Heero kept his focus on the morning newspaper spread out before him on the table. Absentmindedly, he picked up his sandwich and nibbled at it.
"It's only for a little while, Heero. A vacation isn't going to kill you."
Heero reached for his glass of juice, but it was held down by another hand by the time he got there. He glanced up at the fiery eyes of his partner.
Curt nod. "Better. At least have the guts to look me in the eye when you try to dodge my ideas."
Heero sighed, let go of both glass and paper, planted his elbows at the table, and rested his chin against folded hands. "Duo, I don't see the point. We had a vacation only a few months ago. We can't take time off whenever we feel like it - we have lots of work down at the office, and-"
Groan. "Oh, don't give me that crap, Heero! You know as well as I do the Preventers could manage a week or two without us - and all we're doing these days is shuffling and filing old reports anyway. We haven't had a field assignment in three weeks, and it's not like we're the only agents they've got."
Frown. "We're the best."
Restrained lopsided grin. "Modesty prevents me from saying you're right, but I'm not going to argue it either. Still... Heero, a week, two, tops. Just think about it - you, me, a Pacific beach somewhere, soft sand, gentle breeze, warm ocean lapping at our feet..."
Grunt, half-smirk. "And a battered, old salvage ship with her ragtag crew and half-crazed captain holding a party. No thanks."
Duo reached for his own glass of juice, and took two solid gulps. "That's not fair, Heero. The Atlantis is a good ship - and if Howard's half-crazed, what does that make me?"
Smirk to complete. "Completely nuts."
Snort. Duo reached over to give Heero's nose a soft pinch and a wiggle. "You dis my friends, shoot down my ideas... how come I still love you?"
Heero snatched Duo's hand and kissed the knuckles softly. He locked onto Duo's eyes, and with a playful glint, he began to suck slowly on one of Duo's slender fingers.
Duo laughed, and pulled his hand free without much resistance. "Well, thanks for the reminder." He sighed. "Come on, Heero - a short vacation. It's Howard's second anniversary of his 'Down to Earth' day next Thursday - he's really hoping we'll come."
"You go, then."
Frown. "Heero, remember last year? When you had that damn field assignment that got extended for an extra week, and I had to go alone?"
Nod.
"Well, it was pretty damn boring without you. I felt lonely, despite having a lot of friends around."
Heero took another bite of his sandwich. It tasted much more brittle and stale than reason suggested it should. "It wasn't my fault, Duo."
Sigh. "I know it wasn't - but this time, you have no reason not to go. This might be the last time Howard bothers to throw a party for the occasion, too."
Snort, smirk. "I doubt that - Howard will always find an excuse to liven things up. I'm not sure which of you is worse."
Duo grinned and made a faux swing at him, missing by a mile as Heero leaned back in trained reflex. They sat in silence for a while. Heero finished both his sandwich and his paper, Duo gulped down the last of his orange juice, and was tempted to steal the last of Heero's, as well. Just as he got up to do so, however, the former Wing pilot pre-empted him, and downed the juice himself.
You learn many small things and habits - both those of your significant other and yourself - after living together for a while.
Since he was already at his feet, Duo walked up behind Heero, placed his hands on Heero's shoulders and rested his chin against Heero's skull. "He really wants us to come, Heero. We're part of the family, you know. It's been two years since he came back from space, permanently, after helping with getting rid the leftovers of Peacemillion and Libra. He'll even anchor up near an airport, so that we'd have an easy time getting aboard the Atlantis - and he knows all he best places to party in the entire Pacific Ocean. It'll be fun, Heero."
There was no answer.
"You're not afraid of him, are you?" He felt faint movement beneath his chin. Evidently, he had touched a nerve. Duo straightened up, lifted one of Heero's arms aside and plopped down in his lap, wrapped his arms around Heero's neck, eyes locked, searching the shimmering blue depths for what words didn't say. He couldn't resist grinning. "You are, aren't you?"
Chuckle. "Oh, come on! Howard, scary? Okay, so he has some pretty loud shirts that could scare the crap out of anyone with a fashion sense - but Howard? He's practically family, for crying out loud!" Duo hastily flipped tousled bangs aside to plant a soft kiss on Heero's forehead. He almost missed the mumble.
"That's the problem..."
"What was that?"
Heero's eyes focused on Duo once more. There was a faint chill to them that made Duo pull back a little. "That's exactly the problem - he's almost family."
Duo flagged a brow. "�Ro, you're not making sense."
"It's..." Heero sighed. "He feels like an in-law."
Jaw drop, consequent snicker. "Wait, let me get this straight - you feel Howard's like your father-in-law, or something?"
Heero felt uneasy, tried shifting, but couldn't move much with his lap occupied. "Well... yes. Or grandfather-in-law, if that makes you feel any better."
Duo laughed openly now.
Heero fought a faint smirk of his own. "It's not funny..." he muttered.
"Hell yeah, it is!" Duo beamed back at him. "You think of Howard as-" More laughter.
Slowly, Heero began a quiet snicker of his own, but decided to end it. He reached for Duo's chin, guided him into position for a lasting kiss, killing the laughter in favor of a truly shared, fairly even pleasure. No sooner did it end, did Duo's lips trek to Heero's earlobe, tugging at it. Dexterous fingers worked Heero's shirt buttons in the slight gap between them, before slipping inside to tease a nipple. Heero's hands were busy untucking the back of Duo's T-shirt, sliding inside the black cotton to caress Duo's lower back.
"Tell me you're coming with me this year," Duo whispered against his ear, before gently biting and sucking on the fleshy lobe. "Tell me..."
Soft groan. "I..."
Duo moved from ear to shoulder, inched in towards Heero's neck and bit down, starting a hickey. One set of fingers danced across Heero's chest, and he did his best to wiggle just right in Heero's lap. The pressure against his thigh suggested he was doing well.
Another slight moan escaped Heero. "Damn you, Duo... You're making me way too excited for a regular Tuesday morning..."
Duo grinned against his skin, and left the hickey halfway done in favor for another passionate, albeit brief, kiss. "I take it you're coming with me, then?" To prove his point, Duo reached around to Heero's back, slid a hand up under Heero's rumpled shirt, then back down Heero's spine to tug on the waistband of his underwear, while he kept caressing the nipple with his other hand.
When he felt Heero grope his butt, Duo had a fair idea he'd won. The slight groan that followed when he suckled the earlobe again made it certain. "Damn small ship... no privacy... Ah, damn it... just don't stop now..."
Duo chuckled, but obeyed. "Yes, sir. I guess we'd better make do before we go, then - but we have to get to work soon."
"Nnngh." Pleasured gasp. "No, we don't..."
Grin, kiss to cheek. "Sorry, babe. I think�"
Heero gave him a dazed glare. "I think, that ten minutes from now, we found out the car didn't start..." Lips to chin. "And then we had to look at the problem..." To cheek, warm whispers on skin. "And it took us well over an hour to find it was just... a little... carburetor clogging..." Latch on to nape of neck.
Duo tilted his head, sighed contently. "I think you'd better make that two. We checked the car thoroughly, right?" He felt Heero smirk against his skin. It felt nice to be the victor. Even more so to get a two in one.
When they finally showed up at the office near lunchtime, even the junior investigators could deduce their story didn't pass muster. Their slightly dishevelled appearances and flushed skin tones kept the questions at bay more effectively than Heero's cold glares did - but there was much poorly hidden snickering and many coy smiles following them for the rest of the day.
_-_
A week later, they were enlisted as honorary crew members of the Atlantis. The ship had headed for sea the minute they came aboard that Saturday, and by the full week after the trust in the kitchen they had reached another, much less trafficked island. Lacking an airport and being somewhat out of the way, it wasn't a tourist trap - which only put it even closer to paradise. Howard's ship had to anchor up off the coast though, as the small harbor of the only town on the island wasn't deep enough for a vessel her size. The small barges were put to good use, ferrying crew and assorted guests between the ship and the island's lure of bars and beaches.
Heero and Duo had snuck away from the main group, and found a small strip of warm, golden sand they had all to themselves. Their barge was resting near the water's edge. With low cliffs on either side and dense vegetation behind them, they were fairly certain they wouldn't be disturbed.
They had brought one beach bag each, a big cooler box with refreshments and two deck chairs from the Atlantis. Duo was currently resting in one such chair, chilled can of soda in one hand, the other tucked behind his head, sunglasses on his nose; all that he wore besides a pair of Bermuda shorts and sandals. He was half asleep, soaking up sunshine. Heero lay on a big towel beside him, similarly attired, although he had ditched the sunglasses and sandals, and turned his back to the sun, busy reading a book.
He was almost done with the final chapter of the mystery novel when Duo decided to interrupt. "Yanno - isn't it strange how we both use these big Bermuda shorts?"
Heero sighed, not sure what strange train of thought Duo had boarded this time. Still, to ignore it would result in facing it head-on, one way or another. Without tearing his eyes away from the book's crescendo, he asked "What do you mean?"
Duo made a wide grin, sat up as straight as he could in his deck chair, and tilted his sunglasses down enough to look above them. "Well, according to stereotypes, shouldn't we be wearing those flimsy Speedos things?"
Lopsided smirk, subdued snort. "Stereotypes are useless when it comes to classifying individuals." Flip of a page. "Besides, I'm done wearing tight-fitting clothes."
"Hey, I kinda liked you in spandex."
Heero's smirk grew slightly lecherous. "I'm sure you did. You'd better like me without them too, though."
Laugh. "Oh, I do - I prefer my Heero straight up and bare."
Heero cared enough to give him an amused glance for that one - but the novel lured his eyes back, despite how he could make a fairly certain guess how it would end.
"Say, I'm sure you'd look really good in a pair of Speedos. If it helps, I could try a pair too, and-"
Smirk. "A partly appealing thought - but I'd rather neither of us get prosecuted for indecent exposure. Those hip-condoms are only for exhibitionists, anyway."
Chuckle. "Hip-condoms?"
"Well, they are. Nothing is left to the imagination, except maybe real skin tones and 'natural blond' status."
More snickers. "And I suppose your spandex shorts weren't revealing at all, huh?"
Defensive frown. "Those were different. They were tight too, but not as tight as that. They weren't like a second skin - not around the private parts, anyway. More like... Uhm..."
"A protective pouch?" Duo offered.
Amused grunt. "As good an expression as any. Sure, like a protective pouch. As for exposure, that left plenty of things to imagination." He shot Duo a smirk, eyes with a slight sparkle of mischief. "Wouldn't want to keep yours idle."
Duo slipped off his sandals, placed a bare foot on Heero's bum and ground it down a little. "Oh, very funny. You obviously never saw things from my angle, though. The shape of your rear was nicely pronounced by those spandex shorts. Why do you think I always let you go first up stairs and ladders?"
Another grunt. Heero returned to his reading. "And here I thought you simply yielded the point to the more skilled soldier."
Soft slap of foot on ass. Duo got to his feet, only to kneel down, straddling Heero's rear, leaning back to rest his butt against Heero's thighs. He placed his hands on Heero's shoulder-blades, and began rubbing them in slow circles. "Not quite..."
Heero relaxed at Duo's touch, even more so as he finally finished the book and put it aside. There had been no surprises there. He lay down completely against the towel, tilting his head to the side, and put his arms down his sides, lifting his hands just a little to hook around the back of Duo's knees, as if he wanted assurance Duo would stay right there. He was pretty sure the content sigh was his.
Duo's hands drifted, first down Heero's spine, up along his sides, down the arms again, all the while making subtle moves to loosen muscles. Heero had a feeling this was all a prelude to something - though, exactly what, he wasn't sure. Even so, the thought made him slightly uncomfortable.
Duo put his palms down on the sand on either side of Heero's shoulders, and leant down to place a feather-light kiss between the shoulder-blades, before moving in tiny leaps to the nape of Heero's neck. Heero's grip gave in, his hands falling limp to the sand. Duo shifted to lie down on Heero's back, lips still very active, groin grinding against Heero's rear.
If anything, it convinced Heero which path they were going - and right then and there, he would have none of it. "Duo..." he managed to whisper, "Duo, not now... Please."
Above and behind him, Duo froze. Slightly miffed, he straightened up, and sat down on the sand beside Heero, giving him a sullen look as he sat up too. "Why? Don't you want-"
Sigh. "You know that's not it - it's... Well, we're in a public place, Duo."
Duo rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. This beach is deserted, other than us and a few other wild animals."
Fatigued, solitary chuckle. "Maybe..." He shook his head. "I think I'm a bit agoraphobic when it comes to sex." He leant in to give Duo a kiss, the quickest and easiest apology he could think of.
Judging by the return of Duo's grin, it worked - at least to a point. "Okay, okay. So you prefer dark, hidden tunnels." He offered half a snort. "Look, I'm not an exhibitionist either - but this place is deserted." There was a sparkle in his eyes, and he gave Heero a wink. "Want to go skinny-dipping? You could give me that much, couldn't you?"
Heero reached for the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes and shook his head in fake disbelief. "Duo..." He chuckled. "What guarantees do I have you wouldn't try something naughty the minute we got in the water?"
Wide grin. "None at all, 'course."
"Someone could come by. We don't have the only boat in the area, you know."
Shrug. "Then let them come. We have nothing to be ashamed of, right?"
Sigh. "No, but... Well, the Atlantis is out there, too - well within visual range."
Snort. "By binoculars, sure - you think Howard is scanning the coastline for scantily clad babes again?"
Heero was about to answer, but let it go in favor of a chuckle. "Maybe I am being a little paranoid..."
Grin. "Now, there's an understatement." Duo slapped his calves. "Okay, at least come for a swim, �Ro. It isn't half as fun without you."
"Do I get to keep my shorts on?"
Duo laughed as he got to his feet. "Sure - at least for now." He gave a wink, and held out his hands to Heero. Offer accepted, Duo helped him to his feet, and then opted for quick kiss and a hug. Heero was slow to return the embrace; a little too slow and lacking in enthusiasm for Duo's tastes. "Okay, Heero - what's bugging you this time?"
Heero's hands came to rest on Duo's lower back, fingers grazing spine. "Hm?"
"When did you turn into such a darn prude, �Ro? You know, you've barely dared touch me since the day we arrived here. What's-" He cut himself short, leant back enough in Heero's embrace to look him in the eye. "You're not still worrying about Howard, are you?"
Cornered, he fled - at least with his gaze and mind, looking at the far horizon.
