Another of my crack pairings. But, I have to admit that I rather like how this one turned out. It's much...gentler than the others, I think. This is based off of a Prompt from LJ...But I honestly can't remember who posted the prompts. ;

When Lin found Masako sitting morosely in the men's changing room, he couldn't help but feel that someone had decided that today would just not be his day. He's woken that morning to Naru looking even grimmer than usual, asking him why he hadn't just dragged Mai in front of a justice peace or something. Then after reminding Naru of what Mai would do to him if he were surly on their wedding day, he'd gone to breakfast in the hotel lobby, where he'd been teased by Takigawa, Matsuzaki, and Madoka about remaining unmarried at his 'advanced' age. Later, he'd had to stop Mai from killing Yasuhara when the grinning man had 'accidentally' opened the door to her changing room while she was standing there in her slip. Oh, and of course he couldn't forget having to calm a stuttering John, who was more nervous than the bride.

Why Naru and Mai had asked the young priest to perform the ceremony for them was a mystery, almost as baffling as the fact that Naru had asked Lin to be his best man, thus putting the Chinese man in charge of the circus troupe that was their group of friends, while the younger man concentrated on attempting to seem calm, cool, and collected while trying not to lose his breakfast or settle into a sullen pout. It wouldn't do, after all, for the bridegroom to be anything less than polite--and, if it were anyone other than Naru, possibly even friendly--on his wedding day. Especially since Mai had gotten quite creative in her revenge once she'd realized that Naru wasn't going to break up with her if she annoyed him. (Sadly, Lin knew exactly how that conversation had ended, since he was still living next door to his young boss. It was the next day that he'd suggested the young couple might want to consider having their arguments at Mai's, since her walls were thicker. He would have been amused at the shade of red that the girl had turned, if he weren't sure that his face was even darker.)

And now here he was, an hour after the deed had--finally--been done, hiding from Madoka and Lu--Naru's mother--who'd been trying to introduce him to 'a nice young lady.' Or at least, that had been his intention when he'd sought out the room the men had dressed in earlier. Evidently, he wasn't the only person who had wanted to escape.

"Hara-san, are you alright?" Lin noted the tired look in the young woman's eyes. He supposed that it had something to do with the 'wedding-envy' he'd been told some women felt. Personally, he'd never thought that Masako would be the type, but, well, here she was.

Blinking, she looked up from her apparent inspection of the carpet, bring her kimono-covered hand up to block her expression. It was obvious she hadn't expected anyone to enter the room, though she hadn't remembered to lock the door. But then, her thoughts weren't exactly clear at the moment. That was probably the only reason she found herself speaking to her stoic acquaintance. Because, after all, that's all they were.

"Lin-san, don't think I'm jealous because Mai is the one marrying Naru."

Lin raised an eyebrow. The idea honestly hadn't occurred to him. He'd noted with quiet approval that Masako had stopped chasing Naru as soon as it was made clear which girl he preferred. The medium hadn't even looked particularly upset when she'd come into the office to find the young couple on Mai's desk. (Though she had immediately called Matsuzaki to gossip about it, thoroughly embarrassing her former rival.)

Lin joined the woman on the only seating in the room, a loveseat decorated in a tacky pink heart pattern. Unsure about what he could do, but knowing that Masako wasn't the type to say something like that without being truly upset, he decided that at the very least he could listen.

"It really isn't that." Masako sighed, dropping her hand back into her lap and turning her gaze back towards the ugly flowered carpet. "It's just--I've never fit in with people my own age."

What did this have to do with anything, Lin wondered. Though, he understood what the medium was saying. Not only did she have the ability to see and speak to ghosts, but she was also on television from a young age and, to be frank, was quite pretty and more mature than most people her age were likely to be. Of course she wouldn't exactly fit in in a country that believed that the nail that stood up should be hammered down. But why would this bother her on her friend's wedding day?

"My grandmother always said, even when I was a child, that I was 'aged beyond my years.' I never really knew what she meant until I tried to make friends in school. I had to…dumb myself down, sometimes. I'd be thinking about a spirit I'd met, and some girls would come over to me and try to talk about the latest episode of some television show I had never even heard of." The woman slumped for a moment before automatically straightening.

Lin was quiet, knowing that she wasn't finished.

"Ha! 'Aged beyond my years!' The boys in school were intimidated by me. I heard them talking a few times, and other times girls would tell me what had been said, just to hurt me. Do you know, Lin-san, that I've never been on a date? And it's not, like some would say, that I'm so dedicated to my work. Nor am I pining after Naru." She looked at him, smiling sadly without bothering to cover it.

"Honestly, I think the only reason I was interested in him was because we had so much in common. Both in the limelight from a young age, both with powers that made them useful to people, both 'aged beyond our years.'" Now her smile changed into a wry grin. "It was mostly because I thought he could match me in maturity, though, I think. What a stupid reason to become infatuated with someone."

"Considering what you've just said, I don't think that reason was stupid. You were looking for someone on the same level as yourself, and when you found him, you assumed that the feelings would come. It's a simple mistake, Hara-san, to confuse respect and admiration for infatuation." Lin smiled, remembering how frustrated Naru had been when he'd realized that his feelings for his assistant--someone whose intelligence he'd often insulted, teasing or not--went beyond those of comradeship, or even friendship. The boy's pride had pricked him mercilessly as he acknowledged the girl's power over him, a power she hadn't even realized she had until that argument.

Lin shook off his thoughts of the lovebirds and their disturbing antics, bringing his attention back to the delicate-looking woman in front of him. Of course, he thought, no one who actually spoke to Hara Masako would ever think of her as delicate. She had a spine of steel, and, yes, a maturity far beyond her years.

"I just can't help but wonder, Lin-san, if I'll ever find someone who can not only understand me, but also care about me in that way." Masako did her best but was unable to help the blush that stole over her face at this blunt pronouncement. It wasn't like she was talking to Mai, who'd become her closest friend, or even Ayako, who treated both girls like younger sisters. No, she was sitting here, on the day of her best friend's wedding, admitting her greatest fear to the least approachable member of their group.

Well, at least that's what I always thought. But he's being very…considerate and sympathetic right now, isn't he? Masako couldn't help but notice. She wondered if she'd misjudged Lin, if, perhaps, he had a professional face to protect himself from people who wouldn't understand. Like she did. Naru had always had Gene and their parents and colleagues, so he'd never needed to learn how to deal with people he disliked--as evidenced by the trouble Mai'd had with him before they'd admitted their feelings and found more creative ways to let their frustrations out.

Lin, at this point, was thinking about his own teenage years, when even his family had balked at his plans to spend his life studying the paranormal. They'd never understood his fascination, nor had they really tried. Though they loved him, it was understood that he was the black sheep of his family. Only his grandfather had ever encouraged him, and that had ended when the old man had died when he was fourteen.

Perhaps, he thought, Masako and I have more in common than I had previously realized.

Masako's blush had faded, but it remained a light pink as she glanced at the older man. He was definitely mature, and he did understand her, it seemed. She wondered if, all that time, she'd been chasing the wrong man.

Lin, for his part, was considering the fact that, when he'd moved to Japan, he'd left his social life back in England. He wasn't the type to become interested in any pretty girl who came his way; all of his relationships had begun and ended in friendship. There had never been any real spark of romance, but at the same time, he simply couldn't work up interest in anyone he didn't know at least casually for a long while before dating. Glancing at the young medium beside him, he wondered if he should, perhaps, try one more time.

The silence should have become awkward by this time, but both ghost-hunters felt surprisingly comfortable as they sat in the tacky waiting room. They'd known each other for years, after all.

Eventually, though, the noise from the reception going on down the hall reminded them both of the need to return. If Ayako figured out that they'd skipped out on the party, she'd probably decide to pour straight vodka down their throats to make them 'loosen up.' She'd done it to Naru and Mai at the engagement party, and it had not been a pretty sight. Naru was a sullen drunk, and Mai got nostalgic and emotional. The argument they'd started had lasted a full week and caused their friends to agree to never let them get drunk in public again.

"We should go back to the party." Masako finally voiced the thought, regretful that she probably wouldn't have the courage to put her newfound understanding with Lin to the test. With Naru, she'd been trying to force a relationship and feelings that simply weren't there. She couldn't bring herself to do that again, especially since she was suddenly realizing that, with Lin, those feelings could grow. And if they grew on her part, but not on his, well, that would hurt. Better to remain friendly-but-distant coworkers than form a one-way crush.

Lin hummed his agreement before rising and waiting for Masako to head towards the door. It wasn't until he had his hand on the knob that he finally turned to look straight at the young woman.

"Masako."

She glanced up at the tall man, noticing that they were a bit closer than she'd expected. Lin regarded her for a moment, noting the rising blush his stare produced. Decision made, he leant down and placed a soft kiss on the medium's slightly parted mouth.

"If you are free next week, perhaps you'd like to go to dinner with me?"

He was still leaning down as he spoke, his breath was warm against her cheek. Masako could feel her heart racing in a way it hadn't done since, well, ever. Her cheeks, she was sure, were stained a dark red, as she turned slightly to look into his eyes. He seemed completely sincere, making a warm feeling spread throughout her body.

"Of course, Lin-san. That would be…nice." She smiled and he smiled gently back at her. It was something like the expression he wore on the rare occasions Naru surprised Mai with something sweet or romantic, but there was also something extra in there, just for her, Masako.

Straightening, he opened the door and gestured for Masako to enter first. She thanked him quietly, and the two headed back towards the party, walking a bit closer than they ever had before, each wondering if it would be possible to get the other to dance and what might happen after that.

It didn't really matter, though. They would have years ahead of them to find out.