Hilde walked into the dark apartment as quietly as possible. It was three o'clock in the morning and she realized once again, that her boss was overworking her. She had finished her job an hour earlier and she knew that if Duo were awake, he wouldn't be in a very sweet disposition. He had warned her to talk to her boss about her hours, but she kept on putting it off. Maybe Duo was irritated that he wasn't getting any sleep when she got home, but it wasn't as if she was loud. Every time she would step into the doorway, she would try very hard not to make any noise, but it always failed because Duo would be up and questioning her or pinning her with death glares.
To her shock and dismay, Duo sat at the table with his head bowed and alert. His head rested on his folded hands and the sudden light that now filled the room hooded his eyes from view. He looked up slowly as she stepped into the kitchen. Hilde gave a squeak of surprise when she saw he was sitting at the table. She placed a hand over her mouth to keep from letting out a startled yelp.
"Duo! How many times do I have to tell you not to surprise me like that. It's really creepy." Duo didn't answer. He only gave her a cold, calculating stare. She became nervous by the expression he was giving her. "Duo? Is everything all right?" she asked, sensing something was different. Duo didn't fool her when he stretched and placed both hands behind his head. His eyes gave him away. They were still serious as he gave her a half-hearted grin.
"Man, you just keep working later and later!" Hilde put on a smile to see if that would placate him. It didn't work. She tried another approach; being upset at him as well.
"Well, you wouldn't have to worry about it if you would just sleep. If you keep on waiting up like this, you're going to fall over with exhaustion." Duo shrugged.
"Can't sleep anyway. So, babe, what have you been doing for the last hour?"
"I went to get something to eat. I was hungry after work." Duo shrugged again which gave Hilde the impression once again that something was bothering Duo. Perhaps she had pushed him too far this time. A flash of their last argument left her with a warning going off inside of her head.
"Hilde, if you don't talk to your boss soon, I might have to do something about it. And that doesn't mean I'll be nice either." He had stomped from the apartment, slamming the door as he left after she had only scoffed at him. She couldn't remember ever seeing Duo so upset about something. What Duo said next was what made Hilde go on full alert.
"Did you talk to your boss?" Hilde gave him a guilty look. His expression changed. He was upset… here it goes… "Kami! Hilde I swear that if you don't talk to him tomorrow I'm going to make a trip over there myself. If it means me having to tie you up and keeping you here at the apartment, I'll do it! I want you to tell that bastard to give you reasonable hours or better pay. Either way you're being gypped and I'm not going to allow you to let yourself be wasted away like this!"
"Duo, you know how I hate to complain! If I start now, my boss is going to start pulling other people up for my job."
"It's the fact that you don't complain that makes you so likeable, but even a normal person can't keep up these hours like you do." Hilde shot him an annoyed scowl.
"I can handle it. Stop worrying about me and start worrying about your next mission. I would guess that you're going down to fix your suit up again and then I head off to get…" Hilde stopped and nearly slapped herself in the forehead. Stupid! She was planning on getting another job. She was getting behind on their rent and she wasn't making any extra money. She would have asked Duo to help out, but then he would have taken it to the extreme and demanded that she just stay home while he did all the work. Men are so stupid sometimes. On the other hand, he had his missions to worry about, so he might not be as inclined to cause a storm about any of it. Sighing, Hilde saw there was no way around her situation. She simply had to get another job. As she reminded herself of this, she turned and headed for a cabinet to pull out a glass.
"Do you want anything?" she asked quietly, praying he wasn't paying too much attention to what she was saying and more attention to his upset situation.
"No, I'm going to sit and watch TV. You," he pointed his finger at her. "Are going to bed!" Hilde hated being ordered what to do like that and Duo knew it. He must have been in a bad mood earlier or else he wouldn't have been looking for a fight at that moment.
"I can take care of myself," she said defensively. "I'll stay up as late as I see fit." Hilde defiantly walked to the sink and began to pour herself some water. Duo, in the mean time, shrugged and got up, heading for the TV. He had realized in the process of spending his entire life living with Hilde, that there was no arguing with her when she held that tone in her voice. They both knew their limits. Hilde turned her back to him as she reached into the fridge to grab an apple.
"Don't take my chair. That's my favorite and you know I like sitting in it after work." Even before she turned around, she knew that Duo had done exactly what she had ordered him not to do. With a glare on her face, she stared down at Duo with his ridiculous grin. "What did I tell you?"
"Not to take your chair?"
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"That's my chair you dolt!" Duo looked around clueless, or at least trying to feign it.
"Really? Huh, I guess it is!" Hilde scowled at his 'sudden' revelation.
"Are you going to get up?"
"I'm perfectly comfortable right here."
"Duo…" Hilde growled. He only grinned at her. Finally, she began to smirk instead.
"Fine." Hilde turned and placed her glass on the table and immediately sat down on Duo's lap while they watched the television set, taking a huge bite of her apple. Duo seemed to stiffen at her nearness and Hilde realized that he might be feeling uncomfortable, so she tried to brighten the mood. She turned around and grinned.
"Hey! Look who's the taller one now!" Duo gave her a look that was incredulous. He had grown so much within the last few months and it was amazing that he was going to keep getting taller. He always liked to hold it over her head that he was always going to be bigger than her, therefore better at everything.
"I can beat you at anything, including height."
"Ha! That's a laugh." Duo decided to take away her little pedestal. He widened his legs she fell right through. He laughed at her disgruntled face. Now she was face to face with him. Finally she started to smile too when she realized the tension had broke.
"Okay, you have height, I'll give you that, but I'm still better at things than you are!"
"Fine, name it! I'd like to hear one thing that you're better at!" Hilde bit her lip in concentration.
"I've… probably had more guys than you've had girlfriends." He lifted his eyebrow in surprise. Then he broke up in laughter.
"You? Have more guys than I have girlfriends? Now that's a laugh! I bet you've had… say… three within the last 10 years!" She looked insulted.
"I'll have you know I was the big girl on my campus for my high school years! That is until I went and joined OZ, not exactly my best decision."
"You've got that right!"
"But still, I bet I've still had more than you."
"Suuuuure and I'm Santa Clause!" Hilde stuck her tongue out at him.
"I bet you that I could bring home a boyfriend within one day." Duo seemed to stiffen up.
"That fast huh?" Hilde only shrugged, seeing how uncomfortable he was, she decided to end the conversation.
"Well, maybe not that fast, but that was a stupid idea."
"I'll say it was!" Hilde was shocked to say he was serious and almost felt a little hurt. Maybe he really did think that she was incapable of getting a boyfriend, not like she really wanted one, she was only looking to tease Duo. They fell silent and Hilde realized that there wasn't too much room to spare on the chair and that Duo must have been squished between her and the cushions. She moved and sat on the floor, leaving her head between his legs. Duo was surprised by the sudden move, he was actually starting to get comfortable. Hilde had been warm and his immediate reaction was to want her back. That thought alone shocked him.
"Hey Hilde. I…" He was going to ask her if he could do anything to help out around the house because she had seemed to run herself a lot thinner lately, but when she turned her deep eyes up to his, he was entranced.
"Duo? Is something wrong?" She noticed the look that he was giving her. His eyes were darkening and she was suddenly enthralled with those amazing eyes.
"Nothing. Not a damn thing." Duo leaned down and kissed her deeply. She was so sweet. Both were surprised by his antics, but neither was willing to stop it. Hilde reached up and placed her hand on his neck as the feelings rushed through her body. Duo placed his own hand on her shoulder and began to rub it mindlessly. When she moved closer to him, it nearly drove him crazy. Kami, she felt so good! It was like a breath of fresh air. Slowly, he moved his hand down her arm and up her side. Hilde gasped into his mouth as he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. He hinted for her to open up to him and she did this willingly and he felt like he was in heaven. He didn't let opportunity go to waste.
When Duo took her mouth into attention she was nearly shocked at her boldness to return the affections. His hand was sliding up and down her back now, moving lower bit by bit. Now she knew there was no way that she was going to get a boyfriend because she would never find the right one. The right one was the one kissing her. The realization was almost terrifying. Duo realized that their positions were not very comfortable, imagining that Hilde's neck must have been getting soar; he started to move into a better position. Hilde took the hint and began to reposition herself again, but her foot hit the table, knocking over her glass. They both looked up startled and stared at the dripping table. Breaking the moment, Hilde got up and ran for a towel. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Duo fell back on the chair and looked up. Did someone up there think this was a funny joke? Hilde returned with a towel and began to sop up the mess on the table and floor.
Hilde wasn't sure what else to do. Everything had just changed on them at that moment. Finally, Duo was the one to speak first.
"Bummer." Bummer? Bummer?! Just what the heck did he mean by bummer? Her mind turned over in first confusion, then shock, and finally, in anger. After cleaning up her mess, she picked up the glass and coldly stated she was going to bed. Duo blinking in surprise at her cold exit, he realized that he may have offended her when he… kissed her. The guilt and regret set in after that. Maybe that was a mistake. "Ah man, you're so stupid," he whispered to himself. He flung his arm over his eyes and laid his head back. The TV's lights spread out over the room. Idiot.
Hilde felt her missed time of sleep was catching up with her. She wasn't getting much to eat anymore either. In fact, she was getting more fatigued, but hadn't really noticed until now. Today, she had to get another job and she knew a place she could try. It may take her all day and hopefully she wouldn't be late for work too.
She looked at the clock and groaned. She buried her head in her pillow, but it soon shot back up. 9 o'clock! All the jobs she wanted to get had already started their interviews! All the competition would have been there before her! She quickly shot out of bed, ran into the bathroom and showered. Then she ran back to her room in only a towel and put on a skirt and blouse. Then she was running out into the kitchen. Duo was sitting at the table drinking a can of soda. She didn't understand how on Earth he could drink soda for breakfast! He gave her an odd look as she ran out the door. She stole enough time to give him a smile and a wink, whispering a goodbye before she ran out. Hilde was down half a block down before Duo recovered from the whirlwind that went through the kitchen.
"What's up with her?" he thought. Her job didn't start until late that evening, where could she be going at this time? He heard her tossing and turning in her room last night. The reason why he had noticed was because he couldn't sleep at all either. He had gotten used to it by now, but he had never seen Hilde act like this before. At least, not until she had gotten this job that works late at night.
Instead, he decided to follow her. Reaching for his coat, he put it on as he finished his can of soda, with one arm in one leather sleeve and half way down the stairs. He saw her heading for a business not too far away from the house. Computers. She didn't work there, but than again, he didn't know where she worked to begin with. She was inside for about an hour and as she walked out, she looked dejected and she pulled something out of her pocket and crossed something out. Duo's eyes narrowed. He continued to follow her as she went from one company to another. Each one was computer programming. Hilde was always hanging around her computer, but she didn't do this very often anymore because of her night job. She was always sleeping or working. Finally at about 5 o'clock, Duo noticed that he was getting hungry and that Hilde was still going. That was when he took note that she was getting thinner by the day. At 5:30, she finally came out of a building grinning and looking down at a tag. She smiled up at the fading sun and Duo felt his mouth quirk up in amusement. She was very beautiful standing there with a glowing face.
By the time he got home, he was exhausted and amazed that he had spent, literally, the whole day following Hilde. She came in about fifteen minutes after him and he realized he didn't have any dinner ready.
"Hey, babe! Where have you been? You sped out of here as if the devil was after you." Hilde smiled weakly.
"I just went out shopping and I couldn't find what I was looking for." Duo knew what she had been doing and decided against telling her that he knew.
"I didn't get the chance to make dinner, but I was wondering if you want to go out and get something to eat." Hilde looked about ready to fall over.
"Not tonight. I'm really tired. I've got to get to work tonight besides. Maybe tomorrow."
"Sure. Hey, Trowa's circus is in town again tomorrow afternoon. Want to go to that?" Hilde sighed sadly and smiled apologetically.
"Sorry again Duo. I'm going to visit a friend tomorrow."
"Oh, I didn't know you knew anyone in this colony." Hilde smiled.
"Surprised aren't you?" Hilde turned around and walked down the hall to her room. Duo listened grimly as the door clicked quietly shut and then her flopping down hard on her bed. She must have already been out.
"What is she trying to do? Kill herself?" he thought to himself. Instead, he got up and fell down on top of the couch. As he was flipping through the channels and not finding anything interesting, something caught his eye on the table in front of him. It was a classification section from a month ago. Around the time that Hilde got her job. Disinterested, he reached down and picked it up. Paging through it, he found a small ad circled in pencil. He read over it and his eyes widened. His hands began to shake with either anger or disbelief he wasn't quite sure. He should have waited, but he didn't. He should have thought it through, but he didn't. He should have sat there and just forgotten he had seen the ad, but he couldn't forget it. Instead, he got up and stormed over to Hilde's room with the paper crumpled in his hand. The door flew open, making Hilde almost fall off the bed.
"What's your job?" he yelled angrily. Hilde was rubbing her eyes furiously.
"Duo! I have to go to work tonight and I need rest."
"I'll say you do! What is your job?" Hilde was starting to get mad at being interrupted from her nap and being yelled at the moment she did wake up.
"Duo! What is your problem? I was just trying to get some shuteye. I didn't sleep very well last night…"
"WHAT IS YOUR JOB!" he yelled at her. Hilde was shocked at his fury and she had to restrain herself from shrinking away. Hilde was not a woman to shrink away from a man when he was doing some chest pounding.
"I work in a bar." Duo let out a snort and took a step forward and Hilde eyed him with a warning look.
"What do you do at the bar?"
"I serve drinks and other such services."
"Hilde…"
"Duo…"
"What kind of service?"
"A public service. What is your problem Duo? I work at a bar, what more do you want? I need to keep up with the rent and bills. I'm sorry if that offends you. The only way I can do that is by working! I want you to be happy so you can go off on your missions without any problems. That is what you want, right?" Hilde was furious. She was more than furious. Everything she was doing was for him. Her job as a server at a strip joint was for him. The other job where she could work with computers, that was for him as well, and a little for her, she had to admit, but still in the whole, it was all for him. What was his problem? He just didn't understand.
"What I want to know is when you became such a coward in order to lie to me about what you do to get money!" That hurt Hilde and Duo saw it. He regretted it immediately.
"Hilde…"
"I've got to go," she whispered. Slowly, she got up and walked over to a chair where her coat hung.
"Hilde… I… I didn't…" She passed him on the way to the door.
"I'll see you later," she said quietly. Duo stood with his head hanging low in defeat. He heard the door shut. It didn't slam like he thought it would. Hilde. He waited up for her, but she never came home. Duo fell asleep in the chair waiting for her. The telephone woke him up the next afternoon. Duo squinted at the clock. It was 1 o'clock. Duo ignored the phone and turned to walk over to Hilde's room. He felt a shock run through him when he saw that she wasn't there at all. In fact her bed hadn't been touched since the day before. Duo sped for the phone.
"Hilde?" he asked quickly.
"Uh, no. This is Mr. Tamanoto. I just hired Ms. Hilde yesterday. She was supposed to come in at 10 o'clock this morning, but she never showed up. I was wondering where I could get a hold of her." Duo was feeling the fear starting to rise within him.
"Hilde…"
"Sir? Hello?"
"Uh, yes."
"Who is it am I speaking to?"
"Her roommate."
"Well, Mr.…"
"Maxwell. Duo Maxwell."
"Mr. Maxwell. Please tell Ms. Hilde that she must have misunderstood our instructions and that her job started to today. Will you inform her of us?" Duo was more worried if he could find her or not.
"Yeah, yeah. Bye." He hung up quickly and started to pace the rooms. If she wasn't at work, then where did she go last night? She couldn't have stayed at her other job, could she? Duo started to glower. A strip joint, that's all he needed her working at.
With a foul curse, he was storming out the door with his leather jacket in hand.
"When I get my hands on her I'm going to…" Duo ended up searching everywhere for hours. It was getting to be around early evening by the time he was about ready to give up and just give into the despair.
As he was walking down the street, he turned his head and he saw the tent. Trowa! Maybe he had seen Hilde. Duo didn't waste any time on his way over. He found Trowa in his usual place next to the animals, petting a lion. He was extremely stern when he saw Duo approaching.
"Where have you been? I was hoping you'd come by and get her sooner or later," demanded Trowa in an annoyed voice. Duo gave him a questioning voice.
"Who?" Trowa rolled his eyes.
"I have had to deal with a mooning girl and a nosy woman since last evening and this morning! Will you please take Hilde with you? Cathy is starting to drive me nuts with her complaints on how ridiculous men are!"
"Where is she? I've been looking all over the place for her!"
"In the tents, Cathy is with her, you better take some protection." Trowa nodded to the tent trailer nearby. Duo gave him an incredulous look. Duo was careful not to cause too much commotion as he approached the trailer. He knocked once when he got to the door and Cathy answered it. The cold hard look she gave him made him think twice about Trowa's warning.
"Hello, can I help you?" she said dangerously.
"Yes, I was hoping to find Hilde. Is she here with you?"
"Yes, but…"
"It's all right Cathy. I'll talk to him," came a voice. Duo felt his heart jump up into his throat.
"Hilde?" She stepped forward, looking much more rested than before. She smiled a little at him. After leaving the trailer, they walked around to a secluded area and waited for one or the other to say something first.
"Your boss called today." Hilde groaned and hit herself on the forehead with the heel of her hand.
"Cathy gave me a sedative before I went to bed last night. I was planning on coming back after my job at the bar, but I ended up at Cathy's trailer because I wanted to see how things were going. I slept all the way through my job." Duo felt like he didn't deserve the explanation.
"Hilde, what are you doing to yourself? You're working harder than anyone else I've seen."
"I just want to make it easier for you to go off on your missions." Duo smiled warmly at her.
"Babe, you don't have to go and do that! Things are going great for me! You don't have to take on the whole world by yourself."
"It would be easier for me too… if I could start fighting again." Duo didn't move for a long time. But as he stood there, a wide variety of expressions ran over his face. Each one was totally against the idea.
"Well, you see. I don't think that would be such a great idea." Hilde placed her hands on her hips.
"Why not!"
"Because you've just started to get your life rearranged and I'd say you're doing one hell of a job at it. I don't want you throwing all of that away."
"Duo… That's not fair!"
"No. You can't and you won't." He interrupted her before she could fire off at him. "Because I said so."
"Oh, so I'm supposed to smile and nod like a brainless doll!"
"That would be a bit of a help, wouldn't it? But knowing you, you'll sneak off the moment you get the chance and I won't know where the hell you are. I don't want you going off into the war again!"
"Get over it! I'm grown up and I can take care of myself!"
"Fine, you think that way, I'll think my own way, but you do know that I'll find just another reason for you to stay here where it's safe."
"I'm going! I want to be out there again and I can help with the computer hacking! I've thought a lot about it and I think we can both go back to fighting. If we do the colonies will pay for board and we won't have to worry about rent or finances."
"No no no, don't do this now! Just stay put! The last thing you need to do is run off to the war again. Next time you won't be so lucky!"
"And you know that's not going to happen! I don't care about the risks. It's better than being stuck here! Besides you know the moment you go to your next mission, I'll be following you there!"
"And I'll send you right back! You'll stay stuck here until this war is over." Hilde grit her teeth.
"You're next mission is next week and you know that I'll be coming with you."
"No, you're not!"
"This is stupid! You're not reasoning!"
"I'm not reasoning? What about you?"
"Neither of you are reasoning," came a voice from behind them. Trowa and Cathy stood side by side, watching the scene unfold. Cathy was the one who spoke to them.
"What I want to know, has he apologized to Hilde yet so he can take her home," muttered Trowa. Cathy jabbed him in the side. Trowa let out a gust of air, but refused to curl around his side. He only glared at Cathy who was smiling sweetly at him.
"Well, Hilde, are you coming home now?" asked Duo sheepishly.
"Not until you agree to let me fight again, not like I need your permission!"
"And I said no!" Hilde was now in a glaring fight with Duo and neither was ready to back down. Trowa rolled his eyes and stepped forward. He grabbed Duo's shoulder and began to whisper into his ear.
"Just get it over with and say yes! Then you can get your butts off the grounds. Just remember to give her a sedative to make her sleep, then you won't have to deal with it." Cathy came up and whispered something into Trowa's ear and he glared once again at her, in which, she returned full force.
"Look Hilde, can we discuss this back at the house in private?" begged Duo. Hilde seemed to think it over for a long time when she finally agreed to this.
"Good riddance," growled Trowa as Hilde and Duo walked away down the street. Suddenly, he was completely soaked through and through. He spun around and caught Cathy, who was holding a bucket while trying to run away. Quickly, he picked her up and walked next to a pool of water near by.
"Don't you dare Trowa Barton!" Since she still had the bucket, she stuffed it onto Trowa's head. With him being blind, he tripped and they both ended up falling into the pool. Trowa and Cathy came up sputtering and when Trowa turned to look at Cathy, she was smiling innocently. Then, with lightening speed, she dunked him into the water. Laughing, she got out of the pool and ran for her life with Trowa running after her.
Duo pushed the door open and let Hilde walk in first. As he flipped on the light, Hilde set to making coffee for the two. The clock ticked and that seemed to be the only sound that could be heard. Eventually, they ended up sitting down at the table and drinking their beverages. Finally, Duo had to talk to her.
"Hilde about…"
"Don't even try arguing with me, Duo. I won't let go of this one."
"Well, here's a surprise for you, neither am I!"
"Can't you just understand it from my perspective for once?"
"Well, I don't see you seeing it from mine."
"I'm not going to start this again." Hilde began to get up, but she stopped when she realized that Duo had grabbed her hand from across the table.
"Hilde, I haven't seen you all day, can't you stay and talk for a while?" Duo smiled up at her and she realized that there was no way that she was going to be able to resist that grin, even if it was as ploy just to make her stay put.
"All right."
"Great! Let's go see a movie!" Hilde nearly went into shock. A MOVIE? He wanted to go see a movie after all the arguing they had just done? Besides, it was getting late and she had to work.
"Duo, I have my job to go to tonight."
"Forget the job! Besides, I need you to be around more. It's like I haven't been able to see you at all lately." Hilde's eyes softened as she smiled at him.
"All right. If that's what you want to do."
"Can't you just do something that you want to do and not something that only I want to do?"
"Yes of course! I do things I want to do all the time!" Duo was about to argue that, but decided, what was the point?
"All right, what movie?"
"I don't care. How about that gory movie that just came out?"
"Fine, but I bet I can sit all the way through the whole movie and not wince one bit! Loser buys ice cream!"
"You're on!"
Hilde sat all the way through it and watched every scene of the goriest movie that she had ever lived to watch. Duo on the other hand seemed to be cringing with horror. After it was over and they were walking out, Hilde laughed at Duo's green face.
"Okay, bud, you buy!" Duo glowered while clutching his stomach.
"That whole thing was totally overrated!"
"I sat through it."
"Yeah, well, you have a high tolerance level. They could have left out the part where the guys' heads were blowing up every two minutes!"
"Stop being such a baby and pay up! Besides, you should be used gore after living through this much war. Anyone in this day and age would be able to sit through a little bit of that blood bath in there." It was only meant as a joke, but Hilde realized quickly that it was a subject that shouldn't be touched Duo. He had seen much more war than anyone else. That was the fate of a Gundam pilot. Trying to break the tension in the air, Duo pasted on a smile, or at least tried.
"I say we make a bet than on something else. Loser has to buy the groceries for a week.
"Okay, what is it? Better not lose this one or else I've got something to make fun of for a week." Duo grimaced. He hated it when people could find things to tease him about.
"I think we should bet on…"
"How much ice cream each of us can eat."
"Hey, wait a minute. I lost so that means I have to buy all of it." Hilde winked.
"I know. All right. Fine. Last one there has to buy the ice cream.
Duo held his stomach in agony as they stepped out of the ice cream shop. He seemed to go from blue, to green, to red, and than pale white all the way out to the sidewalk. Hilde followed behind with a grin on her face. She continued to lick a cone stacked with all different types of ice cream.
"Here Duo, want to try some?" she offered evilly. Duo's cheeks puffed up and he ran for the nearest bush. Giving a chuckle, Hilde followed, it felt so good to finally be out without any worries and be with Duo. It seemed like forever.
"Man, I feel better," mumbled Duo as a couple walked by, giving him strange looks. Hilde laughed and pulled Duo along the sidewalk.
"Yeah, well, I win that bet, guess who gets to buy the groceries for a week?"
"Don't remind me."
"Come on, we better be getting home. I'm kind of tired and I need to get ready for work tonight." Duo glared at the thought.
"Hilde, don't you think that you could find a different job?"
"A different job… that reminds me! Why weren't you all surprised when you were telling me about my boss calling?" Duo blushed a dark red and Hilde's eyes widened.
"You were following me, weren't you?" she cried in disbelief. Duo only shrugged helplessly.
"Yes, but… I can explain!"
"Well, it better be some fast talking…"
"All right! When I saw you storming out of the apartment I figured I'd follow you because you were acting really strange. Then I found out you were looking for another job and by the way I'm not very happy about it still, but I figured if I opened my mouth I'd end up short an arm and a leg. I thought it would be in my best interest to keep it hidden."
"You didn't say anything? I'm impressed. Most other cases you would have been down my throat in an instant." Duo shrugged nonchalantly.
"I'm a mature guy." Hilde snorted, trying to hold back her laughter.
"Oh so you think that's funny huh? Well, let's see how funny you think this is!" With out hesitation he proceeded to tickle Hilde mercilessly despite the odd looks they were receiving from other people. Finally, Hilde surrendered and tried to catch her breath.
"All right, you win. Come on, let's go home." Duo was shocked at how wonderful that sounded. Home, it was a place he could go to after every battle, but then he realized that what made it home was that Hilde was there. Waiting with open arms to welcome him. He smiled to himself as he dreamed of the perfect home. It was a home that both of them worked hard to create out of nothing. They were friends that had come up out of the hardships of war and created a safe haven together. The word itself was great to say as well. Home.
"Duo? Uh, Duo? DUO!"
"Huh? What?"
"You spaced out there for a moment, I thought you were stuck there." Duo took his fist and nudged over her chin playfully.
"Yep, just caught up in the moment, come on, race you home, last one there, makes breakfast tomorrow!" Duo raced off, leaving Hilde behind in his dust.
"Hey! You cheater! Duo!"
"Come on, Slow Poke!" Hilde grinned. He asked for it.
To her shock and dismay, Duo sat at the table with his head bowed and alert. His head rested on his folded hands and the sudden light that now filled the room hooded his eyes from view. He looked up slowly as she stepped into the kitchen. Hilde gave a squeak of surprise when she saw he was sitting at the table. She placed a hand over her mouth to keep from letting out a startled yelp.
"Duo! How many times do I have to tell you not to surprise me like that. It's really creepy." Duo didn't answer. He only gave her a cold, calculating stare. She became nervous by the expression he was giving her. "Duo? Is everything all right?" she asked, sensing something was different. Duo didn't fool her when he stretched and placed both hands behind his head. His eyes gave him away. They were still serious as he gave her a half-hearted grin.
"Man, you just keep working later and later!" Hilde put on a smile to see if that would placate him. It didn't work. She tried another approach; being upset at him as well.
"Well, you wouldn't have to worry about it if you would just sleep. If you keep on waiting up like this, you're going to fall over with exhaustion." Duo shrugged.
"Can't sleep anyway. So, babe, what have you been doing for the last hour?"
"I went to get something to eat. I was hungry after work." Duo shrugged again which gave Hilde the impression once again that something was bothering Duo. Perhaps she had pushed him too far this time. A flash of their last argument left her with a warning going off inside of her head.
"Hilde, if you don't talk to your boss soon, I might have to do something about it. And that doesn't mean I'll be nice either." He had stomped from the apartment, slamming the door as he left after she had only scoffed at him. She couldn't remember ever seeing Duo so upset about something. What Duo said next was what made Hilde go on full alert.
"Did you talk to your boss?" Hilde gave him a guilty look. His expression changed. He was upset… here it goes… "Kami! Hilde I swear that if you don't talk to him tomorrow I'm going to make a trip over there myself. If it means me having to tie you up and keeping you here at the apartment, I'll do it! I want you to tell that bastard to give you reasonable hours or better pay. Either way you're being gypped and I'm not going to allow you to let yourself be wasted away like this!"
"Duo, you know how I hate to complain! If I start now, my boss is going to start pulling other people up for my job."
"It's the fact that you don't complain that makes you so likeable, but even a normal person can't keep up these hours like you do." Hilde shot him an annoyed scowl.
"I can handle it. Stop worrying about me and start worrying about your next mission. I would guess that you're going down to fix your suit up again and then I head off to get…" Hilde stopped and nearly slapped herself in the forehead. Stupid! She was planning on getting another job. She was getting behind on their rent and she wasn't making any extra money. She would have asked Duo to help out, but then he would have taken it to the extreme and demanded that she just stay home while he did all the work. Men are so stupid sometimes. On the other hand, he had his missions to worry about, so he might not be as inclined to cause a storm about any of it. Sighing, Hilde saw there was no way around her situation. She simply had to get another job. As she reminded herself of this, she turned and headed for a cabinet to pull out a glass.
"Do you want anything?" she asked quietly, praying he wasn't paying too much attention to what she was saying and more attention to his upset situation.
"No, I'm going to sit and watch TV. You," he pointed his finger at her. "Are going to bed!" Hilde hated being ordered what to do like that and Duo knew it. He must have been in a bad mood earlier or else he wouldn't have been looking for a fight at that moment.
"I can take care of myself," she said defensively. "I'll stay up as late as I see fit." Hilde defiantly walked to the sink and began to pour herself some water. Duo, in the mean time, shrugged and got up, heading for the TV. He had realized in the process of spending his entire life living with Hilde, that there was no arguing with her when she held that tone in her voice. They both knew their limits. Hilde turned her back to him as she reached into the fridge to grab an apple.
"Don't take my chair. That's my favorite and you know I like sitting in it after work." Even before she turned around, she knew that Duo had done exactly what she had ordered him not to do. With a glare on her face, she stared down at Duo with his ridiculous grin. "What did I tell you?"
"Not to take your chair?"
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"That's my chair you dolt!" Duo looked around clueless, or at least trying to feign it.
"Really? Huh, I guess it is!" Hilde scowled at his 'sudden' revelation.
"Are you going to get up?"
"I'm perfectly comfortable right here."
"Duo…" Hilde growled. He only grinned at her. Finally, she began to smirk instead.
"Fine." Hilde turned and placed her glass on the table and immediately sat down on Duo's lap while they watched the television set, taking a huge bite of her apple. Duo seemed to stiffen at her nearness and Hilde realized that he might be feeling uncomfortable, so she tried to brighten the mood. She turned around and grinned.
"Hey! Look who's the taller one now!" Duo gave her a look that was incredulous. He had grown so much within the last few months and it was amazing that he was going to keep getting taller. He always liked to hold it over her head that he was always going to be bigger than her, therefore better at everything.
"I can beat you at anything, including height."
"Ha! That's a laugh." Duo decided to take away her little pedestal. He widened his legs she fell right through. He laughed at her disgruntled face. Now she was face to face with him. Finally she started to smile too when she realized the tension had broke.
"Okay, you have height, I'll give you that, but I'm still better at things than you are!"
"Fine, name it! I'd like to hear one thing that you're better at!" Hilde bit her lip in concentration.
"I've… probably had more guys than you've had girlfriends." He lifted his eyebrow in surprise. Then he broke up in laughter.
"You? Have more guys than I have girlfriends? Now that's a laugh! I bet you've had… say… three within the last 10 years!" She looked insulted.
"I'll have you know I was the big girl on my campus for my high school years! That is until I went and joined OZ, not exactly my best decision."
"You've got that right!"
"But still, I bet I've still had more than you."
"Suuuuure and I'm Santa Clause!" Hilde stuck her tongue out at him.
"I bet you that I could bring home a boyfriend within one day." Duo seemed to stiffen up.
"That fast huh?" Hilde only shrugged, seeing how uncomfortable he was, she decided to end the conversation.
"Well, maybe not that fast, but that was a stupid idea."
"I'll say it was!" Hilde was shocked to say he was serious and almost felt a little hurt. Maybe he really did think that she was incapable of getting a boyfriend, not like she really wanted one, she was only looking to tease Duo. They fell silent and Hilde realized that there wasn't too much room to spare on the chair and that Duo must have been squished between her and the cushions. She moved and sat on the floor, leaving her head between his legs. Duo was surprised by the sudden move, he was actually starting to get comfortable. Hilde had been warm and his immediate reaction was to want her back. That thought alone shocked him.
"Hey Hilde. I…" He was going to ask her if he could do anything to help out around the house because she had seemed to run herself a lot thinner lately, but when she turned her deep eyes up to his, he was entranced.
"Duo? Is something wrong?" She noticed the look that he was giving her. His eyes were darkening and she was suddenly enthralled with those amazing eyes.
"Nothing. Not a damn thing." Duo leaned down and kissed her deeply. She was so sweet. Both were surprised by his antics, but neither was willing to stop it. Hilde reached up and placed her hand on his neck as the feelings rushed through her body. Duo placed his own hand on her shoulder and began to rub it mindlessly. When she moved closer to him, it nearly drove him crazy. Kami, she felt so good! It was like a breath of fresh air. Slowly, he moved his hand down her arm and up her side. Hilde gasped into his mouth as he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. He hinted for her to open up to him and she did this willingly and he felt like he was in heaven. He didn't let opportunity go to waste.
When Duo took her mouth into attention she was nearly shocked at her boldness to return the affections. His hand was sliding up and down her back now, moving lower bit by bit. Now she knew there was no way that she was going to get a boyfriend because she would never find the right one. The right one was the one kissing her. The realization was almost terrifying. Duo realized that their positions were not very comfortable, imagining that Hilde's neck must have been getting soar; he started to move into a better position. Hilde took the hint and began to reposition herself again, but her foot hit the table, knocking over her glass. They both looked up startled and stared at the dripping table. Breaking the moment, Hilde got up and ran for a towel. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Duo fell back on the chair and looked up. Did someone up there think this was a funny joke? Hilde returned with a towel and began to sop up the mess on the table and floor.
Hilde wasn't sure what else to do. Everything had just changed on them at that moment. Finally, Duo was the one to speak first.
"Bummer." Bummer? Bummer?! Just what the heck did he mean by bummer? Her mind turned over in first confusion, then shock, and finally, in anger. After cleaning up her mess, she picked up the glass and coldly stated she was going to bed. Duo blinking in surprise at her cold exit, he realized that he may have offended her when he… kissed her. The guilt and regret set in after that. Maybe that was a mistake. "Ah man, you're so stupid," he whispered to himself. He flung his arm over his eyes and laid his head back. The TV's lights spread out over the room. Idiot.
Hilde felt her missed time of sleep was catching up with her. She wasn't getting much to eat anymore either. In fact, she was getting more fatigued, but hadn't really noticed until now. Today, she had to get another job and she knew a place she could try. It may take her all day and hopefully she wouldn't be late for work too.
She looked at the clock and groaned. She buried her head in her pillow, but it soon shot back up. 9 o'clock! All the jobs she wanted to get had already started their interviews! All the competition would have been there before her! She quickly shot out of bed, ran into the bathroom and showered. Then she ran back to her room in only a towel and put on a skirt and blouse. Then she was running out into the kitchen. Duo was sitting at the table drinking a can of soda. She didn't understand how on Earth he could drink soda for breakfast! He gave her an odd look as she ran out the door. She stole enough time to give him a smile and a wink, whispering a goodbye before she ran out. Hilde was down half a block down before Duo recovered from the whirlwind that went through the kitchen.
"What's up with her?" he thought. Her job didn't start until late that evening, where could she be going at this time? He heard her tossing and turning in her room last night. The reason why he had noticed was because he couldn't sleep at all either. He had gotten used to it by now, but he had never seen Hilde act like this before. At least, not until she had gotten this job that works late at night.
Instead, he decided to follow her. Reaching for his coat, he put it on as he finished his can of soda, with one arm in one leather sleeve and half way down the stairs. He saw her heading for a business not too far away from the house. Computers. She didn't work there, but than again, he didn't know where she worked to begin with. She was inside for about an hour and as she walked out, she looked dejected and she pulled something out of her pocket and crossed something out. Duo's eyes narrowed. He continued to follow her as she went from one company to another. Each one was computer programming. Hilde was always hanging around her computer, but she didn't do this very often anymore because of her night job. She was always sleeping or working. Finally at about 5 o'clock, Duo noticed that he was getting hungry and that Hilde was still going. That was when he took note that she was getting thinner by the day. At 5:30, she finally came out of a building grinning and looking down at a tag. She smiled up at the fading sun and Duo felt his mouth quirk up in amusement. She was very beautiful standing there with a glowing face.
By the time he got home, he was exhausted and amazed that he had spent, literally, the whole day following Hilde. She came in about fifteen minutes after him and he realized he didn't have any dinner ready.
"Hey, babe! Where have you been? You sped out of here as if the devil was after you." Hilde smiled weakly.
"I just went out shopping and I couldn't find what I was looking for." Duo knew what she had been doing and decided against telling her that he knew.
"I didn't get the chance to make dinner, but I was wondering if you want to go out and get something to eat." Hilde looked about ready to fall over.
"Not tonight. I'm really tired. I've got to get to work tonight besides. Maybe tomorrow."
"Sure. Hey, Trowa's circus is in town again tomorrow afternoon. Want to go to that?" Hilde sighed sadly and smiled apologetically.
"Sorry again Duo. I'm going to visit a friend tomorrow."
"Oh, I didn't know you knew anyone in this colony." Hilde smiled.
"Surprised aren't you?" Hilde turned around and walked down the hall to her room. Duo listened grimly as the door clicked quietly shut and then her flopping down hard on her bed. She must have already been out.
"What is she trying to do? Kill herself?" he thought to himself. Instead, he got up and fell down on top of the couch. As he was flipping through the channels and not finding anything interesting, something caught his eye on the table in front of him. It was a classification section from a month ago. Around the time that Hilde got her job. Disinterested, he reached down and picked it up. Paging through it, he found a small ad circled in pencil. He read over it and his eyes widened. His hands began to shake with either anger or disbelief he wasn't quite sure. He should have waited, but he didn't. He should have thought it through, but he didn't. He should have sat there and just forgotten he had seen the ad, but he couldn't forget it. Instead, he got up and stormed over to Hilde's room with the paper crumpled in his hand. The door flew open, making Hilde almost fall off the bed.
"What's your job?" he yelled angrily. Hilde was rubbing her eyes furiously.
"Duo! I have to go to work tonight and I need rest."
"I'll say you do! What is your job?" Hilde was starting to get mad at being interrupted from her nap and being yelled at the moment she did wake up.
"Duo! What is your problem? I was just trying to get some shuteye. I didn't sleep very well last night…"
"WHAT IS YOUR JOB!" he yelled at her. Hilde was shocked at his fury and she had to restrain herself from shrinking away. Hilde was not a woman to shrink away from a man when he was doing some chest pounding.
"I work in a bar." Duo let out a snort and took a step forward and Hilde eyed him with a warning look.
"What do you do at the bar?"
"I serve drinks and other such services."
"Hilde…"
"Duo…"
"What kind of service?"
"A public service. What is your problem Duo? I work at a bar, what more do you want? I need to keep up with the rent and bills. I'm sorry if that offends you. The only way I can do that is by working! I want you to be happy so you can go off on your missions without any problems. That is what you want, right?" Hilde was furious. She was more than furious. Everything she was doing was for him. Her job as a server at a strip joint was for him. The other job where she could work with computers, that was for him as well, and a little for her, she had to admit, but still in the whole, it was all for him. What was his problem? He just didn't understand.
"What I want to know is when you became such a coward in order to lie to me about what you do to get money!" That hurt Hilde and Duo saw it. He regretted it immediately.
"Hilde…"
"I've got to go," she whispered. Slowly, she got up and walked over to a chair where her coat hung.
"Hilde… I… I didn't…" She passed him on the way to the door.
"I'll see you later," she said quietly. Duo stood with his head hanging low in defeat. He heard the door shut. It didn't slam like he thought it would. Hilde. He waited up for her, but she never came home. Duo fell asleep in the chair waiting for her. The telephone woke him up the next afternoon. Duo squinted at the clock. It was 1 o'clock. Duo ignored the phone and turned to walk over to Hilde's room. He felt a shock run through him when he saw that she wasn't there at all. In fact her bed hadn't been touched since the day before. Duo sped for the phone.
"Hilde?" he asked quickly.
"Uh, no. This is Mr. Tamanoto. I just hired Ms. Hilde yesterday. She was supposed to come in at 10 o'clock this morning, but she never showed up. I was wondering where I could get a hold of her." Duo was feeling the fear starting to rise within him.
"Hilde…"
"Sir? Hello?"
"Uh, yes."
"Who is it am I speaking to?"
"Her roommate."
"Well, Mr.…"
"Maxwell. Duo Maxwell."
"Mr. Maxwell. Please tell Ms. Hilde that she must have misunderstood our instructions and that her job started to today. Will you inform her of us?" Duo was more worried if he could find her or not.
"Yeah, yeah. Bye." He hung up quickly and started to pace the rooms. If she wasn't at work, then where did she go last night? She couldn't have stayed at her other job, could she? Duo started to glower. A strip joint, that's all he needed her working at.
With a foul curse, he was storming out the door with his leather jacket in hand.
"When I get my hands on her I'm going to…" Duo ended up searching everywhere for hours. It was getting to be around early evening by the time he was about ready to give up and just give into the despair.
As he was walking down the street, he turned his head and he saw the tent. Trowa! Maybe he had seen Hilde. Duo didn't waste any time on his way over. He found Trowa in his usual place next to the animals, petting a lion. He was extremely stern when he saw Duo approaching.
"Where have you been? I was hoping you'd come by and get her sooner or later," demanded Trowa in an annoyed voice. Duo gave him a questioning voice.
"Who?" Trowa rolled his eyes.
"I have had to deal with a mooning girl and a nosy woman since last evening and this morning! Will you please take Hilde with you? Cathy is starting to drive me nuts with her complaints on how ridiculous men are!"
"Where is she? I've been looking all over the place for her!"
"In the tents, Cathy is with her, you better take some protection." Trowa nodded to the tent trailer nearby. Duo gave him an incredulous look. Duo was careful not to cause too much commotion as he approached the trailer. He knocked once when he got to the door and Cathy answered it. The cold hard look she gave him made him think twice about Trowa's warning.
"Hello, can I help you?" she said dangerously.
"Yes, I was hoping to find Hilde. Is she here with you?"
"Yes, but…"
"It's all right Cathy. I'll talk to him," came a voice. Duo felt his heart jump up into his throat.
"Hilde?" She stepped forward, looking much more rested than before. She smiled a little at him. After leaving the trailer, they walked around to a secluded area and waited for one or the other to say something first.
"Your boss called today." Hilde groaned and hit herself on the forehead with the heel of her hand.
"Cathy gave me a sedative before I went to bed last night. I was planning on coming back after my job at the bar, but I ended up at Cathy's trailer because I wanted to see how things were going. I slept all the way through my job." Duo felt like he didn't deserve the explanation.
"Hilde, what are you doing to yourself? You're working harder than anyone else I've seen."
"I just want to make it easier for you to go off on your missions." Duo smiled warmly at her.
"Babe, you don't have to go and do that! Things are going great for me! You don't have to take on the whole world by yourself."
"It would be easier for me too… if I could start fighting again." Duo didn't move for a long time. But as he stood there, a wide variety of expressions ran over his face. Each one was totally against the idea.
"Well, you see. I don't think that would be such a great idea." Hilde placed her hands on her hips.
"Why not!"
"Because you've just started to get your life rearranged and I'd say you're doing one hell of a job at it. I don't want you throwing all of that away."
"Duo… That's not fair!"
"No. You can't and you won't." He interrupted her before she could fire off at him. "Because I said so."
"Oh, so I'm supposed to smile and nod like a brainless doll!"
"That would be a bit of a help, wouldn't it? But knowing you, you'll sneak off the moment you get the chance and I won't know where the hell you are. I don't want you going off into the war again!"
"Get over it! I'm grown up and I can take care of myself!"
"Fine, you think that way, I'll think my own way, but you do know that I'll find just another reason for you to stay here where it's safe."
"I'm going! I want to be out there again and I can help with the computer hacking! I've thought a lot about it and I think we can both go back to fighting. If we do the colonies will pay for board and we won't have to worry about rent or finances."
"No no no, don't do this now! Just stay put! The last thing you need to do is run off to the war again. Next time you won't be so lucky!"
"And you know that's not going to happen! I don't care about the risks. It's better than being stuck here! Besides you know the moment you go to your next mission, I'll be following you there!"
"And I'll send you right back! You'll stay stuck here until this war is over." Hilde grit her teeth.
"You're next mission is next week and you know that I'll be coming with you."
"No, you're not!"
"This is stupid! You're not reasoning!"
"I'm not reasoning? What about you?"
"Neither of you are reasoning," came a voice from behind them. Trowa and Cathy stood side by side, watching the scene unfold. Cathy was the one who spoke to them.
"What I want to know, has he apologized to Hilde yet so he can take her home," muttered Trowa. Cathy jabbed him in the side. Trowa let out a gust of air, but refused to curl around his side. He only glared at Cathy who was smiling sweetly at him.
"Well, Hilde, are you coming home now?" asked Duo sheepishly.
"Not until you agree to let me fight again, not like I need your permission!"
"And I said no!" Hilde was now in a glaring fight with Duo and neither was ready to back down. Trowa rolled his eyes and stepped forward. He grabbed Duo's shoulder and began to whisper into his ear.
"Just get it over with and say yes! Then you can get your butts off the grounds. Just remember to give her a sedative to make her sleep, then you won't have to deal with it." Cathy came up and whispered something into Trowa's ear and he glared once again at her, in which, she returned full force.
"Look Hilde, can we discuss this back at the house in private?" begged Duo. Hilde seemed to think it over for a long time when she finally agreed to this.
"Good riddance," growled Trowa as Hilde and Duo walked away down the street. Suddenly, he was completely soaked through and through. He spun around and caught Cathy, who was holding a bucket while trying to run away. Quickly, he picked her up and walked next to a pool of water near by.
"Don't you dare Trowa Barton!" Since she still had the bucket, she stuffed it onto Trowa's head. With him being blind, he tripped and they both ended up falling into the pool. Trowa and Cathy came up sputtering and when Trowa turned to look at Cathy, she was smiling innocently. Then, with lightening speed, she dunked him into the water. Laughing, she got out of the pool and ran for her life with Trowa running after her.
Duo pushed the door open and let Hilde walk in first. As he flipped on the light, Hilde set to making coffee for the two. The clock ticked and that seemed to be the only sound that could be heard. Eventually, they ended up sitting down at the table and drinking their beverages. Finally, Duo had to talk to her.
"Hilde about…"
"Don't even try arguing with me, Duo. I won't let go of this one."
"Well, here's a surprise for you, neither am I!"
"Can't you just understand it from my perspective for once?"
"Well, I don't see you seeing it from mine."
"I'm not going to start this again." Hilde began to get up, but she stopped when she realized that Duo had grabbed her hand from across the table.
"Hilde, I haven't seen you all day, can't you stay and talk for a while?" Duo smiled up at her and she realized that there was no way that she was going to be able to resist that grin, even if it was as ploy just to make her stay put.
"All right."
"Great! Let's go see a movie!" Hilde nearly went into shock. A MOVIE? He wanted to go see a movie after all the arguing they had just done? Besides, it was getting late and she had to work.
"Duo, I have my job to go to tonight."
"Forget the job! Besides, I need you to be around more. It's like I haven't been able to see you at all lately." Hilde's eyes softened as she smiled at him.
"All right. If that's what you want to do."
"Can't you just do something that you want to do and not something that only I want to do?"
"Yes of course! I do things I want to do all the time!" Duo was about to argue that, but decided, what was the point?
"All right, what movie?"
"I don't care. How about that gory movie that just came out?"
"Fine, but I bet I can sit all the way through the whole movie and not wince one bit! Loser buys ice cream!"
"You're on!"
Hilde sat all the way through it and watched every scene of the goriest movie that she had ever lived to watch. Duo on the other hand seemed to be cringing with horror. After it was over and they were walking out, Hilde laughed at Duo's green face.
"Okay, bud, you buy!" Duo glowered while clutching his stomach.
"That whole thing was totally overrated!"
"I sat through it."
"Yeah, well, you have a high tolerance level. They could have left out the part where the guys' heads were blowing up every two minutes!"
"Stop being such a baby and pay up! Besides, you should be used gore after living through this much war. Anyone in this day and age would be able to sit through a little bit of that blood bath in there." It was only meant as a joke, but Hilde realized quickly that it was a subject that shouldn't be touched Duo. He had seen much more war than anyone else. That was the fate of a Gundam pilot. Trying to break the tension in the air, Duo pasted on a smile, or at least tried.
"I say we make a bet than on something else. Loser has to buy the groceries for a week.
"Okay, what is it? Better not lose this one or else I've got something to make fun of for a week." Duo grimaced. He hated it when people could find things to tease him about.
"I think we should bet on…"
"How much ice cream each of us can eat."
"Hey, wait a minute. I lost so that means I have to buy all of it." Hilde winked.
"I know. All right. Fine. Last one there has to buy the ice cream.
Duo held his stomach in agony as they stepped out of the ice cream shop. He seemed to go from blue, to green, to red, and than pale white all the way out to the sidewalk. Hilde followed behind with a grin on her face. She continued to lick a cone stacked with all different types of ice cream.
"Here Duo, want to try some?" she offered evilly. Duo's cheeks puffed up and he ran for the nearest bush. Giving a chuckle, Hilde followed, it felt so good to finally be out without any worries and be with Duo. It seemed like forever.
"Man, I feel better," mumbled Duo as a couple walked by, giving him strange looks. Hilde laughed and pulled Duo along the sidewalk.
"Yeah, well, I win that bet, guess who gets to buy the groceries for a week?"
"Don't remind me."
"Come on, we better be getting home. I'm kind of tired and I need to get ready for work tonight." Duo glared at the thought.
"Hilde, don't you think that you could find a different job?"
"A different job… that reminds me! Why weren't you all surprised when you were telling me about my boss calling?" Duo blushed a dark red and Hilde's eyes widened.
"You were following me, weren't you?" she cried in disbelief. Duo only shrugged helplessly.
"Yes, but… I can explain!"
"Well, it better be some fast talking…"
"All right! When I saw you storming out of the apartment I figured I'd follow you because you were acting really strange. Then I found out you were looking for another job and by the way I'm not very happy about it still, but I figured if I opened my mouth I'd end up short an arm and a leg. I thought it would be in my best interest to keep it hidden."
"You didn't say anything? I'm impressed. Most other cases you would have been down my throat in an instant." Duo shrugged nonchalantly.
"I'm a mature guy." Hilde snorted, trying to hold back her laughter.
"Oh so you think that's funny huh? Well, let's see how funny you think this is!" With out hesitation he proceeded to tickle Hilde mercilessly despite the odd looks they were receiving from other people. Finally, Hilde surrendered and tried to catch her breath.
"All right, you win. Come on, let's go home." Duo was shocked at how wonderful that sounded. Home, it was a place he could go to after every battle, but then he realized that what made it home was that Hilde was there. Waiting with open arms to welcome him. He smiled to himself as he dreamed of the perfect home. It was a home that both of them worked hard to create out of nothing. They were friends that had come up out of the hardships of war and created a safe haven together. The word itself was great to say as well. Home.
"Duo? Uh, Duo? DUO!"
"Huh? What?"
"You spaced out there for a moment, I thought you were stuck there." Duo took his fist and nudged over her chin playfully.
"Yep, just caught up in the moment, come on, race you home, last one there, makes breakfast tomorrow!" Duo raced off, leaving Hilde behind in his dust.
"Hey! You cheater! Duo!"
"Come on, Slow Poke!" Hilde grinned. He asked for it.