Disclaimers: Don’t own them now and never have. Feel sorry for me.
Warnings: angsty-ish and kinda depressing. Former 6x2 and lots of lamenting
Monday
After a long and tedious day, Duo was looking forward to a quiet evening at home, hoping to spend some time with his new roommate. It had taken all weekend to get Trowa’s things moved into Duo’s house and situated, but the braided man was silently thrilled at the prospect of spending time with the man he loved.
Not that Trowa had any idea how Duo felt. The L2 native had made sure not to do or say anything that would make the tall man suspicious, afraid if Trowa knew how Duo felt he would move out, or worse, no longer want to be friends.
Although they had been friends for a long time, Duo was always happy when he was able to spend time with the green-eyed Preventer agent. Luckily, Trowa didn’t seem to mind doing things with him, like going to movies or going hiking on the weekends, but he had never shown any interest in Duo beyond friendship. Due to the way they get along, when Trowa had commented that the lease on his apartment would soon expire, Duo happily offered the use of his guest room; unused other than a few boxes he had stored there.
Trowa had clearly been pleased by the suggestion and had accepted immediately, leading to a full weekend of back-breaking work to get the tall man out of his apartment and comfortable at Duo’s. It was painful to admit that eating pizza while sitting on the floor with Trowa had been the most excitement he’d had in months, but the American was ready to get back to his normal weekday routine.
Thinking of this, Duo was smiling as he entered the house, smile fading when he saw Trowa dressed in a pair of grey slacks and a turtleneck the same color as his eyes, clothes he had not been wearing that morning when he had left for work. “You going out tonight?” the braided man asked in a tone that rang with false cheer to his ears.
“Quatre called,” Trowa stated absently as he grabbed his jacket from the hook beside the door. “He’s going to be at the restaurant in about an hour.”
Hopes for a peaceful evening with his roommate vanished as Duo took off his jacket and shoes, wincing as he realized how badly his feet ached. “Have a good time. Tell Quatre I said hello.”
The tall man froze, eyes jerking to where Duo was emptying his pants pockets. “The invitation is to both of us. You have enough time to take a shower before we leave.”
“Oh, well…I guess I’ll go get ready,” the braided man commented as he made his way through the living room. At least this way he would be able to spend time with Trowa, although they wouldn’t be alone and they wouldn’t be at home the way he had wanted.
“Duo, if you don’t want to go…” Trowa began, spreading his hands in a questioning manner when Duo turned to look at him.
Since this was what Trowa wanted, the American dredged up a smile and ignored the way his back ached and feet throbbed, “It’s fine. It’ll just take me a few minutes to get ready.”
The restaurant was nice, although a bit fancier than Duo was used to. The choice of eating establishments wasn’t a surprise; Quatre always picked this kind of place. To his dismay, Trowa seemed to be fine with the surroundings, clearly at ease as he and the blonde spoke in quiet tones, relating how their days had gone.
After listening to stories of Trowa taking part in the arrest of a government intern that had been blackmailing her boss and Quatre’s tale of firing several people that had been stealing from the company, Duo didn’t feel comfortable talking about his day. The most exciting thing for him had been the arrival of a new shipment of seeds and the landscaping contract he had negotiated between his business and a set of apartment buildings.
Eating his overpriced steak, he tuned the conversation out and thought about the next day. He had to make a new schedule for his employees and begin the search for replacements for the couple that had quit, leaving him scrambling for someone to complete the landscaping jobs he had scheduled for them. Completing his mental list, he then thought about how he had envisioned the first real day he and Trowa lived together; comparing it to reality and becoming very dismayed.
Being disappointed by reality wasn’t a new concept in his life, but he hadn’t expected Trowa would be so willing to get out of the house. What if Trowa didn’t like living with Duo and had just used the dinner with Quatre as a way to make certain he didn’t have to spend any extra time with the braided man?
“Duo, are you okay?”
Glancing up in surprise at hearing his name, he saw two pairs of eyes watching him worriedly, “Why? What did I miss?”
Exchanging identical expression of concern, both men frowned at each other before looking at him again. The blonde shook his head, “You didn’t miss anything, but you aren’t eating. Don’t you like the food? If you don’t, we can send it back and get something else.”
Not wanting to see the way his friends were looking at him, Duo turned his attention to his plate, stunned to see he had barely touched the food on it. With exaggerated movements, he cut the steak up and speared a piece with his fork, “It’s fine, Quatre. I was just thinking about…work.” To make his statement more believable, he put the piece of meat in his mouth, finding it undercooked and chewy.
“Are you having problems?” Trowa asked suddenly, head turned so Duo could only see one eye that looked unimpressed with whatever could cause the American problems.
Recalling the tales of intrigue, bribery, and thievery, Duo shook his head and gave a fake smile, swallowing hard to choke down the piece of food that seemed determined to remain lodged in his throat. “What problems could I possibly have? It’s not like my job requires as much attention as yours.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Duo. I went to see you last week,” Quatre leaned his arms on the table and smiled. “You’ve done an amazing job. The place looks great and everyone was so professional. I was even able to ask the questions I had and get real answers. I might finally be able to grow something now, all because of the aid your employees offered.”
Duo smiled at the praise, his good mood evaporating when he saw that Trowa was frowning at him again, even fiercer than before. “You need all the help you can get, Quatre. I’ve never seen someone so adept at killing plants,” he teased, wishing the night was already over.
Depression turned to confusion when Trowa joined the conversation, “I’ve never seen someone as good at growing things as you, Duo. All the plants you have at home are a testament to your ability to nurture living things.”
Baffled at the compliment, Duo shrugged, more uncomfortable now than he had been when the pair had been ignoring him. “It’s one of the only things I’m good at,” he muttered, wondering how he could ever hope to get Trowa’s attention as more than a friend when he was so…mediocre at everything. “If you can’t be good at everything, try to find at least one good thing you can do well, right?”
The awkward silence that descended on the table was, thankfully, broken by the arrival of the waiter. As soon as the man walked away with Quatre and Trowa’s orders for dessert, Duo excused himself and went to the bathroom, chastising himself for taking what would have been a pleasant evening for the pair and ruining it by being there. It was obvious they didn’t need him there, and why would they? He was no one compared to them.
Returning to the table, he didn’t sit, standing beside the table as he took out enough money to cover the entire meal. Quatre’s eyes were wide as he regarded the standing man, “Duo? What’s going on?”
“I’m just tired, Quatre. I’m going to get a cab and go home.”
“Wait and we’ll get our dessert to go,” Trowa suggested, beginning to stand.
Waving the tall man back into his seat, Duo shook his head and worked up a smile, “No. I insist you guys stay here and finish your meal. I’ll see you when you get home.”
“Duo, are you sure?” Quatre was frowning now, worry visible in the sky-blue eyes.
“Absolutely positive; you two enjoy the rest of the evening. I’m going to go home and…rest. I’ll see you both later.”
“I’ll be home in a little while, Duo, just in case you feel like talking.”
Trowa’s suggestion made Duo even sadder, aware that if they had spent the evening at home he would have felt free to talk. After the awkward dinner, however, he felt moody and depressed and knew he would say more than was smart if he talked. “Yeah, okay. Thanks for dinner, Quatre.”
By the time Trowa arrived home, Duo was already in bed, pretending to be asleep when a shadow darkened his doorframe. Through slit eyes, he watched the dark form for several minutes until he heard a quiet sigh and Trowa left.
Back to Fanfiction On to Part 2