(8:23 PM, 15 August 2005) Ohemeffgee the sap I die! Please, someone put me out of my misery. Was trying to work on "other in-progress fanfic" when I accidently spawned enough sap to syrupify a small village.
Walking the Block
by Seph Lorraine
Ran was sure he had heard a great deal of ridiculous schemes in his life, but he had obviously not heard them all. And despite the fact that amidst the ambiguous, liberal atmosphere of Tokyo youth this scheme didn't appear to be anything of great consequence, the redhead was quite seriously having a mental hissy fit. Ken certainly deserved some credit for being so alarming, surely; how had he overlooked the other man's so obvious streak of crazy?
"No."
"Ran."
"No!"
"Ran!"
"No."
They had been at this for nearly five minutes now, standing right in the midst of the immense foot-traffic of nightlife in downtown Tokyo. Two men arguing childishly on the crowded side-walk.
"You're afraid to hold my freaking hand, aren't you?"
"No. I just don't..."
"Pussy."
"What?"
"Weakling."
"Ken!"
"Coward."
"Damnit!" Ran reached forward, grasping the brunett's hand tightly and jerking him forward to mutter lowly at him, "Just because I have no will to carry along with any of your ridiculous ideas does not shed doubt on my dignity--"
"Namby-pamby." Ken smirked.
The redhead gave him a shove, but it was rather ineffective with the other man's hand still clasped tightly in his own. "Where do you get this nonsense?" He muttered quietly.
Ken ignored him and continued walking, "Just remember, dearest, thou art the wanter of the way out."
No response was made.
"Thou art the pleader for excuse."
Violet eyes narrowed, glaring at the brunett that walked briskly beside him. Ken simply walked, face forward, shoulders back, right hand clasped firmly in his, and not the smallest air of unease in his countenance.
"If it's really such an issue with you, I would recommend two things. First, just deal with her. When she comes over to say hello tell her to get lost, she's too young, too much like your sister..."
Ran was about to cut the other man off at this remark but the other man continued.
"...and you're just not interested."
"What the hell would you know about..."
"Second, go home and reconsider your sexuality." The brunett smirked, throwing a devious side glance at the other man.
The redhead honestly felt that had their pace not been so brisk and his left hand entangled already in the other man's he would have reached up and smacked the man.
Ken, of course, knew this, and was infernally amused.
"Reconsider my sexuality, because I don't want to hold your hand?"
"Reconsider because you seem to have some very blatant insecurities about it."
"You think I'm homosexual?" Ran's voice was deadpan, but a not of surprise could definately be detected. He had honestly never thought himself even possibly conveying of such an image.
"No, I think you're nonsexual. You may not want to hold my hand, Ran, but you surely don't want to hold hers."
The impulse to smack the other man into the nearby wall drastically intensified.
"You are impetuously rude, Hidaka."
"Not rude, just concerned."
"My affairs are of no concern to you--"
"Nonexistant things have never been of concern to me, Ran."
"Hidaka!"
"Seriously, now. Listen to Youji. He's got book of numbers, tons of girls, surely one of them with a spec of intellect, who would probably adore a chance to go out with you."
Ran was becoming distinctly aware of an ache and reached up to apply a small pressure at his temple. He was surprised when their pace slowed and a gloved hand reached over to knock the comforting hand away from his face. He threw a questioning glare over at the brunett.
Ken regarded him for only a second with slightly softer eyes before speaking firmly, "Stop being so uptight and it won't hurt so much." And he was walking again with one tug on the attached hand.
Rolling his eyes slightly, but wincing when it only stung him worse, the redhead sped up, "I still don't understand how this is your idea of a resolution to the problem."
Sighing lightly the younger man explained, "You said Sakura was working at the Yamada Sushi Bar and that you didn't want to pass it or she'd see you, right?"
The redhead gave a minute nod.
"Gods, I know you don't get out much, Ran, but seriously. Can you even comprehend how long the only alternative path is? And with all the foot-traffic around here at nine in the evening, it only gets longer."
"We'd have to go around the square?"
"And the roads are closed by the park, so..."
"-All- the way around the fucking tower?" Ran groaned.
"I personally enjoy a nice walk, but a journey seems a bit less appealing at the moment."
"That's absolutely ridiculous."
"I didn't build it. Don't tell me."
The headache was getting worse.
"So, therefore, you are my lover until the end of the block, at which time you may graciously extricate yourself from my fantastical being and reside to your gloomy, lonesome, sexually petrified self." Ken gave a biting expression of his most charming smile and carried on, "If the girl has an ounce of propriety she'll give up her illusions and abandon her idea of chat."
Ran was silent for a moment. Sure, it was probably a bit drastic, and Ken probably did deserve to be hit for even suggesting it, but it would surely work. It had to work. And then he'd be in the clearing until he actually found himself attracted to some random woman and she overheard he was gay. And then he would hit Ken.
That thought somewhat lightened his mood, though he was beginning to feel that this was the result of letting Ken work morning-shift with Youji every day the past week.
"We don't have to do anything do we?" He glared skeptically at his temporary lover.
"I told you earlier. You just have to hold my hand." Ken winked, and surely enough they were passing the Yamada Sushi Bar sooner than he had expected.
Ran felt his bare hand instinctively tighten on the black gloved fingers it entwined with.
He continued in silence before noticing that the other man was grinning amusedly at him, "What now?"
"Ready to be gay?"
"Ken." A warning tone.
"Because I think she's spotted you." Ken continued to smirk as he gave the other man's shoulder a soft shove as they approached.
Sakura Tomoe had, indeed, spotted Ran already. She straightened herself behind the small podium at her door post, peering over the heads a few milling customers to see him fully. She was dressed in her typical uniform for hostess duty, hair nicely pinned, and a sweet smile on her face. She really was a nice girl.
For someone Omi's age.
She gave a wave and tried to be as undisturbing to the customers as possible as she called out to the approaching redhead, "Aya-kun!"
Ken couldn't contain the sniggering that overcame him as he heard that instantly recognisable voice called out to the dreading redhead he was currently attached to and turned to bury his face in the sleeve of Ran's coat to muffle the sound.
The redhead had gone absolutely rigid, violet eyes wide. Something was clearly telling him to run, but he thought that might be a bit difficult to run with the giggling mass of Ken currently stuck to his arm. At least it was keeping his arm warm, since he'd forgotten his gloves.
Then again, perhaps he could simply continue on as if he hadn't heard her.
He nodded thoughtfully. That sounded like a good idea.
He was interrupted from his reverie, however, when a kind old woman from amoung the waiting customers in front of the passing sushi bar reached out and tapped at him.
He looked over impulsively as she smiled at him and his "friend" and pointed very obviously over to where Sakura was now waving frantically from behind the podium, "I think that maiden over there is trying to speak to you." She smiled in a sweet old-lady way and ambled her way back over to the crowd.
Damn, foiled before he even began.
Ran took a deep breath and prepared himself before looking over to see the younger girl and give a small wave with his free arm. Ken still seemed to be having difficulties with spastic laughter into his coat.
Sakura smiled broadly and made a waving motion, beckoning him over.
Ran's civility felt somewhat strained and he froze, unable to move.
Sensing the further tensing of his partner's muscles Ken pulled himself together and leaned forward over his friend shoulder to whisper dangerously close to Ran's ear, "Well? What are you waiting for?"
The redhead felt a shudder run down his spine as the otherman's whispering lips brushed his skin, and he felt his grip on the other man's hand tighten, "I'm not going over there by myself."
Though he couldn't see Ken's face with the man's position at the crook of his shoulder, he could both hear and feel the other man's laughter against his skin, "I'm still here, aren't I?"
Ran nodded, brushing away the unnerving feeling caused by the other man's lips against the skin of his neck. He pulled on their connected hands, heading for the waving Sakura.
Ken followed close beside him, hand firm in his grip.
"Aya-kun!" The girl smiled excitedly, bowing, "It' so good to see you again! I think I forgot to mention that I work here now to earn a bit of money for university. I guess I would have seen a bit more of you if I had, though..." She cut herself off as she noticed the figure attached to the redhead's arm with a look of alarm. "Ken-kun!"
The brunett, previously making himself oblivious by staring around in a dazed, bored manner, immediately met her gaze at her acknowledgement and smiled his business-friendly smile, "Sakura-san. What a surprise to see you here! I had no idea!"
She smiled and gave a small giggle; most girls did around the brunett, "And you! You're here with..." She paused, her eyes drifting quickly from him to Ran and back to him, then slowly to the entwined fingers at their sides. Tiny math molecules seemed to analyse the "couples" proximity to each other, "...Aya-kun?"
Ken simply smiled, refusing to say anything. Let her think what she wanted, he wasn't about to lie to her.
She was quiet for a moment.
Ran moved his gaze to a spot on the ground by his boot.
Ken continued to smile blankly.
Sakura's face faded from confusion, to concern, then to mild comprehension, and then, "Oh my Buddha!"
Many people turned to stare.
"Finally! You two have -finally- gotten together!" She clapped and smiled broadly.
Confused, but still a rather amiable crowd, the restaurant patrons awaiting their seating began to clap and applaud loudly as if they too had been in constant anticipation of the pairing.
The redhead's eyebrows collided with his hairline as beside him his "boyfriend"s smile melted into a baffled frown.
Sakura's eyes were gleaming happily as she leaned over her podium, "You two would not believe how long I've been waiting for you two to fess up and get it together. All that sexual tension between you two was ridiculous! I thought it was going to drive me mad!"
Ran knew his grip was unusually tight when he saw Ken's face flench a bit in pain, and he realised his own knuckles were actually feeling tired from the pressure.
"Aa." He couldn't really find anything else to add to that.
The brunett simply stared at the girl before them, who was now raving wildly about various different instances during her visits to the flower shop when she had noticed the unusally sense of understanding they shared and the hidden glances they allegedly threw each other when the the other wasn't looking, stopping only once to call the Fujimoto's back to a table of two. Yet Ken had quickly decided that he, himself, was beginning to feel somewhat uncomfortable with the situation. He could handle the occasional outburst at his occasional antics, but Sakura was pulling that chord awfully thin. The girl was supplying evidence like gunfire as if it was her duty to prove a point.
To prove that he and Ran should be together.
His stoic companion gave another small jerk on his already aching hand, quieting the rambunctious girl when he calmly spoke, "It was a pleasure to run into you, Tomoe-san, but I'm afraid Ken and I must leave. We have some matters to attend to."
Ken felt himself nod vaguely and then quickly snapped back at what the other man was saying, "We have matters?"
Ran glared minutely and jerked on his hand again, "Yes, Ken. Many matters."
Panic. A suspicious stare, "What matters?"
"Us." Ran surveyed him sourly and began to pull him along.
Oh, yes. Those matters.
"Oh, right! Goodbye, Ran-kun! Bye Ken-kun! Stay out of trouble, you two!" Sakura called after them, cheerfully oblivious as they stumbled away from her, Ran in his hurry, Ken in a mild state of confused-panic.
They continued down the sidewalk, neither speaking. Ran seemed angry. Mysteriously, a dark mood seemed to descend upon him leaving him incomprehensibly bitter and completely unaware of the man he dragged along behind him. Finally, the hand that he had been gripping began to pull away, his companion hardly trying to keep up.
Before he recognised it, the hand had slipped from his grasp, leaving only a crushed glove in his palm.
He stopped, gripping the glove still and turned back to where the other man stood, a few short feet behind him.
Ken had removed his other glove and was messaging his abused fingers, brows knitted in a jumble of thoughts.
Before he knew what he was doing Ran had approached the man again, stopping less than a foot before him, "What was that about!" The anger was think in his voice.
"I have no idea! Why are you asking me!" The brunett countered defensively.
"It was your idea!"
"You didn't have to go through with it!"
"You called me a coward!"
"You could have been dignified about it and just ignored me." Ken rolled his eyes, "Not my fault you decided to go along with that idea. It was a stupid idea anyway."
"You practically forced me to do it!" Ran was clenching his fists angrily. This was bad. Really bad. This would get out and then there would be questions. Then it would be even worse.
"Well, you sounded convinced that she liked you! It's not my fault you're bad at reading people!" That sounded like a last resort topic even as he said it.
"I am not bad at reading people; I happen to see a lot of things you have no idea of!"
Ken was still. For a few moments this arguement had almost been like banter, like the majority of their arguments ever really were anymore, but there was a note of seriousness in that accusation, and he had no intention of letting the other man fly on in deeply-mistake self-glory. For a moment he said nothing, brown eyes narrowed dangerously at the redhead, "You're fucking delusional if you think that's true." He spoke lowly, "You can't see less than a foot in front of you."
Feinting to the side a bit as he saw his companions hand rise, Ran was surprised that he did not receive the angry blow that Ken's hardened gaze seemed to promise. The other man merely raised a hand to brush icy fingers softly against his cheek. The touch, however, was merely a second before it was gone, and Ken was walking again, passing him and disappearing amidst the crowd.
Ran stood motionless, hardly able to breathe, barely able to blink despite the cold, dry air that stung at his eyes. He was cold all over, the wind beginning to pick up through the busy streets. People passed him without a glance; no one wondered why he stood there. No one asked him what was wrong.
He wasn't sure he could have answered that question anyway.
He began walking slowly again after a minute, knowing it would be too late to catch Ken amidst the crowd. Even if he had caught up, there was nothing he could say at the moment. There was no response he could make that did not make him seem ignorant or betray a strong will not to push the other man away. He didn't want to push the other man away; Ken might have been weird, moody, ocassionally absentminded, and - as of late - a lunatic, but he had long ago decided that he really didn't mind that much.
His legs moved monotonously beneath him, no longer attentive to his path, his mind growing dense with thought until giving way to vacancy and he became, once more, just a man on the street. His fingers flexed idly at his sides, and for a moment he absently fingered the soft, black material of an empty glove beneath between his frozen fingers. He had forgotten he was still holding it.
He lifted the glove up slowly. It was Ken's. The other man had left it when he had slipped his hand out and walked away. The thought hit him suddenly, he had been holding hands with the other man for almost an entire block - granted it wasn't particularly hand in hand, more hand in glove, but the details were unimportant.
The crowd had stopped to await the traffic light for crossing the intersection, and he stopped mindlessly with them, violet eyes unmoving from the black material in his hand.
Not quite noticing what he was doing, he softly slipped his own pale, fozen fingers into the small sheath, pulling it up around his wrist. It was still warm, like the other man's fingers on his cheek and like his breath on his neck. Like his lips against his skin.
The crowd around him was moving again, but he hadn't yet noticed. He was blind, and it would appear he had been for quite sometime. A recollection of intense moments dismissed in the past as nonsense pulled at his thoughts. The brunett brushing against him as he slipped through a door-frame, leaning in close to whisper some humourous remark behind Youji's preoccupied back, a mug of tea brought to him one evening just because the younger man had "already heated the water - why let it go to waste?" Even those words that had practically petrified him earlier.
"Well, if you're really sure you want her gone for good..." There had been a pause there for a mischevious smirk, "All you have to do is hold my hand."
Looking up to see the pedestrian light flickering, seconds before switching back to yield, Ran moved, picking up his pace and crossing the intersection at a slow run despite the honks of the waiting cars and angry shouts from their impatient drivers. He hit the other side of the of the street with a bound and continued at that pace for the many blocks he knew he had yet to go, but anxious to get back at any rate. The trek was a lengthy one, brushing through crowds of inattentive people, dodging traffic to get to a less populated side of the street, and eventually giving up both his patience and an extensive amount of yen for cab-fair back to the Koneko. Despite the length of that hour he spent in transit from somewhere near the Shibuya area all the way back to the slightly less urbanised, less populated district of the Koneko, his mind felt so rushed that the ride hadn't seemed much more than ten minutes.
He paid the driver quickly, practically throwing the money at the sour-looking man's face, and paced quickly in through the shop entrance back into the living area of the koneko.
The lights were off in the den and the hallway, and only the small sink-light was on in the kitchen; a pretty sure sign that no one was in, unless it was the youngest of the four (and he would have been down in the basement on his computer anyway). He continued up the stairs past Youji and Omi's shared floor and up to the third floor that he shared with Ken. The lights were off throughout the halls, and he felt himself tire instantly.
Ken couldn't have been home yet. The brunett had left on foot, and probably was still walking somewhere out in the city, whereas he had given in and wasted a bazillion year's salary on cab-fair just to catch up to the other man before he walked into his room and shut him out. Yes, he now felt like a fool.
He stilled in his thoughts as the faint sound of footsteps reached his ears, slowly climbing the stairs up from the landing beneath.
Ken emerged from the top of the stairs quietly but stopped when he noticed the pale redhead standing before him.
Violet eyes looked almost expectant before they cleared and the older man spoke quietly, "How did you get here so fast?"
The brunett shrugged his shoulders softly, not fully meeting his companion's eyes, instead turning his gaze to a small half-imbedded nail on the opposite wall, "I was just walking and I suddenly thought, 'What would a lazy arse like Youji do in this situation?' So, I took a cab."
Ran mentally kicked himself. Great. Now, they were all turning into Youji.
"I assume you did the same." He was walking now, small lingering steps past Ran and towards his door.
"Why is that?" Violet eyes vaguely followed the other man's path, his voice, for some reason, so much quieter now.
Ken paused to shoot him a small smile, "You made a face."
The redhead stared at him, eyes locked on a pair of tilted lips, and stepped forward. He raised a hand at the suddenly panicked-looking brunett and brushing his own, still slightly chilled, fingers against the soft skin of Ken's cheek, "I did."
Ken wasted no time on hesitation and leaned forward, capturing his companion's lips in an urgent kiss, hands reaching up to wrap around the other man's neck of their own volition when met with an eager response. Hands placed on his own waist pulled their bodies closer.
He slowly ran his fingers down the other man's arms searching for the redhead's own pale hands but stopped as hands brushed against one slightly cool and smooth and the other covered in a soft, black glove.
Pulling away slightly, brown eyes glanced down at the hand questioningly, "You're wearing my glove."
The redhead made no response except to lean in and kiss him again.
"No, I'm not. I'm holding your hand."