Author's Note: Short chapter on the fathers.
Worth Fighting For Part 10
Solo & Odin
Solo Maxwell held his son as he slowly cried himself to sleep; it was hard to believe what he had done. He felt disgusted with himself and as he held Duo in his arms he felt a deep heartache at missing his son turn into a man. He couldn't be prouder of his son. Duo had made a good life for himself out of nothing and Solo prayed he could make it up to his son and try and erase the hurt he had caused. He knew it would take a long time and Solo just prayed that Duo would have the time for him, although he wouldn't blame his son if he didn't.
His son had been through so much and it was his entire fault.
Solo screwed his eyes shut to try and stop the tears that threatened to spill over. It was in the past now and he couldn't change it no matter how much he wanted too, he had to thank Odin for convincing him of what a fool he had been.
~Flashback~
"Duo is going to fight for Heero's freedom!" Relena yelled to her father and Odin. The two looked at her. "He loves him, no matter what you say about it father I've never seen love purer than them two and I am honoured to know them both. Duo could die, do you want to have that over your head, knowing that your son is dead and that you can never ask forgiveness for what you have done?!"
Relena stopped yelling and breathed deeply.
Solo looked away, unable to look at the hatred that shone at him through his daughter's eyes. Odin stood up smoothly and he walked over to Relena.
"Relena, thank you. I need to talk to your father... alone." Odin said softly.
Relena turned and ran towards her room she used when she stayed over at her parents house.
"Did you understand her?" Solo glared. "She talks about it..."
"Solo." Odin interrupted as he turned to face the slightly younger man.
Solo stopped in mid sentence.
"Do you remember when we were younger? What WE did?"
Solo went a bright red to a dark purple quickly and he glared in anger at his friend.
"We. Did. Nothing!" Solo hissed.
"WE made love." Odin corrected him. "On our stag night and we didn't think twice about it."
Solo stood up and stormed out of the room into the kitchen and Odin gave chase.
"STOP RUNNING AND FACE IT!" Odin shouted, startling the chef standing by the oven cooking dinner.
Solo spun to face him. "I'm not running."
"Yes you are and you have been for 25 years. Our fathers, may they rest in peace, are dead. You no longer have to live in their shadow. They may not of agreed with, gay men, but they didn't chuck you out, they gave you a wife, a house, a job, for a promise from you never to touch a man in a sexual way again."
The chef's ears went pink and his eyes went wide.
"Get out." Solo yelled at the innocent bystander and the chef hurried from the room. "STOP IT ODIN!"
Odin shook his head.
"NO! Your son may die within a week. He has asked you for nothing yet he still walked away from the man he loved, that he still loves, FOR YOU! To make you happy. Your father hated the idea of men together but he was willing to over look your flaw, my father did the same. Duo just wanted you to accept him. Wither he loves a male or a female, what does it matter? He will always be Duo, accept your son for what he is! Look at the man he has become, look at who he is, look at what he does. He is willing to die, you heard Relena, he will do anything to save the one he loves, he will save Heero even if it kills him. Can you not accept your son?"
"I can't accept his lover."
"YOU HAVE!" Odin snapped. "You accepted Heero as one of your own and he is still gay."
"Heero isn't my blood."
"Duo is and blood runs thicker than water."
Solo walked out into the back garden, he let the mid afternoon sun play against his sun kissed skin. Odin walked to the doorway and watched as Solo knelt down by the edge of the pool.
"How can you push it aside so easily?" Solo asked.
"Because I refuse to be my father and I will support my children no matter what they chose to be. Heero is still Heero and Duo is still Duo, even if they do share a bed and love each other. Being gay is not a disease Solo, it's a way of life. It was once your way of life."
Solo glanced up at his wife sitting above them on the balcony; she was listening to her minidisk player while reading.
"Odin..."
"Remember High school?" Odin asked. "Remember Scott Wheeler?"
"How could I forget him?"
"Remember the bike sheds?"
Solo blushed.
"Remember US?!"
Solo spun round, "Every day I see you I remember it."
"Then why are you so against Duo being gay?!"
Solo sat down with a heavy sigh. "Because I was denied it, so I want to deny him it."
Odin joined Solo by the poolside and put a hand on Solo's arm.
Solo leaned into the touch and rested his head on Odin's shoulder.
"I've been an asshole haven't I?"
Odin gave a small nod.
"Do you think I could ever be forgiven?" Solo whispered.
"Yes, if you try hard enough."
"Could you ever forgive me?"
Odin's back straighten. "For hurting me the way you did? No."
"Why not?"
"It's been too long Solo. But as a friend I'll forgive you."
Solo looked up at Odin with wide eyes. "That's all I ask." His hand reached down and touched Odin's and held it gently.
Odin looked down at their hands holding each other and he gave a small smile before tugging away and standing up.
"You have to patch it up with Duo. He should be in his office now."
Solo stood up. "Thank You." He whispered before turning and walking away.
~End Flashback~
Solo wiped his eyes as he held his son tighter.
"I can't help Heero." Odin's voice whispered to him across the balcony. "But Duo can."
"I'll support them both." Solo whispered back. "In every choice they make and with every step they take. I made a mistake that cost me three precious years of my son's life and it cost my son and your son's three years apart which made them both so unhappy. When this is over, I'm going to throw a big party to celebrate their love."
"If they survive." Odin muttered sadly.
"I think that now they have found each other again neither will be letting go of the other that quickly, do you?"
"Duo admitted his love to Heero, but they haven't found each other yet. It'll be a long journey for them, and the journey hasn't started yet."
The two fell into silence and the only thing that could be hard was Duo's soft snoring.
"Odin?"
"Hai?"
"When they do start their journey, I'll be there to guide them."
Odin smiled in the darkness though Solo couldn't see it.
"And I'll be there right along with you Solo."
In his sleep, Duo sighed and curled closer to the safe warmth that held him.
TBC...
Author's Note: How many people hate Solo now?
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