by Anne
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu Agency. I promise to return the characters in one piece, more or less, when I'm finished, but hold no liability for any physical injury or psychological trauma sustained by them in my fiction.
Michael Maxwell-Yuy and Alicia Bloom Winner belong to their respective parents. Please don't use without permission or their fathers will kick your ass.
Dedication: Happy birthday Sharon.
Thanks to: Linda and Misanagi for beta reading.
Duo put down his paper, drained his coffee and sighed. He had a good idea why Heero was very quiet. "Sure you'll be okay with the munchkins while I'm at work?"
"Quite sure. You have a job on with a deadline. That is more important." Heero glared at Michael. "Peanut butter is for eating. Not for drawing on the table with. You know better than that."
"Alicia did it first." Michael smiled at his father, the picture of innocence. It didn't fool either of his parents for a moment.
"That is no excuse," Heero said firmly. "As I said before, you know better than that."
"Sorry, Uncle Heero," Alicia said, looking down at the table. She frowned. "You're not supposed to think this is funny, Uncle Duo. Daddy says it's naughty when I use peanut butter to draw on things."
"Then why did you do it, honey?" Duo's voice was soft. He deliberately didn't comment on the fact that Alicia had picked up on an emotion he had thought he hid well. Quatre had told him about the problems they had had with Alicia's empathy so he wasn't going to make an issue out of it in front of her. Quatre had also told him once how he'd felt like a freak as a kid because of his own ability, and Duo wasn't about to do that to Alicia.
"You're worried about something. You don't want to leave Uncle Heero." Alicia kept examining the table, one small finger running a line through the peanut butter. "Abb feels like that when he doesn't want to leave Daddy so I know." She blushed. "Abb said I shouldn't eavesdropple. It's rude."
Duo struggled not to grin at the word she used. Heero frowned.
"Eavesdrop," Michael corrected. "Wow, that's cool. So what am I feeling right now?"
"Michael…" Duo used his best warning tone.
"Yes, Dad?" Michael was looking intently at Alicia. It was difficult to imagine they were so young. Both of them had always been rather precocious. Trowa said his daughter was bright, but Duo suspected he had on parental blinders. Michael was bright, a little too bright at times. He took after Heero in the tact department too, however much Duo reminded him that it was important to consider other people's feelings before opening his mouth and inserting his foot.
"Alicia might not want to tell you what you are feeling. Her ability is something personal. It's not there for your convenience." Heero answered the question.
"Uncle Trowa told me that already," Michael reached across the table for more toast.
"Please pass the toast, Dad," Duo said.
"It's okay, thanks. I've already got it." Michael winked at Alicia. She giggled.
"Michael!" Heero growled. "You're showing off because Alicia is here. Stop it or we'll have to change our arrangement with her parents."
"But I like coming here to stay." Alicia looked horrified. "I'll be good. I promise." She glanced between Heero and Duo and lowered her voice. "I won't go home and tell Daddy and Abb that I could feel you flying either."
Duo choked on his coffee. Heero had turned an interesting shade of red. It took Duo several moments to compose himself. "It's okay, honey," he said. "I think they already know we do that." He coughed loudly when Heero kicked him under the table and gave Michael another glare. Heero would be having an interesting talk to Michael after breakfast, that was for sure. They had a lot of chats about appropriate behaviour and what was considered okay to discuss with other children, especially younger ones. Sometimes, Duo thought it was better not to know what Michael and Alicia compared notes on exactly. Or what conversation went on over the breakfast table on the weekends that Trowa and Quatre had both kids.
"Yes, they do." Alicia beamed. She pushed her chair back and then paused. "Can I leave the table, Uncle Duo? I’ve finished breakfast and I want to go play now."
"Sure." Duo nodded. "Thank you for asking first, Alicia."
"Can I leave the table too, Dad?" Michael finished his last piece of toast and drained his milk.
"You may," Heero told him.
Both children slid down from their chairs and ran from the room, Alicia's hand slipping into Michael's. They were cute together, although Duo was careful not to mention that in front of Trowa. Their friend was very overprotective when it came to his daughter, even more protective than he was of his husband. Duo pitied the poor guy Alicia married, with two ex-Gundam pilots as father-in-laws.
"I've decided I'll go to work after all," he told Heero.
Heero raised an eyebrow. "So you think I can handle the munchkins after all? Or did something else change your mind?"
"Something else." Duo grinned. "If I stay home, I'll want to practice my flying skills and I don't want Alicia telling her fathers everything we get up to. They know enough already."
"I'm sure she doesn't tell them everything. We will just have to be more careful." Heero shook his head. "I thought Quatre had taught her to shield properly by now."
"Yeah, but obviously some stuff still gets through." Duo got up from the table, walked around to Heero, pushed his chair back and straddled him. "No wonder Tro and Cat are keen to get their weekends away when we have her. Bet they're dirty as hell."
"No doubt," Heero said dryly. "Thanks for that mental image. I shall treasure it for the rest of the day."
"Anytime," Duo grinned. He kissed Heero, a long passionate kiss. "That's a better one to replace it. By the time I get home Trowa will be here to pick her up, we'll make sure Michael is in bed early and I'll show you how much we can cram of a dirty weekend into one night."
A scream sounded from outside. "Uncle Heero! I'm stuck!"
Heero sighed. "You'd better go to work before I decide to come with you and leave the children to their own devices. Whoever called this domestic bliss needs to redefine the mission parameters. Some days I think it would be preferable to self-destruct my Gundam. The end result would not be much different."
"You know you love it." Duo kissed Heero again. "Something to remember me by while you're engaging the enemy."
"Thoughtful." Heero shook his head. "Get going while you still can. I'll distract them while you escape." He nodded towards the garage. "Your Gundam awaits."
Duo chuckled. "If you need assistance, radio for help, 01." He paused at the door. "Love you, baby."
"I love you too, Duo." Heero smiled at him. "Over and out, 02. You can make up for abandoning me later."
"I intend to." Duo knew he had to leave before he changed his mind. When he got home, and after Michael was safely tucked up in bed, he'd show Heero the real meaning of domestic bliss.
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