Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Digimon, nor the characters. Only the story comes from my own mind.

It seems the story found some new readers and I'm very happy about that.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

4th Chapter

Sitting on the hard wooden chair, looking outside the window, where people of all kind could be seen walking along the street, Yamato questioned himself, how he got in these situations. Across from him he knew, Izzy was observing him quietly. But he couldn't bring himself to look up. Sitting in the small coffee-shop he preferred, to stare out of the dirty window.

"It's good to see you", Izzy finally said and took sip from his coffee. "How are you?"

Silently Yamato pondered the question. How was he?

"Okay." He answered and although he knew that it was his turn now to ask a question or at least say a little bit more, he decided to stay silent. He has never been a big conversationalist. Nowadays he left that part of life to Duo.

Izzy tilted his head lightly. "That's good."

Then, after a pause: "I'm not sure if you are interested in it, but the others are okay as well. I just recently spoke with Mimi, she's a relatively famous actor now. Perhaps you have heard of her?"

Yamato nodded. He had been a little bit surprised to find the name of his old friend on the list of actors of a film Duo had wanted to see in the theatre. But Mimi played her role well and Yamato was sure, she would become really famous. Worldwide.

"I'm not sure if you know what you did to us with suddenly vanishing, leaving no trace behind. I tried to find you several times, as did the others I believe, but without any result. Although I think, nobody was surprised about your decision to go. Not after what had happened."

Izzy sighted. "We were worried." He suddenly looked much older than he really was.

"We all feared that you would choose to go the same way as Kari."

Kari.

His heart ached for the little girl he had liked so much. The little fragile girl, who could overcome obstacles no matter how big. The little girl who could manage everything. Everything besides the death of people dear to her.

She had killed herself not even two weeks after it all had been over. It had been the last straw for Yamato.

His fingers cramped around the cup and he concentrated on breathing even. His heart was thumping hard and fast in his chest, like it wanted to spring out and run away. He gulped.

"No. I… I wouldn't do that." he said finally. He had thought about suicide. To deny it would be a lie. But it was in moments of utter loneliness, when he felt like the biggest failure on earth. Those moments lay in the past. Now he had Duo to love and be loved, he had some colleagues in the kitchen to talk and sometimes joke with, he had the women from the grocery store, who would smile at him every time he came, he had found a life, finally. And that was all he needed.

Izzy shrugged and took a sip from his cup. His dark red hair was a little bit longer now and some strands hang in his eyes.

"We all hoped to hear from you in the news. To hear from an uprising blonde genius musician, who would charm the world with his voice. But it seems like you didn't go into that kind of business. Why not? You are exceptionally good as a musician. Even I could see that and I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to tunes."

Yamato stroked with his hand through his hair.

"After everything I quit music, so to speak. I haven't touched a chord of my guitar since. I just can't, not anymore. I'm working as a chef in a kitchen of a restaurant."

Izzy nodded, as if he understood. Yamato doubted that Izzy could comprehend what he was telling him, but it didn't matter. It was okay that he couldn't understand. Yamato felt already a little better just talking about it to somebody. Finally, after so many years. It was … strange.

"What are you doing right now? Studying?", Yamato asked in the end. The longer he was with Izzy the easier it was talking to him.

The redhead smiled and nodded, seemingly happy that Yamato joined the conversation on his own. "Yes, I'm studying computer science. It's my last tern and right now I am looking for a job. That's why I am in town. I just had an interview with the chef of the IT-Department of the Preventors."

Yamato looked up sharply.

"Preventors?"

Izzy nodded.

"Yeah. I decided to apply there. It is a good place if you want to help people as a computer scientist and I…"

"… you can watch the new DigiDestined a little closer."

"Yes."

Yamato remained silent. Then… "I met them. At least three of them, personally."

Izzy looked surprised. "Really? How? Are you working in the canteen of the Preventors?" he joked, but Yamato just shook his head.

"No. But my boyfriend works for the Preventors, too."

That got Izzys interest. "Your boyfriend?" He was clearly surprised to hear that. "That… That's great… Perhaps I will meet him if I get the job. How long are you together? I…"

It was a ringing of a telephone that disturbed Izzy and Yamato could only be thankful for it. He wasn't ready to tell him all these things just yet. It was too fast for him. He needed time. After a short talk Yamato didn't bother to listen to, Izzy shut the phone and looked a little bit sad.

"Sorry, but I have a meeting with a facility manager, because I am also looking for a new flat. He just called me to tell me, that he needs to postpone the meeting and I have to go now to be there on time. But… here is my number. I will leave the decision for a second meeting to you, but I would be glad to see you again. Yamato? Please don't let us be strangers? I really missed you. Still miss you. And I won't tell the others just yet, that I met you."

Yamatos throat seemed to tighten and so he just nodded, unable to speak. He grabbed the sheet of paper tightly and stuffed it in his pocket.

"See you", he finally managed to say and Izzy left the coffee shop with a big smile.

It was early in the morning when Duo finally managed to find his way back home. The problem was solved and he was dead tired. But he had tomorrow – or today? – off. It was better than nothing. Sneaking silently through the flat he shrugged of his shoes and jacked and decided to drink a glass of water before slipping in the bed besides his boyfriend.

As he left the kitchen, flat still in the darkness as he didn't switch on the light to prevent Yamato from waking, he felt a slight breeze on his bare arms. He shuddered because of the cool air. Looking around he noticed that the door to the small balcony was still open. Had Yamato forgotten to close it? That was unlike him.

Stepping to the door with every intention to close it he froze as he saw his boyfriend, sitting on a plastic chair huddled in a thick blanket. He was wide awake and gazing in the darkness.

Duo opened the door further.

"Matt?" he whispered. The blonde didn't even twitch.

Duo stepped out on the balcony, his gaze never leaving his boyfriend. He wasn't tired anymore, only worried. Had something happened while he was at work? Matt may be sometimes ignorant, but never so unresponsive.

"Matt, love! Hey, is everything okay?" he asked again, laying a hand on Matts shoulder.

The blond shuddered. Then he shook his head and looked up in Duo eyes.

"Duo? What are you doing here…? How late is it?" The blonde man looked confused inside to catch a look at the clock. But it was too dark to see anything. Duo shook his head and went to his knees in front of his boyfriend, tugging slightly at the blanket.

"It's already early in the morning. Soon the sun will rise. Have you been here the whole night? Do you want to catch a cold so badly so you don't have to go to work?" He said it teasingly and with a smile on his face, but the Gundam Pilot knew that his eyes betrayed his worry. It was so unlike Matt to stay out this long, completely forgetting the time and just staring into space. Normally the blonde would do anything to have something to occupy himself with. Matt never liked to have time to think. Duo didn't like this kind of evasive behavior but had yet been unable to get to the bottom of it. And now this?

"Morning already? O shit." Yamato shook his head and tried to stand up, but was a little bit unsteady and stiff. Duo helped him the first few seconds and followed him in the bedroom. There he watched Yamato changing in night clothes as if nothing had happened. Then the blonde crawled under the blankets and wrapped himself tightly. He blinked up at Duo.

"You don't wanna come?" he slurred and yawned. Duo shook his head.

"Sure, just let me call your workplace and tell them that you're ill."

The next morning Duo woke up to the smell of pancakes. He shot out of the bedroom like a bolt, eager to see, if he was right about his breakfast. It was rare for Matt to make pancakes in the morning, as Japanese mostly ate rice and vegetables – something Duo would never get used to, it was so healthy! Only on special occasions Matt was so nice to cook pancakes and the brown haired man was happy every time, because they tasted delicious.

"Morning love!" he came in the kitchen, seeing his lover standing at the stove flipping a pancake. He didn't turn around but Duo didn't expect him to. He just embraced him from behind, careful not to disturb his work. "How come…?"

Matt smiled slightly. "You had a hard day yesterday and so I thought you had earned it. You want syrup or blueberries?"

"Both!" Duo cried out loud and flopped down onto a chair.

They ate breakfast in silence, Duo enjoying one of his favorite dishes and Matt just observing him. Then, after Duo placed the plates in the dishwasher, he sat down again, opposite his boyfriend and leaned back. A contemplating look on his face he watched Matt, who flipped through the newspaper. After a few minutes of silence the blonde looked up.

"Duo? Everything okay?" he asked, not used to his lover being so quiet. Duo chuckled slightly.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you this question. What happened yesterday? Or this morning?"

"This morning…?" Matt frowned, before he seemed to remember, what Duo was talking about. "Oh that. I'm sorry if I worried you. But it was nothing really, don't think about it anymore."

"Don't think about it anymore?" Duo asked incredulously and shook his head. "Sorry, but you were withdrawn, sitting outside a whole night without realizing it! I am worried! I mean, it's not as if such behavior is normal!"

Matt sighed and folded the newspaper neatly, before looking up at Duo again, who seemed agitated.

"I met an old friend yesterday."

Duo shut up instantly. He blinked owlishly. Then… "What?"

"An old friend of mine. We met rather accidently at the train station and he … we talked a bit. Nothing more. Nothing serious. Really."

"An old friend", Duo repeated like a parrot. It sounded disbelieving but Duo really couldn't help it. His mind had problems grasping what Matt just told him. Yamato Ishida never talked about his past besides general facts, never mentioned things he used to do nor people he knew. Not even hated teachers or something like that. And now he had met a friend? And they talked?

Okay, why not?

But why would it leave Yamato in such a condition?

"Will you meet him again?" Duo asked finally. Something flickered in Yamatos eyes but it was too fast for Duo to catch its meaning. The blonde shrugged and looked aside.

"He gave me his number. I told him I would call but I'm not sure anymore. Perhaps."

"Do it, it will be a nice change. I can accompany you, if you want", Duo said, smiling and standing up, drawing Matt in an embrace.

"You already checked out my friends, now it's time for me to check out yours!"

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Until next time,

achat