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"The Academy"Written By: Snowdragonct Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved. Warnings: AU (sort of), yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC (probably), some violence Pairings: 1X2, 3X4, developing 5X6 A/N: I decided to start off with Duo’s point of view again, since “Boot Camp” began and ended with it. And for anyone looking at this who hasn’t read “Boot Camp,” you probably should. They’ll stand alone; but the background material really will help. Rating: R Summary: Sequel to Boot Camp...four juvenile delinquents enter the prestigious MSC Academy, where they'll encounter new challenges, new friends, and new enemies, as well as learn more about themselves and their own relationships.
"The Academy" Chapter Ten: New Experiences Duo and Quatre joined their friends in the library, the former sliding into the seat Heero had saved for him, while the latter took one next to Trowa. “You got mail,” he whispered, passing the envelope to his lover. Trowa’s eyes lit up, and he quickly tore into the letter, pulling out several pages of writing and a fistful of pictures. “Nanashi,” he breathed in delight, shuffling through the snapshots. “Oh, can I see?” Duo asked eagerly, holding out a hand. Trowa passed the pictures around, among the boys from Team Wing as well as their new friends, and everyone marveled at the sight of the big, tawny dog leaping over obstacles and doing a variety of challenging tricks. “Aw, Tro’, he’s awesome,” Duo said in a low tone, keeping one eye out for Lieutenant Catalonia. “She says in the letter that he knows how to open latches on half the cages,” Trowa said with a proud grin. “They had to put locks on them, or risk having him inadvertently set a lion free.” “He sounds smart,” Quatre spoke up, knowing how important the dog was to his boyfriend. “Too smart,” Heero added, though his eyes had a humorous glint to them. “He’ll be trouble for your sister.” Trowa nodded, still smirking. “She’s already realized that. But I think she’s up to the challenge.” His green eyes turned pensive. “I wonder if they’d consider him for an ordnance dog here…” “What’s an ‘ordnance’ dog?” Duo asked, looking up from the pictures. “They’re trained to locate bombs and stuff,” Trowa explained. “An’ they have ‘em here?” Trowa nodded. “You found dogs here already?” Duo marveled, shaking his head. “Yeah. You know me,” came the almost shy response. “If there’s an animal within a mile, I’ll find it. Turns out they’ve got a couple of bomb-sniffing dogs on the base, and I bumped into the fellow who trains them.” “You should ask Chang about Nanashi then,” Duo suggested. “Or if you’d like, I’ll do it for you. Seeing as he’s my guardian and all…” Trowa flashed him a grateful smile. “Would you maybe mention it? And I’ll ask the kid I met—see if he knows the process for getting a dog into the program.” Quatre resisted the urge to slip an arm around Trowa—both to congratulate him on how clever his dog was, and to remind him whose lover he was. The blonde boy was pretty sure he wouldn’t feel at ease until he met this “Fox” guy personally, and knew whether he might be competition. “Well, I’m looking forward to Friday,” he told Trowa, trying for a supportive and casual tone—trying to keep any hint of jealousy or insecurity out of his voice. “But Saturday’s going to be even better.” Trowa glanced at Duo, who gave a wan smile and a shrug. “Yeah, Quat talked me into his big dinner plan,” he admitted, receiving a gentle nudge from Heero’s elbow and a smile and nod when he looked up into the blue eyes. “I’m glad,” Heero said simply. “It will be a nice outing for all of us.” With the issue of their Saturday plans settled, and Quatre as content as a cat who’d swallowed a canary, the boys turned their attention to their work, and spent a couple of hours studying, before bidding each other a good night and heading back to their dorms. Their evening study time was already becoming a comfortable routine for all of them, and one which enabled them to push thoughts of war far into the back of their minds, while they focused on their classes and training. With so much to occupy their time and thoughts, not a one of them had any trouble falling soundly asleep each night, and yet waking rested and eager to take on the next day’s challenges.
Thursday morning passed with its usual flurry of activity, rushed greetings over breakfast and then brisk walks to their classes. And with the upcoming weekend to look forward to, as well as their Friday night plans, the boys from Team Wing were feeling on top of the world. Or at least, they were until Heero’s day got quite thoroughly ruined at the end of his astrophysics class. He’d finished copying the assignment and was packing up his books to leave when he noticed Reginald Darlian walk into the classroom and approach the instructor. He spared all of two seconds wondering what the football star was doing there, and then he slung his backpack over a shoulder and headed for the door. “Cadet Yuy! Could I see you a moment?” He paused, turning around to face the teacher. “Yes sir?” “I believe you and Cadet Darlian are acquainted?” he asked, gesturing Heero back to them. Heero nodded, eyeing Reggie warily as he approached. “We’ve met,” he conceded. “Ah, that’s good. Darlian here just re-took the entrance exam for astrophysics and passed. He’ll be joining the class next week.” Heero gaze impassively at the smiling jock. “Congratulations.” “What I was hoping—,” the instructor continued eagerly, overlooking the tension between the boys, “—is that you could spend some time tomorrow evening tutoring Darlian to bring him up to speed.” “Tomorrow?” Heero asked in dismay, recalling his date with Duo. “It would be the best time,” Lieutenant Preston asserted. “That way he can jump right into the next module over the weekend and be ready to tackle next week’s lessons.” “Um—.” “Is it a problem?” came a slightly sharper inquiry. Heero grimaced slightly, not wanting to turn down a request by an instructor. “It’s only a week’s worth of material. Are you sure—?” “Yes, he needs the help,” came the quick reply, accompanied by a frown. “Can’t it wait until Sunday?” Heero asked hopefully. Reggie shook his head. “I’ve got practice all afternoon. How about Saturday?” It was Heero’s turn to decline. “I promised some friends we could get together and go for a ride Saturday.” A frown settled on his brow. “What about tonight?” “I’m part of a study group for chemistry,” Reggie said apologetically. “We reserved time in the lab tonight.” “So—tomorrow it is!” Lieutenant Preston declared, clapping Heero on the shoulder. “I appreciate this, Yuy. There’s a staff meeting tomorrow evening that I can’t miss.” He stuffed a folder into Heero’s hands. “This is the material you can review together. You showed excellent understanding in class this week, so I’m sure you’re qualified to explain anything Darlian has questions about. And there’s a brief question and answer sheet to test his comprehension. I’ll expect him to bring it to our next class.” Heero nodded numbly, staring down at the folder with a pensive scowl on his brow, and then turned and left. The whole way to infiltration, Heero pondered the best way to explain the change in plans to Duo. He knew his lover would be disappointed, if not downright pissed. “Whoa—Yuy! Careful where you’re going!” He looked up to see that he’d very nearly walked right into Trowa, who was waiting at the door to the classroom. “Sorry,” he shrugged, waving the folder he still clutched in a white-knuckled grip. “I was preoccupied.” Trowa just shook his head and opened the door for him. “Try not to trip over any desks,” he teased. Heero shot him a snide look and walked past. But instead of concentrating on the day’s lecture, he was preoccupied with gloomy thoughts of how much breaking their date would upset Duo. He decided ‘fessing up to the change in plans as soon as possible was probably the best solution—the one least likely to set Duo off, anyway—but he wanted to steal a moment alone with his lover to try to soften the blow as much as he could. He didn’t get that private moment during the busy lunch hour, which brought the usual groups together in the mess hall, fueling up before their long afternoon of classes and then obstacles. Duo was in rare form, expounding upon the great time he’d had in demolitions class that morning. “So then Pyro pulls this thing out of his pocket that looks like—I dunno—a rubber eraser or something. He dips the freakin’ thing in water, an’ then throws it in the trash. Next thing you know there’s this ‘whump’ sound, and papers are flyin’ everywhere!” His eyes were shining as he gulped down his juice to wet his throat. “It was totally cool!” he concluded with a grin of pure delight. “Water activated explosives!” “You’re spoiling the surprise for us, Maxwell,” Trowa chided. “Yuy and I have got demolitions after lunch.” Duo shook his head. “Naw—Pyro said he’s got a different demonstration for the afternoon class—just so we can’t give away his surprise.” Quatre looked up over his sandwich, a slight pout firmly in place. “It’s not fair!” he asserted. “I got put in tactics instead of demolitions. I don’t even get to see all the fun stuff you’re talking about.” “Aw, don’t worry, Quat. I’ll borrow some of his toys and do a private demonstration sometime.” “Borrow?” Heero asked, frowning. Duo nodded earnestly. “You expect an instructor to let you ‘borrow’ explosives?” “Why not?” “Because they’re dangerous,” Heero pointed out. Duo grinned dauntlessly. “Pyro says they’re only dangerous in the wrong hands.” Trowa couldn’t quite hide a wry smirk. “Y’know, I’m not sure his having a nickname like ‘Pyro’ inspires confidence in the guy.” “It does for me,” Duo shrugged. “The fact that he still has all his fingers intact is enough to convince me he knows what he’s doing.” “Good point,” Trowa conceded. “He’s not going to let you take explosives out of the training area,” Heero predicted. “Not if he’s a responsible instructor.” “He will if he trusts me,” Duo countered complacently. “You’ve had two classes!” Heero chided. “How can he know you well enough to trust you?” “Well I don’t expect him to let me have ‘em now,” Duo scoffed. “I figured in a few weeks.” Heero just shook his head. “I wouldn’t bet on it.” “Speaking of betting—,” Trowa spoke up. “How’s that chemistry wager going, Duo?” The braided boy shrugged. “So far, so good. I’m a natural.” “A natural what though?” teased the other boy. They finished up the meal and were gathering their things to leave, when Heero edged over to Duo, thinking that he might be able to take him aside for a moment. “Hey, Duo—.” “Hm?” The braided boy looked up with wide eyes, warmth glimmering in their depths. “Um—about tomorrow—,” Heero stammered, feeling his stomach tighten with dread. Quatre slipped smoothly in between them, catching Duo by the arm. “Mind if I borrow him, Heero? I need to ask him something on the way to infiltration.” He was still brooding about the upcoming meeting with Fox, and wanted his best buddy to reassure him that Trowa wouldn’t dump him for a good-looking guy with a dog. “Actually, I—.” Heero gave up, sighing in frustration. “I’ll catch you later, Duo.” “Sure thing.” With the flash of a smile, Duo was off with Quatre. Trowa eyed Heero questioningly. “What?” demanded the Japanese boy, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over a shoulder. “Nothin’,” came the nonchalant reply as they fell into step with each other. “Just kinda wondered what you were trying to tell Duo—about tomorrow.” “Just that I can’t make our date after all,” Heero growled irritably, scowling at the ground as they walked. “You had a date?” “Kind of.” “Ah.” “‘Ah’ what?” “You two were going back to the dorm and screw each other senseless, weren’t you?” Heero felt a blush creep up his neck. “I made Duo a promise—back in boot camp—that we’d have a whole night to ourselves eventually. I was planning to make good on my promise.” Trowa smirked. “You say that like it’s a chore.” Heero couldn’t help chuckling faintly in return. “Not at all,” he admitted. “But—well—now something’s come up, and I can’t give Duo the time I planned.” Trowa snorted. “Well something would’ve ‘come up.’” “Not funny, Barton. You know there’s more than sex between Duo and me. It was the idea of having privacy and time together that was really the point of it.” He sighed again. “I just don’t know how well he’ll take it if I cancel on him.” The auburn-haired boy gave a short laugh. “He’ll be pissed as hell, Yuy, and you know it. That’s why you let Quatre whisk him away without trying harder to talk to him first. Avoidance.” “Fuck you, Barton.” “Not in this lifetime. Duo’s the jealous type.” “Asshole,” Heero muttered irritably. “Maybe you can make it up to him Saturday…after dinner.” Heero shrugged. “Maybe…assuming he’s still speaking to me.” “He will be.” “Did Quatre shanghai you into his clothes shopping spree as well?” Trowa nodded. “Yeah. Honestly, if I don’t let him treat us all to new outfits for dinner, he’s afraid Duo will be too proud to accept one.” “He’s probably right,” Heero agreed. “So…you’re gonna let Quatre buy you clothes and pay for dinner, too?” Heero nodded. “I don’t see how to avoid it without making Duo feel—.” “—like a charity case?” Trowa hung his head slightly as they walked. “To tell you the truth, I kind of feel that way, too. It really kind of—rankles—that I can’t even afford a nice enough outfit for the place Quatre wants to go.” “Barton—your net worth in dollars has nothing to do with your net worth to Winner. He’s far from shallow, that one.” “I know, or he wouldn’t have given me the time of day—ever. I just—hate having him spend a lot of money on me.” Heero snorted. “Same here…but for Duo’s sake, I let him convince me to swallow my pride, just for a day.” “It really means a lot to him, doesn’t it? To do something special for us all.” “Yes, it does. And that’s another reason I agreed.” They walked for a few moments in silence, and then Trowa glanced at Heero with a smirk. “Think he played us?” “Like a Stradivarius,” Heero replied unhesitatingly. “But you know, Barton—let’s just let him have his fun, hm?” “Devious little shit that he is—yeah, let’s,” Trowa chuckled back.
They didn’t see their respective partners again until everyone assembled at obstacles later that afternoon, and Heero figured he’d have to wait until after class to come clean to his lover. But when they lined up at the course, there was a young woman in uniform standing with Lieutenants Li and Wolfe. She had short, dark hair in an almost boyish style, and moved with crisp efficiency, a clipboard tucked firmly under one arm. “Good afternoon,” she greeted the ranks of boys standing ready. “My name is Lieutenant Noin, and I’m in charge of mobile suit classes. Due to a step-up in our training timetable, I’m going to borrow a few of you each day from calisthenics or obstacles and subject you to some basic aptitude exercises.” “I’d like the following individuals to come along with me: Jergins, Olin, Willis, Gonzalez, McGuire, Maxwell and Lund.” Duo darted a quick glance at his former teammates, and then joined the other boys whose names had been called, following their new trainer off towards the restricted area of the base, where the mobile suits were kept. Each boy had to pass through a retinal scan and be logged into the system before they were finally in the hangar, looking at an impressively-tall mobile suit. Duo was awestruck at the size of the gleaming metal monster; all the pictures and schematics didn’t come close to seeing the real thing. “Today’s exercise will be fairly simple, cadets,” the lieutenant told them, gesturing to the sleek piece of machinery. “You’ve all been in simulators, so you know how the controls of a mobile suit function. The only difference will be that you’re in an actual working model. You’ll strap in, power up the suit, and take it through some maneuvers on the course out back. Depending on how quickly you adapt to the controls and handling, I may ask each of you to perform different tasks…so don’t try watching the guy who goes before you to try to get a leg up on the competition.” She glanced down at her clipboard, and then up at the assembled cadets, her glance lingering on Duo for an extra few seconds. “I don’t expect miracles. Some of you may stumble and fall; mobile suits can feel quite awkward at first. Don’t think you’ve failed just because you have to struggle at this. Everyone learns at their own pace. Part of it is natural aptitude, but even more depends on practice and acquired skill.” She quickly reviewed the procedures for strapping in and starting up the machines, and then eyed the rather awed group with a faint smirk. “Anyone care to volunteer to go first?” Duo’s hand shot up at once, and the woman’s smirk widened into a smile. “Why am I not surprised, Maxwell?” She gave a small nod. “Well, get to it then!” He took the helmet she held out and clambered eagerly into the suit, strapping himself into the pilot’s chair with hands that were almost shaking with excitement. “All ready in there?” came her voice over the headset. “Yes sir,” he asserted, his gaze scanning the instruments as he took hold of the controls. “Start ‘er up then.” Duo felt a rush of exhilaration as he powered up the mobile suit, the roar and thrum of the engines igniting an answering quiver in his muscles. “Hot damn,” he muttered. “I was fuckin’ born for this!” A brief chuckle sounded in his ear. “Glad you like it, Maxwell. But can the chatter and listen up for my directions.” “Yes sir!” he grinned back, taking the correction in stride. “Take a heading of nine-zero and proceed at half speed while you get used to the feel of the controls.” “Consider it done.” Duo followed her instructions to the letter, taking the mobile suit out for his first walk. He found the controls just a tiny bit sluggish, forcing him to allow for a lag between his movements and the suit’s response. But once he grew accustomed to it, he was able to react to Noin’s instructions almost instantaneously. “Increase speed, turn to heading one-eight-zero and fire on target Alpha.” “I’m on it!” he replied, following her directions and using the mock weaponry to take out the designated target. While there wasn’t a spectacular explosion or anything to mark the occasion, he did have the satisfaction of seeing it topple grandly to the ground. “God, this is cool,” he couldn’t help blurting out triumphantly. “Focus, Maxwell! Turn to vector one-nine-five and engage opposition.” Duo followed her orders, only to see two “opponents” converging towards him. He headed straight between them, scoring a hit on the left one, before sending it into the path of the other. While his own suit took a simulated hit, there was minimal “damage” and he continued on the course Lieutenant Noin directed him through. He lost track of time, simply reacting to commands and concentrating on maintaining control of the suit, while executing his orders as quickly as possible. And when he heard, “Course complete—return to starting point and power down,” he heaved a sigh of relief, realizing he was actually tired and nearly panting from exertion. Noin was talking urgently with a couple of aides, making notes on her clipboard as he went through the dismount procedures and handed his helmet off to the next cadet in line. “Maxwell—good job,” was all Noin said, but the quick flash of a smile made Duo grin back like a loon. “Thanks, Lieutenant.” She turned her attention to the next cadet, but the aide gestured Duo over. “C’mon, kid—gotta take some stress readings.” “Stress?” Duo asked blankly. “That wasn’t stress; it was a blast!” “Blood pressure, heart rate, respiration…standard post-performance measurements.” Duo followed the aide over to a health station, standing patiently while the man took his blood pressure and other readings. And by the time he headed over to the bleachers to sit with the other boys, he’d caught his breath and could feel the sweat cooling on his skin, though he was still so high on adrenaline that he practically bounced as he walked. “How was it?” asked a kid Duo didn’t know. “Totally awesome,” he asserted. “God, I can’t even describe it!” He turned his attention to the course, where the next cadet seemed to be struggling a bit more than he had—his movements slower and clumsier than Duo’s had been. But he was able to complete all the tasks Noin demanded of him, though Duo noticed there were fewer than he had done. Noin caught his curious glance as she was calling the next cadet. “It’s a timed exercise, Maxwell. You were quicker, and so you completed the entire gamut of tasks.” Her smile flashed again. “You did good, kid.” Duo beamed, while she returned her attention to her training exercises. And when she dismissed the boys for dinner, they were all babbling excitedly about their first experience in a working mobile suit. They hit the dining hall in a cluster, so busy sharing their thoughts and impressions that they hardly noticed anyone else until they’d worked their way through the food line and dispersed into the crowd. But Heero had been watching Duo since he entered the room, noting the way he flew through the chow line and the spring in his step as he bounded over to their table. His determination to tell Duo about their broken date faltered as his lover threw himself into a seat with a positively exuberant expression on his face. “Had a pleasant afternoon, did you?” Quatre teased. “Shit, Quat, it was awesome!” Duo burst out excitedly. “Man, the power in those suits—! It was like—I dunno—just awesome.” Heero smiled indulgently, impressed that for once Duo was at a loss for words. “Real articulate,” Trowa chided. “C’mon, Maxwell—surely you can come up with something a bit more—specific.” Duo shook his head vehemently. “I swear, Tro’. Even the simulator didn’t come close!” he was all but quivering with suppressed energy, and he leaned in a little closer to Heero, lowering his voice. “God, ‘Ro—it was amazing. An’ you don’t know how badly I want to fuckin’ tackle you to the floor right now.” Heero raised an eyebrow, a faint flush creeping up his cheeks. “Piloting a mobile suit makes you—horny?” Duo nodded, eyes practically aglow. “Want you so bad right now! You have no idea—.” “Um—we’re in the mess hall,” Heero reminded him, glancing carefully around the room. “Yeah, I know—otherwise we’d be horizontal by now,” smirked Duo. He dug into his food, answering questions from Trowa and Quatre about the mobile suit between mouthfuls, while Heero waged an internal debate over whether or not to dampen his lover’s spirits by bringing up the subject of the next night’s ruined plans. It wasn’t until the meal was nearly over that he caught an intent pair of green eyes fixed on his face. Trowa cast a questioning look his way, then darted a glance at Duo, and Heero scowled a warning, giving an almost imperceptible shake of his head. He’d tell Duo when he was ready; and at the moment, he wasn’t willing to ruin the boy’s happy evening. He almost jumped out of his skin when a warm hand settled on his arm. “Hey, ‘Ro—wanna walk me back to my dorm? I’d invite you in, but I promised a couple of the guys we could go over our notes from demolitions.” “Oh. Sure.” He stood up quickly, and as Duo turned away, he caught Trowa’s eye. “First thing tomorrow,” he mouthed, giving a slight shrug. The return look was skeptical, and Trowa shook his head and sighed, turning his attention back to Quatre, who was sketching out some battle maneuvers he’d learned in tactics class on a spare napkin. Duo barely waited until they were clear of the mess hall and in the privacy of the shadows outside before throwing himself into Heero’s arms and kissing him hungrily. Having expected something of the sort, Heero was more than prepared to return the favor, only pulling away when they heard the voices of others approaching. “C’mon, Maxwell,” he said a bit raggedly. “Let’s get you back to your dorm before we end up wasting all your study time.” Duo grinned cheekily, sauntering along beside him. “Wouldn’t be wasted,” he said smugly. “But you’re right—I should get going.” They made it to the dorm in a matter of minutes, but weren’t able to share another kiss, since there were several students out and about in the quad. “See you tomorrow morning,” Heero told his lover, giving him a fond look and a reassuring wink. Duo’s cheerful expression softened into a wistful one. “Boy am I glad I only have to suffer for another twenty-four hours—then you’re all mine.” He licked his lips, his gaze dropping to Heero’s. “Can’t wait, love.” “I know,” Heero replied, cringing internally and cursing himself for a coward as Duo turned and bounced off into his dorm to join his classmates. “Fuck fuck fuck!” Heero hissed under his breath, tempted to try tracking down his astrophysics teacher the next day and try to beg out of the assignment. He didn’t know which was worse—disappointing an instructor, who had placed a great deal of faith in his abilities by asking him to tutor a new student, or disappointing Duo, who was counting on him to keep his promise of having a soft bed and an uninterrupted night together. There was just no easy way out.
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