Disclaimer: Not mine. Somebody else's.

Pairings: 12, 34, 5M, 69

Revised as of: July 2004.

Chapters are short – sorry

Chapter One – A Mother Hen

Duo had been denied many things in his life.

A single, working mother - that he loved dearly - had raised him, but he had been denied a father figure. Because of his mother's job, and her attempts at making ends meat for the both of them, he wasn't allowed expensive gifts or some of the luxuries that others were.

Duo didn't mind, though. He was perfectly happy without a satellite dish, or a computer, or a car of his own. He had a part-time job on weekends that allowed him to have a bit of spending money, but he spent that on his friends and their outings for the most part.

What he did allow himself to buy, though, were necessities. Necessities like brand new boots, or new pants, or a new jacket.

Duo grinned and looked at himself in the hall mirror again. His brand new winter jacket was a dark blue color, and he thought it looked great on him. He gave himself a once-over and marched to the door.

"MOM! I'm leaving! See you later!" Without waiting for a reply, Duo marched out the front door and down the driveway. It was freezing out - all the more reason for his jacket. The wind whipped around him, sending his braid flying in different directions every ten seconds. The cold nipped at Duo's uncovered ears, but he didn't notice.

What he did notice was a few large seniors standing at the end of his block, apparently not bothered by the cold. This small group of seniors didn't particularly like him, being a lowly eleventh grader, even though his best friend could probably beat the shit out of all of them without breaking a sweat. But Heero wasn't here, and he wasn't as skilled in the fighting as his counterpart, so he opted for the next best choice.

He tore across dear old Mrs. Leahy's front lawn.

Heero marched up the front steps of his High School, anxious to get away from the cold air. The second he stepped through the door, a bundle of blonde hair fell into his arms, holding him close briefly before jumping away and mumbling something about 'cold'. Heero sighed and glanced down at his shorter friend – a word neither could stress enough, especially to the girl's friends.

"Hello, Relena. How are you?"

Relena's entire face brightened. "I'm great, Heero! How're you?"

"Cold." Heero smirked as Relena rolled her eyes.

"I noticed."

Heero shrugged. "You didn't have to attack me."

"Why I-!" Relena started, but then glanced out the window of the door behind him. A hand flew to her mouth and she gasped. "That's..."

Heero shot her a questioning look and glanced out the window. The double-take almost gave him whiplash, but he wasn't concerned about that at the moment. What concerned him was the person outside, in the freezing cold, wearing nothing but jeans and a t-shirt, with that tell-tale braid swishing behind him as he walked. Barefoot.

Heero was out the door in seconds, racing out to his friend, who, he noticed, was a slight shade of blue. "Duo! Where the hell are your SHOES?! Where's your jacket?! What the HELL are you doing out here like that?" Duo glanced up at the shouting, already knowing who it was. He grinned at his rapidly approaching friend, which made his lips turn a sickening shade of white.

Duo was used to Heero's 'mother hen' moods, as he called them. He actually liked the attention he got from Heero, but never really knew what to expect from him. Today was no different.

Duo glanced up at the doors to the school and saw a horrified Relena still frozen in place. He waved. He hadn't noticed how close Heero had gotten, nor had he noticed Heero yanking off his letter jacket. He did notice the unbelievable amount of warmth that encircled him, however, and distantly felt himself being pulled along.

"No goddamn shoes, SOCK FEET! Sock feet, Duo! God damnit!" Heero punched his locker when he fumbled the combination again. He got it on the third try, and pulled out Duo's gym clothes.

Duo had felt that since otherwise he'd be on the other side of the school, he and Heero should share a locker. Plus, Duo had reasoned, Heero's locker was closer to all his classes. Heero had thought this to be a weak excuse, but allowed it only because it was Duo. They'd played with blocks in preschool, they'd played Cops n' Robbers when they were ten, they'd graduated Elementary School together.

And now they attended the same High School, shared the same locker, and Heero was currently pulling off Duo's socks and replacing them with dry ones as said boy sat on the hallway floor curled up in Heero's jacket and glaring at people walking by. A familiar stench brought his attention back to Heero.

"…Oi… Heero! Those socks smell!"

Heero snorted. "If you brought them home and got them washed once a month like I told you to, they wouldn't smell, now would they?" Duo rolled his eyes and Heero picked up the soaked socks and threw them in a nearby garbage can.

"Swish," Duo mumbled. "No wonder you're on the basketball team." Heero sighed and dug out Duo's gym shoes. He turned his head away so to not inhale the horrid smell. He offered them to Duo, but Duo shook his head, chuckling. "Can I wear yours? The teachers might kick me outta class."

Heero nodded and dug out his own shoes, handing them to the braided boy. "What happened this time?"

Duo smiled. "Well, they got me two blocks away from my house, three from the school. Took my watch, too." He held up a thin wrist, showing its bareness. "Well, I figured I was late enough, so I walked to school."

Heero frowned. "In your SOCKS, Duo?"

"What can I say," Duo shrugged, "I wasn't thinking straight."

"Where was your jacket?"

Duo smiled sadly.

"…Duo? Where's that jacket you've been boasting about getting for the past month and a half?"

Duo looked up with pained eyes. "Gone," he said. "It's GONE. I saved up for three months to get that jacket. And it was just taken, just like that." Duo's face curled in rage and he slammed his elbow back into the locker he leaned on. "Just like that."

"Who did it?" Duo shook his head. "Duo, who did it?" Silence. "Fine. One day you're going to tell me though, Duo, if I have to beat the shit outta you to get it." Duo smiled wistfully.

"Promise?"

Heero rolled his eyes and dragged his best friend to his sneaker-donned feet. "Come on, time for class."

End Chapter One – A Mother Hen