04-Mar-2004
Title: Absolute Power IV
Author: Christine
Email: Devilkitty@speakeasy.net
Pairing: 6x6, 13x5, 13x6, 13x2, 6x2
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: PWPish AU, Sex, Language, violence, NSC.
Treize walked into the pets' holding area unannounced. He didn't bother to raise the lights immediately because he wanted to see how he would find his captives. He wasn't surprised that when the lights went on, Duo scrambled out of the middle of the other two and got as far away from them as possible, trembling uncontrollably because he had been found sleeping with them.
"Nothing to worry about," Treize lied smoothly. "I... "
"Don't bother," Zechs said softly. "Don't lie to us. Give us that much credit."
"Bold since your brother isn't around?" Treize asked him, amused.
Zechs flushed with embarrassment, but still glared at him with a stubborn expression on his face. "You don't think that it was amusing do you, what happened? He does."
"Be that as it may, I am here now and I am not amused by your attitude either," Treize told him silkily. He let Zechs understand his meaning and was satisfied when his eyes dropped to the floor, submitting to him so that his friend wouldn't be punished.
"Khushrenada... " Wufei started and then stopped at the soft whine that Duo made. He and Zechs looked over at Duo, disturbed at his obvious panic. His eyes were opened wide and wild and he was shaking his head frantically, trying to make them stop talking to Khushrenada, it seemed.
"You bastard... " Wufei whispered. Duo had been the bravest of them all, willing to take insane chances for the cause and now he had been reduced to a quivering mass of fear because of what had been done to him.
Treize looked slightly shaken at the pitiful sight in front of him. The pilot frantic with fear and it wasn't as satisfying as he thought it would be. It seemed that time hadn't dimmed his memory, even though it had been a couple of days since that unfortunate incident. He was terrified of him and that was both sweet and disturbing. Why was he still panicky? That lesson should just be a hazy, but important memory by now.
"Pilot02 I realized that I have been neglectful of you in that past. I haven't bothered to teach you all the tricks that a good whore-pilot should know. All the ones that I had Wufei and Zechs learn to please me," Treize told him. "The ones that might make you useful enough to keep around. You showed me the last time that you did not play well and that is making me think that I... we are having second thoughts about keeping you around."
Treize wasn't surprised to see the shudder that shook Maxwell's body, nor that the fear never left his eyes, even as he slowly came towards him. The pilot would obey him now if it killed him, so maybe that lesson had been a good thing. He didn't have to worry now about any little tricks that he might pull or that Wufei and Zechs would continue to dote on him.
"The last time that I had you... it was like taking a corpse. Dull and boring," Treize drawled.
Duo looked blankly at him, unable to form a response to his taunt, it seemed.
"Khushrenada, he's torn. If you insist on this, he will get infected," Wufei hissed at him. He was angry that Khushrenada didn't understand what the problem was. He had shown Zechs and him that their opinion didn't matter, but to taunt Duo when he was so hurt was wrong. It was cruel and showed him that Khushrenada did not regard them as anything more then toys. He knew that it was true, but did Khushrenada know what he sounded like?
"You are doing it again," Treize reminded him gently.
Wufei flushed. "He's... don't do this!" Don't act so base as to torment a wounded enemy. Duo is hurt because he stood up to you, stopped you from hurting me. Why are you punishing him still for that?
"Are things so quiet in your life that you have to ape my brother?" Zechs rudely asked him. Wufei was letting his common sense be over ruled by his heart. Protesting anything done to Duo would result in making it worse for him. They had to do something else to keep Khushrenada's attention off of Duo. Making him angry with them would be a better tactic. "Or have you decided that pulling the wings off of flies isn't entertaining enough?" he drawled.
Treize looked over at his other pets. "Your brother is on one of the colonies in the L3 sector, showing the Bartons that it is not a good thing to anger us. I assure you that he is doing more damage there then what you are accusing me of."
"My brother is a man that lets his passions control him," Zechs said softly. "You... you are not such a man."
"If you two are quite through... ?" Treize asked in a bored tone. They were defying him and he couldn't understand why! Wufei had proclaimed that he was owned by him and Zechs was now a slut that opened his legs for him as readily as his brother. With the drugs that they were on, they should be able to argue with him like this. "If it continues... well you do know the rules."
"Duo hasn't been eating," Zechs said quietly. "He can't really, between the injury to his throat and the tearing you caused."
Treize looked at him, surprised. Was the pilot more injured then he thought? Why wasn't Tardif feeding Maxwell? The man knew that all the drugs that the pilots were on were in their food, which was what kept them in line, so why wasn't he doing his job?
Wufei saw his expression and snarled, "Do you think that we're idiots! We know that the drugs are in the food. Duo isn't drugged up now. That is why he's so frightened."
"Tardif should have... " Treize started, before he realized that was admitting his treatment of the pilots. Why hadn't he been told of this? That would explain a lot about 02. He wasn't like the others because his sense of reality hadn't been altered as theirs had been.
"Khushrenada, Duo can't eat solid food right now," Zechs told him. "He also hasn't been eating a lot before this, he can't keep it down at times. That might be the reason why that he hasn't been... "
"Before you take it out on Tardif, the man isn't stupid. He saw the damage and knew that solid food would risk an infection with Duo. Do you realize how much you hurt him?" Wufei continued. "He isn't like us... he's still not... "
Treize cut Wufei off, not wanting to hear the rest of his sentence. His pet wasn't broken. He had merely adjusted well to his captivity. "You are still being rude and willful. You know what that means. Do you think that Maxwell can stand to be punished for you rudeness now, on top of his other injuries?"
"Duo didn't want me to get hurt, which is why he said the things that he did," Wufei told him angrily. "He was trying to protect me from you and not the other way around."
"He was trying to protect you?" Treize asked, amused. "Was that was happened?"
"You wanted to trick him... you shouldn't do that... " Duo said dully. If he was going to get punished, he should at least tell Khushrenada what he thought instead of having the other two do so.
"None of you have a say in what I say or do," Treize informed them coolly. He was furious. They were supposed to be docile and obedient. The medication that he had mixed in with their food should have reduced them to mindless pets for his and Mirialdo's pleasure. However they were all arguing with him right now and that was most annoying!
"He trusts you... " Duo protested. "You shouldn't do things that would make him not trust you."
Treize was suddenly amused by Maxwell's arguing with him, which was the only reason that he was not punishing the boy for doing so. Also Maxwell seemed to understand that he was going to be punished if the other two protected him. Treize was surprised that the boy was frightened of him, but was still willing to try and protect his friends, even if he got hurt because of it. "And why is that?"
"Wufei trusted you enough to know that you wouldn't actually hurt him, even if you were really mad. That... that's why he didn't fight you the other day. He could of stopped you and he didn't. That's why you shouldn't make him not trust you," Duo didn't mention what happened after that. He had been hurt because he wouldn't play along with the game. It had frightened him and he still ached. Tardif told him that he would heal up again, but Duo wondered when the next time would be. There was always a next time. He didn't doubt that when Peacecraft came back from L3 that he would hurt him before or after he fucked Zechs. He just hoped that he wouldn't get too injured, so that he could eat something and let the drugs could kick in and make him forget the nasty details.
"You could have fought back?" Treize asked curiously.
Wufei flushed. "I could have snapped your neck as you were throwing me to the floor. As it was, I cushioned our fall so that you wouldn't get hurt. I let you fuck me. You know that. You've known that since the beginning when I surrendered to you the first time, when you showed my how weak I was, that I was the defeated one in our fight and that all I was good for was being fucked."
Treize looked at all of them, studying them carefully. There was a hint of the fighters that they used to be still. The fire was still there. He knew that because of the absurd way that tried to protect each other. Wufei had submitted to him in the beginning, but that didn't mean that he was defeated. He shouldn't forget that little fact. Just because Zechs was a slut now, didn't mean that the man wouldn't fight for what he thought was right. The drugs hadn't affected them that much. He would have to do something about that in the future. Something a bit more visible for them, a reminder of what they were now, instead of what they had been or what they thought they were.
"Wufei... Zechs... show me what good little pets you are now. How good you are... well if you satisfy me, then your friend won't have to," Treize told them.
Wufei and Zechs looked at each other, happy that Khushrenada was being more reasonable then they thought he would be. It wouldn't be difficult to please the man so that he would leave Duo alone, he had taught them all the things that he enjoyed. It was nothing to swallow his pride and service this man like a common whore if it protected Duo. Besides, what Khushrenada thought was humiliating, was now very enjoyable for him.
Wufei crawled over to Khushrenada and carefully spread his ass checks, giving his owner a chance to order him to stop. When it didn't happen, he fervently started to slurp the valley in there. He liked rimming Khushrenada, since it wrung the most interesting sounds from the man. He buried his face in the man's ass, eager to taste him, to show him how good he was with his tongue.
Treize moaned when he felt Wufei's tongue in his ass. That was the only kind of penetration that he allowed, the tip of his dragon's tongue. Zechs crawled up to him, nuzzling his balls with his face before starting to suckling him. Treize felt that he couldn't call it anything else, it felt like Zechs was nursing on his penis then giving him a blow job. Not that he minded it. Both pilots were now enormously talented with their mouths, thanks to his training. He fisted Zechs's hair and just let his pets play with him. He knew that they would work very hard to make sure that their friend was safe from him. Treize drifted, enjoying the hot mouths that were working so hard to satisfy him. He didn't want to come this way though; he wanted to bury himself in Wufei's tight body.
"Do you want to be taken, my dragon?" Treize asked. He knew what his little pet would tell him, he shouldn't have even bothered to ask the question. Wufei wanted someone in him most of the time it seemed.
Wufei pulled his head back. "Yesss," he breathed. This was working out for them, Khushrenada wanted him and not Duo. He would be rewarded twofold, Duo would be untouched this time and he would be ridden by his owner.
"Then get beside me to be ridden, my little slut-dragon," Treize told him.
Wufei scrambled to get into position. He was hard and wanted to be filled. He whined when he felt Khushrenada prep him, stretching him so that he could be taken. He wondered about Zechs. Wondered what he would be doing while this was happening and didn't care. So long as Duo was left alone, that was the important thing. Khushrenada showing that he was his owner by the use of him was a separate matter from protecting Duo and was one that he enjoyed experiencing again and again.
Treize prepared Wufei and then pulled Zechs off his cock. The blonde looked dazed and unconsciously licked his lips. Still trying to taste him it seemed. "Suck on Zechs Wufei, he was very good. He deserves to have your hot mouth on him."
Zechs moved so that he was in front of Wufei, thrusting out his hard cock for him. He knew that Wufei enjoyed sucking cock and they had spent many delightful hours practicing the art of it under the eyes of their owners, learning all that they could from each other to please them.
Wufei opened his mouth, swallowing Zechs up to the root in one gulp. He relaxed his throat and ass, aware that he was just being used by both men and liking it. He was the whore that Khushrenada called him to want to suck off his friend while be fucked by his owner. But Khushrenada was stoking his hips and chest as he rocked behind him, touching him in all the right places, making him feel good all over. Zechs was filling his mouth, hitting the back of his throat and Wufei was proud that it didn't make him gag. He greedily nursed on his friend, knowing that his reward would be the marvelous taste of his come in his mouth. He moaned when Khushrenada found that fantastic place in him, the place that made it a joy to be used and made him weak, let him be Khushrenada's pet. The thought of being owned, being claimed yet again, was the thought made him come then, spilling his load on the floor. Zechs came soon after that, letting him swallow his semen, making him gulp it down like it was ambrosia. It was to him, as good as the semen that was filling his ass, when he felt his shudders of pleasure that Khushrenada made as he came.
Zechs grasped Wufei'e head, just wanting to keep shoving his cock down his throat. He knew that Wufei could take it, loved deep throating cock in fact. Wufei enjoyed being 'forced', being held while his mouth worked its magic. He threw back his head and moaned loudly, knowing that nothing mattered now but that Khushrenada was happy and Wufei was trying to suck his brains out of his cock. He wasn't fighting the pleasure that he was feeling and leaned over to kiss Khushrenada when he leaned into him. Khushrenada's kisses weren't as demanding as his brother's, but the man made you know that you had been kissed. He whimpered, flooding Wufei's mouth with his seed as he ravenously sucked on him, the pressure just short of hurting him. It was the way that he liked it and Wufei knew that and gave him this aching gratification, like he needed it.
Treize was aware of the picture that this made for Maxwell. Wufei on his hands and knees, being fucked by him, while sucking off Zechs. He wasn't unaware that it was flashback to the scene that they had had with him a couple of days ago. This was different though. Wufei's moans of pleasure were muffled by Zechs's thick cock, which he was sucking on like it would be his last. His dragon was hard and moving with them, letting them do whatever they wanted to him, enjoying the fact that his ass and mouth was filled. Treize leaned over to kiss Zechs, swallowing his moans as they kissed, knowing that he had come when he groaned into his mouth. Treize flung his head back and thrust harder into Wufei, knowing that he was on the edge and his pet came for him, shaking from the pleasure as he started to empty his seed into his pet.
He barely was done when he pulled out of the boy. "Lie down Zechs, you deserve a ride too," he announced. He was soft, but a few minutes rest would take care of that. It would be unfair to take Wufei and not Zechs when they had both worked so hard to please him.
Zechs rolled on his back and spread out his legs, holding his thighs wide. He was eager to feel Khushrenada in him. It wouldn't be his twin, but it would be enough until his brother came back and showed him that he owned him. Zechs knew that his brother would fuck him for hours when he got back, drunk on the destruction that he caused in the L3 sector. He wanted that. Wanted to have Mirialdo pin him to the floor and ride him hard and fast, wringing orgasm after orgasm out of him with his brutal handling of his body. He hardened at the thought.
"Stretch yourself," Treize ordered him, tossing a tube of lube at him
Zechs caught the tube and opened it with one hand, spreading the gel on his opening before putting it down. Treize was captivated watching Zechs, seeing that he was excited still. The man teasingly played with his opening for a minute before slowly inserting two fingers and then slowly scissoring them, stretching his opening and groaning with pleasure. Treize knew that Zechs adored assplay. He let him amuse himself around for a couple of minutes, knowing that Zechs wanted to do so, wanted to put on show for him. He slowly stoked his cock, lubing it up so that he could enter Zechs easily.
"Stop," he ordered hoarsely.
Zechs stopped and then grabbed both heels to spread his legs up and back so that Treize could fuck him. Treize knelt over him for a second, before sliding into his body. As usual, Zechs was hot and willing, whining as he filled him. He waited for a couple of breaths, letting Zechs adjust to him before pulling out slowly and plunging back into him. Zechs arched his back, gasping with pleasure.
"Play with yourself, dragon," Treize told Wufei.
Wufei grasped his hardening cock, stoking it in time to the thrusts that Khushrenada was making. He slowly inserted two fingers from his other hand up his ass, knowing the Khushrenada was watching him. He groaned, and noticed that Zechs turned to face him, licking his lips when he saw how close his cock was to his face. Close, but not close enough to tasted or play with, teasing him that way, because he could.
"Watching you is as good as taking you," Khushrenada growled, knowing what game Wufei was playing with Zechs.
Wufei crouched by Zechs's head, letting him watch him play with himself for Khushrenada's pleasure as he fucked Zechs. Wufei stroked his cock harder, even as he worked his fingers deeper into his opening, slick with Khushrenada's come and lube. Zechs sounded so sensuous and sexy as Khushrenada took him, throwing Zechs's legs over his shoulder and just thrusting tirelessly into him. Wufei still tasted Zechs in his mouth and that was good. Wufei knew that he should be ashamed that he had just sucked off a friend, because he had been ordered to. That he had done it so often that he knew that way that Zechs liked his cock sucked and did it that way to give him the greatest joy, was something that he shouldn't be proud of, but ashamed. He wasn't though, he was as proud as all the whorish skills that Khushrenada had taught him as he was of his talent for piloting a Gundam.
"Taking is the best," Wufei commented dreamily as he played with his ass. He had found the good place again and was slowly stoking it, adding his moans to the sounds that Khushrenada and Zechs were making.
Treize was amazed that Zechs was still tight and clinging, even after taking his brother's cock as often as he had. It was heavenly to sink into his heat, feel his limbs slowly wrap around him as he writhed shamelessly in his desire, "Want this now, don't you?"
Zechs gasped, "Fuck me." That was all the mattered. Everything else was forgotten as Khushrenada filled him, gave him pleasure and would eventually let him come.
Treize laughed, it was all the answer that he was going to get. He felt Zechs's shaft bounce between the two of them, hard and weeping as if had hadn't come only minutes ago. Zechs wanted him, wanted his cock and the ecstasy that it gave him.
"So crude... " Treize teased him. "Mirialdo has been a bad influence on you." There was a certain crudity about the Prince of Sanq that was at odds with his elegant appearance. Thankfully that only came out behind closed doors, in the bedroom where such things were accepted.
Zechs didn't answer, but moaned sensually, tightening his opening on Khushrenada's next stroke, knowing that would drive the man insane.
"Tease!" Treize told him. Zechs was filled with little tricks like that, not that it mattered to his brother. Mirialdo was unsophisticated in his lovemaking, preferring domination and brutality to the gentler methods, seduction and teasing. He adored and made frequent use Zechs's talented ass and mouth, even if his brother didn't and had showed him any number of tricks that would make the man a would class courtesan, just to please him.
Zechs just smiled languidly, letting his head fall back and arching his back to take Treize deeper. He eyed Wufei's cock longingly, but doubted that he would get a taste of it today.
"Greedy... " Treize commented, thrusting slowly. He wanted to take his time with the man. Zechs had that affect on him at times, wanting it slow and sensuous, savoring his body was if it was the finest wine. Zechs should know that there was more to sex then being rolled over like a common whore mounted, no matter how much he enjoyed that with his brother.
"And you are not?" Zechs moaned.
Treize didn't answer him, but leaned over to start to lick Zechs's neck. Zechs moaned again, starting to rock gently with Khushrenada, wanting to draw out this as long as possible. Khushrenada was a nice change of pace from his brother, willing to take his time to grasp the prize. He started to stroke his back, falling under the spell that the man was weaving. Slow, leisurely thrusts that weren't quite enough yet to make him come, but felt very good. A slow build up to an exquisite release for the both of them.
"Slow down Wufei," Treize commanded. "Time... all the time in the world for you to cover Zechs with your come."
"Yesss," Wufei whined, starting to slow down the rough strokes that he had been giving himself inside and out. He had been close and Treize had seen it. He was amazed that he had been able to pull back. But he had been given an order and he would follow it. He pulled his fingers out of his ass, playing with that spot would drive him over the edge before he was allowed.
"Good pet," Treize murmured, before turning his attention back to teasing Zechs.
The sound of flesh sliding over flesh, with the occasional moan was the only thing that was heard for a time. Treize teetered on the edge, slowly increasing the pace and force of his strokes as time went on. There was only so much pleasure that even he could stand. He looked knew that Wufei was fighting not to come, sweat shining on his contorted face. Treize was unaware how long Wufei had been fighting the urge to come and was proud of his discipline to fight it off as long as he had. The pride in owning such an obedient pet triggered his own orgasm and he thrust deeply into Zechs, throwing his head back so that he wouldn't be in the line of the spray, shouting, "Come pet."
Wufei shuddered and whined, showering Zechs with his come, swearing the he poured gallons onto the man as he convulsed over him. He franticly milked his cock to get all of it on his friend, as he came, wanting to cover Zechs as much as possible.
Zechs silently climaxed. He trembled uncontrollably in his orgasm while Treize tried to jam his body deeper into him, filling him with his come. It wasn't the screaming orgasm that his brother wrung from him, but more of a small sigh. No less pleasant, he moaned softly as he felt Wufei come on him, mixing their seed together.
Treize gently pulled out of Zechs. He felt good now. It was pleasant to play with Zechs and Wufei alone, even if Maxwell was still being troublesome. He looked down at Zechs, who was stretching dreamily, sighing with satisfaction. Zechs idly drew a finger through the mess on his chest, before licking it clean, looking like a very contented cat with that action.
"Clean him up dragon, you did get him so dirty," Treize said with a smile.
Wufei leaned over and slowly licked his and Zechs's cooling come off of his chest. He reveled in the taste of it; the way that Zechs felt under his tongue as his nipples hardened again as he passed his tongue over them. He slowly lapped at Zechs's chest, savoring the taste and feel of the body he was cleaning.
"You like that don't you?" Treize asked lazily. He was worn out. It would be back to the grind soon, but for now he actually wanted to take a moment and talk with his pets. He was surprised that they weren't as dull-witted as he thought they would be. Wild, abandoned and shameless, but still intelligent enough to talk seriously it seemed, as shown earlier when they told him that they knew about the drugs in their food. That was interesting to him. Was it time to try something else with them? Play another game?
"Like the taste... the smell... " Wufei told him between licks. He lifted his head up. "I love rimming and sucking cock. The feel of you ass under my tongue... the taste of all of you in my mouth." He went back to cleaning up Zechs, more interested in that then anything else now. He wanted to lick Zechs all over, but stopped when he had gotten the last drop of semen off his chest. He knew that he wouldn't be allowed to do anything else. He sensed that playtime was over and that his owner would soon leave them all in the dark again.
Treize remembered how effortless it had been to make Wufei do all that he described to him, after the first time. He had eagerly absorbed his lessons, excelling at every little trick that he was taught. Wufei had adored being humiliated by him also it when he was training him. The drugs had just let Treize see all of his emotions and not let his little dragon hide behind a mask. He doubted that Wufei before he had gotten his hands him would have admitted that he knew what sex was. Now he had him rimming his ass with his delightful tongue and cleaning his friend up after covering him with his come.
"Feels good," Zechs sighed, rolling over to tongue kiss Wufei after he cleaned him up. They lazily dueled with each other's tongues for a moment before, curling up at Khushrenada's feet.
Treize sighed, satisfied. Zechs and Wufei had been very good pets for him. They lay curled at his feet, waiting for his next order, but very satisfied from his use of them. He beckoned to Maxwell, noting that the other pilot had retreated to his corner as soon as he started with his friends.
Duo crawled over to him, head hanging down and his hair covering his face. Treize indicated that he was allowed to stand and Duo slowly got up, his eyes still on the floor though. When he stopped in front of him, Treize gently tilted his head up. He wasn't surprised to see that the boy was still petrified of him. He was slightly aroused though, which Treize took as a good sign. Maxwell had enjoyed seeing his friends being used by him. He had reacted to the show that they had put on for him.
"I think that I just need to train you some more," Treize murmured. He kissed Maxwell gently on the forehead. "You are going to be a good little pet for me eventually."
He turned and walked to the bathroom to shower and get dressed. Zechs and Wufei smiled at each other and then Duo.
"I think that he's happy with us," Zechs said, stretching slightly. He was content and tired. He walked over to their corner and motioned for the others to follow him. "He isn't going to object to us being together, I want to hold you Duo." He needed that now. Cuddling and being touched for the joy of that and not some hormonal need that he was a slave to. Wufei and Zechs curled around Duo, petting him for a couple of minutes before dozing off.
Wufei slipped away from the other two when he heard the door to their owner's bathroom open. He stood up and hoped that Khushrenada would let him talk to him. He went to the edge of their free area and waited to be noticed. He as happy the Khushrenada looked over at him and signaled that he could approach him. Wufei walked across the room, stopping just out of touching range, he was sweaty and he doubted that Khushrenada wanted him to dirty his uniform.
Treize wondered what Wufei wanted to talk to him about and let his pet near him.
"Thank you for understanding about Duo," Wufei said softly.
"If he can't eat, then I am going to arrange for a different method for him to get his... medication," Treize said.
Wufei frowned, "Put what ever drugs you are giving us in a protein drink. That what he's able to keep down, most of the time. If he's drugged up like Zechs and I, then maybe his appetite will improve."
Treize frowned at Wufei's rudeness. "I really don't think... "
"Don't lie about it. You are drugging so that we will be happy, docile fuck-pets for you," Wufei interrupted him. "Drugging Duo will make him one for you."
"Don't be crude," Treize told him. Wufei was much more then that for him.
"Truth is about the only thing left to us," Wufei said softly. Treize wondered for a second if he was talking to him or to himself. "You own us... all of us. We know that. You think that we are pets and toys. We are. So we shouldn't lie about it anymore."
Treize leaned over and kissed Wufei gently on the lips. "I'll think about that. I'll think about giving you the truth."
"We decided that our toys should always know that we own them. They are so compliant now due to the drugs that have been added to their food. Combined with the fact that they really have no sense of time any more, they have been turned from fierce warriors into biddable toys." Peacecraft gloated. He also was enjoying the use of the royal WE in conversation. Unfortunately, it seemed that his toys' keeper wasn't too impressed with his use of it. Common Scum.
"How?" Tardif asked laconically.
He hadn't been too awed about this crap before he had been kicked out of the regular army. That he was realizing the Khushrenada and Peacecraft were a bit loony, which caused him to ignore half the things that they told him. All he cared about was that he kept his cushy assignment taking care of their pets. Hell he wasn't too sure that most of the other soldiers wouldn't be taking advantage of the fact that those three wouldn't rat them out for taking advantage of them. He had started to like them though, as much as he tried not to. They were nice to him in their own odd way. He was worried about Duo, mainly because up he wasn't adjusting well to the situation. The kid was going to lose it someday and there was nothing that he could do about it. He was trying to get him to eat more, but it wasn't working. He was glad when Duo managed to drink protein drinks that he was given now, filled with everything that you could want, including whatever cocktail of drugs was making the other two so happy. Duo was more relaxed now and looking better. He was still bruised and cut up from Peacecraft's abuse, but he seemed to finally be gaining back his strength from when he was sick.
"Branding," Khushrenada told him simply. Wufei didn't want him to lie anymore and this would show his dragon that he was truly owned by him. He hadn't thought about it before, but Wufei's insistence that there were no more lies between them had lead to this along with his need to show the boy that he owned him. He had toyed with the idea for a while before telling it to Mirialdo. He was surprised by the enthusiasm that he showed about it. Mirialdo had taken his idea and brought it to fruition, arranging for everything.
"Nothing personal, but I'm not helping you with it," Tardif told them bluntly. Yup, these two were loons. Good thing that they were taking it out on people that no one cared about. The rest of the universe thought that these two were heroes. If they had seen some of the shit that pulled, their opinion would change. Then again it might not, so long as they weren't doing it to them. "I smelled enough burning flesh in my lifetime already. I'll make such that it heals cleanly, but I am not sticking around to either do it or watch it."
"My farrier will be taking care if it for us," Peacecraft assured him. "I'm bringing him up especially for the job."
"The man does have a lot of experience branding animals," Khushrenada added. "He's made up a wonderful design for their brand."
He was very pleased with the work that the man had done, with such a small design area. The brand wasn't more then two inches across, but the farrier had done a wonderful job. His and Mirialdo's initials were intertwined, surrounded by a circle of roses. Very nice, he was surprised that someone from the lower classes had that much poetry in his soul, as shown by the work that he had done for them.
Tardif decided that it wasn't worth pointing out to either man that branding Zechs would make sure that the other twin would never be able to take his brother's place. The brand, even if it were removed would be something that set the two of them apart. Shit they were just creating another mess for him to clean up, with the fuss that they were creating about this. He doubted that either man took into consideration the reactions of the pilots, who weren't going to be happy that this was being done to them. Idiots. Why did he have to work for idiots?
(((
Zechs looked up when the door opened. Khushrenada had arrived a few minutes earlier and instead of playing with them, he had ordered them to lie down in the middle of the room and then sat there watching them, lounging on a chair that had appeared out of the floor. Zechs was surprised to see that Mirialdo had brought a stranger into their personal playroom. The man was old; about sixty it appeared and dressed it what looked like rough, outdoor clothing. The stranger didn't look like he belonged to the same social class, as Khushrenada and Mirialdo, but one could never tell about that at times. He and Wufei looked at each other and then at Duo. Was Duo being taken away from them? Duo looked back at them, a terrified look in his eyes, certain that he was going to be banished from their presence. He knew that the older men seemed to think that he was an afterthought more then anything. Had they finally gotten tired of him and decided to give him away?
Treize noticed that their three toys were distressed about something. He glanced over at Mirialdo and raised an eyebrow, wondering is his fellow owner had a clue about why they were all upset. He shrugged his shoulder in confusion. They would deal with any problems later, after the branding. It might actually be something that Tardif would tell them about, the man did seem to understand more then he would tell them. Tardif was annoyingly protective of their pets.
"This is Mr. Giovanni," Mirialdo told them smoothly. "He's here to do something very special for us."
"He's going to mark you so that you all know that you are our property," Treize told them. He was surprised to see that Zechs and Wufei relaxed at that information, even though Wufei's eyes flashed with anger before he lowered them. His dragon was so fierce at times it amused him so much, even as he curbed it so that the others wouldn't get punished. Treize knew in the future that is little toy would thank him for that mark of ownership, even if now he would snarl at him about having it done to him. Both of them knew that Wufei would by pleased of that mark after it was done, happy that the universe knew that he was owned by him.
Mr. Giovanni ignored the rest of the room and started to set up a small brazier in the corner of the room, filling to with coals and then lighting it up. "Take a few minutes to get up to the right heat," told the room at large. "Then we can start."
Zechs placed the man's accent to be that of the Northern rural area of the Sanq Kingdom. He knew that Darlian had had estates in that area, so the man probably had worked for Mirialdo for almost all his life. He would accept almost anything that the man told him without an argument. He wouldn't find Mirialdo's request to brand three human beings any thing to argue about, especially since they were all considered to be mad dogs by everyone else in the universe. That he and Mirialdo were mirror images of each other might give the man a pause. He looked at him, wondering if this man would care about that little fact. The story of the lost Sanqian twin wasn't that well known. There had been no pretenders that he knew of when the Alliance had ruled the area. The Alliance had insisted that the twin was dead and people had believed it. It had kept him alive so that he had survived to adulthood. That it was a good thing that he had survived, given his present circumstances, was another question all together.
Giovanni puttered around for a few minutes before announcing, "It's hot enough."
"Start with the small one with the long hair, then the Chinese one and finally my brother," Mirialdo instructed him.
Giovanni grunted that he heard the instructions and did a test burn on a patch of leather, before putting the brand back into the brazier to heat up again. "That what you want, my prince?" he asked Mirialdo.
Mirialdo studied it for a minute, while Giovanni reheated the brand. "It looks fine. I want them all branded on the lower left of their back, towards the hip. Just like I mark all my horses."
Giovanni didn't bother to answer him. He just took the brand from the brazier and walked over to Duo, placing a foot on his lower back to hold him still, gesturing to Mirialdo to hold his legs down. He took aim for a second, mentally marking the spot that he wanted before pressing the brand into Duo's flesh. Duo buried his face into the floor and let out a small scream. Wufei and Zechs swallowed hard at the sudden smell of burnt flesh. Giovanni waited a few seconds longer, pressing a little deeper into Duo's hip before he pulled the brand back. Duo sobbed in relief when he felt the brand leave his skin. Giovanni placed the brand back in the brazier to heat it up to for the next pilot.
He waited a couple more minutes before getting the brand out of the coals and walking over to Wufei. He repeated the process, as Treize held down Wufei's legs, unconcerned by the noise that Wufei made when the brand hit his flesh. Wufei had tried bite back his scream, but a strangled cry still made it past his lips at the smell of his flesh burning.
Zechs watched in horror as he saw his friends treated like animals. He knew that Khushrenada and Mirialdo thought that they all just there for their amusement, but to see a stranger treat them like that was stunning. He had noticed that it had been harder to think at times. He knew that it was drugs that were doing that, along with the isolation. Sergeant Tardif had been the only other person that they had seen since they had been imprisoned. His rough affection for them had been one of the few things that had kept them sane. He had made sure that they were in good shape and that they were finally getting enough to eat. Little things that were very important to him... to them... right now.
Giovanni looked down at his last subject. "I think that you should both hold him down, I don't want to mess this up because he moved. The other two look aren't as strong as he is." Mirialdo leaned over Zechs's back to hold him down, while Treize sat on his legs.
He was proud of the fact that his prince had asked to be part of this project. The Peacecrafts had always been odd over the generations, as the rumor went, so this was not unexpected. That Mirialdo Peacecraft was prudent enough to keep his brother confined and out of sight, showed what a wise ruler he was. The confusion of twin heirs would have been even a worse mess then what the Alliance had left behind during their misrule. That he was one of the few people that knew of this, made him feel important. He picked up the brand and gently applied it to the area, before pressing in harder, making sure that Zechs's brand went in deep and clear.
Zechs screamed into the floor, not caring about his pride. The smell of burned flesh was nauseating and he had smelled it far too often in his life after a battle. He wondered what memories this was triggering for Duo and Wufei. He felt that the pain was endless and sobbed with relief when it was finally over. He barely heard Mirialdo murmuring reassurances to him while he was stoking his hair, putting his head on his lap, he was crying so hard. He didn't know how long he lay there before he managed to control his sobs.
Mirialdo patted his head one last time and slipped it off of his lap. "Tardif will take care of you. I'll make sure that you get something for the pain. All of you," he added.
He knew that the Chinese brat was probably doing some sort of odd meditation to control the pain and he really didn't care about Duo's pain, but he also knew that it would make Zechs happier to have his friends taken care of. He got up and walked out the door, waiting to rip Giovanni a new one for the stunt that he just pulled. The man hadn't flinched when he pulled that trick and Mirialdo admired the man's nerve even as he was furious with him. Giovanni hadn't said anything when he was done, just packed up his kit and waited in the hallway with Treize to get an escort to the shuttle bay so that he could get back to Earth and his horses.
"What the hell were you doing?" Mirialdo half shouted at Giovanni in the hallway.
Giovanni shrugged. "Your Grace, I just wanted to make sure the brand couldn't get off," He studied Mirialdo with for a second and then went on quietly, trying to defuse his anger. "I want to make sure that everyone knows which of you is the rightful heir and which is just a weak slave. The other might get their marks off with good surgeon, but I doubt it. Your brother never will."
"You know that... " Treize's voice trailed off at Giovanni's cynical smile.
"Peace and stability after years of the Alliance's misrule. There are rumors that the other twin survived, still, after all these years and the Alliance claiming that you were both dead. If some of the Peacecraft's survived, then all of them might have. I don't want civil war. If it had been a stable passage from father to son, that would be different. The people want peace. I want to make sure that my old age isn't spent fighting over something as meaningless as who was first born, since neither one of you can prove it."
Mirialdo nodded involuntarily. Nothing could prove that he really was the oldest twin, Mirialdo Peacecraft and not his younger brother Meredith. Darlian told him that he was the heir. Zechs had no memory of his life before he was seven. Hell he didn't remember that much either, except that he had a twin. Giovanni had been right in his actions, even if the man had overstepped his place.
Giovanni shrugged and started walking towards the shuttle bay. "Another thing... keep your sister away from my horses and my stable hands. She's scaring the crap out of both of them. The hands didn't mind the odd tumble or two with her, but she's getting out of control with them and now they can't hide fast enough from her and the poor sod she's been dragging around with her. They're afraid that they'll end up like him or worse. He looks like she hasn't bothered to do anything decent for him since she got him. The horses she's eyein' like a mare in heat and they get off their feed because of that."
Treize had a sudden coughing fit listening to Mirialdo's servant telling him to curb his sister. He was the main reason that she the way that she was. He didn't think that his friend would like the fact that he was being lectured by someone that he knew was his social inferior either. He was surprised to see that Mirialdo took it in good humor, now that he was over his fit of pique about Zechs. Treize knew that Mirialdo had done some very odd things to his sister growing up, he had been part of some of them, but he thought that he would be upset that she was fucking the stable hands openly. Such things were never good for one's image. Servants and the lower class were to be used discreetly and sent away when one was through with them.
Tardif walked up and saluted them. He had been nearby, knowing that he would have to clean up the mess that these two had made. He had burn cream and painkillers, as well as something light for them to eat. He doubted that either Khushrenada or Peacecraft had thought beyond the excitement, to them, of getting this done. That actually was his job for them, but it still pissed him off that Khushrenada hadn't thought of it. Peacecraft, he knew didn't give a fuck about anything but himself, but he had expected better from the other man.
"I take it that the operation was a success?" he asked quietly, trying not to be sarcastic.
Mirialdo frowned at him, "It was done. I want you to get something for Zechs's pain and then take care of them."
"I brought supplies, based on my own experience with burns," Tardif told him. Hell it was a no brainer job to keep these three like pets, but he wasn't that incompetent not to make sure that they were okay after this mess. Fuck heads that Khushrenada and Peacecraft were, they never thought about the after effects of their actions. His opinion of the two of them never had been high, but as he worked closer with them, it had gone down drastically. Besides, no one deserved what was happening to them, he was beginning to believe.
"I think that it would be best if you took care of that right now. Zechs was very upset about the procedure." Mirialdo told him.
Tardif bit his lip and went into the room. Upset was a mild word to use when you branded people like they were cattle. Between the smell and the pain he was going to have his hands full. He walked into the room and knew that he had been right. The three of them were curled up in their corner and trying to comfort each other.
"I got some stuff for the pain and some food," Tardif called out to them. He wasn't going to be sneaking up on them right now. Unlike Khushrenada and Peacecraft, he wasn't too sure that they were as harmless as they thought the former pilots were. "I'm going to try and make you as comfortable as possible."
"Thank you," Zechs told him hoarsely.
"Shit, I couldn't be here watching that, but I can help you... " Tardif started. He had to explain to them that he hadn't abandoned them. "I didn't know if I should have told you about it, but I didn't want to worry you. I thought that it would be worse if you knew that they were going to do this to you."
Duo smiled at him, "Didn't expect you to watch it. And we know that sometimes you can't do what you want. Bad enough... "
"If you could help Zechs first," Wufei told him. "His was... "
"I overheard the conversation," Tardif told him shortly, feeling odd that the pilots were being this nice to him. He was one of the people that were keeping them captive. "The bastard that did the work wanted to make sure that it took."
He leaned over and started spreading cream gently on Zechs's brand. It was going to hurt like hell, but it least it was a clean burn. He then spread it on Duo and Wufei, taking care not to hurt them any more then they were. He then handed them pills and made them swallow them down with the soup that he had brought them. Tardif generally fussed over them until they dropped off from the medication and were asleep.
It was odd to him, that even in their messed up minds, that they were more worried about their fellow pilot/pets then themselves. Shit they might not be as out of it as they were supposed to be. He realized that this act that was supposed to make the three of them more like animals hadn't work. For the first time he thought of them as people. Not pets that he was supposed to care for or prisoners that Khushrenada and Peacecraft would tire of eventually. This had showed him the people that they had been and he was impressed at their strength. Even as fucked up as they were now, they thought about their friends before they worried about their own injuries.
He watched them for a little while before reporting back to Khushrenada. He had always thought that he was the easier of the two nuts to deal with. Peacecraft was a loon pure and simple. Peacecraft never liked getting advice or orders from anyone also, so he'd be pissed about what he was going to tell him. Khushrenada was much more willing to listen to him about care and feeding of the pilots. The man knew that he wasn't going to be bullshiting him about it. Khushrenada had the good sense to know that he had him on his staff for a reason, so he should listen to his advice. That was about the man's only saving grace in his mind.
"I'd not play with them for the next day or two," Tardif told him bluntly. "Give them time to heal and adjust to it. I'll keep an eye on them for you. Just tell Peacecraft the same thing. "
Treize frowned. "It was a simple procedure... "
"Take it from me, burns hurt like hell," Tardif told him dryly. "Let them heal, I'll keep up the drugs and they will be the same happy fuck toys for you to play with in a couple of days."
"Don't be crude," Treize chastised him. True though. Given a day or two for the pain to fade and their burns to heal up, then the memory of pain would fade. Wufei would show him how proud he was of his new mark of ownership. He knew that he owned Wufei's soul, no matter what.
Tardif grinned, "Bitches is more accurate, at least according to Wufei. He calls my your 'Master of the Hounds', once in a while. So listen to me and give 'em a rest. It's not like their suddenly going to tell you no, not with all the crap that you have them on." Depends on how out of it you think they are. Did you ever think that they might get used to all that crap and the drugs wouldn't work anymore? How much control do you have? Good thing that they are so isolated and that cage can be gassed or things might get messy for the two of you
"And how do you know what they are being given?" Treize asked. Master of the Hounds. It figured that Wufei would come up with that title for the man. He actually liked it as a title to Tardif if he could. He would have to tell Mirialdo about that. He wondered if he could actually make that the man's tile and job.
"I needed to know that so I could know what I could give 'em for painkillers and stuff. Didn't want to kill them by accident. Don't know what half that shit is, but I know what's safe for them to have and what isn't."
"How thoughtful of you," Treize observed suspiciously. Tardif wasn't supposed to be this caring of his charges.
"Hell, I just like them a lot more then I like other people around here. They actually are nice to me. Don't want to end that," Tardif told him bluntly.
"You don't say... " Treize started curiously.
If that was the only reason, then it did make sense. The pilots had never been aware of their own attractiveness, so then they probably would not react badly to the burns that disfigured the man.
Tardif shrugged. "They might have the attention span of a newt at times and aren't the brightest lot anymore, but they think that I'm not something disgusting. I like 'em and it's an easy assignment, so I don't want to end it by killing one of them. So I'll see to what they need and make sure that I don't screw it up."
"I'll take your advice about leaving them alone for a while. It's not like they actually care or notice the time," Treize said. "Thank you for being honest about what you are getting out of this."
He would watch the good sergeant in the future. He didn't doubt that Tardif was fond of his charges. One could get to love an animal quite easily. However, these pets, if loose, would be a threat to his power base and he would not allow that to happen. He doubted that it would happen, but it never paid to take chances.
End Part 4
Christine
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