Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Edulcoration of Duo Maxwell ❯ A Proposition ( Chapter 3 )

The Edulcoration of Duo Maxwell - 3/?

~~~~~~~

Note: This fic is in response to Nova Una's challenge to write Gundam Wing, Pretty Woman style.

Warnings: AU (duh), yaoi (double duh), language, citrusy situations

Disclaimer: I don't really need to be Captain Obvious here, do I?

Edulcorate, verb. To free from harshness (as of attitude) or to soften.

~~~~~~~~

Chapter 3 - A Proposition

Duo, having showered the night before, got up and threw on a dressing gown the next morning as Heero slept. Normally he wouldn't bother, but he wasn't sure how he was supposed to react the Morning After a night with a hooker.

He also didn't want to give room service an eyeful when they brought breakfast. He picked up the phone, ordered a little of everything, and then sat at the desk and checked his messages, shaking his head as he listened to Wufei's threats to his person.

He'd barely hung up the phone when it rang, and he picked it up, knowing very well who would be on the other end.

"Wufei," he said, tucking the phone between his ear and shoulder as he booted up his computer.

"If it weren't for the fact that we have a situation, I would gladly pierce your black heart with my sword."

"You need a new hobby, Wufei," Duo said. "Or are you going to insist on this fencing thing until you've managed to get better at it than Meiran?"

"Damn it, Duo, I'm serious!"

Duo leaned forward, his elbows on the desk. "What kind of situation?"

"Peacecraft wants to meet with you personally!"

"You do it," Duo said, gesturing dismissively as if Wufei were in the room with him.

"We did. But he wants to meet my partner, too."

"Hmm," Duo replied, clicking on his e-mail. "Wait. What do you mean, 'WE did'?"

"Meiran and I. Apparently Peacecraft is family oriented, and he wants to get a feel for the 'real us.'" Wufei's disgust was evident in his voice.

"Fine. When?"

"This evening. But-"

"OK, got it, tell me where and I'll be there with bells on to meet the old codger."

"Duo," Wufei said, gritting his teeth. "You're not listening to me. A, we aren't dealing with Peacecraft Senior, we're dealing with his son. B, aren't you listening to me?"

"You're repeating yourself, Chang," Duo said, deleting the junk mail that had accumulated overnight and mentally cursing his useless spam filter.

"Family oriented, Duo. FAMILY!"

Duo's lips tightened at the reminder of his current status. Did Wufei expect him to have Hilde fly to California to pose as his wife? His ears detected the sounds of movement coming from the bedroom, and his lips curled in a feral grin.

"I hear you loud and clear. E-mail me the particulars, and I'll show him family."

"Duo-" Wufei's protest was cut off as Duo carefully placed the handset back on its cradle.

Heero was leaning in the doorway, gloriously naked, his arms crossed. Seeing Duo terminate his phone call, he walked out and picked up his discarded clothes from the night before. Duo watched in fascination as Heero pulled the leather over his hips, looking a bit guilty as Heero caught his gaze.

"Fifty for the escort to the hotel. Fifty for the hummer. A thousand for the whole night. Eleven hundred dollars," Heero said, slipping the shirt over his shoulders and sliding both arms into the sleeves at once.

"Thanks. I don't think I could have handled the arithmetic without your help," Duo commented, earning a scowl from Heero.

"Listen, Heero," he said. "I have a business proposition for you."

Heero quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Please, have a seat. Help yourself to some breakfast," Duo gestured at the various covered dishes on the nearby table. Heero hesitated only briefly before removing all the covers. He helped himself to something from each plate, Duo noted with amusement. When Heero's eyes lit on the platinum wig hanging from the corner of one of the chairs, his hand automatically went to touch the thick brown hair on his head. It was wild and unruly and looked as though Heero had just enjoyed an incredibly satisfactory evening. Duo wondered briefly what it would be like to touch it.

"It looks good on you," Duo commented softly. Heero pulled his hand away from his hair and pretended he didn't hear.

"Before I tell you about my idea," Duo said. "I suppose I should tell you what I do for a living."

Heero shrugged.

"Ever steal anything, Heero? A big something? Like a car?"

Heero's scowl amplified into a full-blown glare. "Not all of us have your particular skill set," he said, letting Duo realize that Heero had noticed the lack of keys hanging from the ignition the night before. Duo decided to refrain from commenting on Heero's particular set of skills. Antagonizing the man wasn't going to get him what he needed.

"I'm listening," Heero finally said, his eyes locked onto Duo's. Duo noticed with a tinge of disappointment that Heero's contact lenses were in place, dulling the vivid blue he'd glimpsed the previous night.

Duo searched his mind for a suitable analogy, and remembered Heero's more than passing interest in the laptop.

"If I were to sell a computer with a 486 processor, how much do you think I could get for it?"

Heero's snort told him what he thought of that question.

"OK. Now let's say I don't have a problem cannibalizing the thing."

Heero's eyes lit up. "Selling off the components separately, servicing a market that has few suppliers."

Duo's heart made a little lurch, but he forced himself to focus on the business at hand. "Exactly. Well, I do the same thing with businesses, in a sense."

Heero made a grunt of understanding.

"So, Heero," Duo said. "You seem to know a bit about computers."

Heero grunted again, and Duo laughed. "You were much more talkative last night," he commented.

"I may have to reevaluate my opinion of you," Heero said a bit scornfully.

Duo's eyebrows went up. "Oh?"

"I didn't think you were naive," Heero replied with a shrug.

"But now you do," Duo stated. Heero nodded slightly. "So please, go ahead, tell me just what has made you change your mind."

"You're a businessman. You tell me. Why would I need to converse now? What purpose would that serve? The sales pitch was last night." Duo's eyes darkened at the not-so-subtle reminder that he'd fallen for it, too, even if he hadn't planned on it, but his pulse quickened as he remembered the end result. "You have a sales pitch of your own," Heero continued. "So I only need to listen." His eyes fell to his plate as he mumbled something.

"What was that?" Duo asked sharply.

Heero fixed him with another stare. "It's impolite to talk with your mouth full of cock," he said coldly.

Duo frowned briefly, then pasted a grin on his face. "Ah, but Heero, I have far more ambitious plans for that mouth of yours." That incredibly talented mouth, part of his mind added, making him glad he was wearing a loose robe and that Heero's eyes had shifted to look at the wall next to them. He had to reel in this fish before it got away, though. "Heero?"

Almost as if the previous conversation, if it could be considered one, had never taken place, Heero said, "I've dabbled a bit." He took a moment to savor Duo's pinched lip expression before adding, "with computers."

The crease between Duo's eyebrows smoothed. Why should it bother him if Heero had meant he'd 'dabbled' with the finer arts of oral sex? He was a prostitute, for crying out loud, of course he'd be good at it. Oh, God, he was so very, VERY good at it.

Heero was looking at Duo's laptop with a sense of nostalgia. "A bit," he repeated softly.

Duo caught a hint of longing in those words, but wisely kept it to himself. He wondered what had driven Heero to sell his body on the streets. It obviously wasn't his first career choice, so to speak. He must be a free agent, Duo mused, because he didn't seem the type who would tolerate having a pimp boss him around. Then again, he didn't seem the type to whore himself for a few bucks.

Duo couldn't help the wry grin that crept onto his features. A FEW bucks? If Heero accepted his proposal, it would cost him a far cry above a few bucks.

Looking at the thick brown locks of hair that spilled over Heero's forehead, he thought it would be worth every damn penny.

He had to focus on the real reason he wanted to hire Heero, though. He tried to organize his thoughts. They'd made perfect sense when he was on the phone with Wufei, but that was before the person who had a starring role in his plan walked out of the bedroom wearing nothing more than he had the day he was born.

Was the intense physical reaction an indication that he was, truly and irrevocably, attracted to men, or was it just an inevitable result of being around Heero? The man had a magnetic personality, which is why he so desperately wanted Heero's agreement. It wasn't just for the obvious reasons. Reasons he was looking forward to exploring.

He had to get dressed before Heero decided to make him drop his robe and act on his instincts. Assuming Heero would let him. He touched a hand to his scalp, remembering Heero's tight grip the night before and feeling lucky that Heero's fists hadn't pulled clumps of his hair loose as he came. There was a lot brewing behind those eyes, and Duo liked solving puzzles. With luck, he'd have some of the answers by the end of the week and would be able to move on.

But first he had to set up the rest of the week. He pulled on a pair of pants before daring to drop the dressing gown. His shirt was hastily buttoned. His fingers weren't cooperating as he tried to knot his tie, his body thrumming with anticipation, and the next thing he knew, Heero was standing in front of him, his fingers moving swiftly over the silk, then sliding the knot until the tie was in place. Heero fixed his collar, then ran his hand along the length of the tie until it fell against Duo's shirt with a gentle thump. He stepped back and looked Duo squarely in the eye.

Much to Duo's surprise, Heero said, "your proposition?"