Hey! This is my second one-shot so please review. It's kind of a spazz but it's MY spazz so flamers need to just chill. I don't know why I thought of this, apparently I have an obsession with breakfast foods, who knew?
When it came to food, Syaoran watched as Kurogane and Fai worked out a system. This consisted of Kurogane dumping any fruits or vegetables he didn't like or recognize from Nihon onto Fai's plate while Fai flicked most of his meat onto Kurogane's. Fai also received any sweets while he passed Kurogane unsweetened black tea.
In almost every world they went to, Syaoran watched the system collapse during breakfast.
First of all, Fai drank coffee like it was water. He was fairly sure it was the only bitter thing he'd ever seen the blonde man eat voluntarily (He once watched Kurogane force a sip of black tea down his throat which earned him the silent treatment for a week. Syaoran suspected he did not enjoy this nearly as much as he let on.) This seemed to surprise Kurogane as well and, despite the fact that he'd been dealing with the over-caffeinated Fai since their journey began, he always forgot not to touch his coffee.
On the other hand, Kurogane actually didn't mind French toast. If you skipped the syrup, it was more savory than sweet. He was constantly swatting Fai's absent hand away from his plate.
The one thing they both knew the other liked but tried to take anyway, Syaoran noticed, was bacon.
"You like it?" Kurogane asked in surprise the first time he blocked his plate.
"Of course, Kuro-sama! Everyone likes bacon." Mokona and Syaoran agreed while the princess was oblivious. Kurogane shrugged and let it go. Syaoran then watched as Fai's hand snaked out and snatched a piece of bacon off of Kurogane's plate, popping it into his mouth.
"Oi!"
The blonde blinked innocently.
"I'm sorry, Kuro-chii, did you want that?"
After that, it became an ongoing vendetta. When they ate by themselves in whatever house or hotel they were staying at, it could get loud. Fai would snatch a piece out of Kurogane's hand and, of course, Kurogane would chase him. Kurogane, who had the muscle to be more forceful, would simply grab Fai around the waist and hold him behind him while he leisurely ate a strip, Fai struggling and shouting and giggling the whole time. Syaoran watched, unnoticed, as the movement became much gentler, slower, when Kurogane thought they were alone.
When they found themselves out for breakfast though, the entire display was much more subtle, but still there.
One Sunday, in one of the more modern dimensions, Sakura had seen a diner and asked if they could stop. Of course, everyone complied, and as they followed their waitress to the back, Kurogane took the lead, with Fai close behind, Syaoran behind him and Sakura brining up the rear. Mokona sat, hidden in Sakura's purse, waiting to be fed under the table.
When they reached their booth, Syaoran watched as Kurogane stood at the entrance of the far bench, letting Fai slide in ahead of him before sitting down next to him. Syaoran smiled; it was the same thing he did for Sakura.
Fai, having not yet caffeinated for the day, put his head down on the table and went back to sleep until Kurogane ordered him coffee. After that he perked up enough to play Exquisite Corpse with Sakura and gently bump his knee into Kurogane's under the table.
They ordered, Kurogane an omelet, Fai crepes, Syaoran pancakes and Sakura waffles, all of which came with bacon except for Fai's which, Syaoran thought, he'd probably done on purpose.
When their food came, Fai's first move was to take a piece off of Kurogane's plate and set it, delicately, on the edge of his. Ten seconds later, the ninja took it back.
Syaoran counted as the bacon switched plates eleven times before Kurogane stabbed Fai in the back of his hand with his fork. The larger man went back to shoveling down his food until he realized that Fai hadn't made another grab at his plate. He looked to his right and Syaoran watched the realization dawn on him as he saw that, instead of pouting over his defeat, the mage was gripping the table with his uninjured hand and instead of forcing tears to be funny, trying desperately to hold them back.
"Shit," The warrior cursed, earning them a glare from the mother of the family at the table next to them. Syaoran quickly apologized before turning back to his companions. He watched Kurogane take Fai's smaller hand into both of his, inspecting it gingerly.
"You're usually faster than that, it didn't think it would hit you."
His voice was gruff, but Syaoran could hear the worry and… guilt?, behind it.
"It's alright, Kuro-…stab. Really, it's just a scratch."
"No, it's not. Quit lying."
His hand did look painful. The fork hadn't gone all the way through, but it had broken the skin, maybe even bone, so it was bleeding heavily.
"C'mon," The larger of the two stood, taking the smaller's hand. It was, unfortunately, his injured hand, and Fai winced.
"Sorry," Kurogane let go and took Fai by his wrist instead, guiding him up from the booth. He turned to Syaoran.
"We'll be right back, so stay put. Nothing's broken, but I want to find some bandages."
With that, Syaoran watched as he led the magician off towards the back of the diner. Just before they were out of sight, Kurogane switched Fai wrist from his right hand to his left and slipped his right arm around Fai's waist. Fai's head drifted to rest on his shoulder.
Syaoran sighed. He'd watched their two older companions grow closer over the course of their journey and he felt awful that his teacher didn't feel comfortable enough to hold Fai like that in front of him and the princess, but what could he do? No matter what he said it would only serve to embarrass him.
His thoughts were cut off by Mokona who popped out from beneath the table and into his lap.
"Mokona will just go make sure Mommy and Daddy are okay." It made to leave but Syaoran caught it.
"Just be careful and don't let anyone see you," He thought for a moment, "Not even Kurogane-san or Fai-san." They so rarely got to be by themselves, why ruin it?
"Don't worry, Mokona will be extra careful!"
It bounced away beneath tables and chairs just as Sakura turned to him.
"Fai-san is okay, right?"
Syaoran thought before answering. Fai had been in a lot of pain, enough to have trouble thinking of a nick-name for the warrior. But, hadn't Kurogane said that nothing was broken?
"Yes, Princess, I'm sure he's fine. Kurogane-san will take good care of him."
She smiled gently.
"Yes, I think he will."
Kurogane stood and watched as their waitress, a girl his age with long white hair and crystal blue eyes like Fai's, bandaged the blonde's hand. He'd brought the mage back to the kitchens assuming they'd keep bandages on hand in case of the occasional burns or knife accidents that were bound to happen in restaurants. He was right, and the waitress insisted on helping Fai herself. She'd been glaring at Kurogane since they got there and now, she'd gone so far as to have a waiter, some kid with black hair and yellow eyes, stand their and watch Kurogane like he was a convicted murderer. What bothered him even more was how friendly the blonde was with these two. He'd even called the girl by a nick-name, Mang-mang, almost the second she'd introduced herself.
Now, she was speaking to Fai so softly, conspiratorially, that Kurogane had to strain to hear. He almost wished he hadn't.
"Are you okay?"
"Yep." Fai smiled, clearly missing the point of her whisper. "I feel much better now, thanks."
"No," She looked at him pointedly, "I mean, are you alright with him?" She glared at Kurogane. "Has he hurt you like this before?"
Fai stared for a moment before laughing, pure and loud.
"What? Of course not, I told you it was an accident. He looks like a mean puppy, but he's actually very sweet. We were just goofing around and he misjudged my level of…alertness. He'd never hurt me on purpose."
"You're sure? I can call the cops. Hell, I could probably kill him if that'd make you feel better…"
Fai laughed again.
"I missed you."
"Huh?" she asked.
"Nothing, just thinking. No, I'm positive."
The girl sighed and nodded to the waiter who left.
"As long as you're sure…"
Fai bounced up and tossed himself at Kurogane who caught him effortlessly and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.
"Better?"
"Much."
The girl stood.
It'll be fine; it was just really, really bloody." She turned a cool gaze on Kurogane. "You're very lucky you didn't break his hand. I could've called the cops no matter what he said."
"You little-"
Fai jumped in.
"Kuro-chii, I think a 'thank you' will suffice."
He gritted his teeth.
"Thank. You. You nasty-"
"THANK YOU, MANG-MANG!" Fai cut him off, and she smiled.
"You're welcome." She snickered, "Next time, get him the plastic kids' utensils. The tines are rounded; you can't even stab your food." They giggled for a minute until Kurogane pulled Fai back towards the dining room.
Syaoran jumped when Mokona materialized in his lap.
"Fai is alright," it giggled, "Fai and Kuro-daddy are also alright."
Syaoran smiled. Mokona had noticed as well. Out of the corner of his eye, Syaoran saw Fai and Kurogane emerge from the back. He tried to seem like he wasn't looking, but he watched Kurogane's hand slip from Fai's hip. Fai said something, actually, it was probably a whine, and Kurogane placed his hand more discreetly on the small of his back. Placated, Fai returned to the table with a smile.
"Fai-san!" Sakura leaned forward as he slid in across from her. "Are you okay?"
Syaoran smiled at her concern.
"Yes, Sakura-chan, I'm fine, thank you." He held up his bandaged hand that was stained red in the middle. Syaoran looked to Kurogane for conformation. He nodded.
Then, without thinking, Kurogane picked at the remains of his breakfast. Completely preoccupied, he brought a piece of bacon to his mouth and everyone froze.
"What?"
Mokona popped out from beneath the table and stood, tip-toe, in his lap.
"Kuro-puu you big meanie! You owe that bacon to Mommy!"
Sakura nodded adamantly and he turned to Fai, who grinned and opened his mouth.
"You want me to…" He trailed off, staring at Fai. Syaoran watched the horror and embarrassment dawn on his face and, suddenly, he couldn't take it anymore.
"K-Kurogane-san," He stuttered, nervous about the outcome he might cause. "We…we know."
The ninja stared.
"You know…" He turned back to Fai, who winked.
"Told'ya, Kuro-shy. Now," He leaned closer. "I do believe I've earned that."
Kurogane blushed.
"Tch! Whatever."
But he popped the morsel into Fai's mouth, producing a giggle and letting the younger man latch onto his arm.
Their waitress returned with their check and s sauce cup full of white paste for Fai.
"Here," She handed it to him, "It'll keep it from scarring."
Kurogane put down money and as they walked out, Syaoran watched as he didn't take his hand off Fai once.
So? What do think? You habe to tell me or I don't know and I go into review withdrawal. I know Mang-mang keeps popping up, but I love writing for her and I like the way she lays off of Kuro-chii. I don't know if she'll be in my next story, but she's always in A Retelling and you can see drawings of her when she's nine on my Devieant Art account. My username's still ShingetsuXMangetsu and only the pictures with Fanfic or OC in the title are of her specific character and not just doodles that look similar. While I'm at it, My YouTube name is Himetsukineko if you want to see some KuroFai AMVs. Just ignore I'm Your Daddy. I love Weezer, but I totally screwed that one up ^^
ありがとう
ShingetsuXMangetsu