Disclaimers found in part 1

Timeless Obsession

Part 3

Duo Maxwell was on his way for breakfast when an abandoned newspaper's headline caught his eye.

MUTILATED BLOODLESS CORPSE FOUND!! it read.

Duo picked it up out of morbid curiosity and proceeded to read the article.

"Late last night, the body of a prostitute was found utterly mutilated.
Police kept the details classified, but word had leaked out that the
amount of blood was too little for the carnage found.  While one
theory speculates that the woman had been killed elsewhere and
moved, forensics has already proven that the murder took place
in the alley. 

"Maybe it was a vampire," said a low and emotionless voice, startling Duo.

"Shit!!" Duo whirled and looked at the person who managed to sneak up on him, hand at his chest trying to keep his racing heart from beating out of it.

"Sorry."

"God, Clarence...I didn't even hear you!"

Clarence just stood there with a hint of a smile.

Duo recovered before looking back at the article.  "A vampire, huh?  How in the world do you speculate that? There's no mention of a bite wound."  He tilted his head to the side, an amused grin on his face.

Clarence gave Duo half a grin.  "Well, they did mention a lack of blood.  Where else did it go?"

Duo made a face.  "Maybe they stored it for black market blood sales?"

"That would be an interesting idea."

"So why vampires?"

Clarence shrugged his shoulder.  "Seeing you in black reminded me of them."

Duo rolled his eyes.  "Why am I surprised?  It's not like I haven't heard any jokes about that these past few months."  Well, in actuality, Duo was exaggerating.  Only once did someone make a comment about him going around as a little vampire.  It wasn't a compliment, and it was definitely borderline insult judging by the tone of the guy's voice.  He didn't remember much, but Quatre had made some scathing comment about IQ and jealousy that left the guy silent and red as a beet as the rest of the class laughed at him.

Clarence stared at Duo.  "I've heard a few comments, too.  But not because of the way I dress."

Duo felt like squirming.

The way Clarence had looked at him made him feel like a large piece of meat laid out in front of a hungry wolf.

Clarence smirked again as he leaned over Duo.  "Imposing seems to be one attribute.  But I hope not." His arm draped across Duo's shoulders.  "Why don't you join me for a bite?"

"Wh-what?"

Clarence grinned.  "Breakfast. My treat."

"Oh, uh, okay."  Duo gave the guy a nervous grin.  

Chills ran up his back as Clarence squeezed his shoulder and led him towards the cafeteria.  

Is this lust? his Wufei voice started up again.

No...

Duo glanced up at Clarence and was slightly disturbed to see that Clarence continued looking at him as if he were an interesting specimen.  He could feel his cheeks growing hot.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked softly, wanting to pull away, at the same time fearing to do so.

"I don't know," Clarence responded.  "I just like doing so."

His hand slid up Duo's shoulder, resting on the collar bone.  His thumb brushed against his neck, and Duo forced himself to supress another shudder.  Maybe this guy was just super friendly.

And maybe you are, once again, in denial.

No! I can't be gay.  There is absolutely no way I can suddenly find myself thinking about two guys at the same time! Can I?

Duo froze as Clarence raised his other hand and tweaked his chin.

"You look adorable when you're all contemplative like that.  You must really be a heartbreaker."

Duo gave a nervous grin, feeling himself blush once again, and hating himself for it at the same time.  He turned his head and stared at the floor, heart pounding.

What on earth is wrong with me?

For once, the inner voice was silent.

X

 Heero had been settling down at his chair, ready to eat, when Wufei volunteered him into stepping outside to see if Duo was on his way.  

"He's your roomate now, isn't he?"

Heero, feeling slightly rebellious at the "order," almost demanded that Quatre go out instead.  That was until he saw how Trowa and Quatre looked at each other when they sat down.  

He frowned.  

He knew most opinions of him had people thinking that he was oblivious to emotions.  But having experienced a normal life now, Heero's eyes had been opened to a great number of things.  For instance, the way Quatre and Trowa kept looking at each other looked an awful lot like new-in-love couples that tend to hang all over each other and suck out their tongues.  He doubted that the blond and brunette performed such action, because they also acted like they were dancing around each other.

"Oh, for crying out loud," he muttered, standing  up.  

Trowa and Quatre gave him a confused look.  Judging by Wufei's smirk, Heero figured that the Chinese man must have figured out a similar thing.

Stepping outside, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.  The air was nice and crisp, making him feel all rejuvenated.  He opened his eyes and all relaxation went flying out the window.

Duo was heading his way.

With that guy named Clarence.

They certainly looked like close  friends...figuratively and literally.

Watching Clarence leaning against Duo like that was making his stomach hurt.  He didn't quite understand why.  Feeling the way he was feeling made him annoyed, so he spun around and stormed back in.

"Well?" asked Wufei, when he got back to the table.

"He's with someone else," Heero responded, sullenly.

"That's too bad," Quatre said, disappointed that their group wouldn't all be there for once.

Wufei glanced at Heero, a contemplative and amused look on his face.  He had caught the tone of Heero's voice.  

During their stay at the university, he had noticed that each pilot was slowly sliding into a normal life.  Trowa talked more, Quatre seemed more relaxed, Duo was really shining, and had finally stopped referring to himself as Shinigami, he himself never realized how much he missed his scholarly ways... and Heero was steering towards a head-on collision with hormones and emotions.

The idea alone was cause enough for amusement.

The merriment only lasted so long.

He spotted Duo walking in with a person.  At a quick glance, one could almost swear it was Heero...but the hair was a bit longer and looking a lot more unkempt, he was a head taller than Duo...and there was something about the vibes he seemed to be emitting that seemed... negative.

"That's who Duo is hanging out with?" asked Quatre, obviously shocked, voice low to keep others from overhearing.

"Hai," replied Heero, stabbing at his eggs with a fork.

"But that's...Winters!" said Quatre, as if the name alone was enough to warrant his surprise.

Heero gave him a sharp glance.

Duo walked past them, offering just a smile and a wave of his hand as Clarence practically led him to the cafeteria's line.  Wufei raised an eyebrow when he saw how Clarence had his arm around Duo's shoulders.  A moment later, the arm dropped, and he could have sworn his hand just slid along Duo's side, hip, and ass before dangling at his side.

The odd look Duo gave Clarence suggested that it wasn't Wufei's imagination.  

The sudden visciousness that Heero attacked his breakfast with also informed Wufei that Heero had been watching.

Quatre, who couldn't see what had happened, lowered his voice some more.  "He's in my math class... and is about the most anti-social person you can ever meet.  I mean, Heero looks like a wild party animal next to him!"

The three ex-pilots raised their eyebrows.

Quatre continued talking.  "He's like...he's like... I don't know.  I wouldn't want to be near him with sharp objects present."

"Dangerous," Heero muttered.

Quatre remained silent for a moment.  "Um, no... more like...sinister."  Then he looked guilty.  "But...but that was just an impression.  Maybe Winters is a nice guy.  I mean, for him to have enough patience to hang around with Duo...I mean, not that Duo isn't a great person or anything, it's just, well, Duo's personality is pretty strong to take in all in one dose on a first meeting..."

Heero snorted.

"I...well, Heero threatened to kill Duo once, I wouldn't be surprised if Winters actually tried!"

"Hi!" chirped a cheery voice.

The four pilots turned around to see Duo standing at the end of their table.  "You don't mind if a new guy joins us, do you?"  

Winters stood next to him, holding a tray with food.  His expression was  definitely not amicable.  

And his scowl was unbelievably more fearsome than Heero on a bad day.

But Duo didn't seem to notice. Either that or he was already use to it.

"Uh, no, we don't mind," said Quatre, trying to be positive.  He smiled at Winters and stood up to offer a hand.  "Quatre Raberba Winner."

Clarence looked down at the tray and then back at Quatre, narrowing his eyes.

Quatre immediately pulled his hand back, as if burned.  His face flushed a slight pink hue.  "Oh, sorry.  I, uh, anyhow, welcome."  He sat down and let out a rush of air.

Duo, in the meantime, sat next to Heero and patted the empty seat on his other side.  "Right here, Clarence.  Anyhow, these are my friends, Heero Yuy and Trowa Barton, who you sort of met already in class, Chang Wufei, or Wufei Chang for us Americans, um, and Quatre just introduced himself."  He turned and practically beamed at Clarence.

It was as if a switch had been pulled.  There was a serene look on the taller boy's face as he nodded once.  "A pleasure to meet you," he said, sounding sincere.  

Then he leaned closer to Duo and whispered something through smiling lips.

Duo glanced down , cheeks turning pink. He almost looked shy, with a small touch of confusion.  "Um, maybe tomorrow," he said softly.

Wufei, Quatre, and Trowa were curious to know what had just passed between them.

Heero, however, had been close enough to hear...

"Although...I was hoping we would have breakfast alone to get to know each other. I would really like to get the chance to do that...Duo."

His plastic fork had snapped in his hands at Duo's reply.

Wufei spared him a glance.  It would have been funny if it weren't for the new guy.

"Heero!" Duo exclaimed, upon hearing and seeing the broken fork.  "Here, I have an extra one."

Duo smiled at Heero as he gave him a spare fork.

Heero almost smiled back, taking the fork, fingers brushing against Duo's hand.

If anything, Duo's blush got slightly darker as he briefly stared at Heero, slowly pulling his hand back.

"Thank you," Heero said, softly.

"You're welcome," Duo responded, sounding stunned.

Quatre, Wufei, and Trowa glanced at each other when Clarence threw a murderous look at Heero.

It was gone the instant Duo turned to give Clarence an unsure smile.

X

Quatre was clutching at his chest as he stepped out into the open air.  "Not to exaggerate or anything, but I thought the tension was going to suffocate me!" he exclaimed, shifting the bag on his shoulders.

Trowa nodded.  "I don't understand Duo's attempt to befriend him."

"Maybe he just likes the challenge?"  Seriously... there were times that Quatre had to admit he had no idea of how Duo thought.  He was one of the most complex people he had ever met.

Trowa shook his head.  "We'll be late," he said, changing the subject.

Quatre nodded.  "See you after class." With that, the blonde boy took off as the brunette calmly walked to opposite way.

X

Duo sat down next to Wufei as other students began to fill up the chairs.

"Interesting friend," Wufei grunted.

"Oh, um, yeah," said Duo, sheepishly.  "Look, I know he isn't the most friendly of guys..."

That's an understatement! exclaimed the inner Wufei.

"That's an understatement," muttered the real one.

Duo made a face.  "And he seems a bit odd..."

All touchy feely odd....

"But, well, I guess he must be lonely...cause I didn't  exactly seek him out.  He actually spoke to me.  Well, after I ran into him. But then again. . . well, he's nice to me."

A little too nice.

Shut-up...

Wufei nodded.  "If you say so."

The two remained silent as they pulled out pencils and paper.

"Any plans for tonight?" Wufei suddenly asked.

Duo nodded.  "I hear Stevens is out of ICU, so..."

"Who's taking you?"

"Quatre."

The professor entered the room and everybody began to quiet down.

Class was soon underway.

X

Heero wasn't paying attention in class.

His thoughts were focused on Duo and the Winters character.

He didn't like the fact that Duo was trying to be Winters's friend.

Winters seemed like bad news, and if the war was still going on, he would have been a potential OZ spy.

Duo. . .

At first, he had been told that he and Duo were polar opposites.

Comparing him to Clarence proved that he was just somewhere in the middle.

Heero shook his head, and tried to focus on the instructor.

Duo...

X

Eyelids fluttered and a soft moan escaped swollen and wet lips.  Demanding kisses trailed down his face and neck, making their way to his chest.  Hands slid across his fevered skin, raising goosebumps.  The slid around his waist, lifting him up.

A gasp was heard as something hard forced its way into him.  The hands lifted him up, his own wait impaling him even more.

The firm body beneath him began to move, raising a strong desire and need in him. Sweat began to trickle down the sides of his temples, and his back.

The playful nips became sharper, but it didn't matter.

The thrusts became more brutal, bit that didn't matter either.

His body shuddered as it reach completion.

He felt himself being lowered so lovingly down onto the bed.

Hands ghosts across his stomach, smearing his fluids all about.  Fingers pressed hard against his stomach, kneeding the flesh.  Nails scraped along the skin, leaving white marks that then turned red, before fading back to his skin color.

They began to press deeper.

X

Nurse Jacobs loved her job.  She liked watching people recover from near deaths and critical conditions.  She cherished each recovery, which fortunately outnumbered the ones that didn't recover.

Stevens, for example, came in with heavy blood loss.  His condition was definitely critical.  But with some transfusions, things were definitely coming out for the better.  

She made her way to his room, with some chocolates hidden in her pockets.

Stevens liked chocolate.  

And it was Nurse Jacob's belief that if a patient got something they liked, it helped them head towards a  speedy recovery.

The nurse pushed the door opened and peered inside.

Everything was silent.

Odd.

Maybe Stevens went to sleep.

But still... none of the equipment was making a sound.

Stepping further in, Jacobs could see that the equipment had been turned off.

None of the lights were on.

She flipped the light switch on.

And screamed.

tbc