Authors Note: This chapter has a bit of naughty in it. Just enough to give you a warning. You've been warned.


It was dark, I was mostly asleep and someone was rapping urgently on the door. I staggered as quickly as I could down the hall, reaching out to touch the walls to steady myself as I made my way to the living room. Usually we keep a light on in the kitchen so we can see just for such occasions. However, another storm had brewed up and took our lights with it.

I didn't take into account that I had moved the accent table (I had thought it would look great by the wall, silly me…) in the living room. It was a heavy old thing, not too big, just perfect to put our keys and whatnot on when we came into the house. Okay, to be honest, I bought it because Heero commented that he liked the golden color of the finish in that offhanded way of admiring things as he does. Anyway, last night I had moved it so I could grab said keys (and whatnot) that had fallen off when I bumped it with my hip as I was vacuuming the living room floor. I guess I didn't set it back flush, because when my knee suddenly hit the ornate bulb at the top of the leg, right where it goes under the table top, I miraculously had all the light I needed to see by.

It's a shame that the light was behind my eyes.

I've been shot, beaten up, stabbed, and tossed about in the cockpit of Deathscythe all without (mostly) a word of complaint, but I have to admit; this hurt. A lot. I couldn't make a sound; I just stood there, leaning down with my palm resting against the accursed table, trying to catch my breath. I swear the loud crack my knee made when it struck the devious leg was still echoing in the living room. When my mind finally cleared of enough pain for me to feel a semblance of relief that it wasn't a toe that had been sacrificed to that bloody table, I straightened up. Whoever was out there was still knocking.

I was aware that I was barefoot, clad only in a pair of boxer shorts that were a tad too loose on me, but hey, as long as I could fish my revolver out of my gun belt hanging by the door, I could greet any intruder naked if I so chose. In fact, I have. The knocking continued and for one brief moment, as I undid the security chain as quietly as I could, the Raven came back to me from that old Edgar Allen Poe classic. "Nevermore," I breathed as I jerked the door open and flipped the beam of my flashlight into my nocturnal guests face to disorientate them. I kicked the safety off with my thumb with an over-exaggerated bravado before dumbstruck silence caused me to blink in disbelief. The explosive sigh I released was almost deafening in the silence.

"Left without your keys again, I take it."

"I did."

"Why didn't you just break in?"

"The last time I did, you shot me."

"Well, apparently lesson wasn't learned, because you forgot your keys." I flipped the safety back on and lowered the flashlight out of Heero's eyes. Behind me, from the kitchen, lightning flickered, filling the room in a negative image of its true self. I could smell fresh air on him as he walked by. His clothing brushing my bare skin, which in turn, caused me to ripple out into gooseflesh. I closed the door after he came in and listened to the hushed rustle as he removed his denim jacket. There was the crinkle of paper and a loud clack as I slid the deadbolt into place.

"The power went off about two hours ago," Heero said as he walked into the pitch black kitchen. Navigating no doubt by memory. I heard the fridge open and then close before his footsteps came closer. "Thankfully I had just finished the last of my report. Noin will be pleased. I wasn't sure if you were asleep or not, I called out and you didn't answer, so I assumed."

"Assumption was correct. How bad is it out there?" I pondered as I aimed the flashlight beam towards his shoulder. He was dry, if not pretty windblown.

Pretty… yes, he is.

"Wind's rough, knocked a big branch down that took out a transformer on this side of town. It wasn't raining so I decided to go see what was up. Here." He held out the paper bag to me, holding an identical one for himself.

"Hey, thanks, what's this?"

"Sandwich shop still had lights; I figured you'd like this."

"I do, thanks," I said with a grin as I saluted him with the bag. "Good thing we don't go shopping until Friday, or we'd have wasted that money with no fridge. Are we due for a big storm?" I set the flashlight on its end, on that cruel accent table, so the light could bathe the ceiling and give us something to see by.

"You're bleeding."

"Yeah, before I got to you, I decided to try to breed my knee with the table."

A grunt in response, and what felt to me like a long uncomfortable silence. "I can see to it." There was no question in the phrase and no room for argument. Besides, if he hadn't left his keys behind, I wouldn't have hit the table and got badly, gravely, mortally wounded. So, hobbling to the couch, I flopped down and set my sandwich next to me. Man, that sure was a nice thing he did, but, well, that's Heero. He's a caring guy. I remember one time when Quatre was sick and there he was suffering through it and plowing through work as if everything were fine. Trowa and Wufei had been on assignment, some fluffy little case that took Heero and I (and yes, even Quatre) about six months to stop riding their backs about it.

Heero…

I remember it well, Quatre was running a fever and hunched over his desk. He was cold; he kept shivering even though he had his preventer jacket on. I had taken it upon myself to keep bringing him coffee or tea, anything warm I could put into him. I kept hovering over him and he kept assuring me he was fine and that he was not contagious. He wasn't, which I was extremely grateful for, but hey; I'd suffer the flu for my bestest buddy.

Heero went a step further when he had decided that Quatre wasn't well enough to pretend to be well. He pulled his chair back, much to a flurry of weak protests, and lifted our small blond friend into his arms. He carried him down to the parking garage, poured him into his car and then brought him home. For the next three days he mothered him until he was sure that Quatre would fare well on his own, then he came back home to me. I took over their cases in the time being, anything I could do to help. Heero just took the initiative, that's how he rolls. And we love him for it.

We love him for it.

I was so lost in that memory that I never noticed the beam of the flashlight was no longer pointing towards the ceiling by the door. It was now clipped to the front of Heero's shirt and focused on my lap.

"You're not going to put in stitches, are you?"

"Depends," Heero murmured as he opened up our med-kit and began to dig around.

"If you put that stingy stuff on, I expect you to blow on it, and then a kiss."

Heero cut his eyes up to me. "And spread germs into a fresh wound?"

"Fine," I said. "Take the magic out of it."

He continued to pin me with the look as he positioned the light on the coffee table, and then snapped open a fresh package of gauze. Before I could protest, he leaned close to my lap. I have to say, with Heero sitting between my parted legs, my body began to grow curious. Images flashed within my mind's eye, of him in a similar position, his lips wrapped around my aching cock.

Shut up, Duo! What are you doing!? You're gonna spring a boner right there in his face! Think-Think-Think! Oh, yeah, I got it, dead-guppies, dead-guppies, dead-guppies!

Letting out a sigh, I leaned back slightly as he cleaned out the gash. I had hit it in just the perfect spot. Right there just below the knee cap in that little gap. "Stitches?"

"Mmm, no," he murmured. I could feel the reverberation of his voice travel along my thigh and my eyes snapped open. How far into my lap was he crawling? I realized that all he had done was angle his body in a certain way so he wouldn't block out the light with his body as he worked, but still… those long unruly bangs were now tickling me. I'd be hard pressed to say that it didn't feel good. The skin on his palms was rough and he used his free hand to steady my injured leg. Way up high on my thigh. I swear, even though there was shadow covering his hand, I could feel his pinky resting just inside of the hem of my boxer leg.

"You have an erection." His tone was clinical, and maybe because my brain was lacking so much badly needed blood, I could have sworn he sounded flattered, even in his soft subdued monotone. Shut up, Duo! This is no time to get your hopes up when instead; we should be digging a hole so we can crawl under a rock!

"I uh, I uh…"

He didn't lift his eyes from my knee, his rough palms moved over my skin and it sounded like whispers over silk. I shivered.

"It's normal. Legs are erogenous zones."

Oh please, someone, please kill me…

"I uh… uh…"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, it just means you're healthy," he explained patiently.

Dear hole, please open up beneath me. Thanks! Your pal, Duo!

"You're going to bruise," Heero commented as his hand slid further up my thigh, and I trembled despite myself. "It hurts," he deduced as he lifted his eyes to me and I could only gaze down to him in pain, and the knee wasn't the cause. "I'll call Noin in the morning, tell her that you're taking a personal day and why."

"No, no, no!" I cried out, finally finding my voice in my panicked induced state. I even waved my hands vigorously in front of me to drive home the point that I was okay. Okay, I wasn't okay, because when I suddenly blurted out my No, no no! Heero's hand gripped my thigh in surprise, my balls got harder and I know if he wanted to take my pulse, he'd just have to stare at the large pole in my lap, hidden under loose cotton fabric. I cut my eyes down. Okay, not that well-hidden.

Heero's eyes moved down with mine and together we stared at the same thing.

Hey, hole? You uh got an ETA there buddy? I really need to jump into you feet first!

"You want some ice for that?" he asked, lifting his eyes back to mine with a hint of that mean little smile of his pulling his mouth up just the tiniest little bit on the left.

The horrified expression on my face quickly broke into a scowl and I tipped my nose into the air as I haughtily replied (Much to his amusement, I hoped!), "You don't ice down ten inches of pure Maxwell fury!" And to my relief, he tipped his head back and laughed. The good laugh that I so rarely hear, straight from his belly. His hand was gentle as he used my thigh for leverage as he rose and walked out of the living room.

"Where you going?"

"I'm going to grab a quick shower, and then eat and watch the storm come in. Don't pick at that bandage."

Just what I was planning to do (watch the storm, not pick the bandage, although now that he mentioned it, it was starting to get itchy…) although sans shower. Before my horrible, debilitating wound, I had taken my own. I was officially squeaky clean. Then, another thought occurred to me. Heero. In the shower. Naked. Water running over his nimble body, his hands roaming over his flesh as he washed the day away in that body wash of his that I love so much. Hair slicked back from his face, his eyes closed with large drops of water catching in those oh so long lashes of his. I closed my eyes and lifted my hand to my mouth, curling an index finger and biting onto it gently. I gripped my good knee with my other hand and moments later, I felt my belly roll and then clench in a delicious cramp and then there was wet warmth in my boxers.


While Heero was showering, I managed to sneak into my room to clean up. That man can send me to heaven and back and not even lay a finger on me. Wow. I wadded up the boxers and tossed them into the corner of my room where all my dirty laundry went before wash day, got into a fresh pair and hobbled out. I paused by the bathroom door, listening with my eyes closed as the water splashed against the tiles, broken up here and there as he moved about beneath the stream. I shivered again, pinched the bridge of my nose, and made my way to the living room. When I sank back into my seat, the shower cut off, so I got comfortable and gazed out of the large windows.

The city was beautiful. Half of it was dark, but what light there was out there twinkled as tree branches whipped in the wind, momentarily cutting their view from me in sporadic areas. I could see how the low hanging clouds were heavy with rain as lightning played chase within them, and in the distance, the soft grumble of thunder greeted my ears.

"Want me to open the windows a crack?" Heero asked as he stepped in. Shadows from the flashlight sculpted his body and I couldn't help but to notice that he was standing there with nothing but a towel around his hips while he used another to dry his hair.

"Yeah, that'd be great," I murmured, dearly hoping I had spoken loudly enough to be heard, but low enough that the desire couldn't be.

Heero simply nodded and opened them up just enough to let in some fresh spring air, which was amazing. It smelled so fresh and clean and brought with it the tiny sounds of traffic far below us.

"Hey, could you light a candle and save the battery on the light?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

"Hn."

"The one that smells like honeysuckle?"

"Sure." His tone was soft as he answered me. Oh how I love the spring time, especially going to Quatre's country house late in the season, when the honeysuckle is gearing up to go into full bloom. I like to lie in bed at night there, with my window wide open and the warm country air stirring the curtains, and that sweet heady smell lulling me into the sweetest of dreams. On nights such as those, I was never an orphan on 02; I was never a soldier, never a Gundam pilot. I was just me, living a simple life with a simple plan and never a bad memory to fall back on as I drift off into sleep. I love nature and when I get older, I'm going to move somewhere close to a forest. I want to grow my own food, live off the land and be a burden to no one. Not long ago I had offhandedly told Heero of my plans. His eyes grew distant for a brief moment before voicing his disbelief. When I got defensive, he touched my thigh gently and then told me that he was glad to hear of my plans. I was grateful he said that because of the way he acted at first. I guess it felt good to have his approval.

I watched Heero as he lit the expensive soy candle, my mind already providing memories the scent alone would seduce, and then, he left. To change into something more decent, no doubt. He had put the candle out of the way of the windows so the draft wouldn't make the flame dance. Behind me, in the kitchen, the sound of thunder grumbled again. I love storms like these; the ones that announce themselves but take forever to get to their destination. So much raw power, so much bravado in them. They aren't worried about nothing, they just come and do their thing and then leave when they've felt their job was done.

"What'd you put in the fridge?" I recalled him opening and closing it after coming in.

"Wine."

"Cool, sweet white?"

"Sweet chardonnay."

"What's the occasion?"

"Big storm." He bumped around in his closet for a moment. "You want a glass?"

"Yeah, just a little one. Time's it?"

"Ah… just a little after ten."

"Nice, and here I was, being a good boy and went to bed at eight."

"No wonder. You were up and out the door at three this morning." Heero returned and went into the kitchen to get our wine.

"Yeah, well, if you want to shrink wrap an entire conference room, then you better make darn sure you're up and at 'em early. And besides; I had to be there to see the reaction in person."

"You set up a hidden camera, right?"

I laughed softly. "Yeah, I did. Wufei and Zechs' tantrum will be forever immortalized on YouTube."

"Remind me to never piss you off," Heero answered dryly as he handed me my glass and sank down on the couch next to me. He was close, but not in that invading my space kind of close. It was comfortable and made me realize that popping a boner that close to his face while he tended my knee didn't bother him.

It bothered me, but it didn't bother him. I felt a strange warmth stirring in my chest over that realization and when the paper began to crinkle as he unwrapped his sandwich; it reminded me to open mine, so I did.

Roast beef, lettuce, tomato, red onion, a dash of horseradish and some cucumber. The man knows me well. I took a bite as the wind kicked up outside and moaned my appreciation.

The storm was amazing. The lightning traced its fingers along the heavy clouds before our large windows, hail stuttered against the glass and rain took its precious time getting to us. Tornado weather. I mentioned that to Heero and he just grunted in agreement. I swear there was one gust of wind that seemed to shake the entire building. Then, right after that, there was a huge bolt of lightning that struck close by; maybe another transformer, we couldn't tell. All of a sudden, there was a bright light, followed by that momentary bit of blindness and then the residual sparks from whatever had been unfortunate enough to get toasted. There seemed to be no change in the sparse lights still going on on the other side of the city, so there was no telling who may have been affected by that powerful strike. The intense boom that was born from the sharp crack was so loud that it seemed to dive straight through my breastbone and it hurt.

"Did you feel that?" I asked in awe as I continued to stare out into the tumultuous night.

"I did," Heero whispered. If I had had the presence of mind to cut my eyes to the left, I would have noticed that he wasn't looking out into the same night that I was. No, he was looking at me.

The entire time.