Disclaimer: We don't own Gundam Wing. If we did, Cltc wouldn't have to work extra hours to afford gas money to visit Foxxy.

Hahaha, made you think with that last chapter, huh? *grins*


Duo tightened his grip on the blond's hand, pulling it towards him. "Then stay. Prove what you said."

"Prove which part?"

"All of it."

Quare trailed his gaze down from Duo's eyes, over his bare chest and down his arm to where their hands rested on his knee. As his eyes skimmed over Duo's arms he had to suppress the shudder that threatened to break free. The braided pilot's arms were scarred. But not the same scars he'd been familiar with before. Not old battle wounds. These were from a battle of a different sort. He could see where a needle had punctured skin several times, and he was sure it wasn't from visits to the doctor. Small scars and marks were scattered all over the inside of his arms and he couldn't control the small wince when he noticed how bad some of those wounds must have been. How had he not noticed when he'd slid Duo's shirt off earlier? Was he really in that much of a rush to strip him down that he didn't noticed the scars? "Duo..."

The American had followed Quatre's eyes and turned his head away with a sigh. "Yeah?"

"It's not that I don't want to. But maybe we should take it slower than this. I mean, we don't want to get ahead of ourselves and let emotion override reason." His eyes continued to catalogue each little scar, bruise and mark that marred Duo's skin. He swallowed hard when he noticed the bite mark on the inside of a hip, just above the line of the braided pilot's pants. "Right?" He doubted Duo would buy that, but he could hope. What had he done to himself over the year? Whatever it was, Quatre refused to be the next scar, emotional or physical.

Duo crossed his arms a bit self-consciously, but his eyes never left the ceiling. "I thought you said we'd worry about details later. I'm not letting emotion override reason. Are you?"

"Duo," Quatre sighed. No matter how hard he tried to not hurt the other pilot, he always managed to mess that up. "That's why I'm stopping this now. I don't want to just jump back into this and end up the way we were before. Those bites are more than details Duo. What're you going to do about Wufei?"

"What were you going to do about Trowa?"

"Talk with him, I guess. Sort things out."

"And you think it would be that easy, huh?"

"No."

"You're committed to Trowa. It's different between me and Wufei."

"What is it between you and Wufei, then? And do you two see it the same from both sides?" Quatre watched the other pilot's face. "Hm?"

"It was a fling at first." He smirked and turned to the blond. "Just a one-night stand. Now? I think he just wants to save me from myself."

"Is that such a bad goal for him?"

"No." Duo looked away again with a frown. "But it's not love either."

Ouch. Leave it to Duo to return a low blow with one of his own. "Hm."

"I spoke to Wufei, already. I know where he stands."

Quatre fiddled with a loose string on the coverlet and chewed the inside of his cheek. "How about where you stand on all this?"

"On us? Me? Him?"

He shrugged. "Yes?"

"I love you." He pulled his shirt back over his head. "I can't quit thinking about you. That's where I stand."

"I love you. I never stopped loving you, Duo. I just," he cut off with a sigh. "I'm sorry."

"You just what?"

"I just keep messing up and making things worse."

"Not this time." He leaned into the blond, resting his head on Quatre's shoulder.

"I've got you frustrated with me. We're going to have figure out what to do about Trowa and Wufei. I'm going to hurt both of them. And all because I couldn't deal with my own emotions." Scowling at the floor he kept turning over in his mind all that he'd done to mess up the good things he'd had.

"I'm not frustrated. Worried." He turned the blond's head towards him, pulling him down for a soft kiss.

"Worried?" Quatre pulled back a fraction. "About what?"

"All of it."

"--hoping this helps." He froze and looked over his shoulder as the door opened and Wufei stopped just inside the room. Just over the Chinese pilot's shoulder Quatre could see Heero right behind. Wufei frowned and stepped aside to let the other pilot in. He dropped a brown bag on the table and looked between the two pilots sitting on the bed. "Quatre. I thought you were with Trowa."

Quatre shifted away from Duo a fraction and looked at the table. At least the two of them hadn't walked in thirty seconds earlier. "Yeah. He was working on something. I came by with a file for you to look at and Duo opened the door. We've been talking."

Duo glanced at the bag and stood, scratching under the sleeve of his long shirt. "...did you get it?"

Wufei nodded. He reached into the back and pulled out an orange prescription bottle and tossed it to the braided pilot. "Instructions are on the label." Lifting the folder from the table, he flipped through the pictures inside.

Quatre stood and walked over to lean over file with him. "No one recognized them. I wondered if this had to do with the security breach you talked about."

"Yes. We've met." Wufei frowned.

Duo took the bottle and excused himself to the opposite side of the room, sitting in one of the hotel tables with a bottle of water.

Quatre looked up. "You know them?"

Wufei glanced at Duo. "We met the night before last."

"Ah. Well." Clearing his throat, he glanced at Heero, who seemed intent on watching all of them like hawks, before looking over at Duo. "I should go. I've got work to do."

Wufei nodded. "We'll see you later."

Heero studied the blond, the gave a brief nod, turning to Duo who continued to scratch, eyes downcast.

Quatre gave Duo one last look before slipping past Heero and out the door.

"Did you look over the instructions?" The Chinese pilot dropped the folder on the table and took a seat. "The doctor said if you follow the dosage and make some other changes in your lifestyle, things should go better this time around."

"Yes." He took the medicine as prescribed and shot a glance to Heero.

"Hn. Let me see your arms."

"Why?" He glared at Heero, then Wufei, dragging his eyes back to Heero.

"I want to see." Crossing the room, Heero took the seat opposite the braided pilot and flipped on the extra light. "Roll up your sleeves."

"Never seen tract marks before?" He raised an eyebrow, but didn't move his arms.

"I want to see your arms." Heero watched Duo's face for a moment before adding, "Please."

Duo reluctantly rolled up both sleeves then laid his arms over the table, his eyes never leaving Heero's.

Heero looked over the marks and scars on his arms quickly. "Some of those cuts were deep." It wasn't really a question, but he did hope for more information about some of them. Questions, he could save for later. "Did you get into fights all the time? Or just clumsy with the can opener?" He looked up and gave Duo a half smirk before looking at his arms again.

"Just clumsy once or twice. The rest are from a pretty wicked bar fight."

"Hn." His eyes focused on the long scar running along a vein for a moment before he shifted his attention to other marks. If he knew Duo, the pilot was watching his every move. "How'd the other guy look, if you look like this?" Finally he leaned back and clicked the light off. He'd seen what he needed.

"A lot worse." Duo pulled his sleeves back down and kicked his feet up on the table, glancing between the two pilots.

Wufei nodded and moved his chair closer. "I talked with Heero about everything. He agrees. You should come back with us."

Duo paused and stared at Wufei blankly. "To Earth?" He looked between the two again, then turned his head away. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

"It would be better than you trying to sober up on your own." Heero studied Duo as he leaned in the chair. "Being here will only make it harder."

"Being on Earth will be just as hard." He crossed his arms and stood up, turned to pace the room again, wondering when the methadone would kick in. "I don't think I'm ready for that yet."

"You could stay in your own place." This time it was Wufei. He knew Duo would be able to eventually wiggle his way out of an agreement with just one of them. That's why he and Heero had agreed to present a unified front on the matter beforehand. "Being surrounded by the people who are related to this addiction will make breaking it more difficult. On Earth you'll be closer to friends who care and are willing to help."

"I don't have a job on Earth. I couldn't afford my own place and I'm not taking charity. I refuse to work with Preventers again."

"Relena has offered us all a place to stay when we need. Not charity. Friendship." Heero looked over to Wufei before continuing. "You could stay there as you need. If your worried about a job I'm sure we could work something out."

"Relena?" Duo frowned. "I don't know... about that." He scratched at his arm frantically. "She's done enough mixing her name around with mine."

"We've already discussed that. The place isn't in her name. And she's willing to handle whatever press comes her way as the result of any relations with us." Heero frowned and looked at Wufei who also had a scowl on his face. The Chinese pilot looked at the dosage directions on the paper in the bag and back at Duo. The braided pilot had seemed calm enough when they came in comparative to how he was when he left to get the methadone this morning. Was the dosage wrong? Or was something else making Duo so jittery?

"Trust me, my name is mixed in with some bad shit, Heero. From drugs to anarchy..." He fidgeted, pausing for a second to scratch is arm harder, pausing when he drew blood.

"And she's made all the preparations necessary to handle the situation as needed." Heero's frown deepened as a small bead of blood bloomed on Duo's arm. He glanced at Wufei who already had tissues in hand to pass to the braided pilot. "Pace. It's less destructive than scratching yourself to the point of drawing blood." Wufei gave one more look at the directions. "The doctor said that although this is a higher dosage than she wanted to give, it could still take a few days before it becomes fully effective."

"Dammit!" Duo threw his water bottle on the floor and kicked it. "It's not going to work, I already fucking told you!" He passed by Wufei's hand and started for the door. "I gotta go."

"Duo, wait!" Wufei stood and reached for Duo's hand.

The braided pilot paused as a hand grabbed his and he spun. "I'm sorry, I can't do this."

"You were doing alright a few minutes ago." He was. He had been calm and sitting in the chair. What had changed? Quatre left and then he and Heero had started talking about bringing Duo back to Earth. That's it. "Do you want us to finish the conversation later? Should we give you some space?"

"No. Yes... I don't know. Something happened."

Heero stood and watched Duo. "You can stay at the place Relena offered alone. You'll have space that way. But you'll also be closer to friends. It's an hour from where we're staying currently. So you wont be too close for comfort." He had an idea what it was that set Duo off. But was going to save that conversation with Wufei until later in private. For now, they just needed to keep the braided pilot from walking out and disappearing.

"What about my job here?"

"How long would you need to get things in order for a long vacation?"

"I can leave when I need to."

"If you'd like to take up the offer, make the necessary arrangements and let me know. If you have someone you trust to leave in charge, feel free to do so. And if you would like I could talk with Relena about getting you some work on Earth." He kept his focus on Duo, moving across the room slowly so he was closer to but not blocking the door. "And she has mentioned seeing you again for a rematch at the video game. She thinks she's improved her skills at the guitar and can beat your high score."

Duo visibly relaxed and nodded to Heero, dropping his head. "Fine. But I can get my own job."

"Good. Because if you said no, I was going to leave it to you to tell Relena that you didn't want to play games with her anymore." He smirked and relaxed against the wall. "She was ready to pick new curtains for the place when she suggested you coming back and staying there. She even offered to paint the place a darker color if you didn't like ecrue."

"You... can tell her I'd like to have that rematch." He crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. "But she's not going to win."

"Oh?" Heero raised an eyebrow. "She thinks she is."

Duo smiled. "She always does. I guess... I guess I'll go back with you. For now. Maybe I won't have to take Relena up on the offer... just let me think it through first."

He nodded. "No rush. Let me know what to tell her and we'll get sorted out."

Wufei looked between the two and relaxed back into his seat. Heero had apparently picked up on something in the conversation that he missed. Whatever it was though, he was able to keep Duo from marching out the door then and there.

Duo nodded again and made his way back to the chair he had been sitting in.

Heero watched him and picked up the folder with the pictures from the table. "Now, about these two girls..."


Trowa paused and looked at the blond walking next to him as the perused the grocery store aisles. His brow furrowed as the sigh escaped Quatre's lips. "Something's been bothering you."

"Hm?" He almost dropped the jar of sauce when Trowa's voice broke through his thoughts. "Sorry. I was somewhere else for a moment. Is it that obvious?" Quatre placed the jar back on the shelf and continued beside the taller pilot. He just couldn't keep his attention focused.

"From the moment you got back. Did something happen?"

"Oh." Watching his feet for a moment, he considered just how much he wanted to tell Trowa. It wasn't fair to him to tell him about everything here. But he did at least deserve some explanation for the erratic behavior. "I ran into Duo. I guess he's been staying with Wufei."

Trowa tensed, then relaxing, setting down the box he'd been holding. "I see."

"I went to show Wufei those pictures I printed and see if he knew anything about those girls. Duo answered the door."

"Hm. I take it Wufei wasn't there."

"No. He was out running an errand." He kept his eyes cast to the floor as they moved to the next aisle. "Do we need anything else off the list?"

"No. But we're going to talk."

Quatre nodded and followed him to the checkout. "Back to the hotel?"

"Doesn't matter." He followed the blond. "Did you have sex?"

"Trowa!" Snatching the bags from the startled checker, he stared at the other pilot before heading for the door. He couldn't believe Trowa has just blurted that question out, but knew he would be quick to follow to hear the answer.

Trowa grabbed the other bags and followed behind the blond silently, knowing he would answer, as long as Trowa stayed silent.

"No. We didn't." His tone was curt as he ground the words through grit teeth. Really? Even if he had been about ready to jump all over the braided pilot, did Trowa think so little of his self control?

"But."

"We talked. And kissed." This was not the way he wanted the conversation to go. Not in public and not without him having the chance to work up the nerve to say something. "That's it."

"And."

"And I don't know. I'm sorry. I should have left when I realized Wufei wasn't there. I should have just left right then." Dumping the bags in the trunk of the car, Quatre yanked open the passenger door and sat down.

Trowa placed his bags in the trunk and sighed, running a hand through his bangs. He stood at the trunk a moment before making his way to the driver seat. "What made you stop?"

Quatre watched out the window and let his head rest against the glass. "I didn't want emotions to take over."

"Is it going to be like last time?" Trowa tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "Because I don't play games and I'm not patient."

"Do we have to talk about this now?"

Trowa glanced at the blond. "Well, I'm not going to pretend it never happened. I don't know what you want, Quatre. And I don't think you know either." He glanced ahead, watching the road for a moment. "I want to talk to Duo."

"I didn't say I wanted to ignore it, either!" Quatre turned to frown at Trowa. Taking a deep breath he put one hand over his eyes and massaged his temples. "I'm sorry I snapped." He took another calming breath before uncovering his face and looking back at the other pilot again. "What do you want to talk with him about?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter or don't want to tell me?"

"Both."

Quatre turned and looked back out the window. This conversation definitely had not gone the way he wanted. Duo was right. Talking wasn't easy, and he was fairly sure he'd already hurt both of them more than he knew.

"It's not bad. I just want to talk to him." Trowa eased his grip on the wheel. "And I think you should, too."

"We did talk already."

"That's not what I meant. But you need to figure out what you want."

"I want to stop hurting everyone else." The words came out barely a whisper. He hadn't meant to talk out loud, but maybe he was lucky and Trowa hadn't heard.

Trowa shot an eyebrow up at the blond, then turned back to the road. "We'll talk about it when you're ready."

"You want to talk now, don't you?"

"You don't."

"Maybe rather than worrying about what I want, I should pay attention to others." Prying his eyes from the passing buildings, he turned in his seat to look at Trowa's face. "I know there's something else on your mind."

"We're still going to talk, but not in the car."

When the car stopped outside the hotel, Quatre hesitated a moment before climbing out and helping get the bags. Once inside he took his time putting things away. After the last bag was emptied he leaned against the counter and waited.

Trowa took a moment to settle himself then turned to face Quatre, arms crossed. "I've never met someone as confused as you."

Uncertain how to react, Quatre decided it was safer to just nod.

"You tell me to worry about others. But what you described is yourself." He stared into the blond's eyes. "You worry about hurting everyone, but you just hurt yourself more. What do you want, Quatre?"

Yeah. This conversation very much was not going the way he'd planned. As if his plans had been any better, anyway. "What do you mean, what do I want? We've had this conversation before. Haven't we?"

"Yes, but obviously that's changed." He leaned back against the wall. "Talk. You look like you have something to say."

"Confused is a good word for it. Every time I think I've got myself sorted out, I get lost along the way." His hand dropped to his sides and he fiddled with the seam in his slacks. "Duo really needs some help."

"So do you care about him or are you concerned about him?"

"Both. He's our friend. It hurts to see him like that." He bit his tongue when he realized how one sided that statement sounded. "And it hurts to know that worrying about him and caring about him hurts you."

Trowa pushed up from the wall and dropped his arms. "Figure out what you want, Quatre." He turned and left, heading for the bathroom. "I'm going to shower."

"You're angry."

"Yes." He closed the door quietly behind him.


Wufei flipped through channels twice before deciding to just pick a movie on demand. He'd ordered pizza a while ago and now was just waiting for the delivery guy. "Got a movie suggestion while we wait on pizza?" He looked over his shoulder to where Duo was draped in a chair, fiddling with the end of his braid as his foot bounced up and down in the air.

"Nope." Duo kept his eyes on the ceiling and sighed.

"You ok?" He put the remote down and turned. "The delivery guy shouldn't be too much longer."

"No."

"Craving?"

"Yes."

"Hm. Is there anything I can do to help make it easier?"

"No." Duo shifted a bit, moving his braid around with him. "We kissed."

Wufei raised an eyebrow and leaned back against the headboard. "I'm going to assume the 'we' is referring to you and Quatre."

"Yes."

"Heero and I interrupted you two earlier."

"Not really, we were talking then." He shifted again, running his hand over his face.

"What else?" Judging by the look on the braided pilot's face there was more to the story than a kiss and some words.

Duo shrugged. "Thats all we did."

He nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "How was your talk?"

He shot Wufei a glance. "Weird."

"How so?"

"Is that all you're going to say on the matter?"

"I usually try to know all I can about a matter before I pass judgement or make a decision on it. So that will depend on what the rest of the matter is."

"I don't know then."

He shifted so his feet hit the floor and he leaned over with his elbows on his knees. "You still love him." Not a question. There was no question about that. It may have taken him all afternoon what took Heero ten minutes to figure out. Duo shifted moods when Quatre left. Changing topics got his mind off the blond pilot and he calmed down. But talking about the two of tem was visibly agitating the braided pilot once more. He was sure of it now.

Duo turned away. "Doesn't really matter, does it? I don't plan on seeing him again."

"Why not?" That wasn't the response he'd expected. "Second thoughts about coming back to Earth with us?"

"I don't think it's a good idea." He started tapping his foot a little faster. "I've had second thoughts since you offered."

"Care to share those thoughts?"

"I just think that maybe L2 is where I belong. It's home." He sat up and shifted, tapping his other foot. "Everyone has a role."

"What role do you see as yours?" He looked up at Duo's face, trying to read the emotions there.

"I don't know." He turned to face Wufei. "I don't like to think about it much."

"May--" He was cut off by a knocking on the door. With a sigh, he stood and answered. After he paid the kid at the door, he made sure to place the Do Not Disturb sign on the knob and locked the door behind him. "Pizza's here." He put the box on the table and pulled a slice for himself before returning to his spot on the edge of the bed.

Duo eyed the pizza, but made no move towards it. "What were you saying?"

"Maybe you should think about it more. Other than the place, the location, what makes this place home for you?"

"This is where I'm from."

"Are you happy here?" He finished off the slice and reached for another from the box. "I can't eat all this alone."

"You never know until you try." He smirked.

"Then maybe I'll try." He chuckled and took a large bite before moving the chair beside the pizza. "Close proximity to the goal makes it easier."

"I can't believe that Chang Wufei would actually eat pizza. Not just any pizza, but L2's pizza." He grinned.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." He gave Duo a smile before leaning back in his seat. "Pizza is better on Earth. Less processed. All natural grease for your tastebuds' pleasure. Tell me that doesn't appeal to you at all."

"Any other day, yes. Today, not as much." He fiddled with is braid a moment. "I never thought it would appeal to you at all."

"What changed today? Does it have to do with the talk you and Quatre had?"

"I'm sober. For the first time in a while and it's not agreeing with me." He stopped moving and stared at Wufei. "Are you going to tell me what you think now?"

"What I think about the talk you had or what I think about the situation in general?" He raised an eyebrow and finished off the second piece.

"Both?"

"I think it's good you two talked. I think that since neither of you were crying or bruised or hurt physically, the talk went as well as can be considering your last encounter with each other." He sighed and looked at the pizza, considering another piece. "I think there are some things you both probably still need to discuss. And I think there are some things we need to discuss."

"Then let's discuss them."

"Openly?"

"Is there any other way?"

"Very well then." A few moments passed as he collected his thoughts. Open conversations always were the hardest. And often most painful. "You still love him. And that's part of why you don't want to go back to Earth. You think it will be easier if you hide here?"

"I think he's better with Trowa. And I don't want to come between them living there. And partially because of what I do here."

"I thought you were quitting the business. Or did you change your mind on that matter?"

"I do other business. But that's a different conversation."

"Fair enough. So you think he should stay with Trowa. How does he feel about you?"

"The same as before."

"So you both are still in love with each other. You think he's better with Trowa and he doesn't want to hurt either of you. Instead he'll beat himself up over the situation while you mope and try to sober up alone, surrounded by users. Do I have this right so far?" He watched Duo's face. Being brutally honest wasn't the easiest, but at least they could get things figured out this way. Hopefully.

Duo grinned a bit. "Yes."

"More of your running and hiding. Does he know how much you used?"

"I don't know. Do you even know?"

"Probably not. But he should know."

"Meh." He shrugged. "We're off topic."

"Hm." Wufei frowned and put the rest of the pizza in the fridge. After a moment of struggling and rearranging the contents, he got the box to fit and took his seat again. "What if you were stable here? What if you had a job, stayed sober and didn't have to face the same problems you do now? Would you still think he was better with Trowa?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Duo shrugged. "I'll get back to you on it."

"I thought we agreed on an open conversation. You seem to be dodging several topics. And so far it's been one-sided."

"I don't know that answer yet." He huffed. "What do you think. About you. Not about Quatre."

Wufei took a deep, steadying breath. "I think I saw this coming. You always had eyes for Quatre. Even that day you saw that picture on my phone. The moment the building blew, you were completely focused on finding him. Nothing else in your world existed. At first I was jealous, but like you, I didn't want to come between you two. Then as things got worse, I wondered if we shouldn't have done something about it sooner. But you left. And over time Quatre seemed to get better. We never heard a word from you. Time passed and you're familiar with it. Even after that first day when I found you on the street and brought you back here, I knew things were different and this wasn't what I used to think I wanted. But I'm not just going to walk out on you because you still love Quatre. I don't feel the same as I thought I did." He stopped and smirked to himself as he stared off at nothing. "It's taken some time, and after talking about your addictions with you I came to a realization. I think it's been lust more than anything else. However, like I said, I'm not going to just turn and leave. I still see you as a friend and a close one that I value. And I'm willing to do the work needed to keep your friendship."

Duo smiled a bit. "A friend that's touched you. Inside." He smirked.

"So does that mean friendship is still ok between us?" After an answer like that, a joke from Duo could be either an escape or an acceptance.

"Yes." He smiled again. "I always liked you more than you knew, Wu."

"Don't flatter me." He snorted and propped his feet up on the bed, leaning back in his chair. "So I take it I answered your question to satisfaction?"

"Yes sir." Duo mimicked Wufei's pose. "If you don't mind, I need to go to the bathroom for a while."

Shooting him a sideways look, Wufei raised an eyebrow. "Is the medication still disagreeing with you?"

"Yes."

Dropping his feet, the Chinese pilot moved to the bed and picked up the remote again. "If you need, I could get something for your stomach."

"No, I just need to take a long ass shower and ignore the feeling of wanting to strangle anything near me." He stood slowly and made his way to the bathroom. "Sometimes I feel like I have a grip on this, then I lose it again."

Wufei chuckled as he started to cruise channels again. "Well, if you need help with that, I'm here." He paused when he realized how that sounded. "Help with the strangling things and maintaining a grip on life. Not the shower."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't mind help with the latter." Duo grinned from the doorway. "You know you want to, what else are you gonna do, huh?"

"Shut up and shower before I beat you."

"Is that a promise?"

Wufei grabbed the corner of the nearest pillow and launched it at the braided pilot.

Duo grinned and knocked the pillow away. "Fine. Fine... I just remembered that you're a hair guy and I was gonna wash all this, but you know what, you just sit there and watch t.v. while I get hot, naked, and wet in the shower."

"Don't clog the drain. Or after I beat you for using all the hot water, I'll make you clean it out with your teeth." He snickered and began his second trip through the channels.