See the eagle rise above the open plain

Golden in the morning air

Weaving and soaring

Watchful and protecting

I am your shelter

I will enfold you….

- Riverdance

Five:

Duo popped the sweet-looking doughnut into his mouth as he waved cheerfully to the smiling cook. The large kitchen was bustling with activity as his morning route took him through there and into the main house. By this time, he had acquainted himself with most of the servants and cooks and everyone seemed to welcome the vibrant young man with the loud mouth and the corny jokes. He had even gained a minor fan club as some of the younger maids had made it a point of duty to make themselves very available whenever he was around. This, of course, was not lost on Odin Yuy, who had come walking down the large staircase dressed for work with a wide grin on his handsome features.

“Morning to you, Mr. Maxwell!” He bellowed as he walked up to Duo, giving him an exuberant pat on the back. “Looks like you are getting all the ladies here, hmm? I might have to start charging you for stealing them!”

Duo laughed nervously and tried to hold out his hand for a handshake only to gasp in dismay as the papers in his hand went fluttering to the floor. “Oh...sorry...clumsy me....”

“No, no, let me help. I do this all the time at the office,” came the jovial reply as the older man bent gracefully to pick them up. He handed them over to the clearly surprised young teacher, who had never thought he would see the day a man such as Odin Yuy be so willing to do something so…trivial. Straightening back to his feet, he grinned at the older man with the intention to thank him again, only to still his words as the butler came down the hallway to announce coolly. “The limousine is ready, sir.”

“Ah! Looks like that’s my cue, Mr. Maxwell.”

Duo started and shook his head to recover from his minor daze, only to respond quickly. “Please...call me Duo, sir.”

Odin looked a bit surprised but he gave a good-natured shrug and gave the younger man another slap on the back that had Duo wincing in pain. “Duo it is then! My son is already waiting for you in the den, eh? Good luck to you!”

“Than...thank you, sir,” he muttered softly as he watched the businessman through leave the front door. “God knows, I’m going to need it.”

As Duo began to make his way towards the den, he couldn’t help chuckling a little at how different Odin Yuy was from his son. Both men couldn’t have been any further apart in personalities and to Duo, it was a mystery as to where Heero could have gotten his silent nature from. Hikari, perhaps? No. Duo didn’t think so. Hikari Yuy wasn’t really as rambunctious and loud as Odin but she did have a grace and charm that could have rivaled any member of royalty. Duo could see where Heero might have gotten his stoic nature from. Had Odin been like Heero when he was younger? That possibility seemed feasible, but then again, stranger things had happened.

So deep in his thoughts, Duo found himself bumping into the large oak door that led to the den. Wincing softly at the sharp pain that seared down his spine, he rubbed his forehead with a hand that had begun to tremble.

What in the…?

Was he nervous? Why should he feel this way? It wasn’t as if he was going to teach a classroom full of students that were sent from hell itself. He was only going to teach a boy that…

Only tried to kill me the other day.

Sighing softly, and then taking a deep breath, Duo placed his hand on the doorknob and opened the door carefully. Peeking in, he wasn’t a bit surprised to find Heero already sitting down with a Biology book opened in front of him. He was, however, surprised to see that the boy had glasses on.

“Didn’t know you had those,” he spoke up with a grin as he stepped into the room and placed his books beside Heero’s on the large table. Making himself comfortable in a chair across from him, Duo asked casually. “So, what are you? Long or short-sighted?”

“Obviously, short,” Heero replied calmly as he flipped another page, not really making an effort to lift his gaze from the book. “May we begin classes now? You are five minutes late.”

Duo blinked in genuine surprise and stared at his watch. “No, kidding?! I thought I was five minutes early! Or did you set the clock ahead of time?” he asked with a light frown. He’d had several students do that to him back in the high schools he had taught and looking now at the incredulous look on Heero’s features, he smiled warmly in response – knowing full well that Heero was incapable of doing such a thing.

He hoped.

“I knew you wouldn’t do something like that,” he said as he opened up his notes and ran through them quickly. “Okay. As I had planned for today, we are going to begin with Biology.” Which Duo felt a bit foolish for saying so, since Heero already had the book before him.

He handed over some questions he had prepared for Heero to answer. “There are about a hundred of them and with your super human IQ, I am sure you can answer them quickly, right? You have two hours, starting...now.”

Heero glanced at the questions in bemusement. “Why am I doing this? I thought you were here to teach me.”

“And I am,” Duo replied with a lazy smile that sent Heero’s heart fluttering again. “All this does is gauge where you are right now, so that I know what to teach you and what not to waste your time with. Understand?”

“Ah…ha…hai…”came the flustered reply as Heero picked up his pen with hands that shook slightly. Hoping that Duo wouldn’t notice just how much his presence affected him, Heero placed a scowl on his features and struggled hard to concentrate on the work at hand. The questions were relatively simple and he could answer them in less than the time given, but to his dismay he realized that he couldn’t concentrate without stealing a glance every now and then towards the man sitting before him. Duo had decided to dress in a simple white dress shirt that had its two top buttons undone, revealing that slightly bronzed expanse of flesh that made Heero want to reach out and touch it. The dark pair of jeans he had noticed earlier hadn’t done much to hide the lean strength within the slender thighs and hips. He groaned weakly and closed his eyes for a brief second to gather his scattered wits. Why did Duo insist on being so close? Why couldn’t the teacher sit in the designated seat that had been assigned to him? Careful eyes watched each movement that the braided man made, as if memorizing it for future reference.

The teacher was currently reading a newspaper, but instead of the traditional way of holding it up to one’s face, the young man had it placed on the table. In a move that was almost childish, he pointed out the words and began to mouth them to himself. If Heero didn’t know any better, he would have sworn that Duo was learning how to read all over again. He didn’t know why this little action seemed…endearing to him, but Duo looked so…

“Done yet?”

Heero blinked and blushed in embarrassment before hastily returning his gaze back to the book with a light shake of his head. Duo stared at the lowered head with a light frown of bemusement before focusing his attention back to the paper. If he was to find a job that would be able to bring in good money after he was fired from here, he would have to start looking ahead. He turned the page over and ran his thumb over the ads for work. There was hardly anything for teachers and this made him feel even more depressed than before. With a heavy sigh, he placed his chin in his palm and stared out of the large window with a wistful expression on his handsome features.

He had already fallen in love with his new home and surroundings. There was an air of surrealism and escape from all the hardships and turmoil of his life back in the city. While, he had lived the better part of his teenage years running around like a homeless church rat with no one to turn to or look up to, he had finally found a place where he could do the things he really loved with no feelings of obligations to anyone or anything. If and when he was fired, he was going to miss this place like nothing before.

So engrossed was he, in his thoughts, that the sound of Heero scraping his chair backwards had him jumping alert in surprise.

“Is…is everything all right?” he asked with a hint of worry in his tone as he noticed that Heero’s face was even redder than before. Was the boy coming down with something?

“Are you sure you are all right? You look kinda…flushed.” And on reflex (something he had done when dealing with sick elementary school children), he placed a hand on Heero’s forehead to check his temperature. “Hmmm…you do have a fever of sorts. I recommend…”

“Get your hands off me!” Heero cried out sharply, although it was a bit unsteady as he slapped Duo’s hand away. His breathing was coming out rather harshly now and he felt as if he would explode with an emotion he could not describe. “Don’t…don’t you dare touch me!!”

Duo was more than stunned at the sudden turn of events. “But…Heero…I was just…”

“Don’t! Okay?! Just don’t touch me!!!” came the shrill reply from the clearly shaken young man and before Duo could give a suitable reply, the bespectacled boy spun on his heels and ran out of the room leaving the young teacher gaping after him in shock and dismay.

What…what did I do? Does he have an aversion to people touching him?

He rose to his feet – his intent, to chase the boy down and make him talk, one way or another. There was something clearly wrong with Heero and Duo was determined to find out what it was. But as he made his way out of the door, he almost bumped into the slender form of the maid, whom he had come to know as being Heero’s personal assistant. With concern etched on her features, the young woman gave an apologetic bow and spoke up quietly. “Please forgive Master Heero. He has not been himself lately…”

“Doesn’t he like people touching him? I mean…all I wanted to do was find out his temperature. I placed a hand against his forehead and he freaked out on me.” He ran his fingers through his bangs, wondering why the situation was turning out to be so frustrating. “Will he be okay?”

Yuzuki gave a soft sigh and another small nod. “He will be fine, sir. He is just extremely shy and does not readily accept others being too…close to him…”

“Ah…well, uh…I guess I will just wait here until he gets himself together then,” Duo replied with a small, but warm and encouraging smile. “Just tell him that I want to apologize and that I’ll be here until he is ready to come down again, okay?”

Watching the maid leave, Duo shut the door softly and leaned against it with a heavy moan. This was definitely not the way he had planned on starting his lessons with the younger boy. He just hoped he hadn’t made the situation even worse than before.

Heero slammed the bedroom door shut behind him and slid to the floor in a boneless heap. His body trembled and shook uncontrollably as he for his glasses to toss them aside. He hurriedly wiped the stray tears that had begun to slide down his cheeks.

Just one touch. Just one measly touch and he was already such a mess. He sobbed helplessly, cursing his ill luck to be head over heels for someone he barely even knew. With legs that wobbled slightly, he slid into the welcoming comforts of his bed and curled himself up into a tight ball, never wanting to come out until Duo was gone.

Gone away from his mind, his heart…his life.

He ignored the knock on the door and the pleading voice of Yuzuki behind it as his mind churned with plans. He would have to do something that would want to make Duo wish to quit voluntarily. He would have to make Duo hate him so much that he would not be able to go on. For Heero knew without a doubt that he would be unable to function with the braided man being around him.

“He didn’t show up? Geez…that’s bad. What the hell did you do to him, Duo?”

“I told you all I did was just touch his freaking forehead! It wasn’t as if I tried to rape him or something!”

“Duo, Duo, Duo…haven’t you learned anything from your escapades at Morton High?”

The teacher groaned. “Sheesh…don’t remind me. Heeeeeey, wait a sec…I didn’t do anything there!”

“Exactly!”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t do anything and what happened? You still got accused of trying to sleep with the girls!”

“What are you trying to tell me, Wufei?”

“What I’m trying to tell you, Einstein, is that you don’t just go around touching people. I know you are a touchy-feely kind of guy, but trust me on this one. You are in the big leagues now. If that kid goes telling mommy and daddy that the teacher touched him…think of what’s going to happen, Duo.”

The teacher winced at the notion. “Do I even want to?”

“Precisely. Not only will your ass get fired; I’m positive that they will make sure you never work on this fucking planet again.”

“Wow…where have you been all my life, Wufei? With advice like that, who needs a shrink?”

“Or maybe the kid just has a crush on you.”

The bottle of water Duo had been ready to raise to his lips fell to the floor at the blatant sentence. Holding the phone a little bit tighter against his ear, he muttered out harshly. “Shut the fuck up, Wufei!”

“Hmmm…or is it the other way around?” Wufei continued with a smirk that could be heard over the line.

“I said…!”

“Yeah, yeah. I heard you. You said shut the hell up. What does he look like anyway?”

“Like a boy,” came the sharp retort that was laced with irritation.

“Specifics, man. Give me specifics,” Wufei prodded, knowing just how much the situation was annoying to his friend.

Inwardly cursing the Chinese man in every language he knew, he sat down heavily on the bed and closed his eyes. The image of the solemn teenager filled his mind and without really thinking, he began to describe Heero as best he could.

“He is about shoulder height, has chocolate...well looks like chocolate-colored hair that looks as if he never combs it. He has...blue eyes...well...kinda blue...no...more like piercing blue. You know those kinds of eyes that look as if they can tell every single thing about your soul or something.” The teacher gave a small unconscious sigh as he stared out of his window and into the fading evening light. “He’s a smart kid. You can tell he’s smart and that he doesn’t really need someone to teach him in that way. I think his problem comes from something...inside, you know? It’s like...he has every damn thing he could possibly want in life, but yet he is so...unhappy. I can feel it, Wufei. It’s like he’s crying out for help and no one wants to listen to him.”

A long silence followed Duo’s words and for a moment the braided man was sure that his friend had fallen asleep on him. “Wu...Wufei? Are you still there?”

“Are you in love with him?”

Duo sat upright, slack-jawed and in disbelief. “What...what the hell is that supposed to mean?! How can I be in love with someone younger than I am, who is my student and a bastard all in one?! Are you crazy?!”

Wufei sighed and shrugged lightly. “You sound like you are, that’s all.”

“I sound like I am?!”

“Hello? You should have listened to yourself when you were describing him, Duo. That is not the way an ordinary teacher speaks about his student. It just sounded to me like you are developing some kind of feelings for him.”

“Yeah…pity.”

“I doubt he needs it, Duo.”

The braided man sighed heavily and laid back on a pillow. Groaning weakly, he asked quietly. “What do I do now, Wufei? How do I teach him?”

Duo felt he could hear the smile on the other end of the line. “Do what you are best at, Duo Maxwell. He might be smarter than you when it comes to the books, but when it comes to teaching about the human heart and spirit...you my friend are the best teacher there is.”

Duo felt a ridiculous sting of tears fill his eyes at the words and he tried to laugh it off. “You are such an asshole, Wufei.”

“And I love you too, man. Take it easy, alright?”

“I will...and don’t forget to invite Meiran along with you next weekend.”

“Will do. I will send her your love.”

“Thanks. Oh and Wufei...”

“Yeah...”

Duo blushed and muttered quickly. “Sometimes...sometimes I wish you and I could have been more than just friends. Hey, thanks for everything, buddy. I owe you one.” And not waiting for the Chinese man’s reply, he hung up the phone and stared blindly at the ceiling for the better part of the night.

The next morning found Duo staring at an empty seat before him. He gave a small frown and began to pace the large room with hands stuck in his pockets. His mind raced with thoughts on what could have happened to Heero. He shook his head and gave a small sigh of exasperation. How was he to prove himself to the Yuys when Heero was planning on making things extremely difficult for him?

“I will just give him one more hour and then…and then if he doesn’t come down here, I am out of here for the day. Who gives a fuck what happens to him? The ungrateful bastard.”

But as much as he tried to talk his way out of feeling concerned or worried, he still couldn’t help feeling as if he had failed - and in some major way as well. It was just their second day, but Duo wanted to see some progress in the right direction.

“Heero…” came the softly whispered words. “Why won’t you talk to me…?”

A light knock on the den door had him almost racing towards it in eager anticipation. Perhaps Heero had changed his mind and had decided to come down for classes after all. He refused to understand why his heart rate had quickened at just the thought of seeing the boy again. Attributing it to his need to please the other and to make Heero become more comfortable around him, he placed a winning smile on his face and opened up the door.

“Heero…”

“Oh…Mr. Maxwell…I didn’t mean to interrupt your class…”

Duo gaped in surprise at the petite female in front of him, his smile wavering. What was she doing here? She had never come down to the den before. Why now? “Mrs. Yuy? I thought…? I thought you were…at the gym…?”

The mistress of the house was still dressed in a form-fitting black bodysuit and white sneakers that she usually wore whenever she left for her daily workout, but she didn’t look as if she had been doing much. If anything, the woman looked rather distraught and close to tears. And before Duo could blink or make a move, she threw herself into his arms and began to sob helplessly.

What the…?

Duo could only wrap his arms around her tightly, offering as much comfort as she needed. He didn’t understand what was going on, but one thing was for sure, he had no intentions of letting the woman go until she had cried herself out of her misery.

But in his quest to be the nice guy, not once did it occur to him that their rather compromising position would look quite suspicious to a pair of curious eyes that watched the couple from within one of the many shadows that filled the large house.