“Still living in this government apartment? Can’t you get anything better, now that you’re a big-shot Preventer? And why are we going up the stairs? It’s so high up!”
“What do you want, Maxwell?”
“What, so you won’t even call me by my first name anymore?” Duo asked, his long braid swinging behind him as he marched through the entrance to the apartment, tiredly plopping down onto Heero’s couch. “I didn’t think we’d already become such strangers, Agent Yuy.”
Heero frowned in annoyance, retrieving the jug of chilled water from his fridge. “Water?” he offered automatically, if somewhat reluctantly, to his surprise guest.
Duo leaned back and sighed. “Yes, please!”
Heero didn’t bother putting the glass down softly on the coffee table in front of Duo, standing apace as he watched the former Deathscythe pilot lazily grab his water with obvious annoyance. Duo sighed loudly again, grinning a little.
“I guess I should feel flattered that I’m one of the only people you act even slightly human in front of,” he joked, ignoring Heero’s withering glare. “Speaking of which, how’s the princess doing?”
Heero shrugged, affecting nonchalance. “I haven’t seen her for some time now.”
Duo snorted, startling his companion a little. “Yeah, right.”
Heero’s eyes narrowed in on him again. “Why are you here, again?”
The young American rolled his eyes. “I told you already, Hilde and I are here on vacation for a couple weeks.”
“And what does that have to do with me?”
“What do you mean, ‘what does that have to do with’—” Duo suddenly stopped, chuckling a little as he leaned back again, relaxing. “Ah, I almost forgot who I was talking to for a second there.” He eyed the Wing Zero pilot with unbidden amusement. “You’re right, Heero. It’s got nothing to do with you—I just felt like coming over and being annoying.”
Heero glared at him. “You broke through the encryption on my system to see my schedule.”
Duo tried to look innocent, holding his hands up in the air. “So kill me! I was only curious to see what Une had you doing since you ran away from Manila.”
The other pilot’s frown deepened, his expression darkening. “I didn’t ‘run away’ from the mission. I was granted a transfer back to Brussels to help head recruitment for it.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say,” Duo brushed off the defensive reply, a small smirk playing on the edge of his lips. “It was just a coincidence that you came back on the same day as the princess’s birthday last year, right?”
Heero didn’t miss a beat. “Yes, it was.”
Duo frowned at the quickness of the reply. “I bet you didn’t even bring her a present.”
He paused. “I brought her a card.”
“You’re hopeless, you know that?”
Heero only glared in reply.
Duo stood from his seat, sighing again. “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Hilde and I are engaged now,” he informed him casually, stretching his arms behind his back, “and we’re probably gonna get married next spring. No big deal.”
Heero’s eyebrow rose, indicating a slight degree of surprise at the news. “Are you expecting me to be in attendance?”
Duo could have pulled his braid off at the monotone query.
YOU ARE READING
Slow Burn
Fanfiction[Gundam Wing A/C; a 1xR series of vignettes post-Endless Waltz.] He had always been conscious of the fact that she—Relena Darlian Peacecraft, Queen of the World—loved him, and him alone. And yet that was the problem, since he could never give her wh...
