Author: lorien
Title: If You Were Mine (3/?)
Rating: PG-13
Category: Humour/Romance
Pairings: this part contains Ran+Ken, Yohji+Omi, Yohji and Ken+Ewan McGregor (*snicker*), and mentions of Aya-chan+Yohji and Omi+Nagi.
Warnings: yaoi, fluff, humour, Ran in overprotective-big-brother mode, clueless Ken & Omi, and much UST. ^___^
by lorien
Over the next few days, Omi and Nagi settled into the comfortable routine of talking to each other online for about an hour after school each night. Ran had initially protested, saying that Omi shouldn't be "consorting with the enemy"...but after Ken had intervened, saying that Nagi was, after all, just a kid, Ran had conceded. Well, actually, the redhead had only given in because he'd been too busy staring at Ken to fully register what he'd just agreed to, but one way or another, that just worked to Omi's advantage.
Yohji, on the other hand, wasn't as pleased with the arrangement as the younger blonde was.
"Whyyyy?" he wailed to Ken one evening, while they were both sprawled out on the couch, lazing and channel surfing in the hopes of finding something good to watch.
"Why what?"
"What does that kid have that I don't?" Yohji sniffled dramatically. "Omi goes to talk to him every night!"
"Who, Nagi?" Ken raised an eyebrow. "You shouldn't be complaining...you live with Omi."
"Yeah, and so do you and Ran and Aya-chan," Yohji pointed out.
"But we're not in love with him."
"Good point."
"Damn those teenage hormones," grumbled Yohji. "Nevermind, I'll just wait patiently...he'll realise that he's madly in love with me eventually."
Ken chuckled.
"Whaaattt..." Yohji stuck his tongue out at the younger boy.
The brunette laughed. "Nothing, nothing at all."
"Why do I get the feeling that I'm being mocked?"
"I wonder." Ken grinned. "Anyway, you're a fine one to be talking about hormones. I've lost count of the number of times I've walked in on you and some girl...this is why I never go to wake you up in the mornings anymore."
The blonde grinned. "See, that was all part of my cunning plan to stop you guys from making me get up early!" he cackled triumphantly. "Now I get to wake up really late, and nobody comes to drag me out of bed!"
"Oookayyyy..."
"But anyway," continued Yohji, "I've changed my ways...because..." - he clapped a hand to his heart dramatically - "I'm in luuurve!"
"Lucky Omi." Ken grinned. "But Aya-chan'll be heartbroken...I think she has a crush on you."
"No shit, Sherlock," the blonde grumbled.
"What?" Ken raised an eyebrow. "She's really pretty, and sweet," he pointed out.
"I know! But - "
"But what?"
"...she's also related to Ran."
"Touché."
"......"
Ken laughed suddenly. "But it's really funny when she's all over you and then Ran comes running after you with his katana..."
"Fun for you, perhaps," grumbled Yohji. "One of these days, that katana might actually cause some damage. And if it messes with this gorgeous face..." He struck a pose.
"Geez...you sound like that Schrient girl...what's her name? Tot? Oh no, that's the one with that stupid bunny. Aaahhh...Schoen, I think. The one who wants to rip me into tiny little shreds and scatter the pieces across the seven seas 'coz I scratched her face."
"Ouch. You wound me deeply."
"I'm sure," Ken scoffed with a laugh.
"By the wayyyyy..."
"Yeah?"
"...what do you think of Ran?"
"...eh?" The brunette blinked, thrown by the unexpected question.
"What do you think of our mighty leader?"
"Dunno." Ken shrugged. "He's...quiet. Smart. Pretty nice. Responsible. Neat. Hot. Uh...why do you ask?"
Yohji immediately zoomed in on the last description Ken'd mentioned. "Hot?" the blonde grinned evilly. "Did you say that you think he's hot?"
Ken blushed. "Uh...I think you imagined that one."
"That's not what your face tells me." Yohji pointed at Ken's pink cheeks, and winked mischievously at him.
"Aawww, c'monnnn...the guy is hot. The hair, the bod, that whole 'silent-and-mysterious' thing..." Ken grinned. "I mean, tell me you don't think he's hot."
"I guess..." The blonde shrugged, chuckling. "But I tend to go for the cute li'l ones myself."
The brunette burst out laughing. "I know." Then something on the television caught his attention, and he leaned forward eagerly. "Hey, Yotan, check this show out...I heard it's good..."
Conversation ceased for the moment as the pair watched the show.
Meanwhile, Ran was in the kitchen, sipping a cup of hot tea and reading the day's newspapers. He knew that Ken and Yohji were outside watching TV, in fact, he was planning to go outside and join them in a while; he just wanted to finish reading the papers first. Ken and Yohji's conversation was audible from the kitchen, but he paid it no mind, just treating it as background noise, until he heard his name mentioned... ----(from outside the kitchen)----
"...what do you think of Ran?"
"...eh?"
"What do you think of our mighty leader?"
"Dunno...he's...quiet. Smart. Pretty nice. Responsible. Neat. Hot. Uh...why do you ask?"
"Hot? Did you say that you think he's *hot*?"
"Uh...I think you imagined that one."
"That's not what your face tells me."
"Aawww, c'monnnn...the guy *is* hot. The hair, the bod, that whole 'silent-and-mysterious' thing...I mean, *tell* me you don't think he's hot."
----*----
Ran blinked. Ken thought that he was hot?!
He couldn't help the huge, silly grin that spread across his face at that thought. //*Ken* thinks I'm hot!!!//
Unfortunately for Ran, Aya-chan chose that moment to pop her head into the kitchen. She blinked.
"Ran 'nii-chan...why are you grinning like that?"
"......" The redhead bit his lip, trying not to keep grinning like a complete idiot.
"'nii-chan, you're strange..." She laughed. "Anyways...can I stay over at Sakura-chan's place tonight?" The slender girl skipped over to her brother, flinging her arms affectionately about his neck. "Ne? Ne? Please, 'nii-chan?"
"...alright. Just don't come back too late tomorrow, ne?"
"Yatta!" Aya-chan cheered, giving her brother a peck on the cheek. "Arigatou, 'niichan!" She bounced over to the door and turned around to wave at her brother, only to find that Ran was back in La-La Land, staring off into space, the silly grin back in full force.
Shaking her head, the braided girl laughed and, slinging her overnight bag over her shoulder, stepped out the door. //He must be thinking about Ken-kun again.//
A short while later, Ran had recovered enough to step outside into the living room, where Ken and Yohji were. He found them thoroughly absorbed in some television show...they were practically drooling.
"Damn, Ewan McGregor is really hot..." Ken beamed happily at the TV. [1]
"You're telling me," agreed Yohji, also staring avidly at the screen.
Ran pouted. //What, this Ewan guy's "*really* hot", and all *I* get is just "hot"??//
Seeing Ran out of the corner of his eye, Yohji looked up, and saw the redhead pouting. He shot Ran a strange look.
Ken looked up at that moment too. "Ran!" he greeted cheerfully. "Wanna watch the movie with us?"
"What movie is it?" asked Ran.
"Velvet Goldmine," the brunette told him. "I heard it's pretty good. C'mon, join us..." he shifted over a little on the couch and patted the seat beside him invitingly.
Of course, given the offer to sit next to Ken for a couple of hours and stare at him while pretending to watch a movie, how could Ran refuse? Plopping down on the couch beside Ken, he proceeded to sink into a blissed-out state of Ken-watching for the next hour and a half.
TBC...?
[1] *grins sheepishly* Yes, I'm an Ewan McGregor fan. How did you guess? ^_^;;;;
A/N: Yup, I know, not much of Aya-chan and Omi in this chaper. Gomen, gomen! There'll probably be a bit more of them in the next chapter. ^^ Will probably bring in more people later on too...like the rest of Schwarz...*grin*...and look out for cameos by charas from other anime too. Somehow, I can't get the idea of Kenshin being Ran's cousin outta my head. *laughs*