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

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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.