Aya wasn’t at all sure that this was going to work. He understood the theory and what he needed to do but two things bothered him. Firstly there was Yohji. Would his psychic strength be enough, would it burn him out and how much rest, in possibly hostile surroundings would he need when they had done this?
Secondly there was the problem of navigation. How did he make sure they went back at least to the thirties? What if they landed in the middle of a battlefield or something? And if the when was bad, Schuldig had told him he had no control over the where. To Aya the whole thing felt like throwing a needle into a haystack and using a child’s magnet to find it.
Crawford and the others arrived in the room, Ken, Zeshin and Farfarello carrying most of their baggage-- what there was of it-- along with the food they'd brought from the hotel.
"Are we ready then?" Crawford asked, as he stepped into the room. His gaze was alight, until he caught site of the pair of Weiss.
Aya seemed apprehensive and unsure of himself Yohji looked pale and was sitting on the floor smoking a cigarette and staring into space. He already seemed tired, and what they were asking of him could very well kill him.
The way they looked wasn't promising. Not in the least.
*Are you sure they're...* the question died as he felt a cold prickle of impending danger slide along his spine like the hand of death come for them. He opened his mouth to warn the rest of them.
Yohji's head snapped up and the blond rose to his feet, the weariness dropping from him, jade eyes narrowing. "What the fuck...?"
"Nightmare," Brad answered. "Schuldig, are they coming then, or are they playing their tricks from a distance?"
“Coming? They’re here!” Schuldig’s voice told the others that the telepath was terrified.
Aya’s head came up and he glanced around at the others. Their expressions ranged from worried to petrified and he quickly ran through what he had to do once more. “Okay,” he said, “join hands. I don’t want to lose any of you. Yohji, I want you next to me.”
He waited while they formed a circle and joined hands. The luggage was dumped in the middle and should go wherever and whenever they did. Here goes nothing.
A wave of sheer malevolence hit the house just then, giving Aya the final impetus that he needed. He concentrated and moved them.
There was a swirl of colour and pattern and a feeling of total disorientation and then they were standing on solid ground once more.
Gingerly, Aya opened his eyes.
“Hey Slim, will yer take a look at that?” The speaker was a middle-aged drunk leaning against a wooden wall. Luckily ‘Slim’ was already comatose.
Crawford turned his head to see who'd spoken. It had been English. American English to be exact. The motion caused a wave of disorientation to make their surroundings waver crazily in his vision.
When he could see clearly once more Kudoh was down, motionless in the dirt. The man that had spoken was in dirty jeans, a filthy flannel shirt and had a beard that looked as if rats might be renting space. Blinking he realized the group of them were sandwiched between buildings. Wooden buildings. Dust blew down the unpaved alleyway and the sound of a not quite tuned piano poured out of the nearest doorway.
"Where in the hell...?"
Zeshin was looking around wide eyed, his hand gripping Aya-chan's tightly on one side and Kai's on the other. "Where are we?" he asked in Japanese.
"Not a fucking clue," Farfarello replied as reached out to Schuldig and touched the German's face to make sure the telepath was all right.
Personally he felt as if he'd been under the influence of about a gallon of thorazine, his body heavy and awkward feeling.
"Kudoh doesn't look so hot," he commented as he watched Hidaka steady Nagi.
Aya made an inarticulate sound and crouched down by Yohji. If he had got them here, wherever here might be, at the expense of the blonde’s life….
He reached out and felt for the pulse in Yohji’s neck. It was there, beating steadily. Yohji was alive but completely drained. He glanced up at Crawford. “He needs a bed.” Then he looked around at all the others. “We all do.”
"Farfarello, get Kudoh on his feet," Brad ordered. "Schuldig, find out where and when we are. I'm sure Mr Ratbeard isn't going to be able to deny you the information we want."
Schuldig smirked and slid into Ratbeard’s mind with no difficulty at all. It didn’t take him long to find what he needed and he left with Ratbeard none the wiser that he’d ever been there. Schuldig put the drunk to sleep and erased any and all trace of them from the man’s memory.
“We’re in Sacramento, California and the year is 1848,” he told Crawford. “There’s a respectable hotel called the Grand Union just round the corner.”
The American stared. *You're sure?* he asked the telepath, somewhat incredulous that Aya could have not only carried them back one hundred and fifty seven years, but get them from Bangkok to America across thousands of miles of ocean.
He glanced from the German to the young Japanese. *Amazing, Schuldig. His talent is even greater than I'd suspected.*
*Kudoh probably pushed it, too, which is why he’s out for the count. Let’s face it, Terror meant business. Might have done us a favour by making Aya and Kudoh act rather than think about it. Once they’re used to their powers there’ll be no stopping either of them.*
Schuldig leaned against Farfarello for a moment. *Oh, and yes, I’m sure.*
*Well we'll have to make do as best we can then.*
"All right, everyone listen carefully," he said in Japanese. "We've gone back a bit farther than planned. We'll be fine, but this is America during the California Gold Rush. Foreigners aren't always treated well, especially non-white ones," he said looking particularly at Weiss. "Yohji can probably pass as American, if he keeps his mouth shut. Right now, in his condition, we've got a reason for finding lodging. Money is also an issue."
He glanced at Schuldig, *Mastermind, while I'm thinking about it, will you erase all recollection of our unconventional arrival from Mr. Ratbeard's mind? We're also going to be forced to rely on your ability to cloud people's minds until we're able to blend in and procure the correct currency.*
*Ratbeard’s already dealt with, Vater. And if this is a gold rush, money shouldn’t be too hard to come by.*
He crouched down by the unconscious drunks and, ignoring the smell, went through their pockets. He rose to his feet with fifteen dollars and forty-seven cents. *Not much by our time’s standards but it might get us some rooms.*
"Well you can make it seem as if we've got more than we do. Now let's get moving. We all need rest we’ll have time to gather more information later. Schuldig, blur us to anyone and everyone that might be too curious about our appearance."
He noted that Farfarello was holding Schuldig on his feet and moved to lift a totally limp Kudoh in a fireman's carry.
"Let's go," he ordered.
Zeshin grabbed as much of their bags and the food as he could, looking to Kai and even Aya-chan for a little help since Farfarello had a burden of his own already and Ken seemed too intent on Nagi's condition to notice much of anything else.
Kai stepped forward to help Zeshin and Aya-chan also took her fair share of the baggage. Then they all trooped out of the alley after Crawford.
Schuldig concentrated on making them invisible until they reached the Grand Union Hotel. Apparently rooms were ten dollars a night payable on leaving provided a two dollar reservation fee was paid in advance. That gave them enough for seven rooms if there were seven rooms free.
He rang the bell and ordered the rooms, making the hotel owner see only some of them and those in the dress of the time.
The man smiled at them, and told them that there were four rooms open.
Brad frowned as he did a few quick calculations. Aya-chan couldn't be expected to share a room with any of them, except perhaps her own brother, which might take a little of the strain off of the relationship between he and Kudoh.
But he didn't see how that would properly work either.
"Aya-chan gets her own room. Weiss, you'll be sharing a room. Farfarello and Schuldig take another with Nagi and Ken. Try not to murder one another. I have the last room to myself," Crawford pronounced as he accepted the keys.
"Naturally," Farfarello commented dryly as he steadied Schuldig. *You okay?* he asked his lover silently.
*Just tired, Farf. Nothing that a few hours of uninterrupted sleep won’t cure.* Schuldig glanced over to where Aya was standing. *He did us proud.*
*Yeah. He did, didn't he?* the Irishman agreed. *I think I'm starting to like him. But Kudoh had better keep his hands off of you. I don't care what Brad says. You belong to me.*
*Yohji doesn’t want me, Farf. He’s not really happily gay, just bisexual with a preference for women. Just his tough luck that he fell for Aya. Oh and we’ve got past the pass. He made a dumb comment about my eyes is all. Then we had the little talk which is why I know all this crap.*
Crawford frowned at the skeleton keys. "I don't think it's advisable for us to leave our things in these rooms unguarded. Not until we're a bit more certain of our security."
He shifted Yohji's limp form over his shoulder and headed for the stairs. "Let's get going. I want a better look at Kudoh," he stated as he started up the steps. *Schuldig, make sure he remembers nothing odd about our appearance.*
Aya was glaring at Brad‘s retreating back. “How come you don’t have to share?” he called after him. The idea of Zeshin and Yohji in the same room with him was not particularly appealing. Kai was fine. There were no…other issues with him.
"Because I make the decisions and that is my decision," Crawford replied, his words clipped. "And you have some issues to deal with regarding your pet, this blond and what you're going to do about it. If anyone stays with me, it will be Kai, because it won't be pleasant for him to be caught between the three of you."
He paused at the top of the stairs to look at Abyssinian, "Any further questions?"
Apart from a death glare there was nothing further from the redhead. He simply sighed, grabbed Aya-chan’s bag and hurried her up the stairs.
Brad passed out the keys, handing one to Aya-chan he said, "Don't leave your room and go wandering around without one of us. It isn't safe for a young woman in this town."
When he passed a key to Ken he said, "Make sure Nagi sleeps."
Then he carried Yohji down the hall and opened the door that would be the room the Weiss would share. He dropped the still rag-doll limp blond on the bed.
"He needs to eat. Try and get him awake, and get some food into him," he told the silver-haired boy that had followed him into the room. He turned to Kai, "If their bickering gets on your nerves, you know where my room is. You can come and stay with me."
Kai’s eyes widened at that. Apart from trying to kill Aya and Yohji that time in Hokkaido, Zeshin had never picked a fight with anyone to his knowledge. Then he thought about all the times he’d seen him kneel at Abyssinian’s feet and Yohji’s probable reaction to that. He swallowed. Hard.
“Thank you,” he said with real gratitude.
The tall American just nodded and Crawford pushed his glasses back up. He frowned. He'd have to be careful not to break them. He only had the one pair, and he wasn't sure how easily they could be replaced in the mid-1800s should something happen to them.
Like the Rolex on his wrist, some things just weren't replaceable in this time period.
His eyes glazed and he swayed slightly, images of fighting and blood filling his mind. "I want everyone to stay in their rooms for now. Rest. We can't afford complications until we're better established here."
Dark eyes regarded Kai, "Stay armed at all times," he warned, "but only fight if you have no choice."
Then he was gone from the room leaving Kai with an unconscious Yohji.
Kai turned to Zeshin. “Crawford said he needs to be woken and fed,” he said. “Did you bring any of the food in here?”
Zeshin nodded, as he dug into a hastily crammed plastic grocery bag. "There's ramen, but no water and no way to heat it. And some of these chocolate and peanut energy bar things," he offered one of them to Kai. "And some juice."
“We’d better go with the energy bars and the juice then,” he said. Now, how best to wake Yohji?
Aya strode into the room then and, after a quick, approving glance at the food choice, crossed to the bed where Yohji lay. He sat down on the bed and raised Yohji into a sitting position, using himself as a prop.
“Yohji, wake up.”
Zeshin backed out of the way, sitting in a corner on the floor giving the other two Weiss plenty of room to deal with the unconscious blond.
There was no response from Yohji at all, no sign that he heard Aya's voice or felt how the man was holding him.
“Give me the juice, Kai, let me see if I can get some of that down him at least,” Aya ordered. When Kai handed him the opened juice he placed it to Yohji’s lips, tipping the carton slightly to let it pour into Yohji’s mouth at a gentle trickle.
Most of it ran out of the blonde's slack lips, but Yohji finally swallowed, then choked a bit and started to cough.
Aya removed the juice and thumped Yohji on the back, no sign of the worry he’d been feeling showing on his features.
“One of you pass me one of those energy bars,” he said.
Zeshin tossed it to Kai, but his gaze was on Aya as he tended to Yohji.
"What the fuck... Aya are you trying to drown me or beat me to death?" the blond asked, voice as weak as he felt.
His head came up, face still all but colourless as he took a look around. "Did we.. make it?" he asked, curiosity breaking through the shroud of lethargy that lay heavy as lead around his body.
“You were choking,” Aya said as if that explained everything, “and, yes, we all made it. We’re now in Sacramento right at the beginning of the California Gold Rush apparently. Now eat this and then get some rest.”
Jade eyes regarded Aya, the blond taking the food from his lover. "I think I had some help with the choking. I hate the taste of pineapple juice," he muttered as he stared at the energy bar in Aya's hand.
"Sacramento?" Yohji shook his head. "California Gold Rush? Want to give me a few more clues? My head's full of... fog. It's hard to think. Really hard."
It was also evident that Yohji's physical condition was less than optimal when he couldn't manage to get his hands to work well enough to remove the packaging from the energy bar.
Aya took the bar from him and unwrapped it before giving it back. “Eat that then get some sleep. You’ve exhausted yourself, you idiot.”
And maybe if Yohji had simply let Aya take what he needed instead of forcing the energy into him they’d have gone back to one of the decades that Brad had suggested and still be in Japan.
Yohji stared at the candy-like substance in his hand. "I'd rather have something real, but.." he sighed and took a bite, chewing and forcing it down. Despite the few swallows of the pineapple juice his mouth was dry.
"Is there something besides pineapple juice to drink?" Even to him he sounded like he was whining and he sighed again. "Sorry. I just feel so... strange."
Kai silently handed Aya a carton of orange juice who, in turn, held it to Yohji’s lips. “Orange,” he said shortly, “drink some of it.”
Aya’s temper was beginning to get the better of him. He too needed something to eat and a good, long sleep but, as usual, Yohji was being a fucking prima donna. He hadn’t asked for all that energy, hadn’t needed it, yet Yohji in his usual high-handed way had given him no choice in the matter.
Yohji swallowed automatically a few times then stopped. "You finish it." He took another bite of the energy bar, eyes wandering to the window that overlooked the street.
He caught motion and then pushed Aya's hand away, "Isn't that Crawford going down the street?"
Aya peered over Yohji’s shoulder. “Yes,” he said. Then he lost interest in Crawford as he swallowed some of the pineapple juice after handing the orange back to Kai.
“You two eat and drink something also,” he said, “and then get some sleep.”
He glanced round the room as if seeing it for the first time. One very large bed and a whole load of superfluous fixtures, fittings, dressers and bric-a-brac. Wonderful! Just fucking wonderful!
“We’ll just have to share the bed.”
"I don't mind the floor," the silver-haired boy said. Zeshin pulled another couple of the energy bars out of the bag. He offered one to Kai and tossed the other one to Aya. For himself he pulled out another pineapple juice and passed the bag to Kai. "There's a soda and two more juice bottles left."
Yohji lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. "I feel like I've been awake for a month," he mumbled as he slid into sleep almost instantly.
“Don’t be stupid, Zen,” Aya said, using the boy’s pet name for the first time. “There’s room on this monstrosity for all of us.”
"That's okay, I don't mind the floor." Not that he'd mind sharing the bed with Aya, but he didn't want to crowd anyone.
Aya unwrapped the energy bar, sniffed in distaste at the peanuts and rewrapped it. "Is there anything there without peanuts in it?"
Zeshin shook his head, "Not in this bag. Should I go check with Ken? I think he's got the bag with the all chocolate ones."
“No, leave it. I want to sleep more than eat.”
Aya leaned back against the headboard, one hand idly toying with Yohji’s hair as he tried to summon the energy to take off his boots.
Kai ate another of the energy bars and finished off the orange juice before pulling his own boots off and sliding onto the bed on the other side of Yohji. He wasn’t sure how Aya would react to him being so close to his lover, but the redhead didn’t react at all, just sat gazing into space.
Zeshin got up and walked to the bed. He looked at Aya, and began to remove the older man's boots without being told to do so. "You can't sleep like that, and neither should he," Zeshin said of Yohji who was also fully dressed.
Aya sighed slightly but did assist Zeshin in getting Yohji stripped down to his boxers. Then he did the same for himself before pulling the covers up and over the three men in the bed.
Kai had already stripped to his underwear and merely mumbled a thank you as sheets and blankets settled over him.
Aya made certain that both Yohji and Kai were sleeping normally before turning to gaze at Zeshin.
“Get in the bed,” he said. “If it makes you feel better you can sleep next to Kai.”
Zeshin stripped off his clothing and crawled in beside Aya, careful not to touch the older Weiss. There were soft grey patterns across his shoulders and down his back. Spots like those on a leopard that stood out plainly against his pale skin.
But unlike the other pair he didn't fall asleep. The bed smelled odd, and he could hear Farfarello's voice through the wall, murmuring something to Schuldig in a language other than Japanese or English.
Aya’s free hand, the one not toying with Yohji’s hair, reached out and traced the markings on the boy’s back and shoulders.
“You should try to sleep too,” he said softly.
"So should you," the boy replied just as quietly.
“I’ll sleep when everyone else is resting,” Aya said, “and that includes the noisy pair next door.”
He wasn’t sure when the members of Schwarz had come to mean so much to him but it had happened at some point and now he would remain vigilant until they were all asleep or until Crawford returned. Whichever was sooner.
"I can stay awake," Zeshin told him. "Please, Fujimiya-san, rest. Crawford might need you when he comes back, and if you're tired he'll be angry."
“I’m not bothered by his anger,” Aya said, “and I don’t think it will be long before everyone’s asleep. Not now that Kai is.”
He lifted Zeshin’s chin to gaze into golden eyes before snaking his arm round the boy and pulling him close. His own exhaustion was catching up on him and he settled from a sitting to a lying position.
“Happy now?”
A soft rumbling sound was the only answer he got as Zeshin settled closer to the red-head, his fingers twitching reflexively in a cat's 'fluffing' motion.
“I’ll take the purring as a yes, shall I?”
The boy coughed softly, face colouring in embarrassment and the purring stopped, "Sorry, I... ah... Yes."
A thought struck Aya then and he made a mental note to add something to Zeshin’s ‘reprogramming.’ It seemed to him that the boy was best off knowing he was half snow leopard. That way he might be able to use his cat skills to greater advantage.
Zeshin lay in the bed, still and quiet, hearing the sounds out on the street. The odd music coming from somewhere not terribly far away, a peculiar clip clop that he imagined went with the neighing of horses.
Horses. No cars. No trucks.
It was noisy, but the noises were all as foreign to him as the country.
"This is even worse than leaving Japan," he remarked softly. "Not only have we left everything we know and gone to another country, we're not even in our own time. We don't know how to fit in here at all."
“We’ll have to learn,” Aya said, “and quickly. Luckily, if I understand Crawford correctly, we will only be here for the length of time it takes to properly train us all. Then we can go back to our own time and take on Rosenkreuz with a chance of winning.”
At least he thought that was the plan. Trouble was, Crawford tended to play his cards close to his chest and didn’t tell any of them everything. Cards! Of course!
Having a very shrewd suspicion of where Crawford was going, Aya relaxed slightly and curled himself between Yohji and Zeshin, almost purring himself. If Crawford was going to gamble, they would soon have enough money for their needs at least.
* * * * * * *
Crawford leaned back in his seat and considered. He could easily win this hand too, but he could also be a bit magnanimous since he'd done quite well tonight. True he'd won far more than he'd lost, but not to the point where anyone would think it more than a streak of luck.
He puffed on the cigar, glanced at the men seated around the table. Miners, cowboys and a nicely dressed man who was supposed to be the card sharp at the table.
The man was staring at him sourly.
"Well gentlemen, I'm going to fold. Sadly, this hand is a wash and it's late."
There was some grumbling, but no one was really sorry to see him pick up the small mound of gold nuggets that had accumulated along with a mix of coins and folding money.
With the cigar still clenched between his teeth he made his way out of the saloon, forced to dodge only two of the professional girls who'd been eyeing his take at the table and hoping to get their claws into some of his winnings.
He left them muttering and disappointed and headed back to the hotel.
It was almost morning and he was dead tired, but very pleased.
They had more than enough money to get everyone in the proper attire, and pay for their room and board.
A hot meal sounded wonderful to him, and he was sure the others would welcome the same thing after eating cookies and energy bars.
He reached the hotel and bounded up the stairs, heading for the Weiss room first. Crawford wanted a few words with Aya, minus everyone else.
Rapping softly on the door he said, "Abyssinian? It's Crawford, open the door."
Aya climbed out of the bed without disturbing Zeshin who was finally asleep, and pulling on his jeans as he went, crossed the room to open the door.
“How much did you fleece them for?” he asked, a slight smirk lifting the corners of his mouth.
"Enough to take care of our immediate needs," the American answered as he motioned the red-head into the hallway.
He was trying to hide it, but he was bone deep tired.
"I trust you can ride herd on the bunch well enough to take them shopping for clothing today? Schuldig knows my exact measurements and tastes well enough to order clothing for me. My clothing will have to be tailor made as I'm much taller than is typical in this time period. The same is true of Yohji so he will have to be measured and fitted."
“Understood,” Aya said, serious once again. “Are you going to get some sleep now?”
Why the hell did he care whether Crawford slept or not? It wasn’t like the prick mattered to him one way or the other. Stop trying to fool yourself, Fujimiya. He tempted you and you’re interested enough to want to find out if he could follow through.
Crawford reached up to touch the man's cheek, "Yes, I'm going to get some sleep and if I'm lucky I might have a pleasant dream for a change."
He dug into his coat pocket and pulled out most of the money he'd gained from the card game.
"Order a breakfast to be sent to my room. Whatever they are serving will do, but if they have steak and eggs, I'll take that instead."
He held up a gold nugget the size of the end of his thumb, "Be careful, people kill for this around here," he warned and put the gold into Aya's hand.
"They also aren't very friendly to foreigners, so stay sharp and if anyone asks, tell them you work for Mr. Crawford."
Aya stared at the gold for a moment or two before closing his fist over it and looking up.
“Mr Crawford? Made a name for yourself here already have you?” He smiled ironically and shook his head.
“Steak and eggs to be sent to your room and the rest of us to eat and buy clothes. I think I can manage that.”
"I would hope so after all those missions for Kritiker," Crawford replied, his tone almost teasing.
"Oh, yes, and while I'm thinking about it, there is a real shortage of women around here. Keep a watchful eye on your sister. She's young, pretty, in good health and would fetch a high price in any bordello or mail order bride house here in town."
The last did not sit well with Aya and it showed in the way his hands clenched into fists. “You can be sure I will,” he almost snarled. If anyone even tried to touch his sister…
He calmed down again, enough to say, “I’ll go and rouse the others. Your breakfast should be with you in no more than half an hour.”
"Good." Brad's fingers found the Weiss' cheek, brushing across it in another caress, "When you get back, come to my room. We need to talk."
Aya couldn’t think of anything they needed to talk about. He wasn’t prepared to leave Yohji while his lover still needed him and he had the feeling that Brad was going to push for more than he could give right now. He sighed and nodded his agreement.
“Okay. But get some sleep first.”
And there it was again. This protective urge towards Crawford. He shook his head as if to clear it. “I’ll go and sort out the others,” he said, then fled back into his room slamming the door behind him and leaning against it heavily.
In the hallway Brad smirked at the sound of the slammed door and vanished into his room, humming a soft melody.
The sound of the door banging shut brought Zeshin awake. He sat up and looked at Aya, curiosity shining in his gaze. He was too polite to ask what was wrong and why the older Weiss almost appeared.. well panicked.
Yohji mumbled something about not being on shift and rolled over with a contented sigh.
“Crawford wants us to go out and get the right clothes,” Aya said. “Can you get Yohji and Kai moving while I wake the others please.”
"Of course, Fujimiya-san," Zeshin replied respectfully giving a little bow of his head.
As he spoke and looked at Zeshin he felt himself calm down. “We also need to eat something that isn’t energy bars. Crawford has given me the funds so let’s get moving shall we?” Zeshin nodded and nudged Yohji's shoulder, "Kudoh-san, wake up. We have to get going. Fujimiya-san says you have to get up."
Yohji muttered, the words incomprehensible and Zeshin nudged him again getting a perfectly clear, "Go away," from the blond.
Aya sighed. Yohji was obviously going to be difficult. “I’ll deal with him, you go and rouse the others instead. Oh, and could you ask my sister to join us please?”
He crossed the room to the bed and gave Kai a gentle shake. “Time to get up. We’ve got things to do.”
Zeshin pulled on some clothes and his boots and vanished out the door. The last thing he wanted to be present for was a fight between Aya and Yohji.
Kai came awake instantly. “What? Oh yeah, sure Aya.”
Aya eyed the still sleeping Yohji. “You might want to join the others when you’re dressed,” he suggested.
Kai glanced from him to Yohji and dressed quickly, swiftly following Zeshin out of the room.
Aya leaned over and shook Yohji. “Wake up, Yohji.”
The blonde's eyes opened to stare blearily at Aya, "What Aya, something wrong?" he asked, still half-asleep.
“No, nothing’s wrong. Crawford wants us to get some proper food and appropriate clothing. He says you’re tall for this time period so will need to be measured. I imagine that both Schuldig and I will have the same problem.”
Yohji just grunted softly and buried his face in the pillow, "Tired. Rather sleep," he mumbled.
“Yohji, you can’t go back to sleep. You need to eat.”
"Call room service or whatever they have here, I'm tired," he all but whined. But he already knew Aya wasn't going to relent and let him sleep. He never did. It just felt so good to be lying there, warm and relaxed and knowing that they weren't running from Rosenkruez or Kritiker anymore.
"Love you," he murmured, reaching for the red-head, hoping to pull him down for a kiss or a cuddle.
Aya allowed a quick cuddle and even gave Yohji a kiss but he was remorseless. “We need the right clothes if we’re to fit in at all so you have to get up and get measured.”
There was a wicked gleam in the blonde's eyes as he said, "I am up, and I know exactly what the measurement is."
Aya sighed. “Yes and so do I,” he snapped. “We don’t have time for all that right now. Now get your lazy ass out of that bed!”
"God are you cranky when you haven't had your morning tea," Yohji grumbled as he crawled out from under the covers. "I still love you, though gods know why that is. You're irritable, bad tempered... beautiful, kissable..." which is exactly what Yohji did at that point, he kissed the red-head, working up enough passion to make sure the younger man knew exactly what he was going to miss: steamy sex with someone that thought the sun rose and set because of him.
Aya returned the kiss but quickly pulled away. “Now, Yohji.” He stood up and folded his arms, clearly waiting for Yohji to dress himself.
Although it didn’t show, his mind was in turmoil. Part of him would like nothing better than to crawl back into the bed and forget the whole world in Yohji’s arms for a while. Another part was more concerned with their survival, old instincts that wouldn’t just go away. Yet another part was thinking about Zeshin and…Brad.
"Ah well, I had to try." Yohji got out of bed and dressed, but his gaze kept roving over Aya as if the man were made of water and Yohji was dying of thirst.
“I know,” Aya said with a slight smile. “But we do need to do these things if we’re to fit in here at all.”
He got his boots on and then stood, his arms going around Aya and pulling the younger man close, "I really do love you, you know that, right?" he asked, voice dropped to a whisper.
“I know, Yohji, I know. I’m not sure that I deserve it, but I know.” He gave Yohji a quick hug. “But now I’d better make sure that everyone else is up and ready to go.”
The blond nodded, but couldn't help pulling his lover back into his arms, "Aya... if you want to just..." he shook his head at a loss for words, or more truthfully having trouble expressing how what was happening between them made him feel. It came out in a rush, "If you want me to just walk away, if that's what I have to do to make you happy then I will."
He let Aya go and stepped away, turning his back so that Aya couldn't see the tears in his eyes. "Just tell me what you want, Aya. I'll do anything. I swear," his voice was surprisingly calm and steady, mission mode putting a lid on the pain that was tearing at him.
“Yohji, I… don’t know what I want. And now is not the time to discuss this.”
"I know. I just wanted to let you know that whatever you decide I'll deal with it, okay?" the blond asked as he headed for the door of their room.
And none of that was helping him, Aya realised. He had no desire to hurt Yohji especially after thinking he was all that was left for so long. He loved Yohji, even though his lover irritated him, but Crawford’s words were haunting him. He’ll never be able to give you what you really want.
Sighing he went to organise the rest of the team.