Restraint and Otherwise
by kebzero
Downtime on the Peacemillion was about the closest any of them had been to a normal life for years. However, breakfast in the small galley reserved for the pilots always risked abortion by warning klaxons.
Still...
"How do you want your eggs, Trowa?" Wufei asked their latest - and last - arrival.
"Sunny-side up sounds good," Trowa replied, pulling out the free chair at the table.
"Just like Quatre, huh?" Duo commented, earning a look from that worthy.
Trowa reached for the pitcher of orange juice and poured himself a glass.
Heero looked from that glass to Quatre's, finding a match. He started a slight smirk as he saw Quatre noticed him, shot a nervous glance at Trowa and fidgeted his fingers.
When Trowa filled his bowl with oatmeal, Duo sent a grin at Quatre. "Hey, Quat - sure you don't want some oats instead of those Honey Smacks of yours?"
Quatre was well underway serving him a glare in return, when Heero did misdirection.
"You should," he shot in between two bites of his toast. "Oatmeal is a lot better for you than that puffed wheat."
"I swear, sometimes you two are so alike it's almost like you're married," Duo commented. "I guess cereal is the exception that proves the rule," he finished with a smirk, merely entertained by how Quatre glowered in his general direction.
When Duo finished up a few minutes later, Quatre hurriedly excused himself and lay in a pursuit, catching up - and Duo's elbow - three hallways down. "Why did you say that?" Quatre complained. "I told you not to tell-"
"I didn't say anything!" Duo said defensively. "I've kept your secret ever since you admitted you had a crush on the guy, just like I promised."
Quatre balled his fists. "You're not helping," he said, attempting to keep from shouting. He unfurled one palm and rubbed his temples. "I can't believe I was stupid enough to tell you..."
Duo shrugged.
"And even if I do like him, I don't want you to tell him that. I want to do that myself, when I'm good and ready. So, could you please not do stuff like that anymore? The teddy bears with the monogrammed heart necklaces you left in the rec room last night were bad enough, if-"
"Uh, Quatre-"
"Don't interrupt!" he snapped back. "I won't have it! If Trowa was any less blind, he'd have figured out for sure just now. Do you know how close you were to ruining everything?"
It was about then he dimly started wondering why Duo looked so stunned. Normally, Duo would just shrug off his tirades as if they were nothing. The arms wrapping tight around his chest and shoulders brought the answer. "Not close enough," Trowa whispered warmly to his ear.
Quatre stiffened at first, daring a glance over his shoulder. Trowa's smile slowly made him relax enough to turn around in the embrace, their faces only inches apart. Quatre swallowed, gathered his courage - and went for it.
Wufei and Heero picked that exact moment to round the corner.
With a lopsided smile, Heero gave a soft grunt in acknowledgement.
"About time.." Wufei mumbled as he quickly looked away.
Duo did not miss the barely perceptible blush. "I'll be... is little Fei-Fei embarrassed by a bit of smooching?"
"Don't call me-!"
The devil's own grin cut him short. "You are, aren't you?! Heero, come here and lend me your lips - I wanna see if-"
A flat palm and a cold glare halted Duo's approach. "Do that, and die," he warned.
Undeterred, Duo mocked offense. "That's not what you said last night... I think it was more along the lines of 'Oh, Duo, take me now - I need your big d-'oomph."
Landing a rough kiss right on Duo's mouth, Heero shut him up the quickest way he could think of, short of decking the other pilot. Obviously, that option has been discarded as ruinous for any hopes of an encore of the night previous. It also dashed his fleeting wish for discretion - but it was worth it.
"See, what that so hard?" Duo smirked in triumph.
Ears aflame, Wufei eyed the second couple. "For someone who prides himself with stealth, you're far from subtle," he muttered.
"Oh, I keep my personal and professional lives separate," Duo quipped back.
The bickering continued, but the rest of the world slipped away from Quatre's mind. He was lost in the moment, in the intimate embrace.
Funny what a little oxygen deprivation can do.
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