Mournful Love ~ Chapter 6
*~*Nearly 6 years later*~*
Duo rarely called anymore. It had been almost 2 years since he last called. The most they got were a few words in an email, and the last one had been 7 months ago. Everyone had gotten used to not having him around. After the first couple of months Heero had crawled into a shell. Now, he was back to normal. Wufei occasionally asked about him, but that had grown less frequent. Soon, it seemed no one cared anymore. Duo had become a faded, but happy, memory.
That's why it came as such a surprise that he would be at the door early one February morning with red, puffy eyes and an infant in his arms.
"Duo!" Quatre exclaimed. "What are you doing here? What's wrong?"
"Nice to see you too, Quatty," he said dully. "Can I come in? It's a little chilly out here and the kid is…"
"Oh, of course. I was just so surprised to see you, but that's no excuse for being rude." He stepped back into the house and led Duo into the kitchen. "No one's home. Trowa's at the circus, Wufei is at Preventer headquarters, and it's Heero's turn to get groceries," he said when he noticed Duo looking around the house.
"You guys still do that?"
"Yeah… Not much has changed, really. But… what are you doing here? I mean, it's great that you're here, but you didn't call or…"
"Hilde was in a car accident, Quat, she's dead," Duo said looking down. "I tried to stay at our place, but I couldn't. I couldn't make it through one night. This is the only place I could think of that I could go to. I can get a hotel, if you want… I don't want to intrude."
"No, Duo. This is still your home. The war brought all of us together once, and maybe it did for a reason. We all needed someone. Someone to care about us and for us to care about. No matter what, Duo, you'll always have a home here. We all care about you."
"Thanks, it means a lot to me." He paused. "Where can I put the kid, it's time for his nap…"
"Your old room, or the couch. Your rooms just the way you left it," he added.
"So the couch, then. I wouldn't want him eaten by dust bunnies the size of gundams in my room." Quatre chuckled.
"Well, I –did- clean it now and then."
They walked into the living room. Duo laid the baby on the couch and covered him with a baby blanket he retrieved from a bag he held. The bag was covered in teddy bears set against a blue background. Quatre walked to the kitchen to make some tea, and Duo sat on a chair watching TV. Neither boy heard the door open and close.
"Are you watching Noin's kid again?" Heero asked, startling both Quatre and Duo.
"No," Quatre replied and carried the tea into the living room. Heero followed.
"Well then whose kid is…" He faded off as he saw the figure on the chair looking at him. "Duo…"
"Hi Heero," he said nonchalantly. "How's it been?"
"What are you doing here?"
Duo blinked at the coldness in the other man's voice. "I'm glad to see you too. I've been as good as possible lately," Duo answered the unasked questions. "I took it pretty hard when my wife died, but at least the baby made it." He picked up the infant and walked up the stairs with tears building in his eyes.
"Wife?" Heero asked Quatre who looked equally stunned.
"I didn't know either. He only told me that Hilde died… He didn't tell me they were married. You should talk to him," he added and winced as a door slammed shut upstairs.
"Hn…"
What'd you guys think? Surprised? It gets better don't worry. Next time… Will Heero talk to Duo? Will Duo and Heero get back together?
Snippet of the Next Chapter---------------------------
Bottle in hand, Duo stood unnoticed in the doorway watching the scene before him. He watched as Heero stared in open-mouthed wonder at the tiny life he held. He smiled softly.
"I'm surprised he didn't cry," he said as he walked over and sat the bottle in Heero's hand. "You ever fed one of those?"
Heero shook his head slowly and looked up at Duo. "It looks like it'll break." Duo laughed.
I do not own Gundam Wing. - That's my disclaimer. ^_^