Maneuvering

“Itai!” Yohji hissed. “Mou, Aya, I only wanted to be friendly!”

“You will not be ‘friendly’ with my sister, Kudou!”

“No!” K’so, trust Aya to interpret that in the worst way! Yohji dodged another attack. “Come on, Aya, you know my rule, no one under 18. And you two agreed she is. I just thought she’d like to go shopping, and you’ve got first shift, and–“

”Oniisan–“ As always, Aya dropped what he was doing to turn to his sister. As what he’d been doing was snapping Yohji with the dishtowel he’d had in hand when the blonde made his offer, Yohji was happy to see him deflected. He rubbed the welt on his wrist as Aya-chan came in on his side. Thank God for Aya-chan. “Ran-niisan, don’t hurt him, I want to go.”

“Aya-chan–“

”I want to.” Aya-chan tossed her hair and gave her brother the feminine version of the Fujimiya glare. “Yohji-kun is right, I want to go shopping.”

“If you’ll wait, Aya-chan, I’ll take you just as soon–“

”No.” The girl shook her head, the glare vanished into a fond smile. “Baka, don’t you know what day it is? Or will be, next week?”

Aya scowled. “You don’t need to spend your money on me, Aya-chan.”

“Well, I could buy Yohji-kun a present, then.”

“Chotto!” Yohji yelled as Aya turned on him. “She’s kidding, Aya, she doesn’t buy me presents!”

“Oniisan, you really ought to calm down.” Aya-chan patted her brother’s hand, incidentally disarming him. “Maybe I’ll get you some decaffeinated tea, ne?” She grinned at her traditional brother’s horror at the thought, even as he tried not to show it on his face. And the sad thing was if she bought it, he would drink it. All of it. Honestly, this porcelain-doll thing of his was getting old. Ran needed something to take his mind off his sister. Or she’d never get to have any fun. She gave him the full-on smile. “I want ice cream, Ran, and I want to go shopping. Please don’t be angry?”

He didn’t have a chance and he knew it. He tried, though, stubborn as he was, folding his arms and giving her the disapproving brother look. She batted her eyelashes and gave him the sad little sister one.

“Please, Oniisan? Yohji-kun won’t let any boys near me, you know he’s almost as protective as you are.” Flutter the eyelashes, just a hint of tears in her eyes– “Onegai? I want to give you something, I want to make up for all those holidays I missed.” Oh, she hadn’t meant to pull that one out. Ran flinched, as he always did at the reminder. She shouldn’t have to hurt him just to go shopping! Aya-chan made herself hold firm, if she gave in the hurt would be for nothing. And she’d had enough of his icy Aya-kun persona anyway. Ran needed to come back to the land of the living. Celebrating his own birthday would be a good start to that.

As he must, Ran gave in, hugged her and told her to have a good time, then started giving Yohji-kun special instructions as if she were a newborn baby or a rare and delicate flower he’d foolishly entrusted to the older man. Aya-chan pulled Yohji to his car, Ran following as he added descriptive threats of what he would do to the blonde if any harm came to his imouto. He was still threatening and instructing as Yohji turned the corner, leaving the flower shop behind. Aya-chan tossed her hair in the wind and laughed at the feel.

“He loves you,” Yohji-kun said. He always defended Ran when Ran wasn’t around to hear him. In front of Ran he did his level best to be annoying. And with her uptight brother, his best was very, very good. Aya-chan knew why he riled her brother so much. Omi-kun had a guess why Yohji enjoyed doing it so much.

“I know, but it is hard being his entire life. He needs someone else to love.”

“Too bad Sakura finally gave up.”

“No, I’m glad. It certainly took long enough to get it through her head she didn’t have a chance.”

“You don’t think so?”

“No, Yohji-kun, don’t you know?” Aya-chan turned to him and forced a giggle as Yohji stopped at a traffic light. He slipped the Seven out of gear while he lit a cigarette. “Ran is gay.”

“N–nani?” Yohji-kun gasped, and coughed, and choked. Aya-chan nodded ahead.

“Green light, Yohji-kun.” She managed not to laugh as the blonde revved the motor without putting the car back in gear.

***

“That’s it?” Schuldig asked. Nagi rolled his eyes.

“Yes, again. Traditional foods and boring speeches and fireworks, that’s the Fourth of July to Americans. Since when do you care?”

“Well, you know.” Schuldig shrugged and smirked. “Haven’t blown anything up in a while, have we?”

“And you won’t, without orders,” Brad said, sticking his head in the door. “Schuldig, get Farfarello, we have an appointment.”

“Hai, o king of demons!” Schuldig kept his eyes down as he passed the American. Too much enthusiasm, Brad thought he was mocking him. Probably because normally Schu would be. Gott in der Holle, he hated this. Every time he spoke to Brad, he worried if he was saying something wrong. Everything Brad said to him, he analyzed for hints of the American’s feelings. This cluelessness was how normal people lived, and Schu didn’t like it all.

Damn Kudou. The next time he ran into the Weiss bastard, Schuldig was going to make him pay for this.

***

“Itai!” Yohji hissed, stumbling backwards. He met a solid body, which was better than the floor. Ken chuckled in his ear and pushed him back to balance as he stared after the vanishing redhead.

“And you call me an idiot, Kudou.”

“With reason, Kenken.” Yohji sighed and reached for his cigarettes. Okay, that had not been a bright move. Why was it every time he got near Aya, his brain took a hike?

“No smoking in the shop, Yotan.” Omi was there, with a broom. “But outside could use some work. Ken-kun, are you going?”

“Yeah.” Ken headed for the door, Yohji followed, a cigarette already in his mouth. Ken was right, he’d been an idiot. But he couldn’t seem to help it. Every time he got within half a meter of Aya, he did something incredibly stupid. Maybe because other body parts were cutting off the blood supply to his brain?

And maybe it didn’t matter. Aya-chan was right, Yohji had no doubt of that. Though it had nearly choked him to hear her say it, Aya-chan was like Omi, having her even know there was such a thing as sex was very uncomfortable–

Focus, Yohji. Aya-chan must be right, her big brother was gay. She wouldn’t have said it if she weren’t certain, and if Aya weren’t comfortable with people knowing. So what Yohji had proved in the four days since talking to Aya-chan, was that it was Kudou Yohji in particular Aya couldn’t stand, not men as a whole.

Damn it. And damn Schuldig. This had all been his idea. He’d done it on purpose, if anyone would know the depths of Aya’s dislike for his playboy teammate, it was Mastermind. Well, he’d topped himself this time. Yohji hadn’t been this incredibly miserable since–

No, just don’t even go there. And this was different anyway. The worst Japan had to offer had been trying to kill Aya for years now. And they all died on the redhead’s blade. Sometimes Yohji wondered if that wasn’t part of the attraction. Aya–Ran–wasn’t going to die on him. Ran might be human, gentle and beautiful, but there was also Abyssinian in there. And Abyssinian was an accomplished survivor.

And an accomplished killer. God, to see him in action…Yohji took a deep pull from his cigarette and ordered his body to behave. He hadn’t put an apron on yet, it was not a good time to be thinking how incredibly freaking sexy the redhead was with a sword in his hands. Especially the way those incredible fingers handled that sword…

Down, boy. Think about what Aya did with the other end of that sword, to people who annoyed him.

Eep.

Okay, now that problem was dealt with…it wasn’t hopeless. Sure Aya had hit him for the ‘accidental’ grope. But he’d also–so faintly Yohji was sure he was the only who had spotted it–blushed, just the teeniest bit. It was the first time in months Yohji had seen a crack in that icy veneer. It had to be just the beginning, didn’t it?

“Where there’s life, there’s hope,” he muttered. Yohji preferred that to the Japanese version of the adage. “Only death can cure a fool.”