The Meaning of Life Part 19
Another two weeks went by since the ground breaking and Duo was really beginning to show a bit more than he had before. Baggier clothes were the new norm and he was spending less and less time out in the open, lest he really start raising some eyebrows from any onlookers.
In addition, the neko was very serious in following the orders of his doctors to take things easy. As active as he liked to be, he was becoming less and less comfortable in his skin. His uterus was stretching along with the whole of his abdomen. Even with his body's shifting to adjust, there was still enough discomfort that the expectant teenager preferred to lie down than be on his feet for very long.
The growing babies' activity continued. Their movement was making more of an impact, but Duo still dealt with that part gladly. That movement meant that they were still alive and well. So having that peace of mind was more than worth putting up with the discomfort that it may cause him.
When breathing became difficult over time, the cat-eared youth was concerned enough to contact Hilde for a visit to make sure everything was all right. As every time before, the obstetrician was more than accommodating, taking a break from the office as soon as she could to get to Howard's residence.
Running the paddle over the growing abdomen, the young woman studied the image of the babies on the screen closely. Satisfied with the results, she removed the paddle and handed a towel to Heero to clean the jelly from his lover.
A reassuring smile on her face, as Duo sat up and lowered his shirt, Hilde announced, "Everything is still perfectly fine. Though you would only be going into your third month of pregnancy, you are actually moving along to the point of a normal pregnancy's sixth month. I would put you at week twenty-seven if I had to be specific."
Tilting his head, Heero rested a hand on the lower back of his husband in support while questioning, "Then the labored breathing that Duo will have from time-to-time is not a concern at all?"
Hilde shook her head, "No. At this point, the uterus is just beginning to move under the rib cage, so there will be some difficulty catching a good breath on occasion. Nothing to be worried about. And it should not get much worse than it already is now." [1]
The neko gave a small grin and commented, "That's a relief." Pushing himself from the table, he rubbed his hand over his belly at the activity that had started up.
"Ah, that reminds me," the obstetrician began at that simple gesture from her friend. "Your babies are now at the point that they will be able to recognize your voices, so you may want to practice talking to them more often. Sometimes the sound of a parent's voice can be very soothing for them, even in a womb."
Both Heero and Duo's eyes widened at the news. Looking down to his partner's abdomen, the artist whispered, "They can make out our voices?" Unconsciously, his hand fell over the bulge that was carrying their children.
Hands folded behind her back, Hilde hummed an affirmative. "It will certainly make it easier on them when they recognize your voices when they're out in the world," she stated. "Nothing is more reassuring to them than the sounds of the people they have heard since their earliest thoughts."
Swallowing away the small lump in his throat, Duo looked to the young woman to tell her, "We'll talk to them all the time." Heero nodded his head vehemently in agreement.
With a wink, the doctor replied, "Very good. Then, since there is nothing more, I should be getting back to the office and I will see you both again in a couple of weeks."
Embraces and handshakes were exchanged as well as farewells before the lot parted ways. Once in their car, Heero leaned over from the driver's seat to kiss Duo's abdomen. "Glad you're all well, loves," he told the little ones inside. As he straightened, his kissed his lover's lips soundly to exchange that sentiment to him.
Chuckling softly when they parted, the neko looked down to his belly, rubbing it. "Nice to finally have a chance to have you 'meet' us," he whispered lovingly. "That was your father and I'm your..."
His ears twitching, he tilted his head in thought of what his title should be. Not really keen on being called 'mother,' he tried to think of another word to describe himself.
"Okaa-san?" Heero offered with a shrug. "It means 'mother', but only our children and people who know Japanese would know that." A small grin on his face, he commented, "There's no shame in being known as the one that carried them all this time."
Tail swishing behind him, Duo beamed in appreciation. Looking back down to his abdomen, he introduced, "I'm your okaa-san." Even as the words left him, he liked the term, knowing it had already grown on him.
Heero's own smile spread further across his face as he started the ignition. Gripping the wheel, he pulled out of Howard's lot to take them all home.
* * * * * *
Things were beginning to pick up in the Yuy-Merquise estate as preparations for the next college semester were in full swing. Heero went over all of his needed supplies for his last year while Duo made sure he had all of his necessary literature for his junior year.
Noin looked over the check-off list that her son had given her so she could make certain he had not left anything out. Scanning over the books on the living room table and checking them off, she announced, "Looks like you have everything."
Duo smiled and kissed her cheek with a gracious, "Thanks, Mom." Along with his father's help, he set the texts into the bookcase where they would wait until he returned to school.
"So, Dorothy is making certain that you can continue your classes in the privacy of your dorm room?" Zechs asked, unable to conceal the worry in his voice.
Flashing him a reassuring grin, the neko replied, "Yes, Dad. Don't worry. She is informing all of my professors and my internship that 'under doctor's instructions' I will have to continue with my lessons and work by vidphone conferencing for the beginning of the fall semester. So, they'll only see me from the chest up."
Slowly, Duo sat in the cushy recliner and shrugged, "Whatever I fall behind on won't be too hard for me to catch up with either over the next semester and summer."
Noin took a deep breath and admitted, "That all sounds like it will work. You do pick up on things very quickly." Her son nodded his braided head at that, his grin widening at having their approval to return to his studies.
Danny's tail swished behind him as he sat on the family couch. "You're gonna have smart babies," he smiled. "They'll be going to school with you."
Chuckling, his older brother turned his head to say to him, "And they also have their uncle to help them out with their studies if Heero and I ever get stuck."
"Yep!" the boy cheered, showing his teeth in a brilliant grin.
Zechs and Noin snickered quietly over their little one's excitement. To be honest, they did not know who was more excited about the babies coming- themselves or Danny.
His arms and tail stretching, Duo let out a wide yawn. "I think I'm going to take a nap," he muttered while rising from the recliner. It's been a busy day. Just lemme know when 'Ro shows up for dinner." Waving to his family, he headed out of the room and slowly made his way upstairs.
Finally reaching his bedroom, the neko closed the door behind him. Closing the blinds to the windows, he made the room as dark as he could before gathering up his bedding. Pillows and blankets in his arms, he pushed the wheeled chair at his computer desk aside.
Another yawn escaped him as Duo knelt down to make a secure, warm bed in the cubby beneath the desk where it was even darker. The small place also did well to block out the occasional sounds of passing vehicles outside.
Content with his work, the expectant okaa-san lay down on his side, curling his legs as close to himself as he could as his heavy eyelids drifted closed.
Pulled into a deep slumber, Duo's tail wrapped protectively around his swelling abdomen while a soft purr rumbled from his chest with every soft exhale.
* * * * * *
Noin smiled in greeting, "Hello, Heero." Kissing the young man's cheek as he entered the living room, she told him, "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Would you mind waking Duo up? He went to take a nap not long ago."
Returning the grin, the artist replied, "Sure thing." On his way through the room, he passed Danny as the boy was playing with his cars and patted the top of his head. Purring out a giggle, the child continued with his game.
Quickly climbing the stairs, Heero rounded the railing and stepped down the long hallway. He slowed in his steps when he reached the closed door of his lover's room. Knocking quietly, he turned the doorknob and peeked inside with a quiet, "Duo?"
Dim as it was in the room, it took a moment for his cobalt eyed to adjust. When they did, the first thing the Japanese youth noticed was that the neko's bed had been stripped of everything but its base sheets.
Concerned for only a moment, Heero stepped fully into the room for a full assessment of the space. It did not take long before he spotted the feet and legs sticking out from underneath the desk. Above the soft drone of the computer, his ears picked up an occasional light purr.
Smiling, the artist lowered himself onto his hands and knees as he crawled into what little space there was under the desk. His arms keeping him propped up, his smile warmed at the sight of his husband sleeping in perfect content.
Gently, Heero reached to brush his fingers over the peaceful heart-shaped face. "Duo," he whispered. "Time to get up, love."
Instantly leaning his head into the touch, the neko's purr grew louder as his violet eyes blinked open. Once the bleariness in his vision cleared, he grinned tiredly, "Hey, 'Ro." Yawning, he raised an arm upward to stretch, only to have it stop against something hard.
His eyes blinking in confusion, Duo looked up to see the flat board a few feet above his head. "What," was all he managed as he slid out of his confinements with his husband's help. Only all the more confused as he took in the bed he'd made beneath his desk, he sat there on the floor for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You remember moving there?" Heero asked softly as he rubbed his partner's back.
Shaking his disheveled braided head, the cat-eared teenager met the gaze on him and replied, "No. I was just so tired when I came up here, I must have been sleepwalking when I did this." A frown marring his face, he turned back to the bed he had made and shrugged, "Maybe it's hormones?"
A thoughtful look on his face, the artist suggested quietly, "Or, maybe it's embedded in you with your cat structure." When his partner looked to him in surprise, he stated, "Well, I've read that when a female cat is pregnant they like to find a warm place for their 'nest' in dark, quiet places." [2]
Taken aback, Duo asked, "You read up on cat pregnancies?"
Smirking, Heero answered, "I figured it couldn't hurt, since that part of your makeup is already having effect in our situation. If I thought that it might help me understand what you were going through, I should read up on it."
With that, the frown on the neko's face melted into a loving smile. The fact that his husband would be thoughtful enough to research such a thing to appreciate him more meant the world to him. Closing the distance between them, he kissed the expectant father soundly.
As he pulled back, Duo whispered, "Thank you." Staring back to the make-shift bed, he admitted, "I never would have thought to look up something like that. And it does make sense out of this, at least."
Heero got to his feet and assisted the expectant 'mother' onto his own. Almost scared to ask, the neko inquired, "So... what are some other things I need to look for according to your researching on cat pregnancies?"
Chuckling, the artist responded, "Only an increase in affection. But you're already affectionate as it is, so there is really nothing out of the ordinary in that case."
Relieved at that, Duo grinned. Sniffing the air when the smells of dinner reached them, his stomach growled. "Increased appetite, too," he snorted. He reached for his husband's hand and smiled, "Babies are hungry. Let's go."
Allowing himself to be led out of the room, Heero snickered and shook his head in amusement.
* * * * * *
Quatre frowned, "Heero, are you really sure that you don't mind doing this? I mean..."
"It's all right, Quatre," his friend reassured. "I'm still your Best Man, so of course it's all right that I help with your wedding plans. There's no need to think this is upsetting me because of how things turned out for Duo and myself. We're fine."
Smiling sheepishly, the blonde Arab nodded, "All right. Thanks."
Up until a couple of weeks before, Quatre's marriage to Relena had been planned for the summer after they graduated. However, with certain obligations for both of their families' members in the world of business and politics, they found it difficult to find a time when everyone they wanted there would be available. It was with that realization that they both decided to move things along and wed during their winter break instead.
And with that decision, that meant that all of the little details that they had been taking their time with needed to be sorted out in a few short months, rather than a year.
Fortunately for the couple, everyone involved in the wedding had been more than accommodating and willing to shift their own plans around.
When he reached doors of the formal wear store, Heero held the door open for his childhood friend and stepped inside behind him.
His aquamarine eyes widening as he took in the massive selections of formal men's wear all around, Quatre looked at in the various shirts, coats, ties, shoes, cuff links and other such accessories.
Overwhelmed by his surroundings, the groom-to-be sighed, "See, this is where I need help. I haven't dressed up since the high school proms and even then, I wasn't in a tuxedo. I don't even know where to start in here for what we'll all be wearing."
Arms folded, Heero chuckled deeply. Patting his friend's arm, he began, "Well, do you know what color dresses the bridesmaids will be wearing? Maybe you'd like your groomsmen to have similar shaded shirts or ties so they the bridal party members compliment each other."
Suddenly relieved at having some idea to start with, Quatre beamed, "That's a great idea. The girls will be wearing lilac, so a deep purple inner vest and tie on the groomsmen would work."
"Okay," the artist grinned. "We can look into that. Any idea if you want the suit coats to have tails or not?"
Humming, the Arab thought aloud, "Well, I like how tails on suit coats look." An idea suddenly striking him, he announced, "I think my coat will have the tails while you and the groomsmen go without them to set us apart that way."
As he led the way further into the store, Heero smirked, "Sounds like you're getting the hang of this. Once you have everything ready, it'll just be a matter of getting Duo, Trowa and Wufei in here for their measurements."
Once they were out of earshot from the other short visitors, Quatre quickly caught up to walk alongside his Best Man. Wincing in concern, he whispered, "How is that going to work for Duo, anyway? Do you know for certain that he's due before December?"
His cobalt eyes looking all around them as they paused in a lone corner of the store, Heero answered, "Everything is still moving along for the babies to be ready by early October. That's more than enough time for him to get back down to his pre-pregnant size and have his measurements taken for the wedding."
The Arabian smiled, "That's great." Smirking, he questioned, "Now, questions is, are you going to be ready when your big day rolls around?"
Cheeks reddening at that, the art major muttered, "My mother is pretty much training us on everything there is to know. I don't know that we'll ever really be ready, but we'll be all right."
Unable to help the small laugh that burst out of him, Quatre repeated, "Training? How?"
Shrugging, Heero explained, "Life-like baby dolls that cry and need care just like an actual baby. Having three of those things crying at once is quite the adventure."
"I'll bet," the blonde snickered. Regaining his composure, he grinned warmly, "But I know that you'll both be ready when it's time, even if you're not sure."
A sincere smile returned to the artist's face as he said, "Thank you, Quatre." Clearing his throat past the lump that formed there, he straightened and looked around the room. "Now, we should probably look at shoes next."
Happy to have his friend lead the way, Quatre followed him to the footwear department of the store.
Silently, he looked forward to the day when he and Relena would have their own 'litter' of children to raise.
Until then, he was more than happy to let Heero and Duo take up that new role in their lives. If anyone deserved that joy in their lives, it certainly was the both of them.
TBC...
[1] ShenLong was such a help and found this online Pregnancy calendar of the things to expect every week for a reference for me: http://www.pregnancy-info.net/pregcal.html
[2] Also fro ShenLong (*glomps her tight*) this cat pregnancy site: http://www.cat-pregnancy-report.com/
Back to SkyLark's Fanfictions Page