A word if you please: I hope you will forgive the lateness of this chapter, but I've been busy with Russian and French, studying vocab, writing papers, and learning to read and write Cyrillic (actually, that's kinda fun!). And then there's my The Magic of Fairy Tales class where I write five-page comparisons on the different versions of Snow White and "What do you think is the real meaning behind Little Red Riding Hood and The Frog King?—and just for the record, LRRH is Oedipal(joy). And The Frog King? Well, apparently the princess just wanted some sex. So that is why Chapter 4 was so long in coming. Thanx for waiting!—Rykaine
Ok, so. . . Chapter 4
Duo never approached Heero about the matter again, and in fact seemed content to act as if it had never happened. When the others had asked if he knew what could have upset Heero enough to make throw a glass against the wall he had merely shrugged and said he had no idea. He was not so much trying to avoid the subject and pretend it never happened, but allowing the other time to think and come to terms with whatever it was that had so obviously upset him. Truth be told, he was giving himself time to think as well. When he had confronted his former partner, he had meant only to find out why he seemed so intent on avoiding him. When the tailor had finished his torture session and starting packing up his instruments, Heero had all but run out of the room. However, when Heero had turned around to face him in the darkened room, hands clenched into fists at his sides, Duo had read desperation so fervent in his eyes that he could not help broaching the subject further. Now he felt guilty; yes, he had gotten Heero to admit there was a problem—sort of—but he had also succeeded in making him even more upset than he was to begin with. By broaching the topic and trying to help, he had only made it worse. For the past two days, he and Heero had not said a word to each other. They wouldn't make eye contact, wouldn't interact, if they were both in the same room there was a heavy tension in the air, so thick it was nearly tangible. Neither seemed to be able to deal with the other at the moment, and for Duo, the tension was starting to where him down.
So rather than spend another night pretending that nothing was wrong, he'd cried off from their planned excursion. Instead, he'd closeted himself in his room feigning exhaustion and a stomach ache, and now he was in the rec room below Quatre's kitchen sipping Smirnoff and bouncing balls into the left-corner pocket. Well, he was aiming for the left-corner pocket, but the bastards had minds of their own it seemed. It also seemed that they had a special fondness for the right-side pocket. Well at least they're all going into the same one, Duo though ironically, glaring at the burgundy surface as if it were the fault of the table.
"It'll catch fire if you continue staring at it like that." Startled, Duo dropped his cue and nearly lost the grip on his glass, splashing Smirnoff onto his hand and the carpet. He shook the excess liquid off his hand, wiping the rest of it off with the end of his shirt, and bent over to retrieve his cue stick.
"Hello, 'Fei. Guess I didn't see you there," he grinned up at his new companion.
Wufei smirked, "No. I guess you didn't." He approached the alcove the billiard table was set in and selected a cue stick from the rack mounted on the wall. "Play?" He asked when Duo straightened back up and looked at him.
"Sure, why not?" Duo shrugged and reached for the template while Wufei started pulling out the balls and rolling them across the table for Duo to place. "You want first strike?" Duo raised his eyebrows and smiled at him.
"If you insist," so saying, Wufei placed the cue ball at the opposite end of the table and leaned over to line up the shot. With a quick flick of his wrist, he struck the ball sharply sending it crashing into those at the other end. The triangle fanned out and he sank three. "This promises to be a good game," he circled to the other side of the table, lined up another shot, and sank two more. He smirked evilly, an odd glint entering his eyes. "A very good game."
"A very one-sided game," Duo snorted, glowering at his 'opponent.' "Next time I go first. That way I can at least get one shot in."
"Can I help it if I am better than you?" He laughed at Duo's outraged expression and continued playing. Half an hour later, he and Duo were digging balls out and setting them up for another round. From across the table Wufei watched his friend as he haphazardly tossed the balls into the template. "Are you ready to talk now? Or do I have to kick your ass in another round?"
"I have to be able to play before you can validly kick my ass. As it stands, the only ass you'll be kicking is your own." He paused for a moment as if to consider something, "Actually, that'd be kinda funny to see." He chuckled softly at that and looked up to find Wufei staring intently at him. "Talk?" Wufei gave a curt nod. "Well, there's not really a whole lot to say. I guess I'm just concerned about some things. I needed to think them through, y'know?" He leaned over to set up his shot.
"Heero." At this matter of fact statement, Duo's head snapped up. Wufei nodded, as if confirming something to himself. "So you are the reason Heero's been acting so moody." Duo tensed and straightened away from the table; the game was all but forgotten.
"All I wanted to do was to find out what was bothering him. You've seen him; he's obviously depressed about something." Duo stared intently down at the floor.
"Did you figure it out?"
"I think he's lonely . . .," Duo's brow furrowed as though he were confused.
"But . . . ?" Wufei coaxed him into continuing. Duo wasn't getting out of it now that he'd started.
"I thought that was his reason for taken Une up on her offer," Duo turned and started to pace agitatedly along the length of the table. "I mean isn't that why he agreed to be Relena's personal guard?" He rounded on Wufei, taking all his frustration of the past two days out on him, "So he'd be in familiar situations, in an environment he could control? Be with someone who not only care about him, but who he cared about?"
"You're right. That is why he did it?" Wufei nodded cautiously.
"Then why is he so unhappy?!"
"Why do you think he is?"
Duo raised his arm, pointing his cue stick at the television on the opposite side of the room. "Every news report talks about the 'breathless anticipation and excitement' over his and Relena's impending engagement." He dropped his arm and walked back towards Wufei. "Yet every time they try to interview him or ask him questions about it, he shuts down. I see it all the time. He looks . . . ," he paused, his voice softening, "I don't know, but he's not himself." He stared back down at the floor, twirling the cue stick in his hands, lost in thought.
"Maybe Relena isn't the one he needs."
"What does that mean?" Duo narrowed his eyes in confusion, a dubious expression crossing his features.
"Perhaps Relena isn't the one who can fill that void." Wufei studied Duo's expression, waiting for some kind of reaction. If he was right . . .. When Duo would have spoken, a soft ::ahem:: came from the stairs and they both turned to see Quatre looking at them expectantly.
"Sorry to interrupt, but dinner will be ready soon."
"Thanks, Quatre. I'll be up in a few." Duo waved him off and turned his back to both men. Wufei quietly replaced his cue stick and followed Quatre up the stairs. When they reached the top Wufei turned serious eyes to Quatre.
"You heard?"
Quatre nodded, "A good part of it, yes."
"And?" Wufei was curious to know if he had sensed the same thing.
"There's more there though isn't there?"
"Yes. A whole lot more."
Silence claimed the kitchen when Heero and Trowa entered from the dining room. Dinner was especially quiet that night since Duo never came up to join them.