Disclaimer: These boys don't belong to me and maybe it's a good thing as my house isn't big enough.

Story: Building a Better Mousetrap 101

Warnings: A little angst, panic attacks

Being a Mouse doesn't mean you're helpless or weak.

Current Pairings: 1xR, 2xOC, 3x4, 5xS, HxOC, 6xN and OCxOC (past 1x2)

Chapter 18 – Thanksgiving break - a Pilots perspective part 1.

Duo had missed her all right, Thanksgiving break had only been just a week long. But to Duo it had been a week from hell. Sure he had talked to Mouse every single day, usually several times and almost all day if possible. Twice they went into the closet. Thinking back on it, he was Damn glad they had free mobile to mobile minutes, he wasn't sure his stipend would have covered his cell phone bill if they hadn't.

The other thing that became glaringly obvious to the ex-Gundam pilot as the week progressed was that being separated from Mouse for too long could actually be physically painful for him. This had seriously scared the hell out of him as he was caught off guard by it. Thank God he'd been with Heero, because it seemed Heero knew what was wrong and understood exactly what he was feeling. In fact Heero had realized what was wrong with Duo before Duo himself knew there was anything wrong.

It had started insidiously enough as just simple feelings of anxiety and a slight edginess, that usually abated when he was on the phone with Mouse. Of course he always felt good when he talked to Mouse, so that didn't alert him that there was a problem, plus he talked to Mouse as much as they were both able and free to do so.

On Thanksgiving Day Mouse's family was having the usual enormous family get together, and of course Duo had gone with Heero and Relena to see Zech and Noin off. So they were having a decent sized gathering of friends and family as well. So he and Mouse had agreed that for 'one day' they would wait until later that night to talk, feeling it would be rude to zone out on family and friends that day. It had sounded reasonable at the time.

It wasn't one of their better idea's, as during Noin and Zech's formal Dinner gathering Duo had a full fledge panic attack. Seeing as he had never had one before he thought he was having a heart attack, that's what it felt like to him with his racing heart that felt like it was being squeezed from his body. He also scared the shit out of everyone at the table when he sank to the floor on his knees and started hyperventilating. To Duo it was a terrible feeling, his heart was beating a mile a minute, he couldn't catch his breath, and he was shaking and sweating. It was like he'd set a bunch of explosives in a building and they had gone off to soon, and while he was still inside, and he had been racing to get out before the whole building fell on him and he'd only just made it. Seeing as that had happened once, he remembered vividly how that had felt, and this was pretty damn close to how he'd felt right after that little inceident. He'd been nearly paralyzed by the intensity of the feelings running thru him. Back then it had been an adrenaline rush and once he was free and clear, he had crashed from it, this was worse cause it felt like all those feelings all rolled into one.

When Duo dropped, Heero was there by his Best friend's side in an instant. He'd been watching Duo for a couple of days now, the normally happy go lucky pilot had been unusually edgy. And Heero suspected he knew why.

"Duo? Duo are you okay?" As he suspected Duo was clammy to the touch, shaking and his violet eyes were dull and glazed.

"H-Heero? I- Oh God, I Don't know what's wrong with me?" Heero began to rub soothing circles on Duo's back.

"Shh, Calm down Duo, It's just a Panic Attack. It will pass. Breath slower, it will help." Duo nodded and tried to breath deeper and slower breaths. Heero continued to rub his back trying to calm his friend.

To Duo it seemed like he was on that floor forever, how embarrassing. But eventually he was able to stand up and he let Heero lead him from the Dining Room, taking him to the bedroom he was staying in. He sat Duo down and went to get some medication he had in his bag for just such occasions and a glass of water for the braided Baka. When he returned, he handed a couple of small white pills and a glass of water to the still trembling male.

"Here take this it will help." Duo only looked at them for a second before downing the medication with the water. He trusted Heero, and Heero knew his tolerance levels. After a few minutes they started to take effect.

"Whacha jist give me 'Ro? I actually feel better."

"Adavan."

"Dude, You tranq'd me?" Duo blinked sedately, the drug calming him. Heero knowing Duo's resistance to drugs was similar to his, had given the Braided Menace the same dose he took when he was on the edge of a panic attack. Mental note: when they returned to the college and Duo saw Dr. Rice he was going to need to get his own prescription. In fact Heero felt like an Idiot for not suggesting it as soon as Duo had started therapy, panic attacks were common among people who had survive terrible wars. Heero had to admit he'd never seen the chestnut haired male this mellow before. Heero grinned, he should of thought of this years ago, when they were hiding out in some safe house and Duo had been bouncing off the walls from boredom.

"Baka. You feel any better yet?"

"Yeah...What the Hell 'Ro. That's never happened before. I mean I've been pumped up on adrenalin back when we were fighting and stuff,. But,...there was no reason for this."

Panic attacks and adrenalin rushes are two different things."

"But why would I have a Panic attack now 'Ro?"

"You've been real edgy the last couple of days, right?"

"Well, ,maybe... a little." Duo hedged, Heero smirked.

"A little? Duo you've been biting the heads off everyone for days now. AH, say? When was the last time you talked to Mouse?"

"Huh? Well um, yesterday, we agreed as this was a big family day to wait until tonight to talk." Heero nodded just as he suspected, the Baka hadn't spoken to Mouse all day, and it had started to wear on him even more so. To double check Heero pulled out his own cell phone and called Mouse.

"Heero?! What's wrong! What happened to Duo, I felt really edgy and anxious and then a short while later everything was calm again." So Heero'd been right just like when Duo had 'crashed' last month she had felt it, even from so far away.

"Duo had a panic attack, I gave him 2mg of adavan, Right now he's feeling 'Really' good."

"I bet he does if you gave him 2mg." Mouse chuckled, she knew Heero wouldn't lie to her about Duo. "So um he's going to be okay right?"

"He'll be fine. I'll keep him calm until we get back to school."

"Heero?"

"Just don't be surprised if he's waiting for you when you get there."

"Okay, that's not a problem, not at all." Heero could her the grin in mouse's voice. No she was as eager to see Duo and Duo was to see her.

Heero hung up with Mouse and went to check on Duo. The baka was good and calm all right now, he was so calm he had fallen asleep, which was all for the good really, Duo really had been stressed lately. Heero went back downstairs to rejoin the gathering and to let everyone know that Duo was doing okay and that it was nothing serious. That he'd just been under a lot of stress lately that's all. Which was actually true to an extent Duo was stressed, by the absence of a little Mouse. There was nothing any of the others could do about Duo's condition, other than getting him back to Mouse, which he would be doing in just a couple of days anyway. Until then Heero would keep him tranq'd if he had too. If they assumed he was just stressed over college and finals, well then that was their deal. Relena of course knew Heero better than that, Hell she knew Duo better than that, School didn't stress him at all. So when Heero sat back down next to her she raised a delicate blonde eyebrow at the Stoic ex-pilot. Heero leaned in a gave her a peck on the cheek and whispered to her that they'd talk later.

Later after dinner concluded and everyone left the table groaning from eating too much food as was the custom on Thanksgiving Day. Heero and Relena sought out a nice secluded couch to curl up in and cuddle for a while, too full to do much else except talk and cuddle.

"So.....?"

"You might want to decide what you're going to do with your winnings."

"Really? He's figured it out that quick? Tell, tell...Come on Heeeerrrroooo."

The pretty blonde wheedled. She was all bright eyed at the prospect and not just because it seemed obvious she was going to win the bet. Mouse had become a true friend to her and she wanted her to be as happy as she and Heero were. Also Duo was more like Heero's brother than just a friend, so his happiness was also important to her, more so than a silly bet. Besides she already knew what she was going to do with the money, and keeping it wasn't in her plans, she'd have to talk to Quatre about her plans but that could wait until later. One day Mouse would be a part of their 'Special Family', Relena was sure of it. And that would make them as closer than sisters. She's always wanted a sister. Heero smiled, his mate had a kind heart, most people only saw her title, something which He, Duo and Mouse and the others didn't.

"I don't think even Trowa and Quatre bonded this fast. It's very strong to have taken him down in less than a week of seperation. I'd say their bond is equal to ours, but it's hit them much faster and harder than it hit us." Relena gave Heero a soft smile.

"Well that's not surprising Heero, you and I were barely 15 when we met and bonded on that beach. We were nowhere near ready for some kind of bond and most definitely not the physical side of it, not at that age, so it took longer for us to get to that point."

"Hai." Heero nodded in agreement, yes all of the other pilots been much younger when they had found their bondmates and the process had been slower because of it. But Duo and Mouse were more mature, well Mouse anyway, Heero smirked to himself, the Baka was still a Baka. Heero gather Relena close, she dozed and he thought about the turns his best friends life had taken.

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AN: Part II coming up.