~_~ The more I look at this the more I realize this first section SHOULD have gone on the end of the previous chapter... Gomen nasai!!!! I'll try to pay attention with the rest of the re-writing!
Without You Part 2
When Trowa returned to the room later that evening, Quatre was sitting at his desk writing something on his laptop. The blonde didn't even look up as the other boy crossed the room and tossed his jacket over a chair. The green eyed boy sat on his bed and watched Quatre for a few moments.
"He really is harmless," He finally said.
Quatre jumped and turned in his chair to frown at him. "I'm sorry?"
"Duo," Trowa sighed and leaned back. "He was trying to be friendly. He's just... over exuberant sometimes. He really feels bad about scaring you."
"Oh." The blonde turned back to his computer.
Trowa sighed again and ran his fingers through his bangs. "He does better than I do for the most part." He said so quietly that Quatre almost didn't hear him.
The blonde turned back around and fixed his blue eyes on the boy.
"Look," Trowa stood and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I don't care much for people, but we are going to have to share this room for a few months. I guess I can't go around the entire time avoiding you."
"I'm just not used to people. I don't know if I like them or not." Quatre offered a wan smile.
I'm a wonderful example for you to be forming an opinion on." Trowa held out his hand. "Truce?"
Quatre blinked at the outstretched hand for a moment before reaching out and accepting the handshake, nodding slowly.
"You said you aren't used to people. Why is that?" Trowa asked a few minutes later after he had settled in his bed with his notebook.
Quatre glanced over his shoulder at him. "Uh... I was schooled at home. I was sick when I was young and my father decided that it was better that I didn't attend public school; or anything else for that matter." He added under his breath.
"You didn't have any friends?"
"Uh-uh." He shook his head as he closed the program; he'd been working in and shut down his laptop.
"I imagine it must have been lonely; to have gone through your life with no one outside your family... not even a crush or two."
Quatre blushed brightly. "Ah..."
Trowa actually chuckled lightly. "Sorry; didn't mean to embarrass you."
"It's alright." Quatre stood. "I've got to go check some stuff out. I'll be back later."
"See you." Trowa's attention was already absorbed in whatever he was working on in the notebook.
~*~
Quatre wandered happily across the campus. At least he'd managed to make some peace with his quiet roommate. He had been concerned that the entire semester would be full of trying to avoid the boy that he'd thought had taken an immediate dislike to him.
He stopped in front of the music hall and took a deep breath of the clean, crisp air of late summer. He'd be alright... he would prove to his father that he was strong enough to make a life for himself. With a smile he pushed open the door to the hall and walked inside.
A few hours later he returned to his room to find it full of people. Well, full as far as he was concerned. Trowa sat on his bed, back to the wall and his long legs stretched out in front of him. His friend, Duo, had turned the chair at Trowa's desk around and sat idly in it, his arms crossed across the back if it and another young man leaned against the wall beside Duo.
Quatre eyed him warily as he entered the room, this guy looked... well... mean. Leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, he watched Quatre with a slight scowl, cobalt blue eyes glittered out from under unruly dark brown hair. Duo looked at Quatre's expression and then up at the other boy, suddenly elbowing him in the leg.
"Stop that! You'd scare anyone with that look!" He exclaimed.
"Doesn't seem to work on you." The blue eyed boy growled.
"I know better." Duo turned back to the blonde. "We weren't officially introduced." He smiled. "I'm Duo Maxwell. This sour looking wall attachment is Heero Yuy. He's harmless even though he looks like that."
Heero just glared at the violet eyed youth.
"Uh... nice to meet you." Quatre said hesitantly as he sat at his desk.
"Duo and Heero are probably the most unusual couple you'll ever meet." Trowa spoke up. "It's still a subject of much debate as to why Yuy hasn't killed him yet... we can only figure that he's exceptional in..."
His words were cut off by Duo throwing a book at him. "And Tro only has a sense of humor when it's not needed!" The chestnut haired boy quipped.
"You'll get used to them." The brunette finished tossing the book back at the braided boy.
Quatre just watched the three with owlish eyes, he could have sworn earlier that his roommate never said more than three sentences during the course of a day and now, here he was bantering back and forth with these other two. "Exceptional in what?" He asked innocently.
Duo suddenly choked, turning bright red, Heero scowled even harder, Trowa actually threw his head back and laughed and poor Quatre just sat there blinking in confusion.
"You really haven't had much experience with people, have you?" Trowa finally managed in between gasps.
Heero suddenly pushed himself away from the wall. "Time to go," He said his voice low and even. "I still have to unpack."
Duo stood grinning and followed the boy to the door. "We'll see you guys later, k?"
"Yep," Trowa replied as Heero wrapped Duo's braid around his hand and pulled the boy from the room with him, leaving an amused Trowa with a very perplexed Quatre.
As Quatre watched the simple gesture between the pair something suddenly clicked into place in his mind. He turned to Trowa, his face pink. "You said couple... you mean they are..."
Trowa nodded once. "Since tenth grade, when Heero's family moved to the states."
Quatre flushed even redder as he realized what the other comment meant.
"I'm sorry." Trowa said, suddenly serious. "I forgot what little experience you've had with other people."
"I have to learn sometime." The blonde said softly. "And if they are going to be around here, I'd have to find out about them eventually, right?"
"Yeah, they aren't much for covering their relationship up," Trowa stood. "Look, we're all supposed to meet in the dining hall at six for dinner, why don't you come with us. No sense in eating alone."
"Sure. Thanks." Quatre replied in surprise.
"Don't mention it. I'll see you then." Trowa threw over his shoulder as he left the room.
Quatre watched him leave out of the corner of his eye. He'd thought the other boy striking when he'd met him the day before, now that he was acting friendly... and laughing... the blonde decided that he was downright... perfect.
He sighed as he turned his computer on. A crush he had said. His roommate had been right; he'd never had a crush before, at least not until now. In just twenty-four hours he'd developed a fascination with the tall brunette and he was sure that wasn't the type of crush he'd been referring to. Regardless of who his friends were.
Meanwhile, Trowa sauntered down the hall turning random thoughts over in his head. He wasn't shocked about Duo and Heero. He didn't seem to care at all. My god... he's such an innocent. Yeah, but, someone that doesn't react at all to such things... could mean... there might be a possibility... You're nuts Barton! Your hormones are talking now, not your common sense. Why shouldn't my hormones talk once in a while? I haven't been with anyone in a while...
Christ... he's never even had a real friend! I'd scare him to death!
But... that innocence makes him even more tempting...
~*~
"Heya!" Duo popped around the corner of the bookshelves right in front of Quatre.
The blonde jumped and turned pale. "Duo." He murmured weakly.
"Jeez... you need to stop scaring so easily!" The chestnut haired youth exclaimed. "Are you finding what you need back here in the pits?"
Quatre blinked and looked around him. "Yeah, no problem."
"I can't believe that you guys actually come down here and search for your books! I called ahead and had them put aside for me... a lot easier."
"And a lot more work for them," Quatre replied pulling a book off one of the shelves and heading for another section of the store.
"Better them than me!" The violet eyed boy responded, following Quatre.
As Quatre stopped and scanned another shelf of books, Duo crossed his arms and leaned against the case. "Eh... Trowa told us about you."
"What?" Quatre's eyes widened.
"Y'know... about never having gone to public school and all that." Duo replied.
"Oh," The blonde blushed, for a moment he thought Trowa had figured him out.
"Well, anyway, I just came to tell you that if you want to hang with us, you are more than welcome. You seem nice enough," He looked the boy over, "maybe too nice." He added under his breath.
"Um, thanks." Quatre pulled down the book he was looking for. "You don't have to do that though."
"Nonsense!" Duo said. "I kind of like you. Granted, you are a little jumpy, but we can remedy that!" He laughed. "Heero likes you too and so does Trowa for that matter."
"You don't even know me."
"Don't have too. Heero... he can tell these things with people. It's sort of like a sixth sense with him. He says you belong with the three of us." He pushed away from the bookshelf and grinned. "Now! You are going to start out by paying for those and coming to lunch with us."
"No, that's alright." Quatre shook his head.
"Uh-uh! You changed your mind last night. I'm not letting you get away today." Duo grabbed the books from Quatre's hands and hurried across the store to the counter.
A short time later found Quatre following Duo into a small, crowded restaurant across the street from the school.
"Hey!!" Duo yelled and waved at the pair sitting at a table in the back.
Trowa just shook his head while Heero glared at Duo. "Was that necessary?" He asked as they approached the table.
"What?" Duo asked innocently sliding into the chair beside Heero.
"Yelling in a crowded room, baka!"
"Got your attention didn't it? I found this one on the way here and insisted that he come with me." Duo nodded at Quatre as he took another chair beside Trowa.
"More than likely dragged him here against his will," Heero quipped.
Duo chuckled. "Okay... well... some coercion was required.
Quatre flushed as a girl came to take their orders. The rest of them ordered meals while Quatre just asked for a sandwich.
When she left, Trowa looked over at him. "Is that all you are going to eat?"
"Uh... yeah. I don't eat a whole lot."
"I'm amazed that you can actually survive on so little!" Duo exclaimed.
Heero cuffed him across the back of his head. "Not everyone has to eat their own body weight every day! You're going to regret it eventually."
"Nah! I have the metabolism of a rabbit." Duo laughed rubbing the back of his head.
"Do they always do that?" Quatre asked glancing at Trowa.
The brunette chuckled. "Most of the time. It's sort of like a mating ritual with those two. If they aren't doing that, then you know they're mad at each other."
Duo burst out laughing as the blonde turned bright red at Trowa's words and Heero smacked him again.
Their orders arrived and Quatre ate slowly, watching in amazement at the easy talk that flew back and forth amongst the three. He got so wrapped up in watching Heero and Duo that he never noticed the short glances he was receiving from Trowa. The brunette watched him quietly out of the corner of his eye.
~*~
That evening, Trowa returned to their room to find Quatre on the phone. He walked to his bed quietly not wanting to disturb the blonde. He looked as if he was engaged in a serious conversation; family maybe. He grabbed his notebook and sat back against the wall, his eyes watching the blonde over the top of the paper.
Quatre slumped forward on the desk. "I'm fine! Really. I haven't had any problems at all." Well, that wasn't entirely true, but he didn't see a need to bring up a couple minor instances.
He frowned as the other person spoke to him. "No! I'm not coming home. I've only been here for two days, Father. Please... at least give me a chance."
Finally he sighed and Trowa could almost see him wilt. "Fine. I'll call you if I have any trouble. And when I come home for fall break, we'll talk about it again."
He listened a little more. "I'm hanging up now, Father. I love you. I'll call you once classes start." A pause. "Good-bye, Father."
He hung up the phone and leaned his head on the desk.
"Problems with your family?"
He raised his head and looked over his shoulder at Trowa as if suddenly realizing the other boy was in the room with him. "Yeah, a little I guess."
"Want to talk about it?" Trowa lowered his notebook.
"Not really," Quatre replied getting up and grabbing his sweatpants from his bed.
Trowa nodded silently as the boy disappeared into the bathroom. He had family problems of his own; he could understand not wanting to discuss it.
TBC...
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