Disclaimer: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown.
Warnings: Slash of the RaixClay
No flaming, but other than that, reviews would be loved.
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Acting on Impulse
"Broken?! It's broken?!" Raimundo groaned, clutching his good leg to his chest. His other leg was stretched out in front of him, and, at this moment, throbbing in pain. The Dragon of Wind sat on the hard, bare ground after a particularly brutal showdown - which he had lost - the rest of his team standing around him.
"Seems like it." Dojo said unhappily, one paw on Rai's leg.
"That must hurt." Omi observed. Raimundo winced.
"Ya . . . No kidding!"
"No, I mean... Jack Spicer broke your leg."
Raimundo shot Omi an 'if looks could kill' glare. "The stupid rock broke my leg!"
"And Jack caused the stupid rock to fall. Jack Spicer broke your leg."
"Omi . . . You're really, really annoying."
"Rai!" Kimiko gasped.
"Well he is." Raimundo muttered. "Right now he is. God, my leg hurts..." Clay bent down and put his arms under Raimundo's, helping the boy up. Unsteadily, the Brazilian boy leaned against his friend, his only way of staying upright.
"Alright, partner, let's get you back to the temple..."
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"But I have to go!" Raimundo groaned, attempting to leap to his feet. Omi and Clay steadied him as his broken leg buckled and gave way.
"No way." Kimiko said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Not with a broken leg. Especially since we haven't gotten you a cast yet. No, you'll be staying here."
Raimundo groaned. Because he couldn't just break a leg - that would be to easy - a new Shen Gon Wu simply had to reveal itself no more than five minutes after they returned.
"She's right, you know." Dojo said, scratching a rash on the back of his neck.
"Yes, and besides, we can't afford to lose another Shen Gon Wu." Omi pointed out bitterly.
"Lay off, bro. My leg's broken. What do you expect?"
"Which is exactly why you have to stay here." Kimiko said with a smirk.
"Fine." Raimundo muttered.
"Do we trust Raimundo alone?" Omi asked Kimiko.
"Omi!" Kimiko scolded.
"What? His judgement is not the best it could be..."
"Kid's got a point." Dojo said. "Plus, we don't want Rai to have to be alone."
"That's true." Kimiko nodded. "Um, Clay, do you think you could...?"
"Sure." Clay said, tipping his hat to Kimiko. The girl grinned.
"Thanks, Clay, we owe you!" She called, following Omi and Dojo out of the temple.
"So . . . Guess it's just us, then, huh partner?"
Raimundo yelled in frustration, punching his pillow. "This reeks!" Jab, jab, jab! "I can't even do anything!" Jab, jab, jab! "Stupid Jack!" Jab! "Stupid rock!" Jab! "Stupid!" Jab! "Leg!"
"You're gonna ruin your pillow."
Raimundo gave the Dragon of Earth a look, managing to speak loudly in pure silence. A look that said, there was no other way to put it, 'shut up before I hurt you.'
"I'm gonna go fix us up some grub, okay?" Clay asked hesitantly. Raimundo nodded gruffly, and Clay smiled. "Hey, it's not all that bad." He assured his friend. He lay a strong hand on Raimundo's head, ruffling the boy's soft brown hair. Raimundo just glared up at him as he removed his hand. Clay paused, then placed his cowboy hat atop the Dragon of Wind's head, then left.
"Stupid cowboy . . . " Raimundo growled, taking the hat off and stroking it affectionately.
"Hey, guess what?" Clay asked roughly an hour later, sticking his head into the Raimundo's section of the bedroom.
"What?" The Brazilian replied, in notably better spirits than he had been before.
"I can't cook." Clay informed Rai, shaking his head. "Unless, that is, you want burnt spaghetti."
"You burnt pasta?" Raimundo groaned. "Even Omi can make pasta."
"Oh, be quiet." The cowboy said in mock anger, sitting down across from Raimundo. "How's your leg?"
"Hurts like heck." The boy smiled weakly. "Next time I see Jack, he's dead."
Clay laughed. "Might make getting the Shen Gon Wu easier, but I'd kind of miss the freak."
"Oh, yeah." Raimundo nodded. "Showdowns wouldn't be as fun without Jack acting like a total pansy."
Silence. Clay's smiled didn't disappear, but it did fade noticeably, now looking more awkward then anything else.
"Wow." Raimundo laughed nervously, breaking the quiet. "Stupid comment. Are you gay, Clay?" There was no bias in the boy's voice, just light-heartedness. His expression faltered but once, when he realized the rhyme he had accidently set up.
Clay shrugged. "Nah..."
"Right. Well, anyway, if you were, it wouldn't be a big deal. I mean, seriously, it's j-"
"Can we talk about something else?"
"Oh. Okay." Raimundo raised his hands, palms facing out. "Sure. Whatever."
"What about you?"
"Huh?"
"Are you gay?"
"I thought we weren't talking about that . . . " Raimundo said sullenly, looking at the floor.
"Are you?"
"No!" Rai snapped, still staring at the floor.
"Yeah, see. It is a big deal."
"What are you- Does that mean you are gay?"
"No!" Clay shouted.
"Okay!" Raimundo yelled back. "Then why are we having this discussion?!"
Clay just sighed. "I don't know. You were talking about Jack acting like a pansy."
"Oh. Right." Raimundo looked down at Clay's hat, which was on the floor, next to the foot of his good leg, which was bent up to his chest. He grinned and put it on. "Okay, admit it. I even make this look good."
Clay glanced at Rai, then smiled bashfully, looking down. "Nah, partner, it's the hat makin' you look good." He paused and glanced back up at the Dragon of Wind. It was the truth, the boy looked good in that hat.
"You've got to be kidding. This hat simply cannot improve on my looks. Or anyone's." Raimundo looked Clay over. "You, for example, look far more handsome without this thing on." Which, admittedly, was quite a feat . . . Clay had looked rather handsome already. Not that Raimundo had thought about it. But he'd been living with Clay for nearly, if not more than, a year now, so it was natural to have noticed. Right?
Clay scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Sure, Rai."
"It's true . . . If you'd only . . . " Raimundo sighed and crawled towards Clay, dragging his broken leg slightly, whimpering as he did so. He put his right hand in Clay's lap and reached up with his left, brushing Clay's shaggy blonde bangs out of his face. "Your eyes are wicked blue, man. Way bluer than Kim's."
"Really?"
"It's hot."
"What?!" Clay looked at Raimundo, alarmed.
"Not to me!" Raimundo exclaimed, looking aghast. "To chicks, I mean. Babes. Girls."
"Okay." Clay breathed. He relaxed for the first time since Raimundo's stupid comment, and the Dragon of Wind took advantage of this, and the position he was in, physically, to raise his head up and kiss Clay. Gently, on the cheek, almost a teasing kiss.
Then, when Raimundo lowered his head and sat back, the full implications of what had just happened settled in.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" The two boys shouted in unison.
"I didn't do anything!" Clay protested.
"Neither did I! It was an impulse! Ugh . . . " Raimundo groaned. "Stupid hormones."
"You said you weren't-" Clay began.
Rai cut him off. "I'm not." He said, grinning up at his friend mischievously.
"But you just-"
"Well, yeah, because let's face it; With all the training and Shen Gon Wu-ing - yes, that's a word, if I say it is - I haven't seen a girl besides Kimiko or Katnappེ in forever! I mean, if I hadn't kissed you, I might have ended up going crazy one day and frenching Kim!"
"Ew, Rai. Ew."
"Yeah, well, maybe I'm exaggerating, but you see what I mean, right?"
"I guess so . . . " Clay leaned down and hugged Raimundo.
"Uh . . . Clay?"
"That was my impulse." The cowboy answered, letting go of the boy.
"Huh... Well then..."
Evidently, the boys had a lot of impulse to act on, as they spent the next few hours kissing each other - on their cheeks, their lips, their necks - anywhere appropriately accessible. The boys were alone, yes, but being Xiaolin Warriors had given them a heightened sense of integrity.
It wasn't until Raimundo started to test this, nibbling on Clay's ear, that the cowboy pulled away.
"Rai?"
"Yes?" The Brazilian boy hadn't moved his head, as if in a shock caused by Clay's abrupt movement.
"Who do we think we're kidding?"
"Certainly not each other."
The boys stared at each other for a moment, eyes filled with shock and confusion and fear and - perhaps most of all - adoration, until they each burst out laughing.
"You're a little liar!" Clay exclaimed, grinning at Raimundo.
"So are you!" Raimundo protested, returning the grin. "And you lied first!"
"Because you woulda given me heck for it!"
"Well, obviously not!"
They were speaking in shouts, but their tones and expressions were filled with a glee that neither could remember having felt before.
"Wow." Clay breathed. "Wow."
"Let's, uh, not tell the others about this. Not yet. Please."
"That's fine with me, partner."
Raimundo tilted his head to the side and smiled at Clay, placing his hat back on his head. "We ought to do this again sometime."
"Okay, Rai." Clay laughed. "Next time you break your leg."
"Hey. There a certain sacrifices one must be willing to make." Rai said with a smirk. "Of course, that's not to say you couldn't break your leg next time..."
-end-