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"With A Childs Heart"Written By: Dùlin
Disclaimer : Not mine. Just playin', will give
them right back, yadda yadda ... you know the drill. And I'm broke.
Really. Rating : R Warnings : Post-EW, humor, yaoi romance and sap, bit of lime and implied lemon, language, violence, child abduction Pairings : 1x2x1, 3x4x3, 5xS, references to past 6x5 and 6x9 Author’s Note : an extra-special thanks to
Lisou-chan, my little sister, who agreed to lend her physical six-year-old
looks and part of her character to the little Alice in the fic. Well,
the truth is she nagged me until I accepted to have her being adopted
by Trowa and Quatre, so everyone’s happy now !
"With a Childs Heart"
Part 4 To Alice’s dismay, Milliardo had to leave by the end of the week with Wufei, Heero and Duo. There had been a new attack on L2, but then, the bombers had just disappeared. Preventer agents were sure they had left the L2 colony cluster, but no one had a clue where they had gone. Wufei was positively fuming that his agents had ‘lost’ terrorists somewhere in outer space. Lady Une had called for a general meeting on the matter, which obliged Heero, Duo, Wufei and Milliardo to get back down to Earth to the Preventer Headquarters. “Be careful, KittyCat”, Duo said before kissing Alice goodbye. “I don’t think they will come here, Duo”, Quatre answered. “Don’t be so sure”, Milliardo said. “They’re specialized not only in suicide bombings, but also in abductions. And they usually kill their hostages once the ransom is paid. These people are not joking.” “And you’re certainly rich enough to be a target for them, Quatre”, Heero added. “I have a competent security staff, and I’m sure Trowa will protect me and Alice.” Trowa was actually trying to comfort Alice, who was holding back her tears because everyone had to leave so soon. “Don’t cry, sweetie”, he said. “You’ll see them again very soon, and we’ll go visit them too.” “Yeah, Lisou-chan, stop crying”, Duo said. “You’re welcome any time you want”, he added, ignoring Heero’s warning look in his back. “Just call us once you’re on Earth, okay ?”, Quatre asked. “Promised!” Duo yelled.
“Hold my hand, feel the touch of your body cling
to mine I don’t want the sun to shine, I wanna make love Quatre almost gave a start when Trowa’s arms closed around him from behind. Trowa kissed him on the back of the neck, on that precise spot that sent electricity running down Quatre’s spine. “Is that song for me ?” Trowa asked in a whisper. “Maybe. Does it bring back memories ?” “Oh yes.” Quatre leaned a bit on Trowa. His lover’s hands were trying to find their way under his shirt. Quatre moved his back suggestively against Trowa’s crotch, but then pulled himself out of the tight embrace. “Love, as much as I would enjoy to make out on my desk, I think it will have to wait for some time.” “What, you’re going to leave me here like this ?” “I have a meeting, you silly”, Quatre said, trying to tuck his shirt back in his pants while getting his files. “Postpone it.” “I can’t.” “You don’t want to.” “Maybe that’s it”, Quatre admitted. “You have to pay for last time.” “Last time ? You mean that time I didn’t kiss you when you were expecting me to ?” “I mean exactly that time. It’s your time to crawl”, Quatre laughed. Trowa started to argue, but Quatre stopped him with a deep passionate kiss. “Later. I’m already late. Go take care of your daughter, you unfit father. And then I can think of having hot crazy sex on my desk with you.” And with that, he left the office. **** The sound of the phone ringing echoed throughout the house. Heero’s eyes jerked open, but unfortunately, the phone was on Duo’s side of the bed. The American grumbled, took the receiver and groaned : “Whoever this is, if I ever get my hands on ya, I’ll rip you inside out.” “I love you too”, Quatre’s voice answered. “Is that you, KittyCat ? I think ‘you’ of all people should know not to call me in the morning ! Hell, even Heero was still sleeping !” “Sorry, I wouldn’t have done it, but it’s an emergency. You’re ready to baby-sit ?” “Has there been some nuclear explosion that left all the baby-sitters of your place dead or what ? And don’t you have something like thirty sis for that kind of emergencies ?” “I have a business meeting on L2 and Trowa and Catherine are on tour with the troop. I wanted to leave Alice at Yasmina’s, but she insisted to come with me. She says she wants to see you again.” “Really ?” Duo turned to Heero. “Hey guess what, Hee-chan ? Lisou-chan’s spending the day with us !” Heero looked completely thunderstruck by the news. “Hee-chan’s overwhelmed with joy, Cat !” Duo said. “I bet he is. I’m taking the private shuttle, I should be on L2 in about 5 hours. I’ll just drop her at your place and go to my meeting, then I’ll catch up with the three of you.” “No prob ! Tell the kitten we’re waiting for her!” Duo hung up and looked at his disgruntled partner. “Why exactly did you do that, Duo ?” Heero asked, his voice vibrating with some kind of menace. “Because I’m tired to hang out with suicide bombers and grumpy Japanese guys all the time”, Duo answered. “Oh, and while I think of it, if you even touch your laptop today, I’ll make sure you’ll regret it.” “Duo ..” “No excuses ! Time for you to start looking at something else than murder statistics.” Heero gave up. It was no use arguing with Duo when his face was set like this. Heero knew he should have spent more time with Duo, but that inquiry was just insane. Still no sign of the suicide bombers, except that a rich industrial from L3 had been found dead after being reported missing for two days. The trail of Heero’s thought was broken when Duo’s hands suddenly got under the blankets to rub his thighs. “Cat and Alice will be here in five hours”, Duo said with a smile. “Since we’re both awake, and we won’t be able to go back to sleep …” **** Quatre’s limousine pulled into Duo’s driveway around 10 AM. Alice ran out of the car to be the first at the door, but she didn’t have time to knock before it opened. “Hey, Lisou-chan !” “Duo !”, Alice said, catching him by the neck and planting a big wet kiss on his cheek. “How ya doin’ ?” “I’m so happy Daddy took me with him, because it means I get to spend the day with you and Heero.” “By the way, where is Heero ?” Quatre asked, reaching the door. “HEE-CHAN !” Duo bellowed. “You better bring your butt here PDQ or I’ll have to spank you !” “PDQ ?” Quatre said, raising an eyebrow. “Pretty Damn Quick. Ya need to broaden your vocabulary, Cat !” “Sorry, but I’m living with a silent man.” “Me too, in case you haven’t noticed.” Heero arrived just at that time. He nodded to Quatre, and made no sign to acknowledge the presence of Alice. The little girl didn’t run into his arms, apparently aware of his mixed emotions, but she gave a quizzical look to her father. Quatre kneeled to say goodbye. “You behave, okay, Alice ? I can’t be here with you for lunch, but you’ll see, Duo can cook anything you like, and if you want, maybe you can ask Heero to make you taste something Japanese. I’ll try to be back for tea.” “I’ll be good, Daddy. I promise.” “Give me a kiss.” Alice kissed Quatre on the cheek, and he kissed her too. Quatre then stood up and said goodbye to Heero and Duo. “You have my cell phone number”, he said. “Anything goes wrong, just call me.” “Anything goes wrong and you’ll be the first to know” Duo smirked. “Probably”, Quatre admitted. “But she promised to be good. And Alice holds on to her promises.” “Get going, KittyCat. I don’t want to have the staggering of the spatial economy on my conscience forever because I held you back.” ***** Everything went fine until after lunch. Duo had taken care of Alice, happily playing and chatting with the little girl. Heero had tried to get back to work, earning a murderous look and the promise to be gutted out, so he had finally given up. As he had nothing to do and didn’t really feel in the mood to play with Duo and Alice, he had retreated to the kitchen and decided to cook for lunch. Japanese food looked like a good idea, after all, and it gave him something to do away from those bright green eyes who were asking too much questions. Duo had tried to make Heero join the fun, and absolutely failed. When Heero finally disappeared in the kitchen, he just shrugged. Alice tugged his sleeve. “What is wrong with Heero ?” “A lot of things are wrong with Hee-chan, you know, Alice.” Suddenly, a plan began to form in Duo’s mind. “Hey, listen, I have an idea”, he said. “You know I’d love to spend all day with you, but I think maybe you can help Heero. Would you do that for me ?” “Of course, Duo. Milliardo was sad too, last time he came, and I couldn’t help. I want to help Heero.” “Not too much empathy, okay ? I bet Cat taught you it can get you hurt.” “I promise.” “Come here, here’s what we’re gonna do.”
“Duo here”, Duo said, picking up. He listened to the panicked female voice at the other hand. “Hilde, baby, calm down !!! I’ll drop by and see if I can help ya, okay ? No it doesn’t bother me … Well, Alice is with us at home now, but I think I can let Hee-chan take care of her for a few hours … No really, it’s not a problem ! Just wait for me ! C ya !” Duo hung up and turned to Heero. “Sorry, love, I have to leave ya both here for a while, Hilde’s completely freaked out, there’s been some messing around in the junkyard. I’ll be back in about two hours !” He kissed Alice on the cheek and began to make his way towards the door. Heero stopped him just before he got out. “Don’t do that to me”, the Japanese said almost pleadingly. “Hee-chan, she’s a little girl, not a Taurus MS. She’s not gonna bite your head off unless you really piss her off, and she’s no biological hazard.” “But I don’t know …” “Yeah, yeah, well good time to learn, uh ?” “Duo …” “Just relax, you’ll do fine. I’ll try not to be too long, okay ?” “Omae o …” “Korosu, yeah, I know. Well, we’ll just have to talk about that tonight ! Have fun !” “Fun ?” Heero asked in complete disbelief. “Look it up in the dictionary, love”, Duo said with a mischievous grin. He kissed his lover deeply before getting to his car.
Alice looked at Heero as he was cleaning their plates. She immediately noticed that he was tense, and completely lost about what he was supposed to do with her. She was determined to help him, she had promised Duo she would. Heero was uncomfortable around children, maybe she could show him that children were nice. “Can we go out for a walk ?” she asked. Inside, Heero sighed with relief. A walk. Why couldn’t he think of that ? That was simple, no need to talk too much except for answering a few questions, and if he was lucky, the girl would be tired when they would get back. “Sure”, he said. “Just grab your coat, I’ll be back downstairs in a minute.” Of course, Duo would have said it was stupid to take a weapon just to have a walk with a little girl. But Heero never went out of the house without a weapon, as a rule. L2 was not a safe place, whatever people would gloat about universal peace. The terrorists had apparently left the colony, but no one knew what could happen. Heero just put his pistol in his shoulder holster, took a jacket and went back downstairs. At first, he just let Alice walk a few steps in front of him. She was trotting happily, some times stopping to pick up a bit of wood, or suddenly running and coming back. She was chatting happily, more to herself than to Heero, but he let out occasional “Hmm” sometimes. Alice was following her plan. She had spent three years on L2, and she knew some places around the orphanage. She led them to a little park just outside Father Maxwell’s Garden. There she began to chase after butterflies, while Heero was sitting against a tree. Heero was checking the park almost automatically. Duo would definitely call him stupid, but it was a reflex. No bad guys around, though, just some couples enjoying the sun, some with children, others with animals. Heero began to relax a bit. Just before Alice finally settled down in front of him and began to look at him in the eyes very seriously. The Japanese young man was unable to held her gaze, and looked away at the sky, trying to hide the nervousness that was spreading through his body. “Why are you afraid of me ?” Alice asked. Heero had been about to answer “I’m not!”, but something stopped him. It sounded ridiculous, Heero Yuy, ex-Gundam pilot, one of the best agents Preventer had ever seen, afraid to look in the eyes of a six-year-old. “I don’t know”, he finally whispered. Alice came closer, and sat at his side. She snuggled herself against him until she had his arm around her. “You shouldn’t be afraid, you know. Duo is right. I am not scary at all.” Heero gave a start. “No”, he said after a while. “I guess you’re not.” “So what’s wrong ?” There was a long pause. “I’ve always felt awkward around children. Maybe because I was never allowed to be one.” It had just come out. Heero breathed heavily. What was he thinking of, telling that kind of things to a little girl ? Alice, however, didn’t seem to mind. “That’s sad”, she said. Old echoes began to ring in Heero’s head. Are you lost ? I suppose you could say that. I’ve been lost since I was born. That’s sad. “You can cry, you know”, Alice said, breaking the memory. “It’s normal to cry when you’re sad.” She put her little hand on Heero’s chest, right where his heart was. “My mommy used to say, if you don’t cry, then your tears just stay here in your heart, until it explodes with grief.” She looked up at his face. “You mustn’t let that happen. A lot of people would be sad if your heart was overwhelmed with grief.” Alice’s hand was almost burning Heero through his T-shirt. And suddenly, a single tear, very big, very bright, rolled down his cheek. Alice wiped it off. “You see ? It’s not that hard. And you will feel better afterwards.” It must have been a strange sight for people passing by. A man sitting, leaning on tree, eyes closed and silently crying, with a blond little girl at his side, watching over him with a quiet smile, and holding his hand. After a while, Alice lied down, her head resting on Heero’s chest, and fell asleep, one of her hands on his heart. Heero closed his arms around the girl and opened his eyes. He was puzzled to realize that his heart actually felt less ‘heavy’. He didn’t really know what had happened. Alice’s curly hair was tickling his nose, but he didn’t brush it off. The little girl’s warmth was comforting, and he just held her a bit closer. **** “You did what ?” Quatre, not really believing his ears. “I left Alice and Heero alone for a while”, Duo answered. “I’m pretty sure those two have got a lot to learn from each other. Especially mine.” They were in Quatre’s limo, heading back to the house. “Hey, I asked Alice for a favor, and she just said yes”, Duo said. “No need to panic, I’m sure she’s got everything under control.” “It’s not really her I’m worried about”, Quatre admitted with a smile. “I just hope she didn’t completely break him down !” “Duo !” “Just jokin’”, Duo laughed. “I just think Heero needed some time to think about himself. I know why he’s been working mad lately. His nightmares are coming back.” “Really ?”, Quatre asked, a bit worried. “How long had it been going on ?” “Just a few weeks. I tried to make him talk to me, but you know him. Playing soldier-man, and pretending he doesn’t remember his dreams and all. I know better.” “But you couldn’t crack him up.” “Nope. All of my male seduction wasn’t enough. Although Hee-chan’s actually exhausting me when he’s upset. Funny how being sad makes you crave for sexual release.” Quatre smiled. “You two are definitely the weirdest couple I’ve ever seen.” “Don’t start that again ! May I remind you that you almost put us in bed ?” “No, thank you ! Although I’m glad I did it”, Quatre added with a chuckle. “KittyCat, you are a ….” “Don’t say it ! I am someone respectable. I have a partner and a child.” Duo grinned mischievously. The car stopped in front of the house. There were lights on inside. Duo and Quatre got in … and stopped dead. Heero and Alice were curled up on the sofa, sleeping in each other’s arms. The remains of a snack were abandoned on the coffee table. “See what I told you ?”Duo whispered. Quatre nodded. “Let’s not wake them up right away”, Duo said. “Come, I’ll make you some coffee in the kitchen.” But the little noise they were making was enough to wake Heero. His Prussian blue eyes opened sleepily and he saw the two young men staring at him. He got up, careful not to wake the little girl, and joined them in the kitchen. “Want some coffee, Hee-chan ?” Duo asked. “Hmm.” “So .. did you two have fun ?” “Not exactly. But it was … nice. Different.” Duo gasped mockingly. “See, Cat-chan ? I was right. Just leave those two together for a few hours and my lover is able to say more than monosyllabic words when I come back!” Heero smacked him lightly on the back of the head. “Shut up, baka !” “What does that mean ?”, a little voice asked. Alice was staring at them from the doorframe. Quatre was trying to find something to answer, but Heero said simply : “It’s the Japanese for ‘idiot.” “Thanks, Heero, but I don’t need you to teach my daughter to swear in several languages”, Quatre said. “It’s not swearing. Just reality.” Quatre shot a look at Duo who was putting on his outraged face. He couldn’t help laughing softly. “Yes, you’re right Heero. It’s even a bit below reality.” “KittyCat ! Don’t team up against me, you two !” Alice laughed. She climbed on a stool. “What are you drinking ? Can I have some ?” “Not if you wanna sleep tonight”, Duo answered. “But I think you’ll be safe with some fruit juice. Let me see what I got. How about pineapple ?” “Yummy !” Half an hour later, Quatre and Alice prepared to leave. Duo and Heero walked them back to the car. Just before she stepped in, Alice locked her arms around Heero’s neck and whispered something in his ear. The Japanese young man smiled kindly to her. “I promise I’ll try hard”, he said. Duo and Heero waited for the car to disappear around the corner. Duo finally looked at Heero. There was something strange in the Prussian blue eyes, a softness that Duo had rarely seen in them. “Are you mad at me ?”, Duo asked very low. Heero remained silent for a while, gazing at the stars. “You have no idea”, he finally answered. Duo smiled. ~ * ~ |
