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Halfway back to the room, Heero began to drag his feet, then stumble, then leaned on the wall. It was risky, but I decided it was better to pick him up then to leave him asleep in the hall. After all, I was the one who had worn him out.
"Master?" he asked as I lifted him into my arms. "Please, I'm fine. I can walk, I just..."
"Hush. You're almost asleep on your feet. We're almost home anyway," I told him and he settled as I carried him the rest of the way to the room.
Once inside, I realized that Heero was soundly asleep. I chucked and laid him on the couch, removing first the coat, then the hospital gown, and finally the balloon from him. He was so tired that he didn't even wake as I slowly pulled the heavy balloon out, only moaned and curled into a ball. I smiled as I tied the balloon off and tossed it in the garbage. Heero was so sweet when he was asleep, so innocent, curled on his side, both hands in front of his face, just brushing his soft lips.
I contemplated leaving him where he was, but knew that he'd be better off sleeping in the bed. He was going to be sore anyway, I decided he'd be even more sore if he slept on the couch. With that in mind, I lifted him again and carried him to the bedroom, where I was surprised to find Quatre awake.
"Is he alright?" Quatre questioned timidly as I slid my first naked slave into bed beside him. I knew how much the question must have cost him, as Quatre was still terrified of me, so I gave him a gentle smile. His wide blue eyes were locked onto mine, and I could see the distrust as I pulled the blanket up and tucked Heero in.
"He's fine, just a bit worn out. He'll be sore tomorrow, though, so he might spend most of the day with you," I told him. Quatre's eyes went to Heero and he nodded sadly, thinking perhaps that I had been too rough with him. I knew that nothing I said would change his opinion, so I sighed and went to the closet to change into my night clothes. Once there, I couldn't help but ask, "Why aren't you asleep?"
"I'm sorry," he said immediately, burying his face in the pillows.
"I'm not angry, but I thought the medicine would keep you out."
"I.." he mumbled, lifting his head from the pillow, "I tried to sleep, but my back started to itch and..."
"Ah. Let me see," I said as I finished dressing and walked over to the bed. Quatre flinched as I pulled back the covers. I couldn't really blame him, though, as he still didn't trust me, and he was naked except for a thin pair of shorts under the blanket. I gently peeled back the bandages from his back, grateful to find that all but one of the wounds was healing nicely, though the last was still looking too red around the edges. It worried me a bit, but I decided to let it have some more time. I lathered each of the wounds with an antiseptic cream and put fresh bandages on, then tucked Quatre back in and slid in beside Heero.
"Do you feel better?" I asked, turning out the light.
"Yes, master," Quatre whispered softly, "and thank you. You are too kind to me."
"I doubt that," I replied, "I'm sure you could use as much kindness as I can give. Now, get some sleep," I said as I moved Heero and myself a bit closer to Quatre, so that I could lay my hand on his head as I continued to hold Heero. Quatre looked for a moment as though he would move away, but soon settled and wearily let his eyes droop shut. I knew it would take a while to gain Quatre's trust, but I felt we had moved in the right direction.