Author: J. Strahan
Pairings: 2+1+2
Warnings: mild shonen ai, sweet, sappish
Disclaimer: Everything in this fic is a creation of mine. Any similarity with a particular anime (Namely Gundam Wing) is purely coincidental. Yeah. Right. I also have some oceanside property in Arizona if anyone is interested.
Dedication!: To my dear imouto, Lena-chan, and to Elyndys, who was nice enought to beta for me, and to SonyMouse-san, who writes some of my *favorite* fics, then leaves them unfinished. ^_^;

Appreciate Comfort

Duo awoke with a start, and glanced around the living room from his place on the sofa. The television was still on, but the volume was low. A quick check of the clock on the wall told him he'd been asleep for nearly two hours, and Heero would probably have already gone to bed. He sat up and groaned as his neck protested the movement. Rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, he slowly stood and stretched, mildly attempting to stop the ache in his muscles. He rolled his head from one side to the other, and the pain began to subside.

Heero had come back from a mission that evening, but had a lot of work left to do to cover his tracks, and had sternly requested that Duo find something else to do while he finished up his mission, instead of distracting him. Duo had been somewhat miffed at the rebuff. He wouldn't have tried to distract Heero from his work, he knew how important it was for their cause, and that bugging Heero when he was trying to do something was a very effective way of asking to be killed. He had accepted it, though reluctantly, and retreated into the living room to watch TV and eat ice cream, as he sometimes did when he felt put off.

Duo lifted the ice cream carton, confirming that it was empty. Good, he told himself; he wouldn't have been too keen on cleaning up leftover melted ice cream in the middle of the night, and since Heero usually woke before him, he would have recieved an earful for leaving a mess for the other boy to clean up. He snorted and threw the carton away, then retreated into the bedroom.

The door swung open silently, revealing Heero lying on top of the bed, fast asleep. Duo couldn't stop the slight grin that crept onto his face at the sight. The pale yellow sneakers lay discarded on the floor, barely noticeable in the dim moonlight that filtered into the room through the open blinds. The light was somehow reflected off of the socks which Heero still wore, and for a moment Duo found something strangely appealing about seeing Heero in his socks. Duo crept noiselessly toward the bed to observe his sleeping partner, settling on the side of the bed, absently toeing off his own boots. Heero's limbs stood out from the bedspread and dark clothing he wore, pale arms and legs, and a face framed by dark, coffee-brown hair. It was as messy as ever, but held a distinctively attractive quality to it, covering patches of his face.

He leaned a bit closer to examine Heero's face, eyes softly closed, lips parted slightly. It seemed too rare, these times when Heero's rest was uninhibited by nightmares. It seemed that the demons that usually plagued his sleep had decided to give him a night off, and Duo was glad for it.

Duo stripped off his wrinkled black over-shirt and white color, then his riding pants, enjoying the feel of the air on his skin. The weather was perfect, and he could see why Heero had decided to sleep without the covers. He walked over to his side of the bed and climbed on, lying on his back. After few minutes of failed attempts at going to sleep, he rolled onto his side to look at Heero once again.

They were nearly touching, only a few centimeters separated them. Carefully, he brought a hand up to finger the thin, soft material of Heero's tanktop. 'It's too bad he didn't take that off, too,' he muttered to himself, running his hand down the side of Heero's chest. He blinked drowsily, then, deciding that Heero most likely wouldn't even notice, he laid his head down on the pilot's torso. The soft, steady beat of Heero's heart almost surprised him, but it made him feel better just the same. Every once in a while, it was reassuring to be reminded that Heero wasn't really all that different from him, that he was still a fifteen-year-old boy, and not just a pawn in a war, or a machine, as he sometimes teased.

He threw his arm over Heero's chest, and moved his leg so that it intertwined with Heero's, careful that he might not wake the sleeping pilot. The night was warm, but Heero's body was warmer, and the extra body heat relaxed him. The scent that Heero carried teased his nose, and he nuzzled the skin of his partner's shoulder, his nose brushing lightly on Heero's muscled bicep. He smiled to himself. He would be more than happy to sleep like this every night. No more than a minute later, he heard a voice that shook him out of his reverie.

"Duo?"

Duo tensed slightly. It had all ended too soon, and now he'd have to deal with an unhappy Heero. He tilted his head up, reluctant to lift it from the warmth Heero's body provided. He met the other boy's gaze, stiffling a grin at the way Heero was looking at him, one eye cracked open slightly, the other still closed, then answered sheepishly, "Uh, yeah?"

The dark-haired boy's eye closed again, and a smile tugged at his lips. "Comfortable?"

Shock was the first emotion that registered to Duo, quickly followed by relief. Heero wasn't angry with him, and if he had wanted Duo to move, he would have told him so. He grinned at his partner, knowing Heero would notice, even with his eyes closed. "Very." He replied, then nuzzled Heero's chest again before adding, "You smell good."

There was no answer at first. but after a few seconds, a soft, humored "Hn" escaped Heero's lips. Duo felt it more than heard it, and tightened his arm around Heero's side. As though it were a signal, he felt Heero's arms raise up, then wrap around him, resting lightly on the small of his back. Duo smiled again. "Comfortable?" he mimicked.

Heero ran a rough, calloused hand up the long-haired boy's back, brushing against the soft hairs that grew and the nape of his neck, then moved it slowly back down to meet his other hand. "You have no idea."

~Owari

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