Author: PlaidDragon

Pairings: 1x2

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Language

Disclaimer: I don't own GW.

This one was featured in the spam day flurry, and since it's not all that long, I thought I'd start putting it up.

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Walkabout

I stepped out of the rail car and turned to offer a hand to the elderly woman behind me. She accepted gracefully, even though she had already told me of her exploits during three wars. That little old lady had been in the resistance each time and probably gave the Alliance generals every bit as many fits as we gave the Alliance, OZ and Romefeller combined.

She patted my shoulder with a smirk. "Nice talkin' to you, Heero; hope you enjoy your visit."

I thanked her, and she headed purposefully across the mall parking lot, ready to take no prisoners at the big holiday sale. I crossed the street and walked toward the residential district.

He didn't know I was coming, but it wouldn't be that much of a surprise. I talk to all of my friends several times a year and we email to keep up on what's going on with all of us. We haven't met in over three years, though. Every time we say goodbye, Duo tells me to drop in anytime; I always promise that I will, whenever I'm in the area.

When I walked out of the hospital after the Mariemaia thing, I had only one goal: to see everything I could, now that no one was shooting at me, and to learn as much as I could absorb along the way. And thanks to some really shoddy bookkeeping on the part of the Alliance, OZ and Romefeller, as well as J's blind accounts, which were now my blind accounts, I had the funds to do just that.

I started with L1 Colony Center and worked my way out. It took about a year and a half to see everything of interest - and a lot that bored me silly - in space, and then I started on Earth, in Japan; supposedly the land of my ancestors. My oddly-accented Colonial Japanese made people wary, and I had to work to remember to be more formal than I was used to. There was no overt hostility, though, just the normal amount of xenophobia.

Eastern China, Southeast Asia and Pacifica were next, followed by Russia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Scandinavia, and then back to Australia, New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands and so on to South America, Central America and North America. Now I was walking down a wide boulevard in sunny California, about to drop in on one of my oldest friends.

~*~

I had called Duo first back then, about three days after I snuck out of the hospital. He was somewhat exasperated with me, once he stopped asking if I was crazy. Surely a rhetorical question, that.

"Dammit, Yuy! Why didn't you warn me you were gonna do a bunk? I'd have worn an old shirt, instead of that purple silk thing."

I held my phone out to blink at it; that really made no sense.

"Um. I'm sorry?" I tried carefully. I could almost hear him rolling his eyes.

"Relena and I went to the hospital together. When we found out you'd already disappeared, she lost it!"

"Lost it?"

"Totally lost it! Heero, she cried all over me! And not that dainty little sniff-sniff, dab at your eyes with a tissue, either. She bawled, dude! Are you aware that once it sets, snot is permanent in silk?"

"I am now," I muttered, trying hard not to laugh.

"You owe me a new shirt, dammit. And where the hell are you, anyway?"

I looked around for a landmark, knowing that I'd be long gone before he could get here. "Looks like Twenty-third and Mimosa."

"Twenty- Heero, where the hell are you?" Now he was getting testy.

"L1, Colony Center."

"L1?!" I had to hold the phone away again.

"Well, technically it's Nijusan and Mimosa..."

"Heero?!"

"Yes, Duo?"

"Are you- No, no; we've already established that you are crazy. Why are you there?"

"I wanted to pick up some stuff."

"So... You'll be back?" Damn, he sounded... hopeful.

"Eventually..." I hedged. He knows me fairly well, though.

"When?"

"When I'm done."

"And that will be...?"

"After I'm done exploring." I could hear him grinding his teeth.

"When?!"

"About four years, give or take a few months."

A long, heavy sigh.

"You'll keep in touch?" The disappointment was plain.

"I will." I gave him my number and permission to disseminate it to our friends, with a caveat that they might have to make do with voice mail most of the time.

~*~

The first incoming call came from Wufei, oddly enough. Since I was not otherwise occupied, I answered rather than let it go to voice mail. I wasn't particularly happy with him right then; he had, after all, been on the wrong side during the Mariemeia thing. He'd allowed himself to be used by a megalomaniac. Worse, he'd kicked the holy crap out of my Wing while I did my best not to just incinerate his guilt-ridden ass. But he seemed afterward to be genuinely appalled at his part in the attempted coup, so I was willing to speak to him.

"Yuy."

"Chang."

"I have a complaint."

"I'm sure you do."

"Whatever possessed you to just walk out of the hospital like that?"

"I decided to leave."

"It did not occur to you that other people might be concerned about you?"

"That's very kind of you, Chang, but your concern is not necessary."

"I didn't say I was concerned!"

"Then what are we talking about?"

"Relena! She was heartbroken to find you gone!"

"I've already heard about Duo's shirt. I'll buy him a new one."

"Duo...? What the hell has Duo to do with this? You left without a word to that woman! She's been beside herself with worry ever since!"

"And that concerns you... how?"

"It was a damned dishonorable thing to do; just disappear like that!"

I smirked at the phone. Did I detect something more than just righteous indignation?

"Chang, there is nothing between Relena and me. She's a fine person, but she is not my person. If you have an interest, please feel free to pursue it."

I was met with incoherent sputtering. I said mildly, "She seems to enjoy teddy bears; good luck. Invite me to the wedding." And I hung up before he could form a cogent response.

~*~

The second call came from Quatre.

"Duo says you've gone walkabout," he said immediately upon my 'hello'.

"'Walkabout'?"

"Gone wandering," he clarified.

"I guess I have. It's interesting to see the sights without having a Leo trying to shoot my head off."

"Well, yes; that does make it easier to frame good photos. You will send photos?"

I snorted. "I will now."

"Are you all right for funds?"

"Of course." I didn't quite snort derisively; Quatre was being a friend. He must have sensed it, though.

"Don't take that tone with me," he commanded, but without heat. "If you should need an infusion, drop me an email. You're coming back?"

"When I'm done."

"Does Duo know that?"

"I told him."

"Good. He's very attached to you."

"'Attached to me'?"

He snorted at me. "The boy's in love with you, idiot."

Hm. I hadn't followed the logic trail quite that far yet. "You think so?"

"Please, Yuy; he practically drools on your boots."

Huh. That would take a little getting used to. I wasn't crazy about the dark whirlwind when we met - he did shoot me that first time - but from then on, he was nothing but good.

I obviously needed to devote some thought to this new concept of Duo in love - with me. Right now, though, a change of subject was needed.

"How is Trowa?"

"Ask him yourself."

"Hi Heero."

"Should I send a gift or are you registered somewhere?"

"Hahaha. Just say 'congratulations' and leave it at that."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I'll be waiting to offer you the same."

"Bite me, Barton."

"Same to you, Yuy."

Quatre came back then. "Keep in touch, Heero. And stay out of trouble. You have my numbers?"

"Yes, dad."

"Good. Don't hesitate to use them if necessary."

He hung up.

~*~

A week later I got the sniffley call from Relena.

There is a reason why Jewish mother jokes and Catholic guilt jokes are still around; both groups have elevated the application of guilt to an extraordinary level. However, they have nothing on adolescent princesses thwarted in their pursuit of the mythical Prince Charming.

"Oh" - wail - "Heero!" - snuffle - "How could you" - sob - "Leave without saying a word" - guilt trip - "To me?!"

That's something of a loaded question. Do I answer it straight up - I wanted to go, so I left? Or do I take the time to formulate a polite reply - I'm not your boyfriend, so it's none of your business?

Hn. Neither one seems to be very politic. So I ignored the question; any answer at all would likely only get me in trouble.

"Duo said you cried on his shirt and ruined it."

You've heard the expression 'deafening silence'? Yeah; one of those.

"Duo's" - gulp - "Shirt?"

"The snot. From your crying."

"Heero!!! I'm talking about the rest of our lives! Who cares about Duo's shirt?!"

"Well, Duo cares, and I care, since I have to replace it," I suggested reasonably.

Another of those silences. I imagined I could hear crickets chirping in the background.

"Heero," she said finally. "Do you or do you not love me?"

Crap. A direct question.

"Relena... I think of you as a bright, charming and dedicated... nuisance. In other words, I think of you as the sister I never had."

"A sister," she said with an ominous calm. "I already have a brother."

"Yes. But I do not have a sister. And I would like one."

Yet another silence; this one not nearly so... ponderous.

"You don't... love me?"

"I am quite fond of you, but no; I am not in love with you."

A wet sniff. A whimper. A strangled... noise.

"Very well, then." She made me proud of her in that moment. "I-I hope you enjoy your vacation. Please..." she wibbled.

"I will keep in touch," I inserted solemnly. "And you continue trying to whip the world into shape."

"Oh, Heero...! Dammit!"

"You'll find a prince of your own; maybe even closer than you think," I smirked. Splutter at me, will you, Chang.

"All right... Heero... If you change your mind..."

Better to nip that notion in the bud. "I won't, Relena. Would you want to be with a man who could have thoughts like that about his sister?" That strangled noise again.

"Of course not!"

"Good. Because I wouldn't want to be with a woman who would want that sort of man. Now, it's late; go to bed. And don't go out without a guard. I will not be amused if my vacation is interrupted again."

~*~

I did keep my promise; I kept in touch, by phone and by email. I wouldn't tell them where I was, although they all asked. But I did tell them where I'd been. Sent postcards. And they kept me updated as well.

Duo went to L2, back to Hilde Schibecker's salvage business, but it didn't take long for him to get bored. I switched on the Sphere news one evening in my hotel room on L3 and spotted him in the background of one of Relena's appearances. He was wearing the butt-ugly navy and olive uniform of a Preventor, the new peacekeeping force started by Lady Une and Sally Po. Also roaming the crowd was Wufei, though his eyes seemed to turn more often to Relena than anywhere else.

There Duo stood, a few paces behind Relena, a faint smile on his lips, purple eyes flickering here and there, watching the spectators with every bit as much concentration as I would myself.

Ah, grasshopper; you have learned well...

Actually, Duo is probably more aware of his surroundings than I am. He never had a protector while growing up the way I did. His survival skills are all self-taught and probably more deeply ingrained for all of that.

I watched him watching for the rest of the speech. Couldn't tell you what Relena said. So Quatre thought that Duo had the hots for me? Wow. Never gave that much thought before. I admire Duo's competency, his skills, his chameleon-like personality, but I'd never thought about anything else. Never thought about... sex.

Sex. Hormones. Puberty. Well, damn... Perhaps I should take a closer look at my own hormones.

Hn. I turned on my computer and sent an email.

"Those colors suck," I wrote. "Who designed those uniforms; a color-blind Ozzie with a grudge?"

I had an answer within five minutes.

"Trust me; I voted for the purple paisley. No fashion sense at all."

I began to keep track of Relena's appearances.

Drooling on my boots, huh? Hm...

~*~

As noted, I began keeping closer track of Relena's appearances. Sure enough, there he was at every one. And there was Chang, too. Sometimes Trowa showed up on the periphery and once I even spotted Quatre in a Preventors uniform.

After about a year, though, things began to change. I noticed that more and more Duo was working the crowd while Chang stood behind Relena, glaring like a particularly grumpy Foo dog. And I noticed certain glances exchanged.

And I congratulated myself on my foresight. Chang Wufei as Prince Charming? Ha!

And then one day, Duo wasn't there. I flipped through the channels but none of the different views gave so much as a glimpse of that reddish braid.

~*~

I went to the room phone and dialed his number.

He answered on the second ring.

"Hi, Heero," he said lightly. "I guess you're watching Relena's speech."

"Why aren't you there?"

The larger viewer of the hotel phone gave more detail; he looked fine. A bit pale, but that could have been the signal.

"That's a funny story," he began with a smirk. "You sure you're up for it?"

I answered his smirk with a snort and he gave a bark of laughter that ended in a gasp as he clutched at his ribs.

"Duo..."

"Okay, okay. I was walking to the deli for lunch a few days ago, and a couple of guys on a motorcycle tried to snatch a woman's purse. She got tangled in the strap and they dragged her. So, I stopped them," he lifted one eyebrow in a shrug.

"And..."

"And I'm on two weeks medical leave. Trowa's filling in."

I stared at him. "They hurt you?" How the hell did they manage to do that? This is Maxwell we're talking about here; the man is slipperier than a damn eel.

"I tackled the bike, broke the driver's arm and nose, got kicked by the passenger and then the driver shot me when I dropped the bike on him."

"Injuries?"

"I ended up with a concussion, two cracked ribs and a minor gunshot wound to my shoulder." He shrugged insouciantly. Only one shoulder, I noticed.

I growled at him. "This is peacetime; I expect you to take a damn sight better care of yourself than that, Maxwell."

"Hey! It was a good deed! I don't see you backing me up, Yuy."

"During the war, you screamed bloody murder every time I got near one of your missions."

He blinked. "Well... You made me nervous, waving that beam cannon around."

"Really."

"Yeah..." The faintest questioning uptick.

"You thought I was going to shoot you?"

"You threatened a couple of times...."

"You're still here."

"Yeah. Not for lack of trying on your part," he snorted. Ah, much better; a return of pugnaciousness.

"Since you don't seem to be in any danger of expiring in the next 24 hours, I'll let you go back to mending," I said, reaching for the cut-off.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" he yelled. "That's it?! I'm not dying so you can go now? Some friend you are, Yuy."

"I called, didn't I?"

"Well... yeah... But it's been a few months... You could at least make small talk for a few minutes; you know, to be polite." He sounded hurt.

"I don't-" I began and he finished for me.

"-Do small talk; I know. How about a mission report then? You came, you saw, you kicked some ass?"

Hm. Maxwell on sick leave. Maxwell alone. Maxwell with nothing to do.

Maxwell bored and dangerous. We couldn't have that. Last time he got bored, he super-glued Une's office door shut. With her inside. I heard about that from everyone for weeks afterwards. Including Une.

"All right. No questions until I'm finished." He agreed with an emphatic nod and a big, glowing-eyed grin.

TBC...

 

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