We left Quatre's house at around two in the morning. We'd popped in a movie after dinner, listened to Duo make comments about it, and then had sat around talking until we'd decided to get up and leave before it got any later. Quatre, of course, had told us we were welcome to stay and sleep if we'd wanted and the offer was a tempting one after the turkey-sleep that had settled over us all. We declined though, and had shuffled out.

Once in the quiet streets, I sagged. Duo threw a wonderfully warm around me and pulled me close.

"Sleepy, kido?" he asked.

"Yeah, and don't call me kido, I'm your age," I said.

"Younger."

"By what? A year maybe?"

Heero gave a small smile and Trowa shook his head, his shaggy hair flopping over the proverbially covered left eye. He flicked it back with a twist of his head, but it did no good. It was always there and no matter what he did, it would stay there. I smiled, reached up to defy fate, and tried to brush the wheat-colored locks from his face to no avail. I gave up and he graced me with a smile.

They thought I didn't see, but I did. They were all like overprotective older brothers, always knowing where I was, who was talking to me, what I did the night before.

But, really, and any girl would tell you this, I loved it. I loved the fact that I had five of the hottest guys alive attentive to me. I was lucky. They were good-looking and good people, not the conceited scum that usually sprouts from such divine, god-like boys.

Wufei was the one I least expected to be like this. I saw him the least, but I liked him, connected to him, how I don't know, when he was here and now he was like that really close brother that lives far away, the one you don't have to say anything and he still knows something is wrong. He was really sweet, though not in the conventional way, and not in the way most people could see. His arrogant stance, and stern demeanor drove most away, but the beautiful black orbs hid something that it took me a while to find and that I made sure to never lose and that was respect and kindness. Sheltered beneath the gruff, muscular exterior was a good friend.

Quatre was like a really sweet friend, the one that when you ran to when you just wanted to cry and not have to say anything at all. He would hold you gently, but securely, stroke your hair, and whisper soothing words into your ear, tell you it would all be okay, that he would help, ask if you wanted to talk, listen when you did, didn't push when you didn't. He amazed me. He never let anything get to his head, despite the fact that he was a millionaire before he'd hit eighteen. A photographer for a tabloid once got a picture of me saying goodbye to him after having a semi-informal meeting about the scrap yard and repair shop. The headlines had read, "Young Millionaire and Mysterious Beauty Sharing Passionate Embrace." The photo was a blurry one of me hugging the blond-haired, blue-eyed stud goodbye. We'd laughed so hard about it, tears formed. Fortunately, I wasn't recognizable and nobody took that paper seriously anyway.

Trowa was like this silent shadow, always watchful, always alert, never in the way. He knew the difference between work and play, and respected both roles equally. I'm not saying that he became this completely different person at work, but he understood when I got mad at something that went wrong and he knew that he could come to me with a problem in the yard. He was breathtakingly gorgeous, I mean the kind of guy that girls would fall down over: Light brown hair, emerald eyes, an incredible build that he hid perfectly beneath becoming clothing, silent and a little dark, but he really was the sweetest individual. I never had to say anything for Trowa to completely, and utterly understand what I was feeling.

Then there was Heero. Take into account what Heero looks like, what he acts like, and the initial, middle, and ending impression he gives off. Imagine this lean, but tough, dark guy with shaggy brown hair that fell handsomely into royal blue eyes, a hard, straight, exciting mouth, and a deep baritone voice that carried a load of emotion perfectly disguised behind a seeming monotone. I've heard that voice licked with anger and I've seen the effect it has on the people it is directed to. I've also heard the subtle humor, the joy, the amusement and I've seen the way it turns people into grinning idiots. I have had entire conversations with Heero without saying a word, not one, and there's never misinterpretation.

And Duo. I fought with Duo, teased Duo, joked with Duo, played stupid little high school kid games with Duo. He annoyed me, pestered me, found a way to push my buttons and I don't think I could love him more if I tried. He was my best friend, my only friend when I'd had no one else. He introduced me to the others, gave me a home when I needed one. I don't care that I'm the one who offered him a house during the war, he made it a home. I've never, ever seen anyone more defensive about me than Duo. Heero has come close, but Duo blows them all out of the water. He once punched this sleaze ball, broke his jaw, because he looked at me wrong. I remember pretending to be appalled, but secretly I was thrilled. And when he and Heero teamed up, heaven help those who even think of looking in my direction. It got annoying, but the good kind of annoying. The kind of annoying that you say, "Guys, cut it out! I don't need you breathing down my neck the whole time. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself," but you don't really mean it. Duo was the most loyal person I'd ever met. He also happened to be a total chick magnet, but you wouldn't ask why if you saw him. He had this thick, unruly brown hair and, I swear to you, violet eyes. Violet. I've never seen a person with violet eyes before, and I never will again. Those eyes can carry hope, hate, anger, joy, and all of it in amounts to drown you.

They were my friends, my family and I loved them all. I snuggled closer to Duo, whose grip tightened around me, and looked up at Heero. Heero met my gaze, read my thoughts and sent me an affectionate smile. He knew. They all did.