Okay, people, here it is, my first fic. Or my first fic posted, anyway. And it's all because of XtinethePirate; she finally bugged me enough that I gave in. Hee hee! But you should definitely go read her stuff. Her's and TempleMistress's, because they are both totally awesome writers.

Not One Sock

He stood in front of his bookshelf, wearing only his boxers, trying to decide on a way to pass the evening. It was getting pretty late; Heero wasn't going to show up tonight.

He wasn't searching for anything specific, just something that would take his mind off his currently – and seemingly perpetually – screwed-up life, as well as some memories better off left buried. When he was alone on empty evenings like this one he started thinking. He finally selected a volume; a large tome full of tragedies. Maybe he'd focus on other people's problems for a little while…

He jumped as strong arms wound themselves around his waist, warm against his bare skin. Feather-light fingers slid up his chest and then back down, making him shiver in anticipation. The book fell from his hands to lie forgotten on the floor as his lover nipped at his shoulder.

Behind him, Heero smiled slightly at the reactions he got. He fingered the band of his lover's boxers. "These are in the way, don't you think?"

-----

The reassuringly dark cloud of sleep lifted gradually, replaced by the ever-growing brightness of the morning sun pouring through the open shades.

He rolled over slightly, feeling nothing but cold sheets. It was the same thing every time, never fail. Heero was always gone by the time he woke up. He groaned and opened his eyes, knowing he'd see only an empty room, one that held no sign that Heero had ever been there. Not one sock lost under the bed and not a single wallet or set of keys forgotten behind. After the first couple of nights, he had looked, searching for some sign that he did not dream his lover up. But the perfect soldier was nothing if not meticulous in covering his tracks, and he never found anything.

He closed his eyes, groaning again as he threw an arm over them. 'This has to stop.'

-----

Heero cursed silently. He knew there was supposed to be a key to his lover's apartment in the mailbox, just like there always was. He had spun the correct code. And the little door had swung open easily. That wasn't the problem. No, the problem was that the door had opened to reveal a completely empty interior. No key.

Heero mentally shrugged as he made his way to his lover's apartment door. He tried the knob. Locked. He bent down, pulling his lock picks out of his pocket. He twisted a bit, leaning his shoulder against the door for balance as he inserted the tension wrench into the lock, followed by the metal pick.

He was almost done; he could hear it, feel it, the last pin was just catching…

And suddenly the door wasn't there anymore. Heero tried to regain his balance, but failed miserably. He found himself half inside his lover's apartment, flat on his back, the black muzzle of his lover's gun pointed directly at the middle of his forehead.

"I couldn't find my key."

Wide eyes flashed from amused, to angry and hurt, to sad, finally settling on coldly indifferent, steeling himself. "Heero, we need to talk."

And Heero, feeling as if the floor had opened up beneath him at those words, followed his lover into the apartment.

-----

"I can't do this anymore. I'm not your whore, Heero."

Heero had wandered aimlessly for hours, letting his feet take him where they would. Now he walked down the street towards his house, still dazed, his lover's words repeating themselves over and over in his mind.

"I won't ever again wake up knowing you've left me to go back to her. Never again."

The sky was just beginning to brighten, showing shoots of blue, pink, and peach light. The stars had hidden themselves after having played all night and the streetlights had been turned out, the morning dew glistening on their metallic surfaces.

"You can't have us both. You have to choose, Heero."

And he had stayed silent. Half of him was shocked that it had come to this, while the other half was not. He had known it would probably end, but he had refused to really see it. His lover had let out a short, hoarse laugh that sounded hollow to both of them.

"Well, she is your wife, I suppose. Good-bye, Heero."

Heero unlocked the front door of his house, fingers automatically punching in the correct code to turn off the alarm system. He walked forward towards the stairs.

It had all been said in such a monotonous, deadly calm voice. Heero shivered as he remembered the emptiness in his lover's eyes as the door shut between them, the finality of the light click resounding in the silence of the hallway.

A china vase hit the wall beside his head, exploding with a small cloud of white dust as the broken shards fell to the ground, jolting him out of the horrible scene replaying itself behind his eyes. He spun to face the source of the projectile, crouching in a defensive stance before regaining control of his reflexes and straightening back up.

Relena stood in the direction he had just come from off to the side, framed by the doorway that led to their kitchen.

"Was she worth it?" She whispered question shattered the silence as surely as the vase had. "Was she!" Her hands fisted at her sides, grabbing bunches of her long, white nightgown.

"Actually, yes, he was." Heero smiled as the realization came to him. He couldn't live without his love. Marrying Relena had been a bad decision, one made so that he could stay close to her for her own protection, but never for love. With the end of his affair Heero became aware of just what he had lost, of what his lover meant to him. He saw now what he had been causing both of them to miss by continuing this charade. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" He moved back in the direction of the door.

Relena jumped forward as he moved past her, clutching his arm. "He!" She was shrieking now, the shrillness of her voice causing Heero to wince inside. He wouldn't miss that at all. Or her. Especially not when compared with the perfection that was his love… "Who? Who is he!"

Heero leaned in and whispered the name of his beloved into her ear and smirked as he pulled back, seeing her already wide blue eyes grow impossibly wider. He pried his arm out of a grip loosened by shock and shut the door quietly behind him, leaving Relena staring sightlessly at the pale oak wood.

-----

He turned the water off, wrapping a towel around his waist as he ran to the door. That incessant knocking was getting really annoying; his nerves were already frayed, his patience already worn thin by the voices in his head that were berating him repeatedly for pushing Heero away. Whatever asshole of a salesman was so insistent that he be talked to was going to get a real earful…

He wrenched the door open, already starting his tirade, only to have it cut off mid-word by lips crashing into his.

The kiss left them both breathless. He pulled Heero into his apartment, blindly reaching out an arm to shove the door shut. What he said before be damned! He couldn't take it anymore. He didn't want to be separated from Heero any longer.

Heero kissed him again, gently this time, then nuzzled his nose against his love's neck as strong arms pulled him close.

"I love you," he whispered, twirling a damp strand of his love's hair around his finger.

Zechs smiled. "I love you too, Heero."

The End!

There it is. Hope you guys liked it. If someone's actually out there reading this... Hmm...

If you're going to leave a review, please be nice; it is my first fic. I do appreciate constructive criticism, of course. But if you can't be nice, who cares what you think anyway? I gave you fair warning, both about this being my first fic and about it being a male/male pairing...