The violet-eyed angel sat up and looked at me, his tear-stained face more than enough to break my heart, then vaulted forward into my arms, wrapping his own around my waist as he abandoned his pillow for my black tank-top.
Instinctively I wrapped my arms around the lithe form's shaking shoulders, offering both comfort and strength to the hurt boy.
"Why does he hate me 'Fei?" He choked out between sobs. It was the most gut-wrenching thing to hear from the normally exuberant teen. " Why did he lie to me?"
"Oh Duo..." I began to respond as he continued to weep into my shirt. "Yuy doesn't hate you. He's just being an arrogant, stuck-up bastard. You shouldn't let him get to you."
"You sure?" He asked as he looked up, hope shining in his beautiful Amethystine eyes. It was the most heart-breaking thing a being could ever witness. His resilience is simply astounding.
"Of course. Now how about you and I go get some hot chocolate?"
He smiled slightly, and nodded as he extricated himself from around my waist.
Once we were seated comfortably on the sofa in the living room of the small safe house with our warm drinks he turned to me. "I'm sorry 'Fei."
"For what?" I questioned, after all what reason would he have to be apologizing? If anybody should be apologizing to anybody, it should be that lowly scum Yuy apologizing to the single most amazing person I have ever had the fortune of meeting.
"For being such a pain in the ass." He answered, guilt and sorrow tainting his usually cheerful voice.
"Nonsense." I rebutted. "You are nothing like that. Yuy, on the other hand, is though." I finished.
"Thanks 'Fei." He replied, with a slightly more positive tone.
"For what?" I repeated my earlier question.
"For bein' there for me and understanding." He explained.
"You'd do the same for me, I'm sure." I responded.
This simple line seemed to ease some of the pain in his eyes as he cuddled into my arms again. He nodded slowly and thoughtfully. "Yea. I would swim the English Channel for any of you guys. But Heero... it scares me to think what I would do for him... I'm so afraid... Shinigami cannot love 'Fei."
This line troubled me slightly. Maxwell had always referred to himself as the Shinigami during the war, however he seldom did anymore. He would have to be hurting quite badly to call himself the god of death again. "It's alright Duo. Get some rest now."
Duo. I had called him Duo. It sounded so different coming from my mouth and yet... had slipped out so easily. My using his first name put him slightly more at ease and he cuddled against me to rest. Well hell. I would call him Santa Claus if it would put his worries out of his mind, if only for a little while.
After the boy was fast asleep I eased him off me and called Trowa to come and be with Duo when he woke up. I was not going to make Yuy's mistake and leave him all alone.
When Trowa arrived I offered no explanation, simply walking out the door and leaving the braided pilot to him. I was pissed as all holy hell and ready to rip a strip off Yuy's hide, then serve it to Duo for lunch.