. Wasn't helped by her parents dithering for almost a day about calling her. Of course, she's the only Magical one out of that brood and her parents sometimes seem a little overwhelmed still. She immediately brought in a healer; the boy is expected to recover, though they won't know for a while whether he'll be able to go back to racing.
He's a nice kid, as teenaged boys go. Seems to think the world of Moira, which is refreshing. My brothers and I detest each other. Wizards they may be, but a sorrier lot you wouldn't want to meet. Often asked my folks what the hell happened there; Dad just shrugs and Mom sighs, so I guess they wonder the same thing.
And to think I was so excited when the first one was born.
Probably why I get such a kick out of the boys in the office.
Heero, Trowa and Wufei were Q's choice when the Investigations Office was first established. You should have heard the howls of outraged indignation that produced in the beginning. How dare he set Magical Creatures up to investigate us! I was only supposed to be in the office for a couple of months, as an intermediary, but it was so interesting and so much fun, I requested permanent assignment. Q didn't seem too surprised; I think he'd been planning that all along.
I still get Wizards and Witches asking how I can stand to be second to the Wyvern in the office hierarchy. It might be funny, if it weren't so insulting to Heero. Q has a great talent for people and a miraculous way of putting teams together to get the perfect chemistry.
Our office has a cleared rate of 97.3%, better than any investigations office in the world. Only Asia-Pacific comes close at 87.1%. And yes, I do have those stats memorized. I attribute our success to Heero; the Wyvern simply does not accept failure. Wufei and Trowa are just as tenacious. I firmly believe that other offices are hampered by being run by Wizards or Witches; too much political wrangling. Euro-Asia and Africa are particularly bad; all that lingering prejudice against Magical Creatures.
Hogwarts, in Britain, is doing a fine job of combating that, but it's an uphill battle still. But enough about work. I could, and frequently do, ramble on for hours on that subject.
The first round of singing is over, thanks be, and the kids are dancing. You couldn't get me on a dance floor with a gun, but I love to watch them.
Heero and Duo are moving together like a precision machine, without even touching. Call me an old pervert, but I'll bet they're just as sleek and beautiful when they're having sex. Duo has his hair partly undone; the braid that ate South Dakota stops midway, and it's just loose from there down to his knees. He looks adorable; all bright-eyed and laughing. Heero has even snickered a few times and that's a grand thing. The Wyvern tends toward stoic and grim without the influence of the Banshee; Q did a great thing in bringing that burnished bundle of fluff here.
Not to imply that Duo's simply eye candy; absolutely not. His talent for speaking with animals, as well as a cat-like curiosity and a burning desire to simply do good, make him a grand addition to the team. His magical abilities seem to fluctuate sometimes; I wonder if he may have missed out on some training or instinctual learning by being cast out of his Clan at such a young age. He's eager to learn now, though, and several of the instructors at the School have been happy to work with him. Heero has designed several spells and charms, just for him, and he works very hard at learning how to bend his natural Magick to his needs.
Oh, I seem to have digressed again...
Trowa is teaching Inazuma some new dance step. The River Elf is nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs; I think he may have a slight crush on the Were-Puma. He does the same thing around Wufei; goes all giddy and blushes like a little girl. They could all three do worse, but I doubt if anything will ever come of it.
Q and Enrique are gyrating with abandon. It's nice to see the boss relaxing and having fun. Used to be, Q forever had to pop off to the family compound to referee a disagreement, or sign some papers, or meet with some business type. It took quite a while for the lawyers to set everything up, but Q wanted to make sure that everything was perfect, and that no one could break the system that he devised. I don't pretend to know anything about business, especially on that level, but I do know that for every lawyer, there is a counter-lawyer. But he says everyone is satisfied, for now, at least.
Enrique is flirting with everyone in the pub tonight, Q included, but that's just Enrique. He's a Wood Elf, so he and Zuma have some things in common, but I think Inazuma's a little in awe of Enrique.
Estaban brought his wife with him again. I don't think he does it because she enjoys it, but rather as the price he pays for going out with us. I've chatted with Portia and she seems more resigned than anything else.
They got married too young, I think, but both families pressured them so. The pressure is still there, having shifted only to the arena of grandchildren. Why are families such fools? They're both nice kids, but you can see the stress between them.
Wufei is at the bar... hitting on that very sexy bartender. The pissy Dragon is a little peeved; his song choices were pulled out from under him and he had to fall back on an old folk song. You could tell that his heart wasn't in it when he sang.
That's the luck of the draw, though. They all choose a couple of songs and then they draw straws for their place in the queue. For some odd reason, Wufei seems to have the worst luck at that; he ends up last more often than anyone else.
I look forward to the next round of songs; the first was fairly impressive. All of the boys have good singing voices, though Duo, being a Banshee, is far and away the best. He did a very faithful rendition of the old 3 Dog Night tune, "Your Mama Don't Dance' and had the place rocking. Trowa surprised us with an AC-DC song, and Zuma warbled a lovely tune from an old musical. Q and Enrique dueted on another show tune, and Heero was very sexy with a smoky-voiced rendition of an old Beatles love song. Estaban and Portia did a Sonny and Cher song that sounded a lot cuter coming from them than the original. I think Inazuma and Heero were the ones who trod on Wufei's choices. He wound up singing 'Puff the Magic Dragon.'
And yes, he was pissed when we laughed.
He'll come out swinging in the next round, I'm sure. Such a stubborn Dragon. He'd have an easier time of it if he'd just acknowledge that Duo is taken and stop trying to woo him. Trowa understands; but then again, Trowa has a large extended family/Clan that loves him. Wufei does not. Wufei does have a best friend who thinks he's god, but so far, he hasn't noticed.
Now that's interesting... Duo is flipping through the catalog for his next song, but Heero, Trowa and Wufei are in a huddle in the hall by the restrooms. They're up to something...
I'd catch Q's eye, but now he's flirting with the bartender. Thinking back and making a mental tally, I can conclude that those three have had enough alcohol to be unpredictable. Not in a bad way, you understand; even perennially grumpy Wufei is a happy drunk, but worth being wary of.
Duo is still nursing his second beer. When that's gone, he'll switch to soda. After that first night out with the Weres, when they let him get tanked on sake shooters, he's been very careful of what he drinks. He's very good too, about not leaving his drink unattended. Q gave him that lecture last spring, just as a precaution. Most of the bars and clubs in town attract a mixed clientele and Duo's androgynous appearance seems to be universally appealing. Some of the younger Magical Creatures don't understand, but Duo's more familiar with Mundane Human behavior.
I suppose, when it comes right down to it, I really don't worry about Duo the way I do about some of the other Magical Creatures who work in the Department. Inazuma now, just gives me fits sometimes. He's not an innocent, but he's easily distracted when he isn't working, and that's just... worrisome. And there are a couple of Sprites and Fairies in other offices that I just cross my fingers for every time I see them in town.
I was surprised to hear that Duo met and handled Zephyrus so deftly. Ordinarily, I don't care much for demons, and that one certainly hasn't a very good reputation, especially with people who are young and beautiful, but I've had a couple of occasions to see him interact with Duo, and it's really... amusing. Zephyrus does his mating dance, but Duo counters with an anti-mating dance, and they wind up sitting and talking over coffee. That demon never seems to tire of the chase, but he also doesn't seem to mind that the prey is uncatchable. I would compare them to the coyote and the roadrunner, except that Duo doesn't even bother to run. Never expected pheromones to work on a demon, but they certainly seem to. I figure if Duo can handle Zephyrus, he can probably handle predatory Humans.
Speaking of which... There is that intoxicated jerk again, sidling up to the Banshee. That guy's been hitting on everything that moves tonight; I hope Heero doesn't see him. He'll wind up as sushi if the Wyvern catches him bothering Duo.
Ah, Koji has seen them; he'll take care of it. And in good time too, I see. The guy apparently just propositioned the Banshee, from the look on Duo's face. Bye-bye asshole... Some men just don't get it. Geez, he's even hitting on Koji. What an idiot.
Ah, the conspirators are back. And they are letting everyone else sing ahead of them... Hm... Oh, they are indeed up to something...
~*~
Koji had to call the sheriff to pick up that drunk; the guy just would not stay gone. I believe I'll run that name through our system, just as a precaution. Most of the people in the pub tonight are Magical; maybe he's a groupie. Or should that be 'gropie'?
Duo is singing now. It's a very... odd song... Something about a... dead party...? Well, it's certainly a catchy tune, and he's singing beautifully, as always, but a song about a dead man's party? Good lord... Why would someone write a song like that? The Banshee always manages to surprise me.
Ah, now we get to see what the secrecy was about; the conspirators are taking the stage. Obviously, they are planning quite a production; all three are donning the headsets. Wufei seems to be smirking rather... alarmingly. Heero is rather... intense. Those two have sung duets before, but not since Duo joined us. They've both been behaving like the alpha males they are; Dragons are so... macho sometimes. Even the females. I've met Heero's IchiBan, and she's quite intimidating.
Poor Trowa looks like he's caught between the Dragons and not sure he wants to be there. I wonder what they're planning... Q has left off flirting to watch this; he doesn't look concerned, so I suppose I shouldn't be. Q knows a lot of things before others do, so I will just have to trust that this is not going to turn into something... um... scary.
Yes, I believe I will have another drink. I may need it. Duo has plopped himself down across from me, watching the stage eagerly. He loves watching the others perform as much as he likes performing himself.
Oh. Oh... my... Oh. My. God. I cannot believe they are doing this!
Those three... idiots are doing... 'You Give Love A Bad Name.' And Wufei has the lead. Oh, Heero has definitely had more than enough to drink if he's singing backup to Wufei on that song!
Duo is bright red, giggling uncontrollably, with his hands almost hiding his face. Make that trying not very hard to hide his face. He's peeking around his fingers, then ducking, then peeking some more, and giggling all the while like he's bordering on hysteria. Oh, dandy; now the rest of the room has picked up the chorus, complete with pointing fingers at the Banshee! Even Q!
I suppose they can all claim drunken stupidity tomorrow.
Now what...
Duo is on his feet, heading for the stage. I could just grab him and teleport us back to the Castle... Oh, for heaven's sake! Heero and Trowa are hanging onto each other to keep from falling over, they're laughing so hard! And the Banshee has Wufei in a... a... headlock?
No... A lip lock... The Banshee is kissing the pissy Dragon! And Wufei looks as surprised as everyone else.
Hands on his face, a hard, deep kiss, then a gentle shove and a flick of his fingers, as if he's casting something off... And now he's kissing Trowa the same way, and with the same final, dismissive gesture. And Heero... But no gesture there. The hands on Heero's face slide into his hair and down to wrap his arms around the Wyvern's neck and the Wyvern's arms are closing about Duo's waist, pulling him into a shoulders-to-knees embrace.
All of this accompanied by cheers, catcalls and whistles from the rest of the pub.
And when they finally part, they are both just... incandescent in their glow.
Damn. I just love these kids...
TBC...
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