Into Temptation
By nekojita

Chapter 3

Aya kept telling his mind to focus on the flowers he was arranging and not on some damn playboy who was lounging near the cash register, just staring at him. Unfortunately it didn’t seem to be working. As if against his will, he found his head lifting up as he gazed back at the blond. Yohji smiled at him and blew his a kiss. Feeling his face heat up the slightest bit, Aya quickly ducked his head as he started to mentally curse himself.

The situation that he found himself in was simply intolerable. Okay, so maybe it hadn’t been the best idea to try and ‘seduce’ Kudoh. One knew what they said about hindsight being 20/20. But when he had been standing in the shop a couple of months ago, hearing the bastard mock some poor girl who in his mind resembled Aya-chan, it had just been too much. He’d needed some way of getting revenge on the older man. And the first thing that had come to mind, instead of the normal ‘skewering the bastard’ response, was to prove to Yohji that even a supposedly legendary Casanova like him could be susceptible to the tactics that his precious imouto had spent the last few months of her life before the accident memorizing. All in anticipation of her sixteenth birthday, when she would be able to use them and ‘find herself a date’. That was it. He didn’t have another ulterior motive than that. Honest. There was no way in hell that he, Fujimiya Aya, really wanted the man. That was completely ridiculous. No matter that he dreamed about Kudoh at least once a week.

Realizing that he was glaring at a carnation as he was reduced to arguing with himself, Aya slanted a look over at Kudoh. The man was busy helping a customer, so he got a moment’s reprieve. A desperately needed reprieve. When Kudoh had found out about his little lesson, he’d expected the man to be furious and refuse to have anything to do with him anymore. The last thing that he’d thought would happen was the blond declaring that he wanted him and would do everything in his power to make Aya want him back. And then live up to that promise. The past week had been one blatant come-on after another, leering smiles and suggestive comments and teasing touches that caught Aya’s breath. No one had every paid this much attention to him before, it left him confused as all hell. Then add to that fact that it was Kudoh Yohji who was doing it to him, and things went downhill from there.

He couldn’t really want the man, could he? No, it just wasn’t possible. Never mind the fact of how enjoyable it had been to fluster the man, to have Kudoh gazing at him with lust-filled eyes. Or how nice it had been to have an excuse to finally touch the lanky man. Maybe, just maybe he was the slightest bit infatuated with his teammate. One could admit that, after all the blond was too handsome for words. Aya was a young man, it figured that sooner or later his hormones would demand some attention, and there were a lot worse candidates for them to become fixated on. Like his other two roommates, for example. Would have been nicer and easier if it was some girl his age, but one didn’t decide these things. But that was it, merely a simple case of lust. Nothing else. It was just that he’d gotten a little too wrapped up in the chase, and now Kudoh’s refusal to back off and let things end just kept the emotions at a fevered pitch.

So lost in his thoughts, Aya never noticed that the customer had left until Yohji startled him by sitting on his work table. Glaring at the smiling face, he snarled out "Kudoh, leave me the hell alone."

Of course the moron ignored him. Aya started at the touch of the white rose Yohji was holding being stroked down his face. He was hard-pressed not to shiver at the feel of soft petals caressing his cheek. So he did the safest thing he could, and continued to glare at the playboy.

Who just sat there, smiling tenderly at him once again. That was even worse than the leers, when Kudoh looked as if he had some sort of feelings for him other than lust. For some damn reason it gave him a sense of hope. What for, he had no clue. "I told you before, that’s not an option. Do you know you’re not much darker than this rose? I think we need to get you to a beach, sweetheart. Maybe put a little color on those white cheeks of yours." Aya forced himself to remain still as the older man leaned in close and spoke into his ear. "I’d offer to help with the suntan lotion, wouldn’t want you to get all burned now, would we? Promise to rub it _all_ over." The rose was flicked against Aya’s lips as that smile turned into a suggestive leer.

Hating the sensation of being toyed with, he snatched the rose and clenched it in his hand as he shoved Yohji away. Damn the man for getting to him like that. "Kudoh, go away. I’m not playing. And don’t call me sweetheart." Aya _hated_ that word.

"Should have thought of that before you started the game, sweetheart." He blinked at the man’s serious tone. Kudoh Yohji was almost never serious. About anything. "Now you’re left with the consequences of it. I won’t stop until I get what I want. Which is you, and you only have yourself to blame."

Aya said the first thing that entered his head. "Shi-ne." At that moment he would gladly love to leave Yohji with a few scars to remind the man not to play with people like he was doing. ‘But didn’t you do the same thing to him?’ That guilty little voice was the only thing that kept him seated. Especially when Yohji once more opened his mouth.

"You are so gorgeous when you’re mad, did anyone ever tell you that?" Before Aya could snap at the blond, Yohji straightened up on the table and reached for his hand. "Gods Aya, I swear you need a babysitter or something, to try and keep you out of harm. Gimme your hand." Thrown off by the sudden change of topic as well as the concerned look on the older man’s face, all Aya could do was sit there, bespelled as Yohji unwrapped his fingers from the rose and then lifted his hand to his mouth and licked at the wounds before sucking a finger into his mouth. Feeling something inside of him jolt at the sensation of a tongue running along that finger, he quickly jerked his hand back, face falling into a defensive mask.

"Kudoh, what are you, that’s…." He couldn’t think of anything to say. That had been disturbing and disgusting and he wished he hadn’t have snatched his hand away.

It appeared that Yohji found his reaction very amusing. The suggestive leer was back as green eyes raked over him body, the innuendo loud and clear. "You’re welcome, Aya-sweetie. Anything else that needs some TLC?"

Sputtering in anger, he just turned his glare down on the table as he resolved to ignore the man, whatever the cost. After a moment Kudoh left him alone, whistling a cheerful tune. Dammit, how did the man get to him like that?

*******

Lying on his bed, Aya kept mentally chanting the same words over and over, hoping to make them true with repetition. ‘Kudoh is not getting to me. I could care less about the man. All this is is some messed up game and he will soon grow bored and leave me alone.’ It wasn’t a very effectual means of a solution, considered his fingers still tingled from where the blond’s mouth had touched them, and Yohji was standing on the other side of his door yelling at him.

"Wakey wakey beautiful. I got some dinner downstairs, if you aren’t too afraid to show your face. Come and get it while it’s hot." The insufferable bastard. Of course he wasn’t hiding in his room from Kudoh. The man hadn’t gotten to him that much. Snarling and cursing as he got off the bed, Aya made himself presentable for dinner. Before leaving the room he stopped beside his desk, where he ran his fingers over an old book. "Aya-chan, did you ever think this would happen when you lent me your book? I managed to make someone interested in me alright, too bad you didn’t give me some advice on how to make them stop wanting me." A sense of sadness filled him as he gazed down on the battered tome he was to have returned some years ago. He’d never taken the time to read the silly thing, not until this whole ‘lesson’ mess with Kudoh had come up. At the very least he had to be thankful for the man for that, going through the advice book he’d come across the notes his imouto had left him, and heard her voice for a short time. Briefly he wondered what she’d do in this situation, but all he could picture was a cute girl so eager to be allowed to date and find that special someone. She was so different from him, who had always been afraid to let anyone but her close. Which was why she had insisted that he borrow the damn thing, against his wishes. Aya sighed and reluctantly left the memento behind, heading down to the kitchen.

Upon entering the room, he refused to look at his stalker and quickly sat down at his seat. He ignored Yohji’s comment about needing to eat, along with the term of endearment he was called. There was no way in hell he would ever be the man’s lover. Ever. No matter what the attraction, Fujimiya Aya didn’t give himself to sluts, especially for a little ‘fling’. Never mind the fact that he’d never given himself to anyone else.

Attention focused on his dinner, he noticed two flowers sitting by the bowl. A white rose and a purple cattleya orchid. For a moment Aya wondered if Yohji had guessed two of his secrets, but after a few seconds the shock wore off and his brain kicked back into gear. The man wasn’t being very subtle, was he? Picking up Kudoh’s code flower, Aya proceeded to shred it into tiny particles. An amused voice drifted over to him. "Careful with the rose, sweetheart. Unless you want me to kiss your boo-boo again."

He dropped the flowers as if they had burned him. Perhaps that accounted for the way his fingers were once again tingling. "Kudoh, shut up and leave me alone. This is ridiculous, what you are trying to prove. Let it go." He glared at the man, who was too cheerful for words. At least until he made sense of the comment.

"Not a chance, Aya. What’s the matter, am I getting to you?" The serious tone was back, and there was a challenge in those green eyes. It took a lot of control to snort and lower his gaze, to pretend the blond wasn’t sitting across from him and waiting for an answer. He thought he heard teeth grinding together, but Yohji didn’t add anything else. Uncomfortable silence accompanied the rest of the meal.

Aya got up to do the dishes the second he finished eating, eager to get the chore over with and to escape. Back to his room, where there was no playboy to stare at him all night, or to try his sense of control. It was much safer up there, where he could pretend that the man didn’t have his stomach flopping about just with his presence. Refusing to look up from the sink-full of dishes, in case Yohji tried to start another conversation or treated him to any more of those smiles, he never noticed it when the man approached him from behind. Aya spun around at the touch on his shoulder, stunned to find out that Yohji had snuck up on him and was standing so close. Green eyes searched his for a moment, and a smile spread across the handsome face. This one wasn’t tender, like the one from earlier, or the usual leer, just very male and satisfied over something. Trying to puzzle out what the expression meant, he was again startled to hear Yohji talk.

"You know sweetheart, you need a lecture on manners. It’s proper to thank a person for buying you dinner."

Screw interpreting the smile. He glared at the annoying man, wishing him gone. "I told you before, stop calling me that. Get away."

"No." Aya remained motionless as Yohji moved in closer and rested those long arms of his on either side of him. He couldn’t let the blond know just how much he was affecting him. "Aren’t you going to say something? Come to think about it, you owe me more than a simple thank you. You also owe me an apology for embarking on that damn lesson of yours. I’ve been more than patient enough in waiting for it." Not exactly sure where the older man was going with this, Aya remained quiet "Nothing to say? My, aren’t we the tenacious one? Well, if you’re not going to talk, I can put that mouth of yours to better use." The next thing that Aya knew a knee was forced between his legs as he was pressed back rather firmly against the counter. Then Yohji began to kiss him.

Totally unprepared for that action, all he could do was stand there for a few seconds. Then shock faded, to be replaced by anger over Yohji treating him like this. Well deserved revenge or not, this was going too far. Aya managed to jerk his head aside to glare at the man, growling out a warning. But it was swiftly cut short as the blond resumed the kiss, now thrusting a tongue into his mouth. Taken in by the unfamiliar sensation of that talented organ flicking against his own tongue and the roof of his mouth, Aya felt his eyes drift shut. He couldn’t get over the way it felt, so strange but right, the taste of Yohji filling his senses. Quickly after that the blond begun to rock against him, setting off an oddly tense feeling in his chest, along with a spark of heat wherever their two bodies were touching.

It was so different from the only two other kisses he’d received before, he didn’t want to break it off. The first had been from that one prostitute, right before Shion and the others had been killed, and the second had been from Yohji a week ago. That kiss had been harsh, this one was anything but. Demanding, yes, but it didn’t feel like a punishment of some sort. No, it just felt so very good, and he wanted to explore that feeling some more. Forgetting his anger, Aya pressed against Yohji as he moved his tongue, trying to imitate what the tall man’s was doing. That earned him a groan from the blond as he was held tight. A pair of warm hands slid under his shirt, tugging him even closer as they made him shiver. For some reason Yohji groaned again, deepening the kiss until his chest felt tight from the lack of oxygen. Finding the need to breath of secondary importance at the moment, Aya’s sense of contentment fled when he felt the hands skim down his back, sliding under the waist of his pants. Suddenly things went from a welcome experience to something all together different and more serious.

He thrust Yohji away from him as forcefully as he could, sending him crashing into the kitchen table. Before the older man could right himself, Aya was out the door, running for his room. He didn’t slow down until the door was locked behind him, before crossing the room to stare out the window. Aya tried to still his panting breath, from the mad dash and the effects of Yohji’s kiss. Damn Kudoh for doing that to him, making him feel something before reminding him that what the man wanted was to have him begging to be treated like one his dates, to be used and discarded. All Kudoh wanted was revenge, and he’d been so close to giving it to him.

Aya’s head jerked up when he heard footsteps approach and stop in front of his room. Yohji’s voice drifted through the wood. "Part of me wants to apologize for what just happened, but I won’t. You started all of this, Aya. I’d convinced myself that you would never want me before you started playing silly games. As childish as it sounds, this really is all your fault. But I’m doing this for more than getting some revenge against you. You wanna know why?" He stood there, too furious to speak. So this was all his fault? He’d done nothing to the man like what had happened in the kitchen minutes ago. "I think you want me back, maybe as much as I want you." Aya couldn’t stop himself from snorting at that comment. What Kudoh wanted was a little adventure, something much too casual for whatever the hell it was he was feeling to accept. "Yeah, I know, that sounds crazy, but listen to me for a minute. Why else would you have picked such an insane way of making me pay for some careless comments? Ken inserts his foot in mouth just about every damn day, but I don’t see you seducing him. So I think it has something to do with me, and you are too damn scared to admit anything. I mean, I just attacked you, and you’re hiding in your room, not chasing after me with that damn security blanket of yours. Not that I’m complaining about the fact. I just, I just want us to get past this as soon as possible. I’m not giving up, Aya, not until you are mine." The normal mocking or indifferent tones that Kudoh’s voice contained when talking to another man was gone, the words spoken in a serious and determined manner that made Aya feel uneasy. The blond wasn’t supposed to be caring this much over the matter. The last sentence made him catch his breath, what with the possessive way it had been said.

"So you can stay in your room if you want, or leave the house as much as you can. But it’ll only delay the inevitable. And to be quite frank with you, would be very disappointing. Never thought I’d see Fujimiya Aya run from anything. Only two options here, sweetheart. Prove me wrong or admit the truth."

Aya stood by the window for a good portion of the night, trying to figure out how things had taken such a turn, about how he was going to handle both Kudoh and a part of himself that longed for the man’s words to be true.

*******

Aya sat in his chair, pretending to read a book as he teasingly played with his hair. This had seemed to drive Yohji crazy before, maybe it would do it again. Since the man’s confession days before, Aya had been busy trying to come up with a plan. Merely ignoring the playboy wasn’t working, that night in the kitchen had proved that. Threats didn’t seem to work either. So that left him with what had gotten him into this mess in the first play, fighting fire with fire. It had thrown the man off his guard before, chances were good that it might do it again. At least it had worked the past couple of days, when all Yohji could do was stand still, too busy staring and drooling to make a move.

As if summoned by his thoughts, the blond got off of the sofa and walked over to him, stopping before the chair. "You want something, Kudoh?"

Yohji leaned over him, smiling in such a way that Aya forgot to breath for a few seconds. "I must say, that move is one of your more inspired tactics, but you could be doing it better. Let me show you." Angered at what he saw was mockery for his actions, Aya didn’t say anything, just sat there glaring. The idiot, unknowing of the danger, reached out with a finger and started to stroke it down his neck. Not expecting the gentle touch, especially to that part of his anatomy, Aya didn’t strike out. "You need to slow it down a little sweetheart, make the watcher anticipate where you will brush it next. And don’t forget about your ear, some people really go for that." He started to squirm at the touch, sensitive nerve endings sending out flares as that finger softly traced patterns along his neck, up to and along his ear. Then the teasing digit skimmed down the skin along the side of his neck, making him close his eyes as he let out a breath, head resting on the chair. It was almost torture, the way that caress set his nerves on fire, bringing back that coiling sensation in his middle. As if from far away, he heard Yohji’s voice. "This part is my personal favorite." A touch along his lips made Aya open his eyes.

What he saw was the blond leaning over him, eyes and smile tender once more. Aya couldn’t do anything as Yohji came closer but stare at the gently curving mouth. He swiped his tongue over his dry lips, brushing against the finger that had him shivering. Warm breath caressed his face, making him tense in anticipation. "Remember, nice and slow, a little bit of teasing is a good thing." For a brief moment lush lips were pressed against his, but before he could respond they disappeared as Yohji returned to the couch. After a few minutes Aya realized that he should be doing something other than just sitting there, so he picked up his book. The words seemed oddly blurry, and it took him a little while to realize that it was because his hands were trembling.

*******

Hoping for some peace and quiet, Aya got out of bed early on a Sunday morning and crept downstairs to make some breakfast. He hadn’t been able to eat much last night, what with the way Yohji’s eyes had rested on him throughout dinner. The gaze had been almost a physical thing, heavy and warm along his skin. So he had fled the table early, needing to escape what that look had been doing to him.

When he opened the fridge to prepare something, his hands had automatically reached for the eggs and milk to make a batch of pancakes. He had gotten quite good at cooking them, during the two months he had played with Kudoh. It was the man’s favorite breakfast. Quickly preparing the batter and setting up a pan on the stove, he started cooking, lost in the familiar task. The next thing he knew there was an arm around his waist and Yohji’s chin on his shoulder. "Mmm, pancakes. My favorite. You didn’t have to go through all this effort just for me, but I appreciate it."

"I didn’t make them for you. Omi wanted them. Now get off of me." Here was hoping the man left him alone to sit down and eat.

"Not a chance sweetie. What’s the matter, can’t concentrate with me nearby? I know someone as sexy as me can be hell all distracting." Aya snorted at the comment, refusing to acknowledge how true it could be. Determined to ignore the blond, he thought things were going well until a large hand took to massaging his stomach. "Kudoh, get your damn hands off of me."

"Or what? You’ll hit me? That’s original, Aya. You know, they may be painful, but I don’t mind the bruises too much. They just prove that I’m getting to you. That I can get a response from the ice prince himself. Lets me know that you really want me."

Aya growled but didn’t say anything else, just kept flipping the pancakes. It figures Yohji would like pain. Looked as if he had to try and find another way to discourage the playboy, short of murder, before he did something stupid like give in to the temptation he represented. The other tactics sure as hell weren’t working. For a moment Aya forgot about the pancakes and the hand touching him so intimately, as he wondered if Kudoh might not have been serious the other day. The older man certainly showed no signs of backing off any time soon. He’d never known the man to spend this long chasing after a date before, couldn’t there be a first time that Kudoh wasn’t only after some fun? Yohji’s voice started up again, low and hushed, sounding too damn sexy for words. "I had the best dream this morning. You were in my bed, naked against red silk sheets that made your skin glow. Begging for me to take you. How was I to argue? So I crawled along side of you and started to kiss you here," he touched Aya on the side of the neck, making him shiver. Aya found himself frozen, mesmerized by the voice and the hips rocking against his, making him echo the movement so as not to lose contact with them. He felt his cheeks grow hot as he mechanically continued making breakfast. "You were begging me so sweetly not to stop, but I couldn’t take hearing you cry out my name any more, so I had to kiss you silent. Not that you minded, since I started to stroke you so slowly, making you thrust your hips off of the bed."

His breath started to come in little pants as Yohji’s voice slid through his head, describing the golden hands stroking him hard, making him picture the scene in his head. Of lying beneath the man as those lush lips left his mouth and made their way along his body, the hand leaving his shaft to tickle down the cleft of his ass. A sudden scraping sound brought him back to himself as he realized there was no more batter left in the bowl. Aya spun around to face Yohji, eager to get away from the playboy before his body revealed just how much the dirty talk was affecting him. That satisfied look was back again as the older man pressed against him. "Like the story so far? Maybe you could make a few suggestions, tell me what’s your favorite position, if you like it hard or slow and gentle. Hmm?"

"I’m not playing this game, Kudoh. You’re just wasting your time." Aya squashed the impulse to flee, letting his face grow cold as he refused to make the man anymore satisfied as he already was. Yohji was just baiting him again, nothing more.

"No, don’t think so. What I do believe is that you don’t have a clue what you want. That was why you kept the book, right? To help you figure things out. Well it’s a lot more complicated than merely getting a guy’s attention, sweetheart. Hell of a lot of stuff comes after that. What do you think all that teasing and hair playing leads too? Time to follow through, lover. Don’t worry your pretty little head over it though, I’ll show you the ropes."

Rubbing his nose, which the blond had just binked, Aya glared up at his teammate. "I don’t need you to show me anything, Kudoh."

"Yeah, right. Just how much experience do you really have, Aya? Wanna prove to me that I’m not the first person you chased after?"

He wanted to smack that smug grin off of Kudoh’s face, make that confident voice shut up. The man was cutting too close to the bone. "I. Did not. Chase after. You." Not technically anyways. It had supposed to have been a lesson, nothing more. Why couldn’t Yohji understand that? Or himself, for that matter.

"Sure you did, sweetie. Just had to rationalize it as some damn game or lesson or whatever. That’s what has you running from and hitting me all the time. Classic fight or flight reaction. Feelings got you all confused? Or are you just afraid? Never thought I could shake you up this badly."

Having heard too much, Aya decided to finally make Yohji shut up. He reached out and yanked the blond’s head down for a kiss, expressing all of his frustration and anger and longing. The man was _not_ getting to him, he refused to let that happen. Yet as soon as Yohji started to kiss him back so intensely, and as he found himself clutched tight, Aya let himself get lost in the kiss, giving in to what his body craved. It wasn’t until he heard Ken stumble into and very quickly out of the kitchen that he remembered the point to all of this. Pulling back from the older man, Aya steeled his voice as he carefully made sure not to pant, regarded Yohji coldly all the while. "You don’t affect me at all." Maybe if he said it enough times it would be true.

The arms about him slowly loosened as Yohji took a step away from him before pausing, smug look completely gone. "You know there’s an old saying, sweetheart. ‘Put your money where your mouth is.’ We’ll see if I have you running yet again, won’t we?"

Not sure what he wanted to do more, hit the man or resume the kiss, Aya stormed off after snarling out Kudoh’s name.

*******

Busy watering the hanging baskets, Aya silently hoped that he managed to avoid Yohji’s attention until the after school crowd showed up. It galled him to admit that he’d been pretty much reduced to hiding, but he had no clue on how to proceed anymore. There was no advice to be found on how to rid himself of a rather ardent pursuer, one who he was less sure he wanted gone with each passing day. A scary thought. But everything he’d tried before no longer flustered Yohji, instead the man countered his moves with great relish. He’d been reduced to more blushes the past two weeks than in the last two years combined. Aya reflected back on what the man had said to him before, about either proving him wrong or giving in. He was failing at the first miserably, but didn’t see how letting Kudoh get what he wanted was going to end things. Maybe a quick fuck was all the blond wanted, but that wouldn’t be enough for him.

As Yohji settled an arm around his waist and took to running fingers over the exposed skin his low pants revealed, Aya sighed and thought that he had to stop thinking about the bastard. All it did was upset him and summon the blond as if by magic. A husky voice whispered in his ear as the hose was snatched from his hands. "Here, let me help you with that." Yohji continued to hold him tight as he watered the plants. Aya took the time to try and calm himself down, to yell at himself for thinking how good the embrace felt. Telling himself that the blond’s fingers on his waist weren’t making his hair stand on end or his heart to race. A puff of air was the only warning he had as Yohji nuzzled his ear. "All taken care of now, anything else that needs looked after sweetheart?"

Aya tried to free himself from the man’s arm, feeling the need for some distance between the two of them. "Stop calling me that, Kudoh," Aya growled out, failing to pry off the arm around his waist. Yohji wrapped his other arm around him, dropping the water hose to the ground.

"But it suits you so well, lover. You taste so sweet." Before Aya could protest some more and try to break the hold he felt a warm mouth brush along the side of his neck, just below his ear. He gasped at the sensation as the caress deepened, the mouth open and a wet tongue stroking against the sensitive flesh. It was all he could think of until a hand brushed against his crotch, sending a wave of pleasure through his body and making him gasp a second time. When Aya shifted back, trying to avoid that touch and how weak it made him feel, he felt Yohji’s erection brush against his bottom. Suddenly panicking, not sure what the man was expecting to do here in the flower shop, he renewed his struggles. Until he felt strong teeth sink into his neck, shocking him not with pain but the rush of heat that made his muscles melt. The older man held him upright, pressing their bodies so close together that there wasn’t any space between them anymore. As if from a distant Aya heard a mewling voice that sounded just like his, lost in the feel of the hand stroking him through his jeans, the hardness that was rubbing against his bottom, making him feel so empty. He moaned out Yohji’s name, whether to ask him to stop or beg him to continue he didn’t know.

Suddenly Aya found himself alone and cold, stumbling about for support. It actually hurt, to have that contact so cruelly broken off. Confused, he held on to a shelf for support as he gazed at Yohji. Who just stood there looking back at him. It took a while, but he pushed the want aside, trying to make his face into an impassive mask that didn’t show his confusion or pain. The blond nodded his head at something, and spoke in a quiet voice. "It’s painful, isn’t it, to be so close to what you want and then be denied."

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Had this been one big joke? "Was that what this was about, another lesson?"

Aya made to leave the shop, maybe grab his katana and return to inflict true pain on the older man, but found himself grabbed as he brushed past Yohji. "No, this is about me thinking you wouldn’t take being fucked on the shop’s floor very kindly. Go ahead and tell me that wasn’t what you wanted just then."

He was angry at himself for shivering at the words, at the image they stirred in his mind. "I’m not the one refusing to let this end and things return to normal." Aya growled as his bangs were brushed back, stopping when the hand trailed across his lips. It was hard to resist the urge to flick his tongue against it.

"That’s not what I asked. Avoiding a question pretty much admits that you don’t like having to face the answer. Tell you what, prove it to me instead. Give me a kiss, and see if you can just walk away. I mean a real one, not just a peck on the cheek." Aya didn’t move or anything, he wanted to do just what Yohji was suggesting too much. He refused to prove the man right. "Thought so. Just so you know, sweetie, that feeling won’t go away. It’ll keep getting stronger and stronger, the pain growing every day."

It was time to put some distance between them, Aya couldn’t think straight with all the confusing impulses flitting through his head. To strike out or run or kiss Yohji back until they did fall to the floor. He pinched a nerve in Yohji’s wrist, making the hand holding him spasm open so he could step away. "If that’s the case, why didn’t you carry through with it?"

"What, fucking you senseless in the Koneko? Grinding your ass into the floor until you lose your voice from screaming at how good it feels? Because I’m not after a quickie, Aya. As much as it hurts dealing with your stubbornness every day, it would be even more painful to have a small taste once and never again." The heat was back in his cheeks, but Aya couldn’t make himself care, not after hearing what Kudoh said. The man was pretty much admitting that he wasn’t after a brief fling. "What’s the matter, starting to realize that I’m not going to stop any time soon? I’m disappointed, lover. Thought you were smarter than that. Told you before I was only going to accept one conclusion, you being completely mine." It just got more shocking by the moment, the possessive growl in Yohji’s voice and the dead seriousness of his expression rendered Aya silent. He couldn’t do anything but stare back at the blond, revealing his nervousness in the way his hand played with his shirt, unable to comprehend what the hell he was to do next. All he could do was stand there, realizing that his teammate was not going to stop his pursuit, and that a little more of him was happy about the fact with each heartbeat.

*******

Aya sighed as he entered the den. Judging from the mop of blond hair that was seen above the top of the chair, Yohji was still at home and in his seat. Just what he needed right now. For a moment Aya contemplated retreating back to his room, but then he’d be running away. And all he’d do would be to lie on his bed, thinking about the man. He’d been hoping to come down here and lose himself in a book as Omi and Ken cheered on some stupid sports team. Looked as if the distraction was not meant to be. "Kudoh, get the hell out of my chair."

"Hate to break it to you sweetheart, but this chair was here before you. So it’s not yours. And I got it first."

Swallowing another sigh, Aya walked around to the front of the chair. Yohji looked surprised when he saw him, glancing at his clothes with a frown on his face. Aya had decided to dress the way he had before this madness all started, somehow he doubted a simple change of clothes would scare the blond away. He was just so tired of everything, trying to figure out what exactly Kudoh’s motives were, if he was sincere in everything he had said, what exactly he wanted from the older man. The one thing Aya was sure of was that he did _want_ the man, enough to chance that this might be a trick after all. And that had him terrified. "I need to sit in the chair, the light by the couch is lousy. Why don’t you move over there?" Nothing, just those green eyes roaming over his body with a hint of disappointment. "Did you hear a word of what I said?" This time he had to sigh, as Yohji jerked back from wherever it had been he’d gone to. "The light for reading is best here. Can’t you move to the couch? You’re always hogging the whole thing any other time."

"But not tonight." Yohji smiled at him, a bland show of teeth. Aya found himself wishing it was the tender smile that made him breathless. "You want the chair, gonna have to share it. Unless you’re afraid to."

Another challenge. Something else he was getting tired of. Trying to come to a decision, to either run or attempt to reach an ending of some sort, Aya nibbled on his lower lip. The want won out over the fear. Even if this ended painfully, it would be over and he could move on. Or try to. Letting his head fall to his chest, hiding the blush on his face, Aya moved toward the chair. Yohji made room for him between his legs, and was quick to pull him back into the chair, tight against him.

He pretended to read his book, minutely aware of every move the older man made, need and apprehension keeping him still. Was he supposed to do or say something? Maybe this was a joke after all, and Yohji was waiting for him to make a move that the blond could laugh at him for later. Working up the will to leave the chair and go somewhere else, anyplace that Yohji wasn’t at, Aya watched as a golden hand reached out to take his book and drop it on the floor. He then felt himself be pulled back until he sat in the blond’s lap, facing the man. Gentle hands brushed his bangs off of his face, tilting his face up. Looking at the other man, Aya drew a breath when he saw the smile directed at him. "It’ll be okay," Yohji offered in a soft voice, before moving in to kiss him.

It was gentle at first, but with each heartbeat their lips pressed against each other harder, more fervently, and Aya opened his mouth to let Yohji in, wanting to taste the man again. He threaded his fingers through the silky blond hair, trying to get the older man even closer, to make the kiss that much deeper. Aya sighed into his teammate’s mouth as a pair of hands took to caressing his spine, making him tremble at the touch. When the hands slipped down into his pants he didn’t care in the slightest, in fact was grateful as they pressed him forward against Yohji’s pelvis and the hardness there that was rubbing against him so delightfully, making him respond in return.

It took him a moment to realize that the sense of dizziness he had was not merely from the sensations assaulting him, but the lack of oxygen as well. The two of them shifted back in unison, just gazing at each other as they fought to regain their breaths. Which was so incredibly difficult to do on his part, with the look Yohji was giving him. It was as if he was something beautiful or precious, those eyes just drinking him in. Feeling bold, he shifted forward, wanting to taste more of the blond, kissing him along the jaw and up to a pierced ear. His sense of adventure was rewarded as the man moaned, long fingers clenching on his ass for a moment before sliding between his buttocks. Licking and letting his tongue spear into the ear, Aya squirmed a little at the feeling of fingers teasing him back there, where he’d never let another person touch him before. He let out a hiss when a finger pushed inside of him, not sure if he liked the sensation or not. Aya moved back in Yohji’s arms, searching the handsome face for any signs of what the man intended to do. They couldn’t do anything down here, could they? The playboy’s face was gentle and pleading as the finger continued to inch inside of him, an uncomfortable feeling that made him ache, just why he wasn’t sure. "Shh, it’ll be fine, trust me." Aya stared at him a little longer, finding no deception or malice, just want that seemed as great as what he felt. "I must be an idiot to do so," he muttered as he leaned in for another kiss.

Yohji’s arms clenched around him, making it hard to breath for a moment before relaxing their hold. Next thing Aya knew his jeans were being unzippered and shoved down his waist. About to complain, the blond nipped at his lip, distracting him. He once more squirmed as the finger pushed in deeper, producing a burning sensation, but before he could pull away he felt a wave of pleasure crash down on him, making him writhe in an attempt to reproduce the stunning effect. "It’s okay sweetheart. Told you it would be fine." Fine was one hell of an understatement. Aya belatedly realized that he was biting his lip, trying not to moan out loud, when the same thing happened again. This time he moaned out Yohji’s name, ready to kill him if he removed his hand anytime soon. Through a haze he realized the man was smiling at him. "It only gets better from here." As the blond bent his head to kiss his neck, finger still sending sparks throughout his body, Aya struggled to pull Yohji’s shirt off, needing to feel as much of him as he could. His lover assisted his efforts, and once the garment was off removed his sweater as well. He couldn’t stop his hands from roaming over the broad chest, moaning as his nipples were pinched and rubbed. Repeating the actions on Yohji, he let his hands skim down, determined to reveal as much as the blond as he could. It was when his fingers were tugging on the jeans’ button that he heard a voice. "Hello? Damn, guess I need that bucket of water after all." Omi, it was Omi’s voice, which meant that he was here in the room, watching the two of them paw at each other. Aya hid his face against Yohji’s neck, passion being quickly replaced by embarrassment.

"Manx is here, she has a mission for us. Can you guys, uhm, well, get presentable and join us downstairs?" Next came the sound of bare feet running swiftly across the floor and down a pair of steps. As soon as he was sure the boy was gone, Aya yanked Yohji’s hand off of him, ignoring the twinge of pain as he scurried off the man’s lap. He then pulled up his pants and dragged his sweater on in a matter of seconds, took a moment to glare at the man whose fault he saw all of this being, and then fled to the mission room. Where he stood in the dark, only half paying attention to Manx as he willed his body to calm down and ignored the entreating looks Kudoh kept sending his way. The moment the meeting was over he ran up the steps, intent on reaching sanctuary at a coffeehouse he knew, desperate to make sense of everything that had just happened.

*******

On his way to the garage, Aya was not terribly surprised when Yohji ran up to him and grabbed his wrist. He’d been avoiding the man all day long, it was only inevitable that Kudoh take advantage of the first opportunity that he had. But considering they were heading out on a mission, quite frankly the timing sucked. "Let go of me, Kudoh,"

"Only if you promise not to run, like you did last night. Where the hell did you take off to after the debriefing, I was hoping to talk to you then. Not minutes before we head out to kill someone." Yohji held on to his wrist too tight for him to get free.

"It doesn’t matter where I went. All that does is the fact that I did some much needed thinking. We need to get going, so leave me alone." He’d spent the night shook up at the emotions and feelings that Yohji had awakened in him, desperate to regain control over his heart and body. The latter of which had clamored for him to leave the shop and seek out the blond, to let him continue what they had started. Which had scared him, because he knew there was no way he could handle it if this was all some sick form of revenge or a one-time thing in the other man’s mind. Those feelings revealed that the stakes were much higher than he had past presumed.

Yohji wasn’t going to let the matter drop. "Still have a few minutes left, sweetie." Aya glared at the nickname, hearing the word as some sort of mocking taunt. "We need to talk about what happened."

"No, we most certainly do not need to do that, especially right now. Let go." Instead Yohji shoved him against the wall and tried to kiss him. Not liking where that would lead to, Aya swung up his sword and caught the smaller man in the chest with the hilt. The blond stepped back, trying to breath as he rubbed his chest. He also let him go, and Aya immediately took flight. But Yohji had the longer legs, and soon caught up with him, herding him over to the man’s car.

"Kudoh, are you fucking insane? Now is not the time for this nonsense!" Aya found himself jerked forward, uncomfortably close to the older man.

"Quiet honey, the children are watching. Don’t want them to see anything this time, do you?" Not a very smart thing for the playboy to say, it just reminded him of last night, but Aya stopped yelling just the same. He didn’t want to give the others anymore of a show than he already had. "This is what happens when you hide from me, it would have been better if you’d let me talk to you last night. I want to say I’m sorry, never should have let things get that far in the living room. Didn’t stop to think that we might be walked in on."

Squirming against Yohji, wanting to be away from the man’s intoxicating presence, Aya hissed back at him. "I. Refuse. To talk about this now."

For some reason the blond closed his eyes for a second, a slight smile on his lips. "Then promise me we’ll talk about it later tonight." The green orbs snapped open, sparkling with some emotion he couldn’t place. "I’m serious here, Aya. Avoid the issue or me any longer and I’ll pull something during a rush in the Koneko. Understood?"

"Yes." Damn the bastard for having this effect on him, for making him give in. He could very well imagine Yohji living up to the threat. But at least the man let him go. Not very happy, Aya viciously punched the playboy in the stomach before huffing off to his car.

*******

Aya knocked on Kudoh’s door and entered when so invited. He felt a good bit of his anger evaporate at the confused look he was being treated to. Guess Yohji thought he wouldn’t live up to his promise so quickly after the mission. "Aya?"

"Nice to see you still have a few braincells left." The joke just made the older man look even more flummoxed, so much so that he didn’t take umbrage at the insult. Instead he shook himself and smiled at him. "Haven’t managed to kill them all yet. You here to patch me up?" Aya nodded his head and rolled his eyes as he lifted his hands, full of the necessary supplies for treating wounds. "Good. I need some help getting out of these pants, what with the wound and all. And when you’re all done we can have that talk."

Not too happy with the idea of a nearly naked Yohji being in close proximity to him, Aya nonetheless moved closer and set the stuff down on the bed. Kneeling on the floor, he decided to get a little bit of revenge. He ran his hands up Yohji’s legs in the same teasing manner the man used on him all the time, and had to hide a smile upon hearing him moan. "Well?" Yohji quietly raised his hips and unbuttoned the tight pants, shoving them down his legs. Aya helped pull them down the rest of the way, fingers trailing down his skin once more. The blond shivered for a minute, until he decided to check the wound for debris. Rather firmly "Ah, fuck!"

"Sorry, checking to see if there are any fragments in there."

"And are there?" Yohji gritted his teeth in pain as the torture continued.

"No, looks good. I need to clean this now." Aya spread the towels underneath the wound, and proceeded to empty two bottles of saline solution and then half a one of peroxide on the wound. Best to make sure there wasn’t any infection he thought smugly, smiling inside each time Yohji cursed.

"You wouldn’t happen to be mad at me, would you sweetheart? I think the damn thing is clean now." Ah, time to move on then. Aya measured out a dose of painkiller and made sure the needle was firmly imbedded in the leg muscle before he swiftly pressed down the plunger, humming all the while. When he looked up a pair of green eyes were glaring at him. He ignored them, threading the needle as he gave the medicine some time to kick in, then set about stitching it closed. "Ready?" Knowing how much the older man hated stitches, he took his time, making sure the sutures were even and not inflicting any more pain than he had to. Yohji was oddly silent throughout the whole ordeal, and appeared surprised when he was all finished. "There, just need to wrap it, be careful in the shower." Aya quickly finished the task, making sure to wrap the wound securely. "Is there anything else?"

"Just this." Yohji grabbed Aya’s shirt and yanked him close for a kiss. For a moment Aya thought to resist, but when a hand ran up his back and caressed his neck, he relaxed into the embrace, earning a groan from Yohji as he parted his lips. He wanted to trust the man, hoping that something would come of this, what exactly he wasn’t sure. Last nice had been so very nice, up until the interruption. Kudoh kept saying that this wasn’t all about sex or revenge, now was the blond’s time to prove that. Almost as if his mind had been read, he felt a hand push into the back of his pants. Aya felt something inside of him crack, worst suspicions proven true.

Aya pulled back, trying to get to his feet but hampered by the death grip on his arm. Yohji snapped at him, voice hoarse. "Gods dammit Aya, will you stop with this already? I want to fuck you. You, judging from last night before Omi walked in, want to be fucked. We’re in my room, no interruptions, so what the hell is the problem?"

Filled with fury, all he could do was hiss at the older man. "Did you ever think that this isn’t a good idea, Kudoh? I’m not one of your flings, we have to deal with each other after you get bored and move on to something new. Why the hell couldn’t you have just left things be? You want revenge for what I did to you? Well consider last night it." Aya wanted off the bed and out of there, before he strangled the blond. Here he’d given the man another chance to prove something, and all Kudoh did was push for sex.

"Where the hell do you think you are going?"

"Out of here. We’re even now, Kudoh. I came for a talk, you literally tried to get in my pants, there’s nothing left to say but leave me the hell alone." Aya let out a yelp as he was jerked back onto the bed. Yohji swiftly crawled on top of him, pinning him down while gracing him with an angry scowl. He was more than happy to return the look.

"Listen to me Aya, there’s not going to be any more games from here on out. You haven’t been listening to me. This isn’t about revenge, or a one-night stand. Gods, I wish it were. I wouldn’t be ready to kill half of Tokyo in frustration, or want to shake you until I got my point into that thick skull of yours. This is about you and me."

Aya wanted to laugh at that comment, but the man’s solemn expression prevented that from happening. "There is no ‘you and me’ Kudoh," he said quietly, trying to figure out how everything had taken such a serious turn. If this wasn’t about a one-night stand, then why did the aggravating man keep trying so hard to get him into bed?

"Gods I want to fucking strangle you. What the hell do you think the past couple of months have been about, huh? Or what happens between the two of us when we touch each other? There are sparks and then there are _sparks_, Aya. What we have is too fucking intense for you to try and deny it."

The last thing he wanted to admit was that Kudoh was right. Steeling himself with the conviction he had come to the night before, Aya set out to refute that statement. "What we have could easily be solved with a couple of cold showers and you going out on a date. It’s nothing more than urges that can be easily controlled, if you had any to begin with." Or if he had any as well. It was getting harder to think with Yohji on top of him, like he’d imagined the man so many times before over the past few weeks.

"Just an urge? You really believe that shit?" Yohji bent his head down until their faces were almost touching, eyes looking deep into his. "Seems to me that there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot of control to be found on your part yesterday. If Omi hadn’t have walked in we would have fucked right there on the chair." Aya hissed, partially in embarrassment and partially because he didn’t like to be reminded of how much he’d given in. "Tell you what, sweetheart, let’s make a deal. You want an ‘end’ the this game, right?" Ignoring the part of him that shouted out ‘no’, Aya cautiously nodded his head. He didn’t trust his voice at the moment. "If I recall correctly, you had two months to drive me nuts, don’t see why I shouldn’t receive at least the same. Unless, unless you give me twenty minutes to prove to you that what we have is more than just ‘easily controlled urges’. Deal?"

Aya stopped cursing out the man long enough to think about the offer. "What are the conditions of this ‘deal’?" For Yohji to call an end to things so easily, there had to be a catch somewhere. He was quickly proven correct as the playboy rubbed their noses together.

"Twenty minutes of you not fighting me, letting me touch you to see if we can’t make you forget all about your damn control."

Aya’s eyes closed as he contemplated the terms. It made him nervous, how much he wanted to agree, eager for how Yohji could make him feel. But a scared part of him continued to struggle, hoping to escape the situation without getting hurt. "If I win you’ll leave me alone, not more flirting or touching?"

"I won’t ever try another thing, _if_ you last twenty minutes."

It gave him chills to think of what the man could come up with in that amount of time. "Ten."

"Thirty." Yohji seemed very amused when he snarled at the extra amount of time. "I’m not going to be cheated out of my time, Aya. My terms, or we continue this ‘game’. Agreed?"

Nothing to do but get this over with. There was no way he’d be able to survive another couple of weeks of Yohji’s attention, might as well go down fighting. Aya nodded his head. "Good. Now let’s begin." That was all the warning he received before Yohji started the little contest. Aya barely caught a glimpse of the alarm clock before he found himself being kissed. Not about to make this easy for his teammate, he kept his mouth firmly clenched shut, body stiff from the restrained impulse to hug him tight.

The one-sided kiss continued for several minutes, giving Aya hope that this might not be as bad as he had thought. So far it was easy to keep from responding to the blond’s touch. Then he felt the warm mouth move from his mouth down along his jaw, on to his neck. Aya trembled with the need to do something other than just lying there as Yohji removed the collar from his neck. The whole area was so sensitive from the caresses that each touch was like a jolt of lightning through his body. It got even worse once a pair of hands took to sliding under his shirt, caressing his chest and stomach so lightly that he was squirming at the feel of it, gasping in pleasure.

As if that had been a cue of some sort, Yohji leaned up and kissed him on the mouth again, driving his tongue in deep. Aya became lost in his need to touch the other man back, to make sure that this was real and not going to stop any time soon. He released the hold on his muscles, letting his fingers weave their way into wavy blond hair, pulling Yohji closer as he kissed him back. The truth was this was what he’d wanted ever since he’d first seen Kudoh, to hell with the consequences of letting the man win. Even if the blond played him false, it couldn’t hurt anymore than the past few days had, denying himself this pleasure.

Yohji lifted him up, breaking off the kiss to yank his sweatshirt off. Green eyes stared at him, making him warm with that heavy gaze. "So beautiful." It took him a moment to realize that Yohji was talking about him. A small voice inside goaded Aya to glance over at the clock, to find out just how long he had held out against the older man. He then found himself shoved back onto the bed as Yohji ferociously attacked his mouth, clever fingers working on his nipples in such a way as to make him moan. He had to break off the kiss, desperate for air. Yohji just continued down his chest, replacing the fingers with his mouth and making breathing very hard.

It took a moment, but Aya realized where the man’s hands went to when he felt his pants being unzipped. "Yoh-ji, stop." He didn’t want Kudoh to take him like this, constrained as he was by the deal.

"Eight more minutes, sweetheart. I still have eight more minutes." Yohji returned to lavishing attention on his nipples, rendering all thought gone. Aya didn’t care when his pants were pulled off, it was too late to back out of things now. This would just make it easier to hate the man when it was all over. Expecting to feel a finger shoved into him again, Aya jerked up as a hand wrapped itself around his shaft, making him hard with a few sure strokes. He tossed back his head, moaning out Yohji’s name, only to fall silent as teasing fingers flicked over the top of his hypersensitive sex.

Suddenly he found himself shouting as a hot mouth enveloped the shaft, shocking him with the pleasure. Aya’s hands crept down to grab at Yohji’s hair to hold the man close, not wanting him to pull back and put an end to the wonderful experience. He moaned out the blond’s name, breath hitching as he felt fingers skim along his ass, teasing at his entrance but not pushing in. It became but one more sensation, something else to add to the moment as his world narrowed down to what Yohji’s mouth was doing to him. The coiling sensation was back, growing stronger with every heartbeat until it broke him apart into millions of pieces. When he came back together Aya found the older man softly kissing him all over his face. He opened his eyes to look at his lover.

Yohji slowly pulled back, reaching for something on his nightstand. The man seemed to be waiting for something, so Aya nodded his head, encouraging him on to whatever it was he was about to do. There was no way he could ever anticipate the man, might as well take the risk and finally trust him. That seemed to be what the blond wanted, as he found himself graced with a brilliant smile before being thoroughly kissed. Aya held onto Yohji, spreading his legs as a hand slid between them. There was a feeling of something slick and cool before a finger was pushed inside him once more.

Concentrating on what was happening down there, Aya didn’t notice that Yohji had pulled back off of him. Instead he waited for the burning sensation to come back as the finger made its way deeper inside of him, but this time there was no pain, just some discomfort. Curious, he looked over at Kudoh. Who smiled tenderly at him while pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "Just relax, it won’t be so bad this time. And any pain will shortly go away." Aya felt another finger enter him, but before he could protest he felt the sparks once again, crashing through him as he strangled out Yohji’s name.

Distantly he felt the man settle between his legs, and a hand take to stroking his erection once more. But that didn’t seem to be very important compared to the pleasure he was feeling, or the sudden departure of the fingers. Groaning at their loss, Aya felt something thicker start to push into him, stretching him wide as it inched its way deep inside of him. He closed his eyes, trying to just breath around the pain, trusting Yohji that there was a point to all of this.

"You okay sweetheart?" Yohji asked the question several times, his voice rough. When Aya grew used to the pain and stretching he nodded his head, taking a deep breath to steady himself. And then let it out explosively as his lover started to move inside of him, slow at first and then building up speed. Each time it felt as if Yohji was driving in deeper and deeper, making him moan with each thrust. Rough hands grabbed his hips and tilted them up more, and Aya mewled as the thick shafted rubbed against that spot inside of him much more forcefully than the blond’s fingers ever had, setting of waves of pleasure that overwhelmed him. He hung tight to Yohji as his hips rose instinctively to meet each thrust, dimly aware that the man was speaking nonsense to him, something about him being beautiful and tight and so fucking good. Aya didn’t care about any of that, just the what the man was making him feel. The orgasm came crashing down on him, a burst of pure bliss that radiated from the center of him. He cried out his lover’s name as the world faded away, drifting back to it to feel Yohji shudder on top of him and spurts of heat shoot deep inside of him.

He merely laid there, with the man resting on top of him, pleasure steadily changing to apprehension at the thought that the moment was over, now more than likely Kudoh would roll off of him and maybe leave, having got what he’d wanted the past month. Suddenly the gamble didn’t seem so very smart.

As predicted, Yohji shifted away from him, causing him to close his eyes in anticipation of the pain to come. Instead he felt himself gently pulled over on his side, and a moment later kissed. A bit stunned, Aya gingerly kissed the man back, running a hand through Yohji’s hair when he was wrapped in an embrace. They stayed like that for several moments, until the blond leaned back and offered him that tender smile, brushing back his bangs and kissing his forehead. "Gods, Aya that was… just, oh fuck that was good."

Not knowing what to say in a situation like this, he decided to play it safe. "Hn." And was rewarded with a finger poking him in the shoulder.

"’Hn’? That’s all you can say? I think I’m offended." Yohji looked at him in mock anger, brows furrowed but the smile still on his lips.

Aya sighed as he wrapped a strand of blond hair around his finger. He had to ask the question, even if he got laughed at. "Is it always like that?" Dammit, he hated when he blushed.

Of course the moron chuckled at him. "No, not always. But I think it might be the norm for us. All those urges, don’t you know." Not seeing what was so funny, Aya glared at Kudoh as he punched him in the stomach. "Ow." And of course the man had to throw his words back in his face.

"You’re never going to let me live down the fact that you won, are you?"

His face was tilted up until he was forced to look the older man in the eyes. There was no trace of amusement left. "I told you, sweetheart, that this wasn’t a game. We both won, as far as I care to tell. Unless you think you can run away from this." Aya shook his head, look where all that running had gotten him in the end. "Good, else I’d have had to teach you a lesson until you knew better. Shit, I nearly forgot."

Aya yelped as he was unceremoniously tossed over onto his stomach. Trying to figure out what the hell the idiot was up to, he glanced over his shoulder at Kudoh. And watched as the man looked down on his back, reaching out a hand to trace over his tattoo. He’d forgotten about Yohji catching a glimpse of it some time ago. Aya waited for the question. "Aya-love, when did you get this done?"

"It’s not what you’re thinking. I’ve had it for a couple of years. It’s a… symbol of sorts. Of who I used to be."

Yohji appeared confused for a moment. "Wait a sec, who’s Ran, sweetie?" He didn’t answer the question, and in a moment the man continued. "It’s you, isn’t it? I mean come on, Aya isn’t your real name. You pretty much said so when you woke up in my bed that time. And you have an orchid inked on your back."

Debating what he should say, Aya decided on the truth. If he trusted the man enough to sleep with him, might as well trust him with some of his past as well. "It’s my name."

"Oh." He smiled at the man’s stunned expression, but felt the smugness fade under a barrage of questions. "Then who is Aya? What happened that you took her name? Is she the one who gave you that book? And just what the hell was the damn lesson about in the first place? Those weren’t your books that I found, were they? I mean, you can-."

Wanting to shut the man up, Aya decided to kiss him. It had worked so well on him, after all. When he felt himself grow short of breath he shifted back with a sigh. Tilting his head to the side, he set about answering the questions as Yohji gazed at him tenderly.

"Yes, she gave me the one book, and no, the other ones weren’t mine. I have better taste than that. As for the rest," he tried to decide what he willing to get into tonight. Some things would just spoil the mood, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. "Ask me again tomorrow. I don’t want to talk about it right now. Not here." He clutched his arms tight around Yohji’s waist.

The blond hugged him back. "Okay love, whatever you want. Just one more question, what do I call you?"

That took another moment to figure out, making him think of how different Ran was from the person he was now. "Aya. Call me Aya. I’m not sure I can be Ran again. At least not now." Maybe not even when his sister woke up. "Besides, you named me it in the first place. It’s better than sweetheart, that’s for sure."

An expression of relief crossed Yohji’s face, followed by a wicked grin. "Ah come on, what’s wrong with sweetheart?" Aya growled at the nickname, earning a prod in the ribs and a kiss on his head. "I can always come up with worse, you know. How does honeybunch sound? Schnuckems? Baby-doll?" Shoving the laughing man down onto the mattress, Aya decided to make sure Yohji was too busy to come up with any more silly pet names.

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