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I Hate Him	By : animegher Category: Weiß Kreuz > General Views: 4320 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Weiß Kreuz, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 19
- 20
Summary: Finally, the motorcycle race is on! Who's going to win? Who's leaving the country? Who gets a happy ending? You better read to find out!

Aya closed the car door and for one moment everyone's voices were cut off. He sighed heavily, trying not to give into the shaking that had already taken his arms, silently willing it not to spread to his knees. He'd have to hide the way his hands trembled right now or he'd have Yohji all over him with his overwhelming and misplaced concern. The leather of the seats creaked as Aya shifted; he tried to relax his shoulders and forget just how nervous this all made him. At least he was safe behind the wheel of his own car. Nobody would be able to get him here.

Why did Aya-chan put him so on edge now? He couldn't even talk to her; he'd fled to his car to find some time alone. They couldn't see him like this. Please, if there is anyone or anything up there, don't let me freak out in front of them, Aya prayed silently, clenching his eyes closed. Loading up the suitcases outside had been unbearable with Omi and Aya-chan watching him, waiting for him to snap. The open space had made Aya nervous. He felt vulnerable, incredible open as he looked around the place for a possible attacker or would-be kidnapper. He was so caught up in the paranoia that he couldn't say word to Aya-chan even if she had tried to make conversation.

It had been a long time since Aya had talked to so many people at once, and it was hard to keep track of everything. How could Yohji want to go to those clubs with over a hundred people crammed into a single room? Aya had enough trouble with his roommates alone. It was a large house with several bedrooms, but add two guests and Aya was considering suicide every hour. At least their visit would be over soon and the heavy tightness in the bottom of his stomach would finally disappear.

Ken had to win.

Aya took another steadying breath, hoping that his composure hadn't slipped yet. He was pretty sure that he had managed conceal all the worry and dread about this goddamn race, but Aya-chan could be very sharp if she wished to. He could never be too careful around Yohji either, who had begun to pick up on his moods like he had developed radar for them. It was strange to have someone instantly know when he was angry, before Aya even had a chance to act pissed off. Or when he was starting to get depressed and wanted to be alone. Yohji was changing the whole routine, adapting to all of his inexplicable fits of emotion like no one had ever done before…

Aya watched through the windshield as Ken fiddled around with his bike, doing things that only he knew would do a damn bit of good. It made Aya feel only slightly better, since it looked like Ken was going to give it his all. There was still too much at stake. Aya wasn't sure even now if he could possibly kiss anyone else besides Yohji without flipping out, despite his best intentions. It didn't matter how much Aya thought he could control himself. His body had developed the reflexes for survival, and there would be no helping it.

He didn't want to have a flashback in Sebastian's arms. The very thought of it made Aya's stomach churn and clench painfully. The mere thought of having one of those blackouts made Aya's brief reprieve from any other people completely fucking useless as panic started to take hold, dark and hated. He didn't want to feel scared anymore. How could he be so weak? He wasn't supposed to lose control of himself like this, but everything was still fresh, lurking in the back of his mind, waiting for the chance to roar forward when Aya smelt, saw, felt, or tasted something wrong. Still so weak.

The passenger door opened and Aya swung his head around to see Aya-chan lower herself into the front seat comfortably, making the Porsche much, much smaller than Aya had ever remembered it being before. She turned to him with a smile that fell the moment she saw his face.

Aya wondered what he must look like, but he couldn't imagine it was any other expression than utter horror. Why did Aya-chan have to get in right now? She would be able to see through any act he tried. She probably knew him even better than Yohji…Wait. Correction: 'Used to know,' Aya thought bitterly. Aya-chan didn't have a clue just who he was now, no matter what little bits of information he had given her. Even if she could understand how hurt he was, Aya-chan was refusing to recognize what had happened. Aya-chan just wanted him to go back to being her older brother and no one else, not this pathetic victim.

"Aya-chan," Aya started, making his voice as cold and emotionless as the old days when he was still killing for her hospital bills. He couldn't afford to let her see just how easily he could break, because then there would be two people who worried about him. Aya could hardly handle the one he had right now...

She blinked back at him as a familiar pair of jeans and the bottom of a shirt walked outside to the car door behind Aya-chan's head. He couldn't even see Yohji's face, but Aya could sense his irritation all the same. He didn't understand why the two of them hated each other so much, but there was damn little he could do to change things between them. He had enough trouble as it was and he wasn't about to add petty social problems to the pile.

He did love Yohji more than Aya-chan. The realization wasn't as surprising as Aya had expected it to be. He felt almost relieved now, allowing the slightest of smiles to grace his lips. Yohji was really… something. He had never expected the asshole to be so caring and understanding, but it was exactly what Aya needed and craved. Yohji wasn't supposed to be sensitive or thoughtful, certainly not for another man, but he was trying for Aya. That was more than enough.

"Aya-chan, Yohji needs to get in," Aya pointed out with a remarkably steady voice for the scattered state his thoughts were in. At times he felt like his whole mind was falling to pieces for no good reason. He more than fed up with it; he was sick to death of it, and Yohji insisted on comforting him every single time and saying that it wasn't his fault. Yohji didn't even give Aya a chance to blame himself anymore.

Aya-chan stared at him for a moment as if he had spoken in an entirely different language. Aya pointed out the window and she turned to look at the sliver of tan skin below Yohji's navel before his pants covered his hips. Couldn't she see that Yohji was the first person he had ever fallen in love with before? He'd never tell another living soul, but it felt so damn obvious all the time. It was a constant ache that Aya had never felt before, except when Yohji was gone.

"Oh, sorry, Yohji. I thought you were taking your car," Aya-chan simply laughed like it was still a feasible option as she opened up the door. She innocently dropped the seatbelt she had already started to bring across her body, and stepped out like a princess. Aya wouldn't deny that everyone spoiled Aya-chan a bit after seeing that sweet smile, but she that didn't mean she wasn't a wonderful and caring person. Or was. Aya was so confused about her these days.

Still, it was painfully obvious that Aya-chan had been hoping Yohji wouldn't ride along, but Aya didn't think he could make the short drive with his sister alone. He wanted Yohji to be with him, to keep things safe. Aya didn't know why he felt like he should be grateful as Yohji pulled the seat forward and folded his lanky body into the back seat. For once, the older man didn't say anything smart to Aya-chan as she pushed the chair back and sat down again. Yohji really was trying hard to be nice to Aya-chan her, but Aya could tell how it was beginning to wear on him.

It was ridiculous to see Yohji sink down in the seats to keep his head from hitting the ceiling of the compact sports car. Yohji pulled on his seatbelt while pushing his sunglasses up on his nose, every movement observed in the rearview mirror by Aya. He didn't pay the slightest attention to Aya-chan's smile as he turned the keys in the ignition without looking down. He couldn't pull his eyes away, and he wondered if Yohji had the slightest clue as to just how much trust Aya was investing in him.

Yohji glanced up over the curve of his sunglasses, finally noticing that he was being stared at. The bastard had the nerve to wink back at Aya in the mirror with that fox-like grin plastered all over his face. Aya shook his head, breaking contact with those irritatingly deep and forgiving green eyes. The more he tried to make the blonde hate him, the more Yohji loved him and made allowances for him. It only made Aya feel more ridiculous and just plain fucked up inside. He was an idiot to think he could possibly be good enough for someone like Yohji.

Aya-chan wasn't saying anything when Aya checked her out of the corner of his eye. It wasn't like her to be quiet, mutely frowning at him from the passenger's side. Aya didn't like it, not one bit. She was thinking about something, probably him. To have his little sister worry over him was unbearable. She was looking down on him because she thought she had the faintest idea of what Aya had been through. She thought she knew him. He had thought he had known her. Weren't they siblings?

Aya threw the car into reverse without waiting for Aya-chan to buckle her seatbelt, his teeth clenched together to keep from yelling at them both to quit staring. He could feel Yohji's eyes on the back of his neck like acid, like he was expecting Aya to have another emotional meltdown. Tires spun out and Aya was in the street before Yohji even had the time to open his big fat mouth. He could feel Aya-chan looking at the faint scars visible above the starch collar of his shirt. Aya hated to be stared at worst of all.

Aya-chan shrieked in fear and grabbed the handle on the side of the door as Aya paused long enough to hit the garage door button before they continued to spin out into the empty sidestreet. Did they doubt his driving skills that much? Aya might be nothing more than one big screw-up, but he did know how to handle a car. He'd beat the shit out of Yohji if the blonde offered to drive one more time. Aya could handle himself. He wasn't about to be a burden.

"Here we go," Yohji moaned from behind as Aya-chan scrabbled for her seatbelt. She managed to get it locked before Aya put the vehicle into second gear. The engine growled with restrained power as Aya merged perfectly into the lunchtime traffic with cars on all sides, in front and behind. Aya-chan cried out again in fear, like she had never heard a car being pushed to its limits like this before even with all the rides she must have taken on that dick's bike. Ken had better damn well beat Sebastian so badly that the foreigner wouldn't even think of trying this sort of thing again.

"Don't worry, Aya-chan," Aya assured her, though he felt very bitter that he had to say it out loud. Aya-chan should just know that he wouldn't get in a crash, not with her in the car. No matter what, they were still family. Aya-chan had changed so much from the little sister that had trusted him no matter what the situation. He pressed harder on the gas without even meaning to, imagining for one sick moment that he could just slam into the car ahead of him and end it all.

If Aya-chan wasn't in the car, Aya probably would have done it. If Yohji wasn't there, Aya would have definitely done it. Yohji was looking more than a little put out with his long legs bent awkwardly to fit in the small backseat, still in the exact same position as when he had first gotten in, though now an arm was thrown up protectively on the top of the suitcases to keep them steady.

"Aya, don't promise her that everything's all right! You're a crazy fucking psycho driver!" Yohji protested from the back seat, putting one hand on the shoulder of Aya's seat. Aya blinked down at the smooth, tan fingers with perfect nails on the shoulder of his chair. He was so scared of Aya-chan looking over and sneering down at him, but yet something sick and weak inside of him wanted to feel Yohji's touch even if he made his sister hate him.

Aya glared at the rear bumper he had caught up with, and reluctantly eased up on the gas. Next to him, Aya-chan was waiting like a vulture for Ran to say something sharp in return. Usually he wouldn't even dignify such comments with an answer, but he felt like Aya-chan would start be angry if he didn't say something. Aya was sick of it. He didn't want to keep up appearances. If they were alone they wouldn't have to argue like this, and he wouldn't have this fluttering feeling in his stomach as his every instinct in his body told him get out of this whole thing while he still could. Wasn't there some way to avoid this? Wasn't Yohji going to even think of a plan to save him? Yohji wouldn't let him be passed around so easily!

"I am not. You're the worst driver I've ever seen," Aya shot back, remembering the unpleasant sting he had felt when Yohji hadn't fought more with Ken to keep him from being put up for the prize, just like a prostitute, after all he had done to escape it. Aya tried to remind himself that it was Sebastian's idea, but he couldn't help but feel like Ken wasn't doing anything different from those rich bastards with a bunch of thugs who had decided to become pimps. They had known each other for years and Aya wasn't even getting a single shred of respect from Ken.

"Hey, you asked me to drive last time," Yohji snapped back, always one to argue. Aya could feel Yohji's breath so close to his ear that it was warm and moist, the unique and husky sound of the older man's breathing from his smoke-ruined throat.Aya glanced at Yohji's close reflection in the rearview mirror, watching as the blonde leaned between the front seats. Yohji had a smile on his face; he was seriously enjoying being an absolute prick.

"Did I? I don't ever think I ever specifically asked you to drive," Aya snorted, a triumphant smile tugging on the corners of his mouth despite his best attempt to look irritated. Aya-chan glanced over at Aya in confusion, no doubt wondering what they were talking about. She hadn't heard their conversation after Aya had puked out half his stomach at that damn gas station. He would never go there again, not proud of that moment in the slightest as his eyes narrowed at the busy street in front of him. Aya would not be late, not for this.

"You... Damn," Yohji started before ending in a curse as he remembered what exactly had happened. Aya didn't say 'I told you so,' a little more mature than Yohji in that aspect. Aya wasn't petty like some people. The older man fell back into the seat huffily, taking his defeat rather badly. Aya wanted to slam on the brakes, turn around, and beat the living shit out of Yohji for acting like a child when he was already more than stressed out… But, Aya only glared at the digital clock on the radio counting down what felt like his final minutes. He was going to die the instant someone else's lips touched his own.

Aya gripped the steering wheel hard as the traffic packed bumper to bumper refused to move at a reasonable pace. He took a quick look in the rearview mirror again to see Yohji stare moodily out the window with his lips pursed in anger. Aya could tell that the blonde was dying for a cigarette by the way the blonde kept working his lips around an imaginary stick. He couldn't help but smirk at Yohji, wondering if the man even knew what he was doing. It was so comforting to see these nervous habits in someone else when Aya now had so many himself.

"Ran! Please, slow down, just a bit," Aya-chan begged, one hand clenched around the handle over the door. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, keeping one eye on the road as he studied his cringing sister in the passenger seat beside him. Why didn't she trust him anymore? Yohji was perfectly calm and very irritating in the back seat, while Aya-chan's eyes were already starting to water. He looked at the dashboard to the check the time and felt his heart jump up into his throat when he noted that there were only three minutes left. Didn't any of them know how much this meant to him? Yohji should have! All of Aya's hopes were resting on Ken winning the race, and a wicked voice was reminding Aya that he didn't have a clue as to how good of a racer Sebastian was. He closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating on thinking about nothing at all.

"Hey, Aya, speed limit? It's this funny little law they came up with," Yohji explained from behind his head like Aya might have never heard of it. Aya was very aware of what a speed limit was; he was only choosing not to obey it right now. He was always prompt and wasn't about to change things, especially not for something this fucking important! Since Yohji had that damn watch on all the time, he should be a little more conscious of the time. Didn't he realize that the race was about to start? Aya could only pray for Sebastian to get in a fatal crash or something of the like.

"Didn't I tell you to shut the hell up?" Aya snapped back with the proper amount of ice in his voice. He wished Yohji had defended him more, interrupted Ken and Sebastian before those two had wound up going this far. It was embarrassing, humiliating, and Aya wasn't entirely sure if he would even be able to go through it. A kiss. Did anyone know how much that could hurt him?

"Oh, I thought you were talking to Aya-chan," Yohji said like it was an honest mistake, but Aya could tell Yohji knew he been addressing the older man. He would have killed Yohji if he could get away with it for the way Aya-chan's eyes widened and an offended look spread across her face. Aya-chan was going to think her older brother was telling her to shut up! Aya glanced back into the mirror with a mind to tear Yohji a new one, but ended up caught in a pair of green eyes barely visible over the curve of Yohji's sunglasses. Aya wanted to squirm under that gaze, but forced his body to stay still as the bastard grinned maliciously.

"I was talking to you!" Aya half-yelled at Yohji, irritated that he was getting so irritated. Why did Yohji always have to push his buttons and tease him like this? Aya snapped his eyes back to the road, trying to focus single-mindedly on driving. The road ahead was clear of traffic, and they were dangerously close to the intersection Ken had named as the finish line. Aya didn't want to go, he hoped for one pitiful moment that if he never showed up there would be no prize at the end of their stupid race.

"You should fucking say that then. I don't know who you're talking to," Yohji excused himself with a shrug as he reclined back into the seats. Aya's eyes narrowed as he glared at the road ahead. If he didn't have to shift gears right now, Aya would have turned around to strangle Yohji at the moment. Aya-chan was still staring at him, a strange look of happiness on her face. Did she like it when they argued?

"I did so fucking say-" Aya started, not about to let Yohji be a smart ass in front of his little sister. Then, Aya paused as he recalled his words from only moments ago and came to a full vocal stop. Aya wished that he could say something back to Yohji, but he realized in that instant that he hadn't said anyone's name. Aya-chan's face fell as his shoulders relaxed, realizing there was nothing to fight about.

"Damn," Aya echoed Yohji, his foot letting up on the gas petal in absent shock of being wrong. Aya-chan sighed in relief and put one hand over her chest as if to hold in her heart in relief that he had slowed down. It made Aya feel even worse for frightening his poor sister. She hadn't done anything to deserve this kind of treatment. He'd been the one to do nothing hide from her this entire trip. He had wanted to make sure that she was still family, but instead had found her to be… different.

He wanted to blame Africa, Sebastian, anything that had happened to warp his little sister into this. Had Sebastian changed her, or had Aya changed too much to be able to recognize his own sister? Aya had decided to avoid her rather than find out the answer, even though he had insisted she fly all the way home for this sudden visit. He wanted to know if anything else could be the reason for Aya-chan's change, because Aya didn't want to admit that it was his fault. He had been the one doing the wrong, being the bad brother. He should be grateful she had stayed a full week.

"Ha! I was right!" Yohji cried out from the backseat, hooting and punching the air in between the front seats. It was a rare thing to catch Aya making a mistake and Yohji had complete reason to celebrate, no matter how irritating it was. Thankfully, Aya didn't even need to say anything at all because the look Aya-chan shot back at the blonde was hard enough for both of them. Immediately there was silence from the backseat except for the creaking of the upholstery as Yohji sat back uncomfortably. Aya-chan could be rather harsh herself when she wanted to be.

"We're here," Aya announced as he passed through the green light that marked the 'official' finish line. It was a little more than fivemiles from the shop, but it was close enough to work. Aya once again wished Ken hadn't been so stupid to take this bet. The street was bustling and alive with the beginning of lunchtime traffic that was only going to get worse. How did they expect to race in this mess? It was far more likely that they'd get stuck in a traffic jam.

"Pull over, come on," Yohji demanded behind Aya's head as he scanned the side of the road for a place to park. Aya did not need Yohji yelling in his ear about parking when he had already been looking for an empty spot long before the blonde said a single damn word! Aya-chan was already squirming in the front seat, uncomfortable and silent due to his driving. Aya looked down the side of the road, seeing no free spots at this busy time of the day and only one minute left before the race started. He could have killed Yohji.

"There!" Aya-chan cried out, pointing down at alleyway across the street. Aya nodded to her and turned on his signal before jerking the wheel hard to the right and sent the Porsche darting safely through oncoming traffic despite Aya-chan's scream and Yohji's muffled curse.. The brakes came on and the whole car jerked to a stop in small, dark alleyway between two towering office buildings on either side. Aya licked his lips, not liking the large dumpsters and the cement walls coming together to make a dead end.

"It's starting," Aya announced suddenly, looking at the bright numbers on dash. 12:00 o'clock. He felt nervous, more than he had ever felt before. He didn't know what to do, but pretend that it didn't matter and it didn't scare him. Just get out of the car, Fujimiya, Aya ordered himself, turning off the cars and taking the keys out of the ignition with hands that were starting to shake. It was amazingly hard to open the car door and put a foot down on the pavement this far away from home and the familiar walls. Aya hated to go out in public, his frayed nerves going haywire as people stared in the alleyway at the expensive car and at him as they passed, and a few appreciative looks that lingered far too long in Aya's opinion. Yohji just grunted from the backseat, waiting for Aya-chan to get out. He wasn't worried. Why couldn't Aya be as carefree as him?

"Ran, you should really think about visiting Europe with us," Aya-chan suggested as Aya dug his nails into his palms. He just wanted it to all be over and them to be back home, so he could hide in Yohji's arms and forget about what a horrible brother he was.

* * *

The street was wet from the remaining slushy, dirty snow melting in the side of the gutter and a few brown piles surviving in the middle of the road. The sky was clear and a perfect blue that made it seem impossible that it was winter. The air was crisp for the middle of the day, but it wasn't very warm even though the sun was shining. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, not even the usual haze of smog that had been cleared out by the snow. Looking up made him feel like he would fall off the earth and out into that endless sky.

"Ready?"

Ken pulled his attention away from the weather and back to what was right in front of him. Omi was standing before the front of Ken and Sebastian's bike wheels, both hands raised for each racer. Ken had been ready hours ago, but had been doing nervous tinkering all morning long. He was more than prepared to kick Sebastian's ass. He knew that Aya would probably freak out, worse than anything ever before if Sebastian kissed him. Ken didn't want to see that, didn't want to be responsible for it. He was going to win this race, this stupid bet, no matter what it would take.

Ken gave Omi a thumb's up before drawing in one heavy breath and placing his hand back down on the handle. The gears were quivering, the motor ready to go. Ken was feeling exhilarated about a good race, even if it was with that dickhead Aya-chan had picked for a boyfriend. He licked his lips behind the plastic face cover of the helmet, nervous and giddy with excitement. Ken could feel the engine purr underneath him. The motorcycle wanted to cut loose as much as Ken did. Who said objects couldn't have feelings? Ken gripped the two handles tightly in the riding gloves, glaring at the clear stretch of road before the first turn which would lead onto the main street.

Sebastian made a short cut with his hand at Omi, disrespectful to the very last. He would not allow Sebastian to beat him. Aya depended on Ken winning. He had decided to trust Ken's promise to kick Sebastian's ass. Ken would personally see that the stupid, foreign pretty boy never even got a chance to see his tail pipe. He was going to burn this son of a bitch. Ken glared at Sebastian; the Englishman's face was hidden by the shine of his helmet. At least he wasn't nearly as pretty with his new broken face courtesy of the employees at Kitten in the House. Yohji had managed to split the other cheek perfectly, giving the model two rosy cuts. They had a bet on which one would scar worse.

Ken tried not to get angry at Sebastian's usual rudeness, because if he got too emotional he could lose the race, but it was damn hard when Sebastian was being such a rude prick to Ken's boyfriend. He hated Sebastian very much, but Ken couldn't let that cloud his focus. He needed to ride just like normal. There was nothing to be worried about. Ken glanced out of the corner of his eye at Sebastian's bike. It was newer, flashier, and lighter model because it was made of a heavy, industrial plastic that wasn't as sturdy as good metal bodies. The Ducati wasn't nearly as dependable as Ken's own bike. Ken had ridden with the Kawasaki for years. It was like a part of his body. The motorcycle wouldn't let him down today, not when Aya was probably waiting at the finish line.

"Three!" Omi yelled, starting the count down. Ken shifted his view to the road ahead, pushing thoughts of the bike beside him away. Breathe in, breathe out. Just ride like you always wanted to, Ken reminded himself. He always thought it would be wild to rush through a busy city at full blast, and what better way to break all those limits on bike riding than while on urban roads.

"Two!" Omi held up his two fingers like a victory sign, glancing between them both in anticipation. Omi had plenty of reason to be nervous about this race as well. If Ken lost, Aya would be a foul mood for a long time afterwards, and they would all suffer. It wasn't just Ken who would feel like shit if Sebastian kissed Aya. The redhead would make sure that everyone would feel the same way too.

"One!" There was no reason to think about Aya, Sebastian, anything. Ken just had to focus on riding. This was going to be the fastest run of his life. A bat out of hell would be jealous of this run. Aya's dignity was on the line, and Ken didn't want to risk losing him to an ugly shit like Sebastian. Yohji would never forgive him, even if Ken was able to forgive himself. Above all else, he should win just to avoid Yohji's wrath.

"Go!" Omi screamed and threw down his hand. Ken cranked the gas to the fullest, yanking the gear back so hard that the back tire dug into the ground, squealing while the front lifted up. Rubber burned and he was off, hurtling past Omi with Sebastian's motorcycle roaring right beside him. The boy shielded his face as they ran by, cringing to avoid being hit even if there was no real danger. Then he was gone and there was only the last little bit of road before the turn.

Ken looked over the small rise of the handlebars, the sides of buildings and tall fences of house's yards blurred as they flew by faster than Ken had ever seen before. He didn't even recognize the familiar road from this new speed's perspective. Ken didn't pay attention to Sebastian staying up in a wheelie before slamming down roughly to match Ken's dash. He wasn't a complete idiot, staying even with Ken's knee even as he leaned closer to the body of the bike, hunching in expectation of the turn. The start wouldn't matter as much as skill and handling would once they got to the main street.

Ken went around the first corner at a suicidal speed, turning so hard that his knee almost touched the rushing pavement, wind whistling so fast that he already had goose bumps. Ken slid out into the right lane, unable to pull such a tight turn without momentum sending him in a wider arc. Sebastian took a slower, sharper turn following behind Ken, gaining the left lane and shooting off at full speed. He just might know something about a bike, but it wasn't enough. Sebastian had taken the corner timidly, like he hadn't trusted his ability to make it around the corner at any faster speed. That kind of hesitation could kill Sebastian later if they were going to dodge through traffic.

Ken finished the turn, smoothly moving back into his own lane behind Sebastian, barely in time as they entered oncoming traffic for the first time. Cars weren't packed tightly, but there were enough cars going both ways to obstruct them. The street was just as busy as Ken had dreaded it would be, though the traffic now would seem miles apart compared to the mess main street would be closer in the center of the town. People were walking along obliviously, going about their errands as they filled up the sideway. Several brave and younger folks darted across the road when a break in traffic allowed it. The familiar horns and yelling of the city streets was like music over the low roar of his engine, unable to hear the other cars or Sebastian's own bike.

Ken checked behind once to see that model coming right up his ass, his face unreadable behind the mask but Ken was damn sure Sebastian didn't have a pleasant expression on right now. Ken forgot about Sebastian, looking forward again and holding the handle bars tighter and gripping the sides of the bike with his knees. Ken went around a black sedan ahead of him in the lane, the tires of his motorcycle going over the painted line in the middle of the road perfectly as he squeezed through the left side, darting around during a small dangerous break in the flow of traffic with a older red car honked at him as he muscled in front of the black car. He slipped back into traffic while Sebastian came around from the left side of the car, hunched low against his bike as he squeezed between the car and the sidewalk.

The taillights of the silver car in front of him suddenly lit up and Ken had enough time to get back in the wrong lane again, empty because of the red light hanging over the intersection. Ken didn't even take the time to think as his looked at the cars going across in both directions, took a deep breath, and just went. He went through the first lane in front of a slow car that slammed on the brakes after Ken was already passed. Ken heard the truck before he even saw the truck coming from the other direction; he swerved hard as he instinctively dodged on instinct alone and miraculously made it around the front grill. A sudden gust of wind from hit after the truck flew by and clipped the back of Ken's tire and he stood up to steady the bike before heading down the lane to catch up with the traffic that had made it through the light.

He didn't know if Sebastian had made it through the mess of at the intersection that Ken had left behind, but he had a relatively clear stretch of road to take advantage of. Ken leaned down to accelerate when Sebastian roared up on his side and passed him, the glimpse of a middle finger flashing by as Sebastian hurtled past at a break-neck speed. He must have been able to steer through the hard stopped traffic better than Ken had first assumed. Sebastian had earned a little more respect in Ken's mind for riding talent alone. He still had a long way to go as a person though, as Ken followed behind, gaining the small bit of lost space between them just as they caught up with traffic again.

Sebastian tailed heavily on a small white car that was ahead of them for a second, trying to aggressively push the car faster. It only held the model up long enough for Ken to catch up behind the other bike. The helmet turned, looking back at Ken once before Sebastian unexpectedly dove on the inside of the road, barely on the line. The car swerved, fearing he was going to hit Sebastian as the punk slapped the window of the car before cutting in front of the frightened driver. The vehicle slammed on its brakes as they continued forward with Sebastian's maniacal laughter loud enough to be heard over the honking and cursing behind them.

"Fuck, is he crazy?" Ken cursed out loud as Sebastian continued on, whether or not he had caused a crash. Ken followed with just as much energy, not about to be left behind. Aya was at stake. He wouldn't allow Sebastian to take advantage of Aya. Not in a million years. Time to stop jerking around and start riding.

It was clear by Sebastian's move just now that he wasn't as timid as Ken had thought before. Sebastian had been keeping some power in reserve for the first quarter mile, and now he no longer holding back; he was blowing past. Ken wouldn't pretend anymore either, not if that's how Sebastian wanted to play.

The tires squealed as Ken accelerated around the swerving white car that was still trying to gain control. Sebastian had already gone through the next stoplight and onto the main street. Ken turned, dropping in between a taxicab and a small red truck. The truck honked at Ken's sudden cut into the lane, probably pissed at Sebastian's illegal entrance as well. People seemed to hate motorcyclists for the freedom they could have on the road that their own large cars didn't .

He saw Sebastian dart between cars in the two-lane road ahead, the familiar large main street filled with traffic. Ken glanced to his side. The sidewalk was relatively clear for lunchtime. Everyone was probably inside eating. Ken held on tight with his knees as he launched the motorcycle up, jerking the handlebars up to force the front tire over the sidewalk's edge.

The sidewalk was thinner, harder to navigate, but spectacularly clear as Ken rocketed down. Most people jumped out of the way, screaming as Ken took the outside to Sebastian. He passed the bright yellow motorcycle, his engine roaring as they flew by the glass windows of the stores on the sidewalk. People screamed, trying to clear a path for the speeding motorcyclist wildly and most certainly illegally driving.

At the next crosswalk, Ken let the gas go and his motorcycle screamed loudly, launching back onto the pavement. Sebastian was left two cars and an intersection behind, Ken continuing down the main street. It had to have been more than halfway now, hurtling down four-lane traffic without fear of death. At the speed he was going now, at least, looking down at the meter in surprise. This wasn't legal in any country.

Ken glided in smoothly between two vehicles that were driving neck and neck in the four-lane road and popped out into a clear street. He leaned further over the seat of his motorcycle, bending close to the metal frame. Ken held himself as low as possible to keep his weight from slowing the bike down and catching wind. He had to mold to the bike, his nose nearly touching the inside of the face shield for his helmet. He was practically one with the motorcycle, his chest so close to the body of the bike that the jacket was pressed to his skin.

There were distant horns, small things behind Ken. They were probably for Sebastian anyways. Ken continued down the road, whizzing up on the next intersection. The light was yellow, and Ken growled at the slow car making its turn directly in his path. He threw his weight hard to the right so his motorcycle zipped around the front of the car. Ken quickly jerked his body the other way, the bike nearly falling out from under him with the force of the quick turn.

Tires screamed in protest, someone screaming at Ken in his recklessness. The engine roared in satisfaction, all throttles being opened and gunned to their limit. Ken wouldn't stop now, his knees shaking with the power of the engine, the street blurring with the speed of the ride. It felt so good to disobey the law, to push everything to his upmost limits. He could keep it up as long as the bike could. They had formed a partnership like that.

Surprisingly, he heard a motorcycle engine scream in protest. Ken looked over to see smoke billowing from the tires as Sebastian's bike pulled up next to him. The model was pushing his bike to the limit, but not the way a familiar biker would do to his own vehicle. Sebastian was forcing performance from the bike, squeezing out every last bit of power that he could manually. Ken had to be impressed that he had managed to keep up after his dart across the last intersection.

He didn't nod to the man, concentrating on the slowing cars ahead. It looked like at least three cars piled upon each other, slowing down as they came upon a red light. That goddamn traffic was already starting, the road looking congested up ahead. The traffic on the opposite side of the road already had cars nose to tail as they crawled down the other lane.

Ken pushed past the first two, jerking the front handlebars up and praying to God. The bike flew up; hit the top of a small sports car's trunk. The tire dug in, finding purchase on the back and climbing over on the roof. Ken held up the bars again, looking forward as he launched off the hood of the car.

The world went sickeningly to the left before the bike hit down on the street again with both tires. Ken stood up above the body, using his knees to take most of the impact as he quickly examined the new traffic. A huge semi was coming at him, the horn blaring as the driver saw Ken speeding for his grill. Ken pulled on the brakes as hard as possible, turning the handlebars as far over to the right as possible. The bike went down, sliding on its side with tires first as he went underneath the truck and between the wheels. The semi roared overhead, the screaming gears above Ken's head as he slid under the truck.

The back wheels went on either side of the bike and left him to finish with the heavy slide he had taken to avoid being run over. There had been no way to dodge that big of a truck. The bike came to a crunching halt, Ken's left elbow and knee burning like all hell. Lucky. Damn lucky, he thought shakily as he managed to regain control of his heart.

He was already climbing back onto his feet and hauling his motorcycle back upright as traffic came to a grinding halt around him. People came running for him, off of the streets and sidewalks. The traffic going the opposite way of the goal line had frozen, people thinking Ken was probably in a fatal accident.

"Are you all right?" A woman asked in concern, coming up to touch him on the arm. Ken ignored how close she was, revving the engine and thanking every lucky star when the fuses lit and the engine came to life again. Ken looked over his shoulder. There, across the heavily stopped and congested traffic Ken had left behind him in his mad dash, Sebastian had stopped. He was looking over the mess at Ken, the glare visible through the dark visor.

Ken, of course, flipped him off. Two engines screamed as Ken and Sebastian started off again. The confused and completely stopped traffic in the intersection was the only thing Ken had to worry about, weaving through easily. The road ahead was mercifully clear. From now on it would be a simple race. He could see Yohji's familiar tall blonde head with a slightly shorter redhead next to him, both of them nothing more than a blur futher down on the road. He was in the last part of the five miles already!

Sebastian was still behind when Ken bent as low as he could over the body of the bike. He let the wind rush over his back, bending his head down to watch the road speed by. He could only see the small inch of marked road lines, trusting his body and bike to make this the fastest run. He didn't know if Sebastian was passing him or not. He couldn't look back to see. The gas was open all the way, and he ignored everything but the steady vibration of the engine under him and the feeling of going as fast as the meter would allow.

A horn began to honk at him earnestly, blaring in the corner of his focus. Ken looked up, seeing Aya's car pass by from its parked position. Yohji was out in the middle of the street as he waved his hands in excitement. Aya-chan was standing outside the car as well, not looking quite as pleased as Ken zoomed past. He didn't get a chance to see if Aya was there or not, needing to brake before he went headfirst into the car ahead.

Ken braked hard, coming to the realization that he must have won. That didn't matter as much as the feeling of breaking every traffic law in the city. Those past miles had been nothing but a rush. He had felt like he had been flying, molded to the motorcycle. He had been in the zone for today's run, not allowing any details to distract him from getting across the goal first.

Ken put a foot on the ground, leaning the bike as he came to a stop behind the car. The light above their heads was red. Ken decided that it was time to turn around. He had already left everyone several blocks behind because he hadn't looked for the goal. He had been so exhilarated, rejoicing in the feel of letting the bike go to perform like it was meant to. Obeying the speed limits was such a pain some time.

He gunned the bike in a flashier fashion then need be, letting the back tire lay down rubber as it swung around behind the front wheel. Ken checked behind his shoulder once, just to make sure he wouldn't die if he pulled out now. At least, if he got it up fast enough. The motorcycle flew forward, the tail barely missing being clipped by the front bumper of the oncoming car. The horn blared and the car broke hard, the other car behind it barely missing a head on collision. Ken took the next two blocks at a relatively safe pace, even using the blinker to turn as he pulled up behind Aya's Porsche parked on the side of the street.

He had kept his promise. Who could be upset with his race today? Sebastian had definitely eaten his own words. Nobody was going to be allowed to hurt Aya, not under Ken's eyes, even if it had been nothing more than that stupid kiss. Ken had won the bet… and now Aya was probably going to kill him if Yohji didn't first. That still wasn't enough to make Ken feel bad though, because the alternative was much, much worse.

"Ken, you sick bastard. Sebastian just pulled up. He said you made three cars crash," Yohji greeted, running up alongside Ken's motorcycle. Ken pulled off the helmet, shaking out the sweaty hair that stuck in his eyes. Aya-chan was standing by Sebastian as he stripped off his helmet as well, glaring at Ken. Apparently he wasn't a good loser. Bastard deserved it. Ken loved the fact that he beaten Sebastian, had so thoroughly defeated the pretty boy that he would still be feeling it years from now.

"He made that crash. I had to drive through it," Ken snapped, running a hand through his hair. They would have to wait for Omi to show up. He had to tail them from the start line. Ken wondered if the kid would be held up by the crash. Or those intersections he had turned into one big mess of cars and trucks. Ken wasn't sure if the main street would still be opened after that mess. Yohji.

"Whatever. Sebastian's a prick anyway," Yohji shrugged, not about to get caught up in this end of the argument as Aya stepped out of the driver's seat. Aya looked up, his eyes immediately focusing on Ken's face without any sort of emotion on his face. Sebastian sneered, throwing the helmet down on the street. Aya-chan screamed, jumping away as the plastic bounced on the pavement, dangerously hurtling through the air. Sebastian stalked forward, going between Ken and Yohji.

"Crazy dick! Riding up on the sidewalk like that! You could have hurt someone bad!" Sebastian roared in his thick, English accent, spit flying in the air. Ken was thankful none of it hit his own face. Aya walked up next to them, joining the fray with one raised eyebrow for Sebastian. Aya-chan's boyfriend swirled on the man, taking two quick steps until he was standing too close to him, blocking out Aya's sun. Yohji was already two steps ahead, looking a hair away from homicidal as he started to growl dangerously at the loser.

"I bet you're happy, you little fag," Sebastian hissed down at Aya. The redhead's eyes went wide at the insult, not quite understanding the English slang but hearing the tone of voice nonetheless. Anyone could recognize that kind of insulting sneer in any language. There was a silent moment, Aya frozen in pure, raw anger. Ken took a step back, feeling the air suddenly thicken and turn cold with Aya's quiet rage.

"Shut. Up." The redhead ordered shortly in Japanese. There was no language barrier when Aya spoke, clearly conveying his meaning. Ken didn't ever want to speak again, and he hadn't even been the focus of Aya's anger. It was enough to see Aya's disgusted, frosty glare on someone else. Sebastian shrunk under the gaze, cowing away from a fight with Aya. Yohji smiled broadly at them all behind the redhead's back, beaming like a proud father.

"Aren't you going to take your prize, eh?" Sebastian snickered at Ken. If he couldn't win in a yelling argument, he could get back at the redhead in another way. Aya's eyes widened, surprised that Sebastian had ignored him. He looked at Ken, who suddenly felt all the blood rush to his face.

Aya knew then what Sebastian had said by looking at Ken's embarrassed face. Aya looked down at the street, blushing in embarrassment. Whoever thought the invincible Fujimiya would be capable of such emotions. Yohji and Omi were looking on; both of them quiet as they waited for this to be resolved. Ken didn't know what to do, biting his lip as he thought about his options. He looked up at Omi, the boy that he loved with his whole heart. Then back to Aya's flushed face, fine-boned and his elegant features. A man shouldn't look that pretty, that beautiful and aloof.

Hell with it all. Aya closed those heavy, black lashes underneath the smooth sweep of his read eyebrows. His lips trembled as he waited from Ken to move in, terrified and not doing anything to stop it. He had given his consent to be the prize, and he wouldn't fight it either way. Though Ken believed he was the better win then Sebastian. Aya should be thankful that it was him and not that European animal!

Ken knew he was doing the right thing as he leaned forward. Aya's mouth was incredibly soft, warm. More welcoming then Ken would have ever thought when the lips parted in surprise at Ken's sudden kiss. He took the gasp only as a chance to gently push his tongue into Aya's mouth, exploring as much of the velvet inside as he could. Aya gasped and moaned as he put a hand on Ken's chest in protest. Ken looped his arm around Aya's waist and pulled the thinner, taller man closer as he took advantage of this one chance in hell.

They were both panting when Ken finally broke the kiss. Complete silence reigned between everyone, Aya turning a fierce red as one hand covered his mouth in humiliation. His face was the same color as his hair, furious in his mortification. Ken couldn't stop his breath from coming in sharp pants, mesmerized by Aya now that he had a taste. He couldn't believe that Aya would be so sensual, warm and delicious. Bizarrely enough, strawberries came to mind as Ken licked the last taste of Aya's mouth from his lips. Now that his particular curiosity had been satisfied, he only wanted to know more.

"Ken-kun... You don't like Aya-kun, do you?" Omi asked in a shocked, sick voice. Ken's head snapped toward his boyfriend's pale face with those wide, wet eyes. Omi looked up at Ken, his hands coming up to his face in shock that his boyfriend had just kissed Aya as passionately as he could manage. It might have been a little overboard. Well, he would only get one chance to kiss Aya, that was for damn sure. He had won it by making the fastest run of his life, so didn't a man fucking deserve to enjoy the reward at the end?

Aya-chan and Sebastian both looked shell-shocked as they stared at Ken. Sebastian certainly hadn't been expecting Ken to give it that much effort as well. His face was twisted, his mouth dropping open at Ken's open gayness and lack of reluctance to kiss Aya. Who would say-so to kissing such a fine fellow man, especially one redhead that had driven Ken crazy 365 days of the year? Aya wasn't looking up at Ken, more interested in his shoes at the moment.

"Ken! Back off!" Yohji roared, suddenly throwing his body between Ken and Aya. He glared at Ken, like he had suddenly tried to rape Aya. Yohji stared Ken down, not like he would if Ken was a close friend, but instead like he was some kind of enemy, someone who couldn't be trusted. Ken looked around Yohji to Aya's shying face, the redhead ducking his gaze away from Ken's look.

"Come on Yohji, like you don't," Ken started. Who could resist? Aya's lips were plush, red things that begged to be kissed, no matter who was doing the deed. Ken didn't care if Aya was an asshole most of the time. It was about Aya's soft, panting mouth as he turned away from Ken in embarrassment.'s

"Stick to Omi, you asshole," Yohji snarled vehemently. Aya-chan suddenly ran to her brother's side, amazingly pulling away from nursing Sebastian's ego to stand between Aya and Ken. Did she think he was going to try anything else with him? Just who did Yohji and Aya-chan think he was?

"Back off, Ken!" Aya-chan snapped, for once siding with Yohji. It was strange to see the two come together after how clear they had made it that they hated each other. Both of them perceived Ken as a threat to Aya's personal well-being and were now defending the redhead who hadn't even said a word!

"Hey, hey! Christ! It was just a bet!" Ken defended himself. He didn't see why he was suddenly in trouble! He looked back to Omi, hoping that boy understood it was just an once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing. He wouldn't ever cheat on the boy again, beyond that. Why is everyone pissed off at me? I didn't do anything! Ken thought bitterly.

"It's alright," Aya's voice cut through the air like a knife. He didn't even need to raise his volume a bit, simply demanding everyone's attention by stepping out behind the wall Aya-chan and Yohji had made. Ken sighed, thankful that someone was going to defend him. Even if Aya had been the last person in the entire damn universe to help Ken out after he had kissed him like that. God, he was such an idiot sometimes!

"I prefer Ken to the other," Aya stated, venom dripping from the last word as he flicked his gaze over dismissively to Sebastian. The model was still staring at the soccer player in shock, like he had never seen Ken even say 'hello' to another person. Sebastian should better damn well know that Ken was a passionate person. Omi and he made out regularly in front of him!

"Ran, don't say that!" Aya-chan admonished, defending her boyfriend now.'sell I mean, do say that. Because, Sebastian and I are together. Um But, don't say that about Sebastian, Aya-chan started to babble as she began to confuse herself with her own words. Aya-chan was trying too hard to stay neutral between her brother and boyfriend. She was going to have a to make a choice about which man was more important to her, because she couldn't live like this. Ken hated it when women stammered. A girl should be cute and bubbly. He didn't mind the talkative ones as long as they were able to talk clearly and be interesting. Like Omi.

"Aya-chan!" Sebastian suddenly roared from over by his motorcycle. Sometime when they had been arguing, a large truck with a back cargo space had pulled up. Two men were out of the vehicle and pulling down the back ramp for the model to drive the bike up. He supposed they must have come along to pick up the bike.

"Oh, can you guys help me with the luggage?" Aya-chan begged, clasping her hands together to plead with them. Aya nodded; always ready to be a help to his sister. Ken shrugged, supposing it would be fine to help one more time. Omi agreed as well, never one to not lend a hand.

"Aya! Why don't you warm up the car?" Yohji suddenly ordered even though he made it sound like a question. The redhead glanced up to the other man, looking slightly sad for a moment before quickly looking angry at the very suggestion. Ken gritted his teeth, stepping back to Omi's side and hopefully avoiding the conflict.

"I can lift something! I'm not going to fucking break!" Aya roared suddenly as Omi flinched back from the loud voice. The two employees that had finally finished pulling the ramp down for Sebastian looked up wildly. It was like they had never seen a man yell before. Well, when Aya was screaming, it was a whole new experience.

"I'm not even fucking saying that! I just asked you to warm up the car, damn it!" Yohji cursed back, the blonde temper coming into play. Ken moaned as he dragged a hand down the side of his face. Why did both of them always just start yelling instead of trying to talk it out?

"You don't have to worry about me if I carried some goddamn luggage! You fucking prick!" Aya screamed right back in Yohji's face. Omi laughed nervously and turned around to the two men that had never seen the playboy and Aya, the original badass, go at it.

"Hey, you seemed to like my prick, A-ya," Yohji snapped back, singing out the redhead's name. Omi blushed and choked at the older man's words, unable to try and pretend everything was all right after an explosive comment like that. Aya-chan looked on the verge of fainting again as Sebastian parked his motorcycle and stood closer to watch the show.

"Stop it! Jesus Christ, you two are like goddamn fucking children! Grow the hell up!" Ken roared, sick and fucking fed up of cowering away from the two men because he was scared of stopping them. Why did he allow Yohji and Aya to rage at each other and repeatedly break things just because they were pissed off? When Ken was angry, he didn't destroy entire bedroom furniture sets.

"All you two do is fight all the damn time! It's irritating, you shit heads!" Ken panted after his explosion, his fists clenching at his side as he glared hard at the two men in front of him. Yohji had a shocked, stunned expression on his face like a child who saw their parent truly angry for the first time. Even Aya was visibly taken back, like Ken had pointed a gun at him.

"Fucking say you're sorry! Make up or whatever, but if you even think of arguing again, I'll kill you both!" Ken roared when they only looked at him. He didn't mean to stun them out of fighting. He wanted to them to realize how hard it was to deal with two extremely violent tempered men. At least with Omi he could try and talk things out most of the time.

Yohji looked away moodily, spitting to the side at Ken's words. The blonde man looked down on the ground, spotting a discarded soda can. Yohji kicked it as hard as he could and the trash went flying through the air like a soccer ball. Ken was impressed that Yohji had managed to kick anything that far as the can ricocheted against the building wall of the alley…

And flew right into Sebastian's head as he stormed forward at the worst time. Sebastian fell backwards like a board of wood, falling over before anyone could say a word. The can hit the ground next to him, rolling along the pavement until it came back to Yohji's feet almost in accusation.

Too bad the blonde was laughing so hard that he couldn't manage to properly say sorry to either Sebastian or Aya. Yohji was already on his knees; holding his sides as he laughed harder then Ken had ever seen him before. Tears were already streaming down Yohji's face as Sebastian remained prone on the ground.

"Darling!" Aya-chan screamed, running over to her boyfriend's side as he groggily tried to sit up. The two workers were staring at each other, obviously wondering if they were paid enough to stick around with such a collection of strange people. Omi grabbed at Ken's arm, trying to pull him away from staring at Sebastian as he sat up.

The model had a lump forming in the exact middle of his forehead, courtesy of Yohji Kudoh. Ken wondered if he would have to bruise the bottom of Sebastian's chin now. It seemed like him and Yohji kept on making mirror injuries on the model's face, the two large bandages on each cheek practically identical. Aya-chan was squealing over her boyfriend's ruined face, crying and trying to gently examine the bruise forming.

"Ken-kun!" Omi snapped finally, grabbing Ken's chin and turning him away from the couple. Suddenly Ken found himself looking at Yohji hunched over on the ground still laughing, though not nearly as hard. Aya was standing next to him, silently waiting for Yohji to notice his existence. There was something about to happen. Ken could tell by Aya's dark, emotionless face. He had a mission to carry out right now.

"I'm sorry," Aya whispered reluctantly, quietly to the giggling man on the ground. Ken felt his whole face drop at that. Their 'leader' had apologized to someone. Ken almost forgot that he had told the redhead to do so. He couldn't believe that Aya had actually done what he had been told. He couldn't believe that Aya had swallowed his pride enough to enough say those words.

The apology sobered up Yohji faster then anything else. The man was on his feet so fast that he might as well have never been laughing. Ken looked over at Omi, noticing that the boy looked just as shocked as he that Aya had said 'sorry' to anyone, much less Yohji.

"I'm sorry, too," Yohji returned to Aya, like they were both children being punished for roughhousing. Ken crossed his arms as he watched the two men stand quietly next to each other, each weighing how much the other really meant the apology.

"How about an apology over here, you goddamn bastard?!" Sebastian screamed from his place on the pavement, shaking off Aya-chan's hands and trying to stand up again. Aya glanced over at the model, disdain clear on his face. The redhead looked upon the model like he would look at an insect, uninterested in what the insignificant other had to say. Aya could send his hatred clear across to a person with only one small look as the redhead turned back to Yohji.

They both stared at each other, so totally ignoring Sebastian that the model didn't even try to get their attention a second time. He could tell that they wouldn't pay him any mind. Yohji and Aya tended to create their own world at times. Ken knew the feeling, having been sucked into the whole world that was Omi. It was like watching a movie and being unable to turn away, too excited and thrilled, so scared that if he blinked he might miss something

"Damn you all!" Sebastian spat in English as he stomped back to his motorcycle. He snarled at Aya-chan when she stepped toward him, clearly wanting to be alone right now. Ken glanced back at the two drivers of the truck who were entranced by the drama unfolding before them. They had never seen relationships blow up like Yohji and Aya's did on a regular basis.

Omi looked a bit lost, but he wasn't saying anything as he stared at the two men. Ken felt like they shouldn't even breathe as Yohji and Aya stared each other down. Did either man really mean their apologies? Ken had thought it was too unbelievable to be true that Aya had meant his 'sorry'.

"Now, make up," Ken ordered, not satisfied with their awkward silence. He didn't want them to stand there in shame together. Yohji glanced over, quickly breaking his eye contact with Aya to look over at him in curiosity. Ken wasn't so sure if he had said the right thing when Yohji grinned like a big wolf in the middle of a field of lambs.

Nobody was quite ready when Yohji grabbed Aya and dipped the man as he kissed the redhead with a lot more passion then was really necessary. Aya made a few protesting noises and shoved at Yohji's chest, obviously trying to struggle away. Ken was too stunned to even move forward immediately. He couldn't believe Yohji was bending their former leader over his hip to lock lips.

"Yohji... kun," Omi tried to stop the blonde, lamely trailing off as he wasn't even heard. Aya was no longer shoving at Yohji's chest, but instead starting just to hang on the playboy's neck. There were no more resisting sounds coming from the usually gloomy and pessimistic redhead. Instead, it sounded very wet and enjoyable for him.'s

"Ran!" Aya-chan cried as Sebastian stared at the second kiss the redhead had had in public today. They might as well try to see if they could get a record out of it. Yohji was ignoring Aya-chan's distressed voice as he continued to ravage Aya's mouth. It was starting to last longer then Ken would have ever expected Aya to allow. Ken wondered why Aya wasn't screaming curses at Yohji right now or trying to punch him out.

"Um... I think they can keep on making up. Let's go help with Aya-chan's luggage," Ken stuttered, unable to peel his eyes away from the scene. It was indecent and totally shameless and Ken was jealous of Yohji. He wished he could try and kiss Aya again. It wasn't that he wanted to cheat on Omi. It was just it had been Aya. Aya was like a porno star that Ken had ogled the length of his teenage years. It was a chance in hell that he had even gotten close enough to smell Aya's shampoo.

Aya-chan gaped at Ken and Omi as they didn't try to stop Yohji and Aya from continuing to kiss. Ken didn't really care. If the two of them wanted to go at it right in the alley, more power to them. It was more important to get Aya-chan out of here before the flight left. He couldn't have them missing the plane and having to stay longer. That would just not happen.

"Omi," Ken said as he grabbed Omi's hand as well to wake the boy out of his dream. The blonde blinked up at him before looking over to the corner of his eyes at Yohji's back. Ken had to admit that it was starting to get grossly passionate. He couldn't believe that they were still kissing. It was embarrassing now!

Not like Omi and I haven't done worse, Ken reminded himself bitterly. How many times had Yohji or Aya walked in on them now? He had lost track. Ken nodded to Aya-chan as he dragged Omi away from his staring at the show going on. She glared at them, blushing so red that a tomato would be jealous.

"He's not gay!" Aya-chan hissed to Ken as he walked by. Even Omi stopped to stare at Aya-chan in disgust. Ken couldn't believe that she had actually just said those words to his face.

"And neither am I," Ken snapped. It was just as obvious a lie as Aya-chan's hope that her brother was straight. He thought that she had been all right with Aya's relationship, as rocky as it was. She had seemed happy when Aya had cross-dressed. Right now she seemed embarrassed that her brother was being openly affectionate with another man.

"Come on, Ken-kun, there's a lot of luggage," Omi politely excused themselves from Aya-chan's fuming company. The boy's smile was so obviously fake right now, straining at the corner as he tried to remain friendly to the girl. Ken could tell it was starting to get hard even for Omi, who had the patience of a saint.

They went over to Aya's Porsche as Sebastian glared at them like it was just as much their fault Aya-chan was upset right now. Ken hadn't even thought about doing anything mean to her. He hated Sebastian's pretty little bruised face and the ego that just wouldn't die, no matter how many times they popped his big fucking bubble.

By the time Ken closed the car door after pressing the button for the trunk, Yohji had finally released a heavily panting Aya. Ken blinked, able to see even from a good distance away that the emotionless frigid bitch was blushing like any girl would. The redhead was wiping at his face with the back of his hand, trying to clean up the saliva that had trailed all over his mouth.

Everyone in the alleyway pretended like they hadn't been watching the two like peeping Toms when Aya looked over. Omi and Ken began to pull out the suitcases from the trunk as Sebastian turned on the engine to ride the motorcycle up the ramp. Aya-chan brushed her hair out of her face and tried to regain some composure. The two employees were both whistling tunelessly, rolling their eyes toward the sky like they hadn't been staring openly only moments ago.

Aya grunted after his quick inspection of them all, Ken watching the man under the sweep of his eyebrows. He didn't want the redhead to know that he was being stared at. Ken just wanted to make sure that Aya wasn't upset after Yohji's unexpected kiss. It didn't even seem appropriate to call that display a kiss. It had felt like Ken had been watching them have sex.

"How's that for making up, Ken, darling?" Yohji sang over the loud roar of Sebastian's engine as the model drove his motorcycle up the ramp and into the inside of the truck. The playboy was smiling triumphantly at them all, the biggest and lustiest grin Ken had ever seen on Yohji's face. It was almost sick to see him get so much pleasure out of a single kiss. Then again, it was Aya. Ken didn't even know what to think about him anymore. Aya had done prostitution, cross-dressing, and was obviously already sexually involved with Yohji. And here he had been thinking all this time that Aya didn't even know what the word 'pleasure' meant. Ken wondered what else he didn't know about Aya. He couldn't even remember if the man had a hobby, something beyond his fanatic practice with the katana even though they had no missions. He had to start spending more time with Aya once Aya-chan and Sebastian left.

"Aya?" Yohji added loudly, looking over to leer at his partner. The slap of Aya's open palm against the man's face was explosive in the silence as Sebastian turned his motorcycle off. Ken grimaced, knowing that Yohji probably deserved that one but feeling sympathy for the man nonetheless. Omi gasped and grabbed at Ken's elbow in shock that Aya had just slapped Yohji hard. The blonde looked just as stunned as the rest of them as he put one hand to the smarting red mark on his cheek.

Yohji stared at Aya in astonishment as Sebastian began to laugh loudly. Aya-chan screamed at him to 'be quiet!' uselessly, the man too amused at the whole situation to be silent. The glare Aya was giving Yohji was deadly enough to make everyone look at each other nervously. The workers were already rushing over to help with the luggage, eager to get away from this scene. Ken and Omi grabbed several suitcases from inside the back seat of the Porsche. Sebastian and Aya-chan came to help as well, wanting to get out of the way of Aya's rage.

The sports car might have been flashy and damn fast, but it was completely lacking in compartment space. Ken had a fine scene of what a car should be, more like the older models built out of the classic metal then these plastic things that were being pumped out. He couldn't understand why Aya had chosen to spend so much money on the damn thing. It was worthless in this town that offered no parking spaces at all.

"What the hell was that for?" Yohji yelled as the two separate workers grabbed as many suitcases and bags out of the trunk as they could manage. They obviously wanted away as soon as possible they began to rush back to the truck and to load it quickly with the ease of professionalism. Ken forced himself to stop trying to watch Aya and Yohji fight it out all over again. He had already tried to break up one fight before and wasn't about to risk his neck a second time.

"You kissed me!" Aya shouted back, like their apologies a moment ago meant nothing as they all tried to pretend like they weren't listening in on the argument. It had really been too much to hope that Aya and Yohji would actually say AI'm sorry" and stop fighting for more than one minute. Ken walked up the ramp Sebastian had driven up only moments ago with the two suitcases in hand, trying to not look at the couple to give them a bit of privacy as they fought. Omi was following shortly behind with a duffel bag on his shoulder and large shopping bags in each hand.

"Yeah? And I haven't before? What the hell is wrong with you?" Yohji shouted back as Aya turned an even darker shade of red in the face. Ken set the luggage down on the bed of the truck as the two workers rushed past him like robots, going in for the last of the luggage. Sebastian wasn't moving from the side of his parked motorcycle, obviously waiting for one of the workers to come in and fully secure it in the truck.

"They're a right scary couple," Sebastian said softly in English as he shook his head, speaking the honest truth for once. It wasn't that the model hated Aya and Yohji. It was that the two men were so explosive with each other that most people couldn't even believe they were a couple. Fighting for them was how they stayed together. It was strange and sometimes frightening, but had proven to be a strong relationship.

"Yeah, specially Yohji when he gets all quiet," Ken agreed in English as Yohji and Aya became eerily silent. It was the calm before the world got blow apart. It was scary as all hell. Ken felt like he shouldn't even move as the two men suddenly swung their dual attention on Ken and Sebastian. It was a bad time to be caught talking with the enemy.

"Just what are you two fucking talking about?" Yohji roared so loudly in Japanese that one of the truck drivers yelped and dropped the bag of luggage he had been carrying. Ken gulped, knowing that he was knee-deep in shit now as Aya glared at him as well. Omi laughed nervously, obviously relieved to not be under Yohji and Aya's focus. It was always Ken who got in trouble, not cute little Omi. Life wasn't fucking fair at all!

"What little drama queens you are," Sebastian snapped unwisely back in English with a sneer. Ken swore the ground between the model and Aya froze with redhead's chilly glare. Those violet eyes were staring right into Sebastian's soul, looking down on the man as if he was an insect. Ken was glad that he wasn't being looked at right now. He didn't think he could stand it. Even Aya-chan was taking a step back from her brother.

"Stop it, both of you!" Aya-chan screeched out in English between both of them. ARan! You should know to behave better!" Aya-chan finished in her native Japanese. She had seemed to find her voice again, turning on her brother immediately. It was like seeing someone kick a beaten dog. Aya visible wilted under the outburst and looked down at the pavement with shame written all over his body. Ken had never seen words hurt Aya before, but each one of them might have been a kick in the balls for how the redhead slumped his shoulders.

AI hope you miss me, you prissy little fag," Sebastian sneered in English even though Aya still wouldn't understand it, able to come up with smart comments now that he could hide behind Aya-chan's anger. The workers were trying to shuffle around the fight as they loaded the last of the luggage, casting wary glances at everyone. Who knew who would be the next to blow up? Ken glanced over to Yohji suspiciously, the blonde's stillness only more frightening.

"Sebastian! Don't you dare call him that again," Aya-chan hissed with a deadly seriousness that would put her own brother to shame. Yohji's mouth dropped open as Aya's head shot up to stare at his sister in surprise. Even Sebastian paled visibly at Aya-chan's harsh tone without a single noise as his jaw clamped shut in shock. Ken didn't think that Aya-chan had used that voice with him before, and he knew he had pissed her off more than once during their short relationship. Hell, he didn't believe that she had ever sounded so threatening.

"Get in the truck, Sebastian," Aya-chan ordered in English, her voice not allowing for any disobedience. Amazingly, for once the man did the smart thing and followed her commands. He didn't say anything else as he walked around the side of the truck to climb into the vehicle. The employees looked at each other warily, trying to figure out their place in this domestic mess. Ken and Omi were still blinking in the same shock that Sebastian actually listened to anyone. Maybe Aya-chan had a little bit more power in this relationship than they had first thought.

"If you could get out of the truck?" one of the workers asked timidly, letting his voice be heard for the first time. Ken and Omi guiltily looked at each other, laughing at the other for not realizing they should be moving. Ken quickly tromped down the ramp with Omi close behind under the irritated eyes of the two workers. The two men closed up the back of the truck, rolling down the door and locking it in place. Ken and Omi stood back; trying to stay out of the way as Aya-chan coldly watched the progress. She was obviously waiting for the strangers to leave so she could speak to her brother personally. They all were silent as the two workers also climbed into the truck with Sebastian, not about to become involved with the second round.

"Ran," Aya-chan said softly, her voice rapidly changing back to honey-sweet for her beloved brother. It was almost sick to see how she changed in demeanor as she approached Aya slowly. She was suddenly all smiles and completely loving to a brother she had been embarrassed by only moments ago because of his sexuality. Ken didn't like this double-faced act.

"I'm sorry about Sebastian. He just doesn't know about us," she apologized gently as she went to his side. Ken raised an eyebrow at the comment as Omi's face changed to a confused expression as the boy considered the girl's words. They sounded strange, no matter how you looked at it. Yohji obviously thought the same thing from his disgusted face. What 'us' was she talking about? Oh, Christ, don't be bringing up our thing! Ken screamed at her in his mind alone.

"About being Japanese. He doesn't know the customs," Aya-chan quickly added, excusing her boyfriend's manners. She was only making up some reason as to why it wasn't really Sebastian's fault. Aya was staring at his sister leveling, not even twitching an eyebrow at her words. Yohji was glaring at Aya-chan from behind Aya's line of sight, clearly telling her to get the hell out of there already. Ken just felt relieved that she hadn't said something smart and bitter that could strain Omi's patience even further.

"I'm sorry, Aya-chan," Aya apologized before anyone else had chance to say something. Ken just stared, wondering what the hell he had to apologize for. They should all be apologizing to him, for not noticing sooner just how much Aya had been hurting. Once Aya-chan and Sebastian left, Ken was going to make sure that Aya didn't have to worry about a single thing if he could help it. He was sick of seeing that haunted, frightening look in Aya's eyes like the redhead could only hope for death.

"It's not your fault, Ran," Aya-chan said softly with a quick glare in Yohji's direction. Once again saying without even opening her mouth that it was the playboy's fault for every one of her brother's flaws. Aya was completely oblivious to the staring match that was going on behind his shoulder as Aya-chan and Yohji battled out their wills silently. Ken couldn't believe how agreeable and polite their leader was with Aya-chan, selflessly granting her every wish. It was almost sick to see such dedication for a sibling. They never fought like a normal family.

Ken felt like he was watching a movie on the screen, unable to effect the situation. Omi still had one hand around his arm as they watched the match between the girl and Yohji over Aya, who didn't even have a clue about what was going on. He didn't think that anyone would ever think he was worthy of being argued over. The man glanced over at Ken with a look of pleading, begging him to come and save him from this situation.

"Omi," Ken said as he looked over at the boy. Those big blue eyes glanced up to look into his own, Omi raising up an eyebrow in question. He jerked his chin over at Aya silently. Omi nodded, catching the message that they should try to intervene now. He didn't care how rude it would seem, but Aya was starting to get uncomfortable with the situation. All he had to do was ask and Ken would be there in a heartbeat. So were Omi and Yohji, smiling as they went forward to salvage this farewell. Aya was trying to say goodbye to his sister, after all. No matter how much of a spoiled little brat she had become, she was still his only blood relation alive. They had to respect that at the very least.

"Oh, Aya-chan, you don't have to worry about Sebastian-kun," Omi laughed, looping his arm around her left elbow and laughing. Ken put his arm over her shoulders from the right, successfully ruining the tense atmosphere she and Yohji had been making. They had to just brush this aside like all the other little insults and injuries.

"We don't know what he's saying half the time anyway," Ken agreed, smiling and laughing right in her face. Only Ken would be able to make it look like it was an honest joke instead of out right cruelty. No woman could be immune to a face like that as Ken grinned like a big dog. Aya-chan was just like everyone else, breaking out into a smile despite trying to get Yohji to back off her brother only moments ago.

"I'll kill the little fuck if he calls Aya 'fag' one more time," Yohji snarled honestly, not about to be so forgiving. Ken shot him a warning look, not about to let Yohji ruin all of this effort. Did he even know how hard it was to get close to an ex? Ken paused and backtracked, realizing Yohji dealt with his ex's on a daily basis with all the women that came through the flower shop.

"Yohji! I'm trying to say goodbye to my brother. Who knows when we might see each other again?" Aya-chan cried out. Ken sighed, secretly hoping that it would be a very long time before she decided to visit her homeland again. She better get a hotel next time, or Ken was going to, because he couldn't stand being on his best behavior for her when Aya-chan was acting so selfish and just plain bitchy.

"We'll never know when you can get a chance to see your brother again. I mean, hell, it took Aya nearly dying to get you away from that busy schedule," Yohji said jokingly, but his eyes told Aya-chan a different manner. He didn't like her, didn't like how she treated her brother, and it was clear as day for anyone to see. Ken winced at the words, politeness thrown out the window.

"It does get busy at times. Thankfully, you're here to watch Ran. If you hadn't noticed something was wrong right away, poor Ran might have been even worse. I'm so glad he has such good friends," Aya-chan returned to Yohji, smiling sweetly. "Oh, wait. When did you notice something was wrong?"

Yohji's face darkened as her words hit home. Yohji was the one who had been living with Aya for the past year plus. If something was wrong with Aya, he should have been one of the first people to notice. But, if Aya-chan had thrown that insult at Yohji, she should have included Ken in it. He was just as responsible for not recognizing the signs that Aya had been trying to destroy himself.

"Aya-chan, stop it," Aya ordered softly, looking down at the pavement with his eyes hidden by his eyes. Aya-chan's eyes bugged, her mouth open in shock that her brother had told her to behave. It was just as hard for Ken to believe. Aya might as well have put Aya on a pedestal. He never told her she had done a single thing wrong. Omi's smile was quivering as he waiting for Aya-chan to explode.

" ... Just watch out for Sebastian,"Aya added gruffly like any older brother would, not about to trust the latest man that had waltzed into her life. Aya knew very well that men were not to be trusted, probably best of them all. He had seen the ugly side of life more than any person should ever have to. Ken made a fist, wanting to punch himself for being so stupid. He should have been there way, way earlier than that night Aya had finally wound up half-dead on the back porch.

"Come on, Yohji-kun, Aya-kun. All of you shouldn't be fighting," Omi pleaded, looking at them all with his best sad puppy-dog face. It was almost disgustingly cute but would still work just the same. Nobody could resist a sad look from their surrogate baby brother. Yohji looked guiltily away from them all, knowing that he had been shamelessly falling into a fight with Sebastian and Aya-chan the whole time. Ken smiled, knowing that Omi could always work his magic.

"Okay, okay, whatever. Have a nice flight, Aya-chan," Yohji said grudgingly, only because he had to say something nice to her. It wasn't >goodbye' or >see you soon,' it was a hint to get in the truck already. Yohji shoved his hands in the pockets of his tight jeans, looking betrayed by them all. It was far more civil than Ken would have ever expected from Yohji. He didn't even think the older man was going to say another thing to Aya-chan again.

"Aya-chan, be safe. Please call me when you land," Aya said gruffly and awkwardly, holding his hand out for a shake goodbye. There would be no hugs or kisses from him. Aya-chan smiled sadly at her brother being unable to allow the usual kind of contact. Ken didn't really think Aya-chan deserved it either. She hadn't had the smallest amount of patience or understanding for why Aya was so much different now, even though he had told her what had happened.

"I will. I love you," Aya-chan sighed, unable to say anything else as she they shook hands lamely. Ken didn't have any brothers or sisters, but he was pretty sure that it wasn't usual for them to have such a cold and formal goodbye. Aya-chan smiled weakly at Yohji for her brother's sake as she turned to leave, but offered him no words.

"Goodbye, you two," she said in surprisingly well humor as she went to the passenger side's door at the front of the truck. She turned around waving goodbye to Ken and Omi as she walked past. Ken lifted his hand to wave her off. He was glad that Sebastian had finally left. Now the house could get back to normal.

"Stay cheerful, Aya-chan!" Omi called after her as she smiled and closed the door. The goodbye was going so smoothly as the engine roared up that the fight before seemed like a dream. The truck pulled away from them and went back out onto the busy street, taking Sebastian and Aya-chan to the airport so they could leave the country. Ken couldn't wait to hear that they were back in England. That would mean it would take them at least a few days if they suddenly decided to come back.

"Are you going to stand there all day long?" Aya snapped irritably at them, trying to recover from his weak moment with Aya-chan. Yohji groaned, nearly falling over himself at the prospect of another fight. Aya looked over at the man sharply, the displeasure on his face quiet clear.

"You know what, I think I will," Ken agreed after a moment's consideration, putting his arm over Omi's shoulders now that Aya-chan was gone. The boy smiled at Ken and reached up to hold onto his wrist and put his own arm around Ken's back. If Omi were going to be here with him, Ken would stand around till his knees gave out.

"See, and I was thinking that you were giving up Omi for Aya after that kiss," Yohji speculated out loud as Ken felt the blush immediately hit his face. He knew that the playboy just would tease him about it! Jesus fucking Christ, the man could be such a prick sometimes. Omi looked up at Ken's face in a new suspicious light.

"Yeah, you did seem to be liking it, Ken-kun," Omi agreed, looking up into his face like a little junior detective. Ken tried to smile but didn't think he pulled it off. How was he going to explain this? Aya is just damn hot. Omi's cute and I love him, but Aya's just a fucking knock out! Ken couldn't even make it sound good in his own mind.

"I..." Ken trailed off, unable to think of anything. He looked over at the other person involved. Aya's eyes widened in surprise that Ken was even looking over at him and the soccer player could swear that there was a light blush on his cheeks before he looked away. Aya wasn't going to come to his defense. He had practically been the victim from Yohji's point of view. Probably the redhead's as well.

"I say you need to be punished, Ken-kun," Omi said low voice that made him look over in fear. Yohji nodded empathically along with the boy's suggestion. Aya didn't say anything. In Fujimiya that meant he agreed. No! Why is it always me every fucking time?! Ken screamed fiercely in his head, unable to yell it out loud.

"How about walking home?" Yohji asked in a voice that didn't make it a joke. The blonde pulled out a new pack of cigarettes and began to smoke the awful things. Ken groaned, hoping that they wouldn't make him walk back. He was all up for exercising, but not when he wearing full riding gear. He was already hot inside the heavy leather even if it was still slightly cold in the midmorning air.

"Guys, come on, don't do this to me!" Ken moaned, even though he had his own motorcycle. Omi would likely steal the keys before Ken could even try to ride off. The boy could be quick when he was going to play a particularly cruel joke. Yohji shook his head, not one to be called off when it came to Aya. Omi grinned wickedly at Ken, waiting for a very good apology.

"Stop it you two," Aya ordered. Ken blinked up at his savior, not believing that it was Aya of all people who was going to save him from walking back home. Yohji glanced over at Aya from opening up his new pack of cigarettes in mild curiosity. Omi, however, looked at Aya in just as much surprise as Ken. It was a shocking thing to see Aya be nice for once.

"He was the better kisser, after all," Aya said very loudly as Yohji's jaw dropped to the ground. The cigarette that the playboy had been pulling out fell to the ground. Ken felt himself blushing again as Omi's jaw dropped as well in a manner fit to match Yohji . Both of them looked like Aya might as well of announced the world was going to end right now.

"Aya, you don't mean that," Yohji said, but it sounded more like he was begging Aya to say so. The redhead looked away, not interested in soothing the playboy's fears. Yohji's face looked desolate at the insult to his kissing ability. Ken knew for a fact that the man prided himself on being a superb kisser, like a god of the lips. If it had to do with sex, Yohji thought he was the master of it.

"Maybe if you got more practice," Aya suggested coldly. The look on Yohji's face was priceless. It was ridiculous that the cold redhead who wouldn't know love if it bit him in the ass was telling the infamous Yohji Kudoh that he wasn't a good kisser. Ken grinned at Aya's comment. I'm better then Yohji! Must be all the times with Omi

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Yohji snarled, throwing a hand out at Aya. The redhead didn't back down, glaring up at Yohji with a tall, straight back. He looked a little bit like the old Aya, not backing down from another grown man like he did so often these days. Omi laughed at Yohji and Aya starting to fight again as soon as Aya-chan had left.

"Those two are just impossible," Omi giggled to Ken as Aya snapped back something about Yohji not being as good as he thought he was between the sheets. And added another biting comment about endurance that made it painfully clear Yohji and Aya had sex before. As if there had been any doubt.

Ken sighed, scratching the back of his head as Yohji looked fit to murder the redhead. He knew that Yohji would never really hit Aya, no matter how furious he looked right now. That was why he didn't feel too concerned about Aya not being able to handle it by himself. The man's tongue could slice sharper then his katana at times.

Omi and Ken could leave when they grew tired of trying wait for Aya and Yohji stop fighting. For now, he's like to stand there next to Omi, looking down on the slightly shorter boy. He wasn't as short as when Ken had first met him, but still not even reaching Ken's nose. How had he missed Omi growing up right next to him, turning into this beautiful young man?

He was a lucky bastard. Who else lived with this many good-looking people? It was a miracle all of them were alive today, standing next to each other and laughing at their arguments. They should have died ten times over after all of those missions. But, they hadn't died. They had managed to survive through that. They all were still living on.

Ken owed it to everyone that had died along the way to appreciate how lucky he was to have been able to fall in love with Omi. For Yohji and Aya to finally come together as well, no matter how strange it was. It seemed like the pieces of some puzzle were falling together. They all had found a place to belong now.

"Race you back home," Ken suddenly yelled, tagging Omi before rushing to his motorcycle. Omi called out an 'unfair!' and darted for his small motorbike. There was no chance in hell of Omi really beating him, but he might hang back just a bit. Aya and Yohji blinked at them suddenly running off like children before looking at each other in confusion.

Ken laughed at their expressions. He just wanted to be back at home, with Omi for no good reason. They could afford another closed day on top of so many others. Besides, it was the kind of day where one wanted to take their time. Ken wanted to be with Omi for as long as possible on this day, and Yohji and Aya should feel the same way as well.

* * *

Yohji opened up the fixed door to the bedroom with a 'hello' on his lips and a beer in each hand before he noticed Aya was sitting cross-legged on top of the mattress with a pile of books spread out around him, a book open between both hands with his reading glasses on. The redhead didn't even notice the door opening, reading the page he was on so intently that Yohji wondered why the book didn't burst into flames. Yohji smiled at the absorbed expression Aya wore on his face, completely focused on whatever the author had put down on paper. He was always like that whenever he read things, from the newspaper to those stupid fliers that employees passed out on the street to get people to come to their store.

Yohji softly closed the door behind him and snuck further into the room like a fox. He managed to sit on the bed and held one of the bottles between Aya's face and book before the redhead blinked and looked at the hand holding the beer, finally noticing Yohji was there. Aya didn't lower his book or make any motion to take the beer, just sat there waiting calmly for Yohji to explain himself. Slanted violet eyes behind thin-rimmed glasses looked up in confusion past the beer to Yohji face with a question clear in the silence of his welcome. Amazing really, that Aya had felt secure enough to let his guard drop in Yohji room enough to let him even get this close. Aya usually looked up at the first sign of movement of anyone in other rooms, as high-strung as a purebred.

"What are you reading?" Yohji asked sat back and let Aya put a folded piece of paper between the pages to mark his spot, not daring to simply fold a corner down like Yohji did and risk ruining the book. It was heavy; many more pages than Yohji had ever read in his whole life and he couldn't even make out the title in English across the cover. Yohji couldn't understand how Aya could read something in another language. There were Japanese classics that Yohji had never paid attention to during middle school, a few in German and some spirally text that looked like a drunken work had walked across a smear of ink. Aya loved every one of these books best, because Yohji knew there was a whole shit-load more that he hadn't deemed worthy enough to fit in a shared bedroom. The books were the first things Aya had brought in to put in their room, not even bothering with clothes yet.

"Nothing. I was just moving some books in here," Aya explained nervously, his eyes darting back to look at his precious pile of scattered novels as though Yohji may try to steal them all at any moment. Aya had probably meant to put these books somewhere in Yohji room, the first step to him moving in with him for what could hopefully be a long time, but wound up reading instead. Aya was easily distracted like that sometimes, if it was something he enjoyed. Yohji only smiled as leaned back to give Aya bit of space as the redhead tried to look like he was organizing the books by picking up one here and moving it over there.

"We might have to go back to the hardware store and get some bookshelves," Yohji mused out loud as he shifted to the side and popped off the top of one beer on the edge of the bed stand, much to Aya's obvious distaste as he slammed a book down irritably. Aya must be pissed that Yohji would toss one of his treasured readings around, but he wasn't moving off the bed either. Obviously Aya wished Yohji would pay a little more respect to the bed stand he and Omi had so recently painstakingly built together, but Yohji also didn't have a bottle opener stored in his ass. Yohji only passed Aya the beer and the redhead grudgingly took it while Yohji opened his own bottle.

"It's okay, right?" Aya asked, worried for God knew what reason as he stared down the neck of his own bottle, running his thumb along the side of the amber glass and doing everything but looking Yohji in the eyes. Aya just didn't seem to get the message. Yohji felt like he was going to have to paint it out on the side of a building in order for Aya to understand that Yohji wanted him here, hell, needed Aya to be around. The less time spent apart would be better, because that would mean Yohji wouldn't worry about where the hell Aya was. He fucking hated that game. It was hell not to know where Aya was every second, because the moment Yohji took his eyes off Aya, something always happened. Aya was like a magnet for trouble.

Aya paused in the middle of one small, tentative sip of his beer before thinking better of it and taking a deeper swallow. Yohji had nothing against the redhead getting as liquored up as he wanted. With Aya, one needed all the help he could get, be it alcohol, cigarettes, or old-fashioned jerking off when Aya just couldn't handle Yohji touching him then. Yohji sighed and took a sip from his own beer, wondering how the hell he could be able to convince Aya that his promise was good. Would he have to write up a contract?

"Of course, it is. This is your place too, now, unless you're still having second thoughts?" Yohji explained again, trying not to sound as tired and irritated as he felt.

"I want to move in with you," Aya rushed out as he pulled the beer away from his mouth, like he was trying to reassure Yohji of his intentions instead of the other way around. Yohji would sure fucking hope Aya wanted to, because he wouldn't be able to take it if Aya said 'no.' That would just be too awful. He couldn't even imagine how he would react, but Yohji felt his chest clenching up either way. Aya probably thought Yohji would revoke their deal on living arrangements after the fit he had thrown this morning.

Aya took a hasty swig from the beer nervously, like he could swallow the conversation and start all over. He was mistaking Yohji's silence for some kind of rejection. The longer he stayed silent, the more this poor, broken and confused man would read it all as it being a bad thing. At least Aya didn't start to shake if Yohji got lost in his thoughts for too long. Before, Aya had mistook the few times Yohji took the time to sit back and use his brain for once to try and figure the redhead out for him planning some kind of punishment or getting upset.

"I want us to start dating," Yohji said, throwing in his own wish now. "Seriously," he added to Aya surprised, shocked face. Those were obviously not the words Aya had expected from him. Yohji wanted to start taking Aya out to places, anywhere in the town, anywhere in the whole damn country would be fine, just as long it was together and he wouldn't have to worry about some crazy-ass psycho coming along to try and bend Aya over the dinner table. He was sick of killing people whenever they went out on the town. He just wanted a normal night, without unwanted guests, interruptions, disguises, and the attitude that Aya used to cover up what he was really thinking. Yohji wanted under Aya's skin, as soon as fucking possible. Who cared about sex that lasted a few hours at best when he could get a reaction out Aya all day and night long?

"That's fine," Aya agreed without much enthusiasm in his voice the slightl red blush coming in on the top of his cheeks as he looked down at his beer in shame. Yohji stared down at the flushing creature in front of him, stunned with his lips wrapped around the mouth of beer. Yohji suddenly felt like getting religious and dropping to his knees to thank whatever it was that let him be on the same bed with Aya right now. Finally, finally, after so very, very, very much goddamn waiting, Aya really did want to be with him. Again, it wasn't 'I love you,' but it meant a lot more than those three words did. He would get Aya to say them, sooner or later. Moving into his bedroom wasn't such a big step. It was that Aya wanted to do it. Yohji had thought he was going to have to wait years and years to get anywhere.

"Anywhere you want, anytime you want is okay," Yohji gave back to Aya. He wasn't worried that Aya might just put him off forever. Aya would make a decision. He was the type of person that went with action rather than pulling back and waiting for others to make the move. Yohji didn't want to keep on chasing Aya, really scared that he might overwhelm the secretly hypersensitive person that was trying to hide behind a facade of ice.

"But why me?" Aya asked in a whisper with his beer pressed against his lower lip like it was a microphone. Yohji shrugged for an answer, not really sure how to say it out loud. He loved going out on the town with a beautiful person. Aya was better looking than most of the women Yohji had dated in his entire life, certainly more than just mere 'pretty.' Hell, Yohji didn't even think there was a word that could describe Aya. It felt cheap to call Aya anything like 'beautiful' or 'attractive.' The hadn't been a word invented yet to describe Aya. Yohji was fascinated by casual conversation and flirting with both genders; and Aya was able to do either if he chose.

Aya had been fucking devastatingly sexy in that leather dress. Yohji hadn't been able to do anything beyond making affirmative noises all night long. His conversation had sucked, but Aya's did royally on a everyday basis, so it had been a fair trade for once. Yohji hadn't even been able to make his mouth work properly, his jaw hung open in shock of what Aya could do when he put his mind to it, especially if it was to look good. And inside of that nice shining wrapping was a slight hint of the most unique personality Yohji had met in years.

"I like you," Yohji answered slowly, unable to come up with the words. How the

hell was he supposed to explain it? The few times he tried to put it into words gained him a glare from Aya if he was lucky. Yohji could never put his feelings into words properly. He was better with expressions of the body, used to pleasures of the flesh rather than the long, so utterly fucking long conversations Aya started. It was amazing they could end up talking till three in the morning when Aya would only grunt or give single-syllable answers.

Aya shrugged at the answer and tilted his head back to swallow the last bit of beer trying to hide at the bottom of the bottle. Aya had the long, elegant white neck of royalty with that solitary long gold earring only bringing more attention to it. Aya must have known how jealous Yohji was of a piece of glass, shifting his legs uncomfortably as he tried not to think about screwing.

"Here." The recovery from being so hesitant and shy from only a second ago was already complete as Aya held his empty bottle. Yohji looked down at his own half-full beer in confusion, wondering where the hell Aya had put it. The younger man was a hopeless lightweight by his pure lack of any fat, too damn skinny to stay sober after only a few drinks. Yohji took the bottle a bit grudgingly and put it on the floor by his feet for clean up later.

Aya unfolded his long legs and moved off the bed with all the grace of a cat just woken from a heavy nap, slow and languid as Aya stretched his neck with a tilt of his head. He pulled off his reading glasses and folded them closed with a deliberateness that betrayed just how much concentration it was taking for Aya to do that simple task. The redhead looked back at Yohji with something akin to bashfulness in his eyes and a small slight smile straining the corners of his lips as he placed the glasses on the new bed stand. His face already had a healthy glow from a single beer. Yohji knew it would cure Aya's depression like a charm. He made sure that Aya wasn't so drunk he didn't know what he was agreeing to, but a glass of wine or a beer could change Aya's attitude every time to something that was finally bearable. And those rare times with Aya got wasted had ended up with them in bed together…

Yohji had to really put some thought into pulling his eyes away from the redhead and started to get to work on his own drink. Aya didn't say a word as he gathered up several books and started to stack them on the floor to put away in a more permanent place later. Yohji leaned forward to hand Aya a book, but the head snapped up and the look Aya shot him behind the curve of his bangs clearly explained that other people were not allowed to touch his things. Yohji still wasn't trusted enough to handle Aya's precious books. Possession was a very tricky thing with the younger man since Aya's definition of it was fucked up as all hell. Yohji didn't push it any further and sat back on the mattress, well aware that Aya was very protective of his own things because he was used to not even being treated as human. So many faceless strangers walking around in the city had beaten Aya for so long that the redhead automatically assumed people wouldn't respect his things.

It was for that reason, and also Yohji liked being alive, that kept him from trying to help Aya with placing books on the bedroom floor. The redhead probably would have tried to strangle him for helping out, being so prickly about doing things all by himself these days. By the time Yohji finished his beer and set it down on the floor next to the first bottle, Aya had already cleared the bed of his books and was looking around the room for something else to do other than sit down next to Yohji again.

"So, what do you wanna do on Sunday?" Yohji asked lazily as he leaned back on the pillows, looking forward to the one day Aya actually let them have off from the flower shop. Maybe he could actually get Aya to go out to a movie like a normal couple. Yohji wondered what kind of movies Aya liked, since he'd never seen the redhead sit down and watch the TV of his own choice. Ken and Omi usually had control of the remote and damn near took Yohji's hand off the times he'd been foolish enough to grab for it.

Aya didn't answer, turning slowly to weigh Yohji with an unreadable look behind thick bangs. That red hair was starting to get noticeably longer in the back, wilder than Yohji had ever known Aya to allow his hair to be. There was no helping it, since Yohji knew Aya wasn't ready to go to a hairdresser and have a stranger with scissors close to his throat and face for more than a couple minutes. Maybe if he went along with Aya he could prevent a homicide, but Aya would pitch a fit if he suggested it. Aya would want to do it 'by himself.'

"What?" Yohji finally asked, wondering if he had something on his face. Aya didn't stare at people, even though that was what he was damn well doing. Aya said nothing as he crossed the room to stand in front of Yohji's knees and take a deep breath. Yohji expected Aya to say something, but instead the younger man closed his eyes and leaned forward unexpectedly. There was a kiss as light as the air, the smallest touch of a tongue flicking against Yohji's lower lip. Aya pulled away only slightly, one hand on Yohji's chest as the redhead stayed between his open legs. Yohji stared, his jaw open and his lips tingling still, wondering what the hell he had done to deserve it.

"What's that for?" Yohji asked in confusion, even though he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He just couldn't believe his fucking luck to have Aya kiss him for no reason, no purpose. Violet eyes locked onto his, reading Yohji's pathetic, lusty thoughts with ease. How could Aya not see how much Yohji wanted him? Even Ken thought Yohji was pitiful and he chased Omi around like a goddamn puppy all day long.

"Nothing," Aya returned as vaguely as he usually did, smiling secretly to himself. Yohji could see Aya was plotting something by the self-proud smirk he wore. Aya's hand tugged on the shirt, drifting down the hem on the collar so a set of cold fingertips brushed against the juncture of Yohji's throat. That was all the hinting Yohji needed to strip out of it eagerly, always ready to get naked for any occasion, even if he didn't know why Aya was acting like this. Even though Yohji had finally managed to convince Aya into having sex last night, they had still been well-behaved for Aya-chan's week-long visit. Maybe Aya missed him just as much as Yohji did, even if it had been for only a few days.

Aya stood up straight, smirking down at Yohji as he stayed still on the bed, not about to make any sudden moves. He just might scare Aya out of whatever he was planning to do. The redhead put two slender hands on the bottom of his sweater and shirt, pulling it up with agonizing slowness that was so experienced and well-done that Yohji couldn't help but feel sick with how suddenly uncomfortable his pants became. The clothing dropped to the floor and there was the thin white body that Yohji rarely ever got to see within hand's reach. Aya's fingers skimmed the edge of his jeans and over the heavy belt, but he didn't take them off, not yet.

Yohji reached out and took one of those delicate, soft pink wrists and physically pulled Aya forward another step. He couldn't take it anymore, wanting to be with Aya every minute but being denied constantly. They had to wait for everyone to leave the house long enough for Yohji to work Aya up from a slight chill to something romantic. At least this time, it seemed Aya wanted to do it with more eagerness than he had ever shown before.

Which wasn't to say very much, either, Yohji reminded himself bitter as Aya stopped moving at his tugging. Yohji chewed on his tongue, realizing that it was a bad move to drag Aya much closer than the usual amount of respect for a body's space. A shudder started in the thin man's shoulders and went all the way down as though he had been dunked in cold water. Yohji raised an eyebrow as Aya seemed to shake himself out of his own hesitation.

Aya was already on Yohji before he had a chance to apologize, kissing him and running a cold, slender hand down his side. Yohji reacted on instinct at first, opening up his mouth and trying to press his tongue into Aya's mouth, which surprisingly opened up and let him in without the customary reluctance Aya always had about deep kisses. Does this mean that Aya is actually… horny? The thought was enough to make Yohji pause, his brow furrowing at the idea.

A wet, velvet warm tongue went into Yohji's own mouth, surprising and pleasing. Yohji didn't give a damn anymore, falling back to the mattress in pure shock. He could only stare up at Aya for a moment, the inexplicable smirk on the redhead's face too precious to not be stared at. Yohji pulled himself up on the bed, trying lamely to recover from being absolutely stunned. And Aya thought he wasn't beautiful.

Yohji settled back on the pillows, half sitting up as he expectantly waited for Aya. The redhead shook his head slightly, just like a parent confused but pleased with his child's actions. Aya put a knee on the mattress and crawled forward with a slinky grace to begin to settle down by Yohji's side. Except, Yohji put a hand out, motioning Aya to come closer. There was an eyebrow raised and Aya hesitantly put one knee on either side of Yohji's waist, hovering for a moment before finally sitting down.

"Are you just lazy today?" Aya asked irritably, trying to cover up the confusion that Yohji could see in the trembling of Aya's eyelashes as he looked at Yohji's chin, but not his eyes. Aya probably couldn't understand how Yohji was able to lay back relaxed in the pillows with his usual grin on his face even with Aya settling back on his hips, a tantalizing weight on Yohji's hardening groin. Aya's eyes got wide as he realized that Yohji was already aroused, but he didn't have a clue to Yohji's endurance, never quite having the chance to show off yet. Aya didn't know what to do anymore, clearly waiting for instructions, but Yohji would never order Aya around. The redhead started this, and he could damn well continue on in it.

He could understand that Aya didn't think anyone would ever want to be straddled by another person and was a little bit nervous at something different, but Yohji didn't plan to hurt Aya and the redhead should know that by now. Yohji didn't care how they did it, whatever Aya would be comfortable with, but there would never be any pain beyond the initial discomfort that no one could do a thing about but just bear it for a moment. It was Aya. Yohji didn't give a damn if they ended up doing it upside-down in the shower, just as long as he got Aya to make those delightfully breathless gasps he would make when the younger man was trying so very hard not to say anything at all. One day, Yohji would get Aya to scream his name out loud, but right now Aya had trouble working past letting himself moan, still so nervous and trained not to make a sound or move out of line. The slightest slip of control, even if it was only a hitched breath, was absolutely precious coming from Aya.

"I'm conserving my strength," Yohji lied, sitting up a bit on the pillows if Aya was going to stay perched on his on his groin. It wasn't fair to have two sets of jeans between them. They should both be naked right fucking now. Yohji couldn't deny that Aya looked good in just those pants, the belt just begging to be torn off. There was a small 'v' on either side of Aya's exposed belly button and Yohji couldn't get over the perfect cream color of Aya's skin. There was a slight flutter of muscle underneath as Aya pulled back from Yohji, the rose tattoo just peeking out over the waist of the jeans, a few red petals flashing before the fabric shifted and it was hidden again. and Yohji was very good at getting someone undressed as quickly as possible.

Yohji started to work on the belt buckle, sitting up straight to kiss the side of Aya's neck where it joined his shoulder. Aya put a hand on Yohji's shoulder to either push back or hold on, but Yohji didn't know yet because Aya did neither. The younger man just kept his hand in the same place as he squirmed away from the feeling of Yohji licking the indent of his throat in an irresistible, excruciatingly shy way that Yohji had learned to love, as he found his lips on empty air. Aya closed his eyes in distraction, licking his lips before shaking his head, finding some kind of control again and glaring at Yohji with those fabulously violet, hard eyes.

Aya could look so cute when he was determined, and the redhead would probably kill him if he knew Yohji thought so. Aya was trying very hard to regain his bad-ass image and failing miserably, still trying to act all untouchable no matter how much of a lost cause it was. Yohji didn't let Aya's pulling back stop him from snapping the metal thong out of the eye of the belt. Yohji was trying very hard not to, really, but one dangerous yank revealed a pair of plain grey briefs that looked sexy enough to leave his mouth dry just because they were on Aya. He wondered how to get Aya to drag his legs out of the jeans so Yohji could see the soft white skin of the redhead's thighs, the curve of his knees.

Screw just the legs. Yohji wanted Aya to be naked, right now, and was frustrated to all hell that Aya wasn't anywhere near ready. Aya pushed Yohji's hands aside with a condescending snort, reminding Yohji once again that he wasn't the only experienced one in the relationship. Aya hooked his thumbs around the waist and pulled the jeans down to his knees, working his own way out of the pants over the lump growing in the front of Yohji's jeans. Aya was no amateur when it came to getting naked, more than efficient in getting a job done when he put his mind to it. Yohji would much rather to forget what Aya had done to gain that skill, not when he didn't have a cigarette.

"Don't tell me it's because you worked so hard today?" Aya sneered at Yohji as he sat back down, not the least bit fazed by his nakedness. Did Aya really think Yohji hadn't been worried to death that Aya was going to completely freak out over that damn kiss?! Yohji had damn near had a heart attack when Ken kissed Aya harder than he had ever done with Omi. Aya didn't do aggressive kisses. Yohji knew that better than anyone.

"I don't wanna break you, baby," Yohji sent back and Aya's face immediately flushed a bit with anger, the redhead taken back at being backhandedly called delicate. Aya didn't like it when his dwindling physique was pointed out, just as much a sore spot as him prodding at Yohji's sexual endurance. There was more than one way for this game to be played, and Yohji was feeling victorious underneath Aya's naked weight on his groin, biting his tongue in his mouth to keep from kissing Aya and feeling his hair again.

"You don't need to worry about that," Aya hissed coldly as he yanked the zipper on Yohji's jeans down hard just to prove a point. Violet eyes dropped down once, than twice, with a stern and puzzled face at Yohji's groin. Aya wasn't as pleasantly surprised as Yohji had thought he'd be to find out he was wearing nothing else underneath his jeans and already semi-aroused. So what of it if he chose to go commando? Yohji supposed it wasn't the smartest way to dress around Aya who was already super-sensitive to the slightest amount of flesh, but it was also damn comfortable on some days.

"Oh-ho, I can't worry about you when you run away at night?" Yohji asked in a mock, pleading sort of tone as he placed both hands firmly on the bony hips curving out front the angle of Aya's legs. He knew that Aya sometimes left the bed to pace downstairs until the morning sun came up, too scared of the nightmares to sleep. Yohji didn't need Aya's consent to wake up in a sweat when Aya wasn't there, worrying that Aya had started to do that again and cursing himself for thinking so at the same time. He always wondered if something possibly worse could have happened until he found Aya again. But knowing if he went down to find Aya he would catch hell for it, because the redhead would rather they pretend that he hadn't freaked out again.

Even now, Aya's eyes were narrowing in offense at Yohji's words for speaking about his awkward sleeping habits. Yohji decided to ignore the ruffled feathers as he ran his palms along Aya's slightly warm sides, finding a curve that fit his hands perfectly. He wished that he didn't feel small welts and bumps of dried, healing scars, doubting that all of them would ever heal completely. Some parts of Aya were still perfect, creamy and soft just like a woman's, the reason why Yohji stayed up late some nights on the couch than risk ending up fucking Aya out for pure desperation. Other parts were still an angry red that if Yohji touched Aya there even now made Aya nervous and him shy away.

"It's nothing!" Aya snapped, his face a red blush that told Yohji he had not expected someone to care about his welfare despite obvious proof all around him that it was the complete fucking opposite. Yohji hadn't even asked if something was wrong, but plainly something was on Aya's mind and the redhead was probably hoping to drive away with a good fashioned round of fucking his brains, courtesy of Yohji's trusty willingness to screw.

Yohji no longer grinned when Aya reached into the open fly of Yohji pants and took a hold of his dick inside a loose but sure fist that suddenly became the immediate focus of Yohji's world for one moment. Aya had barely done anything more than lay back and let Yohji gamely feel out where his limits were, but now the redhead was tightening his hold on handling a penis without fear, just because the poor thing was attached to Yohji. In fact, Yohji was seeing stars right now just because of that while Aya glowered at him underneath the shadows of his bangs, not in the mood to be teased now.

"Like hell it is. That's not an answer, Aya," Yohji spat back, darting out with a hand of his own and snatching Aya's busy wrist in a crushing grip. Aya's fingers let go of Yohji's privates and he forced the man back a safe distance away from his genitalia by twisting his arm. Yohji wasn't about to lay back and take abuse without an explanation, even if it was from Aya. Not without the redhead telling Yohji why. 'Nothing' was Aya's favorite explanation lately, and Yohji wasn't about to let it slide this time when his groin was still a feeling a little abused.

"You're hurting me," Aya managed out, his eyes looking not so much pained as Yohji would have expected, but more frightened. Yohji realized Aya was trying even now to pull his wrist out of Yohji's grip but the attempts had been so weak he hadn't even noticed. The bones in Aya's arm felt like a bird's, creaking and ready to snap under his barbaric hold. Yohji let go in an instant, holding his fingers out in shock as Aya pulled his hand against his chest, protectively hunching over his arm like he expected Yohji to attack him. He had damn good reason to think so now as well. You're soooo fucking stupid, Kudoh.

"You are going to break," Yohji whispered into Aya's white face, the blush gone in an instant. Yohji was always taken back every time he realized just how fragile Aya was now. The younger man pretended the opposite so well that even Yohji ended up believing him sometimes, even though there wasn't a single damn good reason why he should. Yohji forgot sometimes, wanting to pretend just as much as Aya that nothing had ever happened. It was easier to deal with that way. Aya's eyes narrowed further at Yohji's pitying look, and Yohji knew he had made a stupid mistake for the second time.

"Fuck you!" Aya half-yelled, completely out of place and naked on Yohji's legs in front of the erection hanging out of his jeans. Why, why even fucking right now is he still so damn sexy? Yohji screamed in his mind, trying very hard not to say something he was going to regret. It wasn't working and Yohji's mouth opened of its own accord, and Aya saw this with his eyes widening in a livid anger. Aya slammed two hands to both of Yohji's shoulders and they fell back, Yohji finding himself pinned down on the pillows under the thinner man for once. It was a shock Aya even had the strength to throw him back.

Yohji lay there silent, looking up into Aya's eyes that were hidden behind those long bangs that had fallen into his face. He reached up and brushed a few silken strands out of his face and tucked them behind the redhead's perfect ears. Yohji wasn't really afraid, just knowing that Aya could never handle it when someone pointed out the obvious truth. He preferred to deny it if he was ever proven wrong, using silence as a way to end any conversation. There was no way to win against someone who never said anything back.

"Actually, I've got a much better idea," Yohji offered gamely, smiling up at Aya's face and pressing his hand against the redhead's cheek, ths side of his thumb against the redhead's soft, moist lips. The weight shifted uncomfortably and Aya closed his eyes tightly, pausing for a moment as he was caught up with the pure sensation. The redhead obviously hadn't expected Yohji to be comfortable lying back on the mattress and ignoring the immediate threat of Aya's anger. He loved Aya. That was not enough to be afraid of being torn limb from limb like everyone else thought Aya would.

"And what is..." Aya started, scorn clear in his voice, haughty as all hell even though he was the plopped down naked on Yohji right now. He efficiently cut Aya off by opening his mouth and putting his lips around his pointer finger. Aya stared down at Yohji sucking on his finger, his eyes widening in astonishment when he had been trying to be very frightening only moments ago. Aya sometimes forgot that Yohji thought about sex... Forgot a lot of the time, in fact. Yohji was ready for it any time and had more than enough experience to be creative as all hell. He sure Aya did too, but his fear and timidness might as well made him no more knowledgeable than a thirteen-year-old girl.

Yohji shifted beneath Aya so he could reach over with his free hand and pull out the drawer of the new bed stand. He felt Aya stiffened as the dangerous thin tube of lubricant, still skittish at the first sign of sex no matter who it was or how much Aya trusted him. Or at least, how much Yohji thought Aya trusted him. He could tell Aya wasn't quite ready, either not drunk enough or definitely not even half as aroused as Yohji, so he dropped the lube down on the mattress for later. It had been too fast and Yohji should have known better.

"Wha... What are you doing?" Aya asked in confusion, his own limp dick hanging back in a patch of red hair no more than a few inches away from Yohji's own eager erection with a small bit of pre-cum leaking out even now. Yohji wouldn't deny that he was more than 'eager' to bed Aya. He was ready to tie Aya down to a mattress for the rest of his life and screw the hell out of him every day. Aya didn't understand just how good he looked all the time, perfect white skin and two pert, pink nipples. He didn't understand how hard it was for Yohji to keep himself from sucking Aya's face off. The fool didn't even know what it meant to be completely naked, never quite understanding that it was sex until someone had a dick in the ass. Foreplay was strange and frightening to Aya, who was used to it being businesslike, not long and loving. He could see hesitation growing in Aya's eyes, in the way he started to tighten the muscles in his arms. Pulling away.

"It's okay," Yohji assured Aya after he took his finger out of his mouth. He could only hope there was enough spit for now, even though he knew the man could take it too. Aya wouldn't wait forever, and Yohji had no doubt that he was going to bolt soon if he didn't have a good reason to stay in the room. Yohji had never had an unsatisfied lover before and that wasn't about to change now as he reached around Aya's back and found the split of his butt cheeks. Yohji slid his finger down the small, sweaty canyon of flesh before dipping into a puckered, surprisingly tight opening. Aya gasped as Yohji shoved the wet digit in, wriggling in discomfort and shaking his head as Yohji tried to do the favor of stretching him. He knew Aya was used to rougher and had grown to expect it, but why would he hurry with an already tentative lover?

Yohji pressed another finger in, causing Aya to wince now on top of Yohji's groin, grunting and biting at his lip as he tried not to make a single noise. There was no doubt about where this was going now that Aya had stopped asking questions and his breathing started to quicken and the muscles around Yohji's fingers clenched involuntarily. Aya grimaced and put one cold hand on Yohji's stomach, leaning forward as Yohji worked his fingers in and out, always extra careful to make sure that Aya was prepared. He knew that the deceptively thin and light man probably wouldn't even bleed at the worst Yohji could manage, but the thought of hurting Aya made him feel sick.

"It's all right," Yohji assured, wanting Aya to open the eyes he had squeezed shut as if expecting the most brutal pain. No one should be this scared when it came to sex. Yohji had never had someone balk before, intimidated by the pleasure once tasted. Yohji was used to having partners that didn't have the slightest clue about sexual violence and were more than willing, while Aya just twiddled his fingers and looked away from Yohji's face more times than he could count. It was kind of shocking that he had even gotten this far with Aya, not sure if he was handling things right. He had never been sure if he was going too fast, not being sensitive enough, worrying too much… Everything was fucked up when it came to Aya.

"Yoh..." Aya hitched, almost letting Yohji's full name slip past his lips but managed to gain control at the last syllable and cutting it off. Aya's eyes opened, beautiful violet eyes that looked sad enough to make Yohji's heart ache. There was also pleasure in that expression as Aya tried to remain unaffected and helplessly failed, biting his lip as he tried to deny that it felt good. Yohji could see that the younger man was starting to feel the same now as well with an erection of his own finally starting to come to life, the hand on Yohji's chest warming up now. Aya had the perfect curve in his side now as he gasped and writhed on Yohji's legs and fingers.

By now, Yohji was hard beyond belief, the pressure starting to build up in his balls. Aya looked ready with his flushed face even though Aya looked rather lost hunched over Yohji's chest. Aya shifted of knees uncomfortably, looking confused and overwhelmed with two of Yohji's fingers in him. Confusion would eventually lead to hesitation, and with Aya that was as good as throwing in the towel during the middle of a fight.

Yohji patted around on the top of the comforter for the lube, finding the cold plastic tube and popping open the top with a flick of his thumb. He passed it to Aya, wanting to make things perfectly clear that it was still his choice. Aya hesitatingly took the tube with one trembling hand, very out of place with the old calm and controlled Aya Yohji had once known. It wasn't so strange with the new Aya Yohji was uncovering, the one that could still be so fragile and innocent despite everything he had done.

The hand on Yohji's chest twitched and slowly made a jerky line to Yohji's groin like a teenager learning a stick shift. It was the attempt that mattered so much more than the actual seductiveness of the move as Aya paused, gnawing at his lower lip as he looks down at the dangerous limb peeking out from Yohji's open pants. He managed to pour out a fair amount despite the shaking in his hands right onto Yohji's dick. It was cold and heavy as the lube oozed down the length of his shaft with painful slowness. The clumsy way Aya ran his hand up and down Yohji's cock to lubricate it told him that Aya had never done so before but had a damn good idea how to. It was sad that this beautiful, naked man didn't even expect someone to take the time or spend the money for a condom, whether or not it had been because he was a whore. It chilled Yohji every time to think just how damn lucky Aya was that he hadn't picked up any diseases like that.

Yohji pulled his fingers out from Aya's t two palms on either side of Aya's hips, his thumb covering over the small rose tattoo perfectly like his hand was meant to be there, just waiting for Aya to make the move. He was amazed that he was even in the same bed with Aya, no matter if they had done it before. He had nearly lost Aya more times in the past months than Yohji would care to think about. Not very many people had the patience to deal with a certain redheaded little bastard who was never grateful whenever someone saved his sorry ass. That wasn't to say Yohji wasn't trying his best not to tighten his grip on Aya's hips and help the man find his way a little faster, perhaps by slamming Aya into place and going at it until somebody finally came home to hear the screams.

Yohji shook his head at the thought while Aya regarded his work, his dick cold, slimy, and very much ready to find some use. But, Yohji couldn't force Aya to go any faster when he looked like a deer ready to take off at the slightest sign of danger. This was Aya's show since he had started it and Yohji couldn't take control away from him like that, or else things had a tendency to turn ugly real quick. Yohji wasn't about to end up alone with the toilet again as his only bedmate to jerk off to, generally unsatisfied and sick with regret about being so damn stupid and Aya being so fucking touchy.

"Come on, Aya. Get on," Yohji gently offered, praying he wasn't pressuring the redhead but not able to sit quietly and wait a few more minutes. He had stamina but this was absolutely fucking ridiculous. Aya only tilted his head as he considered Yohji, who was so damn horny he hadn't even taken the time to get out of his pants. He didn't have the self control to sit there like some marvelous fucking stone statue like Aya could be as he stared down at Yohji. There was hesitation clear in those light violet eyes, not ready to start the final stage now even after things had gone so far. Yohji wasn't a man who begged, but he was damn tempted to get on his knees right now if it would get Aya to make up his mind.

"O..." Aya tried, failed, and took a steadying breath, closing his eyes in concentration. There was silence, dreadful awful silence as Aya hesitated to find his words.

"Okay," he managed through gritted teeth as Aya put one hand on Yohji's lower arm for balance. He sat up on the balls of his feet, rubbing their groins together for one unbearable instant where everything felt so good Yohji thought he might be dreaming, but it was too fucking real. Aya hovered as he reached back with a none too steady hand to find the head of Yohji's dick, not about to drop down the wrong way.

However, the shaking hand might be Aya's undoing before it was replaced by something much more solid and warm, muscles shivering as Aya tried to be calm and slow about it even though his face was red and his eyes were still clenched closed. Aya used his own weight to lower himself down on Yohji's length, slipping over and around him remarkably well, already stretched and more welcoming than he would ever let anyone on to knowing. Yohji could understand why even such a cold, untouchable, and irate person like Aya made it in the prostitution world: because the redhead felt like home, a lover that Yohji had never known he'd lost.

Aya's face was exceptional, the brows trembling and his mouth open as his wavered between the initial pain and the start of pleasure. Aya took a strained gasp of air before resting back even further and taking Yohji all the way until his pubes were crushed beneath Aya's perfect white ass... beyond the few tangible scars underneath Yohji's fingers of careless lovers with dirty nails that had Aya before Yohji had gotten a fucking chance. Yohji tried to push those thoughts away now, wanting to be caught up with Aya, not with his past baggage.

Aya's breathing was coming harder and faster now, for once looking not so damn cool and aloof when he had something up his ass. Yohji felt like the redhead would be able to stand it if he pushed things up a bit, slowly grinding his hips up at first so he wouldn't startle Aya. He pulled out a bit, than back in, holding Aya where he wanted to by the hips and tried to cause a little movement and rhythm with him. The redhead made some kind of noise that might have been a word, except it was a little too loud to be called anything else but a cry of pleasure.

Aya still had a hand on Yohji's arms, holding on tight as he no longer panted but started to grunt and whine, though Aya would never admit that he sounded like it. Aya's nipples were hard now and a little bit of sweat was starting to glisten on a body that was usually so cold. Aya used his other hand to reach for his own erection while Yohji kept working into him, his fingers clenching on Yohji's arm with bruising strength that was surprising for the bony things.

Yohji liftied his hand off of Aya's hip to run his hand up Aya's side until he could press one thumb against the split left nipple. Aya lost his footing on the mattress and his right knee fell to the mattress, shifting things but not impeded Yohji from wrapping his hand around Aya's dick and rubbing his edge of his palm down the length of it. Aya started to moan no matter what kind of self control he had, helpless to the most basic human needs.

"Don..." Aya tried to make a negative noise, tossing his head back and forth as Yohji gently kneaded the redhead's balls with one free hand. Aya was holding onto Yohji's arm for what felt like dear life now, nails digging into his skin and making a little bit of blood well out. Yohji could stay like this for hours with Aya sweating and blushing above him with his thighs trembling as he rocked above Yohji.

"I... Yohji... Sto..." Aya tried, shaking his head as he tried to stop things even now, still so frightened when they were connected. Yohji was finally buried deep in Aya just like he wanted to be every goddamn minute of the day. He didn't care to listen to a mangled half word. Yohji could pretend like he never heard it apart from the small, wordless cries Aya was making now as Yohji continued to pound into him, a little faster now. There was a rhythm and familiarness to Aya now, even after their pathetically small amount of sex to draw from. Yohji continued to work Aya with his hand, grinning through it all at Aya's flushed and open face, gone with all of the sensations, his mouth not spitting out smart things for once.

Yohji continued to pound into Aya even after the redhead came with a breathless shout that had to be the loudest nosie Aya had made since his last nightmare. Yohji didn't mind, more than ready to last as he ground his hips and slipped in and out while Aya grunted. His face twisted as he took Yohji in long after his own endurance, weaker as he limply moved with Yohji's thrusts. There was a noticeable difference already with Aya crying out louder with less restraint now.

"Yohji. Yohji," Aya repeated, sobbing out Yohji's name in a helpless manner that made Yohji lose all control to continue any longer like he had planned, stiffening and ejaculating somewhere behind Aya's bowels and buried up to the hilt. There was a moment where everything went white and for once glorious moment Yohji didn't even think, just felt. Times like these were why he was alive now, a certain bliss found in sex that wasn't in the bottom of a shot glass or burned filter of a cigarette. It was just a sense of completion, succeeding at making real love with Aya, not just some travesty of sex. He really loved Aya.

"Hey, baby, you okay?" Yohji asked softly, noticing the glazed look in Aya's eyes as the redhead didn't make a single move to get off Yohji, still pressed tight around his dick. The words cut whatever strings had been holding Aya up as the redhead collapsed against Yohji's chest with a sticky smack. He was panting and trembling like he had just finished running a marathon with sweat covering every inch of his white skin. Yohji found himself a little short of breath too, taken back at the power of the orgasm. He was sweating and tired as well, though not as taxed as poor Aya, all sprawled on top of Yohji with his face buried in the pillows. Yohji grabbed the back of Aya's legs and pulled the limp and exhausted thin man up and off Yohji's flaccid and uncomfortably wet dick. There was a shiny amount of lube and semen on the inside of Aya's thigh, but the redhead wasn't lifting a muscle to show that he cared.

"You wanna take a shower?" Yohji asked and only got the smallest negative shake of Aya's hair against his cheek. Well, if Aya didn't mind falling asleep in soiled sheets with dirty bodies... Yohji didn't mind either. He would much rather prefer to lie with Aya in their bed than get up and cleaned off. Sheets could always be washed, especially if Aya was around to take care of it. There was time for showers later.

There was a negative shake of Aya's head but no definite noises from the man. Yohji reached up to run his fingers through Aya's hair, taking the chance to stroke it lovingly while he could before Aya recovered and didn't allow Yohji to touch him like that. Right now, Yohji wanted to do nothing more than let Aya's heaving body start to calm down in gentle, normal breathing. He had found happiness with another person when he'd thought Asuka had been the only one. And yet, Aya was even better than Asuka, someone he could build a real life with.

"I love you," Yohji told Aya, knowing he wasn't going to get an answer but unable to resist saying it anyway. He knew the words were cheap to Aya, was certain that Aya didn't take him seriously for an instant, but Yohji wanted to say it as he let thin strands of silky hair part between his fingers. It meant something to him: to admit that he was completely in love with the redhead. Aya didn't even grunt at first as he curled closer over Yohji's body with one leg between both of his despite the smear of gel and cum left on what of Aya's thigh pressed against Yohji's groin.

"Yeah," Aya mumbled into the pillows as he tried to pretend he was still awake and failed miserably, too tired to even lift his head. At least someone was finally going to get a much needed good night's sleep finally... hopefully. Yohji got more satisfaction out of Aya lightly snoring than if he got another ten hours of sleep for himself. Yohji could go to sleep anytime he chose when Aya slept like a man who had been hunted his entire life, waking at the slightest move. The fact he was practically passed out right now only attested to how tired he must have been.

"Aw, shit, you're hopeless without me, huh?" Yohji grumbled though he wasn't irritated at all to Aya's sleeping face. It felt good to be needed by someone again, to be actually useful and wanted around the place. That was why Aya had agreed to move in with Yohji too. He was more than ready to take care of someone, and Lord knew Aya needed the help. Aya had to love Yohji just as much as he loved Aya. He had to.

"Yeah," Aya agreed again, his voice a little lighter now as he got closer to true sleep. Aya shifted around, getting more comfortable and ending up on Yohji's side rather than across his stomach. Yohji felt hot enough to hold off on crawling under sheets, but it was still cold outside. The snow was still clinging on even if the sun had finally started to shine again. Just as long as Aya was comfortable where he was right now, Yohji wasn't about to get out of bed. Not for a damn long time.

***

- El fin

***

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yeah, I call it quits here. It could go on, but then it would be another story. This is just all ends tied up, right? Well, be proud of yourself, you just read a novel-sized fic of pure tastelessness! I can't believe anyone printed it ALL out, that still surprises me. Thank you everyone for reviewing, which is so sweet of you. And for those of you who emailed as well. And anyone who mailed me about errors and corrections they noticed that needed fixing. Still please email me if you see something wrong, because I think of this as all rough draft even now.

And yes, I think I just might do a sequel, but I need your help (because I have no good ideas). If you've got an opinion, idea, suggestion no matter how little, inane, or stupid you might think it is, email it to me (Pegasus813@aol.com), por favor! It just might be the thing to inspire me!
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