Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Edulcoration of Duo Maxwell ❯ Transition Elements ( Chapter 49 )

Edulcorate (verb) - To free from harshness (as of attitude); to soften

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Chapter 49 - Transition Elements

"The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning." - Sherlock Holmes, Sign of The Four

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"DUO!" Wufei's voice thundered over Duo's cell phone. "Where are you right now?"

"At the hotel, where else would I be?" In Heero, his mind whispered at him, taking the wind out of his sails a bit.

"We have a meeting scheduled with Peacecraft, Duo. Son of a bitch expects us to jump when he calls, but I want to move ahead with this, before he changes his mind again. He said he had a few phone calls to make, and I'm going to do the same. The sooner we get to the office to assemble our own team, the better."

"Yeah, OK," Duo said, glancing at Heero who was stalking out to the balcony. "Listen, Wufei, I'll be on my way out the door in just a minute. Hold 'em off if you get there before I do. Stall them with your dazzling wit."

"In just a minute?" Wufei asked. "Duo, what's going on?"

"The more time I spend on the phone chatting with you, the less time I'll have to actually get there," Duo pointed out. "Are you en route now? When you get there, have a drink, do some meditation, call the psychic hotline, use feng shui to rearrange your office. Just stay calm, and for the love of all that is holy, please make sure there is some coffee ready before this meeting starts."

He disconnected the call before Wufei could say anything else, then followed Heero out to the balcony where he'd wandered just before the phone rang.

~~~~~

"He hung up on me," Wufei complained to his wife as he put his cell phone on the kitchen table. "He didn't even let me tell him what time the meeting was."

"Mmm hmmm," she said, the tip of her tongue peeking out from between her teeth as she read the back of the bottle in her hand. "So tell him when you see him at the office later."

"Will you stop examining that and just...do what you're supposed to do with it?"

"I've never used this before," she pointed out. "And you should have thought of that before you got into a fight with a door."

"Table," he corrected, then groaned.

"Ah, I knew there was more to the story, but I still don't think I want to know all the details. OK, sit still, I'm not sure I have the right color, so I might have to try a different one if this shade doesn't work."

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Wufei said, his cheeks flushing scarlet.

She uncapped the bottle and applied some of the contents to a wedge-shaped piece of foam, then started patting it gently over his left cheek.

"Stop blushing; it changes your skin tone too much," she chastised. "And if you'll remember, I merely suggested that you might not want to arrive at a meeting looking like you'd engaged in a barroom brawl." She stepped back a moment before using the foam applicator to blend in the concealer.

"This is embarrassing," he grumbled. "It's make-up."

"That will teach you to keep your nose out of other people's business," she said. "Now stop fidgeting or it will end up on your collar." She waved the beige tinted wedge menacingly.

"You think this is funny," he complained.

"Mmmm, but you knew that last night. I suspected you might hear from Milliardo Peacecraft today," she said, stepping back again. She closed one eye and held up her left thumb as if she were gauging a work of art.

"How did you know he was going to call?"

"I told you last night, Wufei," she reminded him. She shook her head and picked up a washcloth from the table, carrying it to the sink to run it under the faucet. She returned and wiped off all the foundation she'd applied. "This bamboo color is too pale for your skin tone," she said. "I will need to try the cashew instead."

"I thought you'd never used this before," he accused.

"When have you ever seen me spend hours in front of a mirror?" she pointed out. "You know, you can just waltz into that meeting if you feel that purple is a good color for you, but I think that might give the wrong impression to Milliardo Peacecraft, don't you?"

Wufei wanted to say the hell with it. He was a man, and men got into fights, didn't they?

Yes. Uncivilized men, usually, and he couldn't show any outward signs that could be interpreted ambiguously. He didn't know if the bruise would suggest impulsiveness, or weakness, or irrational behavior. He needed to keep any and all distractions away from Peacecraft. He and Duo had worked too hard for this.

"Much better," Meiran approved as she patted a second foam wedge on his cheek. "You'd make a very charming geisha, you know."

"I'm not Japanese," he growled.

She laughed at him again. "I'm so glad you cleared that up for me, Chang," she said, tapping him on the nose with the clean edge of the foam. "But I still think you're darn pretty."

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his lap. "Are you done yet?"

She blended the foundation a bit more and leaned back. "Mmm. I think so. You can check in the mirror before you go."

He wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry that this thing has taken up so much of my time," he said, running a hand through her hair.

"Wufei," she breathed against his neck. "I think coming here has been the best damn thing that's happened to us. You've just been so close to everything, it's hard for you to let the stone finish rolling to the bottom. You're not Sisyphus," she said. "Don't feel you need to push it back uphill."

He kissed the top of her head. "What about you?" he asked. "You seem to know an awful lot about what's been going on. Making deals with Hades himself?"

"As I pointed out yesterday," she murmured. "Some things are logical outcomes based on events that have previously unfolded. Duo did something that enraged Milliardo Peacecraft, and yet you still received a phone call, informing you to remain available in case Peacecraft decided to contact you again. I think he'd made his decision a long time ago to go ahead and do business with you and Duo, but he couldn't bear to admit to it without having time to accept it. I'm sure he also spent at least a little effort into exploring other available options.

"And I hate to say I believe in luck, but you and Duo do seem to have the devil's own at times, and this week has been full of rather promising outcomes, wouldn't you agree?"

"Mmm," he agreed, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. She got up from his lap so he could check her handiwork in the bathroom mirror. He examined his face first under the overhead lights, then using the ones on the sides of the mirror, and then again with both illuminating the room.

She'd done a great job blending it so there was no evidence of his rather unsuccessful encounter with Heero Yuy.

The thought of Duo spending time with that man still concerned him, and he frowned slightly as he fastened the top buttons of his shirt. He quickly knotted his tie and Meiran handed him his jacket on his way to the door leading to the hall.

"Knock 'em dead, Chang," she said, kissing the right side of his face. He reached out a hand to stroke her cheek with his thumb and pressed their foreheads together.

"Wait for me?" he asked.

"With bated breath," she smiled. "Now get going. Take no prisoners."

He had his hand on the doorknob before she spoke again.

"Wufei?"

He turned to face her.

"Don't worry about Duo. No matter how much it looks like he might be making a mistake, he needs to work this out for himself. Don't interfere."

"Meiran..."

"No, no," she shook her head. "I told you, I don't know anything, but I know what I feel. All I can tell you is...I trust Heero."

He was floored by that statement, even though he'd suspected as much ever since the night she'd spoken to Yuy at the gallery.

"I'm not telling you to do the same," she added. "But I think you need to let Duo determine if he feels that way on his own. Without any input from you, one way or another."

He nodded and turned to leave a second time before remembering something. He quickly walked back to his wife and kissed her on the mouth this time.

"I love you," he said brusquely, then turned and walked out of the apartment.

She smiled at the closed door.

"I love you, too, you pigheaded idiot."

Meiran put away the cosmetics and glanced at the running shoes near the door, then at the vintage crime novel she'd placed on the coffee table the previous evening.

The hell with it. She would indulge in the satisfaction of finishing the last few chapters before going out for a run. She wasn't required to be at the apartment waiting for Wufei when he got home, but she wanted to be, and his meeting wasn't even going to start for a couple of hours. She didn't necessarily believe in women's intuition, but she couldn't deny the feeling that things were going to change very drastically today. It had been a week full of revelations for her and her husband. Perhaps they weren't the only ones finding that life was full of unexpected surprises. Alchemists throughout history were never successful at turning iron into gold, but there was something inherently valuable about iron itself, making it more suitable than gold for some purposes.

She removed a sports drink from the refrigerator and sat down with the book Heero had mentioned offhandedly several evenings ago. She uncapped the bottle, took a long swallow, and then opened the book to the section she had marked.

Half an hour later she flipped back several pages to reread the final confrontation between Brigid O'Shaughnessy and Sam Spade.

"Now you're lying. You're lying if you say you don't know down in your heart that, in spite of anything I've done, I love you."

The corners of her eyes crinkled slightly, and she skimmed the next page to find one particular line of Sam's that had caught her eye. There it was, near the bottom of the page.

"Listen. When a man's partner is killed he's supposed to do something about it. It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you're supposed to do something about it."

Life often imitated art, if things weren't interpreted so literally, she thought, then turned the page again to find Brigid's last question to Sam.

"Look at me...and tell me the truth. Would you have done this to me if the falcon had been real and you had been paid your money?"

She closed the book and set it aside, then picked up the bottle and held it between her knees.

She'd told Wufei to let Duo make his own decisions, but that didn't mean she didn't worry about their friend just as much. She'd asked Duo if he was happy, and he hadn't answered. He'd merely commented that Hilde had suggested he might be gay, his tone of voice the same as if commenting on the weather.

She'd seen the way Heero watched Duo at the gallery without being obvious, and had not failed to notice Duo's hand on Heero's lower back as he introduced him to a few people that same night.

Duo had reacted very strongly when Wufei punched Heero. As far as she knew, Duo had not attempted to call her husband all day yesterday, although she supposed that was a bold conclusion to make considering Wufei's phone had been turned off. If he had, he certainly hadn't left any messages, because Wufei's phone hadn't beeped to alert him to check his voice mail.

She'd known that if Milliardo Peacecraft were going to call at all, he'd wait until the last possible minute, so she hadn't worried about Wufei missing an important call. People were very much the same, no matter where one went. She almost wished she'd had a chance to meet this Milliardo Peacecraft. She'd seen him from a distance, but would have enjoyed seeing him in action, to judge how he measured against Wufei and Duo. All she'd been able to determine was it seemed he was a bit protective of his sister, based on his reaction to seeing her with Heero. She already knew that Heero would be just as interesting to watch. It was a shame that Heero wasn't involved in the whole Peacecraft deal. That would certainly make for some volatile corporate dynamics.

She got up from the couch and finished her sports drink before going into the bedroom to change into her running shorts. A three-mile run seemed reasonable. It would give her plenty of time to come back and shower, make lunch, and then relax with Nightmare Town, a collection of short stories, three of which also featured Spade. It would be nice to have an opportunity to discuss them with Heero, if the opportunity ever arose.

It wasn't until she'd managed to cover the distance of about a mile before she realized one of the reasons she had been so drawn to Heero, whom she'd found she had quite a bit in common with.

In some ways, it seemed that Heero was also very much like her husband.

~~~~~

Heero had immediately turned to the balcony after the phone rang, recognizing the sound as the signal that they were approaching their final lap. The manner of their parting had been decided by Duo, and it was up to him to see it through. He heard Duo's side of the conversation, noticed the way Duo's voice had taken on a slightly higher pitch. Heero tried not to think of the way it sounded like Duo was recovering from a sense of loss that he didn't quite understand. Patience, he reminded himself for the umpteenth time.

When Duo disconnected the call, he saw Heero standing there and staring at the sky, looking so much like he had the previous night that any residual anger on Duo's part dissipated. He was surprised to realize he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around Heero and beg him to stay until he got back from this thrice damned meeting. He said nothing, but he did take up a stance next to the other double door leading to the balcony.

Heero swallowed. He didn't know if he was making it better or worse, but certain things needed to be said before the adage about the first day of the rest of his life could be considered fitting. The reality of their situation had to be dealt with. Duo's earlier comments had given him the idea on how to proceed. They both needed to view what was between them as it was. Not gleaming and lustrous, but tarnished and dented. Something still worth saving, though; something worth taking in hand and restoring to what it could be.

Heero was willing to devote a lot of time into looking through the layers of grime to reveal the hidden luster of the palace treasure. He was no longer sure if the same held true for Duo, who seemed more comfortable with mystery and challenges only when he'd had a hand in forming them or was reasonably certain of success.

Knowing all this didn't make what he was about to say any easier, even if he was sure this was what Duo needed. It likely wasn't the best approach to take, but there was a time limit to be taken into consideration. That phone call had cut their already dwindling time together down to almost nothing. Make this performance count, Yuy. It'll be good practice for you, knowing what you know now, so throw yourself into the role.

"Our contract expires today," Heero said evenly. "Meals and incidentals were part of my compensation package." His tone implied he was going to collect every last bit of what Duo had promised, too, putting their relationship back in its proper perspective. Employer and employee. Randy playboy and overpriced hooker. The way it should have been all along.

Duo's hands fisted at his sides before he uncurled his fingers and shook his head. Fuck. What now? Was he supposed to fix this? Did Heero feel like Duo had come out the victor, meaning that Heero had lost? How did things manage to get so complicated in such a short period of time? He didn't have time to deal with this right now. He didn't know if he'd have time to deal with it ever.

"Will you be here when I come back?" he asked, wanting to kick himself for the slightly pleading tone that entered his voice.

"I think I will go out for breakfast," Heero said.

Duo had no idea what that might be implying in terms of the question he'd asked, but perhaps it was better that way. He needed to get going. He averted his eyes when Heero turned and walked past him, and breathed easier when he realized Heero had no intention of stopping and pinning that penetrating gaze on him.

He couldn't resist peeking out from under his bangs as Heero ran his hand along the desk and picked up one of the keycards.

"Duo."

He refused to turn around and acknowledge Heero, but that didn't seem to faze him one bit. Perhaps Heero knew he was listening.

"Dum spiro, spero," Heero said softly. Duo started slightly. It seemed as though he'd heard someone throw out an occasional Latin phrase in the not so distant past.

He held his breath until he heard the soft click of the door close behind Heero. He waited more than a sufficient amount of time for the elevator to have brought Heero to the lobby, where he assumed Heero would be eating breakfast, then turned and left the balcony.

He noticed the pile of money still stacked on the table and breathed a sigh of relief, one that seemed distinctly at odds with the decision he'd made.

'It's for your own good, Heero, as much as it is for mine,' he thought, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat.

Except he hadn't said that, and he had no intentions of doing so. It was better this way, and he knew that Heero would come to reason eventually and agree with him. This was why he never got close to anyone he did business with. It was a liability, letting oneself actually care about the futures of the companies that were bought and sold. If he and Wufei weren't doing it, someone else would. Hadn't he and Heero discussed this already?

It was time to do what he did best. He was looking forward to the wrangling with Milliardo Peacecraft and whatever surprises he might have up his sleeve.

tbc

~~~~~

Transition elements: there are 38 elements considered "transition metals." All metals are malleable and ductile, and they all conduct both electricity and heat. What categorizes these thirty-eight as transition metals is the valence electrons (those used to combine with other elements to form compounds) are present in more than one shell (which probably only makes sense if you've taken at least one chemistry class). Of all the transition metals, only iron, nickel, and cobalt produce a magnetic field.

Melting point of gold (Au): 1947.97°F (~1064°C)

Melting point of iron (Fe): 2795.0°F (~1535.0 °C)

Both are transition elements

Feng shui (pronounced fung shway, something that really threw me off) is a Chinese system for arranging one's environment to maximize internal harmony. Literally it is derived from the words for wind (feng) and water (shui). I first heard about it from Ben, a character in Comedy Central's long-since-cancelled Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist (in Squigglevision!). Ben, voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, threw himself wholeheartedly into it after finding a book titled Feng Shui The Fun Way (and I think he mispronounced it, too). More useless trivia: Jon Benjamin also provides the voice of Coach John McGuirk on Home Movies, currently airing in the US on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim Sunday nights.

Sisyphus - sentenced to an eternity in Hades of pushing a stone up a hill, only to have it roll all the way to the bottom just as the top was in sight. He did pull a few fast ones as far as cheating death, including tricking Persephone into allowing him to return to earth because he'd been buried without his fare for Charon, the ferryman of the River Styx. Those buried without a coin under their tongues were doomed to wander the river's edge until they found the pauper's entrance to Hades. Keep in mind that Hades was the place for all departed souls, not just those who had earned the displeasure of the gods.