Edited and re-uploaded on July 8, 2008. There was little I could do about an awful premise, but at least the writing is less-stilted and contains no fangirl Japanese.

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing isn't mine.

Sightless Eyes, Soulful Eyes
By Shimegami-chan
Warnings: Shounen-ai, angst, sap...oh, yes...

I wonder at his eyes.

I can see them even from here, sparkling with laughter, as he always is. He conveys so much to me through the way he walks, the way he talks, his slim but sure hands reaching out to touch the world in front of him. I'm sure he knows I'm here, watching him from the sidewalk as he and Lucky play in the snowbank. The big golden retriever is careful not to get where his master will trip over him in the carefreeness-or is it carelessness?-that he's known so well for. His violet eyes are bright and shining as he pulls up a fistful of snow and shapes it into a ball to toss to the playful dog. He cocks his head to one side, chestnut braid swaying, listening for the telltale sounds that help him find his target. I almost laugh at poor Lucky, wagging his tail in anticipation, hoping perhaps for a game of 'fetch,' with Duo.

No such luck for the canine; in a flash Duo's arm has drawn back and let fly again, and I am standing here with a snowball spattered on my chest. He's grinning at me now, maybe wondering if he should run, or duck? Even Heero Yuy isn't silent enough for those skilled ears, and he easily dodges my return attack. I give up; this seems to be a game I can never win.

Treading carefully with Lucky by his side, he ambles over to me. "Hey, Heero! Bring me a present?" Somehow, he knows. How can he know? I sigh and reach into the bag to take out the gift. His sightless eyes light up even more once he holds it in his hands, hefting the jewel case experimentally. "Ooh, more music! What kind?"

"More of that crazy American pop stuff you love."

"A boy band? Girl band?"

I grimace, a puff of air escaping from my lips. "Not if you're going to listen while I'm around. It's a dance mix."

He throws his arms around me, somehow knowing exactly where I'm standing with my feet shoulder-width apart, and gives me a kiss on the cheek. "Thank yoooooou!"

I smile, run my fingers along his face, careful to avoid the nasty-looking scar on his temple. It's long healed, and Duo pays it no mind any more, but he knows it's a sensitive subject with me. The accident that took away his eyesight, and so much more...he's only now taking back the confidence and pride in himself that it stole away. He doesn't want to depend on me.

I want him to depend on me. But it seems he needs that part of himself to survive.

Still, letting my eyes rest on his scar for too long makes us both a little uncomfortable, so I look away, and after a moment he steps back and cocks his head as though studying my face. Though his mannerisms are still not those of a blind man, he's adapted to the handicap better than I would have ever expected. Once he knew where he stood with himself-and with me-it was like the frightened person he had briefly become had been replaced by the old Duo Maxwell once again, happy and cheerful and just a little more cautious than he used to be. Duo was the same as ever.

I was the one who had changed.

I wonder how he does it sometimes; he's so strong. He cooks and cleans and practices his singing while I work. In the nights we relax together, and sometimes he sings for charity benefits or at an occasional paid performance at the recital hall. I guess it took the accident to make him realize what was really important to him. I know he worries about me sometimes...he can sense it when I stare too long, when I'm out of words to say. He's so brave, he talks for us both. It seems he knows me better than I know myself.

I've looked too long again, it seems. "Heero? Something wrong?"

"Just thinking."

Instinctively knowing where my lips are and how high he has to be to reach them, Duo pulls me down into a kiss. "How very unlike you." I think he knows what I've been thinking-how does he do it? He knows every pattern of my physical body and every wave of my thought. His sightless eyes glitter and he blinks rapidly until he knows I'm looking into them, the cold fire of indigo burning straight into my soul.

"Idiot."

I wonder how he does it, my Duo who sees without sight. Emotions run so deep in his gaze, even though it hasn't focused on my face in so long. Sometimes, I wonder...

"Yeah, but you love me." He grins and whispers. "I see right through you, you know."

I wonder at his eyes.

-end-