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"When Love Bites Back "Written By: Hemlock Inyx Disclaimer: This chick does not own any of the
Gundam Wing characters because they belong to Bandai and Sunrise.
I am borrowing them for this fict and will return them in good (if
somewhat sticky) condition.This fict is written out of love and not
for profit, don't sue. Thanks and enjoy! Rating: NC 17 Warnings: yaoi, lemon, alternate universe, vampires,
violence, suicide, mild-ooc Pairings: 2x5, past: 1x5, 2xH, 2x3 Summary: He wanted one taste of passion…
Duo Maxwell’s sexy voice seduced him every night
with his late-night radio talk show. So Chang Wufei couldn’t
pass up the chance to be his personal assistant—despite Duo’s
insistence that he was a vampire. Vampires didn’t
wear faded jeans. And they were dark and brooding, not vibrant and
fun. Yet…with one glance of his silver violet eyes, Duo could
hypnotize him. With one nibble of his passionate lips, he could bend
him to his will. Duo insisted Wufei had nothing to fear from him.
But why then was Wufei so conscious of his exposed neck? " When Love Bites Back "
Chapter 9 "The Council of Six is not happy with you," Wufei pointed out, rechecking the file he had pulled up on his laptop computer. He was working on a glass table beside the pool, enjoying the warm spring evening. "You've turned IV into a force to be reckoned with and that worries them badly. They don't trust you and they believe IV usurps their power." "It does indeed usurp the council's power," Cathy Bloom commented. Sinking gracefully, she dipped her fingers into the heated pool, nodded at the warmth, then returned to the table and took a seat across from Wufei. "The council's wisest option is to join us and establish a power base from within the organization," Duo called. "Otherwise, we're going to bypass them. It's already happening." Wufei pushed aside his TV dinner and took a sip of coffee, admiring the underwater lights illuminating the surface of the pool. The evening air was exceptionally warm tonight, fragrant with the heavy scent of lilacs and newly cut grass. "Listen to Wufei," Cathy advised sagely. "This is a very bright young man." She turned a lovely face toward Wufei. "Alas, I left my Antoine in Monaco. I miss him very much." "Antoine is your Renfield?" Wufei asked. He had liked Cathy at once. It was almost impossible to recall that this charming woman was a vampire. Besides which, Cathy was the only houseguest so far to address Wufei by his name rather than call him Renfield. "Antoine is my mortal assistant," Cathy corrected gently. "I do despise this generic Renfield thing, don't you? I can't imagine why so many of us stole the Renfield tag from an idiotic book that we all despise." Reaching for the silver coffee service that she had insisted Wufei use, she poured more coffee into Wufei's cup, her movements a symphony of grace. "I don't drink mortal liquids, of course, but I miss presiding at a table." "You're referring to Brain Stoker's Dracula?" Cathy wrinkled her nose in an expression of distaste. "Of course. A really horrible book. We'll be fighting Dracula's tasteless image to the end of our days." "Excuse me," Duo called to them, "we're discussing business, remember? Renfield, what were you saying about the council?" "Since you're the president of IV, the council's anger is directed at you," Wufei answered, peering at the laptop screen. "You can bet your satin-lined cape that the council isn't going to relinquish their power without some kind of battle." Wufei leaned back from the glass table, tilted his head and peered up through the branches of an old apple tree covered with tiny white blossoms. "Duo, do you have to sit in that tree? Can't you join us here at the table?'' Duo's voice descended through blossoms and leaves. "I wish you could see this Renfield. The stars shine like chips of fire. They seem so close that I could scoop them up in my cap." Cathy smoothed the skirt of a yellow satin sheath and stood. She patted Wufei's shoulder and gave him a beguiling smile. "Cheri, would you mind if I took your dinner tray inside? I don't know why, but for the last eighty years the sent of mortal food has been…ah, rather unpleasant to me." "I'm sorry, I didn't realize. Let me. I'll just--" "No, no. You and my darling Duo must discuss business. I'm afraid I'm interrupting. I believe I'll leave you to enjoy this magnificent and romantic evening, my dears. Relena and I plan to tour a few singles bars." Duo laughed as if he could see Wufei's stare through the leaves. "Remember the IV rules, sweet Cathy. No snacking on the gentlemen." "Perhaps a tiny sip or two," Cathy teased with a wink for Wufei. "As a reminder of the good old days." Duo slid to the ground, brushing twigs and leaves from his shoulders and jeans. Cathy Bloom don't you even…" But Cathy had gone. He shrugged and turned a boyish grin toward Wufei's appalled expression. "Vampire humor. What can I say?" "It's not funny." "I guess that depends on your perspective." His grin broadened. "I'll admit that exchange wasn't exactly knee-slapper quality." "What would qualify as a vampire knee-slapper?" Rocking back on his heels, Duo smiled and studied the branches overhead. "I don't think you really want to know." Wufei considered. "You're right." He scooted closer to the table and transferred his attention to the laptop. "Now that you're out of the tree, maybe we can do a little work. I've been patient all day, but I'm dying to open the elders' files and see what we discover. I need the names of the Council of Six. Then give me your best guess as to when they became vampires." "When is the last time you took a day off, Renfield?" "What?" Duo stood at the edge of the pool, the underwater lights illuminating his jaw-line and aristocratic nose. "You work day and night. I appreciate your dedication, but I'm starting to worry that I've taken over your life." Pushing his hands in his pockets, he turned to look at him. "That's great for me. I'm not sure it's good for you." A guilty expression stole over Wufei's face as he thought about the friends he was neglecting, tried to recall when he had last touched base with his mother, or thought about, well, dating, it was true that he had all but given up a personal life. Duo and his affairs consumed his time and thoughts. It was also true that he didn't care. Duo had become his life. Duo stared at him with those glowing, brilliant violet eyes. "I've been very selfish, keeping you to myself. Are you happy, Wufei?" "Yes," he answered truthfully. That was the crazy part. He loved conducting Duo's business, loved working with him, loved... He bit his lip and ducked his head. "I told you. I'm a workaholic. But if it makes you feel better, I promise I'll take some time off after we find the Crystals of Change. Speaking of which..." He placed his fingertips on the laptop keyboard and gave Duo an expectant look. Since there was no hope for anything between them except a business relationship, it made him uneasy to discuss personal matters. But they worked so closely and so intimately that personal revelations were difficult to avoid. Long ago Wufei had ceased to be merely a secretary or an assistant. He was also Duo's host, his companion and, he hoped, his friend. In his dreams, his restless hot dreams, he was…more. "I have tonight off and you seem revved up to work until midnight, so there's no rush." Duo rubbed his gold earring between his fingers and smiled. "So how about a swim before we get started?" Wufei shoved at the glossy hair bouncing forward on his cheek. "Duo, it's not that warm tonight." He plucked at the sleeve of the light sweater he wore, making a point. "It's only about fifty-five degrees out here." "Positively balmy," he said, laughing and peeling off his shirt. "Besides, the pool is heated." Staring, Wufei froze with his fingers on the keyboard and watched Duo throw off clothing until he was naked except for a pair of Speedo briefs. Because he was Duo, the Speedo briefs were bright red. And it revealed more than it concealed. Blushing furiously, Wufei wrenched wide eyes away from the intriguing bulge between Duo's legs and ran his gaze over the most magnificent body he had ever glimpsed. A tanning-bed tan emphasized swelling shoulders and a nicely-defined chest. Narrowing in a classic male wedge, his body angled toward a trim waist and curve of hips before descending to firm muscled thighs and well-developed calves. It was obvious that Duo worked out regularly and took pleasure in maintaining his body. Wufei blinked and swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. Clothing didn't do him justice. He thought Duo Maxwell was the handsomest man he had ever met, and he knew he had a trim, firm body. But he hadn't expected total male perfection. "I came prepared, Renfield." He pulled his braid loose from his hat and shook his head. "I took the liberty of fetching your swimsuit. All you have to do is step behind that screen and change." Walking out onto the diving board, the pool lights shimmering over his magnificent body, he lifted his arms and his right leg, then jackknifed into the water so cleanly that he barely created a ripple. When he surfaced at the edge of the pool, he shook his wet bangs out of his eyes and grinned up at him. "It's as warm as bathwater. Come on in, Renfield. Live a little. You know what they say about all work and no play." His impulsiveness always surprised Wufei, largely because impulsiveness was so foreign to his own character. Or it used to be. Since meeting Duo, his inhibitions seemed to be melting away. He had changed so much in the past couple of months that his friends wouldn't recognize him. His hair and style of dress were youthful and fun, he was open to new experiences and-something he had never expected-he was becoming more accepting of spontaneity. "I warn you," he said after a brief hesitation, rising to the challenge, "swimming is my sport. If you thought that dive was good-and it was-wait until you see what I can do." The night air was chilly on his skin when he emerged from behind the change screen and approached the pool. When he allowed himself to glance at Duo, he was standing in the shallow end, arms crossed over his chest, staring at his with narrowed sultry eyes. A simmering gaze traveled over his chest, waist and along the muscles of his legs. Wufei's response was immediate. He felt his heartbeat accelerate, felt a slow flame kindle in the pit of his stomach. Part of him loved it that Duo was looking at his body; another part responded with a tension that drew his nerves as tight as wire. "What you do for a swimming suit ought to be outlawed," Duo murmured in a husky voice. Wufei swallowed hard, drinking in the compliment but knowing nothing could come of it. He considered making a comment about his Speedo suit, but his mouth was too dry to speak. Besides which, he was desperately trying not to think about Duo's marble-hard thighs and buttocks. Or the fullness that cupped the thin material of his Speedo briefs. Clenching his fists, Wufei approached the diving board, thinking how strange it felt to swim at night, without sunshine warming his skin. And with Duo's eyes roaming his body with gleaming interest. Deliberately, he tried to clear his mind as he had done when he was on the college swim team. Stepping forward, he tested the springiness of the board, then paced off three steps. When he jackknifed into the water, he left only the tiniest splash on the surface. He emerged closer to Duo than he had guessed he would. Pushing back his sleek dark hair, he grinned in triumph. The dive had been good, very good. "I won a couple of trophies for--" Wufei broke off when he saw the hard sexuality glowing in Duo's eyes, and when he noticed his teeth extending against his lower lip. Instead of the fear he expected, Wufei's immediate response was a surprised smile. Standing in the water, bare-chested, his violet eyes smoky with sensual pleasure, Duo reminded him of someone wearing plastic vampire fangs. Right now, his teeth seemed about as threatening as those worn by a Halloween trick-or-treater. "Excellent! Very impressive!" When the words emerged with a lisp, Duo instantly covered his mouth and groaned. "Oh, God. Damn it, I hate this." "It's all right," Wufei assured him, surprised to discover that it was. He knew this man, his principles and what he stood for. Wufei trusted him not to harm him. And right now, while he was standing in the pool wearing nothing but a Speedo bathing suit and a gold earring, the fangs seemed unreal, more amusing than frightening. "I can't control this, Wufei." Duo swore and smacked the water with his fist. "Most of us feel less and less emotion as the years pass. Cathy was just bemoaning that her canines hardly ever emerge anymore. But with me..." "It's okay. Honestly." Wufei spread his arms and tilted his head back in the water, looking up at the sky and almost wishing that he could see the stars with the same brilliance that Duo did. "This brings up something I've been wondering about. How do you manage to move around in public?" he asked curiously. "Hasn't anyone at the radio station noticed your...ah, fangs? Or people at a benefit? Or Sally at the Coffee Mug?" Duo lay back in the water beside him and they floated, gazing up at a velvety dark sky. "One of the first things a vampire has to learn is how to control strong emotional reactions, or this happens." He sighed and waved a hand over his mouth. "Usually control comes naturally. But lately..." Wufei glimpsed water lapping at the bulge of his swimsuit, then focused his gaze firmly on the spangled sky. "Am I the cause of your recent fang problems?" he asked in a voice no louder than a whisper. As perverse as it sounded, something deep inside hoped that he was. "It's always difficult to be around mortals," Duo admitted after a minute. "Mortals stir an ancient instinct in us. It's a combination of hunger, lust, need, desire... several powerful emotions. With the blood banks and an alternate way of, shall we say, dining, there's really no longer a genuine need for fangs. Perhaps in a few hundred years evolution will catch up and vampires won't have this problem anymore." They were silent for a full minute before he spoke again. "And, yes, Wufei, my recent problems have a lot to do with you." Duo's feet found the bottom of the pool and he stood beside Wufei's floating body. A smoldering gaze fixed on the flesh swelling under the fabric of Wufei's swimming suit. "You can't guess the problems you're causing me. I fight it all the time, but you've become the most desirable man I've ever known," he murmured hoarsely. Wufei's heart stopped as he stared up at him. Duo no longer reminded him of an impish boy wearing plastic teeth. This was a man. An aroused man staring at his throat, listening to his blood accelerate in his veins. Duo's shoulders swelled, and his expression was sexy and dangerous and wildly exciting. A great thrill of weakness spread through his limbs and Wufei couldn't catch his breath. As if his body had become heavier, his hips sank in the water and his toes found the bottom of the pool. He stood on shaking legs, breathless and unable to move, and gazed helplessly into Duo's glowing eyes. The desire Wufei saw there set a match to his trembling body and lit him on fire. The warm pool water suddenly felt cold against the longing burning on his skin. Holding his gaze, Wufei instinctively wet his lips and felt his chest rise in a quick breath. His nipples stiffened beneath Duo's stare. A low groan broke from Duo's lips and his arms closed around him, pulling him roughly against his body. Instantly Wufei felt the full rock-hardness of his erection against his stomach and gasped at the power of Duo's arousal. And his own. Desire slashed through him like a lightning bolt, hot and sizzling and urgent. Wrapping his arms around Duo's neck, Wufei moaned and placed his soft warmth against his marble coolness, fitting his trembling body to Duo's. "Renfield. If you only knew how long I've waited..." The embrace they had tried so hard to avoid set them both aflame. They came together explosively, frantically, their hands flying over wet hair and skin. Wufei yearned for his kiss, for the hard possessive pressure of his lips. But Duo made no effort to claim his mouth. When Wufei looked at Duo's teeth, a spear of fear shot through him followed by a strange thrill and a shiver of dark excitement that raced through his body and made him writhe with desire, pressing against Duo until he groaned and murmured his name in a voice hoarse with passion and urgency. Duo's hands found his waist beneath the water and lifted him. Wufei circled his hips with his legs, clinging to him and, driven by instinct and desire, he fit his erection against the hard thrust of Duo's. His trembling arms circled Duo's neck and he dropped his forehead to his shoulder with a helpless moan. At first Wufei felt only the hard bulge pressing between his legs. Then gradually he became aware of Duo's lips moving against the arch of his throat. And then...his teeth against his skin. A gasp of intense dark pleasure broke from Wufei's throat. Dizziness overwhelmed him and his head spun. It seemed that time stopped, leaving him in a strange dreamy, passionate state somewhere between reality and a sweet beckoning darkness. The passion between them swept all rational thought from his mind and his trembling body took command, offering all--his hardness, his throat, his body, his mind. Wanting Duo as he had never dreamed of wanting a man before, Wufei pressed against the steely bulge between his legs, and a sound like a sob broke past his lips. In this moment of powerful arousal and hungry desire, it didn't occur to him to pull away from the teeth moving slowly, back and forth across his throat. Wufei wanted him so much he thought he would surely die if Duo didn't take him. Now. Now! The cool touch of his hands on his burning skin, the feel of his hard full thrust straining the thin material of his swimming suit, the mesmerizing smolder in his flaming eyes, the touch of his hand stroking his chest, all combined to render Wufei frantic and helpless. Dizzy erotic hungers whirled in his mind, scalded his thoughts. Gasping for breath, blood pounding, all he could think about was the desire that knifed through him like a hot blade. Wufei wanted Duo to rip aside his swimsuit and plunge inside of him, wanted him to sink his teeth into his bared throat and take from him whatever he needed. He wanted…oh Gods, he wanted! Duo's wet head moved back and forth in small tantalizing movements, rubbing the surface of his teeth along Wufei's tender exposed skin, teasing them both to the edge of gasping insanity. Wufei felt the powerful fullness of Duo's buttocks and thighs, and his swollen need for him growing in urgency and intensity. His longing for Duo was so acute that it was painful. Suddenly he felt something like a hot needle scrape his throat and he didn't care. All Wufei cared about was satisfying their mutual passion. Never in his life had he felt this depth of arousal, or experienced this painful a craving for a man. When Duo suddenly pushed him away, the shock of it paralyzed him for a moment and he almost stumbled. After he caught his balance, Wufei saw Duo standing in chest-deep water, his forehead against the side of the pool, his fists clenched on the concrete. "Duo?" Confused, still shaking with his deep need for him, he whispered his name again. "Forgive me," he mumbled in a muffled voice. "I almost...I wanted--" Breaking off, he vaulted out of the pool and shook the water from his hair and body. His voice was raw and husky. "Get dressed, Renfield. We'll meet in the office in twenty minutes." He entered the house so swiftly, it was as if he had disappeared. Releasing a long low breath of disappointment and confusion, Wufei dropped his head. With a shaking hand, he touched his throat where the needle sting had occurred. When he lowered his fingers, they were red with a smear of blood. * * * * * * * When they met again in the office, they both wore slacks and long-sleeved T-necks, covered from throat to wrist to ankle. Wufei had already opened the Blanc et Cie's vampire list and highlighted Zechs Merquise name and letter code. Leaning toward the screen so his hair would swing forward to hide his face, he asked in as businesslike a tone as he could manage, "So when would you guess Zechs became a vampire?" "Let's start with the year 1600," Duo suggested. Wufei heard no trace of a lisp. Duo stood beside his desk and watched him try and fail with 1600, then try again with 1601. When Duo noticed the edge of a Band-Aid near the neck of Wufei's T-shirt, he walked to the windows and stared out at the night. "What happened in the pool can't happen again," he said abruptly. "It's too dangerous." "It's only a scratch," Wufei insisted quietly, his face flaming. He tried 1602. "I trust you." "The urge to-puncture-is as powerful as the urge to make love. The two go hand in hand." He dragged his fingers through his bangs and swore. "Wufei, you don't want to be a vampire, I don't want to be mortal." Turning, he frowned at him. "In the pool I came very close to reverting to something I don't ever want to be again. And I sure as hell don't want to harm you or do anything you don't want or that would frighten you." Something like despair bled the vitality out of Duo's eyes. "I didn't mean for this to happen. But I think about you all of the time. I dream of those black eyes and the touch of your warm skin. I monopolize all your time and I'm glad. I'd spend every waking hour with you if I could." Wufei stared up at him, tears glistening on his lashes. "Oh, Duo. Don't you know it's the same for me?" "Wufei, this can't possibly work between us." "I know." "So where the hell does that leave us?" "Between a rock and a hard place," Wufei whispered, blinking hard at the tears stinging his eyes. He tried 1603 and 1604 in quick succession. "Mortals and vampires have no future together." The utter loneliness straining his voice pierced Wufei's heart. "There's nothing in that kind of relationship but resentment, hatred and pain. And danger for both of us." "I don't know what to--" Wufei's hand dropped from the Band-Aid on his throat and he stared at the screen. "Duo! I'm into Zech's file. Look!" In an eye blink he was standing at his side, bending over his shoulder. "Open the council notes." With a shaking finger Wufei pressed a key and the first of a hundred pages of council correspondence came up on the screen. Wufei would have dearly loved to read and digest the council's notes, but Duo reached past him and impatiently scrolled the screens so swiftly that he couldn't focus. "There it is," he said finally, softly, releasing his finger and letting one of the pages steady on the screen. "See it? The reference to a safety-deposit box at the bank?" Wufei stared at the paragraph, feeling his excitement build. "Then you believe the crystals are in the safety-deposit box?" "I can't think of anything else the council might need to store in a safe place. Before IV, there were no records, nothing on paper." "Except the bank's files," Wufei reminded him. A surge of elation sang through his nerves. "Duo, we did it!" "You did it," Duo corrected. He pressed his shoulder, his touch electric; then he frowned. "But we don't have the crystals in our hands, yet." He thought a minute. "Wufei, can you download the bank's vampire files to our IV disks then erase the bank's records?" Instantly Wufei's joy evaporated. "If I do, the bank will know about it. So far we've been lucky. The bank hasn't picked up that we're hacking into their files because there hasn't been any recent activity in the vampire files. And all we've done is look, not touch." He drew a breath. "Blanc et Cie has a sophisticated system. The only reason we haven't been caught is that so far no one is watching. They've grown complacent. They don't think anyone knows about the vampire files or can get into them. But the minute I download this material and erase their records, alarms are going to go off big-time." "Can they trace the download to us?" Wufei thought a minute. "Probably. I'll be as clever and careful as it's possible to be, but it's simply impossible not to leave a few tracks. Eventually, a skilled operator will find them." Picking up his paddle and rubber ball, Duo paced the office, smacking the rubber ball and thinking hard. "Can you check for any backups at the bank, and fix it so the bank cannot retrieve the vampire files? As far as Blanc et Cie is concerned, the vampire files simply disappear forever." Wufei nodded. "I already know no backup exists. They've been ultra discreet and careful with this material." "Then it's worth it. As long as Blanc et Cie has those files, they can blackmail the council, the IV the whole vampire community with the threat of exposure." "Wait a minute." Wufei frowned. "How large a threat is it? After all, you seem willing to tell the whole world that you're a vampire." "I can do that because I know damned well that no one believes me. Being a vampire is my working persona. But Blanc et Cie can prove the existence of vampires through their paperwork. Think about it, Renfield. The bank can prove that I'm not a descendent of the first Duo Maxwell-I am the first Duo Maxwell. They have the records to show faked deaths and so on. Using those files, they can point an interested party to the original counterfeit documents." Wufei nodded slowly, his face turning pale. "If someone could prove that vampires actually existed..." "We'd be hunted down and killed like wild animals," Duo stated flatly. "I suspect the bank is threatening exposure right now. That would explain why Dorothy saw Treize Khushrenada at the bank, and why the council is pressuring us to transfer our investments back to Paris." "All of the references to wills, death certificates, et cetera, note where the counterfeit documents can be found. You're right about that. Anyone with access to these files can follow a paper trail that would reveal..." Duo's eyes narrowed and flashed. "Do it, Wufei. Steal the files and erase them out of the bank's system. How long will it take?" He was as charged as an atomic particle, moving around the room with disconcerting speed, stirring the night with excitement and purpose. Wufei watched and felt the heated stirrings of frustrated desire. He felt trapped in a frustrating state of limbo, unable to go backward to a strictly business relationship, unable to move forward into the bliss of romantic involvement. They were caught in time like a fly in amber, imprisoned by a passion that had no future. Duo turned in the center of the room, the light shining on his chestnut hair, and for a moment their eyes locked. In the depths of his violet gaze, Wufei saw his vast loneliness, his need for him and his sense of hopelessness. When he looked at Wufei, the centuries stretched in front of him like dark empty vessels. "Even if the crystals are in the safety-deposit box," Duo said hoarsely, his gaze on Wufei's mouth, "I can't become a mortal again, Wufei. I can't." "I know," he whispered. Duo would go blind. Despair swam in his eyes. "And I can't become a vampire. I can't give up the sun. I can't give up the hope of having children someday." Fate had brought them together only to mock them. "You haven't heard of any vampire couples adopting children, have you?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood. But he only succeeded in making it worse by underscoring the hopelessness of their situation. Duo turned abruptly and covered the lower half of his face with the wooden paddle. "Tomorrow," he said gruffly, "I'd like you to arrange a flight to Paris. Hire a private jet. With luck, we'll get to the crystals before anyone knows we've discovered where they are." Wufei stared at the computer screen and felt a hollow space open around his heart. For the first time in his life, he had fallen helplessly, hopelessly in love. And the man of his dreams just happened to be a vampire, a man who craved the taste of his blood as powerfully as he longed to make love to him. Duo frightened him, excited him-and his flashes of vulnerability broke his heart.
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