Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Fuck, it’s cold,” Duo muttered. He’d clawed back on all the covers, but it wasn’t the same without the body heat of his lovers. Partners. Whatever they were. Even with a double layer of sheets and blankets, his body still shivered. Fall had already long set in, and winter was coming. The change of seasons on Earth was something that still felt like a struggle for his body to understand.

Duo grumbled his way out of bed, hissing when his bare feet touched the cold, hardwood floors. Of course, sleeping stark naked probably didn’t help with managing the cold, but they’d been plenty warm when they fell asleep, sweat slicked skin sticking to the sheets. He smiled, thinking about it, letting it warm him even as he cursed and muttered his way to the bathroom.

A long, hot shower helped, but then of course, he’d had to get out eventually. Relena had heated floors put in the bathroom when she built the place - a godsend, something he would kiss her for later - and towel warmers, so it was a bit less offensive. Wrapping himself in a robe, he took his time drying and managing his hair, braiding it back as he usually did.

It was a little strange, going into the walk-in closet and finding his things hanging there, like they belonged there all along. He was starting to get a little chilled again, and Duo went through the few drawers, pulling on his socks and underwear, getting pants and a long-sleeved henley one of them had bought him. It was a grey colour, one that brought out the purple in his eyes, Heero had said. Duo never thought Heero would be much for the aesthetics like that, but then again, he did design the angel wings for Zero.

He heard a chime from his cellphone and left the closet, picking it up from the bedside table.

[Awake yet?] Heero asked.

[Just finished gettin ready] Duo answered, tapping away as he walked to the stairs. Looking at his phone made him fully realize it was almost noon. Coming down to Earth always fucked him up to begin with, like a hard reset to all of his rhythms. Being kept up late didn’t help matters, but they all knew he needed time and a lie-in on his first few days regardless, so it didn’t make a bad thing worse.

Duo crossed through one of the living rooms and into the dining room, then into the kitchen. Being in the house on his own always made him a little jittery, but they’d arrived a little ahead of when they’d planned, and Heero wanted to report in to Preventer rather than spend the time on it later. Relena still had work to do - she always had work to do - but she reassured him that she’d booked ample time to spend with the two of them.

As though they were on the same beat, Duo checked his phone again as it chimed. [Throw her phone in the river when she gets home.] Heero messaged, and Duo laughed, reaching for the fridge door and seeing what was inside.

A neatly clingwrapped plate with a small note attached was on the top shelf right before him, and he took it out. Relena’s neat handwriting inscribed his name, a small heart next to it. Taking off the note, he tucked it into his pack pocket before pulling off the wrap, shutting the door with his heel.

“Ah, fuckin’ perfect,” he said to no one, picking up one half of a peanut butter and jam sandwich and taking a huge bite. They didn’t circulate peanuts as much anymore, even in L2 - they’d moved on to foods that were more worth the hydroponic landscape for the nutrition - but Earth still had them. He smiled, taking another bite and sitting down at the breakfast nook in Relena’s kitchen.

He remembered the first time she’d asked him what he’d like, as though it was a passing fancy, or some hypothetical. They were all three tangled in each other, having finally completed whatever insane collision course they’d been on since that beach in 195. Relena had lifted her head off his chest and asked him so simply, he hadn’t thought much of it. Duo didn’t lie to anyone, and tried not to lie to himself, so he kept his dreams and desires reasonable.

Wishing for something as little as a peanut butter sandwich while in the arms of not one but two loves of his life was ridiculous, looking back. Duo knows he could have asked Relena for anything and she would have made it happen.

Still, the pair never made any fuss about it. Within the hour, he had his sandwich, and the rest of his late breakfast too, and they all shared them together like it was the most natural thing in the world.

He finished both sandwiches, pairing them with a glass of whatever synthesized dairy replacement Relena kept on hand.

Duo wanted to return the favor, as much as he could - he wouldn’t pretend he had the finances Heero had, and neither of them would ever come close to the Peacecraft inheritance, but he was doing alright. He put his plate and glass in the dishwasher and headed to the door.

[When will you be-] Duo paused in his typing, staring at his phone for a minute, his thumb hovering over the ‘h’. [When will you be back?]

[ETA 1h.], Heero answered quickly. [Stay home and relax.]

He should know better than to tell Duo what to do - Duo thought on it a minute - at least when they were fully clothed. He knitted his brows together, his mind now made up. [I’m going out.]

Duo reached the foyer and opened the closet there. His boots were tucked in where he expected them to be, looking a bit worse for wear next to Heero’s immaculately kept spares and Relena’s unbelievable number of seasonally appropriate shoes. He pushed his feet into them, leaving the laces loose as he looked for his jacket.

He always brought his own from home when he knew the weather in Brussels would be like this - blustery, rainy when it wanted to be - but he couldn’t find it.

“Fucker,” he muttered out loud. He hadn’t expected Heero to be the clothes-stealer of the group, but the former Gundam pilot had a much looser understanding of ‘personal belongings’ than most people did. It had been a good thing, in some ways - it made the sharing and sharing alike of their bodies, their homes, their lives much easier - but damned if it wasn’t annoying to never know when your coat or favourite hoodie would disappear.

Duo moved things around on the rack, looking again. It was definitely gone. Duo cursed and moaned and kicked his boots off, turning to go back upstairs. He was getting a little cold again, but he had his Preventer issued jacket still upstairs, for when he’d eventually report in to headquarters as well. He slunk back into the room and wrenched open the closet.

It wasn’t there.

“Oh for the love of God,” Duo said, and wind rattled the windows, startling him. “I didn’t mean it!” he called out, irritation lingering in his voice. He pulled out his phone, texting furiously.

[Where the fuck are my coats!!] he messaged Heero.

Relena messaged him just after, separately. [You’re awake!] she messaged. [Have you eaten?]

Unfortunately for her, Duo now knew the difference between her spontaneous and genuine care, and when she was buttering him up for something.

[Where are they] he typed to Heero again, stomping his way back downstairs.

[You’re not getting them.] Heero typed back.

[Darling,] Relena messaged again. [Please wait for us. We can all go out tonight?]

[Or] she added, [we could stay in again.]

Duo felt his blood stir at the tiny innuendo, but he shook it off. Looking out the window on his way to the front door, the sun was still out even if it was windy. He only wanted to jog out to a couple local places he’d gotten used to in the times he and Heero had visited. Running could warm him up - he’d faced the cold of space, he could handle this, even with his lovers clearly conspiring against him.

He opened the door and immediately regretted it, but this was a matter of principle. Duo wanted to do something for them, not be managed. He stepped out, closing the door behind him and letting it automatically lock.

Knowing damn well Relena’s home probably had a hundred security cameras on it, it didn’t stop him. It was to his surprise he didn’t end up with another flurry of messages. His girlfriend? And boyfriend? - whatever they were - were getting used to him, too. Duo started walking down the street, resisting the urge to shove his hands into his pockets. The wind had picked up since he landed the night before, and it felt like the shirt and sweater combination he’d scrounged up might as well be made of tissue paper.

He walked faster. There weren’t many people out and about, so Duo was saved from any odd looks as he walked down the street. The place he was aiming for was only about 20 minutes walk, usually, and he figured he could tough it out.

10 minutes into that walk, he knew he was in trouble. His nose was running, and he was just barely holding back from tucking his hands into his armpits for warmth. Duo shivered, and watched a couple walking the opposite direction on the other side of the street. They had more or less the same clothing on that he did, but they looked very comfortable.

Setting his teeth, Duo pressed on. He finally reached the little store and was outright shaking, as he talked to the store clerk, who was kind enough to give him an odd look but otherwise not mention his state. Waiting for what he’d asked for, Duo paced inside the store, trying to soak up as much warmth as he could. He almost cursed out loud when another customer opened the front door, ushering in a wave of cool air, but his parcel was ready, and he went to pay.

His wallet was, of course, in his jacket. Duo howled with annoyance, making the cashier and the other customer jump.

“I’m sorry, man,” Duo apologized. “My- “ he struggled for a moment - “partner took my jacket, it’s got my wallet in it.”

“Friend, it’s no problem,” the clerk, Claude, said warmly. “I know you will come and go. Will you be here for some time?”

The question really put him on the spot. It was one Duo hadn’t anticipated having to answer until Heero, or more likely Relena, tried to pin him down to a timeline in the next few days.

“Yeah,” he said, and the older man smiled.

“That is good. Take them, and come back and pay for it later.”

“I can’t do that,” Duo said, but Claude was insistent. It was the sort of act of goodwill that Duo had survived on as a kid - the smallest scraps of mutual aid anyone could come up with. “Thank you,” he finally said, and he took the package and saluted the man before bracing himself and stepping back outside.

He made it about a block up the street before he was in deep regret. The wind was at his front now, and it made the walking harder and somehow even colder.

Duo knew he was going to be in some shit but was willing to endure it for a chance at warmth when he saw a towncar pull up and stop just in front of him. The door opened, Heero watching him behind a pair of shades. Duo could imagine the glare the man had on, and grinned, resisting wiping his nose on his sleeve.

“Hi!” he chirped, but his voice was froggy.

“Duo, get in!” Relena chided, and so he did, having her shift down, Heero getting out so Duo was in the center seat. “What were you thinking?”

“I told ya,” he said, “I was goin’ out.”

It was then that he really looked at her - and the Preventer issue jacket she was wearing. Duo whipped his head around, looking at Heero, happily wearing his blue windbreaker.

“What the hell?!”

Heero and Relena looked at each other behind his head. “What?” Relena asked innocently.

“You guys stole my jackets!” Duo shivered, throwing himself back in the seat as the car started moving. “It’s fuckin’ freezing outside!”

Relena looked stunned, glancing at Heero as she picked up the lapel of the jacket she was wearing. “I thought this was yours!”

“Negative,” Heero intoned. “Mine’s at the cleaners.”

“Heero!” She sat forward, stripping off the jacket. “Duo, I’m so sorry,” she said, and she took the coat and wrapped it around his shoulders. Pulling him in closer, the tip of her nose brushed his. “Oh, you’re freezing.”

She kissed him, just a quick peck on his lips, but Duo took her hand in his where it held the jacket against him, pulling her back in. She sighed into the kiss, and he could feel her smile on her lips.

“Heero,” she said warningly when they broke apart, "what were you planning?”

“I didn’t plan anything,” Heero said, a slight edge of offense on his voice. “I thought he’d sleep until we got back.” He paused for a moment before sighing a little and taking off Duo’s other jacket, laying it over Duo’s legs. “You should have waited.”

“I didn’t want to,” Duo said. He took the package out of his lap and showed them, opening up the paper wrapping over the item. He took out a weathered book and smiled at it before handing it to Heero.

Duo basked in the look on Heero’s face. It was rare to catch him surprised. Heero took his sunglasses and notched them into the front of his shirt so he could look better.

“How did you find this?” He asked, turning the book over in his hands. Relena leaned in, her hands on Duo’s lap and shoulder as she watched. Duo glanced at her, and she was beaming.

“Lena helped me,” Duo said, deflecting, though he couldn’t stop soaking up Heero’s awe.

“Oh, no.” Relena shook her head. “Duo did all the work. I just made sure that Claude would receive it at the shop in time for you to receive it.” She nestled against Duo’s back, and he could feel her warm breath against his neck. His pulse quickened, and he wondered if she could feel it, right until he felt the smirk of her lips as she leaned in closer, pressing her lips to his bare skin.

“Thank you,” Heero said quietly. “This means a lot to me.”

“It’s no big deal.” Duo felt his shoulders relax his body into Relena’s warm attention. Heero put the book down between them and leaned in, angling their bodies so he could kiss Duo. First on the lips, then his cheek, then pulling back the collar of the jacket to place a lingering kiss against the other side of Duo’s neck.

Duo sighed. He trembled a little - not from the cold, though his fingertips were still chilled as Heero threaded their fingers together. “You deserve it.”

“Even after stealing your jackets?” Relena murmured into his neck, and Duo grinned.

“You can make it up to me,” he said as the car pulled to a stop. “Come in and warm me up.”