The scene jump, which not only goes from Yohji's pov to Aya's, but jumps to a scene that occurs later that night involving something I haven't touched on before, seemed like a natural progression as well as a further glimpse into Aya. I did worry, though that it might seem disjointed to others. I had a scene written in between involving Omi and Ken, but it just wasn't doing it for me. So if it IS annoyingly disjointed, let me know and I will consider revising.

Thank you for reading and for all the wonderful feedback.

Enjoy.

fire mystic

Sleepless Nights

Yohji was impressed with how well Aya had responded when Yohji had voiced concern but not pushed the issue. Yohji made a mental note of that for the future.

Of course, he had to find a way to bring it up again, try to find out what had irritated Aya first thing in the morning. He waited after they had finished the wonderful dinner Aya had made them. They were sitting in companionable silence, watching television, Yohji pleased that Aya hadn't deserted him after finishing his meal. Aya seemed content watching whatever was on; Yohji wasn't even sure what movie it was. He was too distracted with Aya sitting there with him. He sat waiting for his opportunity, and finally drummed up the nerve during a commercial break.

"Hey Aya? I really would like to know what happened this morning. If you want to tell me, that is."

His shoulders tensed as he waited out Aya's reaction, but nothing drastic or dramatic happened. Aya glanced over, not completely making eye contact, and shrugged before turning back to the commercial.

"Omi was being Omi."

Yohji almost bust out laughing. Leave it to Aya to find a way to explain everything perfectly in four words.

"Too happy, too nosey, and asking too many questions." Yohji filled in the gaps.

Aya nodded.

"Like I said."

Of course that would tick Aya off. He wasn't up to having to explain this to anyone; might not be up to it for a long time. Or ever.

"He's worried about you. And me. You know Omi. He wants everyone to be happy."

"I'd be happier if he'd leave it alone."

"Might as well ask a fish not to swim."

Was that a smile twitching at the corner of Aya's lips? Oh, this was just too good.

"I think he got your message Aya. I don't think he'll be so bubbly about it in the future."

The back door opened and closed. Yohji remained as he was, reclined on the couch, but he noticed that Aya sat up a bit straighter in his chair.

"Easy Aya. We're just watching television." It was more than that, and they both knew it, but for all intents and purposes, that's exactly what it looked like.

The refrigerator door opened and closed, and a few seconds later, Ken appeared, helmet under one arm, two bottles of water in the other hand. He hesitated, taking in the living room scene, eyebrows raised, and then stepped further into the room.

"Hey guys. What's going on?"

Yohji glanced back over the arm of the chair. "Just catching up on some bad acting." That certainly wasn't a lie. Yohji hadn't been paying attention to what was on, but what little bit he was catching was awful. "How was your day off?"

Ken was staring at the back of Aya's head.

"Uh huh." He nodded. "Bad acting; whatcha watching?"

Yohji had no idea.

Apparently, neither did Aya. His shrug was the only thing that even acknowledged Ken was in the room. He stood up then.

"I'm tired." He announced, and that simply, left the room.

Ken stared after him.

"What was that all about?"

Yohji turned to the television. "I thought it was pretty clear."

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Did you two figure things out?"

"We're working on it."

"What does that mean, Yohji?"

"It means that we've come to an understanding." Yohji felt talking about it in any detail was a betrayal of Aya's confidence, but in all fairness to Ken, after the advice he had given him and the support he had shown, Yohji needed to give him something more than complete vagueness.

"Let's just say that you were right in your advice Ken, and that we're on really shaky ground right now, but we're working it out."

Flipping his hair out of his eyes, Ken bit his lip, nodding.

"I know I told you to give him a chance, but I hope you don't get hurt, Yohji."

Yohji stood up, stretching, and clicked the off button on the remote.

"Thanks, Ken, but I think you need to let me worry about that. I'm not walking into this blind; I know the risks."

He bid Ken goodnight and left him standing in the center of the room.

"I hope so," Ken said to the empty room, and then headed upstairs as well.

Aya woke in the dead of night, trembling, cold sweat dampening his skin, a choked sob caught in his throat. For a few minutes, he thought he was going to be sick, and he fought the nauseating fear that was enveloping him, trying to calm his breathing, trying to get some perspective in the dark room.

He couldn't recall right away the details of the nightmare. All he could see in his mind's eye was the lifeless form of his sister's body sagging in his hands, broken and covered in blood.

He clutched at his chest, feeling his heart pounding within. This was quickly becoming his most common nightmare, never failing to have the same result. He knew his sister was fine; Manx had been very good at providing him with updates concerning Aya-chan's welfare. Still, the nightmares persisted.

Unable to go back to sleep, he got up and paced the room. If tonight was like previous nights, there may be no more sleep for him. It was beginning to wear on him, leaving him exhausted, and his opening up to Yohji had brought many of his fears to the surface.

He curled up in his chair when his own pacing started to annoy him. He was not going to let this get the better of him. He had something to look forward to now; Yohji. It scared him, what the future might hold, both if it went well with Yohji and if it went badly, but talking to Yohji, letting him in, had also felt so right. Yohji understood him, made him feel good, both comfortably and sinfully, and even if he was still having issues with whether they deserved this chance or not, it had given him hope.

As the first light of morning began to brighten the sky, he decided to call Manx and check on his sister, just to be safe, for his own reassurance. Of course, everything was fine, and Manx once again reminded him to stop worrying so much, as if that were possible. His mind put at ease for the moment, he headed off to shower, hoping the hot water would wake him up enough to function and sooth what remaining tension was left in his body.

When he came out of the shower, towel wrapped around his lean hips, hair dripping, he stepped out into the hall to find Yohji waiting on the opposite side of the hall. Whether he was waiting for Aya or the bathroom, there was no way to tell.

Yohji's mouth went dry at the sight of Aya in nothing but the towel. He thought of all the possibilities this moment could present under different circumstances, but reminded himself to show restraint. His eyes skimmed down Aya's body, back up, and he studied Aya's face.

"You look tired." Really tired, Yohji thought, and he was glad he had kept his initial urges to himself.

"I didn't sleep well." That wasn't so uncommon.

"Couldn't? Or nightmares?"

Aya leaned against the door jamb, rubbing his eyes with on hand. The shower hadn't worked as well as he wanted it to.

"Both."

Yohji came to stand beside him, letting their shoulders touch, even as Aya moved to leave room for him to get through the door. "You know you don't have to go through it alone, don't you? You don't have to tell me, don't have to talk, but my door is always open. If you think it will help. You can just sit, or lay down, whatever." He brushed his knuckles against Aya's. "At least you won't have to be alone."

Letting the offer stand, he continued into the bathroom and closed the door softly behind him.

Aya looked down at his hand where Yohji had touched him, feeling certain he didn't deserve such tender caring, and astounded that Yohji was offering it.