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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 Seven: Into the Fire “You look like you’ve got a lot on your mind,” Heero commented as he and Wufei walked across the dark courtyard. “I have.” The Captain scowled, looking down at his feet as they walked, and contemplating the best way to disregard protocols and regulations. “I’m going to tell you something I’m not supposed to.” The deep blue eyes shot him a sidelong glance. “’Fei?” “For the next few weeks, all the cadets at this Academy will be testing for the Prototype Program I mentioned to you before. But the Department of Defense rep told Merquise that they want selections made and training completed as quickly as possible. They want the prototypes and their pilots combat-ready inside of a year…preferably sooner.” Heero caught his breath. “I thought it would take closer to two.” “It should. And it was meant to,” Wufei told him. “But they’ve changed the rules once again, and now they want to put babies into killing machines and send them out to die sooner rather than later!” The Japanese boy winced at the bitterness in his friend’s voice. “We aren’t babies, Chang.” “Close enough.” Heero shook his head stubbornly. “None of us are babies. Maybe some of your rich upper-class kids at this place are that helpless…but my team…my friends…have been through a lot more. We’re all a lot more prepared than the spoiled elite who usually attend this Academy.” “While I admit you have a definite edge over the ‘spoiled elite,’ as you call them, you’re far from seasoned soldiers. And before I watch you and your friends fly off to war, I’d like to see you better prepared.” The Japanese boy raised an eyebrow. “If you’re suggesting we do less than our best…” “You know me better than that. I’d never tell you to fail on purpose—or to ask the others to do so. I’m just—worried,” he finished in a gusty sigh. “I don’t blame you,” Heero replied. While a frown creased his forehead, a hint of a smile touched his lips. “But I’d have expected you to be worried about the battles you’d lose by sending unskilled troops.” “There was a time I would have been. But now—.” He shrugged expansively. “Now I’m more worried about the young lives that would be lost.” Heero’s smile widened into a genuine one. “You know, Wufei, when we were kids, I looked up to you so much. I didn’t think I could possibly respect you more than I did back then. But now—you are ten times the person you were then.” Captain Chang blushed, uncomfortable with such effusive praise from his stoic friend. “I think the same of you,” he admitted. “We have come a long way, haven’t we?” Heero gave a brief nod. “Just as my teammates evolved during boot camp,” he pointed out. “They’re more ready than you think, Chang. And if they know how serious the situation is, you know they’ll rise to the occasion.” “You can’t tell them,” came the quick reply. “If Zechs finds out I even told you, he could bring me up on charges.” “As if he would.” “That’s beside the point. I’ve broken some serious military protocols by confiding in you.” Wufei shook his head. “Why would you do that?” Heero asked. “If not to have me tell the others—.” “I just—. I guess I needed to vent some of my frustration.” Wufei gave a small, tight smile. “I couldn’t very well take it all out on Zechs. He feels badly enough about the changes to the timeline.” Dark eyes sought blue ones. “I’ve always been able to tell you anything, Heero.” “You still can.” “I know.” Wufei ran a hand back through his hair. “I also didn’t want you going into this blind. We’ve been friends too long for that.” “Contrary to what you think, none of us will be going into this blind, Wufei.” Heero glanced at the other man as they walked. “From what I’ve heard and seen of my teammates, they’re taking this training very seriously. They understood Merquise’s speech about the possibility of war, and no one’s tried to brush it off as idle talk.” He stopped in his tracks and waited for Wufei to do the same, and turn to face him. “Every cadet from Peacecraft knows where the training could lead, and they’re ready to face that possibility.” Chang’s chest rose and fell in a heavy sigh, and he gave a firm nod and a half-smile. “You’re right, Yuy. They are. And I thank you for putting my mind at ease. I was starting to feel that we were somehow deceiving them, and I think that was bothering me more than anything.” “I know.” Heero resumed his walk and Wufei fell in step beside him. They walked the rest of the way to the dorm in companionable silence, and parted with a simple “good night.”
Heero felt unaccountably weary as he made his way to his room, sighing and running a hand through his unruly hair. He tried not to let Wufei’s fears become his own, but it was hard not to imagine his friends dying prematurely because some government pencil-pushers wanted to hurry a war along. He hoped beyond hope that his assertion they could be ready in time was the truth. And he worried just as much over Wufei’s concern as he did over what he’d been told. It wasn’t like his friend to be that open with emotions. He always seemed in perfect control. For him to admit to so much, he must be even more uneasy than he let on, and Heero couldn’t help wondering if there was more to the story than he’d been told. How imminent was war? And how likely was the immediate deployment of the prototypes? Heero headed for his bathroom, deciding a shower might relax him and help him sleep after the disturbing conversation. He’d known Wufei for years, and yet sometimes wondered if he knew him at all. For instance, he’d never had a clue that Wufei might be gay, or even bisexual—and now the man was involved with Merquise. That stray thought started Heero wondering why there’d never been any spark of attraction between Wufei and him. He scowled as he let the water run over his face, picturing his friend through all the years he’d known him, and trying to see a moment when something could potentially have happened between them. But there was nothing; not the least hint of more than a deep, brotherly connection. Not that Wufei wasn’t attractive. He was. His dark, piercing gaze and sleek black hair made him singularly striking to look at. And his personality suited Heero to a tee. But there was never a hint of sexual tension between them. Ever. Maybe they were too much alike, Heero mused. Apparently it took a loud-mouthed, brassy street kid to turn his head and set his heart on fire. Go figure. The long, hot shower soothed his nerves, and by the time he emerged from his bathroom, Heero felt much better. And when he saw Duo sprawled casually across his bed, he felt better still. “How’d you get in?” he said, trying not to grin and failing miserably. “Trade secret,” said the other boy, winking slyly. His gaze trailed down the naked chest to the towel wrapped around Heero’s waist. “I suddenly feel overdressed,” he smirked. “You are.” Heero tossed aside the towel and crawled onto the bed so he was straddling his prone lover. “But I can remedy that.” He leaned in for a deep, searing kiss as his fingers made short work of the buttons on Duo’s shirt. “Mmm…” Duo closed his eyes as Heero’s hands slid inside the fabric and traced patterns on his skin. “God, that’s—nice.” “It gets better,” promised the Japanese boy, letting his lips follow the path his hands had taken, teasing at Duo’s throat and then working their way down to a nipple. “Oh God,” Duo panted. “Thought I was supposed to do the seducing.” “Not tonight.” Heero set to work on the other nipple, his hands sliding down to deftly unfasten Duo’s belt and unzip his pants. He was rewarded with a groan, and the push of Duo’s hips towards his hands. “Patience,” he crooned huskily. “Right,” gasped his lover. Heero crept back up to kiss the breathless lips, enjoying the trembling reactions he got, and the fierce hunger he felt reflected back at him. “Oh…Jesus…” Duo looked up searchingly as Heero let him up for air. “Hey, ‘Ro—what’d Wufei want you for?” “Nothing much,” mumbled the Japanese boy, leaning in to kiss Duo’s jaw and nibble his way back to an ear. “Nothing much?” echoed Duo, his tone a bit skeptical. “He singled you out from the whole study group, ‘Ro. Hadda be something important.” “Not really.” “Bullshit.” Duo’s tone was sharp—almost angry. Heero jerked as if he’d been slapped, sitting back on Duo’s legs and looking down at the half-lidded indigo eyes, a scowl furrowing his brow. “Is that why you came here?” he asked coolly. “Just to find out what ‘Fei and I talked about?” “Among other things,” Duo hedged, looking a bit chastened. Heero’s face darkened. “You were trying to seduce information out of me?” he asked in disbelief. “No—but I was hoping you might tell me—.” “After you promised not to use sex to coerce me into anything—.” “I’m not!” Duo asserted, frowning up at him. “I never said you had to tell me or I wouldn’t have sex with you—.” “But you waited until we were in bed before you asked.” “I was in bed when you walked out of the shower,” Duo pointed out with flawless logic. “You know what I mean.” Heero glared at his boyfriend. “Did you think that I’d blurt out some deep, dark secret just because you had your hand on my dick?” Duo blinked at the harshness in Heero’s tone. “Jesus, ‘Ro—what’s got you so pissy?” “I don’t like being manipulated—that’s what!” “Who’s manipulating you? I just wanted to find out what the big powwow with Chang was all about—an’ maybe have a little quality time with my boyfriend!” “We had ‘quality time’ last night—and you didn’t play twenty questions while we did it.” Heero got up, walking over to pick his towel up off the floor, frustrated with Duo for the game he’d played, and with himself for letting it get to him. “I think you should go, Duo.” The braided boy pushed himself upright, eyes wide with disbelief. “You’re throwing me out of your bed, Yuy?” “I just think tonight’s not a good night for this. We’ve got early classes…” “Bullshit. You’re pissed at me.” “Yeah, I guess I am,” Heero admitted, looking squarely into the indigo eyes and seeing a flash of pain in them that tugged at his heart. Without another word, Duo got up, zipped his pants, and began rebuttoning his shirt, keeping his back to Heero so he wouldn’t see the brightness in his eyes. When he felt arms slide around his waist, he stiffened, pausing his shaking hands. “Don’t take that the wrong way, Duo,” cautioned the Japanese boy. “I don’t mean I don’t love you. I can be angry with you and still care, you know.” “’S okay,” Duo muttered, still trying to keep up the tough act. “You don’t want to fuck me, that’s fine. I got stuff to do anyway.” Heero sighed in frustration. “I never want to ‘fuck you.’ You know that. I love you. And sex is more than ‘fucking.’ That’s why knowing you were just using it to get what you wanted—hurt.” Duo twisted in the strong arms, turning to face his lover. “I wasn’t using it—or you. I came to talk to you—but you had to come out of the bathroom all wet and half-naked.” He glanced up shyly from under half-lidded eyes. “Seeing you like that just made me lose my head. And I was trying to remember what I came here to ask.” He gave a tentative kiss to the firm jaw he was nestled up against. “If anything, you were the one using sex to distract me. Honest. You know I don’t lie, ‘Ro. And I just came to ask what Chang had to say—and then let you fuck me through the mattress. I didn’t mean to mix the two up.” Heero’s temper cooled at the soft, apologetic tone, and he felt a twinge of remorse for overreacting. His deep blue eyes searched the indigo ones. “You seriously didn’t plan on using sex to get me to talk?” Duo looked squarely back. “No, I didn’t. Like I said, I wanted both—but it never even crossed my mind to trick you into anything.” He tightened the arms he’d slid around his lover’s waist. “You believe me?” “Of course I do,” sighed the other boy, tightening his own grip. “Sorry I misunderstood.” “If you’d just said we’d talk about it later, I’d have shut the hell up,” Duo told him. A slight frown settled on his face. “Was it that serious?” “We’ll talk about it later,” Heero said firmly. He leaned in to kiss Duo deeply, and then pulled away. “You better get back to your dorm and get some sleep. Tomorrow we have double-period classes, and I’ve got astrophysics first thing in the morning.” A pained look crossed Duo’s face. “Now I wish I’d kept my mouth shut. I’m leaving without either of the things I came for.” Heero finally managed a faint smile. “How ‘bout we make a date for Friday night? We’ll come back here after chow and spend the whole night together—no interruptions, no questions, no arguments.” “That sounds nice,” Duo conceded. “It’ll be a million years ‘til then; but it sounds nice.” He searched Heero’s face. “I didn’t screw things up again?” “No,” sighed the other boy. “I’m just tense—a little touchy I guess. Bad timing.” “Y’know how much I love you, right?” “I do. And I love you right back.” Heero walked over and opened the door, after making sure his towel was back around his waist in case anyone walked by. “See you at obstacles tomorrow,” he told his lover. Duo managed a grin, though it was less whole-hearted than usual. “That’s right—we’ve all got obstacles together. That’ll be a blast.” He paused at the door, glancing up and down the hall before leaning in to brush a brief kiss across Heero’s lips. “Love you, ‘Ro.” “Love you, too.”
The next morning went much like the first had, though all the boys were more relaxed and settled in. When they met in the mess hall, they ate breakfast as a group, comparing schedules, and deciding to meet at lunchtime, so that Duo and Quatre could go to history together, while Heero and Trowa both had infiltration. After that, Duo and Quatre had infiltration while Heero and Trowa would be in demolitions—and then at the end of the day, all the second-year cadets had obstacle class together. When Duo realized Quatre and he would be sharing not just one, but two classes, he was elated. But he was even more elated when he got to his demolitions class several minutes early, and found Lieutenant Sims (aka Pyro) teaching that as well as chemistry. “So, you not only make the explosives—you also teach us how to use them?” Duo asked as he slid into a front row seat. “Who’d be better qualified?” asked the instructor, giving him a wicked smirk. “Maxwell, right?” Duo nodded. “I saw your scores on previous tests. You’ve got a lot of aptitude for demolitions work. Planning on being in special ops?” “Nope—mobile suits.” Pyro raised an eyebrow. “Weapons systems?” “Pilot.” The teacher shook his head. “You sure you want to go that route, kid? Pilots come and go, but weapons experts last forever.” “I want to pilot mobile suits,” Duo said firmly. “First time I got into a simulator, I knew it was the job for me.” He grinned dauntlessly. “Don’t worry, though. I plan to ace this class, anyway.” “That’s not the point,” replied the lieutenant. “The point is, pilots don’t live long in combat, and with the kind of talent you have, the Corps should keep you around as long as possible.” “I’m tough to kill, sir. Honest.” Pyro nodded. “Let’s see if you feel that way once you try the bomb simulator.” “Bomb simulator?” “Once we’ve gotten into some construction and assembly of bombs, you’ll get to try to defuse a ‘mock bomb.’ If you fail, you end up splattered with red paint.” He grinned evilly. “I haven’t ever had a student pass the simulation the first time through.” Duo grinned back, sensing a challenge. “Well, here’s to me being the first.”
While Duo was bonding with his new favorite instructor, Quatre was in a class on battle strategy and tactics. And although the subject matter promised to be absolutely riveting for him, he found the company less than desirable. He’d no sooner entered the classroom than another boy walked over and introduced himself as Rick, holding out a hand in greeting. Quatre shook the proffered hand, smiling back. “I’m Quatre.” “Yeah, I know.” Rick gave a casual shrug. “Who doesn’t know the Winner name?” He smiled conspiratorially. “Why’d you decide on a military career anyway?” “Lots of reasons,” Quatre replied as they took seats side by side. “But I guess the most important is that I met my best friends preparing to come here, and I really wanted to stick with them, you know?” Rick nodded. “Yeah—I do know. All the friends I’ve got in the world I met here, last year. Great bunch of guys.” He glanced around and lowered his voice. “You wanna come meet some of them at the library tomorrow night? We’re having a little get-together to talk about the lowering of the admission standards.” On the verge of accepting the offer with the idea of making new friends, Quatre paused to cast a quizzical look at Rick. “The what?” “You know…letting a bunch of criminals in…” The pleasant feeling of camaraderie slipped away at once, and Quatre’s eyes flashed in sudden anger. “Didn’t Major Merquise expressly forbid that sort of thing?” “He said we weren’t supposed to bother them or anything…nothing about just talking among ourselves.” Rick leaned a little closer. “Anyway, he’ll never know. So far the only guys in the group were here last year, an’ we’re all pretty tight.” “Really?” Quatre asked with such sarcastic lightness that it went completely over Rick’s head. “What about me? I wasn’t here last year.” Rick laughed and waved a hand dismissively. “You’re Quatre Winner. Everyone knows you aren’t one of the Peacecraft kids.” “Oh? Why d’you say that?” Quatre asked with a dangerous gleam in the aquamarine eyes. “Well, because you’re Quatre Winner!” “Ah.” Quatre’s pretty eyes narrowed. “Let me enlighten you a bit, Rick. Just because my last name’s Winner doesn’t mean I’m a saint, you know. I could very well be as bad as the worst juvenile delinquent out there. But you’d never hear about it because of the name.” Rick looked a bit puzzled, but pushed bravely forward. “Well at any rate, with a name like yours, surely you don’t want to be sharing space with a bunch of thieves, whores and murderers, do you? I mean—I heard some of ‘em came from the streets of L2—and you know the kind of people that place produces.” “I’m not small-minded enough to judge people by reputation,” Quatre said with an icy edge to his usually-mild voice. “Or by where they’re from. I wait to actually know someone long enough to determine their character before I make judgments.” Rick frowned in confusion. Quatre rolled his eyes in exasperation. “In other words, fuck off!” he snarled, borrowing one of Duo’s lines, which seemed to fit the occasion. “I want nothing to do with your narrow-minded friends or you!” “You—you want them to allow juvenile delinquents into the Corps?” Rick asked in astonishment, finally catching on. “I want them to allow anyone who passes the entrance exams and shows the right moral fiber and intelligence!” Quatre retorted, his sunny smile long gone. “Of course, if they did that, you wouldn’t be here!” He grabbed his books and very deliberately moved to a seat further away from the detestable boy.
Quatre was still fuming hours later as he arrived at the mess hall, grabbed a lunch, and located the table where Duo, Trowa, Jase, and Ben were waiting for him. He slammed his books and his lunch onto the table and flung himself into a chair just a little harder than was necessary. Duo and Trowa both looked up in mild surprise. “’S up, Quat?” “I just met a vile, pathetic excuse for a human being!” Duo and Trowa exchanged a glance. “Are you okay?” Trowa asked with a concerned gleam in the deep green eyes. “Did something happen?” “No—he just—pissed me off,” Quatre growled, once again borrowing from Duo’s extensive vocabulary for an expressive-enough word. “Anyone we know?” Duo inquired, curious indigo eyes fixed on his friend. “Some idiot named Rick,” grumbled the blonde, taking a vicious bite of his sandwich. “He went prattling on about how the Corps lowered its standards to allow juvenile delinquents in—.” “Oh.” Duo’s eyes flashed a bit, but he kept a casual grin on his face. “That hadda sting,” he commented lightly. “More to the point—Major Merquise specifically ordered all the cadets to drop the subject,” Quatre reminded him. “Yeah, well—it’s hard to dictate feelings, now isn’t it?” Duo philosophized, his eyes traveling to the doorway Heero was walking through. “Case in point…” he smirked. He raised a hand for Heero’s attention, gesturing the Japanese boy to join them. “This isn’t funny,” Quatre protested, scowling deeply. “Rick and his friends are having a meeting about it tomorrow night at the library.” Trowa raised an eyebrow, his concerned green eyes fixed on his boyfriend. “So they’re clearly not taking Merquise seriously.” “Doesn’t matter,” Duo shrugged. “They can’t actually do anything about it. I mean, I could stand up on this table and shout ‘hey, I’m Duo Maxwell, a thief from L2’ and no one could do jack shit about it.” “Sure they could,” Trowa pointed out. “Just not in daylight, Maxwell.” He shook his head slightly. “Don’t get cocky just because Merquise likes you. None of us is untouchable.” “Apparently I am,” Quatre said sourly. Trowa shook his head, frowning in worry. “Don’t assume that, Quatre. Depending on their agenda, you could be as much of a target as any of us.” “Not likely,” Quatre muttered. “Rick seemed to think I’d like to join their little ‘hate club’ just because my name is Winner.” “Well, you do have a squeaky-clean image,” Duo teased, tilting his head back as Heero walked behind his chair and sat next to him. “Hey, ‘Ro. We were just talking about our little blonde boy next door, and how some people think just because he’s rich, he’s got to be a prissy, stuck-up snob like Darlian and his crew.” Heero raised an eyebrow, looking to Quatre for clarification. “I got invited to meet with a bunch of idiots who don’t like the Peacecraft Initiative,” mumbled the blonde, suddenly becoming very interested in his fruit cup. Trowa’s hand slid across to nudge Quatre’s. “Don’t let a few image-conscious fools make you get all defensive,” he urged. “You don’t have to live up to anyone’s preconceptions.” Quatre darted a grateful look at his lover. “Thanks, Trowa. I almost forgot that none of that mattered at boot camp. We were all just part of the team.” “Well, once we got over a few humps and actually became a team,” Duo pointed out. “I almost bought into that whole ‘name’ thing. Remember?” “You just asked why I couldn’t have used my name to get out of boot camp,” replied the blonde. “But you never expected me to act or be a certain way because of it.” “Naw—you were just the sweet blonde kid on the bus,” Duo recalled almost wistfully, his mind drifting back to his first sight of Quatre, and the instant concern he’d felt for such a sweet-looking boy. “And you were my first friend at camp,” Quatre smiled back. Heero and Trowa exchanged a quick glance and a shake of both heads. It was no wonder they felt like outsiders looking in at times. Duo and Quatre had shared a brotherly intimacy almost from the moment they met. “Kindred spirits,” Duo joked, winking at the blonde. Trowa snorted wryly. “That’s a bit of a stretch…the L2 street kid and the L4 heir?” “If you’re kindred spirits, what am I?” Heero asked Duo quietly, sounding just a tad insecure. “My soulmate,” whispered his lover, giving him a small, private smile reserved only for him. Heero’s return smile was suffused with warmth. “Aishiteru,” he murmured reaching under the table to squeeze Duo’s hand briefly before returning his attention to his lunch.
After lunch the four boys set out for class, walking together since they were headed to more or less the same area of the campus. Heero and Trowa both ended up with their noses stuck in a book on infiltration, the class they were headed for, so Duo edged over to walk shoulder to shoulder with Quatre. “So, what’re we gonna do to the creeps who want us gone, oh Master of Strategy?” “I thought we’d just ignore them,” shrugged the blonde, his face tightening at the reminder of the morning’s unpleasantness. “Aw, c’mon, Quat. They need their cage rattled a bit, don’t ya think?” Duo cajoled, hoping to take the somber expression off his friend’s face. “Not that they don’t deserve it,” Quatre sighed. “But I thought I’d report my conversation with Rick to Captain Chang, and let him deal with it as he sees fit.” “Oh, wrong answer!” Duo elbowed Quatre teasingly. “C’mon. We don’t need to rat them out to Chang if we can deal with them on our own. How ‘bout the old ‘dog shit in the shoes’ trick? It worked great for Austin and his boys.” “We don’t exactly have a canine unit to provide the, erm, ammunition,” Quatre reminded him, warming to the discussion. “True.” Duo frowned thoughtfully. “I wonder if I could get Pyro to loan me some sulfur from the chem lab…” Quatre wrinkled his nose, imagining all the smelly things that could be done with sulfur. The rotten-egg smell would certainly provide a harsh lesson, if used correctly. “Duo—you are very devious,” he pointed out. Duo grinned at him, seeing the familiar sparkle in the blue eyes. “You sell yourself short, Quatre. As I recall, you were the one who came up with the plan to set Kushrenada up. And you were the one who fooled him into thinking I was making an escape attempt.” “Your point?” “You called me devious! Isn’t that just a bit—hypocritical?” “Only if I claimed I wasn’t,” Quatre replied smoothly. “But you’re right. I am. And there’s got to be something we can do to straighten out the anti-Peacecraft idiots around here.” “Line ‘em up and…” “Not an option!” Heero interjected, apparently listening to them at the same time he was discussing infiltration with Trowa. Duo gave a wicked smirk. “But it’s fun to consider.” “No.” Quatre frowned in thought. “First we have to find out who they are…all of them. Then we can decide how to teach them the error of their ways.” “So go to the meeting,” Duo suggested. “I can’t. I told Ricky to fuck off.” Indigo eyes went wide and round. “You actually said the ‘f’ word? Quat—you must’ve been royally pissed at him!” “I was.” Quatre smiled up at his friend. “So I borrowed a phrase off of you.” He looked supremely pleased with himself. “I think it was fitting.” “Damn. I’ve corrupted the sweetest kid in the world,” Duo sighed, shaking his head regretfully. “That was supposed to be my job, Maxwell,” Trowa threw in, sparing a mock-glare for the braided boy. “Oh, trust me—it is,” Duo assured him. “I only love Quat for his mind—his devious, tactical-genius mind. His gorgeous blonde bod is all yours.” “Damn right,” mumbled Trowa in an undertone, catching a small, warm smile from his lover before he returned his attention to the book he and Heero were sharing. When Duo and Quatre broke off to go their separate ways, the auburn-haired boy gave a faint sigh, glancing after them. “What?” asked Heero perceptively. “Just—d’you ever get jealous of how close those two are?” “Honestly—no,” Heero said with a slight frown. “I don’t know why. I mean, it’s obvious how much they care about each other. I suppose I should feel threatened, at least a little. But I don’t.” “Well aren’t you just secure as hell?” muttered Trowa under his breath. Heero elbowed him chidingly, giving him a rare, encouraging smile. “Don’t worry about it,” he urged. “Quatre adores you—and he’d be too scared of me to even think of making a move on Duo,” he added with a devilish smirk. But would Duo be too scared of me to make a move on him? wondered the former circus performer. He immediately felt guilty for thinking such a thing. He knew better. He knew Duo better than that. But sometimes it was hard to imagine what Quatre saw in him, when he could have anyone at all. And in his weaker moments, Trowa found himself terribly afraid he’d do or say the wrong thing and lose the boy he loved so much. It had almost happened once before. When Trowa had delivered Duo into Kushrenada’s hands, he’d been sure it ended any chance he might ever have with Quatre. But it hadn’t. And as grateful as he was for that fact, he still had moments of unease…lots of them. His somber musings were interrupted when a dog came bounding across the sidewalk, leash dragging and a cadet frantically chasing after him. “Triton! Get back here! Come! Stay! Stop!” Trowa hesitated only an instant, as the dog ducked between Heero and him, and snatched up the end of the leash, bracing as the running animal hit the end. With a startled yip, the dog came to an abrupt halt and turned to see what had stopped him. He was mostly black, with silver and white markings and a long, bushy tail that curled up and over his back. Slender of build, he was smaller than the shepherds at boot camp, and when he looked up at the two boys, they realized one eye was blue and one brown. “Hey—a border collie,” Trowa said with a smile, dropping to one knee and offering a hand to the animal. “Triton?” The dog instantly crowded close, wagging his tail furiously and licking the boy’s face. Trowa buried his hands in the thick ruff, giving a warm chuckle and scratching the dog’s neck, eliciting a wriggle and a whine of pleasure from it. The boy who’d been chasing the dog jogged up, panting and cursing. “Shit! Thought I’d never catch up!” He stopped at the sidewalk, looking a bit sheepish and very red in the face. “Hey, thanks for catching him.” Trowa nodded, his fingers deep in the soft fur, stroking the happy dog. “He’s beautiful.” He looked up to see a good-looking boy around his own age, with sandy hair in a crew cut, and warm hazel eyes. Well, he’s not so bad, either. But true to form, Trowa turned his attention back to Triton, more entranced with the odd-colored eyes and the wagging tail than the good looks of the dog’s handler. Heero wore a bemused expression. Trust Trowa to find an animal to interact with, even on a military base. “How are you able to have a dog here at the Academy?” he asked the newcomer. “He’s an explosives and ordnance dog—sniffs out bombs—or at least he will when his training is complete,” replied the boy, watching the way the animal responded to Trowa. “He sure likes you—uh—what’s your name?” “Oh. Trowa Barton.” He reached up to shake the boy’s hand. “Fox Endicott.” He offered his hand to Heero as well. “Heero Yuy.” “Oh. I’ve heard of you…aced the simulator, didn’t you?” “How’d you know that?” Heero asked suspiciously. “I do patrols with Triton here, for practice—when he’s not chasing goddamned rabbits,” grinned the other cadet. “You hear a lot of stuff when you’re sweeping offices and classrooms for explosives.” Heero and Trowa exchanged a look, each clearly wondering what else the boy knew. “So—how d’you get a job with demolitions dogs?” Trowa asked, wondering if there were other openings. “Well, it probably helps that my old man’s the supply officer here,” Fox grinned. “He knows all the jobs that open up, has a lot of connections…and frankly, having been an army brat all my life, I have quite a few connections of my own.” Heero glanced at his watch and tugged on Trowa’s sleeve. “We’ve got to run, Barton. They won’t hold up class for us!” “Oh—right.” Trowa reluctantly handed the leash back to Fox. “Hey, is there any chance I could help out with Triton? I—I really like dogs. A lot. I had them at home, and—I miss them.” He didn’t notice the startled and then sympathetic look that crossed Heero’s face before he schooled it back into the stoic mask of indifference. “Sure!” Fox said eagerly. “If you’ve got time Friday night, I’m on kennel duty. Come by after chow—building K-9.” He grimaced slightly. “Yeah, they named it like that on purpose, the shitheads.” Trowa laughed, and even Heero smiled at the silly pun. “Can I bring a friend?” Trowa asked, instantly thinking of Quatre. “Sure—so long as he likes dogs. There are two others—Proteus and Larissa.” “All named for moons of Neptune, eh?” Heero noted. “Yeah—the training officer is an astronomy buff,” Fox told them. “Me? I’m just crazy about dogs.” “Me too,” Trowa said warmly, starting to think maybe he’d found a kindred spirit of his own—or at least a potential new friend. And the thought cheered him immensely, all the way to infiltration class.
tbc... |
