A/N: My apologies for so long to update. And my further apologies for this chapter being so freakin' long. It just didn't want to end and I didn't feel like going back to edit it into two chapters…
Ready 4/?
The sirens were ripping through the night air and the flash of the lights in his rearview mirror practically blinded Trowa.
Something thumped against the hood of his car.
Trowa looked up and saw Meilin sliding across. She landed on her feet on the other side and ripped open the passenger door.
"Go!" She commanded.
Trowa took a second to look around – all of the other driver's were pulling away, tires squealing and dirt kicking up as everyone raced away.
"Trowa! Gas! Now!" Meilin punched him in the shoulder.
Still he kept one hand on the clutch, looking – until he finally spotted Duo as the braided boy dove into the open passenger side window of Quatre Winner's car.
As soon as he saw Duo's feet hanging out of the window he threw the car into gear and sped away into the dark, headlights illuminating the desert before them.
"Turn off the road!" Meilin commanded. She was perched on the edge of her seat, one hand on Trowa's headrest, her head turned and focused on their pursuit.
"Where?!" Trowa shot back, irritated at having her direct him when he had no idea what to do.
"Anywhere! Wait." She turned back around for a moment, eyes narrowed as she tried to focus on where they were. "Okay, stay on this road for a quarter mile, then we'll cross over a wash – go over the bridge and then cut back around and we'll drive north through it."
"This is fucking crazy," Trowa muttered, but he put more pressure on the gas pedal.
"I can't believe this is happening." Meilin had resumed her watch over through the rear windshield.
Silently Trowa agreed. This was just too ridiculous, in his mind. He really, really regretted answering Wufei's call. If he hadn't….
He pushed the thought from his mind just as the lights illuminated the wash ahead.
He managed to spin the car around just over the bridge and a brief, bumpy jolt later they were tearing down the concrete valley headed north.
"Kill the lights," Meilin instructed.
"You're insane!" But he did as instructed.
He chanced a look in the rearview mirror and saw three cruisers cross the bridge, pursuing whatever cars had gone ahead of Trowa and Meilin. One of the cruisers followed them down the wash.
"Shit."
"Don't sweat it. Just keep us alive and we'll be able to lose him. We go under another bridge in two miles. Take it and head back west."
"How the hell will I know where it is?"
"You've got a speedometer, Barton. Christ."
The next few minutes were tense, but Trowa managed to find the bridge and cut through the soft dirt until he found the road again, lights still off. Behind them the cruiser kept driving down the wash.
"That was ridiculous," Trowa said after Meilin had deemed it safe to turn the headlights back on.
"You act like you've never been caught by the cops."
"I haven't."
Meilin shot him a disbelieving look.
"Then why the hell did you get shipped out here?"
Trowa snorted. "Because I DIDN'T get caught by the cops last time. This shit was supposed to be a reward for my 'good behavior.'"
"Who the hell thought it was a good idea to send you to LAS VEGAS?"
Trowa smirked, sharing in Meilin's amusement.
"Where are we headed?" He asked after a moment of driving.
"Back to the garage – Wufei did take you there, right?"
"Yeah. Shit – where's Wufei?"
"His car was one of the first to leave," Meilin said, voice bitter.
Trowa decided not to comment.
They drove for another ten minutes before they came back to the freeway entrance. Two squad cars sat by the on ramp, lights flashing.
"What the –" Meilin started.
"Do you have your license?"
"Yeah."
"Not your fake ID?"
"Both."
"Make sure you hand over your real one. We need to be high school students for this."
"Why?"
"Trust me. I've learned the best way to get through these checkpoints."
Which was true – his experiences running cocaine and money back and forth over the Hoover Damn had given him ample opportunity to perfect the 'stupid teenager' role.
The cops waved them to a stop and Trowa rolled down the window.
"License and registration." The cop shined a light into the car, directly into both Meilin and Trowa's eyes. Trowa was momentarily grateful that the race hadn't had a pre-game party: a DUI would not make this night any better.
Trowa reached across Meilin to the glove compartment.
"You kids are out late," the cop said.
"I KNOW," Meilin muttered, loud enough for the cop to hear. Trowa chanced a look up at her, but she was glaring down at him.
He quickly grabbed the registration and passed it as well as his license to the cop.
"I was supposed to be home by midnight. But SOMEONE thought it would be a good idea to try and –"
"Christ, I said I was SORRY." Trowa glared back at her.
"Yeah. So what am I going to tell my dad when you get me home an hour late? Sorry, my boyfriend thought it would be fun to –"
"Meilin. Seriously. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
The cop snorted, obviously amused by their situation. He passed the documents back to Trowa.
"You two be careful on the roads – some punks were street-racing tonight."
Meilin muttered something under her breath.
The cop just shook his head and waved them on.
Trowa rolled up the window just in time – Meilin dissolved into laughter as soon as he pulled away.
"That was great."
"Yeah. Almost getting arrested is one of my favorite pass-times," Trowa said dryly.
"Oh lighten up. We're in the clear."
But even Meilin was silent for the rest of the drive to the garage, scowling out the window.
The main door to the garage was open, but only dim lights were on inside.
Trowa pulled in slowly and killed the ignition. There were already three cars inside – one easily recognizable as Wufei's. The other two Trowa recognized from the group of cars that had led the way clearing out.
He was mildly anxious that Quatre and Duo weren't present.
Meilin's door opened and seconds later slammed closed. Trowa could feel the tension in the air increase as Wufei turned away from the small group he had been addressing and turned to Meilin.
Trowa fought his immediate instinct to get back in the car, throw it in reverse, and drive as far away from these people as possible. The crack of Meilin's palm against Wufei's face splintered the air. Trowa winced but Wufei stood there, completely stoic.
"You left me there." Her words were quiet but filled with enough anger that Wufei seemed to lean back. Trowa glared over at the group of teen-aged boys lurking by their cars. They caught his look and backed further into the garage. Trowa kept his own distance from the couple, but leaned against the hood of his car.
"Trowa had you." Wufei jerked his head in Trowa's direction.
Meilin wasn't easily put off.
"Yeah. AFTER you had already pulled away. Did it not occur to you that I was just as much –"
Her words were drowned out by the squeal of tires as a silver Spider pulled into the garage.
Duo bounded out of the passenger side of the new car before it had even made a complete stop.
"You guys good?" He asked Trowa, slightly breathless.
Trowa nodded.
"Great. We lost them in the desert. This kid's actually not bad – he drove circles around the cops."
Trowa raised his eyebrow, curious.
"Ow!"
Duo and Trowa turned to see the blonde driver of the Spider being physically hauled from the car and pushed over the hood by one of the heavily tattooed lurkers.
"Hey!" Duo crossed to the group forming around the driver.
The lurker punched Quatre and even Trowa was galvanized into action. He and Duo pushed their way through the group and pulled the lurker off of Quatre. Duo put himself in front of Quatre while Trowa shoved several of the boys farther away.
"What the fuck?" Duo demanded.
"He's the one who told the cops!"
"Asshole!"
There was another surge but Trowa pushed them back again.
"Why the hell do you think this kid called the cops?" Duo was glaring at the group with a mixture of anger and confusion.
"Because," Wufei said as he walked over, "he was the only new person tonight. The only one we weren't one hundred percent sure of."
Duo rolled his eyes.
"Right. Ever consider that it might be someone you trust – like maybe even Barton? – or that it was just random, dumb luck?"
Wufei and Trowa both scowled. Duo shrugged apologetically at Trowa.
"I doubt it was random coincidence." Wufei sighed and jerked his head at Quatre. "Well?"
"Well what? I got a call from Tim and he told me that if I wanted to race to show up. I did. And then the cops showed up. I did not call them." There was the force of conviction behind Quatre's words.
Wufei frowned, considering.
"Wallet."
Quatre frowned.
"What?"
"Give me your wallet."
"No!"
Duo turned, muttered something to Quatre.
"No," the blonde repeated.
Trowa was getting tired of running interference between the group and the blonde and so he turned around, pushed the blonde back against the car, and dug through his pockets until he found his wallet. Without looking inside he tossed it in Wufei's direction.
The blonde looked ready to kill.
"Subtle and smooth, Barton," Duo muttered, but a grin was tugging up the corners of his mouth.
"Hm."
Trowa turned and saw Wufei looking over at Quatre, a speculative look in his eyes.
"What?" Quatre demanded, pushing away from both Duo and Trowa to cross to Wufei. He stood in front of the slightly taller Asian man, radiating anger.
"Nothing." Wufei passed the wallet back without further comment.
Quatre took it and shoved it into his back pocket.
"Nothing for now, right? This going to come back later or –"
Quatre's words were cut off by Wufei's low voice.
"I said nothing. I meant nothing will happen. I give you my word."
Quatre frowned and then shrugged, but it was clear he remained unconvinced.
"Fine. Satisfied that it wasn't me?"
Wufei smirked and then turned back to his lackeys.
"It wasn't the kid."
They grumbled and dispersed, most getting back into their cars and leaving. A few walked outside, presumably to wherever their own cars were parked.
When the crowd was gone Meilin turned to Quatre.
"Mind if I hitch a ride?"
The blonde frowned, uneasy.
"I'll drive you home," Wufei said, voice weary.
"No. I don't want a ride from you."
"Meilin –"
"Wufei. Leave me the hell alone right now."
"Mei, I'll drive you," Duo said.
She looked between Duo and Quatre and shrugged.
"Thanks, Duo."
"See you tomorrow," Duo said to Trowa as he walked past. He stopped by Quatre and put a hand on his arm. "See ya around. Good driving."
"Thanks Duo," Quatre smiled slightly at Duo as the braided boy and Meilin left the garage. He then quickly got into his own car and drove away, clearly uneasy being left alone with Wufei and Trowa.
As soon as they were left alone Wufei turned to Trowa.
"Was it you?"
"Hell no. If I was going to sell you out to the cops I would have done it the first time you had me run coke for you."
Wufei nodded in agreement.
"I thought so. I had to ask, after Duo –"
"Duo was trying to protect Quatre."
"I realize that."
"Heero wasn't at the race tonight."
"Maybe he hadn't heard about it."
"He had. He was at Treize's. We talked."
Wufei rolled his eyes.
"And by talked you mean that the two of you almost killed each other again."
Trowa's lips tightened.
"If you're looking for an informer – look in his direction."
"Barton, I get that you're attracted to Duo. But –"
"This has nothing to do with Duo. I don't trust Heero."
"He's worked for Treize for two years. Treize trusts him."
"And you trust Treize?"
"I respect him."
Trowa snorted.
"Fine. Whatever."
Trowa turned away and walked back to his car.
"I'm taking Friday night off," he called over his shoulder.
"Enjoy your date," was Wufei's sarcastic reply.
The next day at school Meilin was still angry and sat by herself for their first two classes, muttering about how stupid and arrogant men were. Duo and Trowa often exchanged amused glances behind her back until Meilin turned, catching them during Calculus. She shoved her book (all thirty pounds of it) off her desk and onto Duo's foot, causing the braided man to curse loudly. The entire class turned to stare at them, but Meilin gave the instructor and innocent smile and bland look. Duo and Trowa refrained from looking at each other again until the lunch break.
They took their usual spot and sat in silence for several minutes, both afraid to provoke Meilin.
Eventually she sighed.
"I just don't understand why he didn't even think about me."
"I'm sure he thought about you," Duo said.
Meilin glared at him and he shrugged.
"Seriously. He probably saw how close you were to Trowa and just assumed that Trowa would take care of you."
Duo's logic sounded weak to Trowa, and Meilin seemed to agree.
"Duo, why the hell are you taking his side?"
"I'm not taking his fucking side! I'm just SAYING –"
"Whatever. I'm over it." Meilin leaned back, still angry and clearly not over it.
"Hey – isn't that the kid?"
Trowa followed Duo's pointed finger and saw a blonde making his way across the quad, looking lost and anxious.
"It is him," Duo said to himself and bounded off to track down the boy.
Meilin and Trowa shared a look of amusement as they watched Duo return, the blonde in tow and looking extremely reluctant to join them.
"Hey guys, guess who just transferred?"
"Hi," Quatre said, standing uneasily.
Duo sat back down beside Trowa and patted the ground beside him.
After a moment Quatre took the hint and sat down.
"Quat just got here – but I looked at his schedule and we've got a lot of classes together."
Duo continued on his monologue for the rest of lunch, eventually drawing Quatre into conversation, while Trowa and Meilin remained silent. Meilin was no doubt still reflecting on the failures of Wufei.
But Trowa had spotted Heero walking across the quad with a blonde girl hanging onto him. He scowled, thinking about his conversations with Duo and recognizing the girl, Relena, from some of their classes.
He knew that Wufei thought he was being a jealous asshole – and maybe he was – but there was something about Heero that Trowa didn't like and didn't trust.
The lunch bell rang, disrupting his dark thoughts.
As they got up to leave Duo grabbed Trowa's sleeve.
"Hey, we're still on for Friday, right?"
Duo was grinning at him, a devilish gleam in his eyes.
Trowa rolled his own eyes.
"Of course. You're not getting rid of me that easily."
Duo's grin widened.
"Good. I'm looking forward to it." Duo gave him a suggestive leer and then walked ahead with Quatre.
Trowa shook his head and followed, amused by Duo and also bemused by the quick friendship he seemed to have struck between himself and Quatre.
When Trowa got home that afternoon Catherine was in the living room watching television. As soon as he walked in she looked up, a serious expression on her face, and turned it off.
Trowa mentally sighed – he knew that look. Catherine was clearly in the mood to give him a lecture about something. Warily he dropped his backpack by the door and sat down in the armchair beside the couch, silently waiting.
Catherine frowned, clearly not expecting his seeming cooperation.
"Trowa," she started. "Trowa, I know that I'm not here that often and I just – is everything okay with you? How is school? Do you have any friends yet? How is work going? I – I'm really trying here, Trowa, but I just don't know how to get through to you. It just seems like you aren't my brother anymore. You're almost a stranger to me."
"I haven't lived with you in ten years. I am a stranger."
"I know that! And I'm trying to get things back to the way they were, but I –"
"Catherine. Our parents are dead. Things will never be like they were."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Trowa, I know, but I want us to be a family again. You're my kid brother and I love you. I just want to… I want to be part of your life, and it feels like you live here… like a guest or something."
"Catherine, I see you for two hours every day – if that. I don't think you can build a relationship based on that much interaction."
"I know. I – look, tomorrow is my day off. When you get home from school let's go out and do something."
"I'll probably have to work."
"Well, why don't I go to work with you? You're delivering flowers, right? I'll just –"
"No. No way." Catherine leaned back, shocked by the vehemence in his voice. "Mrs. Chang was very specific that she doesn't want her drivers to spend the night cruising around with their friends. I'm not going to get fired from this job."
"Okay. I understand. What if… I'll cook dinner! I'll make that soup you like so much." Catherine seemed immensely pleased with herself. Trowa shrugged.
"Sure."
"Good. Oh – Trowa, why don't you come see the show on Friday night and we can hang out after that?"
Trowa frowned.
"Catherine –"
"I know you saw it three times last year when you came to visit, but we've got some new guys in it now and I think you'd really enjoy it. Please?"
Catherine's eyes were pleading.
"I've sort of got plans already."
Catherine's eyes gleamed.
"A date?"
Trowa shot her a glare.
"Oh! That's so exciting. Why don't you bring him! I'm sure he would have a great time. Has he ever seen the show before?"
Trowa frowned, remembering how impressed Duo had been that Catherine worked for Cirque.
"I don't think he has…"
"Great! I'll get you two tickets for the second show, okay?"
"Cathy – "
"And you can bring him to the party afterwards. Everyone wants to see you again, and Etienne –"
"Fine. We'll go see the show. Thanks." Trowa pushed himself up and grabbed his backpack. He hated hearing about Etienne and Catherine never seemed to get the hint.
He went into his room and shut the door. After a moment of angry indecision he decided to do his homework – no doubt Wufei would have him driving across the desert again tonight and Trowa hadn't had much chance to work on anything yesterday.
Friday night Trowa drove over the garage after having spent two hours going through his closet trying to find something to wear. He knew he was being an idiot – but he wanted to impress Duo and he wanted to stand out from the acrobats if they were going to the party after the show. It was hard enough to compete with Heero, but if they were in a room full of the performers Trowa was convinced that Duo would quickly lose interest in him and be attracted to one of the more interesting men. Like Etienne. He finally settled on his darkest, tightest jeans paired with a black button-up.
When he arrived at the garage some mechanics were still working, although it appeared that they were tuning their personal cars instead of working on clients cars. Trowa grinned slightly. The garage was constantly humming with activity and he felt comfortable there. He wondered if Howard would give him a job…
He walked through the mechanics and to the back of the garage, where a staircase led to a loft above the work space. Duo had told him that he and Howard lived up there in an apartment.
When knocking on the door had no response Trowa let himself into the apartment.
"Hello?" He called.
"Oh fuck. Damnit – hang on!"
Trowa stepped inside and closed the door. A moment later Duo appeared, dressed in only his boxer-briefs and a pair of socks. Trowa fought to keep his jaw from dropping. He had seen Duo without a shirt before, but he had somehow missed the dragon tattoo on Duo's left hip. And Duo's attire left little to the imagination.
"Um – Trowa? My face is up here." There was amusement in Duo's voice and Trowa jerked his gaze upwards to see the braided man smirking. Trowa flushed.
"Sorry about not being ready – you said there was a change of plans. But you didn't say what kind. I mean – is this going to be a casual thing or…?"
"Sort of casual, but… dress-casual?"
Duo chuckled.
"Okay. That I can do. Have a seat and make yourself comfortable. I'll be ready in five."
Duo disappeared back into his room and Trowa sat down on the edge of the couch. He looked around at the sparsely furnished apartment. There was little decoration and all of the furniture was well-worn. He looked over at a bookcase under a window overlooking the garage. On top of the bookshelf were several framed photographs. Trowa got up from the couch and walked over to look at them.
They were all pictures of Duo – half of them featured Duo and a boy that looked like an older blonde version of Duo. The pictures showed a variety of Duos – from probably seven up until a more recent Duo. All of them showed a smiling, goofy version. There was an ease and contentment in the photos that Trowa rarely saw. That realization made him frown – it wasn't that Duo was unhappy around Trowa, it was that the braided boy was rarely, genuinely content with his life. The only times that Trowa had seen Duo look as happy and as confident as he appeared in the pictures was in their shared art class or when they were driving out in the desert.
"Hey, hey. Ready to go?" Duo was back.
Trowa turned around and had to smirk. Duo looked great. He had on a faded pair of fitted jeans, a Superman t-shirt, and a navy blazer with thin pin stripes.
"You look good."
"Thanks," Duo grinned. "Sorry I didn't say it before, but you do too."
Trowa nodded at the compliment.
"Alright, let's hit the road."
Duo led the way out of the apartment and clamored down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Several of the mechanics looked up at the racket.
"Hot date?" One of them taunted.
"You betcha," Duo shot back, grabbing Trowa's hand when they reached the bottom of the stairs.
Several of the mechanics gave catcalls. Trowa resisted the urge to jerk away from Duo and allowed himself to be teased alongside Duo as they made their way through the garage and towards the Charger.
At last they were in the safety of the car.
"Sorry about that," Duo muttered as he put on his seatbelt.
Trowa arched an eyebrow.
"They're family – they feel it's their right to give me shit."
"Hm."
"So… where are we going?"
"It's a surprise."
"Ah, good." Duo put his hands behind his head and leaned back. "I like surprises."
Trowa drove them out of Henderson and towards Tropicana Avenue and the Strip.
"Where are we eating?" Duo asked as they turned onto Tropicana.
"Thought we'd eat at our pizza place."
"Our pizza place? That sounds nice."
Trowa pulled into the parking lot and together they walked into the restaurant.
Dinner was good – Duo was always more interested in eating than talking when food was in front of him, but he still managed to make conversation around bites of pizza. After dinner Duo started pestering him again as to where they were going next.
"We're going towards the Strip… wait, we're not going to see a movie, right? What –"
"Just wait," Trowa said, smirking at Duo's impatience.
"Fine, fine. I'll just sit here, confused and lost."
"Stop being so dramatic."
"Hey, I'm not the one in a drama class."
"I dropped that."
"Oh yeah? Why?"
"I see no reason to be graded on my ability to impersonate an ice cream cone."
Duo made a choking noise and Trowa looked over in alarm. A second later the braided boy was doubled over, laughing hysterically.
"I'm sorry," Duo managed after he was able to breath again, "I just – I was trying to imagine you – you must have looked so stupid."
"Thanks. I did."
Trowa pulled into the parking deck at the MGM Grand and Duo turned to him with raised eyebrows.
"What's up, man?"
"We're going in here."
"To see the lions?"
"They're already in for the night."
"Then…"
"Just wait. Patience is a virtue."
Duo rolled his eyes.
"Like I have ANY virtues. Much less patience."
Trowa smirked as he considered the truth to that statement.
"C'mon." Trowa led the way from the car and into MGM's main lobby. Duo followed, looking around them and obviously still trying to figure out what was going on.
"Hey – are we – Tro, tell me you didn't spring for tickets to see KA."
Trowa snorted.
"Duo, I like you a lot, but I get paid next to nothing. There's no way I could afford front row seats to KA."
Duo cocked his head to one side as he considered the words.
"Um…"
"But since my sister offered to give me two comp seats…"
"No way! We're going to see KA?!"
Trowa had to grin at Duo's excitement. Duo was practically skipping beside him.
"Jesus, I can't take you anywhere." Trowa softened the words with a slight smile and Duo grinned back at him.
"This is amazing! I've never seen a show on the Strip before."
"Really? I thought you'd lived in Las Vegas for a while."
"Yeah. Five years. Doesn't mean I've got the time or the money or the company to come and see a show."
Trowa frowned.
"You really need to go out on more dates."
Duo snorted.
"This is my first one. Keep it up and I won't need to go out with anyone else."
"Am I in competition with someone other than Heero?" Trowa demanded in mock anger.
"Naw… still, this is nice. Dinner, great show –"
"Don't say that until after you've seen it," Trowa warned.
Duo rolled his eyes.
"I've seen the previews on tv – if even just those parts are great it's going to be awesome."
"It's more than awesome," Trowa assured him as they approached the will-call.
He collected the tickets and passed one over to Duo.
Duo glanced down at the ticket.
"You weren't kidding – we really are in the front row. Tro, aren't these tickets almost two-hundred dollars?"
"Yeah, if we were paying for them. Come on, let's go in, the pre-show starts soon."
"Pre-show?"
"You'll see."
Trowa led Duo inside and once again smiled when Duo gasped.
"Wow. This is…"
"This is just the theatre. Wait til you see the show."
"Wait – you mean there's more? I thought we just walked through."
Trowa rolled his eyes and tugged on Duo's hand, leading them down the aisles and to the front.
Duo sat down but was hardly still. He kept spinning around in his seat to examine the theatre and the performers that started to swing in.
"This is great," Duo said as the lights started to dim.
"Yeah," but Trowa's voice lacked the excitement that Duo's radiated.
Several performers were now patrolling the edge of the orchestra, preparing for the 'no cell phones' bit at the beginning of the show. One of the performers, a tall, lean man with long, dark hair scowled in their direction. He caught Trowa's eye and winked.
Trowa swallowed and looked away as Etienne passed them.
"Did he just wink at you?" Duo asked.
"Yeah."
"Huh. Do I need to be jealous?"
Trowa shot him a patronizing look.
"Hardly. Now hush – it's starting."
Duo subsided and sat back further in his seat.
Trowa found himself watching Duo more than the actual show. Duo constantly shifted to the edge of his seat, attempting to get even closer to the action and his eyes were perpetually wide. Trowa pointed out Catherine when his sister made her first appearance and Duo grinned before becoming completely immersed in the action again. When the fight scenes grew intense so did Duo – his body stiffened and he was almost out of his seat every time one of the performers fell from the moving platform down into the pit.
By the time the show was over Duo looked exhausted – he had thoroughly enjoyed it, judging from the expression in his eyes – but so much personal investment in it was clearly new for him.
"That was…."
They had remained seated while the rest of the audience crowded the exits.
"Yeah. First time I saw it I couldn't even try to think about it. If we see it again you should try to focus on trying to figure out the tricks – like the wires, or the platform movements."
"Dude, there's nothing to figure out, it's magic."
Trowa chuckled.
"So you liked it."
"Liked it? I loved it! That was amazing! I've never seen anything like that – it was – "
"Pure spectacle without a plot."
"Well, yeah. But people fell ninety feet! And then jumped back in! Plus your sister is totally hot."
Trowa punched him in the arm.
"Ow! She is. I think maybe I've picked the wrong Barton."
Trowa rolled his eyes.
"My sister is definitely not 'graced with the perfection of the male form' and her name isn't Barton."
"Huh. Well… can YOU bend like that?" Duo turned a speculative look in Trowa's direction.
"My entire family were acrobats. I was taking gymnastics classes before I could walk."
"I'll take that as a yes. So, what are you doing later 'cuz I've got a huge bed and I'd love to see you –"
"Trowa!"
They turned to see Catherine standing by one of the fire exits, waving at them. Trowa lifted one hand in acknowledgement.
"Come on back. It's going to be a few minutes before we're ready to go to the party."
"Party?" Duo asked as they got up from their seats.
"Yeah, this after party. We don't have to go for long, but everyone's been asking about me and…"
"It's cool. I'd love the chance to meet these people."
Which had been Trowa's greatest fear.
The party was, predictably, at Etienne's house. Trowa followed Catherine's car through traffic. Duo was still brimming with excitement, especially after his brief backstage tour.
"That pit is so freaking deep! And those mats! It must take… Trowa, I'm really insanely jealous of you. I think I'd watch that every night if I had the chance."
"They're always looking for interns," Trowa said, a little grumpily.
"Really? What does an intern do for them?"
"Mop the sweat and sweep the floors."
"Hm. But I'd get to stare at them naked, right?"
Trowa glared at him but Duo continued to look thoughtful.
"Some of those guys were hot…"
"Duo."
"Huh?"
"Am I going to have to listen to this all night?"
"Just until you kiss me again."
So Trowa risked a wreck and leaned over to pull Duo into a brief, searing kiss.
"That's better," Duo said, grinning as he pushed Trowa back to the driver's side. "Just don't kill us or get us arrested."
A few minutes later they were pulling to a stop across the street from Etienne's. A lot of the crew were already there and Trowa drew in a deep breath. He would honestly rather be anywhere than here.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. It's been a while since I've seen these people."
"So?"
"So I'm not… nevermind. Let's go inside."
"Trowa –"
"It's nothing."
Duo got out of the car, frowning slightly, and came around to his side.
"You sure?"
"Yeah." Trowa joined him and they walked across the road and up to the front door.
Trowa knocked and a moment later the door swung open to reveal Etienne dressed in jeans and a tight t-shirt that showed off his impressive physique. The wig he wore during the show was gone, revealing his short, dark hair.
"Trowa!" He pulled the boy into a hug and kissed him. Trowa instantly stiffened at the contact, but Etienne held them together for several seconds before finally releasing him. There was a teasing smirk on Etienne's face when they finally pulled apart.
Duo was looking at him with wide eyes but Trowa avoided making eye contact.
"Who is this?" Etienne's voice still had a slight accent to it – Trowa had once found that attractive and he wondered if Duo did.
"Duo Maxwell, friend of Trowa's." Duo held out his hand, clearly not wanting the same greeting that Trowa had just received.
Etienne shook Duo's hand.
"And how has our Trowa been doing?" He asked, going for a conspiratorial voice.
"Our Trowa's been just fine," Duo assured Etienne. His voice and face were now slightly guarded and Trowa started to pray for some natural disaster – an earthquake, a flood, a volcanic eruption. Anything that would make this end before it got too out of hand.
"Well, come in, come in." Etienne gestured Duo inside and put one arm around Trowa's shoulders to propel him inside. He leaned close and his hand drifted down to Trowa's waist. "You look good, Trowa – you've definitely grown since I last saw you." Etienne's gaze was filled with heat and Trowa was torn between the desire to find a bathroom and the urge to punch the man who had taken his virginity.
"Eti! Stop fondling my brother in public!" Catherine had finally left her car to join the party. Trowa took the chance to twist out of Etienne's grasp and turned a grateful look towards his sister. But Catherine was grinning and winked in his direction.
Trowa wanted out – he wanted away from these people and he wanted away from Duo's accusing glare. He almost wanted to be back in New York.
"Gonna introduce me to anyone else?" Duo asked. "I'm not sure how up for this I am anymore. Watching you get mauled in public isn't exactly my idea of a good time, yanno."
Trowa looked up at the irritation in Duo's voice. Duo jerked his head in Etienne's direction.
"Who is that guy and why does he feel the need to harass you, huh?" Duo spoke quietly so they weren't overheard. Trowa took his arm and led him deeper into the house – away from Etienne and towards the rest of the performers.
"It's a long story. Later."
"Right. But, just so we're clear – are you planning on leaving with me tonight or do I need to find another ride?"
Trowa looked at him with exasperation.
"You're kidding, right? Why the hell wouldn't I leave with you? Aside from everything else – you're the only person here worth spending time with, much less worth seeing naked."
"What, you think one date gets you a spot in my bed?"
"You're the one who wanted me to come over and show off my flexibility."
Duo flushed as he remembered that comment – no doubt he had been thinking something dirty.
"That's true. Let's put in the mandatory hour and then get out of here." Duo reached out and took Trowa's hand. He gave it a firm squeeze and then let go, walking towards the other people at the party. Trowa shook his head, amazed at Duo's equilibrium, and followed.
Trowa managed to avoid Etienne and his sister for nearly half an hour. Duo had fallen in quickly and easily with the younger performers – he seemed particularly friendly with the two leads of the show, the 'twins', and was currently sitting between them, leaning against the boy and laughing at their war stories from various performances. Every once in a while Duo would look up, searching for Trowa. Trowa stayed nearby, talking to the handful of acrobats he felt comfortable around – those who had performed with his parents and remembered him as the obnoxious kid that liked to walk the high wire when there wasn't a net under it.
But suddenly Etienne had joined the group. He waited until the current story – that of Trowa disappearing and his parents frantically searching for him until they found him asleep on top of the lion cages – and laughed along with everyone else at the end.
"I'm going to steal him for a while," Etienne announced to the group as he took hold of Trowa's elbow and started to steer him away. Trowa looked over his shoulder, but Duo was immersed in conversation and didn't see him.
Etienne led him towards the kitchen and the stairs and then up. Trowa knew they were headed for Etienne's bedroom and he steeled himself for the inevitable confrontation that would occur as soon as the door was closed behind them.
"Trowa, you don't seem happy to see me."
Etienne gestured for Trowa to sit on the bed, which the teen did with growing dread.
"Eti – I'm not interested in you."
"Oh really? You're with that little boy, then?"
"That little boy? Come on – I was three years younger than him last time I saw you. You didn't seem so uninterested in little boys then."
Etienne snorted.
"You were hardly little, Trowa. And I never said I wasn't interested in him – just that you should be with someone older, more experienced."
"Someone like you."
"Of course."
Etienne moved over by the bed, standing in front of Trowa and staring down at him. After a tense, silent moment Etienne reached out and ran a hand through Trowa's hair. Trowa flinched at the contact, but Etienne didn't seem to notice.
"Don't tell me you're still afraid of sex, Trowa. I thought you had grown up."
"I'm not afraid of sex, Eti. I'm –"
"You're what?" Etienne leaned down, his breath ghosting across Trowa's face.
The combination of anxiety at Etienne's nearness and his anger at being in this position again was doing odd things to Trowa's nerves. His stomach felt light and empty and Etienne's hand, now running down the back of his neck, made him shiver.
"What are you Trowa? Hm? I don't think it's me you're afraid of… is it?" Etienne leaned even closer and brushed his lips against Trowa's, the touch light.
"No, it isn't me," Etienne concluded. His hand moved farther down Trowa's back and at the same time he leaned closer, forcing Trowa to lay down on the mattress.
"I know that it hurt you last time, Trowa… but that was your first time… this time…" Etienne's hand moved down Trowa's side, tracing his ribs and running over his navel before reaching the top of Trowa's jeans. His fingers ran along the inside waistband of Trowa's boxers.
"Hm, Trowa?"
Trowa fought against the strange surge of lust. He WAS afraid of Etienne and he was also afraid of how easily Etienne was turning him on. Memories of that night three years ago resurfaced. It had hurt, and he knew that some of that – as Etienne said – had been because it was his first time. But Etienne, while gentle now, was incredibly forceful in other ways. Trowa shook himself free of those thoughts. That was not going to happen again.
"Eti –"
"Yes?" Etienne didn't wait for him to say anything. Instead he leaned down and put his lips over Trowa's again. This time the kiss was far from gentle. The pressure from Etienne's lips was bruising and he used his tongue to push Trowa's lips apart. The feeling of Etienne's tongue on his own was too much and when he heard and felt the zipper to his jeans being pulled down Trowa reacted.
He put his hands on Etienne's shoulders and pushed hard, sending the other man careening from the bed.
At that same moment the door opened and Duo stepped inside.
"Trowa?" Duo took one look at Trowa laying on the bed and Etienne on the floor. His lips tightened. "Let's go, huh?"
Trowa was on his feet in an instant and followed Duo from the room without looking back, zipping his pants back up as he went. They walked out of the house without speaking to anyone, although Duo did raise his hand in farewell to the 'twins' before they left. As soon as they were outside Trowa stopped and sat down on the front steps.
"You okay?" Duo asked as he joined him, their knees bumped together but otherwise Duo put space between them.
"Yeah. No."
Duo nodded his head sagely.
"Let me drive, okay?"
"I'm not that fucked up," Trowa protested.
"Yeah, I know, but I want to take us somewhere."
Trowa shrugged and passed over the car keys.
"C'mon," Duo stood and held out a hand to Trowa. "Let's blow this popsicle stand."
Trowa grinned despite himself and took the offered hand. Duo easily pulled him to his feet.
They rode in silence to Duo's mystery destination. Duo turned on the radio and the heavy bass from rock songs had lulled Trowa into a sense of security. He closed his eyes and leaned back in the passenger seat.
"We're here," Duo announced a few minutes later as the car came to a stop.
Trowa opened his eyes to a spectacular sight.
They were up on the top level of a parking deck, several blocks east of the Strip, and the neon skyline stretched before them. Trowa had never seen the casinos from this angle – he had never been impressed with the Strip anyway. But the sight was almost breathtaking.
"Wow."
"Yeah," Duo agreed. He cut the ignition and leaned back in his seat. "I come up here all the time. It's…"
"Bigger than us," Trowa finished for him.
"Yeah, exactly." Duo turned to him with a crooked grin. After a moment he reached across the seats and ran his fingers over the back of Trowa's left hand.
"I don't know what's going on with you and that guy. If you want to talk… if you don't…. that's fine."
Trowa drew in a deep breath.
"He's… he's Etienne." Trowa laughed bitterly. "He's just Etienne."
"Yeah, that part I kinda had figured out."
Trowa felt his throat constrict.
"I –"
"Okay, so not yet. That's fine."
They sat in silence for several minutes, enjoying the view while Duo traced patterns over Trowa's knuckles.
" Hey, wanna go back to my place?"
Trowa looked over at him.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not up for sex right now."
Duo snorted.
"Yeah, um. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a slut. I have no intention of having sex with you tonight, Trowa. In the future, yeah, but not tonight. Not on our first date!" The last was said with mock surprise and Trowa felt a smile tugging at his lips.
"Okay, let's go to your place then."
"Great. I'll make some ice cream sundaes."
Trowa shook his head.
"What are you, twelve?"
"What are you, sixty? Who the hell doesn't like ice cream sundaes?"
"I don't know. I just haven't had one since…" Trowa frowned as he thought back. "Not since we were in St. Louis. Twelve years ago."
"Dude. We're talking serious ice cream withdrawal, in that case," Duo's voice was light as he avoided what was obviously not a good topic.
"Yeah," Trowa agreed and leaned his head against the window, the feeling of the cool glass soothing.
"Hey." Duo's fingers tightened around Trowa's hand. Trowa turned his hand and tangled their fingers together. The rest of the ride was in silence, but Trowa felt more at ease and was able to swallow normally by the time they reached the garage.
The place was empty and the lights were turned down low.
"Is Howard going to mind?"
"Hardly. If he was here he'd probably give you a beer. But he's out tonight – with his lady friend." Duo waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Duo took his hand again once they were out of the car and led him up the stairs.
"Alright, let's see about those sundaes."
Duo still held Trowa's hand as he turned on the lights and closed the door, then led him into the kitchen.
"Okay, it'll take me no time at all to create two of these edible masterpieces," Duo assured him, finally releasing Trowa's hand.
Trowa nodded and lifted himself up to sit on the counter. He watched as Duo collected all of the necessary ingredients and, true to his word, in no time at all Duo was passing him a dish with ice cream and toppings piled high on top of a banana. Duo put his own dish to the side and hopped up to join Trowa on the counter before digging in.
"This is good," Trowa said after several bites.
"Yep. Best thing in the world for a shitty day," Duo agreed.
"It wasn't that bad."
"Not for me, for you it sure as hell was. I was having a great time until I walked in on that shit. Seriously though, as dates go it was pretty great."
"Not that you have anything to compare it to."
"True," Duo agreed. "But it was still damn good."
"Up until that last part."
"Yeah. Up until that last part."
They finished off the sundaes in silence, but by the last bite they were leaning against each other, which made it awkward for Trowa to use his right hand so he had to finish off the sundae with his left hand, which made it a slightly sloppier and more difficult task, but he wasn't complaining. Duo's warmth and nearness was comforting.
Once the dishes were empty Duo took them and the spoons and put them in the sink.
"C'mon." He pulled Trowa down from the counter and led him deeper into the apartment. They walked into a dark room and Duo flipped on the light switch to reveal a room that had nearly every inch of wall space covered in posters and bookshelves. Trowa looked around, impressed by the sheer variety. Posters ranging from Picasso to Chinese propaganda to Star Wars and Lou Gehrig. Books on nearly every subject and CDs and DVDs crammed the bookshelves full.
"This is nice."
"Yeah, it's kind of an explosion," Duo started to apologize, one hand scratching the back of his head. Trowa had watched Duo enough to know that this was a gesture he made whenever he was feeling embarrassed.
"No, really. It's great."
Duo smiled slightly.
"Yeah, okay."
They stood awkwardly for a moment before Duo yawned wide enough to crack his jaw. Which immediately prompted Trowa to follow suit. Duo chuckled.
"C'mon, it's late."
"Okay." Trowa turned to leave but Duo caught at his hand.
"I wasn't telling you to leave."
"But –" Trowa frowned, trying to figure out what was going on.
Duo rolled his eyes.
"I said I wasn't going to have sex with you. But I do plan on sleeping with you. Unless you really want to go back to your apartment and wait for your sister to get home at three in the morning and ask you how things went with Etienne?"
Trowa swallowed hard. That was exactly what would happen if he went home.
"Not really."
"Good. Then take off your clothes."
"You sure you aren't trying to -"
"Keep on your boxers, then. I can still cop a feel if I want to."
Trowa rolled his eyes but started to undress.
Duo rifled through some drawers.
"I've got some sweats if you want – they're gonna be about six inches too short."
"No, I'm fine in my boxers."
"Cool, d'you mind… I usually just sleep in my skivvies?"
"No, I don't mind. That way I can still cop a feel too."
Duo chuckled.
"You want inside or outside?"
"Um?"
"Of the bed."
Trowa looked over. Duo's bed was shoved into a corner, with windows on either side of the head of the bed.
"Inside."
"Cool. Then after you."
Duo gestured towards the bed and Trowa climbed under the sheets.
A moment later Duo joined him. For a minute or so they lay staring up at the ceiling.
"Is it going to freak you out if I touch you?" Duo asked.
"No."
Duo scooted closer and Trowa turned, his back to Duo's front. Duo put one arm across Trowa's side, his hand resting on the mattress beside Trowa's right elbow. Duo's chest was against Trowa's back, but the contact was loose – Trowa could easily pull away and Duo's arm was light and not at all constricting.
They lay like that for several minutes until Trowa felt ready to talk.
"He was my first time."
"How old were you?"
"Fourteen. He was twenty-one."
Duo was silent.
"It was… not pleasant."
"Did he –"
"He didn't rape me. He just, didn't really consider the fact that I was fourteen and thought that kissing and touching his dick was great but didn't really feel ready to have my face pressed into a mattress so hard I couldn't breathe while he fucked me without using lube."
Duo's arm tightened around Trowa.
Trowa drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Cathy thought I was just being a kid – she thinks I was just inexperienced."
"Well obviously, you were a virgin," Duo said bitterly.
"Yeah, but she doesn't understand – that's not why."
"I know. I – Heero was my first. Last year. Neither one of us knew what we were doing, so it was a mess. Heero's not exactly… gentle or thoughtful at the best of times."
"No shit."
"And he didn't use enough lube, and he… well, it sucked."
"But you've worked through that," Trowa said bitterly.
Duo moved closer and leaned his face against the back of Trowa's neck.
"With the sex, yeah."
Trowa tried to move away but Duo kept hold of him.
"Don't do that."
"What?"
"Get all distant. I'm here with you, aren't I?"
"Duo –"
"You haven't even asked me to stop seeing him."
"Not that I'm in the position to do that."
"No, you're not," Duo agreed. He kissed Trowa's neck. "Not yet."
Trowa snorted.
"What? A few more confessions about my shitty childhood and I'll be in?"
"Don't be an asshole. I've known you for three weeks, Tro."
"And we haven't had sex yet. What, are you waiting to compare and see which of us is worth keeping?"
Duo kicked him and Trowa winced.
"Shut up or I'm going to start getting angry. I don't need shitty confessions or a trial run to know I like you better. But things are complicated. Right now – right now you feel really good and I just want to sleep with you. I never get to cuddle and you need some cuddling. So suck it up, kiss me goodnight, and let's sleep."
Trowa fumed silently for a moment but then he rolled over and Duo kissed him on the nose.
"Good. Now sleep, you grumpy bastard."
Trowa felt a grin tug at the corners of his mouth and obediently rolled back over, resuming their previous positions. He was asleep within minutes.
TBC...
So yeah… that was god-awful long. I know that the chase was short and there was way more on the relationship that maybe there should have been, but I felt like throwing in some nice, angsty-fluffy romancing. Hope you all enjoyed.