Flawless

Disclaimer: Black Lagoon and its characters © Rei Hiroe

There was a glint off the silver strands as the morning light spilled into the room. Rotton lay sprawled on the couch without his usual flair. The light movements of his chest as he breathed were an obvious hint that the man was asleep.

Sawyer smiled, kneeling over Rotton and straddling him carefully as not to wake him. She had changed before coming back to Shenhua's apartment, out of her scrubs and now donned in her gothic attire after a night of cleaning. Her hand made its way underneath his shirt from the bottom of the hem and she felt a small indentation in the bulletproof vest. It was probably from a job he had that night. She took note of the dirt on his clothing and shook her head. Poor Rotton, another failed entrance.

Her mind wandered with her hand as she moved it over his shirt and let it settle on his neck. How strange, he was. She remembered that night in the Yellow Flag, his cool demeanor and tone, his dark appearance; he was like something out of a movie. It was as though the world was his stage, and he was intent on giving those around him a grand performance. It was too bad for him that Roanapur wasn't a cinema piece. How did he stumble into this wicked city? The man reminded her more of an idealistic antihero than a villain suited for the streets of Roanapur. Why else would he have saved her and Shenhua on the night of that botched hunt?

She stroked a finger up and down his neck and placed her other hand over his heart. Rotton didn't stir. There was a gleam in her eye and the corner of her mouth lifted. There were times she and Shenhua would discuss and speculate what was going on with him. They could sense the man had untapped potential. Deep down, there was a chance he could become a good hunter, but Rotton had flaws.

Many flaws.

Sawyer looked at his face. Wearing his sunglasses, even in his sleep. Could he have been so tired when he got back that he forgot to take them off? Or did he leave them on so he could look cool in his slumber?

She shook her head with a wry smile and removed the shades. Strange man, very strange. For the most part, he was a good companion, but with all his quirks, there were some days Sawyer and Shenhua were convinced Rotton was dropped on his head as an infant. Sawyer brushed the silver bangs away from his eyes. She felt a light blush on her cheeks as the sunlight illuminated his features. Sawyer sighed with a click of her tongue. Lucky man, he was fortunate to have such a nice face to cover up all those flaws.

She lightly pressed two fingers against his lips. Maybe that was the problem. The man was undoubtedly handsome, an attractive figure. Perhaps the outward appearance of physical perfection and his 'cool' actions hid what lied underneath. Maybe that's why he wore his sunglasses all the time, to shield his eyes from himself and the people around him. To hide whatever filth was residing in his spirit, so he and everyone else wouldn't have to see it.

Or...

She caressed the side of his face. Maybe the outward appearance reflected the inner qualities. It may have been a simple instinct to him, but the act of mercy he had shown her and Shenhua on the hunt that brought them together when he rescued them was a powerful gesture. It was an uncommon display of good will. Yes, he had the desire to be a hunter, she knew this, but perhaps he didn't quite know how to harness the spark, that 'flaw' she and Shenhua possessed that made them villains.

Sawyer tilted her head in thought. Perfect on the outside, 'imperfect' on the inside. Flawless, yet flawed.

As a slender finger traced down the side of his face, she admired his features... and was tempted to taint them. A fingernail came dangerously close to his eye. Such a handsome man, indeed. Maybe if there was a blemish on his face, it would be a gateway to that wonderful spark. A single scar revealing that inner flaw...

She bit her lip and stroked his cheek with the back her hand. It was tempting, very tempting. But Rotton was her friend, a companion. How could she betray him in such a manner?

She kept telling herself to leave the room before things got out of hand, but she was frozen. His face, she couldn't stop looking at his face. A blank canvass waiting for her touch, an alluring slate that begged to be stained. Her fingers twitched.

With a deep breath, Sawyer put the sunglasses back on. She cupped Rotton's face in her hands and pressed her lips to his forehead in an apology. She could resist no longer.

The Cleaner gave into temptation and adorned the Wizard's flesh with crimson streaks.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

The clock on the wall read 10:47. Shenhua entered the apartment, tired, but thoroughly satisfied. What a refreshing job! She saw Sawyer on the couch playing a video game.

"Good morning, Sawyer. I see you done cleaning early."

The Cleaner waved. Content, Shenhua was about to clean the dried blood off of her khukri before she heard running water in the kitchen. She went to see the source of the sound and saw Rotton at the sink, his back turned to her. After Shenhua expressed her disdain for Sawyer and Rotton's freeloading, she arranged a schedule of chores. It was Rotton's turn to wash the dishes that day.

"Oh, you back too, Rotton? How was job last night?"

"Yet another endeavor with an abrupt ending," he said as he rinsed and dried the remaining dish from breakfast.

"You fail again?"

"...Yes."

"Oh," Shenhua cooed. She walked up to the man and rubbed his shoulders.

"You not dead yet. There always next time."

Rotton nodded numbly and put the dish away. He turned around to face Shenhua, and the woman gasped, eyes wide. The open mouth turned into a tight smile before Shenhua lost her composure, bending at the waist and falling into hysterical laughter while pointing at his face. Rotton stood still, dumbfounded. What was so funny?

"You... You... HAHAHAHAHA!" Tears were forming in the corners of Shenhua's eyes, she was laughing so hard. She tried to speak clearly in between breaths, but the explanation melted into undecipherable Mandarin and more laughter.

"Shenhua, what's so funny?"

"I see Sawyer get bored!" Shenhua wheezed and wiped away a tear.

"Pardon?"

"Here, you look," Shenhua gasped. She opened her compact and showed Rotton the mirror. Rotton grasped the compact and sucked in his breath upon looking at his reflection. His face... What happened to his face?

Hypnotic red swirls on his cheeks, a bold monocle around his right eye, a squiggly goatee on his chin, a small Hitler mustache on his upper lip and the words "VACANT LOT" scrawled on his forehead.

"I'm sorry... Rotton..." Sawyer slowly entered the kitchen, hands behind her back.

"Sawyer... You did this to me? Why?"

"I... couldn't resist..." She averted eye contact with the man she defaced, looking at her feet with a blush, and held out a red permanent marker. Shenhua's stifled laughter was the only thing that could be heard as Rotton haphazardly took the marker out of Sawyer's hand. He appeared to inspect it before leaning in closely.

"Sawyer, I know there are times you cannot control yourself, but this," Rotton brandished the marker and held it directly between Sawyer and himself. "Is not cool."

THE END

A/N: Don't worry, Rotton! If you don't fancy a lot of soap and scrubbing, that'll come right off with a chemical peel!

I did this for the sole purpose of having an excuse to write about Sawyer drawing on Rotton's face.

Cheers.