Edge of Seventeen

Edge of 17- part eight

Contents: Shonen ai, AU, angst, some sap, Duo POV, bad language (naughty Duo), a few OC’s
Pairings: 2x4
Rating: PG-13
Author: Luna
Notes: felt like going back to my other favorite pairing. The title to this ficcie is a Stevie Nicks song. The lyrics to the song will be presented at the end of this fanfic.
Disclaimer: I don’t own GW or any of its characters. This is for entertainment purposes only. So please don’t sue. Thank you. ^_^
Status: 8/?
(Sorry if it’s kind of long)
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It was the first day to the beginning of my new life. I will never forget it. The changes that will ensue this afternoon started when Quatre and me where on the floor of my new bedroom playing cards. We both heard the phone ring.

“Duo…” Mrs. Winner opened the door a crack. I looked up at her with a smile on my face.

“Yeah?”

“It’s your parents. They wish to speak to you.” I groan out loud.

“Ok, I’ll be right there.” I place my cards face down on the carpet. As I halfheartedly get up, Quatre placed a hand on my arm. I look down at him and see the sympathy in his eyes. I smile at him, “Don’t worry, Quat. I’ll be fine. They probably just want to say their goodbyes to me.” I got up, strolled over to the door and looked back at my boyfriend. How ironic that Shawn was actually right about Quatre and me. “I’ll let you know what they said to me.” I watch as he nodded and then finally smile. I shut the door quietly behind me.

~~**~~

“Hello?” I answer the phone. I began to pace the kitchen floor, already nervous.

“Hello, Duo.” The voice on the other end was my mother. I’m glad.

“Hey, mom! How’s it going? What did you want to talk to me about?” I felt somewhat relieved that it wasn’t my dad on the other end. He’s got an even worse temper than my mom.

“I need to tell you something that we’ve been meaning to tell you since you were… ten years old. We just never had the guts because you were always a happy-go-lucky boy.”

“I see. Well,” I keep the smile on my face, telling myself that it’ll all be fine no matter what she said. “What did you need to tell me?”

There was some awkward silence on the other end for a while; my mom tried her best to find the words to start. Ok, now this was churning my stomach because my mother hardly ever had to find the right words to say. She was the type that just said what was on her mind and to hell with thinking first before speaking. Let’s just say, I was already in shock.

“Well…you should sit down for this Duo, dear…” she began. She called me dear! Now I know something is amiss.

“What’s wrong, mom? Are you all right? Is father ok?” I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat. I sat down at the kitchen table.

“Your father is fine…actually, he’s not your REAL father…” she sighed.

I was in a state of shock.

“And I’m not your real mother, Duo.” She continued. My mouth hung open.

“Not my…real…”

“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner, Duo. We adopted you at the age of 2. You’re not really 17 right now…” she sighed. “I’m sorry about telling you your wrong age as well. We have your REAL birth certificate from the orphanage that we got you from and we figured, since you’re not living with us anymore…”

“Wait a second!” I gasp. “I’m not 17? Why didn’t you tell me my real age? What’s up with that? And just who ARE my real parents??” I was so shocked and appalled from finding out all these secrets that they just HAD to keep from me! It wasn’t fair.

“Settle down, Duo. I don’t know who your real parents are. You’re gonna have to find out for yourself.” She sighed. I couldn’t speak. “We had some… financial reasons why we had you believed to be younger than you actually are. It had to do with the cut back in taxes and shit like that. You know how money hungry your fath…I mean, my husband is.” She sounded like she was on the verge of tears. So was I.

“I-I don’t know what to say…” the sound of a piece of paper was heard in the background.

“Your birth certificate says, ‘born on November 10th, 1981 on a Sunday at 11:58 PM.’ Brown hair, blue eyes, weight: 5lbs. 7 ounces.’” She was failing to hold back the tears. “We-we wanted a baby so badly but I wasn’t able to get pregnant. That really hurt Howard.” For the first time in a long time, I heard my adopted father’s real name spoken by my adopted mother, Shena. “We were given choices, and we choose adoption. We were happy that we didn’t have to go through the baby stages with you. We kept trying to make you a little brother or sister, but we never succeeded.”

“I’m sorry.” I said, wiping little teardrops from the corner of my eyes, “I was always wondering why I was an only child.”

“You might not be, Duo. Perhaps your real mother had more kids later on. I’m not sure how else to help you, but I hope that you do find your real mother soon.”

“Yeah, soon.” My voice cracked. I couldn’t take it anymore. “Moth…I mean…”

“It’s ok.” She sobbed.

“Well, I need to tell you something that I haven’t told you or Howard before.” I sniffled, “I’m bisexual. And I have a loving boyfriend.”

“I’m happy for you, Duo.” She sniffed. “Really, I am. I hope you find your happiness and your real parents.”

“Thank you.” I smiled, trying to hold back some of the tears, “I’m so glad that you understand and stuff.”

There was awkward silence again for about a minute.

“Well, I better let you go, Duo. We’ll send you a birthday card or whatever when November hits.”

“Ok. Thanks.” I sigh. “See you around… Shena. Say goodbye to Howard for me.”

“I will. See you, Duo.”

We hung up. I slumped my head down on my arms. The tears quietly fell.

~~**~~

I guess I must have fallen asleep because Quatre was shaking me. I opened my eyes slowly, and they must have been red from crying because Quatre gasped.

“Duo? Are you ok?” He took a seat next to me at the table.

“I’ll be fine.” I told him. I sat up and stretched. “What time is it?”

“It’s 6:05. What did your mother have to say?”

“They’re not my real parents.” I sighed. Quatre finally understood why my eyes were red and quickly apologized. “Don’t worry about it, Quat.” I smiled, “I’m fine now. Actually I’m better than fine, I’m over 18!”

“What?” Quatre’s eyes got as big as saucers.

“Yeah, I’ll be 20 this November. Cool, huh?”

“That’s wonderful!” Quatre gave me a big squeeze. Then he suddenly backed off, “I’m sorry about your parents and stuff.”

“Yeah, me too.” I sigh. “I’ve always wondered why I seemed so different from them. Now it all makes sense.”

“Well, this is good, ‘cause you are technically a senior now, right?”

“A lot of changes will be made.” I nod. “But at least I have a place to live.” Quatre smiled and nodded. “By the way,” I lean back on the chair, “what did YOUR parents have to say?”

“Oh, they were just asking me about why I am gay and what I saw in you… yadda, yadda…” he shrugged his shoulders.

“Hey! You’re stealing my lines!” I give him a fake glare. He laughed.

“And just WHO taught me to talk that way?” He lightly punched me in the shoulder.

“Shit! You’re not supposed to be picking up my jive, man! That’s my style of vocabulary!” I smirk.

“Oh don’t worry,” he smiled, “I won’t steal your way of talking. I’ll get in trouble for swearing too much if I did.”

“Bastard!” We both laughed. “But seriously…” I leaned against my elbows, “What did they ask and what did you tell them?”

“Well…ok, I’ll try to remember the exact words, but I will be brief.”

“Fine by me.”

“Ok.” He cleared his throat, “My father sat me down on their bed. He began to pace back and forth in front of me, like he was questioning a prisoner or something.” I couldn’t help it, but I laughed, “Duo! That’s not funny! I was terrified!”

“Sorry, Q-chan. Please go on.”

“Anyways, he started by asking me when I knew that I liked boys instead of girls and I said when I was 12 years old. And then I had to tell him about my first crush.”

“Who was it?” I asked, a small glint of curiosity and jealousy in my eyes.

“His name was Eric, I think. This is back when we lived in Minnesota.”

“What? Eric the red?” I chuckle.

“Duo!” He sighed, annoyed.

“I’m just giving you shit!” I defend myself.

“Well, I don’t want any!” He laughed, “Anyways, I think his last name started with an H or an F, I don’t remember. I told my dad that I didn’t remember his last name. And then I had to tell him about my other crushes as well. So I told him about Greg, and Kurt, and Richard, and then there’s Michael…”

“Damn these men to darkness for all eternity!” I crowed.

“Duo!!” He smiled uneasily.

“I’m just kidding.” I squeeze his arm. “Anyways, get to the point.”

“Ok, ok. Well, let’s just say that he was none too happy about me ogling guys and stuff. He started doing the 20-question thing and I had to quickly answer yes or no to them. No maybes, and no Buts to the Yeses. I remember one question was ‘Have you kissed anyone else beside Duo?’ and I said ‘No!’ Then he asked me what I find so attractive about guys. I said, ‘many things!’ And then I had to go on and list them.”

“What are the reasons? What are they?” I leaned in closer. He started to blush.

“Well…there’s, um… the body, you know… the torso. Chest, stomach, shoulders, back… the works.” He looked away, blushing.

“Oh! You mean this?” I asked, slipping my shirt up over my head, baring my naked chest to him. His eyes almost popped out of his head.

“Well… uhh…” he fumbled. I’m so glad that I keep my chest in shape, even though I don’t have a washboard stomach, I was rather proud of my chest muscles.

“What else?” I ask, leaning over him. Our noses almost touched.

“Th-the face… the hard features… the… backside…” he blushed. “The lips and eyes…”

I turned around, hands on hips, leaning my weight on one foot, “You mean the this?” I ask, looking over my shoulder. His eyes gaze dreamily at my display. He gulped.

“Yup.” He said in a small voice. He finally snapped out of it and coughed, “And I love your hair.” He smiled up at me.

“Oh?” I move my head back and forth, making my braid sway. “You mean this annoying bunch of dead cells?”

Quatre grabbed the end of my braid, “It’s not a bunch of dead cells to me.” He lifted it to his cheek, “It’s the softest silk I’ve ever felt and I badly want to make some kind of shirt or something out of it.” I laughed.

“You’re a real silly boyfriend, you know that?” I grin. He pulled on my hair to get me closer to him.

“Not as silly as you are,” his eyes were half closed as he zoomed in nearer to my face.

“You wouldn’t want me any other way.” I smirk. He shyly brushed his lips on mine, his cheeks tinted slightly. I began to return the kiss, closing my eyes, ignoring the little man in my head that’s telling me that it’s not wise to be kissing openly like this when anyone could walk in on our very intimate moment. I ignored the little man for a few more seconds, enjoying the sweet taste of his lips, running my tongue carefully across his bottom lip. He opened up to me, and we frenched for a few more stolen moments.

I back away, but Quatre’s lips were still trying to kiss me. He opened his eyes and frowned.

“Why’d you stop?” He whined.

I looked down at him and smirked, “If I kept going I wouldn’t be able to stop.”

He rubbed a hand up my bare stomach to my chest, “I don’t want you to stop.” He said meekly, eyes half lidded. I sighed mournfully, and then ran my fingers through the light strands at the back of his head. He moaned at the touch and then leaned into my roaming hand.

“Because, my sweet, we might get caught. It wouldn’t look good with my shirt off either.” I told him. He frowned slightly.

“You’re right, Duo. I hate it when you’re right.”

“I’m also very naughty.” I winked.

“Now that I like.” He smiled.

~TBC~