Zu Spät
By Link621
Disclaimer: Weiss Kreuz is not mine. I really wish Ken were. But, he isn't. So, in other words, the only part of this I do claim ownership over is this story.
Author's Notes: This is a sequel to "Gott Nur Weiss" when I realized just how sad that story made me. I felt so bad for Omi in the end. Anyway, this is HOPEFULLY going to have a happy ending (my stories have a bad habit of writing themselves when I'm not paying attention).
Zu Spät
By Link621
~~ 2 years later on a Sunday morning... ~~
"Koi! Get off me!" Ken threw Aya off the couch and made a dive for the remote. "We are NOT watching that show of yours AGAIN!" Ken came up with the remote and waved it at Aya as if to scold him with it. "You know I hate that show."
Aya just smiled in response, dusting himself off. "You really treat that show like a threat to humanity," Aya commented.
"It is a threat to sanity, anyway!" Ken grinned. He sat down on the couch triumphantly. "So, anyway, where were we? Ah, yes, come 'ere, Aya!" The redhead sat back down in the circle of Ken's arms and frowned at him. "Awe, what's the look about?"
"Thinking."
"About what?"
"My plan."
"To what?"
"Get the remote back!" Aya tackled Ken and tickled him till the other man dropped the remote. Aya snatched it away and switched the TV to the channel he wanted.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ken cried, covering his ears as if in pain.
"Oi," a voice called. It had to be Yohji. Ken and Aya simultaneously looked at the clock. What was their blonde friend doing up before noon? "You guys are too loud! Could you please go do your kinky rituals somewhere where I don't have to listen to it?" Then there was the sound of a door slamming.
Aya and Ken exchanged a glance again before bursting out laughing. It would be an interesting hour and a half that followed, and they hadn't even had breakfast yet.
~~ At breakfast... ~~
"Hey, sleeping beauty!" Ken smiled at Omi. "It is good to see you out and about, after last night!" The night before had been when Ken, Aya, and Yohji decided to expose Omi to the wonders of alcohol. He obviously had a hangover after the night his friends had put him through.
"No greeting for me?" Yohji pouted.
"You were sleeping, but you're no beauty!" Ken laughed until he was attacked by Yohji. Aya and Omi both chose to ignore the two who would most likely end up in a verbal fight that was so traditional for them any minute now, anyway.
"How do you feel, Omi?" Aya sat down at the table, looking at the breakfast Ken had prepared, wondering about how edible it was. "You had a lot to drink last night, after all."
Omi smiled. He was still busy blushing about what Ken had just said. "I feel like hell, but I'll be fine. I feel a lot better than I did when I woke up." Omi glanced over at Ken and his heart clenched. Even after so long, he couldn't forget the boy. He just couldn't move on. He had finally come to except Ken and Aya as a couple when it had struck him that it would be the way of things for him to never kill his affections, even with effort.
Aya took a bite of omelet, shrugged, and continued eating. It was at least better than the toxic waste that Yohji was so infamous for. Omi was eating quickly as if the food were from heaven and he was a starving man. "Man, Ken, this is good!"
"Oi, you never say that about MY cooking!" Yohji put his hands on his hips and made a face at Omi. Ken crept up behind Yohji and put him in a headlock. "OI!"
Ken laughed. "That's 'cause my cooking is just THAT much better! Ne, koi?" Ken smiled brightly at Aya who was still carefully working on the first bite.
"You both suck," Aya finally said after swallowing. "But I am not afraid to swallow what Ken has made." Aya looked at Yohji with a wicked grin.
"No kidding, otherwise you wouldn't be dating him..." Yohji looked at Ken. Ken released Yohji and nodded, sitting down in Aya's lap, much to the other man's annoyance. Yohji went over to pick up the flower delivery notices. "Hm... there is one that needs to be there in an hour and a half... I guess Ken and I will have to do that one..."
"I'll take care of it," Aya commented decisively. "I don't want Ken to have to work too much after all." Aya took another bite of omelet.
"Koi, you're embarrassing me." Ken kissed Aya's nose. "What else do we have to deliver?"
"Well, there is a delivery to that one hot woman's house that I will take care of... but that is it. The shop is closed today too, so you two should take the day off." Yohji looked back and forth between Omi and Ken. "But, you have to promise to behave, kids."
"Hai, hai," Ken muttered. He kissed away some syrup on Aya's mouth. "You need to get out of the habit of putting syrup on eggs, it makes you irresistible." Ken then pushed off Aya's lap and pointed to the stairway. "Get going! You have to be out of here in a half hour. I'll do the arrangement, you go shower." Aya looked baffled.
After some strong coffee, Omi had been feeling better, until he saw this scene. It was so domestic, that it was almost painful. Ken, his Ken, was telling his lover to go take a shower while he packed the lunch-er- flowers. Omi stood. "I think I'll be leaving too." He turned to walk away, but he was stopped when someone grabbed the cloth of his nightshirt.
"You aren't going anywhere!" Omi turned to look at Ken as the boy spoke. "Not until we make plans for today, that is. I mean, if the two of us have the day off, we at least have to use it properly." Omi's heart was racing. Had Ken really just said that? Aya must've heard, he wasn't quite out of earshot when Ken had made the statement. Yohji was smirking, as he too left the room.
Omi stuttered, "I-I don't really care what we do today..."
"Lets go on a picnic at the beach. I'll take you out, Omi." Ken smiled and asked, "Is that okay with you, Omi?" The younger blonde didn't know how to respond. Ken was asking him out? What the hell was going on? Wasn't it just a moment ago that Ken was dripping all over Aya, his boyfriend of two years?
"Ken... is it really okay?"
"Please, let me do this, Omi. I've wanted to do something like this for a while..." Ken put his arms around Omi, pulling the boy against his chest. Omi couldn't move. What the hell was going on?
"Are you asking me on a date, Ken?" Omi knew he was probably dreaming too much and his prying would only get Ken angry with him. He hated his horrible habit of ruining anything good.
"If I say yes, will you?"
Omi melted against Ken in shock and glee. But AYA, Omi's logical mind shouted. Omi's heart didn't seem to care. It was content to just be in Ken's arms. "Let's go to the beach, Ken-kun."
~~ At the beach ~~
Ken's heart raced. He had a history of being spontaneous, but this was teetering on the edge of ridiculous. He carefully set out the food for the picnic as he thought, but couldn't help but be distracted by every item. The chicken was there because Omi didn't eat red meat, the salads and chips were there as fillers (sour cream and onion for Omi), and Omi' favorite cookie, Oreos, stashed away for the picnic. Had Ken really put that much thought into it? Looking back, he didn't think he had. Ken frowned.
"Oi! Ken! Hurry up! I wanna have time to swim!" Omi ran over to the blanket in his swim trunks and a cute smile on his face. "You are so slow! Does everything need to be in a particular spot or something?" Omi plopped down on the blanket, looking amused.
"Maybe I want this to be perfect!" Ken put a finger to Omi's chest and lightly pushed. "You're sitting where the salad bowl is going to sit." Ken winked at Omi before just putting the bowl down in front of the boy. He was about to go about his business pouring the drinks when he saw the look on Omi's face. "Did I do something wrong? Omi? Oi! Omi?!"
"Sorry..." Omi lifted his head, wiping away tears. "It is just so nice of you to put in so much effort for me." Omi picked up a bowl and started to put salad into it. "I know it may seem ordinary for you, but it means something to me. I am glad that... That..."
Ken put a hand over Omi's shaking hands. "Omi, can I ask you something?"
"... Yes..."
"Do you remember the night you told me... about how you felt?" Ken knew his voice was trembling. He couldn't help it though, the topic hadn't been discussed in two years, after all. "I don't know how awake you were when I said it, but I told you that I would be here for you... and I meant that..."
"I don't remember you saying that..." Omi smiled slightly. "I knew. You didn't have to say it. You held me while I cried that night, and that was more than enough. Ken, you always have supported me, no matter what, and for that I am grateful." Omi hung his head. "I am truly sorry I told you back then, though. I shouldn't have forced that on you."
There was a long silence when Ken could feel his heart beat in his ears. Omi had grown up on him. When did the boy get so mature? It certainly had nothing to do with Yohji, and it was a fluke if it was from Aya and Ken. "You didn't force anything on me, Omi."
"But, you left me." Ken felt his eyes go wide and he drew a sharp breath. When did he leave Omi? "The next morning, when I woke up, you left me alone... And, you and Aya... We never even talked. Ken, do you know how much suffering I've been through? I have half a mind to despise you!" Omi put the bowl he had been holding down and looked up at Ken with a grief- stricken expression. "But, I can't... Damn it, Ken, I can't hate you... no matter how many times you rip my heart in two..."
"Omi..." Ken hated this. He hated that he'd left Omi, he hated that he had to play house with Aya, and he hated that Omi suffered greatest for his attempt to help the boy. "I wanted you to move on, Omi. I wanted you to find someone better..."
"There isn't anyone... I don't want anyone but you!" Omi was crying again. "I hate you so much, but I love you even more. I wish I never met you, but I'd hate to know what life without you is like." Omi turned his head away.
"Omi... I know it is too late for this... but that night, why I left... I was in love with you. I thought it would be for the best if I let you grow out of that phase, move on, and I would just get together with Aya. I never really thought that anything between us would work... you were just so..." Ken growled quietly. "Oh, I donno, but I marked you as off limits. But... I loved you then... and I love you now... I just never thought that we would both..."
"You're right, Ken."
"Huh?" Ken looked up from his hands to see Omi looking at him with an expression somewhere in between amusement and annoyance.
"It is way too late for that. I suggest you go home to your little 'koibito' and have him kiss you and make it better because I sure as hell am not going to take this shit from you anymore!" Omi stood, tossing the bowl of salad at Ken so the leaves covered him in a gentle rain.
"I deserved that, I'm sure," Ken muttered as Omi stormed away.
~~ In the base of operations ~~
"Mission status?" Aya looked over his shoulder from his favorite chair at Yohji who was situated behind Omi's computer.
"Failing miserably..." Yohji sighed. "Those two can't even do a romantic outing right. Your lover boy is a moron." Yohji's sunglasses slipped a little. He went cross eyed trying to glare at them and pushed them back up with one index finger.
"I know," Aya muttered. "I really want this to work, so we may have to go to plan 'b'." Aya smiled very slightly. "Operation Scarlet commence."
~~ In the flower shop the night ~~
A schoolgirl bounded over to Ken. "Ken-kun! Will you help me pick out some forget-me-nots?" She motioned to some purple-blue flowers across the room. "I'm sure you can pick out the perfect ones for me!" She dragged the boy by the arm over to the flowers. Yohji couldn't help but grin.
Omi leaned over a little. "Yohji, what do forget-me-nots stand for?"
"True love, I believe." Yohji picked up a pot with a small flower in it. "This flower, the African Violet, would be more suited to the task. It is something that takes very little to actually bring to life, but need special care and attention to last forever. But, the amazing thing is, they are like cactus-they do last forever." Yohji smiled a little. "The title is good for love, at least. Love can't thrive if the two people forget what they had-or could have had." Yohji mockingly put a hand to his lips. "Oh, am I babbling? Well, gotta go satisfy some customers."
Yohji saw Omi look down at the violet in surprise and wonderment. Yohji whispered into the microphone wired into his collar, "Stage one complete."
Aya put an arm around Ken who was tending to the cacti in the far corner of the shop. "These always were your favorite. They look so tough, but inside they are so frail." Aya smiled despite himself. "But, I never see you taking care of the big ones, just the little ones."
Ken smiled. "I do that because the big ones have been around for a long time and are more self-sufficient. These ones need someone to look after them until they are big enough to handle themselves. I just wanna be the one who makes sure that they will mature properly."
"So, then do you just stop caring for the older ones entirely?" Aya wondered if Ken could tell he had never been talking about the cacti in the first place.
"No, I helped raise them too, so they are still special to me. There is just something about these that I can't avoid. Something tells me I will still want to care for them carefully when they are more mature." Ken's smile was wistful.
"Cacti... are rather like love. They look beautiful when they blossom, but you can never seem to get near enough without getting pricked at least a little." Aya hugged Ken to him a little more with one arm. "Isn't that right, Ken?"
"Wouldn't that be a rose?"
"Phase two more or less complete," Aya muttered to Yohji. The poor guy sounded tired. Yohji walked over to the cash register and raised his voice enough to say, "It's closing time, everyone! If you have a purchase, please bring it up here now, or please leave. Thanks for coming, everyone!" Yohji was suddenly nearly toppled over by a wave of girls who all wanted to check out.
~~ An hour later ~~
"Wow... that was amazing..." Ken flipped through the money they'd made just that day alone and grinned. "I have the power of sales after all!"
Yohji pouted. "I don't get it. Why does the gay guy get all the women?"
Aya smiled, putting his arms around Ken. "I'll have to be careful tomorrow. I had no idea I had so much competition." Aya kissed Ken's cheek. "I'm going to bed, koibito. I'll see you guys later." Aya stood strait and walked out the door, leaving the two blondes and Ken to look confused but amused in his wake.
"Aya will be Aya, I guess..." Yohji combed a hand through his thick hair. "Oh well. I'd better go make sure nothing is going on downstairs. I'll leave the two of you to take care of the money, okay?" Yohji waved as he walked down the stairs.
"Alone again," Ken muttered with a smile. "This time, we'll talk."
"There's nothing to say," Omi snatched the money out of Ken's hands and started sorting it back into the cash register.
"Omi, don't be like that." Ken stood, and walked over to Omi, putting his arms around the boy from behind. "Please, I don't want us to turn from eachother over this. You have to understand, Omi, I'm ready to do anything you ask of me in this moment, which may include forgetting about Aya, but that is okay with me. I think Aya, in his own way, told me today that it was okay with him too."
Omi leaned into Ken a little. "Do you really mean that Ken?"
"Of course."
"Ken... I want to be with you but..."
"Too late?"
"No... I was wrong to say that." Omi gently struggled in Ken's arms. "But, if you keep holding me here, how am I supposed to suddenly jump on you and say 'Ken, I love you', and kiss you passionately?"
"Oh, sorry..." Ken let go of Omi with tears in his eyes.
"Ahem," Omi mock-cleared his throat. He turned to look at Ken with tears in his eys and a goofy grin on his face. "Ken, I love you!" Omi jumped into Ken's arms, holding tight to the brunette.
"I love you too, Omi." Ken couldn't help but think: is this really okay with Aya? Knowing that psychopath, though, he's probably try to seduce Yohji or something...
Ken felt Omi's lips brush his and was instantly pulled out of his reverie. It was no use worrying about the future then, not when there was so much at stake in the present. Ken pulled Omi tight to him, and he would never let go.
~~ Owari ~~
Link: Erm... I don't know what that was.
Ken: *is a happy puddle of drool*
Omi: *stars in eyes* that was sweet!
Aya: Oh YOH~JI...
Yohji: Ah! Hentai! Get away from me!
All others: *laugh*
Link: Well, anyway, there you have it. I hope this is done. No more sequels... unless anyone wants more... *shakes head* thanks for reading, everyone!