Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ The Fall of the House of Usher ❯ Once Upon a Midnight Dreary ( Chapter 1 )

Title: Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

Author: Crazy Miko

Chapter: Oneshot

Warnings: None

Pairings: YoujixAya vaguely

Summary: Rainy nights are always depressing. Youji POV, dedicated to Nekojita.

Disclaimer: I do not own Weiss Kreuz; it belongs to Koyasu Takehito among others.

Once Upon and Midnight Dreary

What a quiet night, I've done nothing but sit on my couch and smoke. It's raining outside, normally that wouldn't stop me from going out but the streets are practically flooded. I'd rather not brave that mess just to arrive soaked and outfit ruined, a night in is good once in a while. The Koneko is so quiet; Omi's over at a classmate's house to study and Ken is somewhere. I have no idea where he goes to brood; I just hope it's indoors. It's just me and Aya tonight and I haven't seen him since dinner. I think he's in his room doing whatever it is he does. I'm getting bored, there's not much to do here. Nothing is on TV and calling a girl is out of the question with Aya still around. In a way I'm glad he's here, if I had the house to myself I would probably do something I'd regret in the morning. I've gotten enough lectures from Manx on how big a security risk it is to bring my dates home.

Aya's playing his music again, it's very haunting sounding. He's upset about something; he only listens to that when he's brooding. Rooming next to a guy with only a thin wall between you lets you learn more than you probably ever wanted to know about them. He's practicing with his sword now; I can hear his feet hit the floor in that almost annoying pattern. Every couple steps he stops and I can hear him make that "kyah" noise. I wonder what's bothering him this time; normally he doesn't practice and listen to music at the same time. It's not my place to be prying though; if he wants to talk he knows I'm next door.

Listening to him is kind of soothing, the constant soft noise and music is making me a bit drowsy. One, two, three…no four. He couldn't have stopped; he always finishes his steps before stopping. A soft thud from Aya's room answers my question, he fell. Why did he fall? Aya never falls, and on the rare occasions he does it's never when he's practicing. He must be okay though, I can hear him stand up and walk across his room to put his sword up. He turned his music off too, where's he going now? His door just opened and shut. He knocks softly on my door after a moment and I tell him to come in. He's holding sword arm close to his body and carrying the first aid kit in his left hand. I take the kit from him and tell him to sit on the bed. He does so silently while I find the bandages. He tells me he cut himself when he fell, he doesn't know how he managed to slice his wrist so deep though. I say he must be losing his touch and begin to bandage the bleeding appendage. The cut is very deep; if I hadn't heard him fall I would think it was self inflicted.

When I finish he looks at me and says thank you but doesn't move while I put the kit back together. He just sits on the bed and watches me as if he's trying to make some decision. I put the kit on my nightstand and sit next to him and wait. We sit there for a moment and then suddenly he sags beside me. I'm not sure how to handle this so I just rub little circles on his back as he trembles. He's chanting something softly; I can barely hear parts of it. He's apologizing but I don't know why, this is awkward. I just sit there and continue to rub his back and tell him that it's okay. After a while he calms down and leans against me. I finally ask him what's wrong and he tells me it's all his fault. He says he's sorry for all the missions that have gone wrong and he's sorry for bothering all of us. He apologizes for coming but doesn't leave. He just continues to apologize to everyone he has ever met. I can hear him say sorry to Sakura and Ouka along with Aya-chan. He's sorry for every injury we have suffered. Its not like they were his fault, none of what he's babbling about is his fault. I don't say that though, I just let him talk. He tells me about his family and his sister, and then he talks about Weiss. Abruptly he stops and looks at me, as if realizing that I was there.

We sit in silence for a moment, my hand still rubbing his back. He sits up straight and casts a panicked look in my direction. I move over and hold up my hands in front of me in an attempt to be non-threatening. He exhales and his eyes lose that trapped look. I scoot back beside him and ask him to explain why he was apologizing. He starts shaking again, I'm almost afraid that he's going to have a breakdown. He gives me a short answer about him being responsible, when I look into his eyes to gauge the truth of what he's saying he starts to explain in fuller detail. I cut him off after the first sentence and hold him close to me. I don't want him to tell me any more than he has, I don't want him to regret this in the morning. He wraps his arms around my waist and cries onto my shoulder. Every once in a while there is a muffled apology until he's so exhausted he doesn't have the strength to pull away. I wonder what set him off but now is not the time to pry; he can tell me if he wants.

Slowly, I pull away from him and turn down the covers on my bed. He protests weakly as I pick him up and put him in the center of my big bed. I smile indulgently and tuck him in like a child while I make a remark about how he keeps ending up in my bed. He glares at me but his eyes quickly drift close and he lets out a small sigh of contentment. Thinking he is asleep I turn away only to have him call my name. I turn around and he asks me to stay, he flinches when I laugh. I walk back over to the bed and slide under the covers beside him. He wraps his arms so tightly around me I fear for my safety. He breathes softly on my chest as he whispers for me not to leave him. I don't think he realizes it's me anymore. I just hold him while he sleeps. He looks pretty lying there, I would chance to guess that he has a few abandonment issues. I still don't know what set him off. I wonder if it was the house being so empty and quiet, I wouldn't have thought anyone else was around if I hadn't seen Aya.

I just lay there and stare at my ceiling; I can't fall asleep with Aya there. I don't really mind though, it gives me some time to think. It's not the fact that Aya is a guy that keeps me from sleeping; it's the fact that it's Aya. Out of the three I thought he'd be the last to come to me to be held. Omi and Ken have come into my room before, there's no denying how soothing another person's touch can be. Absently, I stroke Aya's hair, it's so soft. He mumbles in his sleep and tries to bury his face deep into my chest. I'm just glad he isn't having a nightmare.

The rain stopped, I hadn't noticed that. The night creeps by slowly as I start to feel the effects of being awake for so long. I reposition Aya so his head is tucked under my chin. He automatically turns so his face is buried in the side of my neck. I bring a hand up to brush back his bangs before shutting my eyes. I only hope he isn't angry in the morning and pushes everything back inside.

~~~~

When I open my eyes I find my bed empty and my clock reading one in the afternoon. Aya's been gone for awhile, he had the morning shift today. I wonder why no one woke me up, my shift started an hour ago. I sit up to find a note on top of the covers, my name written in Aya's neat handwriting. I open it up and just find 'Thank You' written inside. I turn the note over a few times expecting to find more. I find nothing except for those two words. I leave the note on top of the first aid kit and go to the bathroom to freshen up. Aya must be covering for me down at the shop, I should hurry. I shower and dress in record time. I go straight down as soon as I button my jeans and stop only to grab a sandwich from the plate in the kitchen. When I get to the shop Aya looks at me before taking off his apron and going back upstairs. As he passes by I whisper 'You're Welcome', he nods and continues on his way. Ken looks at me strangely but I just grin and tease him about liking to coach soccer because he's a pedophile. Sense of normalcy restored I continue to do what I always do, flirt. I didn't get my reputation by waiting for dates to come to me; I earned it by getting the dates.

After closing up I go into the kitchen where the other two are waiting, we're having a rare home cooked meal. Aya stands at the stove wielding a pair of cooking chopsticks like weapons. He pokes the meat viciously a few times before turning off the heat and placing the contents of the pot in a serving dish. I hope he was poking the meat to see if it was done and not to see if he could use those chopsticks to skewer me so there wouldn't be a mess on his sword. Omi and Ken talk excitedly during the meal and I interrupt every once in a while to make a comment that causes either one or both to blush. Aya sits as silent as usual while he meticulously eats his meal so none of the sauce gets on either him or the table. Aya excuses himself and carries his plate to the sink. Omi thanks him for the meal before he disappears up the steps. I hurriedly stuff the last few bits of meat and rice into my mouth before excusing myself. I walk up the steps only to find Aya waiting in front of my door. He steps aside and lets me open the door then follows me into my room. He sits down on the couch and gestures for me to sit also. I lean on my bed frame so I'm standing across from him.

Aya looks around the room quickly; I think he's trying to plan an escape route in case whatever he's planning blows up in his face. He looks back at me and starts explaining. It's easier to understand him now; the rain had set him off last night. He had been fine until he looked out of the window and a car's headlights blinded him when they came around a corner. He had a flashback to the night his house had been blown up and a combination of that and Aya-chan's disappearance were too much for him. Once again he apologized for being bothersome; I say that he's more than made up for it by covering for me. I make a joke about how it would have been nice if he had been a girl though. To my surprise he cracks a small smile at that and replies that all the women must not want me now since my bed was empty in the first place. After that we just talk, Aya won't be quiet now; it's like he's trying to make up for all the times I attempted to have a conversation with him.

We stay in my room until dinner, Aya and I decide to go out to eat. Ken and Omi look shocked when we tell them we're going out {to eat} together, Omi waves goodbye dumbly while Ken just stands there. Aya shakes his head a little then asks whose car we're taking. I tell him that we're taking the Seven and he nods and walks over to it. He buckles his seat belt while I start the car. We pull out onto the street and drive to one of my favorite places. It's a little American restaurant I used to go to with my dad when he was in Japan. It's on the list of places Kritiker suggests I stop frequenting but I don't care. The lady that runs it wouldn't tell a soul that she's seen me; she still thinks I'm in the private investigator business.

We have to park a block away, the spots in front of Jess' restaurant are always full. Jess' daughter seats us immediately when we go in, I guess you can say she is a childhood friend. Growing up it was always nice to have another half-American to talk to. She hands us the menus and winks at me before she flounces away, little dork probably thinks I'm taking Aya out on a date. In a sense I am but it's not a date date, just dinner. Aya scowls after he reads his menu and asks me why everything on it is either fried, covered in gravy, or both. I laugh and tell him Jess is from the southeastern part of the United States. He replies that must be why only foreigners are in here, none of it is real food. He looks at the menu again and settles on the fried trout. I've always wondered how she got the trout; they have to be farmed here. When I asked her she smiled and told me it was a secret, I think her relatives in the south ship them over.

After we order it becomes awkward, I don't think Aya's ever done this before. I bet before the explosion he just went to Shibuya with his friends to hang out and play games whenever he was feeling down. He stirs his tea; it's a little different from what he expected. Jess is a true southerner and therefore has iced tea all year round. I don't think Aya's ever had real ice tea before, personally, I hate the stuff. Aya stops and takes a tentative sip; he must like it because he takes a bigger one. He puts his tea down and turns to me, he asks if I've ever done that before. I ask him what he means and he says what I did last night. I tell him that everyone needs to be held once in a while, and that Omi and Ken have come to me before. He nods and looks down, then he asks who I go to when I feel like that. I leer at him and tell him that I've got plenty of lady friends to do that job and more. He snorts then asks me for the truth. Aya is pretty perceptive at times; I have to give him that. I sigh and tell him that some nights I just let alcohol do the work for me; I don't really have anyone who'll do be there for me. I could go to Omi or Ken but I want them to think I'm the one who can always offer comfort. He nods and then tells me his door is open; I smile at him and tell him that I'll bring beer.

Our food comes and we eat in silence, it's not an awkward silence but a comfortable one. Aya and I have reached an agreement on last night in our own ways. I suppose by offering to do the same for me he's hoping to pay me back for the help. I'm just glad I could be there for him. I snicker when I see him scrap all the breading off his fish, I wonder what he has against breading the stuff. He scrapes it off everything, including Japanese dishes. After finishing about half of it he turns to me and says that Americans must be fat because of these big portions. After he looks at the bill he asks how Jess can charge so little and not go bankrupt, I say that I get a family friend discount. Aya makes an 'hmm' noise before pulling out his wallet to pay for his half of dinner. I try to protest but it's useless, Mary, Jess' daughter, has already taken Aya's money.

We leave the cozy restaurant behind and go walking, it's dry tonight and we need to work off such a rich meal. If it were up to Jess I'd be fat, she feeds me too well. I let Aya lead the way and he takes us to a tiny coffee shop I didn't know existed. When he enters the waitress greets him warmly and seats him at a small corner table that I'm chancing to guess is his usual spot. He waves the giggly waitress off after telling her to bring the usual and a cup of black coffee for me. He asks me about my family, about Jess, and anything about my life. There are no more secrets between us; he crossed that barrier last night. I never told Omi or Ken any of this; they are content to forget that they ever came to me. I tell him about my parents, I start on Jess and Mary after the waitress brings our coffee and tea. The coffee he ordered me is good, I wonder if I'm allowed to come back here. Aya just showed me his brooding place, am I welcome here when he goes off to think?

The hours pass by quickly as we talk, I feel lighter than I have in a long time. The waitress reappears every so often to refill our cups; I think she has a crush on Aya. Finally she comes to us with a disappointed look to inform us that the shop is closing, Aya nods and hands her his credit card. She takes it away and leaves us to finish off the last of our drinks. When the waitress returns Aya's card we leave, the night is still young though. I take Aya to my brooding spot; I suppose it's only fair to reveal it to him. It's very near Jess'; the quiet bar is where I like to go when I'm not looking to score. I lead Aya to my favorite seats at the end of the bar; he looks around suspiciously as if expecting me to pull something. I order us a few weak drinks to nurse, I know he has to be as full as I am after Jess' and the coffee shop. The beer doesn't go over as well as the iced tea but I expected that. Aya's my opposite when it comes to food and drink.

The bar is very quiet tonight, just the regulars. No one ever comes here except to forget something. Aya slowly relaxes and just shares the companionable silence with me. There's some soft music playing in the background that reminds me of Aya's stuff. I'm really enjoying tonight, it's different than what I'm used to. For once I'm having fun without being smashed first. We sit for about an hour before Aya turns to face me. I take one last drag of my cigarette before stubbing it out and facing him. He says it is getting late and we should go back to the shop before Omi and Ken start worrying. We only said we were going out for a quick meal. I nod and pay for the drinks, when we step outside the streets are empty, everyone who's out now is in a different district.

It's a short walk to the Seven, and an even shorter drive home. I don't know why we even bothered to take the car out. All the lights are out, there's a note on the table saying that Omi went with a classmate to see a late night movie and Ken is off to where ever again. Aya throws away a note while I hang up my keys on the rack over the counter. We just stand in the kitchen, Aya asks where we go from here. I tell him anywhere he wants. He nods and tells me goodnight before going up to his room. I say goodnight to the empty kitchen before turning the light back off and going to my own room. I lie in my bed and listen to Aya practice, the last thing I hear is a 'kyah' before I roll over to sleep.