To Meet Again
Part 7:
Recuperation
~~~
Knote: Tanks to my beta Stormlight! *gives Stormy a huuug* Oh yeah…and putain mean's whore in French. Juuust so yas know. ^_^
~~~
"Don't you ever do that again!" Was what Nick said, but it sounded like: 'Donshu evare do zat again!' His accent apparently got thicker when he was agitated and at the moment he was barely understandable.
"I thought I was going to have a heart attack! What were you thinking going out in that storm?! You could have gotten hypothermia or frost bite or…" Jason sighed impatiently at the two fingers wagging in his face. He deserved this lecture, lord knew he deserved it, but he wished they wouldn't start it now. His head was beginning to ache and his nose was sore from all the tissues.
"I know, I know, I'm sorry." Which actually sounded more like: 'I dow, I dow, I'm thorry.'
"You'd better be! Mon Dieu!" Nick slumped on the couch, putting a dramatic hand to his forehead. Jason stared at him, half in disgust. The man could even slump gracefully. Duncan sat on his other side, grabbed a tissue and gave a honk that would give an elephant a run for its money. If Jason didn't know any better, he would have said Duncan had purposefully caught a worse cold just to make him feel bad.
"In any case, we are not leaving your side until we know you're not going to do anything foolish." Jason rolled his eyes, but otherwise didn't protest. He didn't plan on doing anything foolish again…in fact he was beginning to feel rather foolish…but he enjoyed the company. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the couch. He should have never acted the way he did. That woman had been his Cassandra, there was no doubt about that…but so what if she was? So what if she were in love with another man? After all, she couldn't be expected to still like…or even remember someone she had met in third grade. He should be glad she didn't turn out as pathetic as he did. Besides, what could she possibly want in him anyway? He was just a thirty-year-old burger flipper.
"Am I invited to your pity party?" Duncan asked dryly, jabbing a light elbow into his ribs. Jason rolled his head to the side to fix his friend with a half hearted glare.
"Be quiet trumpet boy. Tell me, can you play a tune or just blow?"
"Look who's talking," Duncan said, throwing a clean tissue at him and turning his glare to it as it fluttered harmlessly to the ground. "And anyway," he continued, picking up the tissue and folding it carefully before throwing it in the trash. "If I have a cold it's your fault."
Okay, enough was enough; it was time to turn Duncan's ire onto someone else. While he thought he used another tissue and finished off his orange juice. Then he leaned back and wrapped the quilt more snugly around him.
"I know a certain person, Monsieur Nick, who doesn't even have a sniffle," Jason said, turning his gaze to the short man.
"That is because I am special," he said, tapping the right side of his chest and winking. "And on top of that, I'm not a buffoon like you two. As soon as it started getting bad I went inside a shop." Jason rolled his head back to eye his younger friend.
"What say you Duncan? Shall we breathe on him?"
"Sounds like a good idea." Jason turned and lunged for Nick who laughed and danced off the couch, out of arms reach.
"Not that it would have worked, but I don't want to smell your breath." He said, making an exaggerated gesture of disgust. Jason sniffed at him and a pillow flew from somewhere on his other side and smacked the Frenchman upside the head.
"Good aim Duncan," Jason said, resting his head back.
"Dank you," the twenty-year-old said, and proceeded to do Moose mating calls with his nose.
"If you two are done spreading your germs everywhere…let's see what's on television." Nick tossed the pillow casually back. A soft yelp indicated it had hit its target. Jason watched as Nick sat on the couch and folded one leg over the other. He rolled his eyes. Europeans.
The television clicked on.
"And in the news today…"
"Barney is a dinosaur! …"
"Oh Jon! I'm having Mark's baby!"
"And you put the eggs in…" A few minutes later Nick had managed to flip through all one hundred and ninety-nine channels.
"And our headline story…"
"Let's imagine kids!"
"Ashley! No! You can't leave me!
"And then bake it for…"
"Oh for the love of…" Jason started.
"Pick something!" Duncan snapped.
"All right…" Nick said and changed to the TV Guide channel, muttering something in French.
"Don't think I don't understand that," Duncan called out.
"Oohh ferme labuch!"
"What I want to know is," Duncan continued. "Why you can't seem to pay your electricity or phone bills on time and yet you have two hundred channels?"
"One hundred and ninety-nine thank you very much, Cinemax doesn't come in too well."
"Well it's not like you watch much TV anyway Jason. So why…?"
"You heard what Nick said…shut up." The fact of the matter was, he did watch TV. A lot. On the weekends when he was all alone…and during Christmas…and New Years…and lord he was pathetic.
"You're watching E!" the TV announced brightly. Jason lifted his head and crossed his arms behind it.
"Glory, glory halleluiah you actually picked something," Duncan said. "Now if only you could apply that to dating."
"I am two seconds from ramming this pillow up your rear!"
"I wouldn't let you, you'd enjoy it too much," Duncan said with a grin Jason could practically feel. Nick let out a shriek to make Xena proud, clambered over his lap and proceeded to beat Duncan furiously with a couch cushion.
"Ack! Mercy! Mercy! I'm sick!"
"I don't care if you're dying!"
"And all the big celebrities are being seen at Colorado, just in time for the Olympics in Aspen," the TV lady announced. Nick squealed and bounced back to his seat, much to the relief of the twenty-year-old.
"First to arrive and first to be seen is twenty-six year old actor and part-time singer, Julio Remeraz!" Nick burst out laughing. Jason raised his eyebrow. Juilo was tall, tan and slim with long dark hair and yellow eyes. He really didn't see anything funny about that.
"Julio always likes to think he's the best," Nick said. "He's hideous in bed!"
"Nick used to date him," Duncan explained.
"Ah."
"And he cheated on me with that putain Ryuu! Ash always said she was a slut!"
"Ash used to date her," Duncan said.
"Well now I officially know way more then I need to about you Nick," Jason said.
"You can never know too much about moi," Nick said, blowing him a kiss.
"I beg to differ," Duncan said.
"You're all ready on my list so you'd better watch it."
"So, Julio, is it true that you were forced to bring your former babysitter's children along for the ride?" the perky lady asked. The Latino actor gave her a look that promised certain death. Then he lifted his nose and shoved past her. A few more celebrities went by without comment from anyone. But an auburn haired Country singer, Zack something, got a purr from Nick.
"This twenty-nine year old Japanese pop star is making his way into American hearts and homes. Ladies and Gentleman, Andy Wong!" the TV lady chirped. The singer was tall and slim with long hair like Juilo, but there the similarities ended. He was pale and his hair was a golden brown color that hung over his shoulder. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses but somehow Jason knew they were gold.
"What? No comment from the peanut gallery?" Duncan said. Jason looked over at Nick and raised his eyebrows. Nick had both hands clapped over his mouth and his eyes were so wide that mice could use them as card tables.
"Mooon Dieeeuuu…I would love to practice on him."
"Practice what?" Duncan asked. There was actual curiosity in his voice and Jason had the sinking feeling that Duncan really didn't know.
"Welll…" Nick started. Jason held up a hand.
"Tell him later. I, for one, do not want to know."
"Awww, you're no fun," Nick said, whapping him lightly on the arm. The bubbly voice of the TV woman stilled any further conversation.
"So, Andy, you know you're gorgeous right?" she asked. Wong smiled and sparkles began to flit around him.
"Of course. Not many can compare." His voice had a Japanese accent, but he sounded as if he'd been speaking English for a while.
"He can't be serious. No one could possibly be that arrogant." Duncan said. But he was. Jason was sure he was…and furthermore…he was sure Duncan knew he was too. It was so strange; it was like he knew Andy Wong without knowing him. It was the same feeling he'd had when he'd first met Nick.
"What's wrong with being honest? He is the most gorgeous man alive!" Nick said, batting his eyes and sighing.
"If you swoon I'm not reviving you," Jason said, and was rewarded by a smack with the couch cushion. The TV woman responded to this by laughing a big, fake laugh.
"And a sense of humor too."
"Hai. I'm so glad you noticed."
The woman laughed again, more obviously fake. Jason was sure that if she could say oy, she would have said it.
"So, is there any truth to the rumor that you're dating your manager, Kanashii Ryuu?"
"There better not be any truth to it!" Nick snapped, standing on the couch. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides and his lips were pressed together so hard they were white.
"Let's change the channel," Jason said, hastily reaching for the remote.
"Non!" Nick snapped. "I want to see!" Just then, a woman with golden blond hair and deep blue eyes came up to Andy one hip at a time. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissed him, smiled a little for the camera then left, nearly dragging the man behind her.
"Sayonara minna!" Andy said, waving and blowing kisses to the camera. Nick looked about ready to put his fist through the TV. Jason grabbed the remote and hastily changed the channel. Nick remained standing, his brown eyes blazing.
"Are you going to be okay Nicky?" Duncan asked, voice almost child like. Nick slowly sat and folded his arms tightly across his chest.
"Oui…don't worry. But if I ever see that putain again I'm going to wring her neck. How does she have the nerve to do what she does? She just uses them!" Nick then continued his tirade in French, leaving Jason totally lost. At this point he was rather glad to be. Even though Nick's loud voice wasn't helping his headache any, he was glad that they were here. As long as they'd been here, he hadn't thought about Cassandra once. Well…not more then once. They can't stay forever Jason, the sensible part of his mind said. They'll leave sooner or later…and then what are you going to do? Well…he'd just have to put Cassandra out of his mind. Totally forget about her… and maybe along the way he could forget how to breathe…
