Hilde blew a long frizzy strand of red hair out of her eyes. She felt ridiculous, standing at the phone console pretending to make a call with a fake red wig and wide brimmed straw hat on her head. It was utterly humiliating. Her only consolation lay in the fact that as much as she looked desperately touristy, this was a favourite vacation spot, and she was unaccountably well camouflaged amongst the other sandaled and sun-glassed vacationers. Which brought her back to what she was doing in Aruba in the first place. The answer was distasteful in the extreme, though not without its own warmth of excitement. It was really all Sabintha’s fault, preying on her dormant compulsions. That woman had a devilish way to get people to do things for smut.
It was a quiet banquet celebrating some new acquisition of Winner Enterprises. Duo had nicely invited her, and fool that she was, she said ‘why not?’, bought a new dress and went to hobnob with the upper echelon. Of course, she had no premonitions of danger when she met one of Quatre’s sisters. There were so many of them, and they all seemed like Quatre: normal, sociable, nice. To give Sabintha credit, she was quite friendly and well versed in the topics of conversation. Their talk was easy and natural and somehow—Hilde was highly dubious the topic was merely accidentally stumbled upon—they had ended up talking about the friendships the Gundam pilots had with each other. Which then (Sabintha again; Hilde was sure of that) led to homosexual sexual relationships which following the trail down from polite talk to gossip, led to talk of gratuitous sex between the pilots.
Then Sabintha had let it slip that she had an extensive collection of videos of said pilots engaging in some private activities. And a club to boot. Now, one of the laws of humans dictates that curiosity is a force not to be reckoned with; it dwarfs even gravity by many orders of magnitude. It snowballed too, from indifferent ‘oh, that’s interesting’ kinds of questions that after a few minutes time led to a full-blown discussion over membership, qualifications and inventory. And without even being aware of it, Hilde had let her secret hobby come into the open and admitted that she did indeed wonder what Quatre and Trowa did when they were in private, sometimes in rather graphic detail. Sabintha took it all in stride, unblinking, even the part about her brother. In fact she offered forth a proposition, with various clauses and terms. Apparently corporate diplomacy ran in the family. Simply put, membership was a tape, and shamed, yet undeniably attracted, Hilde’s conscience had been overwhelmed and she’d decided to mangle her dignity. The attraction was disturbingly strong. If she needed a tape, she’d get a tape.
But she didn’t have to like doing it.
Which led back to why she was listening to the dial tone of the hotel phone while surreptitiously trying to eavesdrop on the concierge. Her prey had not shown up yet, but she was confident they would sooner or later. The hotel reservation register was very exact. Meanwhile, she set her jaw and began to dial a well-familiarized number. God knows how many times she’d had to call Sabintha for capture tips. Oh the degradation. The phone only rang twice before its owner answered in a cloying sweet ‘Hello, Sabintha speaking.’ Hilde ground her teeth and rolled her eyes. How Sabintha could sound so innocent was beyond her. Especially with that bookcase of illicitness. “It’s me.”
“Why Hilde, I haven’t spoken to you since yesterday.”
“I’m at the hotel already. Promise me that whatever I film here does not get distributed to the entire club.”
A sigh. “Now, Hilde. You’ve asked me that many times already. And you’ll get the same answer as before: no. Besides, what’s the point of getting such delicious footage if no one’s going to enjoy it?”
A sigh of resignation escaped Hilde’s lips. So much for giving Sabintha time to warm up to the idea… “Look, I know the club rules, but Duo’s my friend…a very good friend. I don’t want him exposed that way, not by my hands anyway.”
Sabintha’s laugh crackled across the line. “Exposed? You’re filming your ‘good friend’s’ sexual activities. I’d call that exposure…” A crisp business-like tone. “Now, just do the job and you’ll get your membership. Easy.” Another laugh with a slightly unnerving undertone. “I can’t wait…”
Hilde didn’t bother to respond and all but slammed the phone back in its cradle. Damn Sabintha for being right. It was a horrible choice. She would’ve chosen any of the other pilots, but she knew Duo best, was on the best terms with him, could find him the easiest. In short, he was the most accessible. God knows how much hell it would have been to do some worthwhile spying on Quatre and Trowa, what with their entourage of security staff and potential witnesses. A shiver ran up her spine. And there was Wufei; anyone less likely to have sex with a man never walked the planet. It had to be this way. Duo and Heero were just the prime candidates.
She made her way to a seat beside the phone, half shaded by a convenient potted plant. It was all a waiting game for now. It was at least much less nerve racking than the breaking and entering she’d had to do to secure the hidden cameras and microphones. Although she did admit, the maid’s uniform did have somewhat of a slimming effect… She reflected that all in all, the whole assignment wasn’t particularly difficult. Duo’s bond with his past did have its own advantages. He always traveled under the same alias, Solo Maxwell. Rather obvious to those who knew him, and frequently a pain to the Preventers when they needed complete anonymity, and his stubbornness refused to use a different alias. She rather respected that about him, his need to cherish the memories of those who were important to him…
The guilt rose again in her throat and she squashed it down forcibly. A simple task, easy. It’s not as if she’d invade their privacy more by watching them. No, just a simple click of the record button when they started and then leave the room. Then another click for stop after they were done. End of story. No problem. She adjusted her hat and strained her ears above the low background noise that infest all hotel lobbies. Her luck was apparently very good today, as she caught the concierge’s soft tones. “Maxwell. Solo Maxwell?” She smiled, stage one complete.
“Yes, Solo Maxwell.”
The smile froze on her lips. That voice… She turned around to face the desk and stopped short when her eyes landed on Chang Wufei, standing nonchalantly at the marble counter. What was he doing here? And under Duo’s alias? Was it a Preventers assignment? She almost groaned. All this work for nothing? And the credit card bills…those cameras were damn expensive.
“And you are Mr. Peters?”
Peters? Hilde frowned at the name. Heero didn’t have any hang-ups about using specific aliases. Was Heero here with Wufei? Wasn’t he supposed to be with Duo? Her eyes once again focused on the counter and again puzzled her immensely. There was Zech Merquise accepting a key card. What the hell was going on? She sighed and fingered a coarse lock of hair. She needed a drink, a big one.
Hilde sipped heavily on a pina colada and fought off an ice headache. Her room faced out towards the beach and the picturesque travel brochure blue lagoon. But all she could do was stare at the blank screen of her computer. Curiosity was eating away at her. What exactly were Wufei and Zechs doing here in Aruba of all places? And under Duo’s name? What could the Preventers need done here? Surely, not any type of terrorist threat among the calypso loving vacationers? Maybe she should just take a peek, a quick little look. After all, they may even mention where Duo and Heero really are. It’d give her another shot, right? Surely, a little peek wouldn’t hurt… The battle waged on for a few more seconds before she all but jabbed the on switch. Now was not the time to get all-weak willed, Schbeiker.
The software popup window flashed on the screen and she hastily slid the mouse over to click on it when a loud knock sounded against the door. She cursed as the cursor slipped and clicked on the adjacent record button. Damn. She looked between the computer and the door and decided to answer the door first. Best not to keep people waiting. After all, you could delete vid disks easy. She opened the door a few inches. A uniformed maid stood in the hall, feather duster raised like a weapon. She had an unnerving, severe quality that reminded Hilde of Une; a shudder ran through her insides. “Oh, hello. I’m afraid I’m not in need of room service today.”
The woman frowned and lowered the duster. Her tone almost seemed a little irritated, but she forced a half smile anyway. “I see. Good afternoon, then.”
“Uh, no problem.” Hilde smiled awkwardly back and wondered if she needed to offer a tip, but the maid had already began to push away the cleaning car down the hall at a brisk no-nonsense pace. Hilde let the door slide shut behind her, and almost jumped out of her skin when the computer suddenly let out a short piercing beep. Apparently, the microphone system had just started up, though how the little confirmation beep had gotten to be so loud, she had no clue. “Stupid technology.” She approached to turn off the recording devices when something on the screen struck her attention. “What…?” She managed to sink down into her seat without knocking over the pina colada and stared rapt at the screen. She’d never expected this…
____________________________________________
Zechs pulled Wufei closer against him, wrapping his arms securely around the other’s chest. It had become a frighteningly instinctual move these days. “I’ll admit, it’s a breathtaking view.”
Wufei watched the palm trees and white sand shine outside beyond the balcony. “I suppose it is.” He slowly removed himself from the taller man’s grasp and went to unpack his bag. “I don’t know why I chose this place.”
“It’s beautiful, Wufei.” Zechs moved to unzip his own bag, but stopped short. “But we’re not here for fun are we?” He pondered silently for a bit as the other man continued to unpack. “Maybe…maybe we should get it out in the open…right now…”
Wufei stopped halfway in his actions. He closed his eyes and felt the tension rise up and course through his muscles. He nodded slowly, tremors racing up and down his legs. “That’s probably best…” He walked over to the dining table and slid into a seat. Zechs took the one opposite. The air felt heavy, impregnated with something that neither one could positively identify. Anticipation? Fear? Wufei clenched his fists nervously; better just start. No use sitting there silent like a coward. Get straight to the point. He fought hard to keep his voice steady and low. “It started out as lust.”
“On both our sides.” Zechs recalled the incident in the gymnasium and smiled wryly to himself. Who could forget that day? “We were caught up in the moment.”
Wufei frowned and shook his head distractedly. “I meant before… With Treize.”
Zechs’ features froze over, then turned solemn. It was a name he hadn’t mentioned for years; it stirred unwarranted feelings, some surprisingly strong. He guessed it was the same with Wufei, it was the one topic that neither of them ever talked about. And yet, they’d reached the point where they had to overcome the inevitable obstacle, or face… What? Breaking up? When did they ever say they were even together? Wasn’t it no strings attached? “When did you…?”
Wufei picked up a pen and began to aimlessly twist it in his fingers. “I don’t know. After my defeat... I don’t know how it happened. He was too…attractive.”
An understatement. Trieze had been positively magnetic. Zechs shivered with the intensity of the years that the man had been his other half. “Always passionate.” Zechs considered his memories, which of them were true, which had been softened by the years. “He was destined for something big. I used to love him for that.”
Wufei felt the need to laugh bitterly. “You too…” The pen clattered to the table as his fingers fumbled slightly. “I didn’t want to, fall in love. The sex…it was a hormonal thing. Outside the bedroom, he was everything I was against.” Wufei felt alarm as his breath had involuntarily become shortened. The remembrance was still so vivid. The hate, the stirrings, the pleasure. Why couldn’t Trieze disappear? Always hovering over his shoulders, always the barest little tingle when he recalled the memories. “But in private, he was…different.” Kind, gentle, rough, intense. But mostly, strong. Secure. Wufei’s tongue felt like lead. “He meant…a great deal to me.”
Zechs smiled sadly. Understatement seemed to be the running theme. Everyone worshipped Treize, you couldn’t help it, not if you had a heart. The years when Zechs was growing up to be a man, he’d had constant training and schooling, but it was always Trieze who had been the biggest influence. “You didn’t know him before the war. It changed him. It changed us too, but he was gone…” A sickly feeling rose in Zechs’ stomach. How close the memories seemed when everything was bright and warm and Treize would share affection and comfort. How easy it had been just to lay with him in bed, flush against him, to be vulnerable to him and loved like nothing else he’d ever known. And then the war came, and Trieze had become so distant, so foreign, so changed. The sex continued, but there was an undertone now in their relationship. Discomfort, the need to cordon off feelings and put up false walls. Trieize had simply become frightening. And yet… “I miss him sometimes.” Zechs frowned, no use toning things down now. “Painfully,” he amended. He paused to analyze his feelings, but none of them shone out clearly. Anger, pain, love, sadness, it was all in there somewhere. How could a memory of a dead man still be so powerful? After all these years? “It’s best that he’s gone…”
Wufei nodded while he stared at the wood grains of the table. Trieze had been corrupted. By Romefellar, by power. “He succumbed…” Wufei trailed off. He slowly raised his eyes to meet Zechs’ and an unspoken, unidentified emotion passed between them. Anxiety? “I still love him.”
Zechs broke away from the gaze, averting the coolness of the dark eyes. It lacked loud voicable emotions, but there was an intensity there that startled him. It was exactly how he had loved Trieze. Wholly. “So do I.” Zechs raised his head to once again meet Wufei’s eyes. He dared to reach out an arm across the table. Surprisingly, the other man’s damp fingers met his, and curled around them. “I guess we’re both still in his power.” He felt like the comment deserved a laugh, but he couldn’t will out the sound.
Power. The word stayed in Wufei’s head. Yes, that’s what Treize had: power, such unimaginable power. In his charm, in his words, in his caresses. Wufei respected him immensely in some ways. Wufei watched his fingers tangle with Zechs’. “Where does that leave us?”
Where did it exactly leave them? Them? Zechs almost chuckled darkly. What was between them? Some flings in the gym, a few drinks in some dark bars that led to hot, steamy nights and then weeks of avoiding one another till they once again found themselves nursing the same brand of beer at the same counter in the same bar. Was there anything more than lust? Or loneliness for that matter? “I don’t know.” He winced at his words. They sounded so cold, so untrue. He set his jaw. “Look Wufei, I’ve developed feelings for you, beyond you know…”
“The sex?” Wufei curled his lips bitterly. That was the crux of the matter. When it was casual sex, it wasn’t anything to worry over. Treize had filled his heart so completely that he needed no one else. Sex was easy, with no expectations of anything more than having a good time. And then it had changed, somewhere along the way, he did the worst thing a man bent on unfeeling could do. He stopped to think; and then Zechs had started changed, developed a face and personality to go with the body. He had started to stir something that Wufei found to his horror wasn’t anything near lust, something that was too frightening similar to when he was with Trieze. What was it they said? Better than to loved and lost than never to have loved before. Was there some addendum about risking heartache a second time? It was a beginning of something that he didn’t know if he wanted to go through again. He looked up at Zechs; the other man was frowning, brows furrowed, probably hurt by his last words. Wufei regretted saying the words. Maybe it meant he did want this... Circumstances were different now. Zechs had passed through the temptations of power and had come through relatively unscathed. In that respect he was even stronger than Treize had been. “I think…,” and the light blue eyes fixed him with a look that both implored and demanded. Wufei smiled softly and sadly then; they were so similar, so very much the same… “I think I…do too.”
Zechs smiled, one that was more trying to dispel the air of its graveness than of actual relief. Treize still stood between them, looming heavy like the musk of some exotic perfume. Even now, Zechs could still see him, down to each detail, every plane. Even the voice rippled and breathed in his ears. But then there was Wufei right across from him, with the most intense personality he’d ever known, a presence that was pulling at him, trying to rip him in two. “What do we do then?”
The Chinese man frowned, squeezing Zechs’ fingers hard. He was tired of clinging to foundless fantasy. He could still feel the phantom fingers running through his hair and tracing circles on his thighs. But let Treize rest as a loving memory, a ghost, nothing more. “We forget.”
“You know that’s impossible.”
“Enough to move on.” Wufei tightened his grip on Zechs’ hands and hauled them both to their feet. He stared into the blue that fixed him in place. “He’s still here, but I feel…” He struggled with his mouth. Words had never been his strong suit. He brought their hands down to their sides and let them go. Zechs’ eyes still stayed on him, burning. “I want you…more than before, more…” Wufei swallowed; he was about to say ‘more than Treize.’ Had things gone so far? “More than sex…”
Zechs took up Wufei’s wrist and could feel its pulse leaping wildly under the skin. His own throbbed at the side of his head. There was something about this position, with Wufei standing in front of him, bare and stark. It was exciting, exhilarating, all words that could possibly describe something as elusive as desire. Passion rose quickly in him, an impossible feeling of being cold and hot at the same time, goosebumps on his skin and the sudden heat of fire rising to his face. Why was the other man so beautiful? He brought Wufei against him and lowered his head down to stare into the black eyes. Their breath hung humid and hot in the almost space between them, and all he could do was watch the face that threw things inside him out of orbit. How far away Treize was at moments like this…
They kissed, a carefully drawn out moment of nothing more than the barest pressure against each other. Arms rose tentatively to bind their bodies together, and without breaking contact they were laying down on the bed, silent but for the bedspread and divested clothing writhing and rustling underneath them.
Zechs closed his eyes and placed a soft kiss against Wufei’s bare shoulder, his uneven breaths fluttering into Wufei’s undone hair. The soft black strands caressed his cheek as his hands sought to cup and knead the firm body underneath him. Wufei’s fingers danced across his back and he let out another gasp into the sweat-slicked neck.
Wufei’s head was tilted back on the pillow, his face going the motions of pleasure as his lower body rocked with Zechs’, a motion so different from the other times. Gone were the frantic moans, the rough deep thrusts, the feeling that Zechs was trying to tear him in two as he filled him. Wufei blew soft hisses into the damp blond hair that draped across his mouth and upper chest. It was too maddening Zechs’ slow thrusts, sliding in and out and the soft gentle hands that ran up and his sides with the lightest of pressure. He mimicked the hands, smoothing over Zech’s lean muscular back, over their hips and up to Zech’s neck and head. He’d only ever done this one before, only with Treize. Memorizing a lover’s lines with his fingers as if he were blind.
Zechs gave a gentle ‘ugh’ as he reached to move Wufei’s leg higher and slid deeper into the other man. It wasn’t about release this time. He didn’t need it like he needed the feel of Wufei’s neck and jaw rubbing against his every time he slid in and the hot fingers that were drawing across his body. There were no admissions of love, no groans, no lusty growls of each other’s names. As if by silent agreement, they’d agreed to explore, to savour. The slick heat, the gentle rocking motions of their hips, the sweeping touches.
Wufei ground his teeth together and silently threw his head back and forth on the pillow. It was too good. His hips arched up to meet Zechs, his arousal rubbing against Zech’s hard stomach. The inevitable was bubbling up inside of him and he desperately pressed himself closer to the other man. He needed it so bad, the unparalleled intimacy of being skin to skin the entire length of his body. Zech’s hair shifted and fell into his open mouth as he gasped in climax and squeezed his eyes closed and his warmth spread between their stomachs. The ceiling danced above him when he opened his eyes, wavering like it was nothing more than a fluttering sail ready to fly off into the wind. Just like with Trieze…
Zechs made low ‘nnns’ as he felt Wufei’s climax, gently driving himself deeper into the other man, lifting them both slightly off the bed. The feeling was too much as he began to slide out again, and the delicious friction and tightness overcame him. He pressed himself against Wufei’s neck and kissed and licked at the flesh. And as his release washed over him, filling Wufei, he felt Wufei’s arms circle around his waist and pull them flush against each other. Time stopped and restarted without his consent. He found himself breathing harshly in the afterglow, his swelling chest bumping against Wufei’s as the Chinese man panted himself. He dropped his head against the other’s shoulder and curled his arms around Wufei, trying to fuse their bodies, right up against one another. Wufei was so warm, inviting, so familiar…
__________________________________________________
Hilde tried unsuccessfully to get her jaw back into its socket. She stared at the two men on the bed, kissing. Wufei Chang and Zechs Merquise? She shivered as she thought of their conversation, and…afterwards. There was no way that she could hand that in, nothing that personal. That…intense. That…romantic. Her brain scowled and her heart swooned. Sabintha was the last thing on her mind as she raised the watery tepid pina colada up to her lips. Wufei and Zechs? Who’d have thought?
When she reached the dregs of the drink and felt the alcohol start to revive her senses, she looked back towards the screen. She had completely forgotten to shut off the cameras. She almost pressed the terminate key when she again found herself completely immobile. The empty coconut trembled in her hand and dropped onto the flush carpet and rolled underneath the bed.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, a small smile began to lift up the sides of her mouth. Maybe she’d get that membership after all…
__________________________________________________
Wufei clutched the bedspread between his fingers as Zechs thrust deep into his tissues. The long fingers were crushing his hip as he propelled himself back against Zechs erection. “Ah! Zechs! Nnn…ugh!” He grit his teeth and screamed hoarsely into the room as the older man quickened the pace.
Zechs snapped his hips forward. It was an uncontrollably rhythm now. Wufei on his hands and knees, moaning for more. So erotic, so beautiful. “Nnn.” Zechs hissed as he draped himself over Wufei’s slick back, feeling the strong body sliding up and down his chest as he writhed. “Ugh, Wufei.” He reached under them to take Wufei into his hand and began to move with deep long strokes.
Wufei choked on the scream in his throat and ducked and shook his head frantically as if it could relieve any of the fire that crawled his skin. In the lower reaches of his vision he could make out himself, slick with excitement with Zech’s fingers curling around and caressing him and pumping him up and down. His throat was hoarse with scratchy moans. And still Zechs pushed him farther, his hard wiry muscles rubbing heatedly along the lines of his back, the sweat stringed hair draped past his shoulder and pasted to his straining arms and the hissing mouth that blew humid air against his cheek and every now and then pressed frantic fiery kisses to the back of his neck.
Zechs traced the taught muscles of Wufei’s arms; the almost imperceptible quivering of the muscles beneath his fingertips excited him to no end. The arousal in his hand was throbbing too, and he slowly slid off the length to knead the hard muscles of Wufei’s stomach. He breathed long thin breaths through his teeth, in time with his thrusts. In and out, rolling in small circles. The pleasure made him dizzy, brainwashing him, as if this feeling were the only thing he’d ever known. The heat around him tightened and he hissed breathlessly into the matted black hair that stuck to his face. “Unn…”
A gurgling attempt at Zechs’ name trembled out of Wufei’s parted lips. His climax rose suddenly and as release overtook him, his vision smeared into a landscape of blurry shapes and dark and light spots. His body froze midway in his pleasure induced thrashing and with a hitching cry, exploded onto the crumpled sheets.
Zechs thrust himself deeply, powerfully and both of them slid forward on the bed. He arched as much as he could, pressing his groin flush against Wufei’s rear, crying out a desperate moan into the air. He could feel his release spilling into Wufei, and his body collapsing heavily against the Chinese man in the wake. “Gods, Wufei…”
_________________________________________
Wufei hastily snatched up the remote and clicked the TV off. He caught his reflection off the polished black stone of his desk. Pinching his nose, sweating bullets, a few blood drops on his work shirt and on top of all that, he was hard as hell. This was unjustifiably unjust. The tape popped out of the VCR and he glared at the innocuous white label. The accompanying note still lay open on the corner of the desk and he snatched it up with his unoccupied hand. He almost sputtered with rage as he read it again.
Dear Wufei,
I hope this doesn’t surprise you too much, but if you know Sabintha Winner, you’d understand perfectly. I do apologize for invading your privacy, but I assure you it was necessary. However, I want to assure you that I have edited out the conversation and the first time you made love. They were private moments, and I would never give such things to the others to drool over. However, as you can tell, the later incidents are of great entertainment value and as such I owe the viewing public that much. Again, I am sorry for the intrusion into your privacy.
Sincerely,
Hilde Schbeiker
PS. And thanks.
Zechs frowned in the doorway to Wufei’s office. Nosebleed? Yes. Arousal? Oh Yes. Ranting? Like the dickens. Hilde’s video must’ve just arrived. Wufei stopped mid sentence, flushed and half made an attempt to hide his erection behind the desk before noticing it was Zechs. Instead, he stalked up to Zechs and pointed over to the TV in outrage, trying to keep the dignity in his voice despite its striking similarity to a stuffed up cat. “You know what that woman did?” Zechs nodded and suppressed a smile; sometimes Wufei could be more amusing than even Duo Maxwell. The Chinese man was looking as dark and forbidding as a rain cloud at the moment. “And you don’t find it wrong?! It’s illegal, it’s immoral, it’s…”
“Injustice,” Zechs finished. He smiled and took advantage of Wufei’s momentary surprise and swept in for a deep kiss. He had to hand it to Hilde; it was unaccountably well edited. And sexy as hell. And it gave him a big problem that he needed Wufei to help alleviate.
Wufei’s protest died in his lungs with the kiss. He willingly let his nose bleed as he wound his arms around the taller man. In the back of his mind, he vaguely hoped that there weren’t any hidden cameras in his office. Zechs was very aroused and he and got the feeling that the kiss was only the beginning.
__________________________________________________
Une sighed and leaned back into her leather chair. So soon after the last tape, Wufei? She fixed the contrast on the surveillance screen. “Is there popcorn?”
Dorothy smiled brightly and shut the microwave. “Just a couple of minutes.”
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