AN- for anyone who didn't catch it in the summary, this story isAU
normally I try to stay as close to canon as possible, but the idea to cast the Gundam crew in a more... down to earth setting (as college students) has been kicking around in my head for a while now so I finally caved to the insistent muse and have decided to run with it.
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Disclaimer - I own nothing
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The campus was lush and sprawling, the buildings a mixture of the very old, and the very new, yet still managing to maintain a sense of aesthetic continuity. A tall sand colored campanile jutted above the tree tops from the middle of the universities central courtyard, more commonly referred to by the students as "the quad".
Lounging beneath the shade of a large tree sat a trio of students taking a break from studying to enjoy the warm September afternoon. The three sat in companionable silence, conversation, for the most part, unnecessary. Not that there was much to talk about only 3 days into the semester.
Wufei Chang, a young Chinese man with onyx eyes and jet black hair complained half-heartedly about a professor who'd already assigned a large paper due by the end of the next week. The half-Japanese next to him smirked and shook his head, his cobalt eyes sparkling from beneath his dark bangs. A low chuckle purred from the throat of the third member of their party, a tall, lean man with piercingly intelligent green eyes and a flop of hair that covered half his face.
"Trowa! Heero! Wufei!" the cheerful call came from halfway across the quad. Trowa raised a long arm in greeting at the blonde who came dashing over. His face in a wide grin and his blue eyes sparkling brightly as he flopped onto the ground beside Trowa. "Beautiful afternoon isn't it!" the blonde grinned.
"Indeed it is." Trowa smiled gently, "Are you going to tell us what has you so excited Quatre?"
"Ah…" the blonde faked a pout "I had hoped to surprise you."
Trowa laughed again, Wufei snorted a grunt and rolled his eyes at the flirting between his two friends. Heero had picked a non-descript patch of grass several meters away to stare at.
"A friend of mine will be performing at 'The Head' at 8 o'clock this evening. I was hoping you'd all join me. This is his first time in front of an audience like that, and I really want to be there to support him."
"Thirsty Thursday, eh?" Wufei grinned "I'm in."
Trowa smiled, "I'd be happy to go as well."
"How about it Yuy?" Wufei asked, taking a long drink from his bottled water, "you going to tag along?"
Quatre turned hopeful eyes to Heero. The Japanese man growled inwardly, he hated it when the angelic looking blonde used those baby blues against him. Trowa chuckled, knowing all too well the power of his roommate-boyfriend's 'puppy eyes'.
Heero sighed, then nodded, "Sure Quatre, I'll go."
"Great! Thanks guys! Meet at 7:45! First round's on me!"
"I'll hold you to that!" Wufei grinned
The clock at the top of the campanile began to chime two o'clock.
"Ah, I've got to get to class." Wufei grumbled, collecting his bag, "I'll meet you guys at 'The Head' tonight."
"Later Chang." Heero nodded
"I have class as well." Trowa smiled, planting a chaste kiss on Quatre's forehead as he rose to leave. Heero turned away a faint blush rising to his cheeks. He was truly happy for his friends, but their openness with their homosexuality always made him a bit wary. Sanc University was a liberal campus to be sure, but the organizer of a gay pride rally had been brutally murdered only a few months ago, and the incident had put him on high alert concerning the safety of his friends.
Of course, you'd have to be a complete idiot to take on someone like Trowa, but Quatre was another story… the baby-faced blonde was far too unassuming.
"What's the rest of your afternoon look like Heero?" Quatre asked, de-railing the brunette's train of thought.
"I finish at one on Tuesday's and Thursday's."
"Ah, lucky, I have another class at three. But hey, in the meantime, did you want to go grab a coffee or something?"
Heero nodded thoughtfully, "Sure." He collected his bag and followed the exuberant blonde towards the 'Stomping Grounds Café' to purchase their heavily caffeinated drinks.
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Ah, short chapter just to set up the plot for later chapters. Bear with me.