Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, it belongs to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. I just borrow the guys from time to time and return them a whole lot happier. I do own the plot and any other characters, especially the equines, that you will find in this fic. Please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.

Pairing: 2x1x2, 3x4, 13x6, H+C

Warnings: Yaoi, lemon, sap, angst, vet themes, AU

Rating: NC 17

Archive: gundam-wing-diaries. foreverfandom .net Anyone else please ask.

Betaed by Karina *snugs*

Summary: Having achieved his goal of riding at the Olympics, success has opened many new doors for Heero. Having left Treize's employ, Heero is now his own boss and with Duo's support Heero sets out to make his own mark in the equine business world.

Dedication: to all my lovely readers who have asked for a continuation of this 'Universe'.

Fic 4 in the Equine Intervention Arc.

Commenced December 2011 - ShenLong

"Equus"

Epilogue

Completely understanding what his partner was referring to, Heero didn't press the issue, he just continued to kiss softly at any part of exposed skin he could find. When he finally felt Duo relaxing in his arms, he gently pulled away. "How about we unpack everything and have a bite of dinner?" he suggested.

Feeling relieved that Heero hadn't insisted on pushing him to talk about his insecurity, Duo agreed with the plan. Leaving Duo to put away the groceries, Heero took their bags through to the bedroom and proceeded to make up the bed. Placing their towels and toiletries in the bathroom, he glanced at the spa bath in the corner, his lips curling into a smile as he had an idea. He'd requested this cabin when he'd booked, thinking it would be nice to share a spa with Duo, now he was even more pleased he'd made the request – he could use the spa to his advantage and help Duo as well. With the plan secure in his mind, Heero headed back out to the kitchen to see if he could help Duo with anything.

#

Dusk was rolling in, the two men sitting out on the little verandah of their cabin and finishing off their meal. Crickets were chirping in the twilight of evening and the sounds of the night creatures beginning to stir came faintly on the lazy breeze.

"That was delicious," Heero said and placed his empty plate on the small table.

"It wasn't four star dining, Heero," Duo snorted and placed his own plate on top of Heero's.

"I know, but the way you make grilled cheese sandwiches puts four star dining to shame."

Duo blushed and got up to take the plates back inside and wash up. With Duo in the kitchen, Heero wandered off to start putting his plan into action.

Duo was just finishing up with the last of the dishes when Heero came up behind him and kissed him on the back of the neck."All done?" Heero whispered against the nape of Duo's neck, sending shivers coursing along that slender spine.

"Yeah," Duo breathed. He tried to stop himself from trembling, unsure of how to proceed next. He was scared, knew that Heero knew he was scared, but he had no clue how to conquer this last, maddening demon. Maybe I should have brought the holy water, he thought to himself.

"I have something to show you," Heero whispered and nibbled the sensitive spot just below Duo's right ear.

Managing to break away from his partner long enough to dry his hands, Duo turned to face his lover. "What?" he asked curiously.

"Ah, come with me and you will see," Heero teased and held out a hand.

"Just a poet and you didn't know it," Duo muttered. Though still a little unsure, Duo took the offered hand and let Heero lead him from the kitchen, through the lounge area, along the short hallway and into the bathroom.

"Oh wow," Duo said, head turning from side to side as he took in the sight. The spa in the corner of the bathroom was full of water, steam rising from the surface in thin wisps whilst a couple of jets bubbled softly beneath the surface. Candles adorned every available spot, their pale flames flickering and sending shadows dancing across the floor, walls and ceiling. Duo could detect the faint aroma of sandalwood in the air and deduced that the candles must be scented. Turning to look at Heero, Duo gave a soft smile. "Did you do all of this?"

Heero nodded, the candlelight flickering across his features and adding a warm glow to his golden skin.

Raising his fingers to brush the tips across Heero's cheek, Duo leaned in for a kiss. "It's wonderful, Heero," he breathed when they broke for air.

"I thought we could both do with a little relaxation after the day we've had," Heero whispered back.

"Too true."

"Want to get in?"

"Just try to stop me." With a grin, Duo turned around and began to strip out of his clothes.

Heero felt a pang of hurt pass through him for a brief moment before he shoved it away. Duo had never been body shy once they had become comfortable with their relationship. It was just another of those things that had been taken from him with his rape; and something Heero was determined to give back to his lover. Knowing better than to make anything of it, Heero turned and began to strip out of his own clothes. By the time he was naked, Duo had his hair pinned on top of his head and was sitting back in the spa with a completely blissful look on his face.

"Is there room for me in there?" Heero teased, looking pointedly at Duo's sprawled out form.

"Sure," Duo smiled up and drew his legs back towards his body so Heero could climb in.

Sinking into the warm water with the jets gently pulsing water around his lower back, Heero began to feel the strain of the past couple of weeks slowly leaving him.

"Oh god, this is so nice," Duo groaned, closing his eyes and resting his head back against the rim of the spa.

"You can say that again," Heero murmured, eyes closed in bliss.

"When we were here before, our cabin didn't have a spa in it," Duo commented.

"No, that one didn't. I found out later that some of the cabins have them so when I booked for our honeymoon, I thought I'd get us one that had the spa in it." Seeing his partner mulling things over in his mind – most likely the cost of the cabin with the 'extra' – Heero continued, "We deserve a little spoiling. It is a special occasion after all."

"That is it," Duo breathed. "I could get used to this," he added, sinking deeper into the water and enjoying the feel of the jets pulsing against his skin. "Mmm, might have to look at possibly having one installed back home."

"You wouldn't hear any protests from me," Heero said softly. "I think it would be great to have one. Coming home after a long day at a show, it would be perfect for loosening up sore and tired muscles."

"Stuff the show, Heero," Duo snickered, "I was thinking more along the lines of sinking into one after a hard day in the surgery. Some of my patients can really take it out of you."

Heero cracked open an eye. "Trimming dogs nails, clipping the odd bird's beak and doing vaccinations? Doesn't sound all that hard to me," he teased.

"You want to try a couple of calvings, maybe a foal delivery or two and toss in some hoof work on both horses and cattle and then you have a typical day at the surgery. To come home and soak in one of these after doing those would be sheer heaven."

Heero managed to move himself around the spa until he was sitting next to Duo. Placing an arm around his love's shoulder, he pulled Duo closer to him and kissed his neck. Nibbling on an ear lobe, Heero whispered softly, "If you're a good boy I might buy you one for our anniversary."

"You going to make me wait a whole year?" Duo teased back.

"Christmas?"

"That sounds better, only we share the cost."

"No problem." Heero nuzzled Duo's neck. "I love you so much."

Relaxing together in the spa did wonders for Duo's anxieties. The tension began to bleed from his body as he soaked up the heat and luxury of the bubbling jets. Heero experimented with the controls, pushing various buttons, the jets changing speed and strength with each push. When Heero pushed a couple, the jets all turned on and the water came pulsing out fast and hard, the entire spa turning into a huge mass of roiling water. Duo was in fits of laughter, the water hitting his skin from all directions and tossing him around inside the large tub. The bubbles racing against him tended to tickle quite a bit and as Duo was rather ticklish in places, he couldn't help but laugh hysterically as his body was assaulted from all directions.

Heero was also in fits of laughter, more from watching his partner than anything. Eventually he managed to turn all but a couple of the jets off and left those two at a slow pulse. Picking up a wash cloth, he squirted some of the body wash onto it and began to gently run it over Duo's shoulders and arms. The vet got over his fit of the giggles and relaxed back once more, letting Heero wash him. Knowing if he was to succeed in his plan, Heero didn't push things, just washed Duo's torso, back, arms and legs, handing over the cloth for Duo to clean his more personal areas himself.

The favor was returned, Duo smoothing the cloth over Heero's body and washing away the tension as well as the grime. Once he was clean, Heero stepped out of the spa, grabbed a towel and dried off a bit. With the towel wrapped around his waist he turned to his lover who was still in the spa. "Wait there for a moment. There's a couple of things I want to do then I'll come back for you."

"Okay," Duo agreed, his curiosity rising once more.

Heero disappeared from the bathroom and aimed for the bedroom where he quickly lit several more candles. He'd turned the heat on in the bedroom before taking their 'bath' and it was toasty warm. He grabbed a bottle of oil and set it on the side table, placed another couple of towels on the bed and paused when he pulled out the tube of lube. He stared at the tube for a moment, then shoved it under the pillow. If everything went according to plan, he would be using that lube tonight and Duo would be free of his fears for good. Satisfied he had everything in place, Heero went back to the bathroom to fetch his lover.

Duo was understandably wary when Heero led him to the bedroom. He knew in his own mind that he needed to get over his fear of making love, but it was easier said than done. He paused in the doorway when he spotted the candles again, the towels on the bed and bottle of oil sitting on the side table. He frowned and turned to Heero. "What-?"

"Hush. I want to spoil you, Duo. Please, let me?"

Still frowning, Duo looked from the bed to Heero and back to the bed. "I – I..."

"It's okay, Duo. I'm not going to do anything that you're not comfortable with. I want to give you a massage, if that's okay?"

The look of pleading and love in those blue oceans was Duo's undoing. "I could never refuse you," he said softly.

"Thank you." Taking Duo's hand in his, Heero led his partner to the bed. "Just lie down on your stomach." Duo did as requested. "Comfortable?"

"Yes."

"I"m going to remove the towel, but not completely," Heero warned him.

"O- Okay."

Carefully Heero tugged at the towel, pulling it from Duo's hips but draping back over the vet's backside. "Still okay?" Heero whispered.

A shaky 'Yes' came from his lover.

"Just relax and enjoy," Heero murmured and reached for the oil. He drizzled a portion of it between Duo's shoulder blades and along his spine. The vet's body shivered a little.

"Cold," Duo muttered.

"Sorry." Heero mentally kicked himself for not having thought to warm the oil first. Placing the bottle back on the side table, Heero rubbed his hands together before reaching forward and spreading the oil over the skin of Duo's back. He kept himself kneeling to the side of Duo, not wanting to straddle his partner's hips in case he sparked any bad memories. If he could pull this off, Duo wouldn't have those memories for much longer.

Strong hands went to work, massaging the tense muscles and working out the knots. Long, sweeping strokes followed by the kneading of tired shoulders soon had Duo moaning softly. "Feel good?" Heero asked, continuing to work the tension from his love.

"Feels bloody wonderful," Duo sighed.

"Good," Heero chuckled.

Working steadily over Duo's shoulders and back, Heero moved lower down until he was at the small of Duo's back. The vet was relaxing completely under his ministrations, something Heero was pleased to note. He skipped over Duo's rear and started on his feet, working the oil into the arch of the foot and over the ankle. From there he moved up to the calves, kneading gently and frowning slightly when he spotted the couple of patches of skin that still bore the scars of the burns Duo had suffered in the fire. They were by no means as bad as some burns he'd seen in his life, but they would never completely go away and were a constant reminder to Heero of what Stefan had put them through. Duo's knees were next and then Heero began to blaze a trail along Duo's thighs.

The firm but gentle caress of his partner's hands soon had Duo's muscles relaxing completely. The spa had taken a lot of tension from his body and the massage reduced him to a further puddle of goo. Feeling Heero's hands beginning to work along his thighs sent a momentary spark of fear up his spine, but Heero's hands didn't change in their rhythm, simply continued to work at the hard muscles and encourage them to relax.

Heero gave a small smile when he felt Duo relaxing even further under his ministrations. Now was the time to take things a little further, but he needed to be very careful otherwise it could backfire badly on him. Heero began to work along the inner thigh, waiting for Duo to become comfortable with his touch before he started to manipulate Duo's legs to part a little. With the thighs opening up a touch, Heero began to work the inner muscle with more enthusiasm.

Gradually Duo's mind relaxed into that place of total bliss, the tension easing from his frame as Heero worked his magic. Somewhere along the line – but Duo couldn't remember when – the massage began to change slightly. It went from a deep pushing and kneading of his muscles to a lighter, sensual touch. Heero's fingers still worked at the sensitive inner thigh, but now they seemed to stroke and caress as well.

Duo moaned softly as he felt himself beginning to stir. All thoughts of his rape had fled his mind, the inner demon silent – for the moment at least.

Cautiously, Heero experimented with his touch, firm one minute and feather light the next. His eyes watched the body beneath, noting the subtle changes and looking for any sign of discomfort. When his touch was rewarded by a low moan of pleasure, Heero became a little bolder. Slowly but steadily he worked his hand and fingers higher along Duo's thigh until he could feel the swell of Duo's buttocks against his fingers. Keeping his touch light, he caressed the base of Duo's rear and slipped a finger along the sensitive perineum.

The touch was electric and sparked a raw need in Duo that he'd completely forgotten he could feel. He groaned and pushed his hips into the bed, the action relieving a little of the ache that was building in his growing erection.

Heero's own arousal was hot and heavy under the towel, but he pushed it to the back of his mind for now. This was all for Duo. He played a little more, continually switching from teasing to firm touches, all the time watching his lover's reactions. Knowing that Duo must be fully aroused by now if the thrusting of his hips from time to time were any indication, Heero decided it was time to turn his lover over and commence part two of his plan.

Leaning back, Heero moved away slightly and reached for the bottle of oil. "Turn over for me, Duo," he whispered.

"Ah," Duo groaned. "Why did you stop?"

"I need you to roll over for me so I can massage your front," Heero reiterated.

"Oh." Duo's face began to flame as he realized his very prominent erection would be clearly visible beneath the towel. The next second he admonished himself for being so stupid. This was Heero, his husband and life partner. Hell they'd been naked together many times so it wasn't as if Heero was seeing something new. Still blushing, Duo eased himself over to his back, one hand grabbing for the towel to keep it in place. "Sorry," he muttered, looking anywhere but at Heero.

"It's fine, Duo." Heero kept his voice low and loving. The oil was dispensed again, this time to Duo's chest and Heero was quick to follow the oil with his hands. He kept the touches clinical for the moment, waiting for Duo to relax and feel comfortable again. As his partner did, Heero began to swirl his palms across Duo's chest, rubbing over slowly hardening nipples. The soft whimpers that came from the vet's mouth encouraged him to continue. Fingers replaced palms, Heero gently teasing at the nubs until they fully hardened and Duo began to squirm under his touch. Adding a little more oil, Heero worked over Duo's stomach. Knowing how ticklish the vet could be, Heero was careful not to tease too much, the last thing he wanted was for Duo to be overcome by a fit of the giggles and lose what ground he'd managed to gain.

Duo's eyes closed as his body sank into the pleasure, Heero's hands firm upon his stressed muscles. The massage of his physical form was highly enjoyable, but the 'massage' to his mind was so much more. The doubts that had festered for so long were slowly being lanced, Heero's careful manipulations ensuring he felt nothing at all but desire, need and most importantly - in control.

By the time Heero's hands worked their way over Duo's thighs again, the vet was nothing more than a boneless pile on the bed.

Carefully Heero lifted the towel away from Duo's hips, one hand still working diligently at the inner thigh muscles on Duo's leg. With nothing at all between himself and his partner's skin, Heero was free to roam his hands wherever they wished to go. It took a little maneuvering, but Heero managed to work his own body around until he was completely by Duo's side and could reach under the pillow to locate the tube of lube.

Duo wasn't sure when the touches changed from his inner thigh to the crease of thigh and hip, but it didn't cause him any distress; if anything he craved the touch even more, only a little closer to his aching need, preferably on his aching need.

Deftly flipping the cap of the lube open, Heero managed to get the lube onto his fingers and carefully worked that hand across Duo's hip and under his lover's balls to the sensitive perineum. His other hand drifted across from the crease of Duo's hip to lightly run through the vet's pubic hair. Ever mindful of Duo's fragile psyche, he was sure to leave the vet enough room to pull away if he felt the least bit uncomfortable. When no protest was made, Heero brought one hand to gently cup Duo's balls, rolling them around and rubbing softly whilst his other continued to work back along the perineum to the crevice of Duo's backside.

"Ahh, good," Duo groaned, his head tossing from side to side. The demon in his head roused from its silent observations and began to jump up and down in protest, but for the moment the pleasure of Heero's hand overrode anything the demon might be trying to do.

More lube was applied, Heero managing to work his fingers along Duo's crevice until he located that sweet entrance. Once there he began to circle softly. His other hand continued to fondle Duo's sac, fingertips caressing gently before cupping and rolling, then tracing idle patterns again.

Once he deemed Duo relaxed enough, Heero began to push a finger carefully against Duo's entrance.

The unexpected touch to his anus had Duo arching on the bed. The demon in his head cackled madly, promising him that this was going to hurt, that he didn't have a choice in this. For a moment Duo stilled, his mind pushing him back to that fateful day in the drug room of the surgery stables. Violet eyes opened and connected with warm blue. Love, trust, desire were just a few of the emotions Duo could read in those eyes and they drew him back from the past to the present.

"Okay?" Heero questioned, working the lube around Duo's hole.

Unable to trust his voice, Duo nodded and did his best to ignore the insistent cries from the tormentor in his head.

"Anytime you want me to stop, just say the word," Heero breathed and leaned in for a deep, lingering kiss.

Duo took what the kiss offered, finding reassurance and unconditional love in the sealing of their lips. His hand came up and cupped the side of Heero's face as they continued to share soft kisses.

With Duo distracted by their kisses, Heero wriggled a finger inside Duo's passage and cautiously worked it in and out.

The demon taunted and mocked, doing its damnedest to drag Duo back to the past.

Sensing Duo's inner struggle, Heero kept his movements gentle and slow, giving Duo ample opportunity to tell him to stop if he wished. For the moment though, Duo moaned quietly, his hips shifting from time to time as the pleasure increased. Feeling bolder, Heero worked a second finger inside and scissored them.

Pain, pain, pain, the demon mocked.

No, no pain, just pleasure, Duo shot back, but he bit his lower lip just in case.

The passage around his fingers began to loosen, the lube helping with the in and out slide. Heero slipped a third finger inside.

He's going to rip you apart, force himself onto you, the demon taunted.

No, not Heero. Never Heero, Duo screamed back. Heero would never hurt me, he's not like that, he loves me.

Are you sure about that? You're nothing but a hole for him to fuck when he wants.

Warm lips descended on Duo's, sweeping the demon and his evil torture to the side for a moment. Breaking their kiss, Heero kept their foreheads touching, his eyes staring deep into Duo's and their lips brushing against each others as he spoke.

"I love you, Duo. You are my heart and soul, my very reason for living. You own me completely. I am yours for eternity."

Keeping Duo's attention firmly fixed on him, Heero removed his fingers, applied lube to his own, aching length and slowly positioned himself between Duo's spread thighs. Gently he let his hips drop down, the crown of his cock locating the gateway to paradise and gently but firmly pushed against Duo's entrance until the muscles relented and sucked the rider inside. Heero paused once the head rested just inside and gazed deep into Duo's eyes. "Still okay?" he whispered.

The inner battle was heating up inside Duo, his heart telling him everything was fine, this was Heero; the demon doing his best to counter that.

"Okay," Duo whispered in return, although it came out a little shaky.

Heero eased himself inside his lover's passage, taking his time and moving slowly. He kept Duo's eyes fixed on his, fingers running softly along a cheek bone, brushing Duo's bangs out of his eyes and pressing tiny, feather kisses to his love's lips. Once he was completely seated, he paused and took Duo's lips in a searing kiss.

The demon inside Duo's head was shrieking and dancing madly around, but somewhere deep inside Duo something broke. The wound that had festered for so long split open, all the locked up emotions came charging out and threatened to drown the vet.

A shuddering moan left Duo's lips, Heero quick to kiss any part of Duo's face he could find to reassure him that everything was okay. The gentle kisses and soft murmurs of reassurance drew Duo from the deep well of roiling emotions he'd fallen into and he slowly began to claw his way back.

"It's okay, Duo, it's me, Heero. Nothing but pleasure, I promise you."

"Heero," Duo moaned, the conflict of pleasure and bad memories doing a number in his head.

"Just relax, Duo. I promise you no pain, just pleasure my love."

Heero had never hurt him, would never hurt him and Duo was tired of fighting the demon, tired of the horrific memories of his rape and wanted them to go away and leave him alone forever. The only way he could do that was to give himself over completely to Heero and trust his lover to take care of him.

The demon continued to dance and taunt in his head, Duo mustered all the inner strength he could find and mentally turned to face his nemesis whilst speaking to his lover. "I'm tired of being afraid, make me forget, Heero," Duo whispered.

Hearing the soft words, Heero understood what his lover wanted and needed and so he started to move. At first he simply rolled his hips, small, soft movements designed to tease more than anything. Feeling Duo's passage loosening further, Heero became bolder and started to thrust slightly faster and deeper.

With Heero's movements, Duo became even more aroused. His body flooded with sensation, the gentle roll of Heero's body against his own overwhelming him with pleasure. Suddenly, just as he was pulling free from the demon's clutches, all the terror filled memories slammed into Duo at once, threatening to draw him under with their fury. Just when Duo was about to cry out for Heero to stop, there came a light, a light so strong and pure it forced the darkness away, beat it back into submission. His eyes opened wide to find a bright, shining blue light in the form of Heero's eyes gazing adoringly at him and Duo suddenly realized the depth of Heero's love for him.

The demon howled in anguish.

Duo's hips surged forth, meeting Heero's downward push with an upward thrust.

The demon screamed obscenities at him.

Duo raised himself up, wrapped his arms around Heero and managed to turn them around so Heero was lying underneath him. Settling firmly astride Heero's thighs, Duo locked his lips with those of his partner, settled himself back onto Heero's cock and let nature take over. His hips began to move steadily up and down, finding a rhythm and maintaining it.

Locked inside his head, the demon cursed, vented and did his best to draw Duo back; but Duo had found his strength in Heero. No longer would he allow the specter of Stefan to soil or taint the love he had with Heero. Mentally, Duo grabbed the little demon's trident and poked him fair in the rear with it, chasing the evil from his mind once and for all.

Heero's next thrust hit Duo's sweet spot and he let go a primal howl of pure pleasure, head tossed back and raw need written into every line of his face.

It was then that Heero knew his love had come back to him, that Duo had finally laid his ghosts to rest.

"Oh yes," Heero moaned when Duo found his rhythm and began to ride him. He raised his hands and rested them on Duo's hips, aiding the vet in his purpose.

Skin became slick with sweat, bodies heaved and rolled against each other as lungs burned with the effort of drawing in oxygen. Having sent the demon in his head packing, Duo let the all encompassing pleasure wash over and through him, he became a slave to his basic needs. His body having been deprived for so long of this intimacy, craved every touch, every feeling and Duo was not about to deny himself any longer. He let go of all his inhibitions, all his fears and rode his lover with abandon.

Heero was a little stunned with the sudden ferocity of Duo's lovemaking, but when he really thought about it, he could quite understand his lover's need and desire. His own hips thrust up to meet the downward push from Duo, seating his cock deeper into the vet's body.

The pace increased, sweat ran freely, pants and moans were exchanged along with fevered kisses. Now that Duo had overcome his last obstacle, he was making up for lost time. His body was alive with sensation, nerves all firing at once and his blood felt on fire. The primal need began to build in his gut, the raw need curling and building with each thrust of Heero's cock into his passage.

The pleasure was building to the point of no return for Heero too. He felt like a drowning man, unable to keep afloat in the tide of emotion and feeling that was bathing him from head to toe. He did manage to recall enough brain function to let one hand slip from Duo's hip to his love's cock where it curled around the hard length and began to stroke in time with their coupling.

Chestnut hair escaped from the braid to frame the sweet face that was currently contorted in pleasure. Heaving breaths were drawn in and out as Duo's rise continued to build. The firm stroking of his erection combined with Heero's length caressing his inner channel and hitting his prostate from time to time all conspired against him and Duo knew his end was nigh.

He'd been without this intimacy for too long and it was only natural that his stamina would be sorely tested. But for now it didn't matter. They would have plenty of time to make love and Duo knew that now he'd managed to break free from his fear he would be sure to make up for lost time.

Feeling his own orgasm rapidly approaching, Heero angled his hips a little, attempting to strike Duo's prostate as many times as possible and bring the vet to his own state of ecstasy. Unfortunately for Heero, it didn't work quite that way. Duo's passage began a series of ripples and squeezes, each one tormenting Heero until the rider couldn't take any more.

"I – I – Gonna cum," Heero managed to grind out as his hips jerked, eyes closed and liquid pleasure tore through his body. He did manage to continue pumping Duo's cock though and for that the vet was thankful as his own end was almost upon him.

Feeling the swell of Heero's cock followed by the heat of his semen as he came, drove Duo's need even higher. A couple more pumps to his own cock had him panting heavily; but it was the sight of Heero's face as his orgasm took him that triggered Duo's fall into nirvana. He tossed his head back as a cry of complete bliss tore from his throat, at the same time his cock swelled and began to pump his seed out over Heero's hand and coating their stomachs.

"Oh, god," Heero groaned.

"Ah, yessss," Duo hissed.

The pair continued to move slightly, each milking everything they could from their climax until the well ran dry and Duo slumped against his lover, completely wiped. Strong arms wrapped around the vet, holding him close as lips pressed feather kisses to any part of Duo they could find.

They lay together, simply enjoying the afterglow for a while, neither one wanting to move and ruin the moment. But eventually they had to move or risk being glued together – something that didn't appeal to either man. Propping each other up they half staggered, half tottered back into the bathroom where Heero had left the spa on heat and climbed in. The warm water immediately had the desired effect, washing away the evidence of their coupling and soothing sore, tired muscles.

Once they were clean again, Heero climbed out and grabbed another set of fluffy towels, wrapping each of them up and assisting his lover back to the bedroom. Once dried off they tumbled into the bed, Duo grateful that Heero had thought to slip towels on the bed earlier when massaging him and ultimately making love to him so there wasn't any mess to deal with as far as the bedding itself went. Right now he was so tired and boneless he probably would have fallen asleep face first in the wet spot and not given a damn!

Heero turned off the light and snuggled up behind his life partner. Pushing Duo's braid to the side, he pressed a gentle kiss to the nape of Duo's neck. "Everything okay?" he whispered.

"Everything is fine, Heero. Thank you."

Another kiss. "You're welcome. Love you so much, Duo."

"Love you too, Heero."

The stress of the busy day began to catch up with both men and it wasn't long before Heero was fast asleep.

Nestled safely in the strong arms of his lover and soul mate, Duo's thoughts turned inward. He thought back over the past months and all they had endured together, saving Nataku, Stefan's unwelcome advances and his ultimate raping of Duo, the fire and their recovery. One thing stood out more than anything to Duo...

Heero.

Heero had stood by his side, unfailing and steadfast in his love and support of Duo.

A soft smile curved Duo's lips as he thought about their wedding and the small gift he had yet to give to Heero. The white gold, horseshoe pendant with its sparkling diamonds sat in its box in Duo's bag, patiently waiting for Duo to give it to his soul mate.

It would be an apt gift, the horseshoe a sign of luck.

And Duo had certainly gotten lucky the day he'd met Heero.

Owari.

Spa: Just in case anyone isn't sure, a spa is the equivelent of a hot tub in the US, in Australia we call them spa's and as this fic is set in Aussie, that's the terminology I'm using.

And that, my dear readers, is the conclusion to the fourth fic in the Equine Arc. I'd like to send a big thank you to Sakura who started betaing for me a while ago when my original beta was no longer able to fill the role and to Karina who took over from Sakura. I'd be lost without them. *big hugs* The equines are all based on horses I've either had the privelige to own myself, or been involved with over the years (and hopefully many more to come). They are the most inspiring creatures and wonderful companions. Lastly, to you, the readers. Thank you all for reading and for the constant, positive feedback. As with all my 'epics' often my muse is hit with different ideas, spawned by a comment from a reader and thus the fic will detour slightly from my original plan - but I think that's what makes writing so much more interesting.

There will be a fifth fic in the Equine Arc, muse is still in the planning stage so at present I'm not sure when it will start to be written. But I will be posting it here. meanwhile, I'm trying to persuade Fred to finish off a couple of other works still in the pipeline. (Like a certain Family Ties Christmas fic...*sigh*)

Once more, thank you all for reading and i hpe you come back to read the fifth fic when it's posted.

*hugs and Gundam Pilots*

Shen :-)