Disclaimers: not mine, no money, don't sue, me is just a poor undergraduate, me owns nothing.
Notes: another fic to add to the other series ficcies I've been busy with. ^^;; it's 1 in the morning (this is the only time creative juices are flowing within me so I guess I'm kinda nocturnal) so coherent thinking and Kuroi Tenshi in the same sentence is very much unlikely. Please be warned accordingly. ^_^
And I was inspired by Lorena's fic, Chiaroscuro. But it's not the same thing, I'm just borrowing the idea of the nightmare in studying in a private school (which I'm currently experiencing). ^___^
Warnings: AU, Cross-dressing. Language. Lame attempt at humor. Lil' bit o' Shounen Ai? By me, 'nuff to scare you? ^___^
Notes: Uhm, this is going to have Shounen Ai in it, definitely, especially this part. But that's to be expected since this is taking place in an academy exclusively for boys. So… if you don't like that, there's the back button for you. But it's not really that detailed, just kissing and stuff, it's for the plot. ::grin:: Oh, well. Read at your own risk.
Bunch of thankies to those who reviewed thank you so, so much! ::glomps reviewers:: I really do appreciate it. I hope no one minds if I don't mention names, but rest assured I treasure each and every one of you. ^_^ (Yes, I'm going overboard with the drama. Hehe). Thanks, as well, to those who gave suggestions. I'm trying to work it into the story as I see it fit. Thankies! And sorry if it took me another lifetime to post the next part. I plead "Student, please have mercy." ^__^
One last: TO LINDA: You haven't been reading my mind lately, have you? I was thinking of having the girls visit in the later chapters…OH! But I'm revealing too much of the plot now, I better stop. Hehe. Cookies for you! ^______^
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Part 3
"What will it take for you to open this door, Dorian?" Heero called out from the other side of the door, relentlessly turning the knob in vain. When he was met with silence, he gave it another kick, wincing a bit as the pain of the blow traveled from his toes to the whole of his left foot. "Damn door. Damn Dorian."
He wasn't exactly thrilled to be spending—wasting—his morning convincing the stupid prat to open the door and let him in. He knew it was mortifying for the newcomer to be publicly humiliated by the Snort Squad (composed primarily of James' own drooling devotees). But he had to deal with it like a man.
"Look, that's the price some pay for being James' current love interest. You really ought to let it go. It was just a harmless prank anyway," Heero said, trying to reason with him.
Three doors left, someone shouted from inside his room. "Listen to Yuy, Dorian. Open that friggin' door already and let him in so we can all have some peace and quiet around here!"
Two floors up, someone shouted a response. "Shut up, Evans, I can hear you from up here, dammit! I didn't pay 500 grand just to listen to you holler, man! SHUT THE HELL UP!"
"Do you hear that? You're causing a bit of an uproar here, open the door!" Heero shouted again, resuming his task of pounding on the wooden barrier.
"Yuy, either you shut the hell up or I'm calling for someone to throw your sorry ass out!" someone shouted few doors from his right. "Dorian, open the damn door already!"
Heero didn't know what was worse. Reynald's steadfast refusal in opening the damn door and letting him in or the annoying yelling of the people in the building. Either way, he was losing his patience fast. What the hell possessed those assholes to pull a prank of Rey in front of the whole school anyway?
Oh, right. They were jealous.
Shaking his head, Heero twisted the knob futilely again. The price you pay for being too damn cute and irresistible. "I'm giving you exactly one minute to open the door. Otherwise, you will have to manage with a broken door."
"Look, that's the price some pay for being James' current love interest. You really ought to let it go. It was just a harmless prank anyway," Heero said from the other side of the door.
"It's not like I asked James to like me in the first place!" Relena said through clenched teeth, scrubbing the hideous neon green paint off her face. The fact that it was only semi-temporary gave her no comfort at all.
"Don't worry, cute boy, it'll wash away after a week!"
She could still hear the groups' laughter in her mind and it only managed to increase her annoyance and frustration. "Does this look like a harmless prank to you?" she asked, glaring at her reflection on the mirror. Half of her face was covered with the godforsaken paint and her wig was damaged beyond repair. It was a good thing she had a spare but nothing was going to salvage her bangs, which were dyed neon green as of the moment.
"Look on the bright side, at least this kills all notions of dying your hair green," she said to the reflection, trying to ignore the urge to throw open her door and strangle each and every member of the Snort Squad. All four of them. With her bare hands. Strangled to death. By her.
Taking deep breaths, she finally calmed down and psychotic Relena grudgingly made her way back deep in her subconscious. It would do her no good to be locked up in prison (or asylum, for that matter). There was still a large streak of green across her forehead that no amount of washing could remove so she left it to that, vowing to get even.
And get even she will.
"You've provoked the wrong man—woman, Snort Squad," she said, removing her now-ruined wig and replacing it with a new one. Fixing it on place, she gave her reflection a fierce look. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. But in this case, I won't take any of the gross stuff. I'll settle for a prank for a prank."
The ones listed on top of her hit list were Ryan Goyle, Patrick Jones, Conner McDough and Jordan Lawrence. All senior students; all devoted fans of James Reyes. All going to pay for what they did.
"THIS IS WAR!" she exclaimed, throwing open the door and coming face to face with Heero. "Move over, Yuy. You wouldn't want to be caught between crossfire, would you? This is serious," she said gravely.
Then Heero burst out laughing.
She sighed impatiently then crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, laugh all you want, Yuy. But this streak of paint on my forehead shall be my battle scar—stop touching it, dammit! It won't wash so don't even say anything. AND STOP LAUGHING, DAMMIT!"
~*~*~*~
"I'm not going to ask about the bandanna that's covering your forehead," Duo said the moment Relena sat on their usual table that evening. "But can I ask you this one thing?"
"Shoot."
"Are you thinking of murder right now?"
Relena took a long sip from her glass and shook her head. "No, but they might after I'm through with them." She gave them a sly smile.
Duo leaned closer, interest obvious in his big purple eyes. "Ooh, you're gonna get even?"
"But getting even's not nice," Quatre frowned. "Don't stoop to their level. You can do much better than that."
"Exactly."
"But I thought you were going to get even," Trowa's brow furrowed.
"Yeah, I am."
"You lost me there," Wufei shrugged.
"I'm going to do much better than their prank. It's so… low. I think I can do much better," she replied, feeling proud of herself. Perhaps for the first time in her life, this is the first devious thing she's going to do (her pretending to be a boy and enrolling at SKA not included of course). "This is war."
"Don't wanna be part of it," Quatre said. "I think it's better if you just ignore them and forgive them for what they did. It'll die on its own soon enough."
"I'm with Quatre," Trowa said, leaning back on his chair.
"Why am I not surprised?" Wufei commented, making them both blush, to which Relena only raised an eyebrow at. Was she missing something here?
"Well, count me in. I haven't forgiven them for the pigtails they made my hair into at freshmen year. I think it's high time they learn they lesson…again," Duo grinned. "What about you, Wufei?"
"I think I'll pass, they haven't done anything to me anyway. Plus I'm kinda busy with my reports for Chem. But keep me updated. I could use a few good laughs once in a while."
"Heero will definitely want to keep out of this," Relena said, gesturing at the empty seat next to her. "He's the type who lets you fight your own fight and stuff like that. Oh, well! I think we can manage anyway."
"More than manage. They'll wish they never heard of the names Reynald Dorian and Duo Maxwell when we're through with them," Duo chuckled. "This is going to be so much fun…"
"Damn, Rey, I didn't think they'd be that cruel to use glow in the dark," Duo said, trying his damnedest to stifle his laughter as his friend crept ahead of him.
"Shut up," Relena said, resisting the urge to strangle Duo instead. The bandanna covering her forehead was more important now that it was dark. They'd be dead if anyone caught them sneaking around the dorms.
"669, east wing, right?" she whispered, stopping in front of the door with said number. It seemed dark from the inside. She tried the knob and wasn't surprised to find it locked. "This is where you come in, Duo. Make me proud."
"Sure will," Duo replied, taking a hairpin from his hair and within seconds, they were creeping along the walls of the room. He heard a startled gasp from Relena and looked at her, puzzled.
She showed him the life-sized poster of Britney Spears hanging on the wall with flowers at her foot. "Oh, my god," she exclaimed, the color draining from her face. "I can't believe this… As if James isn't bad enough, Jordan's a devotee of Britney "Descendant of Barney" Spears as well? Ugh. I think that's my dinner, pushing its way to freedom to be one with the porcelain bowl."
"Who would've thought?" Duo said, still looking at the blonde with fake boobs in shock. "I think I'm going to be scarred for life. The nightmares…"
"Let's get this done with so we can leave this horror house," she said, shaking her head to remove the offending image off her mind. She crept toward the bathroom and used her penlight to get the right bottle and do what they came there for.
"I'm done, let's go," she said, pulling the still shocked Duo with her out the door. "Patrick and Ryan are roommates, right? Makes things so much easier for us…"
"This is Conner's room, right?" Duo said, pausing in front of a door with a huge sign saying "Gorgeous Hunk's Abode." The door was unlocked, much to their surprise. "Let's get him before the two, it'll save us time."
After making sure it was safe, the two snuck into the room, blending with the darkness perfectly. The room was relatively small and the lamp by the bed was lit. The bed's occupant was missing.
They heard footsteps from outside and they both jumped into the closet, praying Conner wouldn't decide to rummage through his wardrobe that late an hour. They had a great view of the bed and the closet across it, aside from the one where they were currently hiding in.
Conner locked the door behind him and they heard him making his way toward the bedroom. He stopped by the chair next to the window and they saw him bend over it. Conner resumed his way toward the bedroom, carrying a small teddy bear.
Duo's jaw dropped and Relena wondered how revealing this night was turning out to be. She was thankful that at least he didn't have an altar for Britney.
He gently set the bear on the bed and smiled at it. "Teddy, you know what? Today was fun. We taught that pesky Reynald a lesson. Hmph! I have to agree though, he is cute and very attractive."
Relena felt herself blush and Duo elbowed her not too gently. I'm not hearing this, she screamed in her mind. This is all a dream; I'm not hearing this!
"But a lesson has to be taught. James has been paying him too much attention. He had to be stopped. But don't you just love the way he looked so cute with green paint all over him?" Conner laughed. "I know. We'll have him soon enough, okay?" he picked up the bear and laughed again.
Relena shivered. Maybe getting even was a bad idea. James' horde of admirers is turning to be more and more psychotic as the seconds trickled by. Who knows how they'll retaliate?
"Oh! I'm sleepy, Teddy!" Conner exclaimed, placing the bear on the bed again. "I know, I won't forget the nightly ritual, silly bear!" Conner walked toward the closet and opened it, revealing a mini-shrine for—you guessed it, James Reyes.
There was a framed picture of James looking so handsome hanging on the wall and there were flowers as well. And there were candles all over the shrine, with pictures of James in all possible angles, poses and sizes pasted all over the closet walls.
After paying homage to his god, Conner stood up from where he was kneeling and closed the closet. He switched off the lamp and slid into the covers. "Now, for the mantra," he paused and took a deep breath. "James loves me, James loves me, James loves me."
After a few minutes when Relena was sure he was asleep, they slipped out of the closet and let out the breath they've been holding.
"Oh, shit," Duo said, blinking in shock.
"I think I'll go do what we came her for," Relena said, walking toward the bathroom mechanically, still numb and shocked from all the events that unfolded right before her eyes. She took the tube and replaced its contents.
When she returned to the bedroom, Duo was staring at Conner, still asleep. "What're you doing?" she asked.
"Studying him. I mean, who the hell would've thought these people are this twisted?" he replied, pointing at the closet and at the bear he was snuggling with.
"Hmm…James, yes, there… oh!" Conner moaned in his sleep, making them both turn pink.
"I think I've had enough. That's it for tonight. Don't forget tomorrow, dawn," she said, inching away from the boy who was obviously having a—ahem!—dream about James. At the last moment, not being able to resist the urge, she threw the contents of the box of thumbtacks she brought across the floor. "That'll teach you to think I'm cute and attractive!" she glared at the sleeping figure and left after Duo.
"Are you sure we won't get in trouble for this?" she asked uncertainly, carrying the jar of dye and showing it to Duo. "I don't think getting kicked out of the school is worth any prank."
"You won't be kicked out, I'm telling you. You're rich right? All you gotta do is promise a hefty donation and you're guaranteed to stay here till the day you graduate. Besides, the principal's not here. The assistant principal's not that tough, all we'll get is detention to clean it and all—if we get caught, which we won't."
"Why not?"
"Because if they tell on us, we'll tell them they're the ones who started it. And they don't have witnesses anyway. They can just assume and accuse us since there aren't any hard evidences pointing to us."
"Why do I have the feeling you've done this before?"
"I've had a history," Duo winked and Relena chuckled. "Anyway, I wonder what the hell's up to those two, swimming at dawn. They better wear the whistle or else no more very early swim for them."
"That's strange, they're not here. I thought you said they always take a swim in one of the smaller pools every six in the morning. Are we too early?"
"They might be late," Duo replied. "Anyway, let's get crackin' I don't wanna be caught putting dye in the pool."
Relena grinned. "You know, I love the way your mind works. This definitely beats the other two. This is plain nasty."
"You don't wanna go through it?"
"Are you crazy? Hell, no! Pour the entire thing into the water!" she grinned, loving every minute of it.
Once they were done, they decided to stop by the shower room to wash away the dye that inevitably clung to their hands. "Do you think they still plan on showing up?" Relena asked, still worried their prey wouldn't come.
"I'm sure they will, I've been told—did you hear that?"
They held their breaths and listened intently. Sure enough, there was ragged breathing echoing from the shower stalls. Relena's eyes widened while Duo's eyes twinkled in delight.
"Harder, Pat!"
"...oh, gods…" someone moaned in response.
"Oh, shit," Relena mouthed, red washing over her. Nothing could've prepared her for that. Even Conner's mini-shrine seemed tame and normal compared to this.
"...ooohh… Ryan…"
"…Faster!"
They met each other's eyes and without speaking, they both made a beeline for the exit. Once safely in Relena's dorm, Duo collapsed on the bed while Relena sat on the floor, clutching her stomach, laughing uncontrollably.
"Fuck, nothing beats hearing Ryan and Patrick shagging in the shower room!" Duo exclaimed, wiping the tear at the corner of his eyes. "I think this night's visit proved to be too revealing, even for me."
"I agree," Relena said, still laughing. "God! I thought Conner was the worst. My insides haven't recovered yet, I need to lie down…"
"And I need to get back to my room before any of them find out," Duo said, standing up from the bed and making his way toward the door. "It'll give us an alibi. Remember, you and I have been asleep in our beds the whole night."
Relena nodded, grinning at Duo. ""Yup, and we know nothing about the whole Paint Attack." They both burst out laughing. "I can't wait for them to find out."
At exactly six thirty-five in the morning, the whole academy was awakened by simultaneous blood-curling screams coming from the general direction of the pool. At six forty, someone at the third floor of the South Dorm, another scream served as a wake-up call for those who missed the earlier alarm. Two floors up, another scream was heard. At precisely seven o'clock in the morning, two teenagers pulled off the covers with wide grins across their faces.
~*~*~*~
"I don't suppose you have anything to do with what happened this morning?" Quatre said sternly the second Relena and Duo sat for breakfast.
"What're you talking about?" Duo asked, eyes wide and looking as innocent as ever. He shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth.
"Don't play dumb, you know what I'm talking about. I can understand about you, Duo but you, Rey?" Quatre said, turning to Relena, who was sipping her orange juice quietly next to him. He gave her a disapproving shake of his head and sighed. "Don't you think the thumbtacks were too much?"
"Someone placed thumbtacks? On the wall?" Relena asked, looking at him with surprise etched on her face. "But they're for that purpose, aren't they?"
"No, they're not for people to sprinkle quite generously at someone's floor," Trowa butted in, taking Quatre's side as usual. "I'm surprised you haven't been caught yet."
"But why? Did I do anything wrong, Duo?" Relena asked, turning to her friend who only shrugged in reply. She frowned. "If I remember correctly, it was them who bathed me with neon green paint, which by the way is glow in the dark. Am I in trouble for that?"
"You know what we're talking about. Fine, be that way. But don't say we didn't warn you. You could get in trouble for this," Quatre sighed in defeat.
Relena shrugged and continued to drink her juice then grinned. "Do you think they're okay? Whoever did those pranks must've had a grudge," she said, shaking her head. "It's sad how vindictive some people can be."
"I'm sure you know exactly how those pranksters feel," Heero said, placing his tray on the table. "In case you're wondering, yes, I just left the office. They were asking me if Duo's been asleep in our room the whole time."
"And what did you say?" Relena asked casually, ignoring the rapid beating of her heart. "Did they really think we were behind it?"
"We know you are," Heero replied.
She made a face. "You've got no proof."
"Are you sure?" Heero challenged.
"Do you?"
"Are you worried?"
"Are you done flirting?" Wufei asked, speaking for the first time that morning. "Because I don't want to lose my appetite, I like to start my day with a full stomach."
"We're not flirting!" they both said at the same time, glaring at Wufei.
"And the fact that Ryan and Patrick dyed blue all over is a dream."
As Relena was making her way toward the basketball to meet Heero that afternoon, she was cornered by the Snort Squad at the flagstone walkway.
When Relena caught sight of them, she burst out laughing. She thought nothing could beat her neon green forehead. Boy, was she wrong!
"You think this is funny, Dorian?" Patrick snapped, gesturing at his blue skin and Ryan's as well. Conner's normally dark mahogany hair was dyed bright orange while Jordan had bright pink hair instead of his silken blond strands.
"Well, you gotta admit, it looks a bit funny," she shrugged, fighting the grin from breaking through her face. All her attempts remained futile.
"We'll get even, Dorian, just you wait. We'll get even," Jordan threatened.
"Did your goddess Britney promise you victory after last night's flower offering?" she said under her breath. "Hey, hey, look at it this way, we're even."
"You've got to be kidding me!" Conner exclaimed. "You can't call this even. I feel violated!"
"You're lucky no evidence was found pointing to you otherwise it's goodbye, Dorian!" Ryan said. "But maybe you won't be too careful next time."
"You're right, no evidence was found saying that I did any of these," she retorted. "So that means you can't be too sure I'm the one responsible for all the colors decorating the school. At least it's livelier here than usual."
"We don't need solid proof to know it's you," Patrick said. "But keep this is mind. This isn't the end of it. You haven't heard the last of us, Dorian." With that said, they turned their backs against her and started to walk away.
Relena made a face then grinned. "It sure is a little bright in here," she called after them. "You might want to tone down the colors a bit, boys!" She laughed as she saw Patrick's ears turn pink and Conner hold Jordan before he made a mad dash for the dorms.
"That's really pushing your luck, Dorian," a voice said from behind her.
She whirled around and saw Heero leaning against a tree and watching her with a small amused smile. She shrugged. "Hey, I had to retaliate."
"And retaliate you did."
"I'm good, aren't I?" she said, smiling cheekily as she fell into step next to him. When he gave no response she sighed. It was back to silence for the whole of afternoon again. She almost jumped when Heero spoke.
"But I have to give it to you, pulling blue boy act on Ryan and Patrick was really good," he said then joining her in laughter.
Tbc
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