A/N: And here I am with an update! I've had the idea for this story for a while now but just never got around to writing it down. Maybe that's a good thing, though, eh? Otherwise I wouldn't be able to use it for this challenge series.
The prompt for this chapter is "Nimbus". For those of you who have forgotten or who don't listen in science class, I shall define the word nimbus as it is given in the Oxford Pocket American Dictionary of Current English (I feel like Yuuko when I type that): 1 a halo. 2 Meteorol. a rain cloud.
Now, on with the story!
Nimbus
Kurogane stared, dumbstruck, at the sleeping figure in his bed. What was that thing? His new roommate, most likely. He honestly couldn't tell if the person was a guy or a girl since their face was mostly buried in his pillow. Kurogane shuddered in disgust; if their face was buried in his pillow like that they were probably drooling all over it. But in spite of the fact that his pillow was most likely partially drenched in the saliva of a total stranger, there was no denying that (from what he could see, anyway) this person was beautiful.
Golden hair fanned out around the person's head, obscuring a large portion of the half of the face that wasn't already hidden by the pillow. He could still make out a pale cheek, colored by a slight flush of warmth, and an eye closed delicately in peaceful sleep. Although the rest of the person's body was curled up under his covers, Kurogane could still tell that they were thin. In fact, if the hands that rested on the pillow on either side of the head were anything to go on, this person was thin almost to the point of looking malnourished.
That's enough staring, Kurogane decided, picking up a bottle of water from his dresser and unscrewing the cap. If you think that being ridiculously thin and a little bit pretty is gonna stop me from pouring this water on your face, then you've got another thing coming. He began to tilt the bottle slowly, then paused and decided to at least have a drink of it before he started using it for any exorcisms. After draining most of the bottle's contents, Kurogane tilted the bottle over the person's head, allowing some of the water to splash across that beautiful face.
The reaction was quite a bit more sudden and violent (and satisfying) than he had expected. The person jumped as though they had been electrified and made an odd sound like a strangled meow. Stunning blue eyes snapped open, looking shocked and confused and a little indignant. Kurogane set down the water bottle and folded his arms sternly, fixing his roommate with a glare. Now that the person's face wasn't engaged in sucking on his pillow, he could now tell with 91 percent certainty that he was looking at a boy, albeit a ridiculously girly one. The guy blinked dazedly at him a few times, seemingly trying to remember where he was and why someone would want to be pouring water on his face. Eventually Kurogane saw understanding dawn on that pretty face of his and a smile spread across his lips.
"Who the hell are you, and what the fuck are you doing in my bed?" Kurogane growled irritably.
"Good morning!" the blond chirped, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Are you my new roommate?"
"I sure as hell hope not," Kurogane grumbled, his stomach churning at the thought.
"You look just like I thought you would…" his roommate sighed dreamily.
"Huh?" Kurogane asked, slightly creeped out. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I could smell your cologne on the blankets… It was such a nice, manly smell," he sighed dreamily. Fai hopped down from the bed and leaned in close to his roommate, sniffing at his shirt.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Kurogane stammered, now highly creeped out.
"Mm, that smell suits you perfectly," he whispered. "I'm Fai, by the way. What's your name, Roommate kun?"
"It's Kurogane," Kurogane answered shortly before taking a large step backwards so the two of them weren't standing so close anymore. "And you never answered my question: what the hell were you doing sleeping in my bed?!"
"Ah, yes, sorry about that, Kuropun…Is it ok if I call you 'Kuropun', by the way?"
"No."
"Anyway, Kuropun, I'm sorry about the whole 'sleeping in you bed' thing. It just looked so nice and comfortable so I went and sat down on it, and then I noticed how nice it smelled so I laid down on the pillow and before I knew it, I was asleep," he explained with an apologetic shrug. Then he pouted. "But you didn't have to go and pour water on me, you big meany! You could have just petted my hair and said 'Fai, wake up' and that would have done just fine!"
"Tch. Cry me a damn river," Kurogane snorted. "Anyway, that's what you get for sleeping in someone else's bed, you bastard."
Fai's pout disappeared and was replaced by a grin once more. "Has anyone ever told you that you're really cute when you're angry?"
"No, but if you tell me that again, I'll kick your ass right out that window," Kurogane threatened mutinously. "I'm serious."
"I have a present for you," Fai said suddenly, scrambling over to his bed and rummaging around in his slightly tattered black duffle bag.
"Huh? Why?" Kurogane asked, caught off guard. He hardly knew this guy so why was Fai giving him a present already? It made him feel awkward and a little bit guilty.
"Here!" Fai pulled something out of his bag, keeping it clamped in his hand so that Kurogane couldn't see what it was. "Hold out your arm, Kurochan."
The dark-haired boy obeyed hesitantly and watched blankly as Fai slipped a close-fitting black bracelet that was studded with silver spikes like a dog collar onto his wrist. Kurogane held it up for a closer look. It actually didn't look half bad on him.
"Do you like it, Kuromu?" Fai smiled.
"…I guess it's ok…" he admitted grudgingly as he examined it. "But why are you giving me this?"
"Because I want us to be friends, Kurorun!" Fai replied happily.
"Tch." Kurogane could feel himself blushing slightly. He always felt weird when people said that they wanted to be friends with him or referred to him as a friend. It didn't help that Fai was absolutely beautiful. Desperate for some other topic of conversation to fill the awkward silence, he looked around the dorm room, frowning. "Hey, if you're my roommate, then where's all your stuff?"
"Hmm?" Fai asked delicately.
"Didn't you bring anything with you?" Kurogane demanded.
Fai's side of the room was completely empty. There were no clothes in the closet, no books or pictures on his desk and the only thing on his bed was the ugly mustard-yellow fitted sheet and pillow with a pillowcase that matched the fitted sheet provided by the university. There was also the tattered black duffle bag that Fai had taken his present out of which looked much too small to contain anything of real substance.
Fai looked at his side of the room, seeming equally confused. "What more do I need?"
Kurogane snarled in frustration; he wondered if this "playing dumb" thing was going to be a regular occurrence with this guy. "There's no way you managed to fit all your clothes into that one little bag there. You do plan on wearing clothes, right?" He stopped speaking for a moment as a horrifying possibility occurred to him. "Oh god… don't tell me you're a nudist or something."
Fai laughed. "Don't be silly, Kurotan! I'm wearing clothes right now, aren't I?"
Kurogane scanned the clothes Fai was wearing, looking slightly dubious. The blond was sporting a long, white, button-down overcoat that reached his knees and black pants and socks. Then his frown deepened again.
"Yeah, that's another thing; why the hell are you wearing that ridiculous coat? Haven't you noticed that it's about eighty degrees outside today?" Kurogane pointed out.
Fai looked away when Kurogane said this, and Kurogane thought he saw a pained look on his face though he couldn't imagine why his mentioning the heat would cause Fai sadness. Kurogane shivered suddenly. The dark-haired boy folded his arms again to warm them in the unexpected temperature change, and he found himself wondering if it had always been this cold in the room and he hadn't noticed or if he was just going crazy.
"No… I hadn't noticed…" Fai said softly, still not looking at Kurogane.
"…Does it seem really cold in here to you all of a sudden?" Kurogane asked eventually. "And anyway, what the hell do you mean that you didn't notice? How could you not?"
At the first question, Fai seemed startled for a second because his head snapped upward to face Kurogane again, his eyes slightly wide, before his smile returned. He shrugged in a way that seemed carefree but Kurogane couldn't imagine how anyone could possibly switch emotions so quickly for real.
"It isn't that strange for people not to notice things that seem obvious to other people." Fai grinned and pointed to the space just above his roommate's head. "For instance, Kurosama, did you notice that you have a little black rain cloud floating above your head right now? It's been there the ever since we started talking!"
Kurogane unfolded his arms, the room's mysterious chill vanishing as suddenly as it had come, though it still felt a bit cooler than he would have thought it should be if he hadn't been too busy feeling indignant to really notice. "What are you talking about? There's nothing above my head! Quit being a dumb ass!"
"Yes there is, Kurokuro!" Fai insisted, his smile widening. "It's pouring rain right on you! And now there's lightning, too! Oh no, Kurochii must be angry!"
"DAMN RIGHT I AM!!" Kurogane snapped. "AND WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THESE RETARDED NICKNAMES?! MY NAME IS KUROGANE, DAMMIT!!"
"I know that," the blond said coolly, "but my nicknames sound so much cuter than your real name!"
"I DON'T WANNA BE CUTE!!" he snarled. He was just about to elaborate on what he did want (mainly to kill Fai) when a knock on the door interrupted his tirade. Kurogane stomped over to the door and whipped it open impatiently. "Yeah, what do you want?"
There was another boy standing outside his door, looking slightly nervous at Kurogane's short-tempered answer.
"Er… I-I was just wondering if everything was alright over here…" he stammered. "I heard shouting and…" The boy paused and stared curiously as though he was giving Kurogane a reevaluation. "Are you… Kurogane san?"
"Who the hell wants to know?" he demanded.
"Oh, excuse me for not introducing myself. I'm Hideki Motosuwa," he said with a hurried bow. "I was just wondering because, well… you were the only one in the whole residence hall who got his own room. A lot of people are pretty jealous of you..."
"Hold on," Kurogane interrupted. "I don't have my own room."
Hideki looked puzzled. "No? A lot of people are talking about it… I guess it's pretty rare that anyone gets a room to themselves."
"Well, I dunno who told you that I have a room to myself but they're wrong," he growled. "I've just met my roommate and he's annoying as hell. He's the one I was yelling at just now."
"Really? Is he here right now?" Hideki asked, standing on his tiptoes as he tried to peek around the taller boy's shadow
"Tch, yeah," Kurogane grumbled. He stepped aside and opened the door a bit wider so that Hideki could get a glimpse of his freak of a roommate. Hideki moved forward a bit, a frown spreading across his face.
"Umm…Where…?"
"Huh?" Kurogane said, turning around to face his room. There was no one there; Fai was gone. "That weasel! Where the hell did he go?!"
"Brr," Hideki shivered, rubbing his hands on his arms. "Why is your room so cold? My room is like an oven!"
"This is the second time it's gotten cold suddenly," Kurogane muttered suspiciously. "I don't know what's going on." He approached the vent that was positioned beneath his window and put a hand over it, trying to see if that was the source of the cold. "It's not coming from the vent…"
"So your roommate just disappeared?" Hideki asked, looking just as perplexed as Kurogane. "But he was just here, right? There's no way he could have left the room with us standing in the doorway… Maybe…the window…?"
"This is the third fucking floor!" Kurogane sputtered, dashing to the window to look for any sign of Fai on the sidewalk below.
There were plenty of people milling around down there, most of them students who were still getting moved in, but there was no sign of Fai splattered on the pavement, or anywhere else for that matter. Kurogane turned back to Hideki, thoroughly confused. There was no way that Fai could have gotten out of the room without him noticing, no tree outside their window that he could have climbed down or ledge that he could be hiding on. Where could he possibly have gone? The expression on Hideki's face was one of hesitant pity.
"What's that look for?" Kurogane asked irritably.
"Nothing, just… I mean, your roommate's side of the room is pretty empty…" he replied slowly.
Understanding dawned on Kurogane. "I didn't imagine him!" he snapped. "He really was here just a second ago!"
"Hmm, well… I still have some unpacking to do," Hideki said, stepping back out into the hallway. "So I'm gonna go back to my room now. It was nice meeting you, Kurogane san."
Kurogane continued to glare at the spot where Hideki had just been even after the boy had closed the door, rubbing his arms absentmindedly in the still-present chill.
"Ah, here it is! I found it!" Fai's voice said suddenly.
Kurogane jumped in surprise and whirled around just in time to see Fai step out from beside his dresser where he had presumably been crouched. The dark-haired boy simply stared at his roommate in complete shock.
Fai smiled and held up a large white button. "I lost a button off my coat but luckily I found it hiding under the dresser."
Kurogane was at a complete loss for words. He was certain that Fai had not been sitting alongside that dresser mere seconds ago but there was no other explanation as to where he could have gone. After all, it wasn't as though people could just appear and disappear as they pleased.
"Uh oh, I think the rain cloud above Kurowanko's head is getting even bigger," Fai trilled, pointing to the space above Kurogane's head again.
"You bastard!" Kurogane shouted, pounding the wall in frustration. "Why the hell didn't you come out and let that guy meet you?! Now he probably thinks I'm some kind of freak and that I just invented you myself!"
Fai shrugged easily again. "I've already had to meet a lot of new people today. I really don't feel like meeting any more."
"You're so damn selfish!" Kurogane snarled.
"If you're not careful, Kuropyon, you'll fill the whole room with rain clouds and all our stuff will get wet!" Fai warned jokingly.
"God, this is gonna be the longest fucking year of my life," Kurogane grumbled as he grabbed his pillow and pulled off the pillowcase which was wet from (what he hoped was) when he had poured water on Fai to wake him up. He noticed then that the chill that had plagued the room during Hideki's visit had once again vanished. Kurogane heaved a sigh, making a mental note to himself to ask at the front desk about having their room's temperature control looked at.
Kurogane glanced up at the gray sky as he made his way back to his dorm room from picking up his textbooks. That had been quite an adventure; the whole university center had been jam-packed with students all trying to push past each other so that they could get at the bookshelves. Kurogane had made the mistake of waiting until move-in day to get his books last year, too, but had forgotten just how nasty it had been. Of course, he had an advantage since he was definitely one of the tallest and strongest ones there but even with intimidation, the other students could only give him so much leeway due to a lack of space.
"Yoo hoo! Kurogane!" someone called from a short distance behind him.
Kurogane turned around and saw Tomoyo running towards him with a small stack of books in her arms. He stopped and let her catch up. The two of them had been friends since grade school.
"I was wondering when I'd bump into you!" she said cheerfully. "Did you get all moved in?"
"Yeah…" he sighed.
"Hmm? Is something the matter, Kurogane?" Tomoyo asked sweetly. "You look a little bit irritated. But then, you're usually irritated about something, aren't you?" She laughed girlishly. "And that little rain cloud above your head is in full action, too, I see."
"What the hell?!" Kurogane snarled. "Why is everyone telling me I have a rain cloud over my head?! I do not!"
"Oh? Who else told you?"
Kurogane heaved another sigh of frustration. "My damn roommate."
"Ah, I see," Tomoyo nodded sagely. "So you're frustrated because you and your roommate don't get along."
"I dunno… he gets along with me just fine," the dark-haired boy growled through gritted teeth. "He even gave me this thing."
Kurogane held up his wrist to show Tomoyo his bracelet. Tomoyo stopped walking when she saw it and hesitantly reached out to touch it. Kurogane watched her questioningly as she ran her delicate fingers over the material.
"What is it?" he asked finally.
"Nothing," she smiled. "I just wanted to see if it was real leather."
"Is it?"
"Yes, it is. I'm impressed! Your roommate must really like you!"
"Hmph," Kurogane said, narrowing his eyes at her in suspicion. He got the distinct feeling that wasn't the real reason she had seemed so interested in it, though she obviously didn't feel like letting him in on that little secret.
"So what's your roommate's name?" she asked innocently.
"I dunno, something weird…" He pretended to have to think about it although in reality he had no trouble remembering. "Fai, or something, I think…"
Tomoyo giggled behind her hand.
"What are you laughing at?!" he demanded.
"You're so funny, Kurogane," she gushed. "The way you're too embarrassed to call anyone by their names is so cute!"
"Dammit! I swear to God, if one more person calls me cute, I'll kill the bastard!" Kurogane raged.
"Was that your roommate, too?" Tomoyo asked eagerly.
"Yeah…that asshole," he grumbled.
"Fai san sounds like the kind of person I would get along with," she said thoughtfully. "You should introduce us."
"Tch. Like hell I will," Kurogane sulked. "You two would probably get together over tea and discuss new ways to piss me off."
"Ooh, I hadn't thought of that! Thank you for the idea, Kurogane!" Tomoyo chirped. "Now I have to meet him!"
"No freaking way," Kurogane said firmly. "Anyway, the guy is nuts. You'd be better off staying as far away from him as possible."
"Are you really looking out for me, Kurogane?" Tomoyo asked in a teasing voice. "Or are you afraid I might steal him away from you?"
"WHY THE FUCK WOULD I BE AFRAID OF THAT?!!" Kurogane raged. "LIKE I GIVE A SHIT IF YOU LIKE THAT GUY!!"
"I'm not so sure about you, Kurogane," she giggled. "I think I detect a hint of jealousy in your voice! And your little rain cloud just started with its lightning and thunder!"
Kurogane had had enough; he didn't have to take this kind of crap from a freshman, especially not a freshman girl. Without another word, he stomped off toward his dorm, leaving Tomoyo to watch him go with a slight smile on her face.
"I think you and Fai san will get along just fine. You're off to a good start, it seems," she said to herself once Kurogane had gone. "And he gave you that kind of bracelet, even… I'm interested to see how this will turn out."
Kurogane spent the rest of the day avoiding his room as much as possible. Something about Fai put him on edge, and it wasn't just the chipper attitude and constant teasing; something about him really just seemed wrong. Not that Kurogane was afraid of him or anything. He would just rather not spend his time in the presence of a total whackjob. Such was his determination to stay out of his room that he even went and hung out in Tomoyo's room for a while, something that he usually avoided doing at all costs. Not only was this because Tomoyo lived in the all-girls dormitory and all the stupid girls that lived there made a big deal about it whenever he came to visit but also because Tomoyo, as a fashion major, always wanted him try on some ridiculous outfit that she'd made.
Eventually, however, he had to return to his own dorm, though he walked as slowly as he could so that he could delay his return as long possible. When he opened the door to his room, a gust of cold air came rushing out to meet him. Actually, since he'd been walking outside for so long where it was hot and humid, he found it somewhat pleasant. All the lights were turned off, and he could see Fai's shape curled up on his own bed, presumably asleep. Kurogane closed the door quietly, not wanting to wake his roommate, and locked it securely behind him.
As Kurogane removed his shirt and crawled into bed, he noticed that the blankets were no longer askew as he had left them after finding the blond in his bed earlier that day. His bed was neatly made and when he lifted the blankets, he was even more surprised to find that they now smelled of laundry soap. Had Fai assumed that Kurogane was avoiding him because he had been deeply bothered by finding him in his bed the first time they ever met and wanted to make it up to him? The notion seemed odd to him but he could think of no other possible explanation. Before he fell asleep, Kurogane looked over at the slim form that lay on the bed across the room from him and wondered vaguely if Fai would be cold without any blankets.
It was about three in the morning when Kurogane next opened his eyes. Why the hell was it so freaking cold in his room?! In the pale moonlight that was creeping in from between the gaps in his curtains, Kurogane could see his breath clouding in front of his face, and his ears and the tip of his nose were numb. He was just about to pull the covers over his head and go back to sleep when he glanced over at Fai. The blond was sitting up and facing the wall but Kurogane could see that he was hugging himself and shaking. Kurogane clamped his eyes shut, knowing that he was going to regret this as soon as the words left his mouth but his conscience wouldn't allow him to leave Fai this way.
"You cold?" Kurogane asked sleepily.
Fai jumped and spun around. "Ah, did…did I wake you, Kurosama? I…I'm sorry…I was just…"
"You can sleep over here if you want," he mumbled, and even though the room was freezing, he could feel his face growing hot.
Fai was silent for a moment in disbelief. "You mean… I can sleep with you?"
"Never mind," Kurogane said hurriedly. "Forget I said it."
"N…no, I…please, it would really…"
"What, so you do want to, then?" Kurogane asked.
"Well…if it's not too much trouble, Kurowanko…" Fai replied timidly.
Kurogane moved over to make room for Fai. The blond crawled into bed next to him and Kurogane felt his stomach leap in terror when Fai made as if to put his arms around him but to his immense relief, his roommate restrained himself.
"Thank you…so much, Kurochuu," Fai whispered as he snuggled under the covers. "Good…good night…"
"Hmm," Kurogane grunted in response, and rolled over so that his back was to the other boy.
"Kuropon!" Fai whispered. "Your little rain cloud is gone! I'm so happy for you!"
"You want me to kick you out?!" Kurogane snapped.
"No, Daddy," his roommate sighed. Kurogane shook his head and lay back down. He noticed as he closed his eyes that the room suddenly seemed quite a bit warmer.
A/N: Wow, I should totally not be writing this right now. I have two tests tomorrow that I ought to be studying for but… KuroFai stories are so much more fun! This turned out kind of weird, though. I'm not sure what to think of it…
So this is going to be my mini-series within the series. I'm not sure how many chapters of it there will be; probably like four or five. They may or may not be consecutive chapters, depending on what I come up with for the remaining prompts.
The next challenge is "scrutinize". Stay tuned!
