Bob’s Burgers
Tuesday, 5.06pm:
We all might as well be eating at opposite ends of the room with the way things
are going right now. Wufei’s barely touched his food; Trowa’s eating just fine,
Quatre’s scowling at nothing in particular and planted between them is Duo, who
looks downright flabbergasted at the situation. Our ‘Incredibly Ingenious Plan’
is beginning to backfire on us in the worst way possible.
You see, Duo and I had decided to come up with this ‘great’ idea and that was
to invite everyone out to lunch/dinner at the most public place possible. That
way, it would force Quatre and Trowa to talk and vent out their frustrations or
to at least come to some sort of understanding. I wanted to ask for Relena’s
help, but Duo had said the plan was foolproof and quote, ‘We don’t need the
girls’ help all the time. Let the men handle it’, unquote. I eye him with a
light shake of my head but he only shrugs and then attempts to make
conversation again.
“So…eh…I still can’t believe you guys won the competition last Friday. Geez,
you two conspired against me, didn’t you?”
For a long minute, no one says anything until Quatre snorts and replies lazily
while chewing on the tip of his drinking straw. “Yeah, someone was a ‘conspired’
jerk all right.”
Trowa, who was just about ready to start eating his fries, stiffens before
mumbling something along the lines of ‘people who hang around teachers
shouldn’t be saying anything.’
“Did you say something, Barton?” Quatre asks coldly – a tone, which by the way;
sounds pretty foreign from a guy who’s usually so mild-mannered. I actually
shudder at the sound of it.
“Nothing that you haven’t heard already,” comes the cool reply.
The plastic cup is crushed within Quatre’s hand and I groan in defeat. This is
definitely not going well at all.
“Heero,” he says tightly causing me to stare at him, rather reluctantly I might
add. Meeting the blond’s angry eyes is rather intimidating especially when he’s
this upset. “Why did you tell me to come here tonight to deal with this? I was
under the impression that I was supposed to have dinner with only you
and Duo. What’s he doing here?”
“I was just…”
“And why was I told that I was going to have dinner with only you and
Heero?” Trowa questions Duo leaving the two of us at a loss for words.
“What the fuck’s going on here?” Wufei finally speaks up. His voice sounds low
and hollow as if the life has been sucked out of him and nothing but an empty
shell has been left in its place.
“None of your business!” Quatre and Trowa say at the same time and that’s a
mistake on their part. Wufei, who’s already frustrated and upset about his
breakup, has little to no patience tonight and before Duo or I can pacify him,
his once passive features darken with irritation and annoyance.
“None of my business? It’s my business if I’m sitting here listening to you
jerks fighting like a bunch of girls!”
I wince. “Wufei…”
“What’s the matter now?” he continues relentlessly. “Someone forget to lube up
properly the night before? Is that what’s got your asses all tightened up?!”
Duo snorts on his drink and even I’m having a hard time trying not to laugh,
but Trowa and Quatre obviously don’t think it’s that funny.
“Odd you should say that,” Trowa begins, sparing a cold glance at his partner,
I mean ex-partner. “After all, we can only imagine how much Mr. Hamida would
enjoy doing that to his precious student.”
Ouch.
“Take that back, Trowa!” Quatre growls.
“And if I don’t?”
“Then it’s completely over between us!”
“Whoa, hold on there!” Duo begins in mild panic and I think it’s registered on
my features as well. We didn’t invite them here to break up completely. “Look
guys, can’t we just talk about this like normal people?!”
Wufei’s slid back into his blue funk and I wince again, wishing he’d speak up
one more time. I think the argument is only reminding him of Nia and that’s not
good.
“Listen,” I begin quickly. “Look, you guys, maybe we should just…”
“Well, well, if it isn’t my students. What a surprise seeing you all here.”
We all lift our heads at the same time to stare blankly at the very cause of
this argument. It’s Mr. Hamida our Biology teacher, standing before us with a
warm smile and a painfully innocent expression on his youthful visage. I steal
a quick glance at Quatre, but he still looks upset and somehow manages to
mumble a greeting like the rest of us.
“Did I interrupt you all in the middle of something?” he asks.
Yeah, right in the middle of causing a major breakup all thanks to you. To my
chagrin, I really do begin to notice just how good-looking Hamida actually is.
Perhaps, it’s being in a school environment that made him seem so…well…boring
to me all these years. But out here in the real world, those boyish features,
thick black hair and warm smile could get him lots of dates if he wanted. I
continue to watch him carefully, wondering if he’s giving any one of us an
extra look. I shouldn’t really be thinking like this but I can’t help it.
Perhaps if Trowa hadn’t told me about his sexual preferences or Duo hadn’t
pointed out his interest in becoming a coach, I wouldn’t be this worried,
concerned or extra cautious.
“We were just having dinner,” Duo says with a matching smile. “Wanna join us,
sir?”
“Duo!” I hiss sharply, but Hamida’s already shaking his head (thank goodness)
and laughing softly.
“No, no, don’t mind me. I usually come here in the evenings to have a quick
bite before heading home. I’m just surprised to see so many of you here at the
same time. Well, enjoy your meal. I recommend the Angus, it’s very good.”
I wait for the extra wink towards Quatre or some sign towards the blond, but
there’s nothing to give away the notion that the two of them are in any sort of
relationship. There isn’t even a ‘vibe’ because I’m sure I would have caught
some sort of tension between them. Hell, looking at him now, one would never
even think he was interested in the male sex at all.
“Hmm, my gaydar might not be a 100 percent accurate most of the time, but it
sure as hell doesn’t look like he and Quatre are boinking each other,” Duo says
dryly as we watch him walk towards the other end of the room. Wufei, who had
been roused out of his stupor with Hamida’s presence, gasps beside me as it
finally sinks in.
“No way,” he begins slowly. “So that’s why you two are fighting. You think
Quatre’s hanging out with Hamida? Damn. Now, I’ve heard everything.”
“It’s bullshit that’s what,” Quatre replies coldly. “Maybe some people ought to
check their facts first before jumping to conclusions.”
“I have enough facts to last me a lifetime,” Trowa says with a light shrug.
“But then if you two aren’t involved…”
“Yeah, just what do you two do anyway?” Duo asks and we all turn to the blond
for the answer. For a second, he opens and shuts his mouth, his cheeks flushing
with color and I groan inwardly. He’s not going to deny it. I just know he’s
not and it’s going to complicate things even more.
“I’m sorry but I can’t tell you at this time,” he finally says and turns to his
food as if it’s the most fascinating thing in the world.
We hold our breaths and watch for Trowa’s reaction but he simply shrugs again
and continues to eat. If they had walked in here disliking each other, I have
the feeling they’ll leave this place hating each others’ guts.
The rest of the dinner is a total and complete disaster. Quatre leaves first –
something about having to be home in time for evening prayers. Wufei excuses
himself soon after, claiming he has to go get drunk and bash his head somewhere
since he wasted about an hour of his life being with us and finally Trowa gets
ready to leave, but not before contemplating walking up to Hamida and giving
him a piece of his mind.
“No, Trowa. Just talk to Quatre, okay? Call him up or something and just…talk,”
I say quickly, stalling his movements with a hand on his arm. “Trust me, it
will make a difference.”
“You heard what he said,” Trowa replies tightly. “He can’t tell us…”
“…at this time,” Duo finishes with a small nod. “Maybe it’s a surprise he’s
working on and doesn’t want us to ruin it.”
“Yes but…”
We can see that Trowa’s torn with indecision at this point and I can’t blame
him for it. I mean if Duo was the one being this secretive and hanging around
with another man, I don’t think I’d be able to stand it either. On impulse, I
lean close to place a soft kiss on his cheek.
“Just give him the benefit of the doubt, Trowa. Quatre still loves you and the
fact that you’re accusing him of doing something like this must really hurt
him, you know?”
He sighs and runs fingers through his hair before nodding slowly. “I’ll try,”
he finally says with a light shrug. “I’m just…” He glances towards Hamida’s
table again. The teacher’s buried behind a newspaper and doesn’t seem to have
touched anything on his plate. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” he says with a light
nod before walking out of the restaurant.
Duo and I eventually leave but not before having to listen to him gripe about
paying good money for food wasted. I look a bit sheepish, since I hardly ate my
food anyway.
“At least we got them to talk a bit,” I say with nod, as we cross the street
quickly. The weather’s getting much colder since winter’s around the corner and
although I’m layered with a sweater and a jacket, I can still feel the slight
chill seeping into my bones.
“You mean we got them to argue,” Duo corrects me with a light snort. “We might
as well give up on trying to get them back together…”
“What are you talking about? These are our two friends, Duo and we can’t leave
them alone to wallow in misery. Trowa will keep bugging me for days. We’ve got
to get them back together.”
“Oh ho! So this is all done just so you can get Trowa off your back? I knew
there had to be an ulterior motive!” He laughs and wraps his arms around my
neck while I try very hard not to stiffen at his touch or the fact that he’s
about to kiss me in public again. There are people walking all around us on the
street and I can feel some curious glances coming our way. There’s this huge
block of resistance churning within the pit of my stomach even though I plead
for it to go away and to make me relax. I mean what’s the big deal, right? I
love him and I shouldn’t be afraid to show how much I care about him in the
presence of others, right? However, I must have done something in protest or
maybe he felt my reluctance because his features darken for a minute before
breaking out into a small smile.
“Still not comfy being all lovey dovey in public, eh?”
“Duo…” I’m sorry? I’ll try to be less uptight? I’m such an idiot?
He doesn’t wait for me to finish before pointing towards one of the towering
buildings in the vicinity. “I know! Let’s go say hello to Kamui, hmm? I’m sure
he’ll be glad to see us.”
“O…Okay…”
The walk to the hospital is a long one, at least for me. Duo keeps talking
about everything and anything but I can tell that he’s still hurt by my antics.
Why can’t I just give in to the primal urge to seize him in my arms and kiss
him until he begs for air? Why can’t I ignore society’s ugly glare and allow
myself to really be free? Deep down inside, there’s a very, very tiny voice
which continues to question my relationship with him. It’s a voice that reminds
me that if Duo hadn’t come into my life, perhaps I would have found myself a
nice girlfriend and wouldn’t have to deal with so much pressure in trying to be
‘normal’ to the outside world. However, I squash down this voice rapidly,
knowing that encouraging it will only bring back the bitterness and pain that I
have worked so hard to put away.
I watch that long braid as he walks ahead of me and into the building, knowing
without touching of just how soft and silky those long locks are. I really
do love you, Duo. I just want…just give me a little more time and I’ll make you
really proud of me.
St. Margaret’s Hospital
7.15pm:
Even before we reach the sixth floor where Kamui’s staying, we notice that
there’s something definitely different about our visit today. No, the hospital
hasn’t gone through some major renovation, but it’s the sight of several big
men in black suits that has Duo and I eyeing each other in sinking realization.
Kamui’s father must be in the building.
We stop before the elevator and weigh our options.
“Hmm, I dunno if I wanna be around Teruo at this time,” Duo says tapping his
fingers against the wall. “Maybe we should come some other day.”
“But we don’t even really know if the security is for Kamui or not,” I reply
carefully. “I mean what if some other big shot was admitted.”
“It would have been on the news, wouldn’t it?” Duo counters with a purse of his
lips. “All right, let’s go to his door at least. I swear if there are guys like
that,” He points towards the burly man wearing dark sunglasses a few feet from
us. “…hanging around that corridor, I’m bolting.”
“Ditto the sentiment,” I say with a light chuckle.
All too soon we arrive and Duo sticks his head out of the elevator carefully.
In a flash, he pulls himself back in and begins to punch the buttons fast.
“Going down…now!”
I blink. “What…?”
“HOLD THE DOOR!” Someone thunders and before the doors can shut us away from
our unwanted guests, a strong and rather big hand intercepts and sends Duo and
I against the wall as if we’ve been caught with our pants down…literally.
“Please wait for our boss,” the man says curtly. “He has to leave the building
now. Any problems, gentlemen?”
We shake our heads rapidly, not trusting ourselves to speak. I notice the gun
hidden within his suit as he leans into the room and I swallow tightly, seeking
Duo’s hand to squeeze it gently. We can hear the firm footsteps approaching and
I’m aware that my heartbeat is pounding at a rather alarming rate. To think
that I’ll finally get a chance to see Kamui’s father. I definitely didn’t think
it would be in this way.
A pair of expensive brown shoes fills my vision. It’s followed by a pair of
well-cut tailored pants and suit belonging to a tall silver-haired man with
eyes as green as his son’s. He says a few words in rapid Japanese to his
henchmen before giving us a cursory glance and dismissing us as nothing really
important. His heavy cologne fills the tight space as he stands before us. Two
other men dressed in black walk in with him and suddenly the elevator feels
like it’s about to crush and suffocate me.
The doors close and for sometime no one says anything. The silence is deafening
and I’m even afraid to breathe but a light squeeze from Duo’s hand in mine
eases away some of the tension…a bit at least. Suddenly, Teruo begins to speak
in cold, clipped tones (Japanese again) but to no one in particular. It’s a bit
hard to keep up with him but I do manage to catch some of his statements and
what I hear is rather worrisome. I watch as Teruo shakes his head and runs a
hand through his hair before reaching into his pocket for his cell phone.
I’d never have a chance to hear what the call’s about because the doors finally
open and they step out quickly, leaving Duo and I gasping for air as we stumble
out after them.
“Whoa…I think I lost about two pounds in there,” Duo pants and sinks into a
nearby chair. “Have you ever felt such…power before, Heero?”
I know what he means as I sit beside him. No, I’ve never felt it before and I
got a first hand experience today. There’s just something about being in the
presence of a man like that, that makes your knees quiver, your insides churn
with nervousness and fear, your skin crawl and your heart rate quicken. Even
though you’ve never spoken a word to him before, that ‘feeling’ is just…there.
“You have that power too, you know,” Duo says quietly and I blink at him in
confusion. He smirks and taps my nose gently. “When you are in your uniform and
you walk up and down that hallway at school…or sit behind your desk looking
busy with that emblem behind you on the wall…or when you speak to everyone in
school during assemblies…man, that’s power right there, Heero. You don’t know
it, but you’ve definitely got it.”
I feel my cheeks flare with color and nudge him gently. “No, I don’t think I
have that kind of charisma. I’m just…me…”
“Yeah right and I’m actually a girl.”
“You are?”
He laughs and crosses his legs before sobering up quickly to eye me carefully.
“You heard what he was saying in there, didn’t you?”
I nod, not needing to ask what he means. “Didn’t quite catch all of it, but I
think he’s pretty pissed off at Kamui.”
Duo nods softly. “Man, I’d be scared shitless if I had a Dad like that. Do you
think he knows the truth?”
“He might,” I say slowly, frowning as I try to remember exactly what Teruo had
said. “Something about having a good for nothing son who always gets himself in
trouble and that it’s always embarrassing to deal with things like this.”
We fall silent, lost in our thoughts as we wonder how, what and why Teruo would
say something like that. What’s even worse is the knowledge that Kamui could be
up there right now…
Duo gets to his feet. “I’m gonna go see him.”
Replying with a nod of understanding, we make our way back to the sixth floor
only to come to a halt as we see the bodyguard standing outside the door.
“Christ! They even left one of them here?” Duo mutters incredulously.
However, before we can take another step, the man holds out a hand to stall us.
“Who are you?” he asks in a mechanical voice devoid of any emotion.
Duo opens his mouth but I beat him to the punch. “We’re students of Fujisaki
High School and we’d like to visit Kamui. We are his frie…”
“Mr. Teruo will no longer be accepting any visitors.”
“Hey, why not?!” Duo asks heatedly. “We’ve been visiting him all this time when
Daddy was busy with some meeting and couldn’t visit his own damn son!”
I notice the man’s jaw clench tightly. “Mr. Teruo…”
“Yes, yes, we heard you the first time,” I interrupt with a light frown. “But
this will only be for a few minutes and then we’ll be out of your hair.”
“I am afraid I cannot allow that at this time.”
“What the fuck?” Duo growls and takes a step closer but a firm hand on his
shoulder has him wincing and the two of us turning around to see yet another
bodyguard. Good grief, they’re everywhere!
“Why don’t you boys just do as he says, hmm?” the second man says with a smile
that doesn’t quite reach his eyes…if you can see them that is. They are all
wearing dark sunglasses after all. “Let’s not get into a fight…ooofff!”
It happened so fast, I barely saw Duo move. I should never underestimate Duo’s
agility because he is quick! He had apparently ducked and elbowed the
bodyguard in his stomach, causing the man to double over in pain. However,
Duo’s victory’s short lived as Bodyguard #1 grabs him by the collar and sends
him flying across the corridor with a sickening punch to his stomach.
“Duo!” I cry out in concern which turns to dismay and then dull fury as I see
that he’s not moving at all. “You son-of-a-bitch!” I yell, forming a fist to
drive it into the bastard’s smug face. I watch as he bares his teeth in a cruel
smile and barely miss the blow directed at me. I feint to the left and stretch
out a leg, throwing him off balance before slamming my fist into the side of
his face. My knuckles burn in protest (feels like I’m punching a brick) but the
sound of his grunt of pain is all I need to make me feel a bit better…or not.
“You assholes!” Bodyguard #2 growls and the faint click of a trigger causes me
to freeze in mid-stride. I feel the cold nuzzle of the gun against my temple
and before I can turn around to face my new attacker, I feel the bone-crunching
(God, it hurts!) blow to my face which sends me sprawling to the floor. I can
feel my mouth fill with blood and my left eye twitching. It feels as if the
side of my face has been caved in and it hurts like nothing I’ve ever experienced
before.
A sharp cry escapes my lips as I feel the sudden blow to my ribs. The bastard
kicked me and would have again if someone hadn’t fallen over me like a ton of
bricks.
“Leave…him….alone…” Duo gasps weakly, his breath warm and soothing against my cheek.
He’s crushing my ribs with his weight but it’s better than dealing with these
guys any more.
“Then get the hell out of here,” Bodyguard #2 says, still pointing his gun
towards us. I can barely see a thing now. My eye feels like it’s about to fall
out of its socket and I know it’s going to be swollen by tomorrow morning.
Shit, we’ve got to be in class as well. There’s no way in hell I can show up to
school like this.
“Heero…can you get up?” Duo asks and I somehow manage a nod, only to groan as
my head begins to pound with a blinding headache. He places an arm around my
shoulders and my waist and helps me to my feet. Together we make our way to the
elevator, looking worse for wear and like two defeated warriors.
“Damn them,” Duo says, his voice still sounding ragged and breathless as the
door closes behind us. “I think he broke my fucking ribs.”
I can’t say anything, my tongue feels like it’s stuck to the roof of my mouth.
I hear the rustle of clothes and soon the warm sensation of Duo’s shirt against
my lips. I hiss in pain as he gently wipes away the blood and almost give in to
the stubborn lump in my throat as he places a soft kiss against my swollen eye.
“I’m sorry,” he says quietly, holding me against his body. “Maybe….if I hadn’t
said we should go back…”
“Shut…up…Duo,” I manage to say with an attempt at a smile.
“We…are…in….this…together…”
He smiles at me and then scrubs his eye quickly as if ashamed to show me his
tears. “You idiot,” he mutters as the door opens and a passing nurse all but screams
at the sight of us. “You stupid lovable idiot.”
My Apartment
1.23am:
There’s a thick wad of bandages around my left eye now. Thankfully, the guy
hadn’t gone directly for it, or I would be wearing an eye patch. My jaw isn’t
broken, thankfully, but my mouth still stings with the antiseptic-like wash I
had been forced to rinse my mouth with. My ribs aren’t broken either but
there’s a graze that has to be covered with a thick layer of gauze. All in all,
I am one aching mass tonight and sleep is next to impossible.
It was Dr. G, Duo’s doctor, who treated us and I got a first hand experience
with the eccentric man. Although he lashed out and yelled at us for being
irresponsible, there was no doubt that he and Duo had established a kind of
father-son relationship that was quite entertaining to see. They like each
other, they just have a really weird way of showing it. Speaking of father
figures…
I turn to my side and wince at the flash of pain that shoots down my spine.
…I cannot even begin to imagine just what the hell Kamui’s going through living
in a house like that. With those kind of men surrounding his home 24/7,
anyone’s bound to go crazy. I feel my anger rise to the surface again as I see
the images of their sneering faces. I hope to goodness that they die a slow and
painful death. Maybe a truck could run them down or worse, they could get
burned in a fire or…
I blink in bemusement as I listen to the sound again. My doorbell. At this
hour? Who the hell…?
I stiffen, my mind racing with thoughts of those two men hovering outside my
door. Perhaps they have discovered where I live and now wish to finish what
they have started! I do not have any weapons…well, there are knives in the
kitchen but the thought of stabbing anyone now…
The doorbell rings again and it’s followed by a desperate knock on the door.
Swallowing tightly, I get to my feet and walk towards the kitchen. The knife I
had used to cut some oranges yesterday is still lying on the counter. Picking
it up quickly, I tiptoe to the front door and hold my breath. The sound of the
doorbell again jars the silence and the knock, now more fervent and desperate
has me pressed against the wall with my heart in my throat.
“Who is it?” I ask, surprised at how steady my voice sounds.
“Sempai? Oh, sempai please open the door!”
Ka…Ka…KAMUI?!
I shake my head rapidly in disbelief. I’m dreaming. It’s got to be a dream!
Kamui’s still in the hospital right now and he can’t possibly be here!
“Please sempai!” he cries out in a harsh whisper. A choked sob escapes him and
before I can stop myself, I throw the door open to see the frail looking boy
standing in the cold with nothing more than a dark blue housecoat over his
hospital gown. He’s shivering like crazy and his red-rimmed eyes tell me that
he must have crying all the way here.
Before I can say a word, he throws himself into my arms and begins to sob
helplessly. “Let me stay with you, sempai. Please. Don’t make me go back there.
Please…I’m begging you! Let me stay with you.”
~End Period Thirteen~