Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and this lovely plot. I'm really happy that people are reading this, its actually a result of an argument I had with my best friend and looks like I'm gonna prove her wrong..hopefully. -
How To Say Thank You
"Hey, Sally, I'm here to get the paperwork." Noin called out as she walked into the office at twelve. She wasn't surprised to find Sally bent over her paperwork, it was one of life's little ironies that soldiers who'd fought and trained for battle were being reduced to paper pushers. On the one hand it was a sure sign that there was peace in the world but on the other hand it was damn annoying. There were seriously times she was tempted to start a war just so that there wouldn't be any paperwork to pile up on her desk like mountains. "How's it going?"
"Let's just say every time I blink there's more paperwork. Trying not to blink hurts like hell after a while." Sally said with a laugh as she looked up to smile at Noin. "That pile there is his, it should be enough to keep him busy this afternoon. What did you do to your hands?" Sally added as she grabbed her friend's wrist, examining her friend's hands which had apparently seen better days. Noin's knuckles were swollen and bruised, liked they'd connected with a wall or something. Sally imagined Noin was feeling it too. "Did you finally punch Milliardo's hard head?"
"No, though I wish it had been his head instead." Noin said with a sigh as Sally let go of her wrist. Loading the papers into the briefcase she'd brought for the purpose Noin smiled weakly at Sally. "Let's just say I took out my aggression on the wrong thing."
"Yeah, walls are never a good idea. When you get home put some ice and that cream I gave you on those knuckles." Sally advised and Noin didn't correct her. Nodding her agreement Noin headed out with two briefcases, one with her paperwork and the other with Wufei's. Seeing Duo and Hilde as she headed towards the parking lot an idea occurred to her which had her calling out Duo's name before she thought better of it.
"Hey, Noin. Heading out?" Duo asked as he jogged over, hoping she wasn't going to tell him that she couldn't deliver the papers to Wufei because he didn't want to face Hilde's wrath for canceling their lunch date.
"Yeah, I was figuring to grab some food on the way and was wondering if I should pick up anything for the invalid since odds are he shouldn't try to get up and make it on his own." Noin said hoping she sounded casual about it. Inside she was cursing herself because normally she and Wufei simply existed in the same workplace and that was about it. On the rare times they'd been in a group together socially they'd been polite but that was about all they were. She'd show Wufei the same concern she'd show a complete stranger and that was really it. Gotta think quick, Noin thought. "Plus he's bound to order me to make him something since the kitchen is where I belong anyway." Noin said rolling her eyes for extra punch. "That wouldn't end well at all."
Laughing Duo fell for it hook line and sinker. "Good thinking, he probably would too and you'd have to hurt him. Then we'd be stuck with him bitching even more and longer. Actually I think that Trowa was going to come around two and bring him something to eat but if you don't mind you could get him something." Duo said as he reached for his wallet. "I'll tell Trowa not to worry about it."
"Don't worry about it, my treat." Noin said shaking her head before he could give her any money for Wufei's share. "Have a good date with Hilde, don't keep her waiting or she might decide to leave without you."
"You sure?" Duo said with an unsure look but when she repeated several times that it was okay Duo smiled then went off to join Hilde, the two linking arms as they headed to Duo's car. Watching them go Noin sighed with envy before heading to her own car and stuffing her stuff into the back seat got in and headed out to get them some food and figure out what the hell she was going to say to him.
Arriving at the house Noin cut the engine and getting out rolled her shoulders to relieve the tension, wishing that she didn't have to do this. But she did and there was no getting around it. Grabbing the bag of food in one hand and the suitcase in the other Noin headed to the door, setting the food down before taking out the keys Duo had given her part way through her shift to unlock the door. Pushing the door open wide Noin picked up the food and walking in kicked the door shut once she was in. Setting her load down once more she took off her jacket and shoes before heading into the kitchen to collect plates, cups and cutlery. Adding them to the bag she heading up the stairs, opening several rooms before finding the right one.
He was laying on his back was fast asleep, not even stirring when she'd opened the door. He was likely drugged up on the painkillers Quatre would have gotten into him somehow, Noin thought with sympathy. Walking over to his bed she set the various things she carried on the desk near his bed then walked over to look over the damage. Ouch, Noin thought with a wince as she looked him over. His covers had been pushed back to his waist showing off the various bruises all over his chest to match those on his face. She'd given him a black eye, Noin thought, reaching out to cup his cheek slightly to turn his head more towards her. His hair was really long, Noin thought in surprise having never seen it down to her knowledge. He'd always kept it in a ponytail and she'd never thought about how long it was or what it would look like down. It suited him, made him look more approachable, less harsh. He was barely over twenty but she'd always thought of him as old, the way soldiers got old so quickly from fight after fight. What would Wufei have been had he not been dragged into the war? Not quite sure why she cared Noin drew back and tried to figure out how to wake him up. Trying to shake him would hurt a hell of a lot she'd imagine. Opting to try simply telling him to wake up since he was a soldier Noin hoped that it would work. "Wufei, time to wake up." Noin said in her best instructor voice which had brought hundreds of soldiers to attention in a heartbeat.
Drifting between sleep and consciousness Noin's words reached Wufei and blinking painfully he forced himself awake, his eyes opening to mere slits before the good eye slowly opened to stare at the woman leaning over him. Now what the hell was she doing here? Wufei wondered, aware that he was in his room and in his bed. His body hurt enough without her adding salt to the wounds. Where the hell were the guys and why had they let her in? "What do you want?" Wufei asked as he raised an eyebrow in her direction, doing his best to look aloof. "Come to gloat?"
"I have nothing to gloat about." Noin pointed out quietly as she looked down at him with a serious look on her face. "You let me do this to you, that's not anything to gloat about." Noin said as she motioned to his current condition with a sweep of her hand. "I came to say I was sorry...and to thank you for what you did."
Blinking, something that hurt a hell of a lot Wufei didn't know quite what to say. Obviously the onna had connected the dots and as a result had realized she hadn't really beaten him but that he had let her think she had. On the one hand he appreciated that she was willing to admit she hadn't won and therefore wouldn't spread it all over on Preventers that she'd beaten him up. On another hand he didn't quite know what to do with her gratitude either. Looking for something, anything to say Wufei was distracted by the smells of something delicious that was reaching his senses. "What's that smell?" Wufei asked turning his head slightly to look her in the eyes better though the way she was towering over him was rather annoying. "Your lunch?" Wufei added and wondered what she'd say if he asked her to go get him something to eat. Probably hit him which would hurt a hell of a lot but then again she owed him in a way so maybe she would after some bitching.
"Our lunch actually. I had a craving for Chinese and thought that I might as well get enough for two since I was coming here to drop off your paperwork anyway." Noin said as she suddenly remembered the food. Moving away from the bed she grabbed the bag and walked back over to his bed side with the bag in one hand and their cutlery and such tethering precariously in the other. "If you're hungry that is."
"Set those down before you drop them." Wufei said with a shake of his head, biting back the pain that caused. "There's the tray from breakfast over there." Wufei said motioning towards a table under his window. "I can use that and there are more trays in the kitchen if you want." Wufei added as she set the bag on the floor and the rest on his night stand.
Walking over to retrieve the tray she took off the used dishes and setting those on the table picked up the tray and headed back over to find him struggling to sit up. It was obviously causing him a lot of pain but he would never accept her help so she waited patiently for him to manage it on his own before she moved over and set the tray on his lap. Moving over to the desk again she took his chair and brought it over to his bedside. Sitting down she divided up the plates and stuff then pulling out the ice tea sent him a questioning look. When he nodded she handed it over to him so that he could pour it himself before pulling the first box out, trading him the rice for the tea. Back and forth they went with the different foods and sauces till they were done loading up and began to eat silently, not talking to each other at all. It wasn't so bad though, Noin thought with more then a little surprise. She'd never really been in Wufei's company where there was just the two of them and even though they weren't talking it was a comfortable silence. Of course neither of them were big talkers from what she'd seen, it was nice not to have to worry about small talk while she was trying to eat her lunch.
"Can you pass the rice, please?" Wufei asked as he looked over at her questioningly, noting her surprised look, likely due to his use of please instead of making it an order. But she'd been surprising him constantly since she'd walked through the door. Not only had she thanked him but she'd brought him lunch and hadn't tried to mother him the way Sally was bound to when she came to visit. She'd let him do things on his own and hadn't made any smart remarks about how something as simple as sitting up had knocked the breath out of him. Not to mention the fact that she hadn't expected him to talk to her and seemed perfectly content to eat without saying anything except the occasional comment on the food or asking for more of something. It was kinda nice.
"Sure." Noin said as she retrieved the container and set it on his tray, absently looking over at the clock on his bedside table. Her eyes catching on a picture though Noin picked it up and looked at the house in the picture. It was a beautiful house, almost like a wood cabin in the woods. It had a beautiful porch and shone with unique character. Though it obviously needed some work she'd imagine it would be a real beauty with some spit and polish. "This is really a beautiful house. Do you know the people who own it?" Noin asked as she turned the picture over and held it out so that he could see it.
"I will shortly." Wufei said, smirking slightly at the surprise on her face at his answer. It was obviously not the one she'd expected. "I'm in the process of finishing the deal and it should be mine at the end of the month." Anticipating the next questions Wufei continued. "As nice as this house is it's not mine and I prefer my solitude. The house is fifteen minutes from Preventers and suits my needs."
"Sally didn't mention that you were buying a house. You got a real gem here." Noin said as she studied the picture more closely. "My uncle and cousins are into carpentry, woodworking and restoration so I've seen plenty of houses but this one is really amazing. It practically blends into the forest, like it's a part of it."
Blinking again Wufei was surprised that she'd noticed that as well. One of the things that had drawn him to the house was the fact that it wasn't like other houses. It didn't stick out like it didn't belong there at all. There was serenity about the house that had called to him even before he'd gotten it into his head to see if it was for sale. "It's going to need a fair amount of work but I would imagine it shouldn't take too long all in all to bring it back."
"Do you have pictures of the inside?" Noin asked, curious to see if the inside would reflect the beauty of the outside. Too often people took beautiful shells and destroyed the inside.
"Over there on my desk is an envelope, the pictures are in there." Wufei said in surprise, curious as to why something like his house could have caught her attention. She was a strange woman, always had been and likely always would be. She was constantly trying to act like a man which confused him and he wondered if perhaps that was why he had felt comfortable with her earlier, since she didn't act like an annoying female constantly asking questions and expecting to be entertained. Of course there were exceptions to that as well since Sally wasn't that bad though she did expect him to hold conversations with her. Plus Noin was asking questions now but at least they weren't annoying.
Returning with the pictures Noin had begun to flip through them, amazed at the craftsmanship that had obviously gone into it. The house hadn't been modified from the original design much from what she could see and Noin envied Wufei for his find. This was a great house. Coming to the one of the kitchen though Noin made a face. "What were they thinking painting the kitchen that shade of green. Were they completely color blind?"
"What's wrong with the color?" Wufei asked as he looked at her curiously. He didn't see anything wrong with it.
"What's wrong with it? I'll tell you what's wrong with it." Noin said before launching into a spiel about the importance of color and why only an idiot would paint a kitchen this truly ugly shade of green.
Four hours later
"Should we take the fact that Noin's car is in the driveway as a bad or good sign?" Duo asked Heero as they headed into the house with Trowa. They'd been surprised to say the least to see her car in their driveway and they were all curious as to why it was there. "Do you suppose she's still here?"
"Maybe the car wouldn't start and she had to take a taxi or something." Heero said with a shrug though he followed Duo up the stairs towards Wufei's room with Trowa trailing behind as well. Walking down the hallway they found Wufei's door open and Noin still there, engaged in what looked like a heated debate about windows.
"And I'm telling you that a skylight would look great there, Wufei. You could watch the stars while you sleep, and it's supposed to be very therapeutic." Noin argued, not at all aware that they had company as she tried to make her case. "And they aren't that hard to put in at all, I could do it with some help."
"It's my house, Onna and it's my choice because it's my bedroom and I don't see any reason to throw away money on one just because you've gotten it into your silly little head that I should have one." Wufei argued back, also unaware that they weren't alone. He was enjoying their arguments actually which was a surprise to him. Of course it was rare for them to argue about anything unless it was in a civil way. Since they'd started looking through the pictures of the house she'd called him countless names for his ideas and actually some of the points she'd made were quite interesting though he'd bite his tongue off before he'd admit to it. "Besides that there would be too much light in the morning."
"Well then you can have shades to go over it, then there won't be." Noin argued back, shaking her head at him like a pained teacher with a student who just wasn't getting it. "That room was made for a skylight."
"Ahhh... hey, we're home." Duo said from the doorway and grinned when both of them turned their heads to look at them with obvious surprise. "And I like skylights." Duo added with a wink in Noin's direction, happy to add his two cents in whenever possible.
"What are you guys doing back from work so early?" Noin asked in surprise as she turned her head towards the clock on Wufei's night stand then yelped in surprise. "Jesus, is that really the time?" Looking over Wufei's eyes widened slightly as well at the time. He'd had no idea that they'd been talking for that long, it seemed barely half that. "I guess we lost track of time." Noin said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I should be going."
"If you'd like we're going to be eating in half an hour. You can stay and join us as a thank you for bringing Wufei his paperwork and keeping him in bed." Heero said as she got up a little stiffly from sitting in the chair so long. "Plus Trowa's cooking." Heero added with a hint of a smile.
"Ahh sure..why not." Noin said with a shrug, not seeing how she could wiggle out of it without being rude. "It'll give me time to make him see the light about that awful kitchen."
"I am not changing the color of that kitchen and that's final." Wufei snarled from the bed and glaring at each other they barely noticed the other three filing out to start on supper while the two launched into their biggest argument of the afternoon concerning the color of Wufei's kitchen.