Disclaimer: This story was written by a fan only for the enjoyment of other fans, without any monetary compensation. Gundam Wing and its characters are registered trademarks of Bandai Entertainment Inc.™ and Sotsu Agency. All rights reserved.

Thanks to Kt for proofing this story.

Happy Treize and Zechs day!

'The Road Trip' is a short story set in my Ghost Detective universe to celebrate June 13th, which coincidentally in this universe is also Milliardo's birthday. Hope you enjoy!

The Road Trip

Chapter 1

With a yawn Milliardo slowly opened one eye then the other. A few rays of sunshine that had made their way through the partially drawn shades had woken him.

"Good morning!"

The young man turned his head. In the bed beside him, Treize had pushed himself up on one elbow, regarding him with a soft smile.

"Good morning to you too." Milliardo stifled another yawn. "What are you doing?"

"Watching you. Do you have any idea how incredibly beautiful you look when you are asleep?"

"Alright...! That's very flattering, I guess...in a creepy kind of way. But what I really meant was, what are you still doing here in bed? Shouldn't you be in school or at least be getting ready for it?"

"Finals are over. I got a lot of overtime saved up, so I figured I would start my vacation a little early."

Vacation, right. They were planning on flying to the Hamptons where Treize's mother was currently staying, and spend a few days there at the family's summer estate. Milliardo, who had yet to meet any part of the Khushrenada family, had to admit he was more than just a little anxious about it.

"Besides," his lover added. "I really wanted to be with you today. You know what day it is, don't you?"

The younger man's lips curved into a soft smile. "I do know. And since it IS my birthday, and Alexander and Cabal will be spending the next few days with Quatre and Trowa how about..." His smile took on a seductive expression and his voice turned into a soft purr "staying in bed the whole day."

"Tempting, very tempting." Treize returned the smirk. "But I actually had a little idea of my own."

"Oh?"

"How about spending the morning in bed, and then... Since the weather is so perfect for a little road trip...why don't we climb in that Ferrari of yours and see how fast it can go on an empty country road...?"

Milliardo gave an amused huff. "Was that invitation meant for Heero? I don't own a Ferrari."

"You do now!" The professor's grin widened as he dangled a little keychain with the red and black Ferrari logo in front of his lover's nose. "Happy Birthday!"

Milliardo's jaw nearly dropped. A gasp of surprise escaped his lips. "Treize, you are crazy!" he exclaimed.

A low chuckle bubbled in the other man's throat. "A simple 'Thank you!' would have sufficed."

"How is this for a thank you?" Milliardo reached out to pull his lover closer, cupping the back of the other man's head with one hand while he leaned in to cover Treize's mouth with his own.

Moaning in delight Treize closed his eyes as he parted his lips slightly to allow Milliardo's tongue to slip between them. Slender fingers buried themselves in his hair. He snaked his arms around his lover's body embracing him tightly. When lack of air finally forced them to break their kiss both men were smiling.

"That..." the professor panted breathlessly. "Made every penny worth spending."

Milliardo laughed as he snatched up the car keys that had slipped from the other man's fingers and jumped out of bed. "What are you waiting for? I could have sworn you said something about a road trip?"

"What happened to spending the morning in bed?"

"It's highly overrated. From what I've heard people spend nearly 1/3rd of their life in bed anyway."

"You will allow me to shower and get dressed before we leave, now won't you?" Treize inquired, his voice laced with amusement and sarcasm.

"If you must," his lover shot back as he pulled a pair of boxers and a T shirt from the dresser. "But you'd better hurry if you don't want me to leave you behind."

###

"Treize, I've got an idea," Milliardo announced as he reached across the table for the pepper mill

After a few rounds around Kensington plaza and a quick drive up Quail Hill to show off the new ride to their friends the whole gang had ended up at Mimi's for a little impromptu birthday breakfast.

"Oh?" The professor looked at his lover questioningly over his coffee cup.

"How about we drive out to the Hamptons?"

"Drive?" Treize echoed.

The other man nodded. "We could leave this afternoon, snuggle up at some cozy little road side motel for the night and be there some time tomorrow."

"You do realize that means we will have to drive back as well?"

Milliardo shrugged. "It's not really that bad. Besides, it will give me a chance to really let this baby run."

"I take it then this 'baby' is a keeper? You know, I have got a little arrangement with the dealer. We can return it if you don't like it."

"Don't like it?" Milliardo snorted. "You have got to be joking! I LOVE it. If you want that car back you will have to pry the keys from my cold dead fingers."

The professor laughed.

"I told you." Duo Maxwell grinned.

"You knew I was getting a car?"

"Of course," the young man confirmed. "We all knew, after all we did help pick it after all."

"I thought it was your idea, Treize?"

"It was, Dear. I knew what I wanted to get you but needed some opinions on the model and color. Besides, I figured Heero probably knows a lot more sports car dealers than I do."

"I don't know why everyone assumes that." Heero gave a shrug. "It's not like I'm buying sport scars by the dozen or so."

"No Dear," Duo patted his lover's back. "You just own them by the dozen."

"But technically most of them belonged to my grandfather. I only inherited them. The only car I ever bought on my own is Wing, just because he never would have let me have it while he was still alive."

"You name your cars?" Trowa smirked.

"You don't?"

"No, but he names his guns!" Quatre announced, earning himself a glare from his friend and bodyguard

"Seriously? Like what?" Duo wanted to know.

"Well let me see... There is Heavyarms and...ouch!"

This time his friend had emphasized his glare with a kick under the table, but Quatre wasn't that easily intimidated.

"He even talks to them while he is cleaning them," he blurted out before Trowa could kick him again.

"I do NOT," the young man insisted. "Well, maybe I talk a little to myself while I am cleaning my guns, but that's different."

"Totally different!" Duo didn't even bother hiding his grin.

It went on like that for another few minutes until Treize pulled out his wallet. "As much fun as it is to find out about everyone's funky little secrets, I'm afraid if Milliardo is serious about driving all the way to the Hamptons we really ought to be going. We still have to pack, too. But that doesn't mean you guys have to rush. I will tell the waitress to put the bill on my credit card. So you guys have fun, okay."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Duo smirked. "Happy Birthday, Milliardo. Have fun with that new car and also meeting your future mother in law."

The tall blonde winced. "Thanks a lot, Maxwell. I had almost managed to forget about that." He turned toward Quatre and Trowa as he rose from his chair. "Now remember, if Cabal or Alexander give you any trouble... any trouble at all you call us and we will come back right away."

"Don't worry," Quatre assured the young man. "They have never given us any problems before."

Yeah, I know. But one can hope...

###

"How does it feel?" Treize asked a few hours later when the little silver bullet was flying over the I-70.

"Unbelievable." Milliardo smiled. "You know, compared to this, my old car drives like a brain-dead rhino."

The other man laughed, it was a pleasant and bubbling sound.

"Do you want to try it?" the blond offered.

"Thanks." Treize shook his head, a soft smile on his lips. "I'll take over later. For now, you enjoy."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Besides, I already tried it. You didn't think I bought this car without taking it on a nice long test drive, now did you?"

"Actually," Milliardo admitted. "I was wondering about that. Somehow I never imagined you as the sports car kind of guy."

Another laugh. "I am not completely against sports care, just because I prefer the luxury and comfort of a Mercedes or BMW. In fact, I do enjoy going fast every once in a while."

"Oh really? Well then," the younger man grinned as he switched gears. "Let's see what this baby can do, shall we?" He stepped onto the gas and the sound of the V8 engine changed from the purr of a kitten to the roar of a lion as the needle on the speedometer moved past the 100mph mark.

The highway was empty and hadn't passed another vehicle for miles, but suddenly there was a pair of headlights in the rear view mirror...a pair of headlights, firmly attached to the front end of a Ford Crown Victoria in the blue and gold colors of the state police.

The young man swallowed a curse as he slowed down. "Any chance he didn't notice?"

No such luck. The police car flashed his lights signaling him to pull over. It pulled up directly behind them, and Milliardo could see the uniform clad officer flip open his gun holster as he approached.

Exchanging a quick gaze with his lover, the blond decided it was best to keep his hands nicely visible on the steering wheel. He rolled down the window as the officer knocked at it.

"Please turn off the engine, Sir."

Milliardo complied. The trooper bent down to take a look at Treize in the passenger seat then turned his attention back to the younger man. His eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses and it was hard to read his face.

"License and registration please," he demanded flatly and then as Milliardo handed him the papers he added. "We were in a bit of a hurry there, weren't we? Are you aware what our speed limit is?"

"70 I believe."

"Do you also know how fast you were driving when I clocked you?"

"I'm afraid I don't know." Milliardo lied, although he was pretty sure it was almost twice as fast as he should have been driving."

"Let's just say I was almost expecting you to take off any moment, Mister... Peacecraft." The trooper seemed to have at least some sense of humor.

"I'm sorry."

His eyes still on the driver's license the trooper finally noticed the day of birth and looked up.

"Its your birthday today!"

"Yeah. And I just got the car this morning and... No, that really isn't an excuse, is it?"

"You are right, it isn't. I will be right back."

The man walked back to his cruiser, probably to check for any outstanding warrants or tickets when his radio came on. He talked to someone for several minutes before returning to hand Milliardo his papers along with a speeding ticket.

"Happy birthday! I hope it was worth it." He bent down to focus on Treize one more time. "If he is your friend you might want to make sure he slows down, and lives to see his next one."

With that the man tipped his hat and left. He climbed into the police car and took off with flashing lights and blaring sirens, making Milliardo wonder if something had happened.

The young man sighed as he folded up the ticket and stuffed it into the glove compartment. - He never understood why it was called a glove compartment, considering people seemed to use it to store anything but gloves.

"Well, I suppose it could have been worse ."

"Don't worry. I will take care of it."

"No," Milliardo shook his head. "As much as I appreciate the offer, I'm going to pay it myself. However, if you don't mind taking the wheel for a while?"

"Of course not."

"There should be a gas station coming up, shouldn't there?"

"Are we running on empty already?" Treize asked, surprised. I knew sports cars were known to be gas guzzlers, but...

"No," Milliardo grinned. "But all that coffee I had for breakfast is finally catching up with me."

"Well, let me check the GPS, I think there is a rest stop only a few miles ahead."

##

The rest stop Treize was referring to consisted of a gas station, with a small convenient store, a playground where kids who had been sitting inside a car for too long had a chance to stretch their legs, and a little sitting area with several picnic benches and umbrellas. The bathrooms, located on the other side of the building were locked and Milliardo had to go get the key from the gas station attendant.

"I'm going to get something to drink, do you want something too?" the older man asked.

"A bottle of water maybe for later, oh and some chips."

"You got it," Treize nodded as he disappeared into the Quicky Mart.

When Milliardo returned from the restroom a few minutes later the other man was sitting at one of the wooden tables sipping lemonade from a glass big enough to quench the thirst of an elephant, and a young boy about 9 or 10 years old was hanging around his Ferrari. Milliardo watched the kid suspiciously as he walked over to the table.

"It's alright." His lover seemed to be reading his mind. "I have been keeping my eye on him. He is just looking."

And sure enough a few minutes later the boy's curiosity seemed to be satisfied. He ran off, disappearing behind the gas station where the playground was located.

#

"Those were pretty good, you should have had some." Milliardo bunched the now empty chips bag into a ball, tossing it skillfully into the nearby trashcan before flopping down in a patch of grass behind the picnic bench.

"You are going to get grass stains all over your pants," his lover warned.

The young man simply shrugged, too lazy to care. He interlaced his fingers behind his head and stared into the blue pre-summer sky.

"Doesn't this look like a dog?"

"What does?"

"The cloud above us. See there is the head, the ears and you can see a little tail."

Treize crooked his head as he gazed up as well. "Hmm... Looks more like a dragon's head to me."

"A dragon's head?"

"Yeah, see there is even a tiny puff of smoke coming from its mouth."

" I guess so." Milliardo laughed softly. "I remember doing this for hours when we were kids, watching the clouds with my friends and making up stories about what our imagination made us see. Haven't done it in ages, though."

"It's one of those things you just outgrow, I suppose." The other man shrugged as he settled down next to him. "Or perhaps it just isn't considered fashionable to spend your time cloud-watching when you are an adult."

"Who cares?" Milliardo glanced at him briefly then back into the sky. " Look, now it's turning into a giant ship. But what about getting grass stains on your pants?"

The professor grinned softly. "Who cares."

They both laughed.

"Thanks, Treize. And I don't mean just for the car. This past year has been... incredible, you know. I just can't imagine not having you by my site anymore."

"Thanks," Treize snaked one of his arms around his lover's waist as the young man moved closer to rest his head on his chest. "I feel the same about you, Milliardo. You have changed my life in more ways than you can even imagine."

"For the better I hope."

A tiny smirk curved the older man's lips. "Mostly for the better."

Milliardo gave a low, bubbling laugh. "I can live with that. Say, we are in no hurry, right?"

"Not particularly. Mother isn't expecting us until around dinner time tomorrow."

"Good, then maybe we should see if we can't find us a motel room somewhere nearby, before we get another ticket... for indecent exposure." Milliardo nuzzled his lover's neck before softly whispering into his ear. "Because if we stay here like this for much longer there might be a real danger of me starting to rip off your clothes."

One of Treize's eyebrows jumped up in amusement. "We can't have that now, can we?"

TBC