Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ some reunion ❯ chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

//Screw it// Hilde thought disdainfully as she leaned against the pillar and took her heels off. This was the third time she had twisted her ankle in the space of the three minutes since Quatre had relayed to her the latest events and she had volunteered to check on her braided best friend. She finally had to face it: heels weren't practical in a world where Duo was involved. To much chasing or following was involved. As she moved through the garden and up the path that lead to the main estate, she began to wonder what she could actually *say* to console Duo. She had never been the most diplomatic; she was far too blunt for that. And she had a feeling that in this situation, what she really needed was tact.

As she rounded the corner to Duo's open bedroom, she had to admit that she wasn't in the least bit surprised. There Duo stood, frantically packing all of his belongings into the tattered luggage he had brought from home.

"Duo--" she began as she entered.

"Look, Hilde," Duo started, sounding beaten and tired. "I've just been dealt an enormous blow that I haven't even *began* to deal with yet. I've spent the entire night holding a smile in place while inside I feel like I'm suffocating. I'm exhausted, I don't want to think anymore, and I can't get into it about whether or not I'm being irrational or unfair by leaving. This is my choice, and I'm doing it. That's the end of it."

Hilde sighed as she sat down on the bed. "How do I argue with that?"

"You don't."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Not particularly."

"Duo, if there's anything I can do..." she let the offer trail off because she knew, from experience, that in these instances, there wasn't much that could be done. Especially from a third party. "I just wish that I could make this better." But she also knew from experience that Duo needed to talk about it. She just needed a lead in. "You know, I was appalled when Quatre told me."

Just as Hilde suspected, Duo stopped packing midway and flopped onto the floor in front of Hilde. "I don't know what to think. It should have been obvious, since they were living together last I heard. I just wanted time-just a little time-to sort out all of the other issues I was having with seeing Heero again."

"First Heero, then Heero and Relena, now Heero, Relena, and a little girl-"

"Helen."

"What?"

"Her name's Helen. Heero introduced me."

"Oh."

Duo sighed. Damn Hilde, now he was talking about it, when all he really wanted to do was go home and sleep for a few days. But hey, since he had begun... "You know what *really* pisses me off?" he began with new found anger. "Quatre and the others. You know, they knew, they fucking *knew* about all of this for I-don't-fucking-know-how-long, and not even a little heads-up! No, 'hey Duo, just so you know...' no, 'Duo, just to prepare you for the reunion,' nothing like that. It's like they fucking *wanted* me to find out about it this way. Like they fucking got off on it or something."

"But Duo, I'm sure they were only doing what they thought was right. It wasn't really their place to say anything," Hilde pointed out.

"Well, you know, Hilde, I would have told *you* if Brian had begun dating someone you knew, had a child, and you were going to have to face him again without any of that new information. I don't care if it would be my place or not. You're my friend, and I don't want you to have to go through that unnecessary pain when I could help prepare you for it,"

"If it makes you feel better, I would have told you," Hilde stated.

"I know, Hilde, I know."

"What if I asked them not to?"

Duo froze. //I don't want to hear that voice right now. I can't handle it.//

Slowly, Heero's form came out of the shadowed hallway and into the light. He repeated the question as he leaned against the doorframe. "What if I asked them not to say anything to you, Duo, until I had the courage to tell you myself?"

//Why is this so hard?// Duo stood up and turned to face his former partner. He didn't know how to respond. He couldn't even begin to identify the wealth of emotions that were coursing through him at the moment. Pain, grief, anger? Longing? All he knew was that the last person that he wanted to talk to was standing in the doorway, forcing him to talk about something that he did *not* want to talk about.

"Uh, I'm just going to leave the two of you alone," Hilde said as she moved from the bed to the doorway which Heero was still occupying. "Duo, call me when you get home, or I'll call you?" She sent him a questioning smile, just to make sure that Duo didn't need her.

He was totally unresponsive.

"Good seeing you, Hilde," Heero remarked as Hilde moved past him and out the door.

"You too, Heero," and with that, Hilde left the two former comrades alone. After shutting the door, Heero casually moved to stand directly opposite Duo.

"Hey," Heero said softly.

"Er, hey." //What is he doing here?// Duo asked himself. Here he was, alone, with Heero; something that used to be the most natural thing in the world for him. But tonight the closeness was threatening to choke him. He cleared his throat in a vain attempt to get some fresh air. "You know, Heero, I'd love to stay and chat, but I really need to finish packing," he said lamely as he began to turn around. Heero, however, had other ideas as he put a hand on the braided man's shoulder and turned him around.

"Don't you think we should talk about this?"

"What is there to talk about?" Duo answered, doing all her could to avoid eye contact. "You disappeared for five years, well, at least that's what I thought, and then when I finally get the pleasure of seeing you again, you're married and have a little girl. End of story."

"It didn't happen that way," Heero stated matter-of-factly.

Duo cocked an eyebrow. "It didn't? Then why are you here *now*, Heero? Why didn't you ever tell me? Why'd you need to find `courage' before you told me?"

"Because I knew this would happen. I didn't want you to be so messed up over it," Heero shrugged.

"Messed up over it?" Duo was almost speechless. Almost. "Listen, *buddy*," he began in a low growl as he leaned in. "The only reason why I'm `messed up' over anything is that someone who I had considered my closest friend decided I wasn't worth the time it took to keep in touch with," he finished bitterly.

"You would have been hurt if I'd told you."

"So ya thought *this* would be a better way to find out?" Duo scoffed. "Sounds like you're not as perfect as we all thought. But I always knew you didn't have a rat's piss worth of social skills," he mentally checked himself over his anger, and calmly picked up the rest of his belongings and set them in his luggage while Heero silently watched.

"Duo-"

Duo cut him off. "You know something, Heero? All I ever wanted was for you to be happy," he said wistfully as he zipped up the last of his suitcases. "You know I never particularly liked Relena."

"That's an understatement."

"But even during the war, didn't I giver you space when she came around?" Duo continued. "Didn't I respect your relationship with her? Didn't I support you in that aspect because I saw that she made you happy? Didn't that mean something?"

Heero didn't speak. //Well, I said what I needed to say.// Duo thought. //Maybe it's better if he doesn't respond.// Duo grabbed his cap that he'd reluctantly refrained from wearing earlier that night and put it in its' place on his head. "Well, Heero," he began as he grabbed his luggage. "It's been grand catching up with you, but I got a shuttle to catch." He walked to the door without looking back. "See ya at the next reunion."

And with that, he was gone.