Chapter Twenty:

Maxwell’s Legacy (1):

 

Wednesday, 4.15pm:

 

For the benefit of those of you with short attention spans…or maybe it’s just because I’m way too tired to go into details, I’ll try to summarize what happened after the whole debacle with Hamida as best I can.

 

Needless to say, the past two days have been a whirlwind of actions and reactions. As it turned out, Trowa had indeed punched Hamida in the face, which would explain the blood we had seen on the guy’s forehead. According to Trowa, Hamida had begun to shake him roughly, causing the carefully taped (at least we thought it was) microphone to slip a little beneath his shirt. Hamida was quick to notice it and all but ripped open Trowa’s shirt in his fit of rage. Trowa, realizing that he was now in trouble, had lashed out without really thinking. He was so mad, he told us, thinking of all the kids Hamida had made junkies over the past few months and especially upset about what had happened to Quatre. Of course, Quatre had cut in saying by saying he wasn’t a junkie. He just wasn’t feeling too good thanks to a mild bout of food poisoning. Either way, Hamida had gotten him by the neck and began to wave the scalpel all over his face. What was a boy to do but obey the homicidal maniac? The last thing I heard regarding Hamida was that he was going to be charged with assault, sexual harassment of a minor(s) and of course, possession and distribution of illegal drugs. I would definitely love to be in court on the day of his trial.

 

Meanwhile, we were sent to Kamishiro’s office, where there were other members of the school board, who looked as if they had been sucker-punched by some powerful but yet invisible force. It was a great moment for the students to shine in every sense of the word and as we played the tape for them, you could see their features slackening with disbelief or getting paler and paler with each word uttered by Hamida. It was no surprise that Kamishiro’s first action was to try not to let this get to the Press, but apparently, he had forgotten the power of his students. You see, those who had been in school at the time, went home to tell their parents and friends about it and on Tuesday morning, the school gate was swarmed with an angry mob of parents and the curious Press alike, all demanding to know how the administration could have allowed such a thing to happen in their school without their knowledge.

 

At the assembly that morning, Kamishiro, looking rather pale and sickly, had asked that all students involved in Hamida’s drug scandal were to turn themselves in quietly. A mandatory drug test would be given to all students for the next two days, so everyone was to cooperate with the medical team that was going to be sent in. He also (and very reluctantly I’m sure) recognized the eight of us for our hard work in putting a stop to Hamida’s ‘diabolical’ plans and despite some mild boos we got – no doubt from the students who had relied on the ex-Biology teacher for their daily fixes – the much louder cheers we received made it all worthwhile. Of course, Duo tried to milk the moment by taking the podium to make a short speech. I think it went a little something like this:

 

“Thank you, thank you, you fine ladies and gentlemen. It’s an honor to be standing in your presence this fine morning for you see, what we are being praised for was nothing more than sheer guts and geniuses on our part. So, just in case there are some fucktards out there that think they can send me death threats just because I ratted you out, I’d like to extend a challenge to meet me after school, mano-a-mano and then we can have a nice long talk with our…”

 

“Thank you, Maxwell,” Kamishiro cut coldly, while shoving Duo to the side with a glare and yet to rousing applause and laughter from the rest of the students.

 

But Duo, ever the showman, still managed to have the last laugh because as we made our way down the stairs and back to our seats, he lifted his hands in a V sign for victory and yelled out a loud ‘Down with Oppression!’ which was echoed by many students.

 

He got a week’s detention for his valiant efforts.

 

After school on Tuesday, I called a meeting of the Student Council which included all the Class Presidents, their assistants, Club Presidents and the reluctant and almost shame-faced sports team Captains. My plan was simple and straight to the point. They would all have to speak to their classmates, club members or team members about the incident. All students who had been involved with Hamida or were still in possession of the drugs would have to confess or risk the chance of being expelled from the school. It was a harsh policy but after speaking to Kamishiro, The Buzzard, Mr. Williams, who was in charge of Student Government Affairs as well as Chairman Kyoshiro, they all agreed that it was the best course of action.

 

Today, there was a PTA meeting of sorts that took place in the auditorium after school. Over a hundred parents showed up, all either angry or curious to know what direction the school was going to take after such a public disgrace. Many were threatening to remove their children from the school and for the first time in my life, I think I actually began to feel a bit sorry for Kamishiro. The past two days have taken a toll on him and he’s beginning to look his age and even act like that sometimes. I had to attend this meeting by the way and to my chagrin, I became the unofficial spokesperson for the rest of the staff. It seemed as if the teachers had gone mute and they left me to deal with the questions half of the time. But I think I did well. I managed to convince the parents that Fujisaki was a strong and resilient school and would be able to bounce back from the scandal. I told them that many of the results from the drug tests were coming back negative which meant that most of their children were clean and free of all possible charges. The few students who were indeed caught were either sent to counseling or required to leave the school for at least a week or two of rehabilitation at a local Center for Youths in Crisis.  

 

Ah yes, Kamui had returned to school yesterday and I’ve got to tell you that I’ve never seen the boy smile as much as he did when he saw Duo and I in the hallway. Short of hugging us like long lost brothers, he settled for bowing repeatedly until Duo warned him about having a broken neck or suffering whiplash before long. He said he had been unable to come on Monday because his father had been really sick and he felt he ought to stay home for some time. (Duo had looked slightly guilty when Kamui said that by the way.) However, Kamui was slightly upset that he had missed all the fun with Hamida and I was quick to remind him that he still had a lot of school work to catch up with. Needless to say, Maiku (the guy who likes Kamui) was by his side to help him through it all and watching those two talking - every now and again blushing like teenage girls - was a beautiful thing to see.

 

So, that’s pretty much a run down of what happened the past two days. I’m on my way home now, tired and really determined to get myself a car by the end of the school year. The bus was late in arriving and I waited at the bus stop for almost half an hour before it finally showed up. Duo had left school early as usual, hoping to see his mom or to get her out of bed at least. Eleanor was still cooping herself up at home and hadn’t gone out for quite some time. Duo says that she barely eats and he’s really beginning to get worried about her. I hate to say that I am too. I mean if she’s this glum about Saito’s lies, I wonder how she’ll react if Saito’s sleeping with another woman behind her back. She’ll probably commit suicide or kill someone.

 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Masataka,” I greet politely as I notice my neighbor sweeping the front of his apartment. He lifts a hand to wave to me and noticing that he’s about to open his mouth to begin a conversation, I smile quickly and all but dash to my apartment to avoid it. I already have an idea of what he’s going to say, after all the scandal did make the evening news yesterday. And since Masataka is an elementary school teacher, you can imagine all sorts of lessons and moral rules and regulations I’ll be forced to listen to.

 

As I step into my apartment, my mind already programmed to start stripping and to jump into the shower, it takes me almost a full minute to notice that one, my apartment looks quite dim (I do leave my windows and curtains open to let in fresh air before leaving each morning but they are closed now hence my confusion) and that two, there’s the smell of food… and good food at that. It’s an aroma that has my mouth watering and me stumbling in my haste to make my way towards the kitchen.

 

“Holy…shit…”

 

I think that’s all I can say anyway because anything else would have been unintelligible words mixed with drool. Duo Maxwell is in my kitchen. Duo Maxwell is in my kitchen cooking dinner. Duo Maxwell is in my kitchen cooking dinner and completely naked!

 

Good grief!

 

He’s bending now to look at something in the oven, giving me a very tantalizing view of his ass and balls. I swallow tightly, struggling to gather moisture into my mouth as I walk closer. I’m not sure if he’s heard me or not although I have the feeling he must have and is just pretending to ignore me. Either way, he’s clearly asking for it and damn if he isn’t going to get it.

 

He’s spending an awfully long time checking whatever he’s cooking in there and as I place my hands on his hips, feeling the heat and steam from the oven brushing against my face, I begin to caress the smooth curve of his ass cheeks, smiling as he shivers and presses himself even closer to me. My cock is all but ripping my pants as I begin to move slowly, easing the throbbing ache, as I simulate penetration. He moans and mutters something.

 

“What did you say?” It’s not surprising to find that my voice sounds like I’ve been sleeping for a long time and I’m just waking up.

 

“I said, at least let me close the fucking oven,” he says and promptly does as much. And with that speed of his that never ceases to amaze me, he straightens up, turns around and soon enough, I’m the one pushed against the wall and my lips crushed hungrily against his. My hands reach for his ass again, thrusting him harder against me as we begin to move in a rhythm our bodies have now become accustomed to. The faint sounds of something sizzling in a pot or boiling soup pales in comparison to the sounds of our rapid heartbeats and harsh breathing. Duo’s hands are making quick work of my uniform and I help him as best I can, our lips barely parting as I lift my arms to shrug out of my blazer.

 

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to fuck your brains out,” he whispers harshly against my lips, his eyes now dark pools of fire that has my insides melting with lust.

 

“Since when?” I breathe back, tugging my tie restlessly as his fingers work on the buttons.

 

He grins, a feral motion that has me growling softly. We’ve been moving towards the bedroom/living room by the way – and it’s a damn miracle I haven’t bumped into anything yet.

 

“Since I saw you in that gown,” he replies and shoves me backwards, causing me to fall to the bed with a soft grunt. He pounces on me and seizes my lips again, plundering and taking as much of me as he can. Oh god, it’s a relief to feel our bare chests against each other and it doesn’t take much for my sensitive nipples to stiffen as he rubs against them gently. His tongue begins to travel down my neck, his hands still reaching for my pants to unbutton them.

 

“How…how long have you been here?” I gasp helplessly, arching into him as his tongue flickers back and forth over the stiff peaks. My fingers sink into his hair as he begins to suckle on them like a baby and damn if I’m able to think coherently now.

 

“Long enough,” he murmurs, tapping my hips gently. I lift them in response, allowing him to take my pants and boxers off in one sweeping motion. Since I had already kicked off my shoes at the doorway, there wasn’t much of a hindrance.

 

“AAAH! Duo…ah fuck….! What about…about…?” But all I can do is let out a guttural sound of pleasure, my lashes growing heavier, my breathing more shallow and yet ragged as his fingers bury themselves deeper within my ass. My pleasure grows tenfold as his tongue finds my cum-slicked penis and begins to lick as if deprived for a long time. And when his mouth eventually takes over the job by swallowing me whole, I swear I lose consciousness for a second.

 

“Turn,” I somehow manage to gasp out weakly. “Duo…turn…”

 

He smiles around a mouthful of me and then releases my swollen flesh with a final lick before obeying.

 

Yes! Finally!

 

I caress the warm length of his cock, smiling to myself at how hard he is and how sticky his cum feels against my fingers. With my wet fingers, I trace the tiny hole of his rectum, snickering softly at his whimper and as the muscle of flesh seems to expand a little as if inviting me to go in. But first things first. I begin to lick him slowly, knowing how much this drives him crazy. He in turn retaliates by sucking hard on my balls, something that almost always makes me cum way too soon. Hissing in a sharp breath, I cry uncle by taking him completely, allowing him to fuck my mouth as hard as he can while sinking two of my fingers into his tight opening. He reciprocates my actions, causing my hips to jerk as if shot with a million volts of electricity.

 

Our moans grow louder as our pleasure begins to build to an earth-shattering crescendo. I can feel my insides flaring with a heat that’s beginning to concentrate on the piece of flesh in his mouth. His fingers are going deeper and deeper and before long, he’ll find that spot that’s sure to send me off the edge or tumbling to the floor, whichever comes first. He’s trembling above me now, my fingers now wet with the depth of their exploration.

 

I release him quickly with a small breathless cry, my eyes squeezing shut as I feel my orgasm approaching and just when I think I can’t take it anymore, he lets me go and turns around quickly.

 

“Duo,” I whimper, only to fight back a scream as he impales himself upon me. His own cry is music to my ears, my hands moving to his hips, idly noticing that it falls right on his tattoo, as I thrust upwards to fill him completely. He arches his body, every muscle on that incredible body tightening into relief as he adjusts himself to my length. And just like that, he falls forward again, like a rag doll, his hips now moving in time to my thrusts as our eyes meet and hold each other prisoner.

 

I’ve long realized that looking into Duo’s eyes when making love is intoxicating in itself. It’s so easy to get lost in the tiny details – the way the pupils seem to expand and contract with each breathe we take – the flashes of color, sometimes becoming darker or lighter depending on how much closer he is to exploding. I can even tell when he’s about to come from his eyes and as I notice the somewhat glazed look drifting into them, I know he’s close. I reach up to sink my fingers into his hair, forcing our lips to meet again as I pound into him even harder than before.

 

I turn us around on the narrow bed, now above him as I continue to take him completely.

 

“Ah…Heero…Heero…” God, I love it when he calls me like that! And his face…now flushed and with light beads of sweat on it…

 

“I love you,” I find myself muttering thickly, feeling my heart soar at the tender look he gives to me in return. If Quatre’s look to Trowa had melted my heart back then, well, I’m pretty much mush right now.

 

“I love you too,” he whispers breathlessly before closing his eyes and finally giving in to his orgasm. I feel his inner muscles tightening around my cock as he explodes, his hot cum splashing against our torsos and to the bed sheet. It’s a good thing he hadn’t decided to hold on to me as the sound of my poor cotton sheets being ripped is a reminder of how deep Duo’s fingers would have buried themselves into my back. I’m sure I would have bled quite freely. However…

 

“Aaaah!” Once, twice, three times, I spill my seed into him, my entire body stiffening with an indescribable sensation of intense satisfaction and relief. I can feel the trickle of my cum against his thighs and as he moves a little, I groan at the friction it causes – a delicious and quite pleasurable feeling I might add.

 

I collapse on top of him with a soft grunt, our bodies now slick with sweat as we try to steady our rapid heartbeats and harsh breathing. His arms wrap themselves around my waist and I make no attempt to withdraw from him, feeling my near flaccid cock still twitching a little within the warmth of his ass.

 

“Well…dinner’s shot to hell,” he finally says in a husky whisper, causing me to chuckle softly. Ah, it feels good to be with him like this. It’s amazing how much better I feel already.

 

“What were you cooking anyway?” I ask softly, feeling my lashes growing heavier with weariness, preparing to snuggle against him and probably sleep.

 

“Thai – something I picked up in one of mom’s cook books,” he says around a yawn, before patting my ass gently. “Now get up, young man. Let’s go see what we can salvage, okay?”

 

 

__

 

 

5.05pm:

 

Apparently, not much could be salvaged. No matter how many times I tried to wash out the crispy, charred and quite shriveled chicken thighs in the sink, it did no good. Neither was the curried stew which had become a thick crust and tasted like really bitter or sour orange juice.

 

So we made sandwiches and had a glass of milk instead.

 

Duo’s presently lying by my side in bed as I try to read through the chapter assigned to us in Literature class. I’m not sure if he’s dozed off or not, but it’s nice to feel his warm and still naked body against mine. According to him, he had gone home as promised, but his mother wasn’t there to his surprise. She had left a note on the fridge saying she had to go to the hairdresser to get a ‘makeover’. A call to the place had confirmed that she really was there – much to Duo’s relief. He had assumed she had gone walking down the street like a zombie still dressed in her housecoat. He told her he had to go visit a friend and was rather surprised that she didn’t put up much of a fight. All Eleanor had said was that he be back as early as he could and that was that.

 

I’m beginning to think that Eleanor’s misery is way deeper than either Duo and I can even imagine. I asked him about it and all he did was shrug and look away, effectively dismissing the conversation. I think that perhaps he’s beginning to feel a bit worried that his ‘prank’ might have gone too far. If Eleanor really does love Saito and vice versa, have we really destroyed something that would have been wonderful? I hate to think that, but with the way things are going, it just might be the only plausible answer.

 

“You’ve been stuck on that page for almost ten minutes,” he murmurs against the nape of my neck, sending delightful shivers down my spine.

 

“I was just thinking,” I confess quietly, closing the book slowly to place my hands behind my head.

 

“What are you thinking about?”

 

“You…”

He shifts a little and then sits up on an elbow to look at me. “Why? Having doubts about me again?”

 

“No,” I shake my head and eye the patterns on the ceiling…which is nothing really. Just huge white squares all stuck together. “I was just thinking about you and me.”

 

“What about you and me?” His finger is beginning to trace a pattern on my chest – up and down and around my nipples and back up to the hollow of my neck.

 

“What happens after school,” I say quietly, giving him a sidelong glance as his dancing finger stops abruptly.

 

“What do you mean?” There’s a hooded look in his eyes now and I know he’s beginning to go into that evasive stage.

 

“After high school, then what? Are we going to go to the same college? Have you thought about that at all?” To be honest, I’ve been thinking about that a lot especially with Career Day fast approaching. I guess a part of me has always entertained the thought of Duo and I sharing a college dorm room together. But looking at him now, I can feel that the dream might never happen. His lashes are lowered and his body language is now slightly cold and distant.

 

“I don’t think I’ll be going to college…”

 

I gasp in shock and sit up quickly, but he only shrugs and continues. “…at least not immediately after graduation.”

 

“But…but…what…?”

 

“I’ll travel,” he interrupts as he lies back on the bed to stare at the ceiling. “I don’t know…maybe it’s because of the summer trip with my mom, but there’s a whole world out there that needs exploring you know. I want to do that…travel as much as I can before going back to stuffy classrooms and boring lectures.”

 

“Ah…I see…” I fall back to the bed and it’s startling to feel the growing distance between us even though we are barely inches apart. My heart is breaking, there’s simply no other way to put it. All dreams of both of us being together forever is shattering faster than a piece of glass. Fuck.

 

“Not everyone’s cut out for college you know,” he suddenly says in a tone that sends my hackles rising a little.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask tightly.

 

“It means that not everyone has to go to college.” He looks at me with a light frown on his visage. “Maybe some of us aren’t cut out for it. I mean you…you’re just college material, aren’t you? I bet you’ve got tons of schools looking for you already. I mean that’s all well and good and believe me I’m happy for ya but as for me…”

 

“You’re a traveler,” I finish quietly.

 

“Yes, I am.”

 

We fall silent again and then I turn to my side, no longer able to look at him for fear he’ll see the misery in my eyes. Damn it all. I can’t even begin to explain the heavy sadness in my heart at this time. It takes me almost a full minute to realize that my cheeks are now wet with tears I hadn’t even been aware I was shedding. The very idea of being apart from Duo for more than three months (the summer vacation was bad enough) is something I’m definitely not looking forward to. However, one has to realize that it’s the harsh reality of Graduation Day. We’ll be saying good bye to our old lives and getting ready for new ones – new locations, new friends, new schools, jobs and even starting families.

 

I feel his hand on my shoulder, a gentle touch that has me turning to him without even thinking twice about it. He pulls me with his arms, as if shielding me from some unseen evil. He begins to whisper my name softly, begging me not to cry or he’s going to start some waterworks of his own. He tells me of how much he loves me and how painful the decision is for him as well. I’m not sure who starts it again, but our softly whispered words become tender kisses which in turn become gentle touches of reverence as if worshipping our bodies anew. This time I let him penetrate me, holding him tightly to me in the hopes that he’ll feel the loneliness within every bone in my body.

 

 

When we finally come, it’s simply the most breathtaking moment in the world and as he shudders and shivers against me, I feel his hot tears against my heated flesh and know that he finally understands.

 

 

__

 

 

12.11am:

 

The shrill ring of my telephone has me sitting up with a jerk and wiping the drool from my mouth. I blink rapidly and stare almost dumbly at the papers in front of me. Crap. I had been studying and must have fallen asleep at my desk…which would explain why my back is killing me.

 

Oh yeah. The phone.

 

“Hello,” I mutter groggily into it, still too sleepy to check the caller ID. “Heero Yuy…”

 

“Heero…dude…”

 

“Duo?” His voice shatters the last remnants of sleep from my mind as I sit up a bit more, now gripping the phone tightly in my hand. “Duo? Are you okay? What’s the matter?!”

 

His voice. Oh, god, he sounds so afraid and yet angry and yet confused all at the same time.

 

“My mom…my dad…”

 

“What?? What are you talking about?! Duo?!”

 

“My dad’s dead, Heero.” He gives a choked sound like a sob. “My real dad’s dead and my mom’s going ballistic here. Some guys came over tonight and they want to take me away. They say they need his first heir to be there at his funeral, Heero.”

 

“Oh my god…Duo…”

 

“He’s dead, Heero! He’s dead! Fuck it!” And now I know he’s definitely crying, harsh sounds of pure sorrow that are a far cry from the silent ones he had shed in my bed earlier. 

 

“She never let me see him! Not once! No matter how much I begged her!” His voice is rising and rising and finally in a tone that sends chills of fear down my spine, he spits out coldly.

 

“I hate Eleanor for doing this to us, Heero and I’ll never ever forgive her.”

 

 

 

~End Period Twenty~