An Unusual Gift
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was a boring, boring spring day at Koneko. No customers, no orders to fill or deliver, no Omi to pick on…. Ken was falling asleep at the cash register. Momoe was sitting in her uninteresting chair, petting her cat that hated him. Aya was somewhere around the shop, but Aya was no fun whenever there was a possibility that someone might see. So pouncing the koibito was out of the question.
"Come on, we're going out."
Ken nearly had a heart attack in the middle of the flowershop, as Aya grabbed his hand and dragged him out the door. Getting Aya to even *admit* that they were in a relationship to Yohji and Omi was a full-day chore. Having the redhead voluntarily spend time with him in public was almost too much. "Going out?" Ken echoed stupidly. "Going WHERE?"
"It's a surprise." Aya said simply, a small grin tugging at his pale face.
Good lord, he was going to die. Aya hated surprises more than Ken did, and yet he had *planned* one. "Did I miss something? Did you hit your head? Are you feeling okay?"
The grin had widened into an amused smile by the time they reached the gleaming white Porsche parked on the side of Koneko. Aya opened the door and held it with one hand, while using the other to prod his suspicious and protesting lover into the passenger seat.
"I'm perfectly fine, koi. Now get in before I close the door on your foot."
"I'll get in if you tell me where we're going."
Aya snorted. "Why can't you just trust me?"
"Because this is weird!!" Ken whined. "I think you did hit your head, Aya. You *never* want to do anything with me."
A crimson eyebrow lifted in amusement. "I do things with you."
Ken blushed. "Besides that!"
Aya placed a hand on his hip and sighed. "Ken, just shut up and get in the car."
"No!"
"Ken!"
Ken held Aya's irritated stare until the redhead, surprisingly enough, looked away first. "Fine..." Ken grinned, triumphant. He was much more stubborn than Aya, and proud of it. In most of their arguments, Ken always won. Although, he suspected that most of the time, Aya just got too irritated to continue, but that didn't matter. The whole point was perseverance! Determination! Plant your feet in the ground and don't move until you reach your goal.
"So where--"
Aya shoved him into the car and shut the door.
He ignored Ken's barrage of curses and attempts to lock the door on him-—damn that remote keyless entry!—-and easily slipped into the driver's seat.
"I hate you."
"Aa."
The key turned in the ignition and Aya pulled out into the main street. Ken slumped in his seat, arms folded across his chest, looking absolutely sullen and perturbed. Aya looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "You're pouting, Ken."
"You've told me I look cute when I pout." Ken sneered. Heaving a labored sigh, he sat up in the seat and looked at Aya. "Seriously, Aya. Where are we going? You know I hate surprises. I'd be a whole lot happier if you would just tell me."
Aya didn't even appear to have heard him until they stopped at a red light. Taking his eyes from the road, he captured Ken's teal eyes with his lilac ones. "I promise, koi, it's nothing to worry about." He said gently, with an earnest need to be believed. He reached over and ran his fingers over Ken's tanned cheek in a soft caress. "Please, just trust me."
Ken gulped and just nodded, more curious than he had been before. But it was rare when Aya showed need at all; when he did, it was urgent and impossible to not give in. "Alright."
He was rewarded with a gentle, affectionate smile as Aya turned back to the road. The rest of the drive was silent, but no uncomfortably so. They had passed the point where not talking was awkward, and with a partner like Aya, that was a good thing.
They pulled into an underground parking garage and parked in a spot close to the elevator. Ken looked around, wide-eyed and perplexed, but didn't ask what they were doing there. Aya opened his door and took his hand, pulling him from the car. Now the expression on the redhead's face was distant, but his eyes were nervous. It was almost like he was readying himself for disappointment. As they stepped into the elevator, Ken tightened his hold on the pale hand, refusing to let him take it back.
"Ne Aya, you okay?"
"Fine." Ken winced. Had Aya not been gripping his hand like a lifeline, Ken would have been afraid that he'd upset Aya somehow. Instead of studying his lover's face for answers he knew he wouldn't find, he paid attention to the elevator's ascension. First floor... second... third... fourth... fifth...
The doors opened on the sixth floor and Aya stepped out, pulling Ken with him into a long, white hallway. Ken frowned. He'd been injured enough times to know that it was a hospital. What the hell were they doing in a *hospital*? He couldn't help himself. He opened his mouth to ask. "Aya...?"
"You'll find out in a minute." Aya said coldly, a tremor hiding beneath the cold surface. He pulled his hand out of Ken's and walked briskly down the corridor. Ken jogged to catch up. Now, he was thoroughly confused. The weird, smiling, affectionate Aya was gone, replaced by the stoic redhead he normally saw and loved despite the harshness. But *why* had he changed so abruptly? That was the question. And Ken supposed that he'd find out soon enough.
A ways down the hall, Aya pushed open one of the doors and motioned for Ken to enter ahead of him. Giving the taller man a questioning glance, he walked into the darkened room. He blinked a couple of times in order to adjust to the minimal lighting, wondering how the person in the room could stand to leave the room so dark. It was so gloomy and depressing. He had to physically restrain himself from opening the curtains and letting the spring day inside.
To get his thoughts off of the dimness of the room, he walked inside a little further until he could see an occupied bed. There was a young girl lying in it, asleep. The heart monitor off to the left beeped steadily, the pixilated green line keeping perfect time. Ken looked back at Aya. "Should we wake her up?"
Aya's hard gaze crumbled and he stared at his shoes. "She's in a coma, Ken."
Oh wow. Open mouth, insert foot. Ken looked back at the girl. "Who is she?"
"Her name is Aya." Aya whispered, sounding uncharacteristically broken.
"Aya?"
"She's my imoto."
Ken walked over to the bed, too shocked for words. Suddenly, everything clicked. The times he disappeared and didn't come back until late that night or sometimes into the next day. Those nights when he'd crawled into his own bed and left Ken worried that he'd done something wrong. They were for this girl. This pale, fragile, black-haired girl. For an irrational moment, Ken was jealous.
There were flowers in the vase on the nightstand. Sunflowers and daisies, messages of happiness and health. In light of the girl's condition, Ken found them painful to look at.
The Aya who was not Aya was still standing timidly in the doorway. Ken didn't know this man, the hesitant, scared man. Was this who his lover really was? Did Ken know him at all? Mind whirling, Ken turned to him. "So what's your name, then?"
"Ran."
Ran. Another flower. Orchid to match the color of his eyes. "This was my surprise?"
The redhead nodded. "I wanted you to meet her. I've kept her a secret for so long..."
Ken looked at the girl. He touched her cool forehead and cupped a hand against her still cheek. He wondered what color her eyes were. "Nice to meet you, Aya." He whispered.
The Aya who was Ran still wouldn't look at him. He had the appearance of a child waiting to be hit. It had taken a lot for him to bring Ken here, to tell him that his name and life was a lie. Ran was waiting for Ken to reject him, or maybe worse, pity him. As astonished as Ken was about the strange gift he had been given, he could find no reason to do either. It had been hard to get to know 'Aya,' but he had enjoyed the challenge and the results. Now he had Ran to figure out, and he looked forward to it. And if Ran was willing to help this time around, that was even better.
Ken reached out and took his hand, bringing it to his lips. Ran glanced up, surprised. "I think she likes me." Ken said smiling softly. He slid a hand up into silken red hair and pulled his startled love down for a soft kiss. He coaxed Ran's lips apart; easing his tongue inside the warm, wet mouth. Ran's free arm wound around his waist and held him tightly.
The kiss was deep and gentle, completely different from the furious contest for dominance they usually engaged in. It ended with them breathless all the same.
Ran leaned his forehead against Ken's, eyes closed. Ken kissed him lightly on the mouth and looked up into the orchid colored eyes. "Thank you."
~*~Owari~*~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was a boring, boring spring day at Koneko. No customers, no orders to fill or deliver, no Omi to pick on…. Ken was falling asleep at the cash register. Momoe was sitting in her uninteresting chair, petting her cat that hated him. Aya was somewhere around the shop, but Aya was no fun whenever there was a possibility that someone might see. So pouncing the koibito was out of the question.
"Come on, we're going out."
Ken nearly had a heart attack in the middle of the flowershop, as Aya grabbed his hand and dragged him out the door. Getting Aya to even *admit* that they were in a relationship to Yohji and Omi was a full-day chore. Having the redhead voluntarily spend time with him in public was almost too much. "Going out?" Ken echoed stupidly. "Going WHERE?"
"It's a surprise." Aya said simply, a small grin tugging at his pale face.
Good lord, he was going to die. Aya hated surprises more than Ken did, and yet he had *planned* one. "Did I miss something? Did you hit your head? Are you feeling okay?"
The grin had widened into an amused smile by the time they reached the gleaming white Porsche parked on the side of Koneko. Aya opened the door and held it with one hand, while using the other to prod his suspicious and protesting lover into the passenger seat.
"I'm perfectly fine, koi. Now get in before I close the door on your foot."
"I'll get in if you tell me where we're going."
Aya snorted. "Why can't you just trust me?"
"Because this is weird!!" Ken whined. "I think you did hit your head, Aya. You *never* want to do anything with me."
A crimson eyebrow lifted in amusement. "I do things with you."
Ken blushed. "Besides that!"
Aya placed a hand on his hip and sighed. "Ken, just shut up and get in the car."
"No!"
"Ken!"
Ken held Aya's irritated stare until the redhead, surprisingly enough, looked away first. "Fine..." Ken grinned, triumphant. He was much more stubborn than Aya, and proud of it. In most of their arguments, Ken always won. Although, he suspected that most of the time, Aya just got too irritated to continue, but that didn't matter. The whole point was perseverance! Determination! Plant your feet in the ground and don't move until you reach your goal.
"So where--"
Aya shoved him into the car and shut the door.
He ignored Ken's barrage of curses and attempts to lock the door on him-—damn that remote keyless entry!—-and easily slipped into the driver's seat.
"I hate you."
"Aa."
The key turned in the ignition and Aya pulled out into the main street. Ken slumped in his seat, arms folded across his chest, looking absolutely sullen and perturbed. Aya looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "You're pouting, Ken."
"You've told me I look cute when I pout." Ken sneered. Heaving a labored sigh, he sat up in the seat and looked at Aya. "Seriously, Aya. Where are we going? You know I hate surprises. I'd be a whole lot happier if you would just tell me."
Aya didn't even appear to have heard him until they stopped at a red light. Taking his eyes from the road, he captured Ken's teal eyes with his lilac ones. "I promise, koi, it's nothing to worry about." He said gently, with an earnest need to be believed. He reached over and ran his fingers over Ken's tanned cheek in a soft caress. "Please, just trust me."
Ken gulped and just nodded, more curious than he had been before. But it was rare when Aya showed need at all; when he did, it was urgent and impossible to not give in. "Alright."
He was rewarded with a gentle, affectionate smile as Aya turned back to the road. The rest of the drive was silent, but no uncomfortably so. They had passed the point where not talking was awkward, and with a partner like Aya, that was a good thing.
They pulled into an underground parking garage and parked in a spot close to the elevator. Ken looked around, wide-eyed and perplexed, but didn't ask what they were doing there. Aya opened his door and took his hand, pulling him from the car. Now the expression on the redhead's face was distant, but his eyes were nervous. It was almost like he was readying himself for disappointment. As they stepped into the elevator, Ken tightened his hold on the pale hand, refusing to let him take it back.
"Ne Aya, you okay?"
"Fine." Ken winced. Had Aya not been gripping his hand like a lifeline, Ken would have been afraid that he'd upset Aya somehow. Instead of studying his lover's face for answers he knew he wouldn't find, he paid attention to the elevator's ascension. First floor... second... third... fourth... fifth...
The doors opened on the sixth floor and Aya stepped out, pulling Ken with him into a long, white hallway. Ken frowned. He'd been injured enough times to know that it was a hospital. What the hell were they doing in a *hospital*? He couldn't help himself. He opened his mouth to ask. "Aya...?"
"You'll find out in a minute." Aya said coldly, a tremor hiding beneath the cold surface. He pulled his hand out of Ken's and walked briskly down the corridor. Ken jogged to catch up. Now, he was thoroughly confused. The weird, smiling, affectionate Aya was gone, replaced by the stoic redhead he normally saw and loved despite the harshness. But *why* had he changed so abruptly? That was the question. And Ken supposed that he'd find out soon enough.
A ways down the hall, Aya pushed open one of the doors and motioned for Ken to enter ahead of him. Giving the taller man a questioning glance, he walked into the darkened room. He blinked a couple of times in order to adjust to the minimal lighting, wondering how the person in the room could stand to leave the room so dark. It was so gloomy and depressing. He had to physically restrain himself from opening the curtains and letting the spring day inside.
To get his thoughts off of the dimness of the room, he walked inside a little further until he could see an occupied bed. There was a young girl lying in it, asleep. The heart monitor off to the left beeped steadily, the pixilated green line keeping perfect time. Ken looked back at Aya. "Should we wake her up?"
Aya's hard gaze crumbled and he stared at his shoes. "She's in a coma, Ken."
Oh wow. Open mouth, insert foot. Ken looked back at the girl. "Who is she?"
"Her name is Aya." Aya whispered, sounding uncharacteristically broken.
"Aya?"
"She's my imoto."
Ken walked over to the bed, too shocked for words. Suddenly, everything clicked. The times he disappeared and didn't come back until late that night or sometimes into the next day. Those nights when he'd crawled into his own bed and left Ken worried that he'd done something wrong. They were for this girl. This pale, fragile, black-haired girl. For an irrational moment, Ken was jealous.
There were flowers in the vase on the nightstand. Sunflowers and daisies, messages of happiness and health. In light of the girl's condition, Ken found them painful to look at.
The Aya who was not Aya was still standing timidly in the doorway. Ken didn't know this man, the hesitant, scared man. Was this who his lover really was? Did Ken know him at all? Mind whirling, Ken turned to him. "So what's your name, then?"
"Ran."
Ran. Another flower. Orchid to match the color of his eyes. "This was my surprise?"
The redhead nodded. "I wanted you to meet her. I've kept her a secret for so long..."
Ken looked at the girl. He touched her cool forehead and cupped a hand against her still cheek. He wondered what color her eyes were. "Nice to meet you, Aya." He whispered.
The Aya who was Ran still wouldn't look at him. He had the appearance of a child waiting to be hit. It had taken a lot for him to bring Ken here, to tell him that his name and life was a lie. Ran was waiting for Ken to reject him, or maybe worse, pity him. As astonished as Ken was about the strange gift he had been given, he could find no reason to do either. It had been hard to get to know 'Aya,' but he had enjoyed the challenge and the results. Now he had Ran to figure out, and he looked forward to it. And if Ran was willing to help this time around, that was even better.
Ken reached out and took his hand, bringing it to his lips. Ran glanced up, surprised. "I think she likes me." Ken said smiling softly. He slid a hand up into silken red hair and pulled his startled love down for a soft kiss. He coaxed Ran's lips apart; easing his tongue inside the warm, wet mouth. Ran's free arm wound around his waist and held him tightly.
The kiss was deep and gentle, completely different from the furious contest for dominance they usually engaged in. It ended with them breathless all the same.
Ran leaned his forehead against Ken's, eyes closed. Ken kissed him lightly on the mouth and looked up into the orchid colored eyes. "Thank you."
~*~Owari~*~