The human body was a beautiful thing to Duo Maxwell. The death of a human body was even more intriguing. He was sprawled out on the ground in front of the fireplace as he watched the snowstorm blow violently outside. The look of the razor snowflakes made him shiver despite the fact he was wrapped up in two wool blankets and was practically in the fireplace.

The dancing of the flames expanded and constricted the shadows plastered on the log walls of the house he was situated in. He glanced around at the little one room cabin with a battered couch and a fireplace in it, and nothing more. He turned back to the hearth and squinted to below the screaming orange flames to the delicate blue and purple ones. The reflection of the flames burned in his eyes and an involuntary tear rolled down his face to put out the fire.

He stood up and slowly dragged his feet over to the torn up couch and sat down. The room was so silent that it was surprising that he didn't even jump when the door creaked open and then slammed with great force. Duo just shrugged and watched the snow fall from the roof, and rest on the window sill.

"They said this storm was going to last the whole night and a little bit through the morning." A swish of dark hair and Cobalt eyes swiftly stomped past Duo, leaving footprints of snow and mud on the ground. Heero shivered as he took off his large jacket in the furthest corner of the room.

"You're cold. Take this." Duo tossed him a wool blanket and he came to sit down next to him on the tattered couch, in front of the hearth. Heero breathed into his palms and rubbed his breath in. "So I guess we can forget about the mission."

Heero grunted. Duo looked at him and realised that he shouldn't be a smart ass tonight. Heero had already been upset when he realised Zero had a few bugs to get out until it could fight again without killing the pilot in a massive death of explosions. He wondered why Heero wouldn't fight despite that fact. Usually he wouldn't care. "Why are you here." Heero turned to Duo. "You suit works fine, you have a mission to complete."

"I need a rest." Duo yawned and stretched, nearly hitting Heero in the head with his arm as the plush of the couch bent inwards toward him. Heero moved out of the way and Duo recoiled. "Sorry."

"There should be no excuse for you to not complete an assigned mission." Heero said flatly. His voice was getting a bit agitated with Duo's lack of interest. "You are a Gundam pilot after all, you should be devoted."

"Will you stop bitching?" Duo gave Heero a face that made him back up. "I have a lot on my mind and I need to take a load off. I don't think killing a hundred people or destroying some useless piece of machinery is going to help that either!" Duo shot back.

Heero didn't say anything at first. His cheek quivered. Duo turned away from him, resting his head on the arm rest of the couch. "What is wrong with you?" He asked. Duo didn't move but kept a steady gaze at the fire. "What could possibly be more important? Duo didn't seem like a person to be so careless. He loves his Gundam and would jump at the chance to blow up something." Heero thought to himself. "Whatever is on his mind must be pretty important. Yet still…"

"What could be more important?" Duo shot up like a rocket and glared right back at Heero. He stared into the depths of his Dark blue eyes and saw something he had never seen before. Just like the purple fire, Heero's eyes had deep emotion. He had never looked into his eyes directly and he had never noticed this sensitivity. He quickly straightened up from his slouch when he realized what he was doing and his face grew stern again. "I have a bit of a life too, you know." He grumbled. "My whole life doesn't revolve around that Gundam and this war!"

"I would have never known." Heero said flatly. Suddenly the delicate flame in his eyes blew away and he was stern again. He was Heero Yuy the perfect soldier again. He realized that Duo was staring at him and he turned to face the fire.

Duo's mouth opened slightly and his eyes widened. He leaned back into the couch and watched the dancing flames again. They enchanted him. As much as he tried, he couldn't keep his eyes off of the blue flames. Both the ones in the hearth and the ones by his side. "So delicate." Duo whispered. In the silence, Heero heard this.

"What?" Heero asked. Duo turned in surprise at Heero's expression of query.

"I said, so delicate." Duo explained carelessly as one would explain how his day was at work. "Those blue flames hidden at the bottom of the great fire." Heero stared at him, clearly fascinated at what Duo was talking about but not showing it. "Apparently the rarest in the group and the most beautiful, But corrupted by the blinding light of the majority."

Heero didn't say anything but murmurs escaped his lips as he was clearly thinking to himself. Duo turned away from the fire and looked at him. He looked straight at Heero's eyes and past the glare fixated on him, past the cold, emotionless mask pulled over to keep all intruders away. Past all this and into Heero's emotions. Like a wonderful journey, Duo could see all the depression, love, and emotion swirling around in Heero's head. "They are the hottest flames." Duo continued, this time looking at Heero. "The most deadly, and the most delicate. Usually un-noticed, but the most beautiful." His voice trailed off as Heero opened his mouth to speak. Duo paused to listen but Heero's mouth just stayed open. He continued. "And the purple intertwined in those blue flames makes them but more rare and beautiful." That was when Heero's mask of perfection shattered and fell into the orange fire sending brighter sparks then ever imaginable.

"And twice as deadly." Heero mumbled. All emotion in his eyes. They stared at each other for a long time as the fire in the fireplace slowly ate up the old wood left there and died down to ashes. The cold breeze of the snow storm blew in through cracks in the window and crept through the ceiling boards and walls, blowing out the last flame, but not before Heero pushed down on the center of the couch and Duo fell forward.

Duo whimpered just as the only trace of light besides the moon disappeared leaving them in an eerie, glowing darkness. He smiled long enough, just finishing before he fell onto Heero's lips. He couldn't tell if Heero meant for this to happen but the blue and purple flames burned into each other and the snow dappled moonlight danced along the floor of the cabin, casting one warm, bright, shadow in the breezes of December.

finis~