Mirror, mirror on the wall… What the heck happened?

Title: Conversation

Pairing(s): Shin/Rei-friendship! Luca/Rei

Warnings: plot-less stuff ahead, dialogue-style, crack (?), more mentions of chicken!

A/N: So sorry if you guys were expecting the continuation of 'Earth Story' or something else more epic (not!). I promise that I am indeed working on other projects this very moment with a lot more … plot? Fan-service? *flails*

I imagine this taking place a short while after Rei and Luca meets. Shin plays the role of the best friend who's investigating and teasing. Joy?

"I heard you and Luca went to the musical theatre last night. Tired of simple harp-play now, are you?"

"I-, Oh, b-but, no! W-we-"

"Rei, relax," a soft chuckle. "I was teasing you."

"Shin, d-don't ever say things like that! You know how I get; I nearly had a heart-attack!"

"Sorry," a soft smile. "So? How was it?"

"Uhm, well, the choir was singing in a ancient angelic language I didn't understand, but the music was quite spectacu-"

"Not the music," a gentle nudge in the other's arm. "How was it?"

"O-oh!" a fierce blush. "…."

"… Well? Relax, you know you can tell me."

"… It was very nice, actually," a timid smile, voice lowering to a confiding murmur. "We held hands through the whole thing."

"I see…" a gentle snicker. "I'm relieved to see you this happy. You've dreamt of meeting him for decades, and it seems that he lives up to your expectations."

"He goes beyond my expectations, Shin. He's noble, gentle, caring…"

"Sounds like a keeper, then?"

"Shin!"

"I'm sorry," a barely suppressed giggle. "Gai said that once; I just wanted to try and say it."

"S-sure you did," a huff. "Anyway, he said that he… Shin, he wants to take me seeing fireworks the day after tomorrow! From a cliff-top; we'll fly there together and watch it, just the two of us."

"That's sounds very romantic."

"I-I know…"

"You're so sweet when you flush like that."

"… So you keep saying."

"Hmm, I mean it, too, Rei. Luca definitely brings the best up in you."

"My best assets are to be easily flustered and to stammer?"

"That's not what I meant."

"I know, sorry…"

"Rei, what's wrong? You were so happy a moment ago…"

"It just seems… I fear that I wake up in the morning and find that everything was just a dream. I keep saying to myself: Rei, this can't be true! How could he possibly be interested? He'll never show up for your second date."

"… Rei-"

"But, you know? I-I just know deep inside that he might be genuine in his intention to invite me out again. During the concert he didn't even let go of my hand when it got suspiciously c-clammy."

"Oh, Rei…"

"No, r-really! I was so nervous I actually burned the cookies I tried to cook before meeting with him!"

"… Wow."

"I know…" a depressed moan. "I don't understand how he cannot be tired of my company!"

"Now, listen here, Rei. Give yourself a chance. The fact that you were able to approach him in the first place and speak his name without stuttering proves to me that you'll always overcome your nerves with a lot of patience."

"… I know. I'll never forget that 'Moment of Courage and/or Insanity'."

"Good." Yet another snicker. "And how does it feel to know that your 'Moment of Courage and/or Insanity' had you going out on a date with Luca?"

"…" a dreamy, faraway look. "Oh, it was worth it."

"Hehe. There you go…"

"Yeah…" a moment of silence. "How did you get this smart and perceptive?"

"Well," a sigh. "I suppose it has something to do my inborn interest for books, psychology and the likes of that."

"A gift from God, in other words?"

"…" A startled, loud snicker.

"… Hah! I made you blush!"

"I have simply been spending too much time with you, lately. Your habits are rubbing off on me."

"That's was so mean!" a hearty laugh. "Besides, we hardly get to spend any time alone together these days!"

"That's because you're always off flirting with-"

"Shin!"

"…" A subtle smug expression. "You know it's true…"

"W-whatever!" another huff. "What I meant was that we're always with your new friends, Goh and Gai, as of lately. D-don't get me wrong, I like them, I do! But sometimes it's a bit… overwhelming."

"Overwhelming?"

"Well, a little… Goh is very nice to me."

"Just nice?"

"… No, he's being really sweet, but… Uhm… Shin?"

"Yes?"

"Would you be angry and tell him if I told you that I think he's a bit… Overprotective?"

"… No."

"You think so, too?"

"… 'Overprotective' is perhaps not the word that… puts him in the greatest of lights. Think of him as an older brother, instead. An older brother who looks after us."

"Hehe, if he's my older brother, then Gai…" a shudder.

"What, you don't like Gai?"

"No, it's not… It's not that I don't like him. I'm just thinking…"

"…"

"…"

"…?"

"He's… Well, he's…"

"…" a sigh. "You want me to say it for you?"

"I swear, he's such a child! He's teases me non-stop, lying in ambush behind me, seizing his army of cats on me-"

"Usually those kinds of plans backfires on him, remember?"

"- His appetite is never sated, and I've caught him stealing food from my kitchen more than once-"

"He does say that your food is the greatest he's ever tasted."

"- Once I returned to the kitchen window, the chocolate-pie was gone! And he had, surprisingly, no hunger when I served lunch..! Ugh!"

"… He really likes you, Rei."

"… Yeah. I like him, too." Another moment of silence. "But, still! What's with his sick obsession with eating chicken?"

"Uhm… Most angels in Heaven have chicken on a daily basis. He's not… Abnormal when it comes to tha-"

"- And isn't he supposed to be some kind of cat? Shouldn't he be all crazy about fish?"

"… I don't know-"

"I mean, seriously, how could anybody enjoy eating chicken?"

"…"

"… Oh, no. You too, Shin?"

~ ~ ~ FIN ~ ~ ~

Et tu, Shin?

Crack-endings tend to get me all excited for reasons I do not comprehend. I find myself working hard to figure out how to write stories that contains'em… Chickeeeeeen :D

I truly believe that Rei has some minor self-confidence issues… I love him xD But I also love to tease him about it, so I doubt he'll ever love me! *hmph*

Review!