Chapter 4

Heero lay sleepless that night. He laid there until the black world beyond turned that eerie, shapeless gray of early morning. And still he held the soft boy close to him. Quatre had fallen to sleep finally. That blonde head resting gently on Heero's chest. No more nightmares. No more tears. When he had cried out those long hours ago, cried out and tore at Heero as he tried to calm him, an instinct Heero hadn't truly been aware he had took over. He hadn't known he knew how to calm someone, how to hold them. He hadn't known his hands could be so gentle, even as they shook. Now though, sure that Quatre was sleeping soundly and without fear, he slipped from the warm security of the blankets and sheets, and made his way quietly down the stairs. His throat was so dry it was beginning to hurt, and he needed to think. He needed to clear his head. He needed –

Thump… Thump… Curse… Heero paused and looked around the corner to the stairs. Duo.

"Damn… stupid… mother –"

The tousle-headed pilot of the ominous Gundam Deathscythe gripped the railing of the stairs so tightly his arms shook. He was trying quite valiantly, and failing quite miserably, to get down the stairs without making too much noise. The splint and bandages on his leg prevented that inevitably. He stopped though, when Heero appeared at the bottom of the stairs and peered up at him.

"Do you need help?" Heero asked quietly, knowing it would destroy the other boy's pride but also knowing that Duo was not stupid enough to risk falling down the stairs and breaking his own neck.

"Not from you," Duo whispered venomously.

Heero blinked, and his heart gave an awful lurch. That wasn't the reply he'd expected. Even after his betrayal to them, even after everything, he'd expected the other three to deal with him in at least a sort of professional coldness. Even Duo, who, like Quatre, seemed to feel so much more than the rest of them. But no, no the braided-boy glared down at him with a vehemence, with a hatred so hot it hurt him to his very core. He nodded once and turned to go back into the kitchen where he proceeded to get himself a glass of water. The struggled thumps and mumbled curses continued slowly down the stairs, and into the living room, until at last Duo rounded the corner of the kitchen bracing heavily on the wall. He made it to the fridge, glaring at Heero all the way, and grabbed a cold bottled water. Without a word, Heero reached into the medicine cabinet and held out a bottle of pain-killers to the other boy. Duo's wide eyes narrowed at him, and he glared for a moment before snatching the pills from his hand and hobbling to the table to plop down in a chair. Silence ensued, broken only by Duo shaking two pills into his waiting hand. Heero sipped at his water, staring out the sliding glass doors that opened out onto the back porch and over-looked the lake. He should go stand out there. He should leave Duo alone.

"I always knew you had a secret up your sleeve," came Duo's bitter voice. Heero turned to him warily. "But I never thought it was something like this. I never thought you'd betray us like this."

"Things were different then," Heero was surprised at the softness of his own voice.

"Things are different now," Duo shot back. "Things will be different tomorrow."

"And what will you do tomorrow?" Heero nearly taunted.

Duo opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Closing his mouth he glared at Heero an instant longer before turning back to glare at the water he held between his hands. Sighing finally, the lanky Duo flopped backward in his chair, letting his head fall over the back. His long braid nearly touched the floor.

"I heard Quatre crying," he nearly whispered, his bright eyes closed. "And I heard you talking to him. Murmuring," he turned his head and opened those startling midnight blue eyes to peer at him. "What did you tell him?"

Heero was quiet a moment. He had to look away from that prying gaze. He found his eyes drawn once again to the soft, gray morning beyond the sliding glass doors. The sun was beginning to glint of the lake. Soon he knew a thousand little firey crystals would light over the lake's surface. That's kind of how he felt inside. Like he was made up of a thousand, million tiny little bits of glass and fire. It hurt so much to hurt them. Heero wasn't used to feeling so much. Well, he wasn't used to acknowledging it at least.

"I told him that I wouldn't leave him," still he stared out over the world beyond. "I wouldn't leave any of you," Heero cut his eyes to the side to meet Duo's now wary gaze. "You don't know what it's like to never have anything, and then to suddenly have so much."

This drew a mild snort from the braided-pilot as he leaned back up and rested his elbows on the table to take a sip of his water. He shook his head as though in disbelief before finally peering up at Heero through his jagged bangs. The early morning light caught the glint in his eyes just right. Duo was a beautiful creature in his own strangely innocent, frighteningly demonic way. Heero never quite understood how Trowa kept up with him.

"We know, Heero," Duo smirked. "We all know. You have to trust us."

"Then you have to trust me," Heero shot back.

"Well if you can keep your girlfriend from killing us in our sleep for the next few days we'll see," Duo gave a languid stretch, lacing his fingers behind his head. "She's hot by the way," the lanky boy gave Heero a playful wink.

It made Heero smirk secretly. At least Duo was back.

"I'll tell Trowa you said that," the small choking sound that came from Duo's throat almost made Heero laugh outright. "We're not stupid," he threw in on a side note. "Or deaf," he muttered as he turned to rinse out his glass and set it in the wrack. "Come on," he held out a hand to Duo at least. "Let me help you back up the stairs."

Duo glared mildly but allowed himself to be hauled up. Maybe, just maybe, it would all be alright.