Hello everyone, here we go again!

I know, I know. It's late. Really late. And this is a shorter chapter, I just have been swamped. Since we last talked I have: settled my financial issues for college, found a new apartment, been approved for and moved into said apartment, visciously budgeted myself and then, after three days of unpacking... found my laptop screen had been broken in the move. Which was another week and a half to fix, and then a half a week after that to write. So, I'm sorry. Hopefully, the next chapter will be more quick in coming. And longer. :)

For fair warning: This is a mature story, set in and Alternate Universe, which will make reference to sex, hold strong language and talk about some serious topics, such as trans-gendered people, homosexuals, sex reassignment surgery, murder and many other things. If any of this isn't your cup of tea, or you are not open-minded enough to handle it, then please, do not waste your time or mine. Thank you and please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or its charries.

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Chapter Six

The dreams had become a nightly occurrence.

It was getting to the point that Duo couldn't look Wufei in the eyes in the morning and he ended up dwelling on it all day. He thought about a lot of other things too. The things Wufei had told him, the things he had gone through both to become who he was, and because of other people reacting to that fact. It made him feel like shit, more often than not. He was constantly at odds with himself, having to defend his response to Meiran telling him those years ago. He felt like his heart had split in two: the old Duo, holding that anger close to himself, and the new, wanting to mend bridges with Wufei anyway he could.

Anyway that didn't include sex, that is.

To make matters worse, Howard had not yet been cleared as a suspect. He had no alibis, far as Duo could find, trying to have casual conversations with the man, not yet wanting him to know he was a suspect. Duo didn't want to lose one of his few real friendships. Not when he knew for certain that Heero had made a mistake. He had no alibi for the times of the killings, because he often stayed at the shop, alone, working late. Or he was out drinking. At least one of the nights, he had been with Duo, at their weekly dinner and football night, which had been admittedly sparse lately, few and far between, but it wasn't enough. The timing wasn't exact enough.

And Heero himself had been hard to track down lately, not a trait one wanted in the partner they were supposed to entrust their life to. Duo's calls were going to voice-mail more and more often and though he had asked, Heero denied having any new girlfriend. It was hard to tell how truthful the other man was being, however, when Heero refused to meet his eyes when ever the subject was poached.

Standing outside Howard's auto-repair shop, Duo shifted his thinking back from his best friend and partner to the man that was inside, a falsely accused friend, who Duo needed to have cleared as soon as possible. Entering through the garage as he always did, the long haired man let out a hearty bellow in greeting, causing two of the mechanics to look up with matching, telltale grins. There was always something going on at Howard's.

"Bossman handy?" Duo asked, his own grin growing to match that of his former coworkers. One of the men pointed towards Howard's office and Duo forced himself to make his usual small talk with the crew, though his mind was elsewhere. After what his instincts deemed a suitable amount of time, Duo stood up straight from the car he had been leaning back against and stretched, promising that they should all go out for drinks together soon. Then he headed into the lion's den-

Or the heavily cluttered rat hole that Howard managed to call an office. Amazingly, Duo had never seen the man struggling to find anything, from paperwork to a client's car keys. It was reassuring to see things so familiar. Howard just didn't have it in him to kill someone, let alone so many, or in such a horrific way.

"Duo! How goes the detective-ism?" Howard's grin was the same too, huge and genuine, despite the ever present sunglasses keeping his eyes from Duo's gaze. It was nigh impossible to resist grinning back.

"Same ol' same ol'," Duo answered, seeing as his job was one of the few aspects of his life that really was the same as always. Unlike everything else that Wufei Chang had a hand in... "Some badie gets it in his mind to go off and kill some folks and I bring the bastard to justice."

"Hero complex."

"No, that would be my partner, thank you." They shared a laugh.

"I been reading about this guy. Pilot?"

"Pontius Pilate."

"Right, killing trannies." Duo's mind flinched at the word, thinking of how Wufei hated it, and how often he had used it in reference to his case.

"Yeah," He said lamely, not able to bring himself to correct Howard's ignorant language.

Howard nodded, looking pensive for a moment. "Tough one. Especially for you, what with Meiran."

Duo thought he might have actually flinched that time, and took a moment to compose his face. "Not so tough. I know what's right here and I'll bring this killer to justice just like any other."

Howard was silent again, then finally, as Duo was about to bring up their football night, said, "I'm not condoning what he's doing, Duo... but I think I get this one. It's disgusting, what those people do to themselves. It's a crime against God and nature."

Duo's mouth went dry. "No one deserves to be murdered and propped up in some sort of gender crucifixion."

"Maybe so," Howard said, and after a tense moment of silence, their usual talk of football and the shop commenced. Duo couldn't shake it though, the shiver that had gone up his spine. It made him wonder what he would have seen if he'd been able to look into Howard's eyes just then. It made him wonder if there was actually a chance Heero hadn't made a mistake after all.

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"Shut up," Heero said, irritated. He had come because Zechs had asked him to, but he hadn't expected Treize to be there with the restaurant's lights down low and candle light framing what appeared to be a romantic dinner for three. Tonight was supposed to be about the case, not about whatever... ridiculous notions Treize had that what they were doing was anything more than sex.

"It was merely an observation, Detective," Treize said with a smile, fingers trailing over Heero's cheek. Heero allowed the motion only because Treize was baiting him again. The older man proceeded to press his lips to Heero's, kissing him slow, but chastely, making Heero both want to fight and slam the other man against a wall, or a table or the damn floor..

"It is true that you have beautiful eyes, Detective Yuy," Zechs Marquise said, his voice velvet, his breath hot on Heero's ear. These two were dangerous, and addicting. "And your anger only makes them brighter." He pressed a kiss below Heero's ear, just behind the edge of his jaw. The perfect detective nearly shivered.

Zechs, less juvenile than his partner, was harder to resist, when he decided to turn on his charm. With Treize, Heero could use his annoyance as a shield, but with Zechs... His confidence was all-consuming. But where Zechs had confidence, Treize had a charisma he didn't often let show full force. When his eyes were alight with passion, Heero could see this man doing great things. Treize was the kind of man who could raise armies and lead whole nations into a new world. Sometimes, however, Heero feared for the type of world this man could create, and so he was more than pleased with the fact that Treize seemed content with his little restaurant, and with Zechs.

And, apparently, with Heero.

The older man began pressing his lips to Heero's neck opposite of Zechs', tenderly licking and and nipping at Heero's skin, relaxed in a way that the young detective envied, as he tensed under their administrations.

"Have dinner with us, Heero," Treize said, making his name sound sinful in a way it never had before. Heero grit his teeth to stay strong.

"No."

"A drink, at least," Zechs murmured softly, whispering softly into Heero's ear, a gentle finger moving harmlessly up and down his forearm, the movement both distracting and soothing. Another gentle kiss was placed over the area over the first and Zechs sucked on the skin there, slow, but hard enough Heero knew he would leave a mark.

With a sigh, the blue-eyed detective decided to concede once again.

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Wufei was not sure exactly how they found themselves in this position.

He had been showering, not two minutes ago, when he heard something suspiciously like a window opening. Slipping a robe around himself, he had crept down the hall, ready to protect Duo's home. Instead, he had somehow ended up on the floor, straddling the legs of a very surprised Duo, his robe beginning to fall open and revealing his muscled chest, and the scars from his bilateral mastectomy.

"Um, hi..." He was staring, and Wufei fought the urge to cover himself. He had nothing to be ashamed of. It was only fair to let Duo gawk for a moment and then get over it.

"Hi. Do you usually let yourself in through the kitchen window?" A calm voice.

"Hmm? Uh, no, I... I grabbed the wrong set of keys today. No house key." Duo shook his head, "Damn, do those look real."

"….Thank you."

"Er, I didn't mean to be.."

"It's fine," Wufei said, getting up and walking back towards the bathroom to finish his shower. He was proud to get there without Duo seeing the tent in his pants.

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The dreams were becoming more realistic, from the look and feel of Wufei's body to the fact that Duo was now aware of his partner's identity from the beginning. He hadn't gone through this many sets of sheets in a week since he was a teenager, and it would be downright embarrassing, should Wufei ever notice. Hell, it was embarrassing anyway.

"Howard is coming at four?" Wufei asked from the doorway of the laundry room, spoon in hand.

"Yeah. Thanks for cooking, 'Fei," Duo said.

There was a pause. "Don't you think he'll notice something? I don't look that different, and I'm making all of my usual foods."

"I'm counting on it," he answered. Wufei nodded solemnly and Duo gave him a reassuring smile, "Nothing's going to happen to you here, Fei. And if you don't trust me, I asked Heero to drop in about a half an hour later."

"Do you think it's Howard?"

"… I don't want to think that, no."

Wufei nodded again and headed back to the kitchen. Duo would be a liar if he said he didn't watch him go. That ass was the same as it had always been.

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