A Childhood
by Jess Angel
"Duo Maxwell!" Hilde Schbeiker or actually Hilde Maxwell, since 5 months ago, shouted over her shoulder. "Get your butt over here now! We're going to be late for work!" She heard a yell back from inside their room. Even though they were their own bosses Hilde always insisted they try to get there somewhat on time and with Duo… Well, it was a lot of work.
Glancing at her watch that read 10:17 a.m., she then began to count down, "5, 4, 3, 2, 1-"
A blur of brown and black blazed towards her almost knocking her to the ground.
"I'm up! I'm up!"
Hilde smiled. He never failed. Her expression faded slightly. "Duo, you've got to stop making this a habit. You know we open at 10! If we're not on time we could lose customers and money!"
The braided one cringed. "I know, I know. But Hilde, babe, I was sleepy." He gave her an adorable pout, trying to get back into her good graces.
"Duo! You're the one who chose what time we open!" came the exasperated reply.
Well that failed. "I know…" He tried the pout again. Was it him, or did she look angrier? Hmm… Violet eyes brightened. "Since I chose the time, doesn't that mean I can change it? And besides I am your husband." Uh oh, she didn't look very happy. Better try the pout again.
He heard her sigh. That was a good sign. And then, oh, a glimmer. He saw a glimmer in her eye. Okay, now the corner of her lips we twitching just a bit. Maybe one last pout and a touch of the sad eyes. Yeah, that'll do it.
Hilde unable to hide it any longer, smiled.
'Oh yeah! Who's the man?'
Like she knew his thoughts Hilde rolled her eyes. "Fine. So what's the new time? I'll go over to the yard and write it on the sign. Then we can take today off and start our new time tomorrow."
Duo took a few seconds to think. Something not to late and pretty close to their original time. 10:15, maybe? "How about 10:30?"
Hilde looked at him. "Okay… Are you sure?"
"Yup!"
"Absolutely sure?"
"Positive!"
"Well, it's settled then." Taking a marker off a desk, Hilde gave him a peck on the lips and made her way to the door. "I'll be back in a few. Then we can go out to the park!" A strange grumbling sound came from the belly of the former Deathscythe pilot. Hilde giggled. "I guess we better go get you something to eat first then we can go to the park."
Duo grinned sheepishly.
"Ahhh…" Duo rubbed his stomach in satisfaction. "Now that's good eating."
Hilde stifled a laugh. "Will you ever learn to at least chew your food? You're like a vacuum."
He feigned a hurt look. "I think I have perfect manners."
She gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Yeah, I know you think you do."
They continued to make their way out of the restaurant.
"And to the park we go!" Duo wrapped his arm lovingly around his wife. And off the two strolled, young newlyweds enjoying the day and one another's company.
They finally came to rest at a bench in the park across from the playground. The shade of a tree made the bench the perfect place to sit. Astonishingly they sat in calm quietness, watching children as they either swung on the swings, played tag, or swerved down the slide.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" Hilde's pixie face softened with a sweet smile.
"Yeah." Duo's eyes stayed transfixed to the scene. "All the fighting I did… One of the main reasons I did it was this. For kids everywhere to simply have this. To grow up without fear. To grow up without the fighting."
"Something that we never really had ourselves," she added. Hilde looked tenderly at her other half. It was moments like these she was able to see the serious side of Duo Maxwell. She loved his funny, goofy, jokester side but his very rarely seen serious side balanced it all out. It made him, him. And she loved all of him.
"With Father Maxwell and Sister Helen were the only times I felt actually happy back then. After they died, I didn't want to go back to another orphanage or try to survive out on the streets again. No little kid deserves that. They deserve to have something secure."
The children's chimes of laughter continued to hang in the background.
"I can never get back what I lost, can I," he stated more than questioned. Duo turned to face her.
Hilde's face softened and her face seemed aglow. "But you can get it back, and you are going to get it back, Duo." She stroked his face gently.
"What do you mean?" he asked obviously confused. "Are you feeling all right, babe?"
Hilde's smile only widened. "We'll live it together. All of us."
Duo raised an eyebrow at her. "All of us?"
"Duo," she looked him in the eye, "we're going to have a baby."
Looking dumbfounded he replied, "Now?"
"Not now this instant, silly. In around nine months," she gave a little laugh.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
She gave him a look. "I just did!"
"No, I mean earlier."
Brushing away a chocolate bang from his face she replied, "Because I just found out this morning. …I knew you would be late, like always, so I was going to suggest we take the day off and go to the park like we usually do and then tell you." She grinned.
"So you set me up?"
Hilde cut in, "In a good way."
"Uh huh, sure."
He flinched as she gave him a playful shove. "Duo!"
"Okay, okay. I'm serious now." He brought her closer to him, and she leaned her head against him.
"Together we'll live our little boy or girl's childhood along right there with them. It may not be exactly our own, but it will be a part of us and give us a chance to make theirs the best it can possibly be."
Duo smiled at her words.
"So we're really going to have a baby," he repeated.
"Yeah," she replied, her voice holding a quiet joy.
Feeling an immense contentment, Duo repeated the word to confirm the truth. "Yeah…."
·:·. Fin..·:·
"Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'"
Matthew 19:14
Gundam Wing and its characters © Bandai, Sunrise, and the Sotsu Agency