Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Only You ❯ Chapter 3

In the months that he had been on L2, Heero had made a habit of watching the sun set. He had learned when to expect the sun to start its descent, and found a great vantage point at the edge of the salvage yard. He leaned on the hood of a battered old car, hands splayed on the sun-warmed metal. Watching the sun set … it was another of the things he could never have imagined himself doing. He found himself learning to enjoy a lot about life around Duo; the other pilot's zest for life was infectious. "Duo." Heero's whisper was carried away by a breeze that pushed his unruly bangs into his face.

By now Duo would have seen the journal. Would he understand the gesture for what it was? If Duo wanted to keep his distance, he could just return it and tell Heero that he had forgotten it. But if he did want to know Heero better … "my soul laid bare for you," Heero said softly. Out of all of the pilots, Duo was the only one he felt he could share himself with like this. Duo could help him to heal; Duo could make everything all right.

He thought about the night that he had opened up to Duo. He had never told anyone about the failed mission that led to the death of the little girl, but when Duo asked it all came spilling out of him like water rushing from a cracked dam. Heero had grown up without being held, without being reassured. Because of the war, he had been trained not to show his emotions, to operate with utmost efficiency. But in Duo's arms that night he cried like a child. The next morning when he tried to apologize for his weakness, and Duo had simply said that's what friends are for. They hadn't talked about it since, but Heero was grateful for the feeling of peace that night left him with.

The more that he came to value his friend, the more that he worried he would lose him. He found himself getting jealous of the time that Duo spent with Hilde and the other pilots. He still felt uncomfortable around other people. His quiet nature made it hard for people to get to know him. He still didn't know how to relate; the conversation and banter intimidated him. He couldn't shake the fear that he'd lose the one person who he had connected with. He hoped he hadn't made the wrong decision when he left his journal for Duo.

He stood and stretched, staring at the sky. The moment he had been waiting for had come. The sun, tiring of its arc across the sky's expanse, dipped below the edge of the horizon. The reflections of its light against the atmosphere of L2 lit up the sky in a field of fiery red and orange hues. Heero stared, transfixed by its beauty. It never failed to fill him with hope. "There's always tomorrow," he whispered.

A hand fell on his shoulder and squeezed as Duo came to stand behind him. "That's right, buddy. There's always tomorrow."