A/N: Thanks much to everyone who has reviewed. I am deeply grateful for each and every one.
Also, it has spurred me to write faster! That, coupled with there wasn't quite enough new fic posted for me to read this week, and I was forced to write instead. Or if there was, I didn't see it. In any event, I blame you entirely. This one's short, though. Please note I'm posting as I go, because ah am a wild and crazy thang, so parts may change later.
The regular warnings and cautions and disclaimers from Chapter 1 still apply. Please read them first.
Chapter 3: Simple Things
It had been a Sunday when Aya first kissed him.
Ken wasn't sure why it was a Sunday, or why he should remember that. Omi had been working out the schedule in the kitchen, he remembered, and he'd been eating noodles and laughing at Omi's frustrated mutterings as he'd tried to accommodate everyone's various limitations and commitments. Because on the first Sunday of every month, Omi worked out the shift schedule after dinner.
The rest of them had learnt to make sure they were there—if Omi had questions, if they had commitments, if they just didn't want to get stuck with doing every morning shift for two weeks straight.
There were certain givens. Omi did not do the day shift on weekdays. Ken himself did not do the evening shift on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Yohji did not do the morning shift on weekends, the evening shift on Friday, and couldn't be relied upon to do an early shift alone ever.
So Omi usually took the early shift on weekends, and Ken took early shifts on weekdays. Aya was the most flexible and reliable of the four, and didn't mind working extra shifts for the extra cash; Omi was the least flexible, and Yohji the least reliable.
It made working out the shift schedule a bit of a game.
"I can't do next Wednesday night, chibi, I've got a date. That means Thursday morning is out as well." Yohji's light drawl.
"I can't do the following Saturday, Omi, I've got a tournament for the kids." Ken, apologetically.
"I've taken a recon solo mission Tuesday night, Omi, so I'm off on Monday and Tuesday, and likely Wednesday morning as well." Aya's deep, serious tones. "Nothing dangerous, very routine," he added, in response to the raised eyebrow from Yohji and the slanted looks of concern from the younger two.
"And I've got another project for school so I won't be able to do the Sunday afternoon shift as I usually do ..." Omi murmured distractedly, as he looked critically over the calendar.
It had been relaxed, that Sunday in the Koneko, as they'd sat around, all four of them, eating and joking and preparing for the week ahead. No major missions, no major injuries, and they'd just finished a mission that week, so all of them were financially sound. It had been a good day.
And later that evening, after hours and days and weeks of careful touches and cautious words and comfort in the night, Aya had pulled him aside, and spoke to him, and smiled at him, just at him, in that way he had. And when Aya smiled ... it had been an even better day.
And then Aya had kissed him, and it had been ... it had been ...
Just as simple, and as beautiful, as the arrangements Aya worked on so meticulously.
Just as easy, and as natural, as the best things in his life had always been.
It had been downright amazing.
Short chapter. Thanks again for reading.