No warnings. Slight shonen ai. 1x2, 3x4 pairings.

G-men Part 10: Meetings

Breathing deeply, Wufei bowed his head, hands on his knees as he sat on a fallen tree. Slowing his breathes, he growled his frustration. //I must get stronger. There is no excuse for this.// Leaning back, he lifted his head, opening his eyes to scan the dark forest. //I should go. As weak as I am, I am useful to them.// He was just standing when he heard a branch crack to his left.

Duo smothered a snicker as Wufei whirled, crouching in a fighting stance. He couldn't prevent a grin when the black-haired boy saw him, dark eyes narrowing in anger. "Did I startle you?" Wufei glared. Laughing softly, Duo moved to him, throwing an arm over his shoulder. "Don't get mad, Wufei, I was worried about you."

With a surprised expression, Wufei stared at him for a moment, then glared again. "I can take care of myself," he growled, not quite as angry as he wanted Duo to believe. The proof was there in the fact that he didn't throw off Duo's arm.

"I know you can," Duo grinned, ruffling Wufei's loose black hair, causing the other boy's glare to intensify. "I just thought you could use a little company on your walk back to the safehouse. Trowa took Quatre--" Duo stopped as a large grin spread across his face. "Man, you should have seen those two lovebirds earlier." He laughed at Wufei's surprised expression. "They're so cute together."

"Quatre and Trowa?" Wufei's eyes widened for a moment as he thought about it, then he closed his mouth and nodded. "Yes, I guess I can see it."

"Yep," Duo moved his arm, giving Wufei a slight push on the back to get him moving in the direction of the safehouse. "Trowa came and picked up Quatre, so I figured I could walk back with you. Friends should stick together, you know."

Glancing at the other boy out of the corner of his eye, Wufei allowed a small smile to form. "Yes."

Walking silently, they made their way through the forest. Glancing at the other boy repeatedly, Duo soon gained Wufei's attention. "What?"

Duo smirked at having been caught, then cleared his throat. "How are you?"

Eyes narrowing, Wufei stopped, turning to look at the American. "What do you mean?"

"Are you still tired?" At Wufei's dark frown, Duo shoved him slightly. "I'm serious. Why do you try to act like using your abilities doesn't wear you out? It's not as if they're easy to do."

"Must you remind me of my weakness?" Turning, Wufei stalked off, Duo running to catch up and walking alongside him.

"You're so dumb. If I run a marathon, I'm going to be out of breath afterward. It's not anything you can help. I don't understand why you insist on seeing your human part as a weakness."

"I'll get stronger," Wufei said slowly, unable to get angry when he could see the concern in those violet eyes. "I can't help if I see it as a weakness. That's who I am."

With a sigh, Duo nodded, "Okay. But I can't help worrying about you either. That's who *I* am." Wufei smirked slightly, looking at Duo's downcast expression.

"We all have our faults."

"God!" Duo stretched suddenly, face lighting up as he stared at the sky. "Alright!" Looking at Wufei, he grinned. "Enough of this depressing conversation. Let's get back to the safehouse and get something to eat. I'm starving."

"You're always starving." At Duo's agreeing nod, Wufei snorted. "Fine."

* * *

Quatre watched as Trowa came to stand in front of him. Suddenly he wasn't looking forward to being alone with the tall boy. Instead, he was feeling decidedly uncomfortable. "Hi," he said shyly, and Trowa smiled. It was a small smile, barely discernible in the dark, but it made Quatre's insides melt.

"Hello," Trowa answered softly, taking a step closer, his green eyes moving over Quatre's face. "Need a lift." His eyes sparkled at Quatre's surprised expression, then the blonde boy let out a soft laugh and Trowa felt the tension lift.

"Yeah, I do." Still smiling, Quatre moved to Trowa who lifted him in his arms. Wrapping his arms around Trowa's neck, he felt his doubts return.

"Quatre," Trowa laid his cheek against the top of the blonde head that lay against his head. "We'll talk about this when we get back to the safehouse, okay?"

Quatre lifted his head quickly, looking up at Trowa with uncertainty shining in his pale blue-green eyes. Bending his head, Trowa brushed his lips lightly over the Quatre's. Then, lifting his head to look above him, he pulled the smaller boy tight against him, waiting. Then the pale boy wrapped his arms around Trowa's neck and he lifted them into the air.

* * *

//He was concerned about his comrade. There's nothing wrong with that.// Glaring, Heero pushed away from his laptop. //But how do I *know* that's the reason. I can't just ask them, it would ruin the team. We wouldn't be able to work together and the mission would suffer. I can't allow that. But...// Heero left his bedroom, moving down the hall and to the kitchen. Walking to the counter, he started making a pot of coffee. Anything to distract him from his distracting thoughts. It didn't work.

--notes— more to come