Chapter 9:

Just When Things are Perfect...

GGmaxwell: I know it's taken awhile and I'm reeeeeaaallllllllllllllllyyyy sorry. The comp. has been down foreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeever. Sorry Usa. isn't here, I'm at school typing this.

Well, I know you all have been waiting patiently for my update so... without furthure adu...Chapter 9!

'Things could not have been better.' Thought Heero as he sat next to Duo during breakfast that day. Duo knew his feelings and exepted them, and what's better, returned them. They had decided that Heero would, indeed be living with Duo. Heero didn't like the idea of living in a dorm with a curfue and so many rules you had to follow. Plus the posibilty of a terrible roommate you don't even know that could turn out to be a real creep. Not that he wasn't capable of handaling himself, but staying with someone you know is much more apealing. Duo on the other hand, while concerned about those aspects, he was also tired of living alone and needed some human companionship.

They both decided to be in different rooms in the apartment. Just because they're both boys, dosn't mean they can't take things slow. They where both still only 18 so Heero will be in Duo's spare room, once he's cleaned it out of all the junk he's been keeping in there. He's been using it as a storage room since nobody ever came over and he didn't know what to do with it. There was a bed and drawers in there as well as some posters on the wall, just in case of the off chance that he did have visitors. However, the only person who ever came over to visit was usually Hilde who only stay a few hours to talk or ask Duo to do something for their company.

"Would you like to come to Heero ?" Heero was torn away from his musings by Quatre's question.

"Huh? What, sorry?" Heero replied rather sheepishly.

"We where all going to go to the store to pick up some supplies for the house. I was asking if you would like to come to." Quatre replied, waving away Heero's apology like it was an easy mistake.(Whick it was.)

"Oh, uhhh...Yeah, sure." Heero aswered.

"Okay, then it's settled, after breakfast, we'll all go down to the market to get everything." Duo said cheerfully as he took a sip of his coffee.

So that afternoon, they all piled into a van that they had previously used, and set out for the market. Quatre had given all the maids and housekeepers the rest of the week off and Rashid and the Magunacs had something they had to take care of so they where the only ones the at the moment. But none of them minded, they acually like the idea of getting out and seeing the rest of the colony. They hadn't really left the manssion since Duo arrived, and to be honest, hadn't really thought about doing so either. So a trip to the market was a good way to stretch out their limbs. Starting to become annoyed at the silence, none other then Wufei decided to start a conversation.

"So...What are the rest of you going to do next week?" He asked hesitantly. 'Jeez, how can Maxwell stand to start conversations with everyone staring at him the second he talks. I can already see it must not be easy.' Wufei thought as everyone (exept Trowa, because he was driving) looked to Wufei whith puzzeling expressions on their faces. "Just curious...STOP STARING AT ME."

"Well, it's usually never you to start anything." Duo piped up to aswer the usasked question Wufei had implied when he yelled. "We where just suprised, that's all. Your usually so strong and silent, no one would have ever guessed poor, wittle Wufei would have gotten nervous over the silence."

"Shut up Maxwell, I wasn't nervous..."

"Yes, you where, I saw. You where getting tense and finally started to say something."

"I WAS NOT."

"Oh look, his cheeks are turning red. Awwwww... How cute, Wufie-poos embarressed." Duo swooned as Heero immediatly regreeted his decision to sit in between them. He mentally groaned as their argument became more heated. 'I should have seen this comming, why didn't I just sit by the window.' He metally punch him self in the head for making such an uncalculated decision. He knew they would probably get into it. They so regularly do so it's no surprise. Then it hit him that he sould probably stop this. Their insults where starting to get meaner and if he didn't do something, it would probably turn into a fist fight. The last time that happened it had taken the combined strength of Heero, Quatre, and Trowa to tare them apart. Two black eyes, a fat lip, a bleeding toe and a broken pinky later, they where apart and back to normal, Heero had come to the conclusion that that was just their way of stress relief and that they secretly enjoyed it. However, "a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do," so says some famous guy Heero can never really remember the name to.

"CUT IT OUT!" Heero screemed to make himself heard.

"Poohead." Duo said in a hurt voice, he was rather enjoying his little verbal fight with Wufei and had no desire to end it. However, they both did as ordered and shut their mouths. They both seemed pleased with them selves however, and did not glare at each other from across the car afterwards.

"So...Anyone going to answer my question?" Wufei asked as he again became annoyed with the silence.

"Well, I've got a few business meetings I have to go to. Now that I'm 18, I'm able to take over the business officially." Quatre answered.

"And I'm going to be going back to the circus, they'll only give me some time off a year. And according to the manager, I'm to good to be let go. That's the only reason why I wasn't thrown out on my rear during the war." Trowa replied.

"I'm going back to work." Duo said simply.

"And I'm going to colledge." Heero stated flatly.

"Well, wasn't that enlightening...Huh, Wufei?" Duo said, smiling.

Wufei knew that if he wanted to, he could probably make Duo so mad that he would actually attack, he was in the mood for a good fight. However, he knew not to do that, it was obvious to Wufei that he might accually lose. Duo was now bigger then him and, even though he may not look it, he was rather strong, and while he probably never study, he was undoughtably a good fighter. Being rased on the streets, and the additional training he endured while being a Gundam Piolet, he would be a very good fighted, posibly unbeatable. And now, with his perfect soldier boyfriend on his side, Wufei decided he would be completely stupid to try and fight Duo...now.

They road for the rest of the trip in silence. Wufei to busy musing in his own brain, Trowa consintrating on driving, Quatre falling asleep, Duo looking out the window and watching the scenery, and Heero, well, to be honest, they couldn't tell if Heero was asleep or meditating. He was sitting up straight, arms crossed, his eyes closed, and a low rythmic breathing could be heard coming from him. But they couldn't tell if he was asleep or not.

"Wufei, stop poking him, if he wants to sleep, let him." Duo said as Wufei began to poke Heero to see if he was really asleep.

"Why, it's creepy the way he's sleeping... if he is that is."

"Just leave him alone." Trowa said, entering the conversation and making them both jump alittle. Their full attention had been focused completely on Heero, that they had even forgotten they where in a van.

"Oh, come on you guys, Trowa's not that scary, is he?" Quatre asked with a little humor in his voice at the others surprise. "At any rate, just let Heero sleep. He must be tired if he's falling asleep in the back of the van."

"We're there." Trowa warned as he pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine.

"Oi, Heero, waky waky. We're there already." Duo said poking Heero gently on the cheek.

"Huh...Wha...Oh okay." Heero said as awoke.

They all scrabbled out of the van and began to walk into the store. As they entered through the sliding glass doors. They grabbed a basket and headed off in the direction of the food and cleaning utensiles. They went down the isles that held only what they needed and didn't bother with the rest. They even by-passed the candy isle as Duo wined about wanting to go down there, even if just to look. However, they would not budge because, as Quatre put it, "No one ever goes down the candy isle just to look."

They continued on into the cleaning isles and had the most fun by pointing out every dangerous chemical in the entire isle, along with explanning the number and types of bombs they've made during the war using the chemicals, no one was around of course and they made sure to keep their voices down and their faces neutral as they did this so as not to arouse suspition to themselves. However, they couldn't help but do all these things, old habbits die hard. Even if they had lightened up a considerable amount to other people and are most open with each other when they are together with no one else. They continued on throughout the store and Duo sujested a trip to the toy, just for a laugh, but everyone else declined so he didn't go. He didn't want to be alone. Once finished, they went to the register and paid for their purchases, and made their way out of the store, arms laiden with bags.

As they scramble back into the van and pulled back out into traffic, another conversation was started up, this time by Heero.

"So Quatre, what kind of business meetings have you got to attend?" He asked in a curious voice.

"Well, I've got a few things to cover with all the heads, the VP wants to talk to me about something, and alot of meetings conserning pay, and the benefits for all the employees." Quatre answered in a off handed voice.

"Careful, don't kill yourself from overwork, remember, your only eighteen, you need to pace yourself, otherwise your going to grow up to be one of those overworked business men who have no hearts. Do you really want to end up that way Quatre? Personally, I prefer a kind hearted person, like you are now. That is the person I fell in love with, you know." Trowa said, looking sideways at Quatre.

His lack of concentration was paid for dearly when a car apeared out of nowhere to their right. Then the only thing heard was the crashing of metal and the breaking of glass...

Well that's the end of chapter 9. Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahahah! Sooooo sorry to end it like that. But I've been planning to for mounths. It was just sitting down an writing it out.

My apologies to all who are reading this story and especially to Lina. Sorry I didn't send it to you to beta, but I had to send it up right away. But I'll do the next one, I swear I will. That said, sorry to all for mispelled word and names, if I had any. My brain hasn't been working lately. And I'm typing this up in German class so...(Stupid school dosn't have Japanese classes.)

Well I'll see you all in chapter 10.

Ja'ne!

P.S.- Sorry for shortness.