... And nobody knows it but me.

[polishedsteel]

It wasn't the nicest restaurant on the colony. Hell, it probably wasn't even passable by some people's standards. It was a favorite, though - somewhere he'd been to often whenever he came through on his travels. It was as good of a place as any. Besides, he wasn't here for the restaurant alone, he was here to meet someone.

It had been months. His hair was a little longer - not noticeable by anyone else, but definitely enough to annoy Heero, and he really needed to find the time to do something about it - but otherwise, he hadn't changed much. He wondered if Duo had. He'd have to wait and see. Speaking of waiting, what was taking...? Did something happen?

Heero leaned back a bit in his chair, unconsciously spinning his glass of water in place while he waited.

Comments

[braidedreaper.livejournal.com]

Duo was running late, and while something had happened, that wasn't actually the reason. He'd made the mistake, just before arriving, of thinking about just how uncomfortable the whole thing was going to be (really, Maxwell, the first time you see a guy in months and you're going to ask him for a place to stay? Great plan, there) and ended up pacing in his motel room and talking to himself so long that he hadn't gotten out of there in time.

It wasn't as if the situation was dire really — Duo still had some funds squirreled away, probably enough to keep him housed and fed for a few weeks, at least, but he wasn't the most optimistic about finding a job on a reduced timeframe. Besides, when your resume involved stealing, rebelling against the entirety of government, and a short stint at salvaging, what exactly could you apply for?

He was thankful that the room meant he didn't have to show up with his luggage in-tow, but it didn't exactly get rid of the situation. He was out of breath when he got there, having run most of the way (considering this was his only planned anything for the foreseeable future, it had made more sense to find somewhere to stay nearby and avoid having to pay for transportation). "Hey," he said, sitting down and shrugging off his jacket. He almost wished he was still in the habit of wearing a hat — pulling on it was reassuring. He settled for hooking his thumbs in his pockets. "Sorry I'm late."

[polishedsteel]

Heero was relieved when he saw Duo, but a little concerned all over again when he saw just how out of breath he was. He shook his head, waved a hand. "It's fine," he responded sincerely, "but are you okay?"

[braidedreaper.livejournal.com]

Duo laughed, shaking his head. "That's kind of a long story, can we at least order first?" He pulled open his menu before adding, "But yeah. I mean, nothing life-threatening or anything."

[polishedsteel]

That wasn't reassuring. But, if that's what Duo wanted, then by all means. Heero could be patient. "Yeah, sure." He nodded, relaxing back in his chair again, and picked up his menu. "That's good." ... well. Not really. But better than life-threatening. He closed his eyes for a second, just so he wouldn't actually roll them in exasperation with himself. Words... really, they were still a little lost on him sometimes.

[braidedreaper.livejournal.com]

"Good enough, anyway." And Duo was grinning, that had to count for something, right? He scanned through the menu, paying more attention to the cost than the actual descriptions — not like he was a picky eater to begin with, and it was better to plan for worst-case. "How are you?"

[polishedsteel]

"I'm alright," Heero answered without looking up from the menu, and he sounded a bit distracted. To be honest, he was still trying to figure everything out. After the war, he didn't know what to do with himself. Sure, he'd found work after a while of drifting, but he wasn't entirely sure of it. Anyway, he knew Duo already knew all of this, so why bring it up again?

"How are you? I mean, besides the 'long story'." No air quotes, but the pause beforehand was enough.