Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Theories of Revolution and Affairs of the Heart ❯ Ardor's Consequences ( Chapter 15 )

Relena was set to go. Heero's set location was folded in her pocket, her bag was filled with food and some money just in case, and her shuttle was booked. Now all she needed was to get out of the house, unnoticed by Dorothy.

Feeling very much like a 7-year-old runaway, she opened her window and let her rope of knotted sheets slide down. Giving it a tug to make sure it was securely tied to her bedpost, she climbed over the windowsill, wary of her high-heeled, impractical shoes, and began to climb down.

'If I fall, I'll wake up Dorothy... I can't wake up Dorothy... careful, Relena...'

She made it to the lawn, and smiled. Leaving the sheet rope where it was, she ran off into the night. 'My shuttle's in two hours. I'll make it with time to spare. And Dorothy's still sleeping like a baby.'

A pair of eyes watched her from a dimly lit second floor window. 'Where are you going, Miss Relena?'

~~~

Heero had been glued to his laptop for days, but he'd finally found the information he'd been looking for. His hands shook slightly on the keyboard, but his resolve was firm. He knew when he'd started looking what he was going to do if he found proof. Since he'd admitted that he loved Duo, his thoughts had centered on Duo's happiness. He was almost certain that Duo loved Zechs, so he'd started searching for more info involving Merquise's death. What he had found had convinced him that the OZ pilot wasn't dead. And now he had proof that he wasn't.

'Now, I go tell Duo.' Heero stood and quickly packed a bag with anything he might need. Then he left for L2, knowing Duo had returned to Hilde's junkyard. 'Hopefully he'll believe me.'

~~~

Hilde looked out the window as she washed the dishes absently. Duo was in the back, showing customers around. Though she could sense Duo's ultimate unhappiness lately, it had been slowly but surely fading into a laid-back depression. She hoped that things would get better, and she would do her best to help the process.

'But HE won't help!' her mind growled as she spotted Heero Yuy walking down the sidewalk, towards the junkyard. Dropping the plates in the sink, she ran to the front to greet him. "Heero? What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to look welcoming but knowing she was probably failing.

"Hilde." Heero nodded gravely. "I was hoping to get a chance to talk to Duo. I have something important to tell him."

The angry snap came out before she could stop it, "About WHAT?!" She crossed her arms. "He's already unhappy enough, Heero."

Heero sighed softly. He should have known this wouldn't be easy. "I know, and this should cheer him up. But it's HIS business, not yours, Hilde."

"It's *my* business if he comes to ME about it," she retorted. "Fine, talk to him! But if you upset him any further..." Her threat trailed off. Heero could kill her in the blink of an eye, so there was no use in telling him she'd kill him; she couldn't. "I'll trust you, Heero, though I'm not sure why."

"Thank you, Hilde. I haven't come here to upset him, I promise you. I'm not looking for a fight... I just want to help him." His tone was slightly weary, but tinged with hope.

She nodded, and smiled at him. "He's in the back, I'll go get him. You can let yourself in, the door's unlocked. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen." She disappeared around the side of the house.

Heero nodded and headed inside. The kitchen was a cozy place, and he helped himself to a glass and some water before sitting down at the kitchen table. Now all he had to do was wait and hope that Duo wouldn't react badly to his presence. He vaguely remembered Duo telling him about crossing fingers as a way of helping to make a wish come true. Heero crossed the fingers of one hand with a faint smile. Anything that might help.

Peeking through the doorway to see who his "surprise" caller was, Duo blinked. Heero was sitting at the kitchen table, smiling, fingers crossed. Composing his shocked face, Duo waltzed into the kitchen. "Hey Heero! What're you doin' here?" he asked casually, waving and grinning.

"Hi Duo." Heero's smile broadened for a moment before he reined it in. "I came across some info while I was hacking that I knew you'd want to see. I thought it might be better to bring it to you in person."

"And this news is?" Duo said interestedly, sitting down across from Heero at the table, resting his chin in his hands.

"Zechs is alive." Heero cut straight to the chase. "Howard fished Tallgeese out of the ocean, along with the healthy pilot. Apparently, it was Treize's plan as a way to get rid of a problem with the least fuss."

Duo's hands fell from his chin to drop their dead weight on the table. His eyes unfocused and he slumped back in his chair, mouth gaping. "Zechs-- he..." he forced out, shocked. "Alive...?"

Heero nodded. "Based on the file of Treize's I hacked, Zechs Merquise was supposed to 'die', but his maskless persona is supposed to make a triumphant return."

"Alive? He's... alive?" Duo stood up and started to pace. "Alive! He's alive! Alive... not dead. Alive! Not dead. Not dead. He's alive... alive!"

Heero began to catch on. "Yes, he's alive."

"Not dead? Not dead! Alive. Living. Walking, breathing, talking. Alive, alive, alive. Right? Yes, he's alive. Right? Not dead. Alive!"

"Not dead. Very alive. Breathing, even." Heero smirked.

"He's ALIVE!" Duo shouted triumphantly, grinning and running over to Heero, scooping him out of the chair and hugging him tightly.

"Oof." Heero grinned and hugged back, glad Duo couldn't see the sorrow in his eyes. He'd been right, and this made Duo happy. That it confirmed his other suspicions, he ignored. Duo was happy, that was all that mattered.

"Thank you, Heero..." Duo said, still holding Heero close. "Why would you want to tell me that, though...?"

"So that you'd be happy, baka." Heero mumbled gruffly.

"Hi, Heero!" a voice called from the hallway. Before either boy could move, Relena burst into the room, grinning. "Heero! I--" She stopped abruptly. "Heero.....?"

Heero mumbled under his breath, "I should've killed her."

Duo snorted. "Get her off your case, at least, somehow."

"Heero? What are you doing?" Relena's voice cut into their whispered conversation, sounding panicked and worried.

Heero didn't even bother looking up. "Giving Duo a hug, what does it look like?"

Duo snickered softly. "Y'know, if you REALLY want her off your back... are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he whispered.

Heero chuckled silently. "I might just be. You sure?"

"Hey, why not? You've done me a favor, I'll return it. Besides, it's for everyone's benefit, including ojousan's." 'And I don't mind kissing you, not at all.'

"I really like the way you think." Heero drew back enough to actually look at Duo's face, grinned, then kissed him, thoroughly. He didn't want there to be any chance that Relena could misinterpret this.

"HEERO!" Relena gasped, running forward and yanking at Heero's arm. "What are you DOING, Heero?!"

Duo kissed back with enthusiasm, adding a little tongue. 'For ojousan. Not for me, it's just to make it clear to Relena... right?'

Heero shook her off, but otherwise ignored her as he took Duo's lead and deepened it into a hot, open-mouth kiss. 'Just to fool Relena, just to fool Relena,' he kept chanting in his head, hoping he could remember that.

"What are you DOING, Heero?!" Relena screeched, giving up on Heero and moving to yank on Duo's braid. "HEERO!!!"

Duo broke the kiss, pulled the braid out of her hands, and snarled, "Don't touch the braid, ojousan." He moved into the kiss again, slinging the braid over his shoulder and out of harm's way.

As Duo came close again, Heero was frozen by a sudden fear. He was aroused, obviously and achingly so. If Duo felt that, any pretense that this was a demonstration for Relena would be ripped to shreds. And Duo would never believe that Heero would settle for him being happy. With regret, he pulled away from the kiss, subtly distancing them as he stared down at Duo.

"H-- H-- HEERO! How COULD YOU!" Relena cried, running out of the room in a rustle of maroon skirts.

Duo grinned at Heero. "Well, that worked."

Heero grinned back. "Better than I'd hoped. I wonder how long until she manages to rationalize it?"

"Probably never." Letting out the cackle he'd been holding, he slung an arm around Heero's shoulders. "What if she tells Hilde, then?"

Heero shrugged and smirked. "Well, except for the fact that Hilde'd probably beat me, I won't regret it."

Duo flinched. "I'll talk to her. She's a little... hyper-protective."

"Don't worry about it." Heero smiled slightly.

"Shan't." Duo smiled and hugged Heero tightly. "Arigatou."

~~~

Hilde was trying to keep herself busy without looking like she was staying close to the house. She had attempted to inventory this particular pile of salvage three times now, but she was distracted by her thoughts about what was going on in her kitchen. Heero had better not have upset Duo or she'd... she sighed. There was nothing she could do to Heero that would impact him.

She jerked out of her musings at the shrieks coming from the house. That sounded like a woman's voice... what was a woman doing in her house, much less a woman screaming Heero's name? It all clicked when a distraught Relena came running out. A momentary irritation that Relena would simply invite herself in passed through her and was gone, replaced by a little worry. 'What have those boys done now?'

"HEERO!" Relena cried, almost running into Hilde. The near-collision caused her to notice the other girl, and she changed her mantra from "HEERO!" to "HILDE!", clinging to Hilde's shirt, shaking like an aspen leaf.

Hilde looked down at the girl with a mixture of disgust and admiration. She hated the type who cried at the drop of a hat, but she hadn't met anyone who could look as good doing it as Relena. She almost dreaded asking, but knew she had to. "Uh... Relena? What... what's wrong?"

"Heero... how could he... why would he... Duo's a GUY..." Relena forced out through her sobs, biting her lip until it almost bled. "Not Heero... not Heero!!!!"

Hilde stiffened. Heero had practically promised-- "He what?" She snapped the question at Relena, knowing the answer, but wanting confirmation before she committed murder.

"They... how could Heero... want to... KISS... like that... Duo..." Relena babbled, not hearing Hilde's question at all.

"Heero kissed Duo," Hilde said in a monotone. Now where had she put her service sidearm? It had to be around here somewhere. Almost absently, she pried Relena off her shirt. "Get over it Relena, the good ones are usually gay."

That set Relena off into a fresh litany of tears. "Can... I come with you?" she asked, trying to wipe her eyes. She knew, instinctively, that Hilde was going to go talk with Duo and Heero. "I need to talk to Heero."

"Somehow I don't think he'd listen to you, but knock yourself out." Hilde realized she wouldn't be able to find the gun easily. Oh well, Duo would probably object if she shot Heero, anyway. She turned for the kitchen, moving with a purposeful stride. She'd just have to make sure her words were good enough. And maybe one smack... just one.

Relena tagged along, straightening her posture and drying her tears. "Of course he'll listen to me!" she protested. "He always listens to me!"

Hilde tossed Relena a look that said she was in denial, but didn't comment. She stepped into the kitchen and froze. There were Duo and Heero, wrapped in a hug. Hilde swallowed at the picture they made, both smiling, the traces of their kiss still obvious in flushed cheeks and slightly swollen lips... She shook her head. She wasn't here to admire the scenery, no matter how sexy that scenery might be. She cleared her throat meaningfully.

Duo looked over Heero's shoulder and grinned. "Hey Hilde! Welcome back, 'Lena-chan!"

Heero turned his head and nodded in their general direction, pretending not to notice Hilde's glare even though it was trying to burn a hole in his back.

"I'm glad you two are on speaking terms again." Hilde gave Duo a significant look as she moved to lean against one of the counters. "So... what was Heero's important news?"

Duo looked at Hilde, pretending not to notice the anger. "Zechs is alive!" he announced happily, winking at Relena. "Hear that, ojousan? Your brother's alive!"

Relena glared. "Great, so you can fuck around with him some more," she muttered.

"Relena, I'm sure ladies don't use language like that," Hilde taunted, though she was a little disturbed herself. Here was Duo, overjoyed that his lover was actually alive, clinging to his old lover like there was no tomorrow. She hoped she wasn't the only one in the room who saw something wrong with this. But looking at Heero's face, and his faint look of guilt, she realized she wasn't. Good, though it was pretty obvious Heero wasn't going to let go until Duo did. Not good.

Walking over to Hilde, Relena whispered in her ear, "If Duo's so happy about Zechs being alive, why is he clinging all over Heero? And why is Heero letting him?"

Hilde thought about shielding her, then decided not to sugar coat it. Whispering back, "Because Duo and Heero were lovers first."

Relena slumped to the floor in a dead faint, skirts pooling over the kitchen floor.

Duo blinked. "Hilde, what did you do to Relena?"

Hilde blinked innocently. "I just informed her of the reality of the situation. Apparently she hadn't figured it all out." She looked down at the girl with a pitying expression.

Heero buried his laughter in Duo's shoulder, but was unable to control the shaking of his shoulders.

Hilde soon joined in the laughter, followed by Duo. Tears of mirth trickling from his eyes, Duo disentangled himself from the hug and walked over to Relena, picking her up gently. "We can't just leave her there," he explained, carrying her into the living room and placing her on the couch.

Heero watched from the doorway, then turned back to the kitchen and pulled the hardcopy of his hacking out and laid it on the table. 'That's all you came for, remember that Yuy,' he admonished himself. He sensed Hilde looking at him, but didn't acknowledge her, instead calling out to Duo, "I should probably be going. Before she wakes up."

Running out of the room, Duo looked at Heero carefully, then nodded. "All right." He gave him another quick hug. "I'll talk to you later, then. Take care."

"You, too." Heero fought the urge to cling. He turned to Hilde and couldn't resist teasing. "Thanks for letting me in, Hilde. I'll let you beat me next time, okay?"

Hilde saluted, grinning. "You've got a deal!"

Heero grinned back, and left before he said something stupid. It hurt, leaving, especially after things with Duo had gone so well, but ultimately he was doing this for Duo's happiness. Now Duo knew where Zechs was; they could be together. And Duo could be happy. Anything was all right, as long as Duo was happy.

Duo stared at Heero's retreating figure, resisting the urge to cry. 'Zechs... Heero... why should I have to choose?' He answered himself immediately. 'Because you chose to walk into Zechs' office that day, that's why.' Thinking, he bit his lip. 'I don't know if I love Zechs. I probably don't; I've seen him twice. And I don't know if I love Heero, Heero being so tough to figure out.' He sighed. 'I'll have to figure out which one I love, if it's either in the first place, before I make any permanent decisions... neh?'

"Duo?" Hilde interrupted his obvious thinking softly.

Shaking his head, Duo smiled at Hilde. "Nothing. Let's go check on ojousan."

Hilde nodded. 'You can dodge for now, Duo, but you can't dodge forever.'

~OWARI~