Title: Things in common
Rating: K+
Genre: Angst
Words: 400
Summary: One found similarities in the most unexpected places.
No screams. No attack like the last time they met. Neither retreating back as he approached the worn out frame with his sword raised in threat. This open defiance made him feel ridiculed in his very being because this foolish human didn't show any acknowledgement of the power and danger he presented. The only thing he did was staring steadily at him with an unreadable expression.
And this enraged him more than any mocking or defeat could have or had ever done.
"Get out of my way", he all but snarled at the white-clothed figure.
But the man did no such thing: He stood still where he was, his stare never leaving his opponent. It was almost like as if he was searching for something in the other's face.
In one last movement, he closed the gap between each other. He was now holding his weapon right against the throat of the human but didn't do anything more.
He didn't know why he just didn't kill the human - it would have been so easy. Yet, he felt the need to break first this stoic, defiant demeanor opposing him so openly.
"Why don't you go back into your hole where you have been for decades and stay there for the rest of your pathetic short life, old man?", snarled the deformed creature. "Do you really think you can change something? Wake up, you fool: You've failed the Alchemist, you'll fail again and there's nothing you can do against it!"
In the next quiet minute, he kept his eyes locked with his opponent because he didn't want to miss the moment when the other would finally give up his cool bearings. After all, he had been hit where he hurt the most and would react appropriately, right?
But whatever he had expected to happen, it didn't come to pass as the man's stoic expression changed, the corners of his mouth slowly pulling up.
It never became what it should have looked like when one did this action.
"Oh, is that so?", the old super hero only asked in a light one, "How strange – that was exactly the same thing I wanted to say about you, Mandarin. But how goes the saying? Birds of a failure flock together."
The smile lingered like a bitter, dead ghost on Clayton's lips.
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Author's note: What was actually a little idea about Clayton telling Chiro about the Monkey's past, set off an avalanche of images, words and sentences all related to Clayton's person - most of them of how he deals with his situation after "Soul of Evil".
I wanted also to thank this way all who reviewed so greatly on "All it takes" and help bypassing the wait for the update.
P.S. I'm not sure if the pun sounds good or bad, but I felt the need to put it in to intensify Clayton's words. Comments on it would help greatly.