Wings and Tears: Part Two

 

            “UNCLE DUO!” screamed Hanna as she jumped onto the curtained four-poster bed.

            Duo woke with a start. His long chestnut hair (made wavy by his braid) surrounded his bare torso. He looked through some wayward strands and his long bands to see the cheery cherub face. No, no a cherub, Duo thought, and, not for the first time since he had become human, his thoughts rested on an actual cherub, whose face he had never seen. He heard laughter coming form the doorway of the suite-like room. His gaze moved from the blonde girl to Heero, Quatre, and Trowa, who were snickering at the doorway. He glared at them through his hair.

            “Ok Sweetie, it’s time to go wake up Wufei.” Quatre said, and held out his hand for her to come and grab.

            “Yippee!” she shrieked and jumped from Duo’s side to take it. Quatre, Trowa and Hanna left the room together. Heero came over to his lover, smiling.

            “Oh, I’m sure you think this is very funny!” Duo said sarcastically.

            “Actually I do.” Heero answered, brushing some hair from Duo’s face. They looked at each other a moment, both with comforting smiles. Then Heero bent down to kiss Duo. From down the hall they heard Hanna yell, “WUFFIE!!!!” which was immediately followed by Wufei’s startled cry. Duo laughed, interrupting the kiss. Heero straightened his back. “You should get dressed. Hanna wants to go to town. That’s why she getting you and Wufei up.”

            Duo was about to stand when a thought came to him, “Heero.”

            “Um?”

            “We’ve been married for over five years.”

            “Five years and this morning, love.”

            Duo smiled, then stood from the bed to get dressed.

 

~~

 

            “Well, oh Patient One?” The young angel was sitting on a cushioned chair, his legs dangling from over one of the arms. Duo had once sat on the throne of Hell the very same way, but that thought hurt Michael too much. The young angel’s back was arched over the other arm and his smirking eyes were looking at the archangel. Michael smiled at the taunting title.

            “Well, I think Lorelei will feel betrayed if she found out.”

            The young angel gave out an exasperated sigh, “That’s why--”

            “I’m not finished,” Michael said, calmly, not being scornful, just stating a fact, the younger angel shut-up, “However, I believe it is your right, and you are ready. Yes, you have matured faster than other angels, and it was not just your body, but also you mind, which is more clever than others I have seen, expecting maybe…well never mind,” his voice trialed off. After a moment of looking at Michael the young angel stood up.

            “Thanks Michael,” he said and embraced the older angel. And then he was gone in a single flash of light.

            “Yeah,” Michael said, looking dimly at the spot where the other had been standing, thinking about someone else. He longed to run his finger through blonde hair, and look into green eyes. Then, after a moment he shook his head, remembering that this blonde, green-eyed person was paying for his atrocities. Then he left the room the conventional way, using his tried legs.

 

~~

 

            The moon hung over the sky, but inside the massive Winner-Barton mansion Hanna was sitting between Wufei and Duo. Trowa and Quatre speculated, while the lay at night in each others arms, that their daughter had a crush of the old pilots of Deathscythe Hell and Altron, but she never would have admitted it. However, Wufei and Duo didn’t seem to mind and, like her fathers, were more than happy to amuse her. The three of them were now sandwiched on a couch looking through an old photo album.

            “Look, look at me! Don’t I make the best flower girl?!” She tilted the book to show the picture to her fathers and Heero.

            “Yeah, Hanna, you were the best flower girl ever.” Duo said, looking at the picture sweetly.

            “Really?” she turned her big green eyes on Duo.

            “Yeah, in fact I’m a bit jealous. You totally stole the show.”

            “Yup, and he, as the bride, got no attention.” Wufei added, shaking his head, mock sadly. Duo shot him an exaggerated evil look, which he returned with a smile. Hanna smiled at them both, not fully understanding the joke, as her Daddy hid a smile behind his pale and slender hand.

            “Not you too Quatre?! Don’t tell me you’ve joined Wufei’s Dark Side!” Duo joked. Quatre giggled and rested his cheek on Trowa’s shoulder.

            “What? When I could dance in the Light with you?” he asked through his small laugher. Trowa chuckled.

            “That’s right. The God of Death rules in Light!”

            “You hardly the God of Death, Maxwell, so get over it,” Wufei said monotonously joking.

            Hanna looked at them curiously, but before she could ask any questions a commotion started in the Hall. Two voices could be heard, one of them, loud, was the main butler of Quatre’s household staff.

            “Sir, how did you get in here?!”

            The other one was softer and they couldn’t make out the words.

            “I’m sorry Sir but he and the masters of the house are busy. How did you get past security anyway?!” By this time Trowa had stood and motioned Quatre to stay with Hanna and the others. He walked to the door and opened it, peering out and then leaving the room.

            “Where’s Papa going?” Hanna asked.

            “Shhh,” Quatre cooed to her, “Hanna please come and sit next to me, sweetheart,” he whispered, looking towards the door cautiously. Quatre and Trowa did have a very good security system, for three major reasons: 1) the occasional everyday thief 2) the rabid historian, or other type of fan, looking for information on the Gundam pilots and 3) the “Christian” fanatic who disagreed with their “lifestyle”. If the butler was worried about an intruder, so would the ‘masters of the house’ and their guests. Hanna nodded and climbed from her spot, placing the album on Wufei’s lap, and moved quickly to sit next to her Daddy. She picked up on the adults’ attitude and was silent. Trowa came back into the room, followed by a small teenaged boy, who looked exactly like Duo!

            “Oh God,” Heero whispered.

            “D-Duo Max-Maxwell?” The teen asked. Duo, who was staring the boy, stood on jelly legs and nodded. The boy regarded him a little while, taking in Duo’s shock and recognition. “Um, can…can we talk?” He swallowed hard working his dry throat.

            Duo nodded. “Quatre?” he asked without glancing to his friend.

            Quatre, whose hand was placed over his heart, broke his own shock by shaking his head, “Uh, oh, yeah. Um…why don’t you two follow me?” Hanna scooted over to the side to allow her Daddy to stand. Quatre lead Duo and the boy, who the adults knew was an angel, out a door opposite the one that led to the hall. This door opened to a hallway, and father and son followed Quatre through one of the doors in this hallway to a small dining room, the room where Trowa, he, and Hanna ate their meals when there were no guests visiting them. It was a homey, quaint little room with a white wicker table and three matching chairs. A ruffled pink plaid table cloth covered the table and a border went around the white walls that matched its pattern. The only other decoration in the room was family portrait that hung on the wall. “You can talk privately here.” Then, with one more shaken glance towards the teen-like angel, he left the room.

            Duo and the angel boy looked at each other before sitting uncomfortably at the table. They sat in silence for a while, both looking down at their folded hands.

            “Um…how is your mother?” Duo asked quietly.

            “She’s…she’s…” he was looking for the right words, “She’s…really bad. She tries to hide it, but every smile she forces, and every tear she struggles to hold back. She also doesn’t know…I’m here.” They looked at each other. In his son’s eyes Duo saw the innocence that might have been his own if not for the war.

            “What a minute, you, you are too young to know how to blink.”

            The angel shook his head, “Well, you and Mom, you…you two, affected me so that I matured faster than other angels. You know, since you two were born so close together. This” he opened his arms towards his body, “Is my true form.”

            Duo nodded, “Of course.” There was a pause.

            “I came…to get a name, and to meet you. Michael gave me the letter you wrote, I had to see you. I had to see if I could understand better.”

            “How is Michael?”

            Duo’s son blushed, “He’s…he’s,” he was also wearing the most ridiculous grin.

            “Oh,” Duo caught on, “I see. Someone has a crush on the archangel.”

            His son shrugged, “What can I say, I take after you.” They both laughed quietly, but the laughter gave way to more uncomfortable silence.

            “About a name…I’ve thought about it over the last few years. I’ve thought about you.”

            “Really?” the young angel seemed surprised by this.

            “Yes.” Duo looked at his son, reassuring, “And…what do you think about ‘Solo’?”

            “Solo?”

            “Yeah. He was a friend of mine. He died in the virus, and, in a way, he gave me my name.” Duo said, sad with memories, but looking at his son with admiration. The boy looked back at his hands, and moved a small strand of deep red hair from his face, hair that just reached past his lean shoulders.

            “OK, I like it.”

            “Good, so, tell me about yourself.”

 

~~

 

            Trowa stood in the doorway as Quatre tucked their daughter into her comfortable little bed. This room was warm with light purple, stuffed unicorns and dress-up makeup. Quatre crooned soft lullaby to his daughter. It was the lullaby that his sisters had taught him in his own youth. Softy Hanna’s eyelids dropped, as she struggled to listen to the rest of the song. By the time he reached the second chorus she was sleeping soundly. Quatre slowly stood and flipped on a moon-shaped nightlight by her bed. Then he walked towards his husband, who gathered him into his long strong arms.

            “Have I told you lately how absolutely amazing you are?” Trowa asked, whispering. Quatre smiled back at him.

            “I love you too, come on, let’s let her sleep.”

            Trowa took a step back pulling his shorter husband with him, who turned to close the door softly behind him.

            Together they went back to the sitting room.

            “Is she asleep?” asked Wufei softly.

            Quatre nodded, “Yes. Is Duo still in there?”

            “Yeah he is. They have been talking for hours.”

            “Well, they probably have a lot to talk about.” Laughter floated into the room from the hallway, and the group heard a door close. Duo and his son walked into the room and froze. Both looked to the door that led to the Hall, the four men sitting in the room turned their heads to look at the doorway as well.

            “Mom?!” Solo asked surprised.

            Lorelei sighed and looked angrily at Duo.

            “Lorelei, don’t do anything foolish!” called a masculine voice from the Hall, Michael quickly appeared behind her.

            “Oh, excuse me. I will do absolutely nothing, ‘foolish’.” She said sarcastically turning to face her friend and leader. “I’ll just sit idly by as my son goes behind my back to see the father that didn’t give enough damn to hang around long enough to even view his birth! Hell, Michael, you’re more of a father to him than that human!” She furiously pointed towards Duo. “He has no right to my child!” she yelled this, stomping her foot.

            “Mom?! How can you say that?!” Solo took a step closer to her. “Look at me!” Lorelei looked at him; his eyes were sad, but serious. “Now look at him.” Her eyes looked at the floor. “Look at him!” She did and Duo looked back, their eyes locked. “What do you see?” their son asked his mother.

            “I see…strangers that look alike.” The statement hurt Duo, his face flinched. “Let’s go home My Son. Please? Just come home with me,” she begged.

            “I have a name no Mom.”

            “Really?” asked Michael, perhaps a little too brightly.

            “Yes,” Solo smiled, “It’s Solo.”

            The angel’s knew where the name came from, “Fine, Solo,” Lorelei said the name softly, “Let’s just go home.”

            Solo glanced at his father once more, and before he could think about it quickly rushed to embrace him. Duo returned the hug and then watched as his son walked to Lorelei. She reached out to her son, and together, along with Michael, they disappeared.

            The room was silent, Duo stared at the spot they had been standing, his breath became harsh, he couldn’t control it. He felt an inexpressible misery. His son. He had just met his son, talked with him, named him, laughed with him, and held him. His son. The son he couldn’t have helped but abandon. His son had come to understand, and had forgiven him. And now he was gone.

            “Duo?” he heard Heero ask worryingly, before he collapsed to the floor, crying.