Disclaimer:Don't own them, don't make any money off of this.
Warnings: Male/Male sex, graphic, language, violence, attempted NCS
Soldier Boys
Sequel to Into the Fold
Feelings
Duo listened to the old pipes, shivered at the thought of a cold water shower, and wasn't looking forward to Heero getting done and having his turn. They all operated and maintained advanced machinery, it seemed ridiculous that one of them couldn't fix the water heater.
"Probably doing it just to punish me," Duo grumbled as he pulled off his clothes and sat down on his bed in just a pair of stretchy, flight suit underwear. He'd learned to wear them, never knowing when he might have to climb into his suit and bug out at a moments notice. His black and white 'priest' outfit was good for Earth side, but only a fool didn't suit up when going out of the atmosphere. He supposed that was why Heero wore spandex a great deal of the time. It wasn't as formfitting, and probably chafed in a suit, but it would function in a pinch and was better than having to shed clothes.
Duo sniffed at his clothes. They smelled... like him, he thought, shrugged, and tossed them into a corner. He only had the one outfit. If the other guys wanted them washed, they would just have to like him running around in his very form fitting 'long shorts' until then. They came to his knees and were very thin. Duo didn't mind, he wasn't shy about his body, had never learned to be running around on the streets and in the company of so many other kids. Everything had been out in the open and 'communal'. He could imagine Quatre blushing, though, he was very prudish, and Trowa maybe raising an eyebrow, but Wu Fei and Heero? Well, Heero had seen him lounging in his shorts before and Wu Fei... Duo found himself shrugging as he stretched out on his bed and put his hands behind his head. Who cared what he thought? Duo imagined that he would arrogantly find fault with just about anything.
Duo sighed. Two uptight, dedicated, guys to get under the skin of. Heero was bad enough, even though he was beginning to thaw, but add someone like Wu Fei into the mix... Duo wanted their group to grow so that it could be a proper gang like he was used to, but he wasn't sure that two sullen, silent, ready for a fight personalities were good when it came to making their group work together. He supposed that he should leave it to Quatre, but Duo didn't feel like standing idly and hope that it would all turn out.
The water stopped running and Duo heard Heero moving about. "Hope you didn't use all the cold water, man!" he exclaimed jokingly.
"I didn't," Heero called back, "but I did use the three minutes of lukewarm water the malfunctioning water heater produces."
Duo sat up, scowling. "What? You-You bastard! Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"We decided on staggering our showers so that we would each get to use the short supply of warm water," Heero replied.
"And no one told me?" Duo exclaimed in disbelief.
"No," Heero replied. "Since it was your trouble in the last town that caused us to be here..."
"I KNEW I was being punished!" Duo snarled angrily. "That is SO unfair!"
Heero came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped about his lean hips. He was using another to briskly dry his hair. When he saw Duo sitting in his shorts, he froze, staring, the towel poised over his spiky chocolate hair.
Duo smirked. "Like my new outfit? It's what all the Gundam pilots will be wearing next year."
Heero blinked as if he were confused. His face flushed red as he turned away and reached for the clothes laid out on his bed.
"Okay, stupid joke," Duo sighed. "Truth is, everyone wants me to wash my clothes and those are the only ones I have."
Without looking, Heero tossed Duo a black shirt and a pair of jeans.
Duo caught them awkwardly. "Hey, great! Thanks, Heero-buddy!"
Duo paused and frowned in the act of putting on the shirt. Heero's back stayed pointedly turned to him. His gladness at Heero's generosity turned to another feeling he didn't understand. Duo suddenly felt uncertain and self conscious. Was Heero just being generous or did the young man not want to see him in his shorts? Why that thought bothered Duo so much suddenly, he wasn't sure. He ran a hand down his defined, washboard stomach, every muscle well developed from his intense training. Sure he had a few scars to show, but was he unpleasant to look at?
What the hell?! Duo thought irritably to himself. Heero had seen him a few times and... and... Duo suddenly recalled that Heero had turned away on those occasions too. Duo flushed and finished dressing. Heero turned back around only when there was the sound of his jeans snapping closed. He didn't meet Duo's eyes though and he was fiddling with his duffel, closing it up after having retrieved some more clothes.
"You don't have to be so polite, Heero." Duo said uncomfortably. "I'm not a shy guy."
Heero reddened. Duo stared at it, watching the color spread all the way to Heero's ears. When Heero headed for the bathroom, intending to dress in there, Duo laughed.
"I guess you're the shy one," Duo called after him. "That's okay, Heero! A lot of tough soldiers are!"
As the door closed, Duo stilled his laughter and shook his head in amazement.
"Why didn't I notice that before?" Duo wondered under his breath.
Duo stared at the bathroom door and had a sudden, sharp, image of Heero dropping
his towel and dressing. Duo felt a hot blush of his own and turned away, very
confused. He rubbed at is face briskly and then went to pick up his dirty clothes
to go wash them. He paused, looked back at the bathroom door, blushed an even
deeper red, and then hurried out of the room. "All work and no play is
making Duo Maxwell think weird thoughts," he muttered to himself. "Time
to go out and have some fun."
_________________
"Reconnaissance?" Trowa snorted and crossed his arms over his chest as he sat back in his chair. He looked at Duo through his long bang. "You're asking to go out and make trouble, so just admit to it and don't make up lies."
Duo scowled at him with hands on hips. "I don't lie!" he announced. "While I'm in the town I WILL be asking questions and scoping out the town."
"While you drink and go to the clubs?" Trowa wondered with a raised eyebrow.
"Well..." Duo sat down, deflated, at the kitchen table. He slumped in his chair for a moment, but then straightened and exploded, as if he couldn't contain it any longer, "Come on! A guy can't stay cooped up and do mission after mission forever! I just want to walk around town for a few hours and relax a little. I swear, no one will even know I'm there."
"Duo!" Quatre objected, "You don't 'blend in'. Every time any of us shows our faces, it's a risk." He ran a hand through his gold curls and looked sad as he stirred his tea. "I know all too well the longing to be a civilian again, to do as I please, and to enjoy life a little, but the reality of the situation is that we all agreed to sacrifice for the cause." He stared down into his tea as if he were almost overwhelmed by a strong emotion. "We all agreed to give up our lives when we did that."
"Agreed?" Duo snorted and his expression went suddenly dark. "I don't know about you, but I didn't have much of a choice. Everyone I knew had been killed and this old guy caught me stealing on his ship to survive. It was either do what he said or get shot out into space.... or worse. He had a pretty rough crew." Duo let that image hang in the air. "If you call that 'agreeing'...." He swallowed hard and then wiped roughly at his eyes as he appeared to compose himself. "I just... I'm tired, okay? I need a bit of down time to stay sharp. I promise I'll self destruct if an Oz soldier comes within five feet of me, okay?"
Trowa clapped firmly and then crossed his arms over his chest again. "An award should be given for such a performance. " Quatre looked up and blinked at Trowa, startled.
Duo scowled. Quatre had almost fallen for the sob routine. Duo had seen him softening. He growled and looked away angrily. "You know," Duo warned, "I don't really need your permission."
Quatre looked very serious. "I suppose that your 'acting' was so good, because it contained some truth," he said sympathetically. He had both Trowa and Duo's attention then, especially when he suddenly hardened and said, "As for needing our permission, I don't think that I have to tell you that we will react quickly if we think that you are jeopardizing our operation."
Duo's mouth opened a bit in surprise. He'd never heard Quatre make a threat like that before. He slowly grinned, but it was brittle. "That's war and, guess what? It was like that when I was on the streets." He made a cutting motion across his own throat with his thumb. "Even kids didn't live long if they ratted out the gang."
Quatre looked disturbed. Trowa looked as if that were common place and only nodded. Quatre cleared his throat and clasped his hands together on the table top. "Duo, I know how stressful this constant fighting is, but I have to deny your request to go to the town for 'entertainment' purposes. We just can't risk it."
Duo's smile went frozen and there was a dangerous gleam in his eye. Trowa tensed and his hand dropped from the table top, most likely to grip his gun, a clear warning with unspoken words. Duo looked at him, shrugged as if Trowa were of no concern, and then stood up and left the room, seething inwardly.
"Maxwell."
Duo stopped and turned, a hand automatically going to the knife at his belt. He glared at Wu Fei. "What? Want something?" he snapped.
Wu Fei looked Duo slowly up and down, as if measuring him, and Duo could tell that it was a measurement of his worth. Duo bristled. "You are going anyway," Wu Fei said and it wasn't a question, indicating that he had over heard the conversation in the kitchen.
Duo snarled back angrily, "It's just a little town. I grew up on the mean streets of L2, Mr. Chang Wu Fei." He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the kitchen. "They're the naive, little kids, who'd get into trouble, not me."
"Their concerns are valid," Wu Fei replied coolly. "They think that you jeopardized the mission when you went into the last town alone, correct?"
"I didn't jeopardize anything!" Duo retorted. "I got myself out of a damned tight situation, with Oz none the wiser, and none of it was my fault."
Wu Fei studied him again. Duo almost turned and stalked away, but Wu Fei's next words rooted him to the spot. "Yuy gave me the details. You did a very honorable, selfless deed, and I agree that you also did not compromise anyone when you did that." He gave a short bow, clasping his hands together at chest level. "Allow me to accompany you into the town. There are certain things that I need to purchase for my rituals and I will not trust anyone else to acquire them. If I go with you, I am certain the others will agree to the journey."
Duo blinked, scratched his head, and then asked suspiciously, "Everyone has an angle, Wu Fei. What's yours?"
Wu Fei straightened from his bow and his dark eyes were like liquid night. They glinted with amusement. "I was the fool when I mistook you for one."
Duo laughed. "Not going to tell me, right?" he replied. He shrugged. "That's okay. Everyone has their secrets. We go together, but then you do your thing and I'll do mine, all right?"
"Agreed," Wu Fei said with a firm nod.
Duo walked back towards the kitchen to tell Quatre of Wu Fei's sudden involvement,
but he was thinking, 'You're right, Wu-man, I'm not a fool. I'm going to see
what you're up to before I go and have my fun. Maxwell knows all about priorities.'
-----------------------------
"You don't know the first thing about shopping, do you?" Duo wondered
as they stood on the city street in the shadow of an awning.
Wu Fei had been quiet through the entire trip with a look on his face that Duo had grown to know from watching it appear on the faces of his fellow soldiers, it was the expression of someone thinking through a mission. The man didn't look nervous, but he wasn't cool or calculating either. He looked... Duo stared at the young man out of the corner of his eye as he pretended to decide what to do next, and settled on interpreting Wu Fei's expression as 'ready to be confused'. Confusion, when they needed to be 'invisible' and 'normal' , was going to bring them unwanted attention.
Wu Fei was frowning. He didn't reply.
"I get it!" Duo chuckled. "You wanted to come along with me because
I had the car and you thought that I would take off and leave you alone. "
He grew more serious, hands in his pockets against a morning chill as he leaned
close to Wu Fei. "Look, I used to run on the streets. I didn't have government
meal cards or station sponsored housing. L2 was run by crooks who were only
using it as a platform to run illegal operations. They didn't care what happened
to the people living there. When I finally got out of there, I was taken in
by," he quickly glanced around and then said covertly, "by a kindly
old man who gave me three meals a day. When I had to learn to operate in the
real world, it was a little embarrassing for me too. Let me show you the ropes
and I won't tell anyone about it."
Wu Fei's jaw tightened and he stared hard at nothing. It made Duo nervous. They couldn't keep standing in one spot or they would get noticed. He had opted for Heero's jeans, shirt, and his priest jacket, and had tucked his long braid into the back of his jacket, but Wu Fei was dressed all in white in a very oriental fashion. It was giving them second looks. Add to that, a shop owner's distrust for groups of young 'troublemakers' and someone was going to start questioning their presence there.
"We need to move, Wu Fei," Duo urged.
"Yes, you do," Heero agreed from behind them.
Duo started and Wu Fei's hand shot to some weapon hidden under the folds of
his clothing. He narrowed eyes at Heero in irritation.
Duo grinned in pleasure to see Heero, but then frowned and said angrily, "If
Quatre sent you to look after me, I'm going to-"
"No, he didn't," Heero replied. "I need to buy several parts to repair the stove and the water heater in the safe house. If I had known that you were already going into town, I would have given you a list."
"Sorry, Heero. I guess I'm just pissed that everyone thinks I can't handle myself," Duo replied as he began walking. The others followed him down the street, walking slowly and pretending to window shop.
"That isn't true," Heero replied and Duo looked at him, startled. "They are understandably cautious about showing ourselves and interacting in any way with citizens who might become suspicious. It has nothing to do with your skill at subterfuge or lack of it. I think that your encounter with the police force reminded everyone how easily we can be discovered."
"We can't live in a vacuum though," Duo argued. "Following orders blindly, and keeping ourselves isolated except when doing missions, is terrible strategy. How do you know if the battle field has changed if you don't go out and look at it once in awhile?"
Wu Fei widened eyes at him, looked speculative, and then grunted as he stopped walking. "I did not want a lecture in strategy. I came to buy certain items for my rituals." He gave a very small bow. "I will be going now. Bad strategy is also being observed in large, suspicious, groups."
"Wu Fei..." Duo began to protest, but Wu Fei cut him off coolly.
"I will return to the car in under an hour," Wu Fei told him and at least tried to appear more confident.
Heero and Duo watched him walk away and then Duo arched an eyebrow at Heero. "You can come along with me, if you want, but I kind of hope you rush back and fix that water heater before I get back to the house. A nice day relaxing with a hot shower at the end of it is pretty damned close to my idea of paradise right now."
Heero gave him a small smile. "Understood. I will go about my errands."
Duo grinned back, but then had a thought. "How exactly did you get to town. Did you take Quatre's car?"
"There was a truck going this way. I hid myself in the cargo," Heero replied matter of factly.
Duo grunted and then grinned again. "I guess you didn't consider just asking the driver for a ride?"
"I couldn't risk that he would remember the location and use that knowledge against us later," Heero replied.
"Ya know," Duo said in disbelief. "If you just act normal, most people wouldn't make the connection between a young guy hitchhiking and-"
"Our mission is too important to take unnecessary chances," Heero broke in and looked about them nervously.
Duo sighed and looked around at the quiet city street as well. "If you're trying to make me feel guilty for wanting to walk around and see something besides you guys and a falling down house, it's not going to work. If you're going to threaten me to not jeopardize the mission, Quatre's already done that. I'm NOT doing anything crazy. I'm just a young guy hanging out around town."
Heero eyed him, "Then why not accompany me while I buy supplies? If all that you want is to walk and relax, then you shouldn't have any objection to that."
Duo gave Heero a look of exasperation and then he sighed. "Okay! Why not!" He gave the town an irritated look. "Doesn't look like there's much going on here anyway. They've probably never even heard of a 'bad side of town'"
Heero visibly relaxed and Duo became irritated. Even though he had been assured that his skill wasn't being doubted, he was still getting, 'Have to watch you' vibes from first Quatre and Trowa and now Heero.
"Tell you what," Duo said suddenly. "I go where you want to go first, but, afterward, why don't you come with me and help me unwind?"
Heero blinked and looked... uncomfortable, unsure, suspicious... Duo supposed it was all three. "Unwind," Heero repeated. "In what way?"
Duo grinned then. "Come with me and you'll find out, Heero- buddy. Maybe I can convince you that Duo Maxwell isn't the one you should be concerned about."
"All right, I agree to your plan," Heero replied, "You won't have your hot shower, though, if I don't go back to the house and fix the heater."
Duo shrugged and grinned. "Some things are more important than a hot shower, Heero, not many, but there are some."