Duo smiled at the words and the long-suffering tone they were packaged in. "Thanks, 'Ro," he said, and he kept his voice easy with effort. He considered telling Heero he was getting sick, but he let it go. No point worrying a guy who wasn't used to worrying. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow, then, and we'll go to Smokey's afterward."
"Right. Bye."
"Bye!" He clicked the phone off then and stood. Just one step had him stumbling, careening over to the wall between the living room and the kitchen. It felt like his feet had suddenly fallen asleep, too.
He cursed.
Okay. He was not going to be defeated by some stupid cold. The pilots' dinner for which he'd fought so hard for two years was finally in operation, and it had been for almost six weeks now. If the creator bowed out, what would happen to the damn thing? Wufei might hide back inside his shell, and Quatre might start mumbling about meetings again.
Besides, leaving Heero with all the paperwork for the bust would just be cruel.
He wiped the back of his hands across his brow, surprised to find sweat there. Then he pushed off the wall and stumbled through to the kitchen. He made it halfway before his legs went numb. The alarm bells rang like gongs.
Danger was just a part of the ex-Gundam pilot routine, and threats were shrugged off entirely. But waking up with four legs and a tail? Duo had to admit that the routine might've just changed.
My notes: This fic takes a highly cracky concept - Duo gets turned into a dog! - and makes it work. Terrorists try to take out the pilots, but only Duo has the misfortune to fall into their trap. Fortunately, the poison isn't complete, so it doesn't kill him. It just has some very unexpected effects. The plot is a little convoluted, but fun to watch evolve. Despite initial misgivings, this is a Relena-positive fic. She may be a little naive, but she's not an asshole like some fics. CW for anime-levels of violence and Duo-whumpage.