Warnings and disclaimers in first part!
After lunch, Trowa returned to the office, empty handed. Wufei took one look at his expression and winced, “Let me guess…they were out of everything?”
“A man shoved his way in front of me and took the very last box of Valentine’s Day candy off the shelf. I was tempted to shoot him, but didn’t think such an act would be approved by our superiors.” He had actually considered pulling his service weapon out, or at least punching the rude man, proving how desperate he really was.
“If you explained the circumstances, they might understand,” Wufei offered with a sympathetic look. “What do you want to do now?”
Resigned, the tall man shook his head as he sat down, “I give up, Wufei. I’m starting to think Valentine’s Day was created to torture those of us that are single, yet have hopes of being with someone. This has been a very depressing experience.”
“There has to be something else. You can’t just give up when you’ve finally made the decision to admit your feelings. You must care for him very much to make this much of an effort.”
“It’s impossible, Wufei. I don’t even know if he feels the same,” admitted Trowa, refusing to think of how pathetic he must look to his partner.
“He feels something for you.”
Focusing on the other man, Trowa leaned forward in his chair, “Did he say something to you?”
Wufei snorted at the idea, “Duo is as open about his feelings as Heero is. Unless you ask him a direct question, he’ll avoid the topic altogether, much like you. I know he feels something for you because he asked you to help him coach with him.”
The other man’s reasoning had Trowa slumping in defeat, “It’s something I do on occasion. I’ve volunteered at the center before so he knew I would be willing to help.”
“We’ve all volunteered at the center, so why didn’t he call one of us? It might not seem like it, but we all enjoy spending time with those kids and would help anytime we were asked.” When Trowa stared at him without comprehending, Wufei gave a huff, “He could have called any of us, but he called you specifically, I’m guessing more than once.”
“He calls me once or twice a week,” Trowa mused before sighing. “He probably just calls because I live closer to the youth center than you do,” he suggested, not allowing the other man to get his hopes up.
“It’s possible, but that doesn’t explain why he was looking at you so strangely when he was in here.”
“He looked at me the same way he always does,” Trowa dismissed the notion.
Crossing his arms on the surface of the desk, Wufei lifted his eyebrows, “When you weren’t looking at him, his expression was different. I do think there’s more than friendship on his mind.”
Sure the other man was only seeing what he had wanted to see, Trowa focused on his computer, “I’ll find another day to talk to him, maybe next Valentine’s Day, after I have enough time to properly prepare and decide what I’m going to say. What are your plans for the evening? I assume you and Zechs are doing something to celebrate.”
“We’re going to dinner at a small restaurant outside of the city he likes. I’d suggest you take Duo to dinner, but there won’t be anywhere with an open reservation tonight. I had to reserve a table over a month ago.”
“I’ve already thought of that,” confessed the brunette. “I discarded the idea after calling four restaurants and getting the same response each time. If I took him out to dinner, we’d likely end up somewhere with a drive-thru and a playground.”
Wufei snorted at the droll reply, falling silent for several minutes. The next time he spoke, he wasn’t as enthusiastic as he had been before, “There has to be something else we haven’t thought of yet.”
“Anything I can help with?”
Reminding himself to act normal, Trowa turned his chair to face the door, swallowing hard at the sight of the long-haired man lounging in the doorway, one forearm propped against the frame. Duo had clearly showered at some point during the last two hours and had changed from his training suit to a pair of form-fitting jeans with a black t-shirt tucked in at the waist, revealing how small the American was. For what felt like the hundredth time, Trowa forced himself not to reach for the other man, clenching his hands so they wouldn’t move by themselves.
“Do you have someone to spend Valentine’s Day with, Duo?” Wufei questioned abruptly, making the cobalt-eyed man blink in surprise.
“Ahh, no. Valentine’s Day is for lovers or would-be lovers and no one has shown an interest. I’ll probably be spending the holiday alone again this year, and next year, and the one after that.”
Out of the entire statement, Trowa picked out one point, “No one has shown an interest? Does that mean there’s been a particular person you’ve been focused on?”
Duo’s gaze fixed on Trowa so suddenly that the tall man almost jumped. Wearing a small smile, Duo nodded, “I guess you could say that. I’ve been dropping hints for a while, but I haven’t gotten a response, so I assume he isn’t interested in me, though I thought he might be for a while.”
“Duo, were your hints subtle or obvious?” Wufei groaned, pulling the braided man’s attention back to him and letting Trowa have a moment to pull in a deep breath.
Trowa smiled when Duo blushed, “Subtle; if it was obvious, I’d be admitting how I feel with a neon sign, wouldn’t I?”
“Some people don’t get subtle hints, Duo,” the green-eyed man stated quietly, lifting his brows when Duo blushed even more and ducked his head. “For some people, obvious signals would be better.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” the American replied as he raised his head, meeting Trowa’s eyes for a heart-stopping moment before looking at the third man in the room. “So what were you talking about when I came in? Maybe I can help.”
Trowa had no idea what to say, but it seemed Wufei had been thinking, “I’ve been trying to think of something to do for Zechs for Valentine’s Day. I already have the flowers and dinner reservations, but I would like to do something different.”
Duo’s head whipped around so fast it was a miracle he didn’t give himself whiplash, looking at Trowa with wide eyes, “I thought the flowers were for you. Didn’t you get them from someone?”
“I got them as a last minute surprise,” Wufei announced, pulling Duo’s attention away from the tall man who was attempting to figure out why Duo’s reaction had been so shocked, revealing more than a little relief as Wufei laid claim to the blooms. Smiling to himself, Trowa listened as Wufei continued, “Tell me, Duo, if you had a lover, or a would-be lover, how would you want to spend Valentine’s Day?”
“You want to know what my idea of a good Valentine’s Day date?”
Wufei nodded emphatically, “What would your ideal date be? Dinner and chocolates, along with flowers, wine, and soft music playing in the background?”
“Ick. No.” Duo laughed at the stunned faces before moving into the room and leaning against Trowa’s desk. “I know that’s the traditional thing to do, but I’ve never been big on traditions. It wouldn’t do me any good, anyway. I’m allergic to flowers, I don’t eat candy, quiet restaurants make me nervous and soft music would make me want to scream.”
Surprisingly relieved and very amused, Trowa leaned forward, “What would be a good way to spend Valentine’s, in your opinion?”
“The dinner idea is great, but it would have to be somewhere I’m comfortable,” Duo paused, brow furrowing as he thought. “To be honest, it’d be nice to spend time alone with someone special, maybe watching a movie and having a nice glass of wine.”
“That’s it?” Wufei demanded, clearly unimpressed.
“Valentine’s Day is just like every other day, but you’re supposed to put a little extra effort into it, right? Fancy dinners and gushy presents aren’t what today is supposed to be about, right? I thought it was a day to really show someone how you felt.”
Leaning back in his chair, Trowa chuckled at Wufei’s flummoxed expression, a plan already forming in his mind. Meeting cobalt eyes that were watching him, he nodded and gave a smile, “I think you’re exactly right, but I doubt Wufei will change his plans for the evening.”
Glancing at Wufei, Duo grimaced, “I’d say you’re right. Anyways, I’ve gotta go back downstairs. Another hour of weapons and I get to go home for a few days.” Standing, the American moved closer to Trowa, “I hope you have a good Valentine’s Day, Trowa. I’ll…um, see you later,” Duo said after stepping back again, his face red.
Once Duo was gone, Trowa allowed his smile to spread, “You’ll see me sooner than you realize. God, I hope I’m not making a mistake,” he added, smile fading. Looking across his desk he saw Wufei was still speechless and turned toward his computer with a roll of his eyes. Obviously, his partner wasn’t going to be any help at all.