Heero woke up next morning, slightly confused from morning amnesia.[1] As his vision slowly cleared, so did his mind. He was in a sitting up position, but not quite so because he was leaning against the headboard. His whole body felt heavy, and then he remembered why.
Duo was still sleeping, his hair loose over the entire bed, his head laid against Heero's chest. He possessed one of the most angelic smiles on his face, happily snuggling and curling against the foreign warmth. He was mumbling incoherently, his minds still in the land of dreams. Their uniforms were disheveled from previous events. The Japanese boy's arms were still around him, one at the waist, the other on his chest. Heero blushed when he thought how strange it would look had Duo been a real girl.
"Oh good! You're awake!" Umi stuck her head into the room, a silly grin plastered on her face. "You want breakfast, Heero-kun?"
Heero was about to say no but his stomach begged to differ and growled loudly, but not too loud as to wake Duo up. He shrugged it off and laid still. "Never mind, I can't get up anyway."
"Well, I can bring you it. Then you can feed Hellen-chan when she wakes up, kay?" Before he could interject, her head popped back out of the room as fast as it came in.
Which left Heero staring at the sleeping form. His face was outline by the morning sun, making him look ethereal. His skin, a creamy white color, looked like silk in the light. Yuy, what the hell do you think you're doing thinking about your partner like that!? He'd be digusted with you if he ever found out. Heero sighed at his thoughts and said to himself "Then what are you trying to do? Drive me insane? Stupid hormones."
"Hm? Who are you talking to?"
"Duo!" Heero stuttered in surprise. He hadn't expected him to wake up yet. "Good, you're finally awake. I was wondering when you'd get up."
"Good morning to you too, Heero."
"Umi-chan is going to bring us breakfast soon. I couldn't get up and she has to bring it in."
"Oh, sorry. I'd get up but I feel like a Gundam just fell on me."
"S'okay. Sleep as long as you want." Duo fidgeted around to find a comfortable spot, only to be surprised by someone entering the room.
"Hellen-chan, you're awake! That's great, you do need something to eat after that little incident yesterday. Here, I'll leave this with you guys, don't wanna be late for class! Ja ne!" Placing the tray wiht noodles next to the bed, she winked at Duo before she left, leaving the boy staring at her outline in shock. What _was_ that girl up to?
"Here Duo." The American turned and found a spoon practically shoved into his mouth.
"Heero, don't you have physics? It's your favorite class and I don't think you should stay here just cause I'm a little injured."
The Wing pilot wasn't sure which surprised him more, the fact that Duo knew physics was his favorite class or the fact that he was so subdued. Every other time they shared a room, Duo would start the morning with a pillow fight or something of the sort. Heero just blinked at him, suprised and speechless.
"Heero? Earth to Heero?"
Heero snapped back into the reality and his blank look changed to that of concern and tenderness. "It's okay. I have to take care of you don't I? What kinda friend would I be if I didn't help you? Besides, you're not a _little_ injured, you're seriously injured."
Duo laughed at him. "What do you mean? I only got a few cuts and bruises here and there, nothing serious." The boy smirked. "Heero, are you, dare I say it, worried?"
"Baka!" Heero shot him a trademarked Yuy Glare of Death. He wasn't about to admit it to himself, much less Duo. Unfortunately, his partner was immune to the glare after receiving it for such a long time.
Duo gleefully jumped up and down on the bed, yelling "Isn't that cute? Heero is _worried_!" and burst into streams of laughter. The Japanese boy thought differently of the matter and immediately threw a pillow at Duo. "Come and get me Heero!" The long haired boy jumped up and down, avoiding every swing, his own exuberance had gotten a few smacks on Heero. Heero glared at him and went for another hit. Duo dodged, only to be brought to his downfall, literally and metaphorically speaking, when he stepped on his own hair and lost his balance. As fate dictated, he fell forward right onto Heero.
The two didn't move for a long while, but stayed there just staring at the other. Duo was perfectly confused and scared to move, thinking the slightest movement would startle the boy under him. But it was a whole different story for Heero. The Perfect Soldier mask fell and was replaced by a look of utter amusement. He began to shake uncontrollably after control had long slipped through his fingers. He covered his mouth with one hand, still shaking.
Duo's eyes went wide. What was wrong with the boy? "Heero! Daijoubu ka?" He shoke the Japanese boy up and down and yet he stilled failed to respond. "God dammit Heero! Speak to me!"
The next thing that happened made Duo's eyes go wider, if it were possible. The sound that he heard, it was of Heero...laughing? The American pouted, he didn't really understand what was going on. "What the hell was that about Yuy? What the hell is so damn funny?"
Still laughing, only a little less this time, Heero replied. "You."
Duo gave him an annoyed look. "Well then, Mr. Yuy, if you think that worrying about you is funny then I guess I should just not worry about you." He folded his arms and turned away from Heero.
"Gomen Duo, but I wasn't laughing about that. I was laughing at the way your face looks like when it's confused. It looks kawaii."
Duo jumped at that. "Whoa! Heero you okay buddy? I swear I just heard you say something looked cute! Or maybe it's just me." Duo mockingly walked over to his partner and touched his forehead, checking his temperature. "I know we're just joking and all, but that's taking it a little too far. Don't say things like that, it totally freaks me out." Somewhere in the Perfect Soldier's heart, it hurt. Duo didn't want him to call him these kinda things? That was just great, Duo was definitely not interested in him. Of course Heero was wrong. Afterall, feelings are _not_ his department.
"Hai. I won't call you kawaii anymore." Heero's stomach growled again that morning. He had been used to not eating for a while, but he hadn't exactly eaten a healthy meal for three days. Duo always ended up eating most of his lunch, preferring to spend time with his 'boyfriend' than eat with his friends. Heero didn't realize it was because Duo liked him more but, deep down inside, neither really minded the other's company. As he motioned for Duo to sit, he pondered why Duo looked so agitated when he himself had looked like he was having a seizure.
"But seriously, Heero, what did you mean by seriously hurt?"
Heero couldn't say. If he said it was because he loved Duo and that Duo had confessed he was afraid of relationships just yesterday night, he would have definitely blew his cover. Duo had also cried most of the night, saying 'oh god it hurts!' even after he fell asleep. So he had to lie. "You told me last night you were afraid. And that this wasn't something you'd forget easily. And I--" Duo's hand stopped him mid-speech. Yes, it had hurt Duo deeply, but he was more than willing to forget about it by spending more time with Heero. Heero was the one who could erase the pain. But he wasn't about to tell him that.
"Ano, Heero, it's great that you're worried about me but I think that it's best to forget while we can, ne?"
The Japanese boy agreed. It would be better to put this behind them when they could, because it would definitely cause much commotion with the student body. Afterall, everyone liked Duo at least a little. "We should probably eat before it gets cold."
"Aa, and we should thank Umi-chan later."
"Speaking of your roommate, what's with her? She's always looks like she's plotting something."
"Maybe you should talk to her about that, not me. I don't wanna question her because last time I did that, she made me steal some of your spandex."
Heero looked pissed and stunned. "_Why_ did you do that?"
The American shrugged. "Even I don't remember. We were talking about Fushigi Yuugi and I decided to ask her about what she was doing that she couldn't tell me and she only responded with babbling something and then BAM! Next thing I knew, I was sneaking in through your window stealing your spandex."
"When did this happen? I'm usually around to notice if you came." The boy was distraught at his less than observant habits involving keeping count of how many pairs of spandex he had.
Duo blushed at the question. "Well, see you were taking a shower..." He left it at that. If he had told Heero that he stayed to watch, he would have definitely been mad at him. Best to leave it at that, for now anyway. He didn't really know if the Perfect Soldier even thought of him highly at all.
Both boys stayed silent at this turn of events. Heero was definitely shocked that he had failed in his abilities as a spy and soldier, to protect his clothes. Duo was having an internal battle over if he should change the subject or just run out of the room.
But then again, Duo's mouth always worked faster than his head. "Uh...let's eat, ne? I'm still kinda hungry." Unfortunately for him, the American has just gotten himself a temporarily slobberfest over one Heero Yuy quickly slurping up his noodle. And the unfortunate part was that Heero caught him.
Staring incredulously at Duo, Heero swallowed the last of his meal and said, "Duo, you okay?" Then he proceeded to lick his lips in the most delicious of ways, according to one very distracted Duo Maxwell anyway.
"Huh? Uh...yeah, I'm fine." He felt his face turn red and his heart beat go beserk
"Then I'm taking a shower. After saving you yesterday, I didn't really get a chance to do that."
Duo gave the best pout and puppy dog eyes he could. "Don't leave me...I'm still scared." The Japanese boy was definitely worried. Never had the usually cheerful Shinigami held such fear in his eyes. Except for once, a long time ago, but Heero shook the thought from his head. He went and hugged Duo, surprising both of them from his actions. It just felt like the right thing to do.
"It's alright, Duo. You're fine." Heero reconsidered his previous decision. "How bout I stay here and we'll just for Umi-chan to come back before I go and take a shower?" The long haired boy nodded his consent and his violet eyes began to droop. "You must still be tired from everything that's happened. Here, go to sleep." Heero gently placed Duo on the bed, tucking him in as well, and bade him to go to sleep. Duo complied and fell asleep soon.
And that left Heero alone with his thoughts. He sighed in frustration. The last time Duo looked like that was when he had tried to commit suicide. He refused to tell anyone why he had attempted to do the deed but he had indeed seemed disturbed. He came home from a mission, violet eyes dead. It was late, so Heero was the only to receive him upon return. After placing him on his bed in their shared room, Heero left to find the first aid kit. When he had returned, he could not find Duo anywhere in the room. Frightened, he looked in the bathroom and there lay Duo, in the shower, bleeding from his slit wrists, the alleged knife tossed next to him.
Heero had never been able to understand that one phenomenom. Duo had to be put on anti-depressants for over a month after that. When asked why, all Duo could say was "Heero." Everyone wondered if there was something indeed disturbing that the Wing pilot had done but evidence proved otherwise and they were still worried over this mystery. Duo only never did that again after promising Wufei and Quatre that he would never try and commit suicide. There was just something not right about the fear...
Yes, the Japanese boy was definitely worried. What could have made the normally happy Shinigami pilot afraid of something? He sighed, very tired from lack of peaceful sleep. The boy that could possibly hold the key to unlocking the humanity within him was his biggest concern at this moment, sleep could wait. But he was only human and eventually, he too fell asleep, arms wrapped protectively around a certain long haired baka.
When Umi returned to her room later to bring Hellen-chan lunch, she noticed that both were sleeping. Mentally, she told herself that this was healthy for them, seeing as to the ordeal from the previous day. So she left the food by the first package of food for them.
When passing to observe the two though, Umi noticed the frown on both's lips. Duo was shaking slightly as well and had REM[2] in his dream state. His lips were opened slighly and moving the slighest bits and mumbling something incoherently. When not moving, the lips marred the peaceful face with a frown. Heero was quite similar in facial expression, though his frown conveyed a more angry sense. His arms twitched slightly every few times, as if moving them in his dream. They still laid as bands of steel protectively around the long haired boy.
If Umi didn't know better, it was as if they were having the same dream and sharing the same fears. But then again, she could've been right. She was gonna have to talk to Heero personally about Hellen-chan's sleeping disorders. And about many about things regarding their relationship and rumors that were spreading like wildfire.
End Part IV [1]You know, in the morning when you wake up and you don't recall anything for a while? Happens to me sometimes. [2]Rapid Eye Movement.