AUTHOR : sara-chan
PAIRING : Ran/Ken
DISCLAIMERS: Weiss kreuz belongs to Takehito Koyasu. Ran and Kenken aren't mine. Damn.
WARNINGS: shonen ai, angst
NOTES: Today is Ken's birthday! *glomps Ken* I wanted to write something for our dear boy, so I wrote this fic. I really hope you'll like it. Please excuse me if there are some errors. I didn't find any beta T_T
Happy Birthday Ken
Ken sighed tiredly as he locked the door behind him. He looked down at his coat and groaned. He should wash it now or else, it would be a pain in the ass to remove the blood. Once he finished his task, the brunette changed his 'battle clothes' for a jean and a tee-shirt.
A quick look at his watch told him it wasn't too late to make a cup of chocolate milk. He was sure the others had already gone to bed. That mission had been pretty difficult, but in the end, they successfully finished it. Unfortunately, Ken couldn't find sleep. He chuckled as he poured some milk in his blue cup. Maybe the reason was that it was his birthday today.
None of his team mates knew. They were good friends and could count on each other, but none of them wanted to share their secrets. It was so much easier to hide his pain and acted as if nothing had happened.
Ken stared pensively at the brown liquid. He always felt a bit melancholic when December came. His birthday would remember him of his family. How were they? What were they doing at this same moment? Were they thinking about him? About their dead son, their dead brother? He hadn't tried to find the responses himself. He knew that his heart would be even more guilty and sad, and that was not what he needed when he was struggling to adapt to his new job.
December was also a reminder of his former friend, or so-called friend.
Kase.
Ken didn't like to think about him because he knew he would feel again the betrayal, the pain that he had felt that day. And then, he would shut himself in his room, trying to forget about the man that had been the dearest friend of his life. His three friends – well, Yohji and Omi anyway -would make understanding smiles and nods. And Ken hated that!
He didn't want to be pitied. He didn't want them to try to help him. No one should understand what the pain was to be betrayed by a friend. No one.
Ken blinked when he felt his eyes burn. Damn. That was not how his birthday should end, with him crying like a baby. The brunette angrily rose up and walked toward the sink. He washed his cup, feeling a bit relaxed when the warm water ran over his hands. Once he put back the cup in his right place, he turned around. And nearly had a heart attack when he saw Aya sitting at the table, looking intensely at him.
"Shit!"
Ken stepped back against the cold sink. The redhead didn't move or blink. He just kept on staring back at him. The younger teen had the sudden feeling that the man had been there for a long while. Damn, I must be very tired, the brunette thought. His gaze was then caught by something laying oddly on the table.
A box. A blue box with yellow ribbons was posed innocently there. Right in front of Aya.
"Huh?" said Ken as he tilted his head to the right.
The redhead pushed the strange box toward Ken, but still kept silent. Ken thought that the situation was becoming weirder and weirder. A minute ago, he was just brooding alone, remembering memories he should have forgotten, and now… Aya was there – which was surprising since the older man wasn't usually trying to seek his company – and was offering something for him.
Ken shrugged. He didn't feel like asking questions. Too tired. He made two steps toward the table and picked up the box. Looking up at the silent man, he hesitated. Aya nodded, telling him without a word to open it. The brunette tore the blue paper and gasped. There was laying a beautiful painting. It showed a landscape full of trees and flowers. In the center of the painting, a young boy with dark hair was sitting on the grass, his back facing the watcher. His arms were spread toward the sky, as if he wanted to embrace the world in his arms. Ken couldn't see the boy's face but he was sure the boy had a smile on his lips.
His hands tightened around what now presented for him a precious present. "How did you know?" he whispered as his throat seemed not to work.
"I had to know who I was working with. Your birthday is today, so I thought I would give you something," Aya answered with a simple shrug.
"But why?" Ken said as he fought back a sob, and he shut his eyes. He didn't want to hope. He didn't want to believe that someone really did care for him. Was it real? Wasn't he dreaming? Did he want to try when he knew that caring always lead to pain.
The sound of a chair being pushed alerted Ken that Aya was standing and moving, but he didn't move. He just clutched the painting against his chest and fought back the tears that were threatening to fall.
"Because I care about you," a usually cold, but now soft and oh-so warm voice said, close to his face. Strong arms circled around his waist and Ken felt himself being pulled against a hard chest.
"It can't be real." Ken couldn't believe him. Why now? Why him? It was too surreal. He tried to back away, but Aya's arms tightened around him. He didn't have the force or the will to move anymore, so Ken gave up.
"I wanted to tell you sooner," the taller man said as he whispered against his love's soft hair. "I couldn't find the courage though, but today, it was different. I've always watched you, and I knew that you felt sadder this day than the other ones. So I decided to act upon my emotions, and that's how you're now in my arms."
Ken chuckled at the last words. His ears could hear Aya's heart beating at a frantic rhythm, even though the man was right now calm and cool. The brunette looked down at the painting, and at the boy staring up at the blue sky. He wanted to feel like him: so free, so happy. If he opened his arms like the boy, maybe he could find this piece of happiness. His arms were surrounded by Aya's love. So that was what he had always been searching for.
A smile appeared on the short-haired teen's lips as he looked up at the redhead. He tugged at the hairtail playfully, which made the older man frowned. Ken chuckled at him, and raised his heart-shaped face. They kissed softly, kindly, sweetly… When Ken looked at Aya again, his blue eyes shone like the colour of the sky painted on the present.
"You have given me the best birthday I have ever had. Thank you."
Aya smiled the first real smile since he became a member of Weiss. Ken's heart beat faster, and he knew then that December would not be a painful month for him anymore.
END
