New Years Resolutions

Notes: Tenshi-Chan wrote this, but she gave me permission to post this amongst my own fics, so that you won’t have to search all over for the other stories that go along with this Lemon. I hope you enjoy it. I did.

\"New Years Resolutions\"
A Gundam Wing Lemon
By Tenshi-Chan

Note: This follows \"Christmas Memories\" by Keara-Chan! =^_^= I don\'t own any of the cuties in this ficcie. *sigh* ALSO this is a lemon. Guys going at it like rabbits. 1 X 2, 4 X 3. If you\'re reading this, and you\'re under 17 years of age, *shakes finger* naughty naughty!


Now ... ON WITH THE STORY! =^_^=

*****


Warmth . . . that was the first sensation that permeated Duo\'s sleepy mind. The room was a comfortable temperature and he had blankets tucked around him. He smiled a little and reached for Heero only to encounter an empty space"Hee"Heero? Heero!?!\" He swallowed and fought his panic. \"Heero?\"

\"Right here . . . I\'m right here, Duo!\"

Duo closed his eyes and latched onto Heero the instant the strong arms were wrapped around him. It took about ten minutes for his body to stop shaking \"I\'m sorry, Heero.\"

Heero chuckled and tightened his arms. \"Shhhh! You just haven\'t fully accepted the fact that I\'m not going to leave you.\" He stroked Duo\'s head. \"My first resolution for the year . . . to make sure you never wake up alone.\" He kissed Duo. \"Let\'s go down to breakfast. Think you can make it on your own today? Not that I mind carrying you, but I think you\'re getting sick of being immobile.\"

\"I think I can make it, Heero.\" Duo smiled as he let Heero help him to his feet. He walked towards the door slowly, pausing by one of the remaining paintings. It was a portrait of Heero with a mirror behind him. Heero had his hand held out as if reaching for something. The person had to look at the reflection in the mirror to see what it was that Heero reached for. Not much could be seen except a shadowy figure with a telltale braid. The painting was called \"Reaching for a Dream.\" Duo turned and quirked a grin at Heero. \"I just noticed it.\"

Heero smiled back. \"Noticed what? That you\'re in all of my paintings in some way?\" He shrugged. \"It wasn\'t intentional at first. The first painting I did was a bowl of fruit. Something seemed to be missing, then I remembered how you\'d eat an orange and leave the peel on the table. I painted the peel in.\" He wrapped his arms around Duo again. \"You know . . . people kept asking me if you were a real person, or just a fairy creature that popped into my paintings when I wasn\'t looking. I had to tell them that I honestly didn\'t know. There was a painting I did when I swore that I didn\'t put you in it . . . and then someone pointed out an out-of-place line of brown.\" He chuckled. \"In short, you were hiding in a tree, but you were there.\"

Duo laughed as well. \"That must be your \'Hide & Seek\' painting. I didn\'t realize why you called it that.\" He spun in Heero\'s arms and returned Heero\'s embrace. \"Do we have to go down? I\'d rr spr spend the day in your arms.\"

\"Tomorrow. I promise we\'ll spend the day in bed tomorrow. Tonight, Quatre will want us to be part of the group.\"

Duo smiled. \"That\'s right . . . I forgot that it was New Years Eve. Time certainly gets jumbled when you\'re asleep most of the time.\" He yawned and stretched against Heero. \"Let\'s go down before Quatre sends Wufei up to see what\'s taking us so long.\" Duo walked out of the room and down the hallway. He paused by the stairs and closed his eyes for a moment. Despite eating three meals a day, and whatever snacks Heero wheedled into him, Duo still felt a little lightheaded due to months of neglecting himself. The fact that his stomach still occasionally cramped up on him did NOT help matters any. \'I can do this . . . I CAN do this.\' He gripped the railing and started walking down the stairs, glad that Heero was right beside him. He had to stop halfway down and bite his lip. \"God, I hate these!\" He was vaguely aware of Heero rubbing gentle circles on his back.

\"Looks like you\'ll be joining Quatre in the partaking of sparkling grape juice at midnight.\" Heero leaned over to meet Duo\'s strained expression. \"You want me to take you the rest of the way down?\"

Duo shook his head slightly. \"No, but thanks.\" He swallowed and took deep breaths. After a few minutes the cramp eased and muscles he hadn\'t realized were tense . . . relaxed. He shot a grateful grin to Heero, who had wiped some perspiration off.

\"You okay now?\" ny ony other time Heero wouldn\'t have been fussing like a mother hen, but Duo had taken drastic measures ten days earlier because he felt like no one cared about him. Heero had used the past six days to show Duo just how wrong he was.

\"Yeah . . . as okay as I\'ll get before breakfast.\" He gripped the rail tighter and continued downstairs, not noticing Quatre standing there until a glass of milk entered his field of vision. He gave the Arabian a shaky grin and accepted the glass.

\"It\'s good to see you on your own two feet again, Duo.\" Quatre smiled in that unique way of his. Offering encouragement and understanding. \"The cooks made French toast, bacon and eggs today. You feel up to eating something a little heavier than oatmeal and toast?\"

\"REAL FOOD! Yeah!\" He took a gulp of the milk and grinned. \"To be honest, I was getting tired of the bland prison food you guys were serving me.\" He frowned a moment. \"Of course . . . the first time I ate anything heavier than the watered-down chicken soup, I got really sick, so I guess you guys know what you\'re doing.\"

Quatre laughed. \"Duo . . . you just didn\'t think that after months of near-starvation, you don\'t just wolf down three helpings of corned beef hash. Wufei, Trowa and I agreed that you\'re ready for something more substantial than soup.\" He looked Duo from head to toe as if deciding something. \"And the fact that you\'re standing on your own proves that we\'re right.\" Quatre nodded and turned to the dining room.


*****


During breakfast, Heero kept a close eye on Duo. Well . . . only part of the reason was to make sure his love wouldn\'t eat too much too fast. He smiled as Duo fought with Wufei over the last piece of French toast. The main reason for watching Duo was because he . . . just liked to watch Duo.

\"Aw come on, Wu-man! I\'m a growing boy!\" Duo kept his fork firmly in place. By unspoken agreement, no one mentioned that Duo had to gain back the weight he had lost while they were eating. Quatre had insisted that although they wanted Duo to put on some weight, they didn\'t want him to gain more than he weighed normally. So they let him fall into his old eating habits that morning.

\"Maxwell . . . for the I-don\'t-know-what-number time . . . my name is Wufei! And you\'re an adult now. I seriously doubt you\'ll have another growth spurt!\" He met Duo, glare for glare.

Quatre sipped his tea with some amusement as he watched Trowa stand up and neatly cut the piece of French toast in half. \"And I thought I was the diplomat.\" He reached over and caressed Trowa\'s face, which was still dicolored due to the fading bruises he had received from Rasid.

\"I learned from the best, Little One.\" Trowa returned the smile and sipped his coffee.

Quatre put his teacup down. \"What are you guys all going to do tonight to celebrate?\"

Heero glanced at Duo and grinned slightly. He knew what HE was going to do. His grin widened as Duo met his eyes a moment, then Duo blushed and looked down. \'Now you know why I\'m keeping you in bed tomorrow.\' He nonchalantly finished his own coffee. Then glanced at Duo again, letting his eyes ask the question he couldn\'t speak aloud at the table. \'Do you want to?\'

Duo was still blushing as he met Heero\'s eyes. Heero heard the room sing as Duo smiled and nodded.

Quatre apparantly noticed the silent conversation and smiled. \"Heero . . . I think we all know what you\'re planning. I have a feeling that Wufei is going to have to bunk on the sofabed tonight.\" He didn\'t see the look Trowa gave him. They both knew Wufei\'s room was closer to Quatre\'s than it was to the portrait room.


*****


\"Duo! You\'ve had ten of those mini eggrolls already.\" Heero plucked the finger food off of Duo\'s plate.

Duo retrieved them. \"Listen . . . if you\'re planning what I THINK you\'re planning, I\'m going to need my strength.\"

Heero chuckled fondly and wrapped an arm loosely around Duo\'s waist. \"Well . . . save some for the rest of us.\" He buried his face in Duo\'s hair and took a deep breath. \"We all need to eat.\" He glanced over to where Trowa and Quatre stood talking. \"Think anyone would miss us if we copped out early? It\'s 11:00, and I wanna start the new year right.\" He closed his eyes and took another deep breath. \"I love the sweet scent of your hair.\"

Duo giggled. \"Heero . . . it\'s called using chamomile shampoo and strawberry conditioner.\"

\"Nuh-uh. Although the shampoo and conditioner serve to accentuate it.\" Hek ank another deep breath. \"It\'s sunshine and spring rain mixed together with a drop of joy and poured into hair that has the texture of silk.\" He had brought his hands up and was gently massaging Duo\'s scalp.

Duo groaned. \"Heero? What are you doing to me?\" He closed his eyes and leaned against Heero, almost dropping the plate.

Heero placed a kiss on the top of Duo\'s head. \"I\'m loving you. Do you have any objections?\" Heero liberated the plate and placed it onto the nearby table.

Duo sighed. \"None whatsoever.\" He whimpered as Heero removed his hands.

Heero turned Duo to face him. \"Shall we take this someplace else?\" He lowered his face until his lips were a millimeter from Duo\'s. \"Someplace where we won\'t have to stop?\"

Duo didn\'t trust his voice, so he nodded and closed his eyes as Heero moved that final agonizing millimeter and kissed Duo.

Heero placed a trail of tiny kisses on Duo\'s face until his mouth reached Duo\'s ear. He whispered softly as he wrapped his arms around Duo. \"I want to start the new year loving you.\"

Duo shuddered and slumped against Heero as his knees turned to Jello. \"He-Heero?\"

Heero chuckled and steadied Duo as he led him out of the main room.

Quatre watched the pair leave with a smile. \"I think Heero has the right idea.\" He turned to Trowa and casually reached up to take the champagne glass. \"Let\'s follow their example.\"

Trowa smiled gently at Quatre a moment before glancing up at Rasid. He tilted his head in a question, and took Quatre\'s hand when Rasid nodded his assent. \"Let\'s go to your room then.\"

Quatre shook his head. \"Not my room anymore, Trowa.\" He reached up and wrapped his arms around Trowa\'s shoulders. He closed his eyes when Trowa returned the embrace. \"It\'s OUR room now.\"


*****


In the portrait room, as Heero had come to call it, Heero used one hand to remove Duo\'s clothes and the other to lovingly unweave Duo\'s hair from the braid. All the while, planting little kisses. \"Have I told you lately about just how beautiful you are?\"

Duo shuddered under Heero\'s touch while frantically working at Heero\'s clothing. He giggled when Heero hit a ticklish spot.

Heero made Duo meet his gaze. \"Do you know just how much I love you, Duo?\" He placed his hands on the sides of Duo\'s face. \"If I had an eternity to tell you, it wouldn\'t be enough time.\"

Duo swallowed and shuddered. \"Actions speak louder . . . than words do.\" He yelped as Heero began licking his chest.

Heero kept his mind on stimulating Duo . . . he was not about to rush into this. One wrong move, and he knew that he could destroy any enjoyment Duo would have. He kissed his way down, loving the little gasps Duo made whenever Heero kissed a sensitive area. When Heero reached Duo\'s bellybutton, Duo let out what sounded like a cross between a giggle and a moan. He dipped his tongue in and smiled as he caused Duo to writhe.

\"You-you\'re a sadist!\" Duo squeezed his eyes shut. \"You\'re torturing me here! What are y-AAAAAAAAH!\" Duo\'s eyes flew open as the warmth of Heero\'s mouth enveloped him. He didn\'t know how much more he could take without exploding.

Heero pulled back and smiled as he kissed the tip of Duo\'s erection. \"Perfect. You\'re perfect!\" He continued kissing his way down Duo\'s leg.

\"Heero . . . PLEASE!\" Duo was on the verge of sobbing. His main fear had been that Heero would be as efficient as he had been in carrying out his missions. He was right, but Heero was warm and tender ... and that made all the difference in the world.

Heero kissed his way up Duo\'s other leg. \"What do you want, Duo?\"

Duo was gasping for a decent breath of air. \"Heero . . . please?\"

Heero placed his mouth on Duo\'s and kissed him with every bit of lhe hhe had within him. When he pulled back, he caressed Duo\'s face. \"Tell me what you want.\"

Duo\'s mind was foggy, but one thing was clear. He gazed into Heero\'s prussian eyes. \"I want you inside me, Heero. I\'m yours, Heero . . . take me.\"

Heero, having hoped for this, had made sure he had some sort of lubrication nearby. He opened the drawer and pulled out a bottle of massage oil. \"Best I could do in a pinch.\" He opened it and grinned as the scent of lavender filled the air. \"Probably for one of Quatre\'s sisters.\" He poured some into his hand and rubbed his hands together to warm the liquid.

Duo tensed up a little when Heero\'s finger pushed into him. Then he relaxed in a show of trust. The feeling was new and not all that comfortable.

Heero patiently worked on stretching Duo\'s tight opening. While he worked, he brushed up against something. Duo cried out, causing Heero to look up in alarm. \"Did that hurt?\" He smiled when Duo shook his head. \"Ready?\"

Duo nodded and reached up to grab Heero\'s shoulders. He whimpered as Heero started the penetration.

\"Duo?\" Heero\'s voice was heavy with concern.

Always honest, Duo whimpered. \"It hurts, but it\'s not that bad.\"

Heero leaned forward and kissed Duo. \"Do you trust me?\" He wiped a little sweat off of Duo\'s forehead as Duo nodded. \"Then relax.\"

Duo swallowed and met Heero\'s eyes. He saw the reassurance there and did as Heero asked. Almost instantly, he felt the change. He threw his head back and cried out as Heero pushed the rest of the way in. He was panting and it took a moment to realize that Heero was talking to him. \"Wha?\"

\"Duo . . . are you all right?\"

\"Am I all right?\" Duo let out a happy sob and wrapped his arms around Heero. \"I\'m yours now. How can I not be all right?\" He groaned when Heero shifted. \"Please . . .\"

Heero retd thd the embrace a moment while Duo adjusted, then started a gentle thrusting. He wanted the sensations to last for Duo. He didn\'t give a damn if he didn\'t get release. This night was for Duo\'s pleasure alone. Duo\'s pleasure was Heero\'s pleasure. He held himself up with one hand and caressed Duo\'s body with the other.

\"Oh GOD, Heero!\" Duo shuddered from the sensations. \"What\'re you doing to me?\"

Heero smiled and brushed the back of his fingers against Duo\'s cheek. \"I\'m making love to you.\" He felt his heart flip as Duo\'s passion filled eyes met his gaze and shook his head at the amazement he saw there as well. \"Baka . . . did you think I\'d treat you with the cold efficiency I treated my missions?\" He gently kissed both of Duo\'s eyelids. \"Don\'t you realize that you mean more to me than any mission ever did? You always meant more than the mission, it just took me a long time to admit it.\" He gently grabbed one of Duo\'s wrists and brought it to his mouth so he could kiss the bandage. \"It took me almost too long.\"

Duo let his hand remain at the side of Heero\'s face and brushed his thumb against Heero\'s cheek to wipe the tear that had started coursing down Heero\'s face. Tears filled his own eyes in answer and he let his eyes apologize as they spilled over. At the same time, he became aware of the tension building up in his body. Tension that had nothing to do with pain. \"Heero?\" He started moaning as he decided to lose himself in the feelings.

Heero could feel Duo tensing up. \"That\'s it, Duo . . . let it happen.\" He continued his teasing caresses, delighting in Duo\'s building pleasure and the sounds coming from his beloved that were steadily increasing in volume and frequency. \"Open your eyes, Duo.\" He let out a groan of his own when he gazed into Duo\'s eyes . . . which had darkened with passion. He wrapped his hand around Duo\'s erection and started pumping it.

Duo honestly tried to keep his eyes open, but that last bit of stimulation set off an explosion. He was barely aware of all his muscles going tense as he squeezed his eyes shut and screamed. He felt Heero\'s arms wrap around him as Heero\'s own release flooded within him.
ro gro groaned as he held Duo close. After about ten seconds, he realized that Duo was sobbing. \"Duo? You\'re crying!\"

Duo was still trembling, and used all his willpower to bring his arms up to hug Heero back. \"I\'m ha-happy!\" He tightened his arms briefly as Heero pulled out of him. \"Heero?\"

\"Shhhh. I\'m just getting the blankets. I don\'t want you catching a chill.\" He grabbed the comforter and made sure Duo was covered before he settled down. He smiled as cur curled up and cuddled against him. He glanced at the clock. \"Hey, Duo?\"

Duo was half asleep. \"Hmmm?\" He blinked his eyes open as Heero gave him a gentle kiss.

Heero pointed to the clock with a smirk. It read 12:04. \"Happy New Year, love.\"

Duo blushed as he realized what had been going oen men midnight struck. \"Talk about bringing the new year in with a bang.\"

Heero shook his head and laughed as he wrapped his arms around his Duo. \"Go to sleep now. I\'l her here when you wake up.\"

Duo nodded and let himself slip back into darkness, reassured by the warmth and weight that surrounded him ... as well as the steady heart beat beneath his ear. He smiled happily. If Heero was there, all was well in Duo\'s universe.


*****


In another room, Trowa sighed as Quatre rubbed a kink out of his shoulder. With everything going on, he hadn\'t had a chance to do his morning stretches and his muscles had suffered. Quatre had spent the past hour massaging the stiffness out of his muscles. He knew why Quatre had opted for that first. The blonde didn\'t want to risk losing control when Heero and Duo\'s actions caused their lust to take over. As it was, Quatre had moaned and whimpered during the massage he had given Trowa. Besides the fact that both Trowa and Quatre were already nude, having shed their clothes earlier, Quatre was sensing the emotions from the couple in the other room. Just a moment ago, the blonde had dashed into the bathroom. The shout of ecstasy that Trowa had heard only a few moments later, had told Trowa that all would be well now. Now Quatre was straddled across Trowa\'s lower back and finishing the best massage Trowa had ever gotten.

\"Whenever you want me to stop, let me know.\" With that, Quatre scooted down and massaged Trowa\'s butt, making his intentions clear.

Trowa closed his eyes with a happy smile, letting a small sigh escape his lips. He had absolutely no intentions of telling the sweet little Arabian to stop. He\'d waited too long to get where he was.

Quatre continued his massaging motions as he pressed his index finger into Trowa. He shuddered as he picked up on Trowa\'s pleasure. \"Trowa . . .?\"

Trowa smiled as he went up on his knees . . . effectively pushing against Quatre. The movement caused them both to groan. A moment later, Quatre added a second then a third finger, patiently preparing Trowa.

Impatiently, Trowa groaned. \"Quatre . . . I don\'t think I can get much more relaxed without falling asleep.\"

Quatre obliged by removing his fingers and positioning himself behind Trowa, his hands resting on Trowa\'s hips. Trowa gripped the sheets firmly as Quatre slid into him with very little effort. \"Nnnn . . . told you.\" Trowa moaned at the wonderful feeling of being filled by his love.

\"Trowa? I don\'t want to harm you, but . . . you feel so good.\" He started moving, at first only rocking his hips so as not to harm his silent warrior, then finally pulling out and thrusting back into him as Trowa\'s body grew accustomed to his presence. Quatre sighed as Trowa\'s feelings blended with his own. \"I wish you could feel what I\'m feeling!\" He rested his head against Trowa\'s back, reaching around to grasp Trowa\'s length with one hand while the other remained braced on his lover\'s hip, as his thrusts into Trowa took on a faster, harder pace.

Trowa gasped as something tingled within him something . . . other than what he was feeling himself. \"Quatre?\" He groaned at the mingling sensations of Quatre taking him, along with the pumping of his love\'s hand mixed with the unusual emotions and feelings that swept through his mind. \"If that\'s what you mean, Quatre, I\'m amazed you held back as long as you did while Heero and Duo were at it!\" He gasped as an image filled his mind. A memory not his own. \'Quatre . . . felt that he wasn\'t a real person?\' He closed his eyes and let a flood of love and reassurance travel across this tenuous bond he was sharing with Quatre.

Quatre cried out as the feelings Trowa emitted washed over him. \"Trowa!\" He let out a sob as he increased his movements, pumping Trowa\'s length more vigorously as he sped up his own thrusts into him, feeling the edge of control so close. A memory of Trowa\'s hit his own mind. He suddenly regretted ever wishing he wasn\'t a Winner. Trowa had never had a name to call his own.

As they continued moving in a dance as old as the sea, two lonely souls found themselves facing kindred spirits. Each had felt like less than a person for very different reasons. Each had fought to attain what life would not give them. With a cry of triumph, the two souls merged into one, as both their body climaxed, Trowa\'s seed spilling over Quatre\'s hand, while Quatre\'s hotids ids filled Trowa completely. Like two handfuls of water brought together . . . they were two halves of a greater whole.

Quatre collapsed on top of Trowa, his body completely spent. \"By Allah, Trowa, I never thought it was possible. I have heard legends of souls bonding, but . . .\" He smiled, panting, and rested his sweat-dampened cheek against Trowa\'s shoulder. \"I never thought I would be blessed to be part of such a bond.\" He pushed himself up a little, grabbed the blankets and collapsed again beside Trowa.

Trowa shifted to lay on his side and gathered Quatre to him. \"Now I understand why Rasid was so protective of you, my little one.\" He kissed the tip of Quatre\'s nose and smiled a little when the nose wrinkled a little. \"You saved his life.\" He shook his head and gazed at the young man who held the other half of his soul. \"If anyone had ever told me, while I was a mercenary, that I would be blessed enough to have you . . . I don\'t think I\'d believe that I\'d ever be so lucky.\"

Quatre returned the smile, running a lazy hand gently across Trowa\'s bruised features before settling his fingertips on his lips. He smiled as Trowa tenderly kissed his fingers. \"Until tonight, I viewed my Space Heart as somewhat of a curse. I\'ve never been so glad to have it.\" He snuggled closer. \"I think Duo will be all right now.\"

Trowa had to agree. \"Heero will make suf thf that.\" With a final kiss, Trowa closed his eyes.


*****


Downstairs, the phone started ringing. It rang twice before Wufei answered it. \"Winner residence.\"

There was a pause, then a timid voice answered. \"Wufei? What are YOU doing there?\"

It took Wufei a moment to place the voice, then he frowned as it clicked. \"Hilde.\" He felt a surge of anger, then pushed it down. It was not his place to interfere. \"Quatre invited us here to spend the holiday.\" He paused a moment before continued. \"ALL of us.\"

\"A-ALL of you?\"

Wufei wondered at the fear in Hilde\'s tone. \"I must admit I was most displeased to hear that you didn\'t invite Duo to your wedding. I\'ll bet any amount of money that you weren\'t planning on calling him this evening.\" He usually didn\'t let on when he was angry, but Hilde had left Duo high and dry.

Hilde\'s voice sounded shaky when she spoke again. \"You\'d win that bet, but I can\'t risk my husband seeing the phone bill and seeing his number.\" She paused . . . almost as if she had given something away. \"Tell him I\'m sorry. I just called to wish Quatre a Happy New Year. Extend my wishes to everyone.\"

Wufei was about to ask if something was wrong when he heard someone else.

\"Who the HELL are you talking to, Hilde?\"

Hilde let out a tiny whimper and answered, apparantly forgetting that Wufei was on the line because her voice took on a submissive quality. \"Just wishing one of my friends a happy new year!\"

The man, her husband apparently, was closer when he spoke again. \"Well get off the damn phone and come over here! I wanna party for a while.\"

\"I have to go now. Do tell everyone I called and extended my well wishes for the new year.\" Hilde had spoken that bit lightly, as if she hadn\'t a care in the world.

Wufei didn\'t buy it one bit. Especially not after hearing the next sounds on the phone.

Hilde\'s voice was full of fear when she spoke next. \"I HAD to call or they\'d worry! I\'m really sorry!\"

The last thing Wufei heard was the sound of clothing being torn before the phone line was disconnected. He narrowed his eyes as he replaced the phone to its cradle. \'A man who has to use fear to control his wife has no honor.\' He nodded when he checked the caller ID and headed for his room. He intended to pack and head out to where Hilde lived.


*****


Warmth ... that was the first sensation that permeated Duo\'s sleepy mind. \'Wow . . . Deja vu!\' He took a deep breath and was about to stretch.

\"Hold still, Duo . . . I\'m almost finished.\"

Duo opened one eye and then the other. His mouth quirked into a grin when he spotted Heero sitting in a nearby chair with a sketchbook. Heero glanced up, smiled back, and went back to work. He almost giggled when he saw the smudge on Heero\'s chin and on the tip of Heero\'s nose. \'Even like that, he\'s perfect.\'

\"That expression is perfect!\" Heero smiled at his charcoal drawing and continued working.

Duo giggled. \"Heero? Do you ALWAYS draw in the buff?\"

Heero paused in his work to laugh. \"No, but this was a special occasion. And when I came back from a bathroom trip an hour ago, the way you looked just inspired me.\"

Duo blushed slightly as he remembered what the special occasion had been. His body tingled as he remembered the previous night.

\"I thought I told you to keep still!\" Heero grinned at Duo.

Duo\'s blush darkened and he grinned back. \"Can\'t control it when I\'m around you. Sorry.\"

Heero shook his head. \"Don\'t be. Besides . . . I did that area first.\"

\"Oh! Confident, aren\'t you?\" Duo waggled his eyebrows.

\"No . . . hopeful.\" Heero made a few more lines and studied the picture. Then he wrote something and put the charcoal down with a nod. \"There.\" He walked over to the bed and handed the book to Duo. \"What do you think?\"

Duo blinked as he stared at the drawing. \"I . . . I think you lost your drawing eye. This can\'t be me.\" The charcoal sketch was entitled \"Dream Come True.\" The person in the drawing was too . . . ethereal to be himself. The hair was spread out as if the figure was lying in a pool and the only thing covering the person\'s \"charms\" was a sheet. The face just oozed sensuality. \"This can\'t be me.\" He repeated as he looked up at Heero.

Heero smiled and pulled Duo into his arms. \"It is you, Duo. It\'s how I see you.\" He held Duo as his lover started sobbing. \"Ah, Duo . . . how long will it take you to believe just how beautiful a person you are?\" He started rocking while stroking Duo\'s hair. \"Yours is the best beauty, Duo. You have a beauty not only in face and body, but also in heart and mind.\" He held Duo closer and admitted something. \"Did you know . . . that the only reason I survived all the hell I put myself through during the war was because I knew that if I died, I might never get to see you again? You were the only reason I didn\'t die when I self-destructed.\"

\'I was the only thing keeping him alive during the war?\' Suddenly all the self-blame for everyone else he cared for dying came crashing down around him. He clung to Heero and started babbling about everything. All the fear and lonliness he\'d gone through as a child. The grief of losing a boy he\'d loved as a brother, then the woman he\'d loved as a mother. Then the pain he\'d felt when the Federation called him \'Maxwell\'s Demon\' as if they also blamed him. Then the war and everything else that had followed. He was sobbing whole-heartedly by the time he was done.

Heero held Duo tightly to give Duo the reassurance he needed. \"Shhhh! It\'s over now, Duo. It\'s all over. I\'m here, and I won\'t leave you. It\'s all right, Duo. I\'ve got you now. You don\'t have to be afraid anymore.\" He felt his own heart shatter a little for Duo\'s sake. A person could only take so much loss before going to the extreme Duo had gone. A lot of things Duo had done during the war had made sense ... especially all the times he had called attention to himself when they were at a school. Duo had been a lonboy boy who had craved any attention he could get . . . even the negative attention was better than nothing. \'He\'s had to beg for scraps his entire life. Scraps of food, scraps of clothing, even scraps of attention.\' He smiled as Duo calmed a bit. \"Second resolution of the year . . .\" He kissed the temple of Duo\'s forehead. \"To make sure you never want for affection again.\"

Duo sighed and relaxed slightly against Heero, feeling lethargic. \"And the third?\"

Heero smiled and brought Duo\'s lips up to his own for a kiss. \"The third is to tell you that I love you at least once a day.\"

Duo smiled. \"I think I can live with that.\"

\"Hn! You\'d better. Duo . . . promise me something.\" Heero ran his fingers through Duo\'s hair.

Duo looked up. \"What?\"

Heero met Duo\'s eyes and tightened his hold. \"Promise me, no matter how bad things might get, that you\'ll never try to kill yourself again? I know that we\'ll have our fights . . . but I don\'t think I could live if you did that to yourself. Please?\"

Duo saw the anguish in Heero\'s eyes and nodded. \"I promise, Heero.\"

Heero nodded with satisfaction then smiled. \"I think this will be a great year.\"

End

Note: This is an interlude to tie up some loose ends that might pop up later in Keara\'s series. This was written with her permission and input. I hope you\'ve enjoyed this.