There are two kinds of blindness

Chapter three;


The move-in

Zechs had just slammed down the receiver in its cradle. It was the third time in two days she had been yelling at him over the phone. Why couldn’t she had called Quatre? He wouldn’t have said no. He would have taken the annoyingly Chinese in without another thought! But no, she had to force that brat on him instead!

Why?!

What had he ever done to her?

... Besides stealing the only man she had ever loved away from her?

He growled loud in anger. Sally was supposed to have dropped Chang off already, she wasn’t known to be this late...

Lucky for him the doorbell rang before he had the chance to start wondering if something had happened to them. He rushed to the door, with the intention of barking at Sally, yelling at her for being late. Yelling at her because he wasn’t allowed to yell at Une. Or Wufei for that matter, if he wanted to keep his job.

He hadn’t even got the door completely opened before Micheal, Sally’s husband, moved to push the Chinese into his arms.

Zechs lifted an eyebrow at Sally, but gathered the small dark haired youth in his arms without any complains. Not any uttered aloud anyway.

“There aren’t any elevators in this building!” She complained. “And he gets very heavy after a couple of stairs!” She said in defense of her loved one. Who was panting slightly by her side.
“Yes there are, by the left entrance.”
“...What?”
“Never mind,” He said and moved away from the door, carrying Wufei directly to his bedroom.

For being as wealthy as he was his apartment wasn’t very large, but you couldn’t call it small or crowded either. His living room was sparsely furnished and it was combined with the entrance and only a dark bar desk separated it from the newly renovated kitchen. His living room was decorated in white and earthly colors. The room’s woolen tapestry was light, a mix of beige with a hint of a darker shade of brown.

A large fireplace on the wall opposite from the front door ruled between two large panorama windows. A fire that Zechs rarely had lit. Just sitting there, in his white, very large and comfortable couch staring into the flames as they danced didn’t bring him any peace. He needed to stop thinking about the wars, about the man he once had loved. The man Wufei had been so kind to eliminate without an afterthought!

Noin had several times tried to make him forget, but nothing she had done had worked. Not for the long run. She finally gave up on any hope she might have had less then two months ago, but that were after she dragged him into a store, buying him the biggest TV-set she could find. For his money of course. The Television made a perfect fit above his fireplace.

His bedroom was dark. He had no lights on and the blinds were pulled down so that the morning’s sun couldn’t force its light inside. It really shouldn’t have mattered know, because the sun was in no position to let its rays inside his bedroom this evening anyway.

It was for the mornings he blocked the, otherwise welcomed sun’s rays.

Even this room was sparsely furnished. A large bed of course, in the middle of the room against the wall and next to each side a pair of matching nightstands stood. A simple wardrobe was placed against the wall next to the door, and a small table under the only window on the other side of the room.

A small lamp rested on the windowsill, giving a gentle light to the armchair next to that small table.

Zechs dropped the young Chinese over the wine-red counterpane. Not caring if the boy was hurt or not by doing.

Wufei flinched in pain as he landed on the soft mattress, and then he opened his eyes he locked their angry gaze a few inches away from the tall blond man.

He locked his gaze on where he thought Zechs’s face was.

Zechs didn’t say a word to the pained face he was leaving alone in the dark room. He stepped out of his bedroom and turned to Sally with a betrayed glint in his eyes.

“Sally, care to explain why he reacts as if he couldn’t see?”
“Um.. no?” She lowered her voice before she continued, making sure that Wufei couldn’t hear her. “They don’t know what went wrong. They took the bandages of, the scars have healed, but he shows no indication that he can reflect any light. Dr Grant want us to wait two weeks, if his sight hasn’t improved by then he wants to do another operation.”

Zechs stared at her.
“He is permanently blind then?”
“No, Dr Grant doesn’t think he-”
“What do you think?”
“Me? I don’t know!” She hissed.

“I can’t take care of him! Not if he’s blind! I am not a babysitter Sally! I have work to do! And I can’t just leave him here all by himself, he’ll burn down this whole building!”
“It’s not that bad Zechs.” Sally said with a small smile. The first one she had made during this whole afternoon. “And Une said to tell you that she’ll send somebody over with some work you can do here. See? He won’t be here all alone, and if something really does crash at HQ you can always bring him with you.”
“Yeah, right...” He muttered.

“Zechs,” Sally gave his hand a friendly squeeze. “I know this is hard for you, but Une made a wise decision by choosing you. I think you might be the only one that wont let him push you away, but... Just don’t make him feel any worse than he already does.”

“Is that all?” He walked over to the front door, opening it for his guest to leave.
“No.” Sally said. “Honey,” She said turning to her husband. “Could you go down and start the car?”

He nodded at her.
“Good night then.” He said before brushing past Zechs and disappeared through the lovely corridor outside.

“Zechs, I trust you to take care of him for me.” She said seriously. “Don’t let him walk around too much on his own. Make sure he sleeps at night, and if he can’t there are some sedatives in his bag.” She lifted a small back-pack to Zechs, who took it without having being asked to. “Be nice to him.”
“I’ll try.” He motioned for her to leave as well. “Good night Sally.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow, just to make sure you haven’t killed each other.” She stopped right in front of the tall, blond man. “And Zechs, if he gets upset about anything, just hold him.”
“Right,” He snarled. “And do you really think that he would let me do that?”
“Yes.”

Zechs blinked, surprised at the honesty in her voice.

“Bye Sally.” She said and tried to close the door.
“Oh, wait!” Sally said forcing the door open with her foot.
“What?!” Zechs snapped at her. He didn’t want to hear more bad news about his bedridden patient.
“Here, these are some of his favorites.” She dug through her own bad, passing Zechs a few books.

He lifted a brow.
“They’re books Zechs, if he’s bored read to him.”
“I am not-” His rasp voice shouted in anger.
“I know, but he.. Please? If you find him crying or something, just read to him.” She pleaded. “It might make him feel less lonely.” Then she whispered. “Less scared.”
“If I say I’ll think about it, will the two of you leave me alone?”
“Yes, but-”
“Good. I’ll think about it. Good night Sally.” He pushed her foot away from the door and slammed it shut.

This is just great! Perfect! His mind echoed sarcastically.

He walked back into his bedroom, not surprised at all to find the boy in the same position as he had left him in. Lying flat on his back with one leg dangling over the edge. Staring into the ceiling he couldn’t see.

For a moment Zechs felt for him.

Then he tossed the bad on the end of the bed while he moved around to place down the books Sally had given him on the small table under the window. He paused briefly to glance over the titles.

And he was very surprised at what he saw.

A thousand and one night?

Zechs shook his head with a smile.

The rag nymph?!

He chuckled. If he was Maxwell he would tease his friend about these girlie books forever and ever.

He was still smiling when he opened the back-pack Sally had brought. It consisted mostly of clothes, but she had just as she said slipped some painkillers and sleeping pills in too. Though, she had forgotten about a toothbrush...

He turned the bag upside-down and spilled all the continents on the bed. Still no toothbrush. He piled up the clothes in his hands and turned to the large closet by Wufei’s side of the bed. He slammed the drawers open and shut. Not caring if the blind one’s clothes got wrinkled. He didn’t see it necessary. Wufei wouldn’t be able to tell either way, so why should be bother with it?

When the clothed were packed away he grabbed the empty bag, picked up the medicine bottles and walked to the doorway.

“I am going to heat up some leftovers.” He said before he left the room. Not asking if his new guest wanted some or waiting to see if Wufei had anything to ask about.

Wufei waited a long while before he forced his left leg up onto the mattress. His back hurt, badly, and he wanted to ease the pain by sitting up a bit. He tried to push himself up in a sitting position, but his muscles were too sore and too tired to move as he wanted them to.

He refused to call for help, not that he was able to anyway. He didn’t want Zechs’s help, and that man clearly didn’t want to help him.

He wanted to go home.

To lie in his own bed.

To be alone in his own apartment.

He was near his breaking point when he felt the same strong arms that had held him for the shortest time in the hospital pull him up against the headboard. Then a new weight settled down on the mattress next to him.

Wufei froze in fear when he felt those warm hands around his waist. He hadn’t heard anyone entered the room! His reflexes told him to force the perpetrator away, but when his hands flew up to push at the man’s shoulders he felt himself being drawn in, and an arm encircled his back. It made it impossible for him to move his own arms, which were now trapped between their bodies.

He whimpered in fear.

“First rule Chang.” The harsh voice whispered by his ear, mocking his weakness. “No fighting against me. If I feel the need to help you, you will not even consider pushing me away.”

Zechs leaned down to pick some pillows up from under the bedspread and placed them behind the young Chinese’s back.

“Remember that, or you might get hurt the next time.”

He pushed Wufei back against the headboard and rose from the bed.

Wufei lowered his head. He didn’t need Zechs’s help.

He really didn’t...

Zechs looked briefly at the boy before he sighed and placed a plate in Wufei’s lap. Then he took one of his small hands and placed a couple of silverware there before he closed the hand around them.

“Eat while it’s still warm.” He said and left the room, but he left the door opened just in case.

Wufei blinked.

He felt like crying like a little child.

This was never going to work.

He turned to face the door, wishing that he could call Zechs back.

Wishing that he had that little bell now...




To be continued...