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"On the Flip Side "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: R Warnings: Post War Cannon, Angst, fluff, mild
lemon Pairings: 1x2 Summary: Hiiro makes a confession on an out trip
that turns the return trip into the answer to his dreams. "On the Flip Side "
The maintenance on their ship was much easier in zero-g so they’d cut the gravity before beginning. It was just a routine check up but keeping the equipment running smoothly was essential that far into the exterior. “Sorry,” Hiiro smiled guiltily as he squeezed in close to his partner in order to test some relays. Duo wiped his forehead again while trying not to look his counterpart in the eye. It wasn’t really that hot in the ships engine room since propulsion wasn’t necessary for sustained motion. They hadn’t used the main engines since they set their course two weeks prior but after everything that had happened he couldn’t help the uncomfortable heat that coursed through him as his nervousness raised his metabolic rate. “Have you finished…?” “Done,” Duo replied slapping the access panel he’d been working in closed as he made a hasty retreat. He felt a little better once out of close proximity of his partner and though he felt bad about the sadness his need to vacate had cause in Hiiro’s eyes he couldn’t help but feel relieved. He left his gloves to drift the main cabin as he moved through and strapped into the co-pilots seat. It had been in his mind to check their work and make sure the sensors were reading ok but he couldn’t stop thinking about everything. It was still so hard to believe and seemingly impossible to understand. They’d been through so much together. The war, Hiiro’s reintroduction to the group after his disappearance when it was all over and Relena’s failed attempt to gain his affections. They’d fought together, watched each others backs and managed to help give the world another chance at peace but never in a million years had he dreamed he would ever hear Hiiro Yui utter a lovers declaration. ** “What is your problem?” Duo asked growing tired of his partners continued avoidance. He hadn’t done anything he could think of to make him angry yet he was behaving as if the long haired boy had the plague. No matter where Duo went, Hiiro made sure he was somewhere else. “If you’re mad the just say it,” he groused. Hiiro sighed heavily looking much more tired than the situation called for. “It’s not that,” he began but Duo cut him off. “Then what?” he snipped whirling his chair around to face him. “Whatever it is you need to come clean so we can deal with it,” he told him. “We’re going to be stuck on this crate for over a month and I’d rather not spend the whole time looking in the mirror for company.” Again Hiiro held his tongue, his eyes reflecting the indecision in his mind but all that came out when he opened his mouth was… “I…” “Damn it!” Duo growled in frustration. “Just spit it out! How bad can it be? What? You’re sick? You’ve got head lice? You were once a woman?!” “I love you.” The sudden lack of animation in is partner caused the color to drain from Hiiro’s skin until he looked as if he might be in danger of passing out before Duo finally asked… “What?” “I’m sorry,” Hiiro sighed heavily combing a hand through his hair. “Damn it,” he grumbled before turning pleading eyes on his friend. “This is not how I wanted to tell you,” he confessed. “Duo?” “Whoa!” the braided boy gasped jerking his hand back from where Hiiro had tried to touch it. “Duo… please.” “Are you serious?” “I wanted to tell you.” “Holy shit, you are serious,” Duo breathed rubbing his hands over his face. When he peeked out through his fingers the look on Hiiro’s face almost broke his heart but he was having a very difficult time finding the pieces of his world. “Shit,” was all that came to mind. “I shouldn’t have accepted this assignment,” Hiiro said softly. “Since when?” Duo asked curiously. “For… so long,” Hiiro chuckled wryly. “Then what’s with hiding in the bulkhead all of a sudden?” the braided boy asked. “It’s not like we haven’t been on extended missions together before.” “I know,” the Japanese boy nodded unable to keep his eyes from wandering Duo’s thighs. “But it’s gotten more difficult over time.” Duo’s mouth had fallen open to gape at him as he drew his legs up under him. Hiiro’s cheeks flushed and he averted his eyes altogether finding a safe spot on the floor to examine. “At first I had hoped it would fade but,” he said failing to keep his gaze from Duo’s as he confessed, “it just keeps getting stronger.” Duo stared at him for a time then shook his head and tried to gather his marbles. “Ok,” he began. “So… you’re saying you’re in love with me?” “Yes.” Hiiro confirmed. “Romantically?” Duo inquired apparently hopeful of a misunderstanding but his face fell when Hiiro nodded. “I swear,” the Japanese boy told him. “There’s nothing for you to worry about. You know I’d ever try to force myself on you.” “What?!” Duo suddenly gasped jumping out of his chair to put some distance between them. “What in the hell’re you talking about?” “Relax.” “Force me to do what?!” “That’s not going to happen.” “You’re damn straight it’s not!” Duo shouted snatching his helmet out of its harness. “I don’t know what sort of insanity had infected your brain but I have no interest in becoming anybody’s boy toy!” “Duo?!” Hiiro gasped shocked by the things his best friend was saying but Duo had fled the main cabin and was already out the aft hatch before he could catch up. It wasn’t uncommon for the braided boy to spend time out ship but Hiiro got worried when he didn’t return in a reasonable amount of time. He was just about to call him on the comm. and insist he return when the aft hatch hissed open. They said nothing to one another while he shed his suit and put it away and by the time he had slipped into the copilot’s seat Hiiro was sure he was hated until he spoke. “I’m not really ok with this,” Duo told him but there was obviously more so Hiiro held his comments. “We go way back,” Duo went on making some adjustment to the controls in front of him. “So I’m just going to pretend none of this happened.” “Duo…” “Just… let it lie,” he sighed and though Hiiro longed to address the subject more thoroughly the pleading quality of his partner’s voice begged his silence. ** “Everything secure?” Duo asked when Hiiro joined him some time later. “Yes,” Hiiro replied slipping into the pilots chair to do his post maintenance checks. They lapsed into silence which had become the norm since their little talk. It was strangely quite without Duo’s constant banter making them both feel strange so the braided boy got up and headed for the galley. He heard Hiiro’s sigh as he left but nothing came to mind to say so he went about his business. He’d just sat down to a nice pouch of beef and gravy when Hiiro floated into the small chamber and opened the cooling unit. “Juice?” he asked in a tone that threatened the quite silence that had descended on the ship. Duo shook his head stubbornly holding onto the silence but Hiiro had apparently had enough of it. “How can you eat that stuff with nothing to drink?” he asked ripping the top of his pouch. Duo raised a brow but otherwise didn’t respond. “I saw that you brought along your games,” the Japanese boy persisted. “Hiiro,” Duo sighed heavily. “Well!” Hiiro suddenly burst. “You’re acting like I’m going to attack you or something!” he growled clearly much more upset than Duo had anticipated as he sat staring slack jawed at him. “All I said is that I’m in love with you,” Hiiro went on somewhat calmer. “Nothing’s changed.” Duo sighed softly choosing to look at the open tip of his pouch when he replied, “It has for me.” “Do you honestly believe I’m going to hurt you?” Hiiro asked clearly hurt by the possibility. Duo’s gaze rose to meet his for a moment before he shook it off and set his dinner down on the table. “Of course not,” he finally confessed. “It’s just… I have no idea how to act around you now.” “Just be like you always are,” Hiiro reasoned. It took only the cocking of Duo’s left brow to enlighten him. His mind drifted back over the time they’d known each other pausing on the memories of all the times Duo had thrown his arm around his shoulders or glomped him in high spirits and he couldn’t stop the small smile from gracing his lips until he got a look at the comprehension on Duo’s face and wiped it away. “But… you’ve always been like that,” the Japanese boy reasoned. “There’s no reason for you to change how you treat me.” “Except you’d enjoy it too much,” Duo snorted and Hiiro’s reply was stalled when he had to think about that a little harder until Duo grumbled, “I can’t tease you like that.” “I don’t mind,” Hiiro informed him not really realizing the implications of the statement until Duo eyed him cautiously. “Sorry.” “All right,” Duo sighed after a moment. “Let’s try a little Go.” “You mean it?” Hiiro smiled happily. “Don’t get cocky,” the braided boy grumbled. “First time you suggest we play for articles of clothing you’re riding a tether line back dirt side.” Hiiro grinned broadly but missed Duo’s small smile when he went to get the game. This became the norm after that and though things had not returned to the easy exchange they had once shared the shadow that had fallen over them had eased considerably by the time they reached their destination. Duo was three for four on the Go board but Hiiro had spanked him in cards and though they spent little time doing anything else the games somehow never seemed to grow old. Hiiro was content to simply interact with his long time crush and Duo seemed to have decided to make the best of an uncomfortable situation. Once they had collected the samples from the asteroid cluster they’d gone all the way out there to investigate they still had another two week trek back to Earth so his practicality was more than welcome. Hiiro couldn’t help but wonder if his apparent embrace of their continued friendship were true or if he would be force to live with the braided boy’s absence when they returned home. It was a consideration that would have to be dealt with at a later time however, as they had arrived and had a job to do. “I think we can manage with booster packs,” Duo reasoned looking the closest asteroid over. It was a massive thing but relatively stationary and a good prospect to provide the answers they were looking for. “The utility unit would be safer,” Hiiro countered. “Oh, come on,” Duo argued. “That rock isn’t even tumbling. I’ve never seen a cluster so stagnant before,” he observed looking over the rest of the huge boulders that hung in the blackened sky. “I know,” Hiiro agreed. “That’s what makes me nervous.” “The suits will use up twice as much resources,” Duo pointed out. “All we need is core sample. Look, that looks like a vein right there.” Hiiro checked and agreed giving in to his partner’s sense of practicality. It seemed a shame to waste precious resources just for an added safety measure under the circumstances. There was hardly anything moving at all in the cluster so they strapped on their packs, grabbed their gear and headed out. The detail took a little longer than they had thought but they got the samples and returned to the ship successfully. Hiiro worked on opening the outer hatch while Duo stowed the samples in a compartment on the exterior of the ship. It was when he turned to see how his partner was doing that he first saw it. “Duo?” he called not really comprehending the light that was growing brighter in the distance. “Yeah?” “Duo?!” he exclaimed moving as quickly as his suite would allow toward his friend, the odd quality of his tone calling Duo’s attention. “What in the hell is that?” the braided boy wondered turning to see what Hiiro was gawking at. “Get inside!” Hiiro growled. “Yeah,” Duo nodded distantly slapping the panel of the storage compartment shut before heading for the hatch. “NOW!” Hiiro roared moving as fast as humanly possible as the light quickly brightened and elongated, its bluish hue and wave like appearance giving away the nature of its origin. “It’s a spatial flux!” he shouted almost wrenching his shoulder out of the socket as he forced his body in an arch that carried him outward and back in where he slammed into Duo who was headed for the hatch knocking him head over heals into the small entryway where they piled against the wall. “HIIRO!” Duo cried seeing the luminous wave about to overtake them then suddenly Hiiro moved and slapped the hatch control then clutched the braided boy beneath him. The ship rocked when the wave hit toppling end over end through the emptiness, the metal of the hull screaming as it was pushed along, battered and tossed until finally the rolling slowed and Duo coughed violently forcing Hiiro to release him as his body demanded air. “Are you ok?” Hiiro asked ignoring the strange feeling of the ships rotation as it continued to tumble through space. “Check the ship,” Duo replied already working on getting them back inside. Miraculously there had been no breach and it took Duo a ridiculously short moment to right the flat spin they’d been in. When all was said and done they’d come out relatively unharmed but stuck around to monitor the flux. “I guess we know why there are a bunch of rocks here instead of a planet,” Duo commented noting that the wave appeared to come around about every seventy five hours. “It shouldn’t take long to relocate any useful asteroids,” Hiiro reasoned noting the field had been altered but remained as peaceful as when they had arrived. “Why do you think they don’t move?” Duo inquired. “They’re just outside the waves influence,” Hiiro replied showing him his findings on his screens. “The wave must have pushed them outside its reach. They just catch the tail end of it where they are now.” “It’s almost like a gav-pit,” Duo nodded. “Looks like they’re not going anywhere,” he chuckled running a simulation to see where the boulders might end up next. The silence grew until a soft mantle appeared on both of their faces and Duo was certain they were both thinking the same thing when he softly intoned, “Thanks.” Hiiro flashed him a sideways glance and small smile as he replied, “You’re welcome.” “You weren’t just being brave… were you?” Duo persisted running his simulation again. “Hardly,” Hiiro snorted. “I’ve never been more scared in my life,” he chuckled but the mirth faded softly. “You’re not afraid to die,” Duo pointed out. Hiiro held his silence for a long moment before he simply replied, “No.” Duo took some time to absorb and analyze the information coming up with only one answer. Hiiro’s fear had been for Duo and as he recalled the many times in their past when similar situations had occurred he began to understand. “You really do love me,” he surmised earning a shy smile from his teammate. “Ok,” he sighed. “I get that part but… why do you want to touch me?” Hiiro swallowed so hard Duo heard it and couldn’t contain the snicker. “I am a guy, you know,” he felt compelled to point out. “It’s not like we’d fit together properly.” “Duo…” Hiiro groaned trying to hide the growing mantle on his cheeks. “I’m not soft or compliant,” the braided boy went on. “I don’t cook and I damn sure can’t give you kids.” “Damn it.” “What?” Duo inquired seeming bewildered by his partner’s distressed expression. “I’m just tying to understand,” he grumbled. “Throw me a bone already.” Hiiro groaned but gathered his grit and turned to face him. “All right,” he agreed. “What do you want to know?” “Why do you want to touch me?” Hiiro swallowed again but it wasn’t near as funny. “The thought of holding you… excites me,” he explained. “You mean your heart goes thump when you think about kissing me?” Hiiro wet his lips but only managed a curt nod. Duo’s head cocked thoughtfully for a moment before he rocked Hiiro’s world with a careless, “Ok.” “What?” the Japanese boy gasped. “I’m curious,” Duo shrugged. “That’s hardly a good reason to offer yourself to…” “I just wanted to know what it felt like,” Duo grumbled. Hiiro considered him for a moment before asking, “To be kissed?” “No,” the braided boy snipped. “To be loved.” “Duo,” Hiiro blinked. “Never mind.” “NO!” Hiiro laughed at his outburst but held Duo’s chair firm. “I want to it’s just…” he explained getting a little lost in his partners curiously hopeful expression. “You’re sure?” The roll of Duo’s eyes brought it all home for him. “All right,” he nodded rubbing his hands together nervously. When he looked back Duo had the strangest smile on his lips that just screamed ‘you are so cute’ and he suddenly felt like a fool. “Sorry,” he chuckled trying to banish the jitters. “I just want to know what it is you feel for me,” Duo explained sitting forward. “What you want,” he smiled laying a gentle hand on Hiiro’s face that he slowly leaned into. “It just eludes me why you would want to hold a man.” “Not a man,” Hiiro informed him moving closer. His eyes came to rest on Duo’s locking in a timeless moment that opened doors between them neither were quite prepared for when he confessed, “Just you.” The tremor that rippled gently through the braided boy as Hiiro brought their mouths together prompted him to explore the exquisite feeling a little deeper. A tentative touch of Duo’s hand on his shoulder urged him to taste a little more and slowly the fog cleared away revealing the promise of a new beginning as Duo began to fully respond. “Wow,” the braided boy gulped when Hiiro suddenly broke the kiss laying his forehead gently on Duo chin. “That was… intense,” he chuckled then moaned as he was kissed again and again. “H…Hiiro?” he panted as his body heat flared at the touch of Hiiro’s hands. “Let me show you,” the Japanese boy pleaded moving to nibble on his ear and neck. “Show me?” Duo groaned unable to stop from slipping into Hiiro’s arms. “Duo?” Hiiro gasped rolling them sideways to sprawl on the floor. They had left the gravity on after their incident making it painfully easy for Hiiro to press his weight down on the long haired boy. Duo moaned deliciously with each new sensation until Hiiro suddenly understood he wasn’t going to tell him to stop. This revelation put new vigor in his efforts and soon Duo lay exposed beneath him, his slight body rolling with impassioned delight as Hiiro prepared to make the ultimate declaration of love. “You know what I want?” he hissed needing for him to understand what was happening. “Yes,” Duo hissed wrapping his legs around his hips. “Hurry… I want more.” “More of what?” Hiiro wondered suddenly uncertain of his partner’s intentions. “Of you,” Duo panted clinging to him tightly. “Of this…” Hiiro couldn’t hold back any longer slowly impaling the beautiful, long haired boy. Duo’s eyes rolled back in his head as his body arched and Hiiro had to squeeze his eyes closed just to keep it together. What transpired between them was sacred to him and he knew long before it was over that he was irretrievably lost. If it was just curiosity or gratitude for having saved Duo’s life he’d have to learn to live with it because there was no way he was ever getting his heart back. He tried not to think in terms of forever as they slowly cooled but he couldn’t help but hope he’d get another chance to hold his beloved. He wondered what Duo had thought of the encounter and why he’d really done it but for the most part he just couldn’t stop smiling. “Is it always like that?” Duo asked after a time. Hiiro chuckled as he gazed on his listless form where he still lay on the floor and replied, “I hope so.” “You’ve never done it before?” Duo asked peering at him from the corner of his eye. Hiiro’s smile confirmed the affirmative making him grin widely. “You’re very cleaver for a virgin,” he chuckled. “Is it better with a girl?” “How would I know?” Duo laughed rolling his eyes at the wide smile the comment put on Hiiro’s lips. “Did you find what you were looking for?” Hiiro asked more seriously. “Mm,” Duo nodded happily. Hiiro watched him as he lay quietly and closed his eyes and wondered how to ask if they might do it again sometime but Duo seemed content to simply coast. He was certain he’d fallen asleep when he felt the need to rise and consider what had taken place between them and how to proceed but he didn’t get far before Duo’s hand clasped his wrist. “Where’re you going?” the braided boy asked. “I thought…” Hiiro replied uncertainly. “I wasn’t sure if I should leave or…” “You can’t leave,” Duo said rolling over on top of him as he grinned and informed him, “You still have to show me how it feels to love someone.” It took only long enough for Duo to kiss him and his hands to move towards Hiiro’s posterior for the Japanese boy to understand the implications of that statement and his eyes went wide as he was drown in a violet sea. They spent much of the return trip exploring this new aspect of their relationship and though Hiiro preferred to hold the reins he had to admit Duo was very good at putting him in a coma. It was strange, they’d spent the better part of the out trip more distant from each other than ever before but by the time they docked on Earth they had managed to crawl right inside one another. As odd as the circumstances had been Hiiro couldn’t help but smile as the end result was made clear again when Duo tackled him the moment they returned to their shared apartment and began anew. It was going to take some time to get used to the braided boys enthusiasm but on the flip side, Hiiro hoped to never achieve that goal. owari :)
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