20 Jun 2000
DISCLAIMER: All Gundam Wing characters are property of Sunrise, Bandai Visuals, Sotsu Agency, and Asahi TV. This work is not written for profit, but for entertainment purposes only.
Pairing: 13x6/6x13
WARNING: Shounen-ai; heavy sap; horses
The long morning nap was followed by a leisurely bath so that by the time the two of them got downstairs it was lunchtime. As they ate, Zechs' eyes kept straying to the gardens, drenched in midsummer sunlight under puffy white clouds and a deep blue sky.
"Treize," he murmured, still distracted by the glorious day. "Do you still have your horses?"
"Yes, of course," Treize answered, following Zechs' gaze before his own eyes turned to only Zechs. "Do you wish to.... ride?" He let his mouth linger seductively on the word ride, smiling as he set down his glass.
A pretty blush spread over the blond boy's cheeks but he held the older man's gaze. "Yes. I would like that very much."
"Finish up lunch, and then I'll bring you to the horses," Treize said, picking up his glass once more. He smiled over the rim of the gold-edged glass.
The stables were small and immaculately kept, with four horses currently housed in them. Treize was acting as stable master, so Zechs, after looking over the possibly mounts, looked up and said, "I'd like the fastest one, unless of course, that happens to be your favorite."
"Not at all -- my favourite is an older stallion," Treize uttered, getting down the tack for his horse and setting it on the ground before handing Zechs the tack for the fastest one. "Far left stall."
Zechs walked down to look at the horse, a stallion with a coat of gleaming blue-black. He held out a couple of sugar lumps Treize had given him and soon was stroking the horses velvety nose and talking to it soothingly. Then he put the tack on, slowly, and gave it a few more pets down the side of it's powerful neck before mounting it and heading out for the main paddock.
"Treize," he called, "what's his name?"
"Peace," Treize spoke after a pause, mounting his own steed. "He's swift, but beautifully docile."
Zechs put on an expression of mock offense. "What do you mean, 'docile?' Can't I even *pretend* that this is the result of my astonishing equestrian skills?"
"Mmm, you can 'pretend', but you *did* ask for the fastest," Treize said with a wink to his lover. "Not the wildest."
Zechs grinned wickedly at the older man. "What path are we taking?" he said casually.
"There's a path that goes around the garden and leads into open fields --let us take that one. It's always more refreshing than tramping through the woods on a horse," he said, tugging the reins a bit to steer the animal in the direction he wanted.
"Who said anything about 'tramping?'" Zechs said, still staring at Treize. "Which direction is the path?"
"Left," the older man murmured, ready to push his horse into a chase should Zechs prove to do so...
Zechs laughed and said, "Yes!" and the next moment he and Peace were off at a moderate gallop.
His heels pressed gently, and the horse sped up, to overtake Peace and Zechs.
Just as Treize had intended, no doubt, Zechs took the gesture as a challenge. He leaned over and whispered into Peace's velvet ear, "Show me what you've got, boy." He gave a kick to the horses sides and Peace, feeling the freedom that was being granted, took off at full gallop passing Treize's white horse. "Come on, old man!" he called back to Treize, and laughed again as Peace galloped faster towards the open field in front of them. He nearly stood in the stirrups, long hair flying out behind him and pressing his horse to run like a demon.
Laughing and knowing he was already beaten, Treize pursued for as far as his horse could mange, before he stopped and simply watched it. The beauty of it was stunning, as the two perfectly formed creatures seemed to move in union across his field of vision...
The speed was exhilarating. Even in the week he'd been here, Zechs had noticed he missed the feeling of speed he got from piloting. This was almost better - slower, but much closer to the source of the speed. Everything else was forgotten and he just flew...
Beautiful and exhilarating to watch. Zechs was as good a horseman as he was a marksman, and the sight of the lean body, moving, moving...
He began to move his horse toward a point where he'd end up meeting with Zechs again. When they'd finished their ride, he'd ask the boy to fence with him.
Zechs made a promise to himself then. He would try to remember this moment. Regardless of where life took him, how short or long it turned out to be, he would keep forever the memory of flying through summer fields on Treize's horse. It had made him drunk with pleasure, his cheeks and eyes glowing as he and Peace trotted up to meet his lover.
Treize's horse sidled up beside Peace, and the older man was smiling brilliantly. "Beautiful, Zechs -- you do everything you try your hand at with remarkable grace and perfection. Including riding." /Of all sorts, my love, but if you could've seen yourself, you would have fallen in love with yourself all over again, just like I did. Everything you do is so beautiful.../
The blond boy's cheeks reddened at the compliment, but his smile was wide. "Thank you. I don't think it's at all true, but... oh, Treize this feel so good! I managed to find one stables near the Academy, but riding across a savannah and riding here... well you can't compare them at all. And this horse is amazing." He leaned over in the saddle and stroked the horse's neck affectionately. "Where to next?" he said, looking up at Treize.
The man he looked up to was joyful and relaxed, all his walls of defense lowered. "Where ever you wish -- back to the house, ride a bit more, the woods, the gardens.... whatever and where ever."
"Mmmm... definitely ride a bit more!" the blond exclaimed. "What's on the other side of that field?" He pointed across a field of waving grass to a large building, far away on the other side.
"That...?" Treize questioned, racking his mind. "Is, I believe, the ballroom and banquet building."
"Well come on then," Zechs teased, wiggling his eyebrows expressively. "Take you friend to the ball." He smiled as angelically as he could and waited for Treize to take the lead.
"Well, we could always dance without music," the older of them mused, already moving his horse slowly towards the building. A nice, leisurely ride...
"Did you attend the balls your parents held when you were younger?" Zechs asked.
"Mm-hm," Treize smiled. "Though, often enough I preferred to run off by myself, or with you the very few times there was such a social gathering."
"Oh, I remember that large ball we had when you and your parents were there. They told you very explicitly to stay and shake everyone's hand and you decided that was a wonderful time to get a tour of the cave fort. I'll never forget the look on your father's face when he had to come and find you!" Zechs thought a moment. "It was the same look as on *my* father's face, actually..." And then he laughed at the memory of it.
Chuckling at recalling that, Treize could only nod in agreement. "Well, it was a simple choice -- old, smelly dignitaries, or having fun with my friend." There was no need for him to expound upon the word 'friend' as he'd never really had any other friends, even then. Zechs was the only person he could truly enjoy himself with...
"And now look what's happened," Zechs continued teasing. "It actually turns out you have a *way* with old, smelly dignitaries! And you're being thrown more of them every day!" The blond stopped laughing and looked over at his companion in mock sorrow. "Poor, poor, Treize..."
Shaking his head, Treize laughed. "Ah, yes, but now I have *you* to look forward to whenever I'm free of those old smelly dignitaries."
"Just promise me you'll take a bath, first! I'll race you the rest of the way! Last one there is an old, smelly dignitary!" The blond laughed again and took off at a full gallop towards the building.
"Oh no I'm not!" Treize called after him, instantly digging his heels into his animal's flanks. "After him, Moon!" The feel of the high grasses brushing his feet, the wind... ah, exhilarating.
They arrived at the large building with Treize and Moon barely beating out Zechs and Peace. Zechs shook his head and dropped it into his hand moaning, "Oh nooo... I've become old and smelly... what will I dooo...?" Then he looked up pathetically at Treize. "Will you still love me, even if I never smell good again?"
"Ah, of course," Treize chortled, smiling broadly as he dismounted. He offered a hand up to his lover. "But even I know that you bath far more often then those old dignitaries."
"Really?" Zechs asked, platinum eyebrows raised. The he chuckled and said, "Oh just think - all of them here is this big room, a hot summer evening, and all those wool coats..." He shook his head as if to clear the imagined odor as he peered into a window along the north wall of the building. "Goodness, this is luxurious."
"Do you want to go into it...?"
"Could we? That would be wonderful."
"Yes," Treize said, searching his pants for a key. "Just a moment..." At the very bottom of his pocket, it laid, as if in wait. "Found it. Come along, Milliard -- would you mind a dance that lacks music...?"
"Oh, well - am I an acceptable dance partner for you?" the blond asked as they walked into the cool gloom of the building's interior. His eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the dimness but he thought he could make out a long front salon with several draped windows that ran the width of the building, and several draped entryways to an interior room that couldn't be seen. There was a hushed air about the place, as if it were waiting for something that was soon to happen.
Without a pause, Treize said, "I must say that you're the best person I've ever asked to dance." Then, he grasped Zechs' hand lightly within his own, and pulled the boy through one of the entryways, and right into the ballroom.
Zechs gave a little yelp of surprise but then stood, motionless, staring at the dim gleam of the massive chandelier in the middle of the room. "Oh my," he murmured. "I suddenly feel very underdressed."
"As do I," Treize breathed, walking away a bit to flip on a light switch. It had been so long since he'd been in there...
The light seemed the burst upon the room, the glittering glass and crystals of the chandelier making it look as if it were made of diamond. Those rays of light bounced off gold-colored trim to drapes, furniture, the molding along the wall. The wall panels were a cream-color, and there was a pattern of tiny flowers blosoming across it, woven in with gold thread. A few chairs along the wall, with marroon velvet cushions, which matched the table-cloth of the buffet, and the drapes themselves -- even the carpet on the outer edge, and the flower pattern from the walls seemed to flow into the parquet dance floor.
Beautiful.
Zechs smiled softly to himself. "I can see you here, Treize. It's just the kind of place you would shine brightest." He moved forward to stand under the sparkling chandelier in the very center of the dance floor, gazing up into the crystals with awe. "You would captivate every single soul in the room and have persuaded most of them to do something or other for you." He smiled again and looked over at Treize. "And they wouldn't even know it."
Slow paces took Treize over to stand beside Zechs. "No, they wouldn't. They're too easily blinded by the lights," Treize mused, looking straight up at the chandelier, "While was can look straight into it, and see it all."
Zechs stared at Treize as the nobleman admired the crystal. "You seem to belong in ballrooms overflowing with admirers. But that's not where your most happy, is it, Treize?"
"No, not at all," Treize murmured softly, looking away from that light at last. "I enjoy the quiet of night best. Night, and a flickering fire, and flowers... not in a ballroom filled with people who want to be with me because of my position, or my money. It gives me a headache and shows all the flaws that some nobility have. I'd much rather be someplace secluded with you are my side."
"You're a romantic, Treize." Zechs smiled softly, walking over to his companion and placing his palms on the broad chest. "It's a strange characteristic for such a good politician. But it's one of the things I like best about you." The blond boy slid his hands along Treize's chest and shoulders, eventually cupping his lover's face and looking searchingly into his vivid, blue eyes. He threaded his fingers in silky chestnut waves and, not able to wait patiently any longer, pulled the man down for a long, sweet kiss.
Yes, he was a romantic -- he believed in the goodness of humanity, hidden underneath all the muck and greed, he believed in love, and so many other things that he would've been branded as a fool for believing, were it not all kept mostly to himself. And the sweet boy whose tongue had teased into his mouth was a living reassurance of all those beliefs. Treize's hands dropped down Zechs' backside, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss himself.
As he did, Zechs let one hand trail down to Treize's cheek. Cool fingertips brushed over the skin along a fine jawline, the slid up to trace the outline of an adored eyebrow. Worship, to Zechs, was a tactile thing, a sensual undertaking in which his god was adored through fingertips and nuzzles and deep searching kisses. And since he had met Treize, nothing had become more pleasurable, more desirable, than worshipping at this sweet altar.
The kiss broke gently, skilfully, and Zechs' touches had made a deep impact on the man who held him so close. "Let us dance, Milliard," came Treize's voice, huskier than it had been before. "As we'll never be able to do such a thing at a real ball..."
"I'd be honored," Zechs murmured.
"Thank you," came the reply, as Treize began to softly hum a simple waltz aloud.
Treize's hand on his waist, his hand on Treize's arm, and two hands clasped together and it all felt so very natural. To Zechs moving across the gleaming floor was no different than riding had been in it's ease and fluid motion. And looking up into Treize's face, with his stunning eyes and elegant features, was paradise itself.
It was just the two of them, but in Treize's mind, they were in a ballroom, the press and crowd of the people parting for them, no one caring that they danced or not... he let the tune in his head and that he hummed carry him away, only hearing the sound and only knowing Zechs' existence.
/I love you, Treize. You're the noblest, most intelligent, and kindest hearted person I know. There are times I think I owe my existence to you, for if I hadn't met you, I don't know what would have become of me. But I don't have to think about that, because you're here and, miraculously, you love me. You love me. Dear God, what have I done to deserve that?/
Oblivious to Zechs' thoughts, Treize slowed his lead, and stopped humming, bending his head to catch the boy's lips in his own. /My prince, Milliard -- you're my prince.../
Oh, sweet heaven in that intimate touch. Zechs let Treize lead in the kiss, just as he had in the dance, and desire made him go weak and breathless as they slowly pulled apart. Zechs stood on tip toes, brushed his lips across Treize's, and whispered, "You make me so very, very happy..."
"Forever, Milliard," he breathed softly, eyes closing. "I mean it. I'll do everything in my power to keep it so."
They stood for several minutes just holding each other. Zechs listened to Treize's heartbeat and found it the most comforting of sounds. Not moving from his lover's embrace, he murmured, "Thank you for the dance, Count Khushrenada..."
"Thank *you* for the dance, Prince Peacecraft," Treize breathed. "Perhaps someday, we'll be able to do this at a ball..." The whimsical idea brought a smile to his lips.
Zechs pulled his head back, looking up at Treize with a wry smile. "Mmmm -a wedding ball, perhaps. But something tells me I'm going to have a devil of a time getting you to wear that white dress..."
"Indeed -- and it would be so much easier to put *your* hair up with flowers than mine," came the wry return.
Platinum eyebrows were raised in mock outrage. "Never! Besides," Zechs sniffed, "I don't look good in white. Makes me appear to be an albino. No, no - no white weddings for us, I'm afraid. But I would like to carry you off into the sunset on a black charger..."
"Were I to sit in your lap, Milliard, I do believe I'd crush you. At least, I would now. I'm sure in a few years time you'll be taller than I."
The blond boy stood on tip toe again, and grasped the older man's shirt, pulling himself to within an inch of the nobleman's face. "Hah! And then I'll have my way with you, won't I!" He laughed and added, What *will* you do then, I wonder?"
"Still end up on top," Treize purred, scooping Zechs into his arms, and beginning to walk about the room.
Zechs gave a slight squawk if protest but it was half-hearted. Latching his arms firmly around Treize's neck, he stared up at his captor and smiled. "Swept me off my feet again, didn't you?"
"As I wish to do frequently," Treize smiled. "Anything in particular you wish to do now...?"
"Hmm - what else do you have to do around here that we won't be able to do when we get back to base?"
He thought for a moment. "Well, I do believe fencing will be impossible for us to try on base, at least until you've gained a bit of rank. Fencing without foils, that is."
Azure-blue eyes gleamed and then Zechs bowed. "My dear Count - I consider the white glove thrown."
Skimming his hands down Zechs' side, Treize smiled. "We'll have to go back to the house itself."
Zechs shivered at the feel of those hands and what they implied. He reached up a gave Treize another long kiss. He broke it off gently and nuzzled the older man's cheek. "Mmm... yes, all right."
Smiling, Treize uttered, "How about we place a bet to go with it...?"
Zechs tilted his head and stared up at his lover. "All right - what's the bet?"
"Whoever wins controls the other until we have to get on our plane later."
At first the blond appeared to be taken aback, but he recovered himself quickly and agreed. "Control, is it?" he murmured as he walked toward the door, turning and walking backwards to look at Treize. "Well, that certainly gives one motivation to do one's best."
Treize walked towards Zechs, expression intent. "Yes, it does, doesn't it?"
Smiling back at Treize, Zechs could feel his heart begin to race at the predatory look in the older man's eyes. "Not that you couldn't count on me to do my very best in anything I do for, and *with* you..."
"Oh, I know you'll always do you best -- I fully expect you to win, in fact," he drawled as they stepped through to the salon.
End of Part 16
(:./kumiko/bblood23)
