Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Chimaera ❯ Chapter 56 ( Chapter 56 )

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, WAFF, humor.

Pairings: 1x2x1

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

http://sweetlysour.net.

http://adultfanfiction.net

http://www.theforsakenwk.com

Many thanks to 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 56.

Duo picked up the small tin of paint and stared at the label. 'Violet Mist' was written on the lid. He studied the color indicated on the label before placing it back down and picking up the next tin. This time the words 'Coffee Cream' looked back from the lid. Duo frowned as he looked at the pale creamy beige color indicated on the label. Finally he picked up the last tin. 'Lemon Sherbet' was written on this lid. He spun around as Heero entered the room.

"We should be ready to start now,' Heero said as he walked over to his lover.

They had spent most of the morning moving all the furniture out of the room as well as taking down the curtains in preparation for painting. Well, Heero had done most of the lifting, assisted by Harim, Duo having been only allowed to handle the smaller items. Now everything was stacked in one of the other rooms of the mansion and all that remained was to cover the floor with the drop sheets Heero had found and try out the colors on the walls.

Duo put the paint can down and after stealing a kiss picked up one end of a drop sheet and together with Heero spread the sheets around the room. "Which color shall we try first?" Duo asked as he studied the tins again.

"Doesn't really matter," replied Heero. "We need to put about two or three roller widths on the walls to get a proper idea of how the color will look. I'd suggest put a color on each wall then we can look at the individual walls and see which one we like the best and would be the most suitable."

"I love your way of thinking, Heero," Duo said as he placed an arm around his lover's waist. "Shall we start?"

"Why not." Heero moved to where the three tins of paint sat upon the drop sheet. He spread some newspaper out and then picked up the first tin. A screwdriver was produced and the lid prised off. Heero picked up the small stirring stick and popped it into the liquid before passing the tin to Duo to be stirred. While Duo mixed the paint so Heero opened the next tin. Five minutes later all three tins were open and Duo was finishing off mixing the last tin.

"Which wall and color did you want, Heero?"

"I'll try the lemony one on that wall."

"Well, I'll take the violet and see what that one looks like." Duo picked up his tin of paint and a brush and walked over to the wall to the left of the window.

Heero also picked up his tin and went to the opposite wall.

Duo hummed softly to himself as he dipped the brush into the paint and began to put it on the wall. The soft violet color flowed easily and pretty soon Duo had a square of pale violet paint around two feet wide and three feet long. "That should be enough to give us an idea of the color," he said to himself as he stood back to admire his work. Satisfied he popped the lid back on the sample tin and walked back over to stir up the coffee cream paint before picking up the tin and moving to the wall opposite the window. With a fresh brush in his hand he dipped into the paint and began to brush it on the wall.

Having finished his own little 'square' test area, Heero put the lid on his tin of paint and walked over to stand behind Duo as the American finished off the last bit of the wall he was painting. With the lid firmly in place on the tin, so Duo moved to the middle of the room to stare at each of the colors. Heero followed him and stood behind him, wrapping his arms around Duo's waist and resting his chin on the long haired man's shoulder as he studied the colors.

"What do you think, Heero?"

"I think we should leave them to dry properly before we make a decision. The color will change slightly once it's dry."

"Feel like a coffee?" asked Duo, ever hopeful.

"I'll make us both one. You go and sit outside on the patio and I'll bring them out." Heero pressed a kiss to Duo's neck.

"Mmm... Thanks, Heero."

~ * ~

Duo reclined back in the lounger and stared out across the gardens of the mansion. A warm breeze blew carrying the scents of the many flowers that were currently blooming. Duo closed his eyes and inhaled the smells, a smile playing on his lips. The sound of cups clinking drew his attention back and he opened his eyes to see Heero approaching with a tray. The tray was deposited to the small outdoor table and Heero passed Duo a cup of the steaming beverage. Duo took it and smiled in thanks.

"Hungry?"

"Am I ever not?" came the cheeky reply.

"Hn, thought as much. I made some sandwiches." Heero passed over the plate and Duo eyed the contents eagerly. He picked up one of the large sandwiches and took a bite. Heero put the plate down and took a sandwich for himself.

They ate in silence, happy to sit and enjoy the sounds of nature at work. Duo ate three sandwiches while Heero managed four. Staring out at the peaceful landscape they watched Raphel walking the perimeter fence with one of the dogs. He looked up and spotted the pair, gave them a friendly wave and approached. Duo smiled as he drew near and beckoned for the dog to come over for a friendly scratch behind the ears.

Raphel took a few moments to speak with Heero in regards to the security systems while Duo played with the dog. Heero watched his lover from the corner of his eye, he still wasn't too sure about the dogs but Duo appeared to get along with them just fine. To look at the large Doberman Pincer and the way its stumpy tail was wagging as its eyes rolled ecstatically with Duo's attentions, Heero would have had serious doubts as to the animal's qualifications as a guard dog; however, he had seen the animal first hand when he'd approached Duo one day when he'd been playing with the dog and knew he had no cause for concern when the dog had shown him the protective side of its nature.

Business concluded, Raphel bid them good day and reluctantly the dog followed. It would much rather have stayed and had its tummy scratched all afternoon with Duo. "I guess the paint should be dry by now, Heero. Shall we go take a look?"

"Hai. I'll just take the dishes back to the kitchen and meet you there." Heero stood up and collected the dirty dishes. He noticed with amusement that the last sandwich had disappeared; no doubt the dog had enjoyed it.

Duo stared at the different walls, eyes traveling from one to the other and back again as he tried to make up his mind which one he liked the best. Heero came in the room a few minutes later and also studied the various colors. "What do you think, Heero?"

Heero faced first one wall then turned to the next before finally facing the last wall. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he glanced again from one wall to the other. "I'm not too keen on that one now it's on the wall," he said as he nodded in the direction of the coffee cream color.

"Yeah, I have to agree with you there. It's nice enough and all that but I don't think it really suits the mood of the room," replied Duo as he looked at the pale beige color. "So, that leaves the other two."

"Hn." Heero studied the other two walls again, tilting his head slightly and trying to envision the baby furniture against the color. "I really don't know, Duo. Which do you prefer?"

Duo was facing a similar dilemma. He'd also pictured the baby things against the two colors and decided that either one would look fine. Then he had an idea. "Heero?"

"Hai?"

"Have you picked up the border yet?"

"Hai, I did. Why?"

"Let's have a look at it and pop it against the two colors to see which one it will match up best with."

Heero's face lit up in a genuine smile. "I never thought about that," he said as he turned to go and fetch the border paper. He returned a couple of minutes later, roll in hand and began to unroll about two feet of the paper and hold it up against the violet paint. "What do you think?"

Duo snickered. "Gotta love your taste, Hee-chan."

Heero blushed. "I thought it would be appropriate," he replied and stared at the border paper. A range of cute baby animals stared back at him; fluffy rabbits, fawns, lambs, puppies, yellow ducklings to name a few, all cavorting across the paper strip.

"It is appropriate, Heero and I love it," Duo smiled as he spoke. "I'm sure that the baby will too once it's old enough to focus properly on them. Try it against the lemon now."

Heero did as requested, spreading the strip against the lemon paint. "Well?"

Duo gave him a sly look. "I know which one I prefer, Heero, but I'd like you to have a look as well and tell me which you like." Duo knew too well that regardless of which one Heero liked he would go with what Duo liked, simply because he wanted Duo to have what he wanted; but Duo wanted Heero to have an equal say, after all this was Heero's baby just as much as his.

With a grunt, Heero reluctantly handed the border over to his lover and stepped back to get a better view. He studied the border carefully against both strips of paint and made up his mind.

"Which is it going to be, Heero?" Duo rolled up the strip as he approached his partner.

"I think it looks better against the lemon."

Duo's face widened into a huge grin and he wrapped his arms around his lover, kissing him soundly. "I like the lemon too, Heero."

Heero felt a wave of relief wash over him with Duo's admission and he pressed a kiss of his own to Duo's lips. "I'll stop by the paint store next week and pick up enough to do the room."

"Good, we can start on the room properly next weekend then."

"Hai."

~ * ~

The week passed quickly, Heero was working on a new case with Wufei while Duo was doing research for a sting operation. The paint had been bought but forgotten about for the time being as both men were too busy with their respective jobs at the present time. By the end of the day all they wanted to do was relax in the comfort of each others arms.

The weekend rolled around but neither felt up to painting the nursery, opting to put it off until after the pressure eased a little in their jobs. Duo's belly was steadily increasing in girth and Heero found himself fascinated with the change. He couldn't stop himself from staring and rubbing his hands over the swelling bulge, fortunately Duo didn't seem to mind, if anything he enjoyed the extra attention.

Fatigue was beginning to find its way into Duo's days. More than once he found himself with heavy eyelids and had to take a brief break from the computer and the work, either napping for an hour or taking a walk outside in the fresh air. Fortunately his ankles hadn't swollen anymore so Nurse Brown was satisfied.

Duo was now entering his sixteenth week of pregnancy and his stomach getting larger by the day. The work schedule had eased a bit so during breakfast on one Friday morning, Duo brought up the subject of getting the nursery finished. "Heero, I really think we should get the painting done this weekend. If we keep putting it off any longer I'm not going to be able to do much at all."

Heero finished his orange juice and placed the glass on the table. "Hai, you're right. We do need to get it done and we've put it off long enough. We'll start on it first thing tomorrow."

Duo smiled. "Thanks, Heero."

Saturday morning found the pair dressed in an assortment of old clothes, paint brushes in hand and ready to tackle the job they'd put off far too long. Heero brought in the paint tins, rollers, brushes and tray, setting them down on several large sheets of newspaper that Duo had prepared for the purpose. Opening the first tin, Duo stirred the paint while Heero checked the drop sheets were all in place. They didn't need any paint on the carpet.

Once the paint was thoroughly mixed, so Heero tipped some into the tray then set the tin back down. "I'll take the roller and do the larger areas, Duo. Would you take the brush and go around all the skirting boards and frames for me please?"

Duo nodded. "Yup, no problem, Heero." He wasn't about to argue, in fact he'd been a little stunned that Heero had even allowed him to participate. He'd fully expected his partner to insist on doing it all himself while Duo sat and watched., maybe his little talk a while ago had begun to sink into his lover's 'sometimes thick' head.

Pouring a little of the paint into a smaller container and picking up a brush, Duo headed towards the wall that had the window in it. He placed the container on the drop sheet and dipped his brush in, wiping the excess off before beginning to paint around the frame of the window. He made sure to paint a strip around three inches wide, enough for Heero to be able to get the paint roller in without putting any paint where it wasn't supposed to be.

They worked in silence for a while, the sounds of the roller gliding over the walls and the sweep of the brush the only sounds in the room. Heero had opened the window for ventilation as well as the door and a soft breeze blew through the room. Duo began to hum softly to himself as he stroked the brush around the window frame. He could only reach so far and wasn't about to ask Heero for a step ladder, knowing exactly what the answer would be. He stretched upwards and felt the pull on his stomach muscles and quickly decided that wasn't such a good idea. Better to stick with just reaching a short way; his belly agreed.

Soon his back began to ache so he dropped to his knees and painted along the skirting boards, being careful to keep the lemon color away from the stained wood of the skirting. After a half an hour of painting he pushed his sweaty bangs away from his face and stood up. He grabbed the window sill to steady himself as the room swam for a second and quickly looked to see if Heero had noticed. He hadn't. The Japanese man had his back to Duo, painting the opposite wall which was nearly complete.

"I'll be right back, Heero. Need a bathroom break."

Heero turned around and looked at his partner. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just need to pee. I swear this kid thinks my bladder is a pillow or something." Duo gave him a smile then headed off to the bathroom.

Heero watched his braided lover depart and frowned. Duo looked a little pale to him but if he had said he was okay then Heero would give him the benefit of the doubt. He had given his word after all not to smother Duo with his protective tendencies. He took the chance to refill his tray with paint. By the time Duo returned he'd finished the wall.

Picking up his paint brush again, Duo knelt down and continued painting along the edges of the skirtings. Despite the open window and ventilation he felt a little light headed, so when Heero lay down the roller and announced he was going to take a break and fetch them both a drink, Duo didn't protest.

"Anything in particular you would like, Duo?"

"Actually I wouldn't mind a cup of tea."

Heero raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, leaving the room to make the requested drink.

Once Heero had left, Duo put down his paint brush and sighed. He ran his hand again through his damp bangs. He felt hot and sweaty; his mouth was dry and an unsettled feeling lay in the pit of his stomach. That's why he'd asked for tea instead of wheedling for his usual coffee. He hoped the tea would settle his stomach a bit. Still feeling a touch nauseous and light headed, he began to pull himself to a standing position. A little fresh air was probably all he needed. Managing to make it to his feet he swayed for a moment then stumbled towards the open window. The room began to spin, his mouth felt like sandpaper while his stomach suddenly appeared hell bent on leaving his body via his throat.

The world began to tilt on its axis, he felt his legs wobble and knees buckle before darkness began to invade his vision. Blindly he reached for the window sill to steady himself.

Heero put the two cups onto the tray along with a Crunchie bar for his lover thinking it might cheer Duo up a bit. He wasn't sure what was wrong, if anything, but Duo had been pretty quiet while they had been painting. Picking up the tray Heero headed back up the stairs to the nursery.

"Here's your t.... DUO!"

Heero dropped the tray with a crash and ran across the room to where his American lover lay unconscious by the window, a small trickle of blood staining the drop sheet beneath him.

~ * ~

tbc........

*Runs and hides from angry mobs.*