Title: Les Fleurs du Mal ch 3/?

Author: WickedGame

Rating this chapter: R

Warnings this chapter: foul language, violence

Notes: This fic is for Asia. Beta read by dmnurtle.

 Odin Yuy sat on a chaise lounge inside of his yacht that was anchored in St. Tropez. He had a vodka with lime in one hand and a stripper’s tit in his other hand. His face was mottled with rage as he stared at his accountant. “What?”

 “I’m sorry Mister Yuy, but Insomniac is going to have to close. The neighborhood is bad, it’s attracting gangs as well as cops. The bouncers keep taking bribes and letting dealers in…it’s not an asset anymore to us. It’s become a liability and the insurance rates went up after that last fire…”

 Odin shoved the stripper to the floor and she quickly moved to cover her nudity. “I don’t want to close any of the clubs! Hire better security!”

 “Mister Yuy, you don’t have the assets to do so.”

 Odin slapped the accountant and sent him sprawling. “What the fuck do you mean?”

 “Well, as it is the IRS is snooping around. I think the other yacht is about to be repossessed but you don’t use it anyway. I really think we ought to sell the cabin…”

 Odin threw a vase full of irises at the accountant and narrowly missed his head. “Fix it damn you!”

 The accountant hurried out and Odin collapsed in a chair. Not for the first time since his financial troubles started he thought about his only child. “Heero Yuy. Damned kid!”

 He had seen the private eye’s handiwork. He had been forced to kill him when the detective had actually demanded his payment but Odin had found out enough. He knew that Heero was worth more than him. He knew that Heero had been making money under that fucking financial advisor’s tutelage for years. Misato had somehow gotten to her will in time to change it before Odin had killed her. He could have gotten his hands on her entire fortune if not for the woman’s damned intuition. She had known Odin was going to kill her. He didn’t do it himself, of course. One of his lackeys had been sent to do it. It was made to look like an accident but there had always been doubts. It was a case never closed but never solved. A cold case they called it. Odin called it a loose end.

 He needed to get his hands on Heero. He needed to bring Heero to a very secluded place and make him see the error of his ways. He needed to give Odin access to his fortune so that Odin could tie up the loose end that was his son.

 *~*~*~*

 Heero tucked a flyaway strand behind Duo’s ear and smiled softly. “I don’t want you to go but I know you have to.”

 “Solo will kill me if I don’t get back. But what if I talk to him about you coming for the weekend?” Duo asked.

 “A weekend with you and your family in Bodega Bay?” Heero pretended to think about it and Duo whapped him on the shoulder. “Of course.”

 The ferry docked and Heero felt the urge to beg Duo to stay, to go back to his house and screw him into the mattress again. But Duo’s eyes told him he needed to go and so he gave Duo a lingering kiss before ushering him onto the dock.

 “I’ll talk to you later!” Heero called out. Duo’s reply got lost in the crowd. Heero watched as the ferry boarded fully and pulled away from the pier before turning around and catching a cab home.

 *~*~*~*

 Heero ran upstairs and woke up his computer. He sat down and tried to figure out what to email Duo.

 You’re fucking amazing.

 He deleted that immediately.

 You suck cock like a Hoover.

 He sighed and deleted that too.

 I think I’m falling in love with you.

 He deleted that even quicker and berated himself for even thinking about typing that.

 A few moments later he finally typed something he liked and sent it. 

Sucker love is heaven sent.

You pucker up, our passion’s spent.

My hearts a tart, your body’s rent.

My body’s broken, yours is spent.

 Carve your name into my arm.

Instead of stressed, I lie here charmed.

‘Cause there’s nothing else to do,

Every me and every you.

 Lyrics weren’t the best thing to send but it said what he wanted to say without sounding like an idiot.

 Heero sat back and remembered what he had typed a minute ago.

 I think I’m falling in love with you.

 It was true, as much as he didn’t want it to be. He had been alone for so long, as long as he could remember anyway. Mitsuki had been the closest thing he’d had to family since his mother died, save Odin’s occasional visits. Duo was the closest thing he’d ever had to a best friend and was now the only lover Heero had ever known. Heero guessed that was why he didn’t want to be in love with Duo. He didn’t want to risk Duo not feeling the same way and therefore not wanting to be around.

 Heero didn’t want to be alone anymore.

 Duo was like red paint splashed on white canvas. He was like a snowflake on green grass. Heero had never met anyone like him and he was… fixated.

 It was weird that they had met in a chat room of all places. Heero had never been one to believe in relationships that started over the internet. He also didn’t really believe that having sex this early in a relationship was a good thing. But Duo Maxwell seemed to be breaking all his rules and surpassing all his expectations.

 Heero picked up the phone and dialed a series of numbers. After two rings a female with a rich, Caribbean accent picked up. “Takashi Mitsuki’s office. May I help you?”

“Yes, Adanna. This is Heero Yuy. I need to speak with Mitsuki please?”

 “Mister Yuy! Sure, hold on please.”

 Heero smiled as he thought of Adanna. Adanna always had cookies hidden in her desk and she always offered him one when he came to the islands.

 “Heero, are you there?”

 “Mitsuki, how are you?”

 “Can’t complain. What can I do for you?”

 “I need to hire a private investigator. Someone good. Really good. I need some background info only on one Duo Maxwell. He currently is residing in Bodega Bay, California. Do you think we can do that?”

 “Of course, but is there anything wrong?”

 “No. Actually, everything’s all right at the moment. Duo’s just someone I’m… interested in. And I hate to hire an investigator because I do trust him…”

 “But with all this money and the way your father’s been you can’t take any chances. I understand completely.”

 “Yeah. That’s why no pictures. I trust him in person. I just need to see him on paper.”

 “Of course. Your father’s been snooping around.”

 Heero seethed. “He has? Is everything okay?”

 “Trust me, everything’s fine. But your father is reportedly in a lot of trouble. News going around in financial circles is that he is losing one of his yachts and his accountants are begging him to shut down a few of his clubs.”

 “Odin Yuy shut down a club?” Heero scoffed. “Yeah right.”

 “I’d watch out if I were you, Heero. He knows how much you’re worth.”

 “I’ll be careful Mitsuki. Say hi to your wife for me.”

 “I will. Take care, Heero.”

 Heero hung up the phone and stared out the window at the bay. He really didn’t want to have to investigate Duo, but being rich had its issues. Trust being the big one. One look at Duo’s face and he had been rendered useless. Maybe paper would help him see clearly.

 He thought about their night together and smiled. Sleep had been an almost non-entity after dozing several times only to be woken up by either Duo’s mouth on his skin or his own mouth searching for Duo. They were both sore by morning and ended up taking another long shower together, washing off every trace of their activities. Duo had made fun of him while he shaved and then they walked to a café for breakfast. None of the fabled morning after tension had occurred between them, and Heero found that to be pleasant.

 He only hoped it could stay this good and that his developing feelings were not misplaced.

 *~*~*~*

 The taxi stopped in front of the beach house and Duo got out carefully, almost giggling at the tenderness he felt in the bottom half of his body. He handed the driver his payment and a large tip before striding up the flagstone walkway to the ocean-side house he shared with the people he called his family.

 “I’m home!” he called out as he walked directly for his room. He threw down his bag and got out his dirty clothing, tossing it into the hamper by his closet. He put everything he had packed to take to Heero’s away and then just laid on his bed, hands pillowed behind his head, reviewing the past twenty-four hours with a contented smile on his face.

 He had nearly dozed off when his brother, Solo, ducked his head inside the room. “It’s nice of you to return home, little brother.”

 Duo smiled and waved his hand magnanimously. “Of course! You guys couldn’t live without me around. Who’d keep you and Wufei from being such hard asses, or make Dorothy laugh when she has PMS?”

 Solo smirked and then walked into the room, making himself comfortable in Duo’s computer chair. “So tell me.”

 Duo knew what his brother was asking but he tried not to show it. “Tell you what? Nothing to tell.”

 Solo ran a hand through his shaggy blond hair and sighed. “Duo, I’m the closest thing to a parent you have, you know? I’d like to know what’s going on in your life, who you’re spending time with…”

 “Whether or not they’re a danger to us and our work, you mean,” Duo said, and the comment was laced with resentment. “Don’t worry, Solo. He’s fine. I’m fine. No one’s in any danger and he certainly won’t interfere with our work.”

 “What’s his name?” Solo asked.

 “No way. Not giving you that yet. You’ll go all ‘parental’ on me and send Trowa to do surveillance on him or something. I’m eighteen years old, Solo. I can take care of this.”

 Solo stood and walked toward the door. He stopped and smiled at Duo. “We have a big job coming up, so I’m glad you had some fun.”

 Duo smiled back. “I did have fun. A lot of fun. He’s coming to visit this coming weekend.”

 “Nice of you to ask first. Well, Trowa and I will be in San Francisco Saturday night to do some recon for a retrieval, but we should be back by Sunday morning. All right?”

 Duo smiled, a wicked smile that spoke of naughty plans being brewed inside a devious mind. “Sure thing!”

 Solo walked out of the room and Duo woke up his computer, eager to check his email after being away for the past day. He was surprised when an email from Heero was one of the most recent messages, sent only that morning.

Duo opened it and read the contents with a smiling face. It was sappy, but it was also cute. Duo junked all the spam and read a couple of other different emails before heading out to the beach.

 Dorothy was the closest thing he had to a sister. She was technically not even related to him. Dorothy was the same age as he was, but had come from a much nicer background. Her family had money, and lots of it. Dorothy’s parents were divorced and in the end her mother had given custody to her father and had basically disappeared from Dorothy’s life. Dorothy had doted on her father, but he was inattentive at best. She cultivated a talent at computers and other criminal activities, teetering on the edge of major crimes, but never getting caught and never dipping too far in. When she was thirteen she had tried to lift Solo’s wallet while they were living in Seattle. Solo had laughed at her and asked if she needed a job. She had jumped at the chance to leave Seattle, and her father had waved her off happily, eager to be rid of the child who had weighed him down for so long.

 Dorothy was fond of crediting Solo with saving her life. He was the big brother she had always needed and never had. She reckoned she would have ended up on the streets or in jail the way she had been heading, and Duo agreed.

 There had never been any sexual tension between them. Dorothy had known before Solo about Duo’s preference for men. In turn, Duo had been the first to know that Dorothy didn’t care who she was sleeping with as long as they had a connection between them and she didn’t find them boring.

 Dorothy spent her mornings on the beach, taking photographs and maybe reading while sitting on the sand. Duo walked out there with only a ratty pair of sandals on his feet and peered down at her paperback.

 “D, you had better stop reading those trashy romance novels. Let’s go into town today and buy some new manga instead.”

 Dorothy looked up and a wry smile cocked one of her distinctive eyebrows up. “You’re back.”

 “You noticed.” Duo sat down next to Dorothy and stared out at the ocean. He seemed to be debating something before he finally spoke. “Dorothy?”

 “Hmm?” The blonde didn’t look up from her book as she hummed her curiosity.

 “I lost my virginity last night.”

 Dorothy nearly dropped her book in the sand. “You did? Does Solo know?”

 Duo sighed. “No, thank goodness. He doesn’t know. I think he suspects, but he doesn’t know.”

 Dorothy turned to face him. “Was it – Was he – Did you -,” she paused and gathered her thoughts. “Are you okay?”

 “I’m okay. Better than okay. It was great. He was great. Scratch that – he was perfect.” Duo became lost in a mental vision of Heero entering him, impaling his ass on that hard shaft…

 “Do you like him?”

 “Sure I do. Like him a little too much. Maybe even love him a little.”

 “You’re falling in love with someone and I haven’t even met him yet?” Dorothy was more than a little mad.

 “You’ll see him this weekend, and keep this conversation confidential,” Duo ordered. Dorothy nodded and went back to reading. Duo, meanwhile, just stared out into the surf and relaxed.

 *~*~*~*

 Takashi Mitsuki had known from the very first time he had met Odin Yuy that he was bad news. He tried to tell Misato this when she and Odin were early into their relationship but Misato had been quite taken with Odin and couldn’t see the flaws.

 He still remembered the day she came to see him and brought Heero for the first time. Mitsuki had taken one look at those blue eyes and knew that Heero Yuy was someone special. There was a sharpness there that matched his father’s, but there was a shine to those eyes, something behind them that was pure Misato. He knew then that Heero was truly his mother’s son and wouldn’t become the sort of man Odin was.

 Mitsuki hadn’t told Heero everything while they were on the phone. He hadn’t wanted to worry Heero. He had been tailed more than once in the past few days, and there had been a thug in the office the prior day pretending to need help with some kind of inheritance.

 Odin Yuy was obviously desperate to get his hands on the money Misato had so wisely hidden from him.

 Mitsuki shuddered to think about what Odin wanted from Heero. He knew, of course, that Odin had finally decided that he wasn’t going to let Heero roam free with all that money anymore. It was too bad that Heero was an adult now and could do what he wanted as long as he kept Mitsuki informed.

 Mitsuki stared at his computer screen for a moment.

 I, Takashi Mitsuki, being of sound mind and body, do state the following terms for the disposal of my body should I pass from this world:

 It was a necessary evil. He hadn’t told his wife of his intention to create a will for himself. He wanted to make sure that everything went just the way he wanted should Odin Yuy decide that he had become too much of a nuisance.

 He wasn’t going to back down or quit being Heero’s advisor. Misato had asked him to swear that he would always help Heero…and he could never say no to Misato. Misato had been a close family friend and they had all cared about her. He would do right by the boy with the sharp, bright eyes, even if it killed him in the end.

 Mitsuki thought about Heero and how the boy had no one. It made him sad to think of it. The wife was always telling Heero he needed to come visit more often, needed to come and see them so she could mother him appropriately. Heero always laughed and told her he would try and make time but they all knew he was too busy getting the education his mother would have wanted him to have.

 Mitsuki sighed and started back in on what would eventually be his last will and testament. He had already determined that Heero would be able to control his money well and so he was basically designating his own wife the administrator of the trust until Heero reached twenty-one. She believed in Heero and knew of his abilities.

 He would call his lawyer in a short bit and arrange for the will to be notarized. There was much to do and little time. Odin Yuy moved fast when he decided to move.

 *~*~*~*

 Duo was out the door on Wednesday afternoon faster than he thought his legs could carry him. The dark sedan on the curb opened its door and Duo launched himself at the sole occupant.

 “Quatre!”

 Duo’s hug was fierce as he embraced Trowa’s lover. Quatre was just as good as having another brother, and he hardly had time to get away from the family business most of the time.

 “Duo! You’re crushing me!” Quatre gasped as he was bear-hugged by the smiling man.

 Duo pulled back and watched Quatre smile deviously. “So, when do I get to meet him?”

 Duo whistled innocently and acted as if he had no clue what Quatre was talking about. “Him who?”

 “The man who has you acting as giddy as a schoolgirl.”

 Duo balked. “Schoolgirl? Damnit Quatre, I’m all male! Maybe a giddy schoolboy…”

 Quatre laughed as the driver set his bags on the curb. “Thanks Mickey. You can go back now.”

 The driver tipped his cap and got back in the car. Duo and Quatre watched as it pulled away from the curb and headed back toward the city.

 Duo slung an arm over Quatre’s shoulders and they started toward the house. “Tro’s down at the beach with Dorothy, so he’ll be back any time now.”

 Quatre headed immediately for Trowa’s room. “Wufei here?”

 Duo grabbed an apple from the kitchen and then followed Quatre. “I think he’s going to be back here before dinner. He went to go see Relena.”

 “He misses her all the time, doesn’t he?” Quatre asked wistfully.

 “Yeah, just like Tro’s always missing you,” Duo noted. Quatre nodded and started to unpack.

 “Duo?”

 “Hmm?”

 “Do you think Trowa’s ever going to be ready to come and stay for good?”

 Duo bit his lip while thinking. “All you have to do is ask him to stay, you know.”

 Quatre blew his blonde bangs out of his face. “I couldn’t ask that of him. I know the wanderlust bites him sometimes. He gets restless and hates the thought of becoming complacent.”

 “He’d do anything for you,” Duo pointed out with a soft smile.

 “Yeah.” Quatre flopped down on the bed and looked at Duo. “I’ve just been thinking that I want to settle down. I love coming out here to see all of you, but I think I would like a little more stability, a little more consistency. And when you guys move again, move somewhere else, I’ll be left behind again and won’t be able to see Trowa at all.”

 Duo froze and turned his thoughts inward. Leaving. They never stayed at one place for very long. He had gone and started this thing with Heero, and had never given that aspect a second thought.

 Duo had always said he wasn’t going to be like Trowa and Wufei, in love but not able to be with that person because of the job.

 It seemed that lately he had been thinking about staying put, about not moving around anymore, but what would Solo think of that? Or Dorothy? Would they feel betrayed by him if he stayed for Heero? Was he really thinking of staying, just for a guy he barely knew?

 And even more than that: what if Heero didn’t feel the same way? What if Heero changed his mind and decided he didn’t really want to be with Duo?

 Quatre’s hand was waving in front of his face before he knew it. “Hello? Duo? You in there? I asked you a question.”

 Duo shook out the cobwebs and looked at Quatre. “Sorry man, what’s up?”Quatre smiled gently. “He must really be something.”

 Duo never had been able to hide anything from Quatre. “Yes he is.” He thought about what he wanted to say next before it came out of his mouth. “When did you know you were in love with Trowa?”

 Quatre looked thoughtful. “I think I always knew. It wasn’t love at first sight or anything. I just knew, as soon as we started talking, that I wanted to get to know him. And then, as soon as I got to know him, I knew I wanted to know everything about him I could.”

 Duo remembered how that first conversation with Heero had made him feel, and how he had gone to bed smiling like a loon that night.

 Quatre continued on. “When I finally realized how much I did indeed love him, that’s when I realized I had always felt that way, I just hadn’t realized it.”

 “That’s nice, Cat,” Duo said softly.

 “I know you won’t tell me his name… but can you tell me a little about him?”

 Duo smiled brightly. “That I can do.”