Afterimages
Part 6
By Mieren
Three days had passed since they had watched the movie together.
As always, Duo managed to wake up before Wufei did. The Chinese pilot entered the kitchen to find the braided pilot carefully working his way around some of the simpler items in the room. He had successfully started a pot of coffee and the toaster. In his hands, he held a large bowl of pancake batter, mixing it carefully. His fingers were dipped slightly into the bowl to ensure he didn't slop the stuff onto the floor as he energetically mixed it. Wufei watched in silent amusement as he gently kicked Shini off of his ankle, the small black cat intent on gnawing off his foot for some unknown reason.
Not seeming to notice Wufei's presence, Duo set the bowl of batter on the counter and pulled a skillet out of the drainer, tossing it with surprising accuracy onto the stovetop, turning on the burner. He took up the batter again and continued mixing it, pausing to detach the small black cat from his calf again. Grumbling, he set down the bowl again and walked over to the pantry, reaching unerringly for the cat food. Popping open a small can, he moved a few steps to the side and flipped the contents expertly into the waiting dish on the floor. Shini attacked the food with relish, as it apparently tasted better than Duo's leg.
Careful not to give himself away, Wufei continued to watch. Although the American was always awake before he was, he had never before attempted to cook. He watched with some trepidation as Duo deftly washed his hands before grabbing the pancake batter, unsure of how his blind companion would be able to handle a stove. Ebony eyes widened when the braided teen felt out the skillet with his free hand, missing the handle and tapping the metal directly. Duo winced and withdrew his hand, waving it in a wider circle to locate the handle of the pan. When his fingers came in contact, he repositioned the handle with a deliberate motion to a position where he could more easily find it.
Skillet finally in a place where he wanted it, Duo carefully dipped some batter into the pan in three perfectly even circles. Placing the batter back on the counter, he abandoned the skillet to set the table. Wufei openly gaped when Duo returned to the cooking pancakes, flipping them easily and leaving again as he moved to pour drinks to set at the table. Again, he had a finger hooked into the top of each glass, careful not to allow orange juice to overflow onto the floor. In both glasses, the liquid stopped abruptly a quarter of an inch below his finger. Wufei's jaw dropped at the precision and he wondered how Duo managed it.
He continued to stare as Duo poked the pancakes with one finger to test them before flipping them off of the skillet onto a waiting plate. He promptly started another batch. While they cooked, he began dragging items from the fridge. Syrup, butter and a few types of jelly materialized on the table.
The pancakes were flipped again. A second skillet appeared along with a few seemingly random items from the fridge. After removing the pancakes and starting a third batch, Duo began making omelets. Wufei continued to stare.
A mere few minutes later, a plate of pancakes sat in the middle of the table and an omelet was placed neatly in front of each seat. Duo grinned and winked in Wufei's direction.
"You can sit down, you know," he chuckled. Wufei gawped for another few seconds before he was able to stutter out a response.
"How long did you know I was here?" he asked, stunned. Duo laughed louder.
"Since you walked in. You make enough noise to wake the dead."
Knowing that Duo couldn't see his glare, he settled on snorting loudly as he claimed his seat. He remained silent for a few seconds, trying to decide how to phrase his thoughts without sounding insensitive. He could hardly ask Duo how he could cook blind, instead settling on a milder line of questioning.
"I didn't know you knew how to cook," he said, watching carefully for his companion's reaction. Duo's grin faded slightly.
"I used to be pretty good at it. Now… now I'm having a bit of trouble, ya know?"
Wufei deliberately took a bite of his omelet before answering.
"You cook better than I do," he muttered. The brunette's smile slipped further, his expression beginning to reveal the strain and helplessness he was feeling.
"I've been working on it," Duo admitted. "It took a little getting used to."
Wufei wilted slightly where he sat, his mind working overtime trying to figure out just how hard it would be to relearn how to do everything without being able to see it. He had to forcibly refrain from shivering, knowing that the American would hear the movement. While he was contemplating a response that wouldn't upset his friend, Duo suddenly spoke up.
"I tried," Duo said in a broken voice. When Wufei didn't immediately respond, he plowed on. "I tried to help him. I thought… if I tried long enough, that I could break through J's training."
Wufei put down his fork, suddenly losing his appetite. He hadn't been expecting the conversation to come up for a long time and he found that he didn't know exactly what to do to help. Unable to do anything else, he opted to listen.
"And?" he prompted gently.
"J trained him not to have any emotions, or at least not to express them. He was supposed to be a weapon, nothing more. J had never meant for him to survive the war. He couldn't function in society. I… I stayed because… I thought I could help him. I thought I could… He never responded. Every time I thought I was getting close, his training would kick in and he'd become violent. I tried. Oh God, I tried…"
Duo broke down, trying to flee from the table before he burst out in tears. Wufei ran after him, catching him in the living room and pulling him to the sofa. Gathering the braided teen up into his arms, Wufei held him while he wept. The logical part of his mind told him that he should call in to work and inform Zechs that he would be missing work. He promptly told his mind to shove it, refusing to leave the distraught American alone.
After nearly an hour, the braided teen calmed down enough to realize the position he was in and what time it had to be.
"Don't you have to be at work?" he asked weakly.
"I'll show up late," Wufei responded gently, shrugging slightly. "If Zechs doesn't like it, he can shove it." Duo chuckled softly.
"I think Noin would object," he managed, mouth twitching upwards into a perverted smirk. Wufei saw the look and had to fight back a blush when he realized what he'd said.
"Especially after what you sent her," Wufei countered softly. "I still can't believe she hasn't disemboweled me for that."
That won an honest laugh. It took several seconds before Duo could form a response, and it was still fairly jerky.
"But… it was… tournament certified," he managed to force out.
"And for the love of all things holy, you will NEVER tell me where you found that… that thing," Wufei groused.
"I could show you the store," Duo offered innocently. "It's not too far from here."
"No," Wufei said firmly. "In fact, I don't even want to know what you were doing in there."
"I had to use the restroom."
"Sure you did," Wufei drawled, inwardly relieved that the brunette was finally calming down.
He knew that Duo had to eventually talk about what had happened, but that it was still too soon. Duo wasn't ready any more than Wufei had been. The Chinese Preventer swore that he wouldn't be caught off guard again. The next time Duo brought up the subject, he would be ready for it. He glanced at the taller man sitting awkwardly in his lap and had to bite back a chuckle at the image the two of them made. Duo was a full head taller than him normally. The lanky man sitting in his lap made Wufei appear even shorter by comparison. Even if he was more muscular than the American, they still probably looked ridiculous. He shook his head and forced his thoughts back to where they should be.
"I'm going to call in sick," Wufei murmured. Duo snorted.
"Oh no you don't. You missed enough work because of me. You're going in or else."
"Or else what?" Wufei asked, unable to help himself. A truly sinister look formed on Duo's face that worried the shorter man he was sitting on.
"Or else you'll find out what else I bought at that store."
Wufei paused, unsure. "There's no way you have anything from there still. I helped you unpack, remember?"
"Just keep telling yourself that," Duo chuckled.
"You're bluffing."
"Want to find out?"
Wufei hesitated. "All right. You win. Just keep whatever you have away from me," he muttered. "I'll go to work after I clean up the kitchen."
"I'll take care of it," Duo said.
"But…"
"I'm not helpless, Wu," Duo ground out in a tight voice. "It won't kill me to do the dishes." Wufei backed off immediately.
"You're right. You're not helpless," he conceded. "But you ARE heavy."
"I am not! You weigh more than I do," Duo objected as he slid off of Wufei's lap.
"Fine. Then your butt is bony. I'll be lucky if I don't have your butt print in my leg for the rest of the day."
"And wouldn't that be fun to explain to Noin," Duo chuckled.
"Whatever you're thinking, don't you dare," Wufei growled.
"Fine," Duo conceded, pouting. He stretched and started toward the kitchen. "Call in before Zechs has a coronary and go to work."
Wufei shook his head silently as he headed out, already on the phone with the platinum blond who, sure enough, was about to throw a fit. He ignored the man's irritation at his refusal to give a reason for being late. His mind was fixed firmly on how quickly Duo had progressed in the last few days. Less than a week ago, the braided man couldn't even be in the same room as him without squirming. Now, he seemed almost like his old self. Wufei almost expected him to start pulling pranks again. He briefly wondered who would catch the brunt of it at the Christmas party. That thought caused him to chuckle into the phone.
Zechs paused in his tirade, the sudden silence causing Wufei to pay attention to him again. He briefly wondered if he had missed something important.
"What?" he asked.
"I was just speculating on what happened to make you so cheerful," Zechs said, the irritation gone from his voice. "I'm not sure I want to know."
"Very well, I won't tell then. But, could you relay a message for me?" Wufei asked.
"Okay…"
"Tell Noin that it's tournament certified."
"Now I'm certain I don't want to know," Zechs muttered.
"Trust me. It's safer that way."
To Be Continued…
Okay. I give. I don't know how long this is going to continue as a story. I'm working on it, though.
I'm sorry. I know it's short, but this is all I had time for at the moment. Class is evil and the doctors are trying to kill me and eat my brains.
