16-Nov-2000
This was something which didn't quite fit at the end of Demons.
Title: Back to Life
Author: bonnejeanne (bonnejeanne@yahoo.com) and von (sablexo1@yahoo.com)
Archive: GW Addiction and if she chooses, Darkflame
Category: yaoi, angst
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: 6x13x6
Spoilers: Series, EW, Frozen Colony Arc
WARNINGS: LEMON, angst
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners. Our stuff is ours. No money being made here.
As with all our fics, while our goal is to stay as in character as possible, any discrepancies are our mistakes.
Feedback: Any and all comments welcome, be they short or long.
Part of the Frozen Colony Arc? Yes.
It was a small cottage on the edge of what had once been a vast estate. It had been used by hunting parties, occasionally servants, and finally soldiers had bivouacked there during the last parts of the war. Currently, it belonged to no one on paper, and had apparently been forgotten, tucked as it was beyond a short swathe of trees, two or three miles from the only road in the area. The faint trail leading to it was overgrown.
Previous tenants, however temporary, had left it empty but neat enough. Treize had been there two, no three times in the past year, and what he'd left had been undisturbed. He returned on horseback this time, it was the easiest way to get there, and left his mount in the small stable behind the cottage, cropping hay.
Entering, the former Chief Representative of Earth swept the floor, built a fire in the fireplace, and set water on to heat for coffee.
He sat calmly and quietly for a while, then found himself on his feet and pacing. He looked around, his lips curving in wry amusement at himself. How many times had this scene been played out - but it was not himself who had been obliged to wait. It mirrored many of his rendezvous with young Wufei Chang, but in those instances, the boy had always been the one who waited. There was a slight hint of ironic justice to it, except he was not waiting for Wufei.
Sunset came quickly under the shelter of the trees. Treize opened a hanging curtain several inches to allow light to leak out. Eschewing the battery powered lamps, he lit a few tall candles to accompany the fire, and settled once more to wait. There was a very good chance the one he was waiting for might change his mind and decide not to come.
Zechs stuffed his hands deep into the pockets of his black coat. A breeze blew up suddenly, catching his platinum hair and dancing it in the last rays of the setting sun. The place was remote and leaving his car, he felt as though he was leaving the last piece of civilization and returning to the countryside. A mixture of emotions filled him as he walked down the overgrown trail. His brow furrowed slightly as he wondered what was to come.
Making his way to the cottage, he recalled the first time he had been there. He and Treize had gone riding, each putting their horses to the test in a race that left them lost in the woods. A wild crack of thunder and lightning and a sudden downpour had left them soaked to the bone. The cottage with its stable had been a godsend as they made for it and escaped the wrath of nature.
Once inside and before a fire, they had both stripped away their clothes and inhibitions.
It was dark by the time he reached the door. A soft glow of light from the windows and the slight tint of smoke from the fireplace were the only indications that someone might be inside. For better or worse, Zechs thought, raising his hand to the door and knocking.
The door opened smoothly, not too fast or slow, and wide enough for him to enter. Treize stood inside, dressed as he had been in the rose garden, his longer hair tied back neatly with a grey-blue ribbon.
Treize' eyes swept over Zechs quickly, barely a flicker but one the tall blond had seen a hundred times before. A slight curve touched his lips. "Come in," he said, gesturing. The large main room was lit with candlelight and the fireplace, the light shedding a soft golden glow that was never still.
Zechs smiled as he walked inside, moving past the former General. "Thank you," he said, quietly, looking at Treize. "I left before remembering to pick up something to bring," he added, in apology.
Treize closed the door and turned to look at the tall blond. He's magnificent, he thought. As always. His mouth curved a little more.
"There was no need," he said. "Unless... is this a date, Milliardo?"
Zechs smiled, but said nothing for a moment as he looked up at the blue eyes before him. "Perhaps," he said, finally.
"Ah, well," Treize said. He gestured to a bottle and two glasses on the table. "Then perhaps you won't refuse the wine. There are still a couple of bottles hidden under the floorboards where we left them. Amazing that no one found them in all this time, don't you think?"
"Yes," Zechs answered, watching Treize move. "...and I would love some wine," he said, and glanced around the room. His eyes invariably landed on the door to the main bedroom and he sighed a little, remembering how naive he been the first time.
Treize nodded and poured two glasses, handing one to Zechs. It was a white wine, from a family winery. Treize had stolen several bottles from the cellar and brought them out here. It was more than an eternity ago.
He noticed those ice-blue eyes look towards the small bedroom. Smiling, Treize tasted the wine, letting it sit on his tongue for a moment as it warmed and rose through his palate. "It's a good vintage. Shall we talk about the weather next? I haven't been here for it but I've been told it was a dry autumn..."
Zechs drank down half of the wine in his glass, feeling the pale liquid warm him. He stepped closer to Treize. "The wine is excellent," he said, "Pity about the weather." Zechs drank the rest of the wine in his glass and then reached down, covering Treize's hand around the bottle. Raising it, he poured more wine into his glass. He smiled as the liquid sloshed a little and dribbled down the side of the bottle. Closing his eyes, Zechs raised his hand and Treize's along with it, to his lips and licked the wine from both of their fingers.
Treize felt the corner of his mouth twitch. Zechs was in one of his 'moods'. He also felt something else, something which made his pants tighten somewhat. For a moment he was still, as a kaleidoscope of memories marched in double-time through his mind. The balance had shifted - no, there was no balance. Here stood his true and only nemesis... Lifting the glass in his other hand, he drained it. No way to treat good wine but there was no help for it.
Setting the glass down with a slight ring against the table, Treize took Zechs' face in his hand and kissed him savagely.
Zechs moved his arms around Treize's waist, pulling him against his body. He kissed back, feeling whatever chains held him before vanish. He was Zechs Merquise the survivor, no longer confused or unsure of himself. His breath came in deep and rapidly as he held the familiar form in his arms.
He tasted the fire and fury in Treize's kiss, answering with a fire of his own. The war was over and they were both just two men without real names or countries. Yes, Zechs thought as he took Treize's tongue deep into his mouth, sucking it hungrily. He groaned as his hands moved down to cover the former OZ leader's hips, pulling him against his own hardening flesh.
The touch of Zechs' strong fingers against his hips pushed Treize further over the edge. This wasn't going according to his plan. It was so like Zechs to turn it into a duel... Treize hand snaked around the tall blonde's torso and fisted in the fall of platinum silk. He pulled Zechs head back sharply and placed his mouth over the rapidly beating pulse on the side of his neck. For a few moments he allowed himself to taste that pale skin, the tang of salt from recent exertion flavoring it. It was ridiculous how easily Zechs managed to get under his skin... how much... he wanted to get into his pants.
Lifting his head, Treize looked down, slowly loosening his grip on Zechs' hair. "The boy... left you unsatisfied, then?"
Zechs felt his head pulled back and the warm mouth on his throat and closed his eyes. Heat built in his body at Treize's response and he couldn't prevent a small measure of disappointment as the blue-eyed man lifted his head. For a moment, the words Treize spoke went unheard, then slowly they sank in and Zechs' ice blue eyes widened with a flash of disbelief and fury. He blinked, frowning slightly. "No," he growled, breathing hard as he looked back at Treize. "Is that..." he began, then shook his head. "That is not why I'm here."
Treize saw the spark of anger with a brief moment of satisfaction. Then he lowered his eyes and released a breath. After a momentary internal struggle, not raising his eyes, he said, "I know. I'd apologize for my ungentlemanly conduct but I don't suppose I'm really a gentleman any more."
He turned gracefully, without looking up, fighting with a strange constriction in his chest. No matter what, through everything that had happened, he'd never lost control of himself once. He felt very close to something now, however, and it almost terrified him.
Zechs felt his breathing slow as he watched Treize and heard his words. "Is that all?" he said. "That *boy* you speak of so casually saved your life...and mine. Did you feel anything for him at all, Treize?"
Treize closed his eyes for a moment and then straightened his shoulders. "Since it is you who asks, I felt a great many things for him. Yet, you are here... he is not. Curious, isn't it?"
Zechs took a deep breath, feeling pain in his own chest. "Yes," he said, softly. Looking up at Treize, he asked, "Do you want him?"
Treize looked up sharply. "Why?"
"Because, if you do," Zechs said, looking back, "You will need to alter your view, Treize. He does still care for you and I doubt that will ever change."
Treize met Zechs' eyes, and turned, coming back to stand very close in front of the tall blond. "By rights he should hate me," he said. "There have been times I've hated him. I didn't plan to outlive the war. Neither did you."
"No, I did not," Zechs replied. "But I was wrong. Life is a gift. I had no business treating it so lightly and nether did you. It was arrogance. Alfa helped me to understand that. Wufei helped me to awaken from the spell. He brought you back from the dead because he has a heart that will love you even if you show him no mercy. He is not here because he has a home. He has love."
"I thought that meant your home - your love," Treize said, curiously. The tone in Zechs' voice fascinated him. Zechs had always been the shadowed idealist, how could he be anything else, this prince of pacifists gone to war. The passion that throbbed in his voice drew Treize like a flame.
Zechs swallowed, feeling the nearness of Treize like a wave over his senses. "No," Zechs replied. "I gave to him what I could at the time. We came to an understanding," he added, looking into Treize's eyes. Unconsciously, he moistened his lips with his tongue as he felt a sudden rush of heat.
"Very civilized," Treize remarked softly. He saw Zechs' tongue move out to touch perfect lips, and felt his own desire like a return of thunder. "Will you do the same for me? Of course you will, Zechs, you were always fair. What can you give me?" He reached out and ran his fingertips lightly over Zechs' cheek, down his neck and across his chest. It was far too humbling to think of how much he wanted the other man.
Zechs felt the touch of Treize's fingers alter his breathing once again. His body ached as he reached out and touched Treize's chest, briefly. He then removed his coat and tossed it at the back of a nearby chair. Reaching out, Zechs slid his hand behind Treize's neck, pulling his mouth to his own. He kissed Treize deeply and slowly, building a fire between them.
Heart pounding in his chest, Treize slowly gave up the struggle that still wanted to twist inside him. He slid his arms around the blond and pressed their bodies tightly together. He could feel Zechs' heart beating in counterpoint to his own pulse throbbing in his ears. Closing his eyes, he returned the kiss with every bit of skill he possessed, still fighting to master the raw hunger that threatened his control.
Zechs felt Treize lean against him and slid his fingers into the ginger colored hair. He unfastened the ribbon, freeing it and then massaged Treize's scalp, gently. Deepening the kiss further, Zechs felt moisture on his brow as his temperature soared.
After a short while, Zechs reluctantly broke the kiss. "Come," he half-whispered at Treize's ear. "We can do this better in there." Not waiting for an answer, Zechs took Treize's hand, moving to the bedroom.
Treize allowed himself to be led. Everything felt so strange. The last time they'd been 'together' was long ago, after Zechs' fight with Heero Yuy in Siberia. So much time, so many events, so much emotion. And things that had defined their relationship were changed, gone... He wasn't General Khushrenada, or even Earth's Representative. Zechs was neither a subordinate nor an enemy. The age difference between them mattered less as they got older, not that it had mattered to Treize in the first place. Zechs' personal tragedy and determination had always made him seem older than his years.
He found himself in the spare cottage bedroom. The furniture had been moved, replaced, and moved again, but there was a bed.
Standing next to it, Treize pulled on the hand clasping his and brought Zechs around to face him. He looked into those ice-blue eyes, seeking something, not even he knew what. "You asked me what I wanted... what do you want, Zechs? Or Milliardo..."
"Zechs," the blond pilot replied, reaching up to touch Treize's cheek. "Milliardo is dead. Let him rest in peace." Moving closer, Zechs looked into Treize's blue eyes. "I want you," he said, covering Treize's mouth with his own and kissing him deeply.
Treize returned the kiss as words echoed in his mind. 'Treize is dead,' he thought. Who am I? I thought I was starting to find myself, but now... he shuddered delicately and shoved it all aside. This wasn't time he wanted to waste. His hands began to move over Zechs' clothing, opening his shirt, loosening the fastening of his pants, sliding his hands inside to smooth over that firm flesh, relearning its contours.
Zechs sighed under Treize's touch, feeling the strong fingers touch his skin and excite him in new and profound ways. There was a familiarity and knowledge, but the nervousness and the struggle that was so much apart of their former encounters was gone.
Moving back, slightly, Zechs helped where he could to peel the clothes from his body. He then worked quickly to undress Treize, his eyes and hands caressing every part of his former lover's body with admiration and desire. He smoothed his hand over Treize's hip and around his waist, moving their bodies together. Sliding his arms around Treize's warm body, Zechs held him against him, relishing the feel of skin on skin.
"Mmm, better," he said softly.
There was a boldness in Zechs' touch, which frayed the already-worn edges of Treize's control. He let his eyes roam over the tall blonde's body, noting one or two unfamiliar scars, reacquainting himself with others he knew all to well. As if any mark of battle could mar Zechs' perfection. Hunger clawed at Treize's soul. Bending his neck, he began a trail of hot kisses along one of those well-defined shoulders, lingering, then moving on. He caught the other man's hand and lifted it to his mouth, kissing the inside of his wrist, then the soft, sensitive skin inside the elbow. Then he traced the darker aureole around one nipple, lathing it, then pausing to suckle, feeling thoughts and emotions inside him begin to fall to chaos.
Zechs gasped sharply at the touch of Treize's lips against his skin. He shivered feeling Treize drive him mad as he licked and kissed the sensitive skin of his chest. Opening his mouth, Zechs took in gulps of air as his hands moved around the back of Treize's head holding him tightly.
Finally, he moved Treize back gently. Breathing heavily, he raised Treize's face to his and kissed him deeply. "My god," he whispered, breaking the kiss. "...how can you drive me insane this way? I don't think I will ever have sufficient defenses against you and I no longer seek them."
Moving his hands down Treize's chest and over his stomach, Zechs looked into his eyes seeing things in the blue depths before him that he had never seen before. He was different and so was Treize. Zechs felt a sudden realization hit him. Treize's legendary control, one of the things that Zechs had both admired and loathed, seemed diminished somehow and the implications of what was happening were not lost on him.
Those ice-blue eyes saw far too much, but Treize could do nothing about it. He lifted his hands and for a bare moment held them over Zechs' face, masking its upper half, remembering... Then he dropped his hands and looked. Something shivered through his soul. Without his grand purposes, his work, his mission to insulate him, he felt unprotected. What he was looking at could blind him with the intensity of its beauty.
He pulled Zechs against him and plundered his mouth again, then all but threw both of them onto the bed, which was covered in a simple blanket. His hand moved and he captured Zechs' rigid shaft, curling his fingers around the hot flesh possessively. Bending again, he began licking his way down the middle of the blonde's chest, his tongue roving lower and lower with each swipe.
He saw the bead of liquid form on the tip of the throbbing erection, and leaned over, smearing it with his tongue.
Zechs clenched his teeth together, his whole body tensing at the pleasurable sensations. Looking down, he saw and felt Treize's mouth and strong grip against his aching flesh. Every nerve of his body seemed alive. The cool air in the room gently blew against his skin and the picture of Treize before him took his whatever sanity he possessed away. Reaching down, he combed the ginger colored hair with his fingertips as his body moved with Treize's touch.
Feeling those strong fingers sifting through his hair, Treize took a deep breath and released it. He was memory haunted, ringed with images and impressions from the first time he'd done this with a much younger Zechs. He ran his tongue around the throbbing head of Zechs' cock, probing the slit, and then the underside of the ridge. Slowly and deliberately he licked along the underside all the way to the base, and gently tongued the two orbs in their sac of flesh. Settling one hand around the firm shaft, he began to swallow it slowly, and his head began moving down, then up, then down again.
Zechs felt his breath deepen as Treize moved over him. His hips rocked of their own volition as he felt the warm, wet mouth envelope him. The fingers in Treize's hair gripped a bit harder as Zechs moved. Leaning his head back against the sheets, Zechs moved one hand down to stroke Treize's shoulder as he felt his desire heighten.
Summoning all of his considerable skills, Treize licked and sucked the throbbing flesh he'd captured, coaxing Zechs into a well of pleasure. As he felt the blonde's hips tighten and begin to respond, he slid one hand between Zechs' thighs and ran knowing fingers into the cleft of his hips, focusing on the tightly clenched opening there.
Zechs felt Treize's hands explore his body and fisted the sheets on the bed as he released deep inside the warm cavern of his lover's mouth. He cried out feeling his body shudder with pleasure, then slowly settle. With a great effort, he pulled Treize up against him on the bed and kissed him deeply.
Moving back, Zechs looked into the deep blue eyes before him. He reached up and smoothed some of Treize's hair back away from his face. "I have had many things standing before me. There were things I couldn't see because I was too close to do so. They had a great deal to do with you," he said, moving his hand down Treize's chest, and over the soft skin with firm muscle beneath.
Treize listened to the words, watching Zechs' mouth move. He felt the touch of that strong, callused hand on his skin and it only pushed the heat up. I think an answer is called for, he thought. He couldn't have spoken to save his life. Bending, he ran his tongue along Zechs' jaw line.
Closing his eyes briefly, Zechs smiled. He then moved down to kiss Treize's shoulder and then the valley in his chest. Moving down further, Zechs licked the flat plane of Treize's stomach and inhaled his scent deeply. Wrapping his fingers around Treize's hard cock, Zechs felt an answering response in his body, causing his own flesh to reawaken and stir. Moving back up, he looked into Treize's eyes as his hand stroked the former General's body with long, even movements.
Treize groaned softly, leaning his head back, exposing a stretch of neck. He closed his eyes for a moment, surrendering to the strong, knowing touch. Blind, he thought. I'll go blind if I keep looking at you. Too much, like the sun. Unconsciously, he bent one arm across his face, shielding his eyes. His hips rocked, as the delicious sensations slowly built inside his body.
A corner of Zechs' mouth rose as he watched Treize lean back, accepting his touch. He found himself taking pleasure in the smallest movements of the large man. Bending his head, he kissed Treize's exposed neck, feeling the heat radiating from his body. For a few moments, he tasted Treize's skin, noticing how his actions were causing reactions in Treize. Leaning back, he stroked Treize's thigh with his free hand, feeling the strong muscles under smooth flesh.
Looking down the length of Treize's body, Zechs pale eyes connected and focused on Treize's cock sliding back and forth, disappearing and appearing in his fist. " I missed you," he said, softly, reaching under the soft sac and cupping Treize there for a moment. "I protested a lot, but I did miss you," he said, glancing back up at the former OZ leader, as he felt his own flesh sway slowly. Sliding his hand further down and into the cleft of Treize's body, Zechs felt his breath catch as he gently coaxed the soft orbs apart and rubbed along the small opening.
He felt his other hand slick with the clear lubricating liquid of Treize's body. Briefly, he covered both hands around Treize's cock, moving his heated flesh back and forth with an alternating double-handed grip. "I didn't forget," Zechs said, remembering how Treize had taken him over the edge of pleasure and destroyed his senses.
After a few moments, Zechs slowed the pace and slid his now slick fingers back down and into the warm furrow of Treize's body. He felt Treize's stomach rise and fall rapidly as he paused and allowed his long fingers to coax and slide into the warm, tight sheath. Feeling Treize's body close around his finger, Zechs began pumping his lover within and without.
Biting his lip, Treize arched his back as he was invaded. He reached out and grasped the back of Zechs' neck and brought the blond man's mouth to his own, kissing him urgently, almost brutally as his legs shifted, opening wider. With his other hand, Treize reached unerringly for Zechs' manhood, matching the rhythm of what Zechs was doing to him, even as he worked to hold back his orgasm, with a torturous control that threatened at each moment to shatter.
Zechs lost himself for a moment in the kiss. After a few moments, he regained the rhythm he had set up and felt Treize match him. Soon, he his own cock was hard as well. Moving back, he continued his erotic assault, moving two, then three fingers into Treize's body, stretching him. Moments later, he moved Treize's hand away from his cock and slid his body around to settle between Treize's legs.
Taking his cock in his hand, Zechs guided himself to Treize's entrance and slid inside slowly, joining them together. He closed his eyes at the sensation, then opened them again, looking down at Treize.
Treize shivered, bone-deep, as he felt Zechs push past the ring of muscle and stretch him, filling the tight space inside his body. How easily it seemed to happen this time, and how rarely had Treize allowed it at all. For most of his life there had been so few people he could trust. They'd exchanged roles more than once, but it had been so very long. His hands clamped around Zechs' narrow waist, anchoring to something tensile and substantial. He could not stop himself from searching those ice-blue eyes above him for the slightest hint of triumph but he could find nothing but passion. Pulse thundering in his ears, Treize panted a little, and arched his back a tiny bit more, tilting his hips. His fingers dug into Zechs' flesh, forcing him fractionally deeper.
Zechs felt Treize's hands on his waist and the little tilt, allowing him even deeper into Treize's body, caused him to gasp slightly. He leaned over Treize and kissed him deeply, before sliding nearly all the way out, then back inside of warm, tight sheath. Moistening his lips with his tongue, Zechs began rocking in earnest, setting up yet another tempo. Soon, his body took over and Zechs moved deeply inside Treize. He felt the heat flare between them as their bodies impacted over and over again. Angling his body, Zechs moved until he felt Treize respond beneath him. Understanding all too well, Zechs found the pleasure center inside Treize and moved against it.
The movement pushed Treize into seldom-trod territory and he gasped, head tilting back on that strong, fine neck as his eyes closed involuntarily. With each stroke the pulse of pleasure increased, testing sanity. With each test, Treize felt as if part of his past cracked and fell away from him, like disintegrating armor which he'd worn so long he could not remember when it became a part of him, nor could he understand its weight as each piece seemed to fall away.
He swallowed a cry, then bit back the next, but the fourth stroke submerged him in waves of pleasure so deep he did not even hear the half-groan half-sob that escaped from his open mouth. The fifth stroke broke something deep within him, deafening him to the last, naked, vulnerable cry that rang from his throat like a clarion.
Zechs heard each exclamation vibrate through him in waves. Treize's last cry pushed his senses up and over the edge as Zechs felt himself release deep inside Treize, holding onto the former General with both hands. He leaned over and kissed Treize deeply, knowing without a doubt that he had given his all.
As Zechs came inside his body, Treize shuddered hard, spilling his own seed between them, his every nerve so exquisitely primed that he almost flinched from the kiss, then plunged into it like a suicide into the deepest river with the swiftest current.
His body eased slowly, and Treize felt himself floating, drifting, conscious of the body next to his, the hands holding him in a firm grip, the flesh and muscle under his own fingers, the warm breath, the unique taste, the brush of silken strands on his skin... but little else. If asked at that moment who he was, he could not have answered.
When their mouths finally drifted apart, his eyes opened slowly, almost reluctantly. I'll go blind looking at that beauty, he remembered thinking sometime, but not when. And later still, as his consciousness began to regroup, he realized how completely he'd given to the ferociously beautiful warrior leaning against him and a combination of burning relief and soul-deep fear woke in his heart.
Zechs took long, even breaths as he felt himself slowly settle. Mentally, he tried to remember each touch, each sensation for the future. Opening his eyes, he saw Treize's face and the expression caused his heart to skip a beat. He tried to look away, certain that he was staring, but found that he could not. He brushed Treize's face with the back of his hand, reluctant to move away.
Finally, after a moment, he remembered what had happened before they came to bed.
"What is it?" Zechs said, looking into Treize's eyes.
The question startled Treize, and he placed one hand over his eyes for a moment, to break the intangible line that was somehow penetrating every defense to clutch at his emotions.
The appropriate lies came to his lips but the damnable things would not obey. Instead they pressed together, to cover a betraying tremble.
Treize swallowed and tried again, forcing words past his lips, but not the ones he wanted. "Who are you?" he said. With luck, the angel looking at him with those penetrating eyes would not realize that Treize was asking himself that question, not Zechs, nor did he have an answer.
Zechs frowned slightly, startled at the words, definitely, but the expression on Treize's face shook him more. A thousand recriminations rose within him, but Zechs held them all at bay. Pushing through his personal anguish, he found recognition in the simple words that Treize spoke.
"I think I understand," he said. "I don't know if this will help you, but we believe ourselves to be only the names and labels we've been called all our lives. The truth is we are who we choose ourselves to be." Zechs then took Treize's hand and placed it on his chest. "In here, you will always be Treize Khushrenada. The man with the greatest love for humanity and beauty in the world. The man who took me in this place and awakened my body and soul." Raising the hand to his lips, Zechs kissed Treize's fingers and then gave him time and space.
Treize closed his eyes briefly. "That man is dead. He died with honor," he said quietly. Then something flashed in his eyes and his lips moved before he could stop the words. "Didn't he?"
Zechs sighed deeply, considering the words. "Yes, he did," he said quietly. "That is the way he will be remembered."
Treize closed his eyes, with a combination of relief and a sense of vulnerability. He opened them a moment later. This time he sought Zechs' gaze, looking deeply and directly into his eyes as he had done so many times in the past.
"We were princes of the world together, my dearest friend," Treize said softly. "We spent so much time discussing how best to order it - the mistakes we wouldn't make, the injustices we would make right, the purity of our motives and causes... we forged our holy alliance... and then fought our holy war. And around us, those with the purest motives of all - no motive but the will to fight - paid prices and lost battles and refused to buckle. And beside me, or across from me, you were always the one thing I could depend on."
Zechs closed his eyes, briefly as he felt a stab of pain constrict his chest. Opening them again, he looked down at Treize thinking, Yes, time to pay what you owe. "Up to a point, I guess," he said.
Treize's hand moved, with the speed and precision Zechs remembered, fastening on his shoulder with a grip of steel. "Always," Treize breathed. "Every minute of every day and night. You still don't understand. I mourned you for a year, and every time that beautiful boy pleased me, I punished him for not being you... not saving you... not letting me join you where I thought you would be waiting, where we could finally leave the battle and find each other."
It cost Treize more than he could measure to say those words, and clear liquid escaped blue eyes as his lids closed and his hand relaxed. For a second time in his life, he was ready to die, but this time he knew that release was not going to be forthcoming.
Zechs felt the words pour over him with a mixture of pain and finally shock. He felt himself move from feeling regret for every negative thought he'd had about Treize to the realization that Treize had admitted he cared for him. Damned, Zechs thought in regards to himself. But this time, there was only mirth at himself and no recrimination.
Looking down at Treize, he nodded inwardly as he studied the beautiful, proud man in his arms. So, I guess I'm not alone, he thought, reaching up to touch Treize's face. He then opened his mouth to speak and closed it.
Leaning down, Zechs kissed Treize's lips, tenderly with a quiet reverence. Tilting his head slightly, he kissed Treize again, this time with a little more pressure. Closing his eyes, he traced the curve of Treize's mouth with his tongue, lingering there to gently part his lips. Sliding his tongue deeply into the warmth of Treize's mouth, Zechs felt his body settle once again as his hands traced the angles of the former General's sides.
Treize startled, feeling Zechs' lips press against his own, but he acquiesced, even as his blown personality began pulling its pieces together slowly. He kept his mouth pressed to Zechs, but his body shifted, and his arms pressed back, allowing him to sit up slightly. When he felt marginally secure and able to control his body, he leaned back, breaking the kiss. He looked into Zechs eyes, then his lids dropped, before he looked back up. "I've probably either embarrassed you, or given you a crippling advantage," he said, regaining a percentage of control over his meticulously accented speech.
Zechs felt Treize shift on the bed and simply held on to him. As Treize broke the kiss, his eyes opened slowly, focused on the slightly swollen lips in front of him, then looked up, caught once again in a pool of blue. There was a moment or two of confusion when Treize looked down and a bit of shock as the words penetrated Zechs' mind.
Pale eyebrows knitted together briefly, then smoothed as Zechs looked up again. Experience had given him the answer to what was happening, but it didn't diminish the slight sense of loss. "Embarrassed, no," he said, hearing his voice clearer than he would have given himself credit for, "...a crippling advantage?" he continued, then shrugged. Taking a calming breath, he looked into Treize's eyes. "Do you believe I would attempt to cripple you?" he asked, before he could think.
Treize blinked, and then the faintest wash of color touched his cheeks. Helplessly, he tried to clear the lump in his throat. Blind... I'll go blind...
"No," he whispered. "But... you already have..."
Zechs wondered for a moment, what he had done, then he nodded. "I understand," he said, feeling a sense of his old strength return. He reached up and took Treize's face in his hand. "You... enjoyed it," he said. "After those times, and here in this place, when you destroyed me with pleasure... You're telling me that I...you..." he added, then simply reached out and hugged Treize hard. Moving back, he looked at Treize. "I'm done with competing."
Treize stilled in the embrace, struggling for comprehension. "Done... but... how... how else can we... can I... control what is inside me..." the words tumbled out, and then he shook his head sharply. His hands found Zechs' shoulders and gripped them tightly as he rose a little higher, his blue eyes taking flame. "You... understand, do you, Milliardo? I pray to the gods you do..."
He pushed the blond back against the bed and seized his lips in a kiss. It wasn't refined, or skilled. It was mad and hungry and it burned. As his tongue thrust deeper and deeper into Zechs' mouth, a deep shudder ran through Treize body as if something long controlled was struggling to get out.
Zechs felt the intensity and the fire and rose to meet it. He sucked hungrily on Treize's tongue, relishing the touch. After a small eternity, he leaned his head back, breaking the kiss. Looking up at Treize, he felt a passion burn deep within him. His eyelids drooped lazily as he looked back up at Treize. "Is that it?" he panted, feeling them both on the edge of something and more than just willing to go all the way.
His only answer was a feral growl. Another shudder moved through Treize, shaking his shoulders with its force. His head bent and his mouth fastened on Zechs' throat with a savage appetite, as his fingers continued to dig into flesh and muscle.
Zechs felt the bruising kiss at his neck and the grip of steel on his shoulders. Closing his eyes, he leaned his neck back, giving Treize more. His breath came in short, deep gasps as he felt his cock hard and aching. Swallowing, Zechs reached up and slid his fingers into Treize's hair, gripping the ginger strands roughly. Slowly, he pulled Treize back and locked his lips onto Treize's for another wild kiss, before breaking it and turning his head to allow the former OZ leader his way with the opposite side of his neck.
Treize pressed Zechs back into the bed and went for the offered expanse of pale skin. His hands released Zechs' shoulders, leaving their imprint, and moved across his chest, devouring with touch. His fingers found the quickly-firming nipples and fastened there, testing, pinching, as his strong teeth grazed the blonde's neck and then moved down, taking possession of one then the other nub of flesh with lips and tongue. One hand snaked down to capture Zechs' manhood in a demanding grip.
Zechs leaned his head back into the sheets as his mouth opened wide to take in a large gasp of air. His body was on fire from the Treize's touch. He couldn't manage to suppress a moan as he felt Treize grip his cock, causing him to shudder deeply.
Treize's head lifted, as he licked his lips, his hair falling in disarray around his face, eyes wide and a little unfocused. He felt the response in Zechs' body, but he was past using the knowledge, past thinking, and he pushed Zechs' thighs apart roughly and moved between them. His own cock was straining at the ready, and he reached between them and smeared the little bit of precum against Zechs' opening, following with a savage, or desperate thrust, for once not taking the time to let the other man adjust as he buried himself deeply with a strangled half-sob.
Zechs' back arched as he felt Treize suddenly inside of him. Tilting his hips up and forward, he gripped the sheets on the bed, impaling himself deeper. His body was covered in a fine sheen of moisture as he felt the pleasure and pain blend into one. His pale blue eyes blinked open and he looked up at the ceiling of the room, before looking down his body to see Treize above him. There was no resistance.
Treize's eyes half-closed as he felt Zechs rise to meet him. He lifted himself on his arms and began thrusting, seized in the grip of a primal need that was as much fueled by love as by fear. Instinct alone guided his hips to seek the angle that would wring matching pleasure from the man below him. His muscles reacted to the emotions roiling inside him and each impact rocked them both and shook the sturdy bed-frame as well. But even as his body took over, his eyes found and focused on those ice-blue ones, promising, begging, swearing, pleading silently.
Zechs trembled with each thrust, as he felt a need fulfilled deep inside of his heart. The motion, the impact gave him such a sense of completion that he was left wondering how it could be so. He saw the look in Treize's eyes above him and he licked his lips, feeling one of his eyebrows arch as he said, "Harder."
Treize reared back, pushing Zechs knees further apart and up as his body answered the word like a command. The shift centered him even more squarely and the next thrust hit the blonde's sweet spot with unfettered force.
Zechs growled deeply, his deep voice filling the room, as he felt Treize drive into his body. Whatever control he might have had dissolved as his body took over, and moved with Treize's rhythm. Three strokes later, Zechs cried out as his body tensed and he released, his essence spilling into the air and over his stomach. His eyes squeezed shut as he felt the orgasm rock him.
Treize gasped, and he leaned over the blond, as his hips refused to still. "Thought... you were... dead, you... beautiful bastard!" And at last his body released, deep inside the warm sheath of Zechs' body. Treize threw his head back, swallowing a soft whimper and then slid down, covering the other man with his body.
Zechs felt the weight of Treize's body cover his and he looked up, unable to speak as small tremors fluttered through his body. With one, trembling hand he stroked Treize's back and attempted to regain some of his sanity back.
Treize relaxed slowly, and completely. The soft stroking on his back seemed to have some amazing power. After a little while, Zechs could feel the slight tremors that shook Treize's body. They eased and the young man lifted himself slightly, until he could move beside the blond. He reached up and brushed strands of silvery silk back from Zechs' face.
Zechs swallowed, feeling his body suddenly cooled by the loss of Treize's heat. Looking up at him, he said in a voice made more raspy by their activities, "Y...you killed me."
Treize's eyebrows drew together. "Wh..what?"
Swallowing once again, Zechs tried a second time. He looked up into Treize's eyes for emphasis. "You.... killed me...with ... your...cock and I'm dead," slowly and succinctly. Then, he smiled. "Crude, isn't it? Guess I've been hanging out with the Gundam pilots too long."
Treize's eyes widened in shock, and then suddenly a laugh bubbled out from some unknown wellspring. He leaned his head against Zechs' chest and shook, unable to reach coherency for a number of minutes.
Zechs found himself chuckling as well as he held Treize against his chest. "Laughter is a good thing," he said, quietly, stroking the ginger colored hair. "Did you actually believe I had some kind of defense against your.... touch?"
Treize shook his head, quieting slowly. He leaned back and wiped moisture from the corners of his eyes. Then he looked at Zechs. "Yes. Yes I did believe you had some kind of defense... against... me. You're going to wish you had."
Zechs' eyebrows raised and the smile on his face widened. "Why dear Khushrenada, why would I ever wish that?" he asked.
Treize continued to look into those ice-blue eyes, recklessly. Very well, I'll go blind. Sight is over-rated. "Because," he said quietly. "Because I think.. I think perhaps my honor died with General Treize Khushrenada. And without it, I'm simply a bastard with an intellect and an ego. And I... after tonight I will dog your steps till the day you die, and then I'll find a way to follow you there."
Zechs felt his chest constrict suddenly as he listened to each word that Treize spoke with rapt attention. Once Treize was finished, Zechs realized that he was staring at Treize's mouth, panting. He's got a face, look up, Zechs! he told himself. Ice blue eyes lifted until they gradually found deep blue ones. "That," he said, "Is what I want! Honor is a sorry bed mate." Closing the short distance between them, Zechs kissed Treize deeply, as if his life depended on it.
Treize eyes widened and then he found himself being kissed. He didn't... he doesn't understand! he thought, but his arms acted, moving around the blonde's solid, graceful body possessively.
A little while later, he found himself watching Zechs as they rested. Truth to be told, his eyes would not have obeyed an order to look away. He felt confused, a touch embarrassed, and dire warnings were sounding silently in his head, but somehow at the same time, there was an odd vibration in his chest that hadn't been there in a long time... since... since....
"How the hell did he know?" he mused out loud, remembering an expression in ebony eyes. Then he shook his head. He knew the answer. Sighing deeply, Treize propped his head on one arm.
"What do we do now?" he said, this time speaking both to Zechs and to himself, and maybe to whatever demented god had taken it upon himself to watch over an ex-warrior.
"We just live," Zechs replied. "This time, however, the battles will be on a more manageable scale.... hopefully. And this time, no life sacrifices for the greater good. I think we forgot to include our lives in the last plans. Time to be selfish that way."
Treize listened to this and shook his head silently. You'll be the first to break that rule, he thought. "I can't stay on Earth. I'm overdue as it is. My new friends are probably certain I'm selling all their secrets at this moment."
Zechs frowned. "Excuse me while I have a moment," he said. "Fuck! Ok, the moment's over. I don't suppose they'd appreciate a Preventer hanging around either. Although, I could let them know you were participating in a Preventer investigation....hmm." Zechs then shook his head. "How long will you be with them?"
One slightly forked eyebrow lifted slightly. "I don't know," Treize said. "Until we figure out the secrets of the universe?" He smiled slightly and then sobered. "Resign."
"Sure," Zechs said, "I can have my notice to Lady Une in ten minutes.. or less."
The other eyebrow lifted. Hmmm. Something was certainly different.
"She'll refuse, and put you on 'detached service'," Treize predicted. "I would. But how many assignments do they have on a regular basis that require your particular talents? Not many, I should hope. Otherwise your little sister isn't doing her job right."
"Exactly," Zechs agreed. "Not that many assignments that require me. If your employers object to your blond shadow hanging around, the other alternative is for me to find a place on the nearest colony or satellite."
Treize sat up. "You truly mean this?"
"Yes, I mean this," Zechs said, "So what's the nearest Colony?"
"Forget that. You have just become necessary to my work. Period," Treize said. "You might even find it interesting. I'm working with Professor G and the Sweepers, salvaging the remains of your former foe, the Extra Solar Entity."
Zechs shook his head. "Fine with me," he said, "I can stand and hold things for you, or whatever. They are paying you, right?"
Treize titled his head. "I forgot to ask. And Zechs, get over yourself. You will be doing more than that. You have a fine brain and I have every intention of making you use it for something besides nourishing your amazing mane."
Zechs laughed. "Ok," he said, holding up a hand. "Great. First things first. I resign, then we can fly. When we get there, you're going through contract negotiations. You have a big brain, too. They have resources. They can pay you for your time."
"You'd really be lost without a crusade of some kind, wouldn't you?" Treize said, with a sly smile.
"I'd be utterly pathetic. I know. I've been trying to make some up and it's just...weird. This will be a fine opportunity for me. It has all the required elements including enlightened self-interest. In other words, I get to bargain for your salary and perhaps mine as well. Your employers get a happy, motivated pair who have experience working together on huge projects. Or, to put it another way, I get to meddle in your affairs and sleep with you to boot. It's a winning plan for me," Zechs said.
Treize laughed, looking as if he'd dropped a decade or two of the years he had aged in the last two.
-owari-
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bonnejeanne & von
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