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Chapter 6

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"How come you're so good at this math thing?" Duo asked as they walked behind the bike shed on the break after their first class on Monday morning. The building was standing in the far end of the school yard, just a few meters away from a high wooden fence. The ground around it was covered with pebbles, mixed with cigarette butts, candy wrappers and things better left unexplored. Before Duo showed up, this had been the hang out place for the popular kids but since then they had abruptly chosen to move to behind the gym instead.

Wufei shrugged. "Don't know, it's fun." Duo had been muttering unhappily over their latest math assignment all the way there.

"Fun?" Duo asked like he couldn't believe that someone had connected the word fun with mathematics.

"It's like a puzzle, or a riddle. " Wufei explained as he sat down on the ground with his bag in his lap. "Math has no uncertainties, just logic and rules." He leaned his head back against the wall as he looked up at Duo who was searching through his pockets for his lighter. "Math is a lot easier to understand than people."

Duo laughed, cigarette dangling between his lips. "Some people are just plain strange."

"Everyone is strange one way or the other, I think a lot of people would consider the both of us to be strange."

"Point." Duo acknowledged with a tilt of his head. "But they don't know us either. On the other hand, the people who think we're strange are the people I don't want to know."

Wufei grinned. "They are also the people that don't want to know us."

"Fuck 'm, it's their loss." Duo announced cockily.

"Well, you must confess that you don't exactly come off as the most approachable guy ever."

Duo snorted as he kicked a plastic bottle against the fence, making it bounce back with a hollow smack. "Show some weakness and people will walk all over you."

Wufei dropped his eyes down to his bag, the playful mood suddenly all gone. He knew Duo was telling the truth, because it was a truth he lived with every day. Unfortunately Wufei didn't have much else to show but weakness and even when he tried to hide it they saw straight through it.

Duo breathed out a cloud of smoke, watching it as it drifted away. "I've moved so much in the last few years and been the new kid so many times that I know for a fact that if you show the least bit of weakness, you're fucked."

Wufei nodded his agreement.

Duo took a long drag of his cigarette, breathing out slowly before meeting Wufei's eyes straight on. "I make sure that where ever I go, I will always be the meanest bastard there. I will be the dirtiest fighter. I will be the loudest, the cockiest and the most unbeatable son of a bitch any of those low lives has ever had the misfortune of meeting."

Wufei nodded again, wishing desperately that he could be more like the boy in front of him. He wanted to be able to fight back, he wanted to walk with his head held high. He wanted to be unbeatable.

Back when the bullying had first started, way back when Tommy had still been his friend, he had tried to get help. He had told his parents, his teachers, everyone he thought could help. Their solution was to have a meeting where all his bullies shared their disbelief and innocence. They had no idea what Wufei was talking about. They claimed that while they were not the closest of friends they would never even dream about bullying him, or anyone else for that matter. In the end of the meeting it seemed like everyone had agreed that it had all been in Wufei's head and that he should try to get along better with his classmates.

Wufei felt cold whenever he thought about the bullies' retaliation afterwards.

He had learned not to tell anyone after that. He had let his parents believe that everything was fine. He hid his bruises, made up lies and excuses when he came home with ripped clothes, destroyed books or broken glasses. He fell, he'd been tackled during gym, he had run into a door, he had dropped the books down the stairs, he had accidently sat down on his glasses. The lies came easier and easier.

The teachers didn't see a thing, or if they did they pretended not to. 'Let the kids work out their own problems' seemed to be the motto. But when the problem appeared to be Wufei's mere existence, he wasn't all that convinced that it could be solved. Not if he didn't end up hanging himself, and sometimes that felt like a far too tempting idea. To just make it end. To let his death haunt his executioners lives, to let them know that his death was on their conscience.

But he couldn't do that to his family. They were the only reason why he went on.

And now… he had Duo too. His knight.

Duo walked over and sank down next to him on the pebble covered ground, heels digging up deep ditches as he stretched his legs out. "This place is pretty nice though, I hope I get to stay, I usually don't get to stick around for very long."

No. Wufei's happiness crashed and burned at those words. A sharp pain fired up in Wufei's chest at the threat of losing his new and only friend. The thought of going back to being all alone was terrifying to consider.

"How come?" He asked, dreading what he would hear.

Duo didn't answer for a moment. "My foster parents keep sending me back." He shrugged like he didn't care but his eyes said differently. "Not that I can blame them, no one wants the 'troubled and unbalanced' kid with a violence problem." He lifted some rocks up, creating a small pile between his legs.

"What about your new foster parents?" Wufei asked, wishing with everything he had that he would get a positive answer. He could not lose his only friend, not when he had just gotten him.

"They haven't gotten sick of me yet." Duo said easily as he brushed his hands off.

"Yeah." Wufei breathed, praying that they never would.

They sat silently a while, looking at the graffiti covered fence and the cloud free sky above.

Duo absently scratched his slightly sun burned nose, making the skin flake. "I've been wondering, is there a reason why those fucking goons always go after you? "

Wufei sighed. "They've been doing it for years but it didn't start out that bad." It had been bad, but at least he could sometimes go a week without getting beaten up. "But… I guess that over time they just found reasons to hate me."

Duo snorted. "They are fucking idiots if they can find reasons to do that."

Wufei was for a moment so happy that he couldn't speak. The affection that he had for the boy next to him was so great that Wufei really would do anything, anything at all for him. The urge to lean over and kiss him was almost overwhelming. He turned his face away. Some things were better left undone and undiscovered.

"Tommy and I used to be friends." He said, picking up a handful of pebbles, letting them fall between his fingers.

Duo looked over at him in surprise. "No way, you were friends with that idiot?"

Wufei laughed sadly. "He use to be really nice… but that was years ago. I think he singles me out because he doesn't want people to think that we still friends."

He had been in the same class as Tommy since kindergarten. They had been inseparable in those days, they would do everything together. Then their class had been put together with another class as they reached fourth grade. Suddenly Tommy didn't want to play with him anymore, he had been more interested in girls, skateboards and getting in trouble with more popular kids.

Wufei had never felt so betrayed as the first time Tommy had joined in on beating him up behind the gym.

Duo muttered something about 'idiots' under his breath, making Wufei smile.

Tommy had urged the rest of his friends to go after Wufei, something that they had been far from reluctant to do. Then when his father married Tyler's mother, there was suddenly two people who had a personal interest in making his life hell.

"Tyler is my father's wife's son you know." Wufei mumbled softly. He had never told anyone about that but it felt right to tell Duo.

Duo grimaced. "Aw man. Bummer."

Wufei laughed shortly. "Yeah, it really is." Sometimes he almost thought Tyler was jealous at him because of his father. He had gotten the impression that Tyler's own father had never been around very much.

"So what about the blond guy?" Duo asked, tapping the ash off his cigarette.

"Nick? He's more of a follower. He hates me because they hate me." Nick was one of those people who seemed to bully people so he wouldn't be bullied. He was a bit overweight, a bit slow on the uptake and hair so thin it almost looked like he was getting a bald spot. Nick knew very well that it might as well be him in Wufei's shoes and he did everything he could to make sure that the hierarchy stayed the way it was.

They were not the only people who tortured him daily, but Nick, Tyler and Tommy was the worst.

They were the most sinister of them all. They would make it into a sport. They liked to hunt him, make him fear them before they would strike down on him. And sometimes they would come at him randomly when he was least expecting it. When he thought he was safe and began to relax they would attack him without warning.

It was like they felt no sympathy. Like they didn't feel a thing but satisfaction as they hurt him.

But those times seemed to be over now. All thanks to the boy next to him. A rough but sweet boy who had changed his life.

Wufei looked over at Duo who was once again scratching his red nose. His heart leaped and he wondered if this was what being in love felt like.

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It was time for psychology, one of the few classes they didn't share. Duo had wandered off to woodcraft and hopefully that was where he was going to stay. Mr. Fagerhult did not like skippers and if Duo wanted to pass he'd better show up for class.

With books in hand, Wufei waited outside the classroom. There were more people there but no one spared him a glance. He might as well have been invisible. A familiar loneliness rolled in his chest. To be ignored was in a way even worse than name calling and such. It was like you weren't even worth the time to acknowledge. He remembered times where he had just wanted to scream, throw something, anything to make people realize that he was even there. Just to stop them from refusing to meet his eyes, to stop pretending that they didn't hear him when he asked a question, to really see him. Loneliness could eat you alive, it killed you from the inside until there was nothing left.

It was unbelievable what difference it made to have a friend. The feeling was impossible to put into words. To have someone on your side, someone you could trust. It made all the difference in the world.

The teacher showed up and Wufei quickly took a seat in the front as the door was unlocked. No one sat down next to him.

The class was interesting but Wufei found his thoughts drifting. He thought back to the weekend, remembering everything they had done and said. He was smiling stupidly as he remembered the ferris wheel ride and the plush dragon that now rested next to his pillow at home.

When the class ended Wufei had barely made any notes and he just knew that he had to read up on everything they had been working on. If he could just figure out what it was.

Feeling a bit stupid for spacing out Wufei collected his books and headed for the door.

"Wufei, a second please."

Wufei faltered as the teacher called out to him turning around to face him. was a handsome teacher, fresh out of the university but one of the better teachers they had. Wufei really liked his lessons and when he didn't he could always entertain himself by checking out the teachers nice ass that was usually fitted into a tight pair of jeans.

"Yeah." He fidgeted slightly as he waited for the man to speak, feeling a bit impatient. He wanted to see Duo as much as he could before their next class.

The teacher seemed to hesitate as he adjusted his glasses before meeting Wufei's eyes. "I've noticed that Maxwell has been spending time with you lately."

Wufei stiffened, suddenly feeling a great deal of dread on what he'll say next.

"I just want you to know that if there is anything you want to talk about, than you can come to me."

Wufei blinked in confusion, unsure what they were talking about. He had been expecting a lecture not… whatever this was. "Okay…" He answered uncertainly.

"If you need any advice or just want to talk you know where to find me."

Wufei nodded, not sure what he was agreeing to.

His teacher smiled. "Good, just wanted to let you know that you are not alone and I know what you are going through."

Wufei restrained himself from rolling his eyes. Teachers always claimed that they knew exactly what you were going through but it was always just plain bullshit. "Okay, thanks. Can I go?" He asked feeling a bit rude but the impatience won out.

"Of course." Wufei turned and managed to take a couple of steps before the teacher called out again. "Just make sure to use condoms."

Realization hit Wufei like a fast running train and he blushed brightly as he escaped out the door. He couldn't believe that someone had seen straight through his façade and – and-

Wufei felt like he was going to die of humiliation. Thank God that Duo wasn't in 's class or he would have insisted on staying during the talk and Wufei would have –died- if the teacher had said that in front of Duo.

Wufei hurried blindly towards his locker, desperately trying to erase the word condom from his head.

Unlocking the door he exchanged his books and was just about to try to calm down when he saw something in the corner of his eye.

Oh no, oh fuck. Tommy was coming around the corner. Fear rushed through him, chilling him from the inside.

He had to get away. Quickly he shut his locker and hurried down the hallway, trying to get pass all the people in his way. But he wasn't exactly the type of person that his fellow students stepped out of the way for and it slowed him down terrifyingly quickly. His heart was racing and he could almost feel Tommy's glare against the back of his neck.

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, spinning him around, pushing him back against the wall.

"What's the hurry faggot?"

Wufei looked up into that smirking face in dread. He knew what was coming. It always did. The pain. He had been naïve to think that Duo was going to be able to save him. There was no getting away from this. He closed his eyes, waiting for it.

"Take a step back fucker." Duo's angry voice cut in suddenly before Tommy was shoved away from him.

The other boy seemed to try to gather the courage to fight back but failed when Duo took a threatening step forward. Tommy sneered out a few dismissive words like he couldn't have cared less about them before turning on his heel.

"Damn, these fuckers are unbelievable." Duo grumbled angrily, glaring at Tommy's retreating back. "Come on, let's go." He said, taking a protective stand next to him as they started walking, eyes scanning the surrounding students.

Wufei felt his whole body relax. He was safe now.

They walked into the classroom and Duo, as usual, took the seat next to him, guarding him from attackers. Not that many dared to try anything now days. No one wanted to mess with Duo during class since the boy didn't hold back, no matter if the teacher was watching or not. The last time someone threw something at Wufei during class, Duo had jumped over the desk and hit the guilty one in the face with a dictionary. There had been no more paper balls after that.

The amount of times when the bullies was actively seeking Duo out was also getting fewer when Duo kept coming out on top. Looking worse for wear but always acting like he had won which in the end was all that mattered.

Life just kept getting better… despite comments about condoms.

Wufei smiled down at his books, feeling Duo's protective presence behind him.

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Duo stood leaning sideways against the locker next to his, waiting as he was arranging his books. In the corner of his eye he could see Aaron hovering, clearly too afraid to walk up to Duo and ask him to move out of the way. Duo did look intimidating in his black washed up jeans, open leather jacket that framed some kind of band t-shirt with corpses on it. He stood leaning on his hip in a provokingly feminine stand that just screamed 'I dare you to say something!' while speaking loudly with far more curses then were strictly necessary.

Wufei took a bit longer than he needed to get ready just to mess with Aaron. He could be petty if he wanted to.

They went outside and walked towards one of the picnic benches at the edge of the school yard.

It was warm outside and Duo shrugged off his leather jacket before dropping his math book down on the table with the attitude of someone who was too cool to be seen with something as boring as school work. Wufei smiled and took a seat with his own book, watching in the corner of his eye as Duo tried to talk and light his cigarette at the same time. He was somewhat successful.

Wufei was sure getting a lot of passive smoking now days but he really didn't care as he gave the t-shirt covered chest next to him a look of appreciation. Duo was groaning as he stretched his arms up over his head, exposing a bit of skin as his t-shirt was lifted. Wufei tried to be discreet as he peeked because if it was something he was not prepared to do, it was to risk losing his knight in shiny leather jacket.

Duo didn't notice, he was far too busy complaining over the unfair treatment from the teachers.

Wufei personally thought that some of their teachers should be sainted for having to deal with a bored Duo. Not that he would ever tell his friend that.

After a while they managed to settle down and focus their attention on the books.

"So how did you do this again?" Duo asked, tapping his pencil against the table.

Wufei looked over to see what he was talking about before he once again started to explain. There were just two more days until Duo's first math test and they had to go through all the things that they had worked on before to make sure that Duo would remember it. So far it was going pretty good and Duo could handle most of it.

A group of people passed their table at a distance and Wufei could tell that they were watching them.

Their friendship seemed to confuse people. Several teachers had pulled him aside, asking him if Duo was threatening him into helping him or if he was doing Duo's homework for him. Since the earlier so uninterested boy was now turning in papers with top grades there had to be something wrong.

He had held back his anger as he had told them no. Duo was not stupid, he just thought he was. Too many years of being the new kid who was always behind in everything had shaped him into believing that he couldn't figure things out, couldn't remember or that he was just too plain stupid to understand what the teachers were talking about.

Wufei might read through his work, suggesting changes and pointing out spelling mistakes, but other than that, Duo did it all on his own.

"The bitch is going to fry my ass over this." Duo groaned as Wufei finished his explanation.

"She will not." Wufei smiled fondly over his friends dramatics. The math teacher did in fact have a soft spot for Duo and was giving him a lot of lee way to catch up.

"She's like something out of the 'The Dead's Shindig.'" Duo grumbled as he pulled his book closer.

"I'm sure you'll be fine even if she is a demon from the underworld." Wufei teased, gently patting Duo's hand.

Wufei didn't know if he had lingered too long against Duo's skin or if he had somehow been too intimate. But whatever it was he had done, it made Duo jump and pull his hand away.

Wufei felt like his heart had stopped.

Had he been too obvious? Had Duo figured it out? By the uncomfortable look on Duo's face, he must have. His friend was even shifting further down the bench, not a lot, but it was enough to send a statement. Wufei felt like crying. No, no, no, God no. He had fucked up and given himself away, something he had promised himself that he wouldn't do.

The sorrow made it hard to breathe and Wufei didn't know what to do. What should he do? Apologize? Tell him it wasn't a big deal?

"So did I get this right?" Duo said suddenly, eyes hidden behind his ruffled bangs.

Wufei forced air into his lungs. Duo wasn't looking at him but at least he was talking to him. This was going to have to be enough. In silent communication, Duo was telling him to back off and that he was not interested in being closer to him then he was now.

He swallowed awkwardly, looking down at the note book. "Yeah, looks like it."

Duo nodded and pulled his note book back, leaning down over it in seemingly great concentration. He had stopped tapping his pencil and shifting his feet, he was just sitting there. The lack of movement was making Wufei nervous.

Silently they sat next to each other. Duo didn't seem to be able to finish the equation he was working on and Wufei was too busy cursing himself out to either help him or focus on his own work. Telling himself that he was being an idiot and that he could cry over his own stupidity later, Wufei picked up his pencil, only to lose his grip on it, making it fall down on the bench before rolling away from him. He reached out, trying to catch it, in the corner of his eye he saw Duo do the same. The feel of skin was like a shock as their hands touched again. But this time Duo didn't pull away. And neither did Wufei.

Wufei glanced up and their eyes met. The silence that followed was long and tense. His heart was beating too fast and his breathing was speeding up. He didn't know what to do and then... then Duo's finger slowly hooked around his, making the pencil roll off the bench.

Wufei glanced down at their joined fingers and back up at Duo who was looking down at his open math book with a light blush on his cheeks.

If sorrow made it hard to breathe, the raw, overwhelming happiness was even worse.

Wufei didn't know what to do. He figured that throwing himself over Duo and ripping his pants off might be a bit much... for now. Instead he held on to Duo's fingers, his heart beating uncontrollably.

They didn't manage to solve many mathematical problems that day, both too focused on two hands holding on to each other.

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A/N

About time, right? ;)

Kaliko the Cat - Glad to hear that you are enjoying yourself :) and ta-da! They are now together. Happy? philomina - I'm happy you liked it :) I hope I lived up to your expectations, this one is for you after all ;) Sandra - Thank you, I'll try my best to update this again as soon as possible. Apri-Chan - I hope you survived the wait... and that it was worth the wait XD W. - I do believe that you nailed the characters with your description. Wufei is bolder then one might think and Duo is not oblivious :) There will be more of that. killing u with umbrellas - great :D Sure will... uhm, well I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. Jazzy - The whole day? I've written that much? Huh, maybe I have lol. But seriously, I'm really glad that you like my stories anf600 - Yay! Sweet was just what I was going for, perfect :) There will be a lot more sweetness coming along soon enough.hugglesbunny - I'm really glad to hear that. I'm trying to make them as real as I can. Unfortunately I'm getting my inspiration from people I've meet. There will be a new story posted today or tomorrow. A halloween one! It's going to be so much fun, even if it's really hard to be scary. We'll see how it goes. Annoying Little Twit - Thank you :) And I do believe you're right, Duo sure wasn't talking about the temperature :D Cinnamon Selkie - Hm, well I have no plans on writing Duo's POV but nag me every now and then and I just might get my ass moving and make one for you. As you said, Duo is a sweetheart under the tough image and it would be kind of fun to explore that... hmmm. P. Cythera - He is, isn't he? Don't you just want to cuddle him? ... or maybe one shouldn't considering the chance of pissing him off. Turtle Kid the Woolgatherer - *grin* Glad you liked it and I'm pleased that Duo's not so subtle remark made your day. Kaeru Shisho - Duo did all the work in the last chapter so it was really time for Wufei to make a move :) How did you think he handled it? snowdragonct - Wufei would most definitely want to see Duo "au naturale" XD or anyway he can actually. That part will come soon enough, they are teenage boys after all :D kidishcaresh - Hehe, In my mind, Duo spend most of his time at the carnival fretting and trying to think of things to do that would make Wufei happy XD