A/N: Howdy, folks! Did you miss me? I really don't have a good excuse for my absence, aside from the fact that nothing I write seems to be turning out lately. That, and the fact that my roommate has introduced me to the wonders of Phoenix Wright and I'm so utterly and desperately in love with it that I haven't felt like doing much else aside from playing it… Sorry! Forgive me!

Speaking of my need for forgiveness (heh heh), I think I may experience it again once you all have read this chapter. It's just a silly, slightly fluffy little PWP piece based on something that I've kind of wondered as I read Tsubasa. Tell me I'm not the only one who's wondered about this, please! Anyway, do try to enjoy, alright?


Silky

Fai could tell when he awoke that morning that it was going to be a good day. Any day that began with him waking to find Kurogane's face buried in his chest and strong arms curled around his body as though Fai was an oversized teddy bear was bound to be good. The ex-magician tried to pull away slightly so that he could see Kurogane's handsome sleeping face, but Kurogane groaned in protest and held him tight so that he couldn't move. This made Fai laugh quietly, a gentle melodic sound that, admittedly, still made Kurogane's heart pound every time he heard it. He bowed his head so that he could touch his lips ever so lightly to the ninja's ear. Kurogane shivered at the light touch to his secret soft spot, pushing the blond away and growling irritably at the fact that not only had Fai awoken him before he was ready but now he was harassing him.

"Ooh, did I just discover my puppy's secret weakness?" Fai giggled. "Does Kuropipi not like it when I kiss his sensitive ears?"

"Leave my ears alone, dammit," Kurogane grumbled sleepily, rolling over in hopes of being able to drift off again.

The blond sat up, grinning brightly, and waited, luring his prey into a false sense of security before leaning over and kissing the tip of his lover's ear again. Faster than normal human eyes could follow, Kurogane snatched the front of Fai's pajama shirt, jerking him roughly over his side and holding him to his chest in an almost bone-crunching hug. Fai made a noise somewhere between a squeal of delight and a half-hearted whine of disappointment and indignation. Kurogane was holding him in such a way that he couldn't reach his tender ears. Not only that, but…

"Wah! What a bad doggy!" the blond scolded gleefully. "Look, you ripped my shirt."

"Aah?" Kurogane grunted, holding Fai out in front of him so that he could see the damage for himself. Most of the buttons that had been holding Fai's pale blue nightshirt closed had popped off, unable to handle the force of Kurogane's sudden tug.

"Hmph, serves you right, bastard," he huffed, smiling just a little in spite of himself.

"It's ruined!" Fai pouted, though if truth be told, he really didn't give a crap about the shirt, instead enjoying the ninja's closeness and the sleepy smirk on his face.

Kurogane, realizing that he had pretty much no chance of being allowed to go back to sleep, figured he might as well make the most of the situation. After all, the beautiful blond in his arms was warm and soft and smelled very nice. Plus, Fai's shirt was already most of the way off anyway; Kurogane was morally obligated to finish the job. He smirked again as he tore Fai's shirt open the rest of the way, exposing his snowy white chest.

"I'll show you 'ruined'," he growled, lowering his mouth to Fai's perfect silken skin.

The magician giggled when Kurogane touched a soft, teasing kiss just above his belly button and began to move upwards slowly, his kisses becoming hungrier and a bit rougher with each one he administered. By the time the ninja reached the center of his chest, he was leaving angry little red marks that stood out against Fai's ivory skin.

"Ouchy!" Fai gasped, jerking away slightly in pain. "Not so rough, Kuropipi!"

Kurogane reluctantly paused to survey the marks he had left. "Don't be such a baby," he growled, though Fai could tell that there was no real scorn in his voice.

"Be careful with me, please, Kurosama," the blond requested coyly. He propped himself up on his elbows so that he could brush a few soft kisses against the rim of the warrior's sensitive ears in punishment for his rough-housing and smirked in satisfaction when it sent a little shiver through Kurogane's body. "I like it so much better when you're gentle."

Kurogane gave him a derisive little snort of irritation, but his thumb stroked Fai's cheek lovingly. Fai relaxed onto the bed again, ready to receive more kisses. Instead, to his disappointment, Kurogane just continued to stroke his cheek slowly. Fai pouted cutely up at him. When he looked into his lover's scarlet eyes, he noticed the thoughtfulness present there. True, it was a completely adorable expression, but personally, Fai would rather have the kisses.

"Something wrong, Kurochuu?" he asked sweetly, propping himself up once more so that he could touch his lips to Kurogane's neck.

"…No…" Kurogane replied hesitantly.

Fai smiled at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. Kurogane's only response was to continue running his thumb slowly down the blond's cheek. Fai tilted his head questioningly.

"…Are you sure there's nothing you want to say?" he asked. "Kurochii looks like he's wondering about something."

Kurogane's frown deepened as he sat up and scooped Fai into his lap. The blond was confused when the ninja nuzzled his nose gently against Fai's cheek, then touched the area softly with his lips. But these weren't the passionate kisses that he had been treating Fai to earlier, these seemed somehow curious and purposeful. The ninja appeared to be looking for something.

"…Do you shave?" Kurogane asked suddenly.

"Eh?" Fai looked at him in bewilderment. "What?"

"Don't pretend you didn't hear me," the swordsman countered shrewdly. "Just answer the question: do you or don't you?"

Fai didn't know what to say. Why in the world would it matter to Kurogane whether he shaved or not? Finally, the sorcerer slipped his usual smile back on, deciding that this must be some sort of game. Kurogane could be so weird sometimes.

"Why do you ask, Kurowanwan? Is my skin not smooth enough for you?"

"Don't be stupid," Kurogane huffed. "It's perfect, just like every other damn thing about you."

Fai giggled at the gruff compliment. "Then what's the problem?"

"It's too perfect," the warrior said, still frowning. "How could it be so smooth in the morning when you haven't even shaved yet?"

"Who says I haven't?" Fai asked playfully. "Maybe I snuck out of bed earlier this morning and shaved and had a shower before Kurorin even woke up."

"Don't bother trying to lie to me, moron," Kurogane warned. "I can always tell. Besides, I would have noticed if you'd gotten out of bed."

Fai reached up and let his slender fingers explore Kurogane's cheek. There was indeed a hint of stubble there, albeit not much. Fai laughed; he had been so wrapped up in enjoying the ninja's affection that he hadn't even noticed until this very moment.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" Kurogane demanded irritably.

"I was just wondering what Kuropyon would look like with a goatee," Fai grinned, letting his fingers play lightly across the warrior's chin. "Have you ever tried growing one?"

"Don't try to change the subject, you slippery bastard," he growled, tangling his fingers into Fai's hair. "You're not going to be able to distract me into forgetting that you still haven't answered my question."

Fai pouted. "Don't be mean, Kurotan," he whined. "Every man my age shaves! What are you trying to suggest?"

Kurogane raised an eyebrow at him, a slight smirk finding its way onto his face. His sharp eyes didn't miss the fact that Fai was now blushing, although it was so slight that anyone else probably would have missed it. So it was just as he suspected; Fai had never shaved a day in his life. The moment that Kurogane realized this was quite possibly one of the most triumphant moments of his existence. His chances to mess with and embarrass Fai were few and far between, so any opportunity that arose would be cherished deeply.

"Guess you're right," he grunted, trying to keep his smirk in check. "What kind of pretty-boy pansy wouldn't be shaving at your age?"

He practically had to bite his tongue to keep from releasing a snort of laughter at the indignant look that flashed ever so briefly across the slender magician's face and the slight increase in the blush on his fair cheeks.

"That's right," Fai pouted, promptly propping himself up again so that he could kiss the ninja's ear again several times, simultaneously exacting a bit of revenge and hiding his embarrassment.

The sorcerer tried to console himself, putting a mental bandage on his slightly wounded pride. Of course he could shave if he wanted to; he just didn't feel like it! Even in the midst of his bemusement, Fai was able to notice the strangeness of his reaction to Kurogane's accusation. Since when had he cared about people thinking he was a fruitcake? That had certainly never bothered him before. Fai put it down to the fact that he was too used to being the teaser rather than the teasee and tried to put it from his mind.


Kurogane was puzzled the next morning when he awoke to find the space in bed beside him usually occupied by Fai empty. That was weird… he hadn't even felt the blond get up. Kurogane sat up and stretched before glancing out the window. The sun was just starting to rise. Why in the world was he even awake at this hour? The ninja was just about to lie down again and go back to sleep when he decided that he might as well use the bathroom while he was up. He disentangled himself from the sheets and stumbled toward the bathroom. The light was on and the door was closed most of the way, but Kurogane's still half-sleeping brain didn't process that this probably meant it was occupied until he had already pushed the door open a little.

He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes, trying to clear away the sleep so that he could clearly make out the figure that was leaning towards the mirror. It was Fai. Kurogane opened his mouth to announce his presence, which Fai apparently hadn't noticed yet, but stopped dead when he realized that the blond had shaving cream smeared all over the lower half of his face. In his hand, he held Kurogane's razor, which he ran slowly down his cheeks in straight, even lines.

The warrior stared, transfixed by the scene before him. Although he had wondered several times throughout their journey whether Fai ever needed to shave, he had never actually been able to picture him doing so. To tell the truth, he found it kind of amusing. Fai flinched and gasped suddenly, clapping a hand to his cheek. Wincing in pain, he drew his fingers away to examine them for blood.

"Aah…" the wizard sighed shakily, hurriedly turning on the water to wash the shaving cream out of his little nick.

It took every ounce of self-control that Kurogane possessed not to let out an amused snort. Fai's inexperience with shaving was now so glaringly obvious, it was like watching an adolescent boy experimenting with it for the first time… only this "boy" was in his twenties. The knowledge that he was the one who had inspired Fai to try this only made it even funnier. Kurogane could just imagine what the blond was thinking right now: I'll show that Kuropin-meanie! I'm a big boy and I can shave if I want to!

He wasn't sure whether he should roll his eyes in exasperation or burst in, grab Fai by the shoulders and kiss him for all he was worth. Sure, Fai looked like a dork trying to shave for the first time, but Kurogane actually found it quite endearing. That was when Fai noticed him standing there. He gasped and whirled around to face him. There were still patches of shaving cream that the blond hadn't got around to yet with the razor and numerous little cuts where he had nicked himself. It was quite possibly one of the most ridiculous things Kurogane had ever seen. When Fai saw the broad smirk on Kurogane's face, he blushed rather brightly.

"K-Kurosama, what…?! How… how long have you been standing there?!" he squeaked.

"I knew it," Kurogane grinned. "You've never shaved before in your life."

Fai smiled sheepishly, his fair cheeks still flushed with embarrassment. "Guess you caught me, huh, Daddy?"

"Do you have any idea how stupid you look right now?" the swordsman asked, trying to force his expression back into its usual irritable frown. It wasn't working; Fai was simply too ridiculous-looking.

"What a terrible thing to say to the person you love!" Fai whined. "I'm doing this for you, after all, Kurorinta!"

"What the hell for?" he demanded, still struggling with his expression.

"I didn't want Kurokuro to think of me as…" the sorcerer paused, bringing one delicate finger to settle on his bottom lip as he searched for the correct word. "Hmm, I guess you would call it a 'hairless wonder', right?"

When Fai said that, Kurogane completely lost all ability to keep his face under control any longer. He spun around to conceal his expression, though he was given away by the uncontrollable, poorly-suppressed quaking of his shoulders.

"Hmm?" Fai said, blushing again slightly as he wiped the remainder of the shaving cream away. He tried to peer over the ninja's shoulder so that he could see his face but Kurogane turned away again stubbornly. "Kurochan, are you… are you laughing at me?"

"N-no…!" Kurogane lied, trying to swat the magician away. "Don't be…s-stupid!"

"You are!" Fai gasped, thoroughly shocked, yet in a good way. "What a surprise! I didn't know Kuropyun even knew how to laugh! Perhaps this is a sign of that the apocalypse is on its way?"

"Sh-shut up!" the ninja choked. "I'm… not laughing, dammit!"

Fai giggled and hugged Kurogane from behind, his cheeks still glowing slightly, though not nearly as much as his heart was. "I love you, Kurosama. I'm glad I was able to make you laugh."


A/N: Was that ok? It sucked, didn't it? Dammit; I knew it. But the stupid plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone. Does anyone else have as much trouble imagining Fai shaving as I do? I dunno, maybe it's just that he's so deliciously girly that I can't see him being endowed with the ability to grow facial hair… Come to think of it, I can't really imagine Kurogane shaving, either, mainly because he doesn't seem the type to put much effort into his appearance. Plus, I have the sneaking suspicion that if he did find himself in need of a shave, he could just stand in front of the mirror, make his meanest glare and simply scare his facial hair away XD