Oh yes. It's that time of the year again. Where everybody starts writing love letters and giving ridiculously pink chocolate boxes tied with itty-bitty bows wrapped around them. Look, two squirrels on the tree are giving each other googly eyes. The birds are flying together! Oh joy, the season of love!

Yes, I am being sarcastic.

This whole fancy thing about Valentine's Day drives me nuts. The decorations that are just about everywhere, couples declaring their love in public places and sometimes in inappropriate ways or some people just get shot down and spend the rest f the day eating out of the chocolate box that they had bought for someone else. Sounds like great fun!

Annoying is what it really is. People today have no common sense whatsoever. It's as if someone programmed their brains to wake up on February 14th, and go 'Oh, it's Feb. 14. I must go and declare undying love for someone and smother them with pink chocolate boxes.' And they go and do just that.

Why is this one-day so special? I mean, if you love someone, you should show that you love them everyday, not just once a year. The holiday itself is so hypocritical. Celebrate love and yet celebrate it one day in a whole year. How wonderful.

I suppose I wouldn't be as bitter about this holiday, if I myself wasn't miserably single and alone. I would still hate the pink chocolate boxes though. Why did they have to be PINK? Reminds me of a certain queen of the world and a certain limo and a certain guy who hated it. The last one being me.

Relena's not so bad anymore though. She grew up, got over her infatuation with Heero, became responsible and took charge of her life. With Chang Wufei by her side this time.

That one still surprises me today. Mr. Chang-I-have-a-stick-up-my-ass-the-size-of-my-gundam-Wufei, with the Queen of the world. Then again, it's been four years since the war. Wufei changed from 'Injustice' to 'We'll deal with it.' A much more calm approach, if you ask me. They make a good pair.

And up there in the social status with them, was Quatre of course. Never missed a stride. He jumped into his father's business and buried himself so deep that the only people who ever seen him anymore are Trowa Barton, his lover, and the numerous reporters trying to get his photo. I get a call from him once in a while, say about once a month or so. But other than that, we live pretty much in separate worlds.

I had returned to L2 after the war. Hilde and me started out Salvage yard and things were fine until she got a boyfriend who didn't like us being roommates. Suffices to say, I moved out, got my share of the salvage company stolen by said boyfriend, and left the colony, sick of everything in l2.

I hung around Quatre's place for a bit, but it became very clear to me that I did not belong in their society at all. I wasn't one for the suits and the functions and figuring out when to use which fork for which food at the dining table. I left pretty soon.

Finally ended up on earth, without a job or a home, with one duffel bag filled with all my possessions. I needed a place to stay and a job and the first 'Help wanted' sign that I saw was a bar. Walked in, got the job and a place to stay a couple of blocks. Thank God I still kept the money that Heero had got from the Oz during the war.

Heero. Damn… it's been years since I've seen him. Didn't know where he had gone after the war. I suspect Relena knew, but she never said anything. I never mentioned anything either. Though I had fought side by side with the other pilots, we barely had anything in common now. I sure as hell couldn't confide in them.

"Hey, Jack!" I hollered. "Pour me another one." The bar was empty now, everybody except me and Jack gone home for the night.

See, Jack was a good old buddy of mine. Late thirties, all around nice guy. His own lover was off somewhere, doing some business of something. Poor guy got stuck with me on Valentine's Day. But he's nice.

"Duo, I think you've had enough." Jack tried to pry the glass out of my hand but I've always been a stubborn little asshole at the best of times.

"Well, I don't think I've had enough." I grabbed the bottle of the counter and proceeded to pour myself another one.

"Duo…why don't you just let go?" See? Jack is a nice, friendly guy, but sometimes he just doesn't get it.

"I can't." I replied. There ain't no point in trying to explain.

"There are other fish in the sea. Why do you keep doing this to yourself?" See? heart of gold.

"Jack, my good man." I tell him woozily. "It's a lot easier to fall in love than to fall out of it. Besides, I think I'm celebrating my love for him. Isn't that the point of Valentine's day?"

He has nothing to say to that. We sit in silence for a while before Jack suddenly got up. "Um… I'm gonna go, alright? Lock up for me." He looked at me with this weird indulgent smile and leaves through the back. I snort at him mentally. The guy was definitely screwed in the head if he trusts me to lock up in this state.

The front door to the bar shuts and clicks quietly. I had this strange moment where I tried to figure out how Jack could leave through the back and close the door up front, but that of course was too much for my poor wasted head to handle. I finally gave up and just turned around.

I blinked. Then I rubbed my eyes and blinked some more.

"I must be totally wasted if I'm hallucinating about you." I said to my figment.

"Hello to you too, Duo."

Wait a minute, figments of my imagination aren't supposed to speak! What the hell?

"Heero?"

"Duo."

I'm afraid that I lost my hold on the English language for quite a few seconds there and instead sat there, gaping like a fish. I tried to say something. I wanted to ask him how he was. I wanted to ask him where the hell he had been. I wanted to ask him why the hell was he here. I wanted to say-

"Hi."

…not that.

Damn, he was still as gorgeous as he had been back then. Same old mop of messy hair, sharp angular features, and oh, those striking blue-BLUE eyes. He had grown slightly taller, filled out a little more around the shoulders. He looked very, very HOT in those blue jeans and that leather jacket.

"Hey."

And he also acquired a new drop dead gorgeous smile.

He walked over to where I was sitting by the counter and stood in front of me. I just looked at him, taking in everything about him. If he was going to leave again, at least I would get to keep this in my memory.

"Anyone sitting here?" He asked.

"No, be my guest." I gestured and he took the seat to my left. "Drink?" He declined. "Suit yourself." I proceeded to finish what was left in the bottle.

"How have you been, Duo?"

"Great. Just great." I replied, grinning at him. I'm sure my eyes were glazed over. "Managed to make a few friends here and there. Settled down into a normal life. Been fine. You?"

"I've been okay. Traveling mostly. Searching…" He snuck a quick glance at me before going back to looking at his hands.

"Did you find what you were searching for?" I asked dully.

"…I did now."

…

…

"Why did you come back, Heero? Why now?"

"Because…I only just realized what I was looking for."

"And what was that?" My voice sounded cold even to me.

"You."

…

…

"Were you so sure that I would wait for you?"

"No. I wished that you didn't. But I hoped that you would."

…

"You expect me to just fall into your arms?" I bit out. Rage was a very alive thing in my head. I got off the stool and walked a few feet away from him.

"Duo."

"Four years, Yuy." I hissed out, my braid flying out as I turned. "Four fucking years. While you just take off like what we had meant nothing to you."

"God, no, Duo." He looked anguished. "It means everything to me. You mean everything to-"

"Then why leave? Why, in the seven hells, did you leave? I needed you, Heero! I needed you to tell me that we were going to be all right! That we were going to be normal! The war had been the backdrop of my life, and now that it was gone, where the hell were you to tell me how to have a life without war! God!"

"Oh Duo…"

"Where the hell were you when I needed you!" Bitter tears stung my eyes as I turned my face away from him. I buried my face in my hands, not wanting him to see me so vulnerable.

Hands grasped my shoulders and turned me around, and then he enfolded me in his arms, holding me tight.

"I'm sorry. So very sorry. God, I never meant to hurt you…" He whispered apologies and rubbed my back soothingly until I began to calm down.

"You're an asshole, Yuy." I murmured into the soft leather of his jacket. He stiffened at my remark and for a moment I wondered if I had pushed too far. Then he relaxed and sighed.

"I suppose I deserve that."

"And I still love you. I guess that makes me an ass." It took a second but I got the laugh. He let go of me and cupped my face with his warm hands.

"No, that just makes you Duo. My Duo."

He leaned down to kiss me, but I gently pushed away. "You don't want to kiss me, lover boy. I probably taste like road kill." After all the drinks I had, I wouldn't be too far off in my prediction.

"I don't care." He whispered and then he was kissing me and I fucking forgot how to breathe.

After a while, a long while, he led me back to the counter and sat down. "I have something for you."

One guess as to what he got me.

I burst out laughing when I saw the pink chocolate box and looking at his sweet, confused expression, I only laughed harder. Then I kissed him.

"Thank you, but next time, make sure it's not pink."

I guess in the end, it didn't matter if everybody else celebrated their love once a year. I was planning on celebrating it for the rest of my life.

Owari

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!