Timeline: Sometime during Kapitel
Rating: T
Warnings: a bit of language, adult themes, implied sexuality.
Disclaimer: I neither own nor profit from Weiss Kreuz or its characters.
I had fun with this. I hope you do as well. Enjoy.
fire mystic
Aya?
MONDAY
"Hey, Aya?"
There was a snort from somewhere behind and beneath the workbench, accompanied by the sounds of Aya shuffling things around.
"Aya!"
"That's twice you've said my name. What do you want, Kudou?"
"Are you a virgin?"
There was a loud thump followed by a grunt just before Aya emerged from beneath the bench, hand pressed to his head, eyes narrowed at Yohji.
"Is that all you ever think about, Kudou?"
Head tilted, Yohji was clearly puzzled.
"Well, I've thought about it now and then, but no, your sexual status isn't all I think about."
Aya threw a roll of ribbon at him, which he caught neatly before it made contact with his head.
"I meant sex, Kudou. Is sex all you ever think about?"
Yohji shrugged. "Of course not. I think of lots of other things."
Tilting his head, eyebrow rising, Aya was afraid to ask.
"Like what?"
"You answer my question and I'll answer yours."
"Okay. No, I'm not a virgin. Your turn. What else do you think about?"
Yohji gazed out the window, and for that brief moment, Aya thought he might actually be giving the question serious consideration.
"Kissing."
"Hn. Like I said; you only think about sex."
"No. Kissing doesn't necessarily have to be about sex, Aya. It's about trust, and tenderness, and caring, and just being with someone in the moment. It's about feeling, and tasting." He looked intently at Aya. "You know that moment, don't you, Aya? It's that moment when you connect with a person, when your mouths melt together, tongues entwining, breathing as one, and you almost feel like you can taste their soul."
Yohji simply stared for a moment, studying Aya, who couldn't figure out if Yohji expected an answer or not. And he couldn't give one. He couldn't get his mouth to close either or his eyebrows to un-furrow.
It didn't matter. Yohji was already walking away.
TUESDAY
"So, Aya."
He could hear Aya rattling around on the other side of the storeroom door. Really, he had thought Aya more organized than this.
"Aya?"
"What, Kudou? Can't you see I'm busy?"
Actually, Yohji couldn't see him at all, but that was beside the point.
"Was it a girl or a boy?"
There was a slight pause and then more thrashing around.
"A girl or boy what? What the hell are you talking about now?"
"That you lost your virginity with; was it a girl or a boy?"
Aya crashed into the side of the door as he came around it, the blow to his side and collar bone throwing the box he was holding to the ground.
Rubbing the dip between his shoulder and neck, Aya grumbled and squatted down to pick up the box. He blew the crimson bangs from his face so he could glare up at Yohji.
"Don't you have anything better to do, Kudou?"
"Answer the question and I'll find something to do."
"Promise?"
Yohji crossed his heart.
"It was a girl I knew in high school. Now go back to work."
By the time he stood up, Yohji was half way back to the front of the shop.
WEDNESDAY
"Aya?"
Aya dropped his head down till his chin hit his chest, closing his eyes tightly before opening them and glancing around to make sure their was nothing around for him to run, bump, or fall into.
"What do you want to know now, Kudou?"
Yohji's expression was one of quiet, curious, amusement.
"Was it good?"
Yohji wondered if Aya knew how adorable he was when his eyes squinted in confusion like that, and then thought it might be a good thing he didn't do it more often in the shop. They would never get all those annoying little teenagers to leave.
"Was what good? What are you talking about?" Yohji's developing ability to delve into Aya's personal life by asking completely random and vague questions out of the blue was really starting to irritate him.
"Your first time. Losing your virginity. Was..it…good?" The tone in his voice implied Aya should have known all along what he was talking about.
Aya dropped his head into his hands, but didn't need to in order to feel the heat rising in his cheeks. Why didn't he just tell Yohji to go to away? To leave him alone? What was this curiosity all about, anyway?
"Yohji…"
"You do know it would just be easier to answer the question, don't you, Aya?"
Aya inhaled deeply and let the breath out very slowly.
"It was awkward. I imagine lots of first times are that way."
"But was it good?"
Aya shrugged. "Define good."
Yohji mirrored his gesture. "Did you enjoy it?"
Aya's gaze drifted off for a few seconds before coming back to Yohji.
"Not as much as I thought I would."
Mentally, he winced, thinking Yohji would follow that up, wanting to know what that meant. It didn't happen. Yohji gave him a long, measuring stare, and then turned back to puttering quietly about.
THURSDAY
"What are you doing?"
Aya stood up from behind the register to glare at Yohji.
"Is that your question of the day?"
Aya caught the hint of a knowing smirk on the man's lips before he turned it into a hurt pout.
"Of course not, Aya. I just wanted to see if I could help you find whatever it is you're searching for."
"Probably not."
"Oh, come on, Aya. Let me help you."
The smile he flashed was pure seduction, the wink he gave Aya completely lascivious. Aya had witnessed this side of Yohji many times. But not when it was aimed at him.
"Okay, fine. I'm looking for a hammer to fix the shelf in the back. I saw it down here the other day. It's got to be here somewhere." He disappeared behind the counter again.
"Have you ever kissed a guy?"
There was a loud thump, followed by a muffled curse and a pause in the shuffling. Then it continued. Aya didn't stand to face Yohji and he didn't respond.
"Have you?" Yohji prompted again.
The bell over the door tinkled.
"You have a customer, Kudou."
"Answer the question."
Aya finally stood to face the blonde, bracing his hands on the counter.
"No. Happy? Now go see what she wants."
Yohji tilted his head. "Sure thing, Aya." He reached over beside the register, picking up the hammer which had been in plain sight, and placed it down on the counter in front of Aya before turning to the customer.
FRIDAY
"Aya?"
He couldn't take it anymore. If Kudou said his name one more time like that, he was going to do some serious damage to his fellow assassin.
"Kudou." He made sure there was a good dose of warning in those two syllables uttered through gritted teeth.
"Damn, Aya. What's your problem? I just need to know the delivery time for the banquet arrangements you were working on. Are they done yet?"
"Oh." Was that a sinking feeling of disappointment in his chest? He had been on edge since Yohji had started asking his strange questions, and now he was disappointed that it was something else? He shook his head, clearing it. "They're done. They can either wait until Ken gets back in about an hour, or they can pick them up."
He never heard Yohji moving away from the refrigerator case, didn't turn to look, but knew the man was gone. He finished putting the fresh stock in the case, closing the door behind him and made his way back into the house to wash his hands. He turned back from the kitchen sink to find Yohji lounging in the doorway behind him, leaning against his shoulder in that casual way he had.
"Who's watching the..." He couldn't finish the question. The expression on Yohji's face, which Aya had never witnessed before, froze the word in his throat.
"Would you let me, Aya?"
"Would I let you? Let you what, Kudou?" He knew this was the question, the one he had been waiting for, but damn if he could catch the vague allusion Yohji was making.
Yohji pushed away from the door, stalking across the floor like a predator closing in on prey. Aya couldn't help but tense, the assassin instinct looking for a way out, for a way to defend himself, while logic tried to convince him there was no reason to run. Before he could make a decision, Yohji was there, in his space, hands coming up to rest on the edge of the sink on either side of Aya's hips, effectively pinning him.
Yohji was studying him, making very intimate eye contact as if searching for some kind of indication as to Aya's reaction before it happened, but Aya had no idea what he was supposed to be reacting to. He held still, waiting for clarification. Yohji was leaning closer, and Aya became hyper aware of the heat radiating from Yohji's body and the scent of Yohji's cologne, something fresh with a touch of spice to it, and the scent of clean, masculine flesh beneath it.
Yohji's mouth was against his ear, and his sense of hearing was that much sharper, listening for whatever it was Yohji was going to ask. He heard the moist sound of his tongue wetting his lips, and then his breath as he spoke.
"Would you let me kiss you, Aya?"
He tilted his face, barely nuzzling Aya's hair, letting their cheeks graze lightly against each other.
Aya wondered if his heart could pound any faster. Could Yohji hear that? If he moved a few millimeters closer, surely he would be able to feel it. Aya felt his body trying to close that distance.
"You're not answering me, Aya." Yohji paused, briefly snagging a strand of brilliant red hair in his lips and letting it slide between.
"You're not saying yes." He nestled his face in Aya's hair.
"And you're not saying no." He butted Aya's ear with his nose, outlining the shell before pulling back slightly, letting his head drop to Aya's shoulder.
"Never mind, Aya. I don't want you to answer that question."
Aya's heart lurched, his hands clenching together in an effort not to grab onto Yohji's shirt before he pulled away completely, but then Yohji continued.
"I want you to tell me, Aya." He rolled his head to the other side, to Aya's neglected ear, shifting Aya's focus from one side to the other. "Do you know, Aya? Do you realize how sexy you are when you issue a command? Your voice gets deeper, and your words become clipped, clearer. And then there's that no-nonsense 'don't fuck with me' tone. God, what that tone does to me. No, you don't need to answer the question, Aya."
He pulled away, putting space between them, enough so he could clearly see Aya.
"Just give me an order."
Eyes widening, mouth dropping open, brain scrambling, and his fucking bangs were in his eyes again. Aya fought past it, forced the minute distractions to fade away as when he was on a mission and focused on the heart of the dilemma.
Would you let me kiss you, Aya?
He thought back. What had Yohji said about kissing? He would never forget the serious words or Yohji's sincerity when he said them. And all those girls he had seen Yohji with? Had he ever seen Yohji kiss any of them? Flirt yes; damn the man knew how to lay it on thick, but when it came to kissing, he could only remember the occasional peck on the cheek. Sex might be trivial for Kudou Yohji, but kissing was a whole different matter; a matter of trust, of caring, of connecting.
Did Yohji want him to tell him what to do? No. That wasn't it. Issuing commands was Aya's way of keeping control. It was also his way of keeping distance, of putting up walls. Yohji wanted him to make a decision. Keep his distance or let Yohji in.
Would you let me kiss you, Aya? Or tell me to go away?
He looked at Yohji, then, really saw. There was no mask there now; this was not the playboy, or the assassin, or the man who distanced himself with humor, pretending not a care in order to protect himself.
This was Yohji, baring his soul to Aya and waiting for Aya to take it or leave it.
"Kudou." It was breathy, tentative, not at all like he usually said it. Afraid?
Yohji reared back sharply, expression stricken, and backed away quickly.
"Damn, Aya. I'm…sorry." A chair clattered as he bumped it, throwing his balance slightly, but he used the momentum to swing around, turning his back on Aya in retreat.
"Kudou." That was more like it, stopping Yohji in his tracks.
Aya approached, using a strong grip on Yohji's elbow to turn him.
"Look at me, Kudou."
And he did, his mask already slipping back into place.
As he did on missions, Aya took a moment to bring his objective into focus and let resolve fill him before speaking his command, making sure his voice brooked no challenge. There would be no misunderstanding, no misinterpretation.
"Kiss me."