Fai ices another cake, focuses as he swirls the cream just so, places a sugar decoration in the top, perfectly upright, and pushes it in just enough that he doesn't think it will move but the design can be seen clearly.
He looks to Ashura for approval and the man smiles after the briefest flicker of what Fai knows now, as an adult, to be concern. The king claps in the memory, ruffling his hair.
"You're learning very well." He tells him and holds his hands in front of him, palms up, looking so small in his own, "I'm proud of you, Fai." He says softly. Fai's fingers curl up, hiding the calluses, the nails which still won't grow smooth, in his fists.
His adoptive father is quiet for a moment, squeezing his hands gently. Fai sees it more than feels it.
"Has there been any improvement in feeling?" He asks, letting him go again.
Fai did not look up at Ashura then so he does not now, looking down the front of his apron, trying to hide his own hands behind his robes, out of everyone's sight. He shakes his head and feels tears prickle to his eyes.
For another moment there is quiet and then the king taps his left shoulder once, gently, a request for contact, they'd agreed upon it.
Fai nods and lets the king hold him close as he sniffles into the many layers of royal clothing that he's wearing, feeling guilt for ruining things like that by being near them but unable to refuse the support he is being shown, even if it turns out to be fake later.
"We'll get our healers to keep trying," Ashura reassures him, hand warm on the back of his head, soothing, "but I want to remind you that you are doing very well. I want you to get feeling back in your fingers too but you are getting very good at doing things without feeling that I could not do with. Even if it doesn't come back or it takes a very long time you are doing very well at adjusting to it." The king tells him, running a palm over his back as Fai tries to stop crying, feeling selfish for crying when he's the one who is still alive, and buries himself further into the man's clothing despite the guilt that comes with it.
Fai breathes in and out, pushing away the memory as much as he can, bringing himself to the present, to the kitchen where he stands with Kurogane, a set of cupcakes cooled on a wire rack in front of them, one on a small plate, ready to be iced.
The other man holds the icing bag in his mechanical hand, trying not to squeeze too hard, eyebrows furrowing in concentration.
Fai smiles encouragingly.
"It's okay- I broke a lot of icing bags and crumbled a lot of cakes when I was learning," he says, "it's part of the process. Doing something so delicate really forces you to learn finer dexterity even if you can't feel it."
Kurogane grunts in acknowledgement, lowering the tip of the bag onto the cake and icing it in a lopsided spiral, trying to squeeze as little as possible but still ending up with more icing than cake.
Fai smiles, proud of him, but the man just huffs, blushing at the clear joy on Fai's face.
"Seems stupid. Not like I've ever needed to write in any of the countries we've went to." he complains half-heartedly, voice gruff, "Tomoyo-hime said that the her in Piffle said that they could maybe get some kind of sensation going in it anyway whenever we get there." Kurogane tells him, as if he hadn't been there when Tomoyo had said it.
Fai just smiles, poking the other man in the cheek. He still can't feel it beyond the resistance which goes through the rest of his hand, his wrist, up his elbow and ending slightly in the shoulder, barely anything there. He knows by that though that he is gentle, it is teasing rather than hurting.
"I know that Tomoyo-hime also told you that it would probably help you get back to normal quicker when you get that upgrade if you practice doing small movements." the magician reminds him, smiling, "besides, isn't this a lot more fun than those double-handed exercises that that one healer was asking you to do?" Fai prods, teasing.
"I think you just want to eat more cake." Kurogane responds, deliberately not answering the question.
Fai lets the issue drop, knowing that he is right and that Kurogane just doesn't want to admit it.
"Well," he says, stretching a little and leaning back against the counter, "maybe you are right." Fai admits.
"But that doesn't mean that these cakes don't need icing." The wizard reminds him, smiling warmly.