Disclaim-uh: I don't own Gundam SEED. No money is being made here. Obviously.

Warning: Shounen-Ai (boy/boy relationship) is in this fic. In case the summary didn't make that obvious enough, I'll say it here. If this is something you can't stomach, turn back now. There's plenty of fiction on this site (and better written than my amateurish content), so you should easily be able to find something more suitable for your tastes if need be.

Home

By Big-Babidi

It was approaching nightfall when Shinn arrived home. Nearly a year and a half quickly went by since the fall of Gilbert Durandal, and the Destiny's operator found himself leaving ZAFT for a life back in Orb. His negative feelings toward the country were far from waning immensely, but his relief upon hearing Requiem never destroyed the neutral nation spoke volumes of hidden adoration for his former home.

Turning the keys, Shinn quickly opened the door to his new home. The apartment itself was rather small, but the dark-haired young man hadn't minded in the slightest. A small living room and dining room, as well as one bedroom and bathroom were all he could ever ask for on the subject of living accommodations.

He looked at the pile of dirty dishes in the washer on the little apartment's other side and absently placed a hand on his stomach. 'Good thing I already ate.' He thought with a small smile. The hamburger he wolfed down along the way was an odd but enjoyable meal.

"Shinn! Is that you?" A masculine voice called from the bedroom.

The former ZAFT pilot's smile increased in size with great haste.

A brown haired head peeked out from the bedroom on the right side of the apartment belonging to none other than Kira Yamato, one of, if not the greatest mobile suit pilot in their known universe. A man known for constantly doing the right thing regardless of obstacles. A man known throughout the world as someone deserving the utmost respect for his bravery.

A man Shinn Asuka once hated, only to eventually feel the exact opposite towards.

"Yeah, I just got back. What are you up to?" Setting his helmet down on a small table near the door, he removed his shoes and approached the couch nearby, taking a seat. Getting a good look at Kira, he raised an eyebrow, "What's with the PJs? Don't tell me your clothes are all dirty."

Sure enough, the Ultimate Coordinator was dressed in a set of dark blue pajamas with the emblem of Orb scattered from top to bottom. A birthday gift from his sister the previous year. He remembered Shinn laughing hysterically when Cagalli said it made him appear cuter than Lacus.

Kira tilted his head, "What do you mean? It's nine o' clock." He quickly paced to Shinn's location while remaining standing. Kira leaned his head down and gave the red-eyed boy a quick kiss on the lips. He was always happy to note Shinn reciprocating on instinct. "You lost track of time on that bike of yours again didn't you?"

Shinn nodded absent-mindedly, half-heartedly cursing daylight savings time for being such a tease.

Looking back, Shinn often wondered how unusual the world worked. When he returned to Orb, he found himself unfamiliar with nearly everybody. The rebuilding of Onogoro from the first war's invasion came with territory totally foreign to the former Orb native. Realizing this, his previous mentor and comrade, Athrun Zala, urged him to at least talk to some of his friends. Reluctantly, Shinn initiated a conversation with Kira Yamato… as he simply felt unprepared for conversing with Cagalli Yula Attha.

After all, he'd never shook her hand immediately after the fighting, unlike her brother.

With Lacus Clyne taking part in PLANT among ZAFT's upper echelons of command, Kira had plenty of free time. Time Shinn occupied more and more with each passing day, especially since his ex-girlfriend, Lunamaria Hawke had decided to remain in ZAFT. Despite the past, both took little time to realize they actually had a lot in common. While far from totally identical, both were kind-hearted, fiercely protective of their friends, and excellent with machinery to name a few.

An urge on both their parts to take their friendship to a higher level came as a surprise, but not an unwelcome one.

Kira took Shinn's hands in his own, gently lifting his boyfriend off the couch. "Come on, Shinn. Don't get too comfy. Save that for bed, which is where we're headed."

Frowning, the dark-haired boy released his hands from Kira's soft grip and immediately put both behind his back in a rather stubborn manner. "No way. Just because you go to bed at nine doesn't mean I have to!"

Kira sighed, "I know you haven't been sleeping much lately, thanks to that cursed TV. Just look at you. You're eyes are so red!"

"What are you talkin' about? They're always red!"

The brunette's eyes widened in mock concern as he gasped, "Now I'm even more worried."

From one his few conversations with Lacus Clyne, Shinn remembered her explicitly saying how Kira had lost his sense of humor during the wars. As such, he always felt an immense satisfaction upon hearing him tell a joke of any kind.

Hands back in Kira's view, Shinn wrapped his arms around him and providing a much longer kiss than the previous one.

"Alright, alright, you win." He gave his boyfriend another kiss, quicker and shorter, "just this once."

A/N: Well, that marks the first piece of yaoi fiction I've ever done (and done so in an hour), so hopefully it wasn't too terrible. Initially, it was going to be much darker (as in, Shinn only started a relationship with Kira only to betray him down the road for what happened to Stella, only to wonder why he can't go through with it), but I guess my inner yaoi-fanboy / romantic sap won in the end, for better or worse. Oh and I guess this sort of ignores the ending in Destiny Special Edition 4 but I can't really say that bothers me.

~Big-Babidi