This is for Saulie, because she's the one who gave me the keyword (cookies). :D Also, I decided to set this in Outo Country because it fit so well with the scenario. XD I hope everyone enjoys!
Snickerdoodles
"Kuro-tan."
A grunt, which in Kurogane speak translates as "what do you want?"
"Open your mouth, please."
Kurogane frowns, his expression similar to that of a temperamental bear—Fai knows better, of course (he may be a bear, but not the kind found in nature; no, he's the kind you buy at the toy store to give to children). "Huh?"
Fai lunges, shoving an oatmeal-raisin cookie between Kurogane's slightly parted lips.
"Fresh out of the oven," he says cheerfully, his grin so wide it almost splits his face in half. "I figured Daddy would want to try one before the children demolish them all."
"Eat it up, Kuro-daddy!" Mokona crows from his perch on top of Kurogane's head.
Life is full of simple pleasures, Fai has come to realize. Perhaps the actual act of living is tedious, even unbearable at times (particularly when your name belongs to somebody who passed before you, somebody who left you behind when you were begging to be released), but it's the simple pleasures that make the prospect of another day less daunting.
Unfortunately for Kurogane, a majority of those simple pleasures (where Fai is concerned, anyhow) often come at his expense.
"What do you think, Kuro-pon?"
The cookie is still right where Fai put it, and Kurogane is staring at him with murder in his crimson eyes (though Fai is fairly confident a lot of that murderous intent is directed at Mokona for being both obnoxious and on top of his head).
"Mmph."
As far as Fai knows, "mmph" has no equivalent in Kurogane speech, though it could be a derivative of "urk" or "argh" or "you," in which case he is wrong about the direction of that murderous intent.
"He's trying to communicate, Fai-mommy," Mokona says gravely.
Oh dear.
Fai swallows the hysterical giggle bubbling up in the back of his throat, because really, now isn't a good moment to laugh.
"I see that, Mokona," he replies, just as gravely. "The problem is, we have no way of deciphering what he wants to tell us." Hands on his knees, Fai leans forward (risky move) and peers intently at Kurogane's face. "Could you give us a hint, Kuro-woofy? Is there something wrong with the cookie?"
Apparently, Kurogane's patience has reached its pinnacle. He spits the cookie out, uneaten.
"I hate cookies," he growls, eyebrow twitching violently.
Fai blinks.
"You hate cookies?"
"That's what I said, isn't it?"
The entire concept is alien to Fai. He can't imagine anyone hating cookies, not even stuffy-pants Kurogane.
"All of them? You hate every single kind? What about chocolate chip? Or snickerdoodles? You can't hate snickerdoodles!"
Fai likes snickerdoodles because their name is fun to say. At the rate things are going presently, however, he doubts Kurogane would find that bit of information amusing.
"Snickerdoodle, snickerdoodle!"
But Mokona would, obviously.
The twitching in Kurogane's eyebrow worsens (and Fai is one-hundred percent positive Mokona is at fault for that, seeing as how he's dancing around whilst still on top of Kurogane's head), to the point where Fai might have suggested medical attention if he hadn't already agitated Kurogane enough.
"I've…never had a snicker…thing. Get off my head, white meat bun!"
"Aww, Kuro-daddy's mean," Mokona whines, taking refuge on Fai's shoulder.
The mage pets him absently, his thoughts elsewhere.
He has an idea.
"Kuro-sama!"
As soon as Syaoran and Kurogane step through the door of the café the following day, Fai grabs him by the wrist and tows him to the kitchen (the ninja protests this vehemently, using a handful of new words Fai will have to add to his mental dictionary of Kurogane speech).
"Hello, Kurogane-san," Sakura greets brightly, picking up a tray of pastries to whisk out to waiting customers. She smiles at Fai on her way past them, and they both hear her happy, "Syaoran-kun!" when she catches sight of the boy hanging his cloak on a wooden peg.
"She's so cute," Fai says fondly, watching the two of them (so very, very young…hard to believe he was that young once) blush at each other.
"Oy. Why did you bring me in here?"
Leave it to Kurogane to get straight to the point. Yet, judging by the gruffness in his voice, he has some sensitivity stashed away in that larger-than-life frame of his.
"Patience, patience." Fai let go of Kurogane's wrist and went to the island near the middle of the kitchen. "Sakura and I made these for you when you were gone." He held up a cookie sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. "Snickerdoodles!"
Kurogane's eyebrow twitch had returned.
"No," he says flatly, pivoting around on his heel to stalk out.
Or he would've, anyway, if he hadn't received a face full of Mokona.
"Acck!"
"Fai-mommy and Sakura-chan worked hard on those cookies," Mokona says reprovingly, but, considering his physical appearance, the effect is lost on Kurogane (it would be lost on Fai too, probably).
"White meat bun—"
Be that as it may, Mokona provided an excellent distraction, as per the plan.
"Kuuurooo-piiiiiiin. Look here!"
"Eh?"
In a maneuver similar to yesterday's—with a few modifications, namely breaking the cookie into bite-sized pieces—Fai deposits the snickerdoodle into Kurogane's mouth and holds it closed so Kurogane is forced to eat it.
"Success," Fai says smugly to Mokona as he continues to hold Kurogane's mouth shut. "Snickerdoodles are wonderful, aren't they, Daddy?"
But Kurogane has since turned a remarkable shade of red (or is it puce?), and the murderous intent is almost a tangible force radiating off of him like an aura.
Fai promptly releases Kurogane's chin.
"Haha?"
"This is why I hate cookies," Kurogane snarls, a feral glint in his eyes that Fai is familiar with—it's the glint that usually appears when he's about to give chase.
Well.
"Come on, Mokona!"
Time to run, then.
"Those…snicker—uh, snicker…"
"Snickerdoodles?"
Kurogane scowls (partly because Fai is clinging to his arm, no doubt).
"Yeah. Those."
A pause. Kurogane doesn't elaborate further, so Fai has to fill in the blanks.
"Do you want me to make you some?"
Kurogane looks at the ground, visibly embarrassed.
"Yeah."
Fai beams.
"I knew Kuro-tan liked cookies."
"Shut up."
"I'm just saying, Kuro-woofy—"
"Stop calling me that!"
"Kuro-sama?"
"Stop it!"
"Kuro-pon?"
"You—"
"They're really getting along, aren't they?" Sakura says knowingly.
Syaoran buries his face in his hands.
Kurogane's favorite cookies are snickerdoodles, even if he stumbles over the name every time he says it.
But then again…that silly mage seems to enjoy correcting him, so he hasn't gone out of his way to remember the proper pronunciation.