Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the characters

WARNINGS: Stripping, language (sorta), implied femslash

Thank you very much to santanaann for adding this story to their alert list!

And in response to reviews...

Demasu:I can't believe it's nearly over too, and I'm the one who wrote it! But I am working on other Gundam Wing fics at the moment and a few crossovers - I think I have about 20 stories in the 'In Progress' stage that I've also got in my 'Must Complete ASAP' file

pattyard: I figure that alcohol will influence them in their playing abilities, and that they're all pretty good at card games :)

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Six: Poker

Duo wasn't sure exactly how it happened, but the game of poker somehow morphed into a game of strip poker.

Quatre had been wearing the most clothing at the beginning, but had been the worst influenced by the alcohol she had consumed and was now wearing her bandages and underwear only.

Trowa had removed her turtleneck, belt, shoes and socks, and was wearing only her bandages, underwear and jeans.

Heero was topless, now wearing only her spandex shorts due to an error in judgement during a couple of rounds. Duo very carefully avoided looking at anywhere other than her face when glancing in her direction due to how shameless she was regarding her half-naked state.

Wufei was the most clothed. She still had her bandages, blue singlet top, and white pants on, although she was missing her shoes, socks, jacket and belt. She had also removed her hair-tie, saying that it was an item of clothing and therefore counted, and her silky black hair was spilling over her shoulders and framing her now noticeably feminine face.

And Duo…his hair was unbound, his hair-tie having been removed at the end of the first round he lost, and as he had already been missing his shirt thanks to Wufei he had removed his shoes, socks and pants with the next three rounds he had lost. He was now wearing only his black boxer-briefs, glad that he had not gone commando as he did sometimes.

"You know," Heero commented suddenly as Wufei lost the round and stripped off her singlet with an irritated sigh. "We don't need to pretend to be guys when we're in hiding like this anymore."

"True," Trowa nodded, dealing the next hand after shuffling the deck expertly. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't actually know how to act any differently."

"I only began pretending when my twin – the intended pilot of Shenlong – died. My parents pretended I had died and I became my brother," Wufei shrugged. "I was ten."

"Wait, your name isn't Wufei then?" Duo asked in confusion. Wufei snorted and shook her head.

"Not really; it's actually Fei. Ran is buried under the name Meiran and I took the name Wufei. No one except our parents knew our names because we were the clan heirs – the rest of the clan just knew that we were fraternal twins. The heirs to the clan are presented and named formally at age twelve, so no one knew of the swap." Wufei seemed totally unfazed by this as she examined her hand. "Fold."

"I have twenty-nine older sisters," Quatre said, frowning down at the cards in her hand. "Fold. The ones that raised me hid my gender from Father because he had been told by the doctor monitoring Mother's pregnancy that I was a boy, and he was expecting a male heir. When I was old enough to understand my sisters told me why they dressed me in skirts in private and boys' clothing in public and when I saw Father, and I told them to stop buying me female clothing in case Father paid an unexpected visit." The blonde girl was sobering up now, feeling slightly embarrassed by her nearly-naked state.

"Fold," Heero stated. "The assassin who raised me made me pretend to be male so I wasn't raped while we were living on the streets," she said with a shrug. "After he died I never stopped because I didn't feel safe. Dr J knew, but he didn't care as long as I piloted and fought well."

The others nodded in understanding, and Trowa and Duo revealed their hands. Duo cursed loudly and violently, standing up and turning away to drop his final article of clothing, hands covering his privates as he returned to his seat, a dark blush on his cheeks.

"The mercenary who found me was a woman pretending to be a man, and hid my gender until I was old enough to do it myself. When she died I met Doktor S, and he took me on as a mechanic. I was Nanashi, no-name, until the real Trowa Barton died and I took his place as pilot of Heavyarms," Trowa shrugged. It was silent as she shuffled and dealt again.

-GWGWGWGWGW-

Twenty minutes later Duo had won all five hands they had played since he lost his last article of clothing, and now had nearly nowhere to look as all four of his comrades were now topless. Trowa and Wufei had also lost their pants, leaving them in only their underwear. Heero had quietly admitted to going commando beneath her spandex when asked why she folded with a reasonable hand, and so the four girls now had the same amount of clothing on. Duo was certain he was going to pass out or be permanently red if the game kept going this way.

Four rounds later – Duo winning two and folding the other two – they were all naked at the kitchen table. Trowa paused in her shuffling of the cards.

"I don't think there's much point in continuing at this stage," she commented. Duo, who had his gaze fixed firmly on the table right in front of him rather than the bare forms of his fellow pilots, snorted.

"You only just figured that out?" he asked dryly. "I've been starkers for the past nine hands."

"Oh, we noticed," Heero snickered. Duo scowled, blushing faintly. He was slowly getting used to their teasing.

"Well, I'm going to bed," Trowa stated, standing and stretching. Duo resisted the urge to look, although the other three watched the Latino girl appraisingly.

"Mind if we join you?" Quatre asked with a giggle. Trowa chuckled.

"Not at all." The two left the kitchen, and Duo belatedly realised that they had left their clothes behind.

"Bed seems like a good idea," Wufei yawned, stretching. Duo heard a small gasp from the Chinese girl, followed by a soft moan. He was severely tempted to look, to see what the cause of the noise was, but restrained himself.

"Let's go," Heero murmured in Duo's ear, causing the braid-wearing teen to jump and yelp in surprise. He looked up, and his violet eyes met Heero's shining Prussian-blue orbs. The brunette girl smiled slightly and Duo was slightly startled when Wufei leant around the slightly-taller girl to brush her lips over Duo's lightly.

"Come on, Duo," the girl whispered against Duo's lips, one small hand sliding up his thigh suggestively. "Trowa's bed is big enough for all of us." Duo swallowed at the mental images that statement produced, willing his body to calm down as he nodded mutely. Heero tugged him to his feet, and Wufei gave a quiet giggle as she pressed up against the violet-eyed teen's side. Duo hesitated for a moment but then put his arm over her shoulders, the other going over Heero's shoulders a moment later as they headed up the stairs to Trowa's bedroom.

(1156 words)

I think this one is the shortest chapter yet...oh well *shrugs*

Alright, so I haven't played Poker in years so I have /no/ idea if I'm using the right terms, but I'm sure you get the idea.

Next chapter is titled "Photograph", and I'll have it up around this time tomorrow.

Please review!

~Ashuri