"It's snowing," Zee states, gazing out the window of the jet. Deft hands adjust his collar and brush the hair from his face while his own remain clenched around soft, white polar bear paws.
"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Max smoothes the gray coat and then proceeds to pry tense fingers loose from synthetic fur. He lowers his head to kiss the hand still clinging to a paw and it relinquishes its hold to palm his cheek.
The platinum blonde inclines his head slightly. "Why won't you come with me?"
"We had this argument, Zee." Pulling the taller man to his feet, Max tucks the big bear under his left arm. "We agreed, remember? You carry the bear, I leave with the crew."
"But I want you with me," is the plaintive response to the reminder.
"There are a horde of reporters out there," Max says, pushing Zee towards the exit. "We're here to visit your sister and her baby, not cause a feeding frenzy among the sharks. I'll meet you at the palace." He nods to the steward, who begins opening the door.
"I wish..." Zee squares his shoulders and lifts his chin.
Max runs his hands down the back of the oversized gray coat before giving a slight push.
His Royal Highness, Prince Milliardo Peacecraft descends the stairs of the private jet to stride down the red carpet on the tarmac towards a waiting limousine with a pure white plushy tucked under one arm. Cameras flash and questions are shouted at him. A slight smile remains in place as he acknowledges the crowd while the distant look in his eyes dismisses the reporters. Soon the limousine is driving away from the airport.
"Maxwell!"
"Eh?" Duo spins around to face the caller, his braid swinging out in a wide arc to land on his chest with a thump. "Hey, Fei!" he calls back. "What're you doing here?"
The Chinese man in Preventer uniform approaches, saying, "Poh and Noin had a security assignment but they really wanted the day off, so Yuy and I are covering."
"Figures," Duo snorts in disgust. "It's New Year's Eve and you're working. Anyone ever mention that you might be a workaholic?"
"Believe me, if there was anyone else who could be doing this, we wouldn't be here." Holding out his hand, Wu Fei manages a semblance of a smile. "Winner had a fit when he found out."
"What do you expect?" Bypassing the hand, Duo launches himself at the Preventer. "You don't turn up to his wedding." He delivers the enthusiastic hug with a lot of additional backslapping. "Relena's still got a thing for Heero and she's just had his baby." Stepping back, he holds his old friend at arm's length. "Of course he's going to have a fit," he says with a chuckle.
"She has?" Wu Fei gapes in surprise.
"A boy!" Duo replies, grinning. "It's in all the papers." His elbow nudges the other man in the ribs as he continues, "How would I know? But Q thinks she does, and that's what matters."
"Is that why he's been avoiding us since we got back to earth?" Lowering his voice to a whisper, Wu Fei directs his companion to a customs office.
"When did you get back?" Duo asks, stepping inside.
"Last month and you haven't answered my question," Wu Fei insists, locking the door.
"What can I say?" Shrugging, Duo bounces onto the table in the middle of the room. "I think Q-ball might be falling for his wife and you have no idea what she's been like since she got pregnant. Pacifist, my foot. She's been grumping non-stop for the past nine months."
"He has nothing to worry about," Wu Fei states, joining Duo on the table. "Heero's been looking for you since we got back from the colonies. Earth's probably the only place he hasn't searched, personally, in the last two years. He went through L2 at least twice."
Violet eyes narrow as the tip of a braid finds its way into fidgeting hands. "You guys are covering for Noin and Poh, right?"
"Yes." Wu Fei stares at the restless hands.
Very slowly, a question is asked. "Did they know?" Duo's voice is almost a whisper.
"Of course they knew." Onyx eyes focus on the still hands clutching the braid tightly, widening. "They've been helping him."
Duo loosens his death grip. "I see." He flips the braid over his shoulder, a slow smile forming on his face.
"He misses you," Wu Fei says, noting the almost ecstatic expression in his companion's eyes.
The smile widens as the constant worry of the last few days eases in Duo's chest. "He's got you for company."
A frown creases Wu Fei's brow at the obvious delight accompanying the American's words. "He doesn't love me."
Duo looks at his obviously confused friend for the first time since entering the room. "And you think he loved me?" Even the sarcastic edge of his tone is dulled by his bright grin. "Not more than his mission, he didn't."
"Will you, at least, talk to him?" Wu Fei persists, feeling like the butt of a joke he is not privy to.
"I'll be around for a week catching up with Q." Duo slides off the table. "After that, I'm going home." There is a spring to his steps and his hips sway seductively as he makes his way to the door.
"To L2?" Dark eyes narrow, seemingly mesmerized by the movement.
"Nah." Reaching for the base of his braid, Duo turns and smiles. "I've got a new place," he says, returning his attention to the door. "YOU don't need to know where." The locking mechanism releases with a soft click. "He's got a week, if he really wants to catch up with me." He rolls his eyes upward as he steps through the threshold.
"Brother, you look awful!" Relena exclaims, studying her visitor as he walks towards her. "What's wrong?" She pats the space beside her, on the hospital bed.
"The baby is beautiful." Perching on the edge of the bed, Mill leans forward to kiss his sister on the cheek. "Have you decided on a name for the future King of Cinq, yet?"
Relena embraces her brother in a tight hug. "Oh no, you don't." Releasing him, she cups his cheek with one hand asking, "What's wrong?"
"N... nothing." The white bear is thrust forward into the new mother's arms. "Nothing's wrong."
"Don't think you can bribe me with a plushy," Relena says, a frown drawing her brows together. "Brother, what's wrong?"
A veil of platinum blonde fringe conceals Mill's face as he mumbles, "I might be home to stay."
"Brother..." Putting the bear aside, Relena reaches for trembling hands. "I thought you were happy with him."
"I am." Mill pulls away and stands. "I think, I might even love him." His hands disappear into his pockets as he paces.
"But?" Relena shifts and the bear falls to the floor.
Long fingers grasp soft, white fur. "He chose this for you. We stopped running last month. He bought a diner. It's out in the middle of nowhere and for three whole days I was deliriously happy." Straightening, Mill returns it to the bed, his eyes bright with unshed tears. "Heero's back on earth and he's looking for..." The blue fire in his sister's eyes forces him to continue. "According to Noin, he and Wu Fei were never involved. They were on some mission for Une. It was all a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding."
Relena studies her manicured fingertips. "That doesn't mean that Duo will go back to him," she states in as casual a tone as she can manage.
"Why not?" Mill asks with a slightly hysterical edge to his voice. "He was never unfaithful. He was the one..." he trails off, trying to gather his scattered thoughts. "His first love... They were meant to be together," is the despondent conclusion.
"No, that's not true," Relena insists. Clearly and very slowly, she says, "Duo loves you."
Mill shakes his head in a negative gesture, blonde hair swaying to the motion. "He was trying to pick up the pieces of my life," he informs his sister. "He succeeded, too. I dared to hope that he might have come to love me." He pauses and breathes deeply, returning to her side. "But it's all falling apart, again. Is it so selfish of me to want him to myself for just a little longer?" he asks, his eyes bleak with despair.
Reaching for the hands smoothing her covers, Relena asks, "Is that why you didn't come home for Christmas?"
"Well, no." Mill shoves his hands back into his pockets. "You were being extremely grumpy and Duo wanted to plant a tree in the backyard for Christmas."
"Listen to yourself!" Relena pounds the bear in frustration. "He's planting trees with you, brother." She tries a more reasonable tact, hiding her fists under the plushy. "I can't believe that the last two years meant nothing to him. You do have a place in his heart," she points out in her best debating voice. "You have to believe that."
"You don't understand." Mill stops his pacing at the foot of the bed and turns to face her. "I won't ask him to stay with me," he says evenly. "I can do this, Relena." Meeting her concerned gaze, he continues, "I love him enough to let him go, to let him find happiness with the man he loves." He sighs, breaking eye contact. "I don't deserve him," he states. "I can do this," he says almost to himself. "Would you mind terribly if I came home to stay?" he asks, looking at her through his fringe.
"Milliardo Peacecraft will be the next King of Cinq," Relena proclaims with her head held high.
Mill's eyes widen, his jaw drops and his hands clutch the rail at the foot of the bed for support as his knees threaten to buckle.
"I've discussed it with Quatre and he doesn't mind if we don't include Winner in the name," the Queen of Cinq continues, a pleased smile on her lips. "Do you approve?"
Sighing with relief, Mill finds another cause for alarm. "You want to give him my name?" he almost screeches. "Why on earth would you want to give him my name? It's an awful name. It's the name of a man who tried to destroy the planet."
"It's the name our father gave to his son and heir and I want to honor that choice by giving it to his grandson, who will be King, someday." Relena explains. "Besides, you are my brother, I love you and I forgave you for that insanity, a long time ago. I just wish that you could forgive yourself."
Ice blue eyes narrow with suspicion. "You're trying to distract me," Mill says, accusation clearly evident in his tone.
"Yes, I am," is the unrepentant admission. "And, of course, you can come home to stay," Relena adds. "Come here and let me hug you." She holds her arms open and waits.
After a slight hesitation, Mill obeys the royal command and is soon held tightly in his sister's embrace.
"I could hate Treize Khushrenada for what he did to you." Relena whispers, pressing her cheek to her brother's. "I'm not wrong about Duo. Trust me. No, better yet, trust him."
"Duo." Heero steps into the parlor, his attention fully focussed on the only other occupant of the room. The door closes behind him.
"Heero," Duo acknowledges his visitor with a slight inclination of his head.
Swallowing to clear his throat, Heero begins, "I got home and you were gone. I've been looking for you ever since."
"Bullshit." Duo crosses his arms. "If you'd really been looking for me, you would've found me before this."
"You left me, Duo." Heero strides farther into the room. "And I HAVE been looking." He stops several paces away from the other man and gazes directly into his eyes. "Why?"
"Whadda ya mean, why?" The violet gaze remains locked to that of prussian blue. "I left a note. You were supposed to be back for Christmas. You promised. I waited till February before I left. The war was fucking over, Heero, and you were still chasing missions. How was I supposed to compete with that? All I wanted was for us to be together and I'd see you three days in a month. That's not love, not in my books, not for me!"
"I can change..." Heero begins.
"Not for me, you won't," Duo cuts him off. "It's been almost three years since I said goodbye. I meant it then, I'm not about to change my mind. Back in those days, I would have promised you forever but you were never around long enough to hear anything I had to say."
"Hn." Breaking eye contact, Heero turns to one of the many windows overlooking the formal palace gardens. "Will you let me apologize?" he asks.
Duo releases the breath he had gathered for his next tirade in a long sigh. "Sure," he says, moving to look out the window too.
"I'm sorry I didn't make it back for that Christmas and for not, at least, finding a way to send you a message to explain." Looking at the profile of the man standing beside him, Heero notes the changes the last three years had wrought. He sees the added bulk of solid muscle to what used to be a slight frame. While the length of the braid remains, the color is slightly lighter with a sunbleached quality to it. What was once a wide-eyed, slightly feminine, heartshaped face had gained a weathered ruggedness that is better described as handsome rather than pretty but still hauntingly beautiful. "Would you consider giving me another chance?" That same face, with its amethyst eyes, holds the unspoken answer to his question as Duo turns to meet his stare. "No regrets?" he finds himself asking.
There is no regret in that clear violet gaze, only contemplation. "Sometimes," the man with the knee-length braid begins. "What we want isn't what we need. Some of us get very, very lucky and realize that. Then we stop chasing what we want and when the one person, that we need, comes along, we are ready to grab them and hold on for all we're worth." Duo's smile lights up his entire face. "I did that, Heero. I've got my man and he's perfect; just the way he is. He fills all those empty places in my heart that you could never find."
Heero's answering smile is wistful as he says, "You thought I was perfect, once."
"You are. A perfect soldier. But the war is over and I'm not a soldier anymore. You still are. You need someone who can either end your war for you, or join you in your fight. I can't do either but believe me, for a while there, I tried. I'm not the one you need; you just have to realize that." Duo grins as he pounces, awarding his old friend with a bear hug. "You should give Fei a chance. I think he likes you and he's as bad a workaholic as you are. You guys could go on missions together." Leaving one arm over the slightly taller man's shoulders, he starts walking towards the door. "What am I saying!" He slaps his forehead with the palm of his hand. "You DO go on missions together. Hey, aren't you supposed to be working?"
"I am." Heero sighs as Duo drags him out into the hall. "I should be at the hospital."
"Great! You can give me a ride there."
"How's the new mommy?" a bouquet of white roses asks from the doorway.
"She's doing fine," Relena replies with a smile. "Are those for me?"
"You're the one who just had a baby, aren't you?" Duo grins, sauntering inside.
"Who's busy breast feeding, at the moment," is the prompt rejoinder.
Placing the flowers on a bedside stand, Duo leans across Mill to place a chaste kiss on Relena's cheek. "I won't stay long, then. Do you need your big brother here for moral support?" His fingers intertwine with the prince's.
"I suppose I could manage without him." Relena's gaze softens at the sight of their joined hands. "Why do you ask?"
"I need to feed my baby," Duo replies with a wink, dragging Mill off his sister's bed. "I'm gonna haul him over to the cafeteria and stuff him. We'll be back to watch the fireworks with you and Q. He said he'll be over later."
"Wouldn't you rather spend the time alone? I've been told that the view from the roof will be amazing. There are restricted areas that I'm sure you can find your way into to get away from the crowd," Relena suggests.
"You don't want us back here?" Mill asks, frowning.
"I haven't had time alone with my husband since he fainted when little Milli was born." Relena rolls her eyes skywards, her lips twitching. "We weren't alone then."
"You're naming him after Mill?" Duo almost squeals as he wraps his arms around the baby's namesake and squeezes.
Nodding, Relena stops resisting the mischievous grin. "Cinq will have a King named Milliardo Peacecraft."
Noticing the darkening frown on blonde brows, Duo reaches up and draws the handsome face down to him. Sweeping the fringe away, he kisses the furrowed forehead and says, "Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean the rest of us can't. She's naming her baby after the love of my life. Of course, I'm going to think it's the best idea she's ever had."
Mill can only stare at the man in his arms in stunned silence, hope finally emerging to melt the ice in his baby blue eyes.
"Since Her Majesty doesn't want us back, we can watch the fireworks from your verandah at the palace and share our New Year's Resolutions. One of yours had better be, I'll eat more so Duo can stop worrying about me." Max plants another kiss on a delectable nose, his hands buried in the hair at the back of Zee's head. "I've been wracking my brains trying to figure out what's put you off your food. Today, I ran into a couple of old friends and found out all about it. So, we'll raid the palace kitchens, I'll tell you all about Heero's visit and you'll eat everything I put in front of you. OK?"
"Okay." Zee lowers his head to let Max steal his breath away.
The End
PS: Relena calls after them as they leave her room, "I told you so!"