Disclaimers/warnings: See first chapter. Farfie tried to steal 'em, but I
got them back.
A/N: It's bugging me that Schwartz isn't in this at all - I'm thinking of having them drop in for a cameo. They really don't have much to do with the plot, so I can't make them a big part of it, but they can at least show up for some fun! Okay, so Yohji's finally deduced with utter certainty that Ken and Omi are in looooove. . . but now he's gotta confront Ken about it. Will he make a surprising discovery? Hold on to your hats! Yohji's not a quitter and nothing's going to stop him from accomplishing his mission! Well. . . there is this little blonde boy with huge, bright blue eyes that might be able to. . . any guesses?
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The moment Yohji awoke the next morning (around noon), he grabbed a pair of fashionable jeans and a shirt most dress codes would outlaw and hustled into the bathroom. He was going to confront Ken about Omi's feelings today, and he needed to get the brunette before he ran off for an afternoon of. . . whatever he did. As he dressed after his shower, Yohji tried to decide why he really wanted to talk to Ken so badly.
Mostly, he just wanted Ken to deny everything and give him a teasing grin. Yohji had decided this is what he really wanted while tossing and turning in his bed (the real reason he was up so late). He wanted Ken to say that, yeah he was in love, but not with OMI, for heaven's sake! Actually, he didn't care if Ken was in love or not - hell, he could even be in love with AYA for all Yohji cared - just so long as it wasn't Omi. Not his innocent little Omi. It's not that Ken was corruptive or anything, and Ken would probably be the gentlest person Omi would ever find, and the two would actually probably be -perfect- for each other. . . but not Omi. Something in Yohji cried out every time he tried to imagine Omi with anyone.
Why? Why did he care so much, anyway? Omi wasn't his. Omi had his own life, and he was old enough to control it, and he didn't need Yohji hanging over his shoulder like a suspicious parent whenever Omi tried to get into a relationship with anyone. Yohji sighed miserably as he pulled his hair back into a loose ponytail. Omi was a big boy now, and if he and Ken wanted to be closer than friends are, well. . . that just wasn't Yohji's business. But it still hurt like hell for Yohji to acknowledge this, so he tried not to think about it as he trudged down the stairs and into the flower shop, grabbing a cup of coffee on his way in.
When he entered, he froze. Ken was on his knees in front of Omi, head bowed. He appeared to be murmuring and very embarrassed. Omi was giving him a sympathetic look. Ken muttered something else and reached into his pocket, handing Omi something small and slightly shiny. Yohji didn't get a good look at it, though, because Omi grabbed it and flung his arms around Ken's neck with an exuberant squeal. Ken smiled slightly and returned the hug.
"Oh, Ken-kun, I - I never thought - how did you know. . . " Omi stammered joyfully. Ken smiled again and stood, leaning against Omi's shoulder.
"Oh, it was pretty easy actually. I guess it was a gamble, but - it paid off! I'm glad you're so happy Omi. I was afraid. . . "Ken broke off, watching the ground.
"Oh, Ken-kun! How could you think something like that? At a time like this!" Omi hugged Ken around the middle once more. Yohji's stomach lurched. That's when he noticed Aya standing quietly beside the couple, a pleased smile on his face. Then Aya spoke, and Yohji's heart plummeted straight to the fiery pits of hell.
"I'm glad you two finally found what you were searching for," Aya said softly, a hand on Ken's shoulder. Ken blushed lightly.
"Yeah. . . thanks Aya," Ken replied, looking at his feet. Aya smiled once more and moved to the cash register, yelling at Yohji to stop staring and get to work. But Yohji was rooted to the spot. What he'd just seen. . . had Ken just - PROPOSED?! Were Ken and Omi getting married? What had happened down here while he'd been sleeping upstairs? Mentally running over the recent scene in his head, Yohji's mind gave a little cry of pain. It was! It was a proposal! The shiny thing must have been a ring, and Aya. . . Aya had meant their two teammates had finally found each other. Yohji felt sick. No. . . it couldn't be true! Ken and Omi couldn't be - but they were. Yohji watched them for a few more moments, then finally decided he ought to at least congratulate them. Holding his head high, he called,
"Ken! Omi! Congratulations, you two." Omi smiled at him happily.
"Thanks, Yohji-kun - I never thought. . . " Omi trailed off and sighed. Yohji swallowed hard, but kept his composure.
"So," he asked as nonchalantly as possible, "when's the wedding?"
It was as though everyone had been suddenly frozen in time. All movement stopped for a few seconds, then his three teammates gave him three identically incredulous stares.
"What the hell are you talking about, Yohji?" Ken asked suspiciously. Yohji was confused.
"You and Omi - just now, you were proposing and-" he broke off when Omi and Ken glanced at each other and burst into giggles, landing hard on the floor as they lost their balance. Yohji watched them laugh for a minute before asking, "What's so funny, you two?"
"Pro - proposing?!" Ken managed to gasp. Omi just kept on giggling. "We weren't - I wasn't PROPOSING."
Yohji was confused. "Well then what were you doing on your knees?"
"I tripped," Ken answered. Yohji shook his head.
"But then you gave him a ring and he gave you a hug, and you said you'd been worried that he'd reject you, but he just asked how you could think of that and then Aya said he was glad you'd found each other. . . " he broke off at Omi shaking his head.
"Yohji-kun, you've got it all wrong," he said, still smiling brightly. "Ken-kun tripped over the stool and landed on his knees. Then he remembered something he had to give me. But it wasn't a ring, Yohji-kun - it was the microchip I've been looking for. I was so happy he found it that I gave him a big hug, and Ken-kun was worried because he'd had to go in my room to find it - he thought he'd remembered seeing it there - and he hadn't asked me first. But of course I'm not angry because I've been looking for it for weeks! And Aya-kun was glad we found it because I was whining about it this morning and - oh, Yohji-kun, you're so silly!" He bounced to his feet and gave Yohji a big hug.
"But - but you and Ken are in love with each other-" Yohji tried weakly.
"What?!" Ken yelled in astonishment. "No way! I don't - well, okay, I -do- love Omi, but not like that!"
"But Omi loves you," Yohji tried again, still very confused. "He was upset about you-"
"ME?!" Ken interrupted again, laughing outrageously this time. "Omi doesn't love me, you dolt! Omi loves y-"
Ken was cut off as Omi abruptly squeaked and slammed a hand over the brunette's mouth. "KEN-KUN!" Omi shrieked in terror. Ken looked stricken.
"Gee, I'm sorry Omi. I didn't mean to, it just-"
"It's all right," Omi sighed, waving him off. "Just watch it - I know your secret too, remember?" Ken blanched and nodded.
Yohji's mind was swirling. Ken didn't love Omi. That was good, he supposed. Omi didn't love Ken either, but Omi did love someone - someone who's name started with a 'Y'. Yohji's own name started with a 'Y', but Ken wouldn't have said, 'Omi loves Yohji!' when talking to Yohji himself. So Omi didn't love him, either. Yohji's heart began to hurt again, but he tried to ignore it. What were some 'Y' names, anyway? Yuuta? Yuriko? Yuki? Yohji shook his head. This wasn't helping. Sighing inwardly, he decided he'd better get on flirting-with-Ken duty if he wanted any chance of winning the bet.
But Yohji's heart just wasn't in the flirting today. He made dismal progress with Ken and hardly even managed to put up a front for the fangirls that roamed the shop all day. In fact, when he trudged up to his room that night, Yohji could safely say he had completely wasted a day of his week-to-seduce-Ken, and there weren't all that many days left. He figured his best bet would probably be the following evening, so he called a local restaurant and made reservations. Not a club, a classy joint where maybe he could explain things to Ken and either make good his bet or beg the brunette to do him a favor.
As he lay there in the darkness, Yohji suddenly heard a timid knocking at his door. Tired and putout, he ignored it. Whoever it was didn't go away, though. The door creaked open and soft footsteps made their way to his bedside.
A small hand reached down and stroked his cheek gently, causing Yohji to shiver slightly at the warm touch. The delicate fingers found their way down his cheek and neck, down to his shoulder, where they stopped and rested momentarily. Then he felt the soft pressure of someone's lips on his forehead and, as they broke away, his breath caught in his throat. Who. . . ?
The figure made its way back across his room, pausing only as it reached the doorway. "Goodnight, Yohji-kun," Omi's faint whisper found its way to Yohji's ears, and then the boy was gone. Yohji sat up, rubbing his fingers over his face and wondering if he'd imagined the whole thing.
Yohji didn't get much sleep that night.
End Day 5
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Whoo! End of Day 5! Only two days left, and even Yohji's starting to give up. What was Omi up to in Yohji's room so late? Will Ken grant Yohji the favor he needs? Or will Aya win the bet after all? Stay tuned! Climax and conclusion coming in the next two chapters! R + R please. . . it keeps Bradley sane.
A/N: It's bugging me that Schwartz isn't in this at all - I'm thinking of having them drop in for a cameo. They really don't have much to do with the plot, so I can't make them a big part of it, but they can at least show up for some fun! Okay, so Yohji's finally deduced with utter certainty that Ken and Omi are in looooove. . . but now he's gotta confront Ken about it. Will he make a surprising discovery? Hold on to your hats! Yohji's not a quitter and nothing's going to stop him from accomplishing his mission! Well. . . there is this little blonde boy with huge, bright blue eyes that might be able to. . . any guesses?
____________________________________________________________________________ ______
The moment Yohji awoke the next morning (around noon), he grabbed a pair of fashionable jeans and a shirt most dress codes would outlaw and hustled into the bathroom. He was going to confront Ken about Omi's feelings today, and he needed to get the brunette before he ran off for an afternoon of. . . whatever he did. As he dressed after his shower, Yohji tried to decide why he really wanted to talk to Ken so badly.
Mostly, he just wanted Ken to deny everything and give him a teasing grin. Yohji had decided this is what he really wanted while tossing and turning in his bed (the real reason he was up so late). He wanted Ken to say that, yeah he was in love, but not with OMI, for heaven's sake! Actually, he didn't care if Ken was in love or not - hell, he could even be in love with AYA for all Yohji cared - just so long as it wasn't Omi. Not his innocent little Omi. It's not that Ken was corruptive or anything, and Ken would probably be the gentlest person Omi would ever find, and the two would actually probably be -perfect- for each other. . . but not Omi. Something in Yohji cried out every time he tried to imagine Omi with anyone.
Why? Why did he care so much, anyway? Omi wasn't his. Omi had his own life, and he was old enough to control it, and he didn't need Yohji hanging over his shoulder like a suspicious parent whenever Omi tried to get into a relationship with anyone. Yohji sighed miserably as he pulled his hair back into a loose ponytail. Omi was a big boy now, and if he and Ken wanted to be closer than friends are, well. . . that just wasn't Yohji's business. But it still hurt like hell for Yohji to acknowledge this, so he tried not to think about it as he trudged down the stairs and into the flower shop, grabbing a cup of coffee on his way in.
When he entered, he froze. Ken was on his knees in front of Omi, head bowed. He appeared to be murmuring and very embarrassed. Omi was giving him a sympathetic look. Ken muttered something else and reached into his pocket, handing Omi something small and slightly shiny. Yohji didn't get a good look at it, though, because Omi grabbed it and flung his arms around Ken's neck with an exuberant squeal. Ken smiled slightly and returned the hug.
"Oh, Ken-kun, I - I never thought - how did you know. . . " Omi stammered joyfully. Ken smiled again and stood, leaning against Omi's shoulder.
"Oh, it was pretty easy actually. I guess it was a gamble, but - it paid off! I'm glad you're so happy Omi. I was afraid. . . "Ken broke off, watching the ground.
"Oh, Ken-kun! How could you think something like that? At a time like this!" Omi hugged Ken around the middle once more. Yohji's stomach lurched. That's when he noticed Aya standing quietly beside the couple, a pleased smile on his face. Then Aya spoke, and Yohji's heart plummeted straight to the fiery pits of hell.
"I'm glad you two finally found what you were searching for," Aya said softly, a hand on Ken's shoulder. Ken blushed lightly.
"Yeah. . . thanks Aya," Ken replied, looking at his feet. Aya smiled once more and moved to the cash register, yelling at Yohji to stop staring and get to work. But Yohji was rooted to the spot. What he'd just seen. . . had Ken just - PROPOSED?! Were Ken and Omi getting married? What had happened down here while he'd been sleeping upstairs? Mentally running over the recent scene in his head, Yohji's mind gave a little cry of pain. It was! It was a proposal! The shiny thing must have been a ring, and Aya. . . Aya had meant their two teammates had finally found each other. Yohji felt sick. No. . . it couldn't be true! Ken and Omi couldn't be - but they were. Yohji watched them for a few more moments, then finally decided he ought to at least congratulate them. Holding his head high, he called,
"Ken! Omi! Congratulations, you two." Omi smiled at him happily.
"Thanks, Yohji-kun - I never thought. . . " Omi trailed off and sighed. Yohji swallowed hard, but kept his composure.
"So," he asked as nonchalantly as possible, "when's the wedding?"
It was as though everyone had been suddenly frozen in time. All movement stopped for a few seconds, then his three teammates gave him three identically incredulous stares.
"What the hell are you talking about, Yohji?" Ken asked suspiciously. Yohji was confused.
"You and Omi - just now, you were proposing and-" he broke off when Omi and Ken glanced at each other and burst into giggles, landing hard on the floor as they lost their balance. Yohji watched them laugh for a minute before asking, "What's so funny, you two?"
"Pro - proposing?!" Ken managed to gasp. Omi just kept on giggling. "We weren't - I wasn't PROPOSING."
Yohji was confused. "Well then what were you doing on your knees?"
"I tripped," Ken answered. Yohji shook his head.
"But then you gave him a ring and he gave you a hug, and you said you'd been worried that he'd reject you, but he just asked how you could think of that and then Aya said he was glad you'd found each other. . . " he broke off at Omi shaking his head.
"Yohji-kun, you've got it all wrong," he said, still smiling brightly. "Ken-kun tripped over the stool and landed on his knees. Then he remembered something he had to give me. But it wasn't a ring, Yohji-kun - it was the microchip I've been looking for. I was so happy he found it that I gave him a big hug, and Ken-kun was worried because he'd had to go in my room to find it - he thought he'd remembered seeing it there - and he hadn't asked me first. But of course I'm not angry because I've been looking for it for weeks! And Aya-kun was glad we found it because I was whining about it this morning and - oh, Yohji-kun, you're so silly!" He bounced to his feet and gave Yohji a big hug.
"But - but you and Ken are in love with each other-" Yohji tried weakly.
"What?!" Ken yelled in astonishment. "No way! I don't - well, okay, I -do- love Omi, but not like that!"
"But Omi loves you," Yohji tried again, still very confused. "He was upset about you-"
"ME?!" Ken interrupted again, laughing outrageously this time. "Omi doesn't love me, you dolt! Omi loves y-"
Ken was cut off as Omi abruptly squeaked and slammed a hand over the brunette's mouth. "KEN-KUN!" Omi shrieked in terror. Ken looked stricken.
"Gee, I'm sorry Omi. I didn't mean to, it just-"
"It's all right," Omi sighed, waving him off. "Just watch it - I know your secret too, remember?" Ken blanched and nodded.
Yohji's mind was swirling. Ken didn't love Omi. That was good, he supposed. Omi didn't love Ken either, but Omi did love someone - someone who's name started with a 'Y'. Yohji's own name started with a 'Y', but Ken wouldn't have said, 'Omi loves Yohji!' when talking to Yohji himself. So Omi didn't love him, either. Yohji's heart began to hurt again, but he tried to ignore it. What were some 'Y' names, anyway? Yuuta? Yuriko? Yuki? Yohji shook his head. This wasn't helping. Sighing inwardly, he decided he'd better get on flirting-with-Ken duty if he wanted any chance of winning the bet.
But Yohji's heart just wasn't in the flirting today. He made dismal progress with Ken and hardly even managed to put up a front for the fangirls that roamed the shop all day. In fact, when he trudged up to his room that night, Yohji could safely say he had completely wasted a day of his week-to-seduce-Ken, and there weren't all that many days left. He figured his best bet would probably be the following evening, so he called a local restaurant and made reservations. Not a club, a classy joint where maybe he could explain things to Ken and either make good his bet or beg the brunette to do him a favor.
As he lay there in the darkness, Yohji suddenly heard a timid knocking at his door. Tired and putout, he ignored it. Whoever it was didn't go away, though. The door creaked open and soft footsteps made their way to his bedside.
A small hand reached down and stroked his cheek gently, causing Yohji to shiver slightly at the warm touch. The delicate fingers found their way down his cheek and neck, down to his shoulder, where they stopped and rested momentarily. Then he felt the soft pressure of someone's lips on his forehead and, as they broke away, his breath caught in his throat. Who. . . ?
The figure made its way back across his room, pausing only as it reached the doorway. "Goodnight, Yohji-kun," Omi's faint whisper found its way to Yohji's ears, and then the boy was gone. Yohji sat up, rubbing his fingers over his face and wondering if he'd imagined the whole thing.
Yohji didn't get much sleep that night.
End Day 5
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Whoo! End of Day 5! Only two days left, and even Yohji's starting to give up. What was Omi up to in Yohji's room so late? Will Ken grant Yohji the favor he needs? Or will Aya win the bet after all? Stay tuned! Climax and conclusion coming in the next two chapters! R + R please. . . it keeps Bradley sane.