Duo stood up from the white chair he was in and looked around.

The walls were painted an odd red-black hue. It was the color of fresh scabs.

The room was, for the exception of himself and the chair, lit by bulbs the color of disease and piss. He himself was illuminated by a pure white lamp up above.

Surrounded by the scabbed walls and the piss-yellow lighting was a figure hard at work beating the shit out of a large punching bag. He wore what looked like red and pristine white, but it was hard to tell in the yellow lights.

The lights cast more shadow than light.

His hair, tied back, swung back and forth with each spin-punch-kick cycle. It was blond.

Duo peered into the near-darkness. “Zechs?” he called out, unsure.

The figure landed another kick to the punching bag and paused. As the lights warmed up, Duo noticed the hair was held back by a bow.

“How strange of you to think I’m my brother,” said the figure. It was a pleasant voice. It was the voice of a nice, amicable, well-bred lady.

"Relena?”

The light in the room changed completely into the warmth of direct sunlight. The scabbed walls became creamy... a calming peach color. The room was decorated by almost a dozen priceless vases, each standing on a small table.

In the center was Relena, her blonde hair pulled back with a blood-red bow. The red top was loose, comfortable, while the white pants stuck to her very closely.

She placed her gloved hands on her hips. The kickboxing gloves were also of a blood-red hue. She gave Duo a kind, genuine smile. “Why, who else did you think it was? Dorothy?”

She chuckled to herself as she went to a nearby phonograph. Duo did not recall seeing it earlier.

She pulled out a warped, useless vinyl record and placed it on the ‘graph. With all the delicate motion of a princess-in-training, she guided the needle to a groove. She cranked it to start.

The music that came out of the machine wasn’t warped at all.

”Do you like music, Duo?” she asked, the genteel tone still in her voice. She did not look up from the record, seemingly entranced by the slow spinning motion.

Duo shrugged. “It’s all good to me.” The air felt colder that moment.

Relena’s back straightened as she flexed her fists. “I agree.” Her voice was soft... almost fiery, but not quite. She moved away from the phonograph and slowly made her way towards Duo. Her hair was covering her eyes as her heels kept time. Tap, tap, tap. “Anything that keeps me moving.”

Duo stood his ground, wondering innocently what Relena was up to. “I prefer something faster myself. For exercise, that it.”

”Of course.” Her fingers flexed. Tap, tap, tap.

”Yeah.” Duo gave her another smile, but the good feelings were quickly forgotten when he saw Relena pulling back for a punch.

He was almost hit by the gloved fist. He ducked out of the way in time. The vase immediately behind him, however, did not survive the contact with the blood-red fist.

”What the fuck!” Duo backed away from Relena, noting quickly her blood-red eyes. His back bumped against a table. A vase containing some flowers fell of the table and over the railing next to it.

Relena grinned at him. Her eyes shined with feral bloodlust.

He had nowhere to go. The only things there now were himself, Relena, and a shrinking space of air.

He was frozen. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. Relena was too close.

She raised a blood-red glove and pulled it back. Her fist came down with all the wallop of a... slap?

”Duo, wake up.”

Duo opened his eyes and was greeted by the oh-so lovely glare of one Heero Yuy. Sunshine lit the room up. It couldn’t be any more than mid-morning. In the background, a song played, quite possibly from one of their roommates.

”What is it?” Duo rubbed his eyes. “Why d’ya slap me for?”

”You were raving about Relena punching you.” Heero moved away and sat on a white chair next to Duo’s bed. “Either way, you needed to get up by now.”

Duo snorted and turned away from Heero, fully intending to fall asleep again.

~~~~end

“Duo hasn’t come down yet,” Quatre said quietly to the other boys in the kitchen.

Heero glared at Trowa from across the table, but the effect was diminished somewhat by the swelling around his right eye. Duo would have told him by now to put some ice on it, but Duo refused to grace them with his presence. “Hn.”

Trowa was almost the spitting image of Heero, complete with glare and black eye. In his hand was an ice pack Quatre was kind enough to give him. “Yeah.”

“Um, Heero?” Quatre hesitated. “Why did you hit Trowa?”

“Hn. He was having sex with MY Duo.” His glare somehow intensified at the word ‘my’.

“First, we were playing Twister,” Trowa countered. “Only a psychopath would think we were doing anything else. Secondly, he’s not yours to begin with.”

Wufei smirked from his post by the kitchen counter. “Well said, Trowa.”

Heero growled. “He IS mine, and none of you can have him! None of you!”

“Please,” Quatre whispered as he rubbed his temples slowly.

“Tell us, Heero,” Trowa continued, “who was it that gave you that black eye?” He gave Heero the faintest little smirk, the cocky bastard.

He glared at Trowa, unable to answer.

Quatre gasped. “Duo hit you?”

“About time, I might add.” Wufei’s voice said more about how much he felt the action was ‘just’ then his words did. “What did he call you? ‘A heartless, flat-assed, inconsiderate little fucker’?”

“More or less,” Trowa seconded. “Right before that right hook.” He looked at Heero straight in the eye. “And I agree with him, don’t you?”

“Oh yes, very,” Wufei chimed in.

Heero got up so fast from the table that the chair he was in fell onto the floor. The only other sound in the house afterwards was that of the front door slamming shut.

Quatre frowned. “Heero’s not happy.”

“He deserved it.” Wufei lifted the chair off from the floor and sat in it. “Who gets Duo, however, is another matter...”

Trowa pulled out a pack of Uno cards from his pocket and began shuffling them on the table. “Winner gets Duo,” he stated dryly.

Quatre smiled. “Really?”

“Good. Deal me in.”

Three sets of eyes turned to watch Duo approach the table. “I’ll play Atalanta just this once, fellows, and that’ll be that.”

~~~~end

This is the last time he’s gonna hitch a free ride with Amtrak. The bastards just love throwing people off their trains. It also didn’t help that he’s been on board almost every single train going down his way, but he’s gonna do it.

He already made it to Albuquerque. Just a few more states to go.

It was hot in Albuquerque. It wasn’t like the heat of New York and Philadelphia. It’s oppressive up in the Northeast, with heavy heat and heavier air. The humidity is so terrible.

It had to be close to 100 degrees on the platform, but it’s nothing like a Northeast heatwave. Up there, it’s muggy. Down here, it’s pure heat.

It’s the feeling one gets when one feels the warmth of an iron raising to one’s fingers. In the case of Albuquerque, the heat falls over the entire body. It reminded him of the deserts of home.

He waited in the shadow of the half-finished station and waited. It may be a few minutes, or a few hours, before the western-bound Chief came, but he’s patient.

As a few peddlers began to show up on the platform, he knew it was almost time.

The train slowly pulled up and the doors opened up for the people. They came from the sleeper cars, the coach cars, the lounge car.

He floated casually out into the crowd, allowing himself to be moved by those around him. He looked at the Indian blankets on sale. He examined the turquoise and silver on display.

He walked into the sightseer car and climbed up into the lounge.

There was only one person in the lounge: a girl with her long hair in a braid. She was paying more attention to the Game boy in her hand then her fellow tourists outside.

He ran a hand through his blond hair and sat down in a chair some distance from the girl. The lounge car was so cold. If he wasn’t careful, he could fall asleep in there.

Hopefully, he’ll make it as far as Arizona tonight.

~~~~end

Relena rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “God damn it, it’s too early...”

Hilde looked at her from over the rim of her coffee cup. “It’s only 7 o’clock, woman. Drink some coffee and you’ll be fine.”

Relena yawned and scratched her stomach. People aren’t meant to be awake this morning.” She dragged her feet towards the fresh pot of coffee and poured herself a cup.

“You’ll get used to it, I swear.” Hilde took a bite out her toast.

Relena started pouring a steady stream of sugar into the drink. “Vacations are supposed to be relaxing, Hilde.”

Hilde snorted. “Well, who’s fault is it that you decided to come here?”

Relena mumbled something as she poured in milk.

“Uh-huh. And who wanted to go to harbor in time for the 8:35 start of the boat race?”

Relena stirred her coffee.

“Well?” Hilde stood up and took her plate to the sink.

Relena drank her coffee all at once. She noisily dropped the cup into the sink. “Next time I go on vacation, I’m leaving you behind. You always try to make sure my terrible plans work.” She tried to give HIlde a glare, but she was too tired.

Hilde smiled. “Go get dressed. We’re leaving in ten minutes.”

~~~~end

When on earth, he would always look up at the moon: that pure white stone suspended in space and time.

In space, he would say, it looked dead. It was a dust-covered graveyard with no life to offer.

However, on earth, through the moist atmosphere, the moon was almost alive. It glowed with long-romanticized light.

He stretched almost catlike as he laid down on the grass. Above us, the moon was filled to the rim with borrowed light, but it was so awe-inspiring that he smiled.

I knew. I watched him as he raised his eyes to the white orb above us. I always watched him.

I drew my legs under me and held my ankles only because there was no other place for my hands to go. I watched him.

I could say that I held as much fascination with him as he held with the moon. That’s how much I’ve watched him.

Duo drew himself up on his elbows and looked at me. I could tell that, for him, looking at me was the same as looking at the moon. I could see it in his eyes. He was a well-written book, expressive and open.

He sat up completely, his eyes still locked on mine. A bit of a smile tipped his lips upward as he placed them against my own.

It’s hard to describe the rush that ran through me from such a gentle touch. It filled me with such a warmth that only increased when Duo pulled away and I saw his eyes once more.

His eyes were moist as he clumsily wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.

‘For as the Earth needs the Moon, the Moon needs the Earth, and the two are destined to forever be as one.’

~~~~end

Relena smiled at Dorothy and her date with more than a hint of gratefulness. It had been too long since Duo had been out with someone, causing her a great deal of stress. She was especially worried because, without a nice girl to distract him, Duo spent more and more time with her boyfriend, and she couldn’t have that, now could she.

Heero was hers and hers alone.

Speaking of Heero, he didn’t seem as keen on the idea of a double date as she was when she mentioned it to Dorothy and Heero. He said something about the idea not being ‘right’ and rather manipulative.

She did not care. She’s seen how Duo acts around Heero when he thought they were alone. He’s always touching her Heero.

What he needs is a girlfriend. That’s what Dorothy is there for.

Heero glared at his hands as they laid clenched on his knees. Relena reached out and placed a hand on his clenched fists in an attempt to soothe his irritation concerning the whole affair.

Heero just continued to glare at their hands.

Two seats away, Duo squirmed again as Dorothy laid her hand on the inside of his thigh. What a nice, nice girl.

Duo stood up immediately, a blush visible in the dimness of the theater. “I’m going for some popcorn. Anyone want some?” Without waiting for a response, Duo moved past them (Dorothy, Relena, and Heero, in that order) in an attempt to get to the lobby.

As Duo made it past the threesome, Heero got up as well. “Wait. I want to get something, too.” Duo turned around for a moment and gave Heero a smile of gratitude before continuing to lead the way. The two boys headed to the lobby together.

Once they were out of sight, Relena let her annoyance show. “Dorothy, can’t you just stop scaring people away like that?” She crossed her arms and fumed before getting up as well.

Dorothy snorted. “Typical. You’re going down there to spy on them, aren’t you?” She crossed her legs and leaned into her seat. “No wonder he prefers Duo over you. At least that boy won’t get bend up out of shape if you’re playing footsie with his boyfriend.”

Relena refused to respond as she turned heel and headed to the lobby.

She never made it.

In the shadows of the hall that lead to the seats, Duo and Heero were whispering harshly to each other. Heero’s hands were on Duo’s shoulders as he pressed the other boy against the carpeted wall. Duo’s hands were on Heero’s waist.

“I didn’t want you to come either, Duo,” Heero continued. “Hell, I didn’t want to come here. Just be patient.” He brushed his lips against Duo’s, causing the other boy to lean into the touch.

As she watched the light touch bloom quickly into a heated embrace, she could not stop the gasps from leaving her lips. She had suspected for so long, and now she had proof.

She could barely see pass her tears as she made her way back to her seat. The two boys returned, sans popcorn and full of guilty faces, soon after.

The only person of the bunch having any fun for he rest of the night was Dorothy.

~~~~end

The heart lies somewhere quiet, past the insecurities and the false convictions. It is nestled in calming truth and strong assurance.

But man forgets, and the insecurities become the focus, not the truth trapped, living and breathing within.

~~~~

Yuy sat up on the roof, away from the world. In his hands was a copy book, but he did not see the notes he had written. His mind was on other things, other people. He couldn’t help but dwell on Maxwell.

Maxwell had become more and more a focal point for what he was... what he wanted to be, especially after that rainy night at his house...

He was probably somewhere inside the school right now, acting so openly to Chang. Somewhere, he knew that he shouldn’t be feeling as jealous as he did. Maxwell loved him, and was willing to do anything for him.

Yet, sooner or later, Maxwell will see Yuy’s true nature. He will realize that Yuy wasn’t worth any of his love. He’s just afraid that it’ll only be too soon.

A shadow fell across his eyes. In front of him stood Barton, headphones on and a can of Calpis Water in his hand. Neither offered the other a smile, but both understood the taste of the air.

Barton sat with his back to Yuy and leaned in. Yuy lowered his head as his hands dropped the copy book, letting it lay open on the cement. The silence tasted of support through friendship.

Barton looked up at the sky. “Don’t worry. He’ll be there for you, you’ll see...”

A gentle breeze blew, rustling the pages in rapid succession.

~~~~end

Duo had been silent all night, ever since the movie. No, it was in the cafe that he had grown silent. The slightest bump against Heero caused Duo to withdraw deeper into his silence.

He couldn’t help it. Whenever he was around Heero, he lost his confidence. His heart would race. He knew he had to tell Heero how he felt, how he was so deeply in love that it hurts, but he was afraid.

He walked a few feet in front of Heero, quietly letting the wheels inside his mind churn.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

“Eh?” Duo turned around and looked at Heero. The time apart had been good to him. He grew taller in Nagano, handsomer. That time apart had shown Duo how much he felt for Heero. “I wasn’t avoiding you-“

“Don’t lie to me,” Heero cut him off. His voice caused the emotions inside Duo to intensify. “Yesterday, you were so happy to see me.” His eyes developed such a sad look as he drew himself closer to Duo. “Did something change?”

Heero reached out to touch Duo’s cheek, to draw himself closer to his love.

So close to Heero, so close to his scent, his skin, Duo was frightened. Panic overtook his features as he flinched from Heero’s outstretched hand so close to his face.

Confusion was so obvious in Heero’s eyes that it only caused Duo more fear. “I... I’m sorry,” he mumbled before turning around and running away.

It was too much. Having him so close drained away all his confidence, all his cocky nature, leaving behind a frightened boy. Now, his indecision, his inability to tell Heero how much he loved him, made Heero confused.

Duo needed to go back, to let Heero know. He slowed down and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. His breath came in rough and needy. He needed to be brave.

He turned around with the intent to look for and apologize to Heero when he saw him, just a few feet away. He stood in the shadows of street lamp, still, even though he ran as much as Duo had.

Whatever words Duo wanted to say died in his throat as Heero stalked forward and grabbed Duo’s arm roughly.

He slammed the smaller body against a nearby wall and placed his hands on either side of Duo’s face to make sure he didn’t run again. Up above, a commuter train passed.

“I don’t care if you reject me!” Heero’s voice was hot, angry. “I won’t let you leave me! I waited too long to have you notice me, and I’m not letting you go.”

Duo’s face was filled with surprise before a warm, serene smile broke through. “It’s all right,” he whispered as he wrapped his arms around Heero’s waist and pulling him into a hug. “I was just scared a bit...” He placed a light kiss on Heero’s lips for a moment before resting his head against Heero’s shoulder.

Heero wrapped his arms around Duo, his insecurities once more muted in Duo’s embrace, if only for a bit longer...

~~~~end

Wufei dumped the contents of a bottle of baby oil on Nataku’s foot. After taking off his clothes, he began rubbing his naked body against the oiled piece of gundamnium without a rational care in the world.

Afterwards, he realized the error of his ways as Duo treated the other pilots to the scene via the security tapes.

Catherine, feeling that she needed ‘more practice’, went to the nearest Kinko’s ™ and had a photo of Trowa in his clown costume blown up to full-size. When it was ready, she rushed home and immediately tacked the full-life Trowa to a wall. For the rest of the afternoon and well into the night, she practiced her knife-throwing with the paper blowup.

Much to Trowa’s fright the next morning, the paper blowup had a rough, gaping hole where its crotch should have been.

Relena, in an attempt to be more like Dorothy-

Relena, in an attempt to be more like Heero-

Relena, in an attempt to get Heero...

... goes to a nearby discount beauty supply store and buys a long hair braid. Unfortunately, she got brown instead of blonde, so even before she reached Heero, the local hell-children had ripped it out.

Afterwards, the hell-children all received a treat from a guy with real hair coming out of his head.

Tough crowd.

Wufei decided one night to have that sex-change operation.

Duo decided that same night to emasculate himself by shaving his hair off and becoming a monk.

Dorothy decided that peace Was the answer, shaved off her eyebrows, and became a nun.

Duo decides Relena’s really hot.

Trowa decides Catherine’s really hot.

Sally and Treize have a running bet between them. Whoever beds Wufei first gets half the money in the pool, while whoever get the bet right gets the other half. Of course, both bet themselves to be the winner. They went about trying to seduce the boy, but, unfortunately for them, Quatre needed the money and won. The other half was given to a charity: the Winner Orphans Trust.

Really?

~~~~end

Duo Maxwell had the strange ability of looking terrible in photographs. He was a handsome guy, there’s no denying that, yet he was not very photogenic. In Duo’s opinion, the photos would always come out badly, and there are few who would want to disagree. Fortunately for him, fighting a war left little time for picture-taking. The few times one of his friends tried to capture his image on film, the only results were damaged film and/or Duo’s backside.

There was just one picture from the war, however, that did not suffer the same fate as all the other attempts. It was taken in the early morning as Duo slept, or so the photo suggests. He laid on his side, wrapped snuggly inside the embrace of another young man. His hands laid on the bed, relaxed and still. His hair, in a sleep-mussed braid, was mostly above his head, coating the part of the pillow his head did not occupy. Some strands had become loose sometime during the night and trailed down the side of his face.

Though one would immediately assume that he was nude, that was not the case the morning this picture was taken. Duo wore what appeared to be, for the lack of a better word, a tank top and pajama pants. The top was of some indefinite color, somewhere along the lines of grey and green. The pants were striped, gold and navy blue, sharp colors against the cream skin of his exposed stomach and the chocolate brown tone of his bedside companion.

The smile on Duo’s face was, by far, the most prized sliver of light captured on the 3x5. It was not icy, nor pained, nor forced, nor false. It was simple, content, a child’s smile dipped in rosewater and honey…

The owner of the photograph, one Heero Yuy, considers this early-morning portrait of Duo Maxwell as one of his more treasured possessions. Although he wouldn’t refer to how exactly he was given the picture (as well as the negative), he stated more than once that he did not take the photograph.

As to who was the young man in bed holding the clothed Duo, Yuy could not say. Later on, he does admit that he had wanted to hold Duo in such an intimate way soon after the two met, but hasn’t been given the chance yet. There’s little hope for such things, he continued, because they have grown apart, but the picture will always be a reminder of a dream.

~~~~end

“Hi, my name is Heero and I have trouble accomplishing anything. Yes, I am capable of fighting off the enemy and piloting, but I have yet been capapble of killing myself... or anyone else.”

“Hi, my name is Duo, and I talk too much. Frankly, I don’t know what that means, but my pal Wufei made me come here, so who am I to say no. He was nice enough to drive me here, you know? If I’m lucky, he’ll even take me to the diner across the street for a late dinner. God, I love pie. I think everyone loves pie, you know what I mean? But I think all the ladies here would just love to taste a bit of... strudel now and then. Ya get it? Well, anyway, Wufei has the weirdest hairstyle, not that I’m any different, but I’ll get him back, don’t you worry. Maybe take him to ARA or something. He’ll LOVE that, trust me---“

“Hi, my name is Trowa, and I like the Hair Cuttery.”

The group leader comes up and wraps an arm around Trowa’s shoulder. Her hair looks as if she had been attacked by bleach and rusty blades. “Don’t we all, Trowa. Don’t we all...”

“---But, of course, I don’t listen to him either. I mean, the guy can’t even get around to killing that girl and her brother. I think that, maybe, ‘I’m going to kill you’ means ‘you’ll live to be a ripe old age’ to him. I swear, I think that gun of his is actually a squirt gun or something. I love him, though, don’t you worry about that, but what the hell is he thinking, wearing spandex in the middle of winter---“

“Hi, my name is Quatre and I’m an alcoholic... an angry drunk at that. My friends think that I became crazy because my father’s death, but I know I wouldn’t have done those things without the tequila I put in my tea. At first, it tasted nasty, but that stuff is good...”

“---so flexible. I mean, look at him! He can do those flips from out of nowhere. No, wait, not nowhere. He pulls them out of his pert little ass, but don’t tell him I said th---“

“Hello, my name is Wufei and I’m anal-retentive. I like my whites brilliant and my hair tight... Can I go home now?”

“---think Quatre’s nice. He’s a little wierd though, isn’t he? Most people think he’s gay because of that stupid, faggety pink shirt of his, but let me tell you, he loves pie. Not apple pie... not lemon pie... Give him a piece of putang pie and he is in heaven, if you know what I mean... Anyway, I have to get some water right now. I’ll be right back to finish.”

~~~~end

There was an odd silence as Relena washed the dishes. It rested on the cold television set. It made its nest on the table counter. It played with the green leafs and bright petals of the plants Heero had grown a liking for as Heero turned the pages of a glossy magazine.

She watched him from the corner of her eye as he paused now and then to look at the underwear models, but she did not say anything about it.

Sullen indifference had been such a part of Heero that it was awe-inspiring to Relena when he developed a taste for flowers... for growing and nursing life instead of denying his own. During that first year after the wars, he would always give off such warmth. Yet now...

“You don’t have anything to sleep in, do you?” Heero said softly from his spot on the sofa.

Relena turned off the faucet and dried her hands. “No, I don’t.”

Heero turned another page before closing the magazine and setting it aside. “I think I have something you can use.” He stood up and headed to the apartment’s sole bedroom. Relena set aside the rag she was using and followed him.

She entered the room a few seconds behind him and watched as he withdrew his hand from the first drawer and closed it. He opened the third drawer, rummaged a bit and pulled out an oversized t-shirt. He tossed it in her direction. “This will be alright?” he asked softly.

She nodded once and moved out of the way as Heero retreated to the living room. “You’ll be sleeping here tonight.”

The clock in the hallway began chime. She looked up at the dark ceiling and silently counted the chimes. One... Two... Three...

In the living room slept Heero, decisively leaving her with his queen-sized bed at her disposal. As she snuggled deeper into the sheets… sheets that smelled not of Heero but of musty disuse and fabric softener, the apartment grew quiet once more.

It was their last conversation that brought her to his place, not some delusional fantasy from her youth. His face looked drawn, tight... lonely... She made the three-hour trip to see Heero in person, and what she thought was a blur in the vid-screen was factual in real life.

What question did she ask during dinner that made him anxious? It was the one about the others, no doubt. Have you talked to the others, she had asked innocently enough, though, from the expression Heero wore, one would have thought she asked a eunuch his penis size.

He frowned and answered no.

But, what about Duo, she pressed on. Surely he has kept in touch, hasn’t he?

No he had not, he said, and Relena left the matter at that, but she was a curious person by nature.

She turned on the lamp by the bed and stared at the illuminated ceiling. She didn’t sleep well in unfamiliar beds, apparently.

She turned her head and looked at the drawers and immediately thought of Heero’s actions when he was looking for a t-shirt for her. He moved from the first drawer to the third... Why?

She slid out of the bed and stood on her bare feet in front of the drawers. It wouldn’t hurt to look, would it, she thought as she pulled the drawer opened and peered inside.

She lifted up a picture frame from among the clean rows of underwear and held the frame to the light.

It was obvious that the focus of the picture was Duo, sleeping... wrapped in the spooner position... but why would Heero have such a picture, framed at that? Perhaps there was something to those rumors Dorothy and Hilde had filtered down to her all these years. Although Heero didn’t want to talk about when was the last time he spoke to Duo... and guessing from his disposition it has been a long time since their last chat... he kept a picture of him by his bed.

How sad, was all Relena could think as she placed the picture frame once more in the drawer. She closed the drawer and turned off the light.

~~~~end

Quatre unzipped his pants and began to use the urinal when Wufei entered the bathroom. Seeing that there were only two urinals and the stalls were both occupied, he decided to take his chances and took the urinal next to Quatre.

With a grimance at the injustice of it all, Wufei undid his pants and pulled out his own penis to urinate. Not even thinking of looking to his side at Quatre (and anything of Quatre’s), Wufei glared at the wall like a good little hetero.

Quatre, however, as many believe, is not a good hetero and chanced a peek at Wufei’s package. He leaned in towards Wufei, a motion Wufei noticed immediately.

Wufei cleared his throat, causing Quatre to raise his eyes. He didn’t get to see the annoyance in Wufei’s eyes before Wufei’s fist made contact with his jaw.

Later, Quatre was heard bemoaning his fate in the classroom to Duo and Trowa as Heero watched on and Wufei crossed his arms. Something about only wanting to be a friend...

~~~~end

“The letter was not for Duo. The envelope was address to Hilde, but that was not the point...

“What did it say? Soo ka na... I’m not sure what exactly it said, no, but it was something about Heero. Relena thought Heero seemed a bit depressed because of something or another... And it said something about a picture she found on his dresser...

“No, I don’t know what the picture was of...

“Where’s Duo now? I don’t know. I think he went to see Heero. Maybe you should ask Hilde. She’s the one that read the letter, not me...”

“Hey Heero!”

Heero’s eyes minutely increased in size. “Duo...”

Duo grinned. “How you’ve been?”

Heero’s eye’s settled back to their normal size. “Everything’s fine.”

“That’s great to hear! Say... I’m going to be around your way for a week or something on business... You mind if I crash at your place during that time?”

“Sure, but...”

“Hey, that’s great! I’ll see you in a few!” Click.

“How do you know where I live...?”

Duo watched the road warily. The cold rain fell, sheet after sheet of icy water against his windshield. In a few minutes, he would be at Heero’s apartment complex. Just a few minutes more...

Relena wrote about a picture she had seen in Heero’s place of him, from the wars. That was impossible, of course. There were no pictures of him from the wars in existence. He had destroyed every little amateur photography club in the schools he was holed up in whenever they tried to make some money off his image. He had hacked into countless systems to permanently erase any images of himself, still or otherwise. No camera escaped his wrath during those years.

It was funny, thinking about it then, and rather self-conscious on his part, but it was true.

The wipers worked as fast as they could, but it didn’t help all that much.

He drove out of the rain and into the parking garage underneath the complex and grinned, ready for anything.

Heero was quiet as he picked at his fish. Across the table, Duo also tried to be more than a bit cautious... considering...

“I’m sorry about calling at the last minute Heero,” Duo said as he pulled some of the white meat off the bone. “It’s just that I wanted to check up on you... see how you’ve been... I really hope I’m not putting you out...”

Heero placed a bit of fish and vegetable in his mouth and nodded once. He swallowed. “It’s alright. Relena was here last week, so...”

“Relena was here? How nice.” He sloshed the iced drink still in his glass. “There’s another person I haven’t seen in a while.” He took a sip of the drink and smiled softly. “But, of course, you know me, always out of sight... constantly moving...”

Heero nodded and took another bite of the fish. Duo looked at the plant set in the middle of the table and took another sip.

~~~~end

Heero leaned against the cold white wall and looked up at the pale blue sky. He could make out the faint shape of the moon hanging above the horizon...

"You're thinking about him, aren't you... Heero..."

Heero straightened his body and lowered his gaze from the sky. Relena's low heels made little clicks with each step she took towards him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said icily as he turned away from her and stared out at the city.

Relena sighed. "You care for him, don't you?" She bit her lip. "No, love him..."

Heero clenched his fists.

"Quatre told me about how much Duo cares about you... and I'm smart enough to see how much you care about him." She placed her hand on his tense shoulder. "You won't admit it, but you were upset that I went on a date with Duo... or kissed him, for that matter, but you have to at least admit it to him that you love him."

"Relena..."

"He needs to know... to hear it from you." Her hand squeezed his shoulder once before letting go. "Let him know before it's too late, Heero."

The soft clicks of her heels moved away from him. He looked up at the moon once more.

~~~~end

Detective Chang was assigned to the case immediately. He was the only one with a working relationship with the sole person that can help with such things, now that he broke of relations with Chang's partner.

He looked at the bloody mess inside the commuter train with ill-disguised anger. Eye witnesses stated over and over the same things.

The man, obviously intoxicated, entered the car at the station at 8th and Market. Immediately, he had made a nuisance of himself, speaking loudly, singing, clapping.

In between the Broadway and Ferry Ave. stops (2 stops and a bridge after his boarding), witnesses state that his skin began to peel off. First went the skin on his fingertips and on shoulders and arms, where various tattoos were engraved. As he screamed, he began to cough blood. Those close by said that they saw his teeth on the floor with the blood.

As he screamed, the rest of his skin was being 'cut' off his body, as one would skin an apple, said one woman.

All in all, it took three second for all this to occur. He died as the train stopped at Ferry Ave two seconds later.

No one touched him the entire time.

Chang gaze a sidelong glance at Yuy as the other man stuffed his fists in his coat pockets. "If you didn't break up with him..."

"Hn. I did not break up with him. HE broke up with ME."

Chang snorted. "You probably screwed around... as usual."

Yuy glared at Chang. "Why are you always down my throat abou these things? My love life is my personal business."

Chang stormed out of the commuter car and onto the platform of Ferry Ave. The immediate view offered a lovely view of the graveyard in the distance. "Yeah, until you start dating the only 'para' the commish trusts and then end up dumping his ass." He watched the witnesses as they called someone to pick them up.

"He dumped ME, Wufei. Lay off it." Yuy pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Things like that happens all the time."

Chang didn't bother to answer back. The city was busy and loud. The graveyard in the distance was silent.

~~~~end

Gosh, if I was queen for a day, I'll get my daddy to buy me a pony. I love ponies. Daddy says I can't ride one because their dangerous, but I know that if I got one, that I'll be good at it.

I also want a boyfriend, and, if I'm queen, then the boys will be lining up \around the block, even though I have a big zit on my nose and my braces look stupid.

Yeah...

Why would I want to be a dumb thing like that? Queens have no power. Only kings do, because girls are dumb and don't get any. Girls can't do cool things like draw mobile suits and do genocide. But boys can though. Girls can't do anything.

God, I wish I was a boy...

Why are you asking me such an idiotic and FEMALE question?!? I am not some weak woman that dreams about things she cannot be!

See what I mean? He knows girls stink, too.

If I HAVE to be a queen, I guess I could get that nice white and baby blue dress I saw last week. It could look nice on me...

Well, I would do my best to bring about world peace, because, really, we all need peace in our time.

I'm sorry, but cross-dressing is not my thing. And besides, Heero's as much of a queen for both of us.

I resent that.

But, you know you like it that way...

I'll get all these wierdos away from me. First those girls need to do something other than think about me. Then all those BORING boys can step aside, 'cause when I'm queen, I am getting the only man for me:

Heero Yuy.

He'll definitely be my prince.

Not if I have any say in this!

Hn.

Like I want to be that. I'll probably want the clothes and money that'll come from the deal. That's it. I have enough on my plate without thinking about the whole fricking world, too...

I'll hire a cook. I'm tired of soup.

Hey! Let's see if you say that after not eating for five days straight!

Well, my sisters think I look so cute in a dress, but I don't like makeup and all that, so I don't really wanna. I don't wanna look like a girl...

~~~~end

Relena stood on the cliff, a living stone woman waiting for her man out at sea. She was not one to believe those old myths of women turning into stone as they waited for their lovers to return, but that was until she was one of those women herself, sad and alone.

She wanted to see him again.

The wind whipped her hair into her face savagely as it came up from the ocean blue, as blue as the day that she first met him. Down below where she precariously stood, the rough waves crashed upon the rocks sharp as glass.

She lifted her hand to shield her eyes as she tried to make out something in the horizon. She only faintly make out the dark silhouette of a bird flying across the sea.

She cupped her hands around her mouth and called up to him. She wanted him to return so badly. She wanted to see his handsome face and hard eyes again.

"Heero! You promised to kill me, remember?!?"

Deep in her heart, she hoped he heard her. She hoped that he will return to her soon.

She edged a little closer to the ocean as she catches the silhouette of the bird one last time. As she moved her foot, her low pumps, lacking any traction, sidded a bit on the moist stones.

Her ankle twisted as she fell hard on the ground with her feet dangling over the edge. She clenched the rough edge as her breathing returned back to normal. She was almost certain she could have fallen.

She took off her shoes and set them aside before attempting to lift herself up from the ground. She did not need to attempt THAT again.

Her ankle made her whimper in pain as she brought herself back to her feet on that cliff. She looked down on the jagged rocks and thanked God that she hadn't falling down there.

She was leaned forward to look at the rocks below, whatever was keeping the extreme end of cliff up began to collapse and fall into the sea... with Relena and her low heels coming for the ride.

~~~~end

The other passengers had passed by him long ago as they made their way to the luggage. He, of course, was in no rush. Vacations were about taking it easy, and he's not going to be one racing along with the people that came to this little island to visit home and family.

Duo was dressed rather roughly, when compared to the other passengers, those that will be spending their holidays with family. His (albeit new) t-shirt and slacks paled in comparison to the suits and dresses the natives wore, but he was a tourist, don't you forget.

He finally reached the conveyer belt as the loudspeakers said something about New York in Spanish. He stood near the very end of the visible strip and waited along with the families as they fished out luggage and boxes full of presents for their relatives.

That's when he was it. Right on the other side of the loop stood a young man with mustard yellow shirt on. In bold brown letters, it said, 'BEAVER PATROL: MOTHER FUCKERS WATCH OUT FOR WATER IN DRY LAND'.

He stared at the t-shirt and almost couldn't keep the laughter from coming out. When the Japanese boy (for that was who was wearing the mustard yellow shirt) realized he was being watched, he turned blue eyes in Duo's direction. The boy read what was on Duo's shirt and his lips turned up oh so slightly.

Duo looked down at his t-shirt, a kana-riddled grey top that he bought at Urban Outfitters back home, before looking at the boy trying not to laugh at him. "What?"

The Japanese boy gave him a smirk. "You're shirt says you're a stupid American."

~~~~end

She tended roses. That's what she did best. The petals were soft against her calloused fingers. The fragrance stayed in her hair and her skin. No matter how many times she washed up after working, she would anyways smell of roses and rich, moist earth.

She lived in a small house in the woods, far away from every one and everything. Long ago she was important; foolish, idealistic, but important none the less.

What would she had become if the war didn't attract her so much? She would be dead.

What if there was no war? Would she be the same?

There was always a bouquet of carefully cut roses sitting on her small wooden table. The fragrance would fill the dark musty space and the blood-red petals would warm the soul that cared to look at them.

What would she had become if there was no war? What ideals would she cling helplessly onto in peaceful times? If there was no war...

She brushed her thick hair, grown grey from the stress of the years. It was once brown, like milk chocolate that pooled around her shoulders whenever she left it loose. It smelled of soft-petaled roses.

If there were no roses, no reasons to change and fight, would she be the woman she had become? Was it so simple to pick one thing and say that, yes, without that she would be different?

She served herself some tea before going to bed. It tasted of roses with the faintest hint of alcohol to help her sleep.

Would she be enjoying the company of roses and tea right now if it wasn't for those roses? For the man behind them?

~~~~end

/Imagine five urinals, set side by side against the wall. Across from the five urinals are five stalls. The door is to one side of the urinals. See it?

/Now, imagine a guy coming into the room to pee. Simple logic states that this man will pick the urinal farthest from the door... Urinal #5 to be logical about this./

Heero walked in the men's room and saw that there was no one inside. He immediately stalked towards the urinal farthest from the door... logically.

/In comes guy #2./

Duo walked inside the men's room and noticed Heero was there immediately.

/Now, there's four urinals not being used. Which one is he gonna pick? The one farthest from guy #1 of course! Logically speaking.../

Duo walked right up to the urinal next to Heero and unzipped.

/There is no talking between the two... and definitely no looking./

"Drank too much water earlier too?" he joked, trying to make some small talk as he turned his head towards the other guy. "Well, at least we can still go, compared to old guys that is..."

Heero sighed as he realized the chatterbox next to him made him lose his concentration. Now he couldn't pee!

/Now, imagine a THIRD guy walking in. Urinal #1 and #5 are being used, and, since as a guy, he wouldn't even think of standing immediately next to either of them, he takes urinal #3./

Trowa walked into the men's room and raised his eyebrow when he noticed the other two standing side by side. Really, did 'partnering up' mean all that?

Trowa took the urinal farthest from those two idiots, urinal #1, and unzipped as Duo zipped himself back up.

Duo sneaked another peek of Heero and chuckled. "Damnit man, don't choke up now. I already saw how big it was!" He laughed to himself as he walked out the men's room.

Duo was barely out of the room when Quatre walked in. Immediately, his bright smile was turned on. More friends, he thought giddily to himself as he took the only urinal that'll give him a good view of both Heero and Trowa: urinal #3.

/Finally, imagine a fourth guy enter./

Wufei walked into the men's room and almost choked on air with shock. There was NO WAY IN HELL he was standing anywhere NEAR that blond FREAK.

/There's no way in hell he was going to stand right next to any of the men there, so the next logical step would be to go into the stalls./

Wufei pushed open one of the doors and entered the stalls, sliding the 'Hiney Hiders' lock firmly in place.

/And that's what he did./

~~~~end

He was not the sort of person to say such things, but yes, Heero Yuy was grateful. For what, no one knows, but has he goes hand in hand with his best friend… or, better still, lover… he could honestly say to himself that he was content. The pair wandered through the cobblestone streets without a care or a sense of direction, but neither minded. They followed the scents of sweet meats and spice. They played tag with the music of street performers. They moved with the flashes of light and color and sound that they encountered.

Duo gave Heero a smile as the pair sat across from each other at the local open-air café. Coffee and Orangina… Club sandwiches… Bread and local cheeses… A warm breeze rustled the tree branches above them as a song floated through the air.

“This was a good idea, Duo,” Heero said as he cut his cheese properly, from crust to tip. “Biking through France.”

“I told you,” Duo said as he stirred more sugar into his coffee. College students are *supposed* to do stuff like this.”

Heero gave his lover a bit of a smile as he sandwiched the piece of cheese inside a chunk of bread. Somewhere nearby, someone was speaking in a language he didn’t understand all that well.

~~~~end

Heero pounced on Duo and pinned his shoulders to the quilts. His mouth was hot and fast against Duo's as he tried to concentrate all his pent-up passion in one touch. Yet, he couldn't stop. Duo's taste... Duo's heat...

Duo's hands clenched Heero's arms as Heero broke off the contact. His gasps... his flushed cheeks... his lips... god...

"Why did you--" Duo was able to whisper out before Heero dove in for another taste. Heero's hands seeped into Duo's shirt... Duo's pants... His tongue dipped into Duo's mouth...

Duo's hands tightened before Heero felt himself being pushed away roughly. It took him quite a few minutes to crawl out of the Duo-induced daze before realizing that he was on the bedroom floor.

"God damn it, Heero," Duo said as he sat up, his voice muffled by the fingers pressed against his moist lips. "You have to ask before you pull shit like that..."

Heero looked down at the thin carpet underneath him. "I'm sorry..." He placed a hand on his knee and lifted himself up. "I just wanted to..."

Duo was not looking at him. Heero felt more dejected.

"To let you know that I love you..." His hands kneaded the front of his shirt. "I guess that you don't feel the same way." He turned and began walking towards the door.

"Wait!" Heero paused midstep at the command, uncertain as to why Duo wouldn't want him to go. He has embassed himself too much already. He didn't need to be humiliated some more.

"You know," Duo's voice began, "there are other ways you can tell someone you love them... besides the attempted rape scene..."

Heero repeated the last three words so softly to himself that Duo did not catched them.

"Like, you know, flowers... or a date..."

Heero turned around and faced Duo. His jaw was set with an eerie determination. Duo blinked.

"Would you go on a date with me, Duo?"

~~~~end

God is Cruel. He HAD to be! There's no way a kind, benevolent being would do this to him; moving him next door to a love god that would have nothing to do with him.

Heero unzipped his pants and began to pee in his brand-new bathroom. It was a nice neighborhood, that's for certain, but why, out of all the god-damn houses of all those god-damned neighborhoods, did he have to get the house next to the (straight) boy of his dreams?

He let out a sigh of relaxation as the urine flowed out of him in a steady stream. Outside, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and with any luck, that boy was half-naked and in full view.

He glanced a bit to the side where the uncurtained bathroom window was and was unconsciously forced to take a double take. HE was there! Oh god...

Maybe there was a kind, benevolent god watching over him after all.

Just ten feet away was that delicious boy... half naked and brushing his thick hair. The light shined on him just right as the boy stood in front of his mirror, moving the brush effortlessly through that chestnut silk...

He looks so go~od... as he turns towards the window and sees Heero looking at him with ill-hidden lust.

Panicking, Heero turned away and hurried to zipper his pants back up.

Shit! No, there's no god, for no god would be heartless enough to let Heero's dick get in the way of the zipper at such a crucial time!

Heero's scream was heard in the entire house, as well as in the house of that longhaired creature of naughty, naughty thoughts. His mother burst into the bathroom through the door (mercifully, it was left unlocked) and, once seeing her son in such severe pain, called for an ambulance.

No, there is no merciful deity, for the entire block was outside watching Heero being wheeled out of his home, his dick still painfully pinned by the zipper.

He couldn't hear anything about the haze of pain. He could barely see the blue, blue sky, or the medics as they looked down at him.

He barely saw the sad expression on the lovely boy's face as he was wheeled past him. Perhaps there IS a god, Heero thought as the doors of the ambulance slammed shut past his feet. At least, after seeing that beautifully damned boy, he can die from penis-related injuries a happy man.

~~~~end