Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Ugly ❯ Lost and found ( Chapter 5 )

 

Duo and Wufei had been sitting in silence again for some time now, when they were suddenly startled to life by Une who was calling them to dinner.

 

Making friends so quickly was weird, but they did have something to talk about... A mutual experience, that kind of glued them together.

And besides this, making friends when you are young comes quite naturally, even if the walls, that seem to surround almost every adult, would already be in a process of building up inside you.

 

They ate in silence, as it was usual in their household, though both Une's and Duo's hands were twitching for the books they usually read while eating. The presence of Wufei made them want to pretend that their home respected some common courtesy rules, like other people's homes did.

 

Wufei noticed something, but decided to ask Duo after they were alone again.

 

Duo was slurping his soup, minding his teeth and jaws. He could't even smoke with the condition he was in. He had two helpings, would have had a third, but there was no more to eat. He sighed.

 

”Your turn to wash the dishes, Duo” Une said, while leaving the table. Her hair was down, she had her glasses on, and she was wearing comfortable gray slacks, that showed the curves of her calves and thighs quite prettily.

That didn't go unnoticed by Wufei, who, in turn, was observed by Duo.

Duo didn't have a problem with this strange Chinese boy drooling his 'brother', but if he started to do the same with his mother...

 

”Wufei.” he barked, rather sharply, making the boy twitch and knock his half full water glass over.

”Uh...Yeah?” Wufei was looking a bit startled.

”I wash, you dry. The table, too.”

Wufei got up, and fetched the dishrag muttering to himself: ”Now I know why you don't have any friends. Because you're a sadistic prick, that's why...” But he sounded a bit amused, and Duo chuckled to himself. Had he sounded like he was serious, Duo would have probably burst out crying, again. As un-manly as that may be.

This being-with-someone, having-a-friend-over thing was just too good. If he lost it, he could't bear it.

After they had washed the dishes, they went back to the living room.

”So, anything you wanna do?” Duo asked. ”What ever you wanna do.” Wufei answered and shrugged. They sat.

Duo was leaning his elbows to his knees and tapping the round, strong tips of his long, slender fingers together.

Wufei sat, one ankle over one knee, his wrist casually over the ankle, and seemed to be observing the ceiling.

'Well, this is ackward.' thought Duo.

Then he said: ”Actually, I'd like to find out, where the hell Trowa went, but I don't know, how we would even begin with that...” and then noticing the questioning look on Wufei's face, he elaborated: ”Trowa, my buddy. The fellow, who beat everybody up.”

They stared at eachother for a second, and then they burst laughing at the exact same time. ”Oooh, my jaws! Stop it! Stop it!” Duo was wailing, trying not to laugh.

Then Wufei stood up. ”I think you should be resting, but I could go and check some places out for you?”

Duo felt like protesting, but he wasn't stupid enough to do so. He knew, that even being up like this, was a bit more then he was allowed. After all, the antibiotics and the painkillers that he was taking were making him somewhat sleepy, even if he tried not to show it, and moving around would risk him hurting himself, somehow.

So, he sighed, and said :”Well, Trowa works at the restaurant next to the alley... It's a tiny pizza-place, I think... I can't remember the name, though.”

”Alright. Got it! Anything in particular you want to know?” Wufei leaped up his seat, suddenly filled with energy.

”Aren't we in a hurry to leave..” Duo could't help himself. Being mean like this wasn't really like him at all, but he was suddenly so scared again in this new situation, that he just could't keep the frogs from leaping out of his mouth.(1)

Wufei was sighing to himself. This was going to be a task, befriending the grumpy guy on the sofa... But something told him, that it would be worth it, and besides, he felt like they were friends already, anyway. ”I can come back in a hurry, too. I could run..?”

Duo gave him a look. He grinned in response, and the atmosphere got lighter right away.

”Well, you don't have to run. Just come back.” And Duo could have kicked himself.

Wufei acted like Duo would have said nothing sappy, and just smiled. He made a small, unconcious bow and went to get his shoes and jacket.(2) Then he yelled a hasty 'goodbye' and was out the door. Duo was left sitting on the sofa, holding his breath.

 

- - -

Wufei pulled his collar up, when a nasty gust of northern wind blew at him, freezing his bones for a moment. One moment warm, the other cold, again. Ah! Spring!

You never knew what to wear in the morning. And if you were especially lucky, you were wearing your thinner jacket, only to notice, that it was snowing outside...

He sped up. People passed him by, in equal hurry, and all cheeks were red, and all eyes were squinting in the wind.

After awhile of this brisk walking, Wufei spotted the restaurant, that Duo was talking about.

Just for curiosity, he passed it by first, to take a peek at this 'back-yard', that Duo had spent time in. He took a couple of steps forward, but decided to just turn back right away, when he spotted a dark stain on the ground.

He actually had to lift his hand over his mouth.

He hurried round the corner, back to the main street and inside the restaurant.

In there, it was wonderfully warm and the air was filled with a delicious aroma. There were green, white, and red decorations hanging from the roof, and the walls were white, paintings here and there, and some ivy climbing around. The furniture was dark wood, and the tablecloths were shining white. Candles were burning on the tables.

”Good day! And what will you have, young sir?”

Wufei was nearly startled out of his pants as the roaring, rumbling voice suddenly attacked him from behing the counter.

”I... I'll just have a coke, please. With ice...” he squeked.

”Coming rii-ight up.” the man said.

After Wufei had payed for the coke and started sipping it, he casually flipped his ponytail, and asked the man: ”By the way, you might know the addres of a friend of mine, his name is Trowa. He works, here, he has said... He's been a bit ill. I'm not sure if he's called you yet, but that's why he hasn't been at work... And I should take him his homework, so that's why...” Wufei's speach got slower and slower, the more he spoke, untill finally he stopped talking alltogether.

While Wufei had been talking, the man's expression had gradually transformed from surprise to disbelief to suspecion.

His face was glowing red, cheeks slightly hanging, and his bleary gray eyes, were squinted in slits. He was leaning over the counter.

”Now what's all this mumbo-jumbo, eh? If this is one of you kids trying to pull a prank, I can tell you RIGHT NOW, that it isn't very much APPRECIATED around here..! So maybe it'd be for the best, if you would just drink that coke, boy and then disppear never to reappear again... eh..?Or MAYBE...We should hold you here, untill the police arrives, to ARREST you for FRAUDING...” and he was leaning threateningly over the counter.

”Umm...” said Wufei, grimacing. He had the ominous feeling, that he had just dug himself in pretty deep, but he had no idea, where and how.

”So..Umm... I could come back another time..?” he began to edge toward the door. (But not before gulping his coke down in a single swallow. He had payed for it, dammit!)

The man came from behing the counter and stalked after him, still squinting his eyes. ”Or maybe, we should just go ahead and call you parents? I wonder, how they would like it, getting a call that states that their little sunshine is con-artist...”

”A...Ah... I'm sorry to have been trouble...” Wufei attempted a hasty bow while trying to run for the door. He could't make it though, before a huge hand had grabbed his collar and yanked him back. ”WERE YOU GOING TO GO AND ROB THE POOR BOY'S HOUSE, WERE YOU? WERE YOU??” and the man was shaking him.

As his teeth were clattering he thought, that though the use of marshal arts was strickly forbidden outside the tatami, perhaps this could have counted as an exception; and that the man sort of had a point, yes, but this wasn't pleasent, by no means, and now he didn't understand anything, since that Trowa-dude could't be here, now could he..?

And then another figure entered the room.

 

--

In the apartment, Duo was trying to drink noodles with a straw. When that didn't work, he gave up, and made himself tea instead, taking the noodles to Une, who didn't want them, since she had just had a sturdy meal, and Duo wished he had a dog.

He could't throw food away. He always began to think of the little hungry faces he had seen in the news, if any food went near the garbage, so he just put the unlucky noodlesoup in the fridge, where no-one would eat it from, and Une would just throw it away, after it had turned unrecognizeable.

 

He took his tea to the telly, and played a little. Then he sighed. Looked at the clock. Sighed.

It should't have taken Wufei longer then half an hour at best.

What was he doing? He should have been back by now...

Duo tried to play some more, but he didn't quite have his heart in it. He decided to draw instead. He went to his room to get his pens and drawing pad, and settled himself on the couch. His pen would only make some random circles on the paper. Then he looked at the clock. Fifteen minutes had passed. He tried to focus again.

After ten more minutes he found himself staring at a doodle that bore a resemblance to Wufei, looking over it's shoulder, obviously running, it's hair wawing in the wind, it's mouth open in horror... he tore the page out and crumbled it in an angry motion, throwing the paper-ball to the floor. Then he sat, staring at it. Then he finally got up, picked up the trash and dropped it in to the trash can. It was pill-time. And right on cue, Une emerged from her room, yawning and asked Duo: ”Have you remembered to taken your medicine?”

”I was just gonna.” Duo muttered, going to the kitchen, followed by his mother.

Une took a glass of juice, put her book on the kitchen table and sat down. Duo took his pils, drinking his water with a straw, and the he sighed.

”Did Wufei go to rent a video?” Une suddenly asked. Damn.

”Umm... Yeah... Umm... No. Umm...”

”What are you up to, this time?” Suddenly Une's eyes turned sharp. ”You know, Duo, you are so bad at lying, that you should just never do it at all.” Duo hung his head down, peering trough his bangs. He hated lies and lying. He never lied, if he could help it. And besides, he felt, that he was entitled to do, what ever he chose to do, so there was no need for lies in his life.

And now...

”Mom? He went to get a buddy... He might be searching for him.. But if he isn't home... I mean, maybe I should go get Wufei? Do you think I could..? Mom..?” He rambled, he knew it. He was also sleepy again, and he knew that too. And Une put her cool hand on his forehead for a moment and sighed. ”No, Duo. I can't let you out in that condition. Really. When did Wufei leave, anyway? I didn't hear him go..?”

”It's been an hour, mom!” said Duo, and lifted his pretty, violet eyes, that were filled with agony, and then he spilled almost the whole story.

That Trowa had been there, too... But he didn't mention any unnecessary details. Just that they had thought he had gone missing, and that he had sent Wufei to query after him.

And now Wufei had gone missing, and he didn't have his phone number... Une listened to her son for awhile, and then she kissed him and went for her coat. ”I'm going to go look. I'll be back in half an hour.I know that restaurant.”

Duo surged forward in a frenzy of gratitude and relief. ”Mom” he yelled, and threw himself at her. Une hugged her son, and smiled. ”Bye, then.” she said, and slipped on her shoes, disappearing from the door.

 

Duo went back to the couch, and started to draw, peacefully. He didn't notice the time go by, untill he finally noticed, how thirsty he was. The he looked up, saw that an hour had passed, and freaked out.

”Zec...” he started ”..hsss...”

But then he remembered, that Zechs wasn't here at all. He was on his own. His jaws hurt, he was sleepy and completely un-able, no matter what it was, that he was supposed to do, and he had lost, not only two new friends, but his mother, also.

He got up, went to quickly suck some water from a glass looking like a hummingbird with his straw, and then he run to put on his shoes and jacket. And just when he was dressed, the door opened and in streamed his mother, looking quite normal, Wufei, looking exhausted, and Trowa who had obvious laughter glinting in his eyes.

”Trowa! Man! I... Wufei!! Mom!!!” Duo wasn't capable of anything more coherent right at that moment. He tried to open his jaws in amazement, but quickly decided against it.

”Well. Mommy found your friends, honey. ” said Une, looking at her son. ”I have a drawing for you..” Duo answered, and felt stupid. But he did. And it was pretty, too. A bench in a park. Nice and quiet in the setting sun... Une smiled, and took of her coat and shoes. Then she proceeded to the living room. All the three boys stripped off their outwear also. Duo didn't dare ask them anything.

Trowa looked like he was bursting and Wufei looked like someone had hit him on the head really hard.

In the livingroom, Une was holding the picture up in front of her, admiring it. ”Thank you”, she said, ”I'm going to go and put this on my wall. I'll stay and lie down, after that... I'm a bit tired...” And the she smiled to the boys one more time, and went to her room.

 

- - -

”Why was mom like that?? Where the hell were you guys? What the hell happened???” Duo was flushed and tried to slurr as agressively, as he could.

That was when Trowa burst laughing.

Wufei gave him a look, and jumped away.

”Just..Talk already!” Duo plopped on the couch, and Trowa sat on his right side, Wufei collapsed on his left.

”Well, it looks like you guys will never be Valiant&Valiant...” Trowa was laughing still. ”What do you mean? And why does he look like that?” Duo was pointing at Wufei, who was just leaning on the back of the couch, looking like he posessed no bones.

 

Trowa started telling. It turned out, that the man had really been about to call the police, because despite the way he liked to adress Trowa, he really liked him, and had been certain, that Wufei was a robber.

Trowa himself had been extrememly surprised to step in to the restaurant to see a 'friend' he did not know, being turned into a milkshake in the hands of his angry boss. That was nothing compared to learning, that he had supposedly been ill the last couple of days, and that the robber was actually trying to cover for him... Then he had recognized Wufei's face and Wufei had piped up, that he knew Duo...

”Pretty close, that he didn't blow my whole cover, that agent of yours... Talking about bringing me my homework... I had to lie, that I was going to nightschool. And then my boss asked me, why Wufei was going to a nightschool, being that young... And then it was distraction time.”

As a distraction Trowa had used the sudden need to clean the kitchen. And, of course, his 'friend' was invited to help.

”Oh, we did some major scrubbin'... Wufei here obviously isn't very used to cleaning. At least the kind of cleaning, we did...” and Trowa proceeded in describing how they had washed the floor, and the all of the surfces available... When they were done, so were Trowa's hours.

But as they stepped out of the kitchen, Une stepped inside the restaurant asking for Wufei and a possible friend who worked here.

Now the owner, who had cooled down while Trowa and Wufei were cleaning, got riled up again. ”Now,WHAT is going on here?!” he had been roaring, almost managing to scare Une.

Trowa didn't know what Une had been explaining, but finally nobody undestood anything anymore, and Une was wiping the tables, while Trowa and Wufei were out scrubbing Duo's blood from the asphalt of the back yard.

At this point Duo flinched, and Trowa put a calming hand on his shoulder. ”It wasn't any fun for me either, believe me...” But instad of relaxing Duo begun to look guilty and unsure instead.

”Hey, hey, hey! I didn't mean it like that...” Trowa rushed to say. ”It's not your fault that somebody hit you. I just meant that the memory of that indicent wasn't nice... And nobody enjoys washing their friend's blood from the pavement..” Duo flinced again, and Trowa's eye sparked. And though Duo looked a little ill, the shadow had disappeared from his face.

”And finally your mother just slipped out from the backdoor, and called to my boss, that we were going, and that we were thanking him of his time...And then she just kind of... Grabbed us. And... Here we are.”

Wufei hadn't moved.

Duo looked like he didn't know wether to laugh or not.

Trowa's eyes were laughing, and the corner of his mouth was twitching.

 

After awhile of trying to rearrange his thoughts Duo finally managed to ask: ” But... You mean..? You mean you were there all the time?” and he was staring at Trowa, who was scratching his head. ”Well, yeah... See... Umm. I'm kinda sorry about going nuts like that, but... Hopefully I didn't hurt anybody too badly? Except that dude who hit you, of course. He had it coming. And more.” Trowa begun to look feral.

”But...” Now Duo was scratching his neck. ”You mean, you just ran out there, kicked people's buts in front of your working place, and then went calmly back inside, wiped the blood and dust of of your clothes and proceeded to work, like usual..?”

”Well.. Take the 'calmly' away and that's pretty much it...” They were stearing at eachother.

”But, you realize, that you could have been sued? Or fired? You mean nobody saw anything at all? And... And... And what about me? Didn't you want to know where I was?” Duo looked puzzled and a bit hurt. His voice quieted down toward the end of the sentence.

”Hey! I wanted to know where you were, but by the time I came back, you weren't there anymore, and I realized, that I had forgotten your last name... Maxwell.

I was kinda in a... Wild state. I go out, see my new pal bleeding on the ground, I panic, I get angry, the said pal tells me to go kill the bastards... No, thinking about it wasn't exatcly the first thing my head told me to do... Actually, it didn't tell me anything... And I was waiting for you to come and tell me you were okay. Like, yesterday.”

They were stearing at eachother some more.

Then Duo got briskly up. ”Okay. It's definitely sleepy-time now. You wanna stay here? Wu's staying.”

Trowa raised his elegant eyebrow. ”No, I have to go home. Sis'll be worried. But I have a day of tomorrow. I could come over. You and me and... Wu could hang out... I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see me...” Duo grinned. ”Yeah. I bet he's dreaming of dishrags right now.”

Wufei had fallen asleep on the couch.

Duo saw Trowa to the door and they decided that Trowa would come over about noon the next day. Then Duo ran to get a pillow from his room, and left it on the couch, next to Wufei. He also threw the afghan over him, and then he went to bed himself, over exhausted, and fell right asleep.

- -

(1)We have this saying, ”to let frogs jump out of your mouth” in my language, and it just means burping an inappropriate thing, and usually many of them. A tacktless person does this.

(2) In my country, you take your shoes of, when you come inside. It's rude to stomp in with your shoes on. And I think it's quite messy and not good for your feet either, to just have your shoes on the whole day...

 

Tbc.