My Name Is…
Chapter Two
So… first day of classes went rather well… That is, aside from the mishap with the city bus that caused him to be late to his first class. Though having been late wasn't a total loss. The conversation with Cade and Jacen was great. And he established a pretty quick friendship with the boys.
Then there was that girl that nearly ran him down, Aria. Odin hadn't even seen her coming, and that was a shock in itself. It also appeared she was an avid Duo Maxwell fan. As if the ball cap with his name scribbled in permanent marker across the bill and her notebook with his picture slipped into the front sleeve wasn't a dead give-away. It seemed Duo's done better with his career than anyone thought he would, and his fan base among college girls was quite large. Aria wasn't the only one that carried around tokens of Duo fandom. Odin gave a chuckle at that thought as he closed the textbook he'd been reading, remembering the small smile he'd wore when he caught the picture on her notebook. Duo always DID have a way with the ladies…
Though Odin, thinking back to the talk with Cade and Jacen, had a really big question for Duo when he saw him next… Duo's face, thanks to OZ, had been plastered on posters all over the colonies, wanted as one of the Gundam terrorists. How the hell did he manage to attain his apparent fame without people having noticed? Or did they? He would love to hear the interview on that, but knowing Duo, he had an answer to either satisfy them or throw them completely off the topic. He shook his head as he glanced to the photograph next to his computer.
His thoughts were interrupted as his phone rang. He pushed his textbook out of the way, glancing to the caller ID on the screen. Winner CORP… His brow rose. While wouldn't mind having a chat with Quatre, it HAD been at least a year since he'd seen any of the pilots, no one knew he was here, and he was listed in the directory as Odin Maxwell, so how the hell…? It didn't matter; he reached over and accepted the call, leaning back in his chair, a small smile playing on his lips as the face of the blond former pilot appeared on the screen.
"Quatre…"
Quatre gave him a bright smile that completely lit up his face. "How are you, Heero? Or is it Odin, now?" He couldn't hide the small chuckle that came at the questioning expression in his friend's face. "I have a friend that just started college. She had to call me to tell me about her first day, and she said she, quite literally, ran into a most interesting man this morning. Well, her exact words were 'an incredibly hot guy that hardly speaks but he's a really good listener'. I had a hunch when she described him, and I just had to see it through."
Odin knew Quatre was laughing at him now; he could feel the heat in his cheeks and knew he was blushing. She said he was hot? Odin shook his head with a small chuckle, forcing the flush out of his face, mockingly scowling at the grin spreading on Quatre's face. "Yes, well… After exchanging insurance information, considering no damage was done to either of us, she bought me lunch to apologize."
Quatre blinked a few times. "Insurance…? You mean she ran into you with a car? I thought Aria said…," he stopped, a questioning brow raised at the amused expression in the former Wing Zero pilot's eyes. "That was a joke…" He leaned back in his chair, laughing. "By Allah, the world's coming to an end, HeeroYuy told a joke!" He continued to laugh a moment and leaned forward, wiping a tear from his eye.
"It wasn't THAT funny, Quatre…" He folded his arms, staring at the man on the screen.
"Coming from you it is." He smiled as he forced his mirth to subside. "I'm sorry, Heero… er… Odin." He took a moment to compose himself as he relaxed back into his chair, folding his hands together, resting them on his stomach as he rocked in his office chair. "Now, after confirming you are who I hoped you were… I'll be heading to L1 this weekend for Aria's birthday. How about meeting for lunch? Duo will be there, too. He's booked to perform, but don't tell her. That's a surprise."
"Hn," his usual monosyllabic reply came with a small smile. "She should enjoy that… I've only known her a day and I know she's a fan. Of course, the two of you were all she talked about during lunch." He chuckled, leaning back in his own chair. "Duo's become quite the superstar, what's he doing still working birthday parties?"
Quatre raised a brow, stopping his rocking. "You're joking… Heero, do you have any idea who Aria Kane's family is? You used to run extensive backgrounds on anyone you ever met. And, yes, I know you ran checks on all of us, as well. Is peace agreeing with you, that much? Or maybe the world really IS ending…" He shook his head, a small chuckle escaping. "Her step-father is a senator and her mother owns half of L1. She can have whoever the hell she wants performing at her birthday party."
He gave a shrug in response. "It's not my responsibility, anymore, to know who does what or where they came from." Okay, so it was a bending of truth there. He had been fighting himself all day about looking in to the three fellow students he had met. But he desperately wanted a 'normal' life… and normal people just don't do that, right? That's why he had practically buried himself into his new textbooks, to keep his mind off of it. "It's actually kind of… nice to be ignorant about some things."
Quatre smiled again. "I had to admit, Heero, I was worried about you being able to adjust to peace. After nearly a year and a half of not hearing anything from you, I was afraid… I don't know… that you'd rebuild Wing Zero or something like that just to have something to do… Like you did with the upgrades you made after the first war."
"I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about that… Simply because it's something I know how to do…" He ran a hand through his hair, giving Quatre a small smile. "But… rebuilding Zero would defeat the purpose of everything we fought for…"
Quatre's smile spread. "It seems I worried over nothing, then. I'm glad you're doing something with your life. And a community college is certainly one of the best places for you to gain some social skills. That's always been an area you seemed lacking in."
"Gee, thanks, Quatre…," he said blandly, but there was definitely a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Okay, I didn't mean that the way it sounded…," he said, grinning sheepishly, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Heero…"
"It's Odin, now, Quatre… And if…," he paused a moment, staring his former comrade in the eye. "WHEN… you drag everyone else by this weekend, tell them the same."
Quatre gave him a wide smile. "You know me far too well… Duo's already going to be there. Trowa will be too, certain acts of their circus have been hired for entertainment. And I was going to call and tell Wufei about it in the morning."
Odin sat back in his chair, rolling his eyes. "I guess I need to make sure the first aid kit is stocked for this weekend… Trowa still allergic to ibuprofen?" He took a yellow notepad out of his desk drawer and pretended to make of list of things, basically just scribbling lines across the paper.
"We're not THAT bad, Hee-… Odin." Quatre gave him a soft glare before shaking his head, chuckling softly. "Okay, this relaxed joking side of you is creepy…" He looked back to his friend, who answered his remark with a small smile. "But I'm glad to see it. I'll email you when I get everyone's itinerary."
"Right… Let me know the schedule so I can plan to be elsewhere…" He gave Quatre a small smile as the blond shot him another glare.
"I think I'm starting to miss the old Heero…"
"It's-"
"I know… it's not Heero anymore… That's… It's going to take some getting used to." Quatre gave him a small smile, but it seemed almost… sad. "Well, goodnight, Odin. I hope the rest of your first week of school goes well."
"Goodnight, Quatre."
Seth Carver was very amused. The staring contest between his wife and step-daughter had apparently been going on for some time. He folded his arms, leaning against the doorframe to the dining room. He knew that glare in Aria's eyes. Giada was using her daughter's birthday as an excuse for another political gala, no doubt. Aria had her own wishes about her party and Seth knew Giada probably thought them inappropriate for someone of Aria's status, just like she hated the fact the girl attended a community college instead of a more prestigious university. And, knowing that they shared genes in stubbornness, this was bound to be a long, LONG, night.
"Ladies…," he said, stepping into the room finally. "We all know these usually end with you not speaking to each other for a few days and you're each going to do what you want to do without regard for the other…" He smiled as both sets of green eyes met his. "You two should have learned to compromise by now." He walked to the dining table and leaned over to give his wife a brief kiss.
"The invitations have already been sent, Seth," Giada's eyes returned to meet her daughter's in another glare. "And preparations are already made."
"Without even asking me what I want!"
"You're not eight, anymore, Aria. You're a young lady and these people are a part of your future. Start acting your age!"
Aria slammed her fists on the table as she stood, her glare hardening. "You want me to act my age, then stop treating me like a child and making my decisions for me! And those self-centered pompous assholes are a part of YOUR life. Not mine. I'll be happy to never see one of those fakers for the rest of my life." She emphasized her displeasure by shoving the papers her mother had been pushing at her off the table. She ignored the huff from her mother as she grabbed her jacket off the back of the chair.
"This isn't over yet, young lady, where do you think you're going?" Giada started to stand as her husband laid a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm going to see Dad… he always listens to me…" Her voice was quiet and she avoided eye contact with either of them as she stalked out of the room.
"So… yeah, that's the story…," she sighed as she pulled her knees to her chest. The ground here was not exceptionally comfortable, and the night air, however artificial, was cool. She could always tell when the colony was about to make seasonal shifts, autumn was coming in the next few weeks.
She stared at the marble stone, her father's name etched into its facing. The cemetery wasn't a place many would be brave enough to visit at the late hour, but she always felt almost at home there. Anywhere her father was, she called home. He was her entire world. After her parents' divorce, she lived with him, barely seeing her mother except for phone calls and the occasional visit. Her mother was too busy with her social life to bother to even attempt raising her. And even though her father had just as important a political position, he never hesitated to put any of that on hold for Aria. He never hesitated to listen to her concerns, consider her wishes, however mundane.
He would have never planned anything concerning her without consulting her. And a political gala like her mother was planning for her birthday would have been completely out of the question. Her father hated the false admiration as much as she did.
"Seth tries… Hell, he's probably planning something to compensate me for humoring Mom by putting on a happy face and going to this party. He makes missing you a lot easier to deal with, sometimes. I know the two of you were good friends. He's a lot like you. But he's not you…"
She gave a small smile, staring at her reflection in the stone. "I didn't tell you what he did during that conference he dragged me to. You never cared much for my taste in music, understandable… it's the generation gap thing… He doesn't either. But got me two tickets and backstage passes to one of my music idols… Duo Maxwell, I've told you about him. And guess who my date was… Quatre Winner. He's just about the only person in Mom's little political social circle that I can stand. I don't know if it's because he's my age, but he's so much more sincere than most of those people. He's a great guy, not one I would date on a regular basis, but he's very much a friend. It was a great night. The concert was awesome. And it turns out Duo and Quatre are friends. I spent the whole after concert party just listening to them talk. I guess I know who to go to for my Maxwell fix now…" The small laugh she gave died after only a moment and she rested her chin on top of her knees. But the small smile remained as her head tilted just slightly.
"I met another boy named Maxwell at school today. Odin Maxwell. He swears they're not related, but he seemed to have a certain gleam in his eye when he saw all my Duo fan stuff. He's an odd boy. Totally cute, but it's almost like he's made of stone. Unless you're watching his eyes, you'd hardly know he was alive. His face, you can't read at all, and his voice is sort of flat, but his eyes are so full of expression. And, oh GOD are they blue…I completely lost myself in his eyes several times…" She snorted a laugh, imagining what he'd be telling her at that point.
"Okay, call it a crush… Quatre said the same thing when I told him about it… I'll be eighteen this weekend; I think I'm entitled to a crush…"
She sighed again, her smile finally fading. "I know… It's late and it's a school night…" She reached out and traced the letters etched into the marble. "I miss you, Dad."
