Notes: You're probably wondering why it took me so long to write the second chapter. Well, I had half of it written, and my computer crashed. I was so mad that I couldn't bring myself to write it again for quite some time. But now I'm back, and my love for this story is as strong as ever, so... here it goes. This is dedicated to aju_scenes for the wonderful writing they've continuously delivered.
Xenophobic Part 2
Duo stared at the innocently blinking cursor with distain. He just couldn't seem to get this part right. He'd been working on his Thesis since freshman year, and now that he had to incorporate it into his senior project, he couldn't stop picking at it. No matter how he tried, he just couldn't shake that incessant voice in the back of his head that said he was missing something big. He scowled at the cursor as if it was all its fault.
He sighed, leaning back in his plush computer chair.
"Senior blues?" He didn't bother to turn around to see the smirk on Hilde's face, but he knew it was there anyway and he matched it with one of his own.
"You wish, Hil. If you remember correctly, I work on things early so I don't get stuck with the last minute chaos, like some people I know. Incidentally, how's your term paper coming?" He turned around in his chair, grinning maliciously. He knew as well as she did that she hadn't touched it yet.
She had the good graces to pink slightly, but she waved off his comment good-naturedly. "Oh, you know, it's coming along. Not everyone has homework OCD." She winked and Duo laughed.
"You're just jealous that I'm the favorite of the department director. If you worked a little harder, you might know what that feels like."
"Ouch, Duo. But you know, since I'm not in high school, I don't worry too much about being the teacher's pet."
"Touché. Did you just come here to tease me, or does this visit have a purpose?"
Hilde rolled her eyes. "It's time for the Freshman Orientation, or did you forget? Too wrapped up in your homework obsession to remember the little things?"
"Shit, already?"
"I thought so." She crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame. "Feeling chivalrous?"
Duo cocked his head to the side. "What did you have in mind? If you want help with your Freshman assignment, forget it."
Hilde made a face of mock indignation. "Why, I'd never ask someone as busy as you to help a poor girl out. I was just wondering if you'd escort a lady to the event."
"Well, I'd love to, Hil, but..." Duo made a show of looking around, "Where is she?"
Hilde took a few steps towards him and smacked him lightly on the arm. "You coming, or what?"
He chuckled. "Yeah yeah, just let me save this and we can go."
"It's good for you, you know. I wouldn't want you to become a shriveled up old hermit."
He shook his head, but mirth played at his lips. He hit the save button and grabbed his jacket. He'd just have to have another go at the elusive something later.
~*~
Sylvia wasn't joking when she said there would be plenty of signs pointing him in the right direction. Even without the huge "East Ballroom: This Way" signs everywhere, he could have just followed the students heading there en masse.
It took a while to get everyone shuffled around to their proper places, and Heero was unfortunately seated in a folding chair in the center of the room much too close to a disinterested boy playing games on his cell phone and an obviously rich young girl filing her already perfectly rounded fingernails. He sat quietly, disgruntled by the whole affair of orientation. He was smart enough to figure things out for himself, and if it wasn't required, he wouldn't have come at all. He could think of at least ten things that would be more interesting than this. High on that list was sleeping.
During the lull between organizing the seating and the start of the ceremony, he took the time to observe his surroundings. The Freshmen, including himself, were seated front and center. The other three classes were sitting on both sides of the room, conveniently seated to get a good look at their new classmates; but most of them were just chatting with the occasional few sizing up the newcomers. There were a few people who stood out, like the girl with the hot pink stripes in her hair and the - was that a guy? - with a braid that went past his waist, but most of them just blended in to the crowd. Though he didn't see anyone he could recognize, it didn't ease his mind much. He couldn't see the faces of over half the crowd, after all. From what he could see, he probably wouldn't fit in here, but it was well enough. He didn't need the distraction, anyway.
After what felt like an eternity, the Headmistress stepped up on the makeshift stage and motioned for quiet. "On behalf of the faculty and the current students of the Earth Sphere Unified Nations University, I welcome you to one of the finest schools in the Earth Sphere. Here at ESUNU, you will have opportunities coveted by many. Here, we do not care about where you have come from. Whether you were valedictorian or class clown, wealthy or stricken with poverty, a pacifist or a warmonger, that is not who you are here." Une's eyes grazed the crowd, and Heero could have sworn her eyes lingered on him for the briefest of moments. "USUNU symbolizes change; a change from what you used to be, and what you are now into what you will become. I implore you to use your time here to free yourself from the chains of the past and to move forward towards your future. At ESUNU, we want to help you become the person you want to be."
It was difficult for Heero to hear these words from the woman he knew as Colonel Une, and harder still to apply these same concepts to someone who, for five years, he considered a top priority to kill, but the thought held some merit, and tuning out the introductions and pleasantries being made on the stage to try.
If he was going to let go of the past, he knew it was something he would have to do.
~*~
Duo stretched languidly in his uncomfortable plastic chair and made a show of yawning. "Man, it's the same thing every year. Isn't it bad enough I had to endure this the first time? Do they have to make me sit through it eight freaking times?"
Trowa smiled indulgently. "It's a couple of hours every six months. You'll live, I'm sure. But just in case, first aid isn't far from here."
"Thank you, Trowa. Your concern is deeply touching," Duo proclaimed in mock seriousness.
"Stop goofing around, Maxwell. Some of us are trying to intimidate the kids." Zechs' eyes scrutinized what he could see of the crowd in front of him. "I hope I get someone with a little culture this semester. The Fall orientation was insufferable."
"Why, Milliardo, I didn't know you had kids. Why didn't you tell us?"
Noin shook her head, while Zechs ignored him entirely. "Give it a rest, Duo."
Quatre and Trowa exchanged a look that clearly said 'he'll never change'. Wufei tried to display his annoyance, but his mirth was hard to contain and came out as a tiny twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"That's odd. I don't see Professor Kushrenada." Relena scanned the faculty and confirmed her assessment that the well known Political Science Professor was indeed missing.
"Good. I hope he got fired." Duo grumbled, slumping a little in his chair.
"Oh, hush, Duo. He was here this morning. How odd for him to miss Orientation."
"Maybe he got hit by a truck."
Too diplomatic to hit Duo for his crass comments, she looked to Hilde to do it for her. "Give it a rest, won't you?"
The announcement came for the upperclassmen to gather for the Freshmen assignments, and Duo took this opportunity to change the subject. "Okay, all you suckers stuck with babysitting duty, here's your call." He grinned at Quatre. "You wanna get a bite to eat? We should celebrate our lack of children to tote around."
Quatre grinned apologetically. "Sorry, Duo. I'd love to, but I promised my Dad I'd observe the interviews that are going on tonight. It's a very important part of running the business."
"Work again? You're always so busy," Duo complained for the hundredth time.
Quatre ducked his head in embarrassment. "Sorry," he said again.
"Don't worry about it," Trowa said softly, "Duo will just have to celebrate alone. I think it's honorable that you do so much to help your father."
Quatre pinked slightly. "Thanks," he squeaked. "See you guys tomorrow?"
A wave of affirmations later and he was gone.
"Well, have fun, guys. I'm going to go do something worth my time." Duo winked. "Bring yours around tomorrow, Trowa. I'm curious to see if they're as skittish as last year."
"Sure."
"Cool. I'm outta here." Duo slinked through the crowd to the exit while the rest of them made their way to the front, most of them wishing they could be anywhere but where they were at that exact moment.
~*~
Heero had similar thoughts as the reluctant upperclassmen waiting for their name to be called and the assignments to be given out. It was much too chaotic for him to get much of a look at the waiting Juniors and Seniors to make any kind of accurate assessment of them, and it irritated him. Names were being called, and people were scrambling to be matched up.
After what felt like an eternity, he was called, and he approached the stage with little veiled annoyance. He was asked to confirm his name was Heero Yuy, and a schedule was thrust into his hands before being pointed towards another member of the faculty. He was asked for yet another confirmation of his name before he was introduced to someone named Trowa Barton.
Trowa didn't appear to be much older than Heero, if at all. He was tall and thin, and unlike most of the other students, he wasn't dressed in the latest fashions and accessories. Some would even say he was rather plain aside from the long auburn bang hanging almost completely over one of his sharp green eyes. His pale green turtleneck, faded blue jeans and black and white converse created a casual air about him, and Heero felt a little relieved.
It was ridiculously loud in the room now, and Trowa nodded his head to the side and said simply, "Would you like to go somewhere a little quieter?"
Heero nodded gratefully and followed the taller man outside and into an area that was much less populated. "Thanks."
"No problem. I'm not one for large crowds." Something about Trowa's voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Heero couldn't place it. "So you're Heero Yuy? I'm Trowa Barton." Trowa's eyes were calculating, but they gave away nothing malicious, so Heero took it as part of his personality.
"Pleasure to meet you. You sound familiar. Have we met before?"
"I don't believe we've ever been in each other's presence before, no." Heero would think about what that meant later.
"Strange. So, how does this work, exactly?"
Trowa's eyes softened a little then. "This is the part where you ask questions, I believe."
Heero smiled. "I'm not one for questions. I like to figure things out for myself."
"Well, that makes my job easy. What's your major?"
"English. Yours?"
"Music."
"What instrument?"
"Flute."
"Interesting."
"I'm supposed to show you around tomorrow. Is eleven o'clock good for you?"
"Whatever is more convenient for you."
"Eleven it is, then. It was a pleasure meeting you, Heero."
"You as well, Trowa."
They shook hands and parted without any sort of awkwardness. The entire exchange was pleasant, but very straightforward and to the point. If there were any other people like Trowa at this school, he thought he might just fit in here after all.
Maybe a little distraction wouldn't be too bad. It would certainly be a change.
~*~
Duo poked and prodded at his senior project to no avail. He had nearly six months to finish it, but that didn't stop it from bothering him. He shut the computer down and pulled out a book instead.
His roommate donned his jacket and straightened out the collar and Duo looked up at him. "Going to pick up your kid?"
Trowa raised an eyebrow. "He's not so bad, actually. Want to come?"
"Nah. I have better things to do, like ignore my senior project." Duo raised his book as evidence.
Trowa shrugged. "Your loss."
Just as Trowa was walking out the door, Duo called out, "Bring him by though, will you Tro'?"
He waved a hand in agreement and disappeared.
Duo spent the next few hours engrossed in Beyond Good and Evil and didn't even notice Trowa until he subtly cleared his throat. He looked up and couldn't help the look of appreciation on his face when he spotted his roommate's companion.
Around Duo's height, Asian decent with deep blue eyes that spoke of some kind of Caucasian mixture, he was a fine sight indeed. His hair was thick, dark and messy, and his clothing was simple, yet tasteful.
Duo raised a hand in greeting. "You must drink a lot of milk."
When Heero just looked confused, Trowa chuckled. "Don't mind Duo. He has his own special breed of humor."
Heero raised a single eyebrow. "Milk?"
"It's a commercial. 'Milk does a body good'," Trowa offered in way of explanation.
"Ah, that explains it. I don't watch much T.V. My apartment on L1 didn't even have cable."
Duo tilted his head to the side. "Colony brat?"
"Most of my life, yes."
"I'm L2 and Tro's L3. Now we just need Quat and 'Fei and we'll have the full set." He grinned.
"There are a lot of people from the colonies here," Trowa commented. "Actually, there are people from just about every corner of the Earth Sphere."
"So, do you have a name, or should I just call you L1?"
Heero shook his head with a rueful smile. "I'd prefer you didn't. I'm Heero. Heero Yuy."
Duo stuck out his hand. "Duo Maxwell, star senior of the Psychology Department." Trowa rolled his eyes, and Heero took the offered hand and shook it firmly. "Nice grip, 'Ro."
Heero smirked. "'Ro?"
"Duo has a thing for nicknames."
Heero put on a show of thinking about that before saying at length, "I guess I could live with that."
"Good, because you wouldn't last long in this group if you couldn't."
Heero raised an eyebrow at Duo. "You're already initiating me into your group, are you?"
"I don't see why not. We haven't had a Freshman since Quatre became a Sophomore this semester. We need some fresh meat." Duo bared his teeth a little at that, and Heero just laughed.
"Why, Mr. Maxwell, are you hitting on me?"
Duo shrugged. "Probably not. Unless you'd like me to, that is."
Trowa shot Duo a look. "Already terrorizing the Freshmen, are we?"
Duo chuckled. "Someone has to do it. It's part of the fun, after all." Duo turned to look at Heero again. "So... what classes are you taking?"
"Mostly introductory classes. English, Political Science, Economics and Psychology."
Duo dismissed all but the last class. "Which Psych class?"
"Intro."
"With Po?" Heero nodded. "At eleven?" Heero nodded again. "I'm the TA for that class. Looks like we'll be seeing each other again soon. Unless of course, you'd rather not."
Heero grinned. "I'll be there with bells on."
Duo laughed. "I'll look forward to that, then."
Trowa shook his head at his roommates' antics. "I still have to finish showing him around, you know. We should get going."
Duo looked at his book and back at the pair. "Well, I'm not really doing anything right now. Care for some company?"
Trowa looked to Heero for confirmation that it was okay. Heero just smiled. "I'd love some."
~*~
The campus was huge. It wasn't until five that they stopped for something to eat. Duo suggested a little place just a block from campus, and a five minute walk and several phone calls later, they'd comprised a party of seven; the others being too busy to make it.
Heero was introduced to Quatre, Wufei, Hilde and Relena and they sat down to eat at the little bakery.
"Try the Overstuffed Bread, Heero. It's amazing," Hilde said, making a show of not even opening her menu. Heero scanned his and read the description. It sounded alright, so he took her suggestion.
"So, Duo tells us you're a Freshman," Quatre said cheerfully. "What made you choose ESUNU?"
"A lot of things, really. The fact that it's located on Earth was a big one." There was a murmuring of agreement from everyone at the table except Relena, and Heero was surprised. "How many of you are from the colonies?"
Duo spoke up. "All of us except for the Queen here." He pointed at Relena.
She shook her head. "Duo," she said in warning.
Realization dawned on Heero. "You're Relena Darlian, aren't you? You were highly involved with the pacifist movement during the war. Your drive is admirable."
"Thank you," she replied, at a loss for what else to say.
The waitress came then, and she smiled at her regulars. "I see you have a new addition to your group."
"Yep," Duo replied. "He's our new freshman."
She laughed animatedly. "Don't be too hard on him now, Duo."
He winked saucily. "I'll do my best, Jill."
"You do that. Orders, everyone?" She took their orders with more than a few amiable comments and headed for the back with a promise to be quick.
"So Heero, any chance you're an Engineering Major?"
"Sorry Hilde. English. But then, I know my way around machines well enough that Engineering would be a bit of a pointless major for me."
"Oh really? You have a thing for machines or something?"
"You could say that," he replied evasively.
Quatre, ever the perceptive one, noticed the hesitance on Heero's part and smoothly intervened. "Okay, enough with the twenty questions, guys. Give the poor man a moment to breathe. I think Wufei is the only one who hasn't pestered him yet." Quatre chuckled, but the meaningful glance he aimed at Heero had him silently thanking the kind blonde. Trowa and Wufei just sat back and observed it all.
"So Quat, how did you manage to make it here? You almost never get away from the business."
As the topic steered away from Heero and onto more general things, he was grateful. They seemed like good people, but he wasn't sure how much of himself he wanted to reveal just yet. He enjoyed the rest of the evening, and at the end of it all, numbers were exchanged with a promise to call the next time they get together. Heero gave a positive but non-committal answer, and they parted ways.
He'd been on Earth for less than a week, and already he seemed to have made some friends. He smiled to himself as he slipped the keycard in the hotel room door. It was definitely a change for the better. He was looking forward to seeing how things developed.
~*~
The next few weeks went by fairly quickly for Heero. He generally got together with at least Duo and Trowa once a week, and it was sometimes smattered with other new faces, as well. Other than that, he spent most of his time looking for a job and an apartment, determined to find both before Christmas. He met his goal, finding an apartment just down the street from the school and getting a part time job at a local bookstore.
He dipped pretty heavily into his savings to have his things shipped to him from L1, but at least in meant he didn't have to go back there. If he never set foot on L1 again, he thought it would be too soon. His apartment was small, but it suited his needs, and even without the part time job, he had enough in his savings left over to pay for a full year in advance, so it was economically smart, as well.
He was invited to Quatre's Christmas party, but it felt too much like intruding, so he declined. He received several calls on Christmas Eve from his new friends and a few more requests for him to join them, but he was firm in his denial.
He didn't receive any calls from anyone else, nor did he expect any. He had no one to call, and he spent his Christmas arranging his apartment and preparing for his classes.
Part of him wished he'd accepted the multitude of invitations to Quatre's, but he firmly ignored it and reorganized his books before sitting down to a TV dinner and his Psychology book.
He told himself it was better this way.
TBC...
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