September 17, 2002
Author: Christine
e-mail: Devilkitty@speakeasy.net
Pairing: 5x2,1x3x4,13xR,6xD
Rating: PG
Warnings:Mention of past NCS, Language
Duo looked at his new clothes suspiciously, not willing to put them on yet. <For me?>
"I know, it is somewhat indecent, but that is what is required for us as a uniform by Relena. I think it's just because she wants to see Heero decked out in leather. They picked them up for you and Quatre this morning," Wufei smirked. Duo looked good just in the towel that was wrapped about his middle. Thin, but he had some muscle tone. He may have not been eating enough, but he had been exercising.
<You look good.> Duo 'pathed admiringly. <I don't think that I have the body for this,> waving his hand at the pile of clothes on their bed. He eyed the ear cuff with reluctant excitement, which signaled that he was part of a team, that he had someone to protect him, degrading as the system was. He wasn't an easy target anymore, he had people that would look after him. He shouldn't need it though, he should be safe to walk around by himself. Like a real person, just because he wasn't genetically normal, he shouldn't be treated like he was helpless or a danger.
Wufei did look good in their uniform, the leather pants showed off his flat stomach and hard thighs, while the tank top just emphasized the muscles in his shoulders. Both clung to him delightfully. And the color…black looked good on him, made his eyes look even deeper, his skin more coppery, Duo wondered if Wufei tasted as good as he looked. Duo squelched that thought. Wufei wasn't interested in him. He was just being nice by sleeping with him, his reaction last night aside. It seemed to have embarrassed him more than anything. And Duo hoped that he didn't hear his whispered hope. He didn't want the other boy to pity him any more then he was. Because he couldn't actually like him, could he?
"Do you want to learn the katas that I do to work out?" Wufei asked. "You are about the only one that has bothered to watch me workout. Heero lifts weights more than anything or practices on a gun range. The same with Trowa. They also prefer to workout together." #You need to eat and build up some more muscle, then maybe I won't feel like I am going to molest a child. You look so young, even though you aren't. I know that you want me as much as I want you, but I am willing to wait because you need time to become a productive part of this team, before I approach you. I don't want you to think that sex is the only thing that is keeping you here.#
<I want to be able to fight.> Duo's tone was determined. <Not be…>
"They still run our lives," Wufei told him.
<I know, but…I was helpless.> Duo's tone was sad.
"I understand, I…they called me a whore and thought that I wouldn't react to it. They only difference between me and those execs was the fact that their genes hadn't been damaged by that accident; I was as intelligent as they were, in a few years…" Wufei let his voice trail off.
Duo hugged him, running his hands up and down his back, getting up on his toes to give Wufei a kiss on the cheek. <It's over, I hope. You don't have to remember,> he mentally whispered to Wufei.
"Duo…" Wufei whispered, hugging him back.
<The execs think because they didn't get changed like we did, that they can treat us like an animal? I know what you felt…I probably felt it myself too, when I allowed myself to think beyond just enduring the evening.>
"It was difficult. My parents had such hopes for me. Marriage, one had already been arranged for me, they were very traditional in that area. Medical School, because I was the top of my class. Grandchildren. I was an only child. But all that changed when I let it slip that I could move things with my mind. I had tried to save the girl that I was betrothed to, from an accident that would have killed her. And all she had for me afterwards was scorn. Not that she was too impressed with me to begin with, because she wanted someone that was more athletic, more impressive to be seen with."
<I'm sorry Wufei,> Duo comforted him, <Helen and her husband raised me. He might have wanted kids of his own, but all he got was his wife's flawed brother. She couldn't have any. Helen didn't cut my hair or hers. I think it was a cultural or religious thing. I don't know, we weren't too religious otherwise. I didn't get to 'talk' to many people. They hid me, I was home schooled and I didn't meet a lot of people. We didn't have a lot of friends and no family. I think that she might have been a little like us. They were on the first vacation that they were able to get away from me since they got married when they were killed in an accident. After a couple of days, his company came to clean things up and found me, the rest…is history. They found out that I was easy on the eyes and that I had no protection. Security was on me in a second. That they found out I was a telepath was just a bonus. I guess they got part of the profits from the auction, as the finder's fee. They had one…it was…scary. I had no idea what was going on, all I knew was that my family was dead. Then….> Duo trailed off, not wanting to remember.
They stood there silent for a while, just holding each other. Duo was very willing to just stand there for the rest of his life, listening to Wufei's heartbeat and slowly stroking his back, when Heero knocked on the door. "You two get dressed, we have to be in the office in an hour. Our beloved patron wants to see all of us," Heero's tone was slightly sarcastic on the word 'beloved'.
"We'll be out in a second," Wufei called. "Duo was just getting cold feet about the uniform."
Heero snorted. "Quatre felt the same way, I think they don't like looking too good." #Looking good means people notice them and they don't want the attention because that led to them getting hurt by the execs.#
<At least the color is nice,> Duo sent back, <but I'm too skinny to look good in this. You and Wufie are buff; you don't have to worry.> #I still can't believe that his betrothed wasn't impressed with his body. It's nummy looking. She must have no taste.#
"Trowa looks good in it and he's skinny, so stop bitchin' and get your bony behind out of here, before I spank you." Heero threatened through the door.
<How do you know that I have a bony behind?> Duo asked humorously, getting dressed. He didn't think that Heero would spank him, but you never knew about people. And Heero was really so serious most of the time.
"Trowa told me," Heero informed him. "He saw it when you were streaking through this place."
Duo shook his head, starting to rapidly braid his hair. He didn't like it loose, because it got too messy. Since he had a choice in the matter now, he would braid it back. He couldn't really do that before because he hadn't any hair ties and they wouldn't give him any. Wufei handed him a hair tie and smiled. "We got to get the basics for you two. I can't believe that they didn't let you take anything but the clothes on your back."
Duo shrugged. <They were being petty. And I couldn't argue with them and Quatre wasn't in any condition to do so.> #Not that we had much, but I would have like to been able to take them. It's not like anyone else is going to want them, they were ratty to begin with, but they were mine, sad when you want to keep a hairbrush that was missing some of its bristles and a very worn toothbrush, since that's all you can claim as your own.#
Wufei snorted, "Norms. They are so stupid, I can't believe it at times." #You don't ask the dog if it wants to keep its favorite blanket, why do so with the psi? That's the attitude that some the norms have, since we aren't like them, because we are different genetically and they found out that because of the changes that we can't breed with them. Or among ourselves, if the information that Heero found is correct. At least this won't last beyond our generation. I hope. And that is only if that information is correct. But I think it is, because the few female psis that there are have never gotten pregnant and it wasn't from the lack of effort.#
Duo shrugged and put on the coat, walking out the door. It was a little long, but not too bad. The pants were a little loose, but he figured if he ate like he did last night, he would gain the weight that he needed to fill them out. He might grow too. And he did like the color. Heero smiled at him, liking what he saw. Duo was gorgeous and the dark color made his skin look paler then it was. Duo was a nice complement to Quatre's blondeness, when he went to stand next to him, giving him a hug.
<Is it me or do we all look like we just wandered out of a 'plex gang?> Duo broadcast sarcastically.
"A gang," Trowa told him. "But people do get out of our way because they think that we look dangerous." #Most of the other groups go for the suit look, trying to blend in. Most of our reputation is from the fact that we look dangerous, which we are. And we aren't execs, so why should we dress the part?#
"That's because we are dangerous," Wufei smirked at Trowa. #Those that need to know that, do so. And you and Heero are dangerous… because you don't care who you hurt so long as the job gets done.#
"If you all can stop preening," Heero asked, "then we can meet with Relena and then spend the rest of the day shopping; you two don't want to wear these all the time. Training for Duo can begin tonight after supper. I want you to get a few good meals into him before that because he is going to be using up a lot of energy."
They went out into the hallway, Trowa first, followed by Quatre and Duo with Heero and Wufei taking up the rear. They all automatically fell into step, with Trowa taking the point Heero and Wufei making sure that Quatre and Duo were between them, protecting them. After they took the elevator to the street, Duo noticed that the norms were falling over themselves to get out of their way. It was amusing in a sick way.
But he didn't like the fact that one lady almost tripped and broke her arm trying to get herself and a gaggle of children out of their way. She looked like one of the crèche workers for the building. Mid level exec families, usually had both parents working, so if they had kids, they ended up in a crèche, only seeing their parents late at night or early in the morning. Duo thought that most kids had fonder memories of the crèche women then their own mothers. Duo stopped to help pick up the bundles that she dropped, while Wufei just sighed and helped her to her feet.
They both noticed the way that she cringed when they touched her, causing Wufei to snarl irritably "Woman, it's not catching!" before he stalked off. Duo just shook his head sadly and tousled one of the little ones hair before following him, signing his apologies to the woman.
<Thank you for helping Wufei, even though she won't. If we're nice to some of them, they might stop think that we're all the boogie man.>
"I don't know Duo. " Wufei replied absently, scanning the lobby for trouble. "How can you be so nice to them after all that you've gone through?"
<Because it wasn't her fault that my genes are messed up. That there are sickos out there in power that hurt us. And if we're nice to our neighbors, they might protect us in case of trouble. And it's never the kids' fault, what their parents do.> Duo broadcast, trying to ignore Heero's frown that they broke formation.
"That does sound good." Trowa said, "But I think that it's because you are a nice person."
Heero flagged down a cab and gave him the address. The cabbie straightened up when he recognized where they wanted to go. OZ headquarters was a showplace of the Metroplex, a surrealistic work of glass and steel. He couldn't understand why this group of toughs wanted to go there, but he was paid to drive, not wonder about kids. They were all gorgeous, though, especially the blonde that started to blush as soon as he gave him the once over in the mirror, like he knew what he was thinking.
Heero drummed his fingers on Trowa's leg unconsciously, impatient to get the interview with Relena over and done. She was only a few years older then they were and was climbing up the corporate ladder fast, thanks to their work. He was willing to do almost anything to keep her on that climb, and to keep themselves under her protection.
It bothered him that he owed her so much, but he had been raised as traditional as Wufei had been, even though he was part gajin; his eyes had shown that he wasn't pure Japanese. His family had been very disappointed about that 'flaw' and his father had said that he should have known that he was defective, his eyes had shown it, when they had found out that he was a psi. A less than pure bloodline, which of course, he accused Heero's mother's family of having, that they were the ones that were at fault, even though both of them had to have been damaged for it to happen. It was two pairs of recessive genes that caused psionics to manifest in him, one from each parent.
Heero, when he had started working for Relena, mentally put her into the place of his feudal lord and felt that he owed her his loyalty. That was about the only thing that was keeping his sanity, besides Trowa, intact. And hopefully Quatre would help with that too. It remained to be seen, but he was optimistic. Quatre hadn't run screaming at the suggestion that they become lovers, he just wanted time to think about it. But Relena was good to them, treated them all well, so he shouldn't worry about this interview too much.
Relena was willing to protect them, even though at times it wasn't in her best interests to do so, so he would give her the best that his team could do. And he did owe her for rescuing Quatre and Duo, he had a feeling that they would have been doomed to the circuit for a lot longer if he hadn't found their records. It was disgusting, that some norm thought that they weren't good for anything but being fucked. That for the last three years that's all they heard. He hoped that they weren't too traumatized by that brainwashing.
He wondered how many other psis were condemned to that life, because some stupid norm had fiddled with their records. He was still brooding about it when the cab dropped them off in front Oz headquarters. Trowa discreetly juggled his elbow to get him going, after Trowa paid off the cabbie. Trowa was good at keeping him on track, stopped him from brooding too much. Heero shook himself and concentrated on the job at hand, getting through the interview with Relena. He could try and get permission to see if he could find more records from her today.
Heero shook his head again, focusing on his team, who were standing in front of him. Duo and Quatre were staring about them with wide eyes, being watched by an indulgent, but alert looking Wufei. Heero smiled, this was probably the first time that they had seen this place, it was impressive. Trowa hadn't bothered to drop his guard at all. He didn't trust anyone outside his team and OZ headquarters was a good a place as any for an ambush. Heero motioned them to start walking, but they fell in behind him as he walked forward, escorting him in. Heero walked into the building, not even bothering to stop for the security guards, to check in like everyone was supposed to, striding past them to the elevators, followed by the rest of his group.
One of the newer guards got up to stop them, only restrained by his partner's hand and a loudly whispered "Don't fu-mess with them, they're Khushrenada-Peacecraft's trained attack dogs. They got the run of the place. She seems to have added a few to the collection, but unless they speak to you –ignore them. It's safer that way."
Heero managed to grab an elevator and just glared at everyone until they decided that they wanted a different one. As the doors closed, Quatre shuddered a little, he disliked elevators, they were small and he didn't like the motion that they made. Trowa gave him a small hug before the door opened and then he snapped back into watching mode. Heero lead his small band down corridors, ignoring the startled looks that they were getting, until they reached Relena's office and her new oh so efficient secretary ensconced outside. Relena went through a new secretary a month it seemed at times.
"We have an appointment with Relena," Heero said quietly.
The secretary nodded nervously, ignoring the fact that this group of toughs did not properly refer to their controller as Ms. Khushrenada-Peacecraft, but she was not going to argue with him. He was scary looking and arguing with him was how the last secretary was fired, rumor had it in the typing pool, and squeaked nervously, "She's busy…if you could wait?"
"We'll wait." Heero grunted and went to sit down. <Just act tough and no one will bother you> he told Duo. Duo gave a slight nod and passed the message onto Quatre.
<Relena usually doesn't make us wait, so it's a legitimate one.> Trowa 'pathed quietly. They had arranged themselves around Heero, standing around and behind him, facing the secretary. Quatre could feel her nervousness from where he was, so many blank stares in her direction made her uneasy, especially the way they were dressed. Duo was having a hard time not laughing, her shields were pitiful and what they looked like to her was amusing. She thought that they were a bunch of street toughs. He felt sorry about scaring her, but if she thought that they were going to start something in the middle of OZ Corp, he wasn't going to enlighten her about it differently. And did she think that street toughs would get this far, with all the security that was downstairs? Heero must have pulled this crap on her before.
After a few minutes, what he thought was Relena's office door and she escorted an older gentleman out with a smile. "Yes Mister Pelland, I agree that something should be about that problem, but it really isn't my area of expertise or influence, I deal with the external problems that plague the OZ Corporation."
"Of course Ms. Peacecraft, but if you would look into it, I would be…grateful." Pelland turned and smiled, just catching sight of who was waiting in Relena's outer office. His smile slipped when he recognized Duo and then saw the outfit that he was wearing. Duo stared back at him blankly, blocking Wufei's forward movement with his body. Pelland had been a regular on the party circuit and had Duo more then once. He wasn't too bad, but Duo wasn't going to get near him unless he had too. "I didn't realize that you had added to your collection, my dear, do try the long haired one, he is priceless."
Relena smiled falsely at him. "Those are my people, they work for me. I do not think of them as some form of cheap sexual entertainment." Her tone was cold and final. Pelland took one look at the group that was with Duo and shuddered. They looked like they would kill him on Relena's word alone, especially the Chinese boy. Little Duo had managed to get some protection.
Relena watched Pelland go and then beckoned for Heero to get into her office. "Sorry about the slime, but he is someone that has a limited amount of power. And he was looking for a favor from me, so I wonder what he's going to do about that faux pas."
"Bleed him white," Trowa suggested indifferently. "He's stupid enough to think that we're only good for rolling around in bed, do you really want to have him owe you a favor?"
Relena shrugged. "He's useful, in a limited way. Knows where some of the bodies are buried. But what I want to talk to you about is Duo and Quatre."
"They need everything. They were sent over to us with just the clothes on their back." Heero said in disgust.
"And they haven't been treated well these last three years. They were on standard 'rats. Once a day." Trowa added calmly. Relena shook her head. This was the most that Trowa had said in her presence in the last six months. But that information wasn't good, she bet that someone had made a good profit off of starving them. Unless it was deliberate? She'd have to check.
"No wonder they look half starved; do what you have to. But not too heavy on the clothes. I figure that they are going to grow out of them when they start to eat fairly regularly." Relena commented.
"And Duo has to be reclassified. He's a lot more powerful than he was tagged." Heero said. "And both of their records were lost in the system." #A darker jewel to give him some protection in case we get separated. Warning whoever hurts him, deserves what they get, because they should know better.#
"Your work?" Relena asked dryly, giving Quatre and Duo the once over. Beautiful, the pair of them were, fragile and very young looking though. She was tempted to give Duo a roll in bed, but it wasn't worth it. Not the way Wufei was glaring at her. She did have some instincts of self-preservation. He did look familiar though. Quatre though was another possibility, but the way that Trowa and Heero were hovering over him, that was dead end too. Interesting partnering though. They had neatly split the two of them up, she would have thought that Quatre and Duo would have preferred to stay together. But divide and conquer did work well, in case they needed to be tamed a little, and have them learn the joys of group unity.
"It was my work that found them." Heero said, "They were lost deliberately. I want permission to search some more. See if I can find others. You can always form a second team and give us to Treize. He's competent and I trust him. And we're not too much out of his area of influence, in OZ."
"I'll check things out on my end, before you get to run rampant in the Network. It might have been something that was deliberately done, for something other than the circuit," Relena mused. "Another experiment that they were running. And I'll arrange to have his jewel changed, when you think that he's ready for retesting. It might be good not to change it though, they'll underestimate him."
"If it was an experiment, it was a damn stupid one." Trowa said quietly. "What good is a half-starved healer? Or a telepath that they insist has the range of a few meters that is able to find someone a lot further than that?" #We are human beings. Not lab rats. They shouldn't experiment on us because they want to test a theory out. Because some idiot cut safety corners two generations ago and we are paying for their mistake.#
"I don't know. Some of the OZ thinkers are a bit out there. But hit the stores. Get them outfitted. I don't have anything for you now. But something is brewing in the works, so don't relax," Relena said. #How much are you hiding from me? I know you do that and you know that I know, so what are you hiding from me now? It is an amusing game, keeps me occupied in my spare time, so I don't mind it. Since you are loyal to me and me alone, because of some outdated and worthless notion of honor, I am not worried, even if you are willing to work for my husband. I don't know whether to be flattered or worried about it. You are a powerful weapon.#
"They both need training," Wufei said. "So don't think that we can get off the ground right away. Both of them need to build up their stamina, so I'm estimating that we might be up to a big job within the month. We can handle anything that you throw at us, before that, if need be, we just won't be in our top form, might take longer for us to do things. Just keep that in mind."
"Speaking about handing things," Relena started, staring at Wufie, frowning slightly. She continued in an amused tone. "Bad Wufei! Naughty Wufei! No tease the guards! Bad Psi!"
Wufei flushed bright red at being addressed like he was a dog. Relena smiled at that. Embarrassing Wufei was punishment enough for him. She figured that the guard had managed to anger Wufei with a thoughtless comment that he hadn't bothered to inform her about, so it wasn't all Wufei's fault. And the guard did not strike her as the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree. They were all usually very even-tempered about things. Aside from the fact that they intimated most of the secretarial pool and the guards, they didn't throw their weight around. And that was because of the clothes more than anything. And the clothes had been her idea. They were all bite and no bark unless they were on a job. Or you pushed the wrong button. The way the team was acting, the little ones were do not touch buttons to them.
"Are you through?" Heero asked dryly, wondering if Relena had lost it. But if that was all the trouble that Wufei was going to get into for his little stunt yesterday, he would be happy. He had thought it was an appropriate response to that idiot's reasoning. It had also gotten him out of their apartment fast, without the usual bullshit that they tried to pull with them, searching through their rooms, ripping apart their kitchen, and claiming that they were looking for illegal substances or things that they weren't supposed to have. Like privacy.
Duo and Quatre were looking at Relena strangely, questioning her sanity. If she was someone they had to worry about. Trowa shook his head. Relena was acting strangely, he had thought that she would have been more upset about what had happened yesterday. They did have standing orders, not to annoy the help more then they did already. Especially after the last group of security guards that pulled an impromptu search and seizure had been fried by Wufei, in their haste to rip apart their bedroom looking for contraband. Wufei had seen where they were headed and just decided that they really didn't have to check out what color the sheets were on the beds.
Relena thought for a second, mentally going over a list in her head. Wufei's information was interesting. That he was actually talking to her was new. He and Trowa usually let Heero do all the talking. "I just want to tell you that you might have to send out a reduced team for a job. Something is going to come up before the time that you think that Duo and Quatre will be ready to go."
"That's fine," Heero shrugged, "You know what we can do."
"No, I know what you chose to tell me," Relena smiled at Heero, watching him flush faintly. He didn't like playing games and he didn't like that she knew that he was playing games. She frowned for moment still staring at Duo. "I know where I saw you before…you were at that restaurant the night before last."
Duo blushed bright red and nodded slowly, wishing that he could sink into the floor. That was embarrassing and he hoped that she didn't think that he liked doing that!
"Did you get anything interesting off the old bastard?" Relena asked curiously. "He was drunk and when he drinks, he talks a lot."
Duo shrugged. Relena frowned and was ready to say something, when Wufei said quickly, "He can't speak. If he remembers anything, we'll tell you. But I don't think so…he's had too many nights like that." #Don't push it. If you read the information that Heero gave you, you'd know that.#
"No loss." Relena waved her hand at the comment, it would be nice, but not really needed and continued in a softer tone. And she had forgotten Duo was mute, none of the team talked to her unless they had to. "I had hoped, and it would be good to know a little about what the old goat is involved in right now. But I understand if he doesn't want to remember…it wasn't nice to look at either."
"He's had three years of those memories Relena," Trowa said quietly. "Quatre too. They might not want to remember them."
<I'll try Wufei.> Duo 'pathed to him. <They're only memories.>
"Bad memories," Wufei said firmly, slipping an arm around him.
<What other kind have I gotten over the last three years?> Duo asked, cocking his head up at Wufei and smiling slightly.
Relena was impressed at Wufei's willingness to show Duo some affection in public or at least in front of her. He must have it bad. But it was good to confirm her suspicions that Wufei was thinking about settling with Duo. It was good if he did, bind him to the company more. She thought that he wasn't interested when he wasn't sleeping with Trowa and Heero, but he was just waiting for someone else. And Quatre looked like he was happy with the arrangements that the others had made, so that was a good thing too. Contented psis did not rock the boat.
"If you can, I would appreciate it. I'll up the household accounts to cover the two of you. Duo, Quatre, you do have a limited amount of spending money to buy things, outside the clothes on your back and three or four of the restaurants that are in your building that you can eat at." Relena said. "Mad money. For fun stuff for you. Anything else, that comes out of the household account. I'll issue you a card in a day or two, just don't go overboard. Heero, as I said, don't go too nuts on the clothing, but I understand if you have this overwhelming need to clear out the store for the two of them." Relena teased him slightly.
Heero nodded, ignoring her teasing, she was having her fun. He had seen the calculations that she had been making about how the sleeping arrangements were. He expected that; she did like to know those things, outside the fact that she had a large streak of voyeurism in her, she needed to know them to see if they would work together smoothly.
A discreet knock on the door was heard. "Come in," Relena called. At Heero's questioning look, she smiled, "It's Treize. He does want to meet your new team members. He likes checking out any new men in my life."
Trowa snorted, while Duo and Quatre started to look a little worried. Wufei rolled his eyes. He remembered his first encounter with Treize; the man tried to seduce him in front of his wife, which had been very rude of him. But Relena just laughed at anything Treize said to Wufei, so she either didn't mind or the man was just a flirt. Heero had rescued him though, when he got too flustered to speak.
<I thought that she wouldn't want that?> Duo 'pathed to Heero, nervously.
<She's joking.> Heero sent back. <She would ask you first. Or make you ask her for it. Treize will look, but not touch too much, so don't get upset.>
<Oh.>
Treize walked into the room and went over to kiss his wife in greeting. After a few moments, he turned around and looked over the boys, casually resting his hip on her desk.
"Hello Heero, have I ever told you how…delicious…you look in leather?" he leered at Heero.
"Endlessly since you had me," Heero replied indifferently. Treize laughed and got up to take a closer look at Quatre and Duo.
"You must be the new team members." Trieze purred at them.
"Don't, Treize," Wufei said quietly.
"Don't what?" he asked, reaching out to caress the arm that was around Duo.
"Don't tease them." Wufei said, "Could it wait for another visit?"
"That does mean that I tease you."
"I don't care," Wufei told him.
<Its okay Wufei, he's not going to do anything that hasn't been done to me before.> Duo reassured him.
"That is not the point Duo. You are not a plaything; you don't have to get touched and poked at like one." Wufei hissed at him.
Trowa swallowed a smile. <I think it's their first argument.> he informed Heero solemnly.
Heero smirked and shook his head. <The honeymoon is over.>
Quatre looked at Treize and then Duo. "He's just teasing you Wufei." Quatre said, worrying about him loosing his temper. Breaking things in their controller's office wasn't a good thing.
Wufei was upset that Treize was teasing Duo, but Treize was doing it more to tease Wufei then anything. Quatre didn't feel any maliciousness from the other man, just an impersonal appreciation of Duo and Wufei as beautiful people. Treize was willing just to look, like Duo was a piece of art or something. He'd much rather tease Wufei then grope Duo.
Treize smiled and looked over at Quatre. "It figures that the empath would rat me out. You are just such a spoilsport."
Quatre smiled back at him, "Wufei worries about us."
"He does have that 'mother hen' streak in him," Treize told Quatre.
Wufei snorted, causing the two of them to look back at him. "I was raised with some manners. I was taught that it was rude to flirt in front of your wife."
"I can always leave," Relena offered helpfully, trying not to laugh, "if the only thing holding you back is my presence. Treize is married, not dead." #God it is so good to see you off balance, Wufei. But if you said yes, Treize would have no idea what to do, really. For all his flirting, he is not into the casual scene.#
"That was not the point that I was trying to make," Wufei said stiffly, forgetting that this was his controller that he was arguing with. If Relena she said jump, he was supposed to ask how high, not stand there and argue with her.
"Relena, are you through with us?" Heero asked, just wanting to get out of there. They had a number of errands to run, and he wanted to get back to the apartment early to make sure that Quatre and Duo got something to eat. If they stuck around here much longer, Treize would start flirting with Quatre, which he wasn't sure how he would handle. He might finally give into the urge that he had for years and punch the older man out.
Relena smiled at him. "I'm through. Go have fun. I'll get back to you when I need you."
"Thank you, Relena. And have a good day Treize," Heero said before leading his team out the door.
After they left Relena sat back at her desk and made a few notes, ignoring the fact that her husband was staring at her. After a while she looked up and smiled at him.
"Sorry about that." She apologized. "I wanted to get things down before I forgot them."
"No problem my dear," Treize said, leaning over to kiss her. "The new ones, they don't look old enough to be away from their families."
"But that didn't stop you from flirting with Duo to annoy Wufei. Duo and Quatre are seventeen. As for families, Duo's is dead. Quatre, well, he was Raberba Winner." Relena said.
"Of the infamous Winner clan? His Uncle Rashid is a power on the streets; I'm surprised that he didn't manage to buy his nephew's safety. And Wufei is so easy to annoy. I like playing with fire."
Relena shrugged. "Someone managed to hide him very thoroughly. Rashid and his thieves couldn't find him; they tried to. Heero only did because he was lonely one night when the other two were on an assignment and he was keeping himself occupied by playing in the Network."
"So he only found these two because he was lonely and bored?" Treize asked in an amused tone. "He could have called us again."
"Heero needs to be kept occupied so he doesn't think about what is happening too much. It's a lot less stressful on him." Relena said with a smile. "He is the personality type that if he was an exec, he'd be in the head office by the time he's thirty because he's talented and driven. Not a good combination for a psi, but it does make me look good."
"And for making you look good the next time, what will be his reward?" Treize asked with a small smile.
Relena smiled back at him, "I have something in mind, but more as a reward for Quatre; he should keep in touch with his family."
"But my dear," Treize exclaimed in mock horror, "They aren't supposed to get in contact with their families after they become our property. Excuse me, protected resources."
Relena shrugged and looked out the window. "They aren't. But getting closer to Rashid Winner will be advantageous to us. Information can be passed around outside the normal channels. So sending Wufei off to meet him would be a good move. And since our young scholar doesn't speak Arabic, a translator will be needed, because it is rumored that Rashid doesn't speak much English."
"Hairsplitting my dear." Treize said, moving closer to give her a hug. "It won't work for all of them." #For all your protesting that you don't want them to take advantage of you, you treat them very well. You do understand that they will work better if you are nice to them.#
"It doesn't have to," Relena answered, burrowing her head into his chest. "None of them have anyone to go to besides Quatre. Heero's and Wufei's families and then their Clans disowned them, because they were psis. Trowa's father abused him physically for years; he nearly killed him the last beating that he got. It was that hospital visit that we found out that he was a psi. Duo's family is dead. They are all alone. That's why I treat them they way that I do. I know that they really have nowhere to run if I abuse them, but it doesn't hurt to be nice to them, because I believe that I am damn lucky that I'm not in their position."
"But you and I are trapped into a life that we don't want because of the same reasons, that the Corporations run the world and our lives. You know that you would be much happier with Dorothy than with me, but because of some outdated notion of propriety, you had to marry me to keep your career going. And that once you reach a certain level, they expect you to 'settle down' and have children. That the public front that we have put up is a lie and we don't want to keep the cover up, that all we want to tell them is that we hate this charade and just want to have some honesty in something, someplace in our lives." Treize said quietly, stroking her hair to comfort her. They stood that way for a while, until Relena straightened up and smiled at Treize.
"Could you make the arrangements about contacting Rashid? He doesn't interact well with women; he thinks that they should stay home and mind the children."
"Of course my dear," Treize assured her. "It will take a while, but I will find someone that can act as a go-between for us. And that can't be traced back to us."
"Good." Relena smiled at Treize, "And do not let the bastard bribe you with either dancing girls or boys; I'd never be able to explain it."
Shopping had been fun, Quatre decided. Being able to own something again, besides a set of clothing, a hairbrush and a toothbrush was a bigger boast to his ego then he thought it would be. And the spending money was nice too. Training with Wufei for the last few weeks hadn't been as fun, but he had learned a lot. Wufei was a good teacher, but he still fell into bed exhausted, from trying to learn all that he had to and painfully aware that he had forgotten a lot in the last three years. But it was better then Duo. Duo was trying to cram everything that he had to learn within a few days, it seemed. He was also eating twice as much as Quatre was, just to keep himself going. Wufei just smiled and kept cooking, overjoyed to keep Duo fed. Not that Duo noticed much, the last few weeks he just ate mechanically, too tired to really notice what was happening outside his own mind. And slept a lot, exhausted by the way he was pushing himself to get in shape physically and mentally.
Duo had typed up something for Relena, it wasn't much, but he didn't remember much of that night that he was willing to tell her. And what he remembered had him crying in Wufei's arms that night, in his sleep. Wufei had been tightlipped after that, but he calmed down when Duo didn't have any more nightmares.
Duo was tired, climbing in and out of Heero's and Trowa's heads was a lot of work. He could get past their shields easily, that wasn't the problem. They had been impressed that he had enough power to do that and a very delicate touch. Duo was just worried that he would hurt them in some way. Trowa assured him that he couldn't. Once Duo got past the point that he was worried that he was going to leave them as drooling idiots, it was kinda fun being in their minds. He could make a lot of sense of what he saw in their head.
Both Trowa and Heero had nice orderly minds that everything was sort of organized. Wufei was almost the same way. He had made a tentative foray into Wufei's mind, with his permission, a couple of nights ago. It was nice and seemed very intimate in an odd way. Duo also managed to coax Wufei into trying to get inside his shields after a while. He knew that Wufei wasn't very good with that, but it might get easier with time. Wufei just needed to practice. And Duo was very willing to let Wufei crawl around inside his head, since it might lead to Wufei inside him in another way, one day.
What was not nice was the way that Heero and Trowa were hurting him, showing him what he needed to do to defend himself from a psychic attack. God knows what the other Corporations had as their strike troops in this game. And Heero didn't trust their own kind not to take them out on the orders of their controller. There was as much internal fighting in OZ as there was external. He knew that they didn't like hurting him that way, but it did have to be done. At least Quatre was there to rub away the headaches that Trowa and Heero were causing him.
"You don't have to try that hard Duo; they said that we had time. Time to learn this stuff and that they are not going to get rid of us, so don't push yourself." Quatre scolded him.
<I know, but I need to do this. They aren't pushing me, but it's learning something after just existing for the last three years. Don't you feel the same way?>
"I do, but my brain isn't going to hurt after the day's studying, except if I spend too much time staring at an anatomy book." Quatre replied. "And you are trying too hard, exercising with Wufei too. It's not going to come overnight."
<And you also get to feel up Wufei too. He doesn't want me to touch him really outside the exercise room. But he seems happy when we wake up in bed cuddled with each other.> Duo sounded wistful. He knew that Wufei was interested in him, so what was he waiting for; it wasn't like either one of them were a virgin or something. So why didn't he just jump him? He liked Duo, Duo liked him. What else was needed?
Wufei had Quatre 'studying' his body, learning what it was like healthy, so he could repair it faster. After Quatre memorized what Wufei's body was like, he had to learn Trowa's and Heero's bodies. Duo's he already knew; he had spent most of the last three years healing either Duo or himself.
"He wants to give you time, the same time that Heero and Trowa are giving me," Quatre said. "Time to realize that we don't have to be with them, that we want to be with them."
<They are nice about this aren't they?> Duo said. <I was scared that they were going to be mean to us. They were so cold when we first met.>
"They save the meanness for the norms, because they deserve it sometimes." Quatre said.
<Not all of them; I like swimming with the kids. Even though their babysitter is hostile to us.> Duo protested.
He and Wufei went down to the pool once a day, usually at the same time as the children that they met the first day went swimming. Wufei put up with them, but Duo was usually thrilled to be included in any game that they were playing. And the children liked Duo, and tried to understand what he was telling them in sign language. Wufei had explained things to the crèche worker, Noin, that Duo was harmless and that she better be nice to him. Or else, because Wufei wasn't that harmless and he wasn't as easy going as Duo was.
Duo had protested at that. He didn't like scaring people. Wufei had just smiled and shook his head. If Duo wanted to swim with the kids in the building, he was going to. Wufei didn't mind either, he liked being with Duo, even if the kids came with it. The children had accepted the two of them a lot faster then Wufei thought they would. That their Noin wasn't happy, well that was the way of things. Duo was fun to be with, even if he couldn't say anything. He was just like another little kid.
Wufei stuck his head into the kitchen where Duo and Quatre were talking. They worked in there a lot; Wufei swore it was because they were worried that the food would disappear on them one day. He thought that eventually they would get over the fact that they had food whenever they wanted it. He had caught Duo hiding snack bars in his clothing drawer, just in case they ran out of food sometime. He wondered if Quatre did the same thing.
"Swim time, Duo. Do you want to come with us Quatre?" he called.
<Come with us. It will be good to take a break. And the kids are nice, we usually have some game going.> Duo invited Quatre.
"I don't know how to swim." Quatre said.
<Then I can teach you. It's a useful skill.> Duo 'pathed to him, following his request with a big smile and puppy dog eyes.
Quatre laughed and closed his book. "I can't deny you the opportunity to watch me flounder about in the pool. And I have something that can be used as a suit. Just let me tell Trowa and Heero that they have some 'alone time'."
Duo giggled and followed him down the hallway to the bedrooms to get changed. He liked swimming, even though it took forever for his hair to dry. It fascinated his new friends that he had so much hair. Heero and Trowa did deserve some time by themselves. He figured that Quatre in their bedroom sorta put a hold on anything that they wanted to do, unless they were into having someone watch them. So Quatre leaving them alone for a while would be good. He usually hid in Duo's and Wufei's room or in the living room before joining them for bed, letting the two of them have some time alone.
Quatre joined them a few minutes later, looking a little rumpled. Duo laughed at the expression on his face.
<They ambushed you didn't they?> It had gotten to be a game with the three of them.
Quatre blushed and nodded. Trowa had given him a smile and a quick kiss goodbye, with the order of "Have fun."
Heero on the other hand had gotten him into a hug and then bent him backwards, so they looked like they belonged on the cover of a cheap romance novel and kissed him thoroughly. When he let Quatre up for air, he made indecent suggestions to him until Trowa told Heero let him go. Quatre knew that Heero was aggressive, but this was pushing it in an amusing way. Heero was still willing to wait, he assured Quatre before he started to panic that Heero was not going to listen to his 'no', he just liked teasing Quatre a little too much.
<They like you, Quatre.>
"I know, but it's just weird."
<Weird how?> Duo asked, tilting his head sideways and wrinkling his nose. Weird that someone liked him? Weird that they were boys?
"Weird being the third. Why do they like me? Do I like them that way or am I just grateful to them?" Quatre said.
"They both have a lot to offer you." Wufei said. "And they do like you. You haven't noticed how their eyes follow you. They worry about you."
"But why?" Quatre asked, confused.
"That is something that you have to decide yourself. Heero, from what I observed, isn't usually this playful. You bring that out in him. Trowa, he is a lot more outgoing since you arrived. You are someone that they like, and will strengthen their relationship. They didn't react to me the same way." Wufei said. #And how did I end up as the expert on relationships? I have no idea how to react to Duo half the time. Am I going too fast? Too slow? Does he really like me? Or is he sleeping with me because he couldn't get Trowa or Heero?#
"How did they react to you?" Quatre asked as they made their way down to the pool.
"They offered me a space in their bed," Wufei said, "but before you get upset, I think that was to make me happy, rather then any real interest. They weren't upset at my no and they don't seem interested in Duo." #Why I have no idea. Duo is a lot more appealing to me then you are. But to each their own.#
<That's why they haven't jumped you yet. They want you to work this all out.> Duo commented. #Could that be the reason that Wufei's waiting? That he doesn't want just sex, but something a little more permanent?#
Duo had been used by both male and female execs over the years. He hadn't really noticed any difference between the two, except for the fact that the women seemed nastier to him. More demanding and they left scratches instead of bruises. So he had no opinion really of what sex he was attracted to, he was indifferent to both of them; they were equally distasteful to him. But Wufei was different, he had been nice to him. But he wasn't attracted to Wufei because he had been nice to him; if it was that, he and Quatre would have been making the mattress squeak a long time ago. So why was he attracted to the other man? He'd figure it out eventually; he was in no hurry, really. He was mostly content with the cuddling that happened behind closed doors. Cuddling was something new and he found it a lot more enjoyable than he did sex. But why was Wufei attracted to him?
They arrived at the pool and Quatre was astonished that a hoard of children just ambushed Duo and dragged him into the shallow end of the pool. Duo was laughing and frantically signing to them about Quatre and he had to teach him how to swim, which the children ignored. Quatre just smiled and followed the small group, leaving Wufei to explain things to the woman that was there. He'd just get in the water, someone either the children or Duo would teach him how to swim.
"Good afternoon Noin." Wufei said coolly. He didn't like her and she wasn't too fond of him either.
"Wufei."
#If she talks much more the ice cubes in her voice are going to freeze the pool.# Wufei thought. "Quatre is down here to learn how to swim," Wufei explained politely.
"How nice."
"He also promises that he won't do anything weird." #We're really a threat. If we were the trouble that we looked like, we wouldn't have an apartment in this building, idiot woman!#
"You know that your 'relationship' is unnatural." Noin said suddenly. "I don't want the children exposed to that."
"Because they might realize that something exists outside Oz's narrow world view?" Wufei said, trying to keep his temper in check. So that was the problem that she had. And I thought that it was because we looked like a gang of toughs. She just doesn't want the kids to figure out that we are all living together and that we aren't related. That Trowa and Heero occasionally kiss in public doesn't help either. Or there are times that you can't get a piece of paper between Duo and myself in public. "I would much rather have been able to keep my life." #My freedom and my family.#
"You are perverts. I've heard the rumors about what you do." Noin said in a nasty tone.
"What!" Wufei almost screamed. #Since when did love become a perversion? When the Corporations decided it was stupid,# he answered himself.
Duo and Quatre looked up from their end of the pool at Wufei's shout. Quatre started to wade over to the side of the pool when Wufei waved a hand at him signaling Quatre and Duo to stay where they were.
<You okay Wufei?> Duo asked, with concern.
Wufei turned and smiled at Duo, before turning back to argue with Noin. And was she probing about their sexual preferences or something else?
"What have you heard? And from who?" Wufei asked softly, his eyes hard. Thankful that she wasn't pulling this on Quatre or Duo, that would have been too cruel. Heero would have ignored her and he did not even want to think about Trowa's reaction. But as mad as this woman made him, he would at least try to open her mind up before he fried her body if she continued her stupidity.
"My family," Noin looked away for a second, embarrassed. "I'm from a family of overachievers, they aren't too happy that I prefer kids to corporate intrigue. But they get the perks," she leaned over and touched his earring, "and this shows me that you are one of them, a psi."
"The mark of a psi," Wufei repeated tonelessly, "not a lot of people recognize it, so your family must be part of upper management." Wufei continued bitterly, "Believe me, Noin, none of us would have chosen this. How would you like being dragged out of you house in the middle of the night by a bunch of goons in uniform? They grab at you, grope you and hurt you. Then when you fight back, they knock you out with something so that you can't move and all you can do is scream in your head while they take turns with you in the back of a truck. You can't defend yourself because whatever they gave you knocks out any power that you have, just in case you can hurt them with it. And when they're through with you…after a couple days or a week to heal up, they drag you out every night and give you to a stranger as a reward, for whatever he or she did for OZ. And tell them that they can do anything they want to you, just so that you can walk the next day. Have those people call you a whore and slut, because you're supposed to like this; you're not like them, you're not human. You're different."
"I don't believe you." Noin said shocked. From the gossip that she heard from her sisters and brothers, the psis were corrupt and perverted, willing to do anything that they were told to, no matter how disgusting or painful. They were different, so they didn't have the same values that normal people had.
"I believe that there are some out there that enjoy it. Either because they don't care about themselves or they start to believe the brainwash job that's going on, that they are worthless. But… Noin, don't ever believe that they wanted it that way. Look at Duo and Quatre. Because they are beautiful and because someone thought that it was funny or useful or an experiment to have them screwed over almost every night by a bunch of execs they were thrown to the wolves every night. They lasted three years out there, existing. Not living, just going through the motions. Duo broke down in hysterics when he thought that he'd have to do that again, that he wasn't ever going to get away from those people. So you may think that we're the perverts, but it's the system that's perverted." Wufei ground out between clenched teeth. He was silent for a moment, counting to ten slowly in Mandarin and English before he spoke. He was getting angry and that would not do. There were too many innocent bystanders around for him to give into his impulse of breaking every window in the place. After he calmed down he continued his rant.
"Duo wakes up at night, wondering if this is a dream and he'd have to go back to that nightmare. Sometimes he doesn't even wake up, just sits bolt upright and screams. Since he has no real vocal cords, no one hears him. He hides food in his clothes because he was getting one meal a day if he was lucky and is terrified that this is all going away. That he's going to be hungry and abused again." Wufei drew in another breath to center himself, "Tell me Noin, would anyone want that as a life?"
Noin was silent for a moment. "You seem all right. And how do you know about Duo's sleeping habits?" she asked in a nasty tone.
"I was damn lucky that I was recruited by Heero after about six months of it. And as for sleeping…Duo and I are sleeping together. What you don't understand is that when we fall asleep we need to be under special shielding or else bad things happen to our minds. And the results…it was messy for the norms too, which is why they will put up shielding. #After dealing with a couple of out of control pyros and other destructive types, they realized that it was worth it. Our minds, asleep, can't continue to function with the noise that being in a city causes it to receive when we're resting, in our dreams. So we really don't get any rest and after a couple of nights of that…we do have trouble telling what is real and what isn't. And we're no good to them outside of the 'Plexs on a permanent basis, because they use us for their spying and dirty work. They do have stopgap measures, but nothing that's going to replace the shielding for us over a long period of time.# "It's expensive though, so they only cover the bedrooms and not a lot of them. And I am standing here wonder why the fuck I am justifying anything to you."
Noin shook her head. She was wondering the same thing. Or may be Wufei just needed to talk to someone about it and she turned out to be it. "You like to hear your own voice?"
"May be because I never gave up on my first passion, which was healing. I liked healing human beings. And if I can open up your mind and fix those incorrect opinions that you have, I would have done something good today." Wufei sighed. "Duo just likes people. Quatre does too. And they both are a lot more forgiving then they have a right to be. Duo hopes that he can show the children that we aren't bogeymen, that we are nice guys and not perverts because of someone's carelessness two generations ago. I think that he's wrong, though. Because the humans hate what they don't understand or control." Wufei shook his head. Duo was a dreamer, but it was a nice dream.
"What do you mean?" Noin asked curiously. #Humans? Why does he talk like he isn't one?#
Wufei chuckled. "You actually care? In a nutshell, we can't breed with you. We can't breed among ourselves, not anything that isviable. So we aren't human in the strictest sense anymore. We also aren't a separate species, because we don't have another generation that will succeed us. To a lot of scientists, we are a blip in the record of mankind. To the execs, we're not human, so why treat us like it? Break our self-esteem, our independence and our will, so that we'll come to heel for them. That's why they do the things that they do to us. You know that we're all listed as protected property in OZ's records?"
"Oh." Noin said in a small voice.
"Do you know why I'm down here? Because Duo wants to be and I want him to have fun, because he came out of the gauntlet that he had to run through OZ with his sanity and his compassion intact. That is a rare thing." Wufei said. "So if you have any problems about this, you are going to me with them, not anyone else. If the parents complain, that would be a miracle because I don't think that they actually care what their children are doing so long as they don't have to worry about it, direct them to me. I will deal with them."
Noin shook her head, "I do not understand what your problem is with this system. I was raised this way, I have the most wonderful memories of my crèche worker."
Wufei shrugged and smiled sadly, "My parents…my mother, raised me. My father was home almost every night for supper. They took turns helping me with my homework and encouraging me in anything that I was interested in. They were devastated when they found out that I was different. They had such hopes for me. Such plans…" His voice trailed off, lost in the memories. After a while he spoke. "I don't think that these children have that close a relationship with their parents. You don't seem to. You mention that you have wonderful memories of your crèche nanny. Shouldn't you have those memories of your mother? Who saw your first step? Heard your first word? Was it the nanny or your mother? And what was she doing all this time if it wasn't your mother?"
Noin stared at Wufei. How dare this upstart question what he family life was like! Her parents both worked hard to make sure that their children had gotten all the advantages that would help them later on in their careers, so what it they didn't see them half the time? It was what they were doing for them that counted more.
Wufei sighed and shook his head. "I think that we have just been raised too differently. I will join my friends in the pool, so Quatre does learn to swim. I don't think that Duo's going to get away from the children long enough to do so. Until we meet again."
He turned and calmly walked away, aware of Noin's hostile stare boring into his back. He sighed and let the anger that he was feeling flow out of him. He enjoyed playing with Duo too much to spoil it with anger. He rarely got to see Duo this playful lately, he was pushing himself too hard, studying and training.
End Part Two
Christine
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