Disclaimer : I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters, I'm only borrowing them. I make no profits out of this, so don't sue me. I need the money to pay my studies... ::sweatdrops::

WARNINGS : This fic contains YAOI, which means boys on boys, which means if you don't like it do us all a favor and leave. Probably some OOCness too, it's for you to judge. Should there be flames, I'll use them to roast the flamers. Thank you.

Pairings : 1x2 (Heero/Duo) and mentions of 3x4 (Trowa/Quatre)

A/N : Greetings folks ! Here's an extra long one-shot I wrote recently ! I hope you'll like it !

Raiu : I doubt it's possible. Maybe someone who doesn't know english...

Nobody asked you, Raiu !

Raiu : You just don't want to face the truth.

Which is, oh enlightened one ?

Raiu : That you have absolutely no writing skills.

I've got just about enough of you ! (takes out her two-blades axe) Say your prayers, bitch !

Raiu : (is already long gone)

Akari : (ignores raging cherry-chan) Please read on, everyone !


.: Your attention please :.

by cherry fantasy


It's not that Duo wasn't a morning person. As a soldier, he was often forced to get up at the most ungodly hours, and that was if he was allowed to sleep at all. Many sleepless nights in a row wasn't unusual for him, nor was having to wake up at 3 in the morning for some mission or another. Most of the time, Duo was lucky if he could squeeze in 4 hours of sleep in a night, maximum. Fighting a war as a Gundam pilot was demanding.

But Duo could deal with all of it just fine. Like his four other comrades, he'd been carefully trained and conditioned in preparation for such a lifestyle. At 16 (17 for Trowa), the five of them could probably handle the strenuous consequences of war better than most regular soldiers. Dr J and the other scientists had taught their young pilots well.

So, it wasn't that Duo wasn't a morning person. He could be up and about in less than five minutes at any hour of the night, and that without even getting cranky (so much couldn't be said about a certain Chinese pilot… talk about needing one's beauty sleep…). Being cheerful so early in the day wasn't easy, but if someone could pull it off it was certainly Duo. In his opinion, it was a feat to be quite proud of.

Despite all the things mentioned above though, as soon as he was given the opportunity, there was one thing Duo loved to do : sleep in. As late as possible. The occasions were rare, so he liked to indulge the small pleasure whenever he could… which was exactly what he was doing right at this moment.

Duo groaned and turned over in his bed. He had no idea what time it was and he honestly didn't care to open his eyes and check. He was warm and comfy under his sheets and he had no desire to move just yet. He just wanted to go back to sleep for another couple of hours.

The bird at his window had other ideas though. The darn thing had been chirping happily away for a good 20 minutes now, waking Duo from his blissful sleep and preventing him from going back to it.

Duo finally let out what could be described as a growl, grabbed a pillow and threw it toward the window, missing by a good ten feet (probably due to the fact that his eyes were still closed).

The chirping stopped for a millisecond… then started back again with even more enthusiasm, as if to mock him. Giving up, Duo sighed and opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings.

First his gaze went toward the window ; the blinds were open, and judging by the light he saw outside Duo guessed it was around lunch time. There on the window ledge was perched the annoying little winged creature, still chirping noisily.

"Yeah yeah, chirp away" Duo told it casually while swinging his legs out of bed. "Just be glad I'm not Heero or Wufei, 'cause then you would've been shot and cooked for breakfast."

The bird simply ignored him and kept chirping.

Duo snorted and stood up, taking his time to stretch languidly. A quick look at the clock told him that it was indeed near lunch time. His eyes then moved to the perfectly made bed beside his ; of course Heero was already up. The guy was out of bed at 6 a.m. every morning with clockwork precision, mission or no mission and no matter how much sleep he'd gotten before that (if he'd gotten any). Duo would know, with all the times they'd roomed together by now.

'Perfect Soldier indeed' Duo thought, gathering some clothes and heading for the bathroom.

"You're just frustrated because you don't get to admire him while he sleeps, which is the only time you could do it without getting the wrong end of a gun pointed in your direction" his inner voice retorted.

Duo told it to shut up and die.

Closing the bathroom door, Duo laid his clothes beside the sink and turned on the shower. He slipped out of his black boxers and slowly unraveled his long chestnut braid before stepping under the warm spray. As he started washing his hair Duo wondered at the silence of the house ; normally he should've been able to hear noises from the kitchen where Quatre and Trowa would be preparing something to eat, as well as the "click-clack" sound of Heero typing away on his laptop in the living room, with the possibility of the TV being switched on. But no, today it was totally silent, as if he was the only one in the house.

Oh, Duo wasn't worried. He'd have woken up if something had been wrong. He was simply curious as to what the others might be doing.

Him and the other pilots were presently staying at a safe house somewhere in South America, near a small isolated town where people didn't know much about the war that was presently raging. The chances of them being recognized were practically non-existent, which is why Dr J and the other scientists had sent them here for what they had themselves called "a little break".

As it was, all of the five pilots had been cleared of missions for a week, and of course Heero was driving himself crazy with the inactivity while Duo rejoiced every second of it.

Sometimes Duo wondered how it was possible for him to have such a huge crush on the guy when this one was so different from him... Well, opposites attract, right ? He still wasn't going to tell, though. He was way too scared of what Heero's reaction might be. Probably a glare and a bullet in Duo's forehead...

"Chicken" his inner voice helpfully provided.

Duo royally ignored it.

In all honesty, he just didn't want to face rejection.

He exited the bathroom a few minutes later, dressed and hair braided. He climbed down the steps and made his way to the kitchen, noting in the process that the house was definitely empty of the others' presence. His curiosity picked, Duo grabbed an apple and searched for something that could tell him where his friends might've gone. He found it soon enough ; laid on the kitchen table was a note that Duo quickly took and read…

Duo,

It seems we're almost out of supplies so I went into town with the others to buy some more (yes I managed to drag Heero and Wufei along… don't ask me how, I've got my means). I convinced them not to wake you, I know you like to sleep in when we're on "vacation".

Be back in a few hours.

Quatre

P.S. Don't break anything, don't go anywhere near the washing machine and don't even consider the thought of using the stove. Got it, Maxwell ?

Wufei

Duo frowned, a bit miffed by the end of the note. 'Really, just because I made the washing machine overflow ONE time… and just because I had two or three little ACCIDENTS where I set the kitchen on fire… Really, Fei's being completely unfair !'

Of course, the fact that in one of those kitchen "accidents" Wufei's pants had been one of the things to catch on fire might have something to do with his postscript.

After serving himself a bowl of Cheerios (the only thing left that could make a decent breakfast and that didn't involve Duo using the stove), the braided pilot thought about what he could do while waiting for the others' return. Apparently, chores and cooking were out of the question.

Maybe he could play games on Heero's laptop ?

'Yeah, might as well strip naked and offer myself as a living sacrifice to the Devil' Duo thought with a snort. There was no telling what Heero would do to him if he ever found out that Duo had touched his precious laptop. 'Although, I wouldn't mind stripping naked for HIM…' Duo fantasized before mercilessly yanking his mind out of the gutter.

Well, there was nothing much he could do besides watching TV. Thank God they had cable.

A few moments later Duo wasn't so thankful though, as there was absolutely nothing worth watching on ANY of their 65 channels. The violet-eyed youth was getting desperate when he suddenly spotted something lying on the other end of the couch.

Reaching for it, Duo soon realized it was one of Quatre's books. It looked rather old but it was in good shape. Duo took a glance at the title…

"The Count of Monte Cristo ?" he recited aloud.

Duo wasn't a book kinda guy, but he liked to read on occasions, something his fellow pilots probably never would've guessed. He quickly went over the summary at the back of the book and found himself interested. Lowering the sound of the TV without shutting it off, Duo settled himself comfortably on the couch and opened the book at the first page.

'Better this than nothing…' he mused before starting to read.

o0o

About an hour later a forest green Jeep was parking in front of the safe house, four teenage boys swiftly getting off of it.

"For Nataku's sake Quatre !" Wufei exclaimed, pulling five large bags out of the vehicle. "How did we move from ' let's get some groceries ' to ' let's have a five hours shopping trip ' ?!"

"Well" Quatre started while taking out his own four bags, "we don't get the chance to shop that often lately, for obvious reasons. This was the perfect occasion. I'm sure this outing can only have done us good. And besides, I needed a few things…"

"A few things ?!" Wufei merely repeated, staring agape at their own bags before moving his gaze to Heero who was holding six of them and Trowa who had five like him.

"Yes" said Quatre with a smile, completely unfazed. The humorous sparkle in his eyes went entirely unnoticed by everyone but Trowa, who quickly masked his own smile at his boyfriend's playfulness.

"Did we really need to buy so much food ?" Heero asked in his usual monotone. "We're only here for another four days. This seems completely inaccurate."

"Well, Duo eats a lot…" retorted Quatre with a sheepish smile. "I figured this would make him happy. We won't get a chance to have warm full meals like this before a long while after we leave here."

By now they'd reached the porch and Quatre had laid down two of his bags to open the door. Wufei took a dubious look around and mumbled :

"Well, at least the baka managed to keep the house standing… And I don't smell any smoke…"

Quatre giggled as he opened the door and took back his bags…

"Come on Wufei, he's not that bad !" he said with a smile.

"I'll believe it when I'll see it" Wufei stated with a gruff tone.

Quatre shook his head indulgently and stepped inside, the others on his heels. They were greeted by an eerie silence, which was NOT what they had expected. They'd expected to hear the sounds of an action movie playing full volume on TV, or to hear rock-techno music playing just as loud, or again to see Duo round the corner and greet them cheerfully (and loudly), or maybe even a combination of all three. Even hearing the braided teen make a mess out of the kitchen (and thus ignoring Wufei's warnings) would've been more welcomed than the silence presently reigning in the house. Duo and silence just didn't seem to fit together.

And to be perfectly honest, it worried them.

"Don't tell me the idiot is still sleeping ? It's one in the afternoon !" Wufei ranted, although even then the others didn't miss the slight concern in his voice.

A little more urgently than necessary, Quatre set his bags down and made a bee-line for the stairs, one hand slightly raised and ready to go for his hidden gun. The three others followed his example, only to bump into him when he suddenly stopped in front of the living room's entrance. Quatre's stance then visibly relaxed, while an incredulous expression made its way on his features. The others followed his gaze and quickly took on similar faces.

There was Duo, nicely nestled at one end of the blue couch… and reading a book ?!

He seemed pretty into it too, as he didn't even react to their arrival. Quickly going over his shock, Quatre stepped toward him and called :

"Duo ?"

This one barely lifted his head to look at him and said :

"Oh hi Quatre. Glad you guys are back"

And then he was back in his book, not even bothering to glance at the others. He flipped a page and just like that he was back in his world.

The other pilots stared at him uncertainly, a bit put out by this new facet of Duo they hadn't seen before. It was such a drastic change from his usual behavior, that for a second they just didn't know how to react.

Duo kept on reading, totally unaware of their uneasiness.

As expected, it was Quatre who broke the silence first :

"Hum… I'll just go put away the things we bought in the kitchen then. Trowa, would you come and help me please ?"

The silent boy nodded and the two vanished in the kitchen, where the rustle of things being unpacked could soon be heard. Heero and Wufei were left with a still-oblivious Duo in the living room, for a while not knowing what to do with themselves.

Heero snapped out of his daze first and walked to the desk standing at the end of the room, on which was resting his laptop. As he was booting up the device, Wufei suddenly announced that he was going outside to do some kata, and out the door he went.

The rest of the afternoon passed rather normally, with Quatre and Trowa preparing dinner in the kitchen, Heero working on his laptop and Wufei coming back inside only to go lock himself up in his room to ' meditate '.

Duo kept on reading without making a sound, completely immersed in his book.

o0o

Dinner came, and as usual the five boys sat at the kitchen table to share their meal. Today though, the atmosphere was very different.

No constant chatter, no silly jokes, no bursts of laughter. Just the repetitive metallic sound of forks and knives against porcelain plates and the occasional rustling noise of a page being turned.

Duo was apparently so interested in his book that he'd brought it with him at the table. At the moment he was using his right hand to eat while his left hand held the book before him, his violet eyes scanning the pages without pause. Him who normally talked so much had barely mumbled a few words of greeting to them when he'd entered the kitchen, and he hadn't spoken since then. He was obviously far off in the book's imaginary world.

Attempting to break the silence, which was quickly becoming awkward, Quatre voiced his thoughts aloud :

"I don't think I've ever seen Duo so caught up in something that isn't Deathscythe or mission related…"

"True" Trowa agreed, before adding evenly : "I didn't know he liked to read"

"Well, I've spied him with a book in hands once or twice" Quatre answered. "I wouldn't have guessed he liked this kind of books though" he pursued, glancing at the novel Duo was presently holding.

"What is it anyway ?" Wufei asked abruptly, although there was an unmistakable glint of interest in his eyes. He was quite curious about what could capture Maxwell's attention so much…

"It's one of mine" Quatre started to explain. "It's called The Count of Monte Cristo. It's an old story from before the Colonies, and the time setting of the plot goes back even farther before that, in the 1800s. The original version was written by Alexandre Dumas, a literature prodigy. It's actually a very good story, one of my favorites, and all in all it ends well. It's a tale all about justice, vengeance and forgiveness. A very good piece of work, if you ask me. It just never struck me as something Duo would like to read…"

Quatre took a quick glance at the braided pilot, afraid he might have offended him… But Duo was still entranced by his book and didn't give the slightest sign of acknowledgment.

"Don't worry Quatre, I doubt he heard anything of what you just said" Wufei spoke up, an hint of annoyance in his voice.

Quatre had to agree ; right now Duo's attention was focused entirely on his reading. They might as well have been invisible to him that it wouldn't have made a difference. Quatre smiled a little and said in good humor :

"Well, it seems I was mistaken about Duo's reading preferences. Apparently he loves this book, if the way he's completely ignoring us in its favor is any indication"

Wufei snorted, but didn't comment.

"I think there are many things that we don't know about Duo Maxwell" Trowa suddenly said, his tone low and even as always, before returning his attention to his food.

The others (except the ever oblivious Duo) were left to ponder on that sentence for the rest of their meal, which ended in the same awkward silence it had started.

Nobody paid attention to Heero who had yet to say a single word ; nothing odd there, as he was probably the less talkative of them all. Had they bothered to look though, they may have noticed the way his eyes were glaring death threats at the content of his plate, or the way his hand was clenching his fork so hard that the thing was now bent at a perfect 90º angle.

Someone sure was in a worst mood than usual…

o0o

Heero felt like he was about to explode. He could feel all the tension growing in his body and it made him want to hit something. Hard.

Dinner had ended a few minutes ago, and Heero was once again sitting at his desk in front of his laptop, his fingers absently flying over the keys at breakneck speed. His blue gaze was moving sideways every five seconds to stare at the long-haired teen presently sprawled on the couch. Doing what ? Why, reading, of course. The more Heero looked at that book, the more he wanted to see it burn in the pits of Hell.

It was that book's fault, after all. It was its fault Duo was being so silent. It was its fault Duo wouldn't even look at him. It was its fault Duo was ignoring him. It was its fault Duo wouldn't talk to him.

Heero stopped his train of thoughts when he realized he'd clenched his fists hard enough to leave red crescents in his palms. He unclenched his hands and glared furiously at the screen of his laptop. Had it not been an unanimated object, the device would've probably held up a white flag and surrendered by now.

Heero didn't think he'd ever felt so frustrated. He wanted Duo to stop reading and talk to him NOW, like he always did.

«Why would he want to talk to you, you never talk back» was his inner voice's response.

'But I listen' Heero retorted.

«He doesn't know that. From his point of vue, you're the one ignoring him all the time. How does it feel to get a taste of your own medicine ?»

It felt lonely. Heero didn't like it. He wanted Duo to look at him, speak to him, and forget about this god forsaken book. He wanted to be the object of Duo's undivided attention.

Heero knew he wasn't always being nice to Duo, sometimes he was even plain nasty, but he really didn't mean any of it. He didn't do it on purpose. He just didn't know how to express himself differently. Learning to be nice hadn't been part of his training, far from it. If anything, J had described it as a waste of time and even as a weakness. Such emotions were something your enemies could use against you. They were a liability.

For the longest time, Heero had completely agreed to this reasoning, and had never even thought about questioning it. Then he'd met Duo.

He remembered that day perfectly… Duo had shot him twice. Well, somehow, it seemed fitting for them to meet like that, as strange as it sounded.

Heero had been intrigued by the boy and his cheerful personality ever since that first day. Everything about him was just so… different. His braid, his violet eyes, his priest collar, his crude jokes, his warm laugh, his silly antics… The list went on and on. At first, Heero just couldn't understand how Duo could be a soldier, even less a Gundam pilot, when he acted so… well, like a normal teenager. And yet, there was no denying that he was good, amazingly good even, almost as much as Heero himself.

Then the strangest thing had happened : slowly but surely, Heero had grown attached. It seemed that Duo had made it his duty to tear down the wall around pilot 01's heart, pieces by nearly irremovable pieces. He'd kept on insisting about being Heero's friend, no matter how bad the cold boy treated him or how often he pushed him away. But Duo never gave up. He always came back, he was always there. Heero was so thankful, but he didn't know how to show it. He was trying very hard to change but somehow it didn't seem to work. Duo would look at him and Heero would order him to stop staring. Duo would speak to him and Heero would ignore him or snap at him. Duo would touch him and Heero would roughly push him away.

It's like his body and mind each had its own free will, both wanting different things. Heero's mind and heart craved Duo's touch and presence more than a thirsty man lost in the desert would crave water. Heero's body on the other hand, conditioned to be nothing more than a weapon, did everything in its power to keep Duo away. It was a constant game of tug-o-war and Heero was getting sick and tired of it. He wanted Duo, damn it ! Duo and his happy chatter, Duo and his friendly smile, Duo and his warm laugh, Duo and his gentle touch, Duo and his amazing, breathtakingly beautiful eyes…

Heero had figured out by now that this was probably what other people called love. He wasn't completely emotionally crippled.

Him, in love ?

Just a few months ago he would've shot the first person daring to even consider that possibility.

Right now though, the words ' in-love ' seemed too weak to describe even a handful of what he was feeling.

Heero could just imagine the look on J's face if the man should ever learn about all the sweet romantic and mushy stuff going through his trainee's head at the moment (which he probably would eventually). It was almost enough to make even Heero burst out laughing. But the knowledge that he would surely get dragged back into intensive training afterwards swiftly quelled the said urge to laugh.

Heero repressed a sigh and turned back once more to glance discreetly at Duo. Sure enough, the boy was still reading. Heero didn't know why he even bothered to be subtle ; Duo was obviously so engrossed in this thrice-damned book that he probably wouldn't even notice if Heero just stood up and started playing solo limbo while shaking maracas on the air of a Mexican music.

The mental image that thought conjured made Heero grimace inwardly ; he wouldn't be caught dead doing that kind of thing.

His inner musings were interrupted when Wufei suddenly waltzed in, looking extremely irritated. Heero really couldn't blame him ; he felt exactly the same at the moment, although it didn't show on his face.

Wufei spared him a look, paused, glanced at Duo (who didn't seem as if he'd even noticed Wufei's entrance), let out a sound suspiciously resembling a growl and finally collapsed angrily on the nearest armed-chair, arms crossed over his chest. If Heero didn't know better, he would've sworn that Wufei was… sulking.

As it was, he merely raised a questioning brow at Wufei, waiting for an explanation. The Chinese pilot narrowed his gaze, took another glance at Duo and finally snapped :

"I've been trying to meditate all day but somehow it doesn't work ! I just can't seem to concentrate ! It's just so… It's too…"

"Silent ?" Heero provided.

"Yes" Wufei agreed, a long suffering sigh escaping his lips. "I never thought I'd say this, but it seems I've gotten used to Maxwell's constant ruckus. My mind has difficulties focusing without him making a racket in the background"

Wufei then turned his head and looked away, frowning. Heero knew how much it must've taken out of him to admit such a thing. Too bad Duo hadn't heard it. Heero had to wonder what would be Wufei's reaction if he should reveal that he felt the same way as him.

The Chinese boy kept on "not sulking" for about another hour before exiting the room, mumbling something about "going for a walk". And thus Heero and Duo were left alone once more. Quatre and Trowa had disappeared in their room not long after dinner and hadn't come out since then. Heero had a pretty good idea of what the two lovers were doing, and it didn't involve sleeping. Thankfully the walls were soundproof.

That last thought made Heero glance at Duo again, his Prussian blue eyes roaming over the long muscled legs, the thin waist with a very slight, deliciously feminine curve to it, up to the well-defined torso, the black shirt covering it partly unbuttoned at the top and revealing a bit of golden skin…

Heero felt all the heat in his body rush to one single spot, and he quickly averted his gaze. His breathing was uneven and his heart was racing. For all his legendary self-control, Heero couldn't help his reaction. Lately all it took was one look at Duo's sensuous body and just like that Heero's hormones were running wild, making it their business to turn him crazy with desire. The feelings were so intense that anyone but Heero would've snapped by now.

Of course Heero knew about lust. He was a soldier, not a robot. And although he'd never felt lust before, he wasn't ignorant, far from it. When he'd said that J had taught him everything, he was serious. Those teachings may have only been theoretical, they'd been rather graphic nonetheless. After all, seduction was an art easily usable against your opponents, and a very efficient way to get information out of them if necessary. J had left nothing out in the training of his Perfect Soldier. Most of the things Heero knew about sex would make the boldest and most creative prostitute blush.

The worst thing was that despite his efforts to repress it, recently Heero had started imagining himself doing all those things to Duo, and it did nothing to cool down his urges. Right at this moment he was having a particularly hard time getting a certain part of his anatomy under control. Seeing Duo languidly sprawled out on the couch, one hand twirling his braid between his fingers and the other one holding his book, wasn't helping much either.

Heero face faulted when he realized he was suddenly standing beside the couch, hovering silently over the thankfully still unaware Duo. The Wing pilot inwardly cursed himself in all of the 23 languages he knew. Try as he might though, he couldn't move away. His body was frozen and his eyes were glued to the patch of tanned skin visible between the folds of Duo's partially opened collar. His brain was on overload and Heero was pretty sure he was going to turn insane if he didn't touch that soft skin in the next few minutes.

He tried to look away, he tried to tame his thoughts and to rein in his emotions, but for the first time it wasn't working. Maybe it was because Duo was ignoring him in favor of his book ; usually the braided one's attention was on him, and Heero had always taken that for granted. Duo's voice, his laugh and his occasional touches had helped him cope and made him able to suppress his want for more. But right now Heero was getting nothing and it was driving him mad.

He let his eyes travel along the length of Duo's braid, his fingers itching to touch the silky strands. He then let his gaze linger on the other's long lashes, his proud little nose and finally his rosy lips, full and just begging to be kissed. Heero nearly moaned when the tip of a small pink tongue came out, a sign of deep concentration as Duo turned another page of his book. Heero looked at the novel, glaring daggers at it for monopolizing Duo's attention. And suddenly Heero couldn't take it anymore.

Guessing he would probably regret it later but unable to stop himself now, Heero took one last step toward the couch and upped on it, boldly straddling Duo's waist. The braided one jumped in surprise and looked up, his large violet eyes meeting determined blue ones.

"Heero ?" he asked in startled confusion. "Wha… What are you doing ?"

"This" Heero stated simply before bending down and capturing Duo's mouth in a bruising kiss, the action fueled with longing and desperation.

The moment Heero's lips touched his own was the moment Duo's brain decided to take a vacation, leaving him with nothing but instincts and sensations. His nearly finished book fell to the floor, his arms moving up to encircle Heero's neck and bring him closer. The blue-eyed one swiftly obliged, his own hands sneaking beneath Duo's shirt to finally touch this enticingly delightful skin. Soon his fingers found already hardened nipples, and he played with them in every way that he knew, bringing Duo an inch away from insanity. Pants and gasps and moans, Heero reveled in the variety of alluring sounds he was able to elicit from his partner. Duo tasted heavenly good under his lips, and his skin was even softer than Heero had imagined.

Still kissing fervently, the two boys battled for dominance, tongues dancing around each other until Duo finally relented, weakened by the wonderful feeling of Heero's hands roaming all over his chest. On his part, Duo kept one hand firmly behind Heero's neck to stop him if he tried to pull away (although it was less than likely to happen), while his other hand slowly descended along the Wing pilot's back, the green tank top making a very ineffective barrage for his easily accessible skin.

Heero growled low in his throat, never breaking their kiss and pressing the braided teen even closer to his body, his hands making their way lower to finger the edge of Duo's pants. This one gasped and rocked his hips urgently against Heero's, making both of them groan with barely controlled lust.

Soon though oxygen became an issue and both boys had to pull away from the kiss, no matter how reluctant they were to do so. Panting and dizzy they stared at each other, their need far from satisfied. The urge to keep going was strong, however both needed confirmation from the other less something irreparable was done.

"Heero…?" Duo breathed out, the single word asking for both an explanation and permission.

"I want you" was the simple reply, although Prussian blue eyes were saying so much more.

Duo smiled and whispered :

"I'm yours"

This was all Heero needed to know as he swooped Duo in his arms and carried him bridal style toward their shared bedroom. Duo merely leaned against him submissively, liking the way Heero was acting all dominant on him. Damn did it turn him on…

Not even two minutes later they were in their bedroom, the door carefully closed and locked. Duo smiled when Heero lowered him surprisingly gently on the bed, as if he was afraid to break him or something. The act made Duo feel all warm and fuzzy inside… He regained himself, looked up at Heero and said softly :

"I'm yours, Heero. I want you too. Please don't make me wait"

The second after that Heero was upon him, touching and kissing and taking off both their clothes, throwing them around haphazardly, neither of them really caring where the garments would land. Right now there was only this bed, only them and their passion and nothing else mattered. At this point neither of them would've been able to stop even if an Oz squadron had suddenly barged into the room with guns and grenades.

'Boy what a show we would give them !' Duo thought with a humorous grin just before Heero's warm hands started flying everywhere over his naked body, doing things that Duo would've never thought possible. He made one last prayer for this not to be a dream before losing himself in passion, letting Heero guide him through every last level of pleasure.

The Count of Monte Cristo laid partly open on the living room floor, forgotten.

(A/N : Should I write the whole lemon ? I don't think I will… I'm not that good at it, and I'm worried that FF . net may take down my story if it's too graphic… So sorry readers, please forgive me…)

o0o

Duo laid contentedly beside his companion, his long chestnut hair undone and fawned out around them like a silky cloth. He was leisurely basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking, a small smile refusing to leave his lips. And boy, what a lovemaking it had been ! From now on Heero was permanently entitled as a Sex God in Duo's mind.

His head was presently resting on said Sex God's chest, and Duo was content to just listen to his rhythmic heartbeat, one of his hands drawing little patterns on Heero's stomach. The other boy was lying on his back with an arm curled possessively around his new lover's waist, and Duo was liking every second of it.

Taking a glance at the clock, the violet-eyed pilot saw that it was almost midnight. He smirked ; it seemed he and Heero had spent quite some time engrossed in their activities. Well, it had taken that much to satisfy both of them. They hadn't been silent about it either, if Duo remembered correctly. That thought made him blush. He hoped that the walls really were soundproof.

All pleasantries aside though, his and Heero's union (maybe adding an "s" to that would be more appropriate) had really been amazing. Never had Duo felt more complete than when Heero had been moving inside him ; complete and perfectly happy, for the first time in his life. If only he'd known it would be so wonderful, he would've taken the risk and made his move on Heero much sooner. After all it was obvious Heero felt the same way he did.

Or did he ?

It wasn't just a fling for Heero right ? He wouldn't just get up in the morning and leave like if nothing had happened… would he ? 'No, Heero isn't like that…' Duo thought. But was it the truth, or was he merely trying to reassure himself ? It's true that Heero was the one who had made the first move… but did it really prove anything ?

"Duo ?" Heero suddenly called, interrupting his rather dark musings.

"Yes ?" he answered, trying to mask the uncertainty in his voice.

He felt Heero gently move him off his chest, resting him back on the mattress. The blue-eyed boy then propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at him, their gazes locking together. Heero stayed silent for a moment before asking calmly :

"Duo, what is wrong ?"

"What makes you think anything is wrong ?" Duo replied.

"You were relaxed and calm, then your heartbeat quickened and I felt your body tense up against mine. Also, your hand stopped moving over my stomach rather abruptly" Heero recited, all business, although there was a hint of concern in his eyes.

Duo gave him an odd look before saying with a small laugh :

"You noticed all that ? Damn but you're good…"

"Duo, what is wrong ?" Heero repeated, then his expression saddened and he asked : "Do you… regret ?"

Duo didn't like this expression on Heero's face, he didn't like to see him sad. Quickly he answered :

"No, I don't regret. I've wanted it for a very long time. But, Heero, I… what does it mean ?"

Heero looked down at him, saw the fear in his eyes. He saw the question, and how much Duo dreaded the answer. And Heero understood.

"It means that I care for you more than I've ever cared for anything else" Heero said evenly. "It means that I want you beside me as long as life will allow. It means that I will do all I can to protect you, no matter what J says. It means that I want to lay with you every night and wake up beside you every morning. That's what it means, Duo"

The Deathscythe pilot looked up at him in awe, having never heard so many words come out of Heero's mouth at once. Then what the boy had said registered in his mind, and Duo's eyes took on a suspicious glossy sheen. He swallowed back the knot of emotion forming in his throat and smiled up at his lover before asking :

"What about war then ? What about the missions ?"

"War is still war, and we must keep fighting. As for the missions… they have to come first, Duo. You know that"

Duo sighed and looked away.

"Yes, I do…" he whispered.

Heero cupped his cheek and brought his face back toward his own. Then he came closer and touched their foreheads together before saying :

"But you must know, Duo, that if I learn that you're hurt or in danger, I will come for you. Mission or no mission, war or no war"

"Heero… Are you serious ?" Duo asked in awe, not believing his ears.

Heero suddenly smirked and said :

"Unfortunately for J and all the years of effort he put into my training… I am very serious"

And just like that the mood lightened in the room, putting all of Duo's fears at rest. He stared up at Heero tenderly and before he even knew it the words had escaped his mouth :

"I love you"

Heero just stared back, his eyes wide. And then he was holding Duo against his chest, so tight that he was almost cutting the boy's air supply. Duo grinned happily and had to struggled a bit to speak up :

"Hee-chan, I love when you hug me, but could I please breathe ?"

Heero immediately loosened his hold, mumbling a contrite "I'm sorry" before carefully roaming his eyes over Duo's torso, as if afraid he might have hurt him. Finding nothing he came back to Duo's face and started saying :

"Duo, I… Me too, I… I…" Damn why couldn't he just say it ?!

Suddenly Duo's finger was on his lips, gently shushing him.

"It's okay Heero" he explained to the confused boy. "I know. You don't have to say. I know, now"

Heero looked at him gratefully, softly kissing the finger covering his mouth. He swore to himself that he would tell Duo someday. Soon he would tell the boy how much he loved him… But right now he couldn't, and he was glad Duo understood that. It only made Heero love him even more.

At least Duo knew, and for now, it was all that mattered.

When Heero offered him a beautiful soft smile, Duo knew he'd done the right thing. He understood that Heero wasn't ready to voice that kind of confession aloud yet, although he'd come pretty close in his "It means that-" speech a few minutes ago. But Duo could wait. For Heero, he'd wait as long as necessary…

'God that was corny' he sniggered to himself. Nonetheless, it was true.

They held each other silently for a while, and Duo was just about to fall asleep when Heero suddenly declared out of the blue :

"I'm never letting you near a book ever again"

"Huh ?" was Duo's intelligent reply.

Heero rolled on top of him and, taking hold of his wrists, pinned them above his head before saying with a husky tone :

"I want your attention on me and only on me"

"Is that so ?" Duo retorted with a smirk, the idea of sleep quickly taking a trip out of his mind.

There Heero was again, going all dominant on him… God did Duo find it sexy…

"But then I'll never know how the story ends" he added, talking about the book he'd been reading earlier that day.

Heero kissed him passionately before whispering against his ear :

"They lived happily ever after and had many children, the end"

"Heero, you're impossible !" Duo said with a laugh... that stopped rather abruptly when one of his lover's hands found a very specific (and quickly awakening) area of his anatomy.

The chestnut-haired teen gasped and let out a long moan, wriggling about under Heero's strong frame. Heero's hand slowly came back up to caress Duo's chest, his other hand still holding the boy's wrists captive. Their eyes met and Duo grinned, asking casually :

"Round two ?"

Heero merely smirked and captured his mouth once more.

And for the remainder of the night, Heero Yuy got exactly what he wanted : Duo's attention was on nothing but him.

He made quite sure of that !

o0o

The next morning, Wufei found Quatre's book lying open on the living room's floor. He picked it up and made his way to the kitchen, where he found the blond pilot and Trowa having breakfast together.

"Yuy's not up yet ?" he asked after making his plate and sitting down at the table. "Maxwell I can understand, since the lazy baka insists on sleeping in each time we have a break, but Yuy is always the first one up. Is he sick ?"

"Oh no, I think he's quite healthy" Quatre answered with a grin.

Him and Trowa shared an amused look before going back to their meal. Wufei raised a confused eyebrow but quickly dismissed the matter. If Yuy wanted to sleep in it was his business… although it was kind of hard to imagine Heero Yuy sleeping in.

Whatever.

"Oh, Quatre" Wufei spoke up again, catching a glimpse of the book he'd left on the kitchen counter. "I found your book in the living room ; I think Maxwell dropped it or something. That idiot probably lost his page now"

"It's okay, I don't think he'll finish it anyway" Quatre replied.

"Why not ?"

"Oh, just a hunch…" the blond told him.

Wufei mumbled something about "Maxwell and his short attention span" while Quatre shared another look with Trowa, trying very hard not to laugh. Heero and Duo's room happened to be just beside theirs, and the so-called "soundproof walls" hadn't been quite enough to conceal their nightly activities from pilots 03 and 04.

Quatre ended up being right though ; Duo never did finish reading The Count of Monte Cristo. Not only because Heero gave it back to Quatre and ordered him to hide it in the deepest, darkest place he could find, but also because Duo now had something much more interesting monopolizing his attention.

Especially at night !


.: Owari :.

(end)


A/N : So ? Was it good ? Bad ? Horrible enough to make you consider suicide ?

Raiu : I choose the third option.

Get lost Raiu or I'll take out my axe again.

Raiu : ...

Good. Now please everyone, send me a review ! Just a few words and I'll be happy. Come on, just click the little button over there... Please ?

Akari : She's seconds away from getting on her knees, you know ? Just take pity on her and review. She'd really like it !

Yes, as she says ! Ja ne !