Boot Camp Part 9
Subtleties
Saturday morning went according to the usual routine until the end of breakfast, at which time, Captain Chang made weekly announcements.
"This morning, instead of classes, you'll be given free time to do laundry and clean your barracks," he told the boys. He gave a cool, assessing look around the room. "It has been my experience that a clean, orderly environment is essential to planning a mission. And starting next week, we will have some mission planning exercises. I want your rooms in order, right down to the clean socks and shorts in your foot lockers." His dark gaze narrowed. "There will be an afternoon inspection, and the team with the dirtiest barracks will be cleaning the shower facility...inch by grueling inch."
"Ouch," murmured Duo, looking down at his very clean hands. "No more housework for me! I washed enough dishes to...well...feed an army."
All he got for his little pun were dirty looks from his teammates, and he sighed, refocusing his attention on his corn flakes.
After the meal, they went to the barracks, stripped the beds and gathered dirty uniforms, bundling it all up to take to the laundry building.
"Hey, Yuy...I never got a shower last night...after working in the kitchen all day. Y'mind if I grab a quick one and meet you guys at the laundry?" Duo asked.
"Not alone, Maxwell...take Winner with you."
Duo scowled, glancing at Quatre warily. "Heero...I told you, I'm perfectly capable of defending myself. I took care of Austin just fine, didn't I?"
"No one goes alone," Heero said flatly.
"But Quat doesn't want to--"
"I'll go," Quatre said firmly.
Duo glared at him. "You don't have to."
"I said I'll go!" Quatre snapped, glaring back with uncharacteristic anger.
Heero was looking questioningly at the two, and Trowa was standing by the door with an armful of laundry. Quatre handed his bundle of laundry to Heero. "Why don't you two go on ahead? Give Duo and me a minute?"
Heero shrugged, and walked out, Trowa on his heels.
"What d'you want, Winner?" Duo demanded with a scowl. "I thought you'd rather keep your clothes on around me, considering what I am."
"Duo...you don't understand, and you never gave me a chance to explain." Quatre glared back, blue eyes intent.
"There's nothing to explain," Duo shrugged. "I opened my big mouth when I shouldn't have. And no matter how many times I tell you I'd never make a move on a guy who's straight, or someone who just wasn't interested, you're not gonna be comfortable around me again."
Quatre gritted his teeth. "Damn it, Duo, listen to me!"
Duo blinked, startled by hearing a curse out of Quatre's mouth.
"I was just surprised when you said it so casually, because all my life I've had to be so careful who I admitted something like that to."
The indigo-eyed boy's jaw dropped slightly, as he caught Quatre's drift. "You mean, you--?"
"Yeah," Quatre said quietly. "Me."
"Oh," Duo said numbly, his anger draining away in an instant. "Well." He rubbed the back of his neck, blushing a little. "Boy, do I feel stupid," he said with a faint grin.
"Why?"
"Cuz I just assumed you were a total opposite...and that you reacted the way you did because...well...you know."
"I wasn't sure how to respond...and you didn't give me a lot of time to think about it," Quatre pointed out.
"I guess not." Duo sat down on the edge of Heero's bunk, running a hand through his bangs. "I suppose I owe you an apology. Sorry I got so defensive."
"It's okay," Quatre assured him. "I should've said more than 'oh'."
"It might've helped," Duo admitted with a shrug. He looked at Quatre rather shyly. "Y'think we can be friends again?"
"We never stopped," Quatre said with a warm smile. "Even friends have misunderstandings, Duo."
"Yeah, I guess they do." Duo grinned impishly at him. "So you're okay with watching each others' backs?"
"Like you said, you and I are way too pretty to be here," Quatre smirked back. "C'mon...let's go hit the showers and help our oh-so-stoic roommates finish the laundry."
Both boys grabbed clean uniforms, towels, soap and shampoo and headed out the door. They were almost to the communal shower when a voice hailed them.
"Maxwell...Winner!"
The pair stopped, turning to face Warden Kushrenada. Duo automatically tensed, glancing briefly at his teammate. He wondered for a split-second if Chang had changed his mind about letting him stay, and decided to turn him over to be sent to L2.
Clearly Quatre had the same thought, because he stood shoulder to shoulder with the other boy, determined to support his friend.
"Everything alright?" asked Kushrenada, glancing back and forth between them.
"Fine, sir," Quatre spoke up quietly.
Duo merely glared at the hated warden, whose tawny eyes narrowed. "Nothing to say, Maxwell? That's a switch," came the snide comment. The man's eyes dropped to the towels and clothes the boys carried. "On your way to the showers?"
Well, duh. A faintly derisive smirk touched Duo's lips.
"Yes, sir," Quatre said politely, glancing at Duo with something akin to panic in his aquamarine eyes. Don't give him an excuse, Duo...please! "Um...then we have to meet our teammates to help with laundry," he added helpfully. "We should probably be going."
"Ah yes, of course." The warden eyed Quatre speculatively. "Could I just speak with you privately for a moment, Winner?" He glanced past Quatre to see Duo's eyes widen in surprise. "You'll excuse us, Maxwell?"
Duo's jaw dropped, and he tried to come up with a reply that wouldn't get him into trouble.
"Go!" ordered Kushrenada sharply.
Duo blinked, and glanced questioningly at Quatre. Warden or not, he wasn't going to desert his friend.
"It's okay," Quatre shrugged. "You go on ahead. Just...be careful?"
"Sure," replied the braided boy, walking slowly away, glancing over his shoulder as the warden steered Quatre towards his office. As soon as they went inside, he made a mad dash for the laundry building and his other two teammates.
When he skidded around the corner, everyone looked up in surprise, and he stopped, looking around rather sheepishly. All the inmates were in the big laundry building, using various machines to clean their uniforms, while still more or less clustered in their team groupings. Duo finally spotted Heero and Trowa at the far end, and headed for them at a brisk walk.
"What's the matter, Du-o?" Austin called snidely, as the braided boy was passing.
"Nothing beating the shit out of you wouldn't make better," Duo snarled without breaking stride. He was past before Austin could reply, and he grabbed both Heero and Trowa by a shoulder, pulling them into a quick huddle. "Hey...Kushrenada stopped me an' Quatre on the way to the showers...took the kid to his office for some kind of 'chat'," he said with a frown.
"What would the warden want with Quatre?" Trowa asked, his gaze going to Heero at once.
"How should I know?" scowled their leader, glancing towards the door as if hoping the blonde would walk in any second.
"He can't be in trouble," Duo insisted. "He hasn't done anything wrong. He hasn't even gotten into trouble once."
"Unlike you?" Heero couldn't resist saying.
"Har-har. Yeah, unlike me," Duo admitted.
"Maybe his father reconsidered getting him out of here," Heero mused, throwing the last of the laundry into the machine and pushing the button to start it.
"What do you mean?" Duo asked. "Reconsidered? You mean his father let him go to jail on purpose?"
Trowa muttered a curse from behind them. "You're prying again, Maxwell."
"I'm worried about Quatre," Duo shot back.
"Is that why you've hardly talked to him since yesterday?"
Duo looked at the green-eyed boy with a scowl. "What's it to you, Barton? Quatre and I just had a little disagreement. That's all."
"He said you were pissed at him."
"I am...was," Duo amended. He growled in frustration. "Look, whether I was mad at him or not, I don't want anything bad to happen to him, alright?"
"Worrying won't help," Heero said bluntly, taking a seat on the bench that ran the length of the room. "We may as well wait here. That way he'll know where to find us."
Duo let out a huffy breath. "Pardon me for giving a shit about someone," he muttered, tossing his clothes and towel on the bench and flopping down beside Heero.
"You've got a funny way of showing it," Trowa muttered, sitting on the opposite side of the team leader.
"Fuck off, Barton! For your information, Quat and I already patched things up," Duo growled.
"What was the problem between you?" Heero asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.
Duo rolled his eyes. "None of your goddamned business, Yuy."
Trowa smirked at him, a sharp glint in the one green eye that showed from under his mop of hair. "Lovers' spat?" he said quietly.
Duo's eyes widened, and then he gave the other boy a deadly glare. "For your information, Barton...Quatre and I are just friends. Good friends." He narrowed his eyes, smirking back. "Jealous?"
It was Trowa's turn to glare, though a faint flush crept up his neck. "You haven't got what it takes to make me jealous, Maxwell."
"But Quat does, doesn't he?" Duo taunted.
"I think this conversation's gone far enough," Heero said flatly, turning a stern blue gaze to the braided boy. "Drop it, Maxwell."
Duo paused, momentarily startled by the intensity of the team leader's glare. For a second or two, he was speechless, and then his snide wit returned, and he made himself look back steadily. "Make me."
There was a flicker in the Prussian blue eyes, and something close to a smirk touched Heero's lips. "Oh, I could," he said in an undertone that made Duo's heart skip a beat.
Duo tried to read the expression in those deep blue eyes, and found himself totally clueless. He couldn't tell if the other boy was joking, teasing, or threatening. But he was fairly sure he wasn't flirting. Damn it, anyway!
Heaving a frustrated sigh, Duo stood up, gathering his clothes and towels. "I may as well go wait for him outside. We never did make it to the showers."
"You wait for Quatre," Heero ordered. "Don't go off by yourself."
Duo rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mother Yuy."
"Call me that again and die," Heero warned calmly, watching Duo stalk off in a huff.
~*~
Quatre followed the warden into his office, nervously looking around the room. He felt almost like he'd stepped into an alternate reality; the office was so elegantly furnished it seemed out of place in a detention facility. From thick carpets and a dark oak desk, to the crossed swords hanging above the door, it looked more like a wealthy man's study than it did an administrator's office.
"Ah, you like the swords?" asked the warden, following Quatre's gaze.
"They're...very nice, sir," Quatre said with a slight shrug. He looked back at the tall blonde man expectantly.
"Have a seat," urged Kushrenada, gesturing to a chair across from the desk.
Quatre sank into the plush leather upholstery, looking warily at the tall man.
The warden sat on the edge of the desk, close to Quatre, leaning forward in a solicitous way. "I know you couldn't speak freely out there, around Maxwell. I thought perhaps a private conversation would be easier."
"About--?" Quatre asked.
"Are you really okay, Winner?" Treize gestured with a hand. "I mean, coming from your background...to a place like this." He fixed a concerned gaze on the boy. "It must be very hard for you."
"Um...a little," Quatre conceded, wondering where this was going.
"And then to be housed with the likes of Maxwell..." added Kushrenada. He looked intently at Quatre. "He hasn't...threatened you or anything, has he?"
The man sounded almost hopeful, and Quatre stiffened. "On the contrary," he said quickly. "Duo's been a good friend."
"Ah, a friend." The man smiled indulgently. "He can certainly be charming when he wants to." His tawny eyes fixed a sharp gaze on Quatre's gentle blue ones. "You know that's all an act, don't you?"
"Sir?"
"I suppose Maxwell hasn't told you what he was incarcerated for." Warden Kushrenada stood up, walking to the small, barred window beside his desk. He looked out at the small, enclosed garden behind his office. "Well, let me fill you in." He turned to look steadily at Quatre. "The first time we arrested him, it was on suspicion of murder."
"Duo?" Quatre's jaw dropped in amazement, and an image of Duo's laughing, teasing face crossed his mind. "That can't be."
"I was the arresting officer, Winner. It's the truth...there'd been a string of break-ins. One resulted in a murder. When we caught Maxwell, the m.o. fit perfectly."
Quatre frowned.
"Of course, his public defender played on his age and looks to get him off," shrugged the warden, making a gesture of surrender.
"So he wasn't convicted."
"No. He got away with it."
Quatre looked uneasily at the tall, broad-shouldered man, reminding himself this was the man who'd made Duo activate the perimeter defense. Despite the concerned tone in his voice, he was capable of great cruelty.
"You look worried," said the warden, giving Quatre a gentle smile. "I could see about a change of barracks, perhaps..." A frown crossed his features. "Of course, Chang has the final say in that, and for whatever reason, he seems to be unaccountably tolerant of Maxwell's past." He fixed a tawny gaze on Quatre's face. "I'm concerned that he might wait until something...unfortunate...happens, before he takes Maxwell seriously."
Quatre had been thinking furiously, wondering what the warden was really driving at. "I'm sure Captain Chang wouldn't put anyone at risk."
"Oh...certainly not on purpose," crooned Kushrenada, shaking his head ruefully. "He's an idealist, Winner. He tries to see the best in people." His eyes narrowed. "But in Maxwell's case, he's sadly mistaken."
"I don't think so," Quatre said quietly.
"Oh?" said Kushrenada, his tone cooler. "You think you know the real Duo Maxwell?"
"I do!" Quatre asserted. "And he's not a murderer."
The warden snorted skeptically. "And you know that after less than a week of acquaintance with him, eh?" His face darkened. "Maxwell and I go back five years."
Quatre's quick mind did the math. "You're saying he killed someone when he was twelve?"
"Like I said, we never proved it...but no one else was ever charged with the crime, either. It was Maxwell...you mark my words."
The blue-eyed boy looked up at Kushrenada, a trace of skepticism on his face.
"I see you don't want to believe it either," sighed the warden, covering his annoyance with a patient look.
"Even if I did, there's nothing I can do about it," Quatre shrugged, eager to end the conversation.
"Oh, but there is," Treize insisted. "All you have to do is give me something to use against Maxwell, and I can ship him off to L2 where he belongs."
"You want me to help you frame Duo for--?"
"No! Not 'frame' him. But surely he's done something...said something...that would incriminate him. Hasn't he broken some rules?" His eyebrows drew together in a frown. "I heard he sent another boy to the infirmary yesterday."
Quatre's eyes widened as he realized the true reason for the whole conversation. Warden Kushrenada wanted an excuse to send Duo to prison...any excuse. And that fact alone made Quatre doubt the accusations. "It was just an accident in martial arts class," Quatre said with a shrug. "They were doing techniques, and Duo miscalculated a bit." He still hadn't asked Duo what had transpired between him and Austin, but he made a mental note to do so, as soon as he got free of the vindictive warden.
"Maxwell doesn't miscalculate," snarled Kushrenada.
"Really?" Quatre asked with feigned confusion. "How did he get caught then?"
Kushrenada hesitated, glaring almost accusingly at Quatre. "It took a lot of painstaking police work to finally build a case against him. We never got him for the murder...but for just about everything else. He's in for grand theft, assault, identity theft, breaking and entering, possession of stolen goods..." He stopped for effect. "Shall I go on?"
"Perhaps you can explain what any of this has to do with me," Quatre suggested, his voice cooler.
"It has everything to do with you!" snapped the man, standing in frustration. "Don't you realize the danger you're in?"
"From Duo?" Quatre asked flatly, almost laughing in the man's face.
"Yes from Du--Maxwell! He's a killer." The warden's eyes were a little wild. "If you'd seen the body...there were over forty stab wounds, Winner. Forty! Do you want to be next?"
"Of course not...but I don't--"
"Then, I need your help!" Treize paced back and forth by the window restlessly, finally turning to face the boy again. "Help me get rid of Duo Maxwell!"
"As I was saying..." Quatre continued, his tone gone icy. "I don't believe Duo would harm me...or anyone else for that matter."
"You naïve little idiot!" The warden eyed Quatre searchingly. "You don't belong here, Winner. Clearly you're better than this. Why a kid like you would end up with a prison sentence hanging over his head is beyond me."
"I believe it has to do with the fact that I broke nearly as many laws as Duo did," Quatre replied, his anger lending him boldness. "Now, are we finished, or was there a point to this discussion?"
"There's a point. If you help me get rid of Duo Maxwell, I'll make sure you don't end up in an L4 prison." The warden's gaze had turned predatory at Quatre's defiant tone.
"And if I don't?"
The warden shrugged, turning back to the window and crossing his arms behind his back. "It's hard to predict what could happen." Glancing over his shoulder, he bared his teeth in what might have passed for a smile, had Quatre not known better. "You're a very sweet-looking kid, Winner. A prison sentence would be...unfortunate...for you."
"I can't help you," Quatre said firmly. "May I go now, sir?"
"Don't be stupid, Winner. Maxwell's spent his entire miserable life stealing and whoring on the streets of L2. He's not worth protecting."
"He is to me." Quatre stood up, starting for the door.
"Mark my words, Winner, you trust your back to Duo Maxwell and you'll find a knife in it!"
"I'll take my chances," Quatre replied, walking quickly from the building. His hands were shaking, and he took deep, calming breaths as he made his way to the laundry building.
Duo saw him walking across the compound, and ran to meet him, indigo eyes alight with worry. "Quat! Are you okay?" He caught the other boy by the shoulders, looking at the paleness of his face.
"I'm fine, Duo."
"But what did he want?"
Quatre gave a small, wry smile. "Mostly he wanted to know if you'd done anything he could put you away for."
"Me?" Duo's jaw dropped. "That was about me?" His face went pale, and he dropped his hands from his friend's shoulders. "But..."
"Don't worry, Duo. I told him you've been a good friend, and that he was totally wrong about you."
The boy from L2 regained his poise quickly. "I'm sure that went over well," he drawled sardonically. "I'm sorry about that, Quat. I hope he doesn't make any trouble for you."
"He'd have a hard time succeeding," Quatre shrugged. "After all, I am still part of the Winner family." He held up the clothes and towels he'd been gripping in his arms the whole time. "Let's go hit the showers. I feel like I need to wash off after talking to Kushrenada."
Duo smirked at that. "I know the feeling." He went back to where he'd left his stuff sitting, and gathered it up, joining his friend. As they walked, he cocked his head questioningly. "You were gone awhile. What exactly did he have to say?"
"He just asked if I was afraid of you...if you'd done anything against the rules." Quatre shook his head. "He started out all friendly, as if he was concerned about me." He smiled slightly. "I could tell he wasn't. Not really. I have a knack for...well...sensing people's feelings and intentions."
"You do?" Duo looked at him curiously. "Like...mind-reading?"
"Empathy," Quatre corrected. He shrugged, coloring slightly. "I know it sounds kind of...weird..."
"No!" Duo said quickly. "Not weird. I've heard of it." He shrugged slightly. "I just never met anyone who really had it."
"Well, it's how I've known from the first day that I could trust you," Quatre said quietly. "Even yesterday...I knew you were more hurt than angry with me."
Duo blushed at that, looking down at the ground. "Don't go telling anyone stuff like that," he begged. "I'm an L2 street rat. You aren't supposed to be able to hurt my feelings."
"Your secret's safe with me," grinned Quatre. "Softie."
"Ooo...bite your tongue," Duo laughed. He sobered as they reached the shower building and put their clean uniforms in lockers before getting ready. "Did Kushrenada have anything else to say?" he asked, not quite looking at his friend.
"He tried to tell me you were capable of murder," Quatre admitted.
Duo sucked in a sharp breath, looking at Quatre with wide eyes. "He's still fixated on that, eh?" He shook his head. "I didn't do it, Quat. You've got to believe me."
"I do," Quatre shrugged, pulling off his shirt and wrinkling his nose at the dirt smudged on it. "Look at this uniform...I don't know how we manage to get so filthy."
"Obstacles," Duo sighed. He unbraided his hair and ran his fingers through to loosen it. "Hey, Quat. Thanks for not believing him."
"No problem." Quatre frowned a little. "But you know, he really believes you did it, Duo. He's not pretending to hate you."
"I know that," Duo admitted. "No matter how many times I swore I had nothing to do with the murder...he was still sure I'd done it." He scowled, shaking his head. "I have my faults, Quat...I may run and hide...but I never lie." He looked up with a fleeting smile. "That's me in a nutshell. But Kushrenada just couldn't believe I was innocent."
"Well, I do," Quatre asserted.
"Thanks." Duo hesitated. "Would you do me a favor? Don't tell Yuy and Barton about it."
"Why not? Shouldn't they know the warden's still out to get you?"
"I'd rather they didn't." He shrugged. "There's nothing they can do about it, and I don't want to have them wondering if maybe K. was right. You trust me, but only because you can...sense...that I'm being honest. They might not be so quick to take my word for it."
"I see what you mean," Quatre conceded. "I guess we can just keep it to ourselves for now. I mean, realistically speaking, there's not much K. can do unless you break the law. And then you answer to Captain Chang first, so he'd be the one making the decision."
"Yeah...thanks, Quat."
"Any time."
They headed for the shower, politely keeping their backs to each other for privacy as they enjoyed the fact that no one else was in the facility right then. And after they'd cleaned up, dried off, and dressed, they headed over to join their teammates.
"Hey, by the way," Duo said partway across the yard. "I think maybe Trowa has his eye on you."
Quatre looked at him with wide eyes. "Trowa? Me?"
"Yeah, he got all pissy with me for being mad at you yesterday," Duo said, smirking at the recollection. "I think maybe he thought we were...well...a couple."
"Riiiight," Quatre drawled sarcastically. "Come on, Duo. You must've read him wrong. I don't think he's even gay, and if he were, why would he be interested in me?"
"Aw, don't sell yourself short, blondie," Duo teased. "You, my friend, are a beauty...those big aqua-blue eyes, and that silky golden hair..."
"I thought I wasn't your type."
"Only because you're such a good friend," Duo assured him. "But you were the first one I noticed on the bus...too good-looking to miss." He shrugged slightly. "You're just a little too sweet and innocent for me to have designs on."
"Ah...you like the dangerous type?" guessed Quatre.
Duo shrugged again. "Not sure there's a 'type' I like...just...I know it when I see it."
Heero and Trowa were stepping out of the building with arms full of clean uniforms as the other two approached. "Maxwell, why didn't you tell us he was back?" Heero demanded.
Duo winced slightly at the curt tone. "We were just coming to do that," he said, a defensive tone creeping into his voice. He fixed a wary gaze on the team leader.
Quatre glanced sideways at Duo, and a smirk appeared on his lips.
"What?" demanded the braided boy.
"Oh...nothing," Quatre said with a lilt to his voice. "We'll talk later," he added.
"About what?" Duo demanded.
"Your type," Quatre hissed back in an undertone, as they drew within hearing distance of the others.
Duo shot him an accusing look. "No, we won't!" he growled back.
"Will, too."
"What are you two babbling about?" Trowa asked.
"None of your business," Duo said in a lofty tone, enjoying the nearly venomous look the auburn-haired boy shot his way. Told you so, Quat...he's jealous! he thought smugly.
"What did Kushrenada want?" Heero asked, fixing a stern gaze on Quatre.
Duo's elbow barely nudged Quatre's side in a silent reminder of their agreement.
"He was...well...pretending to be concerned about me," Quatre said vaguely. "I think the Winner name has him worried about liability or something."
Heero raised an eyebrow at that. "Does he think you're in some kind of peril?"
"Well...I am surrounded by criminals," Quatre joked.
Duo laughed aloud at that. "Wow...there's that whole 'pot calling the kettle black' thing again."
Quatre chuckled back, and Duo threw an arm across his shoulders in a companionable gesture as the foursome made their way back towards the barracks. Heh, eat your heart out, Tro'.
TBC...
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