Author's Note: Okay...I know this is really quick for an update, but this is one of my favorite chapters, so I had to share. Enjoy! (I hope.)
Boot Camp Part 4
Teammates
Thirteen laps! Thirteen laps of pure Hell. What kind of sick fuck makes a kid fresh out of weeks of juvenile detention run six and a half miles? Sure, sprinting away from a cop for a few blocks had been good exercise, but that was a far cry from six miles of unrelenting speed. Smooth move, Maxwell...let's make this the last time for being late to class. Any class. Especially one run by a sadistic son of a bitch like Lieutenant Lareau.
With a free hour between class and afternoon calisthenics, Duo figured he could at least catch a quick nap. He stumbled into the barracks, yawning with exhaustion and headed for his bunk. But as he went to step on the lower bunk to climb up, he realized someone was lying stretched out on it.
"Oh." He stepped back, looking down into a pair of intense blue eyes.
The newcomer had slightly Asian features, except for the deep blue of his eyes. His chocolate brown hair was slightly disheveled...almost untidy...but looked like that was its natural state. Well-muscled shoulders filled out the short-sleeved uniform shirt the boy wore, and Duo was almost tempted to give him an admiring look. But the new kid gazed up with a vague scowl, and the braided boy took another step back before reminding himself he'd been there first, and that top bunk was his.
"Hi," he ventured hesitantly, not offering to shake hands. Somehow, he instinctively knew better.
"Hn," came the terse reply.
Again Duo studied the somber-faced boy, trying to decide if he was a threat. One way to find out, he thought with a shrug. "I'm Duo Maxwell."
"Heero Yuy."
"Japanese?" he guessed, giving a tentative smile and watching for a glimmer of response.
"Hai," this time accompanied by a short nod.
Okay...Duo figured that meant 'yes'. "Um..." Duo glanced up. "My bunk's up there," he said, mentally wincing at his sudden lack of articulation.
"Okay." This time the other boy sounded vaguely impatient, as if he wanted Duo to leave him alone.
"I was...um...gonna catch a nap before afternoon calisthenics."
"Go right ahead." Total indifference.
Duo cautiously edged closer, putting a foot on one edge of the lower bunk, and pulling himself up onto his own. Once there, he rolled onto his back and stretched out, biting back a groan at the aches in his muscles. He tried to sleep, but somehow the quiet presence in the lower bunk made it impossible. After several minutes of tossing and turning, he hung his head over the side of the bunk.
He was met with a slightly annoyed-looking gaze, as his braid flipped down, swinging wildly and narrowly missing the new kid's face.
"Watcha in for?" he asked, giving Heero his best, most beguiling smile.
"Aggravated assault," Heero replied without missing a beat. "And attempted murder."
"Oh." Duo rolled back over onto his pillow, looking up at the ceiling. Like he could sleep now, he thought with a sigh.
Several more minutes passed in silence...or near-silence, as every time Duo squirmed on his bunk in search of a more comfortable position the springs squeaked loudly. When he heard an exasperated sigh from the lower bunk, he found himself smiling wryly. There was a faint mutter...a word that sounded like "baka," and then Duo drifted off into sleep, with a smug smile still pasted on his lips.
Sometime later...
"Maxwell..."
"Hmm?" Duo was in the middle of a very nice dream, floating on an inflatable raft in a still pond, thinking about someone with really beautiful blue eyes. And that someone was calling his name softly...from far away.
"Maxwell!" A sharp rap on the side of his bunk woke Duo with a start, and he shot up gasping, throwing a hand out to steady himself.
His hand landed on what felt like a face, and he opened his eyes to see a very annoyed-looking Heero glaring through his splayed fingers. Actually, the word 'aggravated' might have been more appropriate. Duo wondered vaguely what the 'aggravated' in 'aggravated assault' meant.
With a yelp, Duo shoved himself back against the wall. "Agh! What? Wassamatter?" he demanded, trying to steady his pounding heart. He hated being woken up suddenly, and tried to communicate it by returning the other boy's glare.
"You said something about 'afternoon calisthenics,'" replied the dark-haired boy. "I think we've got two minutes to get to the exercise yard."
"Shit!" Duo leapt from his bunk, only to get tangled in his blanket on the way down, so he ended up sprawling unceremoniously on top of Heero, sending them both to the floor.
"Crazy baka!" snarled the Japanese boy, thrashing to free himself.
At that moment Quatre and Trowa dashed in, only to stop and gawk at the pair entwined on the floor. "Duo? What in Allah's name--?" Quatre demanded.
"Ack!" Duo shoved himself away from Heero, blushing furiously.
Quatre smiled knowingly. "What were you doing?"
"Nothing, Quat! Nothing! I fell off my bunk, damn it!"
Heero rolled clear of the braided boy, pushing himself up to his feet and brushing off his uniform. The glare he shot at Duo could have melted steel.
"Sorry," Duo mumbled, scrambling out of his tangled blanket and gathering it in his arms, tossing it back up onto his bunk.
"Maxwell, you are a menace!" Heero snarled, brushing past Quatre and Trowa and walking out of the bunkhouse.
Trowa glanced after the departing boy. "Who's that?"
"Our new bunkie," Duo replied, straightening his uniform and trying to smooth the loose strands of his braid. "Heero Yuy. As you can tell, he's real charming and articulate."
Trowa snorted, turning and heading off to the exercise yard.
"C'mon, Duo," Quatre urged. "We're gonna be so late!"
"Aw, crap." Duo glanced over his shoulder at the bathroom. "I need to pee before we go."
"No time!" Quatre insisted, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. "If we're late, you'll end up doing double pushups."
After running the extra laps that morning, the last thing Duo wanted was more added exercises. "Right behind ya, Quat." He jogged miserably along behind his blonde friend, yawning and shaking his head to get the last of the cobwebs out. Damn Yuy for letting me sleep 'til there were only two minutes to go!
Duo and Quatre were the last two to line up, and the drill instructor was waiting, tapping a foot impatiently in the dirt.
"Alright you two slowpokes! Drop and give me fifty."
Groaning, both boys obediently dropped face-down and began their pushups.
The braided boy spared a glance at Heero, who was lined up next to Trowa. He could have sworn there was a satisfied smirk on the Japanese boy's lips. Bastard.
After calisthenics, the group was divided into four groups for training, and Duo made certain he headed as far away from Heero Yuy as he could. Quatre stuck with Duo, having already started looking upon the braided boy as a friend and confidante.
It wasn't until supper that the four teammates met up again. Duo and Quatre had kind of hung out together throughout the afternoon, so when they went through the chow line, they were side by side. But Trowa drifted in behind them with Heero at his heels, and Duo cast a rather resentful glare their way. Seemed like they were getting along famously.
"Huh. The pot and the kettle," muttered the braided boy.
"What?" Quatre asked.
"Oh, our roommates," shrugged Duo wincing at the sight of the lumpy stuff the server ladled onto his even lumpier mashed potatoes. "Hell, between them, they couldn't carry on a one-sided conversation."
Quatre chuckled at that, ducking his head slightly. "Duo! That's mean."
Duo rolled his eyes, once again amazed at the blonde's almost childlike nature. But a quick glance at the sharp blue eyes of his companion made him question that assessment. "You haven't told me what you got in trouble for Quat," he commented casually, heading for a corner table. Duo Maxwell liked to keep his back to a wall, especially in a crowded cafeteria.
"Oh...um...I got caught doing a little computer recon on some of our company's competitors."
"Oooh...a fellow hacker," Duo said with a grin. "Were you any good?"
Quatre snorted at that. "Well, yeah...until they caught me."
Duo chuckled. "Heh. I know the feeling."
"So that's what put you here too?"
"That and...a few other things," Duo said evasively. "I guess I did a little more than just computer recon. I might've done a little independent on-line banking."
"They call that grand theft," Heero said curtly, settling into the seat next to Duo, as Trowa took the one next to Quatre.
"Well aren't you the expert?" Duo retorted, giving Heero a sidelong glare.
Heero favored him with an unreadable look. "As a matter of fact, I am."
Duo snorted derisively. "Sure you are."
"Give me a laptop, and I could run circles around you or anyone else."
"Modest, too," Duo said with a roll of his expressive indigo eyes.
Quatre reached across the table to the newcomer. "Duo tells me your name is Heero. I'm Quatre."
Heero eyed the hand for a moment, and then took it with obvious reluctance. He wasn't big on handshaking, and it showed. "Hn."
Trowa's lips quirked in a slight smile, and he glanced aside at Quatre. "Heero's about as fond of shaking hands as I am," he pointed out.
Duo glanced between the two, wondering when they'd managed to become such buddies. He told himself the twinge he felt wasn't jealousy. Not that Heero wasn't good-looking, and not that Duo wasn't inclined towards other guys. He just didn't want to think a mere few hours of being barely acquainted was enough to start him thinking about the new kid in a possessive way. Besides, tall (okay, medium), dark and scowling wasn't his idea of the perfect man. Was he?
"Are you gonna eat that?" Quatre asked, pointing to the food that a brooding Duo was stirring around on his plate. The Arab boy's food was barely touched.
"What? Oh." Duo looked down at the soggy mess he'd made, and then shrugged. "Well, I had worse on L2," he noted, scooping up some of the rapidly cooling stuff and shoveling it in.
Quatre grimaced slightly.
Heero's blue eyes narrowed. "Winner...you're Quatre Winner, aren't you?"
The blonde's head shot up warily. "What? Um...why d'you say that?"
The Japanese boy shrugged. "It's pretty obvious you aren't used to this kind of...food." He gave the other inmate a long look. "Besides, your family isn't exactly reclusive. I've seen you on the news."
Duo's eyes had widened. "You never told me you were that 'Quatre'," he accused. "Even I've heard your family name." He gave the blonde an uncomprehending look. "How in Hell did you end up here?" he demanded. "You could have bought your way out of this bullshit ten times over."
Heero gave Duo a sidelong look. "Maybe it's none of your business, Maxwell."
"Why not?" came the unrepentant reply. "I think it's a pretty obvious question."
"Well, pretty rude anyway," Trowa shrugged.
"Aw, fuck you, Barton," Duo growled, glaring across the table at the auburn-haired boy.
The green eyes narrowed slightly. "I was just making an honest observation."
"So was I."
"Would you two stop?" Quatre asked in exasperation, putting a hand to his forehead as if in pain. "Allah, I hate fighting!"
"Tell it to him!" Duo snapped, turning sideways in his chair and fixing his gaze across the room, instead of at Trowa.
"I'm not the one who started it," Trowa shrugged.
Heero slapped a hand on the table, and all three looked at him. But he was glaring across the room at Captain Chang, who had just walked in and was surveying the room with a critical eye. "Thanks for nothing, Chang," Heero muttered under his breath. "Team? This is a joke."
Duo caught just enough of what he said to be insulted. "Hey, you're the newcomer here, Yuy. We were getting along fine without you."
"Obviously," came the dry response.
Duo cursed under his breath. "I don't need this shit. I'll see you back at the barracks." He stood and stalked off, fists clenched at his sides.
Quatre frowned as he went, looking from Duo's retreating back to the vaguely satisfied smirk on Heero's lips. "I'm sorry, Heero," he said quickly. "I should have just told him my father let me get sent here on purpose, to try to teach me a lesson." That was close enough to the truth, even if it didn't quite cover it all.
"It really was none of his business," Heero replied.
"He's..." Quatre searched for the right word. "...inquisitive."
"Nosey."
The blonde smiled. "Yeah, but for all that, he's been kind of looking out for me since we got here."
Heero eyed the Arab boy questioningly. "Have you been having any problems?"
The aquamarine eyes glanced warily across the room to the table where the boys from the shower were seated. "Just...this morning there were some kids hassling us a bit. Duo stood up to them."
"And lived to tell?" Trowa quipped, his green gaze following Quatre's to the tough bunch at the far table. The auburn-haired boy frowned slightly. "Sorry I went off without you two. I didn't know there'd be any trouble."
Quatre smiled, blushing a little. "That's okay, Trowa. It wasn't anything much...just the usual establishment of a pecking order. And then the drill instructor showed up, and everyone sort of scattered."
"Hn," commented Heero. "They would." His sharp blue gaze fixed on Quatre. "Is that how Maxwell got the bruise on his face?"
"Oh. No," Quatre said quietly, dropping his gaze to the table.
"The warden did that," Trowa guessed with uncanny accuracy. He shrugged at Quatre's startled look. "C'mon, Winner, I was there. When they hauled him off during orientation, there wasn't a mark on him. But it was there first thing this morning, wasn't it?"
"You two mind filling me in?" Heero asked, a frown creasing his forehead.
So Quatre explained the previous day's events, and Duo's cryptic response to his question about the source of the bruise.
~*~
When Duo had reached the barracks, still fuming about the scolding he'd received from both Heero and Trowa, he realized that after the long day of exercise, he really needed a shower. So he gathered up a couple of towels and a clean uniform and headed over to the shower building. Despite the warning he'd given Quatre to go nowhere alone, he figured everyone was still at supper, and he was a lot more capable of defending himself than the young blonde.
And it was truly wonderful to find the building unoccupied, and all the hot water at his disposal. As he took a long, leisurely shower, some of his anger and irritation began to slip away. Duo sighed in contentment, washing his hair twice for good measure. He rinsed it, wrapped it up in a towel and dried off before donning the clean clothing. Then he took his time combing out his long, wet hair and deftly re-braiding it. He hadn't felt so good in days, and by the time he was ready to head back to the barracks, he was fairly certain he could even tolerate his insufferable teammates.
~*~
Heero's face had darkened during Quatre's story. "Kushrenada did that?" He glanced in Captain Chang's direction again. "Why didn't Maxwell tell the Captain about it?"
Trowa snorted. "Like Chang would believe him?"
"Captain Chang is an honorable man," Heero said, his tone turning cold. "In fact, he's driven by his sense of honor. He would never allow brutality, even in a place like this."
Trowa's eyes narrowed. "And how do you know so much about him?" he asked.
Heero glared back. "That's none of your business, Barton."
"Ack...here we go again," Quatre chided, glancing warily between the two.
"No, I won't throw a tempter tantrum and stomp off like Maxwell," Heero said evenly.
Trowa appeared distracted at that point, looking across the room. "Um, Quatre... was it the guys at that last table that were bothering you and Duo?"
Quatre looked over to see a now-empty table. "Oh no," he breathed, looking quickly back at Trowa. "You don't think--?"
In answer, Trowa and Heero stood up, and Quatre followed suit. All three boys dumped their meal trays out, and put them in the bin by the door on their way out.
Captain Chang saw them leave, his dark eyes following them and noting the purposeful way they did so.
Quatre could barely keep up with Heero's brisk walk, and Trowa's long-strided pace, but he hurried along anyway.
They reached the barracks in record time, and Heero pushed the door open roughly, his keen eyes scanning the room. He walked over to open the bathroom door and glance around it.
"Not here," he concluded, an undercurrent of worry in his voice. He turned to look at Quatre. "Where would he go?"
The blonde shrugged, and then his eyes lit on the open foot locker. "Shower?"
Heero was out the door before Quatre finished the word, with Trowa close on his heels. They'd almost reached the shower building, when Duo strolled casually out, his long braid damp, and a clean uniform on. His dirty uniform and a couple of wet towels were slung over one arm.
He stopped when he saw the three boys striding purposefully towards him, and scowled. "What d'you want?"
Heero glared in return. "From now on, Maxwell, you don't go off alone. Understood?"
Duo's jaw dropped for a second. "Excuse me?"
"You. Don't. Go. Off. Alone."
"Since when are you my keeper?" Duo shot back coldly.
"I'm not," Heero snarled in return. "Quatre said you two ran into some trouble this morning."
"I can take care of myself," Duo asserted.
Heero snorted skeptically at that. "You can't even get off your bunk by yourself," he sneered.
Duo's eyes lit with an angry fire. "Look, Yuy...I don't need a goddamned babysitter."
"How about an alarm clock?"
Oh, cheap shot. "I don't know why I'm even having this conversation with you!" Duo snapped in frustration. "Drop dead, Yuy." He pushed past the Japanese boy and stalked angrily towards the barracks. When he got there, his good mood totally destroyed, he tossed his armful of dirty clothes on the floor by his foot locker and climbed up onto his bunk.
Outside, Quatre was regarding his other two teammates with a pained expression. "I'm not sure implying that he can't take care of himself is the best way to approach Duo," he commented thoughtfully.
"What's wrong with it?" Heero asked curtly. "It's honest."
"Brutally so," Quatre sighed.
"It's obvious you and Duo could end up targeted by the bullies in the camp," Heero noted. "You both...stand out...a bit too much. I think it best if, as a team, we make certain never to leave anyone vulnerable."
Quatre gave Heero a long look. "So long as that goes for you and Trowa as well, I don't see a problem," he said with an edge to his voice, turning and stalking into the barracks after Duo.
Trowa looked at Heero, amusement in his deep green eyes. "Nice leadership style, Yuy," he said wryly. "Even I hadn't managed to alienate Quatre yet." He sauntered into the barracks, leaving the blue-eyed boy glaring after him.
"What have you gotten me into, Chang?" Heero sighed to himself, wondering if it were too late to either change teams or take his chances in prison. Even amid those sardonic ponderings, he knew that the other three boys in his team were more capable than he was willing to admit yet. It was the stubborn, independent streak in each of them that worried him. How were they to win a team-oriented competition when they couldn't even get along for one meal?
TBC...
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