DATE : June 03 DAY : Monday TIME : 9:57 a.m.
The alarm had blared music too early . Schuldich thought aggravatedly , rolling onto his back and smacking the snooze button . He snorted in satisfaction when the machine was muted .
He opened his eyes and gazed at Ken who was still snoring softly . The golden sunlight filtering through the crack between the curtains emphasized his beautiful features . The sun-kissed skin , his chestnut hair , his guileless face . He looked like a small innocent child sleeping peacefully . Schuldich smiled softly and brushed a lock of Ken's hair away from his eyes . The younger boy groaned faintly and turned his head , his eyes opening slowly to look at Schuldich .
* His eyes are different. * Schuldich noted . *They're blue * He was a bit used to Ken's ever-changing eye colour but he never could help himself from marveling .
Ken yawned and stretched , like a ' sun-dappled panther on a tree branch ' Schuldich quoted to himself .
" Morning ." Ken's voice was deep and husky from sleep .
Schuldich loved the rich rasping of his voice whenever he woke up . Ken's voice was beautiful . He purred and smiled .
" What time is it ?"
" 10:00 ." Schuldich answered , not troubling himself with turning over to look at the time ."
" Urggh . We're supposed to be down there by ." He stopped , trying to remember what Crawford had told them the night before . " 9:00 ! Bloody hell ! Brad's going to bust our asses ! Mou Schu ! Get up ! We're an hour late !" He turned over and fell onto the carpeted floor . " Umph !"
Schuldich suppressed his snickers . It was no use getting the brunette angry at him so early in the morning . Knowing Ken , he might sulk the whole day and ignore him .
" Daijobu desu koi ?" He called out with his hand pressed to his mouth , feigning a yawn .
A hand waved up at him . " Daijobu . I'm all right . Get the hell out of my bed ."
" Yeah , geez . Some people aren't so bright and sunny in the morning ." Schuldich teased . " Why not act like me ? I'm so cheerful aren't I ?"
" I happen to like mornings . I just don't like falling out of my bed because somebody is hogging all the space . Besides , you're always asleep during the day . You don't even know what the sun looks like ." said Ken hotly , staggering uncertainly to his feet and rubbing his butt .
" I am not hogging your space ." Schuldich protested lazily . " I just like hogging something else ."
" Urmmm." Ken mumbled under his breath . He had started to brush his teeth and was soon changing his clothes while Schuldich watched . " I'm going down . Are you coming or not ?"
" I'm coming , I'm coming . I don't have anything to wear ."
" The best solution is to go to your room and get something ." Ken rolled his eyes sarcastically . trying to button the black shirt but failing miserably . Irately , he threw it to the floor , not caring where it landed and rummaged his dresser for a loose shirt . He grabbed a cotton black and red striped shirt and threw it on .
" But I'm too tired to go to my room ."
Ken growled and threw him some clothes . " I'm pretty sure I won't see these again ."
Schuldich grinned . He liked wearing Ken's clothes . They were more comfortable than his in their loose , casual , ruffed-up kind of way . Plus , they always reminded him of Ken with their faint mountain air scent .
Ken always liked baggy clothes and the slightly taller Schuldich found them just perfect for him . Days like these , he always found an excuse to steal some of Ken's clothes .
[ Redemption : I'd like to too ! ^.^x ]
While Schuldich was dressing , Ken waited impatiently at the door , tapping his shoe on the carpet in a gesture of annoyance . " Hurry up Schu ."
" I'm there ." Schuldich sauntered to Ken and placed his arm around Ken's shoulder . The smaller boy did not protest and instead hurried , forcing the redhead to quicken his pace .
They entered the elevator and Ken watched the marker intently and scurried out the moment the doors opened . Schuldich sighed and followed him languorously . Ken navigated the twists and turns like a desperate man and burst into the room where Crawford always gave their briefing .
The briefing room was quite unique from most of the other rooms in the building . It was one of the few , for one , to be suspended in some sort Astro plane as Crawford had so patiently explained to him before . Moving lights resembling stars circled around the room in random patterns , glowing dimly as if they had lives of their own . On the floor was a large black Persian carpet [ §chwarz loved black . I wonder why - duh !] and several comfortable leather seats were strewn indiscriminately in varying directions . To one side was a desk with a computer and all other components secured on it , ( just in case Farfarello had one of his occasional bouts of temporary madness , they didn't want to lose the important information on the computer ) and there was a dark metal cabinet where Crawford stuffs some of his files when they were not needed .
Nagi and Farfarello were already there , Nagi was seated on a couch while the Irishman was perched on its arm , swinging right leg from side to side as a way of entertaining himself . Nagi was reading a book . Crawford gave them a reprimanding look as they entered , and Nagi had stopped reading his book for a moment to give Schuldich an icy stare when he noticed Schuldich's arm resting comfortably on Ken's shoulder .
Crawford immediately launched into his ' mission mode ' as Schuldich often called it , and had assumed a business-like tone the moment he started giving them the final details of the mission .
They had received the assignment five days ago , and had already been supplied the necessary information , but Crawford was never satisfied with just one briefing and had always ordered them on the day of the mission to recite all the instructions and major and minor details to him until he was convinced of their attentiveness .
He began , his hands clasped in front of his thighs as he stood in front of them .
" You have been told before that this is a low-profile mission . Strictly to guard and protect . Our job , as you already know , is to serve as an entourage to the head of the Castelli Family , one of the more powerful branches of the Mafia society ; and also guards for those objects he wants us to safeguard . Tonight , they will be holding a private auction for smuggled artifacts from different parts of the world . Each of these items costs at the very least , five million U.S. dollars . The possible dangers concerning this assignment includes the probability of robbery or attempts on the guests' - and host's lives . If we ever encounter these kinds of people . and I say if , we shall deal with them as discreetly as possible . We must avoid panic among the guests and cause a Mafia war ."
" There are numerous possible entrances and exits , but only the main entrance will be accessible . As of 3:00 P.M. the whole building will be searched for weapons , explosives and bombs . If the dogs find even one of these , the auction will be postponed . By 4:00 P.M. we should be there . We shall make the final rounds to discover intruders hiding inside the building . The caterers should be there by 6:50 , ten minutes afterward , the decorators should arrive . I had specified a ten-minute interval to avoid confusion . The Mafioso will arrive starting 9:00 P.M. , but we have to transfer the auction items from the vault to the auction room 25 minutes before their arrival . Schuldich , Nagi , and Farfarello ; you will be the ones to secure them in the auction room . Ken and I will circulate around the hall to make sure nothing goes wrong . Remember , five minutes after the last item has been sold , the money will be carried to the armored truck waiting at the entrance . That will be the precise time that Mr. Castelli will be leaving the premises via helicopter . The guests shall be leaving 3 hours after midnight , by then , we are no longer responsible for them . Once you are no longer engaged with your duties , report back here immediately . Does everyone understand ?"
All four heads nodded .
" Very well , everybody is dismissed . Ken , stay here . You and I have to talk about something important ." Schuldich froze . What did Crawford mean by that ? He met Ken's worried glance and gave a reassuring one of his own . Too bad he couldn't read Crawford's mind . He was too good at shielding his thoughts that Schuldich found it difficult to get through them .
All except Ken and Crawford filed out the door , Schuldich , albeit reluctantly , and pretended to close the door , but left a tiny crack to eavesdrop .
When everyone had gone , Crawford motioned for Ken to take a seat . For several long minutes , the American observed him , saying nothing , doing nothing and remained standing , with his arms folded across his chest . Finally , he spoke . " Ken , you have been with us ten months , correct ?"
Ken nodded although he didn't remember anything until a month and a half ago . Sure , he remembered his distant past , but nothing that happened in the former part of the year . Nagi had told him that he had partial memory loss when he had injured his head during one of their battles against Weiß [ when in truth it had been the combined efforts Farfarello and Schuldich - well , mostly Farf ]
" During this time , you must have realized that Nagi has developed an ." Crawford paused , searching for the appropriate word to use . " - affection for you ."
Schuldich rolled his eyes . " Well whoop-dee-do !" he muttered under his breath .
The precog sighed and sat down on the leather armchair across Ken's . " I am aware however , if your intimate relations with Schuldich ."
" Intimate relations ? Trust Brad to make it sound so formal ." The redhead said sarcastically , peering through the crack that offered him a fair view of what was happening inside .
" . and I am forced to ask you to -- ."
- - -
DATE : June 03 DAY : Monday TIME : 10:23a.m.
Schuldich swallowed nervously .
Was Crawford going to order Ken to distance himself from him ?
He craned his neck forward , trying to catch a better glimpse of Ken's face , his heart pumping a hundred miles per minute . He heard Ken's thoughts , and it meant the world to him .
* Dear God ! please don't say that Schuldich and I can't .* Ken was thinking . Despite himself , Schuldich smiled .
" - talk to him . He will listen to you ." [ at this , Schuldich breathed out in relief ] " Because everything you say is important to him . You know you cannot go on pretending that nothing is happening ; when behind his back , there is . I have often assigned you and Schuldich apart , to make it easier for
everyone , and in fairness to Prodigy . but he is not a stupid and is not a child . He is starting to suspect something , and consequently has been less efficient in the past few missions . It won't be long before he makes mistakes and puts each of us in danger ."
Crawford removed his glasses and placed it on the table top . He leaned forward . " I think it is better to have this all out in the open ; it will be easier for him to accept it if you would not hide it from him . I mean no offense , but he is still young - as you are - and he will recover ." Crawford stood up . He took the eyeglasses from the table and put it in his breast pocket , giving Ken a reassuring glance . " I'm not forcing you to do it immediately . I'm only hoping that you will do it soon , before Nagi's pain or anger drives him away from us , or puts someone's life in danger ."
Ken did not reply . He sat there , deep in his thoughts , while Crawford watched in silence .
It seemed to Schuldich an eternity before Ken rose to his feet and walked to the door , saying " You can trust me on that Crawford . soon ." He closed the door behind him .
His bowed head snapped up the moment he realized that Schuldich was waiting for him .
" Oi , koi , you alright ?" the redhead asked with a concerned frown .
Ken bit his lip , hoping that Schuldich had not heard his thoughts as he came out , but was convinced of it when Schuldich put his hand on his shoulder and propelled him slowly forward .
" Yeah ." He said , forcing a smile to his face . " I'm in the mood for some ice cream , you wanna come ?
Schuldich grinned in reply and nudged him a little faster , slithering an arm around his waist and kissing him on the nose . " How can I refuse an offer like that ?" he drawled , as he nipped the edge of Ken's earlobe . They burst in a fit of laughter . * Ken's mood is better * he reflected as the younger boy skipped happily in front of him , bubbling like a brook .
" Schu ! Are you even listening to me ?!" Ken demanded , stopping in front of him and tiptoeing until they were eye to eye .
" Hmmr ?" The slightly taller redhead bent down a little and quirked an eyebrow , chuckling . " You said you wanted rocky road and vanilla ice cream with hot fudge and marshmallows on top ." He had always wondered how Ken survived eating a concoction like that without dropping dead , but Ken wasn't a normal person . In fact , he was starting to doubt if Ken was human at all . That inhumanly adorable face pouted .
" No fair ! You read my mind !"
Schuldich winked and took his hand , his lips turned up in a smug smirk . " And that's not the only thing I read in there ." he retorted .
Ken threw his head back in a hearty laugh . " Jerk ! That's the only thing I was thinking about !"
" I know . The only subject that your head works properly on is food . Let's go . oh , and I'll drive . The last time you drove a car that belonged to me , you made it into a junk pile ." He wagged a finger in front of Ken's nose . " You still aren't forgiven for that heinous crime you committed ."
Ken gave a teasing smile , walking a few paces in front of . " I'm going to treat you for as many scoops you want ."
Schuldich grinned . " You're forgiven ."
Their laughter echoed down the hall where Crawford was listening in on their conversation .
- - -
The alarm had blared music too early . Schuldich thought aggravatedly , rolling onto his back and smacking the snooze button . He snorted in satisfaction when the machine was muted .
He opened his eyes and gazed at Ken who was still snoring softly . The golden sunlight filtering through the crack between the curtains emphasized his beautiful features . The sun-kissed skin , his chestnut hair , his guileless face . He looked like a small innocent child sleeping peacefully . Schuldich smiled softly and brushed a lock of Ken's hair away from his eyes . The younger boy groaned faintly and turned his head , his eyes opening slowly to look at Schuldich .
* His eyes are different. * Schuldich noted . *They're blue * He was a bit used to Ken's ever-changing eye colour but he never could help himself from marveling .
Ken yawned and stretched , like a ' sun-dappled panther on a tree branch ' Schuldich quoted to himself .
" Morning ." Ken's voice was deep and husky from sleep .
Schuldich loved the rich rasping of his voice whenever he woke up . Ken's voice was beautiful . He purred and smiled .
" What time is it ?"
" 10:00 ." Schuldich answered , not troubling himself with turning over to look at the time ."
" Urggh . We're supposed to be down there by ." He stopped , trying to remember what Crawford had told them the night before . " 9:00 ! Bloody hell ! Brad's going to bust our asses ! Mou Schu ! Get up ! We're an hour late !" He turned over and fell onto the carpeted floor . " Umph !"
Schuldich suppressed his snickers . It was no use getting the brunette angry at him so early in the morning . Knowing Ken , he might sulk the whole day and ignore him .
" Daijobu desu koi ?" He called out with his hand pressed to his mouth , feigning a yawn .
A hand waved up at him . " Daijobu . I'm all right . Get the hell out of my bed ."
" Yeah , geez . Some people aren't so bright and sunny in the morning ." Schuldich teased . " Why not act like me ? I'm so cheerful aren't I ?"
" I happen to like mornings . I just don't like falling out of my bed because somebody is hogging all the space . Besides , you're always asleep during the day . You don't even know what the sun looks like ." said Ken hotly , staggering uncertainly to his feet and rubbing his butt .
" I am not hogging your space ." Schuldich protested lazily . " I just like hogging something else ."
" Urmmm." Ken mumbled under his breath . He had started to brush his teeth and was soon changing his clothes while Schuldich watched . " I'm going down . Are you coming or not ?"
" I'm coming , I'm coming . I don't have anything to wear ."
" The best solution is to go to your room and get something ." Ken rolled his eyes sarcastically . trying to button the black shirt but failing miserably . Irately , he threw it to the floor , not caring where it landed and rummaged his dresser for a loose shirt . He grabbed a cotton black and red striped shirt and threw it on .
" But I'm too tired to go to my room ."
Ken growled and threw him some clothes . " I'm pretty sure I won't see these again ."
Schuldich grinned . He liked wearing Ken's clothes . They were more comfortable than his in their loose , casual , ruffed-up kind of way . Plus , they always reminded him of Ken with their faint mountain air scent .
Ken always liked baggy clothes and the slightly taller Schuldich found them just perfect for him . Days like these , he always found an excuse to steal some of Ken's clothes .
[ Redemption : I'd like to too ! ^.^x ]
While Schuldich was dressing , Ken waited impatiently at the door , tapping his shoe on the carpet in a gesture of annoyance . " Hurry up Schu ."
" I'm there ." Schuldich sauntered to Ken and placed his arm around Ken's shoulder . The smaller boy did not protest and instead hurried , forcing the redhead to quicken his pace .
They entered the elevator and Ken watched the marker intently and scurried out the moment the doors opened . Schuldich sighed and followed him languorously . Ken navigated the twists and turns like a desperate man and burst into the room where Crawford always gave their briefing .
The briefing room was quite unique from most of the other rooms in the building . It was one of the few , for one , to be suspended in some sort Astro plane as Crawford had so patiently explained to him before . Moving lights resembling stars circled around the room in random patterns , glowing dimly as if they had lives of their own . On the floor was a large black Persian carpet [ §chwarz loved black . I wonder why - duh !] and several comfortable leather seats were strewn indiscriminately in varying directions . To one side was a desk with a computer and all other components secured on it , ( just in case Farfarello had one of his occasional bouts of temporary madness , they didn't want to lose the important information on the computer ) and there was a dark metal cabinet where Crawford stuffs some of his files when they were not needed .
Nagi and Farfarello were already there , Nagi was seated on a couch while the Irishman was perched on its arm , swinging right leg from side to side as a way of entertaining himself . Nagi was reading a book . Crawford gave them a reprimanding look as they entered , and Nagi had stopped reading his book for a moment to give Schuldich an icy stare when he noticed Schuldich's arm resting comfortably on Ken's shoulder .
Crawford immediately launched into his ' mission mode ' as Schuldich often called it , and had assumed a business-like tone the moment he started giving them the final details of the mission .
They had received the assignment five days ago , and had already been supplied the necessary information , but Crawford was never satisfied with just one briefing and had always ordered them on the day of the mission to recite all the instructions and major and minor details to him until he was convinced of their attentiveness .
He began , his hands clasped in front of his thighs as he stood in front of them .
" You have been told before that this is a low-profile mission . Strictly to guard and protect . Our job , as you already know , is to serve as an entourage to the head of the Castelli Family , one of the more powerful branches of the Mafia society ; and also guards for those objects he wants us to safeguard . Tonight , they will be holding a private auction for smuggled artifacts from different parts of the world . Each of these items costs at the very least , five million U.S. dollars . The possible dangers concerning this assignment includes the probability of robbery or attempts on the guests' - and host's lives . If we ever encounter these kinds of people . and I say if , we shall deal with them as discreetly as possible . We must avoid panic among the guests and cause a Mafia war ."
" There are numerous possible entrances and exits , but only the main entrance will be accessible . As of 3:00 P.M. the whole building will be searched for weapons , explosives and bombs . If the dogs find even one of these , the auction will be postponed . By 4:00 P.M. we should be there . We shall make the final rounds to discover intruders hiding inside the building . The caterers should be there by 6:50 , ten minutes afterward , the decorators should arrive . I had specified a ten-minute interval to avoid confusion . The Mafioso will arrive starting 9:00 P.M. , but we have to transfer the auction items from the vault to the auction room 25 minutes before their arrival . Schuldich , Nagi , and Farfarello ; you will be the ones to secure them in the auction room . Ken and I will circulate around the hall to make sure nothing goes wrong . Remember , five minutes after the last item has been sold , the money will be carried to the armored truck waiting at the entrance . That will be the precise time that Mr. Castelli will be leaving the premises via helicopter . The guests shall be leaving 3 hours after midnight , by then , we are no longer responsible for them . Once you are no longer engaged with your duties , report back here immediately . Does everyone understand ?"
All four heads nodded .
" Very well , everybody is dismissed . Ken , stay here . You and I have to talk about something important ." Schuldich froze . What did Crawford mean by that ? He met Ken's worried glance and gave a reassuring one of his own . Too bad he couldn't read Crawford's mind . He was too good at shielding his thoughts that Schuldich found it difficult to get through them .
All except Ken and Crawford filed out the door , Schuldich , albeit reluctantly , and pretended to close the door , but left a tiny crack to eavesdrop .
When everyone had gone , Crawford motioned for Ken to take a seat . For several long minutes , the American observed him , saying nothing , doing nothing and remained standing , with his arms folded across his chest . Finally , he spoke . " Ken , you have been with us ten months , correct ?"
Ken nodded although he didn't remember anything until a month and a half ago . Sure , he remembered his distant past , but nothing that happened in the former part of the year . Nagi had told him that he had partial memory loss when he had injured his head during one of their battles against Weiß [ when in truth it had been the combined efforts Farfarello and Schuldich - well , mostly Farf ]
" During this time , you must have realized that Nagi has developed an ." Crawford paused , searching for the appropriate word to use . " - affection for you ."
Schuldich rolled his eyes . " Well whoop-dee-do !" he muttered under his breath .
The precog sighed and sat down on the leather armchair across Ken's . " I am aware however , if your intimate relations with Schuldich ."
" Intimate relations ? Trust Brad to make it sound so formal ." The redhead said sarcastically , peering through the crack that offered him a fair view of what was happening inside .
" . and I am forced to ask you to -- ."
- - -
DATE : June 03 DAY : Monday TIME : 10:23a.m.
Schuldich swallowed nervously .
Was Crawford going to order Ken to distance himself from him ?
He craned his neck forward , trying to catch a better glimpse of Ken's face , his heart pumping a hundred miles per minute . He heard Ken's thoughts , and it meant the world to him .
* Dear God ! please don't say that Schuldich and I can't .* Ken was thinking . Despite himself , Schuldich smiled .
" - talk to him . He will listen to you ." [ at this , Schuldich breathed out in relief ] " Because everything you say is important to him . You know you cannot go on pretending that nothing is happening ; when behind his back , there is . I have often assigned you and Schuldich apart , to make it easier for
everyone , and in fairness to Prodigy . but he is not a stupid and is not a child . He is starting to suspect something , and consequently has been less efficient in the past few missions . It won't be long before he makes mistakes and puts each of us in danger ."
Crawford removed his glasses and placed it on the table top . He leaned forward . " I think it is better to have this all out in the open ; it will be easier for him to accept it if you would not hide it from him . I mean no offense , but he is still young - as you are - and he will recover ." Crawford stood up . He took the eyeglasses from the table and put it in his breast pocket , giving Ken a reassuring glance . " I'm not forcing you to do it immediately . I'm only hoping that you will do it soon , before Nagi's pain or anger drives him away from us , or puts someone's life in danger ."
Ken did not reply . He sat there , deep in his thoughts , while Crawford watched in silence .
It seemed to Schuldich an eternity before Ken rose to his feet and walked to the door , saying " You can trust me on that Crawford . soon ." He closed the door behind him .
His bowed head snapped up the moment he realized that Schuldich was waiting for him .
" Oi , koi , you alright ?" the redhead asked with a concerned frown .
Ken bit his lip , hoping that Schuldich had not heard his thoughts as he came out , but was convinced of it when Schuldich put his hand on his shoulder and propelled him slowly forward .
" Yeah ." He said , forcing a smile to his face . " I'm in the mood for some ice cream , you wanna come ?
Schuldich grinned in reply and nudged him a little faster , slithering an arm around his waist and kissing him on the nose . " How can I refuse an offer like that ?" he drawled , as he nipped the edge of Ken's earlobe . They burst in a fit of laughter . * Ken's mood is better * he reflected as the younger boy skipped happily in front of him , bubbling like a brook .
" Schu ! Are you even listening to me ?!" Ken demanded , stopping in front of him and tiptoeing until they were eye to eye .
" Hmmr ?" The slightly taller redhead bent down a little and quirked an eyebrow , chuckling . " You said you wanted rocky road and vanilla ice cream with hot fudge and marshmallows on top ." He had always wondered how Ken survived eating a concoction like that without dropping dead , but Ken wasn't a normal person . In fact , he was starting to doubt if Ken was human at all . That inhumanly adorable face pouted .
" No fair ! You read my mind !"
Schuldich winked and took his hand , his lips turned up in a smug smirk . " And that's not the only thing I read in there ." he retorted .
Ken threw his head back in a hearty laugh . " Jerk ! That's the only thing I was thinking about !"
" I know . The only subject that your head works properly on is food . Let's go . oh , and I'll drive . The last time you drove a car that belonged to me , you made it into a junk pile ." He wagged a finger in front of Ken's nose . " You still aren't forgiven for that heinous crime you committed ."
Ken gave a teasing smile , walking a few paces in front of . " I'm going to treat you for as many scoops you want ."
Schuldich grinned . " You're forgiven ."
Their laughter echoed down the hall where Crawford was listening in on their conversation .
- - -