Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Road to Kindness ❯ Competition, Revelations, and Disappearances ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4: Competition, Revelations, and Disappearances

 

 

Staying true to her word, even when Sally Po finally got to the safety of her home, she didn't call the cops. She had gone back to the school to check on Duo, only to find an unlocked door and an empty bed. She had gone home with a heavy and confused heart. However, the next day at school, she kept her eyes out for the longhaired boy. Just as he thought, he limped through the entire day, but she didn't say anything to him. She was too terrified. As a nurse, she felt ashamed at her cowardice to help a child, but she couldn't put her life in danger.

 

*****

 

Three days later, it was still a challenge for Duo to get up in the morning. The muscles in his side had turned into a solid, iron ball and his wounds weren't healing very quickly. He still limped a little and had to be careful how he moved. He had been excused from gym for the rest of the week and he had managed to assuage Heero's fear of his poor mobility, ironically, thanks to what had happened with Zechs. With the silver haired bully gone until next Wednesday, Duo could relax. Heero was still a little concerned about his friend and all of Tuesday and Wednesday he had carried Duo's things, much to Duo's annoyance. Tuesday, when Heero had caught Duo in homeroom, he had been angry that Duo had shown up in gym the day before. So, Duo had told him as much as the truth as he could, that, due to sickness, he had missed a lot of classes and if he missed just one more, he wouldn't be allowed to go to school anymore. Heero was still a bit annoyed at Duo putting himself in a position to get hurt, but accepted his explanation. With the approach of Friday, Heero had once again asked him to sleep over and Duo was once again torn. He wanted more than anything to go over Heero's house once more, but he wasn't sure that he was willing to bear the brunt of Wes' anger again. So, instead he had promised Heero that he would ask his `father' if it was ok. He actually would, too, he decided, it was one of the few things in his life that was worth fighting for.

 

*****

 

“I will pick you up from school promptly at two,” Chang Zhi told his son, “your mother wants you completely unpacked by tonight.”

“Yes sir,” Wufei said and left the car, watching his father drive off. He sneered at the look of his new high school and the students loitering in front of it. Thinking of this place as his new home was impossible. Everywhere he looked were fat men stuffing there faces, anorexic women chatting on cell phones and stinking of hundred dollar perfumes, little children whining about the newest gadgets. America… in China he had heard stories about this country, but the truth was even more disgusting. He wanted nothing to do with these people. What he wanted was to go back to China, where things made sense.

The other students quickly got out of the way of the strange Chinese boy in their midst as he made his way into the school. He looked angry for some reason and severe with his dark brown eyes and tightly tied ponytail. Any curiosity they had for a new student vanished at the sight of his well trained muscles and scrutinizing glare. Wufei watched in disgust as a couple made out against his appointed locker. In China, lovers showed their love for each other in the secrecy of their own homes, not where everyone could see! Of course… that was the whole reason why his father had saw it fit to move them to this dreadful country.

Forbidden love… Chang Wufei had read about it in hundreds of poems, but he had never experienced it until a year ago when he had met Qiao Fai Jie, a fellow, lonely boy in his small village. Despite being in a lower class, he and Fai had become close friends. The Chang family was from a long line of nobles and Wufei was the only child, meaning that his marriage had been in planning even before his birth, but the plans of men and all that… No one had been more shocked than Wufei to find that he was actually attracted to the other boy. But, he had been cocky, sure that he could hide this… disturbing attraction from his family while catering to it in secret. What he had not accounted for was that, somewhere along the line, the sexual attraction would turn to love. A month ago, his family had found out his dark secret; he was gay. The current leader of the family, Wufei's grandfather, Long, had deemed him unfit to be heir and had cast Wufei's mother, father, and himself, from the clan. His father, ashamed of what had happened, and worried about Wufei's safety after seeing the rage of his betrothed's family, had relocated him to the neutral America. Wufei understood why it had had to happen, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Far from being ashamed of his sexuality, he missed Fai more than any other thing from his homeland and he had no intention of burying his homosexuality or trying to date a woman. One day he hoped to return to China for his Fai and move someplace where their love was accepted, not scorned, but for now he had to survive this country and this school. From the looks of the shabby school and spoiled students, it wouldn't be easy, just for his sanity.

 

*****

 

“Hey, Heero,” Duo greeted as he sat down at a lunch table with him. Heero immediately handed over an extra chicken patty, some fries, and a strawberry yoghurt, which he hated, but had bought because he knew that Duo liked them. Duo accepted them without argument and dug in. In the week that he had been friends with Heero, Duo had learned that Heero was quite possibly the most stubborn, infuriating boy on the planet and arguing with him on some things was just a waste of time. This was one of those things. He didn't like taking food from Heero, it made him feel like he was taking advantage of him, but it also made him feel good at the same time, knowing that there was someone out there who cared about him enough to give him free food. He vowed that one day he would pay Heero back, even if that wasn't looking very likely. After and before school, he had been literally working his tail off to make things up to Wes. Usually he would give him a small percent of his nightly earnings like a five, ten, or if he was really happy with Duo, a twenty, but after the sleepover and the incident with Po, he considered himself lucky to be going to school at all, or even to be walking around freely. It would be a long time before Wes forgave him enough to give him any money. His ass felt like it would never stop being numb again and he could still taste semen on his tongue, not a pleasant thing, but coupled with the alternative of being chained to a bed for the rest of his life, it was a small price to pay.

“Looks like you're not the newest guy around anymore,” Duo said in between nibbles of his fries. Heero raised a dark eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“Some of the sophomores are saying that there's a new kid in the class, some Chinese boy. He looks really intimidating, kind of like you, but shorter and he refuses to talk to anyone.”

Heero narrowed his eyes at the thought of there being anyone to compare to himself. He was caught once again analyzing what Duo liked about him, just in case this new kid had the same qualities. In the past he would have thought that his being a Yuy would be enough, but he knew now that Duo wasn't normal and didn't care about something like that. Without his name to protect him and tie his new friend to him, Heero felt panicked. He hated how vulnerable Duo made him. He was trying to find something within himself that was good and special, but all he came up with was him name and that made him feel… weak. He had never been anything but confident before and this new feeling of uselessness bothered him.

“Don't worry,” Duo said with a bright smile, “you'll always be my favorite Asian.”

Heero snorted, but relief flooded him.

“I'm not jealous,” he lied. Duo just grinned.

 

*****

 

Wufei almost ran out of the cafeteria. When he was little, his mother had told him that the god's had given bits of themselves to every person and that in every woman, no matter how small or simple, was a piece of Nataku, the warrior God. It had sounded like such a fanciful idea at the time, a piece of a God inside of him, but in his more mature years, he had realized that it had been just a story. Women did not have warriors inside of them nor were people blessed with the immortal souls of Gods. Or, at least that was what he had thought until he had seen that boy. He had been the very picture of a God or Goddess with that long, flowing bronze hair and eyes that almost glowed. He had been so pretty, but so strong as well. He could tell by the ancient glint of those eyes. It was like seeing an immortal trapped in a child's body. The boy reminded him of his Fai, only there was something unattainable about him that drew Wufei to him. In this place he had never thought he would find someone like him. Maybe America wasn't so terrible. He knew only one thing: he had to have him.

 

*****

 

Duo hated stalkers. Of course, when Heero had followed him around that first day, it had been kind of cute, but now that it was happening again, it was just annoying this time. This was probably because it wasn't Heero and if he was honest with himself, he had been just a little bit attracted to Heero even then. The Chinese boy that was stalking him now was pretty cute, but he wasn't Heero. The worst part was that Duo couldn't figure out his motives. With Heero, it was easy to read him, but this boy was a mystery. He knew about the boy, of course. He was Chang Wufei, the new Chinese sophomore, but that was all that he knew. It was last block and he was walking to his music class when he spotted him trailing him through the hallway. Duo had had enough. He turned to meet his stalker and Wufei stopped walking, looking around for an escape route, but Duo didn't give him the chance.

“Why are you following me?” Duo demanded, getting close to Wufei, but not close enough to be deliberately confrontational, the Chinese boy looked like he could send him flying through the wall. Wufei's face turned beet red at the other boy's proximity, but couldn't turn away.

“I-uh… well… I mean…,” he stuttered. This had been so much easier with Fai. There was something about this boy; he made his heart tighten and pound, but he also set something off in his head, something that screamed at him to just walk away.

“I love you!” Wufei blurted out. Duo blinked at him.

“Oh, is that all?” he asked in a subdued tone. Wufei stared at him, pale and shocked at the dismissal. His pride burned at him, but he vowed that he would persevere.

Duo was equally shocked, but didn't show it; he was used to hiding his feelings. He couldn't believe it. First Zechs, now this boy? What was it about him that screamed `slut'? This boy didn't even know him! The only person around here that knew him at all was Heero and he was hiding so much from him… But, he had loved Heero the second he had seen him, hadn't he? No, he told himself. He had been attracted him, but he hadn't fallen in love until he had gotten to know him better.

“I know what I feel!” Wufei protested. He had read about this scenario; the hero's affection would deny his love and the hero, in turn, would struggle for them and continually announce his love until the one he loves finally sees his feelings are true and fall in love with him. Of course, things hadn't been like that with Fai, there had been no games, only truth, but this boy was of a different caliber.
“I'll keep telling you that I love you until you believe me! I'll never give up! I'll follow you at every step and prove that I love you!” Wufei said with conviction. Instead of looking overjoyed at Wufei's proclamation, Duo just looked sad.

“Is that what you think love is? Stalking someone? Forcing your love on them? Do you really think you can just make me love you?” Duo asked. Wufei stared at him, perplexed.

“I mean, that stuff probably works in movies, books, and music, but in real life, no one likes being treated that way. No matter how many times you say it, my answer is going to be the same; I don't love you,” with that, Duo walked away, hurrying to his next class. Wufei watched him go, confused and shattered. He couldn't understand it, why weren't his attempts working. He was attractive, smart, and driven, what more could the long haired boy want?

Wufei's brown eyes widened in realization. He wasn't the only one by the boy's side, after all, there had been that other boy, the one with the glowering blue eyes. He had been with his love at lunch, hanging on his every word, and in his classes, always sitting near him, always watching… Did the longhaired boy love him instead? Wufei smiled. There was nothing that the blue eyed boy had that he did not, if he could only get him to back off, the violent eyed boy would be his.

 

*****

 

“He what?!” Heero demanded.

“He said that he loved me and would follow me until I loved him, too weird, huh?” Duo said with humor in his voice, but Heero didn't feel like laughing. He had no idea that love would be so painful. Just the thought of another boy working for Duo's affections filled him with a sort of sad, desperate rage, even though he knew that Chang didn't have a chance with Duo, he didn't need to see Duo's scorn of the boy to know that. But, crazier things had happened and just the possibility made him feel anxious to the pit of his stomach. He felt ill with the image of some strange boy's arm around those thin shoulders.

“It's weird enough that an attractive boy like him could fall for someone like me, but that he's so adamant about it… I don't know if he's stubborn, spoiled, or thinks he's stuck in a cheesy, grocery store romance novel!”

“Stop it!” Heero suddenly snapped. There was that painful anger again. Duo blinked at him.

“Is it so inconceivable that someone could be attracted to you?” Heero asked bitterly.

“Heero… I'm…” Duo murmured, “well, look at me, I'm not exactly going to win any prizes,” Duo looked down at his old clothes, torn in some places, his too-pale skin that reminded him or sickness, his dull brown braid looking like a rat tail, slung over his shoulders and trailing down his shirt, his messy bangs and limbs so thin, he could almost see the bones underneath, even his bizarre eyes and broken glasses that he couldn't see. It was easy for him to imagine why desperate men looking for a quick fuck like Wes, Chris, and all of his johns made a go for him, but classy guys like Wufei, and even, his heart throbbed, Heero? There was nothing attractive there, not even pretty or cute.

“You're beautiful!” Heero blurted out, then snapped his mouth closed. Duo stared at him in amazement. Heero felt like slamming his head against the table for admitting that, but he wouldn't take it back. He would never take it back.

“Heero…”

“You are, ok? Is that the reason why you turned him down? Because you don't think you're good enough for him?” Heero asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. Duo looked away from his intense blue stare.

“Maybe a little, but the truth is, I don't feel anything for the guy, not even attraction. I don't know anything about him and his attitude annoys me,” Duo said, “even when I first met you and you annoyed me, you didn't force me to do anything. You tried to figure me out and stalked me, but you never told me that I had to be your friend, you just asked me to give a chance. It's just… different with you.”

Heero felt guilt, something he hadn't felt in a long time, at the reminder of what he had done to Duo that first day. It was true that he had stalked him and had been a bit… stubborn, but he was still glad at how things had worked out. He had never felt guilty, even when he had beaten people up, but Duo was right, it was just different, Duo was different. The only other person alive that could make him feel things like that was his mother. Still, he felt a burst of pride at having a special place in Duo's heart, even if it was just as a friend.

“Do you… like guys?” Heero asked cautiously, knowing it was a dangerous question, but his curiosity and desire begging him to ask it.

Duo gnawed on his lip, thinking about that question. He had been fucked by hundreds of guys, but hadn't been attracted to any of them, at least, he didn't think he had been. Maybe he was warped. What if he was as nasty as Wes? He had spent more than half of his life with the man and here he was attracted to another boy, when before he had never been sexually attracted to anyone. What if… he did something nasty to Heero because of all the time he had been with Wes. He knew how to hurt someone, badly, and though Heero, like all the other men in his life, was bigger than him, that fear was still there, that one day he would hurt someone that he loved and he did love Heero, just as much as he loved his cats and Solo, except the love was different, more intense, and that scared him.

Duo shrugged.

“I don't know, really. I've got nothing against homosexuals if that's what you're trying to say. I'm not afraid of my sexuality, I just don't know what I want,” he explained, “my feelings for Wufei have nothing to do with his gender. He just rubs me the wrong way. I'm not scared of a guy professing his feelings for me. I'm scared of people who think that their emotions give them the excuse to do whatever they want.”

“This is really bothering you, isn't it?” Heero asked, alarmed and more than just a little angry. Duo nodded.

“I've been forced into things my whole life. If I do fall in love, I want it to be because I've found something in that person, not because they want me to love them. I'm just… sick of people bigger than me controlling my life, you know?”

Before Heero could ask what he meant, the final bell rang and Duo finished getting his books from his locker.

“See you tomorrow, Heero. I'll let you know what my dad says, ok?”

Heero waved him off, his blue eyes intent and focused. It was time he and Chang had a talk.

 

*****

 

Despite Wufei's intention to find the blue eyes boy, it was said boy who beat him to the punch. He had been waiting for his father to pick him up when a tall, imposing, and strangely familiar boy approached him.

“Chang Wufei?” the boy asked in a deep voice.

“Yes?” Wufei asked wearily. He had never thought that this boy would seek him out. Perhaps he and the longhaired beauty really were lovers? The blue-eyed boy folded his arms in an intimidating gesture. It worked. Wufei had trained in martial arts, but he was honestly scared of this boy.

“I want you to leave Duo Maxwell alone,” Blue Eyes said, his stance and eyes menacing.

“What are you talking about?” Wufei asked, momentarily confused.

“Heero sighed in exasperation. This boy was infuriating and just a little bit slow.

“Duo Maxwell, kid with the glasses and long hair, you know, the boy you're so intent on stalking?”

It dawned on Wufei. The boy's name was Duo. It was a strange name and suited him somehow.

“And what's your connection to him?” Wufei demanded.

“He's my friend, my best friend, and I'm telling you to fuck off, he's not interested.”

Wufei snorted.

“In other words, you're nobody. Who do you think you are to order me around?”

“I'm Heero Yuy,” Heero said with a sneer.

Wufei paled. Suddenly, he realized why Heero seemed so familiar.

“T-that's impossible… you can't be here!” Wufei protested. Heero's grin grew.

“You obviously don't read the tabloids.”

“I don't care!” Wufei snarled, but Heero could see how terrified he was, so different from Duo's indifference and stubbornness, this boy's disinterest was just an act, “He's mine! I love him and you can't stop me!”

Heero brushed him off with a wave of his hand.

“I don't need to. Duo has made it perfectly clear that you annoy him. To him, you're just a stupid little boy trying to wear his father's suits and call himself a `man'. Duo's too mature for you. He's looking for someone with a brain. So, I suggest that you back off before you suffer from more than a broken heart,” Heero said cruelly. He didn't care about the other boy's feelings, he just knew that he was distressing Duo and that had to stop. He walked off towards his car, hoping that the threat would be sufficient.

“You don't deserve him!” Wufei yelled. Heero looked back at him over his shoulder, his eyes hard and sad.

“Neither of us do.”

 

*****

 

This was bad, this was very, very bad. It was hard enough going after a boy that already had a suitor, but that the suitor was THE Heero Yuy… that was just bad. But… he still wanted Duo, badly. Competing with the heir to the Yuy Corporation, however, was not something that he could rush into. In the way of money and fame, he had nothing to offer Duo, but he was sure that the boy would come around to him. But, Yuy was still a big fish, though him calling him a boy had burned quite badly. And what was that bullshit about not deserving him? What was Heero on anyway? A Yuy not worthy of a high school boy from a plain Maine town? That didn't make any sense. Then there was that spiel about Duo being too mature for Wufei. That was bullshit, too. No high school freshman was that mature and how dare Yuy insinuate that he was immature?! This wasn't over by a long shot, Yuy could insult him, but he wouldn't steal away the boy of his dreams.

 

*****

 

Heero's insides were burning, as though he had bad heartburn. In the past, he would have slammed Wufei's head into the wall a few times, but, annoyingly, he found that he couldn't do it. Duo would have hated him for it, doing violence to solve his problems and Heero getting involved with his problems. Still, Chang's arrogance had enraged him. He told himself that he was just as arrogant at times, or at least he had been. It had taken a boy that he was secretly in love with to knock him down a few pegs and realize that getting his way wasn't always a possibility. After all, he wanted was Duo's love, but that was more elusive than any money could buy. But, this Wufei… did he really think that he loved Duo like Heero did? He didn't know him at all! Duo deserved so much more than a pair of bossy, stubborn pretty boys trying to control his life. He had started to learn that the second he had seen Zechs slam him against the locker and had finished when he had watched him leave last weekend, looking so sad, but accepting of that sadness. Heero knew that there was something deep inside, he had known that the moment he saw that, only now he knew it wasn't because Duo was stubborn or unimpressed, it was something deeper, perhaps a bit darker. Wufei hadn't seen that and that pissed him off. He was just like everyone else in this fucking school, only seeing what was on the surface of Duo's façade. Heero knew better and he refused to surrender to anyone that couldn't even see those basic facts. He could accept that he wasn't worthy of Duo, but he couldn't accept anyone else in Duo's life that was even less worthy. Sooner or later, Wufei would learn how special Duo was, and it had nothing to do how pretty he was and Heero would be there to rub it in his face.

 

*****

 

Duo sat in the corner of the room on the dirty floor, freezing, stifling a strong cough that had started to escalate in the last few days. The sitting pose hurt his side, which had yet to stop throbbing since the injury, but it had subsided from the intensity of that Sunday and Monday. His ribs and back still ached, but it was manageable and he was able to go to gym again. The biggest pain was the heat and solidness of his side that wasn't going away, but it wasn't the first time he had had a lingering pain. His stomach growled painfully at the smell of hot meat. The reason why he was on the floor was that Wes' kitchen only had two chairs, both of which were occupied by Chris and Wes. He was cold because he was naked, but thankfully they were done with him and he was getting over most of the shock that he always had when they ganged up on him like that. Semen and blood stained the hard wood floor, but he wasn't up to moving just yet.

The two men were eating ribs at the kitchen table and as soon as his nausea and shock had worn off, his hunger had kicked in. He was sure that they would have gotten a kick out of him begging for some scraps like a dog, as they always did, but thanks to Heero's charity, he wasn't as hungry as he should have been and didn't go down to their level. Still, the smell of the meat was intoxicating. For a moment, he tried to remember how he had ended up on the floor and when Chris had shown up, but he couldn't. It wasn't the first time that his short term memory had failed him, but the gaps in his memory still annoyed him. He was always worried that he would forget something important, which was why he took such strict notes in school. He remembered walking home and he remembered having sex, but from after entering the apartment and after the sex, he couldn't remember much.

Duo watched Wes eat with cold dislike. He wondered at times that, if he was gay, why he wasn't more attracted to him. He was handsome with his golden, messy hair and muscular arms, but those cold, hard gray eyes told a different story. He curled his legs against his stomach protectively. They hadn't been brutal with him today, but they didn't have to be to make him feel battered. He ached for his best friend and his clean, perfect home and his kind, but strong mother. As he shifted, he became more aware of his sore anal muscles and the semen still pooling out of him that was starting to cool.

“That boy asked me to stay over again,” he said, his voice sounding sharp to him compared to the soft voices of the men discussing a drug called `KL6', one that Duo was unfortunately familiar with.

“So?” Wes asked in between chews of his meal, “I don't see what that has to do with me. Tell him no, I'm sure you'll think of something,” with that dismissal, the two men returned to their discussion, Chris laughing as he talked about some of his other whores that had gotten addicted to the toxic stuff.

“His name is Heero Yuy,” Duo blurted out. Everything in the apartment became still. Suddenly, Wes stood, his chair clattering to the floor and making Duo flinch.

“You stupid bitch, you've been friends with Heero Yuy and you never told me?! If I had known that…” Wes ran a hand through his hair and Duo could see the bright, greedy anxiety in his stony eyes. That look made him feel cold and sick.

“Alright, here's what you're going to do. You're going to spend the weekend with you're little friend, seduce him, get him into bed, whatever it takes, get some dirt on the guy, take photos if you have to, then we'll take him for everything he's got. Him and that bull mother of his. You know the deal.”

Duo felt his chest clench and bile churned in his throat. Seduce Heero? No… anything but that… he couldn't do it, not for any reason. Heero wasn't a fucking john, he was his best friend! He deserved more than this shit…

Duo opened his mouth to protest, but was, shockingly beaten to the punch.

“Don't be an idiot,” Chris growled. Duo looked at him with wide eyes, “You know what happened to the last moron who crossed paths with Name Yuy?”

Wes looked at his partner intently.

“He showed up the next day on the bank of a river, a bullet wound in his head.”

“Name would never do that!” Duo protested. Chris raised a dark brown eyebrow.

“That familiar with the bull, are we?” he asked with interest. Duo paled, realizing that he had just revealed most, if not all, of his cards. Wes already had quite a hold on him, but knowing how strongly he felt about the Yuy family, that was bad.

“Anyway, Name Yuy did not order the assassination of anyone. There is more than one company that profits from the Yuy's power, including several governments. She didn't have to order the hit, when it comes to the Yuy family, problems solve themselves.”

Wes straightened his chair and sat back down, his eyes trained on Duo in look of angry betrayal and eager opportunity. If there was one thing that Wes loved, it was angles and his `son' being friends with a billionaire was the biggest one yet.

“Then what do we do?”

Chris' light green eyes fell on Duo.

“Let him spend as much time with Heero as he can. Sooner or later, something will happen, something safe for us to pursue, then we'll strike. But, for now, it's best to lay low.”

Duo wrapped his arms around his legs. He had gotten what he wanted; he could spend time with Heero without getting the crap beaten out of him for it, so why did he feel so wrong about it?

 

*****

 

By the time the morning came, Duo's cough had gotten worse, but considering how cold and dry the night had been, he wasn't surprised. He quickly packed his duffle with extra clothes and a toothbrush. It had been embarrassing last week to have to ask for a toothbrush since it was one of the few things he didn't carry around with him. Wes and Chris were gone, trying to score ingredients to make KL6 from some guy that Chris knew. Duo didn't care to know anymore than that. He thought that Wes had told him more, but he couldn't remember it. He searched through his closet for some left over cat food he had bought a few days ago and left the apartment to feed his cats.

Shiva and Sammy were the first to greet him, twining around his legs and purring for his attention. The five nameless cats ate the food and left, not yet used to humans to play with him, but still weren't the feral beasts they had been when they had first met. Even Tobby, though a tom, was used to him. They had an understanding. They were both streetwise and scarred and Tobby was his poppa cat. He took care of the little ones like Patches, Shiva, and Sammy and made sure that they were safe when Duo wasn't around. He always ate last and watched Duo carefully, not out of wariness, but as though he was making sure that Duo was ok. It wouldn't be the first time that Duo had approached him hurt and sick. He played with the seven of them for a few minutes, then headed to school, walking slowly so he didn't breath in cold air too quickly.

 

*****

 

Heero winced as Duo coughed again, a wet, harsh sound. His friend didn't look well, of course, he never looked well, but other the last few days, it was obvious that he was coming down with a cold or flu. He looked flushed, more tired than he usually did, and then there was the coughing, which just looked painful, especially when Duo fell to a fit.

“Are you alright?” Heero asked in concern. Duo nodded.

“I'm just coming down with someone, but it's ok. I'm sure that you're mom will nurse me back to health,” Duo said cheekily. Heero rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I'm sure that she'll love to. I haven't had a cold since I was nine.”

Duo raised an eyebrow at him.

“You're immunity is unnatural, you do know that, don't you?”

Heero just snorted. Duo coughed again, submerging into a fit. Heero patted his back lightly until he stopped.

“Are you sure I can't get you a glass of water?”

Duo shook his head.

“I'm fine,” he said with a smile, but Heero could hear how raspy his voice was and how it pained him to swallow.

 

*****

 

Heero became more worried in Science. When Duo started to cough more violently, no one except Heero and Une paid him any attention, but he soon got things under control. Une handed out their weekend assignments and paired them up for presentations on different chapters of the text. Thankfully, Duo and Heero were paired with each other and Heero didn't feel annoyed by the weekend homework. At the end of class, Duo was still sitting at his desk as everyone else left, the assignment in his hand, but he was looking out the window.

“This assignment should be easy,” Heero said, “we can get it done tomorrow night, tomorrow I want to take you to the movies and there's this pizza place I think you'd really like.”

Duo looked up at him, puzzled.

“What assignment?” he asked, clearly confused. Heero blinked at him.

“The assignment that Une just gave us, the one that's due Monday,” Heero said, looking just as confused. Duo's brow furrowed as he thought. What assignment? He didn't remember…

“Oh!” Duo said in what he hoped was recognition, “That assignment, yeah, it'll be easy.” He had forgotten again and now Heero was suspicious. He really needed to stop phasing out like that. He wondered if he had some sort of ADD. It wasn't like dissociative disorder or amnesia, he just had trouble remembering some things.

“Duo, are you ok?” Heero asked, concerned about his friend. He hadn't heard of colds causing memory loss, but he supposed that Duo was fatigued enough to just not pay attention, but it was still scary how Duo had no recognition of what Une had been talking about most of the class.

“Yeah,” Duo smiled, “I just zoned out a little, but I'm fine.”

Heero wasn't convinced.

 

*****

 

By lunch, it became obvious to Heero that Duo was coming down with something more than a little cold. He was coughing more frequently than the last couple of days and when Heero brought him his lunch, he looked paper white, and he didn't eat anything, just sipping at the orange juice Heero had gotten him.

“Aren't you hungry?” Heero asked. Duo shook his head.

“No appetite,” he murmured. Any concerns that Heero was going to voice was halted as someone walked up to their table.

“Duo Maxwell?” Wufei asked anxiously. Duo looked up at him, annoyed. He felt like crap, his chest tight, his throat dry, and his head was pounding, not to mention the constant pain in his side. Right now he just wanted to curl up and go to sleep.

“What?” he snapped. Wufei paused, realizing that his presence wasn't welcome by either boys. He bowed deeply in a gesture of respect.

“I would consider myself blessed if you would have dinner with me this weekend,” he said.

“Beat it,” Duo said with a wave of his hand. Wufei fidgeted.

“Please,” he begged, “you know how I feel about you, won't you give me a chance to be your boyfriend?”

“And you know how I feel. Stop pestering us. Until you can prove to me that you're interested in friendship instead of feeling me up like some ditzy school girl, you can forget us hanging out,” Duo dismissed him. Wufei's face turned red.

“I just want to prove my feelings for you,” he insisted, “how can I do that if you won't give me a chance?”

Duo leaned his head on his hand, stifling a cough.

“I don't want you to prove your feelings to me, I just want you to leave me alone, or, if you still want to be in my life, you can try to be my friend, but I suggest that you stop with this stupidity. Why should I like someone just because they like me? That's idiotic.”

“Beat it,” Heero repeated Duo's words, watching with satisfaction as Wufei shuffled off, defeated for today at least. But, that only made him feel good for a little while as he realized that he had no real plan to deal with his rival. All he could do was hope that sooner or later Wufei would get the hint and give up. He shouldn't have felt threatened by the Chinese boy, in reality, Wufei had no hope, but those feelings were still there. He wondered if Wufei had a plan or if these weak attempts were his `plan'. If so, Heero had nothing to worry about, but worry he did.

 

*****

 

“Duo!” Name cried out happily as Duo and Heero walked through the door. Heero rolled his eyes as his best friend and mother hugged each other tightly. It amazed him that, the first time they had met, his mother had seemed so cold to him, but now she constantly asked him `how is Duo doing' and `when is that friend of yours visiting again'. He was glad, but it was still strange. He thought that his mother liked Duo because of her maternal instinct and Duo exuded vulnerability, but his inner strength spoke to the same strength that she had. He also thought that Duo desperately wanted someone like his mother in his life. If Duo didn't have a mother, he probably loved how protective and mothering Name was. Their relationship was strange, sometimes strained because of Duo's position as Heero's friend and his ability to hurt Heero, if he wanted, but mostly soft and loving due to Duo's odd child-like qualities and the sadness in his eyes. Not to mention how glad she was that Heero had a more down to earth friend that he was in constant contact with. His other friends, though they were close, they rarely saw each other.

“Duo's staying the weekend,” Heero explained. Name's face lit up.

“Oh, you have to meet Heero's other friends!”

Heero stared at her.

“Mom, what are you talking about?”

Duo, on the other hand, only seemed curious.

“I didn't know that Heero had any other friends in America.”

“Oh, he doesn't,” Name clarified, “he has two friends, but they live in Italy and he doesn't see them much. Heero doesn't make friends easily, he's too damn stubborn and picky!”

“I'm right here!” Heero yelled.

“Hadrat Heero!” a light voice cried joyously. A blonde boy ran down the hall and nearly tackled Heero, wrapping his arms around him tightly and speaking quickly in what Duo assumed was some middle Eastern language. He had felt so happy entering the Yuy household once more. Name had made him feel at home the second he had seen her. This was his home, he decided. It was the only place where he felt safe and loved. But, this just made jealousy, hot and thick, bubble inside of him. Then, he saw Heero roll his eyes, but still smile, and realized what was going on.

“Quatre-san, you're going to choke the life out of me,” the Japanese boy joked. The blonde boy named Quatre smacked Heero playfully on the back of his head.

“I know you and your mother live in America now, but that's no reason to not e-mail every now and then!” Quatre scolded. He was short, blonde, and very pale with sea green eyes. He was very cute, almost pretty, Duo thought. He had used a word that Duo hadn't understood to address Heero, but he looked oddly European and, like the Yuy's, he spoke perfect English. Duo studied the boy and Heero's expression. This was one of Heero's mysterious other friends, but `friends' meant other things. But, he didn't see anything besides friendship between the two. As a whore, it was part of his job to pick up on signals from johns. If there was something that he was doing that didn't interest the man, he had to change tactics. He saw no attraction between the two of them and relaxed. He told himself that it didn't matter, Heero was way out of his league and it didn't matter if he liked this boy or not, he didn't have a chance with him, but it still made him feel better that there was nothing there.

“Oh, my God, is this Duo?!” the energetic blonde explained and suddenly, it was Duo who was being hugged to death.

“Uh, hi?” Duo managed to squeak out, confused. Blue-green eyes searched his face and Duo felt like his very soul was being examined, making him blush. Quatre suddenly smiled.

“Name has told me all about you and I have to admit, I'm very glad that Heero has found something to be so happy about here. He was so miserable in England, I thought that it would be the same here, we both did.”

Heero sighed in exasperation and rolled his eyes.

“Please tell me that you didn't drag Trowa here, too, and please stop squeezing Duo like that.”

Quatre sheepishly let go of Duo who looked very confused.

“He's upstairs making up the bed,” Quatre admitted.

“Quatre and Trowa are my friends from Italy,” Heero explained, “what they are doing here, I don't know,” he glared at his mother who looked significantly less guilty than his blonde friend did, “sorry, Quatre, put this is kind of out of the blue.”

Quatre shrugged.

“I'm the one who's sorry, Trowa and I had planned to visit you when we heard that you were moving away from England, we should have called, but we had hoped to surprise you, so… surprise!” Quatre said with a bright smile. Duo smiled back. He was slightly overwhelmed by the boy, but he had a sunny disposition that made Duo feel relaxed. He reminded him of an orphan he had met when he was six. The boy had been only a year younger, but unlike Duo, he was new to the streets. His name was Brendan, but they had all called him Sunshine because of his strawberry blonde hair and brilliant smile. No matter how hungry or dirt he was, he was always smiling. Duo had been there the day that he had died. He had been looking through some broken crates for scraps of food, old wrappers, anything to take the pain out of his hunger. Two men had dragged the boy into the alley and Duo had hid among the clutter, watching, terrified of being found out. He watched as they raped him and slit his throat. He had watched as Sunshine screamed until his bright blue eyes met Duo's through the slits of the broken wood and he had stopped screaming. Those eyes had held his own as though his sanity depended on it until the light in them had gone out. Duo had refused to look away. And yet, Sunshine had not screamed for him to save him. Instead, he had smiled at him, that same beautiful smile, and Duo knew that he wouldn't give away his position. He had died smiling. That haunted him sometimes, that and those big blue eyes, the wet sounds of sex and blood, the smell of death and semen. He dreamed of Sunshine sometimes, though sometimes it was himself and not Sunshine that was dead and staring. Quatre's eyes and smile were the same. That sort of innocence didn't last long, though, Duo had witnessed that first hand. His innocence, if he had had any, hadn't lasted very long, either. Seven years… compared to that, Quatre was ancient. Sometimes he felt like everything, his life, his world, time as he knew it, had stopped at that moment seven years ago. He knew that was stupid. In reality, he had accomplished more after that moment than any before it. He didn't think that he would have gone to school if that hadn't happened. He wasn't a child, he knew that logically, but sometimes he felt that he was still seven years old, digging through dumpsters just for a scrap of nourishment.

“I'm Duo Maxwell, but you probably already know that…” Duo said, breaking out of his dark memories. Quatre grabbed his hand and shook it while Heero continued with his long suffering look, his mother looking amused at his expense.

“I'm Quatre Winner.”

Duo's eyes widened as he recognized his last name. It couldn't be that Winner, right? But then again, this was Heero's friend…

Quatre laughed, a sound as bright as his smile.

“Yes, I'm the son of the tycoon from Arabia. The Yuy's and the Winner's are affiliated with each other and Heero and I met when his mother and my father were forming allegiances. We were just little kids back then, but we became fast friends.”

Duo listened in amazement. So much power and money in one room… and just where did he fit in with all of this? If Quatre was so powerful, what was his other friend, Trowa, like? Heero saw Duo's look and smirked.

“Trowa's Quatre's boyfriend,” he said, “I only met him three years ago, but he's a nice guy, you'd like him, Duo.”

That surprised Duo more than any admission to wealth and prestige.

“Your father knows about that?” he asked Quatre. Name watched all of this with interest. She had known that Quatre had a boyfriend, but she had never heard what had happened with his father, or even if he knew about his son's sexuality.

“My father found out four months after we started dating. It wasn't something that we wanted to keep a secret. I didn't want to make a fool out of my father by pulling the wool over his eyes, but mostly I didn't want Trowa to think that I thought our relationship was wrong. My father threatened me with disownment and Trowa with blackmail, but I refused to stop seeing him. Father is still a bit… cold towards us, but I think he's realized that by throwing me away, the scandal would not only tear apart our family, but the company as well,” Quatre looked at Name, “The Yuy Corporation has made it clear that any employees or partners discriminating against each other using prejudice, including sexual orientation, will be terminated. My father is a big partner, but even he is under Yuy rule. Casting out his only son because of his homosexuality wouldn't sit well with the Yuy family.”

Name frowned.

“No, it certainly would not. I may not have been able to terminate your father for doing that to you, but as the leader of the company, I could stop doing business with him. It saddens me that the only reason why he is tolerating you and Trowa is because of me, but is that what you want, Quatre?”

Quatre smiled, but it was a little sad.

“One day, I hope to control the Winner Enterprise and make it a more liberal base, instead of clinging to the conservative ideals as my father does, but for now, I am content to bear my father's scorn in order to have Trowa's love.”

Name nodded.

“You're a bigger man than you're father, Quatre,” she turned to Duo, “Duo, honey, why don't you put your bag in Heero's room. Unless you want to take one of the other rooms? Quatre and Trowa are taking one of the guest rooms, too.”

Duo shook his head.

“No, I like sleeping in Heero's room,” he blushed, “I mean, I'm the guest, it's kind of proper `sleeping over' etiquette, right?”

Name smiled at him.

“Alright, I'm sure you know the way. Heero, why don't you and Quatre help me choose something for dinner that you'll all like. Duo knows his way around the house,” she said, leading Quatre away. Heero smiled at Duo and the violet eyed boy knew that he and Heero were safe. His other friends might be here, but that didn't mean that he was going to be swept under the rug. He walked up the long stairs to Heero's bedroom, dropping his bag there and walked back to the kitchen, but when he got there, he bumped into someone he didn't know. Heero, Quatre, and Name were making some sort of noodle dish and the strange man was watching. He was tall, not quite as tall as Wes and Chris, but tall enough to make Duo instantly nervous of him.

“Hm?” the stranger asked and turned, looking down at Duo with green eyes. For an odd moment, Duo thought that he was looking at Chris as a young boy, but the next second, he realized that the boy's features and hair were all wrong, Chris had darker hair than him anyway.

“Oh, Duo, this is Trowa!” Quatre exclaimed.

“H-hi,” Duo stammered. Quatre watched his reaction with curiosity. There was something about the boy. He looked so sad and mature, but he also had a strange childish about him that made him seem vulnerable. Worst of all, Quatre had only known him all of five minutes, but he knew that Duo was hiding something. Despite that, he could also tell that Duo would do absolutely nothing to hurt Heero. He looked at him the same way Quatre looked at Trowa, though Quatre would never tell Heero that. He knew that Heero was very good friends with the boy, but wasn't entirely sure that he liked him and refused to be the one to screw up their relationship. All he knew was that when he had bumped into Trowa, his sweet, kind, and gentle Trowa, he had acted so wounded, as though Trowa had slapped him. It was disturbing and wrong and Quatre yearned to find out why he had reacted like that. No, Duo Maxwell didn't have it in him to hurt Heero.

“So, what prestigious family are you from?” Duo asked Trowa and they could all hear the slight bitterness and fear in his voice. Trowa smiled and Duo could see how wrong he was, this boy was more like his Tobby than Chris, a little bit cautious and tough, but still a good person.

“I'm nobody,” Trowa answered and Quatre winced. It taken a long time to convince Trowa that he was somebody important. Just because he didn't carry a huge name like `Winner' didn't mean that he was nobody.

“I'm nobody, too,” Duo said softly. Trowa got a strange twinkle in his eye, accompanied by a look of deep sadness and a wave of protectiveness towards the smaller boy.

“Well, that's terrible, we had better keep that a secret or they'll throw us out of the house,” Trowa replied in good spirits. Duo stared at him with wide eyes, then, to Name, Heero, and Quatre's confusion, started to laugh hysterically, coughing and grabbing his stomach to try and keep his laughter contained to no use.

“But that's so boring!” he said between laughter, “We should shout it to the world!” he exclaimed, laughing harder. Trowa grinned. Oh, he liked this boy. He was a bit more down to Earth than Quatre. He loved the blonde boy, but he didn't seem to realize how daunting it was being in love with a Winner. His laughter reminded Trowa of his lover's, clear, beautiful, and wondrous. Few laughed so openly, so truthfully like that.

“Are you insane?” Heero asked incredulously. He had only seen Duo laugh a handful of times, but he treasured it each time. Name watched Duo carefully, as she always did. His expressions were usually so guarded, like he was afraid of showing his emotions. No one should have to live that way, especially not someone so young. But, his laughter reminded her of a child's. Then there was his playing with Trowa, not many would have caught on to it like that. Not for the first time, she wondered what his home life was like, if he was being abused or if his father was just a moron. Of course, in her opinion, if Duo's father was abusing him, he was a moron anyway.

She rolled her eyes.

“Emily Dickinson, very amusing,” she said. Duo gave her a sheepish look. He gave Trowa another peak as they joined the other three to help make dinner. He had called himself a `nobody', but had that all been a joke? No, he didn't think so. Trowa was normal, like him, at least money wise, he knew that instinctively. He liked him and Quatre, not the way he liked Heero, but he did like them. They seemed like a cute couple, the small and sweet blonde and the tall but quiet Italian. He wondered what Solo would think if he told him about his new friends. He helped Name set the large, dark dining room table.

`Get close to them and find something that we can use,' he heard Chris' voice echo in his head and shuddered. Never… he would never do anything to hurt the Yuy's!

 

*****

 

The project was as easy as Heero had said and they finished it quickly. Duo was still annoyed with himself that he couldn't remember anything Une had said about it, but he was able to figure most of it out with the worksheet and Heero filled in the rest. They were a good team with Duo's artistic flare and Heero's analytical skills, the end result was both creative and informative. Duo had forgotten how nice it was working with another person. In Middle School, his teachers had forced him and his classmates to pair up, but now he was usually the odd man out, at least until Heero had come along. It was late at night when they finished, but not late enough for Heero to go to sleep. In between the sex with Wes and Chris and his sickness, Duo was tired, but tried hard not to let Heero see that. Once their work was done, they collected snacks from the kitchen and set up Duo's bed in Heero's room.

“Are you sure you don't need any help?” Duo asked, dressed in his pajamas; shorts and a blue t-shirt. He was fresh from the shower, his hair neatly combed and braided, sitting Indian style on Heero's bed.

“Almost done,” Heero said, setting up Duo's bed on the floor. As Duo shifted, Heero's traitorous eyes moved to Duo's pale, bare thighs. They were perfect, the skin creamy and shapely, the only imperfections were a few patches of what looked like circular discolorations poking out from the shorts, but Heero couldn't get a good look on him. Heero turned away sharply as his face began to grow hot and his heart pounded. It was too much… he had been attracted to men before, but this was different, it was so intense. He wanted to have sex with Duo, but at the same time, he wanted to protect him. His feelings were conflicting with each other and his arousal towards the boy felt like it would drive him insane, but he couldn't do anything about it. Sure, he could force Duo into it, maybe seduce him or something cheap like that, but what would be the point? If he didn't have Duo, all of him, even his love, there was no point in getting into any sort of relationship with him. He wanted to love Duo, not just fuck him, he deserved more than that.

He felt bad about not paying as much attention to Quatre and Trowa as he did Duo, especially since he hadn't seen them in years, but they didn't seem to mind. He vowed that he would spend some time with them after Duo left on Sunday, but for now, Duo was his first priority and he always would be. Quatre and Trowa, for some reason that Heero couldn't understand, they were staying in America indefinitely. Heero wanted to be annoyed with them, but it was good to see them and Duo seemed to like them, too, so he wasn't too bothered.

He put a DVD in the player and joined Duo on the bed. He blushed as he felt Duo's arm press against his, but kept his eyes glued to the screen. As the movie rolled, Heero heard Duo cough tiredly every now and then. He had done well through dinner, but Heero knew that Duo had been suffering, only hiding his coughing and fatigue from his mother and guests. It wasn't long before Heero felt Duo's head resting against his arm, his body slumping against his side. Heero looked down at him and smiled. The boy was fast asleep, his breath still wheezy and light, almost like he was choking. Heero brushed Duo's long bangs from his face and studied his face. He was much more relaxed in sleep, but he had bags under his eyes and looked even thinner close up. Heero slowly moved Duo into his arms, alarmed when he lifted him up and found that he didn't just look thin. Duo didn't stir as Heero tucked him into bed and turned off the TV. Heero slipped into his own bed, turning off the lights. He felt tired, but he didn't feel like sleeping either. Thoughts swirled in his head, Duo's thinness, his sickness, his absent father, the torn clothes, and the guarded looks… his thoughts were burning and he spent hours staring up at the ceiling and unable to stop thinking.

 

*****

 

“It was great!” Duo exclaimed, “I didn't realize you could do that with computers! And the acting was so good, I forgot that that guy was an actor at all! And that ending… it was so intense!” Duo said gleefully, walking as though he was on air as he and Heero walked to the pizza place Heero had promised him after the movie. Heero smiled brightly at him, watching every happy expression on his best friend's face.

“You act like you've never seen a movie before,” Heero joked. Duo froze, but quickly recovered.

“I don't get out much. Movies are too expensive anyway.”

“It's worse in England,” Heero mentioned, but filed away what Duo said for later speculation. It made sense that Duo wouldn't see many movies. It was ten bucks a movie and Duo didn't even have the money to buy lunch, plus he didn't have any friends. No, that wasn't true, he had at least one, and if he read Quatre and Trowa like he always had, Duo now had three. Duo's excitement during the film had been like a small child discovering a new toy. It was clear to Heero that Duo Maxwell had never seen the inside of a movie theater until today and he didn't know why, but it was disturbing. Two weeks ago, he would have said that there was no teenager alive that hadn't gone to the movies at least once, but things were different now. He was just glad that he could give Duo something this little that made him this happy. A movie and now dinner… if he pretended hard enough, he could trick his mind into thinking he was on a real date. But, he knew that when Sunday came, Duo would be leaving again and he couldn't pretend anymore.

 

*****

 

That night saw Heero wide awake again, thinking about Duo and all the questions that he wanted to ask him, but didn't dare. He got sick of staring up at the same exact ceiling and rolled out of bed, careful not to wake Duo, and walked downstairs.

Trowa and Quatre were sleeping on the couch, the TV still on. Heero turned it off and walked to the kitchen. Trowa and Quatre had done a lot to make Duo feel at home, here, even if it wasn't necessary at this point. He was friends with Quatre for that very reason, the blonde had always acted almost oblivious to his status around his friends. When he was with Quatre, he felt like he was like anyone else. Quatre's mother had been young French woman that had given him all of his looks, even his slight height and had died given birth to him. Heero didn't know what Quatre's father hated more, that Quatre's looks made him look more girlish than the Winner heir should or that he looked like his late wife. He didn't know much about Trowa, only that he and Quatre had met in Italy, fallen in love, and had been dating ever since. He also knew that Trowa had a sister that he never saw and a past that was shrouded in mystery. Just like Duo, only not as cute in Heero's opinion. He got himself a glass of water and sat down at the kitchen table. He thought about fixing himself something stronger, the water making him feel like he was five years old again, but decided against it. He heard the light pattering of feet walking into the kitchen and sighed.

“What are you doing up?” Quatre asked with a yawn. Heero looked back at him with baleful eyes.

“You're supposed to be asleep, too,” he retorted.

“You woke me up,” Quatre accused, running a hand through his golden locks. Heero couldn't help but smirk. Even at seventeen, the boy acted like a little kid at times, but Heero knew that he wasn't as innocent as he seemed. He had seen Quatre Raberba Winner angry and there had been nothing `innocent' about him then.

“Sorry,” Heero apologized. Quatre studied him.

“You're so different now,” he murmured. Heero raised an eyebrow at him.

“I'm the same person I've always been,” he said, slightly offended. Quatre shook his head.

“It's true, you're still the stubborn bastard you've always been, but that self righteous attitude of yours has disappeared. I've noticed that you haven't attacked a single person or teacher, verbally or physically. As far as Trowa and I could find, you haven't done a single thing that's reminiscent of your past behavior. Something's changed in you and I think Duo has something to do with it,” Quatre said, his soft blue eyes intense and focused, reminding Heero of an expert interrogator or the business man that he was destined to be. He shrugged.

“I like Duo, he's mature, down to earth, and I know that you two like him as well. He makes things… interesting.”

“Is that the best you can do? Say that he's alleviating your boredom? That may be true, but there's something deeper going on here and you know it! You think you're such a badass, Yuy, but don't you forget, I've known you since you were a kid and I know that you weren't always like that! Before your father died, you were still stubborn and annoying, but you'd never think of bullying a fellow student or making trouble for a teacher. Now, you've changed again and you're friends with a boy that you wouldn't have paid attention to a month ago.”

Heero's hand curled into a fist.

“Just shut up, Quatre,” he growled, “you don't know anything.”

His father had nothing to do with it and just the mere suggestion pissed him off, but he just stared down into his water glass.

“Heero,” Quatre's eyes turned soft and sad, “the best thing that I ever did was tell Trowa that I loved him.”

Heero uncurled his hand and looked up at his friend.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” he demanded. Quatre smiled.

“No meanings, just information. Night, Heero!” Quatre said overly cheerful. Heero rolled his eyes as the blonde left the kitchen to rejoin his boyfriend. He knew that he had changed and that it was Duo's fault, but that didn't mean that Quatre could play matchmaker with him and his best friend. He wouldn't allow it.

 

*****

 

Heero was woken up again, early Sunday morning by the sound of Duo coughing. It sounded wetter and harsher than usual and, for a brief second, he thought that the boy was dying. Then, some of the fog over his sleepy brain cleared and he listened carefully to the coughing until it stopped and Duo grunted, rolling over in his sleep. The small scare left his heart pounding and he slipped out of bed, heading for the shower. Duo was leaving today, not until later tonight, but still, it made his heart hurt. Tonight when he went to bed would be the hardest. Only after two days, he had become used to having Duo sleeping in his room, just like last weekend, and he would have a hard time falling asleep without him.

 

*****

 

Duo, too, was woken up by his coughing, but a few hours after Heero. For a few seconds, he struggled for breath through the coughs, rolling off of his stomach in hopes the lack of pressure on his chest would alleviate them. His mouth, which had felt dry when he had been rudely awoken, suddenly felt wet and tasted funny. When the coughing fit stopped, his body relaxed and he pressed his face against the pillow. His stomach and chest hurt from all of the coughing, but his nose wasn't bothering him, so he didn't think it was a cold, at least, it didn't feel like one. With a frantic, almost crying whine of frustration, he realized that he was lying on his bad side, which was starting to hurt badly with the pressure on it, and rolled onto the other. He was getting so sick of this! He wanted to just go back to sleep for the rest of his pitiful life and forget how much pain he was in day in and day out. But, sleep wasn't helping the pain or how sick he felt. He felt woozy, his head heavy and strange, like it was stuffed with cotton. He sighed. There was no way he was going to sleep now, that was for sure. He carefully stood, mindful of his side, and noticed that Heero was already gone, his bed neatly made. Duo smiled when he realized that Heero had let him sleep, but his smile disappeared when he saw the spots of blood on the pillow. He panicked, stuffing the pillow case into his duffle bag. He couldn't risk Name or Heero seeing it and realizing that something was wrong. He couldn't risk trying to wash it in the Yuy house, either. He doubted that it would be missed. He zipped up the duffle bag with a shaky hand and washed out his mouth in the bathroom, watching the pinkish water disappearing down the drain. He should have felt fear at seeing the blood, but he was used to knowing that his body wasn't healthy. He dressed and left the sanctuary of the bedroom. As he made it to the stairs, the intoxicating smell of bacon hit him and he followed it, his stomach reminding him that he was in a good place and he didn't have to beg or whore for the smallest bit of food. Then, he remembered what day it was and depression hit him. If he was a child, he would have thrown a temper tantrum, grabbed the walls, anything to make sure that he couldn't leave. But, he wasn't a child and the weekend was over. At least he didn't have to leave right away like last time, Wes had told him he could be back Sunday night. But, that was still only hours away and far too soon.

 

*****

 

“So, you like the kid, huh?” Trowa asked as he, Heero, and Quatre made breakfast. It should have only taken one of them as Trowa and Quatre wanted omelets, but Heero insisted on making waffles and bacon for Duo, since he had liked them so much last Sunday. Heero seemed to ignore the question as he turned the bacon on the skillet.

“I don't see how that is any of your business,” he finally answered.

“I just think that he'll be good for you. The only other people you've really dated was that annoying British girl and the French girl, both that you were supposed to marry, both blonde and vapid. This one's a bit more up your alley.”

Heero snorted.

“ `That annoying British girl' used to be my best friend, if you recall.”

“Until she started stalking you,” Trowa reminded him. Heero frowned.

“I wish I had known that she was like that or I wouldn't have wasted my time thinking that she was a good friend.”

Trowa finished with the eggs and patted Heero on the shoulder.

“You had a choice between a stalker and a poodle and you chose neither. Neither was your intellectual equal. That French girl was always looking at you with stars in her eyes and trying to get `treats' from you like a bloody dog. The other was obsessed and couldn't take `no' for an answer. Not much of a choice.”

“What ever did happen to Relena anyway?” Quatre interrupted from where he was cutting fruit.

“My mother found out that her father was stealing money from us and severed the partnership,” Heero said, “I haven't heard from her or her family since.”

“That's right,” Quatre remembered, “I heard something awhile back about the violation of his contract and because of that, he and his wife divorced. It was really bitter, she didn't have a penny to her name and was desperate to get something out of him, but in the end, all she got was her son. You'd think with a name like `Merquise' she came from an affluent European family, I mean, since there are a lot of wealthy Merquise's in that area, but I guess not.”

Heero froze.

“Relena's mother's maiden name was Merquise?” he asked, his voice icy. Quatre nodded.

“Didn't you know that?”

Heero's mind was reeling with that new information. That was why he thought that he had known Zechs from somewhere. He was that bitch's older brother. Of course, they had never been formally introduced, but he had seen him a couple of times. Why was it so perfect that the person who was bullying Duo was also Relena Peacecraft's big brother? Somehow it just fit. He shook it off.

“None of that matters. I've severed ties with both of them. And who I love is no one's business but my own.”

Trowa looked at him with cool green eyes.

“In other words, you're too chicken shit to tell him?”

“Tell who?” a sleepy voice asked from the kitchen door, making all three guilty parties freeze. Duo looked curious about what they were talking about, but not suspicious.

“No one and I'm not chicken shit,” Heero gave Trowa and Quatre an angry look. Duo seemed to accept that.

“Ooooh, waffles!” he cheered.

“Keep it down in there!” Name called playfully from the family room. The four of them shared a grin at Heero's mother's expense and sat down to eat.

 

*****

 

“Well?” Wes asked as Duo walked into the apartment.

“I have nothing to tell you,” Duo murmured. “We hung out, watched some movies, went to dinner once, that's all.”

Wes' cold eyes bore into him.

“You're hiding something from me,” he stood from his place at the kitchen table. Duo flinched, though Wes was currently too far away to do anything to him. But, he staid still long enough for the taller man to walk up to him and grip his chin, forcing Duo to look him in the eye.

“What aren't you telling me?” he demanded, grabbing Duo's arm hard enough to bruise.

“Nothing,” Duo insisted, “we just hung out. His family is normal from what I could see.”

Wes searched Duo's face long enough to make him feel uncomfortable and start to squirm.

“Fine, but if I find out you're hiding something from me, you know what will happen to you,” he released Duo's head. Duo nodded.

“Now, on the chair,” Wes ordered, taking off his tie and belt. Duo's hand curled into a fist, but he did as he was told, sitting in the wooden chair that was still warm from Wes sitting in it. His hands shook, but he gripped the arms, keeping them still for Wes to tie them down, the red tie for his right and the heavy, black leather belt for his left. He tried as hard as he could to control his breathing as he watched Wes unzip his slacks and take out his cock, already hard and ready, but then, with Wes, he was always ready. He squeezed his eyes shut as the blonde yanked down his own jeans, grabbing both of his thighs and forced his legs up and spread, settling his larger body between them. He felt so fragile and small compared to his guardian, especially pressed together like this. He gritted his teeth as Wes thrust inside of him. Hot wetness ripped through him and he could feel a little bit of blood drip down his buttocks. Using his grip on Duo's legs as leverage, Wes thrust inside of his tight body. Duo could feel his hot breath on his neck and heard his grunts as Wes molded his body to his, bearing down on him with his greater weight. Duo waited for him to finish, trying not to focus too much on the feeling of Wes' length inside of him. The blonde man's grip on his legs was tight and he knew that it would leave bruises. Wes' thrust sped up and Duo knew that he was close. Coughs built up in his chest from the pressure of the gray eyed man's weight and he fought them down.

Duo cried out as thick wetness filled him and Wes' teeth sunk into his shoulder. Warm blood dripped down his chest from the bite and his shoulder flared in pain. Wes collapsed against him for a few seconds before picking himself up and out of Duo.

Duo's eyes widened as he felt Wes' hand on his limp cock stroking him.

“Please, don't,” he begged.

“Shh,” Wes cooed, his fingers of his other hand stroking the boy's balls. Duo whimpered, feeling his cock harden at the attention.

“Please, I don't want this…”

Wes ignored Duo's pleas, watching his face as he stroked him. Duo squeezed his eyes shut again, curling his hands and cutting at his palms with his nails, trying to get the pain to make the unwanted erection to go away, but it didn't. His thigh muscles tightened and he felt his orgasm rip through him, yelping in shock as cum splattered against his stomach.

Wes continued to watch Duo's expression with an air of triumph. He untied Duo's wrists, letting him stand on shaking legs.

“There, that wasn't so hard, was it? I'm not the monster that you make me out to be.”

Duo stared up at him with hollow, tired eyes. He kneeled down on the floor, grabbing his jeans and walked away. Wes smirked as he watched him go.

 

*****

 

Duo sat on his bed, looking down at his body, the bruises, his semen stained stomach, his limp member… his body had betrayed him, again. Rage and despair filled him. His own body, he didn't even have control over his own fucking body! With a strangled cry of frustration, he beat at his thighs with his fists, not caring about the pain that shot up his legs. He screamed wordlessly, his anger dissolving into depression and he curled up onto the bed, tugging at his t-shirt, trying to use it to cover his legs, but it was too short. It was always too short. He sobbed as he laid there, his mind screaming.

 

*****

 

Heero had seen Duo go smiling Sunday night, but by Monday morning, something had gone wrong. Duo always showed up at school before Heero; making Heero think that either the boy lived very close to the school or he hated being at home so much that he would take any excuse to get away. He hoped that it was the former. But, today he shown up only a few minutes before the bell. He waved at Heero, but there was a strange hollowness to his eyes. Heero hated it. He seemed quiet, reminding Heero of what he had been like when they had first met. Something had happened since he had last seen him and Heero wanted to know what.

Mondays were always busy for Heero and Duo and by the time third block, Gym, came around, they hadn't had much time to talk, even in between classes. Duo disappeared into a bathroom while Heero changed into his gym uniform. He thought that he was changing in there, though Heero couldn't figure out why he didn't want to change with everyone else. He was about to leave to get him out of the bathroom when he heard a bunch of boys talking in the locker room. His own name caught his attention.

“I heard that that geek Maxwell was over his house again.”

“Shit, what a waste! Yuy's the ice king, but he's got some seriously gorgeous eyes.”

“Dude, I don't need to hear that shit.”

“Shut up! What would a Yuy be doing with a gutter rat like that?”

“Heh, I bet he's Heero's fuck toy. I mean, Maxwell's got a great ass and those eyes… if only he didn't smell half the time. I mean, did you see what he looks like after spending time at Yuy's house? A slut like that would be salivating at a chance at some quick cash.”

“That's disgusting.”

“Maxwell's pathetic scum, but he's not a whore.”

“Oh, come on! No self respecting guy would have hair like that unless he was putting out.”

“Zechs has long hair.”

“Yeah, and so did his dad, that's completely different, it's a nobility thing. Lot of good it does him now…”

“Shut the fuck up!” Heero snarled, making himself known. The five boys turned pale and two of them ran off.

“H-Heero… look, man, we didn't mean anything by it!” a redhead said, panicked.

“You're the one who's pathetic,” Heero snapped, “you're not worth half what Duo is, you piece of shit,” he turned to leave, noticing Chang running into the locker room with the two boys in tow, when the redhead threw one of the hockey sticks by the door at Heero's head. Heero saw the move out of the corner of his eye and dodged it.

“No fag calls me pathetic!” the boy screamed, lunging for Heero. Heero growled and punched him in the face. The boy went down like a puppet with the strings cut. The other two boys ran, screaming for a teacher. Heero stood over the boy, panting with anger. The boy's brown eyes glared at him.

“I'll kill him, you hear me?! If you do anything to me, he's history!” the boy screamed. Rage coiled in Heero like a living thing. No one threatened Duo…

His fists flew, his only goal was to wipe the threat off the face of the earth. The boy screamed and boys grabbed at Heero, begging him to stop, but he through them off. Schbeiker ran in and made a go for him.

“Yuy, stop it, you're killing him!”

Heero ignored her, not hearing any of their pleas. Suddenly, someone else grabbed at his arm and he felt silken hair brush his arm.

“Heero, stop, please, it's ok!” a very familiar, wanted voice pleaded.

Duo, Heero's mind supplied and he stopped. Heero slowly came back to himself and looked at the bloody, unconscious boy and shuddered. What had he done?

 

*****

 

“Your mother's here,” Treize told Heero as they sat in his office. Heero looked away from him.

“I told you that I had no tolerance for this behavior, but two weeks later and here you are. I have to say I'm disappointed.”

Heero didn't respond. The door swung open and his mother walked in, her eyes cold with suppressed anger. Heero got a case of déjà vu but ignored it. Things were different this time.

Name sat next to Heero and looked at Treize.

“What's going on?” she asked.

“Jeff Marcozy is in the hospital. Heero attacked him in the boy's locker room. What I want to know is what happened, but your son isn't cooperating.”

Name glared at Heero.

“What did you do?!” she hissed, “I thought we were over this crap!”

Heero gritted his teeth.

“I didn't mean to do that,” he insisted. Name leaned in close to him.

“What happened, Heero?”

Heero sighed.

“I heard some boys talking about Duo.”

Treize's interest piqued, he had known that Maxwell was involved since he was the one that had managed to talk Yuy down, but this was too much.

“They were calling him names… they said that he was a whore, that he was pathetic.”

Name clenched her hand into a fist. She was suddenly not so angry that this Jeff was in the hospital. She wasn't an angry woman, but she wasn't a pacifist, either, especially where her son and his friends were concerned.

“I told that boy to shut up. I said that he was the one who was pathetic. He attacked me, threw a stick at my head. He lunged at me, I punched him. Then…” Heero paused.

Treize frowned. It was true that Jeff Marcozy had a history of anger problems, but that still didn't explain why Heero had brutalized him.

“What is it, Heero?” he asked. Heero looked at him in the eye and his expression almost made Treize shudder.

“He said that he was going to hurt Duo. I don't remember what happened after that, I was just so angry… the next thing I knew, that boy was beaten and Duo was telling me to stop. That's all there is.”

“Why should I believe you?” Treize asked, “Your record speaks for itself. This isn't the first time that you've beaten someone, though it is the most brutal.”

Heero shrugged.

“I don't care what you think. He's in the hospital, so he can't hurt Duo. That's all that matters.”

Treize nodded. Name clenched at her top. Heero's disciplinary record was a mile long. Before Alexei's death, he had been the perfect child, well behaved, smart, and obedient. After, however, he became bitter and angry, bullying his classmates and undermining his teachers. This was the first time he had done violence to protect someone. She was angry that he had resorted to violence again, but at the same time, she couldn't really be angry at Heero for reacting violently towards a threat to his best friend. She was too relieved that he had found someone that made him care so much. That was, of course, if he was telling the truth, something that Heero didn't always do when he had been called to the principal's office. If it was true… Heero had never done this for Trowa and Quatre. There was something deep between her son and Duo, she didn't know what it was or even if it was a good thing, but she knew that it was there.

“Could you two wait outside?” Treize gestured to the door, “I have some students to interview about this incident, then I'll make my decision.”

Heero wanted to protest that no one in this goddamn school would stick their necks out for Duo but him and, even if he was a Yuy, they wouldn't put Marcozy in trouble for him, but he was just too tired. He had never done something like this before. He had beaten kids up for annoying him or talking back, but this sort of violence… it scared him that he was capable of such a thing. He knew that he would never hurt Duo, but he would do anything to protect him. Still, he was glad that the boy was in the hospital, he had attacked him and had threatened his best friend. The truth of the matter was that the first blow had been self defense and the rest he didn't even remember. How could you stop from doing something when you had no control?

As Heero and Name sat down in the waiting room, Heero watched with wide eyes as Chang Wufei walked past and into Treize's office, smirking as he saw Heero sitting there. Heero gritted his teeth as he saw him. Several minutes later, Wufei came out and quickly left.

“Heero,” Treize ushered him and his mother back into his office.

 

*****

 

“Well?” Name asked impatiently, “You only had one witness?”

Treize nodded.

“Jeff's friends claimed that it was your son's fault, but considering that they couldn't get some of their basic facts right, they weren't reliable. Mister Chang, on the other hand, was.”

“What did he say?” Heero growled. Light and dark blue eyes met and clashed.

“This school's stance on bullying and assault is very strict. Anyone threatening or harming another student will be suspended if it is a first offense or expelled if they have a history of violence like you do.”

`And yet a boy like Duo is bullied by scum like Merquise for years and nothing happens and now he's back at school until he does something again,' Heero thought bitterly.

“For that reason, Jeff will be expelled.”

Heero looked at his principal in surprise.

“Is he ok?” he asked in curiosity, not care.

“The hospital says that he has a broken nose and two cracked ribs, but he'll be fine.”

“Are you going to expel Heero?” Name asked. Treize sighed.

“Your son has to go to detention for two weeks, but I won't expel him. His record is long, but Chang backed up his story. Heero was assaulted and his friend was threatened. That doesn't excuse his violence, but he didn't attack him unprovoked, either, and I can't ignore the fact that Jeff's threat was probably serious.”

Name crossed her arms.

“But you're still going to give him detention?”

“Mrs. Yuy, my job is to make this school a safe and efficient place for people to learn. Your son's intention may have been noble, but he still resorted to violence and I can't turn a blind eye to that.”

“It's a fitting punishment,” Heero said. Name and Treize gave him questioning looks.

“What?” he snapped, “I'd rather get detention than be expelled because of that asshole.”

“Alright,” Treize said, “then I guess we have nothing further to discuss. You can go to your last class, Heero, your mother and I need to have a little chat.”

Heero left the office briskly, realizing that he had gotten off lightly. It wasn't the first time, but this time his status had nothing to do with it and that made him feel relieved. If he had gotten expelled, he wouldn't have been able to see Duo again and that wasn't an option. Instead of going to his last class, he went in another direction. He needed to have a talk with someone.

 

*****

 

Yuy was waiting for him outside of class, but Wufei had been expecting him.

“Yuy,” he greeted, “I take it that all went well, or are yo here to send me to the hospital as well?”

Heero didn't take the bait.

“Why did you do that?”

“Do what?” Wufei asked with obvious fake innocence.

“Tell the truth!” Heero snapped, “You could have easily lied and told Khushrenada that I had started the whole thing. You want Duo, you could have taken me out of the picture, but you didn't and I want to know why. I hate having debts, especially with people that I don't like.”

Wufei snorted.

“You have no debt to me, Yuy,” he said, “because I didn't tell the truth for your benefit. I did it for Duo.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Wufei smirked.

“Using such underhanded tactics would not be honorable, nor would it give me any satisfaction, besides, if you suffer, Duo will suffer and I don't want that. I'm not giving up, not by a long shot, but lying to get you kicked out of school isn't something I'd be proud of, either. I'll get you out of my hair my own way,” with that little speech, Wufei walked off. Heero sighed as he watched him go. He didn't know what to feel when it came to Chang Wufei. He hated that he was trying to steal Duo away from him, but the boy was honorable, more so than others his age and he had just gotten him out of hot water. In a different situation, they might have been friends, but when it came to Duo, Heero wasn't backing off.

 

*****

 

“You've already made your decision about my son, I don't see any reason to talk further,” Name said.

“I don't want to talk to you about Heero,” Treize assured her, “I want to talk to you about Duo Maxwell.”

Name's black eyes widened. She had expected some plan about Heero's behavior or even a lecture from the domineering man, but she had never imagined that he would be asking her about her son's friend.

“What about him?” she asked suspiciously. She had sent Heero to this school because she knew that Treize Khushrenada was trustworthy and not a media hound or a weak person like Heero's last principal had been. Still, she worried more about Duo than Heero lately. Duo was new to the game and there were hundreds of people who would just love to use Heero's small town best friend to get at the family. Duo was vulnerable, almost naive in some respects, like a child playing grownup, and he was a perfect target for enemies of the family, but she refused to let him become a victim for the Yuy's. He was Heero's friend and it was her responsibility to protect him.

“My wife and I have known Duo since he was in Middle school and for the first time in years, he has a friend. He's a strange boy, as I'm sure you've noticed. He's quiet, but very smart. In the past he had been bullied, but since you're son befriended it him, that has seemed to stop and he's gotten a bit of confidence. I've always been curious about Maxwell, there's something about him that begs information that no one can find.”

Name's brow furrowed.

“What do you mean there's no information? Surely you've spoken to his father? If he's been bullied, I'm sure his father would want to know!” Name said, getting angrier by the minute.

“One day, Duo Maxwell just showed up out of nowhere. He came with one father, whom no one has ever seen, an address that no one has been to, and a phone number that is never answered. He goes to school and leaves, and no one sees him after that. Heero is the only student to see him outside of school. It is because of that I need for you to do a favor for me.”

Name thought furiously. How was it possible that a teenage boy could be so shrouded in mystery? Someone had to know about Duo outside of school! Someone had to have seen his father! It was impossible…

“What do you want me to do?” she asked.

“I know that there is something going on with Duo and I don't think that it's anything good. I just want you to watch. If you get any information about his home life or think that he's in danger, please tell me. I want to help him, but since he's not talking, I have to rely on other people's surveillance. I can only watch him during school, and that just isn't enough.”

Name thought about it, Duo's wide violet eyes, his guarded expressions, his fear in the most normal of situations… the mere thought of something bad happening to him made her angry.

“I'll help you.”

 

*****

 

“Heero!” Duo cried as he spotted his best friend when the last bell rang. Heero turned to look at him and guilt filled his blue eyes.

“Duo-,”

“Don't you ever fucking do that again!” Duo yelled. People in the hall gave the two wide birth as Duo strode up and smacked Heero over the head. Heero swore, but stopped any thoughts of retaliating when he saw the unshed tears in Duo's eyes.

“You're so stupid…” Duo murmured. Heero smiled softly at him.

“I know that and I'm sorry. He threatened you and I just… lost control.”

Duo ran a hand through his hair in a gesture that Heero found incredibly cute.

“I don't care about that, you could have been expelled…” Duo looked away, trying to hide his turmoil, but Heero could see how upset he was. In the middle of the waning hallway, he wrapped his arms around his best friends and hugged him slightly.

“I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.”

Duo blinked against Heero's shirt.

“What are you doing?” he asked, confused. Heero smirked against his soft hair.

“Hugging you, stupid, haven't you ever gotten a hug before?” Heero joked. Duo didn't say anything, just melting into the embrace. He knew what a hug was, Heero had hugged him last weekend, but, he couldn't recall anyone hugging him before that.

“Promise me you won't put yourself in danger like that again, please?”

Heero sighed and let go of him.

“I promise I'll try.”

Duo sighed in exasperation.

“Brute,” he grumbled, but Heero knew that he was going to let it go and the only remorse he felt was that he had scared his friend. Duo left the school in much higher spirits than he had entered, walking out with Heero, laughing. Neither of them felt the brown eyes that followed them.

 

*****

 

“Why is your hair so long?” Heero asked the next day as he and Duo studied for a math test in the library. Duo looked up from his book in surprise.

“Is this about what those guys said?” Duo asked sadly, a small hint of nervousness in his eyes.

“I don't think that you're a whore,” Heero said quickly, “but I have wondered why you're hair is long. It's not very usual…”

Duo got a far off look for a moment, but it was gone so quickly that Heero almost missed it.

“Well, I got out of habit of cutting it and no one ever ordered me to. I just didn't see the point in bothering since no one gave any crap about it and after awhile, it became a sort of a comfort. I don't think that I could get it cut now, I'm just too used to it.”

Heero frowned. It was such strange reasoning, but he wasn't complaining. He loved Duo's hair, he loved each streak of color, honey, gold, mahogany, and red, and he loved how silky it was.

“You won't cut it, ever?” he asked. Duo shook his head and let his braid fall over his shoulder, gripping the silky rope.

“It's been a part of me for too long,” he murmured.

 

*****

 

On the street, personal maintenance and hygiene took a back burner to survival. Duo had seen a lot of boys use shards of glass and knives to keep their hair short, but he had never bothered, letting his hair grow wildly. Keeping his hair long meant that he could hide things in it like lock picks of small, sharp objects that he sometimes found; not enough to keep away the big dogs like gangs and the crazies, but enough to make other rethink about messing with him. It also made him look like a girl which made some people think twice about hurting him, though this wasn't very often, though he had stolen from a man that had let him go because he had thought that Duo was a little girl. It caused some problems, too, though, like attracting the kind of men that liked to prey on little girls or giving the people he had stolen from something to grab onto when he ran away. Wes liked his hair, that was obvious since he never threatened to cut it if he stepped out of line. He liked to use it during sex to tie up Duo's hands or use it as a leash or choke him with it. He should have hated his hair for that or cut it all off just to spite Wes, but he couldn't. His hair was all that he had that was truly his. He had thought about slicing up his face, doing all that he could to make himself ugly, but in the month that Wes had spent training him, it had been made clear that, though his prettiness was very, very marketable, he was still, ultimately, just a hole for men to fuck and as long as he was physically capable of having sex, he would be a whore. Besides, Wes had told him, quite a few men found little boys with scars a turn on.

One month… an entire month living with the pimp and drug runner, the man who had kidnapped him and raped him. One month of letting him rape him and teach him how to give a proper blowjob and all sorts of nasty things that left him screaming inside. He told himself it wasn't so bad he was still alive, he just had to do some unsavory things, but on some days, that didn't seem like such a good trade. Sometimes, Wes didn't hurt him, but for some reason, the feeling of being violated was worse than the feelings of physical pain. In fact, the less Wes beat him, the dirtier he felt about the sex.

 

*****

 

It was his first pick up. He should have been nervous, but what was the difference? Sex was sex as far as he was concerned, it didn't matter who was fucking him. Wes had gone over what he had to do a thousand times. He had given him a piece of paper that had the street name on it where he was going to be picked up. He couldn't read or understand what was written there, but there was nothing wrong with his sight and he could match the strange letters to the street signs. The person picking him up would have him for a few hours and Duo would have to do anything the man told him to do, then find his way back home. It would be so easy to run away, but he had thought that over hundreds of times and knew where that road led.

Finding the right street was the easy part, getting into the strange car with the strange man was significantly harder, especially with his years of street experience screaming at him that little kids should not get into a stranger's car, but then he reminded himself that the man he was going with was a bad guy and that was the whole reason why he was getting into his car.

His john looked… normal. No scars, no sleazy grin, he looked like a hundred guys he had passed on the street. He had mousy brown hair and hazel eyes and was wearing a white polo shirt, brown slacks, and had a gold ring on his third finger on his right hand. He looked like some kid's father.

“You're a little cutie!” the man exclaimed gleefully, “you aren't nervous, are you?”

Duo shook his head. There was something disturbing about how happy this guy was.

“Have you done this before?” the guy asked. Duo hesitated to answer.

“I'm not a virgin,” he finally said. Wes hadn't told him to lie about his virginity, so he wouldn't. The man nodded, seeming to get more excited by the fact that the boy wasn't green.

They parked in the woods and the man turned off the car. Duo clenched his hands in his shirt. He wasn't a virgin, but he also wasn't sure what the man wanted. Would he just fuck him or did he want some foreplay? He hoped that he wouldn't tie him up or burn him or something else nasty like that.

“Don't be scared, cutie, come up here on my lap.”

Duo unbuckled his seat belt and climbed into the man's lap. The brunette cupped his cheeks and studied his face.

“You are a sweet thing, aren't you?” he said breathlessly. Duo found himself blushing. He was just some dumb street kid turned dumb whore, what did he know about `pretty' anyway? The man's thumb ran over his soft lips, leaving Duo with the feeling of rough calluses.

“I want this sweet little mouth on me,” the guy murmured.

Duo fumbled with the zipper on the man's tented slacks, but managed to get it down. As his little hands searched for the length inside, his customer began to pant with desire. He wasn't wearing any underwear, so Duo brought him out easily. This wan wasn't quite as big as Wes, but to a seven year old who had only seen one other dick before, he was big enough.

“Go on, then,” the man urged.

Duo pressed his lips to the slit on the engorged head and slowly slid down. As he did with Wes, he had to stretch his jaw to keep from choking on the bitter tasting member. He hoped that when he got older, this would get easier, but thinking of the future filled him with a deep, aching depression. He felt a large hand on his head, petting his hair.

“Good boy, that's it, suckle on it… perfect.”

He pulled down Duo's shorts as the boy deep throated him the best that he could and traced patterns over his pale, soft buttocks with his fingertips.

Duo fought the urge to bite down as two fingers worked their way inside of him. Wes had penetrated him with all sorts of things, his fingers, fist, cock, vibrators, plugs, beads, even a broom handle once as punishment when he hadn't swallowed Wes' cum as fast as he had liked, but he didn't think that he would ever get used to how strange it felt.

The man thrust his fingers in and out of the boy's wonderfully hot and tight body, his fingers feeling how soft he was. His mouth was just as wonderful, not as talented as some of the adult prostitutes he had sampled, but his mouth was small, tight, and wet and his little tongue was quite good at stroking and teasing. Finally, he couldn't take anymore and came into Duo's throat. To his pleasant surprise, the child swallowed every drop of semen, cleaning him with that agile tongue until he popped his flaccid member out of his mouth.

The man, panting and spent, rummaged through his pants and gave Duo a hundred dollar bill. He ruffled Duo's hair and scooted him back into his seat where Duo pulled his shorts back up and rubbed at his lips, making sure that he was really clean. The man gave it a few minutes before zipping his pants back up and starting the car. Duo curled up against the car door and refused to say anything as they drove back to where he had been picked up.

 

*****

 

It was a long way back to the apartment, but Duo remembered the way back. It must have been a Sunday because there were street vendors everywhere he looked and the street was filled with the smells of hot, cooking food. The bitter taste of semen in his mouth and his stomach hollow and aching, he watched each booth like a dog eying a link of sausages, which, of course, he could see from some of the vendors. Before meeting Wes, he would have looked upon today as Paradise. Children ran around from booth to booth chaotically, the perfect disguise for a little pickpocket, but amongst the children were also cops, looking for thieves like Duo had been. But, he had money now, he didn't need to steal, right? He had thought that, now that he was living with Wes, he would get regular meals, but that wasn't necessarily true. Wes was a stingy, greedy man and only fed him when he absolutely had to. He eyed a booth that boasted roasted chicken on a stick and stopped. It only cost four fifty… surely Wes wouldn't mind…

“Can I have some?” he yelled over the roar of people. The vendor looked around for the source of the voice before he figured it out and looked down with a bright smile.

“Hey there, little man! What can I get for ya?”

Duo bit his lip as he looked over the brightly drawn signs.

“Do you still have milk?” he asked excitedly. The vendor nodded.

Milk… real milk, not that powdered stuff… he had never had the real stuff before!

“Can I have some chicken and milk?”

The vendor's smile grew at the child's excitement. With the boy's worn clothing and how thin he was, he could tell that he was one of the street kids and his heart went out to the boy. It was so hard to watch such young children struggle to survive.

“Four fifty, kiddo.”

Duo handed over the money, collected his change, and ran. Like a wounded cat, he found shelter in a small alcove in an empty alley to eat his meal. The chicken was tender and delicious, but not strong enough to make his weak stomach sick. The milk was heavenly and filled him, making him feel drowsy and content.

 

*****

 

“Stupid little shit!” Wes yelled before he threw Duo against the wall. Duo rolled with the blow, used to Wes' explosive anger, though he had never thought he would get this angry over a few dollars.

“I'm sorry!” he cried, tucking his head down as Wes threw a chair at him and it broke against the wall. “I'll never do it again,” he promised, crying out as Wes kicked him in his side.

“Damn right you won't,” Wes snarled, raining kicks onto the child's body. Duo let his loose hair fall over him, shielding him as well as he could against the blows. The silky curtain caressed his bare skin and he pretended that he was back on the street, hiding in corners and alleys, using his hair to warm his body in the winter. He clenched at his long locks and stayed still as Wes finished with him and dragged him into the bedroom.

 

*****

 

Duo was shaken from his eclectic memories by a tug on his braid. He blinked up at Heero who still had his braid in his fist.

“Come on, Rapunzel, we have some more studying to do,” Heero teased, not liking the look in Duo's eyes.

“Call me that again and I'll shave that rat's nest you call a hairdo,” Duo growled. Heero just laughed at him.

 

*****

 

“Shit,” Duo swore. He was in deep trouble. He sighed. Standing in the apartment's tiny bathroom, he pulled his shirt neck away from his shoulder again, just in case he was mistaken. He wasn't. The bite mark that Wes had made was a deep angry red, even the skin around the wound looked inflamed and the teeth marks were starting to get infected with puss. He poked at the leaking white fluid and winced. He grabbed some toilet paper and doused it with cold water, pressing it against the wound and making it sting. He pressed at the wound, breaking open the slowly healing parts and letting more pus drain, then swiped it up with the toilet paper.

He didn't have any health insurance, hell, he didn't have any identification. Getting antibiotics would be impossible. It would be like any other injury he had gotten, he would just have to wait and hope for the best. He sighed again and tossed the blood and pus stained toilet paper into the trash barrel.

 

*****

 

Cold brown eyes followed Heero and Duo as they left the school, Heero by his Jaguar and Duo by foot, but neither of them noticed the teenaged boy watching them from the other side of the parking lot. Neither did Duo notice the same boy following him as he walked home.

 

*****

 

Alex Mueller swore. He had lost Yuy's bitch again. The longhaired boy was swift and apparently capable of covering his tracts even when he didn't know that he was being followed. He had thought that the little faggot would be easy to tail, but it appeared that Yuy's pet whore wasn't the weak thing he had thought. That didn't change anything, though, whether it took him five minutes or a week, he would take Duo Maxwell down and Heero Yuy with him.

 

*****

 

Alex had lived in Britain his whole life and, though his family was quite wealthy and affluent, he hadn't had much excitement until Yuy had started going to his school. All Alex had wanted was to get good grades so he could start on the road to becoming a doctor like his father, but Yuy had ruined all that. Everyone in school had been drooling at the thought of a Yuy attending their school. Every girl wanted to date him, every boy wanted to be friends with him. Alex just wanted him to go away. At first, they had just disliked each other, but when the principal went hunting for Alex for something that Yuy had surely done, he had gotten expelled, and all because of that Japanese bastard and his family. He didn't care if Yuy had done it or not, he knew that the only reason why he had gotten expelled while Yuy hadn't even gotten a slap on the wrist was that he was a Yuy. Yuy was fucking untouchable, he could murder and nothing would happen! Even when ten people had seen him beat up that kid, the principal hadn't done anything! His mother had just up and moved them to America while Alex was stuck in England at sucky part time jobs trying to convince his father that he was still responsible and not some juvenile delinquent. Yuy had to pay for that, and he would. When he had heard that Heero had moved to America, he had followed him, refusing to let him slip through his fingers. That fucker would pay… that was all he could think about. But, there was just one little problem… Yuy was untouchable. Even if he tried to get Yuy, his mother would just get him out of trouble again and again. How could you fuck with a boy that was bullet proof? Easy. Hurt the thing that he treasures the most. Yuy was untouchable, his precious little slut, however was not.

He didn't feel any remorse about going after `Duo Maxwell', if that was his real name. He was no idiot. He had done a little research, Duo Maxwell didn't exist. But, he had a much better idea than using his records against him. For a brief moment while Alex had been tailing him, Duo's eyes had met Alex's. Alex was confident that he hadn't truly been seen any more than anyone else in the crowd, but that wasn't the point. Those eyes… so pretty, like iris', only, there was nothing there. They were hollow and pointless, a child with no soul. The boy had no soul… you couldn't hurt someone who had no soul.

Alex turned and walked back the way he came. He had missed his chance to corner the brat, but he had an ace up his sleeve. Tomorrow, there was someone that he had to see. Tomorrow, Yuy's destruction would be imminent.

 

*****

 

Staying away from Duo reminded Zechs of his recent nicotine habit that he had successfully kicked. It seemed as though he was everywhere Zechs turned in school, but he couldn't even approach him without Treize's threat ringing in his ears. His body burned for one more taste of the violet eyed boy. But, Yuy wouldn't leave him alone for a second and Zechs couldn't risk Duo telling on him and getting him expelled. Still, every time he saw him it was like a fist squeezing at his heart. Yuy was probably so smug, thinking that he had won, but Zechs would find a way. He knew that Heero hadn't fucked him yet, his gut told him that much, and that would always be something he had over him. Heero would never know what Duo tasted like, he would see to that.

The last bell rang and Zechs left for school. There was no longer any reason to stay late or get there early, all of the excitement from school had been bled dry. His nights, however, were worse. He would stay up late thinking about what Duo was doing and remembering all those early mornings and after school hours they had spent together. When Zechs made it to his car, a familiar face was waiting for him.

“Alex?” he breathed in shock. The blonde boy grinned at him and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Hey, man, I haven't seen you in years!”

A part of Zechs was glad to see his old friend again, but another was suspicious. He shook hands with the slightly shorter boy.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were still going to school in England?”

Alex's eyes turned dark and angry.

“Things have changed. Anyway, I was in the neighborhood and decided to see my old friend again.”

Zechs snorted.

“Don't give me that shit. I haven't seen you in years. The two of us are alike and I know that you wouldn't be here unless you needed something.”

Alex nodded.

“Ok, let's cut through all the bullshit. I do need something and so do you, but I'm going to need your help to get what I want. Now, is there someplace a little more private where we can talk?”

Zechs looked at him suspiciously.

“And why should I help you? I'm already in trouble and I don't see what's in it for me to put my ass on the line again?”

Alex grinned.

“A mutual enemy.”

Zechs raised a silver-white eyebrow at him.

“Who?”

“Yuy.”

Zechs chuckled.

“Yuy's untouchable and you know that. I won't even bother asking what you have against him, it can't be done.”

“Oh? What if I told you that I could destroy him and get that little bitch back with you at the same time?”

“How do you know about that?” Zechs snarled.

“You insult my intelligence, I know your type and I know that you're smarter than to get in trouble unless your dick's involved, so I put two and two together. Now, are we going to help each other or not?”

Any anger that Zechs felt vanished at the thought of hurting Yuy and getting back Duo. He opened the car door for his old friend.

“Alright, let's go.”

 

*****

 

Wednesday, it started to snow. This wasn't so unusual in Maine, even though it wasn't quite December, yet. The weather had been cold lately and Duo certainly wasn't surprised about the sudden light fall of snow. It was light now, but he knew from experience that it would pick up in the next few days. He remembered days like this on the streets. To kids with homes, snow was something magical, something that created frozen ponds and snow days away from school. To a street kid, snow was something to be feared. Food out of dumpsters would be frozen and useless and, if you weren't careful, you could freeze to death in your sleep. That was one good thing about living with Wes, he may not have a lot of food or hot showers, but the apartment was heated. However, his coughing was getting progressively worse and he knew that he was scaring Heero, but there was little that he could do about it. He had managed to take some free cough drops from the nurse's office, but they hadn't helped. His chest felt tight all the time and his stomach and abdomen hurt. He felt woozy, but he was starting to get used to the feeling of being sick.

Last block was starting soon and he didn't relish the idea of having to go outside. He has his heavy jacket, but it wasn't enough to keep the chill away. Heero had volunteered to buy him a better jacket, but food was one thing, clothes were another and he refused to leech off of his best friend.

On the way to the music room, Duo realized that he was being followed. He looked over his shoulder and found Wufei tailing him. He rolled his eyes and kept walking, trying to put some distance between the two of them. He wasn't up to another confrontation with the stubborn boy. Over the last few days, Duo had been plagued with gifts of flowers and chocolate and trinkets, which was both embarrassing and annoying. He knew at this point that telling Wufei that he didn't love him was not going to cut it. He wondered if he could a restraining order put on a sixteen year old classmate, then remembered that he didn't have the money to get a lawyer in the first place and just walked faster. Wufei, however, was matching him step for step and easily caught up with him.

“Duo, wait!” Wufei called, making a grab for Duo's arm, but the lithe brunette evaded him.

“Leave me alone!” Duo snarled, tiredly. His head felt heavy and fuzzy and he was too tired for the games. Wufei, however, didn't seem to care and gently pushed Duo against the wall to stop him from running away.

“Just stop!” he pleaded. Duo glared at him, and then his eyes widened in shock as Wufei pressed his lips to his.

He froze, unable to fight back, not because of any fear or force, simply because he had never thought that the Chinese boy would have the audacity to do something like that. There was no tongue, just soft lips against his until Chang pulled away.

“I've wanted to do that since the moment I met you,” Wufei said breathlessly.

“Stop…” Duo pleaded, feeling strange, his whole body heavy.

“No, I want you so badly,” Wufei whispered, rubbing his knee against Duo's crotch. Duo gripped at Wufei's shirt as his vision started to turn black around the edges.

“stop…” he murmured, his legs collapsing from under him. He heard Wufei yell something and then, blackness.

 

*****

 

Wufei watched in alarm as Duo started to slump towards the ground, Wufei's grip on him the only thing keeping Duo's head from smashing onto the linoleum floor.

“Duo!” he yelled, but the boy was unconscious and there was no one around to hear his cry. What had just happened? He had been in heaven, his love's lips so soft and warm… now this. He picked Duo up in his arms, not realizing just how thin and light the other boy was, and tried to remember where the nurse's office was.

 

*****

 

Wufei waited impatiently in the waiting room after handing Duo over to Nurse Po. He had never been to a nurse's office before. Anytime he had been sick, his mother had taken care of him, but the young blonde nurse seemed like a good person. The place was filled half with anatomy charts and half with bright, cartoon posters telling students the dangers of various things like unprotected sex and alcohol. She had been in there for twenty minutes now, what could be taking so long?!

 

*****

 

Sally bit her lip as she watched the longhaired boy sleep. Fear and anger filled her. His shoulder was badly infected with a bite wound and he was running a fever, though she didn't think that it was from an infection. With a normal student she would have sent him to a hospital. She wasn't exactly equipped for tests to find out what was really wrong with him. But, Duo Maxwell wasn't normal. She swallowed nervously and ran a hand over her face tiredly. What was she going to do? The boy needed treatment, but if she caused trouble for that man posing as his father, she would be dead in ditch within the hour, she was sure. She covered the boy with a blanket and brushed his bangs out of his face. It was her job to make sure that he was healthy, but how could she do that at the cost of her own life?

 

*****

 

“Mr. Chang?”

Wufei's head popped up to meet light blue eyes. She smiled at him, but her eyes were hard and serious.

“Your friend is awake now.”

Wufei stood up quickly.

“Is he ok?” he demanded.

“He has a bit of a cold and is quite tired, but he'll be fine,” she lied. “His father will be coming to pick him up soon. He should be fine by tomorrow.”

Wufei nodded, feeling guilty as he realized that he was probably responsible for Duo's collapse, causing him stress while he was sick.

“Can you tell him that I'm sorry?” he asked. Po nodded.

“Go back to class, Mr. Chang, you'll see him tomorrow,” she assured him.

“Thank you,” Wufei said and left, tail between his legs. Sally sighed in relief and returned to her patient.

 

*****

 

Duo was indeed awake, though a bit confused. He remembered Wufei kissing him, then nothing, and now he was in the nurse's office. Nurse Po handed him a juice box of orange juice and some painkillers for his headache.

“What happened?” he asked.

“You collapsed. Chang Wufei brought you here,” Sally chewed on her lower lip. Should she confront him about the bite mark, his illness, and the abuse she had seen the last time he was in here?

“I'm sure after a full night's rest, you'll be as good as new,” she said and Duo knew that she was lying. She knew that Wes wasn't his real father, but he was obviously threatening her or she would have gone to the police by now. Duo wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed by now. It wouldn't be the first time he had considered going to the cops, but he had no record, no proof, and the end result would have him stuck in some foster home or juvenile delinquent center until he was eighteen and tossed back onto the streets again, or back into Wes' very furious hands if he decided to pay the cops off, which was possible. Duo had performed for police before and he knew that they were corrupt, if not completely in the pockets of the pimps and drug hounds that never got caught.

“Can I go home?” he asked. He wanted to stay and sleep some more, but staying with this woman that knew that something bad was happening to him and had done nothing made him feel uncomfortable. She nodded.

“I'll let you go home early,” she said. He untangled himself from the heavy blanket and shakily walked out of the infirmary. Sally watched him go, her guilt trying to disembowel her, but she let him leave without a word.

 

*****

 

The one good thing about being sick was that Duo was so out of his head the rest of the day, he hardly remembered working. Wes was typically unsympathetic to how crappy he felt and forced him onto the streets. At midnight, he was done and found himself on Solo's beat. They hadn't seen each other in weeks and Duo always sought him out when he had the time like tonight. He should have gone home and to bed, he thought, but despite being tired, he was also restless and looked for his friend.

The night was cold, though the snow had finally stopped, and business was slow for un-pimped hooker like Solo. Few johns were patrolling the streets, but Wes had managed to find quite a few looking for a fuck that were willing to pick Duo up. Duo felt bad as he approached Solo, it looked like his friend had had a tough bite and no fish had been biting.

“Hey, Sol',” he called. Solo seemed to brighten as he saw the younger boy.

“Duo!” he cheered and hugged Duo tightly. Duo hugged him back.

“It's been awhile, short stuff.”

Duo frowned.

“Don't call me that.”

Solo just grinned. They stood side by side, their arms touching, and watched the cars drive by them on the street.

“So, how's school going?” Solo asked.

“Good, I've got a math test coming up, but I'm pretty confident about it.”

Solo clapped him on the shoulder.

“That's my boy!” he teased. Duo looked off into the darkness of the night.

“Solo… have you ever been in love?” he asked in a soft voice. Solo looked down at him, realizing how serious the question was.

“Once,” he said sadly, “why…,” suddenly it dawned on Solo and he ran a hand through his messy blonde hair, “oh, shit, kiddo, don't tell me…”

“I think I'm in love with another guy,” Duo confessed. Solo sighed in exasperation.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Shit… we fuck `em, but we do not fall in love with them!”

“It isn't a customer,” Duo assured him.

“Well that's a relief, who is it? Just some guy you met on the streets? `Cause let me tell you, that ain't love you're talking about!”

“I know that!” Duo growled.

“Don't tell me… not that fucker Wes, please tell me you have better taste than that!”

Duo glared at him.

“Ok, so not Wes. Alright, I'll bite, what marvelous specimen of human has gained your attentions?”

Duo fiddled with his hair. He felt awkward talking about his feelings to the boy that had professed his own feelings to him.

“A few weeks ago this guy moved here. We became friends and I like him a lot. I… I think I'm in love with him.”

“You fell for a normie? Well, that complicates things, but I gotta say, I'm not surprised, a kid like you deserves to fall for someone who isn't a perv. So, what's his name?”

Duo hesitated.

“Heero Yuy.”

“WHAT?!” Solo exploded, “Heero `I'm the King of the World' Yuy is going to your school?! Fuck, Duo, even a piece of shit like me knows how powerful that guy is! Are you fucking insane?! You can't be in love with him, you just can't!”

“I know that!” Duo snarled and the tears in his voice stopped Solo's rant, “I can't help what I feel, but I never said that I was going to tell him. I'm a whore and he's the heir of Yuy Corporation, we aren't even in the same library! Just that we're friends seems impossible to me! But, I can't stop loving him just because I shouldn't!”

“I'm sorry,” Solo murmured, “but I don't want you to get your heart broken. You have enough problems in your life without a broken heart.”

“Too late,” Duo said bitterly.

 

*****

 

What was it with girls and stalking? Heero wondered as he once again saw the same girl following closely behind him as he went to his next class. A few years ago he had been engaged, against his will, to a girl who had thought that obsession and stalking equaled romance. He had been pursued by more than just a few girls, but had turned down every one of them. He wondered if there was a way to make it clear that he was gay without causing a scene. He wondered why girls went after guys that spent half of their time glaring at them, did they have a death wish or something?

She was a brunette with dark green eyes and Heero supposed, in a small town kind of way, she was very pretty. Of course, he had met princess' and actresses and models, so his view of feminine beauty was a bit biased. She approached him between classes and he wished that he had Duo by his side as a sort of buffer, but ultimately took that thought back, he didn't want to subject his best friend to this stupidity.

“Heero?” the girl asked shyly and Heero saw that her girlfriends were behind her, whether to heckle him if he broke her heart or to keep her from running away.

“Yes?” he asked impatiently. She looked away nervously, reminding Heero of a deer in front of a wolf.

“I-I… like you,” she said in a tiny voice, “no, I love you! Will you go out with me?”

“No,” he said instantly. The girl turned pale and started to sputter, but he walked away, unwilling to listen to her.

“Hey!” one of her friends stopped him, “You can't just treat her like that! A girl is pouring her heart out to you!” the girl put a hand on her chest, reminding Heero of a cheesy romance movie, “You have to at least give her a chance, you owe her love that much!”

Heero snorted.

“I don't owe her shit. It's her love, not mine,” his eyes looked at the in love girl coldly, “her love has nothing to do with me and just because she feels that way doesn't give me any obligation to her. I don't love her, so why would I date her? No offense, but I'm not interested.”

He pushed his way past the group of shocked girls and stormed towards his class. Emotions… they were so powerful, but why did people think that their emotions gave them an excuse to take free will from others? So the girl loved him, he sure didn't love her, so why did he have to `give her a chance'? He knew what he felt just as much as she did and nothing she said or did would be able to change how he felt. He knew how Duo felt about Wufei now and how frustrating it was dealing with someone who couldn't see past their own emotions. He would never do that to Duo. As much as he loved and wanted the boy, he would never force himself on him in the name of `love'. He loved him enough to let him make his own choices. It was so hard, dealing with those feelings, that sometimes he wished that he didn't love him at all.

He retreated to his locker where he found a piece of paper sticking out of it. He unfolded it and frowned. What the hell was going on?

 

*****

 

Heero wasn't the only one being followed by an unrequited love interest, but this time when Duo discovered he was being stalked, it was by someone infinitely more dangerous than Chang Wufei. Since the day that Zechs had attacked him in gym, Duo had hoped that he would never had to deal with him again, but apparently the silver haired bully wasn't quite done with him because he now seemed to be trying to herd him towards the soccer field. Finally, Duo decided that he had had enough of Zechs' crap and turned to confront him.

“What do you want?” he snapped. Zechs smiled at him.

“You don't seem so happy to see me.”

Duo snorted.

“Well, after you almost sent me to the hospital, I think I have good reason to be wary of you.”

“I'm sorry about that,” Zechs said, “but I was just so angry, I wanted to be with you, I still do. Does our past history mean nothing?”

“You mean our history as a bully and his victim?” Duo jeered.

“I gave you a choice, you chose sex over all that, I even gave you money to get food, and yet you won't even give me a second chance?” Zechs cocked his head to the side.

“For some people, one chance is enough. For people like you, they didn't even deserve the first chance,” Duo said.

“But, there is something that I need to show you.”

Duo shrugged and waved him off.

“I really don't care, just leave me alone,” he turned to leave.

“You'll come with me if you don't want to get Yuy involved,” Zechs threatened. Duo stopped and looked at him with wide, fearful eyes. Scared, shocked, and off balance, just the way that Zechs liked him.

“W-what do you mean?”

Zechs smirked.

“Come with me and find out.”

Duo clenched his fists.

“No, I can't miss class,” he said, but his conviction was wavering. He wouldn't go with Zechs, but that quip about Heero… What if he had something, some proof that he and Zechs had been involved sexually? But, that wasn't possible and Heero would never just take his word for it, but still…

“This won't take long,” Zechs promised, grabbing Duo's wrist and dragging him towards the exit.

 

*****

 

The bushes near the soccer field were a familiar sight, and though Duo was leery about Zechs taking him some place so secluded, he let him lead him there. To his surprise, there was another boy there, a blonde boy with brown eyes.

“What the fuck is this?” Duo snapped.

“Settle down,” Zechs said, handing Duo a photograph that he pulled out of his pocket. Duo stared at the picture in shock. It couldn't be, but it was, a picture of Zechs and him, Zechs was on top of him and it was clear what they were doing.

“That's impossible,” he said in a small voice, “I don't remember you taking this…”

“You were a little preoccupied at the time,” Zechs sneered.

“What do you want from me?” Duo asked in a subdued voice.

“It's simple,” Alex piped up, his voice thick with his English accent, “my good friend Zechs and I are going to fuck you and you are going to let us or we tell Heero about what you've been doing. Of course, we're going to fuck you either way, but at least with option A, you get a choice.”

`This is no choice,' Duo thought bitterly as he looked at the picture. Just once he would like to catch a break. He had thought that he had gotten Zechs out of his life for good, now this mess.

“Fine,” he said, “I'll do it, but if Heero finds out, I'll kill you,” he snapped at Zechs who ignored the threat. Alex ran his tongue over his teeth.

“Zechs can take your ass, I want your mouth,” Alex said cruelly. Duo glared at him. Just who was this guy and how did he know Zechs?

He grudgingly got onto his knees in front of the blonde. As Duo unzipped his jeans, Alex found himself hard. He was by no means a virgin, but none of his girlfriends had gone down on him and he wanted to know what it felt like. He didn't know what would be more exciting, having that hot mouth on him or watching Zechs fuck the little slut. He wasn't a fag, it was just exciting, that was all, and a hot body was a hot body, regardless of the equipment. He licked his lips as he felt the violet eyed boy's warm hands bringing his erection out of his pants. Yuy sure knew how to pick them, that was sure.

Alex groaned loudly as Duo engulfed him fully. It felt so good… like slipping into a hot bath, only it was tight, too. He grabbed at Duo's head, his fingers digging into the boy's silky hair as an agile tongue swiped over his cock.

“Shit, so good,” he moaned as Duo slid up and down on his member and sucked on him.

Zechs smirked as he watched Duo deep throat his friend. He had been on the receiving end of those oral skills more than once and for now he just wanted to watch. It was better than a five star porno.

Alex squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his orgasm creeping up on him. At the last moment he pulled out of Duo's mouth and came on his face, staggering back to catch his breath, his vision still white with his climax. Duo grimaced and wiped the cum off of his face with his shirt sleeve.

“Damn,” Alex gasped, “who the hell taught you that?”

“Another asshole just like you,” Duo snapped. Alex growled, grabbing Duo by his bangs and slapping him across the face.

“Don't talk back,” Alex snarled.

Zechs had had enough. From visual stimulation alone, he was so hard it hurt. He looked at his watch and grinned. It was time.

“Come here,” Zechs ordered as he lay down on the soft grass and unzipped his jeans. “I want you to do it yourself.”

Duo crawled over to him, straddling his hips.

“Inside my pocket is some lube, use it,” Zechs ordered. He almost shuddered as Duo pressed his body against his, searching his pockets. He could feel his warmth through his clothes, that sweet little body, and soon he would be buried inside of him once again.

Duo moved quickly, uncapping the lube and covering both himself and Zechs with the greasy stuff. Zechs made a small noise as Duo grabbed his cock and angled his body over it. The small noise turned into a low groan as Duo started to lower himself onto the stiff organ. Zechs closed his eyes as his cock was suddenly squeezed by soft flesh and heat. Duo took him in fully, his jeans around his knees, restricting his movement, and his soft buttocks caressing Zechs balls. He winced as he felt his insides stretching to accommodate Zechs' impressive girth. He hated this, it made him feel like crawling out of his skin, but he placed his hands on Zechs' chest as balance and moved up and down on him anyway. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his job. Zechs watched his face closely, his flushed cheeks, his strained, hateful expression. Zechs placed his hands on Duo's slim hips, loving the feel of his moving body. Duo's inner muscles squeezed him, milking him and the pleasant sensation was almost enough to make him scream.

Duo heard a shocked gasp and his eyes flew open. He looked up and violet met blue. Heero's eyes were wide before he turned and fled.

“Heero!” Duo yelled and pulled himself off of Zechs, not caring about the pain, pulled up his pants and chased after his best friend. Zechs took one last look at the longhaired boy's retreating back. He and Alex shared a look and started to laugh.

 

*****

 

“Heero, wait!” Duo yelled, grabbing at Heero's arm and pulling him back. Heero shook him off and glared at him.

“Fuck off,” he whispered, his eyes moving down to Duo's unzipped jeans. Duo followed the move and blushed, zipping them back up.

“Heero, please… talk to me,” Duo begged.

“Do you love him?” Heero asked, his voice icy.

“No,” Duo murmured, “I hate him. I just… I needed the money and the protection.”

Heero's hands curled into fists. How could anyone do anything so disgusting?! How could Duo lower himself to that?! No matter how poor he was, no matter how Zechs had bullied him!

“So, what? You just let him fuck you like some… some… whore?!”

“Yes,” Duo said solemnly, “just like that,” he said, looking Heero in the eye.

Heero laughed, making Duo flinch.

“This has all been just one big game to you, hasn't it?!” he snarled, “What were you going to do, seduce me and leave me high and dry?!”

“No!” Duo cried, tears welling up in his eyes, “it wasn't like that! Please, Heero, listen to me…” he grabbed at Heero's arm again, but Heero shoved him away and slapped him hard enough to send his head reeling to the side. Duo pressed a hand to his wounded cheek, tears tracking down his face.

“Please, you're my best friend,” he cried.

“Don't touch me,” Heero growled, “don't you dare put you're disgusting hands on me. I trusted you!” he hissed. Rage and revulsion and depression welled up in him. He couldn't take this anymore, the image of Duo's thrusting body burning in his mind, and he ran. Duo watched him go, his world frozen. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe.

`Heero…'

 

*****

 

Heero ran through the school, ignoring teachers yelling at him to slow down. He needed sanctuary, he needed to be alone, he needed to throw up…

He found an empty classroom and curled up in the corner, drawing his knees to his chest. He felt hysteria build up in his chest and pushed it all down. This wasn't happening, it was a bad dream. Duo would never do this to him… he would never do that to himself… everything was wrong. Zechs' cocky grin and Duo's lithe body… why couldn't he get that out of his head?!

He cowered in there for an hour, not caring about the goings on outside of the door, not caring about anything, just remaining in his disbelieving fog. His mother found him there, having not moved an inch, and took him home.

 

*****

 

It was late at night when Heero finally shook out of his cloud enough to, reluctantly, tell his mother what had happened. He wanted to make something up, not to tell her anything, but for some reason the words came spilling out anyway.

“I'm not going back there,” Heero said, sitting on his bed. Name noticed how he was staring at the spot where Duo's mattress had been. She felt just as numb as her son. She couldn't conceive her image of the small, strange, but kind boy she knew with the image Heero had spun with his words.

“Are you sure that what you saw was what really happened?” she asked.

“He was fucking that pig!” Heero cried, “He was selling himself like some common piece of trash! Why didn't I see it?” Heero shook his head, “There was no way someone like him would be my friend if there wasn't a catch.”

Name set next to him and gathered him into her arms like she had when he was a child and had had a bad dream.

“I'm so sorry, Heero, it's not your fault, it's mine,” she rested her cheek against his head, feeling him press his face into her shirt and start to cry.

 

*****

 

Heero did go to school the next day, avoiding the rest of the student body like the plague, but Duo never showed up.

 

 

 

End Chapter 4