Sweet Nothing
[Chapter 1]
The alarm blared loudly throughout the still house. A pale hand reached out from under the blankets and began fumbling around the desk. When it reaches what it wanted, delicate fingers punched the Stop button.
All was silent again.
Soon, the figure rose from the bed, fingers combing through the mop of red hair. A pair of amethyst eyes blinked twice before it finally focused clearly on his surroundings.
Fujimiya Ran stood and headed inside the bathroom, yawning the entire time. He washed himself thoroughly before returning to his bedroom, where he proceeded to pull on a pair of track pants. He then began making his way downstairs.
Stopping by the kitchen, he snatched the note from the refrigerator.
Ran-nii,
I'll be home late tonight. I have a study session with my friends so I won't be back for dinner. Don't wait up! ^_^
Aya
Placing the note onto the kitchen counter, Ran rummaged through the refrigerator for a drink. As he was in the process of popping the can open, the doorbell chimed sweetly.
The redhead quickly placed the can down and went over to the door, as the doorbell rang a second time.
"I'm coming!" Ran opened the door to find a brown-haired boy standing there, with a soccer ball trapped in one arm. Beside him, a little boy looked up at Ran shyly.
"Good morning," Hidaka Ken grinned before stepping inside the house, his little brother in tow.[1]
"Remind me again why I'm doing this?" Ran inquired, as he headed back inside the kitchen for his drink.
"'Cause you're such a great friend?"
"I think not."
Ken grinned sheepishly. "I owe you one, okay? Had breakfast yet?"
"I just woke up," Ran grabbed the can from the kitchen counter before making his way into the living room.
"I'll treat you breakfast then."
"Suit yourself."
~+~+~
"I don't see why you can't take him with you," Ran asked, popping a piece of the pancake into his mouth. Ken shrugged lightly.
"He doesn't like soccer."
"Oh?" Ran rose an eyebrow at that. "With YOU as a brother, he does NOT like soccer? I find that quite hard to believe."
"Ah, well…" Ken scratched his head then shrugged again. He glanced at his watch before letting out a low yelp. "I'm gonna be late!"
The brunette stood up and grabbed his bag hastily, before ruffling his brother's head affectionately. "Be good, Keisuke. Got it?"
The little boy nodded back in response.
"Thanks. I really owe you one," Ken grinned at Ran before taking off. The remaining 2 sat in a comfortable silence.
"So, you don't like soccer, do you?" Ran asked, breaking the silence.
"Nope," Keisuke played with his food quietly.
"Well, what would you like to do today?" Ran signaled for the waiter.
"Can we go to the park?" Keisuke looked up at the redhead with a pair of big, hopeful eyes.
"Sure," Ran smiled. Keisuke beamed.
~+~+~
"Can I go on the swings?" Keisuke looked up at the tall man beside him.
"Go ahead," Ran gave the kid a gentle push towards the swing, before he himself plopped down on the nearby benches. He watched as the young boy seated himself comfortably on the swing, before slowly rocking back and forth.
He averted his gaze upwards, towards the cloudless sky above. He sat there, completely still, for a while and nearly fell asleep before he felt a tug at his hand.
"Hmm?" Ran looked down at Keisuke sitting next to him. "Yeah?"
"I'm done playing with the swings," Keisuke replied.
"Why don't you go play something else then?"
"I don't wanna."
"Well, we still have ti--" Ran looked at his watch, paused in his act of talking then jumped up quickly. "We have to go or I'll be late for work!"
"Okay," Keisuke jumped down from the bench with a soft thud. He laced his fingers through Ran's, as the older boy began guiding them both towards the restaurant where he waited.
~+~+~
"You're late," his boy frowned.
"I'm sorry," Ran grinned, apologetically, as he pulled on his work clothes.
"What's with the kid?"
"I'm babysitting for a friend."
"Oh? What are we supposed to do with him then?"
"He can sit by the counter," Ran patted the little boy on the head. "He's a good boy, quiet, too.
"How come you're babysitting? Don't your friend have another friend who's not busy and does not have to work?"
"Yes. But, unfortunately, they all declined."
"Well, as long as he's not troublesome…" the man trailed off.
"He'll be good, I promise."
"Alright, good. Get back to work. I'll get him settled down by the counter."
"Thanks," Ran ruffled Keisuke's hair and disappeared over to the arriving customers.
"So, what's your name, kid?" The man took Keisuke's hand and guided him towards the stools by the counter.
"Hidaka Keisuke," the boy replied.
"Hidaka? Then your brother is Hidaka Ken?" The man picked him up and placed him onto one of the stools.
"Yup."
"I see. Here," the man took out a pen and gave it to Keisuke. "Draw on the napkins or something. Can I trust you to be a good little boy?"
"Yup."
"Good."
Keisuke watched the man walked away then turned. He held the pen in his hand for a second, before reaching out to pull a napkin from its holder. He spent the rest of the day scribbling on the napkins.
~+~+~
"Welcome!" Ran smiled at the pair that had just arrived inside the restaurant. "There are two of you or are there more?"
"Just two," the woman smiled back at him. "And we would like a quieter table."
"Please come this way, then," Ran guided them towards a table for two, located in a corner of the room.
"Thank you," the woman nodded as they sat down.
"Here are the menus," Ran pulled out two thin booklets and placed them onto the table. "When you are ready to order, please call me."
"Just give us the day's Special," the woman said. "Two of it. Can we also get some water? Just plain water, please."
"Okay," Ran jotted it down on the pad. He took the menus back and trotted over to the kitchen, where he then ripped off the paper from the pad and handed it to the man nearest him.
He exited and made a grab for two glasses. He poured water into both glasses and made his way towards the table again.
"Here are your drinks," Ran smiled lightly as he placed the glasses onto the table.
"Thank you," the woman smiled back. The man she was with looked at Ran with a unreadable look.
"You're welcome," Ran smiled again and then headed towards the counter. "Hey."
Keisuke looked up from his drawings. "Ran-niichan."
"You want something to drink? Soda, maybe?"
"Can I get a Coke?"
"Sure thing, kiddo." As Ran left to get the wanted drink, Keisuke returned to drawing. Moments later, the redhead reappeared.
"Thank you," Keisuke accepted the glass with both hands.
"No problem. I'll be back here to see how you're doing later, okay?"
"Okay," Keisuke sipped his drink slowly, as he watched Ran walked away.
~+~+~
"Why do you ask for me then, if it was that simple?" the man asked.
"Because it isn't that simple," the woman said, before the red-haired waiter reappeared again with the food. "Oh, thank you."
Ran smiled again, as he placed the plates down slowly and carefully. He then walked away with the black tray tucked under one hand.
"You want me to go in and kill him, is that all?"
"Yes..."
"Then it's simple."
"Let a woman finish her sentence, why don't you?" the woman picked at her food. "I also need you to find a disk. It's inside his study."
"Simple."
"Overconfident, are we?" the man smirked at the words. "The thing is, the disk is inside the safe. And only he knows the combination."
"What's so important about the disk that it needs to be stored in the safe?"
"Illegal stuff, of course," the woman grinned slightly. "Something that would make me VERY rich, if I can just get my hands on it."
"I see," the man took a sip of his water. "And you want this done by tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Very well."
"Oh, there IS one more thing…" the woman trailed off as she noticed a girl passing by their table. As soon as she was gone, the woman continued. "There are some…traps, in his study. You'll need him to close them first, if you want to go in the study and come back out alive."
"He's rather overcautious, isn't he?"
"Yes, he is."
"But it's nothing I can't handle."
"Good. I've heard of your reputation, which is why I want you for this job. The others that I've seen…they're not really my type."
"Hn."
A phone suddenly rang. The woman reached into her purse and pulled out the black cell phone. "Hello? Yes, sweetheart? Uh huh…tonight? Well…" A long pause as the woman's face turned thoughtful. "Oh, alright. Until 9 only. I'll see you later then."
The man calmly took another sip of his drink as he watched the woman placed the phone back into the purse.
"Seems like there's a delay," the woman shrugged. "My son is bringing home a couple of his friends for a little study group. They'll be gone by 9 PM, though. Understand this…I don't want my son hurt."
"He is not my target. I won't hurt him."
Pushing the plate away, the woman stood. "My treat."
"Thank you, then," the man also stood.
"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Crawford," the woman extended a hand forward.
"Likewise, Ms. Shinohara," Crawford took her hand and gave a firm handshake.
~~ To Be Continued
[1] I don't know if Ken really has a younger brother but hey, this is AU! While I made Ran back to when he was 18, Ken's age is still 19. ^^