Chapter 6: Un Esprit de Nouvel Espoir

(ch rewritten)

: male :

The house was empty when Wufei descended the stairs. The smell of macaroni and cheese was a welcome relief. It was something he'd have smelt in his world (as he'd begun to think of it). He entered the kitchen.

He peered into the insides of the cupboards. They were alike in so many ways. He'd be thrown, it seemed, by small things, little things, things that would build a case against himself. And how was he to manage that?

A soft step behind him and he spun to have his breath caught in his throat. A contemplative look on a Duo was something that he knew, in his world, did not bode well.

But Duo didn't say anything, only looked away and with a slight flush, went to the fridge. "There's mac n'cheese. I know you don't like it but if I made the shit you make, I'd have burned it."

"No, macaroni is fine," Wufei recognized an attempt to right things between them. It was just Duo's way and like the almost sameness in the cupboards had surprised him and delighted him and frightened him, so did the sameness in Duo.

"I'm sorry," Wufei stated again, not knowing exactly what he was apologizing for. Then, at the curious look Duo gave over his shoudler, Wufei winced and dug deep inside. "I mean. I know that, well, that we haven't been the best of friends lately, and I've been acting like a real umm, how do you say it? A real rat bastard, and… and…" he started to stutter because the considering look on Duo's face was getting deeper. "What?" he finally stuttered. "What did I say? Did I say something wrong?"

Duo put the tupperware container into the microwave, reheated it and then placed it on the table with a fork. "You want apple juice or coffee?"

Wufei blinked. He didn't like apple juice. And he wasn't so sure of how coffee was on his system. Were his taste buds different as well? His jaw clenched. "Ummm, whatever… you think is best?" he ventured.

Duo laughed and spun around, clutching Wufei around the waist. The chinese man jerked rigidly and uncertain, stared down at the violet eyes under his, closer than hers had always been because this one was taller, but still so much the same.

"You dolt!" Duo grinned and hugged him and refused to let him go even as he struggled. The proximity to this Duo was doing things to his body it shouldn't have been doing, not so soon, anyway. "You incredibly wonderful idiot. You know, an apology is more than enough. Who the hell are you and what have you done with my meanie head Wuffers?" he asked, pulling back and looking inquiringly at his friend.

Wufei blushed a pretty saffron and tried his best to calmly extricate himself from Duo's hands. "I - I don't know. That dream, it really messed some things up."

Duo's face clouded and he let go. "Sit," he ordered.

Wufei looked at the noodles before him and smiled at the memory. Duo had introduced him to macaroni and cheese two years prior. His Duo had done that. Not this Duo, apparently. Because this Duo had had Heero and had worked his magic on Heero, it seemed. "Erm, thank you. For making me dinner."

Duo chuckled and was busy, silent and busy. It seemed as if Heero had been something of a good influence on Duo here, as well. Though Wufei's Duo had her moments of quiet as well.

"Here," Duo put a cup of tea before him and some honey. Wufei picked up the honey and true to form, put two spoonfuls into his tea, stirring slowly as he thought.

"Wow.. don't tell me I'm having an effect on the indomitable Wuffers!" Duo grinned and sat across from him.

Wufei looked up, surprised. Then blushed somewhat. "I - I guess maybe you are." Then he thought to himself, 'Because you already have, though it wasn't you. It was someone almost like you.'

And that made him think of how the Wufei from here was managing his Duo. He smiled and almost laughed aloud at that thought. Considering the things she'd had to do to him to get his "head out of his ass" as she'd said it, the other Wufei was in for a real ride.

Duo tilted his head and when Wufei looked up, there was that same - look. Love, a sweetness of love, in those violet eyes. His Duo had looked at him like that many a time. And a small taint of resignation as well. That too. But the love was overpowering and Wufei laughed softly. "Sorry."

"No, don't be, Wuffie baby. Just never seen you look so relaxed. I mean, this dream. You wanna talk about it?"

Wufei glanced up surprised. "Talk? Oh." Then he tapped his spoon on the side of his cup and shrugged then shook his head. "No, I don't think I do. It's … private."

"Oooo!" Duo crowed. "A wet dream! Oh who did it have in it!" he grinned and leaned forward. "Was it Sally? Or that secretary that is always looking at you when we go in? What is her name?"

Secretary? Oh! Yes, "You mean Donna?" Wufei asked.

"Donna? Mmm, no. Don't think I know someone named Donna," Duo grinned. "What is her name, damn, you talk to her all the time. You've got the mind like a steel trap. What is it?"

"What is what?" came the question from the door and Duo bounced up in delight.

"Heya Quat! We're trying to remember the cutie from the front desk. The one that is always ogling Wufferooni."

Wufei turned in his chair, holding the teacup in his hand and glancing at Quatre. Trowa was not far behind and the spanish man had the same sense of quiet to him that had made Quat fall in love with him in the first place. Not that it had worked out in his world. And not that they had made it past the friend stage in this world. At least, as far as this world's Wufei was aware of according to his journals.

Damn, this was getting confusing.

"Hi Wufei! And I think it was Amanda," Quat smiled and sat down across from Wufei.

"You guys wants some tea? Or coffee? Heero made a pot before he went to work."

"Late shift again?" Quat asked politely.

"Yeah, damn Une and her good ideas. She says it like she needs a good man there during evening shift. I told her that I need a good man during MY evening shift. But he's so mission accepted. You know how that is."

The laughter ranging about the table was soft, easy, and sweet to the ear.

"So you two are on good terms again?" Quat looked at them both and changed the subject.

"Me and Heero?" Duo asked while Wufei nodded at the same time.

Taking Wufei's nod as truth, Quat grinned. "I'm glad. It was getting uncomfortable to be around you two for a while there. With Wufei's guilt and your unrequited stuff, I couldn't stay near you two for more than half of an hour."

"Sorry Q-man," Duo smiled and patted Quatre's arm as he went to go and get down more mugs.

"Coffee, please," came the order from Trowa who it seemed, hadn't forgotten the original question.

"Yeah," Duo continued with a grin. "Wufei here, had himself a dream and he came out of it all happy. I think he got some while he was dreaming."

Wufei knew he should be upset, but the fact that he was being ribbed about something Duo would have ribbed him over in his… well, the other… dammit. Anyway, it was enough to make him happy. Besides, if Duo had known how many times he'd dreamed of Duo. The other Duo, but this Duo. The same face, eyes, the same hands almost, a little less broad in the chest, a little less slim in the waist, but not a woman, a man - how would he have known what a male Duo would have looked like?

If this Duo knew how many times he'd dreamed those kinds of dreams, only with those same eyes, passionate eyes, in a man's face - of the muddled ways that he'd try and find complet-

"WUFEI!"

Wufei jerked out of his daydream at Duo's loud calling of his name and almost spilled his tea. The others were staring at him in amusement.

"So?" Duo asked again with a grin. "You were sitting there with a dumb look on your face. I think we might be on track."

Wufei turned pink and sipped his tea.

"So, lets name off the names. There's that gal, Sally, and then Susan, Amanda."

"Don't forget Taylor and Katie," Quat added, laughing.

Wufei raised his hand. "No, wait a minute. It wasn't a woman."

"What?" Duo's eyes stared wide. "Shit... Wu.." his chair tipped back and he fell.

Everyone got up, staring down at where Duo was staring at the ceiling mumbling something to himself.

"What is he saying?" Wufei asked.

"I'm dreaming, I think is what he's saying. Over and over again," Trowa chuckled and took his seat once more.

"Umm, Duo, I meant," Wufei blushed and rounded the table with Quatre, helping the braided young man to his feet and righting the chair. "I meant that I wasn't having a wet dream and there wasn't a woman. It was a fairy."

Duo blinked. "A fairy."

Blushing further, Wufei took just an extra moment to thank said fairy and brushed his hands across Duo's shoulders, pretending to clean off the lint from the floor. "Right, a fairy and she wasn't anything to write home about."

Duo looked up at him and Wufei felt himself go a little topsy-turvy. He had to get ahold of himself. This was insane! He didn't even know how things went here. Duo had told him he loved him, yes, but Heero! And Wufei wasn't sure what he thought of Heero and - well, there was the problem of - well, Heero. Simply put.

"You had a dream about a fairy and she wasn't anything exciting and you come down and you're thrown for a loop, you can barely talk, you faint on the floor -"

"Wufei? You fainted?" Quatre was up on his feet again. "What happened? Here, sit down. Are you okay?"

"I'm just fine," Wufei waved Quatre's hand away with a smile and sat down. "I was just - well it wasn't exactly ill, but I don't feel myself is all."

"He doesn't feel himself," Duo groaned. "He's having dreams about fairies -"

"And mean looking teddy bears," Wufei added with a chuckle.

Duo stopped, blinked and then went on, "-and mean little killer teddy bears, dude, this so sounds like a bad twentieth century horror flic."

Wufei laughed and tried not to notice how everyone was looking at him strangely. "Yeah, I guess it was kind of like that. I mean, she reminded me of you, actually… and she kept flying around and telling me things were going to be different and better and not making much sense and then I woke up here. And that is all I remember. Only I've felt like I am somewhere new, ever since."

Well, it was the truth as best he could put it.

Quatre reached out and touched his hand. Wufei allowed it and smiled at the blonde. He knew what Quatre was doing and he waited.

"That is just so crazy," Duo prattled on. "Like he's somewhere new. But I'm telling you guys, he's been acting funny ever since. It's so weird. I keep wondering what he's gonna do next. He actually apologized. Like a real apology to me today! And he almost let me give him coffee! It's crazy. And he keeps on staring at me sometimes, when he doesn't think I know it, but I'm the God of Death, hahahahaaa! I can tell!" And Duo waggled a finger at Wufei.

The expression was so like and unlike Duo that Wufei felt a surge of affection rise in him. If that had been the Duo he knew and loved he would have caught the finger in his hand and tried to turn it into a tussle. But he wasn't sure how that would come across here.

"You learn how to fight yet?" he asked as he stared at the Duo across from him.

"Learn? I can still kick your ass!" Duo beamed and bounced about in his chair. Wufei smiled and looked back to where Quatre's hand was still on his. Then he peered up at the blue eyes of the blonde and his expression faltered.

Quatre shook his head mutely and smiled, giving more fuel to Wufie's smile which returned, burned brighter.

"Am I still me?" Wufei asked, unsure if he would pass the test.

Quatre chuckled. He captured Wufei's ahdn and lifted it to look at it. He spread out fingers, traced lines before he relinquished it and then nodded. "Yes, just, more."

"More?" Duo asked in a worried tone.

Wufei was worried as well. "What do you mean?"

Quatre let go his hand and beamed at him. "You just aren't as afraid any more. It's nice and it suits you. I -" He flushed as he looked around the table. Quatre had a gift, a talent, and they all knew it, but it seemed that nothing was different here. He still felt uncomfortable taking up the limelight. "I don't know what that dream did, or if anything, but - I guess you're just different somehow. Still the same, but more free. More alive?" He laughed softly. "Am I making any sense?"

"No," Duo interjected but Wufei nodded silently and took Quatre's hand again, giving it a squeeze. He was the same here as well. That was a relief. They were all the same. Things were simply just a little different. He could manage somewhere where things were a little different.

"Good," Quatre sighed and looked relieved at the nod from his friend. Then he glanced at Trowa who watched this all with his impassive face and his expressive eyes. "We were going to go to a movie. Did you two want to come with us?"

Trowa left the eyes of his friend and glanced at Wufei and Duo. "It should be a good one. A documentary on the colonies."

Duo grinned. "I'll get my coat!" and he ran out.

After he'd left, Quatre reached over and touched Wufei once more. "Not just your defenses were changed," he murmured.

Wufei looked down, amazed at the way Quatre could just strip away pretenses. "No," he agreed. "No, not just the defenses were changed. But there are other problems in the way, Quatre."

Quatre sighed, nodding. "Yes, I suppose there are."

"He has Heero," Wufei spoke, knowing full well that Trowa knew as much as Quatre simply by virtue of being the one who watched, who saw clearly. He had no need to hide anything from Trowa. Quatre would tell him all anyway.

Quatre smiled a secret smile. "But Heero has room for you. Do you not have room for him?"

Wufei shook his head. "I don't know Heero yet. I don't know even Duo yet. It's all so new, I am not sure."

"Take your time then," Quatre patted his arm with a small frown of confusion and stood. "Take as much time as you need. We'll all wait for you, you know."

Wufei was overcome with a sense of how perfect things were, despite the struggles that were bound to be ahead of him, how perfect things could become. And it was a beautiful feeling. He smiled at Quatre and then looked at Trowa who, with a bit of silent humor, winked at him. Then with a laugh he nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I know."