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"Christmas Gem "Written By: Zazu Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, nor do I
own the characters. I have borrowed them here for some fun and creativity,
and this is not for profit. I do, however, own the plot mentioned
here, and any instances that you may find similar to real life events
are purely a coincidence. All of the characters depicted in this story
are adults. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Angst, sap, Yaoi, Lemon Pairings: 1x2, 3+4+3 Summary: A get together fic " Christmas Gem " Chapter 3
Not only was he not expecting to see Duo a few hours early; he also wasn’t expecting to see an angry Duo enter his office with hardly a knock. For a moment, he wondered who had managed to piss Duo off. Then, he thought that Duo still managed to look strikingly handsome when he was angry.
The latter thought dissolved when Duo’s cold eyes met his and he felt his own heart stop in sudden fear.
“Duo? What’s the matter?”
There was an odd sense of déjà vu when Duo put something down in front of him, flipped it open and jabbed a finger at the page.
“See anything familiar here?”
Heero blinked up at Duo before looking down where Duo’s finger was. Then, he tugged a little at the catalogue to shift it down since Duo’s finger was in the way. He studied the ring Duo had been pointing at, and then his eyes widened.
“This is your…”
“Damn right that’s my design!” Duo snapped. “And you were the one who told me it wasn’t possible!”
“It wasn’t possible because of restrictions on time, materials and the moulds,” Heero said. “I explained that to you.”
“Was that really the reason, Heero Yuy?” Duo asked. His voice made Heero look up. “I don’t believe in coincidences, and this would be a damn big one, wouldn’t it? Down to the very last detail, Heero.”
Heero’s eyes narrowed. “If you’re suggesting that…”
“You know when this specific design was done. And you thought that it was impossible to make, no matter the amount of resources this company had. I wonder why, Heero, because our biggest competitor with perhaps a similar level of resources managed to make it happen.”
Heero opened his mouth but Duo didn’t let him interrupt.
“So maybe it wasn’t so impossible after all. After all, the CEO of Christoph J. made it possible, and you guys are rather close, aren’t you?” Duo emphasized that statement by picking up the photo frame on Heero’s desk and setting it down on top of the catalogue.
“Duo it’s not what you think.”
“I don’t know what game you were playing, Heero Yuy, but it’s done. I told you how much that design means to me and I thought you genuinely understood that when you personally took on the job of making the prototype of the altered design. It’s going to be banned now, and the original one is going under a different designer’s name. It’s come to life now, so I guess you’re expecting me to thank you.”
Heero shook his head. “No, Duo, I didn’t…”
“I guess it was fun while it lasted, right, Heero? You banned my design, slipped it off to someone else, and you also got the chance to make me redesign a version that would only get banned again. And hey, you had an added bonus of screwing the designer in more ways than one!” Duo leaned closer. “Too bad though, that you only got to literally got the screw the designer once, huh?”
Heero stared, wide-eyed at Duo, trying to defend himself, but in the next moment, Duo was gone. He stood, ready to give chase, but his phone was ringing then and a glance at the display told him that it was Quatre Winner’s internal extension calling him.
“Hello?”
“Heero?”
“Mr. Winner.”
“I need to see you in about an hour, would that be all right?”
“Is this about the ring in the Christoph J. catalogue?”
“Yes. We’ll talk about it later, please. I’ll see you in my office then.”
Quatre hung up and Heero sighed. Standing once more, he glanced at his workers and left the department. The elevator ride up to Duo’s floor seemed to take forever, but he stepped through into the creative department and headed straight to Duo’s office.
The door stood open but it was empty; Duo’s jacket was also gone. Heero turned and saw a woman looking at him, so he approached her.
“Sorry to be a bother, but is Duo Maxwell around?”
“I think he took a sick day,” she answered. “He just left.”
Heero thanked her and mentally cursed. When he boarded the elevator again, he couldn’t help but sigh yet again. He would have to be around to see Quatre in an hour, and he rationalized that it would give Duo enough time to cool off and listen to his side of the story.
In fact, Heero thought, eyes hardening. He’d use this hour to find out just what was going on.
He made his way to Quatre’s office with ten minutes to spare, figuring that he should be early than late. He waited and stepped into the office when Quatre’s secretary sent him in.
“Have a seat, Heero.”
Heero took the seat. “Mr. Winner…”
“Call me Quatre,” Quatre said. “This is Chang Wufei. He’s the legal expert in our company.”
Heero nodded at Wufei, who nodded in response.
“Do you have any idea what is going on?” Quatre asked.
“No,” Heero sighed. “Look, I know I look suspicious. Not only did I tell Duo that the design couldn’t be done in time, but J was the one who made it work.”
“J?” Wufei asked.
“The CEO of Christoph J.,” Heero said. “My uncle.”
“The CEO of Christoph J. is your uncle?” Quatre asked, surprised. “Then yes, that would make you a person of interest.”
“You didn’t know before?” Heero asked, stunned. “I thought for sure Duo would have told you. He’d just left my office after speaking to me about the issue when you called me.”
“I didn’t know,” Quatre said. “I was going to ask for confirmation about the scheduling restrictions that resulted in the ban of this design, and also for some logs to verify it. I want to know why Christoph J. managed to do it, given the time span between the birth of the design to now.”
“Perhaps Duo was the one who copied it?” Wufei asked.
“No!” Heero snapped. “The design was…”
“Duo is too proud to copy someone else’s work,” Quatre interrupted smoothly. “And his designs most certainly cannot be bought over.”
“Money can’t buy Duo Maxwell?” Wufei asked.
“No,” Quatre replied. “Money, a raise, can buy Duo Maxwell. Selling off his design without his name…that’s the sort of money that cannot buy Duo Maxwell. He would not betray his own work like that.”
“Ah.”
“Where is he?” he asked Quatre. “Where is Duo?”
“He left,” Quatre replied. “He excused himself to work in his own apartment where he could focus strictly on designing a new ring for the Christmas line without having to deal with the legal aspects of things.”
“Legal aspects?” Heero asked. “You mean…”
“The design was Duo’s,” Quatre answered smoothly. “And we will find out how Christoph J. managed to get the design, and take legal action.”
“That would mean that you need to leave your office temporarily, Mr. Yuy,” Wufei said. “As you are, indeed, a person of interest.”
Heero nodded. “I understand.”
“Your staff will be informed that you are on leave for a conference. We don’t want too many people knowing what sort of legal work we’re dealing with at the moment.”
Heero nodded again. “So…I can go now?”
“Yes. I hope you will be able to answer any and all questions that we have though, Heero,” Quatre said. “I don’t suspect my own people, but you have to understand that it is routine. I was just finished speaking to Duo on the phone before I spoke with you.”
“I’ll be sure to keep in touch,” Heero said firmly. “Let me know if I can be of any help.”
“Thank you, Heero.”
Heero stood and nodded to both men in the room before taking his leave. He returned to his office to get his things, passing on the message to one of his more experienced staff that he was going to a conference.
Then, Heero drove to Duo’s place.
“I’m afraid Mr. Maxwell left a note here that says he is not accepting any visitors, sir,” the concierge said to Heero.
“Please, can you make an exception? It’s an emergency.”
The man shook his head. “I’m sorry, sir,” he apologized again. “The only way I can let you through is if you can call Mr. Maxwell and get him to ring us down here at the desk to let you up.”
Heero nodded and stepped away, pulling out his phone and dialling Duo’s number.
“The customer you are calling is unavailable at this moment. Please try again.”
Heero tried again, only to get the same message, and he approached the concierge again. “I don’t suppose you can give me Mr. Maxwell’s landline?” he asked hopefully. “His cell phone isn’t going through.”
“I’m sorry sir; I can’t give you that information.”
Heero sighed and turned, wondering what the man would think if he sat on the couches in the lobby until Duo showed up. Then, he shook his head, walking back to his car as he sent Duo a text message asking for a chance to explain. When no reply was immediately forthcoming, Heero started his car.
He’d go speak to J, first.
*****
Duo sat at the end of his bed, his head in his arms. He’d lowered the curtains to block out the light and he remained there in the dark, wondering what had happened. Wondering why he’d attempted to open up and trust a man he’d only known for a short while.
Wondering if he had been a fool and had deserved what had happened.
*****
“I had no idea that the design was not one of her own,” J said. “What makes you think I would destroy the name of Christoph J. over one simple design?”
“I don’t think you would destroy the name of Christoph J. I think you’d have taken the risk because it was a brilliant design.”
J sighed. “You hurt me with your accusations.”
“Take it out,” Heero demanded. “Recall the product. Give an apology to Duo Maxwell.”
J laughed. “Don’t be a fool. That would certainly destroy the name of Christoph J. Tell Duo Maxwell that I will pay him a handsome fee for using his design then, if he can prove that he created it first.”
“Duo Maxwell cannot be bought,” Heero said. “Not for his design, not just like that. This ring, this design, was very important to him. No amount of money…”
“Then you better come up with a better solution, Heero, because I will not let anyone drag the name of this company through the mud.”
Heero left the office then, knowing that there wasn’t much more he could say. As he did, he walked into a woman, causing her folders to fall. He immediately bent to help her, looking at her as they straightened.
“You!” Heero’s eyes widened in recognition.
“What? You…do I know you?” The woman asked, flustered.
“What’s your name?”
“Excuse me?”
“What’s the problem, Evelyn?”
Evelyn. Evelyn M. Stone. The designer named in the catalogue under Duo’s name.
“Evelyn Stone,” Heero said. “You were the woman who spilled soda over Duo’s design in the deli. You stole the design!”
“What? That’s slander! I did no such thing!”
“Then I’d simply have to go back to the deli and ask for their videotapes as confirmation,” Heero said with an icy glare. “I won’t drag your name or your company’s name into the mud, J. Just hers.”
Heero had made it out of the building before Evelyn managed to give chase.
“Let me explain!”
Heero turned, still glaring. “What is there to say?”
“I…” Evelyn swallowed. “J made me do it.”
“And you expect me to believe you after you tried to deny knowing me, and tried to deny having stolen the design?”
“J made me do it!” Evelyn insisted. “I can prove it!”
“Okay,” Heero said. “Prove it.”
Evelyn looked around. “Not here. There’s a coffee shop around the corner.”
Heero humoured her and followed her to the coffee shop, letting her place an order before becoming impatient. “Well?”
“You’re J’s nephew!” Evelyn blurted before lowering her voice. “He’s always wanted to have you back in the company, you know that! He resented the fact that you not only left to another company, but to his biggest competitor!”
Heero knew that J wanted him at Christoph J.; this much he knew he could believe Evelyn. “And what did he force you to do?”
“He…bought over one of your staff. Jeremy.”
“Jeremy Romans?”
She nodded. “He was the internal correspondence. He…snuck into your office to look at designs and when he saw Duo Maxwell’s, and saw the note you had placed about the design being impossible, Jeremy immediately called J. J saw the opportunity to not only out-do Quatre Winner’s company, but also to steal you back. He spared no expense to get the moulds done once we got our hands on the design.
Jeremy tailed you and Duo Maxwell to the deli when he saw you head out with the folder and design. J sent me in to listen to what you had to say about it, what Duo Maxwell had to say about the design. It was…I who decided to use the soda trick because I wasn’t confident I could bring the design back to the office just in my head. It was just too…intricate. J offered me a great deal of money for…stealing the design, taking the risk and putting my name on that catalogue.”
Heero nodded. “Then how would that get me back to J?”
“Jeremy is going to place the blame on you. He is going to place evidence on your computer that will show you sent the designs and notes to me. Quatre Winner would fire you…”
“And I would end up in jail!”
“Not if Duo Maxwell begged Quatre Winner to let you go,” Evelyn said. “That wasn’t a part of the plan. Even if you did end up in jail, J. fully expected you to get out and return to work for him.”
Heero sat back, stunned.
Then, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket.
“What are you doing?” Evelyn asked, afraid.
“Did you hear all of that?” Heero spoke into the phone.
“Heard and recorded,” Wufei replied. “We’ll be placing a call to J.”
“Could you wait for me to return?” Heero asked.
“We’ll wait for you, Heero,” Quatre said.
“Thank you.” He hung up the phone and looked at Evelyn. “Thank you for the information. I hope you weren’t lying.” With that, Heero stood and left the coffee shop.
The first question he asked when he returned to the office was whether anyone had notified Duo Maxwell of what was going on.
“We haven’t been able to reach him,” Quatre replied. “Perhaps he is hard at work?”
Heero mentally sighed. “So what is going to happen now?”
“Quatre could strategically strike and take down Christoph J,” Wufei said.
“Take down Christoph J.?” Heero asked. Deep down he had expected that scenario, but Christoph J. was where he had started work his work; gained his first experiences. It was the company who, essentially, brought him up; J had been working there for years and it was that salary that allowed J to take care of him instead of sending him to an orphanage or foster care.
“But that would put a lot of people out of jobs in the Christmas season,” Quatre mused. “And take away my biggest competitor. Where’s the fun in that?”
Wufei narrowed his eyes at Quatre. “Fun? I’m thinking about your profits, Mr. Winner.”
“Why should we penalize the entire company for the mistake of two people?” Quatre asked. “J only wanted Heero to work for him. That has nothing to do with the rest of the company.”
“So what do you propose?” Wufei asked. “We convince Duo Maxwell to let go of the whole thing?”
“That won’t happen,” Heero said. “That design is very special to Duo. It…stems from a project from his schooling days when he worked with a partner. The original design between the two of them scored well, but before they received their mark, his partner died in a car accident. Duo said that she was born around Christmas time and that the design was meant as a gift for her mother.”
“So Duo altered the design slightly and decided to bring it to life,” Quatre finished softly. “No, he won’t let go of the whole thing. I don’t expect any designer to, let alone the designs with origins like that.” He turned to Wufei. “What are my other options, Wufei?”
Wufei sighed. “If you don’t want to take the opportunity to give Christoph J. some poor publicity, I suppose…you could find that Jeremy in Heero’s department and fire him, or recommend him to Christoph J. Then ask Christoph J. to print an apology for a misprint in the name of the designer for the ring.”
“But you can’t put Duo’s name on it, can you?” Heero asked. “He should be legally bound to only designing for this company!”
Wufei gave Heero a look. “I am the legal expert, Mr. Yuy. I am well aware of Duo Maxwell’s contract. I was going to suggest that they alter the name to…that of Duo’s late partner.”
“Interesting,” Quatre said. “I’ll email Duo then, and ask him if that is acceptable. If it is, we’ll contact J. and see if we can settle it this way. If not, we’ll have no choice but to expose the entire thing and give them the bad publicity they were asking for.”
There was a knock on the door, and Trowa entered, dragging a reluctant man after him.
“Jeremy Romans,” he said shortly, pushing the man in front of him. Jeremy looked at Heero and immediately looked away. “I spotted him in Heero Yuy’s office, and also caught him with a diamond in his pocket,” Trowa said, holding up the small diamond.
“You are hereby fired from your position within this company,” Quatre said. “I will send you a formal letter. I also hold the rights to press charges against you for trying to steal from my company.”
Jeremy nodded; he was red in the face and didn’t have the words to say to his now ex-CEO.
“Dismissed,” Quatre said. “Wufei, draft up the legal documents I need to send to Christoph J. Heero, you can take the rest of the day off. Trowa, send someone to see that Mr. Romans returns his sign on cards and uniform, and doesn’t leave the premises with any more than he owns.”
The three men nodded, and Trowa spoke into his small communicator, requesting assistance from his staff. Heero and Wufei left the room, and shortly after, Jeremy Romans, too, left the room.
“I knew I could count on my head of security to catch someone with my diamonds,” Quatre said.
Trowa made his way around the desk and turned Quatre’s chair, setting a hand on either arm rest and leaning down. “Of course,” Trowa replied smoothly. “It’s my job to protect all of your diamonds,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
“You do a very good job of it,” Quatre praised with a grin.
“Oh?” Trowa knelt then and looked up at Quatre. “So is this where I get a reward for doing well?”
“I suppose…if you locked the door.”
“Of course I did.” With that, Trowa flicked off his communicator.
Heero sat in his car outside of Duo’s apartment. Duo’s phone still wasn’t going through. They now knew the story, and were waiting for Duo’s opinion on how to close the issue.
Sitting alone staring at nothing, Heero couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander. He remembered things that Duo had said earlier today; somehow it seemed like ages ago.
I guess it was fun while it lasted, right, Heero?
And hey, you had an added bonus of screwing the designer in more ways than one! Too bad though, that you only got to literally got the screw the designer once, huh?
Heero shook his head. Was that really what Duo thought?
He dialled again and received the same message. Tossing his phone to the passenger seat in frustration, Heero sighed.
His mind wandered and suddenly another thought entered his mind.
“Duo…” Heero breathed, getting out of his car and looking up at the tall apartment. He couldn’t see Duo’s window from where he was, but Heero knew he was looking in the general direction. “…What you said…what you thought I did…Did you really think that I’m that kind of person?”
Did you think it was nothing but playing around…screwing?
Did you really think that it was nothing but a game?
- TBC -
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