Solo flipped the rest of his cigarette off the roof top turning to the three figures beside him. "So did they bought it?"
Treize smiled and nodded. "If they're not running now they're hopeless."
The small girl sighed. "It was so sad." She sniffled. Reaching for Treize' hand she leant against him. "Can we go home now? I miss my puppy."
Meiran crouched beside the girl. "Yes, of course." She kissed the girl on the forehead. "Thank you for your help."
The small girl smiled and shrugged. "It's okay. I like Heero. I want him to be happy."
Solo jumped fist raised into the hair. "Yeah. Com'on Meiran. Let them go and let's watch the spectacle unfold itself down there." The blonde boy practically grinned from one ear to the other.
Meiran sighed and turned to Solo. "I've never thought you're a sucker for happy endings."
Solo stopped bouncing and pouted. "Hey, it's not like it's a bad thing to have things work out once in awhile."
Meiran only shrugged and jumped off to the next roof top. "Stop pouting already and get your ass in gear."
The blonde let his head hung low in defeat. "Gah, women nowadays." Before jumping after her to catch up.
*********
Heero woke up screaming on his crumpled sheets. With an effort he managed to clamp his hands over his disobeying mouth muffling the sound and kept his eyes tightly shut. After several seconds what seemed like an eternity to Heero the after effects of the dream wear off. His heart pounded in his chest feeling like it would burst and his hands were balled in fists clutching at the sweat soaked sheets. Thoughts raced through his head but the longer he lay in silence the quieter and clearer the mess in his head became until a single thought remained.
'It's my choice.'
With a ruck he sat up threw over some cloths and left his appartment in a run. Heero had always thought that out of the five pilots he knew Duo the best but after the three visions he had to admit he only scratched the surface. He never ever got a glimpse on what lay beneath and now Solo and the girl had showed him. And frankly it scared him shitless but if something of all the ranting he had to indure that night was true he still had a chance. Heero might be unbelievably thick when it came to Duo and his own feelings but he vowed silently that he wouldn't disappoint his partner tonight. Nor Solo. Nor the little girl with her puppy. It was time to tie up loose ends.
It didn't take Heero long to get to the house of his collegue. Though Solo had him teleported there before it was no trouble for Heero to find the place again. Some time ago Duo had him convinced – he still wondered how – to join the others for a drink after work and Heero had a very good orientation sense so that it was only a matter of minutes before he stopped in front of the house. He slammed his car door shut and automatically scanned the roof top where he had last seen Duo only some time ago. But nobody was up there or at least not visible from Heero's point of view.
Well, there was only one way to find out if Duo was still up there – go up himself. Said and done. So a couple of minutes later Heero carefully made his way through an open window onto the roof with his heart lightly speeding up. But then he stopped. Heero didn't dare looking up and maybe only finding the empty roof. Somehow it felt that if he didn't fix things tonight he'll never get another chance to do it. And the thought of having to pretend for the rest of his life to be close but never close enough to Duo would slowly but surely kill him. But Heero Yuy was no coward. One had to fight for the things (or more appropiately persons) you want to win. He had it learned the hard way and there was no way he would turn around now when the truth was so near.
Heero looked up.
Looked up straight into startled indigo eyes. He didn't miss his chance. Duo was still there – yet. And Heero intended to keep it that way. The expressive eyes didn't leave him for a second. Staring at him as if the brain behind those dark eyes couldn't wrap itself around the fact just who stood in front of him.
"Heero." The word was spoken softly, slightly unbelieving. The short haired man nodded and tentatively walked closer before settling beside his longhaired friend. Duo was still staring at him when Heero returned the look once seated beside him.
Duo blinked. "What…what are you doing here? I mean…I mean aren't you supposed to be at the Sanc Palace?" Confusion was evident on the slightly pale face with the rosy cheeks reddened from the cool night air as well as from the alcohol.
The corners of Heero's mouth quirked up in a small smile. "Let's just say some crazy maniac didn't rest until he shoved my idiocy straight into my face until I admitted defeat and got my stubborn ass up to do something about this. He's probably having a field day right now spying on how much I make a fool out of myself."
Heero send a scowl skywards though he couldn't detect anyone suspicious spying on them. His eyes wandered back to find Duo looking at him as if he had just grown another head. The braided man opened his mouth and closed it again. Heero grinned at Duo playfully. Obviously he had just rendered the mighty Shinigami speechless. So far so good.
Finally Duo managed to get the burning questions of his chest. "Why are you here Heero?" He asked hesitately.
Heero quirked his head a bit to the side studying the somber expression on Duo's face. "You mean why I am here with you and not with Relena?"
Something akin to hurt flashed in Duo's indigo eyes before it vanished as quickly as it appeared. The long haired man only nodded. As an answer Heero leant closer resting his left hand on the nape of his neck pulling him near to him. He was so close he could smell the faint frangrances of cinnamon. A smell he had always connected with Duo.
Softly Heero whispered into Duo's ear. "Because it was my choice to be with you – and not with her." He let the longhaired man go and leant back on his hands staring up at the night sky full knowing Duo was staring probably open mouthed at him. Not missing a beat in his confession – before he lost his courage – he continued speaking convinced and utterly content about what he had realized tonight.
"If I look at it right the choice wasn't even made today. I made it a long time ago. I just never admitted it to myself because I thought we never had a chance and then the war was over and you seemed even more far away." Heero turned to look at the silent figure beside him. Indigo eyes darker than usual in the pale face. And Heero spoke. "Relena never had a chance to begin with. Not during the war nor after. I've never spend Christmas with her. I only wished I could spend it with one person. Someone who I thought was so utterly out of reach that I began to hate Christmas and bury myself in work instead. Just so I wouldn't have to think about you all the time." His voice had turned painful and for the first time Heero realized how much his bottled up feelings really hurt him. How much pain it had caused him over the years. And not only him but also Duo who now cling to the front of his jacket silently crying angry tears about lost time and too much pain unsaid.
Heero softly caressed the hair on top of Duo's head hugging the wiry frame of the younger man to give him the much needed comfort as much as to relieve his own pain. "I'm sorry, Duo. I'm so sorry." Heero planted a light kiss on Duo's head while the body in his arms continued to shake. He hold him even closer until Duo finally calmed down and searched his gaze. Tears were still running down his cheeks caused by his slightly intoxicated state and too much emotion. But all Heero saw was the smile playing on Duo's lips and mirroring in his eyes.
"You really are in idiot, Yuy."
Heero send him a mock scowl.
Duo laughed and kissed his nose. "But I love you anyways."
Before launching himself onto Heero so that both fall backwards onto the rooftop getting themselves completely soaked with snow. But nor Duo neither Heero cared since both were to busy declaring silently their love for each other.
*********
Wu Fei sat up so abruptly his world went spinning and he carefully cradled his pained head in his hands. In the back of his mind he could still hear her screaming. No wait it wasn't her who had been screaming. It was him. He had been screaming. But why? What had the last dream been about again?
And suddenly Wu Fei knew. Sally was getting married and he never got a chance to tell her how much she meant to him. No, he couldn't let that happen. This night Wu Fei never got as quickly dressed and ready to leave in his life again. Not when they attacked L5. Not for an enemy attack during the wars. Not for any mission. Before he knew what happened Wu Fei found himself racing way over speed limit towards Sally's home. It wasn't far away but tonight it seemed like at the other end of the world. Not that it would have stopped him. Not tonight.
When Wu Fei arrived he flew up the stairs to her appartment unable to wait for the elevator. The Chinese didn't even bothered to knock totally unlike himself instead he practically ran into Sally's unlocked appartment. Somewhere in his mind he noted that he would have to reprimand her for this carelessness later. What if he would have been some psycho killer? And then he saw her and all thoughts were forgotten and cold settled in his stomach.
There sat a woman in the kitchen chair. Clad in the same bathrobe he had only seen a quarter hour ago in his dream. But the usually beautiful blonde curls were now smeared with red streaks. And the blue eyes were dark and seemed to be very far away not even registering that her fist was still bleeding from the selfinflicted wound. Wu Fei groaned at the sight. He knew something was very very wrong. Sally was a doctor and she'd never leave a wound uncared for. The Chinese forced himself to leave the blonde for a moment to go in search of a first aid kid. He feared if eventual glass shards stayed in the flesh any longer it might get infected. He returned with the small box a minute later into the kitchen were he pulled up a chair to sit himself beside Sally to clean up the wound. The dark haired man started to pull out the tiny glass splitters at first and even if he knew it must burn, Sally didn't seem to notice. When he began to disinfect the cuts though the blonde focosed more or less on him and whispered barely audible. "It hurts."
Wu Fei hold it for a moment. Eyeing her carefully he said. "I know, Sally. I know."
But she only shook her head. "No, you don't. You never understood." And Wu Fei didn't answer. Neither talked about the wound and Wu Fei knew deep down she was right. And he hated himself the more for it. When he finished patching up the fist he eyed her hair with a frown on his face. "What happened to your hair?" He reached out to touch it but she turned away.
"Don't touch it." She said coldly.
Wu Fei stared at her confused. "Why not?" Sure it wasn't his right to go along touching her hair. He should mind his manners but-
"It's dirty." Sally said with a hint of bitterness.
"I can see that." He snorted softly. Suddenly Sally turned around to him and he could see the pain burning in them. The nagging in his gut got worse.
"Why do you say that?" She glared at him spitefully.
"Because…I…" Wu Fei sputtered helplessy while Sally got of her chair towering over him obviously very mad at him.
"You." She spat. "You and your macho attitude. No matter what I do it'll be never good enough. They always point out my faults, my failures. Never do they see one good thing in me. I'm just the black sheep in the family and now they had it. It's time to get rid of it for good." Sally almost screamed at him. "And you. You're the worst of all." She pointed at him accusingly. "All those years and not once a word of kindness. And you were the only one who'd count. But no. Not for someone like me. Some mixed blood no less." She angrily pulled at her bloody curls.
Wu Fei sat on his chair and gaped at her. Finally he got his tounge back in gear. "Is that what they tell you? That you're not good enough? Is that what you think as well?" He asked unbelievingly. "Do you think that you…I mean...you mean…YOU not being good enough for ME?" The Chinese man asked incredulously.
Wu Fei couldn't believe it. All those years he though it was him who wasn't good enough for her and there the woman of his dreams harboured the same doubts as him. God, how was he stupid. Wu Fei groaned and shook his head. 'Meiran will have a field day. She'll tease me with that for eternity.' He looked back at Sally who had turned her back on him and walked over to the window. Wu Fei slowly got up and followed her. Coming to a stop behind her he carefully turned her around. Searching her gaze he said.
"Actually it's me who's the unworthy one here. But since you were always a woman who would insist on equal rights I think I can live with sharing our stupity." He gave her a small smile and wound a curl around his index finger. Sally looked at him uncertainly but seemed willing to listen. Wu Fei took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for being an ass all those years. I'm sorry for never giving you the attention and credit you deserved. I'm sorry for always pushing you away." He smiled at her apologetically. "I've never realized what you wanted though if I think about it I obviously was the only one who didn't get it. Probably the whole headquarters have already given up on me." Wu Fei shrugged with a grin on his lips which Sally answered with a small insecure smile.
"I have to admit I gave up as well tonight." She let her head hang. "I was weak and-"
But Wu Fei stopped her. "Don't ever say that again. You're not a weak person. I think you're one of the strongest persons I've met. So don't ever think any less of you." He softly caresseed her cheek with one thumb. They both were silent for several minutes. Then Sally let out a heavy sigh.
"Wu Fei?"
"Hm?"
"What are we doing now? I mean…" She fumbled for words.
Wu Fei knowing what she wanted to say came for help. "You mean where are we to go from here?" Sally nodded.
"Well, woman." He softly grasped her chin in his hand and smoothed her curls behind her ear to let her know it was not an insult. "I for my part would be very honored to be allowed to spend Christmas Eve with this beautiful woman in front of me. As well as all those who will follow." Not waiting for an answer he slowly lowered his head to hers leaving a featherlight kiss on her lips. Sally's blue eyes had grown wide. Tentively she touched her still tingling lips.
"Wu Fei, I...I" She choked on her words and flung instead her arms around his neck. The dark haired Chinese caught her and hold her close and couldn't stop himself saying. "I take it you still want me then, baka onna?!" He could feel her laughing against his neck and suddenly the slight tingling where she had dropped a kiss on the exposed skin. "Of course, you idiot! What a question!" Together they made their way over to the living room intend on catching up on all the time they had lost.
****************
Far over the city on the snow covered roof tops two ghostly figures smacked their raised hands in a high five.
"I knew it." The blonde jumped up to stand on an old chimney leaning down to his smaller compagnion. "I'm just too good." He let out another whooping of joy into the frosty winter night.
The slender girl just rolled her eyes at him long used to his antics. "And very modest too I asume." She said sarcastically.
"Well, of course, my beauty." Solo jumped beside her and drapped casually an arm around her shoulders.
Meiran only scowled at him but didn't shrug him off. "Well at least we know that those four will be happy from now on. It's just really too bad I can't rub it in on Wu Fei. Of course I was right along. Stupid pig headed man."
"Che. What a language for a tender woman like you?" Meiran choose to ignore that and instead turned to go.
Solo as not to loose body contact kept in step beside her. "So with our love birds all happy and cared for how about we two lovely people go and have a drink? I mean we have so much time on our hands and we earned us some time off."
Meiran let out a long suffering sigh. Then she turned to him. "Dream.On.Solo no Baka." With that she stomped off and vanished into thin air.
Solo let out an amused laugh. "Ah, you just gotta laugh that woman." Before vanishing as well.
In the distance the clock tower annonced the second hour and silence reigned over the snowcovered roof tops of Bruessel once more.
~end~
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Whaaa. That took long enough to finish that story. Wu Fei and Sally were very difficult to write. I liked most Solo and Meiran. Hope you had fun reading it even if Christmas is long over.