Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. If you can't get that through your
thick skull, then die.
Chapter Four - Desire Revealed (Quite by accident, let me assure you.)
Duo had been gone for three days before Hilde really started to wonder where he went. Frowning as she sat at the table one morning, she decided to call his cell phone. She missed not seeing him half-asleep. He was so cute when he was half-asleep. She dialed the number and let the phone ring. The voice message system popped up with Duo's cheerful voice. "Sorry, not here. After the beep, if you don't know what to do, HA!" Hilde smiled. She was getting used to having him around all the time, since the Eve Wars and the Barton War were both over. "Hey Duo," she said happily. "I just wanted to know where you were. Call me back, okay? Toodles."
Several days later, Hilde still hadn't heard from Duo. Now, she was worried. Sitting on the couch at home, trying to study for a test that wasn't for two weeks (she really was bored), Hilde picked up the phone and was just about to dial the number when she heard a gentle rapping on the front door. Setting everything aside, Hilde opened the door, only to be confronted with a completely exhausted Duo.
"You're back!" she said happily. "I missed you." Huh. That didn't come out right. I wasn't supposed to sound so serious, she thought. But I did miss him.
Normally, Duo would have come up with something funny to reply to that. Something like, "of course you did; I'm me," or, "I missed me too," but not today. Today, Duo looked at her with a feeble half-grin, and collapsed onto her.
Gasping, Hilde stumbled backwards under his weight. "Duo?" She regained her balance and pulled Duo over to the couch. "Duo?" she asked again with worry coursing through her veins. "Come on, wake up." She looked at his innocent face and thought about something he had told her a while back about his past. She had wormed it out of him - he didn't want to tell her at all - and she found out that she didn't really want to know. He told her about Solo, Sister Helen, the Maxwell Church, why he wouldn't part with that crucifix necklace, why he had the braid, and why he was almost -but not completely- atheist. And then she remembered the way he comforted her when she burst into tears - and how he should have been the one to need comforted.
Frowning, Hilde tried to wake him up again, shaking him gently. "Duo," she whispered. "Duo, please wake up." She saw blood running down the side of his face. "Holy crap," she mumbled, bolting to the hall closet for a bandage, and then to the kitchen for a bag of ice. Wrapping his head, Hilde fought back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. What if he didn't wake up? Finished, Hilde held the bag of ice to a bump she had found on the back of his head. What if he had lost his memory? What if she - she was suddenly struck with a thought - what if she was in love with him? The feeling she had gotten when he told her about the moon, the feeling she had when he was watching him fix her laptop, she felt it, but stronger. She could feel her heart in her chest, and she felt it in her throat. She felt the urge to cry and laugh, and the urge to wrap her arms around him again. She wasn't used to this, not at all. And it scared her.
"Duo," she whispered. "Duo, wake up. I need you to wake up." She half- dragged, half-carried, Duo to his bed. When she pulled the blanket up, she could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks. She reached over and hugged him, crawling onto the bed next to him. She didn't notice when her eyelids started to droop and she sank into a deep sleep.
When she woke up again, it wasn't quite morning. She had let go of Duo and was half off the bed. Duo tossed gently and groaned in his sleep. She held him, gently rocking him back and forth, and whispered gently, "Shhh." Eventually, she felt him calm down and, to her surprise, snuggle up against her.
"Hilde," she heard him whisper weakly, "I love you."
Hilde gasped again, then smiled. "Duo," she said quietly.
He opened an eye. "Hmmm?" She hadn't expected him to wake up, but she was glad he did.
"I love you too."
He smiled weakly, his eyes half-closed. "Don't leave," he muttered, sounding like it hurt.
"I won't." Hilde smiled, feeling his head lay back on her chest, and knew that Duo was asleep again. He loves me, she thought, sliding down on the pillow until her head rested on top of his. "I love you, Duo," she whispered, drifting off into her own sleep.
Chapter Four - Desire Revealed (Quite by accident, let me assure you.)
Duo had been gone for three days before Hilde really started to wonder where he went. Frowning as she sat at the table one morning, she decided to call his cell phone. She missed not seeing him half-asleep. He was so cute when he was half-asleep. She dialed the number and let the phone ring. The voice message system popped up with Duo's cheerful voice. "Sorry, not here. After the beep, if you don't know what to do, HA!" Hilde smiled. She was getting used to having him around all the time, since the Eve Wars and the Barton War were both over. "Hey Duo," she said happily. "I just wanted to know where you were. Call me back, okay? Toodles."
Several days later, Hilde still hadn't heard from Duo. Now, she was worried. Sitting on the couch at home, trying to study for a test that wasn't for two weeks (she really was bored), Hilde picked up the phone and was just about to dial the number when she heard a gentle rapping on the front door. Setting everything aside, Hilde opened the door, only to be confronted with a completely exhausted Duo.
"You're back!" she said happily. "I missed you." Huh. That didn't come out right. I wasn't supposed to sound so serious, she thought. But I did miss him.
Normally, Duo would have come up with something funny to reply to that. Something like, "of course you did; I'm me," or, "I missed me too," but not today. Today, Duo looked at her with a feeble half-grin, and collapsed onto her.
Gasping, Hilde stumbled backwards under his weight. "Duo?" She regained her balance and pulled Duo over to the couch. "Duo?" she asked again with worry coursing through her veins. "Come on, wake up." She looked at his innocent face and thought about something he had told her a while back about his past. She had wormed it out of him - he didn't want to tell her at all - and she found out that she didn't really want to know. He told her about Solo, Sister Helen, the Maxwell Church, why he wouldn't part with that crucifix necklace, why he had the braid, and why he was almost -but not completely- atheist. And then she remembered the way he comforted her when she burst into tears - and how he should have been the one to need comforted.
Frowning, Hilde tried to wake him up again, shaking him gently. "Duo," she whispered. "Duo, please wake up." She saw blood running down the side of his face. "Holy crap," she mumbled, bolting to the hall closet for a bandage, and then to the kitchen for a bag of ice. Wrapping his head, Hilde fought back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. What if he didn't wake up? Finished, Hilde held the bag of ice to a bump she had found on the back of his head. What if he had lost his memory? What if she - she was suddenly struck with a thought - what if she was in love with him? The feeling she had gotten when he told her about the moon, the feeling she had when he was watching him fix her laptop, she felt it, but stronger. She could feel her heart in her chest, and she felt it in her throat. She felt the urge to cry and laugh, and the urge to wrap her arms around him again. She wasn't used to this, not at all. And it scared her.
"Duo," she whispered. "Duo, wake up. I need you to wake up." She half- dragged, half-carried, Duo to his bed. When she pulled the blanket up, she could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks. She reached over and hugged him, crawling onto the bed next to him. She didn't notice when her eyelids started to droop and she sank into a deep sleep.
When she woke up again, it wasn't quite morning. She had let go of Duo and was half off the bed. Duo tossed gently and groaned in his sleep. She held him, gently rocking him back and forth, and whispered gently, "Shhh." Eventually, she felt him calm down and, to her surprise, snuggle up against her.
"Hilde," she heard him whisper weakly, "I love you."
Hilde gasped again, then smiled. "Duo," she said quietly.
He opened an eye. "Hmmm?" She hadn't expected him to wake up, but she was glad he did.
"I love you too."
He smiled weakly, his eyes half-closed. "Don't leave," he muttered, sounding like it hurt.
"I won't." Hilde smiled, feeling his head lay back on her chest, and knew that Duo was asleep again. He loves me, she thought, sliding down on the pillow until her head rested on top of his. "I love you, Duo," she whispered, drifting off into her own sleep.
