Living and Learning
    “Wufei, you truly drive me mad.”
    “Meilan, I don't even want to talk to you right now,” Wufei snapped, looking up at his wife through his reading glasses. He was surrounded by flowers and the warm reflected sunlight was making everything seem brighter than it truly was.
    “You say such things to your wife?” the woman demanded, her tone sounding slightly tearful.
    “Crocodile tears,” Wufei snapped as tears actually rolled down her cheeks. He forced himself to look away and focus on his book again, trying to read.
    “Your mother would be shamed!” Meilan shouted, throwing a handful of grass blades at him before turning and running back up to their house.
    Wufei had stood to follow her before he realized it, annoyed and a little hurt. He hesitated as a blade of grass fell in front of his face.
    The Chinese teen sighed heavily, and started for the house.

- -

    “You look like hell,” Heero noted pleasantly, studying Wufei's haggard face.
    “Shut-up.”
    Heero laughed slightly, clearing his throat and looking back to his bowl of cereal. “I wish Duo were here.”
    “Why?” Wufei returned icily. “So you could fuck with him again and hurt Quatre more? I, for one, am glad the jackass American took off with that silly boy.”
    Heero blinked, regarding Wufei's back in astonishment as Wufei slammed open a cupboard and tossed a pan on the counter.
    “Uh…actually, I meant I wanted him to make me breakfast…” Heero muttered, blinking as Trowa came into the room with a raised eyebrow.
    Wufei turned and regarded him with an icy stare.
    “Well good morning and how do you do to you, too,” Trowa said pleasantly, studying Wufei and Heero curiously. “Lover's quar…ouch!”
    The sound of a pan landing on the floor nearly deafened Trowa as a throbbing pain spread from a spot on his forearm–which he'd managed to raise in time to fend off the flying heavy metal object.
    He stared in Wufei in amazement.
    “I'm really not in the mood today, Trowa,” Wufei said in a tone that could be described as deadly. He crossed the room and picked up the pan, moving back to the sink with less anger in his bearing, running water over the thing and starting to dry it slowly as Trowa and Heero both stared at him, neither moving.
    Wufei sighed heavily, setting the pan on the burner and stopping. “I'll…make you eggs if you want, both of you?” he turned to look from one to the other.
    “I'll take some eggs!” Hilde announced happily, bouncing in. She was wearing her normal silky bottom pajamas with a matching top…and nothing else, as far as the guys could tell.
    They all looked away.
    Hilde's laughter was evil. “Okay, what's this?” she demanded, focusing on Trowa's forearm. He'd been holding it in his left hand.
    “Wufei…threw the pan…at me…” Trowa muttered, collecting his thoughts and meeting her eyes with a confused expression.
    “What?” she asked blankly, turning to look at Wufei again.
    Wufei looked away.
    “Right…” she muttered, moving to sit next to Heero at the table.
    The vid started beeping.
    Trowa hit the button, seeing as he was the closest to the thing, and Quatre appeared with a radiant look about him. “Hey!” he greeted them pleasantly.
    “Sittin' on the dock of the bay, wastin' time…” they could all hear Duo in the background as he started whistling some unknown song.
    “Hey!” Hilde greeted happily, bouncing across the room to stand in front of the screen. “How's Italy?”
    “Beautiful!” Duo announced before going back into song. “This two thousand miles I roamed just to make this dock my home…”
    Hilde giggled.
    “It's nice, here,” Quatre agreed, turning to look over his shoulder–Duo fell silent for a long moment before starting to sing yet again and Quatre turned back to the screen. “I have meetings now, though. We're going to be heading to my estate this evening, so don't try calling us here anymore, all right?”
    Hilde nodded.
    “What's the matter, Wufei?” Quatre added, his expression confused.
    Everyone focused on Wufei, who stared at the mess of egg in the pan before him. He didn't move for a long moment, but they all knew he wouldn't just ignore Quatre's question.
    “I dreamed last night,” Wufei muttered quietly, still staring at the eggs. “And I no longer want to think about the subject matter.”
    There was a long silence and general exchange of looks.
    “Meilan,” he explained shortly, his tone quiet.
    “Oh.”

- -

    “You about ready to take off, Fei?” Heero had just tossed his duffel bag into the back of the truck provided he and Wufei by the local Preventer's office. The local officers had decided that Heero's piece of shit car would not be fit to make it all the way up the coast. It would be a ten-hour drive before a two-hour ferry ride and a two-week training session at the base. Wufei and Heero would both take some lessons as well as teach them.
    Wufei, who was standing on the front porch looking around the busy neighborhood, turned and focused on Heero again. He nodded after a second, turning and opening the front door of the house. “We're leaving!” he announced loudly.
    “Ooh! Just a minute!” Hilde's voice came from the general direction of her room.
    Wufei shut the door and grinned at her squeak of protest.
    Zech's car suddenly appeared down the road at a too-fast speed, squealing to a stop in front of the house. Before either Wufei or Heero could make out who was in the car, Relena burst out of it, running across the yard to throw her arms around Wufei's neck.
    Heero sniggered as Zechs popped out the driver-side door with a smirk. “Did I get you here fast enough, Angel?” he asked his sister.
    Relena, however, was gushing all over Wufei as Hilde opened the front door to blink out at him and smile.
    “Don't ever do that again, Zechs Marquise!” Lucratzia's voice was slightly frightened and very much annoyed.
    Hilde froze.
    “Shut-up, Lucratzia,” Relena replied promptly without looking at the woman. “I didn't invite you, and I asked him to drive fast.”
    Lucratzia rolled her eyes, giving Zechs a look before turning to meet eyes with Hilde. “Sometimes the two of them…I swear!”
    Hilde's smile seemed extremely fake to Heero, but Lucratzia shook her head and crossed the yard to stand next to the slightly shorter girl and crossing her arms as if Hilde and she were friends.
    Trowa appeared a moment later, his eyes landing on Lucratzia as Zechs sauntered around the car, meeting Heero's eyes with a slight smirk.
    “You realize that she is my friend, don't you?” Heero asked sweetly in Japanese.
    Zechs tilted his head curiously.
    “Who's your friend?” Lucratzia asked, blinking at him.
    “Don't do that!” Hilde admonished in utter irritation, glaring at him.
    Heero laughed delightedly.
    “She doesn't speak Chinese, dumb-ass,” Wufei informed Heero in Chinese.
    “My bad,” Heero replied in kind.
    “What?” Lucratzia asked, looking bewildered.
    “She also thinks that we're friends,” Hilde added, giving them both level looks as if she were telling them to stop. “She doesn't realize that I fucked her man last night.”
    Zechs' laughter was evil.
    “What are they saying?” Lucratzia demanded with a would-be-cute pout, had any of them liked her.
    Heero, Wufei, and Trowa, however, were glaring at Zechs.
    Zechs coughed, stepping back slightly. “Hilde told them to go fuck themselves…or me.”
    Lucratzia broke into giggles, smacking Hilde in the arm.
    Hilde laughed as well. “I knew you'd appreciate it,” she muttered.
    “We've really…got to go,” Heero muttered, grinning at the pair before meeting eyes with Trowa. He was truly annoyed that Zechs would sleep with Hilde when he was with Lucratzia. “I'll call Duo in a while and let him know.”
    “Oh, don't worry!” Hilde cut in quickly, knowing what her friend truly meant by that.
    “Don't worry, I'll do it,” Wufei replied quietly. “You'll be driving.”
    Hilde gave them both a helpless look.
    Trowa moved down between the two dark haired females, draping an arm over their shoulders as he stood between them. “Don't worry about us, you two, I'll take care of the ladies…” he glanced at Zechs but refrained from commenting further.
    “Trowa!” Relena's voice sounded scandalized as she stared at him in amazement.
    Trowa started laughing.
    Wufei started laughing as well, kissing Relena…and freezing.
    Everyone was staring at them.
    Relena giggled and blushed, ducking her head slightly. “I'll see you in Spain, Wufei,” she muttered quietly, still not looking at him.
    Wufei smiled back as well, pulling her into a hug before kissing her throat–why not go all the way once you started something? “Take care,” he muttered quietly in her ear, moving around her to hug Trowa and Hilde.
    “Watch yourself,” he muttered in Hilde's ear. “I don't really want to hurt him, but I will.”
    Hilde frowned at him.
    Wufei turned back to Relena and leaned down to kiss her again, cupping her face in one hand as he studied her eyes. He was realizing that he would actually miss her little petty annoyances for the next two weeks.
    “We need to go,” Heero added quietly.
    Wufei nodded, moving away from Relena slowly.
    “If you hurt her…” Zechs started, stepping forward and pointing at Wufei with his keys.
    Wufei met his eyes. “The feeling is mutual.”
    Zechs dropped back slightly, very much aware that the “mutual” feeling was not over his little sister, but over Hilde, who Wufei almost saw as a little sister.
    “We'll call when we get there,” Heero announced, sliding into the driver's seat as Wufei crawled into the passenger seat.
    “Drive safe,” Hilde muttered as Wufei rolled the window down, waving out at the lot of them.
    “I'm going to kill him,” Heero said quietly as the diesel engine roared to life and the stereo blasted on, he didn't bother turning it down as he smiled out at Hilde and waved, backing the monstrosity up.
    “Not if I do it first,” Wufei replied shortly.

- -

    Master O was watching was watching Wufei with distant eyes as the boy punched a punching bag hanging from the wall. “You seem angry,” he noted.
    “Of course I'm angry,” Wufei replied shortly, brushing his hair from his face in irritation. “I'm married to a woman I don't care for, and she continually puts me to shame,” he slammed his fist harder into the soft material.
    “You don't care for her, yet you let her shame you?”
    Wufei decided not to reply to that.
    Master O drummed his nails on his chin a moment, studying Wufei. “If you would just let yourself care for her, you'd find that Meilan is a darling girl. She has her rough edges, but what female doesn't?”
    “She's inconsiderate in her scolding,” Wufei snapped.
    “Is she, or are you simply inconsiderate of her?”
    Wufei stopped, catching the bag to turn and blink at Master O. “I leave her to herself…I don't force myself on her…I don't ask her to do things for me…I'm completely content to do things for myself. She follows me around as if she wants me to make demands of her.”
    “Maybe she does,” Master O wanted to grin, but knew the fourteen year old's pride would end everything if he did so. “Women are funny, sometimes. It is my considered opinion that you are making her feel inadequate by your independence. A marriage is not made of two single people.”
    Wufei frowned, studying the man's expression as he thought about this. “So I…should…tell her to do stuff for me?”
    “No!” Master O cut-in quickly, raising his hands slightly. “Ask her.”
    Wufei blinked at this.
    “Let her know that you appreciate her, and it will make her feel better…just as she should let you know she appreciates you.”
    Wufei snorted. “That woman…she doesn't appreciate me.”
    “Then why does she follow you, Wufei?”
    Wufei blinked at him.
    Master O allowed himself a smile as he turned and left the gym.

- -

    “Yo, Fei!”
    Wufei jumped awake, looking around blankly. The truck was slowing down as it entered a rest-area. Wufei turned his attention to Heero as the truck parked.
    Heero was leaning against the steering wheel with his eyes closed.
    “Are you okay?” Wufei asked, sitting up.
    “I'm half asleep,” Heero replied, sitting up and blinking at Wufei. “I need to sleep now.”
    Wufei nodded and Heero slid from the driver's seat, moving slowly around the truck as Wufei slid out as well, accepting the keys from him. “I need to use the bathroom,” Wufei informed his friend as Heero climbed up the steps.
    “I'll be sleeping when you come back,” Heero replied, turning to look at Wufei, who nodded. He shut the door and locked them all, focusing on buckling himself in.
    Wufei moved quietly to the bathrooms, noting that the rest-area was nearly empty. There were a few semis parked off to one side, and only one other vehicle near. Behind he could hear another truck pulling in.
    He ran the water into the sink and stared at his reflection.
    When his cell-phone rang, he jumped, turning off the water and lifting it to his ear. “Hello?”
    “Wufei?” Relena's voice was sweet like rain.
    “Hey,” Wufei muttered happily, closing his eyes and leaning against the stall.
    “Where are you guys?” she asked after a moment's pause.
    “I'm not sure. I fell asleep and Heero didn't wake me up until we were in a rest-area.”
    “Ah…”
    “What time is it?”
    “It's going on four.”
    Wufei grinned, opening his eyes.
    “I thought I'd make sure you two were awake,” she added quickly.
    “Thank you.”
    “Wufei…today…I mean…” she seemed slightly breathless.
    “The kiss?” Wufei asked quietly.
    “Yeah…” she fell silent again. “What did you…mean…by it?”
    Wufei was silent a long moment as he stared at himself in the mirror. “That I care for you…and appreciate your feelings,” he muttered finally, thinking back to the many lectures he'd received on relationships.
    She giggled uncertainly. “I…I miss you.”
    Wufei couldn't help but smile. “I miss you, too.”
    “Do you want me to call again?”
    “Maybe in a few hours…if you're awake.”
    She caught her breath. “If you want me to be…” she started.
    Let her know you appreciate her…
    “Maybe at seven or eight?” he offered. “That way you still have time to sleep.”
    “All right,” she seemed pleased–and he could hear her yawn.
    “What are you doing?” Wufei could hear Zechs clearly from the background.
    “I'm talking to Wufei,” Relena replied acidly.
    “Give me the phone.”
    There was the noise of a scuffle and Wufei waited impatiently for the man to get the phone.
    “Wufei?”
    “Zechs.”
    “What's going on?”
    “She called me to make sure we were still awake.”
    “Oh…does…”
    “I haven't told her yet that you fucked her best friend, no, but I can if you want.”
    Zechs fell silent.
    “If you hurt Hilde, you know we'll all be all over your ass. I can't believe…”
    “Wufei?” it was Relena again, sounding confused.
    “Where'd he go?” Wufei demanded.
    He passed me the phone and walked out…what's with you guys? Sheesh…”
    “He's upset with me for kissing you.”
    She snorted.
    “Listen, Love, I've got to start driving again…I'm gonna have to let you go.”
    “All right,” she muttered, sounding pleased. “Does seven-thirty sound good to you?”
    “Sounds like a plan,” he agreed, listening to her breath for a few moments. “I'll talk to you later, then. Sleep well.”
    “You, too…well, be well.”
    Wufei chuckled.
    “Bye.”
    “Bye.” Wufei hung up, pocketing his phone again and running the water, splashing it over his face before patting it dry with a towel and looking at himself in the mirror…to see Heero standing in the door.
    He jumped.
    “Did you have to shit or something?” Heero demanded.
    Wufei snorted. “Not hardly, Relena called.”
    Heero grinned slightly, studying Wufei's eyes. “So?”
    “So what?” Wufei snapped back, tossing the towel in the trash and starting out the door.
    “So what did she say?”
    “She said she wanted to make sure we were still awake. I thought you said you'd be asleep?”
    “I did, I was. You took too long so I went to make sure you hadn't fallen in.”
    Wufei turned to give him a look, hitting the button to unlock the doors.
    Heero chuckled. “Let's go. I don't want to be on the road any longer than I have to be.”
    “Fine.”

- -

    “You look perplexed,” Master O noted as Wufei stared at the door to the training room, a small brown bag in his hand. Master O could just see Meilan's dark head bobbing out of sight.
    “She…kissed me,” Wufei muttered back.
    “Wives have a tendency to do that to their husbands…and their children.”
    Wufei's cheeks turned bright red as he focused on his teacher.
    “But you'll find that one out for yourself,” Master O continued as if the fourteen year old wasn't blushing over the idea of sleeping with his wife. “What did you do?”
    “I…asked her to bring me lunch,” Wufei muttered, opening the bag and blinking in at it and staring.
    “She does know your favorite food, doesn't she?” Master O smiled slightly.
    Wufei was dumbfounded as he met the man's eyes.
    “Just treat her right, Wufei, and she'll treat you right.”

"Sittin' by the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding