A/N: Hey, I'm back with more of Their Love in Fifty Words! I decided to go with a sort of continuation/epilogue deally of my last mini-series (the one where they were princes who got married at the end). Even though I was calling Fai "Yuui" at the end of that story, I'm going to go back to calling him Fai now. Mostly, it's because I like the name Fai better than Yuui, and it's what I'm used to typing, so… Fai it is! I just wanted to clarify that before we got started. Enjoy!
Juvenile
Fai flopped down on his and Kurogane's huge king-sized bed, absolutely exhausted. His sleek white cat, Mokona, who had been curled up between the pillows asleep meowed in alarm at the sudden disturbance. Fai rolled over and scratched her behind the ears apologetically. Mokona emerged from the pillows to stretch luxuriously before climbing up onto Fai's stomach and going right back to sleep, purring loudly as he scratched her.
It had been a long, demanding day. Even though it had been about seven months since their coronation and wedding, both he and Kurogane were still undergoing training to prepare them for their leadership duties. Since there were two of them, they split their obligations between them; Fai was in charge of internal affairs while Kurogane took care of foreign diplomacy. Even this way, with each of them doing half the work, the training was almost overwhelming. Fai couldn't imagine what it would be like if one of them had to shoulder all the responsibility.
He knew that the alternatives to this arrangement were even worse than their present situation, but he couldn't help thinking that maybe he shouldn't have accepted the position of king of Suwa and Celes. For one thing, he felt like he hardly got to spend time with Kurogane anymore, and what they were able to get was marred by the fact that both of them were always worn out from their hours of kingly training. It made him bitterly miss the days they had spent cooking together, having picnics on the roof, napping in the garden, and eating apples in the orchard. If only they could do their training together, Fai was sure even that could be made more bearable if he was able to sit in Kurogane's lap as he listened and completed the exercises.
Aside from not getting to spend nearly enough time together, the stress and high responsibility of their position was getting to them as well. Maybe it was because Fai wasn't capable of seeing the changes in himself as much, but it seemed to him that Kurogane, especially, had taken a turn for the worse. When Fai had first met him, Kurogane's short-temperedness had seemed to be, for the most part, his way of covering up his natural sweet and shy nature. Now it was like he was short-tempered because he actually hated the world and everything in it. The smallest things would set him off into fits of rage and cause him to swear and throw things, and then fume in silence for hours afterwards. When he wasn't throwing a tantrum, he was silent and moody.
Even though Kurogane hated it when Fai worried or fussed over him, the blond couldn't help being scared for him. Ever since their training had begun to really get intensive, the dark-haired prince seemed to have lost his appetite and this, in turn, affected Fai's ability to enjoy his own food. Both of them had lost weight after Kurogane had lost his parents and Fai had lost his twin, and now they were continuing their downward spiral. Neither of them had had much weight to spare in the first place, and Fai was aware that both of them were starting to look a bit skeletal. Not only that, but Fai had a hard time remembering the last time he had actually seen Kurogane asleep. Though they both crawled into bed together at the end of each day, Fai couldn't recall ever having seen Kurogane close his eyes. He would be awake when Fai was finally able to drift off and he would still be awake when Fai opened his eyes again the next morning. The dark-haired king was starting to develop dark shadows around his eyes, making them look sunken in. Fai had started noticing a similar effect on himself when he realized that Kurogane was having such difficulty sleeping.
Fai knew when they had first gotten married how deeply Kurogane cared for him, but now he wasn't so sure. He very rarely responded to Fai's affection these days and sometimes would refuse it outright. This, in turn, brought out the worst in Fai. He felt alienated, lonely, empty and unwanted. Even though he did his best to smile like he always did, behind closed doors Fai felt as though he was constantly on the verge of tears. Hoping to find some consolation, he went to visit his entertainment friends for the first time in months yesterday. It wasn't that he'd been avoiding them; he simply hadn't had time before then. He managed a small smile at the memory of their supportiveness. They had all been eager to offer him comfort…
"Eh?! Fai san?!" Sakura gasped as she opened the door to find him standing there. "Everyone! Fai san is back!"
In spite of his troubles, Fai couldn't help smiling a little as all the girls welcomed him into the practice hall and clustered around him excitedly. Nakuru squealed joyfully and threw her arms around him. He grinned sheepishly as she persuaded him to sit in her lap and nuzzled her cheek against his hair affectionately. The other girls sat down with them, practically bubbling over with questions.
"Oh, Fai kun! You look terrible! Like you haven't eaten or slept in a really long time!"
"Where have you been, Fai kun? We haven't seen you in ages!"
"Is it fun being king?"
"Chii?"
"How come you don't come visit us anymore?"
"I'm sorry," Fai said earnestly. "I really wanted to come see you guys sooner, but I guess it takes a lot of training if you want to be a good king. Kurosama and I have both been really busy ever since our coronation ceremony…"
He bowed his head sadly when he found that he couldn't keep his smile in place anymore.
"Are things not going well between you and Kurogane sama, Fai kun?" Himawari asked gently.
Fai blinked at her with his wide blue eyes. "Hmm? What gives you that idea?"
"When you mentioned Kurogane sama's name just now, you looked really sad," Rika chimed.
"If he's being mean to you, Fai kun, I don't care if he is king; I'll punch him right in the nose!" Suzuran declared boldly.
"Yes!" Chiharu agreed. "And I'll strangle him!"
"But Kurogane Ou is scary!" Sumomo cried. "If you do that kind of stuff to him, he'll be really mad!"
"We don't care!" Suzuran said. "He's not going to get away with bullying our Fai kun!"
Fai gave them a pained smile as he looked around at their determined, indignant faces. "Thank you… you girls are the best friends I could ever ask for. But it's not Kurochan's fault, really. It's just that… I guess the training stresses him out a lot, and that makes him all…grumpy. With all that pressure on him, it's hard for him to be sweet like he used to be."
Chii leaned forward to study his face curiously. "Did Kurogane Ou hurt Fai?" she asked.
Fai tried to smile and tell her that Kurogane hadn't laid a finger on him, but when confronted by her honest, innocent amber eyes he found himself unable to lie. He quickly averted his eyes, feeling his cheeks coloring under the scrutiny of the entertainers.
"For real?! He hurt you?!" Suzuran demanded in abhorrence. Fai could see her hands curling into fists at her sides.
"It… it didn't hurt," the blond boy mumbled, not looking at any of them. "I just… He looked really upset, so I tried to put my hand on his shoulder and he slapped it away… It was my fault for trying to touch him when he didn't want me to…"
"You're married!" Suzuran said forcefully. "You have every right to give him comfort whenever he looks like he needs it! That's no excuse for him to slap your hand!"
Fai could feel tears filling his eyes. He knew she was right, but at the same time that Kurogane's stress was controlling his actions rather than an actual conscious desire to hurt him. It wasn't fair of him to turn all the entertainers against the dark-haired king by telling them that. Fai sighed shakily. All he wanted was to get this stupid training over with so that he and Kurogane could go back to being how they were before. He jumped when someone took his hand. He looked up into the face of Sakura.
"Kurogane sama is usually such a kind person; I don't think he's trying to hurt you, Fai san," she said softly. "Have you tried talking to him about it yet?"
Fai hurriedly wiped his eyes on his sleeve and shook his head. "No, I… I guess I was afraid that he might start to hate me even more if I did that."
"Kurogane sama doesn't hate you," Sakura assured him. "He loves you. If you just let him know that he's hurting you, I'm sure he'll stop right away."
Fai considered her words. He couldn't believe that the solution could be something so simple, but at the same time, he could see the wisdom in her suggestion. Perhaps he could give it a shot. He smiled at her.
"That's a good idea, Sakura chan. I'll try that."
When the door opened suddenly, Fai started and sat up quickly, once again disturbing Mokona. Kurogane stumbled in, looking irritable and tired. The little blond scooted over to make more room for him as he approached the bed and flopped down on it. Fai watched him as he heaved a sigh and closed his eyes. He could tell that Kurogane had had a bad day, and he desperately wanted to take him into his arms and hold and kiss him until the memories of the day's unpleasantness drifted away. But what if Kurogane snapped at him again? Fai didn't know if he'd be able to take that. Eventually, however, his desire to comfort his husband won him over and he rolled over so that he could reach out to him uncertainly.
"Don't touch me," Kurogane growled, not even bothering to open his eyes.
"Sorry," Fai said meekly. "Kurosama looked like he'd had a bad day… I just wanted to comfort you."
"I don't need it!" he snapped. "Quit treating me like I'm some stupid little kid!"
"But we are kids," the blond pointed out bemusedly. "It's been so long since the last time we cuddled, Kurotan… I just want to hold you for a little—"
"God, do you ever freaking stop talking?!" Kurogane interrupted, clapping his hands over his ears. "I didn't ask your damn opinion! Try to touch me again and I'll kill you!"
Fai clutched his heart, feeling it breaking beneath his fingers. What had happened to make Kurogane so hateful towards him? Was it something Fai had done? Whatever it was, he was deeply sorry for it. He just wanted his Kurogane back, the one who loved him unconditionally.
"… I… I love you," the blond squeaked, trying to control the pain in his voice. "Is it a bad thing that I want to be there for you when you're sad or stressed out?"
Kurogane was silent, as though suddenly realizing what a monster he was being.
"It makes me sad when you treat me like this, Kurowanko," Fai continued in a voice that was scarcely above a whisper. "I just want to be with you… I… I just want you to hold me like you used to and tell me you love me…"
Kurogane lifted his gaze to meet Fai's, studying him in silence with a slight frown as if to make sure he was telling the truth. Then he huffed as he rolled over so that his back was facing Fai and curled up, clutching his stomach.
"Is your tummy hurting again, Kuropin?" he asked softly. Recently Kurogane had developed frequent stomach aches. When Fai had forced him to see the doctor about it, the doctor had said that they were a product of stress and that he should try to take it easy or else it could evolve into something far worse. Naturally, Kurogane had blown him off. Fai had had to accept the prescription on his behalf.
"I'll make you some tea, alright?" he offered, forcing himself to his feet.
"Nooo," Kurogane groaned as Fai headed to their kitchenette. "I hate that stuff."
Fai smiled wryly. "Kuropyon doesn't want to be treated like a kid, but he still whines like one."
"Shut up," the raven-haired boy huffed.
Fai grinned slightly as he added the medicinal tea leaves to the strainer ball and prepared the hot water. Apparently what he had said had made Kurogane feel at least a little guilty. That last exchange seemed more like the Kurogane that he knew and loved. Once he had put the kettle on the stove, he came back to the bed and sat down on it. Hesitantly, he reached out and touched Kurogane's hair, waiting to see if he would be shouted at. This time, Kurogane accepted him. Fai ran his fingers through the taller king's unruly hair gently.
"Kuropipi…What would you say to taking a little vacation?" he asked warily.
Kurogane frowned. "Vacation?"
"Well, the doctor said it might be a good idea for you to take a few days off since this training makes you so stressed out," Fai explained quickly. "Plus I feel like I haven't been able to spend any time with Kurowanwan recently, and I thought it might be fun. You could even pick where we go. I don't really care where it is as long as I'm there with Ouwanko."
Actually, Fai had been sitting on this idea for quite a while, waiting anxiously for an opportune moment to plead his case to Kurogane. With his husband being so angry and unreceptive lately, Fai had been starting to worry that the right time might never come.
"Whatever," Kurogane grunted eventually. "Can't be any worse than this lame-ass training crap. Might be nice to have a break, I guess."
The blond let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He hadn't expected Kurogane to agree with so little persuasion. His heart lightened tremendously, his face breaking into the first true smile he'd worn in months as he threw his arms around the king and nuzzled against him joyfully. Even though they were married now, Kurogane could still feel himself blushing at Fai's grateful kisses.
As Fai's lips touched his skin for the first time in so long, something stirred within the taller king's chest, reminding him just how deeply he loved the sweet little blond. It seemed strange, but Fai's kisses drew him in, almost as if bringing him back from some dark, ugly place that he'd been lost in for a long time and given up hope of ever escaping. Even though he hadn't physically gone anywhere, Kurogane realized now how badly he'd missed Fai, his touch, his warmth, his love. Their snuggles were interrupted by the whistling of the kettle, announcing that the water for Kurogane's medicinal tea was ready.
"I can't wait! This will be so much fun!" Fai sang as he hopped up from the bed to prepare the tea. As soon as he had poured it into a cup and added a dash of lemon juice, he pulled Kurogane close again so that he could hold him while he drank his tea. "I'm tired of having to act like an adult all the time," the blond mumbled. "I just wanna be a kid again."
Kurogane tried to sip his tea in silence as Fai tickled his cheek affectionately but it tasted too gross for him not to say anything. "What the hell is in this stuff anyway? Tastes like piss."
Fai laughed softly. "And how do you know that, Kuropin? Has my bad doggy been drinking out of the toilet again?"
"Shut up! That's disgusting!" Kurogane snapped. "I would never do something so—"
Fai laughed again and silenced him with a kiss. To the dark-haired king's disappointment, Fai pulled away quickly and made a face.
"Yucky! You're right, Kuropyon; that tea does taste gross!" he agreed.
"Told you so," Kurogane grumbled.
"I'm so glad that you're the one who has to drink it and not me!" the little blond chirped.
"You bastard!" Kurogane growled putting his tea down on the bedside table. "Just wait 'til I…"
Fai felt a thrill in his chest, thinking that Kurogane might chase him around the room, threatening his life like he used to. Oh, how he had missed the death threats. But when Kurogane fell silent, Fai looked down at him worriedly to see the other king clutching his stomach again and gritting his teeth in pain, sweat standing out against his forehead.
"Do you want me to get the doctor, Kurosama?" Fai asked fearfully.
"…No…" the dark-haired boy panted.
His trembling fingers clutched Fai's robes so hard that his knuckles turned white. Fai, not knowing how to help his husband, held him loosely, not wanting to aggravate his condition by squeezing him too hard. The blond shook, too, afraid that something might be terribly wrong with Kurogane. He had heard before about people getting so stressed out that they got holes in their stomachs. What if that was what was happening to Kurogane? He decided that he didn't care if the other boy didn't want to see the doctor; he wasn't going to sit here and let him suffer.
"I'm going to get the doctor, Kuropipi," he whispered. "I'll be right back, ok?"
"…No…" Kurogane choked again. "S-stay…"
He shook more violently and held him tighter to keep him from leaving. Fai started when he realized why the other king didn't want him to go. Kurogane was afraid. He had never known Kurogane to be so scared of anything before. It made sense, though, when he thought about it. The other things that Kurogane came up against, evil kings, demons, and the like were things he could defeat with a sword. But when something like this was going on inside of him, it wasn't in his power to defeat it. He had to rely on others, in this case, the doctor, to tell him how to solve the problem. It made him feel powerless and that brought fear.
"Don't be afraid, Kurochan," Fai cooed, stroking his hair soothingly, trying hard to keep his voice calm. "I won't leave you. But if you want the pain to stop, we have to see the doctor. Please. I don't like to see you hurting. Please come with me to see the doctor."
Eventually, he was able to persuade the young warrior to loop his arm around his shoulders so that he could help him to the medical wing.
Dr. Mihara folded his arms and shook his head in exasperation. "Really, Fai sama, don't you take care of your husband at all?"
Fai blinked at him in confusion. "Eh?"
"Just look at him! He's all bony and he's got eyes like a zombie!" he scolded. "If he's lost his appetite and can't sleep, you should bring him here right away! Don't wait until he's got an alien bursting out of his stomach!"
"Is there something bad in his stomach?!" Fai demanded, looking worried.
"Well, I didn't mean that literally but… you don't know the first thing about being married, do you?" Dr. Mihara said.
Fai fell silent and looked guiltily at the ground. How could he know anything about being married? He'd never been married before. Besides, he was still just a child. But that didn't keep him from feeling like he'd somehow neglected Kurogane.
"Of course you don't know," Dr. Mihara sighed. "You're still just a kid. But I'm feeling generous today, so I'll impart a little of my omnipotent wisdom on you."
Fai looked back up at him, stunned. "Are you married, Dr. Mihara?"
Dr. Mihara looked indignant. "What's with that face? Of course I'm married! Oh, I get it; you're thinking "no way could a suspicious old guy like you ever be married", is that it?"
Fai was silent. Dr. Mihara had pretty much hit the nail on the head.
"Why does everyone have that reaction when they find out that I have a wife?!" he wailed, crocodile tears streaming down his face.
"Sorry!" Fai said quickly. "I've just never seen her or heard you talk about her before! That's why I was surprised!"
"She works here with me," Dr. Mihara sniffled, wiping the fake tears from his eyes. "She's the pharmacist."
"Hmm? You mean Hibiya san?!" the blond gasped.
"You're making that face again," the doctor pouted.
"Are you going to give him your stupid advice or what?" Kurogane interrupted irritably.
"Oh yeah… what was I going to tell you again?" Mihara wondered aloud.
Kurogane rolled his eyes.
"Mm, I remember now. Here's something you have to know about marriage, Fai sama," Mihara began somberly. "Are you ready?"
Fai nodded, listening closely.
"No matter how knowledgeable, no matter how tough, no matter how independent they seem, husbands are probably the most helpless creatures in the world, next to newborns," Dr. Mihara announced dramatically.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kurogane snarled. "Anyway, in case you haven't noticed, he's my husband, too. And didn't you just say that you were married?"
Mihara chose to ignore him. "If you don't make his meals and sit with him to make sure he eats it, if you don't tuck him in and hold his hand as he falls asleep, if you don't wrap his wounds and kiss them better, he'd probably just sit around in the dark all day wondering what he's supposed to do. Husbands are really helpless that way. Just remember that for the future, alright?"
Kurogane stared at the doctor, his eyes blazing with fury as Fai giggled. "What the fuck?! That was the sappiest, stupidest piece of bullshit I've ever heard!! You may be a complete loser, but I sure as hell am not helpless!! I can take care of myself just fine!!"
Mihara laughed out loud. "Sure, I'm the complete loser, and you're sitting in my office, half-starved, totally exhausted, a hole being eaten into your stomach by your own juices, waiting for me to make you better."
Kurogane ground his teeth, realizing that Mihara was completely right. He had been woefully unsuccessful in taking care of himself and now he was waiting for the doctor to fix his errors for him. When had he become such a disgusting, needy person who was incapable of doing anything for himself? Why did it seem that he was more of a child now, when the fate of two countries were on his shoulders, than he ever had been in his entire life?
Fai smiled as he hugged the fuming dark-haired king and kissed his forehead. "It's ok, Kuropin; I know you're not as helpless as Mihara sensei says you are. Even if you were, I would still love taking care of you."
"Are you gonna do your damn job and tell me how to keep my freaking stomach from being eaten away or are you just going to give us that bullshit advice and kick us out of here?" Kurogane growled.
Mihara smirked. "Well, obviously since you're too immature to handle that tea I gave you, I'll have to come up with something else, won't I?"
"I could fire you in a heartbeat, you bastard," Kurogane reminded him darkly.
"You're going to take respite," Mihara ordered.
Fai and Kurogane stared at him blankly. Mihara sighed. "A trip, vacation, holiday, retreat—"
"Alright! We get it!" Kurogane snapped.
"And no shortcuts, now," Mihara warned. "I won't have you coming back in three days, pretending to be healed. It'll be a nice long one, let's say two weeks, and you'll be going somewhere away from the city."
"Where should we go, then?" Fai asked.
"I believe the royal family has a summer home on the beach in the southern part of the country, correct? You can go there," the doctor suggested. "You'll leave in two days, no exceptions."
Fai looked over at his still sulking husband as the two of them left Dr. Mihara's office and grinned. "Looks like we've got no other choice, huh, Kurowanwan? I guess we'll just have to go on this wonderful beach vacation and have lots of fun, whether we like it or not."
Kurogane huffed and rolled his eyes but couldn't help blushing slightly as he took Fai's hand in his. He was willing to bet that the blond looked absolutely stunning in his swimming trunks.
Fai looked absolutely stunning in his swimming trunks. Kurogane could actually feel his face reddening as he drank in the smaller king's beauty. The brilliant sunlight dancing on the surface of the water, the gentle breeze that made Fai's golden hair dance, the quiet sound of the waves lapping against the shore and the prospect of spending time with his beloved husband after so long of hardly seeing him made Kurogane's heart pound with anticipation. Fai smiled sweetly at him as Kurogane pulled him close and touched his lips several times to the blond's sun-warmed skin.
"You're so handsome in your swimming trunks, Kurosama," Fai giggled, tracing his husband's collarbone lightly with his fingertip.
"You're not half bad, either," Kurogane admitted with a slight smirk, kissing his neck.
"Oh!" Fai exclaimed, "I just remembered, we can't have fun on the beach until we put on this sunburn potion that Mihara sensei sent with us."
"Tch. I don't need anything from that guy," Kurogane grumbled, his pride still bruised from the events that had taken place at his last checkup.
"Don't be like that, Kurochii," Fai pouted. "Besides, we're on this trip so that we can heal. How are we supposed to do that if we get all burnt up?"
He produced their towels from his beach bag and spread them out on the sand. Kurogane plunked down on his and watched as Fai reached into his bag again and pulled out a round blue bottle of lotion. The little blond gave him a sunny smile.
"Help me put it on?" he requested.
Kurogane smirked again as he squeezed some into his hand and began to massage it into Fai's soft pale skin. Fai closed his eyes and purred happily as he leaned into the dark-haired king's affectionate touch. Kurogane tangled his fingers into Fai's hair, carefully holding it up so that he could apply some potion to the back of his neck and making Fai shiver with pleasure. Once he had finished, he kissed Fai's ear lightly and handed the bottle back to him.
"Kurowanta's turn!" the smaller king sang as he poured a bit of lotion into his own hand.
Kurogane stretched out on his beach towel and allowed Fai's slender fingers to rub the potion all over him. He worked slowly, as if he was enjoying giving the massage as much as Kurogane enjoyed receiving it. Kurogane could feel his tense muscles responding favorably to his husband's touch; they seemed to relax like magic beneath Fai's fingertips. He opened his eyes slowly when Fai finally stopped, disappointed that the moment was over. Fai was looking at the lotion bottle thoughtfully. Then, without any warning, the blond lifted open the back of Kurogane's swimming trunks and squeezed a huge blob of lotion down his pants. Kurogane jumped and whipped around to glare at him, blushing furiously.
"What?" Fai asked innocently, though he clearly had to work hard to conceal his laughter. "We wouldn't want Kuropon's sensitive hiney to burn, would we?"
Kurogane jumped to his feet, his eyes blazing, but he immediately regretted his rash actions as pain shot through his stomach again. He fell to his knees, clutching his middle. The light-haired king's fair features were marred by concern once more as he pulled Kurogane close.
"Maybe it's best if you don't try to move around too much," he suggested quietly, placing a soft kiss on his husband's forehead. "Why don't we just lie in the sun for a while, alright? You can take a nap, if you want. It might help."
Kurogane allowed Fai to hold and kiss him, but he couldn't make himself go to sleep, in spite of his exhaustion.
Fai returned to his place beside Kurogane on the sand, bringing with him some chilled glasses and freshly squeezed lemonade. He smiled sympathetically at the taller boy as he poured him some.
"Are you feeling any better now, Kurochan?" he asked, pouring his own drink and taking a taste.
"Hn," Kurogane grunted, looking slightly embarrassed as he took a sip of his lemonade.
"And you couldn't sleep at all, huh?" Fai sighed.
"No…"
"Is there still something bothering you?" Fai asked, pulling Kurogane close again and letting him rest his head on his shoulder.
Kurogane was silent. Fai kissed him. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Maybe later," Kurogane mumbled, hiding his face in his glass as he took another gulp of lemonade.
The blond looked a little bit hurt, but he knew that talking about feelings was one of Kurogane's weak points and that it was nothing personal.
"Well, how about if we go fishing for now then?" he asked, trying to inject some cheerfulness into his voice. "If we catch anything, maybe we can have one of the servants cook it for dinner!"
Kurogane looked a bit doubtful but Fai looked so excited about the idea. He drained the last of his lemonade. "Fine," he agreed.
"Yay!" the blond cheered. He gulped down his lemonade and smacked his lips in satisfaction before pulling Kurogane to his feet.
"Why the hell did you suggest fishing if you can't even put the worm on your own damn hook?" Kurogane grumbled, spearing the night-crawler on Fai's fishing hook.
"Sorry," Fai said with an apologetic grin. "It's just so yucky and slimy, though!"
"Hmph," Kurogane puffed, handing over Fai's pole.
"Hyuu! Thank you, Kuropiko!" Fai cheered, kissing him gratefully. He drew back his pole and tossed the line out into the water. Kurogane baited his own hook and tossed it out next to Fai's.
"Do you think the fishies will come if I sing to them?" Fai asked curiously.
"Tch. No, you'd probably end up scaring them off," Kurogane sneered.
"How mean, Kuropuu!" Fai whined. "I'm a good singer!"
The dark-haired king snorted doubtfully.
"I mean it!" the smaller boy insisted. "Here, listen!"
Fai opened his mouth and began to sing in his native language. Kurogane couldn't help being surprised; the soft, sweet sound of Fai's voice sent shivers down his spine. The taller king was mesmerized by the song. He couldn't believe what talent Fai had. To tell the truth, it made him want to pounce on him and kiss him over and over again until his lips were too tired to continue anymore. But if he did that, he reminded himself, he might end up tipping the boat over. He'd do it later. No sooner had Fai finished his song then Kurogane felt a slight tug on his line. His eyes widened.
"Hey… I think I've got something," Kurogane said.
"Yay! It worked! It worked!" Fai chirped. "Ooh! And I've got something, too!"
"No way," the dark-haired king mumbled as he began to reel in his line.
"I'm a little surprised that it worked so well, too, actually," Fai admitted with a grin.
Then he gasped as the fish suddenly began to pull hard against him. Kurogane barely noticed; he was too busy jerking on his line with all his strength. Fai grabbed the edge of the boat, trying to keep himself inside it, but the fish gave a final almighty tug and pulled him right over the edge and into the lake with a splash. He broke the surface again, coughing and sputtering. Once he'd wiped the water out of his eyes, he looked up at Kurogane in surprise. The dark-haired king was holding up both of their fishing poles, Fai's hanging on to Kurogane's by their intertwined lines. Kurogane looked thoroughly unimpressed. Fai burst out laughing.
"Looks like caught each other, huh?" Fai giggled as Kurogane rolled his eyes, set down their fishing poles and reached out his hand to help his husband back into the boat. Once Fai was out of the water, he threw himself at Kurogane and pressed their lips together, still smiling.
"I made a good catch!" he chirped, nuzzling against him.
"G-get off!" Kurogane stammered, his cheeks turning a brilliant pink color. "You're soaking wet and your mouth tastes like gross lake water!"
"What was that, Kuro-fishy? You want another kiss? Pucker up!"
"No! Cut it out!"
"So, in the end we didn't even catch one stupid fish," Kurogane grumbled sullenly.
"No, but we still had fun, right?" Fai pointed out. "Besides, this fish from the store is really good, too!"
Kurogane sulked as he stared into the fire that he and Fai were snuggled up next to on the beach.
"Aren't you going to eat yours, Kuropin?" Fai asked, his smile being replaced with a look of concern.
"I'm not hungry," he said.
"Won't you just have a little?" the blond requested, holding up a piece of roasted fish on his fork.
"…" Kurogane turned away in refusal.
"Is your tummy hurting again?" Fai asked quietly.
Kurogane continued to stare silently at the yellow flames, acting as if he hadn't heard Fai's question. The blond sighed and finished off his fish then flopped down on his back in the sand. After a moment, he tugged on the back of Kurogane's shirt, signaling that he wanted him to lie down beside him. Kurogane obeyed with some reluctance. Fai laced their fingers together as they looked up at the night sky.
"The stars are really pretty out here, aren't they?" Fai noted. "It's harder to see them in the city because of all the lights, but there's no problem now."
Kurogane still said nothing. Fai looked over at him with a slight frown on his beautiful face.
"Why don't you tell me what's bothering you, Kurowanta?" Fai asked. "You know how it makes us feel better to talk to each other when we have a problem, right?"
"…You'll probably just laugh," Kurogane mumbled, turning his head away so that Fai wouldn't see him blushing.
The smaller boy rolled over so that he could hug him and stroke his hair. "I would never laugh at something like this, Kurochuu."
Kurogane hesitated, a pained expression on his face. "…I don't think I'm cut out to be king," he admitted finally.
Fai was quiet, waiting for him to continue.
"I mean, when my father was doing it, I never really paid attention to all the stuff he had to deal with because I figured I had a really long time until I would have to do it myself. He just made it seem so easy, like there was nothing to it. But now that we're doing this training, I see that it's not easy at all…"
"But we're still just children," Fai reminded him soothingly. "Of course it's going to be harder."
"He was doing it all by himself, though!" Kurogane said, his voice breaking slightly. "We're doing it together and I still can't handle it! I mean, I thought I was strong enough to do anything, but I'm really… And now that I know how hard he must have had to work to keep the kingdom running as smooth as it is, I feel like I'd better grow up real fast and learn everything so I don't screw it up… One wrong move and I could totally ruin everything he worked so hard for…"
"That's what we have advisors for, Kurokuro," Fai said. "All we have to do is try our best and ask our advisors before we make any big decisions. They know what they're doing. We don't have to grow up right away just because some bad things happened and we had to take the throne when we're still kids."
Kurogane was silent as he considered Fai's words. Fai smiled at him.
"Besides, your mother and father are still watching over us, even though they're gone. And even if something happens, they'll know that you're doing everything in your power to make sure you don't disappoint them. I'm sure if they were here now, they'd tell you not to give up because they have faith in you." The blond kissed him. "I know I do."
"Hn," Kurogane grunted eventually.
The next time Fai looked down at Kurogane, he was fast asleep in his arms.
A/N: Well, this turned out to be longer than I expected… I hope that ending wasn't too cheesy. And I hope it followed the prompt well enough. I always have a harder time keeping Kurogane IC when he has to make some sort of speech, so I hope I didn't mess him up ; Looks like I'm just as uncertain about this as I always am.
