A/N: Ok, I hadn't planned to include it in this story, but where are we all on Duo cross dressing? Yes? No? It could fit in fairly well and I like it but I'm open to alternative ideas if you want to toss them at me. Enjoy!

It was a few days before Duo felt well enough to go on the mission with me. We'd relocated to a different safe house, this one a summer cottage that wasn't linked to the Winner family in any way. Quatre spent most of the time unconscious and he was only just beginning to come around by the time Duo and I were leaving. I could tell that Duo would have rather stuck around and made sure that Quatre was really okay, but at the same time he was getting antsy. He'd never been all that good at staying in one place, and he had been cooped up a lot during the past month or so, considering that he'd been sick and then kidnapped. If he didn't do something to burn off that excess energy he was going to drive himself and the rest of us crazy.

So early that morning, I climbed out of bed and checked my e-mail. It was the first time I had looked since we'd returned to the safe house, and I wasn't surprised to see the coldly angry missive from J that was waiting. He was short and perfunctory, saying that as soon as I felt like doing the mission it would be waiting for me. He always got like that when he was upset. It used to make me feel guilty, but this time I just deleted it before packing my laptop up. No matter what he said, I didn't feel bad for putting the mission aside while we went to rescue Duo and Quatre. Granted, the two of them probably would have escaped even without our interference, but I felt calmer now that I knew they were safe.

Duo was waiting for me by the time I got downstairs. He was sitting on top of the kitchen counter, chewing on a chocolate chip muffin and staring out the window. I stopped in the doorway and looked at him for a moment, taking the time to see how he was when his defences were down. There was still bandaging on his chest and stomach, I knew, where the majority of the blows had been focused. His arm was covered in gauze to hide the needle marks that were only just beginning to fade, and he still had the remnants of two black eyes, but overall he didn't look too bad. Like a normal teenager who had gotten into a fight.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?" he asked, not turning his head. He took a big bite of his muffin and chewed before adding, "Only, I thought you wanted to get going before the sun comes up."

"I was making sure you were okay," I replied.

"I told you I was and you know I don't lie."

There was a hint of annoyance in his voice and I hurried to placate him. "I know that better than anyone, Baka. I know you don't lie, but I also know that you are the best at knowing how to conceal things with the truth." I walked over to him and placed a hand on his chin, turning his face towards me. My eyes were drawn to the gauze taped to the side of his head, hiding the wound underneath, though some bruising was still visible. Fury still burned through me when I saw it and remembered how they had treated him. It made me want to track them down one by one. "You can't blame me for wanting to make sure."

He huffed. "Yes, I can. In this case I really am telling you the truth. I'm fine. Most of the bruises don't even hurt anymore."

"That's good," I said, not bothering to point out that "most of" hardly meant he was in the peak of health. I suspected he knew that for himself. I found myself staring at his mouth as he popped the last of the muffin inside and began to chew. It shouldn't have been appealing, but I was rapidly discovering that Duo had the unique ability to make everything sexy.

"My eyes are up here, Hee-chan." He was smirking.

"Your eyes are only part of what interests me." I moved my hand to cup the back of his head and pulled him into a deep kiss. His lips parted beneath mine with a gasp and I pushed my tongue inside, greedily examining every inch of his mouth. I tasted the remnants of chocolate and orange juice and heard the sound of his moan as his hands came up and wound their way into my hair, tugging gently. It felt good and I responded with a low groan, pressing myself closer. I was pleased to discover that I fit neatly between his parted thighs. I wrapped my other arm around his waist, pulling him closer to me in turn.

The position put him up higher than me and it was interesting to be the one tilting my head back instead of down. Duo seemed to like it as well. He grew more forceful and I loved it, willingly allowing him to have his fun for the time being. He was learning quickly for someone who didn't have much experience. I groaned again when he pulled back and I saw that his eyes had darkened, his cheeks flushed pink. He looked like a little forest minx. I ran my hand up his back and was pleased to see his eyes fluttered closed as he arched into the contact.

"Fuck, Heero," he muttered, pulling harder on my hair and squirming. It made his hips rub against mine, which was very pleasurable indeed. Both of us moaned out loud at the contact and I yanked him down, pressing my lips to his neck. God he tasted good. I licked my way across his throat, leaving little red marks behind where I couldn't resist nibbling a bit. He was wriggling against me and I wanted nothing more than to yank his pants down and drop to my knees. The thought of the wonderful little cries I knew I could wring out of him was tantalizing. I pushed my finger into the waistband and his eyes flew open, reality returning in a rush.

"Wait!" he said breathlessly. "Wait – oh shit – wait..."

"Why?" I asked, not ashamed to say that it probably sounded a little like a whine. I fastened my teeth around a particularly tantalizing patch of skin on the curve of his shoulder and worried it gently, loving the way it made him rock against me.

"Because... ah... because we have to go on our mission, that's why!"

The mission. Never in my life had I hated hearing those words as much as I did then. Duo looked like a wet dream, all wide violet eyes and flushed skin and heaving breaths. I wanted to scoop him up and carry him straight to bed. Actually, scratch that. I would've gladly had him or been had by him here in the kitchen or anywhere else, in any way that we could. Letting go of him didn't seem to be an option, but I knew I had no choice. It took more self control than I'd realized I possessed to give his neck one last lick, right over the dark red mark I'd created, and pull away. I was breathing hard, my pants tented, and I knew he was feeling the same way, if the way he slowly and reluctantly untangled his fingers from my hair was any indication.

"You..." I said, and my voice came out hoarse. "You're going to be the death of me, Duo. If you only knew how much I wanted to take you upstairs and give every part of you a thorough examination."

I felt him shiver and he groaned slightly, tipping his head back. "Don't say things like that," he pleaded. His braid was coming undone, I noticed. The tie was lying on the counter beside him. I had no memory of pulling it free but I must have at some point. I grabbed the silky tail and set about unwinding the strands, even though it would only mean Duo would have to re-do the braid before we left. He let me do it with an indulgent smile, and as soon as his hair was falling around him I knew I shouldn't have. If it was possible, he looked even more addictive. I had to kiss him again. I was rapidly reaching the point where I couldn't get enough of him.

Finally, I pulled myself away. It was too much and in spite of my self control, I knew I was going to lose it. "Re-braid your hair and then meet me out by the Gundams," I said, turning away. I was so hard that it was difficult to walk, but I had to get myself out of the room. I couldn't keep my hands off of him and the more I touched and tasted, the greedier I got. I wouldn't be able to stop myself soon. I went outside and occupied myself by taking our bags down to our Gundams, then making sure everything was ready for our depart. The steady work helped to take my mind off of Duo.

About fifteen minutes later, he came out. His hair had been re-braided and he was wearing a different shirt with a higher collar. I knew it was an effort to hide the noticeable blotches on his neck, including one a little higher on his throat that was turning a nice shade of purple. He got me watching and gave me a dirty look as he placed a self-conscious hand over them. I just shrugged, sending him a smirk. I wasn't going to apologize for leaving a mark on him that plainly announced to the world that he was taken. I would've appreciated having a few of Duo's marks on me, and I made a note to rectify that the next time the two of us were alone.

We got into our Gundams. I powered mine up, enjoying the feel of the controls under my hands. I found that being in my Gundam was soothing, allowing me to forget about the strain of the past few weeks. For a few hours, I was just a Gundam Pilot and I didn't have to think about anything else. It was comforting. I leaned back in the seat and wondered if Duo felt the same way. There was no denying that he had a deep connection to Deathscythe, but I didn't know how he would feel about the fact that his Gundam had been modeled after death. Then again, he had known about this long before the rest of us, so there was a good chance he had come to terms with it. I would've opened up a line of communication to ask, but I had the feeling he was still annoyed and it was probably best to let him alone until we arrived.

The flight only took a couple of hours. Using maps and data I'd found online, I'd already planned a place where we could hide the Gundams. It was about a mile or so away from the school and the base. Not as close as I would've liked considering we might need them, but the school was on the outskirts of a moderately large town that was famous for seeing a lot of tourist traffic. Supposedly its mountains and forests were among the best in the world, and so the closer we got, the more chance there was of being discovered by nosy hikers. Better to be safe and hike than sorry later on.

I landed and opened the hatch, climbing out with the ease of long practice as Deathscythe came down behind me. By the time Duo got out, I was already in the process of camouflaging them. He set about helping and I couldn't help remembering the last time we'd done this, when he hadn't even been able to walk back to the house afterwards. The memory of his legs and thighs around my back made me groan. I hadn't been able to appreciate it at the time out of concern for him, but he'd been warm and pliable, half-asleep and delicious.

"What are you thinking?"

I turned around to see Duo staring at me. "What?"

"You were groaning to yourself. What are you - " He stopped suddenly and his eyes dropped to focus on my crotch. A slight flush rose in his cheeks and then he shook his head. "Still? It's been a couple of hours, Heero, and you haven't cooled off yet?"

"I can't help what you do to me," I replied, smirking. Actually, I probably could have if I'd wanted or needed to. I'd learned from an early age to have a much finer control over my body than most people did. But I liked this reaction, liked knowing that I was human enough to want Duo in that way. He was the first person I'd ever really been sexually or romantically interested in.

"For fuck's sake," he muttered, though his eyes had gone a shade darker. "Come on, let's go."

I grabbed my bag and threw it over my shoulder, following him without complaint. We hiked through the woods until we came out on a ridge above the school. It was a partial boarding school, meaning that the students who lived in the town didn't have to stay there. That would make it easier for us to get in and out at night. There were students milling around the grounds, most of them looking to be around the same age as we were. I put my bag down and turned to look at Duo, wondering how I was going to approach this topic with him. I could tell it hadn't occurred to him.

"What?" he asked. "Heero, seriously, now is not the time."

"It's not that, Baka," I said, rolling my eyes. "It's you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. That woman recognized you from the television, Duo," I reminded him. "Sure, she needed a little bit of prompting, but she still indentified you as a Gundam Pilot without too much trouble. They put your picture out and everyone saw it. What do you think the chances are that none of those kids, or their parents, or the teachers, were watching the news that night?"

His eyes widened. "Shit."

"My thinking exactly." I sighed as I looked him over. Duo was very attractive boy, all things considered, but that was going to work again us. Pale skin, a small, slightly upturned nose, big violet eyes, and long chestnut hair all combined to make him memorable. Sometimes his appearance was helpful - during our time at the schools, more than one girl had professed an interest and he usually delighted in flirting with them to get information - but in this case, with the news feed so fresh in everyone's minds, I knew there was a good chance that someone might put two and two together and come up with a phone call to Oz.

"So what are you suggesting?" he asked warily, fingers creeping up and sliding protectively around his braid.

"I'm not going to ask you to get rid of it," I said patiently, even though I knew that would make things a lot easier. There would just be no point in even asking. He'd never go for it and I wouldn't have wanted him to. "We just need to disguise you somehow. Trowa lent me this." I knelt down and opened my bag, showing him the wig that was lying on top.

"You really think that's going to work?" he asked sceptically, kneeling down beside me. He picked up the wig and examined it. The hair was soft and fine, a deep blond color. It would look good on him if we could find a way to make it fit.

"I don't know what else to suggest."

Duo sighed and sat back on his heels. He looked resigned. "I do."

I waited a moment but when he didn't say anything else, I prompted, "What?"

He just shook his head. "Why don't you go down to the school? We're supposed to act like we don't know each other so it would be better if we arrived separately. I've got to pick some stuff up."

I looked at him warily, wondering what he was planning, but I could tell from the stubborn set of his chin that he wasn't going to tell me. Finally, I leaned over and pulled him into a kiss that was over way too fast. "Good luck."

"I'll probably need it," he muttered, poking half-heartedly at the wig. I left it with him in case he couldn't come up with anything else and took the trail that led down to the school.

Some of the students looked at me curiously as I entered the grounds. All of them were already wearing uniforms. The boys wore black pants with crisp white tops, and some of them had black jackets on with a little patch sewn onto the breast. The girls wore pants or a knee-length skirt, the choice seemed to be optional, with white blouses and similar jackets. I kept my head down, knowing that I stood out in my more casual clothing, and headed for the front door. That's probably why I didn't even notice her until she pounced, grabbing onto my arm and clinging to me with such strength that she nearly knocked us both over.

"I've been waiting for you!" Relena Darlian said gleefully.

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