Disclaimer: I don't own the Gundam or the Weiss boys. I just own the twisted mind that plays with them.

A/N: Flowers have many meanings and this is just one of them. Iris (Your friendship means so much to me)

Dragon's Desire

Chapter 4

"That's a lot of blue envelopes you have there Aya."

Aya whirled around to see Yohji leaning in his doorway, his smirking lips wrapped around an unlit cigarette. He inwardly cursed himself for leaving the door open.

"What do you want Yohji?"

He turned back around and quickly placed the bundled letters back in the drawer. He heard Yohji walk into his room and when he turned, he found the lanky blonde looking out his window.

"I just came up here to tell you that someone is here to see you."

"Who?"

"My guess is the sender of those blue envelopes."

"What?"

Aya walked over and looked outside to see Wufei standing next to a black sedan talking to who he presumed to be the driver. What the hell is he doing here? Aya ran down the stairs and caught the novelist before he could enter the Koneko.

"Aya. Just the person I wanted to see. How are you?"

"Why are you here?"

Wufei didn't let the rude greeting bother him. He expected something like this. Aya was not the surprise visit type.

"I came to kidnap you."

Aya's eyes went wide and he took a step back. Wufei chuckled and leaned back against the car, hands in his pockets.

"Relax. It was a joke. Next time I'll think twice about joking with a…(clears throat)…florist."

"Hmph." Aya crossed his arms over his chest and took a few steps toward Wufei so they could speak quietly. "Why are you here Wufei?"

"I'm actually just passing through and so I thought I'd see if you wanted to have lunch with me. Can you spare some time?"

Aya looked back at the Koneko and saw Yohji and Omi duck behind a large flower arrangement in the window. Idiots. He turned back to Wufei. "Ok. Wait here, I'll be right back."

Wufei watched Aya walk back into the Koneko and give his fellow florists what he was sure to be a very deadly look, then proceed to disappear into the back rooms. Wufei smiled and waved at Yohji and Omi who were now smiling at him. He gestured for them to come outside, but he saw the young man vehemently shake his head no, offer a sheepish grin, then leave. Yohji however….

"So Chang, come to steal our fearless leader?"

"Just for lunch. Don't worry, I'll bring him back."

"You can keep him if you want. We won't mind."

"I don't think he'd go for that Yohji."

"But you would, wouldn't you Chang?"

Wufei and Yohji exchanged knowing smiles. And just as Yohji was about to say something, Aya reappeared.

"Well, it was nice seeing you again Chang. Make sure to have him back by 2am and remember Aya, no putting out on the first date."

Yohji just smiled as the redhead's face became as red as his hair. He saw the conflict within the man. He doesn't know what to do, how priceless!

Aya sat there, knuckles white from clutching the door handle tightly as he tried to decide what to do. I should gut that bastard where he stands! I can't believe he just said that! Oh gods…Wufei. I can't cause a scene in front of him, what will he think? But Kudou must pay.

Aya finally looked up at Yohji, his mind made up as to the proper course of action. He smiled at the assassin. It wasn't a malicious smile, or some half-hearted smile, or a smirk. It was a genuine smile. And he could see it had the desired effect. He closed the door, satisfied that Yohji would suffer for the horribly tacky comment.

Yohji was enjoying watching Aya fight his instincts to kill him where he stood. Wow, he must really like Chang if he's debating about killing me. Aw, our Aya is in love! This is going to be so much fun! Then Yohji saw Aya look up at him from his half-seated position in the car and his giddiness faded. Quickly. Oh god. He's….he's smiling? What the hell does that mean? What is he going to do to me? Oh shit. I think I finally went too far. That smile…why is he just smiling at me like that? WHAT DOES IT MEAN!

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Wufei reached out and tapped the dangling golden earring in Aya's left ear. "I really love this earring. Where did you get it?"

Aya snorted and turned away to look out the window. He inwardly cursed himself for forgetting to remove the earring before he met Wufei at the café. He'd been thinking about Aya last night and had put it on, falling asleep wearing it and he hadn't bothered to remove it when he woke up. He felt the need to wear it, to feel his sister's presence with him. It had a soothing effect on him somehow.

But now it was working against him, acting as a magnet and drawing Wufei's curiosity. He was suddenly uncomfortable facing this man. They'd been writing each other for awhile now and even though he had become rather open in his letters, his sister was off limits. He turned back to face the inquisitive face of Wufei. Aya's voice left no room for further discussion.

"It's just an earring."

Ah Aya, so full of mysteries you're unwilling to share. Wufei kept his smile in place and took a sip of his tea. Maybe I should set the example. "Ask me whatever you like." Aya raised a graceful eyebrow and Wufei's smile broadened. "My ego would like to believe that there's something you might like to know about me. So ask."

"Why did you become a writer? You were in the military with Duo, right?"

Wow, that was quick. But that just means he's been thinking of me. "I met Duo in the military, yes. I was intelligence primarily. I decided to become a writer because I saw what happened to him and it scared the shit out of me. I'd been---"

"What happened to Duo?"

"He was badly injured during a mission. Suffered severe damage all over, but a piece of shrapnel imbedded itself pretty deep in his skull. The doctors were able to remove it, but ever since he's suffered with these sudden headaches that practically leave him incapacitated for hours, sometimes days."

"I see. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. Continue."

Wufei inclined his head. "As you wish." He saw the flash in the jeweled eyes and suppressed a chuckle. "When I saw what happened to Duo, I realized I'd been arrogant up 'til that point, believing I couldn't die. So I quit and went back home for awhile. There I turned back to my martial arts training and I wrote down my experiences in the military. That's when I realized I enjoyed writing and I was actually good at it as well."

"Family?"

"All dead."

Aya's determined expression softened and he blinked a few times in surprise. "I'm…sorry."

Wufei looked down at his hands. "Thank you. But it was a long time ago. It's one of the reasons I joined the military."

"You ran away from your family?" Aya frowned at Wufei, suddenly angry at him for abandoning his family. He'd had his family torn away from him and Wufei runs away from his own? Coward!

"Not at all. It was an excellent way to make money. When my father passed away, I needed to become the head of the household and bring in money. I didn't have any real skills so I joined the military and they showed me that I had hidden skills for espionage and combat."

"Oh."

Aya felt a pang of guilt at his initial thoughts of Wufei being a coward. He took a long, slow sip of his tea and placed it back on the table, his hands still wrapped around the warm cup, his attention fixed on the warm liquid.

"My sister. I got the earring from my sister."

Wufei kept his surprise in check and turned his head to look out the window trying to hide the smile on his face.

"She has good taste."

He knew better than to ask about the sister. Obviously he didn't want to speak about his family in any way. He turned back to face the quiet redhead, admiring the beautiful pale creature before him. He wanted to reach out and touch his cheek. He remembered how soft it felt against his own when they danced and he wanted to feel that again. His hand started to reach out for Aya.

"Ready to order?"

Wufei turned a forced smile to the waitress with perfect timing as he withdrew his hand.

"Aya?"

"Miso please."

"Waldorf salad with the dressing on the side. Thank you." He watched the redhead staring at his cup of tea. "Just soup?"

"Not very hungry."

"Then why did you agree to lunch?"

Wufei smiled as the blush crept across Aya's cheeks. He knew the withdrawn assassin was embarrassed at not having thought of a plausible excuse other than the obvious. And Aya will never admit to wanting to spend time with me. But that blush says it all and he knows it.

"Well, whatever your reason, I'm glad for it. This may sound silly but I really needed to see you. We send these letters back and forth and even though I really enjoy the correspondence, I feel like I'm only getting half of you. There's something to be said for face-to-face contact. I'm missing your presence."

Aya's head shot up and he stared at the man that had become an unexplained fixture in his life. He actually understood what Wufei was saying. The past couple of letters he received he found himself wanting to see the novelist. He wasn't quite sure why he wanted to see him, but Wufei just put his feelings into words for him. It was Wufei's presence that he wanted. Yes, his presence and how it makes me feel.

"I don't think that sounds silly at all."

Wufei leaned in a little, "Really?"

The corner of Aya's mouth curved up slightly, almost unwillingly. He looked away, out the window before a full smile could break free and ruin his reputation.

"Really."

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Lunch was spent in light conversation with both men hesitant to bring up any more personal topics. It only took one staring match and one slight of hand for Wufei to pay for lunch for the two of them. I'll just mail the money back to him. Then he can't refuse me.

As they rode back in the car, Wufei was trying very hard not to stare. He noticed Aya had made sure to move all the way over to the other side of the car, against the door. He wasn't this withdrawn in the restaurant. What happened?

Aya sat looking out the window seeing nothing. He was preoccupied by his fellow passenger. He knew Wufei was watching him because he was watching Wufei. He'd made sure to sit as far away from the man as possible once they got in the car. Their hands had accidentally brushed during lunch and it had sent a small jolt through his body. So now he was taking precautions to prevent any further contact.

It didn't take long to reach the Koneko and when the car stopped, Wufei wasn't surprised to see Aya already trying to escape the vehicle.

"Aya wait."

The redhead let the door close again, but his hand remained on the handle.

"I'm sorry, but I really must be going. Ike I said, I was just passing through. Thank you for spending time with me; I really enjoy your company."

"I'm glad we could see each other Wufei."

"Would you mind if I stopped by to see you on my way back home?"

Aya let the smallest of smiles pull at the corner of his lips. "I'd like that. Think you could give me a warning next time?"

"I think I could manage that. But there's just one problem. I don't have your telephone number."

"I can fix that. Wait here."

Aya wasn't sure what was compelling him to do what he was about to do, but it somehow felt….nice. He went into the Koneko, ignoring all the stares, and grabbed a business card. Then he went to the glass refrigerators and scanned them, looking for the perfect bloom. There it is. Next he went in the back, grabbed a strand of ribbon and ran it through a cut in the business card, then secured it around the thick green stem of an iris. Aya headed back out to the car. He went around to Wufei's side of the car where the novelist was waiting with the window down.

"Here's my number and a little thank you for lunch."

"Lunch? But you left money on----"

"Which you pocketed. It was a nice move."

"It makes me happy to know you like my moves."

Aya could feel his cheeks getting warm but he resisted the urge to look away from Wufei. Those bottomless black eyes held him and he thought for sure time had frozen. Then he felt that cool electric touch again as Wufei reached out and took the iris. He blinked himself free of Wufei's eyes and stood up, clearing his throat.

"You better get going. I wouldn't want you to be late on my account. Bye Wufei."

"See you soon Aya."

As Wufei sat back in the car, he couldn't keep the smile from his face. An iris, huh? A very encouraging message Aya.

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Yohji watched silently as Aya reentered the Koneko, put his apron on and got to work as if nothing out of the usual just happened. He just gave Wufei an iris. Lunch must have gone well. Maybe that means I'm off the hook. Just then, Aya walked by carrying a bundle of flowers to be wrapped. He turned to Yohji and smiled. Then again, maybe not.

To be continued….