Archivist's note: The theme for this story is #29, sound of waves.

Thirty Kisses: Imprinted
by Ralphiere

Duo plumped the pillow under his head and looked over Heero's back. From the bed he could see though the railing on the small deck attached to their bedroom to the ocean beyond. The sun glinted off the water and the rolling sound of waves touched something deep inside of him. He could see the swells on the ocean as the tide rolled in and could smell the salt in the air. Being here triggered so many memories, not all of them good, but every one of them still important to him.

Heero turned in his sleep, a hand reaching out blindly and stopping when it rested against the warmth of Duo's chest. He smiled to himself, his cheek pressed against the softness of his pillow as he examined the familiar contours of Heero's face and fell in love a little bit more. Duo savored these moments after rigorous bouts of lovemaking when Heero would fall asleep leaving him to let his mind wander and just enjoy existing.

Listening to the waves breaking, Duo swore they sounded closer than they had a few minutes before, and he wondered how quickly the tide came in. He knew by now the footprints they'd made along the shoreline were long since washed away, he looked forward to walking again and making more. There would be plenty of walks on the beach; they had three weeks after all.

"Are you sure this is the last airport?" Duo stood up from his seat and pulled his pack out of the overhead for the fourth time since the shuttle had landed almost 46 hours before.

Heero offered him a crooked grin, shouldering his own backpack. "Until the trip home, yes."

Duo groaned dramatically and followed Heero off the plane. He was a man who enjoyed flying, but this trip had been a bit too much. The shuttle from L2 had arrived in Paris and they immediately boarded a flight to JFK International Airport in New York. From New York they flew to Logan Airport in Boston, and after a promise from Heero that this would be the last flight, they boarded a small charter plane and landed at Provincetown Municipal Airport in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Duo had to admit that the last flight was one of the most enjoyable, allowing him a great view of the Atlantic Ocean below.

Despite the fatigue from so many hours of traveling, Duo got a second wind when they'd picked up the Jeep at the rental place in town and started their trek across the sand. He'd never gone four wheeling on a beach before, and spent most of the drive laughing joyfully as the Jeep flew across the hard packed sand near the water, every now and then splashing through the waves and sending sprays of water into the sand.

"We're staying on the beach?" Duo had asked, standing in his seat and letting the wind pull his braid back straight as he angled his face to the sun.

"Yes. The cottage is a mile from the nearest residence and this is the only way to get to it." Heero had literally beamed at the excited expression on Duo's face. "What do you think?"

"I think I'm one lucky bastard."

When they arrived they'd carried their bags in, set them on the floor near the door, and eagerly explored the cottage like a couple of kids. The living room was large and bright, with sun shining in through skylights set in the high ceilings. The eat-in kitchen was absolutely gigantic and upon inspection was fully stocked. There were three bedrooms and they were in easy agreement to take the room that opened up onto the beach.

Duo stood on the deck off their bedroom and looked across the sand to the water, stretching his arms languidly over his head. "Leave it to Quatre to consider this place a cottage."

Heero shot him a surprised look. "Wait, have you been here before?"

Smiling, Duo turned to wrap his arms around Heero's middle and shook his head. "I might be getting older, but I'm still aware of my surroundings. I noticed the pictures on the mantel when we were passing through the living room and recognized his sister Iria." When Heero's expression became guarded, Duo tightened his hold, pulling their bodies close. "This place is great."

"You're not disappointed that I asked Quatre to use it?"

"Are you kidding? If Quatre found out that you had rented a cottage from someone we would've never heard the end of it." He brushed a kiss over Heero's lips and grinned. "And you can't beat the privacy -- we could have sex on the beach and not have to worry about anyone seeing us."

They hadn't had sex on the beach, but having the breeze from the open French doors cooling their skin while they made love made it absolutely perfect. Duo took a deep breath through his nose and sighed contentedly at the smells of fresh salty air mixed with the lingering scent of sex. Absolutely perfect.

Heero's eyes fluttered opened and Duo's chest tightened at the small smile that immediately graced his lover's face. Lifting his hand, Heero ran his thumb over Duo's lower lip before scooting closer and kissing him. "So what do you think? Can you stand it here for three weeks?"

Duo laughed, running his fingers through Heero's messy hair. "I think I'll be able to cope." His expression grew serious as he looked into Heero's eyes. "I don't know how to thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, just relax and enjoy yourself." Heero pulled Duo into his arms and rolled onto his back.

Dou draped his leg over Heero's thighs and rested his cheek happily against Heero's chest. They both looked through the doors at the sun slowly sinking towards the water. Their stretch of beach at the tip of Cape Cod faced west, and the sunset was gearing up to be spectacular.

"How did you know?" Duo asked, running the tips of his fingers absentmindedly over Heero's chest. "I mean, this is exactly perfect, but how did you know?"

Covering Duo's hand with his, Heero spoke softly. "You were working on that convertible a while back, and when you went into the trunk to check the wiring to the tail lights there was sand. You got this look in your eyes ... almost sad, and said you almost couldn't remember what ocean waves sounded like."

Duo lifted his head and looked into Heero's face, his expression awed. "That was months ago, in passing."

Heero smiled gently. "Nothing you do is in passing to me."

Warmth spread through him at his lover's words. Since Heero showed up on his doorstep a few months ago, Duo couldn't stop wondering what he could've possibly done to deserve it. In many ways he could still see the same boy he'd met for the first time when they were fifteen. The stubborn set to Heero's jaw when he felt he was right, and the icy flash of anger in his blue eyes when he felt he'd been wronged still present in the confident body of the man he'd become. Tenderness usually lingered now in Heero's eyes, and the strength he still had in his muscled frame was comforting instead of threatening. Duo had never thought he would be capable of being in love so completely.

"Gunpowder and ocean air," Duo murmured against Heero's chest. The light filling the room was lessening in intensity as it turned from yellow to orange. The air was cooling, too, and Duo cuddled closer to Heero's warmth.

"Hmm?" Heero was running the tips of his fingers over Duo's back.

"After the second war, when we all headed off in different directions to figure out how to live, I stayed on Earth for a couple of months before heading back to L2 and starting up the garage. I didn't travel like you did, but squatted a small section of beach in southern California. I had a pup tent, a sleeping bag, and a cooler, and I just lived on the beach. There were a few other guys, mostly surfers, who would be hanging around and watching the waves. I learned to surf a bit, although I was never any good, but mostly I just tried to clear my head." Duo snorted and smiled against the smooth, warm skin on Heero's chest. "Back then I thought I was a man, I mean, I'd fought, I'd killed ... but looking back all I see is an angst filled kid who had no idea what he should be doing."

"Did you manage to clear your head?" Heero's tone was low and thoughtful, and his fingers never stopped tracing random patterns on Duo's back. "I mean, did it turn out good?"

"Yeah, it was good," Duo answered, closing his eyes against the setting sun. "It took me almost two full months to figure out why my heart ached every time I took notice of the salty tinge in the ocean air. I mean, it was almost like feeling homesick, but there's nothing remotely resembling an ocean on L2 ... it was like I was missing something but had no idea what it was."

They were quite for a few moments; the only sounds were the gentle rhythm of water reaching the beach. "Did you figure out what it was? What you were missing?"

Duo raised his head and studied Heero's face for a moment, looking seriously into Heero's eyes. "You. The first time we met was all gunpowder and adrenaline, and salty air that got into my pores. Something about that day imprinted you in my brain, but it took me a long time to realize it had happened." A grin spread across Duo's face and he laughed. "Since the day I met you every single time I caught a whiff of gunpowder or sea breezes I'd get a hard on -- I thought there was something seriously fucked up with me -- talk about bizarre fetishes. But after the wars were over, and you were gone, I would catch a whiff of the same things and just feel homesick ... and miss you."

The stunned expression on Heero's face made Duo laugh harder, and he kissed Heero's nose in apology. "Why didn't you ever tell me how you felt?" Heero asked softly.

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you?"

Heero rolled them over, and looked down at Duo. "What about now? Do you still feel homesick when you smell the salty air?"

"Nope." Duo leered, threading his fingers in Heero's hair and giving a playful tug. "It's back to making me hard."

"Then we're in the perfect place."