"I heard that no one wanted to go up against you." Heero smirked as he crossed his arms and tried to mimic Duo's expression. "I'm not against fighting for charity, but I really don't think it's a good idea if I participate. I'll help out another way."

Duo tutted softly and grinned. "Don't tell me you're afraid to fight me?"

"No." Heero sighed, trying to figure out the most diplomatic way to explain himself. He couldn't tell Duo that he was afraid of hurting him, or worse, that he didn't want to embarrass him by totally destroying him in front of an audience. "It's supposed to be for fun. We're so competitive that we might forget that fact once we get into it."

"Then we'll put on a good show!" Duo rolled his eyes in exasperation. "It's not like we don't know how to take a punch. Please, Heero? I really want to do this."

"It's all for fun?" Heero raised an eyebrow. "So you won't be mad at me if I win?"

"As long as you won't be mad at me when I win." Duo laughed and turned towards the door. Heero hadn't actually agreed, but he knew that didn't matter to Duo. "It's on the 16th so put in on your calendar. I'll email you the details."

Heero watched Duo disappear down the hall before scrubbing his hands over his face. What had he just agreed to? Since he'd started working for Preventers it had taken two years for the rumor mill to settle down and stop talking about him. Sure, the occasional whispers of 'Superman' were still heard when he walked by the break room, but at least they were whispering now. It wasn't his fault that he was good at what he did, although there were those times since he'd joined Preventers that the whole thing still bothered him. He knew that Duo was just trying to draw him out of his office and into the 'social' aspects of his job, but putting on gloves and going three rounds with Duo was the last thing he wanted to do at the moment.

He stared blankly at his computer screen, envisioning the lights and the people. God, all the people. It's not like he hadn't heard of this event, or read the memo that had been stuffed into everyone's mailbox, but he'd rather go through the Preventers' New Hire Training Program again than participate. He closed his eyes and growled softly to himself. He was a grown man for Christ's sake, just because Duo wanted him to do it didn't mean he had to. He could grow a fucking pair and just say no.

Opening his eyes, he'd decided that was it, he'd call Duo and say no. He could do that. There was really too much on his plate right now to make time for a boxing match, even if it was for charity. Feeling better at having made the decision, he picked up the phone and had gone so far as to dial the first two numbers to Duo's extension when his computer beeped, informing him he'd just received an email. Of course he knew who it was from. Hanging up the phone, he brought his email up on the screen, resisted the urge to delete the damn thing, and clicked to read it.

Thanks so much for doing this, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I managed to get Une to agree that half of the proceeds could go directly to fund repairs to L2 orphanages. It wasn't easy -- I had to agree to be in charge of ticket sales. I swear the woman had that planned all along, but who am I to argue? Anyway, like I said, it's on 16th, so that gives us two weeks to train. So far they have six fights planned, including ours, and I heard rumor they might be getting those sumo suits for some type of intermission show. Don't worry, I won't volunteer you for that. The gloves and any other equipment needed will be provided, although each fighter has been asked to provide their own mouth guard.

Seriously, Heero, I really do appreciate this.

~Duo

I wouldn't mind having someone to train with, if you're interested. I'll be in the gym tonight after work, let me know. Thanks again!

Heero groaned, reading the email again and kicking himself as his decision to tell Duo 'no' flew out the window. Why was it that he could be assertive with everyone else in his life, but Duo always seemed to have him wrapped around his finger?

You are such a pain in the ass. I'll be there.

~H

He hit send and went back to work.

After retrieving his gym bag from the car, Heero went down to the men's locker room to change. Although he'd never admit it out loud, getting to punch things was just what he needed after the day he'd had. He'd managed to spill coffee on his shirt, had closed his fingers in the filing cabinet, got into a disagreement with Faulk over the return inventory from his last case, and had to sit through a long and tedious teleconference about an upcoming security detail.

Spotting Duo's bag stuffed under the bench, he hesitated for a moment. It had been a long time since he'd used his workload as an excuse to not work out with Duo, slipping into the gym when he knew the other man wasn't there. You're not a fucking kid anymore, Yuy, you have self-restraint! He changed quickly into a pair of shorts, a white t-shirt, and his sneakers. Rolling his shoulders, he tried to will away the tension of the day and walked into the gym. Duo was on the far side; sitting on the floor stretching and laughing at something Miller must've said as he walked by if Miller's facial expression was any indication.

"Finally," Duo greeted with a smile, looking up through messy bangs. "Miller bet me twenty bucks that you'd back out and I needed the coffee money."

"Back out?" Heero asked, joining Duo on the floor. He started stretching his legs, watching Duo move out of the corner of his eye. Duo wasn't a big guy, but at five foot ten his lean frame was cut with compact muscle that wasn't visible beneath his clothes. So much hidden strength made him a powerful ally, no one saw him coming. So much hidden, even from you, huh? Heero frowned slightly, pushing such thoughts away.

"Miller's in charge of the lineup for the event and when I entered us he said you wouldn't go through with it. I told him I had your word." Duo raised a questioning eyebrow. "I do have your word?"

"I said I'd do it," Heero grumbled, focusing on the feel of his muscles releasing the day's tension. Duo nudged him playfully. Heero looked up and couldn't help but grin. "You're such a pain in the ass."

"So I've heard." Duo chuckled and stood, shaking out his limbs before offering Heero a hand up. "It's good for you to change up your routine."

Heero rolled his eyes as he accepted the jump rope Duo held out. Training had begun.

"I think I pulled something important," Duo groaned, stretching out on the narrow bench in the locker room and rubbing his inner thigh. Heero bit his lip and turned away. "I saw that, Yuy, you can keep your snickering to yourself."

Heero looked at him over his shoulder and smirked, trying desperately to hide behind the scenario Duo had set up. If Duo thought he was finding the situation amusing, let him. Please. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Duo was sprawled there, rubbing so close to the bulge hidden beneath his shorts to ease out the pain in his muscles. Nothing at all. "Wasn't it you who said it's good to change up your routine?"

"I meant you." Duo sat up and glared, making Heero laugh. "I lift weights, I do cardio. Who would've thought boxing would use so many different muscles?"

"It's mostly the same muscles, you're just using them differently." Heero pulled his t-shirt off and tossed it on top of his gym bag before grabbing a towel. "You need a hot shower before you stiffen up."

"I need a masseuse," Duo shot back, tugging his t-shirt over his head. After a brief glimpse of Duo's happy trail, Heero turned abruptly and stalked towards the shower. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. This was why he'd stopped working out with Duo to begin with.

Heero showered with his eyes closed while mentally cataloging all his books. In alphabetical order.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, he left Duo in the shower and went to get dressed. He could do this. He had to do this, he'd given the jerk his word. He was slipping on a clean t-shirt when Duo came over, wearing nothing but a smile, his towel draped over his shoulder. Damn. Frantically, Heero started shoving his stuff back into his bag.

"I've got to go, I'm late for a meeting."

"Now?" Duo asked in disbelief.

"Yes, due to time differences," Heero lied, slinging his bag over one shoulder, and trying really hard to just look at Duo's face. "Sorry."

"No worries." Duo bent over to pull clean clothes out of his bag, his ass out for the world to see, and Heero bit his tongue. Hard. "I'll be out of the office all day tomorrow, but I'll be back in time to meet you here at five."

"If you can't make it, don't worry about it," Heero said over his shoulder as he walked towards the door.

"I forced you into this, Heero, I won't leave you hanging."

Heero didn't respond, waving over his shoulder instead, and walking out. He was in so much trouble.

Hell. He was in Hell. It had taken him years to work out his relationship with Duo in his mind. To be able to act normally around him when they hung out. To not react physically to Duo's friendly touches. To be thankful that he had Duo's friendship, because it was better than nothing at all. And to have all that hard work nullified in just two weeks because Duo had convinced him that he needed to fight for charity.

Not for the first time in the last two weeks he'd looked up to find Duo watching him with that odd expression, a mix of confusion and concern, and wondered what prompted it. He thought he was acting normal! Heero felt like he was losing his mind. Forget his initial feeling of not wanting to hurt Duo in the match, after the last two weeks it took everything Heero had to resist beating the fucking shit out of Duo for making him feel this way.

They were both drenched with sweat, dancing around each other in the ring. As always, their sparring had drawn quite the crowd of onlookers who didn't hesitate to shout out advice. To Duo. Why was it everyone seemed to be rooting for Duo?

"Jab with your left!"

"Keep your chin down!"

"Right! Your right!"

Heero growled loud enough for Duo to hear and Heero didn't miss the apologetic look on Duo's face before he hit him with an uppercut and sent him sprawling on his ass. Heero was done with the 'sorry' bullshit, he just wanted this fucking thing to be over. Not bothering to wait for Duo to regain his feet, Heero turned and left the ring. He ignored Duo calling his name as he walked quickly towards the locker room, ripping his right glove off his hand with his teeth.

By the time the locker room door shut behind him, he had both gloves off and had thrown them at the lockers, sending them bouncing off onto the floor. Before he realized what he was doing, he'd punched a locker with his bare fist, denting it inward.

"What the fuck is your problem, Yuy?"

Heero spun around to find Duo standing just inside the door, watching him warily despite the obvious anger in his face. What the fuck was his problem? Heero wanted to scream 'You! You're my fucking problem!' but managed to keep his mouth closed. He could feel adrenaline thrumming through his veins, his body ready to fight ... or fuck, and seeing Duo standing there with his shirt off and his chest covered with sweat, the latter was almost too hard to resist. He buried his fingers in his damp hair and grabbed fistfuls, knowing he must look crazy. He didn't fucking care.

"This fight is my problem!" Heero ground out, noticed Duo moving cautiously closer. He let go of his hair and let his fisted hands drop by his sides, watching a drop of sweat traveling over the ripples of Duo's abs. Images of what it would be like licking the sweat off Duo's skin flooded his mind. Forget looking crazy, he was going fucking crazy. They might call him Superman behind his back. They might whisper gossip about his strength and endurance. They had no idea what he was capable of, and at the moment he was pushed to the limits of his self-restraint.

"You're backing out!" Duo accused, crossing the distance between them and pressing his index finger against Heero's chest. Heero swore he felt a jolt when the finger touched him and he literally jumped backwards.

"Don't touch me," Heero said slowly, trying to breathe. Despite the anger, hurt was still obvious in Duo's eyes, making Heero's stomach sink. With a sigh he ran a hand through his hair, cursing softly to himself. "I'm sorry. I'm all amped up and ..." if you touch me again I don't think I can control myself. He took a deep breath and blew it out.

"You're not going all Zero on me, are you?" Duo had taken a step back, and Heero noted that his stance was textbook 'non-threatening'. If Duo only knew that it wasn't violence Heero was contemplating at the moment, maybe he wouldn't be standing so close.

It was as if all the pent up aggression, tension, and frustration short-circuited something important in his head. Heero couldn't help it -- he started laughing. Once he started laughing he couldn't stop. Holding his stomach, he helplessly slid down the lockers and onto the floor. Looking up through teary eyes, he noted the unsure smile growing on Duo's face, and laughed harder.

"Oh, god!" He gasped, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands. He managed to breathe and looked up at Duo with an almost feral smile. He was losing his fucking mind for sure.

"Heero? Are you okay?" Duo was now standing over him, his happy trail a little too close for comfort. That sobered Heero up quickly.

"Yeah," Heero said, regaining his feet. "I'm sorry, Duo, I'm not going Zero."

"Listen, you don't have to do this if you don't want. I --" Heero covered Duo's mouth with his hand, ignoring the sizzling jolts traveling down his arms from the press of Duo's lips against his palm.

"I want to do this. I warned you I might have trouble with the competition part." Heero lowered his hand and immediately fisted it, as if holding part of Duo in the palm of his hand. "I just didn't want to kick your ass the day before the fight." Liar!

Duo smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. Heero wondered what part of himself he was giving away at that moment, but it was too late now. He also wondered how he'd managed to hold himself together this long, after tomorrow he'd probably be royally fucked. You wish. Shut up!

"Really, Duo, I'm fine." Heero didn't miss the quick glance Duo shot towards the dented locker.

"Still want me to pick you up tomorrow night for the fight?" Duo asked tentatively.

"Of course."

When he'd gotten home the night before he'd had the desperate idea that if he could exhaust his sexual urges he'd be able to regain control over the whole Duo situation. Without bothering to shower, he'd stripped, dropped onto the bed, and immediately lost himself to all the fantasies that had been accumulating in his head over the last couple of years. He wrapped the hand that had been pressed over Duo's mouth around his stiff cock and let himself go. Again and again and again. By the time he was fully spent he barely had the energy to shower and change the soiled sheets before falling into an exhausted sleep.

He dreamed of Duo all night long.

Dragging himself out of bed that morning, he felt like he'd barely slept. Dread gnawed at his belly for the night to come. It was as if something had happened over the last two weeks that couldn't be taken back. Primal urges had been released in testosterone, adrenaline, and sweat, and the draw he had to Duo had gone beyond quiet longing. He didn't think he could go back to quiet longing, he just didn't have it in him. By the time he was getting dressed to leave, Heero had come to the realization that he was no longer in control. He only hoped the damage he did would be repairable.

Duo arrived at his door an hour before the event. His stance was relaxed, but there was noticeable strain in his eyes. Heero was pretty sure his weird behavior the day before had something to do with Duo's state, but couldn't bring himself to say anything for fear he'd start a conversation that they didn't have time to finish. Or worse, a conversation that would end in them having their match right there in Heero's living room. They needed to be somewhere with witnesses.

"Ready to go?" Duo asked, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his leather jacket. "Miller's fighting Costa in the first fight and I don't want to miss it."

Heero grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch and slipped it on. "Ready."

Conversation was a bit strained between them on the drive to the arena, although Heero could sense he wasn't the only one tiptoeing around certain topics. Regardless, he was genuinely relaxed in Duo's presence, used to the dance of concord that usually existed between them. Although there was a slightly new beat to the dance, Heero was hard pressed to decide if it was coming from him or Duo. Leaning back in his seat, he watched Duo drive, wondering what had changed in Duo's obvious sleepless night before.

He's going to tell you to fuck off, faggot. Heero jerked his gaze out his window at the thought, mindlessly watching the world as it passed. It suddenly dawned on him that Duo had never before inquired about his personal life, or more accurately his sex life. Was it Duo's version of 'don't ask don't tell'? He shook his head slightly to alter the direction his mind was taking. Now was definitely not the time.

"You're quiet," Duo said softly, his eyes watching the road ahead. "Sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure." Heero shrugged. "I just didn't sleep very well last night."

"Tell me about it," Duo muttered. Heero saw how his grip tightened on the steering wheel.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Turning his head, Duo grinned evilly. "Kick your ass? Absolutely."

Heero grinned and chuckled. "You wish."

The grim mood in the car lifted. For some reason it struck Heero funny and he laughed quietly to himself. The humor was short lived. When they pulled into the parking lot, Heero was shocked at how packed it was. As if reading his mind, Duo spoke, his tone tinged with pride.

"We sold out."

"You're kidding me." Heero took in the groups of people making their way toward the building.

"Nope. Une put me in charge of ticket sales and I took my job seriously." God, so many people. Heero felt anxiety knot his stomach.

"I do appreciate you doing this for me," Duo said seriously as he took the key out of the ignition and opened his door. He looked like he was going to say more in the glow of the dome light, but just offered a small smile before turning to get out of the car.

'Please let me not go overboard,' Heero asked silently to the fates, hoping when he was in the thick of it he could still manage to keep his head. It was all fun and games until he beat Duo to a bloody pulp, or worse, tried to fuck him in front of an audience.

The noise was deafening when they walked inside, cheers, catcalls, and laughter intermingling with music pumped in through unseen speakers. Heero followed behind as Duo waved to various people, stopping occasionally to shake hands and lean in to exchange words. There were familiar faces in the crowd, most waving happily to Duo. Heero didn't want to turn this thing into a popularity contest, it was for charity for fuck's sake, but he couldn't help feeling awkward in the crowd. Maybe he should've made more of an effort to be social in the past, but it was too late to change that now.

Heero hadn't realized he'd stopped when Duo was ushering him forward and guided him towards the front row of seats. "These seats are reserved for the fighters. We're the third match, so we have time to relax." Duo had leaned close to be heard over the din, and Heero resisted the urge to close his eyes as he breathed in Duo's scent. He felt himself growing hard. Fuck.

He dropped into a chair just as Miller was walking over, his boxing gloves tied and draped over his shoulder. "Maxwell! I was afraid you'd miss my fight."

"You kidding? I have a hundred on Costa to kick your ass," Duo teased, slapping Miller on the back. Heero crossed his arms and glowered. Why had he agreed to this again?

Before he could wallow too deeply in misery, the lights in the arena dimmed and Duo jumped into the ring. The spotlight illuminated Duo's wide smile as someone threw him a microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to our first annual Preventers Brawl for Bucks! We appreciate your support in aiding those in need by coming down here tonight and cheering us on. Now it's time for us to show you first hand that Preventers know how to kick ass!" Duo smirked, tossed the microphone to a man in a tux that Heero vaguely recognized, and hopped out of the ring.

The crowd went nuts, screaming and cheering as the MC announced the first fight. Duo had dropped into the seat next to Heero, letting his thigh press against Heero's. He didn't move away.

The first match was a good one and in no time both Heero and Duo were jumping out of their seats and screaming at the two fighters along with the crowd. Heero was cheering for Costa, not because Duo had bet money on the man, but because Miller had seemed a little too close to Duo for Heero's liking. In no time blood was flowing as freely as the sweat. Both men were equal in skill, but Costa had managed a few sweet maneuvers in the end that won him the match. Heero cheered.

The second match was a couple of women Heero recognized from records. They were more vicious than the men, and Heero was fascinated by their stamina. He was disappointed when Duo nudged him halfway through the fight so they could get ready for their match, he really wanted to see how this ended.

His adrenaline was already pumping just from watching the first two matches and he felt pretty damned good when he went out to Duo's car to retrieve their bags. The night air felt good on his skin and he breathed deeply, willing away any residual anxiety over their upcoming fight. Following Duo's instructions, he went around the building and entered through the door in the back that was propped open with a cinder block.

When he walked inside Duo was standing there in sock feet with his arms stretched over his head. He saw Heero come in and smiled. "This is going to be great!"

Heero returned the smile. "I hope so."

"As long as you'll still love me after I kick your ass," Duo teased, grabbing his bag slinging it over his shoulder.

"I think it'll be the other way around," Heero retorted, following Duo into the locker room.

"Dream on!"

Heero tried to stay focused as they changed, keeping his gaze on task as he helped Duo lace up his gloves. Maybe he could do this.

Watching Duo's braid twitch as he shadowboxed, Heero stood still while Costa laced up his gloves. The roar of the crowd swelled as he heard their names announced. This was it.

The lights were so bright in the ring that he couldn't see into the crowd, which was a godsend. The fight was on. It didn't take long before Heero was completely in the zone, blocking, moving, and punching. Duo hit him with a hard right hook, sending his head snapping back, letting him know that Duo wasn't holding anything back. Adrenaline surged as Heero feinted with his right then made contact with his left. First blood had been drawn.

The three-minute rounds seemed to go on forever, yet were over too fast. By the start of the third round, Heero was feeling fatigue set in as they circled each other, fists flying. He could taste blood from where Duo had split his lip, his left eye swelling shut. Duo looked as bad as he felt, blood dripping off his chin and his cheek swollen and bleeding. Neither was aware of the crowds, or how violent their fight had become compared to the first two.

Duo caught him in the side of his head, making his ear ring, and Heero's counter attack was swift and vicious. When the fight was called they both needed to be forcibly restrained to end it.

"It's over Yuy!" Both Miller and Costa had him by the arms as he struggled against them. They'd managed to walk him into the locker room, but for some reason they appeared reluctant to let him go. Looking up he noticed Duo in the exact same position, his eyes filled with fire. "It's over!"

"I'm fine," Heero managed, relaxing his body so they'd let him go. They hesitated a moment before releasing him. Once they let go he tugged at the tie to his glove with his teeth and pulled it off.

"Okay, let me go." Heero looked up to see Duo shrugging people off with a growl. He started to smile, but opened up the split in his lip, and winced instead. With his free hand, he undid his second glove and tossed it on the floor next to the first.

"I told you so," Heero said once they were alone in the locker room. He crossed the room and motioned for Duo to hold his gloved hands out. His body was literally thrumming with the high from the fight, and suddenly nothing was beyond him.

"What?" Duo asked, his voice hoarse. Holding up his hands, Heero unfastened the gloves and pulled them off.

"I warned you that we'd take the whole fight thing too far." Heero swore he could smell violence and adrenaline coming off of Duo. It was a heady scent and that went straight to his groin.

Duo glanced down at Heero's crotch and grinned. "If that was too far I'm disappointed. I was willing to go farther. Much farther."

There was way too much testosterone in the room, too much power. Heero's control snapped as he shoved Duo back against the lockers. He expected Duo to be startled, but the man's mouth just quirked into a feral grin. It was all the invitation Heero needed. When he lowered his face in search of Duo's lips, he was shocked when Duo met him halfway.

There was no tenderness in their first kiss as their tongues continued the fight that had ended in the ring. It tasted of blood, power, and raw masculinity. It was perfect. Heero leaned his body closer, feeling the unmistakable hardness of Duo's cock pressing against his thigh. Questions whispered through Heero's mind, but he pushed them away. He'd deal with the repercussions later -- Duo was kissing him back and he was too fucking ecstatic to care.

Duo's fingertips were digging into the sweat-slicked skin on Heero's back, pulling him closer as Heero nipped and sucked a trail down Duo's throat. There was so much urgency in the moment, as Heero snaked a hand between their bodies, cupping his hand over Duo's hard cock.

"We can't do this here," Duo panted as he thrust his hips forward.

"I don't care," Heero growled. And in that moment he didn't. Nothing else mattered.

"I do," Duo said, sliding his hands around to Heero's abdomen and planting his hands on his chest. He eased him slowly away, leaving Heero confused.

Heero tried to catch his breath as he searched Duo's battered face for the regret he expected. There must've been something in Heero's face because Duo shook his head slightly, grinned, and reached up to touch his fingers to Heero's split lip. "Let's get out of here."

"And go where?" Heero's voice was low and suggestive as he braced his arms on either side of Duo's head. His body was still thrumming, his cock still hard, yet his brain had miraculously managed to engage. Duo was right, he couldn't do the things he wanted to do to Duo there, especially now that he realized that Duo was a willing participant.

"Take me home with you," Duo said, reaching between their bodies and running a finger up Heero's cock. "You have a lot of pent up ... aggression you need to release and I'm just the man to help you."

"Are you sure? Because once I get you there I don't think I'll be able to let you leave until the rest of this has played out."

Duo chuckled softly and nodded. "You don't want to know how long I've been waiting for this to play out. Hell I took a beating to get this to play out." Duo leaned closer and kissed Heero's swollen eye. "Take me home, Heero."

Heero stole one last kiss, this time gentle and soft, before grabbing Duo by the upper arm and dragging towards the parking lot. He wished they'd taken his car, at least he had tinted windows. There was no way they'd make it back to his place fast enough.