Sunday 1.12 - An excersise in futility

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji once again stopped in his tracks, this time to step away from the curb as an all-too-familiar porsche rolled by; occupancy two. They didn't notice him of course. With the center of his universe already in the car, safely one might add, Yohji was well out of Ran's orbit of awareness.

His grip subconsciously tightened around his phone. No one had bothered to let him know that things were okay.

The need to refill his cigarettes suddenly lost it's urgency.

Ran hadn't been driving very fast, he could easily beat them home.

Ten minutes later found Yohji, true to his prediction, alone in the Koneko's kitchen. He considered going up to his room, but found himself going through the motions of making coffee instead; he wasn't sure why. Whether or not he'd hang around afterward remained to be seen.

Comments

[7bladed.livejournal.com]

Aya-Chan took the mug from Yohji, staring wide-eyed at him. She hadn't put much thought on how upset Ran had been, having been too occupied wanting more answers. She took a few slow sips of the coffee, replaying the day's events in her head.

Finally, she looked back up at Yohji, smiling brightly. "I think I will. Thank you, Yohji-Kun."

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

"It wouldn't hurt," Yohji nodded.

He settled back in his chair and took a sip of his coffee.

"I hope your weekend hasn't been too badly marred by your shopping trip. You should have Ken or Omi take you out to the movies or something."

[7bladed.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps we could all go to the movies?" Aya-Chan suggested, peering over her cup at Yohji. "When was the last time you four went out together?"

Or even remotely had fun together..., she thought to herself, reflecting back on the day's tensions. Or... had fun at all. She smiled hopefully at Yohji; it could potentially turn out like breakfast that morning, but Aya-Chan didn't want to dwell on that thought too much.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji blanched at the suggestion. All four of them taking Ran's little sister to the movies? How heart warming. Was Aya Chan alseep this morning, or what?

"I, um, don't think that's such a great idea, Aya Chan," he tapped his finger against the side of his mug nervously, "if you haven't noticed, Ran doesn't really consider doing anything with me fun. I think you would have a nicer time if I wasn't included."

He regarded her tenatively, as she made Yohji a little nervous. It wasn't her of course that actually made him nervous, it was the fact that Ran's overprotectiveness turned almost any issue involving her into a potential land mine. Yohji had stepped on enough of them already.

"I mean, I'd really like to go out with all of you," he hastily added, worried that he might have hurt her feelings somehow, "but you saw what happened at breakfast, right?"

[7bladed.livejournal.com]

They couldn't possibly fight like that every time they were together... How on earth - though why on earth seemed to be the better question - had they been able to live with each other all this time?

"It can't always be like that?" she smiled at him as she walked towards the nearby sink to wash out the empty mug in her hands. She wasn't about to force an outing; for one thing, Aya-Chan had hoped breakfast would never have to repeat itself again, and for another, she didn't really know the conditions well enough to try and force anything. Though, it did seem incredibly strange that four people who lived in such a close vicinity of each other could end up in such heated - and rather petty - arguments.

"I'm sure it's just due to stress," she said finally, trying her best to pick her words carefully. "All four of you just seem eternally stressed, for some reason. I'm sure Ran-niisan doesn't really think of you as not fun to be around."

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

"Um...yeah. It actually is always like that." Yohji refilled his mug to ensure that Aya Chan wouldn't try to wash it, "sometimes it's worse."

All four of you just seem eternally stressed, for some reason.

Well, no kidding. If that weren't the understatement of the year.

"I'm afraid that your brother would probably rather spend an afternoon driving nails into his foot than to hold a conversation with me. 'Not fun' doesn't cover the half of it."

[7bladed.livejournal.com]

Aya-Chan's jaw almost dropped. It was hard to envision Ran wanting to drive nails into his foot; but then again, Ran had changed, and Aya-Chan wasn't sure anymore what to think.

"But then..." she was at a loss for words as she set her mug down on the counter. "Why would you stay together like this? I would imagine you don't actually enjoy knowing that someone would rather 'drive nails into his foot' than speak with you."

And what did they do all day...?

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

"Can't you tell? We're all madly in love with each other."

Yohji kept his face deadpan. For all of about 30 seconds. Then he had to take a really big gulp of coffee to keep himself from outright cracking up.

"We don't make enough money at the flower shop to move out independently," he improvised, "rent is really cheap when you live where you work."

He hoped she bought that, because it was all the explaination she was going to get out of him.

"And Ran will be the first person to tell you that I'm a little perverse. Living with someone who essentially hates my guts doesn't bother me quite as much as you'd expect it to."

Yohji tried to make his smile assuring.

[7bladed.livejournal.com]

Aya-Chan had to smile at Yohji's first crack.

"If you say so, Yohji-Kun." Either he wasn't telling the whole truth or they all just had some freakish fetish with flowers... and neither was a very nice scenario to dwell on. She'd learned a lot more about these four people in just one day that she really cared to know.

She paused, absently wiping her hands against her skirt; there was homework to be done, not to mention that apology to Ran that Yohji had suggested. "Well, I should go back to work now, and perhaps have that small talk with Ran-niisan."

She paused at the door, turning back for a moment. "And, if it matters at all, I don't think you're as bad as you've described yourself to be." She shrugged, "perhaps driving nails into his feet is just Ran-niisan's way of telling you that he cares."

[Aya-Chan exits]

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

"perhaps driving nails into his feet is just Ran-niisan's way of telling you that he cares."

At this Yohji very nearly did crack up.

"Ah, if only," Yohji found himself muttering.

Now just where the hell did that sentiment come from?!

Though before he could worry too much about it, Aya Chan's other words sank in.

"And, if it matters at all, I don't think you're as bad as you've described yourself to be."

"Not at all," Yohji thought grimly, "I'm much worse than you could possibly imagine, Aya Chan...."