Duo eyed Wufei critically. "Man, you look like you could use a home-cooked meal."

Wufei lifted his head from the scarred chunk of wood that passed for a kitchen table in the safehouse they were currently occupying. "I'm fine," was his curt reply. His head went back down, and he went back to trying to ignore the other boy.

Unfortunately, Duo was never so easy to deter.

"Yep, food is definitely in order here, I think," he said, turning to rummage through the cupboards which looked as though they might collapse at any moment.

"I said I'm fine," Wufei repeated, lifting his head once more to glare at Duo's back. "I'm not particularly hungry, thank you."

Oblivious to the obsidians boring holes into his back, Duo continued to scrounge. "Not even a little? C'mon, man, I haven't seen you eat all day!"

Wufei snorted. "We were fighting Leos for most of the day, if you recall. There wasn't exactly time to stop for meals."

"That's just my point! Me, I could go for a nice steak and some French fries just now..." Duo jumped back as the cupboard he was inspecting fell to the floor with a clatter. "Damn! This termite-nest is just fallin' apart. And to think, the brochure said being an international terrorist would be glamorous..."

His companion shook his head. "You're probably wasting your time, anyway. This place hasn't been inhabited for months; what makes you think you'll find anything edible?"

Something rolled out of the splintered wreck on the floor to bump against Duo's foot. He picked it up. "Ah-HA!" he grinned triumphantly. "We are saved, and our savior be Chef Boyardee!"

Wufei let his head fall back to its resting place on the table. "Since when has Beefaroni been considered "home-cooking"?"

Duo "hmph"ed and set about looking for a pot to heat the stuff in. "Hey, I never claimed I could cook."

Silence followed. Duo hunted for cooking implements while Wufei concentrated on being anti-social. Duo was used to hanging out with sociopaths-- how many times had he roomed with Heero, after all?-- but that didn't make the silence any less depressing. He cast a few surreptitious glances at the Chinese boy.

"You could gimme a hand, y'know," he suggested.

Wufei did not raise his head, but instead spoke into the table. "With what?" His tone was irritated, but underneath it he sounded tired.

"Well... Help me look for some dishes or something. And watch out that the cupboards don't fall on your head."

With a long-suffering sigh, Wufei dragged himself from his chair. "Fine. But after we eat, I'm going to bed. Can you manage to leave me alone for long enough for me to rest?"

Duo affected a hurt expression. "Well ex-CUSE me for tryin' to be nice! Sheesh, it wouldn't kill ya to be civil, would it? Or is that against your code of honor or somethin'?"

Wufei glared, opened his mouth to say something, then paused and closed it again. He snorted and turned his attention back to the search for cookware.

"I found some bowls," he announced a moment later. He sounded, if not conciliatory, then at least civil. Duo was willing to take any improvement as progress, so he nodded.

"Got a pot," he replied, lifting the much-dented and scratched piece of equipment over his head. "Now let's hope the stove works."

The stove, it turned out, was an ancient relic of the wood-burning variety. There was no wood stacked next to it, however.

"Hey, Wufei, did you see a woodpile or anything outside when you scouted this place?"

"No, and I'm not about to go hacking down trees in the dark, before you ask. I didn't see an axe, either."

"You've got a sword..."

A fiercely burning glare killed that notion immediately.

"Okay, okay, I was only kidding..." Duo scratched his nose. "Well, we need to burn something..."

They both turned to look at the fallen-down cabinet.

Soon there was a fire crackling in the stove and a pot simmering on top of it.

"Ah, nothin' like a cheery fire," Duo said, holding his hands out to the warmth. "I feel like I'm in Little House on the Prairie."

"More like Little House in the Big Woods," Wufei amended. "We're surrounded by trees, after all."

Duo raised his eyebrows. "When-- and why-- did you read Laura Ingalls Wilder?"

Wufei snorted. "I went to school, Duo."

"Oh. Yeah, well, I guess you weren't always a Gundam pilot, were you? Sometimes I forget that we were all kids once. Still are kids. Hell, we should all be in high school right now. Y'know, for actual learning, and not just cover."

Wufei didn't reply, and Duo sighed and stared pensively into the fire. He's no older than I am. Than any of us are. We're just a buncha kids fighting in a grown-up war. Will we ever even get to be grown-ups, I wonder?

Minutes passed as he listened to the wood crackle and pop. Then Wufei lifted his head, eyes on Duo. Duo waited for the wartime philosophy to spout.

Instead, Wufei frowned. "Do you smell something burning?"

"SHIT!" Duo leapt out of his chair. "The Beefaroni!"

Wufei groaned as he watched Duo's futile efforts to save their dinner. I should have known this would happen...

Duo turned to him with an apologetic grin. "See what I get for bein' gloomy? Sorry, man." He eyed the blackened stuff and wrinkled his nose. "Ugh. I wouldn't give this to my worst enemy to eat."

Wufei rose, intending to head for the room he'd chosen for himself. If he couldn't eat, then at least he could sleep...

Duo's words stopped him. "That's it! We are so going out for dinner."

"Going out?" Wufei repeated.

Duo gave him the What-Planet-Are-YOU-From-Dude look. "Yeah, going out. You know, to, like, a restaurant? As in, one of those nifty places where you exchange currency for well-cooked food--"

"I know what a restaurant is," Wufei snarled. "What I meant was, don't you think it's a rather foolish idea to go traipsing around in public?"

"If I don't get some good food soon, I am gonna go nuts," Duo said. "I've been living on school cafeteria food, army rations, and my own cooking for the past two months. One more night and I swear I'll go abso-freaking-lutely insane."

Wufei shook his head. "It's food. What's the difference? You eat it so you don't die."

Duo stared at him as if he'd just sprouted tentacles. Then he threw his arms ceilingward and cried, "Surrounded! I am surrounded by people with no lust for life!" He pointed at Wufei and scowled. "Heero said exactly the same thing when I tried to explain what makes the bacon double cheeseburger man's greatest invention."

Instead of heading down that avenue of conversation, Wufei opted for a safer street. "So where do you want to go, anyway?"

Sensing his victory, Duo smirked. "I dunno. I thought we could just cruise around town and see what looked good."

Wufei sighed and glanced hopefully at the Beefaroni. It looked even less edible than before, however, and suddenly his stomach growled betrayingly. He sighed once more and chalked this one down as another defeat. "I'll get my jacket," he grumbled morosely.

"Yes!" Duo bounded down the hall to grab his jacket and the keys to their stolen car. "I AM the Man!"

"I'm going to regret this," Wufei muttered to no one in particular.

Twenty minutes later they arrived in the clump of buildings and squat houses that people around here referred to as a town.

"Hmm, lessee..." Duo's eyes swept the dark street. Outside the car the evening's rain had abated in favor of a soggy misting drizzle, making the road shine beneath the yellow streetlamps.

"I doubt anything will be open at this hour," said Wufei. "Towns like this usually close down early." He was leaning against the passenger-side armrest, his face pressed close to the window glass. Duo glanced at him, catching the Chinese boy's reflection in the window. He looked bored, or maybe apathetic was a better word.

"We'll see," came his stubborn reply.

But it appeared Wufei was right. After ten minutes (it was a small town), Duo was almost prepared to call it quits, when a lighted window caught his eye. A neon sign proclaimed in swirly letters, "Mama Callie's 24-hour Italian Eatery".

"All right, perfect!" Duo crowed. "I haven't had Italian in ages!" He turned to Wufei. "Italian okay with you?"

Wufei shrugged. "I've never had it before. But since this seems to be the only place open..."

"Never had Italian?" Duo looked surprised as he eased the car into the near-empty parking lot. "Really? Well, there's a first time for everything..."

They hurried up to the entrance, shivering from the icy rain. Duo opened the door and motioned for Wufei to precede him. Wufei raised an eyebrow but said nothing, and accepted the courtesy.

The inside of the restaurant was small and cozy, and smelled of basil and garlic and baking bread. Wufei sniffed, and his stomach growled in resonse. Doesn't smell too bad... Pretty good, actually... Though after burned Beefaroni, almost any type of food would smell good, I imagine.

A middle-aged woman looked up from her seat at one of the booths. "Help you?" she asked, sounding almost puzzled.

Wufei shot Duo a look, which he ignored. "Hiya! We need food and we need it hot!" He smiled his most winning smile at her.

The woman literally beamed. She stood up and yelled, "Tony! Eh, Tony!"

A sleepy grumble responded, and then a young man poked his head through the kitchen door. "Wha? Whassat, Ma?"

The woman motioned at the two boys. "Fire up the stove, Tony, we got some late-night customers here."

Tony blinked, as if unfamiliar with the term. "Oh," he said at last, and then he disappeared back into the kitchen.

The woman, meanwhile, was bustling about, directing them to a table, handing them menus. "Get you boys something to drink?"

While they waited for their drinks to come (Duo wanted Coke; Wufei opted for raspberry iced tea), they surveyed their menus.

Duo was practically bouncing. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"

Wufei snorted what might have been a laugh. "For a while there, I thought we were going to have to."

Duo gaped at him.

Wufei caught the look and frowned. "What?"

"You... You just made a joke!" he exclaimed, indigo eyes wide. Then he threw back his head and laughed. "Maybe there is hope for you, man!"

Wufei glared and focused on his menu, choosing not to dignify the remark with a response.

"Then again, maybe not."

A long, strained silence followed.

Surprisingly, Wufei was the one to break it. "Duo, I don't know what any of this stuff is," he said, pointing at the menu.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, forgot you never had Italian before. Hmm... Well, fazoli is good, and so is baked ziti... You can never go wrong with spaghetti, and chicken marinara is great..."

Wufei didn't even pretend to look like he understood. "I'll just have whatever you're having," he concluded, closing his menu and laying it down on the table.

The woman-- Mama Callie, perhaps?-- bustled back to them with their beverages. "Ready to order, boys?"

Duo smiled up at her and handed back the menus. "Two orders of veal parmesan, please!"

The woman looked pleased. "Right!" She raised her voice. "Tony boy! Two veal parmesans!"

Wufei looked at Duo as the woman left. "What is veal parmesan?"

Duo bit his lip, wondering how much to tell him. If he admitted that veal was baby cow, would Wufei start ranting about how eating baby animals was unjust or something? He doubted it, but... Hell, he'd never expected to hear the boy crack a joke, either. So you never knew.

"It's good," he said at last. "Just trust me! I know my Italian food."

Wufei gave him a suspicious look, which the braided boy countered with an innocent blink and an almost Quatre-worthy smile. Wufei shrugged and sipped his iced tea.

Another uncomfortable silence descended on the table. Duo supposed he shouldn't be surprised. After all, they were comrades-in-arms, not buddies, and sometimes not even that. They fought OZ together, they hid from OZ together, and that was about it. They generally didn't take each other out to dinner.

So what do you say to a guy you barely know and whom you probably don't understand?

"Sooo..." Duo began. "Uhh... Read any good books recently?"

Wufei snorted rather contemptuously. "There is no time for reading when there's a war going on."

Duo slumped. It had been such a good conversation starter, too, considering the fact that they'd both read Laura Ingalls Wilder in their youth... er, younger years.

"Whoakay... So, read any good books not recently?"

Was he imagining things, or had Wufei almost smiled? Nah, must be hallucinating from the hunger.

"Well..." Wufei considered it. "I rather liked Edgar Allen Poe, back in school..."

Duo brightened up perceptably. "Really? I've read some Poe. I really liked The Pit and the Pendulum."

He could've sworn Wufei'd smiled this time. "I was fond of The Telltale Heart..."

"Yeah, I figured you would be. Ever read The Cask of Amontillado?"

The Chinese boy nodded. "It gave me nightmares for days," he admitted.

Duo blinked, surprised by the admission. "You? Scared by a story?"

The obsidian eyes narrowed, and mentally, Duo cursed. He could almost hear the walls of isolation slamming back down... "I was young and foolish and weak," Wufei said curtly.

Duo scrambled to save the conversation before Wufei went back to his anti-social brooding again. He'd never gotten this far with Heero, no matter how he tried, and he was loathe to let Wufei get away, too. If he could salvage at least one person in this war...

"Hey, I don't blame ya, man," he said, waving a hand. "Poe writes some creepy stuff. I mean, walling someone up alive in your family crypt because he insulted you? That is pretty sick."

Wufei grunted, but he was no longer scowling. Duo dared to hope.

**********************************************

Mama Callie swished over, balancing a large tray on one hand. "Here you are, gentlemen, the specialty of the house!" She smiled, set their plates down, then swished back the way she'd come.

Duo picked up his knife and fork, brandishing them like a warrior about to do battle. His eyes gleamed. "Alrighty then! Let's EAT!"

Wufei peered at the food cautiously. It smells pretty good... VERY good, in fact...

"S'not gonna bite you, pal," Duo mumbled around his mouthful of food.

Wufei picked up his knife and fork.

Duo was making near-orgasmic noises of appreciation. "Mm-MM! DAMN this stuff is good!"

Wufei took his first bite.

Duo watched him, waiting for a reaction.

Wufei chewed slowly, taking his time in processing the information his tastebuds were transmitting to his brain. Meat... Beef, maybe? And some kind of cheese... And... other things I don't know what to call... Some kind of sauce...

"Well?" Duo had to ask.

Wufei swallowed. He blinked a few times. Finally he said, "Damn. This is good."

Duo did a little dance of victory (while somehow remaining seated and stuffing another forkful into his mouth). "YES! See, didn't I tell you to trust me? Duo Maxwell knows his food, buddy!"

Wufei nodded and cut another piece, willing to acknowledge the boast. So maybe Duo couldn't even heat Beefaroni... But he knew how to eat, if not how to cook.

"Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea, after all," the Shenlong pilot allowed.

After the meal was finished, the boys sat back, sipping their drink refills and just basking in the culinary afterglow.

"Now, wasn't this nice?" Duo murmured, a content smile on his face.

Wufei nodded. "Better than blackened Chef Boyardee, anyway. Or horse."

Duo let out a surprised laugh. "Yeah." Another joke! Two in one night! He silently exulted. If only he'd keep it up... He's got that dry wit down pat.

"What say we get out of here?" Duo said, stretching. He reached for his wallet.

"I'll pay," Wufei offered.

Duo waved him off. "Nah, let me get it. I burned the food, after all." He grinned. "Next time I burn something, you can pay."

A corner of the Chinese boy's mouth quirked. "Very well."

A smile! That's almost a smile! Duo's heart nearly sang as he tossed some wadded bills onto the table. He stood up and stretched again, then headed for the door.

"Aren't you going to wait for the change?" Wufei asked as he followed him out into the night air. "That was way more than the cost of the food, I'm sure."

"Hey, if I die tomorrow, no one can ever say that Duo Maxwell was a crummy tipper," was the flippant reply.

Wufei snorted his almost-laugh and his mouth quirked in that almost-smile. "What a great epitaph that would be. 'Duo Maxwell, God of Death, International Terrorist, Left Great Tips'."

Duo smiled at him, and shook his head. His eyes shone under the streetlamps.

"What?" Wufei asked, not understanding the look.

"Just thinkin' that you should try to smile more often, that's all. You have a really nice smile, Wufei."

Wufei blinked, unsure how to take the compliment, unsure if he wanted to. And unsure of why being told that he had a nice smile made him want to smile more.

What have I got to smile for? This is a war! I'm out for justice, not for kicks! But a little voice in the back of his mind whispered, "Did it kill you to smile, just a little?"

Duo apparently took his long silence to mean that he'd gone too far, once again. "Hey, I didn't mean to offend you or nothin'--"

"You didn't offend me," Wufei said quickly, a bit more harshly than he'd intended. They lapsed back into brooding silence.

Damn, thought Duo, I was so close! For a second there I thought I was getting through! Nice going, Maxwell, you just had to screw up with your big mouth again... "Duo?" Wufei's voice disrupted his sullen musings. "Where are we going?"

"Eh?"

"The car's back that way." Wufei pointed back over his shoulder.

"Oh, yeah. Well, it's stopped raining, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to stretch our legs a bit after all that eating. Nothing like a pleasant walk after a nice meal..."

Wufei was silent for a long time. Duo wracked his brain for a conversation starter. There had to be something more to say...

How about those 49ers? Nah, he probably wouldn't even know what I was talking about. Nice weather we're having? No, way too obvious... C'mon, brain, don't fail me now...

"Duo?"

"Yeah?"

"Do I... really have a nice smile?"

Duo experienced the mental equivalent of being repeatedly slapped in the face with a pickled herring in a dress, but he recovered quickly. "Hey, yeah! Of course! You know me, I never lie. I mean, smiling means you're enjoying yourself. It wouldn't kill you to enjoy yourself every once in a while. Even if it's only a little thing, like eating a good meal or joking with friends... If we can't appreciate this stuff, then what the hell are we fighting for?"

Wufei's expression darkened. "For justice," he said, voice low. "To avenge the people OZ slaughtered who can no longer... appreciate such things."

I'm losin' him again... Duo clambered for a conversational handhold. "Yeah, but shouldn't we be trying to appreciate it for them? How would they feel if they knew we had the chance that was stolen from them, and we just threw it away?"

Wufei froze, his eyes gone distant. His mouth opened, closed, opened again. "I... never thought of that..." His voice was soft, almost dumbstruck.

"Exactly!" Duo pounced and dug his claws in, sensing an opportunity. "What good are you to the people who were lost if you can't ever see the gifts life gives you? You're disgracing the memory of every person who ever laughed, every person who ever sang, every person who ever looked up at the stars at night and dreamed!"

Wufei looked down at the sidewalk. His dark eyes were troubled.

Duo touched his arm, gently. "I'm not sayin' you hafta be the life of the party. I'm just saying..." He searched for the words. "I'm just saying that every once and a while, let yourself smile. Let yourself laugh, in tribute to the people who can't laugh anymore."

In Wufei's memory, a raven-haired woman-child gazed up at him. The ghost of a smile (Did she ever smile at me?) lifted her lips, and even though he knew she was dying, the smile struck him as oddly beautiful.

Meiran...

I wanted to give you justice... But maybe... Maybe I can honor you in other ways, too... Because you'll never smile again.

He looked up at the sky. The clouds had begun to break apart, and pinprick stars showed here and there, adding their light to the streets below.

You'll never smile again... But perhaps I will.

Duo's hand was still on his arm. "Hey... You okay, man?"

Wufei let his gaze drop to meet Duo's. "Yes," he said, and was rather surprised that he meant it. "I'm okay, Duo."

Duo nodded, expressive eyes almost wondering. Only time will tell... Maybe this is a breakthrough, maybe not. He's a stubborn bastard... God, I hope it's a breakthrough...

  "C'mon," he said. "Let's get back to the safehouse. We could both use some shuteye."

Wufei nodded, and they made their way back to the car.

"Promise me something, Duo?"

Duo looked at him, expression solemn. "Sure. Of course. What is it?"

Wufei lifted an eyebrow, and his mouth twitched upward. "Promise me you won't try cooking again anytime soon."

Duo's laugh rang out joyfully through the empty streets.

END