Incoming Message Part 3
Tinman: Got your message. I'm glad things are looking up for you.
Phoenix: Yeah. Hey... how are things going on your end?
Tinman: Broke up with the harpy. Now I'm sure I'll never hear the end of her screeching. She'll cause no end of trouble for me now.
Phoenix: So you'll take a day off to get away from her I hope.
Tinman: *chuckle* I'll just ask to be put on a mission that will take me far far away from her.
Phoenix: Before you get to meet me? I mean... things are looking up, but I meant what I said about friends. I don't think I'll ever get enough of them.
Tinman: I was supposed to go to a dinner with her this weekend. *evil grin* You want to meet then? I know a nice sushi bar.
Phoenix: Sushi? *thump* What is is with Japanese people and sushi? I admit that it isn't gross, but it isn't something I'd wanna have every day.
Tinman: Sushi is fabulous. All of the fish's vital nutrients are still present. Besides... if eating raw fish grosses you out, you could have the Tamago.
Phoenix: Yeah... Tamago is the BOMB! ^_^ YUM! And I kinda wanna try fugu.
Tinman: O_O! Do you KNOW that fugu is potentially deadly?
Phoenix: Can't kill a Phoenix, my man! They'll just rise from the ashes! ^_^
Tinman: You are insane. What time do you want to meet me this Saturday?
Phoenix: Seriously? I'd say about 5:00 PM. I have a few errands I have to run that day. Running low on foodstuffs in my apartment. I'm also thinking of getting a recliner. I'd better book.
Tinman: Before you do... what does "Peace, love and Bulletproof Marshmallows" mean?
Phoenix: O_o! You actually think that MEANS anything? Bye!
=======================================================
Heero blinked as Phoenix signed off, then grinned. "Saturday... I'll get to meet this strange and wonderful person Saturday."
*****
Duo fell and buried his face into his pillow as he howled with laughter. 'I can NOT believe he thought that phrase MEANT something!' He sniffled as he sat up with a chuckle. "Man... he's as literal as Heero." He closed his laptop and stowed it under his bed before stretching back against the old, lumpy mattress. He curled under a thin blanket and closed his eyes.
*****
That Saturday, at 4:45 PM, found Wufei being dragged to Yoshi's. "Maxwell... would you care to remind me WHY you're dragging me here?"
Duo bit his lip and started pacing. "I want you to peek in there and see if you can spot Tinman! He said he was going to wear a denim jacket."
"Maxwell... there are twenty people in there wearing denim jackets!" Wufei glared at Duo.
"Any of them have a phoenix embroidered on it?" Duo grinned at Wufei's expression. "PLEASE Wufei? I promise not to call you Woofie or WuWu or Wu-man or Wu-chan or any other variations of your name for a week!"
"Make it a month, and I'll look." Wufei chuckled when Duo nodded his head eagerly. "Honestly, Maxwell... you'd make someone think you were a teenage girl! Besides... what about Yuy?"
Duo's expression darkened as his mood was dampened. "He barely knows that I exist, Wufei. I mean... he's staying at my place because he says it's close to Headquarters." He forced a smile onto his face. "Now... would you please check to see if the guy is someone I wouldn't mind meeting face-to-face?"
Wufei looked into the slightly busy restaurant. "Okay... I see a denim jacket with a phoenix, but I can't see his face yet because he seems to be ordering." He tried not to laugh at Duo's sudden change to hyperactive five-year-old. "Ah... the server is moving and..." He narrowed his eyes. 'It can't be! I do NOT believe this!' He swallowed to keep himself from laughing. "I see him now. You like Yuy, right?"
Duo blinked at the question. "Hell yeah!"
Wufei nodded. "Then I can tell you that you're DEFINITELY going to like your Tinman."
Duo frowned. "What makes you say that?" He approached the window.
Wufei smirked. "Because, my dear Maxwell, Yuy IS the Tinman."
"WHAT?!?!?" Duo ran to the window and peered in. "Aw HELL!!! I don't know whether to whoop for joy or be scared shitless!" He flopped against a wall. "Man... if he finds out I'm Phoenix, he'll kill me!" Duo pursed his lips with a slight frown. "Damn! Well... I can't stand the guy up! That would not be good. And I can't LIE to him!" He whimpered. "What am I gonna do?"
Wufei patted Duo's shoulder. "You'll think of something. You always do." With that, he walked off. "See you Monday, Maxwell."
"Yeah... if I'm still alive on Monday." Duo pushed himself off the wall. "Oh well... better face the lion in his den!" He walked in and grinned as a plan formulated while strolling to Heero's table. "Oi! Don't you ever get tired of raw fish?"
Heero looked up. "Duo." He shook his head as if clearing it. "What are you doing here?"
Duo shrugged. "Thought I'd try the fugu! This seat taken?"
"Not yet. I'm waiting to meet someone." Heero watched as Duo sat down and sighed. Truth be told, he was glad Duo was here. He was close to getting up and running out before Phoenix could show up.
"AWESOME! Anyone I know?" Duo grinned, and was about to notice the patch on Heero's jacket when the worst case scenario happened.
"HEEEEEERO!!!!"
Heero's eyes widened in horror as Relena promptly threw herself at him. "I thought you had a dinner party to attend."
Releena snorted. "And embarass myself in front of everyone? Hardly! I came here to give you one more chance. I could give you everything."
Heero pushed Relena away. "That's the point! I don't want to be given EVERYTHING! I want to earn whatever I get. If I did what you wanted me to, I'd be whoring myself."
Duo sipped at the water that had been placed down. 'I am NOT getting involved in Heero's fight. He hates it when I do that.'
Relena frowned. "All right... who is she?"
Heero noted that Duo was oh-so-carefully trying not to interfere. He promised himself he'd thank Duo later. "'She'? Relena... what are you talking about?"
Relena folded her arms and glared at Heero. "The little tramp who took you away!"
"Relena..."
"When I find her, I'll rip her hair out!"
"Relena..." Heero was getting more and more angry.
"After that, I'll have her sent to a convent!"
"RELENA, I DON'T EVEN LIKE GIRLS!"
The water Duo had been drinking went down the wrong way and he started coughing. 'Holy SHIT! Did he just say what I THINK he just said?' He blinked tearing eyes as someone firmly pounded him on the back. Once he got his breath back, he turned to meet Heero's eyes. 'If Relena weren't here, I think I'd kiss him!' He grinned slightly. "Thanks."
Heero grunted and returned to his seat. He fought the blush that was creeping onto his cheeks. 'Well... that answers THAT question! He's not only accepting, he's INTERESTED!' His mouth quirked into a shy smile briefly.
Relena paled and then reddened as she turned to Duo. "You!"
Duo blinked at the venom in her voice. "Me? What about me?"
Heero frowned. "Leave Duo out of this!"
Relena glared daggers at Duo. "You sick, perverted scumbag! How DARE you twist MY Heero with your perversions!"
"WHAT? Oi... lady, you're suffering from major delusions."
Heero did NOT like the way Relena was acting. "Relena... I suggest you leave now before you say something that I'll make you regret."
Relena tossed her hair. "I am an heiress to a large fortune, would be a princess of a country if I hadn't stepped down and I'm a woman! Plus I saw Heero FIRST and helped him out whereas YOU tried to shoot him!"
Heero grumbled. "I didn't ask for, or WANT, your help!"
Relena continued as if she hadn't heard him. "YOU are nothing but a street brat from L-2 who wouldn't have a penny to his name if it weren't for me. You are a nameless nobody who wouldn't have anything to call himself if it weren't for the people who cared for you that died."
Heero stood up. "That's ENOUGH!" He grabbed Duo's elbow and led him to the door. "Go home, Vice Foreign Minister. Go home and get some psychiatric help." A part of him regretted not sticking around to wait for Phoenix, but he needed to get Duo out of there. After ducking around a corner, he gently pushed Duo against a wall. "Duo? Duo... answer me." He frowned at the moisture that was building up in Duo's eyes. 'Gotta get him home.' He gently took Duo's elbow. "Come on, Duo."
*****
As soon as Heero locked the door to the apartment he was currently sharing with Duo, he pulled Duo into his arms. "It's all right to cry now, Duo. I won't tell anyone, and I won't think any less of you. Relena had no right to say what she did." Anything was better than the eerie silence. 'Never thought I'd see the day when I'd WANT him to talk.' He almost sighed with relief when Duo mumbled something. "What was that?"
"I said... she was right. That's what hurts, Heero. She's right! I don't know how she found out, but... she's right!"
"No! You're no more nameless than Trowa is. It doesn't matter that you chose to honor people you cared about when you chose your name."
Duo pushed away and hugged himself. "They died because of ME, Heero!"
'NO! DAMMIT! I won't let him stay in that trap!' Heero grabbed Duo's shoulders. "They died because of the WAR, Duo! Your friend died because of a plague and the church was destroyed because rebels chose to stay there! It had NOTHING to do with you!" He yanked Duo back into his arms. Duo had told him about Solo and the Maxwell Church. "The death of the people you cared about was no more your fault than the death of that little girl and her puppy was mine. It took me a long time to accept that. It's so easy to blame yourself when you have no one else you can look at and blame." He smiled as Duo returned the hug. Then he blinked as Duo started giggling. "What?"
Duo grinned up at Heero. "Well... whaddya know? The Tinman has a heart after all."
It took a moment for what Duo said to register. Heero blinked at the impish grin on Duo's face. "Phoenix?" At Duo's nod, a lot of things Phoenix had said fell into place. His eyes widened as the truth hit him. 'Phoenix is madly in love with his partner. Phoenix is Duo. Duo is my partner. Therefore Duo is madly in love with me.' Suddenly, the tiny shy smile widened.
Duo's heart caught in his throat. He'd seen Heero's sarcastic smile, manic smile, shy smile and his sad smile. This smile was new to him. "Heero?"
Heero gazed at Duo's questioning expression. "I think something just bit me."
Duo blinked and then remembered an earlier conversation regarding Heero and happiness. He let out a laugh and tightened his arms as he rested his head on Heero's shoulder. 'Heero's happy. I made Heero feel happy!'
Heero simply stood there and basked in the affection that came off of his partner and best friend in waves. "Tomorrow... we're getting a bigger apartment, okay? The walls here are too thin."
Duo let out a little giggle and nodded.
TBC...
Note: This is not the ending. =O_o= MAN this took a different turn from the movie, didn't it? Ah, well! =^_^=
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