Title:Photocopy
Summary: Set in Piffle world, Kurogane contemplates who is the man whose smile is as real as it is false.
Warnings/Ratings: PG. oh so PG. I could write a sequel if asked. :D shonen ai
Wordcount:1628
A/N: I know I belted it out pretty fast and it's my first KuroxFai(and one of my first real fanfic in two months) so comments and critique welcome.
This world was certainly odd, but at least Kurogane could make eqivalencies for things. For instance a futon was a bed like in that world with the princess myth. Except in this world they had noisy things like alarm clocks that were a nuisance to shut off. The clothes were alright to deal with, except the fact that this world's Tomoyo-hime wanted to use them all for models all the time. Other than that he was fine with everything. Well almost everything, the thing called a phone still eluded everyone except the manjuu and it seemed to take a perverse pleasure in answering the phone in their voices.
"Hello. Kuro-daddy speaking. Hello Fai-mommy, I can't wait to see you and the children! Come home soon!" Kurogane looked up from the book he was reading and almost jumped out of his seat when he heard the Kuro-daddy part, but then he decided to leave the manjuu alone except to scold him.
"Who can't wait to see that idiot?" He said trying to reevaluate the thing's sanity and he came up with nothing more than the thing was utterly insane. "Don't answer the phone like that." He said ignoring the thing bouncing up and down happily.
"But but Kurogane is always happy to have cake right?" He didn't even answer the question, but the manjuu wasn't giving up that easily. "Kuro-pii don't you like cake?" he asked in the mage's voice and Kurogane knew that it was bait but he couldn't help but to pick up the manjuu and throw it in anger. The door opened and the manjuu chirped happily at them all. "Kuro-daddy is abusing me again, must be love!" The kids came in and started to put away things and Fai picked up the manjuu and talked to it about "Kuro-daddy" so Kurogane just ignored those guys and went to help put away the groceries.
He could hear the phone ringing again, but he was in the kitchen so he wouldn't be able to hear most of it anyway so he focused on the groceries. The kid started to ask him about training so he forgot about it soon enough anyway. When they were finished Kurogane was about to go back to his book, but the mage was in his spot-reading his book.
"Oh Kuro-rin, that was Tomoyo-hime. She has a friend that wants to take pictures of all of us. He'll exchange information for our copies of the photos." Kurogane wondered what in the world a picture was again for a moment before he remembered that it was sort of like television except it didn't move.
"Fine. Will it take all day though?" He asked because the manjuu really got bored easily and then things tended to go wrong all at once when that happened. He wondered how the princess tended to get tired very easily also and that could very well be a problem too.
"No, he said it would be some quick photos that wouldn't take long, and of course Tomoyo-hime is designing the clothing." That part doesn't really have to be said. "He wants to meet us as soon as possible. Tomorrow at the earliest maybe. I'll have Mokona call him back when we can all agree on a time." Kurogane wonders if it will be like when he saw himself in a mirror the first time when he was a child. An odd sort of self awareness.
The princess is feeling a bit peaked so they decide to go as soon as possible before she is out for a long time again. The studio is large and in a place called a warehouse. The camera guy isn't very helpful when explaining things to them and is very impatient, but Tomoyo-hime helps them arrange for the photos. Kurogane feels weird and light in this world's clothes all the time, one of the things he isn't used to, so when they place the mage next to him he feels hyper aware of his magic aura and his body heat.
It worries him that he is more aware of it than he's ever been and that he can feel it more than the kids or the princess. He won't disillision himself with maybe's and could be's about it. They've been in close quarters together for awhile and he's bound to notice more than the surface sooner than later. Fai turns to him and smiles as if he has read Kurogane's thoughts and the painful look in his eyes is more shocking to him than the fact that he has thought about him in name form. He looks away quickly when the camera guy repositions them and Kurogane can't really think for a moment.
He feels like there is something he is missing out on something, and he hates that feeling. Tomoyo-hime comes and puts the mage's arms around his shoulders and faces him towards the camera. She puts one of his hands on the kid's shoulder and the other on the princess's shoulder. The kids are still red faced because they are holding hands while the manjuu sits between them. Kurogane doesn't really know where he should face so he nudges the idiot's head with his own and the camera flashes.
"Great!" Tomoyo-hime says and the camera guy finally seems happy which is good because he remembers that they still have work to do today. He's glad that it didn't take a long time at all and when he changes back into his work clothes he feels a little more grounded for some reason. He can't help but to think back on the softness of the mage's hair and wondered for a moment what that picture would look like. But the prospect of tinkering around with this country's devices made him forget about it soon enough and training with the kids blew it from his mind completely.
This was until the manjuu was answering the phone in his voice again and it was the camera guy.
"Yes my Fai-mama is lovely! I'm a proud papa! We'll come and pick the photos up right away." Kurogane started to unsheathe his sword and the manjuu squeaked when he hung up the phone.
"Who is lovely now?" he asked and the manjuu just hopped over to the door. "Heehee Fai-mama is home now to save his child from dangerous papa." That things powers were certainly odd, but the mage seemed to be happy to see the stupid manjuu.
"Not trying to kill Mokona again are you Kuro-papa? For shame." The manjuu gave him a hug and Kurogane just muttered darkly at it. When they heard about the pictures the kids blushed darkly, remembering holding hands.
"Well lets go pick them up then." Sakura says brightly and they make their way to Tomoyo-hime's place to pick them up. "I wonder how we'll look in them. Like a family?" She says when her packet of pictures is placed squarely in her hands. Tomoyo-hime invites them to stay for tea, so they pour over the pictures together.
"I like this one." The kid says of a picture of him and Sakura sitting together with a summer sky background. It's a nice picture and they look relaxed and happy. "I remember feeling pretty nervous about it though since it was one of the first ones." the princess smiles at him and agrees, and Kurogane hides a smile in his collar.
"I like these the most." Mokona sayss of a pictures of Sakura and Fai and Kurogane and Sayoran. Why in the world does it look like there is a hint of a smile on his face? He doesn't even remember smiling for that one. He scratches his head and chalks it up to being unconscious. Kurogane shifts through the pictures and lingers on the last one. The one that he felt the most odd about. The kids look embarrassed but happy and Mokona is smiling like some sort of toy. The look on his and the mages faces is the same spaced out sort of odd thing. He can't describe it. The mage looks too relaxed with his arms around Kurogane.
He has difficulty remembering what he was feeling at that exact moment and can't really remember anything other than nudging the mage's head with his own. He really was starting to think that the mage was a mind reader because he leaned over and asked:
"Is this Kuro-papa's favorite?" And on second thought, maybe he had just stared at the picture too long. The mage smells like pepermint Kurogane thinks and wonders why exactly Tomoyo-hime is looking at him like that. It's annoying him because even if is attracted to this idiot he really doesn't want to be. This picture though isn't his favorite. The one where he and the mage are sitting with the summer background is best. They aren't really smiling but they don't need to be. The mages fingers brush with his as he lifts the picture to get to the next, and his fingers are warm and long.
Kurogane looks up and sees the same look in his eyes that was earlier and wonders why he feels the compulsion to know why it has to be there in the first place. Maybe though the mage wonders the same about him. The touch lingers and their gaze is unwavering until the manjuu clears it's throat.
"Kuro-papa and Fai-mama are so romantic!" Kurogane hates the masks that they put on for the sake of everyone else, but the security of it all is something that he needs to rely on for a little while longer. He knows that there is so much more under the mages mask, but wonders if he really will be able to handle it all.