Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Neutral Territory ❯ Brad and Schu's Decision ( Chapter 20 )

Title: Neutral Territory [part 20/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001

Rating: R

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu)

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"?

//thoughts//

{{mental speech}}

*****

Friday morning. Various locations in the Schwarz penthouse.

*****

Even as Omi was enjoying fashion advice as well as a wholesome breakfast, Nagi was very quietly getting ready for school and finding himself too nervous to drink the cup of instant miso soup that he had prepared, something that wasn't half as good as what Ken had made.

Usually the sable-haired boy ate more for his first meal of the day, a fact that Omi would've been glad to know, but he was too excited about the plans they had for the afternoon to really focus on preparing or consuming much of anything. Nagi was so distracted that he hadn't even turned on the rice cooker that he'd placed his usual scant serving of rice into. Luckily, he'd also forgotten to pour in the water, so the grains wouldn't go to waste and possibly earn him an unwelcome rebuke from the financially conscious team leader later.

While Nagi stood by the sink contemplating whether or not to dump out the soup, Schuldich padded into the kitchen dressed in a pair of rumpled silk pajamas and looking as if he was barely awake. Yawning while going about the task of putting together a pot of coffee, he noticed a cloud of anxiety around his young teammate's surface thoughts yet he said nothing, deferring to Crawford's wishes to leave the boy alone.

Not half as suspicious as he would've been if it weren't for the recent improvement in their relationship, Nagi was still appropriately hesitant about staying in the room with the telepath. After making a quick decision to force the soup down and then doing so, he hurried from the room mumbling an atypical "good morning" as well as a usually unheard of "goodbye" to the German en route.

One thin red eyebrow rose in curiosity in response to this odd behavior, yet Schuldich didn't say a word to the boy, merely watched him leave before sending, {{Brad? Do you want anything with your coffee, baby?}} He felt the endearment typically reserved for use in the bedroom was acceptable since if they'd had a coffeemaker in there he'd never have left the warm comfort of their bed in the first place.

{{No thanks, Schu,}} Crawford responded drowsily, then added with a gentle hint of affection, {{Just hurry up, love. It's cold in here alone.}}

Schuldich laughed and shook his head, causing orange-red tresses to tickle the sides of his neck, something that reminded him that he needed to tie his hair back when it wasn't held in place by its usual headband. Sending an image of his own hands getting out mugs and then drumming fingers impatiently on a countertop near the sluggish machine, the telepath replied, {{I'm going as fast as I can, Brad.}} With a mental huff, he added, {{We really need a faster pot. This one seems to take forever at times.}}

Chuckling slightly even as he gave in to necessity and pulled on the pajama shirt he almost never wore, Crawford responded, {{That's the fastest one on the market, Schu, and you know it. You just need to remember to preprogram it to brew in the morning, that's all.}} He almost reached for the wire-rimmed glasses which were laying on a bedside table and then thought better of it. For once, the two lovers had nowhere to go and all morning to get there, so the possibility was there for a more enjoyable start to the day than just reading the latest stock news in his office and being harassed by his second in command.

Pouring two steaming mugs of the aromatic beverage as soon as he could, Schuldich replied with a smirk, {{What? Me?! Plan ahead and ruin my reputation as a self-indulgent creature of spontaneity?! Perish the thought!}} Adding a mental laugh as he made his way back to the bedroom, he added less teasingly, {{Could you get the door, baby? My hands are full.}}

{{Of course,}} the American replied and did as requested before carefully closing it behind the redhead and placing them back into their zone of comfort wherein they could truly reveal themselves to one another, emotionally speaking. Accepting a mug and offering a kiss of thanks in return, Crawford inquired, {{Was that Nagi heading out for school? I thought I heard the front door.}}

Schuldich relished the kiss for the moment or two that it lasted and then pulled away, seeking the heat of their bed. Even as he crawled back under the covers and invited Crawford to join him with a pat on the mattress, he answered aloud, "Yeah, that was him all right. But I have to admit, he seemed nervous about something, Brad. Considering something I saw the other night, though," there was a catlike quality to his smirk as he concluded, "I've got a pretty good idea what it was about."

Knowing his clever and insightful lover well enough to know that the German was displaying classic "I know something you don't know" behavior, the American sipped his coffee for a moment and found it too hot to drink, so he set it aside for the moment as did his partner.

After making Schuldich wait a little to divulge his secret, something that he did on occasion simply to see the adorable pout that graced the younger assassin's lips for only a moment, Crawford asked with an inquiring glance, "Oh? And what would that be, Schu? Some juicy secret he'd be upset that you know, I assume."

"Absolutely!" Schuldich responded unrepentantly before explaining, "Last night, when I went to invite him to go out to dinner with us, he was in the middle of an instant message chat with someone that evoked the most amazing reaction from him. In fact, I think our little Nagikins *finally* has a boyfriend!"

Crawford accepted this information and contemplated it before asking, "Why do you assume it's a boy and not a girl, Schu?"

Snorting in amusement, Schuldich shook his head sadly and asked, "Um, Brad? Did you forget to whom you are speaking?" With a pointed gaze he explained, I *am* a telepath *and* I've known the kid almost as long as you have. He couldn't shield his thoughts when he first came into our lives and he may have been a child at the time, but the fact that he is as much a homosexual as you or I am was clear from the very beginning."

"What makes you so sure he hasn't broadened his horizons, Schu? There was that incident with the blue-haired girl you told me about once." [1] Crawford recalled something the redhead had recounted to him about a veritable snowstorm of sakura blossoms and the idea that Nagi might have discovered a preference for bisexuality wasn't out of the question.

Waving a hand in the air dismissively, the jade-eyed man replied, "He was fascinated by her innocence and wanted to know more, that's all." With a less confident smile, he sighed then added sadly, "Nagi couldn't believe any sane person could get to her age and yet still be so childlike. She was a curiosity--an oddity, if you prefer--to the boy that he wanted to understand, nothing more."

"Ah, yes, that makes sense," the mahogany-eyed man agreed. With a dissatisfied frown, Crawford then stated sadly, "Either way, male or female, anyone outside of Schwarz that he becomes involved with in such a way could face death because of it. Estet is quite jealous about who we associate with, as you well know, Schu."

Clearly displeased by not just one thing but two that his lover had just said, Schuldich scowled at his bedmate and pointed out the obvious, "As far as Nagi becoming romantically involved with a member of Schwarz goes, of course he can't! I'm not about to invite a *kid* into our bed and that only leaves Farfarello who we both know isn't stable enough to be trusted in sexual situations." With a snort, he declared, "Hell, his mood can change so fast at times, he could go from Don Juan to Hannibal Lecter in under a minute and when he changed back just to find a dead lover in his bed, you can well imagine the nightmare *that* would unleash!"

Crawford wanted to interject an apology since he'd clearly misspoken and succeeded in angering his hot-tempered lover, but Schuldich just kept going, exclaiming, "As far as Estet and their damned dominance over our lives goes, well, those old farts can go fuck themselves for all I care!"

Bitter memories of the horrible days following the discovery of their own relationship by their superiors and the sorrow the two of them had endured because of it rose up like vengeful wraiths and ignited even greater anger within Schuldich. He and Crawford both had suffered almost more than they could take, yet if Estet had valued them any less than they did, their deaths would have been the requirement for failing to remain emotionally unattached. As it was, though, both psychics had survived and become even more powerful, but the telepath would never forgive them for what they had done, neither would he allow anything similar to befall their youngest teammate.

With fury sparkling in his green eyes, Schuldich pointed a finger at Crawford and stated vehemently, "We didn't let them tear you and me apart when they tried to, and I'll be *damned* before I'll let them do the same to Nagi and whoever he's got his sights set on!" Without hesitation, he allowed the painful recollections to spur him on to make a proclamation he would never have made otherwise, saying, "Shit, Brad, now that he finally seems happy, I'll be glad to fight to keep it that way!"

As the torrent of words came to a sudden stop, Crawford nonverbally and with infinite gratitude interjected, {{You can't begin to know how glad I am to hear you say that, love.}} Reaching out a warm hand and placing it on the irate redhead's cheek, he explained, {{Despite the hell 'Prodigy' had to endure during his training, a great deal of what I wanted to give the poor, homeless waif I pulled from the streets years ago was just a little happiness. I know Nagi's life has been a difficult one and that probably won't change completely just because he's found someone to enjoy spending time with, but it's a start.}}

Verdant eyes blinked in mild confusion, they so rarely spoke of long-range desires for themselves, much less for their teammates and this had taken Schuldich by surprise. He found this statement a bit out of character for Crawford at first, then as it sank in that this was a logical thing for a father-figure to wish for a child he viewed somewhat like a son, he nodded slowly to indicate his understanding. With a terribly sad smile, he asked, {{But that doesn't mean you won't kill whoever it is Nagi's grown fond of if they directly command us to, does it, Brad? We can't get away with that level of insubordination no matter what we feel, unfortunately. They'd just send someone else to do it and probably take us down at the same time.}}

{{Regrettable but true, Schu,}} Crawford replied. Then with a decidedly devious smirk, he added, {{However, with my abilities combined with yours, don't you think we might keep them from finding out? Or at least minimize what they are able to uncover without our cooperation?}}

Chuckling darkly, the telepath nodded and agreed, sending, {{Ah, Bradley, I knew there was a reason I loved you other than that magnificent, well-hung body of yours! A mind as conniving as my own is a beautiful thing. Under the right circumstances, of course.}}

Slipping his hand from his bedmate's face to cradle the back of his skull before drawing the German close for a deep kiss, Crawford answered, {{Yes, I tend to think so, my dear guilty one. I think that if Nagi is willing to be discrete even as you and I are vigilant, we may be able to give the two of them a chance together.}}

{{Excellent,}} Schuldich agreed and brought his hands into play, unbuttoning the American's pajama shirt that was keeping him from his pre-breakfast pleasure. As a tendril of confused thought reached out to him in supplication, however, he stopped. Shoulders slumping since all the strong emotions had made him amorous and he didn't want to be interrupted, he pulled out of the kiss and said aloud, "Farfie's awake and sliding downhill in a hurry, Brad."

Heaving a frustrated sigh, the former boxer reached for his glasses and slipped them into place, thereby beginning the conversion from "Brad" to "Crawford" even as Schuldich rebuttoned the shirt for him. But before he shifted completely, he drew one of Schuldich's hands to his mouth and after suckling a fingertip provocatively, he promised, "Unless he's worse than what a few of his tranquilizers can handle, hold this thought, love. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Awareness of Crawford's unusual offer to take the role of uke struck Schuldich and with a bright smile, he agreed wholeheartedly, "Then he damned well better not be too bad, baby! I haven't had the pleasure of you under me in much too long!"

Climbing out of bed and stepping into slippers, Crawford glanced back at the sensual man he would give free rein to in mere moments and said honestly, "And I haven't had the pleasure of you *in* me in far too long, Schu."

After the American had left the sanctity of their bedroom, Schuldich let out a whoop of delight and bounded out of bed in search of a fresh tube of lube since this role reversal always took plenty for various reasons. While digging through their private bath's medicine cabinet for it, a thought crossed his mind as to what had prompted the offer in the first place.

Even though he was keeping a light telepathic watch on the interactions between the precognitive and the bladesman, Schuldich correctly assumed this was Crawford's way of showing his appreciation for the agreement to protect Nagi's budding relationship. Shaking his head and thinking that occasionally Brad was as stupid as some men are all the time, he made a mental note to point out that such a gesture wasn't necessary, he'd spoken his mind earlier without hope for reward.

While Crawford took the steps necessary to make the Irishman as comfortable as possible in a warm straightjacket the way that Farfarello preferred to be when he was rational enough to ask for it before the madness could grow, Schuldich reiterated in his heart the pledge to help the telekinetic. There was no doubt this was a dangerous decision for the eldest members of Schwarz to have made, but that didn't deter him in the least.

Within a reasonable period of time, the two lovers would be reunited and as an amber-eyed man slept a deep, drug-induced sleep, they would reconfirm the depths of their commitment to one another in a physical fashion that would leave them both infinitesimally closer together as it usually did. They would then rest in one another's arms totally unaware of the fact that they had just celebrated a decision which echoed one made far across Tokyo in the kitchen of a certain flower shop.

On that fateful Friday morning, both Schwarz and Weiss had unknowingly made promises to protect and defend a relationship which existed between the youngest members of each of their rival teams of assassins. When black mixes with white, shades of gray are formed and if ever there was a gray zone, it existed in the form of an unexpected couple whose definition of "neutral territory" seemed to expand on a daily basis.

Too bad Omi and Nagi's self-proclaimed zone of safety could never extend to where it would ultimately be tested, but that was a worry for another day entirely.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] Please forgive a slight modification of the timeline here so that Tot could be at least hinted at this one time since she is an integral character as far as Nagi is concerned.

[Posting Run Dedication] The first new posting run of this story in far too long is hereby dedicated to the wonderful friends who read and comment on my LJ. Their support and encouragement kept me going throughout the difficult rebuilding process that preceded the release of these chapters and then continued to buoy me up when I almost got bogged down by problems in the rough draft of chapter 20. I hope that those of them who were looking forward to reading these newest glimpses within the homes of both Weiss and Schwarz enjoyed them and will feel they were worth the wait. If anyone else wishes to join the party there, please do! It's a lot of fun and I will be offering previews and sneak peeks of new chapters as they come into being. URL: http://www.livejournal.com/users/e_sama/