Warnings: mild violence, mention of fictitious death, mention of prostitution & drugs, coarse language, M/M lime/lemon, and general adult situations.

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is a product of Sunrise & Bandai Entertainment, I do not claim ownership to these characters, only to my own words.

A/N: In light of Maxwell finally coming to a close (yes, the last chapter will be posted this week!) here is my next attempt at a full length 1x2x1 story. This one will be considerably different than the storyline of Maxwell, a little darker and with a slightly different dynamic between the characters. For this one I'm trying my hand at a 'Heero-centric' perspective (I hope you don't mind I've taken liberties and given him the persona of not being a walking computer with zero tact or emotional frequencies). This will explore the way I'd like to think his mind works and the way a certain someone has an effect on that in the long run. As always, there will still be tons of Duo to go around, as well as all our other friends.

Mood music? Of course this story's namesake, Long Way Down by Robert DeLong as well as the entire Royal Blood album (trust me). As the story progresses maybe I'll make an 8track playlist or something to go along with this emotional roller coaster of a fic.

As always, reviews and feedback are my lifeblood! And with that being said, without further ado...


Long Way Down

Chapter 1: Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

"Never thought I'd see the day Heero Yuy would be trying to drown himself in- what is that? Tequila?"

The voice was deeper than he remembered, possibly more grating but nonetheless the odd drawl he knew well, an accent he'd never quite been able to place. The familiarity made his stomach turn, his eyes following that long braid as it twisted in the air before settling over a leather encased chest as the man attached perched himself on a stool to slouch against the table top.

Heero's eyes drew upwards, first to the almost empty bottle of golden liquid now between them, and then to stare at that infuriating smirk. He silently damned every bionic cell in his body, every piece of nano-tech swimming through his veins, that hindered him from becoming as drunk as one should be after nearly finishing an entire bottle of tequila in one sitting.

"What do you want?" he asked, feeling his voice struggling with the words slightly. Maybe he was more intoxicated than he'd given himself credit for.

Duo Maxwell stared up at him through thick lashes, a pointed finger coming up to rest under the bill of his dark and worn looking baseball cap to push it back off of his forehead, revealing those wild, chestnut bangs. "What? No 'hey Duo' or 'how's it going man?' A fine way to greet your old buddy."

Heero just stared, not able to comprehend if this were a figment of his imagination or if Duo was, in fact, really sitting there in front of him, rambling out the ass, and calling him 'buddy.'

With a rough sigh, the braided man's head shook back and forth slowly, though his smirk did not diminish and his surprisingly intense eye contact did not falter for a second. "I want a lot of things, Heero. But right now I only have one thing on my list- you."

The urge to swallow attacked Heero's throat then and he had to pointedly instruct his stomach not to breach its contents. Duo stared at him, lips twitching, something feral there- how long had it been since they'd last seen one another? Heero couldn't quite remember, but it certainly hadn't been long enough.

His skin felt like it was going to crawl right off of his body. "Me?"

A thin brow quirked upwards. "Yeah, you." Duo pointed a finger at his chest with a look that expressed his acknowledgement that Heero's confusion was, in and of itself, very stupid. "I need your help."

It was not a statement that Heero had ever heard from the man. Help- Duo certainly never needed it, and even when he had he definitely never asked for it. "My help?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions, don't you? Do I need to start over in Japanese? Damn, she must've really done a number on you," Duo muttered, eyes averted, an empty shot glass appearing out of nowhere in front of him, his fingers expertly pouring the remaining thimbles of burning liquid into two portions, one for each of them.

"Now," he said, slamming the bottle back down with little grace and picking up his own shot between thumb and forefinger, a few drops running down the outside of the glass with the abrupt movement. "Whadya say we drink to old times, eh?"

Heero was numb, unsure of whether this was from the tequila or from the nightmare he was almost certain could not be his actual reality, he watched his fingers pick up the well-used shot glass as if Duo's words had been some sort of order that he obeyed with uncanny obedience.

Glasses clinked and the alcohol burned down his throat and Duo said something around a mouthful of grinning teeth and then there was nothing but blackness.


The first thing he remembered was the smell of something sweet filtering into his nose, a scent he couldn't quite identify, but then slowly- very slowly- as his mind adjusted to the idea of coming back to reality, Heero's eyes opened to be met with a pair of sky blue ones staring back at him.

He blinked, squinting. The smell was perfume, her perfume- but this woman was not her. Heero's head began to throb from trying to place the features he found to be somewhat familiar.

"Where am I?" His tongue was cotton as the words tried to force their way out.

The woman gave him a brief smile, her upturned nose and pixie black hair registering some form of memory in Heero's brain, but he still couldn't quite place her.

"An apartment in Ixelles," she responded, matter-of-fact.

Heero brought the heel of his hand up to rub against his right eye. Ixelles. That was a ways off from the bar he'd been in last night- but at least he was still in Brussels. "Why did you bring me here?"

The woman's brows furrowed then as he observed her through his narrowed vision. "Wow, whatever he put in your drink last night must've been a real doozy." He couldn't quite tell if her tone was sarcastic or disbelieving. "I didn't bring you here- Duo did."

That was enough to jar Heero back into full alertness, his eyes flashing wide to stare at the woman, while his brain worked on overdrive to decide which question to ask first. But he didn't get to as the sound of a door slamming shut sent a shockwave of ache through his skull and down the back of his spine.

"What'd I do?" came the voice he'd thought himself rid of so long ago. It was followed shortly by Duo's smiling features and lean- if not entirely too skinny- body clad in jeans a size too small and a t-shirt that looked as if at one time it had been black in color.

Now, in the painful light of day, the only thing conceivably different about the man's appearance since their last encounter was the hint of laugh lines crinkling over his skin and the addition of perhaps two inches to his still rather small height. Heero knew that he had, in fact, not changed at all- but he supposed if anyone could find something to say about the older version of himself, it would inevitably be Duo.

"Oh good, you're up," the braided man said, eyes shining under the rays of sunshine filtering in from a window behind the couch Heero currently found himself on.

Heero managed a grunt in response as he pulled his body into some semblance of a sitting position. His head swam for a second, his vision darkening, but after a heavy intake of breath the unusual sensation cleared.

Duo thrust the brown paper bag he was carrying with one arm towards the short-haired woman. "You're groceries, m'lady."

The woman took the bag with an over-exaggerated roll of her eyes. Heero watched with curiosity as Duo's lips came to rest at her cheek, kissing there and then brushing along her skin until he was able to whisper something in her ear, her mouth quirking at whatever apparent secret had just been shared.

A second later Duo was standing in front of him, so close that their legs were practically touching. "You a breakfast man nowadays, Heero?"

He wasn't certain he'd answered in any sort of affirmative way, but ten minutes and several blocks later, Heero found himself sitting across from that smirk, the shirt clinging to his upper-body feeling damp and uncomfortable against his skin. He needed a shower and perhaps a frontal lobotomy.

Duo sat there, buttering an english muffin with clinical precision. Heero stared down at his plate of runny eggs and grimaced. How had he let himself fall into this entirely bizarre position?

"Duo-" he hadn't said the man's name aloud yet and it tasted sour on his tongue. "What are you doing here?"

It was true that he had not actually seen Duo in person for- could it already have been six years? But that didn't mean he hadn't been privy to some of the events of his life, they'd both been with Preventer after all and even if the braided man worked primarily in the L2 sector, Heero still heard of him on occasion from fellow agents and even Une herself once.

Quatre tried hard to keep tabs on everyone and at first that had annoyed him, though he understood lately the need to feel like they were all still close- the five ex-pilots that is. And so he had heard of Duo's life through some precisely worded emails and any gossip at the bi-monthly dinners Quatre hosted at his Brussels estate- even if he had admittedly only attended a handful of them since the war. Though that had been better than Duo- he had yet to make an appearance at a single one.

But even after all of that, Duo had been out of his life- in his rawest physical form- and now sitting in a vinyl booth in front of a sticky table, slowly Heero was coming to terms with something he never thought he'd have to deal with- having to face pilot 02, hungover and disoriented.

Duo's smirk seemed to grow in size, if that were at all possible. "I told you last night, don't you remember? I need your help."

"That woman implied you had put something in my drink," Heero found himself saying.

"Woman?" The fingers of Duo's right hand began to tap haphazardly against the table. "Oh, Hilde? Nah, she was prolly just yanking your chain. You think I'd really do something like that to one of my old war buddies?"

Old war buddies? There it was again, that odd genial tone of his creeping into Heero's unwilling ears.

"Hilde," he repeated, the name finally registering something worthwhile in his brain. He remembered something vague, something from the war, something with Libra, something involving- he decided abruptly that he'd rather not think about that particular memory anymore.

Duo nodded, chewing on a piece of bacon, but his mind had apparently latched onto something else entirely as he pulled a small paper from his back pocket. Heero, damn Preventer instincts clicking immediately into place, found his fingers reaching forward to discover that it was more than just a paper, it was a photograph.

He pulled it an inch towards him and Duo released from his end to allow the other man's eyes to rove. It was an image of a body, thin but toned and not that unlike Duo's own, though there was one distinct difference- this person was incontestably dead.

"The vic was beaten to death," Heero said mechanically. "Raped?"

When he looked up for approval Duo's demeanor had changed entirely, his eyes seeming to sink back into his skull, their indigo irises growing darker, his lips pulled downward in an unflattering frown. He did not speak, only grunted out an affirmative answer while his head bobbed up and down once.

Brows furrowing, Heero looked back down at the picture, studying the man's ashen skin, bleached by a camera flash. "What does this have to do with me?" Then after a hesitant moment he added, "I'm not with Preventer anymore."

Duo took a swig of neon orange juice before answering, his eyes becoming slightly lighter. "Neither am I."

Heero felt as though someone might pop out from behind him with a hidden camera yelling 'gotcha!' in his ear. That might have been a more preferable scenario than this one anyways.

"I don't understand. This photograph is from a crime scene, is it not?" He couldn't even begin to comprehend the supreme amount of confusion suddenly wracking his brain. Damn Maxwell and his impossible ability to screw up his mind more than even the likes of Doctor J.

Duo let out a low breath through slightly parted lips. "It is," he said. "But right now, I'm as 'retired' as you are."

Heero wasn't exactly sure what that was supposed to mean or imply, if anything at all. "What happened?"

Duo shrugged, the movement causing a squeaking sound from the booth's unflattering vinyl. "You know, going by the book has just never been my schtick. I don't always 'play nice,' remember?"

Yes, that Heero remembered- among other things. His eyes went to study the formica designs sitting just below a thin layer of greasy residue on the table. "You were fired?"

He didn't look up in time to catch how Duo initially reacted to the question. "You could say that," he answered, all too blankly.

"If you are no longer an agent, and I am no longer an agent, then I will ask you again: why are you here?" Heero could sense the impatience creeping through his voice and it almost startled him.

Duo didn't notice, or else ignored the sharp edge. "This case has been left open for one year, four months, and twenty-seven days- over the course of that time six more prostitutes have been found dead here on earth, all in the exact same way." His finger tapped harshly against the photograph. "This body was found on L2- he's a kid I knew once- before he, and everyone else but me, got fostered or adopted off."

Heero swallowed; he knew very little of Duo's past, but he did understand that it had not been a pleasant one. "Resorting to vigilantism?" he muttered, unsure exactly where Duo was trying to route this conversation.

"Fuck vigilantism. This was a good kid, he might have hustled and made some poor choices, but he still didn't damn well deserve this," Duo spat out. "And you know why he died? Because he fucking stumbled upon something that could ruin the entire perfect, pretentious little structure that is the ESUN's so-called government."

Heero could not fight off his curiosity any longer, so he bit. "And you know this how?"

"Well, being on L2 as a Prev agent- but also as a 'friend of the people' shall we say- you learn a thing or two about how things work," Duo explained rather animatedly. "Ever noticed how there seems to be an abundance of drug cartels dirt-side? A lot of 'em get swept under the rug because there's never enough evidence to prosecute.

"It's a misconception that people on the colonies don't use the same types of recreational drugs that people on earth do because of whatever space vacuum, artificial gravity bullshit some high-off-his-ass politician came up with to make outer-space seem more- palatable to people. Actually it's the exact same shit- but a lot of people dirtside don't know that.

"So why would earth cartels bother running with anyone on the colonies? There's your out- and boy do these guys know how to use it to their advantage. Think about all the richie-rich government ground-bounders. Once one of 'em becomes addicted to something, he'll do anything to get more, right?"

Heero had reigned in his impending need to interject for as long as he could. "You're trying to tell me that someone's been selling highly illegal 'colony' drugs to government officials, then overpricing them when they become addicted?"

"You're half-right. See a bed-warmer is an easy mule from earth to the colonies- they might slip it in their food or drinks- but only while on-colony for let's say a 'business trip-' and then after about a week of torture back on earth dealers come to 'em with cheap crack or whatever bullshit and wave it in front of them till they break. It's a lucrative deal, they can sometimes get upwards of half-a-million for one job."

"Which then goes directly off-earth and back to the colonies-" Heero supplied in a conclusion he never imagined himself actually reaching. "Through the proper channels it would become untraceable."

Duo's eyes shown from beneath thick lashes. "There's that genius asshole I remember. See, all you had to do was get over your hangover a bit."

Trying to ignore the remark as impassively as possible, Heero rerouted the conversation. "And you think this vic was tied up in it somehow? Wrong place at the wrong time perhaps?"

"He was a prostitute- a bed-warmer- but his body was found on L2. Though the bigger problem is that no one seems to think it could be connected to the murders here on earth."

Heero inclined his head. "And you do?"

"If Prev doesn't suspect the connection, then these cartels get to pretty much eat off the backs of the government fat-cats while Preventer continues to follow their dicks around earth because that's where the evidence leads 'em." Duo's eyes were glued to his fingers, their hyperactive movement ceaseless. "But what happens when an easily expendable colony bed-warmer gets greedy?"

"The cartels take care of the loose ends and they find someone new to take care of their- clients," Heero said, his voice sounding far off as some of the puzzle pieces seemed to be clicking into place. "Then they drop the bodies on earth to keep Preventer far enough away from the actual market."

"It's a fucking vicious cycle," he heard Duo mutter behind suddenly clenched teeth.

Heero wasn't sure he could take much more of this. Wasn't there something he should be doing right now- other than sipping a bitter excuse for coffee and listening to Duo rant about the scum of the ESUN? He thought about that for a moment, but couldn't come up with anything plausible.

"So why exactly do you need my help?" he asked, abruptly shaking Duo from whatever angry reverie he had fallen into.

The braided man blinked. "You've still got Preventer access. I've been locked out for months, but your- retirement- was more recent, no?"

Heero felt something begin to heat just beneath his skin. "Whatever it is you want me to do, the answer is no."

"Heero, listen, you haven't even heard-"

"I said no. Absolutely not. My ID's expired anyway, there's no way I'd make it past the front door-"

Duo held up a hand to stop him. "That's where you're wrong. On L2 they won't look twice- trust me, even in this 'golden era of tech' news travels pretty damn slow to the dark-side of the moon."

Heero sighed. He had to stick to his guns, otherwise he'd never be able to gain any traction with Maxwell. Not that he thought they might have a relationship now that he was back on earth for which traction might be needed. For all he knew this would be it, the man would use him and then leave him to wallow once more. That might not be the worst option of course, but he had to at least try and keep up his side of the debate here, if nothing but for his poor moral's sake.

"If I do this-" Heero himself couldn't quite believe the words that tumbled forth from his mouth. What mental betrayal was this? "-If I get you whatever intel you're looking for from Preventer- can I go back to my old life then?"

It had come out a bit snider than he'd have thought, but the sentiment was truthful. After all he would rather his old life back- particularly the one without Duo in it.

But the man before him just smiled. "Of course you can- though I don't know why you'd want to. Seemed pretty fuckin' boring to me- but that's really not my place, is it?"

He was standing now, his braid twitching behind him. Heero followed suit, throwing a few crumpled bills on the table before they exited the cafe and back onto the street. He watched as Duo hailed a cab, laying his arm against the passenger's open window and speaking to the man in that jovial way of his, giving what looked like a charge-card and then pulling back to face his companion once again.

"Saul here'll take you home. Shuttle leaves at 8:00 am tomorrow."

Heero had to wonder if Duo actually knew the cabbie, or else he was just pretentious enough to read his license where it was probably plastered on the dashboard. He reached forward to grab the back door handle, not bothering to say anything in response or gratitude, when a hand fell against his shoulder and he had to force down the impulse to grab it by the wrist and slam it against his knee.

"You got a gun, Heero?" Duo was asking, his grip tightening for only a moment as he'd sensed the tension of the contact, but chose to fight against it. Cocksure as ever.

Heero turned only half back around. "I don't carry one anymore."

"A knife then?" Duo wondered. He shook his head.

Chestnut brows moved first upwards in disbelief and then lowered to create a deep 'v' over dark eyes. "Man this whole Relena thing really did a number on you."

Acid threatened to spill into his throat, but Heero swallowed it down. Why the hell had Duo Maxwell chosen now to come back into his life anyways?

Instead of letting any of the emotions now coursing through his chest filter into his expression, he put on his best scowl, mainly for Duo's benefit if not also to reminisce just a bit. "I have no use for weapons anymore."

"Who are you?" Duo wondered incredulously, his voice dropping an octave.

Heero managed to shrug off the hand from his shoulder, the movement enough of an answer in his opinion.

A harsh laugh bit through the air then. "Well, whatever floats your fuckin' boat I guess. But we're gonna have to get you something- you know just in case you decide a gun might come in handy once you're being jumped in a back alley on L2 or some shit."

The cab's engine revved once beside them, impatient even with the meter running. Heero almost growled. "Now that I no longer work for Preventer my gun license has been revoked. I'm willing to bet that that is the same case for you as well."

Duo's smirk was back then and that only proved to heat the sense of unrest building in Heero's gut.

"Well then, it's a good thing I use knives, eh?"