"Come on, Heero, admit it, huh?" Duo pleaded with a grin. "Tell me you don't hate this. This is nice, right?"

Heero glanced at him from the corner of his eye, but he hesitated a moment before nodding once. Feelings that weren't linked to combat or survival just didn't come naturally.

Delighted that he'd gotten even that scant admission from Heero, Duo leaned back on the grassy riverbank and stared at the sky. It had been deliciously blue with big fluffy clouds when they came out, but now those same clouds gathered ominously over them.

"I just wish it hadn't gotten so cloudy, it's blocking the sun," Duo sighed. Water lapped gently against the river's edge, relaxing him even further.

Heero turned his head, staring at the boy beside him. Since he was sitting up, Heero could easily see the shape of Duo's body despite it being concealed in black clothing. Duo had closed his eyes, drowsing even in the cool air, and the light breeze toyed with his bangs. One arm carelessly flung back beneath his head made a pillow while the other lay draped over his stomach. Slightly curled up, his legs lay half-hidden in the tall grass. Even Duo's braid curved sensuously along his back, the tip ending just beneath his rear.

A tiny, tiny smile appeared briefly on Heero's lips and vanished as soon as it showed.

Yes, this is nice, he thought. He gazed up at the cloudy sky and stifled a wistful sigh. A shame it's going to rain soon. Might even get some lightning and--

*krakllle*

It always happens, Duo sighed, even as his mind registered sudden fear. I manage to drag Heero to something that isn't graphically violent in a mind-numbingly psychotic way, and then this happens.

He was on his stomach scanning for enemies before he realized it. To his immediate confusion, there were none. They were all alone.

*krakllle*

"Amazing, how it sounds like gunfire," Heero said softly.

"Huh?" Duo asked.

"The thunder," Heero clarified, wondering why Duo looked so confused.

"That's what thunder sounds like?" Duo said, eyes wide. "Wow...that's not at all like I imagined..."

"Imagined?" Heero repeated. "You've never been in a thunderstorm before?"

Duo, relaxing now that he knew they were safe, shook his head. "Nope. I'm a colony brat, remember? And L2's weather controls were always pretty messed up..."

"Then you should probably know that it's going to rain in a moment," Heero told him.

"Huh?"

This time Duo's question was answered by the storm as drops of water fell from the sky, slowly at first, then fast and furious. Even though the rain was warm, Duo still jerked as the first one hit him. He stared in awe at the moisture on his skin, then yelped as dozens more nailed him.

Heero smiled despite himself. Seeing Duo enjoying something so simple as rain...and that Heero was the only one watching...made this moment worth being drenched half a mile from shelter. "Come on, we'd better get under a tree before we're soaked."

The moment the words left his mouth, the clouds seemed to stop holding back on cue. By the time they reached the nearest tree, both of them were sopping wet. Heero enjoyed being soaked as much as a cat would, but Duo appeared to love it. He immediately started to pull the front of his top open, letting it hang around his waist as he took off the under shirt.

"Does rain usually come down this hard?" he asked, wringing the shirt out.

Heero, who had sat down, now knelt and proceeded to take his tank top off. "Sometimes." He didn't trust himself to say anything else while he was staring at Duo's revealed skin.

"How long does it last?"

Heero gazed out from beneath the tree's canopy of leaves. "I'd say around half an hour."

With a big smile, Duo sat down next to Heero and watched silently as the rain poured down. Only a few token drops managed to get through the leaves, and the wind wasn't cold enough to be uncomfortable.

Rain must really make him happy, if it can make him shut up for a few minutes, Heero noted. He's never seen rain before? I wonder how he'll take--

Without warning, a brilliant flash of light exploded ahead of them as a gigantic fork of lightning jutted between the sky and ground. A second later, thunder, much louder than the previous rumbles, boomed at them.

"Aah!" Duo cried, astonished by how much noise it made. He pushed himself closer to Heero, one hand pressed to his mouth while the other gripped his braid. "Why does it have to be so loud? Is it going to hit us? How long before the storm stops?"

Before he got his answers, though, something even more amazing happened.

Heero looked down at him, startled that Duo had become so nervous from a little lightning and then remembering that Duo had never seen a natural display of explosive power. Duo seemed so vulnerable, without his shirt and up against his body. Live your life according to your emotions, Heero reminded himself.

He put his arm out over Duo's shoulders and held him close. "Calm down, we'll be fine. There are taller trees around us, so I doubt we'll be struck."

Afraid to question his companion's sudden warmth, Duo lay his head on Heero's shoulder and snuggled even closer to his warm body. "You sure?"

"Mm." Reassured when Duo didn't pull away, Heero gently tightened his grip and put his other arm around Duo.

I can handle staying like this for half an hour, Duo smiled cheerfully to himself. "Hey, Heero?"

"What?"

"When we head back, would you mind helping me brush my hair? It's kinda hard to reach back there on my own." He bit his lip, wondering if he had pushed his luck too far.

"I...all right."

Egged on by this success, he decided to try for one more victory. "Thanks," he whispered, looking up. As soon as Heero lowered his head to gaze at him, Duo gently brushed his lips against Heero's.

And to his manic delight, Heero returned it.

The End