Title: Fragile Hearts

Author: Liewe

Disclaimer: standard apply

He was always the one to comfort her when Heero did something wrong, when Heero broke her heart.  She didn't see that his heart was ripped out every time she spoke of her love for Heero she never saw.  She was blinded by what she felt for the perfect soldier, she was blind to the admiring gazes of lustful diplomats and horny teenagers.  He loved her, he always would, and he always had, he remembered seeing her strolling the streets of his colony when she had accompanied her "father" on a trip to space.  She was beautiful then, and she was still beautiful now, even more so in his eyes, she had matured so much in the five years he had known her.  But she still clung to her dream of Heero returning her love.

Duo sighed as he held her shaking form as she cried on his shoulder, he was used to this by now, it was the same every week.  The days would change but whenever Relena had a brush with Heero, she would come crying to Duo's open arms.  These episodes were becoming more frequent, with each passing week, more intense and Relena's tears would last longer now.  She couldn't be pacified by kind words; only the simple action of holding her while she cried did any good. 

She had grown into a beautiful young woman, a strong leader, and cherished prize of the years.  Her honey hair cascaded down her back in soft waves, the color slightly darker than before, more golden, and richer.  Her eyes; were still a soft aquamarine but they held a wisdom that couldn’t be gained through simple actions.  He loved her for her personality though, her kindness and patience, her looks where just an added bonus but they weren't what counted to him, the once feared Shinigami. 

"Shh, Relena," he whispered to her as she continued to cry, he didn't know what Heero could have said in his exasperation this time, but whatever it was it had deeply hurt the young woman he held in his arms.  "Shh," he repeated as he rubbed her back his hands running in circles.

“I can’t believe he said that,” she choked out between her sobs.  Her breath hitching as the sobs began once more in earnest.  He whole body was shaking now, and Duo could only think of a few things that Heero could have said that would have brought about this kind of reaction from Relena.  He could only hope that Heero hadn’t dashed all her hopes and dreams, that she would continue to function when this night was over.

“Relena, what did he say,” Duo prodded softly as he gazed into her eyes, which were red rimmed and tear filled.

“He… he… he… said that he could never love me,” she said through her sobs, “he said he loved someone else.” She said through her sobs, her head finding it’s way back to Duo’s chest.

“Shh, Relena, it’ll be ok,” he said while cursing Heero’s stupidity.  He wished he could just take the pain onto himself but he couldn’t that just wasn’t possible.  He wished he could do something more to ease her pain but he couldn’t he could only be a shoulder for her to cry on.

“How… can… it… ever… be… ok,” she said her nose running as the tears continued.  The soft cloth of Duo’s shirt muffled her voice, and he grimaced at the feel of her whipping her nose on the front of his shirt but he continued to hold her tightly.

“You’ll find someone else Relena, you’re a beautiful girl, you’re smart and kind and loving.  What man wouldn’t want you?” He cringed at his last words, they were a wrong choice, that thought was verified as Relena’s sobs grew in volume.  Her hands clutched his shirt; his head was bent over her own as he continued to hold her and soothe her.

“If… no… man… wouldn’t… want… me, then… why… doesn’t… Heero… want… me…” she said through her sobs.  She lifted her tear-streaked face to gaze into his troubled violet eyes, her own eyes filled with an immense pain.

“Relena, Heero can’t really be called a man can he, he’s the perfect soldier,” Duo chuckled in a vain attempt to remove his foot from his mouth.  The way her sobs rose told him that his comment had only stuck his foot further in his mouth, that he had actually stuck his whole foot in his mouth.

“He’s… the… only… man… I… want,” she said inadvertently breaking Duo’s heart, she didn’t see the stricken expression which passed across his face.  She didn’t know exactly why he held her tighter, or why he made a slight pained noise.  She just took comfort in his embrace.

“Relena, Relena,” he whispered as he rocked her back and forth from her position in his lap, he couldn’t remember how she had gotten there but she had.  He relished in the feeling of holding her close, of savoring the feel of her in his arms.  The sound of her heart shattering beyond recognition, broke his as well, he was fine as long as she was happy but she wasn’t not now not with Heero off gallivanting with Emerald Winner.  Quatre was in a state as well, completely enraged at Heero’s behavior, his thoughts on the safety of his youngest sister.

On impulse, Duo kissed the top of Relena’s head, his voice leaving him as he tried to voice his feelings for her.  He realized that he had to tell her sometime or another, the sooner the better; maybe he would be able to help her heal.  He loved her with all his heart he would always love her, some part of him at least.  Even if she rejected him, he would still love her.

“Relena, Heero isn’t the only fish in the sea,” he whispered to her as he raised her chin with his fingers.  His eyes looking earnestly into hers, their faces inches apart.

“He isn’t,” she questioned as she suddenly became fascinated with every aspect of his face, from his slight dimple to the mischievous quirk to his smile.  He leaned his forehead against Relena’s her breath warming his cheek, as he looked at the realization in her eyes.

“No he isn’t,” Duo said softly as he leaned closer to her, a silent question asked in his eyes as he softly kissed her.  A teasing caress before he pulled back to gaze in her eyes, the glazed expression elicited a slight chuckle from his previously sober form.

“Duo,” she whispered her eyes full of confusion, the pain from earlier pushed to the back of her mind as she puzzled over the possible reasons for the kiss.

“There are more fish in the sea, Relena,” he said softly once more the hidden meaning of his words surfacing as a soft smile, a real one, spread across his heart shaped face.

“Duo,” she repeated, her vast vocabulary deserting her in the face of Duo’s offer and his confession, even though it had never been said the words were visible in his eyes.

“I’m not Heero Yuy, I can joke, I can show emotion, but I’m not the perfect soldier,” he said softly, his voice cracking as he tried to finish what he was saying. “But Relena, I promise to always be there for you, to be your friend, to be your confidante, to love you until my dying day,” he said in a rush.

“I know you’re not Heero Yuy, and you already are my friend, but for so long it’s only been Heero in my heart.  I don’t know if I can ever love you like you deserve, it will take time for me to change but you have always been more than a friend to me Duo,” she said as the tears cascaded down her face once more, this time though they were tears of joy.

“I have all the time in the world for you Relena, you’re worth the effort,” he said, tears glistening in the corners of his own eyes, as her words slowly sunk in.

“But Duo, you deserve so much more than Heero’s left overs,” she said, determined to see how much she meant to him, how much he would put up with.  She didn’t like being a toy for men to parade around and she didn’t want her fragile heart to be broken again.

“All I want is you, you and only you, Relena,” he said while holding hands with one hand while the other caressed her cheek.

“But it may take years to forget him,” she said desperately.

“I know and I’m willing to wait, Relena you mean the world to me, I would gladly give up my life if it meant your happiness.  I would do anything for you Relena, do you understand this,” he said vehemently.

“I can but I don’t all my life, I’ve never mean anything more than a symbol, but now you’re making me feel important, but Duo you’re worth so much more than I am, you deserve so much more,” she said softly her eyes averted.

“All I want is you,” he said silencing her protests with a persuasive kiss. “So will we give it a try,” he questioned as he placed a light kiss on the tip of her nose.  He demeanor once more that of the joker as he grinned widely at her, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“Duo,” she said as he lightly slapped him upside the head, “I think we will, but get your mind out of the gutter, boy.” She said cracking a light smile, shaking her head slowly.

“Excellent,” he said while standing abruptly Relena held tightly in his arms as he twirled her around the cramped quarters he called his room.  Her heart was mending and his was taking a chance.

“Duo put me down,” Relena said with a giggle as he continued to spin her round and round before he finally came to a stop.  He let her slide down to the ground, her body brushing his as he looked into her eyes.  He took that moment to commit her face to memory, the way it glowed with joy, the way her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.  He gazed at her lovingly before pulling her into a tight embrace, holding her to him as he prayed to the gods that this time everything would work out.  He didn’t see the mighty Shinigami and his comrades smiling down at them from above, but he could sense their approval, and their wishes for luck in the future.  He loved the woman that he held in his arms and he would never let her go, he would heal her heart and he would love her, she would never be lonely again.

She twined her arms around his neck as she looked into his eyes, “I will always be yours,” she said softly before capturing his lips in a soft kiss, a kiss of promise and of a newly kindled love.  Her fragile heart would be treated like the crown jewels by Duo and he would always be there for her, she silently thanked Heero for his lack of tact, his inability to love her because know she had found what she had truly been searching for all her life.

-The End

AN: this idea’s been kicking around in my head for a while I finally got it down on paper, well virtual paper anyway.