Thursday 1.7 – Afternoon

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji quietly watched the hours slide by, his surprise at Ran’s continued presence failing to wear off, in spite of it being only the last in a long line of unexpected behavior. He should be getting used to it by now, the concept that Ran wasn’t half as predictable as he’d always assumed. It would probably take substantial time to really adjust to that though; Yohji had years of assumptions to overwrite.

Nonetheless, the unexpectedness of it gave Yohji difficultly in believing things would last. So he remained in bed, stubbornly refusing to leave so long as Ran was willing to stay as well, his subconscious convinced that such a moment wasn’t likely to give him a repeat performance. It was probably simply a testament to how badly Ran had been injured….

Eventually though, the daylight started to fade, and the sustenance of breakfast had long worn off. When Ran finally pushed reluctantly out of bed Yohji couldn’t reasonably contend it. He took his time in following though, appreciating the view of the younger man collecting his clothes and carefully dressing himself.

It pained him to see Ran’s awkward limping movements. And it was almost certainly his fault Ran had been shot. He covered his frown at the thought by rummaging in his bedside table drawer, in search of a replacement lighter. He found it and a pack of cigarettes as well. He dressed himself quickly, shoving both hastily in his pocket.

When Ran left, Yohji guessed it was to check on the shop, or his sister, or more likely both. He decided to make an appearance in the shop too, although with no intention of actually working. But first he was far overdue on a rendezvous with his smoking habit, of which he’d had particular difficultly indulging lately.

He silently slipped out the back door and sat down on the steps, a grin on his face as he lit up.

Comments

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

With the awkwardness of breakfast fading and a weighty silence descending on the kitchen after Omi and Aya-chan left for school, Ken momentarily found himself at a loss. But he couldn’t afford the luxury of stewing in a muddle of conflicting thoughts all day, so he did what came naturally.

He got to work.

By midmorning the shop was decently clean, the plants watered, and the window washed. He even found the time to do a bit of trimming and dead leaf removal from most of the growing plants. As lunchtime grew nearer, he contemplated yelling up the stairs for someone-anyone-to come lend him a hand. He even went as far as the bottom of the stairs, opening his mouth…and snapped it shut again.

For some reason Ken couldn’t bring himself to just go up and knock. It wasn’t that he was afraid of what he might accidentally see (~yes it is, liar, coward~) but it felt wrong to bother Yohji and Ran. Who knew how many moments they would get to spend in peace before the next wave of tragedy swept over them? Because that’s what was so strange about them earlier: beneath the familiar argumentativeness that defined their relationship, there was also a settled feeling about them.

And Ken was glad things worked out. He was the one that kept shoving Yohji in that direction to start with, and he was proud of what he’d done.

~PROUD?! Honestly, Hidaka, you should be damned grateful they haven’t kicked your ass to the curb. If you hadn’t flipped, Yohji could have defended himself, and Ran wouldn’t have been as injured. If you’d driven the car, you probably wouldn’t have crashed; you could’ve caught up with those Schwartz bastards before they got away. Proud he says. You unbelievable ass.~

“Shut up, dammit!” Ken snarled, freezing when he realized he’d said it out loud. Suddenly wiping down the counter became the most important task on the planet.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji was just in the process of shaking out a second cigarette when a loud yell jarred him out of his introspective task. That he easily recognized it as Ken’s voice did little to calm his nerves which had immediately jumped on alert.

He paused, then abruptly shoved the cigarette back and replaced the pack in his pocket.

It was probably nothing. Ken and Ran were probably having an argument. Or maybe one of the customers had pissed him off. Ken and volume were not an unfamiliar combination.

But then, maybe….

Yohji practically bolted through the door and into the shop. Well, it would have been bolting had he actually been quite that mobile. It was actually more of a frantic hobble.

At least this time his efforts in dressing hadn’t neglected the inclusion of his watch. He was probably going to start sleeping with the damn thing. His hand slid to a familiar poise, ready to use it if necessary.

He was surprised when his scan of the perimeter only yielded the site of Ken diligently absorbed in some kind of menial cleaning.

He raised a suspicious eyebrow, and tried to ease back into a manner of nonchalance.

“Everything…okay?”

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

Ken looked up at the sound of Yohji’s voice. He seemed a little distracted, but it quickly morphed into an amiable expression.

“Hey, yeah, everything’s fine.” Ken replied, sounding a bit more like he was trying to convince himself than Yohji. “I’m glad you’re here though, I could really use your help.” Even as he said it, he looked around and realized that there really wasn’t anything left to do. He’d spent all his excess energy into getting the shop neater than it had been in quite a while. The realization embarrassed him, so he quickly changed the subject.

“How’s your leg? You want a chair or anything? Where’s Ran? I haven’t seen him. Not that I was really expecting to really, but all the same. Do you think you could mind the shop while I make lunch in a few? It wouldn’t take long…”

As he unintentionally prattled on, Ken bustled around the shop, bringing the stool from behind the counter, grabbing the broom, mop, and bucket from the corner where he left them and putting them back in the storage closet, and coming back around to the front with Yohji’s apron in hand.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji blinked as a barrage of questions hit him. He glanced around to take in exactly what Ken might be needing help on, but the shop seemed spotless and devoid of customers. He turned back with an inquisitive look.

“There’s, uh, nothing wrong with my leg…” he said cautiously, taking the apron from Ken’s hand. He’d had no intention of working right now, but found it difficult to refuse the plea. It had been unfair to leave the soccer player alone in the shop for as long as they had. He would have thought it reasonable to simply remain closed for the day, considering….

“Ran’s leg on the other hand seems to be holding up. I don’t know where he is though, I was assuming I’d find him here, actually.”

He sat down on the stool, simultaneously slipping the apron over his head.

“I’m improving,” he added agreeably. “I can stick around if it doesn’t require too much moving around. Been a busy day?”

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

Ken thought for a moment before responding. "Nothing I couldn't handle. But I do have a couple deliveries I have to make soon, so I''m glad you're here."

He leaned against the counter. "I haven't seen Ran at all today. I just assumed he'd be with-um. Yeah." He left the last part hanging awkwardly. He wasn't sure if it was right for him poke too far into Yohji's business (HAHAHAHA! Are you for real, Hidaka?! You've been trudging waist deep in his affairs up til now, why stop? You're so good at ruining things, after all.)

He scowled and shook his head a little.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

“He was,” Yohji said, grinning at the memory of just what he’d been doing while he could account for Ran’s whereabouts. “Until about twenty min….”

He trailed off, losing his train of thought as he caught Ken’s scowl and shake.

He’d just assumed everything was cool, since Ken had been privy to his personal issues before anything had happened….

And he’d encouraged him right? He wouldn’t have done that if he wasn’t cool with it all…right?

Yohji suddenly wasn’t quite so sure. And found himself feeling uncharacteristically uncomfortable.

“Is something wrong?” he asked suspiciously.

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

Ken blinked at Yohji in surprise. "What? Oh." He shrugged and waved it off, his eyes sliding away.

"Just been a long, uh, week. But you know that. Of course." He took a steady breath so he wouldn't sound so desperate to believe his own statement.

"But hey! You! You and Ran! That's great!" He put his hands in his apron pockets and let his face relax into a smile. He was going to have to be really careful. It would be awful to do anything to destroy the careful balance that had been so painstakingly made.

And he was getting better at keeping his instabilities on a leash. There were a few tense moments, but he was improving overall.

(Sure Hidaka. You want a gold star for your efforts? Christ, you see how they're watching you now, don't you?)

"I'm glad it all worked out for you."

(Even now he can't get comfortable around you. He probably can't stand to be alone with you too long, who knows what will set you off?)

"You'll be good for each other, you know, now that he finally realizes how awesome you are." Ken said with amiable sarcasm, forcing a tiny laugh that was only spoiled by the finger rubbing at his temple.

(It's only a matter of time, Hidaka, and you know it. You can't lock me down forever. You. Aren't. Strong. Enough.)

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Although his instinct was to easily slide into jovial agreement with Ken's positive assertions, Yohji remained impassive for a moment, regarding Ken carefully.

He seemed...shifty. Or at least distracted. He was setting off some of the cues Yohji used to pick up from suspects that weren't responding to his interrogations with a full disclosure.

Not that Ken had any obligation to tell Yohji whatever was bothering him. It was just obvious to his distant PI training that the other man was hiding something.

Big deal though, right? When were any of them NOT hiding something?

Yohji's own secrets were slowly getting chipped away though. Thanks to Schuldig he didn't have much left. That didn't bother him quite as much as he might have thought.

He had to admit that it did bother him mildly though that after confiding so extensively in Ken, the younger man didn't seem to feel it went both ways.

It was really fucking self absorbed of him to think like that. Ken had already told him plenty. And it was especially unreasonable of him to expect Ken to confide in him if he might be the actual problem.

...again. Self absorbed much?

"I'm...hesitant to assume everything's worked out just yet." A flinch briefly broke through Yohji's blank facade, before he caught himself and replaced it with the expected smile.

"...But...yeah. So far..." the forced smile slowly melded into a more authentic one, "heh, 'great' is a pretty good description. Better than great."

He continued to watch Ken closely as he spoke, gauging his teammate's reactions in hopes to determine if Ken's discomfort was being caused by him or something else.... He couldn't really tell.

"Well, anyway-heh-I wouldn't go so far as to say that Ran has had any revelations of that sort. But I'm glad someone is willing to acknowledge my awesomeness, ha!" He slung an arm around Ken good naturedly, watching out of the corner of his eye for any elicited faltering. He acted like this all the time, but...things might be different now.

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

Ken struggled out of his internal crisis just in time to hear Yohji's cheerful affirmation.

"heh, 'great' is a pretty good description. Better than great."

Ken didn't bother to suppress a small snort at his friend's boasting. He concentrated on that, submerging himself in the here and now instead of-

(the steady tick tick tick tick of a mocking clock)

-things he couldn't deal with right now.

He was surprised when Yohji slung an arm around him, but it was a pleasant one. Somehow, it made him feel a bit at ease (~take that, stupid Inner Voice! Ha!~). He grinned and put a hand over his heart.

"Oh yes. The streets of Tokyo will flood with tears at the news that Yohji Kudou is a taken man." Ken declared solemnly, faking an expression of deep sorrow. "They'll call a national holiday of grieving. We'll sell flower wreaths of mourning."

An honest bubble of laughter welled up from his chest as he continued his teasing. Clasping his hands together, he put on a piteous face and looked up toward the ceiling.

"Why oh why," he sighed in a terrible falsetto, "didn't we snatch him up when we had the chance? What has that redhead got that we don't?"

From that he switched over into the imitation of a smoking Yohji. "You want that list in alphabetical order?" He deadpanned, flicking his imaginary cigarette to the side before succumbing to a few deep chuckles. It felt great to have a bit of fun, and he was perfectly comfortable staying where he was.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

"Ha!" The laugh escaped Yohji's throat, with surprising effortlessness. It was almost a physical relief to be able to laugh again after the trauma of the past few days. It was a relief to see Ken joking. Ken used to joke around a lot. Before the invisible tension began to edge up around his personality....

Things....almost seemed normal again.

He pulled a real cigarette out of the crumpled package in his pocket and began to idly play with it in his fingers, using it to gesture at Ken.

"Oh...I wish," he grinned, looking down at the counter. "Fuck, I wish I could be that candid about it. Their faces would be priceless, no kidding."

The thought of Ran's reaction to their relationship becoming complete public knowledge was slightly sobering, but Yohji shoved the discomfort aside.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you'd been rehearsing that," Yohji teased, poking Ken. "You do a mean under aged, vapid school girl, ha ha."

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

It was a surprise to hear Yohji's smooth tones coming from the kitchen; Ran had thought he would have either stayed in his room, where Ran had left him, or gone out. It had almost been enough to make Ran turn and go back up to his room - he'd gone there after...well, after...to clear his mind before facing anyone else, and he wasn't sure he wanted to interact with Yohji again quite yet. When he'd heard Ken talking, however, he'd lingered on the stairs. Morbid curiosity prompted him to discover what his most volatile teammate would have to say.

He hadn't expected to catch snippets of a heart to heart. The easy way the two of them bantered was...

...well, it was relieving. It was good to hear Ken being idiotic rather than explosive.

But -

'Taken man'? They both seemed to be in agreement that this was something more than...

...more than Ran had thought it was?

...but not more than Ran wanted?

He blinked owlishly, and continued to lurk.

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

"I guess you'd know best out of anybody." Ken chortled. "It's a pain in the butt having to clean up the wake of girl drool they leave behind when you turn on the 'Kudoh Charm'."

He crossed his arms, sliding into deeper thoughts. "Ah, that reminds me. You think-mmm, what I mean is, how am I supposed to act? Around Ran, at least, about this?" He ran a hand through his hair as his smile settled into a neutral expression.

"I can joke around with *you*, and you know I won't blab or anything in public. I just, well, he can barely stand me as is, so I don't do something dumb."

He made a rather helpless hand motion, failing to fully get across what he wanted to say.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

"Oh, don't you worry, I'm sure I'll do plenty of dumb enough shit to take the heat off of you," Yohji sighed and pulled himself up so he was sitting on the counter. He gave Ken a more serious look. "I haven't a clue how to act either, honestly."

Ken's flailing gesture did a pretty good job of conveying his own confusion. "All my experience is pretty much completely worthless, if not counter-productive, heh." He shrugged and stuck the unlit cigarette in his mouth, pulling out his lighter. He distractedly played with flicking the flame on and off a few times before bringing it up to his face. "I'm not used to being nervous, you know? But the odds seem pretty good that I'll massively fuck everything up if I'm not careful. And that would--"

Probably cause me to do something even stupider.

Yohji frowned and trailed off before finishing his morose train of thought.

"Ah well," he flippantly dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. "I'll behave. And I don't think you have to worry, just don't put him on the spot. Especially don't bring it up in front of you-know-who. What his sister thinks is the main thing that matters to him, obviously."

He took in Ken's slightly awkward stance, the fidgety hand motions that conveyed the younger man's slight self-consciousness. He raised an eyebrow skeptically. "And that last statement is a huge exaggeration, you know. He doesn't dislike you. You just...stress him out sometimes."

"Not unlike the rest of us," he added with a wry smile.

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

"He can barely stand me as it is..."

Still lurking, Ran raised an eyebrow. He had assumed it to be the other way around, based on how antagonistic toward him Ken chose to be. On the other hand, Omi was the only housemate Ran didn't find antagonistic on a daily basis...

...that aside, he was not a person who was inclined to waste words or pleasantries or pep talks on someone he despised. Even Ken should have figured that out.

Frowning, Ran digested the next piece of information he'd revealed. So, Ken wouldn't 'blab or anything'? Interesting. It sounded as if the younger man had flat out accepted their relationship, or whatever it was. A tension Ran hadn't known he had been holding onto left him. It wouldn't have mattered, of course, except that Ran hated being bothered, and an actively disapproving teammate would have added a stressful level of interaction Ran would prefer not to deal with.

He tuned back into the conversation to catch Yohji bringing up his sister. He automatically crossed his arms, defensive and protective at once.

"What his sister thinks..."

Kudoh, you idiot. It was true he cared about the esteem of his sister, but she had already practically encouraged him to pursue Yohji before.

...and that aside, 'assassin' trumped 'boyfriend' on every level imaginable. He was fairly certain he had taken care of what his sister thought of him all on his own.

There was a slight pause. Ran took a quiet step, half-deciding to make his entrance, when Yohji continued. He paused again to see if Ken would respond. The soccer player had stressed them all lately. If Yohji could get him to talk, it would be a good thing.

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

"You just...stress him out sometimes. Not unlike the rest of us,"

The comeback should've been easy. A hundred quips were just waiting to spill forth and edge the conversation back to the jovial.

Ken shocked himself when he replied "I know," in a soft, low tone of voice. "It's awful, isn't it. I acted like a complete jackass to Ran the other day, screaming at him like that. I almost destroyed my friendship with Omi," he listed on his fingers, "and I have no idea why you don't run screaming when I walk in the room."

He looked ahead at the wall across the room, his calm, disconnected expression a duplicate of the one he wore only four days ago in the car as he revealed his backstory.

"Don't worry, I'm getting things under control. And I swear to God, if I start to lose my grip...I'll say something. Before it gets bad."

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji managed to check himself before his eyes dropped down to his bandaged chest with the thought, it’s already gotten pretty bad.

Then he second guessed his caution. Ken was someone who could appreciate bluntness, and it needed to be said.

“Don’t be stupid,” he stalled. “You’re my best friend.” He spoke without really putting too much thought into it. Yohji wasn’t usually in the habit of categorizing the people in his life, but the sentence came naturally enough. While Ran might completely dominate his attention, Ken was still the person he probably talked to the most. And until very recently felt the most comfortable around.

“And I’m never going to run out on my friends….” He almost flinched as he said it, recognizing that he couldn’t back that statement up with the same sincerity that he might have had a mere week ago. He felt a bit sick as he regretted his wording. “Anyway,” he recovered, “you’ve helped me keep my head straight better than anyone around here. You really helped me work things out.”

Ken was glazing over a bit. Yohji was tempted to wave his hand in front of his face to check his reflexes, but thought better of it. Ken’s reflexes weren’t something it was healthy to mess around with.

“Which is why…well, I really want to be able to help you like you helped me. But I don’t think I can. And that really sucks.”

He paused a moment, and chewed on his cigarette. He could stop right now and everything would be cool. He didn’t have to say the things he knew Ken didn’t want to hear. He could still go back to joking around….

“I think you need to talk to someone professional. Kritiker doesn’t need to know about it. I’ll even go with you if you want, I could use it too.”

He looked Ken dead on, ignoring the temptation to force a weak smile. Ken would see through it.

“It…is bad, Ken. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I can tell it’s bad.”

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

A loud groan escaped from Ken’s mouth before he could suppress it. He dragged his fingers through his hair, fighting the instinct to slouch.

“Christ. Not again.” He sounded petulant, even to himself. A rosy blush of shame started to creep across his face, but he frowned against it. “What I mean is, I didn’t think I’d have to go back after…all that. It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he recited, as if he’d told himself that thousands of times. “I just didn’t like it much.”

But it did help, and for a long time too. Ken admitted that much to himself. But apparently he’d fallen deep into a backslide. Hopefully it wasn’t too late to crawl out of the hole he’d fallen in.

~This. Is. Priceless.~

There was that voice, the one that was helping to turn his days into living nightmares. ~You think you’re getting rid of me THAT easily? Come on Hidaka. I’m disappointed in you.~

Ken looked up at Yohji. “You’d really go with me.” It wasn’t so much a question as a statement, an acceptance of the older man’s word as truth. That wouldn’t be such a bad thing then. At least it would act as a levy to some of the embarrassment associated with it. Then he could finally stop beating himself up, get the rage banked and controlled-

~Don’t you get it, numbskull? I’m the last beacon of sanity you’ve got. I’m the only one who won’t lie to you, or really gives two shits about what’s best for you, and don’t you forget it. Face it. When all the others are dead, when they’ve left you behind and exposed you for the monster you really are, I’m the only one who’ll still be there for you.~

“To hell with you!” Ken growled under his breath, flinching at the realization that he was vocalizing again. “Ah, damn. Not you. Sorry, I meant-um.” He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. “I meant…yes.” He glanced down at Yohji’s bandages. “It’s time to give it another go.”

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji raised an eyebrow in response to Ken’s initial outburst. He hadn’t been aware that there was anything to warrant an ‘again.’ This was a conversation he had wanted to have with Ken for days, but until now he had held back. Did Omi already confront him?

His eyes widened a bit more as he realized that Ken had already been in therapy. That…hadn’t been in his records, to Yohji’s knowledge. Was he going while in Weiss?

He watched Ken carefully; any doubt he might have had about the urgency of getting Ken to a doctor rapidly evaporating.

He wanted to ask Ken for details about his alluded past treatment, but held off, figuring that forcing him to dwell on it might sabotage his chances of Ken following through on an agreement. It didn’t take a very careful glance to see that the ex soccer player was currently balanced somewhere precarious.

The set to his jaw turned grim as Ken tried to brush of the second outburst, which apparently wasn’t directed at him…or anyone visible.

“Alright, we’re going,” Yohji affirmed with a nod.

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran was frowning by the time his teammates' discussion ground to a halt. Therapy for Ken was a good idea, as long as Kritiker stayed out of it. His sense of their usefulness to the organization had been waning since the fall of Eszett; even if the others didn't seem to think about it often, he was certain they were viewed more often as tools than as humans. That made them all too easily replaceable.

He decided to go back up to his room. The kitchen seemed tense, and he doubted his presence would do more than aggravate Ken.

And Yohji had said -Ken was his 'best friend'? That had happened without Ran noticing, but so had a lot of things in Weiss, it seemed. He'd never assumed that Yohji had invested much in any of them - he'd seemed disconnected, above it all from Ran's observations in the past.

...yeah, he's real disconnected. He'd been pretty damned wrong about that. A faint blush colored his pale skin, remembering just how connected Yohji had been to him an hour or so earlier. It was enough to erase the frown and replace it with a bemused smile.

Plus - well, he'd always assumed out of all of them, Ken and Omi were the best friends of their group.

But...

A niggling recollection surfaced. Hadn't something happened between them this week? Something Yohji had refused to tell him?

He pushed himself to his feet, not really paying attention to his movements, and stepped badly on his leg. He slid down a step with a thud. He clenched his features, but managed to bite back the yell.

Damn. So much for sneaking back upstairs.

He turned, and decided he had been headed downstairs after all, so of course, that was where he was going.

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

~No sense putting it off. Better bite the bullet and get it over with.~

Ken was about to grab the phone book from behind the counter when he heard the thump on the stair. A split second later he was turned and on the defensive, but then he saw Ran's distinctive orange sweater and relaxed a little.

Had he been there long? A painful surge of pride made him slightly queasy. It was stupid, Ken knew: he trusted this man with his life almost everyday, and yet the idea of Ran find out about him getting therapy was terrible. He couldn't help it though.

He shot Yohji a repressed look of panic: ~Please please please, for God's sake, don't bring it up!!~

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji started a little at the sound of an intrusion, although his look of surprise quickly melted into a grin as Ran entered his sight….

…Which again quickly transformed back to seriousness as he caught a glance of Ken’s panicked expression. He patted the phone book and winked, saying nothing.

“Good morning!” he joked, stubbing out his cigarette as he turned to face Ran. “Want some coffee? I was just looking for an excuse to make some.”

He refrained from allowing his eyes to dart back and monitor Ken. He would probably catch him alone again soon enough anyway.

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran steadily ignored Ken's visible panic and his own...

He was actually embarrassed.

He gave a short nod to Yohji, a miniscule smile threatening to appear on the corner of his lips. He shoved his hands in his pockets and hovered on the edge of the kitchen. He had intended to pass through to the living area. His eyes brushed by Ken's but didn't linger, they both had too much cause to be uncomfortable with each other as it was.

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

"Oh! Hey, I'll get it, I uh, wanted a snack anyway." Ken half scurried across the room. "Just double count the till for me. I'll be back in a few."

He walked past Ran with his head high, sparing only the quickest glance at his leg as he passed by. He wasn't putting much weight on it, but it wasn't as bad as before.

He slowed down a fraction as he passed, lowering his voice so only Ran could hear.

"Nice to see you up and around."

With that he continued into the kitchen.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji leaned back against the counter, briefly letting his eyes skim over the phone book again. He raised an eyebrow as they reconnected with Ran’s, curious as to how much the other man might have overheard. He had no intention of discussing the matter; aside from Ken’s obvious desire for him to remain quiet, he’d already alerted Ran to his concerns about Ken, long before there had been any conversation for him to overhear. He could guess that by now Ran’s doubts were probably as thoroughly demolished as his own.

He felt a surge of relief, Ken’s acquiescence and Ran’s reappearance (in an apparently decent mood, no less,) both serving to quiet some of the nagging concerns that had been eating away at his peace of mind.

A grin easily slid back onto his face as he continued to regard Ran.

“Well I don’t know about you,” he drawled casually, “but I think I’m gonna turn in early tonight. I haven’t nearly caught up on my…rest yet.”

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran turned back from staring after Ken in the wake of his quickly dropped expression of concern, an eyebrow raising at Yohji with an answering suggestion. He didn't acknowledge that he'd heard anything of their conversation, though he had resolved to keep it in mind.

"Staying in?" He asked casually. He couldn't quite keep the dry note from his voice. Yohji had continually clarified where he stood this past week, but Ran couldn't so easily keep up with the shift. He held Yohji's eyes steadily with his own, his gaze intense. There was a thick energy in the room. Finally, he looked away and moved to the register, taking out the till to do as Ken asked and recount their earnings.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji held Ran's gaze unflinchingly, remaining silent until Ran turned and busied himself with the till. He quietly trailed behind him and leaned forward to wrap his arms around the younger man's torso, snaking his hands up under the front of Ran's sweater.

"Oh, you betcha," he said quietly, hovering close to Ran's ear "it looks like it might become a habit."

He didn't especially care if Ken came back into the room and saw.

...Or anyone for that matter.

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran ducked his head, hiding the smile that finally broke free with his eartails. His abs tensed under Yohji's touch, nerves igniting. "Is that so." His tone remained flat nonetheless.

He had lost the count. Yohji was a distraction. There was a small twinge of fear accompanying that thought; but he'd known that would come with this...whatever "this" meant.

Later. There was no danger right then, no threat. Ran forced himself to relax. He attempted to begin recounting without letting Yohji on to the fact.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

"Mmhmmm," Yohji continued to hover, and lightly ran the tip of his nose along the edge of Ran's ear.

He could feel Ran tensing, and lightened the pressure of his fingers as he drew them across the plane of his stomach. He noticed a falter in the movement of Ran's hands but didn't pay too close attention to it. All that really mattered to Yohji was that he wasn't getting shoved off.

....Yet.

"I might agree to go out on a date...if the right guy asked me."

He stilled Ran's hand, inevitably throwing off his counting again.

"...I'd agree to a lot of things, if the right guy asked me," his voice dropped lower.

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran let his hand fall to the countertop under the pressure from Yohji's fingers. He looked down at them, new knowledge about how it felt to be touched by them intimately making him draw in a shallow breath. Ran's whole body, in fact, had stilled; a warning sign.

The next moment, despite the gunshot wound hobbling him, he twisted his own fingers through Yohji's and spun them both around, pressing the taller, lanky man back into the counter. Though his lips were straight, the smile had reached his eyes. His hips had Yohji's pinned.

"I already agreed to our bet." He leaned a hand on the counter to Yohji's side, close enough to feel the other man's heartbeat.

Fuck. He had never thought to see Yohji's green eyes trained on him like that, in earnest.

...he'd done his best to avoid it.

...he'd wanted him since...don't admit it.

Ran spun off of him, back to the counter, picking up the money again without looking sideways to see the blonde's reaction. "I'm good on my word."

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

A bolt of pain cut across Yohji’s chest, as the unexpected reversal of Ran pressing him backwards made him sway and strained his stitches.

It barely even registered.

Without even putting thought into his movements, his fingers were tightening around Ran’s and his hips were shifting to increase the contact.

He’d actually forgotten the bet….

He was surprised to find that it didn’t even seem half as enticing as it had when Ran had first dangled the notion in front of him. The possibilities for what he could do while they stayed in suddenly trumped any possible outings. Just the contact right now was better than the rhetorical date that Ran had not-so-sincerely promised.

Although now that Ran had reminded him there was no way in hell that he was going to let it drop. Ran at a club. Not a mission. The grin already in place only widened.

It would have to wait though. Yohji wanted both of them to be completely healed before cashing in. A date like that might be a one time deal, and he wanted to properly enjoy it.

All too quickly the desired contact was removed, and Ran was nonchalantly back to acting as though nothing had happened. It took all Yohji’s willpower not to grab him back and drag him out of the flower shop. Ken could come back at any moment after all….

He picked up a fragment of an oasis from the counter and satisfyingly crushed it to green powder in his hand. He studied the mess for a moment before returning his gaze to Ran.

“Good to know” he said calmly. “I’ll remember that. Need any help there?”

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

The grin on Yohji's face made him look like a cat that had just backed its meal into a corner. He ignored Yohji's offer of help and finally finished the tally, closing the register back up. He let his eyes slide back to Yohji's; an answering smirk finally asserting itself on his face. There was no one else around to see - Ran let his hip lean on the counter, alleviating the weight on his foot, and dragged his eyes down Yohji's torso to his groin and back again.

"If I said yes?" His voice was deep and held a note of rare teasing.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

It was taking increasingly more effort to retain his composure. Yohji kept his eyes steadily locked on Ran, as the other man mischievously checked him out.

He definitely liked this increasing trend towards blatantness.

"I can be very helpful." He wiped the dusty remains on his apron before striding up to the register, stopping about an inch from Ran. "Multitalented, you know," he breathed into his ear.

He then swooped over to the sink and busied himself with clearing out the stem clippings.

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

Ken took another cautious look into the shop before deeming it safe to come back.

The first two times he checked for an "all clear" he got to see something that he didn't want to walk in on. If things had progressed further Ken would've given up and stayed in the kitchen.

With steady, careful movements he gathered the three full coffee mugs and brought them in without incident.

"Um, do you think we should close a bit early today?" He wondered aloud, peering into the depths of his coffee as though it held the secrets of the universe. "The afternoon rush might be a little difficult to handle with, well..." He made a small gesture in their direction.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji raised an eyebrow at the nod.

With what? Their injuries? Or…behavior….

Yohji shrugged and turned to accept the coffee from Ken. “I’m always game for closing the shop.” He agreed enthusiastically.

Was it just his imagination or was Ken avoiding eye contact? He looked sideways at Ran.

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran looked at the coffee mug handed to him in surprise and muttered a "thank-you" while Yohji responded.

He frowned a little at the suggestion himself, and while he decided it was better not to know exactly what the soccer player meant by that, both for his own sake and for Ken's, he admitted he was right. He removed himself from the decision and looked away, skimming past Yohji's gaze to the front door. There was a gaggle of schoolgirls already approaching on the sidewalk across the road. He repressed a sigh.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji followed Ran’s gaze across the street to the approaching swarm. He knew that if they let them into the shop, closing early would become an almost futile endeavor. For all of the flowers they didn’t buy, those girls had a tendency to linger like the plague.

He shot both Ran and Ken quick glances, conveying that if either of them wanted to object to the early closure, they’d better speak up. As neither did, Yohji quickly departed for the front of the shop.

Out of earshot, he could be seen speaking to them for what dragged into several moments. A particularly persistent specimen had to be physically pried off his arm. Yohji handed an errant daisy to the nearest one, and then promptly closed the grate as the rest of the crowd practically jumped the poor girl.

He dusted his hands off dramatically as he returned to where Ran and Ken stood.

“So,” he announced cheerfully, “anyone up for a movie?”