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I sit back in the perfectly hot water. Not too hot, not too cold, just right. Enough to slightly scald your skin, but in a good way. A perfect contrast to the snow falling outside, just visible through the large window. Then Duo snuggles back against me and I know I wouldn't give a flying fuck what temperature the water was, as long as he was in it with me.

In a bathtub. With Duo. Wonders will never cease. How did we get here? I know, of course, objectively, but I often find that straight facts do not have any effect on what you really feel. Especially where Duo is concerned. Something about Duo Maxwell clouds logic. For me anyway. He always did. I've always fought against it, been even colder than usual to him, just to keep from blurting out what he makes me feel. Me. Feel. The Perfect Soldier has feelings. Just don't tell Dr. J.

Duo starts to wiggle again, stirring parts of me back to life. He always does have that effect on me. But I thought it was unintentional. I know now that may not have been true...

It all started... well, it started when I met him: beautiful, elusive, smiling, haunting, the boy who calls himself Death. Duo Maxwell. He shot me. He confused me. He pissed me off. I wanted to hate him, ignore him, disregard him; but I couldn't. So I watched him. And wanted him. And had the most amazing dreams. I knew I had a problem when I was masturbating more than twice a day when I was around him. Not good for productivity, that. So I decided to cure myself of him. Become the hard, taciturn soldier I was supposed to be. I tried to stay away from him. It didn't help. I still thought about him constantly. And then, when there was a mission I couldn't rearrange, a mission that I had to be with him, it was twice as bad. I would spend time just staring at him out of the corner of my eye, drinking him in, like some besotted fool. Then I would have to flee, to the shower, wherever I could, and relieve my tension. It wasn't helping, wasn't working.

Then there came the fateful mission. I knew whoever took it would be trapped in an isolated cabin for what could be weeks afterward, until the snow melted enough to get out. But it was the only way. I tried, I really did, but it came down to this: the only ones who could take the mission, who had the skills, were me. And Duo. So we went. Executed the directive, stole the plans, transmitted them back to J. And, being Gundam-less, trooped through the ever-falling snow to the safehouse.

To call it a safehouse is to flatter the cabin. Two floors, one room above another. Ground floor is a living area with a wood stove that heats the place, a pathetic excuse for a kitchen, and that's it. A narrow, rickety staircase leads to one bedroom. One. With two beds. A toilet and bathtub in a closet of a bathroom, and that's it. My prison, incarcerated with Duo Maxwell. The stunning, sexy, too-beautiful-for-his-own-fucking good (or mine) siren. I was so screwed.

The only good thing about the cabin was that it was so small the wood stove easily kept it warm. Too warm sometimes, Duo announced, and shed his clothes in front of me. Once again, I have to hide what he does to me, snap at him angrily before I snap and fuck him. I didn't know how much longer I could take the strain. Not much, as it turned out.

Another night in this godforsaken place; another erotic dream starring one longhaired boy. I woke up as the dazzling sunlight streamed into the window. Winter was breaking, soon we would be able to get to the road and steal a car. But for now, the cabin was freezing. The fire was out and we needed more firewood. What better to work off my raging hormones that a good bout of chopping wood? Little did I know.

The frigid air was bracing. I felt feverish as it was. I was still half hard from the dream as I took up the axe and started on the unsuspecting wood. Soon, I was caught up in the rhythm. Unfortunately, it wasn't helping as I thought it would. Rhythmic, pounding, splitting, forceful... oh god, I was hard as rock now. And sweaty. I stopped to take off my shirt. That helped some; but I got the feeling suddenly that I was being watched. Surely Duo was still asleep. I got back into the rhythm, visions of what I wanted to do to Duo filling my mind. I could see him, naked, spread for me... faster and harder I swung the axe. Frustration built up until I was nearly growling with each stroke. And the feeling of being watched got stronger. I glanced up at the window that faced the yard, and for the first time faltered in my rhythm. Duo. Duo was there, at the window. And he was... I had to stop what I was doing before I severed an arm. Duo was sat by the window, blanket wrapped around him but not so completely that I couldn't see his hand... moving... stroking himself... oh god....

He didn't seem to see me; I couldn't tell, but his eyes must have been closed because he didn't stop, just stroked faster and I squinted but couldn't quite see the hard flesh he must have cradled in that lucky hand... and oh god I wanted to see, I wanted to see and touch and do everything to him and I couldn't take it any more. Firewood, axe, all lay forgotten as I stormed into the cabin, almost blinded by need, halfway up the stairs before I knew what I was doing.

My momentum carried me the rest of the way before I realized, and there I was, slamming the door open, and Duo looked so guilty I knew I was right, but I had to know. I saw his eyes travel over me and I realized I was still hard, and he could see, and I flushed with a combination of embarrassment and anger and lust. I stormed across the room, losing my cool and picking him up like he weighed nothing. I stared into his eyes, looking for answers, and I didn't even recognize my own voice as I growled, "What the fuck are you doing?"

That infuriating, irresistible smirk spread over his face, and he said, "Nothing now, Heero," and the way he said my name made my cock pulse. I growled in frustration. Duo would never give me a straight answer, would he?

"Why?" I said to myself, but I must have said it out loud, because Duo winced and I realized I was squeezing him too hard. Damn J, made me so strong I don't even know when I'm hurting the one I care most about. And where did that traitorous thought come from? I let go as fast as I could, and Duo stumbled. I was about to reach forward to steady him and the blanket fell away and he was there, and all that skin, boxers so low on those slim hips and I can see the wetness, he really was touching himself, and again my voice spoke of its own accord, much softer, "Why?" He stepped away from me, and I was drawn to him, and I followed... he was still moving away, but then he was about to fall on my bed, I tried to warn him, but no sound came out... then there he was, lying back on my bed like I always wanted him, face flushed, lips parted, and oh god he was hard too? I couldn't control myself, I was on the bed, I held myself back from ravishing him, but I want to see what it's like to look down at him. I can stop, I can... I asked why again, no longer expecting an answer.

Then it happened: he kissed me. Duo kissed me. I was so completely and utterly shocked, despite what had just happened, that I couldn't even respond for a long moment. Then I came to my senses, and kissed back, long and hard and shoved my tongue into his mouth just like I have wanted to do since the day we met. The kiss went on for what seemed like forever; then Duo pulled back and looked up at me. If I hadn't lost my heart before, it was gone then. He was too perfect, I almost couldn't bear to look at him.

But I couldn't keep my lips off his; I kissed him again, slower this time, remembering to breathe, and he tasted like heaven. I deepened the kiss, exploring his mouth and I lowered my body. I needed to feel him against me. More perfection, his body against mine. Hard, lean, perfect, I lined up our erections just to feel the friction. I loved the look on Duo's face, the sounds he made... I rocked against him, making him moan more, and suddenly I was the one moaning as he ran his hands all over me. God, I wanted him to touch me so much it hurt, and he did it... he touched me, finding every sensitive spot, making me moan now... I couldn't even speak when he told me he wanted my shorts off, just pulled back and practically ripped them off my body. Standing in front of him naked and hard made me want him even more, and I wanted him naked as well. Off came his boxers, in record time; I may have ripped them.

And oh, god, if he was beautiful before, he was stunning now: naked Duo blew what was left of my mind. A crime to cover that body, a damn crime; I could gaze at it all day but when I looked at that dripping arousal I was back on the bed again, spreading his legs, needing to be closer, rubbing cock against lovely hard velvet cock.

I needed to touch him, feel his body, his hardness. I explored with one hard, touching him, finally reaching that hard flesh... I wrapped my hand around it greedily. I wanted to touch him more, lower, but first I grabbed a bottle of lotion that stands on my table, and squeezed some out. I warmed it with my hand, then traced his entrance; he spread wider for me, and I couldn't help but slide a finger inside. God, I hoped this was what he really wanted. He arched up and I took that for a yes, searching for that spot that would make him scream while I prepped him as fast as I could. Duo was so responsive, I could have almost come just from watching him... almost. I decided he was ready, and my cock was about to explode. I lubed myself quickly, trying to hold back, because I needed one more thing.

"Tell me what you want." I needed to hear it, needed to hear him ask for it...

Duo squirmed and looked up at me and finally said what I wanted to hear..."You, Heero. Inside me. Please. Now. Please. Fuck me!" A bolt of desire went straight to my cock and I couldn't hold back any more.

"Then that's what I'm going to give you," I gasped out, and pushed in. To paradise. Tight, hot, nothing should ever be that good. It couldn't be possible, to be that good... my mind and body threatened to shut down from sheer overwhelming pleasure. Inch after inch, it got better and better, his body encasing me in molten perfection.

Finally I was all the way in, inside Duo, and I stopped, certain I would lose control immediately. He looked up at me, Duo impaled on my cock, and says, "Please." It was too much.

"God, you're so tight, Duo, I don't want to hurt you," I managed to groan. It felt like I was splitting him apart, the pressure on my arousal was so great. And exquisite.

"You're not. Do it, please. Do me," he begged and I moaned in response. Did he know what those words, that voice, did to me as I was deep inside him?

"You don't know how long I have wanted you, Duo," is all I could say before I lost my last shred of control. I started to move them, shallow at first, building up, and soon I was pounding him with long strokes, angling to please him the most, judging what he liked form the sound of his moans.

Harder and harder; Duo took every stroke and begged me for more. No drug was better than that, no high anywhere near what it is like to make love to Duo Maxwell; my only thought was to take him as high as he took me and I stroked his dripping cock with my last bit of conscious thought.

Like a vise, his body gripped me then; his voice screamed my name and his hands gripped my arms. He came, and came hard, clamping down on me and thrashing his head against the pillow. I had no choice but to follow; my climax was ripped from me by that seductive body I now knew I could never get enough of. Blinded by ecstasy, we released together, and I gasped his name and a declaration of love I hadn't meant to say but meant wholeheartedly nonetheless. Beautiful, he was beautiful, and I told him so over and over.

I collapsed next to him finally, the small bed barely holding us, but I never wanted to let go. I wasn't sure if he heard me, so I repeated myself. Once I told him I loved him once, I wanted to say it again. He fell asleep in my arms, looking like an angel that I know he isn't.

Day after glorious day we explored each other; we fucked like rabbits and talked of everything. I never want to leave.

But now, here we are, in this old-fashioned bathtub together, and before Duo's intoxicating body makes me forget my name once again, I memorize this moment. The moment when life was perfect. Just for once.

No matter where life takes us, Duo, I love you.