Hilde sat on the bed and looked down at her restless little girl. "Lyla…" she sighed tiredly.
There was no one in this world the young woman would rather spend time with than her daughter. Lyla had turned out to be such a loving child…and she reflected so much of Duo. There was no time in any day she wouldn't want to spend with the little girl.
Except for tonight…
"Sweetie, Uncle Heero is only here in town for tonight and mommy wants to visit with him for a little while. Mommy can't do that if she's in here telling her little Lyla a story." Hilde spotted a stuffed animal and quickly tried to use it to her advantage. "How about Mr. Bear just keeps you company? Would he help?" She handed the girl the small and fuzzy purple bear, only to have it quickly pushed away.
"No.. Mommy, please!" Lyla pleaded tiredly. "I can't go to sleep until you tell me one.."
"Okay, dear.." Hilde gave in, sitting the bear aside. "BOTH Uncle Heero and I will tell you a story.." She said slyly, turning to see a tall, handsome man standing in the doorway of the room. "Won't we now, Heero?"
Heero flashed back a casual smirk. "Why not…"
Hilde smiled and leaned over her daughter as Heero gently sat himself upon the end of the bed. "Okay.. let's see now.." The little girl's mother began, quickly trying to think up a good way to start off the tale. "Hmm."
Heero cleared his throat and started with a hesitant suggestion. "Once upon a time?"
Grinning sarcastically, Hilde looked back. "Thanks…" She turned back to Lyla and grabbed the teddy bear again. "Once upon a time… A bear, exactly like this one, was walking through the forest looking for her friend…" She made the bear walk across the little girl's chest as she began the story.
"A purple bear?!" Lyla protested.
"Well, why not?" Hilde questioned, tickled at her daughter's objection.
"Because! There's just no such thing as a purple bear…" The child answered sincerely as she eyed the animal in her mother's hands.
"Well, this bear had been to the beauty shop just recently…." Hilde laughed when the little girl giggled in amusement. "Anyway, the bear was looking for her friend, you see…"
Heero sat watching the two laughing girls as Hilde tried in vain to smoothly tell more of the story. The two were so beautiful and they looked so happy…
His sapphire eyes glittered with sadness when he realized…
Duo had never been able to see his girls laugh and play together…not like this. He'd died in a mission not long after Hilde had birthed their baby.
Duo hadn't even been able to see his own child's first steps before it happened…
And now Heero, himself, had been able to watch them both grow over repeated visits.
It didn't seem fair. Duo had lived through so much…and then had died so simply. A damned car crash…of all things..
"Heero?" Hilde waved her hand in front of her friend's face, trying to snap him out of whatever thoughts he'd lost himself in. "Heero? You okay?"
He tried to forced himself out of his daze. "Yes.. of course.."
Hilde smiled warmly. "Good, because now it's your turn to tell some of the story…" She looked back at her little girl. "What part were we at, sweetie?"
"I think we were at the part where Ms. Bear was going to look for her friend Mr. Bear in a big green and orange polka dotted house… in the chocolate forest!" Lyla said excitedly.
Hilde turned back to Heero and whispered. "Please tell it in that deep voice you have, Heero…and do it slowly… She'll fall right to sleep if you do, I know it." She smiled when he nodded.
"Hn.."
Heero grabbed the bear as he took Hilde's place on the bed and began telling the rest of the story. He smiled when he saw Lyla's face. She looked so happy about him being there. Duo would've loved this…
"Well…" He continued from where Hilde left off. "Ms. Bear didn't know, but Mr. Bear had been waiting for her all along in the house. And with him, he'd brought a bouquet of flowers…"
"What kind of flowers were they?" Lyla asked curiously/
"They were honey flavored roses… One bite of them, and Ms. Bear would instantly fall in love with him." He smiled when the little girl gave a sleepy laugh.
"Oh, I was hoping this would be a love story…" The girl grinned lazily, her eyelids falling closed for a moment. "Go on…"
Hilde sat at the other side of the girl's bed and leaned closer to the two. She quietly continued Heero's part after he gave a nod of approval. "Hmm.. Well, Ms. Bear came into the house and was surprised that Mr. Bear had been waiting for her." She looked at her little girl with smiling eyes as little sleepy lids started to flutter closed. "Of course, Mr. Bear went right over and gave her a great big hug because he'd not seen her in so long.."
Heero began again in his low, husky voice. "And after he gave her a hug, she asked who the flowers were for…" He looked up at Hilde.
"Aaand, he said they were for her…" Hilde smiled timidly in response to Heero's gaze.
He paused for a moment to take in Hilde's shy expression just a little longer and then went ahead. "So he gave them to her and told her to take a bite.."
"And she said, `What? Are you crazy Mr. Bear?'" Hilde giggled softly, smoothing back the long dark hair of her now half-asleep child.
"And he said," Heero looked down at Lyla and went on as she sighed, "maybe I am…But I'd like you to try them anyway."
Hilde looked back up and smirked. "So she trusted Mr. Bear, and did try them… and after she took a bite, she looked back up at her dear friend Mr. Bear…And gave him a great big bear kiss.."
Hilde's cheeks flushed as she began to tell the end. Suddenly, a feeling that Heero was directing this story at her became weirdly obvious.. She continued despite the feeling, quickly brushing off the idea. Heero would never be that forward…
During her thoughts though, she had unknowingly stopped her story and was now in an awkward staring contest with him… At last, to her relief, he broke away and calmly looked back at the girl on the bed, gently laying the teddy bear in his hands next to her.
Maybe she was just overreacting, Hilde thought to herself. She shook herself out of it and continued.
"And then they lived happily forever after in the polka dotted house…in the chocolate forest…" Hilde finally whispered. "The end…" She finished, kissing her daughter's forehead and turning out the lamp next to the bed, leaving only a small amount of light glowing in the dark from a night light in the corner.
For a while, the only sounds in the room were the soft breathing noises of a sleeping little girl, and silence from the two adults.
"Heero..," Hilde called finally, "Would you like to go out into the kitchen and have that cup of coffee now?"
He was silent for a moment before replying. "No, I think I should probably get back to the hotel…"
"But Heero, you just got here…" Hilde watched confusedly as he rose from the bed and walked to the doorway.
"It's late," He answered as she quietly closed the door and followed him into the hall.
"Heero!" Hilde caught his arm and gently tugged. "Wait just a minute!"
Heero let her spin him around to face her. He almost groaned when he met her blue eyes. She looked as though she were on the verge of crying.
"Heero, I really wanted to talk to you for a little while. I've not seen you in so long.." Hilde looked up into the beautiful eyes of Heero Yuy and froze immediately. Oh Lord…She blushed furiously and looked away to hide her embarrassment. His eyes were even more beautiful when he was angry.
"It's late.." He repeated, glaring hard down at her.
He felt himself losing his bearings. Suddenly, leaning down and kissing the life out of the girl in front of him was the only picture he could see in front of him. What were these feelings? Why did he want to suddenly take her in his arms and tell her how much he cared for her and her daughter?
Hilde was beginning to feel herself in an arguing mood as she stood there and glared back at a silent Heero, even though she was getting the feeling she should probably just let him leave. She hadn't seen him for so long, and she had truly missed him.
"Is that all you can say? `It's late'?!" She growled angrily. "I've not seen you for 3 months and all you are going to say is `It's late' and then leave me for another 3 months?!"
"I'm tired." Heero lied as he started walking into the living room, reluctantly dragging her along with him.
"Damn it, I'm tired of you only saying two words when you're angry and then claming up." Hilde fumed as she pulled him to a stop. "Duo told me of the many times you'd do that kind of thing to him when you two were younger. You're not that child anymore. You're my close friend, Heero, don't shut me out. You're too old to be acting so childish."
He pulled Hilde's grip from his sleeve and turned to get his jacket.
"Heero! I can't believe you!" Hilde sounded amazed at his childlike behavior. "I really can't! Why are you acting this way?"
Heero pulled the black leather material around him. "It's for your own good.."
"Who are you to decide what's for my `own good'? I'm a big girl, Heero." She stepped up to him placing her hands on her hips. "Don't think I'm woman enough to handle things by myself?" He might've gotten away with this shit with Relena way back when, but she was gone now. Happily married to someone else and had her own child, in fact.
Hilde did not have the patience to stand around and wait for him to change. Heero was not going to get away with this when it dealt with her.
Heero stood there stoically, even though inside he felt his anger building. Why wouldn't he think she was woman enough to make her own decisions? Handle things on her own? Of course he thought that she was woman enough… How could she think that he thought otherwise?
"You don't know…" He started.
"You're right, Heero. I don't! So how about you tell me." She looked so angry, it was amazing she hadn't physically attacked him by now.
"No."
Before he could do anything else, Hilde had walked straight up to him and smacked him hard across his cheek leaving a small red welt behind. "Fuck you, Heero…"
"…." Heero's anger was nonexistent on the outside as he turned his head back to face her.
"Some damned friend you are…" Hilde spat harshly, mostly out of irritation. She couldn't stand that he could look so calm on the outside. It made her want to smack him again. But instead, she turned to leave for her room. She felt a bit ashamed that she had slapped him in the first place…she didn't want to end up doing it again.
Heero swore what he'd meant to do was leave… Just leave and come back in another few months… Though, he knew that he'd still have these problems to deal with when he came back. Hilde wasn't an idiot..
But instead of heading toward the door, in a blur he'd managed to grab her arm and pull *her* back this time, spinning the beauty around and quickly catching her lips with his.
Hilde didn't know what was happening at first… All she felt was herself sinking into Heero's soft lips…and a strange warmth creeping up from her toes and spreading throughout her body as he tightened his muscular arms around her small frame. Even with the warmth engulfing her, he was giving her chills…
It had been so long since she felt her Duo's arms around her…his sweet kisses upon her lips. And now she had Heero, her good friend whom she loved dearly, driving her completely mad with only a simple kiss.
Hilde reluctantly broke away from Heero's embrace, but grabbed his jacket tightly to keep him from pulling away and leaving. "Heero.." she started gently, almost protesting.
The two stood there for a few minutes, Hilde clinging onto Heero as if it were the end of the world and Heero gently stroking Hilde's silky raven locks in response.
Heero looked down at the girl in his arms. "I won't leave tonight…"
"Heero.." Hilde began to cry suddenly, all of her anger melting away as the words fell from Heero's lips. "Oh God, Heero…"
The young man carefully picked up Hilde's small body, handling her as if she'd break if he ever dropped her. "Hilde, it's time for bed…"
Hilde dried her eyes with the back of her hand and quickly tried to protest. "But, Heero.." She was tired, but she still wanted to talk with Heero for a while longer before she went to sleep.
"Hilde…" He growled huskily, interrupting her as he entered the door to her dark room, "I said….It's time for bed…"
Heero felt his jeans go unbearably tight as he lay Hilde on the crumpled bed sheets and pressed her small frame down hard against the mattress.
"Heero.." Hilde almost stopped him. Feelings she'd not experienced since Duo had left were boiling inside her now. It almost made her feel like she was doing something wrong against her late husband..
A gasp escaped her parted lips as Heero attacked her neck with hot, wet kisses. She felt her heartbeat quicken and her face flush furiously as he slowly smacked his lips against her warm skin. Lolling her head back slowly she allowed him better access to nip at the sweet skin at the nape of her neck.
Soon, Hilde was thinking about nothing but the rough hands that left fire wherever they touched. Heero took advantage of the untucked part of Hilde's shirt and slipped a rough hand underneath, gliding across the soft skin of her stomach and stopping at her perky breasts.
She reached around his back and pulled him closer as he massaged her supple flesh. His spicy filled her senses as he molded closer to her body. Cologne… The kind she'd always hinted on him when he would visit. It had always lingered after he left… and for some reason unknown to her until now, she'd always taken the couch pillows he'd sat on during his visit, and slept with them until they lost his smell… It had always helped her get to sleep on those hard nights..
And speaking of hard...
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