Mine Again: Special Needs

*
Part3
*

Two weeks passed.

Duo and I still saw each other on a daily basis.

Quatre, whom I hadn\'t spoken to since the night at clubclub, began to get curious. I knew he would.

So when he called, it wasn\'t much of a surprise.

\"Hey, Heero.\"

\"Hey.\"

\"So, uh. . . What\'s up?\"

\"Oh, nothing much.\"

He sighed. \"Okay, Heero, don\'t lie to me. I saw you leave with Duo *two weeks* ago, and I haven\'t see either of you around since. What the hell\'s goin\' on?\"

I smirked. \"Can\eep eep anything from you, can I, Quatre?\"

\"Nope. I want details. Now.\"

\"Well, he and I did leave the club togr.\"r.\"

\"Yes. And?\"

\"I took him home.\"

\"Those aren\'t details! Anyway, I didn\'t know you were gay, Heero.\"

\"I\'m not.\"

\"Wait, so you guys didn\'t sleep together?\"

\"Oh, yes we have. Several times.\"

\"I\'m confused. You bi?\"

\"I try not to label it.\"

\"Oh, I see. But I don\'t get it.\" I could practically hear him shrug.

\"We are together, though, if that\'s what you\'re confused about.\"

\"Well,\" Quatre said then, sounding pleased, \"I\'m glad I set you guys up. Are happy, Heero?\"

I thought about that. I had never felt better, and I told him so.

\"That\'s good. And Relena\'s history?\"

\"Ancient history.\"

\"Even better. Wow, you two really hit it off, huh? You and Duo, I mean.\"

\"We did. I feel like I\'ve known him forever.\"

\"What are you doin\' right now?\"

\"Oh, nothing, really. Just resting up for work tomorrow.\"

\"Why don\'u anu and Duo meet me at the club, and make yourselves public?\"

Public? The word rang through my head. Was I ready to be seen with another man? ?You\'re not ashamed of him, are you?\' a voice in my head asked. ?No, I answered. No, I\'m not.\'

\"Heero? You there?\"

\"Yeah, I\'m here. All right, we\'ll meet you there tonight.\"

\"Great. See you at eight?\"

\"That\'s fine.\"

\"Later.\"

\"Yeah.\"

I hung up and dialed Duo\'s cell. \"Hey.\"

\"Babe! What\'s up?\"

\"You wanna meet Quatre at the club tonight?\"

\"Um. . . what time?\"

\"Well, around eight. Is that okay? Can you make it?\"

\"Well. . .\" He sighed. \"We have this cast thing tonight. . . extra practice. I\'m sorry, I can\'t make it.\"

I sighed. \"That\'s okay, Duo. I\'ll meet him, anyway.\"

\"Okay. . . tell him I said hi.\"

\"I will.\"

\"Luvya. I\'ll drop by tomo bef before you go to work.\"

\"Okay. Bye.\"

\"Bye!\"

He hung up.

I stood there for a moment, then hung up, myself.

Cast thing? Extra practice?

Duo wasn\'t one to leave out detail.

A fear began to form in the pit of my stomach. It had only been two weeks. I had expected our relationship to last much lo tha than that.

*

\"Maybe he was busy when you called.\"

\"Yeah, you\'re right. You\'re right, I have absolutely nothing to worry about.\"

\"Right. Now drink up.\"

I took a swig of my beer and slumped in the corner of the booth.

\"Cheer up, man,\" Quatre said. \"He\'ll come next time.\"

\"It\'s not that.\"

\"What is it, then?\"

\"There\'s just. . . been something nagging me since that call.\"

\"Like a bad feeling?\"

\"Yeah.\" I rubbed my eyes, and looked at Quatre seriously. \"I love him. It\'s so unreal. I hardly know him. I mean, we\'ve exchanged our life stories and all, but I still don\'t *know* him. I\'m just afraid I\'ve really set myself up this time.\"

\"You think he\'s been lying to you?\"
ot lot lying, but leaving things out.\"

Quatre\'s eyebrows furrowed. \"Then you should watch yourself. Prepare yourself for something bad.\"

The thought of no Duo in my life terrified me. \"No. . . I couldn\'t doubt him.\"

\"Well, I haven\'t seen him around anywhere. But I\'ll tell you if I see him with anyone.\"

My stomach quaked at the thought of him cheating. Already. \"Thanks man.\"

*

A month passed. Then two.

Three months, and Duo and I were still together, and more of a normal couple than ever. He had even moved in with me.

We were eating Chinese in front of the TV one night, one of the only nights we got to be together. He was really dedicated to the show, and was hardly home anymore, though we still saw each other whenever we could.

But I couldn\'t stand it. Two nights before, he had come home completely drunk, and had passed out on the bed. He\'d never said anything about going out, opartparty.

And I hadn\'t asked him about it. Yet.

\"Duo?\"

\"Yeah?\" His eyes were on the TV, barely interested in a commercial.

\"Last Tuesday. . .\"

That got his attention. His gaze turned to me.

\"You came home drunk. Where did you go?\"

He smiled a little, but I had a feeling it was forced. \"Oh, yeah, me and Hildy went to get some drinks with Treize and the rest of the cast. I forgot to call you about it.\"

I gazed at him, unsmiling. \"I wish you would have.\"

\"I know. I\'m sorry, Babe.\" He leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek, but it was an awkward kiss. It made me angry.

I lay in bed beside him later that night. We\'d had sex and he had fallen asleep, but not in my arms.

There was an ache in my chest at the thought.

The \"magic\" or whatever it was you felt when you fell in love wasn\'t gone for me. I still got nervous before I saw him, every time. He was still constantly on my mind; I was always wondering what he was doing when he wasn\'t around. I was always missing him.

But he didn\'t seem to miss me.

I turned on my side to stare at the back of his head. His braid was a little disheveled, and darker than I remember it being when we met. He\'d been inside a dark theater for the past three months. It wasn\'t surprising.

What he was doing after he left the dark theater was a mystery to me though, unless he came home.

I reached over and placed my hand on his side. He shifted a little, and rolled over onto his back. He mumbled something that sounded like my name, and reached out for me. I tu him him into my arms and rested my chin on the top of his head.

The feeling in my chest eased slightly. At least he wasn\'t calling out someone else\'s name in his sleep, or something.

*

Three nights later, I waited up for him.

I was beginning to wonder if I wasn\'t slightly obsessed with my boyfriend.

The thought of him was constant. I was starting to get possessive, calling him more often than I knew I should. We had our first argument the night before. I had wanted him to come home, but he\'d insisted on going out with that Hildy chick.

I didn\'t like her. I had met her once, and she had clung to him, in front of me. I had never wanted to hit a woman before, ever. But when she had taken his arm in front of me. . .

I finally heard chatter in the hall. Laughing and stomping; drunk obnoxiousness.

I opened the door to Duo and Hildy; they had their arms thrown around each other\'s shoulders, and were giggling a little too loudly.

When Duo saw me, he beamed under his black baseball cap. \"Heero!! Ey, ey, why\'d you wait up?\"

\"Because you decided not to call me and tell me where you went tonight.\"

He laughed. \"Where does it l-look like we went?\"

Hildy giggled.

\"I\'m gonna get her a cab,\" I sighed, turning away to get the phone.

\"I was gonna let her crash on the couch,\" Duo argued.

I stopped. \"I don\'t think that\'s a good idea, Duo. I need to talk to you.\"

\"No, I-I\'ve already tolder she coul\' stay. We can talk in the be\'room.\"

I stepped aside and let them into the apartment. Duo made a show of picking Hildy up and dropping her on the couch. She screamed playfully, and the sound penetrated my eardrums. Painfully.

\"Gotuh sleep!\" Duo told her. He put a finger to his lips. \"Shhhhhhhhh!\"

Hildy laughed. She reached up to tug the rim of his hat over his eyes. He swayed and batted her hand away. \"Sleep!\" he whispered.

He turned away from her and brushed past me into the bedroom. I looked at Hildy\'s form on the couch until it fell still.

I joined Duo in the bedroom.

He had taken his hat off an thrown it somewhere; his shirt was unbuttoned halfway, and he smiled and staggered toward me.

\"Heero. . .\"

I didn\'t do anything as he wrapped his arms around my neck. He tried kiss me, but I turned away.

\"Aw, c\'mon, Heero. . . Let\'s fuck!!\" he giggled.

I pushed him away. \"Go to bed, Duo.\" I made my way to the door, reminding myself to talk to him in the morning.

But grabbed my arm. \"Heero, c\'mon. . .\"

I tugged my arm out of his grip. \"No, Duo. Go to bed.\"

\"Heero!\"

I turned to face him. The look on his face was angry, sulky.

\"Whus wrong with you?\"

\"You\'re drunk, Duo. Just go to bed.\"

\"I don\'t hafta listen to you.\"

I gazed at him. \"What do you want?\"

He grinned suddenly, and made his way toward me again. \"You know what I want. . .\"

When he touched me, I pushed him away again. \"Not while you\'re drunk. Just go to bed, you\'re gonna feel like shit in the morning.\"

\"I don\' care.\" He grabbed me up again. \"I want you, Heero.\" He grinded into me.

I was getting angry. Why wouldn\'t he just go to bed? I couldn\'t stand seeing him so drunk; he was acting so immature.

I pushed him away again.

He got angry. \"Fine, I don\'t want you, anyway!\"

\"Go to bed, Duo!\"

\"Go to hell! You can\'t tell me what to do!\" He sat on the bed and began to take his shoes off. I just watched as he struggled, finally getting his bulky boots off of his feet. He grumbled something at me again, and laid down. He closed his eyes, and I watched as his breathing deepened immediately.

I sighed, and rubbed my eyes. I wanted to block the night out.

*

The next morning, Hildy was leaving as I got up. It was around eight o\'clock. She told me to tell Duo she\'d see him at rehearsal.

I was as nice as I could be to her.

Duo didn\'t wake up until around 12:00 that afternoon.

I brought him some water, and he looked up at me with sore eyes. He smiled sheepishly. \"Sorry about last night.\" He sipped the water. \"I didn\'t do anything stupid, did I?\"

I gazed down at him. \"Not really.\" I sat down beside him, and smoothed his hair down. It was all tangled.

\"Where\'s Hildy?\"

\"She left around eight.\"

\"What time is it?\"

\"Twelve.\"

\"Shit. . .\" Duo rubbed his eyes. \"Rehearsal\'s at one. I think I\'m gonna skip it today. You work today?\"

\"Obviously not.\"

He snickered. \"Right. Forget I asked that.\"

I co\'t \'t help but smile. He looked sweet and sleepy; nothing at all like the wild guy that had staggered home from god knows where the night before.

I leaned down and kissed his hair. \"Get a shower. I\'ll fix you something to eat.\"

*

I made him eggs.

I did a lot of thinking while he was in the shower, and wondered why I felt like I should be a lot angrier than I was.

I tried.

I couldn\'t be mad at him. He just had a way of making up for the things he did without even trying. It drove me crazy.

I was so lost in thought as I mixed his scrambled eggs, I was surprised when Duo\'s person appeared behind me and wrapped his arms around me.

\"Hey, seeexy. . .\" his voice taunted at my ear. \"Somethin\' smells good.\"

I smiled and nodded to the frying pan. \"Eggs.\"

\"Heh, I was talkin\' about you.\"

I rolled my eyes. He kissed my cheek.

\"Duo, don\'t you have a hangover?\" I asked when he left me for the table. The eggs were done; I scraped them out of the pan and onto a plate.

\"Yeah, but I\'ve had worse.\"

He grew quiet. If anyone else had been there, they wouldn\'t have thought anything of it, but I could hear him fidgeting as I poured him orange juice. \"What is it Duo?\"

\"Huh?\"

\"You\'re fidgeting. You have something to say.\"

\"Well, I. . . Heero, look at me.\"

I turned around to face him, his plate and glass in each hand. I gave him his food, and sat down to hear him out.

\"I just want to thank you. . . for the breakfast and everything. I don\'t deserve your nice treatment, today. Int, It, I can\'t figure out why you\'re not mad at me. I forgot to call you last night, and. . . well. . .\" He sighed.

I gazed at him, my eyebrows drawn together. \"What is it?\"

\"I just. . . don\'t feel like I should have to relate everything I do to you.\"

\"Oh. . . I see. I\'m just supposed to sit here without you night after night, while you\'re out somewhere getting drunk with your friends from the show. I\'m just supposed to wonder where you are, whether or not you\'re all right-\"

\"What the hell, I can take care of myself, Heero!\"

I was angry at him, now. I was ready to give him a piece of my mind. \"I\'m not just someone you can come to for a good fuck whenever you feel like it, Duo!!\"

He gazed back at me angry and corrected. But he was too proud to admit it.

When he didn\'t speak, I asked, \"How many people have you fooled around with since you moved in?\"

He looked away, his cheeks flushed.

I closed my eyes, not really needing him to answer. I rubbed my eyes, acting irritated. I was really trying not to cry in front of him. I had never told him how I really felt about him. Part of this was my fault.

\"I was drunk, with all of them. . . it was only three!\"

I had to look away from him. My chest hurt, and there was a large lump in my throat. God, it hurt. \"I shouldn\'t be surprised. . . I should have seen this coming.\"

\"Heero,\" he tried to explain. \"No one\'s ever *owned* me before. I\'ve been on my own my whole life, I\'ve always lived by my own schedule, on my own time. Having to call you every five minutes just doesn\'t seem necessary to me.\"

I looked up at him with an even gaze. \"But you know something? That\'s not to to me. What are we then? Are we boyfriends? Are we lovers? Are you using me? What?\"

He looked down. \"I don\'t know. . .\"

\"Does this have something to do with the show?\"

He shook his head, but he looked confused. \"I don\'t think so. . .\"

\"Am I getting in the way of your fame, or something?\"

He looked at me sternly. \"Heero.\"

I shook my head and stood. \"No, no. . .\" I went to lean against the counter. \"I think I am. I\'m just in your way. The sex is good, but there\'s too much of a commitment, right?\"

\"No, Heero-\"

\"Don\'t lie, please!\"

The words hung around for a moment.

I continued. \"Just tell me the truth. If you want to break this off, whatever the hell it is, go ahead. I\'d rather know why than nothing at all.\"

Duo stood slowly. He was wearing jeans that looked too big on him and an over-sized black t-shirt. He looked like a kid, I noticed, amused. That\'s how Ibeenbeen treating him. Like a kid. It was just hard to remember that he was an adult, sometimes.

He came to a stop in front of me, but didn\'t look me in the eye. He was less than a foot away. I could reach out and touch him if I wanted to. I wanted to.

Instead, he touched me. He grabbed my hands in his, and stared at them, chewing his bottom lip.
He spoke, finally. \"I love you, Heero.\"

I thought I would at least be a little elated. But the way he\'d said it told me there was a \"but\" lurking after his words.

\"I just. . .\"

\"Can\'t be tied down right now?\"

He looked up. \"I. . . you. . .\"

\"I understand. I don\'t want to, but I do. I hate myself for understanding.\"

His hands felt warm over mine.

\"Heero. . .\" He ducked his head, and moved forward to wrap his arms around my middle. I didn\'t react, I just stood there. I heard him sniffle into my collar bone. \"It was fun. Wasn\'t it.\"

\"Yeah. I was kind of hoping it would last.\" My hands were fisting at my sides. \"I ha. . .\" I brought my arms up around his shoulders, holding him to me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I said softly, \"I hate you, Duo. . .\"

I didn\'t mean it, and he knew it. He knew I meant the opposite. It was just too hard for me to tell him I loved him.

His hands fisted in my shirt. \"I\'ve got to get out of here.\"

\"Where will you go?\"

\"Does it matter? I\'m gonna be a star. Don\'t worry.\" He pulled away. He kissed my forehead.

I waited at the counter as he grabbed what little things he had brought to my apartment since he\'d moved in. It was enough to fit in a large tote bag.

He approached me for the last time when he was through, and took my hand in his. He pressed something into it, then turned away.

\"See you on Broadway,\" he muttered when he reached the door.

I didn\'t say anything. I stared at the extra apartment key in my hand.

He left.

*

And so, I\'m here.

I wish I\'d never met him.

I thought I saw him the other day. It looked like him, making his way down the sidewalk in all of his black; his leather jacket with the chains on it, the sleeves always rolled up to his elbows; those loose strands at his neck flowing behind him as he walked quickly past my work\'s front window.

Maybe it was him, maybe it wasn\'t. I didn\'t want to k abk about it.

The show premiered last night. I didn\'t go. I don\'t want to.

What hurts the most is that Duo and I could pick up where we left off, if we wanted to. I feel cursed, because it\'s not like we couldn\'t have a future together.

I don\'t know what\'s going to happen. I don\'t know if I\'m ever going to see him again.

*

Even weeks later, the three months I spent with Duo still feel so real, and so like a dream at the same time.

His show was a hit. He\'s in the newspaper. He\'s on magazines.

Isn\'t that nice?

No, it\'s not. It\'s torture.

He was on the news last night.

The show will be in New York for one more month. Then, they go on tour.

It occurred to me that it wouldn\'t have worked out with him, after all. If we would have stayed together, he would have had to leave, anyway.

And what do I do these days?

If you were to ask me in person, I would laugh bitterly. I would tell you that I do nothing. I wake up, get dressed, go to work, come home, go to bed, and do it all over again the next day. I may eat, if I remember to, or if I even feel like it.

Quatre feels sorry for me. He never said so, but I can see it in his eyes. I don\'t go out anymore. He comes over, worried about me, about three times a week.

You see, it worked out between him and that Trowa guy. I\'m happy for him. Only when he acts guilty does it bother me.

*

It\'s around two in the afternoon on a Sunday. Quatre leans forward and stares me in the eye. I stare back, used to his over-dramatic displays of concern.

\"Heero. . . it\'s been two months. You\'ve got to stop moping.\" He smiles his friendly, cheer-up-Heero smile at me.

I just sigh. \"No,\" I mutter. \"I can\'t. I never feel like it.\"

\"Get some Prozac!\" he suggests cheerfully.

\"No, I will not do that.\"

A look of sympathy comes over his features. \"I wish I could make it all go away, Heero.\"

I give him an equal look. \"Only Duo could do that, Quatre. But thanks for trying.\"

*

[[Remember me when you\'re the one who\'s silver screen
Remember me when you\'re the one you always dreamed
Remember me when everyone\'s noses start to bleed
Remember me, special needs

Just 19 and sucker\'s dream I guess I thought you had the flavour
Just 19 and dream obscene with six months off for bad behaviour

Remember me when you clinch your movie deal
And think of me stuck in my chair that has four wheels
Remember me through flash photography and screams
Remember me, special dreams

Just 19 this sucker\'s dream I guess I thought you had the flavour
Just 19 and dream obscene with six months off for bad behaviour
Just 19 and sucker\'s dream I guess I thought you had the flavour
Just 19 and dream obscene with six months off for bad behaviour

Remember me...

Just 19 this sucker\'s dream I guess I thought you had the flavour
Just 19 and dream obscene with six months off for bad behaviour
Just 19 and sucker\'s dream I guess I thought you had the flavour
Just 19 and dream obscene with six months off for bad behaviour

Remember me...

---Special Needs by Placebo]]

*

Duo\'s last show is tonight.

I went at the last minute and got tickets. I am on my way there, in a jean jacket and hiking boots. I don\'t care if it\'s some ritzy show. I\'m not going for the glamour. I\'m going to see Duo one last time before he leaves, repeatedly telling myself I am crazy for doing it.

The lobby is cold as I enter. People mingle around; I don\'t notice if the occasion is formal or not. I wait in a seat for them to open the doors to the theater. My stomach has butterflies in it. The thought of seeing him up on that stage makes me want to cry.

I am weak at this point. I consider leaving, then know I\'ll regret it if I do.

The doors to the theater open. I look around for my seat. I am in the front row, in the left section.

I wait. Time passes by slowly, and when the house lights finally dim and go out, I\'m not ready to see him.

Yet another hush falls; it falls over the audience, who occupy every seat in the theater. I was lucky to get the tickets I got. They sold out this afternoon around 5:30.

How I got front row, I couldn\'t begin to tell you. Perhaps they gave out seats randomly.

But seating is the last thing on my mind as the orchestra starts playing under the stage.

Duo Maxwell singing and dancing? This would be a sight. According to the media, though, he can do it. According to the reviews in the paper, I should be looking forward to a hell of a show.

The curtains open. The music slows as we the audience see the outline of a huge old-style black pirate ship. It is against a blue background; they sky at twilight, I suppose.

The music begins toed aed a little as people begin to fill the stage. Their costumes make me think of Treasure Island. So the play is about pirates.

Men and women cross the stage, some with their noses in the air like aristocrats, others hurrying on their own in shabby clothing.

A girl in a frilly pink dress enters from stage left. I realize it is Hildy in a blond wig. I want to laugh, but hold it in.

She begins to sing. I can\'t deny her talent as she walks around, describing with the song how the town is simply too busy for a girl like her.

A man stops her. I assume it is the man Treize that Duo spoke of. Treize interrupts her song and warns Hildy of pirates that wander the docks at night. He is her brother, and demands she come home. She tries to brush him off, She\'s not scared! and they argue. People still hurry about them as the blue backdrop grows into a darker sapphire color.

Suddenly, there is a sound that reminds me of a rebel yell from the nosebleed seats behind me. I turn with everyone else in my section to see a man sliding down a rope that leads to the stage from the back of the theater. He \"flies\" over the crowd, and lands with his knees bent on the stage in front of a frightened Hildy and Treize.

I freeze. The man is Duo. He\'s wearing tight black pants and knee boots with a nice heel. His shirt is a puffy white, long-sleeved garment. I want to laugh. Duo surely makes a wonderful pirate. His braid is there, as long as it was when I last saw it. He looks slim and fit. There is a sheathed sword at his side as he stands with his hands on his hips, teasing Hildy and Treize. He unsheathes his sword and points it at them. Hildy screams. The people that were walking around them have frozen in place as well, and watch in horror. It\'s a pirate! one of them yells, Run for your life!

Duo laughs out loud as there is pandemonium around him on the stage. His smile is as vibrant and beautiful as it was when I last saw it. My heart is thumping in my chest.

\"Hah!\" He fakes a jab at Hildy and Treize with his sword, and laughs when Hildy screams. He proceeds to jump off the stage.

The music stops as the audiences attention is on Duo\'s antics. He walks around the middle section, inspecting every other person. He wonders to himself out loud; there is a microphone on him somewhere. He makes random little jokes.

He sits on the arm of an older woman\'s seat who seems to be wearing too much jewelry. She appears flustered as Duo stares at her necklace. The hot spotlight shines on him as he reaches forward with a charming grin and fingers the pearl necklace. He considers the necklace, as if wondering whether or not to steal it. \"Hmm. . . \'tis costume jewelry compared to what I stole from the Pirate Higgins,\" he decides. He scoffs. The audience laughs as he waves a dismissive hand at the woman and walks away.

His voice doesn\'t sound the same. It sounds clear and young rather than raspy and fun. He speaks with an accent, as well.

He has finally worked his way around to my section, and is slowly walking up my side of the aisle. His sword is out, and he points it at random people, who gasp and laugh in delight at being a part of the show.

Duo is incredible with the crowd.

He is giving a monologue about who he is and why he is a pirate. I sit and wait for him to see me. I know he will.

Finally, he turns and stops a few seats down from me. He eyes the people in my row with a lifted eyebrow and a smirk. His eyes fall on me, and his smirk falters.

A moment passes between us, and then, the smirk is back in it\'s place. He approaches me, sword and all.

\"And who is this?\" he asks himself as well as the audience. He lifts the end of his sword to rest under my chin. I lift my head only slightly, and gaze at him calmly.

His own gaze appears amused, but when I look into his eyes, I see that he is trying to tell me something. His lips appear to have a smirk, but for me, it is a soft smile. He holds the sword still under my chin.

\"A peasant, like the rest of ya,\" he says softly. \"Got any money?\"

I play along with a smirk and shake my head no.

\"Didn\'t think ya did.\" He look s up at the surrounding audience. \"?Tis worth a tryask,ask, anyway.\"

A few chuckle.

His gaze falls back on me. I see the sweat glistening on his forehead in the spotlight. His breathing is quick from all of the running around. . . or have I caused it?

I spot the small microphone clipped to his shirt, hidden in an almost obscure way.

He lowers the blade from my chin, and turns away nonchalantly, with a shrug.

He re-sheathes the sword and works his way back up on stage.

I stay for the rest of the show. It is exciting and entertaining, and everything you would want and expect in a Broadway show.

My heart races through the whole thing. I can only remember his eyes on mine; they had bored into me, desperately trying to tell me something, but I couldn\'t figure out what.

Was it Hello Again?\"

Was it Goodbye?

The show ends, and I leave. I remember the way he smiled on my way back in the cab. He had seemed so happy and brilliant. He had looked so wonderful.

*

Duo goes on his tour, and I don\'t hear from him for a year. I see him on television every now and then, footage of him on the red carpet at the opening of his next big show, in sunglasses and that damn leather jacket, some random girl on his arm.

He has signed a contract with some big motion picture industry, I can\'t remember which one. He is an incredible actor. I thought about seeing his movies, but I couldn\'t stand the thought of seeing those eyes never turn to me. I would rather not see him at all.

My life has returned to normal. I am dating again, but am never really happy. I don\'t date any men. It just wouldn\'t be the same.

It is a weekend, and I am doing nothing. Still eligible for a bachelor\'s special privileges, I have no shirt on, and the button of my jeans is not buttoned, exposing the elastic band of my briefs.

There is a knock at the door.

You are probably wondering why any of this is important. So am I. Who the hell is at my door and what do they want? I just want to get drunk and stay in bed.

I open the door, and I can\'t move when I see who stands there.

Why would he come back to me after all this time? Why is he here, with that huge, beautiful smile on his face?

It is in fact Duo Maxwell, in his customary all-black, that leather jacket obscuring his slim frame. He is tucking his sunglasses into his back pocket.

Saying nothing, I step aside. He walks in. Once inside, I watch from behind as he looks around at the place, his hands on his hips, the chains on his jacket jingling every now and then with his movements.

He finally turns to look at me when I shut the door.

He smiles hopefully.

I gaze back at him. \"What are you doing here?\"

His smile fades slightly. \"I wanted to see you. I\'ve missed you.\"

I give him a slightly uncomfortable smile. \"Haven\'t you been too busy to miss me?\"

\"Not at night, when I\'m in bed alone.\" He steps forward. His voice is sad. \"At night, when you aren\'t there for me to sleep next to. . . I miss you. I\'ve even regretted leaving you for the show. . .\"

Unknowingly, I lean back against the wall, beside the door. There is hope in my chest, and I close my eyes at the warm feeling. ?He\'s back,\' I think. ?He\'s missed you.\'

When I open my eyes, he is right in front of me, not and inch away. He smiles when I don\'t move, and leans his forehead against mine. \"You wouldn\'t believe how much I\'ve realized this past year. All of the time I\'ve had to think. . . You could say I\'ve grown up, Heero.\"

\"You look like a goddam rock star,\" I say flatly. He chuckles. I watch the smile spread on his lips, hear the laugh blow though them.

He reaches up and places his hands on either side of my face. The boots he is wearing make him about two inches taller than me, so he has to hunch a little to keep our heads together. He speaks softly. \"You feel as good as you did the last time I was close to you. I wondered if it would go away, but it hasn\'t. I still want you, Heero. You were my first. I still love you. I feel like such an idiot for leaving you the way I did, and I\'m so sorry, Heero. I haven\'t stopped thinking about you, not for a day.\"

\"I can\'t believe you\'re really here,\" I whisper, still in shock. \"You left, and I was nothing again. I didn\'t know how to live.\"

\"You seem to have picked back up well.\"

\"Yeah, but I\'m not happy.\"

\"Are you happy now?\"

I think about that. The object of my desire for the past year and three moths (give or take a few), was holding me again, up against the wall where we\'d first had sex. \"Hell, yes.\"

He smiles. His eyelashes lower as he gazes at my lips. I stare at his in return. He rubs my sweet spot with his fingers, and that is all I need. I lean forward and kiss him, and the other half of me is back again.

It isn\'t exactly a stiff kiss, but it isn\'t movie-perfect, either. It is simple, sexy, and enough.

Duo pulls back, keeping his hands on my face. He smiles. \"So you wanna try this again?\"

\"No,\" I answer.

His smile fades.

I smirk. \"I want to finish were we left off.\"

His eyes close as he realizy jey jest with relief. \"Damn you, Yuy. You scared me.\"

I smile.

It is finally over, I realize as I watch his smile. His eyes will always look at me, from now on. He will always sleep next to me. Maybe I took him back too soon, but I don\'t care. I have waited and wanted him for too long. And I have nothing to worry about for the rest of my life, because my life is right in front of me, and he is mine again.

~Owari~

Okay. . . figured I\'d just go ahead and post the third part. *Glares* You guys are lucky. . . I\'m going on vacation for a week and contemplated not updating until I got back. . . But, since I\'m nice. . . Hope you enjoyed it! It\'s my first yaoi semi-smut fic ever!!! I\'m happy with the way it turned out, and I\'m working on another fic, now, too. 1x2/2x1 forever!!! Please feel free to rate and review!
And to those who did review. . . Thank you so much!!! I\'m humbled by your kind words. ^_^ I hope the third part did the first two justice! Thanks for reading!
---Honey Bee