Goodbye LJ...
Feb. 20th, 2006 06:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
windandwaterThis is just to make it official for those who don't know, but I'm leaving LJ completely. For the rest of this week at least. Tomorrow is the Bar Exam and it runs for three days, so don't expect to see me about at all until Thursday night. Or even until the weekend since I plan on spending Thursday after the Bar drunk and crying. No online time for me at all. *whines* It will be hard, but I know I can do it.
So, because I'm a total h0r like that, I am declaring this to be a spam post. Go ahead. Run wild! Give me fics, give me links, give me pics, just babble to your heart's content and rape my inbox so I have something to see when I finally DO come back to the wonderful world of LJ. I don't even care if you write me a drabble and post it one word at a time. XD;
Though, I've tried to make a spam post before and it failed a bit miserably, so I don't have very high expectations this time around. Feel free to prove me wrong though!
♥
So, because I'm a total h0r like that, I am declaring this to be a spam post. Go ahead. Run wild! Give me fics, give me links, give me pics, just babble to your heart's content and rape my inbox so I have something to see when I finally DO come back to the wonderful world of LJ. I don't even care if you write me a drabble and post it one word at a time. XD;
Though, I've tried to make a spam post before and it failed a bit miserably, so I don't have very high expectations this time around. Feel free to prove me wrong though!
♥
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Visit from Duo
Date: 2006-02-21 03:55 am (UTC)"Guess what's going to happen today, Heero," Relena said brightly at breakfast.
Heero looked up from the bowl of oatmeal he had been pushing around, frown crossing his face. "What?"
He dropped his spoon again, and Relena leaned across the table to pick it up and place it back in his hand. "Someone's coming to see you," she said, as though the minor accident had never happened. "Isn't that a nice treat?"
"Duo?" Heero said hopefully, pushing forward over the table as he leaned towards her. "Duo's coming to visit?"
Relena's smile never wavered. "No, Heero, not Duo. It's not Duo, it's a nice lady from the government boards. She wants to talk to you, that's all, ask you a few questions. Won't that be nice?"
Heero put his hands on the table, not noticing that his bowl of oatmeal slopped. "Not Duo?" he wanted to know.
Relena shook her head firmly. "No, Heero, not Duo. Not today. So why don't you eat your breakfast, so Ms. Pierson can come and have a nice talk?"
"Oh." Heero lost interest. "I guess so." He sat back in his chair and went back to pushing oatmeal around in the bowl.
Not paying attention to what he was doing, the spoon slipped out of his hand again, and clattered to the table. Relena reached over and put it back in his hand, guiding his arm to take a spoonful of the cereal and guide it towards his mouth. "Breakfast, Heero."
Obediently, Heero ate, but after only a few spoonfuls he grew restless and fidgety and pushed away the bowl. As she wiped away a trickle of oatmeal from the corner of his mouth, she repressed a sigh. Here they had such a good day yesterday, but it looked like that wasn't going to be the case for the notary's visit. But then, perhaps it was all for the best.
The doorbell rang later that morning, just as Relena was considering what to make for lunch. Heero's attention was immediately caught by that sound, and he tried to struggle out of his chair to go answer it. "Is it him?" he said excitedly as Relena came over to him, fretfully shushing him to sit back down. "Is Duo here?"
"Why don't you just let me check, Heero," Relena said, pressing him as best she could back into his chair. "I'll just go take a look, and see who it is."
"Is it Duo?" he asked again, ignoring her words, but he sat back in the chair.
Re: Visit from Duo
Date: 2006-02-21 03:55 am (UTC)"Ms. Pierson?" she greeted her. The tall, dark-skinned woman looked to be about middle aged, her clothes neat and subtly expensive. She smiled in return as she held her hand out for Relena to shake.
"Yes, that's me. You must be Ms. Peacecraft."
"I don't use that name much any more," Relena said, shaking her hand. "Just call me Relena."
"Ah, I see. That's what the records have you down as, though. It's a pleasure to meet you, Relena. May I come in?"
"Come right in," Relena replied courteously, keeping her smile on "The pleasure's all mine, but I do wish that this wasn't necessary."
Ms. Pierson sighed as she stepped inside, allowing the door to close behind him. "I'm afraid that it is, Relena. The Preventers need him to testify in this case, to make the charges iron-clad. We must make the case against this man as clear as possible away, for the security of the Earth Sphere."
Relena shook her head as she moved past the woman into the hallway. "I respect your concerns, and of course I agree, but why do you need Heero especially?"
"As the only surviving witness..."
"Surely there were other witnesses!"
"There are, and there is enough other evidence, but Heero Yuy was the only one target to come to close to one of his attacks and survive. Besides, as a former Gundam Pilot, his credibility is very important."
Relena's mouth tightened into a line, the smile faltering. "I can understand your concerns, Ms. Pierson. You can be sure that I have more desire than almost anyone else to see the culprit punished for his actions. But I must make you understand --" Her voice caught slightly, and she took a deep breath. "Necessity or no, Heero Yuy cannot testify. Not will not, cannot."
The older woman gave her a cool glance, but not without sympathy. "That is what I am here to affirm."
Relena could only nod.
She took a deep breath, and then remembered her role as a hostess. "Can I
Re: Visit from Duo
Date: 2006-02-21 03:55 am (UTC)"Call me Anna, and no, nothing right now, thank you. I'd rather get straight to the point." The dark woman smiled.
Relena sighed, and smoothed her hands over her skirt in an almost nervous gesture. "He's in the other room. I've told him you were coming to see him today, but don't be surprised if he doesn't remember. And please, I beg you --" She caught at the other woman's sleeve, a clear look of pleading on her face. "Whatever you do, don't mention the name Duo Maxwell."
The government official looked surprised, catching the sincere warning in Relena's face and voice. "Not mention Duo Maxwell? But Relena, that's exactly what we need to question him about!"
Slowly, Relena shook her head, not releasing the sleeve. "No. I've had this argument, over and over, on the phone. You're not here to take his statement, Ms. Pierson -- you're just here to confirm whether he is fit to testify or not. Don't try to do any more than that."
The woman glared for a bit, but then slowly relaxed and nodded. "Yes, you're quite right, Relena. I will be careful."
"Thank you." Exhaling heavily, Relena released her grip on the older woman's sleeve, then placed a guiding hand lightly on her shoulder. "Then, I'll show you in to him."
Heero Yuy. Despite all her cool, professional demeanor, Anna's heart beat a little faster as she followed the young blonde through a living room and into another doorway. The saviors of the Earth according to some, half-way to terrorists according to others, there could be no doubt that the Gundam Pilots were famous, larger-than-life players on the stage of history.
Relena showed her into an airy, well-lit room, decorated in hues of rose and grey. Curtains fluttered in the draft of the air-conditioning; next to one of the windows sat an unexpectedly small figure, looking out into the yard. Briskly, Anna seated herself in the proferred chair accross from this armchair, and avidly turned to study its occupant.
She was barely able to conceal her shock, as he at last turned away from the window to look at her. Despite all the warning she had, the reports that she read and the briefings she'd been given, she was still expecting to see the handsome, stoic face of the young man whose face had decorated the newsfronts so often. There hadn't been much video footage of the elusive Heero Yuy, but she
Re: Visit from Duo
Date: 2006-02-21 03:55 am (UTC)The bomb that had been placed in his mailbox had gone off just as he stepped onto the front porch of his home. He hugged his right arm, curiously shrunken and shrivelled, close to the side of his chest; his legs were covered with a brightly colored afghan, but she knew that the right leg was paralyzed, useless. The blanket was draped in a peculiar, awkward way across his lap; the explosion had flung him with such force against the brick wall that his hipbone had shattered, and enough bone fragments had been lost or destroyed that not all the desperate doctors who tried could repair it quite right. The left side of his face was subtly deformed; despite several plastic surgeries, the scar still remained from the sheet of red-hot tin that had partially wrapped itself about his head.
Blue eyes met hers, as piercing and clear as they ever had been, but guileless. And that, Anna realized with a faint sense of alarm, was the most important difference at all.
Still, she kept her cool, and managed to smile in a friendly way and hold out her hand to shake. "Good afternoon, Mr. Yuy. My name is Anna Pierson. It's a pleasure to meet you at last."
His brows drew together in a frown. "Who the hell are you?" he said angrily, ignoring her extended hand. His own moves restlessly on the afghan, plucking at loose, brightly colored threads.
Her smile faltered, and she dropped her hand, shifting about to reposition the clipboard on her lap. "I'm from the UESN official department of investigations, Mr. Yuy, acting on behalf of the Preventers. I was just hoping to have a nice little chat with you..."
"I don't like you," he interrupted her, his voice rising easily over hers. "Go away. I don't want to talk to you."
With that, he turned away from her, staring out the window once more. Determined, Anna cleared her throat and tried again. "Mr. Yuy -- Heero -- I really do need to talk with you. It's a matter of safety for the entire Earth Sphere. The Preventers need you to come into court, to testify on --" she barely caught herself in time, and substituted "-on -- on a terrorist case."
That word appeared to have no effect on him. He ignored her, staring intensely out the window, his hand twitching on the edge of the blanket. "Mr. Yuy --
Re: Visit from Duo
Date: 2006-02-21 03:55 am (UTC)The bomb that had been placed in his mailbox had gone off just as he stepped onto the front porch of his home. He hugged his right arm, curiously shrunken and shrivelled, close to the side of his chest; his legs were covered with a brightly colored afghan, but she knew that the right leg was paralyzed, useless. The blanket was draped in a peculiar, awkward way across his lap; the explosion had flung him with such force against the brick wall that his hipbone had shattered, and enough bone fragments had been lost or destroyed that not all the desperate doctors who tried could repair it quite right. The left side of his face was subtly deformed; despite several plastic surgeries, the scar still remained from the sheet of red-hot tin that had partially wrapped itself about his head.
Blue eyes met hers, as piercing and clear as they ever had been, but guileless. And that, Anna realized with a faint sense of alarm, was the most important difference at all.
Still, she kept her cool, and managed to smile in a friendly way and hold out her hand to shake. "Good afternoon, Mr. Yuy. My name is Anna Pierson. It's a pleasure to meet you at last."
His brows drew together in a frown. "Who the hell are you?" he said angrily, ignoring her extended hand. His own moves restlessly on the afghan, plucking at loose, brightly colored threads.
Her smile faltered, and she dropped her hand, shifting about to reposition the clipboard on her lap. "I'm from the UESN official department of investigations, Mr. Yuy, acting on behalf of the Preventers. I was just hoping to have a nice little chat with you..."
"I don't like you," he interrupted her, his voice rising easily over hers. "Go away. I don't want to talk to you."
With that, he turned away from her, staring out the window once more. Determined, Anna cleared her throat and tried again. "Mr. Yuy -- Heero -- I really do need to talk with you. It's a matter of safety for the entire Earth Sphere. The Preventers need you to come into court, to testify on --" she barely caught herself in time, and substituted "-on -- on a terrorist case."
That word appeared to have no effect on him. He ignored her, staring intensely out the window, his hand twitching on the edge of the blanket. "Mr. Yuy --
Re: Visit from Duo
Date: 2006-02-21 03:56 am (UTC)Helplessly, Anna glanced around, and her gaze crossed Relena's, standing by the doorway and watching them. The younger woman's expression was resigned and worried. "Heero -- please -- Mrs. Pierson has come to visit you on some very important business."
"Make her go away," Heero said loudly, a touch of anger in his tone. "I don't fucking want to talk with her. Tell her to go the fuck away and leave me alone."
Relena trailed off into helpless silence, and gave Anna a desperate, "what else can I do?" look.
Anna sighed, but squared her shoulders and faced Heero again. Her doubts as to Relena's claim of disability were obviously not unfounded, but Anna refused to give up so soon. She'd faced hostile interviewees before. "All right, Heero," she said calmly, switching gears. "You don't have to answer any questions about that if you want. I just wanted to talk with you about -- about Duo Maxwell."
She heard Relena hiss sharply, saw her stiffen with unhappiness, but she kept her attention on Heero. He had come alive, swinging back to look at her fully and lean forward eagerly in his chair. "Duo? You know Duo?" he said with some excitement.
"Yes," Anna lied easily. To be truthful, she only knew of him, mostly through this case. Now that they had gotten started, she flipped back the first sheet on her clipboard, and quickly scribbled something down.
"Oh," Heero said. "Are you from L2? He, he came from there, you know. It's his home."
"Yes, I know that," Anna said, smiling encouragingly at him. But her smile held a puzzled edge to it, at the way Heero was referring to Mr. Maxwell. Still, this seemed to be the only way to get a response from him. "Why don't you tell me more about that?" she suggested.
"He went back there after the war," Heero told her, confidingly as a child. "I didn't think he would. He told me how much he hated it there, how miserable it was. But he went back anyway. He said he had to try and do something about it. I thought that was a brave thing to do. But I didn't tell him so. I told him it was a stupid thing to do."
"He seems to have told you a lot," Anna said in a neutral, encouraging tone. She made a quick note on her clipboard. "How did you know each other?"
Heero dropped his eyes, hands fiddling with his blanket again. For a frustrated moment Anna thought she had lost him, but after a moment he said,
Re: Visit from Duo
Date: 2006-02-21 03:56 am (UTC)Helplessly, Anna glanced around, and her gaze crossed Relena's, standing by the doorway and watching them. The younger woman's expression was resigned and worried. "Heero -- please -- Mrs. Pierson has come to visit you on some very important business."
"Make her go away," Heero said loudly, a touch of anger in his tone. "I don't fucking want to talk with her. Tell her to go the fuck away and leave me alone."
Relena trailed off into helpless silence, and gave Anna a desperate, "what else can I do?" look.
Anna sighed, but squared her shoulders and faced Heero again. Her doubts as to Relena's claim of disability were obviously not unfounded, but Anna refused to give up so soon. She'd faced hostile interviewees before. "All right, Heero," she said calmly, switching gears. "You don't have to answer any questions about that if you want. I just wanted to talk with you about -- about Duo Maxwell."
She heard Relena hiss sharply, saw her stiffen with unhappiness, but she kept her attention on Heero. He had come alive, swinging back to look at her fully and lean forward eagerly in his chair. "Duo? You know Duo?" he said with some excitement.
"Yes," Anna lied easily. To be truthful, she only knew of him, mostly through this case. Now that they had gotten started, she flipped back the first sheet on her clipboard, and quickly scribbled something down.
"Oh," Heero said. "Are you from L2? He, he came from there, you know. It's his home."
"Yes, I know that," Anna said, smiling encouragingly at him. But her smile held a puzzled edge to it, at the way Heero was referring to Mr. Maxwell. Still, this seemed to be the only way to get a response from him. "Why don't you tell me more about that?" she suggested.
"He went back there after the war," Heero told her, confidingly as a child. "I didn't think he would. He told me how much he hated it there, how miserable it was. But he went back anyway. He said he had to try and do something about it. I thought that was a brave thing to do. But I didn't tell him so. I told him it was a stupid thing to do."
"He seems to have told you a lot," Anna said in a neutral, encouraging tone. She made a quick note on her clipboard. "How did you know each other?"
Heero dropped his eyes, hands fiddling with his blanket again. For a frustrated moment Anna thought she had lost him, but after a moment he said,
Re: Visit from Duo
Date: 2006-02-21 03:56 am (UTC)"Dating?" That shocked her proufoundly, enough that she couldn't quite hide it.
"Yes!" He glared at her angrily now, scowling. "There's nothing fucking wrong with that. It's a good thing. He likes me a lot and I like him too. I don't goddamn care about the rules. Why shouldn't we be dating? That's not wrong."
"No, no, not at all," she soothed him automatically, while her mind was still shaken by this revelation. She didn't dare sneak a glance at Relena, but she could feel her frozen unhappiness radiating from the doorway.
She took a deep breath to steady herself, and tried to get back on track. Automatically, she made another notation on her board. "When did you and he start... dating?"
"During the war." The antagonism seemed to have faded away, and once again he was almost shy.
"Why did he go back to L2? If you were dating?" she prompted him. Her uneasily feeling about all of this was intensifying.
"He didn't go back for good!" That was almost snarled, as he leaned forward intensely. "Just for a little while. He had some things to do. But he won't be there much longer."
"What?" She didn't think she could be so surprised twice in an interview, but that one caught her by surprise.
"He's going to come and visit me soon," Heero told her confidently. "As soon as he can get away, he said, he'll come and visit me. He called to tell me. He sent an e-mail saying he's coming soon. I'll see him again soon. He'll come any day now."
For a long moment she just stared at him. He looked back at her earnestly, the left side of his expression not quite matching the right.
After a while, "I see," she said quietly, and closed the clipboard. "Thank you, Mr. Yuy. I won't bother you any further. You've been very helpful."
"Oh." Heero seemed to lose interest, turning back to watch the street out the window. Trying to keep her expression pleasantly neutral, she rose from her chair and turned to face Relena.
The young woman's face was a stony mask, but Anna managed to keep smiling politely in the face of it. "I'll be going now, Relena. Thank you again for your time."
"I trust you got what you needed, Mrs. Pierson?" Relena's voice was tightly
Re: Visit from Duo
Date: 2006-02-21 03:56 am (UTC)"Dating?" That shocked her proufoundly, enough that she couldn't quite hide it.
"Yes!" He glared at her angrily now, scowling. "There's nothing fucking wrong with that. It's a good thing. He likes me a lot and I like him too. I don't goddamn care about the rules. Why shouldn't we be dating? That's not wrong."
"No, no, not at all," she soothed him automatically, while her mind was still shaken by this revelation. She didn't dare sneak a glance at Relena, but she could feel her frozen unhappiness radiating from the doorway.
She took a deep breath to steady herself, and tried to get back on track. Automatically, she made another notation on her board. "When did you and he start... dating?"
"During the war." The antagonism seemed to have faded away, and once again he was almost shy.
"Why did he go back to L2? If you were dating?" she prompted him. Her uneasily feeling about all of this was intensifying.
"He didn't go back for good!" That was almost snarled, as he leaned forward intensely. "Just for a little while. He had some things to do. But he won't be there much longer."
"What?" She didn't think she could be so surprised twice in an interview, but that one caught her by surprise.
"He's going to come and visit me soon," Heero told her confidently. "As soon as he can get away, he said, he'll come and visit me. He called to tell me. He sent an e-mail saying he's coming soon. I'll see him again soon. He'll come any day now."
For a long moment she just stared at him. He looked back at her earnestly, the left side of his expression not quite matching the right.
After a while, "I see," she said quietly, and closed the clipboard. "Thank you, Mr. Yuy. I won't bother you any further. You've been very helpful."
"Oh." Heero seemed to lose interest, turning back to watch the street out the window. Trying to keep her expression pleasantly neutral, she rose from her chair and turned to face Relena.
The young woman's face was a stony mask, but Anna managed to keep smiling politely in the face of it. "I'll be going now, Relena. Thank you again for your time."
"I trust you got what you needed, Mrs. Pierson?" Relena's voice was tightly
Re: Visit from Duo
Date: 2006-02-21 03:56 am (UTC)The older woman's smile wavered, and softened into somethin more compassionate. "Yes. Yes... I did. I'm sorry for causing such a disturbance in your house, but... Ah... I'll be going now," she finished awkwardly.
"Please do, Mrs. Pierson." Stiffly courteous, Relena escorted her to the front hallway. As the dark woman stepped out of the door, she moved so as to block the entrance. "You won't be bothering us again," she said.
"I hope not," the government worker said sincerely.
"That wasn't a question," Relena said, and shut the door.
Behind the panelled wood, Relena snapped the deadbolt in place, then reattached the chain and the locks. That done, she took a deep breath and leaned her head against the door, and closed her eyes.
A Day With Heero
Date: 2006-02-22 09:20 am (UTC)part 2 - A Day With Heero
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Yea, although I walk through the valley of Gundam Wing, I remain untouched by lawsuits, for I own nothing and lay claim to nothing. So mote it be.
Blood type: B
Warnings: angst, mutilation, sort-of het, swearing
Pairings: 1+2, R+1
Author notes: Somewhat inspired by the play "The Shadow Box," a play I did in high school.
A Day With Heero
Date: 2006-02-22 09:20 am (UTC)part 2 - A Day With Heero
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Yea, although I walk through the valley of Gundam Wing, I remain untouched by lawsuits, for I own nothing and lay claim to nothing. So mote it be.
Blood type: B
Warnings: angst, mutilation, sort-of het, swearing
Pairings: 1+2, R+1
Author notes: Somewhat inspired by the play "The Shadow Box," a play I did in high school.
Re: A Day With Heero
Date: 2006-02-22 09:20 am (UTC)Relena knew as soon as she returned to the den that it was not going to be a good day. Heero had managed to move his chair again, and was staring out the window to where the yard met the street.
"Heero?" she asked, and had to repeat his name several times before he would turn to look at her. "What would you like for lunch?"
He frowned at her. "I don't want to sit with you, Relena. Leave me alone."
Relena sighed silently. "No, Heero, I only wanted to know what you wanted to eat."
"No. Don't wait for me," Heero said shortly.
She tried again. "How about some salads? Would you like to eat some chicken salad for lunch?"
"I have my own," he told her, and turned his back to her again. Relena retreated to the kitchen.
She made the chicken salad for herself, and another bowl for him, and wished once again that she knew what Heero liked to eat.
A crash from the den had her dropping the forks and running from the kitchen before her mind truly registered the sound. She ran into the den to see Heero struggling towards the window, his chair overturned behind him.
"Heero!" she cried, and rushed over to his side to support him. "What are you doing?"
Re: A Day With Heero
Date: 2006-02-22 09:20 am (UTC)To her surprise, he didn't push her away, but instead leaned eagerly on her shoulder and tried to hobble towards the front door. "He's here!" Heero said excitedly. "He's here! I have to go say hello!"
"What?" Relena resisted, trying to pull him back towards his chair, and then he did scowl at her and shrug off her guiding hands.
"Duo's here, I saw his car pull up. Look! He's parked out by the street. I have to go greet him."
Frightened, Relena shot a desperate glance out the window at the street, past the nodding rows of begonias. It was empty. "Heero, Heero... he's not here yet, okay?"
"No, I saw him," Heero insisted. "His car pulled up. I heard the door shut."
"No, Heero. He's not here." Relena managed to pull Heero over to the window, and pointed out towards the street. "See? Nobody there."
Heero looked in the direction of her pointing finger, and his expression fell. "No?"
She shook her head, stomach trembling. "No, there's nobody here."
"But I saw him." His voice was plaintive. "He parked his car right by the mailbox."
"Well, you didn't hear anyone ring the doorbell, did you?" She knew he hadn't.
Heero shook his head, disappointed. Relena started guiding him into the dining room. "Here, come on and sit down. We can have lunch while... while we're waiting."
"Lunch?" Heero looked surprised by the idea. "No... we ought to wait. We can have lunch when he gets here."
Relena swallowed. "Heero, I'm sure... he... stopped on the way to get a bite to eat. Don't you think? There's no point in waiting on him."
"We'll save some." Satisfied by that prospect, Heero allowed her to seat him at the dining room table, and she fled into the kitchen to collect the food and try to collect herself. God, it hadn't been this bad in a while. If only that meddling woman hadn't...
Re: A Day With Heero
Date: 2006-02-22 09:20 am (UTC)To her surprise, he didn't push her away, but instead leaned eagerly on her shoulder and tried to hobble towards the front door. "He's here!" Heero said excitedly. "He's here! I have to go say hello!"
"What?" Relena resisted, trying to pull him back towards his chair, and then he did scowl at her and shrug off her guiding hands.
"Duo's here, I saw his car pull up. Look! He's parked out by the street. I have to go greet him."
Frightened, Relena shot a desperate glance out the window at the street, past the nodding rows of begonias. It was empty. "Heero, Heero... he's not here yet, okay?"
"No, I saw him," Heero insisted. "His car pulled up. I heard the door shut."
"No, Heero. He's not here." Relena managed to pull Heero over to the window, and pointed out towards the street. "See? Nobody there."
Heero looked in the direction of her pointing finger, and his expression fell. "No?"
She shook her head, stomach trembling. "No, there's nobody here."
"But I saw him." His voice was plaintive. "He parked his car right by the mailbox."
"Well, you didn't hear anyone ring the doorbell, did you?" She knew he hadn't.
Heero shook his head, disappointed. Relena started guiding him into the dining room. "Here, come on and sit down. We can have lunch while... while we're waiting."
"Lunch?" Heero looked surprised by the idea. "No... we ought to wait. We can have lunch when he gets here."
Relena swallowed. "Heero, I'm sure... he... stopped on the way to get a bite to eat. Don't you think? There's no point in waiting on him."
"We'll save some." Satisfied by that prospect, Heero allowed her to seat him at the dining room table, and she fled into the kitchen to collect the food and try to collect herself. God, it hadn't been this bad in a while. If only that meddling woman hadn't...
Re: A Day With Heero
Date: 2006-02-22 09:20 am (UTC)She collected the dishes, and her composure, and went back out into the dining room. Heero ate well enough, without much prompting from her, and she began to hope that he would forget. He usually forgot things quickly enough.
----------
"Heero," she said later, coming into the room with her purse in hand, "I have to go out. Do you mind?"
"No. Go," was his curt answer.
"Are you sure?" She waited, but there was no answer. "I'm going down to the post office, and then to the pharmacy. Do you want me to get you anything? Do you..." She sighed. "Do you want to come along?"
"Post office?" He looked up.
"Yes." Her voice took on a wheedling tone. "Are you sure you don't want to come? You can check and see if there are any letters for you."
"I don't..." He wavered, for a moment seeming almost as though he would stand and reach for his walker. Then he subsided, looking off towards the wall. "No. I want to stay here."
"All right, Heero." Relena reached for her keys, walking over to the door. "I'll only be an hour, all right? If you need anything, you know you just have to call. You can call my pager, I'll turn it on, or you can call the nurse, she's the first number in the speed dial, you remember. There's leftover chicken salad in the kitchen. Okay?"
"...Okay." He didn't look at her. Relena waited for a long minute, but when he didn't add anything, she turned and went out.
*****
Re: A Day With Heero
Date: 2006-02-22 09:20 am (UTC)When she came back to the house she found Heero in almost the same position as when she had left; he had moved the desk chair over to the phone, and was sitting hunched over it, staring intensely at the date and time display. Alarmed, Relena rushed over to him.
"Heero, are you all right?" she cried. "Did something happen? Did you have to call the nurse? I didn't hear my cell phone ring?"
He looked up only briefly. "...No," he said. "I didn't try to call anyone."
She stopped, puzzled. "But then, why are you staying so near to the phone?"
He shifted around a little. "...In case someone calls."
"Oh." Relena looked away. She started to put down her purse, but then stopped, thinking of yesterday. "Heero... would you like to go to the park again today?"
"I don't want to leave!" Heero protested. "Duo might call."
Relena suppressed a weary sigh. "Then the answering machine will take a message," she told him gently. "You don't have to be here."
"He doesn't like leaving messages," Heero protested. "And what if he comes while we're gone, and we're not here, and he calls and nobody picks up the phone?"
Relena closed her eyes. "Heero," she said. "Duo is not going to call while we're gone."
"Duo might call." Heero hunched further over the telephone.
"He is not going to call," Relena said wearily. "He is not going to show up while we're gone. He's not going to call today, Heero, so there's no point in waiting over the phone."
Only silence answered her, and as she opened her eyes again, she saw the tight line of his shoulders and stiff bow of his neck. "Heero?"
Heero didn't answer for a long time, and she took a step towards him. He turned to look at her, and fear flared up in her chest at the look on his face.
He spoke. "Duo isn't coming, is he."
Re: A Day With Heero
Date: 2006-02-22 09:21 am (UTC)Relena froze. Heero turned his back to her.
"He doesn't want to see me," Heero said, his voice hollow. "He doesn't want to come visit me because I'm stupid now. Stupid and ugly."
Relena broke free from her paralysis, and rushed over to his side. "Heero, no!" she protested. She grabbed his shoulder and shook him, pulling her about to look at him. "No, Heero, that's not true at all!"
"Then why won't he come? Why won't he call?" Heero's question was almost a cry. "Doesn't he love me any more?"
"Heero, Heero..." Relena cast about desperately. "Duo still loves you, of course he does! It's just that -- just that -- Duo's so busy right now, don't you see, with his job on L2, and the kids, that he can't get away right now --"
"Job?" Heero's posture was slowly relaxing, losing that horrible expression. "Kids?"
"Yes, Heero, don't you remember?" Relena tried to recall as many details as possible. "He has his orphanage, on L2, for the children who lost their parents in the war. It's very important work, don't you agree? I'm sure Duo would love to come and visit you, but the orphanage takes so much work that he just hasn't got any time."
"I remember!" Heero snapped, then paused. "But why won't he call?" That question came out plaintive.
"Well, it's a long distance from L2 to Earth, isn't it?" Relena said soothingly. "That call would take a lot of money. Wouldn't it make much more sense for him to just send you an email?"
He was letting her guide him now, leaning on her as she led him away from the desk chair and over towards his arm chair. "Duo still loves me?" he asked fretfully.
"Oh Heero, of course he does," Relena said compassionately. "You're still the same person you were when... Duo first met you, the same person that... he fell in love with. Maybe you look a little different on the outside, but you're still the same in here." Daringly, she put one hand on his chest. He glared at her, but didn't push her hand away. "You're a sweet and gentle person, just like you always were, you do deserve to be loved."
Those last words rang out with more force than she had intended, and she swallowed. Now Heero did push her hand away, and limped back to the desk chair. "When is Duo going to come?" he asked, in a normal tone of voice.
Re: A Day With Heero
Date: 2006-02-22 09:21 am (UTC)"When will that be?" There was a hint of a growl in his voice now, and Relena sighed.
"Soon, Heero. Sometime soon." She could see the stubborn light in his eyes, and moved to head him off. "Heero, why don't you go and read some of your emails?"
"There's nothing new." Heero grumbled as he fidgeted in his chair, pushing against the floor with one foot, shifting the chair around. "He hasn't sent anything new in almost a week." The petulant tone was creeping back.
Relena bit her tongue on a muttered curse. "But you can go back and read the old emails he's sent you," she suggested soothingly. "And then you'll know without a doubt that he loves you."
Heero considered that, and Relena moved to shift the desk chair over to the computer. Once he was positioned in front of the screen, she leaned over his shoulder to call up a program on the computer, and a list of files appeared. She chose one more or less at random, and adjusted the screen so that Heero could read it easily. He leaned forward avidly, already blocking out her presence to concentrate on the words on the screen.
Obligingly, Relena backed away to give him some personal space. With any luck, this would occupy him for the rest of the afternoon, and she could get some work done.
----------
Re: A Day With Heero
Date: 2006-02-22 09:21 am (UTC)"Dinnertime, Heero," she said at last. In truth, it was well past the time she usually served dinner.
He didn't answer her at first, so she moved to stand at his shoulder, catching a glimpse of the letter he had been reading over for the last hour. She suppressed a flinch; it was one of the more explicit ones, and reading those often put Heero in a strange mood. She only wished she knew why.
He looked up at her then, an angry frown growing as he saw how close she was. "Don't read over my shoulder!" he growled, spreading his hand to cover the screen. "That's private!"
Mumbling an apology, she backed away. "Heero... it's time for supper."
"I don't want to eat dinner with you," he said.
She sighed. "There's no-one else here to eat with, Heero."
"I'd rather eat alone than eat with you," he snorted. Relena tried not to show any reaction to that comment, but she knew she failed from the gleam in his eyes.
She crossed the room and took hold of his arm, encouraging him to stand from his chair. He did, but then growled and pulled away, glaring at her nastily. "Don't fucking cling to me like that," he said. "I really hate it when you do that."
"Come on, Heero." She chivvied him into the dining room, urging him to sit at the table. "It's time for dinner."
Re: A Day With Heero
Date: 2006-02-22 09:21 am (UTC)"Dinnertime, Heero," she said at last. In truth, it was well past the time she usually served dinner.
He didn't answer her at first, so she moved to stand at his shoulder, catching a glimpse of the letter he had been reading over for the last hour. She suppressed a flinch; it was one of the more explicit ones, and reading those often put Heero in a strange mood. She only wished she knew why.
He looked up at her then, an angry frown growing as he saw how close she was. "Don't read over my shoulder!" he growled, spreading his hand to cover the screen. "That's private!"
Mumbling an apology, she backed away. "Heero... it's time for supper."
"I don't want to eat dinner with you," he said.
She sighed. "There's no-one else here to eat with, Heero."
"I'd rather eat alone than eat with you," he snorted. Relena tried not to show any reaction to that comment, but she knew she failed from the gleam in his eyes.
She crossed the room and took hold of his arm, encouraging him to stand from his chair. He did, but then growled and pulled away, glaring at her nastily. "Don't fucking cling to me like that," he said. "I really hate it when you do that."
"Come on, Heero." She chivvied him into the dining room, urging him to sit at the table. "It's time for dinner."
Re: A Day With Heero
Date: 2006-02-22 09:21 am (UTC)He shoved her away, hard, so that she stumbled back and he nearly fell into a wall. "I don't want your goddamn dinner," he hissed. "I want you to leave me alone. Bitch. Bitch. Why do you always have to be such a meddling bitch?"
Her eyes pricked, but she took a deep breath and tried reason. "I can't leave you alone, Heero. What would you do all alone in the house? But I'm not trying to meddle!"
"You are!" he roared, accusing and condemning. "You always have! You always fucking tried to get between him and me! How many times do I have to tell you that I love Duo? I don't love you! I love Duo! I hate you! I hate you!"
"Stop shouting at me, Heero!" She was nearly shouting herself, now.
"When he comes I want you to leave this house, Relena! I want you to leave us alone, not to try to get between him and me any more! We're together, I love Duo, not you. When he comes I want you gone!"
"He's not coming!" She shrieked at the top of her voice, now. She could barely see. "He's not going to come, Heero, ever! Why can't you just accept that? Why can't you get over him?"
He didn't hear her. He never did. He just glared at her and snarled, "Bitch. Bitch!"
Relena pushed away from the table and stumbled into the kitchen, while Heero shouted and yelled curses after her. Why didn't she learn? Why didn't she ever learn, she thought, as she turned on the water in the sink and with trembling hands splashed it against her face.
Re: A Day With Heero
Date: 2006-02-22 09:21 am (UTC)He shoved her away, hard, so that she stumbled back and he nearly fell into a wall. "I don't want your goddamn dinner," he hissed. "I want you to leave me alone. Bitch. Bitch. Why do you always have to be such a meddling bitch?"
Her eyes pricked, but she took a deep breath and tried reason. "I can't leave you alone, Heero. What would you do all alone in the house? But I'm not trying to meddle!"
"You are!" he roared, accusing and condemning. "You always have! You always fucking tried to get between him and me! How many times do I have to tell you that I love Duo? I don't love you! I love Duo! I hate you! I hate you!"
"Stop shouting at me, Heero!" She was nearly shouting herself, now.
"When he comes I want you to leave this house, Relena! I want you to leave us alone, not to try to get between him and me any more! We're together, I love Duo, not you. When he comes I want you gone!"
"He's not coming!" She shrieked at the top of her voice, now. She could barely see. "He's not going to come, Heero, ever! Why can't you just accept that? Why can't you get over him?"
He didn't hear her. He never did. He just glared at her and snarled, "Bitch. Bitch!"
Relena pushed away from the table and stumbled into the kitchen, while Heero shouted and yelled curses after her. Why didn't she learn? Why didn't she ever learn, she thought, as she turned on the water in the sink and with trembling hands splashed it against her face.
Re: A Day With Heero
Date: 2006-02-22 09:21 am (UTC)It kept on happening, at least once a month, this huge blow-up, when she would take leave of her senses and scream at him, trying to make him see, trying to make him understand the truth when she knew perfectly well that he was past any kind of understanding. She knew, she knew that he was incapable of moving past that moment in time, and yet she still refused to learn, still kept trying to change reality just by wishing it so.
That, Relena thought bitterly, made her no better than Heero, unable to face reality as it was. And so the explosions, even when she had no business taking out her frustration on Heero. She had to be in control of herself, if she was going to take care of Heero, as he could no longer care for himself. She had to be the sensible one. The sane one.
In the other room, Heero's snarls and profanities had faded into a sullen muttering. She heard a clank and a crash of dishes breaking, and knew that he must be hungry. Straightening up, she grabbed hold of the casserole, and pasted a calm and pleasant expression on her face before she walked back out into the dining room.
----------
Perhaps it was just low blood sugar that had set Heero off, because as the meal went on his temper slowly calmed and his disposition returned to normal. By the end of the meal he even said "thank you," as she cleared away the dishes from in front of him. Even that made the frozen smile no easier to wear.
"Heero, it's bedtime," she said, smiling pleasantly to soften her words.
He looked surprised. "Already? I didn't think it was that late. Have they called curfew yet?"
"Go to bed, Heero," she ordered him, as she always had to do. "Tomorrow's a big day." As she always said.
He blinked, and focused on her for just a minute. "Do you think there will be another email from Duo tomorrow?" he said, the shy hope in his voice impossible to bear.
"I'm sure of it," she promised him gently.
Re: A Day With Heero
Date: 2006-02-22 09:22 am (UTC)She oversaw his bedtime rituals; changing into his pyjamas, brushing his teeth, checking all the doors and windows to see that they were locked and alarmed, and that no enemy could get through the perimeter. Only then was he willing to settle into bed, one hand left under his pillow to hold a gun that was no longer there.
When he was asleep, she came back into the room for a time and watched him. After a few minutes, she crossed to his dresser and picked up the teddy bear that sat there, then placed it on the bed by his hand. Some nights, he would clutch it to him. He mumbled and swatted, knocking it away, and it fell to the floor.
Relena went out into the kitchen, and poured herself a cup of coffee before moving into the den. She seated herself in front of the computer and switched it on, placing the coffee mug beside her as she called up her word processing program and opened a new file. She had promised Heero there would be a new letter from Duo in the morning, and so must there be.
*****
Re: A Day With Heero
From:Re: A Day With Heero
From:Re: A Day With Heero
From: