[When it was dark now there's light
Where there was pain now's there's joy
Where there was weakness I found my strength
All in the eyes of a boy]
      --- Lyrics to 'A New Day Has Come' by Celine Dion

Ray of Hope Part 13

The first morning sunrays peeked through the clear glass of the observation room, spilling along the floor beside the bed there. As he slowly rode to the conscious world, Duo's nose wrinkled. Slowly blinking his violet eyes open, he took a long, deep breath of the warm fresh air flowing through the cracked glass doors.

Without even having to look outside, the day was already off to a beautiful start.

As he took his time to enjoy the warmth that was wrapped around him, the braided lighthouse keeper smiled with his heavy-lidded eyes peering up to the source. Every morning for the last week, he had the pleasure of watching Heero sleep. It never lasted long, considering how early the young sailor usually woke, but he enjoyed every second of it.

Recalling his first days with the Japanese stranger that stormed into his life, Duo knew that he would have laughed if anyone told him back then that eventually they would be sharing the same bed - let alone that it would be Heero's suggestion. The once angry and quiet young man certainly had made a turnaround.

The arm draped around the American's waist squeezed him closer against the sailor's chest before relaxing against his thin hip again. Duo bit his bottom lip at the small gesture. It was as if even in his sleep, Heero wanted to make sure that he was there with him and safe. Knowing the notion was wishful thinking on his own part, he chastised himself for even thinking that.

Duo couldn't help that he had spent two long, lonely years without anyone. The need to be with someone was always there, but never more so now that he had even a small taste of what that would be like. It was a bittersweet thing to wake up in another person's arms, to have that warmth around him instead of an empty bedside.

With a deep sigh, Heero's cobalt eyes blinked opened. When they focused on the braided young man watching him, he smiled sleepily and greeted quietly, "Hey."

His own smile growing, Duo replied the same, "Hey." Reluctantly, he began to sit up as Heero's arm fell away from his waist. Peering out to the clear-skied sunrise over the ocean, he stretched and announced, "I'm going to go turn the lamp out." With that, he carefully climbed over his bedmate to lower his sock-covered feet onto the cool floor as the sailor watched him in a silent vigil.

With a small smile of relief on his face, Heero closed his eyes when the other young man was gone. It had been a stressful week, worrying over his friend's failing health. Now that Duo was resting well, his color was coming back and the circles under his eyes had all but faded away. And, he had to admit, he enjoyed having someone to dote over. The perks that came with it were certainly worth it.

...He just hoped that the steps to recovery meant that Duo had more time.

During his days, while Duo continued to rest, Heero had secretively helped Trowa in his auto shop. There, he learned that he had quite a knack for gears and getting his hands dirty. He picked up on repairs quite quickly and it helped him make some much needed money for a surprise that he had been planning. All he needed now was the courage to spring it on his unsuspecting friend.

It was a wonder what a week's worth of good sleep could do for an ailing body. As he climbed up to the lantern room, Duo could feel how much stronger his once aching muscles were. Along with that, his rough coughing fits were almost a thing of the past.

The slow but steady improvement in his health was the only reason Heero allowed his friend to return to his morning chores in caring for he tower. Despite the lighthouse keeper's early reluctance to let someone else take up his duties in caring for the lighthouse, Duo knew that he would have been in real trouble if he had not allowed Heero to talk him into it.

Smiling at the sight of the hundreds of prisms dancing in the glass-filled room, the braided young man sighed deeply in content. Carefully opening the large lantern door, he bent at the waist with the large, bell-shaped wick snuffer. As he doused the flame, he heard Heero's footsteps climb into the room. "What would you say if I asked you out on a date tonight?" the sailor asked quietly.

His violet eyes widening, Duo hit his head on the opening to the lantern that he was leaning inside, making his ears ring briefly at the rough contact. With a sharp cry, he straightened just as his friend was instantly at his side and gently examining his braided head. "Shit!" Heero winced as he examined the braided lighthouse keeper's head. "That was really bad timing on my part," he frowned deeply in concern. "I'm sorry."

When their eyes met, Duo's and Heero's filled with worry and near panic, the American blinked in disbelief. "D-did I just hear you right?" he whispered.

Lowering his hands from his friend's braided head, the sailor looked away nervously. Finally, still with his head turned, he nodded, "Yea. I've been trying to ask you out ever since you started getting better, but I couldn't work up the nerve until now."

Slowly, Heero looked back at the lighthouse keeper and shrugged, "I didn't want to miss another chance and it was easier when you weren't looking at me." Gently running his hand over his friend's braided head, he smiled sheepishly, "Sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have-"

"No!" Duo shouted in alarm, shaking his head before Heero could finish what he was about to say. "I'm glad that you asked," he grinned from ear-to-ear, "I can deal with a little bump on the head for that."

It was Heero's turn to blink in shock as he sputtered, "R-really?"

With his smile threatening to split his face, Duo blushed and nodded, "I'd love to go out on a date with you."

Calming at the young man's enthusiasm, the young sailor smiled, "Well, maybe it's a bad time to tell you that I'm just using it as an excuse to get out of cooking dinner for a change." With a mock cry at the joke, Duo playfully hit him in the arm and they both laughed loudly.

The braided young man's laughter was cut short with a soft cough. "I'll be glad when these damn coughs are gone for good," he sighed deeply. "At least Sal said that I'm past the contagious stage." He gestured to the small medicine bottles sitting by Heero's duffle bag that he brought along with a change of clothes every night and said, "You're lucky she was good enough to stop by with those mega vitamins for you so you didn't get sick along with me."

"If I got sick, I would have been happy to cope with it," Heero told him quietly. At that, Duo's face burned again and he had to lower his head, lest he lose himself in those cobalt eyes again. The sincerity in them was almost too much for him.

Turning to the glass-shielded lantern, the Japanese sailor asked, "So, do we make it an early dinner so we're here before dark?" With a challenging smirk, he questioned, "Or are you willing to have someone else keep an eye on things for a little while?"

Duo turned to the lantern as he considered his options with a deep sigh. Finally, he shrugged, "What the hell?" He looked back at his friend and grinned, "Quatre had to keep an eye on this place for me on a couple of occasions. I'll just ask him if he's able to sit in for a couple hours tonight." Tilting his head, he inquired, "So, where will you be taking me out tonight?"

Heero just chuckled deeply and shook his head, "That's a surprise. Trowa showed me around town a bit and pointed out some of the nicer places. He was good enough to get me a part-time job to earn some money at his shop. I just started this week and went in after you would turn in to get some rest during the day."

"Shit, you really have been planning this for a while, haven't you?" Duo breathed. "I-I really don't know what to say."

His smile growing, the Japanese young man said, "You don't have to say anything. After dinner, I really would like to get around this island a bit to see more of what it has to offer."

Nodding excitedly, the lighthouse keeper replied, "Now that, I can take care of. It actually would be a nice change of pace to get around after dark." Suddenly thinking of everything he needed to do, he muttered as he headed to the stairs and descended, "I haven't been on a date in years. I have to call Quatre, shower, do my inspections..." His voice faded as he vanished in his climb down the tall tower.

With an amused smile, Heero shook his head and followed after his friend. "This should prove to be an interesting night," he chuckled deeply to himself.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Only a couple hours before sunset, there was a knock at the cabin door. Greeting the visitors, Heero grinned and nodded, "Quatre. Catherine." He stepped aside to allow the young pair in. "Thank you, again, for helping us out tonight."

The blonde young man replied brightly, "No trouble at all, Heero. It'll be good for the two of you to get out of here for a while." His smile turned into a tight one as he raised an eyebrow and commented, "I don't need to warn you about how not to hurt my friend, do I?"

Rolling her eyes, Catherine hit her lover in the shoulder and shook her head, "Of course he knows better, Quatre. Don't scare the poor guy." The two young men just chuckled deeply and shared a knowing look, understanding Quatre's comment for the half-joke half-threat that it was.

"For what it's worth," Heero reassured them with a slight bow, "I would never dream of hurting Duo. I promise to take good care of him." Satisfied with that, The Arabian young man smiled and gave him a firm nod.

Duo stepped into the living room and grinned to his friends, "Hey, guys. I can't thank you again for this favor. I really owe you after this."

The violet blouse that he wore with the flattering blue jeans that he wore that evening was the dressiest look that Heero had ever seen the lighthouse keeper in. The way that the shirt brought out the violet in his eyes and with how the jeans accentuated his nice form, the young sailor felt his mouth go dry. Smiling nervously, he breathed, "You look great."

Duo grinned brilliantly at the comment. With a quick glance to his jean shorts and red T-shirt, Heero pointed back to the stairs and chuckled sheepishly, "I better go and get changed." Quickly turning on his heels, he stepped out into the hallway and began to climb the stairs.

"So how do you feel?" he heard Catherine's quiet voice ask excitedly. "You can't lie to us and say that you haven't been crushing over him for almost two months now." Heero froze on the steps and listened in, wanting to hear his date's response.

With a small laugh, Duo answered, "Excited. Nervous. Like I'm going to throw up." The sailor smiled to himself, understanding completely to how his friend was feeling as he was going through the same emotions.

Quatre asked softly, "So do you think that you'll finally be honest with him and tell him what's going on." His cobalt eyes widening, Heero's hand tightened on the hand railing.

There was a deep sigh before the lighthouse keeper answered wearily, "You guys have no idea how much I want to tell him about me... But I don't even know that I'm ready to admit that something is wrong." After a long pause, Heero had to strain his ears as he heard Duo whispered in a pained voice, "I'm really scared right now."

Swallowing hard, the Japanese sailor turned his head away from the living room doorway. Unable to hear anymore, he climbed the rest of the stairs to prepare for his evening out. His mission was now set... If he couldn't get Duo to open up to him about his sickness, he was going to see that he had a good enough time out that he would forget about it.

TBC...

 

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