Duo loves Heero so much, that he's gonna let him travel around and see the world before they settle down. ^_^ This takes place after Endless Waltz, as many of my fics tend to take place after EW...
~blah~ = Lyrics
WARNINGS: 2x1, slight angst, slight sap, Duo POV.
Oh yeah, and all characters belong to their original owners, blah blah blah, disclaimers and that kind of crap apply, yada, yada... And the song belongs to the group Train.
I let him go. I let him wander off, free as a bird, to fly wherever his heart desires. Everyone thinks I'm a loudmouth who doesn't pay attention to others, but they don't know me very well. I can tell. I can tell that Heero can't be locked up like the precious treasure he is. He needs to spread his wings and fly; he needs to see the world he fought so hard to save.
So I let him go.
Hopefully, with any luck, my love for him will call him back when he's ready.
~Now that she's back in the atmosphere
With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey
She acts like summer and walks like rain
Reminds me that there's time to change, hey, hey
Since the return from her stay on the moon
She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey~
And so, later, he did come back. I watched him walk into my apartment, as if nothing had changed for two years. His brown hair was a little shinier, his walk was little more upbeat, and the way he spoke was a little more mirthful. He had grown a little taller, a little muscular, and there was something different about his face.
There was a gentle smile on his lips.
~Tell me did you sail across the sun
Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated~
"So Heero, what have you done all this time?"
He surprised me by tackling me into the sofa and laying on top of me for a few eternally long moments, staring into my eyes. He smiled happily, like a little kid who had just met an old friend.
"I flew everywhere, and met lots of people. I talked to the others a lot, and I had lots of fun."
I was shocked. He said more to me in that moment than he ever did in a day. My mouth gaped open, and I just stared at him. Who was he and where was the real Heero?
"But even though all the sights were interesting, most of it was overrated."
I gaped again. I was going to find out that he was just full of surprises.
~Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star
One without a permanent scar
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there~
"Ano... Heero, did you... find anyone? Anyone else?"
"Hm?"
"Uh, I mean, did you find someone you'd rather stay with, I mean, like, did you find a..."
I was at a loss for words. I didn't know how to ask. I mean, he hasn't seen me in two years, but he's kept in contact with the other Gundam pilots, so I thought, maybe he had gotten to know one of the other pilots better. And of course, there was always Relena...
Heero put his hand on my shoulder and shook me softly, jarring me from my thoughts.
"Only you."
I was in shock once again. To think that Heero Yuy could be so open...
"Did... did you miss me?", I asked tentatively.
"Yes, I missed being here, with you."
~Now that she's back from her soul vacation
Tracing her way through the constellation, hey, hey
She checks out Mozart while she does tae-bo
Reminds me that there's room to grow, hey, hey~
So life went on. Me and Heero, just us two old war buddies hanging out, working on the weekdays and hanging out on the weekends.
But... something was off. I wasn't complaining, but Heero was completely changed. One day, I walked in on him while he was doing exercises... he was listening to classical music, and yet there he was, doing tae-bo with the video...
Well, I guess he discovered some new things while he was out exploring the earth. I could learn to like this new Heero, I suppose.
~Now that she's back in the atmosphere
I'm afraid that she might think of me as
Plain ol' Jane Told a story about a man who is too afraid to fly so he never did land~
But as time went on, I soon realized... all that time being alone had changed me. I wasn't as, how do you say, giddy as I once was. I was glad that Heero was back, but the reason I was always so hyper when he was around was because I wanted him to be happy too, and not so glum.
My wish was granted, but... maybe I didn't really realize the consequences. Did I ever think that Heero would change? No, I didn't. I... I liked him the old way, but I'm glad that Heero has changed. But I fear for our future. Maybe I just need to learn to get along with it. It's just so weird, seeing him the way that I wanted him to become.
Happy. Carefree. This is what I wanted him to be... and yet, I'm scared, because this is a new challenge I have to face. A new obstacle comes slamming into my face, and I can either dodge it, or confront it.
I know this shouldn't be a big problem... but it is. It's like I don't know him anymore.
Heero's become a stranger all over again...
~Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back to the Milky Way~
"Duo!"
In a park not far away from my house, we had decided to have a picnic. I followed him as he ran across the meadow, rolling into the grass like a puppy. I watched from afar like an protective guardian, smiling as he called my name again and did somersaults in the grass. The a puff of wind blew quietly, catching Heero's shirt collar and flapping it against the breeze. His hair had a healthy glow, shimmering as it strands of it flew in the wind. He landed on his back, staring up at the marshmellow clouds and breathing heavily, a childish grin on his face.
I guess things really had changed. This was the Heero Yuy who never had a childhood, and he was living it out now. He finally has his chance to dance in the sunlight.
~And tell me, did Venus blow your mind
Was it everything you wanted to find
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there~
Maybe it was the stress of getting used to a new Heero. Maybe it was just the stress of realizing that I didn't know Heero at all, even after all the time I had spent with him. Whatever it was, it caused me to snap at Heero when I saw the length of our phone bill.
"Dammit Heero, we can't live on the run anymore. We don't make that much money to pay for all these phone calls. Who the hell are you calling anyways?"
"Relena..."
Jealousy has lousy timing. I snapped, "Relena? What, did you two have a relationship while I was out of the picture? Is that why you left me for two whole frickin' years?" I was too pissed off to really notice his face at the time, but now I remember it, and each time I think of it I feel a stabbing pain in my heart. His eyes were wide open, brimming with tears, but the rest of his face remained emotionless. I guess he couldn't get rid of all the stoicalness he had developed over the years.
"Dammit Heero..." I trailed off, and stalked off to my room and slammed the door.
~Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken
Your best friend always sticking up for you even when I know you're wrong
Can you imagine no first dance, freeze dried romance five-hour phone conversation
The best soy latte that you ever had... and me~
A soft knock woke me from my depression-induced sleep. I didn't even bother looking up. I knew he would come in anyways. I rolled over onto my stomach and buried my face into the pillow. I felt him settle on the side of my bed, and he gently touched my head.
"Gomen, gomen nasai, Duo-chan..."
Heero had reverted back to his native Japanese, his soft tones soothing my aching mind. I had no idea what he was saying exactly, but it was obviously apologetic.
"I called Relena so much because she wanted to know how we were doing. I talked to her a lot while I was traveling... she's like... a sister, you know?"
Damn me and my jealousy. I shouldn't be talking; I know how he feels. Hilde is like my sister too. But she's been so busy that I haven't talked to her in a while. I felt a little bad that Hilde and I were drifting apart, while Heero and Relena were getting closer. Now I felt doubly bad, first for yelling at Heero, and then realizing that I wasn't keeping in touch with Hilde. I turned over onto my back to look at him. His eyes were downcast, and his entire face just screamed, "I'm so sorry..."
"It's... it's the first time I've felt like I had a real family, you know? You, you're different, you're my love, but Relena feels like family. It's different with her."
There he goes again with being open about his emotions. I still can't get used to it, but I was glad to know what he was really thinking. It would have been ten times as frustrating if Heero was still as silent as he was before.
"Sorry about the phone bill... I'll pay for it, don't worry about it Duo..."
I sat up and pulled him into a tight hug. He tensed for a moment, but then he relaxed and held me back. We stayed like that for God knows how long.
"Dammit Heero... you didn't call me for two whole years," I started to say. "I..."
Heero's finger on my lips stopped me. He kissed me gently, a long yet chaste kiss. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Later on, he handed me some coffee. I took a sip, and swallowed it without gagging. It was a little too bitter for my tastes.
"What is this?" I asked, trying to hide the slight tone of disgust in my voice.
"It's a soy latte," he replied.
I just shook my head in disbelief. Who would drink this? But then I leaned my head back and laughed out loud, taking Heero into my arms.
"It's the best, just the way life is supposed to be," I said. "A little bitter, but healthy and good if you've done a good job with it."
~Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back toward the Milky Way~
The wind blew into the room that night. Heero's body nestled closer to mine, and I pulled the blanket tighter around us. I watched him as he slept, a content smile playing on his lips, and mine. After getting through all those misunderstandings, I'm beginning to feel like I have known this Heero all my life. I can't imagine life without him.
And whenever I start to have my doubts, I think of the time when he was running across the meadow, calling my name and rolling in the grass...
~Tell me did you sail across the sun
Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated~
Now I hold him in my arms, and night after night I thank the stars that Heero decided to choose me, of all the people in the world, to spend his life with. He has since then told me about his travels, and all the interesting people he's met. And yet, every time, he tells me:
"But even though all the sights were interesting, most of it was overrated."
I asked him once, if he thought heaven would be a nice place to go to after we died. And he replied:
"It's overrated."
~Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star
One without a permanent scar
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself...~
And whenever I start to have doubts about his love for me, I just remember the conversation we had a while ago.
"Do you love me?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Even with..."
"Duo, if everyone else in the world fell in love with me and you hated me, I would still be in love with you."
I love Heero. Need I say more?
~...out there...~