Failing
PrologueGrey Mornings, Leading to Grey Days
He had been staring at his stark white ceiling for, he held his arm above his face and read the time, for 11 hours 7 minutes and 57 seconds… 58 seconds… 59 seconds… 11 hours and 8 minutes. He got out of bed in a daze and walked into the bathroom and got into the shower. After 3 minutes or so he started to feel like something was weighing him down even more so then he already felt, he looked down and realized it was because he was standing in his shower dressed in a complete tux and wearing the slippers he had put on after he had gotten out of his bed. He collapsed sitting on the floor of his shower fully dressed. Somewhere in the back of his head he heard someone knocking on his front door. His mind refused to acknowledge it.
Trowa sighed, and opened the uncharacteristically unlocked front door and entered the flat, Lindsey, Hiiro's caretaker following close behind him with a cup holder with 3 coffee cups in it.
"The showers on." She stated in her sweet childish voice. She had bubbly golden hair with streaks of brown running through the big loose curls that came down to between her shoulder and elbow. He watched her put down the coffee cups and raised an eyebrow couldn't help noticing how well… she was well she wasn't unattractive. As she bended over her worn pale paint splattered tightened… Hiiro was one lucky bastard he smiled to himself. Lindsey turned around and raised an eyebrow.
"What are you looking at?" She asked and walked quickly for someone who had such short legs. She knocked lightly on the bathroom.
"Hiiro?" She asked just as gently. When he didn't respond she knocked a little louder,
""Hiiro if you don't answer I am going to come in there!" She said loudly. Trowa raised an eyebrow again at her giving her a skeptical look. She gave him a look that made him regret the look. She pulled off her tan jacket and tossed it at Trowa.
"What I've seen him naked before." She swung the bathroom door open and disappeared out of his vision.
Hiiro heard his front door opening. He heard people talking, and he heard somebody addressing him. His eyes stayed in place staring at his slippers and his mind refusing to accept the fact that there was anyone in his house. The bathroom door opened and he could no longer ignore that somebody was there when the shower door slid open slamming against the wall on the opposing wall. Hiiro looked up blankly and for a second thought it was she, and then realized it was only Lindsey.
"Hiiro Yui stand yourself up and get out of that shower!" She said sternly. Hiiro was so out of it he did as she said. He saw Trowa watching from the doorway. Water slopped all over the floor and squeezed out of the bottom of his slippers. It ran into his eyes from his bangs distorting his vision. Before Trowa could stop her there was a loud crack as her palm connected with his cheek. Hiiro stumbled sideways into the wall.
"HIIRO YUI! YOU WAKE YOUR GODDAMN SELF UP!" She yelled. Hiiro blinked a couple times slowly coming back to his senses. "If she can't see how worthy you are for her she is not worth you moping around for the rest of your life! Now get out of those wet clothes take a real shower, get dressed and come have breakfast." She said all in one breath and very sternly though she was no longer yelling. She turned sharply on her heel and pushed Trowa out of the doorway slamming the door behind her.
"I was beginning to wonder why they had hired you, now I know." Trowa said highly amused with the way she had just bossed around one of the most highly feared and dangerous men around… and he was feared for good reason. She grabbed her cup of coffee and flopped onto the couch smiling cheekily. Trowa grabbed his coffee and sat down next to her.
"I didn't take you for a coffee drinker." He said making conversation.
"I'm not its tea," she answered, "I don't like anything bitter so no coffee for me." She smiled.
"Then how do you put up with Hiiro then?" He asked looking skeptically at her, "He is like the king of bitter." Trowa smiled amused with himself.
"Nah… he's just in a lot of pain that's all…" She smiled again but this one was different, more distant she seemed to be looking into a different world, and then suddenly she was back with him.
"So how is Claudia?" She asked, changing the subject smoothly.
"She's good last I heard. She went to visit her brother." He replied.
"I met him once, a real sweetheart." She smiled looking at her tea disguised as a coffee, her nail tracing a line around he rim of the lid of the cup.
"I have only seen a picture of him in Claudia's apartment." He said. She looked up an eyebrow raised high.
"You have been in her apartment?" She asked surprised looking.
"Yes I stayed there once when I couldn't go to the hospital." He explained. She made an 'o' shape of her lips and turned back to staring at her teacup lid.
She shifted slightly in her seat frowning at her own thoughts. Trowa doing pretty much the same thing,
"Lindsey?" He started but the bathroom door opened and Hiiro came out wearing only a towel from his waist to his knees. He looked bleakly over at them then disappeared into his bedroom. He came out a second later dressed in khaki colored slacks a black t-shirt with a pin stripped red button up shirt. His wild brown bangs hung low over his eyes making the dark circles under his eyes darker. Lindsey stood and absent mindly handed Trowa her tea cup and walked over to Hiiro.
"Hey Hiiro… it will be ok. You can make it past this." She hugged him. Trowa felt odd almost at once and looked away. He could hear Hiiro mumble something to Lindsey and she said something quietly back. A second later she was handing Hiiro the last cup of coffee. Trowa handed Lindsey back her tea. She smiled sweetly.
"Thanks Trowa. So shall we head to the 'office'?" She asked. Trowa stood,
"Yes lets." Lindsey put her jacket back on and they were off.
They walked into the 'office' a half an hour later. A young man their age with chestnut brown hair midway down his back in a braid came running up to them.
"Hey what took you so…"? He saw the look on Hiiro's face and fell silent. Hiiro brushed past him and walked ahead.
"Hiiro!" Lindsey didn't even say anything to Trowa or the other guy before hurriedly following behind him.
"Wow I didn't think he would actually show his pain." The guy said.
"Duo…" Trowa said to Duo but his eyes followed Lindsey. Duo's eyebrow raised and he looked at where Trowa was then sighed and shook his head.
"Dude Trowa we all know you've had the hots for Lindsey for like a year now why don't you just hit that shit and get over it already." Duo said completely seriously. Trowa looked at him his eyes narrowing,
"Not exactly how I would put it, but it doesn't matter she's in love with him." Trowa replied. Duo looked at Lindsey disappear behind a door following Hiiro.
"He gets them all doesn't he?" Duo mumbled. Trowa raised an eyebrow and shook his head,
"What do you have to complain about you're married!"? Duo smiled at Trowa,
"Yeah… I know… sometimes I forget." Trowa shook his head and walked towards the door Lindsey and Hiiro had just disappeared behind.
Hiiro stalked down the bright white hallway. He heard Lindsey chasing him, she caught up with him and with surprising force shoved him into what was supposed to be the wall but with a step became a doorway and they went falling onto the floor through the door. She landed on top of him, his head pounded onto the ceramic floor. He groaned in pain,
"Oh Hiiro I am so sorry!" She got off him, and tried to help him up. He just pulled her down onto her knees next to him. She yelped in surprise, he was silent for a minute or so before he spoke.
"I am sorry I am putting you through this Lindsey."
"What for?" She asked.
"I know how you feel about me Lindsey." He answered. Her face flushed with embarrassment.
"I… Hiiro… I'm sorry" She tried.
"Don't… its me who should be sorry. I must have been putting you through hell with my whole Relena thing." She didn't answer, Hiiro sat up and placed a hand on her cheek making her face him.
"I am so sorry." He leaned forward and kissed her gently.
