Author's note:
Hi all,
This is a companion fiction for Snowdragonct's Witness Protection, written with her gracious permission of course! I for one wanted to see that first meeting between Duo and Zechs, so I wrote it.
The lyrics in this fic are mine by the way, I wrote them, so don't go looking for the song, because it doesn't exist.
Pack Behaviour, by Hikishi
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, or the plot for Witness Protection. The only thing I own is a vivid imagination.
Pairings: 6x2 (I know, what a departure for me!)
Warnings: Duo's potty mouth, Sexual Connotations, Stripping.
Genres: Romance, though in a twisted kind of way.
Pack Behaviour
What a boring night, he thought, hiding a yawn behind his hand as he leant against the bar. The nightclub was full, but the first few acts had been extremely lacking. He saw money passed back and forth over the packed bars, and wondered what all the people were milling about for. His club was pulling in the big bucks now. A very good thing, because he needed it to. He wanted to bring in a more upmarket clientele. No, scratch that, he wanted to bring in Treize's clientele. A filthy smirk lifted the corners of his lips. Oh, how he'd love to see Khushrenada's cage looking a little rattled. It was about time someone knocked him off his gaudy throne. Zechs stood by the old saying, keep your lackeys close and the bastard who was sinking your business even closer. Not that he'd ever admit that to Treize. After all, the man had helped him start his business in the first place. But that was back when they were friends. Khushrenada and he had at one time been really good friends. They'd started out in business together. Then Treize had inherited Oz, and suddenly he'd changed. gone was the man who had offered him help when his first club had been burnt down, and in his place, a cunning hardass, who would smile at you as he signalled his henchmen to shoot your accountant. It just wasn't right. And that Une bitch! Gods, He'd never met such a crazy woman. She was now Khushrenada's second. Zechs could see why he'd chosen her. She was suave and sophisticated with one turn of the head, but a word from Treize and she turned into a snarling pit bull. He didn't want her anywhere near him. The blond turned to the employee behind the bar, disdain showing clearly on his face.
"Would this be the maximum capacity on a Thursday?" He enquired, hoping to get some actual information. Thursdays seemed to be a big earner for him, the other nights, not so much, Zechs needed to know what was pulling in his customers and see if he could duplicate it every night and in his other clubs.
"Yes sir." Came the snappy reply as the nametagless man checked his watch. "Shin's a godsend! Dunno where the boss lady found him, but damn! The man's enough to make me cheat on my wife."
"Do you mean to say that none of Noin's other headliners are any good?"
The barkeep was quick to defend, anxiousness clearly visible at the question.
"No Mr Zechs sir, that's not it at all!" A headshake accompanied the denial. "I only meant to say, that is, that he was a hard act to follow. Since boss lady paired Shin and Nanashi it's been the highlight of the weekend, and together they pull in the customers. Only downside is Nanashi only does weekends now to fit around his primary job, and Shin has cut his hours down to three nights a week, prior commitments and all. None of the other dancers hold a candle to him and Nan together or alone, So Miss Noin's been concentrating on the weekend slots for now."
"I see." Zechs turned back to watch the show, and saw how pitiful the act was. Looked like this dancer would be out of a job by the end of the night. No matter, he had more talent at Sanc. He'd just re-shuffle a little. It wasn't like the business was suffering at the moment anyway. "Tell me, why haven't we threatened to fire these two if they are no longer dedicated? Customers? Or something else?"
If there was something the owner of Sanq Palace and The Jungle would not stand for, it was these two characteristics.
"Good lord no!" An affronted tone came back and Lucrezia Noin was suddenly there beside him. She stared up at him as he ignored her to watch the shenanigans on stage.
"Well? I need an answer. Why aren't we making use of good employees? And where are all the talented dancers?"
"Shinigami and Nanashi are a hard act to follow up, Zechs." Was his manager's statement. "Watching them on stage is like live action porn. Both of those boys move like liquid, and the other boys, try as they might, simply can't measure up."
"So I ask again, why haven't you fired them?"
Zechs fixed her with a piercing gaze, daring her to come up with an acceptable explanation, as the situation he found himself in currently was not.
She smirked, and gestured at the window overlooking the main stage. "See for yourself."
The lights had dimmed down below, darkening the club to the point of near blackness. Zechs could just hear the low throbbing beat beginning. Liquid lyrics soon followed.
It shakes and vibrates,
Pulses and gyrates.
He squinted, and could make out a figure, crawling - no, stalking up the main runway. On hands and knees. With a quick, and powerful grace, that reminded him of a predator. Without realising, Zechs' breath caught in his throat.
Spins me around,
And forces me down,
And there was another dancer following behind, this one was… words could not describe. Where the first one was powerful, this one was raw sexual energy. The lights brightened a little, and the blond man began to realise exactly why Noin had kept these two. At first they were barely tactile, little caressing touches here and there. Then one slid his hand down the other's body slowly, so slowly, and all bets were suddenly off. They flowed sinuously, sliding over each other, standing, one pushing the other towards the centre pole, dominating. They slid back together, the other giving ground reluctantly, but neither actually shoving, every movement was fluid, perfect, and Zechs leant forward, wanting the lights to turn up so he could see more. They were absolutely captivating.
It's mob behaviour, it's a seething mass,
Prey is on the dance floor and the predators slink past.
The beat got deeper as the lights came up a bit more, revealing spots and stripes, along with a provocative tail. The taller of the two had the other bent backwards, to a point that seemed almost painful, and was wandering everywhere on the man's torso and thighs they ground together to the music, once, twice, and a third time, before the striped one rolled back and to one side, proving he wasn't quite as submissive after all. A gleam of white teeth, and he was crouched over his now kneeling partner, scraping his teeth along the side of a long sinewy neck, hands smoothing down long spotted thighs and taking their sweet time coming back up.
Tense with anticipation my body rocks once more,
Into that undulating rhythm that the predator can't ignore.
Spots locked his hand around Stripes' wrists and rolled them both onto the floor in a fake tussle that stole Zechs' breath. He also caught sight of the tail as the lights reached a suitable luminescence, and noticed that it was actually Stripes' hair. It wasn't long before he could no longer tell where one ended and the other began, they were writhing together silently, sweat pouring down their bodies, flexing, embracing in such a convincing way that the owner of The Jungle himself wasn't sure they weren't having sex right there on the stage. This was exotic dancing on a whole new level. Stripes was absolutely riveting, sat atop Spots, hands clenching and unclenching in his own hair, his chest heaving, lower lip caught between his teeth. Zechs found himself panting in time to each breath the man took. The man bent forward, and licked, long, and hard, up the side of his dance partner's neck and face, grinding down with every beat of the bass drum.
As the music faded, so did the lights, soon bathing the stage in complete darkness. When they were turned up again, Zechs and the audience were confronted with an empty catwalk. The punters went wild.
"They really are something else, aren't they?" Noin commented, sidling up beside him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Electric. No one draws the attention like those two."
"The one with the hair." Zechs said abruptly. "I'd like to meet him."
"I'll show you his dressing room."
-----
He waited maybe ten minutes before the dancer finally wandered into his dressing room. At first Zechs hadn't thought he'd noticed him, standing up against the wall like that, but a low, husky growl stopped him.
"What're ya doing in my dressing room? Actually, scratch that, I don't wanna know. Just fuck off. There're plenty of others down the hall."
Zechs blinked in surprise. Never had he been spoken to like that before. The dancer turned to regard him when he didn't move, a hand landing on his cocked hip. The man was the living embodiment of sensual.
"Ya deaf?" Stripes sighed. "Look, green-cock. This room's private. You're new, so ya hafta share with the others. Now get out, I got things at do."
Who the hell did this little upstart think he was?!
"I'm afraid you are mistaken." He managed to say in a positively glacial tone.
"Yeah?" The dancer pulled on a tee-shirt and began to don his jacket without even glancing his way. The blond man caught sight of a very elaborate tattoo on one bicep.
"Yes. I am not part of the staff, thank you."
The reply was clipped.
"Really."
Before Zechs could answer, he found himself facing the barrel of a gun. A cocked and loaded gun. The face behind it was smirking. He had no doubt that the dancer had fired it many times before. Whoever this kid was, he meant business. Zechs weighed up his chances of getting out of this alive.
"See, I see this going two ways dude. You got ten seconds to get the hell outta here, or I redecorate this room in a nice red."
"There is no call for violence you know." Zechs pretended to play it cool. "You have no idea who I am?"
"Correction. I don't care who you are. Only crazy ass stalker fans or rapists would be in my dressing room."
"I am not a stalker." He shot back, affronted at the label. "Neither am I a rapist. Though I am surprised to hear they have gotten past security before."
"Yeah, well, security ain't damn tight enough around here. Donut boys," he muttered under his breath. "Just like fuckin' cops."
"Allow me to introduce myself-"
The dancer exploded.
"I don't give a shit who you are!" He yelled back, and this time Zechs couldn't keep the shock from his face as the gun came closer. "You could be the fuckin' President of the United States an' I still wouldn't care! Fuck off before I give a whole new meaning to the word 'ventilated'!"
"As you wish." Zechs decided to retreat, puzzled at his inability to win this man over. Even with the attitude, he was irresistible. He made it to the door before turning to look over his shoulder. "Maybe I am not the President, But I am the owner of a few small strip clubs. I merely thought to come and greet the dazzling creature drawing a crowd for the most erotic act I've ever seen, and thank him for using his beauty to line my pockets."
"Wh-what?!"
Finally, Zechs had caught him off balance. He waved a hand dismissively.
"But no matter. I'll see myself out."
"You…you're Zechs Merquise?"
"Yes. Such A shame I didn't get to meet you Mr…"
"Maxwell. Duo Maxwell. Ah shit!" The dancer slapped his hand against his forehead. "I've just lost out on the best paid job I've ever had, right?"
Zechs stopped in the doorway and turned around, regarding the beautiful young man. "No. Though I do believe I have a better paying job for you, if you are interested, of course."
"Seriously?" Duo blinked, putting down the gun. "I coulda sworn this was the part where I'd talked myself into unemployment there."
"On the contrary." Was the amiable reply. "This is the part where I offer you a proposition."
Duo's eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion as he retreated again.
"Well let me tell you something, Mr Merquise. I ain't a whore. I can't be bought. Not for any price."
"Pardon me. It was not my intention to imply such a thing. I merely wondered if you would like to join me for dinner in order to discuss a promotion of sorts. I in no way meant to imply that you could be a…whore," the last word was said distastefully and Zechs wrinkled his nose. "For me, or anyone else. Far from it in fact. You are much too beautiful and intelligent for that."
"Oh." a light blush suffused the man's cheeks. "Sorry, but that was the last thing I expected you to say. You really just wanted to go to dinner with me?"
"As hard as you may find it to believe, yes."
"Never had anyone ask me to dinner before." Duo mused, and Zechs smiled.
"Well allow me the pleasure of being the first."