It's Not Typical, But...
Chapter 2-Nice To Meet You Biznatch
Duo and Wufei were gawking at their blonde friend, utterly and completely stunned if not a little embarrassed. Quatre just looked back at them with a look on his face that was very close to that of a bitchy teenager. He rolled his eyes at the two.
"Honestly, you'd think when I said I could guess stuff about your lives you'd believe me! Jeez!" He annoyedly put both hands on his hips and turned away from them.
Duo and Wufei turned to look at each other, still shocked and not really able to get over the fact. One would think that they'd have moved on by now, but considering that Quatre had outed them in front of at least 5 different people didn't help matters. Duo broke the gaze first to shift his eyes around the crowd. People were staring at them of both sexes though it was mostly the males scratching their head and really pondering.
Duo laughed nervously. "The things people will say to get attention..." He laughed again. "Me? A porn star? Oh ho ho! Not in this lifetime!" He closed his eyes in apparent good humor.
Wufei looked at his best friend and, deadpanned, said 'bitch' in Chinese. He brushed past the braided man to hooker-dressed boy standing at the front of the line. Duo watched him go past and blinked several times. Never failed to confuse him how many phrases there were for best friend in Chinese. It wasn't that he was dumb exactly, more like misinformed. If one had a Chinese friend and knew little about their language, one could assume that said Chinese friend would know a thing or two about it. However, if Chinese friend says everything as though it were a grand compliment when speaking in their native tongue, it becomes nearly impossible to differentiate between 'eating tofu' and 'I'm molesting you'. (1)
The people in line behind Duo were staring at him openly. Duo began to feel uncomfortable and fidgety under their blatant scrutiny. 'Why in the hell won't they stop staring?' He reached behind him to grab at his braid. He fiddled with the tip for a bit, which only served to make his audience stare more it seemed.
After what seemed like an eternity for both parties, finally someone spoke up. "Hey hot-pants, the line's movin!" Duo turned bright red partially from embarrassment and from being flirted with so openly. He turned and half-jogged to catch up to his friends who were on their way inside. He wasn't used to people ogling him in public. On video, yes. On the set, sure. But having a stranger throw a lewd comment in his direction took him for a loop every time. His head spun again as the bouncer at the door slapped his butt. He stumbled inside bumping into Wufei.
The Chinese young man snickered. "Someone hit on you again?" Duo blinked up at him grasping at his friend to regain his balance, before failing miserably and falling to the ground. "I'll take that as a yes." He laughed lightly before hauling his buddy to his feet.
"Does it really bother him that badly?", Quatre inquired, eyes wide with fascination.
"I dunno. You tell me psychic boy.", Wufei retorted.
The blonde flushed slightly. "Point taken. I'm guessing it does because he still looks rather dazed." Quatre poked at the braided man a few times who still seemed to be not quite there. "Is he gonna be ok?"
"Sure. He'll wake up after he gets a drink in 'im." He noticed Quatre was still poking Duo as if he were a dead cat in the street. "I'd be careful doing that unless you'd like to be 'glomped' again."
Quatre immediately backed away suggesting that they move over to the bar. The author assumes that this moody sorry excuse for a club would have a bar and at least one dance area seeing as how she has never been to an actual club being far too young and without money or transportation. The author, being the supreme master of this "fic", has decided that the bar should be a large square affair in the center of the bottom level dance floor. There is another floor located above the first with a set of two flights of stairs in opposite corners of the room. There will be little areas that fan off from the staircases leading farther away from the dance area that the author has no purpose for at this time but has included them for a sense of asymmetry and general creativity. Above the second dance floor is the roof where another, smaller, bar is located along with another DJ and a whole set of people. The author does not consider this place to be anywhere near magnificent or really sufficient as a realistic club, but it'll suit her purposes just fine.
The trio had maneuvered their way to the bar and had all placed orders for some drink or another. Duo blinked as a fancy looking glass was placed in front of him. He instinctively grabbed the stem of the glass and began sucking on the pink straw poking out of the awkward colored liquid. After taking a rather large gulp he blanched. "Honestly Wu-man, you know I hate sugar." His friend shrugged as he slurped on his own identical drink.
"I asked you what you wanted and you didn't say anything. I assumed that any drink would do."
Duo sighed. "I did the thing again didn't I?"
"Yep." Slurp.
He turned his back to the counter and leaned up against it. He ran a hand through his bangs. "This is one of the reasons why I hate my life. Can't even take a compliment without spazzing out." He turned his head to the right about to say something more, when he noticed Quatre's actions.
The innocent looking blonde was in the process of downing 4 shots of vodka in a row. Duo's eyes widened slightly as the young man finished without even a grunt.
"Well. That was quite refreshing. You guys want to go dance now?" Duo nodded, a smirk on his face. Wufei said that he wanted to finish his drink but told the other two to go on without him.
Duo and Quatre made their way to the floor swaying with the music and artfully dodging around clumps of people before situating themselves in an area quite close to the speakers. Wufei watched them from his stool impressed with Quatre's moves although he seemed to be a bit stiff. "Guess he can't break away totally from his proper demeanor." He continued to down his drink and turned back to face the bar. He'd fallen into his own little world with sugarcoated alcohol in front of him and pounding broody music surrounding him. He didn't notice when a shorthaired Asian girl came and sat down next to him.
He was completely oblivious when she ordered the same drink as him and downed it in a matter of minutes. He failed to notice still when she turned to him and set her dark slanted eyes on him. He did, however, notice when she backslapped him across his right cheek.
"What the fuck was that for?", he asked indignant.
"Do you ever fucking pay attention?", she asked in return.
"You didn't answer my question, dear girl. Why did you hit me?"
She glared and hit him across his other cheek. "That's why I hit you, dear bitch."
Wufei glared at her, now rubbing both cheeks, which were tinted, red from abuse. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she reopened them she looked much calmer and had a gentle smile on her face. She reached into the pocket of her black pants and pulled out a kerchief. She hailed the bartender for a glass of ice water. A minute later she was soaking the fabric in the glass.
Wufei was surprised when his abuser applied the cold cloth to his cheeks. The hands that had moments ago bruised him were now incredibly gentle. "What are yo-"
"Sorry about that," she interrupted him. "That tends to happen when I haven't taken my medicine on time." She smiled at him as she continued to rub his cheeks softly.
Wufei pulled away from her slightly. "What exactly do you mean by 'medicine'?"
She faltered and pulled her cloth back to her. "Eh, I kind of have to take medicine to keep me from beating unsuspecting people." She looked down at her lap and laughed. "I'm kinda like a 8 year old, slapping people that interest me."
Wufei blushed slightly at her comment. "That's no big deal really," he began, "I've got my own share of oddities after all. Besides, maybe I have the maturity of an 8 year old." She looked up at that and grinned at him. She looked really cute to say the least. Wufei extended his hand in greeting. "The name's Chang Wufei."
She took his hand just as gently as when she'd been tending to him before and replied, "Zhang Meiran."
The Chinese man was pleasantly surprised at the placement of her last name before her first. "You're Chinese too?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "No shit chink-boy."
Wufei twitched at that, but otherwise ignored it. He figured she'd return to her senses in a moment. If not, he'd just have to deal with the consequences.
Over on the dance floor Duo and Quatre were still busting a move or two and greatly impressing those around them. They danced with each other, strangers around them, by themselves, or wherever. As long as their hips were still moving to the beat it didn't seem to matter what was going on around them.
Quatre was really getting into a song that the DJ had just mixed in when a pair of hands came up and settled on his hips. He opened his eyes at the contact and turned to look up at who was behind him.
Duo noticed the brief exchanged between the two and assumed that they either knew each other or the taller man behind the blonde was very brave. Or maybe very stupid. Or a serial rapist. He was steadily getting off topic in his mind as the two hugged in front of him.
Quatre squealed quite adorably and was hugging the taller man tightly. "There you are you jerk!"
The man smiled down at him, returning the embrace. "Sorry I'm late."
"I wore this for you, yanno so the least you can do is show up on time," he scolded, but grinned nonetheless. Quatre started and turned to Duo who was still pondering the different attributes of this new person who had emerged from the crowd.
Quatre smiled apologetically at his friend then went to tap the braided man on the shoulder. "Duo."
"What!", he jumped. "Oh. Right."
Quatre snickered. "Duo, this," he gestured to the tall individual behind him, "is my very very good friend Trowa."
Duo stared up at the man named Trowa and took in his thin features. He seemed to be the exact definition of lanky. All long skinny lines. The only thing that stuck out about him was the way majority of his hair was flung over one eye and the stark contrast between his eyes and his hair color. Otherwise he was just your average stick of a man.
Trowa smiled at him and reached out a hand to ruffle his hair. "You wear your hair like my sister used to." Duo blinked and waited for more of an explanation, but none came. It seemed as though the man's simple phrase explained everything and any more information would ruin it. Eventually Duo just shrugged it off. Odd how he could spend hours wondering why an apparently strange man would place his hands on his friends hips, but could totally ignore a rather strange comparison between him and said strange man's sister. Quirky? Why, yes he is.
Duo, being the friendly guy he was invited the two good friends for a drink up at the bar. He was walking backwards taking in the way the two interacted with each other. The taller one didn't seem to be much of a talker or much of an anything really, but whenever Quatre did something cute or made some over-zealous gesture he seemed to loosen up. His blonde friend, on the other hand, seemed to calm down and become more excited at the same time. His bright blue eyes danced with pent up happiness and every move he made was filled with deep emotion. Duo smiled at the two. He was no expert, but he was almost positive that they were much more than they were letting on. He'd be positive if only fools weren't positive.
'I wonder if they know just how cute they're acting together? Honestly never seen two people so overjoyed to walk a few yards together. I bet they-' His thoughts were cut short as he ran smack into another person. He shrieked when the person swept his feet from under him and caught him by the hem of his pants. Duo was hanging in mid air, bent in half, eyes wide, and braid brushing against the floor.
"Oh. Sorry, mister," a deep, kind of nasally voice spoke. Duo tried to turn his head to match the face with the voice but failed. He gasped as he was flipped upwards and landed in the man's arms, in bridal position. He stared up at the man who had him and was shocked to find a pair of piercing blue eyes staring back at him.
"You could be mistaken for a flat-chested girl. Hn." With that the man put him down on the ground, turned and disappeared into the crowd. Duo was left staring dazedly after him.
"Oh my gosh, Duo, are you okay!", Quatre asked, voice full of concern. Duo continued to stare. "Do you want me to go beat that prick up for you?"
The braided man turned very slowly to his two companions. He spoke slowly. "I'm not sure whether to be flattered, pissy, or both."
Quatre and Trowa blinked at him, but shrugged. After all, stick-boy didn't know Duo very well at all and blondie had only spoken to him for a few hours that evening. That wasn't nearly enough time to fully understand a person.
The trio resumed their walk to the bar and were all ordering drinks with Quatre once again picking vodka, Trowa some rather plain drink, and Duo vodka as well. As they waited on the bar tender, Duo looked around for Wufei. It wasn't long before he spotted his friend engaged in an arm wrestling match with either a very butch girl or a terribly pretty man. He laughed out loud as his buddy was defeated. He laughed again as the girl backslapped him. Something about Wufei getting beat up by a girl was funny and he couldn't understand why.
He grabbed his drink when the bar tender set it down and headed over to his friend. Quatre and Trowa followed, introductions still needing to be made. Duo paused when the girl who'd just hit his friend was caressing his bruise.
"Oi, Wuffers." Wufei whipped around blushing slightly.
"Um, yes?"
"Whose the chick?"
She smiled cutely at Duo and introduced herself. He too introduced himself and they shared a friendly handshake.
"Well, Mr. Maxwell I have the strongest urge to beat your face in. I can tell that we'll be very good friends." She smiled widely.
Duo twitched. More because he was called Mr. Maxwell than because she mentioned 'violence' and 'friends' as though there were an appropriate connection between the two. "Just call me Duo please."
"Ok Duo." She beamed. "Who're your other two friends?"
"Oh. Right. This is Quatre," he gestured with is glass, "and this is his friend-thing Trowa." Quatre bounced up to her and shook her hand while Trowa remained where he was merely lifting a hand in greeting. The blonde immediately engaged the Chinese girl in conversation leaving his 'friend' to watch and Duo and Wufei to themselves.
"So, Wuffers, what's with the violence thing?"
"She's got this condition that cause her to be uber violent. Rather scary."
"I'd say." He paused. "She's really cute though."
"Yeah. She can beat me with a smile on her face. No pun intended."
"Have you introduced her to that interesting little quirk yet?", Duo asked snickering.
Wufei sighed. "No, not yet my dear jerk-off, but I'm sure I'll get to it." Duo kept on snickering. Wufei just ignored him. "And I take it you haven't met anyone besides Trowa here, am I right?" He nudged his friend.
Duo raised his index finger as if to make a point in the air. "Actually, I met a rather interesting fellow who decided that picking me up and then commenting on my girl-ish appearance was a nice way to introduce himself."
The Asian man smirked. "Sounds like we've both met someone special."
"You could say that."
(1) in Chinese there is a phrase where the direct translation is "I'm eating your tofu" which is slang for "I'm molesting you." just a little cultural tidbit for you.
ok, that was delightful. i have no clue where this is going btw. originally i'd planned on Duo meeting Heero and having their little adventure and having Quatre and Trowa meet for the first time as well. Wufei was supposed to meet a boy not Meiran, but we see how that went. this is kind of surpassing my expectations tho. i thot this would end up being like my 'Wet' series only for GW. ah well. go review or flame please. i could use a flame kids. it's been too long.