Author: Ponderosa (ponderosa@dragonworld.com)
Pairing: Friendshippy. 2+4 and/or 3+4 if you want to look at it that way.
Archive: Lists/Community archives, and those with prior permission. Others, please ask.
Warning: [G]
Spoilers: A few yeah, but I can't remember for what eps.
Disclaimer: Characters belong to their respective copyright owners, like Sunrise/Sotsu/Bandai. Plot, if you can call it that, belongs to me.
Notes: Written for the gw500 challenge #1 "cold".
-=*=-
Thousands of stars gathered in the sky, and the moon was full and bright. Their combined light painted the crests of the dunes a pale, bluish gray, but the slopes remained dark as pitch.
"I didn't know the desert ever got cold," Duo said quietly. He stood near the poolside door, his skinny arms folded across his chest. The white of his collar looked doubly bright in the low light.
Once again, Quatre wondered why Duo wore the trappings of a priest, but once again he didn't ask. Instead, he wrapped his arms around his knees and stared at where his toes were pale against the cushions of the chair. Quatre chewed on the inside of his cheek and curled his toes against the soft fabric. Until Duo had spoken, they had been silent for close to an hour, and although his mind was still busy, Quatre felt as if he had forgotten how to talk.
"And the sky," Duo added, touching a hand to the chill panes of the tall window, "it's the clearest I've seen since the colonies."
Duo looked over his shoulder and flashed Quatre a smile as dazzling white as his collar. "Am I boring you? Would you rather I shut up again?" he asked.
"No," Quatre croaked. He cleared his throat and shook his head. "No, of course not."
"From everything I've seen, you're far too polite for me to ever believe you," Duo said.
"It's good manners to be truthful," Quatre pointed out.
Duo tipped an invisible hat and grinned at him. "And you prove yourself to be the master of both courtesy and truthfulness, my new friend."
"And you demonstrate that you are no stranger to courtesy yourself," Quatre replied quickly. "As you continue to flatter me quite pleasingly."
"You win," Duo said with a laugh. "I give up." He turned away from the window and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender before tumbling back into the chair opposite Quatre's.
Not for the first time, Quatre's thoughts drifted to the other Gundam pilot he had met. The one who had stubbornly maintained that he, not Quatre, had been the one to surrender. Where was Trowa now? And the other boy, the one who had self-destructed, was he alive and recovering?
Quatre started when Duo touched him on the leg.
"You were falling asleep," Duo said apologetically.
"Was I?" Quatre said, and yawned as soon as the words left his mouth.
"You'll recall, I'm no stranger to truthfulness," Duo responded.
"Forgive me," Quatre replied in turn.
Duo leaned forward with his arms draped across his knees. He clasped his hands and rubbed his thumbs against one another. "Quatre," he said, and although true exhaustion showed in his voice for perhaps the first time in days, there was a fresh sparkle of hope in his eye, "I'm glad I met you."
With a gentle smile, Quatre reached out to put his hands over Duo's. "I'm glad we met too," he said softly.
Owari