June 12, 2000
Noise? We've got noise...more as I write it...
ja ne
~ana~
Standard disclaimers apply
The first time Duo saw him was the day before the fall semester began, sitting in a little café, blue eyes quietly expressive, clutching a copy of the Psych 101 summer reading. So they would be in the same class, he thought, a smile spreading over his lips. A taza of coffee (black, Duo imagined with approval) sat just below his left elbow, perched precariously on the edge of the small black table for one.
He turned, giving Duo, who was standing in line for coffee, the best in the town according to the guys in his dorm, his first real look at his face. The only words Duo could think to use, over and over until they lost all meaning and became formless sounds in his mouth, were "beautiful" and "lonely". His eyes, a brilliant cerulean color that seemed indifferent to his Asian cheekbones and coloring, stared off into space with a sorrowful glazed look that reminded him of pictures he'd seen of Holocaust victims about to step into the gas chambers. Sentenced to death, he was.
Duo thought about heading over to chat while his coffee warmed up his freezing hands; even in September, the chill of impending winter had frosted over the campus with a dusting of powdery snow. It seemed that winter came earlier and earlier every year. Yet there was also a defensive scowl twisting what would have been a lusciously ripe mouth.
Spotting a pile of books at his feet, he smirked as he saw several copies of textbooks he had purchased earlier that day. A psych major. Well well. *And* a receipt from the Sanc Kingdom University of Lapelier, the most exclusive campus of all of SKU. And the same campus Duo himself happened to be studying on. He wasn't sure why going to college would be a death sentence for the Asian boy, but he had no doubt that there would be many boys around that would be willing to watch his back, in more ways than one.
Duo himself was at Lapelier on a basketball scholarship; he was the top-ranked high school point guard in the nation, an All- American his sophomore, junior, *and* senior years, and let everyone know it. It couldn't hurt to let people know that Duo Maxwell had entered the building. But the thing he was most proud of was his 4.2 GPA, not his arsenal of fakes or dunks. He wasn't any smarter than any other guy, but he worked his ass off and felt that deserved respect.
He came out to his team at the beginning of his senior season, and had even dated a few of them on the side. But basketball always came first, and if either of them felt things were getting too serious, they would break it off, no hard feelings. Of course, the exact opposite was true but no one let it interfere with their game. They were the L-2 champions that year. Duo always wore a piece of the net as his hair tie for his braid from the championship game.
"Sir?"
The blonde-haired lady, eyes narrowed in a disapproving-How- Dare-You-Doze-Off-In-MY-Line-look, thrust his coffee at him and snatched his money from his hand without looking twice. Still wondering if he should sit down next to the boy and start up a conversation, Duo wandered from the coffee shop, letting the steam warm his face as he crunched through snowbanks on the sidewalks.
The second time Duo saw the mysterious boy from the café was later that night before curfew at 1:00. A sharp contrast to the party in the other rooms, he was napping quietly on the couch in the commons room, wearing a dark green tank top and jean cutoffs that showed off long, lean legs. The American felt a strange urge to run his hands up those strong calves, between his thighs, touching the soft skin.
He stood straight up as a group of eight or so guys filed in, all staring appreciatively at the sleeping boy. Two greasy looking boy with crooked front teeth declared, "He's so hot I'd jump him in the hallway. He wouldn't even see me coming." As if he had cooties, the other boys moved aside, disgusted that he would even consider forcing someone. In particular, four young men separated off into their own group, discussing the Japanese boy's body.
"Look at that ass," a man with long blonde hair sighed, tossing his hair over his shoulder. "He's going to be a nice addition to Pimp Daddy Wu's harem. It really fills out his shorts. Look at it, Treize." Duo had to bite back a laugh; he was one to talk! The guy redefined 'bubble butt'.
"You're just worried 'cause he's got a better ass than you do, Zechs," a tall ginger-haired man retorted, snapping a pink bubble at the worried blonde. He chewed his gum loudly as he spoke, hands resting on shapely hips. "I saw him earlier at the café. He's got pretty eyes..."
"Really?" another blonde, but shorter than Zechs, asked nervously. "Are they prettier than mine, Trowa? Are they? Are they?" As if to give Trowa an unbiased view, he leaned forward and batted long lashes at the impassive green-eyed boy.
"No one's eyes are prettier than yours, Quatre-kun," Trowa sighed, readjusting his bangs as the enthusiastic blonde glomped him. "Although, he has very nice legs. They'd look great in a pair of black hose."
"You and your cross-dressing ways," Quatre purred, licking rouge painted lips.
Duo couldn't believe it. Were they the Stereotypically Gay Welcoming Committee? They were all wearing cutoffs and see-through black silk t-shirts and had their nails *and* their toenails done in a deep burgundy shade that matched their lipstick.
Duo decided to sneak out while he could, but not before casting one last glance at the boy stretched out on the couch. The Stereotypically Gay Welcoming Committee was still ogling him. Even from his room, he could hear the occasional:
"Ooh! Look at his washboard stomach! Ooh, you've got to feel this, Treize..."
End Parts One and Two
Ariana
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