Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Chains ❯ Clasp Me ( Chapter 88 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Notes: Thank you all for the reviews! They’ve encouraged me to keep the posts quick on this story, and I really appreciate the time you’ve all taken to respond!


Chapter Eighty-Eight: Clasp Me


Despite Yohji’s misgivings, Aya was still training with Sato three days a week. So after dealing with the roses for the wedding and closing shop, the blonde hoped to get a few chores done before they set off for that. He went upstairs to start the laundry, only to find Aya standing by the bed folding what appeared to be clean underwear—the primary objective of the whole laundry-doing venture.

“Is it okay?” Aya asked quietly, not looking up as he folded another pair of boxers.

“Sure,” Yohji shrugged, taking a seat beside a stack of his own clean t-shirts. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but it was like someone had flipped a switch and Aya was trying as many new, helpful things as possible. “You know you don’t have to, right?”

Aya nodded and kept folding. Each item was given crisp creases, done the exact same way every time. Yohji just watched, laying on the bed as Aya put away their things.

“Thank you,” he said. Aya looked up, surprised, he thought.

~*~

Aya jerked his head up, slightly startled that he almost fallen asleep, again. He wasn’t going to do that; it wasn’t normal, to fall asleep in the car. He wasn’t a child.

But he was tired. Practice with Sato had been rigorous, but more than that, the day had taken vigilant effort, constant policing in his attempt to achieve something like normality. There were a thousand questions to be dealt with at every action or inaction, the repeated suppression of his own fear, the complexity of determining (or remembering) what normal even was. It was difficult.

Yohji seemed pleased, though. Glancing sideways at the man driving the car, Aya saw that there was still a lingering smile and his face, and it firmed his own resolve to keep going.

“Hey,” Yohji said, turning down the radio, “You want something to eat?”

Aya thought about it. He was hungry, but he wasn’t sure he could stay awake long enough to eat. It might be normal to eat, but falling asleep in some restaurant wasn’t. So he shook his head, no. Yohji lifted an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Watching the road, Aya felt himself nod off again and jerked back to consciousness.

“Let’s go get drive through,” the blonde suggested. “I’m starving.”

~*~

Yohji couldn’t help but smile as he looked at his bed, complete with a sleeping redhead. The boy had fought sleep all the way home, managing to eat some fries but nearly dropping the package when he drifted off. Yohji had been hard pressed not to laugh, but now it was a certain tender feeling he had as he pulled on a pair of worn sweatpants and took a seat next to the boy.

Aya’s pajama top wasn’t buttoned, and he was twisted oddly around on top of the covers, like he had been getting dressed and decided to lay down, just for a minute, and had gone out as quickly as any toddler. His wet hair was spread out around his head, and Yohji reached to smooth it down, letting his fingers linger in the red strands, slipping down one smooth cheek and down Aya’s neck.

The boy shifted in his sleep, and Yohji jerked his hand away, running it through his own damp hair. Getting up, he threw his wet towel in the hamper and went to the dresser. He brushed his hair and made sure his sunglasses were on the nightstand, then went back to tuck Aya in.

Yohji folded back the covers and started to shuffle Aya underneath. The boy moaned and tried to pull away from his hands.

“Nooo,” Aya groaned, pressing his face into the bed and edging away from him.

“Shh, it’s just me,” Yohji brushed back his hair again, the unassuming touch seeming to soothe. He reached and turned off the light before settling in next to Aya and pulling the boy close. He never completely woke during the jostling and curled up around Yohji with a quiet sigh.

The older man rested his hand on Aya’s shoulder, looking at the ceiling and listening to the soft inhale and exhale of the boy’s breathing. For the first time in weeks, Yohji felt great. He felt like Aya had made some real progress, the thought bolstered by each little accomplishment that had been scattered throughout their day.

It had been sudden, and Yohji had glimpsed the effort Aya put in to each little thing. And he was grateful. So he tried to be encouraging without being obvious.

As to what had precipitated the sudden change, Yohji didn’t like to think it might have been the mission, but the timing seemed likely. If so, he could only hope that it had not been the act itself but rather that Aya had realized that there was no retaliation waiting at home or that Yohji really would be there for him no matter what.

Yohji smiled in the dark and pulled Aya a bit closer. The boy snuggled in, long fingers tangling in Yohji’s loose pants, taking hold just below his waist.

He would be there for Aya, even if they didn’t always have good days.

~tbc~

Notes: Good Yohji. Please leave a review to pet him and tell him how well he’s doing!

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