"Remade and Remodeled "

Written By: Artemis

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters are copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties. I make no money with this fic.

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Alternate reality, hurt/comfort, angst

Pairings: 6x2

Summary: The challenge of an outlandish bet brings unforeseen consequences

"Remade and Remodeled "

Duo sat breathless, staring at Zechs. He’d swapped spit with plenty of people, but this time it felt like the heavens had opened and angels had sung. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with this, whatever this was, but there was something about Zechs that made Duo want to throw caution to the wind. He wanted to experience all the man had to offer—another world, another life, another way of making love. Whatever it took, Duo wanted to wrap his mind around this professional opportunity and wrap his body around Zechs.

“Now what?” Duo asked, hoping Zechs would offer him an afternoon of nooky.

“We keep our eyes on the prize.”

That didn’t sound like an invitation to play, but Duo failed to be disappointed. He was in such awe of Zechs—his success and the way people went out of their way to please him—that he would take almost any direction from the man. Duo needed a guiding hand, but at the same time the idea of letting his creations be put on public display and open for criticism was a highly motivating force to remember his independent nature.

“Right… the prize,” Duo said, gently removing his hand from Zechs’s.

It was no more apparent than in this moment that Zechs was a consummate businessman. They had just shared a delicious and promising kiss, but he seemed quite capable of not letting it get in the way of their business deal. It was going to be tough to strike a balance between business and pleasure when all Duo wanted to do right now was kiss the hell out of that man! But this was the chance of a lifetime, and Duo needed to follow Zechs’s lead… even if it was a bit erratic.

In his best attempt at sounding businesslike, Duo said, “I think I’ll spend the afternoon at the gallery.”

“Is something not to your liking?”

“No, no, it’s great, but I’d like to be more involved.” If I want to stand tall next you, Zechs, then I have to embrace this opportunity and be a player in my own success.

Zechs grinned, and Duo could see that he understood. Maybe they weren’t so different after all. Zechs got up from his chair, grabbing his coat and looking on Duo with a gleam in his eyes. “Corinne will do whatever you want.” He took a step to leave, and then turned back. “You know how to reach me if you need anything. I’ll be in touch tomorrow… before the show.”

Duo smiled. It was a huge relief and triumph to have Zechs relinquish control and step away knowing Duo was in command. “Thanks.”

Later that night, when Duo and Corinne stood back to look at the show for the millionth time, they smiled in elation and relief. The gallery staff had been amicable and willing to do everything that Duo asked. They took down half the show and re-hung it to the artist’s specifications. It was a heady feeling to have a team behind you and waiting for your every command.

Now Duo needed to crash, but the prospect of biking home seemed daunting. He picked up the phone at the reception desk, and stood staring at it.

“You know you want to,” Corinne said, sidling up to him.

He blinked. His tired mind was slow to find her meaning. “I need a ride home.”

“Exactly. So why not call him?”

“You mean, Zechs? It’s after eleven. I’ll call a taxi.”

The gallery owner tossed her head back in a boisterous laugh. “If you insist, but I’ve never seen Zechs take such an emotional interest in a project before. I’ve seen him deal with a dozen clients with that cool, somewhat detached charm of his. But there’s nothing cool or detached about the way he’s been helping you.”

Duo put a finger to his lips remembering the kiss they had shared. Was that the “emotional interest” she was talking about? “Uh… I’d better not bother him. I’ll just bike it.”

Corinne frowned as Duo retrieved his bike from where it leaned against the wall near the gallery’s front door. “Hon, just call him.”

Duo raised his hand in a wave while opening the door for him and his bike. “See you tomorrow, Ms. Carmel!”

Thankfully the woman didn’t persist, and Duo breathed deeply of the cool night air as he stepped onto the sidewalk. The gallery district was quiet, having only a couple of restaurants that stayed open late. Duo was too tired to be biking home, but the solitude would be good after a day of working on his show. It had been exhilarating to see his art from the perspective of presenting it for maximum impact. The original layout by the gallery’s staff had been good, but Duo’s emotional connection to the pieces inspired a much more creative approach to presenting them. The long day had been productive, exhausting and fun, and more than ever he wanted the show to be a success, but not just for himself, but for all those involved.

Nearly a mile from the Epilogue Gallery, Duo turned onto a street known locally as “fast food alley.” The heavy, greasy scent in the air made him realize he hadn’t eaten since that piece of pound cake early in the day. He had been too caught up in his show to take one of the sandwiches brought in for supper. He would grab a burger and fries here before heading home, but first he’d give the “finger” to the car that had slowed and pulled up close to him.

“Watch it, dude!”

The tinted glass window eased down with the purr of electric. “Duo.”

Duo about slammed his bike into the pearl gray Mercedes. “Zechs! What are you doing here?”

“Giving you a ride… I’ll pull over.”

Damn that Corinne, Duo thought. He rode his bike onto the sidewalk and watched Zechs pull into a McDonald’s parking lot. All heads turned to gawk at the conspicuous show of wealth, the car fairly shimmered under the parking lot lights. Duo hopped off his bike and walked it over to meet up with Zechs.

“I am not sticking this bike in your nice car.”

“We’ll put it in the trunk,” Zechs said, popping it open with a beep of the key.

“It’s gonna gunk up your trunk.”

“Gunk… up? I realize my appearance is rather fastidious, but it’s only dirt, Duo, and I won’t be the one cleaning it up.” Zechs stepped toward the bike, but froze before laying a hand on it. “What’s this?”

Duo blinked, looking between Zechs and the bike. “Uh… my bike.”

“What happened to the new one I bought you?”

“Yeah, about that…” Duo cringed. Obviously, Zechs was the kind of guy who preferred new things. He could afford them, after all. But Duo had his reasons, and damn good ones, for not using the new bike in a traditional way. “It’s a surprise, so I’d rather not say.”

“A surprise?”

“Don’t you like surprises, Zechs?” Duo asked with a little laugh.

“Rarely.”

“Well, let’s hope this will be one of those rare occasions when you do like it.”

Zechs grinned, but said no more about it, seeming to accept that he’d have to be patient for an answer just this one time. He and Duo lifted the bike into the trunk, well, mostly Duo guided the bike while Zechs handled it with ease.

It was no surprise that the trunk would not close, but Duo had the solution. The pack on his bike included a small wrench, wire tweezers and bungee cords. It felt painfully awkward to be doing this to Zechs’s beautiful and uber-expensive car, but Zechs seemed determined to go through with it.

At last they were done, and it was at that moment Duo’s stomach decided to growl. “I was gonna grab a burger.”

“Did you have any place in mind?” Zechs asked, as if they were not standing in the parking lot of the most famous burger joint in the world.

“Here, actually.” Duo pointed to the Golden Arches.

“Oh. I’ll wait right here.”

Duo snickered. “Okay.” He headed across the parking lot, and several strides away pivoted on his heel to ask, “Want anything?”

“No, thank you.”

It wasn’t a surprise that Zechs passed on the fast food, but Duo had asked out of politeness. Getting Zechs to eat at a local diner was one thing, but at a McDonald’s… he couldn’t imagine the day that would happen.

In a matter of minutes he was back at the luminescent gray car. The passenger door clicked with the lock disengaging. He opened it and poked his head inside. “I’m sure you don’t want me smelling up this beauty with greasy fries.”

“It’s all right, Duo. Do you really think I’m that uptight?”

“Sort of, I guess,” Duo said, laughing as he got inside. The black leather seat was smooth under his bottom. He nearly purred from the way it formed to his body.

“You worked late at the gallery,” Zechs was saying as he started the car. “Did you get everything done you wanted to?”

“Yep, the show looks great… for a first timer.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“Did Corinne call you? Because I didn’t want to bother you this late,” Duo said, holding the fast food bag on his lap.

Zechs chuckled. “It’s fine. Your opening is tomorrow night and it wouldn’t do to have the star coming down sick or getting into another traffic accident.”

“And after tomorrow night will all of you still be as concerned and attentive?” He was beginning to like Zechs being around, but he couldn’t help but wonder how long their association would last.

“After tomorrow night, you’ll have any number of agents and publicity firms wanting to represent you and your work.”

“Not if the show’s a flop. You gonna stick around then?”

Zechs tapped the steering wheel with his index finger, a gesture that seemed at once thoughtful and impatient. “I am a man of my word, Duo. And I said that I would make you a star. If that means that the opening is only one of a series of events and appearances to make that happen, then yes, I’ll be sticking around.”

That was not the answer that Duo wanted. Were they back to this being only a business transaction? It had started that way, but hadn’t they agreed that something more was happening between them? Like that kiss at the café, surely Zechs didn’t kiss all his clients. Or did he?

Duo reached into his paper bag and pulled out a handful of fries, munching on them as he focused on the road. “If you take a left at the next light,” he said while chewing, “It runs on a diagonal and will take us over to Columbus Drive.”

Zechs nodded, but had grown very quiet. He was the kind of man you didn’t cross and if the rules were not in his favor then he’d change them. He emanated that kind of power.

By the time they arrived on Duo’s street, he had decided to make a quick exit. There were plenty of good reasons to call it a night, but the one that loomed large in his mind was that he still didn’t have a clue what made Zechs Merquise tick. Sure they’d only known each other for ten days, but Duo had met people that he’d had an instant and easy rapport with only moments after making their acquaintance. Despite his unstoppable attraction to Zechs, the guy defied definition. Every time Duo thought he’d figured him out, Zechs threw him a curve ball.

Superficially, Zechs was like those Metrosexuals that Hilde had told Duo about—men who were masculine and straight, but liked to look really good and be seen at all the right places. Then there was the side of Zechs that could be talked into eating at a diner or shoving a beat-up old bike into his trunk. If only there was a way to get the combination to Zechs’s internal safe then Duo would have access to all these answers and more.

Curbside, in front of Duo’s apartment, Zechs put the car in park, but left the engine running. He turned in the driver’s seat to face his passenger, and laid his arm across the back of Duo’s seat.

“Thanks for the ride,” Duo said as he reached for the door handle. When the door wouldn’t open, he laughed nervously and looked back at Zechs. The man’s face and hair was illuminated by the blue dashboard lights, giving him an ethereal glow.

“I don’t want you leaving… just yet,” Zechs said in that now familiar sultry tone of his.

“Oh?” Duo’s voice squeaked.

“I know you’re nervous about the opening, as anyone would be, but you have no reason to be nervous about me.”

“Who said anything---?”

Zechs leaned forward, placing a finger on Duo’s lips. “Don’t be nervous, Duo.” He drew closer until his lips were at Duo’s ear. “I’ll make your wishes come true… all of them.” Zechs licked Duo’s ear sending an intense shiver through the young man’s body.

“H-how do you know… what I want?” Duo turned so that they were facing each other, their noses just an inch apart. He felt warm being this close to Zechs, warm from his face to his groin and back again.

“I just do.”

“Then what do I want right now?”

Zechs grinned. “This…” He took Duo’s face in his hands, searching his eyes before diving in to capture his lips in a searing kiss.

Duo’s breath caught as their lips connected more fiercely than before. He opened his mouth to Zechs’s tongue, and his heartbeat soared as they explored each other in this new way. Zechs’s hands remained on Duo’s face, caressing his cheeks with his thumbs and smoothing Duo’s hair back from his face. The movements were attentive and gentle in contrast to the urgent kiss that Duo wanted to go on and on.

He moaned and reached for Zechs blindly, one hand settling on a thigh and the other fisted in the man’s coat. Feeling the hard muscle beneath his hand, his body surged with another wave of desire. He pushed Zechs back into the driver’s seat, kissing him hard as he made it clear this was exactly what he wanted.

He felt Zechs’s smile in his kiss, felt the man’s hands slide from his face and over his shoulders and taking a firm grip on his biceps. The car rocked gently on its shocks as they re-positioned. Duo was kneeling on the passenger’s seat, leaning over the gear shift, the McDonald’s bag tumbled to the floor. His hands were on Zechs’s shoulders now as he kissed him again and again, moaning at the wet kisses and the delicious need coiling in his groin.

“Zechs…” His voice was rough with want. “Come upstairs.”

Zechs groaned deeply, pulling Duo to him for another concentrated kiss. “I want to.” He nipped Duo’s lip and then trailed moist lips across Duo’s cheeks. “You have no idea how much I want to.”

“Then come on,” Duo said, giving Zechs’s earlobe a quick bite before sitting back on his legs.

Zechs nodded, and smoothed the collar of his shirt before turning the engine off. They got out of the car, immediately going around to the trunk to retrieve the bike. Duo’s hands worked quickly to release the bungee cords. The trunk popped open fully, and he watched as Zechs leaned in for the bike.

The street light cast everything in a strange artificial glow, but Duo saw the shadow of a bulge in Zechs’s pants when his coat opened as he stretched to take hold of the bike. He set the bike on the ground and closed the trunk. Duo took it by the handle bars, scrunching the McDonald’s bag in his hand, and rolled the bike onto the curb. When he turned to Zechs, the man was still standing in the street.

“You worried about leaving your car here?”

“No… There’s something I need to care of.”

Duo cocked his head. “Huh? Oh… protection! Good thinking, but I’ve got a box of…” He lowered his voice, “Condoms.” Then speaking in a normal tone again, “I got them when Hilde and I were dating. Not that we ever used them! Things never progressed that far.” He laughed, embarrassed to have shared that.

The expression on Zechs’s face had gone from determined and slightly flushed to something akin to worry. “It’s not that,” Zechs said, softly. He stepped onto the parkway to stand in front of Duo, placing his hands on the young man’s upper arms. “We should wait… until after the opening.”

Duo gaped at the taller man. “What?” His heart was slamming against his chest with each beat as his mind reeled to catch up with this new development. “Talk about mixed signals! I must look like an idiot right now.”

“No, Duo,” Zechs said, squeezing his arms. “I want you in every way.”

“Then why are you putting on the brakes?” It occurred to him that maybe he’d played it a bit too forward. Zechs was the kind of guy who liked to be in control. Maybe what Duo had done had actually turned him off. “I don’t get you, man.”

“You will, I promise,” Zechs said with the hint of a feral grin. “I want things to work out for you and me, but I need to make sure everything’s perfect.”

Duo shook his head. He’d never felt this powerfully attracted to someone before, and now he was going to be left hanging… with a boner. Of all the things he’d surmised about Zechs, he’d never thought to add “tease” to the list.

“I gotta go,” Duo said, sighing in frustration.

“Believe me,” Zechs said, holding Duo in place. “This is just as difficult for me.”

Duo’s eyes immediately looked down to see the evidence of that difficulty, but it was hidden inside Zechs’s coat. But it had been there and just as interested as Duo’s still felt.

With another sigh, Duo nodded. He didn’t like this mysterious change in direction, but Zechs’s words seemed sincere. “I guess it’s goodnight then.”

“Yes, goodnight, Duo.” Zechs bent down and placed a lush kiss on Duo’s lips, seeming not to care about any prying eyes.

Duo licked his lips when the kiss ended, wanting more than just a taste of this man. He smiled bravely, even as his heart ached in confusion.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Zechs said, releasing his hold on Duo’s arms.

“Sounds good.”

Duo turned away with his bike in tow, not wanting to look back and watch his lover—scratch that—his promoter and benefactor drive away. It was hard not to feel rejected on some level, but he was more confused than anything. Zechs had been moving in on him for some time now, perhaps from the very start. Hell, Duo had awoken in a guest room in the man’s house wearing only his skivvies!

When they’d kissed just now, over and over, sucking the very breath out of each other with their need, Zechs had to be feeling it, too. Not just the physical, but a deeper connection like a door opening in your chest to reveal your true self. For the first time in years, Duo wanted to share his most personal thoughts with someone. He had hoped to begin that journey tonight with Zechs. Take the man up to his apartment, and not giving a damn that it wasn’t the Ritz. He would’ve opened himself to Zechs, body and soul, melding to the man… unafraid. That was his fantasy, but it was a long ways from his reality.

At the top of the landing, after carrying the bike up two flights of stairs, Duo leaned against the wall. He hesitated to go inside his apartment, knowing in his heart that Zechs should be standing here with him.

“I gotta believe that he wants this, too.”

Chapter 11

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