'Quantum Duo' Part 3
Rated [a light] R (mild cursing and yaoi content)
By Wyvern
[email protected]
http://moonmonkey.iwarp.com
Pairings: 3x4 (mild hints), 1x2…well...more like 1xSam. BWAH!
Notes: Well fiddle dee dee! I actually wrote another chapter! I'm really hoping that this inspiration streak keeps up, as if it does and I get this done within good time, it'll be a record! Of…some…kind.

Lessee, there's some pretty heavy Relena bashing in this, just so you know. I don't like her, and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't like me, so it's all good. If you're pro-Relena please get going, because I don't think you're going to like how I portray her.

Oh, and I have no idea what the layout of the Gundams actually is, so if there are a few smarties out there who know that there isn't a panel in Deathscythe's left foot…kiss my ignorant rump.

GW and all of its sexiness does not belong to me. If it did, I wouldn't be here. I'd be FAR too…busy. *cheesy grins*

*coughs* On with the story!

=====================

"Y'know, this place needs a splash of colour."

Gooshi sighed and shook his head. "Whatever you say, Mr. Maxwell." He widened his eyes in a physical gesture of restraint from saying anything more, and turned back to his work.

The current 'visitor' that sat in Dr. Beckett's body, meanwhile, continued to stare up at the ceiling. One of his legs bobbed against the other, his arms propped up behind his head. "Ach, sweet Mary of all that's Holy, I'm gonna DIE from boredom!" he suddenly burst, slamming his fists against the table and at the moment make-shift bed where he lay.

It had been at least a day since he'd woken up in this place, staring at hands and a face that weren't his own. The room was like something out of an asylum, except for the light shining off of each wall, and the lack of padding. Once in a while a door would slide open at one end and someone would come through. Usually that someone was that Al Callivici guy, one of the only people Duo had encountered so far that seemed to have any interest in talking to him. There was Gooshi, that little guy with the bad breath who currently sat in front of a computer in the corner, but he was about as fun to listen to as Relena at one of her dinner parties.

Duo smiled a little smugly as he realized that by being here, at least, he hadn't had to sit through another one of those stiff-shirted, wanted to literally drown himself in his plate of food, excuses for a social gathering. He turned over on the table and for the umpteenth time since arriving in this strange place, stared at his reflection. According to what Al had told him, it wasn't Duo that had gone to the party, but the guy whose face he was wearing.

"Ugh, I'm going gray," he muttered, tweaking at the little tuft of white that popped from his forehead. Lifting his head, he shouted over to Gooshi. "Hey Stinky! Where did all the soldiers go?" He grinned a devilish grin. "They were fun."

Gooshi took a long breath and bit down on his tongue, keeping himself from engaging anymore with the teenager. There had been some strange characters to talk to him from Dr. Beckett's body, but this kid was plain…obnoxious. Even if he had enjoyed the boy's Engineer brain at first, that charm wore off as soon as the kid got bored.

When his bait failed, Duo gave a long suffering sigh and dropped his forehead to rest on the table. He puffed out a breath and watched as the older man in the mirror disappeared behind the cloud on fogged glass. "I wish Heero were here…"

~*~*~

Sam brushed his fingers against the smooth, cold surface, marveling at the pure size of the thing. He had six PhD's, he'd been labeled the main rival for Einstein, he'd invented a way to travel back in time, and yet this great monolith instilled a kind of awe in Dr. Beckett that his braid was trembling.

The Gundam, Duo's Gundam, was the most incredible thing that Sam had ever laid eyes on. As it sat in Quatre's hanger, one disguised to look like just another mansion on the estate, he couldn't help but feel drawn to it. Like some holy weapon, it represented such power, such capability to end and begin. End war, begin peace, or end life and begin death. Either way, as Sam ran his hands over it, he couldn't decided whether this thing excited, or horrified him.

"What are you doing, Maxwell?" a voice drawled behind him.

Not bothering to turn around, Sam craned his neck up to take in more of the black-metal giant. "Just takin' a look at Deathscythe, Wufei," he replied.

The wiry Asian pilot walked up to stand next to him and rapped on the gigantic foot a couple times. "Haven't you gotten over your Gundam yet?" he smirked.

Sam returned the smile and gave the other boy's arm a push. If there was one thing he'd learned about Duo from not only what others would say, but from what he could draw from the bit of the boy that was left behind, Duo was a physical kid. "I'm sorry, am I being scolded by the same pilot that kisses his 'Nataku' goodnight?" At Wufei's embarrassed scowl, Sam reminded himself to thank Quatre for that little tidbit later.

It wasn't that he didn't like Wufei, in fact, Sam thought he was a sharp young man with a lot of potential. He just felt some kind of strange satisfaction from getting a rise out of him. As far as he could figure, Duo and Wufei had a friendship based on some strange rivalry, and Sam was picking up on it.

"First off, that's an exaggeration, and second, at least I don't call myself 'Shinigami' every time I battle."

Sam rose an eyebrow, chuckling to himself. "Touché," he murmured, and moved around the foot of his Gundam.

Wufei snorted. "Since when do you know what that means, Maxwell?"

"I'm not gonna reply to that, Chang."

"That'd be a first."

With a roll of his violet eyes, Sam continued his search for one of the control panels hinged into the side of his machine. The thing was so big and black they were tricky to spot, but he was sure he'd passed his eyes over one of them when he'd left the hanger that first time. Now the only question was…where'd it been?

It was another few thick moments before Wufei spoke again, and even then it was with an air of hesitance. "..Duo," he started brusquely, "are you…all right?"

Sam tapped on what he hoped was the cover to a control box, and grinned when a lid did in fact pop open. "Hmm?" he answered, distracted with his new task.

There was the sound of a deep breath on the other side, and then a grunt. "You were…you acted…" he then interrupted himself with some harsh Chinese, and stomped. "Dammit, what's wrong with you lately?"

'Yuh-oh, I guess I'm being too obvious.' "What're you talkin' about?" he asked, trying to drawl it out sarcastically. From what Al had reported back to him, Duo had a bit of Jersey and bit of New York in his speech patterns, and Sam needed to cover his butt. He popped his head back around the side of the huge foot and grinned, letting his braid swing beside him. "Are you actually worried about me, Wu? Watch out, Heero could get jealous!" he teased.

For a moment, relief flickered across Wufei's features, then his crimson scowl returned and he flipped off the other boy. "I should've known you were being a baka," he spat, and proceeded to stalk out of the hanger.

Sam smiled and puffed out his own little sigh of relief. He turned back to the control panel and pulled out a miniature flashlight he'd dropped into his pocket earlier. Flicking it on, he began to nose around inside the box, taking note of the placement of certain wires, the various circuit boards installed, and any other signs of something he might recognize. Quite obviously, he couldn't learn too much from just looking into one control box of the huge machine's left foot, but he was too curious a scientist not to take some kind of a look.

After learning all he could from the jumble of wires and circuits, Sam sighed and leaned back, shutting the door with a little slam. He turned to look over the rest of Gundams, letting out a low whistle at the rest of them. They were all massive machines, all very imposing to just one kid standing beneath them. He figured that he should make his way up to the cock-pit of Deathscythe to see what he could decipher. Maybe it would be enough to keep him from making such a dork out of himself if he had to fly it again.

He moved around to the other side and caught sight of a shadow ducking around the corner. Sam narrowed his gaze, trying to decide whether or not to leave the hanger to see who it was. It didn't take long for his usual nature to kick in, however, and off he went. Around that corner was another door, but this one led outside and not into the repair room that Wufei had entered when he'd left.

The figure running across the field to the Mansion where all the boys were staying was not one that Sam recognized. The figure was smaller than Trowa, but didn't have Quatre's bright blond hair or Heero's dark brown. A long stream of strawberry blond hair swung behind the figure, a jean jacket over top of white pants. Almost involuntarily, Sam's features darkened. "Relena."

~*~*~

Instead of ascending the steps up to the main doors, Relena moved around to the side of the large house where she knew the servant's entrance was located. Easing the door open, she peered inside the dimly lit kitchen and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Her breathing was thin and quick, her heart beating at a rabbit's speed.

"Trowa-chan! Matte ne!" Quatre's voice suddenly sounded, carrying through the kitchen door. Relena stopped in her tracks, sucking in her breath. The silence in the room thrummed in her ears until Quatre's laugh broke it, followed by the sound of a door slamming.

Relena resumed breathing and tip-toed across the kitchen floor to the door on the other end. Again, she eased the door open and grazed her eyes down the hallway. 'Coast is clear. Now, where is Heero's room?' Each of the doors lining the hall were identical, some housed bathrooms, some closets, some bedrooms.

She stepped into the hallway, taking care to tread lightly in case some of the boards creaked beneath the carpet. Biting her lip delicately, Relena began to wonder what she would do to figure out which door was his. 'Ugh, I should have planned for this,' she scolded herself. 'If I choose the wrong door, who knows what I could find.'

The image of Quatre and Trowa in the throes of passion suddenly sprang to mind, and the young woman shuddered.

She pondered for a moment over whether or not she should find a servant and inquire about Heero's room, but quickly dashed that idea. If she was found to be here there could be too much pomp and ceremony. She knew her Heero. He was not one who appreciated having things screamed from the hills. Or the tops of cliffs, for that matter. So she would keep things quiet for now. She would keep her seduction secret.

'Well then, I suppose there's only one thing to do. Try a door.' Reaching out a manicured hand, Relena moved for the first door in the hallway, that which was closest to the kitchen.

"Oi!"

Relena snatched her hand back and retreated a step, barely holding onto her yelp of startlement. There in the doorway stood Duo, his trademark smirk adorning his features. He must've opened the kitchen door without her noticing. 'Curse it. Now I'm caught and this is all to waste,' she thought, disappointment having fallen down upon her heavily.

"Why, Relena-sama, what brings you to our humble home?" he asked, propping one arm up against the door-frame.

Relena held back the scowl that ached to come forward. 'He's trying to bait me, the little twerp. He's trying to have me stutter and fluster, fall into his trap and degrade myself! Well, not this Queen.' Standing straighter, Relena let her surprise fall from around her like a thick cloak. She sniffed, and tucked a stray wisp of hair behind one ear in a gesture that dripped grace. "It has nothing to do with you, Duo."

"Then what were you doing in the hanger?" Sam replied quickly.

"I mistook that place for the mansion. How was I supposed to know that Quatre had disguised it?"

"All right, fine," Sam said, "but why were you looking for the mansion? What good reason would the Queen of Earth have for visiting five lowly pilots?"

Relena met his stare with her own, refusing to be intimidated. "If you must know, I've come to see Heero."

Against what Relena had been expecting, Duo chuckled darkly and shook his head. "Y'know, Relena, as much as I hate to say this, D'UH!"

She blinked and faltered. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh come off it Relena!" he jibed, letting his hand fall back to his side. "You don't think I don't know why you're here? Please." He took a few steps closer to her and poked a finger in her face. "You're after my b-" quizzically, Duo paused. It was only a millisecond, but Relena noticed it. "-Boyfriend!" he finished. Leaning back, he crossed his arms and smirked again. "Tough luck, lady, he's not going anywhere."

Relena scoffed and flipped her long mane of hair back over her shoulder. "That's what you think, street-rat! That boy is merely bemused, seeking comfort in this difficult time. You don't mean anything to him!"

"Then why didn't he seek comfort from you, smarty-pants?"

'…Ouch.' Relena's face threatened to fall, but putting years of etiquette training to use, she managed to lift her nose just a little higher. "That's why I'm here, boy. To correct that mistake."

"Che," Duo spat, his gaze hardening. "You'd better go, Relena-sama," he said, straining the suffix almost to the breaking point. "Today's attempt failed."

As much as she loathed to admit it, Duo was right. Relena knew that she couldn't try anything with Heero now, because Duo would just be in the background, ready to fight. Heero wouldn't take well to that, and thus she would only make things worse, not better. Inside, Relena was throwing one hell of a tantrum. After all of the re-scheduling she'd had to do to get this afternoon free, the time was wasted! 'Damn it all.' "Fine, Maxwell. There is no point in me being here anymore anyway. Not with the likes of you hovering about." She curled a coloured lip and 'hmmphed', then proceeded down the hallway and towards the front doors.

From around the corner drifted a startled exclamation from Wufei, a sharp retort from Relena, and the sound of heavy wood thundering shut. Back at the end of the hallway, violet eyes closed and a brown tousled head fell forward, the words, "Oh boy," drifting out on a sigh.

~*~*~

Sam let his head finally droop, shutting his eyes. 'Why do I have to be such a jerk to her?' he asked himself. 'She hasn't really done anything except…' He knew why. 'As Duo, I've got to try and act like him, and I don't think he would really appreciate Relena trying to get into Heero's pa---room.' "But that doesn't explain why I felt so fiercely jealous when I caught her, though."

"Baka."

Snapping his head back up, Sam locked his indigo gaze with sapphire blue. 'Shit! I must've said that last part out loud!' "Heero!"

Heero was leaning just behind the door-frame, wearing a loose white tee shirt and his pale jeans. His chocolate hair was slightly mussed, falling over his eyes, twitching each time his long eye-lashes brushed against them. Sam swallowed. 'Duo, don't you start rising to the surface right now,' he silently prayed.

"What did she want?" the Japanese boy asked.

"S-She wanted to see you," Sam replied, doing his best to swallow down his sudden wave of nervousness.

"Is that all? You chased her away for that?"

"Well, no, she wanted to do more than that," he admitted, smiling a little. If part of Duo was coming through right now, it was only in the level of comfort that he had around the other boy. Despite Sam's apprehension, he could feel a relaxed friendship settling in between the two. He gave Heero a look of mischief. "And what do you mean, 'chased her away'?" He crossed his arms. "Would you have preferred she stay?"

Standing up straight, Heero shrugged his toned shoulders and looked down the hallway. "Maybe."

Sam smiled and gave the boy a push to his chest. "Urusei, kisama." He bit his tongue when Heero caught his hand and clasped cold fingers around it, holding it close.

"Duo," he murmured huskily.

'Oh Christ!' "You've been using the computer, ha-haven't you?" Sam managed to get out, trying his best not to think about how well Duo's hand fit in Heero's. "Your fingers are cold so you must've…" his words trailed off, his eyes lifting up again to meet Heero's. "Eh.."

Heero was watching him, completely unfazed by the babble, considering he was no doubt very used to it. His dark eyes were slightly hazed, calling to Sam in a way that he recognized almost immediately. He'd been stuck in the shoes of lust-aftered men before, though then it was always a female pair of eyes that hungered after his. Just as Heero's hungered for him.

Heero pulled him forward, and Sam took an involuntary step forward as his balance wavered. He caught his breath at the close proximity in which he now stood to him, their chests barely inches apart. 'Not good, Beckett!' he was telling himself. 'Not good! You've got to get out of this somehow!' 'But if I do, Heero might get upset! He might begin to suspect something…I can't put things at risk.'

The tanned hand of Duo's lover rose the paler one up to his lips, and casting a glance up into his eyes, planted a tender kiss to the palm. Sam whimpered low in his throat. He knew what that meant. In Japan, such a gesture was a form of a request. 'Yeah, and guess what kind of request that is, hotshot!' 'Shut up, shut up, shut UP!' he bickered internally.

"Heero…" he began, but considering that he had no idea what to say next, his voice died out. The other boy was obviously not finding the body of his lover's hesitance a deterrent, as he slowly leaned in and moved his head so that he could press his lips to the slender neck. Sam hissed at the sparks it sent across his skin, his thoughts still going in circles.

Burying one of his hands in the hair at the base of Sam's head, Heero flickered his tongue out against the heated skin. Sam thought he was going to burst into flame or twist into a knot, his nerves were so tight. Tight and sensitive, much to his dismay. As much as he knew it shouldn't, he couldn't help but find Heero's body against his, his tongue teasing him, the scent drifting between them both, hauntingly erotic.

As Heero's mouth moved around his throat, Sam rose a shaky hand and placed it against the other pilot's shoulder. "He-Heero," he stuttered, his voice hoarse.

Heero's mouth moved away, the air cooling against Sam's skin, and Asiatic eyes questioned American ones. "Nan da?"

Sam bit his tongue lightly again and shook his head. "I don't…I don't think we should…right now…" 'Right? We shouldn't right now…yeah, that's right. C'mon Heero, just wait until Duo is back and I'm gone.'

Heero's gaze hardened, his hand dropping from where it had been tangled in Sam's hair. Sam almost pulled him back when Heero took a step away, backing into the bedroom. He couldn't help but feel horribly guilty for the blank expression that Heero now wore, his cold mask having slid back into place. It was a deep guilt, a fore-boding one, one tinged with regret.

"If you say so," Heero said softly, and shut the door with a quiet 'click'.

"You sir, are a Dumb. Ass."

Sam sighed painfully and leaned up against the door, pressing the flats of his fingers to the wood. "Al, shut up."

~*~*~

On the other side of the door, Heero leaned his back against it. Alone in the room, his features were set in a contemplative scowl, his eyes burning. Duo had never turned him down when he'd made the first move before. It wasn't just that, but his lover had been acting strangely around him ever since the last flight. Never before had Duo been so hesitant around him, never had he rejected Heero's touch.

Something was wrong.

Heero was going to get to the bottom of it.

"Mission, accepted."

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*inhales a great gulp of air* DUN DUN DUN! *begins her little jig of giddiness* I'm liking how this is turning out! I'm having much more fun with this than I expected too! For some reason, I think of Duo in the waiting room, lifting his head and suddenly saying, "Why do I get the feeling that I just missed out on nooky?" :B

Thanks for reading, and please C&C!!
~Wyvern