This one's a bit shorter than the others, because I REALLY didn't want to describe the entire dinner. It just wouldn't have been funny. So, instead, here are three short pieces. There might be more eventually, but who knows? I have a challenge that I want to do soon and more LinxEveryone fics to write...
This is dedicated to The Jenx again, because she was complaining about too much Naru and Mai in this fandom. ;b Is this a bit better? Barely any mention of either!
Dinner, Takigawa was forced to admit to himself, was exceptionally good.
Of course, the great food didn't quite make up for not having his tease-able friend's full attention, but, as long as it was only for one night, he figured that he could deal with it. Hey, was it his fault he was a bit over-protective of his young, female friend?
Glancing around the room--an old, Japanese style room with a large table and plenty of cushions--he noted that everyone seemed to have relaxed more than they had the entire day. Ayako was chattering away to Doumeki and Yasuhara, while Mai and John helped Watanuki clean up. Lin and Naru had escaped to the base as soon as they'd gotten their food, the latter barely taking the time to thank Watanuki for coming over and cooking for them.
Deciding that he could get the most information on Watanuki if he helped with the clean-up, Takigawa stood and began carrying used dishes to the kitchen. Once everything was inside, he shooed John and Mai out, pointing out that it was his turn on dishes-duty anyway.
Watanuki, for his part, seemed to realize just what was going to happen in the next few minutes. He sighed and rolled his eyes, but, when Mai looked questioningly at him before leaving, nodded. He could deal with an overprotective older brother figure. Probably. Come to think of it, he'd never dealt with anything like this before.
"So, kid, are you some kind of pervert or something?"
Maybe he couldn't deal with this after all.
Ayako smiled at the stoic boy in front of her. He was handsome, though a bit young, and quieter than anyone she knew. That meant, of course, that she could completely dominate the conversation. In fact, she was so busy telling Doumeki about her life that she didn't notice that Yasuhara was listening in.
"Wow, Matsuzaki-san, you've done a lot, haven't you?" As always, Yasuhara's voice was more cheerful than it should have been, considering the circumstances.
Ayako glared at the young man, wondering what he was getting at, as Doumeki shook himself out of his 'someone-is-ranting-at-me' mode. He'd originally developed it to contend with Watanuki's long-winded accusations and complaints but had, just this afternoon, in fact, found that there were more interesting ways to deal with a loud Watanuki.
Unfortunately, he did not want to use his newly discovered means of shutting Watanuki up on Matsuzaki. For one thing, she was old; for another, well, she just wasn't Watanuki. Still thinking of that, he absent-mindedly answered Yasuhara's question.
"Well, she's lived a lot longer than we have."
While Matsuzaki sputtered and turned red, Yasuhara blinked. How did the bored looking boy know what he was going to say? After a moment's consideration, though, Yasuhara decided that the joke actually worked better with a virtual stranger saying the final line. With Ayako still protesting and complaining in the background, the young man smiled at their guest, deciding that he liked Mai's friends.
John smiled gently at the boy in front of him. "So, you study archery? That must be very calming."
Nodding, Doumeki took a sip of his tea. The woman--Ayaka or something like that--had left in a bit of a huff after his comment on her age. He didn't understand why, since it was an obvious truth. The glasses-boy had followed shortly after, saying that he wanted to check on the clean-up crew. The archer had to admit that he was slightly worried about leaving Watanuki in the kitchen with glasses-boy and the monk. They were bound to interrogate him--just like Doumeki wanted to interrogate Mai--which would, in turn, make Watanuki even louder on the walk home.
"Yes, I've studied archery for years, and I've been meditating my entire life." This one didn't seem so bad, though, Doumeki thought. Maybe it was because he was a priest, or maybe it was just his personality, but he seemed a lot less…aggravating than the others.
The Australian sighed almost wistfully as he watched Ayako and the recently returned Takigawa arguing on the other side of the room. Mai was trying to mediate, and Naru and Lin hadn't returned from the base, even to order the others' return. He knew that Yasuhara was still interrogating the other boy in the kitchen, probably doing his best to scare the pants off of him. Yasuhara was a bit sadistic like that.
"Maybe I should take up meditation or something." Doumeki watched the priest curiously, noting the resigned exasperation in his eyes. Following his gaze, the young--well, younger--ghost buster let his eyes drift over the three women.
Suddenly, shouts were heard from behind them. Both John and Doumeki rolled their eyes as Watanuki's argument with Yasuhara--who was probably smiling calmly--escalated. Doumeki took another sip of his tea before answering John's previous comment.
"Trust me; there are some things all the meditation in the world can't prepare you for."
"FOR THE LAST TIME, I AM NOT STALKING MAI! I'M NOT EVEN INTERESTED IN GIRLS, DARNIT! DID YOU NOT NOTICE THE BIG LUG FOLLOWING ME AROUND?!"
