Disclaimer/ Warnings: See first chapter
A/N: A lot of the reviews mentioned that this started much the same way as another story, where Yohji and Aya make a bet over Ken. I hadn't read that one, to be honest, but I went back and found it and really liked it. I'm happy to say that my projected plan for this story coincides with the other story only very minimally; however, this one has a sequel that was closer to the other story, so I'll just have to adjust it. If you are the author of the other story on a similar theme to this one, I didn't mean to steal your idea or anything. Hopefully they'll be different enough for everybody!
After that long and boring speech, on with the chapter.
______________________________________________________________________ DAY 2
Ken was dreaming. He knew he was dreaming because there were warm arms around him. Soft hands around his waist. A quiet cheek pressed against his back. And a few strands of hair falling gently across his shoulders. He reached out to stroke the hair between his fingers. This hair. -His- hair. The one man in the world Ken had ever felt attracted to. The one Ken secretly admired. But it wasn't really -him-. Because -he- wasn't really here. Because Ken was dreaming.
Sighing sadly, Ken opened his eyes and, as he'd expected, the vision faded. Ken blinked the sun from his teal eyes and let the dream go, like he did all the others. Finally it was gone, and Ken sat up, wincing as his joints cracked beneath him. One day, he told himself, he'd have the courage to face that man, to pour out his heart, to face rejection. . . Ken laughed at himself.
"Not today," he said aloud, shaking his head at his own cowardice. That's when he noticed it. There on the floor of his room, hastily wrapped and lopsided, was a small green parcel of indeterminate origin. Curiously, Ken lowered himself to the floor and picked it up. He shook it. A slight rustle, like that of plastic or tissue paper, reached his ears. Quickly he removed the card and scanned its sprawling words, which read:
Dear Kenken:
Sorry about the mix-up at the club last night. I hope this will let you forgive me for my actions - you can't pretend you didn't enjoy it!
Yotan
The tone of Yohji's letter peeved Ken. Enjoyed it? Enjoyed what? Losing brain cells because of the noise, the crowds, and the lights? Being drenched in alcohol? Or being molested by his teammate and supposed friend? Still angry, Ken tore open Yohji's present. And gave a strangled yelp. Then he rushed down the stairs and, upon encountering Yohji in the kitchen, shoved the gift roughly into the elder man's mouth. Ken then bolted into the shop, cursing over his shoulder the whole way.
Yohji slowly removed the gift from his mouth, and shook his head in bemusement. This was not a promising start.
********************
All day in the shop, Yohji was insufferable. Even more insufferable than usual. He was negatively productive, which put even Omi in an Aya- esque temper. Yohji spent every available minute flirting with either the fangirls of Ken. He was constantly touching Ken's arm (Ken slapped at his fingers), slipping a hand around Ken's waist (Ken elbowed him in the ribs), or whispering deviously in Ken's ear (Ken was tempted to bite him, but settled for a strong glare). Ken was getting rather sick of it, and Yohji had to be developing body-wide bruises by now. Ken gritted his teeth as he stepped on Yohji's toe intentionally (Yohji had been going for the waist maneuver again). //Aren't the endless women enough for Yohji?// Ken wondered to himself. He eyed the lanky blonde suspiciously. What was Yohji playing at?
"Oi, Kenken, I need your help!" Yohji called demurely from across the store. Ken turned away and ignored him, focusing on the order he was filling.
Yohji frowned. He wasn't used to being ignored, even by his teammates, and especially when he deflated his pride enough to ask for help. So he sauntered over to Ken and draped an arm possessively around the brunette's shoulders. "Kenken," he cooed in the boy's ear. Ken stiffened. "I don't think you heard me." He tiptoed his fingers along the back of Ken's neck, which made Ken shudder. Yohji smiled slightly. "I said, I needed-"
SPLAT! Suddenly Yohji was drenched with a heavy blast of water. Aya, who happened to be walking past at the time, managed to grab Ken out of harm's way, but Yohji was completely soaked. Sputtering and sopping, he turned to face his aggressor - Omi, a garden hose clutched in his hand. Omi had a magnificently calm expression on his face.
"Oh, sorry Yohji-kun," he said mildly, turning back to the gentians, "I guess I lost control of the hose." Aya smirked as he led Ken, who appeared to be turning red, over to the cash register. Yohji, still dripping, stared at Omi, flabbergasted; he did not for one second believe the attack had been unintentional. He closed his mouth and began to wring out his now tighter-than-skin-tight shirt. What had he done to deserve -that-?!
*********************
After a brief trip upstairs in search of drier clothes, Yohji sat behind the cash register, sifting through the little flower tags and putting them in alphabetical order. Quietly, he pondered his dilemma. So far, none of his tactics had worked on the elusive brunette. Either Ken wasn't interested AT ALL or he was so oblivious he didn't have a clue what was going on. Yohji was secretly hoping for the latter. Not that he really wanted a -relationship- with Ken or anything, but it was hard to seduce people if they had no interest in being seduced.
The situation seemed hopeless, but Yohji steeled himself. He was Kudou Yohji. Professional flirter. Hell, he could even out-flirt -Schuldich-, and the man was a telepath! He'd get past Ken's defenses if it killed him. He was NOT losing a bet to Fujimiya Aya. He wouldn't let that icy redhead beat him at his own game. He'd never be able to look at himself in the mirror again if he did.
And then there was Omi. Ever since that awkward night at the club, Omi had been tripping Yohji on purpose (which made Ken laugh at him), squirting him with the hose (which made Aya smirk - Yohji hated that smirk), or shooting the older blonde highly murderous glares (which Yohji ignored). It looked to Yohji like Omi had been spending a little too much quality time with Aya, the way he'd picked up that death glare recently.
Sighing in exasperation, boredom, and lethargy, Yohji surveyed the shop. Both Aya and Omi were out back, unloading a new shipment of supplies. The Koneko itself was empty except for a little old lady buying daffodils. Ken was standing near the roses, rearranging them for what Yohji figured must be the six-hundredth time that afternoon. As Yohji approached, Ken looked up and smiled, obviously momentarily forgetting his anger at his comrade.
"Look Yohji! I made a picture with the roses! It's a smiley face!" Yohji nodded at the brunette's exuberance and glanced half-heartedly at the roses. It really did look like a smiley face.
Suddenly, Yohji got an idea. He studied the roses a little harder, and a grin broke out on his face. Smiling benevolently at Ken, who was extolling the virtues of a quiet shop, he turned back to the cash register, a malicious glint in his eye.
*****************
Late that night, when everyone else was asleep, and all was quiet except for the occasional scream of "DIE TAKETORI DIE!" coming from Aya's room, Yohji snuck down the stairs and into the flower shop. Carefully, he arranged the roses to form a special message for the brown-haired assassin who took such pride in the thorny redheaded flowers. Then he slipped back up the stairs, swift as a shadow, cackling to himself in the darkness.
End Day 2 ____________________________________________________________________
Another chapter done! Thanks very much to all the reviewers - love and kisses from Aya-kun!
Aya: Shi-Ne.
What's Yohji plotting? What's wrong with Omi? Who does Ken secretly admire? Can Yohji -really- out flirt Schuldich? Will Aya EVER get a part in this story? And will Ken give in to the devious intentions of his fellow florist? Stick around - the days are passing and Yohji is running out of time! R + R because it makes Nagi happy.
A/N: A lot of the reviews mentioned that this started much the same way as another story, where Yohji and Aya make a bet over Ken. I hadn't read that one, to be honest, but I went back and found it and really liked it. I'm happy to say that my projected plan for this story coincides with the other story only very minimally; however, this one has a sequel that was closer to the other story, so I'll just have to adjust it. If you are the author of the other story on a similar theme to this one, I didn't mean to steal your idea or anything. Hopefully they'll be different enough for everybody!
After that long and boring speech, on with the chapter.
______________________________________________________________________ DAY 2
Ken was dreaming. He knew he was dreaming because there were warm arms around him. Soft hands around his waist. A quiet cheek pressed against his back. And a few strands of hair falling gently across his shoulders. He reached out to stroke the hair between his fingers. This hair. -His- hair. The one man in the world Ken had ever felt attracted to. The one Ken secretly admired. But it wasn't really -him-. Because -he- wasn't really here. Because Ken was dreaming.
Sighing sadly, Ken opened his eyes and, as he'd expected, the vision faded. Ken blinked the sun from his teal eyes and let the dream go, like he did all the others. Finally it was gone, and Ken sat up, wincing as his joints cracked beneath him. One day, he told himself, he'd have the courage to face that man, to pour out his heart, to face rejection. . . Ken laughed at himself.
"Not today," he said aloud, shaking his head at his own cowardice. That's when he noticed it. There on the floor of his room, hastily wrapped and lopsided, was a small green parcel of indeterminate origin. Curiously, Ken lowered himself to the floor and picked it up. He shook it. A slight rustle, like that of plastic or tissue paper, reached his ears. Quickly he removed the card and scanned its sprawling words, which read:
Dear Kenken:
Sorry about the mix-up at the club last night. I hope this will let you forgive me for my actions - you can't pretend you didn't enjoy it!
Yotan
The tone of Yohji's letter peeved Ken. Enjoyed it? Enjoyed what? Losing brain cells because of the noise, the crowds, and the lights? Being drenched in alcohol? Or being molested by his teammate and supposed friend? Still angry, Ken tore open Yohji's present. And gave a strangled yelp. Then he rushed down the stairs and, upon encountering Yohji in the kitchen, shoved the gift roughly into the elder man's mouth. Ken then bolted into the shop, cursing over his shoulder the whole way.
Yohji slowly removed the gift from his mouth, and shook his head in bemusement. This was not a promising start.
********************
All day in the shop, Yohji was insufferable. Even more insufferable than usual. He was negatively productive, which put even Omi in an Aya- esque temper. Yohji spent every available minute flirting with either the fangirls of Ken. He was constantly touching Ken's arm (Ken slapped at his fingers), slipping a hand around Ken's waist (Ken elbowed him in the ribs), or whispering deviously in Ken's ear (Ken was tempted to bite him, but settled for a strong glare). Ken was getting rather sick of it, and Yohji had to be developing body-wide bruises by now. Ken gritted his teeth as he stepped on Yohji's toe intentionally (Yohji had been going for the waist maneuver again). //Aren't the endless women enough for Yohji?// Ken wondered to himself. He eyed the lanky blonde suspiciously. What was Yohji playing at?
"Oi, Kenken, I need your help!" Yohji called demurely from across the store. Ken turned away and ignored him, focusing on the order he was filling.
Yohji frowned. He wasn't used to being ignored, even by his teammates, and especially when he deflated his pride enough to ask for help. So he sauntered over to Ken and draped an arm possessively around the brunette's shoulders. "Kenken," he cooed in the boy's ear. Ken stiffened. "I don't think you heard me." He tiptoed his fingers along the back of Ken's neck, which made Ken shudder. Yohji smiled slightly. "I said, I needed-"
SPLAT! Suddenly Yohji was drenched with a heavy blast of water. Aya, who happened to be walking past at the time, managed to grab Ken out of harm's way, but Yohji was completely soaked. Sputtering and sopping, he turned to face his aggressor - Omi, a garden hose clutched in his hand. Omi had a magnificently calm expression on his face.
"Oh, sorry Yohji-kun," he said mildly, turning back to the gentians, "I guess I lost control of the hose." Aya smirked as he led Ken, who appeared to be turning red, over to the cash register. Yohji, still dripping, stared at Omi, flabbergasted; he did not for one second believe the attack had been unintentional. He closed his mouth and began to wring out his now tighter-than-skin-tight shirt. What had he done to deserve -that-?!
*********************
After a brief trip upstairs in search of drier clothes, Yohji sat behind the cash register, sifting through the little flower tags and putting them in alphabetical order. Quietly, he pondered his dilemma. So far, none of his tactics had worked on the elusive brunette. Either Ken wasn't interested AT ALL or he was so oblivious he didn't have a clue what was going on. Yohji was secretly hoping for the latter. Not that he really wanted a -relationship- with Ken or anything, but it was hard to seduce people if they had no interest in being seduced.
The situation seemed hopeless, but Yohji steeled himself. He was Kudou Yohji. Professional flirter. Hell, he could even out-flirt -Schuldich-, and the man was a telepath! He'd get past Ken's defenses if it killed him. He was NOT losing a bet to Fujimiya Aya. He wouldn't let that icy redhead beat him at his own game. He'd never be able to look at himself in the mirror again if he did.
And then there was Omi. Ever since that awkward night at the club, Omi had been tripping Yohji on purpose (which made Ken laugh at him), squirting him with the hose (which made Aya smirk - Yohji hated that smirk), or shooting the older blonde highly murderous glares (which Yohji ignored). It looked to Yohji like Omi had been spending a little too much quality time with Aya, the way he'd picked up that death glare recently.
Sighing in exasperation, boredom, and lethargy, Yohji surveyed the shop. Both Aya and Omi were out back, unloading a new shipment of supplies. The Koneko itself was empty except for a little old lady buying daffodils. Ken was standing near the roses, rearranging them for what Yohji figured must be the six-hundredth time that afternoon. As Yohji approached, Ken looked up and smiled, obviously momentarily forgetting his anger at his comrade.
"Look Yohji! I made a picture with the roses! It's a smiley face!" Yohji nodded at the brunette's exuberance and glanced half-heartedly at the roses. It really did look like a smiley face.
Suddenly, Yohji got an idea. He studied the roses a little harder, and a grin broke out on his face. Smiling benevolently at Ken, who was extolling the virtues of a quiet shop, he turned back to the cash register, a malicious glint in his eye.
*****************
Late that night, when everyone else was asleep, and all was quiet except for the occasional scream of "DIE TAKETORI DIE!" coming from Aya's room, Yohji snuck down the stairs and into the flower shop. Carefully, he arranged the roses to form a special message for the brown-haired assassin who took such pride in the thorny redheaded flowers. Then he slipped back up the stairs, swift as a shadow, cackling to himself in the darkness.
End Day 2 ____________________________________________________________________
Another chapter done! Thanks very much to all the reviewers - love and kisses from Aya-kun!
Aya: Shi-Ne.
What's Yohji plotting? What's wrong with Omi? Who does Ken secretly admire? Can Yohji -really- out flirt Schuldich? Will Aya EVER get a part in this story? And will Ken give in to the devious intentions of his fellow florist? Stick around - the days are passing and Yohji is running out of time! R + R because it makes Nagi happy.