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Cages	By : Ryoko21 Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 14164 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing/AC, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Quatre 194

And then he kissed me, and this time when our skin touched I wasn’t overwhelmed by rage and jealousy. I found the one true thread of love he still had for Zechs and I held fast, and suddenly I was flooded with lust and possessive fondness.

“Quatre!” Zechs shouted, enraged, but I knew nothing I could say would convince him. So instead I returned Treize’s kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck.

The rage quieted as I submitted. Muted into something more akin to dominance than anger, it was easier to separate his emotions from my own as he deepened the kiss and slipped his tongue into my mouth.

“Quatre?” Zechs voice came again, this time softer and confused as I held fast to Treize, afraid to pull back and reignite the madness that had torn through me only minutes before.

“You’re slave certainly knows how to behave around a true master,” Treize commented, but it wasn’t a barb this time. I let my mouth settle to his neck and began sucking the soft skin there, as Treize’s hands began to skillfully undo the buttons of my shirt. “Such soft, pale skin and hair. He reminds me of you when you were younger. That’s why I picked him,” Treize said as he finished the buttons and I let the shirt fall from my shoulders. There was a piercing stab of nostalgia; something about my bare, narrow shoulders reminded Treize almost painfully of his first few days with Zechs. But Treize was not so mad that he couldn’t tell the difference between us, and he had my pants off the moment the last of the nostalgia faded. The pants tangled with my shoes at my ankles, but instead of letting me awkwardly fight with them, Treize simply lifted me and settled me on Zechs’ lap before removing the shoes himself.

It was something of a relief to be in contact with Zechs. With both of us being naked and the majority of our skin touching, I was immediately assailed by his love and concern. I let me head fall back on his shoulder, giving a half-sob of relief as he kissed my face and my eyelids. His arms came around me, and it was almost enough to make me forget about the other person in the room, until Treize chuckled and ran a hand down my hip, causing me to jump.

“Should I leave you two alone?” Treize’s voice came, silk over steel and just as cold. The contact of his skin let me feel the jealousy seeping into his mind, and I was quick to lean up and kiss him, hoping to cut off that emotion before it could get dangerous.

“Don’t be jealous,” I pleaded, batting my eyelashes in a way that I knew was particularly effective. “I want you both,” I told him and tried to make it sound like a admission, but in truth I would have preferred to take my master and run. Still, Treize smiled and I felt his mind calm.

“You’ll have us,” Treize promised, and kissed me once again before pushing me to lean back against Zechs. Zechs nuzzled my neck, his arms still wrapped weakly around me.

But even Zechs’ support was not enough to calm my trepidation as Treize opened my legs, pushing my thighs over Zechs’ so that I was splayed open over his lap.

“Treize…” Zechs protested, sensing my fear through the tension in my body, even as I tried to relax.

“Enough,” Treize quieted as he retrieved a jar of lubricant and knelt between my legs. “He can handle this,” Treize said sternly, and I think even Zechs knew that arguing would only make things worse, because he tightened his arms but didn’t try to intervene.

“It’s alright,” I said with more confidence than I felt as Treize lubed one finger and slowly pressed the digit inside of me. It could have been my nerves, but it felt like I’d never met someone with such large fingers. He thrust slowly at first, giving a few quick jabs before pulling out and lubing another finger, then pressing two inside of me.

“Keep him entertained, love,” Treize instructed, and I let my eyes fall closed as Zechs began playing with my cock. It stirred to life gradually under Zechs’ careful, if lethargic, ministrations. And I couldn’t help but admit to the stirrings that Treize was creating as his fingers expertly stretched and opened me. I threw my head back onto Zecsh shoulder and felt him chuckle behind me.

“Looks like he’s having a good time,” Zechs said, and through our connection I felt the last of his doubt about letting me join him and Treize fade away. It felt good to be rid of the last of his reluctance coming through the connection, even though I was a little disappointed that I could so easily deceive him.

“It will soon get better,” Treize promised, pressing a third digit inside of me. I squirmed in Zechs’ lap, the thickness and depth of Treize’s fingers stretching me almost more than I could handle. I sighed in relief as the fingers left me, but it was short-lived. A moment later, Treize was rising to his feet and removing his clothes.

It would have been easier if he was ugly. If there had been some kind of deformity, it would have been easier to see him as the monster he was. But he was beautiful. With hard panes of bronze skin, dark hair and smoldering eyes, he might have wandered out of a wet dream. His shoulders were broader than Zechs and he was more heavily muscled, but he had the same long legs, which were slowly revealed as he divested himself of his pants. His cock, however, nearly stopped my breath. Massive in both length and thickness, I didn’t know how he thought I’d take him. He’d split me in two if he wasn’t careful, and I wasn’t sure he cared that much about my safety.

“It’s alright,” Zechs soothed as I stilled in fear. “I’ll be fine,” he said, and I was confused for a moment until Zechs pushed me off his lap and offered his hand to Treize. But Treize chuckled, and it was Zechs’ turn to be confused.

“I wasn’t preparing him for you, love,” Treize corrected, and Zechs’ frown deepened.

“But… You can’t take him. He’s too small, you’ll break him.”

“I’ll be careful with him.”

“But…” Zechs protested, but Treize was finished with the argument, and took Zechs’ chin in his hand.

“Any more arguments from you, and I can promise that I won’t be careful with him,” Treize threatened. Zechs gritted his teeth, but he was still too weak from the drugs to outright oppose Treize.

“Why do you want him?” Zechs asked, trying for sultry but it was painfully obvious that Zechs had never been a slave before. His tactics were almost embarrassingly obvious, and I tried to credit some of his lack of skill to the lingering drugs in his system. “Have you tired of me already?” Zechs asked, but Treize merely smiled.

“Perhaps I just want to sample what you’ve been having these past months.”

“But…”

“Enough,” Treize warned, and then took my hand and pulled me from the couch. “I don’t want to hear any more from you, or he’ll be the one answering for it.”

It was a good threat to make, considering how concerned Zechs was, and it shut him up immediately, though I could tell it rankled with him. Treize pulled me away from Zechs and to the other side of the room, where he pressed me to lie down on my back on another couch.

“Wait,” I protested, turning back toward Zechs, “You said I wouldn’t be alone.”

“You aren’t alone, kitten. He can see you from there, and I will return you to him once I’ve finished with you,” he promised, but none of it made me feel any better as he settled himself between my legs. Out of earshot of Zechs, I let out a fearful sob, but otherwise stayed quiet for fear that Zechs would hear and try to intervene.

“Hush,” Treize quieted, and it was the first time I’d felt genuine concern for me. “I am a man of my word. I will be careful with you. Just relax. Zechs wasn’t much older than you when we had our first time, and it was more than satisfactory.”

I didn’t remind him that if Zechs had been my size, then Treize would also have been younger and smaller. Faced with his massive and engorged cock as he slathered it in lubricant, I was too frightened to make any sounds.

And then he set the jar of lube aside and positioned the head of his cock at my entrance. I grasped his shoulders desperately, trying to find any kind of purchase or leverage as he hooked my knees over his arms and pressed the head inside with one decisive pop. I hissed at the burn as my muscles stretched and tried to accommodate his thickness. He paused then, allowing me time to adjust before he began giving me small thrusts that slowly eased his length inside me. I clutched at his arms and tried to focus on my breathing, trying to stay relaxed, but it felt like a steel bar was being pressed inside me. When he had made it a quarter of the way in, he stopped to add more lubricant, pulling out to slick himself up before pressing back inside, this time thrusting more determinedly as he worked to get his whole length inside.

I panted, trying to keep from making sounds of distress. By the time he was halfway inside me, a light sheen of sweat covered my entire body, and my legs were beginning to ache. I gasped and bit my lip as a particularly deep thrust sent a stab of pain through my gut. Surprisingly, Treize paused, lowering my legs and giving me a moment to breathe.

“You’re doing well,” he complimented, taking a moment to stroke the side of my face. “Over half way there, now. Do you want to turn around?” he asked, and I found myself nodding, grateful for the break if nothing else. He pulled out slowly, but it still burned and I hissed as the crown popped out.

“What’s wrong?” Zechs asked nervously from across the room.

“You’re like a mother hen,” Treize teased. “We’re just changing positions.”

I could tell that Zechs wanted me to assure him, but I also knew that it would anger Treize, so I stayed quiet as Treize helped me to turn and lean over the arm of the couch.

It was easier in the new position, kneeling over the edge of the couch, with my knees spread apart and my arms cradling my head. As Treize mounted me, bringing his huge form over top of my smaller one, I felt like a kitten being fucked by a tiger. He entered me more quickly this time, but my body had started to become accustomed to him, and he managed to enter half way without much resistance.

“Are you ready for me, little kitten?” he asked, but I knew he didn’t require an answer. The pressure behind me became steady and determined, and I knew that Treize was done preparing me and would now get fully inside me. I began to pant again, as muscles that had never been penetrated before now protested the invasion of Treize’s massive cock.

“Relax,” he said, but it sounded more like a command than concern. “Don’t fight me, it’ll only hurt worse. Even Dragon figured that out eventually.”

I felt a stab of sympathy for Wufei, if this was what he had been subjected to. It took all my willpower to stay relaxed beneath him, as anger surged in me at the reminder that he had done this same thing to one of my closest friends. My whole body was calling for me to struggle, telling me that there was no way I could survive this. But I knew Treize had no pity for me, and that struggling would only make things worse, so I stayed still for what seemed like years until Treize finally stilled.

“That’s all,” he assured me. “Would you like Zechs to join us?” he offered, and I nodded my head, but once again I wasn’t sure my input was required. Treize signaled for Zechs to come over and Zechs was immediately on his feet and just as quickly back down on his couch.

“I see the drugs still haven’t totally left your system,” Treize commented as Zechs shook himself and made a second attempt to stand. This time he managed to stumble across the room, and Treize pulled me away from the arm of the couch so that Zechs could more or less fall where I had been.

“Are you alright?” he asked immediately, and I felt a stab of jealousy from Treize, but there was nothing I could do about it.

“I’m fine,” I lied, but I couldn’t hide the paleness of my face from Zechs, nor the way I kept trying to pull away from Treize’s grasp. Now that Treize had settled and given me a few moments to adjust, the outright pain had been replaced with soreness, but it was still uncomfortable, and likely to get more so when he began to move again.

“Perhaps you’d like to entertain him?” Treize offered, and gestured for Zechs to lie back, then helped me crawl over him until we were in a sixty-nine position with Treize still kneeling behind me, buried inside of me. I felt Zechs lips ghost over my cock and I took his in my mouth, grateful for the distraction. Zechs hissed, and I could feel his breath over my quickly-rekindling erection. He engulfed me, and I moaned around his erection. Treize laughed behind us.

“You look like brothers,” he said, which didn’t make me feel any better, because I knew Zechs already felt protective of me. But then Treize began to move, and I didn’t have time to worry about that. My muscles, which had just recently adjusted, protested as Treize gave a languid thrust, and I nearly choked on Zechs’ length. I made a noise of protest, but Treize wasn’t concerned with me and continued, picking up pace after a few more thrusts. It burned, but Zechs was doing a masterful job of distracting me and my erection flared back to full hardness, making the pain easier to ignore. I lapped at Zechs’ cock, but I knew I wasn’t doing nearly as well as he was doing with me.

Eventually, Treize’s steady pace became more tolerable and Zechs’ work became more pleasurable until I surprised myself by orgasming, with Zechs swallowing my seed and continuing to lap at me even when I was finished. I knew Treize could feel my orgasm, deep as he was within my body, but he didn’t comment or change his pace as I renewed my efforts on Zechs’ cock, bringing him to completion after a few more minutes. His seed filled my mouth and I swallowed what I could, although a good bit slipped out and covered his erection. I lapped it clean until the last shudders had stopped in Zechs’ body, and then Treize pulled us apart.

“Since you two have already finished, I don’t suppose you’ll mind if I pick up the pace,” he said, turning me around and pulling me onto his lap. His cock pressed deeper into me than it had been before and I hissed, scrambling to find purchase on his shoulders. But Treize didn’t wait this time, lifting me by the hips and then thrusting me down, snapping his hips up at the same time. I gave squeal of surprise as the movement sent pins of pain up my spine, before biting my lip and slumping over Treize’s shoulder. I could see Zechs trying to get up beside us, but there wasn’t anything he could do, especially with the drugs still making him woozy. I simply hung there, leaning over Treize’s shoulder and letting him pound me, letting it happen, hoping it would be over soon.

But Treize didn’t come. Eventually, he snorted derisively and lifted me off his hips, his engorged length slipping from my body, and then pushed me off his lap. I fell in a sprawling heap to the floor, and lay still while Treize turned to Zechs. Uselessly, I watched while Treize pushed Zechs onto his stomach and then entered him in one swift, painful movement. But Zechs only gave a grunt at Treize entered him, then began pounding him brutally, far harder than he had with me. In only a few minutes, Treize was shuddering with climax, grasping at Zechs’ shoulders and pumping his seed into my master. He rested for a moment, kissing Zechs’ shoulders, then pulled back and sprawled on the couch, leaving Zechs still panting on his belly. After a few minutes, Zechs pushed himself to his elbows and leaned over to check on me. I pulled myself to my knees and nodded that I was alright.

Treize reached over the arm of the couch then and snagged his pants, pulling them into his lap and fishing the phone out of the pocket. It was black, palm-sized, with a high definition video screen that Treize didn’t bother engaging when he made his call. Zechs was still looking at me, and I saw the light go out of his eyes as Treize ordered a guard to return and collect me. Treize hung up and leaned back, smiling at Zechs.

“I think we’ve had enough of your pets for a while,” Treize said, and Zechs could only nod at him miserably.

Something snapped inside of me. A plan formed, and I didn’t let myself think it through fully before I hurled myself at Treize.

“You bastard! You monster!” I cried. He laughed, dropping his phone onto his lap to catch my arms, which I flailed ineffectively at him. He laughed and threw me to the floor. When he rose to tower over me, I kicked at his feet, knocking the phone across the room and into my pile of clothing. I missed Treize entirely, but he still felt the need to place his foot on my abdomen and press down, effectively pinning me to the floor.

“What spirit! If you’d been this active while I was fucking you I wouldn’t have had to finish with Zechs,” he said cruelly, but I could only glare in response. There was a knock on the door then, and the same guard who had brought me entered. “Take him back to the others,” Treize ordered, then removed his foot from my chest. I rolled quickly and scrambled to grab my clothes, casting one last look at Zechs pale face before bolting out the door.

I vowed then that it was the last time I would ever let that man make my master so miserable.

Because Treize had Zechs.

But I had his vidphone.

Heero 195

            Quatre was out late, although it was difficult to tell how late it was in our small set of rooms with no clock. I was curled up around Duo, who had finally fallen asleep with his manacled hands clutched to his bare chest, his legs covered only in cloth shorts and tangled in the blankets. Trowa had maintained a vigil at the door since Quatre had been called away, and although Wufei had reassured Trowa that Treize would not hurt Quatre, I could tell that Trowa was very worried and Wufei was not very confident. I didn’t like seeing Trowa brood there against the wall, staring at the door like it would never open. The stress was getting to all of us, and I pushed down the urge to snap at him.

            “Can you come sit with him?” I asked, “I need to use the bathroom.”

            It was a lie, and he probably knew it, but came over and settled beside Duo anyway. He placed a hand on Duo’s shoulder, and I managed to slip away with causing him to stir too much as Trowa slipped into my place. I liked to think that the touch soothed them both, but a part of me knew Trowa would only feel better when Quatre returned.

            I stretched and headed toward the bathroom, more because I knew Trowa was watching than because I felt the need to. It was awkward to urinate with no door for privacy and with a pair of guards right around the corner, but we’d gotten used to it over the last couple days. Everyone except Duo, but he managed to use the bathroom and even take a shower as long as one of us blocked the doorway.

The guards weren’t bad, all things considered. They didn’t bully us, didn’t use unnecessary force. Even when Duo was having a fit, they hadn’t gone out of their way to hurt him or retaliate. There were four of them, in rotating shifts, and it seemed like they’d managed to get what Duo called a “cake job” babysitting the five of us. In general, the two on shift would play cards, watch tv, and eat whatever Quatre was cooking. It was probably part of the reason they didn’t pick on us, didn’t ask for sexual favors.

But they were willing to accept sexual favors freely offered. I thought back to the previous day. Those same guards had been more than happy to accept when Trowa and I had offered to suck them off as a cover for letting Wufei go check on Zechs, but they hadn’t been cruel about it. We had gone into the kitchen, where Quatre and the sleeping Duo could not see us, and proceeded to suck off the two guards, who didn’t notice when Wufei slipped out. It had thrown me right back to the pre-Zechs days, though, and it all came crashing back as Trowa and I showered, and I shook against the wall, trying not to throw up.

“You gonna be okay?” Trowa asked quietly, remembering that there was only the sound of the running water to cover our voices, with no door blocking the bathroom and only a thin black curtain hiding us. Duo and Quatre were just a few feet away in the bedroom. I nodded and leaned my forehead against the wall of the shower, letting the hot water flow over me. The taste of a strange man’s cum in my mouth brought back thoughts of my life before Master Zechs, and a wave of anguish passed over me so unexpectedly that I found myself sagging against the wall as Trowa hovered over me. I found myself wondering if this would be my life again. If we couldn’t retrieve Master, would we even be able to stay together?

“Don’t think about it,” Trowa whispered behind me, stepping up to press himself against my back, covering my hands with his own and leaning his face against my neck as we both huddled under the spray. His skin felt so good against mine, that I turned my face and pressed my cheek to his, just to feel the skin against mine. And suddenly I had the overwhelming urge to have as much of his skin as possible touching mine.

“Fuck me,” I asked breathlessly against his ear. Trowa could always understand me at times like this, and he nodded gently before kissing my forehead and pulling back to stroke himself to hardness. I spread my legs and braced against the wall, waiting while he lubed himself with oil. He waved the bottle at me but I shook my head, knowing I wouldn’t need stretched to handle Trowa. He stepped up behind me and pressed in slowly, giving me time to adjust. I wanted it hard, but I knew that kind of noise would bring attention, so I let him fuck me slow and deep. I hissed as he penetrated me, pushing in to the hilt and pausing for just a moment before slowly retreating back out. After that he gave me no time for pause, keeping a continuing cycle of in and out that left me panting and stroking my own erection. Trowa was silent behind me, but I could tell that he was getting into it by the way his hands grasped at my shoulders. It wasn’t very long until we were both close, and some of the hurry was a need to get back to Duo and Quatre. It simply wasn’t the kind of sex that you enjoy and prolong. It was physical contact and emotional support, for the both of us, and that was all that it needed to be.

Trowa came first, squeezing my arms in an almost painful grip as he pressed in to the hilt and orgasmed languidly. He pulled out of me moments later, then batted my hands away and finished jerking me off, his skilled hands making quick work of the job. I hissed as the orgasm hit me, keeping a hand on Trowa’s shoulder for balance, and then gave him a long kiss in gratitude. After that we quickly finished our shower and joined Duo and Quatre in the other room.

Forty-five minutes later, we offered the second shift of guards a round, allowing Wufei to slip back in. That time I did throw up, quietly, when we finished, and Trowa stuck his finger down his own throat when I was done. We took another shower, brushing our teeth several times, before the five of us huddled over Duo’s bed for debriefing. Wufei, looking pale and shaken, took his place by Duo’s feet and Duo sat up as far as his chains would allow him to ask, “Is he okay?”

Wufei nearly jumped at the question, his hand going to rub at his eyes in distress, and I knew whatever came next would be a half-lie.

“He’ll be alright until we get him free. I don’t think Treize is trying to do any permanent damage, but I think Zechs is pushing his buttons.”

“You should have sprung him tonight!” Duo hissed, and Quatre shushed him. Duo was too loud, and I could see him working himself into a frenzy from the way he held his manacled hands protectively in front of him. I nodded to Trowa and he passed me one of Duo’s sedatives, which I shot into Dou’s hip while he was busy getting worked up at Wufei.

“You son of a bitch, Heero!” he shouted, and this time no one tried to quiet him, because he cursed like this every time I had to put him under. “I won’t forgive this, you bastard!” he yelled, but the drugs took him under anyway, and Trowa and I helped make him more comfortable as his eyes slipped closed.

“He doesn’t mean it,” Quatre said, his pale hand locking around my wrist. “I know he doesn’t, he’s just afraid and upset. I promise he doesn’t mean it. Don’t give up on him,” he begged me. I nodded, but in my heart I felt like Duo was being pulled away from me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

“Did you get what you went for?” I asked Wufei to change the subject.

“I did,” he told me, and might have said more, but one of the guards took an interest in us then, and we had to scatter to our own beds. I took Quatre’s place lying beside Duo, and Trowa and Quatre moved across the room to the other twin mattress. Wufei retreated to the kitchen for a long time, and I would have thought he was eating, but I hadn’t heard the refrigerator or the cabinets open. The beds were too small for all of us, so Quatre and Trowa curled up on the other bed and Wufei usually slipped in with them if he didn’t need to help me restrain Duo. When Wufei came back, though, he settled in the corner near the door, keeping a watchful eye on the guards, but mostly just staring at the four of us. Quatre asked him several times to come lay down, but he was ignored, and eventually we fell asleep. I don’t know if Wufei slept at all.

But that was last night’s drama, and tonight’s missing Quatre was upsetting Trowa far more than giving blow jobs to the guards had upset me.

I washed my hands and returned to Duo’s bed, then perched myself on the nightstand when Trowa made no move to get up. Duo was turned toward me, and I could see the purple strips beneath his eyes and the darker purple motley of bruises around his wrists where he’d fought his manacles earlier. It was hard to remember that it’d barely been three days since we’d been separated from our master, and time seemed to slow to a crawl in these rooms with nothing to do but worry.

Duo hadn’t wanted to worry. Duo had wanted to fight as soon as he realized Zechs wasn’t coming back immediately. With no forethought and no care for the consequences, he’d taken the first chance the guards’ backs were turned and bolted back towards where we had last seen Zechs. I know he had some delusions of freeing Zechs and then returning, guns blazing, for the rest of us. I tried to remember that it was most likely a blind panic that pushed him to such rash actions, and I tried not to feel hurt about the fact that he had neither consulted nor utilized me in his rescue attempt. And when they dragged him back empty handed and left me to deal with the aftermath, I tried not to resent that either.

At least, though, they’d given us sedatives for him. Though, I think that had more to do with the first two hours that he spent screaming than an actual interest in his wellbeing.

Wufei entered from the kitchen then and settled, cross-legged on Trowa’s bed. He was sipping a glass of water, and it looked like he wanted to say something reassuring but could not find the words.

I carded my hands through Duo’s bangs and his eyes fluttered, lethargically glancing around the room before meeting mine, and then closing again. The drugs were leaving his system, and he pushed himself up on an elbow to turn and look at Trowa. Trowa stayed lying down as Duo whispered a question, probably about Quatre, then turned and nestled into Trowa’s embrace. I sighed and leaned back against the wall, taking in the silence and trying to calm my anxious body and mind.

But the moment was broken when the front door of the apartment opened and Quatre stumbled in, falling to the floor and clutching his shirt to his bare chest, his legs twisted in his half-donned pants. Trowa was out of the bed and across the room before I’d even catalogued the bruise on Quatre’s cheek or the haunted look in his eyes. The guards exchanged words, our guards only glancing with casual interest at Quatre as Trowa lifted him from the floor and brought him into the bedroom, pulling him to the corner near the bathroom for some semblance of privacy as he ran his hands over Quatre’s form, looking for injuries. I heard the other guards leave as I approached Trowa slowly, knowing that Trowa was nearly out of his mind with worry but also seeing the way Quatre clutched his shirt to his chest desperately. Trowa was beyond words, his body naturally going silent when under stress, but his jerky, desperate movements were clear enough. Quatre clutched his arms to his body, gripping his shirt to his chest.

“Trowa,” I called, catching Trowa’s arm as I saw Quatre’s distress rising. “Give him some room,” I cautioned, pulling Trowa back. Quatre was gasping now, soft whispers of breath that were close to sobs. “Are you alright?”

“I…” Quatre tried, his fingers clutching his shirt again. His eyes went to Wufei, who approached slowly, his brow furrowing with the same confusion as the rest of us. “I have…”

“What is it?” Wufei asked, pausing to give Quatre space.

“I…” he faltered again, holding his shirt out to Wufei. “Please,” he begged, but whether he was begging for Wufei to take the shirt or to understand still wasn’t clear. Wufei reached out, though, and as his hands brushed the material a stray corner of plastic peaked out and suddenly his eyes brightened with understanding. His hands slipped into the folds of the fabric and quickly extracted the phone, then he hurried to one of the beds and smothered the object with a pillow to cover the noise it made as it shut off. Then he slipped it under the mattress at the back of one of the beds, although it was probably unnecessary considering the soldiers had yet to search our rooms even once.

“Thank you,” Wufei said as he returned to us, “You did well, Quatre. I don’t think I can tell you what this means,” he said, his eyes slipping to the open doorway and the guards just beyond, “but be assured that your efforts will make a tremendous difference.”

Quatre smiled, then, and a bit of the fear bled out of him. But it was short-lived, as Trowa approached once again, unable to keep his own concern at bay.

“I’m more worried about you,” he admitted, stepping into Quatre’s space once again, his fingers brushing the length of the bruising across Quatre’s face. “Let me see what else that bastard did,” Trowa demanded, and it was clear from his voice that he blamed himself for every mark on Quatre, for his inability to protect his lover. But it was equally clear from the way Quatre pulled away from Trowa’s grasp that Quatre was as unable to deal with Trowa’s guilt as he was his own mental anguish.

“I’m fine, really,” Quatre protested, his voice growing more panicked as Trowa began to pull at his clothes.

“You’re not fine!” Trowa growled, and there was a subdued desperation in his voice that was no less frightened than Quatre’s. “You could be hurt!”

“I can handle myself!” Quatre snarled back, his voice rising to a pitch that I worried the guard would hear. I moved to intercede between to two, with Wufei right beside me, as Quatre continued to retreat and Trowa advanced.

“You need help,” Trowa tried again, making an effort to calm his voice. “Let me help,” he asked, but Quatre was too wired to let him close.

“I did fine on my own! Leave me alone!” Quatre cried, his breath now coming in hysterical sobs, and I blocked Trowa just as Wufei pulled Quatre to the side.

“Get out of my way, Heero,” Trowa snarled, and I could tell that he was only seconds away from violence. Behind me, I heard Wufei trying to convince Quatre to let us check for damage, but Quatre was only getting more and more hysterical.

“Heero,” Duo’s voice came, the only calm sound in the room, and it quieted the rest of us. “Bring him here,” he demanded, and the quiet tone left no room for argument. I turned away from Trowa, who seemed to settle as Duo took control, and led an unresisting Quatre across the room to Duo’s bed.

“I’m fine,” Quatre protested again, the desperation bleeding out of him as the room quieted.

“Of course you are,” Duo assured as Quatre settled at the foot of the bed. “Heero, can you let me out?” he asked, and I hesitated for a moment before deciding it was safe. Duo wouldn’t run while we needed him, lest of all while Quatre was in such a fragile state. We didn’t actually have a key, but I handed Duo a piece of wire that I pulled from inside the mattress, and the cuffs were off a moment later. Unlike Trowa, Duo didn’t reach for Quatre, instead choosing to rub his wrists and set the cuffs aside.

“He got your face pretty good, though, didn’t he?” Duo said, reaching out slowly and touching Quatre’s cheek. Quatre hissed, but allowed the touch.

“I’m… I’m alright,” he said, but his voice was wobbly and tired this time.

“Obviously,” Duo agreed. “You’re tough as nails, Kitty. I didn’t expect anything less.”

“I…” Quatre trailed, and I could almost see Duo’s approval breaking through Quatre’s barriers, and suddenly Quatre collapsed onto Duo’s knees, his shoulders shaking and his face buried in the sheets. Duo just shushed him and gathered him up, pulling him into the first embrace he’d allowed since he got back. His words were pouring out now, and Duo didn’t try to quiet them.

“…I tried, I tried but he’s insane! He’s got Master Zechs and he’s using us to manipulate him! He made me… made me…” and Quatre was crying too hard to continue now, but Duo just stroked his hair and soothed him.

“Shh, I know. I know, it’s okay, I know.”

“I should have done something, anything! He hurt my master and I just stood there!”

“You couldn’t do anything. You have to believe me, you did the right thing.”

“He’s evil, Duo! He wants Zechs, and he’ll kill all of us to get him. He… He said he’d hurt you!”

“I know, Kitty, I know. Why do you think I act like this? Paint a big target on my back and he’ll leave you guys alone. I’m just sorry I couldn’t protect you from this.”

“No,” Quatre said, shaking his head. “I’m glad it was me. I hate him now. I hate him and I’ll do anything to see him dead.”

“Good. You take that hatred and you feed it, and someday we’ll spit on his grave, you and me,” Duo promised, and there were tears on his face too, but it seemed cathartic for the both of them.

“I just feel so helpless,” Quatre admitted, hiding his face in Duo’s knees once again. This time, though, it was Wufei that moved in, laying a hand on Quatre’s back and settling beside them.

“You did everything you could,” Wufei said. “You did magnificent. Don’t let him take that from you. I know… I know how powerless he can make you feel.”

Quatre’s head raised, and he shared a look of understanding with Wufei that I could not fathom, and then he left Duo’s lap to pull Wufei into an embrace. With his face buried in Quatre’s shoulder it was impossible to tell, but I believe Wufei wept as well.

Seeing Wufei and Quatre together drew Trowa out of his paralysis, and before I could stop him he was on his knees beside the bed. Quatre’s head came up and Trowa moved to speak, but no words came out. He tried again, but his words failed him. Tears came to his eyes, and he couldn’t look at Quatre’s face. Eventually, staring at his hand like his world was crumbling around him, Trowa said, “I’m sorry. I failed you.”

It was all the prompting Quatre needed to slide from the bed and wrap himself around Trowa, all the while giving denials and praise. Trowa’s arms came around Quatre like iron bars and I doubted any force on earth could have separated them in that moment.

And that only left me, and I found myself joining Trowa on the floor. Quatre turned to me, and I could only say, “You’re the strongest of us all,” because I was took choked with emotion. Quatre took my hand, and I think he would have come to me but Trowa would not release him. And as Duo reached down and pulled me onto the bed, my arms coming around him in the same desperate hold that Trowa held Quatre, I knew how he felt.

“This isn’t anyone’s fault,” Wufei commented quietly. His arms were wrapped around his middle, his eyes cold and lonesome, and I could tell he was missing Master fiercely. “No one’s but that bastard Treize.”

“We’ll get him back,” I promised, reaching out to lay a hand on Wufei’s shoulder. “We’ll get Zechs back, and we’ll make that bastard pay.”

Wufei nodded, but could find no words. Silence spread across the room, but it was soothing, letting us calm after our emotional breaks. I listened to Duo’s heartbeat, my hand still on Wufei’s shoulder and his hand settled over mine, taking comfort in my presence without seeking physical contact. It was obvious whose physical presence he was longing for.

Eventually, Quatre sniffled from the floor and it managed to catch Duo’s attention. He pulled himself from my grasp and leaned over the edge of the bed to run his fingers through Quatre’s hair.

“Can you let me take a look at you now?” he asked cautiously, aware and attuend to just how raw and exhausted Quatre was. “I know you’re fine, but it would make me feel better if you’d let me check.”

Eventually Quatre sighed and nodded, disentangling from Trowa and hauling himself onto the bed next to Duo. I pulled back and let Quatre settle next to Duo, leaning against Duo as he was too exhausted to hold himself up.

“Give us some space, guys,” Duo asked, and Wufei, Trowa, and I rose and headed toward the door. But before we could leave, Duo called to us, and we paused and turned around. Quatre had returned to Duo’s embrace, and with his face pressed against Duo’s bare chest the bruising on his jaw stood out in stark relief. Duo’s arms were wrapped protectively around Quatre, his cheek resting on the head of the nearly-sleeping blonde. But Duo’s eyes were hard and serious, and he looked the part of the angel of death.

“Tonight. We end this tonight.”

Duo 196

I’m not gonna tell you how shocked we were when, an hour after getting Quatre back, Wufei dropped the bomb on us. It was bad enough we’d just found out from Quatre that Zechs and Treize had been lovers (talk about bad taste in men!) But now Wufei proves that he’s been holding out on us as well! I mean, Zechs? A spy? It was unreal.

“Che. I’m not surprised,” I boasted, but I was just as shocked as the rest of them.

In the long run, it made sense. I mean, Zechs had always been descent, and what kind of descent human being would come into this hell of their own free will? Sure, there were some who had been coerced more than others by the power and influence that these people wielded, but even that was limited.

Still… What the fuck? Right?

I tried to have a quick sort through my emotions while the others were in varying stages of shock. There was a good bit of betrayal there, towards Zechs and a bit towards Wufei. I mean, Zechs treated us all with kidgloves, but Wufei? He should have known better. Should have told us, so we’d be ready.

And then there was uncertainty. Who did Zechs work for? What was their angle? It was hard to believe that the government, who had let this go unnoticed for years, might finally be taking the initiative to shut it down. A rival company, however, might put us in just as bad a situation as Collar had. Worse, even. I’d lived on the streets. I knew the kinds of bloodshed a power struggle could lead to. At least here, your only threat was from your own master. There were rules, of a sort. There were even steps put in place to keep the body count… limited. But under new management? It could be a slaughterhouse.

“This is a good thing,” Wufei defended, seeing the rising shock and horror amongst Trowa, Heero, and Quatre. I think I was the only one leaning towards agreeing with him.

“At least this way, we’ve got a shot,” I supported, crossing my arms and leaning back against the kitchen wall. I didn’t have to worry about keeping my voice down this time, because the two guards were unconscious, tied up, and stuffed in the bathtub. I think Trowa and Heero, who the guards had dubbed as the easiest marks out of all of us, had taken special pleasure in getting close to them, and then smashing their heads against the walls. And considering the guard had just changed, we now had a four hour time window to get to Zechs before our escape was discovered.

“What do you mean?” Heero growled. I knew my lover hated surprises – hell, he’d probably pick out and wrap his own present than get something unexpected – but I didn’t have time to coddle him. He was going to have to come around to the idea of having backup, and come around quick.

“Look, honestly? We have about a snowball’s chance in hell of getting all of us out of here without help. Shinigami, remember? I’ve tried to escape more times than I can count, and I can only manage it maybe one out of ten times. And that’s me, alone, and without the Owner’s favorite pet along with us. Zechs is big, he’s probably going to be drugged, and he’s not used to sneaking around. Plus, he was a Master for the last year, meaning he’s going to stick out like a sore thumb down in the bowels of this ship. And that’s assuming I can find a craft that’s leaving any time soon that has room enough for the six of us to hide on. So, yeah, our chances are pretty slim.”

“So why would you let us go through with this?” Quatre squealed, his eyes wide and frightened at the implications of being caught after what we’d just done. For better or worse, we were committed to this now, and I forced myself to take a breath and calm down before continuing.

“Because a chance at freedom, however small it is, is still better than watching Zechs die. Because… Because even if...” and here I had to reach out and take hold of Heero’s hand, because the thought was painful even to contemplate. “Even if we don’t all make it out, at least we will have tried.”

“We will all make it out,” Wufei said, the steel of determination in his voice as he settled a hand on my shoulder. “I wouldn’t have let us start this if I didn’t think we had a chance. We can use the vidphone to contact Zechs’ unit for help, then sneak him down to the docking bay to await rescue. It might be dangerous, but I know we can manage it.”

“Will they come?” Trowa asked then, his voice deep and even, but I could tell by how closely he kept Quatre that he was scared. “How do we know that they will risk retrieving their operative once he’s compromised?”

“If they took all the trouble of sending him in, they will be prepared to retrieve him,” Wufei countered, and I could see that the thought had never even dawned on him, that the organization might sacrifice Zechs if it was easier for them.

“It doesn’t matter,” I found myself saying. “If they won’t help us, then we’ll do it ourselves, against all the odds. Fuck ‘em! We’ve come through worse shit together, and we’re not going to give up now!”

“We should probably contact them and see if they will help before you decide to do it on your own,” Heero said, bringing me back down to reality. He was good at grounding me, my lover, and not for the first time I was glad to have his influence before I ran off to do something stupid.

“Sure,” I teased, “if you want to do it the easy way.”

So Wufei grabbed the vid from its hiding place and punched in the access code, and by this point in the night I don’t think any of us were terribly surprised to see Sally’s face pop up on the screen.

“Wufei?” she said, shocked and then suspicious. “How did you get this number,” she asked, peering into the screen and trying to get a glimpse behind him. She looked haggard, with bags under her eyes. She was in her night clothes, and it looked like we had woke her from a pretty deep sleep. Time had little meaning in Collar, but I had to assume that it was somewhere near the asscrack of dawn where she was.

“Zechs gave it to me. Listen, this is important. Zechs has been captured by the Owner. Apparently they used to have a… relationship, and it has made Zechs valuable to him.”

“Are we secure?” she asked, and I could tell she was taking a risk by talking to us.

“We have secured the perimeter, and this is the Owner’s private line. It will not be tapped.”

Her face was guarded now, her words measured. Something didn’t ring true with it, but I couldn’t figure out what.

“We are aware that Zechs has been… compromised. We are sending a team to retrieve the agent.”

“But we don’t know what state he is in. It could be too late by then.”

“Wait…” she hesitated, confused now. “Why don’t you know what state Zechs is in?”

“Our contact with him has been limited since he became the Owner’s property.”

“He separated you?” she asked, alarmed now.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t he?”

“And Zechs allowed this?” she asked urgently, her face confused and troubled.

“What would Zechs be able to do to stop it?”

“I just…” she said, then hesitated again. “I thought…”

And then it clicked.

“You thought since Zechs and Treize used to be fuckbuddies, Zechs would be able to get away with whatever he wanted and keep us with him, right?”

Wufei rounded on me, shocked by my accusations and vulgarity both, but Sally’s even stare told me I was right.

“It wasn’t like that,” she denied, but she couldn’t deny the facts as they were.

“Look, lady, I don’t give a shit what it was like,” I hissed, pushing Wufei out of the way and taking the vidphone from him so that I could go nose-to-nose with our good friend Sally. “All I know is that you assholes knew all along who the Owner was and what Zechs meant to him. And instead of warning him about the situation, you threw him into it without a clue in hopes that the Owner would surface and snatch him up. You fucking used him as bait, and now he’s being eaten alive!”

I was yelling then, and Wufei snatched the device out of my hands while Heero held me back and tried to calm me. But the blood was pounding in my ears, and all I could think was, “Those fucking bastards!”

By the time I had calmed, Wufei was ripping into Sally, just as furious over the betrayal as I was. But, finally, Sally broke through the outrage.

“Listen to me or Zechs will die!” she shouted, and it was enough to make Wufei hesitate and for me to come back to the conversation. “I need you all to get to Zechs, now! The rescue party is on its way, but they are honed in on the tracking devices that I implanted in you five!”

“Tracking devices don’t work on Collar. Nothing does,” Wufei protested.

There was a pregnant pause that made me think again that Sally was telling us far more than she was supposed. Then eventually she simply said, “These do.”

“So why can’t your team retrieve him and bring him to us?” Heero asked, always the one for the logical questions.

“Because he refused to get one. He thought it was too conspicuous, and I couldn’t convince him otherwise.” Here she looked pained, biting her lip as she contemplated her actions. I was pretty well in “fuck you” mode, though, and couldn’t find it in me to be sympathetic for her. “I never thought it would be an issue, because I didn’t think he’d be separated from you boys. But he needs you now!”

“We’ll find him,” I promised gravely, taking the vid from Wufei once again. “We’ll find Zechs for you and we’ll even let you get us out of here. But as soon as we’re free of this place, I’m gonna do my damndest to make sure you and your cronies never get near him again.”

And this time I really did pull back and let it fly, smashing the phone into a million pieces against the wall.

There was a shocked silence in the room, until Heero finally broke it by snorting.

“We could have used that,” he chided. “Asked her more questions about who Zechs is working for and get a sense of what we’re in for.”

“What does it matter? It’s not like we’ve got another choice,” I defended. “Fuck it. Let’s go get Zechs.”

“Just like that?” Quatre wondered as I headed for the door. “Shouldn’t we have a plan or something?”

“What for? We know where Zechs is, let’s go get him.”

“The plan,” Heero interrupted, “is to dress Trowa and myself as guards and escort Quatre and Wufei to Treize’s chambers. Duo will climb into the air vents and create a small, let me repeat small, diversion in the lower levels, and then climb up to join us in Treize’s rooms. Chances are good that Treize will want to respond to the emergency in person, so Zechs will be alone and unguarded. We can sneak in and secure Zechs, then move him to the docking bays and wait for a retrieval.”

“Or… yeah. We could do that.”

Heero just smirked at me.

“Then I suppose the next logical step would be to get the guards out of their uniforms and make sure they’ll fit well enough,” Trowa put in, turning toward the door. Quatre followed closely behind, still off balance from his treatment at Treize’s hands and the potential danger we all now faced. Heero kissed me and then followed, but I knew he could tell from my tension that I wasn’t through yet. I called to Wufei before he could follow them, and as the other three disappeared around the corner in the bedroom my knuckles connected with Wufei’s cheek.

Don’t let it be said that Wufei is anybody’s bitch. He came back up from the hit with eyes fierce and blazing, his own hands fisted and ready to strike back. But he also knows when to take his licks, and he stopped himself short of actually striking back.

“What was that for?” he snarled, but I wasn’t about to rise to his anger and turn this into a fistfight. Instead, I sauntered forward until we were nose to nose.

“You should have told us,” I accused quietly. “Zechs treats us all like kids, but you know better. You should have told us as soon as you found out, instead of waiting until it was almost too late.”

“I…” he hesitated, then lowered his head. “I should have told you all when I first found out. I was hoping Zechs would see reason and give me more information. I didn’t want to upset any of you or give you a reason to mistrust him. But these are all excuses, and my actions were inexcusable. I apologize,” he said, and bowed to me. When he came back up, I slung an arm over the shoulder and kissed him on the forehead, both because I knew he’d hate it and because I didn’t want this between us right now. Not when we were going into battle, and one of us might not make it back.

“It’s cool,” I found myself saying, pulling him with me as we went to meet up with Heero and the others. “Nobody’s perfect, and family always forgives.”
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