Braiding Hair Can be Sexy
Karen Hickman
Duo stood, eyes half shut, letting the, almost too hot, water pound over his entire body. A steamy mist swirled inside the glass-enclosed shower stall. The humid fog seeped into every pore melting away, at least for the moment, any troubling thoughts that might invade his mind.
The day before, during an unusually tough battle, Duo’s Deathscythe Hell had taken a direct hit over the cockpit door. Even though his restraint harness had been adjusted down as tightly as his range of motion would allow, the bone-jarring impact still threw Duo hard against the woven straps.
A stiff soreness, that could very well come from pulled ligaments, made the already tiresome job of shampooing and rinsing out his unbraided hair, a considerable task in itself, that much more difficult. Although the shower’s moist heat had soothed his muscles, Duo’s shoulder and arm, all the way to his elbow, ached from the strain of reaching up.
Shutting off the water, Duo pushed the glass door aside and stepped onto the cold tile floor. Reaching for a towel, he winced as his right side reacted to his injury. Drying the best he could his almost yard long hair, Duo slipped on a pair of cotton pants. Once again his shoulder grabbed as he slid his arm into his shirt sleeve.
Walking down the hall to the Sleeping Quarters, the unbuttoned shirt flapped open exposing his shiny chest where tiny beads of water had not fully dried away. A towel hung around his neck to keep some of his hair’s wetness off his shirt. But nothing could stop the continuous droplets dripping off the ends, leaving a clear path in the hallway.
Stepping though the Quatre’s door, Duo found Heero sitting cross-legged on the fourth of six beds. His eyebrows pulled together as he read one of three papers scattered on the bedcovers. The frown, pulling at the Zero Pilot mouth’s corners, made Duo wonder if the studying was either tedious or confusing or both.
“Got a problem?” Duo asked blotting the heavy, long bangs sticking to his damp forehead.
Heero shook his head laying the paper on his knee, “No, not really.” he answered, “It’s more of a puzzle.”
“That doesn’t sound any better.” Duo declared wondering what sort of puzzle “IT” could be.
“This is the last diagnostic analysis Trowa ran on my Gundam’s left side Hydrologic System.” Heero began, “We can’t figure why the arm union at the shoulder coupling won’t stay locked down. We can cap it a 6.5 appendicular tension, but it won’t hold. There has to be some interferential structural flaw. Some hindrance at the transfer point.” Heero replied wrinkling his nose at the mysterious behavior of his mechanized warrior.
“The what at the what?” Maxwell exclaimed having long ago become lost in Yuy’s techno-explanation.
“Never mind.” he sighed laying the troublesome data read-out aside.
“You clean up nice.” Heero proclaimed letting his sight run Duo’s full length from head to toe, “At least you don’t smell like your Gundam anymore.” he added with a coy grin.
Duo pivoted about quickly. Now his eyebrows centered above his nose, “Like my Gundam, what’s that suppose to mean?”
“You know. Dust. Stale air. Old, spoiled food. The usual smelly stuff.”
“And I guess your Gundam smells like a spring day after it rains?” Duo shot back throwing the towel at his housekeeping critic.
“At least I try to be tidy.” Heero declared intercepting the towel before it hit his face.
Taking a comb from the dresser, Maxwell decided to ignore Yuy’s critical review. Once more his shoulder caught. A completely involuntary moan sounded in the quiet room.
Heero shivered slightly in an empathic response to Duo’s pain. Having just recovered from his own battle wounds, he knew what it was like to hurt every time you moved.
“You must have hit your harness hard to be bruised so badly. You’re lucky it wasn’t worse, you could have broken something.” he said sympathetically. “Come here, let me help.”
Duo dragged a straight back chair to the bedside turning it around backwards. Straddling the seat, he left nothing to get in the way of Heero’s hair combing. Resting his elbows on the back, Duo’s brownish tresses almost touched the chair’s bottom rung.
Heero began at Duo’s crown. Slowly, carefully he moved the comb through. By its sheer length alone, Duo’s hair was prone to snarling and tangling. That was one reason he often washed it without undoing the braid. But after the hard fought battle, he felt it was to sweaty and grimy to get it clean any other way.
Duo could relax with Heero. His gentle touch, stroking the length over and over again, always put Duo in a tranquil mood. Often even made him sleepy.
Working one section at a time, Heero gradually guided the comb to the bottom strands. Lifting them over his leg, he finished smoothing out the ends. Laying the comb on the bed, again his fingers started at Duo’s temples, gliding slowly over his ears, gathering the silky mane in his hands. Duo sighed enjoying the attention. And with each stroke, Heero made sure his fingers brushed warmly against Maxwell’s neck.
Yuy separated Duo’s hair into three divisions and began folding one side over the other. As the braid pulled inwards, exposing the nape of Duo’s neck, Heero leaned over planting soft, moist kisses on his ears. Then a shiver ran through the Deathscythe Pilot as Heero’s tongue traced sensual patterns all the way to his shoulders. A playful nip brought on another quiver.
The braiding continued. When it reached half-way, Heero held the braid securely in one hand using it to pull Duo backwards against the bed. Heero’s free hand slipped inside his partner’s shirt. Flat palms pressed down dragging slender fingers over Duo’s firm chest. Fingertips circled around taut nipples and paused to give each a squeeze.
The wandering fingers slid down over Duo’s stomach, over skin damp, not from his shower, but from the excitement of Heero’s tender touch. Duo bowed his back leaning into Yuy’s caress. A soft moan, not from pain but pleasure, escaped over his lips. One more light kiss on Duo’s cheek and Heero’s wandering hand pulled out, back to its task.
“Don’t stop now.” Duo pleaded panting softly.
“Don’t worry.” Heero whispered close to his ear, “You know I never leave anything half-finished.”
All to soon the last of the braiding was done. The loose ends were tied with an over-wrapped and knotted cord. Then much to Duo’s disappointment, the job was complete.
“There.” Zero’s Master sighed studying his work. “Perfect.” he added with a satisfied smile.
Duo stood long enough to turn and sit as he should. “Thanks.” he said pushing his bangs back from his eyes. Heero leaned forward accepting Duo’s kiss of gratitude. Then a second because the first kiss tasted so good. “Come, rest for awhile.” Heero invited moving to the bed’s center.
Duo let his head flop on the pillow. “The coverings smell fresh like Heero’s herbal shampoo, not like my smelly Gundam.” he thought as a strange smile crossed his lips.
Heero snuggled closer, lying his head against Duo’s shoulder, careful to stay below the sore bruising.
Duo took his hand. Turning several stands of Yuy’s dark hair, so opposite Maxwell’s reddish-brown braid, Duo let himself become lost in the loving gaze of Heero’s deep blue eyes.
Heero’s finger lifted tousled bangs. Running lightly over Duo’s cheek it slipped under his chin until it raised Duo’s mouth to his. This time the kiss was hungry as his passion ran freely.
Pushing his knee between Duo’s legs, Heero gently, but firmly, moved against Maxwell’s bulging crotch. Once again his eager hands began to wander. Anxious fingers snagged the button on Duo’s pants. The same persuasive pressure was applied to the zipper. Reaching inside the open fly, Yuy’s hand closed tightly around Duo’s aroused manhood. “Remember I never leave anything half-finished.” Heero reminded his lover as his hand clasped tighter still.
Duo surrendered fully to Heero’s masterful strokes. Soon both Pilots were naked and giving in totally to their natural, almost raw, carnal desires. Duo laid on his stomach, clutching fistfuls of tangled bedcovers, bowing his back, moving his hips in perfect rhythm to Heero’s alternating slow penetration and hard, centered thrusts.
One of Zero’s Master’s hands curled about Duo’s rigid erection. One finger fondled the tip bringing on a steady hot trickle. The other hand curved under Maxwell’s pelvic bone keeping Duo’s hips exactly where Heero could use the most pressure to carry his partner to ultimate gratification.
Then with a low, husky groan Heero gritted his teeth and straighten sharply pushing in as strongly and deeply as he could. Duo’s excited panting built to a winded pause as he momentarily held his breathe before his own throaty, guttural growl, matching his lover’s height of pleasure, reached a releasing crescendo as both lovers climaxed in pure, erotically delicious, ecstasy.
Duo collapsed. A wave of faintness flowed over his trembling body. Heero experienced his own bout of dizziness as a shiver shuddered thoroughly through his exhaustion weakened arms and legs. With quivering breaths, Heero rested his sweat dampened chest on Duo’s back, his manhood still sheathed in his lover’s moist, hot, most secret, place.
“Oh, Heero! Don’t move!” Duo whispered hoarsely as Heero’s ever-so-slight movement sent tingling pulsations coursing through every sensitive inch of his throbbing anal hollow.
Heero kissed between Maxwell’s shoulders trying to calm his gasps of delight. After a moment’s recovery, Heero reluctantly pulled out so gradually Duo cried out from the sheer sensual stimulation.
Heero slid down beside running his hand the full length of Duo’s mussed braid. With a lustful grin he viewed the disheveled stands contemplating the possibility of undoing the frayed tresses and starting all over again.
The still trembling God Of Death, now not at all like his imposing nickname, turned on his side facing his contented lover. Lifting his eyes, locking his sight with Heero’s mist glazed eyes, he settled into Yuy’s strong embrace.
“Beautiful.” Yuy sighed cradling Duo closer.
As the Gundam Pilot’s heartbeats merged into a single metered count, Heero breathed in the erotic scent of shampoo and moist skin savoring the enticing aroma. “You know.” he smiled warmly pulling the cord off the end of Duo’s hair drawing his fingers through the silky mane, “You should wash your hair more often.”
