A/N: So... it's been more than a year and I am so incredibly sorry. Brain, out the window it goes and kersplat on the ground. And I don't even have a legit excuse because I've been working a job with next to no work during my shift since August, giving me plenty of time to write. I just so happened to spend that time on Failblog and roleplay. Anyway! I've also been working on a nicely detailed outline, so look forward to another update soon hopefully.

Anywho, I hope you enjoy the chapter. I own nothing that I didn't create, and a thanks to my beta and pincushion for helping me out with this chapter.

Dragon in My Hand

Chapter Seven

Under the Shade

Sitting in the bath water, Wufei glared at the reflective surface and at the fading rose-scented steam. It was like Treize was trying to claim him, to mark him with the scent like a beast would. He scowled. No one owned him, much less that bastard. Grabbing the soap, he firmly locked Treize out of his mind, or at least tried to. But the general was not as easy to wash from his thoughts as the grime was from his skin, particularly when he could hear him working just outside of the lampshade. Even if it weren't for the vast difference in size, Treize had an undeniable presence that filled the room without leaving much space for anyone else, even someone at his scale.

Wufei scowled darker and lifted a foot free from the water to scrub it properly despite the lack of a cloth. Perhaps later, when he wasn't so annoyed at Treize for existing, he could ask for one. A bit of cotton would be more than rough enough to be effective. With the way he was paying more attention to bathing than anything else, he didn't hear the pause in Treize's work until the lamp shade was lifted up. It was only a bare inch, not enough for Treize to see in, but it was plenty for a pen to reach in under and catch the little pile of clothes, dragging them out before the shade dropped.

"Bastard!" Wufei shouted, lunging for his clothes, but it was already too late. He glared at the concealing lamp shade en lieu of the actual target of his anger. Somehow, it didn't seem as satisfying. "You gave your word!"

Treize made a chiding sound as he carefully examined the miniature clothes, marveling over how soft the silk felt between his fingers when he took his gloves off. What pieces would be best to send to the doll maker. He could hardly leave Wufei with only a handkerchief to wear after all, even if the idea did have its appeal. "And I have kept it, Wufei. I did not look in, merely borrowed some things. You will need a change of clothes, and I rather doubt I can simply order them from one of the local shops."

"I already told you I wasn't going to lend you my clothes, so put those right back where you found them!" he snapped, wishing that he had something to wrap up in so he could knock the shade over and get at the other man. Even if he couldn't hurt him, he could at least try. It was better than not doing anything at all and behaving as a good little pet.

"Calm down, my dragon," Treize said with a small amused smile that was lost on the other man in his shelter. He easily ignored the muffled snarl Wufei made at the nickname. "I won't send it all at once. As much as I wouldn't mind seeing you parade around in nothing, I'm not going to force it on you. We'll start with your pants and shirt. You'll be covered enough with your overcoat, I think." It went without saying that Wufei would also be left with his boxers. Saying so directly would be crude and embarrass his guest even more.

"I'm not going to let you carry me around dressed only in my overcoat!" the shrunken man insisted futilely, sinking down into the water with a splash when Treize lifted the shade again to slide in his coat and boxers, as promised. As soon as his shelter had settled back onto the desk, Wufei scrambled out of his 'tub' to grab what clothes he could. "The rest of them, now."

Instead of complying or even replying to Wufei's demands, Treize pocketed the miniature clothes and rose from his seat to head to the attached bathroom. The general returned with a washcloth, sliding it under for Wufei to dry off with.

"Don't worry, Wufei, I don't plan to carry you with me while you're half dressed. It would be ungentlemanly of me," Treize said at last, returning to his chair as he gave Wufei time to dry off and pull on the clothes he'd been given. When Treize did lift up the lamp shade, he pulled it up in two stages to give his pilot warning before taking it up the rest of the way and setting it aside. Expectedly, Wufei glared death up at him from the desk, the coat held tightly about him with wet hair about his shoulders. Treize smirked, glancing over all of him in an instant, from that lovely face to the pilot's bare legs peaking from under the coat. He smiled brightly. "All clean?"

While Treize didn't understand the Mandarin words spat back at him in response, he suspected that they likely bordered on the unprintable. There was something about his dragon's temper that was simply adorable. He extended a hand down to Wufei, unsurprised when the proud man refused to step up onto it. Really, the young man needed to learn to relax once in a while. Though his being wound up and cranky was much better than seeing him acting like he'd had his spirit broken.

Treize's lips curved into a smirk as he folded his arms over the surface of the desk, watching Wufei try and tug his coat lower to cover more. Such a modest man, odd for a soldier. "Perhaps a post bath massage would help you relax?" he offered. "While it might not be as good as one done by someone your size, I'm sure it will be of at least some help. You have been under quite a lot of stress these pays few days since the battle."

Wufei stared up at him with wide eyes as Treize spoke, the words sinking in quickly, along with what it suggested in terms of Treize's desires, at least to Wufei. The pilot hastily grabbed the wash cloth he'd used to dry off with, wrapping it tightly around himself as he pointed a finger up at the general. "If you think I'm going to willingly allow you to- to rub your hands over me when I'm half dressed, or any other time, then you're madder than I could have imagined! You will keep your hands to yourself or I will remove them!"

Raising an elegant (if forked) eyebrow, Treize had opened his lips to ask just how Wufei intended to get off the surface of the desk without going back into his hands. But he had barely gotten the pilot's name out when the door behind him opened and Une's distinct voice spoke up. "General."

"Lady Une," Treize greeted, grabbing a thankfully silent and un-struggling Wufei in hand before turning around to face the woman. He couldn't help but to notice how much skin he felt against his hand, Wufei's legs tangled up in his fingers with the haste. He casually kept his hand tucked against the small of his back, showing no sign of the fact that he was cursing his colonel's sense of timing for once. "What do you have to report?"

"We're still investigating the culprits responsible for the other day's unauthorized weapon use," Une said, a folder of notes in her hands to be sure that she didn't miss anything that might need reported to her commanding officer. "The list of potential suspects has been narrowed down some, but will still require more. Our informants haven't reported any sign of Alliance knowledge about our investigation, though they have started making demands in terms of the captured gundam."

Behind Treize's back, Wufei was painfully aware of just how exposed he was if anyone walked around behind Treize, and of just how warm the man's hands were against his bare legs and through his coat. The combination made it very tricky to listen to the woman's report and sift through it for useful information. But as he doubted Treize was going to tell him anything useful, this was likely going to be the only way for him to get any. Still, two of those fingers had managed to go between his legs and were very close to something Wufei didn't want Treize's fingers (or any other part of his body) coming into contact with, even with the thin barrier provided by his boxers. Wufei held onto Treize's thumb tightly while he tried to adjust how he was held, glad Treize couldn't see how much he was blushing.

He absolutely froze when Une mentioned Nataku, ears straining to hear more and willing them to stay on the subject. Treize wouldn't just hand her over, surely? Not that the man cared about the machine's personal value to him, he had to quickly remind himself. But a blind idiot would have been able to see the tensions between OZ and the rest of the Alliance. Treize was not stupid enough to give up what was obviously a trump card. The man was an insane manipulative bastard, yes, but stupid, no. And he wouldn't let go of the extra leverage keeping her provided over Wufei too.

"Gundam 05 is OZ's prize until we're finished with it," Treize said with a clear tone of derision for the Alliance in his voice, something he wouldn't have allowed in any other company. He hadn't missed the way his tiny handful had suddenly gone still. Of course Wufei would want to know what was going to be done with his gundam. Any pilot worth a dime cared dearly for their suit. Anything less and they would never be more than cannon fodder to some army themselves. "The search for the pilot is still ongoing, and having his suit here makes for unmatched bait in the meantime. If they have anything more to say on the matter, they may speak to me on it in person."

"Of course, General. If Chang is found, what actions do you want taken?" Une asked. Any other pilot and they would follow the closest to standard procedure possible with a gundam pilot. But she knew that Treize held special interest for the pilot from L5, even if it did bring up a certain feeling of jealousy despite knowing that the general was out of her reach already, and would remain so. She would still serve him faithfully regardless.

Treize curled his fingers more securely around Wufei as he thought on the question. How to phrase it without directly lying to the loyal woman and without giving away Wufei's condition and the fact that he not only knew where the young man was, but that he was a mere three feet away from her. When Wufei began to struggle in his hold, Treize relaxed his fingers again. Holding him too snuggly wouldn't protect him any more than holding him loosely, after. Wufei wouldn't allow himself to fall.

"Detain him and bring him to me," Treize said at last, as though he'd been struggling with his sense of strategy versus the correct military action capturing a dangerous enemy called for. "Quietly. No one else is to know when we have him other than those directly involved."

The colonel made a sound of agreement before raising her hand in salute. Une wasn't particularly pleased to have so little to report, but keeping the investigation quiet meant they couldn't go as swiftly as she might have liked. She stood in wait until Treize gave her a nod of dismissal, only then turning and leaving the suite.

Treize watched Une go, waiting for the sound click of the door before bringing his hand in front of him to look down on the ruffled gundam pilot he held. He had to hold back a smug smirk at the obvious red in Wufei's face, ignoring the way that the younger man swatted his finger away when Treize tried to brush some black hair back from blocking his view of it. "I hope I wasn't too rough in handling you," he said honestly, bringing Wufei up to eye level and cupping his other hand along with the first to give him more room to sit. "I suspected that you would prefer my hands to my lady's gaze."

Wufei didn't give Treize any reply until after he'd detangled himself from the man's fingers, kneeling on one palm and trying to get the coat to at least go to his knees. It wasn't quite long enough, and he glared up at Treize instead of thinking about how his skin felt. "What are you going to do with my Nataku?"

Ah, he'd been expecting that question. Treize took his seat, turning the chair away from the desk to keep Wufei in his hand and where he couldn't jump down. "At the present time, nothing. As I believe I've said, your gundam is under guard. When we reverse your condition, you will be allowed to take it and go. On the condition, of course, that you do so without harming my men," he said, fixing Wufei with a look. Even his fascination with the warrior in his hands would not make him betray those loyal to him. "Until then, the gundam is an unfairly taken prize, and I have no intention of defaulting it to anyone else."

"I find it hard to believe that that is the only condition," Wufei said, face burning anew at the memory of the recent massage offer.

Understanding what Wufei meant, Treize frowned and cupped his fingers more around Wufei. "Do you really think so little of me, my dragon? Even after being treated well in your captivity thus far? A better officer would have had you caged, treated your injuries, and then interrogated you upon capture, not housed and protected you like I have."

Wufei didn't have anything to say to that and turned away from Treize expectant stare. He would not apologize to the bastard, not after everything he'd been through since his capture. Housed, yes. Protected, from the other soldiers only. And humiliated by the fact that he needed such a thing from his enemy, along with often being treated like a silly child in the process. At least when Treize wasn't trying to seduce him! He folded his arms over his chest, still not looking up at Treize. "Put me down. I'll make my own way to bed tonight."

Surprise upon surprise, he was actually lowered to the floor and allowed to climb out of Treize's hand. Wufei turned to stare up at him in some amount of shock, only to step back as just how big Treize was sank in. Being carried, seeing him from atop a piece of furniture, or even sprawled out on the bed, it hadn't been so obvious. But now, even seated, Treize's sheer size drove in firmly just how small Wufei was.

And then the man stood, and Wufei found himself scrambling back as his heart pounded. Logically, he had already calculated out Treize's height to be bigger than Nataku in comparison, but knowing that versus seeing it for himself at this angle barely put it in the same genre, much less the same story.

"Are you alright, Wufei?" Treize asked in concern after the pilot had not broken from staring up at him wide eyed for too long. Did Wufei think him angry for the veiled accusation? He made to bend down and pick him up again when Wufei threw up his hands in a clear signal to stop. "Dragon?"

"I said I'm walking, and that's what I'm going to do," Wufei said firmly, desperately trying to calm that pounding heart. "Just stay right where you are for a moment and don't move."

Ah ha, so that was what it was. Treize found himself relieved that it wasn't fear of what he'd do that had made Wufei's face go pale, just the fear of what someone his size could do. And while Treize couldn't change their difference in size (yet), hopefully he would be able to help change that fear into something else with a little button pushing. Wufei had so many to push after all.

"I will have to go to my bedroom eventually, Wufei," he said, sitting back down as Wufei started the long walk to the bedroom. Treize took the time to remove his boots, giving the tiny man a head start before standing and taking two steps forward to catch up with Wufei. His guest froze up for a moment before continuing on with determination. Once again, Treize waited a bit and then took a step, pacing Wufei. He repeated the little dance all the way to the threshold, and had been about to step again when Wufei spun around and glared up at him, a finger angrily pointed up at him.

"Stop that! I don't need a damned escort to the bedroom!" Wufei yelled, annoyance in every inch of his posture. All four of them, nearly six if he included the pointing arm. But instead of apologizing, Treize smirked. Annoyance, not fear.

"Of course. I'll wait for you to join me in bed then," Treize said brightly before stepping over Wufei and walking into the bedroom. While he made it appear that he was focused on getting changed, he kept an eye on the shrunken man's progress, chuckling when Wufei refused to look his way. "Would you like to read for a bit before we sleep?"

Still looking firmly at the legs of the bed and not up at the changing General, Wufei thought about it as he kept going. "Only if it's on the night stand. I'm not getting into your bed." Not when he had already fallen asleep there once. "And where I can get into my room without help."

"You won't be as comfortable on the stand, but I suppose I can make you a way down to your drawer," Treize said, finding no real reason why Wufei couldn't. A compromise, since he had no intention of giving in on the clothing issue. "Steps, perhaps. Though they will likely need taken apart while I am not here."

"I won't be up there then anyway, so it won't matter," Wufei said with a grumble, stopping next to the bed. He waited for the rustle of cloth to end before looking up and making a face. There was no other choice. "Lift me up there."

Treize chuckled, reaching down and gently scooping Wufei up to deliver onto the night stand, holding him no longer than necessary for once. "Perhaps a please would be appropriate next time, my dragon."

"Maybe when you start using it," Wufei said with a snort, stepping onto the table. He ignored Treize to walk over to the book the man had put there for him, not even looking up when the light changed from the overhead to a lamp. As Treize settled in, Wufei pretended not to hear the man's chuckle or his soft "Good night," but habit had him answering it before he could stop himself.

Damn bastard.