Kracken
Opposites
Disclaimer:I don't own them and I don't make any money off of them.
Warning::Male/male sex, graphic, language, violence
Teasing
"Heero's coming."
Duo wheeled and looked wildly behind them. Quatre Winner laughed and Duo scowled as he regained his composure. "That wasn't funny!"
"Yes it was," Quatre smirked. "My friend, I never imagined that there was something in Space or on Earth that could make Shinigami shake in his boots."
"I'm not afraid of Heero," Duo grumbled as they turned a corner and entered the executive dinning room of an elite establishment.
Quatre motioned with a polite finger and several waiters, and the manager of the establishment, descended on them. "Table for two, in your private room."
"Ashamed of being seen with me?" Duo wondered, but it was said in a distracted tone, the jibe an old one.
"I'm ashamed of being seen in this dive," Quatre returned automatically. "I can't imagine why you like it when we could go anywhere."
"They have steaks, plain, honest to goodness, steaks with potatoes," Duo replied as their new entourage ushered them into a posh back room that looked ready to receive a prince. "My taste buds recognize it as food, unlike those five star french disasters that serve food that doesn't even look like food."
"I like french," Quatre said almost petulantly and then smiled warmly at Duo as they sat down.
"The usual," Duo announced and the waiter made a small bow. Quatre sighed and looked over the menu. He named a complicated dish that had Duo blinking. Duo looked down at his menu as the manager and the waiters retreated. "Whatever that was, it's not on the menu."
Quatre shrugged, "They'll get it for me, don't worry."
"I wasn't worrying," Duo snorted as he put away his menu and fiddled with a fork.
Quatre regarded him. "So..?" he finally prompted.
Duo glared. "Sally has a big mouth."
"She worries, and so do I," Quatre replied. He loosened his tie. He still looked very young in his business suit, like a child playing in his father's clothes. That was almost true. He still strove to fill his father's place. The stress of that task often had him running away, with Duo as his favorite companion, when it became too much for him. Duo reminded him of many things, Quatre often told him; who he was, who he used to be, his duty, and that his life and decisions were, as much as everyone tried to tell him differently, his own.
"Look," Duo finally replied, stabbing idly at the very expensive tablecloth with the tines of his fork, "I can take care of myself. Always have."
Quatre raised eyebrows.
Duo frowned back at him, "Okay, most of the time."
"How long has it been? " Quatre asked. "If all you're going to do is stare at him from around corners at Preventer Headquarters, you might as well have some one vid tape him for you. It's the same thing."
"I did talk to him today, so a lot you know," Duo snorted.
"We are adults, aren't we?" Quatre retorted.
"Last I checked," Duo muttered under his breath.
"The problem is, that you are the only one who is checking," Quatre shot back.
Duo went red in shock. "Did you just say what I think you did?"
Quatre smiled. "Do I have your attention now?"
Duo sunk into his chair. "Yes."
"Either approach the man properly, or stop stalking him, that's my advice," Quatre told him. "You can't go on like this. Either take a chance, or let it go and get on with your life."
"Get on with my life?" Duo repeated in confusion. "I thought I was."
Quatre looked disgusted, "A delivery man? We both know why you took that
job. Since you couldn't see Heero as an agent, you chose a job that allows you
nearly the same access to the building... and to Heero."
Duo glared. "That's where you're wrong. I like my job."
"Really?" Quatre asked skeptically.
"Really," Duo shot back. When Quatre reached out and took the fork away from him, Duo said irritably, "Isn't my love life against your religious rules, or something? Shouldn't you be shocked and wanting to stone me, instead of trying to help me with it?"
"Who told you that?" Quatre replied in annoyance."This isn't the stone age."
"Is that why you don't you drink or-" Duo began, but Quatre cut him off.
"You're changing the subject," Quatre growled.
"Because it needs changing," Duo retorted.
Their food arrived and Duo made a show of being engrossed in eating his steak.
"Duo, you can tell me to mind my own business," Quatre told him as he picked at a dish of cream and lobster, "but I truly think that you are holding yourself back in this fruitless pursuit. You have a great deal more potential and you're simply not interested in using it as long as your obsession with Heero continues."
"You're beginning to sound like Fei," Duo grumbled. "Stalker. Obsession... Are you going to tell me how I'm not good enough for him next?"
Quatre looked very angry. "Is that what he told you?"
"Among other things," Duo grunted as he slathered butter over his potato. "He thinks I'm wasting my time because Heero is a god and I'm the hired help."
"You are wasting your time, but not for that reason,"Quatre told him. He regarded Duo's dress shirt and his work slacks. "Look at you, living on the edge. You can barely afford government housing, you don't own a vehicle, and you don't even have a vid service at your home. I'm willing to bet that is the best suit of clothes that you own." He pointed a warning finger at Duo when he opened his mouth quickly to speak, "Don't call me a rich snob, either, my dear friend, "Quatre told him. "I think you know where my concern lies."
Duo sighed. "Okay, okay! So I'm not making ends meet with this job. Yeah, I can do better. Don't ask me why I'm all over Heero, even when I know gnats get more of his consideration than I do." His eyes went distant and the purple in them seemed to intensify with his emotions. "There's just something about him..." His fork stabbed in and out of his potato as he thought about it. "Since the day we met, he's been under my skin."
"You, Duo Maxwell, are in love," Quatre sighed as if he were diagnosing a terrible disease.
"With a killer, an ex terrorist, Preventer's best agent, the hero of the war, the shining star-," Duo rattled off forlornly and then trailed off, staring down into his destroyed potato. "Yeah, I've got it bad and there's nothing I can do about it. Can we just eat now or are you going to grill my soul, after you've already yanked it out of me, for an appetizer?"
"I'm sorry, my friend," Quatre replied sadly.
"Yeah, I know," Duo sighed. "So am I. Just... don't try and fix things okay? Let me figure it out."
"All right," Quatre replied "But you know that I am always at your service, and I'm not only speaking of your love life."
"Thanks," Duo said, ducking his head in embarrassment. "Now let me eat my fifty dollar potato before it gets cold."
"Trowa, remove it or lose it," Duo growled as his arms were suddenly
pinned to his sides by two very long, but very strong, arms.
"What would happen to my Quatre if I were a terrorist or a kidnapper?" Trowa wondered softly as he released Duo.
Duo turned to face the tall circus performer smiling gently down at him. He was dressed formally and it was a clear indication that he was expecting to join Quatre. Duo snorted at Quatre, who was standing beside him near the exit to the restaurant. Here was the reason why the heir to the Winner empire had wanted to hurry up the meal.
"Sorry if I used up more time in my 'slot' than I should have," Duo groused. "I suppose Someone like Trowa gets more than an hour on your schedule?"
Quatre was apologetic. "He's escorting me to a charity function, Duo. I didn't mean any slight. You know you are my best friend."
Duo grimaced. "Yeah, I know. You're an important man. It's easy to forget when I can still do this." He rubbed his knuckles firmly into the top of Quatre's blonde hair and then grabbed him around the throat with one arm to hug him enthusiastically.
Duo was suddenly surrounded my security guards, a gun near his temple.
"Release, Mr. Winner at once," a man with dark glasses hissed.
Quatre glared at Duo as he pushed his hands away. "It's all right, Mr. Perin. Duo is only joking."
The guard pulled away his gun and gave Duo a small bow, but his eyes, Duo suspected, hidden by his dark lenses, were probably not sorry at all. He knew that they didn't approve of Quatre 'slumming'.
"That answers your question," Duo said to Trowa. "If you were a terrorist or kidnapper, these goons would have shot you... and probably me too." He faked a whisper. "I don't think they like me."
Trowa grimaced. "Me either. It seems circus performers and mail men are low on their list of acceptable Winner companions."
The guard didn't acknowledge their comments. Quatre, however, looked resigned and somewhat depressed. Duo knew the cause. Because of who he was, he had to accept certain restrictions in his life. He probably would have liked to reprimand the guard, but Duo was sure that they all thought the same way about their charge. Keep him safe and hope that he eventually saw sense and stopped hanging around riff raff. Replacing the opinionated guard with someone exactly like him was an exercise in futility.
"I had a pleasant time, Duo," Quatre said. "I hope that we can do this again soon."
"Likewise," Duo replied, putting on a grin. "You didn't say, though, why Trowa's come all this way to hold your hand at one of your events?"
Quatre looked shy. "He's performing."
Duo was stunned. "Performing... how?"
Trowa smirked. "Acrobatics at the center of the event while they sip their champagne and make six digit donations to the reconstruction of war damaged satellites."
Duo whistled. "Six digits? That's a pretty damned expensive show."
Trowa chuckled. "The show is being donated. It's the champagne they'll be paying for."
"Ouch," Duo laughed.
"Why don't you come and watch the show?" Quatre suggested eagerly.
"Because I don't have an outfit or six figures, except on my bills," Duo shot back irritably. "I think you know that by now, Quatre."
"You can sit backstage," Trowa suggested, "and help me with my equipment. My assistant couldn't make it and I don't really like doing the performance alone."
"Is money involved?" Duo wondered with a mercenary gleam. "If I'm not delivering packages, I'm not getting paid."
"I think I can manage to float a few credits your way," Trowa assured him. "I suppose getting a man, who's as good with ropes and equipment as I am, is worth it."
"Great! I'm in, then. Let's get going. Limo out front still, Quatre?" Duo asked excitedly and proceeded them out of the door, braid swinging behind him.
Quatre grinned at Trowa. "I told you it would work."
"He wasn't fooled," Trowa told him seriously, his green eyes looked disapproving.
"There is nothing for him to be fooled about," Quatre replied in an offended tone as he signaled for the bill to be paid. "We didn't lie to him."
"He suspects something," Trowa persisted.
"Of course, but he doesn't know anything," Quatre replied in exasperation. "Now, look friendly, Trowa, so that he doesn't realize that he's walking into our trap."
"Your trap," Trowa retorted. "It won't work."
"Only if Relena doesn't hold up her end of it," Quatre pointed out. "Now, let's catch up to Duo before he really gets suspicious."
"I know for a fact," Trowa said as he followed Quatre, "what happens when you put two nervous, male lions into a cage together. The outcome is usually very ugly."
Quatre shot a look over his shoulder that was reproving. "They're not lions, Trowa, they're in love!"
"Of course," Trowa pointed out sarcastically. "That's why they've been apart and actively avoiding each other all of this time."
Quatre smiled as he slipped an arm around Trowa's waist to hurry him up. "You'll see. It's in their eyes."
"Eyes?" Trowa arched an eyebrow skeptically.
"Eyes," Quatre repeated firmly. "They are windows to the soul after all."
TBC