Gundam Wing
London Alleyways
Warnings: very slight angst, difficult accents, period fic, AU, intrigue, humor, semi-large age differences, OCs
Chapter 06: Heavy Handed Consonants
"I can' do i'!" It had been just two and a half weeks and already Duo was pulling his hair out.
"It's not that difficult; just don't drop the Ts, Ds, Gs, Hs, or any other letters for that matter. Now try again. 'How kind of you to let me come.'" Heero was patient, but even he had his limits and Duo was treading on them with hobnailed boots.
Duo sighed heavily and opened his mouth, "''Ow kin' o'ya ta le' me come.' Ah! I jus' can' do i'!" Slamming his head down on the wooden desk, the braided young man was on the verge of tears.
This was the scene Hilde and Sally walked in on. Hilde hung back by the door and knocked hesitantly on the frame. "Um… Heero? Dinner is ready and Wufei and the children are waiting for you both."
Looking up from his miserable pupil, Heero glanced toward the two women with blood shot eyes. "Bring it to us in here. We must keep working if he's going to get it in time for the ball."
Sally stepped forward with a ferocious snarl and bellowed, "Absolutely not! You two have been working day and night and I will not stand for either of you to work one more second without food in your bellies and rest for your bodies. Now get out of those chairs and get into the kitchen before I have to bend you both over my knees!"
The room was stunned silent as both Heero's and Duo's mouths dropped open in surprise. Never had either of them heard the soft spoken and motherly Sally yell and threaten like that. It was one of the most beautiful things Duo had ever heard.
Lunging out of his seat, he attached himself around Sally's waist. "Thank ya! Thank ya! Thank ya!" Duo chanted as Sally dragged his body, nearly limp with exhaustion and hunger, down the hall and toward the kitchen.
Hilde chuckled as she watched the pair stumble down the hall, and then turned her attention back to her employer and friend. "Come on, Heero. I know you're as exhausted as Duo, maybe even more so. Let's go down and have some dinner."
Sighing with half an amused smile on his lips, Heero stood from his chair and fought off the rush of blood flooding his head. Perhaps he had been sitting down way too long. He must remember to move while instructing Duo in his lessons.
"Alright, Hilde. Let's head down to dinner." Heero stepped from behind his desk and strode over toward Hilde. They walked slowly down the hall toward the sound of laughter and clattering silver ware.
Heero glanced over at his cook and asked, "How are the other boys doing in their studies?"
"Oh, just marvelous!" Hilde exclaimed and beamed like she had just been showered with star dust. "The little ones, Joe and Jimmy, are learning so quickly! Joe is wonderful with arithmetic and Jimmy is such a quick study in everything. It's hard to believe they had no education before coming here."
The young Japanese gentleman nodded then inquired, "How is Wufei doing? Not miserably I hope?"
"Oh no!" Hilde said with a frown. "He's just wonderful with all the children."
A dark eyebrow rose, Heero was surprised to hear such a report. The young cook seeing her employer's astonishment explained, "At first, Lord Chang was quite harsh and sharp with them, but they seemed to have grown on him; especially Freddy."
"Hn." Heero, remember an instance that Wufei mentioned Freddy's potential and intelligence and said so.
Hilde looked down at the carpeted flooring and frowned in thought. "I don't think Lord Chang realizes it, but Freddy has stars in his eyes every time he walks in the room. Poor dear seems to not even know what to do with him self."
Well that could become problematic. It's not surprising that Freddy should have formed an attachment to Wufei, but given the sixteen year old's situation in life, Heero's friend may not be inclined to let the boy down gently; then again, Wufei may not even realize he hadn't let him down gently when it came time. He resolved to speak with his Chinese friend about it at a later date, but right now his stomach was complaining loudly about its emptiness.
Like during all of their previous meals, Heero sat at the head of the table and simply listened and watched as his staff, guests, and friend interacted.
The boys were rowdy and could pack away food like a camel could water. Though their manners and eating habits lacked something to be desired they never failed to compliment Hilde on her cooking or say please and thank you. It was a strange mixture of street habit and common politeness.
Heero thought it must have something to do with the fact that the two senior members of the gang, Duo and Solo, had spent a few years of their early life in a church orphanage where, surely, manners were to be heeded. He would have to ask Duo if he had taught his charges their manners, but right now, he was entranced with watching the inner workings of what had become the occupants of his house.
The twins were stealing food from Howard's plate while the old man wasn't looking as Sally laughed and giggled at their antics. Henry was trying to show Jimmy the benefits of separating his peas from his potatoes with little damns constructed from his dinner roll, while Josephine was talking animatedly with Duo about something or other that involved arm waving and wild facial expressions.
Heero's eye lingered on Duo. The young man was listening intently with sparkling violet eyes that shined with pride and love. His lips were pulled back in a small smile that widened when Joe put special inflection into her words and his voice would ring over the din in a honey smooth laugh. Duo was absolutely amazing.
Duo and his gang had been dressed in cloths befitting their surroundings causing their street urchin appearance to completely disappear only leaving handsome and intelligent children behind. Duo especially seemed to shimmer when dressed in good clothes with shining hair and clean creamy skin. At moments during their lessons, Heero found himself struggling to keep his eyes from roaming over his form and gazing into his bright eyes.
Shaking himself out of his train of thought, Heero turned his attention to the others seated at the table.
At the other end of the table, much to his surprise, or not, was Wufei and Freddy engaged in a calm discussion involving something obviously academic as both young men had varying facial expressions of concentration. Wufei had a slight crease between his brows while Freddy had a small smile and excited eyes. They seemed to be ignoring every body and everything else around them and were completely concentrated on their conversation.
Next to them was Solo and Hilde, both animatedly discussing the food and the different spices and ingredients used in the meal. Both smiling happily and both using their forks as extensions of their hands to enhance their conversation.
"Solo al'ays loved food, ya know." A smooth honey flavored voice broke Heero out of his observation.
Turning to Duo, Heero asked, "Why is that?"
The gang leader shrugged then smiled fondly. "Bea's me. 'E al'ays loved i' when Sis'er 'Elen le' 'im 'elp 'er in tha ki'chen."
"Sister Helen?"
A sad smile stretched across Duo's full lips, he turned his gaze back down to his plate. "Yeah. She 'as a nun a' tha church we live'd in." His attention was taken away from his plate and from Heero when Henry called for his attention.
Sadness was not an emotion that was new to Duo's face, but it was one that did not belong or fit there. Heero saw this in that fleeting glimpse Duo had shown him. Many things had happened in Duo and his gang's lives and almost all of them tragic in one way or another. Heero couldn't forget that. Wouldn't let him self forget that. These boys were more than just uneducated street urchins looking for a chance. They were so much more than that.
After dinner Heero and Duo had retreated to the study where they sat drilling over books and charts and recordings trying to help Duo speak like a gentleman.
"Now," Heero was explaining, "This contraption will help you pronounce your H's."
"Don' I pr'nunce my 'Atches jus' fine?" Duo was staring at the mirrored box on a turn table with apprehension (1). This strange thing was supposed to help him with his H's? He didn't see how it could help.
Heero bit back the urge to slam his head against the wall. "No, you don't. You drop them like a ship off of the end of the world."
The braided man turned his attention away from the spinning mirrors to his teacher. "Yer s'posed ta be tha smar' one! Ya don' even know tha werld ain' fla'." He let his eye brow rise on his forehead to lend an extra, 'Are you dumb, or somthin'?' to the accusation.
"Of course, I know that the world isn't flat. It was just a figure of speech." Heero's left eye was twitching and the vein in his neck was throbbing.
It had been two hours since dinner and Duo was being just as difficult as before. Perhaps, Heero thought, he should withhold food as incentives for Duo to actual pronounce words correctly.
"Alright," he tried to explain again, "This flame, here, will waver every time you pronounce your H's correctly. It will stand perfectly straight if you don't. Understand?"
With eyes still watching the mirrors as if hypnotized, Duo nodded.
Heero lit the flame and made sure the mirrors were spinning correctly. "I want you to say 'ha' over and over again till I come back. I'll be recording you, so if you stop, I will know."
Duo glared at him, but turned and picked up the mouth piece and began to "ha" into it. If Duo had known how tedious this whole thing was going to be he wouldn't have even thought about accepting the offer.
Alright, so he would have anyway, but still, it was damned boring. With a heavy sigh that made the flame waver, Duo continued to "ha" while he thought.
Just like in the alley way, Mr. Yuy demanded compliance and authority. Oh, yes, Duo thought, he still quite dangerous. Especially to a street rat that couldn't really afford to form attachments to a gentleman of breeding and fortune.
It had been blaringly obvious to Duo, for some time now, just how affected he was by the Japanese business man. Every reprimand cut to his heart, every praise, no matter how small, made him unexplainably happy.
With a heavy sigh, Duo let his tired shoulders slump as he continued with his "ha's", He could not afford to let such a man anywhere near his heart. Though he feared it was a little too late.
"Honestly, Yuy. I had no idea those children were so intelligent." Wufei declared. "You would never be able to tell by all the dirt they were covered in when they first arrived here.
Heero poured himself a snifter and turned to regard his good friend. It had been two and a half weeks since they had brought Duo's gang under his roof and two and a half weeks since Wufei showed up at his home with a yellowing bruise on his right cheek.
It wasn't exactly a secret that the Chang brothers were heavy handed on their charge, but it still hurt Heero to see his friend suffer from such a relationship with his father.
"They are quite remarkable."
"Mm." Wufei and Heero lapsed into silence.
Looking back at his friend while puffing on a pipe, Wufei asked, "You wanted to speak to me about something?"
"Right." Heero set his snifter down on the end table and turned to his friend. "I wish to speak to you about Fredrick."
If he hadn't been watching he wouldn't have noticed the sudden stillness that fell over his friend.
Wufei took his pipe from his lips. "You noticed his... attachment to me."
"It was brought to my attention just before supper, and then I observed it myself." Heero looked his friend in the eye and said earnestly, "I don't wish to presume, but if you do not share his feelings, I would advise you to be very careful of how you discourage him."
Nodding in thought Wufei turned and stared at the dormant hearth. "I have noticed his growing affections, but..." He didn't quite know how to continue.
Wufei found his conversations with Fredrick, or Freddy, rather stimulating. It was a pleasant surprise to be tutoring a pupil that found the subjects of a scholar just as interesting if not more so, than he did. Up until now, he had only been able to have conversations with Heero, and had enjoyed the change in perspective and companion.
Though he found Freddy's company acceptable and intriguing, he knew he couldn't return such affections. "I will... have a discussion with him."
"Fei." Heero could tell his friend was letting this trouble him more than he should. "I'm not telling you to completely discourage Freddy, but perhaps not to encourage him if you do not return those feelings."
Wufei seemed to lighten a bit at this. "You're right. It is probably only a passing fancy." Still that thought made him dull a bit.
He would never be able to be with Fredrick. Being only six years Wufei's junior wasn't the problem. Freddy, being a former street urchin and male was where the scandal resided. This wasn't to say that Wufei harbored any feelings other than friendly affection, but it was one other thing he would never have the option to explore due to his familial restrictions.
The laws against sodomy in Great Britain (2) and any other laws of the British Empire, for that matter, couldn't touch him. Short of murdering the crown, Wufei, like Heero, was exempt from many of the laws due to their non citizenship. In a way they had diplomatic immunity. They were highly regarded in their home countries and were very influential in England, there for rendering them practically untouchable.
Prosecuting either of them for anything as petty as sodomy could potentially destroy any friendly relations with Japan or China for Great Britain. It wasn't worth the sever blow to their economy just to protect their societal propriety and norms.
In light of this, it isn't the law that kept Wufei so guarded; it was his own family's disapproval. They have been dropping hints left and right that it was his sworn duty to have a family and settle down in the Mother Land with a quiet, dutiful wife. Not that Wufei's mother had been either quiet or dutiful from what he had heard.
"I will continue to teach him, but I shall not encourage him."
Heero sighed and placed a hand on Wufei's shoulder in a comforting manner. He knew his friend had trouble breaking away from the hold the older Changs had on him, but it was still difficult to see him struggle like he was.
A thump from the study where Heero had left Duo caused both men to jump.
When they rushed into the room they found Duo sprawled out on the rug, softly snoring with a small smile in his face.
"Good Lord, Yuy!" Chang exclaimed. "How hard have you been working him?"
Raising an eyebrow, Heero replied with a huff. "No more than necessary. He is still dropping almost all of his consonants at the most inopportune moments and his manner of speech is appalling. Just the other day I refused to let him leave till he said the rhyme correctly and by the end of it all he was cussing like a sailor."
Wufei struggled to not let his amusement show. It had been that way since the boys moved in. The other gang members would finish up their studies after dinner then head to bed while Yuy and Duo continued on till, often times, the wee hours of the morning.
Both young men had been looking more haggard then usual. The strain of the deadline of the ball seemed to be getting to them.
"Perhaps you should put him to bed, Heero. I highly doubt you'll be able to get much done with him like that."
"You're right." Heero sighed then bent down to roll Duo into a more suitable position to carry.
The moment the younger man was situated in his arms, Duo curled closer to the warm chest against his cheek and mumbled still half asleep, "I said yer damned ha's, Yuy. 'Er Ya HA-ppy now?"
Both Heero and Wufei stalled in their steps and looked almost bewildered at each other. They glanced down at the braided man lying in Heero's arms and sure enough he was still fast asleep.
Wufei smirked. "Perhaps it's only a mental block. Perhaps, when he isn't trying to so hard it is possible for him to keep most of his consonants."
Sniffing and ignoring the slightly knowing gleam in his friend's eyes, Heero said, "He is obviously still mispronouncing his 'you' forms. We'll work on that in the morning."
Chuckling to himself, Wufei parted ways with his friend and called over his shoulder. "See you in the morning, Yuy." Before taking his hat and coat from the rack by the door and stepping out into the late night air.
Heero climbed the stairs slowly, so as not to drop his burden. Duo squirmed a bit and turned his face deeper into his shoulder then sighed.
The warmth that action brought on almost caused Heero to drop the younger man.
Duo unconsciously clutched at Heero's shirt front tighter and mumbled incoherently. Heero didn't quite now what to do with himself.
He walked silently toward Duo's room when the door next to his destination opened to reveal a sleep mussed Solo.
The younger man took one look at the spectacle his brother and their host made then shook his head. "Yer both werkin' to damned hard." Then turned around and disappeared back into his room.
It stunned Heero that perhaps, Wufei was right. The boys were trying too hard. Perhaps a rest would be very successful in helping their studies as well as their speech. He should speak to Quatre about an invitation to his home here in London.
The happy blond and his quiet partner had been great friends of his and Wufei's for years. A visit with them could be just what his guests need to help loosen them up and get their educations accelerated.
Stepping into Duo's room, Heero placed his sleeping burden down onto the bed. Carefully prying Duo's death grip away from his shirt, Heero set about unlacing Duo's boots and pulling off his coat, any more disrobing than that and it would have been indecent.
Just as Heero was pulling Duo's second arm out of sleeve of his coat, Duo clutched at his hand and refused to let him turn away. "Thanks fer takin' us in, H'ro."
Heero patted the back of his hand and gently pried his fingers away. "You're welcome, now get some rest."
Duo nodded sleepily then grabbed his ridiculously long braid and clutched it to his chest like a child would a favored doll before rolling over and continuing to snore lightly.
Standing there silently, Heero let himself observe this interesting creature. It had only been two weeks, but he had already made great progress. This braided young man of twenty, who had taken seven street kids under his wing, was simply remarkable.
Heero knew that even if they didn't fool his aunt with this charade, it would still have been well worth the effort, if only to give these children and their care taker a chance at a better life.
Silently stepping from the room and closing the door, Heero didn't notice the tender, proud looks he was getting from both Sally and Howard as they watched him walk toward his own room.
The next morning Heero, sent an inquiry to his long time friend, and Arab businessman, Quatre Winner.
Within the hour of sending Howard out with the note, he had returned with a hastily and happily scrawled response.
Heero,
We would be delighted to entertain yourself, your guests, and Wufei for luncheon next Wednesday. Trowa and I are quite anxious to meet these guests of yours. I hope you realized that almost all of your notes have very ominous tendencies to them. In any case, we are eagerly awaiting your visit.
Respectfully Yours,
Q. Winner and T. Barton
Well, that was surprisingly easy, Heero reflected. Quatre never could resist the chance to entertain.
Setting the note down on his desk and rubbing his hands together, Heero declared, "We have lots of work to do and little time to do it in. Let's get started."
A/N: This took some deliberation over whether or not I really wanted this chapter to go this route. But I'm pleased and I hope ya'll are too. I took the liberty of playing with the laws and the views of the time to keep the story from turning into a tragedy. They will be much more lax in my story then they will have been in real life, so don't be hatin' for historical inaccuracy.
(1): This is actually a contraption that Henry Higgins used on Eliza Doolittle in the 1964 motion picture rendition of My Fair Lady.
(2): In the 1800s in Great Britain, sodomy was punishably by death. Gradually, over the later years of the century, the punishments grew less severe with the influx of homosexually tolerant literature, but were still comparatively harsh considering the nature of the crime.