Can't Help Myself Part 4

Glowering at the metal chain that was keeping Deathscythe in place, Duo willed it to spontaneously combust. It had only been a day since he had challenged W4 publicly, and now, the pranksters were locking up his motorbike. Jerks... Sighing jadedly, he knelt down to survey the shackles. Nope, they were made of metal. It wouldn't come off with just a pull or two. He needed a saw... or something else equally sharp to cut it off.

And where would he find one in a university where no one dared to help him?

Oh well, he might as well walk home now and bring a chainsaw to school tomorrow. He could probably use that chainsaw and saw up a few... jerks as well, he snorted. Just what was the problem with Heero Yuy? Petty, arrogant, self-indulgent Heero Yuy... Duo groaned again.

"Hey, you need some help?"

A voice rang out from behind him, and Duo whirled around. His eyes narrowed when he found that he couldn't recognize the two guys offering help. He had never seen them around the campus before. But then again, he probably had never had the time to really stroll about and recognize everyone. It was a luxury one couldn't afford when one led a hectic life, always escaping and running away. Maybe these two didn't recognize that he was Duo Maxwell too, the guy W4 was trying to expel. But then again, it didn't seem too bloody likely; almost everyone, he was sure, had joined in the pranks.

"Yeah... my bike's been chained up," he muttered, standing up warily. Then the two guys leered blatantly at him, and Duo knew there was definitely something wrong.

"Well, we could help... if you give us something."

Duo backed away, getting ready to run. Already, his mind was formulating an escape route. "What?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just a little fun time," one of them said, quickly advancing. Duo thought that he resembled a wolf on the prowl, ready to pounce and eat him up. And there wouldn't be a bone left behind.

All hell broke loose. Duo yelped and took off, with the two guys rapidly chasing after him. Even as he was running, his uncooperative stomach reminded him that he had not eaten lunch. And he had been running frequently for days, enough to wear him down and take a toll on his stamina. Running alone would not save him. Still, he gritted his teeth and dashed on. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what the two guys had in store for him.

It wasn't too long before he reached the school building again. While it seemed to be common sense for him to run to somewhere more crowded, it was already rather late and the school halls were practically deserted. Moreover, Duo wasn't even sure if anyone would take the risk of incurring W4's wrath and help him. So he took the next best thing and tried to run for the office. He didn't shout, fully aware that no one would come to his rescue anyway. Instead, he chose to sprint even harder although his lungs were already burning up. For a while, he heard only the rush of his blood and the wind howling by his ears.

But something tripped him, and he felt himself fall. Bracing himself for what was to come, he shut his eyes and hoped for the best. Maybe he still had a chance if he got up immediately and started to run again. However, the impact was still bad enough to leave him slightly disoriented. And he knew that it was a fatal mistake the moment the two guys caught up.

Instantaneously, he felt himself pinned down onto the concrete ground, and then there was a heavy weight on his hips. Duo nearly screamed when he noticed one guy looming over him, straddling him, lips still caught in a raunchy leer. He tried to move his hands, but the other guy effectively locked them down.

"What are you doing!? Let me go!" he shouted, thrashing around as hard as he could. But it was no good. He was really trapped this time. And no one was going to save him.

"Oh, don't play coy, now. Everyone knows that you've been with loads of guys," one guy cooed. "Don't worry, we'll be gentle with you."

Duo felt his blood turn cold, his heart sinking. Someone was spreading rumours about him, and he probably had a bad name by now, if not because of offending W4. But he didn't care. Not now. He needed to get away! But he was no match for the combined strength of two men, and he could hardly feel his arms already. He wouldn't be able to escape on his own. He needed someone! He needed a savior! He would be eternally indebted to whoever saved him! Please!

"What are you two doing?"

The two guys gasped, and quickly jumped off of Duo. One of them stammered, "We were just teasing him..."

Wufei looked at them blankly, and they felt the temperature fall rapidly. Already, they could feel the sharpness of those eyes, of that gaze, of that posture. But there was no logic to the action. W4 had issued the red note, which meant that everyone could do whatever he or she liked to Duo Maxwell. Still, they knew that Chang Wufei never played by the rules.

"Scram," Wufei commanded, and they quickly scampered off, thankful that he wasn't going to do anything to them. Then he turned to Duo, who had already gotten into a sitting position and still slightly disheveled.

Duo curled into himself, burying his face in his bent knees. His shoulders shook, and he felt his entire body tremble. The fear that had planted itself into his heart was still spreading, despite the fact that he was probably already safe. It was still cold. Then he remembered the reason why he was in such a bad situation, and anger caught hold of him again. He felt himself seethe, and his fists tightened. At that moment, Duo knew that he was going to get even with Heero Yuy if it was the last thing he did. Just then, he felt a movement beside him, and he looked up curiously.

It was Wufei, and he was leaning against the wall doing a handstand. Even though he was upside down, his face still held a stoic expression. When he noticed that Duo's attention was finally on him, he said, "When I was younger, a friend once told me that if you wanted to cry and the tears were about to fall... just do a handstand. Then... your tears won't fall. Do you understand?" Then he flipped back over, and his feet were on the ground again.

Despite the shock that was still grappling him, Duo sniffled and nodded.

"Stop crying. Go on home now," Wufei murmured, and he thrust another handkerchief at him. Then he walked away.

Staring at the rapidly disappearing figure, Duo clutched onto the piece of cloth in his hands. It was warm, just like his heart now. For the first time since he'd received the red note, he felt safe and secure.

*****

Heero walked down the school corridor alone. His three friends were all currently missing, and he couldn't find them. Well, that was Wufei's style, since he enjoyed being alone sometimes. Quatre and Trowa were probably in a bar somewhere, skipping lessons for the day.

He shrugged it off. They would find him if they needed. Right now, he was going to find a quiet corner and chill out. Then, he found his mind wandering to someone else.

Duo Maxwell. Never had he in his entire life met such a stubborn person. From what he knew and saw, the whole school was having loads of fun and putting in effort to torturing Duo's life. On a few occasions, he had come across Duo dripping wet with water and still, all that hadn't put out the flame burning inside him. It was like he never gave up in spite of everything. Definitely hardheaded and spirited, Heero mused.

After nearly a week of torment and pranks, Duo was still tough enough to come right up to him and slap his own version of a red note on his forehead. It'd been ages since he had met someone who didn't cower before him, or tried to butter him up. Duo was so different.

And then there were his looks. Those violet eyes seemed to always burn with an inner fire, filled with spirit and temper. Other eyes twinkled, sparkled, even shimmered, but Duo's reflected the world as he saw it. He was real. All of his actions were real, and not a dramatized act that could win him an Oscar. And Duo's lips! So pink and full. So plush. From his lips came words that described what he really felt, words of a feisty youth who would not bow to anyone. And there was that rope of long, chestnut hair that always swung like a mesmerizing pendulum. Guys didn't have hair that long, or that silky. But Duo did.

Heero growled and tried to shake the thoughts off. Just what the hell was he thinking of?

Suddenly, he felt a shove from his side. "What the-!?"

"Heero Yuy! Have you no shame!?"

It was Duo, and he was scowling deeply at him. Heero looked into the violet orbs, and he shivered inside. For a while, he thought the strange feelings would overwhelm him. But his inner self kicked in, and he glared hard at the boy who had dared offend him time and time again.

"What was that for?"

"You know exactly what you did! Aren't you ashamed of yourself for doing that!?" Duo yelled, and shoved him again.

"What did I do!?"

"To think you're from high society! You actually hired two guys to come after me! They nearly...!"

Heero winced at the frustrated punches Duo was throwing at him, and he grabbed hold of his hands tightly. For someone as petite as Duo, he was certainly strong. "But I didn't-" he paused, suddenly remembering that he had indeed paid two guys to scare Duo. He had ordered them to scare him as much as possible so he would leave school, but there were no specifics.

"What did they do to you?" Heero asked, heart plummeting. Nothing he tried thus far had managed to scare Duo so much. It had to be truly atrocious, something a normal person would have cried at.

The braided boy huffed harshly, "You actually want me to spell it out for you?" He tried to pull his hands away, but Heero's grasp was simply too strong. Trying again, Duo huffed when he could not get away still, "Let go of me!"

"Did they hurt you? Are you hurt? I'll kill them..." Heero whispered back harshly as a rush of protectiveness welled up in him. He didn't know why he was feeling this way, but it just felt right. Even though another part of him was questioning his reaction. After all, he was out to chase Duo out of the school. But at that moment, Heero just wanted to keep Duo safe.

"Stop shedding those crocodile tears! And leave me alone!" Duo snapped, and delivered a kick to Heero's shins. When the grasp on his hands loosened, he quickly tugged his hands free and stormed away.

*****

Traipsing up the stairs, Duo felt his heart lighten. That would show Heero Yuy that he wasn't going to surrender that easily. And to think he actually managed to kick that jerk once. Oh, he definitely felt loads better.

Pushing the door to the rooftop open, he peered around. No one was around. Duo scratched his head, pouting. 'Where is he? He's usually here at this time of the day...' he mused, scanning the area again just in case. But there was still no one else about.

With a sigh, he went down again. And then he heard it, the whiny note of a violin. It was soft, but still audible. Duo had never liked the instrument before; the music it produced was too sharp and dramatic. And much too high class for him to truly appreciate, he reasoned. But this time, he couldn't help but tread towards the source of the music flowing into the corridor. It was melodious, soothing, peaceful even.

Slowly, he followed the music to an isolated room, and he carefully opened the door to a creak to peer in. To his surprise, it was Wufei, and he was standing alone in the middle of a small podium playing his song. There was no stand before him to hold his scores, and only a black violin case lay beside him. For a while, Duo thought that he was a street performer, playing to an audience that constantly moved along, never stopping long to toss a token into the case. Almost like nobody gave him a second glance.

But Duo knew the truth. If Wufei had been playing on the streets, the world would stop to listen. He did. And perhaps, somehow, he had already known who the violinist that had captured his ears was. The music blended in perfectly with Wufei's seemingly tranquil personality and stolid façade.

When the last note trailed off, he couldn't help but applaud. Cautiously, he entered the room. "Hi," he said, managing a small wave of his hand.

Wufei gazed up, noticing his presence for the first time. For a long drawn-out, excruciating moment, he kept quiet. Picking up his violin case, he stowed his instrument away. "What are you doing here?"

"You weren't at the rooftop when I... tried to look for you there," Duo explained a little hesitantly. "I just wanted to thank you... for your help yesterday."

"You don't have to thank me," Wufei replied, already turning to leave. Casting a backward glance, he muttered, "I just happened to be there." And then he was gone almost like he had never been there.

*****

Duo stepped out of the school compound, sighing. He had naively thought that maybe Wufei would be nicer to him, having saved him before. It didn't seem like it, however. In fact, the raven-haired boy was still as aloof as ever. Distant, detached and frosty Wufei. Just like an ice prince, he mused.

He sighed again. Maybe Hilde was right. It was far too easy to be attracted to someone like Wufei. Handsome and gentlemanly... There was always something in those ebony eyes that pulled Duo in. Like a touch of sorrow, a hint of loss... Just what was Wufei upset about? Or did he read him wrongly? After all, Wufei came from a rich family and would probably never encounter all those financial problems like his family. Besides, he was intelligent, handsome and had a group of personal fans. Plus, he had a posse of good friends.

He just didn't get it.

Shrugging it off, Duo set off for home. Deathscythe had finally relented to the beckoning of the repair shop, and would probably stay there for a couple of days. In the meantime, Duo would have to take the bus. Strolling to the bus stop, he whistled a little tune. However cold Wufei was being, he had at least acknowledged his presence. And it was already a huge improvement from when they had first met.

However, it seemed that he was not meant to have his quiet evening. Suddenly, two bulky men, both towering over Duo, stepped in front of him and halted him in his steps. Gut instincts told him that he was in trouble again, so he just turned tail and run. There was no way he was going to have a repeat of the other day!

Still, he felt hands grabbed at his waist and lift him off the ground. Thrashing around, he started to panic again. But abruptly, something hit his head, and everything went blissfully dark.

TBC...

 

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