2 Dec 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.
Warnings: Later bondage, lemon, lemon, lemon, sex, NC references.
Pairings: 6x5, 6x13, 13x5, 13x6 (I order of appearance ^_~)
Wufei's eyes darted around to the other shoppers, a few of which were starting to show some concern. "He's all right," the Chinese man said to the people who began to cluster around them, "really. It's just a mild seizure." Under the guise of loosening Treize's collar, Wufei muttered to the older man through clenched teeth. "*That* was an *idiotic* thing to do! And if you say *one word* to any of these people I'll do it again. And the dose goes *up* from there."
Once again, he waved a few people off. "Really - please. He just needs a little air and he'll be fine."
As he spoke a thin gentleman with limp brown hair, a thin moustache, and a Harrod's name badge walked up to them. "Heavens, what has happened?" he said in a rather effete voice. "Should I call an ambulance?"
"No!" Wufei snapped, tiring of all the help offered. "Maybe you can tell me if there's a place he could lie down for a moment."
"Oh, of *course*," the man simpered. "The elevator's right over here, and there's a gentleman's lounge on the third floor, with a sofa. Let me help you..." The man waved his hands ineffectually and Wufei rolled his eyes. "Thanks, but I can get him."
Already struggling to regain his feet, Treize stumbled once before he actually dragged himself up against the telephone, still shaking, the tears still coming. /Useless. Y-you're fucking useless, Khushrenada... utterly and completely... useless./ What could he say to Wufei? Nothing. The younger man had him trapped; he couldn't deal with that a second time, it hurt far too much!
Soon, he had an arm over Wufei's shoulder, Wufei with a supporting arm around his waist. His legs felt like jelly, and the burn deep inside his body was insistent and the only reason he hadn't pissed himself was that he'd used the bathroom just before leaving and hadn't had much to drink since then.
Thankfully.
"Only wanted to call Mari," he murmured, face very embarrassed as they slowly entered the empty elevator.
Wufei's face was dark with anger. "It was a *stupid* thing to do!" he hissed. "I *told* you about the shock. What do you think he'd have me put in there, some child's toy? Good gods - I know you miss your daughter but deliberately setting yourself up to get hurt isn't going to help her one bit!"
They got off the elevator and walked into the first door they came to - the Gentleman's Lounge. Two middle-aged men were talking quietly in the anteroom, and gave the two pointed looks as Wufei helped Treize lay on the large leather sofa.
"A sudden faint," the dark-haired man said to the gawkers, and sat on the floor near Treize's head.
"Yeah," Treize agreed quietly, curling in on himself a little as he laid there, eyes closing. "'n't think you'd have an electric plug up there..." He gave another shiver, a soft convulsion of mild pain. "Wasn't stupid."
"Yeah?" Wufei said softly. "Well, I can give you the benefit of the doubt this time. But, *damn* - you need to start paying attention to where you are."
He watched as the two other men left the room, leaving them alone. "The Master doesn't beat people, not like those bastards that had you before, but he's *serious* about holding on to his slaves. If you keep doing what you're doing, you *will* be punished - and it won't be anything so simple and stupid as a beating."
Slender dark brows knitted together and Wufei hesitantly put a hand on Treize's back. "He *likes* you... a *lot*, and he doesn't want to hurt you like this, but you have to wake up, Treize. You have to try..."
"Why?" he asked quietly, voice raw. "No matter how nice he is, I'll just be a fuck-toy. I'll never see my family again, my friends..." /Marimeia./ The painful frustration came back, rising high into his eyes. And the hand on his back somehow made it all worse and better, all at once.
A flash of anger ran through Wufei, along with a sense of protection towards the tall blond who had owned him almost half of his life. He took his hand off of the man and clenched it into a fist. "Don't talk about him like that! You don't know anything about him. You're just making him into the monsters that you *have* been with.
"The truth is you don't *know* what your life would be like if you gave yourself up to him - the way he wants you too..." The younger man's voice trailed off, anxiety about his own position with the Master returning. "You don't know that he'd never let you see your family - you just don't *know*! And if you were just a "fuck-toy" to him, he'd a put you in one of the back rooms and you'd get your training by fighting off some very disturbed and very horny boys. So *stop* making assumptions." Wufei scowled down at the thickly carpeted floor, afraid he was saying too much. "You don't know *anything* about him..." he finished, unhappily.
"He's superior-acting," Treize uttered quietly, eyes still closed as another and he hoped last, spasm raced through him. His legs still felt like pudding. "I've seen little of him, though. But even you can't be too close to him, to not know his name..."
There was a pause and then Wufei spoke quietly. "That's not what makes people close. People can change their names easily enough. Besides, it's none of your business what he and I have together. That's just for him and for me." He gazed up at the man, half wanting him to feel better, half wanting to push the button one more time.
"As for being 'superior-acting', well of *course* he is. He's the *Master*, that's his *job.* He'd be a disappointing one if he just went along with what all of us wanted. You just... you don't understand..."
"No, I don't." Eyes still closed tightly, he sighed. "Why the hell is he keeping me if not for a fuck-toy? That's all I'm good for anymore..."
"Well it will be if you don't think any differently," Wufei said softly. "'Cause if you buy into that then those bastards who hurt you really *have* won." His eyes moved over Treize's long, lean form, marveling at the power and vulnerability that co-existed in the man. /Maybe that's what he sees in you... /
When he spoke again, there was a thoughtfulness in his voice that hadn't been there before, and a touch of fear for what the words could mean for him someday. "I don't know why he's keeping you, Treize. I wish I did. But I've already told you it's not for the reason *you* think it is. Whatever your life is like right now, the one thing you can bet on is that if you give yourself to him completely, things are going to be very, very different." /For me as well as for you, I think.../
"So I guess you have to ask yourself if you want things to stay as they are, or if you want to take a chance on making them better. You've been acquired by a Master who allows that decision to be yours - and it seems to me you'd be stupid not to make use of that." He drew his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them, staring at the carpet in a rather brooding way. "But that's just my opinion..."
"A fine opinion," Treize uttered softly, as he struggled to move his legs again, enough to sit up. "But I haven't the slightest idea how to 'give myself up' to him."
The younger man rose to his knees to help guide Treize's legs over the edge of the sofa. "You probably won't be able to - yet. Who knows, maybe never." Small but strong hands were gently rubbing sore leg muscles. "You still don't get it, I think. He wants it to be genuine with you, wants you to come to him, to his bed, because you *want* to be there."
Wufei reached into his jeans pocket and drew out a small foil disk before continuing. "But doing it all at once isn't what he expects. That's why you're with me. He wants you to get used to things, to get a feeling for how the house works, what the rules are... what the *benefits* are. If you decide to be open to it, and just see what happens, that means you do the things your told to do, and do them with an open mind. Don't go into things *knowing* or *expecting* to hate them. Just let them happen and see how they feel. Just give it a chance... That's all he wants from you at the moment."
Long hesitance was obvious, from Treize's expression to the silence, as Wufei gently rubbed still shaky muscles. "Thank you," he murmured softly, once Wufei sat back. They certainly did feel better... /'Just give is a chance'... I can do that. I've never been accused, before, of not being willing to try./
"I'll try, Wufei," he murmured, wondering what the foil disk was. But not about to ask. "I suppose there's nothing for me to lose from trying, is there?"
"No, there isn't." The boy looked up at him, head titled a bit, an appraising look on his face. Then he held up the disk. "This is a suppository. It'll make the burns you've got inside you heal a lot faster than they would on their own. Now, one of his rules that's best to learn first is that actions have consequences. Actions that go against the Master's wishes lead to bad consequences - like you had out there." He nodded his dark head towards the outer door of the lounge.
"But there's another side to that rule, and it's the more important side because it's what will make your life change. When you do things that the Master wants you to do, the consequences are good, usually *very* good. So, I think he would want to let you put this in yourself, because you're agreeing to give things a chance. Of course, if you choose to do something stupid with this consequence, I can guarantee that things will be very unpleasant for you.
"So - we'll go in there," he said nodding to the door that lead to the stalls, "and you'll pick a stall. Go in, close the door but don't lock it. Take the plug out and hand it to me, then I'll give you this." He indicated the disk. "Put it inside of you - push it as far up as you can - and then I'll put the plug back in. Understand?"
A slow nod, and Treize sighed, rising unsteadily to his feet. "It makes perfect sense, I suppose." His legs still proved shaky, not wanting to comply with the rest of his body. One hand reflexively shot out to grab Wufei's shoulder for support. "Shit. Help me there, Wufei...?"
"I'm here," Wufei said, quickly grabbing the arm and draping it over his shoulder. The other hand went around Treize's waist. They got to the next room slowly, Wufei thanking the gods that no other men had come in while they'd been there.
Wufei had found, through watching the Master with new slaves, that giving someone the right to make a decision for himself, even if that decision was as mundane as whether to have butter on his bread or not, gave a person a sense of personal control. For the younger, willing slaves that wasn't usually important at all. But it had become important to Wufei early on, and he could tell that Treize was the sort for whom it might make a world of difference.
He eyed the row of stalls. "Okay," he said matter-of-factly, "what's your pick?"
Treize nodded towards the farthest one from the door, which was also the largest. "Just come in with me." /It's not like you haven't seen me nude already./ "It'll be less suspicious that way." /Not like we don't already look suspicious, wearing our collars and all./
The Chinese man looked skeptical, then shrugged. "Okay. It's your choice," he muttered as he led them into the stall. "Do you need help?"
Then entered it, and Wufei had closed the door behind him before Treize uttered, bracing his shaky legs with a hand on the wall, "Yes, if you could..."
Wufei moved to stand in front of the older man. "Put your hands on my shoulders - less slippery that way." He deftly unfastened Treize's trousers and then looked up. "Do you want to take it out, or do you want me to?"
"I will," Treize murmured. He knew where everything would hurt, what movements would hurt the most. Wufei slid down his underwear for him, and, keeping one hand on Wufei's shoulder to stay standing, Treize reached back and carefully worked the thin plug out. That left him aching and sore all over again, and a little hard.
/Gods, he's beautiful... it would be so lovely to touch.../ Wufei forced himself to look away from the long shaft that twitched in front of him. He ripped the foil pack open with his teeth and handed the waxy tablet to Treize. "Remember - as far up as you can, if you want it to heal faster. There's also an anesthetic in it, so it should help with the pain."
"Thanks," Treize spoke raggedly, grasping that tablet. Eyes closed, wearing an expression no-where near pleasure, he pushed it in as far as his finger-tips could reach.
Continuing to look at the walls, Wufei tightened his hold on the trembling man. "Okay, that anesthetic should be working pretty quick - you should be starting to feel some relief. I'm going to put in the plug now."
He backed them up until he was against the wall with Treize's hands braced on the tiles on either side of his head. Then, dropping to his knees, he set the plug to a lower amperage and said, "Spread your legs apart for me." But even as the tall man complied, the nearness of that half-hard organ, the scent of it, was too much for him and he leaned in, giving it a long, firm lick.
Treize managed a stammered groan, and his legs jerked, before he locked his knees, effectively holding him up. "Gott..." He should've expected it from Wufei, really should've, but... "Just put it in, please," he uttered, voice huskier than he would've liked it to sound.
The dark-haired man looked up at him and smiled softly, his head back against the tile. "I already did."
"Good distraction," Treize smiled, head ducked down to look at Wufei. "Very good distraction."
Wufei smiled up at him softly, one hand gently stroking his flank. "This is the first time I've seen you smile... It looks good on you, but then anything would."
"If I walked out into traffic, you wouldn't say that," he smiled, the tone hard to guess if he were serious or not.
"True," Wufei said smoothly, "but then again, I wouldn't let you walk out into traffic in the first place."
He had been putting Treize back together as they spoke and now he pushed the tall man back gently and stood. "All right - let's get you some clothes that will make you look even better than you do already." A quick flick of his eyes up and down Treize was followed by a somewhat sly grin. "If that's possible."
"Hmph. Flattery won't get you very far, Wufei," Treize drawled, a hand resting on Wufei's shoulder to steady himself. "You're quite good-looking yourself."
"Hah!" Wufei replied good-naturedly as they headed out of the lounge and towards the mens' wear department. "There's only one person on Earth that I flatter, and you're not him. What kinds of things do you like to wear, Treize?"
"Uhm... depends what the occasion is," Treize replied carefully. After having had the hell jolted out of him, he was tired, still shaky, and didn't feel like putting up any fight -- and neither did it seem, just then, like there was any reason to do so. "For dressing up, or dressing down...?"
"Well," Wufei said, "these will just be things that you mostly wear around the house if the Master doesn't have something specific for you that day - and for doing things like what we're doing right now. He'll have anything more formal ordered for you. So this stuff will be for lounging, eating, reading, that kind of thing. But we want it to look really good on you in case the Master drops in. He insists on that - at all times."
Treize was contemplative. "So, rather like... sexy office-wear?"
"God, no," Wufei looked up at him, a bit scornful. "He gets enough of that with his employees. No, *nothing* that would be really appropriate in an office, unless it's a *very* casual Friday."
Forked eyebrows drew together, as he searched Wufei's expression, as if answers could be found there. "Show me something that would be appropriate, then, because I'm confused."
The smaller man wandered down the rows of impeccably folded shirts and sweaters, through racks of jeans and trousers, and came back with four different pieces.
"Okay, this is the kind of thing I mean." He held up a pair of slim pants, the colour of dark, buttered gingerbread. "This designer is great because he makes his stuff fairly tight in the crotch and in the back, so it really shows off what you've got. That's one of the kind of things the Master likes. Same thing for this sweater." A lambs' wool-soft short-sleeved garment, light cinnamon in color, was spread out on a nearby table for Treize to consider. The knit was very tightly woven, and it was cut to cling to a man's body, wider at the shoulders and tapering to a narrow waist. "He loves this kind of stuff, first because they're short sweaters that give little flashes of your belly, and second, more importantly, because the fabric seems to rub against your nipples for some reason, so not only are they nice and stiff a lot of the time, but he can see them perfectly because the knit's so thin."
"Now, that doesn't mean he doesn't like loose stuff, because he does," the dark-haired man lectured as he held up a pair of loose, stone-colored pull-on pants. "Another designer I really like, because he does loose crotches really well. The Master loves cupping balls through stuff like this, and they have an even greater advantage in that come off really easily."
Wufei dropped the trousers on top of the other two garments and held up the last. It was a shirt, made of deeply-saturated blue velvet, that had had an opening down the middle, as many shirts do, but no buttons or buttonholes. The sleeves were loose enough to wear down, or pushed up on the arms and it seemed to glow in the younger man's hands as he offered it to Treize for his inspection. "What do you think?"
"This..." Treize smiled slowly, reaching out to touch it carefully. "This is very beautiful. I have a shirt like it back home... Had." His fingers knitted into it, luxuriating in the touching. "What does the master think of layers?"
Wufei tilted his head and gave the man a sidelong glance. "Show me what you mean..."
"Like, ah..." He hesitated, searching his mind to find the word in English. "Like vests and things like that."
"Depends on the pieces you put together. Why don't you wander around and find stuff you like and I'll tell you if it would work? And, of course, I'll be trailing along behind you - faithful dog that I am..." The tone of Wufei's voice was full of irony, and he hoped Treize wouldn't miss it.
Treize only rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "But of course."
And he did wander, finding things that would be subtly showy, without screaming 'I'm sexy!'. While he wove in and out of the racks and displays, his mind drifted like his hands did, dancing over and touching things tentatively -- why was he bothering? And why was he looking forward and caring what his Master thought of his clothing? So he could get in better standing with the man he'd only met twice in his life, or...?
/Just follow your instincts, Treize, and try./
The man found a pair of black trousers that were made of a heavy cotton weave. He'd tried them on, and been suited with the way they fit -- clinging comfortably to his ass, and his pelvis, moulding nicely to muscular legs that had lost weight from mistreatment with earlier masters. Then a pair of dark tan, by the same company. A looser pair, like what Wufei had shown him before, in a dark, near-black blue, that shone when the light caught it.
"Are these all alright...?"
"You're a *dark* kind of guy, aren't you?" Wufei chuckled, shaking his head. "But they're fine, really. Now what about shirts?"
"Hmn... I'll need your help there, and no mid-drift showing shirts. That's just too.... I mean, I AM nearly thirty."
"Whoa!" The younger man did a theatrical stagger. "I never knew the Master to be into senior citizens! Must be some kind of new fetish he has," Wufei teased, smirking up at Treize.
Wufei picked out a silky, ivory poet's shirt that made the pale man's skin glow, two slinky sweaters, in appropriately dark, muted red and green, and then held up the velvet shirt. "We're getting you this, no matter what. He won't be able to keep his hands off of you in this, I know that for a fact. Now... socks and underwear, then we head for shoes."
Treize seemed to shudder that the mention of underwear. "I take it that has to be chosen for appropriateness, also?"
"Well, you won't find any of *that* stuff at Harrod's," Wufei said plainly. "That's the store we'll visit after lunch. This is just plain stuff, but I'd recommend briefs on the smallish side. Definitely no boxers"
Once more, Treize suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "And what is the Master's view on boxer-briefs?" /May as well play the devil's advocate.../
Wufei turned to face the tall man. "Let me put it this way: if it has 'boxer' anywhere in the name, he won't like it."
A smile curled Treize's lips. "Alright."
They found the items Treize would need and Wufei brought them all to a stylish-looking saleswoman, who wore a tape measure around her neck. She eyed the clothes and then the two of them and settled an appreciative gaze on the older man. "Very nice choices, sir - your bound to look smashing in them I expect."
It was Wufei's turn to roll his eyes, which he did as he handed over the Master's credit card. When the items were paid for, he used a small portable phone to summon the chauffeur, who was there with the car by the time they arrived at the curb.
As they climbed into the back seat, Wufei looked at the clock on the small compact disk player that was built into a console on the floor. "Lunch next, I think. There's a fairly good Middle Eastern place near here, and an excellent bistro up the block that serves French Country, and a Tuscan bakery/cafe two streets over. Any of those sound appealing, Treize?"
"French," Treize uttered, tone decisive. /Anything to remind me of where I really belong... back on the continent.../ "The more I think about it, the more I realise that the Master must be very lenient in some areas."
Wufei smiled faintly and kept his gaze on the traffic. "And why would you say that?"
"The last masters I had didn't have any slaves they treated so good."
"The last masters you had were sadistic idiots who didn't know how to appreciate the slaves they paid so much money for - which makes them doubly idiotic. *My* Master believes that you treat possessions with great care. Besides, I told you he really likes you. You're hardly just 'any' slave." Wufei felt an inconvenient twinge of jealousy saying the words and told himself sternly to put the anxieties about the Master's feelings away. For now.
"And obviously, neither are you," Treize observed gently. "How long has he owned you?"
Wufei's gaze softened suddenly and a softly pleased smile appeared. "It'll be nine years this November..." Then his voice trailed off and he simply smiled at nothing and looked pleased with himself.
Treize gave an amused sound. "You love him."
The smaller man's smile disappeared like quicksilver and he froze - staring ahead blankly. /Too much, Wufei... you got too comfortable with him and you've said too much.../
"That's not really any of your concern. And it's obvious you never will."
Treize stiffened on his own, brows drawing together a little. "There are many sorts of love, Wufei. Many."
Wufei didn't like the idea, and stared down at his hands. /But which kind does he want from you, Treize. DO I even want to know...?/
"Sure," he said softly. "Sorry I snapped - obviously missing my late morning nap doesn't agree with me. Oh - here's the restaurant."
They pulled up outside a small bistro that was painted a pale but warm yellow. It had shutters of grayish blue and a warm, cinnamon-colored door at the entrance. In simple script letters over the door it read, "La Vieille Ferme."
"Fascinating," Treize uttered quietly, peering out the window as he looked at it. "Very true to form." He'd have gotten out of the car, and started towards it, but Wufei might have taken it as him trying to run, and another shock would have nearly killed him, he was sure of it.
Giving instructions to the chauffeur, Wufei led the way to the front door and on inside. "Oh - do you come from France?" he asked, looking surprised.
"No -- Kiev, Russia. But one of our law offices is in Alsace Loraine -- that borderland between Germany and France that they fight over so much. Beautiful territory, and I've spent enough time in it that I may as well live there. Well, there and Bonn."
"Sounds nice. The only place I've been outside of England is China, but I don't remember much about it."
"Ah. Well, if you ever get the chance, the continent is very nice..."
A waiter approached the two, cautiously eyeing the collars they wore. "Would you like a table, sirs?"
Wufei handed him a small, folded card, which the waiter opened. Inside was Zechs' name and a crisp 100 pound note. The man smiled down at him, then closed the card and tucked it carefully into his shirt pocket. "Of course, Monsieur - right this way, please..."
He led them to a small table on the far side of the restaurant that stood in front of a large leaded-glass window. The casings were open to a small but fragrant flower garden and a warm breeze blew through it, stirring the simple lace curtains.
Even the chairs were right, with the proper wicker seats, covered with a pad that was very comfortable to his aching bottom. "Gott, this is nice..."
Wufei looked up, a pleased expression on his face. "You like it? It's one of my favorites. I'm going to order a glass of wine, would you like one?" He spoke just in time. Looking up they could see the waiter heading for them.
"Do they have cognac here...?" Even though it seemed as it the proper building had been uprooted from France, it didn't mean everything else was right. "And, I like this place very much."
"I'm sure they do. Bonjour, Robert - how have you been keeping?"
"Bonjour, Monsieur Wufei," the waiter responded. He looked to be in his mid-40s, with a pleasant, well-tanned face and curly, dark-brown hair. "I am doing exceptionally well, thank you. What will you and your guest be having to drink today?"
"I'll take a glass of the house white, please. Treize?"
"Cognac -- the year doesn't matter, as long as it's drinkable," Treize murmured, feeling, for some reason, guilty in the back of his mind for even wanting anything more than water. Probably because he knew it would be expensive, and it wasn't his money that would pay for it.
Robert appeared the ponder for a moment and then his face lit up. "Ah, monsieur - I assume you'd prefer an X.O.? I have an excellent one from the A.E. Dor house. Aged 40 years, I believe. I'll bring you some and if it's not to your liking, we can find something else, yes?"
A polite nod, and a faint smile was all that Treize gave. /One of the best years in existence. A good waiter, at least -- plays down the very best. A worse one would have played up the worst./
Robert went of in search of alcohol and Wufei gave the man across the table a strange stare. "I'm glad you two understood each other, at least," he said before turning his attention to the menu. "Mmmm... I'm in the mood for something different - I'm going to ask about the specials. Does anything look appealing to you?"
There was a plethora of possible answers to that -- the herring, the hens, Wufei, the Master, hell, even the waiter...
Forked eyebrows drew together sharply as he shook off all the thoughts in his head, or at least tried to. "The, ah, duck looks like it'd be quite good."
Robert chose that moment to return and placed a chilled glass of wine in front of Wufei and a tulip-shaped glass of dark golden liquid before Treize. Placing two glasses of water with lemon slices on the table as well, he held his tray in the crook of his arm and looked to the older man. "Monsieur? What do you think?"
The glass was raised in the manner of one trained early on in proper manners, and he sipped carefully, letting it sit in his mouth a moment before swallowing; the familiar burn was savoured, too. "Wonderful."
Robert nearly beamed. "Well, gentlemen, have you decided on your orders yet, or may I tell you about today's specials?"
"I'd like to hear them," said Wufei, his voice slightly muffled behind his wine glass.
"We have three specials today," Robert began in the special "lecture-style" that waiters seem to assume. "The first is a pork stew, very dense and richly flavored with carrots, potatoes, and onions. This is served with a house salad and a freshly-baked baguette. The second dish is breast of chicken, sautéed in vinegar, garlic, and capers, topped with a light, fresh-tomato-and-cream sauce and sits on a bed of Alsatian noodles. It comes with braised leeks and a miniature brioche. Finally, our seafood today is filet of red snapper, sautéed with sage and rosemary in a little olive oil, and that comes with a summer vegetable ragout and breadsticks."
"They all sound wonderful," Wufei said appreciatively, "but I think the chicken breasts sound best."
"Excellent choice, Monsieur, and you?" Robert asked turning to Treize.
Listening to the specials made Treize change his mind, and he smiled a little. /The only breast Wufei will ever desire.../ "I'll have the pork stew. It sounds quite... familiar."
Robert looked puzzled at the comment, but then smiled anyway. "Wonderful monsieur, and," he said putting a basket down on the table, "are some starters that the chef has sent with his compliments. They are small pastry cups filled with scrambled farm eggs, truffles, gruyere cheese." He smiled and bowed slightly to Wufei and then retreated.
Wufei picked up the basket and drew aside the cloth folds that covered the treats, offering it first to Treize. "I'm sure they're wonderful. If the chef sent them it means he'd like to show off one of his better dishes."
"You come here often, then," Treize uttered, picking one up carefully -- still hot -- before he bit carefully into it. Fresh food was meant to be enjoyed, not have time wasted on it with a fork if it were un-necessary. And as he chewed, a smile curled his lips. "And I can see why. Very good."
"Oh, *I* don't get out that often," he said taking one himself, "just once in a while. This is only the second time I've been here. No, the chef is complimenting my Master who happens to be a frequent patron of this place. I gave the maitre d'hotel his card when we came in. It's amazing what that card can do in this city." He finished one pastry and reached for another before pushing the basket back to Treize. "Eat up - you look like you could use some extra weight."
"Probably could," Treize drawled, sipping the cognac once more, before taking another. "My third master had a thing for 'thin' people -- I looked like a skeleton before I was passed on to the *fifth* one, who was the first one that actually starting giving me regular meals." /Even if it was just dog-food and scraps, to give him a laugh./
"That's a crime," Wufei said flatly. "Beautiful men should be kept up beautifully, not starved into sticks. I can guarantee you that you won't starve with the Master." He nibbled the rest of his pastry and then sat back, looking comfortable.
"So, at this next shop I'll be doing most of the choosing for you. If I see two things that could be equally well-liked I'll have you pick the one you want, but most of the stuff will be things I know he'd want to see you in."
"What sort of shop is it?" Treize asked, reaching for another of the pastries.
"Erotic clothing and accessories - " Wufei replied casually, "two of the Master's favorite things, for himself and for us. It's a most unusual place."
/Ah.../ Blinking once, twice, Treize nodded. "I'd ask what that sort of thing is, but I'd rather just see for myself."
Wufei stared up at him in surprise. "Surely you know must know what it is. You've been with five masters, after all! You're not going to tell me that none of them ever wanted you to wear leather or chains or mesh? Are you?"
Another small sip of the delicious cognac slid down his throat. "Chains and whips, I'm familiar with -- but not wearing them. I wasn't the sort to waste clothing on."
Wufei was genuinely puzzled. One look at the tall man across from him and he could tell that Treize Khushrenada was a person designed to revel in luxury. It seemed incomprehensible that any of the sadistic "dog men," as he liked to call them, would even be interested in someone like Treize. He shook his dark head, hair falling across his cheeks and over one eye.
"That must have been terrible," the younger man said quietly. "I feel like I want to apologize, and I'm not even an owner..." He looked up, into deeply blue eyes - not like the Master's, which were a lighter blue, like sun striking blue ice - eyes somehow both vivid and dark. His voice was low, nor more than a whisper, really. "Do you think you could ever love the Master?"
Those eyes glittered for a moment, as if there was a fuel that fired them separately from the rest of his body, and they focused on Wufei's dark orbs, still glittering. "Perhaps. I'll be able to tell when I can... trust better."
/And that's what I'm here for,/ Wufei thought, fighting off another wave of jealous misery. /Master? Am I training my replacement...?/
"I don't blame you for not trusting anyone, I guess," he said, pushing his thoughts away yet again. "When people treat you like your not even human it wouldn't take long to start thinking everyone is like that..." He shook his head and dropped his hands against his thighs with a light slap. "Ah, let's talk about something more pleasant. Such as... how did you come to like *Cognac* of all things?"
A quiet sigh from Treize. "My parents were Russian Nobility -- I am still, or *was*, a Count. I suppose they've given me up for dead and made my daughter the Countess of the estates." A smile touched his lips. "I'm sure she likes being addressed like that." He took another small sip, staring deeply into the glass. "I hate red-wine. Don't know why. But I hate it. And at social events, all there ever was was Champagne, which I find makes me very drunk, very fast -- bubbles go right to my head -- red wine, which goes well with desserts, or so I'm told, and Cognac. I drank the lesser of three evils and it's grown on me."
Wufei took another sip of his wine, looking as if he wanted to ask something, but hesitant to do so. "So... if you're from the nobility, how did you end up as a lawyer?"
"Amazingly enough, most nobility have things they wish to do aside from lounging around their homes all day, reading and being... frivolous. Although, that is a nice thing to return home to at the end of the day. But I like to work. Since my parents died, I've not touched a cent of the estate's money -- I've earned all that I've spent since I was sixteen." He smiled, taking another sip. "And Law attracted me. My father used to tell me that I would've made a fine soldier, if there was a war going on. Which, sadly, there isn't."
Wufei's face screwed up into a frown. "You'd *like* fighting? Really?" He shuddered a little. "I'd make a terrible soldier. I like books best. Books and numbers."
Robert arrived with their entrees and refills for both of their drinks. As any good waiter would, he had observed their conversation from afar and disappeared as soon as their meals were set, in order to allow them to continue.
Digging into his chicken, Wufei decided to take a chance on finding out more about the man who'd so captivated his Master. "So how did you end up with the people you worked with - like the woman that you were engaged to?"
Treize smiled slightly. "I went to school with the brothers of the two other women in the partnership -- well, I was best friends with one. Trois Barton. His sister and I went to law-school together, and decided to start up a partnership together, after we passed the equivalent of the 'Bar' in both France, Germany, and myself in Russia." He smiled slightly. "It doesn't take much to pass the 'Bar' equivalent in Russia. And then Relena, who was a friend of Catherine, passed her tests, so... we formed a rather successful, if young, group. To this day, Relena claims I know her brother, but I don't think I ever did much more than pass him in the school halls -- it was a big school. But, that was how we all formed -- friend of a friend, 'hey, I knew your relative', sort of thing." With liquor, taken slowly, Treize talked more and more, as if his past was something that soothed him to mull over.
He wasn't alone in the feeling. Wufei was feeling the wine as well, and sat back against the chair, tilting his head to one side, happy to listen to a life that had been so different than his own.
"Did you get along with them all?" he asked, taking another bite of chicken.
"It was only two, and they were fine as long as they weren't menstruating," he smiled, testing the stew at last -- hot, and the meat had been coated in flour and spices before cooking with the rest of the stew, making it thick and rich. /Wonderful.../ "Trois became a Neurosurgeon, and I never really met the brother Relena was so proud of. Anne... we hired her nearly from the start, to keep track of accounts."
A small laugh bubbled out of the young Chinese man. "Just you and three women, eh? Did you find that pleasant? Or maybe I should ask, did they?" He laughed again at the thought of it.
A smile touched Treize's lips. "I never before noticed how odd it must have seemed, but I found them easy to work with."
"Obviously," Wufei said, behind his napkin. "You proposed to one of them after all. Why her and not one of the other two?"
"Relena... is utterly annoying," Treize smiled slightly. "Intelligent, but she grated my nerves nearly raw. And Catherine... Has been the sister I've never had, just like her brother was nearly my own brother."
Wufei was finishing up his leeks and after that he set his napkin down with a satisfied air and leaned back, picking up his wine glass as he did so. "Sounds like your life was fairly calm and straightforward, nothing to ruffle your feathers, everything smooth. So what happened? How did you get snatched?"
"I went home one day after a court case -- against a slave Master who had twenty illegals in his possession -- was just starting to relax, when someone broke down the front door and the back door at once. I went for my own gun and the phone, and felt a little prick at the back of my neck."
"Revenge, huh?" Wufei nodded solemnly. "Was that same guy your first master?"
"Actually, no -- but a friend of his, I'm sure. The man was known among the slaving world just as 'Howard', but my first master was a... freak, for lack of better words. Old, and all prosthetic limbs." he shivered, remembering what he'd done WITH those limbs...
"Howard??" Wufei sat up and nearly spat out the wine he'd just sipped. "The Master *despises* him! Says his slaves are all abused - that he runs a dirty house. I don't know exactly who the next guy is, but it sounds a little like what I've heard about a man named Je. He's supposed to have been a perfectly normal family man who snapped when some accident happened. Like I said I don't know much." The dark-eyed man shuddered. "Nasty people, that's for sure."
"From first-hand experience, I can agree," Treize murmured. "Howard is in jail right now, serving a life term in France -- after which, he'll serve a life term in *Germany*. We nailed him for having illegals *and* for excessive cruelty." That made him shiver -- the photographs they'd shown as evidence. People with needle-work done on their bodies, scald marks in designs... Those poor boys.
"And there you were, right in the middle of it all of a sudden. That must have been a shock - especially to someone like you. And there was a ransom offered? Why didn't that pretty lady you were engaged to pay it? Or you're other two "partners?" Wufei's voice had turned somewhat angry and his brows were knitted together as he look across the table at the older man. "Forgive me for saying so, but if your friends were really friends, wouldn't they have paid it?"
Treize looked down into his glass, sighing quietly. "Yes -- which is why I think one of two things happened: Either there was no ransom at all. Or, there was one, they paid it, and I was never delivered."
The anger drained from Wufei's face, leaving only empathy. "I'm so sorry," he said, shaking his dark head. "And here I was trying to get us to talk about happier things... Well, maybe looking at yourself in some outrageously sexy gear will help. Shall we?"
"Once I'm done, yes," Treize murmured, eating the last piece of meat in the bowl, having thoroughly, well, wolfed it down like a man who hadn't tasted such good food in a long time... Which Treize was. The last of the cognac was finished up, leaving a slight flush on Treize's face.
End of Chapter 3
(:./kumiko/velvet3)
