Theme: Christmas Tree

Fai stood on tip-toe, one hand braced on the wall and arm stretched to the full extent as he tried to place the star on the top of the tree, preferably without either knocking it over or getting mauled by the needles. The ceilings of their house in this world were vaulted, and Mokona had insisted on the tallest possible tree. Luckily, they hadn't been able to find the twelve-foot monstrosity it had hoped for, but this one was just tall enough to put the top bough beyond his reach.

He sank back to flat feet, huffed in annoyance and tried again. Mokona and the kids were out shopping, or he would have enlisted their help. With Mokona sitting on his hand, they would have been able to accomplish this easily.

The door swung open, bringing with it a swirl of snow, and Kurogane tromped in, stamping slush from his boots.

"Kuro-rin!" Fai's mood brightened considerably. Though the tree might have been just too tall for him, Kurogane should have no problem. "I need help!"

The red gaze took in Fai, the tree, and star in a matter of seconds. "Do it yourself."

"I can't reach!" Fai protested, demonstrating his lack of height. He began to expound on his argument, but barely got the first word out when an arm encircled his waist and hoisted him into the air. "Ah…"

"Just put the damn star on, mage." Kurogane lifted him by his waist and a hand planted firmly in the back of one knee.

The star shone brightly as he plugged it into the string of lights already wrapped around the tree. He had to lean forward to reach the plug, and his shift of weight set Kurogane off balance.

Kurogane shuffled his feet to keep from falling and nudged the tree stand. The tree tilted alarmingly, and both he and Fai jerked away, hoping to avoid knocking the thing over. It had taken several hours to decorate. He lost his hold on Fai, who dropped to the ground, twisting as he fell.

The cat moniker was fairly accurate for Fai - he landed lightly on his feet, facing Kurogane with his arms around his shoulders. He could feel the weight of Kurogane's hands on his waist, steadying him. The heat from the contact spread quickly through his frame.

He desperately needed to take control of the situation. "I meant for you to put the star on the tree. You can reach it." Fai pointed over his shoulder to both illustrate his point and reduce the points of contact between the two of them.

Kurogane's eyes went wide. He stared at the tree before yanking his hands away from Fai as if burned.

"You just wanted an excuse to hold me, didn't you?" Fai teased, hoping that Kurogane had pulled away fast enough not to notice just how rapidly his heart was beating.

Kurogane stomped away, and Fai turned his head to keep from watching him go. His gaze landed on the tree. Thank god, another distraction. "Kuro-tan! It's crooked!"

"I am not helping you anymore, mage."

From this angle, Fai could just see the tinges of red on Kurogane's cheeks as he stalked off.

OOOOOOOO

Ah, I've fallen behind...gotta catch up...

I chalk Kuro's actions up to the idea of giving into Fai's smaller whims to save energy to resist the larger ones. Only this time, he misunderstood...oops! ^^