Kryptonite...Superman

by thejasonresno

Disclaimer: Yes, I own Gundam Wing.

Authors Note: WARNING, this is a character study so there is a lot of introspection. There will also be many mature themes. So be warned.

It was a beautiful day on Earth. Storm clouds covered as far as the eye could see and winds rushed to and fro blowing the slowly turning leaves right off of their branches. People hurried to and from their car and house avoiding the elements as much as possible. Nature would rule today.

Duo loved it. You see, there were never any storms out there on the colonies. Space was so void of anything. Often times, as an orphan, Duo would find himself laying on a rusted shell of a car just lost in the void of it all. So he relished the rain that now began to batter the windows of the room.

"Heh," Duo grunted at the weather from the computer chair he sat at. "No more workin' outside today."

The youth glanced at his watch and then reclined in his chair. It was just a little before four o clock and business for the day had died with the advent of the storm. On a normal day of work Duo would rise at six and be home at six that night. Tonight, the retired pilot figured, he deserved the two hours off.

"I've made an executive decision," he announced to the empty room, "I'm going home early!"

The coffee maker bubbled.

He leaned down, turned off the computer and then hopped lightly to his feet. He paused in his movements to listen to a particularly loud crack of thunder and then began to turn off the lights and lock up.

'What to do with my free time...what to do...' the young man glanced back into the dark empty room as he stood in the doorway to leave. 'I think I'll surprise Hilde.' With a wide grin the ex pilot turned from his job and dashed through the rain to his beat up black Grand Am sitting in the parking lot.

He struggled with the keys and tried to unlock the door, several times leaving small scratches around the keyhole, and finally managed to get in and shut the door behind him. He could already tell his hair was going to frizz up. Dammit.

Ever since the Gundam Pilots finished off Mariemais uprising three years ago things had begun to become steady if not pleasant for the pilots and soldiers of that war. Duo fled to Earth with Hilde to, of course, open up their own junkyard and manage and sell parts to fuel Duos fledgling obsession with cars. Heero, though he'd never admit it, became the very ghost of Relena Peacecraft and—Duo swore it was so—had fallen in love with the naive girl.

The other guys didn't have such a romantic ending to their journey. Quatre went back to his families mansion to ensure that things didn't go awry—he now oversaw most of their affairs and was quickly becoming a popular political figure—and enjoy a more peaceful life. Trowa stayed with Quatre on his leave from the Circus, where he was becoming a popular entertainer, and Wufei found solace living in a bachelor pad down street from a Tojo he was helping to mentor in.

So all in all things were going great for the guys. They stayed in touch and even met up every couple of months or so to renew old ties. Duo was happy with his life. He was legitimately happy.

A clap of thunder brought Duo back to his senses and he ran his hands through his wet hair. He cursed again under his breath and started the car. The drive home from the junkyard wasn't terribly long-about twenty city minutes-so Duo decided to drop by a florist and pick up some flowers for 'his gal'.

The florist, dear old Miss Ethel, was nearing 75 years old so Duo easily disregarded the skeptical glances she gave him. Apparently he didn't fit the profile of a flower collector, as he assured her he most certainly was.

His braided bobbed and swayed with him as he bounced on the balls of his feet waiting for the old lady to confirm the purchase. He was impatient, he'd make no qualms about it, but this was ridiculous. His eyes wandered from the gray poof of her hair to the yellow polka dotted outfit Miss Ethel wore. He looked at the apron she had covering her, stained in dirt, and tried to read the catchphrase on their. 'w---r -y flo-r-s' seemed like an awfully dirty thing to have for an old woman.

He shook his head with a grin and sobered up at her cough. "If you wanna keep staring you gotta pay extra young man."

He furrowed an incredulous eyebrow at her playful yet suddenly erotic wink she was feeding him. He momentarily toyed with the idea, found it disgusting, and fled the lady that he would hopefully never cross paths with again.

'She would know what she's...what're you thinking Duo? That's disgusting'.

He hopped back into his car and drove down the road spraying water off of his tires and into the sidewalk. Duo left the dirtied sidewalk behind.

Duo checked the watch that hung on his slender wrist, 4:16, and grinned. Hilde would go absolutely crazy over his little surprise. The pilot chuckled quietly as he thought about how the flowers wouldn't be the only surprise he gave his girl when he got home.

Ever since they 'got serious' Hilde had complained that Duo lacked a true passion for romance and all of the subtle nuances that made relationships beautiful. She loved him deeply, she'd assure him, and she cherished all the laughs he gave her. Apparently he just didn't have that tact for romance that, and this shocked him into calling and ribbing his friend, 'that Heero Yuy has'. Apparently Relena and Hilde kept quite the gossip line open. And, well, anyways Duo refused to lay naked in a bed of rose petals for her.

'That'd itch woman and don't tell me Mr. Yuy did it cause I'm sure he'd never do anythin' like that.' He would often assure her.

With all of his introspection Duo was almost unaware of the flashing red light and he had to slam on his blanks, thank God for his cars ABS, and narrowly avoid getting t-boned by some chick on a phone.

The now slightly frazzled pilot turned left and soon pulled into the lot next to their apartment building. Well, it was her apartment not his but...it was home.

Grabbing hold of his frizzy braid, dammit, and his flowers he ran across the lot to the door and managed to get inside without crushing the flowers. He took one fleeting glance out the glass windows at the overcast and wet day and then walked forwards and up the stairs to their shared apartment.

By the time he reached their floor he had already begun to look down at his greasy at best outfit. Oh well, she loved him, and he was sure that the flowers would be the focus. This was the second time he ever got her flowers. The first time was for their first 'official' date. Looking back on it Duo realized he spent far too much money on overly garnished food and the 'best' wine. In Duos mind there was no such thing as good wine. But 'Movies don't lie Duo. Didn't you even watch the movie tonight? It was so romantic...wine just sets the mood!'

He rolled his eyes and laughed quietly under his breath. He had to admit that he missed the youthful fun of their dating days. Ever since he took over the yard completely he barely had time for her. He was either working or at home sleeping. He regretted that and resolved to change.

He reached their door, 2F16, and went to turn the knob.

It resisted. Hilde never locked the doors. He dismissed it and pulled out his keys and let himself inside. The apartment had no illusions of grandeur but it did sufficient in what it had. They had a comfortable living area with a large TV and an L shaped leather couch. The kitchen was modest but clean and located in the same open room as the living area. Duo liked the openness.

And then it hit him. The stillness. The quietness. Something was wrong. He walked over and set the flowers on the island table of the kitchen and threw his jack on the floor. He cracked his knuckles and his heart began to pound slightly.

Hilde should be home, he was sure of it, she said she had housecleaning to do and besides her purse was here. For a wild instant he feared to find her body somewhere. But he was sure she would have put up a struggle.

He crouched slightly and began to ghost his way to the small hallway that led to the bathroom and two bedrooms. And that's when he heard it. A soft creak-creak surrounded by low husky voices.

Duos heart began to hammer in a whole different fashion and he suddenly straightened himself ram-rod and proceeded down the hallway to the room they shared together. Ashamed of what he was doing but unable to do otherwise, he set his ear quietly to the door.

'Oh, oh.' Hilde.

'Mmm you like that huh?' A husky deeper voice replied.

His head began to swim and his knees got shaky and in an instant these symptoms were replaced by a scarlet flush across his face. In his own bed. With the girl he loved. The girl who loved him.

His knuckles began to turn white and his breathing got heavier. On a whim he decided he had to know. He had to see who it was that could so sweep Hilde away from him.

He threw the door open faster than he thought he could and was greeted by Hildes shameful attempt to cover up. It was futile. Hilde was on her knees, sweating heavily, with her backside raised in the air. The man behind her was mounted and apparently didn't care for the interruption as he continued to pump away.

For an instant the scene froze. Duo looked at Hilde with a detached soul. He felt nothing as he glanced from her surprised but euphoric face, to her swaying breasts, up her body to the man behind her.

He continued to feel nothing as he looked at the man. In an instant all of his anger was gone. He didn't even know the man. He was trim with dirty blond hair and a tattoo on the underside of his wrist.

The scene came unfroze like a glass bowl shattering on the floor. All at once the words came pouring out at exactly the same time.

"What the hell Hilde?

"Who is this guy?" The tattooed man grunted as he fell from her and covered himself.

"I'm so sorry Duo it's not...not..." She bowed her head. The lie was useless.

Inside Duo gave one last scream, like a planet exploding, and then became numbed. The tinges of his vision started to black and he turned from the scene. He ran his hands up his priest uniform, looked at the ground, and then walked back out the door.

He heard Hilde clamber off the bed and wrap herself in a blanket. "Duo wait! He doesn't mean anything to me!"

Duo paused slightly and heard the mans indignant cry of, "That's not what you were saying ten minutes ago, lady."

The braided Duo Maxwell couldn't find the anger to turn and attack the man. Maybe he'd regret not doing it while he had the chance. Or maybe not. What he saw wasn't rape.

"Goodbye Hilde."

Duo picked up his coat and walked out of the apartment. Hilde walked up to the door and was greeted by the rush of wind that accompanied the slam that Duo had gifted it with.

The flowers fell onto the ground.

Thunder clapped again but this time it was a distant noise...something detached and outside of Duo. Something he couldn't care about. In truth the young man could find very little he did care about.

He reached the doors that lead back out to the parking lot and paused. He looked at his pale reflection in the rain pattered glass. He was pale. Tears ran unchecked at the corner of his eyes. The American put on his coat and stepped back outside into nature.

Authors Note: Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic in a while so...just bare with me :). I hope I dod OK at didn't make the sex scene too raunchy. What I'm doing here is making a character study for Duo Maxwell. I'm going to put him through some terrible times, and some great times and try to make him into a 3D person. Stay tuned for updates and as always READ AND REVIEW.