Author's Note: Since you guys seem to be enjoying this fic, I decided to update early. After conversing with a couple of you (i.e. Archsage Soren), I have found out that it seems I have taken up my own challenges, many of which are posted on my profile. I have spoken to a couple people who have told me they have accepted my challenges, I have yet to see anything come out of it so I am taking charge and doing at least one of the challenges myself. What kind of person would I be if I didn't do something that I was asking of all of you? Perhaps this will encourage others to make attempts at doing my challenges; well, only time will tell on that one. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing

Warning: slight language

The Two Amigos

It was barely lunch time and already the rumors had spread even to the farthest reaches of the high school social hierarchy.

The new kid had not only refused Dorothy's offer of going out, he had also insulted her to her face, and without remorse.

Wufei could have cared less about it. So what, somebody told Dorothy the truth. Big deal. If she had come to him, he would have done the same thing. Just somebody beat him to it, that was all. This rumor, though, had a different response on his best friend, Heero.

The Japanese youth wanted to meet this new guy, invite him to hang out. Perhaps he would finally get a friendly rival of sorts after much disappointment from previous ones.

The things he did to keep Heero happy. Well, he had to admit that he at least wanted to see who this upstart was. If he was going to give him trouble later on, it would be best to be prepared. One could never be too prepared, after all.

---

"You can't be serious!" Quatre chortled at the lunch table, trying desperately hard to not laugh his insides out. Trowa was having an easier time but his amusement was obvious.

"Have you ever known me to lie?" Duo countered from his seat across from the blond. "Ms. Eyebrows was steaming and her pets were giving your cousin that look, you know, the evil eye! I thought I would burst into flame and I was just sitting right next to him!"

"I've had worse," Solo commented, seemingly uninterested in the conversation.

"I've bet you have," Trowa replied, making a crack at the long haired blond.

Snorting, Solo replied, "If you only knew."

Duo was about to retort to this but something caught his attention. Instantly, his good mood vanished, replaced by a sour one. Both Quatre and Trowa caught this, both figuring out what it meant.

Approaching them from behind were none other than Chang Wufei and Heero Yuy. Of all the rotten luck. Now they would have to deal with them.

Not one for small talk, it was Heero who spoke first. "You're the new guy, aren't you?" he questioned. From having had no choice but to spend so much time with the presence of the guy, Duo, Quatre, and Trowa were able to detect a subtle difference in the Japanese's voice. He sounded…excited?

"Yep," Solo answered, sparing a glance.

"Is it true?" Heero demanded.

Raising an eyebrow, Solo replied, "Is what true?"

"Did you really turn down and insult Dorothy Catalonia?" Heero elaborated.

"Are you talking about the slut?" Solo answered. "If that was her, then yeah, I did."

Heero grinned. Now, they were all used to Heero smiling slightly, smirking, sneering, and whatnot, but grinning? Actually bearing his pearly whites for all to see? It wasn't just a noteworthy event. It was creepy. Really creepy.

Heero may not have noticed everybody, except for Solo, moving slightly away from him but Wufei sure did and he acted to divert attention towards himself.

"It was very admirable of you," he praised. "Most of the students here would have leapt at the chance to date her and fallen to their weakness. I'm impressed."

"That's great," Solo drawled. "Is that all?"

"We would like to have the chance to get to know you," Wufei continued, ignoring the blond's comment. "Would you perhaps spend lunch with us?"

Here it was. Duo internally sighed. He knew this was coming. It always happened, right on schedule. It was just this time Wufei was being polite and diplomatic. Usually, he would have verbally abused him indirectly, convincing his target that he was the better choice of the two, but since Quatre was here, it seemed as if he was holding himself back. Still, why wouldn't Solo jump at the chance? Anybody in his shoes would.

"Nah, I like it right here," Solo answered.

"What do you mean?" Wufei asked, baffled.

"What I'm saying is that I like where I am now," Solo said, speaking as if Wufei was nothing more than a child. "I want to stay right here at this table, enjoying this fine meal that the old ladies back there prepared for me with my cousin and his boyfriend."

"I understand," Wufei began but Solo cut him off.

"And I like sitting here right next to this guy," Solo stated, his arm snaking out and wrapping around Duo's shoulders and pulling the braided one right up against him. Duo could swear he felt the blood rushing up to his face at this moment. "I think him and me will be the best of buddies."

Duo was fidgeting slightly. This had certainly never happened before. Not to him at least. In fact, he hadn't been in such a physical position in a long, long, long time. Solo was emitting an enormous amount of heat. He was like a furnace! Plus that arm wasn't doing anything to make him comfortable.

Wufei's onyx eyes narrowed. "I see," he stated as he turned to leave. He left without another word, Heero remaining behind only to give Solo a dirty look before turning around and following after the Chinese teen.

Despite everything seemingly returning to its usual status, Solo had yet to relinquish his hold on the braided one, much to Quatre's interest.

The blond's inner matchmaker was reawakened, the mental cogs beginning to wind up and turn. Was he reading into something too much, making it much bigger than it was? Perhaps. Hadn't been the first time but this was different. He could feel it.

For so long, he had always been saddened by the sight of his friend, his best friend, being alone, without any companionship. It hurt to see that, hurt to see the loneliness, the feeling of being left out of something and everything that were displayed by Duo. At least he had Trowa and his family. What did Duo have? Nothing. Not even his own family wanted him. He hadn't met the two adults who had sired the young braided man and he couldn't help but feel resentment towards them.

So he had tried to set Duo up with somebody but not just anybody. He wanted the other to take care of Duo, be able to love every aspect of him. He had been so sure of the last one but it was too perfect. How could he have missed the fact that the other was of the opposite gender? She really did look like a guy! And she was straight to boot!

After that little fiasco, Duo had taken him aside and made him swear to Allah never to set him up with another person again. When he tried to argue, Duo had stated coldly that if he was destined to be alone, then alone he would be.

But he would not let that happen. Duo was like a brother to him. Hell, he was his brother, if not by blood then by fellowship.

But first, he had to make sure that Solo was right. He remembered his promise to Duo but he could not not meddle. If Solo passed his tests, then he would try and hook'em up.

"Is there anything to do around here?" Solo drawled out, providing Quatre with a means to begin his plan.

"What do you like doing?" he asked. Not only would he be able to learn about his cousin, he would be able to see if he shared any interests with Duo.

"The assholes around here are pissing me off," Solo answered with his ever charming speech. "Is there like a good gym around here or something?"

Frowning, Quatre asked, "Why don't you use the one at home?"

"Hey, just cause I have money doesn't mean I can't spend it," Solo answered. "If I want to give it to some so called fitness experts, than by God I will."

Quatre raised an eyebrow.

"What? You think Grandpa wouldn't have gone all the way? When he gave Dad up to the West, he made sure he had everything, including the religion. Doesn't mean I don't respect Allah but aren't they one and the same?"

Not wanting to get into a theological debate, Quatre turned to Duo. "Do you know of any places where Solo can go? If so, can you take him?"

Duo's eyes narrowed suspiciously and Quatre thought that the braided one was on to him. "Sorry, not today Q. Got tot go over to Master Deng's place. Need to get some extra spending money since the asshole is trying to cut back again."

Trowa remained silent throughout the exchange. He didn't know Duo too well. He did not understand what Duo just meant by that but he assumed that Quatre did since he nodded. Solo, completely out of the loop, was curious about what the braided one had just said but kept up his façade of boredom.

"Master Deng?" he questioned. "Who's that?"

"Runs a martial arts school," Duo replied, not even glancing at the curious blond nor answering precisely who this Deng was. But nonetheless, he pursued his apparently uninterested questions.

"Martial arts? Like kung fu?"

"No," Duo scorned. "More like jujitsu and tae kwon do. None of that crap you hear about on the streets. I'm talking about the kind of stuff that can let you kill a guy."

"Kill, huh?" Solo repeated. "Can you prove it?"

"As if I ever killed a guy before," Duo grumbled. "You might want to ask Deng about it. He knows a lot and can give you the facts. Not just some of the stuff you see in movies or anime but the actual facts."

"Facts huh?"

"You don't believe me? Fine. I'll take you to him after school. That all right with you?"

"Got nothing else better to do."

"Don't you have any homework?" Quatre butted in. He liked where this was going but he was surprised at the speed in which it was happening. Though it just might be boys being boys and both were trying to outdo each other in some unknown competition, Solo was his responsibility…sort of, and he had to look after Duo as well.

"Don't sweat it," Solo answered, his green eyed gaze focused on Duo and Duo alone. "I can do it later."

Duo stared the other down but ultimately shrugged and turned back to his lunch. "It's your life," he simply said as he paused, remembering exactly where he was at the moment. "And can you please let go of me now?"

"I don't feel like it," Solo replied and tightened his hold on the braided one.

Duo growled under his breath, muttering to himself about arrogant, blond jerks.

---

There was definitely something different in the air when Duo entered his next class, Solo following after him. Duo wasn't blind; he could see the strange looks that the other students were giving him. The question was, why were they even bothering to look at him in the first place when they usually ignored him?

Even though he tried to hide it, Duo could tell that Solo was wondering about the strange layout of this particular classroom. Students were clustered around small tables that came complete with sinks and ovens, stools being the only seats for the students with the exception of the teacher's desk.

The teacher of this class was a laidback redhead by the name of Catherine Bloom. She was none other than Trowa Barton's guardian and she seemed to have taken a liking to him. She immediately gestured for the new kid to come to her while Duo sat down at his usual seat, a table that he and he alone used since nobody wanted him to be at their table.

He made good grades in this class, better than the rest for some reason. That meant when a big project came up, it was then when he became America's most wanted, doing most the work and insuring the group he was temporarily in a good grade.

With the ringing of the bell, everyone went to their tables as Ms. Bloom stepped up to the front of the class. This simple act gained the class' undivided attention since she was known to give out "extra credit" assignments that needed to be completed by the end of the week along with the usual classwork. This only happened a couple of times, but both were one too many times for the students.

"As you probably know by now, we have a new student joining us," Ms. Bloom said aloud to a silent room. "This is Solo Winner, and he will be with this class for the remainder of the year. Now, I believe I will sit you with…Mr. Maxwell over there."

She had no choice. Duo's table was the only one that had any room to accommodate any new students. Solo didn't seem miffed by this as he walked casually over to Duo. Grumblings followed him in his wake. Duo was now part of a "group," if it could be called that. Now they were all going to have to actually work. It was so unfair. Solo sat down on the stool right next to Duo, looking as if he hadn't a care in the world.

Sighing to himself, the braided one knew that this day just got longer.

"What is this class?" Solo whispered to Duo.

Smirking to himself, Duo whispered back, "Home Economics."

Solo's eyes widened to the size of saucers as Ms. Bloom continued. "Now that that's out of the way, let's begin with today's assignment…"

---

"Why the hell am I in a Home Ec. class?" Solo complained, at long last showing some sort of emotion other than indifference as they joined the rat race that was the crowd of students heading for their next class. "I'm not gonna need it anyway!"

Unsympathetic to Solo's plight, Duo replied, "Maybe you don't but to those of us who just happen to not be rich, it will be a life saver. I've already put some of that stuff to use already."

"Huh?" Great, now Solo was showing confusion. He did it again, he got the blond to show another emotion. Was this a record? "Why are you using that stuff anyway?"

"None of your business," Duo answered. "Now come on, we got History next and one last class and then it's over."

"Damn it," Solo muttered. "So, what do I got to expect in this one?"

"Teacher's on her period and she gets bad," Duo immediately answered. "Whatever you do, do not, I repeat do not, piss her off. If you think the homework you've gotten so far is bad, you ain't seen nothing yet. Now c'mon and shut up."