Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ In the City at Night ❯ Utopian Society ( Chapter 12 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Utopian Society

"And this is the infamous...Jordan," Wufei muttered, winking at Chai as he and Morgan passed her.

"We haven't had the final word if he's changed his last name or not," Trowa agreed, kissing Chai's cheek before looking the man over. "You still pissed at Yuy?"

Jordan shrugged, "I came home," he glanced to the girl, "took a nap...sat around a while and ate..."

"He's pissed that Heero did it," Chai reassured the males, moving around to offer a slightly uncertain hand to Morgan. "I'm Chai."

"I'm Morgan," he agreed, smiling at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

She smiled slightly.

Morgan stepped by her respectfully and offered his hand to Jordan. "You're stealing my partner in crime away from me, you realize that don't you?"

Jordan looked between Trowa and Wufei, then back to the guy, "Which one?"

Morgan laughed.

"Not me," Tro returned, moving to sit down on the couch. "Morgan and I tend to butt heads if we're in the same room for too long."

"You're the head-strong jackass," Morgan replied easily, looking to Wufei.

"I think we should change the topic," Wufei muttered, frowning slightly at his friend.

"What's going on?" the re-instated soldier changed topics smoothly. He knew enough about Trowa and Wufei to see the potential explosion. "Something up, or did you just miss my company?"

"I did miss it," Wufei noted, smirking slightly and gesturing for his friend to sit. "I don't anymore, but I did...not entirely sure why, though..." he pretended to think.

Jordan grinned at that, extending his hands so Chai moved to sit in his lap. "I could have ducked out of that building without letting you see me."

"And we could have hauled you down to Une first thing," Wufei agreed.

"And I coulda been part of a hot threesome," Chai noted, raising an eyebrow. "What's the point?"

Jordan laughed evilly.

"What, now?" Tro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Adonis," Chai rolled her eyes slightly. "Heero made an entertaining offer before you lot joined us at the table."

"Seemed to include voyeurism," Jordan noted, thinking back a moment. "He got a new fetish, or was he just playing?"

Trowa and Wufei looked at each other, blinking.

"Heero's gay for all we know about his personal affairs," Morgan noted, sitting back slightly. "We see a few of his friends now and again, but they never come onto the base and he's always got a shit-eatin' grin as he struts up the way."

Jordan met Chai's eyes in amusement.

"He was talking about a girl a while back," Wufei noted, thinking a long moment. "Shin something...Asian and perfect," he looked Chai over. "Something like you, I'd imagine, just a shade or two darker."

Chai gave him a look.

Wufei winked, then shrugged. "I never heard an end to that relationship, but if it was anything serious I'd imagine we'd have met her."

"So you guys don't know his friends?" Jordan asked Trowa and Wufei in disbelief. "How could you not know his friends?"

"He held out looking for you longer than we did," Wufei shrugged. "I could tell you'd show up when you meant to. I kept my eyes open, but he was actively looking for you for about two years. He only stopped around last fall, so we're not sure who all he met out running around with that."

Jordan felt a pang of guilt, looking to the floor a moment. He connected a few thoughts in his mind and looked up to his friends again, focusing on Trowa. "And you don't get along with Morgan."

"If you think I don't get along with him," Trowa muttered, smirking slightly. "He says three things and Heero's got the look-of-doom. He doesn't even have to open his mouth to get Quatre."

Jordan blinked, looking around, "Where is Quatre?"

"He's got his own group of friends, too," Wufei shrugged. "We have our group of old friends, but we only usually see each other anymore around supper." The guy frowned very slightly before meeting Jordan's eyes again, "We have our own lives now, just like you...but ours don't include not-knowing where our next meal will come from."

Morgan blinked.

"He mentioned I was living in Angels, didn't he?" Jordan asked curiously. "Five years and they only had to drive about an hour away. Is it even an hour?"

"We didn't think you'd sink that low," Trowa muttered to the floor, not looking at his friend.

"When you see a treasure on the ocean floor," Jordan noted, "You find a way to get it."

"But once you have it," Wufei returned, "You usually come up for air."

Jordan studied him a long moment as Chai rested her head against his shoulder. "Unless you get tangled in the weeds."

Trowa focused on Chai from the corner of his eyes, "The thing that sucks about drowning is that it hurts."

The pilot smirked slightly at his girl, then turned his head to look at Trowa, "But you can usually depend on your friends to fish you out."

Morgan raised an eyebrow between the three of them, "You realize this is about to get cloying, right?"

"What do you mean about to?" Jordan retorted, laughing slightly as he stood and sat Chai in his spot. "You want something to drink? Eat?"

"A glass of water would be nice," Morgan agreed, grinning at him slightly. "Don't be all day about it either," he added, smacking the guy in the ass as he passed.

Jordan turned to look at him with a vaguely confused expression, then looked up to Wufei. The Chinese man was hiding a slight grin by rubbing at one cheek. He shook his head slightly and shrugged, indicating that he had no explanation or argument for the action.

"That's my ass," Chai informed the new-comer, pointing at Jordan's retreating back, "You'd better ask me next time."

Morgan snickered evilly, "I'll keep that in mind...my bad. I apologize."

Chai grinned.

X x X x X

"Hey, I need a room," Quatre muttered when Jordan answered the door, stumbling into the house with a giggling girl wrapped around his waist. "I mean...if you don't mind."

"You have your own place, don't you?" Jordan demanded, blinking at the guy. "Are you drunk?"

"Only a little bit," Quatre's grin was a bit evil, if unsteady. "Just..."

"Do you know her?" Jordan demanded, focusing on the girl who was in about the same state.

"Yeah...she's um...she's..." Quatre leaned against her, almost falling over as they both started laughing.

"If you send them away," Chai noted, "They'll just find somewhere else."

Jordan turned to her in disbelief, "He doesn't even know her name."

She shrugged at him, "You did the same shit and you know it."

"But it's Quatre...that kind of shit was expected with me..."

"Come on, Jor," Quatre muttered, taking pains to stand straight again and blink at the guy. "Just for the night...I'll even pay you."

"If you weren't so drunk you couldn't stand," Jordan noted with a raised eyebrow, "I'd be offended by that."

Quatre laughed evilly, then his expression clouded. He stared at the floor blankly...

"Jor," Chai half stood as she realized the man was about to puke.

"Out!" Jordan shouted, pushing and shoving his drunken friend out the door while attempting to keep him on his feet. They'd barely made it onto the lawn before Quatre collapsed forward, retching into the grass.

Chai moved out a moment later with the girl, who was looking green as well. She pulled the woman's hair into a bun with the hair-tie from her own head...then watched with a sickened expression as the female started puking herself.

"I can't believe this..." Jordan muttered in disbelief, staring down at Quatre as the guy sat back on his haunches. "Never in my..."

"One Prozac a day does not keep it all away," the pilot noted, turning to focus on his friend. "You can be as disgusted with me as you want, but you don't feel what she feels...you don't even know..."

"You don't even know her name, Q," Jordan shook his head. "That's...not you..."

"She's Gina," Quatre retorted. "Can I get some water, or you just gonna hose me down?"

"The thought crossed my mind," Jordan muttered half-heartedly, looking up as he noted someone running. A moment later, he realized the approaching figure was Heero. The man had a worried expression on his face, but there was relief as he realized Quatre was, in fact, the person in the grass.

"Oh god," Heero muttered as he reached the lawn, shaking his head. "Duty called me to tell me you were drunk off your ass. I was about to get upset that you didn't show up...Q, haven't we talked about this?"

"I had a few too many drinks," Quatre snapped in irritation, stumbling to his feet as Jordan realized Chai had disappeared. "We were just sipping them...and then..."

"Yeah, and then," Heero snapped in irritation, looking the guy over. "There's always an and then."

"What the hell happened to you guys?" Jordan demanded in mild disbelief. "You don't have the same friends, you don't hang out together unless you have to..."

"The honest to god truth?" Quatre asked, turning to move so he was standing in Jordan's face. "You abandoned us. You didn't find us worth your time anymore, and it hurt us all." He swallowed hard, his eyes going slightly distant. "You just...dropped us, Duo. You just left us lying face-first in the dust! You couldn't even take five minutes to send us an encoded message so we knew you weren't dead! You're asking what happened to us? We're soldiers with too much battle stress and too little use...worthless, redundant, kept on the pay-roll so we don't go postal...and you want to know what happened to us..."

Jordan stared at him in disbelief.

Quatre dashed tears from his eyes before they could fall. "We don't like the same things, the same types of people, the same fucking food...all we have is what we've been through...and the knowledge that Wilkon is just waiting for us to snap..."

"Hey," Chai muttered, reappearing with two cups as silently as she'd disappeared. "It's all right, huh?" she asked, passing one pointedly to Jordan before moving up to the blond and offering it to him. She studied his eyes a moment as he stared at her, wiping at his mouth with a towel. "Don't get yourself worked up...Jordan just didn't realize that you'd change..."

Jordan moved up to the girl, offering her the cup, glancing back at the blond.

Quatre guffawed at the comment, though he took the cup from her and looked away.

"He didn't mean anything by this," Chai added. "Living in Angels kinda robbed him of his emotions..."

"What little the heartless bastard had," the blond agreed.

Jordan was stung.

"That was unnecessary," Chai reprimanded, frowning at the male. "Did you have to say that?"

"No," Quatre muttered, his eyes going downcast. "I didn't...I just...it's hard, pussycat. It's really hard to know that we're all just...useless now..."

"You're not useless," the girl reprimanded, wiping at his mouth again. "You still need to get Jon out of this hot water, huh?"

Quatre grinned at that, studying her seriously. "You're really nice, you know?"

Chai smiled slightly at him.

He sighed, leaning against her, closing his eyes. "You make it all go away."

"He's...an empath," Heero reminded her quickly, moving closer before she could speak. "He's...got some problems because of it."

She nodded.

Jordan ran his hands down his face, starting to shake his head.

"You are...nice," the other girl muttered, moving closer to Chai and studying her with confused eyes.

"This is Gina," Heero muttered to the pair. "She's also an empath. She's not as strong as Q is, but..." he shook his head.

"Uh...guys?" Chai asked, causing them both to focus on her...as she was nearly toppled backwards under Quatre's weight.

"Did he pass out?" Jordan demanded in disbelief.

"There are people who can...make it quiet," Heero muttered, moving in quickly to take the pilot off her. "When they're found, the empaths cling to them. I don't know what spurred the drink-fest tonight, but I'm sure that making it go away helped him...he's on Prozac and he's not supposed to drink at all."

Chai focused on Gina, who was standing near her and staring at the ground, then turned and ushered the female toward the house. "You two should just sleep it off now."

The girl looked to Jordan uncertainly.

"You were drunk off your asses," Jordan reassured her, following a few steps behind. He saw her uncertainty in her eyes. She thought he'd disapprove because of not just giving Quatre the room...to puke in. "I didn't want him to do something and freak out about it in the morning."

"Puking kills the buzz," she noted, moving into the house.

"There're spare toothbrushes in the bathroom," Jordan noted. "You can go ahead and use that...should we wake Q up, or no?"

"He'll wake up in a few hours," Heero shrugged. "He always does. Just be sure to put cups out so he can get water. Tomorrow is his day off, so don't bother waking him up in the morning."

"Is anyone else on Prozac?" Jordan muttered to Chai with a vaguely irritated expression as Heero disappeared into the spare room.

"Jordan, this bed isn't made," Heero called.

"Oh, sorry," Chai muttered, moving through the door quickly. Jordan limped after her.

It didn't take them long to put the bed together, since they'd bought a bed in a bag. After Heero had settled Quatre onto the mattress, he chased down Gina. It turned out that she had puked again into the toilet and was waiting for the nausea to pass. She brushed her teeth at Heero's urging, and he assisted her to bed. The low reassuring tone he used, and the quickness with which she complied suggested to Jordan that this wasn't the first instance he'd had of it.

"I wish I could do something more for him," Heero muttered, joining the pair in the kitchen and accepting the glass of lemonade Chai had poured him. "I wish I could tell when he was going to have these instances."

"How long has this been going on?" Jor muttered, leaning against the counter.

"The last year or two," Heero shrugged, looking down. He smiled very slightly, looking up again. "Wufei smokes cigarettes, and I can't vouch for it, but I think Tro smokes vrit sometimes..."

"What do you do, then?"

"What do you do?" Heero returned.

"I did fuck anyone with two legs and tits," Jordan returned.

Heero shrugged, "I do that...I drink too much...and I won't divulge my dirty little secret with innocent ears around," he indicated Chai with his head. "Nothing's like you'll remember it. I got the impression from Wufei earlier that it startled you we have other friends. Seeing as you are you, I'll tell you I have a fairly serious girlfriend in town. I'm not telling anyone here on the base, though, because I'm a hot-target. We all have enemies. If our lady friends are on base, it doesn't matter. Like Varia and Gina. They both live here in the area for...telepaths, whatever you'd like to call them. You and Chai are obviously here, and Tro's girlfriend is a minor office official over on the east side." He focused distantly, "I think I want you to meet her."

"Why don't the guys know her?"

Heero focused on the guy, taking a drink from his cup before sighing. "She'd be considered trash. She's a Chinese girl sharing an apartment with about three of her friends. They all work a couple jobs, but they don't really make enough to get by."

"Ah, so you give her money?"

Heero looked away again and shrugged. "I'd rather not talk about it."

Chai studied him a long moment, then looked to Jordan. She studied her boyfriend a long moment in silence, then offered them both a slight smile, patting Heero in the center of his chest as she walked by. In a few moments she'd disappeared into the bedroom with the door closed, and they heard water running.

"What was that?" Heero asked in confusion, blinking.

"That was her understanding something you said," Jordan shrugged. "I could ask her and she'd tell me. But if you don't want to talk about it..." he left it hanging.

Heero sighed and shrugged, glancing toward the bedroom door. He was quiet a moment, and when he spoke again he wasn't looking at Jordan. "Shin won't just let me give her money."

"She an Angels girl?"

Heero nodded and shrugged, thinking a long moment. "Life's not perfect here. We don't lead exemplary lives. We have our vices and we have our secrets." He shook his head, "Quatre wasn't lying when he said our only bond is what we've been through together. I can't honestly say Quatre and I'd had a conversation about anything off-base since his last binge."

"So what do we do?" Jordan muttered, trying to think of a way to reunite the group.

"Your being here is helping," Heero reassured him. "We all want to catch up with you and that puts us in close proximity again—not to say that living together isn't close, but we actually talk to each other and listen...and care."

"That's always a plus," Jordan noted, grinning slightly.

Chai moved from the bedroom in a pair of silky pants and a spaghetti-strap tank top...and no bra.

Heero grinned at her, "Nice shirt."

"Huh?" she asked, blinking at him, then looked down at the shirt. "What?" she insisted, looking back to the man.

Jordan elbowed his friend, moving forward and lowering his voice, "You should put on the robe, huh?"

"Why?"

"Because my friends don't need to see your attributes," he retorted, giving her a look. "Just humor me."

She smirked at him, then raised her eyebrows at Heero, turning on her heel.

Heero was grinning when Jordan turned back to him, then the guy laughed. He shook his head after a moment and moved to punch Jordan in the arm, "It's nice to have you back. I missed that look that states you'll kill me in ten seconds."

"Shouldn't you be running, then?" Jordan asked sweetly.

"Oh, I dunno, I haven't had a Duo-style ass whoopin' in years."

"Oh ow," Jordan muttered, cringing away from the term.

Heero laughed happily, moving around the guy, "Night, pussycat..."

"Why do you all call me that?" she called, moving back into the kitchen and noting the former-pilot darting for the door.

"Three, two, one," Jordan noted aloud...and started for the door.

Heero laughed a naughty laugh, and disappeared into the night.

Jordan grinned slightly at Chai, "They keep forgetting I won't actually chase them."

X x X x X

"Wait a second," Wufei muttered as he and Chai stood in the kitchen—Chai had made a pot of rice and was dishing it into serving bowls for Wufei and Morgan. Quatre was hovering in the background, looking considerate, and Wufei had just had a thought.

"What?" she muttered, passing him his bowl.

"Chopsticks?" he asked quietly, watching as she turned and dug some out. "You're twenty-one, right?" he added as she passed a bowl to Morgan.

"Almost twenty-two now," she agreed, offering Morgan a spoon, fork, and set of chopsticks.

Morgan winked at her, taking the spoon and moving to follow Wufei to the bar-area of the counter.

"You gonna try some?" she asked Quatre, smiling slightly at him.

He nodded, "Not a lot, though."

"All right."

"You've known Jor for five years now?"

"A bit more than four," she agreed, scooping some of the food into a bowl and offering Quatre the thing and a spoon. "Why?"

"So you were like...seventeen when you met him?"

She nodded, giving him a curious look.

"You were pregnant at seventeen?"

The girl lost her good humor, focusing on him in disbelief. She would have been fine if Morgan hadn't stopped completely in mid-scoop.

"Sorry," Wufei muttered, making a slight face. "I just...I mean...you were young."

"I was also in Angels," she returned, turning her back on them to get her own bowl.

"Is it really as bad as they say down there?" Morgan asked curiously.

Quatre rolled his eyes, pressing away from the counter and moving toward the living room with a pointed look to the girl.

"I don't know," Chai returned, blinking after Quatre in confusion. "What do they say?"

"Rape, beatings, muggings..."

"The world over?" she frowned at the guy as she poured soy sauce on her rice.

"Not really," he muttered. "Drugs, huh? You ever try any?"

"Morgan," Wufei snapped, giving him a look.

"I'm just asking," Morgan protested. "I mean, if she were..."

"You finish that sentence and you'll suffer," Wufei muttered to him quickly in Chinese.

"What?" Chai asked blankly.

"You were young," Morgan muttered, not quite looking at her. "I know I did some stupid shit when I was a teenager."

"Yeah, before you were twenty-five, too," Quatre noted loudly from the other room.

"I'm twenty-six, Mr. Winner," Morgan retorted snidely.

"Yeah, and you've known Fei about a year. I'm sure he keeps you from base stupidity."

Wufei closed his eyes, squaring his jaw.

"Why don't you come say that to my face?" Morgan snapped.

"Don't even start that shit in my house," Chai snapped at him, her heart racing fast. "Don't be picking fights here."

"I'm not the one picking," Morgan snapped at her.

Chai nearly flinched back, but noticed in the same instant that Wufei was watching her expectantly. He was waiting for what she'd say next...and it was her house. She focused on Morgan, not entirely sure what her expression registered.

"Sorry," he muttered quickly, "I'm sorry...I just..."

Quatre laughed from the living room and the television flicked on.

"He thinks he owns the world," Morgan noted snidely, indicating the blond.

"I could fuckin' buy it if I felt the need," Quatre agreed.

Morgan's mouth flickered, but he looked away and took a deep breath.

"Quatre, please," Chai muttered, trying not to make it sound like a plea.

"I'm sorry," Wufei muttered, stirring his rice as he studied it. "I didn't realize Quatre was here or I wouldn't have brought Morgan along."

"I can be civil, Wufei," Morgan noted in irritation.

"Which is why she had to ask you to stop," Wufei noted, then shook his head at his friend. "Just leave it. You know I keep you away from Quatre and Heero, don't make Chai uncomfortable. It's not her problem."

Morgan didn't respond, poking at his rice a moment before starting to eat it.

Chai smiled slightly at Wufei, realizing that her heart rate had calmed. She'd never been able to talk back to a man before. The fact that Wufei had obviously been waiting for her decision and Jor had said it was her hose...

It was her house...hers.

No one needed to be there...that she didn't want to be there.

"What are you thinking about?" Wufei asked, smiling slightly as he studied her expression.

"Why do you ask?" she muttered, meeting his eyes again.

"You have a cute little smile," he explained, grinning even more at her. "Your eyes are sparkling and you have a cute little smile."

Chai laughed a bit, shaking her head, "I'm just happy is all," she explained, looking around her house. "I never thought I'd make it out of Angels, let alone be able to feed random people who show up on my doorstep...it's a good feeling."

"We'll be sure to provide you with more endorphins," Morgan reassured her, passing her his bowl. "I like showing up on your doorstep."

Chai laughed happily, and went to get him more.