CHAPTER SIX:

Duo eyed his lunch with disinterest. The smooth flow and ebb of Quatre and Wufei’s conversation drifting over him like waves. He picked up his fork and pushed around the fried rice he had chosen. Popping a piece of diced chicken into his mouth, he chewed thoughtfully, before dropping his fork abruptly and reaching for his laptop.

“What’s up, Duo?” Quatre asked, as he noticed the frantic typing from his companion. “Is that some assignment or something?”

Duo shook his head, his eyes dancing across the screen in front of him. “No…I just need to give my dad a call. I bet he is wondering what the hell has happened to me.”

A light snicker from Wufei caused him to raise his eyes in a frown. “What’s so funny?” he asked with a trace of irritation. “So what? I like to call my father…sue me.”

Wufei almost gagged on his noodles and pounding his chest to prevent himself from choking, he swallowed the stubborn meal down and finally gave in to his mirth. “It is just so hard to see you…doing that sort of a thing, Maxwell. That’s all.”

“Yeah, whatever,” came the lackadaisical reply. Duo made a sound of dismay, as he found his inbox filled with emails from his father (about ten of those), his mother (about fifteen of those) and his older married sister (with just one…thank God!).

 “Geez…I just left yesterday,” he muttered to himself.

“Mind if I join you?”

The three boys turned around to stare at the newcomer. Pale blue eyes set in a face that was nothing short of breathtaking, topped off with long platinum blond hair, greeted the questioning glances. Duo, eventually, broke out into a sunny grin and patted the spot next to him. “Have a seat, Zechs! Glad you could make it.”

The boy named Zechs made himself comfortable beside Duo, placing his tray filled with only a salad and orange drink, carefully in front of him. His tall frame showed off an undeniable strength and poise, which sent looks of interest on the countenances of both Quatre and Wufei.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Duo?” Wufei asked.

“Hmm…oh yeah…” Duo responded quickly. His eyes had gone back to his laptop, completely forgetting that he had to do the honors. “Guys, this is Zechs Merquise. He is my ‘partner’ in Psychology. Zechs, meet Q-man and Wuffles.”

“Wufei!”

“Right…Wufei.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Zechs replied quietly, his eyes dancing with amusement at the red-faced Chinese boy. “Q-man?”

“Actually the name is Quatre,” the blond replied with a small grin. “Duo just likes to shorten everything he does or says.”

With his eyes still pinned on the screen in front of him, Duo replied, “Not true.”

Zechs laughed and struck up conversation with the other boys, since Duo seemed a bit preoccupied. Actually, Duo was not as preoccupied as they thought him to be, for if they had been paying close attention, they would have noticed that his body had tensed and that his eyes were no longer on the screen in front of him, but rather on the couple that had just walked into the outdoor eating area.

~&~&~&~&~

“How about we sit over here…oh, hey! There’s Duo! Hey, D! We are coming over to join you!”

Heero groaned inwardly as the brown-haired girl pulled him towards the already crowded table. He hated crowds…especially this particular one. Not only would he have to put up with Relena, but also he would have to deal with his current nemesis, the tall blonde-haired boy (that he curiously felt like strangling) and the other ones. He pursed his lips and dug his heels stubbornly.

“I would rather eat on my own, Relena,” he replied steadily, hoping the frown on his face would make his intentions well known.

Obviously, Relena did not understand ‘death glare’ or any glare in particular, because the next thing he knew, he was standing inches away from the curious looks that were clearly directed at them. Shifting uncomfortably as Relena rattled on and introduced herself, his eyes glanced briefly to the silent Duo, who was still typing away at his laptop.

His laptop. Duo was still with it and knowing that he could not get access to his own was enough to bring back the well of anger from his core. He would have loved nothing more than to kick aside Duo’s equipment, but he succeeded in calming himself down and began thinking of more objective plans to gain back what was his. In mere seconds, he found himself squeezed in between Quatre and Wufei as Relena had now made herself comfortable beside Duo.

“Aren’t we a bit crowded here?” Wufei asked irritably as his elbow made contact with Heero’s food. “Damn it, what the hell did you get for lunch?” he asked in bemusement as he stared at the yellow thick-looking soup.

“Soup,” Heero replied as he picked up his spoon and began eating, making sure that he kept his eyes away from the still typing Duo. He was irritated to find that his hands were trembling slightly and cursing himself silently, he willed the stubborn action to die down.

“Duo?! Answer me! What are you typing anyways?”  Relena asked in a whiny voice. She dangled her spoon in front of his face for several seconds, before a sharp gasp was emitted from her lips. Her wrist had been caught within Duo’s hand with such speed, that the other occupants of the table were stunned into silence.

Instead of indignation and hurt, a small smirk came onto the girl’s face as she eyed the frowning boy before her. “Ha! At least you haven’t lost your touch.”

Duo released her and giving a small smile of apology to his captive audience, he continued with his ‘work.’

“Are you okay, Relena?” Zechs asked concerned.

The girl smiled and continued with her meal. “Yep! Don’t mind me. I just do that to annoy him sometimes. He hates it when I interrupt his work or anything important. You are going to have a blast getting to know Duo. He is so complex and so strange and so…”

Heero gripped his spoon tightly as Relena rattled off her best friend’s attributes to an admiring Zechs. He could still recall the way he had felt as Duo had picked out the blond boy’s number. A sharp lace of envy and disgust had coursed through his spine and he had wanted nothing more than to rip the smug look of satisfaction on the taller boy’s face. For the next few weeks, Duo and Zechs would be spending time together, learning about each other and Heero was not immune to the looks that had passed between the two boys. Zechs Merquise had fallen under the Duo Maxwell spell and Heero did not like it one bit.

“Heeeeeerooo! Wake up, wake up!” Relena teased lightly. “You zoned out on me back there. Come on, let’s go.”

He lifted his eyes away from his barely touched food and nodded in agreement. “We can go to the students lounge and talk for a while, okay?” Relena continued.

Heero shrugged non-commitally as he got up to throw his food away. A low murmur of ‘wasteful people’ from Zechs’s lips caused him to bang his tray louder than necessary back on the table. Twin depths of icy blue coldness stared at each other in anger, each daring the other in a silent battle.

Relena tried again. “Heero?”

“Hn. Some people should know when to keep their mouths shut, especially when there is no need for them to speak at all.”

Blinks of bemusement went around the table at the words that had come out from the Heero’s  mouth.

“Wha…”

“Let’s go,” Heero commanded softly as he yanked on Relena’s arm and led her out of the area. Relena could only shrug as she was unceremoniously pulled out of the chair.

“Okay…what was that about?” Wufei asked.

Zechs shrugged and got off his seat. “Heero Yuy is a strange boy. I thought you would have figured that out by now.”

Duo shut down his computer and stretched aching muscles. “You said it, partner. I for one should know. The whole damn family is nuts. Let’s go. You coming, Q-man? Wufei?”

“Where are you two going to?” Quatre asked with a tinge of jealousy laced in his voice.

Duo smirked mischievously and draped an arm around the taller boy’s shoulders. “Zechs and I are going to have a powwow in my humble abode. Feel free to join us.”

“No, thanks,” Wufei answered, as he too stood up to empty out his tray. “I have to meet…”

“Wufei has a girlfriend!” Quatre announced suddenly, earning snickers from Duo and Zechs and a very deadly death glare from the Chinese boy. “And her name’s Merian.”

“Thank you, Winner!” Wufei snapped angrily. “I don’t think you needed to announce that!”

“But…”

“Forget it! This is the last time I ever tell you anything about me again! Ever!”

“I am really sorry, Wufei. I thought…”

Duo shook his head as he watched the two boys make their way out of the outdoor cafeteria. He immediately stiffened as he felt Zechs place a hand softly against his hair. “What are you doing?” he asked quietly, although his voice sounded a bit irritated.

Zechs smiled softly and dropped his hand. “That’s okay. I was just trying to brush away a few strands that had fallen loose, that’s all. I am sorry if I have offended you in any way.”

Duo managed a tight smile as he shouldered his backpack. “That’s okay. Just try not to touch it again. I am very protective of it…if you know what I mean.”

The blonde boy nodded. “Of course, I understand. So, shall we head over to your domain?”

“Sure, why the hell not?” came the flippant reply as he shrugged and led the way. Inside, however, Duo Maxwell was a quivering mass of nerves.

It had taken all of his acting skills to hide the painful ache that had filled his groin as soon as the other boy had made his presence known. He had tried to will it away. Had tried to convince himself that he couldn’t possibly have those kind of feelings for a boy he was supposed to hate…and on the first day too! He cursed himself inwardly for even daring to allow that steady, almost cold voice to affect him in such a way. Heero had a way of speaking that always managed to send a tingle of awareness down his spine. Duo could swear that as of now, he would probably be able to recognize that voice anywhere at anytime. He felt that he could probably sense Heero from a mile away.

This is not good at all.

And now…he had to deal with Zechs. Stealing a glance towards the blond, Duo tried hard to dispel the worried emotions that coursed through him. Zechs had not made any effort to hide his sexual preferences, something that the girls in his Psychology class had been very disappointed to learn about. Duo had even noticed Miss. Noin giving him the look, but as soon as class had been over, Zechs had told him straight out and point blank.

“I prefer the male sex…if you know what I mean,” Zechs had said and Duo had shrugged nonchalantly in return. So why then had he felt a sense of relief at that statement? Why did he feel a sense of security in knowing that Zechs swung in that way? He couldn’t possibly be…?

His frown deepened as he remembered the first incident that had caused him to question the whole sexual orientation issue in the first place…and Relena had been there to witness it.

~*~*~*~*

It was the annual Maxwell/Peacecraft Christmas Party and the large mountainside cabin was filled with gaiety and jubilation. Not only were they celebrating the festive holiday, they were also celebrating the multi-billion dollar merger between the two parent companies, and so naturally everyone was in high spirits.

Everyone…except for Relena and Duo.

The two young people sat beneath the evening skies, swinging leisurely on the lounge chairs. Dressed in a cream colored sweater and dark pants, Relena looked calm and collected, while her partner looked dangerously handsome in a black turtleneck sweater and matching pants, his braid glistening brightly in the moonlight. They were both to the point of getting drunk, since they had been drinking nonstop, totally and completely out of boredom. Relena cradled her glass full of eggnog and eyed her dozing friend.

“Hey…wake up, sleepy,” she said, nudging him alert.

Duo jerked up and stared about him wildly. “What? What happened? Is it over yet?”

Relena giggled and drank another gulp, before placing her cup down beside her. Snuggling up to him, she whispered softly into his sweater. “No, handsome. It isn’t over yet. That damn bastard hasn’t made a move on me yet. I hate guys.”

And without thinking, Duo had replied casually. “I like guys.”

Relena, unfortunately, had picked up on it and sitting back up, she stared at her friend with eyes that blazed with excitement and mischief. “I knew it. I knew it all along. So you are gay!”

Duo sputtered into his glass and reached over to cover her mouth with his gloved hands. “Shut up, Relena!” He whispered harshly, his eyes darting around to make sure no one had heard the blunder. “I am not gay, you hear me?!”

Relena yanked his hands away and lowered her voice, although her words still rushed out in earnest. “So if you are not gay…what are you then? Bi?”

Duo blinked. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Idiot. It means that you like both guys and girls. I think that is really cool. I think I might be bi too.”

“Relena!” Duo looked shocked, even though he felt a tinge of anticipation course through him. What if he was? He had not really given his sexual preferences that much of a thought. But now…

“Wanna see if you are or not?”

He snapped out of his reverie to stare at her blankly. “What do you mean?”

Relena leaned forward, her fingers pointing towards someone or something behind him. He spun around sharply to stare at the object of her fascination. Standing a few feet away was one of his father’s employees. Duo couldn’t quite place his name at the moment, but the man was very attractive…and lonely. He was currently leaning against the wooden balcony rails, sipping quietly on his martini. Dressed in tan slacks and a white/black sweater, the man was having a hard time trying to keep his eyes away from the young heir sitting a few feet away. He smiled wanly as he noticed Duo glance at him, raising his glass in a toast. Duo responded, his own smile appearing as he realized that ‘mystery’ man was actually blushing.

“Too cute,” Relena cooed softly, before pushing Duo off the bench. “Go for it, Duo. He is practically begging for it.”

Duo glared at her. “Hey…you don’t see me pushing you off on some other girl now, do you? I will go in my own due time.”

Relena sighed and got up, and before Duo could stop her, she had made her way towards the man. Duo watched with mixtures of dismay and excitement as Relena ‘chatted’ the man up for him. He fiddled with the end of his braid. He drank from his almost empty glass. He tried to ignore the well of fear and anticipation. He had never done it with a guy before. Oh, he wasn’t a virgin, by any means. He had lost that on his sixteenth birthday, courtesy of some very ‘concerned’ friends of his. Damn! He couldn’t even remember her name now.

“Master Duo Maxwell?”

He snapped his head up and was graced with shy dark eyes that begged and longed for permission. Realizing that the man was just as nervous as he was, he smiled brightly and patted the seat next to him. “Have a seat. I am sure we have a lot to talk about.”

And giving the thumbs up to Relena, he set about to do just that.

~*~*~*~*~

Duo fumbled within his bag for his card pass, aware that they had been silent throughout the long walk to the dorms. His thoughts flew again to that first night of …experimentation. He had left with Jason…yep, that was his name. Jason Whittle. He was an up and comer in his father’s computer industry and was quite the hard worker. Duo had found himself talking with the twenty-four-year-old like he was a long lost brother. And there was no doubt that they had felt attracted to one another. Duo wasn’t quite sure about who had initiated the first move. Whoever it was, his first kiss with another man had been quite…

“Damn these stupid things!” he muttered angrily as he fidgeted with the square piece of plastic. He stiffened again as he felt Zechs take the offending card away from his hands gently. Watching as the taller boy slid it through the allotted slot, he felt like an idiot as the green light flashed and the door opened to reveal his not-so-tidy room.

“Must be a lot on your mind for you to have problems opening your door up,” Zechs pointed out quietly as he shut the door behind them. “Do you want to do this some other time?”

Duo tossed his bag across the room and flopped unto the couch in exhaustion. He placed an arm over his eyes and kicked off his shoes. “Nah…” He tried to say, as a loud yawn interrupted him. Gosh! The first part of the day had taken a lot out of him. He lifted his arm slightly to gaze at Zechs, who had now made himself comfortable on a chair. “What?”

 “So…who was he?”

Duo blinked and sat up abruptly, his purple eyes blazing with agitation. “What do you mean?”

Zechs smiled again and nodded calmly before standing up and making his way towards the windows. The late afternoon sun filtered through the windowpanes, bathing the room with a hazy golden glow. The light hit against Zechs’s frame, giving him a sort of god-like glow. If Duo wasn’t already having some turbulent thoughts about some blue-eyed bastard, he would have fallen fast for the blond.

“You doubt yourself, do you not, Duo?” Zechs asked as he spun around to pin those blue depths on the heart-shaped visage before him. “You wonder if you are or if you aren’t, right?”

“Look…I don’t know what you are up to, but…”

A loud knock interrupted his tirade and grateful for the intrusion, he jumped up and ran to open the door.

About to open up his mouth to give an exuberant hello to whoever it was, he snapped it shut just as quickly as he realized who stood on his doorstep. He was angry to find his heart rate increasing. Furious at the way his body refused to cooperate with him as it sprang to attention at the delectable sight….

Whoa! Delectable??

He felt like gagging. But he couldn’t. Not with him…standing just a few inches away from him. Seconds (although it felt like minutes) passed as each boy took in the sight of the other. It was as if they had been rendered incapable of speech and Duo had to lick his lips to find some moisture for his sudden parched throat. Gripping the doorknob with more force than necessary, he finally croaked out.

“What do you want?”

Heero was about to answer, when Duo interrupted coldly. “If you came here to ask for your laptop, then forget it! I haven’t decided to give it back to you…as of right now.”

The brown-haired boy tightened his lips in anger, his passive blue eyes flashing briefly with something akin to hate. “I just came to give you this.”

Duo barely caught the envelope that was thrust at him. “What is this?”

“I don’t know or care. Relena said I ought to give it to you, that is all. Good day.”

With a curt nod, Heero Yuy spun around and made his way down the winding hallway to his own room.

Duo found himself staring at the way Heero’s hips swayed, a small whimper of…need, escaping his lips, as thoughts of thrusting himself against…

“What did he want?”

Flushing in embarrassment at his wanton thoughts, he pushed himself away from the door and turned around sharply to stare at the curious eyes before him.

“Uh…nothing really. He just wanted to give me Relena’s letter. So, let’s get this thing started, shall we?”

Duo motioned for  Zechs to head back into the room as he turned back to close his door, but not before the stray thought of his sudden visitor and what he was up to at the moment flared through his frazzled mind again.

~&~&~&~&~

Heero Yuy prided himself in being cool and collected in matters of great crises. It was a technique that he had watched and learned from his father over the years, a technique that had garnered a lot of praise and admiration from men and women much older than he was. Many had suggested that his lack of female influences in his life had given him such a tough and rough edge. Heero knew better. Odin might have left off dating other women since his mother’s death, at childbirth, but Heero had had a very good motherly replacement. Her name was Martha and she had been Heero’s personal maid/surrogate mother for the better part of his life. He felt he would have gladly died for her at any given moment. He could honestly say that she was the only woman he could ever love.

If Odin had been in charge of Heero’s toughness and grit, then Martha had been in charge of his hidden softer emotions. She was the only one who had seen him cry. She was the only one who knew that he was sensitive in certain areas and that tickling those areas usually sent him howling with laughter. She was the only one who knew his keen love for things that would have made Odin cringe in disgust. She had taught him how to cook and garden, believe it or not. And Martha was the only one who knew that he would never be comfortable in the presence of female affections.

And God help him, if Odin Yuy found that out.

Right now, however, he had to find a way to make it back to his room without stumbling down the hallway. He could still feel Duo’s eyes boring into his back and it was taking all of his concentration and willpower to walk steadily. Left to him, he would not have made the journey to the other boy’s room at all, but Relena had pleaded with him, saying that the letter was extremely important. He had argued, replying that she ought to give it to him the next day, but Relena had turned on the charm to its full strength, causing him to give up the fight. And so with a trepidation that he could not bring himself to explain, he had made the seemingly mile long walk to Duo’s room.

He had practiced and rehearsed his lines carefully. He had planned to initially knock and then drop off the letter on the floor, or possibly push the damn thing beneath the door. Still deciding on what cause of action to take, he had been genuinely shocked at the speed with which the door had opened. He had watched the look of happiness on Duo’s face change to that of surprise and then anger in mere seconds. Heero had kicked himself inwardly at the sear of pain that had gone through him. Had he really hoped that Duo would ever really smile for him?

Wishful thinking…remember your father’s orders.

Yeah, right. He and Duo had already spoken and touched each other on the first day of school. So much for not fraternizing with the enemy. Walking into his room, he shut the door quietly behind him and flopped unto his bed, his eyes burning with anger and want as he glared at the intricate décor above him.

He shifted restlessly, willing the throbbing ache in his groin to disappear. All to no avail. Finally giving up the fight, he reached for his pants and slowly unbuckled his belt. His breath become rapid and harsh as a sudden image of blazing purple depths stared at him. He squeezed his eyes shut and reached into his boxers, brushing against a hardened and ready piece of flesh. Groaning softly, he ran his fingers across the head, noticing that he was already leaking. Arching off his bed, he stroked himself from base to tip, in slow gentle motions, just the way he liked it. Several more images of Duo from their clash at the cafeteria to their confrontation at his doorstep caused his actions to lose their rhythm. He found himself bucking up sharply, the oncoming orgasm threatening to overwhelm his senses. He squeezed his eyes even tighter, allowing the bright sparkles of color to fill his blinded vision. His head swam. He bit his lower lip, tasting the salty metallic taste of his blood.

“Oh, God, yes!”

With a final jerk, he came forcefully, spilling his thick essence against his stomach and hands. He trembled with the aftershocks, his body curling into a fetal position as he tried to steady his heartbeat. Breathing like he had just run a marathon, he swiped his now sweaty bangs away from his forehead, his glazed eyes trying to take in his surroundings.

Kami…it had never been this mind blowing before.

If it was this good going at it alone with just Duo’s image, Heero could only imagine how earth shattering it would be to have the real person right next to him.