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"Sparks Fly"Written By: Fancy Figures Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, wish I did, just
enjoy writing about 'em for free etc Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, romance, Yaoi, lemon Pairings: 1x2x1 Summary: Duo Maxwell is this year's brightest
young entrepreneur. Heero Yuy is his sharpest and best programmer.
Together they created the successful dating agency, Sparks, with a
new and refreshing approach to matching people. A year on, their lives
are very different -- Duo has all the trappings of success and all
the company he could want; Heero is solitary and disapproving of such
a lifestyle. But they both have secrets to keep, and both are in need
of something -- or someone. When Duo decides to update the agency's
unique matching program, he and Heero are thrown back together again,
and there's a different kind of sparks flying. What with their very
contradictory natures, a malicious hacker, and a crisis at the agency,
it's not surprising they don't find it easy at first to get along. Other notes: Thanks to Suzanne, for suggestions
and inspiration! Written for gwyaoi's AU Novella Challenge
"Sparks Fly" Chapter 6 "Duo, you're not yourself." "What -?" It was Cal's voice, pressing him gently, the man was waving a hand aimlessly in front of his face. "What is it, distracting you like this, for days now? Who is it?" He gave an exaggerated sigh. "Is it that systems guy you've been hanging around with?" Duo didn't think Cal had that much perception in him. Still, he was with Duo every day...and some nights. He didn't dare answer. His heart was hammering at his chest and he couldn't let it out. Shit, he hadn't felt so confused for years! "Duo -- you hear me?" A rather sly look came into Cal's eyes, and he lowered his voice. "This guy - do you want to know about him?" Duo shook his head, and his mouth said, "Yes." Cal hitched himself comfortably up on to the edge of the desk, settling in for a gossip. "He keeps himself to himself -- we've never seen him with anyone, girl or guy. No-one knows him -- though no-one dislikes him. He contributes to the office lottery, stands his turn at the coffee machine. Patti lusts over him like he's some kind of chocolate fudge cake. But he's very smart at avoiding her. He's not joined in anything social for at least a year." Since the initial development of the Sparks software, he added, silently. Do the maths of that, Duo. "Not with anyone -?" Duo's voice was hoarse with need, and he thought he hid it well. Cal heard it all, and he wondered. "Some guy tried to hit on him last Christmas and he went ballistic. Nearly broke the lad's wrist, though they somehow sorted it out afterwards, and there's been no lasting ill-will. You want to know anything else?" Bank details, employment history, colour of underwear... thought Cal, dryly. Duo shook his head, and this time his mouth said, "No." Cal put his hand on his employer's shoulder. "He doesn't do guys, Duo." "I don't -- it's not -," Duo couldn't finish a sentence. Instead, he sank his head into his hands. "Hey, cheer up!" laughed Cal. "What do
you care that he's missing out? After all, you'll do anyone, won't
you? Just Heero. Cal said "he doesn't do guys" -- so what had that kiss been? The best fucking tongue massage you've had ever, groaned his inner voice. The lustful one. A rare loss of control by a man who tried not to let his desires show. Duo was sure Heero had enjoyed it as much as he did. That's what it was, surely. Nah, said the voice again. He baited you and you let him -- he was jerking you around! He despises you. It was a demonstration... Yeah... Just a demonstration of how much he hates you and your lifestyle. You'd better believe it. The secret one had been dipping into the system for hours now. There had been a certain degree of frustration tonight. "It's good," breathed the anonymous watcher. "Your protection is good, Mr Engineer. But I'll work through it. And your talents will work for me, instead. Instead of that arrogant bastard who dangles you all so obediently to his bidding. To his games... "Oh, Mr Maxwell," the creature breathed pure
venom. "Let's see what you have to announce at your precious
launch when your secrets are out -- and in my hands!" Heero took a breath. The sight of this tall, rangy man, dressed as smartly as he ever did for the office, yet with an almost nervous expression that made him seem boyish -- it sent entirely the wrong signals through his traitorous body. Shit, would he ever shake this off? "What are you doing here?" Duo's eyes flicked up and down Heero's body, from the unbrushed hair to the bare chest, with a towel slung round his shoulders. To sweat pants hanging loosely at his hips, dipping a little to the tight, smooth navel. Duo's eyes lingered there too long. But Heero stared him out. Not without thanking God he'd put the pants on only ten minutes ago. "You'll not believe I was just passing, will you?" Heero found himself leaning forward to catch the words -- the voice he'd quarantined himself against for days. Obviously unsuccessfully. "You know I won't. Like this very retro neighbourhood is on its way up -- like you're looking for property here..." Duo ignored the sarcasm. "You've not been in to work. I thought there might be something wrong." "I can work remotely, y'know." "Ahh -- yes," Duo grimaced. "Seems I forgot. How were the reports about the hacker's trail?" Heero glared at him, suspiciously. Did he know? Know that Heero was no further forward, after all that work? He'd produced reams of reports, thousands of ghost trails through the system. None that shouted "hacker!" to him. He was a fool to have thought it"d be that easy. He needed help, but he'd not admit it -- not to Duo Maxwell He'd find someone else to discuss it with. "Hn. I'll report in later. By mail." Duo ignored the rudeness with an effort. "It's the market flotation celebration at the end of the week. Everyone's invited. Will you tear yourself away from your four walls for that?" "Why am I needed there? Want to show off your pet geek...?" Duo bit his tongue so hard he thought he might have drawn blood. Heero was the most aggressive, rude, paranoid - "No. Nothing of the sort. You deserve credit for your work. All the team will be there. It's churlish to cut yourself off from them like this." Heero couldn't help himself; he gazed at Duo's mouth. Remembered the feel of it. Felt the ache in his groin. He wanted to reach out, grab that braid, and pull the man into the room, feel that mouth again under his... This was going badly -- very badly. He had to get Duo Maxwell away from here. Fast! He used the only weapon he had -- his bad temper. "Churlish, you say? You recognise that, do you?" "Damn right I do!" The temperature was rising already, and Heero hadn't budged from the doorway. Duo was still stood in the hallway, tension throughout his whole body. "Admit it," sneered Heero. "You're the one who's behaving badly. You thought I was sulking." "What the hell -?" "You thought I was letting the whole team down, just because you hit on me and I refused you." "I didn't hit on you!" "But you were going to --" Heero almost winced at the angry yell of reply that came out of Duo. His eyes blazed, and his hand slammed against the door post, inches from Heero's ear. "You arrogant prick! You're the one who thrust his tongue down my throat -!" The two angry voices stopped, shocked at the memory. But neither of them prepared to give way. "You'll not come in, then?" mocked Heero, his voice a pastiche of Duo's earlier charming ruefulness. He couldn't have stopped this ridiculous confrontation if his life depended on it. But as he sniped at Duo, he saw the pain he was causing and he despised himself. "I've got a company to float in a coupla days, Yuy -- I don't need your hostility issues on top of that. Forgive me for bothering you." "That's fine. I don't need anything from you --" Duo had turned to go, his face red with anger. But he turned back at the last second, as Heero was pulling the door closed on him. "The party -?" Heero shrugged that exasperating shrug, that made Duo want to grab him and shake him. His hands burned at the thought and he thrust them into his pockets. "I might be there. I don't know. I have more work to do on finding the hacker." And he'd say no more about that now. He stared at Duo, challenging him to leave. "You'd better get back to your life of fun and indulgence, eh?"" Duo looked at the dull, narrow hallway around him, then pointedly back at Heero's front door and the shabby apartment beyond it. "Get back to yours!" hissed Duo. And this
time, it was him who turned and left. And you wanted to see Duo, didn't you? hissed his inner voice. Well, I did that, didn't I? he thought ruefully. Saw him and spat at him and effectively chased him off. Great, eh? Half an hour later, the delivery guy struggled up the stairs with the parcel and found his customer standing at his door, almost as if he'd been waiting for him. Though he looked confused when the clipboard was thrust under his nose for a signature. The delivery guy looked nervously at the glazed expression on his face, and bounded away as quickly as he could. And no-one saw Heero Yuy in the office for the rest
of the week. He was there at Duo's side, as they went into the apartment, Cal dragging a pile of papers that Duo hadn't been able to concentrate on in the office. Duo turned to see him out, but the dark-haired man was a lot closer than he'd imagined. So close that Duo could see the spark in his green eyes, feel the heat in his fingers as they slipped Duo's jacket off his shoulders. "No, Cal. Not tonight." "No what, Duo? No friendly comfort? No company for a little while? Surely not... I know that look on your face. It's been a shit of a day for you." He was pressing Duo back on to the sofa, slipping the top button of his shirt almost before he noticed, sliding on to the deep, padded seat beside him. His fingers vanished under the silk, began kneading insistently at Duo's knotted shoulder muscles. "No. I -- want to go to bed..." 'Suits me," replied Cal, smugly. Duo had the energy for a tired smile. "Not with anyone, Cal. Just me. Just to sleep. I think I've not done enough of that recently." "Come on, you want to, you know you do." Cal's voice was insidious, arrogant in its confidence. "You can fuck me tonight if you like." His hands were sliding down inside the shirt, roaming over Duo's back, down over the tight muscles, the bony spine. Cal knew his own cock was already hard, already eager. It had been that way, ever since he stepped through that door. The sight of Duo Maxwell relaxing in his own room always did that to him. Yes, he'd let Duo fuck him, then maybe he'd return the favour. Or not -- Cal never knew how his boss would respond. That's what made it all so exciting... "I don't want to." Cal ignored it. It was just so alien to hear that -- Duo was nothing if not pliant. He might protest a little sometimes, but he always surrendered. "Yes, you do. Let me suck you off ... let me hold you, pump you ..." He was panting now, he was rubbing his own leg against Duo, fingers on their way into his pants. "Touch me, Duo -- touch my cock, just a little, do whatever you like --" "I'm not allowed a choice in this?" Duo's voice was rather cold. Cal didn't heed the warning. He was too far gone now. His voice was thick with lust -- with need. Duo realised, with a sinking heart, what a cruel, symbiotic relationship he'd allowed to develop. Christ, was he comatose for large stretches of his life? Was he blind to the people around him? Was Heero right about him? "Tell you what," Cal whispered. "You close your eyes, I'll make like a laptop, and you can imagine you're fucking him --" And that did it. Cal sat back, rather stupidly, pushed against the arm of the sofa. His shirt was untucked, he'd started to unzip his pants. He looked flushed and faintly ridiculous. "Duo, wait --" "No. No. I won't say it again. I don't want to fuck you, God help me, and don't make me be any more cruel than that. I don't want to be. I like you, Cal." "Just 'cos you want that Asian nerd, doesn't mean you can't have any fun --" "Cal, you're outta line. Way outta line! Get out before I call security." And Cal knew that something was suddenly over. Things had changed -radically. It was only the thought of jeopardising his job as well as his sex life that stopped him from arguing any more. "Duo -- I didn't mean --" Duo sighed. Cal stared at him, the most gorgeous man he'd ever seen, let alone fucked. And for perhaps the first time, he saw him as just a man like him. A fabulous one -- but a miserable one. A weary one. God, thought Cal, a little shakily. What have I been doing to him? "Go home, Cal. I understand; it's as much my fault
as yours. But things have gotta change -- and this is where it starts." He cursed the fact that he didn't have the details at home -- he'd have to get back to the office for them soon, or he'd lose valuable time. His desire to catch the hacker was more important than any embarrassment he might feel. He'd have to face it. Face Duo. The party was the following night, he knew that. The office would be full of the excitement, the anticipation. He groaned at the thought. He browsed idly through a subsidiary database that he'd rarely noticed before. It was cushioned in between two amazingly boring accounting packages in the directory list. He wasn't sure what caught his eye, but it was probably the name -- the Braid Trust. He thought of Duo, of course -- the long, thick, shining hair, swinging and teasing at his ass as he moved. He couldn't get the damn man off his mind. But as he dipped carelessly in -- there was no significant security to keep him or others out -- he realised that it was, indeed, something of Duo's. Something that he would never have expected Duo to be involved in -- or perhaps he should have, if his mind had been less clouded with the complex, conflicting feelings he had for the man himself. He scrolled carefully through a mission statement, through a set of business objectives for the next five years. Then a selection of Minutes, chronicling the set up of this Trust, and its aims and desires -- and the controlling force throughout it all that was Duo Maxwell. "Shit!" he said aloud. He'd not been so shocked for a long time. Shocked at a side of the man that he'd never guessed at. Though it had always been there for him to see -- the Trust had been established for over two years, even before Duo came into his wealth and fame. He'd been blind to it. Not interested. Obsessed with his own judgements. His preconceptions of the Maxwell effect. Baka... he scolded himself. And he pulled himself out of his chair to go shower
and change. "More champagne..." murmured a waiter. "There'll be no exclusives at this rate, the number of damn hacks around," hissed Amanda Bradnam, venomously. Duo Maxwell was indeed the toast of the town. The launch speech had flowed from his tongue, the audience had laughed, gasped and applauded at all the appropriate times. Cameras had flashed like miniature explosions, interviews had been begged and arranged with Cal and his team. Champagne had also flowed, like a blessed river for the guests. Rather more important to him than pleasing all the hangers-on, Duo had managed several encouraging conversations with the venture capitalists and the new major shareholders, and he was personally reassured that the underlying deal had been as successful as he'd hoped. He raised a silent toast to his original partner; and the share package that he'd sent him as a gift. And then he saw him. Heero Yuy! He was here! Duo felt his heart racing, which was -- of course -- fucking ridiculous. There were plenty of other staff members here, chatting happily with reporters, enjoying the hospitality that their work had helped to achieve. But Heero was here! Duo felt a stupid grin creep over
his face, and he started to work his way over to that side of the
function room. Heero was pressed back against a wall, nursing a glass
still three quarters full, and giving no comment whatsoever to a persistent
reporter. Duo sighed to himself when he saw that it was Amanda. Damn
woman never gave up! He struggled past a thick group of PR agents,
roaring with laughter and already too full of free alcohol. ~ * ~ |
