Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Heero PoV. Very different take on Duo.
Spoilers: Just Duo and Heero jumping from school to school
Notes: This fic is the reason I am not a member of the SDDI. And despite my full support of the SDDI, I'm not ashamed of that. :)
"==========" - scene change
*blah* - emphasis
"Okay, why isn't this working out?"
I looked over Duo's shoulder, analyzing the chemical equation he was trying to balance. "How many electrons are in carbon's outer shell?"
"Six. No... wait, just the outer shell? Okay, I get it!" With a few quick corrections, the equation was finished, and he tossed his pencil onto his desk. "Yatta! That's the last of it! Arigatou, Heero."
"Dou itashimaishite."
"You don't have a mustache," he quipped, wrinkling his nose. Duo was picking up Japanese rapidly, but insisted the traditional response was a tongue-twister that sounded more like "Don't touch my mustache" than "You're welcome." (1) Personally, I didn't hear it. I snorted in response, taking the assignment to review.
"Looks good.," I finally told him with a small smile. "And almost two hours before lights out." Duo's reply, predictably enough, was a loud whoop and some rapid work on his computer. I saved the program I'd been creating for Comp Sci; I wouldn't get any more homework done tonight. "What are we playing?"
It was an arraigement we'd made within a few days of arriving at this school, an incentive for him to keep working in the harder courses and a chance for me to observe him in ways I hadn't before. It originated with one of our harder sessions, when we'd both been grumpy and short-tempered. He complained, as per the norm, that I needed to learn to relax, but before I could retort, as per the norm, that he needed to be more serious, I took a moment to seriously consider his suggestion. "All right," I'd told him. "If you finish your homework at least an hour before lights out, you get to pick what we do for the rest of the night."
"Seriously?"
"Hai."
"*Anything* I want? And you'll do it?"
"Hai."
"SUGOI!"
He'd made the deadline almost every night since, and I'd been introduced to a wide range of games, movies, and activities with no greater purpose than wasting time and having fun doing it. At first I was concerned he might push our arraingement, use it to get me involved in some foolish or dangerous escapades, but he seemed to make an effort to find activities we would both enjoy. Computer games such as Starcraft and Magesty were mutual favorites, the strategy aspects of the game challenging us both. I'd also learned that his choice of activities was often a more accurate indicator of his mood than anything he might say.
This time it was a cooperative game; he was still energized enough for a challenge, but tired enough that he wanted support rather than competition. We talked as we played, some light teasing, a little arguing about how to best solve certain tasks. For the most part I let Duo take the lead; when he's like this a friendly argument can turn into a night-ruining fight without much effort, and while we were getting along better, things were still a little tense. I actually prefer his more extreme moods. When we play competetive games, I can let loose on him without fear, knowing he'll give as good as he gets; and when he opts for passive entertainment, I know he's had enough of challenges, and I leave him alone.
Aside from dying several times trying to take one room, the evening went fairly well. The repetative deaths in this game used to irritate me to no end, until I realized that, to Duo, this was less about winning the game and more about spending time with a friend. After that, it was easier for me to let Duo take the lead. While tutoring him certainly gave me a lot of stress, it was nothing compared to what Duo was going through trying to pass these classes, so I thought it best to let him burn it off as he saw fit.
It was almost lights out by the time we defeated the variety of monsters in the room, and Duo gave a triumphant cry. "Ha! The God of Death wins again!"
"Shinigami," I translated. It was becoming a habit, taking a term or phrase that he used and giving the Japanese equivalent for it.
He blinked at me. "Shinewhat?"
"Shinigami," I repeated as he reached for a pen and paper. The first thing he would do when I gave him a new word was write out the kana for it. "God of Death."
"Is that shin-i or shi-ni?"
"Shi-ni."
He made a few bold strokes, then frowned at the paper before him. "Shouldn't it be no? Shi no kami?"
I looked at what he'd written, took the pen, and added the accent that would turn ka to ga. "It probably was, a long time ago," I replied, drawing in the kanji below his hirigana. "Language changes."
Taking the pen back, he copied the kanji several times. "Shinigami. I like that. What do you- "
"Lights out!" The dorm monitor's voice cut over whatever Duo was going to say. "You have two minutes to be in bed with lights out!" Duo made a face at the closed door, then gave me one of his quick, mischevious grins before shutting down his computer. Taking that to mean he would not finish his question, I put my system on standby and got ready for bed.
Duo snuck out about an hour later. It was something he did periodically, and I'd never been able to get a straight answer from him about what he did, despite numerous arguments. He never got caught, and was always back in his bed before sunrise, but the not knowing made me uneasy. This time, I grit my teeth and decided I wouldn't ask. Duo wanted me to trust him. He deserved my trust. I wouldn't ask.
And I didn't. But I didn't fall back to sleep until I heard him sneak back in, hours later.
=========================================================
As the days went past, I was more and more grateful for the arraingement Duo and I had made, because otherwise I think the stress might have killed him. In spite of his hard work and my tutoring, his courses were *not* going as well as they had at the last school. The only thing saving his chemistry grade was the lab work. At least now I understood his poor performance on that particular placement test; he didn't know the names and atomic structures of the chemicals. But give him something he could see, something he could work with, and he could mix and match them with the same careless expertise he showed when flying his Gundam.
Most of his classwork was like that. Abstracts tended to throw him, but give him something real to relate to and he could do it. I'd never realized how hard it was to relate quadratic equations to reality before. I also wondered about his views on peace and victory. What concrete example did he take from his life to point to and tell himself, "That is peace. That is victory. These are what I'm fighting for."
Relating himself to Shinigami, however, I understood. Death was very much a reality for him, a blessing or a curse he passed out with the same fickle whims as any old world god. And because I did understand that, I didn't ask about his views of victory and peace.
As the days wore on and his grades began to slip, I debated pulling us from the school early. The student cover had been my story; before I came he was quite content to work with Howard and the Sweepers between battles. Perhaps leaving this double life behind would be a good thing for both of us. But Duo thrived on the social interactions, and was determined to succeed in school despite all obstacles. Being in school also kept us from standing out as much (a concept Duo refused to acknowledge), and ensured that no one person or location could be associated with our actions.
Still, being in school had its drawbacks as well.
"I've found you, Heero. I longed to see you again."
1)I don't hear either, but I've had several friends and an old boss ask me if that's what I was saying.