Title: Lavanderia
Disclaimers: I don't own Tsubasa. If I did, Kurogane and Fai would be a couple living happily ever after.
Summary: Kurogane and Fai go domestic. Fai-mommy is usually the one to take charge of household chores, but who would have thought Kuro-daddy knows more about laundry than he does? KuroFai fluff.
A/N: This idea was born from watching a cheesy love story. Cheesy, but endearing nonetheless.
"Kuro-pon…" a weak voice whispered softly in his ears, creating small shivers that seemed to enjoy creeping down his spine.
"What now?" the ninja fiercely asked, his deep, rich, baritone voice a mixture of 35 annoyance, irritation and slight anger and 65 concern.
He quickly got up to a sitting position, his head leaning heavily on the headboard for support. They were once again (and he need not ask why, somehow he knew it would happen again eventually) sharing another room, and, mother of all misfortunes be damned, there was only one bed in the said room. So basically, there was no choice other than to share, although he did try to say that he'd rather sleep on the floor than cuddle next to the absurd mage. But that idea of course, went to the recycle bin faster than he could even open his mouth, knowing how stubborn the mage could be.
He turned his head downwards to look at the supposedly sleeping imbecile-slash-idiot-slash-annoying-slash-damn-mage lying next to him. The stupid mage was lying on his side, facing him, and even as he spoke the ninja's name, his eyes remained close. But heavens, the smile, that pestering, freaking smile was still there, not wavering, never fading.
"What do you want now?" Kurogane repeated, as his question was not yet answered.
"It's cold, Kuro-tan," the mage said softly, resembling a very hushed whisper. Kurogane would have ignored the mage's whining, would have thought it yet another strategy to simply cuddle, but the slight shivering of the mage's shoulder proved it impossible to ignore.
"Stupid mage," the ninja growled, but nevertheless pulled the comforter up to the mage's chin. His left hand fixed the pillow in which the mage's head was currently resting on while his other hand felt the mage's forehead. Somehow, the stupid fever was subsiding. He glared at the said mage for the umpteenth time that night before deciding to inch closer to the blond.
"Better?" he asked.
"Hmmm.. Kuro-bun's nice," Fai said, finally feeling warm.
"Whatever," Kurogane replied nonchalantly.
"Thank you, Kuro-daddy," the mage replied.
"You're too noisy. Just go to sleep."
A few minutes passed before Kurogane noticed that Fai was finally asleep. The ninja knew he couldn't go back to sleep, being the light sleeper that he is. Well, aside from that, who could go back to sleep anyway, with the mage and all by his side? No, scrap that, who could sleep again after being disturbed like that for a thing as simple as being cold?
He just had to roll his eyes.
Well, the guy is sick, so it would be quite inconsiderate of him to just leave him to his own devices, and he had a ninja's honor. And surely, Tomoyo would be disappointed if she ever learns that her ninja is such an uncaring person to those in need. But whatever. He was just being freaking considerate. He once again looked at the sleeping mage's form. His blond hair was a mess on top of his head, and it covered his eyes. He was pale, as always, and his breathing was finally even. The ninja's eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he thought of the best way to skin the mage alive.
Skin?? What the hell was he thinking?
Kurogane had to use all his restraint power to stop himself from growling in annoyance. He didn't know whether it was because he was really that annoyed, or there was something else he'd rather not speak of outside of his own private thoughts.
Stupid, stupid mage! Getting a cold because of doing the laundry!
-Flashback to that morning-
The living room of the unit they were currently staying in was rather small, but enough to accommodate all of them. It was a circular one, and there was a huge semi-circle shaped couch that took the shape of the room, and a small coffee table to complete the look. It was a cozy place, perhaps the most comfortable place of the house as well, being that they had to share rooms and beds because the unit itself was small. Well, they could have rented a bigger one but they were rather out of funds, as the currency of this world was different and it was higher than any of the worlds they've recently been in.
"Any leads on the feather?" Kurogane asked Syaoran as soon as he approached the living room where his surrogate "family" was gathered.
"None, Kurogane-san. And Mokona says he can't sense a feather in this world," the brat spoke politely, surveying the map of the city where they currently landed with much interest.
"Yes! Syaoran's right! Mokona's eyes didn't go Mekyo!" the manjuu bun continued as it hopped towards the ninja's shoulders.
"Again? So what else are we doing here, then?" Kurogane asked, trying hard to ignore the pork bun now singing that stupid balloon song in his ear, lest he throw it outside the window in sheer irritation.
"Kuro-chan is so tense! We could use a bit of relaxation, don't you think so, Sakura-chan?" the ever-cheerful Fai replied, now turning to ask the princess for her opinion.
"Yes, Fai-san. That would be great! Don't you think so too, Kurogane-san?" Sakura asked, turning to Kurogane.
Kurogane simply hmmpfed that question (which seemed to have been a tactic used by the mage to make him comply, by the way, knowing that nobody can say 'no' to the princess, not even the great Kurogane).
The mage then stood up from the couch and bent over the princess and the kid who were regarding the map still.
"If you look here, you would find a cozy market where you would see lots and lots of stuff you could buy for such a low price," he said, pointing to a specific spot on the map. The princess' eyes brightened at that.
"Really? How do you know, Fai-san?" she asked Fai, her cheeks beaming with excitement.
"I've just gone there yesterday, because I bought stuff, soap bars, pails and the like. You know, for the laundry," he replied.
"Laundry? Oh, too bad, Syaoran-kun. I thought we could go visit the market today, but if Fai-san has to do the laundry, then I'll just go and help," Sakura replied, the smile on her face faltering, her hand cupped her chin wistfully.
"Why don't we just take them to the laundry mat?" Kurogane asked.
"Silly, Kuro-wanko. You know how high the price here is, and we have to live with the three sets of clothes we each have. We can't ask for clothes from Yuuko either, I think she'll demand a price for that. And you know as well that we're out of funds that's why we were forced to rent this small unit. And I've asked for the price of laundry service, and it's really quite high. So I presumed it would be cheaper to just buy the stuff for the laundry and I'd do it myself! And I was right! It saved us a lot, so we'd still have enough money to last us three more days," Fai ranted continuously, and Kurogane was almost sure the mage could talk the whole day without breathing.
"Fine, if you say so."
"Now, now, Sakura-chan. You don't need to help me! Just go out and have some fun," Fai said, coaxing the hesitant princess.
"But that would be unfair, Fai-san," Sakura replied.
"Of course not, why would it be?" Fai asked.
"We get to have fun, while you'll be left here doing the laundry," she replied.
"The laundry is Fai-mommy's job! Sakura and Syaoran can go out and play! Of course, Kuro-daddy will help Fai-mommy with the laundry so you two children can go out and play!" Mokona commented.
"What the-" Kurogane was about to reply when the princess' face beamed again.
"Would you really? Kurogane-san?" she asked the ninja, and for the second time that morning, Kurogane knew he was subdued.
"Of course, he will. Now go. The prices are cheaper at this time of the morning. And with a cute face like yours, they might give you stuff for free. Mokona would come too," Fai said, literally pushing the two children and the white pork bun out the door.
"Mokona's coming! Mokona's coming!" the pork bun sang as it perched itself on top of Syaoran's shoulders.
"But," Sakura protested.
"It's ok. Go! Have fun! Syaoran-kun, take care of the princess!" Fai said as he closed the door.
Kurogane raised an eyebrow before disappearing into the yard to practice with Souhi. He definitely didn't want to do the laundry, let alone with the stupid mage. He needed an excuse. And apparently, Souhi presented herself as a great excuse.
OoOoOoOo
He had been finished with his sword drills for a quarter of an hour now, and the ninja was currently inside the living room with absolutely nothing to do. Thinking it would be safe to go out now, presuming the laundry would have been finished, he tucked Souhi neatly under the sofa before he went out to where the mage was.
It was definitely a mistake to let the mage do the laundry.
For all the time he had been practicing with Souhi (and he had been delaying), the mage had only managed to work on the princess' clothes. And there were still nine items left to be washed. Kurogane leaned on the door just across the yard where the mage was washing the clothes, watching how the mage was doing it.
He seemed to be having a hard time with the laundry, Kurogane noticed. He was done with the soap (all the clothes were now wet and soaking in soap and full of bubbles), but he was finding the squeezing of the water part a little too difficult.
Well, he wouldn't find it odd, Kurogane thought, being that the mage was too delicate looking for a man, and he possessed all the curves a man shouldn't even have. His hands were even way too smooth; he definitely would have a hard time squeezing the water out of the wet clothes.
Wait, whoever said he knew that the mage's hands were way too smooth? He knew, by observation. It wasn't as if he had held it in anyway. Definitely not.
"Oi, do you really know what you're doing?" he asked.
The mage was far too busy and focused with what he was doing that he doubted if he even heard what he just said. Rolling his eyes, he walked nearer towards the mage and his set of clothes to be washed.
"Kuro-wanwan! What a surprise! Are you going to help me now?" the mage asked cheerfully as he looked up from what he was doing.
"Che. Do you really know what you're doing?" he repeated.
Fai pouted.
"Of course I do. You're so mean, Kuro-oink," he said as he continued squeezing.
Kurogane watched the mage silently as he continued squeezing.
Squeeze. Squeeze. Squeeze.
And Kurogane can't take no more.
"That's not the way it's supposed to be done, idiot!" he growled, irritation finally catching up while watching the mage's unsuccessful attempts.
"Hmmmm?" the mage bent his head in question.
Kurogane grabbed the mage's hands and surveyed them, his fiery eyes boring on them. The mage's hands were now a little soggy-like (when one's hand does become when soaked too much in water), and there were red, little cuts on both. It was definitely a mistake to let this imbecile do the laundry. Perhaps the mage never had experience with washing clothes back there in Celes or wherever he came from.
"Can Kuro-woof teach me then?"
He glared at the mage for a minute longer, his gaze screaming "Melt!", but this went defeated with the counter attack in the form of a smile that the mage was giving him.
"Fine. There's another way without hurting your hands," he said grumpily.
"Really? How? Teach me, Kuro-sensei!" the mage said a little too eagerly for the ninja's taste, and for a while, he regretted saying what he knew.
It was not as if Kurogane was an expert on washing clothes. No. Ninjas with ranks like him do not wash their clothes. It was just that his mother taught him how to when he was still young, saying that even if he was the priestess' son, he should at least know how to wash.
"Gather all the clothes and put them all inside the pail," he said with his arms crossed.
The mage obeyed his orders, probably seeing that Kurogane knew what he was talking about.
"Now step inside," he ordered next.
"Inside? Inside where?" Fai asked with curiosity.
"Inside that damned pail! Where else idiot?" Kurogane replied, a vein throbbing dangerously on his temple.
"But I'll step on the clothes! They'll be ruined! Kuro-min's mean! He wants to ruin our clothes and put the blame on me! Waaah!" the mage whined.
"Stop whining, stupid mage! Just do it!"
"Kuro-bonbon's really, really mean!" Fai said with a pout but he stepped inside anyway.
Kurogane had to let a sigh escape his lips lest he suffer from a heart attack. He didn't know, never understood, why he even decided on coming here to look at how the mage was doing, when really, he could just have prolonged sword practice inside. In silence.
"Now, march!"
"March?"
"Yes, march!"
"Not April?"
"Arrrrgh!! One more, mage! And I swear I'll have your head for dinner tonight,"
"Ok Ok. Like this?"
"No. March harder. Like you're on training camp or something,"
"Is this right?"
"Higher. Step on the clothes, not on the water!"
"Like this?"
"How old are you really, mage?"
"2? What do you think, Kuro-sama?"
"&&$$! Watch me!"
Kurogane took off his combat boots and stepped inside the pail with Fai. The pail in which the mage was soaking the clothes was a really huge one, in which even the kid and the princess would probably fit. He then proceeded to demonstrate how it was supposed to be done.
Left. Right. Left. Right.
Step on the clothes.
Left. Right. Left. Right.
"I get it Kuro-pika! Look at me!" Fai said proudly, stepping on the clothes and humming a marching song.
"I bet the white manjuu bun would have learned it faster than you did," the ninja grumbled.
"Yay! Kuro-chi and I are marching on clothes! We're marching on clothes! This is really fun!" the pathetic mage cried loudly, while the ninja was trying his hardest to refrain from screaming. Patience is, after all, still a virtue.
Pop.
Suddenly, Kurogane felt something pop on top of his nose.
Pop. Pop.
Fai was now blowing bubbles, his palm full of the stupid bubbles, while it was held at mouth level where he was blowing it.
Pop. Pop.
"STOP IT MAGE! NOW!"
Pop. Pop.
But the stupid bubbles continued to pop and float around them.
Kurogane decided enough was enough. He had been stretching his line of patience ever since that morning in the living room (which had just been a quarter of an hour, but now seems like years to Kurogane), where in the princess had subdued him twice, the kid did not even protest with the mage's idea of going out, the white manjuu bun's agreeing with everything the stupid magician said and singing at the top of his stupid lungs about that stupid balloon song into his ears, and the source of all the ruckus now going on inside the poor ninja's mind, the imbecile-slash-idiot-slash-stupid-slash-damn-mage. He and everything about him just drove the ninja out of his sanity. Literally and figuratively. And it was high time he regained what little sanity he had left ever since Princess Tomoyo sent him out on a journey.
He planned to grab the mage by the sleeve of the shirt he was wearing, threatening to beat the daylights out of him (Kurogane's version of good old justice), but the mage was just too slippery for him to catch red-handedly. Instead, Kurogane managed to catch the back of the mage's shirt as the other tried to run, causing an imbalance with the pail.
Splash.
The pail fell over, scattering and once again spoiling the almost clean clothes, spilling the water all over the yard, and leaving Fai and Kurogane lying sprawled on the grass, with the ninja's foot still inside the pail. And Kurogane on top of Fai. Then there was silence for a few seconds.
Pop.
This time Fai popped the bubble on top of Kurogane's nose with his index finger touching it so softly that he barely even made contact with the ninja's nose. Kurogane was now in a wild-blushing-mode. Kurogane was out of his mind. But Fai seemed to be enjoying the moment still.
Kurogane stood up quickly, dismissing whatever happened to the back of his mind. Somehow, toppling over the stupid magician erased all the irritation he had just a few seconds ago. And he was still feeling hot to the tips of his hair.
"Go get changed before you catch a cold," he muttered darkly as he went inside, his back retreating quickly from the magician who still lay there, soaked to the bones, unmoving.
Fai just smiled.
-end of flashback-
Kurogane's eyebrows furrowed once again as he decided to go back to sleep. It was partly his fault because he left the mage to finish the laundry with the other still soaking wet, but he did tell him to get changed, didn't he? It was his fault now that he caught a cold. Besides, the mage should be thankful even that he taught him how to do it easier.
Fai shifted slowly, and as he did so, he buried his face into Kurogane's strong chest.
"Go to sleep, Kuro-tan," he murmured.
"I will. You go to sleep," Kurogane murmured back.
"Sleep," Fai repeated.
The ninja arranged the comforter around the mage that somehow came to be untangled once again. Kurogane's eyes were almost shutting down when Fai spoke once again.
"Kuro-kon?"
"Hmmm?"
"You're going to hang the clothes tomorrow," the mage managed to whisper before finally drifting off to dreamland.
End.
A/N: Whew. That was long. I'm supposed to be studying for my exams tomorrow but Fai and Kurogane were telling me to write. Anyway, bout some gender issues. I'm not really sure if Souhi's a she, I just assumed a 'she' since a lot of languages refer to swords as feminine (think la spada-italian and la espada-spanish). And sorry about the confusion with the use of he/him.. that's the problem with writing shounen-ai, it can refer to either of them. Anyway, thanks for reading! Comments would be polished, covered, and kept in a time-capsule.