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"The Edulcoration of Duo Maxwell "Written By: Mookie
Disclaimer: I don't really need to be Captain Obvious here, do I? No ownership, no money being made. Written for fun, not profit. Warnings: AU, yaoi, language, sexual situations...think of all those adult oriented material warnings that dictate what the V-chip was supposed to weed out. Oh, and let's not forget the 1x2x1 newbieness on the part of the author. Pairings: 1x2x1 Spoilers: None for GW, oodles for Pretty Woman, to an extent. I'm not sure about the title, but I thought it a damn sight better than "Pretty Heero." Edulcoration - noun form of the verb edulcorate, meaning to free from harshness (as of attitude) or to soften. Fusion with the movie Pretty Woman in response to a fic challenge on the 1x2ML.
Duo was feeling slightly unsettled about his self-gratification
in the shower as he buttoned his shirt and cuffs. Hadn't he gotten
satisfaction the night before? What more could he have wanted? He hated questioning himself, so he shelved that thought
and headed out to the suite where he found Heero eating breakfast
at the small dining table. Apparently the man could move pretty damn
quietly when he wanted. "The laptop will be arriving today," he said,
walking past Heero and seating himself at the desk. He turned on the
portable computer and watched it boot, casting sideways glances at
Heero on occasion. Heero didn't respond. He simply took another bite out
of some sort of multigrain bread that he'd lightly smeared with butter.
His tongue lapped at a tiny bit of stray butter, leaving a faint sheen
on his lips. He didn't bother to look at Duo but grunted his acknowledgement. Duo found himself staring and forced his attention back
to his computer, watching the desktop load and then opening his e-mail
program. He had noticed a distinct lack of ads touting a cure for
his sexual dysfunction the past two days. He cleared his throat. "When it arrives, please insure that it meets all
the specifications you provided." A slight emphasis was placed
on 'you.' Another grunt. "If there is any software you wish to load onto
it, please do so. There are numerous web sites from which you may
download various progr-" Heero's head turned and those eyes, a pair of intense blue flames, bored a hole into his forehead. Apparently Duo had just insulted him. Damn, the man looked good even when he was pissed. Duo
didn't often get the benefit of seeing those eyes open and alert before
Heero inserted the contacts, and the fact that they were flashing
with anger did nothing to sway Duo's opinion that they were, as he'd
noted the previous evening, temptation eyes. Like the glow of a Bunsen
burner, gradually increasing the temperature of various additives
to promote a chemical reaction... Heero's gaze remained unblinking. It was slightly unnerving. "Right," Duo cursed himself for his need to
fill the awkward silence. Wasn't this why men went to hookers in the
first place, to avoid the whole 'morning after' awkwardness? Other
than the obvious reasons, of course. Heero licked the sticky juice off his fingers as he
used the other hand to turn a page in the book he'd borrowed from
Duo that first night. Duo hadn't even noticed it lying on the table. Duo opened his mouth, but couldn't think of anything
to say. He left the room silently. ~~~~~~ Quatre was back in good spirits the next morning. He
felt bad snapping at Trowa the previous night, but he hadn't wanted
to admit that he'd suddenly felt a connection to Heero, something
he hadn't felt since...since he'd introduced Heero to his world. He'd regretted it ever since. It was often hard to tell when what he was feeling were
his own emotions. Sometimes he'd swear he could literally taste the
waves of sentiment that others emitted, and it colored his perceptions
at times. It wasn't reliable, and the fact that he couldn't always
count on it had originally made him think 'it' was just an odd reaction
to alcoholic beverages, but then it had happened when he was completely
sober and he'd had to admit he was stumped. It wasn't often that it
happened without the benefit of alcohol, but enough to indicate it
was more than a rather intense 'buzz.' The effects of booze just made
it feel worse, amplified, even. He didn't want Trowa probing. There were things that
he'd rather not admit to. He enjoyed the taller man's company, had
found the time spent at the bar conversing with him a refreshing change
from the nightly performances he gave others. Perhaps things could
have been different between them if they'd met under different circumstances,
but it was hard to build a friendship that was based on lies. He'd
done the same with Heero, but somehow that was different. He colored
slightly. He had to stop dwelling on things that couldn't be changed
and get his game face on before any of the regulars came in. He had
a nagging feeling that something was brewing, and wanted to be ready
for it. ~~~~~~ Duo and Wufei were passing sheaves of paper back and
forth across a long table, with Duo occasionally typing something
into his computer and then leaning back to announce what the latest
bit of info he'd unearthed was. He noticed that Wufei, despite his dedication to the
project at hand, didn't seem as tightly wound as he usually did. Now
and then Duo would swear a smile was teasing the corners of his mouth. Finally it dawned on him, and he slapped Wufei on the
back. That got his partner's attention, as he'd known it would. It
wasn't something he was in the habit of doing, but he couldn't resist
this time. When Wufei growled at him, he laughed. "Wufei,
you look more like a pissed off kitten than an enraged tiger. So,
I take it you did the mattress mambo last night?" Wufei scowled at his crudity. "It is none of your business when I make love to
my wife," he said scoldingly, but the hint of softness in his
eyes lessened the severity of his expression. "Hey, it's a guy thing," Duo said, holding
up his hands placatingly. "You're not the only one who-" "-still has the hots for his wife after ten years
of marriage," he said instead. "Three." Duo waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, but you've
known each other since the womb, am I right?" Wufei shook his head, but the faint smile was just a
little bit wider. "Take a look at the financials on the company from
Nevada," he said. Duo knew he'd been neatly put in his place and pulled
the report across the table, then chuckled. "It's a family name," Wufei said. He placed
a pair of wire rimmed glasses on his nose and scanned the NYSE listings
for the company's ticker symbol. "Hmmm." Duo had had enough with family names,
thinking of the Peacecrafts once again. Wufei's precise motions as
he'd removed his spectacles from their case and carefully cleaned
them before donning them reminded Duo of Heero's elegant dining habits
at the Samurai, which also made him think of the more seductive eating
style he'd unconsciously used that very morning. Which in turn made
him think of- "Duo." Duo looked up. "Have Janet investigate any legal activity that
Zodiac has been involved in over the past two years." "Still think Peacecraft has a chance with Khushrenada?" Wufei took a moment to answer, his tentative smile wavering.
"I like to have all the facts. Where there's smoke, there's fire." That thought niggled at the edges of Duo's consciousness.
It seemed like there was another company that merited investigation,
one that they were overlooking, but perhaps he was just unsettled
after all that had happened with Heero. "Janet," he repeated. Wufei looked at him with slight disapproval on his face.
"One of the paralegals. Extremely bright, real knack for ferreting
out information." "Right." Duo had no idea who he was talking
about. Wufei licked a finger and paged through another stack
of information, the subtle smile back on his face. Duo rubbed his chest and stood up. Wufei seemed to have
forgotten he was even there, although whether lost in thought about
the Peacecraft issue or something more pleasurable, Duo wasn't sure. ~~~~~~ "Miss Relena?" Relena looked up at the wizened face of their family
servant. She supposed 'butler' was as good a term as any, although
he was more like family. He served in any capacity they needed, and
Relena often considered him more like a favored uncle than something
as impersonal as an employee. "Yes, Pagan?" He seemed a bit uneasy, and Relena felt the frown beginning
to form on her face, before she forced herself to smile. She didn't
want Pagan to think she was upset with him. He bowed slightly, and that's when Relena knew he was
really agitated. He hadn't done that since she was six. "There are visitors..." "I am expecting him," Milliardo's voice interrupted.
"Send him to my office." He paused in the doorway. "Bring
coffee." He paused in the doorway, then added softly "please." Relena had latched onto the word "visitors."
Milliardo said he was expecting HIM, and to send HIM into the office.
Not THEM. Pagan still looked hesitant about returning to the foyer, so Relena placed her napkin on the table and stood. The look of relief he gave her was tangible. An older gentleman with hair whiter than her brother's
and a neatly trimmed beard stood regally by the doorway. Several feet
away a hooded figure stood with the person's back to Relena, apparently
admiring the tiny figurines that adorned a bookshelf near the entrance. "This way, sir," Pagan said, gesturing toward
the hall leading to Milliardo's office and leaving Relena to deal
with the mysterious guest. The person turned and lowered the hood. Pale blond hair
and piercing eyes were revealed, and the girl's smile made Relena
immediately wary. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Relena Peacecraft,"
she said with chilling politeness. She extended a hand in greeting.
"My name is Dorothy Catalonia." ~~~~~~ As Duo approached the legal department, he could hear
faint strains of music coming from one of the smaller offices. He found himself wondering why he didn't know that some
employees liked to listen to the radio while they were working. It
wasn't a surprising fact, but just one of those little insignificant
details that he used to pride himself on picking up. He found that,
if you remembered one small thing when meeting a new person, and managed
to work it into the next conversation you had with them, without being
obvious about it, it fostered the illusion of true interest in them
as a person. He tried to recall a single thing about anyone he'd
spoken to the previous day, and the only thing he could remember was
his annoyance at being waylaid when he'd attempted to follow Heero. That wasn't exactly true. He could also recall, with
perfect clarity, the way Meiran's eyes had flashed before she'd gone
after Wufei, replacing the sad look that had been there when she'd
asked him if he was happy. He should have noticed things like that about his partner,
if no one else. He didn't like the idea that his observational skills
were slipping. ~~~~~~~ "...and then he told me that SHE was better in
bed!" A file drawer slammed shut before a large tome was dropped
onto a nearby table. "And WHY do we keep reference books in the
filing cabinet?" "We don't," came the calm reply. "You
put it there because it matched some filing system known only in your
universe." The blond girl who had been ranting sat down next to
the book and sighed. "It's just so frustrating, you know?" The shorthaired redhead seated two desks away from her
didn't respond, busily typing a report from the notes in front of
her. "Well, we're through," the blonde added, needing
no encouragement. She poked at the book she'd just retrieved. "It's
not like I expected an engagement ring or anything," she muttered.
"Just honesty. If we were just going to be fuck-a-buddies, that
would have been fine, but I'd have been a damn sight more careful
if I'd known he was boffing his way through the ranks." The steady clacking of keys was the only sound that
greeted that pronouncement. "Maybe I should do the same. Except I'd set my
sights a lot higher than someone in ACCOUNTING!" Her voice made
the last word seem like an epithet. She smiled wistfully. "Know who I'd love to do
it with?" A quiet snort greeted that comment. "Duo Maxwell." The redhead looked up. "You've got to be kidding." "NO! I mean, I can dream, can't I?" "He's our boss. Scratch that. The boss' boss'
boss." "So? Have you ever looked at him?" "When would I have found time to do this gawking?"
the shorthaired woman gestured to the mountains of paperwork surrounding
her. "God, his eyes! And all that HAIR," the blonde
replied, undeterred. "You just know he'd be aggressive in bed,
too." The sound of someone clearing his throat made them both
look up. The blonde's face flamed, but she managed to squeak
out, "Good morning, Mr. Maxwell, what can I do for you?"
If she realized the number of ways that question could be interpreted,
considering her last statement, she gave no sign of it. He looked from her to the redhead and back again. The
slightest bit of uncertainty graced his features briefly before he
looked at the woman who was seated at a computer. "Janet?" The redhead shook her head. "Nadia." She tilted
her head toward the red-faced blonde. "That's Janet." A
steady gaze at Duo, then she added, "I'm just a lowly intern." To say Duo was surprised was an understatement, but
he turned and smiled at the woman he'd come to see. Her face, although still slightly flushed, took on a
look of determination. "Shoot." "See what you can find in terms of any sort of
legal activity involving Zodiac over the past two years." He glanced at Nadia, who shrugged. "She could do
it, too," she offered. His attention was drawn to the small stereo. It was
on a long table that also housed a coffeepot and several pastries. "Do you mind?" he asked, gesturing to the
table. "No! No, not at all. Help yourself," Janet
said. He reached for a mug and his hand hesitated at the next song
that played. Janet showed the first real sign of discomfiture. "Mr.
Maxwell? It is okay for us to have the radio playing, isn't
it?" "Duo," he said. "Only jobs that require
you to wear a paper hat maintain the outdated opinion that respect
is accorded based on how one is addressed." He thought he heard the tiniest snort from Nadia, making
him think of Heero, but Janet beamed at him. "Duo," she said, nodding happily. Then she
launched into the benefits of music on the workplace, citing various
studies. "Of course, if the musical selection is forced
upon the workers," she added, pulling out another file from
somewhere on her desk as she chattered. "Then it causes agitation,
which defeats the purpose. Everyone's preferences are different, and
it's relaxing only if the listener perceives it as such." She paused in her search to hit one of the preset buttons.
She grimaced slightly as yet another love-gone-wrong song played. "Janet's determined to disprove the theory that
the radio DJs are out to get her by playing torch songs on every radio
station," Nadia commented. This time the snort came from Janet, who hit another
button and groaned as the strains of BJ Thomas' "Somebody Done
Somebody Wrong Song" emitted from the speakers. The button was
rapidly pressed again, and an ad for a local car dealership made Janet
look over at Nadia and stick out her tongue. Which also made him realize that he was putting his
faith in Wufei's opinion of the paralegal. "Janet," he said, taking a deep breath. "I'm
sure Wufei would be happy with everything up to but not including
the dog licensing." She grinned at him broadly, the feral gleam
in her eye completely at odds with the ditzy appearance she gave when
he'd entered the room. He bade them a good morning and took his leave. His
head was practically spinning. He closed the door behind him with a sigh of relief. tbc ~~~~~~~~ NYSE - New York Stock Exchange. The ticker symbol refers
to the three or four letter abbreviation used to identify various
securities. Actually, there are a few companies, such as AT&T,
that have one letter ticker symbols. Ticker symbols were devised in
the 1800s for use by telegraph operators. The one-letter designations
were saved for the most active stocks at the time, which were primarily
railroads. Look, yet another useless bit of trivia for you! And speaking of useless trivia, Janet and Nadia got their names from the very nice ladies who sent me e-mails encouraging me to enlarge my (nonexistent) penis! I need someone like Heero to take care of my own abundance of spam! <G>
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