Alan: bounces around happily Sugar high! And just finished one of my makeup classes, and I remembered how much I love getting reviews! Wooooooooo! Next chapter!

Shoulder Angel Quatre: grins at the reviewers You can thank me for buying him that 36-pack of Mountain Dew later.

Alan: OOH! THANK YOU PRISCEL! YOU UNDERSTAND! sobs and hugs her And SouriMaxwellYuy (geez your name is long) you were the first to guess right! Quatre was pushing for a 1x2x5 fic cause there's not a lot of them out there, but I think a threesome would be too hard to organize. I mean, geez! The emotional problems that'd bring on!

Shoulder Angel Quatre: Please! You can do it!

Alan: Or I could always bail on that and use Wufei as a tool to drive Duo further into Heero's arms and make the jerk get over his complex and just take Duo for a mate already...

Shoulder Angel Quatre: I KNOW! PEOPLE YOU VOTE! Who gets Duo? Heero, Wufei, Both or Neither? Then Alan can make a decision based on his fan's opinions.

Bonnie-the-furry: ON WITH THE SHOW ALREADY

Alan: mutters Don't you people have homes of your own?

Chapter 17(holy schnikies!)

Duo gasped at the feel of Wufei's mouth on his and panicked, bucking and thrashing, trying to shove him off. Looking confused Wufei broke off the kiss and let go of Duo's left hand, placing it on his chest to try and stop him from struggling so much. An oppurtunity! Duo brought his left hand to the side of Wufei's face and slashed down to from just below his eye to his lips. Wufei yowled and let go of Duo altogether to clutch his bleeding face. While he was distracted Duo threw him off and ran...into a corner.

Wufei was in front of the entrance, so there was no other way out. Black eyes flashed angrily at him then calmed as the four parallel scratches mended seamlessly. "Alright, so you're not ready. I can understand that. When your human refuses to mate you, I'll be waiting." Smirking once more Wufei slipped back out the entrance.

For a long time Duo just concentrated on breathing quietly, listening to the footsteps fade away into the distance.When he could no longer hear or smell anything of the dark shapeshifter he crawled out of his haven and looked around. Nothing. Sighing to himself in relief he ran back towards home.

I can't face Heero right now...

So he didn't go into the front door. Instead he wriggled through the bushes along the house, staring mournfully at his little cat door when he reached the way into his old room. There was still the window... His bloody fingers searched along the dirty pane of glass's edge until he found the lip of the window and pulled. Luckily it was unlocked and inch by torturous inch he wrestled it open. Dust puffed into his face and he coughed.

He scrambled through the large window and left it open to try and air out the room a bit. Pulling the covers off his old bed he shook them to try and get some of the dust out. Already his nose was itchy and his eyes watering. The thick coverlet had prevented ust from reaching the sheets, so they were good. Simply abondoning the dirty blanket he curled up on the twin size bed, thinking of sleeping a little longer.

Cool air from the window puffed across his cheek and he shivered, wishing he was in Heero's arms instead of alone and still pretty freaked out. On the other side of the walled off door he could barely here his roommate moving around. Lulled by the faint sounds of Heero Duo fell asleep, determined to catch up on some of those hours he had been looking for a rival shapeshifter instead of sleeping.

All his dreams were filled with blue and black...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaa

Heero paced. It was now officially five hours since Duo had run off and he was beyond panicked. True, he had wandered for awhile, trying to find him, but when a cat doesn't want to be found there's little you can do. Helplessly he slid down unto the couch, clutching the cloth to try and help center himself. He felt weak, he hadn't been able to find the lovely little shapeshifter, hadn't been able to chase off the rival, he couldn't do anything! Anger welled up in him and for a moment colors got brighter, smells were more distinct and every little sound was almost unbearably loud.

A terrible rip yanked him out of his self-pitying anger and he glanced down at his hands in shock. Faint striped lined the back of his hands and up his arms and his fingernails were long, curved sharp claws digging into the arm of the plush blue velvet. Eye wide he unhooked his claws and pulled the limb close to his chest.

I didn't even notice, didn't even realize the tiger was getting loose again. Shaking he struggled to breath, to calm down and force himself back to normal. After five minutes of deep concentration he looked at his hands again. They were exactly the same. No... This can't be happening...

Biting down on his bottom lip he tried harder but still, nothing changed. Shakily he stood and stared down at himself. His entire body was aching, the way it had always used to right before his bones would start breaking and tearing his muscles into the anatomy of a tiger. Waves of cold coursed through him and he hugged himself, claws tearing into his own skin a little. He ached for fur to keep himself warm, to be on all fours to keep himself steady, and most of all, for his mate to be by his side.

A smell trickled past his nose, suddenly more noticable after that last thought and he let out a little growl. He could smell HIS Duo close by, but what pissed him off was the that other smell, the rival, the man Duo had been scared of. The stripes on his skin were slowly darkening but he didn't notice anymore. The tiger mindset was in control and he had to find his mate now.

Stomping to the door he almost pulled it off it's hinges to get outside. In the bright morning light he froze, startled by how bright and loud and pungent everything was. Shaking his head to clear away the daze he breathed deep, growling at the dark scent of his rival but ignoring, searching for the smell that made his heart sing "Duo". Beyond the old, lingering I'm-here-everyday smell Duo had left was a fresher trail from the morning, leading right into the woods.

He had taken three steps down that path when a breeze crossed his face, bringing with it the taste of his love, fresh and close. Without thought he turned and ran to it, fighting his way through the bushes along the side of the house until he reached a window like no one had washed it in years. It was coming from here. Ducking his head he crawled in and looked around the little room in surprise. How had he not known about this part of his house?

Those thoughts fled when he spotted Duo, curled up and shivering on a small twin size bed across the room. His hair was tangled, leaves and a little mud sticking in it. Blood tipped his fingers and a frown commanded his face as he dreamed about something unpleasant. Duo was dirty, and unhappy and smelling like Wufei, but he was the lovliest thing a worried tiger could hope to see. Walking carefully across the dust slick floor, avoiding the blanket and anything else, he approached the bed. Hesitantly he climbed up onto it as well and draped himself across his mate's back.

At his touch Duo jumped and woke up, eyes wide with fear before he realized who it was, and even then he didn't relax much. "H-Heero, I-I'm sorry..." Muttering quietly he tried to scoot back, only to be caught by a frowning Heero. With a clawed hand holding to the front of his shirt Duo finally noticed the state of his roommate. "Are you alright!" Forgetting for a moment his problems Duo stroked the side of Heero's face, over the delicate stripes and the soft fuzz.

Heero's eyes followed Duo's every move, vertical pupils in cobalt blue widening in content as his mate continued to touch him, worry over him. Purring deeply he pulled Duo closer to him, growling again when the slim man resisted.

With pained eyes Duo shook his head and murmured quietly. "Heero...I betrayed you. I can't just snuggle up with you after kissing Wufei. If you hate me, I understand..."

Startled by the confession he just stared at his mate. He had kissed the rival...But he was muddy, that blood spattered on his hands and shirt smelled like the intruder. It seemed as though he had fought... Anger welled up in his chest but not at Duo, never at Duo.

Pouncing on the smaller man he pinned him to the bed and glared down at him. Duo whimpered, then gasped as Heero kissed him, roughly reclaiming the mouth as his own. Almost wanting to cry in relief that Heero didn't hate him after all he wrapped his arms around the japanese man's neck and kissed back, passionately and fervantly.

After a moment Heero pulled back, moving down to his neck to suck and nip, needing to leave a more definate mark of ownership. After leaving a few brilliant hickeys on his mates slender neck he looked up into his flushed face and growled a single word that would broke no argument.

"Mine."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Alan: And there's that chapter. Gah, it's good to be alive again!

Bonnie-the-furry: So, it's going to stay just 1x2?

Alan: I DON'T KNOW! cries I can never decide ths stuff!

Shoulder Angel Quatre: 1x2x5!

Bonnie-the-furry: I think that'd be kewl...

Alan: Gah! You know what, shoo, just shoo. Go back to your own homes and let me ponder in peace. Oh, and to the readers, thank you for reading, and thank you as well to all you who review, I totally owe you guys a picture! big teary eyes