Young Hearts - Part 19 by Keara
Standard disclaimers apply
Wufei was sitting on the stairs, reading from one of
his favorite books. It mattered little that he had read it at least
a half a dozen times in the past and probably knew the words by heart
. . . he enjoyed reading it. Besides, it was a pleasant way to pass
the time while he awaited the arrival of the Maguanac. Sitting beside
him, was Tian Bao, reading a book of his own choosing. Wufei had asked
the boy if he would rather go and play with the other children, but
Tian Bao had declined, deciding to bide his time with Wufei instead.
Wufei glanced at his watch, taking note that lunchtime was approaching.
Perhaps he should see to it that the children ate again. He was about
to rise and go outside to see if the boys and girls were hungry, when
a weight settled against his side. He frowned, looking over to see
what it was, only to be surprised to see Tian Bao leaning up against
him. The child’s book lay forgotten on his lap, his eyes just
barely open.
Carefully, Wufei took the book from the boy’s hands, setting
it to the side along with his own reading material. Well, it seemed
as if Tian Bao was in need of rest. Nodding to himself, Wufei scooped
the child into his arms.
“Where are we going, sir?” Tian Bao asked sleepily, yawning
widely as he raised weary eyes to look up at Wufei. It was obvious
that his grief over the destruction of his home had contributed to
his tiredness.
“I believe that you need a nap.” Wufei replied, rising
to his feet. He held the boy close, then strode up the stairs.
“I don’t want to go to sleep. Naps are for infants.”
Tian Bao pouted, even as he struggled to keep his eyes open.
Wufei shook his head. He opened the door to the bedroom, smirking
when he found that Quatre and Raberba were resting peacefully within
the room. He set Tian Bao down. “That is not true. Look.”
Wufei commented, pointing into the bedroom. “See, Quatre is
taking a nap, and he is my age.”
Tian Bao turned to look at him. “Are you going to take a nap?”
He asked.
“No. someone has to await the Maguanac, and since everyone
else is busy, I shall be the one to do it.” Wufei answered quietly,
not wanting to disturb Quatre or Raberba. “Now come on, I want
you to get some sleep.”
Tian Bao silently complied. He shuffled over to the bed, allowing
Wufei to help him get settled in. The boy was asleep before he had
even laid his head down on the pillow. Wufei pulled the covers up
over the child’s body, then turned and headed out of the room.
He glanced back, glad to see that he had not awakened either Quatre
or Raberba.
Now that he had settled Tian Bao in for his nap, Wufei headed back
downstairs and went to the backdoor . . . thinking that a nap would
do the other children good as well. They were going to have a full
day, going around buying furniture and groceries. The children would
probably get worn out relatively quickly, so it would be beneficial
if they rested beforehand.
He smiled as he saw all six of the playing children in the middle
of a snowball fight. Enough snow had fallen yesterday to cover the
ground, which meant that there was also just enough for the children
to throw around at each other. Wufei had no idea how this game had
started, but Milliardo and Lena were both aiming solely for Chibi-Duo.
“All right! Time to come in!” Wufei shouted, loud enough
for all of the children to hear. He heard a chorus of disappointed
groans and murmurs and shook his head as the children approached.
“Come on and get into some dry clothes.” He said, counting
them as they passed by him to make sure that they all entered the
house. “You all need some rest as well.”
Milliardo sighed. “Nap time, huh? Thought this place was too
good to be true.” He muttered.
Wufei smiled at the pouting child. “Sorry to disappoint you
all.” He ushered the children upstairs. “We are going
to be out for most of the day, it is best that you rest now or else
you will probably fall asleep before dinner. So I want you to sleep
now. When you wake up, we’ll have lunch.”
“But I’m too old!” Milliardo exclaimed.
“Yeah! Naps are for little kids!” Treize agreed, stamping
his foot and glaring at Wufei.
Lena chimed in next, crossing her arms over her chest indignantly.
“If my brother don’t take a nap, I ain’t gonna either.”
She declared.
“I don’t mind really.” Chibi-Duo said quietly.
Odin nodded. “We should listen to him. He’s our elder.”
Wufei was glad that at least some of the children were on his side.
“Sounds like something Tian Bao would say.” Lena said,
pushing Chibi-Duo. Chibi-Duo didn’t push her back though, which
Wufei was pleased about. He didn’t want to have to break up
a fight.
“We had best do as he says, though. With all the other grownups
away, he’s probably in charge of us.” Une’s clone
said, hugging her doll close to herself.
“Thank you all for your opinions.” Wufei said. “Now,
why don’t you all get to your rooms, while I have a little chat
with Milliardo and Treize?” He set his hand on Lena’s
back, urging the child to go with the others.
Lena looked back at him, untrustingly, but she complied. However,
she didn’t enter her bedroom, she stood out in the hallway and
waited, watching Wufei. The other children did as they had been told.
Wufei knelt down in front of Treize and Milliardo, wanting to look
them in the eye when he was speaking to them. “You know that
you two are the oldest . . . why don’t you set a good example
for the younger children?”
Milliardo flicked his gaze over to where Lena was standing, rubbing
her eyes tiredly. “She does look sleepy. But I don’t wanna
nap.”
“Neither do I.” Treize said.
Wufei sighed. “Well, at the very least you can pretend . .
. for the sake of the others. Lena won’t take a nap unless you
do, Milliardo.”
Milliardo looked to be thinking the matter over, but he did finally
agree. “Okay . . . but I ain’t going to fall asleep. I’m
not tired.” He turned and trudged off to where Lena was standing,
taking hold of her hand and talking with her briefly before they separated
and went into their different rooms.
Treize sighed. “Fine. But I still say I’m not tired.”
He grumbled, following Milliardo’s example and heading into
the bedroom.
Wufei smiled to himself. That hadn’t been too difficult. He
rose to his feet and went to each bedroom, checking on the children.
He checked on his own clone, wanting to be sure that no one in the
room had been disturbed by the argument. All three of the occupants
were still fast asleep. He cautiously approached Quatre’s bedside,
adjusting the blanket so that it covered Raberba better. He was worried
for his friend . . . grief was a terrible thing, albeit unavoidable.
With a sigh, Wufei left the room and went on to the next one. Chibi-Duo
and Odin were curled up in their own beds, although neither were wearing
clothes anymore. Wufei could understand that, he had told them to
undress. All they were wearing was their underwear. Odin’s clothes
were neatly folded, while Chibi-Duo’s had just been dropped
carelessly to the floor. Wufei silently approached the beds, covering
the both of them with blankets to ward off a chill. Odin looked up
at him briefly before closing his eyes, while Chibi-Duo snored lightly
. . . already the child was fast asleep.
In the next room, he found Lena and Une’s clone. They both
had set their clothes neatly aside, but at least they still wore some
garments on their own bodies. Wufei smirked lightly, allowing a brief
inclination to take over as he swept a stray lock of hair away from
Lena’s face. She giggled and buried her head under her blankets.
It didn’t take too long for either of the girls to fall asleep.
And lastly, Wufei entered the room that Milliardo and Treize shared.
He almost laughed when he saw the boys, seeing that he had definitely
been right. All of these children had needed to take a nap. Clothes
and coats lay strewn about the floor, the boys just lying on their
beds. Treize was half asleep, while Milliardo was valiantly fighting
off his tiredness.
Wufei quietly stepped over to Treize, getting the boy to lie down,
making sure he was comfortable and covered with the blankets. Treize
said nothing, he just grabbed his pillow and buried his face in it.
Shaking his head, Wufei turned his attention to where Milliardo was
nodding off.
“Not tired.” Milliardo mumbled sleepily, even as his
eyes slipped closed.
“Of course you aren’t.” Wufei responded, gently
urging Milliardo to lie down. “But why don’t you just
rest your eyes for a bit.” He suggested, covering Milliardo’s
body with the blankets.
Milliardo made an unintelligible response. He lost the fight to stay
awake, falling into a gentle slumber quite quickly. Now that all of
the children had been taking care of, Wufei went down to the kitchen
to find out what he could make for lunch later. He hoped that there
was something edible down there.
*****
Trowa sighed, watching his young clone. The boy had been staring out
of the window ever since they had found this bedroom. When Trowa approached
to find out what Triton found so interesting, he saw the other clones
in the backyard, running around, laughing, and generally having a
good deal of fun. Trowa had suggested that Triton go downstairs, if
only to get a closer look, but the child shook his head, a look of
fear entering his eyes quickly.
Now Triton was sitting in a corner, his arms wrapped around his legs.
Trowa worried for the boy, fearing that he might not get along with
the other children. Still, he wasn’t about to give up hoping.
Triton could get over his fears if given time, at least Trowa hoped
so. Maybe some day he would actually join the children in their playing,
having fun along with them instead of only watching from afar.
Trowa had left the suitcases by the door, unpacked. Of course there
was no place to put the clothes even if he wanted to put them away.
The only things in this room were a single, twin size bed and a lamp
on a small table.
He sighed as he looked at his clone, noting that the child was falling
asleep. Trowa approached him, kneeling down in front of him. “Are
you tired?” He asked.
Triton nodded, then promptly yawned.
“Come on, why don’t you take a nap.” Trowa urged,
getting the boy to rise. A thought occurred to Trowa. Now would be
a good time to call Sally about that blood test, or whatever it was
that Sally would have to do . . . he had promised Catherine that he
would arrange it. “You lie down and get some sleep. I have to
go make a phone call.”
Triton shook his head. He grabbed Trowa’s arm tightly, looking
up at him fearfully.
“You don’t want me to leave?” Trowa asked, sighing
when the child nodded in affirmation. “I understand that you
are afraid, but I won’t abandon you.” Trowa said, trying
to reassure the youth. When Triton’s small body broke out into
shivers, Trowa knew that he couldn’t just leave him here. “All
right. How about you come with me then. You can take a nap after I
make my phone call.”
Triton nodded. He raised his arms, looking up at Trowa thoughtfully.
“You want me to carry you, hm?” Trowa said, smiling.
He didn’t need to wait for an answer though. He picked Triton
up, holding him close. The boy locked his legs about Trowa’s
waist, laying his head on his shoulder, his one arm loosely draped
around Trowa’s neck while the other clutched that stuffed bear
tightly to himself. Without wasting another moment, Trowa went downstairs
in search of a phone.
Trowa found a phone in the kitchen. He dialed the number for Sally’s
office. She replied after only a few rings. “Trowa? Is there
something you need?” She asked, her eyes flicking over to Triton.
“I need to arrange a blood test.” Trowa said, feeling
a little awkward with asking this. “I recently discovered .
. . there might be a chance that I have found some family and we want
to be sure of a blood relationship.”
Sally smiled. “That’s wonderful, Trowa. I’m happy
for you. I’ll come over as soon as I get a chance and take a
sample from you. Give me the name and address of this other person
and I’ll visit them as well.”
Trowa bit his lip, looking to Triton for a moment. He hadn’t
wanted the boy to find out yet. He had wanted to wait until there
was conclusive proof that they did have a sister. Still, he had to
tell Sally. “It’s Catherine.” Trowa said, feeling
as Triton shifted in his arms. He looked to the boy, nodding slightly
to Triton’s silent question. Triton laid his head back down
on Trowa’s shoulder, apparently accepting it.
“Catherine?” Sally asked, as if in shock. “You
really think you might be related? Well, I’ll definitely come
as soon as I get a chance. I don’t want you to have to wait
too long for the news.” Sally said, then she smiled. “I
think you had better put that little one to bed. He looks like he
needs a good nap.”
Trowa looked down at Triton again, finding the boy half-asleep. “Understood.”
He said, turning to Sally’s visage again. “Thank you,
Sally.” He switched off the phone.
Trowa strode back up to the bedroom, his clone resting in his arms.
He set the child down on the bed, removing his shoes and urging him
to lie down. Triton put up no fight, or struggle, allowing Trowa to
tuck him into bed. The boy curled his arms around the bear he still
held, moaning lightly as he snuggled deeper into the bed.
Trowa just knelt there beside the bed, running his fingers lightly
through the child’s hair, hoping for his sake that Catherine
really was their sister. He didn’t want the boy to get his hopes
up only to have them crushed if it turned out that Catherine wasn’t
related to them.
*******
TBC
*******
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