Hello, peoples~. :)
First off, I'm sure everyone has heard about the 8.9 earthquake/tsunami in Japan. You'd have to live under a rock to have not. I just want to wish everyone in Japan the best of luck in the difficult days to come. I'm not a religious person but even someone like me will pray for them after a tragedy like that. My friends who live there are alright for the most part, all of them safe. One of them had her grandmother pass away, but they're still doing alright.
Now, about the fanfic. The prompt was misfortune, so it was definitely going to be a hurt/comfort fic. ^_^' I write those too much, but since they're my favorites to write, it's all good! :)
It's a BreakxReim/Liam, my OTP from Pandora Hearts, spoiler chapter 42-ish. If you haven't read that far, don't read this, mm-kay?
I made a Break a bit of a douche accidentally. He really is sorry though. XD (you'll see what I mean)
Anywho, please enjoy. :)
Being blind turned out to be more of a problem than Break thought it would. His clumsy fingers wouldn't obey him, his feet managed to trip over everything, and his ears kept playing tricks on him. He was slowly getting adjusted though, and he stood by his word. He would definitely be able to kill a group of Pandora members if need be. Still, he had to admit that Reim was right about something.
It was lonely.
He would never admit that, of course, but he couldn't deny it. He was stuck in his own blank, colorless world, cut off from the others in their bright, warm happiness. He would never be able to see the faces of his loved ones ever again, and it hurt him to think about that.
Instead, he focused on having fun while he tried to get used to being blind. Reim was by far the best one to tease. His reactions were the most amusing, and since he and Oz were the only two who knew about his disability, he was also the most convenient. Break couldn't describe how amusing it was to watch the man get flustered, and since he had recently managed to shock Break with a passionate declaration of love—or rather, an angry declaration of friendship—, the white-haired man wanted some revenge. And today, he would get it.
-X-
"Reim-san, spar with me! Spar with me!" Break called as Reim walked by the courtyard where he was sitting.
"Xerxes, you know I'm not one for fighting," Reim replied as he continued on his way without even looking up.
"Aw, come on! Spar with me!" Break insisted.
"What are you, a parakeet? Fine someone else."
"But I'm still having a hard time with fighting, and someone would definitely figure out that I can't see if I practiced with them! You're the only person I can ask!" Break pleaded, knowing the last line would get to Reim.
As he thought, Reim set down his papers and pushed up his glasses with a sigh. "Fine," he agreed. "But only for five minutes. I have work to do. Your work."
Break smirked. Five minutes would be plenty of time. "Alright!" He picked up a spare metal sword and tossed it near Reim, who raised an eyebrow. Break ignored him and faced him with his own.
"Um, Xerx? These are metal," Reim said, picking his sword up hesitantly.
"Exactly," Break agreed. "Who brings a wooden sword to battle? I have to get used to metal."
"We'll kill each other!"
Break laughed. "Why on earth do you think you'll be able to kill me? You're way too weak!"
Reim's face flushed red. "I'll make you regret that!" he promised, lunging at Break suddenly.
Break side-stepped him easily with a teasing grin. "I doubt that very much," he said.
Reim continued his attack, Break blocking or dodging every stroke without ever bothering to counter. Reim grew more and more frustrated, and he itched to wipe that confident grin off Break's face.
"Wow, you really suck at this, huh? You're way worse than me, and I can't even see!" Break laughed. His laugh turned into a gasp as Reim's sword hit his side, puncturing the blood pack he had put there. He fell to his knees, coughing up a bit of real blood. Even if he was planning on faking his death, a cruel joke, he knew, Reim had hit him hard enough to hurt his failing body slightly.
"Oh my god, Xerxes!" Reim threw down his sword, and Break, hearing it hit the cobblestones, fell onto his back, his red eye wide. Years of practice had made him into a surprisingly good actor.
"Xerxes, what—? I didn't—! Xerxes!" Reim stuttered as he knelt beside Break.
"Reim…-san…?" Break said faintly, reaching out a searching hand. Reim took it, holding it hard and shaking. Break immediately felt guilty, wishing he hadn't acted on his sadistic impulse.
"Don't talk!" Reim ordered. "I have to get you help!" He let go and started to stand, but Break grabbed his sleeve.
"Don't go…" he whispered, having decided to go on with the charade anyway.
Reim sat down hard again, unable to believe his eyes. His best friend was dying before him, lying there in a pool of blood, and it was all his fault. "Xerxes, I… I didn't mean to… I just… Don't die! I'm sorry, so… Don't die…"
Break couldn't see him, but he could feel the tears hit his face. A wave of guilt washed over him, and he cut his act short. He sat up quickly and took Reim in his arms, holding him tightly. "No, I'm sorry," he murmured. "I'm alright. I promise."
Reim tensed and pulled away. "No, you're not! All that blood—!" Break pulled the now-empty package out of his shirt and showed it to Reim, ready for the man to hit him, to yell at him, to run away.
None of those things happened. What happened instead was completely unexpected.
Reim kissed him.
Break's eye went wide. His heart stopped, gathering energy so it could try to escape his chest the next minute. He could taste the salt of Reim's tears on his lips. Reim was kissing him gently, but Break felt as though his whole body was on fire, and both pulled away completely out of breath.
"W-what was that?" Break asked, his turn to stammer.
Reim didn't answer; instead, he curled up against Break again. "Stupid Xerx…" he muttered. "You'll make me hate you…"
Break laughed incredulously. "Because that was obviously a sign of utter loathing, right?"
Reim shook his head and buried it in Break's chest. "I don't know. But you obviously hate me…"
Reim-san, no, I don't," Break denied adamantly. "I was just messing with you. It was a sick joke. I'm so sorry."
Reim sat up and glared at Break. "That's for sure," he said.
Here comes the anger, Break thought with a mental sigh. But instead of getting yelled at, he heard his breath catch and realized he was fighting back tears again.
"Xerx, I know that you're dying. It's your second time as a contractor, of course you're dying. Just don't make me think that I killed you. Please…"
Break reached out and found Reim's face, cupping it in his hand. "I'm sorry," he repeated.
"I have dreams about it all the time…" Reim whispered.
"Not nightmares? Just dreams?" Break smiled. "I knew you hated me."
"Stupid Xerx," Reim said, knocking his hand away. "Do I act like I enjoy them?"
Break laughed, pleased that Reim was finally getting mad. He glanced down at his bloody cloak, and despite his inability to see it, he could feel how messy it was. "We probably ought to clean this up," he said. "It looks bad, right?"
Reim stood and nodded. "It does," he agreed, "but what do you mean 'we'? It's your problem, not mine."
"But I'm blind! I can't see where the blood is!"
"Sucks for you then." Reim started walking away, and Break tackled him. "Hey, Xerx! What the—? What's wrong with you!"
"I tripped," Break said with a smirk.
"But now I'm covered in blood too!"
"Exactly. Now it is your problem," he laughed, imagining the expression he was sure Reim had.
"Honestly, Xerx?" Reim yelled, struggling to get away.
Break grabbed him and turned him so they were facing each other. "If you help me, then I'll keep you from having any nightmares tonight," he promised wholeheartedly.
Reim blushed and look away. Even though Break was blind and only had one eye, Reim still felt like he was staring into his heart. "O-okay… But I still have to finish my work sometime…"
Break smiled happily, hugging Reim despite the man's protests. Maybe, he thought, just maybe, being blind isn't such a misfortune after all.
And that's that. As always, review and favs are much appreciated but not necessary. Bye bye! :)