What Ever Makes You Happy
As if you DIDN’T know already… I
don’t own Gundam Wing. It belongs to some other lucky SOB. But I’m sure they won’t mind me borrowing…
after all… it’s not like I’m making any money…
“Shouldn’t you be in a
meeting or something, right about now?”
Relena looked up from her spot on the floor, where she was
returning an upended drawer’s contents.
Brushing her hands against her skirt, she shook her head at Sally.
“Meetings can be rescheduled.
Besides, what kind of friend would I be, if I wasn’t around when I was
needed most?”
Sally crossed her arms, slouching slightly against an
armchair. Her voice was soft,
despondent.
“A better friend than I was.”
Relena glanced at the older woman in dismay, rising to her feet
quickly and placing her hand on Sally’s arm.
“Don’t say such things! You can’t hold yourself responsible for
what has happened today! How were you
to know how Hilde would react? You offered your friendship, no one could have
asked for more. Besides,” she smiled
softly as she moved to straighten an upturned lampshade, “Everything is going
to work out. The boys will bring her
home.”
Sally shook her head slightly, amazed by the young woman’s
unfailing optimism.
“You really do have complete faith in those guys, don’t you?”
******
“That’s it? You’re just going to let her walk away?”
Trowa’s tone was incredulous, stunned by the apparent turn of
events. Duo shrugged, his reply soft
and lacking emotion, as he stared off in the direction Hilde had just
disappeared.
“What else was I supposed to do? I promised.”
Trowa glared at Heero, as he saw the other man nod slightly in
agreement at Duo’s words.
“You two are as bad as each other. You’ll throw everything away for the sake of a misplaced promise
and your own stupid pride. I’m out of
here. You guys make me sick.”
Heero watched, eyebrow raised, as Trowa stalked over to his bike,
revving the engine sharply before accelerating away. Turning back to Duo, he saw his friend had not moved from his
spot. His hands were shoved deep into
his jacket pockets; his shoulders slumped as he stared ahead at some unknown
point.
“Come on Duo. Let’s go
home.”
Duo’s response was hollow, devoid of feeling.
“Home? I don’t think I have one any more.”
******
She had hoped that each step she took away from him would
strengthen her resolve. Weaving her way
through the afternoon crowd, however, she simply felt more alone as a growing
emptiness expanded in her heart. She
did not look back, knowing that Duo would not try to stop her. After all, Duo Maxwell never broke a
promise.
Instead, Hilde walked on, allowing herself to be engulfed by the
faceless mass of strangers.
******
Relena wandered aimlessly around the flat, restlessly trying to
find something to occupy her. Duo’s
mess had long since been tidied, but she found herself unable to relax and wait
as she was overwhelmed by nervous energy.
Sally and been called back to headquarters some time ago, leaving
Relena to wear a hole in the carpet on her own. She was slightly relieved, the solitude allowing her to fret in
peace. A nagging feeling of unease
nestled in the pit of her stomach and it grew with each passing moment. It had been hours. What was taking them so long?
As if in response to her question, she heard the soft sound of
footsteps, and turned to see Trowa enter the room. His face was free of expression, bearing a blankness she had come
to dread. Things had not gone
well. She opened her mouth, about to
ask the whereabouts of the others, when she was interrupted by the bang of the
front door.
Head down and hands forced deep into his pockets, Duo’s step was
heavy, devoid of his trademark vigour.
He trudged passed them, as if they were not there and made his way down
the hall into his room, slamming the door with a force that caused the walls to
reverberate.
Stunned, Relena turned to Heero, who had followed silently in
Duo’s wake. Before she could say a
word, however, she found her hand grasped firmly as Heero drew her behind him
into the kitchen.
“What happened? Did you find her? Where is she?”
The anxious questions rolled from her lips, fading off, as his
intense gaze mesmerized her.
“Heero…?”
His arms wrapped around her, holding her close, as he buried his
face in her hair. She sighed softly,
understanding the feelings he could not verbalize. His hold was possessive, almost anxious, as if he sought to make
certain that she was really there. She
turned her head slightly, so he could feel her warm breath against his ear.
“I know Heero. I love you
too.”
******
Everything about their room spoke her name. Whether it was the soft lavender paint she
had chosen for the walls, or the subtle hints of femininity she had added to
the space. He remembered how he had
bemoaned her selection of bedspreads, grumbling when she had replaced the worn
flannel sheets with cotton and satin.
He had ribbed her at the time at the way she was taking over ‘his’
room. She hadn’t taken it over
though. She had simply made it theirs.
He sat on the edge of the bed, picking up one of the pillows that
had cradled her head, not so many hours ago.
He ran his hands across the fabric, as he stared off into space, cursing
the way he had allowed himself to be tricked by her. Why had he made such a stupid promise? And why was he too much of
a coward to break that promise?
Trowa was right. He was
throwing everything away for the sake of a few stupid words.
******
“But it can’t just end like this!” Relena exclaimed, as Heero
recounted what had happened at the bus depot. “There must be more we can do?”
Heero shook his head slightly, unsure of how he could soothe
her. She had been pacing the floor for
the entirety of his tale, and it made him dizzy to watch her. Trowa leaned against the wall, his
traditional mask hiding the real sorrow he felt for his friend.
“She made her choice Relena.
What else can we do?”
Heero’s words simply resulted in further agitation, as Relena came
to a sudden halt.
“They’re meant to be Heero.”
Her voice was a mere whisper, but the anguish in her tone all but
shouted the words. Heero blinked at
her.
“Don’t you understand? If they can’t have a happy ending, what
hope is there for the rest of us?”
Heero’s expression darkened, as her words found new meaning. Stepping forward, he brushed his fingers
across her cheek, before kissing her tenderly.
“Relena, there is always hope.”
He turned sharply, his stride determined as he moved towards the
door, pulling his jacket on as he went.
Throwing the door open, he stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Quatre,
who was poised to knock on the door.
Not pausing for pleasantries, Heero brushed passed him, leaving a
dumbfounded Quatre in his wake.
Shrugging slightly, Quatre shouldered his bags and made his way
into the living room, pausing at the sombre congregation.
“Judging by the atmosphere in this room, I would guess there’s a
pretty good reason nobody remembered to pick me up from the shuttle port.”
******