Eye of the Beholder

Disclaimer: GW belongs to its creators, none of whom are myself.
Categories: AU
Warnings: ...
Notes: This was inspired by the first episode ever of "The Twilight Zone", so just think of it that way...

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hideous. Absolutely disgusting. He'd seen that face every day of his life, and he was tired of it. Revolting. Why did he have to be born such a freak? That's all he was. A complete freak, pure and simple.

Duo sighed and covered the mirror. He wouldn't have to look at the hideous disfiguration that was his face for much longer. No. He would that that changed. He'd working in back rooms long enough now to have earned his passage into a new life. He had an appointment at the plastic surgeon's today. They said they could make him look normal. They'd pitied him when theyed seen his face. One nurse had the gall to gasp out loud at the sight of him.

He pulled the hood of his sweatshirt far over his head, shielding his face as much as possible from public view. Mothers pulled their children away to the other side of the street. Grown men avoided him, staring as they passed him. Dogs barked. Cats hissed.

It would all pay off in the end. No more insults. No more babies crying at his sight. No more of the old Duo. He continued on down the street, dodging flying rocks and insults from the teenagers he encountered on his journey.

At last, he cam to the office and took a seat, hiding his face from view with a magazine. An hour later, he was called back. He walked to the room and lay down on the reclined chair under a bright light. A needle was inserted and he fell asleep. Then he dreamt. Dreamt of walking with new face. A normal face.

He walked confidently out of his apartment onto the street. He received smiles from mothers and children. A man even offered a greeting of "good day" to the younger man. He smiled back cheerfully. He sat down at a café and flirted with his waitress who giggled as she handed him his cup of coffee. A cat rubbed up against his legs to be pet by him.

When he continued his seemingly aimless walk, he passed by the kids who would usually throw rocks at him. He shot some hoops with them, then left with a smile. Life was better being normal...

The next thing he heard was doctors and nurses bustling about him. He tried to open his eyes, but found them covered with gauze, as well as the rest of his face. The doctors began to unwrap his head, and gasped in horror as it was revealed. A nurse ran away with tears in her eyes.

"Mr. Maxwell... I'm afraid the operation has been a failure," one doctor said solemnly as Duo wept, seeing the reflection of the same violet-blue eyed, chestnut brown haired, milky-smooth skinned young man he came in as. He looked up at the bulbous eyed, hairless, splotchy skinned doctors sorrowfully, with only one thought:

//Why can't I be beautiful too?//