The sound of his bare feet against the wooden floor sent a ringing through the room. Its inhabitant didn't notice, still in a completely deep sleep. He sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching out for the sleeping man, but stopping himself before touching him. "Trowa?"

"Hm? What?" Trowa jerked up from sleeping on his stomach, turning his face over to look at the man now sitting on his bed. "Heero?"

"I shouldn't have..."

"No, it's fine." Trowa shifted in the bed, causing Heero to move away slightly. "Are you alright?"

"I can't tell you."

"Is there something I can do without you telling me?"

A glimpse of surprised glazed over Heero's eyes. Trowa was so... compassionate, if that was the right word for it. "I don't know."

"Come here." Trowa scrunched over onto one side of the bed, holding up the sheets. "Lay down."

"I... Trowa, I don't-"

"You need to sleep. I promise, no funny business."

"But you-"

"I don't care, Heero. Get in, or go back to your room and keep letting this nightmare get to you."

"I didn't say anything about a nightmare."

"Didn't need to." Trowa settled his head down on the pillow. "I hear you calling out."

"I don't."

"Jesus, will you just get in?"

Heero slipped in between the sheets, clinging to the opposite side of the bed. Trowa shifted again, this time right up against Heero. He could feel his strong arms wrap around him, his head finding a nice cozy spot between Heero's neck and shoulder. "Trowa-"

"Shut up, Heero. Go to sleep. Now. Please."

--

"Do you ever... think about me?"

Trowa almost felt like laughing at his question. "In what context?"

"Do you have to be so succinct about the question?"

"The answer would be general otherwise."

"Let it be, then." Heero seemed inpatient, more so than usual. He happened to be in Trowa's bed again, the innocent clinging that Heero had become so fond of.

"I never knew you to be one that enjoyed non laconic answers."

"I'll accept them, from you."

There was silence for a few minutes. "Yes."

"In what context?" Trowa could see the muscles of Heero's face constrict into something that could closely resemble a smile.

"I said it'd be general."

"Yes is below general."

"Depends on the moment."

"Now?"

"Of course, since I'm talking to you."

"Before, when we were just silent?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Worried."

"You waste that on me."

"Who said it was about you?" Trowa laughed softly, the vibration ringing between their bodies.

"It's obvious when you look at me now."

"You... you see me looking at you?"

"Hn."

"Heero, that's hardly an answer for such a con-"

"It's hard not to."

"Do I really stare that much?"

"Only because every time I look at you, I hope you'll already be staring at me."

--

Trowa could feel Heero breathing. He'd come in every day that week. "Heero."

"Gomen."

"Stop apologizing," Trowa laughed gently.

Heero slipped out of the covers, sitting up on the side of the bed. "I'll leave."

Trowa grabbed his wrist, holding tightly. "Not until you tell me what's wrong."

He looked back at Trowa, then down at his wrist. "Let go."

Trowa sat up, holding tighter. "Tell me."

"Why should you care?" Heero ripped his wrist from Trowa's grip. He got up, walking for the door. "Just leave me alone."

"Isn't it obvious?" Trowa quickly got up from the bed, grabbing Heero again. "Heero, I care. I don't know why, but I do. Why else would I let you lay here with me each night, comforting you."

"Hn." Heero snorted, pulling Trowa along as he walked for the door.

"Don't give me that." Trowa pushed him up against his door. Heero stared at him, his eyes piercing right through the darkness. "Please, Heero, just talk to me."

"I can't." He looked away, concentrating on the floor.

Heero could feel a hand come under his chin, pulling him back to look at Trowa. He hadn't realized it, but Trowa had leaned in, and had locked his lips against his. Trowa was gentle, slow in the kiss, not forcing himself on Heero. It was completely chaste.

They parted, Heero's warm breath flowing across Trowa's lips. "Gomen," Heero muttered again, slipping himself from Trowa's grasp. Trowa backed off slightly, allowing the door to open, and Heero to slip out. Trowa stood there for a moment, contemplating what to do. He opened the door again and slipped through, walking out into the hallway.

"Trowa?"

Trowa turned, looking directly at Quatre who was standing in the middle of the hallway.

"Did you see Heero?" Trowa asked quietly, yawning slightly.

"He... he went back to his room." Quatre seemed uncomfortable.

"Shit," Trowa turned around, back into his own room. The door slammed.

--

"Trowa, what's going on?" Quatre grabbed his arm, stopping him in the hallway.

"Quatre... what do you mean?" Trowa avoided looking at him.

"With Heero last night..."

"Oh. It was nothing." Trowa started to walk again, but Quatre wouldn't relinquish his hold on Trowa's arm.

"He goes into your room every night."

Trowa stopped, standing stiff. "He does."

"So what is going on, Trowa?" Quatre's voice sounded a little shaky.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie, Trowa."

Trowa turned slowly to look at him, his eyes full of confusion. "Who said I was lying about anything?"

"What are you two doing?"

"It's none of your business," Trowa became slightly indignant, not understand what Quatre was insinuating was happening.

"Trowa, tell me."

"He's been having bad dreams, that's all." Trowa glared at him. "That is all."

"He sleeps in your bed!"

Trowa's eyes widened. "How... how do you know that?"

"I saw you two."

"It's not as if we're doing anything, Quatre," Trowa murmured.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were."

"What?"

"You're in love with him, aren't you?"

"What?"

"You love him."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Hey, Q-" Duo stepped out of one of the doors, looking at the two of them in the hallway. "Um... bad time, huh?"

Trowa looked away from Duo. "Please, Duo, later."

"Sure! Why not!" Duo gave a cheesy, uncomfortable smile and ran down the hallway, into Heero's room.

"I don't know why I was so blind."

"Quatre, it's not-"

Quatre laughed. "Don't treat me like I'm naive, Trowa."

"I wasn't."

"Then tell me what you're doing with Heero."

--

Duo walked in, looking at the boy sitting at the desk, his usual position, clicking away at his laptop. "Hey, Heero, something's up."

"What is it?" Heero sounded as if he was hardly paying attention, hardly awake for that matter.

"Tro and Q-man are fighting."

"Hn."

"I'm just saying, it's not normal for those two."

"Hn."

"Lover's quarrel I guess." Duo laughed.

"They're not lovers." Heero bit his tongue immediately afterwards. He sounded so jealous. He couldn't be jealous. After all, he was the one in Trowa's bed every night, not Quatre. But it... just wasn't that way.

"You know what they're fighting about, Heero?" Duo came up right behind him, sitting so he was face to face with Heero.

"You say that as if I know."

"I think you do."

"What is it, Duo?"

"You."

--

Heero stepped out of his doorway, finding the two fighting, matching Duo's description.

"But, Trowa, I don't understand why you won't tell me!"

"I trust you, Quatre, but it's between him and I."

"Quatre." Heero came up behind him, his voice completely unemotional.

"Oh, Heero, I didn't see you." Quatre had turned to face him, now backing away a little.

"Quatre, what are you doing?"

"Having a discussion with Trowa, do you mind?" Quatre seemed a little angry.

"Heero, please, stay out of this," Trowa stared at him, right through him.

"I do mind, actually. Since most of this is my fault. And your's."

"How so?"

"I go to Trowa each night, he doesn't instigate this. And you shouldn't be snooping in other people's business, no matter how in love you are with them."

Quatre's mouth dropped slightly.

Trowa stared.

"I'm not that completely dead to emotions," Heero made an odd smile for Quatre. "You love him, but won't admit it."

Quatre stuttered. "You're doing the same!"

Heero shrugged lightly, staying his unemotional self. "If I am, it shouldn't matter. I'm the perfect soldier. Everyone overlooks my emotions anyway, or what's left of them."

The three were silent for a while, Quatre glaring at Heero, Heero at Trowa, and Trowa at the floor. He couldn't bring himself to look at either of them. He'd hurt his best friend by just sleeping next to Heero each night. So Quatre loved him? He never asked for that, nor wanted to continue in that. He loved Quatre as a friend, nothing more, ever. It would hurt too much.

Heero had finally had enough. He pivoted on his foot and turned, going to walk down the hallway.

"Heero."

He paused.

"We'll talk. Tonight."

He nodded slowly to Trowa's request. "See you tonight then."

--

For once, there was an actual soft knock on the door before Heero intruded. He had picked a time at which he knew Trowa wouldn't be asleep, since he'd actually requested his presence.

Trowa turned and looked at him as he came through the door. "Glad you came."

"Don't feel as if I have much of a choice."

"You can leave if you'd like. We could find some other time to talk about-"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Really. I was under a different impression after what Quatre had to say."

"He doesn't want me near you."

"You said he loved me."

"Are you surprised?" Heero actually took a seat on Trowa's bed, not even looking at him.

"Yes."

"For some one as compassionate as you are, you have a hard time telling people's emotions."

"Compassion is a different thing than empathy."

"Obviously."

Trowa walked over from his position on the wall, standing in front of the other boy on the bed.

Heero scooted back.

"We're not getting anywhere," Trowa sighed.

"There's nothing to get."

"Heero, stop saying that, damnit." Trowa sighed again, deeply this time, almost pinning the other boy on the bed. He had bent over, his arm on the bed for balance, bending into the other boy's face. He reached in again as he had done the night before and pressed his lips against Heero's.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" Trowa whispered quietly, pushing for another kiss.

"Driving me insane."

Heero reached his hand up, slipping his fingers through the hair on the back of Trowa's head. They kissed for a few moments, savoring the interaction between the two of them. Heero slowly eased back, allowing Trowa on top of him, straddling him on the bed.

"Quatre thinks I'm in love with you," Trowa said between a kiss, holding himself back for a few moments. "In love," he repeated again.

"Stop bringing him into this."

Trowa stared into his eyes for a moment. He kissed him slowly, biting at Heero's bottom lip.

"Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"In love with me." Heero sighed, letting the warm air go over Trowa's lips.

Trowa nodded, rubbing his nose against Heero's.

"Gomen."

--

Heero woke with a jerk, sitting straight up in the bed. The sheets were tangled violently around his body, his hands clenching a fist-full of fabric. He wheezed for a few moments, desperately trying to bring his body back to a calm sort of breathing. The sweat neatly curved down the side of his face, making a few bangs sculpt to his face. "Oh, God..." he breathed out slowly.

His feet slipped over the edge, his body not even forcing them anymore. He made his way down the hallway, wobbling to say the least. The door was unlocked, as usual, and he knew he was being waited for. "Trowa..." he murmured, trying to hide the shaking in his voice. This was the first time he'd come immediately after the nightmare. Usually he'd sit up for a while, clean off, then come, but it'd been worse tonight for some reason.

"Hey," he replied sleepily. Trowa sat up slowly in the bed, stretching slightly.

Heero stepped over, shaking. He practically collapsed in the bed.

"Heero, what's wrong?" Trowa felt his forehead for a moment, the sweat clinging to his hands. "You have a fever, you look-"

"Please, Trowa, just don't worry about it." Heero curled up next to him, holding onto him as lightly at he could.

"But you're-"

"Please." Heero looked up at him, his eyes even begging at this point.

"I can't just ignore this."

"Trowa, please, listen-"

"No, you listen." Trowa placed a finger over his lips, hardly a gentle one. "Didn't I already tell you I care? Why can't you just... let me in?" He moved the finger to caress Heero's face gently, but he moved away.

"Just hold me." It was a cold order for such a loving request.

"I won't." Trowa sat up, moving to the edge of the bed. He sat there, his back to Heero.

"Trowa." Heero seemed shocked, slowly sitting up in the bed. "Why... why not?"

"You wouldn't understand anyway," he sighed.

"Trowa-"

"You know, Heero, for some one who claims not to be completely ignorant to people's emotions, you're pretty dense about mine."

--

Heero was rocking back and forth. Duo sat across from him, twiddling his thumbs anxiously. He finally let out a large huff of air and put his hands behind his head. "Ya know, Heero, I love these conversations that we have!"

He glared at Duo.

"Look, you come for advice, but I kind of need something to go on..."

"I hurt some one."

"Wow! Really? That's a first. Tell me about it!" Duo rolled his eyes and put his elbows on his knees, his chin resting on his open palms.

"Sometimes I hate your sarcasm."

"It's the only way I get by! But anyway, so what did you do to Trowa?"

"Who said it was Trowa?"

"Well, the fact that you two haven't so much as looked at each other for the past 24 hours gives one a feeling that things aren't so peachy in the love nest."

"Love nest?" Heero laughed gruffly. "You're dreaming up things, Duo."

"I'm not that dumb. You're crazy about him."

"I said, you're dreaming."

"Fine, then pinch me, because I must still be asleep."