disclaimers: You know the drill.

pairing: 1+2+1
rating: PG-13
warning: Fluff, OOC, death?

notes: Surprise?


Heart


It's been forever and a day since then. But wouldn't you know, I can still remember the first time those two met. Heero was waving that gun of his around, pretending like he was going to shoot that Peacecraft girl or something. I'll tell you what...I wish he had, now. Oh, don't you call me cold. She was a brat, plain and simple. But anyway. Heero was going to shoot her head clean off, I think, and here comes Duo, braid flapping and gun pointed, ready to shoot off the arms that would one day be what held him up. Imagine that!

***

"It's obvious that you're the bad guy here. Are you all right, miss?"

"Why did you shoot him??!!"

***

Damn, that voice was shrill. But this isn't a story about my feelings for Relena. This is a love story.

***

"You'd better come up with some better way to kill yourself than that," Duo said when he hoisted Heero's arm over his shoulders and helped him to stand. Heero just humphed. Baka! But that was the beginning of what would be a beautiful friendship.

What? Even one as ancient as me has to use some cliches. Geez. But you know all about the way the war went. It's in all the books. What I want to tell is the way they fell in love. I mean, *really* fell in love.

Yeah, after all the significant looks. After the war. They had to learn to live again, you know. Now let me talk...I won't be around forever, you know. And there's lots to tell. Where should I start? I guess I could begin with the first time Heero showed up at the scrap yard where Duo worked. Everyone always thought he disappeared...well, he did, for a while. He had to find the perfect way to tell Duo he loved him, after all.

Let me tell you, knocking on a door (so what if it *was* from a discarded car?) with a bunch of daisies in your hands will do the trick, if the look on Duo's face that day was worth anything.

That was the first night they ever really got to be friends. You know, the kind that can sit around and play cards and tell stupid jokes. I loved the way Duo looked when he found out Heero had a personality.

You think I loved Duo? Well, of course I did. Was Heero possesive? Oh yeah. Hehe. Now I know you're confused. But all in good time. The story first.

Hmmm, now. Vignettes might serve my purpose. I could tell about Heero's first experience with ice cream. Duo dragged him to a cart in the park and ordered him a waffle cone with three scoops of double fudge. Now *that* was funny. Heero couldn't have come up with a mission plan for that one if he tried. But Duo sure had fun cleaning up the mess.

***

"Heero, you have chocolate all over your face."

"Well, what am I supposed to do about it? You dropped the napkins in the pond."

"They had hearts on them anyway. Here, then. Let me get it."

"Duo? What are you doing? Du----mmph."

***

See? Their first kiss. Made me feel all fluttery, too. Of course, lots of stuff they did made me feel that way. Like, when Duo gave Heero his first Christmas gift.

***

"It's a mobile. I made it myself." [1]

"What does it do?"

"Remind."

"Huh?"

"Silly. You have to hang it up. See, the shapes are all things that are special to us. Remember when we watched Peter Pan? Well, there's a thimble, just like you gave me afterward. And this dragonfly? Well, that's for the time I was so sick, and you took me to the lake to see the dragonflies, and you told me they came all the way to tell me everything was going to be fine."

"You made this?"

"From my heart."

***

Aww! See? I told you it was a love story. And they loved, that's for sure. I still think about the first time they made love. The first was the best, even with all the times they did afterward.

***

"I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't. I want you inside me. I love you, and that will take away the pain. I promise."

"What do I do?"

"Here, put this on your fingers...now, touch me here."

"Are you sure this won't hurt?"

"Yes-ssss. Oh, gods."

"So this is all right, I take it?"

"Wipe that grin off your face. Mmmm. Oh, koi."

***

Well, they sure had a time then. I won't bore you with all the details. What? You want them? Geez. When I was younger, this sort of thing was special. Stayed in the lovers' hearts. Geez.

***

"Mmm. Oh gods, harder, please."

"I love you. No. Don't close your eyes. I want to see your soul when you come."

"Who ::pant:: taught you to ::pant:: talk like that, love?"

"It's coming from my heart. You're so beautiful when you sweat."

"Not like you. Ohhh...koi, I---can't---"

"Just let it go."

***

All right...enough of that. You know damned well what happened! Let's just say it was a nightly ritual from then on. Hmmm...what can I tell you to get your hentai minds off of that, now? Ah, yes. Their first Easter, that will do. Heero never realized that before one hides the eggs one must boil them.

***

"Heero? What are you doing out there? It shouldn't take this long! How many did you make, anyway? Can I come out now?"

"My arms are full. Hold on just a few mor---whoa!"

*crash*

"Hee-koi? Are you okay? What the---Oh, lordy!"

"Quit your laughing. I tripped."

"I can't help it! This gives new meaning to the term 'egg on your face.'"

"Shut up."

***

Yessir. They had fun, didn't they? There was the time they first visited a fair together and Heero got sick on the Gravitron, (who would have guessed?) and their first dog, ("Shinigami, for sure. Or Hugo." "Hugo, then." "Awe, Heero!") And I could never forget the time when they were in theatre together in college. Heero wanted to try out for the play and Duo would be damned if a girl would play the lead opposite his koi. So the University of San Diego saw its very first Japanese Benedick and male Beatrice. [2] The sweetest thing, though, was that the letters in the end scene were real.

***

~Heero, I want you to know that I love you with all my being, and that you are my heart. Duo.~ ~You bound me with your heart, hair, and love. Heero.~

"Our own hands against our hearts...come, I will have thee. But by this light, I take thee for pity."

***

The laughter in the theatre that night couldn't have eclipsed the brilliance of those two smiles. And the proposal ended up being real.

***

"What's this, Hee-chan?"

"Open it, baka."

"Oh my gods. Where did you..."

"Doesn't matter. It matches your eyes. Will you?"

"With all of my heart!"

***

Bet you're wondering, eh? Well, it was a set of rings, celtic knots [3] with amethysts and sapphires dropped in. Beautiful, those were. And so was the ceremony. Everyone came, even the Peacecraft girl. And the Eskimo kiss that preceded the liplock was too cute for *my* words. [4]

Duo never took that ring off, either. Not even when he was old and wrinkly and had to tie it to a string around his finger so it wouldn't fall off. He was wearing it that way even when he was in his bed, Heero crying next to him.

***

"Don't cry, koi. Boy's don't, you know."

"I'm not a boy, Duo. We're men."

"So sad, those eyes. Did I ever tell you how much I love them, Heero?"

"Yes."

"Well, I think that's what color the sky will be, where I'm going."

"Oh, Duo. I love you. You're my heart."

"And you're mine. Dry those eyes, now, red isn't a good color with them. And don't worry, lover. Look at me."

"..."

"I'll be waiting for you."

***

It wasn't too long ago that Duo died. Heero's been lonely as can be, too. But they'll be together again. Everyone's getting old.

Speaking of, it's about time for me to head on. Shame, too, since I didn't even get to tell you everything that I wanted to. Oh well. I'm sure you know. More important things to tend to, now. Heero's getting restless. Time to close down the shop.

It's been the most wonderful thing, you know. Being Heero's heart.







Author's Notes:

[1] I made my koi one of these for Christmas.
[2] Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." Love it!
[3] Celtic knots are what Levi and I went with for our wedding rings.
[4] We did that, at our ceremony. AWWW!

owari

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