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"A Time for Us"Written By: Jewel of Hell Disclaimer: Don't own nothin' but these words Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Romance/Tragedy, Angst, yaoi, lemon, language, violence, blood feud, forbidden love Pairings: 1x2, others Summary: The Maxwells and Yuys are two powerful
noble families that have been fighting for generations. Heero and
Duo are no exception. However, one fateful night changes everything
for the young heirs-a Romeo and Juliet tale with a twist. " A Time for Us"
The Maxwells and the Yuys When the weekend ended, Duo Maxwell woke to a school day with a groan. Reaching out of his blankets, he slapped the alarm off without moving. Face-planted in his bed, he didn't want to get up. He never wanted to get up. Today especially. So he decided not to and let his arm fall back down. He was well on his way back to sleep when the door opened. This method of waking him proved far more persistent and effective than his alarm. His sister Damia, twenty-five years to his seventeen, climbed onto the bed and started bouncing on him. It was annoying, and damn if it didn't make him get out of bed. She gave him a bright smile when he glared at her through bleary eyes. "Good morning, little brother!" she sang. "It's way past time you were getting ready for school. If you hurry, you can grab breakfast before I drop you off." Damia was lovely, really. She looked a great deal like Durham Maxwell, head of the extensive Maxwell family. Her hair was a lovely auburn, just slightly curled. Her pale skin was almost unmarked but for a smattering of freckles across her nose—and they were barely visible. Her eyes were a dark hazel-green, and she constantly looked to be holding secrets. A slight smirk to her full lips. Eyes slightly veiled. Like her father she was extremely attractive. Duo, however, looked like their mother, Avalon. His hair was much darker, a warm cinnamony chestnut. He also wore it long, typically in a thick braid. Like his sister and mother he was fair-skinned, but his complexion was creamy smooth and unblemished. And like Avalon Maxwell, he was short. Only about five-feet and seven inches. He was mostly finished dressing when Damia grabbed his shoulders and sat him at the vanity. "I'll braid your hair," she said in that barely-audible accent most of the Maxwells spoke with. Duo didn't protest, just limply complied. It felt nice, to have her skilled fingers threading through his hair. She never tugged, was always gentle. In fact, she was so good at it, Duo was once again dozing off when she nudged him, mirth coloring her tone. "Come on," she insisted. "Get up. You're going to be late! Isn't this an important day?" Blinking, Duo came up out of his stupor. "Yeah. We get our assignments for the Greater Youth Science Show." She smiled. "I'm excited. You know, my exhibition took first in the country when I was your age." Duo snorted. "I know." After all, the Maxwells had a long tradition of being the best. Bar none. Except the Yuys. While they could not best the Maxwells, they were always head-to-head, tied for first. Perhaps another reason they hated each other. For the most part Duo didn't care, except when it got in his way. Because right now, he would be the number one student at the private university he attended. If it weren't for Heero Yuy. His age to within a few months, Heero was in his class. It sucked. He hated Heero. The guy was insufferable, smug and self-assured. Heaving a sigh, he pulled on his shoes, wondering why Damia was still in his room, watching him. "What did you make for breakfast?" he asked without much interest. "A protein shake," she replied. "You won't eat anything else, and you're way too thin to skip. So I made you a quick and easy breakfast." Nodding, Duo grabbed his pack and shoved his books into it. Today was science and literature. One thing Duo liked about private schools far better than public. At public schools, any garbage could be taught. But at M Y University, only the best and brightest were accepted, and only the best was taught. It was the best school in the country, and it was cofounded by . . . Lucian Maxwell and Elaina Yuy. Of course. Maxwell Yuy University. Duo sighed. "I don't feel like breakfast," Duo muttered. Damia grabbed him and hugged him. "Oh, come on. You'll be crabby all day if you don't. It tastes good, and I put fresh strawberries in it." Making a face, Duo pushed away from her. "Fine. Pour me a mug?" Looking satisfied that she'd won, Damia finally left him alone. Sighing, Duo dug out his jacket and pulled it on. M Y University did have a standard uniform. Duo didn't always wear it, and there wasn't much the school could do about it. After all, his father was full half the reason it was around. Today, he didn't feel like wearing it. So he pulled on black jeans and a black T-shirt with the word 'ADORABLE' printed in bold white on the chest. Damia had given him that particular article of clothing. "No uniform?" she said as soon as she reentered his room. "No," he said shortly, not sure why he was in such a foul mood. Then he suddenly brightened. He would be on the net all day—it was one of the perks of attending a private university. Many classes utilized the net, so he would be able to chat. With WingZero. The boy he'd met at the masquerade last night. His heart sped up pleasantly just thinking about it. They could talk, they could get to know each other. Maybe he attended one of the other private universities in Endina? He was obviously a noble, or he wouldn't have been at the masquerade. Slipping his black laptop into his bag, he shouldered it and accepted the travel mug Damia handed him. "Thanks," he said, giving her a warm smile. She raised her eyebrows. "Well, finally! The first human emotion all day. Ready to go, sunshine?" Smiling at her pet nickname for him, he just nodded and took a swallow of the shake. It was cold—of course—and tasted very good. Damia was good at making normally nasty things taste wonderful. A trade secret, she claimed, and she never shared. In the garage that easily held fifteen skips she climbed inside her personal vehicle and waited for him to join her on the passenger side. Skips were similar to airships, the biggest difference being size. They didn't actually fly, rather skimming a few inches above the ground. Sleek and aerodynamic, Duo couldn't wait for his eighteenth birthday when he would receive his very own. "Have you thought about the Science Show?" Damia asked as she steered the skip out onto the street. "Mm, not much," Duo admitted, swallowing some more breakfast. "I didn't want to get too many ideas without a partner. I really want us to work together." She nodded. "Probably a good idea. That way you don't have to do all the work." Grinning, Duo finished off his shake just as Damia pulled up to the front of the university. "Thanks," he said, leaving the mug. His sister gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Have a great day, sunshine. See you this afternoon." Waving, Duo jogged up the steps. Students were still milling about, but class didn't start for another five minutes. The university wasn't fantastically large, so Duo knew most of the attendees. A good portion of them he was related to, even if distantly. As he hurried to his locker, his best friend—and first cousin—found him. "Hey Duo," he said, smiling in that borderline flirtatious way they shared with each other. Duo grinned. "Hey, Quatre. Man I'm excited about the Science Show." "Me too," Quatre said. "She'll let us work together. Don't worry. I know it. After all, who else is bright enough for you?" Laughing lightly, he linked his arm through Quatre's and they made their way to class. There were already a few students in their seats, and they looked up to smile at the two boys. "No uniform?" one of them called to Duo. Sliding into his seat, Duo shook his head. "Nah. Didn't feel like it." When he took off his jacket, Quatre smiled at his shirt. "This suits you better, anyway. Uniforms are so stiff and formal." "And yet you always insist on wearing it," Duo pointed out, raising an eyebrow. Quatre shrugged. "If I rebelled, it would look like I was copying you. And that's just pathetic." Duo laughed. "All right. I'll be the only anti-conformist in the school." The first warning bell chimed, and moments later others began trickling in. Among the first was Heero Yuy. Heero was tall. Almost six feet. Maybe an inch shy. His looks were unjustly gorgeous, with golden-hued skin and attractively messy dark hair. Almost black, but not quite. His eyes were the most incredible cobalt blue, intense and brilliant. And whenever he entered a room, he simply took it over. There was no trying to dominate. It just happened. Heero had an air about him, a strength of will that simply . . . dominated. He was the reason Duo was not the number one student at M Y. They were exactly evenly matched. Duo hated being tied for first with a Yuy. They were constantly being compared and weighed against each other. And Heero's indifferent attitude rankled. He always acted like he didn't care, and to someone as deeply passionate as Duo, it was annoying. Heero cast a slow, bored glance over the assembled students, lingering on Duo just long enough to show a hint of scorn before moving on. Duo felt the other students tense. They didn't exactly freeze, but it could be felt in the air. Every time something happened between Duo and Heero, the other students suddenly walked on eggshells. And they were right to tense, too. Because Heero put his silver laptop down and looked back at Duo. "Overcompensating, hn?" Duo would have liked to smack the smug look off that unfairly gorgeous face. "I like to think of it as 'pointing out the obvious' for the slower ones like you," he said sweetly. The smirk didn't leave Heero's face. If anything, he looked distantly amused. Very, very distantly. He didn't say more as their professor walked in, depositing her books on the front desk. The rest of the students filed in, and the last bell chimed. "Good morning, good morning," she said. Miss Lucrezia Noin was not a noble, but she did come from a relatively wealthy family of respected businessmen. "I suppose you all lost sleep last night thinking about the Greater Youth Science Show, wondering who would be paired with whom. Last year the students were allowed to pair up as they pleased, but I will be assigning your teams this year." Duo groaned. "Do you really think we're as immature as last year's students?" he complained. "We can handle it, Miss Noin. Can't we?" He looked around at the gathered students. Many nodded their heads, but Heero met his eye. "Only if you excluded yourself in that statement," he said, raising an eyebrow. Duo felt his temperature rise. Only Heero could rile him so quickly and so . . . easily. It didn't bother him when anyone else called him immature. "At least it can be said I have a personality," he retorted. "Don't worry," Heero said. "I'm sure Miss Noin will pair you with someone smart enough to have an idea." "As opposed to you?" Duo snapped. "You could take yourself as a science exhibit. Look, I built a walking, talking, emotionless robot for my project!" "Enough," Noin cut in, her voice hard and low. "You two will do an exhibit for the Science Show together." "WHAT?" Duo exclaimed, head whipping around. "You want me to work with him?" "Not a chance," Heero said in a flat, cold voice. "Yes," Noin said, voice stony. "You will either work together and create a project, or I will fail you both." Duo stared at her, feeling like his eyes were about to pop out of his head. She couldn't be serious. He was a Maxwell. Heero was a Yuy. If they didn't kill each other first, their families would have her fired. It just plain didn't happen. Everyone knew that. Everyone. And if he failed one of the university courses, he wouldn't graduate at the end of this year. He didn't know whether to be more stunned or angry. Noin didn't say anything more on that subject, simply started pairing up the rest. Duo glared at her, refusing to look at Heero, willing her to change her mind. To come to her senses. Anything. But she was already moving on to her lecture. Hissing a soft breath out between his teeth, Duo flipped open his laptop and logged on to the net. It automatically logged him into e-space, a network for easy communication between anyone else with a connection. No sooner had Duo opened his private account than a request bubble popped up. WingZero is requesting a private conversation. Accept? Duo's heart did a little flip in his chest, and butterflies started squirming in his stomach. Was it possible to instantly develop a crush on someone he didn't even know? He hit accept, and moments later a conversation window opened. Hello, Shinigami appeared on the screen.
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