Together, Part 1 Paz Enai
Disclaimers: I won nada, not the store names (ecxept, later, GothicFaszion), not the chars and not the orriginal plot they are from.. if i did i wouldnt be majoring in design and working at food service to pay it off.
Sally sat at her desk going over, once again the report that one of her officers had handed in. She was supposed to be reading it over and summarizing it for her superiors, but the black haired boy next to her, her partner, was making her anxious and overly concerned. Thus, her mind would wander and she would look up to him in an attempt to discern what it was he was thinking. This time he saw her, "Sally, don't you have a report to file? You're beginning to bother me. Do your work so I will be able to concentrate on mine."
He turned back away to the report that he was filing about a base one of his officers had found in the Lake Victoria region. It was his responsibility to make sure that all the important details got to his supervisor, and he didn't want some woman to louse up his report.
"Ah, I'm sorry Wufei," she replied, "It's just that this report was written so poorly." A lie, but she didn't want him to know what was really bothering her. She knew Wufei would believe her, he tended to trust her more than most other people, and she liked that, but it always made her feel like an awkward second-mother.
Since the war ended she had noticed that a certain light had faded from his eyes. She wasn't sure what it was at first. She knew it wasn't because he would never see the other pilots again, since he had never really partnered up with them too much in the first place. As time went on, he seemed to act a more reclusive, as if he was trying to ignore the fact that he had ever had any glow in his eyes at all. Of course, he never talked to Sally about it, but after working with him for almost two years, she was sure that she understood him well enough that if she had just paid close enough attention she could figure out what it was on her own.
Of course, this proved futile and she was somewhat forced to bring in back up. She asked another co-worker of theirs; a woman especially fond of the young Chinese boy, if she could look for anything she thought was odd about his behavior. The woman, not much older than Sally, agreed since she was always trying to engage in conversation with him anyway.
It was a good two weeks before the woman approached Sally with anything, and when she came she was flushed and full of tears. She exclaimed that she didn't know why she ever thought that she had a chance at him.
"His heart's already taken! I never knew...He must hate me for following him around all this time."
It took Sally a good hour to calm the woman down and get her to explain what had been the matter. The woman replied, "I went to go ask him for something I needed from his files for a report I was assigned. When I stepped in to his office he was on the phone so I waited just outside the door. He was facing the other way, so he didn't know I was there. When I heard him talk… It was as if he was free to say whatever it was that he wanted. I've never heard him sound so happy. He told the person on the line things he would never even hint here at work. He explained to the person that 'Yes, Sally's okay...No I haven't gone on any dates here, why would I? What have you been up to up in that colony that you live in? Really? How are your friends at the shop?' He also asked about some woman. I think her name was Hilde, yeah 'Do you still live in that apartment with Hilde?' " Again the woman broke into tears. "If I had known that he had already cared so much for someone else I would have never... I would never..."
Sally was taken back by several things that the woman had told her: the first was indeed what he had told and asked the person on the line, the next was the person knew her, maybe even personally, then there was the fact of the colony, and Hilde. It had to be Duo. But why would Wufei act like this on a phone call to Duo? Or had Duo called him? He never asked anyone anything of the sort; besides, didn't he hate the braided boy?
"Some thing's weird here. Can you please keep your eye on him still? I know it might be a little painful for you, but quite frankly, this makes me more worried than ever."
"Hey, man! Thanks for letting me use the phone! When the bill comes I promise to pay for that call, it was to Earth, so it'll cost a lot. You can have it in writing if you want" said Duo to one of his co-workers at the shop.
It was an unusually hot and muggy day on the colony, so the lot of men on the job at this hour had all agreed in loud protest that the weather center had to be on the fritz again.
"Man another stinking hot day!" one of them exclaimed, wiping the sweat from his brow. "If I had known that the colonies would be like this, I would have stayed on Earth!"
Jeff agreed, "Yeah it is too hot." He looked at the phone that Duo had just returned to him and checked the time on the call. Half an hour. Duo would get no break to eat today. He wondered who the hell on Earth Duo could have been talking to for half of an hour. What the HELL has gotten into that boy he thought as he saw the chipper version of the boy that he hadn't seen for almost two years. Does he have a girl back on Earth that he hasn't told us about? No way, he lives with that cute girl that used to supply us with parts, doesn't he? He isn't cheating on someone from Earth is he? But Jeff quickly pushed this out of his head. There was no way that Duo would cheat on someone; he was too pure and honest. Then what was it? He never acted this way when Hilde came by the workshop.
Trying to get back to work Jeff put the phone in his pocket and put his gloves back on. He went over to the out-dated Mazda and asked if the crew had found any reason why it wasn't running yet. The owner wanted it back ASAP, so he was angry when they replied with a no. This helped to erase his thoughts for a while and after some deliberation they found the problem and started work to get it repaired.
When they, his crew, had finished with this car he told them that he was going to take his lunch-break now, if they needed him they knew to just call him over. He watched from his makeshift desk as his crew, Duo one of them, started to work on the next automobile, a much newer model than the Mazda that they had just repaired.
Almost two years ago Duo had come into the shop, at only 16, and asked if he could get a job. Jeff remembered his Super going nuts at the boy for even asking. That year was Jeff's first year as a crew manager. After watching his Super tear the boy to shreds for almost twenty minutes, Jeff left his crew to aid the boy, who's expression hadn't changed the entire time. He'd had this exasperated look on his face when he had come in, and it was still there when Jeff entered his Supers office. He must've gone to multiple shops before this one and gotten much the same answer from all of them, a pity.
Jeff remembered how he had asked his Super for permission to speak and then turned to the boy without waiting for the OK.
"Hey, kid, why do you wanna work at a mechanical shop? Don'cha want to work somewhere a little cleaner? You're young, what's wrong with fast food, or a supermarket?" he remembered how his heart had nearly cried for the boy when he answered:
"Because I'm an uneducated orphan. I have no green card so I can't get work at any place like that. Besides, the markets won't let me work because when I was growing up I had a bad record of stealing. The only thing I can think to do is work mechanics. I was in the war and was responsible for my own suit, so I know what I'm doing. Also, before you ask it, I can't go to college without a high school diploma, so I can't even go to college to learn for a better job, not that I would have the money to pay for it anyway. Does that answer your questions and those not yet asked?" he had replied, straight faced looking so thickly into Jeff's eyes that he swore the boy was able to see his thoughts.
Jeff's Super had been absolutely silent, other than an uneasy stir he had made at his unorganized desk. After a few more moments of silence he the Super said, "Okay, you're hired, but you have to show me what you can do first. If you are able to do exactly what it is that needs to be done than I'll officially hire you, but for now, you're off the books, agreed?"
Duo had spun to face the Super and his expression had changed dramatically. "Are you KIDD'N me? Really? I'm hired!" He had laughed so whole heartedly that Jeff found himself smiling. His super was still not amused but he at least looked like he now couldn't be held responsible if the boy was lying. He had given the kid a shot, if he failed it was his own doing, and yet, Duo was still here. The Super would boast to all his other new employees how Duo was his child prodigy, at almost half the age at most the other men and nearly twice as effective.
Jeff looked down at his watch. He had gone past his half an hour break by 5 minutes, so he would make himself stay a little late again today, not that he wouldn't end up staying late anyway. It was usually him and Duo who would stay to do final touches on most of the late night repairs to get them out for the customers to get them the next morning just so that more could come in.
Sally sat as usual, at the desk next to Wufei and started to read her latest report. Since the incident with the phone Chang had returned, mostly, to his usual self, although there was still a hint of the shine that had once been in his eyes. Feeling unsure of what to do Sally had decided last night to ask him if anything interesting had happened lately, but he replied with the usual "Hmm? Woman, I have work to do, if you would please be quiet."
Sally was sick of this. Sure, she wasn't his mother, sure it was technically none of her business, but how could she work with someone who wouldn't even talk about anything?
"Wufei, I am sick of this. Why don't you speak up, huh? I'm sure there are some things that are best kept to one's self, but you can't keep it all in. There is only so much room in your heart to hold things. You're going to end up hurting yourself," she pleaded.
Wufei looked at her sharply and glared like she had never seen him do before. "Woman, you are prying far to deeply for your own good. Whatever ideas you have in your head are yours alone, don't go throwing them at me, as I do not wish to hear them. If you want to say something, I hope it is about your report, and not about trying to find out things about me. If I find out that you have been snooping I will demand a transfer, then you can worry all you like, but I won't be a part of it. Does that sound like something you want 'mother' " he threw the word mockingly at her, sure that it would end the discussion.
"WU-FEI, Goddamnit! What has gotten into you? You used to be sure and collected, now you're just a work-obsessive hermit. Why don't you just talk to someone about… something, anything would be nice. What you think about your report, about the weather about them goddamn Yankees, anything for crying out loud," she exclaimed in a loud voice. The office door was closed, so no one outside could hear, thankfully. She stood up and walked to the other side of the small room, "Just tell me something so I don't have to worry," she said lowly, all the strain of watching him seal himself away from the rest of humanity thick in her expression.
He let out a deep sigh and his expression turned soft, his eyes focusing on his paper, "I'm sorry Sally, but I just can't"
FINAL EDITED VERSION!
