Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Chimaera ❯ Chapter 50 ( Chapter 50 )

Disclaimer: I don't own the G'boys, I just borrow them from time to time to play with and return them a whole lot happier, ne?

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Yaoi, Lemon, sap, angst, Male Pregnancy, medical themes

Pairings: 1x2x1

Archive: http://gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com

http://sweetlysour.net.

http://adultfanfiction.net

http://www.theforsakenwk.com

Many thanks to DBZVelena, Ryouga and Yami_Tai for the beta. Also thanks to Yami_Tai for the title of this fic.

Notes: Set partially during the series but main bulk after the war. EW didn't take place. The Eve wars are finished and the peace retained. The pilots have all gone their own ways, Heero and Duo have made a life together both working for Preventer when Duo's world is turned upside down as his unknown past comes back to haunt him.

Dedication: To Velena who gave me the plot bunny for this little gem.

Status: In progress.

~ Indicates flashbacks ~

/ thoughts /

"Chimaera"

October. 2003 ShenLong

Chapter 50

The next morning found the three of them enjoying a lazy breakfast. Well, Hilde and Heero were, Duo had opted for toast and orange juice, his stomach feeling a little queasy at the thought of eggs, so rather than disgrace himself by having to make a mad dash for the toilet, he thought it safest to stick with something quite plain. Hilde now had a pretty extensive list of things they would need to purchase for the baby, some of the items both Heero and Duo hadn't even heard of, let alone thought they would need. Duo's list of clothing was much simpler.

Glancing at the list again while Hilde finished getting ready, Heero wondered for the umpteenth time why babies needed so many things. It would make life a lot easier if they came with a manual and pre-packed bag of necessities. A pair of arms winding around his waist brought him from his thoughts and he leaned his head back against Duo's shoulder.

"Penny for them?" Duo asked as he kissed his lover's neck.

"I was just wondering if we really need all this stuff," he replied.

Duo glanced at the sheet of paper held in Heero's hand. "Well, Hilde would have a better idea than we would about what we're gonna need and I trust her."

"I know, it's just that some of these things. Take for instance, baby wipes. What the fuck are baby wipes and what are they used for?"

Duo laughed. "I'd say they're some sort of cloth thing for wiping the baby, you know, cleaning it up when you change its diaper and stuff."

Heero's nose crinkled at the thought of changing diapers, unfortunately for him, Duo saw the small grimace. "Hey, Mr. Macho, don't go thinking you're gonna leave me to be doing all the dirty stuff. You're just as much responsible for this baby as I am and I'm damn sure you're gonna take your turn in changing diapers, feeding and burping the kid." Duo poked Heero in the ribs as if to add weight to his point.

"I know," replied Heero irritably. "I wasn't planning on leaving you to do it all by yourself, it's just that... well... the thought of dirty diapers... you know."

"I don't believe it. After all the blood and guts we endured during the war, patching each other up with basic medical kits, hell, you even set your own leg, buddy, and didn't flinch; and your telling me you're feeling ill at the thought of changing a dirty diaper? Well, shit!"

"Exactly," Heero deadpanned.

The laughter shook Duo's body but he couldn't help it. "Heero Yuy, Master Gundam pilot, trained assassin and top Preventer agent is all squeamish over a little shit."

"Who's squeamish over a little shit?" asked Hilde as she appeared in the hall ready to go.

"Heero is. He's turning green at the thought of changing the baby's dirty diaper."

Hilde joined in with the laughter. "A dirty diaper is nothing, Heero. Wait until you're burping them and they throw up all over you, or you don't get the diaper on correctly and the stuff leaks out of the side and all over their clothes and yourself..."

"I think I've heard enough," Heero stated weakly. He really wasn't feeling all that well anymore and if they kept this up, it wouldn't be Duo they would have to worry about paying homage to the toilet. "Can we go now and get this over and done with?"

Still snickering to himself, Duo opened the front door and the three of them stepped outside and into the morning sunshine.

~ * ~

The drive to the local mall didn't take long at all and Heero managed to get a parking spot relatively close to the main entrance. The three piled out and headed inside, intent on sorting out Duo's clothing needs first. His list was fairly simple and straight forward, some more sweat pants, shirts, new pajamas, sweaters and at Hilde's suggestion, pants that were elasticized at the waist instead of being fixed buttons or zipper.

"That way you will have a bit of leeway for your expanding stomach and still look cool," she winked at him.

There wasn't a great deal to choose from, the shop they were in being fairly limited in style as well as color choice, but when Heero held up a pair of green pants, Duo nearly spat it. "I am not wearing those!"

"Why not? They're loose and comfortable."

"They're also green and outdated."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, Duo, they don't exactly have a maternity section for men!" Heero hissed.

"Oh, really, smart arse. And just what university degree did you have to sit to figure that one out?"

"Well, I wasn't the one who went and got pregnant!" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Heero regretted them. He watched his lover visibly pale and reached out to him, not caring who saw them. "Duo, oh shit, Duo. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. Please, forgive me?" Of all the things he'd ever done in his life that he wished he could change, taking back those words was at the top of the list. He'd well and truly put his foot in his mouth this time, right up to the thigh in fact and one look at his lover's face told him he'd really hurt Duo with those words. "Oh, god, Duo. I didn't mean it. I love you, I'd never willingly hurt you. I'm so sorry. Please, talk to me."

"Leave me alone for a while, Heero." Duo managed to grind out and shook Heero's hand from his arm. "I think you've said enough for the moment. I need some space." Duo turned on his heel and walked away from his partner, opting to remain in the store but get as far away from Heero as he could.

Hilde came over, noticing the stricken look on Heero's face and the dark glare on Duo's. "What happened?" she asked.

"I think I well and truly fucked up, Hilde," Heero replied and repeated the basic conversation that had occurred to the woman.

"You asshole! Why did you have to go and say something like that to him? You know as well as I do that he's insecure enough in himself and even more so with *this*. It isn't easy when you're a woman to carry a child for nine months, suffer through all the body changes, hormonal changes and the rest of the crap that goes with being pregnant so for once, Yuy, try to put yourself in his shoes and see how he's feeling and coping with all this. It's easy for you, you're not the one who has to carry the baby; you are free to walk away any time you want, but Duo... Duo can't. It's his life and his child and no matter what, I know he would rather die himself than let that child suffer for any reason."

Heero hung his head in shame. "I didn't think what I was saying. Oh, Hilde, what can I do? I don't want to lose him or the baby; I love them both so much. To lose either of them would tear me apart."

"I'm not the one you have to convince, Heero. He is." Hilde inclined her head in Duo's direction, "And I'd say you have some serious ass kissing to do before Duo will even consider forgiving you." She turned back to Heero. "I suggest you start with the groveling now and gradually work your way up to boot licking and then ass kissing. If you're lucky, Duo will forgive you by the time you get to sucking up." Hilde couldn't help the grin as she noticed Heero's shocked expression at her choice of words. She gave him a friendly whack across the back of the head. "Get going over there, apologize and then you make damn sure to cater to his every whim today."

"I guess you're right." Heero turned and went towards his boyfriend, hoping he could repair at least some of the damage. "Duo..." he said tentatively, "I'm sorry. Please, don't shut me out. Talk to me?"

Duo turned and gave him a cold look. "You know what, Heero? You're right. I was the one that got pregnant, this is my problem and it's up to me to cope with it. No one's asking you to stay, Heero, you can walk away any time you like. Don't worry any more about me or the child, we'll manage on our own so don't think you're trapped or have to stay because of honor or duty or any of that sort of crap. That's the type of shit I expect Wufei to sprout, not you." Despite his cold tone Duo's eyes were soft and misty; he turned his head so as Heero couldn't see the tears that threatened to fall.

Heero took a firm hold of Duo's elbow and ignoring the quiet protests, steered him through the store and into one of the change room cubicles. Once inside and alone, Heero wrapped his arms around a struggling Duo, refusing to let him go until he'd had the chance to speak. "Duo, listen to me. I'm sorry for what I said; I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I love you with all my heart and soul, hell, you are my heart and soul. Without you I have no reason to live, no right to exist. You're special, a wonderful person who has an inner light to them that somehow manages to see the best in people and draw that out of them. Now you're even more special. Inside you there is a new life growing, a life that is a part of you and a part of me. Neither one of us ever dreamt that something like this would happen, but it has and despite my mistakes, I have no intention of leaving you. You can push me away all you like but I'm not going anywhere, Duo. This is my child as well and I want to be here for it, for you. I can't even begin to imagine what you must be going through but I want to be there for you, share some of the load if and where I can. Please, Duo. Don't deny me that, let me love you the way you deserve to be loved and forgive me for my stupidity." Heero sighed and rested his head against Duo's shoulder, still holding his lover tightly as if afraid that Duo would bolt.

If Duo's eyes had been misting with tears before, now they were well and truly flooded. He stopped struggling as Heero's words sank home, listening to his lover pour out his heart and feelings to him and it truly shocked Duo to finally understand how vulnerable his partner really was underneath that cool exterior. He knew Heero was genuine, he could tell from the tone of his voice and it amazed him as to how far Heero had come since the days of the war. Back then his stoic partner would rather have self destructed than admit to any weakness at all. With tears coursing down his cheeks, he gradually pulled away from Heero, stunned when he saw wet trails on his lover's cheeks as well. He raised his hand and brushed his thumb across Heero's cheek, wiping away the silvery paths.

"Oh, Heero. What are we going to do?" Duo said quietly.

Heero's blue eyes, filled with sorrow, pain and begging forgiveness connected with Duo's violet ones, also swimming with pain and sorrow. "Well, I would suggest we kiss and make up but somehow I think if we started screwing around in here the management would have something to say about it." Heero's weak attempt at humor was just what was needed to break the somber mood. He brushed his nose against Duo's. "Forgive me?"

Duo gave a watery smile. "How can I stay mad at you?" He leaned close and kissed Heero softly. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't be so snappy or short tempered with you; you are after all only looking out for my best interests."

"We make a good pair, don't we?" teased Heero.

"Both pig headed, stubborn sons of bitches... Yeah, I guess you could say we make a good pair," sighed Duo. They held each other for a moment longer before Duo began to pull away. "I think we really should get out of here, Heero, someone is bound to come looking for us in a minute."

Heero reached into his pocket and pulled out his handkerchief. Gently he dried Duo's tears and then wiped his own face before tucking the handkerchief away. "Come on, Hilde must be frantic by now."

They stepped cautiously out of the cubicle, trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible. Hilde was waiting just outside for them. "About time," she hissed. "I've had one hell of a job keeping people from coming in here."

"Sorry, Hilde," muttered Duo.

"It's okay. I trust you two have made up now?"

Both men nodded.

"Good. Now, follow me, I think I've found pretty much everything you need, Duo." Hilde proceeded over to a chair where she had placed everything she had thought Duo might need and would like. They went through the pile and only discarded one pair of the pants and a shirt. Satisfied with the rest of the items, they took them to the counter and Heero duly presented the credit card. Once the purchases were paid for, Heero carried the stuff out to the car and locked it away.

"I'm starved, how about we grab a quick bite to eat before we hit the baby stores?" said Duo, his good humor having returned.

"Fine with me. You hungry, Hilde?" asked Heero.

"Yeah. So what do you want to eat?"

"There's a great little pancake shop further in the mall," said Duo. "They make all sorts of wonderful pancakes."

"Duo, I don't..." Heero took one look at his lover and quickly changed his mind. "Pancakes would be... different."

Duo's smile was brighter than the sun and Heero was glad he'd bitten his tongue. He was only just starting to get back into Duo's good books. As Hilde had said, he'd better cater to his lover's every whim or else he'd be sleeping on the couch for a while. He made a mental note to buy a whole box of those damned Crunchie bars that Duo was so fond of.

~ * ~

Lunch was a success; even Heero had to admit that the pancakes had not only been nutritious but enjoyable too. Duo had ordered the Hawaiian; ham, cheese and pineapple on a buckwheat pancake so Heero couldn't complain he wasn't eating right. Heero had settled for a simple cream cheese, bacon and chives while Hilde had indulged in a chocolate and banana sweet pancake. Now they were all pleasantly stuffed and ready to tackle the baby store.

As they walked towards the first shop on the list of three that Hilde had picked out, Duo struck up conversation in regards to Hilde's wedding. "So, you guys finalized the date yet?" he asked politely.

"Well, we were planning on having the wedding in November, but I guess I will be changing the date," Hilde replied.

"Why?" asked Heero.

Hilde turned and looked at him. "Heero, in case you have forgotten, Duo won't be able to attend the wedding if we marry in November."

"Oh shit, of course." Heero could have kicked himself for his lack of thought. Duo would be into his seventh month by then and bound to be showing quite a bit.

"I decided last night after finding out your news that I'm going to postpone the wedding until March." Seeing the mouths about to open in protest she quickly continued. "Look guys, besides my coming earth-side to buy things for the wedding, I confess I have another motive." She stopped walking and pulled the two men to the side and out of the general thoroughfare. "I was going to mention this last night, but then with everything else that happened I guess I forgot." She turned to Duo and took his hands in hers. "Duo, I wanted to ask you if you would honor me at my wedding by giving me away. I ,… my parents... well, I don't have any as you know and you have always been like a brother to me... I'd really like you to do this for me." She looked deep into his violet eyes.

"Oh, Hilde... What can I say?"

"Yes, would be nice."

"Heero? You still got that handkerchief handy? I think I'm gonna need it again."

Heero reached again into his pocket and produced the handkerchief.

"Thanks." Duo wiped his eyes then took Hilde into his arms, hugging her tightly. "I'd love to, Hilde. Nothing would make me happier than to give you away."

Hilde found herself choking on emotion and struggled to speak. "Thanks, Duo. It means the world to me to have you there and do this for me."

Ignoring the strange looks they were getting from the odd passer by, they stood for a few moments until their emotions evened out, then Hilde took a step back and gave Heero a quick hug so he wouldn't feel left out. "Heero, I know Mark was going to ask you this but seeing as how I'm here, I'll do it for him. He'd like you to be one of his groomsmen."

Heero was stunned for a moment, then gathering his scattered wits he nodded. "I'd love to, Hilde."

They broke apart and began to move again. "Now you see why I'm going to put the wedding back until March. Mark will understand and by that time Duo should be well and back to normal, plus I will get to see my niece or nephew at the wedding and show them off." Hilde smiled. "Thanks guys, you don't know how much this means to me."

Both Heero and Duo returned her smile, each happy in their own mind, knowing they would contribute in some way to Hilde's wedding. Duo was especially pleased. To think that Hilde wanted him to give her away made his day even better.

"Here we are, guys." Hilde stopped and turned to face a set of glass doors. The sign above read 'Baby World' "Here's where we should be able to find pretty much everything you're going to need for this child." She grabbed both their hands and dragged them inside the store.

Heero and Duo stopped just inside the doors and stared. Row upon row of baby things greeted them; everywhere they looked different items stared back at them. Cots, prams, bassinets, walkers, diapers, rattles, teething rings, bottles.... The items were endless.

"Heero?"

"Hai, Duo?"

"Tell me this is a nightmare and I'm gonna wake up in a minute."

"If it is and you don't wake me up as well, then omae o korosu..."

~ * ~

tbc.......