Author: Keiran
Title: Beauty lies in the Eyes of Beholder, second fic in 'Realisations' arc.
Rating: None.
Pairings: 1+2+1
Warnings: Wufei pov
Archive: my site can be found on my profile page. Any else? Yes please.
This fic has been betaed by Sundaire. waves a Go Sundaire!' flag
****
Reality
seems to have a warped sense of humor, showing and proving things to me using
my closest friends as an example. But first things first.
They say that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. I never gave that
statement much thought. I knew it was true for books and cars, and maybe some people.
Of course, some things are supposed to be just fairy tales, such as the girl
falling in love with a big, hairy, bear-like creature, just because he had a
nice voice and gave her pretty dresses. Okay, I admit, a girl might.
Heaven forbid Sally ever read that.
I have never wondered why the 'Beauty' was always female. I'm not saying that
all guys care about are looks, because that's not true, but it would be a lie
to say that we are not concerned with them. They matter.
Now for other matters. I find working for the Preventers a satisfying activity,
even if it is pretty time-consuming. Of course I had to get used to dealing
with Lady Une on a regular basis, but that proved to be manageable. To my utter
surprise, may I add. I was quite astonished at first at how well I fit with
working under somebody's command too, but I account it all to Sally's
influence.
What can I say, when it comes to temper, one would be hard-pressed to find an
individual better equipped than me. Although I personally know a few that
match.
Back to the subject at hand. Being one of the best Preventers agents, I have
little time for socializing. However, I have learned my lesson and I do put
some effort into acquiring new friends. Never neglecting the old ones, of
course. Not everybody is Maxwell, after all. I find the implication pretty
amusing, because Maxwell is (and should be) on top of everybody's 'To Cherish'
list. You only learn what you have after you lose it.
Seems like I am never going to get on track. Oh well. Talking about Maxwell is
a good past time. There are always people that populate gossips and
conversations. For the Preventers the first of them is Miss Peacecraft. The
second is Maxwell. There is a difference you see. Miss Peacecraft, while
respected due to her position in the government, is privately still considered
a little girl. People talk about her recent attempts to seduce Yuy and while
they are not necessarily unsympathetic, she is never treated seriously.
Maxwell, on the other hand, is discussed whenever somebody has a bad day. 'You
know what Duo/(Mr/agent)Maxwell said the other day?' is frequently used instead
of 'cheer up.'
It is pretty obvious that soon after the Preventers had been graced with the
presence of the almighty braid, Duo Maxwell became a legend. The line I
mentioned can be heard virtually everywhere, from the basement all the way up
to Une's office.
The funny thing about that is that many of those people never really met the
'legend' personally. Recently I had been assigned a mission with one of the
younger agents (he was still a good six years older than me). His name was
Yuki. He was kind and helpful, although considerably excited about the idea of
working with a Gundam pilot. He got even more excited when he learned that I am
one of the closest friends of the proverbial Duo Maxwell.
As I mentioned previously, the God of Death is a great topic for discussion,
from the nickname, through the motto, down to the tip of his braid. Since the
mission was of the boring kind, we, or rather I, spent most of the time
talking. I know I don't sound like myself there. But believe me, I can talk if
I have something to talk about and someone that listens eagerly. And Yuki was
an eager listener. Of course the purpose of my speech wasn't to reveal
Maxwell's inner secrets. No, it was strictly a 'Duo Maxwell – the phenomenon in
relation to reality' kind of talk.
Sometime in the middle of the conversation the question of Maxwell's looks was
brought up. There really wasn't much to say about it. I told Yuki that Maxwell
was beautiful. End of story. I never put much thought into it before, I didn't
then.
I happened to bump into the guy a couple of days later in the headquarters.
Maxwell was with me, we had just been going for lunch, so we invited Yuki to
join us. I noticed that the agent was throwing rather strange looks Maxwell's
way. I dismissed it for the time being. Yuy joined us sometime later and the
four of us had a pretty fun meal. No matter what people might say, I truly care
about my fellow pilots. The name came and stuck, by the way. We were 'the
pilots' and there was no going around it. The duo finished their food and left,
some paperwork had to be done, they said. I faced Yuki.
"So… did the legend live up to your expectations?" I asked finally, perplexed
by his expression.
"Yes! I mean he is charming and funny, but…"
"But what?" I prompted, curiosity piqued.
"Everybody has been telling me he's beautiful," he said hesitantly. I think my
eyes might have bugged a little. Yuki must have noticed that I wasn't really
following his line of thought, because he explained quickly: "I mean, he is not
even handsome!" That had astonished me. To the point of gaping at the man in a
very undignified manner. "He looks… creepy. He is short and skinny and has eyes
that are way too big for his face. And they have such an odd color too! It
freaks me out, when he looks at me with those eyes. He might have looked cute,
if his face was a little bit rounder. He reminds me of one of those eerie, tiny
dolls, you know, the ones that have the eyes half the size their head is, and
they stare at you with a pout, and when you turn around they jump and bite your
head off."
Here I was thinking that I was prepared for virtually everything the world
might have sent my way. But what do I know. [1]
Sometime afterwards, when I finally managed to gather my wits, I started
watching Maxwell in a more dispassionate way. As if I was staring at a
sculpture. The results were seriously disturbing.
To a casual observant, Maxwell looks skinny. He is obviously short, but that is
to be expected, given his history of malnourishment. He is surprisingly heavy,
but not many people lift him to check that. I did, so I know. You only realize
that there is only muscle on his body after you see him shirtless while
exercising. When he is clothed, he… he actually resembles a spider. Don't get
me wrong, he has a very attractive body – lithe, seemingly fragile but strong
at the same time. But one rarely gets to see it properly, as he prefers less
revealing clothing.
During the wars he was cute. Very, very cute. His face was heart-shaped so his
huge eyes didn't really seem shocking for a sixteen year old. However, as he
grew older, he lost the baby fat. Of course his eyes are probably average
sized, technically speaking, but his face seems so petite, that they actually
dominate his features. Objectively speaking, Yuy is far more attractive. He is
taller, better built, his face has that classic, handsome look…
But then Yuy doesn't have a shiny, silky, goldish-chestnut meter long braid.
Maybe that's it.
You have to imagine my confusion, in all the time I knew Maxwell, that people –
both sexes – were lining up to get a bit of his attention. The fact that he
managed somehow to get Yuy to get a life says a lot. And now I learn that he is
not attractive enough to be considered handsome. It bothered me.
I wondered if it bothers Maxwell as well, so I went to talk with him. I found
him in his and Yuy's office. He was telling a lengthy joke, obviously good,
because it earned a chuckle from Yuy.
"Maxwell, Yuy," I said instead of a greeting. Maxwell beamed at me. His smiles
are infectious, by the way.
"Hiya Fei! What brings you, oh mighty Wuffers, to our humble box?" Yuy merely
nodded, still smiling.
"I was wondering if you could answer me a couple of questions."
"Sure. Shoot." He made himself comfortable on his desk.
"Do you think you're attractive?" I wasn't one to beat around the bush. Maxwell
gaped, taken by surprise. Yuy rose a brow.
"What kind of question is that?! But yes, I think I am attractive. I mean,
people wouldn't talk with me so much if I wasn't. Where did it come from?"
"Someone had described you as… well, almost ugly. Creepy, to be precise."
Now that shut him up. He was starting at me in disbelief for a long while. Yuy,
on the other hand, was having a field day. When he snickered a little too
loudly, however, Maxwell whirled in place and glared.
"Laugh it up! Some boyfriend you are. I just hope you are aware that your good taste
is being questioned here!" he bellowed. Yuy smirked in return and pulled
Maxwell onto his lap.
"I don't have good taste," he stated calmly. "But I know you're not handsome."
"Oh geez, go and break a guy's heart, why don't you."
Let it be said that absolutely no one in the known universe can sulk like
Maxwell does. He made it into an art. Although the same could be said for his
laughter and smiles and joyful whoops.
"But I also know you're the most beautiful thing in the world," Yuy finished,
nuzzling his boyfriend's neck. Maxwell stopped sulking and grinned at me.
"Guess you have your answer now, Fei. Depends on who's telling."
I smirked. "I suspected as much. Thank you." With that I left them alone.
A few days later Yuy asked me who exactly called Maxwell ugly, because he felt
a sudden need for conversation.
**The End**
[1] Garfield likes to use this line. Usually after he claims that life is
boring, and Jon walks in.
