Royal Flush

Title: Royal Flush

Author: A-chan (aishiteru_1x2@yahoo.com)

Pairings: 1+2+1, 3+4+3

Disclaimer: The usual. Don't Own it and am not making a profit off of this. Purely done for enjoyment reasons. Gundam Wing is the property of Bandai and Sunrise Entertainment.

(IMPORTANT) NOTE: This is NOT--N. O. T.--a 4x2 (it does NOT exist in this fic, not one bit), even though it seems somewhat like it at the end of this chapter.

I.: Royal Flush~

The air was tense, and so thick you could cut it with a knife. Four adolescent males were poised for battle, ready to jump throats if the occasion arose. Their eyes glared the promise of a long, painful torture at the others. The scene was familiar--it was how they looked just before hundreds of OZ soldiers met their End. Only the setting was different. They were not in the

middle of a heated battle field, where one had to fight for his life. They were not in mid-air with numerous mobile dolls forming a deadly circle around them with no way out. Rather, it was over a poker table.

Trowa looked at his cards and sighing, slapped them down. "I fold," he said quietly.

Duo cackled triumphantly; Quatre smiled gently at his lover; Wufei smirked.

"One down, two to go," the Chinese boy commented.

It was just the four of them. Heero had left for a mission a few days ago, and wasn't expected back until the next day, which left only Trowa and Wufei to keep Duo and Quatre out of trouble. The 'Mommies' were both against the idea of poker, but Duo had talked Wufei into agreeing just to shut him up, and Quatre--well, he SOMEHOW managed to get Trowa to the table, though by what methods he refused to say.

So now there they were, the four of them--well, three--sitting around a low coffee table. The winner was to have the losers do whatever he wants for as long as he wants, as long as it doesn't interfere with their missions.

Anyway, by the end of the next round of card-passing, Wufei also folded, mumbling about 'injustice' and that 'this game was rigged'. With two out, that left--

Aquamarine clashed with violet. Neither were wavering.

"Are you ready to give up, Winner?" Duo sneered, peeking down at his cards. He had a wonderful hand, enough to knock anyone else out of the game.

Quatre grinned in response, though more subdued than the maniac American. "Not quite yet," he said evasively.

Crowing in laughter, Duo slammed down a straight flush proudly.

"Five, six, seven, eight, nine," he announced with a little jab at each of the cards mentioned. "Can't get much higher than that! Time to play 'Duo Says'!!!"

Trowa and Wufei grumbled unhappily and started to stand up when Quatre's uncharacteristically calm voice stopped them, "Not quite yet," he repeated.

Duo gave the blonde a defiant look, though he started to sweat. "What do you have up your sleeve, Quatre?" he demanded warily.

A slow, almost malicious smile spread over the Arabian's normally cherubic features as he laid down his cards.

Trowa and Wufei out-right stared at the five Spade cards overlapping each other. Ten, jack, queen, king, ace…

"A…royal…flush…" Duo's eyes threatened to fall out of their sockets.

"I…never thought those were possible." Wufei's chin was dangling dangerously close to the ground.

"…" commented Trowa with equal amount of astonishment.

Quatre giggled, resting his heels on the coffee table. "Well, I guess that means I won, huh?" His eyes were fixed on Duo.

"What do you want us to do?" the American asked nervously.

"I'm SOOO glad you asked, Duo-kun!"

Hopping to his feet, Quatre stood directly in front of Wufei. "Mr. Chang, I'd like you to see the word 'Onna!' painted on your Gundam in our next battle."

Wufei growled. "I'm doing no such thing to my Nataku!"

"--in big, pink letters."

"NOOO!!!" The Chinese looked at Trowa and Duo in hopes of over-ruling the Arabian. No such luck.

Quatre glomped onto Trowa. "Ah, Tro-chan, my koi. Let me have my way with you until our next mission."

Trowa didn't look so displeased.

"And Duo," the blonde addressed the fidgeting American. Quatre put a slight sway to his hips as he approached the retreating Deathscythe pilot. With one delicate hand, the blonde tugged gently but firmly on the chestnut braid, pulling Duo's head with it. Leaning uncomfortably close, Quatre whispered something in his ear that made the violet-eyed boy blush to the very roots of

his golden-brown locks.

Some crows were chased out of their perches as Duo's scream of protest rang through the lush hill.

To be continued…