Author's Note: In a reply to one anonymous reviewer named "Paul," I'd like to say while I know where you're coming from and am sorry that you are disappointed with my fic, there is a reason as to why I didn't put the information you requested in my summary. Telling everybody that there is a specific pairing or that certain characters are going to be "bastardizied" ruins the story, in my mind at least. You'll be expecting certain things to happen and that limits my options of how to proceed with the fic. I'd rather prefer to surprise you with unexpected twists and what not than to hold your hand and tell you this is what the story is about and this is what you need to know about it before you read it. Summaries are only suppose to be short attention getters that give a vague description about the story and nothing more. If you don't like how I do things, tough, deal with it, don't waste my time, just hit the back button and leave if you don't like it. I'm not forcing anybody to read my stuff. Besides, take a look at the summaries for my other fics. I never mention pairings in my summaries and I'm not going to start now.

As for the rest of you, discard the previous paragraph. I apologize if you were put off or offended by it. So, without further ado, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing

Warning: slight language, slight shounen ai

It All Goes Downhill from Here

As it always happened, the sun returned, its incessant light somehow making its way through the defenses that he had put up to protect his slumber, and assaulting his closed eyelids. His emergence from unconsciousness to awareness was slow, admittedly, but for someone who valued their sleep, it happened all too quickly.

After the usual curses and damn-you-to-hells, Duo was once again eating a breakfast consisting of cold cereal and that was pretty much it. Sometimes he wished that he could sleep forever. At least in his dreams, the world was kinder, even if it made no sense most of the time.

But no, he had to drag his ass out of his warm, comfortable bed and get himself ready for the prison life that he knew as a student. Huh, why did it seem he was forgetting something? It was on the tip of his tongue and yet he couldn't pick it out…

It was so infuriating. He hated it when something like that happened.

Next thing he knew, he would be shouting it out in the middle of class.

And it would be his luck too.

Oh well, as if it would hurt his "reputation" anyway. Oh wait, what reputation could that be? Hmm. Now that was a good one. He'd have to bring that up to Quatre someday as a joke. Then again, it probably wouldn't be a good idea since the blond would start a one-man campaign to make his life "better."

At least Quatre was trying to do something about it. That alone spoke volumes about the Winner boy. But his life wasn't going to get better and he knew it. The only thing that might be able to do so would be to get into an Ivy League college or some other expensive one. That would really piss off the asshole a lot, having to actually shell out some money for his educational expenses, and not the cheap public school kind either.

Well, one could dream.

Oh goodie, he was back at prison again. He was so happy to be here again.

You can see the sarcasm dripping from that can't you?

Okay, trudging down the hallways, reaching the lockers with no trouble. Seems to be that Wufei and Heero aren't here yet. Unfortunately, Quatre wasn't here. Most likely with Trowa no less.

"Good morning Duo."

He nearly had a heart attack as he whirled around to be greeted by the sight of Trowa Barton. Damn it, he hadn't heard him coming! How the hell did he get behind him anyway? Well, he had to say something. It would be rude if he didn't.

"Morning, Tro," he managed, still getting his heart back to its normal beating rate. "This is certainly a first. I think that's the first time you said hello to me first before I did."

"It certainly is," Trowa replied calmly though Duo could see the twinkle in the unibanged one's eye that he had gotten some sort of pleasure from scaring the living crap out of him.

Wait…was Trowa up to something? Had Wufei and Heero gotten to him too? Why should he care? It wasn't as if he and Trowa were the best of buddies. They hardly talked anyway! Still, he should enjoy it while he could. These things happened once every blue moon, which is to say almost never.

"So, where's Quatre?" he asked, trying to be conversational.

"Hasn't arrived yet," Trowa shrugged.

Duo felt his heart drop a bit. Ah, so he was a last resort. Still, it was better than nothing. It was better to be a last resort for socializing than to be not acknowledged at all.

Hell yeah he'd be a last resort any day.

"What do you think is keeping him up?" he asked.

"That's a good question," Trowa answered. "I might have an idea but I'm not completely sure about it."

As if that told Duo anything except that Trowa was clueless. Okay, now what else could he get out of the unibanged teen before his attention was diverted permanently to a certain blond? And he could think of nothing to say. Of all the times…

"Good morning Trowa! Good morning Duo!" came the perky voice of Quatre as he paused to give Duo a small hug before romantically assaulting Trowa. Did the school allow the students to make out in the hallways? And with tongue? Eh, it was Quatre involved so they were probably afraid to do anything about it.

"Miss me?" breathed a voice near his ear.

It was at that moment that Duo realized what he had forgotten that morning.

Solo.

Now how could he forget about him after yesterday? Then again, he did beat the taller, stronger looking teen with a single kick. If that didn't say "piss off" then he didn't know what else did. Of course, he had hoped that it hadn't been taken that way and it seemed that some higher power was going to be kind to him this time around.

"Depends on how you mean it," he replied dryly.

"How do you think I mean it?" Solo countered.

Turning his head to look at the blond, he raised an eyebrow at this sudden change in behavior. Yesterday he had been in that "I'm cool and tough so don't mess with me" mood and today he was being so aggressive, so unlike yesterday…

"You are a guy, right?" he asked seriously.

Solo actually blinked in confusion. "Of course I am. I have the equipment. Why do you ask?"

"The sudden change in personality reminds of a chick with PMS," Duo answered dryly. Pausing, he added, "Ms. Noin being the exception."

If Solo was offended, he didn't show it. "Aren't we just the best of buddies?" he teased, making Duo really question Solo's masculinity.

Watching the whole display with amusement were none other than the two love birds themselves. Quatre couldn't help but smile brightly at the sight while Trowa had his lips curved upward with amusement. Quatre's spirits soared as he watched his best friend converse. This is what he had wanted to see. He had wanted Duo to actually be with someone who listened to him, albeit Solo was probably ignoring most of it anyway. Still, there was this gleam in those violet eyes, one he hadn't seen since they began high school. It made him feel slightly guilty when he recalled focusing more on Trowa whenever the two were in the same space. He would resolve that he would pay more attention to his braided friend and give him the support he was sorely lacking.

Unbeknownst to the foursome, other pairs of eyes were also watching.

One of such belonged to Dorothy Catalonia whose blood boiled at seeing the blond so close to the braided misfit. Still, it made this Solo even more attractive. He was the forbidden fruit, a challenge that would not be overcome so easily. It would take more than just using pure physical attraction to gain Solo's attention. Something more subtle would have to be used instead.

And she knew exactly what that was.

Two other sets belonged to Chang Wufei and Heero Yuy.

Wufei was displeased at seeing someone conversing so easily with Duo. That braided moron didn't deserve such interaction, not after what he had done to him. This little budding companionship would be dealt with in all due time. Maxwell should have learned by now that he was truly destined to be alone, to never know the warmth of human comfort. He would forever pay for he did to him, he would make sure of that!

Heero on the other hand was still enamored by the gall of this new kid. It just made him even more desirable to have, not that he was even thinking of replacing his Chinese friend. No, the seeds of a rivalry had been planted and Heero wanted to not only know more of this guy, he also wanted to know what kind of stuff he was made of.

But first, that braided idiot had to go.

The last, but not least, pair of eyes to watching the interaction belonged to a skinny old man dressed in the most God-awful hula shirt known to man. Unlike the previous pairs of eyes, his thoughts on the sight were more positive. It had been quite some time since he had last seen the braided one in such a good mood. Just for a few moments, the kid looked like a male version of his mother. Thank God he barely had any physical attributes of his father.

But he couldn't help but look at the tall blond beside him with suspicion. Just because he had a pretty face did not mean he wasn't an asshole. His duty first and foremost was to look after Duo and protect him from all threats, including himself. He'd figure out who this newbie was and make sure that no harm came to the braided lad.

He had failed him once. He would not allow it to happen a second time.

---

Ugh. If he had to spend one more minute in this stupid English class, he thought he would go on a murder spree.

Hopeful green eyes glanced hopefully at the class clock, only to lower in hopeless dismay as it showed they were nowhere near the end of this dreadful class. He had to get out of here, while his sanity was still intact. But how? Hmm…that hall pass over there looked tempting. But he didn't need to go to the restroom at all! Wait, what the hell was he thinking? He didn't have to tell anybody that.

Keeping his evil intentions to himself, a few minutes later found Solo Winner strolling down the hallways of the school, spinning the hall pass around his finger, whistling a tune from something he did not recall at the moment.

What could he say, he was a genius. Truly diabolical. Now no one else could use the pass to get out of that torture session! Still, he was willing to sacrifice their welfare for his own. Should he have taken that Kid, Duo, with him? Nah, he still owed him from yesterday. Still it seemed a bit hollow and Duo probably wouldn't take it seriously so he would have to think of something else.

Well what do you know? There was the restroom right there! Eh, why not go in, fool around for a few minutes, then return and explain that he had to go number two instead of one?

By God, he was truly a genius.

Then his luck soured.

As soon as he entered the restroom facility, he was met up with none other than that guy from yesterday…what's his face? He recognized that mop of unruly brown hair but other than that, nothing else came to mind.

The other teen smirked. "I was just thinking about you," he stated in that strange monotone voice. "I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot yesterday, even if I don't know how we did. My name is Heero Yuy. What might your name be?"

"Just call me Solo," he stated, wary of this guy, Heero. There was something wrong, not right with the guy and he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Solo eh?" Heero commented. "Well Solo, I feel bad about yesterday even though I don't quite know what we did to distance you from us, I would like to make it up to you. How about you have lunch with Wufei and me today? There is so much we could talk about with one another."

It sounded reasonable. Hell, anybody would have taken the offer. It was that sincere. But Solo always went with his gut and his gut was telling him to say no. What could it hurt though, just having lunch with two fellow students? He was going to be stuck here for a while anyway. Then again, there was his gut…

"Can I think about it?" he asked.

Heero chuckled. It was not a sound that put Solo at ease. "I'm asking if you would like to have lunch with us today."

Okay, the guy was coming on hard now.

When he didn't say anything, Heero seemed to lighten up a bit. "You were planning on spending lunch with Quatre and Trowa again, weren't you?"

He nodded slowly, not seeing the harm in it.

"You can have dinner with your cousin," Heero pointed out. "You don't have to hang onto his arm everyday. You are a big boy, aren't you?"

Solo's eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't see why you seem to care about what I do."

Heero seemed to have realized his mistake and tried a different argument. "I have nothing against Quatre," he explained hastily, "and Trowa is one of the best running backs on the team. Both of them are good guys, but it's who your cousin hangs out with."

Solo thought about what that meant. Wait, was he talking about Duo? "You mean Duo?" he asked, hoping to clarify who he meant.

"Yeah, he's a lowlife loser," Heero confirmed.

Lowlife?! Who the hell did this guy think he was to say that about Duo?! He didn't even know him! Hell, he himself didn't know much about him but he knew he knew more than this jerk off did. Plus, Duo was one of Quatre's friends. Long before he came to this school, he had always heard about Quatre, how good he was and all that stuff. Whoever Quatre picked out to be a friend was trusted by the Winner family as a whole. Duo was Quatre's friend and he had overheard a few maids ask the smaller blond when "Master" Duo would be coming over to spend the night again. He hadn't heard much about the braided one but none of it was bad, at all. And here was this asshole badmouthing him behind his back! There was no way he was going to let that go by unchecked.

"A lowlife huh?" Solo repeated. "How would you know that?"

That seemed to have caught Heero off guard and the Japanese seemed to be trying to think of anything that he could say to prove his case. It was visible on his face for crying out loud! But Solo was not going to let him say anything else. He had heard enough already.

"I don't want to hear you say anything nasty about Duo," he hissed, startling the Prussian eyed youth. "You know nothing about him so you have no right to say anything. I may not know much about him but it's probably more than you do. Fuck off Yuy. I'm not going anywhere near you at lunch."

Without letting Heero get another word in edgewise, Solo spun around and left the restroom, searching for another to go to. Odd, he didn't need to go earlier but now he had to and there was no way he was going to let it loose with that asshole nearby.

Why did he say that about Duo though?

---

"What's got you in a bad mood?" Duo asked the moment he sat down with his lunch tray. Ever since Solo came back from his bathroom break in first period, there was something different about him. He seemed a bit…upset if that was the word. Due to having to get to class and do whatever it was that was required in each one, Duo hadn't mentioned the sudden change in attitude.

However, now that they were at lunch, Duo felt that it would be a good time to broach the subject.

"Why you ask that?" Solo drawled, not answering the question.

"You look a bit off," Duo answered.

"How do you know that? You've only known me for two days."

"You just seem a bit angry, that's all I'm saying. Did something happen?"

Solo took a good look at Duo, his green eyes boring into the braided one. Just as it seemed he was about to say something, someone else beat him to the punch.

"Is the braided rat here bothering you? If so, I can remove him from your presence."

Damn it all! This day had been going so well too. Where was Quatre, he should have been here by now! Probably playing tonsil hockey with Trowa in the janitor's closet again. He had no defense between him and the poisonous barbs that he knew were aimed at him by none other that Wufei, the snob himself.

"How's it going Wufei?" he sighed, once again making the attempt to seem nice, knowing that it wouldn't do him much good. Why did Wufei hate him so?

"Did you say something lowlife? That's what I thought," Wufei sneered, disregarding Duo's greeting.

Solo's eyes had narrowed at the word "lowlife." "I'm just fine, thank you very much," he snapped at the Chinese.

"Are you positive?" Wufei pressed, his contemptuous tone immediately switching to a more concerned one. "It seemed you were being annoyed. I only wished to relieve you of this…thing before you got too uncomfortable."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Solo stated. "Go away now, shoo, shoo."

"If you will pardon me," Wufei continued as if he didn't hear the blond. "Would you perhaps honor myself with your presence for today's midday meal? I would very much like to get to know you more."

Solo growled. "If you bothered to speak to your boyfriend, he would have told you the answer was no. Now leave me alone."

Duo frowned at the exchange. Was what up? Solo was certainly not behaving like all the others that Wufei had managed to steal away. In fact, the guy looked really pissed. He'd seen worse, for sure, but it seemed as if Wufei was oblivious. And lookie over there, the faithful Heero was making his way over. Where the hell are you Quatre?!

"At least allow me to remove this insect from your presence," Wufei said, obviously referring to him. However, that seemed to make Solo angrier.

"Go away asshole," Solo snarled. That hushed up the entire cafeteria. No one had spoken to Chang Wufei like that before. No one had dared to since he came from a powerful family. But now, this new guy was getting up in his face! Bets were being made to the outcome.

Meanwhile, Heero had come up from behind his friend but he wasn't looking at the Chinese or the long-haired blond. No, his sights were set on Duo and it was really making him feel uncomfortable. He had a bad feeling about it and Heero was very intimidating.

Solo glared at the two, his eyes now blazing. Duo had to wonder: why was he mad? No new guy he had been with had ever acted like this! He didn't know how to handle it.

"Care to repeat that?" Wufei casually asked though one could tell that the Chinese was anything but casual. His dark onyx eyes were also blazing.

Solo smirked then. "You think you're tough, don't cha? Do you really need Heero boy in order to walk all over me? I've seen and been in worse things, punk."

"And you underestimate me," Wufei growled.

"What's going on?"

That question came from none other than the missing-in-action Quatre, Trowa right behind him, the blond observing the situation coolly.

"Nothing," Wufei spoke as he left abruptly, Heero following after.

Quatre continued to frown at the two Asians' retreat before looking over at Duo. "Duo, you're wanted in the office."

Duo raised an eyebrow, now that the tense moment had passed. "The office? Am I in trouble or something?"

"Don't know," Quatre shrugged.

Sighing, Duo stood up and took his tray with him to dump in the trash. "I'll see you guys later then."

Not looking back, the braided one turned his back to the newly arrived couple and one angry Solo whose green eyes didn't leave him.