Of House and Home Part 4
June 5 (continued)
Lucrezia Noin smiled a little as she watched Heero in the health food section. "Heero... is there a problem?"
"I'm looking for something for Duo to snack on while we're watching the movie later. The chips Trowa chose are all very well and good, but... Duo should have something not as heavy in salt and grease." He motioned to the rows of small packages. "I was thinking one of these trail mixes would be good." Heero pulled one to look at and smiled. "Here's one that's mostly fruit. I think fruits are better right now. They're not as hard to chew on most of the time."
Noin watched Heero make a few careful selections. "You... you're really concerned about Duo."
Heero blushed a little. "One of the foster homes I was in... had a little boy that needed to be taken care of. They would have adopted me, but... the little boy had to go into the hospital. I... I chose to go back to the orphanage rather than have them pay money they needed for the bills they were getting. We still keep in touch." Heero took a deep breath and placed his shields back up. "It's nice... to have someone to look after again."
There were other items in the basket Heero had. There was a jigsaw puzzle that was small enough to put together on a snack table, a deck of playing cards, and a few books... one science fiction novel and two puzzle books. There was also a package of pencils, a hairbrush, a comb, a package of elastic bands... as well as a few other toiletries that were obviously not for him.
Wufei walked up and snorted at the selections. "For the street kid? You assume he can read."
Heero glared at Wufei. "And you assume that he can't. Give him some credit, Wufei. He can't be blamed for his circumstances. He's hardly old enough to work, and not many people would hire a homeless person anyway so back off!"
Lucrezia almost felt relieved at Heero's protective tone. She knew Duo would have a tough time adjusting to life in a stable environment where he wouldn't have to worry about finding shelter when the weather got bad or when he'd get his next meal. Wufei's attitude wouldn't help the boy at all. Quatre was sweet, but Lucrezia felt that Heero would be just what Duo needed. Someone to look after him, but not coddle him. Someone who would stand up for him, but let him stand on his own when he was finally capable of doing so. Heero was the perfect choice. "If there is nothing else you think Duo will need tonight, Heero..."
"Clothes. Duo is going to need his own clothes. At least a pair of pajamas and some socks and underwear. At least until he's got enough strength to go shopping with us."
Lucrezia nodded. "Mil is taking care of that. We're meeting him in the van." She headed for the checkout line.
*****
Heero practically dropped his bags when he saw Duo curled up on the floor. "Duo!"
Sally beat Heero to Duo's side and pulled him into a sitting position and shone a light into his eyes to check the dilation. "Duo? Duo... wake up!"
Duo groaned and batted at Sally's hand as she shone the penlight into his eyes again. "Quit it! I'm okay!"
Heero let out a breath. "What were you doing on the floor?"
"I didn't feel right sleeping on the sofa! I'm not used to it!" Duo rubbed his eyes tiredly. He yelped as he was hauled back onto the couch. "HEY!"
"Unless you want me to delve into my meager savings, and have the entire floor covered in mattresses, you'll GET used to sleeping on either the sofa or your bed. Is that clear?"
Duo glared at Heero. "Why should YOU care?"
Heero glared back. "Because you're here! When I was brought here, I made it my mission to do whatever it took to see to the well being of my fellow housemates. Sleeping on the floor is NOT conducive to your well being!"
Duo opened his mouth to retort and found his complaint cut off by a piece of dried pineapple. He tried to glare at Heero, but he had a small problem. It was hard to be pissed when his taste buds were singing the Hallelujah Chorus. He'd always had a ridiculous fondness for pineapples.
Quatre giggled from where he was standing. "Looks like you lost that argument!"
Duo couldn't help but smile back at the shy boy's teasing. "Laugh it up! You won't find it as funny if it happens to you."
Noin winced as Quatre's eyes went wide with barely masked hurt. She reached out to him, but not before he turned and fled the room. For a second she debated going after the boy, but saw that she would need to act as referee... so she sent the next best thing. "Trowa... go after him. I'll be up in a while."
Trowa nodded and gave one good glare to Duo before running up the stairs... barely hearing Duo ask what he said.
*****
Quatre huddled in the darkness, hugging himself tightly as he wept. He hadn't meant to make Duo angry. He hadn't meant to upset him at all. He yelped as the light came on. "TURN IT OFF!!! PLEASE!!!" He almost sighed as the light was switched off, only to jump as he felt arms go around him. "I'm sorry!"
Trowa gently rocked Quatre in an effort to soothe. "Shhh... don't apologize Quatre. You have nothing to be sorry for." He rubbed Quatre's arm gently. "You did nothing wrong at all."
"Then... why is Duo mad at me?"
Trowa shook his head... understanding in a heartbeat. "He isn't. You made a joking comment, and he responded in kind. Here I thought he had frightened you."
"No... but I don't understand him. One minute he's all angry, the next he's joking. I don't know how to treat him."
Trowa chuckled and gave Quatre a squeeze. "We were warned about the mood swings. Plus he's bound to be a bit defensive due to his situation before coming here. Give him some time to adjust. Come on. Let's go back downstairs. I'll bet anything Duo is just as confused as you are... and probably feeling guilty."
Quatre smiled a little and let Trowa help him to his feet. "Thank you, friend Trowa."
Trowa returned the smile fondly and brushed Quatre's platinum blonde hair away from his jewel-toned eyes. "Any time you need someone to talk to, Quatre, I'll listen. No matter what time or what reason. I promise I will never turn you away." In the short time he had known Quatre, he'd felt an urge to protect the blonde. This sparkling little spirit who had been locked away for something beyond his control... yet managed to remain kind and sweet-natured.
Quatre flushed at the tender caress. He had known that he had always found boys more attractive than girls. He had also always believed in love at first sight. More so when he met Trowa. Something told him not to move quickly, but to cherish the friendship and let it grow. He smiled at the hope that the friendship might blossom into something he had prayed for since he hit adolescence.
*****
Duo was huddled under a blanket when Trowa and Quatre came down. Quatre felt bad for the thin youth and sat beside him, only to gasp as Duo reached over and hugged him.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you! Please don't hate me!"
Quatre smiled and carefully hugged Duo back. "It's okay. You're going through mood swings. I forgot about that. Besides... you didn't know it would upset me."
Duo shook his head. "Ignorance is no excuse."
Sally and Lucrezia entered the room. Sally set up a snack table near Duo and placed a plate with a variety of small fruit pieces and cheese chunks. "Here. Don't feel as if you have to eat it all. Just eat one piece at a time... slowly."
"I know." Duo rolled his eyes and looked at the plate. He blinked a couple of times when he saw chunks of a yellow fruit on the plate. Not being able to resist, he picked a piece of fresh pineapple up and chewed with his eyes closed and an ecstatic look on his face.
Noin smiled a little. "You really like pineapples, huh?"
Duo moaned and nodded. "They were a rare treat while my parents were still alive."
Trowa frowned a little. "What happened to them?"
Duo paused in his eating and took a breath. "A car ran over the box they were sleeping in." His voice lowered to a whisper. "I've been terrified of cars ever since."
Noin blinked. "Is THAT why you were so scared when we were bringing you to Sally's office?"
Duo ducked his head. "Yeah. I knew that I was sick... it was a relief to know what I had was treatable. The thought of riding in one of those... things... terrified me."
Quatre swallowed. "How... how old were you?"
Duo shrugged. "Really little. About six or seven."
Noin leaned over and wrapped her arms around Duo. "And no one took you in?"
Duo bit his lip, not used to the comfort being offered. "Orphanages were full, and the child welfare authorities were too busy. They don't go for street kids unless they cause trouble. They never bothered with me."
Heero frowned and placed a hand on Duo's shoulder. "No one... should slip into the cracks."
Duo shuddered once and hesitantly returned the hug Noin was giving him. "I'll try not to make you regret taking me in."
Noin pulled back and smiled at the boy as she caressed his cheek in a sisterly way. "I KNOW I won't regret it."
*****
June 12
Noin smiled as she sorted the mail. "Hmmm... Quatre, Quatre, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, Quatre, Heero... Duo?" She smiled at the envelope. It was about the size of a greeting card. 'They must really care about him to spend money like that on him.' She shook her head and sorted the envelopes. "MAIL CALL!!!!"
All five boys reacted differently. Quatre practically bolted out of his room with Trowa following at a more sedate pace. After a moment, Heero stepped out of his room looking casual. Duo came out next. Although clean and a healthier shade, he still tired out easily, so he took his time. Wufei came out last and made it look as if he were coming out for something else all together.
"You will never believe it, but each of you has something." She handed the envelopes out and watched Duo carefully. At her announcement, he looked as if he were about to faint. She gave the envelope to him and let him sit down as he opened it.
Trowa peeked over Quatre's shoulder. "Which ones sent you mail this time?"
The sisters that had left home long ago had started writing to Quatre the instant Iria had told them that they could without worrying about their father interfering. Each letter boosted Quatre's sense of self-worth.
Quatre smiled as he flipped through them. "Iria, of course, Lily, Jasmina and Caroline. Who sent you a letter?"
Trowa shook his head and looked at the envelope. "The ringmaster of the circus where my parents used to perform." He opened the envelope and read the letter. "It's basically a condolences letter stating that I have a home at the circus if I want one." He shrugged. "I don't want the circus, though."
Wufei quickly tore his own letter up muttering in Chinese. No one asked him what the letter had said.
Heero frowned as he read over his own letter.
Duo noticed the frown. "What's up, Heero?"
Heero's voice was subdued. "The people who were my foster parents for a while... the ones who almost adopted me... they enrolled me in a summer computer camp. I... I had mentioned to them once that I always wanted to go to one. I guess... they remembered."
Duo fought his own frown. He liked having Heero's company, but he didn't want Heero to think he should give up his life for Duo's sake. "Hey, that's great! You ARE gonna go, right? I mean, it'd be pretty foolish to pass this opportunity up."
Heero was quiet a moment and then nodded. "They must have saved a great deal of money for this. I don't want to seem ungrateful... I have to be at the bus station in about 3 days."
Quatre felt the tension in the air and then cleared his throat. "How long will you be gone?"
Heero sighed and read the letter again. "Until the end of August... I return on the 27th." He didn't like the idea of being away from Duo so long. The boy still needed some looking after.
Duo saw Heero's calculating look and then sighed. "Heero... don't worry about me. There will be five to six people here who are fully capable of making sure I don't push myself, and one of them is a doctor." He folded his arms and frowned. "If you give this up for MY sake, I won't be able to forgive myself."
Heero nodded. "Well, then... I'll go pack my things."
TBC...
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