You're Pretty [La Corda d'Oro, sort of Ryoutarou/Len]
Title: You’re Pretty
Fandom: La Corda d’Oro
Pairing: Sort of Ryoutarou x Len
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: La Corda d’Oro and its characters do not belong to me.
Summary: Len has a parrot. And possibly low self-esteem.
Ryoutarou wasn’t sure what he expected going into Len’s room.
Ryoutarou wasn’t sure why he was going into Len’s room.
Something about being a good person and a friend and helping Kahoko and Hihara deliver school assignments to poor, sick, little Len. Whatever. He deserved a fever. He deserved pneumonia. He deserved…something else really, really bad, but not as bad as cancer or anything else fatal. He didn’t like the guy, but he didn’t want him to die. Not every day, anyway.
In any case, he didn’t see why it took three people to deliver homework, but he’d never been able to refuse a request from Kahoko, not even if it involved Len.
So, while he wasn’t sure what he expected going into Len’s room, he was definitely sure it wasn’t this.
“You have a parrot?”
“No.” Len, King of Denial, scowled resolutely at the ceiling from his spot on the bed and sniffled, his nose a faint red.
“Then what is that?” Hihara asked, pointing to the big, colorful bird that sat in a cage in a corner and smiled that weird beak-smile all birds seem to have.
“…A parrot,” Len muttered, and Ryoutarou gave him a look. “Well, it isn’t mine.”
They all looked at the parrot as it squawked, ruffled its feathers, and whistled, “You’re pretty!”
“Aww,” giggled Kahoko. “That’s so sweet!” She bent over slightly-all the guys turned their heads on instinct-to be eye level with the bird, smiling. “Who taught you to say that, huh?”
“No idea,” Len muttered, and Ryoutarou gave him a look. “I told you it’s not mine!” He coughed rather violently, palm over his mouth, and then grumbled, “Now give me the schoolwork and get out.”
As they left, they passed a maid coming up the staircase that led to Len’s room. The maid-a buxom raven-haired beauty-would make anyone want to be sick, to stay home and have her take care of them, feed them soup, take their temperature… Ryoutarou nodded to her, blushing faintly when she smiled, and Hihara offered to carry the large bag she held in her arms.
“Oh, no, thank you,” she said, laughing lightly. “It isn’t heavy. It’s just bird seed-time to feed Master Len’s parrot, you know?”
The three froze, almost stumbling and falling down the stairs, and looked at the maid with wide eyes, gaping.
“Wait,” Ryoutarou said. “So that is Len’s parrot?”
“Oh, yes,” laughed the maid. She was very cheerful. “He loves that thing. He’s had it for years! Taught it everything it knows.”
Ryoutarou had an extremely wicked grin on his face when they left the house. Hihara was chuckling and trying to pretend he wasn’t by whistling, which made for an odd sound.
“Well, I think it’s sweet,” Kahoko said.
“And sad,” Ryoutarou said, gleefully.
“No, it’s-well, maybe it’s a little sad.” She stopped and turned to look at him, reaching out to stab her finger in his chest as sternly as possible. “Now, look. I don’t want to hear that you’ve been teasing him about this, all right?”
“All right.”
“I mean it.”
“Sure.”
“Promise?”
“Of course.”
So as long as she didn’t hear about it, it was fine, then.
When Len came back to school, they all acted as they normally did. Kahoko was nice, Hihara was nice, Ryoutarou was not. But he didn’t once mention the parrot or the maid or Len’s red nose. All he did, when he passed him in the hallway, was regard him with the straightest face he could make and say, “You’re pretty.”
“SHUT UP.”
Fandom: La Corda d’Oro
Pairing: Sort of Ryoutarou x Len
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: La Corda d’Oro and its characters do not belong to me.
Summary: Len has a parrot. And possibly low self-esteem.
Ryoutarou wasn’t sure what he expected going into Len’s room.
Ryoutarou wasn’t sure why he was going into Len’s room.
Something about being a good person and a friend and helping Kahoko and Hihara deliver school assignments to poor, sick, little Len. Whatever. He deserved a fever. He deserved pneumonia. He deserved…something else really, really bad, but not as bad as cancer or anything else fatal. He didn’t like the guy, but he didn’t want him to die. Not every day, anyway.
In any case, he didn’t see why it took three people to deliver homework, but he’d never been able to refuse a request from Kahoko, not even if it involved Len.
So, while he wasn’t sure what he expected going into Len’s room, he was definitely sure it wasn’t this.
“You have a parrot?”
“No.” Len, King of Denial, scowled resolutely at the ceiling from his spot on the bed and sniffled, his nose a faint red.
“Then what is that?” Hihara asked, pointing to the big, colorful bird that sat in a cage in a corner and smiled that weird beak-smile all birds seem to have.
“…A parrot,” Len muttered, and Ryoutarou gave him a look. “Well, it isn’t mine.”
They all looked at the parrot as it squawked, ruffled its feathers, and whistled, “You’re pretty!”
“Aww,” giggled Kahoko. “That’s so sweet!” She bent over slightly-all the guys turned their heads on instinct-to be eye level with the bird, smiling. “Who taught you to say that, huh?”
“No idea,” Len muttered, and Ryoutarou gave him a look. “I told you it’s not mine!” He coughed rather violently, palm over his mouth, and then grumbled, “Now give me the schoolwork and get out.”
As they left, they passed a maid coming up the staircase that led to Len’s room. The maid-a buxom raven-haired beauty-would make anyone want to be sick, to stay home and have her take care of them, feed them soup, take their temperature… Ryoutarou nodded to her, blushing faintly when she smiled, and Hihara offered to carry the large bag she held in her arms.
“Oh, no, thank you,” she said, laughing lightly. “It isn’t heavy. It’s just bird seed-time to feed Master Len’s parrot, you know?”
The three froze, almost stumbling and falling down the stairs, and looked at the maid with wide eyes, gaping.
“Wait,” Ryoutarou said. “So that is Len’s parrot?”
“Oh, yes,” laughed the maid. She was very cheerful. “He loves that thing. He’s had it for years! Taught it everything it knows.”
Ryoutarou had an extremely wicked grin on his face when they left the house. Hihara was chuckling and trying to pretend he wasn’t by whistling, which made for an odd sound.
“Well, I think it’s sweet,” Kahoko said.
“And sad,” Ryoutarou said, gleefully.
“No, it’s-well, maybe it’s a little sad.” She stopped and turned to look at him, reaching out to stab her finger in his chest as sternly as possible. “Now, look. I don’t want to hear that you’ve been teasing him about this, all right?”
“All right.”
“I mean it.”
“Sure.”
“Promise?”
“Of course.”
So as long as she didn’t hear about it, it was fine, then.
When Len came back to school, they all acted as they normally did. Kahoko was nice, Hihara was nice, Ryoutarou was not. But he didn’t once mention the parrot or the maid or Len’s red nose. All he did, when he passed him in the hallway, was regard him with the straightest face he could make and say, “You’re pretty.”
“SHUT UP.”