Red Kitsune Flames: Yes, just when we all thought we'd have to take drastic measures, like handcuffing them together or something. Thanks!

Ran: Thanks! They are awfully cute when they want to be…

Yuumei: ((Cackles evilly)) I never show all the cards, dear, I'm evil, kinda like Kousuke. So hopefully I'll raise a lot more questions before I'm through. Thanks for the review!

KousukeAsuzuki: Unfortunately, much like Kousuke, I like being rude and not living up to "promises". So no lemon yet, but don't worry, there will be at least one before I'm done.

F Major Diminished Fifth Trilogy

III. Unity

Part Five

From Ayumu's Point of View:

I'm not sure how we reached Eyes' hotel room without any more incidents of my back encountering a wall with an amorous Blade Child pining me in place, but we did, and in record time. Mostly I was surprised by how much I wanted him to continue the practice. The door closed behind us and Eyes tossed down his keys, suddenly looking much more shy, and I was suddenly much more awkward. My stomach wouldn't stop fluttering.

"How long?" Eyes asked quietly, not looking at me. "How long have we been dancing around each other?"

"Nearly two months for me," I told him, sitting down on the couch as I had grown used to doing every time I visited. This time, unlike the others, Eyes sat down on the couch by me, not on the piano bench across from me.

"It took me until the day after our confrontation with Kanzaka," Eyes told me, answering the question I hadn't dared to ask. "I had feelings for you long before that, but I hadn't felt that way for so long that I didn't recognize them."

"What made you?" I asked, a bit fascinated in spite of myself.

"A dream, about you," he admitted, his eyes hooded and suggestive. "I'll let you imagine the rest."

The butterfly shudders in my heart became full, vibrating heat, rushing through my veins. "I wonder," I said, my voice husky and rough, "if it started like this." I closed the distance between us, kissing him very gently.

"No," Eyes replied, shoving me so that I fell backwards onto the couch. "It was much more demanding. Like this." He was on top of me, his lips covering mine in a hot, hungry kiss. His lips moved to my throat, nipping and licking a path to my collarbone, and my fingers found the buttons of his shirt, clumsily fumbling to open them, seeking bare skin. Only hours before my fingers had been pressed to the soft skin, but now I could savor the feeling, see the pale skin and slight imperfection where the skin dipped instead of protruding around a rib.

"Is…" I gasped, loosing my thoughts as Eyes' hands slid under my pants to un-tuck my shirt. "I won't hurt you?" I managed to ask, and Eyes shook his head, running a gentle hand over my hair.

"Others have been rough with me," he admitted, biting his lower lip. "Very rough."

"Kanone," I guessed, and he nodded.

"Does it bother you?"

I paused, making certain of my answer. "No," I admitted, still a bit surprised by it. "I know that you aren't with him anymore. You're with me."

"I am yours," Eyes whispered, "All yours. And I'm not glass."

But you've never had anyone treat you like you were precious, I realized a bit sadly, making a promise to make up for that someday. Rather than dwell on the thought, I pulled Eyes' lips back to my own, my hand tangling in his hair as I used my hips as Eyes had taught me to in order to roll him underneath me, so that I could run a line of kisses from his mouth down to the gap in his ribs before returning to worry at one nipple, making Eyes arch under me, gasping.

"Bedroom?" he suggested, and I nodded, agreeing easily, though I suddenly felt a ripple of anxiety again, unable to suppress a bit of uneasiness. This was moving so fast.

"You should know," I managed to say as I pulled him to his feet and ended up with Eyes wrapped around me tightly. "You should know that I've never done this before."

"Never?" Eyes asked, and I was relieved to see that he didn't look worried. Instead, the look in his eyes was excited, almost happy. "I'm your first lover?"

"Yeah," I replied, amazed by the little things I said resulting in such fierce reactions from Eyes, his icy exterior melting as I had wished for once. "I've never wanted anyone like this before," I admitted between kisses.

"You have no idea how flattering that is to hear," Eyes informed me, tugging my hand as he opened the bedroom door clumsily. "I thought for so long that you were with the Yuizaki girl."

It took me a moment to draw the connection to Hiyono from our previous conversation, and I sighed. "She's not going to take this well," I warned him, rewarded with a smirk worthy of Kousuke.

"Her two crushes together? I thought girls enjoyed that sort of thing." I sat down on the bed next to him, suddenly uncertain of what to do. Eyes took this in slowly, nodding. "We could wait," he murmured, gently running a hand through my hair.

"What?" I asked, a bit puzzled.

"You look like you've been hit by a truck," Eyes told me, his honesty a bit jarring. "You're not ready to be this serious about someone all in one night."

"I'm that easy to read?" I joked weakly, shaking my head. "It's not that I don't want to," I added hastily. "But all of the sudden it seemed too fast for me. What if everything is horrible, or tomorrow morning you figure out this really is a mistake, or…" I took a deep breath. "I just need you too much to mess this up by being stupid."

"I understand," he told me simply, leaning down for a light kiss, his lips lingering on mine for several moments. "We'll go slowly. If you wanted to stay though, sleep here, just sleep, I mean…" he trailed off, and I recognized the almost hopeful edge to his question a heartbeat later.

"Yeah," I replied, tugging him down to the bed. "And maybe some more kissing. And cuddling. I never pinned you as the cuddly type of guy."

"I most certainly am not," Eyes retorted, doing his best to sound like his usual haughty self.

"You were wrapped around me earlier when we woke up," I informed him, failing to notice the dangerous glint in his eyes.

"I believe you were the one who was wrapped around me like you needed a teddy bear. Wouldn't let me out of bed."

I opened my mouth to retort and Eyes took advantage of my momentary distraction, the pillow connecting with my head with a 'thunk'. "You cheat!" I cried, laughing as we tussled for control of the pillow, ending up tangled together, tired and happy on his bed.

"See?" Eyes informed me with a gentle kiss on my forehead as we were drifting off sleepily. "You needed to cuddle."

From Eyes' Point of View

I woke up slowly, still tangled with Ayumu, and though I would never admit it to him, I was the one spooned tightly to him with my arms wrapped around him. I wasn't used to feeling like this. Even with Kanone, I hadn't been this oddly content. I usually climbed right out of bed in the morning, automatically, without any thought. Today I was reluctant to get up, and had no intention of letting Ayumu get up either.

I eased my arms slowly free of Ayumu's grasp, rolling onto my back. Predictably, Ayumu rolled over as well, slinging an arm across my stomach. "Don't get up," he ordered me sleepily, and I bit back a smile as a slid an arm under his body, pulling him tightly to my side.

"I have bad news," I informed him quietly.

"Padma?" he said, his deep brown eyes opening and staring at me. I was distracted for a long moment, absorbed in Ayumu's gaze. "Eyes? Are you okay?"

"Sorry," I said, feeling my cheeks color slightly. "Nothing so terrible as you're thinking. But it is Wednesday."

Ayumu waited, obviously expecting me to say something more, and then realization hit him. "School!" he gasped, shaking his head.

I smirked, running a finger down his chest teasingly. "I'd try to tempt you into skipping, but you would never do that, would you?" I remarked, enjoying the way his expression changed abruptly, darkening with heat and desire as my finger traced its way lower to dance along the line of his pants.

"I skipped last week for you," he reminded me, sitting up and straddling me easily. He bent down to brush a kiss across my forehead, then one on each of my eyelids, and finally on the tip of my nose before finding my lips for an all too brief kiss. "I'm just not certain what my inducement to skip today would be."

"Well, if that's how you see it," I replied, calling his bluff easily, starting to roll away, finding myself quite suddenly pinned back in place, a hungry kiss searing my lips. I moaned lowly, caught slightly off guard by Ayumu's sudden dominance. I gazed up at him for a long moment when we finally broke apart, almost regretting my promise the night before to take things slowly.

"Not to kiss and run, but I do have a test today I can't miss," Ayumu confessed, looking apologetic. "I can come back after school."

"You'll need to bring the others with you," I informed him, grumbling as the world beyond my own libido came crashing back into focus. "We have to start working on a plan, figuring out what happened to Padma and how much danger we are now in."

"Okay," Ayumu agreed, rolling off me and starting to rummage for his clothes, not realizing his shirt was in the other room still. I tossed him one of my white shirts, and he smiled, looking a bit shy. "I guess I don't really have time to get home for clothes, huh?" he remarked.

"I imagine you would face an interesting line of questions from your sister as well," I replied, enjoying the fact that Ayumu's cheeks colored quickly. "Not that you'll avoid them from Rio and Ryoko when you show up at school in one of my shirts."

"That I can handle," he answered, shrugging. He kissed me quickly, grabbing his bag from the floor and tugged his shoes on, shouting a quick goodbye before hurrying out. By my quick calculation, he'd make it to school with only seconds to spare.

I shook my head before heading to the bathroom for a cold shower.