Title - Touch.
Author -
Pairing - 1+2+1. Implied 3+4+3 and 5+S.
Rating - PG-13.
Warnings - Uhm. Guys kissing? Kind of Excessively fluffy.
Disclaimer - I do not own Gundam Wing.
Summary - Sometimes you need more than a gentle touch.
Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! ^^

Since I joined the Preventer's three years ago, I have come to seriously despise solo missions. Said missions often end up with me being deep undercover for extended periods of time, which in turn means that I have to go months at a time without the comfort of warm metal on the second to last finger of my left hand or seeing my partner's ever-so-attractive, spandex-clad ass.

I also seem to have a problem arriving home from these missions in one piece, and nine times out of ten, my first week home is spent at a hospital, completely doped up on morphine and various other pain killers. I glare at the target of my mission, a man who is currently hand-cuffed to the clothes hanger in the hotel closet. Judging by the throbbing pain in my head, persistant ache in my ribs, the bullet lodged quite cheerfully in my shoulder, and the bone poking out of my wrist, I'm betting on five days. At least, after taking over the past five months of my life, it is almost over.

"Maxwell here. Target suspended. Requesting medical." I mutter tiredly into the wrist watch which had ever so conviently been given to me as a communication device before the mission. Cause, you know, it doesn't look weird at all to be whispering conspiratorially to your watch every five minutes.

"Agent Maxwell?!" the watch explodes with sound, which really isn't doing a whole lot for my pounding headache. "Agent Noin, we've got communication from Maxwell!" I hear a crash, a few curses, and then some panting before anyone actually responds.

"Duo! That you?" and then it is Noin's voice, tense with worry, and I can't help but grin at the sound of my name falling from familiar lips for the first time in over three months. The target, a drug dealer involved in the murder of an important politician, makes a muffled noise through the sock I have stuck in his mouth.

"Sure is, Noin." I reply, as cheerfully as I can. She exhales in relief.

"Everyone is so worried! We thought you were dead! What's your location? Status?" I answer her questions as quickly as I can, giving her the address of the hotel we are hiding out at, but managing to neglect the status part. I figure Zechs will kill me if she gets too worried, he is very overprotective of his wife and the baby she is carrying.

"We'll be there in five minutes, Duo." she tells me in a comforting voice. I let the relief wash through me like a tidal wave, and promptly pass out.

~+~+~+~

I wake up after God knows how much longer, feeling slightly like I have been run over by a bus and completely embarrassed as to the fact that my brain had decided to vacate the building before the Preventors had even managed to arrive. I find myself praying to any God that I can think of that the perp hadn't escaped while I was off in lala land, though the fact that I am still breathing seems to be a good sign that he hadn't.

The door opens gently, and a tired looking doctor pokes his head in the gap. His eyes widen in surprise when he sees that I am awake, it appears to me that he has been in numerous times before while I was still out cold. He stands up straight and walks in through the doorway, a clipboard peeking out of the white coat he wears and a cheerful smile on his bearded face. He gives me a nod and then pulls out the clipboard, ignoring the pencil hanging from it.

"Hello, Agent Maxwell," he says, his voice kind and loud enough to cause my head to start pounding. At my wince he smiles apologetically and begins to speak more quietly. "We'll make sure to get you on another IV of pain medication as soon as possible. The morphine will be wearing off shortly, seeing as your records say to use it as sparingly as possible. If you prefer --"

"Don't worry about it, Doctor." I interrupt quickly. "I will be just fine without the morphine. If you could tell me the details?" The smile he gives me is a bit confused, but soon his face clears and he continues without a hitch.

"Of course, Agent Maxwell." he reassures kindly, looking back down at the clipboard. "You have a minor concussion, three fractured ribs, your left forearm is broken in two places, and as I'm sure you've noticed, you have a bullet hole in your shoulder." I laugh shortly, and by looking at the bright smile on his wrinkled face I'm sure it was the right thing to do.

"You've been hospitalized for two days now, Agent, and we're hoping to have you released by the end of the week. Friday, preferably, or three days from now." I grin at him, it appears that my earlier judgement had been spot on. "Now, you have some friends that seem to have been camping out in the lobby, if you're feeling up to --"

"Yes, sir." He laughs at my immediate response. After telling me under no uncertain terms not to overexert myself, he turns to get them, calling behind him that a nurse will be back in a few moments to hook me up to an new IV of medication. I shudder slightly at the thought of more needles, but forget only moments later when my friends dash into the room.

"Duo!" Quatre cries worriedly, pulling a chair over to sit by my bedside, tears sparkling brightly in his aquamarine eyes. A strained chuckle comes from the man standing behind him.

"Good job, Maxwell. Almost killed yourself again." Trowa says with a wry grin, though the worry is evident in his eyes. He squeezes Quatre's shoulder in a comforting gesture, and the blonde grins back up at him. Wufei nods at me, his black ponytail bobbing.

"We were worried about you." He says, his voice soft and concerned. "Sally says she will be here soon to make sure that doctor is taking care of you properly." The man has a confidence in his new wife that I have never seen in him before, and I smile weakly at him. There is an ache in my chest I don't want to think about as I look around the room, wondering where the anxious blue eyes I have been missing so badly are. Quatre pats my hand gently, a touch so soft that I can barely register it.

"Heero's coming as soon as he can." He soothes kindly, obviously seeing the question in my eyes. I hide my blush with a grin.

"God, am I that see through, Quat?" He chuckles softly, patting my hand once again just as softly. I can't help but sigh.

"He requested an appointment with Une right after he found out how badly injured you were, he went in today at eight. Seeing as it's been four hours, I'm sure it's something important, Duo." I wonder at what exactly my lover needs to talk to Une about, but brush it away as I hear Wufei's gruff voice.

"You know damn well he wouldn't miss you waking up for just anything, Maxwell." He says with another nod in my direction. Trowa delicately squeezes the hand that Quatre has just finished patting, and the blonde's hand moves up to ghost across my bangs. I feel like I'm made of spun glass, like a piece of china that could shatter at any moment, it's almost like I'm not really here at all.

Everyone in the room jumps as the door slams open and Heero strides in purposefully, those anxious eyes I have been wishing for focused on my own. Quatre leaps out of the chair, making room for my lover, but he ignores it and sits heavily on the bed next to me. Before I know it I'm being gathered into strong arms and I'm being crushed to a powerful chest, my face buried in his neck. The aching pain in my ribs increases ten fold, and as I wrap my arms just as tightly around him, the agony in my shoulder is almost unbearable.

"Heero, you're going to hurt him!"

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Yuy?!"

"You're just going to make his wounds worse!"

I ignore my well-meaning friends, and accept this painfully real embrace with all of my heart. The gentle and caring touches they had given me were nothing compared to this raw emotion I can feel emanating from him, and there's no way I'm giving up this feeling no matter what the cost. He finally pulls away from me and loosens his grip slightly, looking down into my eyes.

"Don't you ever fucking scare me like that again." He hisses softly, but the rapid beating of his heart beneath my hand takes the sting away from his words, and so does the thorough kiss he lays on me only moments later.

"I talked to Une. You're not going on any more of these solo missions, Duo, I don't think my heart can take it." He confesses quietly, his temper soothed by the fact that I am really going to be alright. I grin at him before reaching up to pull his face down to meet mine once more.

"I love you." I whisper to him as I pull away, and he smiles gently me before pulling me back into his embrace. And regardless of the aching ribs, agonizing shoulder and the pain lancing down my broken arm, there is no where in the world I would rather be.

~End~