Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Shades of Grey ❯ Chapter 3

Part Three

Yoji felt sunlight reaching its fingers over his face, caressing his skin with its buttery warmth. He stretched languorously, and then opened his eyes. He frowned. This wasn't his room. He looked around at the soccer posters - different J-league teams decorating the white walls. This was Ken's room.

Yoji sat up quickly. He heard no one in the bathroom, and he was alone in the bedroom. He got out of bed and pulled on his scattered clothing. He went to the door and cracked it ajar. No one around. He made a dash for his own room and closed the door behind him with a sigh of relief. He moved towards the bathroom, shedding articles of clothing. He turned on the shower and stepped inside, the hot water sending needles of heat over his skin.

Yoji leaned his head against the cool tiles. He wondered where Ken had gone, then realised he must have had to work the early shift in the shop. He wondered what Ken was thinking. He wondered what he thought about what had happened last night. He closed his eyes and let the water drip out of his hair onto his face. He didn't know what to think, didn't know how to explain that explosion of lust and heat and violence. He'd never even been tempted to offer violence to a woman. He was aghast at the mere thought. Yet, last night had been incredible.

After his only homosexual experience he'd been so sure it wasn't what he wanted. There was something humiliating and degrading about the experience that he'd never forgotten. Sure he'd been attracted to a few men since then, but he'd had no desire to have sex with them. He'd assumed he was straight, with a natural appreciation of beauty, male and female.

One night with Ken had made him rethink his own preferences. Before last night Ken had been his friend, his housemate and teammate, nothing more. He'd never seen Ken as anything else, and had never supposed Ken wasn't hetero. There was nothing effeminate about Ken, and his assumption had been backed up by Ken's involvement with Yuriko.

Just thinking about Ken last night was doing things to him. Yoji clenched his fists. He could get himself under control. He was not ruled by his libido. Maybe Ken had never wanted more than one night to drive away his loneliness. Yoji wouldn't assume that last night had meant anything more than a momentary release for either of them.

He finished his shower, determinedly thinking of other things. He had an afternoon shift in the shop, beginning in an hour. He'd still have time for a coffee and a cigarette once he'd finished dressing and drying his hair. He'd go downstairs casual, mask firmly in place.

Now it was all up to Ken.

Ken and Aya had spent the morning working in companionable silence - or as companionably as Aya ever got. After the brief flick of violet eyes at Ken's bitten lip and a slightly amused, `Had a nice night?' he didn't say very much. Ken was relieved that Aya had apparently decided his teammate's preferences were not an issue. The shop was quiet all morning, the usual fan girls nowhere in evidence. Ken remarked on their absence, and Aya raised one elegant brow.

"I wouldn't have thought you'd miss them," he said with a slight smile.

Ken blushed and hastened to the back to get some ribbon for a bouquet he was arranging. He lingered there a moment, breathing in the smell of the flowers and the bags of soil. He had to work this afternoon with Omi and Yoji. He'd eased out of bed this morning, careful not to wake the other man. He'd showered and dressed, wincing at the dark bruise on his shoulder. His body healed quickly, but it didn't stop his wounds from hurting. The bite mark wouldn't even scar.

Ken found the ribbon and returned to the front of the shop. He wrapped the ribbon around the stems of the roses, wondering what Yoji was thinking. Maybe Yoji didn't want anything more than one night. Maybe Ken was just another conquest.

Ken pricked himself on a thorn and grimaced. He stuck his finger in his mouth and sucked at the blood. Whatever Yoji thought, Ken wouldn't be satisfied with one night. He'd just have to convince Yoji that Yoji wanted more, too. Ken pulled his finger out of his mouth and smiled. Yoji wasn't going to be given up that easily. He began to tie the ribbon again, singing softly to himself. He didn't even notice the strange look that Aya gave him.

At eleven-thirty Ken noticed Aya watching the clock. His shift would be over in half an hour. The shop wasn't busy today, and there weren't any more orders to prepare.

"If you want to leave early, Aya, I'll be okay here until the others get here," he offered. "It's not busy today."

Aya looked surprised, then nodded.

"Thanks, Ken," he said, and went to the back of the shop to hang up his apron. Ken seemed really light hearted today, he thought. It was nice of Ken to let him go.

Ken watched Aya leave. He wondered if the redhead had gone to visit Aya-chan, then shrugged. It was none of his business. There were no more arrangements to make and the shop was empty. Ken made himself tea and sat at the worktable in the front room, curling his fingers around the cup and inhaling the fragrant steam. He took a sip and his lip stung.

Ken laughed, nearly choking on his tea remembering Yoji's consternation last night when he realised he'd drawn blood. Yoji's face had been so comical. Ken savoured the memory, just in case there weren't going to be any more.

He was so deeply immersed in his musing that he didn't hear Omi come in until the boy flopped into a chair at the table. Omi looked at Ken's steaming cup wistfully.

"Is there any more of that?" he asked, and when Ken nodded, he went to pour a cup for himself. He'd just seated himself again when he noticed Ken's lip.

"Ken-kun! What happened?" Omi gasped. "Did you get into a fight last night?"

Ken wanted to laugh at the dismay on Omi's face but knew that the younger boy would think he was being condescending.

"No, Omi-kun," he said instead. "I tripped at the club." His eyes twinkled at Omi.

"Really, Ken-kun, you should be more careful," Omi scolded. Ken grinned at him unrepentantly.

"Oh, he's pretty graceful when he wants to be," Yoji drawled, strolling into the shop.

Ken turned bright eyes on his teammate. Yoji couldn't help smiling at Ken's laughing eyes.

Omi stared at the two of them.

"Did you guys have fun last night? I didn't hear you come home."

Ken looked at Yoji, daring him to say something.

"I had fun. Did you?" he asked innocently. Yoji responded to the challenge in Ken's eyes.

"Oh yeah. I had a blast." He looked at their cups. "Is there any coffee?" He asked plaintively. Omi waved to the back.

"Plenty."

"Did you get your assignment finished last night, Omi?" Ken asked him. Omi pulled a long face.

"Not yet. I still have five more pages to write."

A customer came into the shop and Omi bustled over to help. Yoji sat down with his coffee, watching Ken sip his tea, face unreadable.

"Not many customers today," Ken observed mildly.

Yoji was perplexed. Did he only imagine what he thought he'd seen in Ken's eyes when he came downstairs? Maybe Ken really was happy with a one-night frolic.

Ken pretended not to notice Yoji watching him. He'd come to a decision during the time he was alone in the shop. If he was too easily obtainable, Yoji would get bored. Therefore, Ken was going to play hard to get, and make Yoji work to get more. He stifled a grin. He'd just have to keep Yoji interested so he wouldn't think Ken wasn't.

"Ken-kun?" Omi called. "Can you and Yoji-kun bring the display in? It's starting to rain."

Ken got up and went to the door, hearing Yoji follow reluctantly. He went outside and bent to pick up a one of the smaller pots, making sure Yoji got a good look while he did it. They still had most of the display left when the rain became a downpour. They hurried the rest of the display inside, but not before they were both soaked to the skin and thoroughly chilled.

Omi looked at them from behind the counter, safe and dry.

"You two had better go upstairs and get changed. You're dripping all over the floor!" Omi sighed. Now he'd have to mop.

Ken fell into step behind Yoji as they headed upstairs for dry clothes. Watching Yoji's wet shirt cling to him was enough to make Ken imagine peeling the shirt off of Yoji's body and licking the rain from his skin. Damn. This was going to be harder than he thought, but he would make it work. Driving Yoji crazy with lust could result in a repeat performance of last night. That was worth a few days of self-denial.

Yoji stopped at the top of the stairs and Ken wiggled by him, making sure his body came into contact with Yoji's.

"Sorry," he grinned, then peeled off his shirt as he headed up the hall to his bedroom. He knew Yoji was watching him, so he took his time as he walked through his bedroom to the bathroom to wring out his shirt. Yoji appeared in the doorway, leaning against the doorjamb.

"Looks like it's going to rain the rest of the day," Yoji observed. "Maybe we should close the shop." Ken glanced back at him.

"I think we should leave it open just in case," he said. "It's only another four hours." He stood and shook his hair out of his eyes. Yoji's eyes were trying to bore into his. Provocatively Yoji stripped off his own shirt and held it, dripping, over Ken's floor.

"Oi, Yoji! At least wring it out," he complained.

Yoji came into the bathroom and wrung the shirt out over the bathtub, deliberately brushing his bare skin against Ken's. He wanted to know whether Ken still wanted him. He felt his blood rush as Ken trailed his fingers over the curve of his back, stopping at the waistband of his jeans. Ken stripped off his soaked jeans and Yoji could see the effect that his proximity was having on the younger man. He straightened and stared into Ken's eyes. Ken reached up and bushed a feathery kiss across Yoji's lips, the stepped away and went to his dresser to get dry clothes.

Yoji stood frozen, his body still tingling. He knew Ken wanted him; he's seen the incontrovertible proof of that on his toned body. But he'd barely even kissed him! Yoji decided then and there that he would have Ken, even if he had to seduce him to get him. Ken's voice broke into his resolve.

"Yoji, I'm going back downstairs. You'd better go get some dry clothes on," he said, and disappeared out the door.

Yoji narrowed his eyes. Ken didn't know what he was getting himself into, but he'd be begging again before the week was out.

Omi glanced at the clock. It was nearly two in the morning, and he had school the next day. He really should be in bed. Just another couple of minutes, he told himself for the fiftieth time that night. His eyes were burning from staring at the computer for the last nine hours. He'd finally finished all of his homework two hours ago, and had just meant to check his e-mail before bed. When he'd seen NeonOrchid's name in his inbox his heart had sped up, and he'd opened the e-mail eagerly.

So here he was at two a.m. on a school night, talking to Orchid online, and trying to keep his teammates unaware that he was awake. Every time he heard footsteps in the hall or a door open, he quickly turned off the screen. As it was, it was so dim he could hardly see it. But he didn't want anyone coming in and asking him what he was doing. It would be too embarrassing.

He tensed as he heard Ken's footsteps in the hallway. Hurriedly he switched off the screen and waited until he heard him open his door. He heard Yoji's drawling voice across the hall from his and Ken's rooms, and Ken's light response. He heard both doors close and turned his screen back on, checking the last message. Orchid wanted them to meet after school tomorrow, at a park near Omi's school. Omi hesitated briefly. This wasn't his style, meeting people he talked to online, especially people he could see himself getting into big trouble with. But there was something intriguing about this one that made him want to forget his own rules. He was curious.

He'd first met NeonOrchid after Orchid had sent Omi an e-mail telling him how good LiquidTwilight's last yaoi fanfiction had been. LiquidTwilight was the identity Omi hid behind on the computer, the name he wrote under. He shuddered to think of what would happen if any of his teammates ever found out what he was doing in his spare time. Well, Ken might understand, but then, maybe not. He'd probably laugh at him. At any rate he was not putting his name on his writing.

Ever since he'd spoken to Ken six months ago, he'd come to accept the fact that he was actually attracted to boys as well as girls. He'd gradually decided that there was no point in being ashamed of it. After all, it wasn't anything really unusual. There were lots of boys his age who were interested in other boys, and Ken wasn't uncomfortable with who he was at all. Ken was only two years older than him. So Omi had decided to follow his heart, and he'd stumbled on yaoi fanfic for his favourite anime. A month later he was writing his own, silly, humorous pieces that seemed to relieve the frustrations and tensions of his night job.

That was how NeonOrchid had found him, and they'd begun meeting online to chat. Over the last three months they'd talked nearly every night, and Omi began to look forward to those conversations all day long. He knew that Orchid was becoming a very strong distraction, and they shared an almost magnetic pull to each other. They talked about everything that was going on in their lives, school, work, love and their interests. The only thing they never talked about was family. And of course, Omi never mentioned Weiss. They didn't know each other's true names - it was safer to hide behind their handles, and Omi was the supposedly dead son of Takatori Reiji. Even the name he used, Tsukiyono Omi, he never mentioned to NeonOrchid. It was a false safety net, but one he was comfortable with.

After a while their chats had become more intimate, and Omi would be mortified if Aya or Yoji or Ken saw their last few chats. He was careful to erase them from his computer every night. Orchid was very definitely interested in Omi, and some of the things he said made Omi squirm in embarrassment at how much they affected him.

Omi stared at the screen. It would be so easy to say yes. After all, how unsafe could it be? He was an assassin, and Orchid was just an ordinary teenager. He was sure he could get out of any difficult situations with ease. Besides, they were meeting in a busy park in the afternoon, and the days were getting longer. There was no danger, no harm in saying yes.

Omi's pulse beat faster as he told Orchid that he'd meet him after school. It was done. He couldn't back out now, and if he was honest with himself, he didn't want to. He was looking forward to meeting this boy tomorrow. They had so much in common, and Orchid was part of the life that had nothing to do with Weiss, the normal life. The one he wanted so badly.

Omi logged off his computer and sighed, rubbing his eyes. He was so tired, but excitement was fluttering in his stomach. He wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep, but he'd have to try. He didn't want to look tired tomorrow when he finally met his friend for the first time.

Omi pulled on his pyjamas and crawled into bed. He'd worry about meeting Orchid tomorrow. Tonight he needed sleep. Yawning, he reached up and found the stuffed lion he slept with every night, cuddling it close. Even assassins got lonely sometimes.

The spring sunshine was warm on Omi's back as he left the school grounds and headed for the park. His stomach was fluttery with butterflies. This is stupid, he told himself. You kill people for a living. It can't be that hard to meet one boy that you like. It didn't help. He was so nervous. He really wanted Orchid to like him. What if Orchid didn't think he was good looking? Or thought he was too old? He was two years older than Orchid…. But Orchid already knew that. And really, it wasn't much of an age gap… Ken was two years older than him, after all. Of course, he'd never seen Ken as a potential boyfriend.

That was what was bothering him, he realised as he stepped onto the paved path leading through the park. If he and Orchid really liked each other… where would it go? Would they date? It would be hard to explain him to his teammates, and truthfully, how much of a normal life could Omi hope to have? Was it fair to deceive Orchid right from the start? Omi shook his head. He'd take things one step at a time. He didn't even know if they'd want to see each other again after this meeting.

Omi's feet took him to a little alcove with a bench made of weathered grey wood and lacy iron, the agreed-upon meeting place. Early spring flowers carpeted the alcove, pushing through the moist dirt. Omi sat down, drawing the scent of the spring into his lungs. He loved this time of year. It seemed so fresh, so new. The grass was still wet from this morning's rain. His eyes searched the park. There were lots of uniforms, but no one coming towards his bench. He checked his watch. Orchid was just getting out of school, so it would take him a little time to get here.

Omi took out his notebook, the one he wrote stories in. He was working on a new story, and he was a little stuck. It was so easy to write lemon, but not so easy to find a real storyline to go with it, especially when he was confined to the certain characters and circumstances fanfic employed. He fiddled with the pen for a while, trying to think of what to write next, then gave up, looking around him again. His hands were cold, but the weather was warm. The butterflies had started in his stomach again. Automatically he scanned the crowd, searching for anyone matching Orchid's description coming in his direction.

He finally saw a small figure coming out of the crowd. From a distance he looked like he matched the description. Omi opened his notebook and pretended nonchalance, like he'd been writing and hadn't been looking for anyone. His heart was pounding. From the corner of his eye he watched the boy approach, then stand doubtfully about ten feet away.

"Twilight?" The boy said uncertainly. Omi turned his head and felt his eyes go impossibly wide. He opened his mouth to say something and nothing came out. Standing ten feet away from him, Omi's online identity falling from those lips, was Naoe Nagi, Schwartz's oh-so-ruthless telekinetic.

The two boys froze, tense, staring at each other. Omi was the first to break the silence.

"Orchid?" he asked timidly.

Nagi nodded.

"K'so," Omi muttered. This was definitely messed up. He didn't know whether he was supposed to run or try to kill Nagi. Upon sober reflection, killing him was not an option on a sunny afternoon in a very busy park. That left running. He got up, poised to flee. Nagi hadn't moved. He looked curious.

"Are you really LiquidTwilight?" he asked, and Omi nodded cautiously.

Nagi's face relaxed a bit.

"I won't kill you. Don't worry," he said. Omi didn't relax.

"How do I know you didn't know it was me all along? How do I know you didn't lure me here to kill me?" he asked Nagi.

Nagi snorted.

"I wouldn't offer to meet you in a public place if I wanted to kill you, " he pointed out. "Besides, I could have crushed your throat without you even seeing me."

Omi had to acknowledge the truth in that.

They stood staring at each other for a few moments, then Omi sat back down on the bench.

"So what do we do now?" he asked.

Nagi gave him a measuring look.

"Can I sit down?" he asked. Omi hesitated, then shrugged. If he hadn't known that Nagi was NeonOrchid, maybe Nagi really hadn't known that he was LiquidTwilight. It was hugely ironic, but it could be a coincidence. Omi wondered idly what the odds against such an occurrence were.

"What difference does it make?" Nagi said unexpectedly. Omi stared at him in disbelief.

"We're enemies," he pointed out.

"Well, not exactly," Nagi said. "We don't want to kill you, but you seem to hate us."

"The last time we ran into you Ken nearly got killed!" Omi said heatedly.

Nagi shrugged.

"If Hidaka-san hadn't flung himself at Farfie it wouldn't have happened. Farfie's a little…" he groped for the word, "unpredictable." He glanced at Omi's outraged expression and sighed.

"Look, Omi, this isn't about Weiss and Schwartz. It's about Twilight and Orchid." He glanced sideways to see what Omi thought of that. Omi looked thoughtful. He decided to pursue his advantage. Nagi slid sideways on the bench so that his thigh rested lightly beside Omi's, a warm pressure that distracted Omi from his anger.

"And I really wanted to meet you," Nagi added. He raised his hand and turned Omi's face towards his, a pleading expression on his face. "For now can't we just be Omi and Nagi, and not Weiss and Schwartz?"

Omi searched Nagi's face for a few moments. He couldn't forget how much he'd grown to like Orchid over the last three months. If Orchid was Nagi in the way that Twilight was Omi, then he knew they could work something out. As long as they didn't get caught.

Nagi saw Omi's thoughts fly across his expressive face. He couldn't read minds like Schu, but he was good with faces and body language. He knew the minute Omi capitulated, and changed the subject.

"You want to go get food? I'm starving," he said conversationally.

Omi nodded. What harm could it do? He knew this boy almost better than he knew anyone else, and yet he didn't know him at all. Might as well get acquainted.

"There's a great noodle place just around the corner," he said.

Nagi grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bench, heading out of the park. He didn't let go until they reached the shop.

Schuldich stepped out from the shadows of the trees surrounding the alcove, and smirked as he watched them go.