Suds: The Final Frontier:

Author's Note:

I hope you all like this. It's probably a little AU as it's vaguely somewhere during the series, though I did try and keep things in character. Thanks to my best friend Steph for the title

I don't own anything. I'm not worth suing. That said...happy reading!

Part 1: Mold and Mayhem.

Thud.

Duo awoke, silently reaching beneath his pillow to embrace the smooth handle of the pistol he'd stuffed there before falling asleep.

Silence.

He lay still, eyes opened to slits, peering into the darkness pretending sleep.

No typing.

Glancing over to Heero's bed was difficult through scarcely open eyes in the almost pitch black, but Duo managed. Empty. His warning sense was usually more accurate than this, hairs rising on the back of his neck, adrenaline pumping, pushing him into action. As of now, Duo was merely...concerned.

Crinkle. Swish.

A muttered curse. I'll kill you.

Duo shifted his weight again, turning over, and a silhouette now in his line of vision, froze halfway out the door to Heero's closet. Duo opened his eyes completely, smiling to himself. Whatever was so offensive in the closet to rate the ire of the infallible Heero Yuy? Heck! What could be so secret to have Heero sneaking around in the middle of the night? He was up to something, Duo was sure.

Heero was not a person one looked to for subtlety, no matter how many meaningful looks he gave on the subject. The boy was generally aloof, having more of a rapport with his laptop than people, even those who considered him friends. Besides, Heero wore spandex practically every day! Duo doubted very much could faze a guy like that.

So whatever Heero was hiding was bound to be something interesting.

"Hey Heero! What's up? Need a hand?" Duo sprung from the bed to his feet, almost reaching the boy before Heero flung himself out the closet, closing the door with a decisive thunk.

"Nothing."

"Aw, come on man! It's gotta be something." Duo smiled again, leaning one hand around Heero who was none to subtly blocking the closet with his body, leaning too casually against the door.

"Mind your own business." Heero stood, immobile, his arms folded over his chest glaring.

"Fine." Duo's voice was angry as he turned back to the bed to lay back down, but his eyes were determined. Just because his best friend was a taciturn jerk who didn't even trust him enough to tell him anything that didn't directly effect `the mission' didn't mean Duo couldn't find out. Of course, his code of honor forbid him from rifling through the boy's belongings while Heero wasn't around. `So', Duo thought, with an evil grin, `I'll just have to catch him next time.'

***

Crinkle. Swish.

Duo feigned sleep, snoring lightly as he waited, eyes slit, watching the closet door. The typing had stopped again and he could now see Heero's back moving as he struggled to get something out of thin closet.

Oomph.

Heero emerged at long last, with what looked like a half full trash bag. `Huh? I hope that isn't something he killed or something else illegal.' Duo thought, now very concerned. Heero may have been lacking in social skills, but he did know you didn't need to skulk about in the middle of the night to get the trash out. Normal trash anyway.

"Hey Heero!"

The boy whirled around, dropping the offending bag with a light thump.

This time, Duo flipped on the light, flooding the room with brightness. Using the element of surprise, Duo quickly closed the distance, grabbing the bag from the floor and grinning. "Taking out the trash man. Cool, I had some stuff that had to go too."

Duo opened the plastic, shuddering at the moldy odor that wafted from it. Green. Black. Grayish White. All were mixed together in a rancid stew of dirty clothing, spandex, tank tops, and socks.

Duo turned to Heero, shocked. "Hey! When were you planning on washing these?" he asked, bewildered.

"Can I have them back now?" Heero responded in a request that more resembled a threat.

"I don't know if they can be saved man. Not without super extra strong detergent at least..." Duo said, trying not to laugh. Laundry, no matter how hopeless did not quite warrant the death glare in his opinion.

"I'm not saving them."

"Wait! You're just going to throw all your clothes out?" Duo asked.

"I have more."

"Right. It's not like tank tops and spandex are that hard to find, especially since it's getting on towards winter." Duo added, sarcasm dripping from his every word.

"Yes."

"You're serious, aren't you?"

Heero was silent.

Duo closed the bag, waiting for the air to clear somewhat. No wonder Heero had been acting so strange. He had to be one of the most independent people Duo had ever met. The guy set his own bones if he had the chance. If Heero was being this surreptitious about laundry, it probably meant he had no idea what to do with it. Running his hand over his braided hair, Duo came to a decision.

"Get a coat on or something." Duo said, taking the offending bag of clothes and walking to his dresser to throw on something to wear. "It's about time I did some laundry anyway."

***

Duo had let Heero find an all night Laundromat while he searched under the bed for detergent. The boy went at it with a precision that made Duo's head swim, calling up maps and building schematics, as well as the financial records for each.

"Umm...which one is closest?" Duo asked, shimmying himself out from under the bed as Heero explained his results.

"Wash'n'go." Heero stated, "But Laundromatic would better suit our purposes, as its location ensures it is unlikely to be used by Oz personnel.

"Good enough." Duo responded, throwing his bag of dirty clothes over his shoulder. "Let's go."

***

Duo stepped out of the door and into an armful of clothing on hangers. Blond. Catching his breath, he realized Heero's hand on his shoulder was the only thing keeping fragile balance from collapsing into a mass of fallen fabric, plastic and people. Duo shifted back, pulling Quatre up as he caught his balance.

"Laundry day for you too Quat-Chan!" Duo said, laughing.

"Going to the dry cleaners." The boy responded, turning towards a linen sack, his arms full of various hangered items.

"All of that?" Duo asked, dubiously, taking a moment to look at the sack that was at least half as tall as Quatre.

"Yup." Quatre smiled, dropping the armful of clothing on top of the bag.

"What?! Are you dry-cleaning everything you own?"

"Of course. What else would I do with it?" Quatre asked, confused.

"Let me guess." Duo added, with a long-suffering air, "That's why you're up at five thirty in the morning with all this stuff."

"Yes. The nice people at the dry cleaners can get most of it done I arrive early. And I like to pick them all up a little snack, because they're always so kind to me." Quatre smiled.

"Never mind. You're coming with us." Duo stated, in spite of the grim look Heero flashed him. "It looks like I get to introduce you to the all night laundry as well." He added, ignoring Heero's gaze.

"Okay." Quatre said brightly, gathering the entire bundle into his arms again.

"Was Trowa awake when you left?" Duo asked, `Best to get them all done at once.'

"Oh, he was gone before I woke up." Quatre stated, shouldering the load with more ease than one would have expected from someone his size. "I doubt it was a mission though, he didn't leave a note."

"Alright. I guess I'll just peek in on Wufei then. Wouldn't want him to feel left out." Duo grinned with a skip to his step.

****

Muffled expletives could be heard even through the door to Wufei's room.

"Guess he's awake." Duo muttered softly to himself as he knocked gently on the entrance, taking a step back.

The door flung open. "Injustice!" Wufei didn't quite yell, but it came close. "This building does not even have such basics as a washer and dryer. How am I supposed to clean my clothes? The manager of this establishment should be..."

"Good." Duo said, cutting him off. "Get your laundry. You're coming with us."

"Where?" Wufei asked, annoyance warring with curiosity. "This had better not be another one of your hare-brained schemes Maxwell!"

"We're going to the Laundromat." Duo sighed. `It shouldn't be this hard'.

"Those breeding grounds of disease!" Wufei's onyx eyes caught fire as his voice began to rise again in righteous indignation. "I can't believe..."

"Wufei." Duo whispered each word individually for emphasis. "You risk death in battle every day, now you're telling me you can't handle a public laundry?"

"I didn't say that! I was merely pointing out..."

"Besides, Heero endorsed it." Duo added, cutting him off again "The building's up to code, the business is financially solvent and uncorrupted by Oz influence, right Heero?" He added, not sarcastic, but close.

Heero nodded.

"Alright. If Yuy supports it." Wufei grudgingly shrugged his shoulders.

"Great." Duo said, putting some brightness back into his tone. "Maybe we can stop for Ice-cream on the way back."

"Maxwell!"