Disclaimers and warnings in first part
ADVANCED RESERVATIONS – PART 9
The day passed slowly for Trowa. Unable to go back to sleep, he lay on the bed that he had shared with Duo, inhaling the scent that still remained on the sheets and pillows, remembering the times he and Duo had been intimate.
He had been astonished to learn that Duo had managed to keep his innocence after all this time. He had been even more shocked when he had learned how willing to experiment Duo was. Anything that he had suggested, the American had agreed quickly, sometimes pouncing on Trowa in his eagerness. The memory made Trowa smile, laughing slightly at himself acting like a love sick fool.
Nearly an hour passed before he got out of the bed. He walked through the apartment naked, locating Duo's discarded robe and pulling it on his own body, burying his nose in the fabric briefly. Realizing what he was doing, he shook his head, amused by the way he was reacting to the other man's absence.
Resolving not to do anything else that was foolish, he cleaned the forgotten food off the table, the memory of taking Duo on the couch running through his mind, making the chore much more pleasant. While running the dishwasher, he recalled not only all the things that he and Duo had done, but also all the things they had discussed between their bouts of lovemaking.
The time they had spent together had been short in reality, but felt like it had been much longer. He had learned so much about Duo that he hadn't been aware of. He hadn't been surprised that the American hid a remarkable intelligence behind his sharp wit, and could debate on many topics at the drop of a hat, or an offhand remark.
Trowa had been awed when he learned that Duo had never had any formal schooling until after the war. He had been taught to read by the people that had run the orphanage, but the young American hadn't been interested in an education at the time, more concerned with surviving. His time with Professor G had trained him in the many things that were necessary for the operation of his Gundam. There had been a few moments of disbelief when Trowa discovered that Duo had managed to learn how to operate Deathscythe in a matter of months, while he himself had been trained for several years at the real Trowa Barton's side, in case a replacement had been needed.
He had found that they shared a number of interests, including old movies and classical music. They both enjoyed a number of sports, and both had an artistic side as well, Trowa composing and playing music, Duo drawing and painting with an impressive amount of skill. There was also a shared love of exotic and gourmet food, and both enjoyed to cook. He had been delighted to hear that Duo was the one to create the menus for the second floor of all his restaurants, leaving the first floor menu up to the manager of the restaurant as long as it was approved beforehand.
To distract himself from his lover's missing presence, he pulled the out the file on his next assignment, spending several hours memorizing all the pertinent information. After that task was complete, he got dressed, then took his laptop and composed his resignation letter to Une. He expected to have a number of questions and inquiries about this decision, and wasn't disappointed.
After he sent the e-mail to his commander, his phone began to ring almost immediately. He answered it with a sigh, already knowing what he was going to hear. “Hello, Ann,” he answered, deliberately used his commander's first name, letting her know that he had no intention of arguing about his decision.
“Barton, I just received an interesting bit of mail. Care to explain why one of my best agents is quitting?”
He laughed a little at the question, “One of your best agents? Come now, tell the truth. I've been worthless for several months now.”
“You've been a bit…off lately. You'll be back to your regular status in no time,” she reassured him softly.
“I have no urge to be back to my regular status. I've been offered another position,” he spoke bluntly now.
“You are considering another position? With whom?”
“I'm not considering it. I've already accepted. I start as soon as I get done with the job here. After that, I will no longer be an agent with the Preventers.”
There was a moment of silence after his declaration. He heard a sigh, “With whom?”
“The Maxwell Foundation.”
The bark of laughter surprised him, and he looked at the phone with a frown before placing it back to his ear just in time to hear the lady speak, her voice still reflecting her amusement. “I was wondering when you two would end up running into each other. Do you have any idea how many times the two of you have missed each other in the past three years?”
“What do you mean?”
“Almost every time you were in a city during the last three years, Duo Maxwell was in the same city at the same time. I never could figure out how you managed to miss him all the time. I didn't think that was possible, considering how often you have been in Death's Delight.”
Trowa was stunned into silence for several minutes, his mind running faster than it had in a long time. “And why was I in the same cities as Duo for the last three years?” He dreaded the answer, but thought he had an idea already.
“Someone requested it, actually.” The commander fell silent for some time, then breathed out with a gust of air into the phone. “I assumed that you were aware of the request, Barton.”
“I was not,” his tone was flat as he replied. “So in essence, the last three years of my career with the Preventers has been a total sham. I guess this explains why there were so many last minute changes in my schedule,” Trowa was aware of how irritated he sounded, a reflection of how he felt. To find that his job had been basically controlled by someone's whim was quite upsetting. “Do I even need to ask who was responsible for my farce of a career?”
“I have the feeling that you already have a suspect,” Une stated softly.
Taking a deep breath, Trowa rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache forming. “I guess that explains how Quatre met Zechs,” he huffed. “How long were you aware of the relationship between them?”
“You speak like I knew of it.”
This time it was Trowa's turn to laugh. “There isn't anything that goes on in that building that you aren't aware of, Commander. I'm sure you knew about it, but I don't know why I wasn't at least given some sort of warning to the situation.”
“I apologize, Trowa,” He could hear the sincerity of her words, supported by the use of his first name. “I honestly didn't know that you and Mr. Winner were still involved until some time later. When I learned of Mr. Winner's involvement with Agent Marquise, I assumed that the two of you had called things off.”
“What led you to believe that we had stopped our relationship?” Not sure why he asked, he felt that the answer was important.
“I never saw the two of you together anymore, and you never spoke of him. There were no after mission phone calls, or shared lunches. Those were things that you did together, and when they stopped I assumed you had split up. I am sorry for not asking you about the changes in your schedule. You never complained about it, so I thought you were conscious of the reason behind it.”
With a shake of his head, he decided that it was no longer important. His career with the Preventers organization was at an end. “It doesn't really matter anymore, I suppose. The matter at hand is my resignation. Are you going to argue with me about it?”
“Of course not, if this is truly what you want to do. You could always stay with us, with the return to your field mission status.”
Trowa had to laugh at the bribe she was offering, “I think I'll have to refuse the offer. I have a feeling that my new job will keep me very occupied.”
“I had to try,” she laughed back at him across the line, then sobered. “How about I do you a favor to show how truly apologetic I am about letting a civilian influence my decision?”
“I think that depends on the favor.”
“I'll try to find someone to take your place for this job. You may have to guard the girl for a few days, but after that, you are free of the Preventers. Is there anything else that I can do for you?”
Trowa spent a few minutes longer on the phone, accepting the favor from Une. She was also willing to help him get his things moved to a warehouse and stopping the lease on his apartment. He knew that he would not be returning to DC, at least not without Duo by his side.