Note: When I wrote No Promises and No Lies, my IRL friend, Duaimei, sent texts back and forth with me pitching the premise of this fic and asking me to write it.

This was A YEAR AGO and she's still going on about it. She brought it up LAST NIGHT. So you know what? I ran with it, at work today, and took it in another direction. Merry Christmas 2022, I guess, my friend. You got the promise of So Close in 2020, the publication of it in 2021, Holiday Missteps in 2023, and this as a retroactive 2022. I am all caught up on gifts.

Now leave me alone! (Or don't, that's cool, too.)

Uncle Duo

"Uncle Duo?"

He was awake as soon as his phone rang, but was upright and cognitively alert the moment he heard her voice. She sounded so upset, crying into the phone. It terrified him, and awoke every pseudo-parental instinct in his body.

"What happened?"

He turned to Heero, who looked unwilling to fully wake up until he decided if there was an emergency. When he only heard crying, Duo took over the conversation.

"Mei-Lin? Sweetie? What's the matter?"

Heero shot up from where he laid sleeping and grabbed the phone with reflexes Duo hadn't seen in years.

"Mei-Lin? It's Heero. Duo's occupied, how can I help?"

Duo sat in bed, staring at his husband in shock.

"What the hell, Ro? Give me back my phone!"

On Mei-Lin's end of the line she quieted down as she heard a struggle. One of her friends giggled at the commotion until everyone else shot her a look that shut the girl up. She'd been hanging out, drinking, and telling stories when all of her friends alerted her to something terrible. And now they were all listening as she called her favorite uncle on speakerphone, even though they'd warned her the hour was too late to call.

Uncle Duo always picks up when I call, she'd told them. There were few things in life she was completely sure of since childhood, and one of those few things was that her Uncle Duo would move planets for her.

The argument between Duo and Heero died down. She heard Duo assure her that he was listening, but Heero insisted she be on speaker so they both could hear as a compromise.

"That's okay. You're on speaker, too."

"We are?"

"Yes." She sniffled. "I'm... You see... My friends. We were talking about funny childhood memories, right? And I told them the story of how my Uncle Duo was the only person in the world who could calm me down when I was crying for hours at the cabin. How mom and bàhbā couldn't do a thing, but you showed up, Uncle Duo, and it was like the sun came out again. And then I collapsed into your arms. And then—"

She began to sob.

"Theywereaskingwhyi'dcriedsomuchandwhathappenedandididn'teverreallythinkabouthatbefore!"

She took in a long and shuddering breath.

"Andwetracedmyafternoonthatdayandohmygoddidialmostkillyouuncleduo?"

Blue and violet eyes met over the phone shared between them. Heero shrugged.

"Sweetheart, you're gonna have to be a little clearer. We couldn't understand you."

A new voice came on the line, interrupting Mei-Lin just when she started to spew nonsense again.

"Hi, I'm one of Mei-Lin's friends. My name's Alana. Did Duo at some point nearly die for her? Because while trading stories over drinks it became apparent to us that he definitely nearly died because of her actions."

The sound of his niece crying in the background pained Duo. So did her regaining that memory. He didn't want her to feel guilty and made sure no one brought it up, though on several occasions over the years Heero wanted to when he was angry with her. Heero always wanted to stir trouble when it came to what he declared was accountability for the girl.

"Which time was this, again?"

Violet eyes widened and Duo shot his husband a look that said you fucking idiot just as the sobbing voice on the other end of the line pulled itself together long enough to ask "What does he mean which time? Was there more than one time you almost DIED for me, Uncle Duo?"

Duo smacked his husband in the arm. "Heero!"

"What? She was more dangerous to your health than the war and Preventers combined. I'm allowed to be a little salty over nearly losing you so many times. She's old enough to learn the truth."

"Don't you dare say another word, Ro!"

"Which time did you remember? Was it our wedding, or at the river?"

They heard a screech of "YOUR WEDDING?" from multiple voices, including Mei-Lin, who was outright sobbing immediately thereafter. Her friend's voice spoke up once more. She sounded astonished, like her young mind couldn't comprehend what her friend did to nearly kill her favorite uncle on more than one occasion, and how after all of that he was still totally devoted to her, enough to answer her call in the middle of the night.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the river. When we pried she remembered a game where she was walking on water and then her uncle came out of nowhere and tossed her onto the dock. And she says he disappeared afterwards."

"Yes. He fell through the ice in her place. It's the time I hold against her the least."

"Heero! Shut up!"

"What? She was very little, didn't know better, and she absolutely would have died if you weren't there. She was supposed to be napping, but sneaked her way past everyone with skills you would've been proud of, if you hadn't been thrust into a life or death situation. I've grown to accept that I can't be angry with her over that, not when the outcome was so good. I kind of owe her for that one."

Mei-Lin's friend chimed in "You owe her?"

Heero chuckled.

"Yes. I was so scared Duo was going to die that once he recovered I finally told him how I felt for so many years. And we've been together ever since."

The chorus of girls swooning over that anecdote was sickeningly sweet. Duo blushed, grateful to be on an audio-only call.

"If I remember correctly, you didn't admit shit to me other than how scared you were. And you asked me not to do it again, to which I declined because of fucking course I'd get trapped under the ice and swept away in a current for Mei-Lin again. I'd do anything for her, you know that, babe! And it was me who admitted feelings first, you baka. You don't get credit for that."

"Yeah but I asked you out."

"Only to interrupt me asking you out!"

"I still asked you out first."

"Fine, whatever."

"That part is factually correct!"

"Whatever!"

"Ummm... guys?"

Their attention went back to the group of girls on the other end of the call. Their skin crawled as they realized the girls were listening in and they'd now painted themselves into a corner as total middle-aged saps.

"That's adorable and all, but Mei-Lin has a question for you."

A stronger voiced Mei-Lin asked, "How many times, Uncle Duo?"

"It wasn't that many."

"Oh god! That means it's a lot!"

"Calm down, sweetie. Heero was just exaggerating, it really wasn't that many times."

"How many?"

He sighed.

"Two."

"Four!"

"Heero, shut it!"

"FOUR?"

"It's not like it sounds—"

"Be quiet, Uncle Duo! Let Uncle Heero talk, he's obviously the only one who will tell me the truth because if it was four and you say two then you're a liar!"

That hurt. Duo quieted down without defending himself.

Mei-Lin quickly realized she never should have called her uncle a liar, and that she crossed a line. He didn't deserve her accusations, especially when he was the least likely of anyone to lie to her. But before she could apologize her other uncle took over.

"First was at the cabin. You wanted to play on ice, Duo fell through and nearly drowned, then nearly froze. Second was when you decided to attempt flying and jumped out of a window at your parent's house. Sounds like nothing, but he caught you to spare you from impact and hit his head on the driveway. Got a nasty concussion. Vomited for days, so thanks for that. Third was when—"

"Heero! Really, we don't need to—"

"You gave him a candy on the morning of our wedding. Said it was new, and your favorite. He had an allergic reaction so severe he was in the hospital for two days. We didn't get married."

"But I remember that! Your wedding was fun!"

"You remember everyone else enjoying the party, which we insisted upon. Duo and I weren't there. Did you see us exchange vows? Did you see us at all?"

"Oh."

"Yeah. OH. We ended up getting married at the courthouse after Duo was released from the hospital."

"Oh."

"But she had no way to know about the candy! I'd been eating junk like that since forever. It was a new chemical used that I reacted to, anyone could've given me that candy. Hell, I could've eaten it on my own without knowing. So if you think about it, having such a severe reaction on a day when I'm surrounded by people and Sally's right there with her medical knowledge, was good fortune!"

"We never got a real wedding, Duo!"

"We have pictures."

"Of everyone else at a party!"

"It wasn't her fault at all!"

"FINE. And the last time—"

"HEERO!" There was anger in Duo's voice unlike any of the previous times. "Don't you fucking dare tell her."

"She should know."

"It wasn't in any way her fault!"

"She is far too old for you to still hide these things from her!"

"I don't want her to feel guilty! I don't want her to ever stop calling me! I'm her UNCLE! She's my sweetheart. My favorite little girl. My whole damn world outside of you. If she stops calling me when she's in trouble, what good am I? How can I possibly abandon her? How can I ever not show up for my Mei-Lin?"

There was complete silence on both ends of the call.

"Duo, love." Heero's voice was tender and soft. "Nothing will ever make her think you won't be there for her outside of your death. But this was last year and you're still not recovered fully. She needs to know. If not to make it perfectly clear just how much you love her, how you never once in all these years blamed her for anything, then to help her make better judgement calls."

Duo matched his tone, speaking barely above a whisper but it was still caught on the microphone.

"She made the right call, Ro. She made the perfect call. I've never been more proud of her than I was that night."

"I know, love. But you can't hide everything from her, just to spare her feelings. She's a bright young woman with her father's integrity and her mother's tenacity. She's strong, she's brave, and she can handle these things. And if you don't think she can, what does that say about you and how you treat her?"

Mei-Lin held her breath. She'd never in all her years heard her Uncle Heero say what he thought of her. She knew he liked her well enough. He certainly allowed her to play with him when she was little, to everyone's shock. But she thought that was just because it made Duo so happy. She always sort of thought he simply tolerated her better than most kids, better than he tolerated most people in general. To hear him speak so highly of her rocked her world.

She heard a deep sigh on the other end of the line. Her friends were all frozen in place around the phone. They'd sobered up enough for now. When Duo spoke, fear gripped her.

"Mei-Lin, sweetheart. You remember when you called me last year after the incident?"

She did. And she knew he was waiting for her to acknowledge him as a matter of privacy. Duo didn't know if her friends were aware of what happened that evening. A boy from school got too handsy, wouldn't take no for an answer, and for the first and only time in her life she used the martial arts skills her father taught her against someone outside of an academic or sports setting. She was physically unharmed, but couldn't stop crying from how violated she felt when a boy she sort of knew, and thought was a decent guy based on his positive reputation, pinned her to a bed and kissed and groped her against her will. Scared to go to her friends and be judged, she called her uncle.

Her voice was steely, recalling the events of that night leading up to her call.

"Yeah, I remember."

"You did everything right that evening. And I'm so, so glad you called me to go get you. I'll always cherish how you were comfortable relying on me, how easy it was for you to open up, and how we spent those hours just talking. When I dropped you at home I was so proud. I don't think I can quantify how proud I was of you, my little girl all grown up and capable of facing anything the world throws at her. Standing up for herself. Not afraid to feel. Knowing when to call backup. I was so damn proud. So damn honored you called me. And what happened after isn't your fault."

"What happened, Uncle Duo?"

"You have to understand that Heero's out of line—"

"I'm not out of line. I know it wasn't her fault. But I also know you wouldn't have been there if she didn't call. You'd have been in bed at that hour, or you'd be staying up with me on the couch watching one of your favorite movies late into the night. You wouldn't have been on the road at all!"

Duo's voice turned a bit vicious.

"You're misdirecting anger, Ro! You should be angry at the other driver, not her!"

"The other driver is dead, Duo!"

Mei-Lin thought her heart skipped a beat while Heero continued to speak.

"That son of a bitch didn't even put on his headlights, you had no way to evade him, especially at those speeds. And I couldn't bare to be angry at you while you were hospitalized, or after, when I was just so glad you survived! Sally said you probably wouldn't! She did her best to prepare me for the worst. Will you ever know what that news did to me?"

"Probably the same as what watching you and Libra did to me."

"Duo, it's no the same." Heero's voice became pained in a way Mei-Lin didn't fully recognize. "War is supposed to be dangerous. Driving home after spending time with Mei-Lin more than two decades after the war ended, when we're supposed to be living in times of relative peace, doesn't carry the same expectation of danger."

She finally found her voice.

"You're talking about the drunk driver who hit your vehicle, aren't you?"

Defeated, Duo whispered "Yes, Sweetheart."

"So it didn't happen later. It happened that same night?"

"Yes."

She found herself angry.

"Why'd you lie about the timing? Why did everyone lie about the timing?"

Heero and Duo locked eyes, and Heero understood the pleading look he was given. It was his turn to take over, because Duo was emotionally wrought.

"Because the last thing he said, before slipping into that coma for two months, was a request to keep it from you, and tell you the accident happened any other night. Not when you called. Any other night. And if that was the last thing my husband said to me before he died, if that was his last request, I was going to honor it."

"Why would those be your last words, Uncle Duo?" Her voice cracked, and it was obvious even to the two men not in the room with her that she was fighting back tears again. "You should've told Heero you loved him! Not protected me! Why would you do that? Why deny Heero something so important?"

"Heero knows, Sweetheart."

Duo spoke with that gentling tone she was so familiar with. That loving tone he used ever since she was little when he wanted to assure her that she was okay, and that he loved her.

"Heero already knows, and telling him again is nice but it doesn't change anything. But you wouldn't know. And I couldn't die putting that kind of guilt on you when all you did was everything you were supposed to do. You showed me how much you loved me that night, by trusting me. What kind of teenager calls her uncle, huh? Most teenagers want nothing to do with the adults who raised them, or helped raise them. You were never like that. You rolled your eyes at me more, and teased me more, but you always loved me. I couldn't let you live with any misplaced guilt. I needed you to have no reason to twist the story into something you blamed yourself for. I didn't want you to think you killed your favorite uncle."

Mei-Lin was crying again, and Duo and Heero heard some of the things her friends said to console her.

Those better be happy tears, because that man LOVES you.

My uncle doesn't even remember my birthday, yours protects you down to his dying request!

Yeah, Mei, get your shit together. I'd kill to have anyone love me that much.

That guy is unreal. Was he really a war hero? A sap like that? I hope you appreciate him.

She cried harder. Duo cleared his throat.

"Hey, Mei-Lin?"

Her voice was small and distant when she answered "Yeah?"

And then, Duo sang to her.

"Who do I love more than the sky?"

Heero's eyes shot up from where they'd drifted down to the phone back up to Duo's. Mei-Lin choked on her cries, but calmed down significantly. Then she responded, barely following the tune, "You love me, and you never lie."

"Who would I fight any monster for?"

She sniffled, and audibly gathered herself, singing back with a little more confidence, "Chang Mei-Lin, who you adore."

"And who threw a cake in your daddy's face?"

When she sang back the last line, he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Uncle Duo, he's a nut-case!"

Another chorus of awwwws erupted, and there was laughter and tears on Mei-Lin's end of the line.

"Gosh, Uncle Duo, I'm so embarrassed! Who sings to a 20 year old like that?"

"Hey! You're the one who responded."

"Oh gosh, this is mortifying!"

"That's what uncles are for, Sweetie."

"Well... thank you, Uncle Heero, for making sure I got the truth. And thank you, Uncle Duo. For, I dunno. Everything. Just thank you."

"Love you, Mei-Lin."

"Love you, too."

The call disconnected.

For a moment, Heero and Duo simply sat in their bed, absorbing what transpired on that call. Heero thought Duo would be angry with him, so he was a little surprised to find he wasn't. Duo's hand reached for his, and the warmth was nice. It reminded him that Duo was still there. He'd taken to holding Duo's hand a lot after the accident a year and a half ago.

"Let me braid your hair."

Duo gave Heero an odd look.

"You know it won't hold, babe."

"Not yet, but it will one day." He slid on their bed to angle himself behind Duo, and in response the other man turned so his back faced him. Heero reached onto a nightstand and grabbed a hair tie. "It'll be long enough to braid like before in no time."

Once he tied the band around a short length of braided hair at the base of Duo's neck, he felt his husband collapsed backwards into his chest. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around Duo and kissed his shoulder.

"You don't hold that against her too, do ya?"

"No. But it was a shock to see it all gone at the hospital."

"It had to go, for the surgery."

Without thinking, Duo raised a hand to trace one of several scars on his head.

"It would've been nice to be warned, but honestly I just wanted you to wake up. Hair or not, I wanted you to wake up from that coma."

"You think she'll be okay?"

Heero thought through his response.

"Eventually. Right now? No. But when she really feels bad, she'll call you as her backup."

Duo smiled. He couldn't ask for more than that.