Sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy.

Yohji was itching to tease Aya.

The longer they sat in silence, the worse the urge grew. Part of him wondered what was wrong with him that he needed to turn everything into innuendo. Part of him was a little worried about the fact that, ever since they had decided to date, he hadn't been able to leave Aya alone.

No…

No, that wasn't right, was it? He'd been going out of his way to annoy Aya since the day they had met. He'd increased that lately, but not because of their new relationship. It had all started the night he had sat in Aya's room, cleaning his wounds.

"How are you, anyway?"

He'd blurted it out without thought, and cleared his throat uncomfortably as Aya raised his eyes from the salad he'd been picking over to give him a flat, unfriendly look.

"What?" the small swordsman asked.

"I was just thinking – about those injuries I cleaned for you. Remember?"

"That was almost two months ago."

"I know. But…you know. How are you?"

"What are you trying this time, Kudoh?"

"Look – it's taking every last scrap of control I have not to tease you about saying you want me at your back. Least you could do is appreciate the fact that I'm trying to distract myself with real conversation."

"I'm fine." Aya ducked his head, attention once more on his food. "Healed normally. You…did a good job. I should have thanked you."

"Aren't you just the cutest thing?"

"Kudoh."

"Sorry," he grinned.

As the silence fell again, he felt better.

"You…" Aya hesitated. "You really think you're going to be able to put up with me?"

"Me put up with you? You're the one on the verge of violence here," he laughed. "I know I irritate the hell out of you, but I just can't help it."

"No, I…" Aya took a deep breath. It seemed he had to force himself as he looked up again. He had that stubborn look which meant he had made up his mind. "I know that I'm difficult, and that…that I'm not very fair and I expect you to just sense what I want you to do. I know…I know that I'm lucky you're even entertaining this idea and that…that I…"

"Aya, stop it! I wasn't trying to say any of that!"

"But we both know it's true."

Yohji didn't know how to respond. Some of it was true.

"I…I can't move as quickly as I know you're used to. It…it's going to take me a little longer that you might like to be able to open up to you or feel comfortable with physicality or…or any of the other…"

"Aya! Aya, stop it, okay? Stop…look, I'm the one, okay? I am used to going faster and I've just been an idiot about everything."

"Yohji…"

"Don't try to change yourself, Aya. I'm the one threatening this. You are who you are and I am who I am. Neither of us needs to change – we just have to remember to try to understand each other."

Aya nodded hesitantly.

"I…I think I can try that."

"Yeah?"

"I'll remember that you're a very physical person, and you'll remember that I'm…"

He stopped as Yohji reached to take his hand.

"I like you, Aya. I promise you – this is going to be worth it. If you can learn to trust me, and I can learn to be patient and let you move at your own pace…I feel like we can really have something great."

Aya looked down once more. "What does it mean if that completely terrifies me?"

"I don't know."

"What if I can't do this?"

"Aya…okay, I have an idea."

He waited a moment, but Aya didn't say anything. The man did, however, stare at him as he rose.

"Scoot over."

Aya did as asked, eyes large and staring as Yohji moved to sit beside him on the other side of the booth.

"Here's what I think," he began.

"Are we ready for dessert?"

Yohji felt the urge to glare as the waitress interrupted him. She had been extra attentive all throughout the meal, and it was becoming increasingly clear that is wasn't a tip she was interested in.

Yohji ordered some kind of brownie dessert and two coffees, just because he could see that Aya was about to say no and he didn't want their time to end yet. As the waitress walked away, Yohji turned his attention back to Aya. The small man was tense, and had pressed himself as far away from Yohji as he could. His eyes were locked on the table.

"Can we keep talking, or do I need to move?"

Aya didn't answer. Eventually he gave a small shrug.

Yohji decided to stay exactly where he was.

"Okay, so let me tell you my idea," he said, fighting the urge to reach for him. He wanted to comfort Aya, make him relax with him, but knew that they weren't yet close enough for even that much. "Are you sure you're okay? I'll move back if you're too uncomfortable to listen."

Aya shook his head.

"I'm fine," he bit out. "What did you decide?"

"I didn't decide. You can say no."

"Just spill it."

"We're both serious about this, but…we clearly still have a few issues to…"

"No."

"Let me finish."

"That isn't what I'm saying." Aya looked up, glaring. "I just want you to be honest. It isn't 'our' issues holding us back – it's mine. Say it."

"Fine. You clearly have a few issues we need to find a way around if we're going to get anywhere."

"And?"

"We should spend time together."

"What do you call this?"

"No, I…I mean we should make sure we take time every day to just…push you a little – so you can feel comfortable getting close to me. Ease you into it, you know? I think in the mornings, maybe – so that when we go out at night, we'll both know where things stand. I'll know how far we can go, and we won't get into a fight and ruin an actual date."

"What…" Aya looked away, swallowing nervously. "What exactly are you proposing?"

Yohji reached out. Gently he brushed long strands of hair out of Aya's eyes.

"Just…something like this," he said quietly. "Let me be close to you for a few minutes. We don't even have to talk – just something to let you get comfortable with letting me close. Do you think you could do that?"

He waited, pulling his fingers slowly through Aya's hair. At last the man nodded.

"I can…I can only promise to try."

"Thank you."

They were quiet for a few moments. Yohji slid his hand down, resting his fingers lightly across the back of Aya's neck.

"This okay?" he asked.

"Y…yes."

With his other hand, he reached for Aya's, entwining their fingers.

"This?"

Aya only nodded, looking embarrassed.

Yohji raised Aya's hand to his lips, kissing it gently. He turned it over, kissed his palm, and watched him shiver.

"Th…That…" Aya began.

The waitress returned with their dessert and the bill, and her eyes grew bright at the sight of them.

"No hurry," she assured them with a wink.

Aya quickly drew his hand away and stared down at the table as the waitress made absolutely sure there was nothing else they needed. Ignoring the phone number splayed blatantly across the bill, Yohji got rid of her as soon as he could.

"I told you I don't like coffee," Aya said quietly as she left.

"I know. Don't think I forgot."

Aya's glare accused him of lying. "Go back to your side of the table."

"Just wait, okay? I remembered, but I want you to try it again." Reaching for the cream and the sugar, Yohji began to fix the cup in front of Aya. "Number one, I want to keep you here for as long as possible. Number two, coffee is really good with something rich and sweet like the brownie."

The contents of Aya's mug were now a soft fawn color. Yohji handed it back to him with his most charming grin.

"So try a bit of dessert and then take a sip and if you still completely hate it, we can leave this very second."

Aya stared, almost accusingly, at the mug for several long moments. When he at last spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"I…don't want to leave yet."

Yohji felt his grin become a smile. Something inside him felt very light at those words. "Okay," he said. "We don't have to leave if you don't like it – but I still want you to try it."

Nodding, Aya picked up his fork.

The 'brownie' was a very large square – spongy and moist and covered liberally with ice cream, chocolate sauce, and caramel. Aya looked at it as if he suspected it would grow fangs and attack him.

"A real bite, Aya," Yohji reminded him, laughing as the man crinkled his nose at the plate.

He nodded once more, looking like a man sentenced to death, and followed Yohji's instructions with obvious reluctance. The blonde waited, oddly entranced by Aya's long, graceful hands, his soft, lovely mouth, the way his long, dark lashes looked against his pale cheeks.

Yohji had been with a lot of men and women in his life. Some of them had been as inexperienced as he thought Aya was, but most had not. Yohji was willing to be flexible when it came to sex – he'd happily played the part of seduced and seducer, dominant and submissive, pursuer and pursued – the truth was, Yohji got off on the pleasure of his partner. As long as the other person was happy, Yohji was happy.

Watching restrained, controlled, unreadable Aya show any sign of pleasure was thrilling – and to be perfectly honest, Yohji had never see anyone look quite as desirable as Aya did when his eyes bit up with surprised joy.

It was almost frightening how addicted Yohji was beginning to find the man. It was almost terrifying to think of how very quickly he had begun to care for him.

Aya lowered the mug after taking a sip of coffee, and his vibrant violet eyes turned on Yohji filled with that soft, beautiful warmth that the blonde had begun to crave so desperately.

"It's good!" he said, and for a moment Yohji knew he was looking at Aya the way the man must have been once, a very long time ago, before something terrible had happened to turn him into the cold, damaged man he now was. "Yohji?"

He took the mug from Aya's pale hands and set it aside. Aya only stared at him, looking, for the moment, unbelievably innocent as Yohji gently cupped his face in his hands.

When he kissed Aya, it was with the quiet knowledge that he was sealing his fate. It was a gentle, chaste kiss – soft and slow and sweet. Aya's lips tasted like the coffee and dessert he had just tried, byt there was something else there, too – some warmth, some sweetness that had to be, simply, Aya. His mouth was so soft and yielding, so submissive to Yohji's will, so trusting and innocent and untried.

Yohji realized, as he gently pulled away, that he never wanted to kiss anyone else. Though they'd been struggling, each trying to understand the odd attraction that seemed to pull at them so powerfully, and though Yohji wasn't even sure that he and Aya even technically counted as friends yet, Yohji knew, absolutely knew, that this was it.

Staring at the soft, startled expression on Aya's face – that beautiful, exotic face – Yohji knew.

Aya was what he'd been searching his entire life for.

tbc

The next chapter is going to be a little different than what you're used to with this fic. Hope you like it.

Response to Unsigned Reviews:

Caitlebug - I think he's always adorable...even when he's being an ass. The softness is also due to the fact that this story is set pre-Taketori's death. In the cannon, he seems to me to only really shut down after that part. Meh - personal interpretation.

CaT70 - lol. Thanks. Hm...when I used to work in fast food we had an adorable transvestite who used to come by, but I don't remember any actual couples...ah well.

glinwulf - They don't bother me, it's just that I have no intention of fixing them and don't really care. (grins) Putting Aya and Yohji in a room together and just 'watching' them talk is incredibly entertaining for me. If I could get away with it, it's all I would ever write.