Pairings: 6x2 (primary), also 1x3 (just in chapter 1)
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Sotsu, Sunrise, Bandai Entertainment, I neither claim them nor certainly make any money off them!
Rating: Lemony in places
Archive: "Orphans" is at "Tresses: The 6x2 ML Archive" at: http://6x2ml.cjb.net/ (This story will be archived there as well.)
Time Setting: Post-series, three years later (minus events in Ground Zero, Blind Target, Endless Waltz as when I started "Orphans", I hadn't seen or read about these yet)
Summary: Zechs and Duo are planning to get married.
Note: The vast bulk of this was written well over a year ago, all but chapter six. Just FYI.
Down the hall, Duo was running his fingers through just-brushed, unbraided hair and pouting. "Zechs isn't wearing his hair back. What am I going to do with mine?" He'd cleaned up as best he could, and had donned the formal white Sankian clothes with Heero's help.
"Tie it back... here, use this," Heero murmured, still holding his brother's hair brush, and handed him a dark green satin ribbon. The wedding colors, after a long debate with Relena, were white and dark green. The Sankian clothes featured long white slacks, short white boots, white shirt and cravat, and the white traditional coat with the long tails and decorative filigree trim in white, gold, and dark green. Duo, far from rejecting such outlandish, archaic garb, thought it would be fun to dress in Zechs's homeland styles.
"Okay, I can do this," Duo murmured, wondering what Zechs would think. He drew forward a long tail of hair in front of each ear, intending to leave them free, then gathered the rest back which Heero deftly tied with the long satin ribbon, even making a proper poofy Sankian bow in the back.
Duo turned to the side, admiring the look in the mirror. "Damn, Heero, how do you know all this formal wear stuff?"
"One of my more unusual pieces of training from Dr. J," Heero replied to his surprise. "How to Blend into the Aristocracy 101. Came in handy."
"Well, let's get me married off!" Duo exclaimed, pirouetting once, then dashing for the door.
Arriving back in the hallway, he looked toward Zechs's office, then got a shock. "Wufei... oh, shit," he muttered, worried. But as he approached them, he was immensely relieved to see Zechs smiling.
"You look glorious," Zechs murmured, looking his little lover over, even turning him around. Then he bent to kiss his cheek. "I have to admit, Relena had a good idea or two."
"She sure did," Duo replied, beaming, then grew serious. "You okay with Wufei?" He nodded toward the Chinese man, who stood by looking out of place.
"Yeah, I think so," Zechs replied, then shocked Wufei further by winking at him. Zechs held out his arm for Duo to take. "Shall we?"
After Wufei hastily ducked back to his seat beside Sally, Heero and Trowa entered the courtyard. "We're ready," Trowa announced, looking around at all their friends and all the children. Deener was there with her new adoptive parents and brothers and sisters, her eyes shining already in anticipation. Miss Cherry had evidently already gotten one handkerchief wet with tears. A few Foundation members were present, former White Fang who had sincerely joined Zechs to help the colonies resolve their disputes with Earth. There were also others whom Zechs and Duo had befriended, including a grinning Dr. Howard and a broadly smiling Dr. Sehn. Trowa caught the eyes of Quatre and Relena and gave them each a wink in return.
Heero stood to one side; he would stand up with Duo. Relena relinquished her seat to Trowa; she'd stand up with her brother. Then the couple to be wed entered.
Arm in arm, smiling, Milliardo Peacecraft and Duo Maxwell proceeded into the garden, drawing ooohs, and aaahs from the assembly. They came to stand face to face in the center area, their formal witnesses stepping behind each of them to lay a hand on their shoulders. There was no minister, no officiator. Zechs and Duo had chosen to simply repeat their vows to each other in public as was often the custom.
Zechs spoke first, faintly smiling. "I think I must be some sort of creature with three lives," he began, causing the gathering to chuckle. "I died first when I was six years old when the Sank Kingdom was overthrown. What passed for life then was barely living, but I lived... until one day, in a dark red monster of a machine I died a second time. Then I lived a life that resembled death for three years, knowing a measure of relief only within walls such as these with little arms strangling my neck and high, bright voices ringing in my ears." He glanced over at the Peacegarden orphans, and received some happy waves in return.
"Then I nearly knocked over Duo Maxwell on the street." He looked again at his little lover, whose eyes were impossibly bright and impossibly blue and impossibly huge, listening to the tale told again before all these people. "And for the first time in many years since my early childhood, I began to discover life again." He gave Duo a wink; he'd remind him later about the hot lovemaking they'd shared that first night they'd met.
"It was a difficult road, for my mind was trapped in a belief that I had ruined myself for good, that I could never truly know joy or happiness again... that I no longer deserved to have those, much less love." Zechs reached up to place fingertips on Duo's chin. "This orphan who also knew what it was like to live and die and live again - this man taught me that I was good and deserving of love... and then he topped that by giving me his heart."
Zechs looked around at the assembly, his heart full and singing. "In front of God and all of you good people, I take Duo Maxwell to be my husband." He lifted his other hand, which held Duo's, and kissed the back of his fingers in courtly acknowledgment.
Duo, by now, was ready to pop! The touch of Zechs's lips and those sweet words of marriage sent a thrill chasing down to his toes. "Wow, and I get to top that?" he managed to say, grinning when everyone chuckled in response. "Whew! Okay, well, I always have something to say..."
The groan came from behind him. "In this century, please, Maxwell?" Heero muttered.
"Ha!" Duo laughed. "Yes, sir, Maxwell!" He grabbed Zechs's other hand, holding them both now, an anchor so he could get out everything he wanted to say. "Okay, here goes!"
He took a deep breath and concentrated on the intense, ice-blue eyes soaking him in. "I guess I'm another creature with multiple lives - heh, haven't counted 'em before, though. Let's see, I might have had a happy life until I was orphaned, but I was too little to remember that... then there were the streets. I came back to life when Father Maxwell and Sister Helen took me in, but when the orphanage was destroyed and they died... well, I guess I died, too. I died again when my best buddy Solo died because we weren't important enough for the vaccine... and then there was the war."
Duo took a deep breath and glanced around at the assembly, listening avidly. "Eh, I even called myself the God of Death back then. I wouldn't have minded if my number had come up. Just get the bad guys and if I have to take 'em with me, so be it. Fortunately, my brother Heero back behind me there, and my main man Zechs in front of me here... they stopped it all. The war was over. So, what then? Nothing, really. Three years... nothing. Living hand to mouth as always, scraping to get by, just goin' along..."
He snorted. "That ain't livin'! But I didn't know that then, not even when this tall, gorgeous stud walks right into me and knocks a stack of transmitters all over the place. Heh, he caught some of 'em, those famous reflexes... anyway, here's this beautiful man who is considerate and gentle... but what's this? He doesn't think he's worthy of anyone's caring! Sure, he screwed up in the war. Though those of us who know what really happened know the truth -that when push came to shove, the leader of the White Fang chose the life of Heero over his supposed goal of destroying the Earth. Talk about showin' yer true colors!"
He looked up at Zechs again, and was surprised to see tears in the man's eyes. [Oh, Heart...] "Well, to make a long story short, actually, to get this over with, as I'm kinda hungry and we got these big steaks waiting at the restaurant..."
"Duo..." Zechs and Heero said together, smiling.
"Yeah, yeah, well, I'm not really finished yet! Just kidding!" Duo winked at his tall husband-to-be. "Anyway, I was just falling through life, you know? But Zechs - sorry, we pilots still call him that - whom you know as Milliardo or Papa Peace - he was really making a difference for some special little people. When I saw him with those kids... so kind and sweet and gentle with them... I knew that this man had something in him to bring me back to life, too. It's *HOME* - something I hadn't had since I was a little tyke. Now, because this big hunka manhood loves me - sorry, I do have it kinda bad for him, and can you blame me?"
"DUO!" Relena cried, exasperated.
"Keep your shorts on, sister - hey, you're really going to be my sis, aren't cha?"
"If I live long enough," Relena retorted, glaring at him past her brother's shoulder.
"HA!" Duo grinned, then continued before anyone else got upset with him. "ANYWAY, Zechs and I complete each other and we love each other to pieces! So there!" He looked up, wide-eyed. "Can I kiss you yet?"
"Are you going to marry me yet?" Zechs tossed back, winking.
"Oh, shit, YES!" Duo laughed, then got sober enough to repeat his vow. "All right! In front of God, if there is one, and all you fun people, I, one lucky sonofabitch, take Milliardo Peacecraft to be my husband! Yes!"
Heero caught Relena's exasperated glance and winked at her. She stuck her tongue out at him, then chuckled.
Trowa stood up then, and bowed as if he was performing in the circus, which, by some accounts, this had sort of become. "The only authority here is us Justice Department types, so we're giving this the rubber stamp," he announced. "Milliardo and Duo are now husband and husband!"
The assembly erupted into cheers and clapping. Relena tugged on her brother's arm. "Well, Milliardo, kiss him!"
"I certainly will," Zechs smirked, and collected Duo up into his arms, which wasn't hard as Duo practically climbed up his body at the same time. Then they kissed deeply, joined at last in marriage.
Sally turned to her husband. "Why, Wufei... are those tears in your eyes?"
Wufei sniffed. "They're so... happy... were we that happy, Sal?"
She grinned and tugged on his ponytail. "You betcha!"
When the newly married couple ended their kiss, they grinned at one another, then turned and faced their friends again. Abruptly they felt a *thud* against their legs. Amazed, they looked down to see Deener attempting to hug them both at the same time. "Deener!" Duo exclaimed, laughing. "Ah, I'm not sure, but I don't think the ceremony is done!"
"But you can stand with us here while it is," Zechs added, prying one of the girl's hands off his leg and taking it into his own. Duo did the same, still chuckling.
"But you're married now," Deener replied, giving each man a huge, happy grin.
"Just the rings and they're done," Relena spoke up, then turned and gave her escort a very determined look.
"Huh?" Quatre exclaimed, leaping to his feet. "Ohhhh, the rings..." He fished them out of his suit pocket and handed them over.
"Deener, honey, let the poor men finish their wedding," the girl's aunt - her adoptive mother - murmured with a broad smile as she came forward to collect Deener.
"She can stay," Zechs replied, winking at the woman. "Though we're going to need our hands now..."
Deener let go of their hands, but she wasn't going anywhere! She folded her arms over her chest, planting herself in front of the two "Papas".
"Now, then," Zechs went on, holding up Duo's ring. Their wedding rings were elegant but simple, gold bands with two stones, one a sapphire, one a blue topaz... for their eye colors. "With this ring, I promise to love and cherish my husband, Duo, as long as I live." He slipped the band on Duo's fourth finger.
Grinning, Duo held up the bigger of the two bands. "And with this ring, I promise to love and cherish *my* husband, Milliardo, as long as I live! And forever!" He put Zechs's ring on his finger.
"Forever," Zechs agreed, bending for another kiss.
*Then* they had to greet everyone.
Relena hugged her brother hard, kissing him and Duo on the cheek, turning pink when Duo winked and waggled his eyebrows at her. When Duo playfully called her "Sis", she turned a pale shade of green.
Heero had surprises for them both. "This is going to be the one and only time I kiss my brother," he said, turning Duo to face him.
Duo's expression lit up with delight. "Hell, then let's make it a good one, shall we?" But he still gasped with surprise when Heero pulled him into his arms and planted a good one on him.
Over their heads, Zechs and Trowa exchanged glances. "Did they plan this?"
"No way," Trowa remarked, just as taken aback. Then he smirked. "But like he said, this is the only time. We might as well let 'em get their money's worth."
When the two "brothers" came up for air, Duo was laughing. "Whooooo, ain't incest fun?"
Heero wasn't done yet. "Especially with in-laws," he murmured, crooking a finger at Zechs. "I have to kiss the other groom, too. One time only."
"What?" Duo and Trowa said at the same time, shocked.
Zechs was chuckling. "You got your turn, Duo, now I get mine!" With a wink to a suddenly sputtering Duo, he collected a smirking Heero into his arms, then kissed his new brother-in-law.
*Really* kissed his new brother-in-law, purposely prolonging it.
"Hey, HEY!" Duo protested, tugging on Heero's sleeve. "That's ENOUGH!"
Laughing, Heero came up for air as Zechs straightened, wiping his mouth. "Yeah, that'll last me for a long time..."
Abruptly Heero had a face in his face. "That will last you forever!"
"Aww, Duo," Heero teased, patting Zechs on the back as the man turned away to greet more guests. "What's the matter, you get married, you stop having fun? It's okay if you kiss me... So, why don't you kiss Trowa now?"
Duo and Trowa exchanged glances. "Er..."
Deener was pulling on Duo's coattail, insistent on getting his attention. "I want kisses, too!"
"Oh, geez... Heero, look at what you started!" Duo said indignantly.
Heero linked his arm in Trowa's and turned away, chuckling.
"Papa Duo???"
"Ah, hell, it's a wedding," Duo sighed, giving in to the inevitable. [At least I didn't have to kiss Relena,] he thought, bending down and bussing the little girl on the cheek as she squealed happily.
tbc
Apologies for the tiny bit of 6+1 there, folks, I couldn't resist it! That was for Iriana, my 6x1 co-author.
The Czarina Merquise