Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ It's All Relative ❯ Chapter 13 ( Chapter 13 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
Waking up next to Crawford was a surprise, one that Aya found pleasing. At the house in New York they never slept in the same bed, one or the other always returning to their own room. Aya rolled over to watch Crawford sleep. His lover's face was relaxed and looked younger and softer, more approachable. Aya reach out a hand to stroke back a wayward silver lock of hair to feel its silkiness. Golden honey eyes opened to focus sleepily on his face. Crawford smiled and let loose his hold on the gun under his pillow to pull Aya over onto his body to sprawl over his chest. He lightly traced with his forefinger the swollen bruising on Aya's cheek and the puffy cut on his bottom lip.

"For this alone I would have killed him." Crawford said and raised his head to lap at the abused lip.

Aya felt the stirrings of desire and moved fully atop Crawford to rub their morning erections together. The delightful friction felt too good and he leaned down to claim a kiss. The slight stinging of his cut lip only made the resulting heat from the kiss all the sweeter. There was no established pattern to their sex, either one content to be bottom or top, but this morning Crawford rolled Aya beneath him and settled between his thighs. He spent a long time kissing and stroking Aya's face, paying special attention to the abused areas as if to erase the other man's marks.

As was his habit, Crawford played Aya's body until his lover gave voice to his pleasure and murmured approval and encouragement in his ears with each gasp or moan. Fingertips danced, stroked and pinched in random succession until Aya was writhing with need and shaking with passion. The sex was unhurried and drawn out, a reaffirmation of life and mutual claiming. Aya came with Crawford's given name on his lips and Crawford followed quickly growling, "Mine."

After leisurely showering together, Crawford rapped on the door of the other suite then opened it to reveal their other two teammates still sacked out in their respective beds. He tersely informed the sleepyheads to get moving or they would miss breakfast and be hungry on the flight home. The blonde and the redhead grumbled and mumbled so similarly that Aya suppressed a smile.

Right before boarding Crawford pressed two pills into Schuldig's hand with a bottle of water. Minutes after they were seated in First class Schuldig was asleep with his orange head on Yohji's shoulder. The blonde looked torn between amusement and annoyance, but didn't shove him off. He even smoothed a blanket over the telepath.

"What was that you gave Schuldig?" Aya asked Crawford.

"Something Esset scientists cooked up for the stronger telepaths and empaths for travel. It makes Valium look like candy."

Aya wanted to lean against Crawford to nap and sustain the warm feeling from the mornings activities, but Crawford opened his laptop and there was no sign of Brad in his intense expression as he worked. Aya settled for headphones on his ears and checked the in flight movie. Just his luck. It was "Godzilla". He wished he had bought a book at the stand in the airport. Almost as if he were the telepath, Crawford reached into his briefcase and handed Aya a book of English poetry. He returned to his work without even a fleeting smile for his lover.

Eighteen mind numbing hours later and their car was pulling into the garage of the big house. Yohji looked at his surroundings with great interest while assisting Schuldig. The telepath was still groggy from his drug induced sleep. Aya opened the door to his bedroom and set his and Yohji's baggage inside.

"You can use my room, Yohji, until yours is furnished." Aya offered.

Yohji frowned. "I don't want to put you out. Where will you sleep?"

Aya couldn't control the self-conscious blush but he met Yohji's eyes squarely.

"I'll sleep with Brad."

So that's the way it was then. Crawford and Aya were lovers. Yohji wanted to question Aya about this, but was just not that interested at the present. Aya gathered some clean clothes and a few items from his bathroom. He hesitated for an indecisive moment before laying a hand on Yohji's shoulder to give a compassionate squeeze. Yohji's look of astonishment pinched Aya's heart. Had he really been so selfish to his teammates before that he never offered his support? Perhaps, but Yohji was here now and Aya wanted to help his friend.

"Get some rest, Yohji. I'll see you in the morning and we'll talk."

"Yes, we will." Yohji's tone was harsh and Aya winced internally. He knew Yohji wanted to talk about the revelation of his love life and choice of lover. Yohji closed the door quietly.

Tired but too restless to sleep, Aya padded down the hall to glance into Schuldig's room. The telepath lay in an ungraceful sprawl on top of the covers of the most decadent bed Aya had ever seen. He shook his head in amusement and undressed the other man before rolling him around to get him under the silk sheets. Schuldig frowned in his sleep until Aya bunched a pillow under one of his arms then he settled again with a relaxed smile. Aya brushed his hand over flaming orange hair then he retreated in embarrassment. Twice in less than a week he had tucked a fully grown man into bed like a child. Silly, really, but Aya would never admit to himself that he gained some satisfaction in giving Schuldig the care that Crawford would brush off as foolish sentimentality. Somehow Schuldig had, with his arrogant personality and bright, garish presence coupled with his persistence, wormed his way past Aya's shields to earn the regard of the reserved Abyssinian.

Schuldig had been as responsible as Crawford for drawing Aya from his lonely shell. Aya only hoped that Yohji would find some peace as well. He had learned well that vengeance alone made for cold companionship. Feeling the need for his lover's presence, Aya stepped through Crawford's open door. Crawford put down the book he was reading to smirk in amusement.

"All good little boys tucked into bed for the night?"

Crawford seemed to be in a playful mood, but their was an edge to his words that prickled the nape of Aya's neck. Apparently Aya still wasn't forgiven for not following orders.

"I can stay with Schuldig if this is an inconvenience for you," Aya offered.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Crawford snapped. "Your place is not in Schuldig's bed."

"My place," Aya drawled the word. It tasted bitter on his tongue. "Tell me, Crawford, where is exactly my place.?" The warmth they had shared that morning was replaced by a chill defensiveness on both sides.

Crawford glared at him. "Now is not the time for this, Aya"

"You've said that before. When will be the time?"

Crawford set his glasses on the table with his book and turned out the lamp on his side. "When you come to terms with the fact that I am your leader, the Oracle of Schwarz before I am Brad, your lover. I will always choose the welfare of the team over the desires of just one member, even if that person is the one I take to bed."

Aya undressed in silence and slipped on a pair of loose cotton pants before rounding the bed to lift the covers of the other side. They lay with their backs to each other and at least four feet of space separating them. Much the same as Schuldig had, Aya tucked a pillow against his chest and attempted to sleep. Aya wanted Crawford to turn over and move closer. He knew it wouldn't happen and damned if he would do it himself. He was no child wanting reassurance or a doormat of a girlfriend wanting to ingratiate herself by offering her body to mollify a miffed boyfriend. Aya's last thought before falling asleep was if Crawford really thought of himself as two different people or just presented the cold, calculating Oracle personality as a shield for the softer, Brad part of his persona that was merely human.