Duo, you are such a wimp, he laughed weakly at himself. You'll take on hundreds of Oz soldiers, but you're afraid of a little cut?

Still not convinced, he set the scissors on the table and closed the drawer. As he moved, his long braid fell over his hand and nearly got caught in the brass knob. With a quiet grumble, he pulled it away and held it up by the band wrapped around a few inches above the bottom. The ends were scraggly and a few of them had split, but the worst part was at the top. He'd let his hair go far too long without re-doing the braid, and now it was loose almost a foot below his neck. And he still didn't want to fix it.

Heero said he didn't mind it like this, Duo reminded himself. But I know it's getting messy, and besides, it's starting to get snagged on things. He won't get mad if I trim it just a little. He looked into the mirror and growled at his reflection. Who was he kidding? Heero loved his hair long, he always told him that. He'd hate it if I cut it.

Still...he couldn't let it turn into a handicap. He stared down at the braid in his hands and unfastened the band holding it tight, sighing at the inevitable loss. Tossing his head around to get his hair back, he closed his eyes and began the slow process of pulling out his braid.

Two iron hands seized his wrists, suspending them behind his head. Duo barely held his startled cry in and struggled to get loose, but it was too late. Caught off guard like that, he was effectively pinned down for the moment.

"What are you doing?" came the familiar voice.

"Heero!" Duo groaned, looking at his lover in the mirror's reflection. At least he doesn't look upset, but then, when does he ever smile? "Not fair! Let me go!"

"It's your own fault," Heero stated calmly. He tightened his grip on Duo's wrists just enough to remind him who was in charge at the moment. "Now, what are you doing?"

Duo sighed and lowered his head. "Well, I thought you were gonna be gone for an hour so--"

"So you decided to cut your braid while I was out," Heero finished for him. "Duo, it doesn't take me an hour to hack into the city's main computer, unlike some people I know."

"Hey! I just like to be thorough," Duo defended himself somewhat indignantly.

"No, you're slow," the other boy said firmly. "You may be the 'God of Death', but I am the 'God of Hacking'."

Duo pretended to gasp in shock. "Heero, you cracked a joke! You sure you're not running a fever?"

Still keeping his grip on Duo's wrists, Heero snaked around his side and forced a particularly rough kiss from his prisoner. "You shouldn't tease someone who's got you immobilized," he whispered. "Hold still."

"Huh?" Duo felt his hands being released, and he obediently dropped them into his lap. "What're you doing?"

Heero ran his fingers down the length of Duo's braid, pulling the hair free, where it hung in loose waves.

"Ow, careful!" Duo yelled, one hand shooting up to his temple. "Don't jerk it!"

"It's all tangled at the top," Heero said, reaching into the table drawers for a sturdy brush. "When was the last time you did this?"

"Um, maybe a month ago..." Duo's voice trailed off when he saw Heero's look in the mirror. "What?"

"I can tell," he shook his head, brushing the snarls out gently. The tangles slowly disappeared under his fingers, and as the minutes passed, Duo's eyes fluttered closed. His shoulders drooped in utter relaxation. Heero put his hand just beneath Duo's chin and tilted his face up, cradling his head while he leaned it to the left. The hair between his fingers was softer than silk, but it was still in need of a good wash. Once he got rid of the last knot, he set the brush down and helped a half-asleep Duo to his feet.

"Mmm...why'd you stop?" he mumbled.

"We're going to the bathroom so I can rinse your hair out," was his answer. Heero's warm arms wrapped around him and guided him through the door so he wouldn't stumble into anything. "I take it you already had a bath?"

"Yeah...pinned my hair up, as usual," Duo smiled lazily. Having his boyfriend so close always made him calm. He didn't even flinch as Heero started undoing the buttons on his shirt, slipping it off of his shoulders so it could be tossed into a forgotten corner. His pants soon followed, leaving him nude while Heero was still fully clothed.

"This is definitely not fair," he whined, not really minding. "Why don't you get undressed?" He gathered his hair out from under himself and let it fall in front of him, then sat down on the edge of the large bathtub and watched while Heero ran the hot water out. Heero turned and blinked in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Duo asked, worried at the look he was getting.

"Nothing," Heero said, as close to smiling as he could be. "It's just...you look like Lady Godiva." Before Duo could reply, he tested the temperature and shunted the water off to the shower. His own clothing joined the small pile, and he pulled Duo to his feet. He openly stared over his slim body in appreciation.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" he whispered, stroking Duo's cheek with his fingertips. The skin turned red as Duo blushed.

They both stepped into the shower, Heero first so he could help Duo manage through his long hair.

"I miss being able to take a real bath," Duo grumbled, pushing a blinding lock away from his eyes.

"You mean cold water followed by a hot soak?" Heero asked, gently turning him so he faced Duo's back. "You just miss ambushing me in a large tub."

"As I recall, you were the one doing most of the ambushing."

Heero didn't answer. Instead he took the half-empty bottle of shampoo and poured the contents onto Duo's head, filling the room with the scent of jasmine. Heero took a step back into the steady stream of water and pulled Duo back with him so that the water soaked his hair. Duo suddenly cried out and almost tripped backward, just barely stopping his fall.

"What's wrong?"

Duo sighed and straightened up again. "Nothing, my hair just gained ten pounds, that's all."

Heero started to work the shampoo in, lathering it up until every inch of his beloved seemed covered. Of course, rinsing all the soap took longer, and though he didn't say anything, Heero was immensely relieved that he'd brushed out the weaker strands, or else the drain would've clogged immediately.

Once he was nearly done, he put his arms around Duo and hugged him close, resting his head on his shoulder. "You shouldn't cut it," he whispered.

"Easy for you to say, you don't have to live with it," the other boy smiled, eagerly accepting his embrace. Hot water ran down their bodies as steam wafted around them. He tangled his hand into Heero's hair, slicked down in the moisture. "You just rake a comb through yours and you're done."

"You're just lazy," Heero argued mildly. "I think it looks pretty down like this."

"You don't like it braided?" Duo mumbled self-consciously. He never said he doesn't, but then he doesn't say a lot. Maybe he prefers it down. Maybe he thinks it's too long. Maybe he thinks the braid looks ugly. Maybe--

"Stop that."

"What?"

Heero nearly sighed in exasperation. "I can tell when you're obsessing about something."

"Is it that obvious?" Duo tried to laugh, but failed miserably.

"Duo, what's wrong?" Heero asked, forcing him to turn and face him. Even so, Duo kept his eyes firmly planted on the floor. "You've been acting morose ever since I came in."

"S'nothing," Duo whispered.

I've heard that tone in him before, Heero thought. It's never a good thing. He pulled him closer so that their bodies touched, but before he could make his lover look up, Duo threw his arms around him and lay his face against Heero's throat. Small whimpers rose up out of him and his shoulders shook slightly as he sobbed.

"Duo, what is it?" he asked, almost begging. He put his arms around him even tighter and held him as close as he dared without crushing him. "Tell me."

"If...if you don't...want me to...cut it..." Duo started, hiccupping in his tears, "I mean...if..."

Suddenly Heero realized what his lover was crying about. He pushed Duo a few inches back, then placed his hand on his cheek, bringing his face up a little, just enough to force him to meet his eyes. "Shh...no, angel, don't cry. Please don't cry."

"But...I..."

"Do you really think I'm that shallow?" Heero whispered, kissing his cheek. "That I would stop loving you if you cut your hair?"

"You...mean...you don't..." Duo stuttered, not sure what he was trying to say or ask.

"I love you," Heero insisted, kissing him again. A tear started to gather at the corner of Duo's eye, and he kissed that away as well. "I'll always love you. Don't work yourself up over a few doubts." With that, he reached down and turned off the water, which was already starting to get cool. He took a long towel from the rack and dried himself off while Duo tried to squeeze all the excess moisture from his hair. Heero wrapped another towel around Duo and helped him sit down on the edge of the tub again.

"What are you--?" Duo tried to ask, but Heero waved him down.

"How far do you want it trimmed up?" he asked, reaching up to the sink before he knelt down at his lover's feet. Duo could see he'd brought the scissors with him before.

"Um...I don't...know...below my waist," he answered, turning to the side to accommodate him.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it, um, it'll lose a couple inches when I braid it."

A moment later, he felt the scissors cut across his hair, the cold metal sometimes tapping his bare skin. Within seconds, it was done. Heero held up a small handful of hair, and Duo smiled. He could feel some of the weight off of his head now, and the ends brushed against his back.

"Could you braid it for me?" Duo whispered.

"Now?" Heero looked up into his eyes. "It'll take awhile to dry," he warned.

"I know."

Heero lovingly eased his fingers into Duo's damp hair, parting it three times. Once each part was equal, he gathered two of them in his hands. "How tight do you want it?"

"Not too tight, but not as loose as it was."

Heero started weaving the hair about, tightening it just enough to keep it close to Duo's head. The braid was thick at first, then tapered down between his shoulder blades and along his spine until it was small enough to be bound up with a new band.

"There, now was that so awful?" Heero smirked, rising and bringing the other boy up with him. It took Duo a moment to see that Heero was showing his rare playful side.

"Terrifying," he joked back, planting a kiss on Heero's lips. He had to pull away to stifle a yawn, though, and Heero gathered up their discarded clothing. "What time is it?" Duo wondered, yawning again.

"Past three, I think," Heero answered. "You'd better get to bed, you're going to fall over it you don't."

Duo took the scissors and tossed them back on the table as they passed by. He caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection and paused. The change wasn't as significant as he'd thought it would be. In fact, aside from a little redness in his eyes, he looked just as good as ever. He smiled softly and went into the bedroom, sliding beneath the bedsheets as Heero put their clothes away. The room was almost pitch black, save for a tiny ray of light that trickled in through the door, and Duo listened to his boyfriend move through the room. First to the closet, then to the nightstand for something, then to the door--

Door?! Duo thought, sitting bolt upright. "Heero? Where're you going?"

Heero stopped at the door, but he didn't turn around. "I need to take care of a couple of things. I'll be back in a little while."

"Oh."

Heero's hand tightened into a fist. There was that tone again. There was a fairly large mirror hanging on the wall in this room, and he glanced into it. He could just make out Duo's reflection, and he winced. Duo's head was lowered again, his lower lip starting to tremble. His hands clung almost desperately to the covers, as if he was afraid they would disappear. He wiped something from his eyes without realizing he was being watched.

Heero shook his head sadly. My poor little orphan...so afraid he'll be abandoned again...I must be the only one who knows how insecure he is. He looked back at the front door, then made up his mind. He really didn't need to go back and check his own work. He knew it was perfect, it was just out of habit that he always went. He closed the bedroom door and went back to the bed, tossing his clothes off again before easing beside a surprised Duo.

"Heero? I thought..."

"Hush...it's all right..." Heero put his arms around Duo, who cuddled close against him. "I love you, you know that?"

"Mm-hmm..." Duo lay his head on Heero's shoulder. "You don't mind it being shorter, do you? Or if you want me to leave it down, I--"

"Duo," Heero said softly, interrupting him. "I said hush. And your hair is fine no matter what you do with it. I love you and a few inches off your braid makes no difference. Just relax and get to sleep. You look beautiful."

"You mean it?"

"Of course."

"You really mean it?"

"You know, you could try the patience of a saint."

"I love you, Heero."

"Goodnight, Duo."

The End