Rating: R

Warnings: Language, AU, Heero’s POV

 

 

The Junior President:

 

Wednesday Morning:

 

“Good luck, Heero.”

 

“Hey man, good luck!”

 

“Gooood luck, Heeeeeroo!”

 

“Knock ‘em dead, Yuy!”

 

“Make us proud, Mister Yuy.”

 

Oh god. My head is about to explode.

 

My shoulders are literally burning with the sting of all the friendly pats or hugs of encouragement from students and teachers alike. All my worries and concerns melt away with each stride onto the school grounds. I wasn’t sure of what to expect especially considering what I had overhead during Duo and Broken Nose’s conversation the other day…or even after what Duo had said to me afterwards.

 

/Winning is dirty business./

 

Of course I know that. Nobody gets anywhere in this world without getting his or her hands elbow deep in bullshit. If it means kissing a whole lot of asses and sucking up till your jaws ache, then so be it. Knowing the right kind of people is the key to any successful venture. Be at the right place at the right time and know the right people. Very important.

 

“Heero!”

 

I smile warmly at the girl who’s running towards me. Relena looks exceptionally pretty today and her flushed cheeks and twinkling blue eyes are an indication that she’s just as excited as I am about today.

 

“What’s up?”

 

“Everything’s all set,” she explains as she begins to lead me into the large auditorium. “It’s been organized in this order. Kenzo, Duo and then you, last.”

 

“Why?” I didn’t mean to say that so quickly but I can feel a warning bell chiming rather loudly in my head. If Duo goes first and brings down the house, how in the world am I supposed to top that?

 

“What’s the matter?” she asks with a puzzled frown. “I thought you’d like to go last since it’s a chance for you to refute whatever Duo has to say against you.” She stops and pins her gaze on me, her blue eyes serious and rather intense. “Don’t get me wrong, Heero. As much as I love Duo and wish you two would just screw each other already…”

 

I think I must be as bright red as a Christmas bow.

 

“…I want you to win this, Heero. You’ve been here longer and you’ve been through more shit than he has. So, make me…us proud, okay?”

 

I know who the ‘us’ is. She and Zechs. They’ve both been staunch supporters of me from the moment I walked through Fujisaki’s doors. Well actually, Relena had approached me from the beginning and made it clear that I ‘belonged’ to her and no one else. I hadn’t minded really and besides, getting myself a girlfriend at the time had been the furthest thing from my mind. All I had wanted was to study, study…become president…and study some more.

 

Well, we all know that those plans have taken a rather sharp detour.

 

“I promise,” I finally respond as I lean forward to place a tender kiss on her forehead. I guess I shouldn’t have done so because a sudden bright flash almost causes us to go blind.

 

“What the hell…?”

 

“Steve, you moron!” Relena cries out in frustration. “You do not take pictures until the debate starts! It’s for the school paper, remember?! Film costs money! Money!”

 

“But this could be a sub headline – ‘Has Heero Yuy dumped Duo Maxwell for his Princess?”

 

I groan inwardly and walk away from the now bickering couple. The hall is still being outfitted with last minute decorations and sound checks. The large white banner with the words ‘The Presidential Debate’ written in black, adorns the expanse of the wide stage. A speaker’s podium with our school’s emblem stands in the middle and two students hover around it, checking for appropriate microphone heights and if the equipment itself works.

 

“Testing…oouch!”

 

I think we all wince and cover our ears at the ridiculously loud squeal that erupts from the large but unseen speakers that surround the auditorium.

 

“Someone please check the speakers!” Dorothy, who I hadn’t really noticed until now, bellows as she strides down one of the aisles and towards the podium. From what I can see, it looks like our ‘fan club’ is the one in charge of the event. There are a lot of girls in here and a few boys who are helping with blue and white crepe streamers that are being hung on the other side of the hall.

 

It’s all a bustle of activity and I settle myself in one of the chairs on the very last row, closing my eyes to think through my carefully planned words for the day. I am going to make it quick, straight to the point but yet humorous and witty. Trowa and I had worked all night on the speech, while Wufei and Quatre had made excuses for not showing up. I think they must have been helping Duo, but I can’t say for sure.

 

“Hey there, future president.”

 

I smile but don’t open my eyes as I feel the seats beside me move a little as their occupants settle in.

 

“You skipped breakfast. Too nervous?” Wufei asks.

 

“No. I’m perfectly fine.”

 

“Not surprising,” Trowa agrees. “You did good last night.”

 

“Thanks, Trowa,” I open up my eyes and try to glare at Quatre and my dark-haired friend. “You two could have helped out, you know.”

 

“Ah well…we were…”

 

“Tired,” Wufei finishes with a light shrug and a small yawn. “If we had stayed, we wouldn’t have been much help to you anyway.”

 

“And did Duo think the same thing too?”

 

I wonder why I sound so bitter.

 

Quatre blinks in confusion. Wufei snorts. “Jealous much?”

 

“I am not…”

 

“We didn’t help Duo with anything. I went straight home actually,” Quatre says with a light frown of consternation. I suddenly feel sorry for doubting my friend. I honestly don’t know what Duo has planned to say this morning and he keeps being so damn secretive about everything. It’s really aggravating.

 

“…to him?”

 

“Huh?” I stare blankly at Trowa and he asks again.

 

“I asked if you had spoken to Duo this morning.”

 

I shake my head softly. “No, I…”

 

“We saw him talking to someone in a black limo on our way in,” Quatre says quietly. Now, this gets my attention. I sit up and they all nod at my unspoken question.

 

“We couldn’t see who it was inside, but Duo looked upset. We weren’t close, but I was sure he was yelling at the person and then he stomped off just like that. The car was there for a few more minutes and we wanted to walk over to see, but before we could take a step, it pulled away from the school grounds.”

 

“Did you see its license plate?” I ask quickly.

 

Trowa was about to shake his head but Wufei interrupted coolly. “It looked like any regular license plate. There was nothing extraordinary about it. We see limos pull up to school everyday, don’t we?”

 

“Did. You. Get. The. Number?” I ask through tightly clenched teeth. They all snicker at my impatience and I swear I am this close to killing them.

 

“Here you go.” Trowa shoves a piece of paper into my hand and I open it quickly.

 

“XT-398S.” I read and mutter the letters and numbers over again before lifting my head to stare at them incredulously. “Are you kidding me? This is a …?”

 

“Government car,” they finish in unison.

 

“ALL RIGHT EVERYONE! IF YOU’RE NOT A MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE OR IN THE RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, PLEASE LEAVE THE AUDITORIUM IMMEDIATELY. THANK YOU.”

 

My friends get to their feet but I can barely hear them. They’re wishing me good luck, I’m sure but my mind’s already churning with a million and one possible scenarios. A black limousine. Duo upset. Government official license plates.

 

Why had Duo laughed at me when I had suggested his father was an author? Was he laughing because his family is much more important than that? So what had he meant when he had said that he had not seen his family in a long time? Had Duo been pulling my leg again? Did the person in the limousine have any connection to Duo? Ah! Why am I thinking about him so much? I should be worried about my speech and not about Duo’s family issues.

 

I close my eyes and begin to take deep steady breaths. That’s right. I came here to win an election. I have no time to dwell on a boy whose past is as mysterious as his damn presence.

 

Speak of the devil, Duo comes walking into the auditorium with a small smile on his face. He looks normal enough to me as I lift a hand to respond to the wave he had given to me. He mouths a ‘good luck’ and I do the same and then to my immense surprise (and pleasure), he winks and caresses his hip gently. It’s a quick movement that only I can understand. It’s a rather silly thing we had decided to do whenever we thought of each other or as Duo had put it – our secret good luck charm. I flush and lower my gaze to my flash cards, my own hand straying to the tattoo that’s hidden beneath layers of cloth. We had been pretty close then and it’s hard to believe it had been less than a month ago.

 

I swallow tightly and lift my head with a determined look on my features. It’s show time, boys and girls. I will focus on getting my message across to the students. Our ‘friendship’ will have to be put on hold for now. I’ve got more important things to deal with.

 

 

__

 

 

In less than an hour, we have a packed auditorium. The three of us have been made to sit behind the speaker’s podium and I am already thinking it’s a pretty bad position to be in. If Duo gets up, I’d be given a clear view of his ass (and yes, I have noticed it more times than I’d like to admit). To be honest, I have no qualms about staring at it, but I have a feeling that I’ll lose my concentration and end up walking rather stiffly when I do get up.

 

I notice that my friends are somewhere in the third row and they’re grinning and giving Duo and I the thumbs up sign. The fan club has occupied the first two rows and to my embarrassment, they are all wearing badges featuring Duo and I. Some have even accessorized themselves with scarves or berets or socks and t-shirts with our names on it! I wonder how poor Kenzo must feel knowing he’s in the minority at this point.

 

I steal a glance at Duo and notice him frowning in thought as he goes through his cards. He looks jittery again. It’s the same restless motion I had noticed in the courtroom. His entire body seems to thrum with suppressed energy and I know that he’s more than eager to get up there and sway the crowd in his favor. I sigh inwardly and force my gaze away only to catch Zechs’s warm blue ones giving me silent encouragement. He’s standing in the wings, while the Principal still chatters on about the importance of school elections. Finally, he’s done and a noticeable sigh of relief escapes the students. Zechs is introduced and the crowd screams in approval – you can only imagine whose squeals are the loudest.

 

Ever the showman, the senior president walks up to the podium and opens up that damn fan of his. Everyone screams again in approval for its the blond’s signature move that something ‘monumental’ is about to happen. I groan and then start in surprise as I notice that Duo’s chuckling softly. I meet his amused violet eyes and he makes a circular motion at his temple.

 

Crazy.

 

I can’t help the small smile that comes to my lips. Yeah, Zechs might be nuts but we are the ones trying to take his position. Doesn’t that make us even crazier, Duo?

 

The senior president finally finishes his speech and Relena comes up to announce the first person to speak. The students, staff and Duo and I of course, clap politely as Kenzo walks up to take his place. He’s a very good public speaker and his voice is heard quite clearly in the silent hall as he begins his speech. His points are pretty generic. He promises to see that students get more time for extra curricular activities, better food and drink for the cafeteria, a reduction in bullying and juvenile delinquency by enforcing tougher rules (this gets a few catcalls and boos, but Kenzo doesn’t budge). All in all, it is a rather impressive speech and he does get a good response afterwards.

 

Relena walks up the podium again and gives a warm smile to Kenzo and to us. “And next up, is Duo Maxwell…”

 

A squeal from some overzealous girl has everyone laughing and to my surprise, Duo actually blushes at that. Relena makes a silencing motion with her finger and continues.

 

“As I was saying, next up is Duo Maxwell! Please give a warm round of applause for our next junior president? Your call!”

 

The hall seems to erupt in a thunderous applause but there are a few wary students (seniors mostly) who aren’t too excited about the long-haired boy. Duo rises to his feet and places a soft kiss on Relena’s cheek. The girl flushes and swats his arm playfully. Damn him! He’s such a…

 

He winks at me and I scowl in return. Winning is a dirty game, Duo. Why don’t you show me how it’s done.

 

He holds up his hands to silence the eager crowd and I’m unaware that I’m now holding my breath…while struggling not to stare at his ass for too long. I have no idea why he’s taken off his school jacket. That would have helped my cause a bit, but no, he’s left me to stare at it. Dear god, my hands are itching so badly. I just want to caress…

 

“Two years ago, I was just a humble high school student in the backwaters of Furiken.”

 

The students ‘oooh’ and boo and some laugh. They aren’t laughing at Duo per se, but rather at the name ‘Furiken’. They’ve always been a rival to Fujisaki and god knows there’s no love lost between the two schools. Duo holds up his hands again to silence the raucous crowd. I notice that a few of the staff are already squirming in their seats. Heh, this should be interesting.

 

“In my days there – lost and wandering like a boy with no future – I wondered what would become of a person like me. Would I continue to wallow in the pit of despair when I could find a better school to host my incredible talents?”

 

The crowd screams a resounding ‘NO’ and someone yells ‘Furiken Sucks!’

 

“Yes, indeed, my friend!” Duo agrees with a look of pure suffering on his features. “Furiken does suck in every way possible! And believe me, I’m just not talking about the amount of you-know-what you have to appease to get anywhere!”

 

The students burst out laughing and even I have a hard time trying to keep a straight face. Now, the faculty is really beginning to look uncomfortable. Let’s just hope that Duo can manage to make this debate a family-friendly one.

 

“But seriously, fellow students, this isn’t about Furiken and its weak ways. This isn’t about my pitiable past. This is about…our FUTURE!”

 

He bangs his hand upon the podium for emphasis and this gets a resounding and rather predictable applause of approval. Duo looks like he’s probably born for this damn thing. His features look so…alive. His eyes flash with genuine amusement and enjoyment and so far, it’s only him on the stage. The rest of us can take a back seat and just enjoy the ride.

 

“Yes…our future, my dear students.” He walks away from the podium and begins to pace the stage still talking at the same time. “And believe me when I say that I saw the future of Fujisaki two years ago! No, don’t laugh. I kid you not, my dear friends.” He stops and faces them completely and as if on cue, the entire student body falls silent. They feel that Duo’s about to get to the point.

 

“I was just a freshman then,” he begins and for some reason I can’t explain, I feel my heartbeat quickening in response. There is a light tilt to his voice but yet it retains that depth that sends shivers down my spine. I clamp my thighs together and try hard to even my breathing.

 

“A freshman with hopes of only graduating someday and working in some damn food processing plant making cans of tuna for people to eat or something.” This gets a few laughs but the crowd falls silent again. Listening. Waiting.

 

“And then…and then…I met him.”

 

I think my heart has stopped beating.

 

“I met the future of Fujisaki High. He came in the flesh to that -school not worthy to be mentioned - and I…”

 

Don’t…don’t look at me…!

 

But he does! The damn bastard does look at me and then he…smiles.

 

Someone gasps beside me – Kenzo probably – but I don’t care. You have to be here to see why he’s reacting this way or why I can’t seem to get my mind to function right now. When people say they’ve seen ‘beautiful’ smiles, I think I can finally understand what they truly mean. It’s simply hard to put into words but take my word for it, Duo has a smile that’s priceless.

 

“I didn’t know it then…”

 

Why is he still looking at me?! Shouldn’t he be speaking to the audience?!

 

“…but I had a feeling that I’d meet him again. Or maybe I should say…I wanted to see him again. Your school won the debate then and I knew why. Here was a guy who could fight for what he believed in. I thought to myself…damn! If he were running for a party, I’d vote for him in a heartbeat. I wanted to be near a guy like that – smart, athletic, responsible…funny even when he doesn’t mean to.”

 

A few students laugh and I can feel my cheeks heating up again.

 

“And so I came to this school…to be with him…”

 

Oh god…Duo…not in front of everyone!

 

“Well…I certainly didn’t think I’d end up making everyone think we were dating or anything.” Laughter again. “But I didn’t mind. I had come to this school for one purpose and this is the reason why!”

 

He turns to the crowd again. “I don’t have any great leadership skills. Sure I can lead a bunch of you on some party spree but when it comes to matters that involve your welfare as well as mine, you can be sure that he’s the right guy for you! He’s been in this school way longer than I have. He’s known most of you…been in your classes…eaten your food…played on your grounds and I believe is more suited to be your leader for the rest of the school year and when he becomes a senior.”

 

He glances back at me again and continues quietly. “I came to this school to make sure he gets there. I want him to be my president and I’ll do anything in my power to make sure he becomes it.”

 

“So you have a choice, people!” He steps away from the podium again and motions for me to get up. But I’m frozen in place. I can’t move. I can’t think. I just can’t do… anything! What the hell is Duo doing to me? What is he saying?! Is he out of the running? Had all of that rival crap just been a way to get more people interested in the election? Had he been trying to show everyone that I could be human too?

 

“Either you vote for Heero Yuy as your next President…or you can vote for…” He cranes his neck to a flushed Kenzo and grins. “… the other guy! Come up here, Heero! Come and take a bow!”

 

Someone begins to clap – a single monotonous sound that ricochets off the walls of the grand hall.

 

Only one…how embarrassing.

 

But to my surprise and amazement, another one joins and then they begin to stand up slowly – all of them - the applause growing louder by the second as I continue to gape helplessly.

 

Duo leans close to whisper in my ear. “What the hell are you waiting for, president? Get up there and say something to them!”

 

Someone begins to call my name and then…

 

“HEERO! HEERO! HEERO! HEERO! HEEERO!!”

 

They’re all chanting my name. Even the faculty are on their feet. My heart…ah man…this is so not a time to get emotional, but I can’t help it. I squeeze Duo’s hand gently and he places a kiss, so quick that no one else would have noticed it, on my cheek before pushing me forward on legs that feel like lead.

 

I stare at the thousand and some odd, students in the large room – all clapping, screaming, smiling and yelling my name. My name. Not Duo’s. Not Kenzo’s. Not even Zechs’. I have been with most of these people for almost four years and for the first time in my life…I feel like I actually belong.

 

So this is what being in school is all about. This is what I have always dreamed of and it’s finally coming true.

 

I glance behind me to smile at the boy who’s brought me this far and for a heart stopping minute, I allow myself to remain lost in the warmth in his eyes.

 

I’m going to have to think of a way to repay him for this.

 

And I feel I have an idea of what it’s going to be.

 

It’s going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I might just have to offer the most fragile and greatest gift ever…

 

…myself.

 

 

~End Period Seventeen~