Chapter Twenty: Beginning of Life
Schuldig woke the next morning on the couch. He yawned and stretched. "It's too early to be up..." he mumbled.
Julia leaned over him. "Well you better get a move on anyway, darling, Crawford's been up and ready for an hour."
Brad leaned against the wall that attached the living room to the kitchen. He was wearing a cream colored suit and a blue dress shirt. He was drinking what smelled like coffee. "Rise and shine, Schuldig."
The German glared, then frowned. "Am I going to have to wear a suit?"
"I didn't bother picking one out for you because I knew you wouldn't wear it. I got you slacks a shirt and a blazer." Julia replied from the kitchen.
Schuldig nodded approvingly. "That I will wear," he answered as he stretched.
Nagi appeared in a blue uniform looking outfit. "Morning." he said quietly.
"ADRIAN!" Julia shouted. "GET OUT OF BED, YOU BUM!" she shouted. "Morning!" she greeted Nagi. Brad nodded his acknowledgement.
"Morning, chibi!" Schuldig greeted.
The boy glared at the German.
"You want cereal or pancakes or something, kiddo?" Julia asked. "The meeting isn't until eleven."
"Then why am I up?" Schuldig groaned as he flopped back onto the couch.
"Because you have to be ready." Brad said sipping his coffee. "On time."
Schuldig gave him a lopsided grin. "Fine, fine."
"I'll make sausage and pancakes...that should get him up..." Julia murmured pulling things out of their cabinets.
A muffled growl came from Adrian's sleeping quarter. "He's less of a morning person than I am," the golden-eyed teen commented.
"He's less of a people person than you are..." Julia muttered dryly.
"Anyone's more of a people person than he is."
Julia grinned. "Give Crawford a few years. He'll work on it."
Schuldig stood back up and walked into the room Adrian had been sleeping in. Quiet passed for a moment until he walked back in, looking smug. "He's up."
Julia and Brad exchanged glances. She held up a hand. "I don't even want to know..."
Schuldig simply smirked.
Adrian appeared, dressed except for his jacket and tie. He looked slightly disgruntled but made no comment as he made his way to the coffeepot.
Schuldig grinned in his general direction. "Anyway..." he said conversationally.
Brad chuckled low in his throat and shook his head as he drained the rest of the coffee in his mug. "Don't try anything like that at the meeting, ne?" Even Nagi grinned a little. Julia handed her lover a plate and shooed him to the table. "Come on guys, eat." she said.
"Aww... No mind tricks on this Takatori guy?" Schuldig complained.
Julia looked at him seriously. "No. You can't blow this with a game, Schuldig. Not this meeting."
"I was just kidding."
"Seriously, don't though. It'll cause you more trouble than you can handle."
"I can handle any trouble."
"Keep him out of trouble, would you?" she said to Crawford.
"It's what I live for." he replied.
Schuldig grinned.
"We should leave in a few minutes. We aren't far, but morning traffic will be bad."
Julia straightened her black skirt and grabbed Adrian's tie from off the back of one of the kitchen chairs. She pulled it around his neck. "Twenty four years old and you still can't tie a tie...oi.."
He grinned at her. "Why would I when I have you to do it for me?"
She grinned back. "Cocky, aren't you?"
He wrapped his arms around her. "Haven't I always been?"
"Of course. Why do you think I put up with you?" She kissed him before tying the knot in his tie."
Schuldig reentered the room and grinned slyly at them. /Kawaii./
/It's funny, isn't it? They're complete opposites. His dark features and her light ones./ Brad replied, sipping his second cup of coffee.
/Kawaii is not a way I would describe us, kid,/ Adrian's thoughts entered the young telepath's mind.
He lifted his eyebrows in slight annoyance. /Stay out of my head./
/You should talk,/ Brad told the German.
/I mostly stay out of others. When I have a choice./
Brad smiled behind his coffee cup. Nagi put his plate in the sink and disappeared to brush his teeth. Julia finished straightening Adrian's tie and stepped back.
"You need help with yours, Crawford?" she asked.
"I think I can manage."
"Wouldn't want Adrian jealous," Schu quipped from his spot on the couch.
Julia grinned. "Sure I do. Keeps him in line, don't you know. Let me know if you need help." she said.
The German telepath grinned at the glaring Asian. "Are you just trying to rile me up this morning?" the elder man asked.
Julia swatted at him on her way to fix her makeup. "Don't stress him out." Brad headed towards the back to get his tie.
"Him or me?" Adrian asked in a low tone.
She turned at the end of the hall and bit her lip in an alluring manner. "Careful, boy." she murmured.
"I'm always careful," Adrian said quietly.
Fifteen minutes and Brad's tie later, they were ready to head to Takatori's headquarters.
The car pulled up in front of the office and Schuldig turned his golden eyes toward Brad.
The American looked at him.
/We'll be fine, right?/
Brad's gaze flickered to the multistory building above them before returning to the golden gaze. /We'll be fine./
Schuldig nodded and watched as the elder stepped out of the car. /To the ends of the earth./
/And back./ Brad stood by the car and waited for him.
/And back./
Author's notes: This is the last chapter of If I Am Gifted. Chase and I didn't get around to them recruiting Farfarello, sorry to all you Farf fans out there. We like 'im too, promise! Both of us are really happy everyone's liked it so much, and we appreciate your support and reviews. It keeps us writing. As always, enjoy! And comments, questions, (even flames) are welcome at starchaser478@hotmail.com. You can reach Chase there too. Thanks!!!!
Schuldig woke the next morning on the couch. He yawned and stretched. "It's too early to be up..." he mumbled.
Julia leaned over him. "Well you better get a move on anyway, darling, Crawford's been up and ready for an hour."
Brad leaned against the wall that attached the living room to the kitchen. He was wearing a cream colored suit and a blue dress shirt. He was drinking what smelled like coffee. "Rise and shine, Schuldig."
The German glared, then frowned. "Am I going to have to wear a suit?"
"I didn't bother picking one out for you because I knew you wouldn't wear it. I got you slacks a shirt and a blazer." Julia replied from the kitchen.
Schuldig nodded approvingly. "That I will wear," he answered as he stretched.
Nagi appeared in a blue uniform looking outfit. "Morning." he said quietly.
"ADRIAN!" Julia shouted. "GET OUT OF BED, YOU BUM!" she shouted. "Morning!" she greeted Nagi. Brad nodded his acknowledgement.
"Morning, chibi!" Schuldig greeted.
The boy glared at the German.
"You want cereal or pancakes or something, kiddo?" Julia asked. "The meeting isn't until eleven."
"Then why am I up?" Schuldig groaned as he flopped back onto the couch.
"Because you have to be ready." Brad said sipping his coffee. "On time."
Schuldig gave him a lopsided grin. "Fine, fine."
"I'll make sausage and pancakes...that should get him up..." Julia murmured pulling things out of their cabinets.
A muffled growl came from Adrian's sleeping quarter. "He's less of a morning person than I am," the golden-eyed teen commented.
"He's less of a people person than you are..." Julia muttered dryly.
"Anyone's more of a people person than he is."
Julia grinned. "Give Crawford a few years. He'll work on it."
Schuldig stood back up and walked into the room Adrian had been sleeping in. Quiet passed for a moment until he walked back in, looking smug. "He's up."
Julia and Brad exchanged glances. She held up a hand. "I don't even want to know..."
Schuldig simply smirked.
Adrian appeared, dressed except for his jacket and tie. He looked slightly disgruntled but made no comment as he made his way to the coffeepot.
Schuldig grinned in his general direction. "Anyway..." he said conversationally.
Brad chuckled low in his throat and shook his head as he drained the rest of the coffee in his mug. "Don't try anything like that at the meeting, ne?" Even Nagi grinned a little. Julia handed her lover a plate and shooed him to the table. "Come on guys, eat." she said.
"Aww... No mind tricks on this Takatori guy?" Schuldig complained.
Julia looked at him seriously. "No. You can't blow this with a game, Schuldig. Not this meeting."
"I was just kidding."
"Seriously, don't though. It'll cause you more trouble than you can handle."
"I can handle any trouble."
"Keep him out of trouble, would you?" she said to Crawford.
"It's what I live for." he replied.
Schuldig grinned.
"We should leave in a few minutes. We aren't far, but morning traffic will be bad."
Julia straightened her black skirt and grabbed Adrian's tie from off the back of one of the kitchen chairs. She pulled it around his neck. "Twenty four years old and you still can't tie a tie...oi.."
He grinned at her. "Why would I when I have you to do it for me?"
She grinned back. "Cocky, aren't you?"
He wrapped his arms around her. "Haven't I always been?"
"Of course. Why do you think I put up with you?" She kissed him before tying the knot in his tie."
Schuldig reentered the room and grinned slyly at them. /Kawaii./
/It's funny, isn't it? They're complete opposites. His dark features and her light ones./ Brad replied, sipping his second cup of coffee.
/Kawaii is not a way I would describe us, kid,/ Adrian's thoughts entered the young telepath's mind.
He lifted his eyebrows in slight annoyance. /Stay out of my head./
/You should talk,/ Brad told the German.
/I mostly stay out of others. When I have a choice./
Brad smiled behind his coffee cup. Nagi put his plate in the sink and disappeared to brush his teeth. Julia finished straightening Adrian's tie and stepped back.
"You need help with yours, Crawford?" she asked.
"I think I can manage."
"Wouldn't want Adrian jealous," Schu quipped from his spot on the couch.
Julia grinned. "Sure I do. Keeps him in line, don't you know. Let me know if you need help." she said.
The German telepath grinned at the glaring Asian. "Are you just trying to rile me up this morning?" the elder man asked.
Julia swatted at him on her way to fix her makeup. "Don't stress him out." Brad headed towards the back to get his tie.
"Him or me?" Adrian asked in a low tone.
She turned at the end of the hall and bit her lip in an alluring manner. "Careful, boy." she murmured.
"I'm always careful," Adrian said quietly.
Fifteen minutes and Brad's tie later, they were ready to head to Takatori's headquarters.
The car pulled up in front of the office and Schuldig turned his golden eyes toward Brad.
The American looked at him.
/We'll be fine, right?/
Brad's gaze flickered to the multistory building above them before returning to the golden gaze. /We'll be fine./
Schuldig nodded and watched as the elder stepped out of the car. /To the ends of the earth./
/And back./ Brad stood by the car and waited for him.
/And back./
Author's notes: This is the last chapter of If I Am Gifted. Chase and I didn't get around to them recruiting Farfarello, sorry to all you Farf fans out there. We like 'im too, promise! Both of us are really happy everyone's liked it so much, and we appreciate your support and reviews. It keeps us writing. As always, enjoy! And comments, questions, (even flames) are welcome at starchaser478@hotmail.com. You can reach Chase there too. Thanks!!!!