No Where Else to Go
By Princess of Destruction
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters.
Hilde ducked behind the couch as a vase came flying across the room, directed at her head. It missed by only a few inches and went shattering into the wall. Hilde rose from her hiding spot and looked at the shattered mess behind her before turning to look at her boyfriend who was standing near the kitchen door.
"You bastard!! My mother gave me that vase!!" Hilde picked a up coffee cup from the coffee table and threw it at Bruce, her current "fling", as Duo would put it.
Bruce didn't move in time, the coffee cup hit his forehead and created a large gash, which started spilling blood instantly. "You fucking whore!!" He shook away the pain as he dashed across the room and dove over the couch. Hilde went to run, but it was in vain, Bruce jumped her from behind and they both went diving into the coffee table, which collapsed under their weight.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Bruce grabbed Hilde's hair and pulled her head up. She bit back a scream and struggled to get out from underneath him, but it only made the throbbing of her scalp worse.
"I'm leaving you, Bruce." She choked out.
"Why?! So you can go and continue fucking around with that Maxwell? I've seen the way you look at him when you think I'm not looking! I know you're sleeping with him, Hilde!!" Glass could be heard crunching as Bruce rolled Hilde onto her back. She yelped in pain as he slapped her across her cheekbone.
"I have not been sleeping with him, Bruce! We're just friends, that's it!! He doesn't even think of me like that anymore!" Hilde tried to roll him over so that she could get up, but he held her down.
"Yeah right! I'm sure! If you won't sleep with him, and I'm sure he's asked too… then why won't you sleep with me?!"
"I've told you before!! I'm waiting for the right guy and the right time, now get off!!" Hilde lifted her legs up and knocked him to the floor. She stood up quickly and started to run for the front door, but was tackled at the knees.
"You aren't going anywhere! You are staying here with me, you ungrateful little bitch!!" Bruce growled.
"No I'm not!" Hilde kicked hard with both her legs until Bruce finally let go to protect his face. She quickly lifted herself off the floor and headed for the door. Bruce followed her in hot pursuit and stopped her by grabbing her arm and spinning her around. He grabbed both her arms and shook her hard.
"Look you little slut, you are mine and you always will be!! You aren't going anywhere and I never want to see or hear about that Maxwell ever again!!" He stood tall above her and the smallest amount of fear started to rise in her mind, but she pushed that feeling away and glared at him.
"Fuck you, Bruce! You can't tell me…" Hilde's protest was cut off short as Bruce slapped her again.
"Listen you little bitch! I can tell you to do whatever I want and there is nothing you can do to stop me!" Bruce threw her to the ground and kicked her in the ribs. Once, twice, three times to get the message through.
Hilde rolled onto her side and whimpered in pain. Immediately, she pushed aside the majority of the hurting and got an idea.
"Get up bitch!! Now that you know you are never leaving, its time for you to clean this mess up!"
"Fuck you, Bruce!!" Hilde rolled onto her back and used all her strength to kick him right in the balls. He doubled over in pain and fell to his knees.
"You… little… bitch!" He squeaked out as Hilde slowly climbed to her feet and stared at him.
"Mother fucker…" She stared at him for a moment as he writhed in pain before she walked over to the door, opened it and stepped out into the pouring rain.
Hilde knew exactly where she was going. It was the only place she could go and she obviously wasn't going to stay with Bruce anymore.
After running across town, she came to a small house, which stood in front of a large scrap yard. The pain in her ribs caused her to slow to a walk as she headed past the mailbox; the name Duo Maxwell was written on the side. Smiling slightly, she hurried to the door and started pounding on it.
"Duo!!" No answer. "Duo, are you home?!" Hilde stepped over to the window and peered inside. All the lights were off and no movement could be seen from the couch. Damn! She thought. Duo didn't fall asleep on the couch… Usually on rainy days, Duo tended to fall asleep on the couch hours before his regular 'bedtime'. She walked back to the door and pounded on it again, hoping that maybe he was asleep. But he wasn't sleeping… he was gone. Probably out on a date or something…
With no other choice, Hilde pulled out a couple of bobby pins and picked the lock effortlessly. Creeping inside, she gently closed the door behind her and kicked off her shoes to the side of the door. At first it was pitch black throughout the living room, but the clock on the VCR/DVD player soon lit the room up and made it easier for Hilde to walk past the couch, into the hallway and into the bathroom. She turned the light on and pushed the door shut, but it never closed all the way. Closing the lid on the toilet, Hilde sat down and started to cry into her hands. The thought of her best friend not being here to comfort her was tearing her apart.
Duo looked at his watch as he approached his house. It was 8:39 pm and it had been raining all day, and there was still no sign of the storm letting up. Fumbling with his grocery bags and umbrella, he managed to pull his keys from his pocket.
"Stupid weather… stupid keys… grr." He grumbled to himself as he stood on the front step and lowered his keys to the lock. The door creaked open as Duo pushed the very tip of the key into the lock. "What the…?" His senses on full alert, he slowly pushed the door open the rest of the way and stared through the darkness, searching the living room for the intruder. No one. Duo eased the door closed before dropping his umbrella and tiptoeing into the kitchen where he set down the groceries and his keys on the table. Who in hell could be here? Nobody knows where I am, save for the other guys, Hilde and… Bruce!!
Duo pulled his gun out and crept silently back into the living room to look around again. What was that?? A noise came from somewhere else in the house. Like a panther stalking his prey, Duo snuck stealthfully down the hall. The bathroom… why would someone want to steal something from the bathroom?! Slowly, Duo made his way closer to the door and saw the small stream of light coming from within the bathroom.
Switching off the safety on his gun, Duo got ready to kick the door open. "Alright scumbag!!" He kicked the door open and took aim. "Hilde?!"
Looking up at the sudden presence of a former Gundam pilot/assassin, Hilde leaped from the toilet and into her braided friend's arms. "Duo! I'm so glad you're here…" She trailed off and held him tightly.
Duo blinked a few times, his arms still held out. "Of course I'd be here. Why wouldn't I… this is my house." Slowly, he stepped over to the counter and set his gun down, Hilde still wrapped around him. "What are you doing here? Where's Bruce?"
Hearing that name, Hilde wrapped her arms tighter around Duo, who now had his arms wrapped comfortingly around her shaking body.
"Hilde, what happened?" Duo pulled away from Hilde and studied her face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, one of which happened to be red and slightly swollen. Hilde remained silent. "What happened?" He asked again, a little more firmly this time, and led Hilde to sit on the toilet. He knelt in front of her.
"It was Bruce… he did this."
Duo softly brushed away Hilde's tears and looked at her, wondering if he had heard her right. "What? Bruce did this?! Why!" The anger was rising in his voice.
"He… he thought I was…" Hilde winced as a sharp pain in her ribs made itself noticed. "Bruce thought I was cheating on him."
"With who?"
"You…." The pain worked its way around Hilde's ribs, making her wince again and she clutched her side.
"Hilde?" The anger was gone, but now there was worry in his voice.
"They're just bruised real bad, don't worry…" She watched Duo, tears making her bright blue eyes sparkle.
Duo stood up and picked Hilde up in his arms. "Duo… what are you doing?" He walked out of the bathroom and down the hall to his room.
"Just wait here, I'll be back in a minute." Duo softly laid Hilde on his bed before he left the room. She remained silent and motionless as she listened to Duo rummaging around in the kitchen, then the bathroom and then he returned.
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long… I had to put the groceries away."
Hilde sat up slowly and smiled slightly. "Wow. You bought your own groceries… I'm impressed." She giggled slightly and winced in pain, the pain in her ribs making itself known again.
"Hey! Whoever said I couldn't shop?!" Duo flashed her a grin and sat down on the edge of the bed with a first-aid kit in his hands. He quickly cleaned Hilde's wounds and saw that they had stopped bleeding, so he decided to leave them open to the night's air so they would heal better.
Hilde yawned and stretched her arms, ignoring the dull pain in her ribs she smiled at Duo and laid down in his bed again. "Thanks Duo. I'm glad you're such a great friend. I don't know what I'd if I didn't know you."
"Hilde, you don't mean that. You're life would be a lot better off without me." Duo replied.
"No, I'm serious… if I hadn't have met you way back when, then we wouldn't be friends now and I would have had no where else to go…." Duo pressed a finger to Hilde's lips and she went silent. After a few minutes of sitting there quietly, Hilde finally pushed Duo's fingers away from her mouth. "Duo, what time is it?"
He glanced over at his alarm clock. "It's 9:27. Why?"
"Just wondering, cuz I'm getting kinda tired." Hilde went to move off the bed, but Duo stopped her.
"And where do you think you're going?"
"To the spare room you usually have ready for me."
"No, no, no, no. I don't think so missy." Duo gently pushed her back down. "You are staying in here with me tonight. You've got bruised ribs… maybe even a few cracked ones, judging from the pain you're in. You're staying in here so I can keep an eye on you."
"Duo, I'm not a baby… you don't have to—" Again, Duo cut her off by placing his fingers against her mouth.
"Shush, no more arguing… you're staying in here and that's final." Hilde sighed when Duo stood up and left the room with the first-aid kit in hand.
When he finally returned, the first-aid kit was gone and he was holding a super baggy t-shirt and a pair of shorts that Hilde always left there just in case she was unexpectedly spending the night. That was always one of the things that made Bruce so mad. Hilde smiled at what Bruce would think now.
"What are you grinning about?" Duo tossed the clothes on the bed and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"Nothing in particular… you gonna disappear while I change… or are you gonna watch me to make sure I don't hurt myself?" Hilde slowly stood up to show Duo that she was perfectly capable of doing things on her own. Besides, there were only a few cuts and bruises, nothing life threatening like back at Libra a few years ago… but that's another story.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah… I'm outta here. Tell me when you're done." And with that, Duo actually left the room, closing the door behind him.
When Hilde was done changing, she walked over to the door and opened it. She jumped a bit when she saw what was standing outside waiting. Duo stood there in only his silk black boxers, holding his clothes neatly folded in his arms.
"Hey, took ya long enough." Duo grinned and walked into the room, setting his clothes on the dresser and hopping into bed. Hilde watched him with her eyes wide open. She had forgotten how beautiful Duo's body was. And now that he was a few years older, he looked even better. Soft, tanned skin that had a few scars here and there. Long, sleek legs, muscular chest, stomach and arms. Arms and hands that were once deadly weapons… but from Hilde's memories, his strong arms were also gentle when they held the one's he loved.
Shaking her head, she walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. Duo propped himself up on his elbow and looked at her for a moment. "What were you thinking about just a second ago?"
"Huh? Nothing… just thinking about the way things used to be when we were together… that's all." Hilde turned her body and slid her legs underneath the covers that Duo had been holding back.
"That's all?! You say it like it never meant anything to you! Like I never meant anything to you…"
"Duo, don't take it the wrong way… I'm just really tired, ok?" She laid down and rolled on her side, turning her back to face him; Duo, an ex- assassin, ex-Gundam pilot, her best friend, and also one of her ex- boyfriends. Duo wrapped the blanket around them and settled down beside her. He sighed and closed his eyes, hoping to fall asleep fast.
"Duo, if you really want to know what I was thinking about, I'll tell you."
"Ok… shoot."
Hilde took in a deep breath and stared into darkness. She just finally realized that Duo had cleaned her up and that she had changed in total darkness. "I was thinking about… how good you look." She could sense him smiling behind her. She rolled over to look at him. "And then I started to remember what it was like to have your arms wrapped around me…"
"I think about what we had all the time… and I've always waited for the day when you'd come home… you do know that I've loved you this whole time. Ever since the day we met, I've never stopped loving you…"
"Duo… I—" For some reason, tonight, Duo had an obsession with stopping Hilde in mid-sentence by placing his fingers against her lips.
"Go to sleep Hilde…" Duo removed his fingers and relaxed his body. When Hilde finally turned her back to him, he pulled her close to his body and rested his arm over her side, hugging her like a big stuffed bear.
It took Hilde hours to finally fall asleep. Duo's words sunk into her mind and stuck there. She, too, had always loved him, but she left because she needed to experience life a little bit more before she decided permanently what she was going to do. Duo understood completely when she made her decision to leave, but she knew that he was heartbroken and devastated. He said he'd wait, and obviously, he did.
~*~
Hilde awoke slowly when she heard someone pounding on the door and Duo left the bed. "Duo?"
"Go back to sleep… I'll go get rid of whoever it is…" He silently left the room and Hilde heard him run into the couch and curse before he made it to the door. Voices could be heard, but Hilde wasn't paying attention, so the voices were nothing but a bunch of incoherent mumbles that seemed of no importance to her. Rolling over, she looked at the alarm clock. 3:42 am.
"Oi…" Hilde buried her head under her pillow and tried to get back to sleep, but it was no use. The mumbling voices seemed distant, but they continued to pull her from her almost slumbering state. Slowly, she slipped out of bed and trudged into the hallway then out into the living room.
Duo had the door open about a foot or so and was blocking the way so that whoever was out there couldn't get in.
"Duo? Who is it?" Hilde startled Duo cuz he jumped a bit and spun around.
"Hilde, go back to bed."
"HILDE!!!"
"Bruce?! What the fuck are you doing here!!" The anger rose instantly and I closed the gap between them and myself. "Get the hell out of here Bruce!!"
"No! I've come to take you home!! You're mine bitch!! You always will be!!"
"Fuck you Bruce! I'm not your bitch to boss around anymore!! I've decided that if this is how things are going to be and you can't trust me, then I'm going to stay where I feel safe, away from you!! Go home Bruce!! We're through!! It's over between us!!" Hilde stood between Duo and Bruce now.
"No! I'm not going home without you!!"
"Listen to her Bruce, go home!" Duo's voice was filled with anger and warning, but Bruce didn't listen.
"Psh! Look at you Hilde. I told you you were sleeping around with Maxwell!"
"Bruce! Go home!!" Hilde was getting frustrated and she had a splitting headache. Now was not the time that she wanted to deal with him.
"You heard her Bruce. Go home!" Duo stepped outside. It had stopped raining and it was actually quite warm outside.
"And what if I don't, MAXwell?" Bruce poked Duo on the chest.
"Duo, don't do it…" Hilde stepped outside after Duo, but it was too late. Bruce was on the ground in no time and Duo stood above him, cracking his knuckles.
"Hilde told you to go home, now leave!!" Duo walked back towards Hilde and ushered her inside. Bruce lay on Duo's front lawn for about 5 minutes with a bloody nose before he finally got up and stumbled back to his place.
"Duo… why did you go and do that?" Hilde yawned as she walked back to Duo's room.
"Because he was disrespecting you…" Duo trailed off.
"And…?" Hilde looked at him as she crawled into bed and adjusted her pillow.
"And…" Duo's goofy grin spread wide across his face. "He was trampling my daisies!"
"Duo!" Hilde gave and exasperated sigh and sunk beneath the covers.
"What?!" He smiled and slid under the covers next to her and continued to grin. She poked him in the ribs and he chuckled.
"You don't have daisies…" Hilde smiled and curled up next to Duo and he wrapped his arms around her protectively.
"Never mind that… that's not the point…" Duo sighed while getting comfy and closed his eyes. "Hey Hilde…"
"Yeah Duo?"
"Did you mean what you said when you said you were going to stay where you feel safe?"
Hilde rolled over and looked Duo in the eyes. It seemed that his bright violet eyes were glowing in the dark. "Yeah… I meant what I said…" She paused for a moment.
"Hilde?"
"I'm home, Duo…" She smiled slightly and softly kissed his lips, then pulled away just as quickly. After that, they got comfy again and fell asleep in each other's arms, both of them happy that she was back.
~*~
Bruce looked through his living room window and saw a glimpse of Hilde standing at the door. He had a pounding headache and his nose really hurt, but he ignored it and answered the door.
"Hey baby— Maxwell?! What the fuck are you doing here?!" Bruce stared at Duo, then Hilde, then back to Duo again. Duo had his arms wrapped quite lovingly around Hilde's waist.
"I came here with Hilde. She is gonna need some help packing up all her stuff, ya know." Duo squeezed Hilde a bit and kissed her neck.
"What?! Hilde?"
"I told you last night Bruce, we're through, it's over. And since it's over, I'm not going to be living with you, therefore, I need my stuff back." Hilde walked past Bruce into the house and straight to the room she had shared with Bruce. Duo, of course, was right behind her.
"But, but… Hilde. I'm sorry. I was drunk when I started the fight and I was even more drunk when I came to get you from Maxwell's place." Bruce was stopped right in his tracks when Duo turned around and stood right in front of him.
"I do have a name Bruce. It's Duo, and I suggest you start using my first name or else you'll regret calling me by my last name… and you'll really regret beating on Hilde." Duo gave Bruce his best Maxwell-Death-Glare and then went into the bedroom to help Hilde gather her things. Luckily she didn't have much because she sold the majority of her things when she moved in with Bruce.
"Hey Duo."
"Yeah Hilde?"
"Could you go into the living room and gather up my books that are sitting beside the couch?"
"Sure thing babe." Duo left the room and headed to the living room, passing Bruce and glaring at him again.
"Hilde?"
"What do you want Bruce?" She stepped out of the closet and placed the last of a pile of clothes on the bed.
"I want to know if I can have a second chance. I didn't mean a single word I said yesterday."
"Then why did you say it at all?!" She folded her arms over her chest and glared at him.
"I don't know. I was drunk! You know that I had just come from the bar with my friends."
"And ya know what Bruce… those who are drunk usually find it a hell of a lot easier to say things. Things like you said last night… obviously you don't trust me, or love me like you said you did…" Hilde picked up her clothes and left the room. Duo had been standing in the doorway listening to the tail end of the conversation. He quickly followed Hilde out to the truck and held the seat forward while she tossed her clothes in the small backseat of the cab.
"He said he loved you?"
"Yeah… he did…" Hilde sighed and headed back for the house.
"Wait." Duo grabbed her arm before she got even three feet away from him. "Did you say it back?"
"Yeah, I did… but I only said it to try to replace the emptiness I felt… it didn't really work… I guess… I don't know…" Hilde pulled out of Duo's grip and went back into the house to gather the rest of her things.
Duo stood in the doorway watching Hilde rummage around the house, searching for her small knick-knacks and gathering up what little jewelry she had. Duo and Bruce continued to glare back and forth at each other, occasionally glancing at Hilde as she walked between them. Finally, with her arms full with small possessions, Hilde stopped in front of Duo and he softened his gaze when he looked down at her.
"C'mon Duo, let's get out of here."
"Alright, no prob. The sooner, the better." Duo motioned for her to go first and she was about to leave, but she stopped when she felt Bruce's rough hold on her arm. She spun around and glared at him, pulling violently from his grasp.
"Don't fucking touch me Bruce!!" Hilde was near tears and her voice proved it even more.
"Watch it Bruce!" Duo grabbed Bruce's outstretched arm.
"Hilde, please… I… I just have something I wanna say."
She shook her head and stepped outside. "C'mon Duo…" Duo slowly stepped outside and glared at Bruce. "Goodbye Bruce." Hilde walked over to the truck and Duo quickly ran up and opened the door before she got the chance. She set the rest of her things in the back seat then slid into the front seat and Duo shut the door.
Bruce stared at them as Duo started up the truck. He waved at the two, somewhat saddened, but also very angry cuz Duo stole Hilde from him. Or so he thought anyway.
"How are ya doing Hilde?" Duo glanced over at her as he pulled away from the house.
"I'm fine… I just want to go home Duo." She slid into the middle of the seat and leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Home… it has a nice ring to it." He wrapped his arm around Hilde's shoulders and smiled. She smiled too and sighed. She had never really loved Bruce, but she was quite fond of him, and it was going to take some time to get over him, but with Duo, time would fly by and Bruce would be forgotten in no time at all.
~*~ The End ~*~
By Princess of Destruction
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters.
Hilde ducked behind the couch as a vase came flying across the room, directed at her head. It missed by only a few inches and went shattering into the wall. Hilde rose from her hiding spot and looked at the shattered mess behind her before turning to look at her boyfriend who was standing near the kitchen door.
"You bastard!! My mother gave me that vase!!" Hilde picked a up coffee cup from the coffee table and threw it at Bruce, her current "fling", as Duo would put it.
Bruce didn't move in time, the coffee cup hit his forehead and created a large gash, which started spilling blood instantly. "You fucking whore!!" He shook away the pain as he dashed across the room and dove over the couch. Hilde went to run, but it was in vain, Bruce jumped her from behind and they both went diving into the coffee table, which collapsed under their weight.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Bruce grabbed Hilde's hair and pulled her head up. She bit back a scream and struggled to get out from underneath him, but it only made the throbbing of her scalp worse.
"I'm leaving you, Bruce." She choked out.
"Why?! So you can go and continue fucking around with that Maxwell? I've seen the way you look at him when you think I'm not looking! I know you're sleeping with him, Hilde!!" Glass could be heard crunching as Bruce rolled Hilde onto her back. She yelped in pain as he slapped her across her cheekbone.
"I have not been sleeping with him, Bruce! We're just friends, that's it!! He doesn't even think of me like that anymore!" Hilde tried to roll him over so that she could get up, but he held her down.
"Yeah right! I'm sure! If you won't sleep with him, and I'm sure he's asked too… then why won't you sleep with me?!"
"I've told you before!! I'm waiting for the right guy and the right time, now get off!!" Hilde lifted her legs up and knocked him to the floor. She stood up quickly and started to run for the front door, but was tackled at the knees.
"You aren't going anywhere! You are staying here with me, you ungrateful little bitch!!" Bruce growled.
"No I'm not!" Hilde kicked hard with both her legs until Bruce finally let go to protect his face. She quickly lifted herself off the floor and headed for the door. Bruce followed her in hot pursuit and stopped her by grabbing her arm and spinning her around. He grabbed both her arms and shook her hard.
"Look you little slut, you are mine and you always will be!! You aren't going anywhere and I never want to see or hear about that Maxwell ever again!!" He stood tall above her and the smallest amount of fear started to rise in her mind, but she pushed that feeling away and glared at him.
"Fuck you, Bruce! You can't tell me…" Hilde's protest was cut off short as Bruce slapped her again.
"Listen you little bitch! I can tell you to do whatever I want and there is nothing you can do to stop me!" Bruce threw her to the ground and kicked her in the ribs. Once, twice, three times to get the message through.
Hilde rolled onto her side and whimpered in pain. Immediately, she pushed aside the majority of the hurting and got an idea.
"Get up bitch!! Now that you know you are never leaving, its time for you to clean this mess up!"
"Fuck you, Bruce!!" Hilde rolled onto her back and used all her strength to kick him right in the balls. He doubled over in pain and fell to his knees.
"You… little… bitch!" He squeaked out as Hilde slowly climbed to her feet and stared at him.
"Mother fucker…" She stared at him for a moment as he writhed in pain before she walked over to the door, opened it and stepped out into the pouring rain.
Hilde knew exactly where she was going. It was the only place she could go and she obviously wasn't going to stay with Bruce anymore.
After running across town, she came to a small house, which stood in front of a large scrap yard. The pain in her ribs caused her to slow to a walk as she headed past the mailbox; the name Duo Maxwell was written on the side. Smiling slightly, she hurried to the door and started pounding on it.
"Duo!!" No answer. "Duo, are you home?!" Hilde stepped over to the window and peered inside. All the lights were off and no movement could be seen from the couch. Damn! She thought. Duo didn't fall asleep on the couch… Usually on rainy days, Duo tended to fall asleep on the couch hours before his regular 'bedtime'. She walked back to the door and pounded on it again, hoping that maybe he was asleep. But he wasn't sleeping… he was gone. Probably out on a date or something…
With no other choice, Hilde pulled out a couple of bobby pins and picked the lock effortlessly. Creeping inside, she gently closed the door behind her and kicked off her shoes to the side of the door. At first it was pitch black throughout the living room, but the clock on the VCR/DVD player soon lit the room up and made it easier for Hilde to walk past the couch, into the hallway and into the bathroom. She turned the light on and pushed the door shut, but it never closed all the way. Closing the lid on the toilet, Hilde sat down and started to cry into her hands. The thought of her best friend not being here to comfort her was tearing her apart.
Duo looked at his watch as he approached his house. It was 8:39 pm and it had been raining all day, and there was still no sign of the storm letting up. Fumbling with his grocery bags and umbrella, he managed to pull his keys from his pocket.
"Stupid weather… stupid keys… grr." He grumbled to himself as he stood on the front step and lowered his keys to the lock. The door creaked open as Duo pushed the very tip of the key into the lock. "What the…?" His senses on full alert, he slowly pushed the door open the rest of the way and stared through the darkness, searching the living room for the intruder. No one. Duo eased the door closed before dropping his umbrella and tiptoeing into the kitchen where he set down the groceries and his keys on the table. Who in hell could be here? Nobody knows where I am, save for the other guys, Hilde and… Bruce!!
Duo pulled his gun out and crept silently back into the living room to look around again. What was that?? A noise came from somewhere else in the house. Like a panther stalking his prey, Duo snuck stealthfully down the hall. The bathroom… why would someone want to steal something from the bathroom?! Slowly, Duo made his way closer to the door and saw the small stream of light coming from within the bathroom.
Switching off the safety on his gun, Duo got ready to kick the door open. "Alright scumbag!!" He kicked the door open and took aim. "Hilde?!"
Looking up at the sudden presence of a former Gundam pilot/assassin, Hilde leaped from the toilet and into her braided friend's arms. "Duo! I'm so glad you're here…" She trailed off and held him tightly.
Duo blinked a few times, his arms still held out. "Of course I'd be here. Why wouldn't I… this is my house." Slowly, he stepped over to the counter and set his gun down, Hilde still wrapped around him. "What are you doing here? Where's Bruce?"
Hearing that name, Hilde wrapped her arms tighter around Duo, who now had his arms wrapped comfortingly around her shaking body.
"Hilde, what happened?" Duo pulled away from Hilde and studied her face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, one of which happened to be red and slightly swollen. Hilde remained silent. "What happened?" He asked again, a little more firmly this time, and led Hilde to sit on the toilet. He knelt in front of her.
"It was Bruce… he did this."
Duo softly brushed away Hilde's tears and looked at her, wondering if he had heard her right. "What? Bruce did this?! Why!" The anger was rising in his voice.
"He… he thought I was…" Hilde winced as a sharp pain in her ribs made itself noticed. "Bruce thought I was cheating on him."
"With who?"
"You…." The pain worked its way around Hilde's ribs, making her wince again and she clutched her side.
"Hilde?" The anger was gone, but now there was worry in his voice.
"They're just bruised real bad, don't worry…" She watched Duo, tears making her bright blue eyes sparkle.
Duo stood up and picked Hilde up in his arms. "Duo… what are you doing?" He walked out of the bathroom and down the hall to his room.
"Just wait here, I'll be back in a minute." Duo softly laid Hilde on his bed before he left the room. She remained silent and motionless as she listened to Duo rummaging around in the kitchen, then the bathroom and then he returned.
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long… I had to put the groceries away."
Hilde sat up slowly and smiled slightly. "Wow. You bought your own groceries… I'm impressed." She giggled slightly and winced in pain, the pain in her ribs making itself known again.
"Hey! Whoever said I couldn't shop?!" Duo flashed her a grin and sat down on the edge of the bed with a first-aid kit in his hands. He quickly cleaned Hilde's wounds and saw that they had stopped bleeding, so he decided to leave them open to the night's air so they would heal better.
Hilde yawned and stretched her arms, ignoring the dull pain in her ribs she smiled at Duo and laid down in his bed again. "Thanks Duo. I'm glad you're such a great friend. I don't know what I'd if I didn't know you."
"Hilde, you don't mean that. You're life would be a lot better off without me." Duo replied.
"No, I'm serious… if I hadn't have met you way back when, then we wouldn't be friends now and I would have had no where else to go…." Duo pressed a finger to Hilde's lips and she went silent. After a few minutes of sitting there quietly, Hilde finally pushed Duo's fingers away from her mouth. "Duo, what time is it?"
He glanced over at his alarm clock. "It's 9:27. Why?"
"Just wondering, cuz I'm getting kinda tired." Hilde went to move off the bed, but Duo stopped her.
"And where do you think you're going?"
"To the spare room you usually have ready for me."
"No, no, no, no. I don't think so missy." Duo gently pushed her back down. "You are staying in here with me tonight. You've got bruised ribs… maybe even a few cracked ones, judging from the pain you're in. You're staying in here so I can keep an eye on you."
"Duo, I'm not a baby… you don't have to—" Again, Duo cut her off by placing his fingers against her mouth.
"Shush, no more arguing… you're staying in here and that's final." Hilde sighed when Duo stood up and left the room with the first-aid kit in hand.
When he finally returned, the first-aid kit was gone and he was holding a super baggy t-shirt and a pair of shorts that Hilde always left there just in case she was unexpectedly spending the night. That was always one of the things that made Bruce so mad. Hilde smiled at what Bruce would think now.
"What are you grinning about?" Duo tossed the clothes on the bed and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"Nothing in particular… you gonna disappear while I change… or are you gonna watch me to make sure I don't hurt myself?" Hilde slowly stood up to show Duo that she was perfectly capable of doing things on her own. Besides, there were only a few cuts and bruises, nothing life threatening like back at Libra a few years ago… but that's another story.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah… I'm outta here. Tell me when you're done." And with that, Duo actually left the room, closing the door behind him.
When Hilde was done changing, she walked over to the door and opened it. She jumped a bit when she saw what was standing outside waiting. Duo stood there in only his silk black boxers, holding his clothes neatly folded in his arms.
"Hey, took ya long enough." Duo grinned and walked into the room, setting his clothes on the dresser and hopping into bed. Hilde watched him with her eyes wide open. She had forgotten how beautiful Duo's body was. And now that he was a few years older, he looked even better. Soft, tanned skin that had a few scars here and there. Long, sleek legs, muscular chest, stomach and arms. Arms and hands that were once deadly weapons… but from Hilde's memories, his strong arms were also gentle when they held the one's he loved.
Shaking her head, she walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. Duo propped himself up on his elbow and looked at her for a moment. "What were you thinking about just a second ago?"
"Huh? Nothing… just thinking about the way things used to be when we were together… that's all." Hilde turned her body and slid her legs underneath the covers that Duo had been holding back.
"That's all?! You say it like it never meant anything to you! Like I never meant anything to you…"
"Duo, don't take it the wrong way… I'm just really tired, ok?" She laid down and rolled on her side, turning her back to face him; Duo, an ex- assassin, ex-Gundam pilot, her best friend, and also one of her ex- boyfriends. Duo wrapped the blanket around them and settled down beside her. He sighed and closed his eyes, hoping to fall asleep fast.
"Duo, if you really want to know what I was thinking about, I'll tell you."
"Ok… shoot."
Hilde took in a deep breath and stared into darkness. She just finally realized that Duo had cleaned her up and that she had changed in total darkness. "I was thinking about… how good you look." She could sense him smiling behind her. She rolled over to look at him. "And then I started to remember what it was like to have your arms wrapped around me…"
"I think about what we had all the time… and I've always waited for the day when you'd come home… you do know that I've loved you this whole time. Ever since the day we met, I've never stopped loving you…"
"Duo… I—" For some reason, tonight, Duo had an obsession with stopping Hilde in mid-sentence by placing his fingers against her lips.
"Go to sleep Hilde…" Duo removed his fingers and relaxed his body. When Hilde finally turned her back to him, he pulled her close to his body and rested his arm over her side, hugging her like a big stuffed bear.
It took Hilde hours to finally fall asleep. Duo's words sunk into her mind and stuck there. She, too, had always loved him, but she left because she needed to experience life a little bit more before she decided permanently what she was going to do. Duo understood completely when she made her decision to leave, but she knew that he was heartbroken and devastated. He said he'd wait, and obviously, he did.
~*~
Hilde awoke slowly when she heard someone pounding on the door and Duo left the bed. "Duo?"
"Go back to sleep… I'll go get rid of whoever it is…" He silently left the room and Hilde heard him run into the couch and curse before he made it to the door. Voices could be heard, but Hilde wasn't paying attention, so the voices were nothing but a bunch of incoherent mumbles that seemed of no importance to her. Rolling over, she looked at the alarm clock. 3:42 am.
"Oi…" Hilde buried her head under her pillow and tried to get back to sleep, but it was no use. The mumbling voices seemed distant, but they continued to pull her from her almost slumbering state. Slowly, she slipped out of bed and trudged into the hallway then out into the living room.
Duo had the door open about a foot or so and was blocking the way so that whoever was out there couldn't get in.
"Duo? Who is it?" Hilde startled Duo cuz he jumped a bit and spun around.
"Hilde, go back to bed."
"HILDE!!!"
"Bruce?! What the fuck are you doing here!!" The anger rose instantly and I closed the gap between them and myself. "Get the hell out of here Bruce!!"
"No! I've come to take you home!! You're mine bitch!! You always will be!!"
"Fuck you Bruce! I'm not your bitch to boss around anymore!! I've decided that if this is how things are going to be and you can't trust me, then I'm going to stay where I feel safe, away from you!! Go home Bruce!! We're through!! It's over between us!!" Hilde stood between Duo and Bruce now.
"No! I'm not going home without you!!"
"Listen to her Bruce, go home!" Duo's voice was filled with anger and warning, but Bruce didn't listen.
"Psh! Look at you Hilde. I told you you were sleeping around with Maxwell!"
"Bruce! Go home!!" Hilde was getting frustrated and she had a splitting headache. Now was not the time that she wanted to deal with him.
"You heard her Bruce. Go home!" Duo stepped outside. It had stopped raining and it was actually quite warm outside.
"And what if I don't, MAXwell?" Bruce poked Duo on the chest.
"Duo, don't do it…" Hilde stepped outside after Duo, but it was too late. Bruce was on the ground in no time and Duo stood above him, cracking his knuckles.
"Hilde told you to go home, now leave!!" Duo walked back towards Hilde and ushered her inside. Bruce lay on Duo's front lawn for about 5 minutes with a bloody nose before he finally got up and stumbled back to his place.
"Duo… why did you go and do that?" Hilde yawned as she walked back to Duo's room.
"Because he was disrespecting you…" Duo trailed off.
"And…?" Hilde looked at him as she crawled into bed and adjusted her pillow.
"And…" Duo's goofy grin spread wide across his face. "He was trampling my daisies!"
"Duo!" Hilde gave and exasperated sigh and sunk beneath the covers.
"What?!" He smiled and slid under the covers next to her and continued to grin. She poked him in the ribs and he chuckled.
"You don't have daisies…" Hilde smiled and curled up next to Duo and he wrapped his arms around her protectively.
"Never mind that… that's not the point…" Duo sighed while getting comfy and closed his eyes. "Hey Hilde…"
"Yeah Duo?"
"Did you mean what you said when you said you were going to stay where you feel safe?"
Hilde rolled over and looked Duo in the eyes. It seemed that his bright violet eyes were glowing in the dark. "Yeah… I meant what I said…" She paused for a moment.
"Hilde?"
"I'm home, Duo…" She smiled slightly and softly kissed his lips, then pulled away just as quickly. After that, they got comfy again and fell asleep in each other's arms, both of them happy that she was back.
~*~
Bruce looked through his living room window and saw a glimpse of Hilde standing at the door. He had a pounding headache and his nose really hurt, but he ignored it and answered the door.
"Hey baby— Maxwell?! What the fuck are you doing here?!" Bruce stared at Duo, then Hilde, then back to Duo again. Duo had his arms wrapped quite lovingly around Hilde's waist.
"I came here with Hilde. She is gonna need some help packing up all her stuff, ya know." Duo squeezed Hilde a bit and kissed her neck.
"What?! Hilde?"
"I told you last night Bruce, we're through, it's over. And since it's over, I'm not going to be living with you, therefore, I need my stuff back." Hilde walked past Bruce into the house and straight to the room she had shared with Bruce. Duo, of course, was right behind her.
"But, but… Hilde. I'm sorry. I was drunk when I started the fight and I was even more drunk when I came to get you from Maxwell's place." Bruce was stopped right in his tracks when Duo turned around and stood right in front of him.
"I do have a name Bruce. It's Duo, and I suggest you start using my first name or else you'll regret calling me by my last name… and you'll really regret beating on Hilde." Duo gave Bruce his best Maxwell-Death-Glare and then went into the bedroom to help Hilde gather her things. Luckily she didn't have much because she sold the majority of her things when she moved in with Bruce.
"Hey Duo."
"Yeah Hilde?"
"Could you go into the living room and gather up my books that are sitting beside the couch?"
"Sure thing babe." Duo left the room and headed to the living room, passing Bruce and glaring at him again.
"Hilde?"
"What do you want Bruce?" She stepped out of the closet and placed the last of a pile of clothes on the bed.
"I want to know if I can have a second chance. I didn't mean a single word I said yesterday."
"Then why did you say it at all?!" She folded her arms over her chest and glared at him.
"I don't know. I was drunk! You know that I had just come from the bar with my friends."
"And ya know what Bruce… those who are drunk usually find it a hell of a lot easier to say things. Things like you said last night… obviously you don't trust me, or love me like you said you did…" Hilde picked up her clothes and left the room. Duo had been standing in the doorway listening to the tail end of the conversation. He quickly followed Hilde out to the truck and held the seat forward while she tossed her clothes in the small backseat of the cab.
"He said he loved you?"
"Yeah… he did…" Hilde sighed and headed back for the house.
"Wait." Duo grabbed her arm before she got even three feet away from him. "Did you say it back?"
"Yeah, I did… but I only said it to try to replace the emptiness I felt… it didn't really work… I guess… I don't know…" Hilde pulled out of Duo's grip and went back into the house to gather the rest of her things.
Duo stood in the doorway watching Hilde rummage around the house, searching for her small knick-knacks and gathering up what little jewelry she had. Duo and Bruce continued to glare back and forth at each other, occasionally glancing at Hilde as she walked between them. Finally, with her arms full with small possessions, Hilde stopped in front of Duo and he softened his gaze when he looked down at her.
"C'mon Duo, let's get out of here."
"Alright, no prob. The sooner, the better." Duo motioned for her to go first and she was about to leave, but she stopped when she felt Bruce's rough hold on her arm. She spun around and glared at him, pulling violently from his grasp.
"Don't fucking touch me Bruce!!" Hilde was near tears and her voice proved it even more.
"Watch it Bruce!" Duo grabbed Bruce's outstretched arm.
"Hilde, please… I… I just have something I wanna say."
She shook her head and stepped outside. "C'mon Duo…" Duo slowly stepped outside and glared at Bruce. "Goodbye Bruce." Hilde walked over to the truck and Duo quickly ran up and opened the door before she got the chance. She set the rest of her things in the back seat then slid into the front seat and Duo shut the door.
Bruce stared at them as Duo started up the truck. He waved at the two, somewhat saddened, but also very angry cuz Duo stole Hilde from him. Or so he thought anyway.
"How are ya doing Hilde?" Duo glanced over at her as he pulled away from the house.
"I'm fine… I just want to go home Duo." She slid into the middle of the seat and leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Home… it has a nice ring to it." He wrapped his arm around Hilde's shoulders and smiled. She smiled too and sighed. She had never really loved Bruce, but she was quite fond of him, and it was going to take some time to get over him, but with Duo, time would fly by and Bruce would be forgotten in no time at all.
~*~ The End ~*~