Comforting
the Wounded
by
Yanagi-sen
Gundam
Wing fanfic
Usual
disclaimers apply. I don't not own the
puppets, I torment them only for my amusement (and yours). So
please don't sue, I have nothing you want.
Warnings: shonen ai, lots of angst, implied violence
and death
This
fic and it's companion (The Harder Battle) were inspired by a program on the
Discovery Channel about medics during wartime, just in case you were wondering,
ne?
Additional
Warning: Don't blame me if the translations are inaccurate. I used an online translator (since I speak
NO German whatsoever), so any problems can be blamed on them.
AC
195
/character
thoughts/
Treize reentered his suite and sat
down before his fire with a slight sigh.
While Une was not exactly an unwelcome intrusion, the meaning for said
interruption was most undesirable.
Treize sniffed the air, and glanced around casually. As a man trained from a young age to detect
the most subtle nuances of vintages, he had no trouble discerning that there
was someone else in his suite. Without
seeming to, he scanned the room, searching the shadows for anything out of
place. There. The curtain was not that way when he had left. And there.
The shadow beside that cabinet was a little too large. He surripitously checked to see that his
blade was where he had left it, yes it was.
With the patience of a noble used to long banquets and meaningless
parties, he waited.
Eventually, the shadow stirred. As it came closer, into the range of the
firelight, Treize could see it was indeed someone he knew. A certain young Chinese Gundam pilot with whom
he had dueled before. He had known the
young Dragon would return someday, or night as the case may be. His pride would allow nothing less. And Treize would be more than happy to fight
him again, if for no other reason than to break up the boredom of yet another
night without his lover.
Treize watched the young man out of
the corner of his eye. His heart beat
rapidly in anticipation of their rematch.
"Guten Abend, Drache. [Good
evening, Dragon.] So nice of you to drop by."
Wufei's eyes narrowed and he stared
at the General along the length of his sword.
"Why do you call me that?"
He stood gracefully, bringing his
sword with him. "You are Chang
Wufei, of the Long clan, are you not?
If I am not mistaken, 'long' means 'dragon', and so..." He shrugged enjoying the boy's
reaction. The young man's face flashed
with anger.
"Prepare yourself!" Was all the warning Treize recieved before
the Chinese pilot attacked. The boy was
good, very good, but the General had him beat in experience and power. Wufei's youthful speed almost made up for
it, but something seemed off. Treize
watched the boy closely and came to a startling realization. The slight pilot was a little too thin, and utterly exhausted. His face seemed drawn and pale, hollowed
rings of fatigue under his obsidian eyes.
Only pride and adrenaline were keeping him on his feet. Treize trapped the boy's sword and with a
flick of his wrist, sent it spinning into the dark.
"Kill me." Wufei pleaded, his onyx eyes dull. The man was struck by the pain behind those
eyes. What could the boy be thinking?
"That is something I will not
do, Dragon." All the fight seemed
to leave the boy and he slumped, defeated.
Treize dropped his sword and went to his side. "Wufei, are you all right?" The young pilot didn't respond, just sort of wobbled on his
feet. Treize was barely able to catch
him as he collapsed. He lifted the boy
and headed for the bed. He was alarmed
by the lightness of the form in his arms.
/What has happened to this boy? Is he ill?
When was the last time he ate anything? / Treize gently lay Wufei on his bed, concerned by the boy's
shaking. "Wufei. Dragon-child, can you hear me?"
"Treize." The boy's voice was faint. His face was pale and he swiftly rolled to
his side, nearly falling off the bed.
Treize recognized the battle to control one's stomach and grabbed a
nearby trashcan. He held the boy's head
and brushed back the raven-black hair.
The boy had little in his stomach to lose and yet his insides still
heaved.
By the time he was done, Wufei was
left weak and trembling. He moaned
slightly as Treize eased him back against the pillows his face ashen and almost
waxlike. The General held a glass of
water for the boy to rinse his mouth and laid him back on the bed. Wufei looked up at him with tear-filled,
haunted eyes. "Dragon, what is
wrong?"
"Please, Treize. I can't stand it anymore." The tears started to run down his face.
/Child, what has happened to
you? Where is my proud, defiant dragon?
/ He cradled the boy against his chest.
"Treize?"
"Shh, Dragon. It's all right. What happened?"
The boy shook harder, his voice
broken, tortured; his breathes coming fast and shallow. "It was... just... all the blood...
screaming... I had to do it... coudn't do anything else... I had no
choice..."
/The child is in some type of shock.
He's hyperventilating. /
"Dragon-child, Wufei, calm down." The boy twisted in his arms, his agonized eyes meeting Treize's.
"Please! I can't do this alone anymore. I can't live with this. I can't..." He watched as Wufei just broke down, burrowing into his arm. He was shocked, the boy was turning to his
enemy for comfort. What could possibly
have happened? Treize stiffened as the
boy leaned into him. /Wufei! What are you doing? Child, do you know how tempting you
are? How beautiful? / The boy's allure was disarming and the
General found his resolve weakening fast.
He steeled himself, he didn't want to become attached. But he could feel the desperation of a
drowning soul. Treize mentally sighed
and relaxed. /I understand. Whatever it is, you need comfort, and have
no one else to go to. / He pulled Wufei
into his lap, murmuring in what he hoped was a soothing tone. He hadn't had to help someone like this in a
long time. /I can't do anything to
erase the past, but comfort... that I can give. /
Against his will, Treize found
himself losing his heart to the boy. He
was undeniably beautiful and in pain, two things guaranteed to capture his
attention. Treize took all his doubts
and shoved them into a dim corner in the back of his mind and slammed the
door. There would be plently of time
for regrets and guilt later. For now,
he had to concentrate on not taking advantage of this opportunity. Wufei was in such desperate need, Treize
could easily convince him to go along with anything. But that wasn't right, the boy had no clue what he was doing to
him. /You've been without a lover for
far too long if you're attracted to a boy hardly old enough to shave regularly,
Trey. /
Treize lay in absolute contentment
holding the boy to him. He always
enjoyed having someone to sleep with.
It had taken a great deal of talking and gentle touches to get the boy
to rest, but it had finally happened.
He stroked the boy's thin but muscular back and smiled. His 'dragon-child' had fallen asleep laying
across his chest. He brushed aside the
long black hair and giving in a little to his forbidden desires, kissed the
boy's head. Treize frowned and lay his
hand on Wufei's forehead, then cheek.
He rolled the boy onto his back.
His face was flushed and Treize was unable to get a response. "Damn!
Wufei... Wufei! Can you hear
me?!" He rolled out of bed and
threw on a robe. Quickly retrieving a
thermometer from the bathroom he checked the boy's temperature, and swore
again.
"104.6?!" Covering Wufei a light blanket, Treize got a
basin of cool water and started to bathe the boy's face and chest. He was so engrossed in caring for the slight
pilot that he missed the knock at his door followed by the entrance of his
aide.
"Was das?" [What
the?] Treize spun to stare at the intruder.
"Une!"
"Excellency,... was..." [...
what...] He turned back to his charge, too late to do
anything about her now.
"Der Junge ist krank." [The
boy is ill.] He stated matter of factly. She stepped up to peer over his shoulder.
"Aber... das ist..." [But...
that's...]
"Ja."
He heard her soft sigh before she
picked up the phone. "Ich werde
fur den Doktor schicken." [I'll send for the doctor.]
"What do you mean, there's nothing wrong? Just look at him!"
"Calm down, Your
Excellency. You can't help him like
this." Une lay a surprisingly
gentle hand on his arm.
"You're right. Ich bin erbarmlich, Herr Doktor. [I'm sorry, doctor.] What did you mean there is
nothing wrong? He has a very high
fever."
"Yes, but that fever has no physical cause. There is no infection or illness, he has no
serious injuries. In short, there is no
reason for him to have a fever."
"Then why is he so ill, Herr
Doktor?"
"Given the other information
you've told me, I do have an idea. The
only thing I can come up with, is that he is suffering from a psychosomatic
reaction to some traumatic experience.
Is there any possibility that something like that occured
recently?"
Treize rubbed his eyes wearily, how
did his one free night end up going straight to Hell? "I really have no idea.
He is a soldier though."
"Ah, well at least that gives
me something to go on. This seems
familiar to me somehow. Let me ponder
this a while."
"So what can we do? Is there something you can give him?"
"No. Any medication may simply mask other problems. All we can do is treat his symptoms and hope
he can pull out of this himself."
Treize only half-listened to Wufei's
fevered mumbles. He didn't want to let
the boy think he'd divulged any secrets.
Not that he had, but Treize tuned him out, just in case. He was currently engaged in giving the boy a
sponge bath in an effort to lower his temperature. Something the boy said got his attention. "Wufei?"
"Hmm?" The boy had responded, at least; though he
was not lucid.
"Who was responsible?"
"Hmm?"
"Wufei." he said again, a
little more forcefully.
"What?" Ah, finally, a real response.
"Who was responsible for the
attack?"
"Oh... Boont... that traitor...
Boont... " As soon as Wufei was
settled again. Treize looked up information on Boont, the name seemed
familiar. Conveniently, OZ had a record
of the attack lead by Boont against a rebel base in China.
"Ach, mein Gott..." Treize looked at Wufei, then back at the
horrific images on the screen. One of
the downed Aries had continued to send back information until the rebels
started dismantling it a couple days later.
Treize watched as a slender figure in white went from body to body, for
hours. Even at the distance the Aries
was at, he could still hear the screams, could see the blood. Frequently, a body was carried off to the
side and laid with the other dead, it was such a long row. He skipped the report ahead to where the boy
finally slumped beside a fire and checked the time lapse. He turned off the report and went back to
the bed, curling up around the fretful boy.
Une had insisted he take the day
off. He smiled fondly, remembering
their conversation.
"Ich weiss, wie zu mein Aufgabe macht." [I know how to do my
job.]
"Ich sage nicht, dass Sie nicht machen. Ich sage, dass es ware besser fur Sieden Tag
entspannend auszugeben, und pflege Ihr... Gast, statt zu macht beide Aufgaben
zu versuch." [I'm not saying you don't.
I'm saying that, it would be better for you to spend the day relaxing
and caring for your... guest, instead of trying to do both jobs.]
"Aber, Une..." [But,]
"Excellency, OZ konnen ohne Sie her ein paar Tag
uberleban. Gehen Sie sorgt fur jenen
Jungen." [Excellency,
OZ can survive without you for a couple of days. Go take care of that boy.]
Une had surprised him. Her attitude toward the Gundam pilot had
gone from barely tolerating his presence, to concern. He wouldn't say she liked
the boy yet, but she wasn't shooting daggers with her eyes anymore either. Une too had been a little green after
watching the report he'd shown her. The
idea that anyone so young would have been placed in the position of dealing
with so much trauma. It was sickening,
especially since it was becoming more and more apparent that said trauma was
the cause of Wufei's illness.
'Shell-shocked' the doctor called it.
Not uncommon in medics during wartime, having to treat exceptionally
severe injuries and a great many of them.
It was obvious that Wufei had been one of the few medics available. The sheer magnitude of the casualties,
combined with no rest and little food, had sent his sorely taxed body
spiralling into its current state.
There had been no change for three
days, and Treize himself was becoming a little worn around the edges
himself. So now, instead of his
tailored uniform, the head of OZ was dressed casually in khakis and a comfortable
sweater. Since he knew he wouldn't have
to leave his suite, Treize indulged himself and walked around barefoot. He opened the door and immediatedly noticed
the change in the boy. Wufei was
looking around, weakly, but with a
clarity that had been missing for the last several days.
"Feeling better,
Dragon?" He inwardly smiled at the
blush that started to rise in the boy's slightly bewildered face.
"Treize..."
/Ah. He's not quite sure what happened. Probably thinks I took advantage of him. / He watched as Wufei's onyx eyes grew huge as
he sat on the edge of the bed, and leaned over to gently caress his face. He felt the faint trembling in the boy, a
boy who was currently too weak to fight back.
Not that Treize would ever molest anyone in such a position and
especially not someone so young. He
felt nothing but disgust for people who took advantage of those weaker than
themselves. Love is to be shared, not
taken. He already regretted kissing the
boy the other night, even though Wufei had not been aware. Though nothing had happened, he still felt a
little guilty for being attracted to the boy.
"Call me Trey." he said,
trying to put the boy at ease. He lay a
hand on the boy's forehead, his skin was cool to the touch. "Your fever's broken, finally. I'll get something for you to
eat." He scowled at the boy in
mock ferocity. "You're too
thin. You'll never be able to fight me
if you don't take care of yourself."
He turned to hide his smile when Wufei caught his arm.
"Did... did I say
anything?"
Treize closed his eyes, he'd known
this question was coming. "You
didn't give away any secrets if that's what you're worried about." He sighed and turned back, sitting again on
the edge of the bed. He looked at the
boy and was again struck by the fragile beauty in his still-pale face. /No sense letting him know how I know what happened. / "Let me give you some advice. If you're going to continue in this war,
you've got to learn to let things go, or they will break you." /Please, 'dragon-child', listen to what I'm
saying. / "Being a medic is a
terrible responsibility, and also a tremendous burden.
"I couldn't handle it. Most of us couldn't. I just thought you should know." /Maybe it will help with the guilt I see in
your eyes. What did the doctor call
it? 'Survivor's guilt.' I can never understand how these
warrior-medics can kill, and then turn around and heal. How they can possibly fight? When they know exactly what those weapons
can do to human flesh. But maybe you'd
never really seen that before, dragon-child.
Maybe that's what pushed you to your breaking point. / He patted Wufei's arm and rose. It was hard to walk across the room, feeling
those onyx eyes burning into his back.
But if he didn't leave now, he didn't trust himself to behave, the
Chinese pilot was entirely too beautiful for his own good.
He did pause at the door and turned
to look at the boy in his bed.
"Let it go, Wufei; before you die inside. Let it all go." He
closed the door behind him and leaned heavily against it. /But I don't think I can let it go. /
He watched as the slender figure
disappeared into the night. Wufei was
still weak, but insistant that he leave.
Treize was of two minds on that.
On one hand, it lessened the tempation to seduce the boy; on the other,
he really shouldn't be up and around yet.
Trey was able to wring one concession out of him, that Wufei wouldn't
try to fight for a little while. Come
think of it, none of the Gundams had been doing much since 01 had
self-detonated. Treize hoped the boy
would return sometime. The prospect of
another rematch was enought to set his heart racing. And if that rematch resulted in the boy staying for the
evening... /Let's just say I'd be a
happy man. Very happy indeed. / Treize wasn't sure if it was love, or good
old-fashioned lust; but either way, a visit from the boy would be welcome. For now however, he was gone.
Treize sighed and closed the window,
not locking it, and went to his very lonely bed. He had become accustomed to sleeping with another. It wasn't so much the sex that he missed
when his Loki, his darling Milliardo; was away. It was the inability to hold his love close and sleep basking in
his warmth. He had enjoyed the same
feeling with Wufei, and now... Treize
slipped out of his clothes and slid between the cold sheets. He curled up, hugging the pillow close. It still smelled of sandalwood and
patchouli; in short, it smelled like the boy.
It took a long time for the General of OZ to fall asleep, and when he
did he dreamt of wolves and dragons.
-sin
sin, tis done-
Do
we see the beginnings of an obsession here, boys and girls?
