* * * * * * * * * * *

Heero woke before Duo. He looked down at his sleeping love, then regretfully slid out of the bed. Regardless of their newfound love, Heero had a mission to complete.

He quickly got his things together, without waking Duo, then placed a gentle kiss on the longhaired boy's forehead. "I love you," he whispered, and he was gone.

Duo opened his eyes as Heero left. Looking around the room, Duo realized Heero had gone off on his mission already. Duo sighed with resignation; he had known that Heero would follow through with his mission no matter what. But it still hurt. He knew now that Heero loved him, and nothing he did with Zechs would change that; but Duo had to know, had to see. He decided to follow Heero. He needed to know. Even if it was bad.

+

Zechs' eyes widened as he read the coded message. Could it be true? Could Heero Yuy really want to meet with him? And for what reason? The message said, cryptically, the meeting would be mutually satisfying. Zechs knew full well it could be a trap, but he couldn't resist. His obsession with the Gundam pilot was too strong. He answered, agreeing to the meeting, and then cancelled all his other meetings.

+

Heero walked into the restaurant, trying not to feel nervous. He felt ridiculous, dressed like this; but it was part of the mission. Dr. J thought that Zechs was harboring an obsession for him, and tonight he had to look like a fantasy. He gave the maitre d' the prearranged code name; he was informed that his party was waiting for him. He walked behind the man, taking deep breaths and feeling like he was betraying Duo.

+

Zechs looked at his watch; precisely 7pm. He looked up from his wine to see Heero walking toward him. This was the first time they had been face to face since Antarctica, and the boy hadn't exactly been dressed to impress. Tonight was a different matter. He had to remind himself to close his mouth; the boy was literally poured into brown leather pants that clung to him perfectly. Zechs tried not to drool as his eyes swept over the gorgeous boy; a white silk shirt, tucked into the pants, completed the simple outfit and nearly left him breathless. The shirt hung open to show off the boy's smooth chest, and the cobalt eyes blazed at him from underneath messy bangs. Heero stalked up to the table, unconsciously graceful. Zechs rose smoothly, offering the boy a chair.

"So nice of you to join me, Heero. Please sit down." Zechs purred, wondering if Heero's look was intentional or not. Either way, it had had the intended effect; score one for the younger boy.

Heero took a deep breath as he approached the table; he forced himself to look at the longhaired man standing there, welcoming him. He knew all the facts possible about Zechs, knew he wasn't much older than he was, knew his background. He had to admit that Marquise was beautiful; but in a cold, icy way that only reminded him of how much he missed Duo's sexy beauty.

"I'm glad you agreed to see me, Lieutenant," Heero said coolly.

"How could I refuse such an intriguing offer from such an appealing young man? And, please call me Zechs," purred the blond man.

Heero nodded his head, acknowledging the compliment. "I think you know why I'm here, Zechs."

"I do have my suspicions," replied Zechs. "But do we have to get to business right away? This restaurant has exquisite food, and the evening is young."

Heero sat down finally, resigning himself to playing the blond's games. He really had no choice. He needed this info, and Zechs didn't really need him; but that remained to be seen.

Heero let the other man order for him; Zechs ordered in perfect French of course, and the waiter didn't seem to have a problem serving a very obviously underage boy champagne. Heero had to admit that the food was very good, and he found himself relaxing somewhat.

+

Duo slumped down in the car across the street from the restaurant. He watched as both men arrived, and waited until they were well into their first course before he drove away. He had done his hacking well; he was on his way now to break into the hotel where Zechs was staying.

+

Heero sat back at the table, looking with new eyes at his enemy. Zechs was actually a very entertaining man. He could almost forget he was the feared Lightning Count. And if he hadn't been in love with Duo, tonight might not have been such a chore for him.

They had talked, eaten and drank for almost 3 hours. Heero couldn't believe the time had flown so fast.

Zechs, also, had enjoyed his evening immensely, more so because he was anticipating how it would end. He couldn't get enough of watching the enchanting boy across from him. On the rare occasions Heero would let his guard drop, he could tell there was a very insightful, intelligent person underneath. How had he managed to survive the barbaric scientists' training?

Zechs leaned forward; the time had come. "Heero. I know why you're here, and I know what you want, so I won't make you say it. I'm willing to give you what you want if you give me what I want. I don't have to spell it out for you, do I?"

"No, you don't. One night, one time, and that's it, right?" Heero said bluntly.

Zechs smiled. He hoped that by the end of this night Heero might feel differently about him; but he would enjoy himself regardless. The information Heero wanted was virtually untraceable; there was a slight chance he would be caught, but he would take that chance. It was an acceptable risk for a night with Heero Yuy. "That's right." He leaned forward. "Let me emphasize this: I'm not into rape. You must be willing. You contacted me, and you are coming back to my hotel of your own free will. Right?"

Heero frowned and nodded reluctantly. "When will you give me the information?"

"When I am satisfied," Zechs paused to smirk, "that you are holding up your end of the agreement, I will provide what information you require."

"And I'm supposed to just trust you?" Heero complained.

"We're trusting each other," Zechs replied. "Shall we go?"

Heero agreed, and he followed the blond man to his hotel.

Zechs led Heero to his suite, trying not to smirk too much. He opened the door and stood back to let the cobalt-eyed boy enter.

Heero walked in, steeling his nerve. He could do this. It wasn't betraying Duo. He loved Duo. This was just his body. He took a deep breath. And stopped. The room smelled... familiar. Heero had always had a keen sense of smell; it had served him well as advance warning before. And he was sure that he had smelled this particular scent before. He just had to let his brain process the smell for a moment; he would be able to identify it.

Just as Zechs walked up behind him and laid a hand on his shoulder, his mind clicked: Duo. That was Duo's scent; a mix of his shampoo, soap and the longhaired boy's own body chemistry. Heero didn't know how it could be possible, but he was seldom wrong; Duo either had been, or currently was, in this room. He tried to look around without being obvious.

"Are you nervous, Heero?" Zechs purred from behind him. "This won't hurt a bit, I promise... in fact, I really hope you will enjoy it as much as I will."

Heero closed his eyes with the effort of carrying on this game while he knew Duo was nearby. He decided to play along. "I am a bit nervous, I have to admit. I..." was that movement from the closet? "I've never done this before." He hoped that Zechs wouldn't ask whether he meant sex or trading sex for information; if the blond man thought Heero was a virgin maybe it would be easier to pull off. But, if Duo was in the room, nothing was going to happen at all. Heero would make sure of that.

Ignoring for a moment the problem of how the longhaired boy had followed him in the first place, Heero concentrated on how to determine just where Duo was. He suspected the closet; it was the obvious place, and commanded a good view of the bedroom. Now how to get Zechs out of the room so he could check it out?

"What can I do to help you relax, Heero? Can I get you a drink?" Zechs said softly.

"Yes, I'd like that, thank you, Zechs," answered Heero, hoping that would give him enough time to check out the closet.

"Ok, then, make yourself comfortable and I'll be right back," said Zechs, gliding out the door toward the small kitchen.

Heero made as if to sit on the bed, then as soon as the blond man was out of sight, he went to the closet, sliding the door open silently. He looked in, and looked straight into Duo's beautiful face. Duo's beautiful, angry face. "What the fuck are you doing here, Duo?"

Duo answered, "What does it look like?"

"It looks like you're spying on me and trying to compromise my mission," answered coolly, though his heart was breaking to see his love so angry.

"How could you, Heero? After what we did, what we shared?" Duo cried.

"That's not fair, Duo. I told you it was a mission. I love you, you know that," Heero tried to reassure the longhaired boy.

"Not enough to make you refuse the mission," Duo said. He hated the way he sounded. He knew he was pouting, but he couldn't help it. He had followed Heero, he had to know, had to see for himself. He knew he was being childish.

Heero knew he had to get the other boy out of there, and he knew he was running out of time. Zechs could be back any minute. "Duo, please! You have to go!"

"No. If you have to do this, I have to be here," Duo said.

"You're being irrational. This is hard enough as it is, damn it!" Heero was getting frustrated. Then he heard footsteps. "Shit! He's coming back!"

Duo ducked back into the closet quickly, and Heero resumed his seat on the bed. Zechs stuck his head back in the door.

"I don't have much. Beer, white wine or scotch. What would you like?" Zechs asked.

Heero replied, "Beer is fine, thanks."

"Ok, I'll be right back," Zechs answered, and disappeared again. Heero breathed a sigh of relief and went back to the closet.

"Duo!" he opened the door again, and the other boy was standing there, arms crossed. "Look, Duo, I'll put him off somehow. I'll meet you in an hour, I promise nothing will happen."

"Promise?" Duo said, wincing at the whine in his tone. He had to get this under control. "We need to talk about this."

"Yes, we do, and I promise, Duo. Meet me in the park, remember the bench where we sat?" The longhaired boy nodded; they had been on a mission in this city before. "One hour. I'll get Zechs out of the room, and I'll leave. Ok?"

Duo nodded reluctantly. "One hour. Or I'm coming back."

"Fine. Here he comes," Heero said, and jumped back to the bed.

Zechs entered, carrying two bottles. He offered one to Heero. "You don't look so good, Heero. Are you feeling all right?"

Heero tried not to grin; that was it. He took the beer, taking a deep gulp, then clutched his stomach. "I guess I don't feel very good... maybe it was something I ate..." He had perfect control of many involuntary body functions, so he let his face go white. He knew it would make him look pale as a ghost.

Zechs noticed immediately. "You look terrible, Heero! What can I do to help?"

"I... maybe I just need some fresh air..." managed Heero.

"Yes, come here," Zechs took Heero's arm and led him out to the balcony. He looked with concern at the younger boy. "Feeling any better?"

Heero took a deep breath, and said, "Not really. I feel... sort of dizzy..."

Zechs felt Heero's head. "You don't look or feel well. Maybe we should do this another time."

Heero's acute hearing told him that Duo was slipping out of the room behind him. He needed to stall for just a bit longer. "I don't know... we had an agreement..."

"One that can be fulfilled another day. Neither of us would enjoy this if you're not feeling well. I told you I want this to be voluntary." Zechs was slightly suspicious; Heero did indeed look unwell, but...

"Are you sure? Can we continue this another time? I still want to," said Heero shakily.

"Contact me when you're feeling better, Heero. I'll be waiting."

Heero said goodbye, and took his leave.

Zechs watched him leave, wondering.

Duo made his way to the park, after watching Heero leave from the street outside.