Duo's POV

Duo's POV

I didn't move for a long time after Wufei left. I stood still, hoping he'd come back out. He didn't and I quietly went to my room.

I lay on my bed, and closed my eyes, willing sleep to come and wipe away the memories of the past week. But I didn't want to forget. I wanted to relive the brief moment he'd held me over and over again, to feel his lips on mine in a wonderfully harsh, bruising kiss.

When he'd kissed me, I felt something stir inside of me. Something that had lay still all my life, waiting for the right person to come and stir the embers, to coax it into a burning flame. Wufei had done that. He'd made me feel alive, special; attractive…I didn't want to give that up.

I sighed and got up and made my way over to the wall that separated my room from Wufei's. I strained my ears, trying to hear if he was still awake. I couldn't hear anything and I sighed loudly, before throwing myself facedown on my bed.

I awoke with a start hours later as I heard the door creak open ever so slowly. I held my breath and lay still, one thought beating restlessly on the walls of my mind. He promised he'd never touch me

I closed my eyes and lay immobile as he crossed the room to stand beside my bed. I tried to look natural, as if I was asleep. I must have succeeded because he sighed and stooped to brush his lips against my face softly before leaving.

I lay there, wanting the tears to come for a long while afterwards.

When I got up in the morning, Wufei was already gone. Seeing as I couldn't read, he'd worked out a system so I'd know where he was. I felt around on the counter until my fingers closed over something. A coffee mug. He was at the small café he worked at part-time.

I sighed and replaced the mug before fumbling around in the breadbasket until I found the bread. I cursed myself as it took me four tries to figure out how to open the bag and put the bread in the toaster.

Finally, feeling exhausted with the simple task, I'd made myself breakfast. Rather than make a larger mess, I ate the toast plain and wiped down the counters.

After I'd made my bed and gotten dressed, there was nothing left for me to do other than listen to the radio. I sighed as I turned on the radio. I'd heard all the songs and programs, there wasn't much interest left in it. Wufei didn't have a television and it wouldn't have mattered if he did, the programs wouldn't have made sense to me without being able to see the character's actions.

After an hour or so of the radio, I made a decision. I was going to go surprise Wufei at work.

He'd shown me the way to both his jobs and drilled the phone numbers and addresses into my mind until I could repeat them in my sleep. He was making sure I'd never get lost like I had the previous week. I was slightly resentful of the fact that I couldn't even make my way to a place two blocks away, but I'd resigned myself to my fate a long time ago.

"Kid!"

I stiffened involuntarily. Relax, I told myself, It can't be him. You haven't heard anything from him in months. It's not him!

"Kid!"

Oh shit. It is him! I panicked. What was I going to do?

"You! Kid! Duo Maxwell! Wait!"

He knows my name… I stopped suddenly. Maxwell? I'd never known my last name. I had faint hope he was yelling at some other Duo, but I knew Duo was far too unusual a name for more than one person in the city to have.

"I said WAIT!"

I turned towards the voice. I knew that voice. I recognized the anger in it. "Get lost!" I snapped.

"Doncha remember me?" He was drunk. I could smell the odor of his booze from where I stood.

"Please," I said in a soft voice, "Stay away from me."

"Grateful ain't ya? I only gave you a home, took you in when you were alone and helpless!" Any minute and he'd start crying. "Trowa and me didn't *have* to take in worthless scum like you-and after what he did to ya, how can you scorn me?"

"Go away," I said, my voice rising shrilly. I don't want anything to do with him! I'm not trash like that!

"Kid…" There was a vast note of pleading in his voice. "Don't leave me."

He was hopeless old drunk that had hurt me and I hated him. "I will!"

"Its that foreigner! That damned foreigner! He changed you! You were always a nice kid and now look what that fucked up-,"

I hit him. "Don't! Don't talk that way about him! He's-he's-," I was fumbling for words, trying to find a biting remark.

"Oh, you're as screwed up as him," he said in disgust and shoved me off of him.

I yelped as my heel caught the curb and I stumbled backwards into the street. Heero laughed. I could hear the frantic honking of horns. I screamed.

"Wufei!"

Wufei's POV

I barreled my way through the white halls, shoving people out of my way, not stopping to apologize or to retort to the nasty comments yelled after me. I had to get to Duo.

"Excuse me," I said, stopping abruptly to speak to a young woman. "Can you tell me what room Duo is in?"

"Duo?" the young woman arched an eyebrow at me. "I don't know who you mean."

"It's okay," I heard a familiar voice call. "I know who he's talking about."

I turned, "Sally," I breathed in relief. "Where is he?"

She smiled at me, "Down the hall, last door on the right."

"Thank you," I managed to say as I dashed down the hall.

I paused, standing in the doorway. He was asleep, an IV tube in his arm. I shifted my weight nervously. Will I get in trouble for staying here?

"Take a seat Wufei. He'll be waking up shortly." I glanced over my shoulder. Sally was standing behind me.

I nodded, but didn't sit down. "Tell me what happened."

"He was hit by a car."

"Oh. My. God." I managed to gasp out.

"He's fine, slight concussion and some scrapes and stuff. Nothing to serious, but he worked himself up when he first came around-yelling your name-," she threw me a significant look, "So we gave him some sedatives."

"So he's okay?"

"Duo's blind Wufei."

"I know. I've been living with him for over three months."

"Aaa…" she smirked at me.

"Shut up. I'm not sleeping with him," I snapped, feeling myself turn red anyway.

"Which explains why you came tearing in here like a madman and wrecked havoc on your way up here?"

"I *said* shut up!" I glared at her and went to stand besides Duo's bed.

"He'll be awake in-never mind," Sally shook her head as Duo stirred.

"Fei?"

"I'm here," I said, taking the hand that didn't have wires feeding into it. "It's okay."

His eyes opened all the way. "Where the hell am I?"

"The hospital," I answered.

"Oh," he shook his head.

"He'll be less groggy in about an hour," Sally spoke up.

He turned towards her voice, "Who's that?"

"Sally. I met her a while ago when I first moved here. We're friends," I said, unconsciously tightening my grip around his hand.

"Oh…" his voice was strangely flat as he slid back down in bed. "Wu?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll be back later this afternoon." Sally interrupted before exiting.

"What is it Duo?"

"I saw-or actually heard Heero before…" His voice trailed off and he gave me a wry smile. "He pushed me and I fell in front of that car."

"If you had-," I couldn't say the word, but he knew.

He withdrew his hand from mine to help pull himself to a sitting position. "When I heard the car…I knew it was going to hit me. And I screamed your name, Wufei. When I woke up, I only wanted you." His voice was quiet and he avoided looking at me, as though he was confessing a sin.

"Duo," I whispered, sitting next to him on the bed.

"I know you hate for me to say this, but Wufei, listen to me! I wanted you then because I love you and I was scared I was going to die without you. I didn't know how hurt I was or what was happening, just that I wanted you!" He said this hurriedly as if he was afraid I'd stop him before he could get it all out. As he finished, he let out a long sigh and dropped his head to his hands.

I wouldn't have stopped him. I wouldn't ever stop him again. In the split second after I'd gotten the call, I'd known. That if Duo was gone, I wouldn't have a reason to live anymore. That I'd never forgive myself knowing he'd died without knowing that I loved him. That the childish youth was the world to me.

"Duo," I whispered, unable to say anymore as I embraced him. He sat as if he was shocked at first, but slowly, tentatively wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Wufei?" My name was a soft question on his lips.

"I love you. I love you. I love you," I whispered into his ear over and over again.

Our lips met for a trembling, emotional instant and suddenly it was over.

He smiled at me and the world seemed to slide out from under my feet as he said the words I could finally accept.

"I love you Wufei."