Elorin Legacy: Finding Love

Title: Cabin Fever

Part: 1/7

Author: Kris

E-Mail: wknightmare@yahoo.com

Pairings: 2 + ?

Warnings: angst, AU

Disclaimer: The characters and their world doesn\'t belong to me.

Cabin Fever

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WuFei decided he was going insane. After being trapped in the same cabin with Duo Maxwell for three days, his patience and sanity had been stretched to the limit. Right now, he was holed up in a corner of the tiny attic, trying to escape the braided idiot for a few hours at least. He knew that he cn\'tn\'t hide forever and he was fast running out of hiding places.

\"Wu-man!\" Duo called in a sing song voice as he bounced down the hall. He was glad that the Chinese pilot had been such a good sport at being trapped here with him until the avalanche was cleared away. After all, who could\'ve ever imagined that the solitary pilot liked to play hide and seek?

WuFei crouched further down into his hiding place, praying that Duo wouldn\'t think to check the attic for him. The last time he had hidden here, he had managed to garner four hours of peace before his stomach forced him to get something to eat. Then, the second he stepped into the kitchen, he had been flattened by a bouncing ball of energy. Duo had been ecstatic that WuFei had managed to lose him and insisted they celebrate with a real dinner, that WuFei had to cook. Sometimes, he thought he would never understand that American.

\"Wu!\" Duo called again before retreating to the kitchen. He knew that sooner or later hunger would bring the other pilot out. Meanwhile, he pulled out his daily list of things to do and checked a few things off. \"Wake WuFei with snowball . . . Check . . . Glomp at breakfast . . . Check . . . Play Hide and Seek . . . Check . . .\"

WuFei fought against his body\'s urges. He was supposed to have total control, so why was it choosing to fail him at this critical moment? With a sigh of defeat, WuFei clambered awkwardly to his hands and knees before crawling through the small space he had carefully created in the boxes. He listened carefully at the top of the stairs, making sure Duo was no where close. It wouldn\'t do for the braided pilot to find his last hiding spot. After creeping down the stairs, he darted towards the door of the kitchen, then plastered himself to wall near the door. He waited for some indication that Duo was within. Hearing nothing, he sighed with relief and entered the kitchen, where he was promptly tackled.

\"Gotcha!\" Duo crowed, dancing around the room with the smaller pilot. \"Gotcha again!\"

\"Maxwell!\" WuFei protested, struggling to get away from the braided maniac\'s hold. \"Let go of me!\"

\"Nuh, uh,\" Duo replied, shaking his head, making his braid dance. \"I won! You cook tonight!\"

\"I cook every night,\" WuFei protested, still trying to wiggle out of Duo\'s arms.

\"Come on, Wu-man, lighten up!\" Duo crowed before releasing the other pilot and giving him a nudge toward the stove.

WuFei sighed in defeat and started yet another noodle dish. He was beginning to hate pasta. Still, there wasn\'t much else to eat. They were lucky that they managed to find any food in this place.

They were almost through eating when Duo broke the comfortable silence that had fallen between them. \"Ne, WuFei?\"

WuFei almost dropped his fork, startled at the sound of his real name coming from those lips that continually taunted him. \"Yes, Duo,\" he answered sensing the sudden solemn shift in the mood of the room.

\"Do you hate me?\"

WuFei blinked, taken aback by the softly spoken question. Where had this come from? \"I don\'t hate you, Duo,\" he answered honestly, wondering where the braided pilot was going.

\"Do you really hate me bugging you everyday?\" Duo continued in the same uncertain tone.

WuFei was about to say yes, but paused to think. Duo\'s actions may be annoying - very annoying - but they did help to pass the otherwise empty time. And if he wasn\'t so busy thinking of new hiding places, then he might really go insane. \"No, Duo, I don\'t hate you for distracting me everyday.\"

Duo made idle patterns on the table top with a finger, wondering how to ask his next question. Sure, he had done everything he could to get a rise out of the other pilot for the last three days, but when it came to letting down his smiling mask he wasn\'t sure how the other pilot would react. \"Can you give me some advice?\" he asked finally.

WuFei stared at the braided pilot, stunned. Did Duo Maxwell, self-proclaimed Shinigami just ask him for advice? \"Of course,\" he answered seriously. Then a faint smile graced his lips. \"If you will explain why I woke up with you in my bed this morning?\"

Duo snorted with laughter, seeing again the stunned, deer-in-the-headlights look the Chinese pilot had given him when he found the braided pilot in bed with him. That prank had been one for the record books. \"Because it was fun,\" Duo answered with a genuine grin. \"Because you looked hilarious when you jumped out of bed and started yelling at me in Chinese.\"

WuFei blushed, glad that Chinese wasn\'t one of the languages the American pilot knew. At least Duo would have no idea what he called him. \"Alright,\" he replied, intent on changing the subject. \"What do you want advice on?\"

Duo looked down and bit his lip, unsure if he should finish what he started. \"I love someone,\" he blurted finally. \"It isn\'t you, but I don\'t know what to do.\"

WuFei collapsed back in his chair. Whatever had possessed the other pilot to come to him for relationship advice? A part of him quailed at the qualifier that it wasn\'t him, but he couldn\'t push the braided pilot away. Not when he was finally willing to trust him enough to let down his mask. \"Does this other person know about your feelings?\"

Duo shook his head, studying his hands as if he had never seen them before. \"I can\'t tell this person that. I\'m too much of a coward.\"

\"I see . . .\" WuFei muttered, and he did see. How Heero had captured the lively boy\'s heart? He didn\'t know, but it was obvious to anyone who knew what to look for that the two were in love.

Duo got up and started pacing. \"I mean, what am I supposed to do? Just flat out tell them? Flirt with them awhile? Lead them into saying it first, if they ever would? Do I . . .\"

\"Duo,\" WuFei cut the braided pilot off in mid rant. \"No one can tell you what to do but you. Only you will know what will feel right and the right time to confess how you feel. The only advice I can offer you is this: Don\'t wait too long, or you may loose everything before you get it.\"

Duo sat down and pondered what WuFei was telling him. Then, he looked up with a smile. \"Thanks, Wu-man. I owe you one.\"

WuFei stood to go to his room. \"You owe me nothing, Maxwell,\" he answered sincerely. Although he knew he would never be able to confess his own feelings toward the braided pilot, he was glad to have been able to help him. \"It was an honor to help.\"

Duo smiled and called good night as the Chinese pilot vanished down the hall. WuFei had given him a lot to think over, but as he sat there, he realized that it wasn\'t that hard at all. He laughed and got up, good humor restored. The next time he saw Heero, the Perfect Soldier had better watch out, because Shinigami was after his heart.