Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ A Child's Love ❯ Questions Answered and More Questions ( Chapter 3 )

Title: A Child's Love 3/?
Author: Makoto Sagara
Archive: http://www.angelfire.com/anime3/makotosagara/, http://www.fanfiction.net/ http://www.afallenangel.net/fandom/

Category: Romance, angst
Pairings: 2+1+2, OCxH, 3x4, 5xS
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Shonen ai, language, angst, OOC, set 5 years after EW

Disclaimers: Don't own Gundam Wing. Don't make any money. Heck, don't own plot really. *cries for not owning anything, not even computer*

A/N: The second chapter went really well. I enjoyed it immensely. Besides, cliffies are fun to write. I drove my beta insane with where I stopped off. She now wants to know the ending. Bad thing is, I don't know where this will end. And yes, this chapter is done. It only took me damn near 3 weeks of plotting and such (aka begging for Neko to lift the pesky Writer's Block she gave me) to get it done. Enjoy, or else.
Dedication: To Angel, who started this whole thing. And Jo, for Allilon's name.


Summary of last chapter: Duo and Heero agree to go to dinner. Duo goes back to his hotel room and calls Hilde. They realize why they did know about Relena's death. Duo calls Wufei and catches up on old times. Finally, Duo goes to dinner with Heero, and tells him his secret. Heero tells Duo a few secrets as well.

Symbols: /blah/ thoughts
*blah* emphasized words
*~*~*~* major scene change or POV change
*~~~~~* minor scene change


"Huh?" Duo asked. /Wufei? In love with me? Is he out of his *mind*? When was he? Why was he? Someone would have told me! We were best friends! Two and a half *years* after the Eve war.../ "You're pulling my...no. You're not. You don't do that. Hey! Wait a sec! If you love me so much, why did you leave?"

"Because--I wanted you to be happy."

"Wha...? So, *why*?"

"I thought Wufei would do a better job."

"Are you *nuts*?" Duo tried to control his voice so he wasn't yelling the last sentence. "All I've *ever* wanted was you. No one else. And you thought Wu*fei* would do a better job??"

Heero sighed. "Could you keep your voice down?" He looked around the room.

"I *am* keeping my voice down! Now, tell me why you thought *Wufei* would do a better job at making me happy!" Duo raged. "Especially since he's now *married* and has a *kid* on the way!"

"Can we talk about this somewhere a little more private?"

Duo blinked, turning red. He remembered that they were sitting in a small restaurant in the hotel he was staying. One quick look told him that everyone near them was staring at their corner. "Fine," he said, standing up. "My room. Now."

Heero stood as well, grabbing his jacket from the chair beside his own, and followed the quickly disappearing chestnut braid.

The ride up to Duo's room was very tense, as neither man was talking to the other. When the doors of the elevator opened, Duo breezed out, not looking back to see if Heero was going to follow him this time. He only stopped when he reached his door, and felt Heero stop beside him as he placed his key in the handle.
As soon as the it opened, they walked in, and Duo scrambled out of his dinner jacket, throwing it on his bed.

"Explain. Now."

Heero was astonished. /Duo is usually a lot more talkative than this. He actually sounds like I do normally./ He saw the other's violet eyes flashing in suppressed anger and something else he couldn't identify. "Explain what, Duo?"

"Oh, *don't* play dumb, Heero. It does *not* suit you. You know *damn* well what I mean. Now, EXPLAIN!"

Heero took a deep breath, and steeled himself for what he was about to divulge. "Wufei is more emotionally available than I am. That's why."

"*Fuck* that! That's *bullshit*, and you know it."

"It was true at the time."

"I didn't *care*! God, Heero, if you *knew* how hard it was to know that you were in the *next* bed, you..."

"I did. It wasn't easy for me either."

Duo deflated as though he was a balloon and someone had pricked him with a pin. "Shiiiiiiiit. You really thought you were doing what was best. Bastard."

Heero took a step towards Duo, but stopped. "I'm sorry."

"*Don't* you *dare* give me that. *Five* years, Yuy. Five long, painful years. And if you add the one and a half from the wars, that's *SIX* and a half years that I wanted you. Loved you from afar. I hate you."

Duo watched Heero flinch as if he had been smacked and got a second wind.

"Your unselfish thinking not only made you miserable, it made you *stupid*. You never once thought about what *you* wanted. Only what you thought was best. GAH!" He threw his hands up in frustration and sat down on his bed.

Heero nodded. "I thought that's what might happen.
I'll go home now." He turned toward the door, but turned back for an instant. An instant that the Heero from the wars would never have granted himself. "But Duo--It was good to see you again. You look...really good."

Duo jumped up from the bed, and grabbed one of Heero's arms. "Damn it, Heero! You can't just walk away from this again! You did that *last* time! Just walking away is NOT going to solve this. Now, sit yourself down and start *talking* buddy."

They stood looking at each other for one long, tense moment before Heero made his decision, and sat.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Duo woke the next morning, feeling as if a five-pound weight had been lifted off his chest, only to be replaced by a ten-pound weight. /I told Heero how I felt. Shouldn't I feel happier?/ He sat up, and instantly regretted the decision. /Damn sun is flooding the room./ He looked over at the clock. /Nine AM? No, I can go back to sleep./

After about fifteen minutes of feigning sleep, he gave up. /Can't even get any more sleep. ARGH!/

Duo climbed out of bed and looked out his window at the busy city. /Let's see. Nine a.m. on a Wednesday morning. It's about 3 p.m. on L-2. Fine. I'm going to call room service for breakfast, then call Hilde to talk to her for a bit, and then, I'm going to call 'Fei for lunch./

An hour later, Duo was waiting for the connection to complete with Hilde. /Answer the damn phone, Hilde!/
Soon, he got the answering machine of the salvage yard. /What the hell are you doing, Hill? I wonder.../ He hung up the phone, and dialed up Hilde and Mike's house. Mike answered after the second ring.

"Duo! How's it going, man? Hilde told me you called yesterday. I'm sorry I missed you," the brown haired man said, smiling.

"Hey, Mike. Yeah, I called yesterday. I'm good, but I really need to talk to Hilde. Is she around?"

Mike looked around the room, and walked off screen, only to be replaced by Hilde. She was a sight to see, her hair everywhere, clothes rumpled and out of place, and she had an odd look on her face. "DUO! How did dinner go last night? What time is it there?"

"About ten-thirty."

"And you're up?" She looked closely at the screen. "You aren't sick, are you?"

"No, Mother. I'm fine. Well, no, not really, but I'm alive, so that's saying something, ain't it?"

Hilde's smile was immediately replaced by a look of utter concern. "Tell me what happened. Now!"

Duo sighed, gathering his thoughts as quickly as possibly, and decided that he should just spit it all out.
Unfortunately, it was all in one breath. "IhaddinnerwithHeeroandthingsweregoinggreatuntilIopenedmybigmouthforthereas onIcamehereandhesaidhelovedmebutthatheneverdidanythingbecause
Wufeiwasi nlovewithmeandHeerothoughtthatWufeiwoulddoabetterjobatmakingmehappy." He stopped, taking a deep breath.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on! You told Heero that you loved him, and he said that he loved you, but that he never did anything because he knew Wufei loved you and thought that he would do a better job at making you happy? Do I have that right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna kill both him and Wufei!" She was pacing in front of the font. "So, what happened after that? I know
you better, you did *NOT* just leave it there."

"Well, by that time, we were kinda creating a scene in the restaurant, so we came back up to my room."

"AND??"

"He told me that he thought Wufei was better because he was more "emotionally available". I wanted to clobber him, Hill. I really did. And then, I went off, told him he was stupid because he made not just me, but himself, miserable for *five* years. I kinda said I hated him."

"Oh, Duo, you didn't..."

"I did, Hill. I did, and he looked as if I had smacked him, but I didn't stop. I just keep yelling. Finally, he apologized, and tried to leave, but I stopped him from making that mistake again."

"GOOD! So, what happened?"

"He sat down, and we talked for hours." Duo sighed. "Hill, I really screwed up this time, and before I can do anything else, I gotta talk to 'Fei about this."

Hilde gave him a weak smile. "Yeah, you do, and if anything happens, tell him I will kill him."

"Hill, he's *married*, and has a *kid* on the way."

"Wow... So, when did you find *this* juicy bit of info out?"

"Well, I found out the traitor got married when I went searching for info about the guys while searching for Hee-chan. He married *Sally*."

"Shit..."

"But, I talked to him before I went to dinner with Heero. He didn't even say anything about his feelings then.
He just wished me luck, and told me to call him and let him know if he should hunt Heero down. He even reinforced our *friendship*. Dammit, I want to strangle them both."

"I'll help."

Duo broke out into laughs. "Thanks, Hill, but you got a salvage yard to run while I'm away." He stopped, narrowing his eyes. "Which reminds me... Why aren't you at *work*?"

Hilde blushed a crimson red. "Um, Mike suggested that we take the day off since there weren't any big orders, and we *do* have that assistant manager now."

Duo groaned. "Don't *remind* me. That kid is worse that Quatre hyped up on sugar."

"Yeah, I know, but he does a great job, and besides, he worships the ground you walk on." She winked.

"Awww, man, that's great. I got one friend slacking off to be with her boyfriend, one friend who all but *lied* to be for about five years, and another one who I would
*LOVE* to be with but has his head up his ass. Somebody up there loves me." He placed his head in his hands.

"Aw, Duo, if you want to come home, then do so. Mike and I will understand, hon."

"Yeah, I know, but I gotta work this out. I want to know if I stand *any* chance with Heero." He looked dead at the vid-phone. "Hill, I really *do* love him, yanno?"

"I do, Duo, I do. That's why I wanted you to take this trip, but so help me God, if he hurts you again, I will castrate him, kill him slowly, and then raise Ojou-san's kid myself."

Duo gave a sad laugh. "Thanks, Hilde." He looked at the clock. "Hmmm, if I'm gonna call 'Fei about lunch, I had better do it now. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah, and call me afterwards. I want to know what happens with that...Wufei. Okay?"

"Sure, no prob, Hill. Call ya later."

"Bye, Duo."

"Bye, Hilde." He cut the connection, and took a deep breath before dialing Wufei's home number. /Might as well try here first./ Sally's face popped up, after a few rings.

"DUO! Oh my god, Duo, how *are* you?" She seemed genuinely happy to see him.

"I've been better, Sally. How are *you*? I talked to Wufei yesterday, and he told me the good news."

Sally blushed all over. "Well, yes, Wufei told me. He came home *very* excited, almost bubbling over. And you know he is *never* like that. So I had to ask him what happened. I'm glad you two are talking again. He seems to be a different man, all of a sudden." She stopped, flipping her blonde hair behind her. "I'm sort of jealous now."

/You shouldn't be,/ Duo thought. "Heh, don't be. He *married* you, didn't he?"

"You have no idea how *long* it took him to finally do it. I thought he really didn't like me, even though we had been dating almost exclusively for over two years." She smiled.

/Curiouser and curiouser./ "So, speaking of Wufei, where is he?" Duo gave her the most impressive smile he could manage in his state of chaos.

"He has today off, so that means he is either in his study, or outside." She looked around the house. "Hold on, I'll go get him."

"Sure thing." Duo watched the beaming Chinese woman walk off screen. /They have a lovely home from what I can tell. *I'm* the one who's jealous./

"Duo?" a familiar voice said.

Duo shook his head, and saw his "best friend" looking back at him. He gave a weak smile and said, "Hiya, 'Fei. I didn't know you *took* days off from being a Preventer? I thought you always worked." He winked.

"Things are *far* more different now." Wufei blushed faintly. "So, how may I help you?"

Duo watched as Wufei expertly changed subjects, but didn't protest. "Well, I know that every ex-pilot but me lives in Paris now, for some god awful reason, and I was wondering if you would like to come to lunch with me."

"I have nothing pressing at the moment. Would you like for Sally to come? She would like to see you."

"No, I need to talk to you, *alone*," Duo said.

A look of confusion passed across Wufei's face. "Of course, Duo. What time?"

"Hmm, it's what? 11 am or so. Why not make it 12:30? That way I can shower and make it there on time."

Wufei scoffed. "You? *On* time. I will expect you at one. Now, where are we meeting?"

"Well, you live here. You know any good places?"
Wufei's brow furrowed in thought. "Well, there is a rather nice café not to far from your hotel. We can meet there."

"Twelve-thirty, 'Fei," Duo said, sternly.

"Yes, Duo. Twelve-thirty. It should be across the street, and a few shops down on your right. I will find us an outdoor table. I will see you then."

Duo smiled. "Yep. Talk to ya then. Bye, 'Fei."

"Good-bye, Duo."

When Wufei's face disappeared from the screen, Duo sat staring at the blank monitor. /What the hell have I just gotten myself into?/

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Wufei sat at the café, awaiting his braided friend's arrival. /He looked very anxious over the vid-phone. I wonder how things went last night./ He saw a familiar build with a wildly swinging braid approximately six meters away and continuing, in the wrong direction. Wufei stood, and called out. "Maxwell, over *here*. You are going the wrong *way*."

The American spun around and smiled brightly when he saw his friend. Lightly jogging, he arrived at the outdoor table of a modest café. He was red, but Wufei was having trouble telling whether it was from embarrassment or exertion. "Uh, sorry about that, Fei, but you didn't say which way to go from the hotel, so I just picked one way," Duo said, scratching his head and smiling, obviously embarrassed.

"Yes, I did, Duo. I said it was on your right."

"Well, you didn't say whether it was facing towards or away from the hotel."

"DUO."

"Er, sorry about that." Duo sat down in the other seat. "So, did you order anything yet?"

"No, I was awaiting your arrival." The Chinese man allowed himself a small smile, and looked at his friend. "So, how did things go last night with Yuy?"

Duo looked up, and flashed a grin. "You don't waste time do you?" A wistful look crossed his heart-shaped face. "It could have gone better."

Wufei waited for his friend to continue. After a few minutes, it seemed he was going to have to drag the information from Duo. "Care to explain?"

The violet-eyed man sighed. "Well, I told him, in my usual manner of spitting things out." Wufei snorted, but didn't interrupt. "And, he *understood* me. Then, he told me why he never said how *he* felt."

"Oh? And that would be what?"

"You." Duo looked pointedly at Wufei.

"Me?!" Wufei sputtered. "What about me?"

Duo sighed heavily. "There's no way to break this to you gently, so don't freak on me, okay? But Heero thinks you had feelings for me."

Wufei's face paled slightly, but said nothing.
The braided man just sat there, looking above his friend's head. "The guy has like *no* self-esteem, so he decided you would obviously be better for me, and never even tried. Of course, since he's a total IDIOT, he didn't think that he might be WRONG."

Wufei took a deep breath to collect himself. "Heero... wasn't entirely... incorrect."

Duo was dumbfounded, and spent a few minutes looking like a floundering fish. Finally, he regained his ability to speak. "What?" he croaked.

Wufei leaned back in his chair, and steepled his hands, looking at the table in front of him rather than his companion. "I was interested."

"You...? You never said... I had no idea..."

A small, sad smile crossed Wufei's face. "As I intended."

Duo felt the rush of anger boil in him, but he kept in check. "Is that why you never let me know you were back from that "mission of indeterminate length"?" He paused, allowing for Wufei to say something, but the black-haired man was silent. "I see. Do you have ANY idea how worried I started getting? How it fucking *hurt* when I found out you'd not only been back safely for *months*, but you'd gotten *married*--?! Dammit, you're having a *kid* and I didn't even know if you were *alive*--!"

Wufei sighed, and finally raised his black eyes to the flashing violet eyes of Duo. "Duo, I... I didn't mean to hurt you. I wanted you to be happy, and I knew that no matter what I did, you would never see me as anything but your friend."

Duo's face colored, and his voice came out strained. "Everyone did what they thought was best for me. They all wanted me to be "happy". *No* one bothered to *consult* me on what *I* wanted." He stopped, and his voice sounded sad as he spoke next. "Not that I was any better. I let Heero go because I thought he was in love with Relena, and that he deserved some normalcy after the war, and well... Have you ever *seen* J? He looks creepy." Duo shuddered.

"Yes." Wufei's voice seemed sad as well. "I only wanted you to be..."

"Don't say it. I *know*. Happy." Duo opened his mouth to say more, but was interrupted by the waitress.

The two men placed their orders, and sat quietly while awaiting the waitress's return with the food. When they received their plates, Duo only picked at the food before him. Wufei watched him do so, until he finally spoke again. "Duo, did something else happen?" he asked quietly.

"Well, besides his revelation and my own, we continued our discussion in my room."

Wufei elegantly raised one eyebrow.

Duo blushed. "Not like *that*, though I wouldn't have objected... We actually *did* talk. Most of the evening... I don't remember everything we said, but I did enjoy hearing about some stuff Ojou-san used to say to him." Duo felt a smile creep across his face. "Seems that after Relena got married, she tried to push Heero into finding someone for himself."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and well, when he told her he was really looking for anyone, she tried hooking him up." Duo snorted. "Can you see Heero on a blind date?"

Wufei fought back a laugh. "Not really."

They spent the rest of their meal just chatting about things that had happened in the last two years since they last talked. Duo shared stories about Hilde and Mike and the employees at the scrap yard. The yard had expanded to require ten employees besides Duo, Hilde and Mike. He also talked about his other friends. Finally, he described his twenty-first birthday party.

"I'm sorry that I missed it. It sounds as if it was a lot of fun," Wufei said, wistfully.

"Nah, it was okay, but they are *so* not your crowd," Duo said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Wufei shot back, knitting his eyebrows.

"Nothing, except you don't really drink, and you don't dance."

The Chinese man scoffed. "Shows how much you know."

The American face-vaulted. "What? You get plastered off your ass and then dance till you can't stand?"

"Well, not really," Wufei, blushing, said.

"I didn't think so." Duo paused for a moment, thinking. "But, you *can* make it up to me for missing the party."

Wufei shot him a skeptical look.

"No, nothing bad. But, how about the five of us get together. At your expense, of course." Duo's eyes flashed as he smiled brightly.

"O~kay." Wufei looked at his watch. "La shi! It's almost three thirty." He looked up at his friend. "I have to go home and help Sally "paint the nursery". She is insisting upon it. We will talk later, right?"

"Yeah. Have fun, Baba-Fei."

Wufei winced, but stood up, placing money on the table. Duo shoved it back at him.

"It's on me." He snickered at the perplexed expression
Wufei had. "Look, I invited you to lunch, and I kept you out for nearly 3 hours. I'm paying. You get to go home and help your *pregnant* wife paint a nursery." Duo stood as well, shaking his braid so it fell into its proper position. "I'll call you later. Zai jian, Wufei."

Wufei was shocked. "Good bye to you too, Duo." He looked at his watch again, and took off running.

Duo snickered, pulling out money to pay for lunch. /Guess he thought I would never learn Chinese, eh?/ He dropped the money on the table, with a large tip for the waitress.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Duo called Hilde as soon as he got back to the hotel. He told her everything that happened with Wufei, and the conversation they had after their "confrontation". Duo was glad to see his other best friend so amused at the fact that he shocked Wufei. He was about to end the call when Mike came and requested his girlfriend back.

"Glad to hear things went well, D, but *we* have a business to run. Seems there's more stuff to do now that you're gone," Mike said.

"Heh, tell that to Hill. She keeps saying I'm lazy and I don't do anything around there."

"Yeah, but you love it. Don't deny it."

"Did I try?" Duo feigned innocence. "Well, I'll see you guys in a few days."

"Coming home so soon?" Hilde's face popped up. She looked like a rabid mother cat.

Duo's face fell. "Yeah. I've done everything I came to do. I don't know what else I expected to happen." He sniffled a little, but smiled anyway. "Besides, I miss you two. Who else is gonna make the runts happy when you go psycho, Hill?"

"I've been trying," Mike said. "But, I am *not* you. I'm more likely to go into hiding *with* them, than to coax them to go back to work."

Hilde punched her boyfriend, and gave Duo a raspberry. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, so, you let us know when you have your flight booked, and we'll come and get you from the space port." Her face grew serious. "I love ya, lazy ass, and I *do* miss you."

"Yeah, I miss you too, slave driver. I'll talk to you guys soon. Gotta go."

"Bye!" Hilde and Mike chorused, and then the phone went dead.

"Bye," Duo said sadly. He got up, heading for the bathroom when the phone rang. He looked at the number, but didn't recognize it, until the name "Winner-Barton" flashed.

/Quatre? How did he know I was here? Wufei? Or Heero? Shit!/ He picked up the phone. "Quatre Raberba Winner-Barton, I could *strangle* you right now!" he growled.

"Nice to hear from you too, Duo," a calm female voice said.

"Cathy?" Duo squeaked.

"Yes, Duo. It's me. I would ask why you want to strangle my brother-in-law, but I'll just weasel it out of him later." The brunette giggled. "So, the reason I called is this. My brother and Quatre are throwing a party for me, and I wanted to invite everyone. I just got off the phone with Heero, and he told me where I could reach you. So, are you interested in coming?"

"You're kidding, right? Me? Turn down a *party*?" Duo tried to look offended. "Since when have *I* turned down an invite?"

Cathy made a bid deal of thinking. "Never, that I can think of."

"So, why are the lovebirds throwing you a party?"

She flashed a hand at him, showing him a large diamond.

Duo gaped. "So, uh, who's the masochist?" He shook his head. "I mean, who's the lucky guy?"

She beamed happily. "Auda!"

Duo blinked, repeatedly. "Auda, as in one of Quatre's forty henchmen, Auda?"

"Do you *know* another Auda?" Her green eyes were twinkling.

"No."

"Then, yep, that Auda."

"Congrats. Man, where did he find the money to get you that?"

Cathy smiled again. "I didn't ask, but I think Quatre had something to do with it. Ok, so the party is tomorrow night at 8pm. We're here at the Paris mansion." She looked around the room she was in, and then leaned closer towards the screen of the phone. "I don't care *what* Quatre says, this place is *huge*."

Duo snickered. "Yeah, I always told Q that his sense of scale was off. So, I'll see you tomorrow night."

She straightened up. "Yep."

"Hey, Cathy, let me speak to the little shithead." He shook his head. "I mean, let me talk to Quatre."

She blinked. "Sure, Duo, hold on." She put the phone on hold. Duo sat there looking at the beautifully decorated walls.

/So, Cathy and Auda? That's one I didn't see./ His smile faded. /I can't *believe* Quatre didn't tell me *anything* about all this shit. He's the only one who has been in contact with the three of us, and he never *once* mentioned that he knew where Heero and Wufei were./

"Duo, hello. I heard you were in town." Quatre's sunny face beamed into view.

"Hi, Quat. I should hurt you, you know," Duo said icily.

Quatre gave Duo a confused look. "What are you talking about, Duo?"

"Why didn't you tell me that you *knew* where Wufei and Heero were?"

Quatre took a deep breath. "They asked me not to."

"WHAT?" Duo yelled. "What the *fuck* are you talking about?"

Quatre looked close to tears. "Look, I *told* them that you weren't going to be happy when you found out, but they insisted. Separately, which was what confused me." He sighed. "I'm so sorry, Duo."

Duo swallowed the lump in his throat. "Did they at least say *why*?"

"Yes, but I'm sure you know why they did it." Quatre gave Duo a weak smile that didn't quite reach his aquamarine eyes. "Look, I know Cathy invited you for the party tomorrow, but why not stay with us tonight. We have plenty of room, and we can talk all night like we used to on missions."

Duo thought that over. "Ok, Quatre, you win, *and* you get to live, but you *will* explain more of this to me when I get there."

The blond gave him a sincere smile. "Of course, Duo. I'll send someone to come and get you."

"Thanks, buddy. See you soon then."

"Yes, definitely. Bye, Duo."

"Bye." Duo hung up the phone, and started rummaging through his luggage for something that he could take to Quatre's.

/Dammit, just when things get good again, the shit hits the fan,/ he thought, as a knock sounded on his door.

TBC