A/N: So last week I did a double update. I should have waited before doing that because I wrote these three scenes afterwards. It's too late to work them into the story but I thought I would post them anyways as deleted scenes because I enjoyed writing them.
So this first one is Heero telling everyone about Harry and a little insight into how he reacts to knowing about Harry. Please enjoy.
Heero was striding through Quatre's immense library as he took in the book titles around him. One could almost say he was wandering but Heero Yuy did not wander. He strode with direct purpose and intent. His fingers ghosted over the spines of the books around him, never quiet touching the dust covered tombs. Heero was in a different part of the library than he usual haunted and, judging from the state of things, this part was rarely used.
Children's literature was all around him. Books with puppies and brightly colored pictures were on the bottom shelves and then came interactive and activity books such as "I Spy," "Where's Waldo," and "Homemade Fun: Arts and Crafts for Families." Chapter books, some with pictures, something without, were stacked on the top shelves. Heero paused to look at a few of them, noticing they were mostly mysteries or adventure books. Perhaps Heero could share them with Harry? Maybe the child liked to read and would be impressed by the library. But were the books too advanced for him? Heero didn't want to make him feel inferior by giving him material that was too difficult to understand. But then what if the books were too simple? Harry might think that Heero thought he was unintelligent and that could be detrimental to his self-esteem.
Perhaps he would wait on the books until he knew more about Harry's performance in school. He could get his records from the school and base his decisions about such things when he had more information. He didn't even know if Harry enjoyed reading.
Heero finally made it to the end of the row and arrived at the section he was looking for. Everything here were reference books on things ranging from pregnancy to the raising of infants. Heero scanned the titles and picked out the ones that sounded promising. Dust floated from the covers as he touched the unused books and Heero barely restrained from sneezing. Heero had always been allergic to dust for as long as he could remember but he had been trained well enough to have complete control of his body. The dust may have irritated him but he never sneezed. Was Harry allergic to dust as well? Was it something they inherited from their shared parent?
Who was there shared parent?
Heero sat in his favorite armchair. It was pushed away in a corner by the bookshelves. From here he was protected on all sides. A four foot thick wall was behind him and bookshelves to either side. The window was in perfect view so Heero could see if anyone tried to sneak in. The door was large and double but only opened out. If someone came charging in they would take an extra 2.6 seconds to open the door and that was plenty of time for Heero move to a different location.
Old habits died hard, as Duo always said.
The books were a wealth of information on anything one needed to know about being a parent and keeping your newborn healthy. But Harry wasn't an infant and was already healthy, if not a little undernourished and small. And Heero was not looking to be a parent; he was trying to figure out how to be a proper brother. He had no intention of taking over the child rearing from Harry's aunt and uncle but he also didn't want to screw up.
Heero placed the books aside, disappointed with them. He would have to go somewhere else, it seemed, for the proper material. Perhaps he could inquire with Quatre. His family had over twenty-seven children; Quatre's parents must have researched something about parenting before beginning the audacious task of rearing so many females.
A clock gonged in the distance, alerting Heero that it was now seven o'clock. He began gathering the books and putting them away neatly. Normally dinner was held at six in the evening or whenever everyone managed to find their way to the kitchen to eat but today was different. Wufei had just returned from a long mission and was taking a couple days off to relax and recuperate. Quatre had worked his schedule to be able to get the night off to visit with his friends. He would have to work all weekend now but he felt it was well worth the effort. Trowa was stopping by as well before his circus left town the next morning. He would be gone for a couple weeks. Even Relena had been able to drop by but could only stay for dinner.
Heero wasn't sure why everyone was suddenly deciding to show up at Quatre's overly large mansion. Especially since it was out of the way for most everyone because it was on Earth and their lives were focused in space. He had a suspicion that Duo was behind the gathering of old friends but he had yet to figure out why his lover had done this.
When Heero entered the dining room he couldn't help but pause briefly. Noin and Zechs were sitting calmly at the large table with Quatre. Wufei was sitting next to Noin sipping tea and Relena was next to her brother wearing a gentle smile. Duo came bounding in from the kitchen carrying a tray of drinks. Trowa followed him calmly with the cups.
"Who ordered drinks?" Duo called happily.
"The staff could have gotten that, Duo," Quatre said.
"Are you kiding? With how many paranoid people are in this house, no one would drink anything if it came from a stranger. Wufei still insists on making his own tea!"
"I make my own tea because I have yet to find someone as competent as I in the task."
"My staff here is British. They're extremely good with tea."
"The British are, admittedly, very good at preparing tea but they still pale in comparison to my own Chinese culture."
"All I did was offer everyone a drink. I had no idea it would spark such an intense conversation about the making of tea." Duo placed the drinks on the table. "Enjoy you paranoid freaks." He came around to the door where Heero still stood. "Hey Heero, where've you been all day?"
"Research." Heero leaned closer to Duo. "Why is everyone here?"
"I figured it would be easier on you," Duo said. "Tell everyone at once and be done."
Heero nodded. He liked that approach. It was efficient and quick. "Thank you."
Duo grinned and bounced over to the table, taking the seat next to Wufei, much to the Asian's man chagrin. Heero followed and shook hands with Zechs when the man stood. They exchanged brief greetings while Relena stood to a hug him. Heero hated when she did this. He knew she was only expressing her feelings through physical contact but it made him uncomfortable. He still stiffened when Duo gave him a hug and the two of them had engaged in the most intimate behavior possible.
As everyone took their seats the doorbell rang and one of the butlers went to answer it. A minute later Lady Une and Sally Po were lead into the dining room, both in their work clothes. Yet again, everyone was shaking hands and hugging as pleasantries were exchanged. When they were seated the staff began to serve dinner, starting with salads and moving on to the main course. The conversation was mostly kept light until Wufei and Noin began arguing about the intelligence of allowing women into the army or in other such powerful positions. Lady Une couldn't resist jumping into the conversation and reminding Wufei she was his boss.
Just as dessert arrived and the women made a show of not wanting any because of their "diets" (Wufei scoffed at them) Quatre turned to Duo. "Duo, not that I haven't enjoyed this dinner greatly but why exactly did you call everyone here?"
"Yes, I was wondering the same thing," Relena said. "You were so insistent on the phone that I do whatever I had to to get the night off."
The servants finished passing out plates and left the dinning room and Duo glanced at Heero with a raised eyebrow. Heero shifted slightly and all eyes turned to him.
"Heero?" Quatre prompted.
Heero placed his fork on the table at an exact ninety degree angle and stood up calmly. He met the confused gazes of his friends. Heero took a deep breath and announced clearly, "I now have a younger brother. He will be coming here this weekend. You may meet him then if you wish." He sat back down.
Duo, Sally, and Une turned away from Heero to see the reactions of everyone else in the room. They already knew about Heero's brother and Duo had invited Sally and Une for the single purpose of them being able to laugh at everyone's reactions with him.
At the moment the group was gaping in various states of shock. Relena and Noin's jaws had dropped wide open and their eyes were huge as they stared at Heero. Wufei had been about to take a bite of his food when Heero spoke and was now sitting with the fork inches from his open mouth and staring. Quatre looked to be in some form of distress as his chest had stopped moving in regular intervals that singled breathing and his mouth was hanging open just slightly. Trowa and Zechs seemed to be handling the news the best as neither one of them were gawking like idiots. However both of their eyes had widened to be as large as possible and Duo was sure that if this was an anime, they would have fallen out of their sockets by now.
It took all of ten seconds for Duo, Une, and Sally to take this in before all three of them burst into uncontrollable laughter. Heero shot them an annoyed look and their laughter helped to shake everyone from their shock. Four questions were shot out in rabid succession from Relena, Noin, Quatre, and Wufei respectively.
"Who is he?"
"Are you certain?"
"When did you find this out?"
"Are you certain he is not an enemy in disguise?"
Everyone's eyes shifted to Wufei who glared at them.
"It is a valid question. Yuy has many enemies."
"I checked and doubled checked the results myself," Sally said. "There's no mistake."
"He's nine, Wuffers. We've already met him and he's fucking adorable."
Wufei nodded. "In that case…" Wufei stood and walked over to Heero, sticking his hand out. Heero stood and awkwardly accepted the handshake. "A family is an irreplaceable thing to have. I believe you will benefit greatly from this new experience. Congratulations, my friend."
"Thank you."
Relena came next and kissed Heero's cheek. "Coming from someone who found her own long lost brother not too long ago, I know how you feel. It's overwhelming and scary but you'll be happy for it. And if anyone deserves to be happy it's you, Heero." This time, Heero patted Relena gently on the back when she hugged him. Relena smiled and stepped aside for Zechs.
"You said the child is only nine?"
"Yes."
"I did not have a chance to know Relena when she was that age and I must admit, I'm slightly jealous of you now. My only advice is not to think too hard. People, especially children, are about emotions. They have an amazing capacity to forgive all of your mistakes." He smiled at Relena when he said this and his sister smiled back. "Congratulations." They shook hands before Zechs stepped away.
Noin placed a hand on Heero's shoulder next. "You're going to be great. That little boy is lucky to have fond you."
Trowa was next. He hesitated, unsure of what to say. He had no family and no understanding of such things. He knew that he was deeply attached to everyone in the room but, having never experienced a family, Trowa could not say for certain that they were his. He had always felt a kinship with Heero because the perfect-soldier had been the same way. But now Heero had discovered blood family and was about to embark on an experience that would teach him something neither teen had ever been able to fathom; what it is like to have family.
Eventually, all Trowa could think to say was one thing. "I do not know much about this type of situation but if you need help I will be here to assist."
Heero could not hide his surprise at the words. "Thank you. I was looking for literature in the understanding of interaction with young children."
"I will ask Cathy. She might know something helpful."
"I would appreciate that."
"I wish you would have told us sooner," Quatre said stepping forward. "I'm always excited when I meet another of my sisters. I can't even imagine how happy you must have been to find your brother."
"More like shocked," Duo piped up. "It's the first time I've ever seen Heero speechless."
The entire room chuckled and Heero shot his lover an annoyed look.
"Well I can't wait to meet him," Quatre said. "This weekend will be so exciting!"
"You have to work," Trowa reminded him quietly.
Quatre paused before scowling. "Damn it."
The entire room took a theatrical step backwards.
"Oh my god, Quatre just swore!" Duo shook his head. "It's the apocalypse. Again."
They laughed as Quatre playfully smacked Duo over the head with a napkin.
A/N: So that's the end of the first scene. Probably the only time you'll see Noin, Zechs, and Relena.
This next one is showing Duo's reaction to Harry. I wanted to capture how he was damaged from his childhood and has some issues with sharing. But at the same time, he really is happy for Heero too.
So here you go, scene two.
Duo was leaning against the railing and staring down at the front door. Quatre's servants were running everywhere, and from his vantage point he could see a few of the maids hiding behind the corners and giggling into their hands. The reason for all the commotion was a little boy who seemed to believe he could disappear if he clutched Rashid's large leg hard enough.
Duo rested his chin on his folded arms as he watched the maids try and take Harry's coat but the little boy was too shy to give it up. He clutched the material to his chest and stared around with wide eyes before Rashid finally chased the servants away. Rashid held Harry's arm for support as the boy took off his shoes and placed them neatly to the side. Harry smiled up at Rashid and accepted the hand being held out to him with a shy smile.
Duo had not actually been there when Heero was called into Sally Po's office for a meeting. He had opted to stay in the office and finish the last of their paperwork so that they could leave early and have some time alone together. Duo smiled slightly as he remembered ordering Heero to not let himself get roped into another mission. They needed alone time to reaffirm their relationship. Heero had snorted at him and promised Duo that, mission or no mission, they would make love that night.
Heero really could read him like an open book and Duo loved it.
It had taken a full hour and a half before Heero finally returned to the office. Duo finished the last of their work just as his lover had entered. He remembered smiling and jumping to his feet, declaring proudly how he was finished and they could get out of there. It was when Duo had wrapped his arms around Heero that he noticed something was wrong. Duo remembered his heart nearly stopping in his chest, a thousand horrible thoughts running through his head. Did something happen to their friends? Wufei was a Preventor as well, had he'd been hurt on a mission? Had someone assassinated Quatre because of how ridiculously rich he was? Did Trowa finally get his head bitten off when he stuck it in that damn lion's mouth for his show?
Duo had grabbed Heero's arms and demanded what was wrong. Heero had tried to tell him but no sound came from his mouth and he stood there, gaping. Duo had never seen such an expression on his lover's face before and it worried him greatly. He touched Heero's face, calling his name gently.
When Heero finally came to his senses enough to hand over a folder, Duo had been shocked. He made a huge show of being happy for his lover. He hugged and kissed Heero and told him that this would be the most amazing experience he's ever had. Heero was lucky to have found family and should treasure this golden opportunity. They had gone home and, as Heero promised, made love for almost the entire night. It was five in the morning when Duo slipped from their comfy bed and wrapped a blanket around his waist to go stand out on the terrace.
At this point in time, they had known nothing of Harry. They had a name and blood type and that was it. They didn't know how old he was, where he lived, what he was like; they knew nothing about this boy who was supposedly Heero's brother. Would this person accept Heero the way he was with his soldier-like disposition and computer type behavior? Did this boy even want a brother? What if he already had one and thought getting another would be just tiresome?
Duo had stayed on the terrace until the sun rose, thinking all these things. When he did finally crawl back into bed he was too tired to notice that Heero was wide awake as well, thinking the exact same thoughts as his lover. That morning the two went to Lady Une's office together and to get the full report about the boy and neither managed to get much sleep.
Harry was lead into the main foyer and spotted Duo. His eyes lit up and he raised his hand to wave before hesitating, as if he was unsure if waving was allowed. Duo grinned and casually lifted his own hand to make a peace sign. He pushed away from the rail just as Heero came out of their bedroom down the hall and joined him.
Sitting in Lady Une's office that day had been one of the scariest things Duo had ever experienced and that was saying something, considering the life he had lived up till that point. Hearing Une say that Heero's brother was only nine years old, a whole eight years younger than him, was both a relief and worry. A child would not understand about war and the things Heero had done. They would just glaze over it and focus on their present, as all children did. But on the flip side, the last time Heero had interacted with a child the little girl and her puppy had ended up dead. Duo was positive they were both even more frightened now than they had been the night before.
Harry had run up the stairs, completely forgetting about his new friend Rashid as soon as he saw Heero. Harry stopped just short of running up to Heero and hugging him. He toed at the ground and held his hands at his sides.
"Good morning, Heero, good morning, Duo," Harry said quietly. "Thank you for having me over."
Harry was just as polite now as he had been when they had first met. He was more open, Duo observed. Probably because his Uncle and Aunt weren't hovering over his shoulder likes bees about to sting if one wrong thing was said or done. The little boy didn't meet their eyes and Duo found himself wishing the kid would look up. He had very pretty eyes and Duo enjoyed seeing them.
In appearance, Heero and Harry didn't look very much alike. They had the same bone structure and messy hair but that was where the similarities ended. Harry was still growing so he still had baby fat decorating his body. His hair was messy and Duo loved to make it worse by running his fingers through the soft locks. Duo was sure that when Harry was more comfortable around them he would complain about the treatment but right now the boy was too shy to tell him to stop. Instead he made a slight pouty face up at Duo and resolutely tried to flatten his messy hair.
Duo had said it before and was sticking to it; Harry was fucking adorable.
Duo watched as Heero knelt down to greet his brother. "Good morning, Harry." Earlier that day Cathy had called and chatted with Heero about children; more like she had talked at him and Heero had absorbed all her words and filed them away safely in his mind. One thing she had told him was that it was always nice when the adult took the time to bend down to eyelevel to the child. It made the child feel important and like they were on equal standing with everyone else because they didn't have to keep tilting their head upwards just to speak with someone.
Duo grinned as he watched the brothers. It was amazing how smiley Harry was. All his smiles were shy and small but as soon as he saw Heero they never fully disappeared from his face. He would peer at them from under his long bangs and every time he caught Heero staring back, his cheeks would turn red and his smile would grow just a little more.
"Would you like a tour of the house?" Heero asked.
Harry beamed. "Yes please. I've never been in a place so huge! And the gardens outside are so pretty!"
"Then I will take you to see them."
Duo could barely hold back a giggle when Harry grinned and latched onto Heero's hand. He could see as Heero restrained himself from jerking away in surprise. Heero did not hold hands, not even with Duo. But trying to tell that to a child would only make the child confused and sad. And Harry looked so embarrassed about what he did, as if he was fully expecting Heero to pull away and scold him for his behavior. When Heero didn't, he stared up at the teen in absolute wonder. It made Duo speculate just how much hand holding the little boy had been allowed growing up.
Heero led the way downstairs so Harry could get his shoes back on. Duo watched them and felt his eyes soften as Harry quietly began talking about his garden back home. It was actually his aunt's, but Harry did most of the work planting and weeding it. He bashfully told Heero about his favorite flowers and plants and somehow managed to get his shoes back on without ever letting go of Heero's hand.
Duo leaned against the banister as he watched the new brothers interact. A small flare of jealously was building in his chest and Duo couldn't help but smile bitterly. He knew he should be nothing but happy for his lover but he just couldn't help himself. Duo may not be as screwed up as Heero but that didn't mean he didn't have issues. Sharing Heero with this child he could handle, but he'd be damned if he was going to let this kid take away his lover.
Duo slipped his shoes on and followed the two from a respectful distant. Heero glanced at him and Duo could see the confusion on his face. Duo smirked to himself. There was no way Harry could fully take Heero away even if he tried. Duo was the first person Heero had formed an intimate relationship with and no kid was ever going to get in the way of that.
Harry paused when he noticed Heero turn his head. He looked over his shoulder and frowned. "Aren't you coming too, Mr. Duo?" he asked and then blushed. "I mean, if you don't have anything better to do."
Duo grinned. Fucking adorable. "Nah, I'm free." He walked up to them and held out his hand. Harry blushed again and took it happily.
Duo didn't mind sharing. He would just have to make sure that Harry liked him just as much as Heero so that his lover was never put in the situation where he would have to chose between the two. The fact that the kid was cute was just a bonus.
Together, the three made their way to the gardens, all sporting gentle smiles.
A/N:Okay, this last scene is showing Wufei's reaction to Harry. The ending is weird, just ignore it. Remember these are deleted scenes so some of it doesn't make sense. But other than the ending, I loved Wufei's thoughts. I hope I did a good job.
It wasn't that Wufei disagreed with Maxwell's words, he just didn't fully agree with them. And yes, there was a difference. Harry was small, dirty, and wore the most hideous oversized clothes Wufei had even seen. The only thing physically cute about the boy as far as Wufei was concerned was his eyes. The beautiful green was deliciously vibrant and so open. It was refreshing to speak with someone who did not hide their true self behind masks and politely spoken words.
Physically speaking, Wufei had to disagree with Maxwell; the kid was not cute. It was his personality that made him endearing. He was shy. He constantly looked at the floor or toed his foot into the dirt. He would glance up briefly at the person speaking so that they knew he was listening but he never made eye contact for long. His smile was tiny but honest and sincere. The way the boy would bounce on his heels showed just how excited he was to be here.
"Uh, hello? Earth to Wuffers? Come in Wuffers."
Harry giggled quietly, placing his hand over his mouth to muffle the sound. Wufei finally turned his eyes from the child to glare at Maxwell. "If you continue to refer to me by that ridiculous nick name, I refuse to be held responsible for my actions."
Duo rolled his eyes and leaned over to whisper in Harry's ear. Harry stared at him with wide eyes and Duo winked, tilting his head towards Wufei. Harry hesitated but eventually let go of Heero's hand to step up to the Asian youth. Wufei stared down at him and Harry gulped. He looked back at Duo who waved him on with an encouraging smile. Harry turned back to Wufei and took a deep breath before sticking out his hand.
"My name's Harry. It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Wuffers."
Wufei stared at him for a moment before looking to Duo, his eyes narrowed in fury. It was bad enough that he couldn't get Maxwell to stop using that insufferable nickname but now that bastard was teaching it to children? This could not stand.
Harry seemed to realize he'd said something wrong and slowly took his hand back. Wufei opened his mouth to yell and paused. What he wanted to say was inappropriate for such young ears. However Maxwell was fluent in Chinese curses and so Wufei compromised and said what he wanted to say in Chinese. Maxwell got the message.
Unfortunately for Wufei, Harry was a smart boy. Even if he didn't understand the words he could read the tone and body language. Wufei's voice was harsh and angry and he stepped forward, raising his hand. In truth, Wufei was only going to point at Duo to enforce his words but to Harry it appeared that he was raising his hand to hit him.
Harry didn't waste time screaming or yelling. He flung his arms over his head and flung himself to the floor in a ball. When Wufei stepped backwards in surprise and Harry took the opportunity to jump to his feet and run from the room. The teens stared after him, flabbergasted.
"…Where is he going?" Heero asked turning to the other two.
"How should we know?" Wufei said. "Go chase him, he's your brother!"
Heero frowned. "But he ran away."
Duo and Wufei exchanged looks. "And?"
"…Doesn't that mean he wants to be left alone?"
"He's a kid, Heero. He doesn't know what he wants. It's our jobs as adults to tell him that."
Heero tried to hide his confusion at Duo's words but the other two knew him well enough to see that he didn't understand.
"We will help you search for him." Wufei sighed. "It's probably our fault he ran away anyways."
"How's it our fault?"
"Because you told him to call me that awful name and I frightened him by yelling at you."
A/N: So that's it. The last scene kinda cuts off abruptly but oh well. Not a chapter but three scenes that I hope amused you. Let me know what you think. And remember everyone, if you're reading this and at any point are inspired to write you're own crossovers, just do it. Lol.
