Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing so din't sue me for making them do my twisted bidding, please?
Warnings: OOC,
Preventers
Thankfully I woke first the next day. I knew that Heero would probably not figure out my little night time habit, but I was still a little paranoid. Hey, I'm in love, bite me. I showered, washed my hair, dried my hair, brushed my hair, braided my hair, dressed and finished breakfast all before Heero even opened his eyes. Now this was strange, Heero was always up before me. When we used to share dorm rooms back during the war it was always the sound of Heero slamming the door as he left that woke me up. So it felt kind of nice to be able to do the same to him.
"Wake up!" I said slamming the door to the living room, hardly able to keep the smile off my face as Heero leapt from the couch like he was being shot at or something, only wearing his boxers nonetheless, "oh good you're up already."
"What time is it?" he asked me gruffly, picking up his clothes sack and rummaging through it.
"Eight thirty," I answered, "We don't have to be in till nine thirty though, Une told me that we should come in after the rush to get you all signed up and I've got nothing important on."
"Hn," Heero nodded pulling out some jeans and a shirt.
I took one look at the clothes and had to use a lot of willpower not to slap my forehead with resignation. Sometimes this guy was just too much…
"You're wearing that?" I asked, opting for just leaning against the wall instead of pummelling my head off of it.
"Why not?" he asked looking at me with a semi-glare.
"Well, even though she's not as bad as she used to be, she's still Lady Une y'know; and I think you might want to wear something a little more formal than jeans to a job interview."
He stuffed his jeans back in his bag and muttered, "I don't have anything formal."
"Well hey, borrow something of mine," I said shrugging.
"Duo," he said sighing, his lips twitching slightly in what could have been regarded a smile on anyone else but Heero Yuy, "you're much shorter than me."
"Not that much shorter!" I retorted, pulling myself up to my full height, "and our legs are about the same length."
"Okay, okay," Heero said walking towards me and shoving me down off my toes, the smallest of laughs escaping his lips, "what do you have?"
I was, how so I put it, a little stunned. I would never have thought I would see Heero laugh at something so trivial, especially something I had done! I mean, all the times I had tried to shift that stubborn stoic look from his face during the war, failing miserably, and now it was as easy as look at him with mock indignance and he would break out in a laugh. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions when I say he hasn't changed because there is definitely something different about him...
-That smile- I thought dreamily as I dug through my drawers to find something suitable, but my slight smile faded as I remembered back further -but yesterday, that look in his eyes…-
…even if the change wasn't all for the best.
"If you would take a seat over there please, I'll let Commander Une know that you are here," the receptionist smiled as she pointed to a cluster of seats at the far end of the room.
"Sure, thanks," I said giving her a wink.
Heero was already sitting down when I turned round, staring around him at the pictures on the walls, the Preventer agents as they walked through the corridors, chatting, arguing, generally going about their business.
"You alright?" I asked him as I took the seat to his right.
"I'm fine," he answered with a nod, hesitating a little before adding "it's just a little new."
"You get used to the smell don't worry," I grinned, but failed to make him smile this time.
"No, that's not what I meant," he said shaking his head, "I mean, I've never really worked for a company before. In a way we were a team, the Gundam's, we were a team, but this…feels different."
"Yeah, I guess you're right, it's not the same," I sighed, not wanting him to feel out of place, "but it's just as good. It might seem odd at first but you'll see that it really is the same sort of team as we Gundam's were once, just, well, bigger! You'll have to wait and see who you get paired up with for a partner, too."
"I won't be with you?" he asked, seeming a little annoyed.
-I should be so lucky…-.
"Nah, I've already got a partner," I said as nonchalantly as I could, he was saying more right then than he'd said since I'd met him and I didn't want to jolt him out of it "I'm with Wufei, room 307. You'll be fine though, everyone gets along…if you let your partner get along with you that is."
"Hn," Heero grunted, slipping out of his chatty mood right back into his usual routine.
Darn.
"Whoever they are they'll be getting used to that phrase very soon," I grinned.
"Mr.Maxwell, Mr.Yuy?" the receptionists voice floated over, "Commander Une will see you now."
"Thanks," I said as we walked into the lush office, giving the receptionist another cheerful wink. So I'm a flirt, I can't help it!
Commander Une was walled up behind the tonnes of files that littered themselves across her desk. She looked tired, much more than usual, but she still kept up her façade of steel. I kind of admired her for what she was capable of, but what she had done in the past made it hard for me to like her. I kept my smile, however, as I walked up to stand in front of her desk with Heero silent at my side.
"Heero Yuy," she said looking at him, her business tone setting in, "it's good to see you are alright after your sudden disappearance, we could only fear the worst."
"Really?" Heero said in his usual monotone. I nudged him in the shin out of the view of Une, "thank you."
"If you wish to join us there are some forms that need filling out, some tests that need to be run…"
"Tests?" Heero interrupted, looking a little dubious.
"Just a routine check up, psyc test," Une waved her hand casually.
"You think I'm not up to it?" Heero cocked his head, "guess I'll just have to prove you wrong."
"Heh," I said scratching the back of my head and giving Une an uncertain look, "you do that buddy. So, who's the lucky partner for Mr. Yuy here?"
"Right, well," Une said with a frown, obviously as thrown by Heero's random statement as I was, "I haven't quite gotten round to that since you're not even in the database yet. I have no reason to believe you will not pass the entrance tests and I have already had all the necessary background checks run and everything checks out. So all I can say now is, welcome to the Preventers."
Une extended her hand, and for a moment I thought I was going to have to kick Heero under the table again to make him take it. Thankfully Heero extended his own hand and shook Une's, even if only briefly.
"Fine," she said smiling, "if you would take him to the examination room Duo, then could you find Wufei and come straight back, I have something that needs taking care of."
"Sure," I smiled while leading Heero to the door, "be right back."
As we walked along the whitewashed corridors I felt a little uneasy. Heero's comment hadn't been that out of character, but still he was acting a little strange. I guessed his cockiness was just a mechanism to stop him from shutting up tight and speaking in grunts. He liked Une as much as I did, but even then it was unlike Heero to give anyone special treatment, especially an ex-enemy.
"What was all that about?" I asked more out of curiosity than concern.
"What?" Heero said innocently as he walked at my side, his feet in step with my own.
"Hey, don't play dumb with me," I grinned, "I know she's not your favourite person, but she's your new boss. No need to get cocky."
"Hn," Heero looked away dismissively, "I just don't like tests."
"Ohhh, a weakness huh! Didn't know you had any of those."
"Baka," Heero shook his head and sighed, "this it?"
"Yup," I said stopping outside a large red door and typing in a pass code on the lock, "I'll come and meet you after if you want."
Heero nodded to me and then walked through the door. I knew I shouldn't have said it but I couldn't help but call out:
"Have fun!"
And then run away. His reply of "Baka" was cut short as the door slammed shut. I knew he'd forget about it by the end of the day, either that or I'd pay for it later on.
I found Wufei in the canteen, a large bowl of miso soup steaming enticingly in front of him.
"Sorry partner," I grinned as he jumped, scowling at me for sneaking up on him, "but Une wants to talk to us, sounds urgent."
"Can't it wait?" Wufei snapped taking a large spoonful of his soup and sighing as it rolled down his throat.
"I guess," I shrugged, "but I'm not dealing with your ranting when she fires your sorry ass. I'll be in the waiting room, just don't be long 'kay?"
"Fine," Wufei said eating his soup in double fast time, not spilling a drop; he stopped however to add, "Hey Maxwell!"
"Huh?" I said stopping in my tracks and turning back.
"Who was that you came in with? The dark haired guy?"
"Oh yeah! I forgot you didn't know," I said with a smile, "Heero's back."
Most things don't bother me. I'm very good at masking my emotions. Call it a talent, call it a deficiency, call it what you like but it's helped me through the hardest times in my life and I wasn't planning on it letting me down now.
"If you would just hold this in your mouth and peddle as fast as you can on the bike," the doctor drawled as I straddled the training bike, wires dripping off me like tentacles.
I did as she asked and let my mind wonder as my legs pumped monotonously around and around. I wonder if she'll see through it during the psychological analysis. I wasn't even prepared to think about my own feelings, never mind discuss them with a complete stranger. I just hoped I didn't have a stupid episode, that I could keep it under control. I ignored the wide eyes of the doctor as I skipped off the bike letting the respiratory analyser swing dejectedly from the handle bars.
"Next?" I asked flatly.
"Um…well, let's…see," she stuttered, "treadmill."
Same routine as always, same conclusion as always. Better than best, better than human and consequently…not human. That's all I can reason from that sort of statement. It doesn't bother me any more. I expect it.
"Well," the doctor's voice cut through my thoughts, "I don't think I need any more convincing about your physical capabilities Mr. Yuy. You know, I've never quite seen anything so remarkable…"
"Save it," I said flatly trying not to let my tone slip into a growl.
She started at my glare and hurriedly ushered me into a small room for the psyc test. Again it was routine, the same questions, the same unemotional responses, god I was bored. I wondered what Une had been so desperate to speak to Duo and Wufei about? I wonder who I'd be paired off with? Oh well, never mind, in the end it doesn't really matter.
"Well, everything seems to check out Mr. Yuy, you've passed with flying colours," the doctor beamed at me, "well done."
-Go and flush your head down a toilet, - I felt like saying, but I would never say anything like that, so instead I said "Hn" and nodded. She told me that she would contact Une but that I should go and see her with these results. She handed them to me telling me I could look at them if I liked, as if she had any power over what I did. I walked out with the wad of paper in my hand. I didn't even bother to look through them; I already knew what it said.
-Extra ordinary physical abilities and stamina. Lacks out going personality, rather introverted but psychologically stable.-
I must be predictable if I was second guessing myself. I leaned up against the wall and waited for Duo. I didn't want to go back to see Une on my own, in case something went wrong. I didn't have to wait long.
"So, how'd it go?" Duo asked cheerfully as he and Wufei walked up to me.
"The usual," I shrugged, nodding toward the Chinese pilot I added, "Wufei."
"Yuy," Wufei nodded back, "where have you been hiding."
"No where of interest," I replied shrugging my shoulders, "why does everybody care so much?"
"Well you've only been gone for two years I suppose," Duo said sarcastically flicking his bangs out of his eyes, "they need to go to Une?"
"Hai," I nodded looking down at the papers in my hand.
"Can I look?" Duo grinned mischievously.
"Oh right, because I would do that wouldn't I, let you see the inside of my head?" I said trying not to smile and failing. What can I say, Duo's infectious.
"The inside of "Omae-O-Korosu Yuy's" head huh? Sounds scary," Duo chuckled falling into step at my side, Wufei walking on the other side of Duo, "I guess I don't want to know."
"So you've signed up with us, Yuy," I heard Wufei state from behind Duo, "why? I would have thought you would bee the last person I'd see donning a Preventers uniform after your disappearance."
"Why is everyone underestimating me today?" I sighed turning my head to look into Wufei's dark eyes, "Why do you care anyway? Doesn't it fit in with your ideals of justice?"
"What do you mean by that?" Wufei snapped, looking away.
"That I would end up defending the world I helped create, -even though I can hardly stand to be here in this silence-."
"Hey, not on your own, we helped to y'know," Duo said hitting my arm before placing both his hands behind his head and pouting.
Wufei snorted. We walked the rest of the way to Une's office in silence. Great.
AN: Heh heh, I have always seen Duo as the type of person who would have as much of a lie-in in the morning as possible! A man after my own heart ^-^ ! But yeah, uhhh, more scary Heero outbreaks to come! Please R&R!