Hooray for near-immediate updates!

For those who didn't get the chance to read the last chapter before I put this one up (which would probably be almost everyone), and wanted to know what I meant by Duo wanting to change himself:
Duo has always had terrible luck with those he cares about dying - Solo, Sister Helen and Father Maxwell among them - so what he wants to change is the horrible luck he seems to have in that regard. Originally it was something more along the lines of self-harm to deal with his losses and keep up the joker mask, but then I realised I'd written him almost naked right in the first chapter so there was no way Quatre wouldn't have noticed scars from cutting.

WARNINGS: Alcohol consumption, swearing (not sure if there's much this chapter), stripping (mild), silliness

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters

Enjoy!

Chapter Five: Truth or Dare Pt. 2

Trowa spent a minute or so deciding on who she was going to torment next, and Duo silently begged every god he could think of that it wouldn't be him.

"Quatre."

"Truth," the blonde said instantly. A smirk formed on Trowa's face, and Quatre looked suddenly wary.

"The box in your Gundam that you refuse to leave behind…what's in it?" Quatre's cheeks turned flaming red, and Duo found himself intrigued. He'd been wondering about that shoebox-sized lockbox that the blonde had been carting around. Quatre swallowed and reached for her glass, downing it and then pouring another to knock that back as well. Duo pouted slightly as Quatre shakily refilled her shot glass.

"You're no fun," he mock-whined, making Heero snort as Quatre glared at the braid-wearing teen. Duo decided to look for that box and find out for himself what was in it.

"Shut up, Duo," Quatre muttered, shaking her head slightly. "Heero, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

"Kiss Duo and make him shut up." Heero snorted again as Duo gave a strangled noise in the back of his throat, and stood to make her way around the table and kneel beside Duo. Trowa turned to watch, eyes glinting with curiosity.

"You need to think of more original dares, Quatre," Heero stated, and then her mouth was covering Duo's. The violet-eyed youth was startled, but then started to actively participate in the kiss, his free arm snaking around Heero's shoulders to pull her closer as one of her hands held onto the back of his neck and the other braced her on the floor. Duo tentatively swept his tongue across Heero's lower lip, asking for admittance, and then slipped his tongue past her teeth to curl around hers playfully when she opened her mouth slightly to give permission.

When they parted slowly a minute or so later, Duo became aware of the slight trembling and the shaky breathing of the girl on his lap, as well as the somewhat lustful look on Quatre's flushed face as she stared at them. Heero's cheeks were slightly red as well as she moved back to her place, but Duo noticed a slight trembling to her legs. Wufei was bright red beneath his bronze skin, breathing a little rapidly as he averted his gaze. Duo was a little confused, but shrugged it off and waited for Heero to choose her victim.

"Chang." Heero stated, and Wufei jumped slightly before meeting Heero's eyes. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," Wufei said instantly, most likely to avoid the possibility of having to kiss one of the others again. Heero had a slightly contemplative look on her face for a moment, then gave a tiny quirk of her lips.

"Are you male or female?"

"Where the hell did that question come from?" Wufei blurted, eyes widening. Heero shrugged.

"You and Duo kiss differently. I want to know if that's a gender issue." Wufei spluttered incoherently for a moment, but then calmed somewhat.

"I was going to tell you once the war ended anyway," the Chinese teen muttered. "I'm female. That's why I hate Maxwell calling me 'Wu-man'…it sounds too much like 'woman'. And it is the reason I never wear my hair down." Heero nodded, as if unsurprised, and Duo gave an audible whimper.

"Am I the only male in the colonies capable of piloting a Gundam or something?" he asked plaintively, and Heero gave a real laugh, her husky alto ringing throughout the room as Quatre giggled aloud.

"So it would seem," Trowa said at a normal volume in her normal voice, causing Wufei to blink in confusion.

"…you three are female too?" she asked.

"Yes," Quatre laughed. "Duo found us all out." Duo flushed.

"It wasn't like I did it on purpose," he defended. Trowa laughed and shifted on his lap once more, causing his blush to darken. "Dammit, Tro, stop wriggling!" Trowa smirked at him, and Duo averted his eyes to the ceiling as he tried futilely to calm his body.

"What's wrong, Duo?" Quatre asked worriedly. Duo shook his head, refusing to answer, and Trowa snickered.

"He's got a sizable problem thanks to yours and Wufei's dares," the green-eyed girl stated, and Duo's cheeks flamed.

"Trowa!"

Quatre giggled as she realised what Duo's 'problem' was, and Heero gave a low, husky laugh that didn't help with said problem. Wufei's eyes widened as she understood what Trowa meant, and then a blush dusted her cheeks. Duo's blush slowly faded away.

"It's not my fault I'm a teenaged boy!" he huffed. "I'm fifteen and I've got hormones, alright? I can't control it." Trowa shifted in his lap and Duo's eyes widened in shock when she straddled him, her arms either side of his shoulders braced against the couch. He had a sort of 'deer caught in the headlights' look on his face as the auburn-haired girl leant closer.

"Why would you want to?" she asked softly.

"It's highly flattering," Heero agreed calmly. Quatre nodded, and Wufei blushed slightly as she also nodded. Duo swallowed thickly.

"S-shouldn't we continue the game?" he asked weakly. To his relief, Trowa moved back to her original position on his lap and the others voiced their agreement.

"It's your turn now, Wufei," Quatre pointed out after a moment. The Chinese girl nodded and thought about it for a moment.

"Duo, Truth or Dare?" she asked.

"Dare," Duo sighed, giving up. He was playing Truth or Dare with four teenaged girls who no longer had to hide their gender…he was doomed.

"A dare," Wufei hummed thoughtfully. A slight blush dusted the bridge of her nose even as she gave a wicked little smile. "Take your shirt off." Duo stared at her in shock that the girl would have suggested something like that, then shrugged and removed his arm from Trowa's waist to strip off his black shirt and toss it onto the couch behind him.

"Easy enough. Alright…um…Trowa. Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," the girl on his lap replied calmly. Duo nodded and thought about it for a long moment.

"Why do you keep embarrassing me?" he asked finally, huffing a little. Trowa laughed.

"It's funny," she shrugged. "And it makes you blush, which is really quite attractive." Duo's cheeks went pink again, and Trowa laughed again as she leant against his bare chest.

"That's true," Heero agreed. Duo noticed that the bottle of vodka and orange juice was emptier than it should be, and wondered how much the girls had been drinking when he wasn't paying attention.

"Definitely," Quatre nodded, her cheeks seeming to hold a permanent blush now. She was a lightweight, it seemed.

"It is rather," Wufei murmured. Duo's blush darkened. Did they really all think that of him? It was hard to believe.

"Your turn, Tro," he said quickly. After this turn Trowa's dare would be over, and he could escape before he was permanently red from them embarrassing him.

"Heero," Trowa stated rather than asked.

"Dare," the brunette shrugged, seeming to be throwing caution to the wind.

"Go remove your bandages." Heero shrugged and stood up, walking behind the couch behind Duo and removing her shirt in plain sight of the other girls, unwrapping the bindings on her chest and dropping them to the floor before pulling her singlet back on and walking back to her place with her breasts unbound. She had no qualms about revealing herself to her comrades, although she had thought to spare Duo the embarrassment he was bound to feel should she strip off in front of him.

"That's ten rounds," Wufei commented. "Your dare is over, Trowa." The green-eyed girl slipped off Duo's lap and sat beside him instead, tossing back her shot and refilling it. Duo eyed the bottle in surprise.

"How much have you girls been drinking?" he asked in surprise, and Quatre giggled.

"I've had eight," she confessed.

"Seven," Trowa shrugged.

"Five," Wufei admitted with a slight blush. Duo raised an eyebrow – he hadn't been expecting that.

"I've only had three," he said in bewildered surprise. "Heero?"

"Nine," the brunette girl shrugged. Duo stared in disbelief.

"Damn," he muttered. "I think Q's had enough, by the way," he added a bit louder. "She's more than a little tipsy."

"No I'm not," the blonde objected with a pout.

"Yes, you are," Wufei said dryly. "You're having plain juice from now on." Quatre's pout grew, and Trowa chuckled quietly.

"Why don't we just change the game?" she suggested. The others all looked at her, and she produced a pack of playing cards from seemingly nowhere. "Poker, anyone?"

(1425 words)

Alright! So the next chapter will be up in about 24 hours from now, and the title of the chapter is 'Poker'. After that there'll be a time-skip to after the war(s), and then one more chapter after that! So close to the end *sniffle*

Please review!

~Ashuri