He was kneeling upon the fresh pinewood of the back porch, contemplating the clean sheet of paper taped to the easel before him. He nodded, his silky fine black hair escaping the loose ponytail fastened at his nape and falling forward, brushing his cheeks. Lifting the fat, soft-tipped brush, he hesitated only a moment before dipping it in the thick dark ink and applying it in a bold, smooth stroke to the paper. His hand returned to his knees, brush dangling, waiting for the next stroke to show itself to him.
So focused on the paper, he wouldn't have known there was another there on the back porch with him if the banging of the screen door hadn't alerted him. He lifted the brush to the paper again, hopelessly trying to hide the smile that teased up the corner of his lips. The brush didn't waver when two warm hands slithered down over his shoulders, squeezing the muscles of his neck and shoulders.
"What'cha doin'?" the lilting voice asked in a tone that suggested there was something else he *could* be doing...
The body behind him leaned closer, over, hands slipping down his chest until they were cheek to cheek. He let the smile go, knowing he probably looked like a grinning idiot as his hand and brush fell back into resting position. He turned into the other, letting his lips brush his. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
Duo smiled against his lips. "Ah," he teased. "So I guess you don't wanna run away with me, huh?" The braided man nibbled at his ear.
He snorted-he was already closing up his paints. "What did you have in mind?"
The screen door banged and the patter of bare little running feet slapping against the wooden porch along with Duo's shifting and moving away from him was all the warning Wufei needed to prepare himself for the heap-of-chibi that launched itself at him, tackling his back, wrapping tiny arms around his neck and legs around his torso.
"Daddy! Daddy! Wanna come with us? We're going to the lake!"
"The lake, huh?" Wufei shot an amused look back up at his grinning husband, swinging the giggling three-year-old into his lap.
Duo shrugged, resting his hand against one jutting hip. "Wanted to do something to get her mind off of... you know who."
Wufei dropped a kiss on their daughter's head. "I think that's a great idea," he told him, setting Trinity on her feet with an affectionate slap to her tush. "What would you like to bring, Trini?"
"Daddy!"
Both men looked at each other. Duo worried one lip, indigo eyes pleading with his mate, but the look on Wufei's face clearly said that it was all up to him. Duo crouched down on his haunches, looking directly into his daughter's dark blue eyes, darker even than his own.
"Trini, baby," Duo started, eyes darting back up to Wufei before returning to the child's open face. She really was a chip off the old block-his block. Even to the black silken plait hanging down her back. "We already talked about this, remember? Daddy is away on business now and he wont be back until Saturday at the earliest..."
The large lower lip sticking out from the face in front of him prevented him from going on and he looked up to Wufei, lost.
"Would you like sandwiches?" the Chinese man asked, turning her so she could see him.
"Peedas!" she shouted, suddenly smiling and excited again. She dipped in her excitement-as if her tiny legs couldn't hold her up still and straight under such strain.
Wufei was thoughtful for a moment, his lips pursed and his chin dipping before he nodded and smiled. "Pitas it is, then. Would you like chicken or beef?"
"Both!"
Both men looked at each other, eyes twinkling with shared amusement. Duo stood, dropping a kiss near Wufei's lips. "Chicken?" he confirmed, pulling away.
Wufei nodded. "Please," he added, turning back to the child hanging on his arm. "Would you like to help me put away my paints?" he asked, screwing the cap onto the last of the small jars. Trinity nodded her small head with all seriousness, reaching out her tiny hands reverently. He handed one of the jars to the girl and made sure she had a good hold of it before standing with the rest tucked into his arm. He watched with a smile and shining eyes, and his heart clenching painfully.
'You better return to us in one piece, Heero,' he thought staring into their daughter's beaming smiling face as she looked back at him.
"There's a nice spot," Duo called, pointing with the large picnic basket to a grassy-green patch not too far away from the water's edge.
"Yeah!" the dark-haired child cried before giggling and hiding back in her father's arms. Duo looked over to Wufei. The Chinese man nodded and smiled, readjusting his hold on the blanket they'd brought. Setting his loads down by a near-by tree, Duo moved to help Wufei spread out the blanket as Trinity skipped over to inspect the water.
"Trinity?" Wufei called their daughter back from the water's edge. "Want your juice cup?" He offered the bright purple and yellow kiddie-cup to her and she eagerly ran back to his side to retrieve it, smiling up at him with her baby-toothed, rosy-lipped, 100-watts-of-cuteness smile. She was already crawling onto the blanket they'd just laid out, dragging the edges with her. Wufei moved to smooth the corners out and when he turned around to reach for the picnic basket he found his braided-lover already there. He shook his head-mildly irritated by the black strands that caught on his cheek and lips, brushing them away-and climbed onto the blanket after Trinity.
When Duo turned around he saw a sight that made his chest swell with his overwhelming love: Wufei was sitting near on edge of the blanket, their daughter in his lap as she drank contentedly from her juice cap as he gently rocked them, smoothing away some wayward strands of black silky, baby-fine hairs that had dared to escape her braid, and dropping small, airy kisses on the child's crown.
He was staring-and he must have been grinning like an idiot too, he realized, catching sight of Wufei's amused look. Duo handed him his chicken pita wrap and mouthed, "You're beautiful."
Wufei smiled-that small, little curving of the lips that only he could achieve, that made him look like he was beaming brighter than any of Duo's brightest smiles. Duo swallowed the lump of love that threatened to choke him, smiling back with bright, loving eyes when Wufei lipped back "So are you," before unwrapping the sandwich for the eager child in his lap who had caught the scent of food.
Agreeably, Wufei gave the first bite to Trinity, waiting while she stuffed her little mouth with as big a bite as she could muster before taking a bite for himself. Trinity chewed her mouthful, grinning up over to her father. Wufei offered her another before wiping her mouth clean with a ready napkin. The child protested the action and crawled out of Wufei's lap-Duo snatched her up for his own and offered her a bite from his beef pita, which she happily accepted with mouth wide open.
"I was thinking you might like to go somewhere special for your birthday," Wufei broached, leaning back on the blanket against a small tree trunk and taking another bite.
"Oh? And where's that?" Duo questioned, feeding Trinity another mouthful. The girl was suddenly off his lap and digging into the other food Carlos had packed for their impromptu outing. She found a chip and dipped it in salsa, offering it to Wufei.
Someplace special you would like to go," Wufei said, swallowing the chip.
Duo smiled and leaned in closer to kiss the Chinese man. "Anyplace is special if I'm with you and Heero." He rubbed their noses together. "*You* make it special."
Wufei smiled and looked over to their daughter who was currently throwing breadcrumbs (conveniently packed by a fore-thoughtful Carlos) to a growing throng of birds and ducks. She looked back at them, grinning. "Look Daddy! Stacy and Poo like Carlos's peedas too!"
"Well, they're smart ducks!" Duo spoke up. "They know good food when they get it!"
"But Carlos made the fajitas for us, Trini, not the ducks," Wufei added, holding out his sandwich to her for another bite. She was at his side-tiny mouth closing around the huge-looking wrap-in a flash. Grinning up at him with puffed out stuffed cheeks as she tried to chew.
Wufei reached out and swiped away a piece of guacamole. Two more mouthfuls found the girl-child full and happily exploring her immediate surroundings.
"Don't get too close to the water," Wufei warned. Beside him, Duo was already polishing off his second fajita. "How are you feeling?" he asked, licking some sour cream off his fingers.
Wufei smiled at him. "I'm fine," he replied, wrapping up the remainder of his own wrap. "Maybe a little soreness still, but nothing major." His fingers brushed his stomach reverently, looking out sideways at Duo.
"Up for a little walk?" the braided man asked, sitting up.
Wufei grinned. "I'm *up* for anything, Maxwell," he teased.
Duo returned the teasing smile. "I bet you are," he laughed, helping Wufei up. "Trini! Wanna come for a walk with us?"
"Yes!" the little girl cried, bounding back over to where they stood, waiting. Wufei and Duo strolled, hand-in-hand, along the marked path as their daughter adventured around them-sometimes walking ahead of them, sometimes falling back behind, but never more than ten feet away from them at all times.
When they came to the bridge, the little girl crawled on her hands and knees, peering over into the water to spy on a passing school of fish. Wufei and Duo stopped at the center and turned, leaning back against the wooden railing. Duo pulled Wufei back against him, wrapping his arms under the Chinese man's, folding his hands over his stomach. He nestled his chin on Wufei's shoulder and hummed.
"What are you thinking about?" Wufei asked, tilting his head back onto Duo's shoulder.
"Boy," Duo asked, "or another girl?"
"A boy would be nice," Wufei answered, closing his eyes and smiling. "But I would not object to another little girl..."
"Trini's so beautiful," Duo whispered, watching their daughter dart from one side to the other, looking over into the water. "She reminds me more and more of you and Heero everyday..."
"*You* are beautiful," Wufei snuggled into Duo's arms.
Duo brushed his lips over Wufei's temple and cheek. "Look who's talking, koi."
"Daddy! When's Daddy gonna get home?"
Wufei untangled himself and moved to squat next to the little girl. "Trinity, we talked about this already. Daddy wont be home until Saturday, baby," he said, his voice calm and gentle.
"Oh." She pouted. "Do you think we can go another picnic Saturday?" she asked hopefully.
Duo grinned, coming up beside them. "I think that's a great idea, baby," he told his daughter, resting a hand on Wufei's shoulder. "I'm sure Daddy would really love going on a picnic."
Wufei and Duo shared a look; both praying that Heero's mission wouldn't go over or meet with any unexpected difficulties. They both missed their lover very much.
The End
Andrea Readwolf
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