Disclaimers: Gundam Wing is not mine by a long shot. Makes me pout a lot more than I normally do.

Author's Note: This is the first fic that I've done with Duo and Hilde as a couple, as well as the first Gundam Wing fic I've written in three years and the first non-yaoi. This story is right after the Maremeia stunt goes down. It's an idea that I've been mulling over for a little while now and finally decided to put into words. Even for those Yaoi-lovers out there, I think this fic is definitely tolerable and worth reading. Fluffy and pretty.

Belong

Rain and sleet had settled in over the entire colony, making it impossible for Hilde to work out in the scrap yard. Maybe it's just as well, she thought. I haven't taken a day off in over three weeks, after all.

She sat down on the couch in the living room and sighed. It was so strange not to be doing anything. Usually she was always busy and moving around, but today there were no extra chores that she had to take care of, no customers that she had to follow up on, and no indoor repairs. Hell, even her laundry was all done – she'd washed everything yesterday.

The room was clean and small, but most importantly, it was warm. It was cozy and it was the place she knew that she belonged, the place that made her feel safe no matter what was going on in the outside world.

Thunder crashed up above, making her flinch and her heart beat a little faster than was usual. She turned on the TV and watched for a while. Becoming restless, she stood and went into the kitchen, taking an apple and peeling it with her pocket knife. After she finished the apple, including the core – her friends had always told her she was weird, but really, she didn't like to waste anything – she washed her hands and continued watching the old movie that was being transmitted through her screen.

The wind outside howled, and the fake greenery strained in the gale. The sky became extremely dark, but Hilde took no notice.

On the couch she was comfortable and unafraid of the outside world. She was content in her domain.

Suddenly, the TV screen went blank, and all the lights in her house went out, as if some unseen force had commanded it. She flinched again, but quickly shrugged it off as she moved back into the kitchen to find some candles to light. The lights flickered again, and then went back on, leaving Hilde mildly relieved.

A pounding at the door made Hilde jump for the third, and what she promised herself would be the last, time. It was deep and desperate, and she was reluctant to go and open the door. It could be no one that she knew – all of her friends were currently residing on other colonies, and she knew that no customers would have come here on such a stormy day.

She pulled her gun out of its hiding place in the kitchen drawer and held it behind her as she approached the front door. She reached out a hand and cautiously twisted the door handle, cracking the door enough that she could see the hooded figure on her doorstep. It took a step forward and reached to push the door open.

"Stop!" Hilde commanded, bringing the gun to bear on the form in front of her. "What do you want with me?" she asked, her voice shaking. She knew that the fact that she had previously helped Gundam pilots could have put her on someone's black list, even though Maremeia's little "war" had ended quite a few months ago.

The figure in front of her put his hands up into the air. "Wow. Talk about a warm welcome," a familiar voice observed sarcastically.

Shock registered on Hilde's face as recognition washed over her. "D-Duo?" she asked, unbelieving.

"The one and the same," came the unusually grim reply. "Can I come in?"

Hilde lowered her gun and nodded, stepping aside for her soaking friend to pass through the doorway.

"Duo," she whispered as she closed the door to face him, "I thought I'd never see you again. I thought that..." her voice trailed off as he took his hood off and she saw the face underneath. It was so...serious. Dead of emotion. Or maybe just tired.

Hilde lowered her head, and Duo took in the sight before him. She's grown up, he mused. He noted that she'd gotten a little taller, and her form had definitely "filled out", for lack of a better term. She was lean and toned. Her hair fell well below her breasts and was wavier than he remembered, but not in a messy way. It fell perfectly around her face – that face, the one that reminded him of an angel. She was wearing a small white t-shirt with a hoodie over it and a pair of tight jeans instead of the regular work clothes that he was accustomed to seeing her in. He noted that her socks were fluffy and dark purple, and suppressed a smile.

Hilde wavered under Duo's gaze. It was like staring into the eyes of a completely different person. He'd changed – he was more muscular and a little taller than she was now. His face, however, remained the same, as did the trademark braid. A drop of water falling from the braid fascinated her for a moment, and it seemed to take an eternity to fall to the floor. Its impact on the floor moved something in Hilde, and she hastily broke the silence.

"Duo...you're soaking wet," she said softly, her voice wrought with concern. "Go take a shower. You must be freezing."

Duo nodded. "Okay," he said simply. He was overjoyed at seeing Hilde again, and was having trouble hiding it, but he hadn't wanted to break the moment. For once, he needed to be quiet and merely observe what was happening. It was all too important for him to joke at this point.

As he made his way toward the bathroom, Hilde called out, "I think you left some of your old clothes here, so I'll bring them in for you. I'll grab a towel for you as well." She paused before continuing. "Use the hairdryer on your hair if you like, and there's a spare toothbrush under the sink, I think." I sound like a mother hen, she thought to herself.

Duo nodded to himself as he closed the bathroom door. She was so cute when she was concerned about someone. He undressed and turned on the shower, testing it with his hand until he deemed it warm enough to use for bathing. Once under the pounding spray, he found himself relaxing a little bit. He began to wash his hair using some of Hilde's shampoo. He found the scent intriguing. It was a smell he was familiar with...it smelled oddly like home to him, but he couldn't really put his finger on why. He basked in the feeling as he rinsed his hair and then began to run conditioner through it.

Immersed in his thoughts, he barely took notice when Hilde entered the bathroom and placed a clean set of clothes on the toilet seat, along with a towel. She said nothing, merely noting the steam rising from behind the shower curtain.

She closed the door softly behind her and returned to the couch. Turning off the TV, she began to wonder what Duo was doing here after so long. Why here? she asked herself. Of all places, why this one? What is so special about this colony? What's so special about me?

She heard the shower stop and a few minutes later, the hair dryer turned on. Hilde closed her eyes and waited. She'd waited for him for a long time; she could wait a little longer. She tried to remember the last time he'd left. It'd been a while. It hadn't been the same around the scrapyard without someone there to make jokes with, and tell stories to. It hadn't been the same with anyone else, because Duo made her feel safe and secure and important, and she knew she could trust him.

Hilde lay, remembering how it had been last time they'd met. She was so absorbed that she didn't notice the hairdryer had been turned off until she heard the sound of a toothbrush scrubbing vigorously away. He would be out soon. He was probably hungry.

She called back to Duo. "Are you hungry? I could whip something up for the both of us," she offered, even though her appetite was well under control.

"No thanks, babe, I already ate. But if it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd sure appreciate a cup of coffee. You know. To get my blood flowing again." His voice sounded more natural now, like his old self, which was sort of a relief.

Hilde nodded, knowing that Duo would take her silence as a yes, and got the coffee pot ready for action. A few minutes later it was bubbling merrily away as it produced the miracle liquid depended upon by millions.

Hilde stood leaning with her elbows in the counter, her chin resting in her cupped hands and her brilliant eyes fixated on the coffee pot.

Duo entered the room in a pair of loose jeans and large black t-shirt and sat at the table, his hair braided again, but much more loosely than before and only until about halfway down. Hilde looked up as she heard one of the chairs scrape gently across the floor and grinned. Duo smiled back faintly.

He's nervous about something, Hilde decided. She knew he would tell her in good time. She just had to wait it out. She stood and took a mug from one of the kitchen cupboards, placing three spoonfuls of sugar into it and a dash of milk from the fridge. Just how Duo liked it. Once the coffee pot was finished, she poured him a cup of the steaming liquid and motioned for him to follow her back into the adjoined living room.

He sat on the couch bedside her, clutching his cup of coffee. With one gulp, he finished off half of the contents and placed it on top of a magazine which lay on the small table in front of him.

He leaned back and eyed Hilde for a moment before speaking.

"How have you been?" I've missed you.

She nodded. "Good." I've been lonely.

Nervously, Duo picked up his coffee cup again and took another hesitant sip before draining the cup. It was now or never.

"What did you mean when you said you thought you'd never see me again?"

Wind howled outside the house and rain smacked against the windows, but all of this had retreated into white noise and Hilde focused her attention on Duo. "I..." She paused, unsure.

Duo shifted closer and put a hand on Hilde's shoulder. "You what? Thought I wasn't coming back?"

Hilde's downcast eyes made it harder for him to see the moisture gathering in them. He lifted her chin with one finger, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"You know that's not true, Hilde. There's never been a day I didn't think of you, or visit you in my mind. I missed you like hell." He paused, almost choking on his own breath.

"Then...why did you only come back now?" Hilde asked hesitantly.

Duo sighed softly and ran a hand over her hair, marveling at how soft it was. "I was lost. After the war ended, I had nowhere to go. The rest of the guys did. I wasn't really sure what to do. So I tried to muddle through everything on my own, and find a niche in life. Then, when that little brat tried to start up something else and we stopped her, I realized that I'd been happy to have the chance to fight again."

Hilde gazed at him for one long moment. Thunder shook overhead, and suddenly, all the lights went out. This time, they did not come back on.

It made no difference though. Hilde reached forward and lit the candle on the coffee table with a packet of matches she kept for such an event. Hilde returned her attention to the braided pilot in front of her. "Fight again," she murmured. "Is that all you want?"

Duo shook his head and smiled nervously. "No, it isn't, and I realize that now. I want my own place, somewhere I can belong, and fighting made me feel like I had that. And then, when the last war ended...well...I wasn't sure where to go. I decided to follow my heart. So here I am." He looked down at his hands and remained silent. The candle flame flickered and played across the many shadows on Duo Maxwell's face.

Hilde suddenly knew what he'd gone through – she'd gone through the same thing. So many sleepless nights, so many times she'd felt alone, all the misery that had somehow turned to rage inside of her and then into depression. It was over, now, at least for her. She had survived the storm of emotions that had brewed inside of her for so long. But she could not stand to see Duo go through the same thing.

She leaned forward cautiously and reached her hands out toward his shoulders. She grasped him lightly, and pulled him back toward her until they were both laying down. She hugged him tightly and felt his arms circle her tentatively. "You have a place here, Duo," she whispered into his ear. "You'll always have a place here."

His violet eyes looked into hers as they welled up with the slightest of tears and he ran a finger across her cheek.

"Hilde..." his voice trailed off as he leaned down and kissed her, oh so softly, on her pale, smooth, pink lips. She melted under his touch and they parted, staring at each other for a moment until Hilde stretched her neck up toward Duo and kissed him back. Their tongues tangled together for a long, sweet moment, until they parted yet again for air.

The next kiss was more intense and Duo's grip around Hilde tightened. Hilde ran her hands over Duo's muscular arms and Duo began to rise, picking her up and taking her with him into the bedroom. He never stopped kissing her, even when he laid her down on the bed and positioned himself over her.

He began to kiss her neck and she closed her eyes in anticipation, stroking his ams and his chest as they hovered above her.

Duo took off his shirt and slowly began to ease Hilde out of hers until she was left wearing only her bra. She began to slip this off, still kissing Duo as she worked, and soon she lay before him, the top of her body naked.

He paused to catch his breath, his arms shaking, from supporting his own weight or from his own excitement Hilde could not tell. He gazed longingly into her face and ran his eyes over the sight before him. "You're beautiful," he whispered, and she knew that he meant it.

Her response was to kiss the inside of his forearm lightly, and begin to make a trail of kisses, up through the inside of his elbow, around his shoulder, past his collar bone and to his soft, inviting lips.

Then they stopped kissing for a moment and just held each other. Hilde clung on tight, and Duo held her firmly, but also as tenderly as if he were afraid that she might break if he squeezed her too tightly.

He broke the silence in a whispered voice. "What did you really mean when you said you thought you'd never see me again?"

She rested her nose in the hollow of his throat. "I thought you weren't coming back. I thought that you'd..." She paused.

Duo kissed her forehead ever so gently. "Thought that what?"

He voice came out so softly that if he hadn't been hanging on every word, he would 't have heard her at all.

"I thought that you'd forgotten me."

Duo froze. Using one hand, he pulled her face toward his and shook it gently but firmly as he said, "I never forgot you. Ever." He kissed her deeply, on the lips, and ran his hands down across her porcelain smooth skin. His eyes softened as he made contact with her light blue orbs once again. "I could never forget you. Not you..."

Hilde closed her eyes and let herself succumb to her need for him...her need for closeness. For his touch, his love. For him.

Duo took her gently. He could 't help but think that he'd never laid eyes on a more perfect being. Almost too perfect to be human, he thought. He knew where he belonged.

He belonged here.

He belonged. With the rain and the cold tile floor, and the scraps in the backyard rusting together. With the scent of coffee, slightly burnt and the wisps of smoke from a match struck to light a candle in a dark room. With the shampoo that she used and that he had shared for this day. With the bed they both lay in, the sheets sticky with sweat and the sweet smell of love, and the windows, foggy with the mist from their combined breath.

He belonged.

Once finished, they both lay there for a long time, hands and limbs and hair entwined, breathing and drinking from each other's rhythm.

It was now dark outside, and the sound of rain on the rooftop was now steady rather than fierce.

Hilde looked at him in the darkness, straining to see him staring back at her.

"Will you stay?" she asked simply.

He cupped her cheek with one hand.

"Of course I will."

She smiled to herself and hugged him close, finally giving in to the sleep that was tugging at her eyelids. Duo watched her fall asleep until he could keep his eyes open no longer.

Soon the room was silent, but for the soft breathing of those who belonged.