Strange Times

It was hard to be unhappy to see the guy responsible for killing off the enemy, but that didn’t mean they had to be gracious about it. Ken even took the liberty of muttering a “took you long enough” as he shook some bloody cloth out of one claw.



“Play nice.” Schuldich shook a finger in reproach.



Aya tried to ignore the fact Yohji was glaring at least six separate death threats at him, most likely for the transgression of bringing something as unmanageable and foul as Schuldich home.



‘He’s wondering why you didn’t just get a cat.’



‘I wonder the same thing every time you talk. Or do anything, really.’



‘Anything?’



“Hi, middle of a mission gone south here. You two want to flirt later?”



Aya blinked, shock overriding anger for a good minute or so.



‘You’ll hate yourself in the morning.’ Schuldich pointed out helpfully, causing Aya to pause in the act of turning his sword on the belligerent Ken.



“Take a left when you leave that room. There should be an exit to your right a few feet from there.” Omi’s directions cut through the awkward tension of the three Weiss members and their unlikely and mostly unwelcome savior.



“Now all we have to do is live long enough to get there.”



“You’re clear of guards for now, Balinese.”



“I wasn’t referring to outside interference.”



“Hey, I haven’t killed anyone yet.”



Schuldich did so love to be the center of attention, and didn’t really care whether it was of the negative or positive variety. Three looks of almost identical disbelief, with a bit of disgust thrown in from Aya, had him preening. “You are all still breathing, aren’t you?”



“Only because I, against my better judgment, insist on defending you.” Aya snarled.



“Aww, you do like me.”



“I’m too old for this crap.” Yohji scowled, and made his way out the door and to the right as Omi had indicated. Getting home alive meant a hot shower and cold beer. The sooner the better.



“Schuldich?”



Schuldich tilted his head slightly, then gave Aya a parody of Ken’s thumbs up. “All clear. Everyone who isn’t dead is scared piss-less.”



Aya ignored the telepaths antics, knowing a show of irritation would only encourage Schuldich.



“Damn. You have me figured out.”



His blood pressure had to be reaching some sort of critical mass. Aya ignored the tick that had settled into his left eye and stalked after his Yohji.



Ken eyed Schuldich, who smile sweetly. “After you.”



“I don’t think so.” Ken snarled.



“Oh, don’t worry kitten. If I’m going to kill you I won’t do it while your back is turned.”



Ken didn’t feel any better about leaving first.



But he sure as hell didn’t want to spend any more time looking at Schuldich’s toothy smile.



_____________________________



“Debrief later my ass.” Aya tossed his blood and sweat fouled shirt to the floor with a snarl. “Idiot thinks I won’t figure it out?” Being sent away, being sent home like a child that had misbehaved…



“I’m sorry.”



Aya froze, belt undone, hands on the button of his pants. Schuldich hovered in the doorway, his expression oddly bland, strangely repressed. “What?”



“Let me reword that. I don’t want to send you to an earlier grave. They are idiots for treating you like some sort of pariah. It’s not like I have to be in the room to learn all their dirty little secrets.”



Of all the things Aya had faced that evening, this almost human Schuldich was the most terrifying. The most dangerous. It was encouragement he didn’t need, reassurance he didn’t want.



‘I was worried about you.’



Schuldich slipped into the room with intoxicating grace, his unbound hair swaying with every step.



‘Don’t do that again.’



Skin on skin, Schuldich wrapped his arms around Aya’s bare torso, ignoring hastily bandaged gunshot wounds, allowing his shirt to come in contact with bloodstained cotton as concern won over the usual vanity.



‘Don’t do that again.’



It was strange, the feel of lips on the back of his neck, the feel of arms tight around him. It was even stranger the way he allowed it. Aya let one shuddering breath escape, and with it went most of his tension. Exhaustion settled in, lured out by the rare sensation of being safe. Safe was not a feeling Aya had ever thought to associate with close proximity to Schuldich.



“Go to bed.” Schuldich muttered, pulling away with obvious reluctance and turning to leave for his couch.



“Just stay.” Aya sighed. When Schuldich whipped around to stare in confusion, Aya managed a crooked smile. “You’ll only just wake me when you crawl in later.”



Schuldich was cautious enough of shaking Aya’s unexpected acceptance that he wore his pants to bed.



And if he did anything apart from curl up and fall asleep, Aya was too deep asleep too fast to notice. Or care.