Warnings: Surprisingly, not too many. Although there is a brief reference to NCS.

Author's Note: Knowledge of Gundam Wing helpful, but not necessary. Written for Sunhawk whose fics introduced me to Gundam Wing. Yes, I did it backwards, becoming interested in the anime after reading her Road Trip and Ion fics.

Standard disclaimers apply.

Of Secrets and Resolve

The air seemed thick in this part of L2. He could almost taste it. Or maybe it was his imagination, since the air was being filtered and purified. It must be a result of the proximity to the "slums." He couldn't understand why that man would choose to live here, even if it was for his business.

He raised a hesitant fist, chewed on his lips momentarily, then knocked firmly five times. There was no response even after almost a minute. He knocked again, louder this time, and continued knocking for several seconds. It was a weekday. Someone should be around doing business. Unless they were out in space collecting. Perhaps he should have called first instead of showing up unannounced.

Sighing reluctantly, he turned away, prepared to seek a hotel and try again later in the day. He stopped, though, as he heard the latch clicking quietly. Turning back towards the door, he watched as it swung inward and revealed a slightly disheveled form. Long strands of hair hung haphazardly, escaped from a loose braid that reached well past the waistband of a pair of dark blue sweatpants. The pants were too long and too loose, rolled at the ankles and hanging dangerously from sharp hips.

Dark blue eyes widened in disbelief, the drowsiness in them leaving immediately. "Heero Yuy?"

"Duo," Heero responded, inclining his head slightly.

They stood silently until Heero finally sighed, "Are you going to invite me in?"

Duo blinked once, then stepped aside. "Sure, yeah, of course. Um, welcome to my humble abode." He stared at Heero as the taller young man passed him. "Why don't you have a seat?" he added, gesturing towards the one sofa.

Heero nodded and sat down, then regarded the other youth. Duo stood uncertainly.

"Are you ill?" Heero finally asked quietly.

"Why? Why do you ask?"

"You look like you just got out of bed. Considering that it's after 2PM, I assumed you must be ill."

"As a matter of fact, you did get me out of bed," Duo said slightly brusquely. "I was trying to catch up on my sleep since I don't have any pressing business today." He turned away abruptly. "Can I get you something? A soda?"

Heero watched as the long braid whipped around and lightly smacked the side of Duo's leg. This irritation and defensiveness were unexpected. "Yes, thank you," Heero responded, watching the other young man curiously.

Duo returned with two cans and handed one to Heero before dragging a chair to the other side of the low table in front of Heero. He sat down wearily and opened his can. He didn't drink, though, choosing instead to regard Heero silently.

"Why are you here?" he asked, brows furrowed.

"Can't I come and visit a fellow veteran?"

"Well, sure, but it's been… over two years without any contact from you. You never responded to the messages I sent. I was beginning to think that you were interested in contacting me only when you needed my help, and I kinda gave up after a few tries."

"Is that why you're angry with me?"

Duo looked surprised. "Who said I'm angry with you?"

"You're being unusually terse. You're not normally like this," Heero explained.

The young man laughed harshly. "And how am I, normally? Heero, you don't really know me that well."

Heero sighed. "I suppose not. But you're not acting the way I've become accustomed to you acting."

"Oh, well, that…" Duo sighed as well. "I'm just kinda worn down lately. It's not you, okay?"

"So you're not angry with me?"

"Annoyed, and puzzled, maybe, about why you never wrote back, but not really angry. I wasn't actually really surprised, you know, about you not having responded."

Heero frowned slightly. "I suppose I should explain that."

Duo leaned back in the chair. "Well, it was kinda rude."

The dark-haired young man deepened his frown. "I… needed some time away from anything and anyone I associated with the war. I needed to stop being a soldier and learn to…"

"…be human?" Duo suggested, although the tone was gentle and not mocking.

Heero hesitated a moment before nodding.

"So, are you now?"

Heero smiled. "I'm here trying to visit, aren't I?"

Duo returned the smile, his first smile since Heero had arrived. Heero felt himself relax a fraction. It had seemed all wrong, not seeing a smile on Duo's face. Even during the war, when all had looked bleak for the Gundam pilots, Duo had never been as tense as he had seemed since the arrival of a fellow pilot. Heero remembered the constant joking with the Sweepers, an animated face with a ready cheerful grin for everyone, hands that slapped backs in a friendly manner.

"So, then, how long are you in L2 for?"

"I don't have definite plans," Heero responded. "I thought I'd stay here for awhile, then go visit Quatre next."

"He's insanely busy these days. But he'll be pleased to see you. He could use a break from his work. But you'll need to contact him first."

"And you?" Heero had to ask. "Are you pleased to see me?"

Duo's lips pursed for a few seconds before stretching into a smile. "Yeah, I guess. You did bother to come see me after all, all the way to the colony farthest from Earth."

"How did you know I was on Earth?"

"I didn't. I was just commenting on L2's isolation. What with us being on the dark side of the moon and all."

That took Heero's thoughts back to where they had been as he walked in the neighborhood. "Why are you living here? Surely you could afford to live some place… less industrial."

Duo snorted. "I can't live in a nice neighborhood with a salvage business, Heero. Besides, this is home. I grew up in this corner of L2. My memories are here. It's my choice to live here."

"What about Hilde? She can't possibly like living here. She seems more the urban type."

"Yeah, well, she doesn't live here anymore. She moved in with her fiancé, and they have plans to start a shuttle business together."

Heero raised a brow in surprise. He had been under the impression that Hilde and Duo were romantically involved. "Why continue in salvage, then? I know the Preventers wanted you as well." Duo gave an unconcerned shrug. "Are you working alone now? You can't manage a salvage business alone."

The long-haired young man smiled a fond smile. "Salvage is the first legitimate work I did, courtesy of the Sweepers. I guess I stick with it partly out of nostalgia and comfort. I can't very well go back to being a terrorist. And my first jobs are absolutely out of the question."

Heero tilted his head questioningly.

Duo sighed, then grinned mischievously. "Thief, Heero. I was a thief."

"That would explain some of your… skills," Heero said, a slow smile forming. "My first job wasn't any more respectable. I was an assassin."

Duo stared incredulously, then burst out laughing. "Well, that explains your skills, too."

"Yes, well, I've set aside those skills, hopefully forever," Heero responded. "So, if you can trust a former assassin in your quarters, would it be alright if I stayed with you for a few days?"

Duo didn't respond immediately, seeming to consider his response. Eventually, he said, "We've been in close quarters before, Heero, and I've managed to survive the experience. Don't worry, I know that you're not going to be the cause of my demise," he chuckled. "You're welcome to stay, as long as you don't mind lending the business an occasional hand."

Heero smiled. "I don't mind at all."

So it came to be that Heero Yuy temporarily moved in with Duo Maxwell. The room that Hilde had been using was converted back into a bedroom after the young men removed the boxes of files and spare parts that had somehow found their home there in the past few months. Heero unpacked and was officially moved in

He learned quite a bit about his housemate in the first few days. Duo apparently did not have a very distinguished palette. He was not picky about food, as long as it was edible, and he was a lousy cook. Heero suspected that might be why Duo appeared to have lost weight recently. It seemed to coincide with the time Hilde moved out. With properly cooked food, perhaps the young man's appetite would return.

Heero also discovered that Duo put in a significant amount of volunteer time at a local orphanage. That had surprised Heero initially until he learned more about Duo's past. The young man, although a street kid for most of his young life, had been fortunate enough to spend a few months in a church orphanage. Duo wouldn't say much about his experience there, other than that they had made a big impression on his youthful mind. In addition to the time, Heero also learned that a large portion of Duo's earnings went to the orphanage.

Duo also, quite surprisingly, usually opted to stay home unless he was working or volunteering. For an attractive young man, albeit a short one, he had a pathetically non-existent social life. After learning that Hilde was not a significant other, Heero had somehow expected that Duo would be dating regularly and widely. But Duo rejected all signs of interest from both young men and women and generally stayed home in the evenings.

"Why are you staring at me like you have a question you're dying to ask?"

Heero blushed and stopped himself from looking away. He hadn't realized he was staring. But in the few days he had been living with Duo, his curiosity had been getting the better of him. "I was wondering, I suppose, why you live like this."

"Like what?" Duo asked warily.

"Like… a hermit."

"I get out."

"Yes, to salvage and to help at the orphanage. But you don't go anywhere else or do anything else. Don't you want a little more out of your life?"

"I happen to think that helping at the orphanage is very rewarding. We all have a limited time to live, Heero. Is it wrong to want to live it making a difference?"

"You're a war hero, Duo," Heero said exasperatedly. "I think you deserve to do some things for yourself now."

"Well, I don't see you getting out and doing whatever it is you think I should be doing," Duo responded resentfully.

"My current goal is to live like a human being, associating with people I might call friends."

The resentful look faded slightly. "Ah, well. In that case." Duo smiled and resumed taking apart the coffee maker that had been working inefficiently for awhile.

"In that case, what?"

Duo shook his head, still smiling. The smile was crooked, though, and had something hidden behind it. Heero continued to stare for a few more moments before sighing and going back to his book. It wasn't until he'd read several pages that he realized that Duo had never really answered his question.

Heero eventually initiated a nostalgic discussion of their respective Gundams. Duo was assembling something out of random spare parts, and Heero was watching without any real interest. It appeared to be some sort of humanoid thing – most likely destined to become a toy for a child at the orphanage.

"Hell, yeah, Deathscythe was cooler than Wing! No question about it!"

"But it couldn't change forms."

"Because it didn't need to, man," Duo said emphatically. "It was perfectly cool as it was."

Heero smiled slyly. "So why did it need to hide itself?"

"Hide? …Oh, the stealth system? What about it? You saying Deathscythe was ugly, so that's why it needed to be able to disappear?"

"You said it, not me."

"Hey!"

Heero laughed. "Actually, the stealth system might have been the only reason Deathscythe was almost as… 'cool,' as you would say… as Wing."

"I don't care what you say, man. Deathscythe was much cooler than your primary-colored toy."

The dark-haired young man snorted. "Whatever." He let several moments pass in silence. "Do you know how they did it?"

"Who did what?"

"G and the others. How they made the stealth system work."

Duo shrugged. "I wasn't there when they built it, remember? We were kinda locked up at the time."

"You never tried to figure it out?"

"Had more important things to do. Like trying to survive."

Heero watched Duo soldering for awhile before saying, "Did G leave you documents?"

"Huh? What for?"

"J left me information on some of the things they had done to make me stronger. Did G leave you anything?"

Duo shrugged again. "Why are you so interested?"

"The stealth system might be helpful."

"Helpful to who?" Duo asked. "We're no longer at war, Heero. What would anyone need a stealth system for?"

"Just in case?"

Duo looked abruptly serious. "Heero, we destroyed the Gundams to prevent future misuse, remember? Because the potential is always there. So isn't it better to not have technology like the stealth system still lying around?"

"Maybe someone can come up with a non-military use for it."

The braided man snorted. "Yeah, right. It's best that no one uses it again."

Heero regarded Duo shrewdly. "You never actually said whether or not you know how the stealth system worked.

Duo smiled enigmatically. "No, I didn't."

"I'm sleeping in," Duo announced wearily the following day. He stood in the doorway of his bedroom, leaning against the doorjamb.

Heero looked up from his coffee and frowned. "…Oh. Do you want me to take over the work?"

"There's no work today. Cancelled." Duo turned around, and before Heero could respond, closed the door behind himself.

The dark-haired young man frowned, then stood and moved to the computer. He pulled up the day's schedule, noting the lack of any appointments. His frown deepened. He would have sworn that just yesterday, there had been a client meeting scheduled at 11AM, and the shuttle had been scheduled for its annual inspection. He thought it had been for a 3:30 appointment.

Had Duo cancelled the appointments, or had the others done so? Heero pulled up previous schedules, stopping on the one for the day he had first arrived in L2. That had been five days ago. Duo had been "sleeping in" that day as well. Heero searched further back and discovered something almost like a pattern. Duo seemed to be having fairly regular days of no work. They occurred anywhere between four days to a little over two weeks apart. Heero shut down the computer and strode purposefully to Duo's door. He lifted his fist to knock, but stopped himself.

Duo had never actually denied being ill on that first day.

Silently, Heero turned the doorknob and pushed it forward slowly. He stepped carefully into the room and looked towards the bed. Duo was buried under the covers, only a few inches of braid showing. Heero approached the bed and listened with breath held. He could hear slow breathing. Satisfied that the young man was asleep, Heero cautiously peeled back part of the covers. Duo's brows were furrowed in sleep. Heero placed a gentle hand on the pale cheek and grimaced at the heat he felt.

Fever. And a high one, at that.

Heero scanned the bedside table and the rest of the room, noting the glass of water and the bottles of fever reducer and painkiller.

"What is wrong with you?" Heero whispered. He watched the sleeping figure for several minutes before eventually turning and leaving the room silently.

Duo never lied, or so he claimed. If Heero questioned him again, would he answer honestly? There was obviously something wrong that required Duo to cancel work and sleep fairly regularly. He sat and mulled over the possibilities, eventually turning on his laptop and searching for likely answers. He was still staring at the screen on his lap when Duo emerged from his room.

Heero glanced at the clock; it showed just after 1PM. Duo was wrapped in a blanket that dragged behind him, making him look like a lost child. The effect was added to by the fact that the young man had grown only a few inches since the war, making him about half a head shorter than Heero who had grown like a weed after being taken off growth inhibitors.

"Did you have lunch?" Duo questioned sleepily. Without looking at Heero, he shuffled forward in bare feet.

"Yes."

"Good." Duo pulled the blanket tighter around himself and peered into the refrigerator. He stared for several moments before sighing heavily and closing the door. He started to shuffle back to his room.

"Aren't you eating?"

"Nothing looks appetizing," Duo complained.

Heero stood and approached Duo. "You need to eat. You won't get better starving yourself."

The young man looked up sharply. "What are you talking about? Get better, what?"

Heero moved before Duo could stop him, grabbing the other youth by the upper arm and placing his free palm on the other's forehead. Duo twitched and tried to move away. Heero stood firm. "This, Duo. You're burning up! What is wrong with you?"

"It's nothing. I'm just under the weather. I'll be fine tomorrow."

"Really? Then why have you been sick every few days?"

Duo shook off Heero's arm. "Who told you that?"

"Your work schedule."

Duo stared incredulously, then began to laugh. "What? Just because I'm not working every single day of the week, you think there's something wrong with me?"

"There obviously is," Heero insisted. "You were sick the day I arrived, too, weren't you?"

"Did I say that?" Duo asked. "There's nothing wrong with taking some time for myself to just relax. I often work through weekends, so why shouldn't I take a break here and there?" He pushed at Heero who had stepped close enough to lean against. "Now, let me be. I'm spending the day relaxing in bed." He turned away and began walking away.

"Do not tell me you are just relaxing when you have a fever well over 104!"

"Fine! Think what you want; I don't give a damn!"

The door slammed in Heero's face, leaving him fuming silently.

Heero decided that it was for the best to not bring up Duo's illness again, and in any case, he had been unable to find any information on a likely cause. They returned to their established routine the following day with Duo running his business with Heero's assistance during the day, and the two of them spending quiet time together in the evening, usually playing chess or watching a movie, or helping out at the orphanage. Heero found himself enjoying himself more and more, so it was with regret that he told Duo one day that it was time for him to move on.

"Too bad, man. You'll do a better job of staying in touch this time?"

"Yes," Heero promised, surprising himself by actually meaning it.

But, he had a job to do, so he could no longer stay.

"I'll stop by again when I'm in the area."

"You do that," Duo smiled. "Just don't wait too long, okay?"

Heero nodded and turned to go, but Duo grabbed him in a hug. "Be good, Heero."

The dark-haired man returned the hug hesitantly. "Good bye, Duo."

Duo's smile seemed to waver slightly. The next moment, he saluted Heero with a bright smile. Heero responded with a milder smile, turned, and walked away.

The woman closed the report and regarded the young man in front of her sternly. Eventually, she frowned. "Are you certain of this?"

"Not 100, but I'm fairly certain. I couldn't do a thorough search of his home, though, without arousing suspicion."

"I suppose this is something we'll have to do without, then. Or, we continue with our own research here." She put the folder on top of a full tray on the corner of her desk. "You should consider going back and doing a full search sometime, but I won't require it. You're going to be very busy from now on, so just keep it in mind for a time you're in the area again."

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded. He stood to leave, but hesitated. "Is it really necessary to continue, Une?"

"We should always leave our options open," the woman responded sharply. "We never know when there might be a need for ships with stealth capability."

He nodded again. He was at the door when Une stopped him.

"Heero, it's not like you to have doubts."

He left without responding. The woman did not know him well at all. He had always been full of doubts, ever since his first mission to Earth – he had simply rarely let them affect his work, usually accomplishing whatever mission he was assigned without question.

Heero had eventually come out of the self-imposed hiding he had gone into after the Mariemeia incident, and deciding that joining the Preventers officially was the best way to utilize his unusual skill set, he had approached Une. He had no other goals or desires, after all. She had taken him in gladly and given him his first assignment of finding, if they existed, the plans for Deathscythe Hell's stealth system. He had taken the mission without a second thought, first searching for any clues left by Professor G before seeking out Duo. He had not really considered the ramifications of possibly finding the plans, nor had he considered the possibility of actually enjoying his time with Duo.

And Duo had proven to be surprisingly thoughtful. And emphatic about the dangers of having the technology for the stealth system.

So Heero was now actually questioning orders.

It was just as well that he had been unable to locate the plans.

He should probably give Duo a call in a few days, just to see how he was doing…

He didn't, though. The few days turned into weeks, and then into months. Une had not been kidding when she had said that Heero would be very busy. He usually worked alone, infiltrating locations in search of any lingering remnants of resistance towards a unified government. He saw Wufei every now and then at HQ, but they rarely talked about anything besides business, and Heero suddenly found himself seriously missing the time he had spent with Duo.

He realized with a start that five months had passed since his stay on L2. Duo had written him a few times in those months, but Heero had never done more than to respond with a quick note back, and he had never returned Duo's calls. Heero told himself that it was because he was usually undercover at the times of Duo's call, so he was unable to call back. But he was also feeling a lingering guilt that his visit to Duo had actually been a mission, and that he had initially been friendly only in order to get information. He had yet to admit to Duo that he was now working for the Preventers and wasn't actually still "exploring the world and enjoying the freedom" as he had told Duo.

Perhaps it was time for him to make that long overdue call.

Heero was surprised, though, when he still hadn't heard back from Duo several days after leaving a message. When the three days turned into a week, Heero put in a request for a few days leave, suddenly concerned that Duo was ill again and without assistance.

Une granted the leave, sending Heero off with a reminder to again search for any hidden plans in Duo's home.

Heero was surprised when the door was opened by a tremendously tall Arab. He stared up at the man for a moment before registering the man's identity.

"Abdul."

"Heero Yuy," the man bowed briefly before turning around. "Master Quatre," he called.

Quatre Winner didn't look surprised to see Heero. He did, however, not look overjoyed as he would have in the past. Instead, he seemed somber and approached Heero without smiling. Or perhaps it was just the unusually dark attire that made the blond look somber.

"Heero," Quatre said quietly, nodding slightly. "It has been awhile."

"Quatre," Heero returned the greeting.

"I assume you're here for Duo?" Quatre continued, gesturing for Heero to enter. The dark-haired young man stepped into the building, noting the stack of boxes in the middle of the room.

"Where's Duo?"

The blond's expression darkened. "You didn't know," he murmured. "I thought you'd come because you knew."

"Know what?"

Quatre sighed, and as he looked directly at Heero, the dark-haired man finally noticed the redness of Quatre's eyes.

"Heero, Duo is dead. He died two days ago."

"…What?"

The blond sighed again. "Have you heard of PP2?"

Heero considered the name for several moments. Then he frowned, remembering something he had read when researching causes for Duo's mysterious illness. "A killing virus that plagued L2 almost ten years ago. L2 residents nicknamed it 'the Plague, Part 2.' It was a scandal at the time, since it was transmitted sexually. …I thought it was eradicated years ago."

"It was," Quatre said uncomfortably.

"If you're hinting that Duo died of it, then how did Duo get infected with…" Heero's frown deepened. "When was he infected, Quatre?"

The blond young man closed his eyes. "At its outbreak," he whispered, before opening sad eyes again.

Heero clenched his fists. "He was a child then."

"…It wasn't his choice."

The dark-haired young man closed his eyes as well. "I see."

"It… mutated within him and didn't begin showing symptoms until about two years ago. Dr. G discovered it within Duo shortly after accepting him as a pilot, and he theorized that Duo's unexpected exposure to and immunity to the first plague of '86 might have saved him from the usual quick death. After finding it, Dr. G treated Duo to try to delay the inevitable for as long as possible."

Heero opened his eyes quickly. "So he knew. During the war. He knew that he was living on borrowed time."

"He… told me that he should have died when he was six, so he counted himself lucky to make it to twenty…" Quatre trailed off. He turned abruptly and reached into one of the boxes, pulling out a small box. "I'd been helping him settle his affairs for the past year. He left you something."

Heero accepted it and lifted the lid. Inside was an envelope and a small plastic box.

"You'll want to read it now in case he's willed you any of the items in these boxes. We'll be outside."

Heero nodded, waiting until the door closed behind Quatre before moving to the table and setting the box down. He picked up the plastic box and looked inside. There was an info disc. The disc was unmarked. Heero set it aside and opened the envelope, pulling out a single sheet covered in Duo's surprisingly neat handwriting.

Hey, Heero,

If you're reading this, I guess I should be flattered. I had my doubts that you would come. Too sentimental.

Anyway, I assume Quatre's filled you in on what killed me, so I won't go into details. I'll just say, it's been a long process, so I'm guessing I was just mostly relieved at the end. You know, that it was finally the end. I was warned that it would be debilitatingly painful, after all.

Okay, I'm being tangential again. The point of this message is to tell you that you were right. Yeah, I did in fact know how Deathscythe Hell's stealth system was built, as you'd assumed. I'd been involved with the very early planning stages, and G had left complete plans hidden in Scythe for me to discover.

Now, I wasn't kidding about how I felt. I don't believe the technology belongs in peacetime. What could you possibly do with it that isn't about espionage or war, right? But I'm being redundant. I've told you all this. I guess I just wanted it mentioned for the record. Anyway, the point I should be making is that I've done a lot of thinking since your visit here, and I've come to a decision.

I'm leaving you the plans.

Yeah, that's right. The plans for the stealth technology.

Why? Because you weren't the same person you were during the war. You've actually become human, you know? You should know what I mean, so don't get pissed off. Well, I guess there's nothing you could do to me. Ha! But you are still the same person, too. Okay, maybe that doesn't make sense. I'm saying that you're more human, but you still have the same strength, both physical and mental.

So, the bottom line is this. If anyone can come up with a good use for the technology and make it happen... well, I suppose it would be you. So I'm trusting you with the info.

Protect the peace, Heero, and make lives better. For me, if it matters, because my time is done.

Duo Maxwell

Heero sat unmoving for a long time after finishing. Eventually, he slowly leaned his head back and stared unseeing at the ceiling. He palmed the tiny info chip between his right thumb and index finger.

Abruptly, he crushed the chip, grinding it into a fine dust. He separated thumb and finger and let the dust fall to the floor.

Protect the peace.

Quietly, he murmured, "Mission accomplished."