Category: Angst, AU
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4
Rating: R (?)
Disclaimer: Standard. You know them all by now so I won't bore you with a repeat.
Notes: This takes place in a world of my own making, where things can and are twisted into strange things. So what doesn't seem possible is. There are M/M relationships in this fic (I'm very much a 1x2/3x4 fan.) so if boys being together (and I do mean together) bothers you don't read.
Twisted Fates Part Eleven
By SilverLady
Adrianna watched Duo, noting his reaction to her statement. "He's Ken's father, isn't he?"
Duo sighed. "Yes," he whispered. There could only be one Heero Yuy in this world. Why did he have to wind up here?
"I thought I recognized the name. Besides, he looks a lot like Ken."
Duo's head jerked up. "You didn't..."
"I didn't say anything to him. He was pretty out of it when they got here, so I doubt if he even saw Ken. But the resemblance is startling. It won't take much for them to figure it out."
"Then again."
"Duo." There was a warning tone in her voice.
"I thought about telling him, when I first found out."
"He does have the right to know."
"I know. It would have just made a bad situation worse though."
"Are you going to tell him?"
"Why? He'll not be here long. Then he'll leave and go back to his wife and family. Why make things hard on Ken?"
"It's your decision."
"Damn right it is." Ken is my son.
"Anyway. I want you to brew up some of this tea and give it to the sick boy. His name is Quatre."
She saw Duo stiffen slightly at the name. "That name means
something to you?"
"Quatre Winner is Heero's stepbrother. He's also the only natural son of Lord Randolph of Shadar."
"Then what is he doing wandering around in these mountains?"
Duo shrugged his shoulders. "He's never gotten along with his father. I doubt if Lord Randolph was please to discover his son was screwing around with another man."
"You think he might have been thrown out."
"Or left to get away. The question is why is Heero with him. He fought with his step father but when it came to duty he was pretty obedient."
"Meaning?"
"When his stepfather said marry this girl, he did, no questions asked."
"Is that why you left?"
"Yeah. He couldn't understand why his getting married bothered me." Duo smiled ruefully. "He always was a hard headed bastard." Duo sighed. "About the tea?"
"See that he gets some every two hours. I'll leave some medicine for you to add to it. That should be done every six hours."
Duo nodded. "Just leave it in a distinctive bottle." He paused. "And Heero."
"I've instructed the young man with him on his care. The leg needs to be kept clean and allowed to drain. Hopefully I cleaned out whatever was causing the infection. I'll be back tomorrow to check on it." She reached out and patted Duo's arm. "Everything will work out."
Duo sighed. "I hope so." I knew this storm was going to bring something. I just didn't realize what.
*****
Quatre blinked in surprise at the unexpected face that greeted him when he woke up. "Who?"
"My name is Duo."
"Where is Trowa?" Quatre whispered. He was so hot and so tired.
"Sleeping. He's been up all night, taking care of you."
Quatre slowly turned his head, studying the large room he was in. There was a large fireplace on the far wall, opposite the huge four-poster bed he was lying in. Flanked on either side of the fireplace were equally large windows that let the sunlight stream into the room. On one wall was an impressively carved dresser and on the other were two doors, both closed.
"Where?"
"My room. We moved you up here this morning. I figured you'd be more comfortable here than downstairs."
Quatre glanced back at the fireplace again. This time he made note of the seating arrangement in front of it and the foot that was hanging over one end of the sofa.
He smiled slightly when he realized who the foot belonged to.
"You should rest. You've got a pretty good fever and we don't want it to get worse."
Quatre sighed. He was tired. But there was something that was bothering him. "Heero?"
He didn't notice Duo wince at the name. "He's sleeping in a room down the hall."
"In the daytime?"
"He's got an infection in his leg."
Quatre nodded. Being sick would be the only thing to keep his stepbrother in bed. "Be all right?"
"If he takes it easy and takes the medicine the healer left."
Quatre smiled. Apparently, his host had already discovered how stubborn Heero was.
"But you don't worry about him. Worry about yourself. You need to rest. When you're feeling better, we'll talk. There are some things I need to tell you, but they can wait."
Quatre frowned at the odd comment, but he could feel his eyelids growing heavy with sleep. Whatever it was would have to wait.
*****
The next time Quatre awoke, it was to find Trowa sitting beside the bed.
"Trowa."
Trowa leaned over and brushed his hand across Quatre's forehead, pushing stray locks of hair out of his eyes. "Hello, Little One."
Quatre reached up to place his hand on Trowa's. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
"For what?"
"Making you worry."
Trowa smiled. "It's not like you did it on purpose. And if anyone is to blame, it's me. I should have made you go to a healer when you first got sick."
Quatre nuzzled his cheek into Trowa's hand. "Wouldn't have listened anyway."
"I know."
Quatre sighed. "I feel a little better."
"Good. You're going to have to take care of yourself though."
Quatre gave a small smile. "You always say that."
"But this time he has a different reason for saying it." A new voice calmly informed him.
Quatre turned his head to study the young man who had just entered the room. He hadn't paid that much attention to him earlier, but now he took the time to actually study him. Wow. He's gorgeous.
He glanced at Trowa and raised an eyebrow. Trowa nodded slightly in answer to the silent question, then shrugged.
Duo sensed the silent communication between the two and had a pretty good idea what it had been about. But he said nothing, deciding it was best not to jump to conclusions.
He carefully set the tray he'd been carrying down on the bedside table. "I brought you both some dinner."
"And some answers?" Trowa asked quietly.
"If you want. Have you told him?"
"Told me what?"
"No. He only just woke up."
"Told me what?"
"Then don't you think that would be a good starting point."
"Told me what?"
"I suppose."
"What are you two talking about?"
"It would make the answers I have make more sense."
"TOLD ME WHAT?!"
Trowa turned to look calmly at Quatre, who was holding his head at the pain the shout had brought. "You shouldn't shout, Little One."
Quatre groaned. "I think I managed to figure that one out all by myself." He glared at Trowa. "What are you talking about?"
"The main reason why you've been sick," Duo told him as he pulled up a chair and sat down.
Trowa frowned as he watched their young host. There was something odd going on here.
Quatre blinked as he leaned back against the pillows. "Main reason?"
Trowa rested his hand on Quatre's knee. "The reason why your stomach has been bothering you."
"And that is?"
Trowa sighed. "You're pregnant."
Quatre's mouth dropped open as he stared at Trowa in shock. "That's not funny," he finally said.
Trowa looked at him calmly. "Have you ever known me to try and be funny?"
Quatre blinked. "No. But.... that's not possible. Guys don't get pregnant."
"In most cases, no," Duo said quietly. "But I'm afraid you are not most cases."
Quatre looked at Duo. "Meaning?"
Duo sighed. "I did promise some answers. If I give you a little background, maybe you'll understand."
"The healer said you would know," Trowa commented. "That you were one as well. How do you know that?"
Duo smiled. "You've met my son."
Quatre looked at him. "You... you had a baby?"
"Nearly five years ago." Duo sighed. "And I'm pregnant again. About five months so."
"How?"
"That is another story." Duo shifted slightly. "About five hundred years ago there was a young man named Hasim. He was the Crown Prince of Vameria.
"Now, being the Crown Prince had certainly responsibilities and as he grew to manhood his father started pressuring him about one of those. He wanted his son to marry and get busy producing heirs. But Hasim wasn't interested in doing anything of the sort. You see, he was already head over heels in love with his consort, a young man names Sucar. He had no interest in getting married and the thought of bedding a woman just to have a child was distasteful to him.
"One day though, Hasim came up with a solution. Hasim dabbled in a great many things, including magic, and he had finally found a spell that might just make everyone happy. He went to Sucar and asked if he would be willing to go through with it.
"Now, Sucar loved Hasim as much as Hasim loved him, so he readily agreed to the plan. He knew he was risking a lot in agreeing, but if it worked it would solve everything.
"So, one day the two went out into the forest and Hasim cast his spell. To his great relief, Sucar survived the casting, but they didn't know if it had worked. They knew they would just have to wait and see.
"One year later, on the very day, Sucar presented Hasim with their first born son. In all, Sucar had seven children by Hasim; five boy and two girls. Of the five boys, two of them inherited the changes that had been made to their father. All the Sucar of Vameria are descended from those two sons. Eventually those descendants became known as the Sucar.
"Unfortunately the only way to know if someone has inherited the Sucarian abilities is for them to become pregnant."
Quatre slowly laid his hand on his stomach. "But how can you be certain?"
"If Adrianna says you are, you are. She has a gift for knowing these things. Any woman in the village who even suspects goes to her. She's never been wrong."
Quatre looked at Trowa. "Trowa, I..."
Trowa leaned forward and hugged him. "It's going to be all right. I'm here for you. I will always be here for you."
The two were so engrossed in each other; they didn't see the sad look that crossed Duo's face.
Trowa finally turned to look at Duo. "There is more."
Duo nodded. "The Sucarian pregnancy runs pretty much the same as any female's. With the same risks. Hasim was very through when he set up that spell. There are several alterations that have been made to our bodies to make childbirth possible, plus several chemicals that are released to trigger certain response."
"But how is the child born?" Quatre asked.
Duo smiled slightly. "It comes out the same way it went in."
Both Quatre and Trowa winced at Duo's blunt statement.
Duo sensed their questions. "Believe me. It hurts like hell, but it really does happen. I guess you'd say we're not put together in quite the normal manner. I don't know the details of the anatomy of it, but I do have a book that is very good at helping make sense of it. I wish I had had it when I got pregnant with Ken. It was written by a Sucar name Jamel Midan about two hundred years ago, when he was in his fifth pregnancy. He gives a lot of good information about the whole thing. I'll get you the book and you can read it."
Duo smiled. "And I will tell you now. You are capable of actually nursing your child. Like I said, Hasim was very thorough with that spell." Duo smiled again. "And I'll help as much as I can. So far it's been a little easier, knowing what to expect."
"What about your baby's father?" Quatre asked. "When will he be back?"
"He won't. He's not involved in this."
Quatre sensed something amiss in Duo's answer, but decided not to push it right now. "As soon as I am better, we'll get out from under your feet."
Duo slowly shook his head. "You're not. You can stay as long as you want. There's plenty of room."
"But...."
Duo rose to his feet. "Believe me, after all I've been through, having several people in my house will be nothing."
Quatre sighed. "You've never had to put up with my stepbrother."
Trowa blinked as Duo walked out the door. He could have sworn he heard the boy say, 'Wanna bet?'
*****
Duo sighed as he leaned against the wall. Well, that went pretty good. I think Quatre will make a good mother and he's lucky to have such support from Trowa. I wish I had that.
