Virgil accepted he wasn't the ideal confidante when it came to matters of the heart. Memories of Richie and awkward conversations about sexuality usually kept him from prying into others' intimate affairs. Especially Frieda's, though that was more for his own sake than hers.

Still, he was having a hard time standing watch as Eduardo sat stiffly on the couch, arms crossed and eyes shooting daggers into the television. It wasn't necessarily unusual, as within the last month or so Virgil learned he was prone to such brash, temperamental behavior. But this time...this time was different. And he had a small, sickening feeling prickling against his chest that it involved their two absent friends.

Who were alone. Together. Somewhere. At this precise moment. Because -

"Asami?" Tye asked, his voice close to cracking, "Could we - uh - "

"Tye-kun?" she tilted her head, "Nani?"

"Oh, I know that one, it means what! Yeah, um..." Tye's eyes darted back to Virgil, almost pleading with him to help.

Virgil shrugged, resisting the urge to laugh. What he would give to call up Richie or Frieda right now and gossip over his new companion and his attempts to court Sam. The guy was subtle, he'd give him that, but man did he have it bad.

Tye scowled at Virgil's response and gulped before turning his attention back to Asami, her brows creased in confusion, "Uh, so, Asami, can we...what's that word...um, hanashi...hitori de?"

Asami smiled at the familiar words (though Virgil was eighty-five percent sure it wasn't used properly. If Frieda was here, she would've known. She knew everything) and nodded, "Hai, ikimashou!"

She motioned towards the door, grabbing a hold of Tye's arm and dragging him out to the hallway. Well, that was a surprise. Tye was usually the one to direct. Maybe she knew exactly what the Big Man wanted to talk about...

Virgil smiled and waved as they exited the apartment, snorting at the look of horror spreading across Tye's face. He didn't seem like the type to get this worked up over confessing to a girl.

Then again, Virgil never asked.

"I'm going to watch TV," Virgil jumped at Eduardo's voice. He looked up and sure enough, Eduardo stormed past him and went into the living room, a grimace tugging at his lips.

There he'd sat. For almost an hour.

Virgil sighed and took his leave from the kitchen. This could prove to be difficult. Eduardo was nothing like Richie and their conversations never actually involved discussing this...

"Hey, Ed," he called from behind the couch, "What'cha watching?"

"What does it look like I'm watching?" he snapped, his hands curling into fists. "It's futbol."

"Don't you mean soccer?" Virgil smirked as he plopped next to him. His words earned him a glare. He chuckled a little before continuing, "Alright, alright! It's football!"

Eduardo nodded and turned his attention back to the TV. Well, so much for the indirect approach.

Well, it'll only be worse if I wait, he thought.

Nodding his head, Virgil put his hand on Eduardo's shoulder, "Hey...you want to talk about it?"

His friend scowled, "Talk about what? If you can't tell, I'm a little busy at the moment."

Oh yeah, brooding and snarling at a TV sure sounds challenging. Despite his thoughts, Virgil slipped on a reassuring smile and squeezed his shoulder, "Dude, c'mon."

"Oh, you mean talk about the two lovebirds?" Eduardo sneered, "Yeah, no gracias."

"Ed, I am not about to let you wallow over here like some 90s hearthrob in a chick flick," he said, "Seriously, talk to me. I'm your friend."

Eduardo took a deep breath, leaning into the couch, "Fine. You want to talk about our feelings and problems like a good little team leader, then fine. You win,"

Before he could protest that he wasn't their leader yet (Lex had hinted at it in press conferences but nothing had been confirmed with them), Eduardo continued, nails raking into his skin, "It's just...ugh! It was so obvious before and I can't believe I couldn't see it! Hell, Mercy notices it! The looks, the touching...I just thought that Tye was being supportive, but now...it's too late for me to do anything."

Virgil frowned, "You're probably going to hate me for saying this, but I definitely know how you feel. I have a friend back home, Frieda, and I like her a lot, but she doesn't even beat an eyelash at me. I can't tell if she's really that oblivious or just avoiding the issue. I wish she'd tell me off or something so I can move on."

"I wouldn't recommend that," Eduardo said softly and Virgil was surprised at the hurt flickering across his eyes, "That just leads to more pain."

"How would you know that?" Virgil asked despite himself.

"There was this girl I knew before I ran away," Eduardo started, "I met her at a downtown festival after I had a run-in with a gang. I was alone and if I wasn't so quick, I probably would have lost a finger or two. I was bleeding in an alleyway, I blinked and then...I'd never seen hair so fair."

Eduardo's head turned towards the ceiling, and his eyes clouded over in memories, "She was so beautiful...we were inseparable after that. I couldn't think of anything else. I actually could bare Argentina with her. I was so sure she'd be with me for the rest of my life."

Virgil wanted to protest; ask him how, at the age of fifteen, he felt so sure about spending his life with another person. But then Frieda flashed across his mind and he bit his lip. Yeah, who was he kidding. He was just as bad.

"So...what happened next?" he asked instead.

"There was a drive-by near her apartment complex," his voice broke and Virgil could tell he was doing his best not to cry, "I was in the apartment with her mother and younger brother. She said she was going to the store. I offered to come along, but she said she wanted to surprise me with something. She laughed...I remember it so clearly. Sometime passed and then we heard the gunshots. I raced down the stairs and - "

He stopped and shut his eyes, fingers digging into his arm, "There she was. Lying flat on the concrete beside another man. She was shot in the chest and stomach...all I could do was hold her hand and watch her die. And even then, she smiled and handed me my present. It was a book called El Dorado. She'd always thought it was funny that my last name was Dorado. 'Maybe your destined to find it' she'd say. The paramedics came, but it was too late. She passed away right after she thanked me for the wonderful dream...I cried like a baby, I didn't know what else to do. I wanted to disappear right there and then."

"So, your powers..." Virgil trailed, unsure of what to say. What was there to say? Life in Dakota City could be hard and harsh, but he'd never seen someone die in front of him.

"My father doesn't know about her," Eduardo replied, "The Zeta Tech is probably another factor, but I spent months after her death wishing I could be anywhere but there. To find El Dorado just like she teased me about. So, a few months ago, I got fed up with wishing and decided to do. She would have been proud.

"And then when everything happened on the Reach ship...you know what was the first thing I saw? Sam, shaking me to awake, yelling at me in Japanese. It wasn't exactly the same, but deja vu just hit me. For a moment...I thought she was Julia."

"That was her name?"

Eduardo nodded, "Yes, it was."

Neither one spoke for a few minutes, the soccer match on the screen tuning in and out through their thoughts. Virgil stared at the floor, hands against his knees. There was only so much he could say, do after that.

"I'm..." Virgil started, "I'm sorry that that happened to you. To Julia. I really am. I'm...I'm sorry, I don't know what else to say..."

"It's alright," Eduardo said, "It happened over two years ago. Still hurts, but I know Julia wouldn't want me to be suffer and stay miserable. That's why I thought my feelings for Sam were some way to help me finally move on. But now that I know she doesn't feel the same way, I just feel like a chump."

"Hey, you're not a chump," Virgil quickly put his hand back on his shoulder. It always worked with Richie, "It's just...well, Tye and Asami found each other first. It has nothing to do with you. They both think you're an amazing friend and would do anything for you. Trust me on this."

Eduardo turned towards him, a small smile stretching across his lips, "Yeah, I'll try. It can be just hard at times. I've never dealt with rejection like this before."

"Don't worry, dude, you'll find your valentine one day," Virgil reassured.

"Is that how you think of Frieda?" Eduardo snickered, "As your valentine?"

Virgil blushed and drew back from him, "H-hey! I think it's cute, okay!"

"Yeah, I guess," Eduardo chuckled. "And Virgil? Thanks."

"Anytime," Virgil smiled back, "And I mean it. If you ever want to talk about...you know...or your dad or Sam or Tye or Lex or - "

Eduardo hit him on the shoulder, "Okay, I get it. Jeez."

Laughing, Virgil picked up the remote, "So, while we wait for their inevitable return, you want to watch some basketball? I forgot the the first game of the Finals is tonight!"

"Why would I watch basketball? It's stupid."

"Oh little man, you do not want to go there."

"What? It lacks the finesse and endurance of futbol. We both know which is the superior sport."

"Soccer is boring! All you do is kick around a ball on a field for two hours. Nothing happens."

For the next half hour, Eduardo and Virgil argued over their respective sports. Their "debate" was so heated they failed to notice Tye and Asami entering the apartment hand-in-hand, both smiling and giggling like idiots. They decided to not intervene in the discussion and quietly snuck into Asami's room, oblivious to the conversation that occurred beforehand. There would be plenty of time to catch up later.

And for all four, the ache that had been there hours before subsided.

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Well, at least I ended it somewhat happy for once in my life...

Also, yes, Eduardo's back story is almost entirely a mythology gag to Spike and Julia's love story from Cowboy Bebop sans the affair. I just had to. It's my headcanon from now on.

Alright, off to write the next one~