"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 "

Zechs felt like a heel.

It was obvious Duo wanted him, but to leave him ready for the taking and with confusion in his eyes was not Zechs’s style. It would have been easy to rush up the stairs and pin Duo to that mattress on the floor of his bedroom. Pin him and fuck him hard, making Duo his completely. But Zechs’s standard operating procedure no longer applied.

Duo was not like the others—the string of past lovers—in any shape or form. He didn’t fall into any neat category as a new client or new love interest. Everything about him made Zechs re-think his modus operandi. For starters, Duo had not approached Zechs for personal gain. If anything, he had rejected Zechs, resisted him to the point of keeping Zechs awake at night wondering if he’d lost his touch. Apparently, he had not, because Duo seemed prepared to straddle him in the Mercedes.

Despite Duo’s blushing enthusiasm, Zechs knew inexperience when he saw it. Delicious inexperience coupled with a brash self-confidence that made Zechs’s head spin. He wanted to spin with Duo, spiraling downward together in a tangle of limbs and not come up for air until absolutely necessary. That was his dream, but Zechs’s pragmatism was guiding him to put his house in order before he took another step. He could say, honestly, that this was the first time in his life that he cared enough for someone that hurting them was not an option.

Unfortunately, hurting Duo seemed inevitable in the long shadow of the bet. Zechs would work around that somehow, and come out the victor in more ways than one. He would win the bet and Duo.

He reached for his cell phone and dialed Angela Barat. The lateness of the hour wouldn’t matter. She had always been far too accommodating, but tonight he was grateful for that flaw. He would end things with her like he should have the night of Treize’s party. With her out of the picture, he could move forward with Duo with less guilt. To be guilt-free would take a miracle by the hand of God.

He prayed that hand was not manipulated by his old friend and mentor, Treize Khushrenada.

~ ~ ~

Duo rinsed his mouth and spit into the bathroom sink. The limo would be here in just a few minutes to take him to the opening. The butterflies in his stomach were still fluttering like mad, having woken him in the middle of the night. He had gotten up and worked, using the nervous energy to tweak a final piece before the gallery picked it up for the show.

He didn’t like the tired reflection of himself in the rectangular mirror over the sink. The light above cast a hard shadow on his face, making the circles under his eyes more pronounced. This was the most haggard he had looked since his street days, but he supposed once the show was over he could sleep the weekend away. Though he had no idea how his life might change after tonight. Zechs kept telling him it would and for the better, and maybe that was one more reason he was attracted to the man. Zechs dreamed big.

They had spoken only once that day. Zechs had been at work, and was interrupted twice by his assistant. When it came time to end the call his tone had softened. He seemed suddenly aware of Duo’s need for reassurance and gave the young man his full attention, sounding wistful and encouraging about the evening to come.

Every step Duo was taking was new territory, and yet Zechs vacillated between understanding and seeming too preoccupied to care. After the phone call, Duo started second guessing everything he had done in recent days. From things he had said to the way he had mixed pigments to get the right shade of green. Odds were that the errors would be revealed tonight. Dozens of critical eyes would be on him and his art. All eager to point out that he didn’t deserve his own show.

“I’m not even sure if I’m good enough,” he said as he wandered into the living room.

In fact, he was quite enamored with his creations to the point of being hesitant to part with them. But placing them on the world stage—going toe-to-toe so to speak—with the likes of Charlie Brennan and Emma Frye gave him heart palpitations. And not the good kind he had felt when he and Zechs had kissed.

Now he wondered if he’d dreamt the whole thing. The kiss part, because it had been entirely too brief in relation to the time he had spent with Zechs and preparing for the show. It was funny how the scene that kept replaying in his head, most often, wasn’t the one in the car, but the two of them standing on the parkway. Zechs had held Duo’s arms so securely that he thought the man had left indentations in them.

He wanted to believe Zechs’s promise that they would be together—if only for one night. That desire was tainted with danger, but risk was nothing new to Duo. His life had been reckless and his actions had gotten him in trouble with the law. But when it came to people his natural instinct was to be cautious. The Schbeikers were the exception to the rule; everyone before them had let him down. Even Lieutenant Po had not swayed Duo into complete obedience. He chaffed at her guidance no matter how motherly her tone. Then Zechs Merquise came strolling into his life. Hell, more like strutting, and Duo had had an instant, almost dizzying need to forget every rule of survival he had created for himself. Zechs had a way of diffusing Duo’s defenses, making him all too eager to accept compliments from a man he barely knew.

Despite the rampant change in his life, Duo was managing to stay true to himself. His art hadn’t changed, merely grown, and his clothes hadn’t changed. Even with Zechs giving him money to buy a designer suit and shoes for the opening, Duo had spent only fifty dollars on a vintage U.S. Army “Eisenhower” jacket and black tuxedo pants. The Goodwill shop uptown had some damn good deals and the occasional cast-off designer label. The pants weren’t designer, but were in perfect condition and had the added touch of black silk trim running down each leg. Underneath the green Army jacket he wore a black tee-shirt with a Peace symbol screened in gray. He tucked the tuxedo pants into black combat boots and felt about as dressed up as he had ever been.

The door buzzed and he about jumped out of his skin. He jogged over to respond. “Yep?”

“Mr. Maxwell?”

“Uh, that’s me.”

“This is your limo driver, Carl.”

“I’ll be down in a sec.”

He tried to sound cool like this was an everyday occurrence, but he almost couldn’t wait for the night to be over. Maybe that was why he had asked Hilde to be his “date” so he would have a friendly face in his corner. Regardless of his apprehension, he couldn’t stop himself from peeking out the window to see the black stretch limo taking up half of the street. He hoped like hell that his neighbors were watching… and drooling.

He glanced around his apartment before heading out the door. Carl was waiting beside the limo and opened the door for him.

“Thanks. Hey, did they let you know we need to pick up a friend of mine before we head to the gallery?”

“Yes, Miss Schbeiker?”

“Right.”

Initially Duo had been disappointed that Zechs hadn’t offered to take him to the opening, but now he realized the limo was a nice touch. Maybe it was Zechs’s way of giving him a taste of things to come.

The limousine was large enough to seat eight, making Duo quite small all by his lonesome. He sat backwards, behind the driver, not comfortable being chauffeured by a fellow working man.

“There’s champagne on ice,” Carl said with a nod over his shoulder. “Compliments of Mr. Merquise.”

“Zechs sure is confident about how things are gonna go tonight.”

“Do you have that address for me, sir?”

“Yeah, Hilde lives at 550 Willow Lane. It’s just off Central.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Hilde was living with her mother again in the house she had grown up in. It was in a nice neighborhood with old trees, manicured lawns, and pretty potted flowers. Nothing fancy like where Zechs and the super rich lived up in the hills, but the kind of place a lot of folks wanted to raise their kids.

Duo had lived here for about a year in high school, after his stepfather had walked out on him. Then he did a stupid thing and moved out, thinking he was some kind of a burden to the Schbeiker’s. Somehow he managed to get his high school diploma while supporting himself on the cash he got from stolen goods. Those days were so close in the past that he could feel them nipping at his heels, trying to draw him back to the streets. Zechs had no idea how Duo’s fingers twitched every time he opened his wallet.

At the Schbeiker’s, Duo went up to the front door and rang the doorbell.

Hilde’s mother, Wanda, answered the door with a bright smile. “Duo, it’s been far too long. I missed you by about ten minutes the other night.”

She opened the door wide and her arms wider. Duo slid into her hug easily, aching a little at the memories of home.

“You look very handsome tonight. Hilde’s been telling me about your gallery show.”

“Thanks Mrs. Schbeiker. I’m not sure how much of a break it’ll be… or if Hilde approves.”

“Then you’re brave for taking her along.” Wanda laughed.

“Well, it wouldn’t be the same without her.”

“Oh, you’re as sweet as ever.” Wanda turned and looked up the stairs. “Hilde, don’t keep Duo waiting, dear!”

When his friend came down the stairs, he was shocked by how perfectly the dress fitted her curves. She had showed it to him the other night, but only on the hanger. The black knee-length halter dress made her look grown-up without adding any years beyond her teens. He liked the playful choice of black satin ballerina slippers and a pink cashmere sweater placed lightly across her shoulders. Seeing her like this with hints of sophistication made him wish that he had been able to make her happy the way she had wanted him to.

“Hil, you look amazing,” he said, and kissed her at the corner of her mouth.

“Thanks.” She smiled, gliding her fingers over the Sergeant’s bars on his arm. “I like it.”

“Yeah, how’s that for instant status?”

“You kids look like you’re going to the prom. Let me get my camera.” Wanda ducked down the hallway toward the kitchen.

“She knows we’re not together anymore, right?” Duo asked, guiltily. Wanda Schbeiker had never made it a secret that she wanted Duo to be her son-in-law.

“She knows, and she still loves you.”

Wanda returned and had them pose for a couple of photographs. “We’d love for you to come for dinner. The house isn’t near as lively without you in it.”

“Thanks Mrs. Schbeiker. I’ll do that.”

With another hug and kiss to Wanda’s cheek, Duo escorted Hilde to the limo. Inside and settled, he was eager to impress his friend by popping the champagne. He handed her a glass and then held up his glass to toast her.

“To friends.”

“To friends,” Hilde said with a bright smile, but her cheer faded as she took a sip of the bubbly. “So… is this how it’s going to be?”

“What do you mean?”

“When I saw you the other night you were still yourself, but tonight with this limo and the champagne….”

“It’s a special night, that’s all. What’s wrong with enjoying life a little?”

“Aren’t you worried that you’re celebrating a bit early.” She cringed as she said it, seeming to know her words might upset him.

“I look at it this way… this may be all the celebrating I’ll get. Zechs has promised a lot, but I still have my doubts he can make something out of nothing.”

“Have you seen much of him?”

“Not as much as I’d like,” Duo said with a chuckle.

“Oh?”

Even though they were sitting about 10 feet from the driver, he had the sense that he should be careful about who heard what he said about Zechs Merquise. Duo leaned a bit closer to her and lowered his voice. “We kissed.”

Hilde’s eyes went impossibly large. “You’re not serious.”

“Oh, yeah, I am. It was pretty sweet.”

“Duo, after what I told you…”

“Look, Hil. What do you really know about him? Only what you’ve read in magazines, right? Even you had to admit there’s not much press coverage on him. I’ve gotten to spend time with him and he’s a nice guy. Sure he’s complicated and maybe a bit of a prima donna, but I can work around that.”

“But just the other night you said you weren’t sure about all this.”

“And I’m not, ‘cause I’m really out of my element here. But Zechs has been true to his word. He’s given me encouragement and has done everything he’s said he would do right down to having his best team work with me on the show.”

Hilde sighed and took another drink of her champagne, her eyes turning towards the window. She was the best friend he had ever had, and he didn’t want to dismiss her advice, but sometimes she was way too serious.

He took her hand and squeezed it tight. “I know this is all happening fast, but if Zechs is right and I’ve got something to offer the world, then I’d be stupid not to take the chance. But I need your support to get through this. We’re best friends forever, right?”

“Oh, Duo…” She looked at their clasped hands and then into his eyes, smiling as she always did even when he was at his most infuriating. “BFF... Best Friends Forever.”

“I knew I could count on you, Hil.”

He smiled brightly, masking his nerves. It was his night, but he hoped that bringing her along would get her discovered by one of the VIPs attending the event. Even with all Hilde’s cautionary tales about OZ, he had a feeling that she was dying to see them in action, and wouldn’t mind being the beneficiary of their machinations.

He drained his champagne flute in one long swig. A good buzz and his best friend at his side would go a long ways to getting him through the night.

Chapter 12

Back to Artemis' fics

Back to GW Authors Index.