Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Ken moves into the busy streets of Tokyo, and finds himself rooming with four super models. They are determined to transform Ken from the plain 'boy-next-door' to the hottie, they are sure is hidden underneath. But who to impress? How about that passionate-looking redhead, who lives in the apartment building next to them?
Author's Notes: Based on the movie, "Head Over Heels" starring Monica Potter and Freddie Prince Jr.
Warnings: Swearing and yaoi; Ran x Ken, and a surprise pairing :)
Head Over Heels
Chapter Four:
"All right, so let me get this straight," Yoji interrupts me in the middle of my story, slamming his left palm flat onto the marble surface of the kitchen counter. I jump in surprise while Nagi continues to eat his salad serenely, evidently already accustomed to Yoji's antics.
"You randomly meet some guy out on the streets who just so happens to be one of the hottest, young figures in the fashion industry. You end up meeting the guy again and he remembers you even, God only knows why he would," Yoji ducks just in time as I attempt to swat his head, angrily. "And after a somewhat awkward introduction, he now knows your name. So, tell me again why you won't even consider getting into his pants?"
Rolling my eyes at his choice of words, I begin anew. "Nevermind the fact that he's completely out of my league, I also probably have the world's worst luck with relationships. If there's gonna be another guy cheating on me with a model, considering his line of work, it will most definitely be Mr. Perfect here."
"And you won't even give it a chance? Just because of Kase?"
"It wasn't just Kase, Yoji. I apparently attract the cheating type," I tell him, somberly, simply leaving it at that. "And yeah, he's attractive but I'm not that attracted to him. He's not really my type."
"Is that why you keep looking over my shoulder to stare out the window," Nagi asks me without looking up. Beside him, Yoji snickers and beams proudly at the younger model.
"Well, he's nice to look at obviously but he's totally not boyfriend material," I shoot back after a moment's surprise and hesitation, glaring at him.
"Why not? Isn't he suppose to be Mr. Perfect," Schuldich adds to my utter frustration as he saunters into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Or perhaps a bottle of beer as he is wont to do.
"I don't really mean he's perfect when I call him that. Even Fujisaki Aya is bound to have flaws." At this point, I'm starting to wonder if my protests are meant to convince my stubborn roommates or my inner self that seems to really, really like Mr. Perfect.
"We could probably try to find these so-called flaws tonight," Schuldich continues, predictably gulping down a bottle of Asahi. "He seems to be settling in for the night."
Narrowing my eyes in irritation, I wonder to myself what in the world I had gotten myself into by talking to my roommates about my love life, or lack thereof in my case. Concluding that it may take too much out of me to even attempt to dissuade them from their stubborn curiosity, I slowly follow them towards the living area where the large windows conveniently provide us the perfect view of the perfect man. Or "perfect" until proven guilty.
"Why is he holding a baby in his arms," Nagi inquires, softly, but not soft enough for my ears to miss.
"So he's got a love child," I state triumphantly.
"Ken," Yoji retorts, and it looks like it's his turn to be irritated now. "Fujisaki's gay. There's no way that kid is his."
"Well how do we know he's gay? What if he's bisexual? Or maybe the baby was conceived before he came out of the closet and that woman he's with is the mother, and they're the reason he's desperately working to help support --"
"Or maybe," Schuldich cuts in, rolling his eyes at the other two. "The other man in the room holding the diapar bag is the real father and they're just paying Mr. Perfect a visit. See? They're leaving already."
I admit grudgingly, "Yeah, I guess it could be that too." I settle myself onto the expensive settee placed in front of the large windows beside Nagi who had resumed his eating of his salad there. Yoji, having momentarily disappeared before, returns with a pair of binoculars. He's already eagerly peering out of them to get a closer look at whatever Fujisaki is currently busying himself with now that the couple has left.
"I agree with you whole-heartedly that the man is hot, Ken," he speaks up after a moment of what I thought was deep analyzation. "But you gotta admit the guy's pretty boring too. He's been sitting in that position for the past ten minutes doing nothing."
Wrenching the binoculars from his hands without sparring him a glance and ignoring his indignant complaints, I lift it to my eyes to peer through it. "Yoji, he's not doing nothing. He's reading a goddamned book."
"I know," he retorts in annoyance. "That's boring."
"No, it means he's intelligent and cultured," I shoot back angrily, quick to defend. Returning my attentions to the redhead, I can't help but mumble, "Kase hated reading and look at the kind of idiot he ended up being."
"So in other words, Mr. Perfect is still Mr. Perfect," Schuldich drawls, completely satisfied with himself.
"No," I say. "It just means we haven't had enough time to fully analyze his character yet. He has flaws, you'll see."
Yoji sighs as if exasperated but the light in his eyes signal that he is actually enjoying this game a little. "I gather we're gonna be here for a while," he says, settling himself down onto the rug and preparing himself for what will probably be a long night.
"So the three of you are just gonna sit here all night, watching this Fujisaki," Schuldich asks, shaking his head incredulously. "Are any of you gonna offer to make my dinner?"
"Go make your own dinner," Yoji says, clearly frustrated with his roommate's inability to take care of himself. "Or order in a pizza."
"You know I don't eat pizza," the redhead retorts as if deeply offended. "But I think I will have some of that vegan stuff down the street."
Nagi snaps his head around in surprise. "I thought you didn't like vegan, Schuldich?"
"It's not as if I don't like it but I just can't make it my regular diet the way you and Omi do."
Nagi scoffs at him and turns back around. "I think we had a conversation like this before when Omi and I first settled on buying a pleather couch instead of the leather you initially wanted. Hasn't killed you yet, has it, Schu?"
Taking away my attention from Fujisaki for a mere moment -- who is still reading and, I admit, is already becoming a little boring to watch -- I share an incredulous look with Yoji who smirks at me and rolls his eyes at the other two.
"That was probably the longest sentence I've ever heard from Nagi," I whisper, leaning over the arm of the settee so the others can't hear. "He's normally so quiet."
Yoji shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly but there is a hint of pride in his green eyes. "Nagi and Omi are animal rights activists. For Nagi, though, it's the only thing he feels truly passionate about. He could probably go an entire night ranting about it if you only gave him the chance. Unfortunately, the fashion industry isn't always animal-friendly."
I immediately attempt to picture a furiously ranting Nagi and compare it to the quiet boy I'm already accustomed to seeing. The picture feels completely out of place in my head and I realize that Yoji must know Nagi quite a bit to be able to understand such a foreign part of the boy that people must rarely see. I realize belatedly that Nagi may not want that Moss Burger after all unless they just so happened to introduce a new vegan item to their menu that I haven't heard about yet.
I glance behind me at the couch and the pair of single-seater sofas on either side of it. "I suppose this entire flat is pretty animal-friendly then, right?"
"Or else he'll skin you alive," Yoji drawls, his eyes gleaming. "One time, Schuldich brought home this long, beautiful trench coat with a fur piece on the collar and Nagi nearly had a fit before we were able to calm him down and convince him it was made of synthetic furs."
"And was it really?"
"Of course," Yoji exclaims, as if scandalized. "You may not have seen that side of him yet, KenKen, but trust me when I say that an angry Nagi is not something you can deal with lightly. You don't wanna disregard an animal's well-being in front of him. And to an extent, I agree with him too."
I nod my head in understanding, thinking that this is also the first time I've heard Yoji talk about anything without including a quirky comment or two, but I wisely decide to keep that tidbit to myself. "Gotcha. No fur, no leather, and no animal abuse."
"A wise decision, KenKen," Yoji responds supportively, returning his attention to what is situated on the other side of the window. "Fujisaki seems to have gotten bored of reading too. He's just watching T.V. now."
"I bet he's watching porn," Schuldich says, sauntering back into the living area with a cordless phone in his hand, leaving a disappointed Nagi to his own thoughts. "Even perfect people watch porn every now and then."
"You mean people with a one-track mind," I retort in annoyance.
"Unless, of course, he's already getting some," he continues, completely ignoring my comment and presumably dialing the number of the vegan restaurant he mentioned earlier.
"I can't understand how the guy can still look like he just walked out of a photo shoot wearing those ugly sweatpants and a wife-beater," Yoji comments, looking through the binoculars with interest. "If the guy's got any sort of flaw, it must be in his personality. Ken, this may be harder than I thought. You're gonna have to meet him in person again to help solve this mystery."
"What's he doing now," I inquire, not bothering to respond to his unhelpful conclusion.
"Still watching T.V... oops, nevermind. He just got up again."
"And?"
"And he's... playing with a sword."
"Playing with a sword," I ask skeptically, squinting my eyes in an attempt to get a better view of our neighbour and cursing inwardly at my less than perfect vision.
Yoji waves a hand in my general direction, his eyes never leaving the binoculars. "Foolin' around with it like those samurai dudes. Whatever you call it."
Eyes widening in surprise, I eagerly grab the binoculars from Yoji's equally greedy hands. Fujisaki has apparently stripped off the wife-beater Yoji had previously mentioned and is now in the middle of his expansive living area, away from the couch and coffee table, forming a series of complicated and fluid movements with a long, single-edged sword in his tight grip.
"Oh... wow," I breath appreciatively, taking in his strong, lean arms and following the trail of sweat down his taut stomach almost hungrily.
"Let me see, let me see," Yoji exclaims, his eager hands forcefully trying to wrench the binoculars from my tight hold.
"No, I'm not done yet!"
"What are you two looking at," a lilted voice asks us and I realize, without tearing my eyes away, that Omi had just returned home.
"They're spying on Fujisaki Aya," Nagi speaks up helpfully. "Ken has a crush on him."
"Nagi," I cry in denial, my cheeks blushing furiously in embarassment. "I do not --"
Roughly, a pair of hands successfully wrench the binoculars away from me, promptly cutting me off mid-charade. I look up, glaring into a pair of clear, blue eyes framed by a mane of beautiful, flaming red hair. Schuldich snorts at me and peers through the binoculars to see what has gotten me and Yoji so worked up. When he fails to make a comment, presumably because he's found himself at a loss for words, I smirk at the others in satisfaction.
"Fujisaki?" Omi repeats, looking beyond the window curiously. "I didn't realize he's been our neighbour all this time. What a coincidence! I was just with him at the photoshoot for the Hakone-project. I guess he was able to return home faster than I did."
"You may not wanna mention to him that we live up here, lest he realizes that we can spy on him," Yoji advises wisely. "That would surely keep us from having this much fun in the future."
Omi shakes his head in exasperation and shares a long look with Nagi. The two of them are looking and acting very much like they're older than the rest of us.
"I've come to the conclusion," Schuldich announces loudly. "That this man has absolutely no flaws. That body is utter perfection. Ken, if you're not gonna make a move, can I have him?"
"No," I exclaim, scandalized, reaching for the binoculars once again but Omi gets to them first. "I mean, what the hell are you asking me for? I never wanted him in the first place!"
"Yeah, very convincing," Schuldich retorts, learing at me. "Try saying that when you haven't just spent the better part of your evening drooling over him."
Preparing myself for an indignant response, the doorbell rings just in time and Schuldich scurries away to answer it, ostensibly to get the food.
"Ken, I didn't know you had a crush on Fujisaki," Omi says to me excitedly.
"I do not have a crush on him. I just...," Omi drops the binoculars into my lap and I eagerly peer through it again, completely losing my train of thought. Fujisaki has sheethed the sword into its scabbard, placed it neatly back into its display case against the wall beside the bookshelf, and is now doing a series of stretches on the carpeted floor, his muscles rippling with the effort.
Licking my lips shakily, I admit grudgingly, "He is pretty flawless physically-speaking."
"Well, if you like him so much, Ken, why don't you just go for it," Omi pipes up, his big, blue eyes regarding me in confusion.
Beside him, Yoji snorts. "We've already had this conversation countless times over, Omi. He won't 'cause he's a coward."
"I am not," I exclaim in outrage, glaring at the brunette who simply smiles in response. "Besides, what sort of situation would I ever find myself in that would require me to spend time with him? I'm not a model like you guys and there's no way the guy would even spare me a second glance unless it was to save me from an attack by his friend's dog."
"Well," Omi begins tentatively. "He is hosting a party this Saturday night."
"Oh, I heard about that too," Schuldich exclaims eagerly, returning with a ceramic bowl of fried rice with tofu and cashews. "We should totally go crash it."
For a moment, I don't know what to say but I quickly gather myself together. "We can't just crash his party! It's not like any of us got an invitation."
"Ken," Yoji begins to explain slowly, as if speaking to an ill-educated child. "By party, Omi means a business opportunity disguised as a social gathering for those in the fashion industry, the majority of which will be Fujisaki's current or potential clients. It's an opportunity for him to appeal to members of the upper echelons of the business who will only further boost his career. If this guy is any fun at all, he will want models to be there, invited or not."
"That's great and all but in case the lot of you forgot already," and I pause for emphasis. "I'm not a model. Far from one actually."
The four models regard one another with mischievous looks and a shiver runs down my spine. I'm almost afraid to hear what they might say in response to that.
"He could probably fit into my clothes," Schuldich murmurs, stirring his chopsticks around his bowl contemplatively.
"We could say he got his tan from a salon," Yoji adds quietly, grinning from ear to ear. Already I can hear the gears turning in his head as a deceptive plan undoubtedly emerges.
"If you have time after your classes this week, Ken, we can even go out to do some shopping," Omi speaks up eagerly, nearly hopping up and down in his uncontainable excitement. "None of us have your particular dark skin tone but we can go to M.A.C. together to buy the proper foundation and --"
"What," I exclaim in disbelief, my brain short-circuiting in an attempt to comprehend the words coming out of Omi's mouth. "You want me to go shopping for makeup? Omi, I've never had to wear makeup in my life and I don't plan on starting."
"Ken, all models wear makeup," Schuldich jumps in, irate. "And this is the perfect opportunity for you to start."
"I don't need makeup," I say firmly. "I don't need any of this. In fact, I don't even need to go to this... this 'social gathering' because --"
"Because you 'don't have a crush on Fujisaki', right. We've heard that already," Yoji drawls, his lips spreading in a smirk that I desperately want to wipe off. "Ken, just go to the party and we promise you won't regret it."
"You're wrong about that, Yoji. I'm predicting that I will most definitely regret losing my sanity and whatever credibility I have left."
"That, you may regret but in exchange you'll have one beautiful redhead warming your bedsheets," Yoji responds without a beat, winking perversely.
"That would only be if he even buys the whole model getup. Trust me, I haven't been exactly impressing him with my grace and finesse," I mumble, a hint of disappointment in myself evident in my tone of voice. Automatically, my mind conveniently provides me a succession of images of the two times I encountered the fashion executive. Both times, I recall with an inward groan, he had witnessed me sprawled on my back with an overly eager doberman panting and drooling on top of me.
"Don't worry, Ken," Nagi finally speaks up, looking at me with an anticipatory gleam in his dark brown eyes. "We'll make sure you look the part. We're experts after all."
Omi enthousiastically bobs his head up and down in agreement, clearly showing his anticipation as well. Yoji and Schuldich watch silently with expectant looks on their faces.
Throwing my head into my hands in growing frustration and nervousness, a growl makes its way past my throat. After a moment, during which my four roommates are in no doubt regarding me with incredulous looks, I lift my head again to face them, my hair in slight disarray.
"All right," I give in, finally. "Once. I'll try it just once. But don't blame me if it doesn't work."
A collective cheer erupts from the confines of the single flat situated on the 18th floor of a fancy, high-class apartment complex. Fujisaki Aya pauses in mid-stretch but quickly disregards whatever he may have heard and quickly chalking it up to merely his imagination. Instead, he gingerly pushes himself off the cream carpet of his expensive living area and saunters into the kitchen several feet away for a much needed glass of water, completely oblivious to the plan forming in the minds of four, vexing super models.
...To Be Continued.
Author's Notes:
Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm surprised to hear that so many of you are the same ones who read the first version all those years ago... just so you know, I was in high school when I first started and now I'm nearing the end of my university career too. It's as if we're all growing up together, haha! I'll be slowly churning out the chapters when I have time. Chapter 5 is already in the works but I'm in the middle of exams (I'm sure many of you can relate) and work is slowly mounting up. Thanks for coming back to support me and, to all newcomers, thank you for taking the time to read this.