Confession

By mistress amethyst une

He couldn't tell her she was wrong. He didn't know why. Was it the way she smiled? Or how she laughed instead of scolding him whenever he did something stupid? Maybe it was the fact that she was paying all the bills, letting him live under her roof and feeding him to boot... Yeah, that was it.

Hilde Schbeiker was a cheerful girl with short, dark hair and obsidian eyes to match. A tomboyish fairy, he liked to think. He was of the same temperament. Full of smiles and with a braid of dark brown hair behind him, his eyes were a shade of blue that bordered on indigo. He knew that she considered him her comrade in anything and everything. His name was Duo Maxwell and, God help him, he just couldn't tell her she was wrong.

He tried to dig for courage within himself. All he had to say was, "Hilde, you were wrong."

Still he couldn't...

"You left me," she said, "I wanted to help. I know I wasn't needed but-"

He wanted to tell her to shut up but could only raise his hand as a gesture to silence her. He was seated on a stool by her bed. She was heavily bandaged from her foray into battle.

"You shouldn't have. You should have stayed home," he said.

"And let you have all the fun?"

"Fun?" he said with an edge of annoyance to his tone, "Getting beat up is fun? The battlefield is no place-"

She interrupted, "Don't you dare tell me the battlefield is no place for a girl! I'm as much a soldier as you are!"

"I wasn't going to say that."

"Oh yes you were. What did you expect me to do, Duo? To stay at home and wait for you?"

"Yes! At least you'd be safe!"

"I'm in charge of myself and I'll do what I want!"

"Stubborn! You're so stubborn!"

She was silent and stared at him. Absentmindedly, she brought her hand up to caress his cheek, "Why are you pale?"

"Blood has to come from somewhere, Hilde. You lost a lot and I was the only one aboard with the same blood type..."

"Hm... Thanks."

She was visibly troubled.

"Duo," she said, "What I did- I know I shouldn't have but I wanted to. Do you understand? I couldn't stay home. It isn't home without you."

"You would have a lot less to pay for without me around."

"If there's a price I have to pay to be with you, I'll pay it. No matter how high..."

"You risked your life."

"And I was happy to. Anything for you, Duo. Anything at all."

"Hilde, don't go soft on me."

"Have you forgotten I'm a girl? I can be as soft and sentimental as I want."

He finally burst out, "You were wrong to do that. Don't ever meddle again. Never follow me out onto the battlefield. Never again, understand?"

Now he had done it. He'd told her she was wrong. Yet, why did he feel like he was the one who'd committed a grave mistake?

"You make it sound like I'm a hindrance."

He had hurt her and her eyes had gone watery as she turned away from him, "I'm going to sleep."

"I'm sorry," he said, "I just don't like to see you hurt."

She turned towards him again, "Anything for your sake. Understand me? I would die for you."

"Don't you dare do that."

She smiled, "I love you and there's nothing you can do to stop me from helping you. Not even if you hated me..."

There was a strange silence.

"You love me?" he said in surprise.

"Damn you!" she blurted, "Ignorant! So ignorant! How obvious does a girl have to be?"

Carefully, he brought his lips to her forehead, "Good night and thank you."

"For what?"

"For feeling the same way I do..."

OOO

This is my first pure Duo/Hilde fic. Basically their conversation on Libra after she got hurt... Pure nonsense WAFF (Warm And Fuzzy Feeling) fluff... Read and review, ok?