"I love you."
Duo cried then.
He had never seen Duo cry before.
He had seen Duo shot, beaten, bruised and violated.
But never cry.
Never.
It scared him.
His long soft fingers shaking, in fear? in awe?, wiped the tears away.
"I do not care about the scars, about the past."
"All I think, all I breathe is you. I can't think. I can't stand it"
"Release me Duo." The man whispered. "I can't eat, I can't sleep"
Duo clung to the man like he was the only thing from keeping him to be swallowed by the ground. His crying lapsed, the rouge tears that lingered on his face dropped from his cheeks hitting the black coat the man wore.
This is not me. This is not me. "This is not me" the man muttered, his thoughts lost within himself. Asher pulled him closer. "Release me". "No" Duo said, his voice strong, so sure of what he said. Asher jerked. Duo's grip tightened. "You belong to us now"
"You are ours." "You are ours." Duo liked the feel of those words. "Ours" He repeated. "I'm going to keep you" Duo whispered into the shell like eye. His breathe hot making the man shudder from the change of temperature. They were knelling in snow, it was so cool. But it was like his mind could not feel the cold even if his body did. All he heard, all he felt were those words. Ours…I'm keeping you. Asher's eyes closed and heart opened.
They stayed there till late, the shaking of their bodies snapping them to awareness about 'how so frigging cold it was' as Duo put it. Asher had laughed when he said that, his heart so full, so alive. Hand in hand the two men walked slowly back to the cabin.
Years later when age had touched their faces and life had bloomed and withered around them still when they saw snow there was a smile shared, a memory relived.