Archivist's note: This story was inspired by the pose in this picture by Porcelain.

Vermont
by WickedGame

Duo nodded as he swallowed some more hot chocolate, the whipped cream leaving a slightly white line on his lips that he licked away quickly. "Yeah. I really think we should go there for Thanksgiving."

"Why?"

"I hear that the leaves are beautiful -- millions of colors, falling everywhere. We should go."

Heero noticed a couple of things: firstly, Duo seemed to be really excited about the prospect of spending the holiday in some small town in Vermont and secondly, Duo hadn't mentioned anyone else going but them. Alone. Heero didn't know what that meant. He truly feared it meant nothing.

"Okay. We'll go to Vermont."

Duo smiled and nodded. "Great! I'll take care of everything, so don't worry about it."

Oh, Heero knew that Duo hoped he wouldn't, but Heero knew he would worry regardless. And he did.

It wasn't as though wanting to be close to Duo was a new thing. But wanting this kind of closeness, the kind that meant sharing a bed and sharing life... this was all new. As a matter of fact, this feeling had not been a sure one for long at all.

Duo had been a reliable ally, and then an equally reliable partner. He had helped Heero in more ways than he was probably even aware. Heero privately thought that if it hadn't been for Duo, he would have stayed just as he was during the wars. But Duo had a way about him. You just couldn't ignore him, or forget him. You felt compelled to look at him, to see him, to hear him. He had a power few possessed.

And that power had made Duo his best friend until only a few weeks ago, when Heero realized that somewhere along the way Duo had stopped only being a friend.

Being really concerned about Duo liking a shirt he bought was a huge clue. He never cared about what anyone thought of his clothes. But the thought that Duo might not like the new shirt had Heero totally considering calling him and making sure.

And that's when he knew. Somewhere along the line Heero had stopped thinking of Duo as a buddy, a pal, a compatriot. Duo meant so much more to Heero that he wasn't sure he felt safe anymore. It was a sudden vulnerability, a sudden pain inside that made him want to gasp.

He had fallen in love with someone so close that he wasn't sure he could hide it. Duo knew him better than anyone. How long could Heero keep it secret? How long could he keep a secret from the one person he treasured the most?

That's why the trip to Vermont scared him. Vermont was a place that you took people you loved and wanted to be alone with. Vermont was the type of place you took someone when you wanted to propose or sit around in a cabin with.

Heero just didn't think of Vermont as a place you took a pal, and that thought scared him almost a much as his own epiphany had.

The time came before Heero even had a chance to blink. They took the train from Manhattan and watched the scenery fly by while playing poker and chess in their seats across from one another.

A taxi took them from the station to a small bed and breakfast. Duo stepped out of the car and spun around, smiling as the crisp breeze toyed with his braid and the red scarf around his neck. "It's beautiful around here!"

Heero nodded. He couldn't help but agree. The ground was peppered with leaves that had fallen just recently, and more of the colorful foliage was blowing on the breeze. A coral-colored leaf landed on his gray jacket and he picked it up to look at it closely. The veins were slightly darker than the leaf's surface. He let it go and saw Duo's smile was trained on him.

They paid the cab driver and walked up to the front door of the inn. It opened to reveal a short woman in a pair of jeans and a navy blue sweater.

"Hi! You must be Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy. Come on in!"

Duo grinned a silly grin and Heero followed him inside. It was cozy, and thankfully not decorated much different than any other inn he had ever been in.

"My name's Megan, and I'm gonna show you to your room." The woman grabbed a key from the wall behind the desk and led them upstairs. Duo seemed delighted with everything in the room, but the sight of only one bed had his heart hammering and he was sure he looked a little blanched.

"Thanks a lot Megan!" Duo tipped the woman and started to unpack his bag. He looked up at Heero and his smiled faltered. "What's wrong, Heero?"

Heero shook his head. "Nothing Duo." He unpacked as well, putting his shirts in next to Duo's. It was something he'd like to see at his own home and seeing it here was a surreal thing.

"Let's go for a walk after we unpack, to stretch out our legs," Duo suggested. Heero nodded.

Megan showed them the walking trails in the woods around the area, and they took off, surrounded by colors that varied from pink to the occasional brown.

Heero tried to think of how to ask Duo why there was only one bed. He was afraid of the answer. He tried to think of a way to tell Duo how he felt (not for the first time either), but all he could do was open his mouth and nothing was coming out. He was so busy thinking that he almost missed what Duo was saying.

"I just didn't want to spend Thanksgiving with anyone else."

Heero looked at Duo, standing by a rough-hewn trail fence, his black coat skirting his knees. "What?"

"Heero, I... I just thought that maybe up here it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe it would be easier..."

"What would be easier?" Heero asked as he took a step closer to Duo.

"I love the guys, you know? They're great. But this Thanksgiving I just wanted it to be me and you."

"Why?" Heero's heart pounded and his brain felt like it was going to combust.

Duo looked uncertain of what he was about to say, and it came out kind of quickly. "You're my family."

"I'm your family?" Heero asked curiously, even as he stepped closer.

"Whenever I get up in the morning I want to call you. When I go to bed at night I want to say good night to you. I actually do say good night to you, even though you're not there." Duo took a breath and then started in again. "When I realized that you were the one person I could not live without, that's when I came up with this idea."

"Vermont's not the kind of place you bring a pal. You don't share a bed in a bed and breakfast with a pal," Heero said softly as he stepped close enough that his forehead was touching Duo's. "I was scared that you didn't think of me that way, and even more scared that you did."

"When I realized how much things had changed between us I cried. I was terrified." Duo lifted a slim hand to Heero's face and Heero captured it in his own before it could touch. His caress was infinitely gentle.

"I've never had a family before," Heero said even as his lips grazed the tips of Duo's fingers.

Duo's smile was soft and kind as his eyes slipped closed. "Then let's be one together."