After blowing up the base that I had come to refer to as Nightmare Land, I remember getting home and landing. After that everything gets blurry, but I remember being carried into the house, washed, bandaged, and put to bed. I just can't remember who did what and what order things were done in. Oh hell, I can't even remember if it was my house we went into and, at the time, I couldn't care less.
The first thing I realized was that I was extremely comfortable and didn't want to move. The second was that there was something moving beneath me. Peaking open one eye, I saw Heero gazing worriedly at me. "'Morning," I greeted him. In a suddenly flurry of movement, he pulled me from where I was lying next to him with my head on his shoulder into his lap and hugged me as tight as he could without hurting me. I let him hold me. One, because I knew he was scared to lose me and that he needed this reassurance that I was alright, that in some way he was protecting me. Which he was, Heero was my only protection from the cold loneliness I had faced before. I didn't want to be alone again. And Two, because I needed it. Because I needed to be wrapped in his embrace and assured he was still here, that I hadn't let anything get to him. Did he know how scared I was that something would get past me and hurt him? Did he know how frantic I was to get out from under that moving mound of dog bodies just to make sure he was alright? Did he realize that it had almost killed me to let him go off on his own after one demented doctor, just in case something might happen? And did he know that I had destroyed that entire base, taken all those lives, because I was afraid of the off chance that they might regroup and come back?
No he didn't know what a coward I was and I was glad. We had all eternity for him to find out, no need to spoil the moment now. I drifted in and out of sleep resting on Heero's lap for what must have been hours before I remember something. "Heero," I called softly, though he awoke with a start anyway.
"What's wrong? Do you need something?" he asked, the worried look returning to his face. I smiled. "No, but I just remembered that I have something of yours"
"Can't it wait"
"No! It's in the top of the closet. You'll have to get it, I don't know that I can right now," I said, referring to that total state of exhaustion my body was in after creating a fireball big enough to burn a two-mile radius. Heero nodded and gently slid out from under me. To my ever lasting annoyance, I found that at the time I was too weak to even stand up, so I had to turn myself the so I could see the closet. I could see Heero as he reached into the closet on his toes and pulled out his bear, and I could see the most innocent look of wonder and joy light up his face when he looked at it. That made it all worth it, even the years alone. "Duo, how did you..." he trailed off with a voice of wonder. Oh yeah, the down side, I thought biting my lip and turning my head. "I-uh... I sort of hid it from those guys who came to get your stuff. I didn't think they should have it," I said, wondering if he'd get mad enough to hit. "Thank you," Heero said. "You're not mad"
"No, why would I be"
"Well, I took your bear and I thought you might have wanted it"
"I wouldn't have had it anyway, Duo. They didn't actually give me any of my stuff, they just put it in storage. I'm glad you had it, I know you took care of him," he said, then a sadness penetrated his eyes and it was his turn to look away and bite his lip, "A-and you're not too mad about the bike, right? I-I'm sorry I didn't bring it back but"
"Shh," I whispered, pulling him against me, "I don't care about the bike, you know you're more important. Besides that, I'm the one who blew it up"
"Well, no, I don't think you did. You see I stole it and rode it a few mile on the road to get some distance, so it should still be ok," he said hopefully. I laughed. "Then what are you worried about? Someday, we'll go and get the bike and fix it up, no harm done. But not today, and probably not tomorrow," I said, snuggling against Heero and getting ready for sleep. It was probably an hour later when Quatre called to inform us that lunch was being served in an hour, with or without us. So, regretfully, I hauled myself out of bed and out of Heero's warm grasp. That was when I realized that, though I was cleaner than I had been when I landed, I was still dirty. "Hey Heero, I'm going to take a shower," I called to him as he began to get up. I couldn't help but ask him, "Ya wanna come"
Heero blinked in surprise, then turned red and looked at his feet. "Duo I..." he trailed off, embarrassment getting the best of him. I walked up to him and gently kissed the bridge of his nose. "It's alright, we don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with. I've waited 1500 years for you, I think I can wait a little longer"
"Not too much longer," Heero said then gently brushed his lips against mine. Even that barest of sensations was enough to send me reeling. Enough for Heero, too, because he turned four shades of red then darted down the stares. I walked into the bathroom with a smile on my face, thinking about the last comment of his.