Part III
No one spoke for a full minute. They all stood and stared at the apparition on the doorstep. He looked much as he had during the war; a little older and taller, but still strong and slender, still dressed all in black with a braid that trailed past his hips. He met their gazes and summoned up a smile.
"Hi. I read in the paper that there was a reunion for all Gundam pilots, so I decided to show up. Sorry I'm late."
That seemed to break the spell for everyone except Heero. Suddenly Duo was in the house and being hugged by Quatre and Sally. Wufei kept asking questions about Duo's whereabouts that nobody bothered to answer, and Trowa was as close to babbling as he ever got. Heero stood pale and unmoving, his eyes never leaving Duo.
"And here I was worried 'cause I didn't get an invitation," Duo was saying.
"That's because we couldn't find you to send you one," Quatre said. "But you know you're always welcome."
Duo grinned and looked around, surveying the room. His eyes fell on Heero, and the grin faltered a little.
"Hi Heero," he said very quietly. "How's Relena?"
Heero shrugged. "Fine, from what I've seen."
"From what you've seen?" Duo repeated uncertainly.
Heero nodded. "In the past week."
"But aren't you her head of security?"
"No. Not anymore."
"So things didn't work out between you?" Duo asked, managing to sound hopeful and ashamed of that hope at the same time.
"There was never much of anything between us to work out," Heero told him firmly, hoping Duo would believe him this time.
Duo smiled.
"So," Quatre said hesitantly. "It's late, and I'm sure you're tired. We can interrogate you in the morning. We'll find you a room to stay in. Goodness knows there are enough of them here."
"I'll show you," Heero said abruptly, catching Duo's wrist in a strong grip and leading him off towards the stairs.
"Um. thanks." Duo experimentally tried to free his hand and found that he couldn't. "G'night all!" And he tamely followed Heero up the stairs.
Heero knew that there was an empty room a little ways down the hall, but he led Duo to his room anyway. Once inside, he shut the door quietly.
"Um, Heero? Isn't this." Duo started, but Heero cut him off.
"I'll take you to a room of your own in a minute. I want to talk to you first."
Duo looked apprehensive. "What about?"
"About the end of the war, and what happened. And what didn't happen."
Duo swallowed nervously. "What's to say?"
"Why didn't you wait for me to explain?"
Duo stopped fidgeting and looked at him. "Explain what?"
"I was going to ask you to come with me."
Duo laughed bitterly. "To Relena? Even if I had let you ask, I probably would have refused." He turned away.
"But there's never been anything between me and Relena!" Heero protested.
Duo shrugged. "Now I know that. But you know what they say; hindsight is 20:20. That wasn't what I thought then." He turned back to find Heero looking not at him, but at the floor. "Heero?"
"You were the one I wanted to keep with me after the war," Heero mumbled.
Duo's eyes widened as he heard. Hesitantly, he stepped over to Heero and put a hand under his chin, tipping his face up so he could see his eyes.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't know I would hurt you. I thought I was making things easier for you."
"I know," Heero murmured. "It was my fault for not making things clear."
Duo smiled sadly at him. "Heero, I love you, but you have this tendency to blame yourself even for things that aren't your fault. You're rather like Quatre that way."
Heero looked at him sharply. "What did you say?"
"I said that you blame yourself for."
"No, before that."
Duo obediently thought back and realized what Heero was driving at. "I said I love you."
"Still?"
"What do you mean, still? I never stopped, I just gave up hope of ever getting what I wanted."
"I missed you," Heero whispered, putting his face up very close to Duo's. When he was sure the gesture would be accepted, he kissed him.
He'd forgotten how good it felt to kiss Duo, to feel Duo's arms around his waist and Duo's body heat warming him.
They broke apart for air, and Heero opened his mouth to speak, but Duo grabbed his face in his hands. "It's been too long," Duo muttered as he kissed him again, more fiercely.
/I can't tell him now!/ Heero thought desperately. /How can I tell him now?/
Then, as Duo's hands moved down to grab the hem of his shirt, all other thoughts fled from Heero's mind.
~*~*~
Around 3:00 AM, the door to Heero's room opened very softly, then shut behind the small figure of Eleanor. Padding on the soft carpet, she noiselessly approached the bed. The room was dark, and she was still rather sleepy, but she unerringly located her foster father. Lifting up the covers gently, she crawled into bed next to him and snuggled up. In less than a minute, she was asleep again.
~*~*~
Sunlight filtered in thin beams through the window shade. One of those beams found its way to Heero's face, waking him up. He was about to turn over, but his sleepy mind registered that doing so would disrupt one of the two warm figures on either side of him. So he settle for tightening his arms around both bodies before trying to slip back to sleep.
His squeeze woke Duo, who snuggled closer and let an arm creep across Heero's chest. He flexed his hand absently, and suddenly encountered another hand that didn't feel like Heero's. He squeezed it. Definitely not Heero's. It was far too small.
Eleanor's eyes blinked open just as Duo sat up to see who the hand belonged to. Their eyes met, and for a moment they simply stared at each other. Then Duo's startled yelp mingled with Eleanor's earwax-melting scream.
Heero grabbed a pillow and pulled it over his face. "Why me?" he muttered into its feathery depths. "Why me?"
Somehow, he had not pictured the highlight of his morning as this: trying to explain to his five-year-old foster daughter why there was a naked man in his bed.
"Heero," Duo's voice sounded shaky. "Who's this?"
"Touchan!" Eleanor wailed, throwing herself behind Heero. "Who is he?! Where are his clothes?!"
Duo froze. "Touchan?" he repeated. "You have a daughter?"
Heero's mouth fell open, then closed again. The absolute irony of the situation hit him and left him speechless. Unfortunately, Duo took silence as assent. Before Heero could regain his composure, Duo was out of the bed and grabbing for his clothes.
"Duo!" he cried desperately as he watched the end of Duo's braid follow its owner out the door. "Wait! You haven't let me explain yet!"
~*~*~
Quatre looked up from his breakfast plate and blinked at the sight of Duo rushing down the stairs, in the process of putting his shirt on. He bypassed the table and headed straight for the door.
"Where are you going?" Quatre called after him.
"To think," Duo answered.
"But you haven't given us any explanations yet!"
Duo stopped just at the door. "Explanations," he repeated, turning slowly. Suddenly, he came stalking back towards Quatre. "You guys aren't the only ones who want an explanation! Why did no one mention to me that Heero had a daughter?! Who's she by?!"
"B.but Duo," Quatre stammered. "That's _your_ daughter!"
Duo froze, and the color started to drain from his face. "My."
Quatre nodded. "Her mother died, and no one could find you, so Heero took her in."
"Daughter," Duo said weakly. Taking no notice of Heero rushing down the stairs wearing nothing but his jeans, Duo slid to the floor in a dead faint.
No one spoke for a full minute. They all stood and stared at the apparition on the doorstep. He looked much as he had during the war; a little older and taller, but still strong and slender, still dressed all in black with a braid that trailed past his hips. He met their gazes and summoned up a smile.
"Hi. I read in the paper that there was a reunion for all Gundam pilots, so I decided to show up. Sorry I'm late."
That seemed to break the spell for everyone except Heero. Suddenly Duo was in the house and being hugged by Quatre and Sally. Wufei kept asking questions about Duo's whereabouts that nobody bothered to answer, and Trowa was as close to babbling as he ever got. Heero stood pale and unmoving, his eyes never leaving Duo.
"And here I was worried 'cause I didn't get an invitation," Duo was saying.
"That's because we couldn't find you to send you one," Quatre said. "But you know you're always welcome."
Duo grinned and looked around, surveying the room. His eyes fell on Heero, and the grin faltered a little.
"Hi Heero," he said very quietly. "How's Relena?"
Heero shrugged. "Fine, from what I've seen."
"From what you've seen?" Duo repeated uncertainly.
Heero nodded. "In the past week."
"But aren't you her head of security?"
"No. Not anymore."
"So things didn't work out between you?" Duo asked, managing to sound hopeful and ashamed of that hope at the same time.
"There was never much of anything between us to work out," Heero told him firmly, hoping Duo would believe him this time.
Duo smiled.
"So," Quatre said hesitantly. "It's late, and I'm sure you're tired. We can interrogate you in the morning. We'll find you a room to stay in. Goodness knows there are enough of them here."
"I'll show you," Heero said abruptly, catching Duo's wrist in a strong grip and leading him off towards the stairs.
"Um. thanks." Duo experimentally tried to free his hand and found that he couldn't. "G'night all!" And he tamely followed Heero up the stairs.
Heero knew that there was an empty room a little ways down the hall, but he led Duo to his room anyway. Once inside, he shut the door quietly.
"Um, Heero? Isn't this." Duo started, but Heero cut him off.
"I'll take you to a room of your own in a minute. I want to talk to you first."
Duo looked apprehensive. "What about?"
"About the end of the war, and what happened. And what didn't happen."
Duo swallowed nervously. "What's to say?"
"Why didn't you wait for me to explain?"
Duo stopped fidgeting and looked at him. "Explain what?"
"I was going to ask you to come with me."
Duo laughed bitterly. "To Relena? Even if I had let you ask, I probably would have refused." He turned away.
"But there's never been anything between me and Relena!" Heero protested.
Duo shrugged. "Now I know that. But you know what they say; hindsight is 20:20. That wasn't what I thought then." He turned back to find Heero looking not at him, but at the floor. "Heero?"
"You were the one I wanted to keep with me after the war," Heero mumbled.
Duo's eyes widened as he heard. Hesitantly, he stepped over to Heero and put a hand under his chin, tipping his face up so he could see his eyes.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't know I would hurt you. I thought I was making things easier for you."
"I know," Heero murmured. "It was my fault for not making things clear."
Duo smiled sadly at him. "Heero, I love you, but you have this tendency to blame yourself even for things that aren't your fault. You're rather like Quatre that way."
Heero looked at him sharply. "What did you say?"
"I said that you blame yourself for."
"No, before that."
Duo obediently thought back and realized what Heero was driving at. "I said I love you."
"Still?"
"What do you mean, still? I never stopped, I just gave up hope of ever getting what I wanted."
"I missed you," Heero whispered, putting his face up very close to Duo's. When he was sure the gesture would be accepted, he kissed him.
He'd forgotten how good it felt to kiss Duo, to feel Duo's arms around his waist and Duo's body heat warming him.
They broke apart for air, and Heero opened his mouth to speak, but Duo grabbed his face in his hands. "It's been too long," Duo muttered as he kissed him again, more fiercely.
/I can't tell him now!/ Heero thought desperately. /How can I tell him now?/
Then, as Duo's hands moved down to grab the hem of his shirt, all other thoughts fled from Heero's mind.
~*~*~
Around 3:00 AM, the door to Heero's room opened very softly, then shut behind the small figure of Eleanor. Padding on the soft carpet, she noiselessly approached the bed. The room was dark, and she was still rather sleepy, but she unerringly located her foster father. Lifting up the covers gently, she crawled into bed next to him and snuggled up. In less than a minute, she was asleep again.
~*~*~
Sunlight filtered in thin beams through the window shade. One of those beams found its way to Heero's face, waking him up. He was about to turn over, but his sleepy mind registered that doing so would disrupt one of the two warm figures on either side of him. So he settle for tightening his arms around both bodies before trying to slip back to sleep.
His squeeze woke Duo, who snuggled closer and let an arm creep across Heero's chest. He flexed his hand absently, and suddenly encountered another hand that didn't feel like Heero's. He squeezed it. Definitely not Heero's. It was far too small.
Eleanor's eyes blinked open just as Duo sat up to see who the hand belonged to. Their eyes met, and for a moment they simply stared at each other. Then Duo's startled yelp mingled with Eleanor's earwax-melting scream.
Heero grabbed a pillow and pulled it over his face. "Why me?" he muttered into its feathery depths. "Why me?"
Somehow, he had not pictured the highlight of his morning as this: trying to explain to his five-year-old foster daughter why there was a naked man in his bed.
"Heero," Duo's voice sounded shaky. "Who's this?"
"Touchan!" Eleanor wailed, throwing herself behind Heero. "Who is he?! Where are his clothes?!"
Duo froze. "Touchan?" he repeated. "You have a daughter?"
Heero's mouth fell open, then closed again. The absolute irony of the situation hit him and left him speechless. Unfortunately, Duo took silence as assent. Before Heero could regain his composure, Duo was out of the bed and grabbing for his clothes.
"Duo!" he cried desperately as he watched the end of Duo's braid follow its owner out the door. "Wait! You haven't let me explain yet!"
~*~*~
Quatre looked up from his breakfast plate and blinked at the sight of Duo rushing down the stairs, in the process of putting his shirt on. He bypassed the table and headed straight for the door.
"Where are you going?" Quatre called after him.
"To think," Duo answered.
"But you haven't given us any explanations yet!"
Duo stopped just at the door. "Explanations," he repeated, turning slowly. Suddenly, he came stalking back towards Quatre. "You guys aren't the only ones who want an explanation! Why did no one mention to me that Heero had a daughter?! Who's she by?!"
"B.but Duo," Quatre stammered. "That's _your_ daughter!"
Duo froze, and the color started to drain from his face. "My."
Quatre nodded. "Her mother died, and no one could find you, so Heero took her in."
"Daughter," Duo said weakly. Taking no notice of Heero rushing down the stairs wearing nothing but his jeans, Duo slid to the floor in a dead faint.