Platonic Love - Ch. 2 - A Picnic and "That Ball Thingie

[Kilmeny]

Platonic Love – Chapter Two – A Picnic and “That Ball Thingie”
By Kilmeny

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise. Any songs or quotes belong to their authors listed with them. This story is not being used to make a profit.

Author’s Notes: Yay, entirely new chapter! I’m so sorry it took me so long. But this last trimester of my senior year is going to be such a cinch that I should have plenty of time to write and keep on bringing the updates. Enjoy the new stuff!

**********

Chapter Two – A Picnic and “That Ball Thingie”

It was the morning after Duo’s nightmare, and Hilde was back in her own bed, blissfully sleeping in, dreaming sweet dreams, curled up in her cocoon of covers. That is, until a braided idiot came flying into her room and bounced on the bed beside her, rudely jolting her awake.

“Wake up, Hilde-babe, I know you’re in there somewhere. I have the whole day planned for us, so rise and shine!” he cheerfully proclaimed.

Hilde groaned a few choice words, attempting to send Duo away to a fiery place beneath her room, far, far away from her. Then maybe she could get some sleep.

“Been there, done that,” he replied, just as cheerfully, “and don’t be like that. I’ve already got the picnic basket packed and everything. All you have to do is get dressed and ready.” Although a picnic in the middle of January may sound strange, the L2 colony where Duo and Hilde lived was monitored to have a steady, mild climate, occasionally creating its own rain or snow. Duo was sure the day would be beautiful, and he attempted to convince Hilde of this as he flung open her dark purple curtains to proudly point out the blinding light that now flooded her room. “See, it’s going to be a gorgeous day!”

“How am I supposed to see? It’s blinding me, Duo. Shut the curtains! Can’t a girl get any sleep around here?” she yelled irritably, squinting in Duo’s direction before throwing the covers back over her head and burrowing back into her cocoon.

Needless to say, Duo did not shut the curtains but continued to annoy her until she finally got up and stomped into the bathroom. “Sheesh, Hilde,” he called after her, “I’m just trying to be nice and take you out for a picnic. What does a guy have to do to get some appreciation around here?”

“Wait until at least 10 A.M. to wake a girl up!” was her muffled reply.

**********

Duo had decided to devote his day to Hilde for helping him the night before. He realized that he often took her kindness for granted and wanted to show her his appreciation. So, there they were, roaring down a country road on Duo’s motorcycle, looking for a nice place to have their picnic. But unfortunately, without any warning, rain began to pour down on them in torrents. Duo stopped the bike, cursing the sky and exclaiming that this had certainly not been in the forecast.

“It’s okay, Duo, come on!” yelled Hilde.

Duo looked around, surprised to see Hilde standing in the middle of a field, twirling around and raising her arms to the sky. “You’re crazy! We’re going to get soaked,” he shouted back, although it was apparent that they already were. He ran up to her, laughing as she caught some rain on her tongue and shook her wet bangs out of her eyes, rivulets of water streaming down her face. Grabbing her around the waist, he twirled her around, then set her back down and smiled at her. “Of course you’d have more fun in the rain than if it was sunny outside,” he told her.

She shrugged her shoulders and gave a lopsided smile. “Let’s go eat. I caught a glimpse of a building or something behind those trees,” she said, pointing.

The building turned out to be an old gazebo, overtaken by vines, probably used by a photographer before he moved his practice elsewhere. Duo and Hilde settled down in the middle of the gazebo, pulling out their sandwiches and reclining as they ate. The only sounds were those of the woods around them: rain pattering on the leaves and the rustles and chirps of birds. They were both content to be silent and enjoy each other’s presence.

“What’s for dessert?” asked Hilde after she had finished her sandwich.

“Strawberries and whipped cream,” Duo answered happily, knowing that it was her favorite fruit.

The two gorged themselves on the sweet berries, Duo allowing Hilde to have as much as she wanted, which was one of the few times they didn’t fight over food. That is, until there was only one strawberry left. The whipped cream, of course, had been used up way beforehand. The solitary berry sat innocently in the bowl; Duo and Hilde eyed each other, then they both dove for it, grappling and shoving. Beaming triumphantly, Hilde scampered to the side of the gazebo with the prize in hand. Duo swooped down on her, but she ran back out into the field, where it was still raining heavily. He was close on her heels, however, eager for the chase.

She screamed girlishly as she slipped on the wet grass and fell on her backside, giggling loudly and holding the berry up so that it wouldn’t touch the ground. Before she could even attempt to get up, Duo was on top of her, tickling and struggling with her until he had her hands trapped above her head. Hilde shrieked and laughed, then groaned in defeat as he reached over and took a bite off the strawberry still clutched in her fingers. She snatched her hand out of his grasp and popped the rest into her mouth, then laid her head back on the ground and laughed.

“Why didn’t I just eat it in the first place?” she asked herself.

He smirked. “Because you know you like the fight and the chase more than whatever it is we’re fighting over.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” she replied, smiling as she looked him in the eyes, where he still hovered over her. Her smile faded a bit at his intense gaze; his eyes had never looked such a deep, dark violet.

He didn’t release his hold on her, but quickly lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. She stiffened in extreme surprise, but then she remembered that he was just testing her, so she hesitantly responded. Duo’s hands went up into her hair and cradled her head as he gently brushed his lips over hers. The kiss started out soft and gradually turned more urgent. Hilde’s hesitation was quickly exchanged for enthusiasm as she found it rather pleasant. When she felt his tongue slide over her bottom lip, she began to open her mouth, but just as quickly as it started, he was off of her and standing a good three feet away, breathing heavily, his eyes a little wild.

Hilde slowly sat up, not daring to look at him, sure that she had disgusted him. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, to stop the now painfully awkward silence between them, but Duo beat her to it.

“I didn’t mean to- to do that. I only meant to keep it short . . . I- I’m sorry.” It turned out that Hilde’s assumptions were much mistaken. Duo had become a little carried away, for when he had tasted the sweet strawberry on her lips, reason had almost flown completely out the window. Fortunately, he thought, he had realized it was Hilde, for goodness’ sake, before he did anything he would regret.

“It’s- I- did I do something wrong?” stammered Hilde, feeling pathetic.

Immediately, Duo was roused from his thoughts and crouching beside her. “No, no, of course not. You did everything right. You have nothing to worry about . . . with Blake.” For some reason it was kind of difficult to say his friend’s name.

“Really?” she asked, finally daring to look him in the eyes.

“Yeah,” he said softly, smiling encouragingly.

“Thanks, Duo. I know that was probably kind of weird for you, but I feel a lot more confident now.”

“Oh, it was no problem,” he answered casually. Absolutely no problem at all, he told himself unconvincingly. Before he could think on that too much, Hilde giggled, sounding like her usual self again. “What?” he asked.

“Oh, it’s just that this is so weird, and I can’t believe we made a deal on it. Anybody else would think I was totally screwed up to want you to test me on my kiss-ability.”

“Well, I guess I understand you more than anybody else then. I don’t think anybody could put up with your strange and ever-changing moods like I do.”

“I’m not that bad, am I?”

Duo’s response was merely a raised eyebrow.

**********

You Get Me
By John Shanks, Shelly Peiken, Abra Moore, & Michelle Branch
Performed by Michelle Branch

So, I’m a little left of center
I’m a little out of tune
Some say I’m paranormal
So I just bend their spoon
Who wants to be ordinary
In a crazy, mixed-up world
I don’t care what they’re saying as long as I’m your girl

Hey, you were on my side
And they, they just roll their eyes

You get me
When nobody understands
You come and take the chance, baby
You get me
You look inside my wild mind
Never knowing what you’ll find
And still you want me all the time
Yeah, you do
Yeah, you get me
You get me

So what if I see the sunshine
In the pouring rain
Some people think I’m crazy
But you say it’s okay
You’ve seen my secret garden
Where all of my flowers grow
In my imagination anything goes

I, I am all you want
They, they just read me wrong

You get me
When nobody understands
You come and hold my hand, baby
You get me
You look inside my wild mind
Never knowing what you’ll find
And still you want me all the time
Yeah, you do
‘Cause you get me
‘Cause you get me

Hey, you were on my side
They, they just rolled their eyes
Yeah, yeah, yeah

‘Cause you get me
When nobody understands
You come and take the chance, baby
You get me
When none of the pieces fit
You make sense of it
You get me
You look inside my wild mind
Never knowing what you’ll find
And still I want you all the time
Yeah, I do
‘Cause you get me
‘Cause you get me
Yeah, oh, yeah, oh

**********

There is something seriously wrong with this picture, Duo thought in disgust. Once again, he was home alone on a Friday night without a date while Hilde was out on the town with Blake. He spitefully scooped out another spoonful of chewy chocolate fudge ice cream from his pint and popped it in his mouth. He was sprawled out on his bed, pillows propped around him, watching TV, like some kind of loser. Not that I’m not happy for Hilde or anything, but really, why haven’t I had a date in the past month?! Maybe it was because he was too busy staying at home, worrying about Hilde every time she went out with Blake. It was stupid, he knew, because he completely trusted the guy. He just wasn’t used to this whole Hilde dating thing.

And there was the woman herself, he realized, wondering how long she had been standing in his doorway. “Oh, hey, Hilde,” he said casually, discreetly placing his ice cream on his nightstand.

She walked in and sat down on his bed. “What are you watching?” she asked in an amused voice.

“Huh? Oh, I wasn’t really watching that,” Duo said, quickly flicking off the sickeningly sappy chick flick Hilde had been referring to.

“Right,” she replied skeptically.

“And how was your date?” He mentally slapped himself. Doi! You don’t want to know, remember?

“He didn’t kiss me,” she said flatly.

The silence seemed suffocating in the dark room. Why the hell was this so awkward? “I’m sure he will soon. Don’t worry.” Duo nearly gagged; this was definitely something she should be talking to a girl friend about, not him.

Hilde released a large, weary sigh. “Duo, is there something wrong with me?” she asked.

There was a tightness in his chest as she crawled over and he let her huddle against him. “No, there’s nothing wrong with you. I don’t- I don’t know what to say to make you feel better. Um-“

“Don’t worry about it,” she interrupted morosely, “You don’t have to say anything. Just bear with me, okay?”

“Okay,” he said, “tough week?”

“Uh-huh,” she replied in that same tired voice.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

She moved away from him. “No, it’s really not a big deal. I’m just exhausted all of a sudden.”

“You know, it’s okay to be all girly and emotional, Hilde. I keep telling you that, but you always try to be so tough.”

“Yeah, I know,” she answered, but firmly held back any tears that were threatening to come.

At that moment the vid-phone flicked on Duo’s TV screen. It was Chang Wufei, sitting stiffly in his Preventers uniform. He grimaced when he saw Hilde and Duo together on the bed. “I see that I have called at a bad time . . .” he said, looking a little squeamish.

Duo waved a dismissive hand, “Don’t be so assuming, Wufei, now how can I help you?”

Wufei raised a brow. “I have called to inform you that Colonel Une has a mission she wants you to do, so please contact her at her office as soon as possible. She wanted me to tell you in advance because she would like you to have decided on it ahead of time.”

“Do you have any idea what this is about?”

“No, I only know that you will have a partner. Oh, and she specifically wants you for the job. I certainly don’t know why.”

“Well, thanks, I’ll call her tomorrow morning. See ya.”

“Goodbye, Duo, Hilde,” Wufei acknowledged her with a small nod of the head before he terminated the connection.

“Hmm,” Hilde mused, “it seems his partnership with Sally Po has taught him a little bit of courtesy.”

“Definitely. I wonder who my partner will be for this mission.”

“You’re going to go?” Hilde asked, giving him a sharp look.

“Only if you’re okay with it.”

She thought for a moment. “Just keep in touch with me. You know I hate it when you up and leave, and I don’t hear a word from you for two months. It’s torture,” she explained as she wiggled off his large bed.

“I’ll call and write as much as I can. But you won’t get lonely. You have Blake, remember?”

Hilde didn’t look very comforted by this reminder, but she quickly switched the subject. “I’ll finally have a chance to clean house while you’re away.”

“I keep on telling you that you can clean while I’m here.” It was an old argument. Hilde refused to do any heavy duty cleaning when he was around, her resolution a result of past mishaps in which Duo thought he was “helping.” Duo was given domestic duties such as dishes, laundry, and cooking to do, but anything that involved something of a spring-cleaning nature inevitably turned into a disaster in his enthusiastic, but bumbling hands. Hilde had long ago concluded that his spontaneity and vigor didn’t mix with well with his lack of knowledge on cleaning.

“Well, I have that ball thingie to go to with Blake tomorrow night, so I might leave before you do, so we might have to say goodbye then.”

“Alright, ‘night, babe.”

**********

“Grr, this stupid zipper!” exclaimed Hilde, trying in vain to pull the zipper up the back of her dress. “Duo! I need you!” It was a common phrase heard in their house.

“You’ll have to come in here, Hilde, I’m busy,” she heard him yell from the living room.

She stomped down the hall, knowing full well that he was lying on the couch, unwilling to miss a second of the game. She came to stand right in front of the TV, crossing her arms impatiently.

“Hilde, what is it?” he asked, but his frown quickly dissolved as his eyebrows shot up. “Woah!” She looked really, there was no other word for it, attractive. Her hair was curled, reflecting her personality in the tight, vibrant ringlets that bounced around her face. Her gown seemed to cling to every curve like skin, and that deep blue velvet looked really soft. His eyes widened even more at the strapless neckline that was- nearly falling off! What was she doing going out like that? “Isn’t that a little low-cut?!”

She rolled her eyes, blushing a bit at his reaction, and held it up from slipping lower. “That’s because it hasn’t been zipped up yet. Now would you help me out here?” She turned around, revealing her bare back and the sides of the dress waiting to be zipped.

Duo stood up slowly and reached with trembling hands. This was the reason he shouldn’t be living with her, he reminded himself—too much temptation to ruin a good friendship. He watched with glazed eyes as the dress began to hug her even more tightly as he zipped it. “There,” he said, his voicing cracking.

An oblivious Hilde turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. “Thanks.”

Duo swallowed and quickly lowered his eyes, noticing a speck on her hip. “Oh, here, you have something on you,” he said, brushing it off with one hand, the other hand somehow finding its way to her other hip. He paused, daring to look into her eyes again.

She caught her breath and quickly turned her head, curls bouncing. She unconsciously leaned back against him and allowed herself to close her eyes for only a moment. Was there anything wrong with feeling this comfortable, this safe with him? Distantly, she heard him breathe her name against her neck. Her eyes sprang open; what were they doing? Quickly, she turned around, only to find his arms still around her waist, and now she had to face this.

But the trance was broken when her eyes frantically met his, and Duo stepped back. Blake would be here soon, oh, yeah . . . Blake. He had forgotten about him. Rubbing the back of his neck, he forced a smile and said, “Well then, if Blake doesn’t kiss you tonight while you’re wearing that dress, then there’s gotta be something wrong with him.”

Hilde nodded blankly. “Umm, well, I guess this is goodbye for a few weeks then.”

“Yeah,” he said, realizing they were now standing far apart. This was silly; what were they all worked up about? “Aw, come here,” he said, pulling her into a bear hug.

Hilde laughed and squeezed back, pretending that the earlier tension had vanished. The doorbell rang, and she ran to grab her purse before being swept out the door by Blake, who was impeccably groomed and dressed in a black tuxedo. Duo was left standing in the same spot, dazed at her quick retreat. It was almost as if the moment had never happened, but how could he ignore it?

**********

“You can come in if you like. Duo’s already left for Preventer headquarters,” said Hilde, ushering Blake inside the house. He seemed to fill the whole doorway, the whole room. He was almost too big and tall—unlike Duo, who, although he was much bigger than her now, didn’t seem frighteningly so. Why was she thinking about Duo again? That had to be about the twelfth time she’d compared Blake to Duo that night alone. Blake didn’t dance the same, his arms felt different, he didn’t drive in the same reckless fashion, and his voice was deeper. Why should all of that matter? She wondered if his kisses were different and when the big oaf would get around to it.

She didn’t have to wait long to find out. After they had situated themselves on the couch and popped in a random movie, he made his move. It was nice. Blake was romantic; he didn’t move too fast; he was a nice kisser. It was all very . . . very nice. So maybe it had been more exciting with Duo, but that was surely because of the surprise, and strawberries always did have a strange effect on her . . . right? Wasn’t there that one time she had made a dancing fool out of herself at Relena’s birthday party? Oh, yeah, it hadn’t been the strawberries; Duo had spiked the punch. Anyway, that was all beside the point. She had had a very nice time tonight, almost a wild time. She had taught Blake a couple of fast dances, and that was pretty exciting. Determined to make the night officially wild, she shoved Blake against the arm of the couch and pressed herself against him. So maybe she was a beginner, but she could learn fast.

**********

Author’s Notes: Okay, I’m worried about this. Was the DxH kissing scene too sappy/cheesy? Tell me what you think so that future scenes will be more bearable. Thanks for reading and God bless!

To Be Continued

[Darkwing]

Duo's perfect!!!!
He's like I imagine him!! But he's also a stupid idiot to let Hilde date with his friend!
*Shakes fist in front of Duo* You moron! The situation isn't complicated! It is you the one too simple minded!!!
Jokes apart, you painted him well, and Hilde too!

Their realtionship is a very bittersweet mix!
That Hilde's "kissing test" idea is hilarious! And the Duo's nightmare scene is so sweet! (Oh, poor thing! Can I keep your head on my lap the next time? )

You ask about the strawberry fight scene? YEEEESSS it's lovingly sappy!!!!!! I love it I love it I love it!!!!!
It's so exciting!!! WOW! Hilde..lucky girl!!!!! (Hmmm...I don't know if here is more stupid Duo or Hilde, to be honest -__-)

And nooow! The dress!!!!!! *ehehehehe* You are paying for your mistakes, dear Duo-chan! Hilde's gorgeous and Blake is going to thank you for your advices!!

Duo: *Shinigami-sh glare* If Blake touches her.....I..I..I..."

You what? *Stares innocently at her cuticles*.

Duo: I'm going to kill myself!!!!!! I need a self-destruction deviceeee!!!! *Bangs head against wall*. AWW!! What can I do? *Scratches the bulge on his head*.

*Shruggles* You just have to put your life in Kilmeny's hands, and wait.

Duo: But....

No buts, sweetheart. You did this all by yourself, and you must be thankful that someone is going to fix the mess you arranged. And I'm sure that if things keeps on going like this, everything will be fine (Will be fine, will it?)
Oh! And don't try those puppy eyes with me nor with Kilmeny! *pinches Duo's cheek*. They are lovely, but they don't work! Good, luck, pal...you'll need it! Hey...I almost forgot...don't get yourself killed on that mission, ok? It's Hilde's right to do it!

Duo: But I didn't do anything! It is she the one dating another guy!!

This is just your fault! Those mischievous violet eyes always hide something. You are not trustworthy.

Understood, Kilmeny? He's not trustworty! Chain him to your desk and oblige him to tell you the whole story! And go on! You are doing a wonderful job!
I'll wait for your next post!

(If it wasn't clear he's my favourite character too! )