The Meaning of Life Part 17
"Pickles?"
Snickering over the line, Duo replied, "I know, it's weird. I'm just... really craving pickles right now. Do you think you can do me a huge favor and pick up a jar or two while you're at the store?"
Heero smiled as he pushed the full cart down the isles with one hand and his cell phone in the other. "Not a problem, love," he answered. "I'm just about finished with my run here, so I'll be home soon."
The grin could be heard in the neko's voice as he said, "Thanks, love." After their farewells were exchanged, the call was disconnected.
Closing his cell phone, the artist chuckled and shook his head in amusement. Just ahead of him with a packed cart of his own, Trowa smirked over his shoulder, "It sounds like he's doing quite well."
"Yea," Heero sighed in relief. "It was a rough few days for the both of us, but we've both pretty much let it go. We know how we feel, and there is nothing that's about to change that." Gripping the handle of his cart with both hands, he followed his tall friend around the corner to the refrigerated products.
Strange as Duo's craving for pickles was, considering the neko could take them or leave them before, Heero was just relieved that he was craving anything at all. Since their talk the morning after the trial, his lover's appetite had finally returned.
Knowing how badly his lover and their babies needed the nourishment, Heero would gladly see that he had whatever his heart desired.
Once he picked up his promised jars of pickles, the Japanese youth led the way to the checkout counters. Their orders bagged and paid for, the two childhood friends made their way out to the parking lot.
Careful to scan the area for any ears that may be around when they reached their cars parked side-by-side, Heero opened the trunk to his two-seater vehicle as he asked, "So did Dorothy have any strange cravings when she was pregnant?"
Loading a couple of bags into the back seat of his family van, Trowa grinned, "Fruit and cottage cheese at first. And lots of it. She could polish off an eight-ounce container in a couple of hours. Then it changed into other cravings. Marshmallows, strawberry decaffeinated lattes, peppermint patties. Just to name a few. It's interesting what the body suddenly needs when there's a little one on the way."
Wincing, the tall young man commented, "Though making the runs for those things was a lot better than dealing with a hormonal wife." An eyebrow raised, he turned to face Heero and warned, "You know you are going to have to deal with some mood swings over the next... how ever many months Duo will be expecting."
"It's already starting a bit," Heero informed as he finished packing away his bags of groceries. Closing the trunk, he said, "Now that he's home on demanded rest, I've come in to find him crying watching a touching television commercial then in the next moment ready to pull his hair out because his fur is molting."
Trowa slid the back door to his van closed with a smirked, "All of those things are perfectly normal." Head tilting, he shrugged, "Well, as normal as that added molting detail can be since he is a neko."
Gesturing to the sporty car his friend owned, the Latin young man inquired, "Think you'll be able to say goodbye to your sporty car for a utility family wagon like mine?"
Heero smiled brightly, "Actually, I'm looking forward to it." Peering around the lot once more, he stated, "We just need to wait until the time gets closer, considering how it seems every move we make is being watched. It would look pretty strange for us to be purchasing a van out of the blue."
"Very good point," Trowa nodded. Extending a hand, he grinned, "Good running into you. We'll have to have you and Duo over for dinner one of these nights. I'm giving Dorothy a run at being the whiz in the kitchen."
As he neared, the artist shook his friend's hand with a sincere, "That'd be great. I'll be sure to let Duo know so we can work out a night. Thanks, Trowa." Waving, the tall youth moved for the front seat of his van and drove off.
Left alone, Heero looked to his sports car that he had owned for over three years. "Lots of changes are about to come," he thought out loud. Just the thought of having a van of his own filled with three of his children had him smiling, "But it'll all be worth it."
That dream of a family was more than worth any sacrifice and change that came.
Having set aside the jars of pickles, he placed them in the passenger seat for safe keeping so that he could get them to Duo as soon as he returned home.
* * * * * *
Gently knocking on the door to their bedroom, Heero peeked inside just in time to see Duo in their bed wiping his eyes and turning the television off with his free hand. "Aw, baby," he greeted with a small grin. "Did another program get to you?"
Sniffling, the neko's emotional state switched to half-hearted frustration as his eyes narrowed at the blank screen across from him. "I'm crying over a made up soap opera," he sighed. "What's wrong with me?"
Jar in hand, the artist closed the door behind him and moved to the bed. Sitting on the edge beside his lover, he lowered his offering to the floor and smiled lovingly, "Nothing is wrong with you. This is all part of the fun of pregnancy, so we can only go along with the ride."
Gently cupping the braided teenager's face, Heero wiped the last stray tear from his cheek and leaned in to kiss his lips gently.
When they pulled away, Duo pouted, "I'm growing a paunch." Looking down at himself, he gently poked his slightly expanding abdomen. "It's not going to be too long before I'll be as big as a house at this rate."
"And I will not love you any less than I do right now," his partner reassured. Kissing the neko once more, he reached down for the jar he had brought in. "In the mean time, I have something for you," he announced.
Gasping at the sight of the pickles he had been craving, Duo instantly brightened as he exclaimed, "God, I love you!" In a rush, he reached for the offering and easily twisted the top open. Pulling out one of the treats, he crunched happily on it, his mood perfectly content as all was right with the world once again.
Quickly finishing off a second pickle, the neko's tail swayed behind him as Heero informed, "I have a bit of exciting news to share." Chewing and swallowing a third stick of his snack, the braided youth sat up in attention.
His cobalt eyes brightening, Heero said, "As a matter of fact, I got a call from the builder on the way back that all will be in order for the ground to be broken first thing next week. They said that at this rate, provided all goes well, the home will be finished by the last week of September."
Biting his lip, Duo replaced the lid to the jar and set it on the table beside him. Tears of joy in his eyes, he leaned forward to wrap his arms tightly around his lover's neck. "It's all really happening, then?" he whispered brokenly. "We're going to be a real family with a real home of our own?"
Slowly enfolding his trembling partner in his arms, the artist turned his head to kiss his cheek. "It's all going to work out," he promised. "The construction will be finished before the babies come, so we'll be more than ready for them."
"Thanks to you," the neko commented as he pulled back, his face damp but glowing with a warm smile. "I know it wasn't easy for you to have to pull the strings you did to move everything up by nearly a year, but you did it."
Winking, Heero kissed the tip of his nose and dried the wet trails away from the heart-shaped face watching him. "It was all worth it. And it really was not as much a pain as you think." He took hold of the light blanket to peel it back and curled up beside his lover.
Duo purred deeply as he snuggled close, resting his head on the artist's shoulder. A sudden thought running through his mind, he asked, "Does my breath smell like pickles? I could brush my teeth if you want."
Just holding the other youth all the closer to him, the artist reassured, "Don't worry about it. I still love you, even with pickle breath."
Closing his eyes, the braided teenager hummed quietly and drifted off for a much-needed nap feeling completely safe.
* * * * * *
Isis gasped as she looked up from the paperwork she had been filling out at the front counter of her store. Smiling brightly, she made her way around the little island and opened her arms to her new customer. "It's so good to see you again, Duo," she greeted with a tight embrace.
Completely ignoring the looks from the other people in the store that he was getting, the neko gladly returned the hug and purred, "You too, Isis." When their arms fell away, he adjusted his loose, red T-shirt to keep from accenting his less-than-perfectly-taut-abdomen. "And thank you, again, for the card and flowers you sent last week."
Straightening, the blonde young woman waved her hand. "It was the least that I could do after everything you and Heero had been through." Leary of the ears around, she leaned close and muttered to the tall ears twitching towards her, "I personally think those Justices made a terrible mistake with that verdict." Her braided friend grinned in appreciation.
"At any rate," Isis smirked, "how can I help you today?"
Hands fidgeting with his tail almost nervously, Duo's engagement ring sparkled in the overhead lights. "Well, actually," he began, "I came to discuss making a wedding band for Heero. Something that's similar to mine so that they match." Several people lingering around that overheard the comment blinked in surprise and others in disgust.
Laughing, Isis patted the teenager's shoulder. "Good for you!" she cheered. "To hell with what everyone else thinks. I love it." Quickly taking her client's hand, she led him towards the back with a winked, "We'll go over the details in my office.
Unable to help the wide grin on his face, Duo followed willingly, his tail swaying excitedly.
* * * * * *
A week and a half later...
Shaking her head in wonder, Hilde carefully looked over the results of her patient's blood work. "Absolutely no abnormalities to be found in this or the ultrasound," she announced while she closed the file. Looking up to the neko seated on the examination table in the center of the room, she commented, "You truly are a unique creature."
Duo blushed a bit as Heero chuckled quietly and stood beside him. "So, even with the rapid progression, the babies are still fine?"
Nodding, the obstetrician responded, "They are all perfectly healthy even with the rapid growth. Even though the occurrence of your pregnancy is a strange matter, your body is actually adjusting... almost constantly shifting to support the new lives growing in it. Like an incubator that tweaks itself according to the needs of the babies. It's incredible."
"In other words, because it's all a part of Duo's makeup, his cat and human DNA are working together to support them all," Heero reasoned aloud.
Hilde grinned, "Exactly right. Of course, that does not mean the tests will stop. Only a fool assumes that there is nothing that can happen, but it is very reasonable to be optimistic at this point that all will end well."
Folding her arms, the young doctor took a seat before the table and stated, "One thing that you will need to take into consideration is what you would like to have happen to your uterus and ovaries when the babies are born. I suppose that is something that you will have a better idea on as the pregnancy wears on and the real strains of child bearing come about."
Blinking his wide violet eyes in surprise at that, the neko admitted, "I never did really think about that." His gaze falling on his lover, he shrugged, "It's something we'll both need more time to discuss."
Heero shrugged, "And even then, it'll be your call. Three babies is a great start to a family that we had no idea we would even have in the first place." Smiling in relief, Duo nodded.
"Very good," Hilde said, her hands clapping together as she rose from the chair. Walking over to her equipment, she took up the small stack of images she had printed off.
The grin on her face growing, she handed over the pictures and told her friends, "So we will meet again in another three weeks then. If anything comes up between now and then, please call me right away."
Huddling together close, the couple looked over the images of the three babies taking such distinct forms. Tiny heads, arms and legs were distinguishable. And along with that, there were several other physical traits that had been spotted- namely a pair of tiny, folded cat ears and a couple of tails.
All in all, so long as everything went accordingly, there would be one full-fledged neko like Duo. That baby's siblings would only have either his ears or his tail.
With a deep breath, Heero wrapped his arms around his lover's shoulders. "They're going to be beautiful," he breathed into Duo's hair. Small tears in his violet eyes, the studying lawyer leaned against him and nodded.
Taking his lover's hand, the artist gently tugged him from the table onto his feet to lead the way from the room. "So maybe we should really start discussing names," he suggested. "Even if we don't know the genders, we should have some options for each."
His face glowing with a radiant smile, the neko protectively held the pictures against his chest with his free arm with a quiet, "I like that idea. Let's start with girls' names."
* * * * * *
Duo decided to make a private dinner for not long after he had the ring that Isis in the end gifted to him. He had patiently waited for the right opportunity to have the time to have everything just right. Heero deserved no less.
A few days passed and out of the blue, the artist received a request for a painting by a wealthy client. Knowing that his lover was going to be busy for most of the following day collecting supplies, the neko knew he had found his opportunity.
Both Danielle and Trent happily to made themselves scarce that evening when informed of Duo's plans, leaving their home belongings at his disposal. So, the moment he had the house to himself, he went about his work.
Careful to not leave any details out, the neko used the nice, white linen on the table along with two settings of the finer china. Dimming the lights in the room, he lit the three candles held in the center floral piece to finish the romantic setting. Just as he blew out the small match in his hand, his tall ears twitched at the sound of the front door opening.
Smiling widely, Duo bit his lip as he heard the rustling sound of plastic bags being lowered in the living room as Heero's voice complimented, "Something smells good."
His stomach instantly filled with butterflies, the neko gripped his tail and watched as his lover froze in the doorway.
Cobalt eyes wide when he entered, the artist let out a low whistle. Noting the only two settings, he turned his head to meet the nervous violet gaze on him. "You did all of this for us?" he asked softly.
"Yea," Duo nodded, finally releasing his tail from his tight grip. Clearing his throat, he pointed his thumb over his shoulder towards the kitchen and announced, "I'm making your favorites."
Moved by the gesture, Heero smiled widely, "This is very nice, Duo." Closing the distance between them, he wrapped his arms tight around his partner to kiss him soundly. Gently pulling back, he said sincerely, "Thank you. Is there a special occasion?"
Not having made any official plans as to how to go about the ring presentation, the neko's hands trembling fingers reached into his back jean pocket. "W-well, you could say that," he stammered as he held out the small, black box.
Gasping sharply, the artist blinked in surprise at the gift. Carefully taking it up, he opened it to reveal a band much like the one he'd had made. Instead of yellow gold and silver braided together, a rose-colored gold and lighter-colored platinum were woven in the same fashion. Here and there, tiny diamonds made the ring sparkle blue and violet in the light to match the one on the teenager's hand.
Slowly, Heero removed the ring to place it on his left hand's ring finger and held up up for an inspection. Folding his hands behind his back, Duo grinned, "It's our first dinner officially as husbands."
Tears in his eyes, the Japanese youth let out a small laugh as he looked to his life partner. Nodding firmly, he repeated quietly, "Husbands."
Arms winding around one another, they sealed their pact with a fierce kiss.
TBC...
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