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"Hamster Fluff"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: AU, Romance, Fluff, sap, mention of
lemon Pairings: 1x2 Unbeta’ed Dedicated to the wonderfully talented Sunhawk in appreciation of all the fantastic works she has given us. Summary: Hiiro’s quest for a pet for his niece brings him an opportunity for love. "Hamster Fluff"
*Jingle* Where to start? He had no idea what he was looking for other than the prerequisite that it be alive and require food. Mariameia wasn’t particular about the details but her mother, who just happened to be Hiiro’s scariest aunt, had made it quiet clear she would be unhappy if her furniture, rugs or quiet mornings were destroyed by his birthday gift. “You need some help?” an oddly disinterested man behind the counter asked peering over the edge of his paper but Hiiro still couldn’t see his eyes behind the dark sunglasses. “I’m looking for a pet.” The man blinked at him glancing around the pet store as if he had missed something before he bellowed, “Duo!” “Back here!” the answering call sounded and Hiiro was directed to follow the sound of it. “Something I can do for you?” the gorgeous guy with the sinfully long braid asked from his perch on a stool where he was cleaning out the bottom of one of the fish tanks. “I…” Damn, umm, what was he going to say? “My niece… it’s her birthday and she wants to feed it... er … I mean…” Damn. “Has she ever had a pet before?” Duo asked smiling brightly as he climbed down. “Yes… no,” Hiiro corrected shaking his head to clear the fog that had suddenly overtaken it. “No,” he repeated just to be sure he had chosen the proper response. “You’re certain?” Duo grinned wiping his hands on a towel. “Yes. She has never owned a pet,” Hiiro chuckled clamping down on the sudden wave of desire that flooded his chest. He had never met anyone quiet as attractive as this guy. “Well, then,” Duo began brushing slowly by him. “I should probably ask you a few questions before you decide,” he said glancing at him in a way that showed great promise for the future of the rising interest in his mind. “I’m Duo,” he smiled offering his hand. “Hiiro.” Damn, he had great hands, too. “Does she have any allergies?” Duo asked taking a small kitten from a cage in the center of the store. “I’m not sure,” Hiiro replied accepting the kitten into his arms. The tiny animal cried loudly and clung to him with its claws as if afraid to fall and he felt a surge of protective energy rise up as he cradled the creature and cooed softly while scratching behind its ear. “You’re good with animals,” Duo smiled brightening when Hiiro’s cheeks pinked. “But if you’re not sure about allergies you should probably check with her mom before you purchase something like a cat,” he told him returning the kitten to its cage. “How about a bird?” he suggested leading him toward the line of cages along the wall that housed everything from parrots to finches, each flapping madly and twittering noisily. Hiiro could almost see the indignant glare on Une’s face if he brought over a noisy bird. “Something a bit quieter I think,” he smiled reaching out to pet the parakeet that was giving Duo a kiss. He very much envied the little bird as it nibbled on the boy’s plump, lower lip and Duo made little cooing noises at it. His heart skipped a beat when Duo caught his hand and deposited the bird on it raising it to his lips as he smiled and coaxed, “Come on, give us a kiss,” and the little bird moved to reach toward Hiiro’s lips. Strange as it was to have a bird nibbling on his lower lip the thought that he had just been given a sort of indirect kiss from Duo left him flushed and thinking things he knew he ought not to. The problem growing in his chest was compounded when Duo leaned in to get another kiss from the bird putting him less than two inches from Hiiro’s mouth where he found it impossible not to stare openly at the supple lips before him. “They’re very affectionate,” Duo smiled and Hiiro felt himself lean toward him as he pulled away. Damn! “How does she feel about amphibians?” Duo asked moving off toward the turtle tanks. Hiiro squatted down to peer at the little turtles swimming around in the water, some of them laying lazily on a stone and cocked his head. They were quiet enough and seemed to need minimal upkeep. “Their not exactly cuddly are they?” he mused skeptically. “Is the cuddle factor important?” Duo asked, the strange quality of his voice calling Hiiro instantly to his feet. “Very,” he smiled knowing full well by then that he was answering more than one question with his response. “Then I have the perfect solution,” Duo smiled and Hiiro grinned so hard his cheeks hurt when he asked, “Meet me for dinner tonight?” “Where?” Yes! “How about The Sand Dollar?” “Seven ok?” Hiiro smiled. “Perfect,” Duo replied and Hiiro left the pet shop feeling as if he had just won the lottery. He was almost home before he realized he had not procured the pet his niece had requested for her birthday but he could always go back tomorrow. Tonight, he had a date! The three hours between the time he arrived home and left for The Sand Dollar seemed to take forever but he still ended up rushing out as he had changed his clothes three times in the past twenty minutes and still wasn’t satisfied with his attire. He knew anything Duo wore was going to look stunning on him so finally gave up and just went in his jeans and pull over. As expected, Duo looked great even though he, too, had chosen the simplicity of jeans and a casual shirt but it wasn’t the clothes that made him look so delicious. It was all the savory curves that were dropped into them that had his eyes roaming in places they shouldn’t. “Am I late?” Hiiro asked trying to control the breathless air that was making it hard to keep his feet on the ground. “No,” Duo smiled standing to welcome him to the table. “I was just a little early,” he told him. Hiiro liked the café, it was nice to eat alfresco now and then and the evening light danced so enticingly in the warm chestnut of Duo’s hair he couldn’t stop himself from gazing at it. “Can I get you something to drink now?” a friendly waitress stopped by to ask. “Tea, please,” Duo smiled. “The same,” Hiiro echoed noting that Duo had placed his napkin in his lap just as Hiiro always did. “Do you come here often?” he asked. “Not really, but it seemed like a nice, open place to meet,” Duo replied. “How long have you worked at the pet shop?” “My uncle owns it. The scary guy with the shades,” Duo grinned and Hiiro recalled the man behind the counter. “Do you live with him?” “Only during the summer. What about you?” “I’m on my own.” “You seem a little young to be self sufficient,” Duo smiled and Hiiro’s chest puffed up a little at the mild tone of a good impression. “I’ve been on my own for a long time,” he explained. “It’s just that now I do it in my own place.” “Maybe I could come over sometime and have a peek,” Duo grinned accepting his tea from the waitress. Hiiro would have liked to have told him any time he liked would be just fine but he was forced to wait until the waitress took their orders and left and Duo picked the conversation back up before he could articulate the invitation. “I have to be honest with you,” his companion smiled and he felt a million butterflies suddenly spring to life in his chest. “I asked you here because there’s someone I want you to meet.” Huh? “I hope you don’t think it’s too forward of me,” Duo was saying but Hiiro’s mind was still stuck on this other person he was to be introduced to. Had Duo asked him there to set him up with a blind date?! Shit! “She should’ve been here by now,” Duo said glancing at the door but apparently finding nothing familiar. She? Oh gods. “Duo…” “Sorry,” the longhaired boy sighed. “I never was any good at keeping my mouth shut,” he chuckled sipping his tea. “I wanted it to be a surprise.” “It’s probably better this way,” Hiiro sighed. “I thought you asked me here because…” “Ah! Here she is,” Duo interrupted motioning for the smiling girl at the doorway to join them and Hiiro’s heart sank all the way down into his feet. “Hi,” the girl, a pretty thing with short dark hair, smiled as Duo stood and kissed her cheek in greeting. Great. Hiiro swallowed the lump of embarrassment that had risen in his throat and trudged up what he hoped was an amiable smile. How could he have misjudged the situation so badly? “Hilde, this is Hiiro,” Duo introduced them setting the box in her hand on the floor. “Hi,” she smiled offering her hand which Hiiro shook briefly before trying to come up with some way to get out of this without completely embarrassing everyone involved. His mind stalled however, when she leaned in close to Duo and whispered a little too loudly, “Wow, he’s a real doll.” The blush on Duo’s face was so damn cute he almost forgot everything else until the girl suddenly turned to address Duo again. “Call me tomorrow,” she grinned eyeing him hard. “I want to hear everything,” she giggled turning back to Hiiro. “It was very nice to meet you,” she smiled. “Tell Fei I owe him one,” Duo told her kissing her cheek again before she headed for the door and Hiiro stared blankly after her for a moment.
“Where is she going?” he asked perplexed by her untimely exit. “Her boyfriend’s kind of a prick,” Duo shrugged. “He’ll be snippy all night if she’s late getting home.” Boyfriend? “But I thought…” Again the waitress interrupted him when she showed up with their food and Duo’s bright smile when she left stole his thoughts away before he could finish. “We should probably wait until after we eat for this but…” Duo grinned excitedly retrieving the box from beneath the table and Hiiro cocked a brow at the plain, cardboard square when it rattled and scratched around. “What is that?” he asked fearing what might be harbored inside. “Hiiro,” Duo grinned opening the box. “I would like you to meet George… and Francis,” he said allowing the two small hamsters to crawl out and roam the table. Hiiro blinked. Then blinked again. Hamsters? This was who Duo wanted him to meet? Yes! “They’re… cute,” he chuckled and George paused to stare up at him as if to say `fuck you`. “They’re quiet,” Duo told him letting Francis crawl into his hand. “Take minimal upkeep for the first time pet owner,” he added nuzzling the little rodent against his cheek. “And have a massive cuddle rating,” he laughed as the soft fur tickled his cheek and Hiiro felt himself glare jealously at the little ball of fluff which he could have sworn rolled its beady, black eyes at him. “They’re adorable,” Hiiro smiled ignoring the indignant glare from George. “But why didn’t you just show them to be at the store?” he asked fishing for the rest of the answers to this riddle. “These are a special breed,” Duo told him putting Francis back on the table where he promptly curled up to watch George sneak a piece of lettuce from Hiiro’s plate. “A friend of ours breeds them but they’re notoriously difficult to place.” “What makes you think they’d be happy with my niece?” Hiiro asked. “It’s worth a try,” Duo shrugged letting George climb his arm and crawl into his pocket with his bit of lettuce. “Looks like they’re partial to you,” Hiiro laughed. “Yea well,” Duo chuckled along. “Most animals seem to like me.” “I can relate,” Hiiro smiled loving how it felt when it blossomed into a full-blown grin as Duo blushed and averted his eyes. Francis seemed content to lay curled on the table glancing from one to the other as they ate their meal and exchanged information. Duo was enrolled in the local college where Hiiro was to begin giving lectures the following term. It was refreshing to find the longhaired boy was not only highly intelligent but accepted the fact the Hiiro’s life had forced him to accelerate his education with an ease rarely experienced by the Japanese boy. By the time the meal was over Hiiro felt very much like he had known him for far longer than a day and was having a great deal of trouble with the idea that they had to go to separate houses for the night. “Can I keep them in the box for the night?” he asked petting Francis’ head. “No,” Duo sighed grinning at George as he wandered around the palm of his hand. “They’ll burrow through the cardboard. You’ll need a tank or cage.” “I think I have an old fish tank somewhere,” Hiiro replied trying to think of some way to convince him to come back to his place with him and Francis looked up at him as if to say `slow down`. “I could come over and help you set it up,” Duo suggested causing a huge surge of excitement to wash through Hiiro’s chest and George turned to grin at him with this ‘hot damn!` gleam in his eyes. “That would be… helpful,” Hiiro choked out gaining strength from Francis’ calming stare. George refused to be returned to the box for the trip and though Duo objected at first he finally allowed Hiiro to pick up the tab for dinner as a thank you for all he had done to help him in his quest. Francis spent the drive curled in the box on the seat between the two boys while Duo cuddled George to his chest and fed him a bit of carrot he had taken from Hiiro’s left over salad. As promised, the lesson in hamster care proved to be relatively short. Clean the cage, see they have fresh food and water and the occasional treat of vegetables, fruit or Timothy hay along with amble exercise. They seemed like the perfect gift for a ten year old, first time pet owner. That is, if he could manage to pry them off of Duo long enough to present them to his niece. “This is nice,” Duo smiled surveying Hiiro’s small apartment. “It’s cozy,” Hiiro grinned tossing his coat on the back of a chair before nabbing the remote and flipping to a smooth jazz station on the satellite. “You want something to drink?” “Yea, thanks,” Duo replied settling George in the box with Francis in spite of his `god damn it` attitude. “I have grape juice and ummm… rum…” Hiiro grimaced at the sparse contents of his refrigerator. “Rum sounds good,” Duo smiled leaning against the kitchen doorway, the soft smile on his lips prompting Hiiro to pull the half empty bottle from inside without a second thought. “Straight up?” he asked retrieving two tumblers from the cabinet. “On the rocks,” Duo replied. Well, this shouldn’t take long. Hiiro grinned to himself wondering how things might progress should Duo find himself under the influence as he poured a full three fingers for them both. “I think the tank is in the closet,” he told him offering the drink to his visitor before draining half of his own and searching for it. He found it way in the back under a box of old videotapes he kept meaning to throw out due to the questionable content contained on them. They had been very helpful when he was first figuring out his alternative sexuality but at that particular time seeing them only made his cheeks flame and gave him lewd visions of his companion he wasn’t really ready for. “Are you all right?” Duo chuckled seeing the fresh mantle on his cheeks when he emerged. “Rum’s kicking in pretty fast,” Hiiro evaded setting the tank on the coffee table. “Goes down easy,” Duo smiled holding out his empty glass. Hiiro took it with a grin and went to get a refill for them both. “Do you have any old newspaper?” Duo asked when he returned. “I think yesterdays is still in the wastebasket,” Hiiro replied going to retrieve it, his light chuckle as he tripped on the small step leading into the kitchen echoed by Duo as his head began to swim pleasantly with the rum. “You shouldn’t use this as a general rule,” Duo told him when he returned. “But just for tonight should be ok.” Hiiro watched for a moment as the longhaired boy shredded some of the paper before helping him to finish the task but his mind was on the comfort of the hamsters no more than his eyes were on the newspaper he was shredding. “They’ll need water,” Duo breathed softly and Hiiro felt his entire lower section burst into flame. “I’ll put out,” Hiiro offered knowing his cheeks were now in the same condition as his groin when he caught the slip. “I’ll put some out… in… I’ll get it,” he corrected catching the odd little roll of Francis’ eyes from where he was curled in Duo’s hand as he went to find a bowl. “The bowl won’t work for long either,” Duo smiled coyly as Hiiro nestled it in the bottom of the cage. “They’ll need a water bottle.” “Guess I need to make a trip back to the pet shop,” Hiiro chuckled. “You can come by any time you like,” Duo smiled, the gentle tone of his voice as he nuzzled Francis to his cheek robbing Hiiro of any ability to speak so he ended up just sitting there starting dumbly at him. “May I?” “Yes,” Hiiro replied not entirely certain to what he was agreeing but as far as he was concerned Duo could have any damn thing he wanted. “What?” Duo chuckled holding his glass up a little higher. “Oh,” Hiiro blushed. “Yes, of course,” he said going to refill their glasses again. Duo could apparently hold his drink as well, which was good because Hiiro was beginning to feel a nice, toasty buzz coming on. “This will hold them until you can get by the store tomorrow,” Duo said dumping the handful of feed out of the bottom of the box into a corner of the tank then stepping back to survey their handy work. “I think that’ll do until tomorrow,” he smiled leaning into Hiiro’s side and the Japanese boy unconsciously slipped his arm around his waist. Once the appendage had settled however, he became acutely aware of its position and prayed with all his might that Duo would continue to allow the contact. “How long will it be before you give them to your niece?” Duo asked swaying gently against his side to the lull of the sensuous saxophone on the radio. “This weekend,” Hiiro replied distantly feeling himself drawn in by the tantalizing scent of Duo’s hair. His pulse surged when Duo sighed deeply and leaned further into him as he breathed the intoxicating aroma in deeply and wrapped his arm more firmly around his waist. “Three days,” Duo said softly turning in his arms. “Mm hm,” Hiiro replied distantly as Duo wrapped his arms around his neck. “They’ll become very attached to you by then,” the longhaired boy breathed softly but Hiiro didn’t really hear him as his mind was firmly wrapped around the kiss he was about to place on his lips and suddenly nothing existed anymore but the warm body softly moving in his arms and the heat pouring down his throat as Duo melted in his arms. “Duo,” Hiiro gasped forcing himself to pull back a little. “Hm?” Duo hummed trying to close the distance again. “If we don’t stop now…” “Don’t stop,” Duo groaned kissing him again, his body conveying the sincerity of the offering as he pressed himself firmly against Hiiro’s heated form. Hiiro felt the growl emanate from deep down in his chest as he picked the thinner boy up and carried him off toward the bedroom, both of them completely oblivious to the drop jawed expression of `son of bitch` in Georges eyes as Francis hid his furry little face under a pile of newspaper. When morning came Hiiro greeted it with an exhausted smile and recited his excuse for not going into work in his head again. Well, he couldn’t help it if his hamsters needed his care. Besides, Duo had finally fallen asleep in the curl of his arm and he wasn’t about to wake him for all the tea in China. He sighed deeply, the contentment in his soul breeding its peace so that he knew he had been blessed with something few others manage to achieve in their lives and he had every intention of cherishing it for as long as the fates would allow. His brow furrowed when he heard a small noise, his eyes being drawn to the curl of Duo’s thick braid where George and Francis slowly emerged and he smiled. The little buggers had somehow escaped and found their way to Duo’s side. Well, he couldn’t blame them, he had plans to never leave the serenity he had found there either but it was obvious the creatures were not going to be happy anywhere else. He reached over to scratch them each on top of the head and sighed. “Maybe Mariameia would be happy with a fish,” he mused chuckling when George grinned up at him as if to say `damn straight` and Francis managed a furry little smile. owari :)
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