WIP Amnesty #2: Weiss Side B/Schwarz fic

[niko]

Posting as part of wip_amnesty weekend.

Fandom: Weiss Kreuz / Side B
Untitled, Slash, RanKen
Rating: G, at the point it's at right now

This was a combo of bringing Shwarz into the Side B environment and playing with my pet take on the characters that Ken is still carrying a torch for Aya but that he's matured enough by now to not push it.

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Sunday afternoon for "The Kitten's House" flower shop were slow, and this particular Sunday, even slower than usual. Ken and Yuki were manning the shop, and Free was out delivering a batch of flowers, and although numerous people paused to peer in the window on their morning strolls, none of them seemed ready to make a commitment to purchases, and ambled on by. Yuki had gone into the back greenhouse to care for the live flowers there.

When the door chime finally sounded to indicate a guest had arrived, Ken was on his knees in front of a display case, transferring orchids from a pallet on the floor to the confines of the case. He immediately started to push himself to his feet, brushing his hands to free them of dirt from the pots he'd been handling and turning to greet the customer with a cheery "Irrashaimasu!"...but catching himself in time to change it to English. 

He only had "Wel..." out, though, when his eyes found the new arrival and he froze for an instant under the amused gaze of the Schwarz "Mastermind". 

"Guten Tag, katzchen." The man murmured, taking a step further into the shop to let the door close behind him. Ken's body reacted instinctively, fumbling for a weapon, stumbling backwards. Crockery shattered as he half-tripped over the orchids and a display of tulips Yuki had just finished earlier that morning crashed to the ground. 

The German tsked at the mess, and Yuki came flying from the back. 

"Ken, what the hell...!" 

The boy drew up short, stunned by the sight of Ken, wild-eyed, confronting their latest customer with a broom handle and pruning sheers. 

"Ken, what the hell...?" he says again, more quietly. Ken spares him a glance. 

"Get Aya. Get Aya now. Stay in the back." 

"What's going - " 

"Just do it, Yuki!" 

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(Schuldig and Crawford are both there. Rosenkreuz is homing in on Aya and Ken after the events of Gluhen, and they thought they'd warn 'em. (So happens they're also after Schwarz, so there are ulterior motives...but still.) S & C end up staying with our boys to plan a strategy or somethin'.) 

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(Ken has a yummy dream. Maybe when it gets particularly intense, Schuldig pops in and tells them to "get a room".) 

Ken woke with a jolt, sitting bolt upright and breathing hard, his panicked shout still echoing in the room. Groaning, he fell back in the bed, the room feeling suddenly too cold as sweat cooled on his skin and his body came down from the dream. A glance a the clock told him that morning was still hours away, but he doubted he'd be getting back to sleep any time soon, not with the memory of Aya's touch and Schuldig's voice ghosting around in his head. 

Cursing himself for five kinds of fool, Ken disengaged himself from the tangled sheets and pulled on a pair of sweatpants from the clutter on the floor before leaving his room and padding through the quiet mansion on bare feet. He headed down to the first floor. There was a light on in the kitchen, no doubt one of his teammates (or, god forbid, one of their guests) having a late night of their own. He wasn't in the mood for conversation, so made his way past the door quietly and down another set of stairs to the basement. 

One particularly nice thing about working for KrytonBrand versus Kritiker had proven to be the facilities available to them. Not only were their quarters in this mansion notably more lavish, but their new home also housed a well-appointed training room that Ken found immeasurably useful on nights like this where sleep could only be gained by pummelling his body into submission.

(He starts working out. Thinks maybe he'll get away for a while once this is over.)

A short while later, Ken became aware of the prickling awareness down his spine of someone watching him, and he glanced over his shoulder, freezing in the middle of a repetition when he saw that it was Schuldig - leaning languidly in the door frame, his head tilted slightly to the side in a speculative consideration as he eyed Ken with that same damn smirk on his lips and in his eyes. Ken was abruptly reminded of the end of his dream and suppressed a shudder.

"What do you want?" He asked coldly, wanting to get this over with. The German would not have followed him down here if he didn't have something to say. Ken suspected he knew what that would be, but would not be the first to bring it up. 

His choice of words is unfortunate, though, as the German purses his lips speculatively and rakes Ken up and down with his eyes. "Want?" he responds, letting the word hang there long enough to make his point, then lets it go. "What I *want* is a decent night's sleep. Your - friends - dream too loud." 

And so it's on the table. The man *can* see their dreams...and probably has. Ken refuses to rise to the bait and turns back to what he was doing, putting his back to the other man although it sets his every nerve on edge to be so unprotected...in more ways than one. Schuldig is not planning to let it drop. 

"The little one... how do you keep him so innocent, hmmm? Puppies and kittens and pretty girls in white dresses...nothing like Bombay at that age." Ken grits his teeth and starts counting reps under his breath to distract himself. 

"No...Bombay dreamed death *all* the time. Even before he lost his poor little girlfriend. More like the other one. Yuki, is it?" 

Schuldig pauses, gives a mild huff of disappointment when Ken refuses to answer. 

"You should keep an eye on that kid, Siberian. He's got an edge to him. If he's not brought up right, he could turn out like... well, like you." 

Ken doesn't pause in his workout, but does growl over his shoulder "What's that supposed to mean?" 

Schuldig has come further into the room, leaning now on the elliptical machine. He chuckles. 

"I think you know. Liking it. Needing it. Always hungry for the mission... for the kill." 

Ken doesn't deny it, but Schuldig has not found it to be the sensitive point he'd apparently expected. The bastard isn't quite as omnipotent as he lets on. Ken has come to terms with that element of this job. It only causes him problems when he's outside the comfort of an organized outlet for the urges that Weiss has burned into him. He takes Schuldig's words about Yuki to heart, though. He's been one intent on toughening the kid up for this work...but maybe that hasn't been such a good idea after all. Not getting the rise he expected, Schuldig moves on. Ken feels him moving again, coming up behind him, and fights the urge to move away. Schuldig is right behind him, close enough for Ken to feel the breath on his neck. 

"The kid has the hots for Abyssinian, y'know?" he breathes, right by Ken's ear. "Something else you have in common, apparently." 

"Shut up." Ken growls, hating himself for reacting when he knew it was coming, but unable to stop the flush that rushes to his cheeks. 

"Ah..." Schuldig breathes, pleased at having struck that nerve. "It's frustrating, isn't it? Having him around all the time, so far out of your league..." 

(Had some other points I wanted to make. Memory of pre-Gluhen-Ken, alone and turning a bit masochistic in his hunt for affection (or a reasonable facsimile thereof). Thinking Gluhen would give him the family he'd managed to convince himself Kapitel had been, then realizing that it wasn't going to be that way - Youji all screwed up, Omi gone, the new guys too much a reminder of times when they'd all been more sure of themselves and their cause. And then Aya - the unattainable dream. He's learned to make-do, but sometimes - like tonight - the loneliness still gets to him and he wishes that...just once...he could have that closeness.) 

Schuldig reaches his arm over Ken's shoulder, skimming down his chest, still slick with sweat. "I could give you that." he breathes. "I could even give you him." 

Ken's perception twists and the presence at his back is suddenly different, unmistakably familiar, unmistakably Aya. For a second - less - Ken leans into it - wanting it, even knowing it's an illusion. And then he comes to his senses and recoils, pulling violently away and rounding on the other man, who uses his still-lightning-quick reflexes to easily dodge Ken's clumsy counterattack. Ken gives up after a few throws, facing the man with glaring, furious gaze...and Schuldig is still smirking. 

"What happened to being our ally?" Ken asks fiercely. Schuldig laughs. 

"Oh, we're allies. We'll be there in a clinch. This? This is extracurricular. You katzchen have always been so much fun."