Notes: The arc begins between one and two years after Endless Waltz. Hilde POV in this story.
Life With Heero Arc Part 82
An After-Dinner Revelation
"Want to have dessert now or save it for later?" Duo asked.
Hilde groaned at the thought of more food. "Later sounds good to me. If I even have room then. What about you, Rick?"
Rick agreed, "Later sounds good."
"No problem," Duo said. "Go on into the livingroom and watch some TV or put a movie on or something. Make yourselves comfortable while Heero and I clean up in here."
"Oh, no, let us help," Hilde protested. "You guys fixed a terrific dinner, the least we can do is help with the dishes."
Heero shook his head and pointed out, "Duo and I are used to working together in here; we have a routine. There really isn't room for anyone else to help out."
Hilde conceded the point reluctantly. The kitchen was very tiny. "Oh, alright. C'mon, Rick." After exiting the room, she ducked back in for a moment, intending to warn their friends that, if they took too long, she'd be coming back in to help whether they wanted her assistance or not. Her eyes widened slightly as she caught a glimpse of what almost looked like the tail end of a... kiss?
She hastily left the room again without saying anything. Had she just seen what she thought she had? Or was her imagination working overtime? She had been half-expecting Duo and Heero to take their relationship in that direction for a while now...
'But I didn't notice anything different when they picked us up at the shuttleport last night... Or at the office today, for that matter...'
Thinking back through the events of the evening, however, she realized that maybe there had been other little signs since she and Rick had arrived at Duo and Heero's house. Glances that lingered just a smidgen longer than before. Smiles that were ever-so-slightly softer and more affectionate. Friendly touches that were more like caresses.
'Maybe I'm reading too much into things but - I think that perhaps they've finally taken that next step and moved beyond friendship...' The question was - should she say anything?
Hilde curled up on the couch next to Rick, staring unseeingly at the television as Rick flipped through the channels looking for something to watch. She really wasn't certain whether or not to say anything about what she thought was going on. If she was right, it wouldn't matter if she asked. If she was wrong, saying something would probably end up embarrassing everyone.
In the end, it was a moot point. Heero and Duo finally finished up in the kitchen and joined them in the livingroom. And rather than Duo flopping down in the beanbag chair and Heero bringing in one of the kitchen chairs as they had in the past, Duo sat on the beanbag - and Heero joined him.
Hilde stared as Duo grinned cheekily at her. "Close your mouth, 'sis', your catching flies," he teased. Heero chuckled and draped one arm around Duo's shoulders.
"When?!" Hilde demanded. "And what the hell took you two so long?!" She was sure that they hadn't been anything more than friends before she left on her honeymoon, despite how close they were. But they seemed too comfortable with one another for this to be too recent.
"Told you she'd say that," Heero commented.
Duo rolled his eyes and complained, "Sisters."
Rick laughed, "They sure do have you pegged, babe." He gave an indignant "Hey!" as Hilde cuffed him lightly.
"Hmph. Guess who's sleeping on the couch tonight, buster." She turned her attention back to Duo as he smothered a snicker. "Now give. I want details," she ordered sternly.
Heero gave Duo a questioning look. Duo raised one eyebrow and shrugged. Heero sighed and nodded once sharply. Hilde fought the urge to laugh. An entire conversation had just taken place; that much she knew. She had a pretty good guess what it meant too; a guess that was confirmed a moment later as Heero said, "At the wedding reception. We've been dating since then."
"My wedding reception?!" 'How the hell did I miss that? Of course, I was sort of busy with other things than watching them...'
"Yep," Duo nodded.
"I suppose that's all you're going to tell me. No juicy details?"
"Nope," Heero said, shaking his head.
"Damn."
TBC...
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