Author: hostilecrayon

Pairings: (Eventually) 2x1, 1x2, 3x4, 4x3, R+1, H+2, 5xS (maybe), 6x9, 13x11 (Une is 11, right?) Err... more pairings than you can shake a stick at.

Rating: Chapter 1 - PG Overall - NC-17

Warnings: This chapter - none. Overall - Mild to medium angst (I think... plot keeps running away), unhealthy amounts of sap, Lime, Lemon.

Spoilers: Er, Various cross-referances to the show, though the fic is AU

Disclaimer: I don't own GW.

Author's Note: Written for the Yaoi Challenge LJ community - a fic that was only supposed to be at least 500 words has turned into a beast! It's eating me! This is my first attempt at AU. I suspect that's why the plot exploded. My bunny wants me to explore everything in this magical realm of making things up as I go along while still trying to stick to my lovely pilot's personalities. It's halfway between original and canon fanfiction. Being I write both, this middle ground so fascinating! And I'm rambling! Isn't rambling fun, kids? Horray for strings of text that no one cares about!

Written for the following challenge at the Yaoi Challenge LJ Community: Heero/Duo: Heero is an introverted high-school student. Duo is an outgoing ex-water-spirit who has his immortality (but not powers) taken away from him because... He did something he wasn't supposed to. He ends up in Heero's class, for whatever reason takes a liking to him, tries to befriend him, and eventually they end up together. [Request by theotherdigit]

To Rupture a Sea Urchin Part 1
Of English Papers and Psych Projects

For me, the cold is sort of a double edged sword. With it brings memories of home; the cool breeze nostalgic in its gentle reminder of the ocean's surface. It taunts me with its false comforts, letting me know exactly what can never be mine again; something I'm destined to stand at the edge of for the rest of my short, mortal life.

But if I were given the chance to do it over, I wouldn't change a thing. It may have been a bit of a sacrifice for me to give up my immortality, but I'm okay with that.

I swung my legs back over the windowsill that I was perched on and dropped to the floor. I was finally settled into my dorm, and it was almost time to go to my first class as a normal teenaged boy. Nevermind that I was older than Christianity.

I glanced over to the other side of the room, where my roommate, which I had yet to meet due to a bit of tardiness on my behalf, had his stuff set up meticulously neat and tidy. A white and silver laptop sat closed on his small desk, lined up so perfectly with the edges of the desk that I almost could have sworn he'd spent five minutes aligning it. His bed was made military style, and anything else he owned must have been put away in his drawers, because his floor was emaculate. I was really hoping I'd get along with whoever I was set to room with. Otherwise, the next year of my life would be total hell. And judging by his perfect side of the room, I didn't think he'd appreciate my living habits. I'd barely moved in and already my floor was covered in junk. I just hoped he wouldn't question my need for a salt water fish tank.

~*~

I bounced into my first class thirty-five minutes late. The teacher, a Mr. Merquise judging by the loopy scrawl on the white board, and most of the students glared daggers at me as I took a seat in the back next to a aquamarine-eyed, sunny-haired boy, one of the few in the class who was not giving me the evil eye.

He extended his hand to me in greeting, his disposition matching his sunny hair. "Hi. I'm Quatre Winner."

I shook his hand firmly and smiled for him. "Duo. Duo Maxwell." I gestured to the room around me. "Are they always such stiffs?"

He chuckled quietly, a light, airy sound that was quite pleasant on the ears. "It's just everyone's first day here. I'm sure they'll lighten up in time."

I sighed heavily, turning my attention to my Literature teacher. He had long, platinum blond hair that fell below his waist, and he stood at an impressive height of somewhere over six feet. An intellectual air rolled off of him as he was talking, and as he began to assign our first project... I promptly smacked myself in the forehead.

"Forget your book?" The little blond next to me queried.

"Well, yeah. I went through the registration process a little late, so I really don't have much of anything quite yet. That's why I was late. I barely had time to put my stuff in my dorm. There's no way I would have had time to purchase books, too." I grinned sheepishly. I was fully aware that it was completely my fault for being late, but saying goodbye to the ocean wasn't exactly an easy task.

"Here, you can share mine." He held out his book and I quietly scooted my desk closer to his.

"So what exactly does he want us to do?" I said as I skimmed the open page.

"He's been dropping hints about it all morning. Apparently, it's going to be a long-standing assignment. We have the entire semester to finish it. This here-" He pointed to some bullets on the page, "-is considered the proper format for the paper."

I was about to say something when Mr. Merquise's voice cut through my thoughts. "Do you have them memorized?" The class murmured an agreement. Everyone, including me, jumped as he slammed his book closed. "Good. Now forget it." Waves of confusion swept the classroom, but I just watched him for a moment. "Good writing does not live by rules, but by passion. Remember that when approaching this paper. It's not just a paper, it's a part of you. You have all semester to find your flame, that spark that will ignite the feelings within you necessary to get an A in my class. This is not an essay, and if any one of you hands me something in essay format, I will flunk you." Gasps could be heard, but I was smiling. Mr. Merquise would certainly be an interesting teacher. "Class dismissed."

I walked out with Quatre, smiling all the way. I had no idea what I was going to write about, but whatever it was, it would prove to be a fun challenge. I could only hope that all of his assignments were against the grain.

"So, what class ya have next?" I asked, curious if I would see more of my new-found friend throughout the day.

"P.E. I think."

"Hey, me too! That's great."

He just shrugged. "We'll probably be in all of our morning classes together. The 10th grade population is cut into thirds, and each third is given either schedule A, B or C. It's only the afternoon electives that differ."

"Oh, well that's pretty cool." At least I'd have someone to keep me entertained in the mornings.

We entered the locker room, where the standard blue and black Patterson Private Academy P.E. uniforms were being handed out. I grabbed mine and snagged a locker near Quatre, who was ushering a tall, cinnamon haired boy in my general direction. His long, somewhat awkward bang covered one of the deep green eyes that were surveying me in such a way that I almost felt like he could figure out everything there was to know about me with just his gaze.

"This is my roommate, Trowa Barton. Trowa, this is Duo Maxwell." Quatre was smiling broadly. I shook uni-bang's hand, but he remained silent, that all knowing gaze of his sweeping over the rest of the locker room. I vaguely remembered seeing him sitting at the front of Mr. Merquise's Lit class earlier. If I could get him to warm up to me a bit, I'd have already made two friends in the whole fifteen minutes of class I had actually attended. I wasn't doing too badly, if I do say so myself.

Quatre was trying to engage Trowa in some conversation on big business when a boy slipped quietly next to me and began a very precise act of stripping, changing, folding, and locking his stuff away in the locker next to me. He said nothing, and though I knew it had to be his first day, he moved as if he had been using that very locker every day since the beginning of existence. He ran his fingers frustratingly through his messy, dark brown hair, glaring at his reflection with the most intense blue eyes I've ever seen. Without even a word or a glance in our direction, he turned on his heel and was gone.

"Hey, what's with that guy? He practically pretended we didn't exist!" I huffed at Quatre.

"Oh, that's Heero Yuy. I remember his name being called at roll this morning. He sat like a stone all through Lit, too. He outright ignored the girl sitting next to him, even though she was desperately trying to get his attention." Quatre shrugged. "I think he doesn't know how to deal with people so he just tunes them out. Some people are just quiet, that's all."

"Quiet? The guy practically glared himself out of existence because his hair wasn't to his liking! I think I'll just label him 'lethal' and leave it at that." I stared in the general direction he had stalked off in.

"Sometimes, when people are lonely, they close themselves off so they don't get hurt." It was the first thing Trowa had said to me, but I must admit, it made a whole hell of a lot of sense. I was the same way. The only difference was that I talked so much, you'd never notice.

~*~

P.E. went off without a hitch. There was a brief overview of what was expected of us as students from Ms. Noin, a short woman with blue-black hair, and a twenty minute run, where I noticed the mysterious Heero managed to lap half the class at least three times. Quatre, Trowa and myself were all in much better shape than most of the students, though, so he only managed to lap us once, along with some Chinese guy with dark brown eyes and jet black hair that was pulled so tightly back that I wondered if it hurt. Quatre asked me if it was difficult to run with such a long braid dangling behind me - after all, it does reach my knees - but I just shrugged it off and told him that I barely noticed it was there anymore. I love my chestnut colored hair, so unique, and it holds very important memories for me. I doubt I'll ever cut it off.

After P.E. we all took turns rinsing off quickly in the shower stalls, which thankfully had curtains for modesty's sake, and the Heero kid once again went through precise movements; in and out of the shower in two minutes exactly, dressed in two minutes more, and out the door before I had even made it back to my locker.

Next up on the schedule of classes was Political Science, where I learned the Chinese guy's name was Chang Wufei. The teacher, a Mr. Khushrenada, was constantly getting interrupted by outbursts by the kid. Apparently, he didn't see eye to eye with the teacher's political views. Well, good for him for voicing his opinion, I say, even if it did earn him extra homework. It did make him seem a little pompous, though.

Quatre, Trowa and I sat more towards the middle this time, while both Heero and Chang sat in the front. Trowa took quick notes while I distracted Quatre from his work. I figured he could get the notes from Trowa later anyway, though the blond did his best to try to pay attention, and Mr. Khushrenada told me more than once to keep my mouth shut. He was a little creepy, a tall man with sandy brown hair and strange, forked eyebrows. He had an air of authority around him, but he still took the time to listen to the questions and inquiries of the students. He seemed like he'd be a pretty good teacher... if I could just keep quiet in his class.

The last class before lunch was Psychology taught by Ms. Po, a teacher who barely looked old enough to be in such a position, and a subject I found to be extremely pointless for someone who's lived more centuries than I cared to count. Psych was easy enough when you'd observed as many people as I had. It kind of made me think about that Heero kid and what made him tick; what exactly he was hiding from.

So when Ms. Po announced our Semester long research project, I was quick to choose personality quirks. It would give me something to do. School wasn't exactly my idea of a good time, but part of being stripped of my immortality was entering normal society, and since my stature and facial features are that of a fifteen year old, that's what I ended up being. It probably wouldn't have been so if I were a pure spirit, but the very reason I even blended in so well with humans was because I myself was half. My only distinguishing mark was a slightly violet hue to my eyes, and it was so minimal that humans just passed it off as an odd shade of blue.

Needless to say, the whole concept of High School was already boring me to death. I could probably ace the classes in my sleep, nevermind that I could probably teach them better than the Professors themselves. This Heero character would provide me with a good source of entertainment.

Ms. Po talked extensively about the human brain and what it was capable of, and though I wasn't all that interested in her words, her voice was low and soothing, so it wasn't particularly unpleasant. She told us a little bit about herself, and it turned out she was a field medic in the recent war, which explained her youth, and probably a few of the other teachers as well.

Lunch finally came, and I grabbed a huge tray of indistinguishable cafeteria food and took a seat with Quatre and Trowa. I was incredibly hungry, a sensation I wasn't used to. There was never the need to eat when I still had my immortality, and though I could eat if I wanted to, I only did it for the taste of the food. I found the new feeling of hunger to be unpleasant, and I decided then and there that I'd eat as much as I could as often as I could to avoid it. I scarfed down my food as I talked animatedly with Quatre. Trowa just surveyed the room, and I found out Quatre was the Quatre Winner, heir to Winner Enterprises.

"My father wants me to take over the business for him. I'm not really sure if I want that, though." He shrugged. "It doesn't really matter though. I don't expect my father to be retiring anytime soon. He's really loves his job. I've always had an interest in Law, so even if I do take over the company, I figure a degree in Law would be a worthwhile asset."

"Law, eh? I can see that. You seem to have a pretty level head on your shoulders."

I spotted the object of my Psych project sitting in a corner, practically growling at all the people who attempted to sit with him. One girl I remembered from roll call as Relena managed to brave the table for a full five minutes before she finally retreated like the rest of them.

"Look at that guy. He's created a solitary space with a one hundred foot radius just with his bad attitude! That's pretty impressive." Quatre hummed an affirmative while Trowa watched a table of particularly loud girls. "See something you like?" I poked Trowa and gave him a malicious grin.

"Just my sister." He said blandly.

"Your sister?"

"With the black hair." I followed his gaze to a smaller girl with piercing green eyes that stood our even across the room. She had short, curly black hair, and out of the girls talking exaggeratedly around her, she seemed to be the quietest.

"Yeah, that's definitely your sister. Those eyes give it away." I smirked at him. I surveyed the table and recognized several of the girls who had been growled away by my Psych project, including the Relena girl, who seemed to be whispering in Trowa's sister's ear. "What's her name?"

"Catherine Bloom."

"But I thought your last name was Barton?"

"Separate fathers." By the scowl accompanying his statement, I figured there was more to the story, but I didn't push it.

"Who's that girl next to her? She lasted the longest under Yuy's Glare of Death."

"The blonde one?"

"Yeah, the one wearing more pink than I've ever seen in my life."

"That's Relena Peacecraft." Quatre piped up.

"Peacecraft? The Relena Peacecraft? I thought the name Relena sounded familiar! She practically owns the whole Sanc Kingdom! What is she doing here?" I exclaimed.

"They don't call this school the best for no reason." Quatre chuckled. "She can't rule right now anyway. She may be a princess, but she's not of age. Her adopted parents are taking care of her affairs until she graduates and turns eighteen."

"How do you know?"

"My father has several investments in the Sanc. It's good business to know as much as you can about potential investments before taking any chances."

"Well, that makes sense." The bell signaling the end of lunch rang then, and we started gathering up our stuff. "So what class do you guys have next?"

"I have Advanced Orchestra with Instructor H next."

"You play an instrument, Quat? You don't mind if I call you Quat, do you?"

He laughed lightly. "No, I don't mind. And yes, I play the violin."

"Oh, I was hoping you'd say something like guitar or bass or something."

"I'd hardly be in an Orchestra if I played those instruments." He smiled at me. It was almost patronizing, but it was still an attractive look for him.

"What about you, Tro? You in Orchestra too?"

"I guess you can call me Tro. And yes, actually. Flute." He said before I got the chance to ask what he played.

"Alright, I'm taking off. Catch you guys at dinner!" Quatre waved and Trowa just looked at me dispassionately as I slipped through the crowd towards my next class.

~*~

I still had three more classes to go; two I didn't care for and one I was greatly looking forward to. Math and Biology weren't on the top of my list of favorites, but Auto Shop definitely was. Much to my dismay, neither Quatre nor Trowa were in any of my afternoon classes.

Math was taught by some creepy old guy who went by the name of Dr. J, and I noticed that both the Chinese guy and the Heero kid were in my class. I didn't sit next to either of them, but I did do a little observing. Heero seemed wrapped up in every formula Dr. J wrote on the board, and the Chinese guy didn't do too badly with his attention, either. Mine was atrocious, though. I may have been really old, but that didn't mean I liked math any more than any other kid. It would probably be my worst subject, and by the time the class was over, I hadn't taken any notes at all, whereas I noticed both Heero and Chang Wufei had a full page of notes front and back. We were assigned much more homework than should be legal, and I practically flew out the door when he dismissed the class.

Biology wasn't nearly as bad, which was a relief. Most of the stuff the teacher, a Professor G who insisted the class just call him G, was talking about was stuff I already knew. I just had to memorize a few terms I didn't know and I'd be pretty well off. His outline of the course was quick and concise, and I couldn't help but look forward to the Marine Biology chapter. I was pretty sure I knew a thing or two they didn't. But hey, how could I not? As an ex-water spirit, I just happen to be an authority on the matter. Of course, I couldn't exactly announce that to the class, but it would make for an easy A in that section, in any case. Heero was also in that class, and if it were at all possible, he paid even more attention than he did in Math.

After Biology let out, I was finally able to go to my much awaited Auto Shop. I didn't really recognize too many of the people in the class, but I didn't care. As soon as the teacher introduced himself, a funny older man in a Hawaiian shirt and sandals who went simply by 'Howard', I was elbow deep in grease and loving every second if it. Howard was teaching some of the greener kids the technicalities while a couple of us who already knew what we were doing worked on the series of cars lining the garage with their hoods popped.

How does an ex-water spirit know anything about mechanics, you ask? Well, my appearance is so human that I had no problem blending in. I've lived many 'lives', most of which only lasting a few years before I completely returned to the water. Don't get me wrong - I was never far from the water - but I did manage to work on quite a few ships, cars, airplanes... you name it, I've worked on it. I find the work to be relaxing, and even water spirits should be allowed some vacation, you know what I mean?

"Need any help?" A girl with short, dark hair asked me while peering around my shoulder to look under the hood with me.

"Yeah, actually. You think you could grab me something to check this battery with? Either it's dead or the alternator needs replacing."

"No problem. My name is Hilde, by the way, Hilde Schbeiker."

"Duo Maxwell at your service." I grinned at her while loosening the bolts on the radiator. It had a pretty bad leak.

"Man, this school is so much bigger than I thought it would be." Hilde said. She used her forearm to brush her choppy bangs from her face because her hands were as black as mine, but she still managed to smear a small streak of grease across her face. It gave her a homely appearance that was somewhat appealing.

"Yeah, I guess it is pretty big." But no so big compared to the ocean.

"You guess? Man, I've never walked so much in my life! Every division has its own building, for crying out loud! I'm not exactly out of shape or anything, but just the fact that they give ten minutes just to get to your next class should tell you how big this place really is." She ranted at me. I just grinned. I hadn't really noticed how much time it took to get from class to class, but now that I thought about it, it was at least a good six minute walk between each.

I shrugged. "It doesn't bother me. The campus is beautiful."

"You think so, too?"

"Hell yeah! I mean, come on, it's got it's own pond and everything!"

"Yeah. It's no wonder this place is so expensive. I can barely believe my parents are willing to pay the outrageous amount to get me in here. It's because of that damn price that my parents won't take anything less than a 3.5 from me." She scowled.

I chuckled. "I don't have that problem. I don't have parents."

Her face fell. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I've been an orphan for as long as I can remember. It's not that big of a deal." I shrugged it off, easing her tense expression some.

"How did you get the money to come here then?"

"I have an inheritance of sorts. I'm an emancipated minor, so I basically do whatever I want. I'm here because they have both a great Auto Shop program and an amazing Lit program. My first plan is Engineer, though I really hate the Math aspect of it, and Architecture. I'd love to be a writer, but hey, who doesn't nowadays?"

She outright laughed at that. "That's so true. I used to want to write, but I think Mechanics is my calling. My parents want me to be something important like a doctor or a lawyer, but hey, everyone needs someone to fix their stuff, ya know? My parents are mad enough that I'm taking Auto Shop. If they knew I'm not planning to go to Med school or Law school like they want, well, let me just say, it wouldn't be pretty." She paused as she dug her hand deeper into the tangle of half broken car parts under the hood. "Do me a favor and hand me a pair of needle nose."

"Sure thing."

I spent the rest of the period working on that old Chevy with Hilde. We hit it off pretty well, and I found out she had schedule C, whereas I had schedule A, which explained why I hadn't run into her sooner. She was no slouch with mechanics, so we got pretty far on what we eventually dubbed 'our heap project'.

The period ended well before I was ready for it to, and with a promise to meet up with Hilde at dinner that evening, I headed back to the dorms with nothing but a hot shower on my mind.

~*~

I was practically floored when I entered the dorm. Who was my roommate? Why, none other than my very Psych project. Heero Yuy was sitting ramrod straight at his little desk, typing away at his still perfectly aligned laptop. He didn't appear to even notice I'd entered the room.

"Hey! So you're my roomie! I'd shake your hand, but I'm kinda in the need of a shower right now. I'm Duo, Duo Maxwell. I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie." I grinned. It was my trademark phrase, one that never failed to make the water spirit Elders shake their heads at me. But hey, it wasn't a bad motto to have, and I stuck to it.

Something that sounded like "Hn" was the only response I got. I chuckled mentally. He'd be a hard one to crack.

"No name, eh? Well, that's cool, because I already know it. Heero Yuy, right? You're in all of my classes but one. Maybe we could help each other out sometime."

"I don't need your help." His voice was deep and gruff with a slightly nasal sound to it. The statement was rude and dismissive, but it only made my grin turn into a smile. I nodded once to his turned back, silently accepting the challenge he was so blatantly tossing me, then turned and headed for the bathroom to take that hot shower I craved.

"Whatever you say, buddy." I tossed a peace sign that he most likely didn't see over my shoulder and closed the bathroom door behind me. I only had a couple of hours until dinner, and I wanted to knock out some of my homework before then. I'd ponder my mysterious roommate later. After all, I had all semester to crack that shell of his. And when I give myself a task, I make sure I accomplish it.

TBC...

 

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