Author's Note: You guys really seem to like Deng a bit. Yet, we are drawing closer to the answer you've all been waiting for. Just a little bit longer my friends. In the meantime, enjoy this latest chapter that I have painstakingly written for you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing

Warning: slight language, a little bigotry

There's Trouble in Paradise

"So what'cha talk about?" Solo asked the moment the two stepped out of the building.

"It's none of your business," Duo stated.

"Ah, c'mon!" Solo whined, his arm taking its customary roost on Duo's shoulders once more. "Were you talking about me? Ooh! You're blushing! You can't hide it from me anymore! Tell me! Tell me!"

"Are you pretty good friends with the ground?" Duo asked out of the blue.

"No," Solo answered automatically, confused.

"Would you like me to reacquaint you with it?" Duo threatened.

"I'll pass…" Solo answered warily.

"Then talk about something else," Duo stated, smirking in triumph.

Solo, instead of talking aloud, grumbled to himself, his face lighting up suddenly and soon followed by a mischievous grin. Gently lifting his arm off Duo's shoulders, he stuck his foot in front of Duo as smoothly as he possibly could in order to escape suspicion. Duo's eyes widened comically as he tripped over the manmade obstacle and down he went. He closed his eyes in anticipation of the sudden stop at the end when he felt nothing but air.

Cracking open an eye, he could still see the sidewalk even though it wasn't rushing up happily to meet him. Now that he was taking in his surroundings, he realized that Solo had wrapped an arm around his torso and caught him. Slowly peering up at the taller blond, he gulped audibly at the predatory grin he was receiving.

"Ya all right Short Stuff?" he asked, his grin widening. "Looks like you missed your step. Need any help getting back to the house?"

Eyes widening in fear, Duo attempted to say "no" but was unable to as the world seemed to fly before he felt something solid in his gut. There was no way this could be happening. Solo hadn't just tossed him up onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes just now.

Steadying the braided one on his broad shoulder, Solo called out happily, "I got ya Short Stuff. We'll be home before you know it!" Then, before Duo could release a sound of protest, the blond started marching away, his pace bouncing Duo up and down with each step.

Finally regaining some of his wits, Duo began to squirm and kick his legs in protest, all the while demanding, "Put me down you asshole! Don't make me kick your ass from here to Timbuktu you giant—"

"Dick?" Solo interrupted, grinning. "Why thank you. I do have a pretty big jewel down there."

"Son of a…" Duo growled, his violet eyes narrowing to the point they were mere cracks.

And then he felt something…or someone pinch him on his…

--

Heero Yuy glared down at the leg cast he was forced to wear, as if it offended him by its mere existence. That was probably not far from the truth since it was the physical representation of a destroyed future.

He would never be able to play football competitively ever again. There went the promised scholarship he would have received once he had led the team to victory at the championship. There went the free ride through college. There went all his childhood hopes and dreams and all for what?

That puny, long-haired loser.

Duo Maxwell was responsible for this. Because of that rat's very presence, he was nothing now. Just another athlete whose skills had abandoned him. What had he done to deserve this? He had kept in perfect, peak physical condition, made perfect grades (except in algebra, he always had trouble with that), had the most perfect friends. And then this had to happen.

He could have understood this if it had been somebody from another team who had done this. Jealousy could have help appeased his anger somewhat but no, that wasn't the reason. It was a rich, blond faggot who was getting even for a braided rat who didn't deserve to live.

It was obvious to him. He had followed the new kid around for the first couple days and had studied the interaction between Solo and the rat. That blond fag had to be in love with the guy or something by the way he draped himself all over him. Unfortunately, the guy was strong, much stronger than he had given him credit for, and that underestimation resulted in this.

To say he was pissed was the weakest word that could be used to describe the hatred he had for those two.

But that was not all, no, far from it.

All the while he was recuperating, he was forced to endure the company of his personal (perfect (no one who wasn't perfect had the right to stalk him!)) stalker, Relena Peacecraft. She tended to his every need, even when he didn't have any. That would be nice under any ordinary circumstance but combine that with the ever-persistent chatter she brought along with her, it was torture!

Yet, despite all the indifference he showed her (he had always been told that perfect gentlemen never hit or yelled at girls), she didn't seem to get the clue that he didn't want her near him. So, when Monday came around, he was glad because that meant she would have to leave him alone for a few hours and he could finally get some peace and quiet.

No such luck.

She stayed, playing "hookie" so she could stick by his side and "nurse him back to health."

Why, oh why, hadn't Solo just killed him and be done with it? He was doomed to be in this girl's company and his ruined future was staring him straight in his face everyday.

It just wasn't fair!

"Do you need anything Heero?" Relena chirped for perhaps the hundredth time…or was it the two hundredth time, he always kept perfect count…that day.

"I'm fine," he answered in a dull monotone that only served to mask his ever-growing rage.

"Well, if you need anything…" Relena began.

"I'll let you know," Heero finished robotically.

How many times had he heard that? He could finish her sentences now! It was only a matter of time before he began to start saying what she was going to say before she said it. That would just make life perfect, wouldn't it? Still, she was beaming down at him and he could have sworn that her adulation of him had just reached another unbelievable notch.

As the pink bitch began to rattle on about stuff that he had no interest in, Heero stewed in his own anger, blocking out the voice of the annoying girl right next time. He'd get even. Just they wait. They haven't seen the last of Heero Yuy! He'd show them why nobody messed with him! He'd not only show them but everybody!

And then the praise he'd see in Wufei's eyes… It would be more than worth it. His friend's approval mattered to him more than even his own parents. Wufei was destined to go places, destined to be big and powerful, no matter what obstacles got in his path. He was the only person to have ever received Heero's genuine friendship and no one else had achieved that since.

"Um, Heero? Did you hear what I asked?"

Damn it, that voice managed to intrude itself into his thoughts. What had he done to deserve this?

"Can you repeat it please?" he asked.

"I was mentioning that incident in the cafeteria where the Winners accused you of beating up Mr. Maxwell," Relena repeated readily. "I was just curious as to why they would say such a thing. Maxwell didn't show up Friday at all but he did today. Do you know why they would say such a thing?"

Just perfect. Even when he's in the hospital, that braided rat has to somehow be mentioned.

So, without thinking, he stated, "Maybe it's because I did beat him up."

He was surprised by the look that Relena was giving him. She looked so surprised and shocked that her idol would do such a thing. He mentally snorted. Was she just getting it now? How stupid could she be?

"You mean…you…" she had trouble asking so he decided to skip to the chase and bluntly put it to her.

"Yes, I did," he proclaimed. "The little fag had it coming. He was—"

He didn't even get the chance to finish. At that point, Relena had grabbed one of the vases of get-well flowers he had received and dumped the contents onto his face, water and flowers all.

He sputtered as he spat out anything that had gotten into his mouth, greedily sucking in as much air as he could before glaring at the girl. "What the hell was that for?!" he demanded.

"I can't believe that I actually liked you…" Relena whispered, her voice barely audible even to Heero.

"What the hell are you blabbering about now?" Heero demanded angrily.

"I was willing to give my heart to you," Relena continued softly. "I loved you for so long because you were…handsome, strong, perfect…but now…now I find out who you really are. You're nothing but a big bully! All you care about is yourself! You beat up that defenseless boy and for what? Gratification? To please your friend Chang? What was it?!"

Relena's voice rose steadily to the point that she was screaming at Heero, tears running unchecked down her cheeks.

"I can't believe that I liked you! I've wasted so many years of my life chasing after you!" Relena ranted.

"Will you SHUT UP!!" Heero roared.

"NO!" Relena screamed back. "No, I will not shut up. I've let you walk all over me in the hopes you would return my affections but you never did. I'm tired of this and I'm going to move on Heero. Why don't you find someone else to chase after you?"

Turning on her heels, she stomped away, pausing at the door to say one last thing.

"I used to think you were perfect," Relena said, "but now I know you're anything but. You are imperfect and you will never be anything more."

Heero could only stare flabbergasted at this. Imperfect? He…wasn't perfect? Impossible. She was wrong! He was perfect and she was his (perfect) stalker! What was she going to do now? Stalk somebody else? No way in Hell! He'd get her after him again, just she wait! Once he was out of the hospital, he'd get back everything he had lost and get some payback on those fags as well.

They hadn't seen the last of Heero Yuy!

--

"What the hell happened to you two?!" Quatre demanded the moment he saw his two long haired friends on the front porch. "I've been worried sick wondering where you two have been!"

"I had to go to Deng's for something," Duo casually answered.

"But what happened to Solo?"

Glancing behind himself to look as the taller blond, Duo smirked. "Oh, him? He took certain liberties he wasn't entitled to, that's all."

Taking a good look at his cousin's appearance, Quatre raised an eyebrow. The blond's hair was in disarray and his hands were guarding a certain part of his anatomy protectively, eyes shooting wary glances as the braided one, his feet to be more precise as if he didn't trust them.

Sighing, Quatre asked, "What did he do?"

"He threw me up onto his shoulder like I was some kind of dead weight then he pinched my ass!" Duo stated, leveling an evil look at the taller blond who automatically took a step away from him.

"And what did you do about it?" Quatre asked wryly, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the doorframe.

"Not a word," Solo's high-pitched growl cut in, green eyes glaring daggers into the braided one.

"Wouldn't think of it," Duo replied cheekily. "I'll let you tell Q about it. So, can we come in now?"

Since the last question was directed at Quatre, the smaller blond just shook his head in amusement and stepped out of the way, letting Duo in first. Solo remained where he was, waiting for the braided teen to put some distance between them before gingerly walking forward.

"I hope you learned your lesson," Quatre commented.

At this, the pointed glare that Solo wore melted away only to be replaced with a perverted grin. "He's a firecracker!" he stated, the high tenor still embedded in his voice.

"So you didn't learn anything," Quatre stated more than questioned.

"Oh, I learned something," Solo chuckled. "I know what to do to press his buttons! Man, he so cute when he's mad!"

"Did you just say 'cute'?" Quatre asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I did. Want to make something out of it?"

Holding his hands up in mock surrender, Quatre replied, "You know you can only piss Duo off for so long, right?"

"He won't take things too far," Solo stated confidently. "He likes me back. I just know it!"

"And what makes you think that?"

"It was what he talked about to that Ding guy, or whatever his name is."

"And he told you this?"

"Nope, I figured it out all by myself!"

"Your mother must be so proud of you."

Solo was about to proudly reply to that, his mouth open and everything when he paused, his left eye beginning to twitch. "That was an insult, wasn't it?" he inquired, looking darkly at his cousin.

"You figure it out," Quatre said cheekily before narrowly escaping Solo's grab and disappearing into the mansion.

With his handicap, there was no way Solo would be about to chase after Quatre but he swore to himself that he wouldn't let him get away with it.

This meant war!