Title: Strawberry Swirl (5/P+5)
Author: Bronze Tigress
Pairings: 2+5/5+2; mention of past 5xM
Genre: get-together?
Rating: PG13, maybe...

WARNINGS: barely shounen ai, some minor language and angst, implied
minor violence; spoilers for Episode Zero

Disclaimer: Not my characters, and most of the past events they're
talking about? Weren't my ideas either... The research, however, is all
mine. So are assorted members of Wufei's extended family, and this
story itself.

//thoughts//
*emphasis*

*** - elapsed time

~*~*~*~*~

Apr. 10, AC197; noon et. passim
Preventers Headquarters environs

Lunch is a pleasant event. The news that Duo has joined the Preventers
is well received, and both Heero and Quatre confess that they are
strongly leaning towards the idea as well. Heero is further convinced by
news that the new separate department is a definite fact, and neither
seems to mind the fact that they would end up as partners. "Why not?
Strategy and tactics are both required; we balance each other there."

They are a little more surprised to hear that Duo and Wufei have agreed
to a joint apartment. Wufei smoothly cuts in before Duo has a chance
to speak, saying, "Bah, Une-san assigned us as partners because we have
the most demolitions experience, and I did not wish to be wondering
what had become of him."

Duo startles at that, then grins, and seamlessly picks up the verbal
gauntlet. "*You* want to keep track of *me*? Oh, that's a good one,
Wufei. If anything, *I* need to keep track of *you*! Who's the one who
was always showing up late for our little parties with the forces of
evil, wearing the wrong dress?"

"Oi! Maxwell..." There is a warning in Wufei's tone that is not
missed by anyone, and an amused glint in his eye that only Duo bothers to
look for. "I am not some woman to wear a dress into battle."

"Please, guys, we shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves!"(1)

"Ah, Quatre, Wufei's just *so* much fun to tease, though..." Duo
doesn't look terribly repentant, and he smiles brightly, and then stretches
and slouches down into his seat. It is not by accident that his feet
land on either side of one of Wufei's, nor that he gives said foot a
quick squeeze as he adds, "Isn't he just so cute when he's all flustered?"

"Maxwell!" But Wufei brings his other foot in to return the gesture
just the same.

"Yeah, yeah, enough, I know... So, Heero, how's the missy doing? You
get her all settled down again last night, or has she still got her
feathers in a bunch over what you said?"

Glad for a safe topic, Heero launches into a mission report concerning
the dinner and after-dinner conversations of the previous evening. As
it turns out, Relena had expressed the opinion to several people that
"her Heero" would be there to rescue them all, and she had been quite
embarrassed when he had claimed his grief over Sally's "death" at that
advanced decibel level. In the end, it had been Quatre who had been able
to soothe her, and she had been fairly well recovered this morning,
although Heero hadn't seen much of her.

"So, Duo, what about you? Heero's more or less in the good books
again, Trowa's gone to settle things with Cathy. How are things with Hilde?
Have you called to tell her you're staying yet, or what?"

"Eh, I'm catching a shuttle out to L2 to break up with her. She's a
big girl, got her own business and I'm sure she'll be fine without me -
for all that I've hardly been there what with all this saving the world
we've been doing in the meantime. Who'm I kidding - she needs someone
solid, quiet, dependable even. She doesn't need *me*, that's for
sure."

"Duo? What happened? You and Hilde, I mean, I thought you guys were a
done deal, picket fence and kids and all?" Quatre looks troubled,
genuinely concerned for his friend.

"Nah, Quatre, she's like my saintly twin sister, you know? All the
light and bright I put on like a mask every morning in the war? She's
like that for real. I... It's like looking in a mirror and seeing what I
could have been, *if* - and I can't deal with it any more. She's a
sweet girl - and she doesn't deserve having to live with what I've made
myself into." This time it is Wufei who squeezes Duo's foot first.

"You think she'll stay there on L2 then?" Heero sounds rather curious,
and Duo files the information away.

"Who can tell, with her? She was a cadet for OZ before she decided she
was going to help us - well, help *me*, I guess. She might stay there,
she might not. I'm going to tell her I'm going to be working here.
Who knows, she might decide to follow me here as well." Duo shrugs.
"Not like the Preventers couldn't use more people. I guess we'll just
have to see."

"Well, she can find her own place to live if she does come chasing
after you like a puppy again. I am not putting up with *two* of you,
Maxwell," Wufei grumbles, sounding thoroughly put out, although his face is
carefully expressionless. "One of you is all I need..."

"Oh, Wufei," Duo breathes, in a remarkable imitation of a southern
belle's drawl, "can't ya sound a little happier when ya say mushy romantic
stuff like that ta me, honeyp- *Ow!* Yeesh..." Duo subsides, pulling
a foot into his lap and rubbing at it.

"If you're quite done playing, now?" Wufei's tone implies that Duo
really *should* be done playing now, as he is wandering into dangerous
territory. Quatre picks that moment to clear his throat and change the
subject to something *other* than various peoples' love lives. Shortly
after that, their lunch party breaks up, since Quatre needs to get back
to the palace in time for a conference call.

Once they are back in Wufei's jeep headed back to HQ, Wufei clears his
throat. "I am sorry about the ankle, Duo; I did not think I had..."

"'Salright, Wufei - you didn't; it just kinda tickled. No, no; wasn't
you. The painkillers are great *except* if I forget and try to turn my
hand over - and I did just that 'cause I was startled. Not your fault,
really."

"Ah. I am glad to hear it. I would not like to have carelessly undone
my efforts at getting you better, after all."

"Don't think you have to worry about that; I'm causing myself enough
troubles. I think that went rather well, though, don't you?"

"The conversation?" Wufei grins. "It was intriguing, sparring like
that. I meant that, by the way - if your Hilde does come to Earth after
you, I do not intend to offer her a place to stay. You may know her
well enough, but I do not - and I have no wish to share the intimate
details of my life with someone I barely know."

"And I'm the only one for you, too, huh?" Duo grins at Wufei's
startled flush. "'Sokay, Wufei. In case you hadn't realized, I've only been
chasing after you for the last year and change - and I've gotta say,
it's been quite a challenge. I mean, I tried to keep tabs on all four of
you, but even Heero wasn't so hard to track down as you made yourself.
Even *he* can't change the backup copies of the stuff he's hacked. And
Quatre and Trowa were always pretty simple to find. You, however. You
I've spent nights agonizing over, wondering where you'd gotten yourself
to this time. I don't think you could have done a better job engaging
my curiosity if you'd been trying. You weren't, were you?"

Wufei shakes his head minutely, but Duo doesn't seem to have needed the
confmiration. "You were always such a puzzle to me, Wufei. And now
I'm seeing more little pieces of you, the real you under all that anger
and confusion, and I really like the pieces I've seen. Sure, you're all
puzzles. Heero was the neatest thing - somebody else just like me, you
know, when I thought I was the only one. That boy has some issues,
though, that I couldn't begin to help him with. Honestly, Hilde might be
good for him, if she comes; best I've been able to do is make sure he
didn't wander off into trouble alone. Tro's got some funky shit to deal
with too, but again - nothing I can do. I kinda made him a promise,
when we were all on Peacemillion together, you see? Quatre's such a
sweetheart; it was always so *nice* to hang out with him. He's gonna be
fine, I think, if he can keep on being useful while he finishes sorting
out the guilt." Duo trails off then, gazing pensively out the !
window.

Wufei smiles softly, and they drive in silence for a minute before he
asks, "Then you are up to walking about? I had thought to show you
around the headquarters building this afternoon."

"I should probably check about getting a shuttle back, first, Wufei.
The longer I put off getting back to talk to Hilde the harder it'll be,
after all."

"You will at least stay the night, though? It is a long journey, and
you do not sleep well on the shuttle."

"And you have no ulterior motives, either, hmm? Alright, I'll see
about getting a shuttle back tomorrow morning then. That fine? The sooner
I go, the sooner I get back."

Wufei smiles, then. "Of course."

There isn't a shuttle until the following morning, fairly late, in any
case - at least not a direct hop. And the only reason *that* one is
going non-stop is because there are some samples being transported on it
that wouldn't withstand being poked at by Customs officials on the
Moon. Duo arranges to be on it, and then the two set off to tour the rest
of the facilities.

***

The afternoon passes quickly, and the pair soon head back to Wufei's
quarters to make dinner, and chat idly about the workings of the
Preventers HQ building. Duo leans against the fridge or counter, moving just
enough to keep out of Wufei's way as he pulls things from their places.
He listens avidly as Wufei explains the workings of several of the
departments, and outlines a few things he thinks likely to be put into
place for the new department. Duo visibly winces at the mention of
paperwork, not having ever had much chance to practice his handwriting, but
most of it can be filled out through computerized forms or printed and
attached, which he finds rather a relief. "Besides, I doubt Une is going
to require quite the same level of bureaucracy from us as from the rest
of the crew - most of whom were trained as soldiers. Could you rinse
these for me?"

"Uh, sure, I can do that. They don't look like they need it, though."

"Perhaps not, but it is usually safer to do so. Has Hilde taught you
nothing of the domestic?"

Duo snorts. "How to sort the laundry, dust, vacuum, that sort of
thing. For some reason she didn't seem to want me in the kitchen though."

"Well, you are in here now. What say you learn a new use for a knife?"

"I think I'd like that."

"Very well. Stand there and watch, hmm? I doubt you are up to much
practicing just yet."

Duo is fascinated by the way the onions actually jump in the pan when
Wufei first puts them in to cook, and has to be told more than once to
stand clear. Watching Wufei's knife work is a revelation. Watching
Wufei at work - just watching him for the pleasure of watching him, not
trying to time an action or anything else - is another one.

"All part of the training of a scholar, Duo. It is not only philosophy
and literature, but a little bit of a lot of things - music, painting,
calligraphy, the medical and martial arts... I do not believe Meilan
truly appreciated what she was getting, somehow."(2)

"Shit, *I* appreciate it, Wufei. I can do a lot of stuff, but most of
it just isn't so useful once you're off the streets, you know? Well,
maybe some of the bedroom tricks, I guess, but there's not much call for
a pickpocket or a cracker in respectable circles..."

"Bedroom tricks? Where would you learn such a thing?"

"I spent four years largely in the company of the street whores, Wufei.
Some of what they taught me saved my ass a few times. Literally. I'd
rather not talk about it though; not right now."(3)

"Ahaa. Very well then. I will not ask. Come, you should be able to
stir this. Slowly, and so that the spoon covers the entire bottom of
the pot so it does not stick, with smooth motions so nothing splashes."

"Like this?"

"Mmm. Just so, yes."

***

After dinner, and clearing up, and yet another dose of painkillers -
"tomorrow, only *one* of these every four hours, Duo" - Wufei sets the
vidscreen for a news channel and beckons Duo after him to the couch.
"Come on, let us see what the world has been doing today," he says,
catching Duo's hand, and drawing him down to sit as well. When Wufei has
them arranged to his satisfaction, he is wedged into the corner of the
couch, and Duo is nestled up against him, head pillowed on Wufei's
shoulder, three legs stretched down the couch and one of Wufei's dangling off
the front edge. "Comfortable?"

"Very."

***

"Hey, Wufei? Are you *sure* you're not a pod person and the real
Wufei's, oh, floating in space somewhere?"

"Why do you ask such a question, Duo?"

"Oh, 'cause, well... This is *not* a complaint. This snuggling on the
couch thing doesn't seem much like you, though. Or at least, not a
whole lot like the angry young warrior who was so obsessed with strength
and justice I met a couple of years ago. What's happened to you? I
mean, I'm guessing some of it's because we're alone and in private so it's
okay, but..."

"That is indeed part of it. There is also the not insignificant matter
of your permission. It is also, partly, the fact that I have made a
few realizations about peace and justice - and strength - and I no longer
need to focus on those. I have worked out a large part of my anger,
and made some peace with my past." He shrugs, the movement registering
against the back of Duo's head. "Mostly, because I can, and we both
want to - yes?" He waits for Duo's affirmative nod before concluding,
"and before, I could not. That is all."

"Ah." Duo wriggles just a little, snuggling in just a little closer.

***

"Oi, Duo. Wake up, time to go to bed."

"Do you have any idea how silly that sounds?"

"Ai... Still. Up."(4)

"Okay, okay... Oooh. Okay, no more napping in these pants, ouch..."

"Pajamas or a towel?"

"What?" Duo blinks confusedly at Wufei.

"Never mind, I'll find you some pajamas..."

Duo stares after Wufei's retreating form until he disappears into the
bedroom, then mumbles "Towel... towel? Oh! Oh, I get it... yeesh,"
and shakes his head before following.

***

"I was right, before, Wufei. You, my friend, are strange... Towel,
indeed. And thank you, these are nice," Duo says, gesturing towards the
loose pants he now wears. The bright blue colour is nearly a match for
his eyes, although at the moment it is hard to see that behind the
downturned gaze and bangs.

"A little short, though," Wufei remarks, standing back and making a
critical appraisal.

"Won't matter," Duo smiles back. "Bed now?"

"Bed now." There is a bit of rustling, as Duo slips beneath the
covers. Wufei snaps off the lights, then pads quietly over to the bed, where
there is a little more rustling as he, too, slips under the covers, and
then says, "Goodnight, Duo." A moment later, there is a warm chest
pressed closely up against his back, and an arm wraps itself firmly around
his own chest. "Oof! Duo? What are you doing?" Wufei doesn't sound
upset, so much as confused, and a little grumpy at being confused.

"My turn to hold you, right? Good night, Wufei; sleep well."

"Ah." //Well, this is different... nice, though... warm...// Wufei
wriggles a little, into a more comfortable position, and tries to let
himself drift off. //But not working...// He loosens Duo's grasp
enough to squirm over onto his back, earning himself a sleepy grumble of
protest, before tucking Duo's head onto his chest and wrapping his arms
around Duo's shoulders. //Better...//

***

In the morning, they are still curled around each other like a pair of
kittens, legs tangled together and arms around each other. It is the
slight tickle of warm breath against his collarbone that wakes Wufei.
Once again, he notices how light the room has become, with a small start
of surprise. //So, why *am* I awake? No dreams, no alarm... Huh.//
He lets his head fall back onto the pillow and his eyes fall closed
again, just enjoying the feeling of Duo's warm, wiry body in his arms, and
unable to resist the chance to lightly run his fingers across Duo's
back, tracing the lines of ribs and spine and shoulder blade, idly seeking
the scar he knows is there.

"Mmmnn. Whatcha doin', W'fei?" Duo's sleepy voice questions, somewhat
muffled by the fact that his chin is nestled into the crook of Wufei's
shoulder.

"Hmm? Trying to find your scar - the one on your shoulder that I woke
up to yesterday. There..."

"Oh. Tha's a real old one... mmm..." and Duo snuggles back in close,
hugging Wufei's ribs a little and then relaxing again. "'Znice,
W'fei..."

Wufei smiles, and resumes tracing the ridges across Duo's back. //I
think I could quite happily do this all day... Although we don't *have*
all day... In fact, we should probably get up... Much as I don't want
to...// "Duo? We really do need to get out of bed at some point. I
do not think Hilde would be impressed to learn you had delayed your
journey to spend the day in bed with me," Wufei says, with a slight
chuckle.

"Oi! True," Duo says, all traces of sleepiness melting very quickly
out of his voice as he braces his arms over Wufei's chest and begins to
push himself up, then winces, having forgotten about his wrist brace and
tried to put his weight on it. "Efff... I have *got* to stop doing
that." He turns sideways, then, and pushes up with only his left arm to
sit.

Wufei, now that Duo is no longer in his line of sight to the alarm
clock, glances over at it. "Ah, no great hurry, Duo. Your shuttle is not
until 1030hrs, correct?"

"Mmhmm. But if it's okay with you, I'd really like to wash this hair -
which is going to take a while with this wrist all by itself - and it
takes a while to dry, too. If I braid it while it's still wet, it'll
*stay* wet and still be damp when I reach L2. Not so good. So, if you
need the bathroom, best go..." He tugs at Wufei's shoulder a little
awkwardly with his left hand, trying to get him into motion.

"Oh, ho, so that is the way of things this morning? Very well," Wufei
grins and gets up then.

Duo enjoys the view of Wufei's retreating back side for as long as it
lasts, then pulls the band off his hair and begins unwinding the strands
of his braid.

***

It is only forty minutes later that the two are seated at breakfast in
the cafe. Duo's hair has been combed out and loosely braided for the
occasion, with the promise that it can come down and be allowed to dry
properly after they have done eating, but Duo does need to take his
medicine on schedule. This morning's breakfast conversation is much less
an exercise in soul searching than the previous day's. Instead, Wufei
has been retelling the legend of Nataku, as part of explaining why his
wife, and subsequently his Gundam, had also borne that name. The legend
itself, he spins out with all the skill of a master storyteller, but
his conclusion is very brief, and toneless. "Because women were not
considered able to become warriors, she declared herself to be Nataku - who
was neither male nor female - and no longer a woman. She died
protecting that Gundam, and so her spirit dwelt within it." He shrugs, then,
and asks if Duo needs more coffee or if he is ready to go.

***

Duo has very little to pack; his tools have already been replaced in
his duffle bag, and only the hairbrush remains, pending a final use. Duo
decides against replacing most of the paraphernalia in his hair,
although the lock pick and torsion bar are left out of the bag to be slipped
back in once it has been rebraided. Wufei undoes the loose braid and
fans the hair out, running a comb through it as it finishes drying, just
for the pleasure of running his hands through it. Duo practically
radiates a contented purring.

All too soon, however, it is time for the pair to find their official
jackets and head for the shuttle dock. Duo arrives in plenty of time to
board, although, he notes, it will be weird to not be piloting. He
introduces himself to the Agent in the cockpit as a new recruit with a lot
of piloting under his belt, just in case, and the fact that Wufei,
behind him, nods solemnly in agreement is duly noted by said Agent.

Wufei hefts Duo's bag down to a storage locker in the small seating
area, and then produces a book of Chinese legends from an inside pocket of
his jacket. "It's a fairly good translation, although many of the puns
and inferences are of necessity left out. Still - it is a long trip
back to L2, and you probably do not want to spend all of it worrying
about what to tell her."

"Thanks, Wufei! Wow..." Duo grins brightly, and very nearly hugs
Wufei, but stops himself in time, clasping one of Wufei's hands instead.

"Go on, get yourself seated. You will be taking off soon, and I must
disembark before that happens. I do not think Une will be terribly
impressed if I am a day late for work because I ran away to L2 with you,"
he smirks, then gives Duo a rather deep bow, and turns to go, leaving
Duo to chuckle as he wedges his way into one of the window seats and
straps in for the ride, book clutched in careful fingers. He is already
engrossed in the first legend by the time the shuttle taxis for takeoff
five minutes later.

Wufei, left alone on the tarmac, stares after the rapidly-dwindling
shuttle until it disappears, before turning to go inside.

~*~*~*~*~

(1) No points for guessing that was Quatre!

(2) References suggest that a Chinese Scholar was expected to be the
equivalent of a Renaissance Man - skilled in a broad area of subjects,
and reasonably competent in all of them. Since food, medicine,
philosophy, and the martial arts are all interrelated, the Scholar was expected
to master all of these branches of knowledge, as well as music,
calligraphy, visual arts, and so forth. There are references to the Scholar's
preferred musical instrument and preferred sword (which, oddly enough,
is *not* the heavy, curved, single-edged _niu wei dao_ Wufei is shown
to use, but a straight double-edged _jian_ that has more in common with
Treize's rapier than anything else), and even to the use of a scholar's
writing brushes as potential weapons, with a distinct art form all
their own. Wufei is quite a catch, no?

(3) The author speculates, based on the usual fate of 10- and
12-yr-old street children and the probability that life was better in a slum
the size of a Colony.

(4) No, it's not the same 'ai'; it's just an affirmative.

Next ---> Orange Crush

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