Heero still wasn't entirely certain how Duo had managed to talk him into this. The music was loud, too loud for any kind of decent conversation, and the flickering lights were making him jumpy. Across the table, Quatre rested his chin in one hand, flushed from the alcohol he had been sipping throughout the evening. Trowa sat beside him, arm resting lightly on the back of Quatre's chair, in a subtle but protective gesture.

Heero wondered where Wufei had gone. He was irritated that the only other pilot who had agreed that this was a ridiculous idea had abandoned him. Glaring through the crowds, he finally caught sight of Wufei, who seemed to be immersed in conversation with a pretty, pigtailed girl. Traitor, he thought to himself.

No, nightclubbing was definitely not his scene. How on earth had that braided baka managed to talk him into this? Heero sighed. If he was being honest, it wasn't anything Duo had said. It had been the excited spark in his wide, indigo eyes, the animated grin as he had revealed his plans for the evening and begged them all to come along.

Beneath his armour of stony indifference, Heero Yuy had a weak spot, and its name was Duo Maxwell. The things he felt for Duo were unsettling, to say the least, and not something he was willing to share with anyone. Especially Duo himself. A weakness could get you killed, and Heero Yuy was the perfect soldier. No, much safer for both of them if he kept what he felt leashed tightly inside him.

Even so, he couldn't seem to quite suppress the desire to be around Duo, to bask in his energy and never-ceasing delight at things both trivial and complex. So Heero had allowed Duo to drag him along, while outwardly remaining cold and indifferent, simply because it would give him the opportunity to watch. He'd never seen Duo dance before, and the thought of observing Duo's lithe body in motion when he wasn't fighting for his life was too tempting to resist.

Which brought him to the here and now. Heero sat, stony expression settled carefully in place, eyes flickering from person to person amidst the throng, until he found what he was looking for.

Duo was on the dancefloor. He was clad in a rusty red t-shirt that was so short it didn't quite meet the tight black pants that hugged his slender waist, and Heero found his gaze drawn to the tantalising strip of flesh that peeked out from in between. With effort, Heero forced his eyes upwards, over the paleness of Duo's exposed throat, accentuated by a gold cross on a delicate chain. And finally, he took in Duo's entirety. Duo was dancing.

Heero watched with rapt attention -- Duo moved his body as though the music was not just around him, but flowing through him as well. A circle of admirers had gravitated towards the boy, some covetously running their eyes over his body, Heero noted with irritation, others taken with the silken braid. Duo seemed oblivious to the attention, dancing as though he were the only one present, lashes lowered over indigo eyes, tongue slipping out to moisten parted lips.

Oh God, Heero thought, as he watched the sensuous creature, do you have any idea how irresistible you are?

Heero traced the silhouette of Duo's form with his gaze; the slight jut of the blade of his shoulder, the stretch of his back, down to the braid resting against the curve of his buttocks. Heero found his fist clenching of its own accord. The braid trailed off mid-thigh, but the legs kept going as Heero followed the slope down to Duo's knees and then over the arch of his calf to where it disappeared into his boots.

And then inevitably he was drawn back to Duo's face, to the curve of his jawline, the cupids-bow of his mouth. That ever-grinning mouth, so wonderfully expressive, with lips reddened by the heat of the night. Heero felt his own body flush, but it had nothing whatsoever to do with the temperature.

One of the adoring females moved closer, encouraged by a group of her giggling friends. Duo's attention immediately focused on her, and he flashed her a charming smile as she made her moves a counterpoint to his own, keeping in perfect time. Gradually, she oozed her way nearer, until she was close enough to snake her arms around Duo's shoulders. Heero bit back the urge to growl. After all, it was no business of his whom Duo chose to dance with. He was only here to watch, he reminded himself sharply.

Luckily, the song came to its end only moments later. Duo unwound the girl's arms from his neck, pressed a gallant kiss to the back of one hand as a consolatory gesture, and then, without a backwards glance, he bounded from the dancefloor. Weaving his way through the milling clubbers, Duo finally made it back to where Heero and the other pilots were sitting, plonking himself down into one of the two vacant chairs.

"Phew, I never thought I'd escape! She was rather enthusiastic." Duo wiped an imaginary sweatdrop from his temple. "How's it going here, guys?"

Quatre beamed at him. "S'going great, Duo!"

Trowa smiled a little. "Fine."

Heero simply glared at him. Duo grinned widely in return. "Cheer up, Heero! We're here to have fun, ne?"

"You seem to be having enough fun for the both of us," Heero intoned. He regretted it the moment he said it. Why did he feel the need to antagonise Duo at every turn? Duo raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsure of how to take the acid remark. In the end he settled for a lopsided grin, but Heero noticed the slightly deflated rounding to his shoulders, and winced inwardly at his own cruelty.

"Well, I'm not going back there on my own, that's for sure. I thought they were going to eat me alive for a moment there!" Duo heaved an exaggerated sigh, and Heero narrowed his eyes. Was Duo being sincere? Since when did Duo not relish being the centre of attention? But Heero knew that Duo never lied, and he had abandoned the girl at the first opportunity. Why? The other Gundam pilots certainly weren't much company tonight.

Abruptly, Duo leapt to his feet again, a new wave of enthusiasm engulfing him.

"Quatre, come dance with me!"

"Oh Duo, I would, but I don't think I can stand!" The fair pilot's eyes were somewhat glazed. Trowa gave Quatre an indulgent smile as he slipped an arm around the smaller boy's shoulders. Duo just rolled his eyes, not even bothering to ask the tall, silent pilot.

"Well, Wuffie's off chatting up some pretty young thing, so that leaves... you, Heero!" Duo fixed his bright eyes on Heero, giving him a hopeful smile. "Come dance with me!"

"Dancing is for fools."

There was flash of hurt in Duo's face, quickly concealed with a shrug and a rueful grin. "Ahh, I guess this'll be a solitary mission for me, then."

Heero watched as Duo turned his back and began to walk away, cursing himself for seven sorts of fool. He'd just had the most perfect opportunity, and not only had he blown it, he'd managed to insult Duo in the process. Had he lost himself in this cold and uncaring role so deeply that he was incapable of bringing Duo anything but hurt?

Duo was halfway back to the dancefloor before Heero managed to grab his wrist, the longhaired pilot almost being jerked off his feet as he spun to see who had caught him. For a second, both stared at each other, confused; Duo obviously questioning why Heero had followed, and Heero wondering what on earth had just possessed him.

"Heero?" Duo asked, a small furrow of uncertainty between his brows.

"I... don't know how to dance." The words were confession and apology both.

"What?" Duo blinked in astonishment.

"I was never taught. It wasn't considered a useful skill," Heero said, releasing Duo's wrist and crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

Heero could see Duo swallow the urge to chuckle and was grateful, not sure whether he'd be able to handle it if Duo laughed at him. He wasn't used to admitting that there was anything he was incapable of doing, and it rankled him greatly.

"Heero... this isn't ballroom dancing. We're at a nightclub. There's no 'right' or 'wrong' way of doing it, you just move to the music."

Heero said nothing, keeping his thoughts behind his scowl. Why, oh why hadn't he just left Duo to his own devices? Grudgingly, he again admitted to himself that he knew the answer. As much as he wanted to be anywhere but in the midst of these people, he wanted to see these people pawing at his violet-eyed friend even less.

Impulsively, Duo grabbed Heero's hand. "Come on, I'll show you!"

Heero felt his hand taken into Duo's warm fingers as he was pulled towards the dancers. A group of them called out as they saw the braided boy return, parting to made a place for him, although several of the smiles turned to frowns as they realised that he had someone else in tow.

"Duo--" Heero began. The amount of attention he was receiving as Duo's companion made him even more uncomfortable.

Duo leaned in close to whisper in Heero's ear. "Just ignore them, Heero. Follow what I do."

The warm breath on Heero's neck sent a trail of strange prickles down his spine, and he shivered a little as Duo moved to stand directly opposite him.

Slowly, tantalisingly, Duo closed his eyes and began to run his hands up and down his own body. Heero watched with fascination as Duo's fingers caught in his shirt, dragging it up so that even more of his flat belly was exposed. The music increased in volume and tempo and Duo began to move, feet shifting with the beat, braid swinging out behind him.

Heero tried to mimic him, feeling extremely foolish. Despite his innate co-ordination, he knew he looked stiff and awkward, especially in comparison with Duo and his mesmerising grace. Heero wondered why on earth he was doing this. What sort of idiot was he, to humiliate himself trying to please the dancing boy?

Behind him, he became aware of sniggers from some of the watchers, and he froze. He didn't belong here. Duo belonged with people who could share his passion, not someone too locked within his own control to show the things he felt. Angry at himself, Heero turned to leave, only to have his own wrist caught this time in Duo's insistent grip.

"Duo, I can't--" He faltered to a halt as his other hand was grasped as well, but frowned in confusion when Duo then turned to face away from him. What was the braided baka doing now? With a small tug, Duo pulled him forwards and at the same time took a step backwards, and Heero suddenly found himself with his hips pressed firmly against Duo's backside. After a moment of stunned immobility he attempted to pull away, but Duo held his wrists firmly.

"Trust me." Duo guided Heero's hands to his hips, splaying Heero's fingers across his bare abdomen.

Heero drew in a sharp breath. Oh, Gods, what the hell was he doing? Duo's skin was warm under his fingertips, as soft and smooth as satin. The urge to flee in terror warred strongly with his reluctance to ever remove his hands from Duo's flesh again.

And then Duo tilted his head back, to whisper in Heero's ear. "Here... follow my movements. Don't think about it, just feel."

Don't think about it! How could Heero think of anything with Duo so close? He had enough trouble remembering to breathe as Duo slowly began to move again, gyrating his hips beneath Heero's hands. Still too stunned to do anything, Heero remained frozen, feet glued to the floor.

"Move with me," Duo breathed, and then Duo's nimble hands had slipped backwards to curve around Heero's waist, and pull him closer until his body was pressed against Duo's from shoulder to hip. Duo's braid was a textured rope caught against his chest.

Oh, Duo, do you know how completely, how utterly you have me caught in your spell? Blanking his mind to the other dancers, to everything but the lithe body caught in the circle of his arms, Heero began moving in time with the music, guided through the contact of his palms against Duo's belly.

"Mmm... that's it." He couldn't see Duo's face, but the tone was a velvet purr. Heero tilted his head forwards until his nose hovered only a fraction away from the soft strands tucked behind Duo's ear, breathing in the sweet apple-scent of freshly washed hair. Oh, he was lost, and he knew it.

Heero was also, he realised with horror, incredibly aroused. And there was no way that Duo, with his backside grinding against Heero's groin, could be unaware of it. He stumbled backwards, embarrassment flooding through him. Damn it, he couldn't afford to let Duo see, to let Duo know --

But Duo grabbed at his hands, drawing him close yet again, preventing his escape.

"Baka," Duo said affectionately. To Heero's dismay, and his treacherous body's delight, Duo deliberately pushed back against him, wriggling for effect. Heero drew in a gasped breath at the friction between Duo's firm buttocks and his own hard length. Why did Duo insist on tormenting him like this? Did Duo enjoy his discomfort?

Distantly, Heero became aware that the music had changed to something less frenetic, something with a lazy beat that he could feel pulsing through him. Duo was rocking gently now, swaying from side to side as he covered Heero's hands, lacing their fingers together. Slowly he drew Heero's hands from his hips, upwards over the ladder of his ribs, to come to rest on his chest. Beneath his fingers, Heero could feel the slow rise and fall of Duo's breathing, and the faster, more insistent beat of his pulse -- racing, just as Heero's was.

And then Duo was drawing his hands downwards again, each finger dipping as it ran over the indentation of Duo's navel. A moment later, his hands snagged on the rough border of Duo's jeans, and yet Duo was still guiding them lower until Heero had indisputable evidence that the arousal was mutual.

The feeling of Duo's hardness beneath his hands sent a jolt through him. How often had he imagined touching Duo, exploring every angle and curve of him? And now, Duo seemed to be inviting him to do just that. Heero's hand lingered for a moment, and then he gave a gentle squeeze and was rewarded when Duo arched back into him with a sound that he could barely make out over the music.

Quickly, Duo settled Heero's hands back on his hips, as if suddenly shy.

Heero felt as though his body were aflame at every place it was in contact with Duo's - he couldn't remember ever feeling so alive. Suddenly he was consumed with the desire to run his hands over Duo without the impediment of clothing, to feel the warmth of Duo's naked flesh against more than his palms.

Heero's resolve shattered: right or wrong, he desperately wanted the braided pilot. He slipped his arms further around Duo's waist, holding him possessively, fingers caressing Duo's midriff. To hell with being the perfect soldier - Duo was his, and he wanted to claim him in every way possible.

If, of course, Duo was willing. Suddenly, fear swept through Heero. Did Duo desire the same thing, or had this whole evening been nothing but a game, an amusing diversion? Did Duo really want him? Or would Duo cast him aside now he was no longer a novelty, having surrendered and admitted his vulnerability? Steeling himself, he knew there was only one way to find out.

"Duo, do you--"

"Yes, I do," Duo cut him off, and Heero could almost hear the smirk in his voice as he spoke, "but let's finish this dance first, shall we? It took me long enough to get you here."

Heero let a smile creep across his face for the first time in a very long while, as he danced with his beloved in his arms.

"Trowa?" The blond pilot asked blearily, leaning back into the crook of Trowa's shoulder.

"Yes, little one?"

"Does being drunk make you see things that aren't really happening?"

"Hmm... I suppose it could. Why, what can you see?"

Quatre raised a hand and pointed unsteadily out into the midst of the dancers. "That looks like Heero. And he's dancing. With DUO. I gotta be hallucinating."

Trowa just chuckled to himself, pleased that his friends had figured it out at last.