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Boot Camp Part 15
Friendships
Cleaning the kennels together afforded the four boys in Team Wing time alone without the pressure of obstacles or projects, and by the end of the morning, they had the job down to a science. The prison kennel had never been so clean; even the dog handlers were impressed.
Trowa used the time to his advantage, stealing Quatre away to introduce him to some of the dogs.
"This is King," he told the blonde, standing by a run containing a big shepherd. "He's one of the oldest dogs. I think K. said he was five or six."
"K?" Quatre asked, absently petting the dog's head, but keeping his aquamarine eyes on Trowa. "You sound almost like you like him."
"I do," Trowa said with a shrug. "I don't have any reason not to."
"But...he really was mean to Duo that first day," Quatre reminded him.
The mention of Duo made the auburn-haired boy scowl briefly. "I can't help that he and Maxwell have issues. But he let me meet all the dogs in the camp, and even showed me the new pups they're training." Trowa gave Quatre a mournful look. "You don't know how much I miss the circus, Quatre."
"I'm sorry," replied the blonde Arab, reaching out impulsively to put a hand on Trowa's arm. "I...guess I should be glad you got a chance to be around dogs, since you love them so much." He shrugged slightly. "Maybe the warden's not all bad," he added helpfully, though he didn't believe it for a minute.
"Thanks," Trowa sighed. "For understanding about the dogs, that is."
"Yeah." Quatre realized he still had a hand on the other boy's arm, and let it drop back to his side. "How about that white shepherd there? What's his name?"
"Ah, hers," Trowa corrected him. "She's Lily."
The dog in question cocked its head at the sound of its name, and wagged a bushy white tail.
"She's beautiful," Quatre said warmly, following Trowa over to meet the dog.
"The pups they've started training are hers. There's two of them."
"Can I see them?"
"I don't see why not," Trowa shrugged. "K. said I could come here whenever I have free time. The kennel attendants all have my name as being allowed here." He took Quatre's hand. "C'mon...they're down this way." He led the blonde down a corridor and around a corner where a pen housed two big tawny dogs.
"Those are pups?" Quatre asked, turning a surprised look to his friend.
"Just over a year old," Trowa replied. "In size they look like adults, but they're not mature yet."
"What are their names?"
"The darker one is Rusty, and the paler is No-Name."
"No-Name?" Quatre eyed him in confusion. "Is that his name, or does he really not have one?"
"He really doesn't have one, because they aren't sure he'll work out as a guard dog." Trowa shrugged slightly. "He's awfully friendly." He opened the cage, and while Rusty stood warily regarding them, No-Name bounded in playful circles, before leaping up to place his big paws on Quatre's shoulders and lick his face profusely.
"Agh! Drowning!" Quatre laughed, turning his head from side to side to try to avoid the wet tongue.
"Off!" Trowa ordered, and the big dog got down, turning to chase its tail once or twice around and then romping in circles again around the two boys. Trowa chuckled quietly, and dropped to a knee. "C'mere, Nanashi," he said quietly.
The pup trotted over at once, snuggling into him and resting its big head against his chest, while the boy scratched its ears.
"Why'd you call him that?" Quatre wondered.
"I like it better than the other," Trowa replied. "No-Name just sounds silly for him."
"Where'd you come up with Nanashi?"
"It's kind of a nickname...I just think it fits this guy." Trowa had both arms around the dog's neck, his face buried in the thick ruff of fur.
"It's a good name," Quatre said, sitting on the dog's other side, and running his fingers through its coat.
"Aw, aren't you all cozy?" came a chiding voice from the doorway. Duo leaned against the wall, legs crossed, with Heero standing beside him. "Who's the mutt?" he teased.
Trowa's eyes flashed, and he stood up. "He's not a mutt. He's a purebred shepherd." His tone was laced with anger.
Duo's eyes widened at the other boy's vehemence. "Shit, Tro'. I was just kidding. I know he's not a mutt..."
The dog trotted over to Duo, standing up on its hind legs again, and bracing its forefeet on his chest, pinning him to the wall while licking his face soundly.
"Ew! Blech! Dog kisses!" Duo wailed, trying like Quatre to avoid the dripping tongue, while simultaneously scratching the dog's ears.
Heero eyed the dog warily, stepping a little further to the side.
With a gleam in his eyes, Duo gestured towards the team leader. "Go give Heero kisses, pooch! Go on! Get him!"
The dog obligingly transferred its attention to Heero, prancing around him while the Japanese boy fended off its attempts to jump up and bestow sloppy kisses.
"Nanashi!" Trowa said firmly. The dog stopped its playful romp and returned to sit at his feet, ears forward and tongue lolling. "C'mon...back in the pen with Rusty." He put the tawny dog away, closing the gate and making sure it was secure. Then he turned back to his teammates. "I take it we're done?"
"Hn." Heero replied with his usual reticence.
"That means 'yes' in this context," Duo translated, giving Heero a sly look from the corner of his eyes.
"I know," Trowa retorted with a roll of his eyes. "It must be almost lunch time."
"Actually, we missed lunch," Quatre told him, pointing at the wall clock.
"Aw...I'm starving!" Duo complained. "Y'mean we've got to do weapons class, obstacles and calisthenics on an empty stomach?"
Heero shrugged. "Should have thought of that when you and Winner took your midnight stroll." He headed out the door.
Duo followed behind him, mimicking his 'should have thought of that,' silently.
"Grow up," Heero growled without looking back.
"How does he do that?" Duo asked rhetorically.
As they made their way through the building, back towards the compound, Trowa stopped at a cabinet and reached in to take something from a shelf. "Here, Maxwell," he said, giving Quatre a conspiratorial wink.
Duo turned around in time to catch something Trowa threw his way. He looked down at it as he walked. "A 'milkbone'?" he asked incredulously.
Trowa smirked, shrugged, and kept walking. "You said you were starving," his voice floated back as they hurried to make it to weapons class.
"But...a dog biscuit?" Duo moaned, sniffing it warily. He was trying to decide how hungry he really was. Granted, back on L2 they'd eaten out of garbage cans at times, but at least it was people food, not dog food. Well, probably.
"Maybe we can swing by the kitchen between classes," Quatre suggested helpfully, breaking into Duo's mental ramblings. "Don't you know the cook since you had KP duty?"
"Yeah, I know him. But I'm not sure he liked me," Duo muttered, gingerly nibbling at the corner of the bone.
"You are not going to eat that, are you, Maxwell?" Heero asked, the look on his face one of total disgust.
Duo looked up defiantly, and then bit off an end. "Ish..." crunch "...not..." chomp "...sho..." He paused to gulp hard, in order to swallow the dry lump of biscuit. "...bad."
"That is the most vile thing I think I have ever seen," Heero said, shaking his head.
Duo took another bite, chewing furiously, and edged over towards the team leader. "Hey, how 'bout a nice kiss, Heero?" He made a pouting face at the other boy, crumbs of dog biscuit on his lips. "C'mon."
"You are disgusting, Maxwell."
"I try," smirked the braided boy. He batted his eyes at the team leader. "No kiss?"
"I do not kiss lips that eat dog biscuits," Heero said flatly.
Hmmm...well that was one way to get out of the deal they'd made. But Duo didn't think he had enough milkbone left to fend Heero off forever. And besides, he didn't even know if there'd be kissing involved in Heero's bribe. For all he knew, the boy might just throw him up against a wall and have his way with him. And in spite of daydreaming about Heero Yuy having his way with him, Duo knew that wasn't the way he wanted it to be. He sobered as they walked, glaring down at the ground, and heard Quatre give a low groan at his angst.
"Sorry, Winner," he sighed, stuffing the rest of the biscuit into his mouth and chewing stubbornly on it the whole way to class.
~*~
"This," said Lieutenant Lareau, holding up a rifle, "is an MS Rifle." He gave the assembled boys a stern glance. "Don't get any ideas...live fire exercises won't start for a couple more weeks at least."
Duo glanced at Quatre, mouthing the words "Live fire?"
Heero intercepted the silent message, and instead of replying, he simply let a deadly smile spread across his face.
Oh, holy shit! Heero Yuy with a loaded gun...what an image of death and destruction! Duo winced, turning his attention hastily back to the lieutenant.
"Does anyone know how to break down and reassemble one of these babies?" asked the officer, sweeping the ranks with a rather condescending gaze.
"I do," replied Heero.
Well, of course Heero the Great can! Duo glared at the blue-eyed team leader.
Lieutenant Lareau tossed the weapon to Heero, who caught it out of midair, handling it like he'd been born with one in his hands. "C'mon up and show us, Yuy."
Heero walked up beside the instructor, holding the weapon in front of him and running a hand almost caressingly along the barrel.
Duo caught his breath. Suddenly, the image of Heero Yuy with a deadly weapon in his hands was sexier than hell. Yeah...badass Heero Yuy was even hotter than plain old blue-eyed hunk Heero Yuy. The braided boy sighed, watching the way his team leader's hands flew expertly over the weapon, swiftly taking it apart, laying each piece on the table in front of the instructor. Those were definitely some talented hands...
Quatre nudged Duo with an elbow, giving him a very suspicious look. "You're drooling," he hissed in an undertone.
Duo glowered at him. "Don't try to pretend that was all dog slobber on your chin when you were eyeballing Tro' back at the kennels," he whispered back.
The scandalized look the blonde gave him nearly made Duo laugh. He settled for turning his gaze back to the boy demonstrating how to break down and reassemble a deadly weapon in, like, two minutes flat. So that's what 'drop-dead gorgeous' means...
~*~
After weapons class, the boys had calisthenics, and then obstacles. As they gathered in the bleachers for the obstacle course, Jason made his way over to end up sitting just behind Team Wing.
"Hey, Duo..."
The braided boy looked up, blushing, and darting a wary glance at Heero, who appeared to be engrossed in the new layout Captain Chang had come up with.
"Uh, hi, Jase..."
Jason looked decidedly uneasy, glancing at Quatre and then back at Duo. "I didn't know if maybe I ought to apologize..." he began.
"No," Duo assured him. "Not at all." He edged back, climbing up one row so he could sit next to the other boy. "I like you, too, Jase...it's just that, right now there's so much going on...I don't really have time for..." His voice trailed off, and he shrugged slightly. "I've been in trouble with K. and Chang so much, I kind of have to keep my mind on team projects, y'know?"
"Yeah," Jason replied, giving him a half-smile. "I know you're letting me down easy," he noted.
Duo blinked in surprise. Was he really that transparent? "Jase..."
"It's okay," said the other boy from L2. "I was so impressed with that prank you pulled, that I got a little carried away. It's okay if you want me to back off."
"That'd probably be for the best," Duo said honestly. "I still want you for a friend, you know."
"That's cool, too," Jason agreed. "And maybe next time you want to pull the practical joke of the century, you can let me and my team in on it, too."
Duo grinned at him. "That can probably be arranged." He gave the boy a sincere look. "Thanks for understanding, Jase."
"Sure..."
"Maxwell!" Heero's curt tone interrupted, and he leveled a sharp look at the braided boy. "If you're done socializing, perhaps you could get your ass down here and learn the new course through the obstacles?"
"Perhaps I could," Duo shot back snidely. "The very minute you stop being an anal-retentive prick with delusions of Godhood."
Heero gave him a completely unreadable look. "Now, Maxwell!"
Heaving a frustrated sigh, Duo got up and climbed down two rows until he was seated between Trowa and Heero, who had laid the map of the course across Heero's lap.
"What's that?" asked the braided boy immediately, running a finger over a squiggly line denoting a new feature on the course.
Heero jumped uneasily, nearly dumping the map on the ground. "Watch your fucking hands, Maxwell!" he blurted aloud, completely forgetting they were in the middle of a crowd.
Duo's eyes widened, and he looked down, realizing for the first time exactly where the map had been situated. He blushed nearly as red as Heero, but recovered first and leaned a little closer. "Was it good for you, Yuy?" he whispered in a husky voice.
Heero turned a shocked look to him, his face beet red, and then looked up as Captain Chang came walking across the field to them.
Duo gave a delighted chuckle, turning wide indigo eyes to the Chinese officer, and raising a hand. "Captain Chang? I'm sure our team wants to go first," he volunteered.
The horrified look on Heero's face provided the instant gratification Duo hoped for, and it was all he could do to keep from laughing out loud.
"Omae o korosu," Heero hissed in an undertone.
"Right...you and what army?" Duo snorted.
"Just me," Heero promised, regaining his composure, and darting a deadly look at the braided menace. "Later."
~*~
As it turned out, 'later' didn't come that day. The second run through the obstacle course, disaster struck.
Team Annex was on the third obstacle, the ever-popular wall, when without warning, several of the top boards came loose, sending all four boys tumbling to the ground amid shattered lumber.
Captain Chang, the soldiers, and the rest of the teams rushed to help, only to find the rest of the wall teetering dangerously.
"Get something out here to steady this wall!" Chang ordered sharply, picking up one of the injured boys and handing him off to a couple of corporals to take to the infirmary. "I want the recruits out of harm's way." He started snapping out orders so fast and efficiently that within moments all four of the injured boys were on their way to the doctor, the wall was being supported by trucks on both sides, and the rest of the recruits were being ushered to their barracks by their liaison officers.
"Carter?" Heero asked, trotting up alongside their corporal. "How the hell did that wall come apart like that?"
"Termites?" Duo suggested from his position a stride or two behind.
Heero shot a dirty look over his shoulder, and then turned his attention back to Carter. "Any ideas?"
"None whatsoever," shrugged the soldier. "We inspect the obstacles weekly, and any time we set up a new one. The bolts should have been tight, and I know the wood was solid."
"So what does that mean?" Quatre wondered.
"I dunno," shrugged Carter. "I suppose maybe the posts had some underground rot, or settling caused some joints to work loose. Hard to say until it's been examined." He stopped outside their barracks. "You boys stay in until Chang sends word to go to supper, okay? He won't want anyone wandering, or going into any restricted areas until he's made sure it's safe. Clear?" His gaze settled on Duo.
The braided boy gave him a wide-eyed look. "Is there a reason you're looking at me when you say that, Carter?"
"There's a million of 'em," Carter grinned back, shaking his head as he turned and walked away.
"Very funny," Duo muttered, walking wearily into the barracks. "Y'know, this is just great! We had no lunch, and now dinner's gonna be late."
Trowa pulled something from a pocket as he walked by, and tossed it to Duo.
The braided boy examined what he'd caught. "If I start baying at the moon, I'm blaming you," he growled before taking a bite of yet another milkbone.
"I think you should go to your bunk, Maxwell," Trowa smirked. "Lie down and stay."
Quatre laughed out loud at that, despite the wounded look from Duo. "Sorry, but that was funny."
"Hilarious," Duo drawled snidely, climbing up onto his bunk.
Heero had opened up the laptop, and without so much as cracking a smile said, "Barton, I'll hold you responsible if he's not housebroken."
At that, Trowa, Quatre and Heero broke up laughing, while Duo sulked on his bunk, chewing irritably on the biscuit.
TBC...
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