"I hope you like Greek food." Duo asked as they stopped by a food a truck crowded by families and young couples.

"Is that going to be the theme of our dates? You take me somewhere and then after we're already there you ask if I 'by the way' like the cuisine?" With a cocky smile and a raised eyebrow, Zechs crossed his arms looking slightly down at the blue eyes rolling back at him.

"You're so sassy after sex. Can't you just pretend that I rocked your world and be enamored with me?" With a petulant look Duo crosses his arms wrapping his hands around his waist loosely. Zechs rewarded the bad behavior by wrapping an arm around Duo's tense shoulder and placed a kiss onto his temple.

"You did rock my world." He whispered hotly into Duo's ear watching a few parents grow increasingly uncomfortable at his heated stares.

"Do you like falafel?"

"Yes, I do." With a chuckle, Zechs relinquished his hold on the slighter man's frame.

"Good, because they're amazing here, and the tzatziki is glorious."

He watched Duo order, leaning up against the metal shelf of the food truck. The guy taking orders was young. He had a long beard, gauged ears and tattoos covering his forearms. It was obvious he was flirting with Duo, and Duo was doing nothing to discourage him. It wasn't hard to see why anyone would want Duo. Everything about him was infectious and fiercely independent. Zechs felt guilty for feeling a tinge of jealousy, but erased it when he was given that sultry "come hither" look out of the corner of Duo's eyes.

"This is the first time I'm bringing my new lover here, so you better treat him right Jesse."

"Oh you come here often enough to charm your way into the chef's heart?" Zechs leaned against his arm pressed to the side of the truck.

"Duo? He's here at least once a week. Speaking of treating people right, where's Trowa?" The pierced eyebrow Jesse was sporting raised quizzically.

"You know him and Quatre are deliriously happy. You're never going to convince him to let you be his side piece. If you're lucky they might let you be their third, but Quatre is a little freaky. Might be too intense for you." Duo placed his hand on his hip as he arched his back leaning all of his weight forward. It was a rather impressive view as Zechs let his eyes trace the line of his curved spine and powerful legs. Jesse's laugh brought his attention back up as he handed them two pita's wrapped in butcher paper. "Thanks darling." With a wink, Duo grabbed his arm and tugged him along away from the commotion.

"This is really amazing." Zechs had his mouth full completely undignified but Duo only snorted a laugh in return as they walked.

"You got a little yogurt right there." Duo mimed on his face, rubbing the corner of his mouth with his thumb. With a snide grin, Zechs purposefully avoided the spot he could feel the cool tzatziki had settled. "No,no. Now you're just getting colder." Duo grabbed his face roughly bringing them to the same level. At first he hesitated, but Zechs leaned in as an open invitation. Without hesitation, Duo committed and licked the yogurt sauce from the corner of his mouth threading his fingers through the messy ponytail at the nape of Zechs' neck. Twisting a few strands around his fingers, Duo reluctantly let the silky strands pass through his fingers and stepped away to create a comfortable distance between them.

"You look like you have something to ask me, but you aren't." Raising an eyebrow, Zechs watched Duo shove a bite into his mouth, rather than replying to the loaded statement thrown out into the silence. Swallowing hard, Duo averted his eyes trying to not let his awkward fidgeting be a dead give away. He was already trying too hard to not screw this up.

"Look, I don't want you to feel obligated."

The only response Duo got was a chuckle from Zechs who looked at him a little haughtily.

"Do I seem like the kind of guy who feels obligated to do anything?"

"No, I'm just saying it as a deflection." Stopping their meandering pace again, Duo faced him not averting his gaze this time. "My company's spring opener is next week on Thursday night. It's kind of a "family and friends" opening night. We have drinks and blah, blah, blah afterwards. I wanted to invite you." Suddenly his face felt hot, and that stoney expression was only making him adjust his weight side-to-side in obvious anticipation.

"Of course I'll come. I have a few surgeries in the morning, but I can meet you there." Slyly, Zechs smirked after an excruciating fifteen second interval of silence."Did you think I wouldn't want to come?"

Duo scratched the back of his neck, deciding how candidly he really wanted to be with his rebuttal.

"Maybe." Giving in, he was a horrible liar. "I don't know. I just didn't want to be too forward. We've only been out a few times."

"Look, Duo. I don't like games. I'm not playing with you. You don't have to act like I have something better waiting for me. I'd be happy to be there." The look on Duo's face melted and the little line between his eyebrow softened as he shrugged dismissively. "Hey, what's up?" It was Zechs' turn to stop him from walking away from him, and he grasped Duo's elbow. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no." Duo threw his free hand up stopping him before he could continue his unwarranted apology. "I just don't want to get in over my head. I tend to barrel into everything without thinking about the consequences. I just feel everything without thinking about getting hurt. That's how I got muddled up in Heero's mess and I just don't want to do that here." There was this vulnerable word vomit stumbling out of his mouth and he couldn't stop it.

"Are you worried I'm going to hurt you, like Heero?" Zechs longed to reach out and connect physically, but he felt that, in this moment it would be stolen. There was a tenseness there. A line he wasn't willing to risk crossing.

"Not per se." Duo chose his words carefully, nervous he'd fumble into chasing a good thing away. "You intimidate me, and I don't want to fuck it up." Well, it wasn't exactly eloquent, but he thought he should at least get points for honesty.

An almost insulting smile of amusement crept across Zechs face. He wasn't really sure if he should be flattered or offended by Duo's frank confession.

"You have no reason to be intimidated by me. Like I said, I don't play games. If the sex is too much we can take a step back. I mean it might kill me, but we can take a step back." The urge was too much to deny, and he wrapped an arm around Duo, closing in the icy space he had created to protect himself. To Zechs' relief the dancer warmed and the tenseness waned as he squeezed his shoulder.

"I don't want to take a step back. I just don't want to get hurt."

"Why don't you try giving me the benefit of the doubt? I might even surprise you by being genuinely amazing." At last he was awarded a chuckle from Duo, even if he felt it, more than it actually being audible.

"Is it surgeons in general or just you that's cocky?"

Zechs' laugh was more boisterous for a change. "It's actually a requirement for the job."

xxx

"I feel like whatever you're doing in there is way too fancy for little old me."

Zechs looked up from the mandoline and stilled the half sliced aubergine to watch the beautiful dancer saunter his way into the kitchen, holding a half finished glass of pinot noir. He'd selected the wine to compliment the ratatouille tart he was working on, but they'd had a glass before he even made it into the kitchen.

"I promised you the five-star Merquise dinner treatment." With a cocky wink, he returned to the task of thinly sliced vegetables placing them in the hot pan he'd started reducing tomatoes down into.

"I hate to ruin the sexy mood you've got going on here, but do you have juice I need to take my insulin. You've completely worn me out today." With a smirk Zechs turned to rummage through his fridge. He'd picked some up when Duo had told him he loved grapefruit juice in the morning, but he let Duo put the pieces together that he'd carefully crafted the evening they were about to spend together. "Thank you." Holding his gaze Duo took a gulp before disappearing from his view momentarily.

Just as Zechs was dropping crumbles of goat cheese on top of the tart, a warm hand snaked its way under the hem of his t-shirt. Splaying fingertips caressed his stomach as he tried to not just drop the cheese in one handful.

"Smells amazing babe."

"I hope you like goat cheese." Zechs mocked covering the gasp he felt as Duo circled the tip of his index finger around his navel.

"Are you mocking me?" He didn't need to turn around to know that Duo was smirking, he could feel it against his neck, as Duo raised himself on his toes.

"Of course not. I would never." Leaning back, he opened the oven, but Duo hardly gave him enough space to move. "Excuse your wandering hands. Why don't you entertain yourself on the couch before you make me drop this work of art here?" Duo gave him a mockingly dramatic huff before retracting his hand and returning his attention to the wine.

"Why don't I sit at the bar, so I can watch this piece of art?"

thought and smirked, bending down to slide the ceramic dish on the middle rack. He took his time standing back up, pretending that he was turning it just so.

"Hey Zechs?" That cockiness melted, and Duo knew it sounded a little pathetic, but Zechs turned around leaning on the counter casually. It wasn't until Duo paused and swallowed hard that Zechs crossed the kitchen tiles to meet him across the bar. The cool stone between them not enough of a barrier to keep Duo's nerves at bay.

"Yes, Duo." The way he said his name made him regret starting this conversation. He'd never be able to hear it again without thinking of that bedroom voice Zechs was using. It sounded like expensive sheets and goose feather down pillows. "You have that look on your face where you want to ask me something, but you don't want me to answer it." Duo watched his mouth move, and he was sure that he knew what those words meant but he somehow couldn't make sense of it. What the hell, was up with him? This wasn't how he was around guys. It wasn't even the most intimate thing they'd done all day.

"I'm a little embarrassed that's a signature look I apparently have."

Zechs chuckled back at him leaning across the counter. "Do you want to ask me if we have time for us to ruin my couch before dinner's ready?" It was too hopeful and he could tell he wasn't helping Duo, who was earnestly trying to ask him something serious. "Okay, what is it? You're starting to make me nervous."

"Was this afternoon okay?" That poor bottom lip, Zechs thought, was going to be chapped and sore from all of the biting Duo had been doing today.

"You mean the falafel? It was pretty great. I have to admit I was doubtful at first, but it might be the best I've had." Zechs knew exactly what he meant, but he was cruel and he let Duo squirm.

"Really?" The hangnail Duo had been biting at was forgotten as he narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, you mean the mind blowing sex that we had? Where you teased me until I was practically begging for it?" There was a strand of rebellious hair that Zechs tucked behind Duo's ear.

"Yeah that sex." Duo took a sip of wine with an eye roll to dismiss the fact that he'd been so insecure.

"You don't usually top do you?" Abandoning his wine, Zechs crossed around the bar to stand behind Duo. Before he could even turn around to question his motives he dug his thumb into the back of Duo's neck. The flesh tensed under his fingers before surrendering.

"Oh, Jesus M. Christ." Duo gave-in and laid his head against the cool granite onto his left ear. Zechs chuckled and moved the waves of his hair to one shoulder so he had better access. "Was my inexperience that obvious? You're like a motherfucking sex god, how can I compete?." Zechs was finding out it was easier to get Duo to talk freely if you thoroughly relaxed him or intoxicated him first. That admission made him laugh, he wasn't sure if anyone had ever called him a "sex god" before. Maybe it were true, in comparison to Heero. He didn't take Heero as the sensual type.

"I don't know about a god, but I've had a lot of practice." Duo groaned again as he started rubbing around his shoulder blades. He was limp under his fingers, his hands relaxed in his lap. "I gather you no longer care about what I think about your performance?" It took a solid thirty seconds before he received any response.

"You can practice anything you want on me, anytime." It wasn't exactly what he'd asked, but he assumed it was the best he was going to get.

"Anything?" The thin cotton of Duo's t-shirt was hardly a barrier between them, but he slipped his hands underneath eliciting a shudder in response. This was what he had missed. The ebb and flow of new passion. The start of something where every touch is new and exciting and all of the emotions are just sitting under the surface like raw nerves.

"Oh, anything. Is this your revenge for teasing you too long?" Duo turned his head to the right ear so he could see Zechs over his shoulder.

"How would this be revenge when you're practically purring under my hands?" Momentarily, his hands stilled and Duo arched back into his palms, doing nothing to invalidate his question.

"Well, I'm sorry but I told you wine makes me touchy feely, and you keep topping off my glass."

"Let me let you in on a deep dark secret of mine." Zechs leaned forward to press his lips against the exposed right ear not pressed against the bar. "I really like when you're touchy feely."

Turning his head to deny him, Duo snickered shrugging his shoulder against the advancement of any more hot breath into his ear. Before Zechs had the opportunity to tease him further the oven timer dinged, demanding his attention.

The tart was perfect. The squash on top was browned along the edges, along with the goat cheese and the tomato and aubergine combination below was bubbling and fragrant. The dining room table, Zechs was pretty sure had never been used. It was really just a filler for the space adjacent to the living room. It was often used as a bill placeholder or a coat rack. Tonight, however, he had set the table, even found placemats somewhere that he was sure he had taken from Treize out of sheer spite since there were only three of them.

With a hand to the small of Duo's back he lead him to the table, not letting him assist in any shape or fashion. He did however, top off his wine and opened another since they'd done a thorough job of polishing off the first.

"Did you want to say grace?" Duo deadpanned as Zechs sat down across from him.

"Did you miss the part where I'm a lush and a pillow biter?" With a raised eyebrow he took a sip of wine before Duo could break his seriousness with a laugh.

It wasn't something he was proud of, but this was the first time a guy had cooked for him. Dates with Duo usually started with dinner if he was lucky and ended in his bed or their bed or the backseat of someone's car. Heero was as serious of a relationship as he'd been in and that lacked any semblance of romance or niceties.

The food was just as amazing as it smelled, it tasted like what Duo assumed French food tasted like. He was quiet for a change combining the salad and tart together on his fork. He was so enraptured in what he was doing that he didn't realize Zechs had been staring at him expectantly. Obviously taken aback by his sudden silence.

"Sorry, this is really amazing. You were right the wine goes nicely." Before he thoroughly embarrassed himself by shoveling his food into his face, he set the fork down and took a drink of water, waiting for Zechs to save him from the conversation desert.

"I'm glad. You know you don't have to act like we're at a five-star restaurant. We're at my house you can eat with your fingers and misbehave." To demonstrate Zechs pushed food onto his fork with his index finger rather than using a knife or even a piece of the rosemary bread. "Why do you get all wrapped up in impressing me?" Maybe it was his upbringing, but he hated that he grew up that way. Going to fancy fundraiser dinners and being flawless in photographs that would be published in shiny magazine articles. He couldn't say he really knew either of his parents, but they didn't really know him either.

"Isn't that what guys usually do, try and impress you?" It was earnest, when Zechs had assumed at first it was another light-hearted jab. With a sigh he tucked a foot under his thigh, which he supposed wasn't really restaurant behavior either.

"Sometimes, more so when I was still in my father's circle. It's not like I'm a Kardashian or something. I have bills and student loans just like everyone else."

"I wasn't talking about your money, love." The casual use of the four letter word caught Zechs off-guard but he tried not to make a big deal about it especially since Duo seemed to be increasingly more skittish. "I was talking about the whole package deal you've got going on here."

"You don't have to impress me. You're making me nervous." It was only half joking, but Duo nodded. Suddenly, Duo realizing he'd stuffed a good portion of dinner into his body thoughtlessly. "Did something happen with Heero? I know you didn't want to talk about it, but you've been acting like you were ready to bolt from the minute you got here." There was sincerity there, and Duo huffed a sigh and decided he had a horrible poker face. Who was he kidding trying to lie about it?

"Things have just been awkward between us. It's always been really intense. Lots of fighting and then fucking. We're not really good at anything else. It's hard because we used to be really good friends, and I was stupid and crossed the line between us." Duo looked vulnerable. He tucked one knee against his chest finishing the last fourth of his wine before deciding he wanted another slice. Just to eat his feelings. Zechs helped and portioned another for him and slid it onto his plate. There didn't seem to be any apparent judgement there, but he was sure it was there hidden somewhere politely out of view. "I'm sorry. I'm so out of practice."

Zechs held out his hand before he could continue to apologize, topping off his wine for the second time during dinner. It would have set off alarm bells in Duo, if he hadn't been just as generous with his own glass. If Duo was being honest, Zechs looked exhausted as well, and a little warm around the eyes. The wine was definitely hitting him.

"Stay the night and don't worry about him for now. I don't have to be at work until late." Leaning onto his open palm, Zechs watched endearingly as Duo pushed food around his plate. "Heero's a moron." That had Duo laughing. At least he could put a smile on the little dancer's face. "You'll wake-up tomorrow morning in my bed, and I'll worship you until you're spent and then when you wake-up the second time, I'll bring you breakfast."

That itinerary had Duo holding his breath. What was his name again?

"Yes sir