A soft snow fell, quietly covering the sleeping city. All was quiet and still as the entire city slept-except one lone soul. He stood alone on a snow-covered hill, the falling flakes nestling themselves in the waves of his braid and melting and trickling down the back of his neck, making him shiver as the icy coldness met his bare warm skin. He turned his face up and allowed the freezing snow to ice the tears that were forming in his violet eyes. His eyes searched the skies, remembering and wishing. "Heero."

~Flashback~

            It was night much like the one in the present time. Except he had been in space, watching the snow fall from above. Looking down on the world, he had felt truly alone. Tears had formed in his eyes, tears that he quickly blinked away. He knew loneliness was better for him, everything he loved died. But he could not completely turn his heart to ice.

            Heero had entered the room then. He stood in silence, watching as the boy who had seen so much death and destruction in his short life, kept his lonely tears at bay. He looked up then and met Heero's eyes. And suddenly they found themselves in each other's arms, crying and intent on ridding the horror and loneliness that surrounded them. They did not know if they had felt for each other all along or if it was only a result of the chilling loneliness that the emptiness of space gave them. But that night something happened.

            And he had fallen in love.

~End Flashback~

            The tears were flowing freely now as he remembered the nights and days of passion and love that had followed after that night. But as soon as the mission ended, Heero had disappeared; leaving him with the aching loneliness that would not be cured. "Heero, where are you?" he thought out loud, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from turning to ice on his eyelids.

            "I'm here." He turned in surprised shock. Heero was standing there, leaning against a tree, his hands jammed in his pockets and face unfeeling as always.

            He walked over to him, "Heero?" Duo asked in amazement and traced one finger along the other youth's jaw line. "Heero!" he screamed again in anger and hauled off and hit Heero as hard as he could. "Where the hell have you been? Why the hell did you leave me? I've spent every night for the past year staring up at the sky where the hell you are and if you're dead and-," he couldn't control himself, he kept hitting Heero until he was on the ground and sobbing hysterically. "Damn it Heero, I needed you and you were gone! Where have you been?"

            Heero sat up and wiped the snow and blood that had mixed on his face off and crawled over to the crying youth. "I'm so sorry," Heero murmured and reached out to embrace his lover, but stopped and sat there his arms extended and hovering over Duo's shoulders.

            "You'd better damn well be sorry," Duo spat out bitterly, and wiped his eyes. Glancing up at Heero, he added gruffly, "Sorry about your face."

            Heero stared at him. He wanted to tell Duo so much-to explain-to promise never to leave him-just to him that he loved him. But the Perfect Solider had been taught what he had thought were the most useful things to know in life-until now. Now he would give anything to be able to pour out his heart and beg forgiveness from Duo. Finally, he answered blankly, "It's okay. Doesn't really hurt."

            Duo glared at him, "If you're just going to stare, get lost. I'm not really in the mood to try and pry information out of you."

            Heero tore his eyes away from Duo and did what he had been taught. He acted on instinct and grabbed Duo, kissing him at first soft and hesitantly, then harder and with greater need and passion as Duo succumbed with little if any protest.

            "No! This isn't right! You just can't reappear in my life and act as if you just left yesterday! We need to talk-to sort things out-," Duo said and pushed Heero off of him, ashamed of his own need and desire.

            "I don't know what to say," Heero said, and let go of Duo reluctantly.

            "Talk about the weather. Isn't that what people do when they don't have anything to talk about? You ought to know, Relena's dragged you to enough affairs!" Duo glared at Heero and mentally gave himself a kick in the ass for being so open.

            "You were jealous of me and Relena?" Heero asked, a note of amusement in his voice.

            "Isn't the moon beautiful tonight?" Duo asked by way of getting out of a scrape.

            Heero looked up briefly, "Tonight's the perfect night."

            "No its not," Duo replied softly. "There's a flaw, a bit of imperfection in everything. No matter how small or insignificant, its there." Heero fastened his eyes on Duo. Duo slowly pointed to a spot at the edge of the forest where the snow had been disturbed. "See the bloodstains? A deer was shot here earlier. I watched it happen. That bloodspot and the scent of death is the one bit of imperfection in the otherwise perfect night."

            A tear slipped from Heero's eye. Duo's words had woven a spell over him and the ice that surrounded his heart was shattered. The Perfect Solider was at last, just a human. "Why are you crying?" Duo asked softly, gently wiping the tear away from Heero's cheek.

            "You," Heero replied quietly. "You're my one flaw…my one imperfection…you and my love for you…" Heero bowed his head and his body shook with the tears he had spent his entire life holding back.

            Duo let Heero cry in peace for a moment, then sat up and embraced him. Resting his head on top of Heero's head, he murmured softly, "It's all right. I love you. And I am never letting you leave me again," he promised, idly stroking Heero's hair.

            Heero looked, up his eyes red with tears, "Duo-," Duo leaned down and kissed him gently, laughing slightly at the surprised look in Heero's eyes.

            "Let's go home Heero. It's cold out here," Duo said and stood up holding Heero's hand. Heero stood up. Home. That was a word he hadn't heard for a long time. A smile broke out on his face, a ray of hope shining like the sun after a storm. It was home because love was there, waiting and embracing him.

            "C'mon, Heero, I'll race ya!" Duo yelled and took off laughing, down the hill. Heero stood still, and then remembered that he too could laugh. And he did laugh, racing down the hill after his lover.