Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

xoxoxo

-Dia

Chapter 15

Zero looked about the room of the men's boutique that was lavished with expensive formal and casual wear with wide lilac eyes before his eyes landed upon the three other occupants in the room.

"Are you for real?"

Kaname tilted his head a little as he addressed the other with upmost seriousness in his voice. "I was being very serious when I said that 'you can have anything you want, no matter the amount'."

"I know you said that and all, but buying me a two hundred dollar shirt is way too much!"

"Have you forgotten who I am?" Kaname said almost annoyingly.

From the kindness of his heart, Kaname had went above and beyond to rent out an entire men's boutique so that he and Zero could shop in peace without having to worry about crowds of people wanting to pester Kaname with photos and autographs. No doubt the media too would want to take pictures of Kaname's new lover and broadcast it for the world to see.

Yet for some reason the idea of having Zero's face plastered on every television screen and newspaper had somehow made a pang of jealousy start to bubble somewhere deep in him and Kaname didn't know why. The brunette refused to believe it was due to Kaname's growing attachment to the silver haired youth because then it would be his loss if he fell in love with the other and Kaname was in no way going to lose.

"Yes I know who you are, but that doesn't mean anything."

"Yes it does. No lover of mine is going to wear cheap clothing."

Now that response made Zero mad.

"I ain't some doll you can dress up however you like!"

Kaname opened his mouth to refute that but decided not to. Zero was the one person Kaname knew was stubborn enough to hold his own against him, and well…may be Zero was right about Kaname wanting to dress Zero up in a way that was more self-satisfying if anything. Zero was different from the countless girls Kaname fooled around with. They were more than happy to be Kaname's doll and be showered with expensive clothing and jewels.

The difference between those girls and Zero was one of the things that drew Kaname to Zero. Zero wasn't a person who could be bought, yet the stubborn part of Kaname who felt that Zero was all talk was still driven to prove that Zero was like every other person, that Zero was a wolf in sheep's clothing. And to determine if Zero's outward appearance was truly fake as Kaname believed it would be, then Kaname would have to play along until there was an opening for Kaname to rip off the other's mask and unravel what truly lay hidden.

Taking a deep even breath, Kaname looked back over to Zero who had his arms crossed over his chest as he waited for Kaname to say something.

"I'm sorry Zero, I didn't mean to make it sound like I wanted to change you or anything…" Kaname started sincerely. "I just wanted to treat you to a shopping spree. You know…give you things you've never had before."

Kaname saw one silver eyebrow rise as Zero stared back at him intensely as if trying to detect some hidden agenda Kaname may be having, but for once Kaname was being truly sincere.

"Fine, I'll indulge myself in your so called 'sincere whims', however I shall pay for my own clothing if you don't mind."

Kaname had to stop himself from snorting at Zero's insistence to pay for his own clothing, especially since all the clothes in the boutique was well over a hundred dollars, there was no way Zero had that kind of money saved up even though he was practically making more than a hundred dollars a night by being a top host at Silver Moon. Zero had responsibilities like paying for bills and supporting himself and his brother, that much alone deducted a hefty amount in expenses for both twins.

"I bet right now your thinking that I can't offered these kind of clothes, aren't you?" Zero questioned as he eyed Kaname.

"It's alright, I don't mind buying you anything you want and don't worry about having to pay me back. Consider this shopping trip a gift from me to you."

Zero felt the veins in his forehead twitch with annoyance before he pulled out his Burberry wallet and took out three platinum credit cards. Zero found the corners of his mouth begin to rise as he watched with amusement the look of shock that began to display on Kaname's face as well as the shop's owner and assistant.

"You would think that after going to great lengths to finding out information about me like where I live so you could take my belongings and then getting my work schedule from my boss that you would have come across the fact that I come from a fairly rich family."

"Wow, I surely didn't expect that." Kaname admitted he felt like an ass now for having assumed Zero wasn't privileged like him.

"I guess it's understandable in a way since I don't really like to talk about my family all that much."

"Why's that?"

"No reason."

It was obvious from the tense look on Zero's face that talking about his family brought on something horrible that Kaname could only imagine. So for now Kaname put the matter aside and focused his attention on an entirely different matter altogether.

Zero was indeed different from all the rest and Kaname found that endearing especially since Zero wasn't the type to wave his money around like most rich folk usually did and instead was content with living a modest lifestyle.

Kaname found himself smiling as he took a seat on a leather lounge chair. His reddish-brown eyes following the youth as he was led around the boutique by the owner who was showing Zero what his store had to offer, all the while as the owner's assistant took down sku-numbers of the clothes Zero wanted so he could get them all specially tailored made to fit him perfectly.

'You never cease to amaze me Zero.' Kaname thought to himself and he meant that. The pureblood had no doubt that meeting Zero was the best event to happen to him ever. The boy was unpredictable and witty, just what Kaname needed as a partner.

And as each minute that went by, Kaname found himself enjoying the other's company far more than he did with any other person. Kaname was certain that from here on out, life would be out of the norm and for once Kaname was content with that.

It was well into the night by the time Kaname and Zero returned back to Kaname's home. In their hands was an assortment of bags. Some had Zero's new tailored clothes while the others were groceries Zero had made Kaname buy for the house. Zero had insisted on dining out with how late their clothes shopping went but Kaname was adamant on having Zero whip something delicious for them to eat.

Eventually Zero gave into the brunette's childish whims and now he was gathering up the ingredients for a homely style spaghetti carbonara pasta.

Kaname had planted himself beside Zero at the kitchen counter eager to learn to cook from Zero. The silver haired youth was shocked to hear that Kaname rarely ate at home, which was understandable since he was busy most of the time with recording sessions, concerts, photo shoots, and magazine interviews. It was never ending for Kaname and today was one of those rare days off Kaname was given every now and then after working hard for so long. That's why Zero had been so insistent that they end their shopping trip to go home and rest but Kaname wasn't having it and just kept on taking Zero from one store to another. All to which he rented out for just the two of them and a selected few store employees to offer styling suggestions when needed.

Zero wiped a bead of sweat that gathered between his brows from the heat from the pot on the stove that was boiling and softening the thin angel hair noodles. Zero had given the task of chopping up the garlic and onions to Kaname who was carefully doing as he was told while Zero cooked the chopped beacon on a large skillet the silver haired youth took from Kaname's assortments of pots and pans.

Letting the bacon sizzle for a bit, Zero added a pinch of salt and one teaspoon of white wine to give the beacon a unique taste. After checking that the noodles had soften for a bit, Zero drained the water before placing the pan of limp noodles back on the stove to heat for a bit while Zero tossed in the chopped garlic and onion Kaname managed to chop into the appropriate bite size pieces at the cost of some minor cuts he managed. Zero figured that would happen since this was Kaname's first time chopping any kind of food before. However, the brunette still did a better job than Zero had first expected.

Another minute or two ticked on by before Zero added the chopped beacon, garlic and onion into the pot that held the noodles. Kaname handed Zero the beaten eggs he was asked to beat and watched as Zero added it to the noodles along with a half-cup of Parmesan cheese. Zero mixed and stirred the ingredients together for a few more minutes before he switched off the stove.

Kaname was setting the table for himself and Zero when he entered the dining room with a large serving bowl full of freshly cooked spaghetti carbonara and a bottle of red wine to go along with their meal.

Kaname inhaled deeply and felt his mouth water at the delicious smell that came from the bowl of pasta and as soon as it was on his plate, Kaname didn't hesitate in diving in. An audible 'mmm' sound came from Kaname's mouth that made Zero smile.

"From the sound of that it seems we did a good job at preparing dinner." Zero asked even though he already knew the answer.

Kaname nodded his head enthusiastically, which caused a soft chuckle to erupt from Zero's mouth. Kaname watched in awe as Zero laughed. Never in Kaname's life would he have thought that there was someone out there who had the power to change Kaname so quickly. Kaname would no doubt admit to being a conceited pop-singer who always got what he wanted, but for the first time Kaname had met someone who never once demanded something of value from him.

However it was still too early to tell if the persona Zero displayed for him was fake or not, only time and patience could answer that and it was that that Kaname still reserved some parts of himself from Zero especially now with their bet going on. So for now Kaname would wait and see what living with Zero would be like before he made that call.

Zero was a few bites away from finishing when he felt his phone vibrate once. The hunter dug into his pocket and retrieved his phone to review the text message he just received. Zero's face immediately paled when he saw who it was that texted him.

"You don't mind if I step outside for a bit, do you?"

"Sure…I don't see why not." Kaname answered back.

"Thanks," Was all Zero said before he left Kaname's apartment to make a call in the hallway on the other side of Kaname's front door.

Kaname was interested to say the least on who could make Zero go from happy to petrified in just a few short seconds. Kaname doubt it was Ichiru, Zero's brother who texted him. Yet Kaname couldn't fight off the feeling that it might just have something to do with Ichiru in some way.

The younger Kiryu was most definitely odd and not in the good short of way but the bad kind. His sudden appearance at Kaname's home earlier in the morning followed by his chaotic behavior was proof enough that Ichiru wasn't as innocent as he seemed.

Kaname did his best not to train his vampire hearing and eavesdrop on the conversation Zero was having with god knows who outside his suite's door, so instead Kaname went back to dinning on the food he helped prepare with Zero.

It was the thought of all the potential meals that Zero could make for them that drew Kaname's attention away from whatever conversation Zero was having and from the danger that would soon come their way.

-xoxoxo-

Kaien Cross gave a tired yawn as he gathered up the papers on his desk. He had been in his office most of the day going over Kaname's new revised contract the two had put together earlier that morning and now the sun was setting. Kaien was tired as he usually is when he's busy running his own talent agency and dealing with a mega pop-star like Kaname comes with its own fair of hardships.

But today Kaname seemed excited like a youth in a candy store. There was no doubt something going on later in the day that Kaname was looking forward to. Kaien had his suspicions as to what it might be but knowing how the pureblood tended to be, nothing was surprising in the least when it came to Kaname. Kaien was always the last to know when something involving said pureblood tended to happen.

Like for instance, Kaname forcing Zero to live with him was something Kaname nonchalantly informed him about today. Cross was outraged by this simply because Kaname was doing this out for his own amusement, which shouldn't surprise Cross all that much since Kaname was never one to follow anyone's rules.

Sighing to himself, Cross gathered the remaining paperwork before stuffing them neatly in his briefcase. Cross had just put on his coat when suddenly he felt another presence in his office.

"I regret to inform you but we're closed for the night." Cross spoke as he directed his attention toward the man standing by the opened window.

"Well that's unfortunate since I came all this way to see you."

"Indeed it is very unfortunate, if you want I can have my secretary reschedule you for some time this week."

"I'm sorry that won't do."

"Then I can't help you sir." Cross responded as he went for his briefcase on his desk, but before he could grab onto it, it was thrown across the room by a telekinetic wave.

"You and I both know you could spare a few short minutes to listen to what I have to say." The man answered back as he took the liberty of taking a seat in the chair in front of Cross's desk.

Cross eyed the man closely before reluctantly sitting back down behind his desk. "Alright, I'm listening."

The blonde man smiled. "I would like to join your agency."

TBC…