Disclaimer:
Gundam Wing doesn't belong to me. You know the drill. Bla bla bla...
------------------------------------------------------
Shi-chan: And ff.net's down again! Just to make my life miserable it
seems. What am I gonna write??? I'm in-spi-ered! BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO
WRITE! AG!
*1/2 an hour later, after watching some Ranma 1/2*
Shi-chan: Yessss...I will write another 2x5 one-shot, heheheh...oh
yes...MUAHAHAHAHAHA!
------------------------------------------------------
The Boiler Room
By Shimegami-chan
Warnings: Alternate universe, shounen-ai, sap, fluff, mild language, 2x5,
hinting of Rx2 but you know I'd never let THAT happen...
Music: "Through The Night," from Outlaw Star.
^^^(From now on I'm going to tell you what I'm listening to while I wrote the
fic, sometimes it'll help you get the feeling of the fic if you have the song
too)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was watching some made-for-TV Disney movie yesterday that I
never caught the title of. But it inspired this fic. ^_^ Kudos to you, unnamed
movie! T_T I wish I'd seen the ending....
Duo grinned madly and checked the wires one last time to ensure that he hadn't
done anything wrong. If this doesn't get us out of school for at least a
week, nothing will! The chestnut-haired boy admired his handiwork one last
time before slamming the closet door shut one last time. Ten minutes to go.
Ten minutes to get the hell out of there before the stink bomb went off. It was
going to take days to fumigate the school as it was; Duo had no desire to be anywhere
near it when the timer hit zero. He'd be lucky if the smell didn't reach his
house more than two miles away.
With a feral grin, Duo slipped the equipment into his backpack and walked
calmly to his locker, whistling a jaunty tune as to not draw suspicion. He had
plenty of time anyway; when he slammed his locker shut there was a good 8
minutes to go. Most of the school had been emptied already as his watch hit
3:33 p.m. 7 minutes.
"Duuuuooooo!" a high female voice called, and Duo felt a familiar
weight on his arm. Dammit, not now. "Sorry, Relena, I've gotta jam!
Stuff to do, y'know?"
"Oh, but Duo!" Relena whined, trying to bury her face in his black
shirt and stare into his eyes at the same time, "Won't you help me with my
chemistry homework?"
"I'm failing chemistry, Rel, you know that." Duo growled, dragging
the blond girl down the hall. "Get off!"
If anything, Relena held him tighter. "Meanie."
"Don't I know it." Six minutes. I'm cutting it close now, I'm not
even out the door yet!
"Well, will you walk me home then?" she pleaded.
"Anything to get you off me! Hurry the hell up!" Duo bodily
yanked her toward the stairs and halfway down before tripping over a young
Chinese boy with a short ponytail of black hair and glasses on the bridge of
his nose. All three students crashed down the remaining stairs and into a heap
on the floor.
Duo blinked and stared into a pair of piercing onyx eyes.
"Ano...gomen!" he laughed. He was lying stomach down on top of the
Chinese student in what looked to be a very compromising position.
The Asian boy turned bright red. "Get...get off me!" he cried.
"Can't," Duo mumbled. "Not until Relena gets off of me."
At this, Relena shot to her feet and scrambled to help her friend. "Oh,
Duo-chan! I'm soooooo sorry! Did I squash you? Are you hurt?"
Duo was finding his body being quite reluctant to get off his almond-eyed
victim. Holy shit, Duo, not now...you really don't want anyone to find out;
there's no more schools left for you to transfer to if you ruin your rep here! He
prayed that the Asian hadn't noticed the sudden bulge in his pants and leapt to
his feet. "G-gomen nasai! Are you okay?" He offered a hand to the
other and assisted him in getting to his feet. "Well?"
The Chinese boy dusted off his pristine white pants and adjusted his glasses.
"I suppose so."
He is so hot. Duo was fighting to keep a blush from rising to his
cheeks. "I'm really sorry! Heh! We were just walking down and I wasn't
looking where I was going, didn't see you, sorry, uh--" he paused and
offered a hand to the boy. "I'm Duo, Duo Maxwell."
"Chang Wufei." the Asian said, not taking the proffered hand. "I
would hope that you would watch where your going, Maxwell. Good bye."
Cold, isn't he? "Wait!" Duo cried.
Wufei cast a glance over his shoulder. "What do you want?"
"I..." he gave him a manic grin, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Nothing, Wu-chan! Just...testing your name!"
Wufei turned even redder than before. "Do not call me that."
"Wu-chan? Why not? It's cute!"
"I refuse to answer to that ridiculous nickname." Wufei said.
Duo tapped his fingers together. "Well, you don't have to answer...but
I'll call you it anyway, just to be safe."
The Asian looked angry now. "If you call me that in front of anyone I will
kill you. I have my honour to protect."
This is not going well. "Sure thing, Wu-chan!"
Relena giggled at this. "It's a funny name, Wufei is! Wu-chan sounds sooo
much better, don't you think Duo-chan?"
"Don't call me that." Duo growled. Wufei turned and stalked away,
leaving Duo speechless for once in his life.
"He was a funny guy anyway," Relena pouted. "Come on, let's go
home."
"Yeah, sure," Duo replied, his mind still on his new acquaintance.
There was no way he could go after him, he didn't really want anybody to know
that he was bisexual. He didn't really want to have to leave this school too,
although...
Wasn't there something he was supposed to be doing?
Oh yes, not getting caught with the stink bomb.
"Oh shit!" he cried, checking his watch. Three-thirty-nine and fifty
seconds. "Come on, Rel, we've gotta book it!"
"Why?" Relena questioned. "You're in an awful hurry--" She
was cut off by a muffled bang and several shouts of surprise. Relena stopped
short. "What was that?"
Can't get away. Must feign ignorance. "Sounded like an
explosion."
"Oh no!" Relena glomped Duo tighter. "I'm scared!" Then,
going from frightened-child-mode to fake-bravado-mode, she tugged him back up
the stairs. "Let's go see!"
Duo was too dazed to protest. I'mscrewedimscrewedimscrewedimscrewed--
Something white caught his eye. "Wufei?"
The Chinese boy turned his gaze to Duo. "Maxwell. There's been--"
Suddenly coming to his senses, Duo took Wufei by the arm and began to haul him
out the door as well. "Come on, let's get out of here, unless you want to
spend a few hours bathing in tomato juice--"
"Mr. Maxwell."
Duo's heart turned to ice. "Um?"
Mr. Luo, the principal, towered over the young American. "Mr. Maxwell,
would you and your friends happen to know the source of the 'disturbance' just
now?"
"Disturbance?" the indigo-eyed boy drawled slowly, playing dumb.
"What disturbance?" The words had barely escaped his lips when a foul
smell washed over them. Relena and Wufei used their free hands to cover their
noses, while Duo stared blankly at Mr. Luo.
"That disturbance," he replied coldly.
Oh, shit. This is one of those times when I really, really wish I could tell
a lie.
---------------
"INJUSTICE!" Wufei howled. "I don't see how you can punish ME
for his mischief!"
"Mr. Chang." Mr. Luo said slowly. "If you insist that you knew
nothing of the prank, why were you and Mr. Maxwell trying to ran away from the
scene of the crime?"
"I didn't know what was happening!" Wufei argued. "Maxwell just
grabbed me and ran off! You let the onna go, why won't you let me?"
"The 'onna,' as you say, is the daughter of King Peacecraft and doesn't
have a malicious bone in her body. I believed her because I know her. You, on
the other hand, have nothing to prove your innocence with. What should I
think?"
"I don't lie, Mr. Luo. Wufei didn't have anything to do with it." Duo
said solemnly.
"The issue isn't up for discussion, Mr. Maxwell. You two are going to be
punished. I don't want to suspend you, as tempting as it is--I just want you to
learn from experience. Mr. Chang, your grades are some of the highest in this
school, I don't want anything to blemish your record. And as for you--" he
looked pointedly at Duo, "--I know you've had some problems adjusting here
and at your old schools. I know you could excel if you tried, judging from your
entrance exam marks; and I know you're having problems at home. I'm trying to
help you two out here, but this can't you unpunished. You see?"
Unfortunately, Duo could. "Yes."
"No!" Wufei fumed. "I don't even want to be associated with this
idiot, much less be blamed for his immoral deeds! I--"
"Shut it, Wu-chan." Duo said coolly. "We're better off doing
what he says." Wufei's mouth hung open for a few seconds and Duo turned
back to the Principal. "Well?"
Mr. Luo looked deep in thought. "Now, I need an ample punishment..."
-------------
Duo tried as hard as he could to remain cheerful. "It won't be so bad,
Wu-chan. We've just gotta clean the place up and we'll be done with it,
ne?"
He heard a muffled snort from nearby. "Easier said than done." A
flashlight came to life in the darkness of the boiler room, and the Chinese
boy's torso appeared. "Aren't there any lights in here?"
"Mr. Luo said that he'd get them fixed if we cleaned it up enough to look
presentable." Duo coughed and waved plumes of dust away from his face,
sending even more drifting into the air. "Why, are you afraid of the
dark?"
"No," Wufei growled, "it's just that with only one flashlight
it's hard to see what we're doing. Stupid cheap schooling."
Duo shrugged in the darkness and ambled over to stand beside Wufei. "Might
as well get started, ne?" The American leaned over and began piling up old
newspapers in a stack. "AC 175, AC 176, AC 177...holy crap, how old is
this place? When was the last time they cleaned it?"
"Evidently in AC 179," Wufei said, shining the flashlight on the top
paper.
"Wouldn't be surprised if we found some dead bodies in here." Duo
joked, casting a glance over his shoulder.
"Hn." Wufei turned his attention and the light towards a heap of old
glass bottles. "I don't think I wish to know what people did down
here."
Duo eyed the empty containers. "Alcohol and god-knows what else." He
gingerly picked up some of the bottles and put them in an empty cardboard box.
"You never know, these things might be worth something."
Wufei didn't answer, but set the flashlight on the ground and assisted Duo. The
American picked up some broken glass and pricked his finger.
"Itaiii..."
"Nani?" Wufei looked at him, still piling the box full.
"Shit. I'm bleeding."
The Chinese boy shone the light on Duo finger, which was indeed dripping blood.
Duo touched it to his lips to wipe the blood away.
"Don't do that." Wufei took Duo's hand and held it gently in his own,
training the light on it. He then daubed the blood away with the cuff of his
sleeve. "This thing's a mess from the dust anyway ne?"
Duo couldn't speak; the cool touch was sending sparks throughout his body.
Wufei peered closer. "I don't think there's any glass in it, you just
nicked it." Duo nodded weakly. Tucked under the Asian’s arm, the
flashlight suddenly went out and the two were left alone in the dark.
Duo froze. "What the--"
Wufei's voice was calm and collected. "Mr. Luo said that the batteries
were probably old. I have more in my pocket."
"Oh." Duo sighed in relief but continued to blink in the darkness.
Wufei still held his hand, palm up, and the American heard scuffling as the
other boy rose to his feet. Wufei stood still.
Duo stepped a little closer and felt the Asian’s hot breath on his face. Again
he had to quell a flash of desire. "Fei-kun?"
A second passed, then two; and Wufei quickly let Duo's arm fall back to his
side. "The batteries." There were several clicking sounds as he exchanged
the old batteries for new ones and brought the flashlight back to life.
Duo blinked at the light. "Great. It seems a little dim though..."
"They're all old batteries," Wufei scoffed. "I suppose he just
expects us to mix and match until we find two that work."
Duo nodded weakly, his heart pounding. "I think I'll leave the glass alone
for now." Treading carefully, he manoeuvred over near the boiler and began
picking up tools that someone had scattered on the floor.
Wufei took off his dusty outer shirt to reveal a blue tank top, and Duo bit his
lip. Under the long sleeves the small boy had slim arms and sleek muscles that
any other male would probably envy. Maybe he worked out in his spare time, Duo
didn't know. But he looked good.
You're
staring. Wufei set
the shirt down and the batteries clinked against one another in the pocket.
"It was a mess," he muttered to himself. "Blood and dirt all
over." Then the Chinese boy went to the opposite corner of the room, much
to Duo's dismay; and began stacking more newspapers, leaving the flashlight
near the boiler as a sort of half-point between the two students.
Duo had to force himself to keep working and not stare at Wufei. Easy does
it, Duo, if word gets out--and no doubt Wufei hates you enough to tell the
world--you're dead. So stop looking. The Asian’s eyes never strayed from
his task, it was obvious that Wufei was the kind of guy who got things done
quickly and efficiently. But Duo caught his eye after a few moments, watching
Duo curiously. "What's up, Fei-kun?" Duo laughed.
"Nothing," Wufei said, a hint of curiosity in his voice. "Are
you almost done?"
"Yeah, I'm nearly--" Duo cursed under his breath as the flashlight
died once again. "Shimatta." He stumbled blindly to his feet and
touched the wall for guidance. "Damn, couldn’t he have given us any decent
batteries? Wufei?" Duo paused momentarily to listen, but heard nothing.
"Oi! Fei-kun!"
Still only silence, and the sound of Duo's own laboured breathing. "Oh, so
you are scared of the dark?" he joked.
No answer came, and Duo inwardly had to tell his stomach to stop turning to
ice. "Wufei?"
There was something behind him. Duo bit back an outcry.
"Shiiiiiit..."
"Duo," a voice whispered, frighteningly close to his ear.
Duo started. "Fei-kun! How'd you get over here?"
His face could have only been an inch or two away, leaning over Duo's shoulder.
"I'm quiet."
"The...the flashlight died," Duo said obviously.
"The batteries are in my shirt pocket. By the door." Wufei paused a
moment, and Duo shivered. "Do you want to get them, or shall I?"
"I, yi, yi...ano..." Duo turned and stuck a hand out carefully,
catching Wufei's arm. "There you are."
Duo felt Wufei shrug slightly. "Yeah."
The American was more than a little worried now. "How do I know you're
really Fei-kun, and not some axe murderer hiding in the boiler room for the
last twenty years?"
Wufei laughed lightly and it was music to Duo's ears. "I don't know of
many people who would want to claim to be me."
"Why's that?" Duo asked curiously, moving his hand up to Wufei's
shoulder.
"Because," Wufei breathed. "I'm different."
"Different how?" Duo marvelled at the muscle of the Chinese boy's arm
and dropped his hand back to his side. That flaming desire was burning in his
chest again.
"Like this." Wufei touched a hand to Duo's face, and their lips met.
The kiss was long and deep and better than anything Duo had ever experienced. A
tingle of disappointment shot through him when Wufei pulled away.
Heat rose to Duo's cheeks. "You'd better still be Wufei when we get the
lights working again."
"Why's that?" Wufei questioned.
"Because." Duo moved his face close to Wufei's again and wound his
arms around his neck.
Wufei shivered and Duo sensed the Chinese boy's smile. "What, you still
think I'm an axe murderer?"
Duo couldn't help but joke despite the seriousness. "You could have hidden
the bodies...like...in the janitor's closet."
"No one wants to go near the janitor's closet, thanks to your bomb,"
Wufei said smoothly.
Duo sighed. "Fine. See if I care."
"Do you?"
The temperature of the small room seemed to rise by a thousand degrees and Duo
managed a quiet. "Yes."
Wufei strong arms were suddenly around Duo's waist. "And you still want me
to be Wufei when the lights are working again?"
"Well...I'll be very disappointed if you're not." Duo laughed.
"But just in case...let's not turn on the light just yet."
~Owari!
----------------------
Shi-chan: Wasn't that.... supposed to be a humour fic?
Seki: I thought it was...you changed your mind, apparently...
Shi-chan: *blushes* Fluff always gets to me...