28 Jun 2001
TITLE: Velvet
AUTHOR: Kat & kumi!
PART: 38/42
FANDOM: Gundam Wing
PAIRING: A puddle of Treize, Zechs and Wufei
WARNINGS: lemon, lemon, lemmmmon!
DISCLAIMER: Not ours. *sigh* ^_~
"It's such a beautiful night, Zechs," Wufei uttered, sitting on the front steps of the cottage, bundled up in his coat as he looked out at the snow. "Isn't it?"
Zechs sat next to his former slave, one long arm around the smaller man's shoulders. He leaned over and nuzzled Wufei's temple. "Mmmm... indeed it is. But I'm still remembering the way you looked during our walk today, with your cheeks all red and the snow so white against your hair..."
"And you just blended in -- a beautiful golden crystal in all of that snow," Wufei smiled. "Untouched... until I hit you with that snowball."
"Hmpf!" Zechs gave a snort in mock offense. "That was cheap victory -especially since you were making kissing noises at me to get me to come over your way..."
The 'smooch smooch' noise came again from Wufei, and he laughed aloud as he nudged himself against Zechs, kissing his lightly chilled neck. "It's nicer since the wind died down. Such a clear night out... It's all so beautiful here, so untouched."
"But parts of it are too untouched, my love," Zechs breathed. The touch of Wufei's lips against him had sent a fine current of electricity running through him and he knew he'd have to drag the younger man in soon for a long, hard fuck in front of the fire. The straps on the snowshoes that came with cabin would look so wonderful against the smooth caramel skin...
"Ah Wufei," he whispered, feeling himself harden despite the cold. Cupping his hand under the other man's chin, he lifted Wufei's face to his and claimed his mouth in a long, fiery kiss.
"Master," he panted softly against those chilled, full lips, warming them with friction. "Oh, oh, master... I want you, I want you..."
Through the near pitch darkness, the 'crunch crunch' of snow being stepped on could be heard, and a voice saying, "Soviel ich weiß."
Zechs broke off the kiss, looking angrily towards the forest. "Who the devil could that be at *this* hour," he muttered, getting up reluctantly from Wufei's warmth, and placing himself in a somewhat protective position half in front of the smaller man. "Don't worry," he said quietly to Wufei, "I'll tell them they're in the wrong place."
"Why would anyone even come here..." Wufei trailed off. "Oh god. Master... It was a man's voice -- speaking German!"
Zechs felt a strange chill go through him. /A German-speaking man? But that would mean... No... no it can't be... I can't hope because I want him too much and I'm too hurt... ah, please, no.../
"It can't be Wufei. How could he know we were here...?"
"I don't know," Wufei murmured as he started to move forward a little, looking at the figured nearing -- there were *two* of them, one very small, the other larger, and...
"Zechs...? Is... that you up there, Zechs....?" Treize voice, his English as heavily accented as it had been when he'd first arrived.
/Ah, God! It's *him*... it's really *him*.../
"Treize?" His voice sounded broken to him, hoarse with emotion. "Treize? What are you doing here?"
A nervous, breathless laugh came from the darkness, and he strode closer, two bags carried in one hand, the other hand latched onto the hand of a small girl's. "I came looking for you."
The sight of him... It had been a little over two weeks but it felt to Zechs as if they'd been apart forever. His breath came quicker as he Treize came closer, eyes widening at the bags in his hands and then straying to the girl at his side. /Dear *God*... that must be... oh, I don't know whether to *trust* him.../
"Yes," he finally managed to get out, "so you have..."
It was so awkward, to be standing there... Treize let the suit-cases drop into the snow, still holding onto Mari's hand. Zechs was there, with Wufei, just like he'd thought he'd be... /I shouldn't have come here, should I have? He looks so happy... with just Wufei./
"I... I came back like I promised. If you don't want me here, though I'll go..."
Zechs hesitated for just a moment and then said, "Don't be ridiculous, Treize. It's dark and it's snowing. I'm guessing the road might already be impassible." He turned wary eyes to the girl at Treize's side. "And may I assume that you are Marimeia?" he said with a little bow to her.
The girl had to be, with her sharp gaze and angular face. "And you're Zechs." she was starting to wonder if her father had completely lost his mind -- it didn't seem like there was anything special about the man, or any *love* there.
Treize picked up the bags again, tugging Marimeia closer, nervous. "I... I've missed you, Zechs." /Oh god, he doesn't want me, I can tell... He's got Wufei, why would he want me?/
There was a war going on in Zechs's mind - a war that made his body tremble and his words falter. /He's so beautiful... strange that I couldn't remember him being this beautiful... oh, *God* I want him... and I want to yell at him... for leaving in the first place... and what is Wufei thinking...?/
"I... I missed you, too... Treize..." It was so awkward, with Treize's daughter and Wufei so close by. "I... really didn't think you'd come back."
"But, we're glad you did," Wufei spoke, at last, from Zechs' side. "We should all go in -- it's starting to get too cold." And breaking the tension in that cold yard, Wufei turned, moving first, to open the front door of the cabin and let everyone else in.
/Bless him... what would I do without you, little one.../
"Yes, please." Zechs said, shaking his head a bit, "forgive my poor manners. You must be freezing. Come and get warm by the fire." He held his arm out towards the steps and the front door of the cabin and let Treize and his daughter pass, looking over at Treize as he did so.
/Are you still the same...? How much have you changed in these two eternal weeks?/
Mari entered before Treize, wandering into the large front room, taking in everything the fire cast it's glow upon, while her father set down their bags, before straightening himself. It was hard, deathly so, to look into Zechs' eyes just then, to see Wufei close the front door once Zechs had entered, and lock it, as he stripped off his own coat, revealing that he was wearing one of the sweaters he'd had before, and his blue collar.
"I'm sorry I took so long to get here, but there was some trouble..." He made himself speak, act as if he hadn't left at all; part of him was afraid of disgusting his daughter, though at this point... was that even possible, when surely he'd already done it? Now Zechs was close, and he gave in, ekeing out, "I missed you" again, letting his face echo those words.
Zechs felt a slow flush in his cheeks that went beyond the warmth of the cabin. Then his eyes fell on the collar around Treize's neck and he couldn't stop a slightly huffed breath escaping him. Eyes back up to Treize's and he reeled at the wave of longing that went through him. "I'm very glad you came back..."
"I'm glad I came back, too," he spoke tentatively, at last. "It's always... better with you."
Zechs ducked his head, suddenly aware of two pairs of eyes on them. "Please," he said, "come in... sit down. Let me get you both something warm to drink..."
"It really wasn't a long walk," Treize tried to dismiss, even as he moved further into the room.
"Yes it *was*," Mari spoke up. "It was long and it was *cold*."
Zechs looked at her, a little startled by her outspoken frankness, then looked back at Treize. "You heard the woman, it was long and cold... Marimeia, may I get you some cocoa or eggnog?"
"Cocoa," she sighed, plopping down in front of the fire. It was so strange, to know exactly *what* Zechs was to her father, and the young man who was standing in the looking so young -- younger than her father, she was sure of that. "You're Wufei...?"
Zechs disappeared through a doorway and Wufei turned to look closely at Marimeia. Smooth, dark brows knit together in puzzlement. "Yes... yes I am, but how did you know my name?"
"Father's talked about you," she replied, looking up at her father, who was leaning against a chair, smiling very faintly. "You and Zechs were all he's talked about."
Wufei gave Treize disbelieving frown. /Oh, sure, he talked about me.../"Talked about Zechs a lot, did he?" he said, eyes not moving from Treize's face. "I'm sure his fiancee and his friends appreciated that..." He moved across the room and sat down on the sofa, turning to stare into the fire. "And what kind's of things did he tell you about us, Marimeia?"
Zechs came back at that moment, carrying a tray with one mug of cocoa with whipped cream and three mugs of mulled wine. "Here you go Marimeia," he said softly, handing the cocoa to her, "and Wufei." He passed one of the wine mugs to the Chinese man, smiling weakly at him as he did. Finally he took a mug and handed it to Treize, who was still standing. "Drink up," he said smoothly, eyes locking with the older man. "It'll warm you up inside."
Wrapping his fingers around the mug, brushing Zechs' in the process, Treize's eyes glittered for a moment before he lifted it to his lips and took a sip. "Thank you." /I'd like you to warm me up inside.../ his gaze drifted away only slowly, looking over to where Marimeia was tapping one finger into the whipped cream.
"Lots of things. Mostly about how nice you both are," Mari told Wufei, taking a sip from the mug at last. Treize had spent the entire plane trip instructing her English a bit more, but there were thoughts in her head that wouldn't translate well.
Zechs took a seat on the sofa, sipping at the wine, and smiling again at the girl. "When he was with me he talked about you, as well. He was very sad being away from you... because he loved you so much."
"And now I don't have to be away from either of you," Treize murmured, still leaning against the same chair as before. The mulled wine was taking effect slowly, making him feel warm and hazy.
"Is this where you live?" Mari asked Zechs a little suspiciously.
Wufei gave a quiet snort and muttered, "I wish..." then cuddled up next to Zechs.
"No," Zechs said softly, "my home is very different than this. Wufei and I wanted to get away from England for awhile so we rented this little place. I believe *he* was interested primarily in the snow..." He turned slightly and smiled at Wufei.
"I like snow," the younger man said, quietly but adamantly.
Treize wanted to cuddle up to Zechs, too; it looked so god-damned tempting... But he couldn't not with Mari there, not with... well, even *with* Wufei there he could have! But he settled on *looking*.
"I like snow, too," Mari smiled, relaxing a little as she drank more cocoa. "We get lots of it in winter, back home..." her eyes followed her father's intense gaze, and she frowned a little at Wufei and Zechs. "why are you doing that?"
Wufei frowned at her, not understanding the question. A single platinum eyebrow rose. "Doing what?" Zechs asked.
"Hugging."
Zechs looked over at Wufei and then, smiling, back to Marimeia. "Because we care about each other, and we like being together, so it makes sense to touch each other. Do you like hugging people you care about?"
She was silent, before she nodded, expression a little confused. "Yes. So you care about Wufei and you don't care about my father?"
"Mari!" Treize exclaimed, startling and almost choking on his mulled wine.
Zechs's cheeks went red, and it wasn't the wine, or the fire that did it. He couldn't look at Treize. "Perhaps your father has told you that," he said quietly, staring at the fire. "Perhaps he believes it... but it's not true..."
"I've said no such thing," Treize started, half addressing Mari and half addressing Zechs.
"Then why haven't you hugged?" Mari shot back.
"Marimeia," Wufei said suddenly, "you need to understand that sometimes it's hard to meet someone again, after you've been away, when you have an audience. Why don't I show you the room you'll stay in tonight? It's upstairs... and the owner's cat is there for you to meet."
He got up, gracefully, and put a foot on the stairs, looking over at her and nodding his head towards the sleeping quarters. Zechs said nothing, just continued to stare into the fire.
"All... all right. You be good, father," she half-warned as she got up, cup still in hand and went to follow Wufei up the stairs. Only when both Wufei and Mari were gone, did Treize speak, clearing his throat a little as he set aside his mug.
"Did you want me to come back, Zechs...? If I misunderstood, and you didn't..."
"Of course I wanted you to come back," Zechs said quietly. "I just didn't think you would, and I certainly didn't expect you to show up here."
"I called Trowa -- he told me roughly where to find you," Treize murmured as he stepped closer, until he was standing beside Zechs. "I broke off the engagement with Anne, and... don't have any reason to be in Bonn any longer."
Zechs looked up at him, searching his eyes. "Will you... will you be leaving again?" he said plainly.
Looking down at the seated man, Treize shook his head, expression open, waiting. "Not unless you tell me to."
Zechs reached over and took hold of Treize's hand. He pressed it to his cheek and closed his eyes, willing himself not to cry. "Why would I do that?" he whispered. "I never wanted you to leave at all..."
That hand turned, slowly, carefully, until it cupped Zechs' cheek, and Treize knelt gracefully beside Zechs' chair, looking up at him now. "I couldn't stay away, Zechs. It hurt too much to stay away."
Zechs continued in his rough whisper, staring into the deep blue of his former slave's eyes. "I thought you wouldn't ever come back, Treize... I told you that I loved you, and then you left... and I was so worried that you wouldn't come back."
"They weren't connected -- I had to leave, to get Mari," he spoke, barely a whisper as he rose up a little more, hand sliding back to rest on the back of Zechs' neck. "I love you."
"I love you, too... that's why it's been hurting so much."
"I'm sorry," he murmured, leaning up towards Zechs -- to kiss, to touch, anything, any sign that everything was going to be all right again.
Their lips met and that's when the tears finally came for Zechs. He cupped the back of Treize's head, fingers sliding into the soft, familiar waves and pressing his mouth to the other's.
A quiet moan echoed against his lips as Treize pressed closer, his own hands tangling in Zechs' familiar hair. "Missed you..." And now to be sure that he was still wanted, that he still had a place in Zechs' heart, was heavenly relief. Softly hitched noises escaped him as he kept kissing Zechs, his own tears more of joy than anything else.
Zechs broke away gently to kiss the tears off of Treize's face, all the while holding him close, tugging softly at his hair. Then he leaned back in, brushing his lips over Treize's. "My beautiful man... you've made me so happy tonight..."
"I was almost scared to come back," Treize whispered, tone raw. "I was afraid that you, my holy grail, wouldn't want me, since I left..."
Long fingers raked through silky ginger hair. "You were going back to everything familiar... everyone who had loved you and not been afraid to believe it and say it... I had to wonder what reason you could have for coming back to me after being with them... I can't compare with that..."
"But it was for all the wrong reasons, back there," Treize uttered, pressing closer to Zechs, arms tightening around him. "And it's so right to be here with you, Zechs. You make me happy."
"Ah, Treize... I can't begin to tell you how empty I felt without you. There are parts of me that only you can reach." He whispered these last words against the warmth of Treize's lips and then pressed forward to take more long kisses. "Perfect, my love," he whispered in between. "Completely perfect..."
"Oh, gott," Treize shuddered, savoring that heated press of lips. "I want to be with you forever..."
"And that's where I want you..." Zechs breathed, "where you belong. I adore you for eternity...Treize..." He gave a soft tug and pulled Treize onto the sofa next to him and over him...
"I need to be alone with you, Zechs," Treize whispered, tone barely audible even as he gladly curled against Zechs, melting against the other man, loving the familiarity of it. "So Mari can't see..."
"Oh..." Zechs put his hands on Treize's shoulders and held him back. "Can't have that now, can we?" Pushing the other man back lightly, he sat up straight and picked up his mug of now-cooled wine. "Sorry, I seem to have gotten carried away..."
Treize frowned a little. "Well. It isn't that I don't want it..." He cast Zechs a tentative little smirk, taking Zechs' mug from him to sip from before handing it back to the other man. "I think one culture shock at a time is enough for her."
"Of course," Zechs said, taking another sip. "So, how was Bonn?"
"Terrible," Treize replied, sighing as he settled in again, close beside Zechs, touching so that he was lightly snugged against the other man. "Anne was... hard to ... ah, it was bad."
"I'm very sorry to hear it. While I didn't want you to go, I certainly wouldn't have wished difficulties for you."
"I know. It... I expected it to be so bad, really," he sighed, resting his head against Zechs' shoulder tenderly. "But it was worth it."
"For Marimeia, you mean?"
"To get Marimeia, then to come back to you, yes," Treize murmured, sighing again, content, if still utterly aroused and trying to suppress it. "The hardest part for me was telling everyone why I love you so much to want to come back. And I... faltered to find words at first, until I started to listen with my heart. You're handsome, brilliant, generous... but those are all superficial. You're tender, caring, warm and deep, filled with such sorrow and such a want for happiness, loving..."
"I can understand their objections. I was - still am - a slave owner. I'm a dreadful person. Why on earth would you want to come back to me? I can see them being horrified with the prospect - doing anything to stop you..."
"They tried," Treize murmured softly. "But you're so far removed from dreadful, Zechs..."
"It's all in the eye of the beholder, Treize. I'm assuming your daughter didn't want to come here."
A soft puff of breath was exhaled against Zechs' throat. "She was half-sure I was delusional, and that you didn't want anything to do with me."
"Why would she think such a thing?"
"Because I left Anne for you," he sighed. "Mari.. will be fine. She just needs to settle in with this idea."
The slightest hesitation from the blond and then, "Well that has to be first priority. She's your true *family*, after all..."
"Family, Zechs, is those you love -- which make you, Mari and Wufei my family."
/My sweet man... how can you still be this way after everything you've been through.../ Zechs turned and kissed the top of Treize's head softly. "I just have to get used to not throwing you to the ground and fucking you whenever and wherever I want to. Like now...."
"I'd like you to," Treize grinned a little, one arm sliding around Zechs' waist. "and I'd like to do the same to you... and we will once Mari's decided to go to bed."
They were eye to eye now and Zechs's arms slid around Treize as well. "If you don't want anything, Treize," he murmured, lips brushing the other man's, "then don't start anything..." A small lean forward and their mouths met again as Zechs pulled Treize close.
Heat and heat to his lips, and so irresistible... Treize could afford to start a *little* something.
End of Chapter 38
(:./kumiko/velvet38)
