Ch.3: Revelation

When he walked out of the shower, there was no one in the hall. He half-expected
Aya to still be there, collapsed on the floor, crying his heart out, but the hall was empty.
A twinge of guilt twisted his heart, and he found his feet moving towards the his comrade's
door. Unbidden, he grasped the doorknob in shaking hands, and pushed it open. He was ready
to accept his fate, and he knew that Aya's words had pulled on the strings of their
friendship, but he had just added insult to injury, and was ready to apologize.

The room looked the complete opposite of the one he saw that morning. The blinds
had been half-closed, so the only illumination was the thin threads of moonlight that wound
around the room. He could see the bed had been unmade since morning, the silken sheets
still twisted in intricate patterns. The blankets had been thrown back and mussed up into
something that resembled a ball at the foot of the bed, half on the floor, half still
hanging on for dear life to the edge of the bed. A solitary chair stood in the middle of
the room, unoccupied, with a pile of still-unread books beside it. On the other side, there
was a shorter pile of read books. Aya had never seemed like the studious type, but he was
ready to believe anything right now, including the fact that Aya read books in his spare
time. But this wasn't what he came here for, and he spied Aya with in the middle of the
bed, head hunched in between his legs, arms propped on his knees. He had changed into his
pajamas, a mixture of dark blue and black and white, and he could see the line of moonlight
collide into each other creeping on his back. He was entranced, fully intoxicated as Aya
lifted his brilliant red head, and locked eyes with him.

The tranquil forest met its fate within the flickering embrace of flames.

"Aya, I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just that I have lots more on my mind, and
the kiss this morning wasn't the top of my list of things to do at that moment. I was
frustrated, and I'm sorry I took it out on you."

Aya nodded, his throat constricting, and he patted the space on the bed beside him.
It was an invitation to sit. The blonde man compiled, and the bed audibly creaked as he sat
down on it. They didn't look at each other, just stared into space ahead. Finally Aya's
voice came through the air, softly and gently, not to surprise the older man, forming words
that he wanted to hear, a shoulder that wouldn't collapse upon itself, a shoulder he could
depend on, and cry upon without shame. He couldn't hear the words, they were hazy and he
could only distinguish his name, but he could tell they were comforting, and that was
something he desperately needed right now. His head slipped through the air, and met Aya's
shoulder with a slight thump of sound. Hair covered his vision, and he brushed the
hinderance away, and just lay his head on Aya's shoulder. He wouldn't cry until the news
had been broken.

"Remember Schrient?"

"Aa."

"Remember that girl I fought, the one that looked so much like Asuka?"

"Aa."

"I found out that she really was Asuka today."

Aya had no answer to this, but just lifted his arm gently and put it around Youji.
He drew the man closer, and felt Youji snuggle deeper into his embrace. His heart pounding,
he stroked Youji's hair protectively, and felt the man buckle under him, succumbing to the
tears that flowed over his cheeks and face, streamed over his hands that were clutched
around him, and soaked through the cotton fabric of Aya's pajama top.

"Cry it all out, Youji. Don't hold back."

The blonde did as he was told, and soon after a little while of absentmindedly
stroking his hair, Aya realized that Youji had stopped crying, probably some time ago. He
shook his shoulder a little, and whispered his name. There was no answer, and then Aya
gently pried him away and stared at Youji's face. The man was asleep, his vibrant green
eyes closed, watching oblivion, and his lips slightly parted. Aya smiled a little, and then
carried Youji back to his room. The older man wasn't as heavy as he thought; in fact, he
was lighter than most. He kicked the door open, and threw back the covers on Youji's bed.
The man stirred slightly, but then simply turned over in Aya's arms as he lay him down. He
slumbered on, and Aya watched for spell, just the steady rise and fall of his chest, the way
the moonlight shifted its position in illumination of Youji: first on his face, then over
his hair, and then finally to the floor near Aya's feet.

The watching dared him, and he couldn't resist as he slowly bent his face down to
Youji's and pressed his lips to his. Those lips parted slightly, and Aya felt himself stay
there for a moment, then he closed his eyes as he left those lips, and he stood over Youji
for a moment. He glanced at the clock near Youji's bed, and read its numbers: 12:50 AM. It
was late. He turned to leave the room, and to leave the faint feeling that he thought was
love behind as well.

* * *

Youji stirred as he felt something touch his lips. He realized that they were lips,
someone's, but he didn't care, and slightly parted them. The kiss itself was brief, but
Youji was too tired to argue, and just let it come and go. He didn't feel the presence
leave just yet, so he let his eyes remain closed. Then he heard the swish of the person
leaving, and opened his eyes quickly. It was Aya, who had no doubt carried him to his bed,
and had watched him for a little while, and was now about to leave. Frantically Youji
remembered those lips on his, and a feeling rushed through him, the same heady feeling that
he got when he was with Asuka, except so much stronger. He reached out and grabbed whatever
was there, and caught hold of Aya's wrist.

Aya stiffened, then turned around. He was hypnotized by those dark pools of mystery
once again, and he walked back a step, then another, then another, until he was back at the
edge of the bed, and clutching Youji's wrist as well. Then Youji reached up and grabbed a
fistful of his shirt front, pulling it down. Aya barely had a moment to register what was
happening before Youji's mouth claimed his, and he found himself tumbling head over heels
onto the bed, with Youji beside him, foundling his hair as they kissed. Moonlight seared
through the window like the sun that morning, and Aya remembered the whole day's events in a
flash of memory. Youji swiftly broke the kiss and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"What a day."

Youji chuckled softly. "Hai, it was quite a hectic day."

"I fell in love, got rejected, and got the person I originally fell in love with in
love with me. What a day. I think I want to sleep, now."

"Yeah", came Youji's reply. "Let's call it a day."

Author's notes:

Well, I'm done, and this is probably my record: a 3 chapter story in one weekend.
Gosh, I'm happy I'm finished, then I don't have to do much more for the rest of the week, my
friends won't bug me for new stuff as much. It's currently almost 11 PM, so I need to catch
some sleep before I get back to school tomorrow.

Andrea Weiling