By: Kracken
Disclaimer:I don't own them and I don't make any money off of this.
Warning:Male/male sex, graphic, language, Lotsa lemony talk...

This fic won first place in the short story category of Sharon's Moment's of Rapture Contest.

By the Water Cooler

"I'm telling you.... they're together," Kile from records said under his breath as he leaned close to Bob from ballistics.

Bob readjusted his tie as if it were suddenly too hot in the hallway. He poured water into his paper cup from the water cooler, downed it, and then said, "I think you're full of it."

"They're keeping it a tight secret." Kile told him.

Bob frowned irritably. "Why?"

Kile rolled his eyes. "You know..."

"No I don't," Bob replied. "What? They think they're the only gay people on the payroll? They're both top agents and war heroes. Who the hell would say 'boo' to them?"

Kile looked thoughtful, wondering that himself.

"They are NOT keeping it a secret." Cheryl from the secretary pool leaned to get her own cup of water. The water cooler bubbled loudly. She gave each of the men a knowing, self important look, as she told them, "They just don't advertise it."

Kile rolled his eyes. "And how is THAT any different?"

Cheryl swirled her water in her cup, looked at it's contents intently, and then took a slow, small sip.

"Cheryl?" Bob urged impatiently.

Cheryl smiled. "Yuy has pictures of Maxwell and himself all over his office wall. Doesn't sound like he's keeping it a dark secret to me."

"Pictures?" Kile asked, his eyes going large. "Doing what?"

Cheryl scowled. "Not what you're thinking!"

Kile blushed. "A man can dream."

"I think that's called a fantasy," Bob snickered.

"More like a wet dream," Cheryl said under her breath and both men looked at her. "Well, " she retorted, "You're not the only ones who think Yuy would look good stripped naked and stretched out on white sheets."

"What ARE you talking about?" Deanna from purchasing asked. She filled her paper cup with water and then crossed her arms over her breast, holding the cup as if she were having a cocktail instead of water. She had a dark eyebrow arched as she demanded, "Well? Yuy? White sheets? Naked? Where do I sign up? Is it a fund raiser? I warn you, if it's one of those bachelor auctions I have a big limit on my credit card and I'm not afraid to use it. I WILL win."

Kile shot her a look, "He's not interested in what you've got, darling, so save your money."

Deanna smirked. "Who said he had to do anything? Just being able to look would be worth the money."

Kile gaped at her and then said determinedly, "I'll take out a loan. I'll be winning that contest, thank you very much."

"There ISN'T any contest, idiots!" Bob growled, but then looked thoughtful, "Though we could tell him there was one and..."

Cheryl snorted. "I think there's a law against that..."

Agent Greg leaned in to get a cup of water and looked at the other people gathered there. "Do you have a question about the law? I'm the person to ask."

Everyone was quiet and then Deanna asked with a leer, "Yeah, well, we were wondering if it was illegal to tell Agent Yuy that there was a bachelor auction, when there wasn't, just so we could see him naked in white sheets."

The man gaped at them, looked thoughtful, and then said, "Well, there is a law against false advertisement... but I don't think that would apply... I mean, if Yuy willingly sold himself and willingly climbed... naked... into some silk, white sheets, and I was to, say, scatter red rose petals all over him... Just how much do you think that would cost, I mean, buying him at auction?" Greg asked with an excited flush.

"It's cheaper just to ogle them at the Preventer gym," Suzanne from records said with a slight blush as she approached and filled a cup with water. "Yuy and Maxwell go there almost every afternoon. They..." She blushed a deeper shade of red. "They wear workout spandex so tight you can see their... uhm... well... NOTHING is left up to the imagination. I just wonder how they get the things on...." She looked down at the cup in her hands. "If you ask me, it's Maxwell I would want to see wrapped up in RED, silk sheets, naked, and with that hair all spread out... Isn't his hair just the most AMAZING thing? It's red and brown and gold and it's so LONG..."

"His eyes," Deanna said with satisfaction. "Have you ever seen eyes on a man that big and ... purple? Purple, for God's sake! It's like God is a big tease to all woman kind."

"He's just partial to gay men, that's all," Bob smirked.

Cheryl retorted, "It's not like you're getting a chance at either of them either! They are so tight, you couldn't get a piece of paper between them."

Everyone went silent, thinking of the two men.... together. Kile let out a shuddering breath. "Is everyone having the same mental image that I am right now?"

Greg swallowed hard and said, "You mean the one where Maxwell and Yuy are rolling in red and white silk sheets, covered in rose petals, naked, with long hair all around them... kissing... and showing those muscled, smooth skinned-"

"Hi, guys!"

Everyone jumped, water sloshing in paper cups as they turned in collective alarm at the approaching young man. Duo, in his Preventer uniform, eyes bright and braid swinging jauntily behind him, smiled at them good naturedly and motioned with the coffee decanter he had in one hand.

"Do you mind?" Duo wondered. "I hate the tap water in this place, so I thought I'd make coffee with the cooler water."

"No," Greg said, his voice coming out an octave too high. He cleared his throat in embarrassment and tried again, "No, sir. Go right ahead."

They all stood aside while Duo approached and began filling up his decanter. The water cooler bubbled in the sudden silence. Duo looked right and then left at his coworkers. "So, anything new?"

"No, uh, no sir," Bob replied.

"Oh, okay," Duo said. There was another long stretch of silence. Duo looked uncomfortable and then asked, "Slow day?"

"Sir?" Cheryl replied nervously and then, "Uh, no, sir, why do you ask?"

"'Cuz you're all standing here like nothing is happening," Duo chuckled.

"Just... Just taking a break, sir," Kile replied lamely and then blushed red to his ears.

Duo's smile widened. "You can go on talking," he said. "I won't rat on you."

"Oh....," Deanna looked at the others stupidly and then launched into, "SO, if you file your reports from oldest to the newest, when you put them in alphabetical order, you'll find that it's much easier to find them. I've also found that the number six size staple is better than the number two for keeping things attached to their respective folders."

Everyone thanked her and murmured short comments.

"We should be getting back to work," Kile said briskly. "Let's go, people."

Duo watched them all scatter and then he shook his head in seeming sympathy and took his filled decanter back to the agent's lounge.

Later that evening, back at the apartment that he shared with Heero Yuy, Duo took the steaming coffee cup of coffee that Heero offered and sighed as he cradled it's warmth in his cold hands. Dressed in comfortable jeans, and feet bare, he easily balanced on the ledge of the large picture window as he stared at his own reflection in the night darkened pane of glass.

Heero regarded his lover with a soft _expression. "Want to share?"

Duo started and looked at him, smiling apologetically. He took a cautious sip of his hot coffee and then replied, "I was just thinking."

Heero smirked, "Really?" he said teasingly.

Duo snorted. "Really."

"About?" Heero sat near him, choosing the window seat rather than the window sill. One of his strong hands came to rest on Duo's bare foot. When he began to massage it, Duo blushed.

"I can't think when you do that," Duo complained.

Heero paused. "Want me to stop, then?"

"No," Duo replied firmly.

Heero smiled and kept kneading one handed, giving Duo time to sort out an explanation. It had been hard for them both to transition into the strict Preventer system of law enforcement. They had been used to making their own decisions, following their own rules, and tackling missions without any thought for consequences or casualties. Duo had been having the hardest time. He had been on his own and following his own rules since he was born. There had been days when Duo had been frustrated enough to give up, quit the Preventers, and go back into space. Heero had talked him out of it each time. Heero thought that he could see the signs of it again, only Duo's expression wasn't the same. It was telling him that Duo wasn't frustrated. On the contrary, Duo looked almost sad, and that was confusing Heero. A frustrated Duo was normal and common, but a sad one was almost unheard of.

"Heero?" Duo finally said.

"Yes?" Heero responded encouragingly.

"I used to think that I wanted to be like everyone else," Duo said softly. "I used to watch people and wish that I could have a family, go home to dinner cooked on the stove, and have a nine to five job like they did. I wondered what it would be like to not have to worry about anything except which paper goes in which bin..."

Heero rubbed slow circles over Duo's instep and then replied, "You do have a family. You have me, Wu Fei, Trowa, Quatre, and all his sisters and mauganacs. You do come home and...," Heero chuckled, "Well, we do TRY to cook." He looked at Duo seriously then. "So, what's left? Do you want a nine to five job? Are you tired of being an agent?"

Duo's eyes went wide, "No! And that's just it!" He thought about the people gathered about the water cooler and gave a small shudder as he explained, "I didn't realize how boring that kind of life could be. They were talking about filing, Heero! How can anyone be interested in that?"

"Filing?" Heero looked confused. "Really? Is that what they were talking about?"

"Yes," Duo replied, "Next time I get a case of 'want to be normal', just say, 'filing' and I'll get over it instantly, okay?"

Heero chuckled, leaned in, and gave his lover a kiss. "Okay, I'll do that. Now, Mr. 'abnormal' Maxwell, let's go to bed."

"Bed, or...?" Duo trailed off with a questioning lift of a cinnamon eyebrow.

Heero smirked. "Or."

Duo grinned and then sprinted for the bedroom. "Last one there gives the other one..." he disappeared into the bedroom, Heero barely hearing the pornographic tail end of his sentence.

Heero smiled and took his time joining his lover, thinking of hot skin and warm caresses, but also thinking about the conversation that Duo had heard at the water cooler with some amusement. He doubted that they had been discussing 'filing'. He had overheard conversations there several times before and paperwork and Preventer protocol had definitely NOT been the topic.

"I hope they weren't talking about my ass again," Heero sighed and then forget everything as he entered the bedroom and found Duo sprawled naked in their white, silk, sheets with his hair spread out all around him. He was hurriedly taking apart several roses that Heero had given him recently enough that they were still fresh and deep red. With a sultry smile, Duo tossed the petals up into the air and they fell, scattering over the white sheets.

"Duo?" Heero asked, stunned and becoming strongly aroused.

"Before they started talking about filing, the people at work gave me some pretty damned good ideas," Duo smirked.

End

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