Kansaki Sou - Saturday Afternoon [KenEd]

[scriveyner]

Title: Saturday Afternoon
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist, Rurouni Kenshin
AU: Musebox
Characters/Pairing: Kenshin/Ed, Kennichi
Rating: T
Length: 844
Summary:

"Oh, this is gonna be good," Kennichi said. Kenshin looked up from the puzzle he was doing on the dining room table to see what Kennichi was talking about. The puppies - some of which had doubled in size in the last few weeks - had been running loose in the house and generally being a destructive puppy force today. Edward had been herding them up one by one and snapping leashes to the plain colored collars the still-nameless mutts had. Three were sitting in the hallway, leashes looped on the hanging coat-rack on the wall.

"What is he DOING?" Kenshin asked as Edward walked the fourth puppy into the foyer.

"I think he's going to take them for a walk," Kennichi said. He was no longer in wolf - form, having shifted back to his human form and found some jeans so he wasn't walking around naked.

"Why?"

"I don't know; he's your boyfriend."

"Yeah, and I don't know why he does half the things he does," Kenshin said, laying another puzzle piece instead of snapping at Kennichi. "Being in love with someone doesn't make you an instant mind-reader, 'Nichi."

Edward had the fifth puppy on a leash now and collected all the dogs, who stood up tails wagging and tugging at the now-restrictive pieces of colored nylon that Edward had put them all on. Leashes gathered in his automail hand, Edward struggled them out the door.

Kennichi went to stand at the window, and Kenshin sighed, and then stood up as well. He wouldn't admit that he wanted to see what was going to happen as much as Kennichi did.

Edward got the dogs out to the gravel driveway, and then made the mistake of splitting the leashes between both hands. Immediately, the five puppies decided to go in five different directions. Kenshin and Kennichi laughed as Edward struggled to rein in the inquisitive puppies without losing a single leash. One of the larger ones ran around behind Edward, chasing its sibling and wrapping his leash around Edward and another puppy. Abruptly Edward lost his balance and puppies got free, barking excitedly.

Kennichi laughed, and then started to take off his jeans. He left the denim folded over the dining room chair as he shifted into wolf form. "I'll go get the puppies," he said. "Can you go fetch your lover and make sure he doesn't cause any more problems?"

"Yeah," Kenshin said with a smile.

Edward was laying on the ground, two puppies on leashes still with him. One had laid down next to him, the other was sitting on his chest and giving his face a bath while Edward was torn somewhere between laughing because he was damnably ticklish, or cursing because the other three puppies were running along the house and he still had to get up and catch them.

When a shadow fell across him, Edward looked up. The attentive puppy looked up as well, saw Kenshin and bounded happily to him, planting both front paws on Kenshin's leg and tail helicoptering with its excitement.

Kenshin crouched to pet the puppy's head. "What, exactly did you hope to accomplish with that little stunt, Ed?"

"I was just trying to take them for a walk," Edward said, sitting up and untangling the last leash from his legs. The puppy that was lying beside him lazily rolled onto its back, begging a belly rub.

"Yeah, all five? At the same time?"

"I've seen people walk more."

"Professional dog-walkers," Kenshin said. "Let's try to stick to two at a time, okay?"

Edward blew out his breath in annoyance as Kennichi trotted up, three leashes in his mouth and puppies trailing guiltily behind him. "Got 'em," Kennichi said around his mouthful of nylon.

"Are we ever going to name these dogs?" Kenshin asked, having accepted the fact that Kennichi was as stubborn as Edward ever was and he wasn't going to win this argument at all, ever.

"Sure," Edward said. He pointed at one. "One. Two. Three. Fou-"

"Hahahaha, no," Kennichi said.

Unruffled, Edward started over, pointing at the same one. "Monday. Tuesday. Wedn-"

"Let's not include Edward in the naming process," Kennichi said.

"Sounds good to me," Kenshin murmured.

"Hey!"

"What else should we call them?"

"Well, some of them respond pretty well to "Dammit," "Stop that", "Bad dog?" Kenshin began helpfully and Kennichi gave HIM a look this time. "What?" Kenshin asked mock-innocently.

"I don't know what's worse, that it was you who said that, or the fact that you're right and they DO respond to it," Kennichi said sourly.

"Don't worry about naming them," Kenshin said soothingly, patting his descendant's furry head. "Names will come, in time." They watched as the puppy on the yellow leash trotted over to where Edward was sitting, circled around behind him so he couldn't see the puppy right off, and lifted his leg. "Along with obedience."

"One can only hope," Kennichi said as Edward realized he was being peed on and shrieked in rage. "One can only hope."