14-Mar-2001
Title: Chasing the Crown, an Extended Family Fic
ExFam Authors:
RavynFyre - ravynfyre@hotmail.com
Diane Davis - fenwyck@radiks.net
von - sablexo1@yahoo.com
bonnejeanne - bonnejeanne@yahoo.com
*Guests to be announced*
Category: yaoi, AU
Rating: NC-17 for now, that will change
Pairings: 1x2, 3+4
Spoilers: Series, Endless Waltz, Mission: Arcadia
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners.
Kenny, Duan, Wufan, Tryan, Carter, Jack and the Ripper, and everything relating to Rip & Jack's universe are ours. No money being made here.
Feedback: Any and all comments, feedback, critiques welcome, be they short or long.
Please feel free to direct feedback to any or all of the authors!
WARNINGS: AU (Alternate Universe), Original Characters, LEMON in some sections. Kiddie-Angst.
I can't say thanks enough for all the warm support you've given us, so here's another part instead of just words of gratitude! ^___^
Kenny heard the two vehicles from down the road. The video party had broken up a little earlier with kids wandering off to other activities like reading and watching vids, and it was close to the normal time when the youngsters were to be in their rooms and at least feigning sleep.
Kenny was sitting at the kitchen table, working on a project for school, a plastalina model of a 20th century space vehicle called the space shuttle.
Duan padded into the kitchen and sat down across from Kenny. "I think that's them," he said, softly. "Duo and Heero."
Kenny nodded. Carter had gotten sleepy and gone upstairs to read, so he said. Kenny was glad in a way, otherwise he'd have been tempted to watch Carter to get some kind of clue about what might have happened, but he figured it was better this way.
Wufan, fresh from his bath, sat in the front room with a book. He had it all straight in his mind that he wanted to say goodnight to Duo and Heero when they got in, just in case anyone asked. Secretly, however, he wanted to see them both with his own two eyes to make sure they were both all right.
Tryan had chosen to stay upstairs near Carter.
Duo coasted the big bike into the garage, letting it roll to a stop beside Wufei's smaller motorcycle. The Harley dwarfed the sportier model almost childishly as he shut the motor down with a cough and engaged the kickstand. He climbed slowly off the wide bike, standing off to the side as Heero pulled up.
Heero killed the motor and got out of the truck. He noted the two bikes with some appreciation. Locking up, he looked over at Duo. "Nice," he said, nodding towards the Harley machine.
"Eh... Machine envy," Duo joked with a trademarked grin.
"Hn," Heero remarked, heading for the door to the house.
Duo shook his head and sauntered off in Heero's wake, catching up as his partner reached the door.
"Hope we didn't wake anyone up," Duo said, slipping inside.
Heero paused a step, then took a breath and moved forward. "Hn," he remarked again.
Hearing voices, Wufan stood and walked over. The first person he saw was Heero, then Duo behind him. "Good evening," Wufan said, a little breathlessly.
"Evening, Wufan," Duo echoed with a smile, "Whacha doing?"
"I was reading," Wufan said, then pushed his glasses back up on his nose. "I wanted to wish you goodnight."
Heero knelt down to Wufan's level. "Are you ok?" he asked quietly.
Wufan looked at the older boy for a long moment, then glanced up at Duo. "I am fine," he said and then reached over, giving Heero a hug.
Heero embraced the young boy and then stood up with him in his arms. "Get some rest," he said, turning towards Duo.
Duo held out his own arms for a hug, "Yeah. You guys have school tomorrow... Plus you all gotta rest up for the big trip to Earth here soon. 'Kay?"
Heero handed Wufan to Duo. "He's right. We move out soon."
Wufan nodded as he hugged Duo as well. "I will be prepared," he said.
Duo smiled and then knelt to set the boy down. "You want a cup of tea before bed? I was gonna make some cocoa for myself..." he offered.
Wufan nodded. "That would be good," he said, with a smile as he watched Heero closely.
"I'm getting some juice," Heero said, heading for the kitchen.
"Cool. Shall we?" Duo asked, taking Wufan's hand and following Heero, "We can make some for your mom, too. Think she'd want a cup?"
"Yes, probably," Wufan said, holding on to Duo's hand tightly. He looked up at the braided pilot to see if he could detect anything. He could feel something was there, but he was unsure of what it was. Duo did seem a little calmer.
As if he could feel the boy's scrutiny, Duo glanced down, covering the shadow in his eyes with a wink and one of his trademarked grins, before swooping down to scoop Wufan into his arms. With the child securely cradled in his grip, Duo bounced down the hallway, skipping past Heero and bursting into the kitchen. A startled flash crossed his face as he noticed Kenny and Duan.
"Oh... Hi, guys!"
Kenny moved his model stuff into a box. He looked at Duo, and at Heero, and nodded. "Hi, Duo. Hi, Heero," he said.
"I was gonna make some tea and some cocoa. You guys want some?" Duo asked, setting Wufan down on one of the stools.
Duan looked up. "Hi," he said, "I'd like some tea. Hi, Heero."
Heero looked down at the two young boys. "Hi," he said back, then headed for the juice.
Wufan came to stand next to Duan and Kenny. He looked at both of them and nodded.
"Cocoa," Kenny said quietly. "Please."
"Your wish is my command, kiddo," Duo replied, setting a pot on the stove and then turning to fill the tea kettle with fresh water. Once he set that on the stove and turned it on, he retrieved the milk from the fridge and poured it into the pot to heat.
"Real milk. That's the key. None of that instant stuff.. Well, that, and the marshmallows. You want marshmallows too?" he chattered.
"Does... does it go with strawberry shortcake?" Kenny asked a little hesitantly.
"What? Marshmallows, or cocoa?" Duo asked, pausing to turn and give the quiet boy a perplexed glance.
"Um, the cocoa?"
Duan grinned. "Sure!" he replied with a smile, "Almost anything goes with cocoa... Then again, I'm biased."
"Why do you ask?" Heero said, looking at the young boy so much like himself.
"You both missed dinner," Kenny said. He went to the refrigerator and opened it, taking out a round covered plate. He set it on the table.
"We made strawberry shortcake... for you, both," he said, taking off the cover. He peered at Heero. "We didn't eat any, but if you don't like it, well... we'll make something else next time."
Heero looked up at Duo, then back to Kenny. He moved closer to look at the cake, hearing Kenny's words. "Thanks," he said, again looking up at Duo, feeling a streak of guilt and regret at not being there. "You wanna share a piece?"
"Do you two like strawberry shortcake?" Duan asked.
"I love strawberry shortcake!" Duo replied, pausing in his task to bounce over and peer at the confection, "Wow! That looks great! You guys made that for us?" he asked.
"Yes," Wufan said, "Ma taught us how."
"There's some white stuff that goes on the top," Kenny explained, pulling out the container of whipped cream.
"That's awesome, guys. You did a great job. I'm sorry I missed dinner... I lost track of time this afternoon when I went to get my bike... Got sidetracked... Maybe we could all share some together?" Duo asked, hopefully.
Kenny nodded. He nudged Duan and went to the cabinet to get plates.
Duan moved to retrieve the forks and a knife. "You bought a bike, Duo?" Duan asked.
"I bought it a while ago. After the war. I just had it stored somewhere until now. I'll take you out for a ride tomorrow, if you want. It's almost like flying if you close your eyes," Duo said, retrieving the chocolate syrup from the fridge and returning to the stove, "Shall we see if anyone else wants to join us, or have they all gone to bed?"
"I think Tryan and Carter are upstairs, but I don't know if they're asleep. I could wake them up for you," Wufan offered.
"That's ok," Heero said. "We'll leave some for tomorrow."
An idea occurred to Duo as he steeped the tea and kept a watchful eye on the heating milk. He closed his eyes for a second and aimed a thought up to the young blond, not even sure it would work, or if the boy was "listening", but wanting to let he and his room mate know they were having shortcake in the kitchen. Well, he'd know in a minute or two...
"Wufan, you want to go get your mother? The tea is almost done. Wufei might want some too."
"I'll see," Wufan replied, then dashed out of the kitchen.
A few minutes later, two small heads appeared around the edge of the door, one blond, one brown.
"Hi!" Carter said shyly.
"Heya, kiddo! You're just in time for shortcake and cocoa!" Duo said, waving them both in, "Didn't wake you up, did we?"
"No," Carter said, coming in, though he *was* in his pajamas, which were soft blue with little darker blue birds on them.
Tryan walked in clad in his pajamas as well. "Hi, Heero, Hi, Duo," he said.
"Hiya Tryan. You guys look comfy. I'm jealous," Duo replied with a grin. He paused, wrinkling his nose as he glanced down at himself, "Actually... Someone wanna watch the stove for a sec? I think I'm going to run upstairs and throw on something that doesn't stink," he said.
"I'll go with ya!" Duan volunteered.
Tryan glanced down at his green and yellow striped pajamas wondering how they qualified as fashion, but said nothing. He noted Duo's appearance and made a few guesses.
Heero moved to the stove to watch over the cocoa and his new extended family.
Duo handed over the spoon with a ceremonial air.
"Don't scorch it. Pull the tea out in just a few. Be right back. Come on, kiddo!" he said, scooping Duan up as he walked past.
Heero nodded.
"Ok!" Duan called out as he was suddenly whisked from the room.
Carter settled on a chair near Kenny, his eyes a little wide. His hands were folded in his lap as he tried to sort some of the impressions that were swirling around the area.
"Nice model," he said to Kenny, touching the space shuttle with a fingertip.
Kenny smiled slightly. "Thanks, Carter," he replied. His eyes kept straying back to Heero. He was confident that whatever Duo wanted with Duan, he'd get a full report later.
Tryan walked over to Heero. He watched as the older boy stirred the cocoa in an almost mechanical way. "So I guess you found Duo, huh?" he said.
"Hai," Heero responded.
"You two ok?" Tryan asked.
Heero took the tea out as instructed, and then went back to stirring the cocoa. He nodded to Tryan, his eyes stealing a glance down at the boy.
Emerald eyes looked back at Heero directly and clearly. "You two had a fight?" he asked.
A small crease appeared in Heero's brow. "Yes," he said. "But we talked about it."
Tryan nodded.
Meanwhile....
Wufan opened Sallah's door carefully and peered inside. "Ma?" he inquired, quietly. "Are you awake?"
Sallah looked up from where she sat on the bed, writing something on a pad of paper, an old habit she kept despite the prevalence of computers and laptops. "Hey there," she greeted. "What's up? Duo and Heero come back yet?"
Wufan nodded. "Yes, they are downstairs. We're having some strawberry shortcake. Would you like to join us, too?"
Setting down the pad of paper and turning off the bedside lamp, Sallah rose and moved out into the hallway to join Wufan. "I was hoping we'd get to have dessert before you had to go to bed. Sounds like fun!" She reached down to smooth back his hair in a habitual but affectionate gesture.
Wufan smiled. "I'm going to invite Wufei as well," he said. "You can go on. I'll be a minute."
"Good idea," said Sallah, inclining her head to her son slightly with a smile. "I'll see you down there, then." She hugged him briefly, just because, then walked down the stairs with a little wave.
Wufan hugged back, then took off for Wufei's room. He knocked politely and adjusted his glasses again.
Wufei answered the knock, with a pretty good idea who it was. "Wufan," he said politely.
Wufan bowed slightly, then looked up. "Wufei, Heero and Duo are back and we are having strawberry shortcake in the kitchen. Would you care to join us?" he asked, hopefully.
"Certainly," Wufei said calmly, opening the door fully to follow the young boy to the kitchen.
Meanwhile....
Up in Heero and Duo's room, Duan watched as the older boy changed clothes. "You ok, Duo?" he asked.
"I'll be a lot better once I get into something clean," the older boy quipped, shucking off the jeans and slipping into the baggiest pair of sweat pants he owned, "How bout you?"
"I'm fine," Duan answered. "You had a fight," he said, still watching Duo carefully.
Duo paused, the huge t-shirt half on, and half off as he shot a surprised look over at Duan. He seemed to deflate as he settled, cross-legged, onto the floor and finished pulling the shirt on.
"How did you know?"
Duan shrugged. "You got that look like I do sometimes. Like when something bad happens and I try real hard not to show it. I figure if I keep movin', then the sad will go away, but it doesn't all the time," he said.
"No. It doesn't," Duo agreed quietly.
Duan walked over and hugged Duo's neck. "It's ok. You gotta be really looking hard to tell," he said. "Your shoulder is bruised. He hit you?"
"N-not exactly," Duo replied, glancing away.
Duan felt tears sting the back of his eyes, but he lifted his chin up. Think about the Storm, he thought. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings Duo. I think it'll be ok... at least I hope so."
"Hurt my feelings?" Duo asked, cocking his head as he glanced back at the boy, his arms coming up to hug Duan to him, "How did you hurt my feelings?"
Duan sighed, feeling the protection and safety in Duo's grasp. "I opened my big mouth and I asked you stuff and now you're sad. I shoulda not done that. Maybe you could have eaten cake and had cocoa and been happy."
Duo pulled Duan tighter to him, tucking his head down onto the boy's shoulder for a moment.
"Duan... no... I was sad anyway. I've been thinking a lot. You didn't do anything to make me sad. You make me happy. And even though I feel a little sad, I'm still going to go downstairs, drink cocoa, and enjoy that great looking cake you guys were so nice to have made for us. You have the right to ask me stuff. Anything. If it affects me, it affects us all... We're a family," he said, pulling away a little to look into Duan's eyes. He paused, as if considering, before continuing on.
"Just... be careful who's around when you ask me some stuff... Until we figure out what to do... Do you understand?"
Duan nodded. "That's why I came up here with you. I knew that Heero would be downstairs and I could talk to you by yourself. I understand. You want me to pass it along?"
"Sure... but I bet the others have it figured out too. You're all real smart. He-" Duo paused again, biting his lower lip, "I think there's something wrong, Duan... This... This isn't... him."
Duan nodded again and looked very relieved. "You feel it too," he said, more as a statement. "Good... you feel like you to me. But I wasn't sure about Heero. Really, try not to worry too much. We'll all stick together and help Heero."
Duo nodded, feeling a flood of relief overtake him.
"Thank you," he said, pulling Duan close again, "We'd better get downstairs before they come looking for us."
"Yeah," Duan said in agreement.
Duo bounced to his feet again and held out his arms, once again assuming a grin.
"Shall we, young master?" he asked with an affected air.
"Onward, Scout," Duan said, gleefully holding on to Duo.
Heero felt a tug on his pants while stirring the cocoa.
"Hn," he remarked, looking down.
Carter looked up. "Are you okay, Heero?"
Heero considered the question as he looked into Carter's teal colored eyes. He took a small breath and removed the cocoa from the fire. He tried to find words of comfort and reassurance to answer young boy, but in the end found it to be impossible. "No," he said, finally, opting for the truth as he remembered a long forgotten memory of himself in Carter's place looking up at the man he considered his father, Odin Lowe. He finally understood Lowe's ancient answer of "Wait'll you have kids..."
Carter nodded. "It's okay," he said softly. "Heero... it's okay to be afraid."
Heero's eyes widened slightly, then he dropped down to one knee and in front of Carter. Reaching up, he brushed Carter's soft cheek with his hand and attempted to find a balance point. Those few words had shaken him in ways no battle, or enemy in his life had.
He looked into Carter's eyes and nodded, feeling weak, unworthy and worst of all needy. It went against all of his training. "Hai," he said finally.
Carter took Heero's hand comfortingly. "I'm afraid - a lot. But good things still happen sometimes."
Heero felt the small hand holding his and listened as Carter spoke. "That's right." he said. "They do. Good things... happen." Reaching out, he pulled Carter against him, hugging the little one tightly. "I will remember."
Carter hugged Heero unreservedly. Then he scrambled over to a chair next to Tryan. His heart was beating quite fast.
Tryan reached down and took Carter's hand. He nodded at Carter in approval.
The blond smiled at his friend. His head moved towards the door a split second before Sallah entered, with Wufei and Wufan a step or so behind.
Wufei was dressed in a pair of beautiful silk pajamas. It was the first time they had seen him in bed attire.
Heero stood as the newcomers came in. He glanced at the table and at Kenny, wanting to speak to him.
Kenny looked up, and met the older boy's deep blue eyes with his own. It was much the same expression as the first time they had met.
"Wufei, could you finish up the cocoa?" Heero asked, feeling a slight touch of nausea overtake him.
Wufei blinked. "Sure," he said, stepping over to the stove and taking the ladle to stir.
Glancing back at Kenny, Heero held out a hand towards him. "Let's talk," he said.
Kenny glanced at Wufan, silently assigning him to update Duan when he came downstairs.
Wufan nodded.
Then Kenny got up and followed Heero, not taking his hand, but not making it seem like a big deal.
Heero turned and walked out of the back door. As he felt the cool breeze of the night air touch his skin, he shivered, then threw up. There was next to nothing in his stomach, only a little clear liquid came up and soaked into the grass.
Kenny watched the older boy and then he darted back inside, got a glass of water, and returned, before Heero had straightened. He held out the water silently.
Breathing hard, Heero nodded and took the glass from Kenny. He sipped a little of the contents, then moved to sit down on the step.
Kenny hesitated, then sat down on the step beside the older boy.
"I used to do that a lot, after M-ma died," Kenny said quietly.
"Me too," Heero said, looking down at Kenny. He felt that sense of clarity return and knew that he needed to say things before the sense of it was lost again. "Carter's right," he said. "I'm... not okay. What about you?"
"I know that, Heero," Kenny said, to the second statement. "About me? I'm... I think I'm doing better than you," he said frankly. "I'm not happy about some things. But that's life, right?"
"What aren't you happy about?" Heero asked.
"What aren't you?" the younger boy countered. "Is it us?"
"No," Heero answered. "It's not you. It's me. Something is going on and I'm trying to figure it out."
Kenny regarded Heero silently for a moment. "Why? Why are you doing that instead of talking to Duo?"
For the second time that night, Heero's eyes widened. His brow creased for a moment as he turned the question over in his mind. An answer that seemed like a ghost from long ago rose in his mind. "Because I have to protect him," he said, aloud.
Kenny scowled. He didn't want to scowl at Heero so he scowled at the ground. "Hn," he said. He knew he should explain why this wasn't so good, but he felt inadequate for the task.
Finally after a moment, he said stiffly, "No you don't."
"Hn," Heero replied, hearing his own words echo in his head, then Kenny's declaration. After a moment, he placed a hand on Kenny's shoulder. "Hai," he said. "That's not good enough."
Kenny shrugged. "It don't work," he said simply. He stood up and looked at Heero.
"I thought you were supposed to protect *us*," he said quietly.
"K'so!" Heero swore. He stood up, feeling the uncertainty replaced by an anger that he understood. He knew what to do with it. "Come on," he said, looking down into the deep blue eyes that were like his own.
Kenny nodded, and then reached out and took Heero's hand as they returned to the kitchen.
Meanwhile...
Wufan sat down beside Carter and Tryan. He glanced up at his Ma and Wufei, then back down. "What happened?" he asked, quietly.
Carter shrugged. "I'm not totally sure," he admitted. "Duo went upstairs with Duan to change clothes, I think."
"Carter talked to Heero. I did too." Tryan said, then shrugged.
Wufei listened to the exchange, feeling a little like the last one to join a game. He took the cocoa off the heat, deciding it was as cooked as was good for it.
"What happened...?" Sallah mused softly to herself. She then looked up, regarding the boys and Wufei for a moment before continuing. "Is... what's going on?" she finally asked. "Something seems... things don't seem right. Maybe it's just me..." She trailed off, then shrugged.
"No, you're right," Tryan said, "Heero's been acting weird. Me and Carter asked him, well, I asked him if he was okay and he said he was. Carter poked at him too and he confessed he wasn't then he went outside with Kenny and puked."
"It's probably because of the Crown, and there's no Storm here. Oh yeah! Ma, always remember where we came from and the Storm. It will help," Wufan said.
Sallah blinked, then nodded to her son. "I think I understand. But is there anything that could help Heero? Would thinking of the Storm help him, too?"
Wufan shrugged. "It couldn't hurt," he answered.
"True," Sallah agreed, pondering how abrupt and agitated Heero had seemed earlier. She looked again to Wufei. "Has he... has he been like this often? Or is it getting worse? He didn't seem like this in Arcadia..."
"Hn," Wufan said.
Wufei suppressed a sigh. "Like this," he repeated. "No, I suppose not exactly like this. But this... life... isn't exactly like what any of us were used to, either."
"Oh, I dunno, Wu... I've always been pretty into video games and strawberry shortcake," Duo said with a grin as he sailed through the doorway with Duan perched on his back like a pack.
Wufei rolled his eyes while concealing relief.
"Course the kids are a welcome novelty," Duo added, bouncing Duan as he hopped to a stop beside the table, "Right, kiddo?"
"Right!" Duan replied, then squirmed down Duo to the floor. He looked around for Kenny and caught Wufan's eye.
Wufan nodded towards the back door and watched as Duan took off in that direction.
"So things were pretty bad here," Tryan said, retrieving a cup of cocoa.
Duo watched Duan dash off, considering following the smaller boy for a moment, until Tryan spoke. "Bad? When?" he asked distractedly.
"Well, all the time," Tryan offered, sipping cocoa.
"You mean before this moment? Or before last week? Or back during the Gundam stuff?" Duo asked, bouncing a questioning glance off of Wufei before looking back at Tryan.
"You said we were a welcome novelty. I was wondering if it was bad here like it was where we were." Tryan explained.
"Ah. Well... not like that. It was... emptier. For me, I mean. Not the whole world. Hmm... Novelty isn't the right word... Gift. I like that better. Yeah. Gift," Duo said, pausing for a moment before looking around the room again, "I know I never finished grade school, but don't we seem to be missing a couple of people?"
"Yeah," Tryan said, taking a bite of strawberry shortcake. "Heero's with Kenny outside. He puked," he said.
Just then, the back door opened and Heero, Kenny and Duan walked back inside.
"Thanks for sharing, Tryan," Kenny said, climbing up on a chair.
Tryan shrugged and busied himself with the confection.
Heero looked up at Duo and nodded once with a look that said, 'We need to talk.'
Wufan stole a glance up at Heero and then cut himself a piece of cake.
Duo returned the nod with a small one of his own, his expression pleasantly neutral as he closed the distance between them. He reached out a tentative hand to take Heero's up for a moment, just an anchor, nothing more.
Heero squeezed Duo's hand in acceptance. "I want a piece of cake," he said.
Duo couldn't help the chuckle that burst from him. It was probably a touch closer to hysterical than the occasion or comment warranted, though it never quite crossed the line into true hysteria.
"Sure, koibito. Me too!"
Kenny was busy putting portions of the desert onto plates and passing them until everyone had some.
Duan looked at Kenny significantly. Something had happened outside, but he would wait for a full report later.
Duo made sure Heero had a plate before graciously accepting one for himself.
"Hey, Kenny. What was that you were working on when we got home?" Duo asked, intent on dispelling some of the tension still hovering in the air.
"Space shuttle," Heero said, softly. "It's good."
Kenny shrugged. "S'okay," he said. "It's an antique," he told Duo. "For school history class."
"Space shuttle... What was that, like late 21st century?" Duo asked, taking a bite of the shortcake, and then making a very happy noise in the back of his throat as he smiled beautifully.
"20th," Kenny answered, licking some whipped crème off his finger carefully.
"Oh yeah!" Duo agreed, nodding, "Guess if it's not a useless trivia fact, I'm not so good with it. Xena, I know. Space shuttle? Not so much. This is great stuff, guys! You did a good job!"
"Sallah helped us a lot," Kenny said.
"Thank you, Sallah. I shall endeavor to be home on time for dinner from now on," Duo said with a wink and a grin.
Heero silently mowed through his slice of strawberry shortcake, until it was gone. "Very good," he commented.
Sallah laughed softly, winking back at Duo. "You're welcome. Glad you like it... Great suggestion," she said, nodding to the kids.
"It was Kenny's idea," Duan offered, scooping up the last of the whipped crème on his plate up with his finger.
Kenny smiled slightly. "There was a picture of it in an artbook in the study downstairs, and a bunch of guys were about to eat it, so I thought it might be pretty good."
"Well you thought right," Duo agreed, cleaning off the last traces of confection from his plate with a "cat in the cream" look on his face.
Wufan nodded, but said nothing, as his mouth was full of strawberries and cake.
Heero looked up as everyone finished their dessert. "I just wanted everyone to know that we'll probably be leaving the day after tomorrow for Earth and the party," he said.
Tryan nodded.
"Good stuff," Duan replied. "Do we get to go on the shuttle?"
"A newer model than the one Kenny was building, but yeah," Duo replied, his violet eyes bright with anticipation.
"Cool," Kenny said, gathering plates.
"Wonder if I could con the crew into letting me fly for a while..." Duo mused to himself, a familiar mischievous twinkle lighting up his expression.
Wufei suppressed a groan.
"I saw that, Wufei," Duo said with a mock pout as he helped Kenny gather the dishes.
The Chinese pilot shrugged. Since they were all pilots, each one privately preferred himself at the controls.
"Thank you for the shortcake, boys," Wufei said. It seemed like an appropriate time for a retreat to bed.
"Absolutely!" Duo agreed, "That really hit the spot! Just what I needed before bed!"
Heero arched an eyebrow, thinking, 'Sugar?'
Kenny went over to Duo and poked him gently in the stomach. "Is that the spot, Duo?" he said solemnly. Then he smiled. He reached up to hug the braided boy quickly.
Duo grinned happily, returning the hug tightly.
Heero watched Duo and Kenny and felt something tug at his heart. Feeling a tap on his arm, he looked down to see Duan looking back up at him.
Duan watched Heero for a moment, then patted his arm. "Hope you feel better, Heero." he said.
Heero nodded. "I feel much better, Duan," he replied and saw something akin to surprise in the violet wide eyes.
"I guess this is close to bed time, huh?" Duan asked.
"Hai," Heero said, looking back at Duo and Kenny.
Carter yawned and smiled. "G'night," he said suddenly, and jumped off his chair.
"What he said," Tryan called out, following Carter.
Wufan yawned and stood up. Walking to Sallah, he stretched his arms up and hugged her. "Nite, Ma," he said.
Sallah hugged him back, pressing a brief kiss to the top of his head. "Good night. Happy dreams." She then stood and looked at the others. "I'll finish cleaning up."
"No you won't. It's my fault that we're up so late, so I'll clean up. You get some rest, Sallah," Heero said.
"Yeah, you go on. We'll get this. Thanks, Sallah," Duo chimed in.
"I get plenty of rest... too much rest, sometimes, I think," Sallah replied. Then she shrugged one shoulder. "But thank you. If you really feel you must..."
"We must," Duo said impishly, "Night, Sallah!"
Wufan reached his arms up to Duo. "Nite, Duo," he said, feeling his lids beginning to droop.
"Night, Wufan," Duo said, leaning down to hug the boy quickly.
"C'mon, hon," Sallah held out her hand to Wufan. "Let's get you to bed, hm?" She nodded to the others, smiling, though her expression looked as if she were still pondering something. "Good night, all."
Wufan quickly went and gave Heero a hug, then moved to take his Ma's hand. He yawned again, then followed her out.
Kenny grabbed Duan's hand. He paused looking back at the two older boys. "Don't stay up too late," he admonished. Then he pulled Duan with him towards the stairs.
"Yes, sir," Duo called to the retreating pair before turning his attention back to the dishes in the sink.
Heero watched as Duo moved to the sink and then walked over. For a moment, he just watched the beautiful boy who had come to mean life itself to him. Then, he sighed deeply and leaned against the sink. "I'm the one who volunteered," he said.
"We're partners. I can help," Duo replied.
"Yeah," Heero replied, leaning over and turning on the water. He felt a deep silence threatened to engulf him and spoke up to push it back. "Are you sure about that? The partner thing. I wouldn't blame you if you chose to reconsider."
"I told you once before. You're stuck with me. It's going to take more than a bad day to drive me away, koibito," Duo said calmly.
Heero poured soap under the spray of water, watching as it foamed up. "So, that's your take on it... a bad day," he said, then looked back up at Duo. Heero shook his head, feeling two extremes of emotion. One was the joy of rediscovery of just how special Duo Maxwell was, and the other was one of regret and sorrow for what he personally called his own 'war crimes'. "You put up with a lot, Duo. I'm not sure I'd have your patience."
Duo snorted mirthlessly, a wry grin twisting his lips.
"Patience? There's a first. Duo Maxwell... patient. I don't think I've ever heard that phrase without 'mental' being in there somewhere," he said, glancing down at his hands for a moment before looking up to meet Heero's gaze once more, "No. It's not just a bad day. Things have been... strange for a while now. But that doesn't mean I'm going to abandon you. That doesn't mean I'm not going to stay by your side and do whatever it takes to get us all through this, koibito. I promised you I'd stay, but that's not why I'm not planning on leaving. I'm staying because I love you. I love Us."
Heero closed his eyes a moment, then looked back at Duo. "I love Us too, Duo," he said. Lifting his hand, he touched Duo's face with wet fingers. "Something is going on with me and I've been trying to work it out. The more I try and handle it that way, the further away from you and the kids I seem to get. All I can think is that I have to keep you all with me, keep you safe or I'll die," he said, searching the amethyst depths for answers.
"So when are you going to let us help you?" Duo asked quietly.
Heero moved his hand down to the warm water again. "Well, I thought now was a good time to start. I've talked to Kenny. He's pissed, hurt, maybe both. Something I told myself I would never do is cause hurt to the kids... Blew that," he said, beginning to scrub the dishes.
Duo reached out a hand and carefully caught up Heero's diligent fingers in the soapy water. He pulled them up to his lips and dropped a gentle kiss on their damp tips.
"I left the house today, because I had some stuff of my own to work out. I worry sometimes that... I'm not the right person to do this job. I'm no parent; I'm barely mature enough to even be called a teen sometimes. Guess what, though? I'm human. So are you. Humans are fallible creatures. No matter how hard we try, we're going to make mistakes. It's all part and parcel of that whole humanity gig. All we can do is learn from those mistakes, and try not to duplicate them. And if we screw that one up, then we just try harder next time.
"Think about this, Heero. Just think back on how you were raised. You didn't have the benefit of having someone who understood how you thought and was bound and determined not to let you get hurt. These guys do. That puts us up one hell of a step on just about any other parent-types that are out there. I'm not saying it's okay to upset the kids. I'm just saying that... we're gonna make mistakes, but that we can't let that drag us down, koibito. Doing that... just hurts them worse. Am I making any sense here, or should I just 'shut up, baka'?"
Heero shook his head. "No 'shut up, baka'. You're making sense," he said, taking a step closer to Duo. "That's good, in fact. You're right, they..." he began, then nodded. "Got it," Heero said, then looked up at Duo again. "I... wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for embarrassing you in the park," he said, with a slight bow of the head as he had been trained to do so.
"You didn't embarrass me," Duo answered. "You did scare me, but you didn't embarrass me. You're the one with the thing about public spaces, not me. But if you ever... use sex like that again..." his voice trailed off and he glanced down for a second, "Like.. a weapon, and not like love... I won't be responsible for myself. Got it?"
"Hai," Heero said, with a curt nod to the head for emphasis. He looked down for a moment, remembering what had happened. "I'm not going to lie to you, Duo. It was a part of the whole strange thing that's been happening, but I... I enjoyed it too," he said.
"You aren't the only one," Duo replied wryly, "But I imagine we probably had different reasons..."
"Yes," Heero said. "That doesn't explain a lot of things and doesn't excuse anything, though. I wanted you to know that I understood the difference."
Duo nodded, a small, almost wicked smile slowly spreading across his face.
"Understood," Duo said, "Although... there is also a difference between this afternoon, and some types of play," he said wryly.
He shook his head then, the grin fading, but only because he was intentionally toning it down.
"Gomen. I'll get serious again. You... can't keep trying to protect us all, Heero, because that means trying to protect us from yourself, too. And I'm not going to let you shut us out," Duo explained gently.
Heero listened closely. "Hai," he replied. "I don't want to shut you out, or the kids either. I need to ask you something, though," he said, looking at Duo with a serious expression of his own. "Duo, I don't know if I'll be able to control whatever this is that's been happening to me. I want you to promise me you'll protect the kids and Sallah... if the worst should happen."
Duo frowned, eyeing Heero warily for a moment. "Please don't ask me what I think you're asking me..." he whispered.
Heero moved his hands around Duo's face, ignoring the water. "I don't want to, Duo. I just don't want to be without a plan. It's not like before, when I had no reason to live. Do you understand, koi?" he said, quietly.
Duo swallowed hard, his expression stricken as he remained silent and still for several long moments. Finally, he nodded, an almost inaudible, broken whimper hovering in the back of his throat. "I... understand... I p- promise," he stammered, steeling himself after a moment, "But you know... it won't come to that because you can kick my ass with both arms tied behind your back, anyway," he finished with a weak laugh.
Heero gently pulled Duo's face closer and kissed him deeply. After a short while, he moved back. "And I promise you, I'll do my best not to let it come to that. I don't want to die, Duo. I've got too much to live for now."
"You're damn right you do," Duo agreed harshly before folding Heero into a crushing embrace, "I'd never forgive you if you got yourself killed, you know."
Heero closed his eyes a moment, enjoying the embrace. "Hai," he said, "I know."
Wrapping his arms around Duo, Heero hugged him back with equal vigor. "Let's finish the dishes and grab a shower."
"Together?" Duo asked in a small, hopeful voice.
"It would be very difficult to scrub your back without you being there, so yes... together," Heero said.
Duo purred happily, giving Heero one last quick squeeze before letting him go to return to the dishes.
"You're on!"
Heero smiled and finished the dishes in record time.
TBC
End of Part 10
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ravynfyre@hotmail.com,
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