Crystal Poison - Part 5

Heero's POV

He walked into the eating area, and my breath hitched slightly as I discreetly watched him. His hair was frizzy, and it hung in the air all about him. When he glided forward, the sunlight hit it, highlighting it, making it into a serene halo. <Breathe, Yui.> I reminded myself.

His clothes were extremely rumpled - they *should* be - at least from what I could see. He was partially wrapped in the blue and white patterned sheet from his bed, so I couldn't really tell. I looked back down at my plate and continued eating, pretending I hadn't seen him.

"Ohayo," He greeted with palpable warmth in his voice, glancing over to look at all of us, sitting around the table. He smiled with quiet cheer, and I looked at him sidelong. I breathed a gigantic sigh of relief. For once, his smile appeared to be - real.

He sat down in the one empty chair, once again looking at us all. "Is there something wrong?" He asked, concern apparent in his rich voice.

“ No." Wufei answered coldly, and I didn't blame him. We'd all been so worried...

He folded his arms and leaned them onto the tabletop. He gave his best lip quiver, and his eyes actually started watering. In a phrase, he was unmistakably cute, and determined to be pouty.

“ Why won't anyone talk to me?" He asked in his best 'I'm-so-lost-and-sad-and-this-is-really-killing-me-PITY-ME-NOW!' voice. My heart nearly broke right there. It's the little things, you know, that can take a feeling you have for someone and make it grow into l...

He's so beautiful, here, right now, acting like he always does, yet... Somehow I can't describe it... Being with him - around him... It feels just like a beam of golden sunshine has poured into my rotting soul, has reached the depths of darkness in me, has illuminated my life... He's so... warm, so caring... It makes me feel...

I shake my head, pulling out of the thoughts. No use dwelling on - any - of it. There was just no way he and I could ever possibly be together. There were so many countless, innumerable obstacles that stood in our path...

"Duo..." Quatre begins, as usual. I snort, inwardly. Whenever we have a 'Duo problem' it's always Quatre who addresses it.

“ Hai, Quat-kun?" He asked, sitting up straighter in his chair. I frown briefly. Why is it that he always feels the need to... act... better, when Quatre speaks to him? Or any of us, for that matter, I think, my mind going back over and analyzing hundreds of small conversations held by Duo and the rest of us. ...It's not that we're somehow better than him.

“ Well..." Quatre continued, obviously nervous, casting panicked glances for help out to the rest of us, "Well..."

"Duo...Do you know how long you slept?" I ask, taking pity on poor Quatre.

His brow scrunches up in thought, something else briefly flashes across his face, too quick for me to register what, and he replies, "Anou...No."

I pause, for second, unsure of what to do.

Trowa picks it up for me.

“ You slept for 3 days, 10 hours, and 22 minutes," He recited monotonously, then looked Duo in the eyes, adding softly in a more concerned voice, "We were all so worried..."

"Awww..." Duo exclaimed, "You were worried about me?"

I stared at him, and he dropped his gaze. ...I still hadn't forgotten the condition I'd found him in, before he'd gone to sleep. Where had he gotten those jagged cuts?

“ What happened?" Wufei asked softly, which was, in itself, an indication of how serious he thought the situation was. He usually stuck to his gruff exterior, rebuffing all contact with us... But he was worried, now. The good Lord forgive me, but Wufei can be such a mother hen when he gets worried.

Duo looked up at him. A muttered, "Nani?" Could be heard, and Wufei actually - smiled at him. I frowned briefly, considering. Could it be that Wufei *also* had... feelings for Duo? I dismissed the thought instantly. He'd already told me about his relationship with... I might not approve, but it was his choice. Besides, we all felt for Duo. He was our sunshine, our laughter, our hopes and our fears... And so much more.

Duo continued, fidgeting nervously. "I had a...bad mission." He said hesitantly, obviously unwilling to discuss it. "I...needed some rest...And...I got it!" He finished brightly, smiling his brilliant 200 watt smile at us.

I didn't buy it. The smile was real, the emotion behind it was genuine, but that meant nothing. Just because he was happy now... I needed to know what was *really* wrong. Why he had really slept so late; maybe it had been the mission, but if so, I needed to know what exactly had gone wrong...

Wufei looked at him, gauging the smile, then smiled back. "I'm glad you've got your rest," He said with a smile, lightly ruffling Duo's hair. "However...I've got to get to Nataku. I've neglected her for 3 days, 10 hours and 22 minutes..." He finished with another smile for Duo, and a playful wink.

I was startled at this sudden change in Wufei's behavior... He'd always had such a cold exterior... Maybe it was the fact that he was spending more 'quality time' with his lover that was making the difference... Or maybe it was just the affect Duo had on people.

A slight, almost nonexistent smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I considered the idea: The Duo Affect. See? If I was almost smiling, then it *had* to be a powerful thing.

“ Well, guys," He said with a slight smirk, "I'm gonna go to my room and read some mangas up in my room..." He pushed the chair back from the table and stretched, showing off his muscular body to the fullest extent. It wasn't like he meant to... It was just an unconscious gesture, something purely Duo; like I said... It was the little things, that could make someone else mean so very much to you...