Part Seventy-Six: After the Jitters
Heero is taking Duo to meet his clan. Finally. I'm surprised he didn't do it sooner, but what do I know? I'm *only* another Dragon! Not like *I* would have any social graces. I'm surprised Duo forgave him. Well, okay; maybe not. The Banshee thinks that Heero is fucking god! The damn Wyvern can do no wrong as far as he's concerned.
But damn! How do you 'forget' to mention the presence of offspring?! Sure, Heero doesn't prattle on about them the way Human parents do, but I assumed, if I even thought about it -- and maybe I share some blame here for not thinking about it -- that it had been mentioned, discussed and dismissed.
Damn.
When Duo vanished that day, Heero turned on Zephyrus in a rage. Now, normally I would have no qualms about seeing that damn demon get pounded into the ground, but for some reason I just couldn't let Heero do it that day.
So Trowa and I grabbed Heero and I yelled at Zeph to "go!" For probably the first time in his rotten existence, he didn't argue or make that shitty little imperious gesture. He just *went*. A good thing too, because we were having a hard time holding Heero back. Some instinct kept him from morphing and just shredding us like so much cabbage. Maybe his subconscious reminded him that he could really hurt us. Okay; it reminded him that he could hurt *Trowa*. Heero's always liked the big kitty better.
I just piss off *everyone*.
He calmed down as soon as Zeph was gone, and five minutes later he was on his way back to the castle to find a porter who could track the Banshee. Trowa and I just stayed where we were. I think we were both just a little singed from the heat of Heero's language. He was... vocally not pleased.
Neither of us was too worried about Duo, for some reason. It seemed like he had a destination in mind at the time. We didn't find out until the next day that it had been a totally random thing, and that Duo had ended up at the beach where they had gone last summer. That was a little worrisome, but Trowa and I talked about it and decided that it was probably a subconscious choice on Duo's part. If so, then he wouldn't be likely to teleport himself someplace dangerous, like Kilauea or the summit of K-2 or the middle of the Atlantic.
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Trowa is over at the School, doing a demonstration since he's in his Puma phase. I did *one* of those -- never again. I suppose some of those adolescents are okay, but there're always a few who are just little shits. I get enough shit from my family; don't need it from a bunch of proto-Witches and Wizards.
Inazuma and Enrique have gone off to lunch together. I wish they'd just quit dancing around each other and get to the sex. The innuendos and double-entendres just irritate the hell out of me.
I have what Heero refers to as 'phone watch', so I'm watching the damn phone. It's just lying there, not doing anything, but I'm watching it. Maybe it'll get up and do a trick.
I don't see why they're leaving now; it's only a little after 1400. It'll be 0700 when they get there. Does Heero expect a tumultuous welcome *that* early? Okay, maybe he does. He *is* the favored son...
Jealous? Who; me? Not a bit. Doesn't matter to me if the whole bloody Wyvern nation elects him their fucking emperor!
....
All right; maybe a little bit of envy.
Trowa says I'm an ass...
...maybe...
I do have... issues... and you see; I can even admit it. To myself at least.
How the hell did I get myself all wound up this way?
Dammit, I wish Trowa would hurry the hell up. Crap. I should've gone with him, rotten kids or no.
...geez... What *is* that noise?! It sounds like a herd of Centaurs clattering up the stairs...
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I was floating toward the door when Duo swept into the room.
"Duo! Why aren't you in the port room?" And then I really noticed him. "Holy shit!"
I'm not a follower of 'fashion' so I have no idea the proper terms to use to describe what Duo was wearing; I only know that my first glimpse took my breath away. A second look affected me somewhat... lower.
It was purple. It was blue. It was green. It was red. It was all of those and more. Every move, every gesture, every *twitch* caused a different color to flash, ripple or shimmer. From the high-collared shirt right down to the body-hugging leggings; from the long half-sleeved tunic to the knee-high purple leather boots...
My jaw dropped. I'm surprised they didn't hear it downstairs.
::Mother Dragon... He looks... like...
::Like a friggin' dream.::
"What are you wearing?" I breathed. "You look gorgeous. More than gorgeous..."
He looked down self-consciously.
"Um... It's... it's Banshee formal wear..." he said hesitantly. "Like... um... a prom dress?"
I snorted, taken by surprise.
"I want to make a good impression," he muttered in embarrassment. "Teal says it's proper court dress..."
"But you're not going to court; you're just meeting Heero's Clan," I pointed out.
He raised one eyebrow, tilting his head to the side. "There's a difference?" he growled.
"Well... Maybe not." I floated around him. "Where did you get that outfit?"
"Teal sent it; it's an Old Country costume."
"Duo, I swear by everything holy in this world, you look beautiful. Those rotten Wyverns will fall at your feet."
He blinked at me. I replayed my words in my head. Oops.
"Um... Sorry?"
His natural grin spread across his face. "Wufei, you are so much fun!"
"Yeah; Mr Entertainment, that's me." Then I remembered. "Why are you here instead of the port room?"
"Oh! I forgot something! I was working on a necklace this week and I think I left it here. I want to take it with me."
I looked around, spying his bead case under a chair. "Here. You made something?"
He took the case and began lifting out the layered trays. The box itself is magic; you could put half a shop in there. He finally found the one he was looking for, and held it up to show me.
"Does it look all right?" he asked anxiously.
It looked like a choker; all green and blue with gold accents. I imagined a female of any species would probably find it pretty. "It looks lovely, Duo. Who is it for?"
He tucked it carefully into a small pouch. "It's for Kohaku. Heero said her favorite colors are blue and green."
It was my turn to blink. "Duo, why are you giving *her* gifts?" I'd assumed it was for the IchiBan.
"Because she's the mother of Heero's children and I want her to like me."
I caught the quiver in his voice.
"Duo..."
"Wufei," he asked hesitantly, "have you ever met them?"
The naked need in his eyes surprised and alarmed me. He wanted this so much; *needed* it... desperately.
"...Yes..." I admitted slowly. I didn't know where this was going, but I didn't think I liked it.
"You went there with him?"
I shrugged uneasily. "Trowa and I did, once." It wasn't a recreational visit. Heero had tangled with a Werewolf who had attempted to rip his throat out. Nearly succeeded; would have if Heero hadn't been able to change just as the creature's claws hit him. He was still badly injured. The healers cleaned it up, but Q decided -- totally against Heero's wishes -- that he needed a short break to let the healing 'take.' He ordered him home and sent Trowa and I with to make sure he followed orders.
It was almost surreal, the way the whole bloody Clan turned out when we arrived. It tweaked something inside me that I'd thought I'd dealt with. All those people -- the Clan numbers about two thousand -- eager to see and touch and welcome their favored son... It... hurt. In a way I never dreamed possible.
Standing in the middle of the square, Trowa and I supporting Heero, who was medicated to the eyebrows, seeing hundreds of Wyverns diving out of the rising sun was just... just... Well, it made my chest hurt just to see them and to know that they were coming because Heero needed them. Or at least a few of them.
The silver-blue female changed form as she touched the earth and immediately caught Heero up in a hug. He leaned into her embrace like a small child and she crooned and fussed all the way into the house, her arm firmly around his waist. But she didn't ignore Trowa and I; not at all. She began issuing orders immediately, and before we knew it, we were ensconced at a table with tea and muffins and rice balls and all kinds of snacks.
Giniro thanked us profusely for bringing Heero home, and drew us both into conversations about ourselves, our jobs and our families. She had rooms made up for us and insisted that we were not to lift a finger. She assigned a pair of the younger Wyverns to see to our every wish. I'm comfortably sure that if either of us had exhibited a... romantic interest toward any member of the Clan, there would have been body fluids exchanged. She made us welcome in a way I've never been welcomed by my own Clan. I ached to see the same warmth from my own family, even as I knew I never would.
Kohaku, the mother of Heero's children, was there as well. Komori was just a baby then, and Tsutsuji was only about three, much too young to understand what was happening. Kohaku fussed over Heero, chiding him for letting a 'silly' Werewolf get the better of him.
Heero replied rather testily that the creature did not 'get the better of him.' He'd ripped it from stem to stern, and it certainly wouldn't be attacking anyone else ever again. But he managed a small smile for his cousin, and tipped his head to touch hers gently in recognition of her affection. So strange to see the creature I'd always thought of as aloof and imperious bending for these females!
We stayed for three nights, as Q had ordered. And I think I was sorry to go. For all of our time there, the stream of visitors and concerned family seemed never-ending. Children, adults, elders; all of them wanted to see Heero and speak with him and hear from his own lips what had happened and know that he was all right.
I knew what Duo was asking -- would Heero's Clan accept him as Heero's Chosen, or was he aiming too high; reaching for something he wasn't good enough for.
Of course they would love him. If Heero loved him, that would be good enough for them, and then when they got to know him, they would love him for himself. No questions asked.
And I was once again pea-green with envy.
"Duo, they will love you," I said softly, laying my paw on his arm.
"Truly?" he whispered.
"Truly. Duo, even for a Magical Creature, you are special; there is no way that Heero's IchiBan could fail to see that."
He looked down to where he was twisting his hands together. "I don't feel special," he muttered. "I feel stupid and clumsy and inadequate. I feel like what I am, an orphan and an outcast. How could they possibly love me? How can *Heero* possibly love me?"
"Stop," I whispered and then I did something...foolish. I let my paw slide up his arm and around his shoulders to pull him in close, and I kissed him. Well... I *licked* him. On the forehead, on each cheek and on the lips; lightly, all the while reminding myself that Heero had Chosen this Banshee and that he was not a very forgiving creature. I was literally taking my life in my hands.
When I drew away, Duo's purple eyes were swimming. "I just want to belong..."
As did I...
"You do belong, Duo. You belong here, with us, in this office. We are a clan unto ourselves; the Clan of the Almighty Q," I offered hoping to win a smile. I didn't want him crying, didn't want to know that I had somehow caused him to cry. Heero's wrath at that totally aside, *I* would hate myself for making Duo cry, for any reason.
He wiped at his eyes and managed a smile for me, and then I suddenly had my arms full of Banshee. He threw himself into my embrace, hugging me hard enough to bend bones, and retreated just as quickly.
"Thanks, Fei," he whispered. "I'd better go before Heero comes looking for me."
"Hell, yes!" I exclaimed. "Go, before he finds a reason to disembowel me!"
He snickered and backed away, grinning, before turning and sprinting down the stairs.
I flopped into my chair.
"Son of a bitch, Chang. You are so fucking noble, you make my damn teeth hurt!" I snarled to myself. "Shit!"
And I smacked the trash can with my tail.