One Night

Yohji knew that their luck couldn’t hold out for long. While they were locking up for the night, Manx arrived and ruined Yohji plans for the evening, just like that. He sighed in defeat and said with a bow, “Good evening, Manx. To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?”

Shaking her head at Yohji’s antics she replied with a smile. “Oh, I just thought I’d stop by to make sure you were staying out of trouble.”

“Never,” Yohji said with a smirk as he turned to wink at Aya. “The day I do is the day they cremate me.”

The frown that suddenly appeared on Aya’s face made Yohji silently curse himself. It probably reminded the redhead of how precarious their hold on life was; reinforcing the fact that if Aya continued in a relationship with Yohji he could easily be left with more heartbreak if Yohji died on a mission.

Thinking back over the past week, Yohji had to admit that he hadn’t been this happy in what seemed like forever. Sure, he was jerking off in the shower on a daily basis - something he hadn’t done since high school - but he was also falling in love with a grouchy bastard who made every day worth waking up for.

The four of them quickly finished cleaning the shop then followed Manx down to the mission room. They were shown a tape of Persia explaining the current crimes of their latest targets along with the usual request for Weiß to take up arms against the perpetrators.

Apparently dozens of young women had been abducted and now, a few months later, a rash of human stem cells were being sold on the black market. Kritiker’s investigations had tied the two together and Weiß’s job was to eliminate those responsible as well to free the women and destroy the laboratory where the ill-gotten stem cells were extracted from the aborted fetuses.

The tape ended and Manx continued the briefing. “After you have eliminated all of the security where the women are being held captive, you will call the recovery team assigned to collect the women and return them home.” Manx handed out folders to each of them before turning her attention to Omi. “Bombay, please alert their team leader when you’d like them to be on stand-by.”

Assured that each of them would participate in the mission, Manx said ‘good-bye’ and departed while they began to look over the information provided in their packets. Yohji frowned as he read. This was not going to be a cakewalk; that was for sure. The number of guards keeping the women hostage was impressive. Then the security around the laboratory would be tight. And Kritiker didn’t even know where the damned laboratory was that they were supposed to take out.

“How in the hell are we supposed to destroy this laboratory if we don’t even fucking know where it is?” Yohji grumbled. He was pissed off and it colored his thinking.

“We wait to move until a night when they are transporting the fetuses and then follow them,” Aya answered with a look that clearly said Yohji was an idiot.

Shaking his head at himself, Yohji replied, “Oh, yeah. That’s a good idea. But how will we know when that will occur?”

“Since the doctor is the apparent ringleader of this whole operation, I think it would be best if Ken and I go to his office and plant a few bugs tonight while you and Aya do the same at his home. We also need to attach a GPS locator on his car so make sure you do that, too, when you’re at his place. It could mean a late night waiting for him to get home. The information in here says that he’s to attend a fund-raiser for the hospital he’s affiliated with,” Omi informed them as Aya nodded in agreement.

They spent another two hours planning the rest of mission before going to change into their mission gear. At least tonight should be relatively low in danger, Yohji thought while knocking on his neighbor’s door.

Aya answered the knock dressed in his long leather coat and gloves, his katana clutched in one hand while his features were schooled into a blank mask. “Let’s go. I’ll drive.”

Yohji followed, a little surprised at this change in Aya. He hadn’t known exactly what to expect when he knocked on his boyfriend’s door, but after a week of seeing a more human side of the man, it was a bit unnerving. Not willing to go out on a mission feeling so ill at ease, Yohji stopped Aya from opening the car door and pulled him into a hug.

Aya struggled to pull away as he growled, “Not now, Kudoh.”

“Wait a minute, Aya. We’re not on a timeline so settle.” Yohji said. He didn’t know how to put into words what he was feeling, or if he even wanted to at this point since he wasn’t sure Aya was ready to hear that Yohji was falling in love with the stubborn bastard. When he felt Aya gradually relax in his arms, Yohji just held him for few precious moments. He finally tilted Aya’s head and placed soft a kiss on pliant lips before saying, “Be careful tonight, okay?”

Aya no longer had that impassive look on his face as he hugged Yohji briefly before nodding. “You, too.”

With a much lighter heart, Yohji let Aya go and went to the other side of the car. The two of them were soon headed for a residential area of Tokyo where Aya parked the car a few blocks from the target’s residence. Cautiously, they made their way to the doctor’s house and began their reconnaissance. Once assured that no one was home, Yohji made quick work of the lock on the back door while Aya disabled the alarm.

Yohji watched Aya head toward the living room to set various listening devices before he went to the bedroom to do the same. Once he was finished, Yohji joined Aya in the doctor’s study. As Aya set up the devices in there, Yohji looked around the room and asked, “Should we see if there’s any paperwork that would be helpful?”

“Good idea. You take the file cabinet, I’ll look through the desk,” Aya instructed.

It was quiet in the room except for the rustle of papers as they each sorted through the many documents. With a little grunt of satisfaction, Yohji held up a piece of paper. “I don’t think we’re going to need to use the listening devices after all. This letter confirms a pick-up tomorrow night at 10pm. The address is a warehouse in the area that was suspected of housing the women.” Aya walked over and accepted the document Yohji held out to him. “How likely is it that a doctor would have a confirmation of delivery at such an odd time of night?”

“Hn.” Aya only grunted as he set the paper on the desk so he could photograph it with his cell phone. Once finished, he handed the letter back to Yohji. “Put that back and let’s get out of here,” Aya ordered as he tidied the desk.

Making sure the alarm was reset and the house locked up, Aya and Yohji went to hide behind the garage to wait for the doctor’s return so they could plant the GPS device. Just in case the information was inaccurate, they could still fall back on the original plan.

Yohji sat on the ground and gestured for Aya to sit beside him. Hesitating for a moment, he finally settled next to Yohji, who put his arm around Aya’s shoulders to pull him close. Aya stiffened as if ready to bolt before he relaxed. The two of them sat in comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

Yohji knew he was falling in love with Aya, but what was going through Aya’s head and heart was something Yohji wasn’t as certain of. While he was happy that Aya seemed to be returning his affections somewhat, he couldn’t begin to hope his love for Aya was reciprocated. Yohji decided that he would keep these newfound revelations to himself and maybe, someday, there would come a time when he could let Aya know how he felt without scaring the man away.

Frowning, Yohji realized that he was worried about the mission tomorrow. Now that he had someone to care for, he found himself concerned whether he lived or died. Not only that, Yohji was terrified that something would happen to Aya. Knowing that he would only alienate Aya if those anxieties became apparent, Yohji forced them to the back of his mind, determined to enjoy the now, as the life he’d chosen years ago dictated. He couldn’t prevent either of their deaths by worrying about what might happen, and he could possibly do something very stupid if he let those emotions have free reign. With an effort of will, he forced his thoughts away from the uncertainty of the future and decided to focus on the mission to make sure the one he held close came to no harm.

*****

Aya tried to listen to the quiet sounds of the evening but was distracted by a much noisier place, his mind. The feeling of contentment he experienced whenever Yohji was near both excited and alarmed him for many reasons. Was he falling in love with the blond idiot? And if he was, what did that mean for him? Aya’s sole focus for the past few years had been his sister. Everything he did was directly for her benefit. Now with her missing, it was even more important that he remain focused and continue to be Kritiker’s dog. He needed to find Aya-chan and make her safe once more.

Somewhere along the past week, his center of attention shifted. While he worried about his sister almost every waking moment, when he wasn’t thinking of her, he was immersed in thoughts of Yohji. Or he was with Yohji; and at those times he’d discovered that he hadn’t completely lost his former self. Yohji had broken through his defenses and made him realize that there was still something left in him to give to another besides Aya-chan. That somewhere, somehow a little bit of Ran had survived. Forcing himself away from that dangerous path, he turned his focus back to his current dilemma. Aya feared he was falling in love with Yohji. If he were a normal person with an everyday life, that might be a good thing. But his life was far from normal and he was getting into something that was terrifying in its unfamiliarity.

Aya’s moods lately swung from high to low and back again. Lowest when he thought of Aya-chan, highest when he was with Yohji. The thing that bothered him the most was the fact that when Manx had appeared, the first thing that went through his mind was that they would have a mission where Yohji could possibly be hurt or killed. He’d never felt like that before. It was a fact of their existence and he had always taken that in stride. Now that he was in a relationship, the thought of Yohji being hurt scared him as much as his sister being in Schwarz’s hands. He was so screwed.

Suddenly, Yohji pulled him closer and whispered, “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing.” Aya was so surprised that Yohji knew he was uneasy that he couldn’t think of a quick answer.

Oh, this was not good, Aya thought. When did Yohji begin to sense his moods? Why was his life never easy? Fortunately, headlights shining in the yard alerted them to someone coming home. They got up to watch as the doctor and his wife walked into their house and Aya was surprised at their early return. Within minutes, they’d planted the locater on the car and were making their way back to Aya’s Porsche.

Now that the mission was over for the night, Aya relaxed a little while he drove home. He wondered what would happen when they got there since Yohji had planned to take him to a movie after they grabbed a bite to eat after work. Aya realized that they’d not eaten yet and asked, “Are you hungry?”

Yohji looked at him and replied, “A little. I think it’s too late to take you where I wanted. Would you like to stop at a noodle stand and grab a quick bite?”

Aya shrugged and said, “Or how about Daikokuya?”

“Sounds good, I’ve never been there but I’ve heard about it. All you can eat and drink, right?” Yohji winked.

Aya let a small smile escape. “Do you think they’ll regret their policy once they see you in action?”

Yohji grinned. “I’ll behave myself. We do have a mission tomorrow night. Speaking of, I’ll call Omi and fill him in while you drive.”

Within minutes they’d arrived at their destination. Aya parked in a dark corner of the parking structure so they could exchange their coats and gloves for the lighter jackets Aya kept stowed in his trunk for unexpected changes. It was a quiet walk to the restaurant. The hostess seated them immediately because it was later in the evening when most people were already finished with dinner. They took their time eating and drinking their fill, talking about random little things. Afterward, Yohji leaned back as he looked around the cavernous restaurant and raised his voice a little loudly to be heard above the noise. “How did you know about this place? It doesn’t seem like the type of establishment where you’d normally go.”

Aya shrugged. “When I was with my last team we would sometimes come here after a stakeout or work. I found the food was good and that it was a nice distraction.” His thoughts drifted back to those days before he’d become an assassin. Aya didn’t know what was worse, the frustrations he’d felt that he wasn’t getting the revenge he sought against Takatori or the weight on his heart now that he was a murderer.

Yohji’s hand on his stopped his painful musings. The gentle look in those green eyes held a wealth of understanding. Not quite comfortable with the flutter in his stomach when Yohji stared at him like that, he looked down at his plate and asked, “Ready to go?”

With a nod, Yohji stood and walked toward the exit. The drive home was quiet, again each man lost in their own thoughts. When they finally arrived home, Aya wasn’t sure what to do, so instead he did nothing as he walked to his apartment with Yohji right behind him. When he reached out to open the door, Aya wasn’t surprised to have Yohji turn him around to hug close. His mouth was captured in a kiss that soon left him breathless and leaning against the door to support his weak knees.

“Come sleep at my place?” Yohji continued to place light kisses on Aya’s face as he spoke.

“Mmm…” Aya dragged his mind from the pleasure Yohji was provoking and forced himself to remember the mission. “I have to write up the mission report on what we found and talk to Omi. If you want me to come over when I’m finished, I will.”

Aya cursed himself for being so weak, but he needed Yohji like he needed air. He didn’t know why this had happened, or how it had happened so quickly, but he didn’t have the strength to fight it.

“Do you have to do that tonight?” Yohji nibbled on Aya’s earlobe as he asked.

Tempted to say no, Aya pushed against Yohji’s chest until the man backed away so he could glare at him properly. “Yes,” he growled. “If you want me to come over later, behave and go to your apartment. Right. Now.”

Yohji only grinned and he looked over his sunglasses to give Aya a wink. “I’ll be waiting.”

Not content to let the bastard have the last word, Aya grabbed Yohji by his jacket and yanked him in for a kiss. It was all heat as Aya plundered Yohji’s mouth. Aya finally ended the kiss and let a little satisfied smile appear when he took in Yohji’s slightly dazed look and said a bit smugly, “Of course you will.” Not letting Yohji have the chance to retort, Aya quickly entered his apartment and shut the door.

*****

Yohji grinned at the closed door before going to his apartment. Aya certainly didn’t let Yohji take the lead for long and that was just fine with him. It was nice to be in a relationship where they were equal partners. He’d never had that before, even with Asuka. Even though she’d been a very independent woman, there were still times when she looked to Yohji to take charge, in both their business and sex life... especially in their sex life. She’d been happy to have Yohji be the giver and initiator in bed. And all of his one night stands had been the same. With both sexes.

He stripped down and went to take a shower. Yohji could hear the water running next door and assumed Aya was doing the same. After he’d finished his shower and dried off, he put on an old pair of athletic shorts he’d taken to sleeping in lately. Yohji figured it would be a little while before Aya finished with his tasks and decided to change his sheets to kill some time. Not that they were stained with anything… yet. But Yohji was hopeful that it wasn’t too far in the future for that possibility.

Yohji’s dreams and thoughts were haunted by their one night together. While the pleasure had been intense, it was more than that. The connection he’d felt with Aya was something he’d not experienced since Asuka. Their night together was the first time Yohji had felt complete since that terrible day when his partner died, all because of him. Yohji thought he’d lost the one chance at finding his other half when he’d lost Asuka, but he’d been wrong. Although Asuka had fulfilled him, he now realized that she wasn’t his other half. Very close, but she didn’t complete him in all the ways that Aya did.

How did he fall in love with Aya so quickly? Yohji’s thoughts ran in circles, but then it occurred to him that it wasn’t all that quickly and he’d been falling in love with Aya since he first carried him to his bed almost a year ago. Yohji had been fooling himself when the team broke up temporarily, thinking that the feelings of hurt were because Ken and Omi had agreed so quickly to disband when it was actually the fact that Aya had left with no word. Even when the team reformed, Yohji had been miserable until Aya showed up.

A knock on the door interrupted his reflections and he quickly went to answer it. Aya walked in, dressed in a t-shirt and cotton sleep pants.

“All done?” Yohji asked and Aya nodded in return.

Yohji gestured to the couch and when he sat, pulled Aya into his arms. Yohji felt like he was a teenager again with all the kissing and snuggling he’d been doing lately but when Aya’s lips met his, he realized he had no problem with that. Opening his mouth to let a questing tongue slide inside, Yohji groaned and pulled Aya closer against him.

They broke apart to stare into each other’s eyes before moving as one to press their lips together again. This time, Yohji’s tongue delved into the sweetness that was Aya. It was such an addicting taste that Yohji found himself fantasizing daily about kissing Aya. The man’s lips were both soft and firm and never failed to excite Yohji.

Time lost all meaning as they kissed again and again. The continuous soft moans of desire ratcheted up their passion. Each kiss stole away their breath until they’d break apart to gulp in a bit of oxygen, only to come together again seconds later. Their tongues battling once more, Yohji savored the way Aya had looked moments ago, his lips kiss-swollen and red, eyes half closed with desire.

Without breaking the kiss, Aya suddenly straddled Yohji’s lap, twining one arm around Yohji’s neck to thread his hand through blond locks while his free hand caressed an exposed nipple. Not wanting to be left out, Yohji swept his hands underneath Aya’s t-shirt to caress his back and spine.

Aya began to suck on Yohji’s tongue as their hands roved over each other’s bodies. They broke apart when Yohji tugged Aya’s shirt over his head, each gasping for breath before resuming the kisses that were driving them wild with need. In Yohji’s mind’s eye, he saw a breathless Aya, cheeks flushed with passion and he began to rock his hips into Aya’s. Yohji wasn’t surprised when Aya pushed his own erection against Yohji’s. Wanting to feel even more, Yohji grasped Aya’s ass to force him harder against his hips.

Yohji gasped into the mouth devouring his when his left nipple was pinched. The fingers then eased and the touch became teasing before the hand moved to drag nails down Yohji’s side. He gasped at the sensations that stoked his lust higher and felt the fingers in his hair clench and unclench as Yohji teased Aya’s nipples in retaliation. He drank in the little sounds of passion escaping Aya’s lips as he nipped on the tongue in his mouth.

Yohji moaned in disappointment when Aya’s lips left his to trail down to his neck. When Aya began sucking on his neck he sighed in satisfaction, the sound becoming a loud moan when a slender hand reached into the top of his shorts to wrap around his cock. Yohji thought he’d died and gone to heaven. Snaking his own hand down the front of Aya’s pants, he mimicked the action on his erection. Aya was just as hard, leaking precome when Yohji began to match Aya’s rhythm. Throwing his head back and groaning in pleasure, Yohji thrust his hips forward into Aya’s tight grip.

Aya’s lips left his throat and made their way to one of his nipples. Yohji gasped when Aya bit softly then soothed the nub with his tongue. Wanting a taste of Aya again, Yohji lifted his head and tangled a hand in Aya’s hair to urge Aya’s lips back to his. Aya’s hand moved faster on his cock while the other cupped his balls. Knowing that he was close, Yohji sped up jerking off Aya, twisting his hand a little when he came to the top and squeezing a bit. Yohji loved the feel of Aya’s hand on him, so different than his own and much more exciting, especially the thought that this was Aya doing this to him.

Yohji knew he was going to come soon when Aya suddenly arched and gasped into Yohji’s mouth as a warm wetness coated his hand. Opening his eyes to watch Aya come, Yohji’s hand went to join Aya’s on his cock, urging it to move again. It was only moments before his own orgasm streaked through him and he threw back his head while yelling Aya’s name.

Aya bonelessly rested against him while Yohji tried to calm his racing heart and catch his breath. A few minutes later, Aya shifted away and reached for his t-shirt to clean them both. Tossing it aside, Aya settled back against Yohji, his face nuzzling Yohji’s neck. Not willing to spoil the moment, Yohji kept silent. He leaned his chin on Aya’s head and gently caressed his lover’s back. Yohji was happy and sated with what he hoped was a happy and sated Aya in his arms. Life just didn’t get any better than this.

He didn’t know how long they sat like that, but when he felt himself starting to doze off, Yohji said, “I think it’s time for bed. Will you stay again?”

Aya only snuggled closer and Yohji chuckled. Gathering up his strength, he wrapped his arms around Aya’s hips and shifted to the edge of the couch. About to stand, he paused when Aya leaned back to look in his eyes. “I can walk,” Aya said a little testily.

Smiling at a grumpy Aya, he quickly got up and said, “It’s only a few feet. I think I’ve got you.” Yohji laid Aya on the bed and quickly followed.

“Hn.” Aya turned to mold against him, one arm and leg draped possessively over Yohji.

Even though he was tired, Yohji wasn’t ready to fall asleep yet. Aya’s breathing had evened out shortly after they’d gotten into bed but Yohji was now wide awake. Mind busy replaying the evening, he was surprised, although very happy that Aya had decided to take the next step in their relationship. Yohji was hoping that they would soon be having full-on sex, but wouldn’t push the issue. He’d promised Aya it would be at his pace.

Yohji was distracted from his musings when Aya became agitated and began to cry out softly in his sleep. Yohji hugged Aya close while murmuring assurances that he was there. Never waking, Aya nonetheless settled down after a few minutes.

When Yohji felt assured that Aya’s nightmare had passed, he let himself relax. It had been a busy day and tomorrow promised to be even busier so he decided that he better try to get some sleep while he could, especially since he was on another early shift in the Koneko tomorrow. Chuckling to himself, he had to admit that a month ago if someone had told him he’d willingly take the early shift, he would have said they were nuts. Guess love really does work wonders, he thought as he closed his eyes and finally fell asleep.