Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy belong to the creators of Gundam Wing and I do not claim ownership for either, though who wouldn't want to try claiming Heero in their dreams?

Duo was running as hard as he could, a church in the distance looming closer and closer but never close enough. Tears were burning furiously in his eyes as he ran; he knew what was going to happen, but he didn't want to stop. He had to try. As he neared the building, a line of mobile suits materialized along the skyline behind it, as if being summoned from the pits of hades itself. They were devils in a sky that turned to flames behind them as they opened fire on the church, ripping it to pieces in a large explosion. Duo's body gave way, and he fell violently forward onto his face. All he could do was scream into the ground. He knew this scene all too well.

An unseen hand gripped his shoulder strongly as he laid their screaming, and his sorrow turned to rage. Duo lunged forward to attack, but found himself held by a a man with wings. He didn't know what was happening, his face twisted in a bizarre look of sadness and anger.

“It's over now. After all you've done, what good will it be if you're just going to beat yourself up now.”

His words sounded familiar to Duo, and despite the rage he felt inside him, he just wanted to throw it all away and bury his face in this man's chest. As if sensing Duo's feelings, the man pulled Duo against his chest and held him.

“You don't have to face this alone anymore.”

And then, Duo was awake. He fought to open his eyes against the splitting pain in his head. He had been dreaming, and for a moment he thought that angel had been Heero, and that he was really with him. Duo pressed his hands to his face and let out a groan; he really had to stop drinking so heavily, but he couldn't help it. He knew too many ghosts who followed him and blamed him for everything. He drank not to forget them but to make them more agreeable company.

“About time you woke up.” Duo became still at the sound of the voice, suddenly wondering if he was still dreaming. He could've sworn that sounded like Heero in his room. Duo took a deep breath and lowered his hands.

Duo was suddenly in a fish tank of bubbling water, with a distorted Heero staring at him from outside. He rubbed his hazy eyes and realized he had been staring through a glass Heero was holding inches from his face.

“Here, this will help your head,” Heero spoke again and pushed the glass into Duo's hands. Duo stared at the glass and then looked up at Heero.

“Ok, this is giving me the creeps. I appreciate the gesture, dream Heero, but I'm going to go ahead and wake up now if you don't mind,” Duo said, setting the glass aside before firmly pinching himself.

“Duo, you aren't dreaming,” Heero spoke again in his usual matter-of-fact speech. He pressed himself onto the edge of the bed, and Duo noticed that he was somehow softer in his demeanor. Duo finally sighed and flopped back against his bed. The room went silent and still. Moments passed before Duo realized his dream had been real and Heero had really said those things to him. Of course Heero had probably just picked him up outside the bar and Duo was confident he didn't have wings either.

“Heero, why the hell did you come looking for me last night? Couldn't get enough of me when we were neck deep in our own graves and somehow shot our way out?” Duo finally said, breaking the silence from his position staring at the ceiling. He wanted Heero to leave so he wouldn't see the god of death in such a wreck, but something else inside of him wanted Heero to stay at the same time.

“Besides you destroying yourself?” Heero answered with another question, “Would you rather be alone?” Duo wanted to tell Heero he was fine and could handle it on his own, but he knew that wasn't true. He'd drink himself to death soon enough to make the ghosts stop whispering in his ear. He wasn't ready to carry the burden that war leaves with you, not alone, and for a moment he wondered if Heero felt the same.

Duo finally propped himself up with his hands behind him and looked over at Heero. He saw Heero like he never had before; broken, sad and afraid just like he was. It was all in his eyes, it always had been, Duo was just too busy to see it before. That damn war made them miss so much.

“What's the matter Heero, going soft? You suddenly find a heart and start caring?” Duo replied with yet another question. He knew it wasn't true, and he knew most of all that Heero cared in his own way more then most men never could. And then his eyes hit Duo.

“War never allowed any of us to care for too long,” Heero said slowly, his eyes piercing Duo causing a lump to form in his throat, “But I always made the mistake of caring for you too much.”

“Now I'm really dreaming, someone wake me up before this gets any weirder and you're declaring your eternal love to me,” Duo shot back; another smart comment. It was his only defense to hide the mixture of shock, fear and boyish excitement.

“Eternal love?” Heero replied, as if weighing the idea. Duo was on edge even more for a few moments before Heero casually picked up the glass Duo had set aside. He pressed it into Duo's hands again.

“Drink it,” Heero ordered, before standing and leaving the room silently. If Duo didn't know any better, Heero had just said he loved him.