Author's Note: Once again, I have brought a fic back to L2. Prepare for yet more depressing descriptions of this place. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing

Warning: can't think of anything at the moment

Trust the Expert

Quatre really appreciated Duo's order to watch how he walked. It gave him the opportunity to ogle his behind without being reprimanded for it. However, he couldn't concentrate on just that, no… He needed to watch how Duo walked and just seeing that seemed complex.

Duo didn't just walk. He was graceful, he was light, it seemed that he was walking on air instead of earth. But he had to start somewhere and so he choose to start with just matching footsteps. Right foot first, then left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot, right, left, right, left…

Oh this was much harder than he thought!

He didn't have too much time to practice. The majority he did was done at the shuttleport as Duo walked through the surprising uncrowded building. Then again, it wasn't traveling season, so there wasn't too much of a bustle here.

In less than an hour, both were seated on the shuttle, waiting for take off.

He was a bit flustered as Duo's proximity was close, very close. He was in the seat right next to him, settling in the window seat. That meant he, Quatre, was in the middle seat, the aisle currently unoccupied. It would remain that way upon take off as it seemed not too many people traveled to L2 for leisure.

Well, he might as well get comfortable. It was going to be a long flight. What could he do to take his mind off of this? Well, there were those thoughts that he could entertain…

---

As soon as they left the shuttle and Quatre became acquainted with the colony air, he almost gagged. The air was horrible! What was…were those smells? How could such a place exist?

If this Colony was a living entity, Quatre was sure it was a dieing one.

Duo took it all with no problem but slowed his pace as to let his Arabian companion get use to his new surroundings. Quatre couldn't be any more grateful. This was where Duo hailed from? Why hadn't anything been done to improve it?

The moment the two stepped out of the shuttleport, Quatre was proven that there were much worse things in this world. The decrepit aura of the colony overwhelmed him immediately though Duo seemed unaffected.

"Get it together Quatre," Duo warned. "We're in enemy territory now. One false move and we won't have to worry about some terrorists with chemical weapons."

"Where are we going?" he asked as he did his best to match Duo's pace.

"We're going into one of the motels around here," Duo answered.

Quatre frowned. "Why not one of the better hotels? I can afford it."

"Because, here when one person knows something, everybody knows it," Duo replied. "It'd be better if we stayed at a motel. We're less conspicuous that way, at least to the predators who are roaming about. Only idiots begging to get mugged go to fancy hotels around here."

Quatre nodded. Duo was the expert here. He knew how to survive, maybe even thrive, here. He would just have to trust his judgment.

They had only went the distance of a city block when Duo suddenly pulled him into an alley. The next thing he knew, grime was being smacked onto his face.

"What are you doing?!" Quatre demanded, trying to clean off the grime only to spread it instead.

"Disguising you," Duo answered, adding more grime to him. "Can't have anybody recognizing you or me." The moment he said that, he added grime to his own face. Turning his head to a side, he called out, "Hey kid! How much for the hat?"

Confused, Quatre turned his head to look and was surprised to find a little boy there in ragged clothing, a cap on his head. The boy eyed them both warily and Quatre could see the absence of childish innocence in them.

"Why do ya wan it?" the boy questioned, the L2 accent heavy in his voice.

Duo continued with disguising Quatre, rubbing grime into his golden locks as he answered the child. "I like it."

The boy eyed him as if he was crazy. "Dat dun sound right. Why do ya really wan it?"

"Okay, you got me," Duo confessed. "I kinda wanted a souvenir of sorts when I left."

"Why not da whole package?"

"Not enough room in my suitcase. If I could, I would, but I can't."

Quatre had no idea where the conversation was going at this point and the boy continued to eye Duo suspiciously.

"One hundred dollars," the boy said, naming his price.

"Deal."

Quatre's eyes nearly popped out of his head. The boy's eyes nearly did the same. Was that hat really important to Duo?

Duo had pulled out a wallet that looked familiar to the blond Arab and was taking out a few bills. "Here it is. Want to count um?"

The boy crept closer. When he was five feet from Duo, he leapt, snatching the money out of Duo's hand, dropping his hat on the ground. The boy had disappeared into the darkness of the alley and Duo chuckled lightheartedly as he wiped the grime off his hands before tucking his braid in his shirt. He put the hat on his head as he stood up and Quatre could tell that Duo's head was just a little bit bigger than it. That surprised him. The hat seemed to fit the boy pretty well and it almost fit Duo…

"Why did you do that?"

Duo looked at Quatre, a sad look in his eyes. "That money will last the kid a while. He can get new clothes, decent food, anything he wants with it."

"But what was that about a package? What did he mean?"

Duo sighed and looked into Quatre's eyes. "What he meant was why the hat when I could get all of him instead?"

"All of him instead?"

"You think he wants to be here? No, like most people in this place, he wants off. Unfortunately, I don't know what I could have done to help. I mean, sure, I could have taken him back with us when we left but then what? The only alternative that I could do was give him some cold, hard cash."

By then, Quatre had felt his back pocket. His eyes widened. "That was my wallet!"

"You're a billionaire, you can take it," was Duo's reply as he turned the Arabian around and heading out of the alley.

---

Opening the door to what would be their headquarters for a while, Quatre was filled with joy when he saw that the room had only one bed. Sure it wasn't a small one but the fact remained that he would be sharing a bed with Duo! He felt as if he had died and gone to heaven.

"Alright Quatre, this will be our base of operations," Duo announced, dropping his duffel bag onto the floor. "If we ever get split up, come back here first and foremost. No exceptions."

"I understand."

"Now, if you will excuse me, I have to call Une. Make yourself at home while I'm gone, okay?"

Nodding, Quatre waited until Duo left before he sat down on the bed. It had been a tiring day. Duo had spent most of the time pointing out things to him, making sure he had a basic sense of how to get around. Doing that being covered with Allah only knew what had been quite uncomfortable as he was too used to being clean…er than that. Sure, he had gone days without bathing during the wars but he had never been as filthy as he was at this moment.

But it seemed to have worked. The dirtied appearance that Duo had forced on him seemed to act as a repellent towards the citizens of L2. Then there was checking into the motel. Duo had chosen one of the less shoddy ones but even then it looked like the type of place where men brought prostitutes. At least the room looked better than check-in desk.

He couldn't wait to be clean again. But first, he'd have to ask Duo if it was okay. He was, after all, the expert on L2.

---

The boy traversed his way through the labyrinth of alleyways to "The Hideout."

He couldn't wait to show Wolf his spoils for the day. A hundred dollars! And for his hat no less! Man, that guy was an idiot! He would have gone lower, even down to a single dollar!

Approaching a sturdy-looking door, he knocked twice, then once, then twice again. Waiting three seconds, he pushed open the door and closed it behind him.

Ah! Home sweet home!

"Ya back, kiddo! What'cha get?"

"Ya won't believe dis Wolf!" he exclaimed. "I met dis guy today who wanted my hat for a hundred dollars!"

Pure silence. Then the boy heard the sounds of Wolf's footsteps as his elder appeared before him. The boy held out the money proudly, waiting for a positive reaction.

"Whoa…" Wolf spoke, taking the money out of the boy's hands. "I never seen so much cash in one place 'fore. Are ya sure ya wasn't followed?"

The boy frowned. "I'm sure. I looked behind me every ten steps!"

"Good. Can't have any of dose guys knowin' wheres we are."

The boy's eyes grew solemn. No, they couldn't have that. If they knew where they were…

"Get ready for bed, kiddo," Wolf spoke, ruffling the boy's hair. "Tomorrow, we're gonna go out and eat a real breakfast."

"Will ya tell me a story?" the boy asked, eyes sparkling.

"Sure. Wat ya want ta hear?"

"Another story wit Kid! Dose are da best!"

"Sure ding. I'm right behind ya."

As the boy hurried to the next room, Wolf remained where he was. He looked into the shadows, seeing memories that only he remembered.

Quietly, he whispered to himself, "Miss ya Kid."

Slowly, he followed after his charge.