DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing and its characters belong to Sotsu, Sunrise, and Bandai. Any original characters that appear in this story are my creative property.
Story Notes: Events occur in A.C. 218. Slightly OOC future Heero.

Man of the House
By Waltz195

In a room once sparkling with cleanliness, two combatants faced off, armed with the weapons at hand. They stared at each other warily, their attention absolute. To become distracted was to ensure defeat by the enemy.

"Omae o korosu." A pair of Prussian eyes glared ahead, cold and unyielding.

The enemy's voice called loudly, disturbing the peace of the three story mansion. "Daddy! Hana said 'you-know-what'!"

In another room, not too far off, a reclining figure was roused from his quiet meditation. 'What now?' he thought, as he rose from the couch and made his way to the kitchen. There he found the whole room in total disarray.

The tell-tale white powdering of flour was scattered all over the counters, as egg yolk dripped down the cabinet sides and various other ingredients were strewn about. In the center of the room stood two young women, glaring daggers at each other, currently oblivious to the mess around them. One of them was clutching a bag of flour, as if ready to hurl it at her companion. The other, armed with a sifter, warily eyed the bag in her sister's hands.

"What's going on here?" Heero asked, trying to mask his amusement with annoyance.

The two whipped their heads around and stared at him, a guilty look caught on their faces. The younger of the two ran toward him and hid behind his back, shooting an accusing glare at her accomplice.

"Daddy," she whispered in his ear. "Hana attacked me with the flour and then she said 'you-know-what'."

"That's not true, Kat! You threw flour at me first, then when I retaliated, you poked me with the sifter," her sister grumbled, rubbing her sore arm. "A little too hard I might add."

"Girls," Heero cautioned in a calm voice. "What did we tell you about saying 'you-know-what'?"

The girls sighed in unison and replied, "Don't say it, unless you mean it, or if it's directed at Uncle Duo."

"Right. Now clean up this mess and finish your work before your mother gets home."

At the mention of their mother, Kat and Hana had the kitchen cleaned and the cookies in the oven in a record time that made the Perfect Soldier proud. Heero returned to his study as the pair engaged in idle conversation, seated at the kitchen table.

"I hope she was able to get the hair clips I asked for," Kat chatted as she sipped her tea, smoothing back her shoulder length, honey-blond tresses.

"Why bother? Just tie it back like I do," Hana replied, turning her head to swish her own chocolate-brown ponytail.

Though the two were twins, the only thing they had in common were their Prussian blue eyes. In every other way, they were complete opposites. Often the two personalities would clash and once an argument ensued, nothing short of a Gundam, or their mother, could stop them.

"Just because you're not conscientious of how you look, doesn't make you the know-it-all of personal appearance," Kat fired back, her temper quickly riled by her sister's indifferent attitude.

"Yes, it does," Hana taunted, getting up to check the cookies in the oven. "Besides, I'm older."

Her twin let out an undignified snort. "Yeah, by two minutes and thirteen seconds."

Hana stuck her tongue out at her twin and opened a nearby window, calling out to the yard. "Helen! Regena! Get in here before I tell Mom you've been launching rockets again!"

A muffled scampering could be heard from outside. "Aw...you're no fun!" a squeaky young voice replied.

Grumbling could be heard from the yard, as two girls made their way to the house. They appeared through the kitchen door, dragging their feet heavily. Both had miniature rockets slung under their arms and sad little pouts adorned their faces. It was actually an adorable sight, if it hadn't been for the glares they were sending their older sister Hana.

In fact, all of Heero Yuy's daughters had perfected the Death Glare, and reveled in the effect it had on other people.

"Stop glaring or your face will freeze like that," Kat commented.

"You sound like Mom," Regena grumbled, though her turquoise eyes twinkled with mirth.

"By the way, shouldn't they be here by now?" Helen asked, stowing their rockets in a secret compartment near the broom closet.

Just then, the four sisters' attuned hearing picked up the low hum of a car engine. Their gazes met and they exchanged slight nods before exiting the kitchen and dashing outside.

The setting sun cast long shadows as a blue van approached the mansion. It pulled up the driveway and parked just outside the garage before two women climbed out. The older woman tucked her keys into her purse, her gaze sweeping the lawn as the early night wind played with her dark blond hair.

"I would've thought Helen and Regena had blown up the yard by now," she commented to her younger companion, who had gone to the back of the van, where dozens of bags were stowed. "I saw their new rockets arrive in the mail yesterday."

"I'm sure they cleared up the mess when they heard us coming," the girl replied, pulling out six bulging bags with apparent ease. "I'm surprised Kat's not out here wrestling these shopping bags from me. We did buy all her stuff after all."

"You're getting slow, Mimi," a voice commented, not too far from the van. "We're right behind you."

Mikomi Yuy turned slowly, a slight smirk on her face, as her dark Prussian gaze swept over her younger sisters.

"I know," she drawled smugly. "I heard you. Now, help me with these bags. I bet Dad's already inside waiting for his dinner."

"Then, you'd lose that bet," Heero remarked, startling all of them as he stepped out from behind a nearby tree. He came up behind his wife and gave her a tender kiss.

"Hey there, handsome," Relena greeted, returning his kiss. Their daughters quietly gathered the bags and retreated back to the house, giving their parents a few moments of privacy.

"So," Heero commented, taking her by the shoulders and guiding her inside. "What did you get me?"

"Well, let me think," Relena teased, placing her finger on her chin, as if in deep thought. "Besides some new shirts and more memory disks for your laptop...nothing else, I guess."

"Relena..."

She gave a low laugh as they stepped into the front hallway. "All right. Yes, I did get you some tempura. We bought some on the way back, just for you."

"Thanks. You're an angel." He gave her another kiss as they entered the kitchen.

"Hey! That ohagi is mine!" Hana declared, snatching the rice ball before anybody else could.

"Share the wealth, you've already eaten three," Mikomi grumbled, as she unwrapped another take-out container.

They enjoyed Japanese food immensely, especially when their father cooked it. Today had been an exception, since Heero had returned from L1 just that afternoon.

Now, it wasn't as if he was worn out. Just the opposite. At the age of thirty-eight, Heero Yuy was still in his prime. But living with six females did put him at a slight disadvantage when it came to arguments on behalf of his health. Especially when they looked at you with those watery, puppy-dog eyes. Just as they were doing now.

'Oh no...I know that look. Well, they can't have any. It's mine.' Heero tried to look away, knowing he wouldn't be able to deny them anything if he was in their sights, but everywhere he turned, there they were.

Knowing he was defeated, he sighed. "All right. You can have some tempura."

"Thanks, Dad!" the five chorused, as they fervently attacked the food with their chopsticks.

A little while later, after they had eaten their fill, they all retired to the study, where Relena played a soft melody on the piano. They always ended their evenings with catching up on current events before heading off to bed.

"So, why all the shopping today?" Heero asked from his spot on the couch.

"The Spring Festival Ball is coming up next week and I just needed a few things. I wanted to look my best, that's all," Kat informed him, playing a round of chess with Hana.

"So, that's why we maxed out Mom's credit card," Mikomi exaggerated, slanting a sly look at her sister. "For you to look your best. This wouldn't happen to involve Derrick Farenroth asking you out would it?"

If looks could kill Mikomi would be dead on the spot from the glare Kat was sending her. Of course, Heero noticed this and immediately began interrogating his daughter.

"Katarina Darlian Yuy."

Kat knew that tone, as did all the older siblings. She quickly scrambled to her feet and stood in front of her father like a soldier at attention.

"Who is Derrick Farenroth? Full Status Report," Heero ordered, a slight frown on his face.

Kat acknowledged his command and in an almost military fashion replied, "Derrick Farenroth, son of Dana and Frederick Farenroth III, founder of Farenroth Technologies. Born June 25, AC 201, age 17. Blood type: AB. Ranks 12 in Top 20 of Junior Classmen. Hobbies: playing soccer and star gazing. Overall personality rating: 10."

Somewhat satisfied by her statements, Heero motioned for her to sit back down. He was overly protective of his daughters, even he'd admit that. Especially when it came to boys. He looked over at his wife, who was calmly gliding her delicate fingers over the piano keys.

"Relena, do you know this boy?"

"Yes, Heero," she replied, not missing a beat. "I met him and his parents at a school conference last month. They seem like nice people, very respectable."

Heero turned his attention back to his daughter and nodded his approval. "All right. He may escort you to the festival, but I want to meet him first."

"Aw, Dad!" Kat groaned.

Whenever their father asked to meet their dates, the night usually ended with their dates dropping them off at home extremely early and never hearing from them again.

Maybe it had something to do with Heero mentioning to the young men that he had once been a mobile suit pilot. He never specifically said a Gundam, of course, but the effect was the same. Heero's "Perfect Soldier" attitude was still evident after all these years and often scared normal people off.

"Hey, Dad," Regena piped in. "How was your trip to L1?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," he replied, smiling at his youngest daughter. "As always, the Preventer branch there is running smoothly."

He continued his account of the conference, which was held each year by the ESUN Defense Council to review security issues concerning the ESUN government. Heero had attended the conference in Lady Une's place, as she was detained on Earth for personal reasons.

Heero paused a moment as he remembered something. "Duo was there, at the conference. It seems Hilde gave birth a few days ago, two weeks ahead of schedule. He told me it's a boy, again, and they've named him Donovan. In fact, he gave me a picture of him before he left." Reaching over to a side table, Heero produced a photo from a folder he'd placed there. "Here it is."

Relena rose from the piano as all the girls gathered around to see the picture. They cooed and admired the new baby's tiny little features. Never mind that they had done the same thing for the past few years, since the Maxwells seemed to produce children at a steady, and somewhat alarming, rate.

"He looks just like Duo," Relena commented, her voice holding a trace of tenderness. For her, babies were always something to marvel at.

"Yeah, but he has Aunt Hilde's hair," Hana observed. "He'll probably end up wearing it in a braid, if Uncle Duo has his way."

"What's that make it now? Eight, right?" Kat asked absently. "Poor Aunt Hilde."

The older girls chuckled. If anything, it should have been "Poor Uncle Duo". His children could always be counted upon to run circles around him, especially since they were so much like him. And here was another one to add to the brood. Duo Maxwell had said he'd wanted a big family. His wife, Hilde, had agreed and been happy to comply.

"He's so cute! Like a diaper commercial baby," Helen exclaimed. The others smiled at this comment.

"Not as cute as Jase was as a baby," Mikomi replied casually.

Heero glanced over at her and frowned. "You spend too much time with that boy. He's just like his father. It's a wonder how Hilde puts up with the both of them."

Mikomi shrugged. "I like him." Which, of course, meant Heero would have to watch the boy like a hawk.

"Hn...Well, Duo said he would have called sooner but he'd been busy rearranging his schedule so he'd be back on L2 as soon as possible. Jason is in charge while he's away."

"I wish we had a brother," Regena added innocently.

The older siblings were startled at the comment and immediately turned to see their parents' reactions. They knew their parents loved them all but ever so often they had a feeling they did want a son. And in fact, they themselves wished for a brother. It was a mutual unspoken wish in their family. But, their parents had never spoken of having more children.

Heero was gazing calmly into the fire, a bit separated from his surroundings. Relena, however, was not as collected. In fact, if one looked closely enough, they would be surprised to see the usually well-composed ESUN Foreign Minister blushing.

Relena gave an awkward cough before instructing her daughters to prepare for bed. "That's enough for tonight. Time for bed. You all have school tomorrow."

In the fashion of disgruntled school children everywhere, the girls slowly got up and dragged themselves to their bedrooms, their parents trailing behind.

"Mom, I don't want to go to school tomorrow," Regena told her, a pout adorning her face. "Sister Teresa is so strict these days. She won't even let me bring my smallest rocket for the science fair."

"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the last time you did, it blew away a good portion of the school's front lawn." Relena commented dryly, sliding a knowing glance at her husband.

Heero met her gaze evenly, appearing altogether too innocence.

"It's a good thing I know the dean or you would've been expelled, and we can't have that. Besides, St. Gabriel's is a fine educational institute. Your father and I went there."

"Until Daddy here blew it up," Helen commented. The others chuckled as their father frowned in slight embarrassment.

"That's not true," Heero defended himself. "It was Oz. I was there for the dance and I happened to save your mother from a falling building."

"After threatening to kill me," Relena countered with a smile. "Not very romantic, koibito."

Their daughters laughed at their father's discomfort. They had been told the stories of their parents' rather unusual "courtship" and loved teasing their father about it. The topic was always touchy with Heero but Relena assured him that she hadn't minded and loved him anyway.

"Okay you little hellions, up to bed, now."

The five girls went to their respective rooms and went about their nightly rituals, after which they waited for their parents to bid them their traditional "goodnight". They started as they always did, from youngest to oldest. At Regena's room, they tucked her into bed and kissed her forehead tenderly.

"Night night," the little girl murmured, clutching her pale, beige teddy bear. Her eyes drooped as sleep came over her.

"Good night," Relena replied, watching her eyes slowly drift shut.

"Sleep tight," Heero whispered, stroking her honey blond tresses.

They turned on her star-shaped nightlight and quietly exited her room.

Helen was already in bed with her dark ebony colored bear when they entered her room. Although Helen resembled her mother in appearance, she was by far the most like their father in behavior. It radiated in her quiet demeanor and slightly stoic nature. Still, she was a sweet girl. She bid her parents a quiet "goodnight" as they repeated the bedtime ritual.

At the twins' rooms, which were right beside each other, they moved from one to the other, switching between the two girls. Both had identical light brown bears resting on their beds, though Hana's had a blue neck-tie and Kat's was violet.

As they moved on to Mikomi's room, Heero couldn't help but feel apprehensive. His first-born was turning seventeen in less than a month and it seemed that just yesterday he was holding her little bundle in the delivery room. His fraternal instincts told him his "little" girl would be turning into a woman soon, and he didn't know how to react to that.

Especially if you had four other daughters to worry about as well. They all seemed to be growing up too fast.

Mikomi stood by her door instead of waiting inside her room. Her white polar bear quietly sat on her night stand. Heero had given all his daughters bears on their first birthdays. And even as the years progressed, they never seemed to outgrow them.

"Good night, Mom, Dad," she whispered, nodding to them both. She was by far the one daughter that resembled Heero the most in appearance, but had also gained the strengths of both her parents' personalities.

"Good night, Mikomi," they replied, waving her off to bed.

The pair quietly climbed the second flight of stairs, up to the third floor, where their room was. Though each upper floor had six bedrooms, they preferred to sleep on the third floor, since the girls took up a whole other room for their various extended wardrobes and sitting room. Sometimes, Heero would jokingly wonder how they kept out of bankruptcy, the way his daughters went on various shopping sprees.

As they entered their bedroom, Heero wondered how he had obtained a life like this. In the past he had thought of himself as just a soldier. Now, he was a proud father and a loving husband. Life was as good as he could ever hope for it to be. He looked over at his wife and watched her prepare for bed.

'I owe it all to her,' he thought, gazing at her with a soft smile on his face.

Relena noticed him watching her and returned the smile as she made her way over to him.

"I've missed you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Really?" Heero questioned, placing his hands at her waist. A familiar warmth raced through his body as he held her close.

"Mm-hmm..." she murmured, sealing his mouth in a sweet kiss, which he gladly returned.

Much later, as they lay together on the bed, Relena was debating whether or not she should tell him what she had known for a week, months really. Instead, she asked him a question.

"Heero? Are you proud of our daughters?"

He turned to look down at her. "Of course, I am. They're strong, intelligent, the best of the both of us. I wouldn't mind if they learn a bit more discipline though, especially when it comes to my tempura...Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing really," Relena replied, tucking herself closer to him. "Just wanted to know if you'd feel the same about your son."

Heero was absently stroking her hair before her words registered in his brain.

"What!" he nearly yelled, pulling her up to meet his gaze. "My son!"

Relena blushed nervously as she wrung her hands on the bed sheets. "Heero! Shhh!" She sighed deeply. "I'm pregnant."

"But how?" Heero asked, still disconcerted. "When?"

Relena smirked. "How do you think?" At that, he blushed. The answer was obvious. "My doctor estimates the time of conception to three months ago."

Heero recalled that it had been their anniversary then...and what a night it had been. But their present situation still boggled his mind.

"What I meant was," he started over. "How could you be pregnant? I mean, you're thirty-eight. Isn't that a little late?"

"Well, thanks!" Relena pouted. "I wanted you to be the first to know. So, here I am telling you you're going to be a father again and you tell me I'm getting old. What kind of gratitude is that?"

"You know what I mean," Heero replied, hugging her close. "I am grateful, but also worried. You had such a difficult time with Regena. And what if there are complications? I don't know what'd I'd do if I lost you, or the baby."

Relena tucked her head under his chin and hugged him reassuringly.

"Heero, you always worry. Through every pregnancy you'd hover around. It nearly drove the doctors crazy, and you threatened them too." She clucked her tongue at the memories. "I could've laughed but I was occupied at the time."

Heero smirked lightly. "Not to mention, you were shouting rather colorful phrases at me. Who knew you had that much of a vocabulary?"

His wife frowned at him but it melted into a smile. "Really, there's no need to worry. My doctor says I'm in perfect health. Besides, Sally gave birth to Meilin two years ago and she's older than I am," she assured him.

"Hn."

As they resettled themselves, Heero couldn't help but wonder. "Did the doctor confirm it was a boy?"

"Yes," Relena mumbled into his shoulder. "About a week ago."

"You don't look three months pregnant," he commented, tenderly caressing her only slightly rounded stomach.

Relena chuckled. "We've been throguht this before. That's normal. I probably won't start showing until the fifth month."

Heero was quiet a few moments as held her close. After a while, he whispered in her ear. "Thank you, Relena."

"Hmm? For what?"

He turned to look deeply into her eyes, his every emotion reflected in their Prussian blue depths. "For everything. First, you give me a reason to live. You gave me your love and the honor of being your husband. Then, five beautiful daughters, and now a son. It's more than I ever dreamed of having." Leaning down, he kissed her sweetly. "I love you."

Relena gazed back at him, unshed tears of love radiating in her eyes, and saw they were mirrored in his. "You're welcome. I'd gladly give you more, any day."

Heero gave her another long, sweet kiss, communicating all the love he felt inside. Once again they settled into the bed, wrapped in each other's arms.

"I should surprise you more often," Relena quipped. "It's quite refreshing."

"Hn..." was his drowsy reply as he cuddled close to her once more.

Relena sighed as she lay her head on her husband's chest. She let the steady beating of his heart lull her to sleep. Before her eyes closed, she mumbled one last coherent thought.

"Now, you won't be the only man of the house."

Japanese terms:
Omae o Korosu The ever famous "I will kill/destroy you."
ohagi a glutinous Japanese rice ball, covered in sweet red-bean paste or soybean powder; Hana tells me it's quite good... (Hana gives thumbs up in while stuffing her face)
koibito term meaning "love", pertaining to a person

Random Note: I LOVE tempura...(drools)

Author's Babble: Yeah, I know. Majorly sappy and corny to a fault. I don't know; it's been a boring week. Anyway, here are some references for the story.

Stats:
Heero/Relena - 38 yrs. old - married for 18 yrs.
Daughters: denotes twins
Mikomi (Japanese for 'hope') - 17 yrs. old - Has Heero's hair & eye coloring
Hana (Japanese for 'flower') - 15 yrs. old - Has Heero's hair & eye coloring
Katarina - 15 yrs. old - Has Relena's hair & Heero's eye coloring.
Helen - 12 yrs. old - Has Relena's hair & eye color, slightly darker
Regena - 8 yrs. old - Has Relena's hair & eye color, slightly lighter

Relena: Why do our kids resemble Heero so much?
Heero: (smug) Because I have the stronger genes.
Relena: Whatever... --;
W195: Anyway, yes, Jason and Donovan are Duo's & Hilde's sons. Yes, Mikomi has a crush on Jason. Yes, there will be a little Heero running around in the future. And yes, I am so totally lame... ee;
Duo: Hehe. Good to see my boy takes after his old man. Always did have a way with the ladies.
Heero: If your son comes anywhere near my daughter, Omae o Korosu.
Duo: ; Gee...I hope your son isn't as cheery as you.
W195: Don't bet on it.
Heero: (smirks evilly)
W195: Okay break it up. Anyway, I'm thinking about doing a sequel/series on their kids, maybe even on the other pilots' kids as well.
Wufei: NANI! I don't have any kids!
W195: Yes, you do. A couple anyway, with Sally.
Sally: Oh, Wufei! (glomp)
Wufei: Onna! Injustice!
W195: Quiet, or I'll make your daughter, Meilin, date Donovan.
Wufei: . Injustice.
W195: Actually, now that I think about it, that's not such a bad idea...
Wufei: (faints) XX
W195: Hmm. Okay...new fics on the way, depends on feedback...need some choco too...R/R please

Chapter 1-Completed: May 2001, Revised: November 2003, Re-revised: May 2005.