"I am SO glad to get OUT of here!" Hilde commented gratefully. Carefully stretching her body, she grinned contentedly. "And I've SO been looking forward to doing THAT too." She gave a quiet chuckle and itched her sides, halted by the bandages high on her chest. A few days ago, she pleaded and argued with Duo, then resulted to the puppy dog look, to get him to alter her medical records so she could leave a few days early. She FELT well enough, but if she didn't, she wasn't going to tell DUO. Two weeks in the hospital took its role through boredom and need for freedom from her white-walled prison. Finishing the last button, she looked at herself through the mirror and shook her head.

'I wish I had more to my body.' She silently wished, picking at the shirt. 'This looks like a TENT on me.' She sighed and stared at her chest, all wrapped up in recent gauze. With an impish thought, she brought the collar to her nose and inhaled the scent. It smelt like clean laundry and Duo...and she wouldn't have it any other way. Giving a dreamy smile, she was interrupted by a short, quiet knock on the door.

"You DONE babe? There aren't THAT many holes to that shirt of mine." He called, leaning against the wall. Why did women insist on taking so long to look ready? All they were doing was going HOME...

She smiled a bit at his impatient tone. It sounded a little protective too and her heart fluttered. What did he think...she couldn't button a single shirt? "Yea, I'm done." Making sure that nothing was left lying around, she left the bathroom. "Your clothes are too big Duo." She tried pouting through a smile and circled once just to show him.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're just too tiny." He quipped back, smiling as he eyed her. Her head shook with a grin. This she knew. "Besides, if you wanted me to sneak you out of here, you're going to follow all the doc's orders." Her eyes rolled with a huff. How many times was he going to REPEAT that?? The doctor warned against wearing her own clothes; they might press against her wound and cause bleeding, or put excess pressure through the wrappings and gauze. Duo didn't need to repeat such a necessary warning to HER; she was WELL aware of the fact! As he turned to the door, she looked at the backpack on his shoulder and suddenly thought he looked too adorable in his normal priest's garments. The pack made him look like a schoolboy the way his hand clutched the strap over his shoulder. Hilde inwardly smiled at the thought and fought a schoolgirl giggle. "Shall we?" He humorously asked, bowing a little. She eagerly nodded with a grin at his antics and they walked to the door. When Duo opened it, she looked on in shock.

"What is THAT?" She loudly asked, sharply pointing a finger. Her eyes speared the blockade with rage, wishing to whither it.

He looked at her strangely and went to grip the handles. "Well, I don't know about YOU, but I think modern man calls it a wheelchair."

Her irritation boiled a little and she resisted the urge to slap him upside the head. Instead, she settled for grabbing his braid and giving it a tug. "I MEAN, what is it doing in front of my ROOM?" She heatedly asked, turning her glare to him.

"That's going to be your transportation till you're well, or until I can get something different arranged." He answered, gingerly rubbing his head. Even though still healing, she had quite a grip on her!

Stepping back, Hilde held both arms away from her sides, still glaring. "Do I LOOK like I can't walk?" She indignantly retorted.

His eyes indignantly rolled at her stubborn behavior. Losing his patience, all the humor left him. "Just sit DOWN will you?" He seriously asked, done playing around. She was as obstinate as he was a lot of times, so a firm hand was the way to deal with this. She shivered as his violet eyes darkened a bit. "I'm not going to argue with you in the middle of the hallway in the HOSPITAL. Just be grateful one of the nurses gave it to me. I bet these things aren't CHEAP. I KNOW it looks bad to you, but you're still not healed all the way." He finished with a low tone. "I know you're independent and THINK you can do everything without my help, but if you want me to doctor your records, then SIT in this chair and just go with the FLOW for once!" He hissed near her face.

Realizing he made a good point but not wanting to say he was right, she plopped down on the seat. Gently crossing her arms across her chest, she pouted while he wheeled her to the nurse's station. 'I feel like an INVALID!' Her mind angrily screamed. She was NOT a paraplegic, just very limited with arm movement! Why was he making her LOOK like one?? 'THIS SUCKS!' After signing the release forms, she secretly vowed she was going to try and get out of the damned chair as much as possible. Duo wouldn't be able to watch her EVERY minute of every day... Her attention perked up and she looked around as Duo wheeled her to the elevator, through a VERY familiar waiting room. Déjà vu surrounded her and she recognized the place, but kept quiet. They already had a little tête-à-tête over that little 'dream'; she didn't want to rehash everything right now. All she wanted to do was LEAVE.

She started to become confused when Duo walked outside, away from the hospital. "What's going on?" She asked. "Why didn't you call a cab?" She looked up a little, trying to figure out the reason behind it all.

"It's nice enough to walk home and it's not that far." He casually responded. She turned back in the seat and looked at the scenery, silently agreeing with him. After staring at four white walls for two weeks, it was nice to look at buildings and flora again. Still...she didn't want Duo to PUSH her ALL the way home. Yea he was a Gundam Pilot, but she was beginning to feel like a burden, even NOW. She knew he wouldn't allow her to use her arms, or ANY part of her body, so offering to WALK was out. He would probably make some excuse about overexertion on the way home and spring for a cab. Right now, they needed all the credits they could hoard. Folding her hands in her lap, she purposely tried not to think about the people they would pass on the way home. She didn't want anybody staring at her because of Duo's stubbornness. About half a mile or so to the house, he stopped and confused her. "What're you doing Duo? Why'd you stop?" She asked, looking up.

He looked at her and smiled. "Stand up real quick." He instructed. She did so, perplexed, but not wanting to miss an opportunity to get out of the chair. She remembered Duo saying she wasn't to get out of the chair till she was well, so she watched in confusion. He gently pushed her out of the way, took a deep breath, and walked around to the front of the wheelchair. Sitting down he looked at curious blue eyes. "Okay, you can sit down now." She gave him a wide-eyed 'are you crazy' look and openly gaped. "Look, I can push us faster than the present mode we're going. Plus, my legs are getting tired and I could use a rest. This is the best way." He explained, resting his arms on the armrests. Teeth nervously biting her inner lip, she turned and slowly sat down. When she did, her rear moved against his upper thighs as she tried to situate her legs over the side without touching the wheels. Right then, he knew this was a BAAADDD idea. He tried to keep a calm exterior to keep from showing how she affected him. "Okay, to put your hands on my shoulders so you won't fall off." His body felt every curve, every touch where they connected, and his skin was on fire. His brain was muddled at his original intention when he felt Hilde's fingers lightly clutch of the fabric he wore, nails delicately pressing against his body.

She was unsure about the whole situation, and she liked it even less when his leg muscles tightened, his chest clenching under his shirt. Her face heated a slight degree and she was glad for the hair covering some of her face. OOOHHH, but this was AWKWARD! When told to put her arms on his shoulders, she made the mistake of looking into his eyes, and saw passion building there. Her heart started to rapidly uptake in anticipation and she took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, and to stop the small attack of pain she was receiving for being such a ninny. Yes, Duo told her he cared for her, but making something into what it wasn't didn't help the hope in her heart. Duo cared for a LOT of people she knew of; some of the pilots for example. She wasn't going to get her hopes up when 'caring' for someone had plenty of levels and severities.

She concentrated her vision on keeping her legs positioned just so, so she wouldn't hit the wheels, or Duo's arms. She didn't know how she was going to be able to keep them in one position for the rest of the way home. For weeks of being unable to get out of bed, partly by doctor and Duo insistence, her muscles were bound to be screaming when they finally arrived home. When she figured she was as ready as she would ever be, she looked into his eyes and lightly smiled, mostly convincing herself. She still took a few deep breaths to calm down. He nodded and she moved her gaze off to the side so he could see. She carefully leaned against the other side of the wheelchair and turned her eyes towards their destination; home. After her heart calmed down a bit, she absorbed more of the scenery to take her mind off the parts of Duo's body she was touching, and the shoulder muscles that worked as his powerful arms moved the wheels. To be truthful, she was slightly turned on at the direct intimacy and tried to kill the blush spreading over her face. But the emotions of a woman are a LOT more powerful than the mind. It was a fight to keep her face masked in a neutral position, so she acted nonchalant about the whole thing.

Duo's eyes were half on the sidewalk and half on the chunk of hair that brushed against Hilde's face from the wind as they moved. He had the BIGGEST urge to stop and brush it behind her ear. It would also be an excuse to feel the softness of her hair and skin, to touch her period. Once again, he surprised himself at the level his thoughts were going in. A month ago, if someone said he liked Hilde, he would've laughed outrageously, then commented that they were only friends and gave the person a 'friendly reminder' to keep their FACTS straight. But now, reactions in his body he didn't think possible were occurring with his closest friend. 'She's more than that though.' He seriously mused. The scenery slowly turned familiar, and he thanked God they were nearly home. The way Hilde's mouth turned up in a small smile as she looked around was starting to make him forget his resolve to not kiss her and throw all caution to the wind. He wanted to kiss her...just to see how soft her lips were, and to see if she responded back. He saw the cute blush on her cheeks when she sat down and got herself comfortable, and he fought not to smile. She was embarrassed, like he was, about his whole physical contact they had going on. It was extremely brazen on his part and new to them both. Mentally shaking his head, as his body was once again aware of Hilde sitting on it, he forced a blank mind as his arms pushed harder to get home faster.

When the front door came into view, Hilde felt a large amount of relief and silently thanked God herself. They hadn't said a word to each other the entire way home, and the tension was starting to get to her. And mostly, in HER mind, the SEXUAL tension! She didn't know if DUO was perturbed like she was, but she didn't know inside his head as she liked, so it was anyone's guess. A few people around the neighborhood smiled at the picture they must've made and every time, her eyes quickly diverted. She almost wished they would wheel in front of a mirror so she could see for herself...just for curiosity sake. When he stopped in front of the door, she nearly jumped from his lap to relieve the discomfiture and felt a sense of separation, physically and mentally. But she didn't voice anything because this was new territory to her; she didn't want to impose on him. There was plenty he was ALREADY doing that he didn't need to. She waited for him to get up and then obediently sat down, not wanting to argue while she was so close to being HOME. As he fumbled for the front door key, it was an impatient wait. Hands stayed in her lap and her eyes speared them because she saw his back and shoulder muscles work as he walked. It wasn't like she hadn't looked BEFORE, subtly of course, but that was then and this was a stage they reached that they NEVER breached before. She wanted to stare but didn't want Duo knowing. She stared blushing and harshly bit her lip to keep from smiling.

When he pushed her inside, she saw the house was picked up and cleaned. She looked around with wide eyes, unbelieving that DUO, HIMSELF cleaned the house. She ALWAYS did the cleaning because he whined his way out of it, saying it was 'girl stuff'. Girl stuff INDEED. He didn't have too much trouble NOW it seemed. She smiled as he wheeled her into the living room and moved things around so the chair could move without much difficulty. She felt his eyes and looked away from admiring the house, smugly smiling at him. "Looks like some sort of cleaning service snuck in during my stay and decided to go on a freak cleaning job." She teased. She snickered when he pouted.

"Hey, I cleaned the house SPECIFICALLY for when you came home." He whined. "I didn't want it looking like a pigsty because you ALWAYS keep the place so neat and tidy. I just tried to follow your example." She smiled, slightly embarrassed, and he patted himself on the back for unintentionally complimenting her. She looked utterly ADORABLE right now, and he knew he should do it more often by the cute way she ducked her head and demurely looked at her hands.

Her heart fluttered at the compliment Duo gave, because she didn't think he NOTICED she even CLEANED the house. Men were normally pigs by nature, or sloppy to a degree, and he was no exception. She looked at him with a gentle smile. "Thank you. You do a pretty good job yourself...even for a Shinigami." She caught his pleased smile and small blush before he walked around and wheeled her to the kitchen without another word. Her mouth pressed together in amusement, catching that little blush of his. Though known to be a 'comedian', he was rarely embarrassed, or praised. She was privately grinning when they reached the fridge, knowing she'd have to find something ELSE to praise him on. When they stopped, she found herself starving because she was given nothing BUT hospital food and was dying for some REAL food. She looked at the fridge, then violet, in anticipation. "Can I eat REAL FOOD now, Duo?" She eagerly asked. She then realized how stupid she sounded and looked away. "You know...since you didn't let me eat anything but SLOP while I was in traction." She finished, looking up again.

He looked into her playful eyes and felt his heart melt just a fraction. "For once, you're going to have real food." He softly agreed. The pleasure in her eyes strengthened, and he remembered what he ate at the hospital, courtesy of Hilde's teasing. He did it only to prove a point because he thought she was making it out to be worse than normal cause she was stuck in bed. But it was gross beyond BELIEF, and that was another reason he was glad she was out of the hospital. He resolved to put some weight on her petite little body and hospital food WASN'T going to WORK. He opened the door and stepped back to wheel her nearer the fridge so she could see.

Her eyes rolled in sudden irritation. "Are you planning on babying me the ENTIRE TIME?" She asked in mock exasperation.

He smiled brightly and nodded before going back to the fridge and named off what sounded good. 'But then, EVERYTHING sounds good.' She hungrily thought. Her eyes rolled again as she listened to his ramblings. EVERYTHING he named off sounded good, to BOTH of them! Even though she was PERFECTLY capable of LOOKING in the fridge, it sounded GOOD to be babied...even if it WAS by Duo. She smiled, and it reflected in her eyes as she watched him rummage through the fridge. Having Duo around didn't sound so bad, especially to take CARE of her. She didn't allow many people the privilege, since she was HIGHLY independent, but this was DUO here. Someone she crushed on for MONTHS...and even still.

Duo stopped when he noticed Hilde didn't answer him after he finished. When his gaze turned to her, she held a wistful and dreamy look on her face, directed at HIM. Shivers ran up his spine from the gaze, and his head cocked to one side, giving her a funny look. "Um, something wrong Hilde?" He uneasily asked. She snapped out of the reverie and he fought not to laugh at her flustered look. Moving behind her, he wheeled her at an angle closer to the fridge so she could pick what SHE wanted, also to relieve her of the mortification. "Why don't YOU find something for dinner? You always DID know how to cook better than I did. We can make it together; sound good?"

She was grateful Duo didn't say a word about her acting like a moron. It was bad ENOUGH she couldn't control the way her MIND was thinking recently... She nodded and thoughts of cooking with Duo appeared in her mind. She put on another dreamy look now that her back was facing him and rummaged through the pile of food, trying to find a perfect dish the they could make together. 'It will be one to be remembered.' She resolved. 'FINALLY, I can teach Duo something about COOKING!' She handed about half a dozen items to set aside and use. Hands went to her lap as she looked at his wide-eyed gaze directed at the food. She smiled because he didn't have the LEAST bit knowledge when it came to ingredients. All she gave him were spices and extras she kept in the fridge to last longer.

"The main dish is too heavy and I know you won't let me get it out myself, so YOU'LL have to."

He nodded and walked forward to wheel her out of the way. "So what're we having?" He eagerly asked, smiling in spite of his boyish tone.

Her lips pressed together to keep from laughing. He normally WAS like this whenever she was in the kitchen, or in the middle of making dinner. The boy ate large amounts of food when he wanted to, and NO ONE got in the way of a hungry Duo Maxwell. But she found it adorable that he acted like a kid. She didn't want him growing up JUST yet; he did enough of it as it was with the war. "Get the haddock out of the top in the back." She instructed.

He grabbed a large wrapped package of half a dozen fish and wrinkled his nose. They sure didn't LOOK appetizing, but he knew Hilde would work her magic. He suddenly grinned from an odd, ODD thought in his head. "Any distant relatives of yours?" He held the package in front of her. She looked at him like he was nuts and put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. It hurt to laugh heartily and she didn't want to overdue anything. "I'll take that as a NO." He stood and closed the door. "Just checking." He chuckled and set the main course next to the rest of the items. "Anything ELSE you're going to need?"

"Only to get started." She looked at him, grinning evilly. "Or should I say YOU'LL get started."

He gave a mock horrified look, but mentally he was EXCITED to learn something new. And he couldn't have asked for a better teacher, ESPECIALLY at cooking. He smiled and smartly saluted. "Yes SIR! What do I need to do, SIR?"

Her head slowly shook, smiling at his playful nature. It was heartwarming to see him back to normal, even at the surface. She KNEW he was feeling different inside, but right now she wanted to have fun torturing him. She hadn't met a guy YET that LOVED to cook. Though Duo tolerated it and COULD fix himself something, he left it up to her because he knew she was better in the kitchen. "That's MA'AM, you dink! First thing, get a large pan out from above the stove. Grab the milk and butter. But give me the pan, THIS I don't think I trust you to do." He held it out and she set it on her lap. "Now the milk and butter, please." She poured a large portion of the milk and placed a chunk of the butter in the pan before handing everything back when she figured that to be enough. "Put the pan on the back right burner and turn it on low." She waited to continue till he caught up with her instructions. "While that heats up, get out a really good knife." She widely grinned. "You're going to get to gut a fish for the first time."

He looked at her wide-eyed for a second, then eagerly rubbed his hands. "OOOOO DISECTION, ne? I getcha." He went for the group of knives on the counter and held one out. "This one good?" He rummaged for two more before she pointed out the right sizes for him. "Ok, what do I do first?"

"This part I know you'll like." He looked at her curiously, hand poised in the air to be put to use. "Grab the butcher knife," He did as instructed, "and decapitate it."

He looked at the fish wide-eyed, then her. "WITHOUT anesthetic? Are you NUTS?" She giggled and her shook head in amusement. He smiled. Her presence was addicting.

"It's DEAD dork! You aren't going to HURT it. Come on, I though Shinigami would ENJOY it." She smirked. "Just pretend it's an Oz soldier."

He looked back at the fish, his smile growing wider. An odd notion considering he was just playing around, but THAT didn't sound too bad. "SHINIGAMI BANZAI!" He gleefully shouted. Hand held high, it quickly went down, segregating head from body. He went for the tail next, as she instructed. The main parts now separated, he grabbed the other knife and started de-scaling the fish. It wasn't as easy as it seemed; the little buggers were slippery and a few stuck to his hands. It was an odd feeling, and mildly gross, but he suffered through and mentally took notes. The first one finally finished, he washed off the paring knife and separated the meat from the skeleton. Hilde was very proud at how delicately and methodically he worked. She hardly coached him at all. He was a very good pupil. With his first fish cleaned and gutted, he set the white meat aside and moved to the next one, actually ENJOYING the task in front of him. He probably wouldn't remember EVERYTHING to the direct command, but a large part of it yes. He SURE wouldn't forget cleaning his first fish. It was actually EXCITING to know he'd done it himself...with JUST a little help.

The pot finally boiled as he put everything in. Upon asking WHY he had to put it on low, she looked at him and shook her head. She stupidly reminded he just gut half a dozen fish, by the time the mix would've boiled, he wouldn't have been ready to put it in the pot. He added the spices she pointed to and inhaled the aroma as the steam rose. He moved her to the fridge upon request and turned the stove to a lower setting to allow a longer time to cook. She rummaged through for a side dish, thoughtfully fingering her chin. She knew he was having fun, but she DESPERATELY wanted to get OUT of the damn chair and make it HERSELF. Cooking for them both was a secret pleasure, and not being able to see and do everything herself was irking her. But he genuinely wanted to help, so she kept quiet. She handed him a bunch more ingredients for just ONE side dish. She didn't know how he'd take making THIS, but she'd have to give it a go. While he tended to everything ELSE, she would think about the third dish.

"So what have you decreed I make NOW?" He asked, handing her things they already used to put away. He wheeled her away from the door to shut it and looked at the strange mix of ingredients.

"Get another large pan from above the stove and fill it with water this time." He curiously did as instructed and set it next to the other on the back burner. "Grab a bowl from that cupboard." He went to where she pointed, wondering if he'd remember half of this tomorrow. He considered himself lucky he remembered where everything WAS. He grabbed the plastic container and smiled. He HIGHLY doubted he would. "There're wooden spoons in that drawer. Grab a few." He did and set everything next to the ingredients. "Is the water boiling yet?" He looked at the pan and shook his head.

"Not yet, oh impatient one."

She lightly scowled. "I'd get out of this chair and give your braid a good YANK, but you'd throw me right back in." Her arms crossed with a pout.

He beamed. "THAT I WOULD." He happily agreed.

Her head shook with a smile. A nail fingered her chin as she sighed. "Well there's not a whole hell of a lot you can do till that water boils, so wheel me back to the fridge."

He raised an eyebrow, but did as told. "How much food am I MAKING here?" He asked, wide-eyed.

Her shoulders drooped and her head tilted. "Well let's see...HMMMM...HOW much do you EAT again?" She joked. His eyes narrowed with a playful scowl at his teenager eating habits and promptly messed up her hair. "HEY!" She looked at him and pursed her lips, but ended up smiling at his playful grin.

"So what WOULD I be making?"

"Devil's food eggs."

He raised an eyebrow. "DEVIL'S eggs huh?" He smiled again. "Sounds like MY kind of DISH."

"No, they're called DEVIL'S, NOT Shinigami eggs." He quietly chuckled. She turned back to the fridge, deciding on something simple while everything else heated. She reached in a grabbed a few heads of lettuce. "This should work for now. All you have to do is cut this up."

His head tilted as he looked at the two heads. "Man, where's Wufei's SWORD when I need it?"

She smiled and rested her hands on the armrests. "Dunno. Move me back. We're cooling down the house here." She ordered with a sly grin.

His eyes rolled and quickly set the lettuce down. "YES your majesty."

She smiled. "You know, that sounds FITTING." He quickly gagged and messed up her hair again. "HEY!" Her eyes narrowed. "WHEN I get out of this chair, your hair is going to be TWICE as bad as MINE!"

He waved off her threat. "Which isn't saying much since your hair is WAY shorter than mine." He looked at the stove to make sure everything was ok and turned his attention back to her. He walked behind the chair and gently ran his hands through her hair, combing it out. "See? All pretty, so quit whining." He walked around and smiled gently when he spied the peaceful look on her face. He reached out and gave her chin a small tap. "Don't fall asleep on me here, I have no idea what I'm doing."

She smiled and opened her eyes. "THAT'S obvious." Though she took in the double meaning, she wondered if he meant it that way. It had to be about the food; that was the main reason they were in the kitchen. But back to work... It took a while to get everything finished and she was SERIOUSLY antsy to get up and walk around, mostly to take the spoon out of Duo's hand and oversee everything HERSELF. But she had to admit, he followed her orders really well and everything turned out the same. He set everything down on the table and wheeled her to her place, now void of a chair. He went back into the kitchen and put everything to soak when she reminded him to. He figured she knew what she was talking about, since SHE did the dishes as WELL. Knowing he wouldn't let her do as much arm movement as possible, mostly by doctor's orders, soaking the dishes to make them easier to clean DID sound LOGICAL...

It was MORE than dark outside by the time they both dug in, but it didn't matter to either of them. HE was surprised he actually MADE something this GOOD, and SHE was amazed at how excited Duo was to learn COOKING. But with HER tutelage, and being a few feet away, it was nearly impossible for him to screw anything up. She had to admit, they made a good team. The taste of the fish was proof enough. Little talk was made, mostly because they were enjoying everything, but she was almost amazed Duo hadn't tried to feed her himself with as much as he was babying her. She was hardly allowed to lift her arms, so she was surprised he let her EAT by herself. It was ridiculous, not being able to walk when she was perfectly capable, and the idea of HAND FEEDING her, but with as soft and tender as the fish turned out, there wasn't much effort put into it. She felt his eyes on her every so often and looked into them every time, smiling when she did. She complimented him without adding a sarcastic comment after, feeling he was MORE than deserving of honest praise. He took it all to heart, now wanting to be in the kitchen to learn more. Cooking wasn't as bad as he THOUGHT.