"......and you can imagine the surprise on their faces when I brought Ururun and Gyoro home," Ashton finished. Claude laughed and fell back on the bed, holding his sides. "They still visit me every now and then. I call them my pets, but they"re not really that. They're more like friends with a gigantic shock value. Besides, if I ever did call them my pets, I'd end up needing a nurse to care for me for a least a month before I could WALK!"

"You are the first person I know that can make friends with DRAGONS!!" exclaimed Claude. Ashton blushed and shrugged helplessly.

"They're the only animals that seem to like me. Rabbits run away, cats scratch, dogs bite; heck, even fish don't like me. Maybe it's something about my personality, or the way I smell."

"I guess we can't all be animal magnets, huh?" Claude yawned and stretched lazily. He personally had no problem with animals. Even the most timid of rabbits would come to him if he bid his time.

The blond looked at the clock on Ashton bedside table. The two of them should have been asleep, but they were both still wide-awake. Ashton had a lot on his mind and Claude could sense it. So, he had made the choice to keep Ashton company until he relaxed and went to sleep.

"What time is it?" Ashton asked, noticing where Claude was looking. He leaned back against the headboard. He blinked sleepily, but he vowed he would not fall asleep until he worked things out with Claude. For better or for worse, Ashton would settle everything with Claude.

"I think it's 4 in the morning," Claude answered. He yawned and tried to fight back the sleep that lurked and threatened to take over him whenever he blinked. "Aren't you the least bit tired Ashton?"

"Sorry for keep you up so long," Ashton apologized. "You didn't have to stay up with me, though I appreciate the gesture." I would have been just as happy watching you sleep. Watching Claude sleep was something Ashton had taken to doing a few nights ago, when his mind wouldn't let him rest without at lest looking at the blond.

Claude shrugged. "You seemed to have something on your mind. I thought maybe you would want to talk it out."

"Rena said you were good at picking up on other people's emotions," Ashton stated quietly. That woke Claude up slightly. He rolled over onto his stomach and propped himself up on his elbows with his chin resting on his palms. His eyes didn't have such a sleepy look to them now.

"You talked to Rena about me?" inquired Claude, failing to hide his curiosity completely.

"I mentioned your name to Rena at the party a while back," he replied. "She told me you used to be her guard. And she told me a few other things too."

"Like what?" Claude prodded further. Is he still thinking about that night? It was almost a year ago. What could Rena have said that would stick in Ashton's mind for this long?

"That you and that Dias guy were um......." Ashton blushed. He wasn't able to say it out loud without blushing alone; so having Claude staring at him like that, it was all but impossible.

"Is that what's been bothering you? The fact that Dias and I were lovers?" Ashton shook his head violently 'no'. "Then what?"

"Are...Are.....Are y,you and him still, ......you know?" Ashton stuttered out. Great way to start a conversation Ashton! What next; ask him how many TIMES he did it with Dias?

When he had managed to get that out, Ashton's face resembled an overly ripe tomato. One look at the brunette's face Claude start laughing lightly. He tried to cover it up, but failed miserably.

"Why do you want to know?" he inquired, still laughing. Ashton blushed even harder and felt his throat close up. "Ashton?"

Claude got up and crawled over to where Ashton was. The brunette was as stiff as a board and blushing so hard..... He looked like Noel did when Claude and Dias confronted him about his crush on Rena.

He couldn'y....... There's no way!! Does Ashton have a crush on me!? Claude's heart raced and he stared wide-eyed at Ashton.

"Uh..... no," Claude choked out. "Dias and I broke up a while before I became a slave. It didn't exactly work out, though we're still friends."

Claude managed, with the most intense concentration, to sit besides Ashton, leaning casually on the headboard. "Now you have to tell me why you wanted to know. Are you going to fire me or something now?"

"I, uh, I wanted to know because, um..... because," Ashton swallowed, bent over, and buried his face in his hands. From there, he mumbled out the rest of his answer.

"Ashton?" Frustrated with himself, with his hormones, with Claude, and with the lack of sleep, Ashton couldn't help but explode.

"I like you! I wanted to know so I could stop thinking about you!" Breathless, Ashton glanced morosely at the bed from beneath his bangs. Claude raised an eyebrow and scooted closer.

"Are my lips the only thing you think about?" he asked coyly. Ashton snapped his head up and around to meet Claude�'s mischievous gaze. The brunette's throat constricted at the intense gaze. "I told you I was single and now that I know this......."

Ashton opened his mouth to ask what he was talking about, but no sound came out. Claude used the opportunity to claim Ashton's lips with his own. His hands moved up to pull Ashton closer to him by his waist. Ashton griped the sheets and he closed his eyes, melting into the kiss. Claude pressed on Ashton's lips and used his tongue to force his mouth open. Ashton moaned into Claude's mouth when he felt Claude's tongue delve into his mouth. Ashton didn't think his first kiss would be this intense! Didn't things like this normally happen on the second or third date?! It definitely didn't happen on the first!

When the two had to separate to breath, Ashton's face was flushed and he was breathing heavily. He was still griping the sheets, with wide eyes and a body that didn't seem to have any bones in it. Claude grinned wickedly and kissed him again, lightly on the lips.

"That was your first kiss, huh?" Claude asked. Ashton nodded vaguely. He was still in a bit of a daze. "That's cute. At least I know you'll remember it now."

Claude laid his head in the crook of Ashton's neck and inhaled. Ashton smelled like a combination of vanilla and the outdoors and something that just seemed to be out of Claude's reach to identify. Claude twisted to a more comfortable position and nuzzled Ashton's neck, his arms still wrapped around Ashton's waist.

"Can we go to sleep now Ashton? It's late," Claude said, hoping that everything had been sorted out with now. Ashton nodded and rested his cheek on Claude's hair. With a little nervousness, Ashton let go of the sheets to reach up and press Claude to him.

He smells so nice. Ashton thought as he began to fall asleep. Like the sky and winds. I never imagined his hair was this soft. Like silk...... And Ashton fell asleep with a small content smile on his face.