violet eyes
chapter ten
Stepping into Bacchus, Yohji winced as the volume of the sound system assaulted
his ears. They really cranked up the music on the weekends. The bar was so packed
the blonde didn’t understand why the establishment bothered, there really wasn’t
any room to dance. Outside waiting to get in was a line of people, and the doorman
recognizing him as Red’s guy was the only reason why he wasn’t out there with
them. It seemed that everyone wanted to be in the club tonight. And it wasn’t
just Bacchus that was busy, it was all the bars in the district.
Yohji had paid another visit to the bartender Nakatani earlier in the night.
He’d wanted to talk to the man some more about his friend Koyu Saito, the fourth
victim. After a series of carefully leading questions, Yohji had found out that
Saito had been an old boyfriend of Teddy Stout. Apparently he had been trying
to re-establish their old relationship prior to his assault.
Objective reached, the blonde had taken some time to stay and chat with the
older man. All the bars that he had visited that night had been wall-to- wall
people, and Yohji wasn’t in a hurry to wade his way through yet another mob.
Commenting on the situation to Nakatani, the assassin had been surprised at
his response.
"You’d think the attacks would’ve scared people away, but it’s been just
the opposite. Right after they find the poor soul who’d been taken, everybody
shows up to have a few drinks, commiserate together, and play amateur detective.
By the weekend, it’s a mad house, the bars packed with people celebrating the
fact that it wasn’t them and swapping rumors on who they think did it. Middle
of next week they’ll all be here drinking to forget, and towards the weekend
they’ll be out thumbing their noses at the sick bastard doing it. I swear the
thrill of maybe being next turns half these nutcases on. Then there’s the vigil,
trying to figure out who’d been taken, and if he’ll end up dead. As long as
the sick fuck is out there, it’ll be the same thing every two weeks."
Not if Weiss has anything to say about it, the assassin thought to himself as
he searched the crowd for two familiar faces. Making his way to the bar, Yohji
spotted his first target. Deciding to get some payback to all the times him
and Aya had been interrupted, Yohji stalked over to the unsuspecting man and
partially flipped up his kilt.
Busy chatting with a regular, Teddy literally jumped in the air when he felt
someone messing with his outfit. ‘Not again!’ Turning around with his hand half
raised, the American found a pair of green eyes gazing at him in amusement.
Relief washed over the younger man as he recognized his assailant.
"Nice reflexes there, Teddy." Yohji had to practically yell in order
to be heard over the music.
"Oh, it’s you. Don’t tell me you somehow mistook me for a red headed Japanese
man. Might want to get those eyes checked out. Wouldn’t want you to molest the
wrong guy by accident."
"Not a chance of that happening. Especially when you come part and parcel
with a bat wielding wild man."
"Just consider yourself lucky Mickey didn’t see your cute way of saying
hello. He’s been a bit overprotective tonight."
Looking about him as if expecting the bartender to show up any moment now, armed
with the bat, Yohji yelled back. "I can imagine."
"If you’re looking for Red, he’s on the other side of the bar."
"Thanks, but I actually wanted to talk to you first."
Caught off guard by the comment, Teddy first paused, and then batted his eyes
at the blonde. "Why Yohji sweetie, I never knew you cared. But isn’t it
a bit risky to carry on this torrid affair right in front of the kitten? You
ask me, he’s got a real nasty set of claws on him. Or does the thought of imminent
death make you horny?"
Laughing, Yohji snagged one of the American’s braids and yanked. "You really
are trouble, you know that? And you don’t need to warn me about the kitten’s
claws, I’ve seen them in action. Even felt them myself a time or two. I want
to know where your boyfriend is. We’d talked about getting together to hang
out next week, and I was wondering if Tuesday would be okay."
"He’s not here tonight. But I don’t see why Tuesday should be a problem,
David works mostly weekends and has weeknights free, unless there is some network
problem he has to deal with." Yohji nodded, remembering the other man mentioning
that he worked with computer systems when they’d met. "Want me to have
him call you?"
The blonde handed over a slip of paper with the number to his cell phone on
it. "We never got a chance to exchange numbers Thursday night, what with
all the excitement."
Tucking away the slip of paper, Teddy narrowed his eyes and looked up at the
blonde. "I’ll pass the message on, if you tell me something."
Suddenly wary, Yohji inquired what it was the American wanted to know.
"Oh relax, it’s nothing top secret, like whatever you’re up to with David.
Just wanted to know about those new hickeys your boy is sporting. What brought
those on, other than wild animal passion?" Teddy raised his eyebrows at
the way the blonde was smirking back at him.
"If you really want to know, your boyfriend told me all about the little
betting pool you had going on here dealing with Red and me. Figured it was probably
too late for the bet, but what the hell. So did you win?"
Frowning at the other man in mock anger, Teddy shook his fist in front of green
eyes. "I would have if you came through a day earlier. You better not let
me down next time, though."
Yohji wasn’t so sure he wanted to be anywhere near the longhaired man when Aya
found out about another wager. "It might have escaped your attention, Teddy,
but Red doesn’t exactly have the best sense of humor. You sure this new bet
of yours is a good idea?"
Smiling as he patted Yohji on the shoulder, Teddy cheerfully responded back.
"Trust me on this one, the both of you will love it. I have to get back
to work, so go find your boyfriend."
Doing as he was told, Yohji walked off with a heavy feeling of trepidation.
*******
Hand raised to cover a yawn, Aya settled into the passenger seat of Yohji’s
Seven. It had been an incredibly busy night, and all he wanted to do was sleep.
The red head had run nonstop his entire shift. He had barely been able to say
five words to Yohji when the man had arrived in the bar after midnight. The
blonde had kept himself occupied until closing by chatting with some guys at
the bar. Afterwards, he had helped the smaller man clean off his tables and
pick up the chairs. It had been a quiet walk to the car.
"Still awake over there?"
"Hn."
"I’ll take that as a yes." Yohji glanced over at his companion, and
found him curled up in the seat, head against the side window with his eyes
closed. Grinning at how cute the younger man was, resting like that, he reached
over and tugged on an eartail. "You have any idea how adorable you are,
Kitten?"
Violet eyes snapped open to glare for a few seconds, and then drifted back close.
‘Huhn, Aya must really be exhausted to let that slip by so easily.’ Trying to
keep the red head awake during the ride home, Yohji employed a different tactic.
"You looked pretty busy back there. So did you get much of a chance to
find anything out tonight?"
Aya stifled another yawn. "I /was/ busy tonight. Overheard a table talking
about the incident Thursday night. They were going on about some things Mickey
had done in the past, whenever anyone bothered Teddy. Omi should be happy to
hear about it."
"It seems that I had a bit more productive of a night." Yohji went
on, filling the red head in on his evening activities. Listening more to the
sound of the playboy’s voice than the actual words, Aya felt himself drifting
off again. It had been an exhausting week, followed by an even more tiring day.
Between the physical toil of working two hectic jobs, and the emotional turmoil
from earlier, the red head felt completely wrung out. He just wanted to sleep
for the next few days.
The next thing he became aware of was Yohji leaning over him, shaking his shoulder
gently to wake him up. "Come on Aya, open up those pretty eyes of yours.
Time for beddy-bye." Shaking his head groggily, the swordsman fumbled off
his seat belt. Before he could grasp for the handle, his car door opened, and
Yohji reached in to help him onto his feet.
Arms wrapped around his semi-conscious red head, Yohji steered the smaller man
through the kitchen and towards the stairs. "This is what happens when
you push yourself too hard, Kitten. Should have gotten a little more sleep this
morning." A bit angry at the lack of concern the red head always directed
towards himself, Yohji got him started on the first step. Following closely
behind the smaller man, he had to admit while unhappy about the circumstances,
it was nice being able to fuss over a too- exhausted-to-snarl-back Aya.
Aya slowly made his way up the steps. Halfway up, he paused, just feeling so
tired. He started to lean against the railing, when he felt a warm hand pushing
at the small of his back.
"That’s a no-no, Kitten. Move or you’ll fall asleep on the steps. Just
keep walking. I’m sure as hell not in any shape to carry you right now."
Aya let himself be herded off to bed, too tired to argue. He couldn’t even work
up a spark of anger when the blonde followed him into his bedroom. Stopping
in front of his bed, he felt Yohji tugging at the belt of his coat.
Feebly protesting, the red head stepped back. "Yohji, I’m /really/ not
in the mood right now. I want to sleep."
"Hush. I’m just making sure you don’t collapse on the bed fully clothed.
I doubt you’d be real comfortable sleeping in that outfit." Yohji’s hands
were busy the whole time, peeling his kitten out of the leather coat. He set
to work on the shirt, fingers undoing the buttons. Aya directed a pathetically
weak glare his way, which was just ignored. "I’m not in the habit of molesting
the unconscious. No sport." Shirt undone, he worked it off the smaller
man’s shoulders. Pausing a few seconds to appreciate the way Aya’s skin glowed
in the darkness, Yohji started on the tight jeans.
"Stop." Moving away from the taller man, Aya nearly fell down on the
bed. Yohji crossed his arms as he stood there, watching the man barely manage
to regain his balance. So they were back to the one of the topics from the fight
earlier. He’d be upset if his kitten didn’t look so cute right at the moment,
half dressed and blinking sleep heavy eyes. "You know Aya, you really should
trust me by now. But fine, be this way. Try taking your pants off on your own."
Realising that the other man was not going to leave as long as he was dressed,
Aya attempted to do just that. Undoing the fly and shoving the tight pants down
his thighs, he noticed that something was wrong. He stood there, weaving from
side to side, until he gradually realized that his boots were still on. Staring
down in a dazed manner, he didn’t see the hand that shoved him in the chest
, knocking him back onto the bed.
"Baka. We’ll be here all night at this rate." Yohji set about removing
his kitten’s shoes and pants. Task done, he arranged the exhausted man properly
on the bed, and pulled up the blankets. The last thing Aya remembered before
falling asleep was the blonde stroking back his bangs, and placing a kiss on
his forehead.
Straightening up, Yohji felt a tender smile upon his lips. Aya looked like another
person when he was asleep, one more innocent and at peace. Stifling a yawn,
he decided it was time he went to bed himself. Tempted to curl up beside his
kitten, he glanced towards the direction of his empty room, and back down at
the inviting bed full of sleeping Aya. It really wasn’t that much of contest.
Quickly stripping down to his boxers, Yohji crawled under the covers next to
the red head. Pulling the younger man into his arms, he relaxed when Aya began
to snuggle up to him. Briefly wondering how he was going to explain his presence
in the morning, Yohji decided to just enjoy the feeling of a warm Aya cuddled
in his arms, and worry about the price later.
*******
Ran was back on the beach. The sun was shining down, warming him up after a
chilly swim in the ocean. The waves sounded louder today, crashing into the
sand with such intensity Ran swore he could feel vibrations from the impacts.
Catching something bright out of the corner of his eye, he turned around. Aya-chan,
wearing a purple sundress, was twirling around on the sand as she recited a
poem aloud.
"Love is not all: it is not meat or drink
Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain;
Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink
And rise and sink and rise and sink again;
Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath,
Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;
Yet many a man is making friends with death
Even as I speak, for lack of love alone.
It well may be that in a difficult hour,
Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,
Or nagged by want past resolution’s power,
I might be driven to sell your love for peace,
Or trade the memory of this night for food.
It well may be. I do not think I would"
Puzzling out the foreign words, Ran started towards his sister when a huge wave,
cresting high above him, crashed down on him.
Shivering from the feeling of cold, imaginary salt water, Aya woke up. It slowly
dawned on him that instead of cool cotton sheets, he was resting on a warm,
bare skinned body. Opening his eyes, he found himself sprawled half on top of
a still sleeping Yohji. His head was tucked underneath the man’s chin, most
of his upper body was resting on the blonde’s chest, and their legs were tangled
together. The older man had his arms firmly wrapped around Aya. Not knowing
what he was supposed to do, the younger man continued to just lay there.
The red head could clearly recall making his way half asleep up the stairs,
and Yohji ‘helping’ him out of his clothes. He knew he fell deeply asleep after
that. So what was the blonde doing in bed with him? Aya was relieved to realize
that both men were still clad in their underwear. He didn’t think anything had
happened during the night. Still, if he found any new marks on him, Yohji better
start running quick and never stop.
Slowly pushing himself off of the sleeping man, Aya stopped when he could observe
Yohji’s face. The older man looked so different, without his ever- present sunglasses
and cigarettes acting as masks to hide behind. Honey colored hair was spread
out around his head, and the late morning sun cast a golden glow on his skin.
A slight smile tilted upwards the corner of his lips. Aya continued to stare
down upon the man.
As if aware of the gaze directed on him, Yohji opened emerald eyes to stare
back at the younger man. The smile became more prominent as he took in the fact
that Aya was awake, still in bed with him, and not trying to kill him. It was
looking to be a great day.
"Morning, Kitten."
The hesitant gaze Aya had been bestowing on the blonde darkened into a scowl.
"Why do you keep calling me that, and what are you doing in my bed?"
"I call you that because it suits you." Looking to forestall an indignant
Aya protesting about being called a fluffy, cute little mammal, Yohji tugged
on a crimson strand of bangs. "As for being in bed, I was sleeping, at
least until you woke me up. Please tell me its still not morning."
Aya briefly grinded his teeth. "I noticed you were sleeping, but why are
you here, and not in your own bed where you belong?"
"Really, Aya, I didn’t mind sharing my bed with you the other night."
No response. "I was almost as tired as you last night, and couldn’t see
the sense of crawling into a cold, faraway bed when there was a nice warm one
right here."
"But it’s my bed, and I was in it."
Talk about being single-minded. Yohji wanted off the topic before it developed
into a full-blown battle. "Is that anyway to say good morning? Here, I’ll
show you the proper way." Slipping his fingers through that glorious hair,
Yohji held the red head still as he lifted up from the pillow to plant a firm
kiss on Aya’s lips. Pulling back ever slow slightly, he breathed "ohayoo
goziamasu" against the other’s mouth. When he wasn’t met with grievous
bodily harm for his presumption, Yohji sank back into bed, pulling his kitten
along with him. He deepened the kiss on the way down.
Anger beginning to diffuse, Aya tentatively returned the kiss. So Yohji had
spent the night uninvited in his bed. It was worth it for another sleep free
of nightmares. In the past three years he hadn’t had two pain- free dreams concerning
his sister in the same month, let alone the same week. The man hadn’t tried
anything while he was unconscious, as far as Aya could tell. And Yohji’s arms
around him, while holding him close, weren’t so tight that he couldn’t break
free. The blonde was obviously still intent on gaining the swordsman’s trust,
and was acting accordingly. Remembering his reaction to the red head instigating
the kiss last night, Aya decided on how he was going to reward Yohji for his
mostly good behavior.
Reveling in the fact that he was lounging in bed with his kitten in his arms,
kissing him back, Yohji was more than happy. True, the situation would be made
perfect if he could switch Aya’s bed for his more comfy one, and if their annoying
underwear would disappear, but things were pretty good right now. Lost in his
feeling of contentment, he at first dismissed the feel of Aya running his hands
up the blonde’s sides as wishful thinking. The red head, short of that searing
kiss in the car the previous evening, hadn’t initiated anything during their
make-out sessions.
As a shiver went through his body at the feather light touch to his nipples,
Yohji realized that this was actually happening. Slender fingers teasingly ran
back and forth over his chest and erect nipples. Body arching in attempt to
force a more solid caress from those phantom digits, Yohji broke away from the
kiss, gasping out the red head’s name. Aya felt his mouth twist up in a smirk
as he moved his lips down the blonde’s throat. Imitating all the things that
had driven him wild before, he lightly bit down the older man’s throat as his
right hand tweaked a stiff bud. Yohji moaned deeply in response, as his arms
tightened around the smaller man.
Trailing his way down the older man’s throat and collarbone, Aya drank in the
soft moans and pleas for the ‘kitten’ not to stop. Heartened by the blonde’s
reactions to his touches, Aya bent his head down to lap and suckle on Yohji’s
nipples, as one of his hands slowly traced its way to the man’s hip.
Kami-sama, but this was better than Yohji could ever have imagined. He had never
enjoyed having the tables turned on him half as much as he was right now. His
kitten was returning the favor of all the times he’d been ravished by the older
man, via the same techniques used on him. The blonde had known that Aya was
a quick learner, but this was simply…. mind-blowing. His kitten’s hesitant manner
was such a thrill, leaving Yohji to believe that he’d imagine the caress, until
it was repeated in a more sure manner.
A tentative brush across his erection nearly sent Yohji over the edge. Knowing
he wouldn’t be able to hold on to his control with any more of those teasing
touches, the blonde tightened his grip on his kitten and flipped over, quickly
switching places. Panting swiftly, he looked down at the smug smile on Aya’s
face.
"Enjoying yourself, Kitten?"
"Just trying out a few things. Any complaints?"
First Aya taking the lead in bed, and now he was cracking a joke. If Yohji woke
up and found out he had dreamed the whole thing, he was going to be very, very
upset. Deciding to regain a little bit of his dignity back, he leaned down,
nose to nose with his kitten. "None at all. Very good technique there,
Aya. A few more demonstrations, and you’ll have it down perfect. Now pay attention."
Yohji bit down on the red head’s lower lip, and then sucked on it tenderly.
Flicking his tongue deep into Aya’s mouth, he lightly ran his fingers up and
down the smaller man’s chest. He soon had the man whining softly as he twisted
under the assault of those almost ticklish caresses. "You did a good job
on building anticipation, Kitten, but there’s a lot you haven’t learned. Sometimes
is not what you touch, but what you don’t." To illustrate his point, his
fingers moved in a teasing circle around the red heads nipples, brushing close
by every now and then, only to shift farther away. After a torturous amount
of time, he took pity on the younger man, who was mewling softly, and started
to nip and lick his way down to that pale chest. Fastening his mouth on one
of the waiting peaks, he rolled the other between long fingers. "But the
lesson isn’t finished yet," he continued, switching sides. His free hand
traced down ribs to concave belly, pausing to twist and tug on the silver stud
it found there. Tearing away from his favorite new toy, Yohji forced his hand
down even further as Aya began softly chanting his name.
Aya violently jerked when he felt the slight touch brush ever so near his hard
on, stroking lightly down first one inner thigh, and then up the other. Opening
his eyes, he found green eyes staring at him intently. "Just say the word,
Kitten, and the lesson ends. Understand?" The younger man nodded briefly,
and then found himself being kissed breathless once again. He couldn’t do anything
but moan into the blonde’s mouth as the touch came closer and closer, long fingers
seeking up the legs of his shorts.
There was someone knocking on his bedroom door. "Aya, are you awake in
there?" Aya and Yohji froze.
They heard an indistinct voice come from farther down the hall followed by Omi’s
"No, I heard someone moving around in here. I’m sure he’s awake."
Then louder, "Aya, it’s almost lunchtime, and I made some food. How about
I bring you up a tray?" There was a jiggling sound, coming from the doorknob.
"No!" That came out a little louder than he’d intended, but Aya had
visions of Omi walking in and catching him and Yohji in bed together. From the
frantic look the blonde was directing towards the door, he was willing to bet
it wasn’t locked. "Omi, I’m up, just give me a few minutes to get ready,
and I’ll come downstairs." Aya was ready to promise anything right now,
just to prevent the young man from witnessing Yohji with his hand up the swordsman’s
underwear.
"Okay, don’t take too long, or the food will get cold. Why don’t you see
if you can wake Yohji up, while I head back down to make sure everything is
ready?"
He agreed. Raising a hand to rub at his eyes, Aya overheard the blonde mumbling
something. It sounded distinctly like curses. Opening his eyes, he found the
older man glaring at the door. Aware of the confused gaze, Yohji elaborated.
"What the /hell/ is it with everyone interrupting us? First it was your
new friends, now our teammates are joining in. I swear I am going to strangle
the next person who bothers us in the middle of something with my bare hands,
long and slow." Catching the raised eyebrow and slight smile at the vehemence
of his speech, Yohji grinned. "Come on, don’t tell me it’s not frustrating
the hell out of you either. Our love life is starting to resemble something
out of a bad comedy."
"Hn. Frustrating or not, I think we better get downstairs before he comes
back up here."
Yohji grimaced, whether at that thought, or the fact that he had to stop what
he had been doing, Aya couldn’t tell. Smiling evilly, the older man suddenly
swooped in for another searing kiss before pulling away and getting out of bed.
Picking up his clothes, he tossed back at the gasping man, "Definitely
frustrating." He walked over to the door, opening it slightly to check
and see if the way is clear. About to make his getaway, he paused to glance
back at hiss kitten and blow him a kiss.
Stepping out of bed and heading to the closet, Aya reflected back on the morning.
Yohji certainly made his move, and now the red head was left wondering what
to do next. If this pace kept up, it wouldn’t be too long before he was forced
to choose between ending things or going all the way. Either choice filled him
with apprehension. Sighing as he pulled on yet another turtleneck, he decided
he would just have to cross that bridge when he came to it.
About to close the closet door, Aya paused as he spied an orange sweater. He
hadn’t been able to visit his sister for a couple of days, what with the mission
and Yohji. Feeling guilty, he resolved to visit her right after his meal. As
he recalled what had happened to his car, Aya glared darkly in the general vicinity
of Yohji’s room. It appeared that a nice long walk was in his future.
Making his way downstairs a few minutes later, he found the kitchen table covered
with food. A large pot was filled with steaming broth and tofu, and there were
several platters of tempura-fried vegetables. No wonder Omi had been so determined
to wake him up, the young blonde had made some of the swordsman’s favorite food.
Looking down into a pair of expectant blue eyes, he nodded slightly. "Thank
you."
The youth smiled widely as the red head sat down at the table and began serving
himself some rice. Ken, taking it as a sign that the food was now fair game,
started to dig in as well. Walking into the room, Yohji found his teammates
quietly eating. Wrinkling his nose a bit as he pulled up a chair, he directed
a suffering look towards the teenager. "You had me dragged out of bed for
this, chibi? Couldn’t you have whipped up some waffles or something?"
Frowning at the older blonde as he reached for some taro root, the teenager
retorted back. "I make you waffles all the time. Today I decided to make
something special for Aya since he’s been working so hard. If you don’t like
it, you can eat elsewhere." He continued to glare at the older man until
Yohji mumbled an apology. Mollified somewhat, he turned a concerned eye towards
his silent friend. "How’s everything, Aya?"
Teacup in hand, Aya responded back with a slight smile. "Everything is
delicious, Omi."
"Thank you. Be sure to eat everything, you need to keep your strength up.
We don’t want that cold of yours to get worse."
Puzzled silence met that last remark. Curiosity getting the better of him, Yohji
asked Omi what made him think the other man had a cold.
"Well, he’s been wearing all those sweaters and turtlenecks lately, I just
assumed he has a sore throat. And it sounded like Aya was snoring a bit this
morning, and he only does that when he’s congested."
Overcome by a coughing fit as he choked on his tea, Aya was spared from having
to respond. Yohji had to lift his coffee mug to his mouth in order to hide his
smirk. Finally able to speak without chuckling, Yohji directed a mocking look
towards his kitten. "You heard the man, Aya. Omi, do me a favor and pass
me the sourpuss’s bowl. I think he needs a bit more tofu." It was all the
green-eyed man could do to not burst out laughing at the glare his lover was
directing towards him.
*******
It was always so quiet in Aya-chan’s room. There was a peacefulness there, partly
from that silence, but mostly due to the presence of the sleeping girl, that
made Aya loathe to disturb it. After placing down a new arrangement of flowers
and checking his sister’s physical condition, the young man had quietly settled
in the chair next to her. It was some time before his deep voice, softened to
little more than a whisper, filled the silent room.
After apologizing for not being there the past few days, Aya began to recount
for his sister what had been going on in his life. The flower shop, his roommates,
the new job and all the interesting people he had met lately, and Yohji. A good
bit of the discussion was spent on the blonde. Knowing it was just a trick of
the light; Aya nevertheless swore it looked as if his beloved sibling had smiled
upon hearing about the ongoing romantic battle.
It helped having someone to talk to about the mess, even if said person was
a comatose teenage girl. The red head had no one else in his life that he trusted
enough to reveal his inner self to. Maybe that was the reason his heart was
so eagerly hoping that Yohji was sincere in his affections. He’d been so shut
off from everything after losing his first team. That loss, following so soon
after the tragedy that struck his family, had made him start to hide all the
gentler aspects of his personality away. If he kept it up, soon there would
be nothing left other than Abyssinian. Yohji helped the swordsman remember what
it was like to be Ran, and not Aya. Briefly, the red head wondered if that was
what his recent dreams had been trying to explain to him. He only had them while
in the older man’s arms.
A light scuff at the door brought the man back to himself, and he realized what
time it was. The nurse was waiting to carry out the evening administrations
his sister required. Getting up from the chair, Aya bent over the sleeping form
of his sibling. As he brushed back purplish bangs to plant a goodbye kiss on
her forward, a slight smile drifted across his face. That action was one of
Yohji’s favorite gestures of affection. The red head nodded at the nurse on
his way out the door.
Arriving back at the Koneko, the aroma of pizza greeted the young man. It seemed
that Ken had decided on take-out to meet his weekly dinner obligation. Stopping
by the fridge to get a bottle of water, the red head was hailed by the youngest
member of Weiss. The boy was in the process of gathering some necessary supplies.
"Aya-kun, you’re back! I was just about to call you. We’re ready to eat
in the den, while we go over all the information about the case." Catching
the slight frown that had formed on the other man’s face, Omi tilted his head
to the side and offered back a weak grin. "I know, it really doesn’t sound
like a fun evening, does it?"
Aya helped the younger man with his armful of plates, napkins and soda bottles.
Walking into the room, he set his share of the load down on the coffee table,
and curled up on the couch. Ken was sitting in the spare armchair, eying the
pizza wolfishly. "Yo, Kudoh, haul your ass in here or I’m gonna eat all
the pepperoni and leave you with the mushroom slices."
"I’m coming, I’m coming." Busy combing his fingers through wet hair,
it was obvious the older blonde had just stepped out of the shower. Spying the
empty spot next to Aya, he narrowly managed to beat Omi for the seat. "Age
and beauty before youth and cuteness, everytime," he gloated. The teenager
just stuck his tongue out as he settled on the floor.
"Just means I’m all the closer to the food."
"Yeah, and that means you get to serve us. Four slices of pepperoni, now."
The youth’s face fell slightly as the realization sunk in, and in revenge he
gave the older man the smallest slices he could find. Meanwhile Ken was waving
his plate at the chibi, eager for something to eat. Aya, used to his teammates’
antics, merely shifted in his seat until he could reach a pizza box himself,
and snagged two slices. Falling back into the couch, he noticed the angry look
Yohji was directing towards his meager dinner. He rewarded the man with a ‘don’t
even think about it’ scowl.
Omi waited until everyone was on their second helping before steering the scant
conversation onto the case. Knowing the swordsman’s stand on the suspect bartender,
Omi started out the discussion on all the other suspects. Which were decidedly
few. Still, the four assassins spent over an hour going through the list, each
one contributing the little bit of information they knew. By the end, all of
the men were pretty much cleared.
Aware of what was coming next, Aya stood up and began to gather up the plates
and empty pizza boxes. Omi quickly pitched in to help. Once in the kitchen,
the red head began brewing some coffee. Snatching up the mugs and assorted snacks,
the teenager returned to the den.
A few minutes later, Aya joined the others with a pot of fresh brewed coffee.
He couldn’t help but notice that somehow his space on the couch had been greatly
reduced. Yohji was now sprawled out, his arms flung open on the back of the
furniture. Pouring the coffee, he handed a mug to the playboy, who took it in
his left hand. His other arm remained on Aya’s side of the couch. The red head
shrugged minutely, and settled down.
"Well, did you guys happen to come across any new leads last night?"
Omi glanced around the room. "How about you Ken, find anything while at
the Velvet Room?"
The brunet winced at the mention of the club. Hearing a low chuckle coming from
the couch, he glared over at the amused playboy. If Yohji knew what was going
on at that…. nuthouse, and had set up his teammate….. Judging by the innocent
expression directed his way, Ken realized the older man had known. ‘Screw pink
hair dye, I know were I can get my hands on some nice brilliant purple hair
color. Kudoh’s not going to be a blonde for much longer.’
"Yeah, I managed to find out a few things last night." The chuckles
were even louder now. Aya joined Ken in glaring at the man, while Omi gazed
on in bewilderment. "As I was saying, there are a couple interesting facts
I managed to learn last night. Kudoh, if you don’t stop laughing right now,
I’m gonna shove that mug down your throat."
"Sorry, Kenken." Yohji sounded anything but apologetic.
"Anyways. I did some digging on the two victims connected to the club.
The second guy taken, Keitaro Torri, was often at the club visiting a friend
of his. Man wasn’t very popular, he had a reputation for not taking ‘no’ for
an answer. Three guesses who had repeatedly refused him in the past."
Looking grim, Omi answered, "Teddy Stout."
"You got it in one. Although from what I understand, he also bothered a
few other employees at Bacchus. But none of them have an older brother who threatened
Torri about keeping his hands to himself before they got broken off at the wrist."
"What about the last victim, uh, Date, who was last seen alive leaving
the fetish club?"
"Far as I can tell, no connection to either Stout, other than the fact
that he liked hanging out at Bacchus from time to time. But he was a regular
at the Velvet Room. He liked to socialize out with the members, trying to get
one of them to sponsor him. I get the impression that’s not an easy thing to
do, and he was being a bit of a pest going about it."
Yohji nodded his head. "Aso was telling me about guys like him. The members
try to stay away from the wannabe’s like him. You let one in the club, and they
then try to sponsor all of their buddies."
"Well, the night he was snatched, he stopped by the Velvet Room, all excited
about something. His friends said he was really happy, but wouldn’t tell them
why. After a few minutes he started to feel sick, and decided to go home early.
We know what happened next."
"Probably drugged," Aya volunteered. He looked as if ready to say
something, then suddenly leaned forward, grabbing the coffee pot. Somewhat perplexed,
the two younger men nonetheless held out their mugs when the red head gestured
with the pot. He skipped his own cup as he gingerly leaned back on the couch.
His neck still tingled from where Yohji’s fingers had played with his hair and
ran teasing caresses across the back.
"Anything else, Ken?"
The athlete grunted an affirmative as he stretched to grab a bag of chips. "Did
either you or Yohji come across a ‘Carmen’ while going through the members’
database?" When both men nodded, Ken continued. "I overheard a couple
of people talking about how much of a bastard this guy it. Supposed to have
a bit of temper when dealing with anyone who doesn’t belong to the club. The
guys got real nervous and wouldn’t speak to me when I started asking questions.
It just seemed real suspicious."
"He’s on the list Omi came up with of members to be checked out. Didn’t
run into him on Thursday. Everyone keep your fingers crossed that he’ll be there
on Tuesday night."
"If the guy fits the physical profile and seems suspicious, give me a call
right away. If Ken isn’t free, I’ll come on down to tail the guy." Omi
glowered back at the disapproving stares he was receiving. "We don’t have
that much time left. It’ll be the quickest way to find out the man’s real identity,
and I promise not to go into any bars. Unless you guys want me to take a crack
at the database."
"You’ll give me some tracers before I leave Tuesday evening, and I’ll handle
it." Ken’s voice left no room for argument.
"Fine, fine. So any other new suspects?" Omi’s query was met with
silence. "Alright then, any new info on Mickey Stout?"
Yohji responded, as he shook out a cigarette from its pack one handed. "Was
busy chatting last night with a friend of Koyu Saito, victim number four,"
he added, at Ken’s muddled expression. "He told me something real interesting.
It seems that Saito and Teddy were an item at one time, and that Saito had started
hanging out at Bacchus again in an attempt to restart the relationship. Fellow
wasn’t too concerned about the fact that Teddy had moved on to someone new."
Omi was busy writing down notes. "So that is another solid connection to
the American. What about the third guy, Rho Miata?"
"As far as I can tell, he was just a harmless flirt. That’s all anybody
ever volunteered about him. That and the fact that you could always count on
him being down at Bacchus." Ken and Aya both nodded in agreement.
The young blonde started checking off his notes. "So Miata most likely
flirted with Teddy whenever the American waited on him. Saito was an ex trying
to break Teddy up with his new boyfriend, and Torri was harassing him. Date
so far seems an exception. Aya, any reason for Totsuka being assaulted, other
than working with the Stouts?"
"….."
"Aya-kun, spill."
"There might be. According to someone I work with, Teddy and Enjo were
having a disagreement about something. Both of them were pretty upset about
it."
Blue eyes gleaming, the young blonde bent forward. "Any clue what it was
about?"
"Seiichi thinks it was about Teddy’s new boyfriend. Apparently Teddy is
the first man Aso has been involved with, and Enjo was trying to caution him
not to get too serious too fast. He’d only been seeing the guy for a month or
so."
"Wait a minute," Ken interrupted, a baffled look in his eyes. "Isn’t
this guy a member at the fetish club? You telling me he hasn’t been gay until
recently?"
Blowing smoke in the brunet’s direction, it was Yohji who decided to answer
him. "Just means the guy likes getting beat up by other men. Stuff that
goes on in the Velvet Room doesn’t always end in physical sex, Kenken."
Miffed by the condescending tone directed at him, Ken snapped back. "Oh
so sorry, not all of us are as knowledgeable as you are in these matters. Figures
mister I’ll-try-anything-at-least-once would have an answer."
Omi quickly jumped between the two men before the fight escalated. "Children,
behave. Try and act your ages for once." Making sure both of them had calmed
down, the teenager sat back down. "Okay now, so we can tie pretty much
everyone back to Teddy Stout. I’d say that’s a pretty good reason to finger
Mickey as our number one suspect, barring any new leads. Yohji, I want you to
put a tracer on the man’s car tomorrow. Also, I’ll have a list of places for
you to check out as potential crime scenes ready by morning. Judging from the
interviews of the victims, they were held in a space big enough to echo, near
either the subway or trains. They also commented on the smell of spirits or
chemicals. That helps to narrow the search down, but you’ll still have a busy
day ahead of you."
Leaning forward to stub out his cigarette, the playboy glared at the younger
man. "Why do I get the dubious honor of this assignment? Why can’t Ken
haul his ass all over the city tomorrow, climbing in and out of filthy old buildings?"
Ken couldn’t resist smirking back at the indignant assassin. "Because I
have to work in the shop tomorrow, remember? You switched the day with me over
a week ago."
"Shit." That had been back when the blonde had been desperate to avoid
being alone with Aya for any long period of time. He had screwed himself out
of a day with his kitten to himself, working in a clean flowershop. "Great,
just fucking great."
"I knew you’d be happy to do it." Yohji couldn’t tell if Omi was being
sarcastic or oblivious.
"There’s still one person you need to consider," Aya broke in.
"Huh? Who’s that?" Omi started flipping through his notes, checking
to see if he overlooked something.
"What about David Aso? He is connected to Teddy."
"You can’t be serious," Yohji scoffed. "The guy doesn’t fit the
type, he takes the hits, not gives them out. Did you see the guy during the
fight Thursday night? He was too shocked to leave the table until it was all
over. Besides, Teddy told me last night that he works on weekends, and that’s
when the assaults take place."
"He’s tall enough to fit the physical description."
"Yeah, but he’d have to be a hell of a lot stronger than he looks."
"It’s possible. Besides, I’ve heard he has a habit of stopping in and checking
up on his boyfriend, even on the weekends." Aya began to glare at the taller
man. "Just because you like the man is no reason to not suspect him."
"Oh, and you keep defending Mickey because you can’t stand the man."
Yohji was countering Aya's glare with one of his own.
"Yohji, Aya has a point. We do need to be thorough. I’ll run a background
check on him later. Now it’s getting late, and I still have some stuff to do.
Aya, would you mind helping me out with this research?" When the red head
agreed, Omi commenced to gather up all his notes and head for his computer.
"Wait a minute, why can’t Ken help you?" Yohji demanded, shooting
a grinning brunet the evil eye. "Shouldn’t he be helping out some more?"
"Don’t worry, I’ll find something for him to do tomorrow night. I’d just
rather not have him around my computer for any length of time. Come on Aya."
About ready to hit something, Yohji’s frustration wasn’t even the slightest
bit appeased by the crestfallen expression on Ken’s face. It was becoming rather
obvious that once again the fates, and his teammates, were conspiring to separate
him and Aya. ‘I need a drink before I choke someone.’
*******
The poem is "Love is Not All", by Edna St. Vincent Millay. For some
reason it made me think of Weiss, what with the part of making friends with
death due to lack of love, and it seemed something that maybe Aya-chan might
like. Just chuck it up to Aya’s subconscious being every bit as subtle as his
personality.