Remember to Breathe
by Jess Angel
Gently, a tan and calloused hand pushed a slightly ajar door open. It glided forward soundlessly, then stopped some inches later, allowing the figure room to walk through. But for a moment, Duo Maxwell found himself fixed in the doorway when his eyes first saw her.
Her petite form was settled on the cushioned stool in front of the vanity. She was unaware. And he wanted to keep it that way. So Duo quietly made his way towards their bed. He sat on the edge, his wandering gaze being drawn only to her.
Violet eyes softened as they swept across her face in the mirror. They stilled at her hand and followed as it began a task.
She fixes her lips they
Lip liner outlined, and Duo traced along:
Curve up left and down. Curve up right and down.
Like a crescent moon, slope down and back up again.
Always look perfect
The lipstick followed similar actions.
Never a smudged line
It was art.
Never too much
And the Great Shinigami was powerless to look away.
I try on my blue shirt
She told me she liked it
Once
"Hey, you." Hilde's blue eyes spy him in the mirror. "I didn't hear you come in."
He doesn't answer.
But Hilde doesn't notice.
She wonders what I'll wear
She knows just what she'll wear
The former pilot found his way behind her.
She always wears blue
Her lips.
They were rosy pink perfection.
And they amazed him… still.
So sneakers or flip-flops?
I'm starting to panic
His fingers absently brush through her bluish purple locks.
She had grown them out.
A thumb grazed her collarbone.
He liked it either way.
Wait, wait
"Duo?"
He moved a curl away. 'Shoulder-length,' he thought.
And then he smiled.
"Duo… Duo, aren't you going to answer me?"
Her brows knit into a frown. He was acting odd.
Remember she asked you
Still sitting, she turns around face to him. Her head tilts up to his.
Duo inhales almost sharply, but he doesn't meet her eyes.
His are resting on her lips again.
He's unable to speak because…
"Duo?"
…He's forgotten to breathe.
Remember to breathe…
He was down to her in seconds.
And everything
"Du- mmpf," she's muffled by his lips.
Will be okay
'She's art,' he thinks. 'She's air.'
The world turns.
And… they're not dizzy.
Okay
"Mm…" She pulls away breathless.
Okay
All right?
Hilde can't help the silly smile that forms.
All right
Suddenly, a chuckle escapes her lips.
All right
Duo throws his wife a glare, but her laughter only grows.
All right?
His hand - smeared with tinges of pink - attempts to rub off the rest of her lipstick.
All right?
Talk about being 'branded a fool'.
Her laughter finally erupts into side-clutching hysteria - but…
All right?
All is silenced with another kiss.
Okay.
Gundam Wing and its characters © Bandai, Sunrise, and the Sotsu Agency
"Remember To Breathe" song lyrics were written by Christopher Ender Carrabba (Dashboard Confessional).