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"Boot Camp"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, references to NCS (especially in later chapters) Pairings: 1+2, 3+4 (to start with) A/N: This is the first time I'm getting up the nerve to post a story...hope it's not too similar to anyone else's (haven't seen one just like it). Candid, kindly-delivered critiques will be greatly appreciated...please don't rip my head off too much? Um, and the old "don't like, don't read" phrase holds true. Oh, and it's fiction, and I don't have a law degree, so there's sure to be some inaccuracies...can we just pretend, please? Thanks in advance. Rating: NC 17 Summary: Four boys in the juvenile justice system
receive a last chance to make something of their futures. Will boot
camp make or break them? And can they ever learn to be a team? "Boot Camp"
As they hiked up a particularly steep trail, Duo reflected that while it was a killer climb, he would have won that bet with Heero. He’d take this over the obstacle course any day. And he had no intention of begging for obstacles, then or ever. On the other hand, as he picked a twig out of the braid hanging over his shoulder, he decided nature was a bit messier than the obstacle course…at least under current conditions. Corporal Carter had set a grueling pace, hiking confidently up the rugged mountain trails as easily as if he were strolling in a park. But the four boys were in pretty good shape after nearly two weeks of workouts, and held their own. Quatre was right behind the corporal, asking questions about the flora and fauna of the wilderness they were traversing, and Trowa had made sure he got to follow close behind the blonde. Duo was a little surprised that Heero had chosen to go last, figuring their illustrious leader would prefer to help set the pace. But instead the chocolate-haired boy brought up the rear, looking around with apparent interest. Carter called a halt near a mountain spring when the sun was at its zenith. “Okay, kids. I’m gonna cut you some slack, since this is our first survival exercise. We’ll eat lunch and then make camp, once I show you how to pick a good location.” Duo slid the heavy pack from his shoulders and let it drop to the ground. “Shit—that thing feels like it’s full of rocks,” he groaned. “Like your head, Maxwell?” suggested Carter, with a faint, teasing smile. “Hardy-har-har,” Duo drawled with a mock scowl. “Aren’t you just the comedian?” His lips curled in a slight smirk. “Wanna teach me some more cute nicknames for Captain Wuffles?” Carter grinned back. “I don’t think so. How ‘bout you quit your whining and break out some ration bars?” “So when do we get food cooked over an open fire?” Duo asked, rummaging through his pack even as he spoke. “Y’know…s’mores? Ghost stories? Songs around the campfire? Kumbaya?” Quatre was laughing out loud, and even Trowa wore a bemused grin as he tore open a protein bar and took a bite. Heero just gave a wry snort and settled in to sit on a log, taking a sip from his canteen. Having ignored Duo’s little monologue until the braided teen subsided and sat by Quatre, Corporal Carter settled in next to Heero, eyeing the team leader with a trace of a frown. “You seem a bit—subdued—Yuy. Anything on your mind?” Heero shook his head, chewing stoically on a ration bar. But Carter kept eyeing him as if waiting for more of an answer. “I’m conserving energy,” he finally said, hoping to discourage the friendly liaison. “Ah.” Carter leaned back against a tree, watching the four boys doggedly consume their noon ration and wash it down with water from their canteens. Duo finished first, and then took a bandana from his pack, soaking it with water and mopping the sweat from under his sticky bangs. He slapped irritably at a mosquito on his neck. “Y’know, Corporal Carter. I think I’ve had enough ‘nature’ for one day.” “But the fun’s just beginning, Maxwell. We’ve still got site location, shelter building, wood gathering…” Duo groaned, one hand splayed across his face. “And how does this have to do with mobile suit piloting?” Heero favored him with a stern look. “Maxwell, mobile suits can be destroyed, disabled, or simply have a malfunction. Knowing how to survive anywhere at any time is an important part of being a soldier in any army.” Duo shot Heero a defiant look. “So is intelligence gathering, Yuy.” Heero apparently caught the reference to Duo’s snooping through the foot lockers. His eyes turned cold. “There’s a difference between intelligence gathering and prying.” Quatre and Trowa shared a totally clueless look. They’d both observed the tension between Heero and Duo as it increased over the past few days. But neither one knew the cause. “There’s also a difference between surviving and not,” Duo retorted stubbornly. “Hey, are you two going to let the rest of us in on the conversation?” Carter asked with a frown. “What’s the problem here?” Duo looked down at the leaf-strewn ground, and Heero shrugged. “We just had a difference of opinion,” he said quietly. Carter sighed, shaking his head. “There’s no room for that in a team, boys. You need to talk things out. Settle them and move on.” He shrugged slightly. “I know it sounds rather simple and trite, but that’s the way it is.” “Yeah, we’ll take that under advisement,” Duo muttered reluctantly. He dared a glance at Heero, who simply looked the other way, scowling. They set off again after their snack, and by mid afternoon, Carter had shown them how to evaluate a camp site based on distance from water, natural shelter, protection from rain or flood waters, and how defensible it was. While Quatre went after water, and Duo went after firewood, Trowa, Carter and Heero worked on building a shelter of pine boughs and tarps. Duo was surprised at how far he had to go from the camp to find a good source of dry wood. The stuff nearby was only good for kindling. But once he climbed a little ridge and descended into a wooded culvert, he found fallen branches he could break into usable lengths with a minimum of effort. Nonetheless, it took him quite a while to gather a heaping armful that he figured would be enough for a first load. Knowing their illustrious leader, he’d have to make more trips to ensure enough fire wood for the whole night. As he worked, he made damned sure he could still hear the distant sound of chopping from the camp site, because as he’d noted on the bus ride, he wasn’t very well-schooled in wilderness survival. He didn’t even want to think what it would be like if he got separated from the others. Suddenly anxious when his thoughts drifted in that direction, Duo turned rather sharply to head back down the trail toward camp. When he did, he nearly ran squarely into Heero. The team leader reached out quickly, catching Duo’s arms just above the elbow and steadying him. “Watch where you’re going,” he cautioned gruffly, feeling the tension in the braided boy’s arms. Duo let his gaze search Heero’s face, trying to see behind the cool mask of indifference. He’d thought, before the horrible ‘snooping’ incident, that maybe Heero’s attitude towards him was softening just a little. But since then, he hadn’t seen it…or hadn’t allowed himself to see it. He was so angry with his team leader because of the bargain they’d struck, that he was hard-put to remember how attracted he’d been to him from the day they’d met. Or at least, he was until he thought how sweet it was that Heero had left that stupid protein bar on his pillow so he wouldn’t eat dog biscuits any more. And now, with Heero’s thumbs gently massaging his biceps as they stood facing each other, he wanted to drop the armload of wood and melt into those arms. Until he remembered the nightmare… Then he tensed, wondering if Heero had chosen this moment to demand payment for his silence. The braided boy closed his eyes, sighing in resignation, and forced himself not to move…not to pull away. Heero saw the emotions flit across Duo’s face, and knew exactly where the other boy’s thoughts ended up. And his grip on the strong, lean arms tightened. “Duo--.” His voice came out harsher than he intended…he was so irritated with the assumptions his teammate had made. Duo winced, darting Heero a startled look, which quickly turned defiant. “All right, Yuy!” he bit out between gritted teeth. “Go ahead and--.” Heero let out what almost sounded like a growl of anger. “You stupid fuck!” “Yeah—so what if I am?” Duo retorted. “Hell, you think I’d be in this stupid ‘boot camp’ in the first place if I had half a brain? Let alone hand you my ass on a silver platter--.” Heero’s eyes blazed at that, and his grip tightened even more, as he fought the urge to backhand the other boy. “Goddamnit, Maxwell—you don’t even know what you’re talking a--.” “Heero? Duo!” came Quatre’s voice, accompanied by his gleaming blonde head coming into sight as he trudged up the trail. Heero wordlessly shoved Duo back a step, releasing the bruising hold he’d had on his arms. He turned on his heel, meeting Quatre in a few strides. “Up there,” he muttered, walking past and heading for camp. Quatre walked the rest of the way to Duo, his aquamarine eyes concerned. “Don’t even try to tell me nothing’s wrong, Duo.” “I won’t,” replied the boy from L2, drawing a deep, shuddering breath. He resisted the urge to rub his arms where he knew he’d have bruises the next day. Instead, he turned deep, grave eyes to his friend. “When I’m ready to talk about it, Quat, you’ll be the first to know.” His tone left no room for discussion. “Alright,” sighed Quatre, realizing he’d get nowhere in a face to face confrontation right then. He could sense the stubborn defiance in the braided boy, and decided to give him some time to settle down. “C’mon…let’s go build a fire and see if we can make s’mores out of protein bars and powdered milk,” he joked, starting down the hill. Duo made a gagging sound as he followed. “Using protein bars is just…nasty!” “Well, they have a chocolate coating…” “It’s actually a synthetic, artificially flavored, chocolate-esque coating,” Duo pointed out, his usual humor gradually replacing his tension. By the time they got back to the camp, Duo seemed to be back to normal, joking around and teasing his teammates as ruthlessly as usual. He avoided Heero without making it obvious, and helped Carter make a blazing camp fire, which brought up the question of whether he’d ever been accused of arson. He smirked and assured Carter he hadn’t…that it was just an undeveloped raw skill. They did, indeed, get their meal cooked over a fire, though Quatre noticed Duo’s appetite was a bit off. In fact, as he thought back, the braided boy hadn’t been eating with his usual gusto all week, but had been picking at meals, despite saying he was starving in between. Considering his emotional state, it wasn’t surprising, but Quatre was concerned nonetheless. So, after the dinner cleanup, when he couldn’t find the ingredients for s’mores, Quatre found some cocoa powder in the supply pack, and mixed it with powdered milk and canteen water to make a soothing evening drink. When they finally rolled up in their sleeping bags for the night, Duo made sure he was right next to Quatre, and that little bit of reassurance was all it took to help him fall asleep as quickly as the others.
Between the lecture and supper, Trowa ducked out to go see his beloved Nanashi, and the others tagged along. Even Heero seemed to be warming to the big, amiable dog. They all ended up in a game of frisbee, with Nanashi happily leaping to catch it now and then and lead them a chase around the exercise yard. Out of breath and exhausted, they finally flopped down to rest, and Nanashi made the rounds, collecting ear scratches and hugs from each weary boy. Duo looked up from around the shepherd’s big head, one arm draped around the shaggy neck. “Tro’, this is the best dog ever, y’know?” “Yeah, I know,” Trowa said with a genuine, relaxed smile. “I wish he was mine.” “Well at least you get to see him while we’re here,” Quatre pointed out. Trowa gave a smaller, wistful smile. “Yeah, K.’s been really great about letting me spend time here.” Duo glanced up with a wary look. “About that, Tro’.” He frowned deeply. “Kushrenada doesn’t do anything without a reason. He’s up to something.” The boy from the circus just rolled his eyes. “Just because you can’t get along with him, Maxwell--.” “Can’t get along--?” Duo echoed. “For fuck’s sake, Trowa, the bastard tried to electrocute me my first day here! He’s a vindictive asshole!” “Not from where I’m standing.” “Then maybe you need to stand somewhere else,” Duo retorted. “Someplace a little closer to fucking reality!” “Hey, both of you, stop!” Heero ordered with a deadly glare. “This argument is pointless.” “I agree!” Quatre asserted. “Can’t you two just drop it?” “I’d love to,” Duo said coolly, still scratching Nanashi’s ears affectionately. “But Tro’ needs to open up his eyes and see what a devious bastard K. is.” “You’re paranoid, you know that?” Trowa snarled back. “So he made an example of you. You started it by making that crack about him droning on.” Duo’s eyes widened. “I started it? Goddamnit, Trowa, you heard everything he said! He was out to get me the second he laid eyes on me.” “And why is that, Maxwell?” Trowa gave him an accusing look. “What did you do to him before?” “I--? To him?” Duo stammered in outrage. “The first time they arrested me, they beat the living shit out of me, Barton. And he helped!” “Yeah, but you haven’t said why!” Trowa snapped back. “Because he thought I’d killed someone, okay?” Duo spat out coldly. Silence fell on the group, and Heero and Trowa both turned startled looks to Duo. He dropped his gaze to the ground, wrapping both arms around the dog and giving him a hug. “Did you?” Trowa asked coolly. Duo stiffened at that. “Oh, Trowa--,” Quatre breathed in disbelief. Duo stood up slowly, eyes ablaze. He took a step towards Trowa, fists clenched at his sides. “Take it back, Barton.” “It’s just a question, Maxwell. Answer it.” “Fuck you!” Duo said through gritted teeth. “You believe I killed someone?” “You haven’t said you didn’t…is that because you don’t like to lie?” “That’s because I wouldn’t dignify that question with an answer,” Duo growled. “Barton…Maxwell…” Heero’s voice was low, a distinct tone of warning in it. “Both of you stop this pointless bickering.” Trowa scowled, snapping his fingers so that Nanashi walked over and curled up beside him. “I’m not bickering, Yuy. I just asked him a question.” “A question you had no right to ask!” Quatre said in shock. “And you know the answer, Trowa. I know you do!” Duo’s face was flushed with anger, and he stood glaring at the boy from the circus. “No, Barton…I never fucking killed anyone,” he said, his voice low and cold. “And you can go fuck yourself!” He turned and stalked off, his fury evident in everything from the angry stride to the taut posture. Nanashi started after him, apparently unfazed by the anger and yelling. “Nanashi, come!” The dog turned around, trotting back to sit at Trowa’s side again. Quatre stood up quickly, giving Trowa a disbelieving look. He glanced at Heero, frowning. “I’ll go with Duo,” he said firmly. “You talk to Trowa, please.” “Hn.” Heero watched the blonde boy depart, and then turned a piercing blue glare on their teammate. “Why, Barton?” Trowa couldn’t meet the intense gaze, and covered his discomfort by running his fingers through Nanashi’s fur. “I didn’t mean to…to accuse him like that. It just came out,” he admitted quietly. “You were angry that he badmouthed Kushrenada.” “I can’t help it, Yuy. I love being around animals, and K. has been nice enough to let me.” Trowa looked up with a pained expression. “I can’t hate him like Duo does.” Heero nodded acknowledgment. “But you can hardly ask Duo to like him the way you do.” “I—guess not,” Trowa sighed. “You have to admit, Maxwell comes off sounding paranoid where the warden’s concerned. I mean, have you actually seen K. do anything to him?” “No, but you have,” Heero pointed out. Trowa flushed at that. He had seen Kushrenada make Duo approach the perimeter fence and get shocked by it. And he hadn’t been surprised that the bruise on the boy’s face had been inflicted by the same man. “I guess so,” he admitted. “You don’t want his feud with the warden to get you barred from the kennels,” Heero noted. “No, I don’t.” Trowa gave Heero a long, frank look. “This means a lot to me, Yuy.” “More than a teammate’s respect?” Heero asked. At that Trowa grimaced slightly. He hadn’t meant to start the verbal onslaught with Duo. But the other boy’s condemnation of the warden who’d been gracious enough to allow Trowa to spend time with the camp dogs had raised his ire. “I’ll…talk to him about it…later.” “I think you should,” Heero agreed. “Maybe if he understands how important the dog is to you, he won’t consider your relationship to the warden a threat.” “A threat?” Trowa asked in surprise. “Why would it be?” “You’d have to ask Maxwell that.” Heero shrugged slightly. “Maybe he is a little paranoid where Kushrenada’s concerned. Maybe he has reason to be. Or maybe not. I haven’t actually seen the two of them interact.” “I have. And they truly hate each other with a passion,” Trowa noted. “Obviously, if Kushrenada thinks Duo killed someone, he’d want to see him punished for it.” Trowa sighed, looking down at Nanashi’s brown eyes. “But Duo said he didn’t, and I believe him.” “Me too,” Heero agreed. “I think we both need to tell him that.”
“I know, Duo. He honestly doesn’t realize how manipulative Kushrenada can be. I mean, he all but threatened me if I didn’t dig up something he could use against you.” He shook his head. “Maybe I should just tell Heero and Trowa about that whole episode.” Duo paused in his pacing. “I dunno…maybe we should.” He threw his hands up in exasperation. “I just know the bastard’s up to something. He’s not the type to be denied.” He rubbed his forehead, closing his eyes. “Between his shit and Yuy’s…” “Wanna tell me about that?” Quatre asked carefully. “You mentioned your typical Maxwell-Yuy shit, but it seems a little more…er…intense than usual.” His blue eyes were filled with concern. “Did he do something Sunday?” Duo looked at Quatre in alarm. “W-why d’you ask?” “Ever since Trowa and I got back from the visitor center, you’ve been tense.” He gestured to his friend. “Look at you…hardly eating, which is just plain weird for you…and milkbones don’t count…hardly sleeping…” “I—we—had an argument, for lack of a better word.” He sighed in frustration. “There’s something we need to settle, but…” “Do it,” Quatre said firmly. “If not for the sake of the team, do it for your sanity, Duo. You’re a wreck. You really need to resolve whatever issue you and Heero have.” “I know,” Duo conceded. He couldn’t suppress a wry smile at Quatre’s perception. His sanity was very much at risk if Heero kept him dangling on a hook much longer. He just hoped Quatre’s empathy didn’t pick up on nightmares; he’d never be able to explain that away. “How about we go to supper and worry about all this later?” Quatre suggested, sensing that Duo needed a little break from the emotional stress. “What about Yuy and Barton?” “They’re big boys. They can meet us at the dining hall, or not,” shrugged the blonde. He held out a hand invitingly. “C’mon. I want to see you eat a decent meal tonight.” Duo sighed, mustering a weary smile. “Sure, Quat. For you, anything.”
tbc... |
