Part 5

Duo watched his friend out and closed the door behind him. He stood there for a minute looking through the door at the space Wufei had just occupied. Letting out a sigh he turned around and walked back to the chair he had sat in and glanced over to the chair Wufei had just occupied. That was Hilde's favorite chair. In all honesty, she forbade anyone from sitting in it, but Duo felt like it was the only chair that suited Wufei, so he hadn't mentioned anything.

Letting out another sigh he adverted his attention to the half full bottle in front of him.

Half full, aye? I suppose it should be half empty since I just drank out half of it, he thought. Maybe that's why I can't help but think that there's still a chance for him. Obviously he likes her. I just don't know if that's a good thing or not. I mean. Ayyye…

Getting up again he picked up his bottle and walked back to the kitchenette and put the drink back in the almost-empty fridge. The fridge that should have food in it but since Hilde always did the shopping wasn't. He had been running on bare minimums in every aspect since she had gone in; spending most of his time with her- despite how much he hated hospitals- worrying about her, or at work. Of course there was the usual twinge he had gotten over the past few years about wishing Wufei could be with him, but since it was such a regular occurrence it really shouldn't be included.

"Excuses are excuses I suppose… Should get food…" Sighing again he went into his room and changed out of his work clothes, it was already four, there was no reason to go to work unless he was going to work a full shift, since it would take just that to get into and finish most jobs, it was a hassle to ask questions about a job and walk in halfway, slowed down the process. They all felt that way, so he would leave it at that and work an extra shift somewhere down the road, maybe over the weekend.

Deep in his mind he kept going over Wufei, not just his physical body, which was fascinating and beautiful on its own, but how he had acted. He had seemed somewhat different than Duo had remembered, but he couldn't put a finger on what. Duo couldn't lie about the fact that as soon as Wufei stepped into his home he had completely forgotten about Hilde. In fact, though he felt guilty to admit it, he had felt happier than he had in months. Wufei was in his apartment, the Wufei! He smiled as he got his keys and a light jacket, black and red of course, his usual colors, well, when he wasn't wearing black and blue. White highlights on most of his clothes, sometimes unperceivable by most other people. He had always felt it was better to dress the way he thought about himself, and quite frankly, that wasn't too high. He deserved black for his lack of purity, he had committed most sins, deadly or otherwise, and done them several times, the white was for the few times when his black heart told him to do something that wasn't, as far as he was aware or believed, bad. Of course he always did what his heart wanted, but he still felt that he was more bad than good, so warned others of it by means of his dress. The red for death and pestilence that seemed to plague all who tried to get close to him (which actually made it easier to cope with the Wufei situation because he would never wish ill of Wufei) The blue was for night, since it was always easier to steal when it was dark, regardless of what other people said, and also because it was a somber color and he felt it would help to contrast his personality; I mean honestly, if you saw some hyperactive, bouncy, flamboyant man in bright flashy colors jumping and dancing around and having fun, wouldn't you run?(by flamboyant I mean talkative, gossipy and energetic, not gay, even though that is true as well)

"All I need now is more time to do and less time to think, I've had too much of that lately" He said aloud to no-one in particular as he locked his door behind him and walked down the stairs to go get groceries from the mart down the block. 'Fei, he thought, don't go rushing home too quickly. I want to remember you enough to last me the next however many years.

Wufei walked halfway down the street he was on when he decided it was time to stop. He had been walking for the past two hours with absolutely no clue where he was or where he was trying to go. He didn't want to go to his hotel for fear that Duo might have called or something, during the course of their conversation they had exchanged numbers so they could contact each other if need be. Knowing Duo as he felt he did, he figured that Duo could find a good excuse to call no matter what time hour or reason.

Sighing he turned into some coffee pub and sat down by the window and looked out it without seeing anything. Asking for a green tea he sat in silence in an attempt to further analyze Duo's behavior.

Alright, he started, I know he's gay, well I think I do. No starting like this will never work. Un-biased Wufei, you're a Preventor, unbiased until proof. What do I have?

He remembered looking at Duo's exposed neck, then the eyes. Physically shaking off the thought and glaring into his tea he tried to start over and felt a slight redness cross his face.

Why? Why's that in my head? Inconsequential! I have those too, there is nothing special about them! What do I know about him? He works as a mechanic. He's my age. I have no record of his past life off the top of my head. I've never see him date…But I have seen him rudely look people up and down, perverted American.

He sighed and took a sip of his tea. Cold already, he must have been sitting for longer than he realized. He thought he felt a shift in the room and looked over to the waitress who was trying to convince a couple that had just come in to not disturb…him? Window seat, he guessed correctly. They were insisting in loud whispers that they really wanted the window seat, needed it even.

How can you need a seat? He thought and looked back out the window, the picture of Duo sitting in front of him like some abandoned god…

"WHAT THE FUCK!" He cried out loud without realizing it at first. The store, small and rather empty other than employees and a few couples or people working on paperwork in booths, turned to him. He glared enough Hell into his tea that he was sure if he touched it he would have burnt his skin off. The waitress who had been trying to keep the couple from replacing Wufei, walked over to him looking kind of shocked and concerned. He didn't hear her at first as he was repeatedly reprimanding himself inwardly.

"Uh, sir? Is there a problem? Can I help you?" she said with a hint of worry in her voice.

Wufei tried his mightiest to repress his glare but mostly lost and gave her a relatively psychotic expression.

"Yeah, kill him. I can't stand him anymore," he said and looked into the space that the other chair was creating. "Damn him to hell, how does he do that?"

The girl was entirely confused, the couple still standing where they had been arguing before, but no longer looking like they wanted the seat he was in.

"Excuse me? Kill?" She tried to put a hand on his shoulder as she gasped.

"OH! I see, do you want to talk?" she offered and caused Wufei to give her an odd, but no longer homicidal, look.

"Excuse me? I have a feeling that we are operating on different wavelength, your transmission didn't make sense in my database," he said looking at her hard-pressed to get an explanation.

"Well, ok." She said and sat down across from him. "Well you suddenly cursed out, so obviously it's important, and you seemed to be kind of unhappy about something, but you keep dazing off into the window, so just assumed…" she trailed off. She had a soft voice and Wufei felt sure that he was the only person who could hear her. He looked at her as if with the words 'please continue to decode that' written across his face in replacement of his features, but she didn't and instead played with her hands on her lap.

"Just assumed what?" he started for her. "That I'm some kind of psycho?" he offered.

"No! Nothing like that, I just thought that, you know, you were having relationship problems with your boyfriend…"

Blank stare. "What?"

"Well you seemed upset and, I don't know…like you missed him, but at the same time wanted to keep him away from him and be alone so that… I don't know. It just happens sometimes, like after you get into an argument… I know how you feel." She said, pretty much allowing herself to believe she was right in her assumption.

"I do not have a boyfriend, or any male interest, thank you I just want to kill…" he let out an unintelligible mutter and looked again at his tea, which looked like hell had left it alone for now. She was silent for a moment and when Wufei looked up she saw a sheepish grin on her face.

"Oh, well that changes everything. You just don't know it yet is all."

A blank stare was the response, again. "Excuse me? Could you repeat that again? I don't know it yet? What is it" He said an eyebrow slightly raised. She just smiled.

"Don't worry about it, you'll figure it out. It's tragic, actually," she said with a sigh, "All the cute ones are gay…" Then she got up and walked away to resume with the couple explaining, very quietly, that 'the man at the window is having relationship problems and should be left alone to sort things out'.

There s no way. I am not gay, he tried convincing himself and remembered the man on the flight, the uncomfortable, yet interesting feeling it had given him. He thought about back during the war, and even to Treiz. No there was nothing unique about that, he respected the man, respect is perfectly acceptable. Once again Duo came into his head.

Or maybe I am? Is that possible? He asked himself, Nataku, you women sure know a lot, don't you? Nataku, help me, would I dishonor your death if I fell for a man? Would I be a disgrace to you? And worst of all, how can I accept that?

He finished up his tea and looked out the window again. Then left and went to do the paperwork for his report.

Duo sat in line for groceries for way longer that he had wanted. That's right, 3.895 minutes.

"Damn it come on already," he muttered under his breath. Clearly there was a reason Hilde did the shopping, Duo could not stand waiting in line for any food items for longer that 3.5 minutes, in fact, he had a time limit for any sort of lines, depending on how much he felt they were needed to be convenient, for instance he would gladly wait for a half an hour for a 45.12 second roller coaster, or 20 minutes for a customer who was picking up their car late, and so forth.

"Four minutes, come on!" He said louder this time. "I have shit to do!" He said paying no mind at the mother in front of him who had glared at him. Her child was in the wagon and turned to look at him. The mother hushed the child before she could ask what 'shit' meant. The woman then took her time handing her credit card to the cashier and Duo felt obliged to slap his open palm onto his forehead in protest of her action. As soon as all her foods were back in her cart she turned back to him. He read her 'I'm going to scold you now' expression as soon as she cast it and spoke first.

"Thank god I'm gay, I'll never have to deal with a wife who would annoy me with stupid rules." Glares were exchanged and she walked off. Duo looked at his watch again. "Fuckin' A, man," he said to no one in particular and dumped his things in front of the man behind the counter. "Here, ring it up quick. Charge it to this" he said and practically forced the card to the boys hands and waited 'patiently' as the boy scanned his things.

Making a lunge for the door as soon as he got his bag he stopped out side. "I hate lines… I shoulda just… No stealing's illegal, and its not like there's no food in the house, just that I can't cook it…TV dinners. Yay."

And he walked on back home.

Damit, I know as soon as I get home I'm going to call him…

Sighing he gave into the urge to call and told himself that one call a day would be alright, just not to over do it. Wufei is straight and as close as I can get him is how I want to keep him.

He plopped his things down on the counter and picked up the phone…

Enai's note:

by 'flamboyant' I mean: talkative, gossipy, and energetic, not gay, even though it does apply. At this point only Hilde and Jeff know that Duo is gay(or at least so far as you know - ).