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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" Chapter Fifty Two: Best Laid Plans Back at the barracks, the boys from Team Wing dropped the data they’d collected into their laptop, and spent hours trying to make sense of it, with little success. They tried to see a pattern in the schedules of shuttles and prisoner transfers, looking for colony connections, without making any new breakthroughs. It was all the more discouraging because they knew with their heavy schedule of simulator testing and exams, they wouldn’t have much spare time for sleuthing the rest of the week. Eventually exhaustion set in, and they decided the need for sleep temporarily superseded their desire to find a link between Kushrenada and L1. Duo took Heero’s pillow and went to curl up next to Quatre. “Fuck, I miss him, Quat,” he mumbled wearily. “I know, Duo.” Quatre stroked the top of the chestnut head that was nestled on his pillow. “But you know Chang’s going to protect him until he’s cleared of the charges.” Duo rolled onto his back, scowling up at the bottom of Trowa’s bunk. “I know he will.” He let out a breath in an explosive sigh. “God, I don’t know when I became so dependent on Yuy.” “That’d be when you fell in love with him,” Quatre pointed out, nudging him chidingly. “I know I’d be lost without Trowa.” The auburn-haired boy sauntered over to wrap his arms around Quatre’s neck in a rare show of affection in front of Duo. “Y’got that backwards, Quatre,” he murmured in his lover’s ear. “I’m the one who needs you.” Duo groaned. “Get a room!” He thwacked them both with his pillow, before drawing it back against him, and burying his face in it to breathe Heero’s scent. “G’night, Trowa.” Trowa sighed. “Yeah. G’night.” He climbed into his bunk above the other two boys.
“Wassup, Quat?” Duo mumbled sleepily. “Bedbugs?” “No. I just figured it out!” Quatre said urgently. “Four in the morning…figured what out?” “The shuttles! I know why there’s so many…what he’s using them for!” Duo muttered a curse. “Why can’t you get inspired at, say, noon?” “Shush. Just hear me out.” Quatre pulled his knees up to his chest, encircling them with his arms, and resting his chin on top. “All those shuttle schedules…the connections…it’s how Kushrenada’s moving drugs.” Duo blinked in surprise. “You think he’s doing more than a little distribution?” “Judging from the numbers of flights and the destinations, he’s got connections on all five colonies, as well as Earth.” “That would make him a major player,” Trowa pointed out, hanging his head over the side of his bunk to regard his teammates with a worried look. “And a lot more dangerous than we thought.” He swung down and joined the other two on Quatre’s bunk. “I always thought he was dangerous,” Duo muttered with a scowl. “The fucker beat me up the first time we met.” “That’s nothing compared to what he’d do to protect his secret,” Quatre said gravely. He shook his head. “We can’t take any chances when it comes to getting at his computer system.” “Fuck, I wish we had Heero,” Duo sighed. “If he’s as good as he claimed to be…” “He’d have to be.” Quatre gave him a frank, worried look. “I’m not sure you and I could do it…especially considering we need you as the bait in the trap.” “I really wish you’d stop saying that,” Duo muttered. “Y’know what happens to bait?” Trowa chuckled darkly. “It gets eaten.” “That better not be another sexual innuendo—.” “I wish it was. No, Duo, I was being pretty literal there. If you go through the motions of an escape, Kushrenada might consider it his opportunity to get rid of you permanently.” “It’s too risky,” Quatre agreed. “No!” Duo protested. “We need to take the bastard down. He set me up, Trowa up, and Heero up…and I’d wager only your name kept you on the sidelines, Quatre. The dirty sonofabitch set his dogs on Jase, too. We have got to nail him on whatever we can…drugs, murder…anything at all.” “Well, so far the only plan I’ve got is having Austin slip him word that you’re going to bust out to go after Heero,” shrugged Quatre. “And that’s weak, at best. It’d open the way for Trowa and I to break into his office…but there’s no guarantee we’d be able to get into his system…or what we’d find once we were in. He might keep his files somewhere else altogether.” “Not likely,” Trowa mused. “He spends too much time here, and he feels like it’s his home turf. I think everything we need is in that computer of his.” “So we agree on that,” Duo said decisively. “And if using me to bait him is the only way to buy us time to dig through his shit, then that’s what we’ll do.” Quatre sighed unhappily, but nodded. “D’you think Kushrenada would believe Austin?” Trowa was the one who put a damper on that idea. “I’m not so sure, Quatre. Kyle’s boys are still here, and I’d lay odds at least one of them reports back to K. on a regular basis. He probably knows Austin and Duo made peace.” “So how do we leak word of my escape to someone who’ll get the news to K., and that he’d find credible?” Duo asked. He sat up, balling up Heero’s pillow and leaning his elbows on it. “Maybe we can make sure one of Kyle’s teammates overhears something…” Quatre mused. “What if we have Merquise have one of the corporals or lieutenants mention they caught wind of an escape plan?” suggested Duo. The blonde boy raised an eyebrow at that. “It might work…if they were talking within earshot of some of the guards…” He shrugged slightly. “Let’s run it by Merquise tomorrow, and see what he thinks.” “And what if he doesn’t go for it?” “He has to be in on it, Duo, or we’re as liable to get caught by his soldiers as by the prison guards and Kushrenada. We’ll need his help to get evidence, as well as his testimony that it’s genuine.” Duo nodded. “I’ll persuade him to let us try, even if I have to promise to give that stupid speech whether Heero makes it back or not.” Duo frowned thoughtfully. “You really think K. will believe I’d risk everything to escape and try to get to Heero?” “If we’re lucky, he won’t analyze it that closely,” Quatre insisted. “He’ll just know you expect him to try something, and want to get away from him, as well as get to Heero.” “We could make sure someone finds the diagram I drew of the guard posts and patrol routes,” Duo said helpfully. “When was that?” Quatre asked suspiciously. “Awhile ago,” came the deliberately vague reply. Quatre eyed his roommate warily. “How long have you been planning an escape?” “Uh, since the first day,” Duo admitted, hanging his head sheepishly. “I always do it when they send me to a new place. It’s a…contingency plan.” He was rather proud of borrowing the phrase Captain Chang had used in many a class. “And when was the last time you thought of using it?” Quatre pressed. Duo smirked. “What time is it?” The blonde threw his hands up in defeat. “Don’t tell me you really are thinking of escaping to get to Heero!” “Thinking, Quat, just thinking,” Duo asserted. “I wouldn’t really try it. I promised Chang I’d stay here and behave…I promised Heero.” He raised his chin defiantly. “Doesn’t mean I can’t daydream about it, though.” Trowa gave a wry chuckle, shaking his head. “Daydreaming is one thing, Maxwell. But if you get caught with a written plan for an escape…” “It’s just diagrams…mostly chicken-scratch,” Duo said defensively. “I didn’t outline the whole idea.” “Good thing. Kushrenada would just love to get his hands on you with that,” Trowa pointed out. “He won’t,” Quatre said firmly. “Give me the diagram, Duo. Just in case.” “Aw, Quat…” Duo gave in when he saw the determination in his teammate’s eyes, and went over to his bunk, pulling a sheet of paper from a slit he’d made in the fabric of the mattress. “Killjoy,” he muttered, handing it to Quatre. The blonde eyed it critically. “Wow. How long did this take?” “Almost a week…keeping an eye on the guards and the perimeter,” shrugged Duo modestly. “No wonder we got away with sneaking into the kennels for the dog shit. You knew every move the guards would make.” “That’s my job as an inmate…” “Was your job,” Quatre reminded him. “You’re about to enter the MSC Academy, Duo. Being an inmate will be a thing of the past.” The braided boy shook his head, grinning wryly. “Still hard to believe, ain’t it?” “For all of us,” Trowa agreed. “I dunno about you two, but I’m still getting used to the idea.” “I imagine we will be for a while,” Quatre shrugged. “Now, how ‘bout we try to get one more hour of sleep…or at least rest…until reveille?” He maneuvered so that he was nestled between Duo and Trowa. Duo flopped back onto his pillow, yawning widely. “That’s what I was saying when you were struck with inspiration, Quat.” He buried his face in Heero’s pillow, breathing in the scent of his lover, and taking a little comfort from it, as well as from his teammates’ presence. “’Night guys.” “’Night, Duo,” they said in unison.
“Probably off concocting harder tests for us,” Duo sighed, stifling a yawn. “Maybe we can catch him after dinner,” Quatre suggested. They turned away, only to find the warden a few feet away, regarding them with a sly, smug look. “Something I can help you boys with?” he asked in a sinister purr. “Yeah, you can eat shit and die,” Duo suggested with a glare. “Tsk, tsk…Maxwell…still so defiant?” The tawny-eyed man shook his head. “Last time you came to my office, you weren’t nearly so hostile.” “That was a tactical error on my part,” Duo snarled, ignoring Quatre’s restraining hand on his wrist. “I should’ve gone in armed.” “Stooping to threats?” asked the warden. “Just making an observation,” Duo replied icily. “C’mon, Duo,” Quatre urged in an undertone. “Don’t let him get to you. Let’s go back to the barracks.” “Ah, Winner—ever the little peacemaker, aren’t you?” mused Kushrenada. His cold glare traveled to Trowa. “And you, Barton. I don’t know how you managed it,” he crooned. “No drugs in the barracks during the search, and apparently none since. You think you’re clever, don’t you?” “I’m getting there,” Trowa said evenly, edging so that he was between his teammates and the hated warden. “In your dreams,” sneered the man coldly. “There’s nearly two weeks left until graduation, boys. Two weeks without Yuy or Chang to protect you.” His eyes narrowed a deadly glare at Duo. “You think you’ve got Merquise wrapped around your finger, too? That won’t do you any good. You’re a thieving, murdering L2 whore, and before this camp is over, I’ll find a way to prove it.” “You can’t prove what isn’t true,” Quatre said staunchly, his grip on Duo’s arm tightening painfully as he literally dragged the angry boy backwards towards their barracks. “Come on Duo!” The warden chuckled nastily. “You’re a naïve fool, Winner.” The braided boy finally relented, yielding to the tug on his arm, and turning to follow his teammates. But he kept glancing warily over his shoulder, watching the vindictive warden until they turned a corner out of his sight. “You can let go, Quat,” he muttered, wincing at the tight grip on his arm. “Sorry,” came the genuinely repentant response. Quatre released Duo’s wrist. “I just didn’t want you to slip up.” “I wouldn’t,” Duo assured him, much calmer than his teammates would have expected. “But I did want K. to think I might.” At Quatre’s questioning look, he smirked. “So he’ll believe it when he hears about the escape plan,” he explained. “The more angry and confrontational I am, the more he’ll expect me to pull a stupid, hotheaded stunt like that, right?” Even Trowa looked impressed. “So all that bluster was just for show?” “Not all,” Duo shrugged. “I really hate the bastard…that’s no act. But if I was too calm, he’d be looking for some kind of trick. This way, he’ll expect rash action from me, instead of a setup.” “He might at that,” Quatre agreed. “Sorry about hauling you away like that.” “No. That was perfect,” Duo insisted. “And as soon as we can get some ‘alone’ time with Merquise and outline the plan, we can start setting K. up.” Trowa’s green eyes gleamed in a rare show of emotion. “I am gonna enjoy bringing that arrogant asshole down.” “Aren’t we all?” Duo smirked back, pulling open the door to the barracks and filing in behind his teammates. Quatre was frowning in concentration. “I just wish we had a foolproof way to get word to Kushrenada about the escape.” Duo shrugged. “Sorry, but this ‘thieving, murdering L2 whore’ is fresh out of ideas.” He flopped onto Heero’s bunk, putting his hands behind his head. “You’re not a—.” Quatre stopped abruptly in mid-sentence. For some reason the word “whore” triggered a flash of inspiration. “Oh, wait. I think I’ve got it.” His gaze darted from Duo to Trowa and back again. “What if you weren’t happy to have Heero back?” The indigo eyes gazed back with a completely skeptical gleam. “Quat, I hate to break the news to you, but I’d kill to have Heero back.” “Sure, but does K. know that?” Trowa caught on fast. “No, he thinks Duo’s a conniving little thief…someone who’d use people right and left.” “Exactly,” Quatre asserted. “Hey!” Duo protested. “I mean K. believes it, Duo. Not me,” Quatre chided. “But it’s perfect!” “What’s perfect?” “Suppose while Heero was gone, you got bored and hooked up with someone else?” “Fat chance.” “Again, K. doesn’t know that. Suppose he thought you’d replaced Heero…with, say, Trowa?” Duo’s jaw dropped and he turned a stunned look on the tall, auburn-haired boy. “Me an’ Trowa?” They both burst out laughing in the same instant, Trowa doubling over with mirth, while Duo curled up on the bunk in hysterics. Quatre stood with his hands on his hips. “Damn it, you two! I’m serious!” “Quat, you’ve got to be shittin’ me!” Duo blurted out between laughs. “There’s no way I can pretend to dump Heero for Trowa.” “Hey!” “Not that you aren’t hot, Tro’,” he added hastily. “But Yuy’s a fucking God!” Heh, literally! Trowa rolled his eyes, turning an almost pleading gaze to his lover. “It won’t work,” he predicted. “Sorry, Quatre. But of all of us, Duo’s more likely to end up with you than me.” “Yeah, and get gutted by you?” Duo scoffed. “No fuckin’ way, Tro’. The pretty blonde is all yours.” Trowa smirked at him. “An’ tall, dark and dangerous is all yours.” “You aren’t listening!” Quatre snapped, glaring at both of them. “What if Kushrenada thought you stole Trowa from me, Duo? Don’t you think he’d find it believable when I ran to him to tell him about the escape plan?” “Oh.” Both Duo and Trowa stopped joking, a speculative gleam coming into both sets of eyes. “That might work—,” Duo conceded. Trowa scowled slightly, walking over beside the bunks. “So exactly how are we supposed to go about making K. think Duo dumped Heero for me?” “Not dumped, per se…just found recreation elsewhere,” Quatre replied. His quick mind was already formulating plans to set the stage. “First off, you two have to be seen in public…together.” “Whoa! Back up a sec!” Duo cautioned. “Doing what in public?” Quatre gave him an evil grin, beginning to enjoy a plan that made Duo squirm uneasily. “Well, kissing at least.” “Ack!” Duo jumped up off the bunk, taking a step towards Quatre. “Are you nuts? I’m not kissing Trowa—especially in front of anyone who might tell Heero!” “Ditto,” Trowa said blandly, leaning back against a wall and crossing his arms. But the blonde heir to the Winner fortune hadn’t made it through life by being a pushover. He fixed his two teammates with a piercing glare. “Do you, or do you not want a chance at Kushrenada’s computer system? A chance to bring him down for all he’s done?” Duo looked away first. “You know I do.” “Me too,” Trowa admitted. “Then work with me,” Quatre urged. “Here’s how it’ll go. You two put on a little show of public affection…enough to get the camp talking. And, Duo, don’t worry about what Heero will think. We’ll get word to him through Merquise, so he doesn’t get the wrong idea.” The braided boy nodded reluctantly, fixing a studious gaze on the floor so he didn’t have to look at Trowa. “Then, I’ll go to Kushrenada and say you stole my boyfriend and I want you out of the way.” Trowa looked at the soft blue eyes and the shining blonde hair of his lover, smiling vaguely. “Quatre…” His tone was gentle and affectionate. “How are you going to convince a bastard like K. that you’re capable of being so vindictive?” Quatre smiled back. “You’ll just have to trust that I can do this.” “I dunno,” Duo chimed in. “You’re a sweet, sweet kid, Quat. I’m not sure there’s any way Kushrenada will believe you’d turn on me so fast.” “That’s why you two will have to make it look good,” Quatre said simply. “And so will I.” A vaguely troubled look crossed his face. “We’re going to have to act like we really hate each other…like the team is falling apart…at least in public.” “Been there before,” Duo said with a wry smile. Trowa gave a short, sharp laugh. “A few times,” he agreed. “Maybe it’s not so far-fetched an idea that Team Wing could run into personality issues again.” “Well, not to an outside observer,” Quatre added. “Personally, we all know better. In fact, if we weren’t such a tight team, there’s no way we could carry out this little charade.” He looked at Duo with an indefinable gleam in his eyes. “I’m going to have to watch you kiss my boyfriend in public. You think that won’t sting?” “What is this? Like, the ultimate trust exercise?” Duo teased. He gave his friend a wink. “Don’t worry, Quat. He’s all yours…no matter how good he kisses.” “Well,” Quatre corrected automatically. “He kisses well.” “Gee, thanks,” came Trowa’s dry response. Duo managed a nervous laugh. “Not to worry, Tro’. Blondie went on at great length the other night about how fine you are.” A faint hint of scarlet crept up Trowa’s cheeks. “Shit, I just know I’m gonna be sorry about this whole idea.” “Not if it brings down Kushrenada,” Quatre assured him. “Okay,” Duo said, sitting on the edge of the desk and regarding Quatre curiously. “How about our timetable on this plan? How long do we have to convince people Trowa and I are running around on our significant others?” “We start today,” Quatre said firmly. “By tomorrow the whole camp will be talking about it, and K. will have heard there’s something up. So when I go to him after supper and tell him I want you out of the way, he’ll already know why.” “And when will my attempted escape take place?” “Sunday night…or actually Monday morning. I’ll tell K. you used visiting hours to slip word out to someone who’s going to help…maybe one of my sisters, even. He knows you met a couple. We’ll leave that part kind of vague, unless he specifically asks me. The fewer details, the better.” “And what’s Merquise’s role in all this?” “We’ll fill him in on the plan as soon as possible, which, considering he keeps longer hours than Chang did, might not be for a day or two. But we have to get started on the setup anyway.” “By ‘setup’ you mean Duo and I acting…chummy?” Trowa asked for clarification. “Yes.” Quatre frowned slightly, running over the details in his head again. “So on the night of the ‘escape,’ Trowa, you and I will break into K.’s office, while Duo acts as bait, and Merquise goes along to watch his back.” “So I take it I’m supposed to go through the motions,” Duo suggested. “K. will come along and ‘catch’ me, and then Merquise will make sure he doesn’t pull any shit, but brings me back to throw me in a detention cell.” Quatre nodded. “What’s to keep Kushrenada from shooting me?” Duo inquired, raising an eyebrow warily. “Merquise needs to show up just as Kushrenada gets the drop on you,” Quatre explained. “I don’t think even K. is stupid enough to shoot you in front of a witness.” Duo shrugged slightly. “He hates me an awful lot.” “I know…that’s why Merquise will have to be right on top of things.” Trowa let out a soft whistle between his teeth, green eyes grave. “Pretty risky plan,” he noted. “A lot could go wrong.” “Of course it could,” Quatre agreed. “Kushrenada might not even fall for the bait. Or he might think to have someone guard his office from the inside. And he might try to hurt Duo.” “Might?” Duo muttered under his breath. “But, if it goes right,” Quatre pointed out. “We’ll get into the office and access the proof we need that K. is a big-time drug dealer. Merquise will keep him from doing any harm to Duo, and keep him occupied long enough for us to get out with our evidence. And then Merquise can initiate an investigation through normal, legal channels into the drug dealing K. did right here in camp, hoping it’ll lead to the bigger picture.” “And what if there is no bigger picture?” Duo said flatly. “Then we’re screwed,” Quatre shrugged. “It will have all been for nothing. But isn’t it worth a shot?” He caught the worried gleam in Duo’s eyes, and walked over to look up with warmth and concern in his aquamarine eyes. “Hey, we can back out any time, big brother,” he said softly. “If things start to go south on us, you just stay put in the barracks instead of making the escape attempt. Trowa and I can bail if Kushrenada doesn’t leave his office, which I’m assuming he won’t do until you let yourself be seen slipping out of the barracks.” Duo nodded, somewhat reassured. “It’s kind of a half-baked plan, Quatre…with enough loopholes to drive a mobile suit through…but if there’s a chance of bringing that bastard down, I guess we have to take it.” “So we’re agreed?” Quatre asked, looking over at Trowa for confirmation. Trowa nodded, sighing heavily. Then Quatre shook off the somber mood their discussion had created, and gave both of his teammates a rather mischievous look. “Okay, then. Let me see you kiss.” “What?!” came two horrified exclamations. “Kiss,” Quatre insisted. “C’mon. You have to be convincing, or it won’t work. Do you really want your first kiss to be in the mess hall? Don’t you want to have an idea of what to expect?” “No!” Trowa said quickly, sharply. “I like surprises,” Duo added helpfully. The blonde scowled at both of them. “If you two are going to pretend to be hot and heavy together, you’ll need to kiss like you mean it, where someone will see you.” He put his hands on his hips, giving them a stubborn glare. “Do it now!” The two boys exchanged a look, both blushing at once. Duo looked away. “Aw, shit, Quat…I don’t think I can…” “Chicken, Maxwell?” Trowa smirked, regaining his poise just a little quicker than the braided boy. Duo’s head whipped around, and he fixed a narrow look on the green-eyed boy. “I’m not the one who was afraid to let on he had a crush on our pretty blonde over there! At least Yuy knew I wanted him all along.” “No, you were just the one who had to nearly fall off a cliff to get the balls to do anything about your crush!” “Guys. This is counterproductive, and we’ve got class in a half an hour,” Quatre reminded them. “Would you just get over your hang-ups and kiss already?” Trowa eyed Duo dubiously, pushing off the wall and walking over so he was standing toe to toe with the braided boy. He leaned in slightly, and Duo leaned away, licking his lips nervously. “Quatre—.” “Just do it!” growled the blonde, trying not to seethe with jealousy, even as he ordered his best friend to kiss his boyfriend. The boy from L2 sighed, lifting his chin just slightly, and closing his eyes, as if waiting for some death sentence to be carried out. Trowa glanced helplessly at Quatre. “He doesn’t want to—.” But the gleam in the aquamarine eyes spurred him to action. Muttering a curse, he grabbed Duo by the shoulders, pulling him in for a kiss. Both boys kept their mouths closed, eyes tightly screwed shut. “Oh for fuck’s sake!” Quatre exploded. “Not like that! You look like frickin’ schoolgirls!” Duo pulled away, eyes a little wild. “I can’t, Quatre! Between the way I feel about Heero, an’ knowing Trowa’s your boyfriend—I just can’t!” “Not even to bring down Kushrenada?” Quatre asked pointedly. Duo paused, eyeing Trowa again. Then he sighed, grabbed the front of the other boy’s shirt, and pulled him in for a slightly less chaste kiss. It still ended way too soon for Quatre’s taste. “Once more,” he suggested, watching his two teammates blush and squirm uncomfortably. “Gods, how lame! You’d think it’s the first kiss either one of you ever got!” Duo narrowed his indigo eyes dangerously. “Don’t insult my kissing, Quatre, until you’ve tried it.” Quatre walked over and grabbed Duo, pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss, coaxing his mouth open and plunging his tongue in. His hands tangled in the chestnut hair and after a moment, Duo’s rigid stance relaxed and he let Quatre pull him up against him. Trowa cleared his throat. Several seconds later, Duo moaned into the kiss as Quatre slid a knee between his legs, grinding their hips together suggestively. “I—uh—think we get it, Quatre,” Trowa said in a near-growl. The kiss continued just enough longer that a flushed and flustered Trowa finally tapped Quatre on the shoulder. Quatre raised his head with a scowl. “What?” he asked impatiently. “That’s enough,” Trowa replied, glaring back. “We get the picture!” Quatre looked back at Duo, who was wide-eyed and still a little dazed-looking. “That right, Maxwell? D’you understand what I’m looking for from you two?” “Uh…yeah?” Duo managed breathlessly. He pulled away, blushing and straightening his shirt. “Fuck, Quatre—if I’d known you kissed like that, Trowa never would’ve had a chance.” Trowa pulled Quatre up against him. “Hands off, Maxwell!” he snarled. “Or I’ll chop you up and feed you to the lions.” “Whoa. Harsh,” muttered Duo. “I was just giving him a compliment.” Quatre smiled smugly. “You’re not half-bad yourself, Duo. I see what got Jase, and Austin, and Heero so interested.” His eyes glinted wickedly. “Now, kiss Trowa like that.” Duo eyed the glaring green-eyed boy. “Not if he’s gonna threaten to feed me to—mmph!” He was silenced by Trowa’s mouth on his, the former circus performer pulling him into a tight embrace and plunging his tongue into the half-open mouth. “Mmm…” Duo closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around Trowa’s neck and immersing himself in the kiss. “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Quatre said happily. He watched the other two boys for a moment before his grin faded to a faint scowl. “Okay—that’s enough.” Trowa caught Duo’s half-lidded gaze and winked—and they mutually agreed to give Quatre a taste of his own medicine. The kiss went on for several more long moments. “All right. Stop!” Quatre finally blurted in frustration. They broke apart, smirking. “So, did we pass the ‘Quatre Winner kissing class?’” Duo teased, giving Trowa an appreciative look. “That was—adequate,” Quatre muttered. “’Cause we can practice a lot more,” Duo began, reaching for Trowa again. “No!” Quatre snapped hastily, stepping between them. “That was fine. Just—do something like that on the steps of the mess hall—or somewhere it looks like you aren’t trying to be obvious. And that should start tongues wagging.” Duo gave Trowa a half-lidded look. “Ohhhh…tongues,” he drawled suggestively. “You know what I meant!” Quatre scolded, still keeping himself insinuated between the two. “I don’t know what’s worse…you two being too shy to kiss, or you two enjoying it way too much.” Duo stretched languidly. “I know, Quat,” he grinned. “Just having fun with you. Trowa’s all yours, sweetie.” He sobered a little then. “I hope this plan of yours works.” “Me, too,” Quatre sighed, closing his eyes as Trowa’s arms wrapped around him from behind in a reassuring embrace. Trowa leaned in so his lips were next to Quatre’s ear. “Just remember, angel, no matter what it looks like, you’re the only one I love,” he whispered. The blonde sighed again, melting back against his lover. “You say the sweetest things.” Duo folded his arms across his chest. “Don’t we have to get to class or something?” “Oh, yeah. Right,” Quatre said, reluctantly pulling away from Trowa. “Let’s all act kind of put out with each other, okay? That’ll lead into a kiss between you two later, and I’ll happen to see it and make a little scene.” Duo eyed him warily. “You won’t forget it’s all just an act, right?” “Never!” Quatre promised. “Alright then...I guess we go ahead with the plan,” Duo said with a shake of his head. “It’s about time Kushrenada got what’s coming to him.” “And won’t it be sweet to be the ones who deliver it?” Quatre agreed.
He’d met with a Jag officer twice already, and they’d drafted motions to present to the court, if the case went that far. But Wufei was still hopeful that the hospital security tapes would show someone who didn’t belong there, or that the more intensive autopsy would turn up new findings. The Japanese boy was working on yet another round of pushups when he heard the cell door open. “Chang,” he said between pushups, never changing his rhythm. “Yuy,” came the reply, as Wufei walked over and dropped a duffel bag onto the bunk. “How about finishing up your exercises so you can shower and change?” Heero sat back with his legs folded under him and looked up to see a fiercely elated expression on his friend’s face. His own lips turned up in the faintest of smiles. “You have news?” “Toxicology came back,” Wufei said with a spreading grin. “There was a foreign substance…and they found a trace in the i.v. line, which led to a tiny puncture. Someone injected Lowe with whatever killed him.” His smiled widened. “I think we even have a suspect…an unfamiliar face on one surveillance tape. The L1 cops are going to try to find and pick him up for questioning.” “I’m…cleared?” “Completely.” Wufei grabbed the hand that Heero held out, pulling him up into a jubilant hug. “You’re a free man, Yuy!” “God, ‘Fei! I can’t believe it!” Heero hugged back and then pushed Wufei to arm’s length. “You did it! You fucking did it!” “I did nothing,” came the modest reply. “I merely made sure others did their jobs to the fullest extent. That’s all.” “That’s everything!” Heero exclaimed. His eyes searched his friend’s shining face. “What happens next?” “I have to put in a call to Colonel Une. Then we catch the first available shuttle to Earth, which will take us to MSC Headquarters. There we’ll check in with the Colonel in person, before taking ground transport back to Camp Peacecraft.” “I can go back to camp…back to the team…and Duo!” “Well, you can if you hurry up and shower. I don’t want to spend twenty-four hours on a shuttle with you smelling like a prison gym.” He gestured to the duffel bag. “There’s a change of clothes in there…a nice, clean Camp Peacecraft uniform you’ll get to wear for a few more days. Until you graduate to the MSC uniform, of course.” Heero grabbed the bag. “Which way to the showers, ‘Fei?” “Left out of the cell and down to the end of the hall…it’s the guards’ shower…not the inmates. You aren’t an inmate any more…ever again.” At the door Heero paused, glancing back over his shoulder with his deep blue eyes alight. “Duo was right, ‘Fei. You are the best…ever.” Captain Chang stood with a serene smile on his face
as his friend dashed out the door to clean up and get ready for their
flight home. Once again, his sense of justice was truly and deeply
satisfied. All that remained was to reunite Team Wing and see them
safely through graduation and away from Warden Kushrenada.
tbc... |
