Notes: I'm sorry for the long wait, but this chapter took a while to get right, and it is slightly longer than the other chapters, so I think that makes up for it. Things are starting to wrap up nicely now, and I only have a few more chapters to write before finishing and starting on the sequel, and I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed this fic, it's got over a hundred reviews! Seriously, your support means a lot to me and I'm glad you like my fic. Anyway, enough of my babbling, enjoy and review!

I was very tired when I finally arrived back at the safe house. The bullet wound in my arm stung like fire, all my muscles ached, my head was pounding, and all I wanted was to see Duo and curl up in a warm bed and sleep for a few days.

I suppose part of it was my fault. I certainly didn't have to drive back immediately after my mission was completed; OZ had no idea that I was Mister James Potter of Room 214 at The Jacobson Hotel. I could have rested there for a few hours before driving back, but I didn't want to wait, didn't want to add more time to my separation from Duo. So after running out of the base, I tended to my wound, popped a couple of aspirin for my killer headache, and started the journey back.

I don't remember thinking much during the time I got in the car and the time I finally caught sight of the safe house, but I do remember thinking that Duo was going to be extremely not-happy about the state I was in. Especially the wounded arm. I could practically hear him shouting about how it was supposed to be an 'easy mission' with 'low-risk' and that I would 'be fine'.

But it wasn't my fault that I got wounded, one of the guards had decided to sneak into the office I was using for a little hanky-panky with a female scientist. I'd killed them, but not before he got off a shot and thus alerted everyone to my presence. I got the data and escaped, but not without a few confrontations. But the mission hadn't really gone all that bad, it just hadn't gone as well as can be expected.

In a normal situation, it wouldn't really be anything to fuss about, the wound was minor and sleep would cure the aching and the lingering headache. But right now, with Duo so on edge and my new not-quite-a-relationship with Wufei, things would probably get a bit blown out of proportion.

Sighing, I reached out and opened the door. It was early, probably early enough that anyone would be asleep, and I felt kind of guilty about the fact that I would wake them up. If I had been a little more awake, I could have entered silently and just slipped into bed, but I was not up to being all stealthy.

I immediately heard the bed springs creak as Quatre and Trowa woke up, and the hurried footsteps from the kitchen. Two sets of footsteps. Hm.

I knew exactly what would happen as soon as they caught sight of me, and I wasn't wrong. Duo spotted the way I was standing and his brain informed him that I was tired, Wufei spotted the blood-tinged bandage that was just visible through the thin sleeve of my shirt and his brain told him I was wounded, and they both told me to sit the hell down and explain what the fuck happened.

I sighed again and sank gratefully onto the sofa just was Quatre and Trowa appeared, both looking tousled but alert and both carrying their guns. Trowa immediately went to fetch the med kit while Quatre went to make coffee, and a tea for himself of course.

"Dammit, Heero, it was supposed to be an easy mission," Duo growled, quickly unbuttoning my shirt and slipping it off my shoulders. He hissed when he saw the bloody bandage and Wufei touched his arm, just a light brush of his fingertips, but it made a little of the tension seep out of Duo. I wondered at that, at how close they seemed. Even now, Duo was unconsciously leaning towards Wufei, seeking comfort from him because he wouldn't seek it from me.

"I got surprised," I murmured, struggling to stay awake now that I knew I could fall asleep.

"And you got shot," Wufei commented dryly, and I glared at him half-heartedly.

"Yeah, I got shot. It's minor."

"It's still a frigging wound," Duo said in that same growling tone. "You promised me you'd be alright."

"I am alright," I insisted, thankful that it came out strong and forceful. "Duo, you have to admit that the wound is very superficial compared to what we're usually faced with."

"I don't care about that! You said you'd be careful and you come back looking like you're about to collapse on your feet and a bloody bandage wrapped around your arm!"

"It wasn't my fault, Duo, and I couldn't have prevented it. Some security guard walked in on me with a woman and I couldn't kill him fast enough to prevent getting hurt."

"Was the woman a security guard?" Wufei asked, and I shook my head.

"No, scientist."

"Did she have a weapon?"

"She barely had all her clothes on."

"Then why kill her instead of the main threat first?"

"Because she was in front of him."

"Ah."

Trowa returned with the med kit, and I realised that he had been gone for a full five minutes, which was about four minutes and fifty seconds longer than it should have taken. He glanced at me and gave me a small smirk, telling me that he had waited on his return to give me a little time with my... um, boyfriends.

Working briskly but gently, he unwrapped the bandage and examined the wound. I had put as little stress on it as possible, but hadn't taken the time to do anything with it in the first place other than bandage it, so it was still seeping blood. Trowa cleaned it and stopped the bleeding before applying a couple of butterfly stitches and wrapping it in a new bandage, the white material standing out starkly against my skin.

"You need sleep," he said quietly, and I snorted.

"I know, but I have a report and some data to send. I can sleep in about an hour." Unfortunately, this was true. My body longed, needed, ached for sleep, but my stupid mind told me that I did have to send my report and give base the data I had stolen. The only thing that was allowed to delay reports was serious injury that prevented typing or in a pinch, dictating. A wounded arm did not fit the criteria, and neither did lack of sleep.

"Oh no you don't, you are not doing a thing until you have had at least eight to ten hours sleep," Duo said sternly, glaring at me. "I don't care if base wants that data and your mission report, I want you in bed and I want you there NOW."

I have learned not to argue with that look combined with that tone of voice, and most of me didn't want to, but that small part of me that always thought as the Perfect Soldier made me say, "I really do have to type up a report and send the data, Duo. One hour isn't going to kill me."

"No, but I just might! Bed, Heero, and I mean right now. Come on, up." He tugged at me until I reluctantly stood up, though he kept a firm grip on my hand.

I looked at Wufei to help me, hoping that we could tag-team him into letting me write my report, but found him watching me with an expression that clearly stated 'I agree with Duo and you are going to bed whether you like it or not'.

So I took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and told that little voice in the back of my head that the report could freakin' well wait, I was going to sleep. Of course, the little voice objected, but I kept shouting at it until it shut the hell up. Sometimes, being not completely sane is quite entertaining.

I have to admit that I very nearly groaned out load when I almost literally fell onto the bed. Apparently Duo got the idea though and couldn't seem to make up his mind whether he was amused or annoyed. Wufei just raised an eyebrow and tugged the quilt out from under me, carefully tucking me in. I immediately reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Thank you," I murmured, and could see he knew that I meant for more than tucking me in. He smiled and shrugged. I smiled back and let my hand fall, clutching the quilt to my neck and rolling onto my side, snuggling down deep.

I really was very tired... I'd just sleep for a little bit....

"Thank you for coming back, Heero," someone whispered in my ear, and I felt a light touch on my cheek. I mumbled something and I think I smiled, but then I was gone, drifting peacefully in a pleasant nothingness.

==

I don't know how long I was asleep for, but darkness had fallen and there was someone in the room. I automatically evened my breathing to imitate sleep and opened my senses. They were on the other bed, both feet on the floor, hands working on... something, and they smelled like... soap?

I opened my eyes and smiled at Duo, who was watching me closely while fiddling with the end of his braid.

"You scared me," he admitted softly, and I winced, sitting up.

"I'm sorry. I really am alright though."

He grinned self-deprecatingly. "Yeah, I know. I just... I can't handle you not being here, and when I saw you were hurt... I just got so scared." He looked at me with fear naked in his eyes and all I had to do was hold out my arms before he was clutching at me, careful of my arm.

"I'm here, baby," I murmured, stroking his back. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

"Just hold me," he whimpered, and I tightened my arms around him, ignoring the stabs of pain that shot through my arm. The fact that Duo didn't notice my pain told me just how deeply he was hurting.

"Come on, Duo, it's alright, I'm here now," I soothed. "I'm right here and I'm fine. It's alright, Duo."

He didn't respond, and I searched for a way to change the subject, to get his mind off my wound and his fears.

"You seemed very close to Wufei," I noted in an absent tone, and he stilled a little. "You wanna tell me what happened while I was gone?"

"Well... I don't really know. I just sorta... opened up a little, I guess. I was a bit... funny over you not being here, and he just... did that thing that you do, where he holds me and makes me feel better. After that, I realised that I could trust him, and I... just let him get close to me. It was... easy."

There was a faint tone of wonderment and surprise in that last word, and I smiled, knowing how much he had feared trusting Wufei, feared getting rejected.

"I told you you could trust him," I said quietly, and he nodded.

"Yeah. So, how did the mission go, other than badly?"

"Not all that badly, actually. It was easy, other than getting shot, and I spent most of my time... thinking."

He drew back to frown at me. "That's unusual. You're usually completely focused on the mission."

"Yeah, well... the mission didn't require a lot of attention. I just had to watch the building for an entire day and then sneak in."

"Did ya think about anything special?"

"I thought about you and Wufei mostly, so yeah, I did."

He blushed at the compliment and I smiled. He really was beautiful when he blushed like that, ducking his head to avoid eye contact, the faintest hint of pink colouring his cheeks, fiddling with the end his braid.

"Ya know, Wufei was worried about you, too," he murmured suddenly, and I frowned at him. He quirked a small smile and looked at me again. "He hide it well, so as not to worry me even more, but he... was a little bit worried. He doesn't just care about me, I think."

I smiled softly, thinking back to the heated kiss I'd shared with Wufei just before I left, remembering the slight hint of worry in his voice as he asked me to be careful. I remembered how I had sat by the window in my hotel room, wondering what Duo was doing, what Wufei was doing, and realising that I thought of Wufei just as much as I thought of Duo. I remembered realising that it might not be love yet, but it was damned close. And I remembered thinking, when I'd been shot, not just how Duo was going to react, but how Wufei would. I remembered wondering, in that fractured instant right after the bullet touched my skin, if I would ever see them again? I remembered how their faces had flashed in my mind, both of their faces.

Duo was watching me with something akin to suspicion, and I blushed, realising that I had been smiling a rather daffy smile as I thought about my thoughts.

"Does Wufei know of your knew feelings?" he asked softly, a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips, and I shook my head.

"I only realised myself while I was away and as soon as I got my arm bandaged I was asleep."

He frowned, puzzled. "What about that twenty minutes you spent with Fei?"

"Huh?"

"When I left, he stayed in here for a good twenty minutes. I thought you talked."

"No, I went straight to sleep." I touched my cheek, remembering someone else touching it, and suddenly realised that the voice had not been Duo's. Well, damn.

"I think you and Fei need to talk," Duo said, and I nodded. I made to get out of bed, but he pushed on my shoulder to make me stay seated, saying in a firm tone, "I'll get him."

So I just sat in the bed and waited. I wondered if Wufei had done as much thinking about our relationship as I had. I wondered if he had reached the same conclusions. I wondered how I'd feel if he hadn't.

And then Wufei walked into the room and I stopped wondering, because for just an instant, as I first caught sight of his raven hair and his golden skin, joy and... something else, blossomed inside me, and all I could do was smile.

"Duo said you had something important to tell me," he said quietly, sitting down on the bottom of the bed.

I found myself, hesitating, wondering how to say that I think I might be well on my way to loving him, and fearing his reaction. I finally decided to just say it, that he had already proven he was attracted and if he didn't love me... I'd take what I could get.

"Wufei, I... I think I love you."