A/N: Holy Cricket! Last Sunday this story got the highest number of views in a single day so far for my fics. We've also surpassed the thousand view mark. Y'all are so sweet! Apparently I'm doing something right as no one has told me otherwise.

FYI: I might lose internet access this week for an undetermined amount of time. I don't know for sure when that might happen. But I PROMISE I am not abandoning this fic. I may have to change what day I post until I get reliable access again. Thanks so much for your patience.

And if you need something to read in between chapters on this one, feel free to check out my other fic. It has more chapters posted at this time but is subject to the same possible delay in posting of further chapters. :)


Chapter 7

Quatre woke and quickly silenced his alarm. He was stiff and sore, but forced himself out of bed. In the bathroom he looked over his new bruises. It was hard to tell which ones they were, but he did notice that a few of his older ones had gone from blackish-purple to greenish-yellow. At least Tony made sure to hit him where his clothes would cover it up. He sighed and was about to get into the shower when he remembered that was expected to do yard work. The shower would be completely pointless in a couple of hours, so he skipped it.

He dressed quickly and slipped down the stairs. He was as quiet as possible because if Tony was hung over—'If?' Quatre nearly snorted at the absurdity of the thought—he wouldn't appreciate being woken up. Tony was snoring loudly on the couch. Quatre peeked in to find the room a complete disaster area. He tiptoed around, cleaning up the mess. He then left a glass of water and two painkillers on the table next to the remote. He wasn't doing it to be nice. He'd learned that Tony didn't hit him as often when he wasn't pissed and hung over. It was self-preservation.

He quickly grabbed a can of WD-40 and took care of the hinges on every door in the house, whether he thought it needed it or not. He used it on the front keyhole, too, unsure of how to keep it from sticking. He'd look it up online later if it didn't work, assuming Tony wasn't using the computer. On second thought, maybe he'd see if he could get permission to go to the library and use the computer there. He needed to get a book for his English class anyway, so Tony would probably approve of the outing. Maybe. If he felt like it.

Quatre gathered the laundry and started a load before going outside. His stomach grumbled, but he ignored it. Tony always complained about how much Quatre ate, so he tried not to eat anything at home. He sighed. Eating at school was going to make the weekends that much harder. He shook off the thought and headed into the shed in the backyard. He decided he would start with weeding the flower beds while it was still relatively cool outside.

He grabbed an oversized pair of gardening gloves and a trowel and set to work. He kept an eye on his watch and slipped inside as the wash cycle was finishing. He moved it into the dryer and put another load in to wash. He repeated the process of watching the clock as he weeded and finishing the laundry until the laundry was done. It was nearly one o'clock when he finished weeding the flower beds. The laundry was finished, folded and put away. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and started putting the pulled up weeds into a trash bag.

"Aren't you finished yet, boy?"

Quatre swallowed and stood up. "N-not quite, sir. I didn't want to wake you up with the lawn mower."

"Worthless…" Tony turned to go back inside.

"Um, s-sir?"

"WHAT?"

"W-was there anything else you wanted me to do with the yard?"

Tony thought about it. "Not today. Once you finish mowing the lawn I want you to go to the store. I'll have the list ready."

"Y-yes, sir."

Tony went back inside and Quatre breathed a sigh of relief. Tony had been known to have him trim the highest branches of any trees in the backyard and, truth be told, Quatre was a little afraid of heights. Tony knew this of course, but he used it to torture his son.

Quatre mowed the lawn and cleaned up the tools. He went inside and, not seeing Tony on the couch, went upstairs. Listening at the door to the 'office' confirmed that Tony was currently occupied. He knew better than to interrupt. Quatre slipped into the bathroom and took a two-minute shower. He dressed quickly and went back down to the kitchen. On the counter were a few bills and a list, most of which was written in Quatre's handwriting. Quatre grabbed them and left before Tony finished up and gave him something else to do.

He rode the bus to the grocery store and found everything on the list, comparing the prices to be sure he could afford everything. He made his purchases and rode the bus back, struggling with the heavy bags. He was almost grateful to be home as he put away the groceries and cleaned the downstairs again. Tony made it a point to leave a mess because it was Quatre's job to clean it up.

He went upstairs to find Tony passed out on his bed. He went through the upstairs and cleaned up after Tony. He wondered how it was possible to be related to such a pig. But until he was eighteen or out of high school, he didn't have anywhere else to go. He sighed again and went into his room to try and finish up his homework. He scanned the required reading list again. He'd read a number of the books and could probably pull off a reasonable summary and review without re-reading them, but it would be nice to at least have the book for reference. He didn't dare wake Tony to ask if he could go to the library, and leaving without permission wouldn't be good. He decided that he would ask Tony if he could go tomorrow. It was probably too late to go today anyway. By the time the bus got there, the library would likely be closed.

The doorbell rang.

Quatre dashed downstairs before Tony woke up. He inched the door open and peered out. He groaned inside his head. Duo stood on the porch.

"Hey, Quat!"

"Shhh…my dad's asleep, Duo. Don't wake him up."

"Oh, sorry, man. Hey, you wanna go play some ball down at the park?"

"I can't. I've got homework to finish."

"Oh…too bad. Maybe another time?"

"Yeah. Thanks, though."

Duo turned to leave and Quatre quickly shut the door.

"Who was that?"

Quatre stiffened as he turned to face Tony. "J-just a guy from school, sir."

Tony's eyes narrowed. "What did he want?"

"H-he wanted to know if I wanted to play basketball again, sir."

"What did you tell him?"

"Th-that I couldn't, sir."

Tony's expression didn't change as he thought about his next question. "Is he…like you?"

"I-I don't think so, sir. H-he's on the basketball team and I think he's dating a cheerleader." Quatre wasn't sure that was true, but Tony wouldn't know.

"Go to the park and play."

"Sir?" Quatre wasn't sure that he believed his ears.

"Maybe hanging out with a boy like that will teach you how to be one."

Quatre knew he should have been insulted, but he wasn't about to question Tony's reasoning. "Y-yes, sir." He started to open the door when he remembered about the library. Tony seemed to be in a good mood, so he took a chance. "Um, sir? I was wondering if I could go to the library tomorrow. I have to read a book for my English class and we don't have it." He spoke quickly, not wanting to lose his nerve.

"Yeah, I guess. As long as your chores are done."

"Th-thank you, sir." Quatre slipped out the door before Tony could change his mind about letting him play basketball. He jogged down the street, slowing to a walk once he was a few houses down.

He had decided that he was too sore to play basketball. Between the beating last night and the yard work today, he wondered if he'd be able to move tomorrow. If he got there after the game was in progress, he could watch but they might not expect him to play. He got to the park and headed towards the basketball court. He could see four boys on the court, but he wasn't sure if they were playing a game or just practicing their free throws. He sat on the picnic table next to the court, not wanting to disrupt their concentration.

Duo sank a shot from half court. "Oh yeah! Beat that Tro'!"

Trowa rolled his eyes, but took the shot and sank it. "It's not that hard, Duo."

Duo turned to retort and saw Quatre sitting on the picnic table. "HEY QUAT! I thought you couldn't come!"

"I can't do the rest of my homework until I go to the library tomorrow, so I decided to come down."

"Sweet. Wanna play H.O.R.S.E.?"

"Um…not really."

"Why not?"

"Duo, leave him alone. If he doesn't want to play, he doesn't have to," Heero reproached the braided teen.

Duo sat next to Quatre on the table. "Tell me something, Quat. If you're not going to play, why did you bother to come?"

Quatre slid off the table. "Fine, I'll go." He started to walk off.

"Hey, wait a minute! I was only kidding!" Duo reached out and grabbed Quatre's shoulder.

Quatre couldn't stop himself from yelping. Duo had a fairly strong grip and the shoulder he grabbed was the one that Quatre had landed on when Tony pulled him out of bed last night.

Duo immediately released him, his wide-eyed expression betraying his concern. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean…"

Quatre turned to face him quickly. "It's okay. I guess I'm more sore than I thought. I had to weed the flower beds and mow the lawn this morning. That's why I'm not really in the mood to play."

"Well why didn't you say so?"

"You didn't give him a chance, Duo." Trowa glared at him. They'd told him to quit jumping on Quatre because it was obvious he didn't like it and now he'd gone and inadvertently hurt the smaller boy.

"It's okay," Quatre asserted, sitting on the table again. He sat with his legs crossed and settled his elbows on his legs and his chin in his hands. "You guys play, I'll just watch today."

The four boys on the court returned to their game. They were so evenly matched that the game kept dragging on. Quatre wondered how long they could keep it up. Not that he was complaining. Watching the four play was…Quatre wasn't sure how to describe it. They were so fluid in their movements and their teamwork was impressive. He'd noticed it during the game last Sunday.

They finally called it quits. Wufei had an 'H' because he'd missed a shot when Duo goosed him. They argued back and forth on whether or not the 'H' counted until Trowa suggested that they all go to Rashid's. Quatre checked his watch. It wasn't too late. He'd probably be able to tell Tony that the game went on longer than they thought it would, like last time. They piled into Trowa's convertible.

"So Quat…what'd you do with your dad last night?" Duo asked casually.

"Huh? Oh, well, we played a couple hands of poker, got roaring drunk on a fifth of vodka and paid for a prostitute," he answered casually.

Trowa screeched the car to a halt and everyone gaped at Quatre, who was sitting there like it was no big deal. Of course, he couldn't keep the straight face for very long.

Quatre's brought his hands to his mouth as he burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. You should see the looks on your faces."

"Nice one, Quat. I'm gonna have to remember that one," Duo said, laughing as well.

The other boys chuckled and Trowa continued down the road, shaking his head.

"So seriously, what'd you do?" Duo pried.

"Made popcorn and watched a movie."

"Now, that, I believe," Duo said with a grin.

At Rashid's they were asked for their order.

"What do you recommend?" Duo asked.

"Why don't I surprise you?"

The boys sat at a table and speculated about what Rashid would make for them. Abdul brought them each a plate and silverware and a soda. Rashid brought out a huge deep dish pizza pan and set it down.

"Um, Rashid, in America, the crust of the pizza goes on the bottom."

"This is no ordinary pizza, Master Duo. Enjoy."

Duo grinned and put the first slice on his plate. Thick strings of cheese followed the piece and he ended up cutting them off. "Excellent. I like it already."

The pizza was stuffed to bursting with cheese, sauce, pepperoni, sausage, onions, green peppers, mushrooms and olives. Quatre was starving after not eating all day and ate three pieces. Duo ate five. As they finished the pizza, Rashid brought out a dessert.

"What do you call this?" Trowa asked.

"Chocolate Lasagna."

"Rashid, I think you've outdone yourself," Duo praised.

"A compliment I very graciously accept, Master Duo."

Quatre felt pleasantly full when they left, and it was making him tired. They loaded into Trowa's car again.

"Hey, why don't we go to my house and watch a movie?" Duo suggested.

Quatre looked at his watch. "I can't. I've got a curfew."

"On the weekend? Harsh."

Quatre gave him a small smile. "Yeah, well, it's just me and dad so he worries."

"Hmmm…I could probably talk your dad into extending your curfew if you want."

"Not tonight, Duo. I'm actually pretty wiped out from all that yard work I did this morning. And I'm sure that once we live here for a bit my dad will loosen up. The curfew is really in place right now because he's not too sure how safe the area is and no amount of talking will change his mind until he wants it to be changed." The last part was true, at least.

They dropped him off and Quatre went inside to find Tony and four other men playing poker in the living room.

"Where were you, boy?"

"P-playing basketball, sir."

Tony looked down his nose at Quatre as the other four men looked on. "How did you do?"

"N-not too bad, I think, sir. I…um…I made the winning shot for my team." That had been true of the last game, so it wasn't an outright lie.

Tony grunted and returned to the game. Quatre was about to go upstairs when he heard, "Get us some cold beers, boy."

"Y-yes, sir." Quatre quickly did as he was told and asked Tony if there was anything else he wanted.

"Actually, there is. That kid you played basketball with is on the school's team, right?"

"Y-yes, sir."

"I'm told there's a kid on the team named Chang. Stay away from him."

Wufei? Why? Quatre couldn't think of a reason. "Um…I think he has gym the same period as me, sir. But I'm not positive. There are a couple of boys from the team in that class."

"Stay away from him, boy."

"Y-yes, sir, as much as I can, sir."

"You still here? Get out of my sight."

Quatre beat it up the stairs. He laid on his bed wondering what Tony had been told about the Chinese boy and if he knew that Wufei lived across the street.