Friday

Disclaimers: 'Clover' belongs to CLAMP.

Summary: Gingetsu and Ran wake up. ::wiggles eyebrows:: Ran's infamous brother A will get an introspective next.

Radishface

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[ 5:00 AM ]

Grey eyes focused and unfocused on the bland white ceiling, taking in the pattern of the little bumps that were there, the uneven spots where the paint wasn't spread as well as it should be. Ran smiled. You would have thought that a person like Gingetsu would have been furious if the paint wasn't done right on his ceiling, and yet there it was, imperfect.

Like them, maybe.

He looked at his wrist, where there was no mark, and thought of Gingetsu's own Two-Leaf Clover branded there, imprinted there, right where the veins were thickest, right where if you cut it correctly, you could bleed to death, uncertain death, happy death.

Shutting his eyes so that the colors danced before him, Ran tried to dismiss the thought. Death, after all, was only happy for those who couldn't find happiness in anything else. For the moment, it didn't include him, but eventually, it would come, an unwelcome visitor paying a first, last house call.

Hands around his waist gripped a little tighter, and Ran's eyes widened, surprised.

"Don't think like that."

He was surprised, and yet he wasn't. Gingetsu was a Two-Leaf Clover, after all. He couldn't read minds like higher levels could, but he could sense feelings, emotions. Ora, even being a One-Leaf, could have probably felt little things like that, too, if someone was happy, or unhappy, or thinking of something else.

Smiling a little, Ran turned around so that his face was buried in the crook of Gingetsu's shoulder, and sighed, content. Gingetsu's fingers wove through his hair, soothing, a gentle tugging motion, and Ran found himself tracing random circles on the back of Gingetsu's neck, and thought to himself,

if only we could just stay like this, without worrying, without responsibilities, without inhibitions, warnings, commands, if only we could just stay like this, here, now, and live, somehow, live

forever.

Ran blinked, uncertain of the thought, and before Gingetsu could admonish him again, sense his thoughts again, he sat up. The commander looked up at him, lips not smiling, but yes, his eyes were soft, not hidden behind his visors. And Ran found himself staring back, a sudden pang of something where his heart was, and he imagined tears, he imagined himself crying, and thought, no, I don't want to do that again.

A ray of light poured in through the window, barely there, and Ran leaned in to Gingetsu, their noses barely touching.

"We need a shower."

Gingetsu's raised an amused eyebrow. "We?"

"We were too tired last night."

"Ah."

"You don't remember?"

"No."

"Why?" Ran's laugh was just a little one, a huff that hovered above his lips.

"I was too busy thinking."

"About?"

"Someone."

Gingetsu didn't say anything after that, and neither of them looked away.

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