Delicate Matters 6/8

By: Hotaru

Warnings: as always! There's nothing else in this chapter…

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As known, John returned to the bunk, drunk off his ass. Duo pretended to be asleep so he wouldn't be bothered. But usually, that didn't matter to John. If Duo was on his deathbed, he'd probably still hit him around for awhile. "Whattime'shit?" His voice was slurred, and he probably thought he was walking on the wall or something. "It's past midnight." Annette said softly. She always waited up for him, even though she knew she'd be better off asleep.

"When'd the boy go in?" John asked, kicking off his boots and flopping onto the bed. "Not too long ago." Annette replied, staring at a wall. "Did'ja make sure he said his prayers?" John mumbled. Duo nearly snorted. /Prayers? Ha. I stopped praying when He stopped answering./ His mother never really bothered him, unless John was around. "..No. I didn't realize he was asleep." Duo smirked. Just like his mother to lie for him. She must sorta care for him.

John belched loudly and spit in the corner. "Yeah well he needs all the help from above he can get if you know what I mean." He snorted before spitting the candle out. Duo stayed up for awhile. He never slept soundly with his parents. He stood up and crept on deck. The boat was still moving and only a few crew members were still up and about. /I wonder what Fei's doing now. Probably sleeping in a nice bed covered head to toe in silk…thinking about me..and what I said. God Duo you're such a fool! How the hell could I have possibly imagined that he'd be gay, and like me?!/

"Hey boy, shouldn't you be asleep?" Duo turned to where the voice came from. A tall man with long platinum blond hair. He looked like a European or something. "I should but I'm not. Why do you care anyway?" Duo nearly kicked himself. He was always coming off as a jerk to old people. The man smiled however. "Demons in your dreams?" He asked. Duo smiled as the man offered a small cup of wine. "Not so much in my dreams." He replied, gulping down the drink.

The man leaned against the rail and sighed. "My name is Miliardo Peacecraft. I was here for a foreign dignitary meeting. And you?" Duo smiled to himself. The Peacefcrafts were fairly well known for their high classy behavior, not to mention their money. "Duo Maxwell. I've heard of you, well your family at least." Duo said, sticking out his hand. Miliardo, who was wearing white gloves and a royal red coat smiled and shook it firmly. "That's always nice to hear. As long as you've heard good things." He said. Duo shrugged. "Just that the Peacecrafts are the richest family in Europe and their eldest son is taking over..something of the sort."

Miliardo chuckled slightly. "Ah…rumors spread quickly I see. That's partially true, but you would be arrested for espionage if I told you any more." Duo grinned although he wasn't too sure of what espionage was. Probably spying or interrupting the royal family. "Yeah, well I better get back downstairs before my parents wake up. Thanks for the wine Mr. Peacecraft." Duo said. The man nodded. "You've got a good head on your shoulders. Nice speaking to you. Good night." Duo nodded back and walked back downstairs. Maybe that wine would help him to sleep.

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"Hey…hey kid are you okay?" Wufei opened his eyes. "Eh…what happened?" he asked, sitting up in an unfamiliar room. Tseng sat back in his chair and handed Wufei a cup of water. "You made a mess of the deck and nearly fell over board. I guess you haven't been at sea much eh?" he asked. Wufei gulped it down and sighed. "No. This is my first time. Where am I?" he asked. /Oh no, what if I'm not on the ship anymore? What if they stopped off in Africa or some foreign place?!/ Tseng smiled. "Relax, this is my room. Since I'm the captain I get clean sheets and a soft bed."

Wufei sighed and layed back down. "Thank you…how far until we arrive in America?" he asked. The room was sort of spinning. "In about a day or so. This is one of the fastest ships around you know." Tseng replied. /A few days. Please wait for me Duo! Please Gods let him wait for me!/ "Why don't you come on deck? Maybe the fresh air will help you." Tseng suggested. Wufei sat up, and realized the cloth covering his face was gone. "Relax, your majesty, I know who you are but don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Tseng said, smiling slightly.

"You can't tell anyone…my father will kill me if he finds out what I'm doing." Wufei said seriously. Tseng nodded and pulled Wufei on deck. "So why are you leaving anyway if you don't mind my asking." Tseng asked. Wufei stared down into the water. "I…I have to find someone. He…they mean so much to me and the only way I'll really be happy is if I'm with them." Tseng smiled. He had a nice smile. "That's great, you know, that you found someone that special. And so what if it is a guy? As long as you're happy." He said. Wufei nodded. He was starting to feel apprehensive about him telling Tseng.

/I'll stay with Duo and never come home again. He can tell everyone he wants when I'm out of sight. He'll probably make a lot of money of the story too./ "You must be hungry after you threw up all your food. Come on. You want to go fishing with me?" Tseng asked. /I'm starting to think he's flirting with me./ "Okay. I've never fished before." Wufei said, following Tseng to the back of the ship. "It's best to do it from the back because all the fish come after the bubbles and stuff. Here, do it like this…"

Several days later….

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"Duo! Boy get your worthless ass over here!" Duo cringed as his father's voice rang through the air. They would be docking in a few minutes. "Sorry Mr. Peacecraft, my dad'll beat me senseless if I don't obey him like a dog. It was nice meeting you." Duo said. Miliardo nodded. "Be good Duo, and try to have a little fun while you're still young. If you don't, you'll regret it." He said. Duo smiled and shook the man's hand again before returning to his parents. "Who's that you were talking too boy?" John asked. Duo flopped onto the floor.

"Eh, some European job. He's a nice guy." Duo said. John shook his head. "Those damn Europeans…who was he? What was his name?" he asked. Duo shrugged. "Bill something or other." He lied. He never gave out the real name of his friends, that would be just plain stupid. They docked and immediately went to get a ride home. "It feels good to be back on solid ground eh?" John said, pulling Duo close. "Yeah pop. Sure does." Duo replied.

They went home in a fancy carriage that cost a whole lotta money. Duo's father was always spending money like it would all disappear one day. When they were home, they were greeted by the house maids and fisherman. Duo slid to the back of the house to meet Zak. He was a kid they picked up at a slave auction. Honestly, it was sick how people could sell people just like that. But Zak was ok. He didn't talk much but was a nice guy. "Hey Zak. Did you miss me?" Duo asked, flopping onto the hay. Zak nodded. He was a bit younger than Duo with dark skin that looked like cocoa.

"Hey, I got you some wine so drink it later okay?" Duo said, handing the bottle to Zak. He nodded and smiled again. "Okay." He replied. "Did you have good time?" Duo smiled widely. "Yeah. Sure did. I met the prince and fell in love." He said softly. Zak probably didn't know about love yet anyway.

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Hotaru