Disclaimer: I don't own Kristen D Randle, or gundam wing, but please love
the hell that I've created.
Continuation: 1
"Why didn't you tell me you lived next to Heero?" Duo groaned with the sound of the long suffering. "I've had a crush on that boy ever since 5th grade." He took a big bite out of his sandwich.
I stared at him incredulously. "You what?!" I gasped dropping the tin of fruit that my mom had placed in my lunch.
Raising an eyebrow Duo smirked. "I never hid the fact-"
"That you're gay?" I gasped. I didn't realize at the time what a jerk I was being.
Indigo eyes narrowed at me. "You have a problem with that?" He hissed. It surprised me, Duo was normally cheerful him being angry was shocking.
"N-no." I said very softly, feeling slightly off base. "I'm sorry."
Duo grinned "It's okay, any way I'm actually bi..I guess that means I hit on anything with legs." He laughed at his own joke and cast a speculative glance at me. "And with the way you were staring at Mr. Tall-Dark-and Silent I thought you were too." He stared as I started sputtering and turned a bright shade of red. "Did I say something wrong?"
Breathing deeply to calm my racing heart and to hopefully pale my flaming cheeks I glared at him picking up my spoon and starting in on my fruit.
"I really never thought about it." I answered truthfully around a bite of peach. "I can't really explain why he struck me so." I shrugged to accentuate the fact. Something was nagging around the edge of my thoughts and I decided to ask. "You like him because of that time he saved Trowa right?"
Duo nodded and attempted to speak around a mouthful of creamed corn. "Mnot olmlee thfat.." He paused and swallowed, choking for a moment before washing it down with his drink. "Ahh.Um. where was I?.. Oh yeah. It wasn't only that. I mean look at the guy. He's godforsaken gorgeous." He sighed yet again a faint blush creeping over his cheeks. "I guess you could say that rescuing Barton was the tip of the iceberg for me." His grin got even wider. "I love a guy with a soft spot."
I snorted softly into my drink and offered him the rest of my fruit. Duo accepted gladly.
***
After a week of my existence at my new school I began to notice something strange.
Trowa.It seemed had acquired a rather strange nickname. I really noticed it at lunch and in the halls. I kept hearing snatches of little conversations, and I didn't know what to make of it. //Who got the highest grade on the test?
The Alien did.//
//Who's that guy?
That's the Alien.//
It really amazed me that some of the students didn't know his name at all, and Trowa was oblivious to all of it. Like he was living in his own dark dimension. He was no longer a person. more like some object, or a vague shadow..a trick of the light. It made me sad.and yet I was drawn to watch him.. as if I might catch something the others might have missed. I do believe that I was searching for conformation that there was something there. Someone behind that all too serene face. It drove me with such intensity that It scared me..really scared me. So when Heero quietly asked if I'd like to meet him I immediately shied away.
--For a moments pause. what are you afraid of? What scares *you* more than anything?--
I began to rethink my situation. What could possibly frighten me? Why is it that meeting a strange, mute boy, could frighten me more than anything else? Had Iria been there she would have talked me through it, but sadly she wasn't so I turned to the next best thing.
Wufei had always been blunt with me. Even in my childhood he had deciphered the many problems that happened to plague my under-developed mind. He was the only one I felt that I could turn to since Heero was part of my problem, and Duo got ever so irritable whenever I even mentioned the blue- eyed boy even though I told him our relationship was going to be very fraternal.
"Weak."
I hadn't even gotten the full story out and he had called me that.
"What? You didn't even let me finish." I couldn't hide the undercurrent of hurt in my voice.
He waved a hand at me. "I didn't need to. You're afraid of making a commitment. You're afraid of being pushed outside of your *Zone*" He did the finger quotes.I kid you not. "Of comfort." He glared at me. "Weakness." He stated in a partially singsong tone.
I glared right back knowing that mine was nowhere near as intimidating. "Give me a break-"
"Does he drool?"
"What?!"
"I asked does he drool?"
"No."
"Or smell funny?"
"No."
"Or do poorly in class?"
"No! Wufei!"
"What?" he asked. "From what you answer there's nothing physically wrong with him." He shrugged. "It just seems like you're afraid of having attachment to something you don't understand or haven't even tried to."
Leave it to Wufei to make me feel guilty and ashamed.
"If you want," He continued. "I could go with you to meet him."
"No" I snapped, "That won't be necessary."
There ended that conversation.
***
As the days passed I "conveniently" avoided all of Heero's attempts to get me over to Trowa's house.but it was getting harder.
After the first week of school Wufei and I had started doing homework together, comparing notes and generally helping each other. After dinner, Heero would stop by and join us, and all three of us would be lolling all over the living room surrounded by books and papers. Heero would have his reading glasses on, which surprised me at first, he usually didn't wear them. Not too soon after Heero's arrival I //of course// started inviting Duo over, much to his extreme happiness, and we had quite an enjoyable time. I think Duo taught me every technique for annoying Heero there possibly is, and it was quite adorable to watch the quiet boy blush every time Duo came near him. It made me sigh and wish that I had someone.
Then it happened. My math teacher assigned the problem of doom! Oh it was a hellish problem. One of the ones that are tediously long and so difficult that the teacher will only assign a few of them. I took one look at the damn thing and nearly cried. I asked Heero for help, and I sat there for 20 minutes as I watched Heero read the thing over and over again, and nibble his pencil down to near nothing. He then looked up at me, pulled off his glasses and got up. Tucking my book and papers under one arm he gestured at me to follow him.
Duo looked up from his essay. "Where ya guys goin?" He asked batting his violet eyes at Heero who, blushed as red as a tomato and for a moment looked struck speechless.
He looked down and away almost hugging my books. I stifled a giggle. "To Trowa's." He said softly looking anywhere in the room but at Duo and I. I felt a sudden jolt of fear mixed with a little bit of humor. I guess it had been his plan to just drag me out the door without saying where the hell we were going, but when Duo asked I don't think Heero had it in him to brush him off, but all in all I did feel a healthy dose of nervousness set in.
---Don't mind me I like to add more than my two cents every once in awhile. It had struck me that before this Heero was a quiet boy. Hey don't you "no duh" me because I had also noticed by this point that my braided friend was the only one who could always get a straight answer from Heero, or any answer at all. Heero told me later that he just didn't have it in him to lie to Duo, not when the "braided baka." (his words not mine.) had made it his practice not to lie to anyone himself. I thought it was adorable.---
"To Trowa's" He said again, throwing an apologetic look at me. He hung his head again. "I can't do this problem..he can help."
"Help?" Duo snorted. "That guy can't even look a person straight in the eye. How is he going to help?"
Heero threw the boy one of his patented glare'o dooms. "You can come if you want."
Duo knowing he had hit a sore spot rose form his seat. "Sure I'll come. Gomen nasai Hee-chan."
I watched in partial amusement as Heero's glare became something a little different, filled with a little more surprise than anger..and what was that? I swore I saw a smirk begin to pull at his lips. I would have found it more astounding had I not been feeling less than cheerful at the moment, and extremely conscious of the fact Wufei was giving me one of those "Gotcha!" looks.
My cousin looked at all three of us. A superior smirk rooted to his face. "Maxwell, I do believe that you are in the middle of writing that essay for Hendrichs class am I right?"
Duo stared at him and nodded. I could almost see the wheels turning in my friend's head, just wondering what Wufei was up to. "Yeah." he said slowly. "Well I think I'm also right in assuming that paper is due tomorrow and it's supposed to be quite lengthy."
"I'll get to it."
"When Maxwell?"
"Uh.." Duo looked at me, his paper lying on the couch unattended, and then back at Wufei. He groaned. "You guys go ahead. I think I'll stay here." He plunked himself back down on the couch totally unaware of the glare I was trying to burn through Wufei's forehead. My Chinese cousin though, was unruffled and just grinned at me. He knew very well that having Duo there would be a way for me to not focus on my fear, and I hated him for it. Duo's cheerful smile would have at least backed me up and not made me feel so self-conscious. //Here Quatre face you fears.walk right into the boy's house.// I mean how do you introduce yourself to a person like Trowa? *Hi Trowa this is my friend Quatre..Nice to Meet you Trowa..* and then what? A nice conversation? I think not.
I was silently fuming inside as Heero dragged me out the door, down the sidewalk, and then up the walkway to the House of Trowa Barton.
***
I don't know what I had been expecting. I mean his house and lawn were pretty immaculate. There were flowers in the front garden and a swing on the porch. The door was answered by a middle aged woman who, in her day must have been quite lovely. She looked at us and frowned a bit, confused probably at the fact there were two teenaged boys standing on her front porch. She must have been even more confused at what Heero asked because I could see her frown deepen. Myself at the time, was too nervous to really concentrate on anything so I didn't actually hear what either of them said. I had just enough politeness in me to bow to the woman as she let us in and stammer out a greeting. I didn't even remember afterwards what I had said to her, but whatever it was it made Heero raise and eyebrow.
We were led into a beautifully furnished dining room. The light was dim at first but brightened as who could only be Mrs. Barton turned a dimmer switch. Brightness flared from an artistically curving iron chandelier and she told us quietly to have a seat. I took my chair and sat hesitantly noticing that the chairs were upholstered in an ivory material, and I couldn't vouch for how clean the back of my pants were. I just couldn't remember if I had sat in the grass earlier that day or not.
And then suddenly he was there.
I had just turned to look at Heero to see if he was a little disconcerted by all of this and there he was. I didn't hear him come in, and I certainly didn't hear him sit down. It was like he just appeared. As if out of nowhere. His gaze was on me.well not really it was somewhere beyond my left shoulder. He was just sitting there, hands in his lap. Just staring. I looked at Heero his brows were furrowed as he looked at the boy seated next to him. He passed me my book over the table. "Show him." He hissed softly, leaning back in his chair. I guess he just intended to watch the proceedings.
I glared at him and then opened my book to the page. Laying it out on the table, I put a clean sheet of paper beside it and slid it towards Trowa. Then I waited. I guess it must have been only a few seconds but to me it was an eternity. Then he moved.
It was only a simple movement of his gaze from the wall down to the table, as if he suddenly had this urge to look down and suddenly notice an open math book and paper that just "Magically appeared before him." I noticed though that never once did his eyes make contact with me or anything else seemingly real until he looked at the textbook. Like his gaze had been turned solidly inward and just for a moment in time was he returning to the land that we deem "normal." It was unnerving.
"*Show him*" Heero whispered to me. "Show him how you did it."
"That's the problem I *don't* know how." I grumbled.
Trowa picked up a pencil.
The room stopped.
He took the sheet of new paper and began laying out the first problem on the page. He did it slowly and with great detail, showing every bit of work, every addition, every change in sequence. I became enrapt with watching. Mesmerized with the problem, locked into something that always adds, just not for me. I remember at one point not understanding.
"Wait." I said.
His hands stopped and he waited.
I caught myself just realizing what I had done. It didn't even hit me that I didn't say anything. I just watched as Trowa continued to do the problem, only starting from a few steps up. He carefully outlined his work again, running his pencil over all the lines that he had already penned down, making it so even a baby could have gotten it.
We did a few more problems and then left, but it wasn't until I had reached the door to my house that I actually knew the meaning of what Heero had told me before. There *was* someone behind that mask. My math had just proved it. There was someone home.but no lights on.
*** Hey kids! Second chapter finished. *giggles stupidly and runs around.* I hope this isn't too much like the book I've been trying to change it as much as possible but some things must be left for the effect. So blah! Anyway hope you liked it! Read and review peoples. Read and review. Ja ne!
Continuation: 1
"Why didn't you tell me you lived next to Heero?" Duo groaned with the sound of the long suffering. "I've had a crush on that boy ever since 5th grade." He took a big bite out of his sandwich.
I stared at him incredulously. "You what?!" I gasped dropping the tin of fruit that my mom had placed in my lunch.
Raising an eyebrow Duo smirked. "I never hid the fact-"
"That you're gay?" I gasped. I didn't realize at the time what a jerk I was being.
Indigo eyes narrowed at me. "You have a problem with that?" He hissed. It surprised me, Duo was normally cheerful him being angry was shocking.
"N-no." I said very softly, feeling slightly off base. "I'm sorry."
Duo grinned "It's okay, any way I'm actually bi..I guess that means I hit on anything with legs." He laughed at his own joke and cast a speculative glance at me. "And with the way you were staring at Mr. Tall-Dark-and Silent I thought you were too." He stared as I started sputtering and turned a bright shade of red. "Did I say something wrong?"
Breathing deeply to calm my racing heart and to hopefully pale my flaming cheeks I glared at him picking up my spoon and starting in on my fruit.
"I really never thought about it." I answered truthfully around a bite of peach. "I can't really explain why he struck me so." I shrugged to accentuate the fact. Something was nagging around the edge of my thoughts and I decided to ask. "You like him because of that time he saved Trowa right?"
Duo nodded and attempted to speak around a mouthful of creamed corn. "Mnot olmlee thfat.." He paused and swallowed, choking for a moment before washing it down with his drink. "Ahh.Um. where was I?.. Oh yeah. It wasn't only that. I mean look at the guy. He's godforsaken gorgeous." He sighed yet again a faint blush creeping over his cheeks. "I guess you could say that rescuing Barton was the tip of the iceberg for me." His grin got even wider. "I love a guy with a soft spot."
I snorted softly into my drink and offered him the rest of my fruit. Duo accepted gladly.
***
After a week of my existence at my new school I began to notice something strange.
Trowa.It seemed had acquired a rather strange nickname. I really noticed it at lunch and in the halls. I kept hearing snatches of little conversations, and I didn't know what to make of it. //Who got the highest grade on the test?
The Alien did.//
//Who's that guy?
That's the Alien.//
It really amazed me that some of the students didn't know his name at all, and Trowa was oblivious to all of it. Like he was living in his own dark dimension. He was no longer a person. more like some object, or a vague shadow..a trick of the light. It made me sad.and yet I was drawn to watch him.. as if I might catch something the others might have missed. I do believe that I was searching for conformation that there was something there. Someone behind that all too serene face. It drove me with such intensity that It scared me..really scared me. So when Heero quietly asked if I'd like to meet him I immediately shied away.
--For a moments pause. what are you afraid of? What scares *you* more than anything?--
I began to rethink my situation. What could possibly frighten me? Why is it that meeting a strange, mute boy, could frighten me more than anything else? Had Iria been there she would have talked me through it, but sadly she wasn't so I turned to the next best thing.
Wufei had always been blunt with me. Even in my childhood he had deciphered the many problems that happened to plague my under-developed mind. He was the only one I felt that I could turn to since Heero was part of my problem, and Duo got ever so irritable whenever I even mentioned the blue- eyed boy even though I told him our relationship was going to be very fraternal.
"Weak."
I hadn't even gotten the full story out and he had called me that.
"What? You didn't even let me finish." I couldn't hide the undercurrent of hurt in my voice.
He waved a hand at me. "I didn't need to. You're afraid of making a commitment. You're afraid of being pushed outside of your *Zone*" He did the finger quotes.I kid you not. "Of comfort." He glared at me. "Weakness." He stated in a partially singsong tone.
I glared right back knowing that mine was nowhere near as intimidating. "Give me a break-"
"Does he drool?"
"What?!"
"I asked does he drool?"
"No."
"Or smell funny?"
"No."
"Or do poorly in class?"
"No! Wufei!"
"What?" he asked. "From what you answer there's nothing physically wrong with him." He shrugged. "It just seems like you're afraid of having attachment to something you don't understand or haven't even tried to."
Leave it to Wufei to make me feel guilty and ashamed.
"If you want," He continued. "I could go with you to meet him."
"No" I snapped, "That won't be necessary."
There ended that conversation.
***
As the days passed I "conveniently" avoided all of Heero's attempts to get me over to Trowa's house.but it was getting harder.
After the first week of school Wufei and I had started doing homework together, comparing notes and generally helping each other. After dinner, Heero would stop by and join us, and all three of us would be lolling all over the living room surrounded by books and papers. Heero would have his reading glasses on, which surprised me at first, he usually didn't wear them. Not too soon after Heero's arrival I //of course// started inviting Duo over, much to his extreme happiness, and we had quite an enjoyable time. I think Duo taught me every technique for annoying Heero there possibly is, and it was quite adorable to watch the quiet boy blush every time Duo came near him. It made me sigh and wish that I had someone.
Then it happened. My math teacher assigned the problem of doom! Oh it was a hellish problem. One of the ones that are tediously long and so difficult that the teacher will only assign a few of them. I took one look at the damn thing and nearly cried. I asked Heero for help, and I sat there for 20 minutes as I watched Heero read the thing over and over again, and nibble his pencil down to near nothing. He then looked up at me, pulled off his glasses and got up. Tucking my book and papers under one arm he gestured at me to follow him.
Duo looked up from his essay. "Where ya guys goin?" He asked batting his violet eyes at Heero who, blushed as red as a tomato and for a moment looked struck speechless.
He looked down and away almost hugging my books. I stifled a giggle. "To Trowa's." He said softly looking anywhere in the room but at Duo and I. I felt a sudden jolt of fear mixed with a little bit of humor. I guess it had been his plan to just drag me out the door without saying where the hell we were going, but when Duo asked I don't think Heero had it in him to brush him off, but all in all I did feel a healthy dose of nervousness set in.
---Don't mind me I like to add more than my two cents every once in awhile. It had struck me that before this Heero was a quiet boy. Hey don't you "no duh" me because I had also noticed by this point that my braided friend was the only one who could always get a straight answer from Heero, or any answer at all. Heero told me later that he just didn't have it in him to lie to Duo, not when the "braided baka." (his words not mine.) had made it his practice not to lie to anyone himself. I thought it was adorable.---
"To Trowa's" He said again, throwing an apologetic look at me. He hung his head again. "I can't do this problem..he can help."
"Help?" Duo snorted. "That guy can't even look a person straight in the eye. How is he going to help?"
Heero threw the boy one of his patented glare'o dooms. "You can come if you want."
Duo knowing he had hit a sore spot rose form his seat. "Sure I'll come. Gomen nasai Hee-chan."
I watched in partial amusement as Heero's glare became something a little different, filled with a little more surprise than anger..and what was that? I swore I saw a smirk begin to pull at his lips. I would have found it more astounding had I not been feeling less than cheerful at the moment, and extremely conscious of the fact Wufei was giving me one of those "Gotcha!" looks.
My cousin looked at all three of us. A superior smirk rooted to his face. "Maxwell, I do believe that you are in the middle of writing that essay for Hendrichs class am I right?"
Duo stared at him and nodded. I could almost see the wheels turning in my friend's head, just wondering what Wufei was up to. "Yeah." he said slowly. "Well I think I'm also right in assuming that paper is due tomorrow and it's supposed to be quite lengthy."
"I'll get to it."
"When Maxwell?"
"Uh.." Duo looked at me, his paper lying on the couch unattended, and then back at Wufei. He groaned. "You guys go ahead. I think I'll stay here." He plunked himself back down on the couch totally unaware of the glare I was trying to burn through Wufei's forehead. My Chinese cousin though, was unruffled and just grinned at me. He knew very well that having Duo there would be a way for me to not focus on my fear, and I hated him for it. Duo's cheerful smile would have at least backed me up and not made me feel so self-conscious. //Here Quatre face you fears.walk right into the boy's house.// I mean how do you introduce yourself to a person like Trowa? *Hi Trowa this is my friend Quatre..Nice to Meet you Trowa..* and then what? A nice conversation? I think not.
I was silently fuming inside as Heero dragged me out the door, down the sidewalk, and then up the walkway to the House of Trowa Barton.
***
I don't know what I had been expecting. I mean his house and lawn were pretty immaculate. There were flowers in the front garden and a swing on the porch. The door was answered by a middle aged woman who, in her day must have been quite lovely. She looked at us and frowned a bit, confused probably at the fact there were two teenaged boys standing on her front porch. She must have been even more confused at what Heero asked because I could see her frown deepen. Myself at the time, was too nervous to really concentrate on anything so I didn't actually hear what either of them said. I had just enough politeness in me to bow to the woman as she let us in and stammer out a greeting. I didn't even remember afterwards what I had said to her, but whatever it was it made Heero raise and eyebrow.
We were led into a beautifully furnished dining room. The light was dim at first but brightened as who could only be Mrs. Barton turned a dimmer switch. Brightness flared from an artistically curving iron chandelier and she told us quietly to have a seat. I took my chair and sat hesitantly noticing that the chairs were upholstered in an ivory material, and I couldn't vouch for how clean the back of my pants were. I just couldn't remember if I had sat in the grass earlier that day or not.
And then suddenly he was there.
I had just turned to look at Heero to see if he was a little disconcerted by all of this and there he was. I didn't hear him come in, and I certainly didn't hear him sit down. It was like he just appeared. As if out of nowhere. His gaze was on me.well not really it was somewhere beyond my left shoulder. He was just sitting there, hands in his lap. Just staring. I looked at Heero his brows were furrowed as he looked at the boy seated next to him. He passed me my book over the table. "Show him." He hissed softly, leaning back in his chair. I guess he just intended to watch the proceedings.
I glared at him and then opened my book to the page. Laying it out on the table, I put a clean sheet of paper beside it and slid it towards Trowa. Then I waited. I guess it must have been only a few seconds but to me it was an eternity. Then he moved.
It was only a simple movement of his gaze from the wall down to the table, as if he suddenly had this urge to look down and suddenly notice an open math book and paper that just "Magically appeared before him." I noticed though that never once did his eyes make contact with me or anything else seemingly real until he looked at the textbook. Like his gaze had been turned solidly inward and just for a moment in time was he returning to the land that we deem "normal." It was unnerving.
"*Show him*" Heero whispered to me. "Show him how you did it."
"That's the problem I *don't* know how." I grumbled.
Trowa picked up a pencil.
The room stopped.
He took the sheet of new paper and began laying out the first problem on the page. He did it slowly and with great detail, showing every bit of work, every addition, every change in sequence. I became enrapt with watching. Mesmerized with the problem, locked into something that always adds, just not for me. I remember at one point not understanding.
"Wait." I said.
His hands stopped and he waited.
I caught myself just realizing what I had done. It didn't even hit me that I didn't say anything. I just watched as Trowa continued to do the problem, only starting from a few steps up. He carefully outlined his work again, running his pencil over all the lines that he had already penned down, making it so even a baby could have gotten it.
We did a few more problems and then left, but it wasn't until I had reached the door to my house that I actually knew the meaning of what Heero had told me before. There *was* someone behind that mask. My math had just proved it. There was someone home.but no lights on.
*** Hey kids! Second chapter finished. *giggles stupidly and runs around.* I hope this isn't too much like the book I've been trying to change it as much as possible but some things must be left for the effect. So blah! Anyway hope you liked it! Read and review peoples. Read and review. Ja ne!