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"Drabbles"Written By: Clara Barton Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. The following
is an intellectual exercise with no intention of profit. That said,
these characterizations, words, and situations are mine. Please ask
before reprinting. Rating: R A/N: for Crown of Winterthorne who requested #18
from 54 Prompts with 2x?, "It's just that… well, my favorite
character just died." Warnings: language, spoilers for the Captive Prince
trilogy Pairings: 2x5
18 Duo was tired, beyond tired, really, after pulling a forty-eight hour long shift at the hospital and he needed, more than anything else, to develop a way to sleep and eat while at the same time taking a shower. He should have grabbed an IV bag and just hooked himself up with a pillow in the shower and called it good. Of course, if he did that, Duo would never, ever hear the end of it from his roommate. Speaking of... Duo opened the door to their closet of an apartment as quietly as possible. Usually their schedules were the same, and they suffered their internship together, but this week their resident had decided to split some shifts up and so Duo and Wufei were working on different schedules, Wufei likely still asleep after getting off of his shift six hours ago. Except, when Duo stepped into their apartment, he saw Wufei sitting on the couch, face red and wet and - "Jesus fuck, are you crying?" Wufei looked up with alarm, dropping the book and the kleenex in his hand and sprinting for the bathroom. He locked it before Duo could reach him, and Duo thudded into the barrier helplessly. "Shit, Fei, what happened? Did - did someone die? Is everything okay?" Silence, and then sniffling. "Fei, please, tell me what's wrong." They had only known each other for six months, meeting during their first shift and reaching eagerly for the flyer advertising a studio loft apartment at the same time. It had been expensive as hell, out of either of their budgets, but each of them had been couch surfing, waiting for their first paycheck and doling out ramen like they were going to starve, and had decided what the hell - it was big enough for two mattresses, and had split the cost and moved in together. It had been a challenge, at first because Wufei was annoying as hell and so, he claimed, was Duo. It had remained a challenge, though, because as soon as Wufei stopped being annoying he started being distracting because he was snarky and gorgeous and brilliant - and Duo had been in love with him for months now, had had to force himself not to stare or say anything that would ruin their friendship because he knew that Wufei couldn't possibly feel the same way and at least, at least Duo could be his friend if not his lover. "Nothing," Wufei insisted and the sadness in his voice twisted Duo's guts. "Fei, what - what can I do?" Duo begged, unable to bear the thought of him crying alone in the bathroom. He had absolutely no idea what could be making Wufei this sad, and even if there hadn't been a door between them, Duo had no idea how to comfort Wufei. "Nothing. I'm fine. I-" "If you're fine then open the door, Fei." Duo could practically feel Wufei glaring at the door, but after a moment, the lock disengaged and Duo gently pushed it open. Wufei was leaning against the sink, hugging himself and Duo swallowed with difficulty. He looked so damn miserable. "Fei -" To hell with it. Duo closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around the other man. Wufei was stiff at first, unyielding and no doubt furious at the intrusion into his personal space, but then he practically melted into Duo's arms and hugged him back. Duo ran a hand through Wufei's hair, feeling the silken strands for the first time and wishing it was under different circumstances. "Tell me," he begged. Wufei sniffled again and pressed his cheek against Duo's shoulder. "It's just...My favorite character just died." It took a moment for the words to register, and a further moment to get hold of himself, to not give into his first reaction, to not demand that Wufei repeat himself. He was crying over a dead fictional character? Duo had seen Wufei dispassionately tell a woman that her eight year old daughter had died in surgery just three days ago. And now he was crying over a book? What the - Duo frowned. What was Wufei even reading these days? "What, ah, what book?" "Your Captive Prince books." That took Duo completely off guard. Wufei had sneered at them, had arched an eyebrow when Duo had decided not to take a nap during his shifts last week so that he could devour the books and he had shaken his head in dismay and judgement when Duo had teared up at several points. "Who, ah, who died?" "Nicaise," Wufei practically whimpered. "Nicaise? Nicaise is your favorite character?" That... that was almost as shocking as Wufei crying in the first place. "Why on earth do you even like him?" Duo asked. "He reminded me of you." That gave Duo pause. "I, ah... is that a good thing?" "What do you mean?" Wufei pulled away and Duo looked into his red rimmed eyes. "I mean... you... I..." Duo had no idea what he was trying to ask. "I'm crying my eyes out over a dead fictional character. Because he reminded me of you." "So... you don't want me to die?" "Of course I don't, you idiot. I lov -" Wufei stopped speaking, snapping his mouth closed while his entire face turned a brilliant red. Duo stared and then he grinned. "You what?" Wufei shook his head and looked away. "Maxwell, just -" "You love me." Duo reached out and turned Wufei's head back towards him, forcing the other man to meet his eyes, willing him to see the emotion in Duo's own. Wufei's eyes widened. "I love you, too," Duo said as he ran his thumb over Wufei's cheek, wiping away his tears. "And I love that you cried over Nicaise. Because he reminded you of me."
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