One Night

Aya jerked awake from a nightmare where his sister’s charred body walked out of the burning wreckage of the ambulance they’d chased. As he lay there trying to calm his rapidly beating heart, he realized he wasn’t in his bed. The full moon cast the room in enough light so he could recognize that he was once more waking in Yohji’s bed, only this time not alone. Aya looked at the clock which said 1:20, letting him know that he’d slept the day away.

He concentrated on trying to recall the events from yesterday after the pathologist told him that the young woman wasn’t Aya-chan. He vaguely remembered his relief making him dizzy then waking in the hospital with an IV in his arm while a nurse wrapped his leg. The last thing that came to mind was Ken and Yohji on either side of him, helping him up the stairs to the apartments, then nothing. Aya looked down and saw a small bandage in the crook of his arm and noticed he was wearing a pair of hospital scrub bottoms. As he looked over at his bedmate, Aya reached down and felt binding covering his upper thigh from where a constant ache emanated, which only confirmed that the memories were fact.

He watched Yohji sleep, much like he’d done the other morning before forcing himself from the hotel bed, longing to stay and watch Yohji until he woke. Aya had stifled that rebellious urge then but wasn’t sure he was willing to do so this time. Part of the reason for the change in attitude was what Yohji said to him at the hospital, the other part colored by those feelings that seemed to have grown more persistent since their night together.

After Yohji came to his apartment the other evening, Aya had been extremely angry with the blonde for daring to presume to know what Aya felt when he hadn’t figured it out himself. But along with the anger, he'd been strangely hurt that Yohji had gone out and slept with people immediately after their night together, as if to prove Aya meant nothing to him. Aya didn’t do emotions well in the best of times, which this certainly wasn't.

Now he had to decide what to do. Could he really begin something with Yohji while Aya-chan was in the hands of Schwarz and thus Esset? If Aya was honest with himself, he’d admit that he was very attracted to Yohji but couldn’t understand why Yohji seemed to reciprocate the feelings. There was nothing special about Aya and he’d seen the types of people Yohji could entice into his bed. Aya couldn’t hope to compete with them on any level. Besides, Aya didn’t feel he had the right to enjoy any happiness while his sister was missing.

Another factor to consider was whether he and Yohji could have a relationship that wouldn’t affect Weiss. Aya had already had so many upheavals in his short life that he didn’t want to lose another team because of his actions, especially one where he felt he belonged. It would only be one more burden to lay at his feet if he managed mess up and drive Yohji away.

Aya became aware of a pressing need that required attention so he carefully got up and tested his leg. It was a bit sore but could support him, so he slowly limped his way to Yohji’s bathroom with only the light of the moon to guide him.

*****

Consciousness gradually came to Yohji before he suddenly sat up, fully awake. Something woke him but it took a few moments to figure out what it could have been. His senses dulled by worry and lack of sleep, he finally realized that Aya was no longer sleeping next to him and felt a little sad to see that Aya had left. He hoped what he said to Aya at the hospital would have sunk in, but it appeared that Yohji was still at square one.

After they arrived home, he got Aya settled in his bed and watched his friend while he slept. When Yohji could no longer stay awake, he settled down next to Aya and drifted off to sleep. He figured he’d wake if Aya got up but was wrong in that assumption.

About to lie back down to get some more rest, Yohji was surprised to hear the toilet flush then see Aya come out of his bathroom. He knew the minute that Aya spotted him sitting up in bed. Aya hesitated as if unsure whether to stay or leave so Yohji said, “Aya, come back to bed, it’s still the middle of the night. No sense in going to your place and walking on that leg anymore than you have to right now.”

Not waiting for Aya to make a decision, Yohji got up and led him back to bed, where Aya sat on the edge. Yohji sat down next to him and tentatively placed an arm around Aya’s back while using his free hand to coax Aya’s head to rest against his shoulder, gently brushing red hair back from his face. When Aya didn’t fight the embrace, Yohji slowly pulled them into a lying position against the pillows.

Aya turned slightly into Yohji’s arms, hissing in pain. “What happened after I blacked out?” Aya hesitantly wrapped an arm around Yohji’s waist.

So surprised by Aya returning the hug, Yohji almost missed the question. He forced his mind to concentrate and finally recalled Aya’s question and answered, “We took you to the emergency room. You’d cut your leg pretty badly during your ride down the hill; it wasn’t a large cut, only deep. You’d been bleeding for quite a while; your pants were soaked in blood. They ran some tests to see if you needed a transfusion but since you were borderline, they only gave you an IV of saline solution instead. Seems like you were dehydrated and that, plus the blood-loss and shock, combined to make you pass out. You need to eat and drink properly to keep yourself fit to fight, Aya,” Yohji dared to chide.

“Hn.” Aya’s grunt was more eloquent than words. Yohji knew that Aya neglected himself while worrying over his sister. The added stress of what happened between the two of them probably compounded the neglect.

Aya made as if to get up so Yohji tightened his hold as he whispered, “Please stay, just to sleep. You should rest that leg a little more before you walk on it. And besides, I don’t want you to be alone right now. Okay?”

“Why?” Aya asked as he looked into Yohji eyes.

Yohji could see the conflict there and screwed up his courage to answer as truthfully as he could. “Because I care about you and I want you to let me be there for you. I also want to see if we can be more than friends.” He put his fingers to Aya’s lips when it appeared he was about to interrupt. Yohji once again risked Aya's ire by bringing up what was foremost in his mind. “I don’t mean a fuckbuddy relationship or just sex. I’m serious Aya, I want to be with you, do things with you outside of work and missions. Do you think you could let us try that?”

Aya was quiet and Yohji could only hope that he was considering the request. The feeling that Aya was wavering and seriously considering the possibility had Yohji continue carefully, as to not put his foot in his mouth again. “Whether we have sex will be up to you. You set the pace.”

“What about kissing?” Aya asked, his eyes locked on Yohji’s lips. “Does that count as sex?”

Yohji fought against a smile. Aya was so incredibly naïve despite the fact that he wasn’t a virgin. Yohji’s humor turned to sadness as he thought of all the reasons why Aya didn’t truly know the answer to that question. He leaned in for a sweet kiss, but Aya had other ideas as he opened his mouth to slip a tongue between Yohji’s lips. Yohji groaned and his own tongue went to play with its guest. The kiss was passionate and intoxicating. Aya may not have much experience but he was a natural when it came to kissing, and Yohji could have continued all night.

When Aya pulled back, Yohji smiled and said a little breathless, “Kissing is okay. Whatever you feel is right, and the when is up to you.”

Aya's face betrayed nothing of what he was thinking; then suddenly a yawn escaped and he said, “I need a few more hours of sleep. Do we have to work in the shop tomorrow?”

Yohji shook his head as his eyelids drifted shut. “No, Omi has Momoe-san covering at least through tomorrow. We’ll probably need to help out the next day as Saturday’s are pretty busy.”

He felt the body in his arms relax and realized that Aya had fallen back to sleep. Yohji reached down and pulled the blankets over the two of them then allowed sleep to claim him also.


******

Aya woke gently, not the jarring into consciousness from a nightmare or an alarm clock, but rather the drifting into awareness with a rare feeling of contentment. He opened his eyes to the sight of Yohji's sleeping face next his. He realized that somehow in the night, he must have moved closer to Yohji since they were lying on the same pillow, Yohji’s arms still around him. Dawn was just beginning to break so Aya merely rested in that embrace while trying to make sense of the past twenty-four hours.

His sister was still missing but not dead. The despair he'd felt when he saw the ambulance go up in flames was worse than anything he'd ever felt before, and Aya hadn’t thought twice about rushing into that inferno. He admitted to himself the attempt was less about trying to rescue his sister than ending his life. Then Yohji spoke to him at the hospital, and it made him understand for the first time that there were people who truly worried about him, who cared if he lived or died. That thought was both confusing and terrifying.

Above it all was the fact that Yohji wanted to begin a relationship with him. Aya surprised himself, not only by staying last night, but when he returned Yohji's hug. Aya knew he shouldn't allow himself the luxury of letting his emotions free reign but it felt so good to be held like that. He was so tempted to just say ‘yes’ to everything Yohji asked, but first he needed to consider all the facts. Aya wasn't comfortable allowing himself the self-indulgence of being with Yohji while Aya-chan was not only missing, but still in her coma. Aya felt he didn’t deserve to have any type of normal life or emotions when his sister couldn’t do the same. His guilt that he was alive and unharmed while his family wasn’t was a constant ache in his heart.

Aya also worried about the potential fallout if he and Yohji were to start something. How would that affect Weiss? Or if for some reason it didn’t work out, would it be possible for him and Yohji to still work together?

Aya’s head began to pound from all those thoughts closing in. He carefully extracted himself from Yohji’s embrace, watching as the blonde pulled a pillow into his arms before settling down once more. Aya brushed Yohji’s hair off his cheek before quietly leaving for his own apartment.

*****

Yohji groaned and pulled the pillow he was hugging over his head. He must have forgotten to close the blinds the night before and now the sun streaming though the widow hit him directly in the face. Drifting back to the edges of consciousness, Yohji suddenly remembered all that happened during the past day and quickly sat up, tossing the pillow aside.

He was alone in bed and Aya was nowhere to be seen. Yohji looked to find that his bathroom door was wide open, too. The bed was cool everywhere but where he’d been lying so that meant Aya had been gone a while, but that didn't really surprise Yohji. He’d been a bit taken aback when Aya agreed to remain last night and more, but now that he thought about it, Aya had not agreed to date him. Yohji realized that Aya had sidestepped the whole issue and distracted him with questions of kissing.

Yohji got up and headed to the shower as he thought about what to do next. He wasn’t about to let Aya make all the forward progress from last night become meaningless. Yohji managed to penetrate Aya’s walls some small bit and would now press his advantage and not let the damn stubborn idiot shut him out again!

Several hours later found Yohji knocking on Aya’s door, his hands filled with take-out and a bag full of rented movies. He knew Aya was home because he could hear music from inside the apartment.

About to knock again, the door swung open and Aya filled the doorway. “Yohji, what do you want?” Aya asked with a slight frown on his face.

Yohji lifted the bags he held in his hands and said, “Dinner and movies. I thought we could spend the evening together.” While he spoke, he slipped past Aya into the apartment.

Aya closed the door and warily watched Yohji set the bags down on the coffee table so he could pull out containers filled with sushi and a bottle of sake. Holding out a bag to Aya, he said, “Here, pick a movie and we can watch it while we eat.”

Aya paused just long enough for Yohji to feel that he might be on his way to being thrown out again before Aya accepted the bag and rummaged through the offerings. Yohji kept his apparent relief from showing on his face as he continued to get their dinner laid out. He’d gotten several different DVD titles hoping that a few of them would appeal to Aya since he really didn’t know Aya’s taste in film yet, but he vowed to correct that soon. Aya turned the stereo off and placed one of the movies in the DVD player before returning to stand next to Yohji.

“Do you have some glasses, Aya?” Yohji asked as he set out the disposable plates and chopsticks provided by the restaurant. Aya once more hesitated before he nodded and went to a small cupboard to pull out two sake glasses.

Yohji was quietly pleased that Aya was going along with his plans but a little unnerved by his silence. Not quite sure what to say that wouldn’t ruin the night, Yohji just continued to act as if this had all been planned ahead of time. Aya set the glasses on the table and Yohji opened and poured the wine. He sat down and gestured for Aya to sit beside him which, surprisingly, he did.

“I hope you’re hungry, Aya. I think I bought enough to feed Ken here.” Aya smiled slightly at the joke. Ken always seemed to be hungry, his athletic body always requiring lots of fuel for the energy used. Aya selected several types of sushi and placed them on his plate along will a bit of ginger and wasabi. Yohji fixed his own plate and offered a packet of soy sauce to Aya before pouring some on his food.

“So, what movie did you pick?” Yohji asked between bites of his dinner.

“It appears to be a comedy. I haven’t seen any new movies for a while but it looked interesting.” Aya picked up the remote and started the movie.

Yohji grinned, “I was hoping you’d be in the mood for that one. I’ve wanted to see the movie for a while.” Yohji took a drink of his sake and settled back against the couch. Aya did the same, once more surprising Yohji by sitting close enough that their shoulders touched. Yohji wished his hand weren’t full so he could put his arm around Aya, but figured there was the whole night to do so and continued enjoying his meal.

When they couldn’t finish any more of the sushi, Aya paused the movie to pack it up and put in the refrigerator. Yohji cleaned up the rest of the mess until all that remained were their glasses and the bottle of sake. Yohji refilled their drinks and sat down while waiting for Aya to return.

Aya sat down and picked up the remote, but before he could resume playing the movie, Yohji wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close while turning Aya’s chin with his free hand. Aya was stiff in his arms as he slowly moved forward until his mouth covered Aya’s. The kiss was soft and tentative, giving Aya the chance to back away.

Yohji kept up the gentle pressure until Aya finally relaxed, opening his mouth and wrapping his arms around Yohji’s waist. Yohji groaned and deepened the kiss until tongues twined and breaths mingled. Someone moved and suddenly Yohji was laying flat on his back with Aya sprawled on top of him, neither of them breaking the kiss. He threaded his fingers in Aya’s hair while he felt a hand caress his stomach. His cock had been hard since the minute their lips touched but fucking was not the goal of this encounter. Yohji was aware that there would be a lot of cold showers to suffer through, but felt the ultimate prize would be worth all the frustration he’d endure in his immediate future.

When Aya lifted his head to gasp in deep breaths of air, he looked down into Yohji’s eyes and Yohji could see the desire and confusion swirling in those violet depths. Realizing that Aya was seconds away from building his defenses once more, Yohji raised a hand to cup a delicate cheek and said, “You are an amazing kisser, but why don’t we finish the movie? I have to return them tomorrow.”

Aya continued to look down at Yohji then slowly nodded in agreement. They both sat up but this time, Yohji sprawled in the corner of the couch and pulled Aya to lean against his chest, their arms wrapped around each other as they watched the movie.

*****

Aya woke with a kink in his neck to find that he and Yohji must have fallen asleep in the middle of watching the third movie. They were both half sitting, half lying on the couch with him covering Yohji’s left side and, even though it wasn’t very comfortable any more, he really didn’t want to move. Aya felt safe in Yohji’s arms, a feeling he’d long forgotten.

After he left Yohji’s apartment that morning, Aya spent the day trying to figure out what he was going to decide in terms of Yohji. He knew that his friend was not going to let him get by without giving him an answer and even if Aya told Yohji he couldn’t date him, there was the feeling that Yohji wasn’t going to accept that answer.

When the knock on the door sounded, Aya knew it was Yohji. He still hadn’t decided what he was going to do, but apparently his subconscious had. Aya let Yohji in with no argument and went along with whatever Yohji planned. The kiss had been wonderful and for a moment he’d been tempted to go further, but thankfully Yohji kept things from going to far.

Aya needed to put a stop to this, what ever ‘this’ was. He was beginning to enjoy Yohji's company, being held by him. Aya's focus should be on Aya-chan and not on his personal life. He wasn't even supposed to have a personal life. Aya was just Kritiker's dog and tool… one that only had room in his existence for his sister.

But then Aya looked at Yohji and his resolve wavered. What was it about Yohji that made him willing to consider things he'd long determined to do without? Aya was only supposed to be living for Aya-chan, not himself. Yohji was making him think about things other than revenge and his sister.

Sitting up, he gently shook Yohji’s shoulder and said in a quite voice, “Yohji, wake up. It’s past time to go to bed.”

Yohji shifted and mumbled. “Don’t wanna move… too tired.”

Aya sighed, “At least shift so you’re laying down on the couch and not half sitting up.”

Yohji’s eyes opened just a bit and he said, “Okay.”

Aya got up to grab a pillow and the extra blanket from the foot of his bed. When he returned, Yohji managed to lie down properly and lifted his head to allow Aya to place the pillow underneath. Before Aya could cover him with the blanket, Yohji reached up and grabbed his wrist, pulling him onto the couch. He struggled to get up and Yohji said, “I like holding you while I sleep. Please stay.”

Aya sighed but admitted that he slept better in Yohji arms than at any other time. “Fine, just let me spread the blanket out.”

Yohji let him go with a smile on his face and Aya got up to cover him with the blanket. Yohji swept the blanket aside to leave room for Aya to crawl under and mold his body against Yohji. They shifted a little until Yohji lay on his back with Aya next to him, his leg and arm across Yohji. After adjusting the blanket Yohji once more wrapped his arms around Aya to hug him close.

Aya relaxed in those strong arms, listening as Yohji’s breathing became deep and regular in sleep. He thought that he’d remain awake, worrying about what he was doing but surprisingly enough, Aya quickly followed Yohji into sleep.

*****