Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Shades of Grey ❯ Chapter 9

Part Nine

"So anyway, I don't think Schu is going to cause a lot of trouble anymore," Nagi said, taking another sip of tea. Their breakfast dishes were scattered on the table in front of them, empty, but Omi still had two hours to kill before work, and he was glad to spend them with Nagi.

"But you never told me what you said that made him change his mind," Omi reminded him.

Nagi gave him a measuring look. "What's going on with Yoji and Ken?" he asked.

Omi smiled. "They're not hiding anything, but they're not all over each other either. It's sort of ambiguous right now. I know Aya's still confused, and the girls aren't sure." He laughed. "You should see their faces."

"But do you know anything for certain?" Nagi pressed.

"Well, they told me they were together. Ken would have told me eventually even if it was a secret."

Nagi looked thoughtful.

"Why are you so interested in them?" Omi asked the younger boy.

Nagi's eyes flicked to Omi's. "You wanted to know what I said to Schu that made him change his mind," he said. "You're not the only Weiss who's been with Schwartz."

Nagi saw the swift calculations going on in Omi's mind.

"It's not Ken," Omi said. "He would have told me. And not Aya either. He wants you all dead. So… that leaves Yoji… and…" he finished quietly, "Schuldich. Well, that explains some things," Omi said. "You let Schuldich know that you knew, and he can't tell Crawford about us without you mentioning Yoji."

Nagi smiled at Omi's swift assessment of the situation. He loved Omi's analytical mind, among other things. Let Schuldich stew in self-denial. He knew exactly what he felt for Omi. He just wasn't entirely sure Omi felt the same.

"Especially since Crawford doesn't approve of men having sex with each other," Nagi added. "He's such a closet case."

Omi nearly choked on his tea.

Nagi grinned. "Schu's taken a peek now and then into our fearless leader's mind," he said, shrugging. "Oh, Crawford likes women, too - like you and Kudo-san - but he won't admit he's had some pretty tasty dreams about the men Schu brings home. The rest of us just smile and nod."

Omi was still sputtering. "Don't do that, Nagi!" he protested. "Now I've got a horrible image of him and Aya-kun…"

"Is Fujimiya-san…?" Nagi asked with interest.

"I don't know! It's not something I'd ask him!" Omi cried. "I just meant they're both so cold…" He trailed off, dismayed at the look on Nagi's face.

"I could ask Schu to take a peek into Fujimiya-san's dreams," he mused.

"No!" Omi's shriek caused people at nearby tables to turn and stare. Nagi laughed.

"I was just teasing, Omi. Let's pay and get out of here."

Omi nodded and threw some money on the table. When Nagi tried to pay Omi stopped him.

"My treat," he said. They left the shop and walked down the street hand in hand.

"So what do you want to do now?" Omi asked, glancing over at Nagi. He caught Nagi's suggestive smile and blushed faintly. "Okay let's rephrase that. Where do you want to go?"

Nagi sighed. "Well that's the real question, isn't it? Where can we go? I don't mean now Omi, I mean…"

"I know what you mean," Omi said, a little uncomfortable. "Let's go to the park and we'll talk a bit," he suggested. Nagi nodded and they walked there in companionable silence. They passed the walks and headed deeper into the trees, flopping down in the shade of a large old tree.

Omi checked his watch. He had an hour before he had to leave for work. He linked his arms behind his head and stared up into the leaves. Nagi rolled onto his side and propped himself up on one elbow, watching Omi seriously.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Omi closed his eyes and smiled. "Nothing," he said. "It's so peaceful here." The shouts of children and their parents seemed far away, somewhere outside of this oasis of calm. The wind in the leaves was playful, the shade cool. He opened his eyes.

"Nagi, how many guys have you been with?" he asked.

The abrupt question caught Nagi by surprise, and he blushed and stammered as he answered. "I, umm, well, I mean…" He bit his lip and stared at Omi, his cheeks crimson. Omi watched him with a smile. "Actually," he cleared his throat, "…none," he admitted, mortified.

Omi almost laughed in relief, and a little bit of triumph. He'd finally managed to fluster Nagi the way Nagi constantly did to him. He was relieved that Nagi was just as inexperienced as he was. "Me too," he confided softly.

"Oh." Nagi looked startled. "But I thought… I mean you write really good yaoi lemons…" he trailed off, embarrassed.

"So do a lot of girls," Omi pointed out. "And how would they know? Besides you talk it pretty well on the phone," he continued mercilessly, enjoying Nagi's discomfiture. "I though you at least knew what you were doing…"

"If neither of us knows what we're doing…" Nagi said, then laughed. "It's not like we can do anything anyway. We have no place to go."

Omi nodded and reached up to brush Nagi's cheek. "Nagi…" he whispered, closing his eyes when Nagi's tongue darted out to lick his fingers. "Don't start that now. You're driving me crazy." He pulled his hand back and sat up. "Yoji and Ken want to meet you. Yoji really can't say anything about us. But Ken… I don't know what Ken would say. And Aya…" he shuddered. "But maybe if Ken and Yoji are on our side we can figure something out."

Nagi regarded him thoughtfully. "Tell Yoji, then. He'd know if it's safe to tell Ken."

"Do you think Schuldich will go after Yoji and Ken?" Omi asked, returning to their earlier discussion.

"I don't know," Nagi said. "I do know that he feels a lot more for Kudo-san than he'll admit to."

"How did you find out, anyway?" Omi asked, nonplussed.

"Didn't you ever notice how often Yoji and Schu disappeared when Schwartz and Weiss tangled?" Nagi asked. "I did. So I found them one day… they didn't know I saw them. And then around six or seven months ago Schu started getting bitchier than usual, going out to clubs a lot more and coming back with guys. And the next time they met Yoji looked like he really wanted to kill Schu. Like really. So I suspected things hadn't gone too well, and now I know at least roughly when it began and when it ended," Nagi explained.

"I had sort of noticed that," Omi said. "But we all have our favourite opponents, so…" He flashed Nagi a grin. They'd fought each other often.

"That's something I really don't get," Nagi said hesitantly. "I mean, you and I almost killed each other a few times. How can we forget that? When I'm with you it never seems to matter… but shouldn't it?"

Omi shrugged. "Past is past. That's something I had to learn," he said bitterly. "As long as you don't try to kill me now, then the rest is insignificant." He smiled. "Let's just try to avoid anymore Schwartz-Weiss encounters."

Nagi snorted. "That's easy. Crawford won't let us get near Weiss normally. If we happen to have the same mission we usually back off, unless you attack. Then we fight half-assed until we can get out of there."

Omi stiffened. "Half-assed?" he asked angrily. "You're not that good."

"Well I could do more damage to you guys easily, you know. It's kinda hard to avoid getting hurt if a building collapses over you. But why should I? Especially now," he said, laying a hand on Omi's arm. "Can we not fight about this? The important thing is avoiding any more confrontations. That way no one gets hurt. Maybe if I tell you where our missions are going to be, you can avoid them? And you tell me where yours will be? Then we can try and persuade the others to accept or decline if they're the same target."

Omi willed himself to relax. Nagi was trying, so he should too. It just got complicated when they had to bring Schwartz and Weiss into things. Fleetingly Omi wished he could get out, just go somewhere with Nagi, somewhere they could just be together without all the politics. But that wasn't possible. He knew he'd probably die a part of Weiss, and probably sooner than later. They'd never be free of the politics. May as well come to some sort of decision now.

"Okay, Nagi. But you realise that both Schwartz and Weiss could see this as betrayal."

Nagi chewed on his lip. He truly hadn't thought of it that way…

"Of course," Omi continued, his fingers creeping under Nagi's shirt to the bare skin beneath, "They'd probably think that what we're doing right now is betrayal, so what does it matter? We might as well."

"It's a place to start," Nagi agreed. "We'll try it. The more important issue right now, though," he said, pulling Omi down to the grass, "is what we're going to do until you leave." He drew Omi's face close to his.

"I think I have a few ideas," Omi murmured, a small fire kindling in his eyes as his gaze swept over Nagi lying in the grass.

Nobody dared to say anything about the hickeys that decorated Omi's neck when he finally made it back to the shop for his shift.

Omi sat on the couch, wondering how he was supposed to discreetly ask Yoji for a private conversation in front of Ken and Aya. His palms were sweaty as he pretended to watch television, darting quick glances at Yoji out of the corner of his eye. Yoji caught his eyes on one of these quick appraisals and gave him a quizzical smile. Hastily Omi stood.

"I think I'm going to bed," he said, staring hard at Yoji and flicking his eyes in the direction of the stairs, trying to make Yoji understand what he wanted. Yoji frowned, then stood as well. "Before you go to bed I want to hear details about those hickeys," he drawled.

Aya rolled his eyes and went back to his book. Omi swallowed a sharp retort. He needed to stay on Yoji's good side, and so far Yoji hadn't really teased him about Nagi. And, he had to admit, it wasn't something anyone else would want to hear so it guaranteed privacy. He said goodnight and went up the stairs, hearing Yoji follow him. They went into his room and Omi shut the door, offering the bed for Yoji to sit on while he turned his desk chair around and sat backwards in it, resting his chin on the back.

Yoji threw himself down on the bed. "So what's so important that you couldn't tell anyone else, Omi-chan?" he asked. "You're not really gonna give me details, are you?"

"Depends on what you mean by details," Omi said. "Actually it's something I could only talk to you about."

Yoji regarded him steadily. "What is it?"

"Yoji-kun…" Omi really didn't know how to start. "Um, about you…and Schuldich…" Omi winced when Yoji shot off the bed and crossed the room, grabbing hold of one of Omi's wrists.

"How did you know?" Yoji hissed. "Did you hear us talking the other night?"

"Hear who talking?" Omi asked, gasping when Yoji's grip on his wrist tightened painfully. "Ow! I didn't hear anything Yoji-kun! I swear! You're hurting me!"

Yoji realised that his grip was dangerously close to injuring Omi's wrist and let go, watching warily as the younger boy rubbed his wrist. "So how did you find out then?" he demanded. "Did Schuldich tell you?" When Omi shook his head, he swore in frustration. "How?"

"Calm down, Yoji-kun. I won't tell anyone," Omi said, a little afraid. "Does Ken-kun know?"

"Yes," Yoji said shortly. "I told him."

"And he's okay with it?" Omi asked.

"Yes. Do you have a problem with it?" Yoji asked, his face dark.

Omi shook his head. "No. That's why I needed to talk to you." When Yoji just looked at him, he sighed. "Nagi told me." Seeing the confusion flicker across Yoji's face Omi elaborated. "Nagi is the one who gave me these." He pointed to the hickeys, watching comprehension dawn on Yoji's face.

"Oh." Yoji stared at him and sank to the bed.

Omi nodded. "And I didn't know if it was safe to tell Ken-kun. So I decided to ask if you'd told him about you and Schuldich."

"But why did you want to tell me? Or Ken?" Yoji asked.

Omi masterfully controlled his expression. "Well, um, see, we're both underage and we can't go anywhere, and I can't bring him here because of Weiss and he can't bring me to his place because of Schwartz, and…" he watched Yoji's bemused look fade, replaced almost instantly by an amused grin.

"A pretty problem," Yoji agreed. "But really, you're so young, Omi, and Nagi's only fifteen…" he teased, ducking when Omi threw a textbook at him. "Okay, I'll stop. But what do you want me to do?"

"I don't know," Omi said. "But I figured you had more experience in this area than we do." Omi ducked his head, avoiding the twinkle in Yoji's eyes. "Will you stay with me when I tell Ken?"

"Sure. You wanna talk to him now?" When Omi nodded, Yoji disappeared downstairs and came back with Ken. Both of their faces were contorted and when Omi closed his door they exploded with laugher. Omi just stared at them, completely baffled.

Ken wiped his eyes and took deep breaths until he could speak. "You should have seen his face, Omi," he gasped out, his voice cracking. He doubled over with laughter again. Omi looked hopefully at Yoji, who was more in possession of himself.

"Aya," Yoji explained. "I went down there and said I was going to bed and Ken jumped up right away and said he was too. Aya's face was priceless. He still doesn't know what to think." He grinned at Omi, who snorted derisively.

"It's pretty obvious. He's gotta be thick if he doesn't realise what's going on soon." He waited until Ken was lying limp on the floor, tired out from laughing.

"My cheeks hurt," Ken complained. Yoji cut a wicked glance at Omi, who tried to choke back his own laughter. Ken intercepted the exchange and blushed, then scowled. "Okay, enough laughing," he said. "What's up?"

Omi sobered instantly. "I wanted to tell you who it is that I'm seeing," he said. "I already told Yoji-kun and he said it was okay to tell you."

Ken looked puzzled, and a little hurt. "You could tell Yoji and not me?" he asked. "But…"

"You'll understand why when I tell you," Omi said. "Yoji-kun understands better than you could, and I knew you'd worry." When Ken still looked baffled, Omi took a deep breath and said quietly, "Nagi. I'm seeing Naoe Nagi from Schwartz."

Ken stared at him for a few minutes, not saying a word, then let out a long sigh. "So that's why you told Yoji first," he said. "But how did you know about him and Schuldich?"

"Nagi told me. He figured it out for himself. And Schuldich knows about Nagi and I. Nagi's using his knowledge of the two of you" he nodded at Yoji "to balance out what Schuldich knows about us and to keep him from telling Crawford." He grimaced. "We're pretty sure it's not a good idea for Aya or Crawford to find out."

Ken and Yoji nodded fervently. "But why are you telling us?" Ken asked.

Omi looked at Yoji, pleading with him to explain in a way not too embarrassing for him. Yoji quirked an eyebrow and smiled lazily.

"It seems Omi and Nagi have a little problem with accommodations…" Yoji and Omi watched the clouds clear from Ken's face and the sun peek through.

"Oh… OH!" Ken said, looking at Omi in surprise and looking quickly away. "Aren't you a bit young…" he began, then cut himself off when Yoji glared at him. "Okay, okay," he mumbled. "Sorry."

Omi laughed. "It's okay, Ken-kun. But you're not THAT much older than me."

"I know, but…" Ken said, clearing his throat. "Okay, well what do you want us to do?"

"I dunno. But Nagi thought you maybe would have some ideas."

The two older Weiss members pondered the situation. "No hotel is going to let you and Nagi in," Ken stated positively. "Even if someone else booked the room for you. So that's out."

Yoji nodded. "And the Schwartz safe house is also out. Ah," he said, a sudden thought striking him, "how do you know Crawford won't `see' you and Nagi together? He is a precog." Ken stared at Yoji, a sick feeling growing in his stomach. He could only imagine what Crawford would do to Omi if he ever suspected any interaction between Schwartz and Weiss.

"I… hadn't actually thought of that," Omi said slowly. "But then shouldn't he have seen you and Schuldich at some point?"

Yoji shrugged. "I'm not an expert on precognitive abilities. I don't know. Maybe he won't see anything, but what are you going to do if he does?"

"Deal with it," Omi said. "It's all I can do. But back to the previous question," he continued. "Nagi is quite… insistent… that we find a solution." He stared at a point on the wall, pointedly ignoring the grins Ken and Yoji exchanged.

"Well, then, let's work extra hard at a solution," Ken laughed. "Why don't we give Aya the weekend off and tell him to take Aya-chan somewhere? Like to Villa White? He won't say no to that. Then you can have Nagi-chan over, and I can make sure it's okay." When Omi bristled Ken hastily corrected himself. "I mean, I can meet him and … stuff," he finished vaguely. "Yoji and I'll talk to Aya tomorrow. Leave it to us," he assured Omi, standing up.

Yoji stretched and stood, yawning. "I think I'll take a shower before bed," he said, sauntering to the door. "You coming?" he asked, smiling crookedly at Ken.

Ken nodded. "I'll be there in a minute," he said, watching Yoji go. He turned back to Omi, a foolish smile on his face. "Omi, if you ever need to talk about anything you know you can talk to me, right? I mean, you know, about anything you need to know…" he blushed, and Omi felt his chest expand with warmth for the older boy. Ken really did think of him like a younger sibling, he thought, and he was even willing to explain intimacies he couldn't even think about without blushing. Omi tried not to smile at Ken's embarrassment and gave the older boy a hug.

"Thanks, oniichan. I know I can ask you anything. Go shower." He laughed at Ken's crimson cheeks. "Oyasumi, Ken-kun."

Ken got clumsily to his feet and went to the door. "Oyasumi, Omi-chan. Sleep well." Omi nodded and Ken shut the door quietly behind him.

Omi hugged himself. That hadn't gone badly after all. And now there was a possibility that they could get Aya out of the way so he and Nagi could… Omi felt a foolish grin tug at his lips. On sober reflection, perhaps it would be a good idea to talk to Ken before this weekend.

Ken leaned back against Yoji, the hot water rinsing the soap from their bodies. Yoji's arms came around him from behind and encircled him. "Do you think it's going to be okay, Omi and Nagi, I mean?" Ken asked Yoji. "I mean, what if it's just an attempt to infiltrate Weiss? I know Nagi's only fifteen but he's so cold…" Ken shuddered. "You saw the way he brought down Masafumi's place. He didn't care who died."

"Maybe," Yoji said thoughtfully. "But he is also a kid, and so is Omi. Maybe it's genuine." His hands slid up Ken's chest, distracting the younger man. "We won't know until we meet him. So don't worry so much. Omi's old enough to take care of himself, and he's smart enough to know when he's being used." Yoji lowered his head and kissed Ken's shoulder.

Ken closed his eyes. "I suppose," he murmured, reaching up and catching Yoji's hand in his, drawing it down over his stomach to rest on his hip. Obligingly Yoji let his hand glide over Ken's slick skin until he grasped the evidence of Ken's arousal. His lips drifted up to Ken's ear, tugging at the lobe.

"Should we confirm Aya's suspicions?" he breathed into Ken's ear. The tickle of his breath sent a shiver down Ken's spine.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Ken asked huskily.

"Well, since you like a little bit of pain to sweeten the pleasure," Yoji whispered, "I can oblige." He bit at the underside of Ken's jaw hard enough to leave behind the marks of his teeth, knowing it would bruise impressively later.

"Harder," Ken moaned. Yoji drew his tongue over the tender skin, fingers tightening around Ken's erection as he closed his teeth on Ken's silky skin. He tasted blood as Ken gasped, eyelids fluttering, pushing his body back against Yoji's trapped erection. The friction drew an answering groan from Yoji.

Ken turned in Yoji's arms, pulling Yoji's face down to his and kissing him, his arms wrapped loosely around Yoji's neck. They kissed hungrily, and Yoji gave in to what he knew Ken wanted. His fingernails dug into the skin of Ken's back, and the kiss became one of lips and teeth and tongue. He devoured Ken's mouth and left the younger boy gasping for more, kissing and biting his way down Ken's neck to suck at the soft skin, leaving bruises on Ken's fair skin.

Ken's eyes were dark with lust as he reached up to Yoji's shoulders. "Suck me," he pleaded, pushing Yoji to his knees. Yoji nuzzled the tender skin of Ken's stomach and dragged his tongue over the hard planes, feeling Ken's muscles jump under his lips and tongue. His lips brushed Ken's shaft, and Ken gripped Yoji's shoulders to stay upright. Little whimpers of pleasure came from his throat as Yoji swallowed him, working him expertly with lips and tongue. He shuddered as Yoji drew back, lightly scraping his teeth along Ken's shaft, he flicked his tongue lightly at the tip before swallowing him again and applying suction.

Ken felt the pressure building. "Yoji… stop… I'm too close… Yoji you're gonna make me come… oh fuck Yoji I'm gonna come! I'm gonna…" He tried to pull away but Yoji dug his nails into Ken's skin and held on, feeling Ken's body spasm as he spilled his seed down Yoji's throat. Yoji fought not to gag and swallowed quickly, sucking until Ken was spent. He looked up at Ken and licked his lips, smiling.

K'so, Ken thought. What could be sexier than Yoji on his knees, looking up at him like that? His knees almost buckled and he grabbed at Yoji for support.

"Oh no, Ken, not yet," Yoji purred, standing. "It's my turn to get what I want." He grabbed the body wash and stepped out of the spray, slicking his throbbing erection. "Turn around," he commanded.

Ken's eyes widened and he turned, lower lip caught between his teeth. Yoji bent Ken forward and positioned himself at Ken's entrance, gripping Ken's hips. He thrust into Ken with a swift stroke, pausing briefly as the feeling of being enveloped in Ken's tight body nearly overwhelmed him. He pulled out and drove in again quickly, building a hard and fast rhythm that would hurt the boy in front of him. Ken's panting cries accompanied each thrust, and Yoji found that this position made it easier to reach around and grip Ken's building erection. Blessing Ken's recovery time he worked Ken's shaft in time with his thrusts. He slammed in one final time and felt himself explode in Ken's body. Vaguely he felt Ken's hand close over his and roughly stroke a few more times at Ken's erection before Ken's body convulsed around him and the younger man cried out.

They stayed that way for a few minutes, catching their breath, and then Yoji pulled out with a groan. Ken straightened slowly, supporting himself against the wall. He smiled slightly at Yoji, who was also leaning against the wall to give his trembling legs some support. "Let me wash you off and then we'll get into bed and talk," Ken said. Yoji nodded. His fingers quivered as he passed the bottle of body wash to Ken, and he closed his eyes, just enjoying the feel of Ken's fingers smoothing the soap over his skin. When they were both clean they towelled off and climbed into Yoji's bed.

"I wonder if Aya's in his room," Yoji remarked, smirking as he settled Ken's head into the curve of his shoulder.

"Why?" Ken asked, his eyes bright as he looked up at Yoji.

"Well you were making a fair bit of noise in the shower," Yoji said, laughing a little. "And tiles amplify sound so…"

Ken laughed. "I hope he wasn't. I'd hate to hear him going at it."

"Well even if he wasn't you're gonna have some serious bruises tomorrow," Yoji said thoughtfully. "Maybe you should wear a turtleneck."

"Why? I don't care what Aya thinks." Ken was a little surprised and Yoji's circumspection.

"I'm not thinking of Aya, I'm thinking of the girls," Yoji grinned. "They'll cry when they see you so… used."

Ken snorted. "Let them see. Maybe they won't bother me anymore. But it's a good thing we didn't use my shower," he mused, changing subjects abruptly. "Omi would have been hiding under his covers."

"Speaking of Omi," Yoji said, "Are the three of us working tomorrow, you and Aya and I? Omi has school so it'd be a good time to approach him about this weekend. That way Omi wouldn't get embarrassed and give anything away."

"Good idea." Ken stated. "Yeah we'll do it when Omi's at school. But are we gonna be here this weekend?"

"I don't see why not. We'll stay in my room at night so they have some semi-privacy. And we can make enough noise to drown them out." Yoji smirked.

"I still don't know if this is a good idea," Ken fretted. "We don't know anything about Nagi."

"Are you going to be all protective and piss Omi off then?" Yoji asked. "He's not a kid anymore, Ken. He won't thank you for being overprotective, and I get the feeling this relationship with Nagi isn't something he's going to let go of easily. If it was just something like that he would never have told us."

Ken reluctantly agreed. "So we'll talk to Aya tomorrow then?" he asked, yawning. "You wore me out." He shifted a little to get more comfortable

"I didn't hurt you too much, did I?" Yoji asked, a tinge of concern in his voice. Ken smiled up at him and brought Yoji's fingers to his lips.

"Never. I can take a lot of damage," he said with a languid smile, stretching. "I think we should shower together more often."

Yoji laughed. "Go to sleep. Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi," Ken returned, listening to Yoji's breathing even out as the older man fell asleep. I hope you know what you're doing, Omi, he thought before he followed Yoji into sleep.

Aya leaned against the cash register, arms crossed over his chest. They'd be late in two minutes and twenty-three more seconds. He didn't actually expect to see Yoji and Ken on time this morning, not after all the noise they had made last night, confirming his suspicions. It had been very inconsiderate of them not to attempt to lower their voices, he thought, a little uncomfortable. He tried to forget the unpalatable fact that hearing them had given him a hard-on that hadn't gone away until he'd done something about it, but as is always the case with the things one wants to forget, it kept slipping back into his mind. Humiliated, he scowled as the clock ticked by another minute. He moved away from the register and started opening the shop, jumping when the door from upstairs flew open and Ken and Yoji tumbled through it with thirty seconds to go. He turned to voice a stinging rebuke when his eyes caught sight of Ken's neck, and he felt his cheeks warming instead.

"You could have come a little early to help open the shop," he said sharply, turning quickly away and hoping they hadn't noticed his flushed cheeks.

Ken and Yoji exchanged incredulous glances. "Is he… blushing?" Ken whispered to Yoji behind his hand. Yoji nodded, amused. He ran his finger lightly over Ken's bruises.

"These might have something to do with it," he whispered back. "I guess he did hear us last night." Yoji grinned at Ken. "I told you to wear a turtleneck."

Ken muffled a laugh.

Aya turned around, his face pale again. "Are you two going to stand there giggling all day or are you going to work?" he bit out. "I could use a little help."

Ken relented and moved to assist Aya. "Gomen, Aya. What do you want me to do?"

Aya tried not to look at Ken as the younger man moved up next to him. He cleared his throat. "You could take those outside," he suggested, pointing to some of the heavier plants. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Ken shrug and move to the pots to take them outside.

"Did you sleep okay last night, Aya? You look tired."

Yoji's drawling voice grated on Aya's nerves. How the hell did the man expect him to sleep through all that noise? "I slept fine."

"Maybe you need a break," Yoji continued.

"Yeah Aya, why don't you take this weekend off and take Aya-chan to Villa White?" Ken had re-entered the shop and had obviously heard Yoji. He walked up and leaned against the table across from Aya, who couldn't keep his eyes on Ken's face. Ken noticed Aya's gaze slip and a small smile tugged at his lips as he caught Aya's eyes again. "You should get out more."

"I don't need you telling me how to live my personal life," Aya snapped. Ken shrugged.

"Yoji and I just thought that if you wanted to take Aya-chan to Villa White, we'd cover your shifts this weekend," he said easily. "You've had a lot of shifts lately. But if you don't want to go…"

"I'll go," Aya said. He hesitated a little, unsure of why they were so insistent, but happy to get away from the flower shop with Aya-chan for a few days. "Thanks."

"No problem. Say hi to Aya-chan for us next time you see her."

Aya nodded and went into the back room.

"Well, that wasn't too hard." Ken commented.

Yoji smiled. "Piece of cake," he agreed, stepping out from behind the cash register as the bell tinkled.

Aya heard the customer enter and figured Yoji could handle it. It was still early and there wouldn't be a big rush, so he could hide back here a little while. He made tea in an effort to wake himself up more fully and set the coffeemaker up for Ken and Yoji, wrinkling his nose as the oily, bitter scent of coffee began to permeate the kitchenette. He finished his tea and sat down on a stool, propping his elbows on the counter. He didn't want to go back out there with the two of them, especially when Ken looked so… Aya tried to dismiss the image that rose in his mind of how Ken got those marks on his skin, shaking his head and feeling sick. He tried to pretend that it was the thought of Ken and Yoji together that made him feel ill, but a little voice in the back of his mind laughed at him.

Admit it, Ran, it said; what makes you sick is that you got all hot and bothered hearing them last night.

Aya shook his head more violently. That wasn't what was bothering him. He just couldn't understand why anyone would enjoy being used like that. That was it.

Sure, Ran. You just keep on believing that night after night when you jerk off listening to them. Believe it even though you can't look at Ken without remembering why you couldn't sleep all night.

Aya's eyes snapped open in horror. He refused to listen to that niggling little voice anymore. What Yoji and Ken chose to do was none of his business. Let them do whatever they wanted at night, as long as it didn't interfere with his sleep. Maybe he really did need this trip to Villa White to clear his mind. Aya was suddenly very grateful for the offer. At the very least he wouldn't have to listen to them all weekend. He wasn't working Friday so he and Aya-chan could leave Thursday night. That was only three more nights. Guiltily he hoped they'd use Ken's room until he left, even if it disturbed Omi.

Aya stood and walked back into the main room, feeling much more cheerful. Three more days, and he'd get away. He could handle it until then.