Authors' note. Many of you have asked if we are going to explain things such as Schuldig's back story. The answer is yes we will. We fully intend to explain *every* mistery in the story. We aren't fond of loose ends, so if some thing is left unexplained at the end of the story be sure that it was an accedent. Feel free to e-mail me and I'll be happy to clear up any misteries after the story is finished.

On that note: This story is an epic. I would say that what I have posted is only about half way through. We don't do things on a small scale. I don't think we know how. So just hang in there everyone. I *promise* we'll finish it even though some of you who have been following since the beginning have witnessed some horrifficly long waits between posts.

::wraps up the overly long authors' note:: And every one who likes the pairings or the characterizations thank you muchly! We really appriciate the support and I hope this epic lives up to your expectations.

Karaus Yurei (and Kouri Arashi who trusted me to write the authors' note with out her proof reading it. Not very smart of her, was it?)

Chapter Eleven

For about fifteen minutes, things had gone fine. Fujikata had been in a large warehouse, overseeing a shipment of drugs. Omi had made his way up into the rafters, where he could safely watch and snipe from above. Ken, Yohji, and Aya had snuck in to do the actual business after Omi cut the power.

Unfortunately, there were quite a few more bodyguards than he had anticipated, and the arrival of the actual shipment along with its contingent of bodyguards didn't help. Omi cursed underneath his breath. The shipment wasn't supposed to be there for another half hour. He'd known they were cutting it close, but who could have anticipated it being this early?

Although every one of his bolts found its target, he had only brought ten. He still had darts, but unless the targets came right underneath him, he wouldn't be able to reach them.

He was beginning to seriously worry when the men started falling like flies, but he couldn't see who was actually shooting them. Another two men flew backwards for no discernable reason that he could see, until he noticed a small figure standing to one side of them. He squinted. Wasn't that the teenager who was Schuldig's teammate?

A stray bullet hit him in the arm then, knocking him off the rafter. He had about five seconds to think that he was about to die, when his fall inexplicably slowed and he found himself gently deposited on the ground.

"Are you all right?" Nagi asked, leaning over him and looking anxious.

"Confused," Omi said. "All right, but confused." He looked around to see that most of the targets were dead. As he watched, the last one fell. He still managed to find the gunman. But at least the rest of Weiss seemed to be all right.

Nagi was looking around. "Are we done?" he asked the empty air.

Schuldig stepped out from behind some boxes. "Pretty much," he said. "Everyone else was smart and ran."

Yohji blinked at him. "Schu."

Schuldig gave him a casual salute. "At your service."

Yohji kept blinking. "You just saved all our asses, and suddenly, I feel like a dork."

Schuldig smirked. "Don't let me stop you."

"Uhm, maybe we should go?" Nagi asked, looking around nervously. "Someone must have heard all the gunfire."

Schuldig sighed. "Authorities. Oh, how I hate them."

"Why don't you come back with us so you could explain why you were here?" Omi asked, his eyes narrowing. "I need to get my laptop." He stood up and climbed back up to the rafter, noting absently that his arm was bleeding from where the bullet had hit it and he should probably get that tended to. At least it was only a graze.

"Oh, why not," Schuldig said, as they started out of the warehouse. He scanned to see if everyone was actually dead, and was pleased to note that yes, they were. "It'll be fun."

Yohji flinched at that, and it looked like he might make a comment, but in the end, he didn't.

"We'll follow you back," Schuldig said, gesturing at his car. Nagi hovered behind him like a very nervous shadow.

"Why are we going back with them?" he asked, once they were in the car. "I thought that Yohji didn't like you, and if we tell them what Crawford said, he'll get mad at us."

"We tell him that we came across their mission and figured they could probably use our help because we . . . found something they didn't. I don't know, be creative," Schuldig said. "And I'm hoping if I play nice to Yohji, he'll stop being a big dink."

"Oh," Nagi said. "Okay."

They parked behind the flower shop and went inside. Nagi was rather disconcerted when Yohji immediately took Schuldig by the wrist, and announced that they were going somewhere to talk. Schuldig grinned, then winked at Nagi as they left, mouthing 'you'll be fine' and giving Omi a significant glance.

He nearly stumbled as Yohji pulled him up the stairs, then followed the blonde into his apartment. Yohji shut and locked the door behind them, then thudded down onto the bed. "Okay . . . to begin with, I owe you an apology," he said, sounding somewhere discomfited with this.

"For what?" Schuldig asked, leaning against the door. He wasn't about to get his hopes up after the past month.

"For being so judgmental," Yohji said, then added reluctantly, "It really wasn't my place."

Schuldig shrugged. He didn't particularly think this was something to apologize over. "You have the right to feel about me however you feel."

"I'm not apologizing for feeling it," Yohji said, seeing where the cross communication was. "I'm apologizing for breaking up with you because of it."

"Oh." Schuldig blinked at him, unsure of what kind of response was appropriate to that comment.

"So I'm sorry," Yohji said, then looked up at him nervously.

"Does that mean you're okay with me being the way I am?" Schuldig asked, wanting to be clear on this point.

"I don't know." Yohji sighed slightly and pushed his hair out of his face, tossing his sunglasses onto the bedside table. "I like you a lot. I've missed you this past month, and I've done a lot of thinking. I'm not sure I'm okay with it, but I guess it's balanced out by all the things I do like about you. Nobody's perfect, I guess."

"I missed you too," Schuldig said, feeling inexplicably shy. "If I thought I could change for you, I might actually do it, but I can't."

Yohji motioned him over to sit on the bed. "Dare I even ask how you wound up this way?" he asked, his tone light. He did not expect an answer.

Schuldig hesitantly walked over and settled on the bed next to him. "It's a long, complicated story."

"Ah," Yohji said. "Okay."

Schuldig rested his head on Yohji's shoulder. "I really did miss you," he said. He wanted the conversation to be over, before Yohji asked a question that he was unable to answer.

"We must be the strangest couple ever," Yohji said thoughtfully, running his fingers through Schuldig's hair.

"We're strange," Schuldig agreed, "but comparatively, I think the relationship is fairly normal. Not that I have any real basis for comparison."

"Maybe so," Yohji said, turning Schuldig's face towards his and giving him a light kiss. Schuldig closed his eyes in relief and kissed back, and it did not take long for things to progress from there.

^^^^

After Schuldig and Yohji's abrupt departure, Nagi looked like he might have to run away screaming. Aya rolled his eyes at Yohji and announced that he was tired and going to his room. Ken got saddled with laundry duty, and went to his own room to sulk about it.

Omi looked at Nagi, who was leaning against one wall and trying not to cringe. For a few seconds, they just blinked at each other. "Oh!" Nagi jumped slightly. "Are you all right? Your arm is . . ." He gestured shyly at the bloody patch on Omi's sleeve.

Omi frowned, redirecting his gaze to his injury. "Actually, it hurts like hell," he said. This displeased him greatly.

"I'm not surprised." Nagi gestured at a chair. "Here, sit down. I'll take care of it." He was more sure of himself now that he had something concrete to work with. He was the self-appointed medic for Schwarz; Schuldig didn't have the knowledge, Farferello simply didn't care, and Brad let Nagi have it as his job because it made him feel better.

Omi sat down where he was directed, inwardly noting that Nagi seemed to be more comfortable with something to do. "There's a first aid kit under the sink," he said.

Nagi nodded. He retrieved the first aid kit and a rag, running it under cold water. "I . . . I'm sorry that we didn't get there sooner," he said shyly, cleaning the wound.

Omi winced at the pain, but tried to show no reaction. He gave Nagi a glance that bordered between surprise and amusement. "Sorry? Hell, we were damned lucky to get the rescue." He watched as Nagi mumbled something and looked away, wrapping bandages around the wound. "I'm still trying to figure out how you knew to come and help."

Nagi blinked at him, uncertain as to what he could and couldn't so. "Well, uhm . . . lucky guess?" he tried weakly. He fastened the bandages and stepped back slightly, looking anywhere but at Omi.

"Yeah, right." Omi rolled his eyes and smiled good-naturedly. He turned slightly so they were facing each other. "Really, how did you know?"

"Well . . ." Nagi began to stammer. "Crawford just knows stuff like that." He was suddenly one hundred percent sure that, despite everything Schuldig and Brad had said, he was going to get his ass kicked for giving anything away.

"And . . ." Omi was slowly turning over the events of the evening, noting the parts that did and did not match up. "Did you slow me down somehow? Break my fall? Or was I missing something big?"

Nagi gave him a wide-eyed, near panicked look. "No . . . it just must not have been as high as you thought it was . . ."

"Regardless of height, I actively slowed down." He noted Nagi's wide eyes and tugged the smaller boy towards one of the other chairs at the kitchen table, gesturing for him to sit down. Nagi went where Omi put him, too horrified at having given their secret away to ponder what to do. "How did you do it?" Omi asked curiously, rubbing at his arm.

"Don't rub at that," Nagi said automatically. "You'll make it heal slower."

Omi made a face. The wound itched. He stopped rubbing at it anyway. "You still didn't answer me."

"I can't . . ."

"Why not?" Omi asked, being careful to keep his tone gentle. The younger boy was obviously afraid of something. He had a very strong urge to hug him, which was rather strange, given that they had only just met. Something about Nagi's frailty brought out his protective side. "I already know what you do for a living. This can't be any bigger of a secret, can it?"

"But . . . if I tell you . . ." Nagi's gaze dropped to his lap, where he had neatly folded his hands. "Crawford would be very angry at me."

"Ah. So he's the one that runs your team?" Omi presumed.

"Yeah." Nagi shifted uncomfortably.

"Okay. Want something to drink?" Omi decided to drop the subject. He obviously wasn't going to get any more information; at least, not without terrifying Nagi. Also, he was thirsty. He went to the fridge to fish out some juice.

"Do you have any tea?" Nagi asked hesitantly, unable to believe that Omi was going to stop asking questions, just like that.

Omi poured himself a glass of orange juice. "I can make some," he said, and set some water on to boil. He carefully watched Nagi out of the corner of one eye while he did so. The smaller boy was nearly unmoving, sitting primly in the chair with his hands clasped. He was obviously very nervous and trying not to show it. "I won't pester you anymore, but I do have one more question before I let it go."

Nagi shifted again, uncomfortable, and wondered where Schuldig had gotten off to. "Okay," he said, not seeing much choice.

"Does Crawford always know what we're doing?" His voice was soft, and serious. It was obviously a question about the safety of his team.

Nagi shook his head quickly. "No. Or at least, I don't think so. Only when it might affect us somehow." His voice trailed off, and he was obviously wondering if he was right. Omi saw no point in pushing the issue, given that Nagi didn't even seem to know the answer.

"Okay." He got some painkillers while he was waiting for the water to boil. "So, any idea where your friend dragged Yohji-kun off to?" His tone was light, obviously implying that it was no longer a grilling and he was asking out of mere curiosity. He was starting to get the idea that Nagi required very special handling, and figured that he might loosen up if the questions weren't about their team specifically.

Nagi laughed a little, and blushed. "I'm not sure, but knowing Schuldig . . . he likes to, uh, destress after missions."

Omi smiled. "We've stopped asking Yohji-kun what he's up to. Most of the time, we don't want to know. What kind of tea did you want?"

"Uhm . . . whatever you have is fine," Nagi said hesitantly.

"It's more like what we don't have," Omi said, surveying the boxers and canisters. Aya liked great variety in his tea. "Tell me what your favorite is and we'll go from there."

"Oh. Uhm . . . just plain Jasmine, then," Nagi said. Brad and Schuldig were both big coffee drinkers, and though he could have tea when he wanted it, it was often too much trouble, and he just drank water instead.

"That we have," Omi said. He snagged the canister with his good arm and got it down, then retrieved a tea spoon from the drawer. "Aya-kun's a tea Nazi. Nothing but the best."

Nagi looked at the mug that Omi deposited in front of him, then started stirring slightly. "Aya is the red-headed one?" he asked. He knew which one Aya was; in fact, he'd read all their Kritiker files and committed most of the facts to memory just out of sheer habit, but he didn't want Omi to know that. Besides, he would try to be friendly.

Omi nodded. "Amazing how we both have a tempermental redhead, isn't it," he said with a smile, sitting back down with his juice.

Nagi couldn't help but laugh. "Schuldig's not so much tempermental as . . . well, crazy."

"Okay, now that you just have to explain," Omi said, this time in a gossiping tone of voice. He had decided, firmly, to make friends. Ken was great, and he liked Yohji and Aya, but after so much time, anyone got a little wearing. Especially when you spent almost all of your time with them.

Nagi's laugh continued, but he sounded a little uneasy. "Well, Schuldig grew up on the streets and he was in and out of mental institutions for a while . . . but don't tell him I told you."

"I won't, I promise," Omi said, making a calming gesture with his hands.

Nagi managed a hesitant smile. "He's not that bad compared to Farferello, though," he said. He had no idea why he felt compelled to share this with Omi, but figured in the end it didn't matter. If Brad had been worried about this, he would have stopped him from coming.

"Oh, tell," Omi said, though inwardly he was reflecting that if Nagi was this nervous around him, he'd have to make sure he never got near Aya.

"Farferello is certifiably psychotic," Nagi said. "He doesn't feel pain or seem to care about anyone or anything. But he can be really perceptive when he puts his mind to it. He's on a campaign to make God cry." He offered another shy smile. "Crawford was really angry when he got assigned to our team."

"Doesn't feel pain . . . that's . . . you know, I don't know what that is," Omi said. "Besides interesting. Do all of you get along okay?"

"Most of the time," Nagi said. "Schuldig can be really obnoxious and sometimes I wonder if Crawford gives a damn about any of us, and when Farferello's having a bad day I just want to hide in my room, but most of the time it's okay."

"Well, if Schuldig is obnoxious then he and Yohji-kun should get along great," Omi observed dryly. "And sometimes Aya-kun makes us all want to hide."

"I've only known Schuldig and Crawford for about a year," Nagi told him. "That's when I joined their team."

"Aya-kun hasn't been with us much longer than that," Omi said with a nod. "What did you do before you joined them?"

Nagi looked away. "Well . . . not much, really. Nothing special."

"If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay," Omi said.

"Really?" Nagi asked shyly.

"Yeah," Omi said with another nod. "We all have our secrets. I'm sorry if I was being pushy before, but as grateful as I was for the rescue, I needed to know who and what I was dealing with. I'm responsible for keeping the others safe, you know?"

Nagi stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "Yeah. I understand. Crawford doesn't usually show concern for us . . . but then he does weird stuff like letting us know what was going to be happening with you guys tonight." He shook his head slightly. "I don't understand him. I don't think Schuldig does either, though he does better at it than I do."

"Well, as I said, I bet we all have secrets," Omi said.

"Mm." Nagi stirred his tea and stared into it as if it might contain the secrets to life, or at least the secrets to their current conversation.

Omi let the silence sit for a few moments, wondering how in the hell this mystical Crawford had turned two lunatics and one terminally shy boy into such an effective team. He decided to change the subject, figuring that it might put Nagi at ease. "So what do you like to do?"

Nagi blinked at him. "Do?" he asked uncertainly. "Like for fun?"

Omi grinned. "Yeah."

"Um, well . . . I have no social life." He smiled a little. "So mostly I read and do things on my computer."

"I know that feeling," Omi said. "I have online friends, but other than the guys, that's pretty much it."

"It's hard to make friends when you have so many secrets," Nagi said. He had never had any particular urge to make friends. His entire life had taught him to not trust or get close to anyone.

"At least you aren't a mild-mannered florist by day and assassin by night," Omi said, laughing.

Nagi nodded and smiled and suppressed a yawn. He had used his powers too much, and was starting to feel sleepy. Since it was getting obvious at this point that Schuldig was going to be staying the night, he had no way home. The subways had stopped running. He wondered if Omi would mind if he slept on the couch. "That's true. And Crawford doesn't make me go to school, either."

"I kinda like going to school," Omi said thoughtfully. "It's socialization without commitment."

"I wouldn't know, I guess," Nagi said.

"Never went?" Omi assumed.

"Nn. No."

"Maybe you should try it," Omi suggested, with a smile. He downed the last of his orange juice. The painkillers were kicking in and he was also starting to feel a bit hazy and tired. He had a vague suspicion that Nagi was never going to get up the nerve to ask if he could stay the night. "Are you expected home soon or did you want to watch a movie or something?"

"Crawford doesn't really care when we come and go," Nagi said. "Or if he does, he lets us know. Besides, unless Schuldig decides to go home, I don't have any way to get back." He paused, then added shyly, "And a movie would be nice."

"Okay." Omi stood up and yawned. "TV and VCR are in the basement," he said. Feel free to go pick something out. I'm going to go change into a shirt that isn't gross."

Nagi nodded. "All right." When Omi came back a few minutes later, he had put the first of the Star Wars trilogy into the VCR.

"An excellent choice," Omi said with a grin. They settled on the sofa where Weiss normally got their missions from Persia. Nagi was asleep fifteen minutes into the movie, curled up on one end of the sofa with his face resting against the arm. Omi smiled a little, covered him with a blanket, and went to bed himself.

^^^^

When Schuldig woke up, it took him a few seconds to adjust to his surroundings. He was not used to waking up with someone else in bed, and Yohji's bare chest was pressed up against his back. His thoughts were pleasant while he was asleep, and Schuldig snuggled closer. Unfortunately, after some time, nature called. He got out of bed and padded to the bathroom.

Yohji woke up when he moved, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He pushed his hair out of his face, mussing it. When Schuldig walked back in, he cracked one eye open. "You went away . . ." he mumbled, holding one arm out.

Schuldig obeyed his obvious wish and crawled back into bed with Yohji. "It happens sometimes," he said, snuggling back up peaceably.

Yohji flopped an arm around Schuldig's waist, pressing a kiss against his shoulder momentarily. "It's nice to not wake up alone," he mumbled, obviously still half unconscious.

Schuldig made a mental note that a half-asleep Yohji was the most adorable thing he had ever seen. He felt disgustingly warm and fuzzy. "I could definitely get used to it," he agreed.

"Mmmph," Yohji replied. "Hey . . . thank you, for last night."

Schuldig presumed that he was talking about the rescue, not about the sex. "You're welcome," he said. "I'm glad that we got there in time."

"Mmm." Yohji woke up a little as something occurred to him, something that he had been too flustered to think of the night before. He sat up a little, propping himself up on his elbows. "How did you know, anyway?"

Schuldig thought fast. He didn't think 'our team leader is a precog' would really go over well. "The job came up on our radar and I got nervous," he said, trying to sound casual. "Good thing, too."

Yohji frowned. "Why was it coming up on your radar?"

There was a pause. Schuldig was very glad that he was more awake than Yohji. "We try to keep our noises in everyone's business."

"Mm hmm." Yohji snuggled closer, sounding amused. He yawned. "You're such a bad liar."

"How did you know?" Schuldig asked curiously, playing with a curl of Yohji's hair.

"You just are," Yohji said, grinning. "You talk faster."

"I'm usually very big on truth, you know," Schuldig said, relaxing slightly. He didn't really care if Yohji caught him in a lie as long as he didn't demand the truth. He pillowed his head against Yohji's shoulder.

"I know," Yohji said. "That's probably why I can tell. I'm impressed, though. You and Nagi threw together that mission pretty fast."

"There's a reason our team is one of the best, you know," Schuldig said with a smirk.

"I did see something really interesting, though," Yohji said casually. The tone of his voice and the undercurrents of his thoughts made Schuldig tense, despite the fact that he was trying to stay out of Yohji's head. Yohji was yawning, but seemed amused. He knew he was going to have Schuldig trapped in about ten seconds.

"What?" Schuldig asked. "My incredible aim?"

"No. See, I could have sworn that I saw Omi fall from the rafters. Except he slowed down right before he hit the ground. And that just seems to go against the laws of physics." He paused, then added, "Maybe it's just me."

"It's you," Schuldig said, without thinking.

"I have the laws of physics wrong?" Yohji asked.

"Most things in life are subjective," Schuldig pointed out, wondering how to get out of this conversation. If he kept talking, maybe he could confuse Yohji and get him off the subject. "It's all in how you look at it."

"Now you're just being silly and avoiding the subject," Yohji pointed out.

"But at least I'm not lying," Schuldig said, with an uncertain smile.

"No, you aren't." Yohji sat up and reached over to the night table. He picked up his pack of cigarettes and lighter. "But you're not telling the truth, either," he added, lighting the cigarette and taking a long drag.

Schuldig shrugged. "These things happen. Often around me."

Yohji sighed. "Schu . . . I know I don't have the right to demand anything from you, not after the way I've acted for the past few weeks. I mean, I've been a jerk. But I'd really like to know what I'm getting myself into."

"I can't necessarily tell you," Schuldig said, his tone completely honest. "Because then I'd have to know what I've gotten myself into, which honestly, I don't." He sat up and faced Yohji, and tried to push his hair out of his face. The effort failed miserably. "How about this. You can ask me anything you want, and I'll answer as honestly as I can."

Yohji considered it for a minute. "More than fair," he said in agreement. "For real, this time -- how did you know to come to our rescue?"

"Crawford gave me a head's up, so I came," Schuldig said simply.

"And how did Crawford know?" Yohji frowned. "Or is that something you can't tell me?"

Schuldig nodded. "Trade secret."

Yohji's frown deepened. He didn't like that answer, but he knew that Omi would kill him if he gave away any of their team's secret, so he supposed that was fair. "Okay," he finally said. "What about Omi falling?"

"Quite honestly, I was busy ending people and didn't see it," Schuldig said. He was choosing his words very carefully. "So I'll have to trust you that the laws of physics went haywire."

"But you know why they went haywire," Yohji persisted. "Don't you?"

"Well, yeah," Schuldig said, with a sheepish smile.

"Trade secret?" Yohji asked dryly.

"'Fraid so."

"You can't tell me any of this?" Yohji asked, his voice frustrated.

Schuldig sighed. He knew that if he didn't tell him, Yohji was going to have a hard time trusting him. "Let me think," he said. /Crawford?/

Although Brad's thoughts were closed to him, he could still get in touch with Brad on what he called the 'Schwarz phone line.' /Yes?/ He had been waiting for Schuldig to contact him. Not only was he precognitive, but he knew Schuldig very well.

/Anything exciting happening today?/ Schuldig asked. He asked the question every morning, and loved his routine too much to pass up the opportunity to annoy Brad.

/I think perhaps something is about to,/ Brad replied dryly.

/So you won't shoot me for telling him about our Talents?/ Schuldig asked. /Will this cause any disasters, or did you have this all planned from the moment you walked into the living room last night?/

/No, no, and I'm not going to tell you./

/Asshole,/ Schuldig replied, making a face. His mental tone was still good-natured. He was used to Brad, even though he didn't enjoy the way he was so enigmatic.

/Indeed. You know me well enough to guess the answer, I believe./

Schuldig smiled, not bothering to keep it off his face. He knew that Yohji was going to have so many questions that adding one more didn't seem to matter. /You're lucky I trust you./

/I know./

"What are you smiling at?" Yohji asked, poking him in the ribs.

Schuldig swatted at his hand playfully, missing on purpose. He was more than fast enough to have caught Yohji's wrist. "Crawford's being a smug twit." If that wasn't an invitation for all the questions, he didn't know what would be.

Yohji blinked at him. "Uhm . . . I'm sure you're going to explain that comment," he said. "Or at least, I sure hope you're going to."

"I was talking to Crawford and he was being a smug twit," Schuldig explained -- sort of. "As usual." He was having a grand old time torturing Yohji now that he had permission to explain himself.

"You . . . were talking . . . with Crawford."

"Yep." Schuldig yawned and stretched.

"Just now."

"Yep."

"How?"

"I'm just Talented that way," Schuldig said, his tone joking even though he knew Yohji wouldn't get the pun. Then his voice sobered. "I'm a telepath."

Yohji blinked. Then blinked again. "Repeat?"

"I'm a telepath." Schuldig couldn't help but find this funny.

"As in, you hear what other people think," Yohji said, obviously having difficulty grasping this.

"Much to my dismay, yes."

Yohji turned all this over in his head, considering it. It didn't actually occur to him that Schuldig might be lying. It was too absurd a story to be a lie. "Ah ha!" he suddenly exclaimed. "That's how you knew I was an assassin!" He was incredibly pleased to have finally figured that out.

"You found me out," Schuldig said, his tone dripping melodrama. Then he looked at Yohji earnestly. "But after that I played fair. Just like everybody else."

Yohji considered all this for a minute. "So, uh . . . how does that work?"

"You'll have to be more specific," Schuldig told him.

"I mean, do you hear stuff all the time?" Yohji clarified. "You said you played fair with me."

"My shields are usually good enough that everything is reduced to a steady hum," Schuldig explained. "At least most of the time. If I focus on anyone, I can hear them. I purposely didn't listen to you, which was damned hard."

Yohji considered again, and they sat in silence for nearly a full minute while he thought about it. "Guess it must really suck, ne," was what he finally came up with. It seemed to be the only statement that fit the situation.

Schuldig sagged against him. "You have no idea," he admitted.

"No . . . I guess I don't." Yohji reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair out of Schuldig's face. There was a pause, then he asked quietly, "Did you not want to tell me because you thought I'd push you away?"

"I . . . don't know," Schuldig said, after a minute. "It's gotten me into more trouble than I can possibly remember. Honestly, I wasn't even sure you'd believe me."

Yohji shrugged. "I've seen some weird things in my life," he said, thinking of some of the bizarre cases that Weiss had taken. It was standard knowledge among them, if unspoken knowledge, that the world was not always entirely what it seemed. "And . . . this makes sense. I mean, it makes all the pieces fit. Besides, why the hell would you make up something like that?" He paused, then added jokingly, "Okay, just to make us both feel better, what am I thinking right now?" He concentrated very hard on thinking that Schuldig had a nice ass.

Schuldig smiled. "I'm glad my ass pleases you so," he said. Underneath the thoughts were threads of emotion, of the desire to make Schuldig feel better, to make him feel safe. "And I do feel safe around you."

Yohji hadn't realized he was actually thinking that, and jumped, but he had to admit that Schuldig's response pleased him. "Okay. And it's weird, and I guess there's probably stuff I'd rather you not know about me. At least, there is now. Maybe later there won't be. But I trust you. Christ, if you haven't pried yet, I don't see any reason why you'd start now."

"I don't plan to," Schuldig assured him. "It's better to get to know someone the old-fashioned way. Then it's a mutual thing."

"Okay." Yohji thought for a few minutes. "Okay, then why the sudden reversal of the laws of gravity?"

Schuldig grinned. "I was wondering when you'd get back to that. Nagi-chen wasn't too keen on the idea of Omi breaking his neck. Nagi can also stop speeding trains, pick up cars, and grind people into a fine red paste, though he wouldn't." He paused, then smirked and added, "He's also good to have around when you can't find the TV remote."

"So you're telepathic and he's telekinetic," Yohji assumed, and Schuldig nodded. "And Crawford would be . . .?"

"An asshole," Schuldig said, unable to resist. "He's a precog."

Yohji had to admit that this made sense. It also made a few of the recent coincidences make sense, as well. "So are there a lot of people around who can do stuff like this?" he asked curiously.

"Not really. It's a specialized field."

"Good, that makes me feel a bit better," Yohji said cheerfully. "I was starting to think I'd been missing something big all this time."

"Well, no." Schuldig laughed. "You aren't the only normal person in a world full of Talents, if that's what you mean."

"Okay." Yohji leaned over on impulse and kissed his cheek. "So . . . has this been going on your whole life?"

"I don't know," Schuldig said, then added, "It's been going on as long as I remember."

"And how long is that?" Yohji asked with a frown.

"My first clear memory is when I was fourteen," Schuldig said. "I remember Crawford. Before that I have a few hazy memories of the hospitals and the streets, but nothing else. And nothing before that."

"Okay, I have to ask about Crawford," Yohji said thoughtfully. "Every time he comes up, you call him an asshole, but he seems to run your team perfectly well."

"He is an asshole," Schuldig said. "And anal retentive, and smug. That doesn't mean I don't like him. He saved my life, and what was left of my sanity."

Yohji smiled and stubbed out his cigarette, then lay down again. "Remind me to thank him some day."

"Will do." Schuldig rested his head on Yohji's chest, snuggling back up. "Anything else you want to know?"

"Not really." Yohji ran his hand absently through Schuldig's hair. "Is there anywhere that you have to be today?"

"Nah. At some point, I should head home and talk to Crawford, but nothing urgent." He smiled. "I like it when you play with my hair."

"I like playing with it," Yohji replied. "It's pretty. And I'm very glad you don't have anywhere you need to be." He readjusted so he could lean in and plant a playful kiss on the side of Schuldig's neck.

"Pretty," Schuldig mused, tipping his head back to give Yohji more room to work with. "That's a word that's never been used to describe me before."

"Get used to it," Yohji said with a wink, and Schuldig smiled.

^^^^