Title: A Rare Day
Author: Karina
Rating: PG
Pairing: Wu Fei Milliardo Stephan Duo
Notes: Challenge 31. Baby Series 2 #52. Takes place three days after An Abundance of Passion.
Spoilers: None
Warnings:
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the characters from the series but the baby is mine.
Many thanks to Dulin for her work as beta.
A Rare Day
"It's beautiful."
Milliardo glanced up from the small bundle of wriggling humanity. Crown Prince Stephen Peacecraft was intent on exploring the pristine white wonderland of the frozen world. While work crews were clearing paths and grading roads of their white covering, he had taken this rare opportunity to introduce his son to the joys of a tumble in the snow.
Chang stood by a frozen fountain, marvelling at the icicles formed on the marble water lily that normally spewed a fine spray of water into the air.
The air was preternaturally clear, everything in sharp focus and sound carried far. He could hear children laughing, though he could not see them and he could hear the crunch of snow under booted feet, though only the three of them were in this small private garden.
"It is one of the few gardens left intact after the invasion. I remember my mother bringing me here after Relena was born. It was a lovely day. The snow had kept us indoors for days, though it was not the blizzard conditions we just experienced. The garden was much like this. Father even joined us for a while."
With his father distracted Stephen took the opportunity to crawl rapidly along the path and shrieked in delight as he slipped and overbalanced nose first into a snow drift coating the garden bed. Pushing himself back up he worked his way to his rump and proceeded to bat at the snow with his mittens.
Wu Fei watched with a gentle smile. Milliardo made no move to keep his son from enjoying this new world that begged to be explored. The King's attention rarely wavered and he made no move to interfere, until Stephen ploughed a path through a snow drift toward a bed of roses.
"No, sweets, I don't think you are ready to cross swords with those." The King chuckled and deftly switched the baby's path by the expedient of grasping his nappy through his ski suit and turning him in a swift about face. "Believe me, you would lose. Playing with roses takes a rare and special skill."
Chang caught the faint echo of sadness and pursed his lips. 'Thinking of Kushrenada again? How do I contend against a dead man? I can stand against Maxwell when the time comes, but how do I contest against a memory? He was a rare man. This man came the closest to understanding him and I think even he felt inadequate to the task. They were lovers, but they kept it apart from their day to day lives, rarely meeting as lovers and never at military bases. It must have been hard. It must have made them value the time they had.'
"Yo, Chang!"
Wu Fei looked around at the familiar voice and was in time to receive a snowball in the face. "Maxwell!"
"Bull's eye!" Duo crowed. "You were looking too somber on such a rare day as this, man. I challenge you to a snowball war."
End
Karina Robertson 2006
