Afterimages

The next time Duo regained consciousness, he was careful to hide the fact that he was coherent, his instincts from the war flaring to life in response to his battered emotions. His respiration didn’t change in the slightest. His heartbeat only flickered a hint faster before settling to its previous rhythm. Remaining perfectly still and completely silent, he tried to listen to his surroundings to determine what was going on. He was tempted to open his eyes a crack to look around, but he was afraid to, remembering the state of his vision the last time he was awake.

There were a few beeping noises he disregarded immediately. Whatever they were, they were automated and not relevant. After a few moments, he decided that he could hear someone breathing. Someone was beside the bed he was lying in. He struggled with himself to keep from flinching at the proximity of whoever else was in the room. Finally, he managed to calm his nerves enough to listen carefully to the person beside him. The breaths were smooth and slow, perfectly steady in rhythm. Duo allowed himself to smirk. Whoever was in the room was asleep.

Wiggling experimentally, Duo found that he was not tied down in any way. The only thing he found holding him in place were a few measly needles buried in his arms, which he removed immediately, and a couple of electrodes attached to his chest to monitor his heart.

Silently, he slipped off of the bed, scowling when his legs threatened to give out. He was careful to steady himself before moving over to the equipment. He knew that a change in the pattern of beeps or a complete absence of them would probably wake up whoever was in the room. Undaunted, he ran his hands over the equipment beside his bed. Within the span of a few seconds, he had the side off and was tracing the wiring with his fingers.

Fifteen minutes later, he had the machine completely rewired. Before, it would have taken him under a minute, but unable to see what he was looking at, he had been forced to trace each and every wire with his fingertips. Finished, he pulled the irritating wires from his chest, clenching his jaw when the sticky pads yanked painfully at his skin.

Ignoring the fact that he was winded, he walked away from the monitoring equipment, hands held in front of him. After he had found the wall with his fingertips, he left one hand trailing the wall as he walked slowly around the room, free hand leading. He came to a corner. Swiping his free hand along the new wall, he frowned. Cursing his luck, he started in the other direction. He met another corner. His searching hands found a door immediately next to it.

Instincts flared to life again and he paused, pressing one ear to the door. Violet eyes widened in shock at the sheer amount of noise just outside of the door. Several conversations were going on and more footsteps than he could count resounded from just outside the door.

Torn between escaping the room and hiding from the people outside, he hesitated. The small pause was all the time needed for the occupant of the room to rouse and spot him.

“Maxwell?”

Hearing the word, Duo flattened himself to the wall, trying to back through it. His training fought with him and he raised his fists shakily. The result of the combined actions left him with his legs sprawled at awkward angles, arms extended in a fashion not conducive to his balance, and his back still pressed firmly against the wall. He was aware he was hyperventilating, but he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was staying away from any threats. In his terrified state, however, he saw everyone as a deadly threat.

“Why are you out of bed?”

Duo stiffened, desperately trying to gauge the location of whoever was in the room. He was surprised when he realized that whoever had been by his bed hadn’t moved. Minimally calmed by the realization, he let his mind pick apart the soft words. He knew that voice. He tentatively called out to the other person in the room.

“Wufei?”

Hearing a slight shift from near the bed, he flattened himself more firmly against the wall, his instincts and training vanishing in the midst of his terror. The movement immediately halted.

“Did you need something?” Wufei asked softly.

“N-no,” Duo stammered. “I just…”

“Felt like dismantling something in the hospital?” Wufei supplied.

“You saw that?” Duo asked timidly. He shifted uncomfortably, wondering just how long the Chinese teen had been awake.

“No,” Wufei answered. Duo swore he could hear a smirk in his voice. “But that fact that it’s still on and you’re on the other side of the room was my first hint. The second would be that you forgot to put it back together.”

Duo blinked, frowning slightly as he wondered how he could have forgotten something so simple. Reflexively, his eyes flickered towards where he could still hear the machine beeping, the removed panel sitting beside it. He visibly flinched when he realized he was still trying to look at objects in the room. Wufei saw his expression and tried to distract him.

“Now,” he started, pausing when Duo flinched again at the sound of his voice. He forced himself to ignore the jumpiness and continued. “Why don’t you get back in bed? If the onna catches you out of bed again, I’m going to get kicked out.” When Duo didn’t respond, he continued his attempt to get the traumatized American to move on his own. He was wary of touching the brunette after what had happened the last time. “Come on, Maxwell. If Po kicks me out of here, I’m going to have to put up with Winner. You’ve seen the expression he gets when he pouts.”

That got a reaction. Duo flinched and turned his head away. Wufei silently began cursing his stupidity in mentioning anything related to vision. The next words out of Duo’s mouth shocked him. He had come to the wrong conclusion.

“Why isn’t he here? I know Trowa doesn’t like me, but I thought…” he trailed off, swallowing roughly. “Why are you here?”

Wufei stiffened at the insinuation. He openly said that Trowa wasn’t here because he didn’t like him, and then questioned his own motives. Duo thought that he hated him.

“I’m here because I want to be,” he said firmly. “Quatre refuses to come back in until you tell him that he can. He’s blaming himself for what happened. He thinks that if he had been at home the day you called, that this wouldn’t have happened.”

Duo flinched again. This time, Wufei didn’t even have to wonder about the reason for it. He knew that any mention of what Heero had done would likely upset the American, but the issue couldn’t be sidestepped easily. He was hard pressed not to move towards the shivering form huddled miserably against the wall.

“And Trowa?”

There was a small pause before Wufei answered, the Chinese pilot debating whether or not the information would upset the American.

“He returned to the circus.” Duo’s brow furrowed slightly. Taking a deep breath, Wufei decided to tell him everything. “Quatre left him. Trowa told us that he had no idea of what was happening, but Quatre refuses to forgive him until you do.”

“Heero?”

Onyx eyes flashed in anger. He knew why Duo was asking, but the fact that the American thought he had to check with them to see if they were protecting him was infuriating. Duo had always trusted them before. He finally made up his mind on something he had been debating over for three months.

“Heero,” he said, grinding his teeth in fury at what his former colleague had done to his friend, “will not be bothering you or anyone else again. I shot him.”

Duo slid to the floor, trembling, eyes clenched shut as he shook his head. Tears slipped down his cheeks. Wufei had to fight to refrain from ripping his hair out. He couldn’t believe that Duo would be upset about that piece of information.

“Maxwell,” he started, intent on telling him just what he thought of the Japanese pilot. He stopped short when he heard a soft stream of words coming from the pale teen.

“He got shot because of me. He’s going to be mad. Oh, God…”

Understanding dawned in Wufei’s mind. Duo wasn’t upset that Heero had been shot. He was terrified he was going to suffer the repercussions for it. That was the final straw. Wufei jumped out of his chair and sprinted across the room, skidding to a halt beside the quaking boy. Without thinking about it, he tried to pull Duo into his arms. Duo went ballistic.

Weak or not, Duo was fast. Wufei realized this roughly at the moment when a fist connected with his jaw and a knee was planted in his stomach simultaneously. Suddenly feeling sorry for the medical personnel that had dealt with Duo the previous day, he decided that there was only one way to retain the upset American without hurting him. After several tries and taking another few blows, Wufei managed to wrap his arms around the frantic brunette and pin him.

The change was immediate. The moment he was fully restrained, Duo froze, every muscle in his body tensed to the point of trembling. Wufei tried to shift into a better position. In his arms, Duo whimpered and flinched.

He thinks I’m going to hurt him, Wufei realized. He stared at the miserable figure in his arms for a moment, feeling completely helpless. Unsure of what to do, he carefully stood up, pulling the trembling form into his arms and carrying him to the bed. Duo remained rigid the entire time.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Maxwell!” Wufei said pleadingly. Duo shook his head slightly, his eyes clenched shut.

“Heero…”

“I shot him,” Wufei growled. “He’s dead, Maxwell.”

Duo’s head swiveled towards him instantly, violet eyes wide and desperate. He opened and closed his mouth several times before actually speaking.

“Are you…”

“Sure?” Wufei finished. He scowled slightly. “Very. I put four holes through his skull. Even he cannot survive that.”

The tension drained from Duo’s body and he went lax against the narrow hospital bed. Wufei realized with a start that this was the most relaxed he had seen the American in over a year. As much as he wanted to let his weary friend rest, there was something he still had to do.

“Winner is going to assault me the moment I step out of the room,” he grumbled, trying to sound as if he was pouting. Violet eyes flickered vaguely in his direction. “What do you want me to tell him?”

“He… can come in,” Duo answered hesitantly.

Wufei started to nod before he caught himself. “Very well. I’ll return later. ICU only allows one visitor at a time.” Before Duo could respond, he was gone.

Quatre was in the room within the span of a few seconds. The blond barely remembered not to touch the traumatized American. He tried to start several conversations, all of them failing. Duo responded lethargically, only saying a few words when pressed. Unable to stand doing nothing, he offered to fix the machine Duo had rewired. He was rewarded with a soft noise he couldn’t identify. Choosing to believe it was an affirmative, he moved cautiously towards the equipment the brunette had tinkered with, being careful to speak the entire time so that the disturbed pilot would know where he was.

After several hours of speaking to himself, Quatre finally gave up and left, promising to visit again soon. Though he was trying desperately not to show it, he was worried about Duo. The American pilot seemed to be in a permanent state of shock and, it galled him to admit it, he didn’t know how to help.

* * *

Following his initial relief at his safety from the deceased Japanese pilot, Duo began to withdraw from sanity, his tentative hold on reality slipping. Sally finally had to stop his friends from visiting when he continued to react increasingly negatively to their presence. Despite constant reassurances that no one would hurt him again, he had lost all trust in humanity, set on believing that he would be betrayed again.

Sally was honestly stumped. He was physically healthy enough to leave, but he was an emotional wreck. Even had he still been mentally stable, he had nowhere to go home to, his apartment still taped off by the police. It had taken Quatre’s social standing to strong-arm the police into allowing them to go claim all of the American’s possessions.

The frazzled doctor watched as Duo frightened another nurse out of the room, his aim still amazingly good. A clock shattered against the doorframe. She made a mental note not to let him have access to any more alarm clocks. Three nurses, one doctor, five residents and two janitors had been knocked unconscious by the various items he had thrown. Sally couldn’t help but note wryly that Wufei was the only person he hadn’t tried to pulverize. After the Chinese pilot had been pegged by a large book, a twenty-minute rant had ensued, leaving both Duo and the entire hospital staff in something of a state of shock. Since then, no one had bothered the raven-haired teen.

Deciding that there was no other way, Sally stopped Wufei before he could visit the troubled American. Like every day, he had come to see the untrusting brunette, and she expected him to get flustered and leave before too long. Duo was being exceptionally violent, refusing to let the nurses in with his meal, something that he normally tolerated. Wufei frowned at her slightly at the interruption but waited silently for her to speak.

After making her request, she wondered if it hadn’t been a mistake to ask him. With his eyes blazing and jaw clenched, he looked suspiciously like he was going to go off on another tirade about injustice, a muscle in his cheek twitching wildly. Visiting the American was one thing, but what she had requested was entirely another. She was about to retract her request when the indignant expression softened and he nodded tersely.

Shocked that he had actually conceded, she could only watch open-mouthed as he moved past her to go to the American’s room. The moment he opened the door, he was accosted with a bedpan from a certain paranoid brunette. The twitch in Wufei’s cheek returned.

“Maxwell!”

* * *

Wufei glared over his shoulder, knowing perfectly well that the silent form being pulled behind him couldn’t see it. He was honestly considering throwing another temper tantrum. For some reason, he was the only person that Duo wouldn’t openly attack or try to escape from. Unfortunately, the brunette seemed to be terrified of him. Whenever Wufei was around him, he became perfectly passive, making no move to defend himself. He barely dared to breathe when the Chinese pilot was in the same room with him. Wufei suspected that his occasional tirades had frightened the unstable American.

Sighing, he led the trembling teen into his house, wondering why he had agreed to Sally’s request that he allow the American to move in with him. The Preventers had given him a long paid leave of absence while he helped his friend. He had all the time in the world to work with his friend, but was still unsure if he would be able to help.

He released Duo’s wrist for a moment to open the door to his small house. Duo immediately folded his arms protectively across his chest, shrinking in on himself slightly. Frowning, Wufei grabbed his wrist again, clenching his jaw when the other boy flinched at the contact. Although he was obviously afraid, Duo made no move to reclaim his wrist or defend himself, even though he clearly expected to be hit for something.

Grumbling silently, he led the strangely silent brunette around the house, calmly showing him where everything was. He finally showed the American the small guest room he had fixed up, leading him around to familiarize the other boy with the layout of the room, showing him where all of his possessions were stored so he didn’t have to search fruitlessly for anything. Luckily, the room had a small bathroom attached. Wufei honestly didn’t think that Duo would be comfortable with having to share a bathroom yet.

Sighing at the lack of response, Wufei led him to the bed and pushed him to a sitting position, telling him that he’d come back when he had dinner ready. Duo remained silent. His only response was a dull scanning of the room, his vacant violet eyes tracing afterimages that only he could see.

* * *

When Wufei returned, he expected the American to be doing something. Fiddling with his hair, listening to the radio, covering the walls with shaving cream. Something. Anything. What he found was the brunette sitting exactly where he had left him, shivering as though he was afraid to move a muscle. Which, Wufei concluded, he probably was.

Sighing, Wufei took his wrist, pulling the silent figure to his feet and leading him from the room. It was in a state of wonder that he noticed how lethargically the slight boy followed him, completely uncaring. There was no blind feeling for objects, no searching out possible footings. Wufei could have walked him into a wall or down a flight of stairs and the American wouldn’t have known until it was too late.

Inexplicably feeling guilty, he led the brunette to a chair, placing a plate of food in front of him and pushing a fork into the limp fingers. When he took his own seat, the American still hadn’t moved. Worried that he may have to feed Duo, he watched anxiously for a few minutes, wondering silently just how badly the American feared him. Several minutes passed without movement.

He was about to take the fork back from the unmoving form when Duo finally moved. His left hand trailed across the table gingerly, his fingers tracing the edge of the plate. He deftly moved his fork, scooping up the food on the plate with surprising ease. Breathing out heavily in relief, Wufei started in on his own meal, wondering mutely if he would be able to help his friend.

* * *

After two weeks, Wufei was ready to rip his hair out in frustration. Duo still refused to speak or do anything on his own unless he was specifically led to it. He felt helpless, unable to do anything for the distraught brunette. Even after all the time Wufei had spent with him, Duo still flinched and shied away from him whenever he came within ten feet of him. He was almost ready to give up and pass the American off to Quatre when the answer came to him without warning, found abandoned in a small box in a parking lot.

Hoping that he had made the right decision, he walked quickly into his house with something clutched to his chest. Duo was sitting on the couch, exactly where Wufei had left him before going out to do a few errands. Undaunted, Wufei walked calmly up to him, depositing his burden in the American’s lap.

Duo jerked, but made no move to pick up what had been dropped on him. He would have remained perfectly still, but his attention was caught by an irritated movement in his lap and a demanding mew. Violet eyes widened. Hands trembling slightly, he reached to the small weight on his legs, fingers curling around a small fuzzy form that wriggled in his grasp and mewed again sleepily. Refusing to remain in his hands, the kitten squirmed its way free. Once free of his grasp, it ran up Duo’s shirt to sit on his shoulder, batting absently at his loose hair.

Blinking, Duo reached for the tiny wiggling form, only to have it dart out of his reach again, moving to his other shoulder. Before he could try to grab it again, it decided that his ear was the perfect pacifier, gathering up his earlobe in a tiny fanged mouth and sucking nosily. Looking shocked, Duo turned his gaze to the general area where Wufei was standing, watching interestedly.

“Wufei?” he asked softly.

Wufei nearly jumped out of his skin, a wide grin spreading across his face. That was the first time Duo had spoken voluntarily since dismantling the hospital equipment. Relieved that he had finally found something to pull his friend out of his shock, he chuckled softly and leaned against the wall, knowing better than to crowd the brunette.

“She reminded me of you,” he answered, smirking. “She’s solid black, overly hyper and completely insane. I named her Baka.”

Violet eyes flashed. Duo opened his mouth to protest when he noticed that the tiny kitten was still sucking on his ear. He pouted slightly.

“I’m not calling her that,” he muttered, pulling the kitten off his shoulder and placing her back in his lap. Immediately, the little ball of fuzz ran right back up to his shoulder and began attacking his hair with a passion. His attempt to reclaim the kitten from his shoulders resulted with the kitten on the top of his head, tangled in his hair. He made a face.

“Really?” Wufei drawled, smiling when he saw Duo pout. “Then what would you name her?” Duo didn’t even pause before responding.

“Shini.”

How did I know you’d pick that name? Wufei wondered silently. He grunted softly to get Duo’s attention. “Whatever. It’s your job to take care of Baka.” Duo scowled.

“Shini,” he countered.

“Whatever,” Wufei said again. “The litter is in your closet. The litter box is in the corner of your room nearest the window. Baka’s food is in the pantry, left side, bottom shelf.”

Duo scowled at him at his insistence of using the wrong name for his new pet. The brunette finally snorted and proceeded to ignore him, captivated by the wiggly black form that was crawling all over him. It was painfully obvious that the American had never had a pet before. Wufei smiled to himself and left the room.

* * *

Wufei spent the next month purposely addressing the kitten by the wrong name, enjoying the indignant look that would appear on Duo’s face. He made it a point to complain about the black furball, constantly grumbling about black cat hair on his white clothes. At first, Duo looked upset that he was going to lose his new pet. When he finally realized that the Chinese pilot had no intention of getting rid of the midget cat, he suddenly found the situation hilarious, trying to imagine the black speckling on Wufei’s immaculate white clothes.

Shini had taken up riding on Duo’s shoulders, hiding beneath his hair. Duo made no attempt to get her to reside elsewhere, despite Wufei’s taunting that he would end up with fleas.

Inwardly, Wufei was relieved that the cat had accomplished what he had been unable to. Duo was slowly relaxing, returning to his former self. For awhile, he hesitated on braiding his shortened hair again, afraid that it would upset Shini. After his first session of braided hair, however, he stopped worrying. The little black cat seemed to enjoy slapping around the thick rope of hair.

Once Duo had started speaking again, Wufei went out and bought a few books in Braille for the braided pilot. At first, Duo had simply ran his fingers blankly over the pages, completely lost. After a few days, his fingers began to move more steadily over the small bumps on the pages, Duo’s face scrunched up in concentration as he read. He became frustrated easily, but still refused to give up. He only stopped his attempts when Wufei announced that there was food or when Shini attacked his trailing fingers. Even with the distractions, two weeks later he was reading Braille almost as quickly as Wufei could normal text, much to the Chinese pilot’s amazement.

Nearly upon the Christmas holidays, Wufei had returned to work, finally comfortable leaving the American pilot alone. The moment he arrived at work, he was surrounded by coworkers that wanted to know about Duo. Wufei quickly overcame his shock at being cornered by several dozen people and responded simply, stating that the American was recovering. Past that, he refused to give details, irritating many of the other Preventers who were worried about the longhaired teen.

After a long day of dodging questions, Wufei sighed in relief when he realized that it was time for him to go home. Before leaving, he checked his email for anything important, frowning at one of the messages staring back at him. With a thoughtful look, he shut down the browser and turned off his computer.

* * *

Arriving home, Wufei greeted Duo as he always did, trying to seem indifferent in one breath while cursing Shini in the next. Shini, as always, was lying across Duo’s shoulders, participating in one of her favorite hobbies. Sucking on his ears. The Chinese pilot muttered something about fleas and horrible infectious diseases carried by cats before heading towards the kitchen. As always, this caused Duo to start chuckling. Just to see what would happen, he began grumbling about the legend of cats sucking a person’s soul out through their mouth while they slept. Duo actually froze at that, tilting his head to better hear the shorter pilot. After making out what the raven-haired teen was muttering, he simply grinned wider and went back to surfing channels on the television.

Wufei flinched. Even though Duo couldn’t see what was on the television, that didn’t stop him from watching it. Or listening to it, anyways. For some reason, the American could never stay on any channel for more than ten seconds. Wufei listened to the half sentences of various news broadcasts and talk shows for several minutes before snapping.

“Just pick a channel!” he roared. He heard a giggle. The channels began to jump faster. Wufei cursed loudly. “Pick one or I’ll dye Baka fluorescent lime green!”

There was a short pause in the channel hunt. A station was finally selected. Sighing in relief, Wufei continued to work on dinner. He could hear the theme song to some idiotic anime series playing in the next room, but he ignored it. Anything was better than knowing what a hundred different channels were playing every minute.

Wufei waited until dinner was finished cooking and they had both eaten before bringing up the email he had received. He spoke before Duo could move to get up from the table.

“Duo,” he began, waiting for a response. He didn’t want to bring up the topic at all if the brunette couldn’t even hold up a simple conversation. To his surprise, Duo responded immediately.

“Yes?”

“I received an email today about the Christmas party being held this year,” he said, stopping purposely. Duo frowned slightly at the minimal information.

“And?”

Wufei had to brace himself, hoping that the American wouldn’t respond badly to what he was about so say.

“They’re looking for someone to sing at the party,” he said quickly. As expected, Duo flinched, so he continued quickly before lost his nerve. “I’ve heard you in the shower, Maxwell. I know you can sing.”

Duo frowned. Emotions flickered across his face faster than Wufei could interpret them. Finally, he let out a heavy breath.

“What… songs?” he grated out.

Wufei slumped into his chair in relief. He was dreading bringing up the topic of dragging Duo into public again. Considering the touchy nature of the brunette, he was amazed that Duo had given in so quickly.

“For the most part, anything you want,” he answered. “Just be prepared to take a few requests later on in the night.”

Duo’s frown deepened. He opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to ask something but losing the nerve before he was able to. Finally, he managed to spit out a question.

“Do you want me to do this?” he asked in a whisper. Amethyst eyes flickered in Wufei’s vague direction, slightly fearful.

“Only if you want to,” Wufei answered firmly. “I’d like to hear you singing, but I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to.”

Duo scowled. It was obvious that he didn’t want to go out, but at the same time, he didn’t want to upset Wufei either. Issuing a loud, grumbling sigh, he nodded tersely.

“Can I sing any Valby?” he asked, a mischievous grin slowly forming on his face. Wufei paused, not trusting that expression.

“Who, or what, is Valby?” he asked suspiciously.

Grinning manically, Duo rattled off a few verses of one of his favorite Valby songs. Within the first two phrases, Wufei was running for a tissue to quell his nosebleed.

“NO!” Wufei snapped, still pressing a wad of tissues against his nose in a vain attempt to control the blood flow. “You will sing nothing of his!”

Wufei growled since he knew that Duo couldn’t see him scowling. Despite the fact that what Duo had been singing was a Christmas song, it was an extremely demented and perverted song that probably would have sent Wufei into a coma had he heard the entire thing. He had never even considered that The Twelve Days of Christmas could be warped so badly.

The scowl on Wufei’s face deepened. Duo was laughing at him, obviously recognizing the slightly nasal quality to his voice as his vain attempt to rid himself of a nosebleed.

Huffing loudly one final time, he calmed down and reclaimed his seat, still watching Duo closely. The braided pilot, though mostly physically recovered, was still skittish, especially around large groups. The one and only time Wufei had tried to take him out with him while running errands, he had been forced to wrestle the hysterical brunette back into the car. Wufei was the only person he allowed near him, and even that wasn’t a certain thing. Every now and then, Duo would still try to avoid him, flinching at his presence.

Frowning slightly, Wufei realized that Duo hadn’t actually shied away from him in a little over a week. Curious, he extended his arm, placing his hand on Duo’s where it rested on the table.

Duo jerked once before going perfectly still, eyes wide. Cursing himself for intentionally scaring his skittish friend, Wufei started to pull his hand back. He had barely moved his fingers away when he stopped, too stunned to move.

The startled expression on Duo’s face melted slightly to mild confusion. He shifted his hand, fingers splayed as he searched across the table. Immediately, he located Wufei’s hand where it remained motionless a few inches away. Wufei watched carefully, not quite sure what was going through the other boy’s mind. He found out a moment later when, after a second of indecisiveness, Duo gingerly placed his hand on top of Wufei’s, curling his fingers around the raven-haired boy’s hand.

Wufei’s jaw dropped. He hadn’t been expecting that. To his chagrin, he realized that he must have given Duo the impression that he wanted to hold hands. What shocked him even more was when he realized that he really didn’t mind. A slight smile flickered over his lips and he twisted his hand in Duo’s delicate grip to hold hands with the American properly. He was instantly rewarded by a hesitant smile, one of the few real ones he had seen since the other boy moved in.

Feeling stupid for sitting at the table holding hands in complete silence, Wufei began squirming slightly. He cleared his throat hesitantly, trying to think of something.

“Go pick a movie,” he said, pulling back his hand. Duo blinked at him. “I’ll be in after I clear the dishes.”

Duo nodded and wandered out of the kitchen. Wufei sighed softly in relief. He had been worried that Duo would take it as a sign of rejection when he let go of his hand.

Before he could begin to seriously ponder, he heard the television come to life, the opening credits to one of Duo’s movies coming up within seconds. Surprised at how fast the braided boy could move, he quickly dumped all of the plates into the sink, deciding that he would take care of the mess later. He hurried into the living room.

Duo was seated on the sofa, his hands fiddling with the remote control to the DVD player. Normally, Wufei would sit in the small armchair to give Duo his space, but he decided against it this time. Instead, he carefully sat down on the far end of the sofa, mindful of Duo’s reaction. If the braided boy showed any hint of nervousness, he was prepared to move. When the brunette only squirmed slightly, he decided to stay where he was.

Finally knowing that it was safe to sit so close to the American, Wufei relaxed and glanced at the movie Duo had selected. A slight, nearly inaudible groan escaped his lips. The braided teen had picked The Tenth Kingdom. The movie was over six hours long.

A small movement caught his attention and Wufei flicked his eyes to the side to make sure that Duo hadn’t reconsidered tolerating the proximity between them. He expected to see Duo shying away from him. Instead, he found that the brunette was in the exact same position he had been in when Wufei had entered the room, with one small change. His left hand had dropped from his lap and was a short distance from his body.

Deciding that the minimally extended hand was a silent plea, Wufei shifted slightly closer to the other pilot so that he could wrap his hand around the proffered one. The fingers in his grasp immediately tightened into a firm grip.

The simple contact was so distracting to Wufei that he didn’t notice the first hour of the movie slip by, the entirety of his attention focused on the slender fingers intertwined with his. Every few minutes, Duo would squirm and wriggle where he was seated. Wufei was so centered on their linked hands that he didn’t notice what Duo was doing until the braided boy’s shoulder touched his. Wufei instantly crimsoned.

Finally realizing what Duo was doing, Wufei clenched his jaw, trying to ignore his burning cheeks. Steeling himself against his natural shyness, he released Duo’s hand, trying not to flinch at the shocked and slightly hurt expression on the other boy’s face. Before Duo could try to squirm away, Wufei wrapped his freed arm around the brunette’s shoulders and pulled him closer. In response, Duo reflexively stiffened. After a few seconds, he relaxed and moved to press against the Chinese boy’s side, causing Wufei’s blush to intensify.

The movie continued, forgotten by the two teens in the room. Every few minutes, Duo would surprise Wufei again. At first, he just shifted closer, pressing their hips and thighs together. The Chinese pilot turned from pink to red. When Duo pulled the arm around his shoulders down to his waist, Wufei went maroon. In a final movement, the braided boy placed his head on Wufei’s shoulder, the top of his head resting against the other boy’s cheek. By this point, the raven-haired teen was positive that he was purple.

“Are… you blushing?” Duo asked slowly, sounding slightly incredulous.

“How do you… what makes you say that?” Wufei stammered. He could feel his cheeks getting hotter. Duo’s hand slipped up and pressed against his cheek and the Chinese boy swore that he heard a muffled giggle against his throat.

“You are,” Duo chuckled. He sobered up quickly, starting to shift away. “I… I’m making you uncomfortable, aren’t I?”

Recognizing Duo’s attempt to retreat, Wufei tightened his hold slightly. The braided boy stopped moving, but he turned his head away. Unsure of himself, Wufei reached out his free hand to gently grasp the other boy’s jaw, turning his head so that they were face to face. A sudden impulse ran through his mind. Before he could lose his nerve, he leaned forward, pressing his lips to the American’s in a gentle kiss. Duo’s eyes grew impossibly large, a pink hue spreading across his cheeks when Wufei pulled back.

“Now you’re blushing too,” Wufei said, unable to help himself. “So we’re even.”

“That was low, Chang,” Duo growled.

Wufei paused, considering. The only times he had ever heard Duo call him by his family name was when the other pilot was either teasing him or was really angry. Hoping that it was the former, he continued with his chosen path of conversation.

“Serves you right,” he countered, huffing slightly. “Especially after you dyed my hair pink.”

The corner of Duo’s mouth twitched upwards even as his lips tightened. Despite his best efforts to glare, a poorly muffled snicker escaped his lips. It was then that he gave up and allowed himself to laugh aloud.

“You… you had pink… highlights for a month,” Duo hiccupped.

“It wasn’t funny,” Wufei muttered under his breath. “Do you realize that I had to fight Treize like that?” Duo laughed louder. “It’s not funny! He took pictures! I think Zechs has a copy!”

“Really?” Duo forced out between chuckles, curiosity warring with amusement. Wufei’s eyes widened in fear.

“Don’t you dare,” he growled. “Whatever you’re planning, don’t.”

“Aw, but Wu,” he pleaded, his innocent look cracking under his uncontained laughter.

Wufei reeled in shock, a delighted grin slowly creeping onto his features. It was the first time Duo had slaughtered his name since Heero had broken him. He hadn’t even realized how much he had missed the defiling of his name until a moment ago. He would have stared for another few moments if Duo’s expression hadn’t started to show an edge of worry to it, the miserable look telling the Chinese teen that he shouldn’t have gone silent.

Immediately correcting himself, he growled menacingly.

“Laugh at me, will you,” he hissed, trying to sound sinister and failing. He could go into earsplitting rants, sulky pouts and indignant huffs, but he could not sound sinister. Duo waited uncertainly, shifting away slightly.

Seeing the movement, Wufei attacked, flipping Duo onto his back and pinning him effortlessly. The braided pilot froze, fear beginning to seep into his expression. Wufei almost relented before deciding to continue.

“Now that I have you, what should I do with you?” he murmured to himself.

He shifted his grip slightly to hold both of Duo’s wrists in one hand. With his right hand free, he trailed his fingers across his captive’s sides. Duo made a muffled noise and squirmed. Wufei crowed triumphantly.

“You are ticklish!” he exclaimed, smirking. “I knew it!”

Violet eyes blinked numbly before understanding dawned in the clear amethyst depths. An incredulous and slightly wary look settled on Duo’s face.

“You wouldn’t dare,” he growled.

Wufei snorted and ran his fingers over the same spot that had elicited a response, tormenting the thinner boy ruthlessly. After a few seconds of watching the pinned teen writhe helplessly, he began experimenting. He quickly found that Duo’s abdomen, stroked just above the hip, caused the brunette to squeal loudly and thrash like a wild animal.

“No fair!” Duo panted, glaring. “What did I ever do to you?”

“For starters, you hid my ceremonial sword,” Wufei huffed indignantly, poking him in the stomach again.

“I left you a replacement!” Duo objected, starting to turn red.

“You put a four foot titanium dildo on the wall where my sword should have been! I don’t even want to know where you found that thing!”

“It was tournament certified!”

“Now I’m scared,” Wufei honestly admitted. “What kind of tournament would certify that? Never mind! Don’t answer that!”

“I got rid of it for you, didn’t I?” Duo asked, panting loudly.

“You did,” Wufei conceded. “What exactly did you do with it?”

“I tied a white ribbon around it and sent it to Noin in your name.”

“YOU WHAT???”

“I told her that it was what onnas were for,” Duo said cheerfully, trying to use Wufei’s shock to free himself. The Chinese pilot’s grip didn’t budge.

“No wonder she gets so mad every time I call her that,” he groaned.

“I put the charge on Zechs’s personal credit card and then bugged his phone so I could hear him try to contend the charge.”

“And?” Wufei asked dryly.

“He never did. I think he was too embarrassed to say anything.”

“Maxwell,” he said sternly, waiting. When he saw that he had Duo’s full attention, he continued. “You have committed innumerable grievous sins against my person and as such, I demand full repentance for your misdeeds.”

“Um…”

“Beginning with your word of honor that you will NEVER glue me to my bed again.”

“Okay,” Duo offered tentatively. Wufei grinned and leaned forward to give him a gentle kiss on his lips.

“Good boy,” Wufei said, unable to fight back a chuckle. Duo had finally recognized the game for what it was and was smirking slightly. “Furthermore, Maxwell, you will stop training Baka to urinate in my shoes.”

“Oh, okay,” Duo said sullenly, amusement sparkling though the forced somber expression.

“Good boy,” Wufei repeated, giving him another chaste kiss. He ruffled the brunette’s hair and stood up, freeing his hostage. “And now, Maxwell, I’ve got to go to sleep. One of us has to work tomorrow, after all.”

Wufei quickly retreated before Duo could retaliate, ducking into the relative safety of his room, relative being the key word.

“Maxwell!”

Duo had short sheeted his bed.

* * *

Three days had passed since they had watched the movie together.

As always, Duo managed to wake up before Wufei did. The Chinese pilot entered the kitchen to find the braided pilot carefully working his way around some of the simpler items in the room. He had successfully started a pot of coffee and the toaster. In his hands, he held a large bowl of pancake batter, mixing it carefully. His fingers were dipped slightly into the bowl to ensure he didn’t slop the stuff onto the floor as he energetically mixed it. Wufei watched in silent amusement as he gently kicked Shini off of his ankle, the small black cat intent on gnawing off his foot for some unknown reason.

Not seeming to notice Wufei’s presence, Duo set the bowl of batter on the counter and pulled a skillet out of the drainer, tossing it with surprising accuracy onto the stovetop, turning on the burner. He took up the batter again and continued mixing it, pausing to detach the small black cat from his calf again. Grumbling, he set down the bowl again and walked over to the pantry, reaching unerringly for the cat food. Popping open a small can, he moved a few steps to the side and flipped the contents expertly into the waiting dish on the floor. Shini attacked the food with relish, as it apparently tasted better than Duo’s leg.

Careful not to give himself away, Wufei continued to watch. Although the American was always awake before he was, he had never before attempted to cook. He watched with some trepidation as Duo deftly washed his hands before grabbing the pancake batter, unsure of how his blind companion would be able to handle a stove. Ebony eyes widened when the braided teen felt out the skillet with his free hand, missing the handle and tapping the metal directly. Duo winced and withdrew his hand, waving it in a wider circle to locate the handle of the pan. When his fingers came in contact, he repositioned the handle with a deliberate motion to a position where he could more easily find it.

Skillet finally in a place where he wanted it, Duo carefully dipped some batter into the pan in three perfectly even circles. Placing the batter back on the counter, he abandoned the skillet to set the table. Wufei openly gaped when Duo returned to the cooking pancakes, flipping them easily and leaving again as he moved to pour drinks to set at the table. Again, he had a finger hooked into the top of each glass, careful not to allow orange juice to overflow onto the floor. In both glasses, the liquid stopped abruptly a quarter of an inch below his finger. Wufei’s jaw dropped at the precision and he wondered how Duo managed it.

He continued to stare as Duo poked the pancakes with one finger to test them before flipping them off of the skillet onto a waiting plate. He promptly started another batch. While they cooked, he began dragging items from the fridge. Syrup, butter and a few types of jelly materialized on the table.

The pancakes were flipped again. A second skillet appeared along with a few seemingly random items from the fridge. After removing the pancakes and starting a third batch, Duo began making omelets. Wufei continued to stare.

A mere few minutes later, a plate of pancakes sat in the middle of the table and an omelet was placed neatly in front of each seat. Duo grinned and winked in Wufei’s direction.

“You can sit down, you know,” he chuckled. Wufei gawped for another few seconds before he was able to stutter out a response.

“How long did you know I was here?” he asked, stunned. Duo laughed louder.

“Since you walked in. You make enough noise to wake the dead.”

Knowing that Duo couldn’t see his glare, he settled on snorting loudly as he claimed his seat. He remained silent for a few seconds, trying to decide how to phrase his thoughts without sounding insensitive. He could hardly ask Duo how he could cook blind, instead settling on a milder line of questioning.

“I didn’t know you knew how to cook,” he said, watching carefully for his companion’s reaction. Duo’s grin faded slightly.

“I used to be pretty good at it. Now… now I’m having a bit of trouble, ya know?”

Wufei deliberately took a bite of his omelet before answering.

“You cook better than I do,” he muttered. The brunette’s smile slipped further, his expression beginning to reveal the strain and helplessness he was feeling.

“I’ve been working on it,” Duo admitted. “It took a little getting used to.”

Wufei wilted slightly where he sat, his mind working overtime trying to figure out just how hard it would be to relearn how to do everything without being able to see it. He had to forcibly refrain from shivering, knowing that the American would hear the movement. While he was contemplating a response that wouldn’t upset his friend, Duo suddenly spoke up.

“I tried,” Duo said in a broken voice. When Wufei didn’t immediately respond, he plowed on. “I tried to help him. I thought… if I tried long enough, that I could break through J’s training.”

Wufei threw down his fork, suddenly losing his appetite. He hadn’t been expecting the conversation to come up for a long time and he found that he didn’t know exactly what to do to help. Unable to do anything else, he opted to listen.

“And?” he prompted gently.

“J trained him not to have any emotions, or at least not to express them. He was supposed to be a weapon, nothing more. J had never meant for him to survive the war. He couldn’t function in society. I… I stayed because… I thought I could help him. I thought I could… He never responded. Every time I thought I was getting close, his training would kick in and he’d become violent. I tried. Oh God, I tried…”

Duo broke down, trying to flee from the table before he burst out in tears. Wufei ran after him, catching him in the living room and pulling him to the sofa. Gathering the braided teen up into his arms, Wufei held him while he wept. The logical part of his mind told him that he should call in to work and inform Zechs that he would be missing work. He promptly told his mind to shove it, refusing to leave the distraught American alone.

After nearly an hour, the braided teen calmed down enough to realize the position he was in and what time it had to be.

“Don’t you have to be at work?” he asked weakly.

“I’ll show up late,” Wufei responded gently, shrugging slightly. “If Zechs doesn’t like it, he can shove it.” Duo chuckled softly.

“I think Noin would object,” he managed, mouth twitching upwards into a perverted smirk. Wufei saw the look and had to fight back a blush when he realized what he’d said.

“Especially after what you sent her,” Wufei countered softly. “I still can’t believe she hasn’t disemboweled me for that.”

That won an honest laugh. It took several seconds before Duo could form a response, and it was still fairly jerky.

“But… it was… tournament certified,” he managed to force out.

“And for the love of all things holy, you will NEVER tell me where you found that… that… thing,” Wufei groused.

“I could show you the store,” Duo offered innocently. “It’s not too far from here.”

“No,” Wufei said firmly. “In fact, I don’t even want to know what you were doing in there.”

“I had to use the restroom.”

“Sure you did,” Wufei drawled, inwardly relieved that the brunette was finally calming down.

He knew that Duo had to eventually talk about what had happened, but that it was still too soon. Duo wasn’t ready any more than Wufei had been. The Chinese Preventer swore that he wouldn’t be caught off guard again. The next time Duo brought up the subject, he would be ready for it. He glanced at the taller man sitting awkwardly in his lap and had to bite back a chuckle at the image the two of them made. Duo was a full head taller than him normally. The lanky man sitting in his lap made Wufei appear even shorter by comparison. Even if he was more muscular than the American, they still probably looked ridiculous. He shook his head and forced his thoughts back to where they should be.

“I’m going to call in sick,” Wufei murmured. Duo snorted.

“Oh no you don’t. You missed enough work because of me. You’re going in or else.”

“Or else what?” Wufei asked, unable to help himself. A truly sinister look formed on Duo’s face that worried the shorter man he was sitting on.

“Or else you’ll find out what else I bought at that store.”

Wufei paused, unsure. “There’s no way you have anything from there still. I helped you unpack, remember?”

“Just keep telling yourself that,” Duo chuckled.

“You’re bluffing.”

“Want to find out?”

Wufei hesitated. “All right. You win. Just keep whatever you have away from me,” he muttered. “I’ll go to work after I clean up the kitchen.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Duo said.

“But…”

“I’m not helpless, Wu,” Duo ground out in a tight voice. “It won’t kill me to do the dishes.” Wufei backed off immediately.

“You’re right. You’re not helpless,” he conceded. “But you ARE heavy.”

“I am not! You weigh more than I do,” Duo objected as he slid off of Wufei’s lap.

“Fine. Then your butt is bony. I’ll be lucky if I don’t have your butt print in my leg for the rest of the day.”

“And wouldn’t that be fun to explain to Noin,” Duo chuckled.

“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t you dare,” Wufei growled.

“Fine,” Duo conceded, pouting. He stretched and started toward the kitchen. “Call in before Zechs has a coronary and go to work.”

Wufei shook his head silently as he headed out, already on the phone with the platinum blond who, sure enough, was about to throw a fit. He ignored the man’s irritation at his refusal to give a reason for being late. His mind was fixed firmly on how quickly Duo had progressed in the last few days. Less than a week ago, the braided man couldn’t even be in the same room as him without squirming. Now, he seemed almost like his old self. Wufei almost expected him to start pulling pranks again. He briefly wondered who would catch the brunt of it at the Christmas party. That thought caused him to chuckle into the phone.

Zechs paused in his tirade, the sudden silence causing Wufei to pay attention to him again. He briefly wondered if he had missed something important.

“What?” he asked.

“I was just speculating on what happened to make you so cheerful,” Zechs said, the irritation gone from his voice. “I’m not sure I want to know.”

“Very well, I won’t tell then. But, could you relay a message for me?” Wufei asked.

“Okay…”

“Tell Noin that it’s tournament certified.”

“Now I’m certain I don’t want to know,” Zechs muttered.

“Trust me. It’s safer that way.”