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Gundam Wing -- Lone Wolf and Pilot -- Duo/Heero -- 7/?
FINALLY AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. this chapter was such a GIGANTIC PAIN to write and I don't get why.
8k long. Contains some public embarrassment, so if that bothers you here's your heads-up.
Person/wolf pairs are Duo (motor about to overload)/Killer (rusting car carcass on hot pavement), Trowa/Coyote, Wufei/Glenfiddich (stag and snow), and Heero (cordite and nitroglycerin and blood)/Mary(summer wind through the city).
Relevant OCs: Wangai/Shark (fish blood and storm at sea) and Rosca/Folha (lathering horse in harness)
--
"Can't go -- haring off -- Maxwell -- he says," Duo grunted, "That asshole -- then he goes--"
Bite him, Killer agreed as he attacked an obstacle with vengeful enthusiasm.
"Chang -- fucking -- hate you!"
The wolfless trainees he was passing on the track stared at him. Who cared! Duo sped up some more. He wished Wufei and Glen were in range to hear him rant at them -- or listening, either or, he couldn't tell if they were close or not. Trowa and Coyote were definitely close enough, and radiating smug and nothing else.
"That's your twelfth lap, Maxwell!" Wangai threw as he passed her again. Exasperation and worry flicked through from her (ten laps a day two too many/going too fast angry), almost fainter than Coyote even though he and Trowa were probably all the way across the Preventers compound.
"I don't care!" he yelled back. He should probably tone down the histrionics some, but --
Killer passed Shark with barely a glance. He was running to find summer-wind-in-the-city and who cared about storm at sea and fish blood, she was close close waiting and if they ran really fast they could maybe go find her??
Duo didn't have the heart to explain to him that no matter how fast they ran they still wouldn't get any free time to go find Mary! before noon at best.
It did spend some superfluous adrenaline, though. Duo couldn't help it, it was pavlovian at this point. Whenever Heero appeared in his life, military coups and prison breaks followed, it was just the way it was. He could tell this time was different -- why was Heero coming in person to the Preventers, he was a solo agent down to the bone, the quintessential lone wolf --
Not alone? Got summer-wind-in-the-city.
So I guess they're a two-wolf pack then. Hah.
Killer sent him a burst of confusion, and then pushed it away to aim his flying jump right through the middle of a suspended hoop, so that no paw or even fur brushed the edges. Next up was a cloth tunnel, which he crawled through with great enthusiasm: Duo didn't wait up, he'd catch up soon enough.
Anyway, he could tell it was different, and that was just as adrenaline-inducing as the more -- hah -- normal "hey, time to blow shit up" occasions.
By the time the instructor blew his whistle to get the stragglers to come in -- mostly Makisig and his cub and a couple of the most out of shape wolfless trainees -- Duo and Killer were starting their sixteenth lap. Sighing, Duo aborted and went back. Killer danced around him, even though his pads were getting sore from the hard ground. Summer-wind-in-the-city now??
No, combat training first.
Killer growled grouchily. I can fight! Good fighter. Don't need taught.
Bluh. Yeah, wolves and daily schedules didn't make for great friends -- at least not when there was no dinnertime involved. Urgh, what could he say to -- ah.
Gotta be a good example to Chiquito. He doesn't know how to fight! How's he gonna defend Makisig if no one shows him?
Killer paused, tilted his head. ... Hm. True yes. Teach cub!
He trotted ahead to go nose at said cub, who jumped in surprise and then started dancing around him, butt wagging all over the place. Duo couldn't help laughing a little. Still damn cute.
The drill instructor and his sister were waiting patiently by the door of the gym for the group to catch up. Duo followed his wolf in.
"Today I'm testing your previous combat training," Segura told them, which his sister Bazooka, sitting beside him, reinforced with a sharp, fight bad humans! show us how. "One by one, you'll go at one of the dummies--"
Killer flicked his ears in bland acceptance and raced at the dummy Segura was waving his hand at. He feinted it, even though it didn't move, dodged a bullet that wasn't coming and leapt. His maw snapped closed like a bear trap on the mannequin's face, and he allowed his momentum to spin his massive weight sideways around that new pivot point.
Crack, crack. He did a side-flip in the air to point his paws downwards and landed on all fours with a jaunty bounce. The mannequin's stuffed head was still in his jaws; he went trotting off to Chiquito and dumped his trophy at the pup's feet. Duo facepalmed.
"Good job, buddy. I ... think it's dead."
Chiquito nosed at the mannequin head, tail wagging, a bit confused but happy to push it around with his muzzle and try to pin it with a paw, radiating happiness that Killer had given him a toy just for me!!. Killer turned his head to look at Duo, projecting strong and sure, Dead yes.
Noticed. The dummy's back was broken, too, on top of its missing head; it listed backward on its support, still standing somehow.
Not enough dead?
"Killer, no--!"
Ooookay, now the mannequin was down an arm, and its other shoulder was caught and shaken savagely in an attempt to break the whole thing off its support entirely. The rest of the pack was staring in silence. Duo sank into a crouch and burrowed his face in his hands, groaning.
Makisig and Wangai started laughing.
"Oh my god, Maxwell. Be honest now, this was your weapon of mass destruction."
Face burning, Duo managed to lift his head enough to glower at Wangai and stick his tongue out very sternly.
(At least their intervention had broken the ice and it was making other people laugh, if not very enthusiastically.)
Killer was energetically digging stuffing out of the poor fake dude's ruptured abdomen and encouraging Chiquito to join in. He even tried to nose the cub's paws into a better position to brace and yank with, but the cub just thought it was part of the game and danced off, fluff in his jaws.
"Sorry, I--"
"No, it's fine, the dummies break a lot," the drill instructor told him, hands in pockets. Bazooka was watching Killer with her head tilted in interest, like she was considering maybe wandering closer to get in on that mad fake-eviscerating action. "We plan for it. Nice moves, too. The fact that he didn't wait for orders, though, that's a bit more of an issue."
Duo groaned again. "I had to tell him we needed to help Chiquito learn how to defend his brother, he didn't want to come. Didn't think he'd take it quite that seriously. He's -- I swear he's not like that with live targets."
... Well, when they were fighting live targets, Duo usually wanted to kill them, so of course Killer wanted to kill them as well, and Duo didn't mind if killing happened and didn't try to stop Killer much. Um.
"He knows how to take a prisoner, I mean. If I tell him." Think I'd better be the one he demonstrates on, he sent Segura in an aside that apparently went through as planned, from the eyebrow quirk he got. Other wolves would be twitchy if he tried it on their brothers.
"That's a plan. We'll do that later, give the other guys their turn first." Segura's hand landed on his shoulder, heavy, and Bazooka nosed his thigh. Killer's head sprang up from his synthetic prey to stare at the older she-wolf in suspicion. "In the meantime you get to haul a new mannequin from the reserve and put it up. Have fun."
Rubbing the back of his neck and laughing ruefully, Duo went. Shhh Killer, all good. Silly puppy, got my nose booped a bit, all good. C'mon.
Killer dragged his paws, looking back at Chiquito, who was bouncing around the head and batting it at his mother. Bianchi mostly looked politely confused about it, sniffing it with vague interest.
People organized themselves into groups. Duo opened the supply closet door and clicked the lights on, and started looking for a new puppet.
No breaking this one! he warned Killer, and heaved one off the wall it leaned on and onto his shoulder. The thing was damn heavy, but he'd carried heavier; it was more a matter of balancing it properly. Close the door behind us, he asked as he made his cautious way through the doorway. Killer nosed the lights off and took the handle in his maw, pulled the door closed delicately, twisting the handle as he went. Good, thanks.
No slobber! Killer told him proudly.
Though of course anyone with a nose would know a wolf and his person had come through there, and how come avoiding incriminating moisture or crusted-on saliva bubbles actually helped anything. Bah, humans.
Duo went to switch the remains of the old dummy for the new. Killer insisted to be the one to pull out the remains of the old one -- no, straight up, it's got a long straight foot thing planted into the ground, you need to -- yeah, good, just like that -- and after that he just had to rebalance its weight and guide it slowly into its port.
When they were done they turned to look at the rest of the newbie pack.
Segura's Bazooka led the charge, the highest ranked bitch wolf (didn't smell quite like bitch wolf but still bitch wolf); Bianchi seemed unsure, undecided, and her cubs milled around her, but Duo could see the way Wangai's Shark tried to fit himself to Bazooka's feints and pounces on that dummy. Sometimes he tried to take the lead, and Bazooka would nip his heels and grab his nose and they'd start again from the beginning, with a patience and technique that was more human than animal.
The unbonded cubs still stumbled around and got distracted, but Duo and Killer could almost feel them clicking in and out of sync, feel the way their attention snapped back to the target, to the holes in the net that the pack was weaving, where they should try to stand. The humans didn't move to help but they would sway from foot to foot, their hands would open and close, and -- huh. This one wolfless trainee wouldn't be wolfless for long. Duo couldn't tell which of the cubs she shifted with, but the look in her eyes was -- still confused around the edges, yes, but unmistakable even so.
This is where I strike, this is where you must be, your heavier weight, my speed, their crucial distraction.
Do you want to help? Duo made himself ask, but he already knew it wasn't going to happen.
Killer stared up at him, puzzled. Help what, help who? They were doing nothing Killer or Duo wanted to be doing (no prey they wanted to sink their fangs into), and Chiquito didn't need protecting against a dummy. (His mother would growl if he came now anyways.)
Sigh.
Seguro had forgotten them a bit, which was fine -- they needed to practice the hunting pack-mind, and Duo and Killer were so not in it that trying to get in now would jar everyone else out of it. Duo picked up the remains of the dead dummy -- Killer picked up the head -- and wandered off along the side, where mattresses and boards were stacked, he wasn't sure why. Special agility exercises? Anyway there was a door toward the back and if he remembered last week's recon there'd be a dumpster just outside it.
(Folded tarpaulin, springboard, vaulting horse -- why wolves would need a vaulting horse, he wasn't sure -- thick landing mattresses, thigh high and bright blue and soft enough to make rolling off them difficult, he bet...)
Springboard, Killer echoed slowly, intrigued, and lifted Duo's knowledge about them off his brain -- where you should land for the best bounce, how Killer's weight might interact with that impressive number of steel springs and oh Jesus fucking hell Killer wait --
Gallop. Gleeful pounce.
Boiiiing.
Duo cringed a little. He hadn't really expected his wolf to run face-first into the vaulting horse, and indeed Killer hadn't. He'd sailed right over it (could have done that on his own, just not as effortlessly) to land almost off the thick blue landing mat. The mat fluffed up around him, almost burying him; Killer wriggled and squirmed his way off the mat, landed with a thump, and went right around for an another attempt.
Flying! Flying flying look!!!!
Pff. He was like a little kid.
Duo propped the puppet remains against the nearest wall and took a jogging start of his own. Boiing, planting a hand on the vaulting horse to pass it -- the springboard had to be made with wolves in mind, because Duo's weight had little effect. It was fun even so, and fuck it, they were allowed to goof off sometimes. He landed ass first in the mat; Killer crawl-flopped his way to him, sending Duo tumbling against his furry side when the mat dipped hard.
Fun! Killer shared, and licked a stripe across Duo's face. Duo laughed through his splutters.
"Eww! Yeah, okay, it is fun. But only one more time, and then we have to keep going."
Killer grumbled, but squirmed his way to the edge of the mat and rolled off its soft edge gracelessly. Duo hurried to follow before Killer forgot he was there and landed on him.
And don't land off the mattress!
Killer took a running start once again -- perfectly timed -- planted his paws, and holy shit the crazy thing, he was doing a flip.
He landed on his furry ass, not enough air to complete the turn with his mass fighting so much gravity, but the mattress absorbed it with a whoosh of displaced air and then Killer was tumbling forward on his shoulder, mind full of delight and excitement.
Again! Again.
Crap, no, I'd have to move the vaulting horse first, you waste too much energy going up and over it when you need to put it into flipping, you'll hit it sooner or later, I can see it coming big as a house.
So move it, another wolf said, and then, you move, flying too. Duo sidestepped without thinking; a rush of golden fur passed him, sprang on the board, sailed over.
Flop, half on top of Killer.
The mattress shifted a whole foot forward with the impact. The wolves tumbled together, rolled off and onto the floor like puppies misjudging the edge of a cloth basket. Duo had to jump back to dodge a furry butt, was whipped in the ankle by a tail.
They scrambled back on their feet and then Killer was pouncing again, maw open, but Mary sidestepped his lunge and shoulder-checked him -- yeah, definitely more mass -- and caught his muzzle in her own jaws. Her tail curled high; Killer's waved, once or twice, awkwardly, as she led him along literally by the nose.
Duo looked back toward the front door. (Some of the other trainees had paused and were watching the scene; irrelevant, dismissed.) Two wiry, brown-haired young men stood there, a dark, smallish wolf between them.
There was absolutely no way Duo would have mistaken Trowa for Heero at five times the distance, no matter what they were wearing.
Heero was in a Preventers jacket.
Will you stop dressing weird already! Duo threw, to cover up the swell of astonishment and -- and, oh, huh, who would have thought he'd -- was it another cover? Quick job to do, necessary cover-up? It wasn't so bad, if it was, it'd be something at least--
No, Heero said, (about what? cryptic asshole!) and then turned to Segura, who was making his way to the door while trying not to throw too many side looks at Mary and Killer. She'd slung a heavy paw across Killer's neck and was in the middle of pushing him down. Killer was growling and trying to wriggle out, more grumpy than angered.
"Segura, Bazooka," Trowa said, and nodded a greeting, even as Coyote took off at a limpy trot to join Heero and Duo's wolves with only a cursory sniff at Bazooka. Duo found himself standing there and unable to decide what he was supposed to do -- finish his self-imposed job first rather than leave debris in the middle, or go to them and potentially intrude on professional matters?
"This is Heero Yuy, and his sister Mary is over there."
"New trainees?" Segura asked, eyebrows up.
"Yeah. Une will want to talk with you about him and Maxwell."
Huh. Alright, he'd heard his name, it was as good as an invitation. Abandoning the dummy, Duo ambled his way to the door, hands in pockets. Behind him scents were blooming, Mary winding her car exhaust and hot pavement and ice-cream trucks sweet melting in the heat all around Coyote's and Killer's scent names, so that her personal landscape seemed to gain a copse of incongruous trees and a rather fitting -- if ghetto-chic -- rusted-over, overheated auto carcass.
"My apologies for disrupting your class," Heero was saying in his quiet, husky voice, in his pretend-to-be-normal-for-the-civilians tone.
All the wolves were turned Mary's way, the puppies dancing awkwardly, quickly herded by their anxious mother, her tail and ears low; Wangai had a hand on Shark's neck, looked ready to reinforce her stay! with a ruff grab.
Segura turned to look at Mary again, as Bazooka's head dipped to sniff cautiously at Heero's feet from half a body length away.
Gundam pilot, someone was thinking out there, crap, another one.
Another crazy wolf? Doesn't look like. (Killer's letting her chew on him. The fuck?)
Several people. Who the fuck cared.
"I heard my name?" he said, coming up to the group, and tried to resist the urge to punch Heero in the shoulder just because. What the fuck was he doing here? He couldn't --
"Hey, Duo," Trowa said. "Une will want to talk to you after this class."
"Is this where I go 'it wasn't me, headmistress'?"
Heero didn't even snort, just looked away from him, like there was nothing interesting to look at in his direction. Ouch. Duo moved closer, threw an arm around his shoulders, halfway expecting an elbow in the ribs; Heero continued to pretend he was actually a rock.
Will you talk or do I have to get out the thumbscrews? What are you doing here?
Segura snorted at Duo, opened his mouth, and jerked back. Mary barged in between them like a blond tank, slowing down at the last second before she rammed anyone. Her face was suddenly in Bazooka's face, her scent name expanding like a cloud to take up the space; the other bitch flipped her ears back and hunkered down just a little bit.
Segura's hands opened and closed like he wanted to go grabbing at scruffs, only Duo had been around Preventers and military peeps long enough to know that you weren't supposed to bodily move your wolves away from a confrontation -- they might well bite if startled.
There was no fight, at any rate; Bazooka's hindquarters went down and she gave Mary's raised chin a tentative lick, which Mary accepted coolly.
"So," Segura said as he watched the scene with a funny look of chagrined amusement on his face. "Dominant bitch, huh."
Duo blinked at him, and then at Heero, who shrugged his shoulder some to get Duo to back off. His face was mostly blank but there was a vaguely puzzled tilt to his brows.
"Dominant? I suppose. She hasn't..." he paused -- hunting for the right word, Duo supposed. "Socialized much."
"Look on the bright side," Trowa said as Coyote waded in to lick at Mary's chin and throat enthusiastically, "she hasn't bitten anyone yet."
Duo mock-glared at him. "Wow, Barton, fuck you. Killer, come and bite him, will you."
Killer was standing back, watching the knot of wolves and people, and he flicked his ears at Duo in mild confusion. No?
Traitor.
"Sir?" Wangai said, a little strained. When Duo looked at her she was being slowly dragged forward as Shark made his very interested way to Mary without caring much for the death grip she had on his ruff.
"They'll have to meet at some point," Segura said, and signaled his sister to step back. "Yuy? What do you think?"
Duo could just about read the 'what even are you asking me?' off Heero. Mary looked fine, though she let Shark come to her and didn't move to meet him in turn, and...
And Duo really wasn't as surprised as he should have been when Killer started moving to get in the middle, head low and stare predatory.
He still wasn't growling. Even Coyote looked troubled about it. (Shark was already bristling, hackles puffing him up even bigger.)
"Killer. The dummy. Go and pick it up. Now."
No, his brother told him back, not looking away from Shark for one second.
Duo was angry suddenly, frustrated and ashamed and just fucking angry.
"It wasn't a fucking request."
Killer flinched, looked up at him, honey-gold eyes wide in startled hurt.
"Dummy. Now."
Killer's ears tucked back against his neck, and he turned away reluctantly. Duo let out a long, controlled sigh and followed him, refusing to look at anyone else.
Shit. He could just hear the leaden silence behind him, could borderline feel the awkward looks on their backs, and the wariness. Even the cubs had stopped playing for a while.
Killer had already closed his maw on the dummy's body, toppled it a little awkwardly, was now dragging it toward the side door Duo thought had a dumpster behind it. Duo picked up the head and sped up a bit to shoulder the lock bar open.
He stayed out of Killer's way as the wolf wrestled the dummy and himself past the door, breathing through his nose. Duo couldn't be that angry.
It wasn't even anger at Killer anymore, it was guilt, and shame that made him angry for being ashamed because he'd always hated that feeling, hated being laughed, stared at like his whole being was just so wrong there were no words for it, that the most logical responses to his existence were contempt and derision.
Wait wait coming too!
Duo paused in the middle of letting the door slip closed, stared in surprise as an off-black wolf limped his hurried way to them. He let Coyote through out of pure surprise, glanced at Trowa, eyebrows furrowed. Trowa put his fingers in his pockets -- just the fingers, casual as you please -- and turned away to keep talking to Segura.
Well, uh. Okay then. Duo let the door close with a clang.
Coyote was busy nosing at the dummy and snatching at the bottom with his teeth, trying to find a good grip. The goal was carry evidence to the big stinky-fun box! Okay, why not. Duo heaved the top of the dumpster open, chucked the puppet head in, and watched in mild bafflement as the wolves tried awkwardly to raise something as tall as a grown man, and heavier, over their heads. In the end he felt the edges of an idea/memory sparking from Coyote, Killer's considered approval, and they wrestled the thing vertical, propped it against the edge of the dumpster, and bit onto the bottom to slide it upwards until it toppled inside on its own.
A foot off the broken support bottom still stuck out. Duo pushed it farther in, and let the top hinge close.
It said kind of a lot that all Gundam pilot wolves apparently knew how to dispose of a body, he thought.
Killer sneaked him a look, looked away. Duo remembered he'd been angry. He didn't know if he was any longer. Shit, he'd been pretty harsh there.
He didn't know if he wanted to talk to Killer yet, sort it out. Maybe in a minute. The door had locked behind them, so he stuck his hands deep in his pockets and strolled along the outside wall of the gym, following Coyote who'd gone sniffing around and was finding a lot of cigarette butts.
(hot asphalt and rust on steel) help! Can't smell enough, bad no wrong.
Killer shook himself, and trotted up to the other wolf to inspect whatever it was he had found, tail slowly rising until it once again floated behind him.
Duo let them roam; no hurry to go back in there. The door wasn't that far no matter what, though, and when he reached it he still didn't want to go in. He pinged Trowa with his location and sat on his haunches to wait, lower back pressed against the wall for balance. Trowa responded with a vague feeling of cynical awareness. (Yeah, thanks, I know.) That asshole.
Heero was nowhere to be felt. Fuck it.
Ten to fifteen minutes later Segura let them all go for an early lunch. Duo knew, because the man told him via the pack sense, with a pointed you stay. Duo pulled himself up on his feet and let wolfless people spill out past him. The first wolf to come out was Mary -- if Duo had thought about it, he wouldn't have been surprised -- and after her like a cork poured the rest.
Wangai gave him a little grimace as she passed him that Duo wasn't sure how to interpret; with an apologetic look and a quick wave Makisig hurried on her heels. "Lunch another day?"
Duo mustered up a smile. "Yeah, sure."
The pack sense was almost silent to him. He'd been getting used to intermittent whispers, but apart from his wolf's location and the swing of his tail, the gravel under his paw pads, there was nothing.
He fell into step with Segura and Trowa without a word. Heero walked right beside him; might as well have been at the other end of the Earth Sphere.
Several times he thought Segura was going to speak; but the trainees were taking their time dispersing, and then they turned a corner toward the admin building and it was a full agent, waving at the man. "Hey, Mateo, do you know why -- oh."
Her brother trotted up to Mary to sniff noses, and she didn't growl or look anything worse than neutral. Killer, keeping his distance from the group, kept throwing them sidelong looks and then turning pointedly away, making sure Duo could see him do it. It was -- shit. Like he wasn't feeling guilty enough.
"You new with Preventers?" the woman agent was asking Heero, holding out her hand to shake. Heero really was on his best infiltration behavior, Duo couldn't help thinking, because he took it.
"Signed on this morning," Heero replied with his voice set on neutral, which had the unfortunate effect of making it all quiet and mildly intimate. Or at least something that could be construed as intimate if they didn't know the guy's voice was just naturally buzzy.
Trowa snorted quietly, sneaked him a glance. Duo glowered at him. What?
Absolutely nothing.
What, it's true!
Duo could tell Heero had no clue what the hell the woman even wanted with him. Her wolf was bowing to Mary, but Duo wasn't sure Mary played any more often than her brother did.
And Killer was staring at them like he was thinking of wading in. Duo sent him a forceful no! and made the hand signal for "down" behind his back, the flat of his hand moving like a knife.
Segura coughed, cut in. "Sorry, Lauren, the boss is waiting for us." (So she was. Urgh.)
Bazooka nudged the male wolf away from Mary and they herded the lot of them away. Duo forbade himself from looking back to check whether Killer was moving anywhere close to that other wolf. He had better not be if he knew what was good for him.
Duo really fucking hated being this angry at his own brother.
"Maxwell," Segura said, quietly, and nodded at him to slow down; Trowa obligingly passed him, and Heero followed with a quick assessing glance, affording them a pretense of privacy that Duo didn't believe one second, between the pack sense and the acuity of Coyote's ears.
"Yeah?"
The guy sighed, staring at him. "Correcting him was the right thing to do. Both here and earlier."
Duo twitched. Great, lesson from his wise elders time. "I wasn't going to let him attack someone again," he replied, and stuck his hands in his pockets. It compromised his fight readiness, but it hid his clenched fists; a fair trade right now.
"It doesn't hurt him in the long term to be reminded you're in charge. Wolves feel more secure when they have a clear leader--"
Oh, not this tired old saw. He didn't mouth the rest of it with Segura, but it was an effort.
"--and if you don't lead he will."
"Are you saying his attitude problems are because I--"
The only reason he didn't punch Segura right in the throat was that his hands were stuck in his pockets and took half a second to yank free, and by then he'd realized, heart hammering, that the man wasn't trying to break his neck -- that the hand closed on the back of Duo's neck had only given him a shake.
It wasn't even closed that tight, and his braid was in the way. He could get free no problem. Killer, no, he said, unable to make himself turn around and check on his brother.
Killer growled, first dash slowing into a determined amble; Bazooka moved to cut his path to her brother, ears flipped back. She sent him a clear pulse of my space, of step-in-and-I-bite.
Jesus. I'm not in danger, he sent forcefully, stay back. If Killer fought Bazooka seriously --
"He's not going to," Segura said, calm and patient voice, calm and patient everything, instructor to his fingertips. "I'm projecting intent. He knows what's going on."
Head bowed a little by his grip, Duo looked back at his face, unwilling, though he'd never taken his attention off him entirely.
"I could have broken your arm," Duo said, because apparently the guy needed it spelled out.
"You really don't have a high opinion of either your or Killer's restraint, do you?" And everyone wonders why he's on such a hair trigger. (I don't.)
Hot shame curled in Duo's stomach, burned on his face. He was acutely aware that Heero and Trowa had stopped by the building's front door to wait for them, that Mary had whirled around with the (attack) grab, that Heero wasn't even pretending not to be watching, that Trowa -- even worse -- was, politely.
Support needed?
Duo closed his eyes. Nah, thanks, Heero, I'm good.
"Are you listening to me now?" Segura asked, quiet, full of authority. Killer hesitated -- wanted to nip at Bazooka's muzzle, get her out of the way so he could shoulder them apart, but --
Yes, it's weird when I outrank you but he outranks her, Segura sent him, so neat and clear that nothing else came through, no emotions, not a dozen sub-thoughts to fuzz the edges, just crisp words. But you outrank him, Maxwell Killersbrother. And half the time neither of you seems to remember that.
Ears burning, Duo forced himself to meet Segura's eyes, to nod, yeah, okay, I hear you. You're right. Maybe.
Sighing, Segura let his hand drop.
Horse-lathering-and-leather says, bring the cub, a wolf said -- Bazooka, he thought, because who else, and because she was looking up at her bondmate. Duo cringed. Looked like he was going to get to see Rosca and Fohla earlier than planned. Awesome. The only missing thing from his day.
"Aren't I supposed to see Une?"
Segura started for the door. "They're together," he told Duo absently, and twitched his chin at Trowa to get moving.
Killer pressed against Duo's hip when they walked in last, hurt forgotten in favor of worry and confused suspicion. Duo rested a hand on his withers all the way to the elevator.
They had to break into pairs to ride up; Coyote hung back, letting the bitches pass him. When the doors closed Duo stared at Trowa for a second and then went, "Okay, I'm taking the stairs, coming?" because damned if he had to stand around in awkward silence around any more people today.
Trowa sighed long and obvious, a faint, indulgent smile on his face, like Duo was being a weirdo but that was expected. "Only one floor, Coyote is still limping."
Duo winced. "Oh, right. Never mind then." He patted Coyote's head as the wolf looked up at him. He wasn't holding his leg off the floor, but he wasn't putting his full weight on it either.
"He can deal with light exercise, but it's your itchy legs."
"... Nah."
Silence. Bleah. Trowa crossed his arms casually and leaned a shoulder against the wall to wait. Duo imitated him, less casual and more defensive. He supposed he could just not say anything at all, he didn't have to discuss what had just happened, but it made his nerves raw. Topic, topic...
"... So. Heero."
"Hm?"
"Why's he here, in the end? Did he tell you anything?"
Trowa huffed out a silent, breathy laugh, lips barely quirking. "That he was here to get into Preventers."
"Oh, come on!" Duo pushed away from the wall, hands thrown in the air. "This is Heero Yuy we're talking about! The quintessential lone wolf, mister The Government Failed Imma Take It Into My Own Hands, mister Hey The War's Over Might As Well Disappear Into The Void! Joining an official organization?!"
"Mmh."
Duo narrowed his eyes at a placid, unmovable Trowa, and then gave up with a heavy sigh and slumped against the wall. "C'mon. There's no way there's no trick. What did he say?"
"I'm coming in to work with you tomorrow."
Duo blinked at the other man for a second before he realized Trowa was quoting, and then he groaned. "That's it?"
Trowa and Coyote inclined their heads and shifted to face him. Duo's brow quirked in confusion at that double-barreled look.
"Duo..."
Uh. "Yeah?"
"Elevator's here."
"Oh my god, I hate you so much."
Coyote lolled his tongue at him. Duo said not a damn thing when Killer decided to start chewing on his ear.
The trip upstairs passed in silence, though at least now Duo felt somewhat less awkward. It'd probably change again the second he had to look Heero in the eye...
Which wasn't going to be any time soon, because when they walked into Une's office they found her standing behind her desk, watching tense and quiet as Mary and Folha stared each other down.
Duo took in the room in a glance from the door. The two she-wolves were still, heads pointed forward, tails held in a straight line with their backs, or maybe a little above it, even. Mary's ruff looked a little bristly. Segura and Bazooka hunkered off to the side, Bazooka giving anxious looks back and forth.
Folha still looked like a stiff breeze would topple her over. With Mary's solid body as a foil she seemed even frailer, ribs almost apparent under the thinning, grizzled coat.
Duo barely had time to worry for her before her mind touched his.
It was so much more than a scent, it was... The flavor of her mind, the weight of her experience, the piercing strength of her will. The lather of a tired horse and its well-used tack permeated it all, but it was such a small part of it.
She filled the room with her self. It wasn't to the overwhelming point where she filled his head as well, where she left him wobbly-legged and unsure where his limbs were like that first time, but it was...
Shh, quiet. Safe.
Only then Mary's own presence swelled like a wave -- the threads of scents in her name so much stronger, until he could identify the flavors of ice cream in that truck and melting on hot pavement, the brands of motorbikes trailing gas exhaust, almost the breeds of dogs that had marked those posts.
She touched Killer and asked him -- something without words. Something like "allies?" and something like "mine?"
Of course, was Killer's first reaction, a flash of thought, immediate. But Folha, Duo thought back, and Killer hesitated. Of course Mary, but why would they fight against Folha? She'd licked their heads.
He threw a quick assessing glance at the room. Coyote was hunkering down on the floor, slowly inching up at Mary's flank, unhappy but unhesitating. Trowa's face was empty, body stuck on factory default settings, but behind that he was thinking shit, shit, shit and under that, deeper, of course Heero/Mary, but, can't, shit. Fainter, farther away, there were Segura and Bazooka, Bazooka with her ears flat on her neck and ready to back Folha, trying to reach through to more of their pack though Segura tried to block her cold, no they're all going to be rushing here/blood frenzy/can't have that.
Of Heero there was not a trace. He stood there at his wolf's side and his eyes were lowered onto Folha, almost pensive, and there was no trace of him in the pack mind that Duo could get at.
"Hey, Mary," Duo said, and cleared his throat because it was dry. "Mary, good girl," he said, and thought you can't--, and lost his train of thought, lost all thoughts for a brief instant.
The two queen wolves didn't jump on each other physically, but their psychic presences swelled and crashed onto each other like two tsunamis.
Duo realized once he could breathe again that his hand was fisted in Killer's ruff, that his knees were locked, that Segura had gone down on one knee.
Mary's presence receded faster, farther, and then it was only Folha.
Bumbling puppy, she thought, steps on her pack. At a nudge from her brother Duo felt her stretch out again, casually, reach out to wolves Duo wasn't even sure he'd ever met that he was getting echoes of presence from, all is good, danger/fight is over, good cub, stay.
Mary sat on her rump and watched her with her big yellow head tilted a little. Folha's attention returned to the room with a blink of both her eyes, turned so that both the blind one and the sighted were aimed at Mary.
With a little sigh, Mary got back on her feet. She stepped forward, leaving Heero and Coyote behind, and very politely licked Folha's white chin.
For now, was the sense Duo got. He groaned. "Aw, no, honey, you're still gonna fight her?"
Mary blinked up at him. Her eyes were a dark, cool brown.
Yes? Cubs first, she told him. Then fighting.
Duo spluttered. "What the f -- cubs?!"
Heero's shoulders tightened. Duo fell silent, mouth open, staring at the back of his head.
"With that sorted out, gentlemen...?"
Une was almost in front of him. Duo still borderline jumped at being reminded that there was someone in the room who wasn't -- and wasn't supposed to have been -- in the pack mind.
She nodded to Rosca, who nodded back, and he and Folha walked sedately to the door. Duo sidestepped hurriedly to let them through. Rosca sketched a salute as he passed the door, eyes briefly glinting at Duo as he turned -- you won't get out of hanging out at the bar with me so easily, young man! -- and then they were gone.
Trowa exhaled slowly through his nose, and pushed the door closed. Coyote shook himself, went to nose at Mary's throat and jaw. Killer still looked flabbergasted -- kinda like Duo himself, actually.
"Was it necessary to introduce them so early?" Trowa asked, proper and bland enough that Duo could tell he was a bit angry underneath, for not having been told.
Coyote would have known, and then Mary would have known, Segura told him, patting at his sister's flank without looking up. Couldn't know too early -- get there spoiling for a fight.
"Was it necessary to introduce them in small committee, in a restricted area where the rest of the pack couldn't rush in to chase off the intruder, or spark another dozen side-fights from all that excitement?" Une said pointedly.
Duo winced thinking of Killer let loose in a generalized brawl. There'd be dead wolves at the end of the day, no ifs, ands, or buts.
From the way Segura patted his sister's flank, Duo could tell he was aware that Bazooka -- brave, dependable Bazooka, pack enforcer, responsible beta -- would have been one of the first casualties.
Une wasn't done. "Before Yuysister here invaded any more of Folha's territory and tempted away any more of her packmates? Folha's body might be too old to act rashly anymore, but she's still a queen wolf. I've been told she has the temper."
A pause, and then her eyes turned to Heero, her tone gentled.
"One of them probably will die."
He made a little noise of weary assent, his shoulders still too stiff. Duo's hands twitched, clenched.
"I know."
Won't be me, Mary said with unthinking confidence. Strong-young-ready. She looked up at her human. But later, she finished reassuringly.
Duo wasn't too sure Heero was reassured, though who knew with him, but Duo himself sure as hell wasn't.
"Barton," Une said. "You're not exactly needed for the discussion. Yuy, Maxwell?"
Duo blinked. Oh hell, still a discussion to get through? Hadn't the Folha thing been enough? He sneaked Trowa a look. If he was going to be humiliated again he wasn't sure he wanted him there, but then again he'd want Heero here even less and it didn't look like the guy was budging. So.
"It'll save us having to tell him later on," Heero replied before Duo could make up his mind. With a sigh, Duo stepped forward to be side by side with Heero and nodded.
Heero was still staring ahead and not meeting his eyes or even acknowledging him much, which was really starting to chafe. Was he ashamed of knowing Duo or what? It was starting to borderline feel like it.
"Good. Sit down. Agent Segura, if you'll wait outside for a minute?"
Segura and Bazooka left. Duo dragged a chair closer. The wolves had already lost all tension; Mary was trying to bully Killer away from the water bowl. Duo was a little baffled waiting to see if she'd succeed; at the moment Killer was still stubbornly licking away at he water even as she put her shoulder to him and heaved. Coyote was watching, tail wagging lazily away.
Heero sat beside him, and Trowa a little back to the side, and then Duo was done making himself sick with waiting. "Okay, so what the hell is even going on? Heero? Cubs? What?"
He turned in his chair to stare accusingly. Heero's bushy eyebrows went down in a frown, but then his eyes slid away again and that was so wrong Duo felt thrown, rattled.
Une sighed. "Should I explain--"
"No," Heero said, curt and steely, and the muscles in his jaw shifted. He looked at Duo then, and at Trowa over his shoulder before he went back to Duo. "Mary wants a litter and a pack."
"Oh." Duo blinked. "Guess it's hard to have the first without the second."
Huh.
"So you're -- hey, that's why I'm here too! Okay, not the puppies but Killer was miserable without a pack. Only he didn't notice, cause he didn't know better, but yeah." He dared a smile. "I guess the missions won't hurt either, when I finally get to go."
Heero stared at his face as if he was trying to read his mind -- which he could have, but Duo didn't feel him reaching with the pack mind. He still felt oddly distant, isolated. Duo wondered if he'd had special training to resist wolf brain-fuckery. Why not; seemed like he'd had training for everything else. After that waking-up-while-keeping-the-EEG-readings-to-say-unconscious stunt, Duo wouldn't be too surprised.
Duo wasn't sure what Heero found on his face, but he sighed minutely and his shoulders -- relaxed or slumped, Duo couldn't tell which -- and he turned back to Une.
"Yes," she said. "About that."
Oh hell, no. Duo didn't know what she was about to say and he already knew he was going to fucking hate it.
"Duo," she said, startling him with the use of his first name. "It'll be best if you repeat the training course."
Duo started swearing.
"Huh, I'd never heard that one," Trowa said a minute or so later. Duo growled at him.
"It's Sweepers slang."
"Hm. Nice."
Blurgh. And now his anger was deflating like a soufflé. "I know we haven't been doing awesome," he tried, "but--"
"It's not a punishment, Maxwell." Une sighed at him, leaned forward to prop an elbow on her desk. "You might succeed alone if we let you try harder, yes, that's true. You might not. That was always a possibility."
Not one Duo had ever taken seriously! Duo Maxwell Killersbrother didn't fail at things, damn it.
"But Yuy will need -- will appreciate support. And I'm assured it'll go smoother for the both of you for reasons of pack dynamics; you're free to ask Agent Rosca or Agent Segura about it later, but the gist of it seems to be that both Mary and Killer will feel more secure with an ally right there and will not end up fighting quite so much."
"Seems more likely to end up as a pack within the pack," Duo grumped, arms crossed over his chest.
Une narrowed her eyes at him, half seriously. "Right now Killer is pretty much a one-man pack as it is, so what will change, really?"
"Our graduation date!"
"I'll manage," Heero said to Une suddenly. "Don't hold him back on my behalf."
... Fucking shit, now Duo felt like a heel for abandoning him. Poor guy probably hadn't been part of any more packs than Duo had been, and he didn't even have the benefit of human socialization to even start to compensate. He slumped in his chair. "Aaaugh. Okay! Fine! Twist my arm, why don't you. Okay, we'll repeat a year!"
Trowa coughed discreetly. "Training lasts two months, not twelve."
"Sure doesn't feel like it," Duo muttered under his breath. Trowa snorted at him.
Heero didn't do anything. Didn't snort -- Duo knew he had a sense of humor, as rudimentary as it was -- and didn't frown and didn't...
Thanks wisped through his mind, barely there; Duo could almost have imagined it. Sorry.
Oh.
I don't mind. He bit at the corner of his lip. Sorry for ranting. I was just venting.
Heero's hiking boot scuffed the floor as he shifted his legs; apart from that he didn't move. "Mnh."
"Uh huh," Duo agreed. Trowa blew air out of his nose like he was laughing at them.
"Very good," Une said, repressing a smile. What the hell was she even smiling at, the witch. "You won't have to quit right away, at any rate; Heero and Mary will join the current training class until the end of the session, and then the four of you will join the next. You'll be able to free up more time to deal with things. It'll make the process smoother."
Duo sighed and oozed a bit farther down in his seat. "We said yes already, no need to keep talking it up." Urgh. Lack of professionalism. He straightened up. "Sorry. But, yeah, if that was all?"
"Agent Segura will explain all the organizational details to you," Une said, and nodded. "Dismissed."
Duo was the first one out of her office, but Heero wasn't far behind at all.
8k long. Contains some public embarrassment, so if that bothers you here's your heads-up.
Person/wolf pairs are Duo (motor about to overload)/Killer (rusting car carcass on hot pavement), Trowa/Coyote, Wufei/Glenfiddich (stag and snow), and Heero (cordite and nitroglycerin and blood)/Mary(summer wind through the city).
Relevant OCs: Wangai/Shark (fish blood and storm at sea) and Rosca/Folha (lathering horse in harness)
--
"Can't go -- haring off -- Maxwell -- he says," Duo grunted, "That asshole -- then he goes--"
Bite him, Killer agreed as he attacked an obstacle with vengeful enthusiasm.
"Chang -- fucking -- hate you!"
The wolfless trainees he was passing on the track stared at him. Who cared! Duo sped up some more. He wished Wufei and Glen were in range to hear him rant at them -- or listening, either or, he couldn't tell if they were close or not. Trowa and Coyote were definitely close enough, and radiating smug and nothing else.
"That's your twelfth lap, Maxwell!" Wangai threw as he passed her again. Exasperation and worry flicked through from her (ten laps a day two too many/going too fast angry), almost fainter than Coyote even though he and Trowa were probably all the way across the Preventers compound.
"I don't care!" he yelled back. He should probably tone down the histrionics some, but --
Killer passed Shark with barely a glance. He was running to find summer-wind-in-the-city and who cared about storm at sea and fish blood, she was close close waiting and if they ran really fast they could maybe go find her??
Duo didn't have the heart to explain to him that no matter how fast they ran they still wouldn't get any free time to go find Mary! before noon at best.
It did spend some superfluous adrenaline, though. Duo couldn't help it, it was pavlovian at this point. Whenever Heero appeared in his life, military coups and prison breaks followed, it was just the way it was. He could tell this time was different -- why was Heero coming in person to the Preventers, he was a solo agent down to the bone, the quintessential lone wolf --
Not alone? Got summer-wind-in-the-city.
So I guess they're a two-wolf pack then. Hah.
Killer sent him a burst of confusion, and then pushed it away to aim his flying jump right through the middle of a suspended hoop, so that no paw or even fur brushed the edges. Next up was a cloth tunnel, which he crawled through with great enthusiasm: Duo didn't wait up, he'd catch up soon enough.
Anyway, he could tell it was different, and that was just as adrenaline-inducing as the more -- hah -- normal "hey, time to blow shit up" occasions.
By the time the instructor blew his whistle to get the stragglers to come in -- mostly Makisig and his cub and a couple of the most out of shape wolfless trainees -- Duo and Killer were starting their sixteenth lap. Sighing, Duo aborted and went back. Killer danced around him, even though his pads were getting sore from the hard ground. Summer-wind-in-the-city now??
No, combat training first.
Killer growled grouchily. I can fight! Good fighter. Don't need taught.
Bluh. Yeah, wolves and daily schedules didn't make for great friends -- at least not when there was no dinnertime involved. Urgh, what could he say to -- ah.
Gotta be a good example to Chiquito. He doesn't know how to fight! How's he gonna defend Makisig if no one shows him?
Killer paused, tilted his head. ... Hm. True yes. Teach cub!
He trotted ahead to go nose at said cub, who jumped in surprise and then started dancing around him, butt wagging all over the place. Duo couldn't help laughing a little. Still damn cute.
The drill instructor and his sister were waiting patiently by the door of the gym for the group to catch up. Duo followed his wolf in.
"Today I'm testing your previous combat training," Segura told them, which his sister Bazooka, sitting beside him, reinforced with a sharp, fight bad humans! show us how. "One by one, you'll go at one of the dummies--"
Killer flicked his ears in bland acceptance and raced at the dummy Segura was waving his hand at. He feinted it, even though it didn't move, dodged a bullet that wasn't coming and leapt. His maw snapped closed like a bear trap on the mannequin's face, and he allowed his momentum to spin his massive weight sideways around that new pivot point.
Crack, crack. He did a side-flip in the air to point his paws downwards and landed on all fours with a jaunty bounce. The mannequin's stuffed head was still in his jaws; he went trotting off to Chiquito and dumped his trophy at the pup's feet. Duo facepalmed.
"Good job, buddy. I ... think it's dead."
Chiquito nosed at the mannequin head, tail wagging, a bit confused but happy to push it around with his muzzle and try to pin it with a paw, radiating happiness that Killer had given him a toy just for me!!. Killer turned his head to look at Duo, projecting strong and sure, Dead yes.
Noticed. The dummy's back was broken, too, on top of its missing head; it listed backward on its support, still standing somehow.
Not enough dead?
"Killer, no--!"
Ooookay, now the mannequin was down an arm, and its other shoulder was caught and shaken savagely in an attempt to break the whole thing off its support entirely. The rest of the pack was staring in silence. Duo sank into a crouch and burrowed his face in his hands, groaning.
Makisig and Wangai started laughing.
"Oh my god, Maxwell. Be honest now, this was your weapon of mass destruction."
Face burning, Duo managed to lift his head enough to glower at Wangai and stick his tongue out very sternly.
(At least their intervention had broken the ice and it was making other people laugh, if not very enthusiastically.)
Killer was energetically digging stuffing out of the poor fake dude's ruptured abdomen and encouraging Chiquito to join in. He even tried to nose the cub's paws into a better position to brace and yank with, but the cub just thought it was part of the game and danced off, fluff in his jaws.
"Sorry, I--"
"No, it's fine, the dummies break a lot," the drill instructor told him, hands in pockets. Bazooka was watching Killer with her head tilted in interest, like she was considering maybe wandering closer to get in on that mad fake-eviscerating action. "We plan for it. Nice moves, too. The fact that he didn't wait for orders, though, that's a bit more of an issue."
Duo groaned again. "I had to tell him we needed to help Chiquito learn how to defend his brother, he didn't want to come. Didn't think he'd take it quite that seriously. He's -- I swear he's not like that with live targets."
... Well, when they were fighting live targets, Duo usually wanted to kill them, so of course Killer wanted to kill them as well, and Duo didn't mind if killing happened and didn't try to stop Killer much. Um.
"He knows how to take a prisoner, I mean. If I tell him." Think I'd better be the one he demonstrates on, he sent Segura in an aside that apparently went through as planned, from the eyebrow quirk he got. Other wolves would be twitchy if he tried it on their brothers.
"That's a plan. We'll do that later, give the other guys their turn first." Segura's hand landed on his shoulder, heavy, and Bazooka nosed his thigh. Killer's head sprang up from his synthetic prey to stare at the older she-wolf in suspicion. "In the meantime you get to haul a new mannequin from the reserve and put it up. Have fun."
Rubbing the back of his neck and laughing ruefully, Duo went. Shhh Killer, all good. Silly puppy, got my nose booped a bit, all good. C'mon.
Killer dragged his paws, looking back at Chiquito, who was bouncing around the head and batting it at his mother. Bianchi mostly looked politely confused about it, sniffing it with vague interest.
People organized themselves into groups. Duo opened the supply closet door and clicked the lights on, and started looking for a new puppet.
No breaking this one! he warned Killer, and heaved one off the wall it leaned on and onto his shoulder. The thing was damn heavy, but he'd carried heavier; it was more a matter of balancing it properly. Close the door behind us, he asked as he made his cautious way through the doorway. Killer nosed the lights off and took the handle in his maw, pulled the door closed delicately, twisting the handle as he went. Good, thanks.
No slobber! Killer told him proudly.
Though of course anyone with a nose would know a wolf and his person had come through there, and how come avoiding incriminating moisture or crusted-on saliva bubbles actually helped anything. Bah, humans.
Duo went to switch the remains of the old dummy for the new. Killer insisted to be the one to pull out the remains of the old one -- no, straight up, it's got a long straight foot thing planted into the ground, you need to -- yeah, good, just like that -- and after that he just had to rebalance its weight and guide it slowly into its port.
When they were done they turned to look at the rest of the newbie pack.
Segura's Bazooka led the charge, the highest ranked bitch wolf (didn't smell quite like bitch wolf but still bitch wolf); Bianchi seemed unsure, undecided, and her cubs milled around her, but Duo could see the way Wangai's Shark tried to fit himself to Bazooka's feints and pounces on that dummy. Sometimes he tried to take the lead, and Bazooka would nip his heels and grab his nose and they'd start again from the beginning, with a patience and technique that was more human than animal.
The unbonded cubs still stumbled around and got distracted, but Duo and Killer could almost feel them clicking in and out of sync, feel the way their attention snapped back to the target, to the holes in the net that the pack was weaving, where they should try to stand. The humans didn't move to help but they would sway from foot to foot, their hands would open and close, and -- huh. This one wolfless trainee wouldn't be wolfless for long. Duo couldn't tell which of the cubs she shifted with, but the look in her eyes was -- still confused around the edges, yes, but unmistakable even so.
This is where I strike, this is where you must be, your heavier weight, my speed, their crucial distraction.
Do you want to help? Duo made himself ask, but he already knew it wasn't going to happen.
Killer stared up at him, puzzled. Help what, help who? They were doing nothing Killer or Duo wanted to be doing (no prey they wanted to sink their fangs into), and Chiquito didn't need protecting against a dummy. (His mother would growl if he came now anyways.)
Sigh.
Seguro had forgotten them a bit, which was fine -- they needed to practice the hunting pack-mind, and Duo and Killer were so not in it that trying to get in now would jar everyone else out of it. Duo picked up the remains of the dead dummy -- Killer picked up the head -- and wandered off along the side, where mattresses and boards were stacked, he wasn't sure why. Special agility exercises? Anyway there was a door toward the back and if he remembered last week's recon there'd be a dumpster just outside it.
(Folded tarpaulin, springboard, vaulting horse -- why wolves would need a vaulting horse, he wasn't sure -- thick landing mattresses, thigh high and bright blue and soft enough to make rolling off them difficult, he bet...)
Springboard, Killer echoed slowly, intrigued, and lifted Duo's knowledge about them off his brain -- where you should land for the best bounce, how Killer's weight might interact with that impressive number of steel springs and oh Jesus fucking hell Killer wait --
Gallop. Gleeful pounce.
Boiiiing.
Duo cringed a little. He hadn't really expected his wolf to run face-first into the vaulting horse, and indeed Killer hadn't. He'd sailed right over it (could have done that on his own, just not as effortlessly) to land almost off the thick blue landing mat. The mat fluffed up around him, almost burying him; Killer wriggled and squirmed his way off the mat, landed with a thump, and went right around for an another attempt.
Flying! Flying flying look!!!!
Pff. He was like a little kid.
Duo propped the puppet remains against the nearest wall and took a jogging start of his own. Boiing, planting a hand on the vaulting horse to pass it -- the springboard had to be made with wolves in mind, because Duo's weight had little effect. It was fun even so, and fuck it, they were allowed to goof off sometimes. He landed ass first in the mat; Killer crawl-flopped his way to him, sending Duo tumbling against his furry side when the mat dipped hard.
Fun! Killer shared, and licked a stripe across Duo's face. Duo laughed through his splutters.
"Eww! Yeah, okay, it is fun. But only one more time, and then we have to keep going."
Killer grumbled, but squirmed his way to the edge of the mat and rolled off its soft edge gracelessly. Duo hurried to follow before Killer forgot he was there and landed on him.
And don't land off the mattress!
Killer took a running start once again -- perfectly timed -- planted his paws, and holy shit the crazy thing, he was doing a flip.
He landed on his furry ass, not enough air to complete the turn with his mass fighting so much gravity, but the mattress absorbed it with a whoosh of displaced air and then Killer was tumbling forward on his shoulder, mind full of delight and excitement.
Again! Again.
Crap, no, I'd have to move the vaulting horse first, you waste too much energy going up and over it when you need to put it into flipping, you'll hit it sooner or later, I can see it coming big as a house.
So move it, another wolf said, and then, you move, flying too. Duo sidestepped without thinking; a rush of golden fur passed him, sprang on the board, sailed over.
Flop, half on top of Killer.
The mattress shifted a whole foot forward with the impact. The wolves tumbled together, rolled off and onto the floor like puppies misjudging the edge of a cloth basket. Duo had to jump back to dodge a furry butt, was whipped in the ankle by a tail.
They scrambled back on their feet and then Killer was pouncing again, maw open, but Mary sidestepped his lunge and shoulder-checked him -- yeah, definitely more mass -- and caught his muzzle in her own jaws. Her tail curled high; Killer's waved, once or twice, awkwardly, as she led him along literally by the nose.
Duo looked back toward the front door. (Some of the other trainees had paused and were watching the scene; irrelevant, dismissed.) Two wiry, brown-haired young men stood there, a dark, smallish wolf between them.
There was absolutely no way Duo would have mistaken Trowa for Heero at five times the distance, no matter what they were wearing.
Heero was in a Preventers jacket.
Will you stop dressing weird already! Duo threw, to cover up the swell of astonishment and -- and, oh, huh, who would have thought he'd -- was it another cover? Quick job to do, necessary cover-up? It wasn't so bad, if it was, it'd be something at least--
No, Heero said, (about what? cryptic asshole!) and then turned to Segura, who was making his way to the door while trying not to throw too many side looks at Mary and Killer. She'd slung a heavy paw across Killer's neck and was in the middle of pushing him down. Killer was growling and trying to wriggle out, more grumpy than angered.
"Segura, Bazooka," Trowa said, and nodded a greeting, even as Coyote took off at a limpy trot to join Heero and Duo's wolves with only a cursory sniff at Bazooka. Duo found himself standing there and unable to decide what he was supposed to do -- finish his self-imposed job first rather than leave debris in the middle, or go to them and potentially intrude on professional matters?
"This is Heero Yuy, and his sister Mary is over there."
"New trainees?" Segura asked, eyebrows up.
"Yeah. Une will want to talk with you about him and Maxwell."
Huh. Alright, he'd heard his name, it was as good as an invitation. Abandoning the dummy, Duo ambled his way to the door, hands in pockets. Behind him scents were blooming, Mary winding her car exhaust and hot pavement and ice-cream trucks sweet melting in the heat all around Coyote's and Killer's scent names, so that her personal landscape seemed to gain a copse of incongruous trees and a rather fitting -- if ghetto-chic -- rusted-over, overheated auto carcass.
"My apologies for disrupting your class," Heero was saying in his quiet, husky voice, in his pretend-to-be-normal-for-the-civilians tone.
All the wolves were turned Mary's way, the puppies dancing awkwardly, quickly herded by their anxious mother, her tail and ears low; Wangai had a hand on Shark's neck, looked ready to reinforce her stay! with a ruff grab.
Segura turned to look at Mary again, as Bazooka's head dipped to sniff cautiously at Heero's feet from half a body length away.
Gundam pilot, someone was thinking out there, crap, another one.
Another crazy wolf? Doesn't look like. (Killer's letting her chew on him. The fuck?)
Several people. Who the fuck cared.
"I heard my name?" he said, coming up to the group, and tried to resist the urge to punch Heero in the shoulder just because. What the fuck was he doing here? He couldn't --
"Hey, Duo," Trowa said. "Une will want to talk to you after this class."
"Is this where I go 'it wasn't me, headmistress'?"
Heero didn't even snort, just looked away from him, like there was nothing interesting to look at in his direction. Ouch. Duo moved closer, threw an arm around his shoulders, halfway expecting an elbow in the ribs; Heero continued to pretend he was actually a rock.
Will you talk or do I have to get out the thumbscrews? What are you doing here?
Segura snorted at Duo, opened his mouth, and jerked back. Mary barged in between them like a blond tank, slowing down at the last second before she rammed anyone. Her face was suddenly in Bazooka's face, her scent name expanding like a cloud to take up the space; the other bitch flipped her ears back and hunkered down just a little bit.
Segura's hands opened and closed like he wanted to go grabbing at scruffs, only Duo had been around Preventers and military peeps long enough to know that you weren't supposed to bodily move your wolves away from a confrontation -- they might well bite if startled.
There was no fight, at any rate; Bazooka's hindquarters went down and she gave Mary's raised chin a tentative lick, which Mary accepted coolly.
"So," Segura said as he watched the scene with a funny look of chagrined amusement on his face. "Dominant bitch, huh."
Duo blinked at him, and then at Heero, who shrugged his shoulder some to get Duo to back off. His face was mostly blank but there was a vaguely puzzled tilt to his brows.
"Dominant? I suppose. She hasn't..." he paused -- hunting for the right word, Duo supposed. "Socialized much."
"Look on the bright side," Trowa said as Coyote waded in to lick at Mary's chin and throat enthusiastically, "she hasn't bitten anyone yet."
Duo mock-glared at him. "Wow, Barton, fuck you. Killer, come and bite him, will you."
Killer was standing back, watching the knot of wolves and people, and he flicked his ears at Duo in mild confusion. No?
Traitor.
"Sir?" Wangai said, a little strained. When Duo looked at her she was being slowly dragged forward as Shark made his very interested way to Mary without caring much for the death grip she had on his ruff.
"They'll have to meet at some point," Segura said, and signaled his sister to step back. "Yuy? What do you think?"
Duo could just about read the 'what even are you asking me?' off Heero. Mary looked fine, though she let Shark come to her and didn't move to meet him in turn, and...
And Duo really wasn't as surprised as he should have been when Killer started moving to get in the middle, head low and stare predatory.
He still wasn't growling. Even Coyote looked troubled about it. (Shark was already bristling, hackles puffing him up even bigger.)
"Killer. The dummy. Go and pick it up. Now."
No, his brother told him back, not looking away from Shark for one second.
Duo was angry suddenly, frustrated and ashamed and just fucking angry.
"It wasn't a fucking request."
Killer flinched, looked up at him, honey-gold eyes wide in startled hurt.
"Dummy. Now."
Killer's ears tucked back against his neck, and he turned away reluctantly. Duo let out a long, controlled sigh and followed him, refusing to look at anyone else.
Shit. He could just hear the leaden silence behind him, could borderline feel the awkward looks on their backs, and the wariness. Even the cubs had stopped playing for a while.
Killer had already closed his maw on the dummy's body, toppled it a little awkwardly, was now dragging it toward the side door Duo thought had a dumpster behind it. Duo picked up the head and sped up a bit to shoulder the lock bar open.
He stayed out of Killer's way as the wolf wrestled the dummy and himself past the door, breathing through his nose. Duo couldn't be that angry.
It wasn't even anger at Killer anymore, it was guilt, and shame that made him angry for being ashamed because he'd always hated that feeling, hated being laughed, stared at like his whole being was just so wrong there were no words for it, that the most logical responses to his existence were contempt and derision.
Wait wait coming too!
Duo paused in the middle of letting the door slip closed, stared in surprise as an off-black wolf limped his hurried way to them. He let Coyote through out of pure surprise, glanced at Trowa, eyebrows furrowed. Trowa put his fingers in his pockets -- just the fingers, casual as you please -- and turned away to keep talking to Segura.
Well, uh. Okay then. Duo let the door close with a clang.
Coyote was busy nosing at the dummy and snatching at the bottom with his teeth, trying to find a good grip. The goal was carry evidence to the big stinky-fun box! Okay, why not. Duo heaved the top of the dumpster open, chucked the puppet head in, and watched in mild bafflement as the wolves tried awkwardly to raise something as tall as a grown man, and heavier, over their heads. In the end he felt the edges of an idea/memory sparking from Coyote, Killer's considered approval, and they wrestled the thing vertical, propped it against the edge of the dumpster, and bit onto the bottom to slide it upwards until it toppled inside on its own.
A foot off the broken support bottom still stuck out. Duo pushed it farther in, and let the top hinge close.
It said kind of a lot that all Gundam pilot wolves apparently knew how to dispose of a body, he thought.
Killer sneaked him a look, looked away. Duo remembered he'd been angry. He didn't know if he was any longer. Shit, he'd been pretty harsh there.
He didn't know if he wanted to talk to Killer yet, sort it out. Maybe in a minute. The door had locked behind them, so he stuck his hands deep in his pockets and strolled along the outside wall of the gym, following Coyote who'd gone sniffing around and was finding a lot of cigarette butts.
(hot asphalt and rust on steel) help! Can't smell enough, bad no wrong.
Killer shook himself, and trotted up to the other wolf to inspect whatever it was he had found, tail slowly rising until it once again floated behind him.
Duo let them roam; no hurry to go back in there. The door wasn't that far no matter what, though, and when he reached it he still didn't want to go in. He pinged Trowa with his location and sat on his haunches to wait, lower back pressed against the wall for balance. Trowa responded with a vague feeling of cynical awareness. (Yeah, thanks, I know.) That asshole.
Heero was nowhere to be felt. Fuck it.
Ten to fifteen minutes later Segura let them all go for an early lunch. Duo knew, because the man told him via the pack sense, with a pointed you stay. Duo pulled himself up on his feet and let wolfless people spill out past him. The first wolf to come out was Mary -- if Duo had thought about it, he wouldn't have been surprised -- and after her like a cork poured the rest.
Wangai gave him a little grimace as she passed him that Duo wasn't sure how to interpret; with an apologetic look and a quick wave Makisig hurried on her heels. "Lunch another day?"
Duo mustered up a smile. "Yeah, sure."
The pack sense was almost silent to him. He'd been getting used to intermittent whispers, but apart from his wolf's location and the swing of his tail, the gravel under his paw pads, there was nothing.
He fell into step with Segura and Trowa without a word. Heero walked right beside him; might as well have been at the other end of the Earth Sphere.
Several times he thought Segura was going to speak; but the trainees were taking their time dispersing, and then they turned a corner toward the admin building and it was a full agent, waving at the man. "Hey, Mateo, do you know why -- oh."
Her brother trotted up to Mary to sniff noses, and she didn't growl or look anything worse than neutral. Killer, keeping his distance from the group, kept throwing them sidelong looks and then turning pointedly away, making sure Duo could see him do it. It was -- shit. Like he wasn't feeling guilty enough.
"You new with Preventers?" the woman agent was asking Heero, holding out her hand to shake. Heero really was on his best infiltration behavior, Duo couldn't help thinking, because he took it.
"Signed on this morning," Heero replied with his voice set on neutral, which had the unfortunate effect of making it all quiet and mildly intimate. Or at least something that could be construed as intimate if they didn't know the guy's voice was just naturally buzzy.
Trowa snorted quietly, sneaked him a glance. Duo glowered at him. What?
Absolutely nothing.
What, it's true!
Duo could tell Heero had no clue what the hell the woman even wanted with him. Her wolf was bowing to Mary, but Duo wasn't sure Mary played any more often than her brother did.
And Killer was staring at them like he was thinking of wading in. Duo sent him a forceful no! and made the hand signal for "down" behind his back, the flat of his hand moving like a knife.
Segura coughed, cut in. "Sorry, Lauren, the boss is waiting for us." (So she was. Urgh.)
Bazooka nudged the male wolf away from Mary and they herded the lot of them away. Duo forbade himself from looking back to check whether Killer was moving anywhere close to that other wolf. He had better not be if he knew what was good for him.
Duo really fucking hated being this angry at his own brother.
"Maxwell," Segura said, quietly, and nodded at him to slow down; Trowa obligingly passed him, and Heero followed with a quick assessing glance, affording them a pretense of privacy that Duo didn't believe one second, between the pack sense and the acuity of Coyote's ears.
"Yeah?"
The guy sighed, staring at him. "Correcting him was the right thing to do. Both here and earlier."
Duo twitched. Great, lesson from his wise elders time. "I wasn't going to let him attack someone again," he replied, and stuck his hands in his pockets. It compromised his fight readiness, but it hid his clenched fists; a fair trade right now.
"It doesn't hurt him in the long term to be reminded you're in charge. Wolves feel more secure when they have a clear leader--"
Oh, not this tired old saw. He didn't mouth the rest of it with Segura, but it was an effort.
"--and if you don't lead he will."
"Are you saying his attitude problems are because I--"
The only reason he didn't punch Segura right in the throat was that his hands were stuck in his pockets and took half a second to yank free, and by then he'd realized, heart hammering, that the man wasn't trying to break his neck -- that the hand closed on the back of Duo's neck had only given him a shake.
It wasn't even closed that tight, and his braid was in the way. He could get free no problem. Killer, no, he said, unable to make himself turn around and check on his brother.
Killer growled, first dash slowing into a determined amble; Bazooka moved to cut his path to her brother, ears flipped back. She sent him a clear pulse of my space, of step-in-and-I-bite.
Jesus. I'm not in danger, he sent forcefully, stay back. If Killer fought Bazooka seriously --
"He's not going to," Segura said, calm and patient voice, calm and patient everything, instructor to his fingertips. "I'm projecting intent. He knows what's going on."
Head bowed a little by his grip, Duo looked back at his face, unwilling, though he'd never taken his attention off him entirely.
"I could have broken your arm," Duo said, because apparently the guy needed it spelled out.
"You really don't have a high opinion of either your or Killer's restraint, do you?" And everyone wonders why he's on such a hair trigger. (I don't.)
Hot shame curled in Duo's stomach, burned on his face. He was acutely aware that Heero and Trowa had stopped by the building's front door to wait for them, that Mary had whirled around with the (attack) grab, that Heero wasn't even pretending not to be watching, that Trowa -- even worse -- was, politely.
Support needed?
Duo closed his eyes. Nah, thanks, Heero, I'm good.
"Are you listening to me now?" Segura asked, quiet, full of authority. Killer hesitated -- wanted to nip at Bazooka's muzzle, get her out of the way so he could shoulder them apart, but --
Yes, it's weird when I outrank you but he outranks her, Segura sent him, so neat and clear that nothing else came through, no emotions, not a dozen sub-thoughts to fuzz the edges, just crisp words. But you outrank him, Maxwell Killersbrother. And half the time neither of you seems to remember that.
Ears burning, Duo forced himself to meet Segura's eyes, to nod, yeah, okay, I hear you. You're right. Maybe.
Sighing, Segura let his hand drop.
Horse-lathering-and-leather says, bring the cub, a wolf said -- Bazooka, he thought, because who else, and because she was looking up at her bondmate. Duo cringed. Looked like he was going to get to see Rosca and Fohla earlier than planned. Awesome. The only missing thing from his day.
"Aren't I supposed to see Une?"
Segura started for the door. "They're together," he told Duo absently, and twitched his chin at Trowa to get moving.
Killer pressed against Duo's hip when they walked in last, hurt forgotten in favor of worry and confused suspicion. Duo rested a hand on his withers all the way to the elevator.
They had to break into pairs to ride up; Coyote hung back, letting the bitches pass him. When the doors closed Duo stared at Trowa for a second and then went, "Okay, I'm taking the stairs, coming?" because damned if he had to stand around in awkward silence around any more people today.
Trowa sighed long and obvious, a faint, indulgent smile on his face, like Duo was being a weirdo but that was expected. "Only one floor, Coyote is still limping."
Duo winced. "Oh, right. Never mind then." He patted Coyote's head as the wolf looked up at him. He wasn't holding his leg off the floor, but he wasn't putting his full weight on it either.
"He can deal with light exercise, but it's your itchy legs."
"... Nah."
Silence. Bleah. Trowa crossed his arms casually and leaned a shoulder against the wall to wait. Duo imitated him, less casual and more defensive. He supposed he could just not say anything at all, he didn't have to discuss what had just happened, but it made his nerves raw. Topic, topic...
"... So. Heero."
"Hm?"
"Why's he here, in the end? Did he tell you anything?"
Trowa huffed out a silent, breathy laugh, lips barely quirking. "That he was here to get into Preventers."
"Oh, come on!" Duo pushed away from the wall, hands thrown in the air. "This is Heero Yuy we're talking about! The quintessential lone wolf, mister The Government Failed Imma Take It Into My Own Hands, mister Hey The War's Over Might As Well Disappear Into The Void! Joining an official organization?!"
"Mmh."
Duo narrowed his eyes at a placid, unmovable Trowa, and then gave up with a heavy sigh and slumped against the wall. "C'mon. There's no way there's no trick. What did he say?"
"I'm coming in to work with you tomorrow."
Duo blinked at the other man for a second before he realized Trowa was quoting, and then he groaned. "That's it?"
Trowa and Coyote inclined their heads and shifted to face him. Duo's brow quirked in confusion at that double-barreled look.
"Duo..."
Uh. "Yeah?"
"Elevator's here."
"Oh my god, I hate you so much."
Coyote lolled his tongue at him. Duo said not a damn thing when Killer decided to start chewing on his ear.
The trip upstairs passed in silence, though at least now Duo felt somewhat less awkward. It'd probably change again the second he had to look Heero in the eye...
Which wasn't going to be any time soon, because when they walked into Une's office they found her standing behind her desk, watching tense and quiet as Mary and Folha stared each other down.
Duo took in the room in a glance from the door. The two she-wolves were still, heads pointed forward, tails held in a straight line with their backs, or maybe a little above it, even. Mary's ruff looked a little bristly. Segura and Bazooka hunkered off to the side, Bazooka giving anxious looks back and forth.
Folha still looked like a stiff breeze would topple her over. With Mary's solid body as a foil she seemed even frailer, ribs almost apparent under the thinning, grizzled coat.
Duo barely had time to worry for her before her mind touched his.
It was so much more than a scent, it was... The flavor of her mind, the weight of her experience, the piercing strength of her will. The lather of a tired horse and its well-used tack permeated it all, but it was such a small part of it.
She filled the room with her self. It wasn't to the overwhelming point where she filled his head as well, where she left him wobbly-legged and unsure where his limbs were like that first time, but it was...
Shh, quiet. Safe.
Only then Mary's own presence swelled like a wave -- the threads of scents in her name so much stronger, until he could identify the flavors of ice cream in that truck and melting on hot pavement, the brands of motorbikes trailing gas exhaust, almost the breeds of dogs that had marked those posts.
She touched Killer and asked him -- something without words. Something like "allies?" and something like "mine?"
Of course, was Killer's first reaction, a flash of thought, immediate. But Folha, Duo thought back, and Killer hesitated. Of course Mary, but why would they fight against Folha? She'd licked their heads.
He threw a quick assessing glance at the room. Coyote was hunkering down on the floor, slowly inching up at Mary's flank, unhappy but unhesitating. Trowa's face was empty, body stuck on factory default settings, but behind that he was thinking shit, shit, shit and under that, deeper, of course Heero/Mary, but, can't, shit. Fainter, farther away, there were Segura and Bazooka, Bazooka with her ears flat on her neck and ready to back Folha, trying to reach through to more of their pack though Segura tried to block her cold, no they're all going to be rushing here/blood frenzy/can't have that.
Of Heero there was not a trace. He stood there at his wolf's side and his eyes were lowered onto Folha, almost pensive, and there was no trace of him in the pack mind that Duo could get at.
"Hey, Mary," Duo said, and cleared his throat because it was dry. "Mary, good girl," he said, and thought you can't--, and lost his train of thought, lost all thoughts for a brief instant.
The two queen wolves didn't jump on each other physically, but their psychic presences swelled and crashed onto each other like two tsunamis.
Duo realized once he could breathe again that his hand was fisted in Killer's ruff, that his knees were locked, that Segura had gone down on one knee.
Mary's presence receded faster, farther, and then it was only Folha.
Bumbling puppy, she thought, steps on her pack. At a nudge from her brother Duo felt her stretch out again, casually, reach out to wolves Duo wasn't even sure he'd ever met that he was getting echoes of presence from, all is good, danger/fight is over, good cub, stay.
Mary sat on her rump and watched her with her big yellow head tilted a little. Folha's attention returned to the room with a blink of both her eyes, turned so that both the blind one and the sighted were aimed at Mary.
With a little sigh, Mary got back on her feet. She stepped forward, leaving Heero and Coyote behind, and very politely licked Folha's white chin.
For now, was the sense Duo got. He groaned. "Aw, no, honey, you're still gonna fight her?"
Mary blinked up at him. Her eyes were a dark, cool brown.
Yes? Cubs first, she told him. Then fighting.
Duo spluttered. "What the f -- cubs?!"
Heero's shoulders tightened. Duo fell silent, mouth open, staring at the back of his head.
"With that sorted out, gentlemen...?"
Une was almost in front of him. Duo still borderline jumped at being reminded that there was someone in the room who wasn't -- and wasn't supposed to have been -- in the pack mind.
She nodded to Rosca, who nodded back, and he and Folha walked sedately to the door. Duo sidestepped hurriedly to let them through. Rosca sketched a salute as he passed the door, eyes briefly glinting at Duo as he turned -- you won't get out of hanging out at the bar with me so easily, young man! -- and then they were gone.
Trowa exhaled slowly through his nose, and pushed the door closed. Coyote shook himself, went to nose at Mary's throat and jaw. Killer still looked flabbergasted -- kinda like Duo himself, actually.
"Was it necessary to introduce them so early?" Trowa asked, proper and bland enough that Duo could tell he was a bit angry underneath, for not having been told.
Coyote would have known, and then Mary would have known, Segura told him, patting at his sister's flank without looking up. Couldn't know too early -- get there spoiling for a fight.
"Was it necessary to introduce them in small committee, in a restricted area where the rest of the pack couldn't rush in to chase off the intruder, or spark another dozen side-fights from all that excitement?" Une said pointedly.
Duo winced thinking of Killer let loose in a generalized brawl. There'd be dead wolves at the end of the day, no ifs, ands, or buts.
From the way Segura patted his sister's flank, Duo could tell he was aware that Bazooka -- brave, dependable Bazooka, pack enforcer, responsible beta -- would have been one of the first casualties.
Une wasn't done. "Before Yuysister here invaded any more of Folha's territory and tempted away any more of her packmates? Folha's body might be too old to act rashly anymore, but she's still a queen wolf. I've been told she has the temper."
A pause, and then her eyes turned to Heero, her tone gentled.
"One of them probably will die."
He made a little noise of weary assent, his shoulders still too stiff. Duo's hands twitched, clenched.
"I know."
Won't be me, Mary said with unthinking confidence. Strong-young-ready. She looked up at her human. But later, she finished reassuringly.
Duo wasn't too sure Heero was reassured, though who knew with him, but Duo himself sure as hell wasn't.
"Barton," Une said. "You're not exactly needed for the discussion. Yuy, Maxwell?"
Duo blinked. Oh hell, still a discussion to get through? Hadn't the Folha thing been enough? He sneaked Trowa a look. If he was going to be humiliated again he wasn't sure he wanted him there, but then again he'd want Heero here even less and it didn't look like the guy was budging. So.
"It'll save us having to tell him later on," Heero replied before Duo could make up his mind. With a sigh, Duo stepped forward to be side by side with Heero and nodded.
Heero was still staring ahead and not meeting his eyes or even acknowledging him much, which was really starting to chafe. Was he ashamed of knowing Duo or what? It was starting to borderline feel like it.
"Good. Sit down. Agent Segura, if you'll wait outside for a minute?"
Segura and Bazooka left. Duo dragged a chair closer. The wolves had already lost all tension; Mary was trying to bully Killer away from the water bowl. Duo was a little baffled waiting to see if she'd succeed; at the moment Killer was still stubbornly licking away at he water even as she put her shoulder to him and heaved. Coyote was watching, tail wagging lazily away.
Heero sat beside him, and Trowa a little back to the side, and then Duo was done making himself sick with waiting. "Okay, so what the hell is even going on? Heero? Cubs? What?"
He turned in his chair to stare accusingly. Heero's bushy eyebrows went down in a frown, but then his eyes slid away again and that was so wrong Duo felt thrown, rattled.
Une sighed. "Should I explain--"
"No," Heero said, curt and steely, and the muscles in his jaw shifted. He looked at Duo then, and at Trowa over his shoulder before he went back to Duo. "Mary wants a litter and a pack."
"Oh." Duo blinked. "Guess it's hard to have the first without the second."
Huh.
"So you're -- hey, that's why I'm here too! Okay, not the puppies but Killer was miserable without a pack. Only he didn't notice, cause he didn't know better, but yeah." He dared a smile. "I guess the missions won't hurt either, when I finally get to go."
Heero stared at his face as if he was trying to read his mind -- which he could have, but Duo didn't feel him reaching with the pack mind. He still felt oddly distant, isolated. Duo wondered if he'd had special training to resist wolf brain-fuckery. Why not; seemed like he'd had training for everything else. After that waking-up-while-keeping-the-EEG-readings-to-say-unconscious stunt, Duo wouldn't be too surprised.
Duo wasn't sure what Heero found on his face, but he sighed minutely and his shoulders -- relaxed or slumped, Duo couldn't tell which -- and he turned back to Une.
"Yes," she said. "About that."
Oh hell, no. Duo didn't know what she was about to say and he already knew he was going to fucking hate it.
"Duo," she said, startling him with the use of his first name. "It'll be best if you repeat the training course."
Duo started swearing.
"Huh, I'd never heard that one," Trowa said a minute or so later. Duo growled at him.
"It's Sweepers slang."
"Hm. Nice."
Blurgh. And now his anger was deflating like a soufflé. "I know we haven't been doing awesome," he tried, "but--"
"It's not a punishment, Maxwell." Une sighed at him, leaned forward to prop an elbow on her desk. "You might succeed alone if we let you try harder, yes, that's true. You might not. That was always a possibility."
Not one Duo had ever taken seriously! Duo Maxwell Killersbrother didn't fail at things, damn it.
"But Yuy will need -- will appreciate support. And I'm assured it'll go smoother for the both of you for reasons of pack dynamics; you're free to ask Agent Rosca or Agent Segura about it later, but the gist of it seems to be that both Mary and Killer will feel more secure with an ally right there and will not end up fighting quite so much."
"Seems more likely to end up as a pack within the pack," Duo grumped, arms crossed over his chest.
Une narrowed her eyes at him, half seriously. "Right now Killer is pretty much a one-man pack as it is, so what will change, really?"
"Our graduation date!"
"I'll manage," Heero said to Une suddenly. "Don't hold him back on my behalf."
... Fucking shit, now Duo felt like a heel for abandoning him. Poor guy probably hadn't been part of any more packs than Duo had been, and he didn't even have the benefit of human socialization to even start to compensate. He slumped in his chair. "Aaaugh. Okay! Fine! Twist my arm, why don't you. Okay, we'll repeat a year!"
Trowa coughed discreetly. "Training lasts two months, not twelve."
"Sure doesn't feel like it," Duo muttered under his breath. Trowa snorted at him.
Heero didn't do anything. Didn't snort -- Duo knew he had a sense of humor, as rudimentary as it was -- and didn't frown and didn't...
Thanks wisped through his mind, barely there; Duo could almost have imagined it. Sorry.
Oh.
I don't mind. He bit at the corner of his lip. Sorry for ranting. I was just venting.
Heero's hiking boot scuffed the floor as he shifted his legs; apart from that he didn't move. "Mnh."
"Uh huh," Duo agreed. Trowa blew air out of his nose like he was laughing at them.
"Very good," Une said, repressing a smile. What the hell was she even smiling at, the witch. "You won't have to quit right away, at any rate; Heero and Mary will join the current training class until the end of the session, and then the four of you will join the next. You'll be able to free up more time to deal with things. It'll make the process smoother."
Duo sighed and oozed a bit farther down in his seat. "We said yes already, no need to keep talking it up." Urgh. Lack of professionalism. He straightened up. "Sorry. But, yeah, if that was all?"
"Agent Segura will explain all the organizational details to you," Une said, and nodded. "Dismissed."
Duo was the first one out of her office, but Heero wasn't far behind at all.