In one fell swoop, I am updating everything I have today. Bwahahaha. For those of you who have me on your alerts, sorry for all the e-mails ff will send you.


Bright and early, six a.m., the phone began to ring.

Aya wasn't surprised in the least.

"Yohji." He stated, not waiting for the other man to speak.

"How did you know?"

Aya found himself smiling and quickly wiped the expression from his face, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against his pillows.

"I know you." He answered at last.

"Can I tell you something, bunny thong?"

"You have a death wish, don't you?"

"I feel like shit."

Another smile creapt up on him. He pushed it back down quickly.

"I knew you would." He informed him, amusement plain in his voice. "That man was at least twice your size, dumbass."

"Truthfully, I think picking a fight with a locomotive may have been a wiser choice."

"I think you're right."

"Can I see you today?"

"Yohji…"

"What? What's the problem?"

He hesitated.

"I've never been in this kind of relationship before. You know that, Yohji."

"Yeah? So what? You've got a good guide, baby. I'll teach you everything you need to know, I promise."

He shivered; there was something impossibly intimate about lying in bed and talking to Yohji, even if it was only over the phone. This time, it was impossible for him to kill his smile.

"I would love for you to teach me, Yohji," he confided, surprised at how warm and gentle his voice sounded. "But I want to slow down."

"Slow down? We've been dating for months!"

"But I didn't know we were dating," he pointed out. "I'm not used to the idea yet."

"You weren't complaining when you had your tongue shoved down my throat." He blonde said petulantly.

"I apologize. If it's too difficult for you, we don't have to kiss at all until I'm ready to go all the way."

It was surreal, Aya decided as he listened to Yohji sputter. He laughed silently to himself, covering his eyes with a hand as he thought about how strange it was to be calmly teasing Yohji about sex. Even stranger was that he believed without a doubt that the blonde thought he loved him.

"You teasing bastard." Yohji seethed, catching on at last.

The truth would be even more upsetting to the blonde. Aya would love to see his reaction if Yohji ever realized that Aya had been lusting for him for weeks and that now, when at last presented with the opportunity to have him, Aya was insisting they wait. His own contradictions were driving him crazy, but he was…terrified.

"I need to get used to the idea, first, that's all," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. Fantasy was one thing – reality was much more frightening. "Can you date someone for real without getting sex?"

"I guess I'm going to have to, aren't I?"

"Don't pout; it's childish."

"How long are we talking here, Aya?"

"Does it matter?"

"No, not to me, but little Yohji is very disappointed. I have to give him some kind of time estimate, or he'll never forgive me."

Aya sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"Honestly, Yohji, I really don't care if your dick gets angry at you or not."

"Shhh; it can hear you."

"If you're going to be stupid, then I'm hanging up."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Silence for a long moment. "So," Yohji drawled finally, "When are you going to tell Bob that he needs to move out?"

Aya, who had made the mistake of relaxing during the silence, sat up suddenly.

"What?"

"Well, there's only really room for one of us up there. I hope."

It was Aya's turn to sputter indignantly, forced to listen as Yohji's confident, masculine laughter filled the line.

"And who says I'm going to be on the bottom?" He demanded at last.

"We can try any position you want, bunny thong, but it's still going to be me inside you."

A part of Aya reared up in righteous fury; he had been the leader of Weiss, after all. He was the responsible one. The grownup one. The trustworthy one.

The rest of Aya was distracted by the sudden, rather detailed mental images Yohji's words and tone had inspired.

"We'll discuss this later." He stated finally, voice sharp despite his fear. It was inconceivable how the damned man could affect him in such a way.

Not to mention it wasn't fair.

"So I called." Yohji stated. "Can I see you today?"

"I'm hanging up now."

"Why?"

"I warned you not to be stupid."

He hung up, the sound of the blonde's laughter ringing in his ears.

Less than ten minutes later, Yohji was at his door.

"I'm taking you to breakfast." He announced cheerily.

The bruising on his face was completely gone. Not really thinking about it, Aya reached forward to touch him, and Yohji jerked back with a hiss of pain.

"Are you wearing makeup?"

"I just wanted to look sexy for you, baby."

Aya glared, effectively wiping the smirk from his former teammate's face. When they had been assassins they had often used makeup to hide evidence of injuries from flower shop customers. The fact Yohji was still using the technique meant that those bruises had to have been some pretty interesting colors.

"When we get back, you're washing that off so that I can get a look at you." Aya commanded coldly. Maybe the drugstore down the street would carry some kind of bruise ointment.

"You don't think I look sexified?"

Tight jeans, oversized red sweater.

Aya directed his gaze to the other man's face, glaring, and Yohji began to laugh – pleased with himself. How in hell how had the blonde ever learned to read Aya so well?


Yohji had not slept last night – he had found himself too terrified to close his eyes. He had tortured himself the entire night through, replaying his conversation with Aya over and over in his mind.

He'd had it all planned out, of course. In a month or two he had been planning to take Aya somewhere romantic where, holding his hand and looking deeply into his eyes, he would finally confess his feelings.

Done right, he felt that The Plan would have won him Aya's love forever. Done wrong, he would have lost him.

Well, it was certainly done now, and whether right or wrong Yohji had been helpless to do anything more than pace around his apartment and pray that Aya would give him a chance.

It appeared, at least, that Aya had decided he was willing to try. That, however, did nothing to set Yohji's mind at ease. He kept having to remind himself, quite forcefully, to be careful.

He was afraid that if he became too affectionate too quickly he would frighten Aya away.

But if he allowed things to remain as he had been, they might never move their relationship to something more.

Unconsciously, Yohji made a quiet, frustrated sound.

Aya looked up over his menu, raising an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing…this place only carries one flavor syrup, that's all.

"You don't like syrup, Yohji."

"No, I don't…but it's not fair to only carry one flavor!"

A slow blink.

"You're making a stand for syrup justice?" he asked finally.

"Um…yeah."

Aya kicked him under the table.

"Stupid." The younger man grumbled, a small smile gracing his lips.


The boy's "band" were continuing to attempt to make trouble for Aya. Somehow they succeeded in convincing the boy that if he refused to sing during their scheduled recording sessions, then eventually the studio would have no choice but to bend and accept the entire group.

The boy, so young and nervous and naïve, didn't seem capable of understanding the term "breach of contract."

"Narumoto," Aya sighed, fighting a headache. Rubbing his temples, he carefully avoided looking at the boy seated across from him for fear his furious glare would prove traumatizing. "I like you." He continued. "I think you have talent. I think, despite your age, that you could become quite successful."

"Thank you." The boy blinked, hostility draining from his face with his surprise.

Aya finally did look up, and Narumoto paled and shrank back from the glare.

"You'll waste it all with your stupidity." He snapped. "All of your talent and potential are wasted if you keep up this behavior."

"But…"

He forced himself to gentle his voice, though compassion had been a difficult thing for him for a long time.

"I know your friends are important to you," he informed him, "But they're holding you back and threatening your future."

"But, Fujimiya-san…"

"We. Don't. Want. Them." The boy paled further under the sharp tone of his voice and the intensity of his glare. Aya had to force himself once more to tame his voice. "I'm already under pressure from my boss, Narumoto." He said as gently as he could manage. "He thinks that you're more trouble than you're worth. He wants to drop you completely."

"No!" The boy gasped.

Aya nodded. "I don't agree with him though. I don't know why, but I think you're worth my time." Plus, he didn't want to start all over with some other rude kid. The boy really did have talent, anyway.

"Thank you."

"Your friends, however, are not worth my time."

He waited for several silent moments as the boy thought over his words.

A tap came at the door and his secretary stuck her head in.

"Fujimiya-san, you asked me to inform you when Kudoh-san arrived."

"Thank you," he nodded. The door closed after her quietly, and Aya took a few more moments to observe Narumoto. "I have the studio reserved for tomorrow," he said finally, rising. "And the band has agreed to come. I'm not sure if I will be able to persuade them to show up if you stand them up again. Nevertheless, it is your decision."

"Fujimiya-san?"

He stopped, meeting the boy's eyes.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. For…for what Jani called you last week."

Aya blinked in surprise, and it actually took him a moment to remember what the boy was even talking about.

"Thanks." He said at last, voice gruff, knowing he had been silent for too long. He hesitated only a moment before offering his hand to the boy, who shook it with a wide grin – seeming to have gained something from the exchange.

As promised, Yohji was in the reception area waiting for him. The lanky blonde was sitting in a chair reading a magazine, eyebrows slowly climbing to his hairline.

The magazine's cover story was "Twenty Tricks to Drive Him Wild."

"Taking notes?" Aya asked dryly, heat climbing into his face.

Yohji looked up, a wide grin spreading itself across his lips.

"Would you find it sexy if I…" he checked the magazine, "Took a satin ribbon and wrapped it around your - "

"Stop."

Still grinning, the blonde snapped his magazine shut and rose, holding out a hand. Aya allowed himself to be pulled into the other man's arms, a part of him still stunned that Yohji was no longer his pretend lover, but his real boyfriend.

Yohji tilted his chin up and kissed him, a light brush of lips so unexpected that Aya didn't have the chance to even attempt to stop him.

They would have to have a little talk about these public displays of affection.

Eventually.

"My secretary is watching." He hissed, seeing the look in Yohji's eyes and knowing the man was thainking about attempting a second, possibly deeper, kiss.

Yohji laughed and drew back, keeping only an arm around him as he gave a slight wave to the brilliantly blushing secretary.

"You take it easy now, ma'am."

Aya elbowed him as the blonde lead him to the elevator, fighting the urge to laugh.

Aya wasn't at all surprised when, once they reached the relative privacy of the elevators, he was turned to face Yohji once more, back pressed against the wall as the taller man's warm, moist mouth descended to cover his own with a fearful hunger.

"There are cameras in here." Aya managed to protest as Yohji began tugging to pull his shirt out of his pants.

"Then we might as well give those poor, bored security guards some entertainment." He murmured back playfully, falling to his knees and shoving his shirt up. Aya's protests died on his tongue, replaced by a strangled gasp, as the blonde's tongue darted wetly into his navel, teeth gently scraping against his skin.

"Stop that!" He hissed. Yohji only laughed.

Since their…discussion…on their relationship, Yohji had been doing all in his power to keep Aya as off balance as possible. They had agreed to wait until Aya was ready to become truly physical, and Yohji had promised not to pressure him.

But the former playboy did not see pouncing on Aya and kissing him breathless as "pressure."

Aya was on to his little game, but unable to fight him. Unwilling to fight him. Yohji's plan was simple yet effective; some days it seemed he was unable to keep his hands off the small swordsman, and refused to stop his assault until Aya was nearly to his breaking point, ready to beg.

Other days his touches and kisses were rare and soft, leaving him wanting more.

Pushing him to his breaking point, ready to beg.

And they had only been dating a week, officially.

At this rate…

Aya would have shuddered in fear – he was not ready!­ – but all conscious thought had already been lost.

"Stop." He managed again, more weakly than before, as he attempted unsuccessfully to push the blonde away.

No matter how heated Yohji grew, he had never moved below the belt. This was a little too close to that forbidden line; a little much, even for Yohji. If Aya succumbed, he would be consumed.

Did he want to be consumed?

"Yohji…"

The blonde looked up at him, trapping him with his eyes, and began to smirk slowly.

The elevator stopped unexpectedly. The doors opened.

Satoshi Morita gaped at them a moment as Yohji scrambled to his feet.

"I…think I'll take the next one." Morita decided, stepping back. Aya quickly pressed the button for the doors to close again.

The two men shared an unpleasant silence.

"Aya, I'm…"

"Thank you, Kudoh."

"What?"

Aya smiled grimly, crossing his arms.

"You've just proven to me why waiting is a good idea."

"What? Aya!"

"I can't trust you with that yet, obviously. Think about what could have happened had we been farther along in our relationship."

Yohji groaned. "So how many months have I pushed us back, then?"

Aya had to turn away to hide his amusement. "I don't know, Yohji." He decided breezily. "If you can't behave yourself in public, then I'm not sure there's really any hope for us."

Yohji grabbed his shoulders and spun him to face him once more. Aya could not entirely fight a smile as the other man's mouth descended to cover his own.

"Tell me you don't enjoy this." He hissed, failing to see that Aya was, at least partially, teasing him.

"I could take it or leave it." Aya mumbled back, reaching out to tangle his hands in Yohji's golden hair, smirking at his companion's astonished expression.

Yohji finally caught on.

"Sneaky bastard." He murmured, lowering his head once more.

The elevator doors opened once more, exposing them to the lobby. Aya drew back, removing Yohji's hand from his backside and holding it in his own as they left the elevator.

"We keep eating out like this and I'm going to get fat." Aya remarked dryly as they stepped out into the warm sunshine. The wind picked up, stealing said warmth, and Aya moved closer to his companion.

"I'll love you anyway." Yohji decided with a sigh. "I guess."

"Well, I appreciate the sacrifice."

Yohji laughed. His hand slipped out of Aya's so that he could wrap his arm around his waist and pull him closer to his side. Aya hadn't even realized he was shivering until he stopped.

"Masochistic bastard." Yohji m mumbled fondly, leaning in to brush his lips against his temple. "You've gotta get a thicker coat than this."

"Now Yohji, you can't do that. Which type of bastard am I – a sneaky bastard or a masochistic one?"

"You can't be both?"

He shook his head firmly. "You have to choose."

"How about if you're neither? How about if you're just my precious bunny thong?"

"I warned you about calling me that."

Yohji's hip knocked playfully against him. "What are you gonna' do about it, bunny thong?"

Aya put his own arm around Yohji, pinching him hard enough to make the other man hiss.

"Nothing yet." He answered. "But you should be warned that I'm keeping a list."

"A list?"

"Mmm. For every time you call me that, I add another day to your sentence."

"My sentence?"

"The amount of time you have to wait before I'll let you fuck me." He clarified.

"Don't call it that."

"Then what am I supposed to call it?"

"Making love."

Aya snorted.

Yohji pondered his words for a moment. "My sentence," he mused, "I like that. Reminds me of prison. And you know what happens in prison."

"Riots?"

Yohji looked thoughtful again.

"You know," he decided finally, "It might just be worth it."

Aya actually missed a step.

"You would rather call me by that idiotic name than fuck me?" he demanded.

Yohji shrugged breezily. "Whatever you want me to believe, you're only human, bunny thong. Even you have to have a breaking point."

Aya glared.

"So you think I'll break before you reach the end of your sentence?" He asked dryly.

"Yeah, I do."

Aya smiled, grasping both of Yohji's hands in his own and going up on tiptoe to reach the blonde's ear.

"Care to make a wager on that?" He whispered, smile growing as he felt his companion shiver.

"Yeah, I do." Yohji whispered back. The two grinned madly at each other for a long moment. "Want to discuss this over lunch?" Yohji asked finally.

"Sounds like a plan." Aya agreed.

They began to walk again, Yohji's arm around Aya's waist, hand in the smaller man's back pocket.

Aya decided that that was just the way he liked it.


"The rules are simple." Yohji said with a grin over his menu a few moments later. He seemed very cheerful all of the sudden, and his little-boy grin was infectious.

"Oh?" Aya asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"All the rules are out the window except for one: whoever breaks first loses."

"What constitutes 'breaking'?" Aya asked.

A wicked grin.

"Begging, of course."

"I'm serious."

"And who says I'm not?"

Despite himself, Aya felt his smile return. It was a strange experience, being in such a light mood.

"All right," he agreed, "Fine. And what do I get when I win?"

"When? Oh no,no,no,no,no. If. If you win, Aya, my love, then…then I'll be on the bottom."

Aya snorted in disbelief.

"You're willing to risk your position of dominance?"

"Aya? You aren't going to win."


To Be Continued

Phew. Long chapter this time.

"The boy" has a name at last. Why didn't he earlier? No reason other than I was too lazy to give him one.

And yes, I know that Yohji decides to go slow and then the relationship gets a little hot and heavy. The thing with Aya and Yohji is, though it takes them a long time to get together, there's a lot of passion between them. It's what makes the pairing so alluring. Last chapter was the halfway point for this fic, I think. There will be a sequel...but I won't be able to write it until I watch the rest of Gluhen. (I only have the first two DVDs.) If anyone knows of a good page with a really,really good summery and pictures on it, that would be a biggggggg help.

This is not a poll, but an opinion survey: Do you want a lemon? There's no guaruntee I'll go with the popular opinion, whatever it is, but I would like to know what everyone thinks. I've been debating it for weeks and have yet to have made a decision.

Questions, comments? Review button is right there. See ya next time!

Response to Unsigned Reviews:

MM - It's difficult to tell what Aya thinks. He's very difficult to control.

Kirai - thrilled that you've forgiven him. But how is Aya supposed to know what (romantic) love feels like when he's never allowed himself even the slightest possibility of feeling it? Yohji is just going to have to teach him. (Evil Grin.) As stated above, there will definitley be a part two. But part one isn't over yet - don't kill it too quickly!

Moon without a Sun - Squeefullness.

CaT70 - If...if you died from happiness...are you a zombie now? (Is frightened of zombies)

talietim - Thank you so much. As for when it finally happens...I'm not saying anything yet. Of course it'll be Aya's first time though.

amethyst rulzz - Thankies!

Miss Macabre - Poor Bob. Hmm...Blame Moi Moi-chan, eh? Where is she hiding...

All right, thanks everyone! Hope to see ya next time!

Kit