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My Big, Fat, Italian Family
Noin stared at the e-mail with a look of uncertainty. On the one hand she knew that Wufei would love to go but on the other hand it would mean being stuck at her parent's house for three days. She knew her parents, there was no way they'd let Wufei stay at a hotel, they'd insist he take one of her brother's old rooms and that would be the end of it. Now she loved her parents. She loved them more then she could say but she knew that as soon as she arrived home with Wufei in tow her family would descend upon him like ravenous wolves after a fast. In other words her family could scare him out of her life more thoroughly then if she told Wufei she'd decided to get a sex change or marry Duo.
"What's with the look?" Wufei wanted to know as he set the hot chocolate he'd made on the desk beside her, his own in hand as he stood behind her at her home computer. "You look like you're about to have an ulcer."
"Well you see there's this thing..well I told you how I'm going home in a week For the family thing?" Noin said as she turned in her seat to look at him.
"For a family reunion, yes." Wufei said with a nod of his head, not about to admit he was dreading it. He didn't like it when she was away, even if it would only be for five days. It was weak and pathetic but he couldn't help it. It was just the way it was now. "What about it? I thought you got along with your family." Wufei added with a frown, his protective instincts kicking in. She hadn't invited him but if there was someone there that had put this look on her face he was coming along to take care of the bastard.
"I love my family and we get along great even if neither of my grandmothers can quite get why I'm not happily married with five kids yet." Noin said with a laugh that had the edge of worry on it. "But well..you know how I told you my grandfather collects books like you do right?" When Wufei nodded Noin continued. "Well the reason the reunion is this coming week instead of in the spring like usual is because this year Italy is holding the Carpe Diem Book Festival and the city is turning the event into a fall festival, carnival type thing."
"Yes I know. I'd be going if it weren't for the fact that only members of the Carpe Diem Scholars are allowed in the rare book section which is what interests me." Wufei said with a dark look on his face. He'd kill to go but the rules were that you either had to be a member of the CDS or a guest of a CDS member. Unfortunately membership was basically impossible to get until you were fifty and he didn't know any members to bribe into letting him accompany them. Thinking along the lines Wufei raised an eyebrow. "Is your Grandfather one?"
"Actually he is..and so am I." Noin said as she gave him a sheepish look, chuckling weakly at the shock on Wufei's face. "My grandfather managed it somehow, his way of trying to install his love of books in me but it never quite stuck. You'd want to go..wouldn't you? To the book convention?"
"You..you could get me in. You could take me." Wufei said in a shocked daze, looking at her with a dazed expression in his eyes before his face broke into a wide grin as he framed her face with his hands and bent down to give her a quick kiss before breaking off with a questioning look. "That's what you were suggesting..right?" Wufei said with a look rather resembling a child suddenly realizing that his favorite toy might be taken away from him forever.
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"That's what I was suggesting, yes. But there just this one little catch." Noin said thinking that he looked so absolutely adorable and that she'd never seen him so open, so expressive before. Obviously she'd underestimated how much he'd want to go to this. "If I took you with me..we'd have to stay with my family."
"So?" Wufei said, his head swimming with the idea of all the books that would be shown at the exhibit, the books he could buy and sell. Already he was going through his literary catalog thinking what he could bear to part with if the deal was right. Mind filled with such thoughts it took a moment for her next words to filter through.
"So that means you'd have to meet my parents, both sets of grandparents, my three brothers and sister plus their families. It means that on Sunday you'll meet every single relative I have in Rome." Noin said, watching the knowledge slowly filter through and a look of understanding dread replace the excitement. "It's not that they won't love you but they...well I'm the youngest in my family and..well my brothers....and all my male relatives..are just a little over protective. Plus my mom and grandmas' will make it their life missions to fatten you up and none of my relatives will be subtle about pumping you for personal information. I'd try to keep you guys separate for your sake so that you could meet them one at a time but there's no way in hell I'd ever manage to pull it off."
Okay..he needed to sit down. Sitting down on the edge of Lucrezia's desk Wufei pondered the choice he had to make. On the one hand he'd kill to go to the book convention but to do that he'd have to meet and live with Lucrezia's family for three days or at least three nights under their roof. He'd known that he'd be meeting them sooner rather then later, especially if he and Lucrezia continued the way things were going. But this wasn't just going home to meet the parents..this was going home to meet an army of people who'd be watching him like a hawk to decide if he was good enough for her. It was a damn scary thought. On the other hand he could stay here, miss her like crazy while she was gone and though he'd miss the convention could always go next year. he could always meet her parents another time too...and that sounded downright cowardly. He'd faced down mobile suits, assassins and terrorists. These were ordinary people, nothing to be worried about really. he was the head of the Dragon Clan and a lieutenant, he wasn't some wimpy civilian. He could do this? Of course he could. "I'd like to go..if it's all right with you." Wufei finally said after taking a deep breath.
"Seriously? Even with all my family?" Noin said in surprise having assumed that the mental images she'd drawn would be enough to have him seriously rethinking how much he wanted to go to the convention. "I'll do my best to play interference and except for Sunday we won't be home that much anyway. There are lots of places to go and things to see."
"Seriously. Now drink your hot chocolate before it goes cold." Wufei said with a shake of his head as she continued to chatter on, trying to assure him that everything would really be okay, that she'd see to it. Personally all her chatter did was make him think he was more then a little over his head.
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A Week Later
The Noin's family and some added relatives were all waiting impatiently in a group for Lucrezia to arrive with her young man. Of course it was the young man that had everyone there instead of just someone to bring her home which had Noin's father shaking his head. The only one missing from the immediate family was Noin's mother who'd remained behind, wanting to make sure that supper was all ready for the hungry travelers when they arrived since she didn't consider plane fare real food and knew they'd want real food. Noin's father, a tall man who's hair had more silver then black now was watch for the appearance of his daughter with his daughter's eyes, his worn farmer's hands tucked into his pockets. Unlike his sons he had decided to give his daughter the benefit of a doubt and assume that this guy wasn't some rebound boyfriend who was likely worse then the last one. His girl had a good head on her shoulders, had proven it throughout her life and had never made him and his wife anything but proud. Of course he wanted her to settle down with a family too but he wanted her to be happy more. Hopefully this new man was doing exactly that.
"What's taking so long." Michael muttered under his breath as he rocked back and forth on his heels. "Lucy said they'd be here by now."
"The plane must have been delayed. It was pretty stormy last night." Joseph pointed out to his older brother as he mirrored his father with his hands in his pockets. "And I don't know why you're so anxious. They'll get here when they get here."
"Did she say exactly how much younger this boy is, Marcus?" One of Noin's grandmother's asked her son with a slightly worried look. "Lucrezia needs a strong man, not a boy you know. She always was too soft, always ready to do what was best for everyone else rather then herself. Too easily taken advantage of, that girl."
"He's only a few years younger and from all accounts is a strong and capable young man, mother." Marcus said with a sigh, patting his mother on the shoulder and hoped his daughter didn't take one look at everyone and run. He couldn't really say he'd blame her either. He'd tried to convince everyone that he was quite capable of picking up his daughter and her friend alone but his sons and their grandmothers' had had different ideas. "And if you boys are thinking of ganging up on him I'll take you over my knee all grown up or not. The fact that he's willing to take us all on at once says something about his character and how much he must care for your sister. Most guys would run away screaming at the idea."
"Oh he might run away screaming yet." Michael muttered under his breath to his brothers, Joseph and Lucas smiling their agreement. Oh they were very much looking forward to meeting their little sister's new boyfriend.
"What I want to know is what he looks like." Tula, Noin's older sister said with a grin as they all watched another group of people come surging out the doors on their way out to who knows where. "All I know is that he's Chinese..Asian men are generally pretty yummy looking though."
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"I didn't need to hear that." Marcus said as he shot his eldest daughter a look then watched carefully as more people came through. His eyes scanning they zeroed in on his daughter naturally, widening slightly when he saw that she had a little girl in one arm and was holding into her luggage handle with the other hand. Beside her he could see a young Asian man, his black hair pulled back in a short ponytail carrying another little girl along with his luggage. Suddenly wondering if his daughter had gotten involved with a ready made family Marcus was a bit relieved when he watched both his daughter and the young man with her set the girls down and exchange words with a young couple, the woman carrying a crying baby and the man loaded down with luggage. Apparently the children belonged to the couple as the girls were hustled away by the couple, the children waving happily back at his daughter and the man with her, both of them waving back before continuing on their way out. Watching closely Marcus raised an eyebrow as his daughter's boyfriend got closer and closer. Perhaps boy would be a proper description. He was barely Lucrezia's height and there wasn't much to him in the way of build. This was his daughter's guy?
"That's him?" Lucas said with his jaw practically on the floor. "He looks like some artsy geek without glasses."
"Are you sure he's in the military as something other then a paper pusher, dad?" Joseph said as he shared a look with his brothers. How the hell could this be the guy? "I mean he looks like Tula could take him out."
"Hey..and he is good looking. I wonder what he looks like with his hair down." Tula said with a considering look on her face. "I bet he'll look even better."
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"Oh dear God. Daddy promised me he wouldn't let this happen." Noin said as she stopped her tracks, staring at the large group waiting for them that was made up of her family. Looking over at Wufei with serious I'm sorry vibes. "Look you could make a run for it. We could meet up later and I could still take you to the convention."
"Since they've seen us it's a little late for that, onna." Wufei pointed out feeling more then a few butterflies in his stomach. He was not getting very welcoming vibes and there were so many of them. After an eight hour flight sitting beside a mother with a teething infant he wasn't in the best of shape. "And I've faced worse."
"Yeah but you could kill the you faced worse." Noin pointed out with a sigh as she reached over and took his hand, squeezing it. "If my brothers start on you...you can beat them up. I won't mind a bit and I'll patch you up afterwards."
"I wouldn't be the one needing to be patched up." Wufei said with an arrogant grin as he squeezed her hand back before letting it go. "Now get over there, your father looks worried since we're not moving. I think he thinks we plan to make a run for it."
"No one would blame us if we did." Noin muttered under her breath then picking up speed let her handle go and went running over to her father, throwing herself into his arms. "PAPA!" Noin said as she snuggled against him. She was home.
"My little princess." Marcus muttered as he hugged her back tightly, pleased at the differences he could see in his girl. The last time she'd been down to visit she'd seemed tired and worn out, not so today. "Sorry about them, I tried to leave them but they followed me in the van." Marcus added under his breath for her ears only.
"That's okay, I should have know you couldn't stop them." Noin said as she let him go before throwing herself at her siblings, giving each of her brothers a whispered warning along with her hugs.
Wufei watched from a slight distance, his hands full with both their luggage as he watched her interact with her family. He was pleased to see her so happy and that she was so obviously loved by her family. Family could be one of life's greatest treasures if you were luckily. Hearing someone clear his throat Wufei turned his head then looked up to meet a man with pure silver hair and Lucrezia's eyes. Eyes that were studying him like a housewife looking for a stray speck of dust. Since he already knew this man couldn't be Noin's father Wufei took a stab at grandfather. "Hello, I'm Wufei Chang, it's very nice to meet you sir." Wufei said as he held out his hand, keeping eye contact as his hand was shook firmly before let go. "Thank you for having me."
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"Lucrezia says you collect books too. My girl says that you have a first edition, in Italian of Diablo. That true, son?" The man asked with a questioning look as he folded his arms in front of him, taking stock of the young whipper snapper his grand baby had brought home. The boy didn't look like much but he knew how to shake a hand and his hand wasn't that of a sissy's. So far so good.
"Yes, sir. I'm very much looking forward to doing some buying and trading." Wufei said calmly, deciding that this must be the grandfather who collected rare books as he did. "Lucrezia asked me to bring it with me to show you."
"Well then maybe I'll help her keep you out of her brother's clutches then." The old man said, his face breaking out into a warmer smile. "They're protective of their little sister. Very protective of her."
"I'm glad to know that she has older brothers to look out for her. They don't have to worry about me though. But if they want to make trouble Lucrezia tells me but she's given me permission to beat them up so I have no worries." Wufei said with a shrug, his words causing the older man to break out in delighted laughter.
"Well I don't know if you could quite manage that but stranger things have been known to happen. I'm Maximus Noin, you can just call me Max though, young man." Was his reply with a large grin on his face. "Marcus, come meet this young man. I think I like him."
"That's always good." Marcus said dryly though he was a bit surprised at his father's words. Max wasn't so quick to like people but obviously something about the boy had gained the crusty old man's approval. "I'm Marcus by the way. It's nice to meet you and sorry about this crowd..they were..anxious to see Lucrezia." Marcus said with a sheepish look as he held out his hand, surprised when the hand that shook his was strong and calloused from hard work. Well the boy might not look it but obviously he wasn't as he seemed, Marcus thought as he looked into the man's black eyes. Because they were a man's eyes he was looking into. A soldier's eyes. "Welcome to Rome. Mr. Chang."
"Wufei, please." Wufei said with a slight bow of his head, thinking that it was no wonder men spoke of meeting their girlfriend's parents with such horror. It was not an enjoyable experience at all. He could literally feel her relatives staring at him like a sniper trying to find the perfect angle to get off their shot. Soon he'd been introduced to everyone else and the feeling had only intensified but he kept it hidden because Lucrezia kept shooting him worried looks as she was passed from relative to relative until she was finally able to return to his side, latching onto his arm tightly as though to keep him from bolting. The idea was too tempting to admit. "See...that wasn't so bad." Wufei said under his breath as they made there way out, Wufei shooting slightly worried glances towards his luggage which Lucrezia's brother Lucas had insisted on carrying for him.
"You're lying through your teeth. That was just awful. I saw the way my brothers are looking at you. Likely the only one you can even remotely trust is Lucas which is why I made sure he was carrying yours instead of Michael." Noin replied just as quietly, not wanting to tip her relatives off since it was obvious several of them were straining to try to eavesdrop. "If things get out of hand we'll BOTH go to a hotel."
"I'm sure it will go fine." Wufei assured her though he had a feeling he might once again be lying through his teeth.