24 Aug 2000
Warnings: Angst! angst! Fallout from Part 6. 2+R+1, in re: 1x2
Disclaimer: I don't own these delightful people (Sunrise and the Sotsu
Agency do, and Bandai gets to pass them around), nor do I intend to infringe upon the rights of their owners. I don't own the song, either, obviously.
<denotes thoughts> (forgot to put that in on the last couple of
sections -- ulp)
/Where all wishes twist
And bitter they kiss
Everything to you/
Bending to dig her pencil box out of her bag, Relena saw Duo come in the back door of the classroom and waited for his usual wave of greeting, his ready smile. She got neither, though -- he looked terrible, she realized, and tried unsuccessfully to catch his eye once he sat down. Had something happened? He sat slumped, head held up, but wearily. When Heero came in a few minutes later, the weariness gave way to something more like pain. Duo turned his head away almost imperceptibly, a movement that turned him more toward where Relena sat. That wasn't pain, it was worse -- his whole body went agonizingly taut, like a marionette strung on razor wire, and his eyes were deliberately blank. He wouldn't look at her, or acknowledge the other pilot; after pausing for a brief moment, Heero continued to his desk. The wires relaxed, if only a little, and Relena forced herself to turn back to face the teacher.
What on earth could have happened? As covert as he'd tried to be, she was pretty sure she knew how Duo felt about Heero, and he certainly didn't seem like the type to hold a grudge even if they'd argued. So what could it be? The bell rang -- class had ended before she knew it -- and Heero left without a backward glance.
She caught up with Duo just outside the door, and put a hesitant hand on his arm. For a moment she was sure he'd jerk away, but he held himself still with visible effort. "Are you all right? Did something happen?
His mouth twisted in a brief parody of a smile, and he shook his head. "Not a thing, oujo-san. Nothing at all." And he was off, down the hallway, straightening his shoulders as he went until he'd achieved something close to his usual jauntiness. She narrowed her eyes, and went to find Heero.
When she finally caught up, dropping her tray onto the cafeteria table across from him, he didn't even look up. "What exactly did you do to Duo?"
That caught his attention -- his eyes blazed at her for a long moment before he returned to his sandwich with deliberate unconcern. "Nothing."
"That's what he said. But it doesn't look like nothing."
"Since when do you worry so much about Maxwell?"
She unscrewed the lid from her bottle of juice, taking her time about answering. "He cares about you. A lot. He's your friend, isn't he? Do you have so many of those that you can afford to do -- whatever it was you did -- to the best one you have?"
"He can take care of himself."
She sighed, frustrated. "Be careful with him, Heero. You need him more than you know." That was surprising, and he looked up at her with something like guilt in his eyes, as if he were about to speak.
A few other people had drifted toward their table, though, and she watched his face shut down at their approach. "I don't need anyone," he said with grim finality, and walked away.
Left at the table, she looked at her tray, decided against eating, and headed outside with her half-empty juice.
End of Part 7
(1) A reference to events in the first story of this arc, ">Pull.
(:./lilias/beauty7)
