sweetestsurrender | { The AU meme }

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{ The AU meme }

Ever played out something and then later wondered "What if?" Ever wondered what it'd be like to play your character a different way, but didn't feel like making a full thing dedicated to it? Now's your chance to play it out!

Using RNG you'll roll 1-3 for the level of the change, and 1-6 for the change itself, or if you want, pick your own based on what you wanted to do.

1)  Small Change: The flap of a butterfly's wings can cause tsunami's on the other side of the world.

-1: "A minute too late"- What if you missed something by a minute, or more? You missed the big meeting, the girl, helping that person, all because you were too late, what happens next?
-2: "The nick of time"- Just like the first, only that instead of missing something you got, that if you got something you missed because you were either too late, or just messed up? Congratulations! Let's just hope it's what you really wanted.
-3: "A little too early"- One more, what if you showed up early? It's suppose to be a good thing, is it this time?
-4: "The other choice"- You had two choices, left or right, heads or tails, Coke or Pepsi, now you get to see what would have happened with the other choice.
-5: "Oops!"- You slipped up, and made a mistake. Is it bad, or a blessing in disguise?
-6: Wild card/Pick your own- Thought of a slight change that'd make all the difference, or had one you wanted to play? Here's your chance.

2)  Medium Change: Didn't really see that coming, did you?

-1: Turning point change- That one thing that would have turned things in your favor went against you, and vice versa. How will you handle this critical change?
-2: "A Razor's edge"- That one moment that could have went either way has gone the opposite way of before. Is this a good thing, or a bad thing?
-3: Crossroads- You reached a point in your life where you had several choices before you, now's the time to go down another road and see where it leads.
-4: The Road less traveled- "Two roads diverged in the woods, and I took the one less traveled" Will it make all the difference?
-5: Interference- Something blocked you from getting something you were going for. What do you do once the moment is gone?
-6: Wild Card/Pick your own-Thought of a medium change that'd make all the difference, or had one you wanted to play? Here's your chance.

3)  Large Change: Why do all the people here have goatee's?

-1: Good/Evil- Use to be a good guy? Welcome to the dark side, here's your cookie. Former bad guy? Hand over the cookie tray and join the side of good. How will the change of moral compass change you?
-2: A different person- You're now a completely different person, literally. Are you taller? Shorter? A robot? A pony? Powers? No powers? Your call.
-3: The other sex- Rule!63 is in effect. Now how does this effect your relationships with the other?
-4: A change in history- Something that happened in the past now has completely change or is now gone. One domino toppling the rest. Now that you've changed your past, how will it effect your future?
-5: Giving up- You walked away from something important to you? Do you regret it? Are you happy?
-6: Wild Card/Pick your own- Thought of a large change that'd make all the difference, or had one you wanted to play? Here's your chance.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"That's not funny," Sally hissed. "You know she doesn't do anything halfway. She's going to expect you to act like a husband." And oh, boy, was that a loaded sentence.

And just like that Duo lost his smile.

"You don't think I know that?" he asked her with deceptive calm. He liked Sally. He really did. But it pissed him off just a little that she wasn't giving him any credit. Did she really think he would have gone into this lightly or without knowing what was expected of him?

"I know what I'm doing. And I know what it'd mean for her."

Sally sighed heavily when he dropped the smile, stepping into the hallway to face him properly. "I mean that she might say it's just a means to an end, but it won't be. She was torn up badly enough by losing her first husband, and she hated him. She doesn't hate you."

"I'd hope she doesn't hate me. I..." Duo shook his head and sucked in a deep breath before letting it out with a low laugh.

"Not important. Yet. But the difference between me and him is I don't plan on going anywhere." unless she wanted him to, of course. Duo would stick by her for as long as she needed him to. But he kind of hoped that she'd keep on needing him.

Sally took a moment to size him up, letting out a sigh as she nodded. "Well, good. And if you need help with anything. Broken bones, stitches, wedding plans," she flashed a grin. "You know where to find me."

"The depths of hell," Wufei replied dryly as she emerged from the changing closet, straightening her jacket as she went for the door.

"Remember, Wufei. Two weeks," Sally said, and gave her a moc bow as she passed.

"I'll remember." He promised Sally, but it was a much more subdued Duo Wufei would find once she joined him again. Still he gave her a smile and reached out a hand to gently touch one of hers.

"Everything good now?" Duo had no idea how any of that stuff worked but he had to imagine it couldn't have been pleasant.

Sally nodded, and went back into the room, no doubt to do all her charting.

Wufei slid her hand into his, giving it a squeeze. "Yes," she replied. "The implant was gone, and a new one is in. Apparently it takes two weeks to become 'effective'," she said, lifting a hand to make air quotes around the last word and rolling her eyes. "I just need to stop by my desk, call Une, and then we can go."

"Let's go then." Duo said with a nod, fingers easily curling around hers.

He wasn't as familiar with this building as he probably should have been so had no idea where her desk was or even Unes office, so he let himself be lead around to those places. But he was quieter now. Lost in his own thoughts.

She led the way and, this time, left her hand in his while she did it. People were distracted enough by the sudden change in her body enough that they weren't even looking at their hands, anyway.

She spent twenty minutes at her computer, shutting the laptop down as she called Une, and stuffed it into a bag. "Yes, well, you try convincing them of that," she grumbled into the phone, a beat of silence. "I'm marrying Duo." More silence, as she was apparently being lectured if the way she cast her gaze to the ceiling was any indication. "I don't care," she said blandly, folded her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. "You're only four years older than me, and you're not my sister. No. No. Yes, because I'm an adult and I can make my own damn decisions, or did you forget why you hired me in the first place?" She drummed her fingers on the desk, frowning at her ceiling. "That must be very nice for you. I'll get you my report before the deadline. Goodbye," and finally hung up.

"Okay," she sighed, hefting the laptop bag onto her shoulder. "Now we can go to my place and actually sort through all of this," she was a little tired of having their decision questioned, especially when she was still busy questioning it, herself. She just hadn't the mental downtime to think too hard on it, but she'd have some just as soon as she got home.

Duo had dropped himself in a chair to wait for Wufei to finish what she was doing and only listened with half an ear to the conversation with Une... though he wished he could hear the whole of it. What he could hear was making him feel pretty shit. He felt bad for Wufei. Having to go through all of this and deal with everyone... and him.

He'd expected people to be surprised but what he hadn't expected was how little they supported her. And now little they believed in him. It made him wonder... a great many things about himself. And whether he was even worthy of going through with this. Whether Wufei deserved to suffer the indignity of being forced to marry him just to get the elders off of her back.

His eyes closed after a while and he settled back in his seat, almost looking like he was dozing. But the moment that Wufei stood, his eyes opened and he was on his feet. Duo gave a quiet sort of nod and followed her out of the office.

From somewhere he managed to summon up a smile, not his usual cheery grin, but good enough.

"So... you said something about a motorbike?"

When he smiled at her, some of the tension eased out of her, and she nodded. "We'll have to borrow a helmet for you from the motor pool, or that braid is going to be one long snarl when we get to my place," she teased. "And, you know, keeping your brain intact if we wipe is a nice fringe benefit."

They stopped by the motor pool to do just that, and once Duo had a helmet, she led him right out to her bike, stuffing the bag with the laptop into a saddlebag on the back to make sure it would survive the ride home, and then she swung her leg over it and scooted forward a bit. "All aboard," she said lightly. It was a sleek little bike, black with a few details in neon green or bright gold, more reminiscent of Deathscythe's colors than Nataku's.

Duo could only laugh and thank her for the kind thought. Braid first, brain second. They had their priorities on point.

When the helmet was fetched it was bike time. Duo whistled under his breath and took a good look at those sleek lines with admiration. "She's a beaut." it was with a much wider smile that he climbed onto the back of the bike and put the helmet on. His braid got stuffed down the back of his jacket. Once he was ready he reached out to put his hands on Wufei's waist to keep himself balanced. "Ready when you are, Wu."

She pulled her helmet on, just the tiny tail of her pony sticking out of the bottom, and tilted the bike all the way upright. "She reminded me of Deathscythe when I saw her," she admitted, and then the kickstand went up and they were off, merging into traffic with practiced ease. They were practically gliding the two blocks to the McDonalds before pulling into the drive-thru.

She pushed her visor up, glancing over her shoulder. "Taking it home's okay?" she was pretty sure that was what he'd had in mind, since their looming conversation was going to be a bit intense for a McDonald's dining room. Especially one that was currently swarmed with Preventers.

He'd thought it had but had no idea why Wufei would pick a bike that looked like his Gundam over her own... But didn't get a chance to ask before they were off. Duo laughed then and grabbed a little tighter to Wufei's waist and just enjoyed the ride....

Until they stopped at McDonald's. Then he realised this was the burger place she'd mentioned and he near fell off of the hike laughing.

"Yeah yeah, homes fine!" the best option in fact. He had never liked eating in the actual restaurant part. So when they rocked up to the window he happily rattled off the things he wanted. Double cheese burger and fries were at the top of that list. A large soda and, just because he could, an apple pie.

She gave him a positively confused look at the laughter, wondering if a bird had managed to shit on her helmet without her noticing or something, but didn't ask as they pulled up to the window.

She ordered the same thing, sans the pie, and fished her wallet out of her back pocket to pay. When the food was handed over, the two drinks went into the deep cupholders on the yoke, and Duo was left in charge of making sure their food didn't end up on the freeway. "It's fifteen minutes to my place, do you want to hold the bag or stick it in the side-bag?" Duo was sitting in the spot she normally would've used.

"I can hold it just fine." He promised. And did just that. One arm kept hold of their food while his other arm wrapped around Wufei to keep him secure.

"Just concentrate on the road, and mind any bumps!" Duo chuckled again, just teasing really. Wufei was flawless on the bike, the ride there had been smooth and without incident. Duo had no fears. He could probably have let go of her completely if he'd wanted...

But he didn't want.

She nodded, and the ride home was as smooth as the ride to McDonalds had been, with easy turns and wind tugging at their jackets. The tension that had built up over the day was melting away for her, and by the time they pulled into a parking space at her apartment building, she was as loose and relaxed as she would've been if she spent the time doing her forms.

Up they went, helmets left on the bike, and into her third floor apartment -- with a discrete little camera pointed directly at her bike -- and in. It was a single bedroom apartment, and it looked like she'd hired someone to decorate because none of it looked like the sort of thing she'd choose for herself. A purple sofa, with abstract art hanging above it, flanked on either side by a ficus, a glass coffee table with knicknacks and magazines that were at least three years old on the glass shelf beneath the table top. An entertainment center made of wicker painted green, a massive flat screen TV covered in dust, an empty bookshelf off to one side. The dining room wasn't much better, sporting a table that looked like it came from the outdoor section of the furniture store, with a hole in the center for an umbrella and made of teak wood. The chairs were folded up and tucked into a corner, and the whole place needed a good dusting.

Her jacket she tucked into the closet by the door, and traded her shoes for slippers. "I don't have spare house-shoes, do you mind being in sock-feet?" she asked as she carried her bag into the dining room and unpacked the laptop onto the table, retrieving two of the folding chairs and setting them out.

"Uhh nope. Don't mind." They were just going to gloss over the whole state of the apartment, huh? Okay. Duo could pretend he was colour blind and...just generally blind.

He put down their food and bent to removing his boots before grabbing the bag up and taking it to the kitchen. Where he immediately grabbed a cloth to wipe down the dusty surfaces before he took the food out.

She was immune to the ugly furniture by now, to be honest. "Sorry," she said as she saw him dusting. "I haven't been here in a couple weeks, and sometimes it seems like they put dust in the ventilation system just to antagonize me," she gave him a sheepish smile, wiping dust off the dining room table, too, moving her laptop to do it, and putting it right back.

The dust in the living room was much heavier, and spoke to just how much she paid attention to that room at all.

"It's fine, it's fine. Nothin a little spring clean wouldn't hurt!" But... he did bring the food over to the table instead of the living room where he'd hoped they could sit and relax. He eyed that room for a second and gave a shake of his head before grabbing a chair to sit down.

"You've cleaning stuff here, right? Vacuum? Furniture spray?" In fact, before he sat down he trotted off to get the windows open to air the apartment out some. A few weeks was a long time to be gone.

Once he was satisfied he returned to the table and finally pulled out his burger. "Can sort that out later. Food first."

"I do," she agreed, blush burning at her cheeks. "I normally wouldn't invite anyone over with it in this state, but..." they needed to sort things out, and if they were going to be married, well. He deserved to see even her worst habits. Like not cleaning the living room unless someone was coming.

"If it's any consolation, the bedroom is in a much better state," she offered sheepishly, wiping down their chairs as he threw open the windows, and sat down to enjoy the meal with him.

After carefully removing the pickles, anyway.

Duo shook his head and gave her as reassuring a smile as he could. "Hey, I said it's fine. You've not bee here in a while, it's gonna need some tlc. Nothin we can't have done within a half hour, tops!"

It wasn't as if Duo was a clean freak or anything. But Wufei's place for sure needed a little work. A little dusting here and there. And he supposed the bedroom not being as bad was a good enough start.

Wufei removed her pickles. And Duo grabbed them right up and slid them into his burger before taking a big bite.

She laughed when he swiped her pickles, relaxing a little as she took a bite, too, letting out a long sigh as she enjoyed it. She let herself relax, getting halfway through the burger before she said anything.

"Obviously we have a mountain of things to discuss. Where do you want to start?" she asked, before taking another big bite.

Duo was actually hoping to get through the meal before they started this, because he had a feeling he might lose his appetite, but he'd known it was coming. He set his burger down in it's wrapper and grabbed a napkin to wipe his hands and then his lips.

"... I'm not sure." He said honestly and gave her a serious look, even if his lips were curved in a gentle smile. "I figure the most important thing is you, Wufei. They gave you six months, right? That means you've six months to find a way outta this if... if this isn't actually what you want."

Wufei hummed softly, chewing her bite and swallowing, taking a fry and eating it as she considered his words carefully. "I think you're wrong," she decided when she finished it. "The most important thing is us. This is..." she sighed, carefully thought over her words before she said them.

"There are a lot of things I'm unsure of right now, but one thing that I want to be absolutely certain of, is that you won't be unhappy," she said softly. "You're making an extremely large sacrifice for me, and I..." she dropped her gaze to her food. "I'm not likely to be a very good wife."

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