Disclaimer: I won't insult your intelligence, you know the score.

Rating: PG

Warnings: Mild use of foul Language.

Notes: Another character thing, this time I just wanted to have a moment with the boys. Duo's been such a larger than life character, drawing out the others, I wanted to know what would happen. Of course, Duo being Duo in this world, just had to be the centre of attention. As with the previous stories, A Subtle Way of "Doing Him", A Simple Tale of "Doing Him", A Serious Tale of "Doing Something" and A Complicated Story of "Doing You", this is set comfortably after the Mariemaia wars. I know I mention some modern day things, but I figure some things never go out of style.

Synopsis: Duo's out blowing up shit, the guys chill at home.

Category: Mild gayness at the most. Vague humour. Some angst. A little well-meant fandom bashing.

Definitions:

Do Him/Her. Emphasis on "do". Doooo hi'm/h'er

The encouragement of obeying apparent sexual desire. To skip over senseless/over elaborate romantic gestures/setting and head straight into HAWT sexual relations. Often used by yaoi/yuri fangirls, annoyed by elaborate angst riddled plots, when the obvious answer to all characters' problems would be a good session engaged in sexual activity. 1. Just DO him. 2. Will you get over yourself, and DO her! 3. You should tie him up and DO him!

A Brilliant Method of "Doing Nothing At All"

by Doc Megalomania

Heero yawned, tired from the day. He leant forward and pressed his forehead against the cold doors of the lift. Behind him, Trowa and Quatre were trying to be subtle about their stolen kiss. Heero closed his eyes and tried to tune them out. He appreciated their effort to be subtle, but they were not successful. The lift rumbled to a stop and Heero lifted his head. The doors opened and he stepped out. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that his two friends were lost in their kiss. He rolled his eyes, adjusted the shoulder bag, and leant forward into the lift again. He pressed the button for the highest floor and stepped back. The doors closed on them.

Shaking his head, Heero walked on toward his apartment. As soon as he opened the door, he was unsurprised to find a pair of Preventer issue boots neatly lined up by the rest of his shoes. The television was on, and he could hear Wufei's voice. A little spark of disappointment shot through his heart, but he shrugged it off and dropped off his bag. He glanced up at the mirror in the small half way as he hung up his coat. There was a bright yellow post-it, Duo's blocky, all capital, handwriting. "OUT BLOWING UP SHIT. BACK SOON." Heero loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. The mirror had a number of post-it notes on it. Most were mundane threats between Duo and Wufei, the occasional reminder from Trowa and the odd meaningful quote from Quatre. Quatre didn't spend as much time as he would have liked at the apartment which had become their nexus. His post-its were posted, usually stuck to something he'd found for one of them. Wufei made a frustrated noise in the living room.

"Wufei!" Heero called out, his voice weary, "What are you doing in my apartment?"

"You don't even bother to sound like you care anymore." Wufei's voice was distracted. Heero took off his boots and walking into the living room. Wufei was sat on his sofa, still in his Preventers uniform. His arms were crossed and his leg was out over the coffee table. His attention was riveted to the TV and his expression was cross.

"What the hell...? That's not what happened at all!" Wufei was growling at the screen. Heero stood behind him and watched the screen. On it, a long haired Chinese man in traditional white robes was standing on a boat, and he floated away without a paddle. Heero's eyes narrowed tiredly as they watched together. The Chinese man on the screen was caught in the stream, and badly done oriental music played softly as he dramatically floated away from the dock. Wufei's phone rang.

Swearing in mandarin, Wufei leant to one side as he struggled to get his phone out of his back pocket. Heero looked from screen to Wufei and then back to the screen. He couldn't pinpoint why the man on the screen was making Wufei so angry. There was a cry of triumph as Wufei retrieved his phone. Shaking his head at the caller id, Wufei answered tightly. "Oh, fuck you, Po. You rat bastard!"

Heero continued to watch the program. It took a few moments, there was a blonde woman now shouting after a dark haired man. Heero was so confused until the blonde woman said something familiar. "Oh." Heero winced. It was a documentary about them. Heero had heard of some of them and had been assured that none would make it to television. The channel was one of the hundreds in the digital package he bought. It was constantly filled with inane entertainment and celebrity documentaries. The documentary cut to commercial break, and the title made it clear the programme was unauthorised.

"I'm going to end you, woman!" Wufei threatened, leaping up from the sofa. He cradled his phone between his shoulder and head, as he walked away. "Because only you and I were at that dock, woman, that's why!" Heero watched him leave, and sighed. He walked over to and sank into his lazy boy, picking up his laptop from the table.

"Tea?" Wufei's voice called from the kitchen.

Heero logged onto his laptop, replying. "Yeah, tea. Thanks."

"Where's Barton and Winner? Thought they were coming over!"

Heero's fingers stopped typing for a moment before he replied. "They got caught in the lift. How's Sally?"

"She's a rat bastard!" Wufei called back, louder than necessary. Heero could hear Sally's outrage on the phone. He smiled as Wufei continued to accuse her. Heero dropped a hand to the lever, and moved the lazy boy into a reclining position. He got comfortable with his laptop and began to surf. Wufei returned just as the commercials were coming to an end. He handed Heero a steaming mug and placed his own on the coffee table.

"Yeah, well, woman, just you wait. Yeah, you do that." Wufei growled and hung up. He picked up his mug and stretched out again. He crossed his feet at the ankles, and sipped his black tea. He nodded to Heero. "Caught in the lift?" He asked cautiously. "Like Duo-catching-you-in-a-lift-with-Relena being caught in the lift?"

"They seemed pretty intent on each other, so I sent them to the top floor." Heero tipped his head in thanks and sipped his own drink.

"Ah. Right." Wufei paused for a moment as if thinking. Heero glanced at the former pilot. Wufei waved his hand as if to wave away the thought. "Nah, not enough." He muttered. Wufei turned his attention to the TV. He motioned the screen with his mug. "Have you seen this! This is awful! They've got me totally wrong, and don't get me started on the rest of you."

Heero glanced over to the screen. A man in an extremely bad blonde wig and a poorly made mask was crying in front of a poor painting of a man. Heero wondered what that had to do with them before belatedly connecting the dots. "That's supposed to be Zechs?"

Wufei laughed sharply, "Oh, just wait. If you think that hair job is bad—"

The front door opened. There was the sound of Trowa grumbling and Quatre chuckling. Wufei twisted to look at the two red faced former pilots as they entered the room. "Bit of a jog? Joining the Fifth Floor Club?" Wufei was smirking. Trowa absently flipped the finger at Wufei as he sailed passed to the kitchen, while Quatre came to sit in the living room. He flung himself onto the sofa next to Wufei.

"Could have done without the embarrassment of being caught by one of the more elderly residents of the building. Yeah." He glared at Heero, "Thanks so much for that."

"Pleasure." Heero didn't even look up from his laptop as he continued to surf. On the screen, a clown performed while the narrator intoned about young people being involved in things too much for their young souls to handle. Wufei gave another angry snort and brought his other leg up to cross his legs at the ankle. Wufei's habit of putting his feet up on tables and counters was something they tussled with, but today he was just too tired. If Wufei noticed Heero's lack of commentary, he didn't show it. "Seriously?" Wufei pointed at the screen. "This is a total hack job!"

Trowa returned with tea, and he sat in the chair near Quatre. He nodded toward the screen. "What's on?"

"Oh, us." Wufei curled his lip. "Sally let me know it was going to be aired."

"Us?" Quatre repeated with some confusion. "You mean this is one of those documentaries –"

"Documentary!" Wufei huffed, "That would imply they bothered to research anything!"

Quatre leant forward, tilting his head. On the screen, a blonde woman cried out. She seemed to be in a cockpit of some sort. Quatre squinted for a moment, before his lip curled with disgust. "That is the worst mock up of a cockpit I've ever seen."

"It's supposed to be a True Life Documentary." Wufei said, his voice betraying the edge of his annoyance. "The special effects are particularly stellar." They watched for a long moment. Heero glanced at Wufei, the Chinese man's expression had softened somewhat and he was looking toward both Quatre and Trowa contemplatively. Wufei looked sideways toward Quatre. "Don't you recognise the pilot?"

"No." Quatre leant back, sipping his tea. "Is it supposed to be Sally?" Trowa was drinking, watching the screen. The blonde woman was suddenly cold, sitting in a smaller darker cockpit. She wore a helmet and a crazy expression. They watched for a long moment. It was filled with dramatic music and awful camera angles.

Wufei watched them, a satisfied look growing on his face. He waited until they both clearly had their mouths full. He leant back, linking his fingers over his stomach. "The woman is playing Quatre."

Twin blasters exploded a colony on the screen, while both Trowa and Quatre choked on their hot drinks. Wufei looked innocent but for the fierce smirk on his face. He caught Heero's glare, and then shrugged. "Now we are even." Heero's glare didn't change, Wufei's smile grew, "Trowa started it."

"You bastard!" Trowa recovered first, hot tea sloshing over the rim of his mug. "I told you it was a bloody accident!"

Quatre spluttered, and looked at Wufei with wide eyes. "What am I being punished for?"

Wufei simply held up his mobile and pressed a series of buttons. "Aaah, aaah! Trowa! AAHHH!" Quatre's voice was tinny on the recording.

As they listened, both Trowa and Quatre turned a bright red.

"Ugh, yeah, Quatre!" Trowa's voice was quiet but urgent.

The answer phone message was explicit and long. Wufei pressed another button. "Message deleted." Announced the phone, and Wufei turned to glare at them. "And that's why we make sure our phones are locked so we don't leave disgusting sex messages on Wufei's phone!"

"That was—" Quatre turned to Trowa, "What the hell-?"

"We were in the car after that thing you took me to!" Trowa threw up his hands, "The phone was the last thing on my mind!"

"And apparently the sanity of your friends." Wufei snorted, "I needed to bleach my phone and my ear after that."

Heero shook his head and returned his attention to his laptop. A notification on his desk top announced that Duo was online. Clicking the IM panel, Heero typed a quick message.

"Ping."

"Pong."

"Mission stat?"

Duo's response was quick and to Heero, seemed distracted. "Green. Wrap up."

"Status?"

"Green. Situ?"

Heero looked up from his laptop in time to see Wufei grab Trowa by the front of his hair, while Quatre yanked on Wufei's ponytail. There was a still moment, as they all looked at each other. Heero wasn't sure how Trowa had gotten a hold of a pillow, but his first hit started a modest pillow fight.

"Situ norm." Heero replied. His fingers hovered over the keys for a moment before he typed, "When home?"

Duo began typing a reply but paused for a long moment. His message was short. "Gtg." He signed off, and Heero slouched a little further in the chair. Duo had been on the mission for a week now. Heero had felt out of sorts, not really knowing where his partner had been sent or the particulars of the mission. He sighed and sunk deeper into his lazy boy.

On the screen, a man with a really bad wig and some scrawny Japanese kid escaped chubby Oz guards. They made horrible mistakes and ran sloppily. Heero could understand Wufei's anger; the scrawny Japanese kid looked nothing like him and looked far too young to be playing a fifteen year old. The man playing Duo looked to be in his older teens and was the wrong shape. Heero couldn't really pin down exactly why it annoyed him when scrawny Japanese kid held his gun to 'Duo's' head while the actor playing Duo tried horribly to mimic Duo's bright grin. It was so unrealistic, and Heero felt a snarl building as the man playing Duo held up two thumbs up and grinned manically.

"Is that supposed to be Duo? Those contact lenses are the wrong shade." Heero snorted, he paused reflectively. "I really need to track them down and shoot them." He resumed his surfing, ignoring as Trowa dragged Wufei over the back of the sofa. Quatre managed to hang on, and stayed on the sofa. He looked at the screen with an expression of vague disgust. The blonde woman and the dark haired man were playing the wrong instruments. "Why are they so interested in what we were doing outside of our gundams?" He asked, not really expecting Heero to answer.

"I don't know." Heero rolled his shoulder in a shrug. "Make us seem normal?"

Quatre looked at him slowly, Trowa's voice shouting out clearly. "Say UNCLE! SAY IT!"

"NEVER!" Roared Wufei and something clattered as the pair continued rolling around on the floor behind the sofa. "GODDAMNIT!"

"Normal." Quatre returned his gaze to the screen, carefully not reacting as Trowa gave a pained yelp and Wufei a cry of triumph. "Yeah. We are totally normal."

Heero chuckled. Quatre smiled and slouched down further in the sofa. He picked up the remote and began to flick through the channels. He landed on a news channel, and an image of Relena was on. "I heard about the lift thing." Quatre continued flicking through channels, "Has Relena recovered?"

"I think so." Heero shrugged, "She sent me an email to let me know she'd gotten to Dorothy's about half an hour late. She didn't say how it went."

Quatre nodded absently, as he leant forward to read the stock exchange information. "That's good." He muttered quietly. Behind him, the ruckus suddenly ended. Heero leant over the arm of his lazy boy and peered down at the two. The pair of them were tangled together and red faced. "So." Wufei began, his hand fisted in Trowa's hair. Trowa had Wufei's other hand twisted. Heero tilted his head, neither had the advantage. "So, I'm going to suggest we let go before someone has an accident." Wufei continued. "It takes a man to admit this, and I'm glad to be the adult in this situation."

Trowa smirked, "Are we going to be adults now?"

"Seems like a plan to me." Quatre called out, still distracted by the screen. As Trowa and Wufei disentangled from each other, Heero set his laptop down and went into the kitchen. He was peckish. He opened the fridge and stared at the bare contents. Without Duo, magically Heero's fridge somehow stopped being stocked with cold pizza, and Wufei's leftover Chinese managed to be eaten by Wufei. As much as he complained about Duo and Wufei being home before him, it was nice to have the company. It had been difficult to admit it at first, but the pair had helped him. With Duo away, Heero knew that a balance had been upset. It hadn't affected Wufei too much, but Heero felt it keenly. It was strange not shooing Duo off his couch just before bed every evening. Heero didn't know quite when the tradition had started. He didn't even know how either of them had gotten keys. Well, Heero amended; he didn't know where Wufei had gotten his key. Duo had never needed any kind of key to get into anywhere. It was strangely comforting to come home, kettle on, heating on, and someone either already cooking or preparing food... or filling up his fridge with left overs. Heero stared and sighed.

"Are you going to get out of my way, or do I need to go get a crowbar this time?" Heero blinked and closed the fridge. Trowa stood behind him, his expression knowing. Heero flicked his eyes to the clock above the fridge and realised he'd been staring into the fridge for almost 20 minutes. The kitchen was suddenly full. Wufei was eating an apple, sitting with his legs crossed on the counter top. He was engrossed with his mobile, clearly texting. Quatre was nursing his tea at the breakfast table, idly flicking through a magazine. Trowa moved around Heero to get the milk out and made himself another cup of tea. Heero rolled his shoulders and sat down opposite Quatre. Quatre's magazine had a feature about himself and Quatre's nose wrinkled. "The baby faced CEO?" the blonde muttered, "I was bloody fifteen. I'm older now. Why am I still baby-faced?" The blonde former pilot flicked his eyes up to meet Heero's and smiled. "So, when's Duo back from his mission?"

Heero half shrugged, "I don't know. Something has happened to extend the mission parameters." Heero looked mildly uncomfortable, "Une was unable to provide more detail."

A concerned look came over Quatre's face, and he reached out to touch Heero's hand. "He'll be home soon."

"Eating our food, drinking my beer and messing up your apartment. I don't know why you're missing him; coming back to yours has been bliss this past week." Wufei looked up from his phone, he tilted his head. Heero looked troubled and Wufei rolled his eyes. "How is it Maxwell can't see how much you're sighing over him?"

"It's hard to see until someone points it out to you. Leave him alone." Trowa lightly smack Wufei's shoulder. The former Heavy Arms pilot put another cup of tea in front of Heero. His gaze was soft as he put a reassuring hand on Heero's shoulder. "Duo just needs someone to tell him to tie you up and do you."

"Can that be my job? Quatre laughed, "I totally need to do that to him."

"Oh, no. No, no, no. It's my job." Wufei wagged a finger at him. "I can be all sage and shit."

"Why do you get to do it? I do believe that I was the first one." Trowa argued. "I have first dibs on making Duo admit his OTP problem."

"OTP?" Quatre asked, confused. "Isn't that a Hungarian bank? Why would Duo have a problem with a Hungarian bank?" He dug out his phone and flipped it open. "Should I make some calls?"

There was a brief moment of silence from the others. Trowa and Wufei looked at Heero. Heero pinched his nose as if pained. Quatre blinked. "What?"

Trowa and Wufei cracked up, as Heero flipped them his middle finger. Heero looked at Quatre, his expression vaguely annoyed. "It means One True Pairing." Quatre's confused expression didn't clear, so Heero elaborated. "It's an internet thing..." His dark blue eyes narrowed as he said bitterly, "It's from the ... other side of the internet."

"Heero, the internet doesn't have a dark side." Quatre blinked, slowly putting his phone down. "So it's not a money problem?" He looked at the other two, their laughter was subsiding. "... should I continue asking?"

"No." Heero replied, his expression vaguely annoyed. "I had hoped that we were talking about banks."

Trowa broke out into a fresh round of laughter, while Wufei jumped off the counter. His phone had started ringing, and he answered with a smile and a fond voice, "Fuck you, Po, that program was—" He stopped suddenly and went still. He listened carefully, and swiftly stepped out of the kitchen. Curious, the others followed him and found him standing in front of the television. He was changing channel rapidly. He stopped at a news channel, and watched as a building burned. Explosive damage was clearly evident in the images being shown. The ticker tape at the bottom of the screen scrolled rapidly, facts and statements point toward a terrorist attack. The four former pilots gathered around, watching the scenes of devastation. A presenter came on the screen.

"And in this breaking news, we're getting reports that the Preventers attempted to evacuate the building before the bomb exploded. However, it is unclear how or why the team re-entered." She looked off screen for a moment, and listened to her ear piece. "This just in. Three members of the delegation are still missing; it appears that the Preventers team returned to locate the missing ambassadors."

Quatre sank down to sit on the sofa, Wufei stepped away to talk quietly into his phone. Trowa looked at Heero and put a hand on his shoulder. "Sit down, Yuy." Heero sank slowly into the lazy boy, his eyes never leaving the screen. Trowa stepped away, pausing to squeeze Quatre's shoulder before heading into the kitchen. As he returned with their various cups and mugs on a tray, Wufei finished his phone call. Wufei loosened his tie and pulled his hair tie out as he sat heavily in the chair.

"Po has confirmed it's Duo's mission. They have unconfirmed reports of the dead. What is clear is that nobody from the team has checked in." He drew his knees up into the chair and sat crossed-legged, "Une has made it clear we are to remain where we are. She's aware we're all here and will contact us when she has more information."

Heero's gaze didn't leave the screen as he watched the news. Quatre pulled out his own phone and dialled a number. "Susan? Cancel all my appointments for the foreseeable future." He paused as he listened to her, "I'm taking a leave of absence. No. I don't know when I will be back." He nodded; his eyes still on the screen. "Tell Rashid that I'm at Heero's apartment, when I have accommodation nearby, I'll call again to let you know where I am." Trowa squeezed his arm, and Quatre smiled faintly at his lover, "Actually no, I'll be staying with Trowa. Rashid knows the address." He listened to her for a long moment, "I'm... I need to be here now. Thank you, Susan. I'll collect my messages later."

They settled down in silence and watched the screen. News scrawled across the bottom, and new footage of the area was being updated. Wufei's phone rang again, and he answered, "Chang." He nodded sharply as he listened, "Yes. Yes..." He stood up and began to pace as he listened. After a long moment, he stopped. A frown appeared on his face. "No, I'm still here. Thank you, ma'am." He hung up and returned to the sofa. He sat on the arm and looked at the television screen. His face was grey and his expression was hesitant.

"They've found 5 preventers. They were caught in the explosion." Wufei did not look at the others. "They're dead."

"Duo's team consisted of 7 people." Heero stated firmly, eyes on the Chinese former pilot. Wufei nodded tightly, his eyes fixed on the screen. The live footage showed the building burning and the emergency services running in and out of the picture. Green ambulances dotted the scene as red fire engines pulled closer to the building. Emergency services moved decisively around the building, working together in a desperate bid to calm the raging fires.

"Two still missing." Wufei continued, his voice betraying his shock, "Identifications have not been made."

Quatre laced his fingers over his stomach and leant back against Trowa. His expression was calm as was his voice. "Then we wait."

Heero wasn't sure how long they sat and watched the news. He'd abandoned his laptop, leaving it open so he could occasionally refresh the news page but otherwise he watched the television like the others. The door bell rang and Trowa stood to answer the door. When he returned, he was holding a large takeaway bag and nodded toward the sofa. "We're in here."

"Thanks," Dorothy Catalonia swept into the room, her cool eyes surveying them all. She stopped by the sofa and her eyes lingered on the screen for a moment before she turned her attention on Heero. "Relena sent me. She couldn't get away herself, and thought you guys would need someone to hold your hands though this difficult time." She folded her arms and lent against the sofa's back. "She seemed worried, but I told her all you would need is food and access to your phones. She inspected her nails. Has he checked in yet?"

"No." Wufei answered. "They found five of the seven agents."

She surveyed the room, looking at each of the despondent former pilots. Trowa was calmly sorting out the range of take away and Wufei had his phone out ready. She looked at Quatre, his eyes fixed on the side panels which showed incoming news. She finally stared at Heero. "At the risk of sounding like I care, you'd know if he were dead already."

"Dorothy." Quatre chided quietly. "Now's not the time to be a bitch."

"You of all people should know..." She ruffled his hair briefly before returning her attention to her nails again, "Darling, I live, breath and shit being a bitch."

Heero finally looked away from the screen and settled his eyes on the tall woman. She was still inspecting her nails, a bored expression on her face. Her long blonde hair was braided in eccentric loops and plaits. It reminded Heero of Relena's recent change in look. Dorothy's ice blue eyes flicked up and met his. Her lips quirked into half a smile. "If they found the dead body of a Gundam..." She grinned predatorily, "Who knew Gundams could die? That's a much bigger story than a bomb in a building." She turned away and strode out of the room, "I'll see myself out."

Heero left his seat and followed her. She was putting her shoes on, when he stepped up behind her. "Did Relena...?" He began, unsure how to say it. She quirked her lips into her half smile again and peered at him over her shoulder.

"She did." Dorothy looked pleased with herself. "I knew of course, but sometimes people need adversity to show them the path out of doubt." She brushed a stray hair out of her face and met his eyes, "Months of planning. Duo is most wonderful to work with; I can see your attachment." She chuckled lightly at his confusion. "Oh yes, Duo thought you were in love with her, but I've seen you." Her smile faded, "A weapon without a war, a mission for peace when peace has been achieved. I see it as clearly as I see it in Relena." Her eyes shifted to the living room. "None of you expected to live after the war. How could you be expected to be ready for a life ever after?"

"Relena did say—"

"I have a nasty habit of knowing everything." Dorothy smiled, her voice bitingly sarcastic, "It's so hard being so very clever." She reached up and cupped Heero's cheek. "Remember, flyboy, he's a Gundam." She raised her voice, "Gundam Pilots aren't so easy to kill." She leant forward, her words now meant for someone else. "I should know, I stabbed the tubbiest, softest one possible and he's still unfortunately sucking up other people's oxygen!"

"Good bye Dorothy." Quatre's voice was deadpan, though Heero could hear Trowa chuckling. "It was so nice to see you again, but I'm sure you've got so many other people to stab."

"Well, we can't all be rich," Dorothy called back, a wicked smile on her face, "and charitable and played by women on documentaries."

Quatre's pause was accompanied by Wufei's not so subtle snigger. Finally, Quatre called out. "Oh Miss Catalonia, fuck you sideways."

"I'm sure your Space Heart is picking up the depth of my feelings for you, dearest Winner."

"Oh, that's what that smell is." Quatre finally came to join them in the small hallway. Heero was surprised to see Quatre smiling warmly, "Well, Miss Catalonia, do try to fall down the stairs on your way out."

She smiled brightly at this and would have continued when her own mobile phone buzzed with a message. Reading it swiftly, she looked up at Heero. "Have faith, Gundam. Remember who you are." She swept out of the door and raised a finger to wag over her shoulder, "Next week, Winner." She paused in the door and narrowed her eyes at him. "Just to round us out for insults." She paused and grinned smugly, "Your mother. Oh!" She placed her fingers delicately over her mouth in mock horror.

Quatre smiled coldly and held up his middle finger. "Good bye Dorothy."

Heero left them and returned to his position on the sofa. The news had updated with the news that over half of the team of preventers were dead. He curled up into the lazy boy and waited. He wasn't sure what this was, this feeling of dread and hope. He hoped it would leave him soon. He heard the front door slam, and Quatre returned to the sofa. Food forgotten, they watched the screen.

It was only when the lights flicked on that Heero realised how dark it was. He hadn't moved, his laptop forgotten. The news had moved on from showing live footage, and was now dissecting and expanding on the building's worth and what had happened. Some nameless Preventer face had been dragged on to explain things. Heero didn't recognise the man. He looked around the room. Wufei was curled in the armchair; his attention was focused on his mobile. Trowa was asleep, and Quatre moved from the light switch and moved to cover Trowa with a throw. He glanced up at Heero and gave a wan smile. "Tea?" He asked quietly. "I'm reheating the take out, we need to eat."

Heero nodded as Wufei answered, "None for me. I'll make myself some hot chocolate." Wufei stepped up out of the seat, and cricked his neck. He lifted his mobile as he passed Heero, "Po's got nothing to update, but the fire's out though."

"Thanks." Heero murmured, he looked at the screen. The news had moved on.

Heero wasn't sure how late it was. After they had eaten, somehow they'd come to the agreement none of them were leaving. Heero set about locking the apartment for the night, closing windows and setting the alarm. Trowa pulled out the sofa bed with practice ease, while Wufei washed up and cleaned up the kitchen. Even though Quatre visited the least, he still knew the apartment well enough to find two spare blankets and some pillows. They moved with the quiet efficiency that they had always had. Once Wufei had finished, he returned to find Trowa and Quatre comfortable under their blanket, lying on their stomachs. They were propped up on their elbows and watching the television. A new News Channel was recapping events. He looked at the lazy boy, which had been kitted up for him to sleep in. Heero sitting comfortably in the arm chair, surfing the internet. "Well, all we need is nail varnish and rollers for our hair and we're all set for a Gundam Girly Sleep Over." The others glanced at him in surprise, and he winced automatically, "Damnit, I need to stop..." he paused, and sank down onto the lazy boy. He finished in a small voice, "Stop hanging out with... Maxwell." He looked at the screen forlornly. "Nevermind."

"You know what this reminds me of?" Quatre said quietly, his eyes fixed on the screen. "Reminds me of one of the times in one of the safe houses, we didn't know each other well then. It was the first time I think we actually began to trust each other, started our path to this moment. We were so full of our mission, so terrified of failing the colonies—"

"We were fifteen!" Wufei stood and began to strip down to his underwear easily. "Now, we're not." He paused in folding his trousers, "Where are you going with this?"

"We were sleeping in the same room. I thought I'd be dead by morning." Quatre chuckled lightly, "Between Heero cleaning his gun, and you cleaning your sword, I thought we'd kill each other. I honestly believed that Duo was going to suffocate me in my sleep. I'd heard some horrible things about L2. You were all so dangerous, and I was some rich kid out to save the world with my big damn robot."

A frown flitted over Trowa's face, and he pushed himself up to lean on an elbow. "Wait. Didn't you think I was going to kill you?"

"Uh..." Quatre clearly didn't, but answered, "Yes? I totally thought you were going to kill me."

"I'm threatening." Trowa groused, but he couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice. "I want you to know I could have easily killed you. With my Clown-Fu."

"Yes, darling." Quatre petted Trowa, "I'm sure you could have. I could have killed you as well." He shoved Trowa as the man continued to sulk. "Anyway, as I was saying. We were almost up all night, watching each other. That safe house was such a bolt hole and we needed to sleep..."

"I thought you were all soft and useless." Heero's eyes were unfocused as he looked up from his laptop. He remembered the night. "I was actually seriously contemplating shooting both you and Duo."

Quatre blinked. "Why?"

"You didn't look useful." Heero answered honestly, "I thought I would be saving the mission."

"I see." Quatre's eyes widened. "What stopped you?"

"Duo was sleeping with his hand on an active grenade." Heero rattled off, a fond look in his eyes. "I thought it a brilliant demonstration of control."

"And me? What stopped you from killing me?"

"I thought you knew. I was most impressed by the sniper." Heero looked at Quatre, "Rashid's man was well hidden but the laser sight on Trowa's forehead gave him away."

"Rashid..." Quatre's mouth fell open. "I'm alive because Rashid sent a sniper after me?"

"More specifically Trowa," Heero shrugged, "but I was still impressed by your co-ordination skills."

Quatre looked horrified for a moment, "Was I the only one in the room with peaceful intentions?"

"Apparently, I was the only one who didn't seem like he wanted to kill everyone." Trowa laughed, "A grenade? Seriously?"

Heero's lips quirked into an unconscious smile, the fond expression not really leaving his eyes. "He had the pin in his teeth."

"What the fuck...?" Wufei rolled his eyes. "We were crazy fifteen year olds." Wufei climbed into the lazy boy and focused his attention on his mobile as it buzzed with another text. "It's two am." He said, "Une says she's not expecting any of us in tomorrow." He lay back, putting the mobile within easy reach. "I'm going to try and sleep. Good night."

Heero waited until his friends were mostly asleep, before making his decision to leave for his own room. Trowa was still up an hour later, flicking through the channels, trying to find more news. Heero stood and nodded to Trowa. Trowa nodded back, "I'll get you if anything comes up."

"Thanks." The former Wing pilot stretched and moved toward his own bedroom. He stripped out of his Preventers uniform, and took care to place his phone where he could easily reach it. He went to the bathroom and stood brushing his teeth. He stared hard at the man in the mirror. He knew they were unbalanced without Duo, no matter how well they had tried to hide their discomfort. As a group, they had functioned best when working together.

He could hear his phone buzzing as he re-entered the bedroom. He didn't recognise the caller id. It was a multimedia text. He opened the file and a video file began to play. The camera on the mobile phone was not great quality. It was dark in a building for a moment, and then the screen went entirely white. After a moment, the camera adjusted and Heero could see a medic and the sky. The camera phone jostled, and the sound of sirens overwhelmed the audio on the video.

The medic looked down, concerned flitting over his face. He looked up to the other medic, who nodded grimly, and then the camera jostled again as the medic reached down and took the phone. The world span in a blur of red, blue and greens. Orange filled the screen for a moment before the medic pulled back. The orange had been the orange of a neck brace. Bandaged hands came up and moved the camera phone away. It revealed an image of Duo, bleeding and ragged. He was covered in dust and blood. He was missing a tooth, and his split lips stretched into a bloody grin. He brought both hands up, and held up his thumbs. He spoke but his voice was lost under the sirens.

Heero didn't need the sound; Duo knew he could read lips.

"I'm alright, Heero, I'm just fine." The camera jostled briefly and Heero got a glance of the ambulance. When it returned to Duo, his hands had shifted. In one hand he held up his missing tooth, he used his other hand to spread his fingers in a Victory sign, "Gundam."

Duo seemed to laugh and the camera jostled once before the video ended. In the brief 20 seconds of the video, it told Heero everything he needed to know about the situation. Heero played it again. Moments later, there was commotion from outside his room, and he heard Quatre whoop with delight.

"HEERO!" Wufei burst through the door, holding his mobile to his ear. "Heero! Une says she wanted to be the first to let us know that they've..." He trailed off as he found Heero looking at his own mobile fondly. Wufei hung up and moved into the room. Heero was still, watching something. Wufei stepped forward and took his friend by the shoulder. "Heero! They found him alive!"

Heero looked up at Wufei. A smile broke out on his face. He raised his hand and showed Wufei the video. Wufei watched it and couldn't help swallowing hard as he saw the grin of their friend. "That son of a bitch."

The relief in the former Gundam Wing pilot was palatable as he spoke.

"I know."

You'll always be the first to know

A/N: I need reviews like some people need coffee, it keeps me going. Cheers in advance for the kind words, it means a lot to me.