27A/N: Yay! A Holiday series… Oh, how I've wanted to do one, and since I hate this holiday and have nothing to do but wallow in pity and emoness I figure I'll write. So, enjoy my little KuroFai on-going Holiday fic.
(Other relationships may pop up from time to time, as I see fit)
Over A Year
Kurogane leaned against the doorframe and stared moodily out at the frozen woodland. The trees were bare of all foliage and a thin layer of snow rested on everything as more floated down from the sky, which was a dull, smoky gray. A soft wind blew every now and again, adding to the chill in the air.
Crimson eyes scanned the dirt road, waiting for the return of his blonde companion who had chosen this morning to pull a disappearing act without warning. Because of such circumstances he'd been unable to leave the house's property to train like he'd been planning to. Today was fair weather compared to what they'd seen the past few days they'd been in this world.
As the minutes ticked by his patience grew thinner and thinner. That damn mage was taking his good old time getting back, probably just to piss the ninja off. All stinking day he'd been gone! What the hell was he doing anyway?
Just as he was about to tell the kid to keep an eye on things so he could go and skin himself a skinny magician said blonde came strolling up the road, three fairly large bags in hand and a wide grin plastered on his face. He spotted Kurogane and waved wildly with the arm holding the smallest bag.
"Kuro-rin! Over here! Call the kids down, I've got a surprise!"
He felt his eye twitch as his last bit of resolve crumbled. "Screw you! Where the hell have you been all day? I had plans, that you totally ruined, by the way!"
Hearing the all too familiar shouts the princess and kid appeared at the foot of the stairs along with a giggling manjuu bun. Fai entered the house and kicked the snow and dirt off his shoes before walking all the way in. He set the bags down on the table they used for eating among other things and grinned at the lot of them like he'd done nothing wrong or out of the ordinary.
"Fai brought presents!" chirped the white creature as it jumped up and down beside the bags. "Wah! Presents for Mokona?"
With a grin so completely stupid the lanky man answered by reaching in the largest bag and pulling out several smaller ones before explaining. "Apparently, today is a holiday in this world that celebrates loved ones. And, since Mommy loves you all so much, I took some advice from a girl at the shop I was in and got a traditional gift."
He handed out each of the smaller bags, his smile getting wider and wider with each person until he finally placed a small, white, plastic bag in Kurogane's hand. He tossed a glance at the kids and pork bun to see them all pull out a different type of chocolate and thank the buoyant mage. He reached in his own bag and found a round shape wrapped in foil. It was orange and had swirly brown letters on it that he couldn't read.
Fai leaned in closer and poked the orb in his hand. "The girl said it tasted like chocolate and oranges," he cooed. "It made me think of you, so I got it."
He was tempted, very tempted, to ask what the hell he had to do with chocolate oranges, but held his tongue. He just didn't have the ability to put up with some very strange and nonsensical explanation that would only give him more of a headache. So, he muttered thanks and plopped into a chair.
"Oh, there's more to the day!" Fai squealed, positively delighted about something. "You're supposed to spend the day doing fun things together with someone special." His hand shot into his pocket and came back out holding two bright pink tickets. "In town there's this fun place called an indoor amusement park, and these tickets will get the two of you in for the rest of the day."
He waved the pair back and forth before placing them firmly in Syaoran's hands. Both of the kids stuttered and tried to politely decline, but to no avail. Fai insisted that the pair spend a day of fun out on the town before things got difficult again. Eventually, they accepted and thanked the man over and again until all three; Sakura, Syaoran, and Mokona, were out of the house.
"I could still understand people when I bought the tickets so don't worry about trying to stick close," he called after them happily. When the trio was out of sight his bright grin smoothed a little and it became a more sympathetic, a wistful upturn of the lips. "I really do hope they have fun."
Kurogane snorted. "I really hope the witch doesn't call because of your interference. The kid gave up their bond, why are you bothering?"
He sighed and turned the sad smile on him. "Just because Sakura-chan doesn't remember Syaoran-kun doesn't mean they can't have a bond." He sent one quick glance back out the window before taking a seat next to the dark-haired man and pulling something out of one of the other bags.
It was some kind of alcohol, strong by the smell of it. And the mage had three bottles of the stuff. He stood from the table and took one of the bottles with him. When he caught Kurogane's questioning look he beamed at the taller man and said, "For later" as he placed it on a high shelf.
The ninja swore, if he was planning on giving some of this to the kids he'd wring his neck before he even got the words out. But that was later on. Right now, he was going to grab a glass and drink. A nice way to spend the day when training wasn't an option.
Fai returned and handed him what was called a "shot glass" and poured himself one while Kurogane did the same. Both men downed their liquor and poured another. They drank four or five glasses before either decided to speak.
Fai glanced at the man next to him, a sly look in his eyes. "So, Kuro-wanwan," the ninja's eye twitched, "I wonder if you have someone special that you'd spend this day with back in your world?"
He looked at the mage before him. "No, I don't. I had no time for such things."
"How sad!" Fai face was a comical version of pity as he downed another glass.
"What about you, Mage?" He asked, figuring that he wouldn't get an honest response, if he got one at all. It was his biggest pet peeve with the blonde, far worse than those stupid nicknames.
He smiled goofily at the taller man. "Don't be silly, Kuro-chi!" Then, much to his surprise, the face shifted into a sadder look, regretful almost. "Why would I?"
By this time both of them had had at the very least ten of the little glasses, he'd lost count. Not that it mattered much, both could drink his weight in booze and come out with nothing more than a killer hangover, and maybe a slightly slower reaction time when really smashed.
That was the usual case. But, apparently, this world's alcohol was magic or some other crap because his judgment had to be impaired. It had to be for him to say what he said after Fai asked his question, rhetorical no doubt, too.
He grunted lightly and said, "There had to be takers, you're gorgeous." He noticed right after he said it. Maybe it was the slowed reaction time…
Next to him Fai's pale skin tinged pink and his eyes widened a fraction. He looked at Kurogane, the drink that had been halfway to his lips forgotten and left in his hand, mid-trip. "What?"
He cursed inwardly. He'd said it, no taking it back. But there was no way in hell he was repeating himself. "You heard me," he grumbled, staring into his glass. He could feel his own cheeks heating up dammit.
The wizard didn't say anything. Hell, he didn't even move. Was he mad? Confused? Probably. He really needed to learn to be less honest sometimes.
He was going to ask if the skinny man was okay when he finally decided to become reanimated and drain the glass he had in hand. He reached over to pick up the bottle they'd been drinking from, shook it a little and heard a small amount slosh in the bottom before he turned it upside down and drained what little was left. He set the bottle back on the table and took a deep breath, like he was getting ready to do something he didn't want to and that would cause pain or something.
When his blue eyes snapped back open he stood, announced that he was heading upstairs, and went.
This left a very confused and dumbstruck Kurogane at the table with no booze of his own. He debated within himself momentarily about whether or not to go chasing after Fai. In the end he figured he might as well follow the man and explain things. Not that he was sure just how he'd do that seeing as he had no idea why he had said what he did.
Nonetheless, he stood and trekked towards the room the two of them shared. The door was closed, and inside was silent. He walked up to it and knocked softly at first, trying not to appear angry or upset. When the wizard didn't answer he knocked again, just a little harder.
There was a muffled grunt from somewhere inside and he opened the door.
On the bed was a fairly large lump that was identified as the magician in question. He sat next to it and gave it a light poke to show that he was there. "Mage," he said, trying to get a response. Nothing. "Oi, Fai," he tugged lightly on the blanket, not pulling it off but showing what he wanted.
There was a questioning noise from inside. He took that as a cue for him to go ahead and speak. "Look, I'm sorry if I said something wrong to you. I'm not going to take it back, though." He thought about saying it was true, because whether he liked it or not it was.
Finally, Fai's head emerged from the mass of sheets and glanced at the ninja. His face was all confusion. He opened his mouth and what came out was pure and utter nonsense. But nonsense he'd heard before. The magician was speaking his own language. Asking a question by the sound of it.
Damn, the kids were too far away! "Can you understand me?" he nodded his head to illustrate, "Yes." Then shook his head, "No." And waited.
The blonde shook his head no. Then started talking again while moving his arms wildly. Kurogane grabbed them and make him stay still. He tried to sign language what he was trying to get across, but the other looked totally lost. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
This was going to get very frustrating very quickly. He could only hope the kids would wander back into the area of them being able to speak soon. He grumbled curses under his breath. How inconvenient! Just when he decided to play the nice-guy and apologize to the blonde for freaking him out this shit happened!
Kurogane took a deep breath and looked Fai dead in the eyes. He had to get his point across. There was no way he was going to let the other go on thinking he was a weirdo or something.
First, he gestured to himself and waited until Fai showed he understood what it meant. Then he gestured to Fai, the mage caught on quickly enough. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard. As he went he spoke out loud, "I. You."
Now for the hard part; how did you sign language "sorry"? He though to spell it, but they didn't even have the same writing system. Maybe if he used the same gestured the other did when he said such things.
He pointed at his own mouth to show he was talking about something he said. Then he sighed and gave an exaggerated shrug. He waited. When Fai didn't show that he understood Kurogane repeated his movements. Still nothing.
"I'm sorry if I offended you downstairs!" he flailed his arms towards the stairs and his mouth and the space between them. This time it dawned on the blonde, but rather quickly for him to be translating the crude sign language Kurogane was using.
The mage's cheeks tinged pink. "Th-that's okay, Kuro-pyon. I guess I shouldn't have worried you by running off," he said, looking down at his hands on his lap. When he was done talking he looked up and flashed Kurogane a smile, and a very fake one at that. "And it looks like the kids are playing on the boarder of our communication link."
"Don't look at me like that, Mage," he napped, ignoring the obvious attempt to change subjects. "Wipe that fake grin off your face, right now."
Fai looked completely shocked at the ninja's outburst. Put he quickly recovered and smiled at him once more. "But it's not fake at all Kuro-"
"Shut it!" Fai fell silent and stared at the dark-haired man beside him. "I've been traveling with you long enough to know enough about your damn habits to tell if you're faking something. And you know what, that smile is the worst thing I've ever seen. If you aren't happy, don't act like you are. It does no good." He paused, he felt like he wasn't done talking, but he wasn't sure what he felt like he should add. So, he just let his mouth run.
"It won't bother those who don't notice, but those that do and care for you will get hurt, so cut it out."
The whole time Fai had said nothing. He had just sat and listened to Kurogane. "How do you know?"
"Know what?"
Fai glanced down at his lap again, looking as if he were ashamed to be speaking. When he looked back up the sight made the taller man's heart clench painfully.
His eyes were rimmed with tiny tears that made them swim. The expression they held was one so lost and frail he had to hold back the urge to pull him close. The very aura of the slight man screamed of sadness and the need to not be alone. It pulled at his heart so much it was almost unbearable.
The smaller man's mouth opened to speak, but, once again, what came out made no sense. Kurogane put his hand up to stop him and said that he couldn't understand, though it wouldn't matter what he said, the blonde wouldn't get it.
Still looking lost he sighed heavily and leaned back against the wall. He muttered something to himself and pouted. It wasn't that playful, teasing pout he so often used when Kurogane didn't give into him. No, it was something else. It looked the same, but the feel of it, the emotion in the eyes. They were off.
He was sad. Fai was sad and showing it.
The warrior felt a strange mix of sympathy and pride for the wizard. He didn't like it that he was upset, but at the same time he was glad that at least he was showing it.
To show that he was there for him Kurogane placed a hand on the thin shoulder and leaned back next to him. He felt the other shift and settled into a more comfortable position. He then began to list off strange words. But the sound and steady rhythm in which he spoke the raven-haired man guessed he was counting.
He too began to count out loud. And soon he could understand what number he was at. Just incase he'd missed the last thing Kurogane had said, or wanted to change the subject he repeated himself. "How do I know what?"
He felt the slight flinch beside him. "How I feel. I notice it, too. I see you notice every time something happens that bothers me, every time I try to slip my mask on a little further. You always catch me. I can see it on your face…" He waited for him to continue. The ninja was sure he wasn't done.
And was proven right when he took another deep breath. "Thank you for all those times you didn't say anything in front of the kids."
He grunted to show it was no big deal. The younger half of their group didn't need to worry about him. The two of them were the adults. Whether he liked it or not (and he had surprisingly little problem with it) it was both of their jobs to take care of the teens. If one of the grown ups needed worrying about he'd take care of that personally.
He peered over at Fai just in time to catch a small upturn of his lips before it vanished. He wasn't sure, but it had looked far more real than anything he'd seen from the man thus far. It made his chest flutter in an odd but not entirely unpleasant way.
For the next two hours they spoke on and off, depending on if they could understand what the other was saying. After a few rounds they began trying to teach the other his language. They'd take turns teaching phrases and key words while the other would fumble with pronunciation and trying to figure out the others attempt to motion the meaning.
After about five or six rounds, each lasting from five to forty minutes, they were able to understand each other. They headed downstairs. Kurogane cleaned up from their drinking binge while Fai started on something for dinner that didn't consist mainly of chocolate. He hadn't wanted to. His idea had been to let the kids enjoy their treats. But the taller man had insisted they feed the lot of them properly if they wanted to get anything done.
Whining about strict Daddies Fai danced around the kitchen preparing a quick meal, seeing as the kids would be returning soon.
Kurogane finished his clean up rather quickly and made his way over to the room the other was in. On his way he grabbed his Valentine's Day gift and popped a piece of the strange candy in his mouth. It had a very unique flavor that wasn't that bad.
As Fai cooked he munched on the small treat. When the mage spotted the candy he broke into a huge and genuine smile before tossing himself at Kurogane and telling him he was ruining his dinner.
He tried to take the candy away, all the while saying that the ninja wasn't going to be able to finish his dinner. Said ninja just chuckled as he skillfully kept the morsel out of the other's reach. Until he started to climb him that is.
"Hey! What are you doing?" he tried to shake him off but the blonde had already reached his goal, the last piece, shaped like an orange slice as the other parts had been so cleverly done. He opened his mouth and snatch the sweet right out of his hand.
Pleased with himself he slid off Kurogane and finished cooking. "Thanks for sharing, Kuro-puu!"
He felt his eye twitch. "Share nothing! You stole that!"
"So, you liked it?" he chirped happily.
Thankfully, before he even had the chance to answer the door opened and in walked the kids and the manjuu. All three were smiling and laughing about what fun they'd had. They made their way through the house and into the kitchen; Mokona bouncing around saying it was hungry. Grinning like the fool he was, Fai scooped some kind of noodles and cheese sauce into plates and set them out for the kids and them to eat.
He took a seat a little bit closer to Kurogane than usual and asked the trio who had escaped the house that day, "So, did you three have fun?"
As they prattled on about what they did and saw Kurogane smirked, half listening as Fai patted his hand in thanks.
Maybe being stuck in a house with the mage could yield interesting outcomes. So long as alcohol was involved.
A/N: Ah, all done. And it only took a month! Why am I oh-so proud of that time frame? Two reasons: 1) I usually take longer than that to post/write stuff and 2) its before the next holiday (I'm skipping White Day for my own Yuuko-related reasons).
I hope you guys liked this. If you guys want to request an upcoming holiday ('cause I was raised Catholic and only know those holidays well enough to write about them) I'd be happy to. Just tell me its name and a brief description of how and maybe why it's celebrated.
Ja ne!