Author's Note- Some A/U stories are really good. Some are really bad. I'm hoping this one gets into the former category, but knowing my luck, it won't even be considered a runner up for the latter.

Warning- Yaoi, it's a wonderful thing.

Disclaimer- I don't own any of the Outlaw Star characters. Simple as that.

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Gene blinked, looking down at his information sheet once more. His dorm room was apparently in this building, but he'd be damned if he could locate it. Scowling, he read over the number again, then looked up to the sign in front of him. Not even close. The scowl deepened. He would have thought that, in an arts college, locating things would be somewhat simple.

"Need any help?" The voice was young and feminine, not to mention very bright and cheerful. Gene slowly turned to find out who had addressed him, and discovered a rather petite young woman with black hair. "You look lost to me."

"Er, yea, kind of…" Hesitantly, he held out the sheet of paper for the woman to see. She examined it for a moment, then smiled.

"Ah. I see why you're confused. This building has the weirdest numbering system! See, you have to go backwards, so your room is down that hall over there." She pointed, making sure he understood completely where he was supposed to go. "If you need any help with anything, just ask for me. I'm Melfina." Her smile brightened. "I hope you like it here."

"…Thanks." Gene blinked at the retreating figure of Melfina as she dashed off. Weird. People usually aren't so… nice. Shaking his head, he began walking towards the hallway she had pointed out, wondering if he was going to need directions for everything here. It wasn't a very appealing thought.

Finally discovering a door with a number to match the one on his sheet, Gene sighed in relief and turned the handle, letting himself in. A small but cozy room greeted his eyes, already furnished with necessities such as furniture and kitchen appliances. Glancing around, he suffered a brief moment of confusion when discovering that there seemed to be two beds. Also, one had a few suitcases on it. Not to mention a young man.

"Hm?" Upon hearing the door open, the young man looked up from unpacking. "Oh, hello. You my room mate?" Not feeling very talkative, Gene just nodded. "Do you have a name?"

Now realizing his rudeness, Gene blushed a shade to match his crimson hair. "Gene. Gene Starwind. And you?"

"Fred Luo." The young man stood and stuck out a hand. "Pleased to meet you." Gene eyed it for a second, as if not sure what he was supposed to do. Fred smiled. "I won't bite, you know." Blinking, Gene reached out, shaking the offered hand quickly before letting go and tossing his bags on the empty bed.

Hearing Fred turn back to his unpacking, Gene decided that was a wise thing to do. Reaching down, he unzipped his first suitcase, vaguely trying to remember if he had been told beforehand about having a roommate. He must have; that wasn't just the kind of thing you didn't tell people. Glancing over at his information sheet once again, he scanned through it to specifications about his room. Yes, there it was. "Roommate: Fred Luo". He should have paid more attention.

Feeling a bit boldened, he decided to strike up a conversation. "So, why are you here?" He didn't turn around to hear the answer, the room was small enough that they could hear one another perfectly from opposite corners if they had any reason to.

"My voice, believe it or not." Gene found no reason supporting the not. Judging merely by the few words he had heard, he could tell that Fred must have a wonderful singing voice. "And something or other about me acing Music Theory in high school… ah, who cares. What about you?"

"Guitar. I actually applied with both singing and guitar, but really, my voice isn't anything to shout about." Shoving one last shirt in a dresser drawer, he sighed wistfully. "I'm in a band back home as guitar and vocals, but really, we're going to need a better singer if we're going to get anywhere." He heard Fred chuckling behind him.

"Oh, surely you can't be that bad." Turning, Gene discovered that Fred was sitting on his bed, looking at him. "That's what bands are for, so you don't notice whether the singer has a good voice or not." He grinned, an indication that he had been joking. When Gene didn't respond, he tilted his head to one side slightly, navy blue hair falling over his shoulder. "You know, you're pretty cute."

"What?!" Startled, Gene knocked his suitcase to the floor with a clatter. Blushing slightly, he stooped to pick it up. "Geez, I'm sorry, for a second there I thought you said that I was cu-"

"I did. You are." Fred raised his eyebrows at the incredulous look he was receiving. "What, no one's ever told you that before? That's odd. You'd think someone would have spoken up by now." Seeing Gene's shocked expression remain unchanged, he tilted his head over to the other side. "All right all right, maybe cute is the wrong word. Attractive, maybe? It doesn't sound like I'm talking about a stuffed animal at least."

"What the hell do you mean, attractive?" Gene shook his head to clear it. What the hell was this guy thinking?! Maybe he hadn't had his morning coffee or whatever. Something definitely wasn't clicking properly. "What, are you gay or something?"

"Actually, yes." Fred stood up, carrying one of his bags over to stow it in the closet. "I figured I should let you know, considering we're going to be roommates for God knows how long. It'd be a pretty nasty surprise to wake up to, you know?" Gene remained speechless. "Oh, I get it. You've never had a guy call you attractive before." Fred just shrugged. "Well, hate to break it to you, but you are, and I'm saying it." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I take it you're straight."

"… Well, yea." Gene couldn't quite comprehend what was going on in his mind. He wasn't disturbed by the fact that his roommate was gay, but was a bit unnerved that Fred had displayed in interest in him.

"Pity."

"Pity?"

"Yes, I was considering making an attempt to seduce you." Fred merely smiled at the look of horror on Gene's face. "Oh, you can calm down. I'll leave you alone if you're sure you're straight. You are sure, aren't you?"

Gene was about to answer in the affirmative, but something made him stop. Something at the back of his mind. A small emotion he had felt when Fred had commented on his looks. It wasn't disgust, it wasn't shock. It didn't have a name, exactly, but it gave him a warm feeling inside. Trying to answer the question, he didn't manage very well. "Er…"

"Oh?" Fred raised his eyebrows. "Hm. Well, still, don't worry. I'm not that bad, I promise." Leaning over, he lightly poked Gene on the nose. "I gave you something to think about, at least. My job here is done."

He walked out of the room, leaving Gene with his mouth hanging open. Fucking hell, I'm straight, aren't I? He looked down and blushed. Apparently something in him thought otherwise. No no no no, I do NOT find that guy attractive, I don't find ANY guy attractive!

Like hell you don't. Gene scowled at the cynical voice coming from the back of his mind. The problem was, it was telling the truth. Why the denial? Just because you've always thought of yourself as completely and totally straight doesn't mean that can't change.

"Fuck." Gene shook his head as if to clear it. It didn't work in the slightest. Muttering darkly to himself, he tossed an empty suitcase into the corner of the room. "Fuck fuck fuck."

****************

"Oi! Gene!" The redhead searched for who was calling him. Finally spotting them, he suppressed a sigh. Fred. There was no escaping him. Ha, like you want to. Pushing the internal voice down, Gene smiled slightly and picked his way through the crowded lecture hall to the seat Fred was indicating. The young man grinned as Gene sat down. "And here I thought you were avoiding me."

"Mmph." That was the best response Gene could muster. It was better than nothing, at least.

"Well, you can't be scared of me here, at least." Fred grinned mischievously. "This is a lecture hall, what on earth could I possibly do?" He tilted his head to the side, studying Gene's currently stoic face. "Unless, of course, you wanted me to make a real effort." He chuckled softly as the redhead's skin turned from tan to bright pink in a matter of seconds. "You're so easy to tease, you know that?"

"Let's just say I'm not really used to that kind of teasing." Fred's laughing merely increased in volume. "At least someone finds this funny."

"Incredibly so." Fred's laughing was only quelled when the teacher entered the hall and called for silence. Throughout the whole lecture, Gene kept sneaking glanced at his roommate, wondering if he would stay true to his word.

He did, doing nothing but listening and occasionally jotting down notes. Gene couldn't help but be a bit disappointed. He tried to pass it off as having to do with being bored and needing something to occupy him, but somehow, telling Fred to piss off didn't seem like it could occupy much time. So much for that excuse. The redhead winced internally. I'm straight, I'm straight, I'm straight…

No you're not, no you're not, no you're not. He could almost see the smirk that accompanied his inner voice.

"Gene? Hello? Earth to Gene." Gene blinked slightly, pushing away the hand that was waving in front of his face. "Oh, so you are still conscious."

"Huh? Of course I am." He turned to look at Fred, who was grinning as he slowly shook his head. After having his hand pushed away, he absently began tugging on his right ear.

"You could have fooled me. What were you thinking about that had you so absorbed, hm?" Me, maybe? Fred's grin widened at that ludicrous thought. Hey, you never knew your luck.

"Oh…. Nothing." Gene could feel the blush creeping up towards his face, but managed to hold it down, if only just barely. Fred just laughed.

"Well, you must be better at singing than you are at lying." People were filing out of the hall all around them, and Fred stood up, holding out a hand to Gene. "Come on, you want to have lunch with me?" He twitched his fingers in a beckoning gesture.

Gene blinked, then looked down at the offered hand. "…"

"I told you before, I don't bite."

"Unless I want you to, right?" Fred blinked once, then burst out laughing again.

"Right!" Still chuckling, he twitched his fingers again. "So, yes or no? Not that hard of a question to answer, I'd think."

Gene weighed the options in his mind. Fred wasn't a bad guy, and he was his roommate, after all. Where was the harm? Nowhere that he could see, that was for sure. "All right." He stood up without taking Fred's hand. The other man looked a bit surprised, but then let his hand drop to his side.

"So, do you want me to?"

"What?!"

Fred nearly fell over in his new fit of laughter. "You're so easy! Really, I'm going to die of laughter being with you!" Grinning, he slung an arm over Gene's shoulder as they walked out together. "Although I'm going to have to stop teasing you eventually, there's no sport in it!"

*****************

Gene was staring at his lunch. And Fred was staring at him. Really, the sandwich was the only thing that seemed to be minding its own business. "Gene, you're spacing out again."

"Huh?" Blinking furiously, the redhead looked up to meet Fred's laughing gaze. "What?"

"Really, you have to be thinking about something, you don't seem like the kind of person who would just drift in and out of reality like that." The smiling young man leaned forward, seemingly forgetting his own lunch. "So, what is it?"

"What's what?"

"What you're thinking about, you dork!" Fred slumped back into his seat, looking exasperated. "Honestly, I think I changed my mind. You're just thick, that's all!"

"Shut up." Somehow, Gene didn't like Fred thinking poorly of him. Of course, he didn't like anyone thinking poorly of him, but he didn't usually care to this extent. His gaze slowly drifted back down to his sandwich before he realized it. "And for your information, I am thinking. And you don't need to know what goes on in my head."

"So? I want to, and that's good enough for me." Gene's head shot up as he gave his roommate a curious look.

"What's that supposed to-"

"Hey!" Someone's shout cut him off, and he scowled. The someone shouted again, and this time the voice was considerably closer. "Hey!" Finally reaching their table, the someone stopped shouting, taking her voice down to a more reasonable level. Glancing over, Gene realized it was the same girl that had given him directions the other day. "Hi again! I just saw you, and came over to say hey."

"Well, believe me, the whole 'hey' concept got across loud and clear." Fred's face and voice were laughing, but his eyes held something that Gene couldn't quite discern. It looked like… jealousy? No, that couldn't be right. Whatever it was, it wasn't noticed by the friendly girl. She just smiled in reply.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even ask for your name yesterday, so I didn't know who to call." Her eyes shut as she tilted her head to the side, smile still on her face. "Sorry for being so rude. What is your name anyway?"

"Gene. Gene Starwind."

"Well then Gene, I'm glad to have met you! And you are…?" Her eyes open again, she turned her gaze to Fred, who quickly managed to plaster another smile on his face.

"His roommate, Fred Luo. Pleased to meet you." Gene blinked. Why had he added the fact they were roommates…? It wasn't relevant at all… Was it? What, exactly, was he missing?

"The pleasure is mine!" Hearing someone call her name, Melfina turned to look over her shoulder. "Oh, sorry, my friends are calling me. Catch you guys later!" With a cheerful wave, she dashed off as quickly as she had come.

"That was interesting." Fred's smile was more sincere now. Gene couldn't begin to figure out why. "She must like you to come running through a crowded place like this just to say hi." His eyes darkened at the word 'like'. Perhaps it had been jealousy Gene had seen earlier.

"Guess so." Once again, the redhead found his sandwich tugging his gaze downwards. Really, the thing must have had some sort of mystical power in it. Maybe there was something in ham that scientists hadn't discovered…

"Fascinating lunch, hm?"

"I told you, I'm thinking." Realizing the trap he was stepping on the fringes of, Gene quickly backed out. "About nothing that you need concern yourself with."

"I told you, it's not a matter of me needing to know, it's a matter of me wanting to know. There's a difference." Reaching out, Fred poked him in the arm. "You can't just sit there and brood without at least giving me a hint, it's not fair."

"Who said life was fair?" Fred just poked him in the arm again.

"I might have at one point, you never know." A wide grin accompanied the statement. "Now, I'm counting on you to prove me right so I can take the concept before the proper authorities and win my award."

"You're expecting an award?" Gene found that, perhaps, if he played along with this train of thought for a while, he could somehow escape having to come up with a convincing lie.

"Oh yes, a rather nice one." Fred made as if to poke him again, but the redhead moved his arm out of harm's way in time to avoid incident. "Every time someone complains of life being anything but fair, I get a nickel. I'll be rich within a month." The dark-eyed young man was thinking along similar lines as Gene. If he distracted his roommate enough, perhaps he could ask again and get an answer before Gene realized what he was saying.

"Who's going to be paying you?"

"Oh, well, that I still have to work out." Fred shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not a fool-proof plan, but it's getting there." He wondered vaguely how long he could keep talk on this ludicrous subject going before he keeled over from the sheer insanity of it all. "You haven't taken a bite of your lunch."

"Neither have you." Gene smiled as Fred blinked. The dark-haired young man looked down at his own lunch, clearly realizing the statement was fact.

"Hm, must have slipped my mind." Without seeming to think about it, Fred grabbed his apple and took a bite out of it. As he chewed, he appeared to be thinking. Swallowing, he smiled. "You still haven't eaten."

"I'm not hungry."

"Oh, I see." A loud grumbling from Gene's own stomach betrayed him, and the young man's face turned a red that very nearly rivaled his hair. "Not hungry. Of course. Can't see why I ever thought otherwise." Fred took another bite of his apple, chewing slowly. Once his mouth had emptied, he heard another growling sound emit from the region of Gene's midsection. "Are you quite certain about that whole 'not hungry' concept?"

Gene scowled. Trust his stomach to rat him out. Defiantly, he snatched up his sandwich and took a large bite. Fred began to laugh as he nearly choked on his mouthful in attempts to swallow it quickly. "I hear inhaling your food is not good for your health." Gene just glared at him, finally managing to get his chunk of sandwich down his throat. "Is eating always this interesting with you?"

"Very funny."

"Really? I wasn't even trying to be." Gene rolled his eyes in reply.

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Author's Note- So? What do you think about it so far? Does the story deserve to be continued, or should I drop it and deny any association between it and myself? Really, I'm not quite sure.