Archivist's note: The theme for this story is #10, #10.

Thirty Kisses: Quid Pro Quo
by ralphiere

"Fuck," Heero muttered, tightening his grip on his pack, grabbing onto Duo's hand and pulling them into a run. He ignored the snide comment uttered behind him, choosing instead to focus on the laughter that rang out as both men sprinted down the concourse. Heero hadn't done anything like this in years, running full tilt while threading their way through crowds. It felt good. Granted if this had been during the wars they would've been wielding guns and explosions would soon follow, but it felt good all the same. Heero slowed them down when they reached their gate, slapping the tickets on the counter, a bit surprised at how winded he was. He turned to look at Duo, who was breathing just as hard and offered a crooked grin.

"We're out of shape," Duo said, shaking his head and chuckling. "We used to be able to run twice that far without even breathing hard."

"We're not fifteen anymore," Heero said, his tone slightly defensive. "I haven't seen you getting up extra early to go jogging in the morning."

"What? And miss out on your wake up booty calls?"

Heero saw the woman behind the counter blush bright red and bit his lip hard to keep from laughing. No, they weren't fifteen anymore -- his fifteen year old self would not have found this funny in the least. He leaned closer to Duo, letting his hair brush lightly against Duo's cheek. "I like your shape just the way it is."

"Good," Duo answered with a grin, "because I'm not taking up jogging anytime soon."

"You're all set, sirs. Have a nice flight."

"We intend to." Duo offered her a wide smile and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

The woman's face was suddenly on fire, and Heero couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up as he pulled Duo towards the shuttle. They looked like a couple of lovesick teenagers the way they were carrying on, but Heero could've cared less. Duo was happy and that was all that mattered.

They found their seats, Heero giving up the window so Duo could stare out at the depths of space. No matter how much time passed he knew that neither of them would ever stop missing the power they'd tasted while they were fighting. If only they'd been able to appreciate it more at the time, but war is never the time to appreciate such insignificant things as beauty, youth and freedom. Heero looked down when he felt Duo's hand on his, taking his time to appreciate the way their hands linked together, so different yet very much the same. It was overwhelming to ponder their history together, so Heero just took comfort in the fact that they had one and it was good.

When he looked up from their hands, he noticed Duo looking at him intently. "Everything okay?"

"Everything's great," Duo answered softly. He looked like he was going to say more, but turned back towards the window instead and watched as the shuttle started to move.

"Something on your mind?" Heero asked, lifting their linked hands and kissing Duo's knuckles.

"Wondering when you're going to tell me where we're going." Duo turned in his seat to face Heero, his eyes flashing mischievously.

"Earth."

"Earth is a mighty big place. I think you could narrow down the field a bit, don't you think?"

Heero sighed, more for affect than actual frustration. Since telling Duo about their vacation three weeks ago he'd been enjoying Duo's curiosity and anticipation. "Alright. North America."

"Boy, that sure narrowed it down." Duo rolled his eyes. Heero watched Duo's face, seeing the gears turning as he gnawed absentmindedly on his lip. "Want to play a game?"

"What kind of game?" Heero asked distrustfully, knowing that Duo wouldn't give up so easy.

"Sort of a quid pro quo game, only you don't get to ask anything of me in return."

"Well, that sounds a bit one sided, don't you think?"

Duo rested his hand on Heero's knee a moment before sliding it slowly up his inner thigh. "Trust me, you'll get the much better end of the deal."

Heero looked down at the two inches between his crotch and Duo's hand, the rationally thinking parts of his brain quickly bailing just from that one touch. "What are the rules?"

Duo laughed triumphantly, and Heero knew there was no way he was getting out of this one. "I get to ask the questions, they'll be yes or no. For every yes answer you give, you get a reward. For every no answer, you get nothing."

He thought about it a moment. He had no intention of spoiling the surprise, but playing a game would help pass the time until they arrived. He knew all the flirting they'd been doing since they left the apartment was clouding his judgment, but Duo's hand resting on his thigh was the tipping point. Glancing around, Heero assessed the situation. The seats were high to afford privacy and there had been no occupants in the seats across the aisle since they'd taken off. "Grab the blanket out of the overhead." He couldn't believe he was really going to do this.

Duo leaned over and gave him a quick kiss before standing up and taking one of the blankets out of the overhead storage area. "Recline both seats and lets get rid of the armrests."

Heero nodded and pushed the lever to release the armrest between the two seats and stow them out of sight. He then reclined both seats and looked up at Duo. "That good?"

"Yeah." Duo bit his lip and scanned the area. "I think you should sit next to the window."

Heero moved without question, sliding over to the window seat and grinning as Duo spread the blanket over him. Duo reached up and shut off their light, and Heero hoped that the flight attendant would assume they were trying to sleep and leave them alone. He lifted his arm so Duo could snuggle against his chest, making sure the blanket covered both of them.

"This is nice," Heero murmured against the top of Duo's head.

"This is nothing," Duo said in a throaty whisper. "Ready to play?"

"Yes," Heero smirked. "My reward?"

Duo chuckled and reached up from under the blanket to touch Heero's face. He tilted upwards and initiated a kiss. The kiss was brief and left Heero wanting for so much more -- keeping their destination a surprise was going to be harder than he thought.

"Do we have reservations somewhere?"

"No."

"Are we going camping?"

"No."

"Are we staying in a hotel?"

"No."

Duo lifted his head and frowned at Heero. "We do have somewhere to stay?"

"Yes."

Duo's frown disappeared and he leaned up to kiss Heero again. This time he slid his hand under Heero's shirt and brushed the tips of his finger across his nipples. Heero sucked in his breath, just feeling his body responding to the touch when it was taken away.

"Are we staying with friends?"

"No," Heero groaned, suddenly hating the word.

"Hmm... Did you get us a house?"

Close enough. "Yes."

The fingers were back, this time tugging gently on his nipple as Duo kissed the soft skin just under Heero's ear. "In North America?"

Thank god. "Yes."

The kisses moved lower, to the sensitive place where Heero's neck met his shoulder. The fingers trailed down his abdomen and tugged playfully at the top of his jeans. "In the United States?"

"Oh, yes."

Heero could feel the button of his jeans being popped from the hole, aware of every set of teeth on his zipper being released. The material parted, and Duo slid his fingers into the gap. "Are you taking me to Disney World?"

"No," Heero groaned.

The fingers stilled their exploration as Duo thought. "Umm... Are we going someplace cold?"

"No."

Heero could feel the smile spreading on Duo's face from where it was nestled in the crook of his neck. "Are we going someplace warm?"

"Yesss."

Fingers dipped in and didn't tease, going right to their target and stroking along the cotton-covered length. Heero had a sudden and intense hatred for underwear. Duo's teeth nipped his earlobe before his head started to slide down his chest. "Are we going to the desert?"

"No." Fuck no!

Duo's head rested against Heero's stomach, so close yet so far. He gave Heero a smirk before covering his head with the blanket. "Are we going to Hawaii?"

"No."

"Hmmm... the shore?"

"Yes." No! You're telling him too much! Heero was disappointed in his lack of restraint ... until he felt Duo's fingers tugging back his boxers and the soft, wet pressure of his tongue.

"West coast?"

"No."

Again the feel of a growing smile, only this time against the hardness of his cock. "East coast?"

"Duo ... I can't." Heero closed his eyes, Duo's mouth working him slowly.

"Say 'yes' Heero." A gentle suckling then nothing. "Yes?"

"Yes..."

Warm wetness enveloped him and he gasped out loud, he couldn't help it. He touched Duo's face under the blanket, stroked his cheek as his head bobbed. Duo pulled off, his breath cool across the slick wetness of his cock. "Just one more question, Heero."

"No more, I want it to be a surprise," Heero whispered in a pleading tone. "I'm sorry."

"Just one more question." Duo kissed the tip of his cock. "Do you want to come?"

"Fuck, yes!"

Duo's mouth was back around him, fingers on one hand stroking his balls while the other hand slid up his shirt to tweak playfully at his nipples. It took everything he had to remember that he was in a shuttle full of people, biting down hard on his lower lip as the sensations peaked and his orgasm spilled through him. Duo stayed nestled against his lower belly as he caught his breath, coming up when Heero's heart stopped pounding.

"Did you like my game?" Duo grinned, kissing Heero tenderly.

"You're such a brat," Heero said affectionately. "You spoiled the surprise."

"Nothing's been spoiled, well, other than you." Heero growled and Duo laughed. "Not that I mind spoiling you."

Heero cupped Duo's face in his hand. "I just really want this to be perfect."

"It already is."