Old Habits Die Hard by Starcat

Disclaimer: ::pout:: They aren't mine. I don't even own the DVD's yet, but my b-day is coming up!!!! Don't sue, I got money, but I need it! Really!

Warnings: Remember this is my first fan fic. ::hiding:: don't hurt me, just review!

Heh heh almost forgot to put those up. But anyways on with it all!!!

Quatre sighed. Turning from the window he glanced at his three companions. He smiled slightly as he took in their positions. Trowa, quiet as usual, was just flipping through the T.V. channels, sitting on the couch. Wufei was sitting cross-legged on the floor muttering something about, "bakas" and "injustice". And Duo, Quatre had to bite back a smile; Duo was sprawled on the floor asleep. He was finally quiet, though Quatre expected it was less to do with the fact that he was asleep and more to do with the fact that Wufei had drugged his drink. Quatre sighed again relaxing into the comfort that his closest friends still provided.

The wars had been hard on all of them, yet even now there was the feeling that the peace was too good to be true. He could sense that Trowa and Wufei were still wary and on alert, and Duo too, well not at the moment… Quatre guessed he was just frustrated, " It's been 2 long years since the Mariemaia incident and we can't let go of who we were." He still jumped at loud unexpected noises and reached for, a gun? No a joystick.

Quatre sighed again. Turning back to the window and the gray overcast that seemed to brighten colors and mute hard edges. Funny how life turns out isn't? Just 18 and he was running the largest corporation in the colonies, Wufei was one of the topped ranked Preventers, Duo owned and operated his own scrap yard, and Trowa at 19 was getting a well earned reputation as one of the best acrobats/lion tamers in Earth and Space. And Heero… Heero was still missing. Relena had rushed him to a hospital, and he had spent hours in surgery. He had laid for a week with the pilots all visiting. They had come to visit one last time before getting on with their lives only to find a swinging IV.

No one had heard from him since. Quatre had suspicions though. Sometimes money would be with drawn from the account he had set up for the pilots, others there would be a tap into his systems, untraceable, yet the code masking was familiar.

"Ugggg, Q-man, I'm hungry!" Quatre turned to see a slightly awake Duo rise to his feet.

"I could eat as well." Trowa said switching the T.V. off and stretching as he rose.

""Well, the kitchen's right down that hallway…" That's all he got out before a starving Duo raced off.

"I must not have given him enough" Wufei grumbled, "He was only out for 20 minutes!"

***********

Later that night, after a very satisfying dinner, they all decided to turn in. While living together during high school they had gotten into the habit of going to bed fairly early and waking up and training in the morning. Now even though it was peacetime, whenever they found themselves together they fell into the same routine.

A knock at the front door of the apartment had drastic effects. Trowa pulled a knife, Wufei a gun, and Duo had out what looked to be a taser. All of the weapons were pointed at the door. When the knocking came again the trio exchanged guilty grins and pocketed the weapons.

"Old habits die hard, especially when I'm around you guys it seems." Duo spoke first breaking the silence. His hands went behind his head in an unrealized gesture of sheepishness.

Wufei just frowned, "Maxwell, you shouldn't be carrying a weapon, neither should you, Barton."

Quatre sighed over what he privately called Wufei's "Preventer Mode". Then as the only one who had not pulled a weapon and thus the only one escaping Wufei's breaking the law speech, went to open the door, now almost forgotten. He turned the handle still listening to the conversation behind him. Trowa made a good point that they were all gundam pilots and they all worked for the Preventers sometimes.

Fully opening the door he apologized to the person standing on the other side for the long wait.

Mouth hanging open, Quatre nearly choked on his tongue.

The man on the other side of the door was taller than Quatre by a few inches, but was almost painfully thin. Hands were buried deep within faded blue jean pockets, a head covered with messy brown hair looked down, dark blue eyes locking with bright blue ones.

"H-heero?"

***********

Woo!!!!!! Cliffhanger!!!!!!! Not too bad for my first fan fiction eh? Well, I didn't think it was. I think I finally found my muse ::frown:: maybe it was just one of the faeri folk though ::smiles:: it's a full moon tonight!!!! Blessed be! everyone! ummmm k well, please review!!!!!! : ) oh, and tell me if you want more, cause this was kind of short and left you hanging, and it was really fun to write, and yea….. I'm rambling, but if you really must know fluff 'n' nutter sandwiches are the best!! Whoa, that was random. Once again please review!!!

^..^

p.s. thanx to my two reviewers, StardustRider and Misura for reviewing in less than a day and to my friend J-Fairy for the corrections and suggestions which I made and this is the repost sry I'll try to re-read more carefully next time!