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"Entanglement"Written By: Clara Barton Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. The following
is an intellectual exercise with no intention of profit. That said,
these characterizations, words, and situations are mine. Please ask
before reprinting. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Angst, language, sex Pairings: 2x3, 1x2x3, past 1x4, past 1x5 Summary: It was supposed to be one night, a threesome with a complete stranger to celebrate their anniversary, but things got complicated. Sequel to: King of Hearts, Defeated and Brand New Day A/N: I wrote Defeated as a one shot, but then
I wrote King of Hearts (actually a prequel to Defeated) for the 2014
Smut Off with Miss-Murdered and I've just fallen in love with these
characters so I wrote Brand New Day. Entanglement is a multi-chapter
fic of the events taking place after Brand New Day. You definitely
need to read those three one shots before reading this. "Entanglement" Chapter Nineteen Five Years Later They had drawn straws. Well, Duo had taken a piece of spaghetti and broken it into thirds last night while making dinner and they had each drawn a piece. Trowa had drawn the short straw, and Duo had muttered something before going back to cooking and Heero had kissed Trowa, happy for him, even if he was a little jealous. Dinner had tense, with Duo on edge and fidgety and after dinner, while Trowa nabbed the peaceful task of washing dishes, Heero helped him double check everything. Helped him make sure that it was all ready - that nothing was out of place, that no hidden death traps were lurking. It was cute, which Heero would never say out loud, but Duo this nervous was - when it wasn't eye-rollingly frustrating - adorable. At least, that's what Heero thought until they went to bed, until Duo tossed and turned for hours and finally Heero held him down and kissed him while Trowa grabbed some lube and it took two hours of sex, of them falling asleep sweaty and sticky and tangled together and even then, Duo was up at six, dressed and harassing Trowa and Heero until they got out of bed and showered. Heero was grateful that Trowa showered with him, shared his eye rolls when Duo told them to hurry up, grateful too for the mutual blow jobs because he felt confident it would be a while before they managed to have sex again. Or peace. Or quiet. Although Duo was doing a great job of ruining the last of their piece and quiet as it was, shouting at them to move their asses and tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for them to pour their coffee. It didn't help that he looked ridiculous, wearing the stupid bag across his shoulder like a duffel, trying to make it look cool but it was silly and he caught Heero smirking at him and it only seemed to irritate him. By the time they got to the hospital Heero was starting to wonder if their partnership could withstand the day, especially when Trowa finally snapped at Duo, finally told him to calm the fuck down because everything was going to be fine. They had glared at each other and Duo had slammed his way out of the car, the echo of the door reverberating through the parking deck but then he had sighed, apologized to both of them and kissed Trowa. Of course, if Duo was a mess, Helen was just as bad, if not worse, and Heero actually started to resent Trowa as he left Heero and Duo in the waiting room with Helen and followed a nurse down a hallway. Heero loved Duo. He did. He loved him so very much. So very, very much but after three hours with Helen and Duo pacing the waiting room, going through checklist after checklist of things that they had all gone over for weeks now - Heero was on the verge of calling Relena just so he could have some kind of backup, some kind of cold-minded, ruthless disdain. As it was, after three hours, a nurse came back to get them and Heero, Duo and Helen followed her down a hallway, towards the maternity ward, and there they were. Trowa was dressed in scrubs, including a scrub cap and Heero made a mental note that he looked sexy as hell and that was a fantasy to revisit some day but then his attention was completely captivated when Trowa stepped closer to the window, turned to give Duo and Heero the first view of their daughter's perfect face. Duo was staring, his mouth slightly open and his lips curled up in a smile and then she opened her eyes, looked right at them and gave a cry that made Duo laugh and Heero smiled, at her, at Duo - at Trowa who looked over at him and actually had tears in his eyes and Heero swallowed hard, swallowed against his own tears because he had never seen anything or anyone so perfect, from her tiny fingers wrapped around Trowa's thumb to her blue eyes and her small, perfect lips and her wild head of reddish-brown hair. "Oh, she's going to be so lovely," Helen said from behind them and Heero had to smile in agreement. "I'm so glad she has her father's hair - she's going to be absolutely perfect." That made Duo cry, and he turned and gave his mother a look that spoke volumes for how much her words meant, and Heero knew exactly how he felt. Over the years, Helen had mellowed in her antipathy towards Trowa, but this might have been the nicest thing she had ever said. Heero also completely agreed with her. That had been another drawn straws event - though that time it had been actually straws, coffee stirrers from the cafe across the street from the fertility clinic - and Trowa had won that one as well, which both Heero and Duo had been happy about because they had already agreed that they wanted at least one of their children to be Trowa's, and they would have to wait and see about her eyes, to see if they turned the same clear green as Trowa's or if they stayed blue, like her mother's, but either way, her hair looked like Trowa's and she did look perfect. Trowa was prompted to put her down and walked over to her crib and Heero felt a bittersweet tug on his heart. Hana Maxwell. Duo had been overridden on the last name - Heero and Trowa both thought Maxwell was a better last name than either of their own and, Heero suspected, Trowa knew it would mean a lot to Helen. Her first name, however, had taken three months on them to settle on. Trowa had suggested it, and Duo had looked at Heero with concern, to see how he felt about the idea of naming his daughter after his dead sister and it had hurt, the first few times when he thought about saying her name aloud again after all of these years, when he thought of Hana's face and her laugh and he knew that there would be days when it still hurt to say her name, but it also felt right. It felt good, seeing her name now, knowing that this Hana was his, his daughter. Their daughter. -o- Sixteen Years Later "Heero." He knew that tone of voice, knew exactly what it meant and he couldn't help but sigh when he looked up to see Hana standing in the doorway of the office, hands folded behind her back, bottom lip between her teeth and her green eyes wide hopeful. "Yes?" "Duo said that if you said it was okay I could go out tonight with my friends." Heero arched his eyebrow at that. "What did Trowa say?" Hana rolled her eyes. "He said that I just wanted to go and hang out with Trevor and it's not just going to be Trevor, I promise!" She came closer and sat on the edge of his chair, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Please, Heero. Susan will be there and Beth too - and Mike and Alice. It's just a movie." Heero could imagine what had happened. Tonight was Duo's turn to take Alex to football practice and Hana had probably asked him while he was on his way out of the door and Duo had tossed it back on Heero's shoulders. And of course Trowa didn't want Hana to go out with her friends - because Trowa had seen Hana and Trevor kissing last week when Trevor walked her home and Trowa had started muttering things about boarding school or moving back to New York or building a damned tower to lock her up in and it had been amusing, to Heero and Duo, until Trowa had turned to them and asked them if they thought the idea of their perfect baby girl having sex was funny and no, it hadn't been, and had immediately shut them up. So Duo was off with Alex, who, despite being Heero's biological son took after Duo so damned much Heero and Trowa liked to joke that Duo had swapped out the sperm. Duo liked to take Alex out for a late dinner after practice, and it would be hours yet before they were home. And Heero was stuck here all night - either with a moody Hana or a pissed off, mildly homicidal Trowa who had actually mentioned something about finding a shooting range yesterday. Then again, it had been a few weeks since just he and Trowa had the house to themselves. "Of course you can go," Heero told Hana and she cheered with glee. "But," he added quickly, "if your boyfriend kisses you on our front porch again Trowa will probably lock you in your room until you're thirty." Hana rolled her eyes but kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you Heero!" She skipped out of the room, calling out to Trowa that she Heero had said yes and she would be home by ten - the way too late curfew Duo had given her. Way too late according to Trowa, who thought sunset was a reasonable curfew for her. A moment later Trowa came into the office, arms folded and a cross expression on his face. "I'm never going to forgive you if she comes home pregnant," Trowa said. Heero rolled his eyes, saved the work on his computer and stood up and crossed the room to kiss Trowa. "Don't worry. Duo took her to a family planning center two weeks ago. She's got plenty of condoms and she's on birth control." Trowa's eyes widened and then narrowed. "He did not." Heero smirked and kissed Trowa again, running his hands over his body and guiding him towards the desk until Trowa forgot, at least momentarily, about Hana's virtue. -o- Twenty Five Years Later "I cannot believe I'm doing this," Duo muttered as he tugged his tie into place and smoothed over his suit. Heero kissed his cheek. "You've only wanted this since you were twenty four, Duo. Of course you're doing this." Duo sighed and turned. "It's the right thing, isn't it?" Heero snorted. "I think the time to doubt would have been six months ago when we let Relena buy us out of the firm and we sold our house in London and moved back to New York." Duo gave him a lopsided grin. "Probably," he agreed. Duo smoothed down his suit one last time and then drew in a deep breath. "How do I look? Like the new managing partner of Meteor Law Group?" He spun around and Heero pulled him in for another kiss, this time on his lips. Duo kissed him back, deepening the kiss until Heero started to walk them backwards, towards the bed, and Duo's hands were already reaching for his belt, unbuckling it and sliding it free when a cleared throat stopped them. Trowa stood in the doorway of the bedroom, arms crossed, regarding them with an amused expression. "You're going to be late on your first day," he pointed out. Duo sighed and stepped away from Heero. "I can't believe you don't have to go to work until noon," Duo muttered and Trowa smirked and stretched, his sweater riding up a little and he looked good, sexy as hell in his sweater and gray trousers and Heero should be used to it by now, Trowa's Sex Me Professor look as Duo called it, but he still wasn't. After Alex had been born, eighteen years ago, Trowa had decided to stop practicing law, to be a full time parent for their children and after a few years, once both Alex and Hana were in school, he had started teaching part time, evening classes at a college in London and had fallen in love with it. Now that they were back in New York, he had joined the faculty at Columbia Law School and he seemed happier teaching than he ever had actually practicing law. Heero was happy for him - and happy for Duo, who had been invited to step in as the Managing Partner of MLG when Treize had been forced out by the other senior partners. "You know," Duo said to Heero, smirking evilly, "this means I'm your boss now." Heero rolled his eyes. "Maybe at work," he agreed. "So when I tell you to meet me at the Four Seasons for a very important meeting with a prospective client today at four pm, you can't say no." Heero chuckled and Duo grinned. He looked over at Trowa. "See you then?" Trowa nodded. "As if I'd miss one of our Four Seasons dates." -o- Thirty Years Later "You like her, right?" Heero gave Alex a look. "Of course I like her," he assured his son. Alex nodded, drew in a deep breath, and started to walk out of the kitchen but then he stopped again. "I mean - you knew, right? When you met Duo and Trowa? You knew they were the ones?" Heero smirked. "Yeah. I knew they were the ones." Alex nodded again and started out of the room but then stopped yet again. "Okay, but what if she says no? Maybe I should wait? Ask her when it's just us?" Heero shrugged. "That's up to you. It's a nice gesture to ask her here, in front of your family, but maybe you want this moment to be for just the two of you?" He really didn't think there was a chance that Maggie, his son's girlfriend of three years, would say no to his marriage proposal - but he could also imagine how much tension the moment would have with Heero, Duo, Trowa, Hana and her husband Thomas all looking on. "After dinner, why not take her for a walk on the beach?" Heero suggested and Alex smiled. "Yeah. That sounds perfect. Thanks!" Alex finally walked out of the kitchen and Heero smirked after him. "He going to do it?" Duo asked, coming back into the kitchen with a bottle of wine. "I think so," Heero told him and kissed him, because Alex reminded him so much of Duo and he was glad, glad that their son was like Duo. Duo kissed him back and smirked. "Finally. I was starting to think he was going to build a shrine to that ring." Heero shook his head. "He's just been waiting for the right moment." And he had picked a good one, Heero thought, Thanksgiving dinner at Martha's, at their house on the water, with their family gathered around. "Where's Tro?" Duo asked. Heero rolled his eyes and Duo laughed. "Still looking at Hana's sonogram photos?" Duo guessed and Heero nodded. "I swear to God, for a guy who threatened to castrate the first man Hana slept with, he is obsessed with being a grandfather." "He's going to spoil the grandkids rotten," Heero predicted. "God, you know he is - and he's going to teach them nothing about sports. Promise me you'll back me up and we'll kidnap them to take them to Yankees games?" Heero nodded. "Of course." -o- Forty Years Later As Heero turned off the lights in his office for the last time he couldn't help but feel a tug of nostalgia. He had a lot of fond memories from this office, his original corner office at MLG that he had acquired again when he and Duo came back to the firm fifteen years ago. But, as much as he had enjoyed his time at the office, it was time to leave it all behind and he wasn't sorry for that, wasn't sorry for the fact that they had decided to retire this year, to step back from work and focus on their grandchildren and each other. As he walked down the hall he paused by Duo's old office, his first office at MLG and he had to smile at the nameplate, Alex Maxwell. It had taken them all by surprise when Alex had decided to go to law school, but he had been determined and he had been accepted to Yale, Harvard and Stanford but in the end had avoided the potential decades of petty arguments between his father's and gone to Columbia, to be close to Maggie while she worked on her PhD at NYU, and he had done well. Duo's other office was by the elevators, and there was no avoiding it, or the lump in Heero's throat as he walked past it. Alex Trant the nameplate said now, had said for the last six months, but Heero still wasn't used to seeing that name and it was, in all honesty, a good thing that he didn't have to look at it anymore. He rode the elevator down to the ground floor and walked out of the MLG offices and he probably shouldn't think of it as the last time, he should plan on coming back to visit Alex, and he would, eventually, but it would take a while. He flagged down a cab and sat in the back with a sigh. It had been a long day, a tough day, as he went out to lunch with Alex and Alex to commemorate his last day and he worked to make sure all of his cases were wrapped up or at least ready to hand over, and it wasn't over yet. In some ways, this would be the best part of his day, in other ways the worst. He stopped by the Mexican place a few blocks from their house that Duo had fallen in love with and ordered his favorite before flagging down another cab to head across town. It was nearly eight by the time he got there, and he'd taken too long, really should have left the office earlier. Should have left it months ago, but Duo hadn't wanted him to, hadn't wanted him to drop everything. When he stepped into the hospital room Duo was still awake, propped up in hospital bed and Trowa was beside him, had drawn up the damned uncomfortable hospital chair and they had a chess board set up between them. Duo gave him a tired smile and Heero returned it, crossing the room and kissing him. "Hey," Duo greeted him and then sniffed the air. "Oh, please tell me that's what I think it is." Heero smirked and nodded and presented the bag. "Oh, I knew there was a reason you were my favorite husband," Duo said. Trowa gave him a look, and Heero leaned over to kiss him as well. "Alex send his love," he told them. "Maggie's going to bring the kids by tomorrow to..." "To say goodbye," Duo prompted him. Heero swallowed hard and nodded. He saw Trowa look away for a moment, saw his throat work as he too battled back his emotions. But they had talked about this. Had talked about it for months now, but that didn't make it easier. "Hana and Thomas came by today, with Helen," Trowa said and his voice was rough. Heero nodded. He could only imagine what that had been like. He would have to call Hana, maybe tomorrow. He looked back at Duo, at the thin, papery skin on his face and his sunken eyes and it was obvious he was in pain, obvious he was ready, but Heero wasn't. He didn't think he ever would be. Duo reached out and gripped his hand and even that was too much. Duo had always been so strong, his grip warm and comforting and now... "Tro and I were talking about that time we went to Paris - after Alex got married? - and the maid walked in on us fucking on the floor that morning and stopped to stare. Remember that?" Heero sniffed back tears and nodded. "You asked her if she wanted to take a picture." Duo smirked, and it was a ghost of his usual expression, but it was still there, his energy, his incredible passion. "And she did," Trowa contributed and his voice was just barely even, and it was obvious he was trying so hard to keep himself together for Duo, for Heero. "Oh, come on," Duo said and now he sounded near tears as well. "I know the sex was incredible but we don't have to cry about it." Trowa laughed and it was a watery sound but a laugh all the same and Duo smiled at him. "You guys are going to be fine," Duo said. "Promise me. You're going to be fine." Heero nodded and Trowa did as well, neither able to speak. "Okay, now you've got to let go of my hand Heero so I can eat this delicious contraband before Nurse Ratchet comes through and sees it." Heero let him go and sat down in the other chair, on Duo's other side, and he and Trowa picked up the chess game Duo had started. Duo watched them, eating a few bites of the elaborate nachos Heero had brought for him, but he didn't eat much, hadn't had much of an appetite for months now, and Heero suspected he would have been just as happy not eating it at all, had only had those handful of bites for Heero's sake. Heero fell asleep eventually, holding Duo's hand and when he woke up it was in the middle of the night. Trowa had fallen asleep too, was leaning forward and his head was pillowed on Duo's bed and Heero knew his back would be killing him when he woke up. "I love you." Heero looked up and saw Duo looking at him. His breathing was a little uneven, a little painful sounding and Heero shook his head. Duo nodded. "I do, 'Ro." Duo wiped away one of his tears. "Take care of Tro, will you?" "I'm not ready for this, Duo," Heero admitted, even though they had agreed - he and Trowa had agreed not to fight this, not to argue with Duo because Duo was in pain every day and if he wanted it to end, if he was ready to go, they needed to let him. "Neither am I," Duo said, "but it's time, 'Ro. It's my time." Heero stared at him for a long moment, saw the shadow of the man Duo had once been, saw the hint of mischief in those pain clouded blue eyes. "I love you too, Duo." "Do you remember that time when Alex was a baby - when we went to the aquarium and I took Hana to look at the sea turtles and you and Trowa lost Alex?" Heero nodded. It had been the most terrifying moment of his life. "And then we found him? Sitting in front of the seal exhibit, just smiling and laughing and pointing at the damn seals and he was so happy to see us? And we just kind of forgot how angry and scared we were?" Heero nodded again. "The smile on his face..." Duo trailed off and shook his head. "He was so happy." Heero looked at him, watched him fall asleep and he smoothed Duo's hair back, off his forehead and kissed him, kissed the soft smile on his lips. He looked over to see that Trowa had woken up, was wincing and sitting upright. "What time is Maggie coming tomorrow?" Trowa asked him softly. "Around ten - she'll bring the kids and then Alex and Hana will come back after lunch." Trowa nodded. "They're going to... administer the cocktail at one." Duo had insisted they call it that - had smirked and said he was glad he got to go out with one last drink and it hadn't been funny, the first time, and it wasn't any funnier now, but still. It was what Duo wanted to call it. "That day - the day we lost Alex," Trowa said. "Duo made us stay calm, remember? Told us not to freak out." "Which was rich, coming from him," Heero muttered, because of all of them, Duo was the one who thought every cut and scrape was the gateway to flesh eating viruses. Trowa smiled slightly. "But he was right. We found him again, in the end." -o- The End. |
