Sometimes Words Get In the Way
by: Obsolete Love
"Okay... Easy... STOP!"
The whirring sound of the Dragon 2 faded... and then the sudden, ear-splitting crash echoed throughout the lot as a pile of steel plates, thingamajigs and whatnots fell down upon another pile of such...
A man with a mop of chestnut brown hair, covered under the brim of a navy blue cap nodded then tapped the headphone. "Okay Mike. It's all gone... Thanks for the pile, dude."
"Sure, Maxwell. I'm off to PJ's now. See ya there later."
The crackling, static sound flowed out of Duo's receiver and he grinned cheerfully while he waved to the shadow of a man climbing down Dragon 2. Then he faced the new pile of scrap metal while grabbing the pencil behind his ear and started checking off his list, enjoying the peace and quiet around the lot…
He worked automatically, instinctively… he's been doing it for so long that he could do it with his eyes closed and know exactly what's in the pile as it hit the ground.
'Yep… I just need a couple of thousand credits more… then its done… Finally…' a wave of relief washed through his body, leaving a ripple of happiness. 'Finally… now if I could just have the courage to-'
"Duo!!!"
At the sound of the soft voice calling out his name, Duo's serious demeanor disappeared, replaced by a sparkle in his eyes and that mischievous grin. He quickly turned around, his braid going in a slight arc around his body and settling once again at his back just as the owner of the angelic voice reached him…
"Hey Hilde! Wazzup, Angel?" He looked into those deep midnight blue eyes and his resolve tightened, just as it did when he heard about his friend gettin' hitched.
Hilde grinned hesitantly up at Duo. "Uhm… Are you going to PJ's tonight? Because if you are, we could just go together."
Duo grinned, "Yep… Wouldn't miss it for the world… It's going to be your cuz's bachelor party after that."
At that announcement, Hilde grimaced. She's heard enough stories about bachelor parties to make her hate it. "Bachelor's party… bleah… I wonder whom you guys hired to be the focus of your sexual urgings this time."
"Hey!!! Wasn't my idea! Honest!" Duo quickly blurted out. " 'Sexual urgings', c'mon!!! If you don't want me to go, just say so." He doesn't like Hilde getting mad…
Hilde shook her head but the grimace didn't leave her usually calm, smiling face. "Whatever. Go, if you want to. I don't own you…" Hilde's voice faltered at the sentence… Did she actually just say that? Gods! The pressure must have been getting to her more than she thought!
She gulped and quickly tried to cover her tracks. "Maybe I should just disguise myself as a boy and go to this 'bachelor party' just to make sure that there's nothing Claire has to worry about."
Duo stomped on the weird feeling that was creeping up on him since Hilde said 'I don't own you'… He shouldn't let her see that something's wrong…
His hand snaked around her waist and pulled her to him while she gasped in surprise. "You'll stick out like a sore thumb in that party because," his voice went a notch lower, "…you don't look like a man at all… never will…"
Hilde let herself smile softly before tiptoeing up to kiss him… He always does have the cutest remarks…
Duo's hold on her waist tightened and she tilted to him just as he leaned more to her… Their breathing becoming haggard...
Jezus! He can't stop himself around her… but… he needs to…
His kiss lightened. He's waited all these years… he's so near his goal… he shouldn't lose his control now… He's just hoping that he's reading her correctly and that she feels the same way about him…
"Hey…" Duo started to say in between kisses. "Is that… what you're going to…wear tonight? Jeans and shirt?"
Hilde gasped and pushed herself away from him, nearly knocking him down onto his buttocks at the suddenness of her action.
Duo stared at her in surprise.
"Oh Duo!!! Thanks! I nearly forgot!" she quickly moved to him, giving him one last lingering peck on his lips and then like a tornado, started running out of the lot.
"Pick me up at 5!!!" Hilde shouted out as she rounded the corner, the fence obstructing Duo's view of her form.
Duo blinked a couple of times, trying to get his kiss-numbed brain to function again, then with a silly grin plastered on his face as he glanced at his watch to check the time, he began his own version of 'whistling a happy tune' and started finishing his work.
~*~
Music blared from one brightly lit house with a train of cars parked from one end of the block to the other yet no one complained about the party since everyone in almost the whole sector of that colony was invited.
The small house was jammed, people spilled out to the lawn drinking their beers and smoking. Children dangled their feet from the windows, women chatted with other women inside… the food is still coming, and the engaged couple was smiling from ear to ear as they kissed each other over a toast.
Perfect.
Friends and families all together to celebrate…
Duo shook his head as he looked around once again… It never ceased to amaze him how large Hilde's family is… or how many friends they have… Not to mention how well they all get along…
'Jeezus! Why am I starting to feel this way?!' Duo asked in frustration as he grabbed a beer off the cooler and walked out to the lawn. He couldn't breathe just a while back… Not that he's afraid of big families but… Everything… everything he's always longed for is represented inside that house…
Peace, family, love…
His clear violet eyes looked up at the starless night through the highest clear glass windows of the colony and sighed.
'Heh… Wish I can see a shooting star right now and wish everything…' Duo's thought trailed off as he opened his can of beer and leaned over the waist-high back fence.
~*~
Laughter erupted throughout the room as a new page was turned.
"Awww!!! Look at that!!!"
"Did he eat that big lollipop all by himself?!"
"You've got to be kidding!"
"Oooh!!!! This is so precious! Look at him in the bathtub!!!"
Gushes were heard from the group of women who was flitting through the pile of photo albums Hilde found in the attic.
"Oh Hilde!!! Look at you!!! You look like you were 12 or 13 here!"
Hilde's laughter rang out as she stared at her skinny self, not that she filled up that much, but… "God!!! I looked like a ghost!!!"
"Nah… Wish you could grow your hair longer again! That way I can have fun with it like before."
Hilde looked at her about to be married cousin with a touched smile. "If that's what you want me to give you for your wedding, I'm shocked!!! I thought you wanted me to buy you something expensive!"
Fits of laughter rang out once again as Hilde got a slap on the back.
Faking that it was harder than it looked, Hilde fell forward to the table where the albums were.
"Hey Claire!!! That was a little too harsh!" Hilde said playfully in a hurt tone.
"Serves you right for thinking I just want gifts!" Claire retorted with a pout.
"As if that's not what you want!" someone else in the group said.
"Hey Hilde, what's that piece of paper sticking from behind one of your pictures?"
Hilde's gaze instantly went to where Annie was pointing at and saw the yellowing corner of a paper behind her carnival photo…
She frowned… she doesn't remember…
"Lemme see that." Claire said as she picked the paper before Hilde's hands could get it.
Everyone's attention went to Claire as she opened the folded piece of paper.
"Jean Paul Ffleur."
Squeals of laughter could be heard from everyone while some of the girls fell on the carpet in laughter.
Hilde frowned, trying to remember the name.
"Oh god!!! What kind of a name is that!!!"
"Whose name is that? Don't let Duo hear about it if it was a long lost lover!"
Hilde shook her head. "Honest… I don't remember that name…" She tried remembering anything hinting to it, but she couldn't… Yet somehow… the name kept on tugging at her…
"Oh I remember this name!"
Hilde instantly looked up at Claire for any knowledge whatsoever. "What? Who is it?"
Claire grinned as she hushed the other girls to silence. "Do you believe in predictions? Soulmates?"
Hilde frowned while the others were caught as Claire started her tale.
"That carnival over there," She pointed at the picture, "Had the most intriguing Madame something… and just for the fun of it, we all went there to get our fortunes told. And the weirdest thing happened when she told Hilde's future…"
Hilde felt the hair at the back of her neck rise as she started remembering that night…
"Her eyeballs went white and instead of just telling the usual jabber about getting a family and all that… she actually said a name!"
Some of the girls gasped while Hilde rubbed her arms, suddenly starting to feel cold.
"And she quickly took a piece of paper and wrote it down for Hilde… and this is it… This is the name of the man she's supposed to marry…"
Nobody talked for a few moments and then somebody started laughing… soon, the entire group was laughing once again, Hilde along with them.
"Can you believe that?!"
"Wonder why Duo's name wasn't on that ball instead since you guys seemed to be the next in line to the altar!"
The laughter died on Hilde's lips at the sentence and her mood changed. The giggling and laughter slowly ebbed as they noticed Hilde's demeanor.
"Hilde… what's wrong?"
Hilde didn't answer the prying question.
Silence…
"You know, I have to admit… the first time I saw Duo, I thought that he wouldn't even last a few months and he'll be gone… look at what happened instead… he's been here for almost ten years…"
Hilde gave Claire a gracious smile at the hidden meaning.
"Yeah… it's not as if he's going to just up and leave… I mean, you guys have been living together! Practically married!"
Hilde bit her lower lip and stood up from the group. "I… I think I better go out for a little while…" she whispered before she started walking to the backyard.
She could hear her friends scolding each other as she walked away… 'Friends… what are friends for… right? For opening your eyes…' Hilde thought sarcastically as she opened the door…
'Not that the past years hadn't been happy… But the chances of getting Duo to ask me to marry him…? Nil…' Hilde thought sadly as she looked up at the infinite lonely dark sky and walked to a shadow by the fence then picked a daisy along the way…
'Or maybe… I'm being too hard on him…?' Hilde thought to herself.
"Hey Duo, care if I join you?"
Hilde frowned as she heard the familiar voice.
"Sure Carl. Fence is open."
Hilde's eyes widened and she bit her lower lip as she started thinking of how to get away without disturbing the two.
"Makes you think, huh? I mean, PJ's getting married in a few more days…"
Hilde stopped in mid track… 'Marriage… they're talking about marriage…!'
Duo grunted out his response as he took another sip of his drink.
"When are you and your girlfriend gonna get hitched?"
"SPFFOOOSSSHHH!!!"
Hilde smiled softly as she heard Duo starting to cough… She could just imagine what had happened… Then again… why did he react that way?
"Girlfriend? What girlfriend?"
A sudden sinking feel in her stomach made Hilde gasp, but she was able to muffle it with her hands. Her fingertips grew cold and her heart started beating erratically… Slowly, she reached out a shaking hand to the fence behind her, feeling the sudden wobbliness of her knees…
"Hey guys!!! Bachelor Party Time!!!!" someone from inside the house called out to the other two.
"Whooooeeee!" Carl cried out as he walked with Duo towards the house.
Tears clouded Hilde's eyes as she watched Duo's back disappear inside the house and in a few more moments, half the noise disappeared…
Hilde closed her eyes as she leaned against the fence and slowly slid down on the dirt while tears slowly trailed down her cheeks…
'Girlfriend… what girlfriend…' Hilde thought numbly as she buried her face into her hands.
'He's right… he's so right…' When have they ever been an official couple? People just instantly categorized them together… When have they really started being more than friends? Kissing? Were all those just friendly… 'Oh God…'
A sob escaped Hilde's lips as she curled her body into a tighter ball.
A car door slammed from behind the fence and Hilde instantly wiped her tears with her sleeves, knowing that somebody might see her.
The back fence door opened and a short blonde haired woman came inside, carrying a package.
"Iris! Hey! You're late!" Hilde cried out as she walked out of the shadows, her voice as cheerful as she could make it.
"Hey Hilde! Yeah… I am… Sorry 'bout that! I got a long distance call for one of my bros… some guy who lives in Old France."
Hilde smirked sarcastically as she remembered the name on the paper. "Jean Paul Ffleur."
Iris stopped abruptly and one of her packages fell down. "H-how… how did you know?"
Hilde spun around as she heard Iris' incredulous question. "How did I know what?"
Iris stared at Hilde from over the large package she was holding, her eyes wide in wonder. "His name… I mean… I thought it was a funny name… I almost couldn't remember it…"
Hilde's frown deepened. "Name? What name?"
"The one you just said a little while ago..."
Understanding dawned on Hilde and her eyes widened slightly… "Jean Paul Ffleur…"
Hilde half expected a cold breeze to sweep her skirt against her legs or a blast of lightning and thunder… but what she was met with was just silence as the stereos were turned off…
Anger suddenly coursed through Hilde… Anger at what just happened to her a little while ago, and now her friends are playing a prank on her?! How do they expect her to believe this?!
Iris saw Hilde stomp angrily inside the house and quickly grabbed the bag that fell a little while ago and then ran after her just in time to hear-
"WHICH ONE OF YOU CALLED IRIS UP TO MAKE HER PLAY IN ONE OF YOUR TRICKS!!!"
Hilde was met with wide-eyed wonder and half-slackened jaws while Iris came inside the house.
"What's this about?" Iris asked as she placed the packages on the floor.
Hilde glared at the group in front of her. "Well? I'm waiting!"
Claire cleared her throat, catching Hilde's attention. "Hilde… what are you talking about? I mean, you just came in here in a raging rampage and accusing us of something we don't even know about-"
"IRIS! Here! Now!"
Hilde's commanding tone left no room for arguments. Gods! Everyone knows that she's an ex-Oz soldier! But she rarely gets mad!
Iris slowly went to the seat her employer ordered her to go to and sat down.
"Now, tell them exactly what you told me just a little while ago."
Hilde's soft voice was enough to send chills down everyone's spine.
Iris nodded hesitantly, although she really didn't know what she's supposed to talk about! "I… I was apologizing for coming in late… You see, my brother, Jake, you remember him, right?"
She was met with a series of nods while Hilde leaned against a wall.
"Well, he has a friend in Old France that he's supposed to give a package to… and well, you know how he just got into an accident, right?"
Everyone nodded once again while Iris wrung her hands together.
"Well, he was asking me if I could just deliver the package to him… and the man called me just a while ago to talk about the agreement… stuff…."
"The name, Iris… Tell them the name." Hilde said through gritted teeth.
Iris gulped. "Jean Paul Ffleur."
Someone gasped from the group, others frowned while still others stared at Hilde with gaping mouths…
"So… who did it? I'm asking this one more time and I'm going to let it pass if someone answers me."
Nobody said anything.
"I'm warning you-"
"Hilde!"
Claire's reprimanding tone cut through the red haze Hilde was seeing. She glared up at her older cousin who was, at the moment, looking slightly shaken…
"No one called Iris…"
Hilde shook her head, her anger disappearing… Claire… Claire her most trusted cousin… How could she-
"I'm not lying… no one called Iris…" Claire said once again, seeing where Hilde's train of thought was going to.
Hilde frowned in confusion. "But… if no one called her…" She looked up at each of her friends' incredulous faces then finally, at Claire's own disbelieving face.
Maybe… maybe Duo really isn't for her…
"He's… real…!" Hilde gasped out as, for the second time that night, her knees felt weak and she fell down onto the carpet, her eyes wide.
"He's real!" It was the only words she could say right now… the only words that could come out of her lips…
"Hilde…?" Claire asked as she helped her cousin stand up.
Duo had just confirmed that there isn't anything between them just a while ago… why can't she find her own happiness?
"I… I have to find him! I have to look for him…!" Hilde falteringly said as she pushed Claire's hands away.
"Hilde, what about Duo?" Claire asked as she tried to make Hilde look at her.
Hilde shook her head, the pain she felt just a while ago reverberated ten folds. "To hell with what Duo thinks! This is my life! My happiness! I lost too many years on him already! I'm not about to let my real future go."
Hilde looked at Iris. "You're going with me." And with one last twist away from Claire's grasp, she ran out of the house with Iris right behind…
Claire's hand went up to her throat in worry… 'Oh God, Hilde… I hope you know what you're doing…' She faced the others with a solemn look, knowing that she could trust them.
"No one… and I mean no one, is going to interfere in this one… understand?"
She was met with a series of nods.
~*~
"Hilde… please… Why are you doing this?" Iris asked for the hundredth time that night while she finished signing her note to Duo… Thank God Duo doesn't mind emergency leaves!
"Have you booked us a flight back to Earth Sphere?"
Iris sighed. "Yes, I've already done that… The flight is in two hours."
"You wrote the note to Duo?"
"For myself, yes… I don't know about you."
A sarcastic laugh came out of Hilde as she zipped up her luggage. "Oh don't worry about me… I'm sure Duo wouldn't even notice that I'm gone… He probably wouldn't even notice if I die!"
Iris' frown deepened at what Hilde just said. "You have to be kidding… He loves you."
"Have you ever heard him say that?" Hilde countered as she went inside her closet… It's touching, really… that some people actually think that they're in love… then again, it hurts because she knows that it's not true…
"Uhm…"
"Exactly… I haven't either." Hilde said as she extracted three new boxes of shoes and dropped them in another bag.
Iris gulped. Duo's one of her very good friends, so is Hilde… Anybody who sees them knows that they're in love!!! "Does a person have to tell someone that they love someone? Isn't it that action speaks louder than words?"
Hilde stopped to look at Iris, remembering that sudden coughing fit Duo went through earlier. "You are so correct, Iris… so true…" then she went back to packing her bags.
Iris let her hand slide down her face before letting out a groan.
"I'm finished… let's go to your house and pack."
"But I'm not even supposed to meet him until two days later!" Iris cried out as Hilde pulled her out of the house.
"Change of plans then." Hilde said as she dropped the bags inside the waiting cab and pushed Iris inside, getting in right after.
She glanced to her darkened house knowing Duo will come home drunk… knowing that he'll have one full day of hang over and knowing that… he won't even miss her…
'Good bye… Duo…'