Duo crouched, head down, stock-still, as the red and yellow light of
sunrise began to filter in over the buildings of the city. His wings were
tucked tightly against his back as he balanced precariously on the lip of
the roof. He had discovered this place only yesterday, a few days after he
had met Quatre and Trowa. His usual dawn ritual had been severely lacking
as of now; he had not been able to find a suitable place to meditate.
The light from the sun was slowly creeping down the chimney, turning everything it touched from the pre dawn gray to brilliant gold. The light climbed up the horizon, turning Duo's hair a light chestnut. As he felt the first rays touch his face, he opened his eyes fully, staring into the blaze. He threw open his wings, watching with wonder as the dew that had covered them from sitting on the roof so long caught the sunlight in a million dazzling drops.
Duo laughed, as he always did during his morning ritual; his love of the sun, of morning never ceased, and he hoped it never would. He closed his eyes once more, and breathed in the morning air. He let it out in one swift sigh, and opened his eyes to an unexpected sight.
A feather, floating gracefully on his own breath, was right in front of his face, just over the edge of the roof. Slowly, almost timidly, he reached out and gently grasped it by the tip. It was pure white. He smiled unknowingly as he ran it across his jaw, then his cheeks, eyes, down his nose and across his lips. Slowly, gently, he held it in front of his eyes, twirling it in his fingers. Almost reverently, he ran it through the air, watching closely as it tugged to be free of his hand and float through the sky.
Duo brought up his other hand and let his fingers run across the feather, feeling the smooth and silky texture.
Duo stilled his hand, frowning. He brought the feather closer.
'Shit'
Duo was thrown out of his meditation as he realized it was his own feather. He gave a silent plea to whatever deity was listening as he checked the tip...
'Shit, it's black!'
Duo groaned and stood out of the crouch he had held the last hour and a half.
'Why do I have to start molting now?! It'll take me a week to get my primaries in, and until then I won't be able to fly. How am I going to get away from the goons in the school if I can't fly?!'
Duo huffed angrily and started pacing the roof. By the looks of the feather, he'd have another two days, three if he was lucky, to fly. After that he was grounded for a week. In this school, that meant running... lots and lots of running. Not that Duo was slow, by any means, but the bullies knew the school. They also had a few years practice of knowing where their victims would run to.
There was one place they wouldn't go: the band room. The only ones who did were Trowa and the others in the little group that they had. Duo smiled as he thought of his new friends. Trowa was quiet, and soft-spoken; but when he did say something, you'd better shut up and listen. If you didn't, you'd have Quatre to answer to.
'Ah, Quatre,' Duo grinned and shook his head as he remembered the slight blonde. So kind and gentle, yet so protective of Trowa. As if Trowa needed protecting. Duo gingerly touched his side where the bass player had landed a kick. There was still a bruise.
Duo had met the black-haired drummer the day after the spitting incident. His name was Wufei, and Duo didn't get much more out of him, or out of Quatre when Duo asked him about the drummer later. No one knew that much about him, just that he was quiet, prone to stomping off in a quiet rage, was Chinese - and proud of it - and talked very little about himself. Also, he was content to spend his time during his spare and lunch practicing with Trowa and Quatre. This made him a close friend with the couple, and an outcast to the rest of the school, although with one major difference that Duo happened to discover.
While no one outside of the little group talked to Wufei, no one bothered him either. Duo saw why first hand. On Duo's third day at the school, a new or just overly cocky bully (Duo hadn't been there long enough to tell who was new or not; there were over 1000 students) had pushed Wufei into some lockers. Wufei had responded by some amazing martial arts which Duo had trouble following, but in the end, halted only when the unfortunate bully was literally crying for mercy.
What impressed Duo so much, though, was that there was not a scratch on the kid. No bruises or blood or broken bones.
Duo smiled as he thought of his new friends. 'This isn't as hard as I thought it was going to be,'
Duo let the feather in his hands float to the roof, and deciding to take advantage of his rapidly declining ability to fly, leaned over the roof and opened his wings to the bright sunlight.
The light from the sun was slowly creeping down the chimney, turning everything it touched from the pre dawn gray to brilliant gold. The light climbed up the horizon, turning Duo's hair a light chestnut. As he felt the first rays touch his face, he opened his eyes fully, staring into the blaze. He threw open his wings, watching with wonder as the dew that had covered them from sitting on the roof so long caught the sunlight in a million dazzling drops.
Duo laughed, as he always did during his morning ritual; his love of the sun, of morning never ceased, and he hoped it never would. He closed his eyes once more, and breathed in the morning air. He let it out in one swift sigh, and opened his eyes to an unexpected sight.
A feather, floating gracefully on his own breath, was right in front of his face, just over the edge of the roof. Slowly, almost timidly, he reached out and gently grasped it by the tip. It was pure white. He smiled unknowingly as he ran it across his jaw, then his cheeks, eyes, down his nose and across his lips. Slowly, gently, he held it in front of his eyes, twirling it in his fingers. Almost reverently, he ran it through the air, watching closely as it tugged to be free of his hand and float through the sky.
Duo brought up his other hand and let his fingers run across the feather, feeling the smooth and silky texture.
Duo stilled his hand, frowning. He brought the feather closer.
'Shit'
Duo was thrown out of his meditation as he realized it was his own feather. He gave a silent plea to whatever deity was listening as he checked the tip...
'Shit, it's black!'
Duo groaned and stood out of the crouch he had held the last hour and a half.
'Why do I have to start molting now?! It'll take me a week to get my primaries in, and until then I won't be able to fly. How am I going to get away from the goons in the school if I can't fly?!'
Duo huffed angrily and started pacing the roof. By the looks of the feather, he'd have another two days, three if he was lucky, to fly. After that he was grounded for a week. In this school, that meant running... lots and lots of running. Not that Duo was slow, by any means, but the bullies knew the school. They also had a few years practice of knowing where their victims would run to.
There was one place they wouldn't go: the band room. The only ones who did were Trowa and the others in the little group that they had. Duo smiled as he thought of his new friends. Trowa was quiet, and soft-spoken; but when he did say something, you'd better shut up and listen. If you didn't, you'd have Quatre to answer to.
'Ah, Quatre,' Duo grinned and shook his head as he remembered the slight blonde. So kind and gentle, yet so protective of Trowa. As if Trowa needed protecting. Duo gingerly touched his side where the bass player had landed a kick. There was still a bruise.
Duo had met the black-haired drummer the day after the spitting incident. His name was Wufei, and Duo didn't get much more out of him, or out of Quatre when Duo asked him about the drummer later. No one knew that much about him, just that he was quiet, prone to stomping off in a quiet rage, was Chinese - and proud of it - and talked very little about himself. Also, he was content to spend his time during his spare and lunch practicing with Trowa and Quatre. This made him a close friend with the couple, and an outcast to the rest of the school, although with one major difference that Duo happened to discover.
While no one outside of the little group talked to Wufei, no one bothered him either. Duo saw why first hand. On Duo's third day at the school, a new or just overly cocky bully (Duo hadn't been there long enough to tell who was new or not; there were over 1000 students) had pushed Wufei into some lockers. Wufei had responded by some amazing martial arts which Duo had trouble following, but in the end, halted only when the unfortunate bully was literally crying for mercy.
What impressed Duo so much, though, was that there was not a scratch on the kid. No bruises or blood or broken bones.
Duo smiled as he thought of his new friends. 'This isn't as hard as I thought it was going to be,'
Duo let the feather in his hands float to the roof, and deciding to take advantage of his rapidly declining ability to fly, leaned over the roof and opened his wings to the bright sunlight.