Author's Note: TanyaPotter...ask and you shall receive! Hope this is quick enough!
Also, as a reminder, as far as I know, the word "shinnaino" means "beloved." I hope I haven't butchered it, cuz I really like it. (Again, if I have, I claim artistic license? Insanity? It's your call.)
Boot Camp Part 39
Anything for a Teammate
Sure enough, as the boys prepared for bed that night, there was a knock on the door. Duo was the closest, and opened it up while running a comb through his hair. "Doc Po!" he said in surprise, surreptitiously glancing over his shoulder towards Trowa. But the auburn-haired boy was quiet, apparently asleep in a short respite from his symptoms. Heero stepped up behind Duo, carefully blocking the doctor's view of Trowa's bunk.
The braided boy tossed his hair back over his shoulder, giving the doctor his most charming smile. "House calls now?" he asked wryly. "Or should I say 'barracks calls?'"
The woman smiled back at him. "You can say it any way you like," she assured him. "But after treating Kyle Norton today, and listening to him rant, I thought I should check up on you. May I come in?"
Duo glanced at Heero questioningly.
"Come right in," Heero said smoothly, opening the door and gesturing the doctor over towards the desk. "We were just getting ready for bed."
"Then my timing's perfect," she beamed. She held out a little prescription bottle to Duo. "There's enough in there for tonight and tomorrow night. But if you need them beyond that, you'll have to come to the infirmary for them." She shrugged apologetically. "We have strict limits on how drugs are dispensed in a prison setting."
"Of course," Duo agreed, taking the bottle. "What are these for?"
"Sleep. From what I heard today, I'm guessing you'll need them."
"What did you hear?" Duo asked coolly.
"I heard a lot of things. Several boys came to the infirmary with cuts and scrapes." She smiled wryly, shaking her head. "You certainly know how to incite a riot, Duo."
"Norton did that," Heero asserted quickly, not wanting the doctor to have the wrong idea about Duo's role in the altercation.
"I know," said the doctor. "Some of my patients were quite vocal about what happened." Her concerned gaze rested on Duo. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he assured her.
"I doubt that," she scoffed. "He brought up a lot of unpleasant memories for you, if what I've heard is true." When Duo looked pointedly away, crossing his arms in front of him, she put a hand on his shoulder. "I just wanted you to know, he's gone. The medivac took him a couple of hours ago, and he won't be back."
Duo gave her a questioning look.
"His elbow was broken," she elaborated. "Shattered, actually. He'll need a series of surgeries to properly fix it, and months of therapy."
The braided boy winced at the reproachful tone. "Look, Doc. I didn't mean to--"
"I know that," she assured him. "Between what witnesses mentioned and what Captain Chang told me, it's clear that he threatened you. And I believe he might have acted on those threats if he got the chance. Much as I'm opposed to violence, it's all that some people understand. The only way to be safe from someone like that is to take them out of action."
"So...you're not mad at me?" he asked quietly.
"Why would I be?"
"Makin' more work for you," he said with a half-smile.
"I like to keep busy," she shrugged. "Not too busy...but to be honest with you, I was happy to be able to send that boy as far away from here as possible." She shook her head. "Even while I was splinting his arm he was talking about wanting revenge...and the horrible, hateful things he said...well, he's not a very nice person."
Duo laughed shortly. "Y'got that right." He gave her a sideways look. "Then again, maybe I'm not either..."
"You're nothing like him!" she said hotly. "And I don't want to hear another suggestion that you are." She gave Duo a motherly pat on the back, and then her gaze traveled across the long, shimmering hair. "Wow. Your hair's just beautiful when it's down."
He promptly blushed a lovely shade of pink, self-consciously running a hand through his bangs. "Uh, thanks, doc. It's just a lot easier to keep it braided and out of the way most of the time." He pulled the hair over one shoulder and deftly began braiding it.
"I didn't mean to embarrass you," Sally assured him. "I've just never seen your hair down, even when you were in the infirmary."
"Yeah, well, not many people have," Duo told her. He quickly completed the braid and tied it off with an elastic.
The doctor glanced over towards Quatre, who was sitting beside Trowa's bunk, reading a book while his patient was asleep for once. "How's Barton doing?"
"A bit better," Quatre replied, looking up at her. "He kept down some ginger ale today, and when he wakes up again, I'm going to have him try crackers and juice."
"Good," she said with a smile. "I see you've got cold cloths for him. I take it he's feverish?"
"Earlier he was. Not so much now," Quatre assured her.
"Perhaps since I'm here, I could take a quick look," she offered.
Quatre frowned, looking at how pale Trowa was, not sure the doctor would simply attribute it to the flu. "He's just fallen asleep, ma'am," he said quietly, giving her his most appealingly innocent look. "Could it wait a bit?"
"Oh, of course," she said quietly, lowering her voice to keep from waking him.
Heero took the opening Quatre had given him. "Perhaps you and Duo and I could talk outside."
Duo shot him a narrow look. "Aren't we finished?" he asked pointedly.
Sally Po smiled slightly at that. "We're finished, Duo. Just promise me you'll take the sleeping pills if you need them."
"Yes, ma'am," he sighed. "And Captain Chang's already got me seeing Doctor G on Wednesday. So you can relax. I'm getting all the therapy I need, and then some."
"Good." The doctor left then, and Quatre breathed an audible sigh of relief.
"Thank Allah! I thought for sure she'd see how pale Trowa is," he said out loud.
Duo made a small, snide noise, and walked over to his foot locker, tossing the bottle of pills onto it, and then climbing up onto his bunk, mumbling something under his breath about how little he cared how Trowa felt.
"Aren't you going to take the pills?" Heero asked, walking over and picking up the bottle.
Duo rolled over so he was looking down at the team leader. "I want to try it without 'em first. They make me a little groggy." He paused, frowning slightly, and licking his lips. He wanted to ask Heero if he'd mind terribly sleeping in the top bunk with him again. He knew for a fact the two nights he'd fallen asleep next to Heero, he'd gotten the best rest he could remember. But he didn't know how to ask the other boy to sleep with him. In fact, he knew if he phrased it that way, it would definitely be taken wrong. Not that he didn't want Heero to sleep with him, as in 'have sex,' but not in a prison barracks, and not with two roommates around. But he did want Heero to sleep with him, as in sleep with him.
Heero had an uncanny knack for picking up on Duo's train of thought. "Need a shoulder to lean on tonight?" he asked quietly, putting a hand on the edge of the bunk.
Duo felt himself blushing, but he nodded, before he could chicken out. "Guess I could use the support right now," he admitted. He frowned a little, too. "Not that I can't handle things..."
"I know you can," Heero hastened to assure him. "But you may as well let me do what I can to help for now." He glanced over at Quatre. "When are you going to rest, Winner?"
"If Trowa stays quiet, soon."
"Let me know if you need me to take over for a bit so you can sleep." Heero tossed his pillow onto the top bunk, grabbed his blanket, and climbed up next to Duo, who obligingly moved over by the wall. He put the pillow beside Duo's and flopped down onto it, waiting for the braided boy to settle in next to him. Duo did so, not quite touching, but close enough to share body heat, until Heero spoke again. "Hell, Maxwell. You know you'll end up draped all over me by morning, so why don't you just go ahead and put your head on my shoulder?" He gave a sly smirk. "You know you want to."
Duo narrowed his expressive eyes. "Pretty sure of yourself," he said quietly, his voice almost husky. But he edged closer, putting his chestnut head on the team leader's shoulder, almost nestled against his chin. And he slid a hand across Heero's stomach, smiling at the hiss of indrawn breath he heard. "Thanks, Yuy."
No. Thank you! Holy shit, but that hand felt like velvet sliding across his ribs.
"God, Duo," he whispered, sliding an arm around the other boy and pulling him even closer. If Quatre wasn't a few feet away... Heero sighed deeply. "Go to sleep, baka."
"With you? Any time," Duo murmured drowsily, torn between wanting to stay awake and enjoy the feeling of the other boy's body next to his, and needing to sleep. "Mmm. Someday we gotta do this when I'm not so tired."
"That's a date," came the quiet, heart-felt reply. And within moments they both drifted off to sleep.
~*~
Quatre hated waking Heero, but around midnight Trowa's condition worsened; the boy from L3 was tossing and turning, shivering violently. And although Quatre had tried to rouse him, he remained unresponsive. In desperation, the blonde finally went to get help from the team leader.
"Heero--?"
Blue eyes opened at once, and Heero looked down at Quatre. "Need a break, or is he worse?"
"Worse."
On Heero's other side, Duo stirred, half-waking. "Wassup?" he mumbled sleepily.
"Shh. You go back to sleep," Heero urged, trying to slide out from under the braided boy's arm.
Duo raised his head from Heero's shoulder. "Can't...not if you get up," he warned, yawning widely. "I may as well get up, too."
Leaving the warm bed and even warmer embrace was about the hardest thing Heero could remember doing--at least recently. But he dropped to the floor and walked over to look at Trowa.
"Yeah, I was afraid of this," he sighed. "We're gonna need the doctor."
"But she'll turn him in!" Quatre protested.
"Maybe. But if we don't get her, it could be worse for him." Heero sighed, walking back over to the laptop. "According to the medical info I pulled up, if he has convulsions or seizures, he could end up with brain damage."
"What'll the doctor do for him?" Duo asked. He was sitting with his legs dangling over the edge of his bunk, wrapped in a blanket, looking sleepy and tousled. And, in Heero's eyes, adorably sexy.
"She could give him some medications to prevent seizures and alleviate some of the withdrawal symptoms."
Quatre frowned, his face a study in emotions. "What if she reports him to Captain Chang? Won't he get sent to prison?"
"Get a taste of his own medicine?" Duo asked bitterly.
Quatre flashed him a stricken look. "Please, Duo!"
"Sorry." Duo dropped his gaze to the floor. "It's hard not to hold a grudge, Quat. He really hurt me."
"I know. But he's suffering now. No matter what he's done, we can't just throw him to the wolves."
Heero walked over to lean on the bunk next to Duo. "Winner's right. We should stick with Barton. Like I said before, once he's back on his feet, we can decide what to do about your issues with him."
"My issues?" Duo said with a scowl. "You make it sound like I had something to do with him selling me out to Kushrenada, Yuy. That was not my fault!"
The team leader backpedaled rapidly, knowing Duo was still on edge. "I didn't mean to imply it was. I should have said our issues--as in all of us--the whole team. He sold us all out, even though you were the one who took the fall."
"Damn straight," Duo muttered, his defiant posture relaxing noticeably.
Good save, Yuy. Quatre managed a small, weary smile. It was obvious that Heero was quickly learning how to read Duo's moods and react appropriately to avert disaster. "Who's going to get Doctor Po?" he asked quietly. "And what chance do we have that she won't report Trowa for this?"
"I'll go, and I have no idea what will come of it," Heero shrugged, pulling on his pants and a tee shirt.
"Yuy."
"Hm?" He looked questioningly at Duo.
"You said there's medication she could give him?"
"Of course," Heero said a trifle impatiently. "That's why I'm going to see her."
"What if we could get the medication without the doc?"
The blue eyes darkened dangerously. "We are not going to break into the infirmary, Duo."
"Not 'break' in," Duo said carefully. "But what if we went there and I distracted her while you, er, appropriated whatever it is we need?"
"I thought you were going to stop thinking like a thief," Heero said accusingly.
"Not thinking..." Duo shrugged. "I can't help how I think. Just how I act."
"And how do you envision distracting the doctor? Let alone expecting me to steal drugs? I'm not a thief, Maxwell."
"Well you didn't hesitate at breaking into my sealed medical records," Duo shot back irritably.
"That was different." Heero scowled blackly. "Duo, this boot camp is a chance to start fresh...to stop breaking laws and start doing something constructive with our time. Breaking and entering is what got you here. Stealing is what got you here...you can't keep doing those things."
"It beat the hell out of starving!" Duo growled in reply.
"Yes, but now you have other options," Heero reminded him. "You're never going to need to steal again, once this camp is over."
"Unless I end up back on the streets of L2," Duo pointed out. "Then I'll do whatever I have to."
"Look...we don't have time to debate these things," Heero snapped in frustration. "I'm going to get the doctor for Trowa. We're going to tell her as much of the truth as we have to and get him taken care of." He shoved his feet into his boots, and had bent over to lace them when he realized Duo was getting up and starting to dress. "Where're you going, Maxwell?"
"With you." Duo fixed him with a steady gaze. "You know the rule, Yuy. No one goes alone." His indigo eyes darkened. "If anything happened to you--"
"Alright," Heero conceded. "Come on."
~*~
On the way across the compound, they rehearsed what they'd actually tell the doctor about Trowa's condition. They couldn't very well tell her the whole story; but they could reveal that he'd had a shoulder injury and someone supplied him with pain killers. They decided to claim it had been a one-time blunder, and that Trowa didn't realize how addictive the drugs were.
"What if she doesn't buy it?" Duo asked, nervously running a hand down his braid as he walked, and then rolling the end between his fingers.
"Then she tells Chang, and Barton might get shipped out," shrugged Heero. He reached over and gently pulled the braid from Duo's fidgeting hands. "Stop. You'll get split ends," he chided, idly stroking a thumb over the silky hair.
Duo gave him a sidelong glance. "You do know you're fondling my braid, don't you?"
"That's not all I'd like to--" Heero stopped abruptly when Duo did, laughing at the shocked expression on the braided boy's face. "Ah, Maxwell, the look on your face is priceless!"
Duo blushed brightly, tugging ineffectually at his braid, which Heero kept a firm grip on.
"You are so easy to fluster," Heero observed.
"Leggo, Yuy," Duo said without looking at him.
Heero gently used the braid to pull Duo closer. "Never," he said in a whisper, slipping his arms around the other boy's waist, and wrapping him in a hug.
"I thought you were gonna figure out how you felt after the boot camp ended," Duo reminded him.
"That was before you almost got shipped out," Heero replied steadily. "That changed everything."
Indigo eyes blinked up shyly at him. "You wanna know what scared me most about solitary?"
"What?"
"Thinking I'd never see you again," Duo admitted in a barely audible whisper. He went on quickly, before he could lose his nerve. "It's kind of stupid, really, cuz it seems like every time I care about anyone, something horrible happens and I lose them. And even knowing that, I let myself get--attached. And the only thing that I regretted about this whole stupid camp while I was stuck in that hole was that I fought you the whole way and wasted all that time we were together." He sighed deeply. "I know I'm still a pain in the ass, Yuy; that's my nature. But even when I'm arguing with you, I still--care."
Heero chuckled quietly. "You're a very complex guy, you know that?"
"Sorry."
"Don't be. I wouldn't change a thing about you," Heero told him flatly.
Duo looked up with wide eyes. "Nothing?"
Heero shook his head. "C'mon, baka. We need to get to the infirmary." He kept one arm securely around Duo's waist as they walked the rest of the way to the med center and knocked quietly.
~*~
Doctor Po didn't even look surprised to see them on her doorstep. In fact, judging from the cup of tea sitting on the table a few feet away, still steaming, it looked like she'd waited up. "You two are getting to be regular visitors," she said with a small smile, gesturing them inside. "Would you like some tea? The water's hot."
"No thank you," Heero said politely. "We don't want to be a bother."
"Speak for yourself, Yuy," Duo chided. "I love bothering people." He gave the doctor his most charming smile, and Heero resisted the impulse to hug the braided boy. He could tell Duo was making himself as sweet and likeable as possible to soften up the doctor; and what made Heero's breath catch was the fact that Duo was doing it for someone he currently hated. No matter how much Trowa's actions had hurt him, the boy from L2 was doing whatever it took to help a teammate, and Heero resolved to tell Duo how proud he was of him the first chance he got.
Duo chattered away while the doctor poured tea for him. He went on about how nice she'd been to him while he was in the infirmary, and how no one since Sister Helen had ever looked after him the way she had.
By the time the three of them sat at the table, the doctor had a slightly puzzled expression on her face. "Duo, not that I'm not glad you're so--upbeat--tonight," she said carefully. "But, it's a pretty big change from last night. Are you really okay?"
He nodded earnestly. "I'm good, doc, really." He took a sip of tea, his indigo eyes studying her face as if watching for something. "But I do need your help...well...kind of."
"I told you before. Anything you need," she said firmly.
"It's kind of not for me," Duo added cautiously. He ducked his head slightly, looking up at her from under his bangs, and Heero bit his lip to keep from smirking. What a sly little charmer Maxwell could be! "It's like this, doc. Trowa's gotten worse, and, well, we found out it's not just the flu."
The doctor eyed him questioningly.
"Y'see, he had an old shoulder injury, and with all the exercise here, it acted up on him." He shook his head slightly. "According to him, regular pain killers never worked, so this time he got some from another inmate."
Sally's expression fluctuated between realization and concern. "He's having withdrawal symptoms," she guessed quickly. "Stupid, stupid boy!"
Duo nodded. "He doesn't have any more of the drugs, doc. Honest!" He fixed her with a pleading look she'd have had to be made of stone to resist. "It was a dumb mistake he made. But if you tell Captain Chang..." He let his sentence trail off.
She eyed him warily. "You want me to treat a case of drug withdrawal and not report it," she said flatly, her tone giving nothing away.
Heero decided he'd let Duo carry more than enough of the burden. "If Chang finds out, he might feel honor-bound to ship Barton out. He'd go to prison, ma'am. All for a stupid mistake."
She scowled thoughtfully, standing up and pacing across the room. "Do you two understand I could get fired for something like that? I could lose my license to practice medicine."
"I know," Heero said simply.
Doctor Po looked accusingly at Duo, who had the decency to blush a little. "So you figured you'd turn on the charm and talk me into breaking the law for you?" she asked rather sharply.
The braided boy hung his head. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "There was nowhere else to go for help."
"It's not his fault," Heero said hastily. "Duo didn't want to come to you. Really. But Winner and I kind of pushed him into it, because you seemed to--care."
The indigo eyes cast a wary look at the team leader from under chestnut bangs. Duo hadn't realized that Heero could be every bit as manipulative as him.
"I do care," Sally admitted, relaxing slightly. "What are his symptoms?" she asked, turning and emptying the hot water into the sink.
"Vomiting, stomach pains, weakness and tremors," Heero recited smoothly. "He's a bit feverish, and I think delirious. We're worried about convulsions or seizures."
"You should be," she said flatly. She pulled her black bag from under the table and went to her medicine locker, gathering some supplies. "I take it he's been symptomatic for twenty-four hours."
"Yes ma'am," Heero replied. He looked across the table at Duo, who still had his head down, and was fidgeting with his braid again. He could tell the braided boy was upset that the doctor thought he'd tried to con her; so he reached across and took hold of Duo's hand, shaking his head slightly and lowering his voice. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this."
Duo nodded as if unconvinced.
When the doctor turned around and saw the hand-holding, she merely smiled to herself and turned back around before the boys noticed. She closed up the bag, and said brightly, "Are we ready to go?"
"Yes ma'am," Heero said quickly, releasing Duo's hand and standing up.
Duo sighed, stepping over to the door and pulling it open. He followed along like a dejected shadow as they crossed the compound.
~*~
Trowa was, if possible, even worse than when they'd left, and Quatre's face lit with relief at the sight of the doctor. "Thank Allah you're here!" He stood up, offering her the chair he'd been seated in.
The doctor didn't waste time chatting, but quickly took Trowa's vital signs, tested his pupil reaction to light, and listened for a long moment to his heart and lungs. Then she pulled a couple of vials and syringes from her bag and measured out injections for the auburn-haired boy.
Once she'd done that, she spared a glance at Quatre. "When you said he kept down some liquids, were you bullshitting me? Or was it the truth?"
"He did," Quatre said quickly. "During the afternoon I got almost a whole glass of ginger ale into him. He hasn't vomited in hours."
"Well that much is good," she said, shaking her head. "But while the drugs cleared his digestive tract, they still have to work out of his nervous system." She pushed the chair back, looking up at the three boys who stood awkwardly watching. "I gave him medications to prevent the seizures and convulsions often associated with this type of withdrawal. But he may still be confused for several more hours. If his delirium doesn't completely resolve by noontime, I want one of you to come get me." Her stern gaze pinned each of them. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Abundantly," Heero replied dryly.
"And someone needs to be with him at all times."
"We've already been doing that," Quatre told her. "And we'll keep on doing it."
She eyed the little blonde questioningly. "I take it you've been the main attendant here."
He nodded.
Reaching into her bag, she took out a bottle and shook two pills into her hand before passing them to Quatre. "You look exhausted," she noted. "Take those with a full glass of water and lie down. You're to have eight full hours of sleep before anyone bothers you." Here she looked over her shoulder at both Heero and Duo. "Can I count on you two to enforce that?"
"Yes ma'am," Heero promised.
Duo merely nodded, looking down at the floor.
"I will be back to check on Trowa in exactly twelve hours," Doctor Po told them. "Meanwhile, if he gets worse, you fetch me immediately." While giving her orders, she was once again checking Trowa's vital signs, and seemed infinitely pleased with their improvement. "He's responded well to the meds. Hopefully there won't be any more crises." She stood up, gathering her things back into the black bag.
Quatre went into the bathroom for a glass of water, and Duo followed along, still acting uncomfortable around the doctor. The little blonde downed the pills and then looked curiously at his friend, sensing the discomfort. "Duo, thanks for getting Doctor Po. I know it was hard for you to help Trowa."
"I didn't do it for him," Duo said quickly, his voice almost harsh. Then his gaze softened as he looked at the aquamarine eyes. "I did it for you, Quat."
Quatre threw his arms around Duo in an impulsive hug. "I know," he whispered into his ear. "Thank you."
Duo hugged him back. "How could I do less for the closest thing to a brother I've got?"
"Yeah, well, wait'll I get my hands on some more chocolate," Quatre responded. "I'm gonna make you the best s'mores you ever had!"
Duo managed a weary smile. "I'd like that."
~*~
Meanwhile Heero had the opportunity to talk to the doctor alone. "So have you decided whether you're going to tell Chang about this?" he asked quietly.
She frowned slightly. "I'm still working on that," she admitted.
He nodded. "Fair enough." Then he cleared his throat uneasily. "About Duo--"
"What about him?"
"I hope you know how badly he feels about asking for your help the way we did." Heero looked earnestly at her. "He's a good kid. I think he's worried that you'll be angry with him because of this. And like I said, Winner and I pressured him. I mean, it was obvious you had a soft spot for him."
She gave Heero a sly smile. "Not as soft as the one you have for him," she teased.
Heero blushed, blinking in surprise. "Ma'am?"
She waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry, Yuy. It's not that obvious."
"What isn't?" came Duo's voice as he and Quatre rejoined the others.
"Nothing, Maxwell," Heero said quickly, gruffly, walking over to open the door for the doctor.
She followed him there, turning to look back at the other two. Quatre's worried gaze was already back on Trowa, while Duo was looking anywhere but at the doctor. Her expression softened as she studied the obviously dejected boy. "I'm not mad at you, Duo."
He looked up quickly. "But I--"
"Your loyalty to a teammate is very admirable," she said quickly, before he could begin a self-effacing apology.
You don't know the half of it, he thought bitterly.
"And while I wish you had trusted me enough to be honest from the start," Sally added. "I know you have no reason to trust a system that set you up to be hurt." She smiled wryly. "And like it or not, I'm part of the system."
"No, you're not," Duo assured her, looking her squarely in the eyes. "You're better than the system, doc, cuz you really care. An' I feel like shit that I thought I could sweet-talk you into risking your job."
Her smile warmed. "It's not a very big risk," she pointed out. "None of you would tell anyone what I did, and if I document this as a case of flu, I can justify the medications I used."
He looked at her in surprise. "You aren't going to tell Chang?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm not. I expect that at some point, you four probably will."
Heero had looked up sharply at her answer, and now he nodded. "You're right. Sooner or later I won't be able to bottle it up, and I'll tell Wufei and hope he understands."
Sally nodded. "For now, I think all four of you need each other too much to risk it. I suggest you take good care of Trowa and win the upcoming competition...then worry about coming clean to Captain Chang."
Duo walked over to the doctor, looking shyly up through his bangs. "Is there any rule against an inmate hugging a doctor who's the best in the world?"
She chuckled at that. "None at all."
Duo gave her a hug, murmuring a "thank you", and then went to his bunk and climbed up on it, too embarrassed to look back.
Heero settled for a firm handshake, much as he hated them. And he even smiled at the lady doctor. "We owe you...big time."
"Then pay up by making something out of your lives," she said with forced sternness.
Quatre went over to hug her too, promising to follow her instructions to the letter. And with a contented smile on her face, the doctor headed back to the infirmary to fill out the necessary forms to document a "case of flu" and cover her ass.
~*~
The moment Doctor Po left, Heero walked over to lean his arms on Duo's bunk, which put him at eye level with the braided boy. "You gonna sleep okay if I sit with Barton?"
"Yeah, I guess I'll live," Duo said with a smirk.
Heero glanced over at Quatre. "Take my bunk, Winner. I'll take the chair by Barton and stand watch a few hours."
Quatre nodded, padding over to Heero's bunk. "Hey, Heero? Duo? You guys are the best teammates ever, y'know."
"Right back atcha," Duo replied before fixing his gaze back on Heero's deep blue eyes. "And we've got the best team leader ever."
Heero smirked back at him. "Like I've said before, Maxwell...I'm the best at a lot of things."
Duo pushed himself up on his elbows. "I think that was you 'have the best of a lot of things'." His mischievous gaze slid from the Japanese boy's perfect face downward. "I'm still waiting for proof."
"You two are gonna make Tro' puke again if he hears any of this," Quatre pointed out sleepily from Heero's bunk.
"Whoa. Sarcasm. Didn't know you had it in you, Winner," Duo commented.
Heero chuckled. "Seems like we all just keep surprising the hell out of each other." He fixed a warm gaze on Duo. "I've been waiting for a chance to tell you how proud I was of you back at the infirmary."
Duo raised a questioning eyebrow.
"You have no reason to do Barton any favors. But you acted like a real team player when you went to bat for him with Doctor Po. I was--impressed."
As hard as he tried to hide his elation at the praise, Duo couldn't keep the sparkle from his eyes. "Thanks, Yuy."
"You're welcome." Heero leaned forward quickly, placing a teasing kiss on the end of Duo's nose. "Now go to sleep, baka." He walked over to take his place in the chair Quatre had vacated.
Duo rolled onto his back, pulling his blanket up around his chin. "Hey, 'Ro...what's 'shinnaino' mean?"
"Hm?"
"You called me that when I was...well, yesterday...before we went to the infirmary." He glanced over at the team leader, eyes narrowing. "It's not another insult like 'baka' is it?"
"Hn."
"I think I've pointed out before that not only is 'hn' not an answer. It's not even a real word!" Duo reminded him.
"Go to sleep, shinnaino." This time Duo could practically hear the grin on the other boy's face.
"I have so got to get a Japanese dictionary," Duo muttered, closing his eyes.
TBC...
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