New Haven

Chapter Thirteen: Confessions…Or play.

Anne watched as the five men left the building. She absently sipped the coffee she was cupping in her hands. She knew that Sally had slipped into the room but she didn’t turn to acknowledge the other woman.

“They have come up with a plan.” Sally told the other woman at the large floor to ceiling window that was behind the heavy oak desk.

“Good.”

“Duo won’t let Wufei kill the leader of this terrorist group. In fact he forbade it.”

The only sound that could be heard was the thud of the coffee mug hitting the floor. Anne spun around to stare at her wife. The astonishment could be seen on the tear stained face that confronted Sally.

Sally stared in amazement. Her astonishment faded away to a soft loving look. “He forgave you Lady.” Sally told her wife. “Duo forgave you and set out to take him down before he can do anything like he did on L2.” Sally wrapped her arms around the other woman comfortingly. As she held the other woman she told her the plan that the five had come up with.


Duo tucked himself into the back seat and pressed his forehead against the coolness of the window in the passenger door. He let the two in the front seat murmur to each other.

“We need to get boxes.” He murmured absently as he tried to put the days events behind him. To forget the pain and terror that he had felt upon reading the report.

“Yes,” Wufei murmured from the front seat. “Heero is going to take us to the grocery store to get some.” Wufei answered just as quietly. He had thought that Duo would like to leave the packing for another day but the words from the back seat changed the minds of the two in the front. “But first we are going to the UNY for a swim. Quatre is stopping to get you some swimming trunks on the way.”

Duo blinked at the words. He pulled himself from his leaning position on the door and focused on the men in the front of the vehicle. “Swimming?” He asked hesitantly. He had never learned that and had never found the time to learn it either. “Uhmm, I don’t…”

Wufei turned slightly in his seat and focused on the man he loved with all his heart. He focused on the look of bashful restraint on the face. “Duo,” He began slowly. “Do you know how to swim?”

Heero who had stopped the car for a red light whipped around to stare at Duo as well.

Duo curled into a protective ball shook his head wincing and hoping not to get teased. He looked up when he heard nothing in response. He looked into his loves eyes and saw understanding. Heero was already turning around to continue driving the car. The blare of offended drivers making him continue.

“It’s alright Duo.” Heero told the man calmly. “Quatre can barely swim as well. Between the two of you we’ll make sure that you don’t drown.”

Wufei rolled his eyes and smiled gently at the deadly assassin curled in a protective ball on the seat. “He is correct. Quatre can barely swim. But we can never get him out of the water when it’s time to leave. We do have to sign you in. So if you have an old student card that tells where you got your Paramedic license we can get you a membership quite quickly.”

Duo blinked and smiled hesitantly at the man watching him so carefully. “Are you sure it won’t be any trouble?”

“No trouble.” Heero replied as he pulled into the parking lot that went to the gym. “We only have a swimming membership here since Wufei has the gym.”

Duo nodded as Heero found a parking space to park in.

As they were getting out of the car a car whipped into the spot beside them as if it was in a speed race. The door of the passenger front opened to omit a glaring Trowa. He was glaring at the driver who was chattering away happily as he bounced out of the car.

Heero received the glare calmly and held out his hand to the blond. The blond ignored him and bounced over to join the lawyer and paramedic.

“Quatre…” The quiet warning held in the air as the blond winced and sighed. He turned and dropped the keys into Heero’s out stretched hand.


Wufei and Duo ignored the silent tableau behind them. Wufei hesitantly took hold of the hand Duo was swinging happily beside him occasionally brushing Wufei’s thigh and hip.

Duo gave a real smile to him as his hand was grasped firmly by Wufei. He tried not to skip at the idea of seeing his love in his bathing suit. They stopped to sign Wufei in and set Duo up with a membership. It was quickly done but the other three men had joined them to sign in as well.

Quatre handed a bag to Duo and lead the group to the men’s locker room.

Duo looked into the bag and saw the basic cut trunks in black inside. He smiled thankfully at the doctor and followed them to the locker section. He quickly changed into the trunks ignoring the fact that Wufei was changing beside him. If he thought about it to much he would get a hard on and that wouldn’t look to well to the other men in the locker room. He turned and draped the towel he found in the bag around his neck to find Wufei already placing his things in his locker with his own.

The Asian was wearing a clinging speedo that left nothing to the imagination. Duo groaned and thanked God for the fact that his trunks were so loose. Wufei absently checked his hair to make sure that there was no stray chunks. Duo groaned again and turned to see the blond looking at his loves with the same expression on his face.

Quatre turned to Duo and smirked in understanding. “No matter how many times I see that sight…” He shook his head and cut himself off. He grabbed Duo’s hand and lead the other through the doors that lead to the shower area. He took him to one of the doors and pulled it open to show an empty pool on the other side. “I called and booked it for about this time. It’s for the big hotshot members.” Quatre said with a grin. “That way if something does end up happening no one will see anything.”

Duo blinked and slow manic grin spread across his face. It was like every university pool. Olympic size with the towers and diving boards as well. He turned to look at Wufei as he came out of the locker room showers. He grinned happily. This was going to be a new experience that only Wufei would know about.

Wufei watched the man who had a soul as old as time revert into a child before his eyes. Duo broke away and Wufei watched as he dipped his toes into the pool. Duo flashed him an even bigger smile and sat on the edge of the pool and let his legs dangle into the water. Wufei watched the delight on the man’s face as he felt the water moving over his legs. Wufei turned as a hand landed on his shoulders. He turned to where a finger pointed.

Quatre grinned and backed up a few steps from the edge. “Bonsai!!!” He roared as he took the quick steps to the edge and jumped of the edge performing a cannonball to splash the man sitting on the edge of the pool.

Duo stared in amazement cringing back from the splash that ensued after the youthful yell. He laughed at the feel of the water dripping down his skin. He blinked when a hand curved around his shoulder. He looked up to see Trowa crouching beside him.

“The best way to get use to the water is full emersion.” He told the younger man. Promptly after his words he picked Duo up and threw him into the water.

Duo screamed as he sailed through the air.

Wufei shouted in distress doing a shallow dive to reassure the love of his life.

Heero shoved Trowa into the water angrily before diving into the water as well.

Duo felt the water envelop him and automatically started to struggle for purchase to get to the surface and where the air was. He felt reassuring arms curl around him and push him upwards.

Wufei reached the frightened man first. He pulled him close and started to murmur reassuringly to him. “Duo,” He reassured as the paramedic clung to him. “It’s okay. Put your feet down. You can touch bottom.” He repeated the litany over until the man placed his feet on the cement bottom of the pool.

Duo slowly opened his eyes and looked into the reassuring eyes of onyx. He slowly let his feet travel down Wufei’s powerful legs and settle on the bottom of the pool. He buried his face into Wufei’s chest as he shivered in his surprise at the sudden soaking.

“Uhmm,” Quatre asked as he watched the two from a couple feet away. “Can Duo swim?”

Heero answered his love as he calmly dunked Trowa back beneath the water. “No he can’t.” He scowled down at his tall well built lover in disgust. He let him up for air and glared at the man. He turned Trowa to see where Duo clung to Wufei. “Swimming is not something Duo does.” He said dryly as he moved away from Trowa to see if Wufei needed any help.

Quatre glared at Trowa before he went to check on Duo.

Duo slowly pushed away from Wufei as the fright left him. His cheek was cupped and he looked up to give to smile jauntily to reassure the man cupping his check. “He just startled me.” He whispered to reassure both himself and the one who was holding him. He felt a hand come to rest on his waist and turned to give a smile to the doctor with his hair dripping into his face. He nodded to him and gave an experimental splash towards the man.

Quatre blinked and laughed. He retaliated and watched as Duo opened up and started to enjoy the water.

Wufei stepped aside and let the two battle it out. He looked to his side and gave a withering glare to Trowa who looked at him in apologetic dismay. Wufei sighed and plunged into the water fight joining the fight on Duo’s side of the war.


Duo groaned as he pulled himself from the pool to watch as the three silent wonders went about laps in the pool. He sat on the edge and rested as he watched Wufei slice easily through the water. He turned as Quatre pulled himself out of the water with a grunt.

“There’s a hot tub by the towers. Do you want to relax there?” Quatre asked Duo.

Duo considered the offer and took it with the hopes that it would relax his overtired muscles. He nodded and followed Quatre to the hot tub. He settled into the hot water with a sigh of joy. It had already started to relax his muscles. He took a seat with a view of the pool so he could watch Wufei do his laps.

Quatre joined the silent paramedic and followed his example. “You know,” He said quietly. “I never thanked you for what you did for me.”

Duo turned startled eyes to the doctor. “You don’t have to thank me. I did it willingly. I researched everyone of them and found that they all deserved die for something. One of them was child loving fucker. Another was a rapist of women and men then he made them disappear…” Duo slowly took his eyes from the sight of Wufei cutting easily threw the water. “I could give you a list of what every single one had done. But I don’t think you really need to know.” He looked calmly into the surprised aquamarine eyes. All the wisdom Duo held shone through those eyes into the others. “I looked into every one of the people’s history to find out if they really deserved to die. Only five people passed the test.” Duo broke eye contact and raised a lazy hand from the water. “Lady Anne Une. She was actually crazy and needed someone to show her that the world could become a safe place. Sandrock, was in the war to stop the fighting and senseless violence. Wing, Wing…I almost killed him but I saw him one day with Heavyarms and new that he was trying to make up for his mistakes. Heavyarms, was trying to do his best to correct the circumstances that had been out of his control. Shenlong, wanted justice for the deaths of his family and people. They passed the test because they were actually not attacking anyone but soldiers and trying to stop all the maiming and killing of innocent souls that should never see or know about the violence that man can create so easily.” Duo settled back against the wall and looked up at the skylight that allowed extra sunlight into the pool room. “I see all that has been done since the war and it isn’t enough. That’s why I came up with the idea of New Haven. It would be a place for people who have seen too much been through too much to feel safe and find a way to learn how to survive again. It was so frustrating when no one liked the idea.” Duo sighed and settled his chin on the surface of the water grateful for the heat seeping into his bones.

He had forgotten that Quatre was still beside him and jumped when a hand caught his chin. It turned him to face the other man.

“Don’t ever think that it isn’t a good idea.” Quatre told the other man with tears slowly running down his face. He had never heard something so true in his entire life.

Duo grinned wryly and freed his chin. “I wasn’t giving up. I have some money I had managed to confiscate. It would have started the repairs. I was going to do that and then I was going to go to the press and tell them about it.” He looked back at the Quatre. “I didn’t want to shove it down peoples throats. I wanted people to see the idea and want to help.”

Quatre blinked and grinned in return. “Well you found the right person to pitch your idea too. Now all you have to do is let us help you and bring in the really big guns.”

“Ahem.” The sound of the throat being cleared startled the two men. They both looked up to see three men crouched at the opposite side of the hot tub.

“We’ve been done for a little while now.” Trowa’s calm smooth tenor commented. “Let’s get going or we won’t have Duo moved before the mission. Plus I think we need to get out of here. There is some girls over at the door to the women’s locker giggling and ogling us.”

Duo laughed at the calm tone of voice Trowa delivered his reprimand in. He bounced out the tub and pulled Quatre up after him. He then turned and waved to the girls as they made their way back to the men’s locker room. He winked and calmly caught Wufei’s hand as they rounded the end of the pool. He stuck his tongue out and brought the hand he was clasping to his lips to gently place a kiss on the curled fingers there.

Wufei looked back at the gesture and smiled gently to the laughing violet eyed man. He heard groans of despair and turned to look at the girls. They were pouting and glaring. He turned to question the men ahead of them and found Quatre holding hands with his loves avidly chattering away to them. He turned laughing eyes back to the girls and stopped to pull Duo into a heated embrace. His lips captured his loves and made slow intoxicating love to them. He broke away to see the glazed expression of passion he loved to see in the other man and rumbled in pleasure. He turned and gave a slow sexy grin and wink to the jealous girls and he continued to the locker room pulling an amused Duo behind him.

Duo stared in bemusement at the unexpected gesture from his dragon. He followed the tugging on his hand slowly and cast a look of ‘What can a guy do?’ to the girls as he disappeared through the doors that lead to the men’s shower. He stopped suddenly when he saw the carefully blank expressions on the other three men’s faces. He started to laugh and couldn’t stop.

Wufei grinned and quickly followed his mate into laughter as he turned on the water in a private shower stall that was closest to them. He pulled Duo in with him and left the three musketeers to there thoughts. He helped Duo rinse off and Duo helped him. They didn’t have anything there for them to soap away the chlorine so they promised to do so later.