As Heero got to the opposite end of the field and tumbled down into the shade of a massive oak, he heard Duo shouting in disbelief and frustration. A few seconds later, the American boy came tumbling into the shade, too, and rolled onto his back, staring up at the canopy of green-grey leaves and panting heavily. Heero let him catch his breath, drawing his knees up under him and staring across the wide field they had just run across. The sky was a little cloudy, but a pure cornflower blue, and it was mildly warm with a cool, ruffling breeze. It swept across the grass and towards the oak, tangling Heero's hair and Duo's fly-aways and the leaves of the tree. Heero thought he could smell lavender and lemon balm.

"Dammit Heero," Duo finally grumbled, sitting up and wrapping his arms around his knees. Heero glanced sideways at Duo and quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Couldn't you have at least pretended to lose?" the longhaired boy complained.

"Hn," Heero grunted, falling back into the grass, "I told you that I'd win. Did you think I was lying?"

"Usually, you're not supposed to be able to tell before hand," Duo pointed out with a sigh. He grabbed the end of his braid and toyed with it absently for a little while, lost in thought, before sighing again and letting it go, bringing his arms around his knees once more.

Heero looked up at Duo, silent for a moment. Duo's profile was shadowed, dark, his eyes half closed as the breeze rustled again, whipping the loose strands of his hair into his face. Duo's violet eyes were soft and hazy, pensive, as he stared at the other end of the field. He looked so innocent for a moment that Heero almost decided to tell Duo that the bet was off. Almost.

With a sigh, Duo turned to look down at Heero and grinned valiantly. "Well, what is it you want me to do?" Heero saw the flicker of anticipation in Duo's eyes, and almost backed down again. This had been a bad idea, it was a rotten thing to do, especially if he was trying to worm his way into Duo's heart. But it had been the only thing that Heero could think of.

He took a deep breath and reached out a reverent hand to touch Duo's braid. Looking away from Duo's face, Heero said quietly, "Take your hair down."

Duo's face split into a surprised grin. "That's all?" he asked happily, reaching for the elastic tie and pulling it off. Heero's hand on his stopped him from unraveling the mass of chestnut hair.

"We said all afternoon, remember?" Heero reminded Duo. He still wouldn't look Duo in the eye. "That's only one thing."

Duo's grin disappeared as he stared at Heero. He heard the threats and the promises in those four words, and the intense look in Heero's eyes frightened him. Not that Heero wasn't intense all the time -- this was just somehow... different. Slowly, Duo pulled his hair free of its confining braid, watching Heero's face. He could see the ocean blue of Heero's eyes, but the small Japanese boy was avoiding eye contact. Nervously, Duo realized. He shook his head and felt the familiar weight of his unbound hair slide across his back and over his shoulders, then looked at Heero expectantly.

Heero finally looked up and met Duo's eyes and felt an electric current run up his spine. Every time he and Duo made eye contact, Heero had to suppress a shudder. Blinking harshly, as if to clear the feeling from his body, Heero looked away again and whispered, "Lose the shirt."

Duo's eyes widened and he swallowed loudly before saying, "What was that?"

Heero whipped his head around and glared at Duo. "You were the one that wanted to play this game, Duo," Heero said, his words short and clipped. He saw Duo flinch and regretted snapping. With a sigh Heero sat back up and leaned his arms on his knee. "Take your shirt off," he repeated quietly, firmly, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice. From the still startled but slightly curious look on Duo's face, Heero had the feeling that Duo was going to hate him for this.

"If this is going where I think it is," Duo said, his voice muffled by the soft cotton of his tee, "I'll just get it all over with at once, if you don't mind." With those words he tossed his shirt behind him -- Heero heard it hit the trunk of the oak with a soft plop -- and reached his hands down to his belt. Undoing the buckle, Duo then stood and undid the clasp on his pants before sliding them down over his slender hips and stepping out of them carefully. He stood in front of Heero with nothing on but a pair of black boxers, toying idly with the elastic band, debating whether or not he should really divest himself of his last wall, or just run for the hills. Seeing as how he had lost the race, however, Duo decided that Heero would just run him down and kill him before he ever reached any help. Why had he agreed to this stupid game in the first place? With a sigh, Duo reminded himself that he had set the bet, not Heero. It was his own fault.

Resignedly Duo started pushing down his boxers, and, seeing Duo's obvious discomfort, Heero put a hand up, saying softly, "Stop."

Duo looked at Heero quizzically, but stopped, dropping his hands to his sides and then threading them into his long hair, holding the weight away from the back of his neck. His fingers wove into the silk strands as he kept his hair from sticking to his skin, still damp from their trek across the field.

"Sit down," Heero said, and Duo complied immediately -- obviously wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. Duo's immediacy set off an alarm in Heero's head, but he ignored it. He wasn't going to waste this opportunity, however brief it was.

He leaned closer to Duo, then scooted when leaning didn't get him close enough. Their hips brushed, their thighs were pressed together, soft skin to smooth spandex. Heero still couldn't meet Duo's eyes. As he stared down at his hands in his lap, he whispered, "Let me kiss you?"

As much as he had wanted it to sound commanding, it had come out as a question, as if he were asking permission. He finally dragged his eyes up to Duo's face, resting his gaze first on Duo's mouth and lastly on his eyes. They were wide, and bright, and amazingly clear, and as Heero sat looking at Duo he felt as if he could stay right there, under that oak tree with this beautiful ache of a boy, forever.

He was about to repeat his order when he heard a soft, nearly inaudible, "Okay," come from Duo's slightly parted lips. Scared, almost unable to believe Duo was letting him do this, Heero turned to face Duo, bringing a hand up to the other boy's cheek and turning his head. He leaned forward slowly and just barely touched his lips to Duo's, dusting his mouth across the other boy's. He closed his eyes, felt Duo's short, nervous breath on his face. When he pulled away, he opened his eyes slowly and was surprised to see Duo leaning towards him, his amaryllis eyes still closed.

Languidly, Duo's eyes did open, and he and Heero stared at each other for a long time. The breeze ruffled their hair and carried the scent of lavender and lemon balm to them, the scent of hot lazy summers and sleep and sex. Blinking, Heero touched his own mouth, realizing what he had done and could have made Duo do. How far would he have carried their bet? Would he have forced Duo to do something he'd really regret? Heero didn't know. He sprang to his feet and mumbled a hasty apology before taking off across the field.

With a shout Duo was up and running, too. He chased Heero across the open field, his bare back warming quickly in the sun. He could feel his hair streaming behind him and his thin boxers plastering to his legs as he ran, faster and faster, to catch Heero. The Perfect Soldier was nearly to the other stand of trees, and Duo knew he'd never find him if Heero had a chance to hide.

Heero looked over his shoulder at Duo and saw that the longhaired boy was gaining on him, and fast. Probably wanted to pummel Heero into the ground. He'd let him. As he turned back to his destination, Heero realized with a shock that Duo would catch him before he reached the trees. But he wasn't going to stop and turn around. His pride wouldn't let him.

Almost to the safety the trees could offer, Heero felt a heavy weight slam into him from behind, pulling him down to the ground. He let out a soft growl when Duo landed on top of him, and they wrestled a bit, each trying to gain the upper hand. Finally, Duo had flipped Heero onto his back and sat down heavily on his chest; Heero struggled for a minute before Duo punched the ground right beside his head angrily. Heero stopped struggling and look at Duo curiously.

"Don't," Duo panted angrily, staring down into Heero's blue-on-blue eyes, "be a fucking tease."

"What are you..." Heero began, but stopped abruptly when Duo's mouth covered his, almost bruisingly hard. Heero's eyes were wide, white and large against the rest of his flushed face. What was Duo doing? The violet-eyed boy pulled slowly away, letting the barest tip of his tongue dart out to touch Heero's lower lip as he did so. He looked into Heero's shock-wide eyes and smiled softly.

"Duo?"

"Heero..." Duo sighed and took a deep breath. He was going out on a limb here, but... "Why didn't you tell me?"

Heero looked away, turned his head. That was enough for Duo; his suspicion was confirmed. Heero closed his eyes. "I was afraid you'd hate me," he whispered, and he felt gentle, calloused fingers touching his skin, pulling him back to face Duo. He opened his eyes and looked up into Duo's smiling face, saw a film of tears trembling on Duo's eyelashes. Slowly, Duo shook his head and leaned down.

"I don't hate you, Heero," Duo whispered before kissing Heero again, gently, carefully. When Heero felt the tip of Duo's tongue touching his lips, he opened his mouth willingly and felt Duo's tongue slide gently inside. Everything about this kiss was gentle, quiet, perfect. Heero brought his hands up and threaded his fingers into the fine silk of Duo's unbound hair and tilted his head, deepening the kiss. One of Duo's hands slid up his side and brushed a nipple through his tank top, and Heero moaned into Duo's mouth, drew his knees up until they were against Duo's back.

Duo drew away slowly and, without looking at Heero's face, reached behind him to push Heero's knees back down. He slid backwards over Heero's body, hearing Heero gasp quietly as Duo slid over Heero's arousal. Stradling Heero's thighs, Duo slid his hands down Heero's chest and stomach, bringing them to rest on the waistband of Heero's spandex. Slowly, Duo pulled Heero's tank top out and leaned down, placing a wet little kiss right over the waistband of his shorts. He pushed the tank top up slightly and kissed up to Heero's navel, nipping around the edges of it before swirling his tongue inside languidly.

Heero squirmed under Duo's mouth, at the feather-light touches of Duo's hands as they relentlessly but slowly dragged his tank top up. The sliding, tickling fabric and fingers were followed by Duo's lips and tongue, and when the breeze blew across the field Heero shivered as Duo's saliva cooled on his skin. He buried his hands in Duo's hair again and wrapped the strands around his fingers, his wrists. When Duo reached his nipples, already a little sensitive, and bit down, Heero whimpered lightly and reflexively tightened his hold on Duo's hair.

Duo pushed the tank top up until it was stuck under Heero's arms; he leaned back and let Heero sit up, then pulled the green shirt from Heero's body. It came away with a static crackle and made Heero's hair stand up; with a soft amused smile, Duo bent to kiss Heero again. Each kiss seemed better than the last as they struggled for some semblance of control.

Duo started trailing slow, wet kisses along Heero's jaw, up to his earlobe, nipping at it gently before moving down again, biting and licking at Heero's pale throat. Gentle, butterfly hands glided down Heero's sides, catching the clinging spandex and pulling it over slender hips; as the fabric caught on Heero's arousal, Duo could feel a low growl in Heero's throat, his lips pressed against the Japanese boy's hot skin. He noted with some interest Heero's lack of underwear, but said nothing.

As Duo kissed his way across Heero's collarbones, eliciting pleasant moans from the other boy, Heero ran his hands down Duo's back, his fingers caressing the smooth, hard muscles, tangling in Duo's hair, reveling in the feel of the soft silken strands. Heero's hands brushed over the elastic of Duo's boxers, slipped underneath. Tentatively, Heero squeezed Duo's firm ass, and when Duo squirmed against his hands, he squeezed harder.

"Duo...?" Heero said, softly gasping, as Duo's mouth latched onto a nipple. He felt a soft "Mmm?" against his skin, and, hooking his thumbs in the waistband of Duo's boxers, asked, "Can I take these off?" He could feel light sweat touching every part of his body, could smell it on Duo's skin. When Duo murmured some sort of assent, uncharacteristically taciturn, Heero pulled the cotton boxers down as far as he could; Duo wiggled the rest of the way out.

Duo simply could not believe that Heero was letting him do this, had instigated this heavenly, ethereal moment. For how long had he wanted to kiss Heero, to touch him, taste his skin, to make him writhe in pleasure? Long enough, the coherent part of his mind answered, as he brushed teasing fingers over Heero's hard sex, eliciting a shudder from the body underneath him. Was he going too fast? Did Heero want him to stop? The blue-eyed boy didn't say, and Duo, not one to take opportunity for granted, didn't want to ask.

Lightly kissing the tip of Heero's erection and feeling another shudder run through him -- did he ever make more noise than necessary? -- Duo decided that if Heero really didn't want this, he'd have stopped Duo a long time ago. Right?

Awash in the sensations of Duo's hands, his mouth, tongue, hair, it took Heero a moment to realize that Duo had stopped touching him, only sat atop him, straddling his thighs, and looking at him with a worried expression on his face. Panting, practically ready to explode from the new and longed-for feelings Duo was giving him, Heero said, "What's wrong?"

Duo looked down at Heero skeptically. "Are you sure you want this?" Heero nodded, but Duo shook his head. He had wanted this for a long time, had fantasized about it for so long, that Duo wasn't sure that he had misread some sign and was just superimposing his own wants and needs and desires onto Heero. "I mean it, Heero. Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," Heero growled, rocking his hips up. After a brief moment of hesitation, he added, "I have for a long time."

Duo looked down, shocked. If they'd been anywhere else, doing anything else, Duo would have been angry with Heero for not saying anything sooner. But the slight glaze over Heero's eyes and the ache between his own legs told Duo that now was not the time to be worrying about things like that. With a glad smile, Duo captured Heero's lips with his own, tasting heaven.

Heero tried to draw air into his lungs when Duo broke their kiss just long enough to wet his fingers. Then Duo was kissing him again; Heero thought he'd never get enough of this, of kissing Duo and touching him and being touched. When Duo slid a finger inside him, Heero moaned softly into Duo's mouth... the intrusion was a strange but welcome one. A second finger joined the first, and brushed against something inside Heero that made him shiver deliciously. He pulled away from Duo's lips and whispered tightly, "Duo..."

"Yes?" The reply was soft, barely controlled. Heero had never heard Duo's voice so husky, dusted with gravel and cinnamon.

"I..." His breath was coming up short. "I want..."

With his free hand, Duo took Heero's chin and tilted the cerulean eyes toward his own. He felt another shudder run through Heero's body when their eyes met, bent down, touched his lips to Heero's, feather light, pulled away. He pulled his fingers from Heero's body and heard a sound of disappointment issue from Heero's mouth. Duo stared down at Heero for a minute, then, without breaking the eye contact that Heero seemed to like so much, spit into his palm and gently rubbed his hand over his hard length. He scooted back and placed his hands gently on the insides of Heero's thighs, pushing them apart and then moving between them. With a last glance up at Heero's face, Duo wrapped one of Heero's legs around his waist and pushed in, sliding excruciatingly, painfully slowly into Heero's tight body.

They paused, letting the sensations they were feeling wash over them, surround them. Heero never imagined anything could feel as perfect as this: Duo above him, around him, inside him; the scent of his sweat and his shampoo surrounded Heero, touched him somewhere deep inside, locked the memory away, even as Duo moved faster, bringing Heero closer to the edge of his control.

Duo still couldn't believe this was happening; when it was over, he would wake up as he always did, alone, panting, painfully aroused. But no, that was really Heero under him, clutching at his arms; it was really Heero around him, hot and tight; it was really Heero's harsh, labored breath in his ear, not the sound of his lonely breathing. No, this time, it was real. This time, he wasn't alone.

Feeling himself teetering precariously on the edge of haziness, Duo reached between them and wrapped cool fingers around Heero's length, appreciating Heero's almost-pained groan. He stroked Heero faster, and Heero, unused to the sensations of pure, white-electric heat assaulting him from both inside and out, lost all sense of himself, all sense, calling out Duo's name as he came. Duo felt the warm, sticky trickling of Heero's come between his fingers, on his chest, felt Heero's body clamping down around him.

With another push Duo threw himself over into bliss with Heero, biting down on the other boy's shoulder to keep himself from crying out, filling Heero's body with hot, sticky ejaculate. He collapsed on top of Heero, and for a moment they just lay, trying to gather the shattered shards of their control, their sweat cooling in the breeze, the evidence of Heero's passion gluing them together. Neither of them minded much.

When Duo made to move off of Heero, he found himself unable to do so, a pair of steely arms clamped around his shoulders. Duo lowered his head onto Heero's shoulder and sighed contentedly. A gentle hand threaded its way into his damp hair and massaged the back of his skull.

"Next time," Duo said quietly, running his hands down Heero's sides lightly, "don't make me run across a field twice before I fuck you, okay?"

Surprising them both, Heero laughed. He tightened his hold on Duo and smiled, glad that they had had this moment. He didn't know if there would ever be another one, if it would work or if maybe one of them would die first. But for now, this was enough.

"I won't," he whispered, "I promise." He pulled Duo's face up and kissed him softly.

They lay back in the grass, still joined as intimately as anyone could ever be. As he was drifting in and out of sleep, Heero thought he could smell lavender, and lemon balm. He kissed Duo's forehead softly and was rewarded with a definite, if quiet, snore. He smiled. Duo had lost the race. But they had both won in the end.