Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon in my Hand ❯ Not a Pet ( Chapter 2 )

A/N: So glad to see people liked the first chapter. And since I apparently forgot last chapter, I don't own Gundam wing and make no profit off of this story. So, here's the brand new chapter, which I hope you all enjoy.

 

Dragon in my Hand

Chapter Two

Not a Pet

 

 

When Wufei woke up in pitch darkness, there were only a few things he knew about his situation.  He was laying on something soft with a heavy blanket spread over him, though something felt odd near the foot of it.  He could hear voices, muffled as though through a wall.  A thin one, judging from the volume.  Someone had undressed him, likely the same responsible for the sloppy bandaging he could feel on his shoulder.  And on that note, he was injured, but alive.  And this did not have the feeling of an OZ holding cell.

It was a good thing that he moved slow when he tried to stand up, because that was when he felt exactly how low the ceiling in the room was.  He could sit up or kneel, but standing would only be possible if he remained bent over the entire time.  The ceiling felt like wood, but it was very rough under his fingers.  Thankfully, the floor was smoother for the sake of his knees as he crawled to find the boundaries of his strange prison.

Very strange prison.  The amount of things that'd been left in the room spoke of a serious lacking in common sense.  Long, thick wooden poles that had been sharpened to a point on the end.  Plate-sized metal disks with a protruding spike.  A heavy, smooth weight that could be thrown.  Perhaps he was in some good Samaritan's attic rather than a prison?  But neither possibility explained the long metal spiral binding together a knee high stack of what felt like thick paper.  If he were to set aside his rational side, he might have allowed himself to think that he'd found some giant notebook.

The pilot froze before quickly crawling back to where he remembered the poles being.  The darkness had made him delusional and he was going to prove it to himself.  In his haste, he sent one of the poles rolling and it clattered against one of the walls.  Wufei was too distracted to even notice when the lull of conversation beyond the wall abruptly stepped, because the scent on his fingers from rubbing the end of the pole was definitely graphite.  A pencil.  It was a pencil thicker than his arm.  But when the 'room' suddenly began to move and it was flooded with light, that all became unimportant.

Surely this delusion had become a nightmare, for he could think of no other scenario that would involve Marquise and Khushrenada looming over him from massive heights.  But... why would his delusional mind make up a face to be in place of the mask that the man always wore?  He'd never seen Marquise without it.  Wufei stared between their faces with wide, shocked eyes.  He didn't even notice that Khushrenada was speaking to him until the man reached into the drawer and Wufei was forced to leap back and scramble further into his prison to avoid capture.

"Wufei, stop being childish," Treize said, fighting not to sound nearly as amused as he felt.  It wasn't Wufei running from him that made want to laugh, not at all.  It was the ridiculous idea that he was chasing the pilot around his desk that threatened to cause his mirth to spill forth.  But he'd never be forgiven by the miniaturized dragon if he laughed.  So he settled on sounding mildly disapproving.  "I'm not going to hurt you."

There was no answer from the back of the drawer, and he hadn't really expected to receive one.  But even so, the general shook his head and reached into the drawer, his fingers touching the back of the drawer before he began to sweep his arm along.  There would be no way for Wufei to dodge around it.  And for a moment, it had seemed like a good plan.  Right up until the teenager decided to remind Treize that he had left a box of thumb tacks in the drawer.

Treize sucked air in sharply through his teeth as he removed his arm, grimacing at the tack stuck neatly into the webbing between his thumb and forefinger.  He removed it gingerly while giving a nod to Zechs.  His lover's solution was perhaps more efficient, though Treize thought that it lacked fair play.  Zechs simply took hold of the drawer in question and pulled it out and away from the desk.  Wufei was left with nowhere to hide and his only routes of escape involved a dangerous fall.  And from the hunted look in the teenager's eyes, he knew that fact very well.

"If you're quite done with the theatrics, dragon, I'm sure we all have a few questions we'd like answered," Treize said as he gingerly removed the tack from his hand and pressed a finger to it to stop the bleeding.  "For starters, how do you feel?  You survived a rather spectacular crash."

Wufei looked up at the two men in confusion from the back corner of the drawer where he'd lodged himself.  Why hadn't he been killed or an interrogator called to drag information out of him?  And why had he been bandaged up?  The pilot narrowed his eyes and firmed up his defensive stance as he glared at them.  "What do you want from me?  I won't tell you anything about the Gundams or the other pilots."

"It wasn't them that he asked after, Chang," Zechs said with an amused snort.  He set the drawer down on top of the desk and quickly moved the lamp and telephone to the floor, unplugging the cord from Treize's laptop.  There would be no convenient ways to escape for the tiny teenager.  "You should be grateful that you weren't given to Une or one of our scientists."

Treize laid a hand on Zechs' shoulder, giving him a graceful smile that still held an edge of warning in it for those who knew him.  Message delivered, he sat down in his desk chair, effectively removing Wufei's last avenue of escape and reducing his height.  "As long as you are in my care, I don't plan to ask you any questions involving the war.  Nor will I answer any that could be considered a betrayal to my men.  Now, how are you feeling, Wufei?"

"Fine," Wufei said slowly, reluctantly.  Standing up, he climbed from the drawer onto the surface of the desk, if just to make himself a little harder to simply be picked up.  It was obvious that he had been... handled while he was unconscious, but that didn't mean that he was going to make doing so again easy.  The Chinese pilot jumped back when Treize picked up the drawer to slide it back into place.  Watching the man reach into it to retrieve his gloves, Wufei realized that his 'blanket' had been one of them and had to keep himself from stiffening further.  Just how small was he?  "What do you mean, while I'm in your care?  And where are my clothes?"

"Why don't we continue this discussion over dinner," Treize said without answering Wufei's question.  "Before it gets cold.  And I'm afraid that your clothes are still soaking.  I'm sure you know how tricky bloodstains can be to get out of silk."  He held a hand out, making an amused sound when Wufei took a step back.  "I can offer you a clean handkerchief to satisfy your modesty."

Wufei hated to admit how much his cheeks were burning at the suggestion and he shook his head firmly.  It was better to be just in boxers than wrapped up in a sheet like he'd been interrupted while involved in some torrid affair.  "I'll wait for my clothes to dry."

Treize crooked an eyebrow at him and Wufei tried to ignore the way that the man's visual sweep made him feel even more naked than he was.  The general held a hand out to him, the other curling behind his back to keep Wufei from running.  "If you insist.  Come on then, dinner awaits."

"You are not going to carry me."  Wufei took a step back, jerking away when his back came into contact with the warm skin of Treize's left hand.  Or at least he tried to jerk away.  The quick movement of Treize's other hand trapped him between them.  He did his best to struggle, trying to shove the massive hands apart, but his strength wasn't a match for Treize's normally.  Like this, he had no chance.  When Treize tipped his right hand to slip it under Wufei, the pilot was knocked balance and it became a simple matter to scoop him up.  "Let me go!"

"In a moment, dragon," Treize said.  Much to Wufei's indignation, the older man lifted him up from the desk and carried him over to the table, where a half-eaten meal was already laid out.  Treize set him down beside what must have been the general's plate, because he sat down in front of it immediately after.  "There.  Better?"

Wufei glared up at him and quickly moved towards the center of the table, as far as he could get from Treize without starting to get closer to Marquise, who took the other chair.  "Don't touch me again."

Zechs' condescending snort made him turn his glare towards the blonde, who wasn't exactly intimidated.  "How exactly do you plan to get down from the table if neither of us touch you, Chang?  Jump?  You'd be lucky to survive with most of your bones broken.  And then where would you be?  Bleeding and broken on the floor, in plain view should Une or any other officers enter the room."

"Zechs, there is no need to try and frighten him," Treize said, his voice mildly reproachful as he carefully cut small slivers off of his food, setting them on the edge of his plate.  He didn't appear to be bothered at all by the way Wufei eyed him suspiciously.  "To answer your earlier question, Wufei, I believe that it would be best for you to stay here under my protection until you return to your natural size.  It would be dishonorable to do anything else while you're in such a condition, so I won't hear any protests."

"What do you expect to get in exchange for this?" Wufei asked slowly.  The smell of meat and sweet potatoes was beginning to remind his traitorous stomach that he hadn't eaten since his very early breakfast.

"To get some of my curiosity satisfied."  He held up a hand to forestall Wufei's protests, moving the scraps the food to an unused dessert spoon and reaching out to place it halfway between the pilot and himself.  "Not about the rebellion or any of your comrades, Wufei.  About you."

When Wufei went still and starred towards Treize, Zechs would have given almost anything to be able to see his face.  Surely the boy hadn't thought that Treize would be uninterested in the one who dedicated so much to trying to kill him.  And truly, Treize had the best view.  He watched Wufei freeze, his eyes going wide and his hands spasming, clenching and unclenching as though their owner suddenly didn't know what to do with them.  But then that reaction was gone, buried under the teenager's strict control.

He glanced between the offered food and Treize, the man's finger's entwined in front of his face thoughtfully.  Wufei very pointedly looked away, staying where he was for now.  "Why would you want to learn about me?  I'm not that interesting."

"Quite on the contrary, my dear dragon," Treize said, smirking faintly as he leaned forward, causing Wufei to take a small step back.  "I find myself quite fascinated by you."

Wufei disliked the way that Treize's statement made his stomach twist, but he firmed the position of his shoulders as he stepped forward and knelt next to the spoon.  It wasn't surprising that there were no tiny dishes conveniently laying about.  If there had been, he would never have believed that this wasn't some trap.  But the pair of officers was clearly unprepared to play host to someone his present size.

Treize was content to take Wufei's silence as a small victory, the twist of his lips for too smug for the tiny man's comfort.  And as Treize and Zechs' prior topic of conversation was the young man kneeling on their table, the meal was finished in what was a comfortable silence for them, and a decidedly uncomfortable one for Wufei.  He was simply not used to being of interest to anyone, and for Treize of all people to find him 'fascinating,' especially while Wufei was at such a physical disadvantage... it was difficult not to twitch.  It was much easier to focus on eating, even if it was with his hands.

It wasn't until the clock struck nine that Zechs put down the glass of wine that he'd been sipping from and stood.  Treize looked at the man briefly before standing as well and walking over to him.  Watching the two, Wufei frowned in confusion as the ginger-haired man slipped a hand into blond hair.  What was he- Abruptly, Wufei's face burned a dark red.  Treize had used that hand to pull Zechs in closer, leaning towards him to close the last bit of distance before kissing his subordinate fully on the lips.  The pilot didn't even realize that he was staring until the two men parted and Zechs looked directly at him with a smirk.  "Enjoy your evening."

When the man turned and left, leaving Wufei alone with Treize, the pilot tried to focus back on his food just to have something else to think on, only to have Treize's shadow fall over him.  He looked up at him, forcing himself not to flinch back as the general's hand came close and lifted away Wufei's spoon.  It was only then that he realized it was already empty.

"I'll prepare a place for you to sleep," Treize said softly, once again holding his empty hand palm up beside Wufei.  The man was sure that he'd already shown his 'guest' that escape was impossible.  But he also had no desire to cast himself as the evil giant, grabbing up his Chinese 'Jack' without thought to his desires at all.  "It would be best for you to be out of sight when the steward comes to clear the table."

Wufei silently regarded the offered hand before climbing to his feet.  It wasn't until he was stepping onto Treize's palm that he even realized that he was deciding to trust him, for now at least.  It was better to make the move himself than to be scooped up again like some misbehaving kitten, right?  He looked away from the other man's gentle smile to kneel down once more for stability, accepting the offered curled fingers by taking hold of one.  "Don't expect me to just climb into your hand whenever you want.  I won't be some trained pet for you or anyone."

Treize chuckled and lifted his hand slowly, doing his best to keep his walking steady as possibly on his way to the bedroom.  It was certainly a marvel to hold such a tiny human being in his hand, especially one who held such strength within him.  "Of course not.  I have no desire to see you become one."

"Then why do you keep insisting on handling me?" Wufei asked flatly, the sharpness of his tongue returning as the threat of being tortured faded with each moment.  And the fact that he'd been in Treize's hands at least three times now was catching up with him.  In Treize's hands and completely helpless.  All the man would have to do was clench his fingers and Wufei would be seriously injured if not dead.  But he hadn't.  And that made Wufei even more worried about what he was planning.

Right away, the already far away floor dropped further away as Wufei was lifted higher, an embarrassing shout escaping from the teenager's mouth.  Treize's hand stopped at about eye level to give them both the best view of each other's faces.  With the smile curling the other man's lips, Wufei would have preferred to have been kept at chest height.

"Because I wish to, my dear dragon," Treize said, his smooth voice rolling over the man in his grasp and making Wufei shiver.  But with the way he carried Wufei over to the bed and set him down, it was almost as if he hadn't noticed it.  "You may wander around the bed as you please, but please don't try to climb down.  I'd hate for there to be any accidents while I'm walking around to ready your bed."

The mere suggestion of such an accident sent an entirely different kind of shiver down Wufei's spine, and he nodded without pause to Treize's 'request.'  He had little doubt that his host could and would lock him up in a drawer or box were he to be caught trying to leave the bed.  His escape would have to be at night, or some other time that Treize was not actively watching him.

Wufei let his attention wander while Treize moved around the room, emptying the single drawer in his bedside table of the small collection of books and writing supplies kept there.  It was clear that escape from the room itself would be difficult, from the base he assumed he was in, near impossible.  But it wouldn't be the first time he'd taken on an 'impossible' task, he refused to let himself be frightened away from at least trying.  And even if escaping on his own failed, he only needed to get work to one of the others.

He would be sure that they were warned about the new weapon.

A whiff of sulfur followed immediately by a change in the quality of lighting all but bodily yanked Wufei from his thoughts and he looked up to find Treize leaning over him, bathed only in the light of a single candle.  Being able to see past the bright glow of the flame to the room around them just seemed to make Treize more massive, and it was all he could do to keep from shrinking away from him.  Because of that, it took  the pilot a moment to realize that the older man had traded his uniform for a pair of soft sleep pants.  And nothing else.  His opinion on the candle light abruptly changed.  It hid the color of his face quite nicely.

"Are you tired, Wufei?" Treize asked, his voice sounding strangely gentle to the young pilot.  A hand was laid beside Wufei once more, again open palmed for him to climb onto rather than simply picking him up.  "I've made a bed for you if you're ready to sleep."

Perhaps it was a little childish, but at that moment, Wufei really didn't feel like being the good prisoner and going along with all of Treize's suggestions.  He pushed himself to his feet (with some difficulties due to the softness of the blanket) and walked away from Treize's offered hand.  "No, I'm not tired.  And I have no need to be put to bed like a young child."

Treize's chuckle made his hackles rise, and Wufei dropped into a defensive position when the general reached towards him.  And then over him, to the table where the candle burned.  He picked up a hardbound book and pulled the blanket back to slide beneath it, like a great rolling earthquake leaving a comforter covered hill in its wake.  Treize settled on his side and gave Wufei no chance of escape before using a hand to sweep the pilot towards the looming expanse of his chest.

"If you're not tired, then you'll read with me," he said as he released Wufei on the sheets beside him.  Treize opened his book to the page it'd been marked at with a ribbon, tilting it up so that Wufei would be able to see.  "I'm in the middle of Gulliver's Travels at the moment.  A rather ironically appropriate choice considering today's events, wouldn't you think?"

Wufei's expression as he looked up at Treize clearly expressed his skepticism in the fact that the man had 'just happened' to of been reading that particular book.  It was too much of a coincidence to believe.  So it was also rather understandable how dry Wufei's reply was.  "Extremely ironic."

The smirk Wufei received in response seemed to justify his suspicion, and he tensed up when Treize's hand moved towards him once more.  But it only deposited the edge of the top-sheet over Wufei's body where he sat.  The pilot growled and tore it off of his head, grudgingly wrapping the sheet around his shoulders for warmth.  The room felt a bit chillier than he thought it should, but that could have been due to the increased strength of the usual ventilation breezes in relation to his shrunken body.

Above him, Treize allowed a small smile when Wufei consented to sit with him, even if it'd only been through a lack of protest.  Though they would need to work on the teenager's habit of tensing any time he moved near him.  Treize looked down after a while to see if his newly acquired charge had fallen asleep and found himself blinking in slight surprise.  Wufei's posture was hunched, with his elbows braced on his bent knees, chin resting on his fist while his eyes seemed to be locked on the book before them.

"Have you read this one before?" he asked softly, trying not to startle Wufei out of his rapt attention.  Treize would not have pinned his little warrior as someone who'd choose to sit and read.

Wufei only half shifted to look up at him, apparently rather caught up in the book.  "In translation," he said, the casualness in his voice in his voice drawing yet another smile to Treize's lips.  So that was the key to getting his dragon to relax.  "Not yet in its original form."

'What language did you read it in?' he wanted to ask, but held his tongue to keep from making Wufei close up once more due to being interrogated.  Most of the colonies had adopted English as their primary tongue.  Had Wufei's not yet?  Later, he promised himself.  I'll get the answer out of him later.

With the younger man's attention once more turning firmly onto the book, Treize followed his example.  The silence between them was comfortable, almost feeling like the contented moments he and Zechs shared as often as they could get away.  If the battle that day had gone differently, perhaps they would have been laying together now.  But even though they weren't, Treize couldn't find himself upset with the events of the evening.  So it wasn't until Treize reached the end of the second tale that Treize glanced down again.  The sight between his arms surprised the general once more.

"So many sights I thought that I would never see," he whispered softly as he looked down on the sleeping form of one Chang Wufei.  There was no way of knowing just when the teenager had dropped off, but the fact that he'd been comfortable enough to allow it... he would have to make sure to read with him more often.  Treize marked their place in the book before setting it down on the table.  He opened up the drawer he'd emptied, giving the improvised bedroom a satisfied nod.  It wasn't exactly a masterpiece, but it would do for now.

The next part was going to be the trickiest he knew, so Treize went slow as he delicately slid one hand along the sheets and beneath Wufei.  It seemed like the stress of the day had finally caught up with the young man, because he barely stirred at being picked up.  Treize gently transferred him into the make-shift bed and pulled the folded handkerchief up over him.

"Sleep well, my dragon," he murmured, sliding the drawer shut with just a crack left for air and light in the morning.  If Wufei woke while he was preparing for the morning, Treize would be able to hear him too.  The candle-light was too faint for him to look in, but that didn't keep from watching it for a few silent minutes.  At long last, he shifted up and snuffed the candle.