"The Hearts Content"

Written By: t-shirt

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters are copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties. I make no money with this fic.

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Post war cannon/Romance, Mention of lemon, Fluff bunnies abound! bound ..-``-.. bound ..-``-.. ^-^

Pairings: 1x2, mention of 3x4

Summary: Duo joins Hiiro on a seaward journey of enlightenment.

View art work for 'The Hearts Content' : http://usera.imagecave.com/t-shirt/t-shirt2/d_heartscontent_cg.jpg

" The Hearts Content"

Ch 2

The port I had chosen was small and out of the way, offering a number of comfortable motels and restaurants that would permit us some time off ship. I let him pick and we ended up at a local inn called the Sandlefoot that was within walking distance of the docks. I had intended to rent a car but it seemed redundant in the face of his practicality so we stuffed what we needed into a duffle and headed out. The inn was nice if not a little unkempt but it was right on the river and had a large dock with a bar and restaurant. The room was small with two twin beds but it had a full bathroom, something he had insisted on and I understood the moment he unpacked that huge bottle of shampoo.

“You better go first,” he chuckled, tossing an equally large bottle of conditioner on the counter as well.

“Will you be back this century?” I teased and he batted me with the end of his braid before pulling the tie off.

“No hurry,” he grumbled, working at the tangle the tip had become.

I should have gone into the bathroom and started my shower but something made me pause before I could get through the door. He had gone to sit on the edge of his bed, his fingers carefully unwinding the knots one by one as if snapping even one hair would have been tragic and I recalled that I had once wondered why he kept it at such an unreasonable length. Over time it had simply become a part of him, it was no different than his arms or legs and my mind pushed the oddity of his thigh length hair aside until I saw him unravelling it with painstaking care. It is quite beautiful but I doubted that had anything to do with it as I watched his careful efforts.

“Go ahead,” he sighed dejectedly, turning unconsciously to hide his activities.

“What?”

“Why don’t you just cut it, Duo?” he mocked sarcastically, repeating what his mind supplied must be my thoughts. “It’s ridiculous and impractical…”

“Want some help?” I cut him off as he had reached mid length and was having trouble unwinding it behind his shoulders.

He stopped and peered at me, staring warily until I cracked a grin and he laughed and relented.

“It’s not a vanity thing you know?” he said while I went to work.

It was strangely soothing to work with, the texture was soft and silky unlike my own coarse locks and it ran like liquid chestnut between my fingers.

“I always wondered why you kept it,” I confessed. “It’s not like you to be frivolous.”

“It’s mine,” he stated simply. “I don’t even like people to touch it.”

I froze where I had been wasting time fiddling around needlessly at the nape of his neck and he tossed a grin over his shoulder.

“You’re ok, I trust you,” he told me and I laughed a little as I resumed. “Actually, it feels great,” he added, sitting up to stretch and hang his head back, the fullness of his thick hair bouncing free and unfettered into my lap and I shivered from head to toe with the softness of its caress.

“I won’t be long,” I told him and retreated into the bathroom because attempting to repress what was happening between my thighs had suddenly become a futile activity.

And it refused to go away. It scared me a little to not be able to control my own body but this was the very reason I had decided to embark on my journey. These were the types of things that made humans human and somehow I had to convince my brain that the rest of me was important, too. That included admitting I needed things like companionship and sexual gratification. As many times as my body has demanded affection I had forced it into submission; that is to say, I had never allowed myself to feel the effects of ejaculation. It was forbidden like so many other things that could have potentially weakened my mind but I wanted to break through those barriers and reclaim my humanity so I bit down on all the warning bells in my mind and took matters into hand.

The intensity of the swelling emotions was instantly addictive and I couldn’t get the feel of Duo’s hair out of my mind. It seemed to want to rise up and swallow me whole but I kept it at bay, held it just out of reach because quite honestly it felt really damn good. I had mastered the conscious control of my body long ago making it easy enough to maintain the euphoric state I had achieved until I was suddenly assaulted by an image of Duo wearing those little shorts and waggling his ass at me. The resultant explosion inside me both blinded my eyes and bled all the strength out of my legs so that I ended up leaning against the wall and knocking half my toiletries onto the floor looking for something to grab hold of.

“Hey, man!” he called, knocking on the door but I couldn’t find enough air to reply. “You ok?”

“Fine!” I barked, getting my feet under me as I fought off another full body shiver and made a note that J had been entirely correct to forbid this activity because I already wanted to do it again.

I made a point of not looking direction at him when I emerged then took some time to memorize the layout of the town, checked the weather and news and jacked in to download my email and some schematics on our engines while he bathed.

“Anything from Quatre?” he asked, still braiding his long, wet hair when he stepped out of the bathroom and I felt my groin twitch in response.

Apparently, I had a hair fetish.

“They seem to be having problems convincing the labour force in the K area that they would be better off learning to run automated assistants than doing the hard labour themselves.”

“Tell him I’ll make a call,” he said casually, dropping the towel from around his waist and I suddenly forgot how to type. “If he doesn’t hear from a man named Smitty by tomorrow night he should contact me again.”

Quatre. Smitty. Reply. Right, type. I managed to pull my gaze away before he glanced back at me and pretended my face had not caught on fire while I relayed his message and he got dressed. When I had gathered enough nerve to look up again I almost groaned out loud as he had apparently found a pair of Mrs. Summerlin’s jeans back aboard the boat and had poured himself into them. They weren’t feminine like the shorts, just simple jeans, but they were two sizes too small and rode low on his hips while one of my shirts dangled loosely about his waist.

“We should get you some clothes while we’re here,” I suggested.

“K,” he agreed, lacing his boots. “I would’ve packed something if I’d have known you were going to invite me along.”

“We can stop on the way to dinner.”

“Sign out front said they have a band here later tonight,” he smiled. “Why don’t we just eat here and go shopping tomorrow?”

I really needed him to change those pants but I agreed.

“Cool,” he chirped and I questioned the intelligence of having given into my carnal desires when he stood and shook himself as if settling into his boots because the urge to do it again was returning in full force. “First, I need to get to an inter-colony feed and make that call.”

“Got one,” I grinned, snapping my laptop closed and we headed for the spaceport on the outskirts of town.

Remarkably, there are few people who believe us when we identify ourselves as two of the Gundam pilots, most scoff at either our age or consider us impudent teens out to play tricks until we are forced to pull our Preventer’s badges, something I had not carried on my person as I was not on active duty and Duo had left… well…in his other pants. Those of a higher rank often know who we are, however, so I dropped the name of the current commander and balked when, instead of Colonel Riker, Chang Wufei arrived to meet us.

“Wufei!” Duo crowed happily and though our Chinese counterpart eyed him suspiciously I could see the affection in his eyes. “What’re you doing here?”

“We’re on our way to L3,” Sally smiled, stepping from behind him.

“Layover?”

“Our shuttle leaves in an hour,” Wufei informed us.

“Excellent,” Duo grinned. “I need to make a call for Quatre, then you can fill us in.”

I was forced to field questions about what we were doing and how it had come about that I was floating around the ocean with Duo Maxwell while he made his call but neither of them seemed to have anything to ask Duo once he returned. The conversation quickly turned to their trip and what goals they intended to accomplish, when they would return and if they would be able to drop by L2 to see Trowa and Quatre and then suddenly their time was up and they were called to board. Sally kissed Duo’s cheek and smiled at me in a way I didn’t understand before following Wufei and I was once again able to relax with only Duo by my side.

“I’m starving,” he chirped which signalled my stomach to growl and we both laughed and headed back to the inn.

He got his hamburger. It was an enormous thing piled high with every condiment and topping he could think of and I wondered where he had put it all because there certainly wasn’t enough room in those jeans for anything but him. I was not the only person in the place to notice this fact either. Most everyone glanced our way more than once but two young ladies seemed particularly taken with our presence. Every time I glanced their way they were whispering and giggling to each other as they watched us eat until Duo finally smiled into his French fries and commented.

“You shouldn’t tease them unless you want to spend time with them,” he grinned and I balked.

“What?”

“They think you’re flirting with them,” he informed me.

“I…” Was I?

“You want to meet them?” he asked and before I could stop him he flashed a brilliant smile in their direction and the next thing I knew they were standing at our table, giddy smiles, half shirts, hot pants and all.

“Hi,” the brunette smiled happily. “I’m Loni, this is Trish. Are you guys from around here?”

“We just docked this afternoon,” Duo replied, adding, “I’m Duo,” as he smoothly pushed a chair out with his foot to accommodate her. “This is Hiiro,” he told them while Loni snatched up the chair Duo had offered and Trish bounced around to the other side to sit by me. “How’re things down under?” he asked, picking up on their accent.

“Dull as a warthog’s head,” Loni laughed. “Where do you mates call home?”

“We’re off worlders,” he smiled and I cringed as they both squealed.

“That’s so amazing!” Loni exclaimed.

“I’ve never been off planet,” Trish sighed, gazing at me dreamily when she asked, “It is wonderful?”

My eyes went a little wide when I turned them on Duo because I had no idea what to say.

“The sky is much more colorful from this side,” he interjected.

I realized very quickly how utterly outclassed I was in this sort of situation but Duo kept trying to include me until the urge to shelter myself got to me and I rose to leave.

“Hiiro,” he called softly, making me pause.

The girls looked confused if not a tad insulted by my lack of enthusiasm but it was the pleading in Duo’s eyes that made me sit back down. I didn’t know what he wanted but I couldn’t stand to see that look on his face so I resolved myself to try a little harder and when Trish asked where I had attended school I forced myself to reply.

“I was… privately tutored.”

I could see she was impressed by the answer but it was the grin on Duo’s face that told me I had chosen an acceptable response. It got a little easier after that. I understood my answers didn’t have to be particularly revealing in order to entertain our guests, especially after Duo had bought them several drinks. I’m not sure what he told the barkeep but they never asked for our ID’s and I soon found myself in the middle of the dock dancing with Trish while Duo spun Loni around and around. It was fun, like so many things Duo had introduced me to and I thought that maybe not everyone thinks past the point of just hanging out for the fun of it, at least until Trish pulled the pin from her long, dark hair and asked me to slow dance with her.

I had no idea what to do and turned a questioning eye on Duo, but all he did was show me this smile I had never seen before and watch intently as I stood and took her hand. Her body felt different than before, her movements slow and sultry as she stepped into me and though I recognized the invitation to hold her my hand would to nothing more than rest on her hip. My eyes found Duo again when she leaned into me and rested her head on my chest but he was talking with Loni so I found no help there. It was uncomfortable but she was warm and I was reminded of when I had held Duo aboard the Heart’s Content, but where was the restfulness that had eased into my mind? Holding Trish was completely different than the hug he and I had shared. Curiously, I let my arm wrap around her, my fingers coming to brush along the thick curls of her hair and move slowly down the slope of her back. She sighed and snuggled against me but I felt nothing of the powerful desire that had taken me when it was Duo’s hair running between my fingers and something suddenly snapped in my mind. He was staring straight at me when I looked up, his gaze somehow looking right past my eyes and straight into my soul and I understood it wasn’t merely human contact that was calling back my humanity.

It was Duo.

“Excuse me,” I told her leaving her a bit bewildered as I fled the bar.

I was grateful when Duo didn’t follow as I was unaccustomed to feeling so off balance and needed some time to think. It occurred to me as I walked the streets that perhaps it would be wise to continue my journey alone. Becoming emotionally attached to Duo had not been the point of the mission… no… the missions were over. This was a journey of self-enlightenment… but it was all getting so confused. Needing people was dangerous to them as well as myself… but that didn’t matter anymore, the war was over. I was free to care for others but how could one exist when so utterly dependent on another? It was late into the morning when I decided to turn my toes back toward the Sandlefoot; the bars along the way were closing up for the night, the streets all but empty and I tried not to look when I passed a darkened doorway where a couple was making out in their reluctance to part for the evening. Either curiosity or some old need to be aware of who is around me forced my eyes to look and I stared a moment too long when I realized it was two men, one of which smirked at me before pinning his companion to the wall and resuming their kiss.

I sighed and moved on, feeling the last piece of the puzzle fall into place. Most of my life had been spent repressing and denying my own wants and desires. So much so that I had long since forgotten how to recognize them but there was no denying it anymore. I was attracted to Duo. His spirit and zest for life had always been a beacon calling to the human half of my soul but I hadn’t understood until recently just how badly I wanted to touch him. The problem was I had no idea how he was going to react to my feelings. We are both male after all and after seeing his reaction when his friend Hilde got hurt, after seeing him enjoying himself with Loni, I really didn’t know how to deal with the fact that I very much wanted to hold him down and see what he looked like when drowned in a sea of passion.

He was asleep when I returned but I couldn’t doze off. Everything I was feeling, the need to hold and protect him, the desire to lay my mouth against his and bury his body beneath me redoubled when he rolled over and opened his eyes.

“Mornin,” he smiled. “What time is it?”

“Four a.m.”

He looked me over and I was grateful when he refrained from asking any questions other than, “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“I’m not really tired,” I smiled because I was just happy he was there.

“It’s freaking four in the morning,” he grumbled, shifting about and I decided to shut off the analysis when his arm reached out to me and he demanded, “Come to bed.”

I went to him without thought and curled up as close as he would allow, which, happily, was very, very close. The feeling of peace and tranquillity that washed through me confirmed that it had not been the warmth of the sun or the lulling ocean tide that had enchanted me aboard ship, it had been Duo’s presence and I understood that it was much too late to turn back. Whatever was happening between us had already begun and there was nothing to do but ride the wave and see where it was taking us.

He was gone when I woke but returned with breakfast before I had finished dressing and everything fell right back into place just as if I hadn’t discovered I was madly in love with him the night before. We hit the parts store first and picked up what we needed to fine tune the engines, then headed for the shops and got him some suitable clothes before heading back to the Heart’s Content. The rest of the day was spent making our repairs and restocking and we spent the night aboard before setting sail with the morning tide.

The following month was the best time of my entire life. Being with Duo just made everything so much fun. Who would have thought petting stingrays off the coast of Africa or bringing in an eight feet long sailfish in the south Atlantic would have been something I would experience in my life? Infiltrating a moon base or blowing a battle ship out of the water, yes, but fishing wasn’t something I had thought would be in my future anymore than the simple joy of hearing Duo laugh.

He laughed a lot, usually at my expense, but the longer we were together the more I realized I never wanted to be without him. He was everything to me; he had reminded me that every life was precious during the war. He had awakened in me a desire to stop and see all the beauty that surrounds us and in the end he had opened my heart and allowed me to love.

“You put de lime in de coconut and mix dem both togedder…”

I was grinning because he had been singing the silly song ever since a little boy at our last port had taught it to him. I have no idea why he was wearing Mrs. Summerlin’s shorts again but he had taken to dressing in very little when we were at sea so I didn’t question it. Besides, he looked quiet fetching in them as he danced around swabbing the deck.

“You missed a spot,” I teased and he upped the volume as he spun around and I laughed my ass off when he ended up in the swab bucket again.

“I’m beginning to take this personally,” he groused when I went to help him out, our hands slipping and dumping him back in the cold, sudsy water.

“S…sorry,” I giggled, trying again but he got cocky and jerked me down, splashing soapy water all over the front of my clothes.

“Asshole,” he laughed and I joined him but my mind was quickly being pulled away.

His skin was slick and warm compared to the cold water and my hand kept slipping off his thigh as I tried to push myself up until I noticed he wasn’t laughing anymore and caught his eye.

“Duo…”

“Shhh,” he smiled, reaching out to touch my chest as he asked, “What does your heart tell you?”

So I kissed him. I kissed him and he kissed me back and we made love right there in the soapy mess under the open sky on the deck. I had been unprepared for the heat that came pouring out of my body but he lapped it up with an eagerness that made me understand he had wanted this at least as long as I had. Once the barrier had been broken I couldn’t seem to keep my hands off of him but he rose to the occasion each and every time with the greatest of vigour. It took some time before things started to settle and we fell into a more subtle routine and began to really enjoy just being together. We had spent nearly two months aboard the Heart’s Content before I truly understood that Duo had been my goal all along. He was where I belonged and somehow, somewhere along the way, I had finally found my way home.

owari :)

 

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