Title: Best Intentions
Author:Genuinelie(s)
Rating:PG? PG-13?
Disclaimer: Not mine characters.
Featuring MentallyUnstable!Omi. I have no idea where this came from, but it's hella darker than I expected.
Ran/Omi.
xxxxxxVxxxxxxAya was talking to Sakura outside.
Nothing important was happening. Sakura was smiling, Aya was trying to.
For him, that was a lot.
In the months since Aya-chan returned to the world of the animated, Omi had watched as Aya - Ran - struggled slowly to remember how to live. How to curve his lips upward devoid of a smirk. How to let the expression shine through his eyes, so his sister wouldn't cry.
He swore sometimes the man had to think about it.
Aya-chan went to a special facility in the north. She'd be tutored, and undergo her physical therapy among others her age. Other people who had been in comas and woken up.
Omi watched as Ran slowly sank back into being Aya.
"Why'd you suggest it, if it makes you miserable?"
Omi fell back from the window with a gasp. Yohji was leaning against the counter in the Koneko, watching him watch Ran through a thin haze of smoke. His expression was hooded.
"Why do you say that, Yohji?" He kept his tone light, playing dumb. "Sakura has been very kind to us, Ran especially."
"He didn't want to talk to her," Yohji replied, a slight frown to his lips. "You pushed him to. All morning. I watched you."
"Somebody needed to." Omi tried to keep the stress off his face, his hands from shaking. Outside Ran and Sakura were walking off down the sidewalk. Close enough together for their shoulders to brush.
"For the smartest one of us, kid, you can really be dumb." Yohji pushed off the counter and went into the supply room. Always with the carefully planned exit, always with the last word.
Omi remained by the door, unconsciously tearing the leaves off the flowers in his hands.
xxxxxxVxxxxxxRan came back late. Omi heard the door open and shut from his spot in the mission room. Heard the pad of feet as Aya went upstairs.
Good he cheered himself. It had worked. He had gotten Ran to go out, and stay out, and for once Omi was certain he wasn't by himself. Sakura would watch out for him, Omi was confident.
"Still up?" Ken came down stairs and plopped down on the sofa with a sigh.
"Hai, Ken-kun. Is there a good game on?"
"Nah." The former soccer player glanced back with a grin. "Just highlights." He flicked on the tv, and the room was filled with light and noise. "Aya came back," he said, turning back to the screen.
"That's good," Omi said neutrally. "Did he look like he had fun?"
"Yeah!" Ken said enthusiastically. "He had a big grin on his face, and there was ice cream -"
Omi must have made some sort of noise, because Ken turned around, immediately looking contrite. "Omi, I was just kidding. He looked like usual. Mildly pissed."
Omi glared at him. "That's not good! Why would you kid about Aya being happy? Shouldn't he be? He just came back from a date!"
Why did he feel like his answers weren't quite matching up today? It was like his teammates were talking, and he was talking, but they weren't doing it together.
Ken looked sympathetic. Omi had the urge to smack him. "Omi," he sighed, then apparently gave up.
"I'm so sick of this!" Omi yelled, making the soccer player jump and fall halfway off the sofa. "Yohji was bothering me about Aya earlier too. Don't the two of you like Sakura? What's wrong with her? She knows about Aya-chan and she knows about us already, so what's the problem?"
"That's not it, Ommitchi!" Ken said, wide-eyed. He looked like he was in shock over Omi raising his voice. He opened his mouth a couple times, the shut it and settled back into the couch, his arms crossed. "Oh hell."
Omi stared at him, a little bewildered, then turned back to his computer. "Sorry for yelling, Ken-kun."
"'sok."
They didn't say anything else until they went to bed.
xxxxxxVxxxxxxSakura stopped by the Koneko the next day. She actually bought flowers, but she left them at the shop when she and Ran left, brushing it off with a simple, "I thought you should have some that were your own."
It was incredibly thoughtful. A bouquet filled with flowers of appreciation and friendship.
Omi supposed she knew that someone had to be pushing Ran to go out with her.
She was a smart girl.
"So," he said, turning to find Yohji and Ken observing him with similar expressions. He ignored them both with a smile. "Want to see a movie tonight?"
"Sure, Omittchi." Yohji answered for them both.
They had gone to the same movie.
Sakura and Ran, sitting in the middle of the theatre. Omi sat between Ken and Yohji and stared at their heads, Sakura bending sideways to whisper, lips almost against Ran's ear. Her soft giggle could be heard below the noise of the people munching popcorn and the drone of the poorly-written comedic dialogue.
"Look, guys," he said, pointing out the obvious. "She actually got him to go out to do something normal. I told you she'd be good for him."
The girl's hand snaked back behind Aya's head, lithe fingers brushing through the strands gently. Aya didn't react, but he didn't pull away, either.
Omi suddenly noticed something wet on his bare knee. His soda had fallen sideways, the sides slightly indented.
"I'll be back," he said. He made his voice sound like the guy from that awful American movie. His friends grinned at him, acknowledging they'd heard, and went back to ragging on the film.
Omi was against the bathroom wall, hands pressing into the wood of the stall. The room was empty, his gasps echoing painfully against his ears.
i Goddammit. /i
Still a child. Despite everything.
i Grow up, Omi... /i
He wiped his face. It didn't help, didn't make it any dryer. Salty water dampened his lips, dripped down his chin.
The door opened and closed. Omi drew in a necessary, shuddering breath to get himself under control. The presence of someone else in the bathroom was sobering.
Bombay forced himself to stop crying.
He opened the door and nearly screamed.
Someone was standing there, waiting for him.
He had a dart out, uncapped, before he realized it was i him /i .
"Omi," Ran said, voice deep and inflectionless.
Omi tried to shut the door on him. He knew his face was red, his eyes were bloodshot. He didn't look normal. He didn't look okay.
Ran managed to wedge the heel of his black designer boot between the frame just in time. He pushed himself into the stall.
"W-what?" Omi's voice squeaked. This wasn't normal. He was cornered.
"Omi." Ran actually looked worried.
Omi realized he was hyperventillating. At a loss, he replied, "How's your date with Sakura going?"
Ran actually laughed at him. It could have been pretty, except for the dark edge.
"Yohji and Ken are walking her home."
Omi pressed himself into the wall. Those bastards "You were having fun. I saw you." Omi wanted to throw up. Good thing the toilet was right there. "Ran-kun, please let me out?" His voice took on a plaintive edge. He could get out if he wanted, but not with any methods he'd ever use on a friend.
"Why are you in here, Omi?" Ran's eyes were dark. His breath washed hot on his face.
"Why do you think?" Omi finally snapped. He tried to step to the side but Ran pushed him back against the wall.
"Stop setting me up with Sakura. It isn't fair to her."
Omi was shaking. Fine. Fine. Anything to get him out. Situation was too abnormal, abort. "Y-yes. Okay. But she's really -"
Aya's face darkened. Omi shut up.
Suddenly, something akin to sympathy washed over his features. Oh lord. No.
Little kid, Omittchi, pity the boy, be kind, he's young...
Omi gasped. Ran stepped back, out of the stall, his features again blank. Watching him.
Omi fled.
xxxxxxVxxxxxx"-white, he threw up -"
"Locked himself in -"
"Such an asshole -"
Feet up the stairs, past his room. Door shutting. Yohji and Ken still talking irately between themselves downstairs.
Omi cracked the door and slipped downstairs to the mission room.
It would be fine. They had a mission tonight, but it was simple. This wouldn't affect anything.
Omi began his research, his face awash with light in the empty room.
xxxxxxVxxxxxxMission over, no complications. The others went inside to clean up. Omi stayed out.
His leg was shaking. Being nicked with a bullet tended to do that to nerves. Omi bounced it up and down, trying to shake it off. It wasn't deep enough for stitches.
This mission had almost been too easy, like Kritiker had done them some sort of favor. Busy work for idle hands.
Like the parent of a spoiled child, giving toys to other kids as bribery so that someone would suck it up enough to play with their obnoxious spawn.
Play with Omi a little more, we'll give you money, we'll give you a purpose...
They'd probably disband Weiss soon. Omi wondered how long before Kritiker was able to cut the umbilical cord.
Not for him, of course. For him it was a noose, thoroughly lasooed and drawn tight.
Omi frowned up at the moon, then went inside to go to bed.
xxxxxxVxxxxxxAya was waiting for him, at the base of the stairs. Omi managed to keep his face pleasant, but his fingers clutched automatically at the wound on his leg.
Aya saw, and assessed, and stayed silent.
His breath caught in his throat. "You should get some sleep, Ay-ay, Ran, I'm sure you're tired..."
Ran was observing him openly. His eyes weren't hooded, only questioning. "Why did you push Sakura on me, Omi?"
"Because she would take care of you," he answered honestly.
Ran smiled, almost imperceptably, but Omi had trained himself to see it. "I'm glad you didn't say she would make me happy."
Suddenly Omi felt old, and tired, and everything hurt. Inside and out. Outside and in. Up and down -
He was more tired than he thought, his mind spinning in strange directions. He kept the pleasant, neutral look on his face. "Only Aya-chan can really do that though, right, Ran-kun? At least right now. But she'll come back. And then Sakura will make you happy."
Ran's face looked pained, then was replaced with a film of anger, lips thinning. "Stop."
Omi's face crumpled. That easy. Still a child. "Stop what?" Through the water.
Ran crossed the room, three long strides and another because Omi had stepped back and tried to run. Ran grabbed his arms, fingers digging into his muscles painfully. Omi writhed. "Lying," Ran hissed.
Omi was crying openly now. Ran suddenly looked shaken. "Omi, I'm sorry." He let go of his arm.
Responses weren't normal. They laughed at sadness lately, cried when they were happy. Grinned like maniacs when Fate screwed them all over, again. Ran was confused. He wanted to help him, it frustrated him, he expressed it in violence then backed off, scared of himself.
Omi saw, but didn't understand.
Ran, suddenly looking terrified, reached forward and grabbed Omi by his hair, cupping his head so as not to hurt him. Pulled him forward. Pressed their lips together even as Omi cried and struggled and ultimately realized what was happening.
Ran thrust his tongue in, and Omi quieted.
Ran drew them closer. Omi breathed in his breath, letting Ran draw his tongue over his own, stroking him, comforting him by caressing his mouth.
Omi was still crying, but it was gentle. Ran backed off, looking like he was scared shitless.
Omi stood shaking, at a loss for what to do.
Suddenly Ran softened. Understanding flickered in his eyes. Omi looked in wonder as they softened with his smile.
He hadn't had to think about it.
Ran stepped forward again, and drew Omi in close. His arms wrapped around Omi's shoulders, hands flat against his back. Their hearts beat together. Omi felt them. Still alive, not alone. What a weird feeling. Not alone. "Okay, Omi." Ran said, throat strumming against the side of his cheek. An answer to a question Omi hadn't asked.
Omi gripped the back of Ran's shirt, bunching fabric and feeling the warm heat of skin and muscle underneath. "I love you?" He asked, bewildered.
Ran pressed Omi's hair back from his forehead, out of his wide, staring eyes. He grazed his lips along the hairline.
"And it's okay," Ran agreed.
xxxxxxVxxxxxx