Chapter 18b
The Dinner Guest (2):
Okay, so granted I guess I
sorta over-reacted after seeing those photographs…but seriously, wouldn’t you
have done the same thing if you were in my shoes? I mean, the shock of it all,
you know? And the irony…oh yeah, the fucking irony of the whole thing really gets me. Here’s a guy Heero and I
hate more than anything else in the world and yet he’s banging my mom right
under my nose. It’s enough to make any guy in his right mind go nuts.
But I’ve got a plan. Oh yeah,
you bet your ass I do. I’m not going to take this lying down and I’m going to
make sure my mom and Teruo wish they had never met each other in the first
place. I’m not sure the guy even knows what I look like since he barely spared
Heero and I a glance in the elevator. But then again
who knows if my mom’s been showing him recent pictures of me. I’m going to take
a stab in the dark and say ‘no’ to all of that. My mom isn’t one of those
people who go about carrying pictures of her loved ones in their purses neither
are there any pictures of me hanging around the apartment. Hell, she won’t even
let me see a picture of her and my real dad!
But we’ll get back to that issue some other time. Right now, I just hope that
Heero and Wufei won’t back out on their promise to come over tonight.
Why can’t they come as
themselves? Why do they have to dress up in drag? Hello? I don’t need to remind
you of the spat between my mom and Heero, do I? And besides, Teruo must know
what Heero looks like by now – maybe he went rooting for pictures of the kid
responsible for embarrassing him in front of National TV or something. Either
way, I’m not taking any chances…
…and yes, just maybe a
little…okay a big part of me wants to see them in women’s clothing. But honestly,
I’m not that obsessed about the idea, okay?
But back to my situation, the
guys have gone and I’m alone in here again – something I should be used to by
now I guess. I had to pull Heero aside to apologize for trying to kick his ass
earlier. My lips are still tingling from the kiss (we had to do it away from
Wufei although I think he kinda figured out what was happening anyway and was
pretty cool about it) we shared and I could tell that Heero wanted to jump my
bones so bad…not that I wasn’t feeling the same way too. But, we have our
priorities and we’ve got to put them in order. Having sex like horny rabbits will
just have to wait until everything’s all squared out.
At the moment, I have kitchen
duty. I’ve got to get the stuff ready for dinner and as I stand here looking into
the fridge, I have no fucking clue as to what to prepare. We’ve got tons of
leftover dinners and I doubt mom’s going to appreciate me dumping a bowl of
fettuccine and some turkey slices before Teruo. Not that I care much, but to
play the role of ‘perfect’ son tonight, I’ve got to pull out all the stops.
Before long, I’ve got onions,
tomatoes and red pepper sautéing in a pan, some chicken breasts baking in the
oven, champagne and other non-alcoholic beverages (Heero alert!) stocked in the
refrigerator, rock music blaring from the speakers and seriously trying my best
not to think too much about how ‘weird’ mom’s been acting lately.
Besides not telling me much
about her new boyfriend, there’s been other quirks that’s got me scratching my
head and wondering just what’s with her these days. Whenever the phone rings,
she’s always there before me, smiling and reassuring me that everything’s okay.
Despite it all, I still notice the wariness in her eyes, the faint lines of
fatigue and the downturn of her lips whenever she thinks I’m not watching.
She’s not young anymore and makeup can only hide so much. Oh, sure she’s still
stunning to look at…hell; Teruo fell for her charms, didn’t he? It’s just that
she’s not the same, you know? She’s
not the same happy-go-lucky woman I met the first time. She’s now more cautious
and ‘delicate’ – if that’s the word – around me. It’s as if she’s afraid to say
something that will really set me off. The other day I had asked her about the
Maxwell surname. I mean if she’s no longer married to Dad, why does she still
use ‘Eleanor Maxwell’ for everything? She had only looked at me for a long time
and I swear I broke out into a cold sweat at the dead look in her eyes. But she
had smiled and brushed my hair gently – like I was a kid all over again and
said,
“Because I think it’s a nice
name.”
And that was that.
I wonder if my real dad still
knows she’s using his name…or that I’m
still using his name. Personally, I like using Maxwell. I don’t see myself
changing it for anything…
Yeah, but if mom decides to marry this guy, you’ll end
up becoming Duo Teruo. How do you like that?
Suddenly and unable to stop
myself, I burst out laughing. Imagine that! Me becoming Duo Teruo and having Kamui as a kid brother!
Oh man, what a riot!
“What’s so funny, soldier?”
I turn around quickly, still
giggling as my mom walks into the kitchen, looking decidedly hot in a pair of
tight black pants and an oversized men’s shirt. She leans close to place a kiss
on my cheek and I get to smell that familiar sweet scent of jasmine. Looking at
her now, with her hair all done up a messy but kinda cute ponytail, it’s no
surprise that many thought we were brother and sister when in
“Cat got your tongue?” she
asks again, as she dumps the grocery bags on the counter.
“Nah, just thinking of how
hot you really are, mom,” I reply with a cheeky grin.
“That’s just wrong, Duo,” she
says laughing and bringing out even more items for dinner. “Just don’t think of
hitting on me anytime soon.”
“Gross mom. Just gross.”
Yeah, just your good-natured
ribbing between a loving mom and her loving son, right? I turn away and begin
to peel the lettuce, not letting her see the tightening of my lips at the thought
of that asshole touching her…planting his seed in her…creating new life with her.
Fuck.
“Hmm, those smell good, Duo,”
she says as she walks up to me and hugs me tightly from behind. “I’m so proud
of you…”
“So about this guy, mom,” I
interrupt, while releasing myself from her embrace as subtly as possible. I
don’t think that worked anyway because she frowns a little and then shrugs.
“I know you’re probably upset
I haven’t told you about him but I wanted it to be a surprise. I was so worried
you would not approve…”
“And keeping him away from me
was one way to do that?” I ask, kicking myself inwardly for allowing my
irritation to show in my voice. “Geez mom, I’m 17! You don’t have to keep
acting like you’re afraid of me. What’s the worse that could happen? I’ll hate
the guy and you’ll still end up dating him anyway, right?”
“Oh that’s not true, Duo!”
she says with a shocked gasp. “I always value your opinion…and besides it was
his idea for dinner tonight. He says it will be a wonderful opportunity to
introduce himself to you.”
“And who’s he?”
She eyes me carefully but I
refuse to lower my gaze. Finally, and with a small sigh, she replies. “His name
is Saito Teruo. And he’s…”
The phone rings and with an
audible look of relief on her features, she runs off to pick it up.
Saito Teruo, huh? Gee, mom,
did it ever occur to you that your son might know who the fucking Minister of
Education is?
“…oh…no! That’s no problem at
all…the more the merrier. Okay…I…I’ll see you later…”
The more the merrier? Oh yeah,
I’ve yet to tell her about Heero and Wufei coming over too.
“Hey mom,” I begin, not
looking at her as I tend to the browning vegetables. “Two of my friends from
the foster home are in town and I figured I’d invite them over tonight. Is that
okay?”
“Oh that’s fine, that’s
fine,” she says, sounding a bit breathless. I glance at her with a raised brow
and see that her features are even more flushed and there’s a dazed look in her
eyes. Sheesh, talk about being a lovesick puppy. “That was Saito on the phone,”
she’s saying as she brings out a large chocolate cake from a box to put into
the fridge. “He says he’ll be bringing his son as well. I think it would be lovely
for the two of you to meet, don’t you think?”
His son?! What the fuck?!
Suddenly the world swims
before my eyes and before I can steady my wobbling legs, they give way and I
end up falling to the floor, barely hearing my mom’s concerned cry as she
rescues me from cracking my skull.
Damn…this night is definitely
going to be one hell of a disaster. I mean things couldn’t possibly get any
worse………………..could they?
__
By seven-thirty, I’m a
nervous wreck. The suit I’m wearing feels too alien on my body, the necktie’s
choking me and I’m sweating like a stuck pig. I still don’t know why I haven’t
told Heero or Wufei that Kamui’s going to be joining us tonight. I mean, I was
going to tell them but between Relena and Hilde’s squeals in the background
when I had called him earlier (the girls were helping Heero and Wufei get all
dolled up), it was hard to get my thoughts organized enough to tell them. I can
only hope that they don’t strangle me – Heero especially – when they arrive.
“Baby, how do I look?”
I lift my gaze from the TV
screen to gawk at my mom in disbelief. She looks…
“Wow…”I manage to say and
that’s all I really can say anyway. She looks fantastic in a simple but
form-fitting black evening gown. It shows off her slender, pale shoulders and
her neck is adorned with a perfectly cut diamond necklace I’ve never seen her
wear before. Matching earrings adorn her ears and her hair has been let loose in
wavy curls around her face and down her shoulders. I feel something sharp and
almost painful within my chest and I will be a fool not to know that it’s
jealousy. A part of me wants my mom all to myself and the thought of sharing
her with another man…let alone Teruo is rather aggravating.
“Thanks, sweetie. You look
dashing yourself. Stand. Stand, let me see you.”
I obey dutifully and twirl
around for her, smiling a little as she claps her hands in delight. It’s a
pretty damn expensive suit and she had gotten it for me a month or so ago. I
haven’t worn it until tonight and feeling the expensive cloth against my skin
makes me feel like I just stepped out of the pages of GQ magazine or something.
“I’m so proud of you, Duo,”
she says, cradling my cheeks within her hands and staring into my eyes. Her
perfume is much stronger tonight and her makeup flawless. I love my mother but it’s times like these that make me want to dislike her
intensely. She’s not dressing up for me, but for someone else. The sudden image
of her lustful gaze in the photograph comes to my mind. Damn.
“I love you so much, baby.”
“I love you too, mom.”
The doorbell rings and
I swear Relena and Hilde did
a fantastic job because the boys formerly known as Heero and Wufei no longer
exist!
Wufei’s got extensions to his
already shoulder length black hair, so that his hair’s now done in a wavy and
rather high ponytail. His face is flawless. Those narrow dark eyes have been
emphasized with dark eye shadow, giving him a rather sultry look. His lips have
been tinted with red lipstick which makes them look so damn kissable. He is
dressed in a pair of black pants with a white silk top – the fake boobs are a
nice touch – not too big and not too small either. There’s a small gold
necklace around his neck and his red polished nails complete the amazing
transformation. Well…except for the fact that his smile is rather tight and his
hands are clutching his bag with more force than necessary.
Trying not to giggle at his discomfort,
it’s Heero that has my pants tightening even further and my heart rate
quickening again. Shit. If I knew he’d look this good in girl’s clothes, I
would have loved to dress him in them as much as possible. The pictures he took
during the summer didn’t do him any justice and I’m guessing Relena was in
charge of him because there’s absolutely no trace of Heero anywhere now. Even
the wound above his eye has been covered with a barely noticeable bandage. His
chocolate-colored locks have been replaced with a brunette hair piece –
straight with an even trim all around – think Uma Thurman in, the greatest
movie ever in my opinion, Pulp Fiction – and a gold barrette for an added
finish. Like Wufei, his makeup is impeccable, but those blue eyes…oh man, I could
melt right now if I wasn’t too busy staring at him, look even bigger and bluer
than ever before. Those lips look full and inviting, thanks to the brilliant
red lipstick Relena had put on him. His outfit is a floor length pale blue
evening gown (Relena’s I’m sure) with a matching lace waist length jacket to
cover up his shoulders. Don’t ask me how they managed to create a good enough
bra to hold up his fake boobs since the gown had spaghetti straps, but the
girls had managed to pull it off somehow. When Heero moves, I get to see his
feet, which are in matching blue pumps (not high heels thankfully). He too is
clutching his purse and looking extremely embarrassed. He can’t even look me in
the eye directly and seeing how flushed he looks excites me even more. Ah, yet
another reason why I’m nuts about him.
“You guys…” I begin, not
surprised to find my voice sounds like I’ve been chugging a whole bottle of
cough syrup.
“Duo? Are those your
friends?” My mom walks up behind me to break the spell and I can see that Wufei
and Heero are just as impressed by how gorgeous she looks. “Oh my! You never
told me you had such beautiful young lady friends, Duo!”
Wufei looks pained while
Heero’s doing his best not to throw up. Oh God, please don’t make me laugh!
“Come in, come in!” Mom’s
saying as she leads Heero into the house. “I’m Duo’s mother and you are…”
“Her…Hermione Drake,” Heero
blurts quickly, glancing at me for approval. I had given them a back story to
work with and as I nod in agreement – thinking it all ironic that my mom’s
going for the guy she totally can’t stand - I hold out an arm for Wufei,
grinning as he scowls at me before reluctantly slipping his own through it. I
kick the door shut behind us, leaning close to whisper into his ear.
“You look hot, Fei…”
“Duo…!” He flushes darkly but
has to recover quickly as my mom turns to him to ask his name. “Ah…Mulan…Lee…miss…ma’am.”
“Oh nonsense, call me
Eleanor,” my mom says laughing and releasing Heero to offer them flutes of what
looks like white wine. At least I hope it’s the non-alcoholic one. The last
thing I need is for Heero to end up raving drunk before dinner’s even started.
“Please…sit down,” she
invites and the girls promptly flop to the chair like they would normally do as
well…boys. I wince as my mother notices and I quickly motion for Heero to close
his legs – even though the gown isn’t letting him do it that much – but shoot,
my mom’s going to see the little details and their cover will be blown. Wufei
understands and does his best to sit as daintily as possible, but Heero’s
having a much harder time getting in touch with his feminine side. Man, I think
I’m going to die laughing before the night is over.
“So Duo tells me you two were
at the orphanage…”
“Foster home, mom,” I
interrupt.
“Ah yes, foster home…so how
are you girls doing now? Oh, hold that thought,” she says quickly as the
doorbell chimes again. “I’ll be right back. Our other guests are here.”
The three of us exchange a
look, my heart thudding faster again as I realize that this is the moment of
truth. I guess this should be a good time to tell them that Kamui will be
showing up as well but the laughter from the hallway and Kamui’s voice as he
says a polite ‘good evening ma’am’ has Heero bolting upright in his seat and
almost splashing the wine all over his nice dress.
He eyes me in shock as I sink
back into the sofa and hide my face behind my glass of wine. Wufei looks
confused as well and before long, in comes my mom leading Saito Teruo and a
pale-looking Kamui in tow. The two men are dressed in nice dark suits, Saito
looking rather handsome in his as he smiles at all of us. He’s a far cry from
the stern-faced asshole we had met in the elevator. In the presence of my
mother, he’s the perfect gentleman and he just reeks of so much deceit that it
hurts my head to watch. However, it’s Kamui’s silent cry of surprise and the
placing of a finger against my lips to tell him to be quiet that finally jolts
Heero out of his dazed stupor. His eyes are clearly yelling ‘WHAT THE FUCK IS
GOING ON HERE, DUO?!’ but I think I’ll just bolt into the kitchen and check on
dinner.
“Why don’t I just go check on
dinner?” I say ignoring the hand Teruo offers to me in greeting, as I rise to
my feet.
But my mom’s not going to
have my rudeness tonight. “Why don’t you say hello, Duo?” she says tightly even
though she’s still got a grin on her face. “Saito…my son…Duo. I’ve been telling
you about him.”
I stare into those gray eyes,
as if willing him to remember who I am, but if he does, he gives no sign. Instead,
he continues to smile at me, his hand still outstretched, waiting for the
handshake that’s never going to come.
“I really should go check on
dinner,” I say again, with a bright smile of my own. “Wanna help me…Mulan?
Hermione?”
They are both all too happy
to and ignoring my mother’s look of embarrassment and anger, I make my way into
the kitchen with Heero and Wufei hot on my heels. Once out of earshot, Heero
hisses out sharply to me.
“Okay, start talking, Duo!”
“It was a last minute thing,
honest!” I hiss back, idly admiring how much more beautiful he looks when
agitated.
“Why didn’t you tell us Kamui
was going to show up?!” Wufei repeats, fighting the urge to run his hands
through his new hairstyle.
“I didn’t know he was going
to show up! Well, until later this evening when Teruo called to say that he
would be bringing his son along with…”
“Uum…Duo…Duo sempai…”
We whirl around in unison, my
hand clutching the oven mittens as I stare at the pale-faced boy hovering at
the doorway. He looks like he’s going to pass out and I feel a tad bit sorry
for him. How was he to know that the picture was of my mom? But then again, I’m
not even sure he knows that I know about the photographs by now. Believe me,
the temptation to tell him that the girls standing beside me are Heero and
Wufei, is extremely great. But I doubt he’ll be able to withstand the shock.
“Hey, little bro,” I finally say
with a smile. “How’s it going?”
“Oh God…I did…I did…” His
throat works for a second and I know the boy’s going to start bawling soon. Just
what I don’t need. Heero groans and turns away while Wufei suddenly finds the
buttons on the oven extremely fascinating.
“I’m so sorry, sempai,” He
bows his head and swipes at his eyes quickly. “I had no idea…”
“What’s taking us all so
long?” My mom suddenly asks as she sticks her head into the kitchen. “Everyone
out to the living room while Duo and I get dinner ready for you all, okay?”
“No, mom, I got it,” I say
quickly, shooing her out with a gentle push. “You just go sit down with Mr.
Teruo and have a few drinks, okay? The girls and Kamui will help me out, won’t
you?”
“Well…this is my dinner and…”
“Mother,” I say firmly, doing
my best ‘upset son’ impression. “I got this.”
Reluctantly she goes back to
the living room and I turn to face the boys, withering a bit beneath Heero and
Wufei’s glare while Kamui sniffles and goes to wash his face quickly in the
sink.
“What’s with the look?” I ask
with a light shrug. “Help me get the food ready…oh and keep that plate aside
for me.”
“Why?” Wufei asks with a
raised brow.
“Oh, nothing,” I reply as
casually as I can. “It’s just going to be Mr. Teruo’s special plate.”
__
“Mmmm, the food looks
delicious, Eleanor,” Saito says as he rubs his hands together slowly. “How did
you know shrimp stir fry was my favorite?”
My mother giggles and blushes
like a school girl. “Oh, it’s not me. You’ve got to thank Duo for everything.
He’s the cook around here. I just sit and watch him amaze me all the time.”
Saito has the gall to wink at
me, since I’m sitting at the opposite end of the table and he’s right next to
my mom at the other end. Kamui’s next to his dad while on the other side, Wufei
and Heero are doing their best to chew through their meal without gagging at
all the lovey dovey display.
“So you’re the cook, hmm?”
Saito’s saying while laughing softly. Geez, I really wish he wouldn’t do that.
It’s just creepy. I still can’t believe this is the same guy we met at the
hospital and even Heero’s been staring at him every now and then with barely
concealed anger? Fury? Not sure though. But there’s been something about Heero
tonight that has me thinking that he’s up to something. Kamui for his part is
pretty silent with his head lowered and his fork dancing around the plate, not
really picking up anything. He looks sick.
“Kamui darling,” my mother
begins as she rolls up some pasta around her fork. “What school do you go to
again?”
We all stiffen at the
question. Kamui almost drops his fork and for a moment Saito’s friendly visage
tightens before he speaks up with another warm smile. “My son will be attending
a small private school in a few weeks. I told you about that, didn’t I,
Eleanor?”
My mother’s brows knit in
concentration for a moment. “You did? Oh dear, I must have forgotten about it.
But I did tell you that my son attends
Saito’s warm smile falters
for a brief moment. “Did…did you say Fujisaki?” He glances at me quickly and I
give him my biggest smile yet.
“Yes, Fujisaki,” Mom’s
replying with a proud smile. “He’s one of the top athletes in the school,
aren’t you, baby?”
“You said it, mom. But you
know it’s funny…now that I think about it. I think I’ve seen his face before…”
Saito’s features have turned
a bit ashen while my mom looks at me in bemusement. “Whatever are you talking
about, sweetie?”
“It’s just that,” I toy with
my fork, stalling for time, immensely enjoying Saito’s discomfort as he begins
to eat his meal a bit quickly. Eat. Eat. Eat as much as you want. There’s
something in there that doesn’t agree with you, ne, Teruo-san? However, I turn
to look at Kamui and frown as if in deep concentration. “Weren’t you once a
student at Fujisaki? I could have sworn I’ve seen you wandering the school
grounds at one time or another.”
Kamui looks like his jaw has
been permanently unhinged and Wufei’s snickering is covered with a cough as he
reaches for his glass of wine. Heero’s watching carefully, his gaze still
trained on Teruo as if waiting for an opportunity to pounce on him.
“Well…maybe it’s just someone
that looks like him,” my mom says with a light shrug. “Kamui, your father says
you’ve been doing some home schooling lately…”
“That’s a lie,” Heero suddenly
says, forgetting that he’s a girl and allowing his deeper voice to come forth.
I wince and give him a sharp kick beneath the table.
But the damage’s been done.
My mom, Saito and even Kamui are now gaping at him as if he’s from another
planet. And what’s this? It looks like Saito’s turning a bit red in the face. I
hide a small smirk. Interesting.
“What’s a lie, sweetie?” My
mom asks slowly, placing her fork and knife carefully to focus her attention on
Heero.
“I just meant that Mr. Teruo
should allow his son to speak for himself,” Heero replies in his falsetto again
(thankfully). He smiles sweetly at the two adults. “Don’t you think, Mr. Teruo?
Because I do believe and correct me if I’m mistaken, Mulan, the day we went to
see Duo at his school, didn’t we see this very same boy with his friends by the
front gate?” I notice Heero nudging Wufei gently and almost choking on his
drink, the Chinese boy finally nods in agreement.
“Yes, yes, it was him. I’m
sure it was him. We were so shocked to see him here tonight.”
Wufei’s falsetto’s not bad
either! And I swear Saito looks like he’s about to pop a blood vessel.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he
suddenly says. “My son has been in the hospital for the past few weeks! There’s
no possible way you could have seen him in that school!”
“But…didn’t you tell me he’s
been at home all this time?” My mother asks in confusion as she turns to face
him with a light frown on her visage. “You never told me he was in the
hospital, Saito.”
“Oh? He’s lying to you
already, mom? And this is the guy you hang out with?” I ask with a loud gasp of
‘shock’. I make a soft ‘tsk’ sound and turn to Kamui. “So what were you in
hospital for?”
“He had a fever…” Saito says
quickly just as Kamui says,
“I was sick…”
But then Heero cuts in. “I
heard that he was attacked by a group of thugs and was rescued by a student
from Fujisaki. Don’t you think it’s a wonderful school where students look out
for other students?”
“Where…?” Saito’s gripping
his fork tightly, still trying to smile although he’s doing a poor job of it.
“Where did you hear such lies, young lady? My son was not attacked by thugs. He
had a fever…”
“That would keep him in
hospital for several weeks?!” I cry out in ‘horror’. “Is this true, Kamui?”
The blond looks miserable and
I have the feeling he wishes he could sink into the floor and disappear for a
while, but apparently it looks like Heero’s not through yet. He’s still staring
coldly at Teruo and talking.
“Oh and guess what I heard as
well. I heard that Mr. Teruo uses his power and influence in the ministry to
decide who stays or goes in Fujisaki. In fact, he’s actually used his power to
get rid of the Student President and has gotten him suspended just because the
Student President tried to stand up to him when Mr. Teruo was clearly in the
wrong. Now, that’s not the way a nice gentleman like yourself should act, is
it? I’m sure all the rumors are wrong, aren’t they, Mr. Teruo? You wouldn’t
actually do that, would you?”
WHAT?! Heero was suspended?!
And this fucker had something to do with it?!
I barely hear Kamui’s shocked
gasp or Wufei’s responding look of disbelief and then growl of anger. So this
was why Heero wouldn’t tell me anything! This is why he’s so determined to get
back at Teruo! The bastard! The lying, cheating, bastard!
“Is this true, Saito?” My
mother asks in that deceptively calm voice which I know is a prelude to a
tirade or two. “Please…tell me you didn’t stoop so low to do that.”
“Eleanor,” he begins,
reaching out for my mother’s hand. “You know I wouldn’t…”
“Keep your fucking hands off
my mother,” I cut in coldly, feeling my insides stiffening in repulsion. “You
son-of-a-bitch.”
“Duo!” she gasps. “Watch how
you speak to him!”
“And why should I?!” I roar,
getting to my feet. Like hell I’m going to keep quiet. “Do you really want to
know what kind of a guy you’re dating, mom? Huh?! Well, look at his son for
Pete’s sake! He hasn’t cracked a smile since he’s been in here! He’s trembling
like a leaf and looks like he’s going to start crying at any minute!”
(Needless to say, Kamui’s
begun to sniffle at this time)
“And do you want to know
why?! Because he’s scared shitless of his own goddamn father! This is the kind
of guy you want to bring home to me as a new dad?! Like hell he will!”
“Stop this, Duo…stop this…”
“And why? Why the hell is he
being so secretive with your relationship, huh?! If he loves you so goddamn
much, why can’t he show it to the rest of the world?! What’s he so ashamed
of?!”
“Sit down this instant, Duo
Maxwell!” My mother yells as she rises to her feet as well. We both glare at
each other across the table but I can see her eyes are shining a bit too brightly.
She’s close to tears and it’s all this asshole’s fault!
“Not until he leaves, I’m not!”
“Eleanor,” Saito begins
slowly as he too rises to his feet. “I think I should be going. There’s
obviously too much tension…”
“I know why,” Kamui suddenly
says quietly, still not looking at any of us as he wipes his tears away slowly.
“I know why he won’t show you to the world. It’s because…”
“Kamui, enough!” Saito barks
out coldly in Japanese.
“Let him speak,” Heero says
tightly but nobody takes the time to notice that he’s reverted back to his
original voice again.
“It’s because…it’s because you
haven’t divorced mom yet!” he yells out loud, lifting his tear-filled gaze to
us. “You haven’t divorced mom yet! You’re still married to her even though
she’s not home! You’re too proud to get divorce papers because it will ruin
your reputation and yet you’re sleeping with Duo sempai’s mother!”
Holy shit!
“Oh my god,” My mother sighs
and promptly slumps to the floor in a dead faint.
“Mom! You asshole!” I lunge
for Saito, leaving Wufei to deal with my mother, but Heero beats me to it (a
miracle he can move that fast with that evening gown on) and stands between us.
“Interesting little turn of
events, ne, Teruo-san?” Heero says, in impeccable Japanese as he smiles coldly
at the pale-faced man. “Remember this voice? Heero Yuy’s my name in case you’ve
forgotten.”
There’s another sigh and a
loud thud beside me and this time it’s Kamui joining my mom in la-la land.
“Impossible,” Saito gasps in
disbelief. It’s a quick movement, but I think he’s beginning to scratch his
hands gently. I can’t help smirking. It looks like its working after all. “It…it…
can’t be.”
“Yes, it is,” Heero responds
calmly. “Thanks to you, you’ve ruined just about everyone’s life in this room.
I have a good mind of going to the Press and splashing your name all over the
papers for being such an asshole…sir.”
“Are you threatening me,
young…?” I can see he’s not sure whether to call Heero a girl or a boy but
Heero decides for him by yanking off the wig from his head. Saito winces and
tightens his lips. “You don’t know what you are dealing with, Yuy.”
“No? But I do know that if I
send in photographs of you cheating on your wife, it wouldn’t look too good
now, would it, sir?”
Saito’s really itching now
but he’s doing his best not to show it too much. “What’s the matter, sir?” I
ask coldly, glancing at Wufei who gives me a thumbs up sign. My mom’s still out
cold but she’ll be all right. “You don’t look so good.”
“You…” He sputters and take a
step backwards. He looks towards his plate and pales even more at the sight of
the tiny strings of well cut onions hidden within the vegetables. “You knew…”
he gasps weakly, staring at me with those gray eyes as wide as saucers. “You
knew I was allergic to them and yet you…”
“You could die from it, I
hear,” I interrupt casually. “And you’re lucky I didn’t put any more in or
you’d be on your way to St. Margaret’s in a heartbeat. But, I have something
that should help ease the swelling because hooo boy, it’s going to be one nasty
rash in the morning, sir.”
Heero chuckles as Wufei makes
his way over to Kamui’s prone form to drag him towards the sofa.
“What…” Saito begins while
scratching somewhere behind his ear. “What do you boys want from me?”
“Simple,” I say, nodding
towards Heero who nods to me in silent agreement. “You promise to revoke
Heero’s suspension in writing. You let Kamui come back to school where he
belongs and you promise not to touch my mother ever again.”
“Your mother loves me,” he
replies with a cold smirk but I match it as Heero goes off to find a notepad
and pen.
“Like hell she does. When she
wakes up and finds you still hanging around here, you’ll be lucky to leave this
place on your own two feet.”
Heero returns soon enough and
taps the pen and notepad together impatiently. “If you will, sir?”
He looks at us with those
steely gray eyes and I swear I can feel that surge of oppressive power - which
seems to radiate off him - overwhelm me completely. But we can’t back out now.
We’ve come this far and we’re going to see this through even if it kills us.
With a tight smile, he pulls the notepad to him and begins to write (still
itching like crazy by the way) as Heero seeks for my hand to squeeze it gently.
“I do love your mother,” he
suddenly says as he signs the note with a flourish. “And I don’t expect you to
believe me but it’s the truth. Perhaps we started off on the wrong foot, Duo.”
He gives me his full attention as Heero reads his redemption letter with a wide
grin on his visage. Saito glances towards his son and for a brief moment, a
look of sadness flickers within his eyes before it’s soon replaced with passive
indifference.
“My son…believe it or not is
very precious to me…”
“You have a funny way of
showing it,” Wufei says from the other side of the room. Saito rewards him with
a quick glance but turns back to look at me.
“I know you are protective of
your mother but I can only ask that you give me a chance to prove myself to
her…and you. I will get a divorce from my wife someday…”
I snort.
“…and when I do, I will
continue to woo your mother if she will have me. Kamui needs a big brother in
his life and perhaps I haven’t been the best father to him but I’m sure he’ll
feel much more comfortable in your presence. And as for you…”
Heero stiffens as Saito meets
his gaze. “I’m amazed you’ll go this far to get to me, but you can congratulate
yourself on it being a success. I will allow Kamui to return to school on the
grounds that I never get to see your face again in my presence, Yuy.”
“Oh I doubt that,” I say with
a light smirk as I pull Heero close to me. “You see, if you plan to become my
step dad, you’re going to have to deal with him every fucking day, sir.”
I watch those eyes fill with
confusion for a moment, before understanding dawns within them.
“Dear god in heaven,” he
mutters and takes another step away from us. “I…I see…well…I’ll be heading home
now. It’s been a rather interesting evening.”
“I’ll say,” I reply with a
wink and a mock salute. We watch as he moves to lift Kamui within his arms. “Oh
and as for the antidote…you’ll have to go St. Margaret’s and ask for a Doctor
G. He’s got something for you, I’m sure.”
He nods with a weak smile as
I lead them towards the front door. The driver to their black sleek
“Wow,” Wufei finally says as
we all sit heavily on the cold front steps. “That was…weird.”
“Yeah, totally,” I reply with
a chuckle.
“How did you know he was
allergic to onions anyway?”
“Oh, that,” I smirk lightly.
“My mom warned me not to put any in the food but I…guess I forgot all about
that.”
We look at each other and
snicker in amusement.
“I don’t believe it,” Heero’s
saying, still looking at the note with Teruo’s signature on it. “I don’t
fucking believe it. I’m not going to be suspended!”
“Dude, you could have at
least told us,” I say with a pout, shrugging out of my jacket and loosening my
tie a little. Ah, heaven! “I tell you that floored the shit out of me.”
Heero laughs and then leans
close to kiss me on the mouth – a hard, spine-tingling one by the way. “Then I
wouldn’t have gotten a chance to see you all angry tonight. You were amazing,
Duo.”
I think every part of my
body’s blushing right about now. Man, he’s one hell of a kisser…huh?! What the
fuck? I blink as I watch him lean towards Wufei to kiss him too.
“And that’s for dealing with
everything today,” Heero says. “You didn’t have to do all of this but you
really helped us out.”
Wufei’s shaking his head and
doing a good job of pretending he doesn’t care but his cheeks are dark red. “It
was nothing. Tonight was better than any soap opera but I could do without the
underwear though. It’s beginning to ride up my crack.”
That finally does it. The
laughter I’ve been holding in all this time finally comes out in a rush. It
feels like a huge weight is off my shoulders, you know? Heero and Wufei join me
with snickers and chuckles at first but finally they let it go too. The three
of us sit out there for God knows how long, not really caring about the evening
chill and yet knowing that things are somehow going to get better from here on
out. And as I wrap my arms around their shoulders and pull them closer to me, I
know that I’m surrounded by the best friends any boy could ever ask for.
I really wish Trowa and
Quatre could be here as well to share this moment with us but I know they have
their own battles to fight and that’s one war we all hope to win…together.
~End Period Eighteen~