"The Meaning of
Life"
Written By: SkyLark
Pairings: 1x2x1
Warnings: AU, Neko, male pregnancy, sap, angst
Rating: R
Betaed by ShenLong Deb *hugs*
Archives: http://www.gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com/gw/SkyLark/gwSkyLark.htm
and http://www.mizunoamy.bravepages.com/skylark/skylarkfics.html
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters.
I just love playing with them.
Third fic in the Neko series
"The Meaning of Life"
"Denied."
That was the only word ringing over and over in Duo's mind along with
the sound of the gavel strike that followed. Falling into his seat,
he struggled for breath as Danielle and Trent physically reeled in
response to the verdict with their jaws falling and eyes widening
with startled gasps. At his table, Septum threw a fisted hand in the
air in elation.
His own heart shattering, Heero sat in disbelief. Skin paling, he
hunched forward and buried his face in his hands to hide away from
the rest of the world. Tears in her eyes, Noin buried her own head
against Zechs' shoulder. Wrapping his arms around her, the tall man
shook his head in shock and disappointment.
To the chorus of everything from celebratory cheers and desperate
cries from the crowd as many rose to their feet, Justice Harris slammed
his gavel again, shouting, "Order! Order in the court or you
will be escorted from the building!"
All around the room, the guards reminded the audience of their
presence by moving closer to the benches. Slowly, the rumblings died
down as those standing took returned to their seats aside from the
lawyers past the railing.
Frowning deeply, Justice Harris turned towards the neko slumped in
his seat. "This was not an easy decision, Mister Maxwell,"
he said gently. "But in the end, the majority ruled and so this
was the outcome."
Duo sat staring ahead, unable to hear anything past the ringing in
his head. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Danielle rested a
hand on his shoulder in support. When he looked up, he found her cobalt
eyes shimmering back. Had there been any question to whether he had
heard the verdict correctly, that was all the proof he needed to know
there was no mistaking that they had lost.
He would never be able to join formally in any way with Heero. And
he felt numb... completely empty.
Clearing his throat, Justice Harris looked to be ill to his stomach.
With a deep breath, he announced quietly, "Case dismissed."
He raised and dropped his gavel one last time before rising from his
podium. Following his lead, his colleagues stood and filed from the
room to return to their chambers.
Before their private door was closed, the crowd rose to their feet
as the their reactions resumed. Hands clapped, angry voices rose,
feet stomped and other such sounds filled the air as the onlookers
were ushered from the room by the guards before any fights broke out.
Still in his chair, Duo paid no mind to any of it. That ringing was
still covering any sound around him. Just beneath the irritating drone,
he faintly recognized a familiar voice calling his name, pleading
for him to hear. Finally blinking his wide, violet eyes, he turned
his head to peer over his shoulder.
Heero was leaning towards him over the railing, tears making their
way down his cheeks as he watched his lover in concern. Unable to
hold back his emotions any longer, the neko let out a strangled cry
as he sprang from the chair to all but throw himself into the arms
opening to catch him just in time.
Clinging on tightly, the artist rubbed the back of his trembling partner's
head as Duo sobbed against his shoulder. Gently kissing a damp
cheek, Heero held back a sharp whimper that caught in his throat.
Tightly surrounding the distraught couple, their sorrowful and teary-eyed
friends looked on. For many, they still had looks of disbelief over
what had just transpired. But, none more so than Trent and Danielle
as they cleared away their papers from the defense table.
Septum smirked as he approached his challengers, suitcase in hand
as he leaned in just shy of arm's reach. "You can't win them
all, my friends," he chuckled deeply. Bowing slightly at their
heated glares, he shrugged, "Well, it has been fun. You both
take care now."
Just as Trent lunged for the retreating prosecutor, Danielle gripped
his arm to keep him back. "He's not worth it," she urged
under her breath, her narrowed cobalt eyes staying on Septum's
back as he walked down past the railing's swinging door and down the
stretch to leave. Reluctantly, her husband eased up with a deep sigh.
When the room was nearly cleared away, the red-haired woman turned
to watch Heero and Duo pull away. A lump in her throat, she rubbed
the neko's back as he was pulled into tight embraces from his parents.
Meeting Zechs' sad gaze, she told him quietly, "Make sure he's
covered as we make our way out. He does not need to be bothered by
the press out there."
Nodding, Zechs pulled away from his son and removed his black suit
coat. Duo had no reaction to having it placed over his braided head
and tall ears. Flanked by either of his guardians, he was gently led
through the swinging door and down the walkway between the public
benches.
Right behind, Heero followed with his own parents at either of his
sides. Their friends fell around them to make yet another protective
ring as they headed out into the crowded hall.
Aware of little else than where he was being led, Duo took refuge
under his father's coat. The world beneath the cover brightened as
they when they stepped outside to the yells of the media present.
In that instant, he could hear cameras snapping and
a wave of voices shouting a new round of questions. "Was the
verdict a shock?!" the voice of a female reporter yelled
pretty closely. Never stopping, Duo heard other questions like, 'Do
you think this was just to send a message to the gay community?!'
or "Was there actually an engagement?!' reached his ears.
Reaching the bottom of the steps, the journalists stayed back, but
their yelling continued. With every step away from the building, their
voices finally began to fade away in the background.
After what seemed an eternity, the neko was carefully shifted into
the back seat of his parents' car. The door beside him opened just
before a pair of strong arms wrapped around him. Gently pulling back
the makeshift hood, Heero peered down at his lover and kissed the
top of his head.
Sighing quietly, Duo leaned heavily against the artist and closed
his wet eyes. Quietly sniffling, he buried his face in the other boy's
chest.
Zechs took the wheel and Noin the passenger seat as the car doors
were closed. His hands fishing out the keys, the tall man turned on
the ignition and drove out of the parking lot to take his family home.
Watching the line of cars pulling into the street, Danielle and Trent
kept their place at the top of the tall stairs leading into the courthouse
to make a closing statement that would appease the reporters... for
the time being. Only when their family and friends were out of their
sight did they turn to watch and listen to a gloating Septum speak
into a nest of microphones as cameras filmed him.
"Justice was clearly served today," the prosecutor smirked.
"I believe that the public at large may continue to rest their
trust in the Supreme Justices for making this call. It simply would
not be right to alter what is natural and right in the marriage between
two human beings. Where would we draw the line if a neko had been
granted the same right to marry one of us?" There was a mix of
cheers and hisses from the civilians gathered around, but he paid
no mind.
Growling, Danielle turned her head away to tune out the man as he
continued to answer questions. When he was finally finished, he stepped
away to leave. Her stomach in knots, she moved with her husband in
the smug man's place. Anxious eyes from the reporters fell on her
for her own statement and her mouth opened and closed without a sound
to be pulled out.
Quickly coming to her air, Trent cleared his throat and looked out
to the many faces and microphones on them. "At this time, as
a family, we request the right to our privacy in this matter,"
he began in a clear voice. "As you can imagine, this is
a very difficult time for all of us; but it mostly affects the life
of one of the most decent people imaginable. Our client..."
Shaking his head, he corrected, "Our dear friend is a model of
what human beings should be. In the end, every one of those nekos
are better people than any one of us. The fact that he is
being denied our rights really needs to make a person wonder
about our justice system."
Eyes in the sea of onlookers widened and many faces frowned sadly
at those heartfelt words. Those who had had the pleasure of knowing
any one of the nekos could not argue their kind hearts or their innocence.
Biting her lip, Danielle leaned against her husband as he wrapped
an arm around her shoulder. "Now," he said quietly, "if
you will excuse us, we need to be with our family."
Moved by the sincere emotions pouring from the two lawyers, the reporters
lowered their microphones and recorders. Turning off and setting aside
their cameras, the photographers and crewmen swallowed roughly
and bowed their heads. To the couple's amazement, the small mob split
down the middle to make a clear path down the stairs for them to walk.
Tears in her eyes once more, the red-haired young woman fought a small
whimper and descended alongside Trent. Along the way, they softly
offered words of appreciation to those men and women at either side
of them until they were free and clear in the parking lot.
Septum was leaning against his car, clapping slowly as his opponents
neared. "Touching speech there, Trent," he prodded. "Too
bad it won't change the ruling."
Unable to hold back any longer, Danielle let out a rumbling growl
and stormed up to the smug man. "I hope you're satisfied, you
son of a bitch," she snapped to the wide-eyed prosecutor.
Through clenched teeth, she hissed, "If you had such a problem
with your first loss, you should have taken it out on me. Not that
boy. He deserves so much better than that. So enjoy your little victory,
if you must. And if you ever attack my family again, so
help me, you will live to regret it with every breath thereafter."
Clicking his tongue, Septum regained his composure to grin, "My,
my, Danielle. What a sore loser you are. And here I had
thought that you would have conducted yourself so much better than
this."
His own eyes narrowed on the dark-haired man, Trent rested a hand
on his wife's shoulder. Keeping his eyes on the prosecutor, he spoke
with a bridled anger in his voice, "I would heed that warning,
Septum. Remember, you did not win over all of the Justices the way
we did the first time."
Stunned, the boastful man stood with his jaw slack for a mute second.
Air rushed from his lungs at the painfully true remark. Hands balling
into fists at his sides, his face reddened and gaze turned into a
fierce glare as he gritted, "It is still a win, however you look
at it."
Now, it was Trent's turn to smirk. Wrapping an arm around his snickering
wife's shoulders, he leaned towards the slightly deflated prosecutor and
winked, "You just hold onto that." Before the other man
could retort, he turned Danielle and led the way towards their car
in the emptying lot.
Finally regaining his composure from his shock, Septum yelled after
them, "You're still just sore over your loss! Even if you had
a unanimous ruling the first time, everyone will remember that I won
in the end!"
"Yea, yea, yea," Trent muttered as the rant continued. When
they reached their car, he removed the keys from his pocket to unlock
the doors.
Slipping into the passenger seat and closing the door behind her,
Danielle waited for her husband to do the same when he sat behind
the wheel to pull his face towards her for a fierce kiss. Breathless
and wide-eyed when they pulled away, Trent sputtered, "W-what
was that for?"
A proud smile on her lips, his bride answered, "For how brilliantly
you handled everything tonight- namely that speech on the steps and
now Septum. I do not believe that I would have conducted myself half
as well after that verdict."
Trent's own mouth curled in a grin as he replied, "Well, we are
a team, right?" Danielle beamed and nodded firmly. Still smiling,
her partner turned on the car as he said quietly, "Let's go home."
Never before had 'home' been so longed for than at that moment.
* * * *
From the moment she entered the estate to find Only Zechs, Noin and
Danny in the living room Danielle’s eyes shimmered anew. No doubt
her son and Duo needed some time alone to cope with the verdict. For
the umpteenth time that evening, thoughts ran through her head of
what she could have done better to protect them from this situation.
Curled in his mother’s lap in the swaying rocking
chair as she quietly hummed him, Danny had already drifted off after
the emotionally straining couple of days. Zechs rose to his feet from
the single recliner beside the couch when the lawyers entered.
Quickly making his way to the tearful redhead, the retired
chauffeur reassured quietly with a sad smile, “Before you go
blaming yourself, we all know that you both did everything you could.
The fact that there was not a decisive ruling says how great of an
effect your efforts had on the Supreme Justices. And that has not
gone unnoticed.”
Biting her lip, Danielle sniffled as she closed the
distance between them to embrace her long-time friend tightly In appreciation.
Zechs returned the hug, rubbing her back soothingly as he sighed.
Looking up, he nodded firmly to Trent to extend the same sentiments
to him.
Throat rough, the male lawyer asked quietly, “Where
are all the others?”
Noin carefully rose, cradling Danny in her arms to gently
lower him to lie on the couch. As she draped a light blanked over
him, she answered, “The nekos and their friends all returned
to their own homes to give Heero and Duo some time to cope with everything
that’s been happening these last few days.”
Lightly running a hand through her little son’s
head of unruly red hair, the former maid smiled at the light purr
that rose from his chest. Turning away, she joined her neighbors and
stated, “The boys went upstairs to call it an early night.”
Pulling back from Zechs, Danielle nodded, “I had
a feeling that they would need that. Normally, I would need that as
well, but my mind is just running with too many thoughts to sleep
right now.” A hand running through her hair, she headed towards
the kitchen. “Is anyone else up for some tea right about now?”
she offered.
Quickly stopping her by gripping her arm in a supportive
squeeze, Noin winked, “That sounds wonderful to me, but I’ll
take care of that.” Chuckling when her one-time employer moved
to protest, she insisted, “For old time’s sake.”
Finally able to smile a bit, Danielle held her tightly
with a quiet, “Thank you.” Winking, Noin walked off to start
a pot of water.
Over the next few hours, the four parents sat around
in the dining room in quiet discussion.
* * * *
It was late morning when Duo finally stirred. He could
tell just by the angle the few beams of light peeking through the
drawn blinds fell when his violet eyes blinked open. The next realization
he had was that he was no longer surrounded by two strong arms. Groaning,
his ears bent forward as he turned his head to face Heero’s empty
side.
As the events of the prior day came rushing back, the
neko nearly came undone all over again. The moment he curled up with
Heero when they returned home the night before, his aching heart and
body could no longer handle the grief as he was quickly pulled into
a deep sleep.
That he had slept as long as he had, without even coming
alert when his partner slipped from the bed, spoke volumes of just
how stricken and tired he had been.
Just as he pushed himself to sit up, the neko looked
up as the bedroom door opened. Peeking his head in as he pushed his
way inside, Heero smiled lovingly, relief in his cobalt eyes. “’Morning,”
he greeted softly. In plain view, he revealed the tray in his hands
bearing small plates of breakfast foods that he had prepared.
Both moved and sickened by the sight of the meal being
brought to him, Duo lowered his head with a deep frown. “’Mornin’,”
he muttered back.
Resting the tray on the floor beside the bed, Heero
sat beside his lover and wrapped him up in a warm embrace. Lightly
kissing the teenager’s cheek, he brushed a hand over his disheveled
head of hair, whispering, “I know that yesterday was hard. And
I am not saying that I am not disappointed by the way things turned
out.”
Gently pulling away, the artist kept his hands on Duo’s
shoulders. Keeping their eyes locked together, he tried to not lose
his own control when a few new tears ran down that heart-shaped face.
“But I do not need some ceremony to see you as my life partner,”
he declared. “As far as I am concerned, you are my husband. To
hell with whatever the rest of the world thinks.”Violet eyes
widening as the tears rolling down his cheeks were gently brushed
aside, the neko began to brighten at those sincere words. Never before
had he ever doubted his devotion to Heero, or Heero’s devotion
to him. They had every bit of love, respect, trust, and loyalty two
people could have for each other.
In the end, that was exactly what a marriage was.
Of course the hurt was still there, but it was numbed
to a dull ache in the realization that even he no longer cared what
the rest of the world thought. And he felt the sides of his mouth
curl up in a smile for the first time in over a day.
Clearing his throat when a lump formed there at the
sight of that smile, Heero took one of the neko’s hands in his
own and told him, “Right now, I just need you to be strong…”
Lightly resting their hands over his lover’s abdomen, he added,
“…for all of us. We’ll get through everything life
throws at us together, right?”
Duo swallowed roughly, his grin spreading. Nodding his
braided head, he breathed, “Yea.” Leaning in, he kissed
Heero deeply, pouring everything he had in him at that moment into
it.
When hepulled back for air, the artist’s own face
was lit with a wide smile as he reached down for the tray. Setting
it over his partner, he watched in unimaginable relief when the neko
took up his silverware and ate his breakfast, tail slowly swishing
behind him.
It was in that moment when they both knew they would
really be all right… they all would be.
TBC
chapter 17
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