Disclaimer: The characters belong to Sotsu, Sunrise, Bandai Entertainment, I neither claim them nor certainly make any money off them!
Pairing: 6x2
Rating: Lemony in places
Time Setting: Post-series, three years later (minus events in Ground Zero, Blind Target, Endless Waltz as when I started this, I hadn't seen or read about these yet)
Summary: A chance meeting leads to the recovery of a wounded heart.
Duo took a bag of clothes and his tools with him, letting Zechs carry his computer as they went in a taxi to the older man's spacious home. To Duo's wonder, Zechs took the computer directly into what appeared to be a spare bedroom and set it on a desk. "You'll need your own space," he murmured, indicating the room. "I will not presume that you must integrate into mine, though I wish you would consider all of it yours as well... ours." He spoke to him with his face averted, unsure of the reception.
[This is perfect,] Duo thought with relief, gratitude flooding his heart. [I won't be in his way when I need to study, then.] "Thanks, this is great, Zechs, just a couple things..." He dumped the bag of clothes on a chair, and the other bag of tools on the floor.
"What's that," Zechs murmured, turning slightly toward him.
"One," Duo chirped, "it's not ours until I start paying my share and two..." He sobered, wanting to go into the other man's arms again. "Am I sleeping in here or with you?"
Zechs turned around fully. He looked at the shorter man intently, his crystalline blue eyes glittering. [I have utterly no reason to refuse him... and I know well what he wants. He's been warned about how intense I can get... but I must never, ever hurt him. Am I strong enough yet?] He noted that Duo returned his gaze calmly and patiently, though it seemed he was waiting with a measure of stoicism, ready to be rejected again. [I must not turn away this wonderful gift... though my fears are still with me...]
"With me," he replied finally, and turned and left the room.
Duo stood there, thunderstruck, for about ten seconds. [Did he say with him? I get to sleep with him? I mean, if he thinks I can lay in his bed with him there and just *sleep*... does he really think... or does he mean we can...] Then he ran out of the room after Zechs.
Zechs had retrieved extra towels from a closet and was halfway to his bedroom to put the towels for Duo in the master bathroom when he was intercepted. Duo clasped his arm and whirled him around, breathless. "You really mean it? I can... we can...?"
"I find," Zechs began slowly, "that I cannot refuse you, my angel. You've made it clear how you desire me..." He paused to bow his head, closing his eyes for the moment. "And I admit freely that I desire you. But as I've told you... I'm not a casual lover." He glanced down into the wide, cobalt eyes watching him. "And I'm afraid of hurting you, still. Even... physically."
[Oh, shit, so *that's* what this is about?] Duo wondered, gulping. [That first night... he would not fuck me because I'd never been with a man like that before. And since he's so much taller and probably stronger... is that really what he's worried about?] He fit his arms around the tall man's waist, snuggling in. "I'm no frail flower, Zechs," he retorted, winking at his too-serious lover. "You're *not* going to hurt me. I know you aren't."
"You do?" Zechs murmured, sighing as he circled his arms around Duo's back. "How do you know that?"
Duo felt a tightening within his chest, seeing the emotional pain his beloved was still experiencing. He broke the gaze, laying his head against Zechs's shoulder, bringing a hand around to lie on his heart. "Heart..." he whispered.
Zechs automatically reached up to the nape of Duo's neck to finger the top of the braid. "W...what did you say?"
"Heart," Duo breathed again, tightening his grasp with his other arm. "You're my heart... that's you. And I know my Heart very well, don't ask me how. I just do! I see into you so easily - I see what you are. It's in your eyes, mostly, but also in your voice and touch. You are a beautiful, kind, gentle, loving man, Zechs my Heart, and I just want to love you. And I'm going to work on becoming someone you can be proud to have at your side. Remember what we said about existing? I'm not going to do that anymore, Heart, just exist... I'm going to really live and it's all because of you. I'm going to become something, I don't know yet, possibly a teacher, and I'm going to make sure you feel loved. That's what I'm going to do..."
Zechs stopped the stream of consciousness chatter with a kiss as he tilted Duo's face up to him. This time he ended the kiss all too soon, a gentle tug on the braid pulling Duo's head back carefully. "Don't you need to feel loved, Angel? And I could stand here and argue with you that you most certainly are *something*, but mere words are just not going to do you justice."
Duo felt his heart skip a beat, but shook his head anyway, frowning. "What are you talking about? Heh, we certainly are a pair, aren't we? You're so bent out of shape about hurting people, and me, I'm having a pity party because I hardly made an effort since the war to do something important with my life like you are..."
"Stop..."
"Make me!" Duo snapped, then gasped as he realized what he'd said.
A decided glint came into the ice-blue eyes. It was his only warning. "Obviously the cold has affected your mind, Duo Maxwell," Zechs retorted and in two steps he had collected his audacious little lover and deposited him on his bed. "You need more warming up!"
Duo started to laugh with delight until he saw that Zechs was deadly serious. A chill of a different sort shivered up his spine. "What if I don't want to be warmed up?" he threw back, though his voice came out too squeaky.
Zechs just stared at him in amazement, kneeling on the bed over him. Now it was his turn to feel like laughing, for they both knew Duo had been horny for him for some time. But a little voice within taunted him: "going to take him against his will? figures..."
Abruptly he was off the bed and halfway across the room, only stopping when it remembered his promise to Duo. [Damn, I still feel that flight response...]
Duo sat up, stunned. [Uh, oh, I goofed, big time... of course, you idiot, he doesn't want to even joke about being with me against my will. Stupid...] "Zechs? I'm sorry, I don't mean that - of course I want you to... warm me up. I'd love that..."
Zechs turned to glance over at him; even at a distance of about seven feet Duo could see the man's eyes were glittering... whether with fear or danger, he couldn't tell.
Duo gave him his biggest smirk. "And you know you want to... hell, obviously we both want to..." He rolled over on his stomach, waved the end of his braid at him, and wagged his behind a little. "And I am still cold..."
[Fuck,] Zechs thought, relaxing a little. [The brat... and he's always going to pull those tricks out when he needs 'em, isn't he? Hmmm, this is a pretty one...] He sighed at the sight of his young lover wriggling on the bed. [I think I'd like to own that...] Within, another voice was poking at him, but for now he could ignore it: [you don't feel what you think you feel... you can't feel... that...]
He didn't approach yet, just stared at Duo, unsmiling despite the smirk the other wore, as he removed his jacket, actually letting it slip to the floor, and began to unbutton his shirt.
[Oh, he's good,] Duo thought, nearly drooling when the muscular arms and chest were revealed and all that golden, silky skin. [Heh, I'd like to think I'm pretty sharp and have my own share of ammunition to use on him, but he's far from done surprising me. Hmmm...]
Once dispensing with shirt, shoes and socks, Zechs shook his head to make the silvery platinum hair flow artlessly down his chest as well as his back, then fixed his gaze on the prize awaiting him, meeting the wide, cobalt eyes. Immediately the electric fire raced between them again, hotter than ever. Duo's mouth went dry.
[Shit, he looks just like a blond wolf!] Duo thought, turning over to watch his lover's approach, unconsciously backing up a bit in the bed. [He... he's like a predator... not that I mind, of course!]
"That's it, little demon," Zechs purred, placing a knee on the bed. "On your back... and undo your hair for me, won't you, love?"
[Demon... I like that. Demon, angel, I'll be whatever my Heart needs... oh, shit,] Duo thought as his gorgeous blond lover loomed over him. He pulled off the sweatshirt he was wearing then reached back and loosened his hair from the braid, letting it spill over his back. Then he lay back as Zechs drew some of his long hair forward over his chest. "Um, going to warm me up now?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically high.
Zechs smiled as he ran his hand lightly over his lover's chest, mussing the rich spill of chestnut hair. Then his fingers paused to circle a small, pink nipple. "I think so, yes," he replied, giving Duo a wink. He emitted a deep sigh, then climbed more fully onto the bed and laid his body against Duo's, covering him with his larger expanse, and snuggled in, kissing his cheek tenderly. "Am I too heavy for you, love?"
Duo couldn't care less whether he was being crushed or the breath squeezed out of him. He slipped his arms around the broad chest as Zechs fit his own arms beneath him to cradle his body, then pulled them over onto their sides to facilitate the embrace and take some of the weight off the boy. "Never," Duo breathed, burrowing in happily.
Then there were kisses being laid all over his face, jawline, ears, down to his neck as Zechs started in on a mission of exploration. "Angel," Zechs breathed in a pause. "My angel, my little beauty..."
"Ha, I'm not beautiful," Duo gasped, wriggling against him in delight. "You're nuts, Zechs!"
"Nuts for you... beautiful angel," Zechs murmured, and took a fold of skin at Duo's throat with his lips to bring the blood to the surface, suckling gently.
[Oh, SHIT, is he going to bite me?] Duo wondered, astonished and thrilled all at once. "Zechs... oh, Heart..."
"What?" Zechs replied with amusement as he left off nibbling on his lover's throat, dipping lower with his tongue.
"Damn," Duo muttered, then yelped and wriggled again as his left nipple was pinched. He grabbed a fistful of platinum hair in response and pulled. His reward was a pinch to his other nipple, then abruptly Zechs threw his head back, pulling the hair free of Duo's grasp; the silken mass fluttered around them like a shower of downy feathers.
"You're mine and I'll mark you if I want to... or not," Zechs growled at him, the crystalline blue eyes glittered as he looked up from the level of his chest, then the head of silken cream-colored hair bowed as he attacked a nipple with his lips.
[Oh, yes,] Duo cried within, feeling himself starting to return to that marvelous fantasy land that Zechs could create, becoming a devouring god who promised to consume him utterly. "Anything!" Duo cried out loud, "Suck me, eat me, oh, I'm yours, I'm yours..."
Zechs groaned; his erection was fairly straining to be free by now, uncomfortably stuffed in the tight slacks. As he ran his tongue around Duo's nipples and suckled each in turn, his hand was working his own pants open. When his engorged member was freed, he missed the look of awe on Duo's face.
[Will he fuck me this time?] Duo wondered, his hands busy caressing his lover's back and playing in his hair. "Heart..." he whispered tentatively.
The older man had left off his attentions to Duo's chest in order to roll onto his side more and get his pants off completely. Once done, one hand went to the zipper on Duo's pants and paused there as Zechs looked down at him finally. "Yes, love?" he breathed.
Seeing the look of wanton desire on the gorgeous blond's face made Duo's hesitancy crumple. "Shit, Zechs, please..." The large, blue-violet eyes searched the heavy-lidded azure eyes intently. "I want you inside me this time. I really want to give you that. Please."
Zechs felt his heart melting... or was that healing? He looked deep into those blue-violet depths and caressed the young man's side. "And I really want to accept that from you, my angel," he murmured. He pulled Duo back down into the circle of his arms again. "My sweet Duo..." He searched the other's eyes again, then bowed his head, resting his forehead against his. "I know I will in time, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I don't know that I can trust myself..." [Because if I lose control I *will* hurt him...] He had the thought again that he was a little detached from his emotions, not truly feeling the love his words revealed.
Trying to stave off a wave of disappointment, Duo buried his nose in Zechs's neck, holding onto him tightly. [I'm a damn fool for expecting too much, too soon. Shit, he's got me in bed, what the hell do I have to complain about?] "I trust you," he said, his voice muffled, then he lifted his head a little. "But I know what you mean - you have to trust yourself. Oh, Heart, I'm sorry to be so impatient. I know you'll get there."
"Nothing to apologize for," Zechs murmured. He rubbed his nose lovingly against his lover's cheek, then bent to kiss him deeply. [I do love him... don't I?]