Disclaimer: I don't own the GW characters – am just borrowing to torment for my amusement

Warnings: Swearing, yaoi, violence, general angst, possible OOCness (ages since I've written fanfiction so may be a little bit rusty), m/m sexual relations

Pairings: 1x2 , 3x4, 5+2

A/N: This is a bonus chapter before my hiatus – I wasn't going to post but this one was ready and hopefully will act as a set up for the rest of the fic. This fic has become a bit of a monster and a lot longer than I originally intended… hope this satisfies people until next month where there will be many more chapters!

Song is You Are Not by Young Guns

Chapter Nine

You Don't Even Know Me

I woke up to find myself tangled in blankets as far away from Heero as possible in the small bed. It wasn't a full double so our limbs had got entangled and my hair had managed to get trapped under his arm. His breathing was steady which suggested he was sleeping but I couldn't tell if he was awake and pretending. I tried to move but with him lying on my goddamn braid I stood no chance without waking him. I successfully managed to untangle myself from the blankets and looked at the ceiling of the room, he moved a little which gave me the leverage to free my hair so I crept out of the bed and found my duffle. He didn't stir which kinda persuaded me of the fact he was awake and pretending to be asleep. Whatever. I really don't understand that guy.

The emergency pack of smokes lived in my duffle. Technically, I didn't smoke. It was an occasional thing but I felt like I needed it right now. Considering I'd say my personality had all the hallmarks of being addictive, I'd managed to control it a little. Which meant sometimes I'd wear those fun patches.

I opened the window that I'd crept in through the first night and climbed out onto the fire escape wearing only a boxers and tank. I sat on the metallic grating and dangled my legs down through the bars and lit one. I'm sure Heero wouldn't approve just as Quatre hadn't. It was something bad and unhealthy – it was like his view on alcohol.

I took a few deep drags and decided I didn't need it so I threw it down to the ground below and opened the window creeping back in. Though Heero wasn't in bed. I could hear the shower and my mind conjured up the appropriate image. It made me groan a little. It was a problem being around him – my hormones were on fire, my brain confused and my body responded how the hell it wanted. And none of it was helping.

He walked out of the bathroom looking every bit as good as my mind had come up with, a low slung towel round his hips. I walked over to take a shower and thought about having it cold. We briefly touched as I passed him and it was enough of an electric shock to make body want to respond. I was probably too bruised and sore for anything this morning but I was still a young guy. My body betrayed me.

I showered using the time to calm my hormones down as seriously it wasn't helping. I was glad to see my body had a similar effect on him as I left the shower in nothing more than a towel, my hair down to let it dry a little, he was staring though I wasn't trying to get his attention. Or at least I thought I wasn't but I didn't mind the way he was looking at me at all. His blue eyes were following me around the room as he sat on his laptop doing his best not to look at me too hard.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

He swallowed and returned to his laptop. I chuckled to myself as I started to dress – I wasn't sure where we stood this morning but I couldn't help the teasing. It felt like slipping into an old role.

"Get dressed. We have to go and meet Wufei."

"'Fei's coming?" I asked, looking over my shoulder as I grabbed my jeans from near the bed. The trail of clothes showed the evidence of what had happened last night.

"He has sensitive information. There seems to be a problem within the Preventers and leaking confidential intelligence."

"So they have someone in the Preventers selling information? Aren't Preventer salaries high enough?"

Money had really started to mean nothing to me but I was well aware of what money meant to other people. Having been dirt poor since birth, now that I had money I didn't know how to spend it – hell, if this shit ever worked itself out and I became Duo Maxwell again, I'd ask Q how to invest it. It seemed like random figures in front of my eyes.

"Wufei wants to keep any knowledge of Quatre's movement between us and him."

"Yeah, but how confidential can it be? Surely, there's a ton of Winner Corp staff, Trowa and his security team, at least a few of his sisters, shit, if I can think of a ton of people, there must be more."

I'd finished dressing and took the chair opposite his at the table, running a brush through my hair. He reached out and for a second I thought about elbowing him in the face. I didn't as he touched my still very wet hair, one strand in his fingers.

"I like it down."

"Yeah, one and only time, babe. It's a bitch if I keep it down."

I got a smile, an actual genuine smile that I frowned at. It made something deep inside me hurt. Heero confused me. He always had. I was already trying to put barriers up but they hadn't gone up quick enough. I was falling down the rabbit hole. Shit.

I stood to find a towel to rough dry it some more and then decided to give up and go ahead and braid it sitting on the couch. He was shutting down the laptop as I finished, tying it off with elastic and discarding the brush back into my go bag.

"So where we meeting the Wu-Man?"

"Motel."

"Classy place?"

"No."

"Hooker and roaches place?"

He nodded and explained we were going to a motel named the Red Roof that was deep in the middle of strip club and hooker central. It wasn't that far from Black Velvet. Gotta love the District. Everywhere is so classy. I grabbed my hooded sweatshirt and zipped it up, giving him a cocky grin.

"You always take me to the nicest places."

We left, a gun on each of us, my flick knife in my pocket and exited via the alley behind Wired and headed to the street. As we entered the street, me following a step behind Heero, I felt a strange sensation as we walked into the open. It was that awful suspicious feeling of being watched – I knew the hairs on the back of my neck had stood up and my survival instincts had kicked in.

I stopped him for a second, my hand gripping his thin wrist and he looked at me and nodded. "Separate?" I mouthed quietly.

He brushed his lips against mine in the briefest of kisses before he went back towards the alley and disappeared leaving me stood in the street. I casually leaned against the wall outside Wired for a second and tried to work out where someone could have been watching us from but there had been no one in the alley. I scanned the windows and then the roofs – no fucking idea. But it was bad. I knew coming back to L2 was a bad idea and being that we were now being watched made me feel a little sick. What did they know? Were we just suspicious as we were new to L2? Or had someone, somewhere made us as Preventer agents and now we were officially fucked?

I pushed off the wall and walked through the street, pulled up the hood of my sweatshirt and walked quickly but not too damn quickly. If it was one person, perhaps the fact we'd separated might have confused them – I kinda hoped they'd followed Heero. I suppose he was least recognisable of the pair of us if someone did remember a braided kid from L2 fighting in a big ass machine. Or he might just kill someone. Plus he'd be able to do it quick and without fuss – snap the neck, done, kablam.

I walked, keeping my head down, and people looked in my direction but seemed to ignore me. I looked shifty but this was the District in L2 – most peopled looked shifty. I knew where the motel was but I hadn't had the contact with 'Fei so didn't know which room he was in or anything else. Damn, we really weren't good at this working together thing. I took a long way round to try and confuse shit if someone had been following me but I didn't have that feeling anymore. Maybe I'd lost them. Maybe they had followed Heero – whatever, I decided to just make contact.

The motel wasn't that far from Black Velvet. It was by the hour. I saw the office, the neon sign either not on during the day or not working and walked in. I guessed Wufei used his usual name so I knew what to say. The woman behind the desk wore a low cut top and high shiny boots with stiletto spikes that she rested in front of her. She wore a ton of makeup but I flashed a winning smile.

"I'm expected, darlin'. A Mr Black."

"Room 125, hun," she said with a drawl. I guess Wufei had told her that he was expecting visitors. She gave me a very hard look up and down my body and then looked at my hair. Guess she thought I was a hooker. Which was fine. I suppose. Or maybe not. Jesus, was everything about sex on L2? "Paid for 3 hours, sweetheart, you're in for a ride."

"Sure, all part of the job."

I walked out of the office and towards the rooms. 125 was the first floor so I made my way up the metallic stairs until I arrived at the room. The curtains were closed, they were an awful yellowy colour that looked damn sickly. This wasn't a nice place but I coulda guessed that. Crumby motel room in the District = hookers and drugs. I really didn't want to come into contact with any furniture or blankets or pillows or anything.

I knocked twice with two hard raps. Five answered. I confirmed with two again and then I stepped back. The door opened and I walked swiftly inside, barely looking back. The door slammed quickly behind me.

I looked round the pathetic motel room and its depressing appearance and then to the man stood behind me, checking through a small slit in the curtains. He stood up straight and his eyes looked straight into mine and then gave me a surveying glance.

"Where's Yuy?"

"We think we're being watched. We separated."

"Watched?"

"We're not sure but I got this feeling. We separated to confuse shit. He'll be here – it's Heero, you know his devotion towards missions and all."

His black eyes focused on my face and I damned my pale complexion. The bruise looked worse than it felt – in fact, I thought it gave me a tough street fighter look that would only help in my tough guy cover. It made me look like I'd been in a bar brawl. Always a good thing when you're meant to be a badass.

"He hit you?"

"Yeah… but I hit him first."

He stepped towards me, a hand gently on my jaw and he looked concerned.

"I shouldn't have put you together."

"No, seriously, 'Fei, its nothing. A little fight, we made up and everything…"

By fucking, I thought, but didn't say it out loud. He was looking at me very intensely in a way I'd always hated. He was seeing right through me. His eyes darted down my body to my wrist which he lifted to see where the bruises were developing from where Heero had held them so goddamn tight. You couldn't see it on the tattooed arm but you could on the other. And it was the imprint of finger marks. I jerked away from his grasp feeling suddenly like I was being judged. He was so good at making me feel like I'd been stupid. And I was already kinda feeling confused about last night's sexcapades.

"What did he do?" he said.

"Shit, 'Fei, its fine. I'm not hurt, okay? I'm a big boy, I can handle him."

"Maxwell… you two…didn't?"

"I don't see why it's any of your business."

"I'm your handler… it effects both of your abilities to work together."

"So that's it, huh? You only want to know because you're my handler?"

I knew I was being a little mean, I knew he had a little thing for me. He never came out and said it but the way he'd touched me said it was more than a little friendly concern. I thought, when my mind wandered a little bit, that maybe me and Wufei could potentially be good together. He'd certainly be calmer than Heero. It probably wouldn't end up with us beating shit out of each other which had tended to happen with us. But I didn't feel anything. I was never sure what me and Heero meant but damnnit, the ride was fun.

"Yes, that's the only reason I would be remotely interested in your sex life."

I took a seat on the edge of the bed, the fight kinda gone out of me and sat on the dirty yellow covers. I'd forgotten my deal to myself – no touching stuff in the hooker motel. I sighed and decided to answer, my eyes completely avoiding his, instead I looked at a browny stain on the carpet. Kinda looked like blood.

"Yeah, we fucked. It doesn't matter."

"It matters, Duo. It always matters. You two and this stupid… relationship. Neither of you are any good to a mission when you're too busy with each other."

I glared at him trying to come up with the best argument I could but my thoughts were stopped as there was a knock at the door – a knock belonging to the object of this fight. Wufei let Heero in barely looking at him.

"Yuy," he said, coldly. I mean ice was literally dripping from his voice – I know not literally but I'd never heard 'Fei be so cold to anyone.

"Chang," Heero replied.

"Were you followed?"

"I evaded them."

"Good."

I looked between them realising the testosterone level had gone significantly in the room all down to little old me. Jesus, I wasn't even part of this display of masculine hostility. I was gonna make a comment about just getting out dicks and comparing sizes but realised it was totally inappropriate considering everything. I have some goddamn restraint.

Wufei gave Heero a very stern look as he saw the bruise on his face. Least it proved my point. I had punched him. I wasn't some pathetic chick who should be protected from a violent lover. 'Fei didn't get that I wasn't the innocent party in whatever the hell this relationship was… I was just as pissy and aggressive.

"So… what's the personal visit for?" I asked to stop the tension in the room. "Not that we don't wanna see ya but I've never had contact while I've been undercover before."

Black eyes turned back to me which seemed better than the staring contest that had been going on between Wufei and Heero.

"Winner arrived on L2 yesterday. I escorted him."

Well that was a shocker.

"Quat's on L2? Couldn't you just persuade him to keep the fuck away?"

"Barton tried. I believe it is a battle even he cannot win."

"Stubborn motherfucker."

"Takes one to know one."

I scowled back at Wufei for a second then decided it was kinda funny. It was damn near a joke. I cracked a little smile.

"Who knows he's here?" Heero asked.

"Myself, Barton, and now both of you."

"So just the five of us?" I asked, surprised. It was like the old team was back together but I doubted that with Q's high profile that anything could be kept that secret.

"Yes."

"That's impossible," Heero said, leaning against the wall, his arms across his chest. "There must be some records."

"We used a commercial container shuttle. It was a very unusual journey."

"There is always a trace. Identity documentation. Security feeds. You admit yourself that the Preventers are no longer secure. Your involvement is traceable."

"Yuy, this was done with the utmost level of confidentiality."

Heero grunted in response, radiating hostility. He didn't need to say anything else as it was damn clear he wasn't listening to Wufei's opinion and sure as hell wasn't gonna back down. I stepped in.

"Why come? Why does he actually need to be here? It's not like he doesn't run a bazillion dollar company with tons of staff. He's gotta take the terrorist threat seriously."

"He believes he is. He is defying it to try and prove the peace we fought for was achieved and no terrorist threat can destroy that."

I shook my head. It was so Quatre. Believing the best in people, being determined, trying to show that peace worked and not being afraid of the bad guys. Why did he have to be so goddamn noble and shit? And why couldn't Trowa just convince him his life was more important than this? Jesus, I wanted to speak to blondie and tell him there was no time to be idealistic.

"Where is he?"

Wufei looked between us. "Confidential."

I think my mouth dropped. "You can't tell us?"

"No."

"Wow, watch the power trip on you, 'Fei. Can't even tell us. You must be real important."

Heero gave a slight smirk at the level of sarcasm that was in my voice.

"It's not a power trip. We are trying to protect Winner."

I shrugged. "Ain't we all?"

We were all doing this glaring thing at each other. This was so not going well. I had always had no real problems with working for 'Fei, he was a good guy, the whole noble and honour stuff made me trust him. And I couldn't imagine why Heero would have a problem with him unless it was still all to do with him hiding us from each other. And me. My thoughts were stopped as Heero spoke.

"Duo's meeting Dallas alone."

Wufei looked over at me and then back to Heero.

"Tell on me why dontcha?" I said with a glare at him.

"Alone?"

"Yeah, you only gave Heero enough cash to get one of us in so I volunteered as Mr Yuy over there is as convincing as a criminal as I am being a goddamn mute."

My eyes drifted over to the other bed where a sport bag sat, my guess it was my cover – the large amount of explosives.

"When?"

"Soon. Just waiting for the contact from the gunrunners, a dude called Antoine who, by the way, when you come down on Dallas' crew, make sure you arrest that asshole as well."

"Do you have evidence?"

"I have plenty," Heero said darkly. "Upload my laptop."

Wufei nodded and seemed to be thinking. "Maxwell, you need to be wired if you are going in alone."

"Wired? You must be fucking kidding me? I know the whole death shtick is like my thing but come on, I don't actually have a death wish."

"It's small, it'll be inserted under the skin like your tracker was. The signal will be low frequency but enough to reach Yuy who will maintain cover at Wired. Yuy can record any relevant conversations and forward them onto me – only me."

He looked between us as he spoke. Heero seemed like he wanted back up from 'Fei about me not going in but had given up on that argument and was scowling at both of us. Death Glare? Check. 'Fei wandered over to the sports bag and brought out a small envelope – shook it out into the palm of his hand and there was the tiniest little recording device I'd ever seen. It was kinda cute. Then I thought, yeah, it's going inside my skin. Not so cute. When I'd had a tracker inserted it had been in a sterile doctor's surgery with a nice Preventer employed doctor. It had been with anaesthetic. And it had been thoroughly painless.

I think I must have looked kinda apprehensive as I felt a hand on shoulder – a gentle touch and I spun round to see Heero there behind me. I hadn't even heard him come across the room.

"Where does it go?"

"You're wrist. It will be very shallow cut."

I wanted to be childish and go yuk. I know I shouldn't be at all squeamish, I'd killed plenty of people in my time and I'd seen even more die in front of me but I had a thing about wrists. I'd seen slashed wrists when I was a kid – a lot of people took the easy way out and I'd seen it too many times. It was probably why I hated Heero when he self-destructed or tried to end the war dead. I wondered how the hell he was going to do it - there were veins and shit there, I looked at my none tattooed arm and guessed it would be my right arm. I didn't want a nice scar to ruin the hours spent inking the other arm.

"I'll need alcohol," 'Fei said glancing to Heero.

"Yeah, I'll need it too, 'Ro."

Heero squeezed my shoulder and left, leaving me and Wufei alone. He was looking at his med kid and avoiding my eyes. It continued without us speaking for a few uncomfortable minutes until I couldn't stand it anymore.

"'Fei, don't judge me. I don't think it was a good idea the thing with Heero but it just kinda happened."

He shook his head. "I don't judge you. You are a grown man who can make whatever mistakes you want to."

"You think it's a mistake?"

"I think it's an unneeded complication."

Complication? Fuck yeah. Unneeded? I wasn't so sure. Yeah, some part of me needed what had happened, it resolved some things and it sure as hell got rid of any sexual frustration. But I wasn't going to have this conversation with Wufei.

"Are you ready for Dallas?"

His words brought me back to the real reason I was here. Quatre and the gang that wanted to kill him. This wasn't about me and Heero even though it was becoming a part of the great tragic tale of our lives. Our interconnected lives.

"As I'll ever be – he really can't be that bad, can he?"

"That's your job to find out."

He smiled at me and I thought, you know what, behind the whole lone wolf thing, Wufei was a kind and caring guy. It fucked with my head to see why he was interested in lil old me. Me and Heero I could see… we were both totally damaged, reckless idiots embroiled in this passionate and angry relationship. I couldn't understand why someone like Wufei would ever think I was worth the risk. I suppose he didn't know me, didn't know who I really was, he had this idea of me that wasn't me. I looked away from him and thought about the mission.

"How is Quatre?"

"Stressed, tired, isolated. Maybe even scared though he will not admit it."

"None of us ever do, do we?"

Wufei smiled. "No. Showing weakness is not our forte."

And for a second I realised how close we were and that he was right in front of me. His lips were damn close. I could see in his eyes that he wanted to move and I didn't move away. Damn, I should push him away, I should say my heart belonged to Heero and no one else but he looked so open… that I couldn't do it.

The knock at the door stopped the moment. And Wufei let Heero back in holding two bottles – one which looked like paint stripper vodka and the other was an imitation Jack Daniels, similar black label though I bet it didn't taste at all like it. He handed Wufei the vodka as he busied himself getting together the required items from his portable med kit. I removed my hoodie and took the imitation JD. I opened the bottle and took a swig. Oh shit, not nice stuff. It burned and I coughed a little.

"Duo?"

"It's strong and bad."

"Just drink it."

"'Kay."

I took a few swigs which would take some of the edge off the small amount of surgery. I wasn't being a wuss about this. Really. It was just the sort of thing you usually get done in a nice white room. Not a dirty hooker motel.

I offered my arm to Wufei who now had some little knives and was looking like he was really concentrating. He put on some latex gloves and stared. He wasn't doing anything but he was poised to.

"You do know what you're doing, right?"

"I believe so."

"Believe?"

That's when he made the incision and I had no confidence since he'd just said "believe" and for a second, I was expecting blood to start spraying. An artery or something. I decided to take another swig of the alcohol. It was safer.

Heero was watching carefully behind him which I could imagine was really distracting. It was like if you piloted next to Heero. He made you feel so uncomfortable about your abilities that it was easier to just let him pilot. I'm sure that's why he'd learnt to glare like that – like he was gonna rip your head off. It unsettled people and it got him his own way.

It was over pretty quick, Wufei put the chip in, used some fake skin, stitched it all together while I purposefully not looking. He poured some of the vodka on to disinfect it which hurt like a motherfucking bitch and then swabbed it clean. I was feeling slightly buzzed being that I had managed to consume a third of the bottle during the process and it was strong. I can hold my liquor with the best of them but I sometimes wondered what the hell was in the alcohol in L2. It was like moonshine. It must have so many impurities. I looked at my wrist and it looked normal. It was like I'd got the smallest little cut. And considering how many cuts and wounds covered my body it was nothing unusual.

"Nice job, 'Fei."

I went to the bathroom to clean up and then returned so that Wufei could put a small bandage round it and I realised they had been talking about me but not to me, you know, which was probably because I was buzzed but I was feeling out of the loop. I don't know what was said but they were glaring at each other again. I glanced at Wufei searching for where he could hide a katana underneath his cream trench coat and then to Heero who I knew was armed. The tension was pretty bad.

"So we done?" I said to lighten the mood.

"Yes," Heero answered.

Heero grabbed the sports bag with the explosives in and we moved to leave. I looked back at Wufei who was putting his med kit right and then went to pour out the alcohol down the sink. I thought about saying something – asking him to say something to Quatre even though for our cover he needed to think we were dead or disappeared but I couldn't. I wanted to say sorry to 'Fei for if I'd ever done anything to think he had a chance with me – if I'd been a tease or made him believe that we coulda had something. But I couldn't, not with Heero with me, and I wanted to thank him. He didn't doubt me. Knew I was good at my job. Knew I could take down Dallas and save the day. I wanted to thank him for his faith in me. Instead I waved a little half-hearted wave and left following Heero out into the District.

We arrived back at the apartment and I flopped down on the bed, the blankets on the bed still smelt of sex and I must have started to fall asleep. After all, we'd only got a few hours sleep last night and the alcohol had gone, like, straight to my head. I drifted for a while until I felt a hand on my face waking me straight away. I felt for a gun. I was not used to being woken. I realised I'd got to my flick knife automatically before I realised the hand and voice was Heero's.

"You have to meet Dallas."

Now I was fully awake.

"When?"

"Now."

Fuck.