Part 1

"What's this?" Heero asked. Coffee cup in hand, he looked down at the huge sheet cake on the break table. Written in Icing were the words, 'I Quit! Duo Maxwell.'

"Maxwell's resignation letter," an agent explained with a smirk of appreciation.

"How long ago did he leave this?" Heero asked as he put his cup down, frowning.

"Just now," the agent informed him. "I guess someone had better tell Une. Hey! What are you doing?"

Heero wrote, with his finger, just below Duo's name, Heero Yuy. "What am I doing? I'm about to catch up with my future. See you around."

Heero jogged out of the break room as the agent groused, "I was going to eat that, Yuy!" He sighed. "Une is really not going to like this."

Part 2

"Duo!" Heero pulled his red sports car along side Duo's racing black motorcycle. Braid whipping behind him, Duo's black helmet let nothing show of his expression until he flipped up the visor. His shock was plain.

"Heero! What the hell? You should be working!" Duo shouted as loud as he could to be heard.

"I quit, too!" Heero brandished a blue icing finger at Duo and then sucked the icing off as Duo looked on in confusion. "I want to come with you, where ever you're going."

"I don't know where that is!" Duo shouted back. "I just want some freedom!"

"Me, too... with you!" Heero shouted back. "I couldn't before this, I was your superior officer!"

Duo scowled. Heero's promotion had always irritated him. "You're just going to throw all of that away, now... and come with me?"

"I'm throwing it all away for you!" Heero replied.

They drove, side by side, for several long minutes, the long stretch of country road devoid of traffic, and then Duo jerked a thumb at Heero's car. "We can't go, together, with that thing. I wanna ride my bike."

Heero hit the brakes, brought the expensive car to a stop, and then stepped out. He waited for Duo to turn and come back to him, and then he climbed onto the back of Duo's bike. He tossed the car keys through the window and they landed on leather seats. "Let's go, Duo."

Duo's eyes were wide and then he grinned. "Okay. Hold on to your ass, baby, I drive fast and loose."

Heero grabbed onto Duo's black leather jacket and smiled back. "That's why I love you."

Duo laughed and popped the bike into a wheelie as he took them both down the road.

Drabble #32

The door of the hair salon burst open and Heero Yuy ran in, hands out stretched and eyes wide with panic. "Don't do it!"

The stylist and Duo, frozen in place, stared as Heero yanked the scissors from the stylist's hand and barked, "Let go of his hair, now!"

She squeaked as she dropped Duo's loose tresses and backed away while Duo demanded, "Yuy?! What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Trowa told me what you were planning to do!" Heero informed him as he put the scissors aside, as if it were a live grenade, and confronted Duo.

"So?" Duo wondered, totally confused as he pulled the hair apron off.

"He told me that you were cutting your hair off, because you think that I think that it's feminine. Trowa said that it mattered that much to you, what I thought, and that it was my fault, because I couldn't get my head out of my ass long enough to tell you how much... how much I care about you."

"Heero?" It was Duo's turn to squeak in surprise as Heero gripped his arms hard and leaned in close.

"Don't cut your hair," Heero insisted. "I love it... and you. I'm sorry that I've been too much of a coward to tell you before now."

"Actually," Duo replied in a small voice. "I was just getting a trim. I think Trowa was kidding you."

Heero went white, his hands almost breaking bones in Duo's arms.

Duo searched frightened blue eyes and added, "It's okay, though. I'm glad that you told me. It does mean a lot to me that you feel the same way that I do about you."

Heero blinked, and then blinked again, and then he was pulling Duo up into his arms. Duo looked over his shoulder at the frightened stylist. "Uh, can you reschedule me for next week?"

Drabble #33

"Well, why wouldn't people think that?"

"Because it's crazy!" Duo snarled. Hilde put a hand on his arm to keep him in his chair. His purple eyes were molten fire as he told agent Starnes, "If you have proof, then lay it out, otherwise, shut your hole!"

Starnes glanced around them, at the other agents in the commissary, watching the loud exchange. He firmed his resolve, despite the man he was facing and his reputation. "You're Yuy's partner, but that's against regulations. Couples, of any kind, aren't allowed to work together. My proof, that you two are a couple, is the fact that you freakin' live together, drive to work together, have lunch together, go to every Preventer function together, take vacations together, sometimes accidentally wear each others clothes, and, lastly, eat off each others damn plates."

Heero paused in the act of forking some potato salad from Duo's lunch plate. He had seemed amused, at first, in stark contrast to Duo's anger, but now he swallowed uncomfortably and put down his fork. "We've been friends since the war, that's all it is, Starnes."

"He's hot for Relena!" Duo joined in, furiously, "I'm with Hilde! See?" He held up her hand, despite the fact that she looked ready to sink under the table in embarrassment. "That's an engagement ring! That serious enough heterosexuality for you? Heero and me are not gay! We are not a couple!"

Starnes was suddenly unsure of his ground. He grunted, finally, and said, "Well, it looks like it, is all I'm saying."

"Well, don't!" Duo snarled. "And get the hell out of here!"

Starnes beat a hasty retreat as Hilde hissed, "Great! Now everyone thinks we're getting married!"

Heero frowned and held out his hand under the table. "Can I have my wedding ring back, now, please?"

Hilde pulled it off and handed it back as she grumbled, "I don't see why the hell you two want to be so secretive about your relationship!"

"Don't ask, don't tell," Duo quipped. "We want to keep working together, the soon to be Mrs. Maxwell."

"Eat shit, Duo! This is as far as it goes. I'm not pretending to marry you," Hilde retorted.

"Think Relena will let me marry her, then?" Duo asked Heero plaintively.

"Over my dead body," Heero growled.

"Work with me, here, Mr. Yuy-Maxwell," Duo begged.

"I intend to, but I'm not going THAT far to cover this up, Mr. Maxwell-Yuy."

Hilde made en exasperated noise. "You still can't even decide about the name! You two are impossible!"

"Which is why we're together... and why we work together," Duo said as he grinned at Heero and was given a soft smile in return. "Nobody else can stand us."

Drabble #34

"Who the hell is that?!"

"Don't know, but they must be trying to commit suicide."

"He's going to burn in re-entry, for sure."

"In a stolen shuttle, no less. They just got an ID. It matches the numbers on a shuttle stolen from L3."

"Well, if he doesn't burn up, he's going to jail. Get the force ready to move in."

"Will do."

"No pilot."

"What the hell? Was the shuttle on autopilot?"

"For a hot landing like that? No, of course not. The tires were burned up coming down that hot and fast. The pilot skidded on metal the last yards. That takes damned excellent pilot skills."

"So, you're telling me, that, who ever he was, jumped out of a flaming, stolen shuttle, on a torn up runway, in front of all of our ground crew, undetected, and went... where?"

"Got me."

"Captain! We have a report of a stolen chopper!"

"What the fuck is going on?!"

"I'm stumped."

"ID that chopper! I want this criminal apprehended right now!"

"Sir!"

"It's down... where?"

"Down town, city square. It landed on a rooftop of a high rise."

"Son of a bitch! Any casualties?"

"None, sir."

"The pilot? No, let me guess... You followed him to that exact spot, he put the chopper down, on a totally exposed rooftop, and you lost him?"

"Uh, yes, sir."

"I want that pilot in jail for the rest of his life. As for you, and your men, you can all hand in your badges if you don't FIND HIM!"

"Stolen vehicle, sir."

"Did you ID it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Are you tracking it?"

"No, sir."

"I have a migraine, suddenly. Do I get an explanation as to why not?"

"Unable to locate, sir."

"That's an explanation?"

"The only one I'm able to give, sir."

"Do something for me, please?"

"Yes, sir?"

"FIND THAT MAN!!!""

"Call security!"

"Why?"

"An armed man, in Preventer fatigues, demanded the room number of a patient in ICU and then refused to listen when we told him that he couldn't go in there."

"But... he's Preventers. Maybe there's a reason?"

"You didn't see his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in days and he was... determined, wild, ready to shoot, I think, if we had gotten in his way. Scared the piss out of me, I can tell you!"

"Who did he ask for?"

"Duo Maxwell, another Preventer agent, the one who came in with multiple gunshot wounds."

"Ah... Well, we won't be calling security, then."

"Why not?!"

"That wild man was Heero Yuy."

"THE Heero Yuy? The Gundam pilot who saved the Earth?"

"That's him. I think that we all can both agree, that we owe him a great deal, surely enough to allow him to lose his mind, a little, when his lover almost dies on a mission."

"A little? Doctor Po, he shot open the security door when the nurses tried to lock him out of ICU."

"I'll talk to him... later. Let him alone, for now."

"Yes, doctor."

"H'ro?"

"It's me, Duo. Are you... all right, love?"

"Hurts..."

"I came as fast as I could."

"But... you were on... L3?"

"Was."

"How?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Why do I think... that I'm... going to be... mad... when you... tell me?"

"You can be angry, all that you like. Just get better, love."

"You're here... Of c'rse, I'll... get better, H'ro."

"That's why I came, love."

Drabble #35

"Duo, position?"

"Don't know, Heero. It's too confusing."

"Stay in contact, Duo. I might be able to talk you through it."

"I doubt it. Do you even know your position?"

" -_-'"

"At least you have the supplies, Heero."

"Status?"

"Fading fast."

"Hold on, baby, I'll find you, somehow."

"There's too many people, Heero... too many ways to go. Who the hell thought up this rat maze? He must have been an A-1 Oz psycho. Damn! This is the third time I've ended up at the same place!"

"Describe your location, Duo?"

"Paper towels... detergents. Yours?"

"Shoes, kitchen goods."

"In the same place?"

"Oddly, yes. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to their layout."

(Would the two lost Gundam pilots, please report to the front of the Walmart.)

"Hey, Heero! That sounded like Hilde!"

"It did.... Where's the front of the store?"

"Hmmm..... I don't know... maybe if we follow the wall around?"

"Good idea... Where's the wall?"

"Uhm...."

Drabble #36

"Should I ask, Duo?"

"No."

" -_- "

"You won't like the answer. That's all I'm saying here, Heero."

"Okay. At least get your foot off of my desk, so I can work."

"Uhm..."

"Is that part of what I shouldn't ask about?"

"Yes."

"You're making this difficult."

"Well, You'll get mad. Maybe you're having a good day, and getting mad will ruin it for you? Why don't you go use my desk, or, better yet, Fei's in the next office?"

"Is this a distraction tactic?"

"Yes."

"So, if I leave, your bare foot will be gone from my desk in about....?"

"Uhm... about a half hour... if I'm lucky."

" -_- "

"This isn't a mission, Heero. Don't set your watch timer. About a half hour, I said."

"Duo?"

"Yes?"

"I think that my life would be too boring without you in it."

*Grins*

"A half hour. I hope you're right. I have a lot of work to do."

"Don't worry. I have it all under control. Bye, now."

*Cell phone rings*

"Perkins? Of course it's Duo, you shit! Did you get the super glue remover? Yes? Well bring it here, pronto! Heero knows about the foot! I have to get unstuck in a half hour. Stop laughing, asshole! It's not my fault that industrial super glue, likes to reside in unmarked bottles, and date tubes of antibacterial cream in Heero's drawer! No I won't tell you how I even know what's in Yuy's drawers. Jeez! You have a filthy mind! Desk drawers, moron!"

"Duo?"

"Heero? It hasn't been a half hour."

"I couldn't help hearing..."

"I told you, you didn't want to know."

"Your foot is hurt?"

"Yeah..."

"How?"

"Something on the testing range. Went right through my boot."

"Hm... here?"

"Yeah, small, yet annoying as hell."

*Rummages through drawer*

"What are you doing, Heero?"

"Putting cream on your wound."

"Uhm... thanks."

"You're welcome."

"************"

"************"

"Should I ask what you two are doing?"

"No, don't ask, Chang."

"Definitely, not, Fei."

"I thought not..."

Drabble #37

"What are you doing, Duo?"

"Waiting."

"For what?"

"Dinner."

"I'm not cooking."

"I know, Heero."

"You're not cooking."

"I know."

"Is someone else cooking, Duo?"

"Yes, the crockpot."

"Crack pot? I told you not to insult Milliardo..."

"How likely is it that Milliardo Peacecraft is cooking dinner in our kitchen?"

"Point taken... So, then, who is?"

"The crock pot, Heero. Sally gave it to me. She said that eating baloney sandwiches for dinner was gross."

"We don't have a great deal of time to cook..."

"That's what I told her and that's why she gave me the crock pot. She said, 'Throw it all in and six to eight hours later, it's dinner.' Couldn't argue with that, so I took the thing."

"Is that what that smell is?"

"Yup."

"Is it done now?"

"Yup. so let's go eat."

" O_O "

" O_o "

"So, Duo, what is that in the pot, exactly?"

"Baloney, cheese, and leftover chow mein."

"Did Sally buy you a cook book along with the crock pot?"

"No."

"I think we should get one."

Drabble #38

"Beneficiary... hmmm..." Duo scratched his pencil eraser against his face in thought, and then wrote something with a slight blush.

Trowa didn't hesitate to write.

Heero frowned and didn't write anything.

"Trouble?" Trowa wanted to know.

"Paperwork stinks, especially when it's stupid paperwork," Duo groused as he stacked his new insurance forms. "Why does Preventers keep having to change Insurance carriers?"

"Because, sooner or later, they all wise up that we have a lot of 'accidents' in our line of work, expensive ones," Trowa explained.

Heero was still frowning at his paper.

"You can put anyone," Trowa told him. "I put Quatre as my beneficiary."

"As if he needs more money," Duo snickered.

"It's not that," Heero replied. "I suppose that I don't like to think of the death aspect of the question."

"We'd all like to be immortal, but..." Duo shrugged. "Gotta think of people left behind when our number comes up."

"I was," Heero replied and his eyes flicked up at Duo as he wrote in the space.

"Duo Maxwell," Trowa read in surprise and looked at Duo to see what he thought.

Duo was wide eyed. "Really?" he said softly.

Heero nodded solemnly.

Duo pushed his paper across the table so that Heero could read his name, written neatly, in the beneficiary space. "I guess we were thinking the same thing."

"Yes," Heero agreed and their eyes locked with intensity.

Trowa rolled eyes, stacked his papers, and stood up. "It's suddenly very hot in here. See you guys later."

He was ignored. He sighed, but he was smiling, too, as the two men reached across the table for each other as he made a graceful exit.

Drabble #39 -- Anniversary

"You've forgotten, haven't you?"

"No, the meeting is at nine, Chang."

"I can't believe, Yuy, that I remembered your anniversary, and you didn't."

"Is it?"

"Yes, it is. I distinctly remember that I was renewing my car tag, on line, when Maxwell came in and said that you were domestic partners. 'Hitched', I think is the way he put it. Today, I renewed my car tag, Yuy."

"I can't believe it's been a year..."

"Why are you going back to work?"

"Because, I have work to do?"

"Yuy! Maxwell will expect a gift, or dinner at the very least."

"He will?"

"Yes."

"Why are you so concerned about this?"

"Because Maxwell is my partner, and I don't need him to be an emotional wreck on the eave of an important operation. He's also my friend, and I don't wish to see him disappointed by a thick headed man's insensitivity."

" -_- "

"What?"

"If you're making a move on Duo..."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"He is mine."

"Then act like it!"

Later....

"A gift? What for?"

"Our anniversary, Duo. It's been one year."

"That was today, baby? Sorry, I forgot."

"You two are hopeless!"

"What the hell's wrong with Chang, Heero?"

"Oversensitive."

"Is he making a play for you, Heero?"

"No."

"Good! 'Cuz you're mine."

Drabble #40

"Admit it, you're worried about him."

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it?"

"I have work to do, Trowa."

"I can see you attempting work, Heero, but I can also see-"

"Duo is a good agent. A good partner."

"You are so damned transparent, Yuy. I wish you would drop the act. Who's the act for, anyway? Embarrassed? Scared? Unsure?"

"...."

"You can pretend to work on that case, but I know that you really want to be at the hospital."

"It was a graze. He's getting stitches, not an operation."

"Still... it was pretty close, wasn't it? One inch more... need another pencil, Yuy?"

"It must be defective."

"Yeah, they don't make them to withstand Gundam Pilot emotional upheavals."

"..."

"Talk to me."

"I..."

"Yes?"

"Maybe he doesn't want me... there?"

"Sometimes, you have to take that chance, that he might reject you, but, I can honestly say, that I don't think that he will."

"He won't?"

"Find out."

............

"Where's Yuy?"

"Out taking a chance, Quatre."

"It's about time."