Notes: Just to make this perfectly clear, I don't know where I'm taking this story. I'm just going with the flow so it will no doubt, become a long one with many-a-chapter. Hope it's enjoyed by all who read it.
Warning: SLASH!-Yaoi. Whatever you people call it. Male/male relationships! Mild-angst. AU! I'll add more if I think it's necessary.
One: What's new?
"Duo please calm yourself! The home we have found will be good for you. There is a school not a fifteen minute walk from the house, plenty to do around the area and indeed around the city. The Charlatan's don't mind you having your bike with you whilst your there either."
Sister Helena Joseph's sat slightly hunched forward at her desk.
On the surface of the desk sat a laptop with various wires attached to the back and disappearing down a small hole specially installed for that very purpose. Papers sat in a five tier paper-tray to the right of the computer while boxes of important files sat to the left.
"Why now?" A youth, sixteen of age sat with his arms folded stiffly over his chest. His near amethyst coloured eyes shone with annoyance with glints of defiance. Duo Maxwell wasn't a happy young man. He enjoyed it at the orphanage. Well, about as one can possibly enjoy it. He was the oldest of all the children stationed here and they had unofficially made him their 'team leader', so to speak. And he was more than pleased to help them in any way he could.
Sister Helena telling him now that they had found him a home with a couple that wanted to adopt him wasn't going down well at all.
The woman sighed, rubbing her temples lightly in an attempt to relief the ache she was feeling behind them already. The pair had only been speaking for five minutes and she was already in need of a painkiller. She had known this would be a hard thing for Duo to accept with the track record of 'homes' he had been sent to in the past, but she truly believed in her heart that this was the right thing to do.
"The Charlatan's chose you, Duo. You know how hard it is for someone your age to be placed in foster care. And though adoption at your age is rare, it isn't unheard of. They want to adopt you; they told me they see something in you. You're intelligent, smart, caring… they understand…" She left the sentence open after the last word, not knowing but having an idea of what was going through the youth's mind.
"Understand?" Duo exclaimed. "How the he-" He cut himself off at that and corrected himself. "How could they understand what it's like for kids like me?" He said more calmly. He might not have been happy right then but he respected the Sister enough not to curse in front of her.
"Yes Duo, understand. They have another child in their care. They adopted Morgan when she was a year old and now she is 16, healthy and blissfully happy if not a little wild. Not unlike yourself in that department." Her lips twitched slightly but didn't move further. "Mrs Charlatan was adopted herself at a young age so yes, she does understand. Look, will you go stay with them for a week as a trial period? Start the school, meet new friends, and see new people. Try and get along with the Charlatan's?"
"How far is it?" Duo asked after a couple of long, silent minutes. Sister Helena smiled while she inwardly rejoiced at the youth agreeing to the trial.
"It's all of half an hour's drive. You can still visit the children here when you want; you know I'd never intentionally keep you from them. But I ask that you stay at the Charlatan's the whole week, make your decision and if you want to stay, then you're free to visit any time." She eyed the teen before her. "Agreed?" Duo held his tongue and just thought about his current situation for a moment or two.
"A week. I'll call every day just to check in." Helena smiled brilliantly and rose from her seat. Duo followed suit, preparing himself for what he knew was coming. And he wasn't disappointed. Helena rushed towards him and pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Oh Duo, you are a star." She said sweetly, knowing the tone of voice she used annoyed the boy.
"Yeh yeh." He replied sounding much like he rolled his eyes whilst saying it. He didn't however; pull away from the caring arms of the Sister. He hugged her back just as tightly.
There was a knock at the door and the pair pulled apart. Duo grinned at the woman before turning towards the door. He opened it to see a man and woman stood there with their hands clasped together. "Is Sister Helena here?" The woman asked Duo and for a fleeting moment, the teen wondered if these were his new 'parents'. He shrugged the thought off and nodded his head.
"Aye, she is. Sister Helena, you have visitors." He said to the now seated woman as he turned his head to look at her.
"Thank you Duo, send them in please." The teen nodded.
"If you need me, I'll be outside petting the bike with a white satin glove." He grinned at her exaggerated eye-roll and motioned for the couple to enter the office before walking out and closing the door behind him.
"Duo! Duo! Come quick!" a young voice cried out and Duo spun around just in time to see a five year old boy running towards him. The teen held up his hands and bent down on one knee to stop him.
"Woah there little feller. Calm down. Breath. That's it. Now, what's wrong Harry?" Harry panted as he stood in front of the older boy, his bright blue eyes were wide.
"Someone, a girl…" he was pointing strangely in the direction of the orphanage entrance. "She's snooping around yer bike! Come on!" He grabbed Duo's arm and proceeded to drag the youth to his feet and then in the direction he was pointing.
Scowling slightly Duo stopped. He bent down to hoist the five year old up into his arms and continued on his walk. Harry giggled and Duo grinned. The grin however turned to yet another scowl when he felt the boy lean back to grab a hold of Duo's hair. You see, his hair was long. Very, very, very… long. He had it braided to keep it out of his face but it still fell down his back, passed his back-side, stopping only when it reached mid-thigh.
It was his pride and joy; he loved his hair, he looked after it well and let almost no one touch it. The only people who got to touch it were him, obviously, Sister Helena and a few of the younger kids that found it 'fun' to play with.
"Take it out and I'll tickle you till you cry." He mock-warned as was rewarded with Harry's infamous 'I'm-so-innocent' expression. "That look doesn't work on me kiddo. I invented it!" The child pouted and instead of unravelling the braid as he had intended to upon its capture, he played with the tip.
The pair finally managed to make their way outside only to find the area around his bike surrounded by almost all the kids of the orphanage. At the centre of it all, a girl was crouched on her knees inspecting the beautifully polished engine. Dup frowned a little, wondering just who the girl was and why the hell she was near his bike – 'his' bike!
"Duo!" a number of voices exclaimed at the sight of the youth and Harry. The sound must have startled the girl because she jumped slightly, turning around to see what all the fuss was about.
"Hey guys." He greeted the crowd of fifteen. He shifted and let Harry down. He instantly felt a tug on his pant legs and grinned down at the little girl stood there. "What's up Kim?" He laughed as the three year old held her arms out to be picked up. Duo hoisted her up as he did Harry and she continued right where Harry left off with the end of his braid. Honestly! He would never understand the workings of a child's mind.
"She's looking at yer bike Duo!" Sam, a five year old cried out as he pointed to the girl. There were shouts of 'Yeh' flying at him and he smiled.
"Well I'm here now so you can calm down." It was then, and only then, that he looked directly at the girl's face. "Who are you?" He demanded. The girl smiled at him, a flicker of amusement in her eyes at the sight of him with the child resting on his hip.
"Morgan-Roe." She answered simply. Duo shifted and set the three year old he was holding on the ground. He looked around at the children before smiling widely at them all.
"Go play around the back you lot. Keep away from Sister Helena's flowers; you all know she loves those things." The group cried out excitedly and loudly before they all took off towards the back garden of the Orphanage.
"You're good with them." The girl commented thoughtfully as she stepped away from his bike. Resisting the overwhelming urge to raise an eyebrow and mutter a sarcastic comment, he took the opportunity to step up to his 'pride and joy' and swing one leg over so he was straddling its seat. "So you're the infamous 'Duo', are you?" There was a grin in her voice but he didn't even look at her, instead he took up the task of altering a few dials that seemed to have been tampered with – no doubt by Sam. The boy loved this bike almost as much as Duo did.
"Look, if you're the Duo I think you are, we may as well get better acquainted." She sighed and the braided teen froze, then he slowly turned a hardened gaze upon her suddenly wary form.
"Why would we do a silly thing like that?" He asked her, his voice even and she hesitated before giving her answer.
"Because my folks are the one's who are adopting you. They're just speaking with Sister Helena now." At this, Duo narrowed his eyes. He was off his bike and backing her into the wall of the building before she could utter a word of protest.
"Let's get one thing perfectly clear, Morgan-Roe." He said in a low, menacing tone. "I'll be at your 'folks' house a week. And after that week, should I feel I don't like it, I'll be leaving again. This is purely a trial run. No one puts me into a home without my approval, I'm not an adult yet but I'm certainly old enough to make my own choices in 'that' department." With that said, he stalked off back inside the Orphanage – leaving a slightly scared but mainly intrigued Morgan-Roe Charlatan behind him.
He slammed the door shut behind him and walked with a purpose. The noise sounded throughout the building but he didn't care. He heard Sister Helena's office door quickly jolt open and three sets of footfalls make their way towards his seething form, now stationed in the kitchen staring out the window, watching the children play in the back garden.
"Duo!" Helena cried as she rushed over to him. "What's the matter Duo?" He felt the hand on his shoulder and reluctantly turned around. Though as soon as he was facing the Sister, he realised he was also facing his future-possible-adoptive parents. His eyes hardened once again.
"I'll just go pack my things shall I?" He ground out before bowing his head slightly at Sister Helena and exiting the kitchen.
"Duo!" Helena called him back, but the youth didn't respond.
"Oh dear, what is the matter with him?" Mrs Charlatan questioned.
Written by Dulited Industry.