Disclaimers and warnings in first part
Strange dreams plagued him and Duo fought his way out of them, sitting up with a gasp, only to hiss in pain as his ribs reminded him of where he was and why. “Take it easy or you’re going to hurt yourself.”
The matter-of-fact tone had him groaning. Opening his eyes, he glared at the man sitting in the chair beside the bed, dark eyes amused despite the dour expression. “Sally said if I was a good boy she wouldn’t make you be my nurse. What’d I do to deserve this punishment?”
“It’s good to see you as well, Duo,” Wufei smirked, clearly amused. “She asked me to keep an eye on you while Trowa got you both some dinner. She thought you would wake up soon and assumed you would take off if no one was watching you.”
“She didn’t give me aspirin, did she?”
“A simple painkiller with sedative, Duo,” the woman in question supplied as she came in the door to stand by her husband.
Without someone hovering over him and his mind clear, Duo noticed the glow of Sally’s skin and the way she placed a hand over her belly briefly. “Am I gonna be making toys for a boy or a girl?” he asked, snickering when surprise registered on both faces. “I own a toy store. I’ve seen a lot of expecting mothers, though I have to say you’re the most beautiful one, Sally.”
“There’s that charm again,” Sally smiled, rubbing her belly absently. “We just found out a few days ago, so we don’t know if it’ll be a boy or a girl. Thanks for the compliment, too. I don’t hear them enough from this grump,” she bumped Wufei’s shoulder with her hip.
Wufei’s face turned red as he crossed his arms over his chest, “Men do not say such things in public.”
“Wufei, I am most definitely a man. Want me to prove it?” Duo grinned wickedly, wiggling his eyebrows and ignoring the pain it caused.
“Yeah, want him to prove it?” Sally asked, arching her own eyebrows.
With a groan, Wufei rubbed a hand down his face. “Don’t get started. I think you two enjoy embarrassing me.”
“It brings such a pretty blush to your face,” crooned Duo, nearly falling off the bed as the other man turned an even darker red. “Just like that.”
“Did I miss something?” Trowa asked softly as he came in the door, eyes watching Duo somberly.
“Just teasing Wufei a bit,” Sally cut in before Duo had to speak, giving him a moment to calm down. “It’s one of our favorite pastimes when we get to see each other.”
“Ah,” Trowa nodded as he set down a carry-out container on the table beside the bed. “Does that mean you’ll continue to live here after the baby is born?” he asked, handing Duo a cup.
As two pairs of eyes stared at him accusingly, Duo held up his free hand, “Don’t look at me. I didn’t say anything. I’ve been unconscious, remember?”
“There were several couples aboard the Hydra. Mothers-to-be had the same glow Sally does,” the tall man stated smoothly as he found Duo a straw. “You look radiant,” he told the woman with a nod.
“Well…thank you, Trowa. That’s so sweet.” Pulling on Wufei’s shoulder, she gave them a smile, “We’ll leave you to eat. A nurse will be in later to give you some more pain medicine, Duo. Trowa, make sure he takes it.”
Looking at the door where the couple disappeared, Trowa frowned, “They never answered my question about staying here. They have been travelling a lot, haven’t they?”
“They did for a while, but they bought a house here about two years ago. They live about four miles from me and Hilde’s family. We try to spend at least one weekend a month having a picnic or dinner at someone’s house.” Duo took a sip of his drink, making a pleased sound when he discovered it was a chocolate milkshake. “I think the shock of you noticing something so small made them forget you asked a question. You weren’t the most observant person before, you know.”
“I was observant,” Trowa disagreed. “I didn’t see the need to mention everything, though. Most things are none of my business. Perhaps if I had spoken of some of the things I saw, we could have got along better.”
“You noticed, but never commented on them?” Duo asked, thinking of his own unhappiness.
“I didn’t know what to say to you, Duo.”
Taking the container, Duo found an assortment of fruits rather than a full meal. “Why did you say something to Sally?”
“I learned women like to be told nice things while they are pregnant. It makes them feel better.”
Glancing up from his food, Duo gave the other man a wry smile, “You meant what you said. It had nothing to do with making her feel better.”
Trowa’s cheeks pinked as he took the strawberry Duo offered from the fork, chewing it and swallowing before answering. “I meant it. She does look wonderful. Sally has always been a calming influence for Wufei, but now she practically emits an aura of peace. I wish I could feel at peace the way she does.”
Stuck in the bed, Duo looked at his former lover closely, seeing pain in the green eyes. “What’s bothering you? Why are you so sad?”
“I’ve begun making arrangements to leave with the Hydra when it sets out again, Duo. The ship doesn’t leave for another month and a half, but I’ll be going early to help load supplies.”
It was what Duo had originally wanted, so he didn’t understand the pain that had no physical cause. Poking at a slice of apple with no enthusiasm, he kept his eyes on the container. “I see. When do you leave?”
“I’m supposed to report to the captain by next Saturday night, if you don’t mind me being around for another week or so.”
That meant Duo had less than a week to resolve himself to the fact that Trowa was leaving again and possibly never coming back. “You can stay as long as you like,” he stated, realizing he wished the other man would stay for good. “Why did you decide to leave so soon?”
“You don’t need me here. I’m disrupting the life you have, causing problems with your friends and your work. I never should have come back.”
The knowledge that he wanted Trowa to stay didn’t make Duo tell the other man. If Trowa wanted to leave, he refused to stand in the tall man’s way. “At least this time you told me beforehand,” he muttered, already experiencing the ache of loss.
“Duo, this is for the best,” Trowa said softly.
“Who is it best for?” he asked, quietly, setting his food aside. Not expecting an answer, he closed his eyes, not even cheered by the milkshake any longer.