Part 6: 'ItCoS: The Day Continues'
Warning: This is mostly for future chapters. This will eventually progress into a lemon (ie. There will be sex between two men. If this bothers anyone, never fear, for I will make that part very easy to skip. In the near future, there will be language and violence. A little way beyond that, we'll have lime.
*_*
It wasn't too long after Farferello left that Schuldig arrived. He watched from the side of the park as Ken continued to referee the children. A few minutes passed before Ken realized that he and his little group had company.
"What do you want? Youji uninterested in playing your games?"
"Nah, Siberian. I was worried about you. I saw Farfie leaving after you and wanted to make sure he didn't decided to play rough with you." Ken's eyes widened, and then narrowed into slits. Schuldig held his hands up to ward off anything Ken might have to say. "Don't get your knickers in a knot, Siberian. I come in peace, I promise."
'And I'm sure his promises are worth so much,' Ken thought untrustingly. One red eyebrow rose and he barely suppressed a wince when he remembered that the other man heard his thoughts as clearly as he did Ken's voice. 'Oops.'
"Don't worry about it, Siberian. I'm not offended. Much." He grinned easily. "Remember that we're not enemies anymore. I don't have a reason to lie to you."
"Really?" They stared at each other for a moment, before Ken nodded grudgingly. "Then tell me what you want with Youji." The German, shrugged as if he had expected that question -'which he probably had,' Ken realized-.
"I guess we haven't made it as obvious as we could have, " Schuldig started slowly. He winked and leaned closer to Ken. "We're wooing you, Weiss. Schwartz and Weiss, black and white. We're trying to make everything gray."
"You're after Youji; Nagi and Omi are…" he trailed off, not knowing what his young friend was doing with the telekinetic. "The psycho won't leave me alone, and Crawford…" Again he trailed off, but this time his eyes widened when his brain realized one very possible reason why Ran hadn't been present for breakfast, though the other man was normally punctual. "Oh, my."
"Yes, well." Schuldig shrugged. "Some of us are having better luck than others. I, for example, can't even get Balinese to look at me." He sounded put out.
Ken looked away, his gaze directed in the general vicinity of the Koneko. A small smile graced his lips. "Don't call him Balinese, for starters. His name is Youji. Youji-kun. Youji-chan. Even Yotan. The war is over and the codenames are a reminder that none of us need."
"Okay, no Balinese. I'm guessing that that would go for the rest of you as well?"
Ken nodded. "Um, another thing," he said, looking uncertain. "I don't know how much you've read in Youji's mind, but from what I know of him…you're the first guy that…if your little plan works, you'll be the first guy that Youji's been with. I think. And if you are, you have to know that he's probably not really comfortable like that."
"Like what?" Schuldig asked. He wanted someone to tell him, instead of having to dig inside his or her thoughts to get the information he wanted.
"I'm not sure. I don't really…I'm not really experienced about this, but it seems to me that with women, Youji had to be something and with you, he'd have to be different. Instead of being the one in control, you're kind of asking him to give the control to you. You're pushing, where he's normally doing the pushing, you know?" Ken shrugged, not certain that that had come out the way he had wanted it to.
Schuldig nodded though, as if that was enough of an explanation.
0_o
Ran woke up quickly, awareness coming almost instantly as the body next to his shifted. Violet eyes opened wide in the dimly lit room. Sunlight filtered through the sides of a curtain, but no direct lighting found its way inside.
The arm around his waist tightened and his body was pressed close to the man in bed with him, so that they were pressed front to front, tightly. From the set of the other man's body, he knew that Crawford was awake, and since the other man had drawn him closer, he probably knew that Ran was awake.
The room was silent, except for the sound of the clock on the dresser as it ticked the seconds past. Ran closed his eyes and waited for the other man to speak. He expected something, probably gloating or a smug look. He wasn't expecting the soft kiss that was planted on the top of his head.
A hand started to rub his back, moving in small circles. He kept his body taut, not wanting to give in to the caress and relax. His obstinacy earned him another kiss, this one to his temple, before being rolled onto his back, Crawford leaning over him.
Brown eyes met violet and the silence stretched, wrapping around them with a thin fiber that slowly brought their heads together, until their lips met. Mouths opened and tongues explored, Ran's eyes closing under the onslaught of sensation.
0_0
Omi smiled, his eyebrows creasing together in an almost wicked expression. In one hand, he held a bowl of strawberries, and in the other a can of ready-to-serve whipped topping in a spray can.
From his reclining position on the bed, Nagi smiled, his eyes trailing from Omi's knees upwards, until his gaze settled on the other boy's face. The smile was one of hunger, and Omi approached the bed.
0_~
After Aya-chan left, the shop was empty. It seemed that most of their clientele, otherwise known as the group of obsessive fan girls that flocked to the Koneko on a daily basis, were otherwise engaged, or someone had called a bomb threat on the building that kept them away.
At first, he was grateful for the silence left in Aya-chan's wake, but then he realized that it allowed him too much time to think, something he didn't want to do in light of the fact that his thoughts were centered around a certain redheaded German.
'At least he can't read my thoughts. Or, at least he -claims- that he can't read my thoughts. Who knows what he's capable of?' The bell above the door announced that someone had entered the shop. Youji turned from where he was arranging flowers in a vase. One yellow eye peered back at him.
He resisted the urge to sigh dramatically. 'Where is Ken and why do I have to deal with his new 'friend?' The blonde strode further into the room, his body turning so that he could keep Youji in his line of vision.
"Where's Ken?" Youji asked. The other man shrugged, his thin shoulders rising slightly in his blue, sleeveless shirt. Green eyes rolled, breaking contact momentarily. When he again looked at Farferello, the Irishman was holding out a wad of leather bands that Youji realized were the straps of a straightjacket. "Dude, I'm not putting that on. If you want to play with someone, find Ken. Or better yet, ask the German to play with you."
"Please. Put this on me." Youji stared at him in nothing short of astonishment. He took in the red spots on the cheeks and the trembling of the hand that held the jacket, and made a quick decision. He led Farferello into the back of the shop and sat him down on a chair, then quickly tied him into the jacket. Done, he stepped back.
The Irishman sat on the chair with his head down; his body slumped forward as if he'd collapse in on himself if he weren't connected to the back of the chair. Youji frowned, but didn't say anything as he backed out of the room.
At two o'clock, the shop began to overflow with people. Youji grumbled under his breath as he realized that his short break from their fan club was over. Luckily, Omi and Nagi appeared before his nerve endings could frazzle completely.
"Konnichiwa, Youji-kun!" called Omi cheerfully. One blonde eyebrow raised as his green eyes took in their appearance. Their clothes were a little mussed, almost as if they'd dressed hurriedly, and Youji could swear that Nagi had come in in the outfit that Omi was wearing.
A grin split his face and Omi froze halfway across the shop, correctly interpreting the look. Nagi, walking behind him, walked into the other boy. He followed Omi's worried gaze and smiled self-consciously. Youji winked and turned back to his latest arrangement, ignoring the fan girls with practiced ease.
Nagi wasn't so lucky. Whereas the members of Weiss were used to working around their loud, chattering crowd, Nagi was new to the scene. The girls took advantage of this and backed him into the nearest wall as they chattered and asked him questions. He looked pleadingly at Omi, who shrugged and got to work, leaving his 'friend' to deal with the fan club.
A short while later, Schuldig returned and resumed his place behind the counter, staring at Youji. A few seconds later, he was followed by Ken, who arrived at the same time that Ran and Crawford made their appearance. The four members of Weiss looked at each other. Ran looked as calm as he normally did; the only noticeable change was Crawford's possessive hold at his hip.
With a frown, Ken moved quickly across the shop and donned his apron, then turned to work.
Youji turned to Schuldig. "Your friend's in back." 'He's in the storeroom on the right, wearing a straight jacket.' He sent the though as best he could. Green eyes met green and Schuldig nodded. He started towards the back of the store, then turned abruptly and grabbed Ken's arm. Without a word, he pulled the younger man after him. Ken followed with a frown, but didn't struggle.
Schuldig released his hold on Ken as they stopped outside of the storeroom door. "He's in there," Schuldig said quietly.
"So?" Ken whispered back. He took a step backwards, but the redhead wouldn't let him retreat.
"So, go in there. You still have questions, and he's the only one that can give you the answers. He's defenseless as he will ever be, which isn't saying much, but this may well be your only chance." The German spoke seriously and Ken had no doubt that he was probably right.
Schuldig left him alone. It took Ken several minutes to gather the determination to open the door. The light in the little storeroom was on. The chair faced the doorway, but the man in it had his head down and his eyes closed.
"I thought Schu would come for me," Farferello said quietly, not looking up. Ken hesitated before shutting the door.
"How did you know I wasn't Schuldig?" he asked. His eyes ran over the prone figure, feeling a stirring of pity at the sad picture the man created, sitting tied in a chair, and his body slumped.
"Your footfall is quiet, but discernible, your strides short and slow. Very distinct pattern."
"You can pick out a person by the way they walk?" asked Ken. He hadn't thought about it much before, but Farferello was probably a very talented man.
Said man looked up, his eye slitting open to reveal just a glimmer of gold. "I can pick -you- out by the way you walk," he corrected. "I would hazard a guess that you didn't come in here of your free will, so Schuldig -was- the one to escort you."
"Yeah. He's really helpful," Ken said sarcastically. He looked around for another chair, but didn't see one. With a huff, he settled on the floor, sitting cross-legged three feet away from Farferello's chair. The Irishman regarded him silently while he situated himself comfortably. When Ken looked back up, the eye closed. "What do you want from me?"
"'For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His son,'" a grim smile appeared and his face turned up to the ceiling, though he didn't open his eyes. "'Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.' Romans, chapter five, verse ten and James, chapter five, verse six, respectively."
The smile turned to a snarl and his body arched, seemed to stretch against his bindings.
"'Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned'. Romans, five-twelve. [1]" Slowly, he lowered his head and met Ken's gaze. "You will not resist me. I will bring you to sin."
"I don't have to resist you. At the moment, you're in no position to bring me to -anything- let alone sin."
"True," Farferello agreed, nodding. "However, you are only safe as long as I an in this position. What will you do when I am free again?"
"Run," Ken answered seriously. Farferello's lips quirked and he looked to the side. Ken felt his own lips twitch in response. "Who tied you up and why?"
"Balinese, because I asked him to," came the answer, stated calmly. The blonde's face was still averted. "Normally, Schu and Nagi are kind enough to keep me under control when my emotions threaten to overwhelm me, but they weren't around."
"You actually asked Youji-kun to bind you?" Ken asked, his expression incredulous. He shook his head and took a deep breath. "Never mind. I don't want to know. I really don't. I'm not going to help you hurt God and I don't really plan on letting you 'bring' me to sin, so why don't you just give up and find another way?"
"Do you really wish to resist?" Farferello's voice was a soft, throaty burr. "You can not deny that your pulse reacted to my touch. If you were unaffected, you wouldn't be as upset as you are. It is because you fear that you -could- be attracted to me that you want me to leave you be. You do not want to confront that part of you."
"I don't want to 'confront' the part of me that could be messed up enough to want a guy who cuts himself and licks knives and who's greatest ambition in life is to hurt God. Excuse me for wanting to keep my world as -sane- as possible!"
"But your world is not sane." Farferello turned his head to look at ken. "You have blood on your hands and have known violence in your heart, and you are no different than I." Ken's fingers curled into his palms and he gritted his teeth. If there had been less truth in his words, he could have gotten up and left. He would have argued and told the Irishman to have fun in the fiery pit for eternity.
Yet there was truth in what he said. There was blood on both their hands, no matter the source of the blood. Ken might have for a good cause, but he was still a killer. The violence…yes, there was violence inside of him. Pain and anger that existed even though he no longer hunted the beasts of darkness. "It does not go away."
Ken sighed tiredly.
.
"No more quotes, no more sinning or God, or anything else. I'm going to bed." He stood up and stretched, then started to leave. At the doorway, he paused and dared a glance over his shoulder. Farferello's eye was pinned on him, but when their gazes clashed, the Irishman closed his eye and turned his head away again. "Goodnight," he said softly.
"Óiche mhaith [2]." He frowned at the odd sounding words. His eyes scanned the other man for a brief moment before leaving.
@_@
[1] Taken from the King James's Version of the Bible (though if you read the NIV passages, some of it sounds just a little cooler).
[2] Gaelic for 'good night'.
Author's note: That chapter took long enough. I know that no one else may notice, since I post so sporadically. The reason that it's taken me so long is because I had to have this chapter written to make sure I set it up right.
