Two Sides of a Triangle

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Duo’s mouth set, determined, as he sucked in a deep breath and prepared for the upcoming confrontation. Quatre sat in the break room with a cup of coffee clutched between two hands, staring into the dark liquid. It was most likely cold since he’d been sitting in the exact same position twenty minutes ago when Duo passed by the first time.

The former thief knew something was bothering him, had been bothering him since Sunday afternoon, but when the braided man asked him about it on the car ride home, Q just smiled and said it was nothing. The blond said he was just thinking about something and changed the subject.

Monday was a bit odd for Duo, probably for both of them. There were lovers now; they had regained the ease between them. Lunchtime was much nicer, but Trowa was missing and both could feel the loss.

And something was still bothering Quatre, but Duo wasn’t going to force the issue at work with prying ears.

Plus, it might need the three of them present to discuss, and Trowa was working from home on Monday and Tuesday. That had been cleared for over a week and Une would be suspicious if he changed it.

It wasn’t as if they were hiding that they were together, but Trowa did mention that he really didn’t want complete strangers knowing about his bedroom habits. Trowa was a very private person, both his lovers knew that and understood, but Duo also knew there was more to it than that. Exactly, what? He wasn’t sure.

So now Duo was stuck between Q and T feeling like a fucking algebra problem. If side Q of triangle QDT is this and T is this, how long does D have to be to make the ends meet? Duo was good at math, but this was not so simple. And he could tell big subjects were hovering over each of them.

But this was ridiculous.

Duo marched into the break room. It was empty save his love who hadn’t even noticed his approach. “Alright, Q.” The blond snapped his head up, blue eyes wide and confused as Duo continued. “I know something is wrong, otherwise, you wouldn’t be sitting here staring into space when you’ve got a huge meeting in ten minutes.”

Quatre looked at the clock and gasped. “I’ve got to go, Duo.” He rushed for the door, panicked, but Duo blocked him.

“I know you do, Quat, but we are talking about this right after work, your car or mine, but this is going to happen, today, ASAP.”

The strategist looked defeated. “I’ll meet you at my car after the meeting.”

Duo nodded and moved aside for him as he rushed back to his office to get his notes together.

Quatre rushed to his desk, grabbed his notes, and hurriedly tried to organize his thoughts and plans of attack for the upcoming confrontation. The meeting was pure torture. Usually, the blond enjoyed his work but today he felt…off. He wasn’t prepared, he hadn’t properly researched his client, wasn’t entirely sure what kind of pressure to which the client would respond best. He felt like he was stumbling through like an amateur…and he was.

But he got the job done. It took him longer than expected, but at least he was successful. As he stepped out of his office, Quatre sighed gratefully. That was much more stressful than need be, and he vowed never to be so unprepared again. On the bright side, he didn’t think the clients noticed.

Une did and commented on his “variation in tactics.” It was bullshit; he knew the comment was a tactful way of saying “don’t let it happen again.”

And now that his Tuesday at the office was over, he had Duo waiting at his car to discuss something that he truly did not want to be addressed. But, determined to stay on the bright side, at least Trowa would not be present. The quiet man was absent from the building again today, working from home, something about setting up transfers from behind the Preventer’s firewall flagging him as a cop. Quatre wasn’t as computer savvy as his two lovers, but Duo seemed to understand and agree with the tactic. And if it made Trowa that much safer, Quatre was all for it.

Quatre wasn’t going to lie and say that Trowa constantly putting his life in such danger didn’t bother him, but he also knew that Trowa was fiercely independent. He would not endanger the tentative relationship by trying to alter his job. The man had to love the danger, otherwise why would he do it?

So he wouldn’t be present for the unwanted confrontation Duo was forcing on him, but there was nothing the braided man could to change what was weighing on Quatre’s heart, so why talk about it? Because Duo was worried about him and wanted to know what was wrong, of course.

Quatre sighed as he reached the parking lot. The sun was shining, and it was a beautiful Spring day, too bad Quatre didn’t really feel like enjoying it. Duo was waiting, leaning against his shiny black sedan, he looked almost as nervous as Quatre felt.

As they sat down in the warm seats, Duo spoke. “I wonder if we should have Trowa here for this.”

The heir felt himself freeze up tight. “No, please, Duo. I…this is hard enough without him.”

Duo sighed and nodded. “I know, kitten, but you two are going to have to learn to speak to each other, eventually. I can’t keep playing bridge-boy.”

Quatre felt a little guilty for putting him in the middle, but then again, this conversation was forced on him by said bridge-boy. “We don’t have to talk at all, Duo. Its not something chatting about will change.”

“But maybe it will make you feel better, make us feel better.” It was so easy for Duo to find the words to remind the blond how one person affects another in a relationship.

Quatre sighed. Fine. “Its just…I’m just a little depressed is all. It truly is nothing, Duo.”

He didn’t buy it. “Depressed about what?”

The blond groaned at the persistent man and gave in. “My empathy is just…well…” He couldn’t find a ‘best way’ to say it, so he just let his mouth blurt out what it wanted. “I can’t feel Trowa.”

Violet eyes blinked. “What?”

“You remember, I was able to feel that hatred and negativity from him last week, but since this thing between us started, its not there anymore.” He refused to look at his friend, eyes directed out the windshield, fingers clenching like he wanted to grip the steering wheel in front of him.

Duo shifted in his seat, words cautious. “You talk like that’s a bad thing.”

Quatre shook his head. “I don’t feel anything. He’s a complete void.”

“So…he’s hiding from you, that’s what you’re concerned about?” Duo kept pulling, trying to get to the root of the problem.

“More like why he’s hiding. Does he still hate me and is just hiding it to make ‘us’ work? Why is he so thorough, so careful to keep it from me if that’s not it?”

Confusion reigned on Duo’s face. “You lost me, Q.”

The blond leaned forward, head resting on the steering wheel. “My empathy gets stronger through physical touch. When we’re intimate, that loss of control with orgasm should break down any emotional barriers, but it doesn’t. Not with Trowa. He’s locked up tight, like he’s desperate not to let me see. But that makes sense. Exposing his hatred of me might ruin the balance in the relationship, then he’d lose you.”

Quatre could hear Duo sigh. “I don’t think that’s the reason, kitten.” The head stayed buried in the steering wheel, unmoved by his words, so Duo continued. “I think he cares more than he should, and is just scared of exposing that so soon.”

There was a self-deprecating laugh from the driver’s side, so Duo grit his teeth and tried once more. “I’m beginning to think he cares more about you than me, I mean, he’s given you a nickname, and I haven’t got one from him.”

Quatre lifted his head from the wheel and looked at his friend. “What do you mean?”

“The morning after, when you were sore, do you remember what he called you?” This time it was Duo who wouldn’t meet the other’s eyes.

“Little one.” Quatre’s voice went soft with the phrase. He should have been offended being called little, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel anything but pleased that the quiet man had done such a thing.

“He hasn’t called me anything but Duo or Maxwell.” The tone mocked playful but a spike of pain lanced across his Space Heart at Duo’s words, and the blond knew it wasn’t his own.

“That really bothers you, doesn’t it?” This time Quatre’s voice was soft for a different reason, trying to comfort and console.

“What? No, its only been a few days. Why would I expect him to have a pet name for me?” Duo was backtracking.

“Because he has one for me.” Quatre effectively forgot his own dark thoughts to focus on Duo’s, trying to support him as he had done for Quatre. If it happened to change the subject also, all the better.

Duo huffed air into his bangs, ruffling them in defeat. “Yeah, ok, so that sucks, but, like I said, its only been what? Like a week? And Trowa is not a man of many words, terms of affection are not going to drip from his tongue easily. I know that.”

A week? It’d been three days, but the blond ignored the discrepancy and nodded. “But it still sucks.”

Duo chuckled. “Yeah.”

Quatre gave him a shy smile. “We’re in the same place. I know Trowa is a reserved man, he’s not just going to open himself and confess eternal love. I’m grateful that I’m even getting the chance to earn it, but…” He trailed off.

“But it still sucks.” Duo finished for him with a smile.

They looked at each other and started laughing. The problem far from solved, but the two felt better knowing they were not alone in their position.

“So…” Duo spoke with a drawl. “It sounds like the three of us need to have a little chat after dinner tonight.”

Quatre nodded, not incredibly enthusiastic about the prospect, but more willing now that he knew he wasn’t alone.

And that was another thing. He needed to sit down with Rashid and tell him to stop with the prospective brides.

“Hey” Duo sidled up as close to the driver’s side as possible. “Maybe we should have a little slumber party tonight, you, me, and the tall one. Make him kiss all the bad feelings away.”

Quatre shifted, feeling a jerk of excitement from his groin, but not exactly comfortable. “I haven’t told Rashid, yet. I’d like to give him time to digest before throwing it in his face.”

“That makes sense, but would you rather talk to him one on one or with Trowa and me next to you?” Duo knew he was trying to push Quatre out of the closet a bit fast, but wouldn’t it be better if Quat had the support of his lovers right next to him? If it also let them have some quality between-the-sheets time, as well, all the better.

Quatre had to admit that having them with him was extremely tempting. “Maybe we could head back to Trowa’s after dinner.”

It seemed like a waste of gas and time, but if that’s what Q wanted. “We could ask him.” Duo reached over, grabbed Quatre’s tie, and pulled him in for a heated kiss. “See you at dinner, lover.”

Blue eyes took a second to focus then lit up with a smile. “Bye, Duo.” He spoke as he watched that braid disappear behind the closed passenger door.

Trowa pulled up to the Winner Estate to find Duo and Quatre leaning against Duo’s truck in the driveway waiting for him. Odd. The whole situation was rather odd…He didn’t understand why he had to come over here every day this week for dinner just to find food he liked. It was all rather pointless, he ate everything from five star, thousand dollar meals to sludge unable to be classified as ‘food’ when under cover. It didn’t matter if he liked it or not; food was food.

But Quatre had decided that Trowa should find types he liked, so he went with it.

As he parked, they were waiting outside his door, and as soon as he opened it, Duo started talking, playful smile on his lips. “We’re ambushing you.”

Trowa stood, and it closed the distance between them. Quatre and Duo were only inches from his chest, and he felt his neck strain to look down at them. “To what end?”

Duo’s smile went devilish. “Well, hopefully by the end of the night, sexual gratification, but we’ve got a couple of ‘to do’s’ to check off the list.”

“Ok.” Trowa blinked, feeling the oddness of the whole situation encompass him further.

Duo wrapped an arm around Quatre and pulled him closer. They were all invading the others’ personal space, but it also kept their words between only the three of them. Despite the intimacy of the position and the severity of his words, his tone was flippant as he forced eye contact with Trowa. “First, you and I are going to play back up to Quatre for moral support while he comes out of the closet to Rashid. Then we’re going to have dinner, and then there’s something that has been bugging Quatre, and he needs to talk to you.”

“That’s fine.” Trowa’s brow furrowed, glancing between the two in front of him, trying to read what was coming, but he gave up.

“Good, lets go find the big guy then.” Duo spun, flinging Quatre with him when he refused to take his arm off the shorter man’s shoulder.

Quatre laughed, and Trowa smirked as he followed behind them. “Should I have brought a bigger gun?”

Duo laughed as Quatre made a sound similar to a squawk in response. “You’re armed?”

Trowa and Duo spoke at the same time. “Always.”

Both chuckled as Quatre let out an indignant huff. “You could have left it in the car.”

The other two knew there was no ‘it’ about it. They had lived through fighting for as long as both could remember, they just didn’t feel comfortable without at least two, usually more, weapons on them at any given time. But Quatre had left the weapons by the wayside as quick as possible after the wars, and for him, that was fine. His job was in the Preventers building, safe as he could be, no need for armament.

Quatre sent word for Rashid to meet him in the first floor study, and the three of them went there to wait for him. There was a desk set up in the back corner of the room, but there were a series of chairs and couches in the front. This room was set up to receive business acquaintances for informal meetings. Duo let Trowa and Quatre take the lead, and pushed them both down on the two-seater couch before straddling the armrest on Quatre’s side.

The heir was in close quarters, surrounded, just as Duo wanted. And they waited. It didn’t take long for Rashid to come. He stood before them, eyes taking in the close proximity of the three of them.

Duo’s hand rested on Quatre’s shoulder, as he calmly informed his butler, bodyguard, friend, family that he was not interested in meeting any more prospective brides, that he had never been interested in the female form, and that Duo and Trowa were his lovers.

In the silence that followed, Trowa could feel Quatre’s heartrate, fast and fluttering. And in that moment, just sitting next to him wasn’t enough. He set his hand on Quatre’s thigh, palm up in offering. He heard the smaller man sigh and calm slightly, as he joined their hands, fingers linked.

Rashid spoke up then. “I can’t truthfully say I’m not disappointed. I had looked forward to raising your children as I helped raise you, but I will support you in all of your endeavors, Master Quatre.” His eyes swiveled from his beloved Master to lock onto Trowa as he continued. “And I can’t say that I fully agree with your choice in companions, but I will treat them with the same respect I would have shown your bride.”

Quatre shifted, not satisfied with Rashid’s response. “You think my choice in companions is unwise, Rashid?”

“Perhaps you focus more on your past than is healthy; you should fix your eyes on the future and what it could bring.” His answer was an evasion and completely overlooking the fact that Quatre had confessed to never having been attracted to a woman before. He chose to think the relationship an infatuation stemmed from the stresses of war and the bonds of a common experience.

Quatre’s hand tightened on Trowa’s, and his head dropped. Duo squeezed his shoulder and chose to speak up for him. “You can’t always help what the heart decides, Rashid.” His voice was soft with the knowledge of the pain he had lived through up until the past week. The unrequited love of the blond next to him was the perfect example of his words to the big man.

But Rashid was not as accepting of the words as the three had hoped. “Has the heart truly made a decision where there are three brought together? Now if you’ll excuse me, I must see to your meal, Master Quatre.”

And he was gone. Quatre was shaking, and folding over his and Trowa’s hands. Duo hopped off the armrest and dropped to his knees in front of him. “Quatre?”

He didn’t respond, and neither Trowa or Duo could see his face well enough to know what was happening. When Quatre started rocking himself slightly, it was the last straw for Trowa. He slid his unoccupied hand around him and pulled the smaller man into his lap. Duo quickly filled the empty seat on the couch, and immediately after, Quatre found himself wrapped up between the two. He let out a shaky breath as he let their warmth seep into his skin for a moment.

“I’m ok.” Duo just squeezed him tighter as the blond continued. “I just don’t really know what to feel right now. I’m happy that he wasn’t outraged, but upset that he wasn’t more supportive.”

Trowa rested his head against the back of Quatre’s head, letting the fine strands of blond hair tickle his cheek. Duo’s hands cupped Quatre’s cheeks, face blotched and eyes red, but there were no tears. “I’m sure its just a bit of a shock, Q. Give him time, and he’ll warm up to the idea.”

Quatre nodded. “Thank you.” He started pulling back from Duo and shifting on Trowa’s lap. “I really am fine. I guess I didn’t realize how much his opinion meant to me.”

Duo leaned back, letting him have some space emotionally as Quatre slid out of Trowa’s lap and into the small space between his two lovers, forcing them to scoot over some to make more room. They sat there for a minute as the newly-outted heir caught his bearings. “I really am glad you were here. Thank you.” Blue eyes swung from Duo to Trowa.

“Well, its nice to be appreciated, but food would be better.” Duo’s lighthearted tone tried to pull Quatre back to himself. He nodded and stood only to have Duo’s arms wrap around his waist and pull him back down onto his and Trowa’s laps. Duo attacked his neck, half-crawling across Trowa to pin them both.

Trowa froze unsure how to react until Duo finally let them up, Quatre laughing and begging for Duo to let him up. As they stood, Quatre hit Trowa’s arm, playfully. “Thanks for helping me, jerk.”

Green eyes widened. “What?”

Duo sauntered over to the door. “You just have to accept the fact that you two are no match for me.”

Quatre glared. “Oh, you are going to get it later, Duo Maxwell, and Trowa’s going to help me whether he likes it or not.”

“I’ll help, I just don’t know what to do.” Trowa sounded confused, and Duo took pity on him.

“Haven’t you ever wrestled with someone, Trowa?” He turned back to glance at the man as they all walked towards the dining room.

“Yes.” The expression on his face did not speak of a happy experience.

“Its just a play fight, no serious punches or holds, nothing that would hurt. Just have a little bit of fun pinning each other, hands tickling or teasing, like Quatre and I did to you on the floor of your kitchen. Remember?”

Trowa nodded. “Ok. I’ll remember that.”

Duo rolled his eyes. “You do that.”

Dinner was the same production as the night before. As the silverware clinked softly against the delicate plates, Trowa felt like he was boiling inside. It wasn’t anger; it was just a constant restless feeling, like he couldn’t move outwardly, couldn’t indicate his discomfort, so it was reflected inward. All of this constrained energy crawling along his insides while he sat demurely at the dinner table eating who-knows-what with the etiquette of a royal.

There were several things simmering within him. The whole scene of Quatre’s confession to Rashid had left him irritated. Trowa knew of Rashid’s disapproval when it came to himself. The big man had never liked him, and that never really mattered before because Trowa was never in his presence after their first meeting. Now though, everything he said made Trowa self-conscious.

Because he spoke truth. Trowa wasn’t good enough for the others. His personality wasn’t a match; he was too harsh. And Quatre and Duo were getting closer. They wouldn’t need him soon enough. That was his original intention, to bring them together and leave before he could do too much damage to the pair.

Is that was Quatre wanted to speak with him about? He and Duo had made good, and they didn’t need Trowa anymore? His throat felt tight all of a sudden. But no, if that was the case, why would Quatre’s confession include him if the blond was just going to turn around and cut him off?

Could he really let them go now? What if Quatre and Duo realized Rashid was right, that the former clown was unworthy? Could he really see them everyday at the office, knowing what their skin smelled liked, knowing the pitches their voices took at the height of pleasure?

No, he couldn’t.

He’d gotten too attached. Trowa snorted quietly, who was he kidding. He was attached to the idea of them the moment he suggested it to Duo. It had only been a few days, how the hell did they break through so quickly?

Well, Quatre was already firmly set within his chest, but Duo…watching them interact, seeing how infectious his smile was…shit.

“Trowa, what do you think of the meal? Is this something you’d like to have again?” Quatre’s voice broke though his thoughts.

“Its fine, Quatre. Good.” Trowa nodded and continued eating.

He was already in too deep. Trowa resigned himself to just let things happen as they may. He made a promise not to manipulate eith of them, and he wouldn’t. If his lovers decided they didn’t want him anymore then he’d deal with it. He’d pack up and disappear, start a new life somewhere else. He had done it often enough that it was child’s play now.

But until that day, he’d take what time they gave him.

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I've got my internet back! Sorry it took so long, but I was moving, two weeks without internet. Fuck, it was like someone cut off my arm! And all the stupid "free wifi" coffeeshops block the only sites I wanted to visit. I guess that says something about my 'moral character' Lol! Whatev.

This chapter was not in my outline. It kinda inserted itself, but I like how it embellished the relationship between the guys, so it stayed. Hope you liked it.

Reviews welcome, wanted, and appreciated! (and they typically make me write faster, but no pressure. lol) I'll post responses to reviews on my authors page if you're interested.

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