Title: Two Halves
Author: Aleilisth/dmnurtle
Pairing: 1=2, unrequited 6+1
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Unrequited aww-ness, frottage, lime. Fluff.
Disclaimer: Not mine, no money, bla di bla
Author's Notes: Adoration of a million kinds to kirikaeru who is my darling beta! This one's for razberrycreme cos I loff her _

It was interesting, how things had progressed between ex-Gundam pilots 01 and 02, Zechs mused as he blew gently across the surface of his tea. Before him, the surveillance screens flickered imperceptibly as the Preventers office workers went about their daily routines. He was supposed to be focussing on a different area of the establishment, where a certain member of the team was under suspicion for a blackmail case, but as always he found his icy eyes drawn to the mess of chocolate hair over vivid blue eyes, and his vibrant longhaired companion.

There had been no sudden change, no switch flipped to turn on a giant neon proclaiming their relationship. It was more a case of the little things building up, imperceptible to anyone who did not hold them under intense scrutiny, until it merely seemed as though they had been a couple all along. Zechs knew, of course. The look in Heero's eyes had gone from staring covertly and wistfully towards Deathscythe's old pilot, to holding a tiny spark of greater confidence, of contentment. And if Duo's friendly overtures towards Heero were no longer so guardedly rebuffed, who else was to suspect anything untoward? Perhaps Heero had just grown used to the energetic young American.

There was one thing that puzzled Zechs, however. As he sat in the surveillance room, case after case, he noticed that they were... apart. Together, yet separate; as though two halves of the same whole that had not yet perfectly aligned. While they undoubtedly shared a bond so strong that it was palpable in the very air whenever they were in a room together, they never sneaked off during work hours to some secluded office or supply closet; they never kissed in the hallway or held hands. Even when entirely alone, the last ones on the floor, they had no gestures for each other that would smack of being a 'couple'. Yet everyone knew... everyone assumed...

~

It was interesting, how things had progressed between him and Duo, Heero mused as he finally closed the mission report down and prepared to log off the computer for the evening. He glanced over towards where Duo was wrestling with a large batch of papers, trying to jam them into a manilla envelope without screwing them up. They had gone from being partners, to living together, to... well, what were they? Heero appreciated that neither of them fit the mould for 'normal' but, true to form, he liked at least a vaguely-solid idea of what was going on.

The first time it had happened, a week after they had moved in together (ostensibly to cut down on living costs), Heero was watching Duo struggle with the video-recorder. On his hands and knees, Duo's braid slipped over his shoulder and was pooled on the floor beside him while his ass waggled in the air as the American shifted to try and find a more comfortable position to kneel in. Heero licked his lips, cursing for the millionth time the lapse into weakness that had made him agree to Duo's suggestion to share accomodation. His breath caught in his throat as Duo turned to glance behind him, catching sight of Heero not-so-subtly ogling his ass.

Duo laughed as Heero blushed and turned his head away, getting up onto his knees and shuffling forwards to where Heero sat on the couch. When Duo put his hands on Heero's thighs, almost shyly, Heero looked back, equally unsure. Clearly the desire in Heero's eyes had not been masked as well as normal; Duo's hands grew bolder, running firmly up Heero's thighs to knead softly at the half-hardness between his legs.

Duo's mouth had been amazing, overwhelming. But they hadn't kissed, much less spoken of it afterwards.

Heero shook his head a fraction, jolting away the images that still burned brightly behind his eyelids. With an effort, he moved the cursor across the screen, shutting the machine down and leaning back in his chair as he waited for Duo to finish off the last bits and pieces of work for the day.

The second time it had happened, Heero had been amazed at his own audacity, spurred on by still-fresh memories from a few days prior. Duo was in the kitchen, large hands thrust into bright yellow gloves, deep in warm soapy dishwater as he cleared away the plates from the meal Heero had cooked. For a moment, Heero paused in the doorway, self-doubt clawing at his confidence. It was at that moment that Duo also paused, setting down the casserole dish in the sink as he sensed Heero's presence in the room. A small smile flickered around the corners of Duo's mouth as he glanced over his shoulder, amusement flickering in his vibrant eyes as though Heero's thoughts were written plainly on his face.

Without a word, Heero moved to stand directly behind Duo, so close he could feel the warmth from the other man's back. Then, as though approaching a timid animal, Heero reached out to place his large hands on Duo's hips, his strong fingers squeezing gently.

Carefully, Duo slowly picked up the casserole dish and started to wash it again. For a moment neither of them moved, and Heero wondered if he could bring himself to pull away or do anything else. Then Duo shifted backwards, barely an inch, and the curve of his ass grazed Heero's groin in a tantalising way that left no doubt as to Duo's frame of mind. With a barely-concealed shuddering gasp, Heero rested his head on Duo's shoulder, right hand skating up to trace across the American's chest while his left ran down the inside of his thigh, not brave enough to go any further.

With a sound that was somewhere between a growl and a whimper, Duo pushed further back, breath pushing out of his lungs in a pant as he felt Heero's erection grinding against his ass through the material of their work slacks. Swallowing, the braided man put the casserole on the draining rack with hands that barely hid their shaking as he picked up the first dinner plate and plunged it into the warm, soapy water. As Heero's right hand teased at a nipple, his left brushed over Duo's groin, and Heero stifled a moan as he felt Duo's body mirroring his own hardness.

Conscious thought flew far away as instinct took over. Heero's right hand joined its mate in unzipping Duo's pants, calloused hand slipping inside to draw out Duo's firm erection as Duo moaned quietly, letting the unwashed plate slip back into the water as he leaned on his elbows over the sink, pressing back into Heero once more. Slowly, savouring the satiny feeling of skin against skin, Heero's right hand began to move along Duo's length while his left hand slipped under Duo's shirt to toy with the sensitive skin on his chest.

Duo could not have been more responsive, more perfect. As the braided man ground his ass against Heero's considerable erection, Heero felt his hips instinctively jerk forwards, answering Duo's movements by grinding his penis against that deliciously taut backside. This time, he could not hold back the grunts and possessive growls emanating from his throat as his hand speeded up on Duo's cock, and Heero bit lightly on Duo's shoulder as he heard the other man's moans.

"Heero, I'm--!" Duo barely managed to gasp coherent words before his orgasm overtook him, creamy come covering Heero's hand and splattering the door of the cupboard under the sink. Heero, however, could barely hear or feel as a rushing sound filled his ears and his vision blurred as something twisted inside him. Grinding harder into Duo's ass, he barely felt a warm wetness soak into the material of his boxers and slacks as he came.

Duo had complained about the mess in the kitchen, but they had said nothing else. And they still hadn't mentioned anything else, much less kissed. Why was that? Did Duo not want to talk? Was it merely the release of sexual tension as far as Duo was concerned? Why wouldn't Duo talk? Heero really, really wanted him to; talking was Duo's domain, and he certainly didn't feel up to starting something of that nature... especially if it ended up ruining their friendship. It was all verging on the ridiculous; for three weeks now they had these moments of... whatever it was, never going all the way, never kissing, never speaking of it, either before or afterwards. Yet between these incidents, they would act perfectly normally: watching movies, squabbling over the cooking and washing up, mutually avoiding taking out the trash and cleaning the bathroom. The inexplicable nature of their situation had been preying on Heero's mind since that second encounter, and he was beginning, ever so slowly, to be driven mad. He jabbed at the computer monitor power button viciously, turning the thing off and causing it to shudder with the force of his movement.

"Yo, Heero?" Duo stood there, looking impatiently at Heero. "Wake up, man!"

Heero blinked, frowning at his partner in much the same way that he had been glowering at his monitor. "What?"

Duo rolled his eyes. "'What', he says, like I've not been calling for you for the last five minutes!" he exaggerated, tossing his braid behind his shoulder. "C'mon. I wanna go to Hawkes's on the way back, those donuts have been calling my name since 3pm."

Heero flinched, unaware that his musings had absorbed him so completely. It was as he stood to shrug on his warm Preventers jacket that he realised that his train of thought had impacted him in another way, too. Embarrassed, he zipped the jacket up, pulling it down as low as it would reach before turning back to Duo, who, to his surprise, was looking floorwards, an unreadable expression on his face.

It was at that exact moment that Heero realised Duo was not going to start any sort of meaningful conversation; would never kiss him. Not due to disinterest, or a desire to simply release sexual tension. He was a fool for even thinking that; if stunning Duo wished to relieve tension he could pick up anyone he chose. No - and it stunned Heero into leaning on the office cubicle wall as the revelation struck him - Duo would never bring up that kind of potentially disasterous topic because he was as afraid as he was.

Eyes wide, Heero sat back down on his chair. Duo, afraid? Yes, it was there in his eyes; a faint tremor hiding there in the depths as he looked curiously at Heero.

"Stand up too fast, buddy?" Heero could hear Duo's voice, but it was muffled against the roar of understanding that flooded him.

"Duo..." Heero croaked, heart thumping in his chest as he swallowed, steeling himself. He attempted to stand once more, and took a step closer to the braided man.

Duo's eyes widened, conflicting emotions warring in his purple irises. "H-Heero? What's wrong?"

Heero reached out, cupping Duo's jaw in his hand as he stepped forward once more, closing the gap between them to mere centimetres. Duo's eyes were impossibly wide, his lips slack with uncertainty as he looked down at his fractionally shorter partner.

"Duo," Heero breathed, and felt rather than heard Duo's breath catch in his throat as the whispered words flickered across his lips. The dark-haired man's hand pushed further back, strong fingers tangling in Duo's hair as their lips pressed together chastely. Then, as though realisation finally dawned, Duo returned the kiss. His hands ran up Heero's back, pressing their bodies together as one hand tangled in the messy hair at the back of Heero's neck while the other pressed into the small of his back while Heero's remaining hand snaked around Duo's waist. Their eyes flickered shut, lips opening and tongues tentatively meeting as Heero expressed his emotions in the best way he knew how.

When they finally broke apart, panting and red-cheeked, Duo stared incredulously at Heero. "Why did you never...? I thought..." He looked as overwhelmed as Heero had only moments before.

"I never thought you..." Heero felt as coherent as his partner as he clutched Duo's shoulder, unable to let go for even an instant. "I didn't think..."

"Me?!" Duo's eyes went wide again. "But I've always..."

Heero's heart squeezed painfully inside his chest. "Always?"

"Always."

Heero felt as though he could float away into those earnest, expressive eyes. "...Me too." He closed his eyes as the world span, scarcely able to take everything in. When he felt the softness of Duo's mouth pressing against his own he relaxed into the sensation, parting his lips as Duo's tongue ran along them and wrapping his arms around his lover as though to shield them both from anything else.

"Well," laughed Duo as he stepped back again, confusion from the previous moment at least temporarily alleviated. "Aren't we just fucking idiots?"

Heero smirked, feeling confidence beginning to reassert itself. "I am, at least. You're the only idiot here."

"Hey!" Duo hit his arm lightly, in mock offense. "Fuck you, man!"

Heero shrugged, almost unable to crush the grin that threatened to cover his face. "I thought you wanted to go to Hawkes's first?"

~

Upstairs, in the surveillance room, Zechs sipped his tea and put the bone china cup down, long fingers skating over the rose design briefly. He swallowed, slightly painfully, and closed his eyes as the scene replayed itself behind his eyelids. Yes, he thought sadly. He was right; they did look beautiful together. Two halves of the same whole.