[fic] The Wicked #3
Title: The Wicked
Chapters: 3 /?
Author:
Band(s): GazettE/ alice nine./Miyavi
Pairing: Aoi/Hiroto, Kai/Nao/Miyavi..and others… ^^
Rating: up to NC-17
Warnings: Um… AU, fantasty, violence, crack?..and SMUT..
Summary: The world is divided. Being run by different factions. Here’s one sides story.
Disclaimer: *sniffles* They're Not Mine.
Notes: THIS is my crack-pairing-fic. *wiggles eyebrows* At least they’re crack to me…except for Kai and Miyavi..but I guess the crack is adding Nao to the mix?
~~
Hiroto opens his eyes, still half asleep.
Wondering what woke him.
Looking around the room, he's confused for a moment.
Then he remembers the events of the previous day.
Sitting up quickly, the blond looks towards Aoi's room.
Seeing the door standing open, he turns his head towards the kitchen.
At the same time, his nose registers the smell of food.
His stomach reacts, letting him know that the aroma is very tempting.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he walks to the kitchen.
"Morning," he says, finding his way to the table.
"Whatever you're making smells good."
"Hopefully it'll taste good too," Aoi smiles at him.
"You have just enough time to take a quick shower before it's ready."
Aoi's voice stops him at the door.
"There's some clothes on the bed. Check and see what fits."
"Thanks," Hiroto smiles back.
Then he turns, heading for Aoi's bedroom and the promise of a shower and clean clothes.
Stopping with his hand on the knob, Hiroto decides he only needs to shut the bathroom door.
Figuring that the other man will be busy enough making their food.
The small man does sort thru the clothes on the bed tho.
Quickly choosing something that he hopes won't look too funny on him.
The small blond steps into the bathroom.
Smiling when he realizes the door has a lock.
Taking the extra precaution, he flips the lock into place before moving farther into the room.
Ridding himself of his clothes he steps into the shower.
As he turns on the water he tries sorting thru his thoughts.
Which are not surprisingly about the black haired man in the other room.
All things considered, Aoi's been a gentleman.
Aside from that stolen kiss the night before, that is.
Which brings Hiroto to the problem at hand.
Under different circumstances he's sure he'd like Aoi.
Hell, who's he kidding?
Not himself, that's for sure.
He does like the man.
Maybe a bit too much.
And there's way too much at stake for him to be swayed by these rebellious thoughts.
It's not just himself he has to think about.
There are his friends to consider as well.
What would happen to them if the truth comes out?
Shaking himself from those thoughts, he angrily scrubs at his arms.
None of this is helping.
He needs to make a call.
But he's sure Aoi'll say no.
Which makes him think about what he'd tell his friends if he DID get to talk to them.
He could just imagine the looks on their faces if he told them the truth.
-Uh, hey guys. I can't come home cuz a man from The Wicked says it's not safe. So I'm staying with him until things get sorted out.-
Giving a snort, Hiroto steps back under the water.
Letting it rinse away the soap.
Wishing it could wash away his troubles just as easily.
Quickly finishing, Hiroto steps out of the shower and wraps a towel around his hips.
Trying to figure out how things went so wrong so fast.
He wonders for a moment what Aoi would think if he knew the truth.
Snorting to himself, he dries off.
The Wicked is supposed to be a group of heartless killers.
But the black haired man has been kind to him.
Not at all what he'd expect from someone that's in the most notorious group around.
And there's something about Aoi's laugh.
Or maybe it's because Hiroto's sure that the taller man doesn't have enough reasons to smile in his life.
The blond catches himself feeling sorry for the other man.
Shaking his head again, Hiroto finishes dressing.
Unlocking the door, he steps into Aoi's bedroom.
Looking around he realizes that it's sparsely furnished.
Nothing showing of the man's personality.
Biting back the guilt he feels, Hiroto heads for the kitchen.
Feeling even more confused than before.
Also completely unsure of what he can do about it.
If anything.
Aoi is putting the last of the food on the table as Hiroto walks back into the room.
Looking up, he smiles, "Looks like you found something that fits."
"Yeah," the young man smiles back. "Which one of your friends is the pedophile?"
"I don't want to know," Aoi laughs back, taking a seat.
Hiroto keeps his eyes down as he takes a seat at the table.
Hoping that by not looking at the other man he'll be able to stop thinking about him.
Either Aoi doesn't realize the dilemma the young man finds himself in or he doesn't care.
Because he starts talking as soon as he sits down.
"There isn't anything that really needs my attention so I can keep you company today."
Trying to cover his surprise, Hiroto picks up his fork.
Taking his time with the food, he tries to think of a way to get Aoi to leave without hurting his feelings.
"You don't have to baby-sit me," he finally says. "I'll be all right if you need to leave. And I promise I won't leave your rooms."
"It's all right. Really," Aoi smiles at the smaller man. "Unless you'd rather I NOT be here?" he asks giving Hiroto a strange look.
Deciding that a partial truth would probably serve him better than anything else, Hiroto sets his fork back on the table.
"It's just that I need to think about some things. You know?"
"Like how you got into this mess?"
"That's a start," Hiroto sighs, not meeting Aoi's eyes.
He really feels bad about lying to Aoi.
But he knows he can't tell the other man everything.
It's far too risky.
He may feel he can trust the older man, but he's not so naive as to think there won't be consequences going along with telling the truth.
"Finish eating," Aoi tells the other man, "We'll work everything else out later. Ok?"
Nodding, Hiroto picks his fork back up.
The two men finish the meal in silence.
~*~
After about twenty minutes of Hiroto sitting quietly staring off into space, Aoi decides that maybe he should leave.
His presence doesn't seem to be bothering the other.
But it's really hard to tell for sure.
Standing, he walks over to where the small man is sitting.
Waiting for the blond to look up at him before speaking.
"There is something I forgot about. So I will be leaving for a bit. If you'll just give me your cell phone," he says, holding out his hand.
Hiroto chews on the inside of his mouth for a second before digging the device out of his pocket.
"I wasn't planning on calling anyone, ya know," he says as he hands it over.
"Maybe not. But it's still a precaution I need to take."
"Whatever," the young man mumbles as he looks away.
Shaking his head, Aoi pockets the phone and turns to leave.
After giving his guest one last look he leaves.
Hoping that the young man sorts out whatever's bothering him while Aoi's gone.
Walking down to the rooms they use as their headquarters he stops to talk to Nao.
Trying not to laugh at the brown haired man's choice of clothes.
Winnie the Pooh and his friends are smiling up from his shirt.
"How's everthing?" the other asks as soon as he notices Aoi.
"Interesting. As usual. Any news?" the black haired man asks.
Knowing that Nao's the one member who'll know what's happening in and out of the organization.
"Same as always."
"Really? No word from The Vipers?"
Laughing Nao shakes his head, aware of Aoi's hatred of the other group.
"No. Nothing new on that front."
Aoi takes a moment to think that thru.
Either Toshi didn't bother checking on Hiroto or the man doesn't care.
Feeling a sudden burst of anger Aoi stands.
"I've got some paperwork to look over. Talk to you later?"
"If you say so," Nao laugh again, ignoring the other's agitation.
Shutting the door behind him, Aoi moves into one of the inner offices.
Practically tossing himself into the chair, he turns on the monitor.
Quickly scanning the updates that pop up on the screen.
Not seeing anything of interest to him, Aoi opens his private folder.
After keying in his password, he reads over what he'd written upon receiving his last mission.
Snorting to himself, he adds to it.
Trying to remember his original thoughts about Hiroto in those first moments of their meeting.
Finally finished, he sits back.
Re-reading what he wrote.
Making a few changes before saving the file and moving on to another document.
Normally he'd send a message to their bosses telling them the mission has been completed.
But he hesitates to send that one.
Wanting to remain unavailable for anything else until this situation is resolved.
His thoughts drift back to the young man in his rooms.
Aside from the recent moodiness, he's taking everything a lot better than Aoi expected.
Remaining cheerful and optimistic despite what's happening to him.
Aoi would never be able to handle someone else taking control of his life.
Sitting up, he puzzles that last thought over again.
Realizing that he's only partially in control now.
Having to answer to some faceless, nameless entities that decide other peoples' fate isn't really having control over his own life.
He knows he's not the only one that chaffs under the restrictions that have been placed upon them.
Maybe it's time they should do something about it.
Moving from the desk to one of the few real windows, Aoi sits and looks out upon the city.
Watching as the rest of the population goes about their daily routines.
Thinking upon it further, he decides that he doesn't want that life either.
But that brings up the question of what he does want.
He's good at his job, as much as he wouldn't want to admit it to the young man upstairs.
Another unpleasant fact is that what he and his friends do is necessary.
There will always be corruption and those that take advantage of people who can't take care of themselves.
He and his friends just need to focus on fighting the corruption instead of following someone else’s orders.
The question is how to approach the others with this new idea of his.
Deciding that what he needs now is some activity.
Aoi moves back to the desk.
Making sure that everything's locked back up.
Nao's not out front when he leaves, saving him from having to say anything.
Aoi heads for the elevators, pressing the button for the rooms underground.
A little practice is what he needs now.
Stopping outside his chosen room, he opens the locker.
Taking out the supplies this particular scenario requires.
Once he's donned the protective glasses, he opens the door.
Stepping inside he types in the sequence that'll start the program.
Taking a deep breath, Aoi lets his instincts take over.
~*~
Meanwhile, Hiroto has progressed from staring off into space to pacing the floor.
Still not any closer to solving his dilemma.
He knows what he has to do, but it's not what he wants to do.
What he wants is to tell Aoi everything.
To trust that he meant what he said about protecting the innocent.
Even tho that word really can't be used to describe himself.
Not anymore, at least.
But he also realizes that he can't tell him.
Not without getting input from the others.
And he knows what at least one of his friends will say.
He'll say that Hiroto is too trusting.
That he should know better.
And he does know.
Trusting anyone outside of their group would be foolish.
But there's something about the black haired man that calls too the small blond.
Finally deciding that the only thing he can do is just what he's been doing, meaning keeping quiet, Hiroto looks around the room.
Trying to find something constructive to do with his time while Aoi's away.
He realizes the place is in need of some serious cleaning.
He starts by looking for supplies.
Smiling when he finds what he's looking for, all still unopened.
The young man sets about making the place look livable.
Even tho the files sitting on the top of the desk against one wall pique his curiosity, he carefully avoids that area completely.
Not wanting Aoi to think he was snooping in the other man's private business.
~*~
When Aoi finally returns to his rooms, bag of clothes in hand, it's almost dinnertime.
He's surprised to find Hiroto sitting quietly on the couch.
Looking up from the book in his hands, the blond smiles.
"I hope you don't mind," he says, motioning with the book. "I found it in your room and it looked interesting."
"Did you clean?" Aoi asks, finally noticing the rest of the room when he looks away from the younger man's eyes.
"Everything except your desk," Hiroto smiles.
As if the other man's mentioning it reminds him, Aoi glances over at the messy desktop.
"I should probably clean that up," Aoi mutters half to himself.
"Or," the blond interrupts with a smile, "You could be your usually lazy self and leave it until it's piled so high it all falls onto the floor."
"Hey," Aoi smiles back, pointing a finger at the other, "that's not fair. You don't know me well enough yet to be able to say things like that."
"Please. The fact that all of your cleaning stuff was still unopened tells me all I need to know."
"Ok. So maybe I don't like to clean. But that doesn't mean I'm lazy," Aoi sits down with a mock-pout on his lips.
Laughing, Hiroto marks his place in the book and sets it on the table.
"I'll give you that one. I don't actually like to clean either. But it's something that has to be done."
"Do you often do things just because they need to be done?" Aoi asks quietly.
Thinking again how he and his friends make their living.
"I guess. I've never really thought about it before."
"Well, you won't need to clean again for about a week. Except for dishes, that is," Aoi smiles.
"I can cook, too," Hiroto offers.
"If you want to I certainly won't try to stop you. But you really don't have to do anything."
"Call it my upbringing. I want to do my share."
"You are full of surprises, aren't you?"
"What do you mean?" the smaller man asks with a frown.
"Most people these days aren't too concerned about things like what they should do or what'd be the nice thing do. You're an oddity. Nice, but still different."
"Thanks, I think," Hiroto says, smile back in place.
Aoi takes a moment to just look at the younger man.
He seems more relaxed and at ease.
"While you were cleaning did you happen to take a look in the kitchen to see if there's anything you'd like to eat?"
"Will you let me cook?"
"How about later? Let me do it this time," Aoi suggests.
Holding up his hands to stop the younger man's protests. "You cleaned. That's more than enough work for today, don't you think?"
"Ok. But you promise you will let me cook?"
"Absolutely. I'll even let you set the table again. How's that?"
Nodding, Hiroto stands up.
Waiting for Aoi to do the same before following the older man into the kitchen.
Aoi's surprised by the easy banter the two men fall into while they both go about their separate chores.
A comfortable silence settles as they sit down to eat.
He's not surprised when Hiroto stands and starts clearing away the dishes almost as soon as they've finished.
Aoi watches the smaller man move about his kitchen, looking as if he belongs.
Shaking himself from those thoughts, Aoi moves into the living room.
Quickly fixing the couch back into a bed for the blond.
He grins when he realizes Hiroto is humming while doing the dishes.
"For someone that doesn't like cleaning, you sure give the impression that you do," he says as he leans against the doorframe.
"What?" Hiroto says, glancing over his shoulder.
"You're humming," Aoi points out.
"Oh, that. A friend of mine says it helps make work seem a little more like fun," the smaller man answers, turning back to finish his task.
"Does it?"
"Maybe," he shrugs, grabbing a rag as he turns around.
Drying off his hands, the smaller man smiles at Aoi.
"It certainly doesn't hurt, tho. Unless you want me to stand on a chair, you should probably put them away," he says, motioning towards the pile of clean dishes.
"Sure, it's the least I can do," Aoi replies, moving into the room.
Making a point of brushing against the smaller man as many times as he can during the process.
Smiling to himself when he catches the other blushing.
But the fact that he doesn't move away pleases Aoi.
It means that the younger man is attracted to him, too.
Not that he's going to do anything about it just yet.
But it certainly means he can look forward to some interesting conversations in the future.
As well as other activities.
Hiroto did say he had some experience.
Aoi grins as he walks out of the kitchen, Hiroto following behind him.
He's sure it'll be fun finding out how much the younger man actually knows.
"Hopefully you'll be able to use all of those," Aoi says as he points out the bag he placed onto the couch.
"More clothes?" Hiroto asks hopefully.
Aoi just nods as the blond reaches for the bag.
"And that's all new bedding too," Aoi informs him as he pulls the garments out and sets them next to him.
"Thank you," Hiroto smiles, "Again."
"It wouldn't do to have you start smelling bad, now would it?" Aoi grins back.
"I'm gonna take a shower and turn in. Do you need anything?" Aoi asks as he stands.
Hiroto shakes his head, still sorting thru the clothes.
"Ok. Good night Hiroto," the black haired man says.
Resisting the urge to lift the blond to his feet and kiss him thoroughly.
" 'Night," Hiroto murmurs, watching Aoi leave the room.
Biting on his lip as the bedroom door closes behind the taller man.
Clamping down on the disappointment he feels.
He knows it’s foolish, but the small blond wishes Aoi had stolen another kiss.
Shaking his head, Hiroto chooses something to sleep in and changes into it.
The sound of running water quickly lulling him to sleep.
~~
A/N: Okaaaay. So there's the next 2-4-1 ^^
Are we still having fun?
Remember...comments feed me..and the muses.
You want the muses to be happy, right?
the rest of my fics
Chapters: 3 /?
Author:
Band(s): GazettE/ alice nine./Miyavi
Pairing: Aoi/Hiroto, Kai/Nao/Miyavi..and others… ^^
Rating: up to NC-17
Warnings: Um… AU, fantasty, violence, crack?..and SMUT..
Summary: The world is divided. Being run by different factions. Here’s one sides story.
Disclaimer: *sniffles* They're Not Mine.
Notes: THIS is my crack-pairing-fic. *wiggles eyebrows* At least they’re crack to me…except for Kai and Miyavi..but I guess the crack is adding Nao to the mix?
~~
Hiroto opens his eyes, still half asleep.
Wondering what woke him.
Looking around the room, he's confused for a moment.
Then he remembers the events of the previous day.
Sitting up quickly, the blond looks towards Aoi's room.
Seeing the door standing open, he turns his head towards the kitchen.
At the same time, his nose registers the smell of food.
His stomach reacts, letting him know that the aroma is very tempting.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he walks to the kitchen.
"Morning," he says, finding his way to the table.
"Whatever you're making smells good."
"Hopefully it'll taste good too," Aoi smiles at him.
"You have just enough time to take a quick shower before it's ready."
Aoi's voice stops him at the door.
"There's some clothes on the bed. Check and see what fits."
"Thanks," Hiroto smiles back.
Then he turns, heading for Aoi's bedroom and the promise of a shower and clean clothes.
Stopping with his hand on the knob, Hiroto decides he only needs to shut the bathroom door.
Figuring that the other man will be busy enough making their food.
The small man does sort thru the clothes on the bed tho.
Quickly choosing something that he hopes won't look too funny on him.
The small blond steps into the bathroom.
Smiling when he realizes the door has a lock.
Taking the extra precaution, he flips the lock into place before moving farther into the room.
Ridding himself of his clothes he steps into the shower.
As he turns on the water he tries sorting thru his thoughts.
Which are not surprisingly about the black haired man in the other room.
All things considered, Aoi's been a gentleman.
Aside from that stolen kiss the night before, that is.
Which brings Hiroto to the problem at hand.
Under different circumstances he's sure he'd like Aoi.
Hell, who's he kidding?
Not himself, that's for sure.
He does like the man.
Maybe a bit too much.
And there's way too much at stake for him to be swayed by these rebellious thoughts.
It's not just himself he has to think about.
There are his friends to consider as well.
What would happen to them if the truth comes out?
Shaking himself from those thoughts, he angrily scrubs at his arms.
None of this is helping.
He needs to make a call.
But he's sure Aoi'll say no.
Which makes him think about what he'd tell his friends if he DID get to talk to them.
He could just imagine the looks on their faces if he told them the truth.
-Uh, hey guys. I can't come home cuz a man from The Wicked says it's not safe. So I'm staying with him until things get sorted out.-
Giving a snort, Hiroto steps back under the water.
Letting it rinse away the soap.
Wishing it could wash away his troubles just as easily.
Quickly finishing, Hiroto steps out of the shower and wraps a towel around his hips.
Trying to figure out how things went so wrong so fast.
He wonders for a moment what Aoi would think if he knew the truth.
Snorting to himself, he dries off.
The Wicked is supposed to be a group of heartless killers.
But the black haired man has been kind to him.
Not at all what he'd expect from someone that's in the most notorious group around.
And there's something about Aoi's laugh.
Or maybe it's because Hiroto's sure that the taller man doesn't have enough reasons to smile in his life.
The blond catches himself feeling sorry for the other man.
Shaking his head again, Hiroto finishes dressing.
Unlocking the door, he steps into Aoi's bedroom.
Looking around he realizes that it's sparsely furnished.
Nothing showing of the man's personality.
Biting back the guilt he feels, Hiroto heads for the kitchen.
Feeling even more confused than before.
Also completely unsure of what he can do about it.
If anything.
Aoi is putting the last of the food on the table as Hiroto walks back into the room.
Looking up, he smiles, "Looks like you found something that fits."
"Yeah," the young man smiles back. "Which one of your friends is the pedophile?"
"I don't want to know," Aoi laughs back, taking a seat.
Hiroto keeps his eyes down as he takes a seat at the table.
Hoping that by not looking at the other man he'll be able to stop thinking about him.
Either Aoi doesn't realize the dilemma the young man finds himself in or he doesn't care.
Because he starts talking as soon as he sits down.
"There isn't anything that really needs my attention so I can keep you company today."
Trying to cover his surprise, Hiroto picks up his fork.
Taking his time with the food, he tries to think of a way to get Aoi to leave without hurting his feelings.
"You don't have to baby-sit me," he finally says. "I'll be all right if you need to leave. And I promise I won't leave your rooms."
"It's all right. Really," Aoi smiles at the smaller man. "Unless you'd rather I NOT be here?" he asks giving Hiroto a strange look.
Deciding that a partial truth would probably serve him better than anything else, Hiroto sets his fork back on the table.
"It's just that I need to think about some things. You know?"
"Like how you got into this mess?"
"That's a start," Hiroto sighs, not meeting Aoi's eyes.
He really feels bad about lying to Aoi.
But he knows he can't tell the other man everything.
It's far too risky.
He may feel he can trust the older man, but he's not so naive as to think there won't be consequences going along with telling the truth.
"Finish eating," Aoi tells the other man, "We'll work everything else out later. Ok?"
Nodding, Hiroto picks his fork back up.
The two men finish the meal in silence.
~*~
After about twenty minutes of Hiroto sitting quietly staring off into space, Aoi decides that maybe he should leave.
His presence doesn't seem to be bothering the other.
But it's really hard to tell for sure.
Standing, he walks over to where the small man is sitting.
Waiting for the blond to look up at him before speaking.
"There is something I forgot about. So I will be leaving for a bit. If you'll just give me your cell phone," he says, holding out his hand.
Hiroto chews on the inside of his mouth for a second before digging the device out of his pocket.
"I wasn't planning on calling anyone, ya know," he says as he hands it over.
"Maybe not. But it's still a precaution I need to take."
"Whatever," the young man mumbles as he looks away.
Shaking his head, Aoi pockets the phone and turns to leave.
After giving his guest one last look he leaves.
Hoping that the young man sorts out whatever's bothering him while Aoi's gone.
Walking down to the rooms they use as their headquarters he stops to talk to Nao.
Trying not to laugh at the brown haired man's choice of clothes.
Winnie the Pooh and his friends are smiling up from his shirt.
"How's everthing?" the other asks as soon as he notices Aoi.
"Interesting. As usual. Any news?" the black haired man asks.
Knowing that Nao's the one member who'll know what's happening in and out of the organization.
"Same as always."
"Really? No word from The Vipers?"
Laughing Nao shakes his head, aware of Aoi's hatred of the other group.
"No. Nothing new on that front."
Aoi takes a moment to think that thru.
Either Toshi didn't bother checking on Hiroto or the man doesn't care.
Feeling a sudden burst of anger Aoi stands.
"I've got some paperwork to look over. Talk to you later?"
"If you say so," Nao laugh again, ignoring the other's agitation.
Shutting the door behind him, Aoi moves into one of the inner offices.
Practically tossing himself into the chair, he turns on the monitor.
Quickly scanning the updates that pop up on the screen.
Not seeing anything of interest to him, Aoi opens his private folder.
After keying in his password, he reads over what he'd written upon receiving his last mission.
Snorting to himself, he adds to it.
Trying to remember his original thoughts about Hiroto in those first moments of their meeting.
Finally finished, he sits back.
Re-reading what he wrote.
Making a few changes before saving the file and moving on to another document.
Normally he'd send a message to their bosses telling them the mission has been completed.
But he hesitates to send that one.
Wanting to remain unavailable for anything else until this situation is resolved.
His thoughts drift back to the young man in his rooms.
Aside from the recent moodiness, he's taking everything a lot better than Aoi expected.
Remaining cheerful and optimistic despite what's happening to him.
Aoi would never be able to handle someone else taking control of his life.
Sitting up, he puzzles that last thought over again.
Realizing that he's only partially in control now.
Having to answer to some faceless, nameless entities that decide other peoples' fate isn't really having control over his own life.
He knows he's not the only one that chaffs under the restrictions that have been placed upon them.
Maybe it's time they should do something about it.
Moving from the desk to one of the few real windows, Aoi sits and looks out upon the city.
Watching as the rest of the population goes about their daily routines.
Thinking upon it further, he decides that he doesn't want that life either.
But that brings up the question of what he does want.
He's good at his job, as much as he wouldn't want to admit it to the young man upstairs.
Another unpleasant fact is that what he and his friends do is necessary.
There will always be corruption and those that take advantage of people who can't take care of themselves.
He and his friends just need to focus on fighting the corruption instead of following someone else’s orders.
The question is how to approach the others with this new idea of his.
Deciding that what he needs now is some activity.
Aoi moves back to the desk.
Making sure that everything's locked back up.
Nao's not out front when he leaves, saving him from having to say anything.
Aoi heads for the elevators, pressing the button for the rooms underground.
A little practice is what he needs now.
Stopping outside his chosen room, he opens the locker.
Taking out the supplies this particular scenario requires.
Once he's donned the protective glasses, he opens the door.
Stepping inside he types in the sequence that'll start the program.
Taking a deep breath, Aoi lets his instincts take over.
~*~
Meanwhile, Hiroto has progressed from staring off into space to pacing the floor.
Still not any closer to solving his dilemma.
He knows what he has to do, but it's not what he wants to do.
What he wants is to tell Aoi everything.
To trust that he meant what he said about protecting the innocent.
Even tho that word really can't be used to describe himself.
Not anymore, at least.
But he also realizes that he can't tell him.
Not without getting input from the others.
And he knows what at least one of his friends will say.
He'll say that Hiroto is too trusting.
That he should know better.
And he does know.
Trusting anyone outside of their group would be foolish.
But there's something about the black haired man that calls too the small blond.
Finally deciding that the only thing he can do is just what he's been doing, meaning keeping quiet, Hiroto looks around the room.
Trying to find something constructive to do with his time while Aoi's away.
He realizes the place is in need of some serious cleaning.
He starts by looking for supplies.
Smiling when he finds what he's looking for, all still unopened.
The young man sets about making the place look livable.
Even tho the files sitting on the top of the desk against one wall pique his curiosity, he carefully avoids that area completely.
Not wanting Aoi to think he was snooping in the other man's private business.
~*~
When Aoi finally returns to his rooms, bag of clothes in hand, it's almost dinnertime.
He's surprised to find Hiroto sitting quietly on the couch.
Looking up from the book in his hands, the blond smiles.
"I hope you don't mind," he says, motioning with the book. "I found it in your room and it looked interesting."
"Did you clean?" Aoi asks, finally noticing the rest of the room when he looks away from the younger man's eyes.
"Everything except your desk," Hiroto smiles.
As if the other man's mentioning it reminds him, Aoi glances over at the messy desktop.
"I should probably clean that up," Aoi mutters half to himself.
"Or," the blond interrupts with a smile, "You could be your usually lazy self and leave it until it's piled so high it all falls onto the floor."
"Hey," Aoi smiles back, pointing a finger at the other, "that's not fair. You don't know me well enough yet to be able to say things like that."
"Please. The fact that all of your cleaning stuff was still unopened tells me all I need to know."
"Ok. So maybe I don't like to clean. But that doesn't mean I'm lazy," Aoi sits down with a mock-pout on his lips.
Laughing, Hiroto marks his place in the book and sets it on the table.
"I'll give you that one. I don't actually like to clean either. But it's something that has to be done."
"Do you often do things just because they need to be done?" Aoi asks quietly.
Thinking again how he and his friends make their living.
"I guess. I've never really thought about it before."
"Well, you won't need to clean again for about a week. Except for dishes, that is," Aoi smiles.
"I can cook, too," Hiroto offers.
"If you want to I certainly won't try to stop you. But you really don't have to do anything."
"Call it my upbringing. I want to do my share."
"You are full of surprises, aren't you?"
"What do you mean?" the smaller man asks with a frown.
"Most people these days aren't too concerned about things like what they should do or what'd be the nice thing do. You're an oddity. Nice, but still different."
"Thanks, I think," Hiroto says, smile back in place.
Aoi takes a moment to just look at the younger man.
He seems more relaxed and at ease.
"While you were cleaning did you happen to take a look in the kitchen to see if there's anything you'd like to eat?"
"Will you let me cook?"
"How about later? Let me do it this time," Aoi suggests.
Holding up his hands to stop the younger man's protests. "You cleaned. That's more than enough work for today, don't you think?"
"Ok. But you promise you will let me cook?"
"Absolutely. I'll even let you set the table again. How's that?"
Nodding, Hiroto stands up.
Waiting for Aoi to do the same before following the older man into the kitchen.
Aoi's surprised by the easy banter the two men fall into while they both go about their separate chores.
A comfortable silence settles as they sit down to eat.
He's not surprised when Hiroto stands and starts clearing away the dishes almost as soon as they've finished.
Aoi watches the smaller man move about his kitchen, looking as if he belongs.
Shaking himself from those thoughts, Aoi moves into the living room.
Quickly fixing the couch back into a bed for the blond.
He grins when he realizes Hiroto is humming while doing the dishes.
"For someone that doesn't like cleaning, you sure give the impression that you do," he says as he leans against the doorframe.
"What?" Hiroto says, glancing over his shoulder.
"You're humming," Aoi points out.
"Oh, that. A friend of mine says it helps make work seem a little more like fun," the smaller man answers, turning back to finish his task.
"Does it?"
"Maybe," he shrugs, grabbing a rag as he turns around.
Drying off his hands, the smaller man smiles at Aoi.
"It certainly doesn't hurt, tho. Unless you want me to stand on a chair, you should probably put them away," he says, motioning towards the pile of clean dishes.
"Sure, it's the least I can do," Aoi replies, moving into the room.
Making a point of brushing against the smaller man as many times as he can during the process.
Smiling to himself when he catches the other blushing.
But the fact that he doesn't move away pleases Aoi.
It means that the younger man is attracted to him, too.
Not that he's going to do anything about it just yet.
But it certainly means he can look forward to some interesting conversations in the future.
As well as other activities.
Hiroto did say he had some experience.
Aoi grins as he walks out of the kitchen, Hiroto following behind him.
He's sure it'll be fun finding out how much the younger man actually knows.
"Hopefully you'll be able to use all of those," Aoi says as he points out the bag he placed onto the couch.
"More clothes?" Hiroto asks hopefully.
Aoi just nods as the blond reaches for the bag.
"And that's all new bedding too," Aoi informs him as he pulls the garments out and sets them next to him.
"Thank you," Hiroto smiles, "Again."
"It wouldn't do to have you start smelling bad, now would it?" Aoi grins back.
"I'm gonna take a shower and turn in. Do you need anything?" Aoi asks as he stands.
Hiroto shakes his head, still sorting thru the clothes.
"Ok. Good night Hiroto," the black haired man says.
Resisting the urge to lift the blond to his feet and kiss him thoroughly.
" 'Night," Hiroto murmurs, watching Aoi leave the room.
Biting on his lip as the bedroom door closes behind the taller man.
Clamping down on the disappointment he feels.
He knows it’s foolish, but the small blond wishes Aoi had stolen another kiss.
Shaking his head, Hiroto chooses something to sleep in and changes into it.
The sound of running water quickly lulling him to sleep.
~~
A/N: Okaaaay. So there's the next 2-4-1 ^^
Are we still having fun?
Remember...comments feed me..and the muses.
You want the muses to be happy, right?
the rest of my fics