Duo woke to an odd sensation. He was lying alone in a large bed, in a dark room. He blinked slowly. This was not his room. He couldn't remember where he was, or how he had gotten there. He slowly sat up and gazed around, trying to remember. Then the day before came back in a rush. Being dumped by Fei, Relena having her brother take care of him. He must have fallen asleep in the car.
He had been changed into a very nice set of silk pajamas. He looked around for his wallet. It was sitting on the end table next to the bed, alongside a pitcher of water, a glass, and a small lamp. He clicked the lamp on and pulled an old photo out of his wallet. It was a small picture of himself and Wufei, on one of their first dates, back when they were in high school. They had been together for six years. Six long and wonderful years, and now his Fei had left him.
He continued to flip through the photos in his wallet until he came to the most recent. It had been taken only a few months ago, on Valentine's Day. He looked so happy in that photo, and so did Fei. 'Not anymore.' He told himself. 'I won't be happy with him anymore. He was my whole life, and now he's gone. Where do I go from here?' Tears sprang to his violet eyes as he stared at that photo. Fei's arms were wrapped about his waist, face poking over his shoulder.
He slowly closed his hand over the photo, crumpling it, and cried. Silent sobs shook his shoulders as tears washed down his cheeks, dripping onto his hands, sliding through his fingers to the crumpled photo in his clenched hands.
He didn't hear the door to his room open, or Milliardo walk up to the bed. He felt a weight on the bed next to him, and then he was pulled into a pair of strong arms. He turned into the man holding him, crying into his shoulder.
Milliardo ran a hand over Duo's back, along his long braid. He lifted the long chestnut rope to Duo's shoulder and carefully undid the tie that kept it confined in that braid. He slowly unraveled the hair and ran his fingers through it, muttering calming words to the young man in his arms. He continued his ministrations until the sobs turned to hiccups and the tears stopped.
Duo pulled away from him, wiping tears from his eyes. His hair floated around him, silk fine tendrils sticking to his damp face, eyes red-rimmed.
"I'm sorry. You shouldn't...You're letting me stay here, you shouldn't have to sit with me while I...I'm sorry." Duo muttered.
'He really is gorgeous. Relena, sweet, what have you gotten me into?' Milliardo thought as he sighed and looked down at the smaller man.
"It's alright. I already told you that I had to do all of this a little over a year ago, for Relena. It's not hard to it again. I was coming in to get you for breakfast. It's nearly ten in the morning. Would you like to eat, or go back to bed for a bit? Either one is fine with me." Milliardo told him, his voice soft and caring. Duo gave him a watery smile.
"I'm starved." He told the older man. He let the photo drop to the floor as he stood. "Umm...I haven't got any clothes." Duo looked to the older man sitting on the bed. Milliardo smiled up at him.
"There's a bathroom through that door. You'll find your clothes from yesterday, clean, in there with towels, soap, shampoo, a brush, and a hair dryer." Milliardo told him. Duo's smile was a little warmer this time.
"Thanks." He said simply as he disappeared through the door. Milliardo stooped to pick up the item that Duo had dropped. He carefully smoother the photo out on his leg and stared at it. This young man looked so happy, not like the tired, upset young man that he knew he was going to get to know over the next few days. He sighed and placed the photo next to the lamp as he heard the water turn on.
'This is definitely going to be hard. He's hurting, so I want to help him. And he's gorgeous, even when he's been crying. He needs someone to lean on, and I seem to be all he has.' Milliardo sighed. 'Yes, this is definitely going to be hard. I can't so much as flirt with him yet. He has to heal a little from the end of an obviously long, and cherished relationship. I wonder how long they went out.' He picked up the wallet sitting on the pillow and began to flip through the photos in it. All of them were of Duo and the Chinese man. Milliardo whispered softly.
'They have been together for years. This one is an old photo, from a school dance. It was taken...six years ago according to the year on the photo. Damn you, Relena. Why did you have to ask such a hard favor?' he thought. Sighing, he stood up and walked quickly out of the room, dropping the wallet back on the bed.
He walked up to his own room, and picked up his small, silver, cell phone. He dialed quickly and held the phone to his ear.
"Hey, it's Zechs. I'm gonna need a few days off...yeah...no...my sis asked me to watch a friend of hers...no...no...no, got dumped yesterday...yeah...no... no...long termer. At least six years together...yeah...alright...yeah...I'll put in extra to make it up...yeah, I know I don't need the cash, but I'll do it anyway...yeah...sure, Rob. Talk to ya later...yeah...you too. Bye sexy." He shook his head as he hung up the phone and tossed it onto his dresser.
'I do adore Rob, but I wish he wouldn't flirt like that. Well, I can yell at him when I go back to work.' Milliardo smiled to himself as he changed clothes. He was determined to show Duo a good time today. He wanted to see his eyes full of the laughter they held in those photos.
'Now now, be honest with yourself. You're just hoping that you can get him to fall for you. Fool.' He shook his head as the tiny voice ran through it. Now in a pale blue silk shirt, and skin tight black jeans he headed back towards the room he had put Duo in. Things were definitely going to get interesting.