Things are slowly coming to a head! Here's another chapter and I hope you like it.

Legal stuff: I don't own Gundam Wing. Never have and never will (except in my dreams), so don't sue.

Walking on Sunshine

Duo came bounding into the school building; his feet seemed to have wings. He caught sight of one of his favorite targets for teasing. Wufei Chang stood there talking with Sally Po; the two of them were in a deep conversation, excluding the rest of their friends.

"Wuffles!" Duo shouted, barreling down on his unsuspecting victim and throwing himself into the Chinese boy's arms. "How ya doin' this fine mornin'?"

"Get off me,bèndàn," Wufei snarled. "I don't have time for you today."

Duo sniffed, like he was about to cry. "Hee-chan, he's being mean to me."

"Leave him alone, baka. He's in a pissy mood, as usual. That and I think he was hitting on Sally."

"I wasn't hitting on her. It's almost time for prom and I was asking her to the dance."

"Wuffles' got a girlfriend. Wuffles' got a girlfriend," Duo sang, dancing around the irritated teenager.

"Yuy, what's gotten in to him today?" Wufei asked, looking at the Japanese boy.

"Nothing that I know of, why did you ask me?"

"Because you're hovering over him like a hawk," he said, looking the messy-haired boy in the eyes. "Be careful, Relena has been stalking about looking for you. She seems to think that you're going to ask her to the dance."

"Wonderful," Heero responded, shaking his head. "Just what I need, some bimbo pouting because I didn't ask her to prom. Let me guess, she wants me to wear a pink tux."

"No, just a pink cummerbund and tie; oh, and don't forget the pink limo too."

"Ug! She's f-ing nuts if she thinks I'm taking her anywhere in that monstrosity." He wrapped his fist into Duo's braid and dragged him into the nearest bathroom. He walked to the back and shoved the braided idiot into the handicap stall. He pushed him against the wall and began devouring the chestnut-haired boy's mouth.

Duo moaned into Heero's open mouth and draped one leg over the larger boy's hip. Their groins ground together, the passion rising between them.

"Duo Maxwell, please report to the Counselor's office," the voice of the school administrative assistant came over the intercom. "Duo Maxwell, please report to Counselor's office, immediately."

Heero groaned as he reluctantly drew his lips away from his eager partner. "Damn, just when things are getting interesting," he murmured into the braided boy's ear. "Let's get one thing straight."

"Hm?" Duo moaned, looking up at his messy-haired lover with glazed eyes.

"I ever catch you in Chang's arms again and I'll kill him, understand?"

"Yes, Hee-chan," he responded, slipping out of his arms. "I'd better go before they send a posse out for me."

"Go, I'll see you later."

"See ya in class," he chirped, heading out of the stall, stopping only to fix his clothes and hair.

Duo bounded down the hallway, heading to the councilor's office and wondering what the hell was going on. He didn't think that he was in trouble. His grades had actually improved since his coming to live with the Winners (not that they were horrible before). And now he wasn't falling asleep in his morning classes, there wasn't anybody who would really be gunning for him, now. Hell, even Ms. Une treated him like a person now. She was trying to make things up to him, but he had no desire to except her mute apologies. Right now he was too pissed!

He bounded into Professor G's office and came to a screeching halt. Sitting on one of the chairs was OJ. He sat up a little straighter and gave Duo a fragile, small smile.

"Hey, Duo," he said, standing up and coming toward him.

Duo stepped back, putting some space between them. "What do you want, OJ?"

"Look, I'm sorry about everything I did. I knew what dad was doing felt really wrong, but all I wanted was his love. I became everything he wanted as an athlete, but I couldn't match your mind." He gave a disgusted snort. "Maybe if we'd been able to combine ourselves into one person, we might have equaled the perfect son for him."

"Yeah," Duo responded, sighing and sitting down. "What can I do to help you?"

"It's not what you can do for me; it's what I can do for you." He took a deep breath and sat back down, so that they were almost eye to eye. "Dad got a hold of me the other night and he wants me to make it look like you're the naughty kid that he tried to tell everyone that you were. But I can't do it. You always looked out for me, even when I didn't want you too. Not only that, but you even helped me stay on the football team, by lending me a hand with my homework when I didn't understand it." He reached under his seat and pulled out a box. He held it out and waited for the braided boy to take it.

Duo looked at it, dubiously. "What's in it?"

"Just some old pictures I found under dad's bed. I thought you might enjoy seeing our grandmother, on the old man's side." He gave Duo a slight smile. "I think you'll find it very… um… interesting."

The braided boy carefully opened the box as his half-brother left. In it lay a chaotic jumble of photos from the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties. They were all of a woman who looked vaguely familiar. She had Owen's blonde hair, but the deep amethyst eyes that stared at him everyday in the mirror looked up at him from the pile of shiny paper. Her features had the same delicate refinement as his own. Now he truly knew where he fit into the family dynamic and that no matter what the old bastard said, he was definitely Owen's get.

"Well, fuck me," he murmured. He carefully closed the box and headed off to his homeroom class. Not even finding someone who could love him after all he'd been through could warm his soul like the items in that small box. He finally had a place in this world.

Solo Maxwell sat in his car and watched as the students poured out of the school building after the bell rang. He hoped that he was far enough away not to attract the wrong kind of attention, but close enough that he could keep an eye on his nephews. Granted, OJ wasn't his sister's, but she had always considered him one of her kids. And he would protect both boys if possible. But if it came to a choice, Duo was his first priority.

The alarm on his watch went off, reminding him that it was time for his medication. His time in the jungles of the world had left him scarred, both emotionally and physically. Malaria often left him suffering from tertian fevers and while there were drugs that would prevent him from being totally bedridden during the time, they left him feeling sick and drawn out. He reached into his jacket pocket and removed the small pill carrier he filled every morning. As he started to open the container, a slight noise, no more than a scuff of shoe sole against the pavement, had him reaching for the gun hidden in the newspaper on his lap.

"Easy," a familiar voice murmured from his blind spot. His partners had returned and they slipped quietly into the backseat.

"How'd it go?" Solo asked, removing his hand from the weapon, fishing out his medication and swallowing the capsules with a gulp of water from a Thermos.

"No prob," Odel Bernett answered.

Solo looked in the rearview mirror at the two men in the backseat. Identical jet black hair and electric blue eyes in light-skinned faces of classical beauty met his eyes. Then he could see the differences; Odel, the oldest, his face showed signs of the overly responsible man he was. Odin's youthful brashness shone from every pore, his eyes restlessly shifting from one place to the other never missing a thing. Both worked with the older man in the jungles of various third world countries. Being a mercenary had its perks and downfalls.

"I'll be able to mingle with your nephew and his friends," Odin responded to the unasked question. "As a matter of fact, I was accosted by him and his friends. They asked me if I needed anything and told me how they were so happy that I've come to this school." He canted his head to one side. "They're really great kids. Duo reminds me a little of you; always worried about someone else."

"We fed them the story you concocted, about how our parents died, leaving my poor, baby brother in my hands and that we've come to Winnerton to make a fresh start."

"Good," Solo murmured. "We'll go to home base now and get settled there."

"So, you found a place?"

"Yeah, there was an old garage for sale and I snagged it. It's got all that we need for the cover with an added bonus."

"Bonus?" Odin asked, his eyes glittering.

"There's a three bedroom house attached to the business so we won't have to go too far for lodging. That was the biggest selling point." Solo looked in the rearview mirror, a malicious grin splitting his face. "Owen's gonna be very sorry when I get done with him."

"And what was your cover story? For the family I mean," Odel said returning the smirk.

"A missionary. Boy is he gonna be surprised." He started up the vehicle and pulled away from the school; not remembering the adage about the best laid plans.