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.

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[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.