I do not own these puppets.
The next time Duo saw Heero was later that afternoon at a required assembly. Duo, punctual as ever, arrived just as the speaker had rested their elbows on the podium and began to speak. He looked around frantically for a seat, then grinned as a certain Japanese boy flagged him down, pointing to a single seat beside him.
"Thanks," he whispered. Heero ignored him, but the American saw the corners of his mouth turn up slightly. The speaker had obviously not been gifted with the skills of an orator, and Duo found himself nodding off. Just as his eyes closed for the last time, he felt a hand shake his shoulder.
"What?" he asked sleepily.
That little twitch again; "The assembly's over. Want to go get some dinner?" He grinned.
"I'm always hungry," he confided as they walked from the amphitheater to the dining hall, where almost a thousand other students were also attempting to grab some food. "Seats first," he suggested, noticing how quickly the tables were filling up.
"How about there?" Heero suggested, pointing to a corner where the Stereotypically Gay Welcoming Committee had set up camp. Duo choked, but said nothing as Heero's strong hands closed around his arm and tugged him gently through the fray of people falling over themselves to get a seat.
"There's a reason there's empty seats at this table," he grumbled to himself.
"Hello," said the little blonde, licking lips.
"Hungry?" Duo asked challengingly. The brown-haired boy hat was probably his 'special nighttime friend' made a warning face at the blonde.
"I'm Trowa," he said coolly, "and this is Quatre." Every gesture, the way he motioned towards the boy, screamed of possession and protectiveness. Quatre was lucky, Duo thought wistfully. "That's Zechs, and that's Treize." He craned his neck to see around the tall blonde. "Pimp Daddy Wu should be here any moment."
Heero made a funny choking noise, then laughed. When no one else laughed, he looked around with wide eyes. "You're not serious," he said. Duo felt bad for him; he looked ready to run screaming from the room.
"We're very serious," Treize purred, nuzzling his cheek with his nose. Heero jumped, then squeaked as a hand pinched the round flesh of his butt. It retreated before the Japanese boy could figure out who was doing it. "Ah, here he is now." The boys, wearing all black with pink lipstick on this fine fall evening, moved down one seat so Pimp Daddy Wu would have to sit next to Heero.
He looked...normal. There was no long and expensive fur coat, no silk pin-striped suit. Just jeans and a light blue sweater. "Hello," he greeted roughly, plunking down his tray beside Heero's. "Who are you?"
"I'm Duo," said the American, the first words he'd spoken since Heero had dragged him over. Bet he regrets it now, Duo thought with a pleased smile. "This is Heero."
"Hmm..." He looked him up and down. "Excellent, boys. Where'd you find him?"
"He's in our dorm," Zechs reported. "Nice body, I saw him in the shower."
"And did you know," Quatre had to add, "he sleeps naked!" He giggled, setting off a round of giggles around the table. Even Duo had to chuckle at the slightly horrified expression on his friend's face.
"I--"
Treize cut him off. "Doesn't seem to have an affinity for either sex."
Wu nodded. "Better and better." He eyed his legs. "Looks flexible, too."
"I'm still here!" Heero squawked indignantly. They ignored him.
Duo laughed again. "But Heero, it was funny." Making a face, the Japanese boy settled himself onto the couch, wearing cut-offs and a large gray sweatshirt. "You're cold?" Duo himself was sweating gallons.
"Yeah," Heero said defensively, then smiled. "It was kind of funny, I guess."
Then they both laughed.
The first time it happened, Duo brushed it off as exhaustion. "I hate midterms," he sighed, giving a loud yawn and full-body stretch on Heero's bed. "Lucky for me I've got the best student in the class to help me," teased the American, poking Heero with a pencil.
"Hm. What did you say the ques--" Without warning, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fainted, falling forward with a soft sigh. Duo barely had time to catch him before he slashed his forehead open on the edge of the desk.
"Hey," he said, feeling perverted and disgusting for enjoying the warmth of his body in his arms. "Hey, Heero! Wake up!" The Japanese boy eventually came to, his eyes fluttering open delicately. He looked questioningly at Duo's hands, squared precariously on both hips, and Duo blushed. They both knew Duo had a sort of crush on him, but they were better as friends.
"You fainted," Duo said, sweeping the bed off with one arm while he supported Heero's weight with the other. Once he was sure he wasn't going to collapse again, he reluctantly released his iron-grip on his waist. "You okay?" Heero nodded, lying back against his pillows.
"I'll be fine. Just a little tired, I guess." It was the first time the Japanese boy had ever lied to Duo and it hurt, worse than he'd thought it would.
"If something's the matter, you can tell me--"
"I'm fine," Heero said coldly, and Duo dropped the subject.
But now, as he raced across campus, the chatter and gossip of the students still ringing in his ears, as they threw the door open to the infirmary and saw two nurses standing guard over Heero at the foot of his bed, he knew he'd made a terrible mistake.
"Is he--?"
"Sleeping," the first nurse, a plump woman with brown hair, said kindly. "You can wait here, if you like." Duo nodded slowly, moving to sit beside his friend as if disturbing the sancitity of a church.
"What happened?" His voice broke; trembling. He was trembling.
"Just collapsed in his second period class. It's a shame--he was so close to making it through the first semester." Duo stared at her for a long moment. "Such an inspiration..."
"I don't understand."
"...duo?" Heero was awake. He leaned forward and grabbed his hand. "That you?"
"Yeah," Duo said, pasting a grin on his face, "it's me." He laughed bitterly. "And I didn't even have to awaken you with a kiss." That made him smile. Duo sat on the bed next to his knee and began to rub his arm reassuringly.
"I'll tell him," Heero said, sitting up slowly. "I suppose it's my fault for making such a mess of things." The nurses nodded and left, all abuzz about the Japanese boy.
"Well?" Duo sat with his arms folded. He wouldn't let Heero escape with just a 'I'm fine' this time. "What's up, man?"
"...ihabrer..." he mumbled.
"What?"
"I have brain cancer." Duo choked. "I didn't mean to lie to you!" Heero cried. "I just..."
He didn't say anything else. They sat there in silence for a long time, until the nurses came back in and told them visiting hours were over, and hustled Duo from the Health Center, and even then, as he walked back to his dorm, rain falling on his bare neck, he still couldn't speak.
End Parts Four and Five
Ariana
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