Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ 30 Days of Drabble ❯ Day 27: Research: High-Low ( Chapter 27 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

A/N: I'm sorry, I just can't seem to get away from Duo/Wufei fics. They possess me. Honest. And, again, it's longer than drabble-length. I'll just pretend it's to make up for all the really short ones. Yup. That's it. [Rules for this challenge are in chapter one.]

Day: 27
Date: March 8, 2010
Prompt: languor /LANG-guhr; LANG-uhr/, noun: 1. Mental or physical weariness or fatigue. 2. Listless indolence, especially the indolence of the one who is satiated by a life of luxury or pleasure. 3. A heaviness or oppressive stillness of the air.
Fandom: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
Character: Duo & Wufei
Disclaimer: Bandai, Sotsu and Sunrise own Gundam Wing. I just use the characters for my own amusement and with any luck at all, your amusement as well.

Research: High-Low

Even though it had been a good two hours since the last explosion and what an explosion it was, Duo's adrenaline high hadn't completely worn off yet. His mission had gone as smooth as water off a duck's butt. Or was it duck's bill? Anyway, he was hyped up and rarin' to go. Pity the poor sap stuck with him in the one-room apartment of a safe house.

He entered with a flourish of arms, slamming the door behind him. "Dahling! I have returned!"

There was no response. He expected at least a, "Quiet!" or a, "Must you always solicit attention?" but there was nothing at all from the lone occupant of the scruffy green couch.

Duo dropped his arms in mild confusion and quietly made his way around to the front of the sofa. Not that it had ever happened in Duo's recollection but if Wufei had somehow managed to fall asleep on the couch, he wasn't about to wake him.

Wufei wasn't asleep, unless he'd taken up the super-creepy habit of sleeping with his eyes open. Duo squatted down to get a better look at his friend. Wufei was simply staring, breathing evenly. His computer was open, sitting on the arm of the sofa, but he wasn't looking at it. Duo poked a knee in the hopes of triggering Wufei's territorial bubble rant as he had issues that did not allow for much in the way of physical contact. Still, nothing. Next, Duo tried snapping his fingers right under Wufei's nose. "Wufei, you okay, man?"

The black eyes focused on Duo, widened slightly and then narrowed. "What?" The tone was less inquiring, more accusing.

"I said, are you okay?" Duo repeated, shuffling back a bit. Now that he had Wufei's focus, Duo had no intention of violating his personal space. "You're freakin' me out, dude, just starin' like that."

"I'm not, I'm-" he began stealing a swift glance at his laptop. "I'm doing research."

Duo gave the computer a more thorough assessment. It had been sitting idle long enough to log off and power down. "How long ago did you get back?"

"What?" This time the tone held a hint of panicked confusion.

"What time did you get home?" Duo tried again, though the question really on his mind was more along the lines of when the last time Wufei slept was. Wufei had left on assignment two days before Duo had and Duo hadn't heard from him since. It was just like the overconfident moron to come off a three day job and attempt to conduct research before succumbing to the weakness of fatigue.

Wufei shrugged, slipping back into that blank stare.

Duo snapped at him again, regaining Wufei's tenuous focus. "Go to bed. I'll finish up anything you need researched."

"I can-" he began before he was cut off by being shoved so he was laying down on the cushions.

"Go. To. Sleep," Duo ordered, picking up the computer. "I got this and I promise to wake you in a few hours. You know you'll be useless until you've gotten some rest."

"But-" He tried sitting back up only to be pushed down again.

"Sleep!"

Finally, Wufei settled back and closed his eyes. Duo watched him for a minute, deciding that Wufei was going to cooperate and then he set up the laptop at the tiny table in the kitchen area and got down to work. The computer booted, Duo logged on with Wufei's personal ID (never you mind that he wasn't supposed to know it) and then he brought up the last files Wufei was working on. It was then that his adrenaline abandoned him, flitting off like a feather in high winds.

"Well, isn't that just a kick in the nuts?" he mumbled past a monstrous yawn. "Now, I'm the one who's got to fight off sleep to do this stupid research."

- End -