The Academy Part 9
The Art of Persuasion
While Duo chose to put his encounter with Reginald on a back burner, he didn't forget about it. The next morning, he quietly filled Jase and Austin in on the way to the mess hall, letting them know that the football jock was among the opponents of the Peacecraft Initiative.
While they agreed to watch their backs, they also refused to discontinue associating with Duo on the off chance that it might link them to Camp Peacecraft as well.
"Nice try, though, Maxwell," Austin smirked, reaching around behind Jase to smack Duo on the back of the head. "Just you see if we'd throw you to the wolves and run off to save our own asses."
Jase glanced fondly at his new boyfriend. "Wouldn't bother with you at all, if you were that kind of chicken shit, Austin."
Duo just shook his head. "You two--get serious for a minute. I just want you to keep in mind that if we're hanging out together, and Darlian starts pointing fingers, everyone will know where we met."
"So what if they do?" Jase shrugged. "It's against Merquise's policy anyway. They try screwing with us, they'll only end up in a world of hurt, between what we'll do to them, and what he might."
"True enough," Duo admitted. He gave both boys a grateful look. "Just wanted you to know what you might be risking."
"Well whatever it is--it's not worth giving up the friendships we formed back in boot camp," Austin asserted.
Quatre and Trowa were ahead of them in the dining hall, and waved them over.
Duo nodded acknowledgement and gave a stern look to Jase. "Don't talk about this over breakfast, okay? I want to tell Tro' and Quat later, in private. Don't want Darlian thinking he's got us worked up over his bullshit."
So the morning meal was quick and cheery, as usual, and the boys quickly dispersed to go to their regular classes.
While Duo headed off to weapons class, his teammates were headed in other directions, and Quatre and Heero ended up together on their way to math.
"Hey Heero--before we get to class--" Quatre spoke up. "I wanted to talk to you about this weekend. Dinner."
"I said it'd be okay as long as--"
"I know that!" Quatre interrupted quickly. "The thing is, you know Duo hasn't got any money to speak of. There's no way we could go Dutch and get him to come along--"
"I'd be happy to treat him to dinner," Heero said frankly, giving his companion a sidelong look. "He's my boyfriend, after all. And it's not like I've ever actually gotten to take him on a date yet."
"But this wouldn't be one," Quatre pointed out smoothly. "It's a get-together for all of us. That's why I thought if you agreed to let me treat everyone to dinner, it'd be easier to get Duo to go along with it."
Heero frowned, thinking it over as they walked.
"Honestly Heero...you know how proud Duo is. He won't accept anything that smacks of charity. And in all honesty, the place I found on line is kind of pricey."
Heero's frown deepened. "How pricey?"
"Let's just say it's a place my father would probably approve of."
The Japanese boy stopped in the middle of the walkway. "Jesus, Winner! Where did you plan on going?"
"It's a five star restaurant up the coast from here," Quatre admitted carefully, wincing at the slightly horrified look on Heero's face. "Please, Heero," he pleaded. "It's not about the money. I want to do something nice for us as a group--and for Duo, because of all he went through in boot camp, and what a good friend he was to me right from the start. And if you won't let me do this for you, there's no way Duo will let me do it for him!"
Heero let out a frustrated breath. "Damn it, Winner--"
"It's just this once," Quatre insisted. "Kind of like a group birthday party. I thought we'd go out shopping in the afternoon, get something a little nicer than our uniforms to wear to dinner, and then drive up to the restaurant and have a special night out--on me--all of it."
"Don't you think that as Duo's boyfriend, it's my job to buy him things and take him to dinner?" Heero demanded.
"Of course--and you have a whole lifetime to do that. But as his friend, I just want to indulge him for one day. I want to show him some of the finer things in life--things I can afford and he can't. And I want to do it without wounding his pride." Quatre gazed imploringly at his former team leader. "It'd mean a lot to me."
Heero sighed deeply. "I guess--if you can get Duo to agree to go--I can let you handle the finances. But only if you agree to eventually let me return the favor and treat everyone to a night out."
"Sure," Quatre agreed readily, relieved at his first victory. "As long as we can do both activities in such a way that it doesn't make Trowa or Duo feel awkward."
"Hn," acknowledged Heero, realizing as Quatre did that being unable to reciprocate might make both Trowa and Duo reluctant to accept such invitations. He shook his head as they resumed their walk towards class. "You better be acing tactics class, Winner. You could damn well sell ice cubes at the north pole!"
Quatre chuckled, trying not to sound too triumphant as they reached their destination.
~*~
While the clever blonde tactician was working his magic on Heero, Duo was passing the word to Ben about his little confrontation with Reggie. He wanted to let as many of the Peacecraft kids as possible in on the situation, so they knew who to watch their backs around. But at the same time, he didn't want to give Darlian the satisfaction of thinking he was in any way intimidated by his threats.
It was a rather fine line for Duo to walk. He wasn't used to subtlety; he was more into full frontal assault when something pissed him off. Trying to casually spread the word about his enemy, without bringing any attention to those he told, was a bit tricky.
He'd already determined that anyone he associated with was liable to be "outed" to the anti-Peacecraft group. So as he strolled from weapons class to math, he made it a point to greet new friends like Rev and Cooper just as cheerily as his boot camp pals. He knew the fact that both boys had been at the Academy the previous year would put them above suspicion, and he wanted to keep anyone who might be acting as "eyes" for Reggie as confused as possible.
Of course, since Reggie himself was in Duo's math class, it was obvious who the enemy was there. And Jase, predictably, insisted on sitting next to Duo and chatting amiably about the previous night's homework, in spite of the narrow-eyed look it drew from their enemy.
Duo sighed and scowled at his friend, keeping his voice to an undertone. "Didn't I suggest you'd be better off being less chummy with me?"
Jase grinned complacently. "And didn't I tell you to shove that bullshit notion up your ass? Seriously, Duo--it ain't gonna happen."
Duo shot a perfectly menacing look in Reggie's direction, clearly warning the football star to back off; but he didn't expect the message to connect. Not really. Darlian was too used to having his own way, and too used to being in charge of things. If he chose to persecute anyone from the Peacecraft program, he was sure to do it in a big way.
By the time he made it to English class, where Quatre was waiting for him, Duo had obsessed about Reginald Darlian far longer than he thought the jock deserved. He slid into his seat and leaned forward, tapping the blonde on the shoulder. "Hey, Quat."
Quatre turned in his seat, cocking an eyebrow. "Hm?"
"I need some tactical advice."
"About?"
"Reggie."
Quatre frowned slightly. "I know you don't like him, Duo. But honestly, as insufferable as he is, he's really done nothing to--"
"He knows, Quat!" Duo hissed urgently. "He stopped me in the quad last night and said a bunch of bullshit about Camp Peacecraft."
"Well how'd he find that out?" Quatre huffed.
"Who knows? The point is, he did find out, and then he said a bunch of crap about how I'll show my true colors and flunk out the first semester."
"You know you won't," Quatre assured his friend. "None of us will."
"I know that." Duo rubbed at his forehead, trying to loosen the tension. "I pretty much said all that to him, and told him to go fuck himself."
"Good."
"But--I still want to make sure all the guys from Peacecraft know that Reggie's part of whatever group is opposing the program."
"Aren't you going to tell Major Merquise?"
Duo shook his head. "Not my style, Q-man. I won't let someone else fight my battle."
"It's not yours. It's ours. And--"
"No, Quat. Darlian still didn't know you and Heero were from Peacecraft."
"But--we're always together," Quatre pointed out.
"Well, apparently he thinks I'm hanging around you two for the glory," came the dry response. "He told me not to drag you down with me."
Quatre couldn't help smirking at the ironic statement. "He really said that?"
"Yeah."
"Idiot." The blonde shook his head. "I can't believe someone as intelligent as Reginald Darlian can't see the obvious."
"Yeah, well--I can't believe he's intelligent at all," Duo drawled snidely. "But enough about that. What I really need is for you to help me come up with a way to put him in his place--completely and permanently."
"I don't know, Duo. Major Merquise was pretty clear about the penalties for anyone that's part of a group trying to undermine our training here. If we told him about Reginald's involvement--"
"--we'd be chicken-shit narcs!" Duo cut in sharply. "On top of which, we don't even know if there's an organized group at all. It might just be a few of the jocks trying to be the big bullies they're used to being." His indigo eyes lit with determination. "What we need to do is think of a way to make Darlian look like the fool that he is. And I'm counting on you for my master plan. Are you in?"
Quatre didn't hesitate. "You know I am," he asserted. "Isn't that what brothers are for?"
"Aw, love ya, man," Duo snickered, subsiding as the instructor arrived and they had to settle in for class.
When it ended, they made their way to the dining hall for lunch, and then headed off on their separate ways to afternoon classes.
~*~
Directly after lunch, Quatre and Trowa were in engineering class together, so the blonde boy made it a point to walk quickly enough to get them there a few minutes early, eager to have a moment alone with his boyfriend to turn on the charm and work "the Winner magic."
He expected Trowa to be a tougher sell than Heero. He didn't think he'd fall for the "let's do it for Duo" routine--at least not right away--and so he had to appeal to his lover on a more personal level. He waited until they arrived at class, relieved to see that they were the first two in the room, and settled in to review their notes.
"Have you thought about Saturday?" he asked casually, looking up over the edge of his book.
Trowa's hair hid his eyes, and thus his expression. "Honestly Quatre, I don't think either Heero or Duo really wants to go--"
"Not true!" Quatre asserted quickly. "Heero already said he would, and that he was okay with it being my treat."
"He did?"
The blonde nodded earnestly. "When you think about it--I mean really think about it, this might be the last chance we'll have for awhile to just have a little down time. And honestly, the four of us have never done anything together outside of boot camp and here. You know how you and I drove down here--and we got to just be ourselves and set our own pace. That was a great time. And I'd like to have one day like that for all four of us, where we aren't inmates or students or anything but friends out having a good time."
Trowa nodded his understanding. "I see what you mean. But are you sure your idea of a good time is the same as everyone else's?"
"Well--what's yours?"
"I dunno. I'd be just as happy if we all went off hiking somewhere and packed sandwiches..."
"We did that in boot camp--or have you forgotten the training mission?"
"Oh yeah." Trowa gave a sheepish smile. "We did kind of do that, didn't we?"
"Yes. And we've done cookouts, had a big, catered graduation party, and even eaten at a diner...but we've never just gone for a long drive, hung out at a mall, and gone to a fancy restaurant for a really amazing dinner."
"A mall?" Trowa asked, picking up on the middle of the sentence.
"Yeah, a mall," Quatre echoed. "I thought we'd hang out like regular teenagers do, and maybe get some outfits to wear to dinner...something a little nicer than uniforms."
"You want to buy us clothes, too?" Trowa demanded, looking up with narrowed eyes.
"Nothing extravagant," Quatre assured him. "At least not by my standards. Honest."
Trowa shook his head. "Your standards are a little off the charts, Quat."
"Please--!" Quatre pleaded, catching his lover by both hands and looking appealingly into his eyes. "I just want to do one really nice thing for all of us, and you know if you won't go along with it, Duo won't either. He'll get stubborn and proud and just cut off his own nose to spite his face."
"Well that sounds like Duo all right," smirked the acrobat. He pulled his lover closer, leaning in to brush a kiss across his cheek. "You've gotta know it's hard for those of us from less--privileged--backgrounds to watch you waste money on us that would've fed someone like Duo for a month back where he came from."
"I know. And maybe it's horrid of me to be willing to spend money like that--but I don't consider it a waste," Quatre explained. "I think each one of you is worth more to me than mere money, and I want to indulge you a little bit--spoil you for one single day. Is that such an awful thing?"
"Of course not," chided Trowa. "It's very sweet of you."
"Does that mean you'll let me do it?"
"You knew I would the minute you made it about Duo," replied the auburn-haired boy a bit snidely.
Quatre did, indeed, know that. He knew how much guilt Trowa still felt about what had happened to Duo in boot camp as a result of his actions, and he knew his lover would do anything he asked, if he thought it would benefit Duo.
"It's only partly about Duo," Quatre said a bit defensively. "It's mostly about having a special day for all of us--a day we deserve to spend together."
"But you know the four of us would be happy with any activity we shared," Trowa pointed out. "It doesn't have to be extravagant."
"Yes, but I don't know any other way to be."
Trowa's smirk gentled into a smile. "Sure you do. You're the most down to Earth person I know, next to Maxwell. You showed him how to make s'mores back in boot camp. And he loved that every bit as much as whatever fancy dinner you're planning for Saturday."
Quatre smiled back. "I know, love. But indulge me just this once, and let me spoil my friends?"
"I already said 'yes,'" Trowa reminded him. "You can turn off the puppy eyes now."
Blushing, Quatre looked away, blinking his eyes self-consciously.
"Thought I didn't know about them?" teased Trowa.
Quatre shrugged. "They're the last weapon in my arsenal--after logic fails."
"But it didn't this time. You had me convinced pretty much from the start."
The blonde gave his lover a fishy look. "You must be a pretty good poker player, Trowa. You don't give much away."
"It's the hair. Hard to read half an expression, isn't it?"
Quatre gave a genuine laugh, a bit flushed with his success at getting two out of his three friends to agree to his plan. "Have I told you how much I love you?" he asked with an adoring look at his boyfriend.
He was rewarded with a faint blush, as Trowa looked over at him with an unguarded smile. "You tell me that a lot, Quatre--but I never get tired of hearing it." Leaning over to steal a kiss before they were interrupted, he whispered "I love you, too."
~*~
The rest of the day flew past with classes and then physical education and hand-to-hand training. From there, the boys split up to return to their dorms for showers before heading to dinner, where they met at the table they'd begun to think of as their regular spot.
"This is starting to feel like a routine," Duo noted, sliding into his seat beside Heero with his plate heaped with food.
As usual, Heero's expression revealed nothing, but the warm look he gave his lover spoke volumes. "You like it here."
"I love it here," Duo corrected him. "I love the food, the accommodations--everything, right down to those knotted ropes on the obstacle course." His gaze wandered across to the table full of jocks at the far end of the room, and he grimaced. "Okay--everything but the assholes," he conceded.
Heero just shook his head. "Who knows? Eventually, you might even love them, too."
"Not likely!" blurted the braided boy, wagging his fork in a scolding gesture. "They're rude, arrogant, and confrontational."
"And you're none of those things," Heero chided.
Duo glowered at him. "Okay--maybe I don't mind a little confrontation now an' then. But I'm not rude!"
"No--but you can be insufferably cocky at times."
"Yeah, there's the pot calling the kettle black." Duo looked up as Trowa and Quatre arrived with their food. "Hey, the gang's all here. Now I can finish telling you exactly why I have it in for Darlian and his gang of mutants."
"Why indeed?" Trowa wondered.
"Our friend Reggie stopped me in the quad last night," Duo explained, trying to balance eating with talking.
He almost missed the alarmed look Heero directed at him, until he felt a hand settle firmly around his wrist. "What did he do?"
"Aw, nothin' 'Ro," Duo assured him. "Nothing like you're thinking. But he knows I'm from L2--and Camp Peacecraft."
Heero's grip tightened, and then he forced himself to release Duo's wrist. "What did he say? Did he make threats?"
"No. He just said I'll wash out on my own, and that my crappy upbringing will come through in the end."
The Japanese boy's face darkened. "He's full of shit, Duo, and you know it."
"I do!" asserted the braided boy. "An' I told him so. It's no big deal, really. Just--I thought we all should know about it. If he's leading the group that doesn't want us here--"
"Then Merquise should be told," came Heero's quick, curt reply.
Duo shook his head. "It doesn't have to come to that, Heero. We're big kids. We can watch our own backs. And we can put Darlian in his place without bringing Blondie into it."
"This isn't boot camp, Duo. Nor is it juvenile detention, where you can exact your own revenge. It's a training facility with no room for petty differences. As a soldier in training, even Darlian should know that."
"He's just blowin' smoke, love," Duo said dismissively around a mouthful of vegetables, pausing to chew and swallow before he continued. "I only told you so you'd know that if he's onto me, he'll probably figure out how we all got to be friends. I just wanted to give you a heads up."
Trowa had been quiet throughout the discussion. But he finally spoke up quietly. "Do we know for sure he's part of the anti-Peacecraft group?"
Duo shook his head. "Don't even know that. All he said was he knew what I was, and where I was from, and that I'd be out on my ass when first-term grades are posted."
Trowa smirked reassuringly at his friend. "Obviously he doesn't know shit, does he?"
Duo grinned back. "Nope. We'll show 'em all." He looked aside at Heero. "You aren't gonna run to Merquise, are you?"
"Not yet," Heero conceded. "I'd like to find out more facts before that--learn whether Reggie's part of the group, or just an arrogant jock throwing his weight around."
"And while you do that, I'll take care of putting him in his place," Duo agreed.
"By acing every class, right?"
"Something like that."
"Duo--"
Whatever chiding Heero might have been about to deliver was interrupted when Captain Chang strolled into the mess hall.
"Hey, Dad's here!" Duo chirped happily, waving to his guardian from across the room.
Wufei rolled his eyes and made his way over to the table, nodding a greeting to everyone gathered there. "Good evening, cadets."
"Good evening, sir," came the dutiful echoes, followed by teasing snickers.
"God, we sounded like kindergarteners," Duo snorted.
"A very appropriate comparison, Maxwell," came the droll reply.
"Hey--!"
"I thought I'd stop by and ask how you're all settling in," continued the Captain, without missing a beat.
When they gave positive responses, he nodded curtly. "I'm glad to hear it."
"Any news about the colonies, or what's going on out there?" Quatre asked carefully, knowing the officer might not be able to elaborate much.
"Just the usual tension and political bluster," he shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable with the topic. "All I want you boys to concentrate on is your studies."
Duo glanced slyly at Heero. "Well I plan on dividing my time between work and--play," he told Chang. Then he blinked wide eyes at his guardian. "In proper proportions, of course."
Wufei just smiled patiently. "I've already spoken to your instructors, and judging from their comments, you're devoting plenty of time to studying." He put a hand on Duo's shoulder. "Keep up the good work."
The braided boy blushed deeply, suddenly at a loss for words, and he turned his attention back to his plate rather quickly. "I'll do my best, sir," he mumbled, uncomfortable with the praise.
Heero grinned unabashedly at Wufei, whose onyx eyes twinkled with mirth. "Something on your mind, Yuy?"
"Can you say 'proud parent'?" he teased quietly.
It was Chang's turn to blush, though he covered it with a shrug and a dismissive gesture. "Anyway--I also wanted to pass the word along that a shipment of mail arrived today. You can check with the office to see if you received anything." He strode off to pass the word to other cadets as well.
Quatre sighed, looking across the table at Duo. "What do you want to bet at least ten of my sisters wrote?"
"I'm sure they did," Duo replied with a shake of his head. "Hilde probably did, too. Wanna go gather up the spoils after dinner?"
"What about study time at the library?" Heero reminded them.
"We can meet you there," Quatre offered. "If you'll stop by my room and grab my books on tactics and infiltration, I won't have to make a trip back to the dorm."
"Sure."
~*~
In the end, Heero took both Quatre's key and Duo's, and he and Trowa headed for the dorms to bring their study materials, while their lovers went off to the mail room to see if they had letters to pick up.
As expected, Quatre received a handful of messages, which he tucked into his pocket to read later. He also accepted a letter for Trowa that appeared to be from Catherine, while Duo got one from Hilde that was so thick it barely fit in the envelope.
Duo happily ripped open his letter as he and Quatre headed across campus towards the library. "Shee-it!" he blurted. "She musta wrote ten pages!" He shuffled through the voluminous letter, eyes wide.
"She must have a lot of news to tell you." Quatre perked up, as he realized Hilde's letter might just put Duo in a good enough mood for him to broach the subject of his Saturday dinner plans. "Maybe you could fill us all in when we get to the library."
"Y'mean the library with Lieutenant 'Attila the Hun' making sure no one freakin' breathes too loud?" Duo shook his head, scanning the first page of the long letter.
"I'm sure Lieutenant Catalonia is only trying to do her job," the blonde said soothingly.
"Didn't know they had job descriptions that included harassment and bullying," came the mumbled reply. "Oh--wow. Hilde says Howard's business has practically tripled in the past couple of weeks; someone's buying up a lotta scrap." Duo frowned as he kept walking, his pace slowing a bit.
"What?"
"Just--" Duo stopped in his tracks, turning to the next page. "I guess Howie's worried that maybe the folks buying all the scrap metal are trying to build weapons--maybe even mobile suits."
"Oh, that's awful!" Quatre breathed, his eyes shining with concern. "Has he informed the authorities?"
"On L2?" Duo scoffed. "Quat, aside from the fact that there's not a lot of law enforcement on L2, what little there is, is mostly corrupt. If Howie ratted out his buyers, the cops would just toss him in jail as an accomplice."
"But who's in charge up there?"
Duo shrugged. "Supposedly L2 has an independent government--but they answer to the Alliance, and it's Alliance troops they call in to keep the peace when local muscle isn't enough." He glanced up distractedly, resuming his walk. "How is it done on L4?"
"There's a very well-organized force of government peace officers. I don't think Alliance troops have ever had to intervene."
"Well they do on L2," came the somewhat bitter reply. "And they don't seem to give a shit about collateral damage, either." His jaw tightened with resolve. "When I'm a pilot, I'm gonna be damned sure to protect civilians--not let 'em become statistics."
"War isn't that tidy, Duo," his friend pointed out somberly. "If there's actually a conflict coming, I fail to see how civilian casualties can be avoided." He frowned deeply. "That's why I hope the diplomats and politicians can work things out peacefully."
"Yeah, I guess I do, too," Duo admitted. "I don't like thinking about a real war out in the colonies. There'd be a lot of damage--and a hell of a lot of death." He shook off the somber mood. "Besides, I wanna stay here at the Academy as long as possible, with you guys and a chance at some education."
Quatre smiled warmly at him. "I feel the same way. As a matter of fact, since we're kind of on the subject, I wondered if you thought about my idea for Saturday."
"Um--here's the thing, Quat--" Duo's reply was cut short as they rounded a corner and bumped squarely into Reginald Darlian and one of his teammates.
Duo stumbled back, losing his grip on Hilde's letter, which fluttered to the ground, scattering in all directions. "Sonofa--" Duo knelt to retrieve his pages, not yet realizing who he'd collided with.
"What're you--nearsighted as well as dumb?" Reginald sneered, elbowing his teammate in a conspiratorial gesture.
Duo looked up from snatching a page that was about to slide under a bush. "You!" he snapped irritably. Then his attention shifted away again. "Quat! Can you get that one?"
Quatre hastily grabbed a page that was being blown down the sidewalk, and then glared at Reginald. "You might at least help pick up what you knocked out of Duo's hands," he scolded.
"Hey--he walked into me."
"You both walked into each other," Quatre retorted. "And that's not the point. It's simply good manners to apologize for an accident and help fix it."
"What would L2 street trash know about manners?" Reginald shot back, casting an imperious glance at Duo, who was standing and trying to brush the sand off the knees of his uniform.
"He's got better manners than you!" Quatre said coldly.
"Right," came Reginald's mocking reply. "On L2 eating with utensils instead of fingers can pass as good manners."
Duo's knuckles were white on the hand gripping a fistful of crumpled pages. "I may just be a street kid from L2, Darlian. But at least I don't have to trash other people to feel good about myself."
Reginald colored at the jibe, his dark eyes narrowing. "Maybe you just aren't bright enough to realize how pathetic you are."
"And maybe I'm just secure enough to not give a shit about your opinion!"
Despite Duo's stinging reply, Quatre sensed a rising tension and insecurity in his friend, and so he physically stepped between him and his enemy. "Move along, Darlian!" he snapped curtly. "Since you haven't got the manners to help out here, at least get out of the way."
Reginald opened his mouth to refuse, but subsided when he saw the dangerous gleam in the aquamarine eyes. "Sure, Winner--climb right down in the gutter with him, why don't you?" he tossed out carelessly, turning on his heel and striding off with his teammate close behind.
"At least there'll be better company there than with you!" Quatre threw after him. He turned to see Duo regarding him with an expression that wavered between amused and miffed. "What?"
"Just--I'm not sure if that last comment was more insulting to Reggie or to me."
Quatre thought back over it for a moment. "Oh--I didn't mean to suggest you belonged in a gutter, Duo!"
"I know," grinned the braided boy. "That's why I'm not taking offense. I know what you meant by it."
"Good." Quatre helped Duo smooth out and rearrange the pages of Hilde's letter into numerical sequence again before they resumed their walk.
"Lucky for us she numbered 'em," Duo pointed out, waving the stack of pages, before folding them and tucking them away in his back pocket to read later.
"Well, you could probably figure out the right order--eventually," shrugged his friend. He glanced aside at the braided boy as they neared the library. "You know, Duo, I meant what I said to Reggie. You do outclass him, you know."
"Thanks, Quat." Duo ran a hand down his uniform in a self-conscious gesture. "Trouble with guys like him is, unless you're royalty, or have more money than God, they think they have the right to look down on you--treat you like a second-class citizen."
"You're not second-class anything!" Quatre asserted.
Duo shrugged with feigned nonchalance. "'S okay. I'm used to it. Hell, you can dress me up in a uniform and call me a cadet--but the street kid shows through."
"Only if you let him," scolded the blonde. "As smart as you are, Duo Maxwell, you can fit in anywhere you want to. In fact...you'll even fit right in at the restaurant I picked for dinner on Saturday. It's a couple of hours away--on the waterfront--a really nice place." He dared another sidelong glance, trying to read Duo's expression.
Duo's jaw tightened just a bit. "It sounds nice, Quat. But honestly, I don't have a lot of money to spend on stuff like that. I think I should just beg out of it now."
"But you don't need money--it's my treat."
"That's very generous of you, but I'm not a charity case. I've got a roof over my head and three squares a day here. I don't need to eat out at some fancy place when there's a perfectly good mess hall that doesn't require me to borrow from a friend."
"Even if it would make that friend deliriously happy?"
Duo sighed in frustration. "Can't I make you deliriously happy without you spending money on me?"
"Of course you can," Quatre assured him. "But I really have my heart set on this. It's my way of throwing a party celebrating us all being here at the MSC Academy together. I planned for us to stop at the mall and pick out some outfits for dinner--then drive up the coast to the best restaurant I could find within range for a day trip."
"Outfits?" Duo asked, latching onto the bit where Quatre revealed the second part of his master plan. "Quat--"
"Well we can't walk into a five star restaurant dressed in uniforms!"
"I can't walk into a five star restaurant at all," Duo countered.
"You certainly can, in the right attire. I'll bet in a classy suit, you'd look more the part of royalty than a big, blocky football player like Reginald. And besides, I'm buying outfits for Trowa and Heero too." Quatre mock-scowled at his best friend. "Duo Maxwell--are you going to tell me you'd refuse a gift from me?"
"One that costs that much?"
"Any one!" The blonde crossed his arms stubbornly. "For Allah's sake, Duo, are you going to put pride ahead of friendship? And after I chewed out Darlian for lacking manners! Heero and Trowa were gracious enough to let me have my way in this."
"Trowa's your boyfriend, and Heero--"
"Heero what?"
There was a long pause while Duo mulled it over. "How the hell did you get Heero to agree to this? He couldn't have fallen for the puppy dog eyes!"
"He didn't," Quatre shot back. "I dazzled him with logic."
Duo gave a derisive snort. "Right. Logic." He looked suspiciously at Quatre. "Seriously, man. How'd you persuade him?"
"I think he just realizes it might be our only chance for a day off," Quatre mused. "By next weekend, we'll be hip-deep in our studies, and it's not likely we'll have a whole day to enjoy ourselves. We'll have too many tests and term papers."
"True," Duo conceded. "But honestly, we could have just as much fun grabbing sandwiches and heading to the beach..."
"We can do that for lunch," Quatre offered quickly, latching onto the vague suggestion. "We'll leave early, stop at the mall for our dinner clothes, and pick up some fast food to take out to the shore. Then after we've done that, we can change in the car, or in a public restroom if they have 'em near the beach--and then head up to dinner. It'll be great!"
Duo stared at the beaming expression of happiness on Quatre's face and felt his resolve weaken. "Aw--Quat--"
"Please!"
Under the full force of Quatre's best puppy eyes, Duo surrendered.
"Fine!" he snapped irritably.
"You'll come?" Quatre practically squeaked in delight.
"Yes, I'll come," sighed the braided boy.
"And you'll let it be my treat?"
"If it makes you happy."
"Very happy!" Quatre grinned, pulling Duo into a tight hug. "If I can't spoil my almost-brother, who can I spoil?" He pushed back to arm's length, smiling warmly. "You're the best, Duo!"
Duo rolled his eyes. "You can turn off the charm, Kitty-Quat. I already said 'yes.'"
Quatre smirked, toning down his exuberance as they stepped into the library. But he couldn't help thinking "That's why they call me 'Winner.'"
Duo sidled up next to him, dropping his voice to a breathy whisper. "We're now entering the Zone of Silence...keep your eyes open for Commandant Catalonia."
The blonde giggled, stifling it by clapping a hand over his mouth just before they padded quietly past the aforementioned librarian's desk.
"Good evening boys," she said, arching a spiky eyebrow as they passed.
Duo made a motion to mimic locking his lips and throwing away a key, and gave a jaunty salute to the stern woman, while Quatre just smiled apologetically and hurried after him.
TBC...
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