-1Chapter 10

,

Yohji sat up on the couch with a stretch. He'd needed the sleep. He hadn't slept very well over the past few days. He'd been too worried. He'd felt guilty. If he'd been paying more attention he could've dodged without Aya ending up with a bullet in the head.

Speaking of Aya, where was he? He wasn't on the couch anymore. Where…Ah, there he was, sleeping on the floor against the wall with his sword in hand. He looked adorable.

Yohji crept up on him, wanting a closer look. He'd seen Aya in fitful sleep when he was in the hospital, but he hadn't seen him sleep so calmly, looking worn out.

He knelt in front of the swordsman, smiling as he gently touched Aya's cheek. He'd never taken Aya for a deep sleeper, but he supposed it was all because of his injuries.

He slid his thumb over Aya's bottom lip, smiling as Aya's violet eyes slowly opened, looking worse for wear. Yohji took the chance, pressing his lips gently to Aya's. Expecting to get punched for his efforts he was surprised when Aya let him nudge his mouth open to deepen the kiss. He straddled Aya and slid his arms around his back, pulling him in closer so that their chests were crushed together.

Aya turned his head suddenly, his face flushed.

"What are you doing?" Aya asked, panting for his breath.

"I'd thought that part was obvious." Yohji winked, moving to lean against the wall so that their shoulders touched.

"I walked. I walked over to my sword." Aya sounded proud of himself. If it were the Aya before the injury Yohji would've had a heart attack at hearing the admittance, but this Aya was different. Any accomplishment would comfort him.

"That's awesome, Aya. I should've known someone as stubborn as you would be on his feet this quickly. You hungry or anything? Omi put the leftovers in the fridge, I could heat them up for you."

"There are flakes of blood on my sword. Why?" Of course, he should've thought about cleaning the sword before they gave it back to him!

"Well, you always brought your sword with you when we had customers, one of them must've gotten violent with you and you cut him to make a point." Okay, so it wasn't the best excuse in the world, but it made sense.

"Is it that dangerous that I'd need to bring a sword? Strange."

"Yeah, I should've told you that part. Well. I think we should celebrate you walking around. We've got beer in the fridge, want one?" Yohji stood up, holding his hand out to Aya, who took it and pulled himself up. He made it look easy even though Yohji was pretty sure it must've hurt his strained muscles.

"Do I normally drink?" Aya looked away, like he felt ashamed of even having to ask.

"Nope, but this is a special occasion," he wasn't about to lie about that. He'd already told enough lies. He found himself hating that he'd had to lie to him in the first place. Aya obviously trusted him at this point. It made him feel guilty.

"Okay. One more question. Were you and I together?" Aya was blushing now, and trying to hide it by keeping his head turned, but Yohji could still see it.

"No, but that doesn't mean I don't want you." Yohji slid his arm around Aya's back, helping him stay on his feet while enjoying the feel of Aya pressed up against his side as they walked.

"Why?" Aya looked puzzled.

"You mean why do I want to be with you after you've done nothing but punch me and snap at me? Its because I've seen your vulnerable side and I find myself liking it. Before you were so icy, so far from reach that you weren't even on my radar. But when you pushed me out of the way I saw the look on your face. You were scared that I would be hurt. If I'd been paying more attention instead of thinking about the girl I'd made a date with you wouldn't have been shot. So I spent the week at your bedside feeling guilty and thinking that you were going to die. I feel responsible, but even more than that, I never noticed how beautiful you are until I saw that look on your face." Yohji took a chance and kissed him on the forehead. Again, Aya let him. He wondered just how far Aya would let him go if he really made a move.

"Beer?" Aya asked, changing the subject easily. Yohji grinned. At least Aya had picked something Yohji wanted if he was going to be so obvious in his evasiveness.

"I think we both need it, how about you? I want to go to a club, but you can't dance just yet," damn, but he really wanted to dance with Aya, to feel that beautiful body moving against his. Would Aya know how to dance?

"You could always go without me," Aya stated the obvious.

"Yeah, but not only do I not want to go without you, but I don't feel like dealing with Omi and Ken when they get home."

Yohji steered Aya toward a chair in the kitchen before rummaging through the fridge for some beer. He popped the caps open and handed Aya one.

Aya nodded at him before taking a swig. He grimaced, making Yohji laugh.

"Who cares what it tastes like, it'll relax your nerves. Don't you think we both need to relax?"

Aya eyed the drink like it was poison before he shrugged and nodded. Yohji was pretty sure that Aya was just obliging him, but whatever, it had the same result in the end.

"I should probably check on your bandages soon, just to change them. You didn't get that many stitches, and they were all to your temple, hardly noticeable. We should be able to remove them, soon.

Aya only nodded, taking another swig.