"Okay, WuFei, there ya' go... Think ya've got the hang of it yet?" Duo asked.
"I think so," WuFei replied, sounding unsure of himself. Duo grinned.
"Come on, Wu-Man! I'm sure you'll be great at sewing. Go ahead!" the American said encouragingly.
The Chinese pilot stared at the needle in his hand. The look on his face was almost frightened; Duo looked at him and couldn't help but giggle.
"What?" he asked as WuFei glared at him. "You look adorable!"
WuFei blushed hot pink and turned away from his friend. He re-threaded the needle in his hand and shakily pulled it through the material.
"That's right, you're doing fine. Just make sure the stitches stay small and close together," Duo encouraged him, peering over WuFei's shoulder to monitor his progress.
Confident that WuFei would be fine following the simple pattern he had left with him, Duo went back to sewing a fancy, ruffled, black and scarlet dress for the doll. With such colors and style, there could be no mistaking that he had designed the clothes himself.
Everything remained peaceful in the room for a few minutes. Then disaster struck.
"Injustice! Dishonor!" WuFei bellowed angrily, springing to his feet. He glared at the needle he was holding, then at the finger he had just pricked. A tiny drop of bright bred blood was welling up to the surface, seeming to anger him with its mere presence.
"It's fine, WuFei!" Duo protested, struggling to keep himself from laughing. "It's just a pinprick, nothing to worry about!"
"Quiet! Sewing is only for women and weaklings!" WuFei shouted. The smile faded slowly from Duo's face.
"OK, WuFei. Sure. Now just calm down. Give the needle to me and sit down," Duo said evenlyThe sad look lurking in his eyes didn't reach his voice; he was thankful for that.
Grudgingly, WuFei did as he was told. He thrust out his hand, holding the needle for Duo to take it.
"Thank you, WuFei," Duo said quietly. This time, some of what he was feeling was apparent in his tone.
WuFei turned away, a stubborn look on his face. "Stupid American... Getting upset over nothing..." he thought to himself. He ignored his own overreaction to the needle prick; that was different, after all: it was simply the principle of the matter.
Looking over his shoulder, he was concerned by the look on Duo's face. He definitely wasn't acting like his normal, cheerful self anymore... After the silence ensued for over a minute, WuFei started to get truly worried. When a muffled crying sound filled the air, he was worried.
"Duo," he began, turning around to apologize. What he saw made him feel horrible. Beyond horrible, in fact. Duo was slumped over a pile of material scraps, crying into his hands. WuFei had no idea what to do.
"Duo... I'm sorry..." he stammered, looking guilty and confused.
"Go away," Duo muttered, flinching away from his friend.
"Duo, please don't. I'm sorry!" WuFei protested, looking as though he was unsure whether he should try to comfort his friend or not.
"Yeah. Whatever... Now go away and leave me alone," the American said, sniffling.
"Duo, I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say to the long haired young man. "I didn't mean that... That is, you aren't..."
"WuFei, please. Just go away." Duo uncovered his face, revealing the tears streaming down it. He looked both sad and angry, but who the anger was directed at--himself, WuFei, or both--was uncertain, even to Duo himself.
WuFei found himself staring again. This was completely unlike Duo's normal attitude. And it was his own stupid actions that had caused his friend to fall into such a state.
After a few more moments, WuFei decided that Duo was serious: he really just wanted to be left alone. WuFei sighed and took a step back.
"All right, Duo... I'll leave you alone now. But I really am sorry. I wasn't thinking," WuFei apologized quietly. With that, he turned and left the room quietly, glancing back one last time as he closed the door.
Duo looked up after the door was firmly closed. Sniffling, he wiped the tears off of his face.
"And the joker mask crumbles. Stupid Duo..." he whispered to himself. He sighed and began to gather up his sewing supplies. He didn't want to be in WuFei's room when the other boy came back.