8 Dec 2000
The next chapter - Noin's advance.
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.
PAIRINGS: 6X9 AND 13X6
WARNING: het lemon scene
Both of Zechs's suitors were inclined to go after him. Relena asked them if they knew what was wrong, but first Treize and then Noin demurred, saying they didn't know. When Treize made a move to stand, Noin did the same and another significant look passed between them, all heat and anger on Noin's part, and cool determination for Treize.
There was a moment of extreme tension when it seemed one of them would have to move or speak, and then a soft, drawling voice ended the silence.
"How 'bout just letting the guy be alone for a bit?" Howard suggested calmly. "He's got a lot to think about right now, and maybe he just needs some space to himself."
Sally, her heart going out to Noin, had to agree with the sensibleness of the idea. "Let's just... eat some dinner," she said, trying her best to smile at her dark-haired friend, "and let him take a breath, okay?"
"Yes," Noin said slowly, "Yes, all right..." She sat down, keeping her eyes fixed on Treize the whole time.
The former OZ commander stood for just a bit longer than necessary, in order to make her that much more worried, and then gracefully took a seat. "Agreed," he said lightly, and picked up his wine glass.
After fleeing the table, Zechs had sought the comfort of his bedroom, locking the door behind him and nearly throwing himself into an arm chair. It only lasted a few seconds however, and then he was up again and heading to the bathroom.
/A bath... that's what I need... a good, long soak so I can think and... think. Treize swore by them. Or should that be swears? Oh, *anyway* - I'll just get in... Only *no* rose-scented bath oil./
He leaned over the large tub, extra-long to accommodate his height, and turned on the water, making it near scalding hot. Then he stood and began undressing, toeing off shoes and socks, unbuttoning his shirt and letting it slide off of broad shoulders onto the floor before sliding his trousers off. He stood for a moment, in front of the mirror, and stared at himself until he felt he was looking at a stranger. /Why are they doing this? I've hurt both of them, in different ways, but hurt is hurt and they have nothing to love me for. I don't deserve either one of them, so how could I possibly decide...?/
He frowned, rather sadly, to his reflection and then turned and stepped into the tub, sinking into heated water until it was over his head. Long strands of blond hair floated on the surface until gradually Zechs emerged like a brooding merman coming up from the sea. Sweeping long bangs away from his face, he leaned back and let his head rest on the edge of the tub.
"All right then, lets get down to cases. Noin. Beautiful, intelligent, loyal to the end for some reason known only to God and her." He frowned slightly again and picked up the bath sponge. "Tradition, children, something I know will last forever... Relena would be so happy..." A heavy sigh and he began drawing the wet sponge slowly over long arms.
"Life would be peaceful with Noin," he mused. "She's so accommodating that we'd never get into fights, I suspect. And I do love her... I'd be inhuman not to after all that's happened."
Blond brows knitted together as he drew the sponge over his chest and then absently behind his neck. "What's more important, I *promised* her. Can I really take that back now? I was ready to go through with it completely, no doubts until..." He stopped suddenly, the smoothing washing motions held frozen as his mind worked. "Until I saw that silver rose," he whispered. "And something in me wanted to hope that he was alive... that rose..."
He let the sponge float away and brought his hands up to his face. The rose, the note, the driving gloves... it had all been so carefully done.
"Right, that's Noin," he said softly. "Then on to Treize, who is also beautiful - well, gorgeous, actually, and intelligent... all right, brilliant. Loyal? That's a bit harder... who knows what he did after I left, and I certainly haven't been the loyalist person to him." Now he brought a long, golden leg up out of the water and perched it on the side of the tub as he picked up the drifting sponge.
"Life with Treize would probably not be entirely peaceful. We'd be competing for alpha male the entire time... that is, *I* would be competing - he'd simply be fending off my pathetic attempts. I'm not kidding myself, not where you're concerned, Treize..." Letting the thought trail off, Zechs switched legs and let washed the other one. "The man is traditional but the relationship wouldn't be, and I wonder if he *would* stay with me forever... would I expect him too, with all that energy and fire he's got a brooding sod like me might bore him to tears after a few years in peace time..."
Grabbing hold of the back brush that lay in a nearby basket, the blond began scrubbing. "And *children,*" he said to himself in disbelief. "I mean, really Marquise, can you imagine a small Treize running around?" He hesitated for a moment and then had to laugh, for the first time in what seemed like ages. "Oh, *damn* what am I going to do!"
The answer was not apparent to him, so he shook his head and the slowly slid down under the surface of the water.
Dinner had ended and Relena had approached Treize as he rose from the table. "Treize, I'd like to have a word with you - if you don't mind."
One golden brown eyebrow raised slightly. "Not at all, Princess."
"Why don't we step into the library," Relena suggested, and led the way down the main corridor transecting the palace. She opened a set of large, wooden double doors and they stepped into the luxuriously appointed library. Book shelves reached to the high ceiling and in several places around the room there were library ladders allowing access to the upper shelves. The walls glowed a deep red color and heavy draperies covered the tall windows.
Relena indicated two arm chairs on either side of the hearth and they sat down, gazing frankly at each other across the short distance.
"I wanted to talk to you, Treize, to ask if you think that what you're doing is the best for my brother." She leaned forward a bit, all earnestness. "I know you cared for him very much before the war - and perhaps during it - and I know the news that you had been killed disturbed him, and that he was shocked, as we all were, but very happy to learn that you did not die. But it's been nearly six years since the two of you were even on speaking terms and I have to wonder how much of what you're doing is simply out of habit or even spite."
Treize tilted his head to one side, giving her a thoughtful look. "Spite, Your Highness? Whatever do you mean by that?"
"It's true, isn't it Treize, that you knew about my brother's engagement to Noin before you came here? You *knew* that you would be upsetting their wedding plans and yet you came anyway. It seems to me that you might be here just to make sure he and Noin can't be together." She dropped her gaze and stared at her hands, idly picking at the summer dress she wore. "Surely you don't feel the same about my brother as you did before the war. The two of you were *enemies* - you were out to kill each other and didn't care what happened along the way!
"How could you possibly love him? Or he love you? Can't you see that Noin is really best for him?"
Treize sat back in his chair, crossing his legs smoothly and gazing at the young woman opposite him. "Relena, I know that you have had a great amount of responsibility put on you at a very young age, and you have shouldered it admirably. But there are still many things that you are naive about and this is definitely one of them."
Relena opened her mouth to protest but he held up a hand. "Please, allow me to explain.
Your brother and I share something that I have only felt with two other people during my entire life. It's something very deep and very profound -an understanding of each other that is stronger than disagreements, misunderstandings, and yes, even stronger than war. Each of us sought the same outcome from that war - the safety and security of human life. We disagreed on how to bring that about, and that is what caused the Eve Wars. But we agreed, at a more fundamental level, about what was needed. It may sound strange, but the war did nothing to change that deeper connection."
Relena stared frankly at the former OZ commander. "Then why did he agree to marry Noin?" she asked softly. "Don't you think that it's possible that he has the same kind of connection with her - even a deeper one perhaps? After all, he and Noin weren't enemies in the same sense you two were. Isn't it possible that in the time it's taken for you to recover that he's fallen in love with Noin?"
Treize didn't say anything at first, but after several moments, he smiled softly at her. "It that were the case, my dear girl, why would he be so confused about what to do? If he had really fallen in love with Noin, my coming back should have had no effect on that. He would have told me so himself and I would no longer be here.
"But he hasn't done that, Princess, and whether it's appropriate or not, the bond between us remains unbroken."
Now he leaned forward, staring into Relena's eyes. "The truth of the matter is that I love your brother more than anything else on this earth. I know what it's like to be without him, and I know I do *not* want to live that way. I also believe that Miriald feels the same way about me. He's just too worried about doing the honorable thing to admit it to himself."
"But Treize," Relena asked, "would breaking his promise to Noin and going away with you truly be an 'honorable thing'?"
Treize's face remained impassive, but he said nothing for several moments. He turned his head, staring into the empty grate of the fireplace. "Well," he said softly at last, "I suppose that is for your brother to decide." Then he stood abruptly, bowed to Relena, and left the room.
The heat of the bath water had finally relaxed the brooding blond man and now Zechs had his head back against the tile, eyes closed, drifting near to sleep. With his mind blessedly empty for the first time in days, he didn't hear the knob of the bathroom door turn as someone slipped into the room. Then the bath water lapped softly, even though he hadn't moved, and he opened his eyes to see Noin, naked, beautiful and sultry, straddling him, her face just inches away.
"Noin..." he breathed. "How did you - why...?"
She put a finger to his lips. "Hush. Don't say one word. I'm in charge now."
Her lips replaced her finger and she took his mouth in a long, passionate kiss. He could feel her lean forward, pressing her breasts to him and rubbing softly, making him moan. Then she rose up on her knees and brushed taut nipples against his lips. Leaning forward and beginning to suckle one, Zechs felt his body slip from his control. His hands were on her, everywhere, and she arched her back, pressing harder into his mouth.
And somewhere, while he was in bliss at the feel of her breasts in his hands, she lowered herself onto him and began a slow rhythm, sliding along him with wet heat until they were both sighing, Their heads thrown back, two pairs of eyes closed in pleasure.
"Noin... ah God... so close," Zechs whispered, and his words sent her over the edge. A trembling cry escaped her and he could feel the release pulse through her, and the tight, rhythmic clamping of her around him.
"Again, Noin," he whispered again, more fiercely this time, and pressed upwards, rubbing against her fluttering core.
"Zechs!" she hissed, coming again, the tightening more intense this time and her hands clutched tightly in his hair. It took everything he had to hold on then - to just lie back and look at her, flushed cheeks, hardened nipples on rounded breasts and the little cloud of dark hair between her legs where his shaft pushed up inside her.
"More..." he breathed, feeling himself tighten, overwhelmed by the sight of her. He took hold of her hips and held her in place as he came, his own shudders touching Noin off once more. "Ah, God..."
Noin's arms were tight around his neck, her face pressed against his cheek as he floated back down to earth. They stayed that way for several minutes and then he whispered her name again. "Noin..."
But she put a finger to his lips again. "Not a word."
Then she stood, stepped out of the bath, and disappeared through the door.
End of Part 15
(:./kumiko/rosen15)
