Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Extreme Home Makeover - Gundam Edition ❯ Day Three ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Day Three
 
“Okay, this is where we get to call Heero and show him how it's going!” Duo burbled, parking his butt on an overturned wheelbarrow and flipping open his state-of-the-art laptop computer. He set his complementary iced double-mochaccino on the ground and typed in the code that should, in theory, connect him with Heero's computer.
 
“Yeah?” Heero's voice came through the microphone in a monotone.
 
“Heero? It's me, Duo! How's it going?”
 
“Great. Just great. Did you know these jokers have a height restriction on the good rides? I've been here three days and the only thing they let me ride is the flying Dumbo at Kiddyland.”
 
Duo flinched. Heero sounded downright ticked, and he really couldn't blame the guy. So what if he was a little short? He was still a Gundam pilot, damn it! “Bummer, man. Should have gone to Universal.”
 
“Whatever. Why did you call?”
 
“I, er, wanted to give you an update!”
 
“Do I have a house yet?”
 
“Well, no, but the frame is up! And we've got your basement and garage poured!”
 
“Hn. I'm not living in the garage, Duo…”
 
“What? I think I'm losing your signal…” Duo switched the laptop off, then just stared at it for a few moments lest Heero try to call him back.
 
When it remained silent, he packed it away and reclaimed his caffeine. At least one thing was going right: the catering was top-notch.
 
His gaze wandered to the part of the house that would become Heero's new bathroom. Wufei had cordoned it off with opaque plastic sheeting and police tape. Even as Duo watched, Wufei staggered past, carrying something roughly the size of a Buster rifle over one shoulder. It was draped in a tarp, and Duo had no clue what it might be. He only knew that it was headed for the bathroom.
 
Meanwhile, a dedicated team worked on laying tile and hardwood flooring in the newly-framed rooms. Duo wasn't entirely sure this was the proper sequence for working on a house, but Howard had assured him that it would turn out just fine. Though the thought of drywall going in after the flooring did leave Duo rather queasy. And when were the electrical things supposed to be done?
 
At least the bathroom plumbing was working. Duo heard the distinct sound of flushing, followed by a string of snarled Mandarin curses. Duo presumed they were curses, anyway, as water poured out from under the plastic sheeting and rushed across the newly-laid tiles.
 
Noin threw down her caulking gun and reached for her sabre. “That stupid LITTLE BOY! I've just wasted SIX HOURS!”
 
“No, Lu! He's not worth it!” Sally Po yelled, grappling with the irate woman. “It's all right, the tiles are already down and sealed, this is not a problem!”
 
Noin shrugged off the restraining grip and snarled, “I need some air!” Muttering to herself, Noin sloshed her way out of the flood zone and joined Duo in the erstwhile backyard. “I swear, that kid is going to drive me to drink!”
 
“Speaking of drink,” Duo chirped, raising his paper cup, “can I get a refill?”
 
Noin twitched. She pulled herself up to her full height and straightened her regulation apron. Then she jabbed Duo in the chest with her forefinger as though skewering a weiner on a serving fork. “Look, punk, just because I work at Starbucks doesn't mean I have to wait on your sorry little ass! I'm volunteering to help fix your mess, and I even donated free eats for the crew - you think I like explaining myself to corporate for stunts like this? I'm just lucky they wanted the publicity, or else I would have been laughed out of management!”
 
When Noin paused to take a breath, Duo made a run for it. He didn't look back.