Heero looked up from his computer and frowned at the soft rap on his door.

'Yes?'

'It's Duo.'

Heero quickly shut down his computer and stood up. He opened the door but blocked the entrance with his arm.

'What is it?'

'Can I come in?' Duo smiled vaguely. 'I have to tell you something before I chicken out.'

'Is it important?'

Duo's eyes widened and he leaned forward slightly. '…. Am I?'

~*~

…. Where am I?

…. What's happened?

I can't remember anything.

    Heero slowly became more aware of his surroundings. There was a light pressure around his middle limply clinging to his waist. He gently rolled onto his side, not daring to open his eyes. A sweet scent met his senses, and he felt gentle soft breaths on his forehead. Still he couldn't open his eyes. The breaths stopped for a second, then quickened and became slightly louder.

He's awake.

Heero lay perfectly still, pretending to be asleep. The arm slowly drew away and lingered on his cheek. It ran down the nape of his neck and into the small of his back, taking in every dip and line with its soft fingertips, as it's body shifted closer towards him. Slowly Heero opened his eyes. Duo smiled back at him. He returned the expression quickly and sat up in the bed.

'I-' Duo began but was silenced as Heero put a hand up in the air.

'Don't. Just, don't.'

    Heero ran a hand through his hair and stood up. He looked out the window and burned a hole through the blue sky, searching for a darker atmosphere that could transport him from these emotions that he didn't deserve. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind of the night before.

'… Go.'

~*~

    'We've been called in. Oz bases don't wait around while we sit on our asses.'

Quatre frowned and nodded sternly.

'I'll go get the others.'

    The Gundam pilots sat at the kitchen table, all swung on their chairs in different fashions. Duo stared at Heero with burning intensity, trying to get his attention. Heero used all of the power he possessed to ignore him.

'Another OZ base has been found in the Delta colony. We can't sit around here while their people swarm around it like flies. We need to hit it now and hit it hard before the situation becomes too complicated. Check your briefs while we fly to save time, so if you have any questions then com me. Agreed?' there was a collective nod as the boys got up from their seats. 'Then lets go.'

~*~

    Wing was the first Gundam in the air. Spikes of hot flames licked the ground as it took the initial leap with the slightest gasp of wind passing over it. Inside the cockpit Heero was on autopilot, not daring to realise what he had done that morning. However he could not escape the image of Duos face when he had told him to leave. That picture would stay etched into his mind even if the words disappeared. Slowly he brought himself back into the world and looked out at the zenith surrounding him. He reached inside his pocket and brought out a small envelope. Putting Wing onto auto, he brought out the letter from inside and read over it. He opened his mouth and his lips quivered on the verge of utterance. Air escaped from his throat but no words formed. He put the letter back in his pocket and switched Wing back on to manual. He couldn't even say what he wanted to himself; he knew now without a shadow of a doubt that there was no way he would be able to say them to Duo.

~*~

    The boys slowed down as they arrived at their destination. Below lay a swirling blood red desert, the dunes rising and falling as a strong wind swept over them. Hidden in a small valley just in front of the horizon they could make out a collection of metal warehouses clumsily grouped together inside a solid metal wall.      

'Everybody clear on the mission?' Heero said down the intercom.

'Yes.'

'Affirmative.'

'Hmmm.'

'… Yes.' Duo answered quietly.

Heero frowned and slammed a hand down on his controls.

'Dammit Duo, if you don't get a grip you're gonna get killed out there! You hear me?!'

'Chill out already Heero, don't be so harsh with him!' Quatre shouted back at him.

'Go to hell Quatre. If any of you die it'll be ME who gets the blame.' Heero growled.

'I didn't think you cared.' Duo said.

    Heero pretended to not hear Duo and brought all of his weapons online. He breathed out and clenched his fists until his fingernails dug into his palms.

'Remember, short and sweet. Wufei, Trowa and Quatre will sort out any disturbances while Duo drops a bomb in the centre of the complex. When he gives the signal you'll have forty seconds before the whole thing goes sky high.'

'What about you?' Wufei asked.

'…I'm Duo's back up. If anything happens to him, I finish the job.'

'Lets go.' Quatre said. 'And Duo: good luck. You can do it.'

'Alright everyone, 3, 2, 1-'

    Trowa, Quatre and Wufei blasted forward and greeted the base's pitiful defence with a shower of bullets. They drove their opponents down to the ground giving Heero and Duo a clear path forward. The pair sped forward and blasted a couple of suits out of the sky. The others caught up as the remaining twisted pieces of metal of their opponents burned with high spires of smoke behind them.

'Good job. Ok three waves should eliminate these suits. On my signal…' Heero waited until the enemy went into a straight formation. 'NOW!'

The boys' shots were precise and accurately paced. The suits exploded in a furious show of blinding fireworks with a wave of energy that shook the Gundams with a sharp jolt. By now the metal walls of the OZ base were in front of them, looking weak and flimsy. A meagre amount of soldiers were shooting desperately from the barracks.

'Ok. Wufei, Trowa, Quatre, you stay back and deal with any defence. Duo, in front of me, I'll watch your back.'

'Roger.'

    Duo sped forward and sliced a suit clean in two. The pieces fell down and hit the wall, denting it and scattering the soldiers in all directions. He reached the position where the bomb was to be dropped and hovered.

'Deploying bomb.' Duo pressed the button above his head with a firm finger. There was a crunching sound below him, then a loud groan as some machinery came to a slow halt. Duo frowned and pressed the button again. When nothing happened, he slammed his fist on it repeatedly. There was a dead silence.

'Shit! The mechanism must've busted, goddamit!' he shouted.

'I've got a backup. Get out the way so I can move into position.' Heero said while he set the bomb's timer.

'Heero let me deal with it!'

'Duo, you said your mechanism's gone. There's no way you can get it going again out here.'

Duo paused for a second.

'I'm not your toy Heero. You can't use me and then expect me to forget about it.' He got out of his seat and picked up a gun. 'And you can't rule my life either.'

Heero watched in anguish as he saw Duo jump out of Deathscythe, hit the ground and take out some Oz soldiers.

'What the HELL is he doing?!' he muttered.

    Heero grabbed his gun and went to Duo's aid. He bent low to the ground as he followed Duo, shooting accurately at the Oz soldiers.

'This is NOT one of your better ideas.' Heero shouted over the gunshot.

'We're not with the other guys now. Don't speak to me unless you want to get killed.' Duo said with furious intensity.

    Heero stayed silent as they moved swiftly towards a small warehouse where the bomb was to be planted. They ran inside and Heero locked the door behind them. Heero watched as Duo set up the bomb, his face set in deep concentration. His heart was pounding heavily in his chest in time with his sharp breaths.

'Duo let me-' he started.

'Shut up.' Duo spat as he ripped a wire with his teeth.

Heero licked his lips and dug a hand deep into his pocket. He walked over to Duo and held out his hand.

'Take it.' He said, gesturing with a nod. Duo looked up to him with glassy eyes. His gaze moved down to the letter in Heero's hand. 'Please?'

Duo snatched it from him and stuffed it into his pocket. He bent down until his eyes were at the level of the bomb and twisted in two screws to secure the control panel.

'Three minutes.' He muttered and stood up. His head was bowed in defeat. 'Secure the exit then give me the signal.'

    Heero nodded and ran over to the door, unlocked it, then slowly creaked it open. He was greeted with a wave of gunfire. Heero slammed it shut and cursed loudly.

'There's no chance in hell that we'll be able to get out that way.' Heero looked up at Duo who's faced had drained. '… What?'

'Well you better find a goddamn exit,' he said quietly, 'I've just set the bomb.'

~*~

'You did WHAT?!' Heero spluttered.

'Well I thought that the perfect soldier would at LEAST be able to get us outta a bloody warehouse!!!' Duo shouted back, his eyes darting around for a possible exit.

'Can't you disarm the thing?'

'Oh yeah, I'm just standing around like this FOR THE HELL OF IT.'

Heero made a low sound deep in the bottom of his throat and glared at Duo profusely.

'There's no other way out of here.' He said.

Duo frowned and held his head for a moment. 'God what I wouldn't do for a radio control on Deathscythe right about now…'

Heero's head snapped up. 'How much longer on the timer?'

'Two minutes 10.'

Heero pulled a palm pilot out of his breast pocket and started to tap furiously.

'This is no time to check your email, bastard.'

'Glad you hold such a high opinion about me.' Heero grunted.

'Seems you've forgotten already about what happened last night.'

Heero looked up momentarily then went back to his tapping. Duo frowned and walked over to him.

'Have you forgotten, Heero?' he bent round until his face was almost touching his ear. 'How could you forget a thing like that. You fucked me, Heero.' He leaned his head in the crook of his neck and let his tongue snake out underneath his chin. Heero quickly darted away without even looking at him. Duo's face smouldered. 'Well I'm glad I mean so much to you that you'll chuck me out your bed then wont even say you're sorry before we die.'

'We're not going to die.' Heero muttered and looked up at him. 'And for what it's worth, I'm sorry.'

Duo laughed out loud, his voice echoing around the warehouse. He checked his watch and sighed. 'One minute left and he's apologising. Well thank you, Heero.'

Heero looked up at the ceiling of the warehouse. A loud rumble pulsated above it, drawing closer, until the corrugated iron creaked and groaned underneath a gaining weight.

'What the hell-'

'Stand back.' Heero said from behind a crate.

Duo took a step back and waited. The ceiling exploded and sent splintered of iron in all directions like bullets. Duo shot behind a large barrel, cursing loudly. A blast of wind encircled two shots of flame as they slowed down and stopped just above their heads. Wing was standing proudly before them.

'Jump on.' Heero shouted.

~*~

'Hurry up!' Duo shouted over the noise of the engine blast.

'I need to get into the cockpit. Stay here.' Heero shouted back and started to climb awkwardly up Wing's leg.

'Fifty fucking seconds left!!!!'

    Heero climbed into the cockpit and ran to his seat. He put Wing into manual and slowly brought him up out of the warehouse, glancing down at Duo as he dodged the bullets of the Oz soldiers. Suddenly his intercom crackled into life.

'Would you mind hurrying up before this warehouse blows up in MY face?!' Duo said.

'How long?'

'Thirty seconds!'

Wing shot off into the sky and headed for a tall dune outside the perimeter of the complex. Heero didn't really need to increase his speed so much; but the sight of Duo clinging on to Wing's leg with such desperation was an opportunity not to be missed. They had just reached the wall, when behind them the warehouse exploded in a shower of pyrotechnics. The force of the blast brought down the buildings like dominoes in a circle around it.

'Hurry up!' Duo screamed with an air of panic in his voice.

    Heero's face stayed calm as he steered Wing around some dunes and settled down in a secluded area. They heard a massive boom as the walls of the complex fell down around it into the burning inferno that was left. The boys let out deep sighs and leaned back.

'Lets go see the mess.' Duo said gravely.

Heero paused before his answer. Now was the perfect opportunity. 'You go by foot, it's not far. I'll contact the others.'

Duo left without saying goodbye. After all: he didn't know it was.