Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Equinity ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: I don't own the G boys, I just borrow them from time to time and return them a whole lot happier, ne?

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Sap, angst, yaoi, Lemon, AU, OOC

Pairing: 2x1

Summary: Heero is a successful up and coming Showjumping rider with his promising new horse Zero. A fall at a show renders the animal injured and it is up to Duo Maxwell the new vet to treat the horse.

Dedication: To Klingonpoodle who gave me the plot bunny for this fic. *huggles* This one's for you hun!

Many thanks to my betas Yami_Tai and Ryouga.

Archive: http://gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com

http://sweetlysour.net.

http://adultfanfiction.net

http://www.theforsakenwk.com

Notes: All the information on showjumping, horses, etc is taken from my own knowledge of the sport having been a competitor and now judge for many years and is written from an Australian perspective. The rules and regulations are courtesy of the E.F.A Handbook. (Equestrian Federation of Australia) Should you have any questions just e-mail me.

Many thanks to Yami_tai for the title! *hugs*

AN: The tales that Duo tells Heero about his various 'patients' were inspired and partially drawn from the books by James Herriot.

" Equinity "

October 2004 ShenLong

Chapter 8

Zero was looking over his stable door as they entered and immediately wuffled in delight when he spotted his master and the other kind man.

"He's certainly looking a lot brighter," stated Duo as he approached the horse.

"I think he likes it here," replied Heero.

Zero did his usual trick of searching their pockets for carrots, nudging gently as he sniffed them over. When he didn't scent anything remotely carrot like, he shoved his muzzle against Duo's chest, pushing the vet backwards and towards the small feed shed.

"I think he's trying to tell you something," snickered Heero.

"No kidding! Geeze, I don't know," scolded Duo and fixed the horse with a stern eye. "If it isn't the females trying to get into my pants, it's the horse trying to get into my pockets. The girls all want me for my body and the horse wants me for my carrots! I don't know what the hell it was I did wrong but someone up there seems dead set on punishing me." Duo pouted as he finished his little speech.

Heero couldn't help but laugh. Zero, on the other hand, didn't see anything funny in the situation, he wanted carrots and he knew that the humans were the ones to supply them; so why wasn't he getting any? He nudged Duo again, a little harder this time.

"Okay, okay. I surrender," said Duo as he held his hands up. "I'll get you some carrots. Shit, at this rate I'm gonna have to add an extra twenty bucks to the bill just for the carrots," he muttered, but his tone was light. He moved across the stable complex to the feed shed and disappeared inside to get the requested carrots.

Heero moved in closer and patted the horse's neck. "Feeling better, Zero?" Heero looked over the stable door but couldn't see much, the bandage obscuring his view of Zero's injured leg. The horse suddenly let go with a loud neigh, almost deafening Heero with the volume. "Fuck! Watch my hearing, Zero!" Heero all but yelled.

Zero didn't take any notice of his master though, he'd seen Duo coming back out of the feed shed and smelt the carrots. He nodded his head up and down over the stable door, deep wuffling noises coming from his nostrils as Duo came closer.

"Better watch out, Heero. I think Zero is beginning to switch his loyalties," Duo chuckled.

"He's only interested in the carrots, besides..." Heero moved a little closer to Duo and cautiously put his arm around Duo's waist as the braided vet fed the greedy horse the carrots. "If he wants you, he's going to have to compete with me for your affections."

"Oh, I think there's enough of me to go around," Duo said softly as he turned to face Heero, his eyes tender as they locked with the deep blue of the other man. "As long as you're willing to share."

"As long as I only have to share you with Zero then I think I can handle that," murmured Heero as his eyes traveled from Duo's eyes to his lips and back again, silently asking permission. The soft sigh that escaped Duo's lips granted him the request and slowly Heero closed the distance between their mouths.

The kiss was sweet and tender, a gentle meeting of mouths that moved softly against each other. Duo tilted his head slightly and parted his lips, pushing his tongue forward to run along Heero's bottom lip. Heero's mouth opened and the tongue slid in, wandering around inside Heero's mouth and caressing the inner heat. Heero's tongue greeted its counterpart and they brushed lazily against each other, entwining and dancing slowly. It was much better than the brief brush of lips they'd shared earlier.

Heero's body began to respond, a warm flush spread over him before lodging in his groin. He moaned softly into Duo's mouth and caught the reciprocating one with his own. Somewhere along the line, Duo's arms had wound around his shoulders, holding him gently and mindful of his fracture. Just as the kiss was deepening further, Heero felt Duo shift abruptly in his arm and their mouths parted. "I'm sorry..." Heero began to apologize, thinking he'd overstepped the mark and the last thing he wanted was to lose this man before he'd even gotten to know him; but his apology was cut off.

"No, Heero. You have nothing to apologize for. I wanted that kiss just as much as you did. However..." Duo turned to look into the face of Zero who was innocently watching over his stable door. "I think someone here is jealous. Isn't that right, Zero?"

The horse turned his head towards Duo and gave a low whinny; innocent eyes asking for more carrots.

"I think you're going to need to learn some manners, Zero. It's not polite to nudge me in the side when I'm in the middle of a wonderful kiss with your master."

"Zero nudged you?" asked Heero. "So that's why you suddenly moved."

"Yeah," Duo replied as he rubbed the horse affectionately between the eyes. "I think he was jealous that you were getting all the attention."

"Looks like I will have to have a word with him about interrupting," said Heero as he gave the horse a stern look. Zero didn't take any notice though; he was receiving attention from this other nice man, the one who seemed to have an endless supply of carrots.

Duo looked at his watch. "I'll need to start getting ready for evening surgery shortly, Heero. When are you planning on going back to your place? Not that I'm trying to get rid of you or anything, it's just that if we are going to be swapping cars I'll need to transfer all my drugs and equipment from the boot of my car to yours."

"Aa. I have to return to work tomorrow so I guess I really should go home tonight."

"Are you sure you will be able to manage okay on your own?" Duo asked as they left the stable block together, heading for the cars.

"I should be fine, Duo. I haven't got Zero to look after so that only leaves myself. I can manage to cook myself something to eat and shower okay." Heero's brow furrowed for a moment. "I think that I'll have to skip wearing a tie to work though."

Duo laughed. "At least you will be returning to work so they should be grateful for that much. The doctor did say you were supposed to rest for another couple of days before going back."

"I know." Heero stood beside Duo as the vet unlocked the boot of his car and his eyes widened with the amount of equipment he saw inside, all neatly arranged. "I'll go get my keys and give you a hand to transfer the stuff over."

"Thanks, Heero."

Heero went back up to the house to fetch the keys whilst Duo began to carry some of the boxes over to the other car.

***

Evening surgery was almost finished, Duo gave a soft sigh as he walked back into the waiting room to greet Marmalade's owner and hand over the ginger cat who had recovered pretty well from her operation. Giving the owner the instructions to follow for after surgery care, Duo took the money and signed the receipt. Closing the door and locking it behind Mrs. Charmers, he flipped the little sign around to closed and walked back into the reception area.

"Can I come in?"

Duo looked up to see Heero standing in the doorway. "Of course you can, Heero."

The dark haired rider moved into the room and looked around. "Finished for the evening?"

"Almost. I just have to put all the evening's clients into the computer data base, sweep the floors, tidy up the waiting room, clean down the table in the consult room and then I should be finished."

"Can I help with anything?"

"I'm not sure what you can do, Heero."

"Let me put all the information into the computer while you do the other things, I only need one hand for that." Heero moved closer to stand directly behind the vet.

Duo could feel the heat of Heero's body behind him and had to drag his mind back to the tasks at hand. "Well, if you're sure."

"I'd like to help." Heero's breath brushed over the back of Duo's neck causing the young vet to shiver.

"Okay then. I'll show you what to do and leave you to it." Duo quickly showed Heero the way his clients files were set up on the data base and how he entered everything in. "I keep all my records on the computer but I also retain the paper work. You never know when the damn thing is going to crash so I've become a little paranoid about having a paper filing system as well."

"No problem." Heero's eyes scanned what Duo had done. "I can do that for you, it seems simple enough."

Duo vacated the chair, Heero took his place and began to work. The vet waited for a moment to make sure that Heero was okay with the system and seeing as the young rider was obviously just as much at home with the key board as he was on a horse, Duo left him to it and went to finish off the other jobs.

Fifteen minutes later they had both finished and Duo was hanging up his white coat. "Hungry?"

"Starving," came Heero's reply.

"I'm not sure what I've got left in the 'fridge or pantry so it might be a light meal. I haven't had a chance to do any grocery shopping yet."

"Duo?"

"Yes, Heero?" Duo replied as he locked up the small surgery and pocketed the key.

"Would you allow me to take you out to dinner tonight? Sort of a thank you for having me to stay and the running around you have done for me?"

"Heero, I told you, I don't need any thanks." Seeing the disappointment registering on Heero's face, Duo quickly added. "But if you want to take me out to dinner as in a date, then I'd love to go." He offered Heero a warm smile.

"Arigato. I would like that very much. Is there anywhere in particular you'd like to eat?"

"There's a pretty good Chinese restaurant in the village if you want to try it. It's not expensive, the food is good and the atmosphere is kind of relaxing and secluded as well."

"Sounds good to me. Ummm... Could I borrow some clothes off you though? I don't think that a T-shirt and sweats is exactly the right attire for a restaurant regardless of how relaxed the atmosphere may be," said Heero with a sheepish grin.

"Of course you can. I've got a newish pair of jeans that should fit you and a turtle neck you can borrow. Err... You will be able to get the jeans on, won't you?"

Heero blushed as the memory of his previous battle with a zipper came back to him. "I'll try not to put you in that predicament again, Duo."

"No problem, I don't mind helping you out, ummm... let me re-phrase that. I'm happy to assist you if you need any help... Oh shit! Look, you know what I mean." Duo was blushing bright red all the way to the roots of his hair by now and Heero couldn't help but laugh at the vet's dilemma.

"I know what you're trying to say, Duo; and thank you." Heero placed his hand on the vet's shoulder and squeezed lightly.

Duo continued to blush but thought it better to shut up now before he dug himself any deeper into the hole he'd created and couldn't get out with his dignity intact. "It's okay," he mumbled and opened the door to the house.

Heero went to put the kettle on and set the mugs out for a cup of coffee, Duo went through to the 'phone and checked the answering machine before calling the restaurant and reserving a table for them. Walking back into the kitchen he was presented with a steaming cup of coffee and took it eagerly.

"Heero, you're a life saver," he said as he blew gently at the beverage before taking a sip. "Ahh, just what the doctor ordered."

Heero chuckled. "I thought you could probably do with a cup. Are your days normally this full?"

"It depends. Sometimes they're worse," Duo replied with a grin.

"Worse?"

"Yup, but we can talk about that later; we'd better get showered and changed if we're going out for dinner. Come on, I'll get you those clothes and a pair of sneakers as well." Duo carried his mug of coffee through to his bedroom, Heero following behind. Entering the room, Duo set his mug down on the small dresser and went over to the built in wardrobe.

Heero's eyes widened when he stepped into Duo's bedroom and he glanced around, eager to learn a bit more about the things that Duo liked and store that information into his brain where he could analyze it later. The room wasn't overly large and decorated in soft, pastel tones. The walls were a cream color, with a beige carpet; it was thick and soft on the toes while cream colored drapes with a hint of violet hung at the window. Besides the dresser and built in wardrobe, Heero noted the large, queen size bed flanked by a night stand on either side of the bed head. A cream and violet bedspread covered the bed with two deeper lilac throw cushions tossed against the pillows. In the center of the bed sat a large stuffed animal which on closer inspection turned out to be a border collie, complete with collar. Heero gave an amused smile. A couple of prints hung on the walls, one of an old fashioned hunting scene showing the hounds and following hunt in full flight across a field whilst the other was a group of kittens all sitting in a row staring at the camera. A silver photo frame sat on the one night stand and Heero could just make out the photo inside it. It was a much younger looking Duo sitting on the shoulders of a man who could only have been Duo's father. The resemblance was uncanny. Heero jerked from his mental appraisal of Duo's room when the vet addressed him.

"Here you are, Heero. The jeans are a little large on me so they should be okay on you," said Duo as he put the clothes on the bed. "Umm... you're going to need to wear some underwear with the jeans, Heero."

It was Heero's turn to color. He'd forgotten about his underwear, or rather lack of and Duo was right, the jeans would require him to wear something underneath, the last thing he needed was to get his 'dangly' bits caught in the bite of the zipper. Once more he was saved by the generosity of the vet.

"Here, try these." Duo fetched a pair of boxers from inside the dresser drawer and handed them to Heero who took them gratefully. "As you can see, I haven't worn them; they're still in the packet."

"Arigato, I don't know how to thank you enough, Duo."

"Then don't. You're taking me out to dinner, remember? Speaking of which, if we don't hurry up it will be too late to get anything to eat. You go shower first, I can wait until you're done."

"Okay." Heero picked up the clothing and headed back to his room; leaving the turtle neck and jeans on the bed, he took the boxers with him to the bathroom and took his shower. He was as quick as he could be with only one hand and dried himself as best he could. The strapping was a little damp but Heero didn't worry too much about it, he would be going to see his own doctor the day after tomorrow and having it checked and restrapped anyway. He managed to get the boxers on and draping the towel over his shoulders, he exited the bathroom. "It's all yours," he called out to Duo as he headed for his room to do battle with the jeans.

"Thanks," Duo came out of his room, boxers in hand and made for the bathroom. He caught a glimpse of Heero as the young man was just entering his room to finish dressing; and Duo's mouth went dry. "Oh, god," he murmured to himself as his groin began to stir. Abruptly he shot into the bathroom and closed the door, leaning back against it and trying to get his heart rate to slow down. "Fuck! He's gorgeous," he muttered to his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Heaving himself off the door, he quickly stripped, tossed the clothes into the laundry hamper and stepped into the shower stall. Turning the water on he avoided the spray for a moment until the water heated up enough and then he stepped under it.

Grabbing the soap he lathered his body, washing away the dirt and grime of the day. He fervently hoped that his pager would stay quiet tonight and let him enjoy his date with Heero in peace. The water sluiced down his well toned body, leaving his skin slick with the soapy bubbles, his half hard cock begged for Duo to give it some attention but Duo didn't have the time. "Maybe later," he promised the organ. It visibly deflated as he deliberately turned his thoughts to a Mrs. Kingston who was one of his clients and about eighty five, or so he guessed. Picturing the woman in a bikini was enough to make his cock recoil in horror and almost shrivel up. He rinsed himself off and turned off the faucet, grabbing a towel and drying the water from his body. The boxers were slipped on and Duo opened the door to head back to his room and dress.

Heero managed to get the jeans on his legs and tugged them up over his hips. Being a little looser than his jodhpurs had been he was able to get the button done up and the zipper hardly protested, sliding up with minimal fuss. Heero sighed audibly at that. He really hadn't fancied having to ask Duo for help with his fly again, even if he did hope to have Duo in a more intimate and sexual way at a later date. They were both still a little unsure of what was developing between them and needed to take it slow; let the friendship grow, the trust follow and then the foundation for a solid, more romantic involvement would well and truly be in place. Heero could wait.

Picking up the turtle neck, Heero looked at it and debated the best way to put it on. Eventually he decided to try getting his left hand and arm through the sleeve first, then he could use that hand to pull the garment over his head and down his torso. Well, that was the plan in theory. Shame it didn't happen in the practical. He managed to get his left arm and hand through the sleeve okay, he even got the turtle neck over his head; and that's where it stayed. No matter what he tried he couldn't get the garment to shift any further, he was stuck with his head caught inside the neck part and the rest of the fabric bunched on his shoulders.

Reluctantly he resigned himself to having to ask Duo for help again. He couldn't see too well through the weave of the fabric and moved cautiously to the door. He found the knob and opened it. "Duo? Could you spare a moment please?" His voice was a little muffled considering he was trying to talk through the clothing.

Duo's door opened and the vet stepped out, all dressed and ready to go. He stopped in his tracks though when he spotted Heero. "Did you call me?" he asked, trying to keep the mirth from his voice.

"I need a hand here," replied Heero.

"Looks like you need more than a hand, Heero," Duo chuckled as he took in Heero's state of partial dress. The turtle neck was bunched around the man's shoulders and completely obscured his head. "Hold on a sec and I'll help you out. Duo stepped close and carefully took the hem of the garment and pulled it down over Heero's shoulders and torso. He folded the roll of fabric around Heero's neck, freeing Heero's head and allowing him to see and breathe properly again.

"Arigato. I thought I was going to suffocate in there," smiled Heero.

"Don't worry, I would have given you mouth to mouth," replied Duo cheekily as he folded up the empty right sleeve and pinned it out of the way.

"I would hope so," replied Heero softly.

"You ready?" asked Duo, changing the subject. Heero did look nice in his clothes and the jeans fit him well, much better than they did Duo and Duo found his eyes wandering over the denim, noting the snugness of the material around Heero's ass.

Heero ran his fingers through his wild mess of hair, it didn't do anything though, immediately falling back into its usual mop and partially obscuring his eyes. "Yeah, just need to grab my wallet, put on the sneakers and I'm set to go."

"Right. I'll get my boots on and meet you in the kitchen." They parted way's again, meeting moments later in the kitchen.

Heero was glad that the sneakers had Velcro as opposed to laces; it made them much easier to put on with the use of only one hand. He patted his back pocket checking that his wallet was still there and then looked up as Duo walked in. Instantly warmth flooded his body. Duo looked delicious. Also wearing jeans, only Duo's were black and tight fitting, the man oozed sensuality. The dark blue, button down shirt highlighted the unusual color of the vet's eyes and hung nicely on the slender frame. The top two buttons were undone giving Heero a lovely view of Duo's hairless chest. He could smell Duo's cologne and the heady mix went straight to his libido.

"Come on, let's go," stated Duo with a smirk as he noticed Heero's eyes raking over his form. From the expression on Heero's face, Duo thought it safe to assume that Heero liked what he saw.

Duo drove while Heero gazed out at the passing landscape, not that he could see much as it was fairly dark by now. They pulled up at the small restaurant and got out of the car, locking it and then entering the building. A smiling Chinese woman met them and greeted Duo as if he were a long lost relative then showed them to their table. It was a booth at the rear of the restaurant which was partially secluded but still allowed the occupants a reasonable view of the remaining restaurant. Duo thanked her and opened up his menu, Heero did the same.

"That was Meiran. She and her husband, Wufei, own and run this place. I've dined here a few times and treated Wufei's dog," Duo offered by way of explanation for the woman's affectionate behavior.

"Aa." Heero didn't get a chance to question Duo as a man with black hair pulled tightly into a pony tail came over to their table.

"Mr. Maxwell. It has been too long since you visited us. I'm honored you have chosen to dine with us this evening." The Chinese man bowed as he addressed Duo.

"It's been a while, Wufei. Oh, I'd like you to meet a good friend of mine, Heero Yuy. Heero, this is Chang Wufei."

Heero stood and bowed in greeting to the Chinese and received a bow in reply. "Good to meet you, Chang Wufei."

"Likewise Mr. Yuy." Wufei shook the offered hand.

"How is Xander, Wufei?" asked Duo politely.

"He is fine, thank you for asking. There has been no re-occurrence of the mange since your treatment of his condition."

"That's good to hear. Keep up with the use of the antibacterial shampoo and he shouldn't have a re-lapse."

"I will be sure to do that, thank you. Now, gentlemen, what can I get for you?"

Duo ordered spring rolls to start with and at Heero's suggestion that they share a couple of dishes for their main course he ordered the Peking duck as well. Heero decided on the prawn toast for his appetizer and the beef in oyster sauce with a small fried rice for the main. Wufei took the order and departed, Meiran meanwhile bringing them the drinks they'd ordered upon arrival.

Sipping on his lemon, lime and bitters, Heero asked Duo about Wufei's dog. "Chang calls his dog Xander?" he stated and Duo nodded. Heero had a mental picture of a Rotweiller or Doberman pincer flash into his head, it seemed the type of animal the Chinese man would have.

"Yeah, funny name I know but it suits the dog. He had a case of mange a while ago, caused a lot of his hair to fall out. Wufei was absolutely horrified, he adores that dog but he'd never admit it."

"Really?" To Heero, Wufei didn't appear to be the sort of person who would get all mushy over a dog.

"Poor animal, it was literally scratching all the hair off its body and making its skin raw to the point where it was beginning to bleed. Fortunately with some antibiotics and the special shampoo we can control it and eventually kill the parasite, although it does take a while. I think Wufei would be devastated if he lost that dog."

"Loves it that much, huh?"

"Yup. Personally it's not the sort of dog I'd have though."

"What sort of dog is it?" Heero asked, expecting Duo to say something like German Shepherd or the like. What he did say left Heero in shock.

"Xander is a Chihuahua."

Heero nearly sprayed his drink across the table. "A Chihuahua? Shit! I'd have thought he was the Rotweiller type, or maybe a Shepherd; but a Chihuahua? You have to be kidding me?!"

Duo joined in with the laughter. "Nope, Heero. It's a Chihuahua alright. About this big," Duo used his hands to show the size of the small dog. "And has a nip on it like you wouldn't believe."

"It bit you?"

"Only once. Let me tell you, those bites from the smaller dogs hurt a lot more than the ones from the bigger dogs. Little shits have needle sharp teeth on them. Fortunately most small dogs are usually nice natured but you do get the odd one that can be a prize cow. In Xander's case, the bite was purely reflex and not malicious. He was scared and when an animal is scared it usually relies on its teeth and claws to defend itself. He didn't mean to bite me; usually he's all over me like a rash, unlike Brutus."

"Brutus?"

Duo paused before answering as Meiran brought their appetizers then. Once she had departed, Duo continued with his tale. "Brutus is a Dachshund, he belongs to the guy that owns the newsagents and he positively hates me."

"Why?" Heero couldn't imagine anyone or anything for that matter hating Duo, the man was too gentle, too caring.

"Here's the story," replied Duo as he finished chewing his spring roll and reached for another, dipping it into the sauce and taking a bite before continuing in-between mouthfuls. "I got a call from Reg Harvey, he's the guy that owns the newsagents. Seems he'd been doing some work in his garden on the Sunday, you know, cleaning up, digging over the garden beds and putting in some vegetables. Anyway, he put a load of snail pellets down to keep the slugs at bay and then went to put all his tools and stuff back into the shed. When he came back all the snail pellets were gone and Brutus was looking pretty pleased with himself and licking his chops."

"The dog ate the snail pellets?"

"Yup. I can't tell you the number of animals I've treated for snail pellet poisoning or the number of times I've told people not to pile them in heaps, you only need a few and they should be scattered around so as the animals can't get at them. I think if people were to see the distress a dog or a cat goes through from eating snail bait then they would stop using the pellets altogether."

"Shit. So, what happened?" Even though he didn't have a dog or a cat, Heero made a mental note to check his shed's contents and chuck out anything remotely resembling snail pellets.

"Reg 'phoned me straight away and I headed for his place immediately. I wanted to get to the dog and treat it as quickly as possible, before too much of the poison could get into its system. When I got there I used a foul syrup which I poured down the dog's throat to induce vomiting. Brutus duly brought the snail pellets back up and I gave him a shot of 'antidote' to neutralize any poison that may have made it into his system."

"And?"

"He took it as a personal insult."

Heero laughed.

"It's not funny, Heero." Duo's eyes were amused though. "Since that day every time I've seen the dog, Reg has to restrain him. He growls and snaps and bares his teeth at me. I have no doubt that he would rip me to shreds if he ever got the chance."

"But, you saved his life," said Heero.

"Yeah, I know I did, but you try and tell him that. Here he was, enjoying an unusual meal when along I come, pour some shit stuff down his throat and make him chuck up. Then I stick him with a needle as well. I don't think he's going to forgive me any time soon, Heero. Makes it embarrassing though when I go into the shop to buy a paper or something. He's only got to hear my voice if Reg has him at the shop and the little bugger does his damnedest to get out through the door to attack me. I now have the paper home delivered." Duo sighed and pushed his empty plate away.

"You certainly lead an interesting life, Duo," chuckled Heero.

The evening progressed pleasantly for the pair. The food was good and the conversation flowed; mostly it was Duo doing the talking, telling Heero little snippets about his life as a vet, some of his patients and the odd things that had happened to him. Heero found himself more and more captivated by the man's gentle nature. He learnt quite a bit about Duo that evening and the more he learnt about the long haired vet, the more he wanted to learn.

The evening had to come to a close though and reluctantly they left the restaurant and headed back to Duo's in the car. The sweep of the headlights along the driveway caused Heero's depression to deepen a little as he knew he had to make his way back to his own home and return to work on the 'morrow. He'd have liked nothing more than to stay with the vet for a few day's more, but that wasn't possible.

They got out of the car in silence and walked to the house where Duo unlocked the door and let them inside. "Would you care for a coffee or something, Heero?" Duo knew the rider had to be getting back to his own home but that didn't mean that Duo wouldn't miss him. He was missing Heero already and the man hadn't even gone yet!

"No, thank you. I think I'd best get going, Duo. It's going to take me about half an hour to drive home as it is and it's getting late."

They stood just inside the kitchen door, an awkward silence stretched between them. Finally Heero made a move. He stepped close to Duo and wound his arm around the vet's waist, pulling Duo close to him. "Thank you for the evening, Duo. I had a great time," he said softly and kissed Duo's cheek before releasing him from his grasp.

"I had a great time too, Heero. Thanks for taking me out," Duo replied softly. "I'll walk you to the car." Duo picked up his car keys and handed them to Heero then they walked back out into the evening and towards Duo's car that Heero was going to borrow.

Heero unlocked the door and turned back to face the vet. He raised a hand and brushed his knuckles gently over Duo's cheek. "I really did enjoy myself tonight, Duo."

"So did I," came the quiet reply.

"May I?" Heero asked as he looked at Duo's lips.

"I'd be offended if you didn't."

With a warm smile, Heero swooped in and caught Duo's lips in a soft, yet sensual kiss. Lips parted and tongues entwined, greeting each other and exploring the inner secrets of each others mouths. Duo felt himself beginning to melt under Heero's lips. God, the man sure knew how to kiss! He pressed himself against Heero, feeling his body flame as heated passion began to burn through him. He felt Heero's warmth and own rising excitement press back against his belly. Reluctantly he broke the kiss.

"Thanks again for the wonderful evening, Heero."

"You're welcome, Duo. I'd like to take you out again soon if I can."

"I'd love that."

"Just name the day and I'm yours. I'll take you anywhere you want to go."

"I'll let you know, Heero," Duo chuckled, his arms still wrapped around Heero's body. "Are you sure you're going to be okay, Heero? You're more than welcome to stay here."

"I know that, Duo, and thanks for the offer, but I really should be going back home. I will call back tomorrow after work to see how Zero is doing and return your clothes."

"Till tomorrow then," Duo whispered huskily and reached for another kiss.

"Until tomorrow," Heero echoed and let himself become lost once more in the intoxicating taste and touch of the long haired vet.

~ * ~

tbc....