Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Purrfect Houseguest ❯ Chapter 16 ( Chapter 16 )

Thank you to everybody who reviewed this story

_________________________________________________________________ _________________________

The Purrfect Houseguest

Part 16

“Ah, there she is!” Treize honked his horn twice as Marie, together with two classmates, walked out of the school building.

The little redhead turned and looked around. When she noticed her father she smiled and waved at him. Quickly she said good-bye to her friends then ran over to where the Mercedes was parked. Mariemaia stuck her head through the driver seat window to hug her dad and give him a kiss on the cheek. “Hello Papa.”

“Hello Princess, how are you?”

“I'm great,” Marie replied, then her eyes went wide when she noticed the figure in the back of the car. “Zechs!”

She flew into the backseat and threw her arms around the tall neko. “Zechs! You are still here?!”

“I promised I would, didn't I?” Slowly and somewhat hesitant he returned her embrace.

“I know, but still I was worried that you might change your mind. - Just a little bit though,” she added as she hugged the neko even tighter.

Watching the scene, and Zechs' slightly distressed face, in the rear view mirror, Treize laughed. “Alright Mariemaia, I think that's enough. Zechs needs to breath you know.”

“Oops, sorry.” The little girl grinned somewhat sheepishly as she finally pulled away and settled down in the seat next to him.

“So, how was school, Princess?” her father asked as he pulled out of the long line of waiting cars.

“Pretty good,” Marie replied. “Miss Bloomberg picked one of my paintings for the art show at the children's museum.”

“Oh really? That's wonderful. When does the art show open? We will definitely have to go and see it, won't we?”

“I forgot. But there is a note in my reminder-binder.”

“Alright, then I'll check it later,” Treize nodded. “How about driving by the `Marble Slab' for some ice-cream, to celebrate the occasion?”

“Oh yes, please. I want vanilla swirl with lots of caramel and those little fudge pieces in it. What do you want, Zechs?”

“Hmm…” the neko frowned as he thought about it. “I think maybe I'll have a strawberry milkshake.”

“Very well then, one strawberry milkshake and one vanilla swirl ice-cream it will be.” Treize confirmed.

A few minutes later they pulled into the parking lot in front of the ice-cream parlor. Marie decided to stay in the car with Zechs while her father ran inside to get their treats.

“So, what have you been doing while I was gone?” she asked the silver-haired neko.

“I helped your dad in the garden. You should see what we did. We planted tomatoes and strawberries and herbs, and new flowers in front of the house.”

“Any new roses?”

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“Papa loves them. He can never go to the nursery without buying a new bush or two.” Mariemaia giggled. “Do you know, when I was little I thought the nursery is where you go to buy babies, and I tried to talk Papa into buying me a little brother.”

Zechs laughed.

“I always wanted a little brother,” Mariemaia beamed at him. “But having a big brother like you is even better.”

“Thanks.” Zechs smiled softly. I have never been a big brother, but I'll try to do my best to live up to your expectations.

“There comes, Papa.” Marie rolled down the window to accept her ice-cream and Zechs' shake. “Papa, what are we going to do this weekend?”

“Well actually,” Treize admitted as he slipped back into the driver seat. “I haven't made any plans. Truth is that both, Wufei and I are rather busy this weekend. He has to finish a research paper and I really need to work on my new book. Sorry, Sweetheart.”

“That's okay. Zechs and I can just play together, right?”

“Right,” the neko agreed.

#####

Zechs slipped quietly back into the house. He loved to get up early, and since he had come to live here he had made it part of his daily routine to spend the morning outside. He had found a perfect spot, high up in the branches of a large tree in the backyard, where he loved to sit and watch the sun rise.

The neko had assumed that everybody else in the house was still asleep, but when he closed the front door behind himself, he heard the sound of the TV coming from the living room.

Mariemaia was sitting, still in her pajamas, curled up in a blanket on the couch, watching cartoons. “Good morning, Zechs?” she greeted him cheerfully. “Where have you been?”

“Good morning,” he returned her greeting. “I was outside in the garden.”

“Oh - Are you hungry?”

“A little,” the neko admitted.

“Me too. I'll go and ask Papa to make breakfast.”

“Wait!” Zechs stopped her before she even got off the couch. “Let them sleep a little longer, both your dad and Wufei have been working late last night.”

“But what about breakfast?”

“Why don't we make something to eat ourselves?” he suggested.

“You mean you and me?” Marie nodded enthusiastically. “Okay, let's make breakfast for everybody.”

“Alright, what should we make?”

“Hmm…” Marie tapped her chin with her fingertip as she contemplated. “We do have to make coffee. Dad and Uncle Wufei always drink coffee in the morning… and orange juice… and sausages…”

“And fruit.” The neko added.

The little girl made a face, but nodded. “Okay, fruit too. But I also want pancakes.”

“Do you know how to make them?” Zechs had watched Treize cook before and he was pretty sure he could make sausages and brew coffee, but he had no idea how to make pancakes.

“No, but Papa has a lot of cookbooks, I'm sure we will find the recipe in one of them.”

Marie ran ahead into the kitchen. She moved one of the chairs over to the shelf and pulled a big cookbook from the top board. While Zechs started to prepare the coffeemaker and heated a heavy cast-iron pan for the sausages, she started to search the book for a pancake recipe.

“Wow, there are so many.” She exclaimed after a while.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I had no idea there are so many different ways to make pancakes. Which one should we pick? How about this one; Grandma's old fashion pancakes? This has to be good. Grandmas always know how to cook good stuff.”

“Alright?” Zechs agree. By now the coffee was brewing and the sausages sizzled slowly in the pan. “You read the instructions and I'll make the pancakes.”

“Wait, that's not fair. I want to cook too.” Marie complained. “Why don't you read and I make the batter.”

“I can't,” Zechs replied quietly, voice barely above a whisper. “I don't know how. I've never learned to read or write.”

At first Mariemaia wasn't sure if Zechs was just trying to pull her legs, but one look in his face told her that he wasn't joking. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…”

“It's alright. It's not your fault.” The neko gave her a little smile. “So, should we make pancakes?”

###

“Papa? Are you awake, Papa?”

“Hmm…” It took Treize a moment to realize that his daughter's voice wasn't part of a dream he was having. “Yes! Yes, I'm awake, Sweetheart.” He cracked his eyes open and rubbed his face.

“Breakfast is ready, Papa.” Marie's voice reached him from the other side of the bedroom door.

Breakfast? Now that she mentioned it he could smell it too, the delicious aroma of freshly brewed coffee and food. He turned his head, frowning when he realized that Wufei was still lying next to him, sound asleep. “Who made breakfast?” he wanted to know.

“Zechs and I did.” Marie's voice was underlines with pride.

“You did?”

“Yep. Hurry up and come downstairs, don't let the food get cold.”

Treize chuckled silently. That sounded like something he would usually tell her. “We'll be right there,” he promised.

“Okay.”

He could hear the sound of footsteps in the hall as Mariemaia left, and he turned toward his still slumbering lover. Wufei was amazing in that aspect, he could sleep through almost everything. Treize always joked that it would take a bomb going off in the middle of their bedroom to wake the young man. But there were a few other ways to rouse Wufei, and Treize knew each and every one.

He smiled softly as he dipped his head and kissed his lover's peaceful face. “Time to wake up, Dear,” he whispered.

Wufei stirred. A second kiss elicited a quiet moan from the young man, and after a third, placed onto his soft earlobe, Wufei cracked one eye open.

Treize's smile widened. Success! “Good morning”

“Do we have to get up already?”

“We do.” The older man nodded. “Marie and Zechs made breakfast for us. We can't disappoint them.”

Wufei sighed but finally opened both eyes. “Alright then.”

He yawned and stretched as Treize slipped out of bed and reached for his robe that was hanging by the door. A few moments later the two men walked into the kitchen, pleasantly surprised how beautifully the table was set. Even a vase with freshly cut flowers was sitting in the center.

“Oh, this looks wonderful!” Treize remarked as he took his seat. “Doesn't it, Wufei?”

“It does?” the younger man confirmed. “And it smells delicious too.”

“Want some pancakes?” Mariemaia handed the serving platter to her father.

“Don't mind if I do.” Treize put a couple of the freshly bakes cakes onto his own plate before handing the dish off to Wufei. He was well aware that both, Marie and Zechs, were watching him closely, obviously anxious about his reaction. Not wanting to torture them any longer he cut off a large bite and tasted it. “Hmm… It's delicious,” he remarked, and he really meant it, at least until he bit onto something strangely crunchy. He exchanged a quick glance with Wufei as he moved the bite around in his mouth, before discretely discarding it into his napkin.

“Sweetheart, did you throw away the eggshells after cracking them open?” he asked softly.

Zechs gave Marie a surprised look. “Was I supposed to?”

“No.” The little girl shook her head. “The recipe said to use one egg yolk and two whole eggs; just like you did.”

Treize was barely able to keep a straight face as he said: “I think, what they meant was to use 1 egg yolk and 2 whole eggs without the shells.”

Mariemaia frowned. “Well, if that's what they meant, why didn't they just write it down that way?”

“That's a good question I supposed,” her father replied. “Listen, why don't we whip up another batch of batter very quick and make new pancakes?”

#####

“Zechs?!”

“Yeah?”

Mariemaia put down her weeding claw and sat up. She and the neko were kneeling in the middle of their herb patch, cleaning weeds and crabgrass from around the tiny, delicate sprouts

“I think I could teach you… reading and writing I mean.”

“You could?” Zechs' ears perked up instantly.

Marie nodded earnestly.

“And you wouldn't mind?”

“No, I think it would be fun; like playing school. I can bring some of my old books and flashcards from Grandpa's house, when I come back next weekend. And we can ask Papa to buy some notebooks for writing…”

“Uhm…” Zechs looked somewhat uneasy with that idea. “I…I'd rather not tell anybody else.”

“Okay,” Marie smiled. “It will be our little secret then.”

The neko returned her smile and nodded. “Alright.”

“How are things going, you two?”

Treize's voice almost startled the two conspirators. The tawny-haired man was carrying a tray with glasses and a pitcher with freshly squeezed lemonade.

“Doing great. Look!” Marie gestured at their work.

“Yes, I can see that. I don't think the garden ever looked so clean.”

“Yep!” the little redhead announced proudly. “We are the famous two people weed-whacking crew.”

“I see.” Treize laughed. “Well then, does the weed whacking crew have time for a little lemonade break?”

Marie exchanged a look with Zechs then nodded. “I think we can fit it in our schedule.”

“Then go wash your hands.”

“Okay, last one at the bathroom is a rotten egg.” Mariemaia, already on her feet dashed off, even before she finished the sentence.

Zechs laughed as he jumped to his feet. He caught up with the girl at the backdoor. Just as she tried to squeeze through the door he grabbed her with one arm around her waist, lifted her up and turned before setting her back onto the ground again.

“That's not fair,” Marie wailed as she suddenly found herself behind the neko.

###

The lemonade was delicious and refreshing. Mariemaia played with her napkin while she sipped the chilled drink. She folded it into a paper airplane and launched it into the air. Unfortunately it only flew a couple of feet before diving nose-first into the patio floor.

“Too heavy.”

“Huh?” she asked, somewhat puzzled.

“The paper,” Zechs explained. “It's too heavy, and you are folding it wrong. You need to make sure the weight is distributed properly. Want me to show you how to do it?”

“Yes, please.”

“Okay, let me get some papers.” The neko rose from his seat and left, only to reappear a few moments later with a small stack of paper. The pages were printed on on one side, so Marie assumed that he had gotten them from the recycle basket in her dad's study.

Fascinated she watched as Zechs turned one of the pages into an airplane, then handed it to her.

“Give it a try.”

As she launched it, the plane soared through the air, way past the patio fence before landing gracefully in the soft grass. “Wow, so cool,” the little redhead exclaimed excitedly.

Zechs smiled; proud that there was finally something he could teach her. “Let's make one together,” he suggested.

Marie nodded and reached for a piece of paper.

“First you take it and fold it in the middle, just like this…”

#####

Wufei looked everything but happy when he stormed into the living room. It was late in the evening, Marie was already in bed and asleep, and Treize and Zechs had settled down in front of the TV.

“Zechs?!” What is this?” the young man was holding some wet and wrinkled up paper in his hand.

The neko tilted his head as he inspected the item. “A wet piece of paper?!” he remarked calmly. “It's one of the paper planes Marie and I made earlier today. It landed in the swimming pool so we had to throw it away.”

Wufei's nostrils flared as he gave an irritated growl.

Treize looked at his lover in surprise. “What's wrong?” he wanted to know.

“What's wrong? This…” he gestured at the paper in his hand, “…used to be part of my research report, before HE turned it into an airplane and launched it into the pool.”

“I didn't launch it into the pool on purpose,” Zechs defended himself. “The rest didn't even get wet, although one plane got stuck in one of the trees.”

Somehow Wufei couldn't shake the feeling that the neko was mocking him, and that didn't help very much to calm him down.

“Zechs, why don't you go upstairs to your room?” Treize suggested before the situation turned into a fully blown fight.

Zechs shrugged but didn't argue.

Wufei glared daggers after him as he walked upstairs. He could have sworn that the neko smirked at him when he turned at the top of the stairs. “I don't believe it…”

“Alright, Dear, calm down. It's not like you don't have those files on your computer. It's simply a matter of making another printout.

“That's not the point. He had no right to touch my stuff,” Wufei grumbled. “I bet he did this on purpose.”

“Of course he did,” the older man agreed matter of fact.

“So, and he is just going to get away with it?”

“What do you want me to do?” Treize asked in moderate amusement. “Put him over my knee?”

His lover snorted. “I don't think you would find it funny if he would have used one of your scripts instead.”

Treize sighed. “I'll go and talk to him later, alright?”

“Alright,” Wufei agreed however reluctant.

###

Treize knocked at the door to Zechs' bedroom. “May I come in?”

“Yes, of course.”

The neko was sitting on the windowsill, one of his favorite places it seemed, as the older man stepped into the room. Treize decided not to beat around the bush and instead take a straight approach. “You know that what you did earlier was wrong, don't you? And you do owe Wufei an apology.”

Zechs gave a noncommittal sound, but then he nodded as he turned his head and looked at Treize. “Fine, I'll apologize.”

Well, I guess that's a small step into the right direction. The other man sighed inwardly. “Zechs, I don't understand why you dislike Wufei so much. He has been nothing but nice and courteous to you. Or is there something I don't know about? You want to tell me about it?”

“Well…” the neko went back to staring out of the window. “Actually…I don't really dislike him…”

Treize frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled by the statement. If Zechs didn't dislike Wufei, then who or what was he `rebelling' against? But suddenly I hit him and a whole array of light bulbs lit up in his head. Of course, why didn't think of that earlier. The papers the neko had destroyed, Wufei's research report, had to do with his work.

“Zechs,” he spoke softly. “I assure you that the institute Wufei works for is nothing at all like Gentec. In fact Gentec is an exception. Most scientists live and work by very strong ethics.”

Treize gave another silent sigh, because he could tell by the expression on Zechs' face that the neko wasn't buying it. He couldn't really blame him though. He had no idea what Zechs had been through; what they had done to him at the laboratory, and he wasn't sure if he ever wanted to know. So it was only naturally for the neko to be wary of anybody and anything that reminded him of Gentec. But of course that didn't help very much, and Treize wasn't sure what to do about it. He only knew that things couldn't go on like this. Eventually the aversion between Wufei and Zechs would affect all of them. Perhaps they needed help and advice from someone else. But for tonight, he would just have to settle for an apology.

_________________________________________________________________ _______________________

T.B.C.

 

Author's Note: