Blood, Sweat and Tears Part 28
A wide grin of relief spread onto Quatre's face as he spoke into his cell phone receiver, "That's good to hear that things are going well over there. I got the feeling that it didn't go terribly when Heero wasn't back here the day after you arrived. And Hilde is behaving, then? I know how protective she gets."
Duo readjusted the cell phone propped against his shoulder as he finished up with the dishes. "Yes, she's coming along," he answered. "It was a little uncomfortable at first, but she knows that Heero's not about to tell anyone else about the kids. They're actually getting along really well now."
"I'm glad," the agent smiled. "Now... how is the rest of it working out between you and Heero? Any progress there?"
A slight blush crept on the American's cheeks at the question. Silently thankful that he was not using the vidphone for his friend to see, he replied, "It's all right." Taking a deep breath, he sighed deeply, "Slow." After a brief pause and with a deeper sigh yet, he added, "Really damned slow."
Snickering, Quatre sympathized, "Well, this is the first time either of you have been in a relationship. And I don't need to remind you that Heero's still dealing with just realizing that he's gay. You've been well aware of that for a long time now." Duo pouted. "Stop pouting," the Arab urged gently.
Nearly dropping the cell phone into the sink in surprise, the running back quickly recovered and exclaimed, "How the hell did you know I was pouting!?" Before his agent responded, he shook his head, "Never mind. You always did know me better than anyone." He could almost hear the smile on his friend growing over the line.
"Anyway, I know all of that," Duo frowned deeply. "But you know that patience was never one of my strong points. And trying to do any more than a few pecks here and there when isn't exactly appropriate with the kidos running around."
Quatre shook his head in amusement, "True." Shrugging, he commented, "But even in the worst case scenario, say you have to wait until you get back home this weekend, I'm sure that you can hold off until then."
With a small sigh, the American mumbled, "If I must. Even if that is a whole four more days away."
Flora came into the room, her long dark locks pulled up in a ponytail and a little make up on her face. Smiling to his teenage daughter as she approached him, Duo said, "I gotta go, Quat. I'll give you a call in a couple days." After a brief salutation from his agent, he reached up to close his cell phone and lowered it onto the counter.
Chuckling deeply, the running back took up the last pile of plates to rinse and asked, "Are you really going to keep up with dolling yourself up so much for the rest of the week?"
With a wide grin, Flora shrugged, "Well, I guess it would be pretty silly to do that considering the two of you are an item." Duo's eyes widened and his hands fumbled with the plate in his hand.
Just as he recovered and spun in her direction with his mouth opening, she grinned, "You would never have brought Heero here if there wasn't something going on. And we've noticed the way you two look at each other."
"'We?' You mean Marcus and Tai know, too?" the braided youth blinked in shock as he turned the sink water off. Not long after his bringing the three into his care, Duo had told them that he was gay as for it not to become a shock later. They couldn't have handled the news better and had been extremely supportive over the matter.
Chuckling deeply, his daughter replied, "It's nothing to be worried about, Dad. I think it's cute!" Leaning over the counter and holding her head up with a dreamy-eyed look, she inquired, "So how long have you two been dating?"
Gingerly stacking the rinsed dishes into the washing, the running back answered, "Only a few days, as a matter of fact. And honestly, I'm not really sure that it can be considered 'dating' just yet. We're taking it slow." Sighing deeply, he muttered, "Really damned slow."
Pulling herself up to sit on the counter's edge, Flora suggested, "You two should go out on a date, then."
As he straightened himself, Duo stated, "Your Aunt Hilde and Uncle Solo are finally getting some time alone now that Heero and I are here. I'm not about to cut in on that by asking them to stay home so that we can go out on a date."
Flora nodded firmly, "Exactly why I'll watch the younger ones with Tai and Marcus. You know that we can handle ourselves for a few hours. You don't have to spend every second with us while you're in town. And I'm sure that Heero could go for the change in scenery, too. Neither of you stepped out of this place for the last two days."
Her father frowned deeply and folded his arms. "Why are you so insistent on this?" he questioned. "You know that none of us can get our hopes up that this thing is going to work out."
Biting her lip, the girl responded with a deep frown of her own, "I know. It's just... It's just that you don't do anything for yourself. It's always about us. And you deserve to be happy the same way that you make us happy."
Caught off guard with that, Duo's eyes widened. Blinking a few times to fight off the urge of tears, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and cleared his throat before whispering hoarsely, "You're a good kid. You know that?"
Returning the embrace, Flora fought her own tears and breathed, "Thanks, Daddy." When they pulled back, she smiled, "So you're going to go out, then? And not worry about us?"
The running back snickered and shook his braided head in amusement. "Yes, ma'am," he winked as he rubbed the top of her head. "Thank you," he said sincerely. Grinning from ear-to-ear, his daughter threw her arms around his neck once more.
"Great!" Marcus's voice cheered as he and Tai entered the room with wide smiles. "We get to rule the roost for a change!" He and his brother exchanged a high-five.
Placing his hands on his hips as he took in the three teenagers, he said sternly, "Yea, well, there are going to still be some ground rules. I know that between the three of you, you're more than capable of handling the others for a little while, but I don't want you thinking that this gives you total free reign to do what you want. If you want to be able to be unsupervised again, you'll have to do a good job tonight."
Tai saluted, "Yes, sir! We'll listen to whatever you say."
Duo took a deep breath, held up an index finger and began, "All right. Then there will be no inviting school friends over." Lifting the same hand's middle finger, he added, "No impersonating your favorite wrestler moves." The next finger went up. "No snooping into Heero's belongings. If you do and try to cover it up, I'll figure it out." The pinkie finger rose. "If you break something..."
While their father went on with his rules, the trio nodded firmly with smiles of anticipation to prove themselves spreading across their faces.
* * * * * *
At the prospect of an actual date, Heero readily agreed to the suggestion. Later that evening, Flora headed into the living room. Her face cleaned and her hair down for the first time in days, she joined in on a board game that her siblings were playing at the table.
Looking up from his spot to the Hispanic girl, Heero acknowledged, "You took off your makeup." Blushing a bit, she bowed her head shyly. The quarterback' s smile grew and warmed as he commented, "You're a pretty girl without it, Flora. If there's every a guy you like that can't appreciate that, he's not worth the trouble."
Her eyes widening, the teenager's head snapped up to meet his gaze. Beaming, she said quietly, "Thanks, Heero." With a wink, the team captain looked back down on Jamie in his lap and pointed at which card in her hand she should use on her next turn in the game.
Duo entered the room, rubbing his hands together nervously as he nodded firmly to his teammate, "Ready?" Returning the nod, Heero carefully lifted Jamie from his lap and settled her onto the chair when he rose from it.
Hugging and kissing his family, the running back turned to his eldest three. "Okay," he began, "I have the emergency numbers by the telephone for my cell as well as Hilde's and Solo's. If there's anything that-"
Marcus shook his head to cut him off, smiling, "We got it, Dad. Don't worry."
Chuckling deeply, Heero rested a gentle hand on his date's shoulder and squeezed it. "You heard him, Duo," he smirked while gently pulling him towards the doorway. "Let's go."
As they waved the couple off, the youngsters chorused sentiments like 'Have a good time' and 'Love you, Daddy.'
Once they were outside, Duo forced himself to relax and just enjoy himself for a change. Taking the wheel of his car, he drove to the outskirts of the city while staying close enough for a quick return home in case he was needed. Just to be safe.
Already knowing one of the best places to go for some privacy, he went to the observation needle that rose high over the city. A tourist attraction by day, the tower saw few visitors in the evening. It was easy to find an empty bench with no one close enough to bother them.
From the balcony at the top of the needle, the running back sighed deeply at a gentle breeze. Sitting back in the soft cushions of the bench, he said, "The city doesn't seem nearly as bad from this height."
Just beside him, Heero nodded as he took in his surroundings. Millions of lights shown in an array of different colors and intensities. Much like the stars in the skies above. Even he had to admit that the city made a beautiful sight from where they were. Biting his lip, he slowly moved his hand to slide over the one resting next to him. It reacted instantly at the touch and turned over to hold onto his own.
That simple touch sent shockwaves through the quarterback. Silently, he was in awe over how something as simple as holding hands could stir up a world of feelings. "I still don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing," he heard himself admit.
Shrugging, Duo leaned his head back against the bench and smiled to him, "It's okay. I'm just as new at this part of the game. I guess we just do whatever feels right and if either of us gets uncomfortable, we pull back a little."
A smile of relief tugged Heero's lips as he nodded firmly, "I can work with that." Releasing the hand in his own, he slid closer to his teammate and wrapped his arm around him. Duo chuckled deeply and rested his head on the quarterback' s shoulder. With a deep sigh of contentment, his violet eyes closed.
"This is nice," the team captain acknowledged quietly after a long pause. His housemate hummed in agreement. Lightly wrapping Duo's long, braided rope of hair around his fingers, Heero stated, "I've been thinking... your family doesn't need to wait for your house in Green Bay to be finished to move. They're welcome to stay at my estate... if that's all right with you."
Just the mere offer made the running back's heart skip a few beats. Slowly looking up to meet the gaze locked on him, he whispered, "God, Heero, you have no idea what that means to me." Biting his lip, he frowned deeply, "But I can't accept."
Stunned, Heero's eyes widened as he retorted, "Why not? I know that you don't like their staying here. It's not a safe place for them. If you're rejecting because you're too proud-" At the fervent shaking of his partner's head, he cut himself off.
Sighing deeply, Duo explained calmly, "I can't accept because it's ordered by the court that they can't leave town until after the adoption. My life became an open book to the judge that is overlooking the process. I had to come clean about being gay. It's not nearly the strike against me that it would have been even a couple centuries ago, but I still have to be watched more than a straight person looking to adopt."
The running back's body language and voice rose in frustration as he continued, "I'm under a damned microscope. There are social workers that come to interview me and the kids one-on-one every weekend to be certain that I'll be a fit parent when the time comes.
"It all goes away when I turn twenty-one this February, but until then my hands are completely tied!" After nearly shouting that last bit, Duo looked out to the city once more with tears in his violet eyes. Heero swallowed roughly as he regarded his partner.
Life was indeed not always fair. But Duo's was nothing but a constant uphill struggle. His irritation and anger were more than understandable, especially considering the fact that he now had children involved.
A bitter laugh rumbled from the running back as he stated, "The most messed up part is that I came right out and told the judge the things I was going to pull so that I could be traded away to Green Bay. The DUI and worst of my acts always happened when I was in town playing against Chicago so that he could get me out of my charges when I entered his court.
"The law is willing to overlook those things, but not something that I have no control over," he breathed as he continued to watch the city stretched out before them.
Gently placing a hand under the other athlete's chin, Heero turned his head so that their eyes met again. Cupping the side of his face, he wiped a stray tear away. "I'm sorry," he breathed sincerely. "I had no idea."
Sniffling, Duo leaned into the touch and replied, "I know. Sorry that I kinda lost it there. It's just... those kids are the world to me. They have as many demons here as I do. February's no going to get here soon enough for me to get them the hell away from this place."
Not knowing what to say, the quarterback pulled him into a tight embrace. Clinging on tightly, Duo closed his eyes and buried his face against a strong shoulder. Some time had passed before they broke apart. Running a hand through his partner's long bangs, Heero inquired quietly, "Better?"
"Yea," the running back smiled as he raised his head. "Actually a lot better. Thanks." Wincing, he added, "And sorry for ruining our first date."
With a small grin, Heero shrugged, "I wouldn't say that it's ruined. The purpose of a date is for two people to know each other better, right?"
Chuckling deeply, Duo nodded, "Right. I guess that I forgot that part of it." He raised an eyebrow and smirked, "But would you mind it if we change the subject matter to something a little... lighter?"
His smile widening a bit, the team captain replied, "I've already got that covered." Folding his arms, he asked, "So how do you think Treize is going to react when we drop the bomb that you can catch now?"
Already loving the new topic, the American grinned mischievously.
* * * * * *
Two hours later, Heero and Duo returned to the apartment building laughing quietly and still holding hands as they ascended the front stairs. "I still can't believe that you actually made one of your teammates on the Cavilers think that you were sleeping with his mom just to piss him off," the quarterback snickered.
"Yea, but if you knew the guy you'd know why he had it coming," Duo smirked. "It was our first year in the big leagues and he was the first to let it get to his head. Truth of the matter was his mom loved the hell out of me and we did go out for dinner a few times. He just jumped to conclusions and made those innocent outings into something more. I wasn't about to come out and tell him otherwise."
Shaking his head, Heero chuckled deeply, "Well you do know that our first regular season game is against the Cavilers, right? Last I checked, Williams was still with them."
That smirk on the running back's face only grew more mischievous as he removed the keys from his pocket. "I always did like happy reunions," he commented. "At least you'll know why I'll be receiving death-glares from him during the game from across the field." Turning the key and placing his hand against the scanner as a second barrier of protection to his family, the door slid open for them.
Carefully scanning the area as he moved, Duo headed for the living room. Marcus and Tai were sitting on the floor in front of the bid screen, engaged in a video game while Flora was reading on the couch. At the football players' entrance, the trio looked up and smiled widely.
Lowering her book, Flora rose from the couch and informed, "The others are all tucked in and sleeping. We followed every order just as you asked." Her bothers nodded excitedly as they neared, folding their hands behind their backs.
After an appraisal of the room, the running back smiled warmly, "You all did a great job." Pulling them in for a tight hug, he kissed their heads and told them sincerely, "Thank you." The three teenagers beamed proudly. Quickly falling back into his parental role, Duo said, "Now, off to bed with you, too. It's after eleven-so it's past your curfew."
In seeing how happy their father and Heero seemed, not one of the youngsters needed to ask how the date went. Grinning widely, they bid a good night to the couple and headed upstairs to their rooms.
Slowly approaching his partner, Heero smiled, "They're good kids."
Nodding, Duo replied quietly, "Yea. They are." He cleared his throat and looked down to the ground, a blush coloring his cheeks. "Um... thanks for the date." Suddenly, he was pulled into a deep, fierce kiss. With a soft sigh, he closed his wide eyes as he returned the favor.
Only a breath passed when the quarterback pulled away with a grin of wonder and content at the same time. "Thank you," he stated softly. Gently brushing a few stray wisps of hair from his teammate's face, he bid a whispered, "Good night." That said, he turned on his heels and left the room.
"G'night," the running back answered the empty room, numb from head-to-toe after that passionate exchange. The shock soon ebbed and a wide smile lit his face. Sighing deeply, he fell back onto one of the couches and closed his eyes.
For the first time in his life, everything seemed to be working out just fine. It was a nice change.
TBC...
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