Title: Up
Author: tkmaxwell777
Category: Fluff/Humor
Pairings: 1+2, 3+4, 5+S, 6+9 (1x2 & 6x9 implied)
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Humor - Emotional Stress, Family Problems, Office Frustration, Psychological disorders, Sexual Protection Complaints... oh, I had WAY too much fun with this one!
Archived: Yep! Thanks Lev :) and TK's Violet Haven
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters... this fic was just begging to be written though... the song "Up" belongs to Shania Twain (lyrics = //blah//)
//I'm goin' up, I'm goin' up, I'm goin' up, up, up, up, up//
Quatre Winner leaned back in his chair as the familiar words began to blare over the loudspeaker system of the Preventer's Headquarters. He'd been having a rather trying morning, and the musical interlude was a welcomed diversion. Iria had called to schedule a charity benefit, only to find out that Quatre would be with Trowa on L3 for Catherine's birthday that same weekend. He'd had to call the benefit chairman and explain that he would be out of town, which led to them asking for someone from WEI to be present to represent Quatre in his absence. That had made him have to call the board of directors secretary to find out who would be available, only to be reminded of a meeting he'd forgotten about that was planned for the day before he and Trowa were to leave. It looked like it was going to be one of those days, but if that song was playing, then it meant he wasn't the only one enduring it... he made a mental note to not bother Duo for lunch...
//It's 'bout as bad as it can be, seems everybody's buggin' me, like nothing wants to go my way, yeah, it just ain't been my day, nothin's comin' easily//
Wufei looked down at the paperwork on his desk, which seemed to be procreating right in front of his very eyes. He sighed heavily as he noticed there was only one corner of the wooden surface that was actually visible. If he'd known there would be so much red tape to deal with for this job, he would have begged Catherine to let him take Trowa's place at the circus instead. Knives... paperwork... knives... paperwork... seemed like an even draw at the moment. Why did these things have to be filled out in triplicate? No one ever filed them in the right cabinet anyway. And where was his correction tape when he needed it? The words coming across the PA somehow forced a small smile on his face, and looking at the stack he had to get done before going home for the evening, he decided that the knives were looking more appealing all the time... then decided Duo might actually rather have the job...
//Even my skin is acting weird, I wish that I could grow a beard, then I could cover up my spots, not play connect the dots, I just wanna disappear//
Noin looked in the mirror after splashing cold water on her face. An allergic reaction to birth control pills? Those damn things were supposed to HELP her complexion! She sighed in frustration, but noted that the hives were getting better from the shot of cortisone that the infirmary had given her. Why her doctor had changed the brand she'd been using was beyond her anyway. The others had worked fine... well, except for the mood swings. Oh hell, why couldn't Zechs just deal with this? Just because she was the woman, why did she have to take on all of the responsibility? She finally heard music being piped into the restroom and smirked when she recognized the song. She laughed a little, finally pulling herself together enough to go inform her husband and partner that he was just going to have to wear the damn condoms and shut up about it... perhaps that's what Duo was upset about as well...
//Up, up, up, can only go up from here, up, up, up, up where the clouds gonna clear, up, up, up, there's no way but up from here//
Sally walked towards her and Wufei's office, more printouts in her hands. She knew her partner was going to go into a ranting fit the likes of which had never been seen before. She had just found out that they were scheduled to leave on an assignment in two days, which only gave them tomorrow to review the mountain of information she was holding. She contemplated going to the infirmary to get sedated... contemplated going out to get a stiff drink... contemplated just going the hell home. She had to laugh when the words playing overhead filtered through to her troubled mind... well, maybe she could calm Wufei down enough to be manageable by straddling his chair and kissing him senseless... which is probably what Duo needed right now...
//Even something as simple as forgettin' to fill up on gas, there ain't no explanation why things like that can make you cry, just gotta learn to have a laugh//
Zechs stormed into the building, cursing under his breath. He was going to kill his mechanic. His gas gauge had been broken, causing him to get stranded almost two months ago. His truck had been in the shop ever since then, and he'd just gotten the damn thing back last week. Wouldn't you know it, he'd run out of gas on his way from a meeting back to work... even though the gauge had read a quarter tank. His mental picture of strangling the owner of 'Ted's Garage' was interrupted by music playing in the hall. He had to grin in spite of himself as he was reminded he wasn't alone in his frustrations. Well... maybe he could let Ted live... and maybe he'd buy Duo a beer next time they all went out...
//Up, up, up, can only go up from here, up, up, up, up where the clouds gonna clear, up, up, up, there's no way but up from here//
Trowa sighed for the hundredth time as he waited on hold. He was in one of the personnel offices, using their phone, trying to get through to the government assistance program for displaced persons for one of the people his current case involved. Every time his time waiting in queue was close to being up, an automated menu would come on line, and when he'd choose from the options listed, he would be directed to a different department. How Quatre dealt with this shit all the time was beyond him. He was ready to go down to the office itself, flash his Preventer's badge, and drag a caseworker back to HQ with him. He groaned as his call was transferred automatically, indicating a call wait time of forty-five minutes. In the office background, he heard a familiar song and let himself relax. A honest-to-goodness living person suddenly came on the line, and Trowa smiled... and made a mental note to buy Duo lunch tomorrow...
//When everything is going wrong, don't worry it won't last for long, yeah, it's all gonna come around, don't go let it get you down, you gotta keep on holding on//
Une looked down at the psyche evaluations with a frown. How had they managed to hire so many mentally disturbed people? It was an administrator's nightmare! According to the staff psychiatrist, Heero Yuy had obsessive/compulsive tendencies, Duo Maxwell was manic/depressive, Trowa Barton had a case of associative disorder, Quatre Winner was borderline schizophrenic, and Chang Wufei had a very serious anger/anxiety problem. Une thought about her own therapy and cringed. Her attention was redirected to the music playing from the speakers in the office. With a smile, she made the executive decision to simply fire the shrink... and maybe give Duo a raise...
//It's 'bout as bad as it can be, seems everybody's buggin'me, like nothing wants to go my way, yeah, it just ain't been my day, nothin's comin' easily//
Duo looked at his partner across the room as Heero's typing stilled. The braided boy could tell Heero was trying to calm himself, but it seemed the morning had just been too much to take. One of the main security firewalls had crashed for some unknown reason, and Duo had listened to curses and pleas in both English and Japanese, and at one point, French (apparently 'merde' worked better than 'shimatta') while Heero had traced the problem. Duo had figured that if everyone else were having a morning like they were, the others would appreciate him playing the tune that had seemed to become the Preventer's new theme song. His violet eyes took in his partner again, gauging the other boy's reaction to the song playing over the speakers... hoping he wouldn't be sleeping alone tonight...
//Up, up, up, can only go up from here, up, up, up, up where the clouds gonna clear, up, up, up, there's no way but up from here//
Heero finally opened his blue eyes and looked over at his best friend, partner, and lover... and smiled. "Thank you, Duo. I really needed that." He saw a bright grin light up his partner's face before the other boy went back to doing the materials requisition for their next assignment. With a sigh of relief, the dark-haired Preventer closed his programming screen and began working on his report again now that the system had come back online. Everyone around the office thought that Duo played the song for himself when he was having a bad day; they never would have guess the braided boy only played it when Heero had reached the end of his fraying rope. He smiled to himself...
Somehow his lover always seemed to know exactly what he needed.
//Oh, I'm goin' up, I'm goin' up, I'm goin' up, up, up, I'm goin' up...//
The End
(:./tk/up)
