We drank our toast to now
We tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how
Heero parked his car in the supermarket parking lot. He had a ways to drive before he got to his destination and he needed something to eat in the meantime but he’d never really gotten to like fast food, even though he’d eaten it more times then he could count during the war. Relena had asked him to stay with her for Christmas, but he’d refused; there were more important things to do.
He walked purposefully into the grocery store and headed directly for the fresh foods. He’d bagged a few carrots and was in the process of picking out some apples when he caught sight of someone wearing a black leather jacket; this wasn’t particularly outstanding, and it wasn’t what had caught Heero’s eye. The person wearing the jacket had a long, chestnut colored braid.
Heero didn’t really expect that it could be Duo, he hadn’t seen the pilot in seven years, after all, but even now, when he’d catch sight of a braid like Duo’s he would always check to be sure. The person turned, and Heero’s breath caught in his throat.
He was taller, his face was thinner and more mature, but it was Duo.
The braided man put a bag of some vegetable or another into the cart and then examined a list before moving over to pick out a head of cauliflower.
Heero was moving before he’d even thought through a course of action. He walked up behind Duo and touched his shoulder.
“Huh?” The American turned, and looked at Heero with a confused expression, before his eyes flew open and Heero had to catch the bagged cauliflower as it dropped from Duo’s nerveless fingers. “Heero…”
“Konban wa, Duo,” Heero said.
“Hee-chan.” Duo grinned. “Hisashiburi, ne?”
“Aa.”
“How is everything? I’m almost finished here, I just have to get some potatoes, and then why don’t we get a drink or something?”
“Aa.”
“Articulate as ever,” Duo chuckled. He took back the cauliflower and then finished his shopping and he and Heero went to the cash register.
“Damn,” Duo said, glaring at the closed sign on the bar door. “I know! How about we go back to the grocery store, buy a six pack, and go sit in my car and catch up?”
“Alright.” Heero agreed.
“Yoshi! Ikuzo!”
“So, after the war, I went back to L2 and Hilde and I started dating seriously, we’ve been married for three years now,” Duo said. “Hil’s gonna make me a father in about four months, so I’m real nervous; I don’t want to fuck the kid up too badly, y’know? I’m hoping maybe it’ll make Hil and I a little closer; I mean, she’s my best friend, and I love her, but, I dunno, I married her because it seemed like the right thing to do, the next step, y’know? Anyway, that’s what I was doing out tonight of all nights; Hil gets the weirdest cravings sometimes; this time she wanted cauliflower and eggplant in strawberry sauce!” Duo tossed his empty beer can into the back seat. “So, what about you and Relena? I see you on TV with her all the time, you gonna pop the question some time soon?”
“You always assume things that aren’t true,” Heero said, taking a swig from his almost empty can. “I’m Relena’s bodyguard, that’s all; and she’s finally starting to resign herself to the fact that we will never be any more to each other than we are now.” Another gulp from the can and it went to join Duo’s in the back.
“So is there anyone special in your life?” Duo asked.
“Iie,” Heero replied. “Not anymore.”
“Oh.”
“What happened to us, Duo?”
“Was there an ‘us’?” Duo asked. “I couldn’t tell. One minute you would fuck me, the next you punch me and tell me to shut up; I figured I was just stress relief.”
“I’m sorry,” Heero said. “I didn’t know what I wanted then either, I was confused.”
“And now?”
“Does it matter?” Heero replied.
“No one thought that you’d be the one to disappear,” Heero said changing the subject. “Quatre has a reunion party every year, but we can never get a hold of you.”
“Sorry,” Duo said. “I guess I kind of wanted to forget my past for a while. When’s the next one?”
“Mid June.”
“Maybe I’ll come this year.” Duo said with a shrug.
“Quatre would like that.”
The silence sat between them for a few minutes before it became uncomfortable.
“I guess I should go now.”
“Yeah, me too.” Duo agreed. “It was great seeing you again, maybe I’ll see you at Quatre’s reunion thingy.”
“I will be there.”
Heero opened the car door and started to get out, but Duo grabbed his arm, stopping him.
“Heero.”
Heero turned to face his former partner; Duo’s face was only a couple inches from his, his violet eyes looking up into Heero’s. Duo bridged the distance, brushing his lips against Heero’s lightly.
“Take care, Heero.”
Heero cupped Duo’s face with one hand, but did no more than that, acknowledging Duo’s half-hearted wishes.
“Oyasumi nasai, Duo.” Heero got out of the car and shut the car door, then stood where he was and watched Duo drive away.
As Heero walked to his car the snow quickly changed to freezing rain.
Duo unlocked the door to his apartment, and went in. He set the grocery bag on the kitchen table and noticed that the bedroom light was off; Hilde had gone to bed. He put the groceries away and then went to get ready for bed himself.
Duo stopped for a moment at the nursery door, then opened it and turned on the light. The room was decorated in soft blues and purples, with a mahogany rocking chair by the window, a crib with a mobile of little white sheep hanging over it on the far side of the room, and a changing table against the wall near the door. Duo wondered if he would be suited to the domestic life, feeling both excited and apprehensive. He turned out the light and quietly closed the door.
Hilde woke up as Duo slipped into bed with her.
“Mm…what took you so long?” She asked, snuggling up to him.
“I met Heero in the grocery store,” Duo said.
Hilde’s arms tightened around him slightly. “Oh? What happened?”
“We had a few drinks and talked for a while,” Duo said. “Quatre’s having a reunion in June, I was thinking we could go; you, me, and the baby.” Duo’s hand rested lightly on his wife’s abdomen.
“That would be nice.” Hilde sighed and went back to sleep.
Duo smiled as he felt the baby kick against his hand. He wondered what it would look like; would it be a boy or a girl? have black hair or brown? blue eyes or violet?
‘There’s no such thing as a perfect life,’ Duo thought. ‘But this is close enough for me.’
Feed the Muse!