Duo walked into one of the less pretty and plushie rooms in Relena's mansion and stopped. Heero'd promised to meet him here, but the only other person in the room was Dorothy Catalonia.
Duo's eyes narrowed just slightly. He wasn't all that fond of the blond girl, not since the Gundam Pilots and White Fang had faced off in space. She had controlled the Mobile Dolls that nearly killed them, before Quatre had taken charge and given them a winning strategy.
She had also stabbed Quatre during a duel, and Duo could still remember Quatre's face creased with pain and Trowa's uncharacteristic and persistent fear that Quatre wouldn't survive. Duo nodded to the blond cooly, who seemed surprised to see him.
"I was expecting Miss Relena," Dorothy commented. Dorothy wasn't all that fond of any of the Gundam pilots, despite her rather famous bloodlust. Real people were different from the ideals you created around them.
She particularly disliked Heero from the way Relena went on about him and that he deliberately ignored her. Of course, she threw Relena at Heero constantly, trying to make Relena -- if not herself happy.
She caught Duo's look of distaste. "Heero asked me to meet him here," he replied, dropping casually into a chair.
"They are probably together, then," Dorothy commented, taking a seat at the window, trying to ignore how much that casual remark hurt. From the faint, fleeting reaction on Duo's face, she'd guess he felt the same.
"I bet they'll be making that special announcement any day now," Duo said with false brightness. "It's about time." Duo felt ill. He had promised to never lie, but he lied to himself constantly, trying to deny the feelings he had for his partner, Heero. Of course, he constantly teased Heero about Relena, and practically pushed him at Relena with a smile. But it was still a lie.
"Oh, quite," Dorothy remarked. "But if he ever hurts her, I'll..." she trailed off, horrified. She would have given anything to take those words back, particularly in front of Duo Maxwell!
"Heero wouldn't hurt her. He's tough on the outside, but inside he's the nicest and sweetest guy you'll ever..." Duo began heatedly and stopped. He flushed with embarrassment and dropped his face to his hands.
Surprisingly, Dorothy laughed, not unkindly. She moved to sit beside Duo. "We're two of a kind, aren't we? Pushing those we--" she swallowed "--care about into the arms of someone else."
"For their happiness, not our own," Duo added. He smiled a little at Dorothy. "So, you like little Miss Relena?"
"Like is a mild word, Duo," Dorothy said dryly. "I care for her a great deal. She means a great deal to me. I... don't quite know how it started, or just how she changed from the pacifist I was supposed to spy on--" Dorothy winced at Duo's look "--to... this." Dorothy looked at her hands. Duo nodded slowly.
"I know, I know. It's like that with me and Heero. I didn't used to think Heero was even human, much less think to care about him. And now... if Heero went off into the sunset with Relena, I'd be miserable. I can't live my life without him, and seeing him with someone else would be too..."
"Painful?" Dorothy suggested when Duo didn't finish.
"Yeah," Duo said. "What makes you like Relena so much, anyway?"
Dorothy blushed, which Duo thought was rather funny. "She's strong and determined. She's willing to be wrong. She's got the courage to stand up to anyone, even if they are threatening her. She's sweet and compassionate too. She's got a gentle exterior but a core of steel. And, she does these little things... the way she half-flips her hair, the way her eyes look when she greets someone." Dorothy cleared her throat self-consciously. "Now you."
Duo sat back, a half-dreamy smile on his face. "Hee-chan is one of the most amazing people I've ever met. I love it when he smiles. I love the look in his eye when he sees a little kid or an animal. He looks so vulnerable and young. He respects my abilities and I respect his. He's saved me more than a few times. I guess he does care for people in his own way." Duo laughed suddenly. "He does these really cute little things sometimes. He talks to stuff when he thinks no one is looking. I've walked into his room to get something and seen him sleeping. God, he looks amazing. And..."
"I get the point, Duo," Dorothy said dryly. Duo started, then they laughed at each other.
"Oh well, it's not like they'll ever know," Duo pointed out, holding up his hands with his first finger of each pointing up. "The knight in shining armour goes off with the rescued princess and they all live happily ever after. The end."
"The end, indeed," Dorothy said with a sigh.
"Do you think we should tell them?" Relena asked, looking up from where her head was leaning against Heero's shoulder. The smile Duo loved so much was flitting across his lips. He looked down at Relena, then back to the security monitor.
"Not yet. I want to surprise Duo. Don't you want to surprise Dorothy, like we planned?" Heero asked. Relena grinned with unholy glee.
"Certainly I do." She sobered immediately. "But she looks so sad. And Duo..."
"It will be worth the wait," Heero promised. "Come on, we don't want to make them wait too much longer." Relena nodded and stood up, stretching. She watched in amusement as Heero kissed the tips of his fingers and placed them over Duo's cheek.
"Let's go, then," she said.
The End
The idea from this fic came from something my mother said. Before she and my father started dating, she liked my dad but wasn't sure how to express herself. So, she set him up with her friend Kim. She explained that sometimes if you like someone, you set them up with someone else, just to see how they react, as well as to conceal your personal feelings. They only went out once. My parents have been married for 19 years, and they seem fairly happy.
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