A/N This is something I wrote a long time ago and recently got around to typing up. Having edited it slightly I'm still not 100% happy with it but hopefully someone will enjoy it anyway. So enjoy!

Non-conformist

She watched him over the balcony, shooting looks of pure venom, killing him with her eyes.

It had seemed like a promising evening at first. She had come with a couple of friends because she couldn't bear to sit in her room all evening with nothing to do. Her week had been a mixture of truanting lectures and getting low grades because she refused to conform to the standards that they expected of her. She knew she would have to start working hard soon but what the hell, it was only first year. A night out like this had sounded like fun, and the venue of choice was a bar that played loud music and had a dance floor. They had begun with the dancing and had proceeded to go upstairs onto the overlooking balcony for a sit down and a drink.

Then he had arrived.

That arrogant, silver tongued jerk Gino Terwilliger. It was impossible not to know he was here because of the chanting that preceded him.

"Gino! Gino! Gino!"

One friend squealed excitedly and ran off to get a better look at the 'legend'. The other cast Maggie a sympathetic look that said, "Uh oh! You're not going to be too happy about this."

"Better go retrieve Sarah before she does something stupid," was all Maggie said. Her remaining friend nodded and got to her feet.

"Come find us on the dance floor in a minute, yeah?"

Maggie gave a short nod that indicated it was unlikely.

As soon as her friend left her alone Maggie immediately went to the edge of the balcony and proceeded to glare daggers at the redhead, who was standing on a table playing the crowd, leading the dancing.

She wondered if he had realised how much he'd changed since they were younger. As children they had been playmates until he had moved away at the age of six. He hadn't been a jerk then. He'd been the one who made her laugh, the one who dared her, and the one she'd trusted. He'd been her challenger and her confidant. The games they'd played together, the pranks they'd pulled, the fights they'd had and the bruises they shared, were some of her best memories. They'd lost touch when he'd moved away, they were kids after all, and the memories had faded into the pleasant rose stained twilight of childhood. When she had first seen him on campus again, twelve years later, it had all come flooding back. It could only have been Gino with that fire red untamed hair, and with excited delight she'd approached him, only to screech to an unpleasant halt. He had changed and was changing, constantly. Her dislike had been almost instantaneous. Every time she'd spoken to him he had been subtly different, depending on who they were with, and it had slowly eaten away at her until she'd begun telling him to leave her alone. Arrogant as he was he didn't seem to get the hint.

Maggie had been asked by her friends repeatedly why she disliked him so much. "He's so hot," Sarah had added as if that alone was enough. "He's half Italian you know?"

In the present Maggie scowled down at the crowd, the bunch of mindless sheep, and thought about how everyone loved Gino. At the time Maggie had responded to her friends something about disliking his arrogance, his pride and his apparent inability to care about anyone else, which were all true. That wasn't the real reason though. The main, and very secret, reason Maggie hated Gino Terwilliger was quite simply because he made her stomach do strange things when he looked at her with his smoking eyes. His wicked smile and hypnotic voice drew her in. She was crushing on him now, just as she had when she'd been too young to understand, and it drove her insane. Maggie was at heart a non-conformist, it had been something she'd shared with Gino when they were small. She hated liking the guy that every girl liked. She hated it even more that they liked him because of his good looks and charm, and she liked him because she knew he was bad for her; this manipulator, the one with multiple masks. He was her challenge. Her darer. The groupies were blinded and she was not, but she liked him anyway. The completely illogical, contradictory thinking made her angry at herself and angry at him.

Still scowling Maggie began to turn away...just as he lifted his head and looked straight at her. Her heart beating wildly Maggie ducked out of sight. He couldn't have seen her. It was too dark and there were too many people. Slowly she sat back down alone at her table and seethed. A lovely evening ruined and it was still too early to convince her friends to go home. Maggie sipped her drink. Well as long as he stayed downstairs...her eyes strayed to the stair case and she whipped them back to the table, cursing herself for looking for him. Despite her best efforts though she found her eyes straying back...and this time they froze to the spot.

There Gino stood, lounging against the wall, arms folded, just staring at her, red hair flopping gorgeously into smoky eyes.

Glaring ferociously Maggie turned back to her drink. Her anger flared further when a shadow fell over her and she looked up into those self-same eyes.

"Good evening Maggie," Gino said silkily.

Maggie pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, glowering up at him the whole time.

"Well it was," she bit back. "Where are all your mindless drones?"

Gino shrugged and waved a hand dismissively. "Gave them the slip. Told them I was meeting up with a pretty girl," he gave a smooth smile and winked at her. Maggie felt her stomach tighten but forced a disgusted look on her face.

"Better go find her then," she suggested pointedly. His response was merely to chuckle.

"You really hate me, don't you?" his eyes glittered. "Mind if I sit with you?"

"You will anyway," Maggie growled. Gino grinned and sat in the chair next to her, fingers brushing her bare shoulder on the way down. Maggie shivered.

"How have you been Maggie?" he enquired politely. She noted that he was very much how Bart and Lisa had described his father. Suave, civilised, intelligent, silver-tongued...except he hid most of it from the eyes of everyone. He was a first class manipulator, managing to win over everyone without revealing who he really was nor compromising his identity by doing anything he found distasteful. Girls swooned at his feet and boys wanted to be him. She was as determined now as she had been the first day he had strolled into view that though she may like him he would never manipulate her.

"I have been fine Gino," she replied in a falsely polite tone.

"I hear you are struggling with your studies?"

"I hear you are struggling with your split personalities," she shot back. Gino gave a startled look and chuckled.

"Whatever do you mean?"

Maggie curled her fingers around her glass and gave a false smile. "Merely that you are never the same person twice, are you Gino? You're a fraud."

The smile stayed pasted onto his face but his eyes were stormy.

"Careful Maggie."

She sneered at him and downed her drink. "I don't know what you gain from it Gino. I can see right through it."

"That's because you're smart," he said quietly, eyes fixated on her face. "So what am I really like?"

Maggie laughed bitterly, "I'm not your shrink Gino. Besides there are so many masks its hard to say which one is real and which you put on."

"I'm a good guy," he said seriously.

"Are you?" came her whisper. "Which one? How can I tell?"

"You knew me before," he insisted, grasping her hand on the table. She was surprised at how desperate he suddenly seemed. "When we were kids."

"A long time ago," she whispered softly, sadly, her defences slipping for that split second.

Gino lifted her hand to his lips and brushed them lightly over the surface. The shiver of goosebumps that ran down her body made her snatch her hand away.

Gino leant back in his chair and surveyed her, all seriousness gone.

"So...you planning on just sitting here all evening or do you want to dance?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "If you're bored you can leave."

Gino chuckled and leant in closer...too close. "How can I ever be bored in your company? You are an utter delight Maggie." She could see straight into his eyes and was hypnotised. She had to move. Now! But her legs didn't respond and his long, slender fingers were caressing her cheek...tilting her chin...

"No!"

Gino started back as she exploded onto her feet, shoving him away so hard he nearly fell off his chair.

"Maggie!" he was on his feet too, furious. He towered above her and she glared up at him, tears beginning to prickle hot at the back of her eyes.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded.

She felt them threaten to spill.

"Just stay away from me Terwilliger," she snarled, shoving him in the chest and pushing past.

"Maggie!" His fingers reached for her arm to halt her but before he even touched her skin she had spun and resoundingly slapped him. The two stood frozen in a moment of time. His eyes wide and confused, reaching up slowly to touch the stinging pain. Maggie, eyes burning and wet, had her face set in a mixture of defensive and upset.

"You are lucky none of the others saw that," he whispered. It wasn't a threat, it was a statement. Were he not so angry it would have sounded genuinely relieved.

"You think I care whether they see or not," she hissed. "You will not have me Gino. I will not fade into insignificance like your other girls. I am worth more."

With that she tore her eyes away and fled.

At the bottom of the stairs she paused to gather her composure and dig the parasite out from under her skin. Taking a few deep breaths she stilled the tears and told herself to get over it. She was still trying to convince herself that he wasn't worth the time or the heartache when she felt a hand grip her shoulder and was turned sharply so that her back bumped the wall. Gino blocked the way in front of her, swiftly letting go of her shoulder before she could slap him again.

"Care to tell me what that was all about?" he suggested softly, his voice forcefully calm.

Maggie glared at him, pushing her tears down deeper.

"I hate you," came her snarl.

Gino sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes," he said patronisingly, "I picked up on that but what I want to know is why?"

She paused and stared up into his eyes, gentle and on fire. Behind him the music thudded and people danced; the countless people wrapped around Gino's little finger.

"Because you are a manipulator. You play them all. You aren't trustworthy and you care about no one."

His eyes flashed. "That's not strictly true." He traced a finger down the curve of her jaw and dropped it to her shoulder. "You could be a great manipulator Maggie. You know people. You are the right kind of intelligent." His voice was dropping into a hypnotic honeyed tone.

"But I don't," she hissed back.

"No," he agreed, and dropped his eyes momentarily to the floor before looking back up. "I admire that about you fierce, strong Maggie Simpson." The fondness cut her. Her resolve was crumbling and she had to remind herself that he was using her like all the others. The tears reminded her of their presence.

"Stop it," she whispered and her eyes fell on his hand tracing circles on her shoulder. "Don't touch me," she told him, with an edge to her voice.

"You love it really," he responded with a silken smile, and a touch of arrogance, but dropped his hand from her shoulder all the same.

She shot a poisoned arrow at him from her eyes.

"Now don't get mad at me," he chuckled, gaze running over her face and finally dropping to her lips, "I can see you trembling."

"That's disgust not enjoyment," she snipped back, but her voice lacked conviction. The problem was that he could only manipulate others because he could read them like a book. Prolonged time in his presence meant that he was also beginning to read her.

It was terrifying.

Now his eyes swept over her whole body and back to her own.

"You look lovely tonight Maggie," came the hypnotic whisper.

She had to throw him off balance.

"You know you look gorgeous too," she attempted to sneer but merely made an amused look cross his face.

"Still fighting," he smiled slowly. "So...let's talk about what you meant when you said that I would not have you? That you would not be insignificant to me?" Her heart thudded and a terrified expression crossed her face. Gino took a step closer until their bodies almost touched, his eyes burning into her, mouth curved slightly, triumphantly. He knew he'd got her and she knew she had to fight but there was so little left in her and he was so close, burrowing so resolutely under her armour.

"Tell me Maggie," he whispered, slipping a hand into her hair and pressing warm fingertips to her skin, "what makes you think I'm capable of manipulating you?" She couldn't keep her eyes off his lips. His voice was weaving a web around her. "I mean, you hate me, right?"

Her gaze shot up to meet his. They were dark with desire but amusement danced in their corners.

"Yes, I hate you," she breathed with every ounce of fight left.

"I know," he murmured and dipped his head so their lips were centimetres apart. "Can I change that?"

Her eyes were on his lips, willing him to kiss her. She'd never realised quite how badly she wanted him to do so.

"Maggie," he whispered, but it came out almost as a groan, "Maggie?"

She pressed her forehead to his, breathing heavily, suddenly knowing why he was hesitating. Her gaze flicked from his mouth to the storm in his eyes.

"Yes," she breathed.

Gino hesitated for a split second longer, running his hands up her back and then with a sigh he relaxed against her and pressed his lips gently to her own. Maggie was glad of his supporting arms as she let herself sink into the kiss. Their bodies melted together as he kissed her slow and sweet until she felt her legs would collapse. Tension fled from them both as he gathered her to him and she slipped her arms willing around his back.

"Gino," she murmured in a delight-filled haze as he paused for breath.

"Do you know how long I've waited to do that?" he whispered and pressed her closer, brushing his lips over hers. "You are the most stubborn..." he trailed off and kissed her again more fiercely. "You will never be insignificant to me Maggie Simpson."

The sweet haze could never have lasted forever and was already becoming cloud with doubt. "Is that what you say to all of them?" she replied bitterly. Her mind was telling her that it wasn't possible that this was happening and she had started listening. This was Gino and he had figured out her weakness. Hurt reflected in his eyes and she felt a sharp tug inside of her.

"Is that really what you think?" he growled.

Maggie refused to look him in the eye. Slowly she unclasped herself from him.

"My friends will be looking for me..."

"Maggie!" he exclaimed. "You are impossible to get near and more impossible to keep! What do you want from me?" His voice dropped, eyes intense; blazing. "You told me I could kiss you. I made sure it was freely given, no manipulation."

Maggie sighed, "Gino..."

He interrupted. "No, wait, I know you can't trust me..." She blinked at him in bewilderment at the statement of truth as he stepped towards her and took her hands in his own. "I'm not asking you to, not yet." He placed a kiss on one palm and then the other. Lifting his head he focused only on her face. "But give me a chance?"

Maggie wasn't sure why she did it, why this appeal affected her like none of his others but she felt herself nod and was rewarded with the most genuine smile she had seen since they were children. Arms wrapped around her and she buried her head into his shoulder, for the moment letting go of her doubt and just being.

Gino pressed her closer to him and whispered in her ear, "You won't regret this Maggie Simpson."