Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Reputations ❯ part 2 ( Chapter 2 )

WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER: AU, shounen-ai, and masturbation!

REPUTATIONS

PART TWO

* * *

The incident in the locker-room answered quite a few questions for Duo, but rose even more than it answered. He became much more fascinated by the quiet and introvert boy. He didn't know if it was pity, sympathy or just plane curiosity, but he did know that he couldn't get Heero out of his mind. He found himself wanting to protect the oh so fragile blue-eyed boy. He found himself doing anything in his power to keep Jack and the guys away from him.

He would send Heero notes, in secret of course, advising him where NOT to go on recess, so he won't bump into The Gang. He helped Heero whenever he could afford to do it, without Jack or the guys knowing, and without seeming too soft or anything. For instance, once he was late to class, running like mad down the hallways (for if he would be late, they will use it against him- calling him a troublemaker and all), and he heard someone shout and push someone else against the lockers. When he rounded the corner, he saw Heero, just getting up after being knocked down, and bending down painfully to collect his books. No one was around, and the abuser was long gone, so he helped Heero out with his books.

Things of this sort happened often, but they were just brief incidents, fleeting like the wind. He never spoke to Heero, not lengthily, and when he was around the boy, he would always worry about being seen by someone. He knew that Heero must have sensed that, and that's why he too didn't try to be overly friendly with Duo. He polite at times, sometimes even cold and angry. Duo couldn't really blame him. Why, he would feel the same if he were in his shoes.

Now, sitting in physics class, Duo leaned over the table, pillowing his head in his arms. He hated physics! He had already studied all this shit last year, but still he didn't get it. And there was a mid-term test the next week, and there was no fucking way he'll pass! And if he'll fail... he could already see Joanna and the principal fuss all over it!

Sighing, Duo turned his head a little and sneaked a peek in Heero's direction, two chairs to his right. Jack was skipping school today, so Duo was very alone and very bored. He wondered how Heero managed to sit alone every day in every class. He was probably bored out of his mind!

Suddenly, Duo had a thought. He grinned to himself, sitting up. He took out a pen and paper and began writing. Once he was done, he folded the paper into an airplane and then threw it away, aiming at Heero.

The sharp end of the plane hit the poor boy in the back of the head and Heero jumped up, gasping quietly. A few chuckles were heard around and someone mumbled "Good one, Duo!". Duo's smile faded as Heero sent him a glare, but he gestured to him with his hand to open it up.

Heero, who was half surprised and half angry, picked up the paper plane from the floor and opened up the folds. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw he had received a note from Duo. The braided boy didn't send him notes for quite some time now, and even then they weren't THIS long.

Sitting up properly, hands trembling a little and heart beginning to beat faster, Heero read the letter.

Heya Heero! Wussup?! I am soooooo bored, and I was just wondering if you are too.

I'm sorry I didn't write to you in a while. Don't be angry or anything, but I think that Jack suspects something is up, so I thought I keep low profile for a while. I'm sorry if it sounds bad, but the last thing we need is Jack out for both our necks. At least this way, I can somehow help you. Oh, by the way- stay away from the cafeteria this recess, the guys are planning this big stunt on Elbert's friends and I don't think it's a good idea for you to be there.

Hmm... what else can I write to you? I've done some thinking (yeah, I do that sometimes) and I figured that we never actually spoke to each other. I would like to do it sometime... don't you? I mean, I don't want to be pushy or anything, but do you think we can meet sometime? Hey! I got a great idea! We have a physics test together, and I really have to pass this one, so maybe... maybe you can help me. Ya know, after school and stuff. No one will have to know. It'll be great! Let me know, okay? But not during class, because... well, you know.

Hm, I think that's all I have to say for now... catch ya later, man.

Duo.

Heero squashed the letter with his fist in anger. He could feel Duo's shocked gaze on him, but he didn't return it. How dare he write this kind of letter to him! He never had a friend in his life, but he did know that real friends don't worry about 'being caught' speaking with him! If Duo was so worried about Jack and The Gang and what they think of him, then he better go and stay with them!

Chk! Using him for his physics test! No way he was going to let THAT happen. What was Duo thinking, that just because he helped him here and there, he'd be grateful for this offer of friendship and jump happily into his arms?! Why should he? Duo might have helped him in the hallway a few times, but it was only when no one was around to see. If such things happened while people were around, especially The Gang, Duo would turn his back on him and do absolutely nothing! He didn't need a friend of that sort. He was better off alone.

But then again, Duo was the only one who had noticed him and helped, if only a little. He was the only one who seemed to care, even if it wasn't truly genuine. He was the only one who ever shook his hand... touched him... spoke to him...

No! He might have little pride, but he will hang onto that last shred as hard as he can. He will NOT let Duo have his way with him too!

Heero squashed the paper again and threw it at Duo.

* * *

"Hey, Duo! Where ya goin'?!" Jack called down the hallway as he saw Duo was heading to the opposite direction from he and The Gang.

The braided boy turned to him with half a grin. "Lunch Duty, remember?!"

"Oh! Yeah! Guess I forgot! Well, I'll see later then!" The tall red headed boy called and waved a half-hearted goodbye. He then turned to the rest of the guys and they went off somewhere, laughing.

Duo sighed heavily, stomping his way to the cafeteria. Jack always forgets what he tells him. It's like he's not even listening. Like he doesn't care. But best buds are supposed to care, no? Was Jack his best bud? He was nothing like Solo was, but still... he was his friend, right? They did a lot of fun things together. Sure, he sometimes got Duo into trouble, and therefore made Joanna pissed as hell and ground him to his room for days on end, but still, Jack was always there when he came back. The Gang was always there.

He was part of The Gang. An important part. They needed him in The Gang. Why, without him they would never have been able to break into Old Pete's Liquor store that Friday night. Without his excellent lock picking skills, they wouldn't have had their booze for the night! And a car, who had a car besides him? Who knew how to drive one? It was he who had 'borrowed' Joanna's car for the weekend. It was he who didn't rat on the boys when the principal came back to school the next Sunday and found it covered with graffiti, and found the graffiti in Jack's locker. Duo had taken the blame for that one. He was sure Jack appreciated it. He did, right?

Right?

Again Duo sighed, shaking his head. Too much thinking wasn't good for him. It made him see things he would rather ignore.

He pushed open the cafeteria door and stumbled into the large kitchen. The Lunch Lady was already waiting for him.

"Good, you're here. Put your apron on, hun, yer gonna need it." She spat and threw him his uniforms. As Duo put the rag and smelly shirt on, scowling at the hat, the old lady showed him the kitchen, pointing at various things.

"Sink, oven, fridge, window. You serve, you clean and then you go home happy. I want the place SPARKLING when you're done. Not a CRUMB around." She turned to glare at the smaller boy. "Is that clear?"

Duo swallowed. "Yes ma'am."

"Good." She continued walking. "The pots and pans are here, and the deep fry there. You have to disinfect EVERYTHING after lunch, and use gloves. Another student will assist you; he's already here and working. Get to it!"

Duo sighed and nodded his head. "Where do I start?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Just pick one! And I better not hear you made trouble, boy, or it's off to detention with you!"

And with that, she left, leaving poor and frustrated Duo behind.

He always skipped Lunch Duty in his old school, but this time, he couldn't afford it. If only to please Joanna...

Sighing, he grabbed his hat, gloves and walked deeper into the kitchen, looking for his, um, 'cell mate'.

He was surprised when he saw who it was.

Heero was huddled in front of a large portable table on wheels, loading it with small plates of jelly. His back was facing Duo, and so he didn't see him as he slowly approached.

Duo smiled to himself, happy to be able to be alone with Heero, where no one could see them or blame him for being with the boy. After all, he was stuck on Lunch Duty...

As he approached the busy Heero, he reached up a hand and rested it on the boy's shoulder. The reaction was immediate. Heero flinched, gasped and dropped one bowl of jelly.

Duo drew back, covering his mouth with his hand. "I'm sorry! Heero! Jeez, sorry... I'll help ya clean up!" He hurried to say, already doing so. "I didn't mean ta scare ya!" He apologized while cleaning.

Heero looked down at the figure crouching down on the floor, shock written all over his face. It took him a few seconds to get his breathing and thinking straight.

"D-Duo, wha--what are you doing here?"

"Same as you." The braided boy announced, standing back up, cleaning his hands. "Lunch Duty." He smiled as he read the utter surprise in Heero's eyes.

"With--- with me?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure, why not?"

Heero looked away, hands fidgeting. "Wouldn't you rather... play hokey?"

Duo frowned. "Well, yeah, but... I have to stay."

"Oh." Heero let out, still refusing to meet his eyes. "Well, you're the first one who ever did..." He mumbled, turning back to his work.

Again Duo frowned. He should have figured why Heero was surprised. It wasn't because he came, it was because he came. He guessed that no one wanted to be paired up with Heero, and that made him feel sad and angry at the same time. Now he was sure he wouldn't skip ONE Lunch Duty for the whole week he had to do it. He will NOT let Heero do all the work by himself!

* * *

It was a challenge, he had to admit, but after four days of Lunch Duty, he had finally managed to get Heero to speak with him, if only a few words. The boy didn't seem to trust him much, but as time went by, they got along pretty well. Duo was enjoying every minute of it. Every minute that he could indulge his eyes in the sight of Heero, working around the kitchen, being so close to him while they cleaned and scrubbed and sparkled everything around.

He had discovered that Heero was actually quite an interesting person to speak with. He had this cynical sense of humor that came out just at the right times, and amused him greatly. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, it was always to interesting and to the point. He never said anything stupid or unnecessary. And while it was hard to find a mutual topic of conversation, they managed somehow. One thing for sure, Duo had learned A LOT that week. A lot of things he never thought of, whole new views on life he never encountered. It was interesting, and it passes the time.

Also during that time, Duo couldn't help his growing attraction to the Japanese boy. After two whole hours a day, watching the pretty boy bend, sweat and scrub, Duo had a hard time controlling his hormones. At first he had denied those feelings, the aching between his legs each time he recapped his time with Heero in the kitchen, but there was no denying what his body wanted. It wanted Heero. But the other boy was not in a condition to face such facts. And so was Duo. He would just settle on lonely nights in his dark room, his hand around his cock and Heero on his mind. It would take him at least two hours of masturbation before he could finally go to sleep.

Now, at their fifth day of Lunch Duty, Duo was walking down the school's corridors towards the cafeteria, humming to himself. He couldn't wait to see Heero again. He had such a cool dream last night, one of those dreams you just KNOW that they have to mean something, but can't figure it out, and he knew Heero was just the right person to help him. Plus, he couldn't wait to look into those deep blue oceans once more. He could drown in them any day...

Being busy in his little fantasy, Duo didn't notice when a hand grabbed him by the shoulder from behind. He gasped and whirled around, staring straight into Jack's laughing black eyes.

"Jesus man! You scared the shit out of me!" Duo yelled.

Jack grinned deviously. "What's the matter, Max, dreaming 'bout yer boyfriend..?"

Duo's eyes shot wide open. "Wha-wha-what?!" He choked.

"Relax! Kidding!" Jack clamed him with a mirthful chuckle. "Gee, who stuck a stick up yer ass, ehy?"

"N---no one..." He mumbled, blushing.

But Jack missed it for he was pulling something out of his gym bag. "Listen man, me and the guys had this great idea. It totally ROCKS!"

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What kind of an idea?" He was getting a bad feeling about this...

The mischievousness look returned into Jack's sparkling eyes. "Well, since yer so caught up 'bout doin' Lunch Duty 'n all, we thought we could make somet'in out of it..."

"Something out of it?"

Jack grinned, handing Duo a small round container. "Yeah, we thought 'bout adding a REAL surprise into the 'Tuna Surprise'..."

Duo gasped, eyes wide. "You're kidding!"

Jack laughed, shoving the container into Duo's limp hands. "Think about it, man! It'll be the greatest prank EVER! People will freak! Everybody will be talking about it for WEEKS. They'll be talking 'bout you man! YOU!"

"Yeah, but..." Talking about him? Will it make him be more popular? Will it make The Gang see him as a REAL important part of them? Did he really want them to?

"But shmut, man! This is yer chance!"

"But... but the Tuna... that's Heero's duty..." Duo managed to mumble an excuse.

"Yeah, so what? Just sneak it past him or something! I'm sure ya can. 'Sides. What da ya care 'bout him? Eh?"

Duo cursed himself for blushing. He turned his gaze down to the floor. "I-I don't care. Don't give a f-fuck about him..."

Jack scowled, looking down at the shorter boy. With one swift movement, he grabbed the boy by his long braid and pullet his head up at him, their faces so close their noses nearly touched.

"Listen, Duo, don't make a fool outta me. I saw how you act 'round the dude, and I can't say I'm happy about it. You worked hard to be with us, don't throw it all away for that faggot. You gotta real chance here, Duo. You got good potential to be with us, man. Don't ruin it cuz ya feel sorry for the guy. Just forget it. It'll be gone soon. Ye'll see." And with that, he released the boy, throwing him back a bit. "Do it." He warned, shoving the container into the boy's stomach. "Do it or you're out." He added, and then walked away.

Duo looked down at the box, then up at Jack's retreating form. Do it or be out of The Gang. Help Heero or be like Heero... A life alone or a life with his... friends. What should he do?

He looked back down at the small container, and sighed. After a long while of just staring at it, he held it close to his body, head jerking up in determination.

* * *

"You're late, you know?" Heero greeted Duo as he stormed into the large kitchen.

"Yeah, sorry, man..." The braided boy mumbled as he put his uniforms on. "I got caught up after class..."

"Oh. Is something wrong?" Heero asked, stirring a large pot of... something.

"Nah, it's okay. I can manage." He walked over to Heero, looking over his shoulder at what he was making. He wrinkled his nose, as he smelled it. He wasn't sure if it was Heero or the 'stew', but whatever it was, it REEKED. "What is THAT?" He asked, pulling away.

Heero shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever Lunch Lady Doris plans it to be. I'm just following orders." He finished with a smile. "Don't blame me for any mutilations this might cause."

Duo forced himself to chuckle at the small joke, his mind whirling back to a certain plastic container.

Heero frowned. "You don't have to laugh if it's not funny." He said, turning back to the pot. "I don't laugh at everything you say."

"You never laugh period." Duo replied bitterly, stomping over to where his duty was.

"Is something troubling you?" Heero dared to ask, not turning to face Duo.

The braided boy sighed while peeling potatoes. "Nothing important."

"Is it Jack?"

Sometimes he forgot how observant Heero was. Not wanting to give any real answer, Duo shrugged.

"Why do you hang around with them if you are unhappy?" Heero asked quietly, knowing he is the LAST person in the position to ask that question.

"Because." Duo answered, throwing a potato into a huge pot.

"Because?"

"Because they're my friends."

"I think they use you."

Duo's eyes flashed with anger. "It's called 'helping'."

Heero raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Oh, does it really?"

Duo sighed in annoyance. Who was Heero to judge him!? He didn't see him doing any better!

"Yeah, it is!" He threw another potato away. "And it's better than being alone, that's for sure!" Once he realized what he said, he immediately berated himself, hitting himself in the head. "I'm sorry, Heero. I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes you did." Heero answered quietly, walking away to a more distant corner.

They continued working silently, not even making eye contact.

Duo looked up from his work at Heero, who was busy arranging the deserts on their portable table. He studied the boy's slender form, huddled over the small table, long arms carefully arranging the bowls. He followed every small gesture, every movement, every time he ran pale long fingers through his untamed hair... How can someone who looked so fragile, so small and helpless, be so strong?

Heero was stronger than him, he knew that. Stronger in spirit. He was put through so much torment, day after day, and he had to face it all alone, but still he didn't give up. He still had this sense of pride in him, still had an air of silent defiant and determination around him. He wouldn't fight, not physically, but the very fact that he was still there, day after day, facing those guys, showed how strong he really was. And maybe that's why people picked on him so much. Because they couldn't break him. They beat him, humiliated him, cursed him and tortured him, but they could never break him.

He was the one who was weak. He was the one who was weak because he couldn't think of a life without his so-called friends. He couldn't think of what he would do without The Gang. If he didn't do what Jack said, he would lose his friends.

Duo looked over to Heero, then at the pot he had been stirring before, now left unguarded. He looked down at the container next to him, and then back at the pot.

He was weak.

Part 3

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