Author's Note: Seems to be off to a slow start, but there will be more action in upcoming chapters, promise!
The Academy Part 2
Settling In
When Duo showed up in the quadrangle with Heero in tow, Quatre and Trowa both lit up with delight, shaking hands and clapping their team leader on the back.
"How long have you been here?" Quatre demanded.
"Just since this morning. Chang and I flew in on the MSC private jet."
"So not fair," Duo muttered, having already heard about it while he and Heero were hastily getting his books and clothes put away in the dorm. But the joy of having his lover back within reach vastly overshadowed the twinge of jealousy he felt at the royal treatment he'd gotten.
"And did you settle everything on L1?"
Heero nodded. "There wasn't all that much to it, really. But it was far better for Wufei to deal with the authorities there than me." He shook his head. "I really don't understand how so many of his coworkers knew so little about the real Odin Lowe."
Duo's face darkened at the reference to Heero's abusive guardian, and he draped a reassuring arm across his lover's shoulders. "So they're as big a bunch of assholes as he was. Let's forget all that shit and find the mess hall."
The four boys set off across the campus, trading stories of where they'd been for the month between boot camp and the Academy, and by the time they reached their destination, it was as if Team Wing had never parted company.
"Whoa." Duo stopped just inside the door, looking around the dining hall at the vaulted ceiling, tall windows, and tables with actual centerpieces. "Holy shit." He glanced at Trowa for reassurance, knowing Heero and Quatre were both more accustomed to luxurious surroundings than he and the boy from the circus.
"Y'got that right," Trowa agreed. "This is just--impressive."
"Wait'll you taste the food!" Quatre chirped happily. "It's excellent, Duo. Probably better than you've ever had."
"Probably?" snorted the other boy.
"Okay. Definitely. C'mon." Quatre tugged Duo after him into the chow line.
Heero smirked at the sight of the two close pals reunited. "Like brothers," he said with a shake of his head.
"Yeah," Trowa agreed, falling easily back into his role as Heero's sidekick. "I almost envy them that. They can say anything to each other--talk about anything. I'd like to have someone I was that comfortable around."
Heero gave him a sidelong look, and raised an eyebrow, smirking faintly. "But, Trowa, you've got me."
Trowa snorted with laughter, and Heero joined him.
"Hey, hey...what's up?" Duo asked, having jogged back over to drag them along. "C'mon and get some food, guys! You can laugh it up later, on a full stomach."
They followed him to the line, and Trowa glanced back over his shoulder at Heero. "Y'know, Yuy, you're right. I do have you," he admitted with a smile.
Duo glanced between them suspiciously. "Hey, hands off, Barton. Yuy's mine. All mine."
Trowa ignored the hint of jealousy, and smiled benevolently. "As a friend, Maxwell. Yuy and I were commenting on how close you and Quatre are, and we decided we've got each other to be pals with when you two go off together."
"Where're we gonna go off to?" Duo wondered.
"For starters, the chow line. And then, who knows? You two just seem to find problems to dive headfirst into."
Quatre looked at his boyfriend with a sly smile. "Why d'you say that? Just because of the shoe incident with Team Chase...and the playacting we did for K.?"
"I think the whole 'fake escape' debacle was your idea, too," Trowa reminded him. "And then there was the anklet chain...and who thought up the pepper bombs, anyway?"
Duo had grabbed a plate and was poking through a stack of meat looking for the juiciest piece. "Guilty!" he sang out with a grin. "The pepper was all me, Tro'. Your little blonde angel was completely in the clear on that one."
"Well, it was my idea to drop them down the chimney," Quatre pointed out.
"If I didn't know better, Winner, I'd think you take delight in thinking up sinister plots," Heero said dryly, sidling up beside Duo and snatching the fork out of his hand. "Here, Maxwell...take this one." He plopped a thick piece of meat on his boyfriend's plate and speared one for himself, then nudged Duo ahead in the line.
"Too many choices," Duo sighed, trying to figure out which vegetables he'd had before and liked.
Despite the multitude of choices before them, the boys finally made their way through the line, and headed for a table.
"Hey--there's Adam and Troy," Duo pointed out. "An' I think that's Richie over there." He caught sight of one unwelcome face in the crowd. "Oh, and Reginald."
"Who the hell's Reginald?" Heero asked with a scowl, following his gaze.
"Some football star or something," Duo explained, plunking down at the first empty table he found.
"How d'you know him?"
"I don't. And I don't want to. He was at the registration office when I met Rev."
"And who's Rev?" Heero demanded, eyebrows raised. "How many people have you met here already, Maxwell?"
"Three besides you guys," Duo shrugged. "Rev was the first. I met him in line. And then Reginald-fucking-Darlian showed up with his little groupies and got unpleasant. No biggie. I've handled way worse bullies than him."
"Darlian?" Heero asked, darting a sharp look over at the football player.
"Yeah."
"Fuck."
Duo half-turned on his seat, his attention drifting from his food to his lover. "Why?"
"He's Relena's cousin," Heero muttered grimly, picking up his fork and turning his glower back to his food.
"Well, shit," Duo sighed. "Sure it's not some other Darlian family?"
Heero's derisive snort was answer enough.
"Charm and tact must run in their family, eh?" Trowa deadpanned, never taking his gaze from his plate as he methodically ate his meal.
Quatre and Duo both snickered, and the blonde shook his head. "Funny how you took an instant dislike to him even before you knew who he was."
"I'm an excellent judge of character," Duo said firmly. "Have to be, on the street, or you'll get fucked over every time...literally and figuratively."
"So what's your take on Reginald?" Quatre inquired.
"A jock...real popular, with a particular crowd...used to having the girls fall all over him and the guys fawn at his feet," Duo elaborated. "I think he thinks he's pretty influential around here."
"He probably is, with the name Darlian behind him," Quatre pointed out. But a sly smile crossed the beatific face. "Unfortunately for him, the name Winner packs twice the punch."
"God, I love you Quat," Duo said earnestly. "We gonna have some fun with the football geek, are we?"
"You," Heero said sternly, "are going to be far too busy with studies, training, and me, Maxwell."
Duo eyed him warily. "All work and no play, Yuy?"
Heero looked up from under his lashes. "I said 'and me,' didn't I?"
"Oh, yeah." Duo glanced warily around the room, sliding a little closer. "I s'pose public displays of affection are just right out the window in a place like this, eh Yuy?"
"Probably not a great idea, even if we aren't in uniform yet."
Duo sighed. "I s'pose I can wait until I sneak you into my room, love," he muttered under his breath. "But then you're gonna have to show me what you meant by 'and me.'"
"Love to."
They finished their meal and set out on a stroll around the campus, scoping out the athletic fields, academic buildings, campus store, and an obstacle course that put their boot camp one to shame.
"Aw, obstacles," Duo crooned, eyes lighting up. "I hope we get to play here soon."
Heero just shook his head. "Careful what you wish for, Maxwell."
"Heh...last time I wished for something, it was you," Duo pointed out. "Y'gonna tell me that was a bad idea?"
"Never."
"Didn't think so." Duo eyed the cable that led from a tall tower down to a deep water obstacle. "I hope it's nice and hot the first time we have to take a dip in that," he mused.
"Won't matter to the alligators in it," teased Trowa.
"There are no alligators!" Duo retorted, glaring. "Are there?" He eyed the murky water suspiciously, and then shook his head. "Barton, you're full of shit."
"Well, duh," chided the boy from L3. "Man, Maxwell, I thought you were quicker than that."
"Wait'll we're doing obstacles again and you'll see how quick I am."
"Right now we should probably head back to the barra--dorms," Heero suggested, catching himself and correcting his terminology.
Quatre smiled. "Got used to Camp Peacecraft, didn't you?" he guessed. "Me too. I keep waiting for Chang's troops to call us to assembly or something."
"What's on the agenda for tomorrow anyway?" Duo asked, yawning and leaning slightly into Heero as they walked.
"Breakfast at 07:00 and then there's a campus-wide assembly at the auditorium," Heero recited from memory. "I imagine they'll tell us a bit more about the curriculum then."
"And when do we start classes?"
"Didn't you even read the handouts?" Heero asked in exasperation.
"When?" challenged Duo, scowling at him. "I got my stuff back to my dorm, got jumped by you, and then we went to eat and take our little walking tour. I haven't even had a chance to take a shower--an' after seven hours in a shuttle and six more in a bus, I really need one."
Heero didn't answer right away, picturing Duo in the shower and what they could do to each other there.
"Yuy?" When the former team leader didn't snap out of his daydream, Quatre cleared his throat loudly. "Yuy!"
"Huh?"
"Stop thinking about Duo and showers and tell us what dorm you're in," he suggested with a knowing smirk.
Heero blushed and scowled to cover it. "Mars."
"Yes!" Quatre cheered. "So am I." He elbowed Duo, who was now staring at Heero and picturing him in the shower. "See? My alphabetical theory was right. Yuy and Winner are at the end of the alphabet. Trowa has Jase in his dorm...Barton and Carroll."
"So maybe Austin will be in Mercury," Duo guessed, his pleasant daydream interrupted. "What dorm is yours again, Trowa?"
"Saturn."
"You mean out of all of us only two get to share a dorm?" Duo lamented. "That's just--wrong."
"It's a whole new setup here," Heero pointed out. "We aren't Team Wing any more."
"We'll always be Team Wing!" Duo said fiercely, turning his face away.
"We sure will," Quatre said soothingly. "Nothing can take that away."
~*~
It was almost dark by the time they got back to the Northeast Quadrangle. At least all four of the former teammates were in neighboring dormitories, a fact for which they were grateful.
"You want to come see my room?" Quatre asked Duo when they paused by the fountain to split up for the night.
"Rain check for tomorrow?" Duo begged, stifling another yawn. "I'm totally wiped out, buddy. I need a shower and to crash on the nearest horizontal surface."
Heero gave him a vaguely troubled look. "I'll walk you to your room," he offered.
Trowa gave a slight snort. "Like he'll get any sleep tonight," he muttered, taking Quatre by the arm. "C'mon, Winner. I'd love to see your room. Again."
They split up and Heero walked alongside Duo to the Mercury dormitory, ushering him inside and walking him down the hall to his room. "Maybe I should let you rest," he suggested as Duo fumbled for his key and unlocked the door.
Duo looked up sharply. "Hey--I didn't mean I was too tired for--well, for you." He blinked rather owlishly, his lids seeming just a little too heavy for his eyes.
Heero merely smiled patiently. "It's okay. You've had a long day."
Duo pressed up against Heero, sliding his arms around his neck and tracing his jaw with teasing kisses. "Never too tired for you, lover," he crooned gently. Then he turned his face aside to hide another near-yawn.
"You're exhausted," Heero asserted. "How 'bout I stay here while you take a shower and make sure you don't fall asleep before you make it to bed?"
Duo tugged at his hand, taking a step back into the room. "How 'bout you help me take a shower and then escort me to bed...and stay the night?"
"Not a good idea," Heero said with the faintest hint of a smirk, glancing over Duo's shoulder.
"Why not?"
From a chair in the corner of the room a disturbingly familiar voice answered his question. "Because if he does, Maxwell, I'll have to ground you for the next six months," Wufei said dryly.
Duo spun around guiltily, fumbling for the light switch on the wall and gaping at his guardian when he finally flooded the room with light. "Chang? Shit, what's with everyone giving me heart failure today?"
Wufei got up, smirking in satisfaction. "Well if you've got a weak heart, mobile suit piloting isn't the career for you."
"Very funny." Duo leaned back against Heero, crossing his arms and regarding the Captain warily. "So, does everyone in this place have a key to my room, or what?"
"I got in the window," Heero shrugged, jerking a thumb towards the slightly ajar pane.
"What about you, Chang?" Duo asked rather snidely. "I thought breaking and entering was my forte, not yours."
"There's a lot you don't know about me," Wufei shrugged. But then he pulled a key from his pocket. "Master key. I signed it out for the day, figuring if I couldn't locate you all over campus, I could at least wait here to greet you. Rest assured, it goes back into safekeeping with the security staff when I finish."
"Missed me?" Duo teased, smirking in satisfaction as Heero wrapped his arms around his waist from behind, not bothering to ask permission from Duo's protective guardian.
"Very much," admitted the officer. "Though not nearly as badly as Yuy did."
"Well, duh," Duo shrugged.
"He talked of nothing else on the seemingly eternal shuttle ride back from L1," Wufei drawled snidely.
"Yeah, well, I'll bet you were all wrapped up in thoughts of your big, blonde badass Major," Duo teased.
Sure enough a faint trace of color crept into Wufei's cheeks. But other than that, he didn't show a reaction. "Tell me about L2," he ordered rather curtly. "How did that go?"
Duo sobered, walking over and plunking down on the edge of his bed, glancing up as Heero joined him, placing a reassuring hand over one of his. "It was probably a good thing you'd talked to Captain Warren ahead of time. One of the officers that saw me at the station figured I was up to no good and started to hassle me. But then Warren showed up and set him straight, took my statement, thanked me for coming in, and sent me on my way." He gave a shrug. "It went fine."
"Good." Wufei looked genuinely relieved, and Duo narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You were really worried about me, weren't you?"
"We both were," Heero told him, wrapping an arm around his waist.
"Yeah, love ya, too," Duo smirked, yawning again. "Listen...as much as I love reunions, I really need that shower we keep talking about. Where the heck do I find the facilities?"
Wufei raised an eyebrow, gesturing over his shoulder to what Duo had thought was a closet. "You've got your own bathroom, Maxwell. No sharing here."
The boy's eyes widened. "This place just keeps getting better and better...good food, my own room, and now a bathroom I don't have to share with fifty other guys? I'd ask you to pinch me, but I don't trust either one of you not to!" He stood up and padded over to the door, peeking in and flipping on the light switch. "Wow. Nice."
Heero and Wufei exchanged a long look.
"Go ahead, Duo," Heero urged. "I'll wait."
"We'll wait," Wufei added with a perfectly deadly smile.
Duo sighed deeply, walking over to the duffel bag he'd unceremoniously dumped in the room earlier, and fishing out his shampoo and other toiletries, as well as a couple of towels. He glanced at Heero. "Don't suppose you wanna make the bed for me while I get cleaned up?" He nodded towards the sheets, blankets and pillow that were neatly stacked on the mattress.
"Sure I will," Heero said with a small, warm smile. "And maybe Chang will even let me kiss you goodnight before we leave."
"He better," Duo said, darting a narrow look at his guardian. "Or I'll just have to sneak over to Mars tonight and steal that kiss."
Wufei waved a hand dismissively. "Hurry up, Maxwell. I've got other places to be."
"Don't let us keep you," suggested Duo.
"I wouldn't, except that I want to see Yuy back to his dorm before I go."
"Mother hen," Duo accused sourly, clutching his stuff and stalking into the bathroom, closing the door with a thud.
Heero smiled indulgently. "He hasn't changed," he said with a fond tone to his voice.
"Did you expect him to?" Wufei countered. "You were only apart for a month."
"Yes, but he went back to L2 for that month," Heero said, frowning.
"What did you think--that he'd go back to the gang he used to run with? Back to the streets he worked so hard to win his way free from?"
"I--wasn't sure," Heero admitted. "That life was all he ever knew before boot camp. I imagine there was a certain--pull--towards familiar ground."
The MSC officer snorted wryly. "That's nothing compared to his 'pull' towards you, and you know it."
Again Heero smiled. "Yeah," he said rather disbelievingly.
He got up and began to carry out the promised task of making up Duo's bed for his braided lover, taking great pains to smooth the sheets and fluff the pillow. Wufei watched him for a while, with a bemused smile on the stern face, and then turned his gaze towards the closed door, listening to the faint sound of running water and some off-key singing.
He smirked irrepressibly, shaking his head. "I'll tell you something else, Yuy. Even if you weren't part of the equation, I don't think Maxwell would give this up. Did you see his face when he realized he had his own room and a private bathroom?"
Heero sobered at that. "Yes, I did." A faint scowl creased his forehead. "God, I hate thinking of him growing up on the streets, Wufei. He's bright, talented, curious...he deserved so much better."
"And now he has it," Captain Chang reminded his friend. "And I fully intend to see that he never loses it." His face settled into a mask of resolve. "The whole point of the Peacecraft Initiative was to take kids who'd been stuck in the juvenile justice system, weed out the truly reprehensible ones, and give the rest an opportunity for a better life. Using the Mobile Suit Corps as the catalyst and the reward was a stroke of genius on the part of the Board of Directors."
"I think putting you in charge of the trial run for the program was an even better idea," Heero pointed out. "You drew out qualities in every recruit, myself included, that no one had ever seen before." He shook his head. "Who'd have thought I'd become a team leader? I always worked better alone before."
"I didn't think you had leadership potential. I knew it," said Wufei firmly.
"And when did you recognize Duo's potential?"
The onyx eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "That took a little longer. Despite his superb test scores in the preliminary screening, he had a rebellious nature that made it hard to see how incredibly talented he could be as a soldier."
Heero chuckled quietly, clearly recalling Duo's defiance during their first few encounters. "Talk about an understatement--"
"But he will be an excellent soldier," Wufei asserted.
"So long as it keeps him from ever needing to live on the streets again, I'm all for it," Heero agreed. He gave his long-time friend a steady look. "I'll never let him go back to that."
"I know," Wufei acknowledged. "Neither will I." He shifted slightly on the chair he was seated in. "Now--moving on to other things--I spoke to several of my instructors today, and heard a rather disquieting rumor that there's some resistance to the presence of former juvenile offenders here at the Academy. I don't know if it originates with students or their parents--but apparently some of the returning cadets are talking about opposing the boot camp program."
Heero raised an eyebrow. "Can they do that?"
Wufei gave a casual shrug. "According to the law? No. According to MSC policy? Definitely not. But in reality--who knows?" He leaned forward, his dark eyes intent. "Every boy at this school who came through Camp Peacecraft was given a clean slate the day of graduation. All criminal records were expunged. However, word of mouth can be a dangerous information source, and if any of you let slip the facts of your past--"
"I see," Heero said quickly. "So we're to keep our mouths shut about Peacecraft?"
"It would be advisable," Wufei admitted. "At least for now. Major Merquise will be making an announcement at tomorrow's orientation that anyone who spreads rumors about who might or might not have come through the boot camp program will face severe disciplinary procedures, if not expulsion. That should put a stop to it." He sat back, glancing rather restlessly towards the bathroom door. "Furthermore, since a rather substantial percentage of freshman wash out of our program, and we get transfers in from other training programs, there will be no way for anyone to ascertain which way another student got in. The sophomore class is a pretty mixed bag, and probably only about half of them are returning cadets...so you can all blend in as well as you choose to."
"I'll pass the word," Heero assured him.
"I've spoken to Pritchard, Carroll, Strom, and a few others," the Captain told him. "But I'd like you to make sure your former teammates get the message."
"They won't like it," Heero predicted with a scowl. He knew he didn't.
The boys who'd gone through the boot camp program had earned their way into the prestigious Academy by working hard and achieving superior scores in academics, physical training, and mobile suit aptitude. The standards had been exacting; and each and every graduate had excelled. They didn't need to be faced with petty resistance at this point.
"I don't like it any better than you do," Wufei said perceptively. "And rest assured, we will ferret out the culprits who start any trouble, and get rid of them. This is a military academy--not a prep school. Money holds no sway here. Only intelligence, hard work, and dedication count for anything with Major Merquise and myself."
"I know," Heero said with a rather wan smile. "I've known that about you since we were kids. Why d'you think we've been friends so long?"
Wufei smiled back. "Because you're every bit as dedicated to excellence as I am."
The bathroom door opened in a cloud of steam, and Duo walked out in clean sweats, with his long hair wrapped up in a towel. "God, Yuy, that was wonderful!" he sighed, bouncing over to plunk down on the bed next to his lover. His indigo eyes were alight as he looked over at Captain Chang. "This place is awesome."
"I'm glad you like it," came the dry response.
Duo sobered. "Seriously, sir," he said firmly, lapsing into using the respectful term they'd cultivated in boot camp. "I've got a warm, dry place to sleep--good food--" His gaze drifted to the door he'd just come out of. "A fuckin' private shower," he said in a nearly awed voice, shaking his head. "And mobile suits!" He turned that intense gaze back to the officer. "When do we get to try the real thing an' not just the simulators?"
Wufei smiled indulgently. "Soon enough," he promised.
"Right this second wouldn't be soon enough," Duo assured him.
Heero slipped an arm around his boyfriend's waist. "Patience, love. We've got all the time in the world now. And you don't have to worry about where you'll live, or where your next meal is coming from. Your only responsibility here is to do your best at learning the skills to be the best mobile suit pilot in history."
Duo leaned against him, smiling widely and closing his eyes. "God, you're good for my ego, Yuy. No wonder I keep you around."
"You keep him around for the sex," Wufei drawled snidely, standing up and stretching. "But don't expect any tonight, Junior. You need your sleep."
Duo glared and then yawned helplessly. "S'pose maybe you've got a point--Pops."
His guardian smirked at that. "Welcome to the Academy, Maxwell. It's good to have you here." Then he fixed a stern gaze on Heero. "I'll give you five minutes, Yuy. I'll be waiting in the foyer."
Duo perked up at that. "Five minutes--?"
Heero sighed, shaking his head ruefully. "Not nearly enough time," he muttered under his breath, giving the Chinese man a resentful look as he strode quickly out of the room.
Duo immediately pressed against Heero, wrapping his arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. When they both needed air, he pulled back, looking up at his boyfriend affectionately. "I didn't tell Chang the best thing about being here is that I've got you, too."
A reluctant smile tugged at Heero's lips. "Right back atcha." He tugged the towel from Duo's hair, and pulled the damp length in between them, gently finger-combing it and blotting more moisture out of it with the towel.
Duo smirked in response, knowing Heero's fascination with his hair very well. "Y'know, Chang can't be everywhere at once. Sooner or later--"
"--we'll have our whole night together in a soft bed, with no interruptions?" Heero guessed. "Damn straight we will!" He sobered, catching both of Duo's hands in his. "Listen, Duo...Chang and I were talking...apparently some of the students here aren't keen on the idea of sharing the place with a bunch of former juvenile delinquents."
The indigo eyes flashed in irritation. "What's it to them?" he snarled.
"Elitist snobs," shrugged his lover. "Anyhow, the Major's going to mention it at orientation, and they'll put a stop to it. But in the meantime, maybe you shouldn't be telling anyone you came here through Camp Peacecraft, just in case."
Duo didn't react with outrage or concern, as Heero had expected he might. Instead he considered for a moment, and then shrugged. "I won't lie about it, if anyone asks. But then, I don't go spilling my guts to people I don't know, either. So I won't volunteer the information."
"Good," Heero breathed in relief. "There's enough new cadets here, from a bunch of different schools, so we can blend in easily enough. And frankly, it's nobody's business how any of us got here. The point should be that we qualified to get in."
"Yeah, it should." Duo pushed back his hair, scowling slightly. "Don't worry about me, 'Ro. I've watched my back a lotta years, and I'm not gonna stop now. I'll be careful what I say and who I say it to." He ran fingers through his damp bangs. "I oughta dry this a little before I go to bed, or it'll be a disaster in the morning."
Heero leaned in to press a light kiss against his lover's lips. "I better get out to Chang, or he'll come find me."
Duo pulled him in for a longer, deeper kiss, and then finally released him. "You just wait'll I'm eighteen in a couple of months. I'll tell Chang right where to go if he keeps trying to play chaperone. I mean, just 'cause he's my legal guardian right now--"
"He cares," Heero said simply. "About both of us."
"I know," admitted the braided boy. "Or I wouldn't take any of his shit at all." He yawned yet again, rubbing his eyes.
"You need sleep. I'll see you first thing in the morning," Heero promised, placing a quick kiss on the end of Duo's nose. "I love you Duo Maxwell."
The other boy blinked, looking quickly up at him, and blushing adorably. And then he threw his arms around Heero in a tight hug. "God, I love you too, 'Ro!"
After a moment, Heero reluctantly disentangled himself and stood up. "Good night."
Duo flopped back against his pillow, leaning on his elbows and raising an eyebrow suggestively. "Yeah, well--just look what you're missing out on tonight," he teased, trying his best to look--seductive. And amazingly, he pulled it off, even in sweats.
Heero groaned, dragging his eyes away from the face and body he adored. "I know what I'm missing out on. Believe me. And once we've settled in and you're not quite so in need of sleep, all the Captain Changs in the world won't keep me away."
"Promises...promises," Duo smirked. He looked fondly at his lover. "G'night, 'Ro. See you in the morning."
TBC...
Back to Snowdragonct's Fanfictions Page