20-Dec-2004
Title: One Man's Heaven
Author: Natea
Pairing: 1+2+1
Warnings: Possible sap.
Word Count: 2760 words.
Author's note: Written for shinigami2174's request on the Gwing Wedding Ficathon. I hope you like it!!
He fingered the brown envelope in his hand idly, turning it over and over widthways, then lengthways for a bit of variety, then spinning it by holding diagonal corners. It seemed to be about the only thing it was good for. Cheap, generic manila paper, obviously bought in bulk, sealed at the back with a strip of sticky tape, so impersonal that no one had even been bothered to lick the seal closed.
It was hard to believe just three days ago they had fought and won a war, and this was the only thing to show for it.
"If you play with it too much, you'll go blind you know." The familiar voice behind him caused a small smile to cross his face and he dropped the envelope onto the table and turned a little in his seat.
"Duo."
"Trowa." Duo slipped into the seat booth and slid along until he was comfortable. "You're the first here?"
"And you're the second." Trowa nodded. He pushed the drinks menu across.
"You got one too, I see." Duo reached out and tapped the corner of the envelope smartly before his fingers closed over the menu. "You planning on taking them up on the offer?"
Trowa picked up his half empty glass of iced lemonade and took a long swallow, his eyes holding Duo's firmly the whole time. When he finished, he placed the glass down onto the envelope, condensation making damp water rings through the layers of paper. Duo's eyes held amusement at the action.
"A polite and firm refusal," he murmured, browsing the drinks selection. "My response was more of a 'Thanks but no thanks'. We've fought two wars now for peace, seems like we should be allowed to enjoy it for once, don't you think?" He waved the waitress across and put in his order. Trowa waited patiently for the middle aged woman to leave before he continued.
"Anyone else coming?"
"No idea." Duo shrugged. "Heero I think has probably already left. Quatre and Wufei though, they might just show at some point." The waitress arrived again, his drink on a small circular tray. Trowa smirked.
"Cranberry juice?"
"Hey, it's Christmas."
"Time for family."
"Time for peace to all men." Duo raised his drink and took a sip tentatively. He pulled a face "Tart."
Trowa raised his own drink, "Time for traditions."
"Seems we don't have very many of those right now." Duo sipped the drink again, more prepared for the taste this time. "Only a tradition of war."
"Every tradition has to start somewhere." Was Trowa's answer. "This time next year?" He shifted in his seat a little and reached out for his coat, on the chair next to him.
"Sounds good to me. You not waiting for anyone else?"
"Got a shuttle to catch." He held out his hand. "Good luck to you."
"Right back at ya." Duo grinned. "I'll pass the message on to anyone else who shows."
Trowa nodded, pulled up the collar of his coat, and stepped out of the door.
And that was how it started.
Next year the cranberry juice was waiting on the table when Duo walked in through the doors of the small, quiet public house. He shucked off his jacket and scarf and slid into the booth, getting settled.
"Still cold." He nodded in approval, noting the misted glass.
"I figured you would be on time." Trowa answered, nodding towards the clock.
"You're still first."
"And you're still second."
"At least we're not last in life, last in love. To Tradition." Duo raised his drink in a toast and took a sip, pulling another face at the taste. "Did you come far?" His eyes, over the rim of his glass, were serious and added a new layer of meaning to the flippantly asked question. Trowa merely smiled and took a grasp of his own drink.
"Not as far as I would have liked." He admitted softly, "But far enough, I think." Placing the drink back down onto the coaster, official cardboard rectangle this year, he looked up and threw the question back. "You?"
"Same." Duo grinned. "I went back to L2, thought I'd try my hand at being my own boss."
"How'd that turn out?" The door opened, the blast of cold air just making it as far as their legs underneath the table.
"Let's just say that living with Hilde isn't quite working out as I'd expected it to. Women seem to want strange things," his voice held a genuinely curious tone, as if he couldn't quite understand the reasoning behind it, "and believe you me, the day Duo Maxwell gets hitched is the day Hell freezes over." He trailed off towards the end as his gaze focused on the people currently entering.
"Wufei?" Trowa guessed.
"And Quatre too." Duo grinned, "They both came by after you left last year." He waved a hand and shimmied over in the booth a little, to give the two new arrivals room. After greetings and ordering of beverages were over they settled back to chat.
It didn't take long for the talk to focus on the one person who had not shown. Quatre admitted to having emailed the details to Heero's last known address but there had been no response, although the fact that the mail hadn't bounced back showed that it had at least arrived at the address.
What Heero chose to do with it was his concern.
Two hours later the empty glasses were collected, coats were thrown back on, and four teenage boys headed out to separate hotel rooms and separate lives.
There was a juke box in the corner playing Christmas music, and the walls had been repainted. Trowa sighed as he pushed open the door and walked in, on the one hand, it wasn't too bad for four years and it was a little selfish to want things to remain the same, but on the other, it seemed like nothing was impervious to the march of time.
He headed for their booth once more, brushing off the fine layer of snow that had landed on his shoulders.
At first the presence of another person there registered only a mild annoyance that their place was occupied, then, as he looked higher and realised who the person was, he smiled.
Some changes were good.
Seems Duo was going to be third this year.
"No way, Jose."
"Come on, Duo. It's your round."
"It is not."
"I bought them last year."
Heero held up his hands to stop the friendly argument. "I'll get them, it's easier, I'm at the end of the booth anyway." He looked round at the other four, taking in the empty glasses on the table in front of them. "What's the order? Duo, you're the flying masturbator I know. Wu Wu for you, Wufei?"
Quatre interrupted, a gleam in his eye put there by the mix of alcohol and good company. "Angel Tip for me."
Heero nodded, "And I'm the Anti-Freeze. Trowa?"
"Just a beer, thanks."
There was a chorus of snorts and a muttered, "Wimp." that sounded suspiciously like Quatre and then Heero was gone, walking off to the bar in order to get their drinks.
Trowa didn't miss the way Duo shimmied across to sit in Heero's space while he was gone, or how he was the first to notice when Heero was on the return trip with the various glasses clutched precariously in his hands, a bag of peanuts gripped by his teeth.
When they left that year he didn't miss how they walked together either.
"Here already?" Trowa pulled off his gloves and unbuttoned his coat. "I thought I was early."
Heero laughed and slipped off the bar stool he was sitting on. "This place is called the 'Walk Right Inn' for a reason, Trowa." he said as they strolled over to their usual seats together. "Emphasis on the Inn part."
"They have rooms?"
"Have done for about three years now." Heero answered, sitting down. "Ever since they bought the property next door and expanded."
"Business must be going well for them."
Heero nodded, "It is. This part of the city is becoming a pretty popular place for the investors to buy in. Lots of work, lots of prospects, lots of drinkers."
"You live around here?" Trowa was genuinely curious. It was one of the things they generally never talked about, their home lives, personal lives. Over time their get togethers had turned into safe moments, moments where they could all be themselves, without the trappings of their daily grind. He realised with a shock that he didn't really know this man sitting in front of him anymore.
He listened to the laugh in Heero's voice as he answered and mused to himself. It was definitely a good thing.
The walls were a brown/cream colour now and the windows had been changed for one way mirror glass. On entering the building Trowa was surprised to see how much the interior had changed too. Now a split-level affair, the seats were positioned along the walls, with a large, sunken dance floor in the centre.
Their old booth was still there. Brand new seats, but same old faces.
The same but not, he realised. Wufei's hair was short now and there was a distinct glint of gold on his left hand as he ran it through the strands idly, talking animatedly to Duo; Duo who was dressed semi smartly in a suit and tie, even if the tie did have a Rudolph the red nosed reindeer prominently displayed. Quatre was in t-shirt and jeans and tanned deeply.
He looked forward to discovering the reasons behind these differences... and showing off his own.
Picking his way through the people dancing on the wooden floor he waved a hello and slipped down into his seat with a sigh.
"Good year for the roses?"
"Very good." He smiled. "Heero?"
"Getting the supplies with which we shall attempt to become inebriated tonight." Was Duo's answer, his gaze fixing on the back of their missing member, over by the bar. As they watched Heero turned and headed back, glasses clutched in a sight so familiar now. Duo grinned and nudged Wufei.
"Ten bucks says he likes it."
Wufei's answer was delayed while he tilted his head on one side and listened for a while. "He won't like it."
"So sure, Chang? Put your money where your mouth is." Duo held out his hand and, after a momentary hesitation, Wufei shook it.
"What's this about?" Trowa asked, dropping his gloves onto the table.
"Whether or not Heero gets into the groove." Quatre replied, gazing at the oblivious Heero as he walked back to their seats. Duo was grinning widely and silence fell over the whole table as they watched.
Trowa watched too, although he wasn't sure what exactly he was watching for. Simple, casual, measured strides were all he saw but obviously that wasn't all that was there for Duo's eyes lit up in amusement.
"He's doing it. Pay up, Chang." Wufei's money was handed over with a grin too.
"Damn he really likes this one. Check out the shoulder action."
It wasn't until Heero excused himself to go to the rest room a while later that Trowa got the full picture. Duo's skills of observation had picked up easily on Heero's desire to buy drinks during songs he liked. The walk to the bar would always be to the beat, as would the walk back. Sometimes, Duo informed them with a grin, if Heero really liked the song he would loiter or detour to be closer to the dance floor. His walk would contain a bit more of a shimmy in those cases.
This was the first year that the dance floor had been there. Trowa wondered to himself just when Duo had ever had the chance to notice that.
"Karaoke?"
Heero shrugged. "They've got to cater for the public, after all."
He seemed a bit on edge this year, Trowa noticed, his eyes constantly on the move, cataloguing new arrivals and keeping tabs on the people already milling around. "This place has come a long way from the little coffee bar we first walked into, hasn't it?"
A distracted smirk. "Change is good, isn't it?"
"It can be, I guess." Trowa shrugged. Not perturbed, Heero carried on.
"Not all changes are wonderful, I grant you, but... " he smiled a little, fondly, "It seems every change we've gone through has only ever served to strengthen our team."
"The team dissolved a while back." Trowa smiled, "I like to think of us as friends."
"Speaking of which," Heero stood up and brushed imaginary dirt off his trousers. Trowa noticed the addition of a pair of Santa Claus cufflinks but said nothing. "I'll get the drinks in." And with that he disappeared off towards the bar. Trowa watched him walk away, noting the almost unconscious stepping in time with the beat. If Duo hadn't pointed it out, he wondered if he would have ever noticed for himself.
Probably.
In time.
"Hey." Duo sat down in the place he had made his own over the years. Next to Heero's spot, Trowa realised. "Where's the super Heero got to?"
"Drinks." Trowa nodded towards the bar. The same song was playing and he spared a moment to wonder if Heero's eyes were closed as he listened. The bartender came over and had a few words, fast service, then Heero was turning, drinks in his hand, and Trowa pretended not to notice the shoulders moving in time to the beat of the song.
The small smile on Duo's face was enough to tell him he wasn't the only one to have seen it.
"No Antifreeze this year?"
"Not wanted." Heero answered as he handed the drinks out to them all. "It defeats the purpose." he added quietly, still standing.
"Aren't you having anything?" Trowa frowned as he took in Heero's distracted state.
"It's back at the bar, I couldn't carry it." And Heero left; short, sharp strides. Not a welcome change, Trowa thought. Up on the dance floor a young girl was singing out of key to a song that had been old when her great grandmother had been nothing but a twinkle in someone's eye.
Duo wasn't listening, his eyes tracking Heero's movements closely. His mouth opened slightly when Heero retrieved what was obviously a drink, and instead of making his way back, sat down on the bar stool and began to sip. "What the hell is that about?" He turned puzzled eyes to the others. "Trowa, did you say something to him?"
"Me? No?" Trowa held up a placating hand. "We were just discussing change and then you came in. I've barely arrived myself."
"Weird." Duo reached out for his drink.
...and froze.
"What the hell?" He released the glass again, leaving a clear handprint in the condensation on the sides. "It's freezing." He picked it up again, wiping more condensation off the sides.
"It's no Sex on the Beach." Quatre muttered.
Duo scraped some of the surface off with a fingernail and tasted it. "No, it's just water... ice. The whole thing is frozen solid, and I think there's something in there too." He turned the glass upside down and tapped it smartly a few times, until the ice loosened and clinked to the tabletop. "Maybe it's not a sex on the beach," he grinned, "but I definitely feel like I'm making sand castles." He pulled the glass off the ice and stared.
Something large, circular and black took up the top quarter of the ice. He squinted, turning the ice a bit in order to get a better view, then glanced back over to the bar where Heero was still sitting, his back towards them. "The day Hell freezes over... but he wasn't even there... how did he know that?"
He righted his glass, slipped the ice, complete with the gundanium scrap metal, back inside it, and stood up, making his way to the bar.
Trowa watched him go with a smile.
Seemed Heero was right, Trowa mused as the two over by the bar talked for a while, foreheads almost touching, smiles ever present and skittering fingers moving over arms with nervous energy.
Every change that came their way did only ever strengthen the bonds between them.
And maybe next year they'd have something else to incorporate into their tradition.
First year was paper if he wasn't mistaken.
The End
(:./natea/heaven)
