Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Boys in the Attic ❯ As You Like Him ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Weiss Kreuz nor am I profiting from this, it is for pure reading enjoyment. The wonderful Koyasu Takehito is the creator.

As You Like Him

Yohji returned home about an hour and a half later with groceries. Ken wasn't home yet so he started to put the food away himself. He was so excited about actually getting the job at Club Kyoto and the meeting with his boss today, where he was awarded an automatic promotion; he just had to call Ken at work and tell him. He dialed the number to Nakada Fitness Gym. The phone rang twice.

"Nakada Fitness Gym, my name is Otsune, how may I help you?"

"Hi Otsune, this is Yohji, please send a page for Ken."

"Alright Yohji, just hold on a sec." Yohji sat patiently as his roommate was being paged. He listened to the cheesy hold music that was provided for him as he finished up putting away the groceries.

[What is taking that girl so long to find him?] Yohji thought to himself. Otsune returned to the phone.

"I'm sorry Yohji, he isn't responding to the page and I don't see him anywhere."

"That's okay, he gets off work soon so he's probably just freshening up in the locker room before he comes home. Thanks anyway."

"I'll talk to you later." The two hung up with each other. Yohji grabbed his keys and headed out the door. He drove down to the gym and parked around back in the small employee parking lot. It meant that he'd have to walk all the way back to the front of the building for entry but at least he wouldn't have to circle around the parking lot for a space. The whole lot was packed.

When he did finally get in the door of the gym Yohji was greeted by Otsune who was sitting at the front desk. "Hi Yohji."

"Konichiwa, Otsune."

"Come to look for Ken yourself, have you?"

"Yes, I'm afraid I have." Otsune was such a sweet girl and Yohji would have loved to stay and talk with her a bit more on account of her job was to sit at the front desk everyday by her lonesome but he really wanted to find Ken…well, that and the fact that Otsune had extremely large breasts and every pair of eyes that that crossed her seemed to always fall to her bosom. One too many times he'd seen other people stand there awkwardly, trying not to look at her chest and fail miserably. Otsune would always notice what was going on and both people would end up embarrassed. Yohji figured he'd leave before this happened.

He went inside the men's locker room in search of Ken. "Hidaka, there you are." He saw the man removing some soap, shampoo and a washcloth from his locker.

"Yohji?" "What are you doing here? I thought you took the day off." The younger man was pleasantly surprised. He'd been lonely without Yohji trotting around the gym today.

"I did, I just came to tell you something. I couldn't wait for you to get home." Ken shut his locker and both boys walked to the bathroom area where Ken stepped into one of the narrow showers to clean himself of the sweat and body odor he'd collected at work. As Ken bathed Yohji told him all about his day and didn't skip one detail. "So what do you think?" Yohji asked as Ken finished rinsing shampoo from his hair.

"I think your boss has a crush on you," Ken said a bit resentfully. He didn't like the idea of anyone else being this fond of Yohji.

"Yeah, but what about me working on the third floor? I basically got a promotion today. Isn't that cool?"

"Like, I said your boss has a crush on you." Ken said coarsely, he pulled back the little shower curtain in front of him and Yohji handed him a dry towel. Ken stepped out from the shower and as he dried his body, Yohji used a smaller towel to help dry his hair. He stopped for a moment to stare at Ken.

"Just piss on my parade, why don't you?" Yohji said evenly. Ken inwardly recoiled knowing that his pride had been hurt so he tried to make up for it by directing the conversation to something friendlier.

"Listen, I officially get off work in about twenty minutes. Why don't you go wait for me in the employee lounge and we can go home together," Ken said smiling.

"Well, I should actually get home now so I can get a head start on dinner. I begin work at my new job tonight and I want to stop by my mechanic, so I better go now."

"Oh," Ken said bitterly. "Well, bye."

"Bye," Yohji said softly as his best friend walked away from him without a second glance.

When Yohji got back home he fixed dinner and ate alone. Ken got home expecting to be able to sit down to his meal with Yohji, but his little mock housewife just set him down a plate and got ready to leave. Yohji still had ample time to spend with Ken but he didn't even want to be around his housemate at the moment. Besides, Ken deserved the silent treatment for a while. He'd been so fickle with his supportiveness of Yohji and now the older man was reacting in view of that.

He'd been too upset to deal with the trouble of meeting with his mechanic today so Yohji skipped it. Unfortunately his car was giving him even more trouble than earlier, so Juro picked him up and drove them both to Club Kyoto. With a small duffle bag in hand, Yohji accompanied Juro in an elevator up to the third story. Odaka had an unexpected meeting to attend and left his new employee in the hands of his younger brother. The two conversed and Juro walked Yohji through some paperwork. "Just sign here Yohji and we're all done." Yohji signed on the dotted line and was pleased with himself. "Alright then Yohji, follow me."

Yohji trailed behind his friend to one of the many black doors down the hallway. Number sixteen was the one they stopped at. Juro unlocked the door and flipped on the light inside. The room was well furnished to look quite like a regular living room, only more romantic. Yohji eyed peaceful atmosphere. A box of tissues was left on one of the tables for obvious reasons. "So, here's where you'll be working tonight." Juro pointed to a curtained doorway at the front of the room. "That's your dressing room. You wait in there for your clients to arrive. It isn't much but clients still aren't allowed back there. We only have cameras set on this part of the room. It's for your own safety really. If a client gets out of hand someone will catch it on the monitors and radio all third floor security to help you." He turned to Yohji and provided the older man with a smile. "Now get naked…or half naked for the time being. I'll check up on you later."

"Thanks, Juro." Yohji was left to himself. He passed into his dressing room and stripped down. Out of his duffle bag he pulled out a black g-string. After putting on the scandalous thing he pulled out a carefully folded black silk robe. He put the robe on and waited. A gentle chiming sound went off inside the room that alerted him a client would soon be entering. He stepped from behind the curtained doorway to greet whoever was coming in. A stout, dark haired man in his mid to late thirties came into the room and stared hopelessly at Yohji as he made his way over to sit on the couch. The man's perverted stare sickened Yohji to his stomach but a sneer would not corrupt the smile on his lips. "Hello," he said softly as he stepped forward. The man's smile grew wider and more devilish looking. He just sat on the couch, palming at his knees.

"Hi."

[Oh, god, why does he look like he wants to bite me?]

"Come closer." Yohji stepped forward again and began to slip out of his robe. The whole time he kept his gaze on the man's beaty little eyes. They were dark and empty. Something didn't feel right, but it was probably just the jitters and he needed to get used to this kind of work so Yohji tried to relax. That idea was quickly disregarded when rough hands grabbed at him.

"Hey, no touching!" Yohji yelled. The man's grasp only got tighter as he chuckled to himself and tried to pull Yohji downward so his face would rest at the grisly man's lap. Yohji yanked and twisted away from the harsh grip. "Stop, you bastard!" He tugged so hard to get away that he flung the man off the couch. Unfortunately the client landed on top of him. The burly man pinned him down at the shoulders while his prisoner tried to escape. As soon as he felt he had enough control he quickly forced his mouth down to Yohji's. The younger man tossed his head from side to side in resistance to dodge the kiss. Frustrated, the client firmly kept one hand on the captive but used the other to SMACK the man beneath him. Yohji froze, stunned from the action. The older man descended his mouth again to Yohji's. He harshly kissed and licked the lips for entrance. Finally, he lifted his mouth for a moment to breathe. "Ewe, you reeeek!" Yohji managed to growl. He could smell alcohol coming through the man's pores.

The man started to kiss Yohji's neck. "Stop, stop!" [Why the hell isn't anyone coming for me?! Ow! Crap, the stubble on his face feels like sand paper!] Yohji struggled harder. The client continued to kiss Yohji's neck softly and then began to suck at a certain spot. That was the last straw. Yohji's brain automatically registered that a bruise would be left on his delicate skin and probably ward off potential dates who would see the ugly thing then, assume he was spoken for. Yohji growled with anger and kneed the man clear between his legs!

"Arrgh," was all the man could say. Not a moment later, security burst in to apprehend the man. He was dragged away still murmuring in pain. Juro came flying through the doorway soon afterward. "Yohji! Are you alright? I'm so sorry. That guy…none of the other clients are like him. He was banned from returning here months ago but he paid a security guard in the monitor room to let him in. But that guard's been fired and I promise this won't happen again. Both are gone for good!"

"Take a breather Juro." Yohji's heart was racing but he could see that Juro was just as frightened as he was, so he kept up a calm front not wanting either of them to feel anymore discomfort by dwelling on what had just happened.

Juro hugged Yohji. "I'll send in someone new. I guarantee it won't be a freak." Juro left and Yohji prepared for the next person. He went behind the curtained doorway and heard a chime. He waited for the front door to open and close before he emerged from behind the red curtain. When he did come out from hiding he was very surprised.

"What are you doing here?" Yohji asked. He stood firmly and emotionlessly.

"I've got ten minutes and I'm here to see you." Ken had come to apologize for how thoughtless and uncaring he'd acted earlier.

"Please leave Ken, I'll see you at home." Yohji went back behind the curtain and pushed a button that notified the main office he was done early with the client and available for the next. He didn't want to see Ken right now and was still too upset with the boy to think that Ken might have come to say he was sorry. The fact that he had just been through a fierce struggle with some maniac wasn't helping his mood either. For now, Yohji was only willing to be cold; cold like Ken had been to him lately.

"Yohji," Ken's plea for the other man to listen went unanswered. He left to return downstairs and did so in a huff. [I can't believe it. Yohji won't even hear me out,] Ken thought to himself. When the elevator reached the second floor he got off, entered the same room with the purple door that he'd been in the previous night and sat at a table where Omi was waiting for him. The blonde had already ordered them both a couple of drinks. As soon as Ken finished his first drink he ordered another and the liquor just kept on comin', anything to stop him from thinking about Yohji.

Yohji rubbed at his temples remembering that he couldn't avoid Ken forever but hopefully things would go back to normal soon.

Down the hallway, three clients waited patiently in the main office to be presented a room and dancer of their choice. One man waited just to be serviced as he stood up at the front counter. The woman behind it was busy at her computer. As she tapped away at the keyboard, her long pink, artificial nails clacked each time her fingers descended. She typed a few last keys before looking up. "May I help you?" She asked, smiling as brightly as she could.

"I'm here to order a private show."

"Any preferences?"

"Brunette, male."

"Club membership ID please." The man set his club ID on the counter. The receptionist examined the information on the laminated card that told her he was eligible to receive a dancer. She knew exactly who he was, she saw him everyday, but she had to do her job correctly and not skip out on the whole identification thing. "Alright then." She glanced at her computer again before scrolling down choices male and brunette with her mouse. She hit enter and the computer found four different dancers meeting the description. "There are four dancers that have what you're looking for but only one, no…two are free. Hmm, this new guy works fast," she said raising her eyebrows.

"New guy, huh? I'll take him."

"For how long?"

"Twenty minutes."

"Okay, and at a rate of thirty-five dollars every ten minutes, the total is seventy dollars. Will you be using the credit from your membership card to pay for this?" The man nodded and she swiped his card; the fee was deducted from his club account. "A buzzer in the room will alert you when your session is up, but until then, enjoy yourself."

The receptionist clicked a tab on her computer that sent the chime off again in Yohji's room. The man was given Yohji's room number and handed back his club ID. He strode down the hallway before arriving at room #16. The lights were soft and dim and music was playing, it sounded Middle Eastern. He settled on the comfortable couch provided and rested a hand between his legs in anticipation. Yohji stepped from behind the curtain.

"Konichiwa," Yohji cooed. He focused his eyes on his client and his smile flattened. He suddenly became very nervous. He wasn't ever expecting to get Odaka as a client. He wasn't even sure if he'd meet up to the man's expectations and he certainly didn't want to make a fool of himself somehow. It was different when his boss just wanted to see him naked, but now he'd be rating Yohji's performance. Maybe Odaka wouldn't notice how frightened he actually was. Yohji timidly approached the man but tried to be sexy about it. [Yeah, I can play this cool.]

"You nervous?"

"What?" Yohji asked. The question caught him off guard. His eyes widened. [Crap, he sees right through me!]

"Well, it is your first day, so I figured you might be."

[Whew, so I don't look too nervous. He's just considering the fact that I'm new.] "I think I'm okay."

"You look more than okay to me," breathed Ryu. The words made Yohji feel more confident and he began to slowly disrobe. He undid the sash about his waist and delicately let his robe pool at the floor. Odaka smiled as Yohji straddled him and began fluid motions, raising his hands into his hair and playing with the locks.

+++

"Wasn't Juro `sposed to come down to meet us?" Ken slurred.

"Hmm?" The little blonde's attention had been focused on how many more shot glasses it would take to cover the whole table. They way Ken was knockin' drinks back, he figured he'd find out soon. "He'll be here." Omi smiled. His eyelids fluttered with the heaviness of suspicion and near drunkenness. "Why you like him or something?"

"No. I just feel like we're missing somebody."

"Yohji?"

"No, that man is dead to me."

"Don't bee so melodramatic. I don't know what the hell happened between you two but it's made you irritable all night, so fix it. You're boring the hell out of me just sitting over there dwelling on it. "

"Whatever," Ken whispered.

+++

Ryu cupped his groin and began to lightly massage it when Yohji got up from the straddled position he had the man in. The businessman watched as his dancer's jade eyes flew shut and his body seductively swayed to the music playing. Yohji spun around to provide a rear view. He bent over and slid his hands over his legs as he rose back up again. He looked over his shoulder at his client and noticed the tightening grip that Odaka was keeping between his legs. The businessman's fingers worked over a certain spot that he obviously was getting the most pleasure from. The sight made Yohji's own length tingle. He didn't expect to get this much enjoyment out of dancing for someone else.

The bulge in Ryu's pants grew larger and as it did, so did the amount of fun and confidence Yohji had. He thought having his boss there would be a disaster but it was actually helping. Yohji figured if no other customer was pleased but Odaka, he'd still be happy. Odaka waited until Yohji was very close to him to whisper the younger boy a question.

"So do you like it here?"

"I do."

"I'm glad. I hope you stay a while.

+++

"Ken? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Omi. I just am drunk," Ken said with a slur to his speech.

"Yeah, I think we've both had a lot more to drink than usual. You've had more than me though." Omi glanced at his watch. "Hmm, 10:25. It's still kind of early out but we should probably get home now. It nearly killed me to go in to work at 8:00 this morning when I didn't even get home until passed midnight. I can't let that happen again. But you wouldn't know about that since you don't have to be at work `til 9:00," Omi snickered. Ken smiled in amusement and patted his friend on the back. The two gathered their things and went home.

Ken's drunkenness was causing his emotions to overwhelm him. He suddenly felt very cheated and upset. Yohji's new job was taking up all of their buddy time. First they didn't eat dinner together and tonight they didn't even come home together. Ken didn't like being home alone when he was drunk, he liked company. Typically he and Yohji would come home wasted together and they'd finish the night by watching television, play fighting or making out until they fell asleep. Either way, Ken never ended up alone.

He sat on the couch and stared at the darkness of the television screen in front of him. He thought about turning it on but found it pointless without Yohji. Instead he'd rather retire to his bedroom and watch the smaller one in there. He padded away to his bedroom and started to remove his clothes. He threw them all into the hamper as he made his way over to the entertainment center that his television along with a few other electronics sat in. It had a shelved cabinet for storing movies and Ken was beginning to browse through it.

Each film was alphabetically listed by genre. [Let's see, what do I wanna watch…action, comedy, fantasy, horror, porno…] "Porno, it is!" he declared to himself drunkenly. "Hmm, but which one?" He looked through the lot, first deciding that he wanted to see some boy on boy action. He finally settled on a movie called The Joy Fuck Club. "Haven't seen this one in a while."

He popped the dvd in and sat his naked ass on the bed. He pushed play on the remote and reached over to his nightstand to grab a bottle of lotion that he liked to keep handy for such events.

+++

Yohji wrapped up his shift around 10:30. He'd made around four hundred dollars in just one night. The final agreement was for him to work evenings from 7:30 to 10:30, Fridays and Saturdays. Juro assured him that he didn't need to work Wednesdays and Thursdays as Yohji had originally offered to Ryu earlier in the day, besides he'd probably tire out with two many hours on his feet. Yohji couldn't believe how right Juro was about the pay. He'd never made this much cash on any other job.

Yohji headed out the front door of the club. He saw Ken entering a cab and he would have yelled after him, but he became distracted. A red haired man stood, leant up against a brick wall of the club. It was the same guy he'd seen the night before, the same walking enigma. He was smoking a cigarette. [Perfect,] Yohji thought to himself. He wanted to talk to the stoic man but had nothing worth saying except to ask for a smoke. Then, he could introduce himself to the redhead; they'd fall in love and Yohji Kudou would become Yohji Fujimiya…Okay so maybe that was jumping the gun a little but it made perfect sense to Yohji at the moment.

He walked toward Aya. "Hey, can I bum a cigarette off you?" The redhead looked at him for a while trying to register the question. He'd obviously been deep in thought before Yohji had approached him.

"Uhm…sure." He pulled a cigarette from his pack and handed it to Yohji.

"Thanks, I've been needin' one of these." It was a damn lie. Yohji had a full pack in his duffle bag but he wanted to get closer to the other man; wanted to hear his voice, yet didn't want to seem like a loner desperate for human contact by starting small talk with a complete stranger. Especially cliché small talk, like "Cold out here, aint it?". It was obvious the redhead wasn't going to provide a reply to his last statement. A "you're welcome" would have been nice though. Disappointed, Yohji tried to leave gracefully. "Well, I'll see you around," said Yohji as he searched his pockets for a lighter.

Yohji stood at the edge of the street, scanning it for a taxi. There were none. Any other time they seemed to be all over the place. Well, at least this gave him time to finish his smoke.

Juro was leaving for home soon as well and offered him a ride earlier, but Yohji saw Ken and tried to catch up with him so they could share a cab home. Yet the plan went unsuccessfully of course. All Yohji had to do was wait for his friend to come out of the building and take him up on that offer again. The only problem was he didn't like waiting in the cold so he turned to go back inside and look for Juro himself.

"You need a ride?" Yohji stopped in his tracks. That silent, emotionless, red haired man wouldn't even bid him goodnight but he was willing to offer him a ride home. Creepy.

"Well..."

"I'll give you one, if you like that is."

"Yes, please." Aya beckoned for Yohji to follow him. When they got to the parking lot Yohji's eyes widened though he was hardly surprised. He knew Fujimiya had money but to see where all of it must have gone was still a bit astounding. "Nice car." A Porsche suited the redhead. They climbed in and sped off. The ride was smooth and comfortable but like all things, it came to an end. They neared the block Yohji lived on."

"So what street did you say it was again?"

"Cherry Blossom, just make a right at the next stop sign." They pulled up into the driveway behind Yohji's car after arriving at their destination.

"Well, this is where I take my leave," Yohji said as he exited the car. He shut the passenger side door and looked in the window. "Thanks, uhm…" Yohji wanted the redhead to offer his name. He already knew it of course but he wanted to seem friendly and if he'd provided the name himself he might seem like a stalker being that the two were absolute strangers.

"Aya," said the red haired man.

"Thanks, Aya," Yohji said with a smile on his lips.

"You're welcome, Kudou." Yohji squinted his eyes with scrutiny and wonder.

"How'd you know my name?"

Aya shrugged his shoulders. "I know lots of things," he said simply. "Have a good evening."

"Likewise," Yohji said just above a whisper. Aya began to back out of the driveway leaving the older boy with a quizzical look still plastered on his face.

Yohji made his way up to the front door as he watched the taillights from Aya's car disappear down the road. He headed for his bedroom, passing Ken's room on the way. He could hear familiar sounds of the porno flick music playing and knew exactly what his roommate was up to.

+++

Ken was lying on his bed, penis in hand. His shaft was only mildly stiff. Eventually he stopped the movie he'd been watching, as it did not satisfy him. He'd spent the whole night trying to clear his mind of Yohji with alcohol and porn as distractions but they were both fleeting solutions. The older man kept creeping into his imagination, but he wouldn't grant himself the guilty pleasure of using the image of his friend as masturbating material. He wiped his lotion-slicked hands off on a small towel he'd retrieved from the linen closet.

Tired and well deserving of a little sleep, Yohji decided to take a quick shower to relax himself. He took off his clothes to prepare for the tub and set them rather neatly on the floor. He had to use the toilet first so before getting in the shower he directed himself over the bowl.

Meanwhile, Ken thought it wise make a quick run to the bathroom and thoroughly wash his hands. He opened the bathroom door only to find Yohji in mid-piss. His eyes instinctively moved to the liquid streaming into the toilet. "Privacy," Yohji said. Ken shut the door. He hadn't realized that Yohji was home. He went to the half bathroom down the hall and washed up there. He made his way back to his room and snuggled into bed. On the other side of the wall, Yohji did the same.

+++

During the middle of the night, Yohji awoke. It was 3:14 a.m. and he still couldn't get back to sleep so he strode to the kitchen for a glass of warm milk. As he came down the hallway, he noticed a light was on. He found Ken sitting at the dining room table with a mug of coffee in his hands. It smelled great. "Coffee at this time of night?" said Yohji. It startled Ken and he almost dropped the mug from his hands.

"Damn, you scared me," he smiled. "Sit Yohji." The older man sat across from him at the table. "I…I've been an ass lately, haven't I?" Yohji nodded with a grin. Ken closed his eyes with a sigh. "I don't mean to be. You're my best friend and I don't like to hurt you…it's just that…"

"I know what it's about." Ken's eyes fluttered open. "I've got this new job that takes up some of the time we usually share together as friends. Instead I'll be spending that time with a dozen other people and it makes you jealous." Yohji ran his fingers though his hair. "You think I'm gonna forget about you somehow, leave you in the dust, but I'm not. And then there was today. You don't know how bad it made me feel today when I came to you with good news, but all you could do was jealously comment on how much of a crush my boss must have on me. It made me feel cheap. Then afterward when I said that I couldn't wait up for you and had to get home early to cook dinner for us, you acted like I was purposely skipping out on you."

Ken shifted in his chair. He was feeling very exposed at the moment and didn't have a clue what to say next but found the words somehow. "I'm sorry," he whispered with his head down. Yohji looked at the younger man adoringly, knowing that Ken's apology was sincere. "I know that you're sorry. But I need you to know that we'll always be friends and you shouldn't feel threatened by new things or new people in my life." He got up from his seat to stand next to Ken. He placed a hand on Ken's face and gently rubbed at the soft cheek. The younger man leaned further into his friend's touch, which lasted to shortly. The warmth retreated as Yohji told his housemate goodnight.

+++

Yohji hitched a ride on the back of Ken's motorcycle to their work. His car was still on the fritz. Both men were fitness instructors and mainly worked at the east end of the gym in the aerobics department. The classes Ken and Yohji taught were always filled to the brim. Women eagerly signed up for the program just so that they could watch the beautiful men and perhaps show off a bit with their all too tight spandex outfits. This week Yohji was helping train a new instructor named Mae. She was just present as his assistant for now but soon she'd be teaching a class of her own for senior citizens. Yohji decided to step out of the room and leave her in charge so that she could get used to conducting a group on her own. Plus he just wanted a break.

Yohji strode over to Ken's class to peek his head in and watch his friend. Many of the same female students that used to be in his class were now in Ken's. They'd switched when Mae became Yohji's assistant; her help was leaving very little for their favorite bishounen to aid them with. Even though the class had become dangerously overcrowded, at least now they had a gorgeous young man to be their guide full time.

"Alright ladies," Ken called out to the class before him. "For this next exercise I wanna see you lift and straighten out your left arm to the side then, bring your left knee up to your elbow. Afterward you're gonna alternate and do the same thing to the right side of your body. Easy enough?" Ken asked smiling

"Yeah!" the crowd cheerfully cried back in unison.

"When you're done, go over the it once more. Ten repetition, ready, begin 1, 2, 3…"

Half way through, Ken stopped doing the exercise himself so that he could walk around and monitor the progress of his group. He gave simple words of encouragement as he passed down the rows.

"Ahem."

Ken stopped his surveillance. Yohji was leaning in the doorway, arms folded with as smirk on his face. Ken walked up to him and whispered, "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I've got ten minutes and I'm here to see you." Ken recognized the phrase. He'd said the same thing to Yohji the night before at Club Kyoto.

"That reminds me, you owe me thirty five bucks for kicking me out early yesterday. I'm an unsatisfied customer and want a refund."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll give it to you after work. Speaking of which, it's Sunday, so we get off early. You wanna do something with the spare time?" Ken thought for a while.

"Uh…yeah, I want us to check out that new mall, what's it called?"

"The South Pointe Mall? Too rich for my blood."

"You don't have to buy anything. We missed the grand opening yesterday, so let's go after work. I drove passed it the other day and it looks really cool. Afterward we can go to that Vietnamese place near our house for noodle soup. I've been craving it all day."

"Alright, sounds like a plan." Yohji's attention was drawn to the direction of the women in Ken's class. They'd finished their exercises and were staring at the two instructors with bright smiles on their lipstick-tinted lips. "I think, I should go now, your subjects get excited enough with just you around. With both of us here they might explode," Yohji said playfully as he slipped out of the room and headed toward his own.

+++

"So this is South Pointe, huh?" mumbled Yohji. Ken grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into the front doors of the mall. It was beautiful inside and out. The architecture of the place was outstanding. They stopped in a candy store. Ken saw something on display that he wanted.

"Would you like one Yohji?" The older man shook his head. "Suit yourself." Ken proceeded to purchase a candy for them both anyway. He placed one of the candies into his mouth as they left the shop and made sure to make obvious sounds of enjoyment as he devoured the treat. "Mmm…mmm, so good." Yohji rolled his eyes. He knew what was coming next. "Are you sure you don't want to some Yohji? I've got one left?"

"It's all yours." Ken gave him a disappointed look and bit half of the second treat.

"Mmm," he purred once more as he licked his lips and placed the other half of the candy just an inch away from Yohji's mouth, silently asking for the older man to open up and receive the treat. After a moment Yohji's lips began to part and allowed Ken to place the candy inside. Ken felt the older man's tongue brush against his thumb. He smiled at the fact.

The two shopped around a bit more before calling it quits. They made their way toward the mall exit when Yohji spotted a smoke shop. "Wait here Ken, I just wanna run in real quick and get a pack of smokes." The younger boy nodded and waited patiently outside. He looked around at all the pricey stores and all the wealthy people who could actually afford to shop in them. South Pointe really was something. Meanwhile, Yohji was inside thinking the same thing but on a negative level. He couldn't believe how stuck-up everyone was inside the shop was acting. The only person who seemed real was the cashier, who clearly wasn't from this side of town either.

"Funny meeting you here." Yohji turned around, recognizing the voice.

"Juro? Hey guy, what's goin' on?"

"Nothin' much."

"You here by yourself?"

"Nah, I came with my brother but he sent me away."

"What for?"

"I'm pretty sure he's picking up my birthday present and wants me gone for a while so he can get it gift wrapped. He gave me fifty bucks and told me to scram so that said a lot. You're coming to my party, right?"

"Of course."

"Good," Juro smiled brightly. Yohji raised an eyebrow.

"What's going on? You look too happy." Juro just shrugged his shoulders innocently. Yohji squinted his eyes.

"Okay, okay. An acquaintance of mine saw you come in to work yesterday and started asking questions about you. He'll be at the party too."

"By any chance, is this friend of yours Fujimiya-san?" Juro nodded. [So that's how he knew my name last night.] "Don't worry Juro, I'll be there." Yohji turned to leave as he placed his purchase in his pocket. He stopped and turned around. "Hey, what do you think you're doin' in here anyway baka, if my memory serves me right, you won't be eighteen for another two weeks?"

"Relax, I'm just here to buy a new lighter for my dad."

"Sure," Yohji winked. "Good bye Juro," Yohji said as he exited the store. Ken overheard and looked inside. He waved when he saw his friend just as Yohji tugged at his arm to go home. [So he asked about me, huh?] Yohji thought to himself with Ran Fujimiya still on his mind.

+++

Ryu drove Juro home. He pulled into the circle driveway to drop his brother off closer to the house. "Come in for sec."

"No."

"They aren't home."

"But they will be." Ryu and his parents hadn't gotten along in a very long time. Tired of all the arguing and ridicule that he recieved from them, Ryu avoided his parents at all costs. As a result it kept him away from Juro a lot.

"Ryu, I hate this! You used to live here too, so just come inside. Mom and dad can't say anything about you just stopping by can they?"

"They don't want me to see you at all Juro! Do you understand that?!" Juro visibly tensed. Ryu saw the wince and tried to calm down. "All hell would break loose if they knew you worked for me at Club Kyoto. You'd be on lock down permanently; anything to keep you away from me." Ryu heard a car pull up behind him and looked into his rear view mirror. "Shit, it's our folks." He sighed. "If they ask why you were with me today, just blame it all on me. Say I kidnapped you somethin'." Juro exited the car just as his parents had done the same from their own vehicle. They eyed Juro's car with scrutiny before walking up to the house. Their father walked in but not before looking back. Their mother on the other hand waited outside the front door with a sour look on her face.

"Come inside Juro." The woman called. Juro nodded softly and joined her in the house.

Ryu drove away. [Great, another fucking day in the life of Ryu Odaka.]

Believe it or not, I pretty much finished this chapter days ago. Visiting family over the holidays kept me from editing and posting it. Before you think I've abandoned this story, I'm just gonna go ahead and post what I have. +Smile it's free.+