Of House and Home Part 6
August 27
Heero stepped off the train and smiled as Miss Noin came to greet him.
"Heero... it's so good to have you home. Duo's been bouncing off the walls in excitement planning for your 'Welcome Home' party. He's really come into his own this summer." Lucrezia retrieved Heero's trunk and led him to where the car was.
"How has Duo been? I was a little concerned when I heard about his cold" Heero followed Miss Noin and smiled when the car came into view.
"He's rambunctious... that's for sure. A little bit of a prankster, but there is never anything permanent done in his pranks. Quatre managed to smuggle a photo to me that was taken of him when he wasn't looking." Miss Noin put the bag in the back seat and waited for Heero to get in before shutting the door and getting in herself. "He's missed you a great deal. I don't know what would have happened if Wufei hadn't agreed to help him with those exercises."
Heero nodded and looked out the window. "Did he tell you about me?"
Lucrezia nodded. "He did. You don't have to worry, Heero. None of us will say anything bad to you about it. You are who you are. Actually, Duo was ecstatic. The letter mentioning your former foster sister just about crushed him, so I think he's the same way."
Heero relaxed a little. "Where's that picture?"
Miss Noin handed the photo to Heero at a red light and grinned.
Heero just stared at the Polaroid picture. "This is NOT Duo!"
Lucrezia laughed at his flushed face. "That's Duo, all right. Taken just yesterday, actually."
The Duo in the picture was not the Duo he'd last seen when he went to camp. The Duo in the picture was a topless youth with a great tan and a nice muscle tone... rather than the pale, sickly looking youth Heero had imagined when reading the letters. A towel was draped over his shoulders and he was smirking at Wufei, who was nearby with his mouth open. Wufei must have been saying something nice, since he looked as pleased as Duo did.
"Quatre was right... he's gorgeous!"
Lucrezia chuckled as she turned at a corner. "Later on, we're checking up on the site of the new apartment development for the homeless group Duo came from. Do you want to come along and see their reactions?"
Heero smirked and placed the picture in his pocket. "I wouldn't miss it."
*****
Heero walked in the door only to have all the wind knocked out of him as a blur of brown and violet tackled him.
"WELCOME HOME!!!"
Heero blinked up into the smiling face above him. 'Oh my GOD! The picture did NOT to him justice!' He swallowed. "D-Duo?"
Duo blinked and then blushed as he noticed the way Heero was staring at him. "I haven't changed THAT much, have I?"
Heero forced himself to remain calm. "Well... how do I put this?" He decided to just flat out tell Duo his opinion. "You're gorgeous!"
Duo gaped at Heero and his blush intensified as he ducked his head. "You think I'm gorgeous?"
A giggle from the stairs caused both boys to look over at Quatre, who looked WAY too pleased for Heero's liking. Quatre skipped the last step and just jumped to the floor. "You sound so surprised, Heero! Didn't Miss Noin give you the picture we took?"
Duo groaned and hopped to his feet. "Quat-RE! I wanted it to be a surprise!" He pouted and folded his arms in indignation.
Heero pushed himself to his feet. "You needn't have worried. The photo does NOT do you justice. I prefer the real deal. Although the fact that you weren't wearing a shirt..."
Duo squawked and spun on Quatre. "QUATRE!!!"
Quatre shrugged and shook his head. "I wasn't the one who took the picture! I simply pointed the photo opportunity out to Trowa."
Duo threw his hands in the air. "It's a conspiracy! You're all out to get me, I tell you! Heero... see what I've had to put up with while you were away?" He sighed and shook his head. "They're hopeless!"
Trowa came into the room. "You just don't want to admit that you're a bad influence." He walked up to stand beside Quatre and easily drew the blonde to his side.
With that, Duo grinned. "Well... you guys were all WAY too uptight. You needed me to shake you all up. Sort of my thank you for taking me in in the first place, ya know?" He spun to Heero and grabbed his bag. "Come on! I'll help you unpack!"
*****
Helping unpack seemed to consist of Duo sitting on the bed and chatting while Heero did the actual work. Heero didn't mind, though. He liked hearing Duo's cheerful voice. "You never mentioned that you were helping Trowa and Quatre build a treehouse." Heero glanced at Duo and smirked. "Nor that you got Wufei to teach you origami. You must have a menageries in your room."
Duo shrugged. "It didn't seem important. I'm sure you didn't tell me everything that was going on."
Heero shook his head. "There really wasn't that much to tell. I built the laptop, slept, ate, and spoke to my foster sister. That's about it."
Duo frowned. "Didn't you have any fun?"
Heero chuckled. "I had fun building the laptop and reading your letters. What more fun did I need?"
Duo sighed. "Socialization, Heero! Getting a tan! Swimming! Gaining five pounds that you'll have to lose!"
Heero shook his head. "How would I be able to gain five pounds with the swimming?" Heero pulled the laptop out of the box he had put it in for protection and handed it to Duo with a smile. "Besides... I kept thinking of the expression on your face when I gave this to you."
Duo took the laptop and laughed softly. "You know... this is possibly the most expensive gift anyone's ever given to me."
Whatever Heero's reply was was lost when the doorbell rang.
Duo frowned. "I wonder who that is!"
*****
Lucrezia walked over to the door and opened it to reveal a teenage girl who appeared to be Chinese. "Can I help you?"
The girl smiled. "Yes, please. Could you please tell me if this is where Chang Wufei lives?"
Lucrezia blinked and then nodded. "Yes... would you come inside and sit down? I'll get him for you."
The girl bowed a little and entered. "Thank you very much."
Wufei was already at the base of the stairs when Lucrezia turned.
"Oh! Wufei! There's someone here to see you." The smile she was going to give him died when she noticed that he was glaring at the girl.
His voice was on the verge of pure anger. "Meiran."
Meiran simply smiled. "Wufei." She turned to Lucrezia. "Please... may we speak together in private?" She indicated the group of teenage boys that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Lucrezia nodded and motioned to the game room. "I'll brew some tea for the two of you."
Meiran nodded. "That is very kind of you. Do you have green tea?"
Wufei snorted. "You know very well that I only drink green tea. If I am here, so too is there green tea. You wish to talk to me, well talk already and get out of here."
Meiran frowned. "Just because my presence displeases you... that is no reason to show bad manners to a guest. The least you could have done is wait until we are alone to be rude to me. Then I would not have lost face in front of your housemates."
Lucrezia held up a hand. "Wufei... I am sorry to interrupt, but who is this?"
Wufei sighed in resignation. "Miss Noin... this is Chang Meiran."
Lucrezia tilted her head in question. "Is she your sister?"
Meiran's eyes widened and she burst into a fit of giggles. "Forgive me! I am not Wufei's sister. I am his wife."
Everyone else in the room blinked. "WIFE!?!"
Duo slid down the banister and sidled up to poke Wufei in the arm. "Yo! Wu-man! You never told me you were married! Did you forget?"
Wufei rolled his eyes. "I WISH! It was an arranged marriage... set up the instant they knew Meiran was going to be a girl." He sighed again. "What are you doing here?" He frowned as he looked through the still-open door. "And WHY do you have what looks like your entire wardrobe with you?"
Meiran frowned in puzzlement. "Did you not get my letters? I TOLD you I was coming!"
Duo's jaw dropped. "Oi! He tore them all up after that first one."
Wufei clenched his teeth. "WHY did you come?"
Meiran folded her arms and glared at Wufei. "Since you want this to be heard by everyone, I will say it now. I am here to cook and clean for my husband, which is what any dutiful wife should do. A woman's place is by her husband's side... what is that American saying? Oh! Yadda yadda yadda!" She snorted. "Unlike YOU, I am not a coward!"
Wufei sputtered. "COWARD!?! You DARE call me a coward?"
Meiran shrugged. "You ran away from your responsibilities. That is a sign of cowardice, is it not? Now will you STOP doing your impersonation of a red snapper and tell me where our room is."
"OUR ROOM?" Wufei was beet red from anger.
"Yes, husband. OUR room! Surely you do not expect your wife, mother of your unborn child, to sleep anywhere but next to you. Honestly, Chang Wufei! I thought you had more honor than that! I suppose you would have me sleep on the floor?" Meiran stopped when she noticed that Wufei had gone from red to white... from anger to shock. "Yes, you heard me right! I am carrying your child conceived on our wedding night."
Wufei's knees seemed to give under his weight and he sat on the floor... HARD. "You never told me."
Meiran snorted. "In the last letter I sent, I did! You tore it up, though." Her anger faded somewhat into sorrow. "Had I not come, would you have stayed away? Would you have had me bring our little one into the world and raise it alone without you beside me to lend your wisdom? You would not have come back. I know you too well. I had no choice, Wufei. I HAD to come. They took your inheritance and passed it to Lao. I had no where else to go. Maybe you have no need of the money, but I would have been penniless."
Wufei's head was bowed and his shoulders were shaking. "I... I am not worthy of you. I am not a warrior like the rest of the clan is."
Meiran snorted and sat beside Wufei. "And you assume that I wish to have a warrior? You are strong the way you are, Wufei. You have the wisdom that I lack. There is no dishonor in having a wife who fights better than you do. That idealism went out when Fa Mulan saved the Emperor of China. Now... enough of this talk. Show me where I may put my things."
Wufei nodded and stood. He went to the door and hefted up both of Meiran's bags. "Miss Noin... we will require a bigger bed in our room. Until one is placed in there, Meiran shall sleep on my bed, and I shall reside on the sofa."
Noin smiled warmly. "Of course, Wufei. Meiran... welcome to our home."
Duo grinned at Meiran. "Hey, Mei! I'm Duo... a street rat taken in. Lucky for me you didn't show up sooner, or I might not have been pulled in!"
Heero nodded and walked over to put an arm around Duo's shoulders. He blushed a little at the curious look Duo was giving him. "My name is Heero, I'm an orphan who was placed in several foster homes. I was never adopted, though, so I was brought here."
Quatre smiled as Duo shyly put an arm around Heero's waist. Those two made such a nicely matched pair. "I'm Quatre. I was brought here after Child Welfare liberated me from a basement."
Meiran blinked. "Basement?"
Wufei sighed. "It is a long story... one which I know. I'll tell you about it later."
Meiran nodded and didn't ask Quatre to elaborate.
Trowa smiled. "And I'm Trowa. My family recently died in a fire... so here I am."
Duo shrugged. "We're a motley crew, but you're welcome here!"
Meiran giggled. "Thank you."
TBC...
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