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A Child's Love
Part 1-5
by Cherrie
part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5
Part 1
Title: A Child's Love 1/?

Author: Makoto Sagara
Archive: ,

Category: Romance, angst

Pairings: 2+1, OCxH, 3x4 & 5xS (just mentioned in this chapter)

Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Shonen ai, language, angst, OOC, set 5 years after EW

Disclaimers: Don't own Gundam Wing. Don't make any money. Heck, don't own plot really. *cries for not owning anything, not even computer*

A/N: Ah, well, you see, this was actually a plot bunny that was fed to my muse by my friend, Angel, because she feels I don't write enough 1x2 fics. I hate to point this out to her, but I have only written one confirmed 1x2. The other was a 2+1, 1+2, 5+2… Yes, I know, confuzzling, but so be it. I would much rather get back to Gundam Diaries and pollute my mind with a 5x2. But, this is all Angel's fault. Also, many, many thanks to Lady Violet, JoIsBishMyoga, and Stacy for their help, and for being patient with a big baka like me.

Dedication: To Angel, who started this whole thing.

Symbols: /blah/ thoughts

* blah * emphasized words

*~*~*~* major scene change or POV change

*~~~~~* minor scene change



Duo Maxwell stood in the mirror of his bedroom, looking at his reflection. /Same old hair. Same old blue eyes./ He sighed at the older man he saw staring back at him. /I still look like I did at fifteen. I'm a bit heavier, and a lot taller, but other than that, I'm still the same old Duo./

His thoughts ran away with him, and he didn't hear his best friend, Hilde Schebeiker, call for him throughout the house. That is, until she was pounding on his bedroom door.

"Duo! You take longer to get ready than any girl I know. Get your butt in gear! You're gonna be late to your own birthday party!" she yelled through the thick wooden door.

Duo smiled at his reflection, and walked over, opening the door and barely missing Hilde's hand as she went to start pounding again.

"Sheesh, Hilde, what are you trying to do? Decapitate me?" He smiled brightly.

"It would take a *lot* more than *my* hand to knock off that hard head of *yours*, Duo! Now, scoot! We're gonna be late, again!" She sighed, dramatically. "Why do I put up with you?"

Duo hugged her tightly. "Because you love me, that's why." He ducked as she tried to punch him in the shoulder. "Hey! Don't get violent. It's my birthday after all."

"Today is only your birthday because we picked a random day of the year. It could easily be some other day." She snickered. "So I can beat you up any time I want."

Duo looked at her, flashing her his 1000-watt smile. "*Now* who's making us late?"

Hilde glanced at her watch, and then let out a groan. "DUO! We are already ten minutes late!" She grabbed his arm and drug him out to the car. "You're IMPOSSIBLE!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They arrived at the club, where all their friends and Hilde's boyfriend, Mike, awaited them. As soon as Duo walked into the doorway, he was engulfed by about ten people.

"So, Duo, how's it feel to be twenty-one?" one voice called to him.

"Good to see you again buddy. Gonna party hard?" another said.

He cheerfully shrugged off the crowd. He quickly scanned the room. /He didn't come. Hilde said she invited him. What happened?/

Another voice cut through his thoughts. "Looking for Heero, aren't you?"

Duo turned around to face the speaker. "Mike. How are you?"

"I'm good," The other man, a tall brown-haired guy that Duo had introduced Hilde to, said. "But, you, my friend, look like you could use a drink."

Duo smiled widely. "My man, you are a saint!"

"Nah, I'm just here to get you drunk." He gave Duo a wink and walked off to the bar.

"Duo, when do we get to hear you wonderful singing voice?" one of the women in the crowd asked.

"Never!" Hilde screamed. "Last time, I had nightmares for a week."

Everyone started laughing, mostly because that caused the guest of honor to look horror stricken.

Duo turned to the nearest person. "I'm not *that* bad am I?"

"Nah," the girl consoled him. "Just nothing to write home to Ma about." She snickered.

"Thanks, Trish. You always did know how to make a guy feel great about himself."

"Any time." She winked at him. "So, you gonna save me a dance, or do I have to look elsewhere for someone to entertain me?"

Duo stared at the petite redhead next to him. "Sure, when do you want it?"

"Now, preferably, before I can't find you." She said, a silky tone creeping into her voice.

"Sweet." He looked around the place for the DJ. "Hey, Clank, play me something so I can dance with this lovely lady here."

The DJ, a man with blue and orange hair, looked up and nodded. "Sure thing, Duo, my man."

*~~~~~~~*

The next hour and a half passed in a semi-blur for Duo. He danced, had some drinks, talked, had cake, opened tons of presents, and just tried to enjoy himself. Finally, he found himself seated at a table with Hilde and Mike.

"You *did* invite him, didn't you, Hilde?" he asked, almost desperately.

"Yes, I *did*, Duo. I left him messages through every way I could think of. He never contacted me back." She placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Mike piped up. "Maybe he didn't get them? I mean, it's possible. You said it's been 5 years since you saw him last. A lot can happen in that time, D."

Duo looked at the couple, pushed his drink away, and grabbed some water from a nearby table. "Yeah, I know, but…"

Hilde shot a look at her boyfriend. "Honey," she whispered, "why don't you go talk to some other people. I want to talk to Duo alone."

Mike gave her a puzzled look, but stood up. "Hey, D, I'm gonna go see how everyone is doing. Be back later, ok?"

"Sure, man. See ya." He waved his hand.

Hilde did a quick look over of her friend. He had had about 10 drinks this last hour. He looked like he was ready to cry, or worse, and well, he was drunk.

"Duo, what's wrong? I mean, I know you miss the other guys, but there's something more to this. What is it?"

Duo looked up from his water. "Aw, Hilde, I *hate*how you read me. You're almost as bad as Quatre." He sighed, and opened his mouth, but stopped. He leaned in close. "I *do* miss all four of them, but I dunno."

"Bullshit! You are antsy over something. Spill it, boy, or I make you work double shifts for a week!"

"Slave driver."

"Lazy-ass!"

They broke out into a fit of giggles over the old routine.

Duo sighed once again. "Hill, I… I never told anyone this, so you gotta promise not to spill the beans."

Hilde shot him a wounded look. "Like I would!"

"Oh, I know, but you gotta promise not to tell Mike."

She was really worried then. Duo and she never kept anything from the third partner of the junkyard; well, except the small fact that Duo was a Gundam pilot during the war. She knew that it had to be pretty serious if Duo didn't want his other best friend to know. Hilde took a deep breath. "Ok, Duo, what is it?"

/Can I really tell her? I never told anyone. Not even Heero. Hell, I didn't admit it to myself until AFTER the Eve's War,/ Duo thought. /It's not as if it's not true, cuz it is, but…/

"Duo?"

The braided boy shook his head. "Sorry, Hill. Okay," he leaned in close. "I have loved Heero Yuy since I met him. I can't stop thinking about him. Even 5 years later. He is the one that I want to be with. I know this sounds insane, but every moment I'm away from him, I feel like I can't truly be myself."

Hilde just looked at her best friend. "You love him?"

"Well, DUH, Hill!" He was slightly annoyed by her questioning.

"Then why haven't you told him? God! I mean, I *knew*, but I wasn't going to force you to tell me." She hugged him tightly. "So, when are you going to find him?"

Duo's mouth started to gape open. "Tell…" he squeaked, uncharacteristically. He cleared his throat. "Tell him? You mean, like… Seeing him to tell him?"

Hilde just raised an eyebrow. "Duo, I've known you for over 6 years now. You're not dumb. Far from it. You are one of the greatest people I know. You aren't afraid of anything. You, of all people, deserve to be happy." She gave him a quick peck of the cheek. "Think about it. You'll see. *Now* where is that boyfriend of mine?"

Duo watched her leave. /She doesn't know what she's saying. Telling Heero Yuy that I love him is like signing my own death warrant. I'd have to be crazy… And yet, she has a point./ He sat there for twenty more minutes, drinking water, and thinking. Then, he walked across the room towards the bar.

When he got there, Duo squeezed between Hilde and Mike. "I'm going home. Tired and all that jazz. Can I borrow your car, Mike?"

Mike shot him a worried look. "Sure, D, no problem. You gonna be ok?"

"Yeah. I just need some sleep," Duo said. /And a long hot shower./

"Here. I'll help you load your presents in the car, and that way, Hilde can make your excuses to everyone else." Mike handed his car keys to Duo, and then walked over to the table with the gifts.

"Are you sure you are ok?" Hilde asked, skeptical to say the least.

"Yes, Mother. I'm sure. I just need a shower and some sleep." He sighed.

Hilde moved his bangs from off his forehead, and kissed the exposed skin. "Well, sleep tight then. I'll call you in the morning."

"Alright." Duo walked off, grabbing the remaining gifts off the table, and headed towards the parking lot.

He walked calmly to Mike's car, and placed the boxes in the backseat of his friend's blue Audi. Mike clapped a hand on Duo's back, and smiled.

"Look. You know if you need anything, you can always ring Hilde and me, right?"

"Yeah, man, I know." /I know that you and Hilde are perfect for each other with the way you two keep questioning me,/ he thought wryly.

"Good. We'll call you in the morning. Sleep well." Mike walked back inside, and Duo got in the car, driving as fast as he could to his house.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Duo awoke the next morning with the light from the sun killing his head. /Hangover. Had too much to drink. Gah! Pain./ He stumbled from his bed, and into the bathroom for a shower. /Water will make it better. Besides, I'm still in my clothes from the party. I reek. Thank someone that it's Sunday./

He undressed, ignoring the protests of his head and body, and slipped under the cool water of the shower spray. He stayed there for a while, just letting the water flow over him. He was starting to drift off to sleep when his head hit the tile.

/Shit! Just what I needed. I'm *definitely* going to have a shitty day now./ Duo hurried through washing his hair and body, going for the world record for finishing up.

He spent the rest of the morning padding around his house. He stared at his vid-phone and the laptop on the desk, debating whether he should call Hilde and Mike, or start searching for Heero.

After a few agonizing hours of debating, he finally gave in and booted the laptop up. He sat there, twiddling his thumbs, watching the screen as it took forever to start. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the computer was ready. No sooner had he pulled up a page for a search engine when the phone rang.

Duo walked over to the phone, saw Hilde's number flashing, and hit the accept button. A second later, Hilde's face flashed on the screen, a look of worry and relief on her cute face.

"How are ya this morning, trouble-maker?" She smiled, and that caused him to smile in return.

"I'm good. Gotta a headache, but other than that, I can't really complain."

"I told you to stop after that fifth drink, but you and your macho attitude." She snickered. "So, what are you up to today?"

Duo blushed faintly. "Nothing really."

"Are you going to look for Heero?"

He glared at the girl in the screen. "Have I told you lately how much I *hate* it when you do that?"

Hilde all but beamed. "Yes, last night. So, are you?"

"Yes, Mother," he said sarcastically.

"God, no, I would kill *myself* if I was your Mom." She stopped. "Oh, Duo, I'm sorry. I forgot."

"That's ok, Hill. Not like I remember much about my parents, anyway." He smiled faintly. "So, why'd ya call, other than to annoy me?"

"Well, Mike decided that since you didn't have as much fun last night at the party that we would take you out for dinner. Any objections?"

Duo thought that over. /I could go to dinner with my two best friends, and get all angsty over how happy they are together. Or, I could stay home, and stare at the walls while I eat something I throw together. No contest./

"Yeah, but he has to pay."

Mike appeared behind Hilde on the screen. "Like I would invite you to dinner, and then make you pay for it. Sheesh, D, give me some credit." He smiled.

"Only when you pay me back the 100 credits you owe me."

Hilde turned to face her boyfriend. "You owe him money?"

Mike blushed a few different shades of red. "Um, yeah, well, it was for your birthday present." He turned toward the screen. "Thanks *so* much for your help, Duo…"

"Any time, man. So, what time should I meet you lovebirds?"

Hilde spoke up. "Well, we were thinking of coming over, so we could get Mike's car back. Ya know? Since you drove it home last night."

"Uh, yeah. It's in the drive. Come and get it, but when should I expect you guys?" He scratched his head at the base of his braid.

"About 7, I suppose. We'll call before we come." Hilde leaned towards the screen. "Let me know if you find anything, ok?"

"Alright. Talk to you guys later." He sighed.

"Yep. See ya, lazy ass." She smiled.

"Bye, slave driver." He hit the disconnect button, and started as his laptop pinged.

/Something already?/ He walked back over to the desk and stared as he saw articles from the war, and afterwards. There were pictures of all five Gundam pilots after the Eve's War, right before they all starting living there own lives. Duo's right arm was slung over a surly, brown-haired, blue eyed, Japanese boy his age in a green tank top and blue jeans. His other arm was around the shoulder of an arrogant and haughty looking Chinese teen. There were two other boys in the picture. A small, smiling blond Arab was standing next to a tall, slim boy with gravity-defying brown bangs, which covered one of his green eyes.

Duo snapped out of it, and opened more search engines, inserting the names of the other Gundam pilots. Ten minutes later, he had wedding announcements for Wufei to Sally Po. /Of all people. He married her?/ A few minutes later, he was staring at an announcement for the union of one Quatre Raberba Winner to Trowa Barton. /I remember that. That was one hell of a party. I had a headache for three days afterwards. Too bad they couldn't come last night. Business crisis, indeed. I would have fired that guy who messed up./

He closed the extra windows and stared at the first window, which listed an address and phone number for a Heero Yuy on Earth. Duo felt his heart lurch. /He's on Earth?/ He looked throughout the results page for a wedding announcement, but didn't find one for Heero. /He didn't marry her? Wait a minute. I remember hearing about Ojou-san's wedding. She married some handsome aristocrat./ He sighed in relief.

He stared at the number and address for a long time, before finally snapping out of his trance, and writing the information down. /Now what?/

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dinner was a very nerve-wrecking experience. After Duo spilled the fact that he found Heero's info, Hilde repeatedly asked him when he was going to get in touch with Heero. Mike finally asked her to stop so they could enjoy their meal. Hilde dropped it, but promised that she would nag Duo until he did something about it.

The drive home was filled with beginnings of plans, but Duo scrapped everyone, for there was a flaw somewhere. /I can't call him. That's too impersonal. Can't send a letter. He would toss it. Do I...?/ He stopped. /No. I can't just go and see him. I have responsibilities here on L2. I have… Nothing really. I can ask Hill for the time off. She would give it to me. It's not like I can't afford the trip either. Thanks to Oz, I'll never have to work if I don't want to./

He pulled into his driveway before he knew it, and was followed to his door by Hilde. Duo turned around to face his friend, who looked very annoyed.

"You *are* going to call him, or write him, or something, are you?" Her eyes were slits in her slender face.

"Yes, Hill, I'm trying to think of what to do." Duo pulled his braid forward and started slightly tugging on it.

"You know, if you want time off from the scrap yard, I'd give it to you." She sighed and hugged him. "Duo, I just want you to be happy."

"I know that. And you had *better* be serious about the time off too." He wrapped his arms around her and embraced her tightly.

"I am. Besides, it's not like you do much but bug me anyway." Hilde pulled away, showing that she was smiling.

"Yeah, and I love you too."

"I know you do. Now, go get some sleep. You've got a big decision ahead of you." She headed towards her car, and drove off. Mike came over after she had left.

"I know she's a pain in the ass, D, but she means well."

"Yeah, well I knew that before I decided to join her in the business." Duo smiled.

Mike snickered. "Well, she's right about one thing. You have one hell of a decision ahead of you, and you need to sleep on it." He headed towards his own car. "See ya tomorrow, D."

"See ya, Mike." Duo watched as his friend pulled off, and then headed inside, determined to sleep until the morning.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Seven days later, Duo was sitting on a shuttle, headed for Earth, the European continent to be exact. /Leave it to Heero to be totally predictable when it came to a real life outside of piloting Wing. He moved to Earth. Got an apartment in Paris. Ok, so that was a *little* unlike him. I never thought he was the Parisian type./ His thinking was disturbed by the polite and crisp voice of the flight attendant.

"The captain has just told me that we will be arriving in Earth's atmosphere shortly. Please, make sure you are buckled tightly, and that all your luggage is secure. Thank you for flying The Earth Sphere Shuttle." The perky voice cut off.

Duo checked his luggage again to make sure it wouldn't hit him while landing. /In two hours, I'll be in a hotel room in Paris. And, then I can look for Heero./ He looked out the window and noticed the light effects of the shuttle entering the volatile atmosphere around the blue planet. /I'm so close./ He closed his eyes, and prayed like hell that Heero hadn't moved in the last week.

*~~~~~~~*

Duo had barely checked in and dumped his bags, before he was outside looking for a cab. /It's only about 6pm here. He should be home, right?/ He flagged down a cab, and hopped in the back as soon as it stopped.

"Là où êtes vous allant?" the cab driver asked.

Duo blinked. /HUH? Should have let Trowa teach me French./ "I'm sorry. I don't speak French," he said, turning red around the ears.

"You are American?" the driver asked through his thick accent.

"Yes." Duo sighed in relief. /At least now I won't have to wave my hands like an idiot./

"I ask you where you are going?"

"OH!" Duo rattled off the address of Heero's house.

"Zat is quite a bit out of ze city. It will be at least cent credits."

"How many?" /Saun? What the hell is that?/

"Désolé. One 'undred credits."

Duo smiled. "No problem, buddy. Just take me there."

"Bien sur!" The cab took off, and Duo's thoughts sped by as fast as the vehicle the rest of the trip.

*~~~~~~~*

The car stopped in front of a small, but tasteful, two story house in a quiet neighborhood. "We are here, monsieur."

"Thanks, buddy." Duo passed 150 credits to the cabbie.

"You are welcome," he said as Duo shut the door, and started up the walkway. /Well, here goes nothing./ He stood up straight and knocked on the door.

His heart was pounding in his chest as time slowly ticked by. A few minutes passed, and he knocked again. Still no one answered. Duo was about to leave when finally the door opened. Heero was standing there.

Duo's mouth went dry. /He's as gorgeous as I remember. His hair, his eyes, his…/ He let his eyes travel the length of Heero's form. /Body. Oh, God, why am I here? I'm just gonna make a fool of myself./

"I'm… Sorry, Heero. I'll just go," he whispered.

A hand reached out and grabbed one of Duo's arms. "Duo?"

"Heero." /He looks… lost?/

"How… how are you?"

"I'm… good." He stole a glance inside Heero's house. "Look, I'm sorry I bothered you. I just wanted to see how you were."

"Who's that man?" a little voice spoke up. Duo looked behind Heero to see a boy, about three or four with brown hair and big blue eyes, holding one of Heero's pant legs.

/Who is that kid?/ Duo just stared at the child, who was staring back at him.

TBC
-top-
Part 2
Title: A Child's Love 2/?

Author: Makoto Sagara
Archive: ,

Category: Romance, angst

Pairings: 2+1, OCxH, 5xS, 3x4

Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Shonen ai, language, angst, OOC, set 5 years after EW

Disclaimers: Don't own Gundam Wing. Don't make any money. Heck, don't own plot really. *cries for not owning anything, not even computer*

A/N: This plot bunny has taken a life of its own. I actually enjoyed writing the first part, and couldn't wait until my beta told me that the first part was good, so I could start this part. BTW, the little boy's name is Allilon, which is ancient Greek for one. Relena has a fetish for one, I suppose. Also, many, *many* thanks go to Lady Violet, for beta'ing this while dealing with her own fic.

Dedication: To Angel, who started this whole thing. And Stacy, who thought up the name.

Summary of last chapter: After celebrating his 21st birthday, Duo realizes there is something missing from his life. After some prodding from Hilde and her boyfriend, Mike, Duo finally tracks Heero down in Paris to see a small boy with brown hair and blue eyes standing behind the ex-Gundam pilot.

Symbols: /blah/ thoughts

*blah* emphasized words

*~*~*~* major scene change or POV change

*~~~~~* minor scene change

Heero Yuy watched as his adopted son exchanged stares with Duo Maxwell, the one person he had never expect to show up at his doorstep. /I never thought I would see him again./

"Uncle Heero, who is that man?" his god-son, Allilon, asked, still peering from behind his legs.

Heero shook his head to clear the cobwebs in his mind. "Allilon, this is Duo Maxwell, an old friend of mine." He turned to Duo. "Duo, this is my god-son Allilon. He lives with me."

Duo just gave him a blank stare. Heero was slightly warmed at the familiar look. /Five years have passed, and he still looks like I remember./

"Baka." He glared at the gaping man in his doorway. "Coming in?"

"Huh?" Duo said. /Still have a way with words, I see,/ Heero thought

"I asked if you were coming in. You are letting the air conditioning out." Heero picked up little Allilon and moved back, allowing the American entrance to the house.

"Um, yeah. Sure," Duo replied, stepping inside.

Heero closed the door, and put the little boy down. "Allilon, go play with your toys and Joey outside in the backyard. Uncle Heero needs to talk to his friend for a while. Okay?"

"Okay. Bye-bye, Mr. Maxswell," the Allilon replied, running towards the back of the house.

Duo shook his head and smiled. "Bye, Alli-kun. I'll see you later, buddy." He snapped his attention back to Heero. "Cute kid. Who are his parents?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Duo watched as Heero's blue eyes drooped for a moment, and then smiled as the old mask of nothingness was placed on the former Perfect Soldier's face. /Touchy subject, I take it. Well, it's not like I asked a STUPID question./

Heero walked over to the couch in the big living room, and that's when Duo took a look at the inside of the house. The living room was sparsely furnished, but everything was tasteful. /Relena was here to help, I see. Everything is black, blue or cream. Relena *definitely* was here to help./

"Sit, Maxwell. Don't stand there staring," Heero said, sitting in a very comfortable looking chair.

Duo sat in a chair across from the brown haired man. "Um, so, Hee-chan, who's kid is that?"

Heero sighed. "He is Relena's son."

Duo blinked. "O-kay… So, why is he living with you? I mean why wouldn't he be with his parents. I remember she got married a year after the Eve's War."

"They died a few months ago." Heero looked lost. /I never thought I would see him look like this again. I remember that even when Ojou-san was kidnapped by Mariemaia, he went straight to Perfect Soldier mode. Now he looks like a lost little boy./

"How?"

"Shuttle exploded. I told Relena I would keep Allilon while they went to a peace conference." Duo watched as Heero's face twisted in anguish. "I should have gone!" /He feels guilty that he didn't save her again./

"Heero, you couldn't watch her all the time. You're only human, no matter what you want to think."

"Don't you think I know that!" Heero was close to growling. "It should have been me, not them. Allilon needs his parents, both of them, not some guy who barely knows how to be human."

Duo felt his heart lurch in his chest. /Heero is a good person. I see it in him, but he won't allow himself to believe it./ He took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Heero?"

"Hai?"

"Are you going to be alright?"

"Yes." Heero stood from his chair, walking towards the sliding glass door of the adjoining dining room. "What brings you all the way to Paris? I thought you were on L2 with Hilde."

Duo blinked suddenly. /He knew I was on L2 with Hilde? How? Why didn't he contact me? Why didn't he call, or stop by, or SOMETHING dammit??/ His mind was racing with the implications that Heero's statement left in the air.

"Maxwell."

He shook his head, his braid smacking his sides as he did so. "Sorry, Hee-kun. I was thinking. What did you ask?"

Heero snickered. /Same old baka./ "I asked what brought you to Paris. It's a long way from L2."

"Well, I just turned twenty-one, and it's been five years since we all saw each other…" Duo was blushing, unable to finish his sentence. /I can't say the rest. I just can't. Not like this./

"So you decided to have a little reunion?"

"Um, something like that." Duo shifted a little in his chair. "Would you like to come to dinner with me some night this week?" he blurted out before he could stop himself. /Great going, Maxwell. Let's just see how far you can stick your foot down your throat./

Heero thought the offer over. /It's not like I have anything else to do, except I DO have Allilon, but then again, there is always the babysitter, or Quatre and Trowa, who aren't that far from here./

/He's gonna say no. I know it. He's got that look that says 'Like I would ever go to dinner with someone like you' on his face. Smooth, Maxwell, really smooth,/ Duo berated himself.

"How is Tuesday evening? I will have to find someone to take Allilon for the night, and that will take some time," Heero responded.

/He… He said YES? I must be dreaming./ "Tuesday is fine for me, but why not bring Allilon with us? That way, I can get to know the kid better."

"Are you certain? He CAN be a handful, but after two years of dealing with you, he is easy for me," Heero said, letting the slightest smile cross his lips.

/Is he SMILING? Heero smiling and teasing me? I *gotta* be dreaming./ "Yeah, I'm sure. He looks like a cute kid. Besides, what harm can he do?"

"You'll see. So, where are you staying?"

"The Ritz, I think. Hilde made the reservations. I just checked in. It's a snazzy place, though." /Damn, I sound like an idiot. What is it about him that makes me feel so off? I always have./

/He looks like a little kid when he does that to his face./ Heero shook his head. /He just came as a friend to catch up, but… No. He wants nothing more than to still be friends./ "Sounds like you." Heero looked at his watch. "Duo, I have to make dinner for Allilon now. Would you like to stay? I'm sure I can make enough for you, as well." /Please?/

/I didn't eat anything on the flight, or the day before. I was so nervous. I didn't even stop at the hotel long enough to eat, but I'm so tired. I really should have gotten some sleep before I did this. Probably didn't help me talking, or my nerves either,/ Duo thought.

"Maxwell, did you just go away on me?" Heero's voice broke into Duo's inner monologue.

"I'm sorry, Heero. I haven't rested since I got on the shuttle." /I wanted to see you too badly./ "I think I will have to decline, and go back to my hotel."

"Aa. Well, can Allilon and I give you a ride back to your hotel?"

"No, but could you call me a ride? I have go to go to the little boys' room."

"Baka. Third door on your right, upstairs. And, yes, I'll call a cab for you."

Duo jumped from his chair, turning as he placed his foot on the last step. "Thanks, Hee-chan." He ran up the stairs towards the proffered rest room.

"You haven't changed in all these years, have you, Duo?" Heero whispered, picking up the phone, and placed a call for a car.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Duo crashed on his bed as soon as he returned to his room from the dining area downstairs. /I don't think I can take another happy, lovey-dovey couple. I'm so tired./ The phone on the night stand rang, jolting Duo from his thoughts. He sat up and scooted over towards it, seeing the front desk's number.

"Yes?" he said wearily.

"Monsieur, you 'ave some messages. From a woman on L2. She sounded fairly worried."

"Thanks," he said, hanging up quickly. /Hill. She wants to know that I'm safe, and is probably having kittens because I haven't called her yet. I suppose I should call her./

Duo picked up the phone and dialed the number to connect with Hilde at the scrap yard. He snickered as a form crossed the screen, disappeared, and was followed by a string of cursing.

"Hill, you should really clean up that language. What if I was a customer?"

Hilde stood, allowing Duo to see the *very* annoyed look on her face. "Then you would have had to deal with it. It's not like we are known for our verbal etiquette." She narrowed her eyes at the braided man before her. "Why in the *hell* didn't you *call* me and say that you had *arrived*?" she yelled, her face the color of a tomato.

"I got...busy. I kinda forgot. Sorry. I will try VERY hard to be better in the future," Duo put on his best exhausted, big-eyed, kicked puppy look, and added, "It was a *really* long day. See, I was trying to find Heero, but...all this *stuff* got in the way..."

"Like what?"

"Well, you know. *STUFF*."

"What KIND of "stuff"?"

"Um, IsawHeeroandtherewasthiskidwholooksalotlikehimbuthesactuallyRelenaswhoisdeadandHeerohastoraisehim."

"WHAT?"

Duo took a deep breath. "I went to Heero's as soon as I checked in. He has this kid…"

"He has a *kid*?"

"Would you let me *finish*?" Duo asked, absently tugging on his braid.

"Sorry," Hilde mumbled.

"Ok, so this kid. He's a doll; brown hair, big blue eyes, sweet as pie. Anyway, the kid is Relena's, who died a few months ago. Evidently, her shuttle blew, and Heero was watching Allilon, the kid, and well he's the god-father. So…"

Hilde looked stunned. "But, didn't she have a brother?"

Duo smiled. "Yeah. MIA with Noin some time ago on Mars."

She thought this over. "Oh my god, when did Relena die?"

"Bout five months ago. Why?" He gave her a questioning look.

"Don't you remember?" She stared at his blank face. "That's when Howard had his stroke."

"We lived at the hospital then. Yeah, I remember that now. Shit. What they say is true. Bad things happen in threes."

"What other bad thing are you talking about?"

"I had to buy my house, because my apartment burned down. DUH, HILL!"

"OH, damn, you're right. That was the same time."

Duo paused for a moment. "Did you know that Heero has a dog?"

"The *hell*, you say!"

"I kid you *NOT*! AND, it's name is Joey!" Both of them broke into laughs.

"A *dog*? Joey?" Hilde gasped between laughs. "Oh god, this is *RICH*! I'm gonna have to remember this." She stopped laughing, and her face grew grave. "So, when are you coming home?"

"I dunno yet." Duo stifled a yawn. "Hey Hill, I'm tired. Can I call you later?"

Hilde smiled. "Sure, Duo. I'll talk to you later."

Duo blew her a kiss, and cut the line. /I feel a little better, but I'm still dead tired./ He closed his eyes, laying back on the bed. /No wonder I didn't hear about Relena's death. I was so worried that Howard was gonna leave me. Hilde and I never left the hospital for a month. Mike ran the scrap yard. And, besides, I didn't have a place then. Wasn't worried about television much./

His thoughts trailed off, and he was soon sleeping soundly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Duo spent the next two days exploring the sights of Paris. He hit the Louvre, Notre Dame, Sacré Coeur, the old government buildings, the parks, the Arc du Triomphe, The Latin Quarter, and even took a trip on the Seine. He could barely keep in all the information the cute tour guides were throwing his way, but he would smile and nod, hoping to God that he wouldn't be quizzed on any of this by Heero, or Hilde for that matter.

Tuesday was taking too long to come, in Duo's opinion. It was Tuesday afternoon, and he had talked to Heero Sunday night to set up the details. Heero was bringing Allilon to the hotel, and the three of them were going to dine in one of the restaurants downstairs. /Not much imagination, but what the hell was I hoping for? An intimate dinner at his house?/

Hilde had called every day he was gone. /Hate to see that phone bill. Glad she pays all the bills, otherwise, I'd have had a nervous break down by now./ Duo smiled. /Math was always 'Fei's area of expertise. I wonder how he and Sally are doing? I haven't heard from him in a few years…/ His thoughts trailed off, being replaced by a deep feeling of loss. /When did he stop calling me? Why didn't I notice? He was my best friend before I moved back to L2. How did I not notice that he wasn't calling me anymore?/

Duo racked his brain, trying to remember the Chinese man's number. After twenty minutes, he gave up, and starting searching the luggage for his laptop. Five minutes later, he was placing a call to the Po-Chang household.

"You have reached the Po-Change residence. We are unavailable at the moment. Leave a message, and we will get to you later," Sally's voice said pleasantly.

/Damn. Means he is either at Preventers' HQ, or on a mission. I think I'd rather try at HQ, before I go interrupting a mission./

Reluctantly, Duo dialed Wufei's direct number. It rang twice before a familiar face appeared. "Chang," Wufei said, not looking up.

"Hey, Fei! What's going on?"

"M…Duo?" Wufei's face shot up, revealing surprise all over it.

"Yep, that's me." Duo smiled as he watched his friend stop his work to talk to him. /He sure has changed. I remember when he would ignore me while he was busy. That is, unless I was *really* annoying./ "You busy? I could call back."

"Not particularly. What can I do for you, Duo?"

"Well, I'm on Earth visiting, and I thought I'd try and catch up. I heard you got married to Sally. When did *that* happen?" Duo asked, although the announcement said it was ten months earlier. "And, how come you didn't *invite* me, man? I thought we were close?"

"Yes, we did get married. Approximately ten months ago." Wufei frowned. "It was a small ceremony. Sally insisted on a *very* private service. Only two witness and the civil servant to say the words. I'm sorry, Duo."

Duo smiled. "No problem, Fei. I was just kinda hurt that you didn't invite me." He quickly changed the topic. "So, what else have I been missing out on in your life?"

Wufei faintly blushed. "I'm going to be a father…" he said quietly.

Duo was taken back. "Wow, you are gonna be 'Baba Fei'? Sweet! When is Sally due?"

"In six months." Wufei broke out into a huge grin. "We will be able to determine the gender in another 3 weeks."

"Congratulations," Duo said excitedly.

"So, where on Earth are you, exactly, Maxwell?"

"Paris. I'm visiting Heero, and his god-son, Allilon, for a while."

"You are *staying* with Yuy?" Wufei asked incredulously.

"No, I'm staying at the Ritz. I'm going out to dinner with them in a few hours though."

"Ah." Wufei paused, and his face grew serious. "Are you sure that you are ready to do this?"

"What do you mean, Fei? I've put this off for five years now."

"I am just asking if you are sure that this is the right thing to do now? I am concerned for your well-being. That is all."

"OH! You're asking if I thought this out." Duo snickered. "Yes, Fei, you can rest assured that a *lot* of thought went into this plan. Besides, if I didn't, Hilde was gonna call him up and spill the beans for me."

"*That* onna has been nothing but problems since the first day. And I told you as much." Wufei mock-glared.

"Fei, I'm gonna tell him how I feel. Tonight."

Wufei froze. His eyes grew to the size of silver dollars. Taking a deep breath, he looked at his friend, and spoke. "I wish you luck. You will need it. And tell me if anything happens, so I know whether or not I should hunt him down."

Duo laughed. "You are never going to forgive him for punching me and then leaving me to Mariemaia's Army's tender mercies. Even if you were part of that army."

Wufei winced. "No, I am not. And you are fortunate that I *was* there." He paused, a deep and thoughtful look crossing his face. "If it turns out you aren't ready... just remember, I *am* your friend, though we have not spoken recently."

Duo's face grew serious. "I know, Wufei. Thanks."

"No problem."

Duo looked at his watch. "Oh shit. I have to get ready. Tell Sally I said hi. Congratulations again, Fei. You'll be a great dad. Talk to you later?"

"Yes." Wufei glanced at the papers on his desk. "Eventually. I will relay your message to Sally. Good luck, Duo."

"Thanks, man. Bye, 'Fei!"

Wufei smiled. "Good-bye, Duo."

Duo cut the connection. /Gotta hurry. I still need a shower./ He grabbed some clothes, took his hair out of its customary braid, and was almost in the bathroom when the phone rang. He walked over to the phone, and hit the accept call button.

Heero's face appeared on the screen, eyes growing large as he noticed Duo's hair out of the normal plait, and falling around his face in waves.

"Hiya, Heero," Duo said. /I hope that nothing bad has happened./ "Sup?"

Heero blinked. "Hello, Duo. Nothing major has happened. Allilon is spending the night over a friend's house, and he is unable to come with me tonight."

It was Duo's turn to blink. "You are going to allow him to sleep over someone else's house?"

"Aa. His family has cleared the checks," Heero said.

Duo laughed. "You ran a check on a three year-old's family? That's great." He looked himself over. "Um, Hee-chan, I, uh, gotta take a shower. You still coming in an hour?"

There seemed to be a slight red tinge creeping across Heero's face. "Aa. I will be there."

"Ok," Duo said nervously. "I'll see you then."

"An hour," he said pointedly. "Goodbye."

The screen went blank. /An hour… Still gotta bathe./

Duo walked into the bathroom, and took a long, hot, luxurious shower. /I don't care if I do own a third of a successful business and a house, hot water is still scarce. Best thing about Earth,/ he thought, stepping out and wrapping one towel around his waist and another around his hair.

He dressed quickly, putting on comfortable black slacks and a blue button-down shirt. He then checked his reflection in the mirror of the bathroom. /Ok, looks good./ He shot a glance to the rather large turban on his head. /Still gotta dry my hair./ Thirty minutes, a rather large brush, and a hair dryer later, Duo was braiding his hair.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. Duo walked nervously to answer it, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants. /Deep breathes. Smile./ He pulled open the door, and his face fell when he saw that the person on the other side was not Heero, but the maid.

"Désolée, monsieur, I am 'ere to clean ze room," she said, pushing her cart closer to the door.

Duo remember to speak. "Uh, that's fine. I'm going down to dinner."

"Oui, monsieur. Bon soir." She watched him grabbing some of his things from around the room and throwing them in his suitcases, then putting the luggage under his bed. He turned, grabbing his wallet and a black dress jacket, and walked out the room. "Sure, whatever that means, back at you," he said, walking down to the elevators.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Duo made it to the small restaurant just in time to see Heero being seated at a table in one of the dark corners. /Good. We'll be able to get some privacy,/ he thought, approaching the maitre d's stand.

"Nom?" the haughty looking man standing behind the stand said.

/Huh? Why did I come to Paris and I don't speak a *lick* of French?/ "I'm sorry, what?"

"Your name. For the reservations."

"Oh, um, Maxwell? Yuy?"

"Ah, you must be Monsieur Maxwell. Monsieur Yuy is awaiting you." The maitre d raised a hand. "Michel! Viens ici!" A blond boy came trotting up. "Montre cet homme au tableau douze." (1)

"Oui," The blond boy said, and then turned to Duo. "Zis way, monsieur."

Duo followed behind the busboy, his eyes locking on the table where Heero was seated. He could see that Heero was wearing a bright blue silk shirt, and khakis. /I never thought Heero was the khakis type. Of course, I suppose he can't live the rest of his life in spandex, though, he did manage a war in those shorts. And looked damn good./

Heero looked up when the busboy and his dinner companion arrived. "You're late."

Duo blushed as he took the chair across the table from Heero. "Gomen, Hee-chan. I got held up by the maid."

"Hn."

"Wait, that didn't come out right! I thought that the maid had come this morning, but she hadn't, so all my stuff was lying around and I had to neaten up a little before I came down!"

"Baka. Sit."

*~~~~~~~*

Dinner passed by with awkward silence. Duo tried to find something to talk about. Nothing seemed to keep the conversation going for very long. Not surprising, since Heero hadn't been known as a big talker.

Dessert followed soon afterwards, but Duo was more interested in looking at Heero than eating the sweet confection in front of him. /I should tell him now. While I have the chance. Even if he's mad at me afterwards, it doesn't matter. Because I would have told him./ He swallowed, wishing his mouth wasn't quite so dry, and took a deep breath. He opened his mouth, but was struck dumb when he looked at Heero again. /I am *never* going to get this done. *EVER!*/

Heero watched as Duo opened his mouth, and then closed it. /He looks…speechless? That's a first./

Finally, Duo fell back on his time-honored tactic of saying what he needed to say, but saying it at such speed that only a trained ear could understand him. "HeeroIminlovewithyouandhavebeeneversinceImetyouIcantstopthinkingaboutyouevenfiveyearsafterthelasttimeIsawyou." Duo blushed.

Heero blinked. /He's in love with me? He's been in love with me since we met? He can't stop thinking about me? Even five years later? How did I miss *that*?/ He took a minute to process all that, and then said, "I am in love with you as well. That's why I left after the Eve's War."

Duo blinked, repeatedly. "Wait a sec… you *got* all that?"

"Aa. I've known you long enough."

Duo blinked again, Heero's response finally dawning on him. "You… you love *me*? And you left? Why?"

Heero sighed. "I knew you were under the impression I was in love with Relena. I also knew that Wufei was in love with you."

"Huh?"

TBC…



(1) ~ Michel! Viens ici! Montre cet homme au tableau douze. – Michael! Come here! Show this man to table twelve.
-top-
Part 3
Title: A Child's Love 3/?

Author: Makoto Sagara

Category: Romance, angst

Pairings: 2+1+2, OCxH, 3x4, 5xS

Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Shonen ai, language, angst, OOC, set 5 years after EW

Disclaimers: Don't own Gundam Wing. Don't make any money. Heck, don't own plot really. *cries for not owning anything, not even computer*

A/N: The second chapter went really well. I enjoyed it immensely. Besides, cliffies are fun to write. I drove my beta insane with where I stopped off. She now wants to know the ending. Bad thing is, I don't know where this will end. And yes, this chapter is done. It only took me damn near 3 weeks of plotting and such (aka begging for Neko to lift the pesky Writer's Block she gave me) to get it done. Enjoy, or else. ¬¬

Dedication: To Angel, who started this whole thing. And Jo, for Allilon's name.

Summary of last chapter: Duo and Heero agree to go to dinner. Duo goes back to his hotel room and calls Hilde. They realize why they did know about Relena's death. Duo calls Wufei and catches up on old times. Finally, Duo goes to dinner with Heero, and tells him his secret. Heero tells Duo a few secrets as well.

Symbols: /blah/ thoughts

*blah* emphasized words

*~*~*~* major scene change or POV change

*~~~~~* minor scene change

"Huh?" Duo asked. /Wufei? In love with me? Is he out of his *mind*? When was he? Why was he? Someone would have told me! We were best friends! Two and a half *years* after the Eve war.../ "You're pulling my...no. You're not. You don't do that. Hey! Wait a sec! If you love me so much, why did you leave?"

"Because--I wanted you to be happy."

"Wha...? So, *why*?"

"I thought Wufei would do a better job."

"Are you *nuts*?" Duo tried to control his voice so he wasn't yelling the last sentence. "All I've *ever* wanted was you. No one else. And you thought Wu*fei* would do a better job??"

Heero sighed. "Could you keep your voice down?" He looked around the room.

"I *am* keeping my voice down! Now, tell me why you thought *Wufei* would do a better job at making me happy!" Duo raged. "Especially since he's now *married* and has a *kid* on the way!"

"Can we talk about this somewhere a little more private?"

Duo blinked, turning red. He remembered that they were sitting in a small restaurant in the hotel he was staying. One quick look told him that everyone near them was staring at their corner. "Fine," he said, standing up. "My room. Now."

Heero stood as well, grabbing his jacket from the chair beside his own, and followed the quickly disappearing chestnut braid.

The ride up to Duo's room was very tense, as neither man was talking to the other. When the doors of the elevator opened, Duo breezed out, not looking back to see if Heero was going to follow him this time. He only stopped when he reached his door, and felt Heero stop beside him as he placed his key in the handle. As soon as the it opened, they walked in, and Duo scrambled out of his dinner jacket, throwing it on his bed.

"Explain. Now."

Heero was astonished. /Duo is usually a lot more talkative than this. He actually sounds like I do normally./ He saw the other's violet eyes flashing in suppressed anger and something else he couldn't identify. "Explain what, Duo?"

"Oh, *don't* play dumb, Heero. It does *not* suit you. You know *damn* well what I mean. Now, EXPLAIN!"

Heero took a deep breath, and steeled himself for what he was about to divulge. "Wufei is more emotionally available than I am. That's why."

"*Fuck* that! That's *bullshit*, and you know it."

"It was true at the time."

"I didn't *care*! God, Heero, if you *knew* how hard it was to know that you were in the *next* bed, you…"

"I did. It wasn't easy for me either."

Duo deflated as though he was a balloon and someone had pricked him with a pin. "Shiiiiiiiit. You really thought you were doing what was best. Bastard."

Heero took a step towards Duo, but stopped. "I'm sorry."

"*Don't* you *dare* give me that. *Five* years, Yuy. Five long, painful years. And if you add the one and a half from the wars, that's *SIX* and a half years that I wanted you. Loved you from afar. I hate you."

Duo watched Heero flinch as if he had been smacked and got a second wind.

"Your unselfish thinking not only made you miserable, it made you *stupid*. You never once thought about what *you* wanted. Only what you thought was best. GAH!" He threw his hands up in frustration and sat down on his bed.

Heero nodded. "I thought that's what might happen. I'll go home now." He turned toward the door, but turned back for an instant. An instant that the Heero from the wars would never have granted himself. "But Duo--It was good to see you again. You look...really good."

Duo jumped up from the bed, and grabbed one of Heero's arms. "Damn it, Heero! You can't just walk away from this again! You did that *last* time! Just walking away is NOT going to solve this. Now, sit yourself down and start *talking* buddy."

They stood looking at each other for one long, tense moment before Heero made his decision, and sat.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Duo woke the next morning, feeling as if a five-pound weight had been lifted off his chest, only to be replaced by a ten-pound weight. /I told Heero how I felt. Shouldn't I feel happier?/ He sat up, and instantly regretted the decision. /Damn sun is flooding the room./ He looked over at the clock. /Nine AM? No, I can go back to sleep./

After about fifteen minutes of feigning sleep, he gave up. /Can't even get any more sleep. ARGH!/

Duo climbed out of bed and looked out his window at the busy city. /Let's see. Nine a.m. on a Wednesday morning. It's about 3 p.m. on L-2. Fine. I'm going to call room service for breakfast, then call Hilde to talk to her for a bit, and then, I'm going to call 'Fei for lunch./

An hour later, Duo was waiting for the connection to complete with Hilde. /Answer the damn phone, Hilde!/ Soon, he got the answering machine of the salvage yard. /What the hell are you doing, Hill? I wonder…/ He hung up the phone, and dialed up Hilde and Mike's house. Mike answered after the second ring.

"Duo! How's it going, man? Hilde told me you called yesterday. I'm sorry I missed you," the brown haired man said, smiling.

"Hey, Mike. Yeah, I called yesterday. I'm good, but I really need to talk to Hilde. Is she around?"

Mike looked around the room, and walked off screen, only to be replaced by Hilde. She was a sight to see, her hair everywhere, clothes rumpled and out of place, and she had an odd look on her face. "DUO! How did dinner go last night? What time is it there?"

"About ten-thirty."

"And you're up?" She looked closely at the screen. "You aren't sick, are you?"

"No, Mother. I'm fine. Well, no, not really, but I'm alive, so that's saying something, ain't it?"

Hilde's smile was immediately replaced by a look of utter concern. "Tell me what happened. Now!"

Duo sighed, gathering his thoughts as quickly as possibly, and decided that he should just spit it all out. Unfortunately, it was all in one breath. "IhaddinnerwithHeeroandthingsweregoinggreatuntilIopenedmybigmouthforthereasonIcamehereand hesaidhelovedmebutthatheneverdidanythingbecauseWufeiwasinlovewithmeandHeerothoughtthat Wufeiwoulddoabetterjobatmakingmehappy." He stopped, taking a deep breath.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on! You told Heero that you loved him, and he said that he loved you, but that he never did anything because he knew Wufei loved you and thought that he would do a better job at making you happy? Do I have that right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna kill both him and Wufei!" She was pacing in front of the font. "So, what happened after that? I know you better, you did *NOT* just leave it there."

"Well, by that time, we were kinda creating a scene in the restaurant, so we came back up to my room."

"AND??"

"He told me that he thought Wufei was better because he was more "emotionally available". I wanted to clobber him, Hill. I really did. And then, I went off, told him he was stupid because he made not just me, but himself, miserable for *five* years. I kinda said I hated him."

"Oh, Duo, you didn't…"

"I did, Hill. I did, and he looked as if I had smacked him, but I didn't stop. I just keep yelling. Finally, he apologized, and tried to leave, but I stopped him from making that mistake again."

"GOOD! So, what happened?"

"He sat down, and we talked for hours." Duo sighed. "Hill, I really screwed up this time, and before I can do anything else, I gotta talk to 'Fei about this."

Hilde gave him a weak smile. "Yeah, you do, and if anything happens, tell him I will kill him."

"Hill, he's *married*, and has a *kid* on the way."

"Wow… So, when did you find *this* juicy bit of info out?"

"Well, I found out the traitor got married when I went searching for info about the guys while searching for Hee-chan. He married *Sally*."

"Shit…"

"But, I talked to him before I went to dinner with Heero. He didn't even say anything about his feelings then. He just wished me luck, and told me to call him and let him know if he should hunt Heero down. He even reinforced our *friendship*. Dammit, I want to strangle them both."

"I'll help."

Duo broke out into laughs. "Thanks, Hill, but you got a salvage yard to run while I'm away." He stopped, narrowing his eyes. "Which reminds me… Why aren't you at *work*?"

Hilde blushed a crimson red. "Um, Mike suggested that we take the day off since there weren't any big orders, and we *do* have that assistant manager now."

Duo groaned. "Don't *remind* me. That kid is worse that Quatre hyped up on sugar."

"Yeah, I know, but he does a great job, and besides, he worships the ground you walk on." She winked.

"Awww, man, that's great. I got one friend slacking off to be with her boyfriend, one friend who all but *lied* to be for about five years, and another one who I would *LOVE* to be with but has his head up his ass. Somebody up there loves me." He placed his head in his hands.

"Aw, Duo, if you want to come home, then do so. Mike and I will understand, hon."

"Yeah, I know, but I gotta work this out. I want to know if I stand *any* chance with Heero." He looked dead at the vid-phone. "Hill, I really *do* love him, yanno?"

"I do, Duo, I do. That's why I wanted you to take this trip, but so help me God, if he hurts you again, I will castrate him, kill him slowly, and then raise Ojou-san's kid myself."

Duo gave a sad laugh. "Thanks, Hilde." He looked at the clock. "Hmmm, if I'm gonna call 'Fei about lunch, I had better do it now. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah, and call me afterwards. I want to know what happens with that…Wufei. Okay?"

"Sure, no prob, Hill. Call ya later."

"Bye, Duo."

"Bye, Hilde." He cut the connection, and took a deep breath before dialing Wufei's home number. /Might as well try here first./ Sally's face popped up, after a few rings.

"DUO! Oh my god, Duo, how *are* you?" She seemed genuinely happy to see him.

"I've been better, Sally. How are *you*? I talked to Wufei yesterday, and he told me the good news."

Sally blushed all over. "Well, yes, Wufei told me. He came home *very* excited, almost bubbling over. And you know he is *never* like that. So I had to ask him what happened. I'm glad you two are talking again. He seems to be a different man, all of a sudden." She stopped, flipping her blonde hair behind her. "I'm sort of jealous now."

/You shouldn't be,/ Duo thought. "Heh, don't be. He *married* you, didn't he?"

"You have no idea how *long* it took him to finally do it. I thought he really didn't like me, even though we had been dating almost exclusively for over two years." She smiled.

/Curiouser and curiouser./ "So, speaking of Wufei, where is he?" Duo gave her the most impressive smile he could manage in his state of chaos.

"He has today off, so that means he is either in his study, or outside." She looked around the house. "Hold on, I'll go get him."

"Sure thing." Duo watched the beaming Chinese woman walk off screen. /They have a lovely home from what I can tell. *I'm* the one who's jealous./

"Duo?" a familiar voice said.

Duo shook his head, and saw his "best friend" looking back at him. He gave a weak smile and said, "Hiya, 'Fei. I didn't know you *took* days off from being a Preventer? I thought you always worked." He winked.

"Things are *far* more different now." Wufei blushed faintly. "So, how may I help you?"

Duo watched as Wufei expertly changed subjects, but didn't protest. "Well, I know that every ex-pilot but me lives in Paris now, for some god awful reason, and I was wondering if you would like to come to lunch with me."

"I have nothing pressing at the moment. Would you like for Sally to come? She would like to see you."

"No, I need to talk to you, *alone*," Duo said.

A look of confusion passed across Wufei's face. "Of course, Duo. What time?"

"Hmm, it's what? 11 am or so. Why not make it 12:30? That way I can shower and make it there on time."

Wufei scoffed. "You? *On* time. I will expect you at one. Now, where are we meeting?"

"Well, you live here. You know any good places?"

Wufei's brow furrowed in thought. "Well, there is a rather nice café not to far from your hotel. We can meet there."

"Twelve-thirty, 'Fei," Duo said, sternly.

"Yes, Duo. Twelve-thirty. It should be across the street, and a few shops down on your right. I will find us an outdoor table. I will see you then."

Duo smiled. "Yep. Talk to ya then. Bye, 'Fei."

"Good-bye, Duo."

When Wufei's face disappeared from the screen, Duo sat staring at the blank monitor. /What the hell have I just gotten myself into?/

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Wufei sat at the café, awaiting his braided friend's arrival. /He looked very anxious over the vid-phone. I wonder how things went last night./ He saw a familiar build with a wildly swinging braid approximately six meters away and continuing, in the wrong direction. Wufei stood, and called out. "Maxwell, over *here*. You are going the wrong *way*."

The American spun around and smiled brightly when he saw his friend. Lightly jogging, he arrived at the outdoor table of a modest café. He was red, but Wufei was having trouble telling whether it was from embarrassment or exertion. "Uh, sorry about that, Fei, but you didn't say which way to go from the hotel, so I just picked one way," Duo said, scratching his head and smiling, obviously embarrassed.

"Yes, I did, Duo. I said it was on your right."

"Well, you didn't say whether it was facing towards or away from the hotel."

"DUO."

"Er, sorry about that." Duo sat down in the other seat. "So, did you order anything yet?"

"No, I was awaiting your arrival." The Chinese man allowed himself a small smile, and looked at his friend. "So, how did things go last night with Yuy?"

Duo looked up, and flashed a grin. "You don't waste time do you?" A wistful look crossed his heart-shaped face. "It could have gone better."

Wufei waited for his friend to continue. After a few minutes, it seemed he was going to have to drag the information from Duo. "Care to explain?"

The violet-eyed man sighed. "Well, I told him, in my usual manner of spitting things out." Wufei snorted, but didn't interrupt. "And, he *understood* me. Then, he told me why he never said how *he* felt."

"Oh? And that would be what?"

"You." Duo looked pointedly at Wufei.

"Me?!" Wufei sputtered. "What about me?"

Duo sighed heavily. "There's no way to break this to you gently, so don't freak on me, okay? But Heero thinks you had feelings for me."

Wufei's face paled slightly, but said nothing.

The braided man just sat there, looking above his friend's head. "The guy has like *no* self-esteem, so he decided you would obviously be better for me, and never even tried. Of course, since he's a total IDIOT, he didn't think that he might be WRONG."

Wufei took a deep breath to collect himself. "Heero... wasn't entirely... incorrect."

Duo was dumbfounded, and spent a few minutes looking like a floundering fish. Finally, he regained his ability to speak. "What?" he croaked.

Wufei leaned back in his chair, and steepled his hands, looking at the table in front of him rather than his companion. "I was interested."

"You...? You never said... I had no idea..."

A small, sad smile crossed Wufei's face. "As I intended."

Duo felt the rush of anger boil in him, but he kept in check. "Is that why you never let me know you were back from that "mission of indeterminate length"?" He paused, allowing for Wufei to say something, but the black-haired man was silent. "I see. Do you have ANY idea how worried I started getting? How it fucking *hurt* when I found out you'd not only been back safely for *months*, but you'd gotten *married*--?! Dammit, you're having a *kid* and I didn't even know if you were *alive*--!"

Wufei sighed, and finally raised his black eyes to the flashing violet eyes of Duo. "Duo, I… I didn't mean to hurt you. I wanted you to be happy, and I knew that no matter what I did, you would never see me as anything but your friend."

Duo's face colored, and his voice came out strained. "Everyone did what they thought was best for me. They all wanted me to be "happy". *No* one bothered to *consult* me on what *I* wanted." He stopped, and his voice sounded sad as he spoke next. "Not that I was any better. I let Heero go because I thought he was in love with Relena, and that he deserved some normalcy after the war, and well… Have you ever *seen* J? He looks creepy." Duo shuddered.

"Yes." Wufei's voice seemed sad as well. "I only wanted you to be…"

"Don't say it. I *know*. Happy." Duo opened his mouth to say more, but was interrupted by the waitress.

The two men placed their orders, and sat quietly while awaiting the waitress's return with the food. When they received their plates, Duo only picked at the food before him. Wufei watched him do so, until he finally spoke again. "Duo, did something else happen?" he asked quietly.

"Well, besides his revelation and my own, we continued our discussion in my room."

Wufei elegantly raised one eyebrow.

Duo blushed. "Not like *that*, though I wouldn't have objected… We actually *did* talk. Most of the evening… I don't remember everything we said, but I did enjoy hearing about some stuff Ojou-san used to say to him." Duo felt a smile creep across his face. "Seems that after Relena got married, she tried to push Heero into finding someone for himself."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and well, when he told her he was really looking for anyone, she tried hooking him up." Duo snorted. "Can you see Heero on a blind date?"

Wufei fought back a laugh. "Not really."

They spent the rest of their meal just chatting about things that had happened in the last two years since they last talked. Duo shared stories about Hilde and Mike and the employees at the scrap yard. The yard had expanded to require ten employees besides Duo, Hilde and Mike. He also talked about his other friends. Finally, he described his twenty-first birthday party.

"I'm sorry that I missed it. It sounds as if it was a lot of fun," Wufei said, wistfully.

"Nah, it was okay, but they are *so* not your crowd," Duo said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Wufei shot back, knitting his eyebrows.

"Nothing, except you don't really drink, and you don't dance."

The Chinese man scoffed. "Shows how much you know."

The American face-vaulted. "What? You get plastered off your ass and then dance till you can't stand?"

"Well, not really," Wufei, blushing, said.

"I didn't think so." Duo paused for a moment, thinking. "But, you *can* make it up to me for missing the party."

Wufei shot him a skeptical look.

"No, nothing bad. But, how about the five of us get together. At your expense, of course." Duo's eyes flashed as he smiled brightly.

"O~kay." Wufei looked at his watch. "La shi! It's almost three thirty." He looked up at his friend. "I have to go home and help Sally "paint the nursery". She is insisting upon it. We will talk later, right?"

"Yeah. Have fun, Baba-Fei."

Wufei winced, but stood up, placing money on the table. Duo shoved it back at him.

"It's on me." He snickered at the perplexed expression Wufei had. "Look, I invited you to lunch, and I kept you out for nearly 3 hours. I'm paying. You get to go home and help your *pregnant* wife paint a nursery." Duo stood as well, shaking his braid so it fell into its proper position. "I'll call you later. Zai jian, Wufei."

Wufei was shocked. "Good bye to you too, Duo." He looked at his watch again, and took off running.

Duo snickered, pulling out money to pay for lunch. /Guess he thought I would never learn Chinese, eh?/ He dropped the money on the table, with a large tip for the waitress.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Duo called Hilde as soon as he got back to the hotel. He told her everything that happened with Wufei, and the conversation they had after their "confrontation". Duo was glad to see his other best friend so amused at the fact that he shocked Wufei. He was about to end the call when Mike came and requested his girlfriend back.

"Glad to hear things went well, D, but *we* have a business to run. Seems there's more stuff to do now that you're gone," Mike said.

"Heh, tell that to Hill. She keeps saying I'm lazy and I don't do anything around there."

"Yeah, but you love it. Don't deny it."

"Did I try?" Duo feigned innocence. "Well, I'll see you guys in a few days."

"Coming home so soon?" Hilde's face popped up. She looked like a rabid mother cat.

Duo's face fell. "Yeah. I've done everything I came to do. I don't know what else I expected to happen." He sniffled a little, but smiled anyway. "Besides, I miss you two. Who else is gonna make the runts happy when you go psycho, Hill?"

"I've been trying," Mike said. "But, I am *not* you. I'm more likely to go into hiding *with* them, than to coax them to go back to work."

Hilde punched her boyfriend, and gave Duo a raspberry. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, so, you let us know when you have your flight booked, and we'll come and get you from the space port." Her face grew serious. "I love ya, lazy ass, and I *do* miss you."

"Yeah, I miss you too, slave driver. I'll talk to you guys soon. Gotta go."

"Bye!" Hilde and Mike chorused, and then the phone went dead.

"Bye," Duo said sadly. He got up, heading for the bathroom when the phone rang. He looked at the number, but didn't recognize it, until the name "Winner-Barton" flashed.

/Quatre? How did he know I was here? Wufei? Or Heero? Shit!/ He picked up the phone. "Quatre Raberba Winner-Barton, I could *strangle* you right now!" he growled.

"Nice to hear from you too, Duo," a calm female voice said.

"Cathy?" Duo squeaked.

"Yes, Duo. It's me. I would ask why you want to strangle my brother-in-law, but I'll just weasel it out of him later." The brunette giggled. "So, the reason I called is this. My brother and Quatre are throwing a party for me, and I wanted to invite everyone. I just got off the phone with Heero, and he told me where I could reach you. So, are you interested in coming?"

"You're kidding, right? Me? Turn down a *party*?" Duo tried to look offended. "Since when have *I* turned down an invite?"

Cathy made a bid deal of thinking. "Never, that I can think of."

"So, why are the lovebirds throwing you a party?"

She flashed a hand at him, showing him a large diamond.

Duo gaped. "So, uh, who's the masochist?" He shook his head. "I mean, who's the lucky guy?"

She beamed happily. "Auda!"

Duo blinked, repeatedly. "Auda, as in one of Quatre's forty henchmen, Auda?"

"Do you *know* another Auda?" Her green eyes were twinkling.

"No."

"Then, yep, that Auda."

"Congrats. Man, where did he find the money to get you that?"

Cathy smiled again. "I didn't ask, but I think Quatre had something to do with it. Ok, so the party is tomorrow night at 8pm. We're here at the Paris mansion." She looked around the room she was in, and then leaned closer towards the screen of the phone. "I don't care *what* Quatre says, this place is *huge*."

Duo snickered. "Yeah, I always told Q that his sense of scale was off. So, I'll see you tomorrow night."

She straightened up. "Yep."

"Hey, Cathy, let me speak to the little shithead." He shook his head. "I mean, let me talk to Quatre."

She blinked. "Sure, Duo, hold on." She put the phone on hold. Duo sat there looking at the beautifully decorated walls.

/So, Cathy and Auda? That's one I didn't see./ His smile faded. /I can't *believe* Quatre didn't tell me *anything* about all this shit. He's the only one who has been in contact with the three of us, and he never *once* mentioned that he knew where Heero and Wufei were./

"Duo, hello. I heard you were in town." Quatre's sunny face beamed into view.

"Hi, Quat. I should hurt you, you know," Duo said icily.

Quatre gave Duo a confused look. "What are you talking about, Duo?"

"Why didn't you tell me that you *knew* where Wufei and Heero were?"

Quatre took a deep breath. "They asked me not to."

"WHAT?" Duo yelled. "What the *fuck* are you talking about?"

Quatre looked close to tears. "Look, I *told* them that you weren't going to be happy when you found out, but they insisted. Separately, which was what confused me." He sighed. "I'm so sorry, Duo."

Duo swallowed the lump in his throat. "Did they at least say *why*?"

"Yes, but I'm sure you know why they did it." Quatre gave Duo a weak smile that didn't quite reach his aquamarine eyes. "Look, I know Cathy invited you for the party tomorrow, but why not stay with us tonight. We have plenty of room, and we can talk all night like we used to on missions."

Duo thought that over. "Ok, Quatre, you win, *and* you get to live, but you *will* explain more of this to me when I get there."

The blond gave him a sincere smile. "Of course, Duo. I'll send someone to come and get you."

"Thanks, buddy. See you soon then."

"Yes, definitely. Bye, Duo."

"Bye." Duo hung up the phone, and started rummaging through his luggage for some that he could take to Quatre's.

/Dammit, just when things get good again, the shit hits the fan,/ he thought, as a knock sounded on his door.

TBC
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Part 4
Title: A Child's Love 4/? Author: Makoto Sagara Category: Romance, Angst Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xS, OCxH, 6x9, AudaxC Rating: PG-13 Warnings: SHONEN AI!, Language, angst, OOC, set 5 years after EW

Disclaimers: I don't own Gundam Wing. It is owned by Sunrise, Sotsu Agency, Bandai, and other nice Japanese companies that bothered to release it. I don't make any money off of this piece of *fanfiction*. It's just for my readers. ^_^

A/N: Well, I got my first flame for this story. And I *laugh* at their futile attempt to deter me. Such idiocy and homophobia will *not* be taken seriously. "Just leave it to some idiot on the inernet to betray one of my favorite carters into a gay guy!" Excuse me, but the word is *internet* not inernet, which isn't a word at all. And the other word is *characters*. I laugh at your fears and inhibitions. ^_^; Thank you to everyone *else* who reviewed. Your continuing support and comments are wonderful. I hope you will stay with me. I am also sorry that the last chapter had so little of Duo and Heero, and *none* of little Allilon. The *getting to know you* chapters are always the worst. I promise you more in this chapter. ^_^v

Dedication: To Angel, who started this thing, and to LV and Jo for helping me get over my writer's block. ^__^

Summary of last chapter: Duo and Heero have a fight, and before Heero can walk away, Duo makes him stay to talk. Duo goes to lunch with Wufei to talk about feelings. Cathy calls Duo to invite him to her engagement party, and Duo ends up talking to Quatre about a few things the blond left out.

Symbols: /blah/ thoughts *blah* emphasized words *~*~*~* major scene change or POV change *~~~~~* minor scene change

Duo had just gotten some clothes into a bag, when there was a knock on the door to his hotel room. /Wonder who it is?/ He stood, and strolled to open said door. Standing in front of him was Heero.

"Heero?" To say Duo was surprised would have been an understatement.

"Hello, Duo. May I come in?" The brown-haired man gave a small smile as Duo's eyes became normal size again.

"Um, yeah, sure." Duo moved out of the way, letting Heero enter, and shut the door behind him. "I'm waiting for someone to come and pick me up, so I can go see Q and Tro. So, I don't know how much time I have."

"Well, I'm here to pick you up, evidently," Heero stated.

"You?" Duo fought back the joy swelling inside him. "Where's Allilon?"

"With Quatre, Trowa, Zechs, Noin, and Joshua."

"Joshua?" Duo blinked a few times. "Who's Joshua?"

"Well, little 'Joshie' is the son of Zechs and Noin."

Duo smacked his forehead dramatically. "Duh. I *should* have known that. Noin was about to drop the kid at Q and T's wedding." He smiled fondly at the memory. "You missed one hell of a party, Heero."

"So I've been reminded quite a few times. I was unavailable. As was a very pregnant Relena and her husband." Heero shrugged in turn.

"Yeah, I was kinda disappointed you didn't come. And of course, Wufei was there. How long have those two been married now? Three years?"

"Yes, it will be four in January. I heard all about your antics afterwards, of course."

Duo grinned sheepishly, scratching his head nervously. "Yeah, I got carried away. I told myself that after that *fiasco* I would take it easy with the sake and champagne."

Heero snorted. "So, how have you been doing with it?"

Duo beamed happily. "I haven't done anything like that since. I always stop before I'm tempted to start singing in Arabic." He laughed nervously, and Heero even gave a small laugh.

/He's so gorgeous when he smiles and laughs. He's *so* open now. I wish I could have been there for his first real smile,/ Duo thought, a little bitterness coming through as his smile falter, and then gave way totally.

Heero watched Duo's face as it fell, and frowned. /He seemed so relaxed, and now he seems to be upset by something. Well, I told Quatre I would have him there soon, and we have been standing here for.../ He looked at his watch. /Ten minutes. We should really get moving./ "Um, Duo, I think Quatre will be worried if we aren't back in the forty-five minutes I said it would take to retrieve you."

Duo sighed and then snorted. "Yeah, and then he will drive everyone else insane." He grabbed his bag, and walked to the door. He threw a look over his shoulder at the Japanese man, standing in the middle of the room with an amused look on his face. "Well, you coming or not? I'd rather not have Q- man jump me and you when we walk through his door for being late."

Heero smiled openly, and grabbed Duo's brush on the way out of the door. Holding it out to Duo, he said, "You were going to leave this, baka?"

Duo gave his best "I'm a baka, but you *know* you love me" grin. "Uh... *No*." He locked the door behind them, shoved the brush in his bag, and glided down the hall towards the elevators. "So, how is the kid?"

Heero shook his head fondly, as he followed Duo down the hall. "Allilon is fine. He and Joshua were playing nicely as I left. But, they are both three, so that can only last so long."

Duo smiled, smoothly entering the elevator when the doors opened. "Ah, well, I don't remember being that small, and none of my friends back home have kids, so I wouldn't know that much about it." He pressed the button for the lobby as Heero entered.

"Well, be prepared to be overwhelmed as soon as the door opens," Heero said quietly.

/Is he serious? Are those two *that* bad?/ Duo swallowed, very anxious to see what Heero really meant.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The drive was silent, as this was the first time Duo had seen Paris at night without being dead tired or just to hit a club. As they passed L'avenue des Champs Elysées, Duo saw the Eiffel Tower, lit with hundreds of lights.

/It's as beautiful as I always thought it would be. I wonder if I can go up there with Hee-chan one day soon. Like, before I go home./ He sighed, and pressed his flushed face to the cold glass of the car window. /I'm sitting about two feet from the man that I love, and yet I can't think of a damn thing to say. I don't want to start babbling. He already thinks I'm an idiot, and if I start rambling, he will just be justified in thinking so./

Heero looked over, fleetingly, at the quiet American next to him. /I wonder how things went today. He said he was going to call Wufei for lunch, and he *does* seem to be a *bit* more relaxed than he was when I left him yesterday. Ok, I guess I should just ask./ "Duo?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you have lunch with Wufei today?" Heero tried to keep his voice level.

"Shi de(1)," Duo muffled, his head still pressed against the window.

"How..." /Just spit it out, Yuy. It's not like he is going to lie to you./ "How did it go?"

"It went. I mean, everything is straightened out. Or it was, until I talked to Quatre." Duo finally removed his head from the window, eyes blazing. "Another thing, why did you tell Q not to tell me you where here in Paris? Did you know that Fei did the same *exact* thing?"

Heero swallowed around the lump in his throat. "I did it to protect you."

Duo growled. "Not that "I wanted you to be happy" crap again. If I hear that *one* more time, I might just deck the person who says it." He sighed. "Heero, I was a Gundam pilot, just like you. I fought in a war, a horrible gruesome war, that left me orphaned by anyone and everyone who I ever loved and respected. When it was over, I just wanted to be content, as much as a murderer can be." He put his head back on the glass.

"I had no idea that Chang had said the same thing to Quatre," Heero whispered.

Duo snorted in response, and muttered under his breath a single word: "Kichinto(2)."

Not another word was said until Heero pulled the car into the large estate of Quatre and Trowa. The braided man looked with disinterested appraisal at the large sloping lawns, the impeccable gardens, and the enormous house that were spread out before his eyes in the dark.

As soon as the car had pulled up beside the others in the drive and was off, Duo had his door open, bag in hand, and sprinted across the gravel driveway to the house, all before Heero even opened his door. /He moves fast when he wants to,/ Heero thought, watching Duo's braid sway in the distance. /Might as well go in./ He followed the violet-eyed form that was being swallowed up by the door.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The door was answered by a tall, lean, green-eyed man. Duo smiled and threw his arms around his friend. "Tro-WA! Long time, no see, man! How have you been?"

Trowa stood there, gasping for breath, when a smaller, blond-haired, blue- eyed man came up behind him. "Duo, you *have* to let him breathe."

Duo removed himself from the ex-pilot of Heavyarms, who was still struggling to breathe correctly. "Sorry 'bout that, T. I just haven't seen you two in a while." He gave them both a humungous grin. "So, sup?"

Quatre grinned in turn. "Things are getting a bit crowded here." He tried to look around Duo. "Where is Heero?"

At the sound of Heero's name, two boys came running up. Allilon and his cousin Joshua, who had blue-black hair and ice-blue eyes, collided into the legs of Trowa and Quatre, respectively. Allilon let out a blood chilling yell. "UNCLE HEERO! JOSHIE IS BEING MEAN TO ME!"

Duo just looked at the boys who barely came up to Quatre's waist, opening his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Joshie. "Nuh uh! You were being mean to me first. Alli's a big MEANIE-HEAD!"

"AM NOT!" Allilon took a peek through Trowa's long legs, spotted Heero, and then burst into tears.

"Cry baby!" Joshie yelled at his cousin.

A frazzled looking Noin came into the doorway, grabbing her son by his arm, and gently lead him away from the scene with a warning: "Don't be mean to Allilon, Joshua." The three childless men exchanged worried glances as Heero finally reached the door, and reached around Trowa to grab his "son".

The Japanese man gave the boy a stern look. "Why aren't you asleep? I thought you would be in bed by now."

The small boy wiped at his tears, and smiled. "Uncle Q said I could stay up till you got back with Mr. Maxswell." Duo blushed lightly, shrugging when Quatre and Trowa gave him quizzical looks.

Heero glared at the blond, who tried to hid behind his husband. "He did, did he?" Heero looked at Allilon, and the glare faded quickly. "Well, Mr. Maxwell and I are here now."

Trowa turned to his lover behind him, and Duo could have sworn he mouthed something that looked suspiciously like "I told you not to do that." Duo chuckled, bending down to the small boy so he was at the same level. "Hey, Alli-kun, how are ya?"

Allilon gave him a shy smile. "I'm fine, Mr. Maxswell."

Duo shook his head fondly. "None of this Mr. Maxwell stuff. I keep looking around for Father Maxwell." He stuck his hand out. "I'm Duo. Nice to meetcha!"

Allilon giggled, and then gave the American a big hug. "Hi, Duo!" He pulled himself away from the sudden embrace, and looked at the other three men surrounding them. "Uncle Heero, Uncle Q, can I show Duo the room you said was mine?"

Quatre smiled from his position behind Trowa, and spoke clearly. "Sure. You know where it is, right?"

"Yep! It's next to Uncle Heero's room with the two beds," the boy said innocently. "And, it's next to Joshie's room!" He gave a look that made it seem he had a bad taste in his mouth.

Duo stood up, and offered his hand to the boy. "Well, Alli-kun, lead the way."

"Huh?"

Duo gave a small laugh. "Show me where your room is."

"Ok!" Allilon comically drug Duo past Trowa and Quatre, and through the rest of the house. Duo waved and yelled hello to everyone as they walked past the room filled with people.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Duo came down the stairs an hour later, walking into the parlour area, to find all the adults sitting around in what could only be called couples. Cathy and Auda where sitting near the large fireplace, with Trowa and Quatre close by. On the other side of the engaged couple sat Wufei and Sally. /Traitor,/ Duo thought sourly. Zechs and a *much* calmer looking Noin were sitting close to the Chinese couple; the women chatting happily while the men spoke in quiet tones. And then there was Heero, sitting by himself, and the only place to sit, besides the floor, was right *next* to him.

/I smell a set up in here somewhere. I know for a *fact* that Q and Tro have more furniture than this. And why in *hell* are there only five *loveseats* in this enormous room?/ Sighing, Duo took the seat next to Heero. Sneaking a look at Heero, Duo fingered the end of his braid nervously. He looked over to his left where Quatre was smiling and laughing with Trowa, Cathy, and Auda. /Oh, yeah, definitely a set up. Those four,/ he shot another look at the hosts of the evening, /had something to do with this. And if I know Q, and I do, there is more to come./

Noin looked over at the abnormally quiet Duo. "So, Duo, why are *you* of all people being so quiet? I'm used to it by now from Heero and Trowa, but you?" She scoffed, and a few of the others in the room snickered.

"No reason. Just not much to say, I suppose," he responded softly.

"Someone check me for a fever," Auda said dramatically, falling into Cathy's lap. Cathy slapped him in response.

"Be nice, Hennuna(3)." She smacked him across his arm again, and faced Duo. "Don't pay any attention to him. He's been watching too much television lately." She smiled wistfully as her fiancé sat back up. "Melodrama, I think."

Duo snickered, smiling brightly. "It's ok. I'm used to Auda's brand of "humor". Got enough of it during the war, ne, Camel-boy?"

Nine pairs of eyes turned to the furiously blushing Arabian. He shrugged, and the look in his eyes promised lots of pain for the snickering American. "So, you did, Master Duo. So you did."

Duo felt a pair of eyes upon him, and slowly, he turned his head to the right, where a pair of cobalt eyes were giving him a questioning glance. /Curious, is he? Well, I'll tell him later./ "Later, Heero."

Heero shrugged, looking around the room at the very comfortable couples. He stopped at where Quatre and Trowa where seated. /I know Quatre sent me to pick Duo up for a reason. I even have a very good idea of what he is trying to do./ He looked at his watch, and used that to take a glance at Duo from the side of his eyes. /Duo looks at tired as I feel./

To the surprise of everyone in the room, the stoic man stood up from his seat. "Quatre, I think I'm going to go to bed, if you want me to help you out tomorrow," Heero said, and left the room.

Quatre blinked, looking at the clock on the far wall. "Well, everyone, it's now ten pm. We have a few options. Since you all will be helping set up the party tomorrow," he shot a look at Duo, "whether you knew it or not, you can either get some sleep now, or you can stay up."

Sally stood up, with Wufei closely behind her. "I think I will take Sally to bed," Wufei offered. "We will be down in the morning to help out, Quatre."

Duo watched as the Chinese couple left the room, holding hands, and sighed. "I'm still not used to this time difference. I think I need to get some sleep too." He looked around. "Hey! Where I'm from it's about 4 am."

Noin and Cathy snickered, while Zechs and Trowa coughed. Quatre shot a freezing look at the four of them. "Fine, Duo, let me show you to your room." He laced an arm through the American's. "Your bag should already be there."

Duo allowed himself to be lead through the house, yet again, without comment. /I should say something to him. Fuck it./ When they stopped in front of a door, Duo finally spoke, in a low voice. "I know what you are doing. I'm not stupid, Q-man. Stop trying to hook me up with Heero."

/He knows? No, he doesn't know how far I am planning to take this./ Quatre gave Duo a beguiling smile. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Duo."

Duo shook his head, wearily. "You always were a horrible liar, Q." He turned to his door. "But, thanks for inviting me over tonight. It would have been hard to be alone in my hotel room."

Quatre hugged Duo from behind. "Duo, you are always welcome here." He walked away. "Now, go get some sleep."

Duo watched the Arabian man disappear down the hall. "Sleep sounds good right now." He placed his hand on the doorknob and turned. When he opened the door, Heero was sitting on one of the beds.

"Heero? What are you doing in my room?"

Heero folded his arms across his chest. "This is my room, baka."

"QUATRE!"

TBC

(1)Shi de - Chinese for "yes" (2)Kichinto - Japanese for "precisely" (3)Hennuna - Arabic for "dear, honey"; a term of endearment (Took me *forever* to find a dictionary that would translate this for me. >_<)
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Part 5
Title: A Child's Love 5/?

Author: Makoto Sagara

Category: Romance, Angst

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xS, OCxH, AudaxC, 6x9

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Shonen-ai, language, angst, OOC, set 5 years after EW

Disclaimers: Don't own Gundam Wing or it's characters. I don't own the lyrics to "Cherry Lips (Go, Baby, Go)" by Garbage. I'm a poor college student. I don't even own my computer. Don't make any money off this piece of *fanfiction*. It's for my readers' enjoyment.

A/N: I have hit another patch of the evil Writer's Block. 'Tis the bane of my existence. Ok, so, last chapter wasn't *too* bad, was it? *ducks any objects that might be thrown and takes cover under her rock* I have come to believe I now live under this rock. Anyway, so, I'm still alive, and last chapter was *interesting*, right? Yeah, I'm gonna stop rambling now, but I want to thank all my readers who have reviewed. ^_^;;; I'm all warm and fuzzy now. P.S. The soap scene really did happen, although, it was my baby brother saying it, not my would-be-lover's little boy. ^_^;;;;

Dedication: To Angel, for starting this lovely madness, and Duo-chan, for picking up beta'ing this andGundam Diaries for me. *hugglz both* You are both utterly amazing women! LOVE YA!
Summary of last chapter: Heero came and picked Duo up from his hotel room to take him to Quatre's house for the night. There, Duo is dragged around by Allilon to see the rest of the house. Duo leaves Alli-kun to join the adults in the parlour, who are sitting in what can only be called "couples". Then, Quatre takes Duo to his room for the night, and Duo discovers he's not the only occupant.

Symbols: /blah/ thoughts

*blah* emphasized words

~blah~ song lyrics

*~*~*~* major scene change or POV change

*~~~~~* minor scene change

"QUATRE!" Duo yelled at the top of his lungs. He was surprised when his mouth was covered with a calloused hand, and Heero was standing right behind him.

"Would you be *quiet*?! Allilon is *right* next door. If you wake him up, I really *will* kill you this time," the Japanese man hissed. Duo's reply was muffled by the hand.

Heero pulled his hand from Duo's mouth, and moved back to one of the beds. He caught the look from the American, one that would have melted a glacier.

"How much of this did you know about, Heero?" Duo asked, irked to no end. Heero sighed deeply. /He isn't going to forgive me easily, is he?/

"Duo, I had no idea that Quatre was going to place us both in the same room. When I saw your bag in here, my suspicions were proven correct. It seems Winner et. al are conspiring to 'get us together.'" He sighed again. "Why would you assume that I knew anything about this?"

"Oh, I don't know. Quatre hardly could've known that I was here, unless you told him. This little plan of his is too well thought out for just a spur of a moment thing." Duo glared at the Japanese man sitting on one of the beds, while fiddling with his braid.

"I agree, but I still had no idea that he would go this far."

Duo threw himself on the other unoccupied bed. "So, when did you tell him? The second I left your house?"

"No, he called the next day. I told him that you had come into town," Heero stated calmly.

"I wonder why he didn't call me the moment you hung up."

"I'm not sure why he didn't either." Heero stifled a yawn, but stood up, walking to his bag. "I'll be back in a few moments."

"Hey, Heero, if you see the little plotting Arab, tell him that I'm going to get him back." Heero laughed.

"Will do," he said, shutting the bedroom door behind him.

/Damn you, Q! Always trying to stick your nose where it doesn't belong, aren't you?/ Duo thought, as his eyes grew heavy, and he drifted off to sleep.

Heero did indeed return a few moments later, in dark blue pyjamas, and saw that his roommate was already asleep, still fully dressed.

/I should at least take his shoes off,/ he thought, setting his day's clothes on top of his bag. He walked the short distance to the other bed, and stopped, staring at Duo. "Chikkusho(1)," he swore. "He would have to be utterly breathtaking asleep, wouldn't he?"

/And why shouldn't he?/ a voice said somewhere from inside of his head.

"I… I don't know."

/Wasn't he that beautiful during the war?/

"Just leave me alone," he gritted out. He jumped when the object of his internal war moved, moaning. "Shimatta," he whispered, getting onto his knees, slowly and carefully removing Duo's boots.

He let out the breath that he had been holding, and moved away from the bed, when Duo didn't wake up. He fell bonelessly into his own bed, trying to slow his racing heart. /Ha! Didn't think he would get to you so badly, did you?/ the voice asked again.

"Would you just leave me alone?" Heero whispered hoarsely.

/You're talking to yourself, Yuy. You're losing it. The next thing we'll know, you'll start babbling like the baka did during the war./

"Kami, just let me alone and allow me to sleep," his voice raising a few decibels.

"Hee-chan, shut up and let me sleep, or I'm gonna strangle you," Duo murmured sleepily.

/Now, that is the freakiest role reversal I have ever seen,/ Heero thought before shutting down his brain for the night.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Duo woke up the next morning, feeling a bit grimy. He sat up, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and looked around the strange room. /Q's house. Must remember to kill him. I'm in a guest room. Wait! Heero is in the other bed./ He looked at the slumbering man a few feet away from him.

He silently slipped from his bed, and walked over to the bag that was unmistakably his. Looking down at his feet, he noticed that his shoes were missing. /What the hell? I don't remember taking them off./ Then, he saw them neatly by his bed. /Hee… Heero took off my boots?/

Trying to forget the freaky world he had just been dumped into, he grabbed some fresh clothes and his brush, hoofing it to the bathroom across the hall. After a soothingly long shower, Duo dried off, dressing in record time, and tackled his hair.

/I wonder if I should cut it?/ He shook his head. /No, that's just crazy talk. My braid is my life./

"Besides, I kinda like the way that Heero looks at it," he whispered, tying off the end of the braid, letting it fall to his knees.

He had just walked into the room across the hall when his stomach growled loudly. He shut the door, and went to his bag, jumping when Heero spoke.

"When was the last time you ate, Duo?"

"Ah! Um, hi Heero. Didn't know you were awake," he babbled, turning around to face the brown-haired man, already dressed for the day.

"I was awake when you left for your shower," Heero stated calmly. "Now, answer the question. When did you eat last?"

Duo scratched his still damp hair. /When did I eat last? Lunch… Yesterday… With 'Fei… Was too upset to eat after that, and besides, it's not like I had much of an option after that./

"Duo? Are you ok?" Heero asked, sounding very worried for his friend.

"Yah, Heero, was just thinking. Last time I ate was yesterday's lunch with *Wufei*." He looked around. "So, um, about eighteen hours ago," Duo stated meekly, blushing.

Heero smiled. "What would Quatre, or Hilde, say in this situation? Ah, yes, you *have* to take care of yourself better, Duo. You're nothing but skin and bones."

Duo shuttered. "You are *far* too good at that."

"I should be. I heard it from Quatre and Trowa and Cathy after Relena's death. I was running myself ragged; work at the new Preventers' training school, funeral arrangements with Jean-Michel's family and raising Allilon." Duo came over, giving Heero a small comforting hug. At first, Heero was frozen at the sudden contact and soon he melted into the embrace.

"I'm sorry, Heero. That must have been hard," Duo muttered into the other man's shirt.

"Duo?" Heero said in a small voice. Duo looked up into the other's cobalt eyes.

"Yes, Heero?" he whispered.

"Um…" Heero felt that he was about to drown in the violet gaze that had trapped him. He leaned his head down, intending to kiss the fey creature in his arms… When a sudden knock on the door was heard, and Allilon's voice followed.

"Uncle Heero! Duo! Uncle Q says that breakfast is ready!"

"Scheiße(2)!" Duo swore. Heero dropped his arms, allowing Duo to step back.

"Are you cursing in German now?"

"Yes. I will thank Hilde later. Let's take the munchkin to eat." Duo glided to the door, and his arms were suddenly full of three year-old boy. "Alli-kun! Boy, you're energetic today."

"He's taking lessons from you, Baka." Duo turned around to stick his tongue out at Heero.

"Yeah, and he's a fast learner too. C'mon, kiddo. Let's go get some grub."

"What?" the little boy asked.

"Food. Let's go eat," Duo said, smiling widely.

"Yay! Come on, Uncle Heero. Uncle Q said to make sure you came too." Heero smiled.

"Of course, Allilon," he said, following his 'son' and Duo down into the crowded dining room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Quatre turned around as he heard the trio approach. /They look like a perfect little family. Heero is so relaxed, Duo is happy for the first time, and Allilon is ecstatic once again. It's been too long since either Heero or Allilon were this happy./ He smiled. /Not since Relena died./ His smile faded for a second, before he straightened it out.

"Good morning, Duo," he said, sweetly. "You look much better this morning."

Duo's smiled darkened. "Yes, I slept *very* well, thank you, Quatre." He looked around the room; all the adults were giving him mildly curious looks.

"Allilon, Uncle T made us chocolate chip pancakes!" Joshie yelled, coming up to stand next to his cousin.

"I made some for you too, Duo," Trowa's voice carried from the kitchen.

"Have I told you lately that I love you, Tro?" Duo asked in a sing song voice.

"No, not recently," Trowa replied. Duo ran into the kitchen and glomped the European, who had smartly moved away from the stove. All the other adults smiled and laughed.

"Mommy, why is Mr. Duo so funny?" Joshie asked, pulling on Noin's pants. Zechs bent down next to his son.

"Joshie, Duo is just special. That is how he usually acts," he said, patting the boy's dark head.

"Joshie, honey, why don't you and Allilon go sit at your table, and I will bring you your pancakes?" Noin asked.

"Ok, Mommy," the dark-haired boy said, dragging his unsuspecting cousin to the small table in the corner of the room.

Quatre went into the kitchen, grabbed a few plates, and took them out to the dining room table, where everyone but Duo, Trowa, and himself were seated. Zechs was sitting next to his wife, with Heero on the other side. Both ends of the table were empty, and there was an empty spot, next to Wufei. He frowned. The empty spot was supposed to be next to Heero…

He looked and saw that Auda was sitting next to Heero, whispering something into the silent man's ear. Quatre leaned over, and whispered in the other Arab's ear.

"Why are you not sitting next to my lovely sister?"

Auda started and looked up. "I was just telling Master Heero about something that Master Duo did during the war. I was going to sit next to my lovely jewel in a moment," he said hastily.

"Of course you were," Quatre said, smiling, almost maliciously. Auda made a rather fast retreat to his seat, between Cathy and Wufei. Quatre's smile faded into something that was normal for the blond. "Trowa-love, Duo, are you two planning on joining us any time soon?" he asked, sitting at the end of the table near Cathy and Heero.

"Course, Q," Duo said, all but hopping out of the kitchen. He stopped, seeing that his only choices for seating where either next to Sally and Noin, or Heero and Zechs. He furrowed his forehead, and took the seat next to Heero, making sure to shot a dark look to Quatre.

Trowa appeared out of the kitchen with more plates, putting them down on the table, and sitting at the other end of the table. As soon as the other host had taken his seat, the breakfasters dug in, conversation lost in the rather animated eating frenzy.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When all the adults were finished, and Allilon and Joshua were sitting in their daddies' laps, Quatre stood up.

"Now that we are all awake and fed, I am going to be explaining what needs to be done for Cathy and Auda's party. First of all, Cathy and Auda, I refuse to let you do anything today. You will be going out for the day to relax; no arguments!"

"You'll get none from me, brother dear," Cathy interjected, which caused everyone around the table to smile and laughed politely. Quatre gave a loving look to his sister-in-law.

"As for the rest of us," he continued, "we will be doing various things. Trowa and Wufei will be cooking. Sally, you will keep an eye on the little ones." Sally grinned.

"Trying to wear me out, Winner?" the Chinese woman asked.

"No, just thought you would like the experience," he said, winking. "Heero and Duo, you will be in charge of decorating. Noin and Zechs, you will be doing the shopping. And I will be working on the entertainment, and I will be seeing to it that the other guests will be looked after when they arrive." He sat back down.

"Oh, Q's playing matchmaker again. How fun," Duo muttered, noting the fact that he had been 'assigned' to work with Heero for the day.

Heero and Zechs exchanged glances around the American. Zechs had one pale eyebrow raised, and Heero just gave the former Prince a look that let him know he was just as curious.

"Okay everyone, let's get to it," Quatre said, the enthusiasm spilling out of him. The ten adults stood, Heero and Zechs still holding their children, and were about to leave when Wufei spoke up.

"Excuse me, Winner, how many guests do you expect to be here for this evening's event?"

"Yes, Quatre, that is a good idea," Noin said.

"Oh, I expect about 250 guests, at least." Everyone, but Trowa, Cathy, and Auda, face-vaulted.

"250? Winner, who is coming?" Wufei said, the surprise in his voice *very* evident.

"Well, I invited my sisters, the Maguanacs Corps, Cathy's circus, Lady Une and Mariemaia, a few politicians, and Auda's family. That is not a lot, really. Oh, and of course, you six will be there. I also expect some of the Maguanacs to bring their families, is that not so, Auda?"

"That is true, Master Quatre."

"Ye Gods, Q, you could have told us before. Two people cooking isn't going to be enough!" Duo said. Quatre, Trowa and Cathy started laughing, much to the annoyance of the others present.

"Oh, Duo, Trowa and Wufei aren't going to be cooking *dinner*!" Quatre managed between large guffaws. "The caterers will be dealing with that mess. Trowa and Wufei will be making simple appetizers," he finished, still laughing hard.

Wufei took a rather deep breath. "Thank is comforting to know, at least. Well, Barton, I suppose we should get started. I believe that our task will be the hardest."

"Speak for yourself, husband mine. I will be in charge of our dear princes for the day," Sally said, reaching out to take both boys, who all but jumped into her arms.

Quatre watched as Wufei and Trowa left the room for the kitchen, Cathy and Auda for parts unknown, and Sally for the play room that the boys had been in the day before. Shaking his head whimsically, he turned to Zechs and Noin, giving them a large shopping list and a bulging envelope.

"I believe you will need this," he said. Zechs looked at the list, and his eyes bulged out of their sockets.

"Come on, Lu. This will take us all day to get, and we will still have to get it to Wufei and Trowa," he said, sounding like someone had asked him to go find all the pieces of Epyon and rebuild it with only a screwdriver and a spatula. Noin took one look at the list and turned towards the exit, a certain stiffness in her carriage, with Zechs following closely.

That only left Duo, Heero, and Quatre in the room together, which was the exact opportunity Duo had been looking for. While he was annoyed with his friend for all his plotting, he *did* have something to thank him for, but then again…. He walked over to the blond.

"Quatre, I thought I asked you to let it rest last night. I thank you for you wanting me to be happy, but you are going *way* too far with this," he whispered. "Let it rest." Quatre looked at Duo, giving him an innocent smile that did *not* fool Duo, or Heero, for that matter.

"Duo, you are starting to sound paranoid, my friend. You and Heero will be decorating the ballroom, parlour, and dining room," he said, still smiling.

"That is no small task, Winner," Heero said, finally adding to the conversation.

"That's why you are starting so early. The decorations are in the attic, but there are some chairs and things in the basement that we will want to use. I'll help you get those, but after that, you two are on your own."

"Great…" Duo replied sarcastically. "Lead the way, Oh Master of Torture."

"Nah, that's *your* title, Duo. I could *never* take it from you, but follow me. This might take a while," Quatre said, leaving the room.

Heero and Duo exchanged *very* worried looks, and then took off to catch up with the blond.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Duo and Heero spent the rest of the morning, and most of the afternoon, decorating the three enormous rooms. They spent most of the time at opposite ends of the rooms, but when they brushed up against each other a few times, their pulses raced and they ended up blushing.

Duo shot a look at Heero hanging up some crêpe paper in the dining room. /Damn, those jeans hug every inch of his legs and ass,/ he thought, blowing his bangs out of his face.

Heero stiffened suddenly. /He's staring at me. If I turn around, his beautiful eyes will be fixated on me, won't they?/ He ran a hand through his messy hair, amazingly staying perfectly balanced on the ladder he was standing on.

/He looks so *good* when he does that,/ Duo thought, putting the leftover decorations into a large box. "Heero? You done over there?" Heero took a deep breath before he spoke.

"Yes, Duo. I am finished," he said, stepping down the ladder.

"Great!" Quatre's voice rang throughout the large room. Duo and Heero turned around quickly to face the blond, who was smiling. /They look as if I just walked into a very intimate moment. The plan is working better than I thought it would./ He looked at his watch, trying to hide his face as his smile grew larger. "Well, we have about an hour before the party actually starts, so if you want to shower and see the kids, now is the time," he replied.

He was surprised when he was almost bowled over by the two men in their attempt to fly to the toy room. Quatre smiled widely. "Just as I planned."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Duo and Heero gave quick hellos to Sally, Heero grabbed Allilon, and they headed upstairs. They stared at one another as they stood in front of the door to their shared room. Heero set Allilon down.

"Ok, Allilon, you need a bath, and I need to get you dressed," he said mechanically. "I also need to shower and get dressed."

"Heero, why don't I give Allilon a bath and dress him, while you shower?" Heero looked up, surprised.

"Are you *sure*, Duo?"

"Yeah, why not? It'll take me longer to shower and get dressed than it will you. Besides, what are friends for?"

"Thank you, Duo." Heero looked *very* grateful, but there was still a bit of skepticism in his eyes too.

"No problem, Hee-chan. No worries, right?" Duo said, grabbing the little boy's hand and walking him to his room. "So, Allilon, is this your first big party?"

"Yes, Uncle Duo," Allilon said. Duo blushed at the familiar term, feeling a warm and fuzzy sensation spread throughout his body. /One day, I gotta get me a kid./

"Great, this should be tons of fun," he said, opening the door, and following the munchkin inside. He saw that the boy's room was fit with enough toys to last the child until he was at least ten. His brow furrowed in thought. "Do you stay here a lot, Alli-kun?"

"Sometimes Uncle Heero has to go away for a while, and Uncle Q and Uncle T watch me."

"Ah, so where are your clothes, kiddo?" Duo couldn't see any clothes laid out for the child. "Are they in the closet?" The little boy shrugged.

"Uncle Heero said that he was hanging my zoot in the closet." Duo smothered the laugh that he knew was bubbling up inside him, and walked to the other door, finding a pressed little suit, complete with little clip on bow-tie.

"Alright, Alli-kun, we'll deal with clothes after your bath. Let's hurry, before Uncle Q has a hissy fit," Duo said, picking the brown-haired boy up, and carrying him across the hall to an unoccupied bathroom. "You get undressed, and I'll run your water."

"Ok."

Duo turned on the taps, making sure the water was lukewarm. When the tub was half filled, he looked behind him, getting an eyeful of naked three year old. Blushing, Duo picked the boy up, and placed him in the water.

He looked around, grabbed a washcloth, and saw no sign of soap. /Ok, I know better. This is *Q's* house; there has to be some in every bathroom,/ he thought. /Maybe under the sink?/ Sure enough, when he opened the door to the cabinet under the sink, he was rewarded with many square bars of white soap.

"YAY! ICE CREAM!" Allilon said, seeing the small bar in Duo's hand. Duo blinked.

"No, Alli, it's soap," he remarked, patiently.

"YAY! SOAP!" Duo laughed, dipping the cloth and soap in the water. When he thought they were wet enough, he soaped up the rag, and tried not to look at the naked kid while washing him. /This is just *strange*. Maybe I should have let Heero deal with this,/ he thought. He was brought out of his inner-musings by a big splash of water, which caught him directly in the face.

"HEY!" he said, which caused Allilon to break out into giggles. "You ready to get outta here yet?"

"Yep!"

"Alright," Duo said, grabbing a towel off the rack and wrapping it around the boy, picking the boy, towel and all, out of the tub. "Ok, Alli-kun, time to get you dressed."

They left the bathroom, and had just made it to his door, when Heero appeared in a nice pair of black slacks and a blue shirt the exact same color of his eyes. Duo forgot what he was supposed to be doing as he stared at the gorgeous Japanese man in front of him.

"Duo?" Heero asked, watching the American's eyes glaze over with lust, which made his heart race. /Kuso, I wish he wouldn't do that when we are around Allilon…. I also wish all the blood wouldn't leave my brain when he looks at me like that./ "Duo?" he said a bit more forcefully, trying to clear his own mind.

"H-hai, Hee-chan?" Duo croaked out. /Damn, he looks so fucking hot… Fuck… Hm, that sounds like a good idea… Wait, I still have the kid in my arms. Bad Duo!/

"Are you and Allilon finished with his bath?" Heero managed.

"Um, yeah, we are."

"Good. I will dress him, while you are showering." /No, bad. I should *not* be thinking of him showering at a time like this. Shimatta,/ Heero berated himself, taking the boy from Duo, who was shaking his head.

"Um, sure. Thanks, Heero. Hey, Alli, see you in a bit, ok?" he said, poking the boy.

"Ok. Bye, Uncle Duo!"

Duo all but ran into the room he shared with Heero, leaning against the door when it was closed firmly. /Must. Not. Think. Of. Heero. In. Those. Slacks. Must. Not. Think. Of. Heero. In. *THOSE*. Jeans. From. Earlier./ He shook his head again, set out his clothes for after his shower, and grabbed a few bathroom essentials, before running across the hall to the bathroom.

Heero was having similar problems, but he couldn't dwell on them as much as Duo could, seeing as how he had a little boy to dress. He was having trouble speaking, so he just took the boy's clothes out and dressed him mechanically. He only snapped out of his trance when Allilon spoke to him.

"Uncle Heero, what's wrong with Uncle Duo?" Heero shook his head, and gave an inquisitive look to his 'son'.

"What do you mean, yuushi(3)?"

"He was acting funny when he saw you."

"It was nothing, Allilon. Here, put your shoes on," Heero said, handing the boy his shoes. /He is so perceptive for someone his age. I will have to talk to Duo about being a bit more careful around Allilon./

When Allilon had his shoes on, Heero took his hand and led him down the stairs. He was surprised when he heard a yelp from the boy. He turned around to see a pained look cross the small child's face.

"Allilon, daijoubu desu ka?"

"Hai, Uncle Heero, but aren't we going to wait for Uncle Duo?" Heero thought about that for a moment.

"No, Allilon, Uncle Duo will meet us downstairs at the big party, ok?" he said, smiling, and was rewarded with a smile from the brown-haired cherub.

"Okay!" the boy said, jumping into Heero's arms.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The party was well under way when Duo finally appeared. A few whistles from the women by the door of the ballroom caught Heero, Wufei, Quatre, and Trowa's attention. They all looked to see Duo, dressed entirely in black, from his *real* leather pants and boots, to his form-fitting, short-sleeved shirt. Heero felt his heart race and mouth grow dry as Duo walked over to the group of the ex-pilots, hips swaying seductively and followed by his long braid.

"Hiya, guys," Duo said, finally reaching his friends. "Have I missed anything important?" Quatre smiled widely, elbowing Trowa, whose eyes were bugging out of their sockets.

"Nothing too important, Duo. We are just about to start dinner," he said.

"Your timing is impeccable, as usual, Maxwell," Wufei said, trying to keep his own mind out of the gutter.

"Where are all the kids? It's an awful grown-up atmosphere in here."

"Play room. Noin, Sally, and Une are keeping an eye on them," Trowa said. "They offered. Sally said something about needing experience, and Une said something about Preventers' business."

"So, this isn't all about fun and celebrating the engagement?" Duo asked.

"Not quite," Heero said, finally able to find his voice. "But, we will talk about that later." He looked around the room.

/What the fuck? Why are they being so cryptic now? And why do I have a feeling that Une has something to do with this current change in attitude?/ Duo thought, smile planted firmly in place. "Um, food?"

"Oh, yes, I will let the caterers know about that now," Quatre said, walking off with Trowa in the direction of the kitchen. Duo then turned to Wufei.

"So, 'Fei, how was the cooking today?"

"It went fine, Maxwell," Wufei said, sounding a bit irritated. "I see the decorating went well."

"It went," Heero responded.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we will now be bringing dinner into the dining room. If you would kindly follow me," Quatre said, his voicing ringing true throughout the rather crowded room.

Duo watched as Trowa walked into the parlour, and then more guests came filing out of the room. He was surprised when someone grabbed his arm, and started to lead him into the dining room. Bracing himself for a confrontation, he looked over. Only to see Heero, holding onto him, with a strange look in his eyes.

"Hee-chan?" he whispered. He was surprised again when Heero leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"You know how good you look right now. You dressed that way on purpose." Heero's voice was a low growl that went directly to Duo's libido.

"I… I have *no* idea what you are talking about, Heero," Duo said, hesitantly.

"Yes, you do. I will talk to you later." Heero dropped Duo's arm, and continued on his way to the dining room.

Duo shivered in pleasure as he tried to control the raging hard-on he had. When he felt he could walk without looking like an idiot, he entered the populated room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dinner was a mixture of torture and extreme pleasure for Heero and Duo. They found out that they had been placed next to one another again. Every time their arms or hands brushed against one another, a jolt of electricity shot from them, leaving them flushed, and rather frustrated.

Everyone congratulated the couple of the evening, and after dessert, headed back out to the ball room. Quatre started up the stereo equipment, and the caterers brought out the drinks.

By midnight, most of the Maguanacs, Quatre's sisters, their families and other guests started to leave, offering more congratulations to a rather tipsy Catherine and beaming Auda. By the time that most of the guests had left, Heero, Zechs and Une had already escorted their children to their rooms.

That meant only the previous ten adults from the morning, with the addition of Une, were left. Duo grabbed another glass of red wine that had been set out for the party, and watched as the couples and Heero and Une dance to the love song playing. He had declined dancing for that moment.

The room was slightly spinning, but he wanted to get back at Quatre for his little tricks from earlier. He hadn't told anyone about his plan, not even Heero or Wufei. Patting his chest pocket, and the CD in it, he downed the glass of alcohol, which was his fifteenth of the night, in his hand.

He waited until the song was over, and then made his way, swaying slightly, to the stereo. Wufei was the first one to see him.

"Maxwell, you are *not* forcing us to listen to that horrid screeching that you call music," he boomed from across the room.

"Heh, give it a rest, 'Fei. I'm just playing a song for my good buddy, Quatre."

Heero and Une exchanged worried glances, and moved closer to the head of the room. Zechs and Noin did the same, followed closely by Quatre and Trowa. Sally moved to go sit next to Cathy and Auda.

Duo slipped the CD into the stereo equipment, waiting impatiently as it read the disk, and then quickly hit the buttons until it was ready to play number seven. He hit the pause button, and spun around, almost tripping over his feet, catching himself on the table with the stereo on it.

"Name of this song isCherry Lips (Go, Baby, Go),by Garbage, and I'm dedicating it to you, Q-man, for being such a little plotter and schemer," Duo said, slurring his words ever so slightly. He hit the play button, and started singing to it.

~She gave you everything she had~
~But she was young and dumb ~
~She'd just turned 21 ~
~She didn't care to hang around ~
~So when the shit came down why she was nowhere to be found ~
~This life can turn a good girl bad ~
~She was the sweetest thing that you had ever seen ~

~You're such a delicate boy ~
~In the hysterical realm ~
~Of an emotional landslide ~
~In physical terms ~



Trowa lifted his visible eyebrow, and Quatre blushed profusely. He was starting to get very uncomfortable with the whole situation. Wufei gave Heero an intrigued, but skeptical look, which Heero returned with equal emotion. The four women in the room started laughing, and Zechs watched on in fascinated horror as Duo sang the words to the song.

By the time that Duo had made it to the chorus of the song, Quatre had walked up to his friend, and was trying to pull Duo out of the room, but he was not successful, because the second verse started, and Duo got louder.
~With your cherry lips and golden curls ~
~You could make grown men gasp when you go walking past ~
~And in your hot pants and high heels ~
~They could not believe that such a body was for real ~
~It seemed like rainbows would appear ~
~Whenever you came near the clouds would disappear ~
~Because you looked just like a girl ~
~Your baby blues would flash and suddenly a spell was cast~

Duo ended the verse by spewing a red colored mess all over the poor Arab, who was still tugging on his arm, and promptly passing out.

Heero came over, rescuing Quatre from Duo's weight, as Trowa came over to comfort his shocked husband, pulling him out of the room. At the same time, Wufei strode over to the stereo and turned it off.

"Come, Sally, I think it is time for us to retire," he said to his wife, who was standing up by that time.

"I agree," she said, walking out of the ball room. The other six conscious adults shared looks of disgust, horror, and sympathy. Heero sighed, and threw the unconscious American over his shoulder. That snapped Cathy out of her daze.

"I'll clean this up," she said, as Heero carried Duo out of the ball room and up the stairs. When he reached their room, he opened the door, and unceremoniously dumped the braided man on his bed.

"Heero?" Duo croaked.

"Hn. Baka."

"Did I just up-chuck all over Quatre?"

"Yes, after embarrassing him, yourself, and everyone else in the room," Heero gritted out, but his face softened as he saw the look of horror on Duo's face.

"I only meant to embarrass him a little. Yanno, just to get back at him for what he's been doing to us since last night," Duo sobbed. "Oh, God, I think I'm gonna be sick again."

Heero helped him to the bathroom across the hall, where Duo prayed to the porcelain god a few more times, while Heero held his braid out of the way. When he was done, he stood up.

"Um, I'm gonna clean up, and then go to bed," Duo said, running the tap on the sink, before shooting a grateful look at Heero. "Thank you, Heero."

"Hn," the Japanese man grunted, leaving the room.

"Great job, Maxwell. You just set this whole thing back by a few weeks, *and* you made a fool of yourself," Duo muttered to himself, while washing his face. He then brushed his teeth twice, before heading to his room to go hide in his bed.

He was surprised when he got into the room and found Heero sitting on his bed.

"Hee…. Heero?" he squeaked.

"Did you brush your teeth?"

"Um, yeah…"

"Good," Heero replied, standing and closing the distance between them. Duo's eyes grew to the size of silver dollars, expecting to be hit. He was even more surprised when Heero kissed him.

TBC….



(1) Chikkusho – Japanese, "Hell!" or "Dammit!"

(2) Scheiße – German, "shit"

(3) Yuushi – Japanese, "nephew (like a son); another child considered as one's own"
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