Title: (Working Title) For the Love of a Child

Author: General Touchstone

Pairings: 2x5 (Staunch supporter, de gozaru) 3x4

::I have plans for Heero so don't be disappointed::

Rating: R (If I'm lucky)

Archive: Please ask first.

Disclaimer: I do not, have not, will not own Gundam Wing.

Warnings: Although I am one of the people who adamantly believes in all rights for homosexuals, it doesn't mean, anything I do or say will make much of a change. In my own fantasies, we are all equal in all rights, so the fact that two men are married (actually, there will be more couples later on) in this plot is something I find completely normal and hopefully something that will come true some day. This is YAOI in an anime fan's terms. I don't plan to have any lemon scenes in this one, but I never know. Also, there will be small bits of child abuse and neglect mentioned. If any of this disturbs you, remember that you are reading this of your own free will, and if per chance you skip this whole warning and discover something that upsets you, I can't say I didn't tell you what to expect.

Summary (for those with short memories like myself): Duo and Wu Fei are married and ready to adopt a child. But Wu Fei needs some instruction on how to get along with children so Duo signs him up as a volunteer at a preschool.

"I want a kid."

The strawberry ice cream cone in Wu Fei's hand stopped midway on its return journey to his mouth. His feet only paused momentarily before gaining back their step.

That was rather unexpected. It seemed to have spontaneously erupted from Duo's mouth, having really not intended to be worded like that, and in such an environment as they were in. The environment being a local park a few blocks away from their apartment on the east side of the city.

They had come here out of routine, like every Friday night, to walk with each other and spend the moments they needed to catch up on all the time they didn't have to spend together during the week.

Ice cream cones from the vendor had been Duo's idea. The treat was rich and creamy and exactly what complimented their mood, or had until a few moments ago when the long haired young man had uttered those words. It hadn't really been Duo's fault though. The notion had been on his mind a lot lately, tumbling around and coming up at odd times like now. All fault for the ill-timed words should be blamed on Wu Fei's tongue. Unknowingly erotic, it licked and swirled around the lucky ice cream and darted inside the lush lips to come back out a few moments later to do it all over again. Watching the movements, Duo lost track of the comment Wu Fei made about the weather and blurted the first thing on his mind.

After the pause in motion, the ice cream continued to his mouth and was licked lightly. "Come again?" He asked. They were still strolling.

"I want a child... a little Wu Fei jr. I was hoping." Duo sounded rather adamant now, having made the statement. Looked like he was going to go through with it.

"You know it's not physically possible for me, or you, to have a child."

" I was thinking adoption you idiot."

Wu Fei glared at him and attacked his dwindling ice cream to avoid answering him.

Duo stopped altogether and growled at him. "Come on 'Fei! Think about it! It's not like we couldn't support a child. We have the income, secure jobs. A house is already one of our priorities. We're married. We're both twenty-two, old enough to adopt. Affection wouldn't be a problem. We have everything we need to raise a healthy child."

He paused and frowned, his chocolate ice cream cone forgotten. "I want a family. I want to supply a child, who would otherwise stay in an orphanage their whole childhood, with a caring parent and a nice place to call home. I know how they feel, without a family and love."

For a moment, Wu Fei felt a stab of jealousy at the emotion Duo was expressing in wanting a family. Wasn't he enough to make the other boy happy? He shook off the thought. Of course Wu Fei was enough. Duo was talking about a different kind of love. The kind of love he himself would have been able to give if Meiran hadn't died. Now with Duo, he didn't expect to raise children, not being sure of adoption and not being able to conceive one inside another male, as Duo was one.

The idea didn't stick particularly well with him. A child? He knew nothing about children, especially after not really having a childhood himself, instead, being pushed into the role of adult when becoming a major part in the war against OZ, marrying at such a young age and then coping with the loss of all the people he called family. He could understand where Duo was coming from. If he thought about it, a family did sound comforting to have.

But still, were they ready for parenthood? Could he be a good parent himself? He knew Duo would be perfect for the job. The long haired young adult loved children, had an optimistic view on life, and the energy needed to raise a family. Wu Fei wasn't so sure about himself. Did he have the patience? The wisdom and care? The heart to love a child? The ice cream in his stomach churned uncomfortably.

Throwing the rest of his cone in a nearby trashcan, Wu Fei sat down on a bench. Duo followed suit. The lamps in the park had come to life with the beginning of twilight. People of all generations milled about enjoying the cool evening. Seniors ambled along at their own slow content pace, while couples snuggled together on the grass and little kids skipped pass with Popsicles and sparklers.

Wu Fei forgot about the problem for a moment and just cleared his mind of everything but the blurry glow of tall lamps lining the sidewalks. His lover sat close to him, waiting patiently for words. Unconsciously the Chinese boy reached deep inside himself with invisible fingers and searched for the feelings needed to deal with this situation. Slowly, his conscious mind came to the decision that it was too soon. It came too fast, he needed time to think. He told Duo this with an affirming squeeze of hands.

"Let me think about it Duo, please?" Duo nodded happily, if Wu Fei wanted time, he would give it to him.

Together they stood up and began making their way back through the park to their apartment.

____

On Sunday night, Wu Fei came to a final decision while lying next to a sleeping post-coital Duo. With his arms beneath his head, he stared at the dim ceiling and listened to the curtains stir in the breeze from the open window. His body was sated and his mind clear.

He had thought long and hard over that weekend. Duo hadn't said another word on the subject the whole time. Instead, he had opted to send strange, searching glances Wu Fei's way, hoping to figure out what he was going to decide. Duo's patience and lack of nagging impressed Wu Fei enough to know he was serious.

The decision had come almost immediately after both the boys had shared a splintering climax an hour ago, somehow invading Wu Fei's mind and planting itself there indefinitely. Maybe it was the blissful feeling of togetherness that had prompted Wu Fei to reach this decision or maybe it was just his subconscious choosing that moment to tell him to stop denying it, but the thought was decided, settled, wrapped and ready for delivery into the world the instant Wu Fei came around his lover and simultaneously watched the boy above him shudder in his own release.

Next to him, Duo sighed, kicked out his legs, and drooled on the pillow Wu Fei had replaced himself with when Duo's salivary glands had kicked in. The Chinese boy smiled and ran his index finger down the other boy's spine to watch him shift away.

Softly, so as not to wake up his beautiful lover, Wu Fei murmured, "We'll do it."

In a way, that night Duo and Wu Fei had conceived a child.

____

The next morning, being a Monday, meant waking up early and going to work. After living with each other for over three years, Duo and Wu Fei pretty much knew what the other was like on a Monday morning.

Wu Fei woke up before Duo, as always, to make coffee and breakfast. Then he would go and wake up the slug-a-bed with a pillow thrown at the head and the sheets torn away from a warm and naked body. This was only routine for a Monday morning. The rest of the week, Wu Fei was usually in a better mood at 5:30 in the morning and more willing to be nice to Duo when waking him up.

Sometimes he kissed the sleepy boy's lips until he became conscious, other times he might do something more drastic, like kiss another body part that he thought needed attention at the time. You can go and imagine whatever appendage you want that to be.

Most of the time Duo had to leave before Wu Fei, to get to the repair shop where he worked, starting the day at the lousy time of 7:30 AM. Occasionally, when he was needed at the Preventor's Headquarters (where he filled in as an alternate) he would be able to leave with Wu Fei, who worked fulltime as a Preventor. Today, he was headed for the repair shop and in a rush, as he was stubborn in waking up and got up fifteen minutes later than he should have.

Running around the tiny kitchen in their apartment, Duo attempted to drink a mug of coffee, button his shirt, and find a hair tie at the same time. Wu Fei scowled and yelled at him. "Damnit Duo, you're getting hair in my tea!"

"Well then help me find a hair tie!"

"Where did they all go? I just bought you a pack of them last week." grumbled Wu Fei, as he looked in a cupboard for a plate to put his toast on. Instead, he found a yellow hair tie. This was commonplace thing. Duo was notorious for losing hair bands. They were usually found in strange places such as the dishwasher or behind the TV. Wu Fei grabbed the loose braid of the frantic man passing by him and quickly tied off the tresses. Duo turned around smiling, and kissed him for his help.

"Thanks Wu-love."

"Don't call me that Maxwell." He growled back halfheartedly.

Duo smirked and finished off his coffee. Looking at the clock hanging on the wall, he grabbed his keys and toolbox from next to the front door. Striding over to the now seated Wu Fei, he leaned over intending to kiss him goodbye.

Before he got the chance, Wu Fei speared his husband with such a look that he immediately stopped. Then, quite seriously, Wu Fei said, "Alright."

Duo blinked and searched his lover's eyes for confirmation of what he just heard. Was he really agreeing to Duo's wish for a child? Or was he agreeing to something else that Duo hadn't paid attention to? No, he heard right.

The Chinese boy grinned. Dropping his stuff, he glomped poor Wu Fei and laughed.

"I love you 'Fei."

"I love you too, you idiot. Now get going before you're late."

____

For the rest of the day, both Wu Fei and Duo thought about their decision in their respective offices of employment.

It was difficult, but Wu Fei manage to push the matter to the back of his mind for a time. He had work to do. But as the morning progressed, it resurfaced again and again to distract him.

As much as the idea of a child appealed to him now after hearing Duo talk about it so adamantly, it was still difficult to grasp the concept of him being a parent. The thought of a screaming, wailing little monster didn't appeal to him much so he ignored that concept for Duo's sake. He was sure he could grow to love a child, he just didn't know how he could do that, or for that matter, how to take care of a child, who would depend on him for everything. And how where they going to go about adopting? Wu Fei imagined piles and piles of paperwork and months, maybe years, of being on a waiting list for a child. A shiver of uncertainty crawled along his spine, but he quickly shook it off. No one could be completely prepared to raise a child. So what if he and Duo were at a bit of a disadvantage? Both being rather young, and them being a married homosexual couple. (Although it wasn't uncommon for same sex marriages to happen, it was still difficult to get the same rights heterosexual couples had). Plus, Wu Fei happened to have a dangerous job. The case workers would take that into consideration. He shook his head. Why was he being so pessimistic? They could do it, Wu Fei was sure of it. With that, he turned back to his work.

He had finished the report he was working on just as lunch time came around, meaning he wouldn't have to work through it as he had planned on doing. His mind turned to what he wanted for lunch instead. An easier thing to think about then the direction his future was going to take. There was a nice cafe down the block that served excellent croissants. Or maybe a salad down at that vegetarian restaurant he had been trying to drag Duo into. It was a pleasant sort of decision to make. One that required no worry about the consequences. The worst that could happen was indigestion.

Before he had come to a decision between the two, his cell phone rang. Wu Fei frowned, hoping it wasn't important, he didn't want have to skip his lunch now.

____

Wiping off the some of the oil and dirt that covered his hands, Duo stood up and cricked his neck. Surveying his work, he nodded his head in affirmation. It was done. After working for five days on the damn machine, it was finally operational again. He sure as hell better be getting a big fat check for this particular job, his boss couldn't be stingy on such a difficult project.

Duo walked over to the nearby sink and washed off what dirt he couldn't get off on his pant leg. Grabbing a soda can, he seated his backside on the counter.

Finally with a few moments to his own thoughts, Duo began to deliberately fantasize (in a sappy sort of way) about a family. He imagined both Wu Fei and himself, holding hands while strolling down a park lane; a little boy or girl scampering ahead of them. Adding a big St. Bernard to the scenario and a few flowers, Duo sighed in fuzzy happiness. It was perfect.

Next, the little boy or girl would turn around to face them with a beaming smile and dash towards them. Wu Fei would bend down on one knee with arms wide open to catch the little bundle of energy. A smiling Wu Fei rocking a little child nearly made Duo deliriously lightheaded. It also reminded him that he had to find the little guys room soon.

Hopping off the counter intending to find the bathroom, he set his soda down and stopped quite suddenly. He replayed the Wu Fei-cuddle-kiddie scene in his mind and smacked his forehead.

"Shit." For some reason, Duo had completely forgotten (or ignored) that particular event not long ago when Quatre had invited the couple to a dinner to meet some of his sisters. The blonde Arabian had been quite excited about his sisters coming. They were bringing their children (all eight of them) and he wanted to show off all his nieces and nephews to his friends.

Duo had been in heaven, surrounded by a pack of rambunctious children who clambered and rough-housed with him the whole time. Quatre played the indulgent uncle to a T while Trowa and Heero stoically endured the dinner talking to three of Quatre's glowing sisters and their husbands about the many feats their respective children had accomplished. Wu Fei it seemed, had suffered the most. The noise of eight wailing children, their proud parents and a hyper Duo had done him no good. Neither did the sticky fingers or the many questions the children had. To top it all off, when an infant had been thrust into his arms, Wu Fei took on the guise of a deer in headlights as the baby began to eat his lapels.

Afterwards, Duo remembered, his husband had not been in the best of moods. All the way home he groaned and mumbled to himself about 'dirty animals' and 'energy equivalent to three Duos'. When they had exited the car and Duo was still singing the praises of Quatre's nieces and nephews Wu Fei had snapped and roared 'God help us if we ever have children, I already have my hands full with you!'.

Of course, that little statement had led to an un-volunteered celibacy on Wu Fei's part for the next three days until Duo just got too horny to remain angry at him and boinked him blue-faced.

Why the hell hadn't he thought about that before telling Wu Fei he wanted a child? It really wasn't something he wanted to disrupt his dream of a family. If Wu Fei disliked children so much, it wouldn't be fair to anyone to bring one into their home and lives. But Duo still wanted a child. The image of a scampering boy or a skipping little girl hurling themselves into Wu Fei's eager arms was just too strong for him to consider giving up. So what to do?

He nibbled on his braid and drummed his fingers against the soda can on the counter. 'How do I make Wu Fei more receptive to a child? I know he must be willing to give up a lot to agree to an adoption, but that won't mean much if he can't get along with a kid.' Duo thought. 'Maybe if I get him around children more often. I could volunteer him to baby-sit Quatre's nieces and nephews. No....they had shown their dislike of him soon after Wu Fei had growled at one of them. Or maybe I could stick Wu Fei in a full playground. But how would I keep him there?' Grr, Duo was getting frustrated now. How the hell was he going to teach Wu to like children?

Then it hit him like that twenty pound turkey he had insisted on having for Thanksgiving last year that had ended up making an impromptu journey out their eighth story apartment window.

Teach! School! Preschool! Where the next words that floated through his head. He would sign Wu Fei up as an assistant at a preschool! The idea was so great (to Duo's way of thinking) that he almost forgot about holding his bladder long enough to make it to the toilet.

After paying his water bill, Duo grabbed the phone and dialed up Wu Fei's cell phone.

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I really have no idea how long this story will take and I am unfortunately a very slow writer when I'm too lazy to feel like writing.

Reviews would be appreciated.