by Michalyn
Rating: PG
Warnings: 13×5, AU, Angst!
Disclaimer: I don’t own Treize or Wufei
Notes: Unbetaed for now so excuse any mistakes.
“I’m sorry, sir but I must say it again: Mr. Chang-Khushrenada gave explicit instructions that he was not to have any visitors.”
Treize crooked his finger at the hotel attendant as he leaned forward against the marble counter. “Do you have any idea who I am?” he asked calmly.
The young man drew himself up. “No sir, but it’s our policy—”
“I own the group which sets your damn policy,” Treize growled, sliding his driver’s license across the counter and watching the desk attendant’s eyes widen in alarm. “Now give me the bloody key.”
“Ye..yes … yes … Mr. Khushrenada sir!” The young man stammered, dropping the key like a hot potato into Treize’s palm.
Treize stalked to the elevator, muttering to himself about inept employees. In his heart he knew the desk attendant was just doing his job, but after searching for two days to find his errant husband, he had little time for niceties and even less patience for red tape. Treize drummed his fingers on the railing as the elevator began the interminable ascent to the fifteenth floor. Inside, he was clenched with desperation. No, what he felt was nothing so tame. What spurred Treize on was the naked fear of losing Wufei, of losing the one thing that gave his life meaning. Like any other couple they’d had their disagreements but this was the first time Treize truly feared for his marriage. How could something so well-intentioned have gone so terribly wrong?
Though Wufei had ultimately settled on a job teaching history and philosophy at the local university after his work with the Preventers, he always dreamed of publishing a multi-volume series on the history and culture of L5. It was a deeply personal undertaking in commemoration of his destroyed home and Treize had witnessed firsthand the emotional toll the writing of the first volume had taken on his husband.
There was no doubt the manuscript was wonderfully written and meticulously researched. Unfortunately, neither Wufei nor Treize anticipated the reluctance of the university and popluar presses to publish it. Even as the gundam pilots were outwardly revered as heroes, the subject of L5 was still a controversial one and a number of those linked to the colony’s demise still held important positions in the post-war government. Add to that Wufei’s equally controversial marriage to Treize and the book was doomed before the ink was even dry.
Of course, Wufei was devastated. He had quietly put the manuscript away but his pain was so palpable that Treize could not bear to see it. He had leaned heavily on some old enemies and called in favors from some friends. By the end of the month, Wufei had an offer for a book deal. From that moment on, he was the happiest Treize had ever seen him. His normally reserved husband was laughing more often; he developed a new spring in his step and his eyes shone with excitement. Wufei’s joy was his joy and Treize was prepared to do anything to keep that beautiful smile on Wufei’s face.
Then it all came crashing down. A new agent accidentally inquired about Treize in relation to a contract and the whole thing unraveled right before their eyes. Wufei had accused Treize of betrayal, manipulation, of being the cause of his people’s suffering in the first place … and the older man had lashed out with painful words of his own. When Treize returned from work the next evening, he found Wufei gone and a note stating simply that he needed time alone. There was no address, no other information about where he could reach him. All Treize had was Wufei’s cell phone number, which of course was useless to him since the younger man had turned his phone off.
At first, Treize vowed he would respect Wufei’s wishes, but after a week without a single email or call from Wufei—the loneliest most agonizing week of his life—he couldn’t bear it anymore. Two days of hunting had finally brought him here.
Treize left the elevator and wandered down the hall until he came to Wufei’s room. He slid the card-key into the lock, bracing himself for an immediate confrontation. Instead, he was greeted to the sound of the shower running and the sight of Wufei’s underwear and clothes laid out on the bed. Treize was used to seeing those clothes on their bed and something twisted inside of him. He locked the door behind him and approached the bed. Treize ran his fingers over the soft cotton of Wufei’s shirt. Unable to resist, he brought it to his face and inhaled deeply. Wufei’s fresh familar scent washed over him and Treize was overcome with the need to hold his husband again.
He didn’t think. He simply walked into the bathroom and flung the shower curtain aside.
Wufei’s face was tilted up to the spray as he smoothed the last of the shampoo from his hair. When Treize pushed the curtain away, he gave a startled shout, and spun towards him.
“Treize! What the hell are you doing here? I thought I told you—”
Treize didn’t give him a chance to finish. He simply turned off the water, picked Wufei up and carried him, sopping wet to the bedroom. He laid his husband on the bed and immediately rolled on top of him to prevent his escape, heedless of the water and his expensive suit. Wufei struggled beneath him.
“Let me go, Treize! You really do not want to make me any angrier than I am at the moment,” he growled.
“No. Not until we talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. I said I wanted some time to myself and I meant it. Why can’t you ever listen? If you’d respected my feelings from the beginning we wouldn’t even be here so please leave.”
Treize held onto Wufei, burying his face in the crook of his neck. “Don’t shut me out, Wufei. I… I can’t bear it. I can’t bear to lose you,” he murmured brokenly.
Wufei trembled. Slowly, his hands came to rest on Treize’s hair. There was pain in his own voice as he spoke. “I’m not trying to shut you out … I don’t know what I feel right now and I just need time to think. I … I can’t do that around you.”
“Why?”
“Because this was about more than just the book or what you did. I realized I never dealt with the fact of what you were during the war. I mean I knew … but deep down I see that I never truly forgave you or myself for what happened to Meiran, my clan….” Wufei shuddered. “You made me what I am and sometimes … sometimes I hate myself for loving you, Treize.”
Those words were a knife in Treize’s heart. He held Wufei to him until the tremors in the younger man’s body subsided. “Wufei … my darling Wufei … I want so much to tell you that I’m sorry, that I wish we’d never met but it would be a lie. If we had not we could not be here like this. I thought my death would set things right, but the fates had other plans for us.” Treize pressed Wufei’s hand to the scars on the side of his face.
“I am here Wufei. I don’t know how and I don’t know why but being here isn’t the same thing as living. You make me alive, Wufei. Don’t take that away from me.”
“Treize…” Wufei began, but Treize wouldn’t let him finish.
“No, don’t say it. Just tell me our love is enough. Tell me it’s enough, Wufei….” He rasped, sliding down Wufei’s body. He nuzzled his husband’s neck, causing Wufei to gasp.
Wufei closed his arms around Treize. His lips trembled but finally the words came:
“It’s enough, Treize. It’s enough.”
End
Tags: 13x5, alternate universe, angst, unbetaed