Disclaimer: Yeah yeah, I don't own Gundam Wing. I chose the name Quatrine for Quatre's daughter not to be cheesy but because it's his mother's name, sort of a memorial to her memory. . .or lack thereof.
Chapter 25
It's been a several months since the near-war experience. The Sanc Capitol stands half rebuilt on the quiet and grassy grounds, an air of peace about it as well as shadows cast by the evening sun. All was silent in the land except for the soft crunch of chilled grass beneath a pair of wandering feet.
"Heero!" The bundled-up man turned his attention to the front door where his wife stood, waving an arm in the air to catch his attention. He slowly made his way to the front step to meet her, calling back in his usual monotone voice, "What is it?"
"I just got a call from Duo, he says we're invited to his wedding!" Relena chirped happily.
"So he finally buried his freedom and went shopping for shackles?" Heero said, a slight grin on his lips. With a frown, Relena scolded Heero.
"Now, Heero, is that how you feel about our marriage? Just some bondage of unholy proportion?"
"Of course not, dear. . ." Heero stepped up to her and gently took her by the nap of her neck, drawing her close to kiss her. She turned her face away and he caught her cheek instead, taking the opportunity to roam down to her neck and then her shoulder.
"Heero! We're in public!" Relena argued, trying to push him away.
"I don't see anyone around. . ." He commented, continuing his free roaming. With a sigh, she shoved him back, saying, "Well, if you're quite done. . .Rachel wants me to assist her in planning the event. You may assist Duo in. . .not having a bachelor party."
"No party, why?" Heero asked innocently.
"Why? Beside being such a vile tradition, it's Rachel's wishes that he not stare at the bare breast of some exotic dancer before setting eyes on her." Relena said, twirling around and ascending the stairs.
"Okay, I'll tell him not to look above the waist."
"Heero!"
"Fine. . .ruin my fun. . ."
"What?"
"Whatever she wants!" Heero went back into the house, wandering in the direction of his office.
So they're finally getting married, this should be interesting. . .wonder if Duo will have any competition for her hand. . .Heero mused, opening his office door and stepping in to return to his work.
"That's right! I popped the question! So do you think you can make it to the wedding, Quatre?" Duo cheerfully spoke to his friend on his cell phone, lying sprawled out on the couch with one leg propped on the back of it.
Do you have to ask? Of course I'll be there! This is so exciting, we all thought you'd never ask her! Quatre's chipper voice sounded through the earpiece and Duo frowned indignantly.
"What! What do you mean 'we all'?"
"Well. . .frankly, Duo, you've been living together for a long time, no one thought you would want to marry her if you didn't have to!"
"WHAT! WHY YOU-" Duo shot straight up on the couch and yelled into the phone, "I'll have you know I had every intention in asking her! It just. . .wasn't the right time yet. . ."
"So the right time was after she gave birth? Or did it come so soon you didn't have a chance to ask beforehand?" Trowa appeared in the room, eavesdropping on their conversation as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Duo's eyes narrowed as he glared at him, saying in a mumbled, low voice, "I'll talk to you later, Quatre."
Okay. . . Quatre could sense something bad was about to happen as Duo quickly hung up the phone and lunged for Trowa who quickly sidestepped out of the way, allowing Duo to run into the wall and fall to the floor in a dizzy state.
"What on earth is going on out here!" Rachel hurried into the room when she heard the thump and found Duo crumpled at Trowa's feet.
"I think he had too much to drink again. . .if I was going to marry him, I'd have second thoughts. . ." Trowa slowly walked out of the room and Rachel said over her shoulder as she helped Duo up, "If you were going to marry him, I'd have to take your sexuality into question." Trowa turned his face away to hide the blush as he said, "That's not what I meant. . ."
"Can you go upstairs and change Gabriel's diaper for me while I take care of Duo?"
"Sure. . ." Trowa leapt up the stairs as Rachel dragged Duo over to the couch again, fanning his face to wake him up.
Why is it she always ends up taking care of that baby while I get stuck with the real one? It's not fair. . .he's a complete idiot and constantly getting into trouble or hurting himself but she still loves him. Why would someone want to marry a walking disaster like him? Why. . .Trowa thought to himself as he went into the baby's room to take care of the problem that caused Gabriel to fill the apartment with high pitched wails.
"Well, it appears that Duo has taken the big step in life. . ." Quatre said as he set down the phone, a soft smile on his face.
"What is it, dear?" Sayla approached, carrying their child with her. Quatre turned to them and said, "He's asked Rachel to marry him!"
"Oh, thank Allah! I was losing hope. . ." Sayla said cheerfully. Quatre chuckled and tickled his daughter's belly.
"We all were, right, Quatrine?" He cooed to his daughter, who giggled and gurgled in response to his playfully touch. With a soft smile, Sayla thought, I can only hope Duo is as ready to be a father as Quatre is. . .
"So when are they to be wed?" Sayla asked, bringing the conversation into amore positive aspect.
"Oh, I don't know, he didn't say. . .I think he got into an argument with Trowa. . ."
"Those two, honestly! They're constantly going at it like a pair of dogs fighting for last scraps!"
"Yeah. . ." What they're fighting about isn't quite as obvious to everyone else. . .but I know. . .and it has to stop. Quatre's smile faded as his wife left the room. Turning to his office window, he looked up at the sky with a sigh, saying, "He needs to realize that. . .he can't have her anymore. . .oh, Trowa. . ."
"I do agree, we need to have some sort of celebration. How often do we get the chance to go to a gentlemen's club?" Chang said with a sly grin, reclining in his office chair as he got cozy for a long discussion over the phone with Heero.
We can't take him to a stripper. Heero said simply, a slight tinge of boredom in his voice as he said this.
"What? On who's orders!"
The bride to be. Must be part of her religion. . .
"This has nothing to do with religion! It's a matter of tradition and to mess with tradition is unforgivable!"
He's taking this way too seriously. . .Heero thought to himself as he sighed.
I never figured you for the voyeur, Wufei.
"Voy-! I'll have you know I do not find such things entertaining! I am merely saying, it is a tradition for a bachelor's last night of freedom to be celebrated in a loose and sinful manner."
Right. . .So what do you propose we do then? She'll find out if we take him to one, the man has a weak mind when it comes to her.
"That is true, but. . .can we maybe convince her to allow just an hour's worth? Or maybe only 30 minutes! 1 minute!"
A lot can happen in a minute, Wufei. . .and besides, she's very stubborn, if you haven't noticed.
"ACK! Women, they know nothing of fun! Heero, I suppose then since you are heading up this idea that you are his best man?"
I wasn't told I was. . .
"But it's tradition that the best man plans the festivities for the groom, so you must be the best man."
Duo didn't ask me though. . .Relena just told me I was helping him plan the party.
"Then perhaps we should ask him! Because if he picked Trowa I'm sorry but that man cannot possibly plan a party if his life depended on it!"
Yeah, you'd think though after living with a circus for so many years that he'd get some idea of fun in his head. . .
"Him? Pah, I doubt it. We should call Duo and inquire as to whom he has chosen!"
Why don't we just pop over there? You're not busy, are you?
"Well, I do have a lot of paper work. . ." Chang looks over at his empty desk and sighs, "but I suppose I can spare a few moments. Let me tell Stacy to hold my calls and I'll be with you in a few seconds."
Meet me at Duo's place. Bye. Chang hung up the phone and pressed a button on his com pad.
"Stacy, hold all my calls, I'm going out for a few minutes."
Yes, Mr. Wufei! Stacy replied cheerfully. Getting up, he grabbed his jacket and pulled it on before teleporting to the Sanc Kingdom and more directly, Duo's apartment. When he arrived there, he found Heero staring at Duo's lifeless body draped on the couch.
"What on earth happened to him? Did the excitement go to his tiny little head?" Chang asked as he walked up to stand by Heero.
"Oh, I didn't hear you come in!" Rachel scuttled out of the kitchen and over to Duo with a bundled up cloth, putting it to a large lump forming on his forehead.
"We decided to pop in. Is Duo. . .available?" Heero questioned, taking another long look at the groggy man sprawled across the couch.
"Well, I suppose, he's still a little dizzy."
"The cause?" Chang asked.
"Trowa said he was drinking again."
"I'm sure. . .we need to ask him a few things, would you mind leaving?" Heero said bluntly. With a frown, Rachel mumbled, "Sure, even though it's my apartment too. . .I'll be upstairs." As soon as she was out of earshot, Heero nudged Duo with the toe of his shoe, saying, "Duo, wake up, we need to ask you something."
"Gah, I'll kill you, Trowa, just as soon as you stop running around the room. . ." Duo said in a slurred tone, wobbling into a sitting position as he groaned and held the cloth full of ice to his head.
"Get a grip, Trowa's not even here. Who's your best man?" Chang said commandingly, his arms crossed.
"Wha?" Blinking, Duo's eyes focused and he moaned, saying, "Oh, it's you guys. . .what do you want?"
"We want to know who your best man is so we can plan your party." Heero said dully.
"Party? For me? But I thought I wasn't allowed to have one!" Duo whined.
"Not a traditional one, no. . .will you just answer our question?"
"What's that?"
"Who's your best man!" Chang exclaimed, getting tired of Duo's faulty memory.
"You are!" He vaguely pointed in their direction while making karate motions to fend off Chang.
"Who? Me or Wufei?" Heero asked.
"Yes." Duo grinned.
"Argh! You baka!"
"You mean both of us?" Heero held Chang back from shaking the incoherent man.
"Uh huh! And Trowa and Quatre too!" Duo smiled before moaning and pressing the ice closer to the swelling.
"All of us? Why?"
"Cause I can't choose, okay! You're all my best friends, how can I pick just one to be my best best!"
"I guess it makes sense. . ."
"And it's better for us, we can all get together and plan the event." Chang agreed, getting enthused by the ideas popping into his head.
"I'm honored to be one of your best men." Heero said solemnly.
"I am as well! So, what do you want to do, Duo?"
"We can't ask him, it's suppose to be a surprise. Remember, tradition?"
"Right! Well then, we have some planning to do! I'll let you get back to mopping about, good day, Duo!" Chang disappeared and Heero quickly followed suit.
"Man, I think they're more of a pain than this bump on my head. I hope I'm not gonna regret making them my best men. . .ugh." At that Duo flopped over on his side and fell asleep.
"Oh! How nice to hear from you, Heero! To what do I owe this phone call?" Quatre cheerfully answered his phone as he took a seat behind his desk.
I suppose you've heard about the wedding by now. . . Heero said casually.
"Of course! Isn't it great, I never thought this day would come!"
Yeah. . .well, as one of the best men it's your duty to help plan the bachelor party for Duo.
"One of the best men? What do you mean?" Quatre blinked curiously at the remark.
He didn't tell you? Well, the four of us are his best men: You, Wufei, Trowa, and myself.
"This is so exciting! So what are we going to do? Go bowling? Visit a bar and get drunk?"
You think too small. . .and boring. Don't worry, we'll think of something good. . .something Duo will never forget for the rest of his life. . .
"Well count me in! I don't wanna miss out on the fun!"
Don't worry, you won't. Heero said, a soft laugh escaping his lips.
