*Heero*

I watched in morbid fascination as Duo downed almost the entire glass of pink Gatorade in one noisy swallow. 

I was almost salivating, watching him like this. One more...Gulp. There. He was done. He wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand, then smacked his lips...Dammit, he was so sexy, and he didn't know it...

He looked kind of dazed, and I couldn't blame him. I'd felt a bit queasy, and all I'd done was take a single sip. 

"Whut the hell? Whut's goin on...? Who turned all the lights off!" He yelled in puzzlement, then attempted to get up. I say attempted because as soon as he rose, he pitched forward, and would've hit the sharp glass coffee table - if not for my sudden leap off the ever-beloved leather couch. I barely managed to catch him.

Kneeling on the floor, I easily stood back up and made my way back to his couch - he weighed so little now...

Adam and Pink were staring, Iris was laughing...Iris was laughing?!

Wha-? I sniffed the air experimentally, just to confirm my suspicions. Alchohol, I was right. I glanced over in Iris' direction, and she...winked at me?!

Oh Dear Lord...What had Iris done?! How much alchohol had she put in there, and why hadn't I tasted it initially? I sighed, then glanced over at Pink and Adam...

"Adam, Pink...Iris. Would you all mind leaving a bit early...? I think the Gatorade's hit Duo a bit hard..." I said, with a straight face, ignoring Adam and Pink's sudden fit of giggles.

"Yeah...::giggle::...Sure! Get him safely off to...::giggle::..BED, now, ya hear?" Adam called over his shoulder as he slowly made his way over to the door, Iris and Pink in tow.

I heard them slam the door, but I was too focused on Duo for it to really register.

"Duo..." I whispered. "Duo..."

He looked up at me from his comfortable position in my arms. "Whatcha want...Heeeeroooo?" 
He asked, slurring my name in a sad imitation of how Relena used to act.

"Duo...I want you to know that I still love you...I want you back, Duo. I made a mistake and I want to make up for it, please..." I implored him, staring deep into his mesmerizing pools of clear amethyst. It might not be the best of times, but, he needed to know how I felt...He needed to know.

"I knooow...I wuv you too, dearie Heee-chaaan..." He said, burying his face in my shoulder, still laying in my lap.

He wrapped both his arms around me, and I froze, barely managing to breathe. God, it felt so right, so beautiful, so perfect...Was this heaven? ...If not, God had better start on some home improvement...

I brought my attention back to the precious bundle in my arms, curled up there just like it was where he belonged...

Which was a complete axiom. 

He shifted, moving his arms around to encircle my neck, and whispering into my ear, "My hero...My Heero." 

I shivered deliciously.

God, he was so beautiful, so ethereal, so...I sighed, transfixed at the sleepy contentment showing openly there in his eyes.

"Heeeero...Kin we goto beeed nooow...." He murmured against my shoulder, and I obliged him immediently by holding him in my arms and making my way easily over to his room, with the magnificent bed, not that I'd be using it tonight...I could always take his much beloved leather couch...

I laid him down gently upon the smooth surface, and prepared to turn around and go, when he rose up quickly and pulled me down next to him onto the bed in a tangled sprawl of limbs.

Surprised, I faced him. "Don't go..." He whispered. "Please don't ever go..." His voice had suddenly become steady, surprising me. I'd thought he was drunk...? 

His eyes shone luminous in the dark, and I wanted to kiss him...But now was not the time. He needed my comfort and support, not the lust I felt whenever I saw him...

Instead, I twisted around to face him, and gently traced the contours of his face. I put a hesitant arm over his now-thin chest. I could feel every rib...Oh, Duo...I had to make it all up to him, somehow. Somehow. 

When I noted no audible protest, I laid the other there, so that they were interlocking. He was so very beautiful...I couldn't believe he was letting me do this...

I could feel his heartbeat there, steady and wonderful, and then slowly, ever so slowly, his shallow breathing, indicating sleep, and everything was so secure and beautiful, like we'd always be together, forever and ever...

This time I wouldn't screw up...

With that thought in mind, I tightened my grip, carefully, and held him, drifting off to a sweet sleep, no dreams needed because I held one.