Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ New Rules, New Ruler ❯ Chapter 14

Part Fourteen

Nagi was back in his own bed. Crawford was up and about, but his progress was hindered by Schuldig flapping about him like a mother hen every time he tried to do anything that might possibly cause him to breath a little harder. And Crawford didn't actually seem to mind.

Crawford was out, and Schuldig, naturally, had followed. It was just Nagi and Farfarello in the apartment. Nagi was stretched out on his futon, playing with his laptop, while Farfarello watch some old film with a rape in it and pottered about getting Nagi drinks and snacks during the break. He'd got it into his head that Nagi was too thin, something Nagi privately agreed with but couldn't be bothered to do anything about, and insisted on Nagi eating at least twice the amount he should.

There was a knock on Nagi's bedroom door. He frowned. It couldn't be Farfarello, his film was still on a Marlon Brando was shouting about not being a Polack. Schuldig and Crawford were still out, probably getting yelled at by their new boss. So who?

"Come in?" Nagi called out eventually, realising the presence was still waiting for the summons. His jaw dropped. "Aya-chan? But, how, but…"

"I found the address on the school system. I thought I'd drop by. Ooo, you're wearing that jumper! Oh!"

"Uh, yes. Very warm." Nagi blushed. He couldn't remember ever having a girl in his room before. And he wasn't even properly dressed, just the jumper, really, and his underwear. Aya-chan sat at the foot of the futon.

"So, what have you been up to while the rest of us are slaving away at school?"

"Slaving away here." Nagi pulled a comically tragic face. "They keep emailing me the homework so I don't get left behind."

"Oh, poor Nagi! Being sick is all about not working. Poor, poor Nagi." Nagi blushed harder. "This is just a flying visit really, I'm afraid. Brought you chocolates!" Nagi gasped. He should definitely be sick more often. "It's lunch for the rest of us, so I've got to hurry back, coz it's almost over." Nagi nodded. "But, yes, chocolates and a get-well card, and lots of missing you." Nagi wondered how long she would keep this up. If he blushed any harder he'd catch fire. He was glad he wasn't pyrokinetic.

Several more embarrassing comments later, Aya left, feeling a little confused. Nagi had been beetroot red for most of the one-sided conversation. Farfarello watched her as she made her way to the door.

"Ye're Fujimiya Aya?"

"What? Oh, yes. I am. Had Nagi been talking about me?" Aya flushed excitedly.

Farfarello choose not to answer that. He was insane, but not stupid. Letting on they'd kidnapped her whilst in a coma probably wouldn't go down to well. And for some reason, he wanted things to go well with her. "Ye're Nagi's friend, so to speak?"

"Yes." Aya felt slightly confused. What was the strangely accented man getting at?

"He needs friends. Very lonely." Farfarello nodded as he talked, as if agreeing with himself. "Best not to come over while Crawford and Schuldig are here though, mightn't go down to well. Not keen on the visitors."

"Really? Oh, you must be Farfarello," Aya swallowed, remembering what Nagi had said about the Irishman.

"Nagi… Nagi mentioned me?" Farfarello's gaze became less unfocused and more intense. Nagi had talked about him to this girl. "What'd he say?"

"Oh, um, he said you were Irish," Aya fumbled. "And um, you have a straitjacket." Damn, hadn't meant to say that.

"That I do. Are ye scared o' me?" Farfarello stepped closer, and Aya found she'd hit the wall.

"A little," Aya swallowed.

"I'd say a lot, because ye've backed into a wall. Nagi say nothing else about me?"

"He mentioned you once or twice, but he was only at school a week before the fire, so we didn't get much chance to talk about non-school stuff. He likes you," Aya added.

"That's nice." Farfarello's eyes unfocused again and he stared at Nagi's door. "Nagi's nice," he said dreamily. "He needs people to be nice to him. Ye're going te be nice te him, ain't ye? Ye'll come and visit and, um, friend stuff, won't ye? Ye mustn't hurt him, it's very upsetting to all of us. I'm not some to upset."

"Yes, Nagi mentioned that." Aya flinched as he turned to look at her again, but decided to plunge ahead. "He said ye, I'm you, were the reason he couldn't have people over."

"Did he really?" Farfarello gave her an odd look. "That doesn't sound like our Nagi."

Aya frowned, trying to remember. No, he hadn't said that, had he? "He… he implied it. He was talking about you, then said he wasn't aloud people over."

"Aye, that sounds more like it. Want to watch te film wi' me?" Farfarello looked at her oddly, his one eye bright, and Aya thought she saw something there she didn't quite understand, and certainly didn't fit with the image of him she was rapidly building up.

"Um, no, thank you, I have to get back to school."

"Okay." Farfarello gave her an amiable nod. "See ye again?" he asked suddenly.

"Um, maybe. I might have to bring some work over for Nagi while he's away."

Farfarello nodded and let her pass him and leave the apartment. He sat and stared at the screen for a little while. Vivien Leigh was telling a doctor that she'd `always depended on the kindness of strangers'. Farfarello didn't like the doctor in the film, didn't like doctors in general. He found it hard to concentrate on the remainder of the film, a girl with black hair skipping through his thoughts. She scared him.

* * *

Nagi stared up at the ceiling. Aya-chan had come to visit him. Aya-chan knew where he lived. Aya-chan said she got it off the school database. Aya-chan didn't even know how to turn a computer on. Aya-chan was friends with Omi, who was almost as good with computers as Nagi (he allowed himself that little vanity).

Omi knew where Schwarz lived. Shit.

* * *

"It's a cat, Schuldig. Leave it."

"I'm bloody trying! It's got its fucking claws in my leg!"

"It's only an animal, Schuldig. I suppose like recognises like."

Schuldig spat at Brad, for lack of a better come back. Admittedly, if he were to be compared to any animal, he'd like it to be a cat. A rat might be more appropriate, sly, clever, unafraid of getting dirty and a survivor at any cost, but he did have a soft spot for cats.

This one was small and black and clinging to his trousers for dear life. It had been sitting underneath his car when he walked Brad out of the hospital, and had climbed in as soon as he opened the door. He couldn't blame it; it was pissing down with rain. Brad had had to go back for a check up, at Schuldig's insistence, when his burns had started to bleed after some `strenuous exercise'. Brad hated cats, and not just because of the Weiss connections.

Brad sneezed again. "Just throw the damned thing out of the window," he whined uncharacteristically. He'd been given more drugs, and felt a little out of it.

"Do you want to get home in one piece, or do you want to kill the cat?" Schuldig snapped.

Brad sank into his seat, glowering at his partner. Things had been great recently between them, and he didn't want to mess it up over one cat, but he felt it unreasonably selfish of Schuldig not to comply with his demands immediately. He sneezed miserably again.

Schuldig swiped at the cat, briefly scaring it into the back seat. He glanced down at his trousers, and noticed a few spots of blood on the white material. As soon as they got back he was throwing that mangy mammal into the gutter. Her and Brad had it so good right now, and he wasn't going to ruin it over some pet. They'd had a bath together the other evening. A bath. Not a shower, not sex in the shower, but a bath. No candles, but there was alcohol and foam and Brad had smelt so divine and looked so divine and felt so divine afterwards as they lay in the billowing white sheets that Schuldig hadn't been able to stop smiling. Not smirking, not grinning, but smiling. It was too sappy for words!

His thoughts were interrupted by a noise he didn't immediately recognise. It was purring. That damn feline was under his seat, nuzzling his ankles, and fucking purring. How was he supposed to be mad at an animal that purred at him? It was like being mad at Nagi for any length of time. Those damned watery blue eyes.

"We're keeping it, aren't we?" Brad sighed, resigning himself to his fate.

"Can we?"

"I guess so. Can we shave the damned thing?" Schuldig laughed, and Brad joined him. It was comfortable. The sodden cat crawled out from under Schuldig's seat and settled itself in Brad's lap, still purring. Brad didn't even object, though he didn't glower at the poor creature.