Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing/AC, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Author's Note: Please take note that this chapter has yet to be beta'ed. Still pending from my beta'er, lass 48. For short RAW chappy. Will reload again once I got the duly beta'ed version.
Beautiful Life
Chapter 11
Wearing cheap dark sunglasses, Gary pushed the wheel-bound Fei inside a shopping mall in between the aisles perusing the goods laid on the shelves before them. A basket was put on top of Fei's lap with already a few items in it. Gary has opted that they should hit the mall right after they had their breakfast. Not as if Fei could but a few bites of toast and a few sips from his cup of Oolong tea and said that the house has already started to run out of supplies and they should go and buy for more supplies before they have, as he put it very nicely, to beg from their neighbor for some scraps of food in the middle of the night or if come to worst, rob from a nearby convenient stores. After Gary has made some necessary calls to the hospital requested for leaves and for Fei on behalf, they started to head out.
Gary picked a jar of pickled cucumber from the shelf and placed it into the basket without a second thought and continues to stroll through the aisles. Fei, having used to Gary's attitude of without checking the goods twice before purchasing, checked for the expiry date printed on the jar and sigh.
"Gary, go back and change this jar of pickled."
"Hm? Not good?" Gary asked but he did as he bid. Having Fei around was good. He no longer needs to worry that one day he might die from food poisoning because he never checks the conditions of the goods before he bought it. Too troublesome he once said to Fei.
"No. Look for the expiry date which last longer than this one. It's only two weeks away on this." Fei grumbled and hand it over to Gary. "Do try looking for the farthest date one."
"Yes, mom." Gary replied ignoring Fei's death glare. He put back the first and grabbed the second. He randomly took a jar and squint his eyes through his sunglasses in attempt to read the fine print of the expiry date. "Um... May, 2009?"
"Look farther." Fei bided.
"But now is still in the month of April. I think it can be finished by then. What's the fuss?"
"Said the man who always forgot of what snacks he bought once he put it at the back of the cupboard at home and only remember the existence of it when he do weekly cleaning and sorting in the cupboard IF he happen by chance did not overlook it and still can be consume by then." Fei preached.
Illusion of a big knife stabbed through Gary's heart. "It's hurt." He whimpered. Fei rolled his eyes and looked at the ceiling above of the mall as if he can see thorough the heaven and asking for some sort of divine. Gary put back, randomly grasped a third and squinted his eyes again. "Um... December, 2009?"
"That's better." Fei approved.
"Aww, finally momma approved of my snack." Gary said gleefully complete with a toothy grin as he put the jar in the basket.
"Oh, God. What have I done to deserve this?" Fei moaned.
"Aww, you know you love me." Was the cheeky reply and they resumed with their shopping.
During the whole time they shop for their supplies in the mall, oblivious to their surrounding and lost to their own constant bickers world, both of them caught a lot of attentions from other shoppers and much to their amusement.
"Gary! Put that back! We don't need it THAT much!"
"Aw, c'mon Fei. It's not that much."
"What do you treat me as?! Some princess?! I don't need to be pampered!"
"It's nothing wrong if we buy all different kind of bath oils' flavors. You don't have to worry the expiry of the products as all are still far, far away. We can use different flavor for every day."
"For your information, though I prefer my fragrance bath but I don't need that much. Much worse, I don't need a certain horn-dog who kept sniffing me all the time as if he's in heat. Two flavors are enough and put the rest back."
"But Fei, I wanna try the other flavors too. I wanna know how does it feels and smells like."
"Says you and I'm the white mice." (I wanna express that Gary just all talk but he never use the bath oil but on Fei only.)
"You sounds like I'm the bad guy here."
"No objection.... Banana? What the heck!"
* * * * * *
"Put it back! Put it back! Put it back!"
"You started to sound like a banshee."
"PUT. IT. BACK."
"What. The massage oils we have at home is only very little left. We need more supplies or how am I going to give you a full body massage?"
"Yes, but you don't have to buy a dozen of flavors! You are turning me into a human-perfume!"
"Well, better than you release your pheromone or I will have to use my scalpel to fight them off. You know, it's not an easy job to be your bodyguard. I should have charge you for my service."
Sounds of sputtering filled in the air.
* * * * * *
"Do we really need this?"
"Yes."
"But..."
"No but. Most of your belonging do have at least a hole on it already."
"But, I feels comfy and airy wearing my old one!"
"Air..." Choking. "...mind your language."
"But I feel so uncomfortable wearing a new pair. It feels so tight and hot and no air." He drawled the last two words and sulked. "And my eggs feels like it might gonna turned into hard boiled eggs at any moment."
Took a mighty deep breath and... "one, two, three..."
* * * * * *
Eyebrows twitched nervously. "Why are we here again?"
"Food for dinner tonight."
"Ah... food." Pregnant paused. "Why are we here again?" He blanched at the sight before his very eyes.
Sighed. "It's where we get our food here."
Fidgeting, "Can't we just buy something out from the can?"
"Nourishing food comes from fresh products. Didn't you learn anything from your medical school back then?" Ignoring him and bidding the worker from the other side, "Give me that one, please?"
"Yes, sir. Right away, sir. This one?" He scooped up the item and the said item twitching furiously.
He stared in horror and shrieked, "It's not getting anywhere near me! I'm not going to touch it! I'm not cooking tonight! I would rather starve to death than eating that horrible thing!" Breathing heavily. "I'm out of here." He staggered off.
Blinked. "Wha...? It's just an eel!"
Silence...
"Mom, that man is walking funny!" A child pointed at the said man while tugged at his mother's sleeve to get her attention. "And he looks like the Zombie in the Thriller!"
"Stop that, Benny. Who knows if he's a bad man and we'll be in trouble." The child's mother reprimanded and they both walked away briskly.
"...am not... just... feels sick..."
* Loud, long and wet farting sounds *
Eerie silence.... 3, 2, 1.
"Mommy!" A girl child started to wail followed by a few nearby. The customers within ten meters radius scurried away as if their lives depended on it.
"Ah... sir?" The worker looks petrified and face tinted with green.
"Sorry, that idiot friend of mine will blow gas when he is in too much distress. Please clean it and chopped it into small pieces before you wrapped it up. Thanks you."
* * * * * *
"Pray tell me. How does the event took when you purchased that slimy, yucky and nasty?" The man's face lit with amusement as he took the burdens from Fei and dropped it in the kitchen's sink. Gary dismissed himself for the washroom.
Both Gary and Fei went to Detective Huggos's house after they have made a short stop at their chalet to drop some of the purchased goods. Detective Huggos is a most trusted friend of Gary since their elementary school. From what Fei has heard from Gary's, he is one tough shit detective in the district. He's got a bald head which he always tied a scarf around his head as a make shift cap, a few scars here and there on his square face which he got during his training days and some from his duties, shorter by a few centimeters than Gary, body heavy with muscles and strength like an elephant. He is also the one who handle Fei's case.
"You don't want to know, really." Fei said as he rolled aside to let the said detective to do his job.
"Oh, yes. I very much do." Huggos tied a green frilly apron with a big red lips and below printed I'm Hot on it.
"You're very much a sadist." Fei quipped.
"Who says I wasn't? Detective that I am and with the job requirements I would love to hear and see them crumbled before my feet." Replied Huggos as he smiled at Fei.
Fei felt the chill crawling up on his skin at the way he smiled down at him. "You got a one sick mind."
"Then, won't you tell me your little adventure?" Huggos turned his back to Fei and started to prepare for their dinner.
Huggos has practically live alone for all his life and he very much enjoy having some company over for a dinner and a few beers later. Usually there was only Huggos and Gary but a little bit more than a year ago, Fei entered the picture and it became merrier. They will spend time together when Huggos is not on night shift or working late. Huggos also pretty much treat Fei just like his younger brother. Fei know not a clue of what Huggos's life was and Gary was too tight-lipped regarding his best friend.
Fei made a grimace remembering back the event not too long ago. "This time is the worst. He made a long, wet fart. Ugh... and very laud too. Children wailing and the adults scurried away. Even the worker I bought that stuff from looks like he wants to throw up."
Huggos guffawed and he has to hold the sides of the kitchen's sink to support his bent body or risk toppled over on the floor. Head shakes from side to side.
"It's not even funny. It was so embarrassing I don't even know where to hide my face. Until we had made our purchase and out of that building, they avoid us as if we are plagues." Fei complained and he jutted out his bottom lips.
"If I can go back there and have a look at the security recording, it would make my day today." Huggos said once he managed to control himself and wipe his teary eyes with the corner of his frilly apron.
"Yeah, and you just might try to make a copy and send it to the America's Funniest Home Video to contest for a reward."
Before Huggos can make any reply, the sound of flushing toilet filled in the air and Gary stumbled out from the washroom.
"Whew, what a relief." He sighed gratefully.
"I hope you did not bomb my toilet into pieces." Huggos quipped.
"Nah, it's still in one piece but you might want to wear an astronaut suit before you go in." Gary replied as he stepped into the kitchen.
"Eww... it's gross. You're killing my appetite." Fei complained. "Do you need my help for the dinner?" He looked at Huggos.
"You are doing that slimy, yucky and nasty? I'm outta here. Call me when the dinner is done." With that, Gary turned and walked away but not before he grabbed two cans of beer from the fridge.
"Slimy, yucky and nasty you says? Wait till you try it." Fei grinned evilly to himself. A small pair of black bat wings and a black arrow tail appeared, waving from his back.
Fei can be downright evil if he want to. Huggos copied his grin. "Something in your mind, my little kitten? Care to share?"
Both of them stared at each other before they broke a cold evil laugh.
A sudden cold shudder ran through Gary's body. "What the hell." He brought up his hand and touched his forehead. "Nope, no fever. Whatever." He shrugged it off and chugged down his cool beer. "Ah... bliss." He sighed happily.
The dinner was almost done. Huggos ladled some soup to let Fei have a taste.
"Put in a little bit more of salt." Fei smacked his lips. Huggos did as he bid.
"News circulating that there are a few fine pedigree entered into our little home town." Eyes fixed at the big pot as right hand gently stirred the soup. Fei tensed up. "The bitches have been releasing pheromone everywhere hoping to get lucky and of course the dogs are none too happy with the situation arise." He chuckled. "It has been almost two years since I watched this free entertaining show. What with a Chi Hua Hua tried to fend off other bigger dogs and bitches from a helpless little kitten."
Fei smiled finding it amusing as he imagined Gary as the Chi Hua Hua yapping furiously with its irritating high pitch sound to the bigger dogs. There was a pregnant of silence. He knew who Huggos referring to and both of them are smart men. Well, smarter than Gary at least.
"They claimed that I am one of their unorthodox family's members." Fei started with a very soft voice almost audible for Huggos to catch. He stared at his clasped hands on his laps. "The time frame of their missing member and mine is almost the same. You know what; I got some missing pieces back yesterday and some from nightmare last night. I'm so confused and it scares the hell out of me. It totally threw me out of loop. I got dragged away from my comfort zone and now I have to deal with my past which is alien to me. I wonder if I will go nut this one day." Emotions swirled inside him.
"Yes, your past makes who you are today but then we can't looks too much at your past. Life got to move on. You learned from the past but continued to walk forward and walked the right path or else you are always being tied down by your past." Huggos put down his ladle and turned to look down at his drooping head. He reached out and touched his clasped hands to get his attention. "Fei, I don't care your shit back from the past. I know you are a good guy. You are always welcome back here. This little home town now is your home, you know. Call either Gary or me and we will be there for you pronto."
Fei smiled through his teary eyes at Huggos. "Thank you."
They made a final touch of their dinner when Fei spoke out. "Huggos, I need a favor from you."
Huggos stopped from whatever he was doing and gave his full attention on Fei for the way he says sounded serious.
"Can you please check up the name of Chang Wufei for me?"
"I'll see what I can do." Huggos answered after a brief paused.
"Are you done yet? Feed me or I'm going to die! I want my food!" Gary whined pathetically.
"Well, you are not wrong to call him a Chi Hua Hua." Fei chuckled. The heavy atmosphere surrounding the kitchen cleared away.
"Come on, little kitten. It's time to test your new claws." Huggos smirked as he lifted the heavy big pot of soup to put it on the dining table.
"Now that you mentioned it. I can just hardly wait to see." Fei followed Huggos to the dining table and let Huggos do his job. "Time to eat, lazy ass!"
"Am not!" The said Chi Hua Hua yapped.
.
.
.
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TBC…
