Chapter 24:

An Evening with Zechs:

Drysdale
En route to hotel, 3.15pm:

“Let’s go visit Zechs.”

My hand promptly stills its stroking motion on Duo’s hair. “Uum…and why would we want to do that?”

“Because we’re just an hour’s drive from where he is and we’ve got nothing better to do this evening…”

“I can think of several things we can do.”

“Yes, Heero. And believe me as fun as it is to screw you in all sorts of positions and vice versa, my ass does need a break every once in a while.”

I flush at the grin on his visage, deciding to knock his head gently for the cheeky remark. “Ha hah, really funny, Duo.” I push him off my lap and to the floor of the limo, while wishing my heart would stop beating so fast. The very notion of seeing Zechs is not something I’m looking forward to.

“Ouch,” Duo complains half-heartedly as he rubs his head and tries to glare at me, but there’s amusement in his eyes and I think he’s enjoying my discomfort. With a snort, I deliberately turn my face away and focus on the trees outside the window.

“Why don’t you want to see him?” he asks.

I can think of a million and one reasons why I don’t want to go but I simply reply with a ‘Because I don’t feel like it’ – which wouldn’t be too far from the truth. I’ve had to deal with Zechs Merquise for three years in high school (well, for most of my childhood as well, since our families are good friends) and watching him graduate was one of the happiest moments of my life. Why you ask? One only needs to go back to the beginning of this long tale to find out the little ‘games’ Zechs always enjoyed playing with me. If he wasn’t teasing me mercilessly, he was busy finding ways to get me upset with the excuse that seeing my features all flushed with embarrassment was a major ‘hotness’ factor. To Zechs, I was nothing more than someone to toy with and even though he did have his good points and could give helpful advice once in a while (he wasn’t made Student President for nothing), I think the memories of always being at his mercy will continue to haunt me for as long as I live.

“I like Zechs,” Duo was saying, still pouting in my direction. “He’s a fun guy.”

“I’m sure he is,” I reply with dry enthusiasm. I can see our hotel looming in the distance. Good. Once we get back and settle in then maybe I can talk Duo out of this…

“I’m sure he’d love to see us. I mean, it’s been almost a year since I’ve seen him…”

“Duo,” I begin as calmly as I can. “We’ve just returned from your father’s funeral. The least you can do is…”

“What?” His features have tightened with impatience or anger or both. “Continue to wallow in misery? I’ve paid my last respects to him, Heero. What more do you want me to do?”

“I just assumed you’d want to spend more time thinking about things…and besides, the reading of the Will is tomorrow,” I add quickly, wincing inwardly as I notice that he’s not looking too pleased at the moment. “You should be mentally prepared for that…”

“Which is why I want to visit Zechs to get my mind off that,” he replies coolly. “I need a change of scene, Heero. All this death and bitterness has been getting me down much more than you think. I deserve a fucking day of nothing but good, clean fun.”

“Then let’s go sightseeing around the city,” I suggest, reaching out to touch his hand gently. “It’s going to be much better than…”

“I want to see what Woodruff looks like,” Duo interrupts with a stubborn tilt to his chin.

“I thought you wanted nothing to do with college,” I say, now trying not to show my growing irritation at this rather petulant side of Duo. “Why so interested in Woodruff now?”

“What? Jealous I don’t want to see your precious Kensington?” He says with a sneer and I give him a smile that doesn’t quite reach my eyes.

“You can’t compare Kensington to Woodruff. It’s like comparing apples and oranges!” Here I go again, trying to preach to Duo about the merits of good education. I even think I’m beginning to sound like my father. “Woodruff’s reputation as a ‘party’ school is not exactly commendable…”

“Party school, huh?” Duo’s rubbing his chin and there’s a look in his eyes that I distrust. “Sounds interesting…”

“You’re not seriously thinking about going to THAT school, are you?”

“And what if I do, huh? What are you gonna do about it, Heero?”

We engage in a staring/glaring match…which ends with me turning away with a light snort. “Then there’s nothing I can do about it, is there? At least you’re deciding to go to college which is a good thing…”

“We’ve arrived, sirs,” the driver suddenly says, reminding us of just where we are. I look out the window and at the other expensive cars pulling up to the hotel’s beautiful driveway and entrance along with smartly-attired doormen, valets and ushers who dazzle the guests with their megawatt smiles. It almost has the feel of a movie premiere. All that’s missing is the troublesome paparazzi to take pictures. The sound of the door opening on Duo’s side of the car has me turning in that direction again. However, he’s still looking at me and there’s now an unspoken question in his eyes.

With an inward groan, I suddenly remember Eleanor’s warning or rather demand. Duo is now officially in my ‘care’ and besides, didn’t I promise to take care of him and to be with him for as long as he would let me? He is right. He does deserve a day…no more than a day to really enjoy himself and if being with that blond sadist is going to help…

“He doesn’t even know we’re coming,” I finally mumble, trying to sulk in an effort to hide the warmth of pleasure that creeps up my spine at the wide grin that breaks out on his visage.

“You can call him and let him know!” Good grief, the boy’s literally bouncing off the seat!

“Okay, okay, calm down Leon Randle.” Leon’s a popular comedian who, I swear, must be high on drugs half of the time with the way he jumps about the stage making all those ‘excitable’ noises of his. Actually, it was Duo who forced me to watch Leon’s Comedy Special one night and believe me I tried my best to laugh as much as I could. But it was like watching a train wreck. His jokes were too boring and lame in my opinion.

“…can’t wait! Hey, driver!” Duo motions for the waiting chauffeur. “We’re heading to the Woodruff University. You do know the way, right?”

“Yes, sir I do,” the man says with a wide grin and a tip of his black cap. “To Woodruff we go.”

“I don’t have his phone number.” I’ve checked through the phone book on my cell phone and I’m surprised (or maybe I shouldn’t be) that I don’t have his name showing up.

“Call Relena.”

“Duo, my damn minutes…!”

“I left my cell at the hotel,” he says with a wave of his hand. “So we have to use yours…”

“We’re at the hotel, genius,” I reply with a smirk. “So you can run up there and pick it up.”

“Dude!” He looks at me like I’m from another planet. “You are one stingy…!”

I raise a brow, enjoying the way he opens and shuts his mouth for a few seconds, daring him to say anything else. “You were saying…?”

“Oh, yeah! Check it out! There’s a phone in here!” he says, pointing towards the black device which seems to blend with the leather paneling of the car. No wonder I hadn’t noticed it earlier. As for Duo, he smirks in victory, while I try not to groan in dismay at having to make the dreaded phone call. As I pick it up, I pray fervently that Relena’s not home…

“Make sure you call her cell phone,” Duo says and this time I really glare at him. Goddamn it! He knows me all too well now. We both know that Relena’s cell phone is about the most important thing to her besides breathing. The girl cannot do without that bright pink (with colorful stickers mind you) tiny device. Duo only grins at me and motions for me to continue just as the car begins to pull out of the driveway.

Please don’t pick up. Please don’t pick up. Please don’t pick up!

“Hello? Relena Peacecraft here!”

Shit.

“Heellooooooo?!”

“Hi Relena. It’s me, Heero…”

“HEERO?!” I hold the phone away from my ear at the loud scream but Duo leans close to yell into it.

“What’s happening, Relena?!”

“DUO?! Oh my gosh! Are you guys back?! Where are you?! Why’s this showing as ‘Private’ on my caller ID? What’s going on? Are you all okay? How was the funeral?!”

“One at a time, beautiful,” Duo says with a soft laugh but we can both hear Relena already talking to someone else in the background.

“….eero and Duo!”

“I guess Hilde and Dorothy are with her,” Duo says with a light shrug but from the sound of things, I doubt it’s only those two.

“What’s going on, Relena?” I ask, growing slightly impatient and a bit irritable. The hotel is fading fast behind us and the realization that I’m actually going to be seeing Zechs in a few hours…

“…girls’ volleyball team is having a meeting in my house. We’re going to have a sleepover as well…all fifteen of us!”

“Wow…that…eh…sounds like…”

“Heaven,” Duo finishes with a dreamy sigh. I kick him gently on the shin and suffer his glare in response.

“Could you tell me Zechs’ phone number? I need to call him to let him know we’re on our way...to visit.”

“Oh yeah, sure thing! I’m sure he’ll be so happy to see you two again!”

Yes, I’m literally jumping for joy here. I lean back on the seat and close my eyes, wondering if it was just several hours ago that I was with Duo in a church listening to an eulogy.

“…and he’s been asking about you too…”

“Just give me the da…the number, Relena.” She must have noticed the irritation in my voice because she immediately turns on me.

“Geez, relax Iceman,” she mumbles beneath her breath. “Here it is and I’m saying this only once, got it?”

I motion for Duo to find a pen and paper, which he does since this limo seems to be equipped with just about everything. As she rattles off the numbers, I repeat them to Duo, who scribbles as fast as he can. He repeats them to me, and I ask Relena for confirmation which she gives quite reluctantly.

“I expect full details when you both return,” she demands.

“And if we don’t?”

“Then the girls and I are going to have a field day writing up stories and imagining what you and Duo do in bed at night! In fact, we’ll publish it and…”

“Fine, we’ll tell you everything when we come back home.” Goodness, but girls are brutal.

“Excellent! Talk to you guys later and have fun!” She blows several kisses which Duo reciprocates…until I hang up with a light grunt of relief. With great longing, I eye the crystal bottles of alcohol in the mini-bar and wish that I could just get myself as drunk as possible. Maybe that will help to ease the growing number of fluttering butterflies in my stomach.

“Let’s stop for a burger later. I’m staaaarved,” Duo says with an emphatic nod and I’m too tired to refuse the idea. We’ve still got a long way to go and I could do with something to fill my empty stomach. However, a brief image of me throwing up a watery mixture of ground beef and fries all over Zechs comes to mind and for some reason that makes me feel incredibly pleased.

“Why don’t you call him?” I offer, smiling softly at the look he throws at me. It’s one of incredulous disbelief – a ‘are-you-fucking-kidding-me?’ look.

“What’s the matter?” I prod gently, feeling a smirk on my lips. “I thought you were so eager to see him.”

He looks like he’s going to argue again but finally he agrees with an exaggerated display of a chicken flapping its wings. I flip him the finger and he blows a kiss in my direction. Oh, what fun we have with so little words.

Of course it goes without saying that I’m praying Zechs isn’t in town either. We aren’t too far from the hotel, so we can always turn back and…

“Hello? Zechs? Hey! This is Duo…Duo Maxwell? Fujisaki High School…” He laughs. “Yes, that’s me! Aw man, you’re just saying that…but thanks all the same…uh huh…hehe….yes, yes…Heero’s my boy-toy now…”

I choke in disbelief at the line of conversation and know without a doubt that I’m definitely not going to want to see Zechs. Duo’s grinning at me, nodding and then laughing again at something Zechs says on the other end.

“…yeah, we’re up here and we figured we’d stop by to say hi…no, I wish…actually we came up here for my dad’s funeral…long story. Uh huh…uh huh…” He giggles. “No…we should be there in an hour or so…wanna talk to Heero?”

I shake my head rapidly. No. No! No!!

Duo smirks. “Nah…it doesn’t look like he wants to talk to you…” He listens and then slaps a hand over his mouth as he tries hard to control his mirth. Great. Just fucking brilliant. Now they’re both laughing at me!

“Sure thing…all right…see you later, man. Can’t wait!”

He hangs up and takes a deep breath, looks at me and then gives up the fight to hold back his laughter.

“I’m glad to see that one of us is happy with the way things are going,” I grumble and turn to look out the window again.

“Aww come now,” he says, still giggling as he leans closer to me, his warm breath against my neck sends a shiver of pleasure down my spine. “He was just saying that he couldn’t wait to see how much more of a ‘man’ you’ve become since he left…”

His hand moves to the front of my pants and a reluctant groan escapes my lips as I feel his tongue on that sensitive region behind my ear and the gentle squeeze of the bulge straining against the cloth. Without warning, Duo sucks hard on the flesh, his goal obvious and I can only gasp helplessly at the dual sensation of pain and pleasure.

“Duo,” I groan, placing a hand upon his to stop this torture. “I don’t have an extra suit to change into you know. Things could get pretty messy pretty quickly.”

“Then we take off our clothes,” he breathes huskily, licking the hickey he’s created before pulling away from me with a wicked grin on his visage.

“Duo!” I whisper harshly, although my heart rate has quickened to a rather alarming rate. He’s already beginning to peel out of his suit and at the first sign of his bare torso, I move forward to press the button which slowly brings down a black partition to shield us from the chauffeur’s view.

“Aww man, and I so wanted to give him a good show,” Duo drawls as he tugs my tie to pull me towards the middle of the spacious car.

“Let the sounds fuel his imagination,” I mutter thickly and promptly seize his lips in a crushing kiss that sends us toppling to the floor.

Needless to say, the long ride to Woodruff will eventually end up being the shortest and most pleasurable trip I’ll ever take.

---

Woodruff University
5.45pm:

Hand sanitizers and wet handi-pak wipes, have to suffice as towels for cleaning up as best as we can. For the life of me, I simply cannot stop blushing at what has just taken place. Even though we are as decent as we were at the funeral, one looking at us really closely can tell that we have either run a marathon or we are flushed due to a round of mind-blowing car sex. I have to turn up the collars of my shirt since Duo was kind enough to leave his ‘mark’ on me. He laughs and says it makes me look cool, but I doubt Zechs would assume that at first glance. I’m definitely sure that the blond will notice and be quick to put two and two together. He’s quite sharp and perverted like that.

As the car pulls up to the grand gates leading to the University, I stare at my flushed reflection on the window. My eyes are still slightly dark, my lips swollen – thank goodness for the clothes or Zechs will get an eyeful of red marks on my arms and back – in fact, someone only need stamp ‘Just Had Sex!’ on my forehead.

“You okay, Heero?” Duo asks with faint amusement even though his brows are furrowed with concern. “You’re shaking and stuff.”

How can he act so cool about this?! He looks even more obvious than I am. His once neat braid seems to have unraveled a bit and he’s not even making any attempt to set it right.

“I’m fine,” I reply softly, gripping unto the edge of the seat as the car makes its way down the long boulevard.

Duo, in his excitement, opens the window and sticks his head out of it and to my chagrin begins to wave happily to several students who are walking to their dorms, sitting on the lawns or just talking. Many of them wave back with amusement or simply gape at the crazy young man – at least I assume they’d think that. I mean, we’re in a shiny new limousine, pulling into a college. Of course we’re bound to draw attention!

“Duo, sit down!” I whisper through clenched teeth, reaching out to tug the hem of his jacket. “We’re making a scene.”

But he’s not listening to me. “Excuse me!” he calls out to two girls on the sidewalk. He taps the partition and the driver willingly stops. I groan and press myself as tightly as I can to the seat, hoping the girls wouldn’t look in to see me. Thankfully, all I can hear is their giggles as Duo does most of the talking. He compliments them on their looks and clothing and it amuses me to know that these older girls have no idea they are flirting with a high school student. Duo, ever the charmer, manages to ask about Zechs’ dorm room and not surprisingly, the girls are quick to answer. It’s obvious that Zechs is just as popular as he was in Fujisaki.

Duo thanks them and to my disbelief tries to ask for their phone numbers! With a fierce yank, I tug him back into the car and yell for the driver to continue towards Brown Hall (as said by the girls).

“Their phone numbers?” I ask with a raised brow.

“I’ve got to brag about being friends with college girls, Heero,” he replies with a smirk. “It builds my rep. Anyway this school is pretty cool…the buildings look kinda old too.”

That’s because Woodruff is the second oldest university in the country…Kensington being the oldest, of course. Both schools are fierce rivals and being only two hours apart doesn’t help much. It only fuels the rivalry as students from each school take pleasure in trash-talking the other. Duo continues to stare out the window (doesn’t stick his head out though) and I am forced to look at our surroundings as well. We seem to be approaching a much quieter section of the campus. Funny, I had thought that with it being a Saturday, they’d be more parties around the grounds but as we make our way past a sign with the words ‘Brown Hall’ written on it, the relative quiet is bemusing.

“Not so much a party school, is it?” Duo asks with a light chuckle.

“Or maybe they just moved to another section of the school…”

The car crawls to a stop and my panic – which I had thought under control – rises to the surface again.

“Duo…” I lick my lips as he gives a whoop of excitement. “Maybe I should just sit in the car…”

“Why?” He stares at me and then places a hand upon my forehead as if checking my temperature. “Why are you so scared of him?”

“I’m not scared!” I reply quickly, but deep down maybe I am. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ll have to see the boy I had always envied and yet admired. Or maybe it’s the fact that I’ll have to see an ex-president again. How well do I stack up to him? Will he be disappointed in the job I’ve done so far? But then again…why should he care about that? He’s got his own problems to deal with and thinking about high school and some kid he left behind should be the least of his worries.

Duo leans close to kiss me – a slow, lingering kiss that has me moaning in gratitude and growing pleasure. “You’ll be fine,” he whispers against my lips. “Just think…he might even be nervous to see us as well.”

And with that enigmatic statement, Duo lets himself out of the car and waits for me to join him.

---

Brown Hall
6.15pm:

To be honest, Brown Hall and its surroundings are very impressive. It gave one the impression of standing before a medieval castle with its stone gray walls covered with crawling vines and its long narrow windows. There was no moat or drawbridge to lead us to the building but rather a well-designed parking lot (with some expensive looking cars parked there) and even more trees to provide a safe cocoon around the dormitory. Duo and I stopped to read the inscription on the wall and according to it, Brown Hall was one of the first buildings constructed on the grounds. It was named after Lord Forteloy Brown, a philanthropist in the early eighteenth century. It had actually been a main school building but it had been renovated and rebuilt to become a dormitory for students. Interesting little information there.

As we climb the small flight of stairs leading into the dorm, several students suddenly rush out with loud cheers, causing Duo and I to lean against the wrought iron balustrade, so as not to get knocked to the ground. They are all wearing the school colors of crimson and gold and none of them pay much attention to us as they all run across the parking lot and towards their cars.

“PAAARTAAAY!!” Some of them scream and I exchange a look with Duo. See?

“It’s a Saturday night!” he says with a laugh. “Of course they’re bound to party!”

“And he couldn’t be any more correct,” comes the oh-so-familiar deep voice that has me yelping a little in surprise. I turn around quickly, my heart now racing so fast, I fear I’ll faint. And sure enough there he is – the former President of Fujisaki High School and I swear he looks just as he did as a senior! Well besides a growth spurt and the fact that he’s dressed in a pair of casual brown slacks and a crimson and gold cardigan.

“If we all stuck to the books all the time,” he continues, his blue eyes lighting up with mischief. “We’d all become frigid little tight-asses. Wouldn’t you agree, Heero? But then again, we should be glad that you’re not as virginal anymore. I am sure that your ass has been…”

“Thank you, Zechs,” I interrupt curtly, even though my cheeks are flaming with color. “Yes, I am no longer a virgin and I have been fucked plenty of times. So if we’re done with the preliminary greetings…”

“Oooh, someone’s cranky, even though…” And to my dismay, Zechs leans close to flip my collar down a little. I’m too slow to swat his hand away as he bursts into laughter. “So you really did do it after all, Duo! I’m in awe.”

I look at Duo with surprise and he only shrugs while trying not to laugh as well. “Come on, Zechs, take us to your room. It’s getting chilly out here.”

“All right, follow and stick to me. The hallways can get pretty confusing at times.”

Still fuming at Zechs’ ‘greeting’ and Duo’s obvious support, I follow them into the bustling lobby (from the outside it certainly didn’t look this noisy). There’s a help desk where several students are currently lining up for…

“Passes,” Zechs explains as he notices my quizzical look. “To leave the school grounds, you’ve got to have a pass. Can you believe that?”

I can but I keep my opinions to myself. Not surprisingly, Zechs is hailed and greeted by most of the students we walk past and like Duo, he’s got plenty of charm and charisma to go around. Duo continues to ask questions and as I watch him, I’m aware that he really is genuinely curious about the school and its history. I bite my lower lip in growing worry, knowing that if Duo does decide to go to college and attend Woodruff…

I can stay with him.

No! What am I thinking?! I can’t attend this school! I’ve always liked Kensington and…and…

And he’s definitely not going to want to attend. You can tell he belongs in a place like this. This is Duo’s element. There’s fun and excitement in the air and Kensington’s too stuffy a place for such a free spirit.

My heart skips a beat as I look at them again. I bet they’ve even forgotten I exist! I have to skip two stairs to catch up to them and when Zechs places his hand upon Duo’s shoulder while pointing out several trophies and sports memorabilia along the walls, it’s all I can do not to scream or punch that blond’s smug…

“Isn’t it cool, Heero?” Duo asks and I blink at him in confusion.

“What?”

“I do believe he’s not interested in things like these,” Zechs says with a smile. “You’re more of a Kensington fan, aren’t you?”

“And what if I am?” I reply coldly.

He holds up his hands in surrender. “Just making an observation, Heero. It’s your decision.”
He gives me a hard look which has me feeling ashamed for a moment. I have to remember that this man is…was my mentor and he has helped me out a lot in the past.

“Ah, and here we are. My humble abode.”

We’ve reached a quiet corridor with doors on either side and as he slips a key into the keyhole (he’s in room 32B), we are finally given a chance to see what living with Zechs would be like.

“Wow,” Duo whispers as we step in slowly.

And wow, indeed! It’s a single bedroom – just about as big as my living/bedroom back home. The walls are made of stone and look so out of place with the modern appliances within it. There’s a narrow bed – unmade with four large white, black sheets and a school-themed blanket strewn across it. There’s a small desk beside it with a laptop open, several textbooks, an oversized mug, a desk lamp and several other knick knacks. It’s directly facing the window, so one has a good and rather picturesque view of the sprawling lawns behind the dormitory. At a corner of the room is a shelf filled with even more books – both school books and fiction, several awards (debate, student council recognition – no surprise there, equestrian and swimming). There are some pictures of him and his friends (several with a beautiful dark-haired woman draped on his arm), his parents and Relena and to my surprise, a picture of the Student Council at Fujisaki with Duo and I standing beside him. It was a picture we had taken at Zechs farewell party last year. I flush at the sight and catch his gaze which is now filled with amusement.

There’s a mini-entertainment center complete with a small television, a CD player (with over a million CDs it seems) and a DVD player (and yes, DVDs to go with it as well). I notice several rather graphic titles on the floor and shake my head in disbelief. I can only assume that porn goes well after a long hard day of studying. There’s also a video game console and it seems like Zechs had been playing a game since the TV screen still has the characters frozen in mid-fight. Two dumbbells peek from beneath the table along with a pair of well-worn sneakers beside it.

There’s a small fridge at the left side of the room with a cupboard above it to house cups and plates. There’s also a closet a few inches away from the bed and two large crimson and gold bean bag chairs to complete the picture. All in all, it’s a very comfortable room – a haven away from home with all the amenities a young man could want.

Of course Kensington’s dorm rooms are more spacious…but we won’t go there.

“So? What do you think?” he asks as he pops open a can of beer while motioning for Duo and I to pick out whatever we want from the fridge. He sinks into a beanbag and smiles. “Good? Bad? Could use a feminine touch?”

“I like it! Definitely suits a guy like you,” Duo replies with a firm nod. He helps himself to a can of orange juice, asks me with a silent nod and I shrug in agreement. He sits beside me on the bed and gives me the cold drink, which I am grateful for. My throat suddenly feels incredibly dry.

“Suits a guy like me, huh?” Zechs replies with a laugh. “And just what kind of a guy am I?”

Oh, you do not want to get me started on that, but again I keep my comments to myself and drink thirstily. Luckily, he shifts away from that particular topic and begins to ask us questions about Fujisaki. He says he hears only snippets from Relena and even then, she hardly makes sense most of the time. Duo and I tell him everything, well as much as we can anyway. As we get to Hamida’s case, a thunderous scowl breaks out on his visage and I can’t help the shiver that creeps down my spine. It’s a look I’ll always remember since its Zechs trademark sign of intense annoyance. He only had that whenever something wasn’t carried out properly and to his specific instructions or whenever he had to deal with wayward students. However, when we told Zechs about the way we had stopped him, he almost choked on his drink in disbelief, laughing and saying that we’ve got to be the craziest group of friends he’s ever heard of yet.

“So what’s this about a funeral?” he suddenly asks and I feel Duo stiffen beside me. I wonder if he’ll want to tell Zechs everything and I mean everything – including Eleanor.

He takes a huge gulp from the can and then leans back on the bed with a soft sigh. “I told you it was going to be a long story,” he begins quietly. “So hope you’ve got the time.”

Zechs, noticing that this is going to be a rather serious discussion, nods and rises to his feet. He picks up a sign from the desk and moves to place it outside his door. He locks it, pulls the chair from the desk towards us, straddles it, places his hands upon its back and pins us with an intense blue gaze.

“All right, Duo,” he finally says. “Start talking.”

---

By the time Duo’s through, sunlight has faded into darkness and the silence in the room is heavy and slightly tense. Zechs hasn’t said a word since Duo’s last sentence almost five minutes ago and his gaze seems transfixed on an area on the ceiling.

I shift restlessly and steal a glance at Duo but he too seems lost in thought as if wondering why he had spilled so much.

Finally, Zechs lowers his gaze to look at us again and in a calm voice, he says, “Take whatever is given to you.”

We both blink at him in surprise but his gaze doesn’t waver.

“You should walk into that room tomorrow with your head held high, Duo,” he explains. “You’ve got to have the balls to face those assholes, friend. If your father – who does have the final say in whatever the hell happens to his property – wants you to have his entire company or whatever else…you should take it and make him damn proud of making such a decision. I don’t care for family politics and yes, I’m sure Emily and her family’s all up in arms and trying to bully their way through the Will, but it all boils down to you, Duo. They want you to give up. They want you to go away because you’re a threat. Because they know that if Eleanor hadn’t screwed up, you’d be the one in charge. You might be illegitimate in the eyes of the law – and screw that anyway – but in the eyes of God, your father and those who knew him well – you were and are always going to be the rightful heir to his fortune.”

Zechs smiles. “So whatever they say tomorrow, it’s all yours and you should make no apologies for it. You didn’t ask to be born or raised the way you were and this is karma’s way of saying ‘Kudos!.’ You deserve every penny and if the Garveys don’t like it, they can kiss your ass. Daniel’s not going to leave his immediate family penniless. I mean think about it! Who’s really benefiting with you not being around? Definitely not Gabriel or Amanda or even Emily.”

Duo and I look at each other, our eyes widening in realization. “You think,” I begin slowly. “You think Doctor Garvey and…”

“Yes,” Zechs replies firmly as he rises to his feet and stretches his arms above his head. “The old man will have power and authority over his daughter and if you refuse to accept your share, it’s going to go to Emily. And who’s going to be in charge of that? Well, it’s going to be daddy dearest and his oldest son. Hey, I’m not dating a pre-law student for nothing you know.”

“But they can contest the Will in court, can’t they?” A sudden image of hours spent in a courtroom comes to mind and I do not want to go through that with Duo.

“Yes, they can do that…if they want to look stupid that is. Emily’s going to have to be the one to want to go through all the rigmarole and I doubt she’s the kind of woman who’d want that. If Daniel made a taped recording of his Will, clearly stating his wishes as well, it would be even better and the Garveys would have nothing to work with.”

“They could always say that Daniel wasn’t of sane mind,” I continue needing to know that things will be all right.

“Yes, they might say that but Archibald and Harold were his witnesses, weren’t they? And if there was also a lawyer with them at the time, that’s three solid backups to fall back on. Do you understand me now?”

“Son of a bitch,” Duo whispers in disbelief.

“Yes, it is. So now that we’re done with all the legal mumbo jumbo,” He claps his hands firmly and grins widely at us. “What say we go out and have us a beer or two. We’ve got to celebrate Duo’s new status in the upper echelon of society!”

“But we’re underage…”I begin. Duo still looks dazed at Zechs’ eye-opening comments.

“Underage? Please. Do you have any idea who you are talking to? Once they see me, they’ll let you in free of charge!” The blond laughs heartily and I swear, at this very minute, he’s the most amazing man in the world.

“Zechs…” I swallow tightly as Duo’s eyes fill with tears. “You are such a pain-in-the-ass.”

And as if on cue, Duo and I tackle him to the floor with twin hugs of relief and gratitude. Hey, I’ll even suffer him groping me for a while……………… although attempting to kiss Duo on the lips is not going to be happening anytime soon!

And as I try to shove his face away from my boyfriend’s, I feel incredibly happy and relieved that Duo bullied his way to get us here. How ironic to think that a voice of reason would turn out to be this sadist. Wonders, as they say, will never ever cease.


~End Period Twenty-Four~


P.S: I promise not to drink more than a glass of beer tonight.