Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They were watching him again. Duo knew it like he knew the temperature – something felt, rather than observed. He resisted the urge to sigh and instead doubled down, his shoulders hunching a bit more, the tablet raised a bit higher to block any chance of seeing them in the periphery of the screen.

It did no good. He could sense them edging closer.

Time to go on the offensive. He closed out the catalog he’d been perusing and lowered the tablet, plastering a casual smile onto his face that they’d probably see through, anyway. “What’s up, guys?” he asked.

Heero and Relena sat catacorner to him on the wicker loveseat, one at either end: Heero leaning forward as if coiling to pounce, Relena with back straight and knees together (the pose of Relena the Diplomat, Duo realized, and he inwardly groaned).

Relena smiled pleasantly. “We just thought we’d see what you were up to,” she said. Her voice was sweet – so deceptively sweet. Duo knew better than to fall for it.

“I’m just browsing the catalog,” he said with a vague wave of his tablet. “Nothin’ dangerous, so you can wipe that look off your face, Heero.”

Heero’s frown only deepened. His eyes darted downward for a second, and Duo shifted uncomfortably beneath that gaze. He put an arm over his middle, still surprised by how much bigger he had gotten in the past weeks. He had to adjust before he found a comfortable position. Thus settled, he regarded the alphas warily. “Sooooo… Anything goin’ on?” he pushed.

“Can we not simply have a pleasant chat with our mate?” Relena said with an airy sort of indifference that wasn’t fooling anyone. “It’s such a nice day.”

It was, indeed – one of those kinds of days that made one glad to be on Earth. Many colonies had come a long way in environmental regulation and diversity, but nothing quite beat a summer on Earth. Here in their villa on the Italian coast, nestled atop a cliffside overlooking the sparkling turquoise waters of the Mediterranean, Duo felt like he was living in a perfume commercial. Everything was breezy, bright, warm, and unreal. He half expected some model to come waltzing out of the villa at any second, arms raised and impractically filmy gown flowing.

Sitting in the sun had become one of his pastimes of late. He would much rather be out in the water, surfing or swimming; or wandering the little town that meandered its way down the hills toward the shore. But considering his condition, he knew he would be tired out by the time he reached the end of the villa’s driveway. It irked him, but what could he do but wait it out?

Duo so wanted to believe that his two mates were only thinking of spending a lazy afternoon with him on the balcony. They made an attractive picture sitting there against the backdrop of the sea and the sky, Heero in a blue shirt that matched his eyes, Relena in a bright white sundress. If only they weren’t gearing up for a struggle, as he knew they were. It really cut down on his enjoyment of the scenery.

Relena seemed to sense that the jig was up. With only the slightest shift in her casual smile, she said, “You know, I’ve been thinking—”

“That we ought’a go to the market sometime?” Duo cut in, ruffling her polished exterior for a moment. Her expression could remain set in stone, but her eyes always gave her away. “I agree! Let’s do that!”

“We certainly can,” she said after a second’s pause. “In fact, I was thinking it would be a good idea to go out more before the rain moves in. But first, I would like to call in—”

“Lena,” he said, a hint of an edge to his voice. “You can just stop right there. I’m not seeing any doctors.”

She took a steadying breath and held him in her turquoise gaze. “Duo, be reasonable. This is for you and the baby, and—”

“I’m doin’ just fine, and so is the baby.” His arm tightened almost imperceptibly over his abdomen. “Everything’s normal. It’s been kickin’ and carrying on all morning.”

“There are some things that we can’t observe without medical equipment,” Relena went on, unfazed by Duo’s interruptions. “We need a doctor to monitor the baby’s progress and ensure everything is developing properly.”

It was the wrong thing to say. Duo could feel his temper rising. “It’s fine.” His tone warned of imminent danger, a low growl mingling with the words.

“Duo,” Relena said in her softest voice. “Nobody is going to take our baby from us. But you must realize—”

“D’ya know why I don’t wanna see any doctors, Relena?”

She knew, but she let him continue, anyway, just to let it out of his system.

“One, I don’t trust ‘em. There’s lots of prejudice on Earth about male omegas, and plenty of doctors who say they can’t – or shouldn’t – be allowed to carry to term.” His leg jiggled in agitation as he looked off toward the distant horizon. “They’re just gonna suggest that I ‘terminate for my own health’ and I won’t do it!”

“Of course not,” Relena said.

“Two,” he went on, the growl in his voice becoming more pronounced, “I don’t need any doctor to tell me about my own body! I never needed a doctor growin’ up, I don’t need ‘em now! That’s what I got instinct for, babe!” His smirk was defiant, feral. “And three, I don’t like doctors! Seems somethin’ always goes wrong as soon as you go see a doctor. You can be chuggin’ along fine, and then you go in for a checkup, and BAM!” He threw his arms into the air for emphasis. “Suddenly you got all these things wrong with ya, and you need five operations and a dozen blood tests and a walker and a live-in nurse. It’s a scam! They turn ya into a science experiment and charge you for the privilege!”

Heero was now sitting back with his arms crossed. “Are you done?” he said.

Duo thought for a moment. “Yeah, that about covers it.”

“Good. We already called a doctor.”

“You WHAT?!” Duo stood then, mindless of the tablet clattering to the terracotta tiles.

“Duo, please listen,” Relena said calmly. “I heard you out, now you can return the favor. Heero and I are worried about you, and we are worried about the baby. Do you remember the terrible morning sickness you endured? A doctor might have been able to ease your symptoms, if you had swallowed your pride and gone to see one.” That got his attention, at least. Duo hated to be called prideful, and Relena knew it. “Furthermore, it stings that you don’t trust us to support you.” Another arrow straight to the heart. His eyes widened, his chest tightening at the pained look in Relena’s face.

“I trust you guys,” he said. “It’s them I don’t trust…”

“Can you trust us enough to know that we would never, ever choose a doctor who was likely to harm you?” That note of hurt in her voice was genuine. Duo dropped back into his chair. “We want this child as much as you do, dearest. If any doctor suggested you end the pregnancy simply because you’re a male, well…” She glanced at Heero. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were hard, and Duo could see the suppressed fury that coursed through him at the thought, the bunching of corded muscles that was a show of his strength. Duo knew then that any such suggestion would result in one dead doctor and a call to Pagan to arrange for body disposal.

The use of the pet name and Heero’s display of protectiveness dissipated Duo’s indignant rage. He clenched his fists, hands resting over his bump, looking down at the black T-shirt that covered it. “So, you called a doctor before even askin’ me?” It was one last attempt to gain the high ground and make them feel guilty.

“Do you remember Quatre’s sister, Iria?” Relena reached across and patted Duo’s knee. “She’s a doctor, and she’s agreed to come and have a look at you. She says she would be glad to stay in the area until the baby’s born.”

Duo felt himself relax somewhat. “Iria, huh?” He had met her at Quatre and Trowa’s wedding. She was nice, and she was from space – much more accepting of male omegas and of his female alpha mate. She also wasn’t likely to object to their unconventional living situation. Someone who was willing to be one of the Maids of Honor at an alpha-alpha wedding was probably not very close-minded, after all. Duo looked over at Heero and Relena, finding Relena smiling at him reassuringly. Heero seemed to be waiting patiently to see which way the conversation would go. “OK. I’ll see her. But only her! I don’t trust anyone else.”

Relena beamed. “Thank you, dearest! We’ll make sure that she treats you well – and no more than the usual amount of scientific experimentation, I promise.”

He swatted her hand from his knee with a grin. “Ass.”

“Why, to say such a thing to a lady!” She feigned shock and put her hand to her cheek, prompting him to laugh.

“A lady, she says! Did ya see yourself last night when you were goin’ to town on me?”

“Duo!” That did fluster her. Her face went bright red.

“You sure love to eat me out!”

“Oh, you!” Sharply she turned away from him, though a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Heero snorted in amusement.

“What’s wrong, princess? Our nighttime escapades too filthy to discuss in the light of day?”

“Keep that up, and I’ll see about having your mouth sewn shut,” she said, and Duo stuck his tongue out at her.

>>><<< 

Relena Darlian – then Peacecraft – then Darlian again – felt rather satisfied with herself as she brushed her hair that evening. She had taken on one of the most stubborn people in existence and won. Granted, she’d had to employ some underhanded methods, and she would have to make it up to Duo for calling the doctor ahead of his granting permission. But he wasn’t angry with her, and he was going to have his examination, so all was well.

The windows in her room were open to tempt a soft night breeze, and she lifted her nose to smell the sea air. How wonderful it was to smell, she thought. Since getting off of the suppressants for good, she was feeling so much more alert to everything. She felt she was experiencing life the way she should have been all along – unashamedly herself, no longer forced to be what others thought she should be. Life was vibrant and delicious and thrilling, and she had never known it could be like this.

Since the end of the war, Relena had kept up her crusade to maintain peace in the entire Earth Sphere. She was determined to carve out a little of that peace for herself, too. With Duo pregnant, she had put her political career on hold and moved all three of them to this beautiful Italian coast, knowing Duo’s preference for warm weather and Heero’s need for space. It had been two months since they’d settled in, and both of her partners were thriving here. It was idyllic, and she had never felt so free in all her life.

Managing a relationship like theirs certainly presented its challenges. For one thing, she had only just begun to feel comfortable in her alpha identity. Figuring out where she belonged as a woman and as an alpha had been difficult, and she was still trying to find her footing in some ways. Her wardrobe had been redone so many times that the tailors on her payroll were probably set for life. She had tried styles ranging from rugged and butch to aggressively feminine, until she had finally reconciled that her soft colors and flowing gowns were simply her preference, regardless of her sex.

The internal work was much more straightforward. Cutting out suppressants had been the first thing, and she had done that during the war, finding the alpha pheromones to be a boon to her political stance. The surgeries that followed were a more extensive process, but she was happy with the results – undoing the damage to her penis and restoring function to her testes, for one. Previously tucked inconspicuously into her pelvis, they had finally descended and were now almost as prominent as a male’s. She delighted in the way Duo worked them over with his tongue and his hands. She’d never known that area of her body could give her such pleasure.

The teeth were more for cosmetic purposes, but she was proud of them, anyway. When she had been just a child, her alpha fangs were removed and replaced with smaller, daintier omega canines. Now, she bore a new set of false fangs more like the natural ones she had imagined. It was a small thing, but it felt so right. Her heart thrummed with delight every time she saw the mating mark on Duo’s throat, opposite the one Heero had left on him. She looked and knew that she had made that mark, that she had claimed him the way she had always wanted to.

Thinking of Duo had her feeling a surge of heat sparking from her core, and a small lump began to rise beneath her pink silk nightgown. It was a marvelous thing, to feel herself responding this way, to feel mind and body so in sync with each other. Before, she’d believed that these thoughts were wrong. She would push them from her mind, think about other things, and immediately shut down any response from her body.

Now, she was free to go and act on these thoughts. With a mischievous smile on her face, she laid down her brush and headed for Duo’s room.

The three of them all had separate rooms, which mitigated the conundrum of who would share with whom when they weren’t busy bopping each other’s brains out. Duo’s was on the opposite side of the hall from hers, one of the balcony rooms that gave him free access to the fresh air and sunshine he loved so much. The acacia wood had been plastered almost immediately with posters and signs: “Shinigami’s room,” and, “Beware of dog,” and even a large street sign, “Ma’ipalaoa Rd.” Duo had swiped that sign on their trip to Hawaii after learning that the local translation was apparently “whale genitals.”

Before she even reached the door, she could detect Heero’s sharp scent in the hall. He had either just come from or just gone into Duo’s room, and she hesitated for a moment. Though she and Heero weren’t averse to sharing a bed, with or without Duo, it still felt like an imposition to intrude on a private moment. Then again, one or the other of them walking in during a playful interlude often resulted in a vigorous and creative night of connection.

Polite consideration or sex; it was a tough choice.

Deciding to go for it, as Duo would say, Relena raised her hand and knocked lightly on the door. If the two inside were occupied, then they probably wouldn’t hear her, anyway, and she’d know that she would be spending the evening with her own hand. She felt a lifting of her spirits when she heard a replying grunt – her mental translator told her that was Heero’s way of saying, “Come in.” She opened the door and peeked inside.

Their stay in this place wasn’t meant to be permanent, but Duo had made this room his own, regardless. Part of that was the nesting instinct, but Relena suspected that most of it was just pure Duo. He had a way of imposing his personality on anything he deemed “his” even if it was temporary. His bedroom was carpeted in a collection of throw rugs of various patterns (who knew where he’d gotten them). The walls were covered in horror movie posters and album cover art for bands she’d never heard of. One section, just over the desk, was a mosaic of photographs – the three of them, the other pilots and Hilde, locations they’d visited, things they’d seen.

The scent of pregnant omega enveloped her as she stepped inside, closing the door softly as Heero put a finger silently to his lips. Duo was curled up in the large bed, deep asleep, his arms wrapped around his midsection and Heero’s wrapped around him. “He gets easily tired these days,” Heero murmured as Relena tiptoed toward the bed. “Do you think that’s normal?”

“We’ll find out when Dr. Winner arrives next week,” she said. Carefully she shifted her weight onto the mattress, easing up alongside Duo and cuddling close to him when he sighed in his sleep and nuzzled toward her. She had come here in the hopes of something more exciting, but seeing her mate like this made her just as happy. Arousal was edged out by a sense of contentment and a strange protectiveness that she had learned was part of the alpha experience.

“His vitals are normal,” Heero said. “Pulse is fine, blood pressure is fine, temperature…”

“Oh, darling, must you analyze him to death?” she tittered. “No wonder he’s grown tired of us hovering.”

Heero simply grunted again, a noise of indignation. She knew the feeling. It was hard not to worry about their omega, especially now.

Relena let her fingers stroke through Duo’s partially unbound hair. He was snoring softly, his expression serene, looking so sweet and harmless – deceptively so. “If ever I pictured the famous ‘devil in disguise,’ it would have been him,” she said. “He looks so innocent when he sleeps.” Her hand strayed down along his shoulder and arm, to the swell hidden beneath the red blanket.

The thrill that seized her as she palmed that heated place was nearly overwhelming. It was joy, possession, a bone-deep desire to protect her offspring and the omega who carried it. It felt like her emotions were dangling on a string that led directly to Duo, pulled taut as their child grew within.

On a sudden whim, she said, “Do you suppose it’s mine or yours?”

Somewhere behind Duo, Heero shifted so he could peer over the sleeping omega’s shoulder. “Why do you ask?”

“I’m merely curious,” she said. It was the truth. She already loved this child, was already looking forward to being a father. Even so, she wondered whose features would appear when they finally met their bundle of joy. Would she see herself or Heero in their face?

“It’s mine,” Heero said after a moment.

It was just a twinge, but her pride flinched at that. “How do you know?”

“Mine were quicker.”

She looked at him through the darkness and saw the faint outline of his features, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight peeking through the Venetian blinds. “Oh, you’re teasing me!” she hissed, and he smirked. “Be serious!”

But it felt good, she thought, to be teased like that. Heero had a wicked sense of humor, and it was incredibly gratifying to see it emerge as the years went on. His true personality was able to show itself as he grew more comfortable with her and with Duo.

Absently, Heero took a strand of Duo’s hair between his fingers, gently running down the length of it. “Honestly, I don’t know. It’s supposed to be instinctual, but I doubt there’s any scientific proof of that.”

“Hmm, you’re right.” Relena pressed her forehead against Duo’s, briefly, so as not to wake him. “They say an alpha can sense their own child in the womb, but I think I would feel this way no matter which of us is the father.”

“Hn.” He agreed.

“In any case, we need to discuss our titles.”

“Titles?”

“Yes, what the child will call us.” She propped her head on her hand, the other joining Heero in smoothing down Duo’s untamed locks. “I think I would like to be Daddy. It’s what I called my father when I was small.”

“Fine.”

“What of you?”

He shrugged.

“Oh, darling, you must have some idea,” she chided. “Even if you have no preference, at least offer some suggestion.”

He was silent for a long moment. She sensed that this was opening up some old wounds, and she winced a bit, wondering whether she ought not to have said anything. Just before she could tell him to forget about it, though, he spoke. “I never had a father. Not that I can remember. But I used to call Odin ‘Dad’.”

“Is that something you would like to be called?” she asked gently.

“I don’t know.” He seemed to mull it over for a minute. “I can’t think of anything else.”

“Well, we have some time to think it over,” Relena said, hoping that she was coming across as reassuring and not dismissive. “I suppose it may end up being the choice of the child, won’t it?”

“Hn.” He concurred.

Again, she shifted, this time to curl around Duo, her hand brushing Heero’s just briefly. Heero hesitated, then laced their fingers together, their hands clasped over their mate’s sleeping form. With a smile, Relena let her eyes close, allowing her whole body to relax into the warmth and softness of the bed. Heero did the same, pressing his front to Duo’s back, guiding Relena’s hand until both his and hers were resting on Duo’s swollen belly.

“I can’t wait to meet them,” Relena whispered.

“Hn.” Me, too, she heard.

>>><<< 

Being an alpha had never really figured much into Heero’s life until the end of the war. As a child, he’d never been taught what it meant to be an alpha; and by the time he reached puberty, he was in the process of becoming a living weapon. His chances of surviving to reach sexual maturity were slim to none, so he hadn’t thought much about it.

Meeting Duo for the first time had unlocked some very awkward and uncomfortable feelings. Deep down in the vault where he’d placed the rest of his humanity, those instincts were just waiting to bust out, and they got their chance the moment he scented the omega. It had been a downward spiral from there, his training going out the window every time he was in proximity to Duo, his logical mind taking a backseat to the lizard brain that wanted to bend the other boy over and rut him into the ground.

Even as an adult, Heero struggled sometimes with the instincts. Because he had never been taught how to control them other than to lock them away entirely, they occasionally got the better of him. Most people, by the time they hit their twenties, were capable of properly channeling those instincts into more productive avenues. It was embarrassing for a fully-grown alpha to growl at someone unless there was a real threat to life and limb.

Yet here he was, showing his teeth to the doctor as she rolled up Duo’s sleeve.

“Relax!” Duo chuckled. “Damn, Heero, you’re more nervous than I am!”

That got his attention, and Heero felt immediately ashamed. Glowering, he looked away from the scene before him – Duo sitting atop a white sheet spread over one of the large green sofas, Dr. Winner sitting next to him on a low ottoman, a medical monitoring cart pulled close and the sharp end of a blood draw tube in her hand.

Relena, sitting beside Heero on the other couch, patted his leg. “It’s alright, Heero,” she said. He turned his glare to her, a warning in his eyes which she dismissed with a patronizing smile. “Please, Doctor, continue. Heero here promises to behave, don’t you, darling?”

He would have growled at her, too, if he wasn’t biting his tongue so hard.

He’d done well through most of the examination, but seeing that needle so close to his mate’s arm… He ground his teeth harder, until the pain on his tongue distracted him enough that he could look again at what was going on. He knew that Iria was not going to hurt Duo or the baby. Logically, he realized that she was only here to help. He understood that he was in agreement with Relena that this was for the best.

But still… The needle…

Duo winced as the needle found its mark, but he remained still as Iria set up the tube. He looked up at the ceiling, biting his lower lip, and Heero forced himself to look away again. Seeing Duo in distress, even relatively mild distress, was putting him on edge. It was bringing back memories of his own, and those memories were bolstering his instincts, egging them on as they howled at him to leap off of the couch and snap the doctor’s neck. Duo wasn’t the only one who distrusted doctors.

“Alright, that’s done,” Iria said, capping off the vial and unwinding the band from Duo’s arm. She applied a bandage and then maneuvered the equipment cart around.

Heero examined Duo’s features, but he seemed fine. The former Deathscythe pilot had certainly seen much worse treatment. He was now relaxed, watching as Iria prepared the next procedure. “We’re going to have a look inside,” she said, fiddling with a monitor on the cart, pressing buttons and turning dials. “When was your last sonogram?”

“Uh, never,” Duo said sheepishly. “I told ya, I haven’t seen any doctors before you.”

Iria looked scandalized. “You mean ever? For the entire duration of your pregnancy?”

“Yup.”

She frowned. “And how far along are you, again?”

“Uh, about seventeen weeks?” Duo shrugged. “Hey, I’ve been takin’ my vitamins…”

“You still should have seen a doctor at least a few times,” she tutted. “Goodness… So, this will be your first glimpse of your baby, won’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess so…” he muttered, looking more nervous than ever.

Heero thought he could understand why. The L2 colony cluster was known for its rampant birth defects. Duo himself had been undernourished as a child, and his growth had been somewhat stunted because of it. He had voiced concern before that their child would suffer some abnormality. The fear of a forced termination was still strong. He had even worried, in his more emotional moments, that Heero and Relena would abandon him and the child if they thought there was something wrong.

The need to comfort his mate must have been plain in his demeanor, because Iria glanced over at him and said, “You can come over here, you two. It’s only natural to be close to him now. Just don’t get in the way, alright?”

Almost too quickly, Heero rose and went to the sofa. Duo smiled at him nervously as he settled next to him. “Actually, you can hold him up, if you would,” Iria said. Heero gathered Duo into his arms, and Duo leaned against his chest. Duo settled into a half-lying position, and Relena came to sit beside him, pressed against Heero as she helped to hold Duo steady.

It was unusual for an omega to have two mates, but Iria didn’t seem bothered by it as she warmed up the gel. “I’m just going to spread this on your abdomen,” she said, and Duo nodded, lifting up his shirt for her. Heero’s arms tightened a bit around his upper body, his heart beating hard. The monitor was turned toward them, and he watched as it crackled to life.

“Ugh, do ya have to press so hard?” Duo groaned, shifting under the pressure of the probe.

“I’m sorry, it’s necessary to get a clear image,” Iria said, pressing the rounded probe to his distended belly, stressing the taut skin.

An image began to take shape, created in blurry lines that became sharper as they all watched. Heero was concentrating on that image, distracting himself from the urge to pull Duo away from this machine and the doctor who wielded it. “The picture will become clearer as we get more feedback from the transducer. At this stage, it should look very much like a baby. You’ll probably notice the head… first…” Iria trailed off as she frowned at the monitor. “Oh, my…”

“What?” Duo went rigid in Heero’s arms, and Heero felt himself growing tenser in response. Beside him, Relena leaned over a bit to peer at the screen.

“Is that…?” she murmured.

“What’s wrong?” Duo asked, almost frantically. “Why’s it look like that?”

“As I live and breathe…” Iria turned to them with a smile breaking over her face. “I don’t believe it! They’re twins!”

“Twins!” Relena squealed, clapping her hands over her mouth. “Oh, that’s—that’s wonderful! Oh, dearest!” She flung her arms around Duo, and he returned her embrace. Heero couldn’t see his expression, but he seemed to go completely slack, his head lolling against Heero’s shoulder.

“T- twins…” Duo looked up at him then, and Heero could see the shock on his face. “Guys… We’re… we’re havin’ twins.”

“Two of them…” Heero was looking again at the monitor. He could see them clearly: two large heads, two curled bodies, side by side and facing each other. It was one thing to see the growth from the outside, to feel the movements against his palm, but this… As he watched, one of them reached over and poked at the other, prompting their sibling to wiggle and attempt to shift away.

“Heero…” Relena reached out and gently brushed his cheek, and Heero realized that a tear had escaped him. He blinked, bewildered and frenzied and frozen all at once.

Duo said nothing, but he pressed closer, and Heero held him tighter. They exchanged a look, and Heero’s heart swelled almost painfully. God, but he loved him, he loved them so much, too much…

“I suppose it’s a good thing there are three of us,” Relena said wryly. “That should help a bit, won’t it?”

“Exactly,” Iria said, looking back at the monitor. “Would you like to know the genders?”

The three of them glanced at each other. “Nah,” Duo said. “Let it be a surprise.”

“Alright, then I’m going to examine the internal organs. I’m going to have to press a bit harder, Duo. Just bear with me.”

Heero rested his head atop Duo’s, his eyes never leaving the screen. His children. Those were his children in there, now trying their best to kick each other, no doubt displeased by the activity around them.

This time, he let the instincts out, just a little. They practically purred as they settled into a feeling of pure happiness. It felt a bit like flying, like spiraling into the sky without a care in the world. Relena leaned against him, and he leaned back into her, feeling bolstered by her presence – not jealous or guarded, but stronger somehow with her there. She and Duo were always holding him up, a grounding force that kept him from drifting away.

It was a kind of life he’d never thought he could live, and he was grateful.

>>><<< 

“Momma!”

“Maaaa!”

Two small figures came bobbing along the garden path. Duo knelt, his arms wide to receive them, his face breaking into a grin. Two solid impacts nearly toppled him off his heels as two little faces turned up toward his, two pairs of eyes blinking wide and confused – one cobalt blue, one sparkling turquoise. “Mama, Mama!” they chorused, tugging on his shirt.

“What, what?” His tone echoed their frantic complaints as he put his arms around them.

“Our toys are gone!” the girl cried.

“Someone stole ‘em!” the boy protested.

Duo rolled his eyes. “I told ya, we’re moving! That means our stuff’s comin’ with us.”

“Our whole house is moving?” The boy, Hiromi, turned to look back at the white walls of the palace gleaming in a golden autumn sun. His face gave off sheer incredulity, as if he was struggling to imagine uniformed workmen coming to pack the structure off to a new location.

“Of course not,” Duo said. “Just us and some of our stuff. We’ll be living in Italy for the whole rest of the year. Don’t you wanna have all your toys and games with ya?”

“Yeah, but why’re they gone now?” The girl, Tressa, looked ready to murder someone over this travesty. She flicked her strawberry blonde locks over her shoulder, and Duo noted that he’d have to find where she’d lost the hair band and re-braid her hair. Likely it was now joining the many other things that disappeared into some pocket dimension in the palace, never to be seen again.

Someone else joined the discussion. “The movers had to take them a day early.” Duo glanced up as Relena joined them, walking down the slick garden steps carefully in her white heels. “Didn’t we discuss this last night at dinner?”

“Why’d they take them early?” Tressa asked furiously. “Why couldn’t we go with them?”

“Because they need some time to ship everything,” Relena answered. “We’ll be leaving tomorrow, you know. By the time we arrive, your things will have already been set up in your new room. You won’t even miss them.”

“But what about Gustav?” the girl wondered, her anger giving way to something more vulnerable as her lower lip trembled.

Duo felt him approach before he saw him in the corner of his eye: Heero, coming from some unknown place, probably the garden shed. Tressa’s face lit up as her father bent down and handed her a worn brown teddy bear. She reached for it and hugged it close, and her brother gave a sigh of relief.

“You saved him, Papa!” Hiromi exclaimed.

“Took it out before the movers got here,” Heero said.

“Daddy, what’s Italy like?” Tressa asked as she stroked the bear’s matted fur.

Relena sat on a white iron bench. Both children came to sit next to her, one on either side, Tressa holding onto the bear like her life depended on it. Duo stood and stretched, taking a seat next to Heero on the opposite bench.

“Italy is a wonderful place,” Relena said, putting an arm around each child. “Our villa overlooks the Mediterranean Sea, which is a vast body of water even larger than the Baltic.”

Both children’s eyes boggled. They had spent many happy hours on the shore of the Baltic, at the foot of the palace. The Republic of Sanc had been their home for three years now, and they could hardly imagine anything else.

“Is it blue like the sea here?” Hiromi asked.

“It is a different kind of blue,” Relena said. “It’s turquoise around our villa. But there are many times when it is even bluer than the Baltic. Sometimes it’s even green.”

“Is it warm there?” Tressa asked. “Mama says it’s really warm.”

“It will be warmer than here,” Relena said. The weather report had shown above-average temperatures for September, which would be a nice change from the bitter cold that had settled across Sanc as soon as August had ended. Their vacation would last through the holidays, and even the coldest days on the Mediterranean would be very different from the snowy white Christmases the twins had known here.

Tressa turned to Heero. “Papa, is it true we were born there?”

“It’s true,” Heero said.

“Is that why we’re gonna celebrate our birthday there?” Hiromi wondered.

“Exactly,” Duo said. “Daddy’s been real busy with her political stuff, but now she’s got some time, so she decided to throw you two a big birthday celebration.”

The twins looked at each other with matching grins, both so reminiscent of their mother. It really was amazing, Duo thought, how well they blended traits from all of their parents. Hiromi, with his dark eyes and dark hair and serious demeanor, would have been Heero in miniature were it not for his preference to grow his hair long. Tressa, except for slightly darker hair and a tendency to tan, might have been another Relena. But their eyes were on the wider side, like Duo’s, and their inclination toward mischief was all him. Their little heart-shaped faces could be deceptively sweet, except for their habit of glaring at everything like their Papa did.

Heteropaternal superfecundation, it was called – having twins with different biological fathers. Exceedingly rare, but only because of most culture’s emphasis on omega fidelity. Even so, Duo sometimes forgot about which twin had sprung from whom, because they were both loved equally by their fathers. Relena had made it very clear from day one that she would love both the same, and Heero had proven it in his devotion to each of them. Neither favored one over the other, and Duo couldn’t have asked for a better situation for his children.

They were up to something now. They had a way of communicating with each other silently, through looks and gestures alone. A strange exchange of information was passing between them, accompanied by wiggled eyebrows and vague facial twitches. Finally, they both looked up to Relena. “Daddy, can we ask for a birthday present?” Hiromi’s voice was all affected innocence.

“Of course, you may,” Relena said. “It isn’t every day you turn five.”

With one more shared look, they both said in unison, “We want a motorbike!”

Relena’s face fell. “A motorbike?”

“Yeah, a real big one!” Hiromi said, spreading his arms.

“One we can ride to town!” Tressa enthused.

“We’ll share it!” Hiromi promised.

“We can let you ride it, too!” Tressa offered.

Relena looked between them in bewilderment. “A motor—are you insane? You’re just children!”

“Papa got to drive one when he was a kid!” Hiromi protested.

“I was older, and that was for a mission,” Heero said in response to Relena’s accusing frown. Under further scrutiny, he added with a scowl, “I only told them because they asked how I learned to drive.”

“Next they’ll be askin’ for a Gundam,” Duo snorted.

“No, just a bike to start,” Tressa said.

“Yeah, and then we can work up to a Gundam,” Hiromi said. “We can make it a two-headed one and we’ll both drive it.”

“You do know there aren’t any mobile suits left in the world,” Duo said.

“We’ll make one.” Tressa began to move her teddy bear like a stomping Gundam, and Hiromi leapt from the bench to engage it in battle. Soon the two were tussling in the dewy grass, wrestling with each other as the poor bear lay forgotten.

Relena picked it up and dusted it off. “I wish they wouldn’t play such violent games…” she murmured.

“Aw, let ‘em. They’re just kids,” Duo said with a wave of his hand. “Besides, we got a bigger problem on our hands. What’re we gonna do about a bike?”

“Well, certainly we’re not going to give them one,” Relena huffed. “The very idea!”

“Papa, you’re it! Come get us!” Tressa rushed over and tapped Heero’s knee as she ran past, and Heero sighed. Without a word, he stood and stretched, limbering up before he sprang into action – racing across the wide lawn after the two children, who screeched in delight and split up to run in opposite directions.

“Perhaps they’ll forget about it before next month…” Relena mused.

“Probably not,” Duo said with a chuckle. “You know how they are. How about we get ‘em one of those little ones? They make toy versions for kids.”

“Absolutely not!”

“Aw, don’t be a spoilsport! We’ll give ‘em lessons and helmets and everything.”

“Duo Maxwell, you are starting to sound just like a big kid, yourself,” Relena said, though she said it fondly.

“Heh, maybe. I mean, they love ridin’ on my bike…”

“You can share your enthusiasm for motor vehicles once they’re older,” Relena said. “Five is far too young.”

The way he was blinking at her made her nervous. “Dearest…” she warned.

“So, what if I already… kinda…” He fiddled with the end of his braid. “Maybe… sorta… alreadygotone?”

“You—excuse me?!” Relena nearly choked. But the way Duo was grinning, she could see she had been had. “Oh, you…!”

“The look on your face was worth it,” he snorted. “Of course, I’m not gonna give those two a motorbike! They’d blow it up in seconds! You think I’m stupid or somethin’?”

She sank back against the bench, and Duo turned to watch as Heero – now with a flailing Hiromi under his arm – chased after Tressa. His enhanced strength had served him well over these past few years. They were difficult to keep up with unless one had a few genetic enhancements. They could give even Heero a run for his money when they got going.

Tomorrow, they would all board a private jet that would take them back to that idyllic seaside town in Italy. Duo wondered how the kids would like it. He wondered if they would have fun watching the waves and looking for shells and shopping in town with Relena. He had had his bike sent ahead with the rest of their things, and he was planning to take them on a ride along the coast. If they couldn’t get their own bike quite yet, at least they could have fun riding with him.

Relena had said she was going to pull out all the stops for this one. Most of their birthdays had been quiet affairs, just their family and occasionally the other pilots and their children. This birthday would be one to remember. Quatre and Trowa and Wufei were coming with their families, together all at once for the first time in a long time. Relena’s mother was already waiting for them at the villa. Noin was bringing her own twins. Milliardo would probably be absent – he usually was, when Noin brought the kids over for holidays and school breaks, and that was just fine with Duo. Sally was bringing her daughter, as well. Catherine would be coming with Trowa and Quatre. Howard, still alive and kicking, was coming along with a few of Duo’s old buddies from the Sweepers. And Hilde was going to be there with her mate. It would be a full house, indeed.

“Mama! Daddy! Help!” A plaintive cry drew their attention back to Heero, who now had a child under each arm and was trudging toward one of the massive leaf piles beneath the shivering oaks.

“Guess we’d better go save ‘em,” Duo said.

“I suppose so.” Relena stood and offered her arm to Duo. “Shall we?”

“Let’s!” And they rushed into the fray.