A/N: And another! Set about 10 years after 'A Christmas Story'. I think I can finish it off in 2 chapters. Please enjoy!

Note: Yasuhara is no longer working for SPR as he's now a lawyer. However, he still helps out with background research from time to time. Bou-san and Ayako are now official members of SPR.

Unlikely Brothers

Chapter 1

Naru stared at his reflection in the mirror. He never truly dwelled much on it, but hearing Gene's surprised comment last night about how strikingly different he looked made him really study his own features. Gene was still exactly the same as he remembered, and because the image of Gene was etched so strongly in his mind, he just simply assumed he still looked somewhat the same, though now on hindsight, that had been a completely naive thought to entertain. It had been twelve years now since they lost him, after all, and now at twenty-eight years old, there was no way he'd look even remotely the same.

He turned his head side to side, noting pragmatically how his face now looked sharper and longer, not having any more traces of the baby fat that was still present in Gene's features, and admired how the angles in his face sensually accentuated his bright blue eyes. His height have not changed much, but his shoulders have broadened out, and his torso have become more toned (thanks to Mai's insistence for him to go to the gym with her once in a while), while Gene was still the same scrawny sixteen year old. If he were being brutally honest, he would say he's aging quite well, that he looked even more pleasing to the eye than before. He wouldn't have minded seeing Gene reflect the handsome features in real life.

They have not seen each other for almost two years, and he figured it must be a good thing that Gene's finding it more and more difficult to wake each time since that probably meant he'll finally be able to rest in peace. But he also worried how awful it must be to wake up one day and realize you've missed several years and see people you thought you saw just yesterday, suddenly become old. Would going through that harm Gene's psyche and turn him into an earth-bound ghost? He had pondered over that possibility in his head for so long that he now grew weary of it. He never got any answers, and honestly, he wasn't sure if he could get an answer. The only thing he could do was wait and try helping him move on.

He raked a hand across his hair, which he's kept the same all these years (there was no need to change his haircut, it was perfect), and walked over to the living room. He grabbed his keys and turned to Mai, who until a few seconds ago had been busy watching her drama on TV but now sauntered towards him. She embraced him and gave him a peck on the cheek, which he gently returned.

"You're leaving now? Will you be driving there, or taking the train?"

He jingled the keys in his pockets to answer her question. "I lost track of time while I was reading and got ready later than I planned. If I take the car, I can still arrive there with minutes to spare. I wouldn't want to make him wait."

Mai grinned. "Naru, it's a dinner date between friends. He won't tear you a new one if you were a little late. You're always so punctual."

"Unlike you, Yasuhara always respected my time and never arrived late to work, or otherwise," he smirked back. "I appreciate his punctuality and would like to return the courtesy."

She playfully slapped him on the chest and cried, "You know I was never late for too long unless it was an emergency! And on usual days, I was only maybe two or three minutes late, at most!"

"'If you arrive early, you're on time. If you arrive on time, you're late. And if you're late, it's unacceptable.' Perhaps I should have shared this saying with you back then. And don't call it a 'date'."

"Alright, alright. Just be careful." She fixed the collar of his light blue shirt and picked at the buttons on his thin, dark grey cardigan sweater, silently feeling content that he'd chosen to wear something she bought for him just last week. "As always: wait at least 30 minutes after you guys finish drinking so you have time to process the alcohol. Don't drink too much. Don't try to match Yasu - as you know by now, I hope."

Naru frowned. "He provoked me to a contest last time. The point was to out-drink him."

"Then don't get provoked. Really, why do you let Yasu tease you so much?"

"I don't let him tease me, Mai."

Mai giggled. "You two are so cute. I love how close you two have gotten over the years. You act like brothers. Did Gene tease you a lot as well?" She was answered with a scowl. "Poor you, always the baby in the group. Gene and Yasu would have really gotten along well together and joined forces to make your life a living hell."

"And you would have joined them."

Mai wagged her fingers and kissed him. "Cute. You're whining." Then, when Naru sighed, she added with a chuckle, "And yes, I would have."

Naru snaked his arms around her and gave her a kiss, lingering a little longer than he had intended, before finally pulling himself away. "I don't want to be late. I'll probably be back sometime before midnight, as usual."

Mai nodded and walked him to the door. Before he could get in the car, she called out "Naru! Be careful, okay?"

Naru nodded. "Of course."

-000-

"Naru, want another pint? I'm going to ask for another one." When Naru shook his head, Yasuhara insisted, "Sure? You've only had two."

"It's plenty. And I'm still working on it anyway."

Yasuhara shrugged and flagged down a waiter. After settling his order, he turned to his companion and resumed with a chuckle, "I have another recent one. So this woman asked me to take her case, which she prefaced with having to do with some animal crackers she gave her daughter. And I thought, 'probably a food poisoning case', right? Nope." The drink arrived and after thanking the waiter, Yasuhara took a few sip from it. "Instead," he continued, "she starts talking about how outraged she was that this cracker monkey is apparently holding his monkey penis and is performing self-fellatio, and that it's lewd and shouldn't be something kids should be seeing. I had to explain to her that it was actually a monkey eating a banana..." [1]

Naru almost snorted. "Should you be telling me these? Client confidentiality and all?"

"I never took her case so she was never my client. But it's not like I told you who it was. It's just a story, as far as we're concerned."

Naru took a sip from his own beer and nodded. "Your job seems to be going well."

"It actually is. Apart from the ridiculous stories I've told you, it's mostly rewarding. And I think you appreciate having connections through me."

"I wouldn't deny that."

Yasuhara reached across and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Never hesitate to come to me when SPR needs something. I still enjoy helping out with your cases, from time to time." He smiled when Naru's eyes softened. "Ah, by the way, I went drinking with Takigawa-san the other day - you know we should probably all get together at some point. Anyway, he told me Ayako-san is three months along! Seems Takigawa-san did it right on their honeymoon night."

Naru shook his head at his comment with some amusement. "Yes, they had brought that to my attention so we've established she'll be taking her maternity leave by the end of this year."

"Is it going to be a problem? Won't you be understaffed?"

"We'll manage."

"What about Lin-san and Madoka-san? Any exciting news of pregnancy?"

Naru took another sip of his beer and commented, "You love to gossip."

"I'm just interested in everyone's affairs. So do you know if they have something in the oven? Are they planning? You must know. Mai and Madoka-san hang out a lot so Mai must have told you, right?"

In actuality, Madoka and Lin were having trouble conceiving, and Naru only knew this because Yasuhara was right. Madoka and Mai talk about a lot of personal things, and often he wondered how much of their own affairs Mai shared with his former teacher. However he felt it was not his place to share this piece of information, so he just shrugged. "I don't have anything to share in that regard. But they are doing well. I believe they're looking into purchasing a house."

"A house? That's good. The market is good at the moment. You and Mai also thinking the same?" Naru was about to answer that they were not, but Yasuhara's next question threw him off guard, "Not just the house, but are you guys also planning on having little Davises?"

"We're not-" he trailed off and took another sip of his beer. With a frown, he attempted once again, "We're not even married yet."

Yasuhara scratched his head. "Oh, that's true. Sorry, I got ahead of myself. But speaking of which, do you guys have any plans for that? You've been involved with each other for almost a decade. That's staggering, you know."

"I had thought about it and I was actually planning on asking for your advice on how to approach a particular problem."

Yasuhara almost choked on his beer as he gaped at his friend. "Surprising. But of course! What do you need help with, Boss?" At this point, the nickname had stuck as a form of endearment.

"I've been meaning to ask for her hand in marriage, however it's not a subject I am knowledgeable in, nor do I possess the sensibilities to even attempt this properly on my own. Originally I had intended to just ask her straight-forwardly-"

"-Like a business transaction."

"...Yes, that is probably how it would have come out. I reflected that it probably would not make her as happy, though I don't think Mai would have been too displeased to actually say no."

"No, Mai wouldn't say no just because you have no ounce of romance in you, but let's try to be nicer to her about it. Good that you reflected, at least."

"My problem now," Naru resumed as a matter-of-factly, "is that I must try to get her ring size discreetly so that I can present it to her during my proposal and surprise her."

"Did you look up 'how to propose' instructions on the internet?" Naru's miffed look told him that he had. Yasuhara almost laughed, but silently commended the usually stoic man for at least trying. It was endearing how he always tried his best when it came to Mai. Finally, Yasuhara said, "Okay, I have a plan to get her ring size. Just leave it to me. As for the proposal itself, do you have a plan? Where do you plan on proposing?"

Naru looked at him blankly. "At home. I have nothing planned in that regard. I will simply ask her and present the ring. It should be enough that way. Anything more on my part would be out of character and come off as insincere."

Yasuhara nodded his head carefully. "You might be right on that... I'll leave the proposal up to you then, since you seem sure about it. Expect to hear about her ring size by tomorrow, then I can come with you to pick out a ring this weekend, if you want."

"... That would be appreciated. Thank you, Yasuhara."

There was a comfortable silence between the two as they resumed eating their fries and washing it down with beer. After a few minutes, Naru broke the silence, and though Yasuhara would have been very surprised by this back in the day, the action no longer held any shock value since the twenty-eight year old Naru had finally mellowed out his anti-socialness. "How about you, Yasuhara? Have you found yourself a steady girlfriend yet?" The last month, when they chatted at different bar (somehow these meet-ups have become some sort of a tradition between them), Yasuhara told him of his recent break up, though he seemed pretty casual about it.

The bespectacled lawyer shook his head good-naturedly. "No, I'm afraid I might be destined to be a bachelor 'til my old age. I haven't found anybody I've liked enough to actually settle down with. If you or Mai have any acquaintances you think I might have a chance with, please do send them my way."

"You expect me to refer ladies to you to have their hearts broken?"

"No, I expect you to refer me ladies who can put up with my quirkiness. If we 'clicked', then no hearts get to be broken. And you say that like I'm a serial heart-breaker. Sometimes the ladies are the ones who break my poor little heart, you know."

Naru laughed softly. "At any rate, you know the limits of my social circle. I've got no one. Mai might. She's still in contact with her high school and college friends, so you might ask her." Then, as a last resort, he added, "How about Masako-san? Mai tells me she has the same dilemma as you. It seems her job makes it difficult for her to find someone to connect with."

"Hara-san? I don't know. I mean, all these years and we're still on a polite, distant, last-name basis."

Naru shrugged. "I see no reason why you can't ask her out to dinner. Preface it as 'between friends' and go from there."

Yasuhara chuckled. "I never would have thought in a million years that you, of all people, would give me advice on how to date people. You really have changed, Naru." Then he added softly, "I'm really glad you've warmed up to me."

"...Likewise."

[1] I found a post on Reddit with the same story by username bcra00 and I thought it was hilarious, so I used it here.

A/N: Yasu and Naru being besties! Only Yasu and Mai could have had thick enough skins to weather through Naru's bluntness and rudeness in the early times of their friendship. And it also makes it easier that Naru already respected Yasu to begin with. Mellow-er Naru is very cute. Mai, you lucky dawg.

Please review! Chapter 2: Yasuhara attempts to get Mai's ring size to help a brotha' out!