Pianissimo: 06 (La Corda d'Oro, Ryoutarou/Len)
Like this. This…miracle that was occurring before their very eyes.
Ducking down in their booth at the fast food restaurant, the three girls watched with rapidly growing surprise and interest as they watched two men-who they’d only seen bickering or glaring or completely ignoring the other’s existence-treat each other as if they were, well, best friends.
“I’m not drinking that,” Ryoutarou laughed, laughing, the sound somewhere between incredulity and disgust.
“I’m not asking you to drink the whole thing,” Len said; he was sporting the closest thing to a smile the girls had ever seen on his face. “Just try it.”
“I don’t know.” Ryoutarou eyed the beverage Len was practically pushing into his face. He laughed again and swatted at the cup. “Stop it.”
“Try it.”
“It’s just-a green-tea milkshake? That just sounds like something that seemed like a good idea in theory, but came out tasting like sh-”
“Shut up and try it.”
The girls choked back gasps as they watched Ryoutarou take a hold of the cup, his hand covering-touching-Len’s, as he dipped his head down slightly and took a small, tentative sip from the straw.
“Oh my god,” Nami Amou breathed in fangirlish awe, “that’s a total indirect kiss.”
Kahoko found herself inexplicably blushing and Fuyuumi covered her mouth with her hands.
“Yes,” Nami continued in an excited whisper. “It makes so much sense. Ryoutarou was brokenhearted over you, so he went for the only other violinist he knew!”
“W-What?” Kahoko almost forgot herself and had to be shushed. “Sorry. But-brokenhearted over who?”
“Hush,” Nami scolded. “I have no time for your obliviousness; I’m trying to watch.”
Len was gently easing the cup away from Ryoutarou, smirking smugly. “I knew you would like it. Now give it back.”
Ryoutarou shook his head, somehow managing to keep the straw in his mouth even as they started to leave the restaurant, his voice slightly muffled as he protested, “Nuh-uh. S’good.”
Len rolled his eyes with what the girls could only describe as fondness and they left the restaurant, their shoulders bumping as they barely made it out of the door together.
[~]
It’d seemed like a good idea at the time.
Ryoutarou was having a long, hard day of practice, and it was hot outside, and he was going to be tired and hungry when he got home, and it wasn’t like Len was doing anything, so it just made sense for him to have dinner cooked when the other man arrived.
Somehow, while those thoughts were swirling around his mind, Len seemed to forget that he couldn’t cook.
“Don’t laugh at me.”
“I’m not,” Ryoutarou said as he valiantly tried not to. “I’m not, I-I’ve just never seen pasta this color.”
Len sighed a frustrated huff and stood up from the table, starting to reach for Ryoutarou’s plate.
“No, no,” Ryoutarou protested, holding onto his plate. “This is-well, I’ve always liked my pasta al dente.”
Len arched an eyebrow.
“And this is just very al dente,” the pianist continued. “Leave it, I’ll eat it.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah. Seriously, man, I appreciate this.”
Ryoutarou smiled at him, and Len just barely managed to catch himself before he smiled back. All right, so it wasn’t such a bad idea, then.
“Just-maybe-order something in next time.”
“Got it.”
Ducking down in their booth at the fast food restaurant, the three girls watched with rapidly growing surprise and interest as they watched two men-who they’d only seen bickering or glaring or completely ignoring the other’s existence-treat each other as if they were, well, best friends.
“I’m not drinking that,” Ryoutarou laughed, laughing, the sound somewhere between incredulity and disgust.
“I’m not asking you to drink the whole thing,” Len said; he was sporting the closest thing to a smile the girls had ever seen on his face. “Just try it.”
“I don’t know.” Ryoutarou eyed the beverage Len was practically pushing into his face. He laughed again and swatted at the cup. “Stop it.”
“Try it.”
“It’s just-a green-tea milkshake? That just sounds like something that seemed like a good idea in theory, but came out tasting like sh-”
“Shut up and try it.”
The girls choked back gasps as they watched Ryoutarou take a hold of the cup, his hand covering-touching-Len’s, as he dipped his head down slightly and took a small, tentative sip from the straw.
“Oh my god,” Nami Amou breathed in fangirlish awe, “that’s a total indirect kiss.”
Kahoko found herself inexplicably blushing and Fuyuumi covered her mouth with her hands.
“Yes,” Nami continued in an excited whisper. “It makes so much sense. Ryoutarou was brokenhearted over you, so he went for the only other violinist he knew!”
“W-What?” Kahoko almost forgot herself and had to be shushed. “Sorry. But-brokenhearted over who?”
“Hush,” Nami scolded. “I have no time for your obliviousness; I’m trying to watch.”
Len was gently easing the cup away from Ryoutarou, smirking smugly. “I knew you would like it. Now give it back.”
Ryoutarou shook his head, somehow managing to keep the straw in his mouth even as they started to leave the restaurant, his voice slightly muffled as he protested, “Nuh-uh. S’good.”
Len rolled his eyes with what the girls could only describe as fondness and they left the restaurant, their shoulders bumping as they barely made it out of the door together.
[~]
It’d seemed like a good idea at the time.
Ryoutarou was having a long, hard day of practice, and it was hot outside, and he was going to be tired and hungry when he got home, and it wasn’t like Len was doing anything, so it just made sense for him to have dinner cooked when the other man arrived.
Somehow, while those thoughts were swirling around his mind, Len seemed to forget that he couldn’t cook.
“Don’t laugh at me.”
“I’m not,” Ryoutarou said as he valiantly tried not to. “I’m not, I-I’ve just never seen pasta this color.”
Len sighed a frustrated huff and stood up from the table, starting to reach for Ryoutarou’s plate.
“No, no,” Ryoutarou protested, holding onto his plate. “This is-well, I’ve always liked my pasta al dente.”
Len arched an eyebrow.
“And this is just very al dente,” the pianist continued. “Leave it, I’ll eat it.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah. Seriously, man, I appreciate this.”
Ryoutarou smiled at him, and Len just barely managed to catch himself before he smiled back. All right, so it wasn’t such a bad idea, then.
“Just-maybe-order something in next time.”
“Got it.”