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Chapter 2: Gangway! ‘Aya’s’ Learning to Drive His Porsche!


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“Showtime.” ‘Omi’ muttered before putting on a big smile and greeting all the girls the way the real Omi would. ‘Aya’ took a deep breath, realizing now was the time to put his practice to good use. Turning his smile upside-down and frowning, he crossed his arms and ignored anyone talking about him. The girls pointed to him and giggled, which in any another situation would have made him blush. But this was his lover. He was Aya. Aya did not blush, he just went about his business and stayed cold to the rest of the world. He had to stay cold.

“Oh, what a lovely bouquet!” One older customer who had come in was telling ‘Omi’, pointing to a lovely arrangement of roses and other wild flowers tied together with magenta ribbons. “I would really like to buy that package.”

“I’d love to buy your package, sweetheart.” ‘Omi’ murmured a little too loudly. The woman turned around, not sure what she heard but knowing it was directed towards her.

“Huh?” She asked. ‘Ken’, unfortunately, heard what ‘Omi’ said and quickly came to the rescue before they lost this customer.

“Um...Omi says he will be glad to ring you up! Isn’t that right, Omi?” ‘Ken’ glared at him, causing ‘Omi’ to gulp and nod his head. The woman seemed very satisfied with that answer. When she turned away, ‘Ken’ hissed. “Just what the hell were you doing?! You make me look like a...a...”

“Me?” ‘Omi’ suggested.

“Yes!” ‘Ken’ sighed. “Now don’t do that again! You make me look bad!”

“*I* make you look bad?! Look what Aya’s done to me!” ‘Omi’ pointed to ‘Yohji’ who was lingering in one corner. All the girls had noticed something was wrong cause ‘Yohji’ wasn’t flirting or teasing them like usual. In fact, he hadn’t even said a word to them. They knew they were all under eighteen but he wasn’t that cold!

‘Ken’ shook his head. “Don’t worry about him. Now, I better not catch you flirting with the girls again.”

“Who are you, my mother?” ‘Omi’ rolled his eyes. Then he remembered the woman waiting up front. “Look, I gotta take care of her. Go back to work...Ken-kun.”

‘Omi’ walked away as ‘Ken’ went back to singing. “Oh, my love! My darling! I hunger for...your touch...along...lonely nights!” [1]

Meanwhile, ‘Yohji’ had simply refused to act his part. He just ignored the girls hovering around him and anytime one of them would look him in the eye, he quickly darted away. Some of the girls were offended by this gesture but chose not to say anything. ‘Aya’ knew that he better make ‘Yohji’ act like normal before the secret was let out. When the crowd had moved away from the scowling ‘Yohji’, he decided to speak up.

“You’re not acting like Yohji, koi.” ‘Aya’ began, a look of worry creasing his face. It was amazing though. Aya Fujimiya seemed to have no emotions yet recently he had done everything from smiling to looking afraid. Ken knew his lover was beautiful when he didn’t smile but with emotions...he was absolutely stunning. He caught his reflection in the mirror when he was preparing to act his part and was amazed of how sweet Aya’s smile was. Oh, he had seen it before but looking in that mirror...it was a whole new perspective.

*Then again, everything is a whole new perspective.* Ken reminded himself.

‘Yohji’ turned to his boyfriend, whose soft brown eyes were replaced by his own cool violet ones. Then he glared at the schoolgirls giggling and wandering around with no intention to buy something or bring money in their direction. People like that made him angry inside.

“Why should I act like Yohji?” He demanded. “I’m still Aya Fujimiya inside.”

“I know that! But, it’s as Omi...or I...said, we have to fool everyone or else they‘ll know something is wrong. Already, you’re drawing attention to yourself. What are you going to do when Yohji’s dates comes in? You can‘t be cold and unfeeling towards them. You said you‘d do him the favor.”

“I’m beginning to regret it now.” ‘Yohji’ muttered. “But you’re right. I just hate...”

“The thought of acting like Yohji? Just smile, koi. If anything, smile at the girls. Maybe throw in a greeting or something. You don’t even have to go into lengthy conversations if you don’t want to.”

‘Yohji’ thought about it and, a minute later, he smiled. “You’re smart, Ken.” When the girls weren’t looking, he leaned over and kissed the boy. It was weird because he was kissing himself technically. But the real Ken felt it.

‘Aya’ smiled back. “No. I’m just helping you out.” And he tried to return the kiss. But something inside kept him from doing so...mainly the fact that these lips belonged to Yohji, not his lover. He backed away, leaving ’Yohji’ disappointed and somewhat hurt.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“It’s not you.” ‘Aya’ murmured. “I’ll be kissing Yohji, not you. I’m sorry, koi.”

“Oh, Yohji-san! Help me out!” One other customer called him over. ’Yohji’ sighed and put on a smile. They had to break up this little conversation now. He touched ‘Aya’ on the shoulder before heading off to help the girl. Then he caught a couple of ladies ogling the boys and gushing about how cute they were.

*Be Aya. Be Aya.* ‘Aya’ kept telling himself. Finally he got the ever so famous saying out.

“If you’re not buying anything, then leave!” He glared at the group. The girls, of course, ignored him the way they did the real Aya Fujimiya. It was not easy being his lover. The more he stayed silent, the more he wanted to talk to people. When he caught sight of ‘Ken’ singing and being helpful to the customer, it made him miss his body. Lingering around in one corner, acting as if he didn’t give a damn about others, was also hard. Aya wasn’t completely heartless but he wasn’t that open either. True, he spoke to Ken a lot these days, sometimes he talked to Sakura Tomoe, and he probably did speak to his imouto as she was sleeping but he wanted to stay as far away from people as possible. Ken, on the other hand, liked hanging out with people, especially children. If speaking his mind meant destroying his image, so be it. At least people would know how he felt.

But Aya...oh Aya, with his blood-red hair, amethyst eyes that deeper than they appeared at first, and strong body...Aya was not like that. Speak to no one, help out anyone who needs it, and then go about life. Aya was complex, which was what Ken loved about him. It left him room to discover hidden gems within those purple eyes. Yet there were also times that he wished Aya was an easier book to read. He wished that his love would let others, not just a seldom few, into his life.

Right now, he caught sight of ‘Yohji’ smiling at some girls. Oh good, he was acting a little more in character. It looked like their secret would stay secret after all.

“Hi, Yotan!” An older woman greeted him, batting her long lashes and giggling in the process. ‘Yohji’ could say a lot of nasty things towards this woman, seeing how she was hanging around like the majority of the people here, but he resisted. ‘Omi’ looked in her direction as well.

“Hey, baby!” He greeted her. Poor ‘Ken’s’ eyes went wide again and ‘Omi’ realized what he had done. The woman was also confused, seeing that a boy many years younger than her responded to her that way. Once again, ‘Ken’ came back to the rescue.

“Omittichi here is welcoming you to the shop. He’s been learning a few tricks from Yohji...right?” ‘Ken’ glared at him and ‘Omi’ slowly nodded.

*Baka.* ‘Aya’ thought. Leave it to a beautiful woman to make the real Yohji forget whose body he was in. Lucky for him, the woman bought the excuse. Then she turned to ‘Yohji’, who had also dropped his charade and gone back to being silent.

“Yotan, I hope you haven’t forgotten our date!” She said in a singsong voice. ‘Aya’ looked horrified. The date! It was today?! Why hadn’t Yohji mentioned this to anyone?

‘Yohji’, too, looked a little surprised. He wasn’t sure what he was to say. Finally, he got it out. “Hey...baby. How’s it...hanging?”

‘Omi’ groaned. “Tell me he did not just say what I think I heard him say.”

‘Ken’ nodded. “He did.”

The woman looked at him strangely but shook her head. “I’m all right. Now are you gonna take me out or are you gonna make me stand around all day?”

‘Yohji’ smiled at her. “Let’s go.”

They approached the door when ‘Omi’ interrupted them. “Uh...Yohji-kun! You’re forgetting your car keys!” He held them out in his hand. ‘Yohji’ nodded and took them. The woman slipped one arm through his and it made ‘Aya’ (Ken) envious. He wanted to be in that pretty woman’s place so badly. If he had known that the woman would be hot or that the day was today, then he wouldn‘t worry about it so much. But no. His Aya was going out with some stranger who’d probably steal him away.

“Hears hoping he doesn’t wreck my car.” ‘Omi’ said.

“He won’t.” ‘Ken’ said. Then he lowered his voice. “It’s Aya-kun. He’s much too careful on the road. And he knows how to drive so it won’t be a problem.”

“What’s he gonna do if he gets caught....I don’t know, speeding or something? He can’t shi-ne someone for doing that.” ‘Omi’ pointed out.

“Aya-kun’s a stickler for following speed limits.” ‘Ken’ reminded him.

Meanwhile, ‘Aya’ (Ken) was too busy worrying about other things. So far, they were very unsuccessful in getting a solution to their little problem. More than likely, they would not get it before the night was over. What if they got a mission? Ken didn’t know how to use his lover’s katana. He’d feel strange wearing that burgundy trenchcoat, which probably weighed more than Aya did. And what would the real Omi do about soccer practice with the children today? They would realize something was wrong when ‘Ken-san’ kept missing the goal. Not that Omi was a horrible athlete but he wasn’t that good either. Oh yes, and Aya-chan! The real Aya went to visit the young girl sleeping in the hospital almost everyday. He had to go there too but what would he do? He didn’t know Aya-chan that well so what could he say to her?

*I’ll just have to say something.* Ken decided. *And if a mission comes, I’ll just have to use Aya’s katana or die trying. Hopefully, it won’t be the latter.*

Time was going too slow now as was business. Momoe didn’t even question why the boys seemed different...then again, Momoe rarely paid attention to anything except the cat. The real Ken found himself becoming more and more impatient. It was probably best to trust Aya but he kept worrying about the woman. What if she became more attractive and appealing than him? Would Aya leave him like that? He couldn’t.

“Yo, Kenken! What’s wrong?” ‘Omi’ (Yohji) asked him. ‘Aya’ (Ken) turned around and shook his head.

“Nothing, Yohji. Nothing’s wrong.”

“You’re acting like someone peed in your cereal [2]”. ‘Omi’ pointed out. “Why do you look so bummed out?”

“Ah...” ‘Aya’ struggled to think of something to say.

“You are worried about Aya-kun too.” ‘Ken’ realized. Hearing himself say Aya-kun was very strange but the real Ken said nothing. He just nodded.

“I knew it. I’m just wondering how he’s going to ruin my date.” ‘Omi’ sighed.

“I can’t take it anymore!” ‘Aya’ exclaimed. “We have to go and see what he’s doing.”

“*We*?” ‘Ken’ raised his eyebrows and backed away. “Oh no! No! You and Yohji-kun are not getting me involved in this silly scheme of yours. Those are your lovers, not mine!”

“Omi, c’mon!” ‘Aya’ whined.

“Why, Ken-kun? Why don’t you trust Aya-kun? You love him, don’t you?”

Yes, it was true. Ken loved Aya and he trusted him...but to leave him to a tall, leggy woman who had wrapped herself all over him as they left? No. No, he didn’t like that idea at all.

“I just want to see if he’s okay.” ‘Aya’ said. “But if you don’t want to come, that’s fine.”

“Which means you’ll have to double up on your shifts.” ‘Omi’ added. “I’m going with him. I’m gonna stop Aya before he ruins my sex life.”

‘Ken’ thought about it for a while before responding. “Fine, I’ll go too! I’ll get Momoe-san to take care of the shop. But we should be gone for one hour only, no less!”

“Yes, mother.” ‘Omi’ rolled his eyes again. Why, oh why, was he the one stuck in the chibi’s body?

“One hour is fair enough.” ‘Aya’ agreed. “Let’s go!”

“Whoa, Kenken!” ‘Omi’ stopped him before he ran out towards his motorcycle. “Your Porsche is over there!”

‘Aya’ felt fear growing inside him. “Porsche?”

“Yup. You have to drive Aya’s Porsche or people that pass us by will look really weird at us. Aya wouldn’t drive your motorcycle. I can’t drive cause I’m small and neither can Omi. You have to drive it.”

“But, Yohji! I don’t *know* how to drive! And even if I did, I can’t drive Aya’s Porsche! He’ll kill me if I hit something!”

‘Omi’ chuckled. “Relax. I’m gonna sit up front with you and teach you all I know.”

*Which is why I’m afraid.* Ken responded in his head. But Yohji had a point. Aya would not be seen driving his motorcycle and the Porsche would probably be the best vehicle for all of them to go in. Somehow, he’d have to suck in his gut and drive that car. It couldn’t be hard. If Aya and Yohji could drive, why couldn’t he?

“All right. We’re taking the Porsche.” ‘Aya’ decided, knowing this was a decision he would come to regret.

He was right of course.

“Okay, Kenken, turn on the ignition key.” ‘Omi’ commanded. “Make sure that everyone is seated and everything else is in place. Check your mirrors, look behind you...perfect! Now shift gears to reverse...yeah, right there. Lift your foot off the break.”

They were starting to move backwards and ‘Aya’ froze with fear.

“This isn’t right! We’re moving backwards!” He exclaimed.

“That’s cause you’re on reverse.” ‘Omi’ sighed. ‘Aya’ left out a breath of relief. ‘Omi’ looked back out the window. “Okay, we’ve backed up enough. Foot on the break, Kenken.”

‘Aya’ did as he was told. Instead of stopping, the car went faster.

“I said “break“! Not gas!” ‘Omi’ exclaimed as the car zoomed on backwards. ‘Ken’ was looking very scared sitting in the back seat. ‘Aya’ had no idea where the break was.

“GET YOUR FOOT OF THE GAS!” ‘Omi’ screamed, when he looked back and saw that they were coming closer to a curb. “Turn the car, dammit! Turn it! Turn it!”

“Which way?!” ‘Aya’ was so confused.

“It doesn’t matter which way! Just as long as you stay away from that curb!”

So ‘Aya’ turned right, still forgetting to take his foot off the gas pedal. They swerved right, still moving backwards...and hit something. It made a cracking noise and then fell silent. Finally, ‘Aya’ put his foot on the break.

“That did *not* sound good.” He whispered. ‘Omi’ looked like he was going to have a heart attack. ‘Ken’, who had been scared through the whole adventure, was brave enough to go outside and see what ‘Aya’ had hit.

“You’re lucky, Ken-kun.” He said coming back inside. “It was a box.”

“A box!” ‘Omi’ said gratefully.

“An empty box.” ‘Ken’ added. “You were *very* lucky. But that’s the good news.”

‘Aya’ paled. “You mean there’s bad news?”

‘Ken’ nodded. “Turn off the car and come outside. Both of you. You are not going to like what you’re about to see.”

With ‘Omi’s’ help, ‘Aya’ turned off the car and went outside. ‘Ken’ pointed to the back...where a long, jagged scar had settled in the first driving lesson. Oh yes. Aya would kill him now.

“I’m dead.” ‘Aya’ realized. “Aya has eyes like a hawk. He is bound to notice that!”

“How did it get there?” ‘Omi’ asked.

“Probably during the whole driving experience. We were so busy panicking, Ken-kun must have hit something and we never knew ‘til it was too late.”

‘Aya’ gulped. Oh, he would get it now. Aya didn’t like anything to happen to his precious Porsche and now it had a scratch. What would he do? Could he keep this from Aya long enough for someone to repair the car? Most likely not.

“You know what?” ‘Omi’ said after a while.

‘Aya’ looked at him miserably. “What?”

“I think I should drive after all. You’ll probably run into a person next time.”

TBC…

1) Who loves “Unchained Melody”? I do! And so does Ken!

2) I really do not remember where I got the pee in the breakfast cereal part. Family Guy perhaps?

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