by AlleyQuat
"What’s this?" Quatre wondered, pulling a dust covered box from the top shelf of his closet. He settled the box on the bed, his nose wrinkling with a sneeze. He removed a carefully wrapped item and laid it on his lap. A wave of nostalgia washed over him as he gazed at the hidden treasure. When he and Trowa had announced to their inner circle of friends that they would soon become fathers, the gifts had arrived in waves. The frame that he held in his hands was from Wufei and Sally. It was a perfectly crafted, beautifully painted pastel pink and baby blue frame. Inside was his most precious possession—the very first picture taken of his beloved twins. A smile curled his lips as his fingers traced the tiny faces behind the glass.
He and Trowa were each cradling a tiny, perfect baby, just minutes old, and smiling proudly at the camera. He cradled the frame and leaned back against the bed, wondering why such a beautiful picture was tucked away in their closet. Quatre stared the frame in his hands and felt the sting of tears in his eyes.
Quatre gazed at himself at twenty-three; he had tears of joy pouring down his face as he held their newborn son in his arms. All those long months of waiting had seemed endless; all he had been able to think about was what it would feel like to hold their child. His gaze shifted to Trowa, his husband of then only two years, who was holding their newborn daughter. Trowa’s face was frozen in elation, a smile illuminating his face. He remembered how happy—and scared—they’d been to finally be holding the precious bundles cradled in their arms. Fatherhood was something they had looked forward to—and dreaded—experiencing.
He turned the frame over, removed the latches, and gently extracted the picture to read the inscription. His husband had struggled for weeks to perfect the difficult Arabic symbols of Quatre's native language. Written in Trowa’s beautiful script were the names of their children; Quatre Vier and Kalila Raberba Barton-Winner. He returned the picture to the frame and turned it over to gaze at the infant twins. Vier had blond hair and Trowa's brilliant green eyes, while Kalila had auburn hair and blue eyes. Everything that they had ever hoped for and dreamed of had come true and was lying in their arms.
Even now, the joy and elation of fatherhood was as new and exciting as it had been seventeen years ago. With a smile, Quatre stood and headed for the living room to proudly display the picture of his family.