The Meaning of Life Part 18
Heero sighed as he made the last brush stroke to the large canvas he had been working on. Stepping back with his arm palette in one hand and the long paintbrush in the other, he examined the whole of his work. Pleased with the end result, a small smile tugged his lips.
At the sound of footsteps making their way down into the basement that had been turned into a brightly lit studio, the artist lowered his tools onto the plastic-draped table beside him. Those steps neared the entrance just before Duo's cat-eared head poked around the corner. "Is it finished yet?" he asked anxiously.
Chuckling deeply, Heero rubbed his hands spotted with several shades of paint and nodded to him, "Just wrapped up, actually." He gestured with a wave for the neko to join him.
Not needing to be told twice, Duo all but ran to his side. Taking in the long mural, his violet eyes widened with a gasp. "I-it's amazing," he breathed. "Just like the picture that the client gave you. Better than the picture, actually."
In fact, the painting truly was better than the little photo that had become faded over the years. In this, everything, the trees and rolling hills of grass and flowers were life-sized and in vibrant colors on the huge canvas. From simply glancing at the photo, Heero had managed to capture every detail, right down to the placement of the last butterfly in the distance.
The whole image looked so real it was as though they could walk into the scene. One could almost smell the variety of flowers blooming in sporadic patches.
Resting his head on the artist's shoulder, the neko smiled wistfully, "They're going to love this, husband. You did a great job."
His own grin spreading, Heero wrapped his arms around the boy's waist. Kissing his cheek, he said sincerely, "Thank you, husband." Slowly shifting so that he could kneel, he placed three kisses on the slightly rounder abdomen. "Hello, my little ones," he whispered.
Moved by the gesture, Duo's tail swayed slowly behind him as he purred and gently ran his hand through his lover's hair. "How have they been treating you this morning?" the Japanese youth asked as he rose to his feet once more.
"Pretty good," the neko answered. "They've been letting me keep everything down for the last couple of weeks straight, so I think we're finally past the morning sickness."
Relieved to hear that, Heero kissed the tip his lover's nose and replied, "Good. I'm sorry I had to leave the bed before you woke up this morning, but I really wanted to get this painting finished. I was promised a nice tip in addition to the cost of the project if I had it done by the end of the week."
Snickering, Duo lightly poked the Japanese youth in the ribs, smirking, "And you love having a reason to do some artwork." Caught in his other reason for his hasty leave, his partner's face colored a bit as he shrugged sheepishly.
Braided head shaking in amusement, the cat-tailed boy kissed a red cheek and reassured, "I understand. That's why art was always your calling. And I support you completely, even if there are a few wake-ups or turn-downs by myself."
Heero smiled lovingly before kissing the expectant 'mother' soundly, pouring in all of his sincere appreciation. Blinking in surprise when their mouths parted, Duo hummed quietly as his eyes drifted closed and arms twined around the artist's neck.
All of a sudden, the neko felt an odd flutter.
Gasping out of the kiss, he pulled back, eyes wide as he stared down at his abdomen.
Panicked, Heero cried, "Duo?! What's wrong?!" His cobalt eyes widened further when his husband reached and lifted his shirt a bit.
Without a word of explanation, the braided teenager took one of his partner's hands and held its palm flat against his stomach. Realization instantly flooding the artist, his wide eyes blinked and he stilled himself in wait.
Then the flutter returned, a bit stronger than the first.
A loud, sharp laugh escaped Heero at the feeling. Quickly putting his free hand over Duo's abdomen, he waited shortly before another kick, even stronger this time, pressed against him.
Duo wheezed out a small, surprised grunt at the feeling. Coughing, he rubbed his belly. "Easy, gang," he snickered. Tears shimmering his eyes, he met his lover's own wet gaze. "It... actually feels more real now," he whispered.
The artist nodded. When there was no longer any noticeable movement, he dropped his hands and covered the teenager's abdomen. "T-that's the most amazing thing I've ever felt," he breathed. His partner nodded vehemently.
Biting his lip, Heero cupped the sides of Duo's face and kissed him. "They're going to be all right," he commented when they pulled away, with all the confidence in the world in his voice. "We're all going to be all right."
"Yes we are," the neko grinned widely.
Hand-in-hand, the expectant parents hurried up the stairs to tell their parents the exciting announcement of the babies' first kicks.
* * * * * *
Susan Weather's stomach was bothering her.
It had been bothering her for over a month now- ever since that verdict from the Supreme Justices that denied Duo Maxwell the right to marry a human.
Never before was she bothered by the effects of anything that had been brought on by one of her stories. This... this was very different.
Unlike any other celebrity, that neko did not ask to be in the spotlight. But simply because of the fact that he was so different from everyone else, he would always be a point of interest.... even if the press was not always there to watch him.
Quietly groaning, Susan reached for another antacid and threw it back. Reaching for her coffee, she took a sip to help swallow the pill down.
A light knock on her open door brought her emerald eyes up to watch as her editor in chief entered. Grinning from ear-to-ear, the burley, bearded man folded his arms around his thick trunk of a chest while snorting, "You look like hell this morning. Maybe you should head home for the day."
The blonde journalist stared ahead at the wall across from her blankly. Muttering under her breath, she frowned deeply, "A sick day's not going to make this any better."
When the tall man tilted his head of short brown hair, Susan cleared her throat and resumed typing at her computer. Briefly glancing at the man in her doorway, she stated, "I'm fine, Bobby. This is not anything that I can't fight through."
Running a hand over his white-patched beard, her editor realized that she was dealing with more than a bug. Concerned, he asked kindly, "Anything that you need to talk about?"
Her hands pausing on her keyboard, the reporter's head lowered a bit. After a long pause, she sighed and struggled to find the right words as she stammered, "It's just... This whole thing with that boy... We..."
At the word 'we,' Susan's eyes narrowed. Shaking her head, she found her words and began by stressing, "I am responsible for what happened with that trial. The whole engagement would never have been made known to the public if I'd never written that story."
Bob's deep blue eyes widened in surprise. Stepping into the office, he allowed the door to slide closed behind him. "Don't tell me that Susan Weathers is actually developing a conscience," he said quietly. "You know that with the journalism we work in we cannot afford to worry about the morals around what we do."
The young woman reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose between fingers against an oncoming headache. "This was not like our other stories," she sighed.
Lowering her hand from her face, she stated, "What we write about is for entertainment and people know that. Lives are not changed over articles in our magazines." A small lump formed in her throat that she had to swallow down.
Slowly turning her head to look out her windows that overlooked the city, Susan little more than whispered, "But they were this time. And what Trent Clark said after that hearing really was true... Maxwell never deserved any of this."
Bob shook his head, "Well, you had insisted on that story. And you had to have known that there would be public reaction to it." Shrugging, he added, "And your call was right. Our magazines flew off the shelves as soon as we stocked them. Our publication never saw figures like what we have been pulling in since then."
His hand reaching up to brush down his red tie, the editor in chief folded his arms across his chest once more. Raising an eyebrow, he smirked, "You cannot tell me you were not happy with the nice bonus you received for that article. Keep this up and you'll make part owner for sure down the road."
Emerald eyes gazed back to her supervisor with a shimmer in them as she inquired, "At who's expense? I've already ruined one person's life. Who would I have to destroy along the way to reach that goal?"
Taken aback by his writer's emotions, Bob's wide, sapphire eyes blinked. Fists planting on his hips, he huffed, "Look, I suggest that you take some time off to clear your head. When you're ready, come back to work and finally put all of this behind you. You were just doing your job. And no one loved this job more than you did before that hearing came up."
"You're right," Susan admitted softly, her head nodding shallowly. "I loved this job more than anything." Clearing her throat, she straightened in her leather seat and held her head high as she focused on her supervisor. Whatever tears had been in her eyes quickly vanished. "I think a little vacation is called for," she announced, sounding much more like herself.
What was past was past. She could not help the chain of events that followed her article. Morals were not welcomed in her line of work and she needed to work them out of her again so she could resume what she was good at.
Quietly sighing in relief, Bob grinned, "Very good. Pack up for the night and I'll see you when I see you, then. We have enough stories to keep up busy for the next few weeks with the staff that we have. Yuy's walking around with a ring on his own finger has caused quite the stir as the slap in the face of the Justices it was clearly meant to be."
Inwardly, Weathers groaned at knowing the fester of press that would be jumping on that story. But, knowing how the tabloid world worked, it would only be a matter of time before interest in the couple would fizzle out and they would be left in peace again.
The editor tilted his head and commented, "You know, if you start having any doubts over what you're doing again, just remember the difference in your paycheck compared to any other reporter. That's what helps me sleep through the night."
Chuckling, Susan replied, "You don't need to remind me. Why do you think I took up the offer to work here in the first place?" A small smile spread on her face as she said, "Thank you, Bob."
With a wink, the husky man turned while the door opened. As he stepped out, the office closed back up behind him.
Rising from her seat, the reporter started throwing her little bottles of aspirin and antacids into her purse to seal them away. Sunglasses in one hand and car keys in the other, she threw her black purse over her shoulder and headed out.
Surely a few days off were going to make her feel better.
* * * * * *
"Incredible," Noin breathed as she removed her hand from Duo's stomach after having the chance to feel a bit of fluttering action from the babies inside. Her son was grinning from ear-to-ear as he lowered his shirt back down. "And it doesn't hurt you at all?" she asked in concern.
Shaking his head, the neko reassured her, "Not now. I'm sure as they grow it won't always be this easy to handle, but it's all part of being pregnant."
At the loveseat with Trent, Danielle grinned, "You sound like a pro at this already. If those little ones are anything like Heero, they'll be quite active as the weeks roll on. But, I am sure that it will not be the worst of experiences for you, even with triplets."
Noin returned to the couch to sit beside Zechs as he commented, "Especially since your body is adapting to the changes, according to Hilde."
"Yea," Duo smirked, "Thank God for that, otherwise it would have been a little cramped for everyone involved." His parents and extended family smiled and nodded at that sentiment.
Hands resting over his abdomen, the neko turned to his 'mother-in-law' with a wistful smile. "So Heero stayed pretty busy when you were pregnant with him?" he inquired.
Resting her red head on her husband's shoulder, the retired lawyer snickered, "Very. There were times I thought he was playing basketball inside of me, dribbling my innards when he was bored." Duo's smile grew as he chuckled softly at learning something new about his husband.
At the sound of the front door opening and closing, Trent laughed, "Speak of the devil." Removing his wet, hooded raincoat, Heero stepped into the room as his step-father asked first, "So how did Mrs. Spencer like her painting when you and your friends delivered it?"
Unable to help the wide grin on his face, the artist answered, "She loved it and promised to send more business my way. And being quite the socialite in her neighborhood, she knows a lot of people that she'll be passing my card to."
Lowering the leg rest of the recliner, Duo rose to his feet to wrap his arms tightly around his husband's neck with an elated, "That's great Heero! Congratulations." Instantly returning the hug, his lover kissed his cheek in appreciation.
Noin got to her own feet as she announced, "Well, dinner is almost ready. And between the groundbreaking tomorrow and now this news, we have some celebrating to do. I'll go and breakout the wine."
On her way from the room, she winked to her son, "Non-alcoholic for you, of course." The neko flashed her a bright smile at that.
And so they all sat together shortly after in the dining room, talking excitedly over the latest developments over dinner and wine.
It was the first time that everyone had put the hearing and its outcome completely from their minds in a sure sign that they had finally moved on.
* * * * * *
It was a clear, warm morning the next day for the first day of August. And another big event in Heero and Duo's lives was about to unfold.
Seated on a small plot of cement above a tall hill overlooking Lake Sarafina, the couple huddled close. All around, patches of a variety of flowers came up through the grass.
Sighing in content, Duo rested his braided head on his husband's shoulder. "This is going to be a great place for the babies to grow up," he whispered.
Heero hummed an affirmative, draping an arm around his lover's waist to pull him close. "Yes, it is," he replied just as softly. Lightly rubbing the small bulge of his abdomen, the neko purred quietly while his tail coiled around the artist's waist.
The sound of someone clearing their throat had the expectant parents looking over their shoulders.
A construction worker wearing a bright yellow safety approached. Pointing over his own shoulder with a thumb, he advised, "Sorry in interrupt, but we're ready when you are."
On the flat top of the hill behind him, large trucks and heavy machinery from cranes to forklifts sat in wait alongside a large crew of workers, all bearing hard hats.
Grinning widely, the couple got to their feet. "We're ready," Duo nodded firmly. Hands joined, he and Heero walked past the crews and their gear for the dirt road where their car was parked.
The construction man they had spoken with took charge as he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "All right! Let's get the show rolling, gang!" A battle cry rose from the men and women around as those operating the machines climbed aboard and fired up their engines to break through the peaceful scene around.
A massive crane with a claw at the end moved first, lowering the toothed down to scoop up a massive pile of dirt. Other machines of the line moved in to breakaway the rough ground so that a firm foundation could be set when they were finished.
Leaning against their car, Heero's arms snaked around his partner's waist as he rested his chin on his shoulder. "Pretty surreal, huh?" he asked softly. "...Knowing that's going to become where we're going to live for the rest of our lives."
Not quite willing to trust his voice at the moment, Duo could only nod as he pressed himself fully against his husband. As his pulse rose in anticipation, he could feel another flutter of movement in his abdomen.
Quietly chuckling at having felt the little ones, the artist smirked, "I think they're giving their approval of the place." Wiping a stray tear from his cheek, the neko laughed.
And with a shared kiss, the pair turned and slipped into their car, leaving the crews to their crafts.
TBC...
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