"Oh Duo, hang in there. Don't leave me," Heero whispered as he laid Duo down on the beach.

Heero pinched Duo's nose close, opened his mouth and gently breathed into Duo. He then pushed down several times on Duo's chest, attempting to expel the water in his lungs. Heero repeated this process several times. Heero tried not to notice the fact that there were no life signs coming from Duo and that Heero had never seen him so still or quiet.

Before Heero had time to panic, however, Duo started to convulse and choke. Heero quickly turned Duo away from him as the boy started spilling all the water out of his lungs.

"Duo? Are you ok?" Heero asked.

The only response Heero received was a low, piteous moan from Duo as he started to shake uncontrollably.

Deciding that it would be best to first deal with Duo's physical condition and worry about his emotional condition later, Heero quickly gathered up Duo's clothes, placed them on his lap and then gently picked up the shaking boy. Heero walked back to the safehouse as quickly as he could. On the way back, Duo started to become more aware and responsive.

"Uhnnn...." was the only response Duo was able to make.

Heero ignored him, more concerned about getting Duo to the house and warming him up.

Just as Heero reached the front door to the house, Duo spoke again, this time he groaned out Heero's name in such a plaintive, needy and husky voice that Heero abruptly stopped walking. He was astonished with the way he responded to Duo calling his name-his whole body tightened up, breathing became difficult and he felt warm all over.

Heero looked down at the shivering, barely conscious and very naked boy he held in his arms. The way his body was reacting to the sight confirmed for Heero just how badly he wanted and needed Duo. Perhaps by taking care of Duo, Heero could prove to him that he really cared for Duo. Perhaps by doing this he could find out how Duo felt about him.

With that thought in mind, Heero rushed into the house and into the small bedroom he shared with Duo. Heero gently laid Duo on his bed and covered him up. He then picked up Duo's wet clothes and tossed them into the hamper. As he started to leave the bedroom, he again heard Duo say his name in that voice that prevented his body from returning to a more settled, normal state.

"I'll be right back.  I'm just going to get a towel so I can dry you off better," Heero replied.

"mmmkay," was the quiet reply.

Heero left the room and quickly walked to the bathroom. There, he picked up the largest, fluffiest towel he could find. He then returned to the bedroom and moved to sit down next to Duo on the bed.

"Hey," Duo said with a weak smile as Heero sat down.

"How are you feeling?" Heero asked as he lifted the covers off of Duo and started to vigorously rub him down and yet still try to maintain his composure even though he was so close to Duo's naked body.

"I feel like an idiot," Duo said with a sigh.

"What happened?" Heero asked as he urged Duo to sit up facing away from him so he could try to dry Duo's hair.

"Well...I, um, I was so damn mad at you for being such an ass that I figured a swim might help me to cool off, which it certainly did. And then, you know, I got this really cool idea! I thought it would be fun to see if I could touch the bottom of the lake. I did, but, you know, it wasn't that much fun cuz I got tangled in the weeds down there. God Heero! If you hadn't shown up I would've drowned. I really owe ya one," Duo paused briefly before continuing, "Hey Heero, how is it that you knew I needed help?"

Heero drew a deep breath; here was his chance to patch things up with Duo, to let him know that Heero did not hate him but instead cared about him very much.

"Well, I..." Heero paused, trying to gather his thoughts so he would not screw this up. "I followed you after you left the house. I wanted to apologize for being so callous to you. It was wrong of me. I'm not purposely mean to you Duo; I don't dislike you and I don't want you to think that I do. It's just that I'm not very good at expressing my real feelings, doing so makes me feel uncomfortable and I find it is just easier to keep my distance from people."

"But Heero," Duo said while turning around to face Heero, "if you keep pushing people away you'll be forever lonely. Maybe being alone seems appealing to you because it's more comfortable, but if you only knew what it was like to have someone to love and care for, and to be loved and cared for in return, you would never want to be lonely again." Duo stopped and stared at Heero while Heero thought over what Duo had said. Heero was sure Duo was right and only wished Duo would prevent him from ever being lonely again.

Heero's thoughts were interrupted when Duo said with a sigh, "I'm so tired of being lonely."

That said, Duo turned away from Heero and buried himself beneath the covers. Heero stared as Duo settled under the covers; was Duo hinting at something, trying to tell him something? Against his better judgment Heero began to hope that maybe Duo was interested in him the same way he was interested in Duo. Heero suddenly decided that he was for once in his life going to act upon his feelings for another person, even though he had previously resolved not to act upon his feelings unless he knew what Duo's were.

Thus, determined to discover if Duo returned his affections, Heero slowly laid down next to Duo and gently began to run his fingers through Duo's still damp hair, all the while waiting, with great anticipation, for a response from Duo.

So, Heero waited...and waited for several minutes. As the minutes slowly ticked by, Heero became more nervous and fearful, since Duo was not even acknowledging his presence. Yet, Duo had not pulled away from his touch so that had to be a good thing.

It suddenly dawned on Heero that maybe Duo was waiting for him to reply to what Duo had last said. Heero knew what he wanted to say, he just needed to find the courage to say it.

Deciding to take a chance, Heero drew a deep breath and said, "Maybe we could prevent each other from ever being lonely again."

Heero heard and felt Duo gasp. Duo then quickly rolled over to face Heero, bringing them within a few inches of each other. Duo stared wide eyed at Heero for several moments before asking:

"From EVER being lonely again?"

"Yes."

Duo blinked owlishly a few times before posing another question: "Heero, do you actually like me that much to want to stay with me forever?"

Heero found himself blushing as he said 'Yes, Duo, I like you very much. Duo, I...I care about you more than anyone and anything. I want to be by your side, always."

Heero held his breath as he waited for a reaction to this revelation of his feelings for Duo. He just hoped that Duo would realize he was not just talking about friendship.

Heero did not have to wait long for a response. Almost immediately after his confession Duo gave Heero a huge grin and then grabbed a hold of Heero in order to give him a big hug. This prompted Heero to wrap his arms around Duo, bury his face into Duo's neck and return the hug.

"Oh, Heero," Duo said softly, "Did you mean that the way I hope you did, the way I want you to have meant it?"

Heero drew back to look at Duo, who was looking back at him hopefully. In response to Duo's question, Heero leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against Duo's. Duo gave a little sigh as he returned the kiss.

After several moments of kissing, Duo ended it in order to snuggle up close to Heero. Heero gave a small smile as he drew Duo close to his chest. He was utterly amazed at how content he felt just by holding Duo. He realized that Duo had been right; now that he knew what it was like to love and be loved, he never wanted to be lonely again. Yet, he also knew that he did not have to fear every being lonely again because he now had Duo to be by his side for the rest of his life.



End

-Go to epilogue for the lemony ending if you're not content with the sappy ending :)

Epilogue Part 2