Disclaimers:
Sadly, I don't own Gundam Wing, though one may dream...

I also don't own the song "Dolphin's Cry" That happens to be preformed by the group Live, so I don't know the details about the rights of the song... so.... Don't ask! It's not mine!

Notes: text like that is for song lyrics, ~ this ~ is for unspoken thoughts... wait... I don't think there are any unspoken thoughts! Hah!




THE FIC: Love Will Lead Us
BY: Maxwell-Yuy and co-written with the illustrious Zuci, without whom I may never have finished and surly would not have been able to post this as R rated.... Even though it's not quite there yet...



The way you're bathed in light
Reminds me of that night
God laid me down into your rose garden of trust

Another party to mark the end of the war against Oz, (as if three months of partying hadn't been enough.) Heero stood on the sidelines as couples hurried to the dance floor like ants swarming onto a picnic blanket. He didn't want to be here. He hated parties, and he hated a certain "Ms. Queen of the World" hostess even more. But the party, like much of his life, was a formality. He had to conduct himself appropriately, even in the aftermath of the mission. If he failed to show up to at least a few functions people would begin to ask questions, and as every good soldier knows, leaking out too many answers was a weakness and could result in mission failure. But it wasn't like the party was a complete waste. Granted, Relena would try to force him to spend time with her, but he did at least get to see a certain braided pilot one last time.

Watching from a corner of the ballroom, Heero eyed Duo. He looked lovely in his formal attire, which of course did not betray his usual black and red color scheme. His lavish long braid hung down, following the curve of his back and settling just beyond. Heero could see his smile, almost hear his laughter as he talked with Quatre. Heero smirked, realizing that Duo wasn't just talking to Quatre, but he was trying to divert a not too far away Dorothy's attention to provide Quatre with a getaway. Duo certainly was charming enough to pull it off, and Quatre thankfully found himself bereft of his stalker just in time to run away from a slow dance.

The main lights dimmed and small shimmering blue and white reflections leisurely began to circle the room. The romantic lighting only served to make Duo all the more angelic; creating a forged field of stars, like the night after he was rescued by Duo from the Oz hospital and they spent part of the evening outside under the curtain of the night. If only he knew then what he came to realize now.

And I was swept away
With nothing' left to say
Some helpless fool, yeah I was lost in a swoon of peace

As the familiar music drifted on, Heero found himself even more captivated by the violet-eyed wonder across the room. Lost in the haze of a daydream, Heero smiled inwardly. What he would give to wrap his arms around Duo's waist and carry him off onto the dance floor. The things he'd give to hold his fellow pilot close for but a moment, swaying gently to music that he'd never hear while lost in Duo's eyes. But his dream was interrupted as he saw that Hilde girl grabbing Duo and dragging him to the dance floor. He stared, jealousy burning within but not coming to the surface when Duo's eyes met his. As they locked gazes, Duo smiled sadly towards the pilot of Wing Zero and moved into the dance. Heero's heart raced, could Duo have feelings toward him beyond that of a friend? He continued to follow the couple with his eyes, at every possible moment Duo would catch the other pilot in a soul-searching stare. Was that want in his eyes? Could my one and only fantasy become a reality? Heero tried to sort things out in his head, but he was beyond rational thought; he was caught up in a moment of bliss. Snapping into awareness at the sound of a shrill hostess calling for him, Heero silently and stealthily backed out of the room. He felt Duo's longing eyes on him the entire time. He'd better go home before he got any more ideas. He had to leave and clear his mind.

Once home, Heero knew it would only be a matter of minutes, a half an hour at most before Duo showed up looking for him. No doubt he'd want to know what was going on at the party. Heero just couldn't face that kind of interrogation. Rejection was something he was accustomed to, but rejection from Duo... he couldn't bare that. He gathered a few objects, his laptop and his wallet, and shoved them in the duffel bag that as usual, was prepared for immediate last minute departure. Turning to leave, he stopped. Walking back into the bedroom, he took Duo's hairbrush, and left.

/one year later/

Sitting at his laptop, tired from weeks of overworking himself, Heero reached up and pulled down the monitor. Tapping his fingers on the hard surface of his laptop to relieve tension, Heero realized he could hear the silence all too well. He had grown to hate silence over the last year. He considered typing some more to create some kind of noise, but decided that it would not be the best thing to do. After all, if one really wants to be distracted, he'd better be distracted by someone besides himself.

Leaving the laptop that Duo had all too often said that Heero loved more than anything (except maybe Wing.) Had he really meant that? Trying to keep his thoughts from straying back to the braided baka, Heero picked up a pile of papers that sat on his kitchen table. He hated disorder, and sorted through the mail with expertise. A plain white envelope caught his eye as he discarded the rest and opened the envelope. Quatre. He'd been found, and Quatre wanted him to come to a huge reunion party. When was this sent? And why in the colonies was it sent paper mail? No matter, the party would be on Earth on the second of the month. Heero checked his mental calendar, but his exhaustion caused it to fuse out, and with much effort he carried himself back to his desk - to the computer's calendar.

Immediately he re-checked the date. Less than a week was left until the party. Could he make it? Did he really want to go? He'd have to face Duo after all this time. What would he say? Did Duo marry since our last meeting? No, he couldn't think like that. But if he didn't find out he'd always regret it. The next morning Heero decided he would book a flight to Earth.

You're all I need to find
So when the time is right
Come to me sweetly, come to me, come to me

One of the last of over a hundred people to arrive, Heero enters one of Quatre's mansions. Maybe the shuttle trip took longer than he expected, or maybe he had been awaiting this day for a long time, but in any case it took forever to get there. He couldn't recall who half the guests were. Maybe they were friends of friends of friends. After all, Quatre had a lot of acquaintances, unlike Heero himself. Or maybe some of them were members of Quatre's large family. But then again did it really matter who was here and who was not? Yes, it did. He had to find a certain braided boy; that is assuming he had not yet taken Heero's advice and cut off the chestnut locks. He really hoped Duo didn't cut it off. The cutting of their friendship had been enough of a blow. And it really wasn't anyone's fault.

Love will lead us, all right
Love will lead us, she will lead us
Can you hear the dolphins cry?
See the road rise up to meet us
It's in the air we breathe tonight
Love will lead us, she will lead us

From across the room, Heero spots Duo. He hadn't changed much, though if it were at all possible he seemed more beautiful than before. After all the fighting -- all the killing, he still radiated innocence. How could he be so pure? Violet eyes still held the warmth they'd held a year ago. Or maybe he was just happy to be re-united with Quatre, Trowa, and WuFei. Maybe that cheer would fade once Heero managed to alert him to his presence. He didn't want to cause those violet eyes to fade. But then again, if he didn't act now, he might never know. He might never find out just how close he and his comrade had gotten - he might never know just how close they might become.

Heero, being the perfect soldier that he was, was able to grasp situations rather well. Even though the department of emotions was still largely foreign to him, he had lived with Duo long enough during the war to know his taste in music. And as the slow, yet fast paced love song played he recognized Duo's favorite band, and Heero certainly knew this song. The baka had only played it a million times during the war. And it was played the last time he had seen the braided angel.

Sneaking up on his fellow gundam pilots, Heero boldly grasped Duo's shoulders from behind and turned him to not only face him, but embrace him for a dance. Swaying slowly to the beat, Heero leans inches from Duo and recites the lyrics, all the while gazing into his violet eyes.

"Oh yeah, we meet again
It's like we never left
Time in between was just a dream, did we leave this place?"

A smile graced Duo's face, urging Heero to continue; assuring him that he was happy Heero was finally here. The embrace closed in, and Heero brought up a hand to gently caress Duo's cheek.

"This crazy fog surrounds me
You wrap your legs around me
All I can do to try and breathe, let me breathe so that I
So we can go together"

As the music played on, the only focus the two had was on each other. They twirled around the dance floor, the lights creating a surreal backdrop for the emotional moment and displacing them from the rest of their friends. All Heero could think about was the chances he had lost, and as Duo smiled seductively and dropped his hand playfully to his back side, he knew some of the chances he hoped were soon to come.

The song kept playing on as the two gazed at each other until Duo whispered something to Heero and the dance hall was suddenly at a loss of the two.

Love will lead us, alright
Love will lead us, she will lead us
Can you hear the dolphins cry?
See the road rise up to meet us
It's in the air we breathe tonight
Love will lead us, she will lead us

The night sky was clear, the crisp air allowing a slight mist to form near the ground when the two men walked on to the balcony; the stars seemed to have multiplied since the last time Heero had been to earth. Duo pushed himself up on the ledge in front of Heero and stared at him, only wanting to memorize the moment for what is was worth. Duo didn't know exactly where he stood with the taciturn man; Heero always had mixed signals: but this time, this time Duo was going to get answers.

Life is like a shooting star
It don't matter who you are
If you only run for cover, it's just a waste of time
We are lost 'til we are found
This phoenix rises up from the ground
And all these wars are over

After a moment of not awkward, but amorous silence, long talks with a slight undertone of wistfulness pursued into the night. It seemed as if they were both hiding affection form one another since they had first met; both knowing that they could not have been together. Hell, there was a war going on, emotional conflict could have caused some serious complications. Duo, of course, added that Heero might have killed him if he had tried to tell him of his feelings anyway, and Heero laughed. Stunned, Duo sat in silence for a moment, then joining Heero in rich laughter that eventually settled. Now the ex-pilots sat staring at each other, pent-up emotions finally out in the open.

Love will lead us, alright
Love will lead us, she will lead us
Can you hear the dolphins cry?
See the road rise up to meet us
It's in the air we breathe tonight
Love will lead us, she will lead us

After all they had gone through: good times and bad, surviving during the war sometimes only because of the company of the other; they didn't need to talk. They wanted to hold each other and be reassured that this was all real... Mutually voicing this and hinting at what they had long wanted, the two found themselves jumping down into a tree and climbing to the ground, searching for the outside door to Duo's ground level room.

Life is like a shooting star
It don't matter who you are
If you only run for cover, it's just a waste of time
We are lost 'til we are found
This phoenix rises up from the ground
And all these wars are over
Are over, are over, are over

Once inside after a moment of fumbling with the keys, they were at somewhat of a loss. Heero did not want to make the same mistake again and took Duo's hand in his own. They were still standing near the door as Heero began to rub his thumb acrossed the smooth skin of Duo's palm. He was watching their hands, transfixed at the sight. He raised his head slightly, looking at Duo through his bangs, and smiled. Duo smiled right back and pulled Heero into his room.

Love will lead us, alright
Love will lead us, she will lead us
Can you hear the dolphins cry?
See the road rise up to meet us
It's in the air we breathe tonight
Love will lead us, she will lead us

They did not wait for words, nor did they wait for the morals of everyday society stop them. They knew what they wanted: each other, and who the hell were the neighboring guests to stop them? Duo laughed and bounced onto his bed at the thought of interrupting the neighbor's rest. Heero grinned feraly and climbed over top him, pushing him down to the bed gently and giving him a passionate soul-searing kiss that had them both panting.

Duo's hands slid up Heero's muscled arms down to his chest expertly undoing the pearl buttons while Heero nibbles his arched neck. Heero sat up quickly to shrug off his shirt and toe off his shoes. He got down on his knees in front of Duo who had propped himself up on the bed and took off his shoes as well. He stayed there for a moment, watching Duo's face as he somehow took off of his pants, then he climbed back on the bed. Duo undid his pants and placed Heero's hands on his thighs urging him to push them down, lifting himself as Heero did. Duo sat up on to his knees, right in front of Heero, who was doing the same. Smiling, Duo removed his shirt. He then pulled Heero and himself down to the bed in a ruff hug, which they remained in till morning.

Alright, she will lead us, yeah