A Farewell to Arms: part eleven
by Angela
August 2007
It was nearly dusk when Sing slipped through the front door. He shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over the arm of the couch. The scent of dinner filled the house, and his stomach growled. He'd gotten used to Nadia's regular mealtimes, and even though she didn't require him to be home for dinner, her fantastic cooking ensured he was never late.
"Nadia!" he called, striding across the living room. He had news for his cousin – good news. He was looking forward to her smile when she heard it; the crease of worry between her brows had become more pronounced every day, and he figured that it was because of Ash Lynx.
"I never once said you had anything to do with it!"
Raised voices from the kitchen made Sing stop in his tracks.
"No, but you've implied it how many times?" Nadia's voice was scathing.
There was a loud crack, like someone slamming a cabinet or banging a coffee mug onto the table. "I only asked why you were out all night with him!" Charlie roared. "Imagine how I felt, worrying all damn night only to have you strolling home at nine in the morning with that punk! The fact that you've never given me a straight answer about it just makes it worse!"
Sing was embarrassed to have stumbled into a lovers' spat, but that didn't keep him from listening in. He knew that Charlie was in charge of investigating Ash's disappearance – apparently letting the body vanish under his watch had earned him a lot of trouble with his bosses. It bothered Sing that he hit on the truth of it right away, except that, since Ash wasn't dead, there was really no crime to investigate. Charlie didn't know that, though, and there was no way either of them was going to tell him.
"I've told you," she retorted in a low voice. "My cousin died that night. I was with my family."
Charlie muttered something that Sing didn't catch and Nadia exploded. "I can't believe you're so suspicious about that! We ran into each other on the street! He walked me home! Jesus, Charlie, you were here when I got here – you could see with your own eyes that nothing happened between us."
"I never thought that!" Charlie protested. "It just doesn't look good that you were with Alexander Trommler – Ash Lynx's right hand man – on the very night his body disappeared. Furthermore – "
"Damn it, Charlie," Nadia interjected. "You don't even have any evidence that Alex had anything to do with it! You're always jumping to conclusions when – "
Sing decided he'd heard enough. It was starting to get personal now, and there wasn't anything else he wanted to know about his cousin's faltering love life. He turned and headed upstairs as quietly as possible – the last thing he wanted was for them to realize he was home and act like everything was okay for his sake.
He was in his room less than a minute when the front door slammed, shaking the walls and floor. Guess that meant Charlie wasn't sticking around for dinner. Sing wanted to wait another ten minutes or so before heading back down, but then he realized that Nadia was probably crying, and he didn't like the idea of her doing that at all, much less all alone in the kitchen. He crept down the stairs, wary.
"Hey, Sing," Nadia greeted him wearily from the table. "Hungry?" There was no sign of tears, but she looked worn out – the stress lines on her face made her look older than her twenty-eight years.
"Starved," Sing replied in what he hoped was a normal voice. He opened the fridge and grabbed a can of Coke. "What'd you make today?"
She stood and went to the stove. "Nothing exciting," she said apologetically. "Just spaghetti." She served up steaming plates, ladling the steaming meat sauce on top. "But I forgot to make the garlic bread."
"'S okay," Sing grinned, taking his place at the table. He guessed he should mention Charlie – this was the first night he hadn't eaten with them since Sing moved in. "Charlie working tonight?" he asked brightly.
Nadia set the plate in front of him with a sigh. "There's no point in pretending you don't know," she scolded softly. "I heard you come in."
"Oh." So much for tact. He would've been better off avoiding the subject all together, it seemed. He decided that food was better than conversation anyway, and he dived into his dinner. It felt like it'd been years since lunchtime.
Nadia slid back into her seat and picked up her fork. "We just need a break from each other, that's all," she reasoned out loud. Sing didn't reply, because she didn't seem to be talking to him. "As long as I have to protect Ash, things are going to be strained, so it's better we don't see each other for now." She wasn't eating at all – just twisting the pasta onto her fork and letting it slide off, over and over.
Sing guessed it was time for his good news. "Yut Lung is gonna give Ash the last drug tomorrow," he told her. "He says after that, he'll be all set to go home."
His cousin brightened visibly. "Really?" she asked eagerly. "He's going to be all right?"
Sing had kept Nadia up on all of Ash's progress, but she wasn't the type to believe it wholeheartedly unless she saw with her own eyes. Yut Lung had refused her and Alex's attempts to see him from the beginning, so they had only Sing's word that Ash was alive at all. "You'll be able to see for yourself tomorrow afternoon," he assured her, happy to see a smile on her face.
It made him feel better, too, knowing that Ash was going to be back to his normal self soon. Since that first time, Yut Lung hadn't let Sing past the downstairs parlor, always claiming that Ash was resting or otherwise indisposed whenever he stopped in for an update. He insisted that his guest was recovering at a remarkable pace, and that all was well, but in the past couple of days, Yut Lung seemed reluctant to meet Sing's eyes when he said these things. On top of that, the young heir seemed overstressed and tired lately – something was clearly weighing on his mind, but Sing was too afraid of being shut out completely to pry into it.
Nadia wondered out loud if Ash would be willing to come and stay with her until he made up his mind where to go. "Alex said they already started the process of selling his apartment," she mused. "So maybe he'll need a place to stay."
A little unsure about the idea of sleeping under the same roof with Ash Lynx, Sing said nothing. He slurped up his pasta, only half-listening while his cousin planned and fussed. It wasn't that he had any specific issue with Ash, but he knew there was something that was bugging him about the guy. Part of it was definitely Lao. Living with the guy who killed his brother – even if Lao attacked first and therefore almost certainly deserved it – would make for uncomfortable quarters. The rest of it was something he couldn't really pinpoint, but it was from way before. As much as he admired Ash, Sing just couldn't relax around him.
"Won't Charlie be coming back?" he asked, interrupting as she was explaining that Ash could sleep in Shorter's old room.
Nadia looked surprised. The corners of her mouth twitched down. "Probably not for a while," she said softly, glancing down at her spaghetti. She poked at it in silence, seeming to forget Sing's good news.
Sing felt lousy. "Sorry," he mumbled after a while.
She looked up, blinking at him as though she'd forgotten he was there at all. "It's not your fault, Sing," she said briskly, standing up and taking her uneaten dinner to the trashcan. She turned to the sink, filling it with water for the dishes.
The boy watched her sadly. It was probably worth it, saving Ash's life at the expense of her relationship, but Sing still felt the sting of guilt. If his stupid brother hadn't gone after him in the first place, none of this would've happened at all. He took another bite of his dinner and realized that he'd lost his appetite. Of course, he reasoned, if Ash had just gone to Japan like everyone expected him to, Lao would've never gotten the chance.
Eiji had undoubtedly heard the news by then. Sing wondered how he was holding up. He thought of the letter he was carrying in his wallet. Had Eiji's feelings gotten through to Ash, or was he just going to disappear to parts unknown?
---
It was one-thirty in the afternoon when Sing, Nadia, and Alex arrived at the Lee mansion. Nadia was twitchy and concerned, seeming to barely notice the rich décor. Alex was the opposite. He stared at everything from the marble tile to the gilt work on the crown molding. Sing almost snickered at his wide blue eyes and awed expression, but he remembered that he'd been no different when he first started coming there.
Yut Lung didn't make them wait, which was unusual for him. A servant was guiding them into the reception room when the boy hurried into the foyer. "It's about time you got here," he said sharply, his long braid swinging behind him.
"You said 'afternoon,'" Sing reminded him. If the Lee heir wanted to be a jerk, he was up to the challenge, but he didn't want Nadia or Alex to have to deal with him.
Yut Lung frowned. "And it's almost two hours into it," he complained. "The way you've all been harping on it, I expected to you and the entourage to be pounding on my door as soon as the clock struck twelve-oh-one."
"Let's just do this," Alex growled. As soon as the Lee heir showed up, he put away the tourist face and went back to being the second-toughest guy on the Lower East Side. He stepped up, forcing Yut Lung to address him instead of Sing. Since the moment he showed up on Nadia's doorstep, he'd been making it crystal clear to Sing that he was in charge. It seemed their old camaraderie was lost; in its place was nothing but a sour refusal to acknowledge that Sing had done the right thing when he called Yut Lung all those days ago.
The Chinese prince shrugged. He turned on his heel and wordlessly led them upstairs.
The room was exactly the same as Sing remembered it, with the exception of the rumpled bedding and Ash's hostile scowl. It deepened as they walked in. "I told you not to bother me any more," he spat venomously, staring straight ahead. "And don't try to pretend it's not you – can't miss that faggoty perfume you insist on dousing your head with."
"Ash…" Nadia gazed at him, her expression an acute mixture of trepidation, longing, and joy. Sing blinked, startled at the obvious love in her face.
Ash moved at the sound of her voice. "Nadia," he breathed, his scowl melting into a beatific smile. "My god, Nadia. I've been wondering –"
"I'm here, too, Boss," Alex chimed in gruffly, the edges of his frown twitching up.
Somehow, Ash's grin got wider. "Alex!" he yelped delightedly. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and met them both in a three-way hug. It looked cozy.
Sing held back. He guessed that his presence wouldn't be so well received; Ash hadn't trusted him with his big secret, after all.
"Yes, yes, the gang's all here," Yut Lung said crossly. "Alex, Sing, and Nadia came today to witness you getting your last dose of the Moonflower Sequence, after which they will, without a doubt, want to whisk you out of my evil clutches."
"Sing?" Ash asked suddenly.
"Why can't he see?" Nadia demanded of Yut Lung at the same time.
"Sorry, Boss," Alex said, striding closer to the bed to answer Ash's question. "He got caught up in it at the hospital, and we didn't know how –"
"Hospital?" Ash sat up, his face falling into sterner lines. "How the hell did I end up in a hospital? Do the cops know I'm here?"
Meanwhile, Yut Lung was condescendingly explaining the properties of the Moonflower Sequence to Nadia. "Don't you even know the history of it?" he asked, surprised. "It's truly amazing you didn't poison him with your incompetent –"
As Sing stared, the two conversations got louder. It was starting to piss him off. Ash's irritation, Alex's apologies, Yut Lung's superiority – it was all aggravating. Then Nadia bit her lip, apparently buying into Yut Lung's shit and feeling guilty about it; at that point, Sing had enough. "Will you all just shut the hell up?" he barked.
Four pairs of eyes turned toward Sing – or rather three did and one made a close approximation. "Let's just all agree that things didn't go exactly as planned and get this fiasco over with, okay? Jeez."
Ash's lips twisted into the ghost of a smile. "Sounds good to me," he said. Like a little kid, Sing was suddenly happy because of that little smile.
"Fine," Yut Lung agreed curtly, gracefully stepping toward the dressing table. He lifted the lid of a small box there and pulled out a hypodermic needle. "Because of the volatile nature of this particular combination of drugs, part three must be administered intravenously – the stomach would immediately repel such a concoction." He loaded the syringe and tapped it twice.
He reached for Ash's arm. His fingertips had barely touched his skin when the blond yanked violently away. "Not you," he snarled, his breath short, like he'd been badly startled. "I want Nadia to do it."
Sing's cousin shook her dark head. "I can't," she said in a small voice. "I've never done anything –"
"I don't care," Ash grumbled, cutting her off. "It has to be you. I don't want this bastard touching me."
"I'll mess it up," she protested. "I'll hurt you."
"I can do it," Alex said softly, putting his hand on Nadia's shoulder. "Boss, you want me to do it?"
Ash looked concerned. "You sure?" he asked softly.
Alex nodded. Realizing that his boss couldn't see him, he spoke. "Easy as pie," he assured. He didn't even need the tourniquet. He picked up Ash's arm and smacked it hard just above the wrist. Apparently satisfied that the subsequent welt contained a vein, he thrust the needle in without a second look, his thumb pressed smoothly down on the plunger. Sing was startled – he looked like a seasoned pro.
"Good work," Ash murmured. He didn't look happy about it. Alex took a step back and let the syringe drop with a clatter onto the night table. His face was red and he looked vaguely ashamed.
But Sing didn't observe Alex for long. He turned back to Ash and watched eagerly for a reaction, barely daring to breathe.
Ash blinked. He squinted, looked around, and blinked again. "That was fast," he muttered under his breath, an involuntary smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"You can see?" Nadia asked, her wide eyes damp.
He nodded. "Sort of," he said, turning to look at her. "It's still really fuzzy, though. Sorta dim."
"And so it will be, for the next twenty four hours or so," Yut Lung explained. "But by this time tomorrow your vision will be clear. And that other problem you were having?" he added in a tone heavy with meaning. "That won't be an issue any more, either."
Ash cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable. "Good," he said gruffly, not looking at Yut Lung.
The Lee heir looked equally uncomfortable. "So that's that," he said stiffly. "You're free to go."
After that, things moved much more quickly. Ash got ready to leave as quickly as he could – going into the adjoining bathroom to change into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that Yut Lung must've had purchased for him. He came out looking strangely sharp, his shirt lose and his jeans too blue.
No one mentioned the uneasy truce that seemed to be in effect between Ash and Yut Lung – since his initial outburst, the blond had been downright civilized to his host. Sing wondered for the millionth time what his plans were, now that the world thought he was dead but Lee Yut Lung knew the truth. Would he trust the Chinese boss to leave him alone and keep his mouth shut, or would Yut Lung turn up dead in a few days, too well informed to be allowed to live?
And if Ash really did kill Yut Lung, where would that leave him and Sing? How far did Sing's loyalties lie in either direction? He didn't know and wasn't too eager to test it.
Everyone was in the foyer, ready to leave when Yut Lung called Ash back. The tone of his voice was soft and unthreatening; he hovered in the doorway of his library, beckoning Ash with an expression just short of shy.
Ash stiffened. "What do you want?" he growled like a bristling cat.
The Chinese boy looked almost cowed. "There are things that must be said between us," he said seriously.
"I don't have anything to say to you," Ash retorted. But Sing noticed that his confidence seemed to falter. His firm voice wavered.
Yut Lung nodded. "I understand," he said, nodding. "But I have things I would tell you." He looked at the floor for a long moment and then back up at Ash. "Please."
Looking irritated and wary, Ash shrugged. He tossed a warning look at Alex before following Yut Lung into the other room. He closed the door behind them.
For a long time there was dead silence. Sing could hear Nadia's breathing, and Alex shuffled his feet from time to time, but otherwise it was still. All three of them stared at the closed door, their faces probably wearing the same look of confused expectation. Then the voices in the other room got louder. Not yelling, exactly, but heated, explosive talking. Sing couldn't make out a single word, but guessed from the tones that they were arguing.
"Let's go." Ash burst from the room suddenly, his jaw set in a hard line. Sing saw Yut Lung behind him, a strange look on his face as he watched Ash walk away. He met Sing's eyes for a long moment before the younger boy pulled away, following Ash and the others out the door.
"Think about what I said!" the young heir called out.
Ash waved him off, his brows knitting together in a troubled frown. Sing glanced from one to the other. There was something different about those two. Maybe it was because Eiji Okumura was far away. Maybe it was the debt of a life saved. Sing didn't know, but he didn't like it.