And once again I am traversing the ever-fickle waters of the OGN fandom... I have the feelignt his could have been done much better and longer, but I kind of ran out of inspiration halfway through and was just like, "...dammit." But I finished at least what I wanted to complete, so I hope you guys like it anyways!
Disclaimer: Meeeeeee? Own thiiiiiis? Own Okane Ga Nai? Noooooo...
Dinner was quiet as usual: Kanou said a couple of sentences describing what happened in the office and then demanded a full-report of Ayase's day, which the blond gladly complied to.
Ayase wrapped his lips around a morsel of rice, pausing in the middle of describing a project that had been assigned to him, and suddenly hesitated, chewing the the food in a slower rhythm than normal.
"U-um...Kanou-san..."
Kanou looked up, his curiosity piqued at the pause in Ayase's words. "Yes?"
"Christmas Eve is in a couple of days...do...do you have—um, what do you usually do for it?" Ayase finished in a rush, eyes alight in something like excitement.
The larger male lifted his shoulder carelessly, shrugging. "I don't celebrate Christmas." The statement was spoke with about as much emotion as someone remarking that water was wet, or grass green.
Ayase was stunned. "Don't...don't celebrate it?" He asked in confusion. How could someone not celebrate the holiday? It was a time of love and family, of joy! Surely Kanou-san was joking, right?"
Kanou's face, however, was dead serious. "Nope, never have."
The blond felt like someone had whapped him over the head. "Never?" Even when he had lived alone, he had decorated the small apartment as best as he could and celebrated, all by himself. And before all of that, he'd never missed a Christmas with his parents and grandmother! How could Kanou-san, even as a child, not have done it? No presents, no tales of magic and wonder, no...Christmas?
"It's a holiday for fools who like to waste their money." Kanou resumed eating, calm and impassive. "My old man himself hated it."
"Oh..." The conversation ended as abruptly as it had begun, and Ayase resumed picking at his food, although less enthusiastic than before.
"Hm?" Kanou nearly choked as he saw the disheartened expression on the other's face, clearing his throat hastily. Stupid! He cursed himself. "Would...ahem, would you like to do anything... I'm not sure what, but I could arrange something..."
"Ah, no, that's fine, Kanou-san." Ayase gave him a tiny little smile. "You don't have to do anything."
Kanou fell silent and the next few minutes were dim and quiet. He glanced over at the other's lowered head, frowning. After a pensive moment he tried again, venturing lowly. "Would you like anything for Christmas, Ayase? Anything?"
Ayase paused, food halfway to his parted lips. In the many Christmases he had spent alone, he'd only ever gotten himself presents and it had always been something small, a little something he needed around the house and such; he didn't have the luxury of spending and buying useless trinkets. It had been so long since someone had bought him an actual present...
He smiled again, a bit more sadly. "No, that's alright. Thank you for asking, Kanou-san."
Kanou almost let out the sigh of defeat that threatened to escape from his throat, nodding shortly.
Dinner was silent after that.
There was a small knock on the door and Someya looked up from his mirror, where he was applying the last strokes of lipstick to his already brilliantly red mouth.
"Come in," he invited, and the door opened slowly, a blond head peeking in. He smiled at Ayase, beckoning him to step in and sit. The blond did so with the smallest smile on his lips, perching on the comfortable chairs in front of his desk; he was still in his kitchen attire, white collared shirt and black apron around his waist above his pants. The fact that he had come in while he was supposed to be working made Someya perk up in curiosity. Ayase would have never come while he was supposed to be working, it just wasn't like him. Thought Someya had told him he was free to take a break, Ayase stubbornly refused to waste a single minute of his working hours not doing something or another.
He didn't look scared or fearful so she doubted it was anything too bad, but the preoccupied light in his blue eyes made Someya a little wary. Something was going on, he was sure of it.
The boy shuffled a bit, his fingers twining around themselves, and the other looked at him kindly. "What is it Ayase? Is something wrong?"
"Ah, no, not...not really..." Ayase began to look worried, as if he was regretting coming here.
Someya had a strong suspicion what this was about. It had to be Kanou, it just had to be. Those two were always wrapped up in problems between themselves, and where one was involved, the other was always right there with him. It was a little frustrating, really, seeing them stumble about like two drunken fools around each other when they clearly felt the attraction binding them close. He tapped his long red-painted nails on the desk, leaning forward curiously. "Ayase? This has something to do with Kanou, doesn't it?" He sighed. "What has danna done now?"
The blond stiffened at the name of the man, and took a deep breath. He looked straight at Someya, and the other was both startled and stunned by the determination behind those bright blue eyes of his. The quiet words he spoke made his eyes widen, and he almost gasped.
"Someya-san, I need your help. I need...to get away from Kanou-san."
Kanou sat in his office, the dark brooding look on his face fitting only perfectly with the 'Bother-Me-Now-And-You-Die' aura emanating from every pore in his body. Outside of the room at their desk, the Kuba brothers felt it at their backs and shuddered, both silently hoping no one was stupid enough to need the president's attention right now.
The man in question was thinking, pondering and slowly but surely riling himself up into a sort of helpless frustration as he shuffled carelessly through papers on his desk.
Ayase was acting strangely.
As the days went on and slowly approached Christmas Eve, he grew more quiet, more...depressed almost—at least, to Kanou's eyes. The small blond male looked to be preoccupied with something, rarely meeting Kanou's eyes and answering questions in a faraway tone as if he were barely listening. The businessman was away at the office for most of the day while Ayase was at the university, but it was like he didn't even notice his absence anymore, when before he would at least seem happy for the man to come home. Kanou would never admit it to anyone, but he was worried. He couldn't even bring himself to touch the blond in his absent state, though he burned to feel his warmth and hear those pleasured cries.
Damn...and it had all begun after Kanou had admitted that he never celebrated Christmas. Was Ayase disappointed? Maybe he had been expecting something special...was he? Kanou mulled the thoughts in his head. Should he have lied? Should he have planned some sort of extravagant event for him? He wasn't actually fond of the holiday, but it wasn't like he hated it. He didn't have much feeling about it either way. It was just another work day for him, although he did give his employees that day off. No use having a bunch of disgruntled employees messing with his company and money if all it took was one day to keep them complacent. If Christmas was an important holiday for his angel, then he would have the biggest damn celebration the city had ever seen!
Though Ayase didn't seem to be swayed much by expensive gifts and such...Kanou grumbled to himself, running an irritable hand through his dark locks. Shit, what should he do? He'd already refused his offer of a gift but should he get him one anyway? It was only polite...and Kanou wanted Ayase to be happy again, to break out of his withdrawn mood and smile again. He wondered what he could do with the day in question so close. A lot actually, with his connections and wealth...but then what to get Ayase for a present?
Having now decided to get him something anyway, Kanou's mood lifted slightly as he pondered over what to get him, leaning back in his chair. When he went home that day to a still distant Ayase cooking dinner, he comforted himself with the thought that the blond hopefully wouldn't be that way for too long.
Homare Kuba flipped his phone open at the first ring, looking to make sure the boss was still out of sight and behind his office door. "Yes?"
"Kuba-san, how're the preparations coming?" Ayase's sweet voice came through the other line, and he gave a glance toward Misao, giving him a nod to make sure he knew who it was talking.
"Nearly done; everything will be complete by tonight." He assured the blond, and heard a relieved sigh.
"Thank you...and, Kuba-san, thank you so much for doing this...your brother too; I know what would happen if Kanou-san found out..."
Homare shook his head, though he knew it was impossible for the other to see him. "It was our pleasure, Ayase-san." He paused, looking over at Misao. His brother, who had much better hearing than he did and wasn't distracted by phone calls, nodded once, to show he still heard the shuffles and paper noises coming from inside of the boss' office. "What about things on your end?"
"Ah, Someya-san says everything is ready. If things go well on Christmas Eve, I'll call you when I've taken care of Kanou-san."
"Good. Misao will have the rest ready and waiting to go."
"Thank you."
"Of course, Ayase-san." They each hung up.
Kanou sat at the dinner table, a rare tiny smile curving up his lips as he stared past Ayase to the soft snowflakes falling past the windows. It was Christmas Eve, and everything seemed to be going well. He'd gotten home from work early enough to eat lunch with Ayase, who seemed to be in much better spirits. The blond had actually given Kanou a smile as he'd walked in, surprised but apparently happy to see him as he'd fluttered about in the kitchen.
The taller man was glad for the change, sighing in relief inside as he dropped off his things in his study. He'd been worried that Ayase would be acting the complete opposite today. If he'd been getting more introverted the closer it came to Christmas Eve, then it would be safe to assume he'd be at his worst on the day itself, right? But it wasn't the case and Kanou felt his heart lighten a bit. Whatever Ayase had been so preoccupied about, he seemed to have gotten over it pretty well, and quickly too.
Patting his suit pocket, he assured himself that Ayase's present was still inside in its' little box, and returned back to the dining room, where he saw Ayase laying out the plates and food on the table. The blond smiled at him as he sat down, and Kanou relaxed a little more, picking up his eating utensils.
"Kanou-san, how was work today?" Ayase asked innocently, and the businessman restrained a smile at the satisfaction he felt that things were back to normal, beginning to eat as he answered. Dinner passed along nicely in the same manner as the blond chatted about his day, and the dark-haired man was in a good mood as he stood up once he was done to put his plate in the sink, despite Ayase's protests.
Which only deepened his surprise when the floor swayed underneath him.
What the—? Kanou stumbled and put out a hand to steady himself, putting the plate back on the table as a wave of dizziness swept over him, and the floor started to spin. His thought were suddenly confused. What was going on? Why was he feeling so...weak?
A horrible thought struck him through another wave of nausea and he his head snapped around, eyes searching for Ayase. The smaller male was still sitting at the table, staring at him impassively—that in itself startled the man. Wouldn't Ayase have normally rushed to his side, worried? He'd done so in the past over previous things...why not now? That blank stare met his eyes, the other unmoving...almost like he was expecting this. Kanou glanced in horror at his empty dinner plate and cup, and Ayase's own barely-touched food. He cursed himself.
He'd been drugged!
"Ayase..." He couldn't keep the fear, the hurt from his voice as he took one staggering step forward, unable to do any more. Why was this happening? What had gone wrong? Terror rushed through him and made his heart beat impossibly fast and he tried to focus long enough to do something, anything. Deep in the depths of his suddenly cold heart he felt the certainty that Ayase had betrayed him, that he was going to run away and leave him.
"Ayase..." He'd never felt so betrayed in his life.
But things were going well today...what went wrong?
The drug's dose was strong, even for a man of his size and strength and all too soon Kanou fell completely under its power; he tripped and stumbled to his knees, then finally collapsed and succumbed to the darkness encroaching on his vision as that last weak question rang in his head.
Ayase now quickly came to his side, checking that he was alright, then took out his phone, dialing a number on speed-dial.
"Kuba-san? ...yes, it worked...no, it didn't look like he suspected. I'll call Someya-san right now; please get the car ready. We don't have much time."
The drug, powerful as it was, could only put Kanou under for so long and he stirred restlessly, fighting to overcome the grip of cold unconsciousness. Voices, faraway and dim, sounded in his ears.
"Yes, it looks fine..." Homare...?
"No, don't open the wine now, you fool! Gion,what're you thinking?" Was that Someya's harsh bark? What was that rotten okama doing here? And Gion? What?
"...almost done, just a couple more minutes..."
"The tree looks wonderful, dear..."
Kanou grew frustrated at his confusion and fought harder to beat his sleep, puzzled as to why he couldn't wake up so easily and just what all of these people were doing around him. Everything seemed a little fuzzy. What had happened?
"Look, he's waking up! Hurry, everybody!"
A scrambling shuffle and sounds of footsteps...then silence.
"Kanou-san?"
Ayase's angelic voice brought everything rushing back and Kanou's eyes snapped open, his body instantly forcing itself to a sitting up position as he drew in a deep breath. His confusion only worsened as he took in his surroundings. What—?
He was lying on one of the couches in the living room, not on the floor where he had fallen. The house, undecorated for the holiday when he had last had his eyes open, now gleamed. Silver and gold tinsel as well as flowery garlands adorned every corner and cabinet, embellishing every inch as they shone under the lights, and there were wreaths and bows made of ribbons hanging on the walls. Vases of poinsettias filled the coffee table in front of him, and there was a tree, a giant pine in the corner of the living room defying all expectations as it proudly displayed its ornaments of every kind and the soft yellow lights that hung around its branches. There were delicious scents in the air, and Kanou looked to see his dining room table almost sagging under the veritable feast that piled on it, plates and bowls all artfully designed to present the food on them.
But that was nothing compared to the people that stood in front of him, eyes turned to face him eagerly. Ayase was the first one to catch his attention of course; his eyes naturally, easily sought him out at the forefront of the miniature crowd in his living room. The blond was dressed in a sort of Santa suit, dark red hat, jacket and loose pants trimmed in bright white faux fur, the pure white illuminating the rosy tint to his cheeks as he smiled at the businessman. He looked beautiful, but the people surrounding him drew Kanou's attention away from his gorgeous angel; Someya dressed in a tight dark blue kimono patterned with white and baby blue snowflakes stood to Ayase's right, while the Kuba brothers stood to his left, dressed in their suits as always, the only thing abnormal being the twin reindeer horn caps on their heads. Gion was there too, sneaking a glass of wine and dressed in a full reindeer costume and looking utterly ridiculous...Yamato, the damn brat, was there too along with his father, both of them dressed casually and wearing flowery garlands around their necks, standing by Yamaguchi who looked totally at ease...And even those dirty transvestites were here along with that pervert bastard Mizoguchi, peeking from around the kitchen, covered in flour and all dressed like maids as the clothes designer held a measuring tape...
What was this?
Someya flipped a lock of long hair over his shoulder, taking Kanou's scowl and aptly deducing he was going to get seriously pissed if someone didn't explain things around here. "Ah, danna, you're finally awake! The guest of honor is awake!" he called unnecessarily, but it sent a round of clapping and cheering throughout the people present. Pushing Ayase forward, he waved. "Come on, Aya-chan!"
Ayase blushed but stepped forward, his hands behind his back, and Kanou cocked his head curiously. Obviously Ayase hadn't run away or left him alone but...was he responsible for all this, whatever it was?
"Um..." the blond began hesitantly. "I-I know you said you'd never celebrated Christmas before, but I thought maybe...you'd like to do it once, so...we planned a party for you, Kanou-san—"
"We didn't do much; Ayase planned it all by himself." Misao cut in matter-of-factly, his deadpan tone completely truthful. Someya smacked him over the head to keep him quiet and Ayase smiled a bit, fidgeting nervously. All eyes were on him and Kanou as the blond brought his hands to bear, a wrapped present nestled between the slender outstretched fingers.
A bright, desperately hopeful smile parted his lips as he said softly, gently,
"Merry Christmas, Kanou-san."
For a moment the dark-haired man couldn't speak, too overwhelmed with this information. He hated parties, the loud chatter and fawning girls that ogled at him like whores, the important men that strutted around like humanoid roosters, all preening in self-arrogance...he'd never liked them and turned down every invitation he received to attention some ball or gathering or whatnot. There were no exceptions. But this...how could he refuse this? He cast a glance around. The house's decorations were flawless; the tree sparkled perfectly and the tinsel and wreaths were artfully arranged with meticulous care...he saw Ayase's hand in that.
Obviously the blond hadn't done all of it himself, everyone here must have known and helped. All of the others—both of the Kubas, Someya, Gion, Yamato and the others in their audience—we looking at him expectantly, but almost as if they expected him to grow furious and kick them all out.
Normally he would have done that. If anyone else had tried to pull off a stunt like this, Kanou thought he might just have left the house and let them enjoy their party in his house out of pure irritation, or just simply kicked them out to the curb if he was sufficiently pissed off.
But Ayase had done this for him. Ayase. This was what he had been preoccupied about for days, most likely planning and struggling over every meticulous detail to make sure it was perfect for Kanou, even though the tall man was fairly certain that the blond knew he wouldn't like the thought of so many people—even well-known—intruding in his house. And there he was, smiling so beautifully at Kanou with the offered present, just to try and bring some holiday cheer into him.
And Kanou Somuku, thick-headed fool that he was, could do nothing else but run a hand through his hair, giving the blond a rare, small smile as he stretched his other hand forward for the present. "Merry Christmas to you too, Ayase."
Everyone seemed to relax, Someya was laughing and Gion raised a costumed fist in the air, yelling out, "Party! Banzai!"
Ayase darted forward, hugging Kanou tightly as the larger man's smile grew, and he resolved to buy the blond at least ten more presents for this.
Maybe Christmas wasn't really so bad.