New Year's Blues
By: Alicia Maxwell Winner
It was the day of New Years Eve. Duo was bummed out because, after being put in a junior class as a senior, he still managed to fail science first quarter. I handed him a harmonica.
"What in the world did you give me this for?"
"Ya got the blues; ya play the blues. That's the only cure."
"Why can't I just eat some Kraft macaroni and cheese and feel better?"
"Very funny. If you don't wanna try it then go along with the current plan of loafing around in my bedroom. I'm sure that'll put you in a great mood for tonight."
"Hey this is as much my bedroom as it is yours."
"That's beside the point. How do you intend to survive tonight in this state? Get yourself drunk while the rest of us are having fun while sharing a plate of mozzarella sticks?"
"How did you know my plan?" He cocked an eyebrow at me.
"Look, I'm not letting you get drunk, so you better fix these blues of yours before tonight," I said leaving the room. Peering through the keyhole of the door, I saw Duo put the harmonica aside, look back at it as if it was calling him, and finally pick it up again. He began playing. "Ah Duo's old blues harmonica did the trick."
When Duo and I were young, before we were separated and I ended up a wealthy kid and he a street urchin, Duo and I used to play the blues. Duo would play the harmonica and I played the saxophone. I wasn't really a big fan of playing the saxophone but I liked the piccolo and that just didn't fit in with the blues so I played the saxophone anyway. I don't know why but hearing Duo play again made me feel a little better. Leaving my spot by the door, I went downstairs, humming along with Duo's blues tune as I walked.
Around six thirty, Duo and I walked to Heero's house. There, we met up with Heero, Wufei, and Trowa and the five of us continued on our way to the restaurant/bar where we would be for the majority of the night.
When we arrived, I saw Quatre standing outside waiting for us. The fear didn't strike me until I realized there was blood dripping from his nose.
"Quatre! What the heck happened to you man?" Duo asked.
"I went inside and got a table so we wouldn't have to wait for one when everyone arrived. I sat down and waited. This guy sitting at the table next to me- God knows what his problem is- gets up, comes over, socks me, and throws me out the door. So here I am," Quatre shrugged.
It wasn't my place to go in. If I went in there and beat up the man who hit Quatre, though I don't agree with the theory that men have superior strength when compared to women, it'd still make him look like a weakling. That's why I decided to lay low and let Duo take the first crack at it. Duo walked in the front door, yelled out that he was "lookin' for the dude who tossed blondie boy out" and… got thrown out the door, landing on his face.
"Dang drunk threw me out too," Duo sat up.
"Do you really think he's drunk? He seemed pretty aware of what he was doing in my opinion," Quatre said.
"Yeah I suppose he can't be drunk and still have such great hand-eye coordination," Duo chuckled a little.
"That's it. It's my turn now," Trowa said. I swear he was enjoying this. I'm actually positive he enjoyed watching Duo get thrown out. Trowa walked into the building. He must've picked the guy out right away because I never heard anything until the fight started. Two minutes passed and Trowa was thrown out the door, though he was still in much better shape than Duo and Quatre. "Well, I guess my turn's up. Who's next?"
"I'll go," Heero said. "I'll teach this guy not to mess with my friends."
I believe that's the one and only time he ever called us his friends. I suppose that's what scared me about him at that moment. He trudged in the front door, as mad as heck.
No noise.
We waited and we waited… and we waited. A half-hour later, Heero came out.
"Oh jeez," I groaned realizing what had happened. This unknown guy had just gotten the perfect soldier completely drunk. "Heero what the heck happened?"
"He's a really cool guy," Heero smiled before passing out. All of us stood there for a second in total shock. After that, Wufei decided it was his turn.
Again, it happens. Half-hour passes, he comes out, and Wufei's drunk!
"Wufei Chang! How could you get yourself drunk with the guy who beat up all the others and got Heero drunk?" I asked.
"Easy: he offered me a drink and I took it. Then he offered me another and another and another…" Wufei yawned, "And another…." Wufei passed out.
I had had enough by now. I was sick of this fiasco. I stormed in the front door of the place.
"Who's the wise guy who's been throwing my friends out and getting them drunk all night!?" I yelled out. A hand raised over at the bar. I walked over to the man who was dressed in a trench coat and an odd hat, and decked him. He fell right off his stool, flying a few feet before actually falling. That's when I realized who it was. "Zechs!?"
"Yeah?" He asked getting himself up again.
"You're the one who beat up Quatre, Trowa, and Duo and got Heero and Wufei drunk?!"
"Yep. Didn't Trowa tell you guys it was me?"
"You think I woulda just socked you if I knew it was you? If I knew it was you I woulda rang your neck. What the hell were you thinking when you broke Quatre's nose?"
"I didn't really hit him that hard now did I?"
"His nose was bleeding beyond severely when I got here. If you call that a weak hit then I'm princess of the lobster people."
"What?"
"Never mind."
How would he be able to understand humor anyway?
"How bad did I hit Duo?" Zechs asked a tad embarrassed of how hard he had hit Quatre.
"Not that bad. He's bleeding but not severely. I don't think you broke anything."
"I guess you're mad I didn't break anything huh?"
"Nah not really, but Duo probably is. He's got a science test when we go back to school in two days. I think he'd rather be lying in bed on that day with a broken leg than failing a science test in school."
"And Trowa?"
"He looks like he really enjoyed fighting you. Maybe that's why he let Heero come in."
"I couldn't hit Heero since he started dating my sister… so I got him drunk."
"And Wufei? I hope to God he's not dating your sister."
"O'course not. I just didn't feel like fighting again… so I got him drunk too."
"So why'd you beat Q-chan up in the first place?"
"I was only kidding. I thought he knew who I was so I threw him out as a joke."
"Yeah really funny. I hope you know how long it'll take for Quatre's nose to heal. Think of that the next time that you consider playing a 'joke' on someone."
"I really hit him that hard eh? Well I'm sorry. It was only a joke."
"Ah, s'alright. Wanna join the fun and join us for a little New Year's bash?"
"You're inviting me to hang out with you guys after I beat up Winner, Barton, and Maxwell and got Yuy and Chang drunk?"
"Yeah why not? So do you wanna join us?"
"Okay but can Noin come along?" Zechs nodded toward a woman over in the corner who was snoring louder than I could yell. Sure enough it was Noin.
"What happened?"
"I've never seen anything like it. She had one sip of wine and she was asleep," Zechs blinked.
"May as well bring her along. If we're gonna get Wufei and Heero sober we may as well do the same for Noin," I shrugged. Zechs walked over to Noin, picked her up and carried her out the door. I followed along behind.
"Zechs?! You're the jerk who hauled off and slugged me!?"
"Sorry Duo. I was only kidding around."
"Let's go back to my place," Quatre suggested. "Who wants to spend New Year's Eve in a bar overhearing blues stories anyway?"
"Quatre, you have such a grim outlook on bars," I smiled, "which is exactly what it should be. Let's go."
It took us awhile to get back to Quatre's. Once we were there Zechs put Noin down on the couch, Duo and Quatre put Heero down on the love seat and Trowa and I dropped Wufei on the hardwood floor of Quatre's living room.
"OW! What the hell was that for?!?" Wufei shouted waking up with a painful start.
"For being you," I grinned.
"Grr…" Wufei growled.
"I'll go make some coffee. I'll be back in a moment," Quatre said.
"Don't get me any! I find coffee repulsive!" I called out.
"I think we should save it all for Heero and Noin," Trowa said. "They're going to need it when they wake up drunk with a hangover."
It took some time, but we eventually got Heero and Noin up and sober. At least it wasn't past midnight yet. Though we all gave Heero and Wufei an earful on drinking underage, that didn't spoil the fun.
Midnight came; everyone cheered in what I consider the absolutely humiliating typical way of yelling your lungs out. Quatre played that song you always hear on New Year's that I don't remember the name of on the piano. After he was finished Zechs came up to him.
"Last time I checked it was still customary for a man to kiss his girlfriend at midnight on New Year's. Go kiss the Maxwell girl," Zechs insisted.
"I would if I had any idea where she was," Quatre admitted chuckling a little. Everyone looked around and- sure enough- I was nowhere to be found. Then Trowa found me using my own tricks against me- dang, he's observant!
"Behind you, Q," He said.
Quatre turned around and his nose ran right into mine.
"Lookin for someone?" I asked.
"Nope, not at all," He said before he kissed me.
"Well that's all well and good but it don't help me and my failing science grade," Duo stated. As if on cue, Hildie came bursting through the front door.
"Duo! I've been looking for you all night!" She panted. "I went to your house to pick up that snowboard you promised me I could borrow and when I went inside you had a message on the answering machine so I listened to it."
"Who was it?" Duo asked.
"Mister B. He says he made an error in calculating out your science grade. You're actually getting a C plus in his class!"
"Looks like you're blue went out with After Colony 197," I grinned poking my brother in the ribs with my elbow.
"Yep, the New Year's blues are over," He agreed.
THE END
