"Come ON Duo, haul ass!" She happily shouted, standing near the front door once again. "We're gonna be late!" She had the wild urge to start pacing with impatience as she waited for him to get dressed and come from his room, but settled on tapping her foot against the ground instead. The door finally creaked open after what seemed forever and she restlessly looked at him. "Bout time slow ass. I do NOT want to be late today!" She eagerly admonished. Duo's head shook with a smile and she grinned in spite of her hasty attitude. Today was the day she was getting her stitches taken out and she wanted to get there a.s.a.p. The blue thread itched like no other and she wasn't allowed to scratch, not like she COULD over the bandages. Not to mention with the light complexion of her skin, such a dark blue stuck out like a sore thumb. The ONLY good merit that color had made it easier to take the thread out. She walked out the door and kept a slow pace so Duo could lock up and catch her. Though she wanted to RUN to the hospital, it was liable he would throw her over his shoulder, even with her wound, if she tried to overexert herself.
~*~*~
When they walked into the all too familiar waiting room, Hilde waved at the nurse she grew to know somewhat and sat down to wait for the doctor. Duo sat on a chair next to her, watching her excited, but nervous reaction. One could tell she was anxious for this visit for a LONG time by the way her fingers went to her chest and pointedly stopped. Hilde wanted those stitches out and NOW. They waited for a few minutes before she softly spoke, something coming to mind. This visit was different than any other and it would take longer. "Do you want to come in this time Duo?" He turned to her, thinking about it. Every time she went to the doctor's to get checked up, he always waited outside or walked around the hospital, giving them their space and privacy. His mouth opened to answer, but was at a loss to provide one. He'd be KIDDING himself and a GROSS liar if he said he DIDN'T want to see the 'operation'. She'd have to take off her shirt and those bandages; even though the DOCTOR wouldn't mind, it'd be a dream come true for HIM. "It's no big deal, if you want to you can."
"Hilde Schebeiker?" She looked behind Duo and smiled. They stood and greeted the elderly doctor. He shook both their hands with a warm smile.
"I offered Duo to be with us while I got my stitches removed, but he didn't answered me yet." She reported, lovingly smiling at Duo. Her grin tipped a little larger when his face ducked to the floor, still at a loss for words. He knew what was going to happen, but she didn't know if he could stand it HIMSELF.
The elderly man nodded. "Well, I'll lead you two to the room and tell you exactly what's going to happen. Duo can decide afterwards to stay or not." He looked at Hilde and smiled. "And it'll make you less nervous my dear."
"Nervous?" She warily asked. She wasn't nervous...somewhat. But, in truth he was mildly correct. She had NO clue what was going to happen, and she thought she could hide it under her excitement. Maybe the doctor knew her better than she knew herself...
"I can see it in your eyes and the way you're fiddling with your hands." He humorously explained. She silently swore and shoved her hands in her front pockets. Fidgeting always WAS a problem she had... "If you'll come with me." After entering the all too familiar room, she immediately walked to the makeshift bed and grabbed the gown so it was out of her way. Putting it in her lap, her eyes caught Duo dragging a chair closer. The doctor sat down in front on a roller chair and looked at her stats. "Okay dear, go ahead and take your shirt off, unwrap your bandages, and put the gown on backwards so the opening shows the front. You'll need to lie down on the bed and not move so I can get out those pesky stitches." He put the clipboard down and looked at her, giving an encouraging smile to disarm her fear. "The procedure is pretty simple, but will be a little strange for you. I'll be using a pair of tweezers and some very sharp scissors, so I'll have to tell you when to breathe and hold a breath. I'm going to cut all the thread, then pull it out one by one so there's no possible case of snagging." He rolled the chair back to the counter against the wall. "This is going to feel somewhat odd, so if you wanted to hold something to take your mind off the procedure, you can."
She took in all the info, especially the part where she would have to disrobe in front of Duo...if he stayed in the room. When she remembered he was IN the room, she turned to him. "Do you want to stay, or leave? I don't mind; it's your choice." She softly said, a little nervous and excited he would see her scar. She feared what his guilt level would be when he saw the stitches and size of the mark, but anxious that he'd see such an intimate part of her body. She noticed the unsettled look in his features and was slightly relieved that he was uncomfortable like she was. Though this was routine for her, Duo never saw more than her half naked state in the towel a week ago, and that was minus her chest. Over the past few visits, she slowly became used to the doctor seeing her vulnerable, because he already knew the entire female persona in and out. Duo was a different matter though.
"Make a choice son." The doctor interrupted, sliding a towel-covered tray to the bed. "I want to get started and get Hilde out of here so she can enjoy the nice day." Duo nodded his decision to stay, slightly curious about this small occurrence. The doctor nodded and grabbed the towel, pulling it off and setting it aside. Duo looked at Hilde's slightly nervous look at so many shiny, SHARP objects and reassuringly smiled at her when he caught her eye. She smiled back and tried not to fidget over the growing amount of adrenaline in her system. The fretful urge to move, particularly AWAY from the scalpel, scissors, and many OTHER unnamables, was growing stronger. "Okay dear, go ahead and get ready." The doctor said. Duo turned his head to give Hilde a little bit of privacy.
When he noticed doctor move out of the corner of his eye, he turned back and saw Hilde lying on her back. Nervous eyes stared at the ceiling, one arm holding the folds of the gown in place. His mouth went dry when he saw the scar, void of the wrappings and gauze. The skin around it was discolored with fading bruises and he awkwardly bit his lip. It MIGHT not've been a wise decision to stay... But, he also saw the slope of one of her breasts and was mesmerized, unable to move his eyes if his life depended on it. His gaze broke when her hand moved toward him and he inched closer, intertwining their fingers in support. He sat back and watched as the doctor put a surgical facemask and plastic gloves on and move his tray of metal tools over Hilde's waist. A bright, harsh glaring lamp clicked on right over her chest. "I'm going to clean it with rubbing alcohol before I use the scissors." He warned. Hilde nodded through a neutral face, but her eyes were slightly wide, despite the light overhead. RUBBING ALCOHOL?? There was never anything but a gentle, smell-less soft-soap on her skin. This was DEFINITELY going to hurt. She hissed in a slight breath upon contact before stopping herself. Duo squeezed her hand to let her know he was there and she squeezed back with an intense amount of strength.
He watched the doctor expertly work with the scissors, moving the edges close enough to Hilde's skin, yet not cutting her. When he finished, the elderly man announced he was halfway done and that she was doing fine. "I'm going to slowly pull out the stitches to minimize your discomfort some and so nothing gets stuck. This is the weird part, so just think of anything you need to relax."
She stared at the white ceiling tile and involuntarily shivered when the thread pulled through her skin. She tried to put the feeling into words, in some action she knew of, but couldn't come up with anything. She tried not to keep count and squeezed Duo's hand again when the doctor pulled another out. Eyes remained trained on a spot on the ceiling, unblinking. Her face remained straight, unmoving, as if she were comfortable with this. When she counted the last stitch, she mentally breathed a sigh of relief when he got the worst part out of the way. 'I'd rather have him clean it again with the stitches IN.' She smiled slightly.
"I'm going to clean it again." He warned, soaking another cotton ball with alcohol. "You're doing fantastic. I'm almost done." She hardly felt anything other than a slight sting, but it was better than the sensations she felt earlier. "I'm going to put gauze on your wound, but you can leave the bandages off now. Right now, your wound needs to breathe as much as possible. And while I can't allow you to keep the gauze off since your wound will need more time to heal with this latest adjustment, keeping the extra fabric off will help." She gave a silent cheer, but smiled on the outside as she patiently waited for him to rub the ointment on her almost healed wound. The normal feeling of the gauze and tape once again returned to her skin. "All done. You can sit up now." He cheerfully said.
She did so and happily looked to Duo, then found where his eyes were and smirked. She let go of his hand, fighting the urge to give his braid a good tug. If she had a shirt on, then maybe she'd reach over. But one wrong move and not only would she pull the tape that hadn't gotten a good enough grip on her skin, but exposing herself was a definite. "Turn around Duo so I can get dressed." She humorously ordered.
"Now...you won't be able to wear your clothes for another week, or any bras. I don't want you putting pressure on the sight. You aren't wearing your ace bandage anymore, which takes away a lot of padding that would've been there in the beginning. You'll have to be more careful with what you do from now on."
Nimble hands stopped buttoning up the shirt, her eyes widening. Wearing just a t-shirt around Duo for another week without her bandages? She almost wished for the bandages back. ALMOST. She was still relieved to not have to keep wrapping them around her chest everyday, now able to itch a spot on her back where the bandages would have covered. But now that he KNEW she wasn't going to be wearing the only padding a bra WOULD'VE given, it was going to play havoc with them BOTH. Now it DEFINITELY wasn't a good idea to let him in the room! She finished buttoning up Duo's shirt and looked at the doctor. "Thanks Doc. I'll be back next Saturday to get a clean bill of health from you." She joked, easily smiling.
"I'll hold you to that." He said.
~*~*~
When they left the hospital, Hilde was in a joyous mood. Feeling nearly healed and less restrained than normal, she absently skipped a few times before telling herself to watch it...since she didn't have so much padding around CERTAIN areas. She was now thankful for such a petite figure, that everything wasn't so proportionate. That would be too embarrassing in her mind, and too tempting to Duo. She widely smiled, fighting laughter and wondering at what was going through his head right now. If he was turned on by the fact that she wasn't allowed to wear a bra PERIOD, she was going to laugh at his misfortune in the middle of the sidewalk!
He watched her cheerful mood and felt his start to match hers. It was contagious and he happily smiled, thinking she was almost back to normal. Just another week and then...MAYBE they'd be able to be together like he promised her they would. The thought hadn't left his mind in the matter of a single, measly week. If anything, thinking about her stark naked in his bed was a constant nightly struggle to fall asleep. Many an empty minute he was in the yard was filled with the sight of her in that towel and those wrappings the only thing shielding his eyes. His grin took on a whole new form and he bit his lip to keep excitement down.
They walked past the fateful park on their way home, but instead of walking by, she dragged him into the area, wanting to play to burn some energy. It was only mid afternoon and if they simply went home, she was going to clean to burn it off or go crazy. Might as well have some FUN on this day of joy. He ran with her to the swings, sitting down while she pushed off. He copied and felt all the burdens of worrying about Hilde and being a Gundam Pilot leave him. It was so EASY to forget he was only fifteen when taking part of such a worldwide involved war that could end up changing the world. This was the closest, simplest way to be off the ground besides Deathsycthe, and he cherished this more than his Gundam. It would've been nice to stay like this forever, but Hilde jumped off the swing and he slowed the wide pace. When he stopped on the swing, she dragged him over to the slides and the extensive set of monkey bars. He watched the carefree way she clambered around and felt the same emotions go through him. For once he felt like a normal teenager, instead of someone that had to grow up fast to fight for peace. Watching her climb in and out with that slender body of hers, burning off so much energy in a childish way, he couldn't help but forget all about the war that surrounded every human being. This was THEIR time.
Later, the two spotted a small group of children that arrived into the park while they rested. "Hey you two!" A little kid shouted. From their place on the bench, they looked over at the small boy happily waving. They smiled and waved back. "You wanna join in??" They both raised an eyebrow and almost skeptically looked at each other. Duo shrugged with a growing smile, while she simply grinned back, and they jogged over. The little kid smiled evilly as they approached and wasted no time. "TAG!" He loudly announced, slapping Duo's arm and taking off in the other direction to his friends, happily squealing. Immediately, he tagged her back, taking off after the group of kids half their height. She dumbly blinked at the newest whirlwind that spit dirt into the air before tossing out a playful growl and taking off after him. But, being fair to the others since THEY were the guests, she tagged the nearest child and took off. Duo mostly tagged Hilde the entire time, while she kept telling him it was unfair and purposely wouldn't tag him back throughout the game. The two left the park when the artificial sun started to set, also needing what little reserves they had to get home.
~*~*~
He locked the door behind them when they entered the house, both immediately taking off for kitchen. Starving from such high activity, they unanimously agreed on forgoing dinner, sticking with snacks this ONE time. She WOULD'VE argued, if her stomach didn't demand immediate attention and no hour wait to be fulfilled. Grabbing a large assortment of snacks that looked good, the two comfortably settled on the couch, Duo sitting in NORMAL position while Hilde stretched out, draping her legs over his lap in the process. They playfully argued over the channels, munching on the food they carried from the kitchen as a small war broke out for possession of the controls. If one wanted to watch a different station, or didn't like the program, or simply did it to get a rise out of the other and be obnoxious, they miraculously kept food from being thrown in the process.
After an hour of tv cramming, eating, and playful antics combined with dry wit and sarcasm at the tv, the two stretched out on the couch to be more comfortable as sleep started drooping their eyelids. Hilde snuggled against Duo behind her, half listening to a television show he watched. Her eyes tiredly slunk downward, also brought on by the comfort of being wrapped in a pair of strong arms. It was an exciting and energetic day for her...for them BOTH. She was relieved to be almost back to normal because she was out of shape from Duo not letting her move for a solid month. That long game of tag was fun, but exhausting, and it only proved that she needed to start pulling her weight over Duo's protectiveness and start working out somehow. Not that she was going to TELL him. She wasn't THAT stupid to start him worrying over something she was going to do possibly WEEKS down the road. She KNEW not to overdo everything right now, since this was the most crucial time for her skin to fully heal. With the stitches out, there WAS no more backup in case something happened. Her thoughts crashed back when his hand softly moved across her stomach and she shivered at his touch, but smiled slightly, enjoying the feel of his hands. It mildly tickled, but she didn't want him to stop. Giving in to sleep, her eyes closed in content.
"Stop." Hearing the words of panic not even a minute later, she wondered what station Duo flipped to. He always DID have a short attention span, but she was barely paying attention anyway. "No please." Slowly becoming more awake, she realized it was HER saying those words. As if opening her eyes, Duo stood above her, fierce determination in his eyes. "No Duo, please." She weakly repeated, feeling that familiar pain course through her chest. What was going on? How could she be hurt so badly when she just fell asleep, basically okay? "Don't do this..." Not listening to her weak, almost inaudible pleas, his hand plunged down to her ribcage... Her eyes jerked awake before she felt the jolt throughout her body. Glazed pupils wildly looked around and she reminded herself that she was okay, trying to bring herself out of disorientation. A dream...it was just a DREAM...
When her body jerked in his arms, his stare gravitated to her face. Her eyes moved around the room and his brow creased in curiosity and concern. As if sensing something wrong with her, his lips absently kissed her hair to let her know he was there. "You okay babe?" He softly asked. She stiffly nodded and fixated her gave to the tv. She was avoiding something and not verbally answering him was allowing her to keep from expressing emotions through her voice. His distress raised another notch as he stared at her sideways face. "You sure you're okay?" He asked again, his eyes calculating.
Hilde thickly swallowed and nodded again, trying to convince herself that everything was past. 'There'll ALWAYS be some sort of shock you have to get over yet.' She told herself. 'I guess it gets dealt with on the subconscious level.' His chin moved to the top of her head and his hand softly kneaded the side of her waist. She felt unidentifiable warmth in her lower stomach and shivered, trying to swallow over the sudden rush of adrenaline.
His breath tickled her ear. "I know you enough to know when you've had a bad dream... I know you're lying about it." He whispered. She silently cursed, knowing she wouldn't be able to tell him what was going on because she didn't want him to feel GUILTY anymore. She didn't want him to feel anything bad toward her, so she purposely kept quiet. If he knew she just had a nightmare about that night, he would go right back to where he was at the bottom of the ladder. Just as she was physically healing, he was emotionally and mentally picking himself back up. Not swayed by her stubborn silence, his hand kneaded the lower area of her rib cage and her skin tingled where his hands touched. The indescribable, delicious feeling in her stomach grew and her eyes quickly closed to savor it. Suddenly, his hands stopped and the feeling was gone. She felt seclusion, even though his body was directly behind her, touching back to front. Her eyes opened in agony for him to touch her again and her body turned a degree to face him. Her face twisted toward his awaiting, burning eyes. "What did you dream about?" He lowly repeated. She wouldn't give that information because she knew the minute he did, he would stop caressing her and isolate himself for the entire evening, fearing the physical power he held above her. He would fear what his 'deadly' hands could do, so she kept quiet and said nothing.
He raised an eyebrow at her silence, still challenging her with his eyes. He didn't want there to be any kind of secrets between them and he didn't like knowing she wasn't able to come to him with something on her mind. Sharing it would make her feel better, since this was obviously BOTHERING her... She turned until she faced him and his arm comfortably situated itself around her waist. Her arm did the same and they stared into each other's eyes for a bit, neither giving up. There was longing in her eyes and he wanted to desperately touch her like he was, but silently used that power to torture the secret out of her. He loved her, and he didn't WANT there to be secrets between them. His mouth leaned closer, but didn't kiss her. "If you want me to touch you again Hilde, then you'll have to tell me what your dream was." He smiled sexily.
Hilde was stuck between a rock and a hard spot. She would NEVER tell him her dream, but she wanted to feel those feelings again. Wracking her brain for a believable lie, she told him the one that was the second worry in her heart. Though she didn't LIKE lying, it was that or physical AND emotional isolation. "I dreamt that you had to leave to go fight again..." Her eyes lowered and her face nuzzled against his collarbone. Every time he left, she always felt so down, just like she did NOW. It wasn't hard to conjure up the emotion and let it take her. "I just don't want you to leave me when we've achieved so much..." She hoped that was enough to throw him off the trail because she was close to tears. Though she never cried as he left, she let the downpour happen after he was safely out of the colony. It was a rule she made because she knew if he saw her tears, he wouldn't leave on something he HAD to do. The ruse seemed to work; he smoothed out her hair and brought her closer in a hug.
"Don't worry babe. Even if I have to go back to war, I'll come back to you. I don't want to leave what we have, because I love you so much." Tears came to her eyes. No matter HOW many times he said those three little words, they always managed to capture a bit more of her heart. Her eyes lifted and she passionately kissed him. The arm around her waist tightened, his other snaking around her head to the back of her neck, pulling her even closer. He picked up speed, but she matched him stride for stride, emotion for emotion. It didn't take long for her neck muscles to get tired. Knowing there was a better way to go about the kiss, she moved back and shifted her legs extremely slowly to give him a hint. Without breaking the kiss, the two moved till she laid over his girth. Completely stretched out over his body, her mind blanked of all thought except for the emotions and sensations going through her veins. On a natural impulse, her legs parted until she straddled his hips in a more comfortable position.
When her legs spread under him, his passion went up another notch. Through the emotions and adrenaline in his body, he was amazed and surprised this was happening to HIM. How could such a beautiful woman love someone like him, let alone be kissing him like she was?? This was what he dreamt about. His clothing was quickly becoming a barrier and he longed to shed it, to mingle his skin with hers. His lips devoured hers and she kept pace with his every move, even initiating something herself. Her hips press into his, bringing a shuddering sensation up his spine, through every pore of his body. His lips started to tremble, his breathing picking up another notch. His arms wrapped around her waist, clutching her to his chest, trying to bring her closer. Her hands dug into his hair, digging, caressing, her nails making his entire brain quiver. Only in dreams had he ever thought this would be happening, that he would be feeling this much elation towards his true love. Every day, every hour, the love built so much that he loved her so much it hurt. He was reluctant to break the kiss to pinch himself, fearing it was all a dream and Hilde would still be hurt worse than she was. His emotions quickly corrected him. 'But she's nearly as healthy as you are. She's keeping pace with you isn't she?' Her hips ground into his once again, blocking out any other thoughts. His arms loosened their hold and slowly slid over her back, seductively caressing her spine. They slowly brushed lower, lower, till he was at the bottom of her shirt and dared to go lower. The tips of his fingers touched the hem of her jeans. Upon making the discovery, his hands shook as he slowly drifted lower, till they rested over the back pockets. A soft groan came from hers mouth and he felt the tingle against his lips. His control was quickly slipping every time she pushed herself against him. His hands quickly overcame the nervousness and applied more pressure. He felt the soft curves of her body and when he felt it wasn't enough, his hands gripped her rear and pushed her against him.
She continuously pushed herself against his waist to feel the emotions swirl around her body. The first time was just an experiment, heavily influenced by the pleasure that shook her hands. The first time held her captive and she did so now more so by need than curiosity or want. Her arms positioned on either side of his head for balance, her hands gripping chunks of the couch for leverage. She felt in heaven when his hands pulled her and she willingly complied. Her legs were weak, adrenaline rushed, and her arms felt like they were going to collapse as her back arched again, again, and again. Her body shifted forward and back over him until he gripped her and moved her body quicker when she was unable to. Her temperature rose from the physical exertion and the closeness of his body; her breathing was ragged; and her lips shook. She couldn't think of a coherent sentence if her life DEPENDED on it. Their tongues somehow danced throughout, able to keep up with such a pace that they set between themselves. She moved herself as fast as she could and as all her emotions built, searching for something...searching for release. Unable to keep contact with his mouth, she broke the kiss with a small gasp and borrowed her head in his neck, finally able to breathe. Her movements increased even more with that little extra room to move and she felt every pore, every fiber build. She wanted this feeling to continue forever, but also for the end to get that glorious sensation.
As her entire body started to tense, a small jab of pain in her chest was felt over the wave of joy and she cringed, immediately stopping, even though it was against every fiber in her body right now. Not really thinking of anything other than pleasure, that small spark of logic overroad the moment and put a small bit of panic in her. Lungs heaving, she pulled away as something sticky touched her chest, other than her own sweat. She pulled away, immediately worried, a hand going to her shirt. "What's wrong babe?" Duo huskily whispered, staring at her with hooded eyes, but not seeing the problem. Her face remained down so she wouldn't meet his eyes. His hands softly caressed her behind, trying to sooth her into finishing what they started. When she paused, it was like taking something precious away from him.
Fingertips lightly pressed on a small spot near the sight she and felt another jab of pain. No, it COULDN'T be...she couldn't be THAT STUPID and CARELESS! With frightfully wide eyes, she looked at Duo, who was thankfully too gone to notice. Panic hit her; he wouldn't be so clueless for long, so it was necessary to be gone before the blood soaked through her shirt. "Be right back." She quickly muttered, scrambling from him and tearing off to her room.
The weight immediately lessened from his body and the passion instantly died. Confused eyes followed her till she rounded the hallway and the door slammed. Perplexed and an emotional torrent, his head slumped back onto the arm of the couch as he stared at the ceiling, wondering what just happened. A second ago, he was in such a passion induced haze, and so was SHE. He sought release, and he knew that's what SHE was trying to do, so he had no clue why she suddenly took off like she did. He hoped they would be able to finish what they started. Her body molded perfectly over his, their rhythm in such a beautiful time... His body became constricted of his clothing again, tightening around his skin. God, how he wanted to make love to her so BADLY... Closing his eyes, one hand propped his head up as he tried to relive the emotions that touched him from head to toe. His body was still shaking from the overload. He never knew anyone was capable of such an act...but then...he underestimated her level of ardor.
A dreamy smile lit his face as he remembered how she moaned when his hands helped move her faster. His body reacted again, making it even harder to move. Then WHY did she run off?? There was no rhyme or reason to it. He did nothing to turn her away from him. Trying to figure the situation out, his clouded brain struggled to picture her face, to think above the one thing running in his head right now. He remembered her eyes, and the bit of panic around her wild hair. His brow creased in confusion. When he asked her what was wrong... her gaze stayed off him and looked down to something. 'Herself?' A hand, gently touching her chest...as if probing for something... Eyes clouded in pain... His mind became sharper as he realized something was wrong. His eyes popped open. 'Maybe I should go see just WHAT the problem is.' He thought with new determination. It laced with anger, partly at his stupidity, and partly for Hilde not telling him that something might be wrong. His hands reflexively clenched in worry as he purposely strode around the furniture. She was almost healed...he just had to keep telling himself he was overreacting. And hopefully...so was SHE.
~*~*~
'I am such a fucking MORON!' She berated again. Putting everything away, she stared at the old bandage, spotted with blood...HER blood. 'I shouldn't have gotten so carried away.' But oh...how wonderful it'd been... When she rebandaged herself up, she saw no permanent damage was done and was grateful. Just what she needed, to break the wound open again and go get stitches AGAIN. The whole process was enough for her the FIRST time. Lost in thought, a knock sounded, extremely loud in the silent room. She jumped and quickly threw the gauze in the garbage bin, hurrying to think up an explanation. Lying again? It was wrong of her to not tell the truth to Duo, but she was more concerned about HIS emotional state than hers right now. She stopped at the door and gripped it with shaking hands. She knew he would kill her, especially when he found the REAL reason she ran away. That, or himself... Taking a resounding breath, her heart thundered in her ears as she peeked the door open.
He stared into panicked blue eyes before she masked it and gave him a curious, playful, raised eyebrow. His own worries were becoming worse, as was his anger. "Is anything wrong?" He seriously asked, slowly moving his foot so she wouldn't be able to shut her door. Her attention was totally diverted to him until her head shook and looked to the door. His eyes narrowed at the guilty look on her face and his voice became somewhat harsh. The anger brewed inside him, and although he didn't like being angry with her, a good portion of it was directed at his carelessness and how out of control he let his hormones get. "Something happened." He said, almost gravely. Her head jerked up and met his eyes, a small bit of fear in them. His anger simmered a bit because he didn't WANT her to be afraid of him. Too many people already WERE afraid of Shinigami's anger, and there was no need for it at their home. She never WAS afraid, even when he was angrier than he was now. She didn't really know what fear was, but the look in her eyes told him she was trying to cover something up. He breathed in to tell her he knew she was lying when he caught it, the strange aroma that always made his nose wrinkle from the smell. He smelled it that day he helped with her bandages and at the doctor's office. He always WONDERED how she could stand such a smell, but now, that was her downfall.
She had never seen Duo so mad. Ever since they confessed their love, his frustration and anger were non-existent around her. That day triggered a whole new side of the Duo Maxwell she saw so long ago. It stunned her to see the darkness in his once happy eyes. She tried to stop her racing heart and challengingly stared back into his eyes, almost daring him to yell at her or try and berate her. But she couldn't look away again. She had to be strong to face him. His anger was something to cower down to, and she didn't want to show him she was afraid. "Something HAS happened to your wound, and there's no way you can deny it."
Her eyes widened in surprise and she stared at him in amazement. "How...how did you KNOW?" She sputtered. She looked down at her shirt, hoping there were no stains on it. She looked up into Duo's face again and he tapped his nose.
"I can smell it." He seriously told her.
She breathed in and smelt the accursed aroma. Having to use it daily, her olfactory sense became accustomed to it, which she found rather helpful. Now it was a curse, because she knew HE wasn't used to it. "Look Duo, nothing's wrong. I'm still okay and-"
He took a step back, clenching his fists till nails dug into his palms. He punched the wall in intense anger and she flinched, an involuntary shiver coursing through her spine. Without her permission, a foot took a reflexive step backward to safety. He shouted obscenities to himself as he tossed his hands in the air and stomped off to his room. She watched as his voice faded in her ears, unbelieving what just happened. Wide, astonished eyes slowly gravitated to the dent in the wall. Her gaze locked with it under she heard nearly quiet. Quickly getting over the shock, her gaping mouth snapped shut as she ran the short distance to his room. The lock clicked into place as she tried to open it, also keeping her away from him. Her fist pounded on the door, wanting to break it down. "DUO! DUO LET ME IN! Right NOW Duo! Let me IN, damn it!!"
"I'm not opening this door because I DON'T want you to get injured again!" He shouted, frustrated over his worries proved true. His worst fear came true; he hurt her again. He NEVER wanted to hurt Hilde, yet such a memorable experience could've put her back in the hospital. And she kept wondering why he didn't want to touch her...
Her anger flared and she pounded on the door repeatedly, trying to twist the lock with her free hand, even though it wasn't budging. She knew it wasn't, but that didn't stop her. "DAMN IT DUO!" She shouted angrily. "OPEN THIS DOOR!! I'm FINE!"
"I'm NOT going to open the door and have you getting HURT again! So you should stop pounding on the door before you hurt your hand!" He stubbornly yelled.
She screamed in frustration and rage, feeling like pulling her hair out. All that progress...the entire month of gently building him back to believe she was okay, that she could even WALK on her own...down the toilet. "FUCK you, Duo Maxwell!!" She kicked the door as hard as possible before stalking out of the house, slamming the front door as hard and loudly as she could. In her blind fury, being so angry with him for not seeing to reason, she took off in a dead run, headed in nowhere particular.
~*~*~
After he couldn't take the silence anymore, his head tentatively moved from the cushion of his arms. Now calmed down, his more tranquil eyes stared across the room. He sat with knees to his chest and crossed arms, trying to block out all light and welcome back the darkness. The last time he worked in the dark, everything was clear-cut and precise. There was never a time when he needed to worry about anyone other than himself. He didn't need to fear the power he was trained to wield. And now...he wished it never came to him. It seemed no matter how small, he managed to hurt Hilde. Ever since he punched the wall and seen her fear, he cursed his experience as a Gundam pilot and went to lock himself in his room, to keep his death hands from hurting her. His ears picked up every shout she threw through the door; his mind counted every time she pounded on the wood; his heart bled with the loud curse she threw his way before the door slammed; and his body felt the house tremble from her fury. Tears came to his eyes. He wondered if she would forgive him for being such a hypocrite. He told her he didn't want any secrets kept from him and he didn't want her to leave him, but he pushed her away and made her afraid of him. He refused to go near her because of whom he was. He angrily swiped at a tear and cursed his stupid heart. His ears strained to hear any kind of movement outside the door; he wasn't about to open it if she was waiting down the hallway or hiding to get into his room. A small smile tipped his lips. That was so like the Hilde he knew. Not hearing anything but the crickets near his window, he slowly and silently unfolded his arms, continuing to listen as he moved.
Standing up, he slowly made his way to the door, still listening for any sounds she might make. It was entirely silent ever since she slammed the door and he wondered if she'd be in her room, waiting for his apology, which he felt compelled to give. His hand unlocked the door, slowly turning the knob. Cracking it a bit, he peeked out. The hallway was deserted, but the lights were still on. He knew she must've stormed off to her room, because she normally griped about the energy bill from time to time. Opening it a few more inches, his head experimentally snuck out from the opening and swung side to side. His hearing strained to hear ANY peep she might make, but none came. His shoulders snuck out as he looked up and down the hallway for her body. Feeling confused, and a sense of dread, the rest emerged before shutting his light off and leaving the room.
He searched the bathroom, her room, the kitchen, and the living room before he decided to try the scrap yard as a last effort. He was beginning to worry; he hoped he didn't scare her off. When they met, she had practically nothing, and she could LEAVE just the same. He shivered at the thought and worry turned to fear. He KNEW she wouldn't leave him after everything they shared, but... The anger and venom in her voice directed at him caused his legs to go a little faster as he ran past the piles of metal, eyes almost wildly looking for short, midnight hair. Dishearten when his search turned up negative, he ended up in the front yard to try and catch a glimpse of her walking home. Maybe she walked away to cool off. He decided to go look for her, for it had to be nearly midnight and he hated to think of any sicko approaching her. Hilde was his and no other man could look at her as far as HE was concerned. His jaw clenched in mounting fury. Leaving the house and all the lights on, he quickly jogging down the sidewalk, keeping an eye out.
~*~*~
'It's not his fault I was being careless.' She sighed again and cursed her ignorance, not to mention short temper. 'I shouldn't have cursed him out, he was just trying to protect me and keep me from harm.' The nurturing side in her dropped as hurt came flaring up. 'I don't NEED to be PROTECTED!' Her mind screamed. She did QUITE well on her own before she even MET Duo Maxwell; his babying her was cute for a while, but there were SOME days it got extremely OLD. But...he only did it because he LOVED her... Drooping her shoulders, she bent at the waist and clutched her head in her hands. 'I am such a little bitch. Why do I always fly off the handle like that?? I need to be more patient around him. He's lost everybody he's ever CARED about. I shouldn't be one of them just because I don't want him to BABY me. It's not like I SAID anything half the time ANYWAY.' A hand unclutched her hair and lovingly touched the object she sat on. 'So many memories here; these angry ones shouldn't be one of them.' Resolved to correct the wrongs she committed, her head leaned up and stared into the darkness. Biting her lip, she pushed off the bench, leaving the park.
Only walking a few blocks, she heard another set of footsteps and immediately thought of Duo. Walking on the balls of her feet for silence, she strained her hearing. 'No,' she thought, 'it's not Duo, there's more than one set of footsteps and Duo doesn't walk that heavily.' Panic started to rise in her chest. She realized she was being followed and immediately thought about the news, and the war. 'That's right, there's a war outside of my own emotions.' It was so easy to forget all about the horror of a large scale war with so much going on in their home. Sometimes, she forgot all about it. 'Not right NOW.' Unnoticeably picking up her pace, she tried to hurry home. She had no clue who it was and didn't want to get hurt again, only to have Duo curse himself for weeks after for not being there.
She crossed the block, still trying to make her walk look light. Eyes quickly darted to a dark spot to hide from or a yard to bolt through, just in case. She was finally able to cross THAT block and get to another one. "HEY BEAUTIFUL." She continued on her quick walk, pretending she hadn't heard. "HEY BEAUTIFUL, WAIT UP!"
Immediately, she heard the slur in the words as the inarticulate tried to pronounce them. 'Great, JUST great, just what I DON'T need, a DRUNK!' She silently cursed. Hearing the clomping footsteps coming closer, she tried to speed her pace up more.
~*~*~
He searched the entire block; one of the surrounding ones; and half of another, when he saw someone walking down the middle of the deserted street. His mind immediately hoped it was Hilde, but it was a drunk, tipsily making his way down the center. He cursed himself for getting his hopes up and continued to look, anticipation mounting every passing minute. He crossed the street and decided to take the path the drunk had taken, since he had no real plan of search. His eyes scanned every bit of the terrain, but didn't see her. He was about to go and check the shuttle station as a last resort when he heard it. "HEY BEAUTIFUL, WAIT UP!" He immediately stopped, then rolled his eyes. Some drunk was going to get a piece tonight, and he had NO desire to listen to the ramblings.
He continued down the street and cut across a lawn when he heard arguing. 'Arguing??' His mind did a double take. Curious, he cut across the block and kept in the shadows, listening for where the voice came from.
"I said I am NOT LEAVING with you!" His mind recognized Hilde's voice and anger flared, as well as jealousy. Some other bastard was trying to make moves on HIS GIRL! His hands and jaw clenched. Eyes of rage desperately sought out the guy so he could beat him within an inch of his life. Anyone that messed with Hilde would know Shinigami's fury. He quickly inched along the house, going toward the voices. His ears heard something click in the darkness. It seemed TOO loud to him, and he knew what it was. Anger turned to urgency as he tried to pick his silent pace up.
~*~*~
"Why don't you guys go sleep it off?" she sneered. She didn't bother to hide the venom in her voice until she heard it, another set of footprints walking up the street behind her. Her main focus remained on the two in front of her, the corner of her eye catching the shaky movement of another drunk coming from the shadows.
"Why don't you come help me fall asleep then?"
His grin was disgusting and she had to fight the creepy feeling that threatened to cause a shudder. She wouldn't let these jackasses see ANY kind of emotion from her! "Why don't you use each OTHER as company?" She said, raising a smug eyebrow.
"Now that's cold baby, you're not a bitch are you?" The man drawled.
Her eyes narrowed at him. "I'm only a bitch to those who deserve it." She spat out. The friend laughed at the leader, who received a glare in return.
"Well my momma was a bitch, but I taught her a lesson, I don't think you want me to do that to YOU now. You look too good to hurt." Her eyes picked up the trace of movement as he slowly inched his way forward. "Now, why don't you not test my patience and come have some fun with me and my friends."
Her teeth clenched in frustration and agitation. "NO." The man behind her walked a few foot from the leader and she backed up a step to get them all in her sights.
"WHAT was that? I didn't hear what I think I did, did I?"
She played enough mind games for one night with enough people. "I said I am NOT LEAVING with you! Now get the FUCK outa here and go sleep it off in a gutter somewhere!!"
Her ears picked up the quiet SHINK of a metallic object and she immediately knew what it was. A switchblade. She thought that whoever entered the colonies was searched for all weapons. 'But there is always going to be those that can find ways around ANYTHING.' She fought a smirk, but was reminded of the time she found Deathsycthe hidden in the salvage yard. If he could hide a GUNDAM in the colony, then getting a switchblade in seemed like cake.
"I think that yelling hurt my ears. Plus, I don't like mean people. Didn't your parents ever teach you to be kind to strangers?" The gang leader inched forward, displaying the four-inch blade at his side.
Her eyes darted to it before they ran back up to the man's face. "My parents have been dead since I was a kid." She gravely answered, sending a harsh glare. "And don't you EVER speak of them in that manner again!"
"My, my, such a feisty one, I like um' like that. They're so much more fun." The leader brought the knife to his tongue and licked it, bringing a small trail of blood.
She immediately wondered about the mentality of these three. Going into army mode when one of the drunks reached for her, she backed away and did a low kick to his waist, dropping him. The leader looked at his fallen comrade on the ground a little unbelieving, then looked at the other still standing. The second smirked and tried to punch her, but she saw it clumsily coming and dodged in more than enough time. She dropped to the ground and gave the drunk a sweep kick for his troubles. The guy quickly fell backwards onto the pavement, arms flailing in the process. The leader growled low in his throat and moved to kick her. Quickly rolling away, she pushed off the pavement to stand. Hands became fists and both arms went in front of her body as she assumed a defensive military fighting stance. She glared at him as he raised an eyebrow in challenge, holding his knife up. He lunged forward, trying to swipe at her stomach, but she scooted back in time to dodge. Turning, she kicked his hand and quickly got rid of the knife. She swiftly faced him again as he tried to grab her arm and moved it out of the way, kicking the man in the stomach.
He stood frozen in shock as the action progressed, jaw gaping and wide-eyed. 'Hilde's kickin their asses!' He thought, amazed. Gone was the picture of her lying helpless on the hospital bed; in its place was the image of the sidekick she just gave the leader. She was concentrating on the leader so much, she failed to notice the first start to get up behind her. He wanted to call out, but knew her concentration would be blown and she would end up getting hurt. Right now, she had the upper hand, so he kept silent. Slowly edging away from the house, he kept low to the ground so she wouldn't see him and he would be able to get closer to help. Though it didn't look like she needed it with all she was dishing out, he didn't like taking chances.
The leader finally dropped and she for once in her life thanked Oz. Without her military training, she would end up raped and in the hospital, or dead. Her ears picked up mumbling and cursing, along with scraping shoes on the asphalt. She tossed a look over her shoulder and saw the first drunk she put down slowly get to his feet. Calculating the distance, her feet shifted and turned behind to give the drunk a kick to the head, effectively putting him out of battle. The leader got up again and she whirled around, kicking him in the stomach, another to his knees, and then a jump kick to his chest in rapid succession. He fell backwards, coughing and swearing. The second guy tried to lunge low for her legs, but she jumped as high as she could and landed on his back when he fell on the ground underneath. She jumped again when he rolled over and landed to one side. Bringing her foot back, she kicked him on the side of his body, then planted a foot in between his hips. He squeaked from pain and surprise, body immediately stiffening. A hand grasped her ankle and she leaned her weight on the planted foot. "I'd let GO if I were you." She lowly warned. The drunk swiftly complied and she glared. "Like I said before, GO sleep it off!" Lifting her free leg to walk over him, the other pressed down completely, bringing a loud cry of pain as she prevented him from having any 'fun' for a while.
He watched her position over the man and flinched, inavertedly covering the spot she was standing on. 'Note to self: do NOT piss Hilde off, she goes for the family jewels.' He sarcastically thought. But he was gratefully relieved she walked away without a scratch, though he couldn't say much for the OTHER guys. His eyes looked as the three rolled around, gripping various body parts or staggering to get up. He grimaced. He could only IMAGINE the amount of pain the guy was going through. She took a few steps for the block he was on and he moved from his hiding spot. "HILDE!" He called out, relieved. All the anger and pain was forgotten as he ran to meet her, hugging her as soon as he was close enough. The three jerks slowly moved to get out of the middle of the street, making for the opposite block. He felt a sense of pride, knowing she would be able to kick them to their senses. He pulled away and flashed her an impressed grin. "Good job." He complimented.
Any bad emotions melted away as she gave him an embarrassed grin. "You'll notice I didn't use my arms ONCE." She mentioned.
He thought back to the fight and thoughtfully nodded when he noticed all she did was kick. He turned and swung an arm around her shoulders, giving her an affectionate noogie while smiling. "Why don't we go home and call it a night, ne?" She wrapped an arm around his waist and nodded, smiling tiredly. Yes...it HAD been a night, some night to remember.