Author's Notes: Well, here we go, my first Gundam Wing fic. Now, when I tell you that it's a 1x2 fic, you automatically think, "Yaoi!" Am I right? Well, here's the catch: I heard a while ago that Duo Maxwell was originally intended to be a female character. For some reason, before the characters were set in stone, they changed Duo to a male (don't ask me why, as I haven't the slightest idea), but they liked the long braid from the original design, so they kept that part. Now, I don't know if that is true or not, but I couldn't resist writing a 1x2 fic with Duo as a girl. Why not? After all, as a fic author, I can do whatever I want, can't I? Anyway, this is the only Katie-friendly 1x2 fic I've seen so far. *snrk*
There's some pretty out-in-the-open Relena-bashing in here, so Relena fans shouldn't read this. I, myself, a vehement Relena-hater, couldn't resist making her the high-and-mighty little bitch I can't help but see her as. Oh, and Heero's gonna be OOC…erm…I hope my explanation for it (it's in the story) is passable.
"Spanglish" is a common term (at least where I'm from) that describes a form of Spanish spoken in Mexico, which is influenced quite a bit by American English (from what I've heard anyway). I have no idea about the nationality distribution on L2 Colony, so don't blame me if I'm wrong.
Gundam Wing and all its characters do not belong to me, but to whoever owns the copyrights. I really haven't any idea who they are. *sweatdrop*
Heero, My Hero By Annie-chan"Gah! Not again, damn it!"
Hilde glanced over her shoulder to where her partner in the small scrap metal business they ran looked through their mail. She saw Duo throw an unopened letter from a credit card company—they had no credit cards to speak of, so the letter was no doubt a pitch to get them to sign up for one—into the trashcan in obvious frustration, and turned back to the newspaper with a slight shrug. This happened at least once every two weeks or so, and it was nothing for her to get excited about. Duo, on the other hand, was rather indignant.
Duo fell heavily back into the chair she had jumped up from, sitting on the end of her mid-thigh-length braid, flipping through the rest of the mail—mostly junk mail—with a scowl on her face.
Once again, she had received a letter from a solicitor addressed to "Mr. Duo Maxwell." She disliked being called a guy. She glanced down at her torso and noted with a slight smirk that she was most definitely not a guy, what with the perky C-cups and the fashionable hourglass hips that she sported. No one who saw her could doubt it, but these solicitors were another matter. They saw her name on some mailing list that who knows where they got the names for, and automatically assumed she was a guy.
Okay, sure, she thought, "Duo" is a unisex name, and it sounds more masculine than feminine, but still! This stopped being funny months ago! She felt sorry for all the guys named "Leslie" or "Darryl" or "Stacy" out there, and all the girls named "Ryan" or "Chris" or "Alex". They probably went through the same damned thing Duo was going through.
She finished going through the mail, dumped the junk in the trashcan, dropped the letter for Hilde on the table where her partner was reading the paper, and went down the stairs on the other side of the small living room. The shop took up the bottom floor of the little two-story building they managed to buy about two years ago, soon after they both turned eighteen and became legal adults, and the little two-bedroom apartment Duo and Hilde shared took up the top floor. They were leading a pretty modest life, no frills, but both girls were happy. It was a lot better than living in a world that seemed it would be embroiled in war for the rest of time.
She got to the bottom of the stairs and opened the door into the shop. It was bigger than they needed, really. The small scrap yard was out back, so most of the bottom floor of the building was empty space. There was a counter near the front were people paid for their stuff, and a table were people could fill out orders for stuff that couldn't be found in the yard, but that was about it. Most of what the open space was used for was for the bored kids that came with their parents to run around and play in. Oh, yes, there was a candy stand near the counter, too. The kids liked that part.
Duo grinned as she walked through the empty area toward the front door. This was a tight-knit neighborhood where everybody knew everybody else, and Duo and Hilde were pretty well liked among the community. There was always the occasional stranger in town, either passing through or visiting relatives or something like that. Everyone new that came into the town was quite surprised that the local scrap yard was owned and run by two girls barely in their twenties. They probably expected some big greasy man who spent his every waking minute under the hood of a car. Both Duo and Hilde thoroughly enjoyed the looks that said, "You run this place?!" Those expressions could get quite funny at times.
The cool morning air greeted her as she opened the door and stepped out. Today, the shop was closed, and, lo and behold, she and Hilde had almost the entire day free. It was midmorning, and was fixing to be a gorgeous spring day, too. Duo, after recovering from the annoyance of the misaddressed credit card solicitation, was in a wonderful mood, and didn't think it was possible to make it any better.
She was proven wrong, though, as she turned back to the shop. Just as she was about to let the door swing shut and locked she heard someone call her name.
"Duo!"
Her ears perked up and her heart leapt as she recognized the voice. She spun around and beheld Heero Yuy, who apparently still had tank tops and spandex as the majority of his wardrobe, coming toward her at a steady jog. She hadn't seen him in months!
"Heero!" she fairly squealed, running out to meet him. She had had a crush on her Perfect Soldier teammate since the moment they first met almost five years ago soon after they had been sent to Earth in the Gundams to fight for the Colonies. Admitted, that meeting had gone rather badly, ending up with Duo shooting Heero twice and then Heero almost killing himself in a suicidal blitz against the enemy. Duo had only pulled her gun on Heero because Heero had his own gun pointed at Relena Peacecraft's face, and was no doubt about to shoot. Duo had many times since snidely wished to herself that she had just let Heero blow that little bitch away.
Duo, always the touchy-feely American girl, threw her arms around Heero before she even realized it once they got to each other. Heero made a little sound of surprise and stiffened slightly. The Japanese man was quite the opposite of Duo, and didn't touch others often, especially not in this fashion. Before he could return the unexpected embrace, however, Duo realized what she was doing and pulled away. She turned around quickly, hoping Heero hadn't seen her rather prominent blush. She'd just thrown her arms around her biggest crush! And, here she was, blushing like a schoolgirl over it.
I must look like such a fool! she silently berated herself, feeling a flush of embarrassment. She peeked around at Heero once she was confident her blush had subsided—it took longer than she wanted it to, making her curse her pale complexion—and saw that he was staring at her, a slightly confused look on his face. To him, Duo was probably acting very strangely. Sure, the gutsy American was rather odd to begin with, but still…
"Um…would you like to come in?" she asked him. "How about some coffee? We haven't seen each other in months! We should catch up with things."
"Sure," Heero said, giving a little shrug of acceptance.
Two minutes later found them in the living room with Hilde, who was doing the day's crossword in the paper. Heero had insisted he fix his own coffee. He had had a bad experience with Duo's coffee in the past, and didn't want it repeated. He didn't really care for coffee that was sugared and milked to the consistency of jet fuel. Heero remembered with a slight smirk Wu Fei accidentally grabbing Duo's covered Styrofoam coffee cup instead of his own off the kitchen table of a safehouse they were in once. Heero had been in the other room, and distinctly remembering hearing Wu Fei choking on Duo's unique concoction and then giving off a very unhappy "Aaarrrgh!" Duo's coffee had ended up quickly and violently thrown in the garbage by the frazzled Chinese pilot, much to Duo's dismay, as the coffeepot was empty, and she had to fill it and wait for the new coffee to finish brewing.
When Duo and Heero sat down at the round table, Hilde greeted Heero, but then went back to her crossword.
"So, what are you doing around here?" Duo asked as she took a sip of coffee. "I thought you were down on Earth with Relena." She had admitted it to no one but herself and Hilde, but she was insanely jealous of the princess of the Peacecraft family. She had somehow managed to snag Heero for herself, judging by the fact that she and Heero always seemed to be near each other.
Heero sighed and brought his coffee cup to his lips for a drink. Duo caught herself watching every tiny little move, her eyes glued to his striking facial features and the strong hands that held the cup. She shook her head slightly and took a drink again, focusing on his answer, hoping he hadn't noticed her staring at him.
"I'm here to check out an apartment on the edge of the city not too far from this town that I'm interested in," Heero said. "The building's manager was pretty nice over the phone, and said I could move in as soon as I wanted if I was satisfied and decided to rent it. I just came from there, and I think I'll do just that."
Duo's heart fluttered. Heero is going to be living close by? she thought. "Why are you finding a new place to live? And, why did you pick this place?" she asked, trying to keep her sudden excitement hidden.
"Well…you're here, Duo," Heero answered, with only the slightest hesitation. "I felt like I should be near another of the Gundam pilots. I think you, Trowa, Quatre, and Wu Fei are really the only four people who understand me, to tell the truth."
Duo's heart jumped again. He picked me out of all of us?! "So, why did you decide to move in the first place?" she asked again. She saw Hilde give her a cheeky grin out of the corner of her eye, and shot a glare back at her. Hilde knew very well what Duo was thinking.
Heero sighed and rubbed his temples. He seemed exasperated about something. "In all honesty, I'm here to get away from Relena," he said, no small disgust tainting his voice. "That girl clings to me like wet seaweed. She seems determined to make me her boyfriend or something." He lowered his eyes to his cup as he took another drink.
Duo almost went into cardiac arrest. Heero and Relena aren't an item?! He wants to get away from her?! He chose to live near me instead?! Her mind was going at about a million miles an hour, and she fought to keep from blushing again. She shot another glare at Hilde when she realized that the blue-haired girl was having a hard time not laughing. Heero, who wasn't looking at Hilde, didn't notice this, but he did see through Duo's failed attempt to appear calm.
"Are you all right, Duo?" he asked, showing uncommon concern for another.
The phone rang. Hilde got up and answered it, though Duo would have loved to get away from the conversation for a few minutes. She just hadn't been quick enough. She and Heero sat in silence, Heero watching Duo with a curious look on his face, Duo trying hard to avoid his eyes without looking like she was avoiding his eyes. If she looked into those gorgeous cobalt depths, she just knew she'd start blushing and stammering like an idiot.
Hilde returned to the table. "Hey, you two, Ira just called, and he asked me to meet him at the café down the street. He said he didn't mind if you two come, too. He's paying." Ira was Hilde's boyfriend of seven months, and the two were a pretty tight pair. Duo was certain Ira would eventually ask Hilde to marry him, though they had been together less than a year, and she always teased Hilde about if they had set the wedding date yet or not. Hilde always got flustered, especially if there was a chance Ira would hear.
"Good idea," Heero responded before Duo could open her mouth. "Duo looks like she needs some air."
Duo felt like crawling under the table and dying. Heero was well aware of her anxious state. She hoped he hadn't guessed the cause.
Five minutes later, they had finished their coffee, and were walking down the road toward the French-style café three blocks from Duo and Hilde's place.
"This may sound paranoid," Heero was saying, "but I think Relena followed me here. I swear I saw her among a crowd yesterday not long after I arrived at this Colony's spaceport. I wouldn't be surprised if she had taken the shuttle directly after mine." He snorted. "She was following me around all over the place down on Earth, and now she's doing it up here in the Colonies. It's as if she thinks if she hangs around me long enough, I'll get to like her. It's more likely that I'll go to a law enforcement office and file a claim that she stalking me. The media would have a field day with that."
Duo and Hilde giggled. They could just see the headlines loudly announcing that the former Queen of the World was accused of stalking a former Gundam pilot. Relena's image as a public official would suffer from something like that. Duo would just love that to happen, and Hilde wasn't much more fond of Relena than Duo was.
They got to the café. There were as many tables out in front of the café as inside, and each table had an umbrella with the colors of the French flag: red, white, and blue. Incidentally, they were also the colors of Duo's country, which Duo claimed to be the best nation the world had ever seen. She was immensely proud of her American heritage, and displayed that pride with true Yankee spirit. Many people found it endearing, but many other people found it annoying. Duo didn't care about that. She had very little regard with what other people thought of her, and was oftentimes very vocal in stating that, if people didn't like her for being herself, they damn well better not try to change her to suit their view of what was good, and she wouldn't give a care that they didn't like her.
They wound their way through the outdoor tables to the one Ira was waiting at, and sat down. They picked up the menus that Ira had grabbed for them, and Hilde was waving a waiter over when Heero visibly stiffened and sucked in his breath through his teeth. Duo took in his taut muscles, and knew immediately that something was wrong. No one sat like that just for the heck of it. She followed his gaze and felt her hackles rise as well.
"I knew it!" Heero half-growled through his teeth, his fingers tightening on the menu. "She's followed me!"
Half a block away, Duo, Hilde, and Ira could see who Heero was staring at. Relena Peacecraft was walking down the road toward the café, and she looked like she was pretending to be just another tourist headed there for a bite to eat.
Heero jumped up from his chair, hoping she hadn't seen him. "I'm going into the café proper. If she asks, I'm not with you." Without another word, he raced into the café building, drawing curious stares from the other visitors. Duo couldn't see through the windows, as they reflected the outside quite well, but she got the feeling Heero was watching from somewhere near the open doors.
They picked up the menus again, and the waiter, who was standing a few feet away since Hilde waved him over, took their order. They were waiting for it to come (Duo ordered for Heero what he said he wanted before Relena was seen), when the person that had unintentionally chased Heero away entered the outdoor dining area and wound her way through the tables over to them.
"Hello, Duo," she said, smiling the smile that Duo wanted desperately to rip off her face. She always seemed like such a phony, and Duo just couldn't stand people like that. "Hello, Hilde. I don't believe I've met your friend before."
Hilde introduced Ira. Ira, who had taken in Heero's reaction to seeing Relena, as well as Duo and Hilde's restrained attitudes, made a point of not appearing too friendly. If he did, he'd probably catch hell for it from Duo later on.
"Is Heero with you?" Relena asked, looking disappointed that he wasn't at the table. "I thought he'd be here."
"No, he's not with us right now," Duo answered. It wasn't a lie. He certainly wasn't with them at the table at the moment. She looked Relena right in the eyes. She didn't feel like being subtle right now. "And, why would you think he'd be here with us, Relena? Have you been watching us? Are you following him around?"
Relena looked shocked. It was a full five seconds before she answered, and Duo struggled not to grin at catching her off guard.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Duo," Relena answered, putting on an air of slight confusion, as if she was innocent of tailing the man she wanted as her significant other against his wishes. "I just heard that Heero happened to be here at the same time I was, and I thought he might be with you. I saw you enter this café, and decided to come over to see if he was here, or if you'd seen him. Have you seen him?"
"Don't give me that crap, Relena," Duo said, and she realized she was on her feet in front of the Sanc Princess. "I bet you were following Heero around. Yes, I've seen him, I've even talked to him, and he told me why he was here. He wanted to get away from you! You're suffocating the poor guy, and he wants to find a place away from you to live in peace! Then, along you come, acting like being here too was all coincidental, and come to see him like an old buddy! Why don't you go back home and leave him be? It'll make everyone a lot happier." She suddenly brought her hand to her mouth in mock shock. "Oops! I'm sorry! It wouldn't make you very happy, would it?"
Relena was standing very still. She obviously wasn't used to people speaking to her like that.
She probably expects people to treat her like some kind of queen just because she's Relena Peacecraft, Duo thought with disgust. Little bitch.
Relena spoke. "I don't know what you're talking about, Duo," she said again. "And, I don't appreciate being told these things. Telling an untruth like that is very unbecoming, you know."
"Are you calling me a liar?!" Duo half-yelled. She didn't like that. She didn't like that at all. People were starting to stare, but she didn't care. Let them see Relena Peacecraft in a bitch-fight over a man. That'll certainly make her look good.
"If you told the truth, I wouldn't have to call you a liar, Duo," Relena replied.
"I am telling the truth!" Duo huffed indignantly. "What, you don't want to believe that Heero is avoiding you? You think that, because you are who you are, that you can follow him around like this and not just push him farther away? Like he'd eventually 'come to his senses' and say, 'Oh, Relena, how could I have been so blind as to ignore you all these years?' like a love-struck schoolboy? You have got to be kidding me! I can't believe you! Your ego makes Wu Fei's look tiny! And, at least he's doesn't strut around like a prize chicken at a fair! At least he treats others fairly enough!" She put on a ridiculous voice and a ditzy posture, saying, "Look at me! I'm Relena Peacecraft! Heero Yuy couldn't possibly resist me! Oh, he's just playing hard to get! I better follow him everywhere to keep an eye on him! Maybe the poor confused boy will realize he's fallen for me and we can live happily ever after like in the storybooks!"
Hilde had her head down on the table, trying desperately not to laugh too loudly. Ira, too, was finding this rather amusing.
Relena had a look on her face that could sour cheese. She drew her hand back and slapped Duo straight across the face, halting the rather unflattering impression.
"Hey!" Duo exclaimed, her hand up to her cheek. "What was that for?!"
"I don't appreciate—" Relena began, but Duo cut her off.
"What?" Duo asked, waving her hand as if Relena wasn't worth bothering with. "Can't admit that that's closer to the truth than that phony act you put on whenever people are watching? You're so pathetic, Relena. I can see through you better than if you were made of glass. Maybe, you should—"
The next thing she knew, Relena had quickly stepped forward and shoved her backward like an insulted grade-schooler in a playground spat. Duo stumbled, her arms flying out in an instinctive effort to regain her balance. She ran into her chair, which stood a few feet behind her, got her legs tangled in the chair's, fell backward, and…
CRACK!
Hilde and Ira, as well as several people around them, stood up quickly as they heard the crack and Duo's pained scream. Duo's left hand had instinctively stuck itself out when she fell, intending to break her fall, and she had landed squarely on the stiff appendage, which she was now clutching to her chest as she cried tears of very real pain.
"Duo!" both Hilde and Ira exclaimed, but they were drowned out from a much louder exclamation coming from the open café doors.
"RELENA!" a furious shout rang out, and all heads turned to see Heero Yuy himself standing in the doorway. His face was quickly turning an angry red, and his expression was absolutely livid. He ran over to Duo, Hilde, Ira, and Relena, his eyes promising extreme pain to any who blocked his way.
"He-Heero," Relena stammered, surprised at his sudden appearance. "I didn't know you were here!" She glanced down at Duo, who was still curled up on the pavement. "I-I didn't mean…it was—"
"Don't you dare tell me it was an accident, Relena," Heero warned as he knelt down to Duo, his tone very dangerous. "I saw you. You deliberately pushed her." He soothingly coaxed Duo to uncurl a bit, and his eyes widened slightly as he beheld the injury. About two and a half inches above her wrist, Duo's left arm was bent at an unnatural angle. A shard of bone poked slightly through the skin, and a thin stream of blood ran from the small puncture. No doubt about it. The bones were broken completely. Duo had landed harder than he had first thought.
"Shall I call a doctor, Sir?" a nearby waiter asked Heero. "Our local hospital is about four blocks that way." He pointed down the street to the southwest.
"Yes, call them, please," Heero said. "Tell them we'll be coming soon, and one of us has a badly broken arm."
The waiter walked quickly inside to a phone.
Heero gently picked a still tearful Duo up, holding her tightly to his chest, making sure her arm was as supported as possible, and gave Relena a look that would have dropped the former queen dead on the spot if looks could kill.
"If I ever find you following me again," he growled, "or you touch any more of my friends, or anything else of the like, I swear to you, I will go straight to court and sue you for stalking me and harassing my friends. I may not win, but think of all the bad press it will attract. I'm sure you don't want that to happen, you self-absorbed wench." He knew very well that the former Queen of the World cared about her public image more than almost anything else in the world.
Relena looked like a deer in headlights. When she was finally able to move, she spun on her heel and marched out of the café area.
Heero looked back to Hilde and Ira. "Why don't you two eat like you came here for, then meet us at the hospital?" he suggested. "Duo's not going to die anytime soon, and it'll be a while before she's completely bandaged up, anyway."
Without waiting for an answer, Heero then turned in the direction of the hospital and set off, going as quickly as he could without jarring Duo's injured arm.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was seven o'clock that evening by the time they finally got back to Duo and Hilde's apartment. Hilde had run back here several hours before and gotten the car, so Duo didn't have to walk back home, in case she was still a little drugged-up. Heero was with them, but they had dropped Ira home on the way here.
Duo was indeed still a little slow on the uptake when she attempted to plop herself down on the couch. Heero, however, was standing next to her and caught her before she could fall too far. He set her down gently so she wouldn't jar the newly established cast on her left arm.
The doctors had had to surgically refit the bones together, as the fracture was compound, and the bone had broken through the skin. Duo had been put under anesthesia for the surgery, not just the arm-numbing painkillers they had already shot into her, as she didn't want to watch them poke around in her own arm. Heero, who had set his own leg without painkillers soon after he and Duo first met, didn't have any trouble with watching, though. Duo's wrist had been badly twisted in the impact as well, so the cast was holding her arm still for two injuries instead of one.
After grabbing a sandwich and some milk, Hilde excused herself to her room. As she passed Duo—Heero had gone into the bathroom—she smirkily whispered into Duo's ear that she wanted to leave her alone with Heero. Duo had glared at her, attempted to slap her with her good arm, failed, and watched her roommate disappear down the short hallway.
Heero came out of the bathroom less than twenty seconds later. He sat down gingerly on the couch next to Duo, and was silent for a moment. Duo, whose mind was currently centered directly on the man next to her, was also silent. She didn't trust her voice to not be that of a nervous adolescent girl sweating under the stare of the coolest guy in school, who had just now shown her some attention. She half felt like that's exactly what she was, to tell the truth.
"So," Heero began, making Duo jump a bit, "are you feeling all right?"
"Uh-huh," Duo replied, hoping her voice was steady. Heero was sitting so close…so very, very close…
"You were in a lot of pain earlier," Heero continued. "I hope I didn't hurt you as I carried you to the hospital."
Duo blushed as he mentioned that. Though her arm had hurt like sin, she had had a warm-happy feeling the entire trip to the hospital. She had always dreamed of Heero holding her like that, showing concern for her like that…
She snapped out of it when his voice broke through her reverie.
"Duo?" he asked. "Did you hear me?"
"Oh! Yes," she replied. "No, Heero, you didn't hurt me."
"Good," Heero said, a slight smile on his face. He turned his gaze to the coffee table in front of them and stared at the cover of a magazine that was lying there.
Duo looked balefully at her cast and sighed. "Well, at least it was my left arm, so I can still write."
"Mm," Heero said. After a few minutes, he looked over to her again. "You seem agitated a little, Duo. You need to relax." He then stood up quickly. "I know something that might work." He left the room in the direction of the bathroom again. Duo didn't have time to wonder what he was doing when he returned, holding her hairbrush in his hand.
Duo blushed hard. "You want to brush my hair?"
"Yeah," Heero replied. "What? You don't want me to?"
"Oh, go ahead!" Duo said hastily. "I just didn't expect you to want to!" For the longest time, she had wanted badly to know what it would feel like to have Heero's hands in her hair, his fingers gently stroking through the strands, brushing against her scalp. He may only use the brush and not utilize his hands at all, but a girl could always hope, couldn't she?
He made her sit sideways on the couch and settled behind her. He picked up the end of her braid and released the hair from its binding, quickly and easily unraveling the long plait. He ran his hands through it a few times to make sure it was completely loose. Duo didn't care if he noticed the little thrill that shuddered through her at that touch.
"Will you be able to work all right with that arm?" Heero asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft as he pulled the brush through the long silky strands of Duo's incredibly long chestnut hair. He slid his fingers through it every few brushstrokes, and Duo felt her eyelids drop to half-mast. Shivery-warm sensations gently moved through her at his soft touch, and she felt more content than she had in a long time. Oh, the only thing that could make this experience better was a kiss from this very man that was just a few inches behind her. Duo cursed the sudden shyness that surged through her at that thought. She knew there was no way she would initiate something like that herself, and for all she knew, Heero just saw her as a friend that needed some comfort after an injury.
"Mm," she answered, not really giving an affirmative or negative answer. She had a question of her own. With a slightly cheeky edge to her voice, she asked, "Heero, do you always run your fingers through your hair when you brush it? You seem to enjoy doing so to mine."
Heero abruptly stopped, and was deadly silent for a full ten seconds. Duo was suddenly afraid she had said the wrong thing, and was just about to stammer out an apology when Heero sighed and spoke.
"Duo…" he began, and Duo could swear she heard a slight hesitation in his tone. Hesitation? From Heero Yuy? Impossible! "Duo," he said again, "I have something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time. I don't think I can keep it from you for much longer." His hand on her shoulder prompted her to turn around and look him in the eyes, and she felt her own widen as she looked into the crystal blue of his irises. This was obviously very important, judging from the intense look he was giving her.
"Yes…?" she said, and she couldn't keep the tremor from her voice this time. She blushed, and he continued in a halting manner.
"Well…you see…Duo…I…um…well, I…I have…for a long time, I've…" This was very unusual, coming from Heero Yuy. Duo had never seen him anywhere near this lost for words. If she hadn't been the one he was talking to, she would have had a good laugh over this.
"Yes…?" she said again. Butterflies of every shape and size were fluttering in her stomach.
Heero attempted again to speak, but his throat wouldn't work. It was too hard to speak. He had to show her instead. "Duo…" he whispered as he leaned forward, gently placing his hand on her cheek, and touched their lips together.
Duo squeaked in surprise, and Heero immediately drew back. His eyes were wide, as if shocked by his own actions. There stood a good chance that he was.
"I-I'm sorry!" he stuttered. He glanced around as if looking for something to help him out of his situation, and stopped cold when he saw the smile painted across Duo's face. "I…oh, Duo…I…"
Duo's smile widened. He was so cute like this! She opened her mouth to say something, but the words quickly left her mind as Heero groaned almost inaudibly, sliding his hands into her hair once again, and brought their lips together hard.
Duo gasped into the kiss, drawing his breath into her body. The unique taste of Heero Yuy clouded her senses, and she surrendered completely to his kiss, wrapping her good arm around his neck and pulling them as closely together as she dared.
The kiss was hot, demanding, and completely unexpected. Both of them were taken aback by its intensity, but neither was of a mind to stop it. Heero's lips parted, and he delighted in the way Duo jumped slightly as his tongue snaked out and gently nuzzled itself in between her lips, stealing its way inside. He slid deep, tasting her sweet and unique flavor with relish, savoring the feel of every fold, every ridge against his questing tongue. Her own tongue met with his, twining them together, engaging him in a sensual dance that she had only dreamed of experiencing since the moment she laid eyes on his lean and undeniably attractive form.
After an endless moment of his exquisitely aggressive ravishment of her lips, he drew back. He moaned as their lips separated, as if painfully forcing himself to release her. He pulled her to him in a firm embrace, and whispered five of the sweetest words she could ever hope to hear…
"I love you, Duo Maxwell."
She had the last reaction he expected. She burst out crying. He immediately drew away, his face flaming red with embarrassment.
"Oh, God!" he exclaimed. "Duo, I'm sorry! I squeezed too tight, didn't I? I hurt your arm! Jeez, how could I be so stupid—"
"It's not my arm!" Duo fairly wailed. "My arm's fine!" She threw her good arm around him and pulled them together again. "You love me! You really love me, Heero Yuy!" She dissolved into sobs again at her own words, crying pitifully against his shoulder. An ignorant passer-by would assume that Heero had just told her that her puppy had been run over.
Heero held her gently, relief coursing through his body. "Yes, Duo," he murmured into her ear. "I love you. I think I've loved you from the moment we first met. I don't know why it's taken me five years to tell you so." He cracked a wry grin. "Our first meeting was less than romantic, though, I must say."
Duo laughed brightly through her tears. Shooting someone was not a very good way to start a relationship, under any circumstances, and she had shot him no less than twice.
She tightened her grip. "I love you, Heero Yuy. I love you…I love you…"
Heero felt a warm-fuzzy feeling flood his senses at those soft words. In the back of his mind, he was almost aghast at how nice and concerned he was being. He was never like this! Not to anyone! But, then again, he had never admitted he loved anyone before, either. Perhaps this was a side of himself that he had just now discovered…
He tenderly maneuvered her so she was sitting on his lap, her good arm around his shoulders. She leaned her temple against the top of his head and fairly purred her contentment, her loose hair still falling freely down her back.
"Did I tell you you're my hero, Heero?" she asked, her finger stroking under his chin as with a cat. She grinned at her impromptu pun. "Saving me from the big, bad princess and all. Heero, my hero."
Heero smiled and nuzzled her hair. He gave her a squeeze, content to relax on the couch like this, cuddling chastely with his newfound love. It felt perfect…absolutely perfect.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Duo yawned and got out of bed. She stretched, flung her loose hair back over her shoulder, shrugged her robe on, then walked out of her bedroom into the hallway. It wasn't cold enough for slippers. The socks on her feet were enough. She walked into the bathroom for a drink of water, then headed for the living room.
As she walked past Heero's bedroom door, she noticed it was open and he wasn't in there. A small clink coming from the kitchen nook as he tossed a used spoon into the metal sink told her where he was. She rubbed her eyes, trying to make herself look a little less morning-faced, and walked out of the hallway and across the small living room to said kitchen nook.
"Good morning, Heero-love," she smiled, wrapping her arms around him from behind and giving him a tight squeeze. He set his coffee cup down on the counter, turned in her arms, and returned the embrace, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.
They'd been living together for three months now. Hilde had seen to that. Three months ago, she became Mrs. Ira Clickerton, and the newlyweds were currently renting a small house not too far from the scrap yard, with plans to buy it once they were financially stable enough to do so. Hilde was still co-owner of the tiny business with Duo; she just didn't live above the shop anymore. She had insisted that Heero move in with Duo so the braided girl didn't have to live all alone, and Heero had at first been reluctant. He had just moved into the apartment on the edge of the nearby city nine months before, and he initially didn't want to pack up and move again so soon. He had complied after a little convincing, which included a death threat from Hilde and Bambi-eyes from Duo.
We've been together a whole year, Duo thought. It felt like only yesterday she had found herself crying her eyes out in a startled Heero's arms, confessing to feeling the same way he had just owned up to feeling for her. Then again, it felt like they had known each other forever. Yes, they knew each other for five years before they admitted to loving each other, but it seemed like they had known each other for their entire lives. Duo had read somewhere that feelings of timeless familiarity are common between people who love each other very much.
Duo was exceedingly grateful this small apartment had two bedrooms. If she and Heero slept in the same room, even if it was two beds on opposite sides of the room, she didn't know just how far they would have taken the relationship. She would have been very hard-pressed to keep the promise to herself she had made when she was in her preteens. She had told Heero about her commitment to staying a virgin until her wedding night, and he respected that. But, if they had happened to sleep in the same room, she had a feeling that both of them would have "forgotten" that. Even simply kissing him could end up with both of them sweaty and breathless…having their beds in the same room may have proven a temptation too much to resist. It was no secret between them that they wanted each other badly, but having a solid wall between them every night helped keep their desires in check quite a bit.
Coffee and breakfast were consumed in near silence. Heero was never much of a talker anyway, and Duo was too tired in the morning before the caffeine (and the loads of sugar she added in) kicked in to open her mouth very often. Heero was already dressed—he was in the habit of dressing before breakfast—and the last thing Duo saw him do as she went back to her room to get dressed was unlock the door and go out to get the paper from the box for it by the front door of the shop.
She dressed quickly, choosing a pair of semi-tight jeans and a black long-sleeved T-shirt. When she got back out to the living room, Heero was back, and he had the front-page section of the Sunday paper spread out on the table. She stepped up behind him and looked over his shoulder to see what kind of news stories were deemed worthy enough for the front-page section, and was rewarded with an icy glare from Heero. It didn't matter who it was; he hated it when people read over his shoulder. She gave him a cheeky grin. She always teased him by intentionally aggravating his pet peeves.
He reached out and tangled his fingers in the hair next to her scalp—she always braided it so it was rather loose near the top, as she didn't want any hair-induced migraines (she was amazed Wu Fei could wear his hair like he did every day)—and pulled her head down to his level. She thought he was going to threaten her in some way, and so tried to pull away. He, though, had different ideas, and firmly pulled her to him, crushing his lips to hers.
She squeaked in surprise, but responded quickly to the kiss. It was hard and wet, and by the time he withdrew his tongue and released her hair, she was whimpering weakly against his bruising lips.
"Now, please let me read the paper in peace," he said, turning back away from her. "You got what you wanted, didn't you?"
"Hmph," she huffed, and rubbed her knuckles once against the back of his head. He got like this from time to time, so it was nothing to worry about. She just got annoyed when he took on this "I'm busy, go away" attitude. She grabbed the comics section and flopped down onto her back along the length of the couch.
Heero's step was so light, and she was holding the comics in such a way that she didn't notice that he had left his chair and was standing over her until he lowered himself onto the end of the couch farthest from her head. She looked at him in genuine surprise as he crawled up and settled over her, his weight half on her and half on the narrow strip of the couch cushions that she wasn't lying on.
He grabbed the comics section and haphazardly tossed it on the coffee table. Before she could protest, he took her face between his warm hands and latched their lips together. The kiss was tender, apologetic, and so sweet she felt tears pricking her eyes by the time he dragged his lips away and spoke.
"Duo," he began, "my dear, sweet Duo, I'm sorry. I was a little cold back there, wasn't I?"
"Oh, I don't mind," Duo replied. The kiss he had given her several minutes ago at the table had positively made her toes curl and the intimate parts of her body tingle strongly, craving his touch to spread to them.
"Are you sure?" Heero prodded. His lips were so close…it would be so easy for Duo to lift her head just a few tiny inches and steal another kiss.
"Uh-huh," she answered, reaching up and brushing an errant lock of medium-brown hair out of Heero's eyes. With his blue eyes and brown hair, and his skin on the pale side, he looked so un-Japanese. She figured he probably had some Caucasian genes somewhere in his ancestry, but there was really no point in asking. He himself may not even be sure.
"Good," Heero smiled, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. He sat up, pulling her with him, so they were kneeling facing each other on the couch. He tugged her hand, and she crawled forward into his lap, resting her cheek against his soft brown hair.
"I love you, Duo," he murmured into her ear. "Ai shiteru yo. Hontô ni."
From her experiences with him, the American girl knew he was saying something like, "I love you. Truly." She always giggled whenever he whispered endearments to her in his native tongue, and she didn't disappoint him this time. She turned her head so her face was pressed against his shoulder, and her shoulders shook slightly with repressed giggles. He knew she wasn't making fun of him, and so was not offended. He merely waited until she stopped giggling and looked back up into his eyes.
"I love you, too, Heero," she said, her eyes bright. The languages she was fluent in was American English (obviously) as well as Spanglish, as L2 Colony also had a large Mexican population. She had run with as many Mexican homeless as she had American homeless. She knew words like "hello," "goodbye," "yes," and "no" in several other languages, but that was about it. Oh, yes, and she learned some pretty creative curses in Japanese, Chinese, and French from listening to Heero, Wu Fei, and Trowa. Quatre didn't like cursing in either English or Arabic, so she hadn't picked up anything from him.
"Mm," Heero purred as he placed quick, soft kisses along her temple, cheek, jaw line, and then pressed their lips together once again. "So beautiful…I don't deserve a goddess such as you."
Duo blushed bright red. She was confident about her looks, and didn't want to change them for the world, but she still got embarrassed when someone told her she was pretty. Especially if it was the man holding her now. She hid her face from his piercingly blue eyes.
"I have something to ask you, Duo," Heero whispered into her ear. She felt his hand slip beneath her chin and turn her head so she was looking directly into the eyes she had just tried to avoid mere seconds ago. She gasped. The look in his eyes was so very, very intense. That combined with the achingly beautiful shade of blue that surrounded his pitch-black pupils made his eyes seem to burn right through to her soul, and she suddenly had the odd feeling she was about to swoon under his gaze.
"Y-yes…?" she stammered.
Heero leaned forward and touched their lips together briefly, then breathed into her delicate ear, "Marry me, Duo."
Duo stared at him, dumbfounded. This was probably the last thing she expected to happen today.
"I want you to marry me, Duo," he said again, looking deep into her eyes. There was something flashing in his blue depths that told her he was deadly sincere. "Please…I love you…I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"O-oh…Heero!" she suddenly managed to blurt out. She threw her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. "Oh, yes, Heero! You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to ask me that!"
Her lips were taken in a tender, loving kiss, and she immediately parted her lips to allow his slick tongue inside. As she moaned into the kiss and pressed herself firmly against him, she felt him take her left hand in his right, and something small, cold, and hard slipped onto her ring finger.
She broke away from the kiss and stared at her left hand. There, shining brightly on her ring finger, was a thin gold band, embellished with a single deep-violet stone, cut to perfect symmetry. An engagement ring.
"Amethyst," Heero explained, "to match your eyes. I went to four different jewelry stores to find exactly the right shade."
"Oh, Heero," Duo stuttered, tears filling her eyes. "You didn't have to do that for me!" She wound her arms around him again, happy tears flowing from her eyes as she pressed her face to his shoulder. His hands gently caressed soothing circles on her back as he whispered sweet nothings into her shell-like ear, switching randomly between English and Japanese.
"I wonder what Relena will think of this?" Heero mused aloud. Duo pulled back and wiped her tears away to see Heero looking at her with a mischievous smirk on his face.
Duo burst out laughing and squeezed her fiancé in a tight bear hug. He was right. What would she think of this?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Heero closed his eyes, breathing in the warm evening air, a smile sliding across his face. The woman in his arms stirred slightly as his chest heaved with the deep breath he drew in, and he let it out in a contented sigh. Today was without a doubt the best day either of them had ever experienced. He didn't know about Duo, but Heero felt like he was finally completely free of his life as a near-emotionless killing machine. He had never felt more human than he did at this moment. He had to admit that he liked the feeling.
He and his new wife were relaxing on a balcony of the small hotel they were staying the night in, watching the night descend. The wedding and reception were earlier that day, and tomorrow at noon, they were catching a flight down to Key West, Florida, for their honeymoon. It was a tiny little island, the farthest west of the Florida Keys. They were going to stay there for two weeks in a quaint little family-run inn that Duo had picked out after who knows how many hours of staring at the section for Key West in a Florida travel book. Both were looking forward to it, but Duo was especially excited. Heero knew just how much she had wanted a vacation in the tropics, and so had suggested they spend their honeymoon in the Keys.
Heero closed his eyes again as he remembered the goings-on of earlier in the day. It had been held in the local church, and most of the wedding procession had been made up of Duo and Hilde's numerous friends around town. Heero had commented after rehearsal the day before that it looked like Duo had asked the entire town to participate. She just gave him a little grin and didn't respond.
He had watched the guests arrive from a side door behind the pulpit, where he got a good view of the inside of the chapel, but he himself couldn't be easily seen. As he expected, Trowa and Catherine arrived together, as did Wu Fei and Sally, but had been quite surprised when he saw Quatre walk in with Dorothy hanging off his arm. Quatre and Dorothy together! They had both been invited, of course, but Heero had never expected them to arrive as a couple. Will wonders never cease…
For several minutes, Heero observed the guests in the chapel. He most remembered Quatre, though. The philanthropic blond was bubbling with excitement at seeing two of his best friends tie the knot, and he was easily one of the most animated ones there. As was common in many Arab cultures, he had hugged Wu Fei and Trowa upon seeing them, as none of the three had seen each other in a while, and though Trowa expected it and returned the friendly embrace with a smile, Wu Fei had been taken completely off guard. Heero had grinned when Wu Fei stiffened, visible even from were Heero watched more than thirty feet away. The decidedly reserved Chinese man apparently didn't know how to react, and Trowa, Catherine, Dorothy, Sally, and others who were watching laughed at his surprised expression, causing him to give them all his trademark scowl. Heero could just hear Wu Fei's chagrined thoughts about the 'injustice' at being put on the spot like that with no warning.
When Heero turned away from the chapel scene and return to the dressing room to get his dress jacket before the ceremony started, the last thing he heard was Quatre's curious voice asking, "Really? Heero can't see Duo in her wedding dress until she walks down the isle? How come?" The diminutive Muslim had never been to a Christian wedding before, and at the moment was being given a quick run-through of how it went, as well as all the little customary things that no one can remember how they started, from Catherine and Dorothy. There was the groom-can't-see-bride-in-her-dress-before-she-enters-church thing, the throwing of the bouquet and garter afterward to see who would be married next, the little rhyme of "Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue," the throwing of rice as the newlyweds walked out of the church, etc, etc…
Heero sighed as he remembered looking down the isle and seeing Duo appearing. The dress wasn't the fanciest thing in the world—Duo said she didn't want to feel suffocated, so she chose a wedding dress with a simple design—but that didn't matter. At that moment, she was the most gorgeous creature he had ever remembered seeing. His breath had almost literally left him at the sight.
In his memory, he had just taken her hands in his, and the minister had just begun the marriage service, when Duo's voice broke into his reverie.
"What are you thinking about, Love?" she asked. Heero opened his eyes and realized it was getting quite dark out.
"I'm just remembering today," he replied, sliding his fingers into her hair and massaging her scalp. "Today was the most perfect day of my life, Koibito."
Duo grinned at the Japanese word for "sweetheart." She squirmed up in his embrace until they were eye-to-eye. "It's not perfect yet, Heero-love," she purred with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. She pressed her lips to his, but pulled back before he could really respond. "Mmm…want to start the wedding night, my dear husband?" she breathed into his ear, and he felt himself flush with sudden, undeniable desire for the woman who was at this moment plastered all over him like her life depended on it.
Before he could give a reply, she had pushed herself up off him and walked back through the balcony doors into the hotel room. He sat there a moment, staring up at the stars, then jumped up out of the lawn chair himself. He reentered the hotel room, closed and locked the balcony doors, and drew the curtains closed.
As he climbed onto the bed and into her embrace, he was flooded with a soul-deep love and passion for this nearly divine woman currently trapped between his body and the bed, and he felt a sudden urge to weep.
Oh, yes, he thought, finally giving in to the need to make Duo truly his. This…this is what I've been waiting for all my life!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Duo awoke to the strange yet thoroughly welcome sensation of sleeping nestled in another's arms. The feel of both of them completely naked, as well as Heero's almost possessive embrace, brought back memories of the previous night, and she felt a surge of happiness unlike any she had felt before. Their first night together…
She glanced over at the digital clock by the bedside. The alarm was set to go off at eight o'clock. That was ten minutes from now. She reached over and turned it off. She was wide-awake, and could rouse Heero when the time came.
She gazed at her sleeping husband tenderly, content at the moment to just watch him sleep. He was so very, very beautiful…as beautiful as he kept telling Duo she was, even though she thought she couldn't hold a candle to the Japanese man that she had shared her bed with…and would share her bed with for as long as they both shall live.
She was thirsty. She was always thirsty when she woke up. As gently as she could, so as to not wake him, she disengaged Heero's arms from around her, padded over to the bathroom, uncaring of her lack of clothes, as the curtains were shut, and got a drink of water from the sink. She sighed. Water, unless it was hard water, always tasted so good first thing in the morning.
She heard a groan come from the bed, and quickly set the cup down and reentered the main part of the room. Heero, still asleep, was twitching and shivering, as if from cold. His hands were blindly groping at the sheets, and she knew he was looking for her. He missed her even in his sleep.
"Duo…" he breathed. His brow was furrowed in what appeared to be agitation, and his voice sounded worried, even slightly desperate.
Duo wasted no time in climbing back in bed and lying back down next to her love. But, before she was even completely lying down, his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her tightly against his lean, muscular frame. At the same time, he rolled, pinning her down underneath him, as if afraid of letting her go again. She gave an "eep!" of surprise, and instinctively wrapped her arms around him as well.
"Duo…" he murmured again, then lay still. He was still asleep. Perhaps he had come partway awake for a few seconds, but he was again sound asleep in her arms.
She gently kissed his ear. "I love you, Heero Yuy."
Yuy. Duo Yuy. Mrs. Heero Yuy. She had been waiting for what seemed like eternity to be known as that, and now she was. She giggled girlishly.
"What's so funny?" a sleepy voice asked from right beside her ear, making her jump. She turned her head and stared into two cobalt blue eyes. Her husband was awake.
"Oh, nothing," she replied, and giggled again when he nuzzled her neck. She purred like a happy kitten when he gently nibbled down to her shoulder, soothing over the tender love bites with his rough-smooth tongue.
"My wife," he murmured against her skin. "Oh, my dear, sweet, lovely wife…my Duo." He was softly rubbing his hands along her upper arms, and she was sorely tempted to let him take her again, like he had so passionately last night, but she glanced at the clock again, and decided they better get up, despite her body's protests.
"Nuh-uh, Heero-love," she gently chided, grabbing his wandering hand as it slid down her flat belly. "Our flight leaves at noon. We should get up and get ready so we can be at the spaceport in due time."
Heero growled low in his throat and stayed where he was. It was as if he was saying, "Flight schedules be damned…I intend to take what is mine."
"C'mon, get up," she said, a little more forcefully, giving his shoulder a light shove to underline her words. Heero still didn't move. She sighed. Men! she thought exasperatedly. All they seem to think about is food and sex! "Heero-love," she said aloud, "we are going to have two weeks to each other once we get down to Key West. If you want, we could spend the entire first day or two locked up our room together, barely even setting foot out of bed. Sound good?" She felt like she was bargaining with a stubborn child. Heero finally rolled off her, though he seemed to do so reluctantly. However, the offer Duo had just thrown at him was a little too delicious to refuse.
"I'll hold you to that," he warned. Duo, though, had every intention of keeping that promise, giving Heero really no need to hold her to it.
"Good," she said, sitting up. "Now, since my hair takes longer to dry than yours, I get the shower first." Without another word, she jumped off the bed and darted into the bathroom. She adored hot showers.
Heero watched the bathroom door from where he lay on the bed. Duo had failed to completely close the door. It was open just the slightest bit. From the angle he was at, he couldn't see inside at all, but he could hear everything as clearly as if he was in the same room. The water started a few minutes after she had disappeared through the door, and he heard the shower curtain being pulled into place.
"Duo…" he said to himself. That name tasted so sweet as it left his lips, and he closed his eyes, remembering how much sweeter his dear wife's kiss was, pressed up against his lips, their saliva mingling. There was no denying it. His physical need for her was almost equal to his spiritual need for her, which shocked him, as his spiritual need was very high indeed. He grinned naughtily. A sudden idea had formed in his head, and neither bargaining nor threatening was going to deter him from it.
Duo squawked in surprise when the shower curtain was suddenly ripped back. She hadn't heard the door open! But, then again, she had a habit of forgetting to close it all the way. A very naked Heero stood there, a hungry look in his eyes and a quite noticeable tenseness in his muscles.
Duo stood paralyzed for a moment, not knowing what to do or say, when she suddenly reached out and yanked Heero into the shower with her. He pressed her up against the tile wall and latched his lips and teeth against the soft skin of her neck.
"Well," Duo gasped, suddenly hot both inside and out, "I guess we have time for a quick shower together, eh?"
Heero made no response.
OwariAuthor's Notes: Whew. This got really long. It's my longest one-shot fic yet. So, did you all like me making Duo a girl? I so hope you did! I wanted to write a 1x2 fic that was unique from the zillions already out there, and I hope I succeeded. I know Katie is a lot more likely to read this than the ones where Duo's a guy. She'd rather avoid yaoi if she can. What a shame. *sigh* Anyway, please let me know how you liked this! Either leave a review or drop me a line at mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!
Oh, I put some details from my own life in this fic. My mother, Leslie, used to always, always get letters from Reader's Digest with "Mr." in front of her name. It was a little odd that they did that, because most people I've met assume that someone named "Leslie" is a girl, not a guy. Still, that little thing about the letter addresses at the beginning of the fic I got from real life. Also, when my sister got married, she and her husband had their honeymoon in Key West, Florida, just like I had Heero and Duo do in this fic. It sounds like a cool place to take a honeymoon, so I couldn't resist.