Three-Hour Tour
[Five]
by Truth
The previous evening, Schuldich had made himself comfortable in a
hammock down by the beach. Exhausted by lack of sleep and the
strenuous activities of the previous day, he slept for almost ten
hours. Woken by the sunrise, he continued to lie cradled in the
shadowy shelter of the trees in drowsy contentedness, contemplating
yesterday's activities.
After almost an hour spent in pleasant reminiscing, he finally opened
his eyes. "Hmmmm. What shall I do today?" He smirked at the
rhetorical question and slipped from the hammock. Retrieving a
bundle from beneath his comfortable bed, he wandered down the beach
to his boat.
Forty minutes later, he had a clothesline rigged between two other
trees, and the contents of the bundle he had brought away with him
the night before were drying in the sun. He slid the corner
of one of the dark green sheets through his fingers ruefully.
"Salt water is murder on silk."
Yohji awoke with the hazy feeling that something was wrong. He lay
on his stomach for a while, trying to pin down what had woken him.
Stretching, the tall man fumbled for the cigarettes that he kept on
his bedside table.
Searching fingers brushed taut nylon, and Yohji was suddenly wide
awake. 'Nylon = tent = island = Schuldich = sex (my GOD how did I
come up with THAT little equation) = Omi and I having sex last
night. Repeatedly.'
Cautiously turning and sitting up in the tangled nest of pillows and
comforters, Yohji beheld a slender body wrapped around a large
pillow. Said body was easily recognizable as Omi.
'Hoooo boy.'
/More like 'Gods Omi, do that again!'./
Yohji flinched, violently. He struggled to keep from speaking aloud,
not yet ready to deal with an Omi who was awake. 'You were
LISTENING?'
/No. Omi's dreaming about last night. Tell me, did you really
promise to participate in that little adventure with the whipped
cream and the handcuffs or is he indulging in wishful thinking?/
Quickly replaying the events of last night in his mind, Yohji came to
the conclusion that he had indeed promised to carry through with that
fantasy as well as.... 'Oh no.'
/Oh yes!/ Gales of laughter filled the playboy's head. /Well, well,
well. Why don't you come down to the beach, Kudou. We should
probably discuss this before Kitten wakes up. Quite
the sex drive he has there./
'I hate you.'
/I know. But I'm not going to hold it against you. Not unless you
ask me really nicely./ The German's mental voice trailed off into a
soft purr and Yohji shivered involuntarily. /Come down to the beach
or I'll come back to the tent./
Yohji went, though not without a last, lingering glance at the nude
form occupying the other side of the bed. 'I can't believe I just
did that. I can't believe that he just did that.'
/I can't believe that you're actually still able to walk after some
of what you did. You're awfully limber for being so tall. How are
those bruises this morning, anyway?/
Yohji didn't bother to dignify that with a response. He stopped just
long enough to pull on the loose pants that he had 'borrowed' from
the speedboat before heading out.
Omi was completely exhausted. The stressful events on the ship
culminating in Yohji being violently expelled through the window had
been extremely trying. Then there had been the subsequent trip in
the lifeboat and his second encounter with Schuldich, after which he
had managed only a few hours of sleep before the German had abandoned
him to Yohji.
A fully rested, teased to within an inch of his life, Yohji. A Yohji
who had just left the tent.
Omi sighed and discarded his pillow, tossing and turning for a few
minutes until he found another position that he was comfortable
with. This morning found him extremely tired and more than just a
little sore.
/Go back to sleep, Kitten. Your Yohji didn't mean to wake you and
you need more rest./
"Hm. Thinking."
/About what?/
"You don't know?" Omi closed his eyes again and concentrated on
relaxing.
/It's considered polite to ask. I try not to rummage when I don't
have to./
"Too tired to talk. Go ahead and dig around," smothering a huge
yawn, Omi snuggled deeply into the bedding.
/Pleasant dreams./
Breaking through the edge of the tropical undergrowth, Yohji peered
distractedly up and down the beach. The bright sun reflected off the
water and the white sand in a fashion that someone accustomed to
wearing sunglasses at night would find blinding; and indeed, did.
/Ten yards to your right, you will find a hammock. There's a bag
hanging from one of the trees. Help yourself to whatever's in there./
Yohji fumbled his way along the tree line until he found the indicted
bag. Inside, he found cigarettes, a lighter, a bottle of water,
sunblock with an incredibly high SPF, sunglasses.... He
stopped digging through the bag and helped himself to the cigarettes
and the sunglasses.
He slid on the sunglasses and, lighting up, turned to survey the
beach. The white sand was only a narrow band between the gleaming
water and the foliage. To his right was a large beach blanket,
several brightly towels lying to one side of it and a clothesline.
Green sheets flapped in the breeze as did what appeared to be parts
of a tuxedo.
/How else would you expect to dry something? Here by the beach
there's less humidity and an actual breeze. You might want to try
that, Kudou./
Yohji thought about laying violent hands on the telepath, instead.
It was an easier mental image than that of the other man doing Omi's
laundry.
/Temper, temper./ Schuldich taunted. /After last night you ought to
be in a good mood./
"Shut up."
He waited expectantly for a teasing reply, but none came. He sank
down, his back against the rough bark of the tree, and finished his
cigarette. Helping himself to another, he stared down the beach at
the abandoned lifeboat and thought about what happened the night
before.
Omi had been aggressive. He had wanted his older teammate to know
exactly how much he wanted this, and had succeeded admirably. Yohji
honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd had such a work-out.
Schuldich had been right. This by itself was a concept that the
Weiss assassin found difficult to accept. Omi had needed this. The
younger boy had always desperately sought a place where he could be
himself, a family to cling to. After the disaster with his brothers
and the revelation of who his father really was, Omi was even more
alone than before. In some ways, he was very much the uncertain
teenager. But he was also Bombay, an expert at information retrieval
and assassination, a boy forced to grow old before his time.
Schuldich had been right about that as well. Whatever his
appearance, Omi was not a child. But he was still very young and
very alone.
Yohji grimaced as another unpalatable truth made itself known. _He_
had wanted and needed this as well, however much he had tried to deny
it. The oldest member of Weiss was just as lost in some ways as the
youngest. Without family or friends, he had only Weiss. He used his
appearance and reputation to keep the nice girls away. He didn't
want to become attached to anyone or dependant on them ever again.
As a result, and despite appearances, his life was fucking lonely.
He had slowly become aware of his growing attraction to the bright
light that was Omi, but had fiercely denied it. If the younger man
had managed to keep his heart open, more power to him, but Yohji was
not going to be the one mess it up. Better that Omi find a nice
girl, get out of the assassin business and lead a normal life. In
retrospect, that was actually pretty funny. None of them would ever
manage to lead a `normal' life again. They'd seen too much and had
acquired powerful enemies, people unlikely to let them just drop
their dark profession and walk back into the light.
Schuldich.... He brought his thoughts to a screeching halt.
"Reality check here. Schuldich, you're the enemy. Just what the
hell are you doing indulging in wild sex with us here on this island?"
/'Us'? Is that an offer?/
Yohji gritted his teeth. "Answer the question!"
/It's just what you said. I'm indulging myself. If you'd relax just
a little, you might actually begin to enjoy this./ The mental voice
turned coaxing. /Come on out for a swim, you'll feel better./
Turning his attention to the water, Yohji scanned the small waves.
Sure enough, quite some distance from shore, an arm waved at him.
Schuldich apparently believed that swimming meant actual laps and not
just paddling in the shallows. The telepath was probably getting
quite a workout, given the speed with which he was stroking through
the water.
/You'd be paying thousands of dollars for this sort of vacation at a
resort. The water is beautiful, the weather is beautiful and you
have nowhere to go and nothing to do./
"Only because I haven't a choice in the matter."
/That's right. You have no choice,/ soft laughter echoed in Yohji's
mind. /Might as well just lie back and enjoy the ride./
"You!" Yohji couldn't think of anything insulting enough to tag onto
the end of that word.
/Me./ Schuldich reached the end of the lap, turned and swam toward
the shore.
"I hate you."
/You said that before. Look, this is me quaking with fear./ The
German came to a lazy stop in the water, still several yards from
shore. /Are you going to come in or am I going to have get
out?/
Yohji thought about it for a minute or two. Strip down and go
swimming with Schuldich or sit here and force the telepath to come
out of the water. With a small surge of petty satisfaction, he
stayed put.
Schuldich waited only a moment or two before moving forward out of
the sea. The wicked grin on his face set off belated warning bells
in Yohji's mind, letting him know that he had just made the wrong
decision.
Yohji had found himself giving the flame-haired telepath the once
over yesterday afternoon. The rumpled, sleepy-eyed German had been
well worth looking at. The difference between that languid, teasing
creature and the bitterly sardonic Schuldich he had become accustomed
to had been shocking.
This morning brought yet another revision of his previously held
beliefs concerning the other man. Schuldich had not bothered to
include bathing gear in his luggage and the body that was bared to
view as he prowled up the beach was both lean and well-toned.
It was definitely a prowl. Yohji swallowed hard, suddenly realizing
exactly what it was that Omi saw in the other man. Schuldich's
elegant face and compelling eyes were a matter of record. The rather
unattractive suits that he wore hid a body that, well, it was a
crime, that was all!
For his own part, Schuldich was taking a great deal of pleasure out
of watching Yohji's eyes crawl up and down his nude form. His wild
hair, temporarily weighed heavily and darkened with sea water,
stretched down well past his waist. Turning away from the other man
he reached for a towel and draped it over his hips, knotting it
securely before reaching for a second towel. He dried his hair in a
leisurely fashion, grinning as he 'watched' Yohji memorize every
curve of his body.
Finishing with his hair, the German turned back to his
companion. "You're passing up a marvelous opportunity, you know."
Yohji blunked, pulling his attention away from lines of Schuldich's
legs. "W-what?"
"The water," Schuldich told him, sprawling in the shadow of the tree
beside him, "was wonderful."
A silence ensued. The German stretched and rolled over onto his
stomach. "If you're not going to swim, you could try making yourself
useful."
"Why would I...!"
"Because I'm asking nicely?" Schuldich supported his chin with his
forearms, which were crossed in the wiry grass that grew by the edge
of the sand, and batted his eyes at Yohji. Green eyes met green and
the Weiss assassin blinked first.
"What do you want?" His voice was sullen, but Schuldich didn't seem
to mind.
"Sunscreen."
"Sunscreen?"
Schuldich laughed softly. "I'm rather susceptible to the sun. If
you'd be so kind?"
Omi rolled over in his comfortable nest. He couldn't seem to drift
back off into sleep entirely, but kept waking. This restlessness
tugged at him every time he felt himself falling back into dreamless
slumber. The more that he tried to ignore it, the more it pulled at
him.
He finally gave up the battle and simply lay among the cushions,
relaxed, but awake. Staring up at the shadowed roof of the tent he
stifled another yawn and wondered where everyone else had gotten to.
/We're on the beach, Kitten. What are you doing awake?/
"Not sure." Omi felt a little strange speaking aloud to someone
halfway across the island, but couldn't bring himself to just think
the words.
/How do you feel?/
"Sore."
Silent laughter filled his mind. He found himself smiling as the
sound wrapped around him, warming him. It should have been
disturbing to know that he was allowing himself to be lulled by the
voice of one of his worst enemies. For some reason, Omi couldn't
manage to work up any sort of animosity toward Schuldich. He relaxed
into the soft chuckling, wondering idly how long this bizarre state
of affairs would last.
/As long as you want them to, Kitten. I've become rather attached to
you./
"Really?"
Another burst of that soft laughter. /Maybe. I've always had a
fondness for cats./
Omi yawned, his earlier restlessness already forgotten. He snuggled
back among the cushions. "I could get used to this."
/Just sleep. When you feel up to it, get up and drink some water.
There are breakfast bars in one of the boxes. Help yourself and
then come down to the beach./
"All right." Omi was already drifting off. Giving one last yawn, he
closed his eyes and let slumber take him once again.
At about this same time, Kudou Yohji was questioning his own sanity.
It was true that the mostly naked German had incredibly fair skin.
It was also true that he definitely did need that very strong
sunblock that was in the bag just to Yohji's right.
"You want ME to put sunscreen on YOU?!"
"Do you see someone else on this beach?" Schuldich sighed and rolled
his shoulders, stretching the muscles in his back.
Yohji swallowed. "I don't believe this...."
"Kudou, it's a simple request. If it freaks you out _that_ badly,
I'll do it myself." Schuldich was trying not to laugh, his wide grin
hidden by his folded arms.
"Everything about you freaks me out," the Weiss assassin snapped.
"Really?" Schuldich rolled onto his side, propping his head up with
one elbow. The towel was knotted on his hip and fell away from his
body as he turned, leaving one leg and thigh totally exposed while
barely providing a modicum of decency.
Yohji stared helplessly. He simply couldn't look away. This was
worse than when the telepath had pulled himself out of the water. He
wasn't sure why, it just was.
Schuldich sighed. "Denial. Tsk. Such a waste of time and effort."
The other man continued to stare. He wasn't sure just where this
total fascination with the German had come from, but his libido was
suddenly coming up with all manner of interesting suggestions. "Are,
are you doing something to me?" he croaked.
"Yes," Schuldich admitted cheerfully. "It's called 'releasing
inhibitions'. Pass the sunscreen, would you?"
Numbly, Yohji reached into the bag beside him and pulled out the
sunscreen. Smiling sweetly, Schuldich took it from him and sat
up. "Last chance, Kudou. Do you want to apply this? Or should I do
it myself?"
Taking in the challenging glint in the green eyes, Yohji suddenly had
a very vivid mental image of having to sit and watch Schuldich apply
sunblock. Seeing those long-fingered hands massaging the tan colored
cream into that white skin, he swallowed. The man was gorgeous, he
was a tease and he was certainly not above torturing Yohji. It would
be far less painful if he applied it, instead of allowing this to go
on.
"I'll do it." He nearly snatched the bottle away from the German,
banishing the image from his imagination.
Schuldich smiled at him. "Thank you."
"I'm NOT doing this for you."
"And don't I know it. Try lightening up just a little. You're going
to give yourself an ulcer."
/Are you still awake, Kitten?/
Omi snuggled drowsily into the bedding. "Hmmm?"
/Your Yohji is still all bent out of shape. Any ideas?/
"'S n'rm'lly v'ry 'gr'ss've. 'S c'ntr'l fr'k `n b'd.'
Muffled laughter wrapped gently around him. /Sorry to disturb you.
Go back to sleep./
A hasty slathering on of sunblock had somehow become a gentle
smoothing and then slipped into a caressing massage. Yohji was still
not exactly sure how it had happened. He suspected that Schuldich
hadn't been kidding when he'd admitted to 'releasing inhibitions'.
He couldn't bring himself to worry about it too much, however. The
day was warm even though they were in the shade and he found the
soft, constant noise of the sea to be incredibly soothing.
The recipient of said massage had been silent throughout the entire
process. When the attentions of the other man had become soothing,
he had said nothing. When Yohji had straddled him, concentrating
more on loosening the knots in his back than their respective
positions, he had not commented. In fact, the continued silence was
beginning to slightly worry the Weiss assassin. Up until this
moment, the other man had seemed to find nothing more delightful than
tormenting him.
"What are you thinking?"
"Mmmmmm. That this feels very good," Schuldich replied.
Yohji frowned. "No clever remarks? No lewd comments?"
"You kept telling me to shut up, so I did."
"You've never bothered to listen to me before."
Schuldich's expression was still completely hidden from view, but
Yohji wondered if he didn't hear a chuckle in the other man's
voice. "Maybe I decided to play nice for a change."
"Hah." Yohji moved away from the German, collapsing back against the
tree and fishing for another cigarette.
Schuldich remained silent, his head pillowed on his arms. Long
sunset hair trailed away to one side, safely away from the residue of
the sunblock. Yohji found himself again ogling the other man, and
pushed his borrowed sunglasses back up against the bridge of his
nose. What was he up to?
"Maybe I'm just trying to be agreeable?" Schuldich answered the
unspoken thought, rolling over onto his back. He readjusted his
towel and stretched both arms over his head.
"You?"
The German made a face at the disbelief contained in that one
word. "Is it written somewhere that I have to be a nasty,
sociopathic bastard at all times? I'm on vacation, here."
"I'm not! We were practically kidnapped!"
Schuldich closed his eyes. "Fine. Go away then and plot your clever
escape. You're ruining my island get-away with your constant
fidgeting."
It had been a very trying few days for Yohji. He had accrued some
rather spectacular bruises during his brief encounter with Nagi and
his subsequent dip in the sea had only delayed their stiffening.
Schuldich's subsequent teasing and Omi's atypical behavior had
rattled him severely. His early rising, combined with the
unexpected and rather vigorous events of the night before had not
helped at all. His temper had been uncertain to begin with and he
was very close to losing it altogether.
"Just what the hell is all this in aid of?!"
The German slitted one eye. "To get the Kitten laid, basically.
That having been accomplished, I haven't got any other specific
plans."
"You dragged us both out here just to get in the sack with Omi?"
Yohji's voice had become dangerously soft.
"Not exactly." Schuldich closed his eyes again. "The overactive and
hormonal imagination of a very attractive 17-year-old is very
distracting. This was easier and far more enjoyable than simply
shooting him just so I can concentrate. You're here because Kitten
wanted you. See? Easy."
"I flew through a window, was forced to tread water for over an hour,
nearly froze to death and then slept in an insect-infested jungle
just so YOU could get into Omi's pants?!"
"It would have been much easier if you'd done it in the first
place," Schuldich pointed out. He opened his eyes again and stared
up at the branches of the tree above them. "You're the one he
wanted, you know?" Yohji was starting to lose his temper. Just a
little more pressure.... He carefully nudged Yohji's subconscious.
/* Omi's arms, winding around his neck. Omi's lips, pressed against
his own. A warm weight, pushing him down into the softness of the
bed and a familiar voice telling him....*/
Yohji shook his head violently, although whether he was trying to
clear away the image or the memory that went with it was uncertain
even to him. "No."
The telepath blinked. "No, what?"
The gaze that the other man turned on him was more than a little
predatory. "There's something else that Omi wants."
Schuldich kept his voice carefully neutral. "Oh?"
"Yes. There's something else that you want as well." Yohji
carefully buried his cigarette butt in the sand before turning back
to the other man.
Sensibly, Schuldich remained silent.
"No one, however, seems interested in what I want."
Sensing that Yohji was only seconds away from the decision that would
take all three of them exactly where he wanted them to go, Schuldich
rose to his feet and turned away from Yohji.
"The Kitten is interested. Speaking of which, he will want his
clothes when he wakes up."
The German had one hand on the clothesline when Yohji's hand closed
on his other elbow and whirled him around.
Omi opened his eyes and stretched. He had finally slept himself out,
and was surprised to discover that he was ravenously hungry. He
helped himself to some of the granola bars in the box under the small
table and found plastic cups and powdered drink mix there as well.
Taking his pseudo-orange juice, he slid on the discarded windbreaker
and went outside to eat.
The late afternoon sun bathed the small clearing around the tent in
warmth, and Omi sat just outside the tent, nibbling on the bars and
drinking his juice. He was quite comfortable, despite his lack of
clothing. That started another round of blushing.
"I can't believe I just did that," he muttered, unconsciously echoing
Yohji's earlier sentiments.
/I can./
"Schuldich! Where have you been?"
/The beach./
"You sound awfully tired." Omi swallowed the last of his breakfast
and stood up. "What happened?"
/Hmph. Yohji happened./
Omi's eyes widened. "What did he do to you?"
/Several things that are widely considered both immoral and
impractical. The bastard./ A tired chuckle followed.
"What?"
/Think carefully before asking those open-ended questions, Kitten./
/*A pair of bodies crashed to the ground, tangled in sheets of green
silk. Schuldich landed heavily, the breath nearly knocked out of
him. As he fought to pull air into his lungs, Yohji seized the
opportunity to pin him to the now-silk covered beach.
Struggling, the telepath tried to pull free. However, as in his own
earlier capture of the other man, Yohji knew what he was doing.
Schuldich couldn't manage to break away. Yohji had his wrists pinned
to his sides and was seated astride his thighs, taking away any real
leverage that might have been brought to bear.
Using his own body weight to keep Schuldich's wrists in place, Yohji
leaned forward until his forehead rested against that of his
captive. "We can play your games," he murmured, smiling
wickedly. "But I'm tired of being the one at a disadvantage. From
here on out, we're going to do this my way."*/
Omi flushed to the roots of his hair. "Y-yohji?"
/That would be him. The one, the only Kudou Yohji. I knew he could
be aggressive, but..../
"Er, I'm not quite sure how to put this...."
/He didn't really hurt me, if that's what you're worried about. He
doesn't hate me that much. On the other hand, I could really use
another massage. Food would be good too./
"Do you want me to bring you something?"
A tired mental chuckle greeted this offer. /There's stuff on the
boat. That's closer. I'll just stagger over there and dig something
up. Something to drink would be good too./
"I'm coming down to the beach," Omi decided. "I want to make sure
you're all right."
/That's sweet of you, Kitten, but I'm fine. Exceedingly sore and
nursing a desire for evil revenge, but fine./
"I don't care. Anyway, you've got my pants."
More laughter. /Ah yes. Your clothing. I think it was all dry when
your Yohji tore down my clothesline. Come down and get it, then.
I'll see you in a little bit./
Omi ducked back into the tent to retrieve his shoes. Pulling them
on, he carefully closed up the tent before heading toward the beach.
The walk was longer than he remembered, but it gave him time to think.
When he finally stepped out onto the beach, he had a question.
"How did Yohji manage to ambush you like that?"
/He could have done it any number of ways, Kitten. I'm not
infallible, you know./
"But he didn't, did he?"
/No./ There was an invisible smirk contained in that single
word. /Not really./
"You are a conniving S.O.B.."
/Thank you./
Omi sighed and looked around. The lifeboat was still there, pulled
up on the beach just past the high tide line. Several hundred yards
to his right, the beach disappeared back into the jungle. To his
left there was a hammock and a bundle of green.
Drawing nearer to the bundle, it was revealed to be the sleeping form
of his older teammate. A few bits and pieces of clothing some towels
were scattered around. The remnants of the clothesline were hanging
from the two trees. Yohji was tangled in the same green sheets that
had featured so prominently in Schuldich's memory.
/I'll NEVER get the spots out of them now./
Unable to help himself, Omi almost choked on his laughter. The
mental image of the Schwartz assassin throwing his hands up at the
prospect of doing even more laundry was just too much for him.
Yohji cracked an eye and looked up at him. "Hey, chibi. Where have
you been?"
"Sleeping. What did you do to Schuldich?"
"Nothing that he didn't enjoy, the degenerate." Yohji rolled his
eyes. "And I thought I was bad."
/Sticks and stones, etc. etc. Get up, you disgusting pervert.
You're lying on the Kitten's trousers./
Omi muffled his laughter as Yohji, groaning, rolled to one side.
After a minute or so of thrashing about, he produced the pants that
went with the tuxedo his younger teammate had been wearing at the
beginning of their `simple' mission.
"Here, take `em." Tossing the pants at Omi, Yohji collapsed back
into his nest. `"M tired."
/And no wonder. Just imagine how I feel!/
"Serves you right."
Schuldich ignored him. /Are you as allergic to the water as your
friend, Kitten?/
"I like to swim," Omi admitted. He was trying not to stare overtly
at Yohji, who was currently occupied in trying to untangle some of
the knots in his sheets, thus revealing quite a bit of skin.
"He's determined to drag at least one of us in there," Yohji
complained, his attention centered on the knot.
/I like the water,/ Schuldich responded.
"How do you manage to leer just by thinking at people?" Omi asked,
still staring.
/Constant practice. Go for a swim. The water is beautiful./
"And doubtlessly shark-ridden," Yohji complained.
Omi looked at the water. The light gleamed enticingly off the waves
which themselves were the blue that can only be found on beaches with
white sand. Feeling the sun on his face and the warm breeze against
his skin, Omi found himself moving toward the water.
/You are NOT swimming in my windbreaker, Kitten. Go on, give your
Yohji something to gawk at./
"I do NOT gawk."
/Liar./
Ignoring them, or trying to, Omi peeled off the windbreaker and left
it on the beach beside his pants. Carefully not looking at Yohji and
fighting down a full body blush, Omi made his way to the water.
Half an hour later, he found himself floating quietly in the
shallows. Schuldich had been right, the water was beautiful, and
he found himself loathe to leave it.
/So don't./
Omi almost swallowed a lung full of water, the surprise at the sudden
voice ruining his concentration and sending him beneath the surface,
frantically flailing his arms. Coughing, he stood up and glared
around him.
"Don't startle me like that!"
/You should be used to me by now, Kitten. I didn't think the shock
would half-drown you./
"Where are you?"
/Still at the boat. I dozed off for a bit. Your Yohji is asleep./
"I was wondering...."
/Pervert./
"Hey!"
/Never mind. Look, I meant what I said. Why don't you swim over to
the boat. I've got some towels and you won't have to get out of the
water for a while yet./
"All right."
The sun was dropping slowly below the horizon by the time that Omi
reached the boat. He had taken his time on the journey; half
paddling, half swimming. As he drew alongside, treading water, he
looked around. There was no sign of the telepath.
"Schuldich?"
"Right here, Kitten." An arm rose above the edge of the boat and
waved around for a minute. It disappeared, and Schuldich appeared,
pulling himself to his feet and leaning on the edge of the
boat. "Did you have a nice swim?"
"Yes." Omi smiled up at him. "You were right. The water is
wonderful."
Schuldich smiled back. "I think that Yohji is passing up a marvelous
opportunity, don't you?"
"He really should try it," Omi agreed. "I don't think that we're
going to be able to get him into the water, though."
"No?" Schuldich smiled, his eyes gleaming. "Are you feeling all
rested and recovered?"
Omi almost inhaled another gallon of water as he sank, sputtering,
beneath the surface for the second time that afternoon. "S-
Schuldich!"
"Well?" He drawled the word, leaning forward a little further.
"I, well, yes!"
"Good. Give me your hands."
Trustingly, Omi reached upward.
/Hey, Kudou. Time to wake up./
Yohji yawned and stretched. "Pesky telepath. Go away. I'm not done
sleeping yet."
/Are you sure you want me to leave you in peace?/
The teasing note in that mental voice brought Yohji bolt
upright. "What are you up to now?"
/I've got a present for you. Come on down to the boat./
"What sort of a present?" Yohji asked warily, already searching for
his pants.
/Well, an Omi-sort of present. You'll have to get here before he
figure out how to get the shackles off, though./
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The author's Gundam Wing fics can be found at GW Addiction, and she also has an account at Fanfiction.net.
[On to part 6!]