~*~
Chapter Sixteen: Blessings
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"So… Ivan went nuts, and so Nat and Kat came down for Christmas?" Feliciano asked, handing first Kiku his drink and then Matthew. They had decided to pull a Bad Touch Trio and make the Café Rose their Lunch hang out. Kiku came from Poppy Crafts to eat a lunch of sandwiches and whatever drink looked good on the menu.
Natalia and Katyusha's stay at the house was winding down, and so far, nothing was going right. Kat had failed to get a job, and she was weighing poor Natalia down as well. The house hunt was futile, because everyone wanted to stay in their houses when it was below freezing and icy outside.
Matthew sighed as he answered, "Yeah… no one's giving up their house this winter, and the girls are really having trouble finding jobs.
Kiku blinked, "There are openings at Poppy Crafts…" he said.
The other two blinked at the Japanese man. He stared them down, "Yao didn't tell you guys?"
"Alfred hoards him. Never tells us anything that goes on. Even though we chat incessantly about our boyfriends," Mattie said, glancing up as Ludwig and Arthur walked in the door at that moment.
"So… about these openings? What's going on at our favorite little craft store?" Feliciano asked, taking a sip of his espresso.
"Yao needs more help. I'm… just not good enough for him, so he needs more people…" Kiku said, knowing there was a joke about to happen.
"So… he wants to create a harem?" Matthew asked, blinking as his mouth curled into an evil-looking smirk.
Kiku shrugged and smiled, "I guess so. But Yao's so desperate for more workers, and… well… the girls are so sweet… scratch that. Kat is so sweet that I'm sure he'll have to give them jobs…" he said, seriously thinking about it. After a few minutes, he nodded, "And I have to extra rooms in my house… so I can rent them out to the girls--"
Matthew was already upon him, hugging him tightly and squishing him into the wall next to them, "Thank you so much~" and he kissed the Japanese man on the cheek.
Feliciano slapped his hand to his face as he laughed. Several girls in the room turned their eyes to the strange couple and squealed loudly upon the contact between Kiku and Mattie. Kiku simply blushed.
"I can now die. I've been molested by a French-Canadian…" Kiku said, pushing Matthew off of him.
"Aw~ You can't rape the willing!" Feli sang, making the three of them burst out into peels of laughter.
Francis, Gilbert, and Antonio were thoroughly displeased with everyone paying way too much attention to the Gilmore Boys at this point. But they, too, were playing too much attention to them as well, so they stayed put and said nothing.
"I'll come over this afternoon and we can discuss. I'll even bring Yao… if he isn't planning on coming over all ready…" Kiku said, returning to the matter at hand.
Matthew brushed himself off and nodded, taking a sip of the chai tea latte he had ordered. "Right. And if Yao is already with us, can you drag him home? Whenever he's around there are strange noises coming from Alfie's room…" he said.
"BDSM?" Feliciano asked. If he had cat ears they would be perked up, just like his eyebrows and features in general.
Kiku had to put a hand over his blushing face as he laughed into the table. Matthew's eyebrows shot up, and a small smile appeared on his face. "We'll have to check them both for wounds this afternoon…"
"Ooh~ Fun, fun!" Feliciano squealed, clapping a few times, "Call me later about your findings, 'kay?"
They parted for their usual stations then, still blushing and giggling about everything said that lunch. Matthew had to admit, he kept looking over into the kitchen to see if he could get a glimpse of Alfred to see if he was hiding any new wounds…
~*~
"You want me to what, aru?" Yao Wang shouted as he was pushed up the driveway to Alfred, Arthur, and Matthew's house.
"It's not that big a deal, Yao… It's just two girls who are in dire need of jobs!" Kiku said. Yao wasn't struggling at all, but rather was just shocked that it was this easy. So far no one wanted to work with him and Kiku, and now, there were two girls out there who would do anything for a job, sans anything criminal, Yao hoped.
"Okay, okay, Jesus, Kiku, when did you become so pushy, aru?" the Chinese man asked.
"Since I met Mattie and Feli…" Kiku replied as he knocked on the door.
The door opened to Alfred, who swooped Yao up into a hug and dragged him inside. Matthew giggled and pulled Kiku into his house. Kiku was immediately hugged by Katyusha, who began to squeal lightly: "Thank you thank you thank you thank you!"
"Jeez… I guess this is an acceptance?" Kiku asked.
Natalia shook his hand, "We don't have much in the way of furniture…"
"The bedrooms used to be owned by my parents and older brother. They moved back to Japan and I never cleaned out the rooms, save for some posters and other décor from my brother's room… the beds are still there and they've been waiting for some attention," Kiku replied.
Natalia smiled, "Good…" she turned to Yao, "And you're desperate for more work at your craft store?"
Alfred had let go of the Chinese man he immediately had turned to the girls. "Yes. I am desperate, aru. What with this economy and the fact that both Kiku and I feel overworked, we need more people working with us, aru…" Yao explained.
"We can help!" Katyusha replied, putting her hand up as if she was a student raising her hand to ask a question or answer one.
"That I have no doubt, aru, but I need to interview you a little to make sure. You don't have any criminal backgrounds, aru?" Yao asked.
"Nope," Katyusha answered, shaking her head.
"Nuh-uh," Natalia replied.
"How are you with people?" Yao asked.
"Very good." Katyusha replied.
"I'll get use to them," Natalia answered.
The interview went on, and Yao even asked questions to Mattie, who was slowly remembering Natalia and Katyusha. All questions were answered truthfully and carefully. Finally Yao nodded his head, "Come on down tomorrow, then, aru," he said, a smile on his face.
Matthew and Katyusha hugged each other, and Kiku put his hands together up to his face, a bright smile on his pale face. "You guys can come over to the apartment tomorrow after work and get settled, as well…"
Katyusha hugged both Yao and Kiku at the same time, thanking them profusely, tears in her eyes. "We're so lucky to have you two in our lives. Thank you so, so, so much!"
"Yah~ You're welcome, Kat, aru!" Yao shouted.
Arthur sighed loudly, "Lord, this had been one hell of a day. You guys want to go out and celebrate?" he asked.
The others smiled and nodded. It would be a nice night to do some celebrating before the girls moved out and started working down at Poppy Crafts.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Mattie cried, and lifted up Alfred's shirt. The others blinked, but Kiku merely giggled.
"Well?"
"I think Alfred is either the 'seme' or he hides the wounds pretty damn well," Matthew replied, walking over to his fellow Gilmore Boy.
Yao and Alfred turned to each other a blushed insanely at Matthew's comment. Arthur and the girls began to laugh. Kiku and Matthew smiled at their handiwork and began putting on their coats to go do some celebrating.
~*~
Wow... I finally put Yao into the mix. I feel bad for leaving you out, hon. Here you go. Nat and Kat get everything they need. Go Kiku, go!
Oh, and I keep thinking about the Gilmore Boys and the Bad Touch Trio becoming like rival mobs in the mafia or something. Not that that's how its going to go down, but its a fun(ny) idea.
Happy reading, and please review.
Adieu~
~Ana-chan~
