A/N: Phew, back again! Sorry I haven't been posting much lately, though I assure you it's not for lack of trying. It seem to be having a hard time with these remaining prompts. I wish I could rap them up more quickly, but I'm running out of ideas for fluffy things for them to do together and a lot of times I feel like I'm recycling ideas which makes me want to kick myself. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised that I'm starting to run low; after all, I've posted more than 595 pages of KuroFai material on this site, and that doesn't even include the at least 200 pages that I decided not to post/deleted/am still working on, etc.
Anyway, I decided to make this chapter a little more fun for y'all and do a little READER CHALLENGE!! This is your chance to influence the next chapter of this story. See, this chapter is based on a certain video game that I hold rather near and dear to my heart. The first reviewer who can guess which game that is gets to make a request for the next chapter. The winner may suggest anything from a prompt to a situation they'd like to see to a line they'd like me to incorporate. I think I made the influences fairly obvious, so if you've played the game, you ought to be able to recognize it. Since this game is from a series that has appeared on many different consoles with many different variations, not only will you have to guess the name of the series, but also the system of the particular version I am thinking of. To give you an extra hint, the series made its debut on SNES and this particular game came out in the mid to late nineties. One guess per person, please. Enjoy the story and happy guessing!
Folksy
-Summer-
Kurogane knew even before the cafe came into view that something unpleasant was waiting for him just inside its doors. He was late for his daily visit after all, and he was sure that any lateness, no matter how small (and it certainly wasn't small this time— a whopping two hours) would not go unnoticed by that insane, idiotic baker. The only question in his mind was regarding the level of unpleasantness that he would have to bear. Would it just be a little pout? Not likely, considering how late he was. Or would it be, on the other extreme, a full-out tackling followed by a thoroughly embarrassing amount of fake sobbing, hugging and nuzzling. That was decidedly more likely.
Kurogane heaved a sigh, rubbing his temples in hopes of warding off the migraine that he could feel lurking in the peripheries of his head. He wondered pretty much every day why he bothered putting himself through such misery when it had no benefits that he could see, but it was days like this when he truly questioned his own sanity. It would be far easier and less painful for him to just bring a lunch to work rather than wasting the time and money walking all the way from whatever construction site he happened to be working at that day to the bakery in town and spending 200G on his usual tea and rolls. At least if he made his own lunch he wouldn't have to see that crazy, annoying, sickeningly affectionate blond.
The café was in plain sight now as he entered the cobblestone plaza that surrounded the tiny area their village called "downtown". To the right of the café, he could see the flower shop and the tall white chapel, and behind it was the artisan's shop, connected to the tool shop. The only other shops in the whole city were the inn/bar, the potion dealer, a vineyard with an attached winery (though, technically, that wasn't a shop), the carpenter's shop (where Kurogane worked), the library, and the place where the local farmers went to buy their livestock. It was a miniscule spit of a town by anyone's standards, but it was the place Kurogane called home.
Bracing himself for whatever attack might be waiting for him, the carpenter gingerly pushed open the door. The lack of consequences that followed shocked him far more than being pounced on the moment he walked in would have. Sakura and Watanuki, the two part-timers that Fai had hired to help him run the shop, were wandering around, apparently still cleaning up after the usual noon rush. The blond himself was at the counter, decorating a cake with a squeeze-bag of frosting, and didn't even look up when Kurogane entered.
Kurogane watched him for a moment, not sure if Fai was trying to lure him into a false sense of security or if he was being ignored. When the answer didn't become clear, Kurogane approached the counter warily, staying on his guard in case Fai decided to suddenly pounce. However, Fai continued to decorate his cake, seemingly unaware of the carpenter's presence even as he stood right before him. Kurogane cleared his throat expectantly. The baker started violently, giving his bag of frosting such a hard, sudden squeeze that a glob of chocolate frosting shot out and hit Kurogane right between the eyes.
"K-Kurotan!" Fai gasped. He tossed his frosting bag aside, and in what would have been a stunning display of athletics had Kurogane not seen and fallen victim to it so many times already, vaulted the counter and tackled his customer to the ground.
"Ouch! That hurt, dammit!" Kurogane snapped, trying to shove the man off of him with one hand and wipe away the frosting with the other. "Get off!"
"Kuropii!" Fai bawled in a false fit of hysterics. "You're late! I thought you were never coming back! I thought you'd forgotten all about me!"
"Don't be a dumb ass!" he growled, blushing as Fai cuddled him incessantly. "How could I forget?! I come here every freaking day!"
"You scared me, Kuropon!" the blond cried. "Don't ever be late again!"
"Hello, Kurogane san," the part-timers called, too used to this routine by now to be bothered or surprised by it.
"Hey, would someone call this crazy idiot off?!" Kurogane choked as Fai hugged him even tighter.
"F-Fai san…" Sakura stammered timidly. "Kurogane san is sorry, so please…!"
"Are you really sorry, Kuropiko?" Fai demanded, running his fingers through the carpenter's hair. "I want to hear you say it!"
"Fine! Sorry!" Kurogane shouted, not sounding the least bit sorry. "Now would you get the hell off of me?!"
Fai pouted cutely as he let go of his customer and sat up. "How come you're so late today, Kuropyon?"
"Not everyone can just screw around and eat cake all day like you do!" Kurogane snarled. "Some people actually have to do work! 'Snot my fault we're on a deadline and had to take a late lunch break!"
"Oh, so Kurowanwan's just late because he was working hard?" Fai asked. Then he grinned and hugged Kurogane again. "That's my Kurorin! Such a hard worker!"
"Damn right," Kurogane grunted, though he looked just the tiniest bit pleased that Fai had acknowledged his strong work ethic. "And now I'm hungry, so hurry up with the food."
"Right!" Fai chirped, saluting him before hopping to his feet and scampering off to the kitchen.
Kurogane sighed as he took a seat at a booth near the window. Watanuki brought him a glass of ice water which Kurogane gulped down.
"Fai san really was worried, though," he told the carpenter. "You should have seen him pacing earlier!"
"That's right," Sakura confirmed. "And all through the lunch rush, he kept glancing at the door and window, hoping you would be there."
"What an idiot," Kurogane grumbled, staring at the table in a weak attempt to hide the fact that heat was rising in his cheeks. "You'd think he would have learned by now that I never miss a day. I've been doing this for six freaking months now."
"I think it's sweet," Sakura said, smiling softly. "He really cares about you a lot, Kurogane san."
"Hmph," he huffed, turning his head to gaze out the window at nothing in particular.
The girl giggled quietly to herself at the older man's shyness before returning to her work. A few moments later, Fai bounded out of the kitchen, a plate in one hand and a glass of ice tea in the other. He sat down in the seat across from Kurogane as he set both items on the table before him, smiling brightly. Kurogane studied the sandwich on his plate curiously. Usually, he just got the tea and rolls and he hadn't asked for anything different this time.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Chicken salad," Fai answered brightly. "I thought Daddy might like some extra food since he was working so hard. And don't worry; it's on the house."
Kurogane blinked at him in mild surprise before picking up the sandwich and taking a bite. "Hmm… not bad," he admitted.
"Hey, Watanuki kun! He likes it!" Fai giggled. Even though he had owned this café for quite a while now, he never got tired of the satisfaction of seeing someone enjoy the food he made. The satisfaction was increased tenfold when the one enjoying his food happened to be the short-tempered carpenter. He smiled to himself as he watched Kurogane eat.
"What do you think you're looking at?" Kurogane growled, flushing slightly under the baker's gaze.
"You're so handsome, Kurochan," the blond sighed dreamily. "I'm so glad you come here every day. Even though I spend all day making sweets, none of them can compare with this kind of eye candy!"
Kurogane's blush deepened. "Don't say weird crap like that; you're creeping me out."
"Eh? But it's true Kurokuro!" Fai insisted. "Oh! By the way, I just remembered… I was going to ask you if you want to come with me to do the bamboo float on the eighth."
Kurogane frowned. "Bamboo float? What the hell is that?"
"It's kind of like a festival event where you make a little boat out of half a bamboo chute and carve your wish into it and send it down the river," Fai explained. "If you watch it float as far as you can see without it sinking, your wish will come true!"
"A wish?" Kurogane snorted. "Sounds stupid to me. If there's something you really want, then you should have to work for it instead of relying on some damn superstition to make it come true."
"B-but Fai san!" Sakura piped up nervously. "Isn't that festival usually celebrated by people who are—"
"And usually you have a couple drinks afterwards with the person you made the boats with," Fai continued, deliberately cutting her off. "It's lots of fun. You'll do it with me, won't you, Kuromyuu?"
Kurogane munched his sandwich as he considered the baker's proposition. It wasn't that he had an especially big problem with the idea of spending time with Fai outside of their usual daily meetings at the café (though he reminded himself sternly that of course he had some problem with it, what with Fai being such an annoying idiot and all) …The main issue here was that something about the exchange that had just taken place seemed slightly suspicious. Why had Fai cut Sakura off when she had tried to point out what kind of people usually celebrated this particular festival?
He glanced over at her, trying to guess what she might have wanted to say by her expression. She was watching the carpenter as if she too was waiting to hear his answer, her face red and flustered. As soon as Kurogane looked at her, she started guiltily and whirled around, attacking the already-clean table behind her with her rag with unnecessary vigor. Kurogane's gaze moved between the frazzled young employee to the innocently smiling face of the baker, his eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion.
"…Fine," he agreed eventually, against his better judgment. "It's not like I've got anything better to do."
"Hurray!" Fai cheered joyfully, clapping his hands in celebration. "I've got a date with Kuropiko!"
"IT ISN'T A DATE, MORON!!" Kurogane roared, his cheeks blazing. "DON'T BE SO DAMN ARROGANT!!"
"Oh, right," Fai grinned, tweaking the carpenter's nose playfully. "Of course not; how silly of me."
"Hmph!" Kurogane huffed sullenly, swatting Fai's hand away. He glanced at the clock on the wall above the counter and noticed that his lunch break was almost over. Wanting to finish his food before it was time for him to go, Kurogane wolfed down his rolls, chasing it with a big swallow of ice tea.
"'M goin' back to work," he grumbled, worming his way out of the booth.
Fai rose with him and unnecessarily saw him to the door. "Bye, Kurochuu! Don't work too hard!" he called after the carpenter's retreating back.
The baker sighed dreamily as he closed the door.
"Congratulations on getting him to agree to go to the bamboo float festival with you!" Watanuki said to him with a smile. "To be honest, I was a little worried he might have heard it was that kind of festival and refuse to go."
"Yes, so was I," Fai admitted, mirroring Watanuki's relieved smile. "I guess I ought to be thankful for once that our Kurowanko doesn't pay much attention to the local festivals, hmm? Are you planning to spend it with anyone special, Watanuki kun?"
Watanuki deflated visibly. "Well, I asked Himawari chan to go with me, of course, but… she said she had already promised to help her parents in the flower shop that evening."
"Oh, that's too bad!" Fai said sympathetically. "But…what about Doumeki kun?"
Watanuki's face went scarlet as he flailed comically. "WH-WHY THE HELL WOULD I WANT TO SPEND A LOVERS' FESTIVAL WITH THAT ANNOYING JERK?!!"
Fai laughed at his employee's reaction but decided not to press the matter. After all, Watanuki's love life was really none of his business so if the boy wasn't interested in offering him information willingly, then Fai had no right to wring him for details.
"F-Fai san…" Sakura stammered, her cheeks an adorable shade of pink. "Asking Kurogane san to spend this type of festival with you… Could it be that you have a…a c-crush on him?"
"Kyaaa! How did you know?!" Fai giggled, his own face reddening ever so slightly despite his efforts to hide it behind his hands.
Now that her suspicions were confirmed and neither Fai nor Watanuki seemed to be bothered by this revelation, Sakura relaxed and smiled softly at him. "That's wonderful, Fai san. I'm so glad to hear that you were able to find someone to fall in love with."
"Tee hee! Thank you, Sakura chan!" Fai replied coyly. "And you'll be spending the festival with Syaoran kun, I imagine?"
"O-oh! Well, um…!" she stuttered nervously, her blush returning brighter than ever. "He… he did ask me to, yes…!"
"That's nice," Watanuki grinned. "For him to have been able to ask you even though he's normally so shy around you… I guess it must be pretty important to him that he spend the festival with you, Sakura chan."
Sakura just blushed and stared silently up at the ceiling, though she couldn't help smiling at Watanuki's theory.
The dark-haired boy's shoulders sagged again. "But that means… I'm the only one here who couldn't get a date for the festival… Why do these things always have to happen to me?!"
"There, there, Watanuki kun," Fai said soothingly, patting his shoulder. "If you're too shy, I'd be happy to go ask Doumeki kun to go with you."
"I told you, I'm not going with him!" Watanuki insisted, his face reddening once more. "There's only one person I really want to go with and that's Himawari chan!"
"If you say so, Watanuki kun," the baker smiled. "Just let me know if you change your mind, ok?"
With that, Fai disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Watanuki sputtering and squirming ridiculously in the dining area.
"Hmph. You're late, idiot," Kurogane grumbled as Fai approached. Fai laughed sheepishly.
"I'm sorry, Kuropin, I…" he stopped suddenly, a slight frown coming to his face. The blond looked down at his watch. "Hold on… I told you to meet me here and eight o'clock, right?"
"Damn right! I've been waiting ten minutes!" Kurogane griped.
"But look, it's only seven fifty-nine!" Fai pointed out with a smile, showing Kurogane his watch. "I'm a minute early!"
Now it was Kurogane's turn to look sheepish. "I…Y-your watch must be wrong!" he insisted. "Why the hell would I want to get here early?!"
The baker grinned. "What does your watch say, Kuropuu?"
"You've got your own damn watch!" the carpenter snapped, his face flushing. "Why should I have to tell you what time it is?! Anyway, that doesn't change the fact that you're late! The clock tower said so!"
The town clock tower chose that very convenient moment to strike eight. Kurogane seriously considered jumping into the river as Fai began to giggle at him.
"What's this?" he crowed. "Could it be that Kurowanta was so excited for our date to begin that he got here ten minutes early?"
"Sh-shut up!" Kurogane stammered, his cheeks glowing brightly. "I didn't have to come at all, you know! Maybe I'll just leave!"
"Alright, Kuropipi, alright," Fai cooed, smiling sweetly as he took the carpenter's arm. "You don't have get so embarrassed; I just thought it was cute, that's all. It makes me happy to think that Kurochan came early because he was excited to spend time with me."
Kurogane stared at the baker for a moment in surprise before snorting and quickly turning his head away.
"I brought the bamboo chute, Kurorin!" Fai chirped, showing him the cut and dried tube-shaped stalk. "Do you have a pocket knife or something that we can use to cut it in half and carve our wishes into them with?"
"Yeah." Kurogane reached into his pocket and drew out his miniature Swiss army knife. Fai handed him the stalk and let the carpenter cut it down the middle length-wise.
"What are you going to wish for, Kuromin?" Fai asked brightly as he began to carve his wish into the skin of the bamboo boat.
"I already told you, I don't believe in asking someone else to grant my wishes," Kurogane reminded him gruffly.
"But you have to wish for something!" Fai pouted. "That's the whole point of the festival!"
Kurogane thought this over for a moment. "What are you gonna wish for?"
"Me?" the blond grinned. "Sorry, Kuropon; that's a secret!"
"What the hell?!" Kurogane roared. "Don't ask someone a question if you wouldn't be willing to answer it yourself, dumb ass!"
Fai smiled mysteriously and handed Kurogane his knife back, having finished carving his wish. Kurogane hesitated for a moment before he too began to scratch something.
"Hyuu, Kuropyun's writing something!" Fai noted in surprise. "What are you writing?"
"None of your damn business!" he snapped. "If you're not gonna tell me your wish then why should I tell you mine?!"
"So stingy, Kurorinta!" Fai laughed.
"YOU HYPOCRYTICAL BASTARD!!"
"Well, I guess if Kurokuro's mother never taught him how to share, then there's not much we can do but send our boats off," the baker said, amused by how easily provoked Kurogane was.
Still fuming, Kurogane crouched down next to Fai and set his bamboo boat in the water. The two of them stood up again, watching their boats race each other down the river, Fai cheering them along with the enthusiasm of a ten-year-old child. Their boats had almost disappeared from sight when Fai's suddenly veered off course and wedged itself between two rocks.
"Oh, no!" the blond cried, hugging Kurogane's arm tightly. "It's stuck! Quick, Kurorun! You have to go rescue it!"
"Hah?! Why do I have to do it?!" the carpenter demanded angrily.
"But you've got longer arms than I do, Daddy!" Fai reminded him. "I don't think I'd be able to reach it! You have to rescue it before it sinks or else my wish won't come true!"
Grumbling irritably, Kurogane stomped downstream until he was even with the trapped boat and knelt down on the riverbank. Slowly and carefully, he leaned out over the water, straining his arm as he reached for the bamboo float. He could almost reach it; his fingers were brushing it. Just a little farther and… As Kurogane tried to extend his arm just a few more centimeters, he overbalanced and fell headfirst into the water. The splash that resulted from his fall was just enough to give the bamboo boat the extra push it needed to make it over the rocks and it continue its way down the river unnoticed by either of the men.
"Kurosama!" Fai gasped, dashing over to where Kurogane had fallen in.
The carpenter reemerged, coughing and spitting out water. Fortunately, the river was not especially deep or fast flowing, but Kurogane was still extremely displeased about falling in because of Fai's stupid demands. He glared at the blond as he pushed his wet bangs out of his eyes. Kurogane looked so utterly ridiculous, sopping wet and glowering sullenly, that Fai couldn't help giggling, though he knew it would anger his companion so he tried in vain to hide his amusement behind his hand. Predictably, his laughter set Kurogane off.
"DON'T YOU DARE LAUGH, YOU ASSHOLE!!" he raged. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!"
"I'm sorry," Fai grinned. "You're right, Kurochii. Here, let me make it up to you, ok?"
Kurogane extended his hand, thinking that Fai was going to help him get out of the water. The baker took hold of it, but instead of pulling him up, he jumped into the river with him. Kurogane, dumbfounded, wiped the water out of his eyes that had splashed him when Fai jumped in and stared in disbelief as the now soaking blond head broke the water's surface again as he popped up.
"There!" Fai trilled. "Now we're even!"
Kurogane snorted. "You idiot," he sighed. "Can you even swim?"
"Of course I can!" the baker assured him cheerfully. "But it's sweet of you to worry about me, Kurotan."
"I wasn't worried, moron," he mumbled, blushing slightly.
"Mm, this feels nice," Fai said, bobbing up and down. "It's the perfect weather for a swim. This was a great idea, Kurochan!"
"It wasn't my idea!" Kurogane snapped. "I fell in because I was trying to reach your stupid boat!"
"Oh, so it was my idea, then?" Fai mused. "I'm so smart!"
"Tch! Like hell you are!" Kurogane grumbled.
The blond's silence made the carpenter glance over at him curiously to see that Fai was studying something in the water with apparent fascination. Kurogane waded over to him and peered over his shoulder.
"Look, Kurowanwan; fishies!" he chirped excitedly. "Let's catch one! I bet Kuromyuu could catch one with his bare hands, right?"
Kurogane snorted again. "Of course I can."
"Wow, that's so cool!" Fai squealed. "I wanna see! Show me, Daddy!"
The carpenter pondered this for a moment. As much as he hated to admit it, the opportunity to show off in front of Fai was looking extremely appealing right now. If he caught two or three, they could even grill them and have them with their sake after they were done at the river. Grilled fish and sake sounded almost as good to him at the moment as showing off for Fai did.
Obligingly, Kurogane bent down, lowering his hands slowly. Fai watched eagerly, silent for once as he waited for Kurogane to strike. It took a good five minutes before a fish dared to swim close enough to him, but once it did, Kurogane lashed out, quick as a bolt of lightning. He flipped the fish out of the water and onto the bank where it flopped frantically. Feeling rather pleased with himself, he turned to glance smugly at Fai. The blond's sapphire eyes were wide and sparkling with admiration.
"Hyuu! That was awesome, Kuropon!" he cheered. "You were so quick! Maybe you were a ninja in another life, huh?"
"Hmph, it wasn't that hard," Kurogane bragged, though he couldn't help smirking as he basked in the praise.
"I wanna see it again!" Fai requested. "Do it again, Kuropiko!"
Hungry for more of the blond's adoration, Kurogane lowered his hands into the water once more.
"Look, Syaoran kun! There's somebody else's boats!" Sakura pointed out.
"It looks like they got stuck in these weeds," Syaoran noted.
"I wonder who they belong to…" Sakura knelt down at the water's edge and carefully plucked the two boats from their weedy snare so that she could have a peek at the wishes that were carved on them. Syaoran joined her, peeking curiously over her shoulder.
I wish for Kurosama's love.
I wish for that idiot's wish to come true.
"They must belong to Kurogane san and Fai san," Syaoran mused.
Sakura smiled. "Isn't that sweet? I hope their wishes come true."
The boy returned her smile affectionately. "So do I."
-Autumn-
Kurogane sighed as he set down his letter from Tomoyo and rubbed his temples. His younger sister had written him this month, just like she always did (not that they couldn't go visit each other fairly easily; she just lived a few miles outside of town, but he appreciated it all the same). Like always, her letter was cheerful and optimistic, telling him about things that had happened to her at her job in the tailor's shop in the next town over or about her school life. At the end of her letter this time, however, she had confided something in him that bore a more serious and sorrowful tone.
Tomoyo was in love with someone (someone who lived in Kurogane's town, as it happened, though she didn't say who, exactly) whose heart belonged to another person, and she knew that her love could never be returned in the same way. She said that she knew she ought to be satisfied to know that the one she loved was happy, and usually she was able to share that person's joy. At the same time, though, it made her sad that she could never be with the one she loved.
Kurogane usually didn't care about tangled teenage dramas and love stories, but he couldn't help feeling something at this one. Tomoyo was his baby sister, after all, and he had always played the part of the very protective older brother to her. But when it came to things like love, there was no way he could prevent her from being hurt. Kurogane knew that it was impossible for him to protect her in this aspect, but it still made him feel as though he had let her down somehow. As much as he liked to think that he was above foolish things like emotions, he could feel his heart aching on her behalf.
Surely Tomoyo would recover from this, though, right? Kurogane certainly hoped so, but he had heard stories of people who were rejected by the ones they loved and never recovered from it. That couldn't happen to Tomoyo, could it? Admittedly, he was pretty worried about her. Kurogane glanced up at the clock on his wall. It was almost time for him to go to work. Grudgingly, he put the letter away and slipped on his shoes.
Fai hummed happily to himself as he took a chocolate cake out of the oven. He never tired of the smell of freshly baked chocolate cake; it lifted his spirits every time he experienced it. Sakura was in good spirits as well as she mixed up some cream cheese frosting. Even Watanuki, whose moods could be a bit volatile and unpredictable at times, was merrily working on something.
"Goodness," Fai smiled. "Everyone sure seems to be in a good mood today!"
"W-well, um…" Sakura blushed and gripped the hem of her apron as she grinned shyly. "Actually, Syaoran kun invited me to his house to study after work today, so…"
"That's great, Sakura chan!" Fai cheered. "I'm so happy for you! You'd better take some tea and cookies to share, huh? I'll put some in a bag for you!"
"Wow, thank you, Fai san!" she said.
Fai twirled over to where Watanuki was putting the finishing touches on a trifle cake.
"And what's got our little Watanuki kun so happy today?" he asked.
The dark-haired boy nearly jumped out of his skin at Fai's question, apparently not having noticed that Fai had come up right beside him. Watanuki's face turned scarlet.
"N-n-nothing special, really!" he insisted. "I…I just ran into Himawari chan on my way to work today and… sh-she let me walk her to the flower shop! Th-that's all, I swear!"
"Oh?" Fai said innocently, tilting his head as he gave his employee a disarming smile. "So that's it, hmm?"
"Yes! Of course! W-well, I'm going to go, um… out there now!" Watanuki stuttered, pointing to the dining area beyond the swinging kitchen doors. "Gotta m-make sure everything's ready before we open!"
Fai watched amusedly as Watanuki transferred his finished trifle cake to the refrigerator and dashed out of the kitchen as though there were a hungry tiger on his heels. Watanuki himself had opened the shop ten minutes ago, which completely shot down his excuse that he was going to prepare for opening.
"Fai san," Sakura hissed, motioning the baker over and cupping a hand around her mouth confidentially. Fai came over curiously, bending down so that she could whisper in his ear. "Actually, I when I was on my way here today, I saw Watanuki san talking to Doumeki san. Today is Doumeki san's birthday and he told Watanuki san to make him a trifle cake. Watanuki san got mad like he always does and said he wasn't going to do it, but…"
Fai grinned and straightened up. "Ah, so that's it! Well, isn't that cute!"
"But please don't tell him I said anything to you!" Sakura pleaded. "Watanuki kun would be really embarrassed if he found out I saw them!"
"Don't worry, Sakura chan," Fai assured her. "Their secret is safe with me."
It was about one o'clock when Kurogane made his usual appearance at the bakery. Fai smiled brightly at the sight of the carpenter and bounded over to give him a hug. He threw his arms around the other man's broad shoulders and nuzzled his cheek against his chest, but when Kurogane didn't shout at him or make any attempt to push him away, Fai looked up at him curiously.
"Get off, idiot," Kurogane grumbled belatedly.
Fai frowned slightly, noticing that something about his customer wasn't quite right. He opened his mouth to ask him what was wrong, but closed it again thoughtfully. If he knew Kurogane at all, it would difficult for him even in the best of conditions to admit when something was bothering him. He surely wouldn't be willing to divulge it when Sakura and Watanuki and a few other scattered customers were around to hear it. Fai decided to keep quiet about it for now and make a point to see that they could get some time alone later when he could ask about it. For now, he just led Kurogane over to his usual table by the window before hurrying off to the kitchen to get his food.
"So, Kurowanta," he began conversationally as he set a plate containing a sandwich and a bowl of soup down in front of him. "How has work been so far today?"
"Fine," Kurogane said distractedly, picking up his sandwich without even asking about the bowl of soup, which wasn't part of his usual order.
Fai observed him in silence, trying to guess the nature of Kurogane's problem based on the vibes he was giving off. They weren't especially strong, so Fai figured the problem must not be terribly serious. He didn't sense any fear, anger or urgency; mostly it was sorrow, regret and concern. Even though he didn't know what was troubling the carpenter, the though of Kurogane in pain hurt him. His face must've reflected this because when Kurogane finally glanced up at him, he frowned and sat up straight.
"What?" he asked.
"Hmm?" Fai said, regaining his usual smile.
"What are you looking at me like that for?" the carpenter demanded.
"Oh, I guess I must've just spaced out," Fai replied sheepishly.
"Tch. Do that too often and people will take advantage of you," Kurogane warned.
The blond couldn't help grinning at that. "Were you planning to take advantage of me, Kurochuu?" he asked in a seductive voice, fluttering his eyelashes flirtatiously.
Kurogane's face reddened. "That's not what I meant, dumb ass!"
"If you say so, Kurorin," he purred. "Say, are you busy tonight at eight?"
"No," Kurogane said. "Why?
"I was wondering if you might be willing to stop by here if you don't have anything else you have to do."
"I guess," the carpenter agreed. "But what for? Don't you close this place at eight?"
"There's something I want to ask you," the baker answered elusively. "And I would hate for us to be disturbed."
Kurogane forced himself to look down at his soup again as he tried (and failed) not to blush as his mind jumped to conclusions about what that something might be.
"Hmm? Why did Kurochan's face get all red when I said that?" Fai giggled. "What are you imagining, Kurochii, you naughty boy?"
"N-nothing!" Kurogane insisted, his face flushing even more. "I…I wasn't imagining anything! Jeez! I'm goin' back to work!"
When the time neared for Kurogane to visit the bakery that night, he made sure it was exactly eight o'clock when he left his house. After all, he didn't want Fai to tease him again for being early. He was greeted by the smiling baker when he arrived, though Kurogane noticed immediately that there was something different about that smile. It was tinged with a mixture of pity and apprehensiveness, and something else Kurogane couldn't quite identify. Was it…longing?
"What the hell?" he growled. "There you go giving me that look again."
"Hmm? What look would that be, Kuromin?" Fai asked, feigning ignorance.
"That look like you're feeling sorry for me or something," Kurogane answered. "I don't know why you think you have anything to feel sorry for me about, but cut it out. It's pissing me off."
"Sorry, Kurorin," Fai said. "I know you don't need other people's pity, but… I can't help it. I'm worried about you."
The carpenter stared at him, his garnet eyes widened in surprise. Fai smiled at him again as he took his arm.
"Come this way, Kuronro," he urged, tugging him towards the door to the right of the kitchen.
Kurogane followed in silence, wondering where the baker was leading him. Fai opened the door to reveal a small but well-kept living space. To tell the truth, Kurogane was a bit surprised, though he did his best to conceal it.
"So, this is your place, huh?" he asked, trying to sound disinterested and nonchalant about it.
"Yes…" Fai replied slowly, looking up at him with an odd mix of puzzlement and amusement on his face. "Is there a problem with it, Kuromu? Does it disappoint you that I live in a tiny little two-room apartment connected to my shop?"
Kurogane snorted in disbelief. "Don't be stupid. Why would it disappoint me? I just didn't know your house was connected to the place, that's all. 'Snot like I give a shit what your house looks like or anything."
In reality, though, seeing the place where Fai lived, not to mention standing in it, caused a strange, almost giddy sensation to flare up in his chest. So that bed across the room from where he stood was where Fai slept every night? That closet over there was where Fai kept his clothes? That little bathroom off to the side was where Fai showered and made himself beautiful?
Kurogane wanted to punch himself in the nose. Why was he getting so worked up over seeing Fai's apartment? He hated to admit it, but this excitement was probably almost on the level of some insane fangirl getting to tour the mansion of her favorite actor. All he could do was bite his tongue and pray that Fai couldn't hear his heart throbbing from where he was standing.
The carpenter was just thinking that maybe he would be able to get himself under control in a minute or two when Fai spoiled it by leading him over to the bed, sitting down on it and patting the spot beside him, inviting Kurogane to do the same. Kurogane stared at him blankly for a moment before realizing that if he didn't accept Fai's invitation, the baker might guess what kind of effect all this was having on him. Mentally snarling at himself not to be such a stupid girl, Kurogane took a deep breath and sat beside him. As he came into contact with the mattress, an involuntary shiver ran through his body. Luckily Fai seemed not to notice that his guest was practically dying of heart palpitations at his side.
"S-so what are we doing here?" Kurogane choked. Oh god, why did his voice have to come out sounding so strained? Luckily, again, Fai seemed to misinterpret the reason for Kurogane's odd sounding voice, because he took one of the carpenter's hands between both of his own and began to stroke the back of it gently.
"I thought you might like to talk about what's bothering you," he explained softly. "I noticed when you came in for lunch today that you seemed sad and worried. Is everything alright, Kurochan?
Admittedly, he had kind of expected something like this when Fai had said that he was worried about him. At the same time, however, it caught him a little off guard. It wasn't the fact that Fai had noticed his mood that surprised him; rather, he hadn't really expected Fai to go to such efforts to find out what was bothering him and try to offer him comfort. Sure, it wasn't unusual for the blond to be affectionate towards him, but Kurogane had always kind of assumed that Fai was doing it to mess with him. This treatment that the baker was giving him now… to tell the truth, he was kind of touched by it.
But that didn't mean Kurogane was going to give in to him that easily. He did have a reputation to uphold, after all.
"…It's got nothing to do with you," he mumbled, turning his head away in hopes that Fai wouldn't notice him blushing.
Fai seemed hurt by this answer and Kurogane immediately felt guilty. "Kurochuu… I understand that you like to keep these kinds of things to yourself and that you don't like involving other people in your problems, but…"
The carpenter looked back down at him when Fai gripped his arm but didn't continue. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, Fai spoke again, though he didn't meet Kurogane's gaze. "I wonder… do you really hate me, Kurosama?"
Kurogane didn't know how he should answer that question so he just said nothing and waited for Fai to explain where he had gotten such a ludicrous idea.
"I mean… you know that I really care about you a lot, right? And yet you won't tell me when something is causing you pain… Are you trying to hurt me…? Do you wish I would just leave you alone?"
Kurogane was speechless for a moment. That wasn't what he had been trying to imply at all! Were those the vibes the baker got from him? Sure, Kurogane knew that maybe he was a little rough with Fai at times, but that was only because he wasn't really sure how he felt towards him and because he knew Fai would tease him if he treated him too nicely. Eventually, the carpenter got his voice back. "…Are you seriously that stupid?"
"Eh?" Fai asked in surprise, meeting his eyes at last.
"If I didn't want anything to do with you, why would I bother dragging my ass all the way over to your shop to have lunch every day? Why would I have gone to that festival with you?" he pointed out impatiently, trying not to blush. "If I hated you, I wouldn't waste a single second hanging around with you if I didn't have to."
Fai's wide blue eyes glimmered with relief for a moment before being clouded over again by confusion. "Then why won't you tell me what's wrong?"
Kurogane hesitated again, struggling with himself as he tried to decide whether to protect his loner, tough-guy image or his relationship with Fai. "…It's Tomoyo," he relented finally.
"Your sister?" Fai asked, looking worried again. "What happened?"
"She's interested in someone who's in love with someone else," Kurogane mumbled. He felt uncomfortable discussing this sort of thing, especially with Fai. "She tried to act like it wasn't that big of a deal, but I don't buy if for a minute. The fact that she was willing to mention it to me at all proves that she must be pretty torn up about it."
"You're worried about her, huh?" the baker said quietly, thinly veiled affection rising in his voice. It wasn't often that Kurogane exposed his gentle, caring side, but when he did, it made Fai's heart turned to slush.
"…This is the one area of her life where I can't do anything for her," he said through gritted teeth, clenching his hands into fists in his lap. "It's my job as her older brother to protect her and I let her down…"
Fai's shaking hands gripped the hem of his shirt tightly. Moments like this reminded him why he had fallen in love with Kurogane in the first place. It took every ounce of self control he possessed not to kiss him. Instead, he brought a soft, pale hand to Kurogane's cheek, stroking it with his thumb as he guided the carpenter's head down to rest on his shoulder so that he could nuzzle his cheek against Kurogane's spiky black hair.
"You're so sweet and loyal, Kuromyuu," he cooed. "Even if it ends up causing some problems for you when you're not always able to help the ones you care about… I still love that about you."
Kurogane was silent as Fai continued to stroke his cheek soothingly.
"I know you want to protect Tomoyo chan from ever being hurt by anything, but when you think about it, that's just not possible, is it? You probably don't want to hear this right now, Kuropyon, but sometimes you just have to recognize that there are some things that you simply can't do. No one holds that against you; it's part of being human. Besides," Fai paused, leaning closer to Kurogane absentmindedly and kissing the top of his head, "Tomoyo chan is a beautiful, intelligent girl with many admirable qualities. Even if this person that she's in love with right now can't return her feelings, I'm sure that it won't be so hard for her to someday find someone who can."
Kurogane frowned slightly as he considered Fai's words, wondering if the blond had really just kissed the top of his head or if he had just imagined it. Either way, what Fai had said had somehow managed to calm a great deal of the uneasiness and regret he had felt at not being able to protect his sister. True, he was still somewhat worried about her, but Fai's argument made sense. Tomoyo was the type of girl that any man would be happy to have. He was sure that she would find someone who would help her put this whole ordeal behind her, even if he couldn't be that person.
"…Hmph," he huffed eventually, scooting just a tiny bit closer to the baker's warm, soft body. Even if he was thankful towards Fai for helping put his fears at ease, he still hated it when the blond was right. He made a mental note to himself to never let it happen again and decided to leave it at that.
-Winter-
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Kurogane grumbled irritably, getting up to answer his door as his unknown visitor tapped on it incessantly.
He pulled it open, the light from inside his house flooding out to illuminate the tall, slender figure of Fai on his doorstep. The blond wore a long, fluffy white and blue winter coat and a (rather adorable) matching striped scarf, his cheeks and the tip of his nose flushed from the chill. He greeted Kurogane with a cheerful smile, to which Kurogane responded with a glare.
"What the hell are you doing here at this hour, idiot?" the carpenter growled.
"Well…" Fai grinned. "I had already closed up the bakery for the night and was feeling kind of lonely so I thought I'd come and visit! And I wanted to make sure that Kurokuro was staying warm so I brought some hot tea and biscuits for us!"
He held up a thermos and a small white cake box for Kurogane to see. The carpenter sighed, feigning irritation, and stepped aside to let Fai in. Fai removed his snowy shoes in the entryway and set the treats down on Kurogane's old, square wooden table so that he could take off his coat and scarf which he draped over the back of one of the chairs.
"Ooh, it's nice and warm in here," he noted happily. "And Kuropipi has a fire going. I guess I didn't really need to worry about you, did I?"
"No," Kurogane replied bluntly, though maybe he did appreciate the sentiment just a little.
"Still, I just love cuddling and drinking tea with someone in front of a fire during the winter," the baker sighed dreamily.
"Who said you could do that with me?!" Kurogane demanded, blushing.
"Don't be shy, Kuropiko," Fai giggled. "It'll be fun; I promise!"
"Tch! Like hell it will," he griped, but he allowed Fai to pull him over to the chair in front of the fire and push him into it.
The baker scampered over to the table to grab the tea and biscuits and rejoined the carpenter in the chair. He smiled sweetly at Kurogane as he made himself comfortable in the other man's lap and pushed a mug of tea into his hands. Kurogane accepted it silently, blushing as Fai snuggled up to him and popped open the cake box so that the two of them could access the treats inside. Fai sipped his tea contentedly, smiling again as Kurogane's strong arm slipped behind him to support the blond's back.
"See, this isn't so bad, is it, Kurorinta?" he asked. "You're a natural. If I didn't know better, I'd think maybe you were an expert in snuggling!"
"Don't push your luck, asshole, or I'll kick you out," Kurogane warned peevishly, though both of them knew this was an empty threat.
"But I like this; Kurochan knows exactly the right way to hold me," Fai cooed. "I was just trying to give you a compliment."
"I don't need it," he snorted, taking a biscuit from the box on Fai's lap.
"How is it, Kurowanwan?" the baker asked as Kurogane took a bite.
"…Hmph. Not completely disgusting, I guess," Kurogane said as he munched the biscuit thoughtfully. "I thought it'd be sweeter, knowing you and your fascination with sweet crap."
"I knew Kuromyuu didn't like sweets so I only added a little sugar," Fai reported proudly, taking one for himself and biting into it. "It's not bad this way, I suppose, but I like the sweet kind better… I sort of wish I'd remembered to bring some honey butter."
Then he smiled up at the carpenter. "But maybe Kurowanta is sweet enough to make up for it."
"Shut it, you," Kurogane growled.
The two of them drank tea and ate the biscuits in companionable silence until Fai yawned and stretched his arms.
"Mm, it's so nice and warm in Kuropyun's arms that I'm starting to feel a little sleepy," he said, sounding a little apologetic.
"Don't fall asleep on me, idiot," Kurogane huffed, though to be completely honest, he was starting to get tired also, and maybe the idea of letting Fai fall asleep in his arms wasn't entirely repulsive. Fai was about to pout at him not to be so mean when a deep, low rumbling sound reached his ears. The ground beneath their feet began to tremble, slightly at first, though it escalated quickly into something more violent.
"An earthquake?" Fai wondered aloud.
He let out a little squeak of surprise when Kurogane's arms curled around him protectively and he suddenly stood up, clutching the blond to his chest. Kurogane dropped to his knees beside the bed and hustled Fai under it before crawling beneath it himself to wait out the tremors. Earthquakes weren't terribly common in their area, but they were frequent enough that the two of them had experienced several in their lifetimes. Obviously Kurogane, like most others who lived in their part of the country, knew that the safest place to be in an earthquake was under a low, sturdy structure that would shelter them in case the roof fell in.
Fortunately, the quake wasn't strong enough to damage the house. Within five minutes, the trembling had ceased and everything was still and silent once more. The two of them poked their heads cautiously out from under the bed, waiting to make sure that the earthquake was really over before they emerged. Once Kurogane was satisfied that they were safe, he dragged himself out from under the bed and offered his hand to help Fai out.
"Goodness; that surprised me!" Fai admitted. "It's been a while since our last earthquake, huh?"
"Yeah," Kurogane agreed. "Looks like it's over now, though."
"Let's go back to snuggling," the blond suggested with a grin.
"Forget it," Kurogane said. "I'm gonna go take a bath."
"Aw, are you sending me home, Daddy?" Fai pouted. "You're no fun."
Fai got to his feet and reluctantly made his way over to the chair where he had hung his coat and scarf.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kurogane asked.
"Eh?" Fai said, surprised.
"You're staying here tonight; at least until we're sure it's safe to go out," he ordered, turning his back on the other man so that Fai wouldn't see how flushed his cheeks were becoming over the implications of his demand.
"Eh?" Fai repeated, hardly daring to believe what he was hearing. Was Kurogane seriously asking him, no, telling him to spend the night?
"You heard me," the carpenter growled. "Just wait here; you can take a bath once I'm done."
Fai smiled softly, touched by his companion's concern. "Thank you, Kurosama."
"Hmph," Kurogane snorted, stomping off to the bathroom.
Kurogane was already in bed with the lights out when Fai, now clad in one of Kurogane's oversized shirts, had finished his bath, though the blond was pretty sure the carpenter wasn't asleep yet. He had only his suspicions to go on, however, as Kurogane gave every appearance of being asleep. As there was only one bed and no couch, it appeared that Fai had no choice but to climb in with Kurogane. He hesitated at first, wondering if it would be too forward of him and if Kurogane would be angry. Then he noticed that his host had left a suspiciously large amount of space free beside him. Surely if Kurogane had meant to keep the bed to himself, he would have made a point to stretch out across it more.
Fai smiled to himself, noting for about the hundredth time what a cutie pie Kurogane was. The baker crawled happily under the covers beside the one he loved and cuddled up close, breathing in the light, pleasant scent of Kurogane's soap. To his delight, the carpenter's arms encircled his slender body and held him gently against his bare chest, welcoming him. Fai sighed contentedly as he brushed a tiny, shy kiss against Kurogane's collarbone, curled up in his embrace and fell asleep.
"Hey," Kurogane said, shaking Fai lightly. "Hey, you; wake up."
"Mm?" Fai moaned, his eyelids fluttering sleepily. "…Kuropiko?"
"You better get up. Don't you have to be to work soon?" he reminded him.
Fai rolled over and pulled the covers up over his head. "Don't wanna go to work…Five more minutes."
"I'm not your mother, you bastard!" Kurogane snapped, whacking him over the head with a pillow. "Get your lazy ass out of bed before I decide to get a handful of snow and stick it down your shirt!"
"How mean, Daddy!" Fai whined, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his beautiful blue eyes. "How can you go from cuddling me so sweetly all night to threatening me so rudely this morning?"
"Quit acting like a little kid!" the carpenter scoffed, his face reddening at the mention of the cuddling that had gone on the previous night. "It's your responsibility as an adult to get up and go to your job on time! You shouldn't need me to remind you! And if you say one word about last night to anyone, I swear I'll kill you!"
"Goodness, Kuropun sure is grumpy in the morning," Fai teased as he climbed out of bed and began looking around for his clothes.
"Shut up," Kurogane growled.
"Did someone come to the door early this morning, Kurokuro?" the baker asked, pulling on his shirt. "I thought I felt a cold breeze from you opening the door and some voices."
"That was my boss," the carpenter replied. "Apparently the earthquake last night opened up a hot spring in the mountains so we'll be working there today, building an outdoor bath."
"Really?!" Fai asked excitedly. "Hyuu! We're getting an outdoor bath! I can't wait!"
"I knew you'd say that," Kurogane smirked, sitting down at the table with his usual breakfast of onigiri and miso soup. "But that means I probably won't be able to come to your place for lunch until it's finished. It's too far from the construction site for me to be able to get there, eat, and make it back on time before my break is over."
"Oh, that's ok, Kurowanko," Fai assured him, joining him at the table and gratefully accepting the onigiri and miso soup that Kurogane had made for him. "I can come to you and bring your lunch. It'll be a thank you for doing such a good job protecting me from the scary earthquake last night. Will soup, a sandwich, rolls and some tea be alright?"
"If you really want to, then fine," Kurogane shrugged, though his cheeks went pink with pleasure at the realization that Fai was willing to go to so much effort to keep their usual lunch arrangement.
"It's a date, then, Kuroron," Fai grinned as Kurogane got up from the table and pulled on his coat. "Have a good day at work! I'll see you at lunchtime!"
True to his word, Fai showed up every day that week at Kurogane's construction site in the mountains with plenty of hot food for the two of them to share. Kurogane might have been a little more hesitant to accept Fai's company in addition to the food if it weren't for the fact that two of his fellow carpenters, Doumeki and Rikuo, also received visits from their own boy-toys during lunch break (though Watanuki usually refused to bring Doumeki's food in person and just sent it along with Fai, he did make one or two appearances. Kazahaya, who was apparently completely useless at cooking, just brought food from the inn and bar where his sister was a waitress. He made a point of reminding Rikuo rather loudly every day that he was only doing this because his sister got the food for free and he couldn't stand the thought of spending his lunch hour with his boss Kakei, the potion dealer, and his lover Saiga). The youngest carpenter on the team, Syaoran, naturally received food from Sakura, though she wasn't able to bring it to him herself on the days that Watanuki decided to come for Doumeki as there had to be someone to watch the bakery at all times.
Even though Fai certainly had no problem with delivering Kurogane's lunch every day, he was still pretty glad when the week ended and the construction team finished their work on the outdoor bath. It was a long, hard walk to get to the construction site and he couldn't help feeling a little bit guilty about leaving the bakery in the hands of his part-timers every day while he went to bring lunch to the one he loved. It didn't help his conscience that both of them also had love-interests who worked at the construction site as well. Regardless of the reasons, it was good to have things back to normal.
When Kurogane came for lunch on the twenty fourth, however, exactly one week after finishing work on the outdoor bath, Fai noticed that for some reason, the carpenter seemed far more nervous than usual. He was antsy the whole time he was eating, did a lot more playing with his food than usual, spaced out frequently during their conversation and would jump and blush every time Fai drew his attention back to the present. Admittedly, the blond was a bit worried… until he found out the explanation behind Kurogane's unusual nervousness.
"Hey, uh…" Kurogane began in a mumble as he got up to go back to work, his face redder than ever. "Have you tried out the new outdoor bath?"
Fai shook his head. "I guess I haven't really had time yet."
"Well, I'm gonna head over there tonight at nine, so…" the carpenter cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "You should come."
The blond was momentarily struck speechless at the strangeness of his request when he suddenly remembered something. Something very special happened every winter on the twenty fourth. If Kurogane wanted him to spend that evening outdoors with him, then it could only mean… A 1,000 watt smile lit up the baker's face as a warm, fluttering sensation spread throughout his entire body.
"Of course, Kurosama," he agreed softly. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Hmph," Kurogane grunted, turning on his heel and marching stiffly out of the bakery the moment Fai's agreement had left his mouth. Fai couldn't help giggling in adoration as he noticed how red the carpenter's ears were as he left.
"What was the matter with him?" Watanuki asked, looking thoroughly puzzled. "He sure was jumpy today."
"Oh, that was just our Kurotan being his usual shy self," Fai gushed, hugging himself and squirming in anticipation of what was to come that night. "He asked if I wanted to go enjoy the new outdoor bath with him tonight!"
"But isn't tonight the Starry Night festival?" Sakura gasped.
"Exactly!" the baker squealed, jumping up and down and clapping his hands excitedly.
"Wow, that's great Fai san!" Watanuki said, laughing at his boss's pure joy. "He even asked you this time!"
"Congratulations, Fai san!" Sakura beamed, taking his hands between hers. "You're going to have a fabulous time; I'm sure of it!"
"Ah, I'm so excited, I can hardly wait!" Fai admitted. "I hope today goes by fast!"
Unfortunately for Fai, the day seemed to drag by particularly slowly. Even though he tried to tell himself that time would pass more quickly if he kept himself busy and didn't look at the clock, he just couldn't seem to stay occupied. Things became even more difficult once he had closed up the shop. The blond paced restlessly and glanced at the clock every few minutes. When it finally reached eight thirty, Fai decided that he could probably start making his way to the mountains if he walked slowly.
He managed to get there just as the town clock tower was striking nine and Kurogane appeared to have gotten there rather recently as well. He was inside the fenced-in area, lighting one of the lanterns. Kurogane whirled around to face him as Fai entered the through the door in the high wooden fence and blushed at the grin the baker flashed him. Even though he wore his usual scowl, Fai could sense the carpenter's anticipation as well.
"Hello, Kuromyuu!" Fai chirped. "Fancy seeing you here!"
"…Whatever, you moron," he snorted, avoiding his eyes.
The two of them turned their backs to each other as they quickly undressed, wrapped towels around their waists and jumped into the hot water in order to escape the cold. Fai smiled shyly as he sat down next to Kurogane on the ledge that encircled the inside of the bath a few feet beneath the water's surface, so close to the other man that their hips were touching. He took Kurogane's arm as the two of them tilted their heads back to stare at the clear night sky.
"They sure are beautiful, aren't they?" Fai asked quietly. "I guess there's a good reason that this night was chosen for the Starry Night festival, huh?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kurogane lied, his cheeks reddening further.
"Sure you don't, Kuropin," Fai grinned. "Hey, what's that?"
He pointed to a slender glass bottle that sat near the edge of the bath along with two short, wide-mouthed cups.
"Brought some wine," Kurogane mumbled. "You want some?"
"Ooh, that sounds great!" Fai chirped. "I love drinking wine in outdoor baths!"
The carpenter rolled his eyes but popped open the bottle and passed Fai one of the glasses so that he could pour some for him.
"Mm, this is tasty," he commented appreciatively. "What kind is it?"
"It's called Doorway to Heaven," Kurogane replied. "I guess it's a specialty or something of the local winery."
"It's amazing!" Fai said. "Yuuko san sure knows how to make the best wine!"
"Tch. That bitch doesn't do jack shit," Kurogane sneered. "She's just the stupid lush who owns the place. It's Kinomoto, Motosuwa, and Fujimoto who do the real work. If it wasn't for them, she'd just drink all the wine in the whole winery and the place would go under in about a day."
"Don't be so cynical, Kuropon," Fai laughed. "If it wasn't for the secret refining technique that's been passed down through Yuuko san's family, I don't think the wine would taste quite the same."
"Hmph," Kurogane said doubtfully, taking a drink of his own wine.
"You know what else I've heard about this wine?" Fai asked softly, smiling at his companion. "It's a favorite among lovers."
"Wh-what?!" the carpenter sputtered. "N-no one told me that! If I'd known, I sure as hell wouldn't have gone through all that shit to get it for something stupid like this!"
"Did you go through a lot of trouble to get this, Kurotan?" the baker asked innocently.
"Vintage stuff like this doesn't come cheap, you know!" he snapped. "That damn witch charged me an arm and a leg for it!"
"I appreciate your effort, Kurochan," Fai assured him, sitting up straight so that he could place a grateful kiss on Kurogane's cheek. Kurogane turned beet-red but said nothing in protest. Fai giggled happily and laced their fingers together as he took another sip of wine. Suddenly, the blond gasped and pointed to something up in the sky.
"Look, Kurochuu!" he breathed. "A meteor shower is starting!"
Sure enough, streaks of light began to rain down from the inky black sky. Fai hugged Kurogane's arm, the natural fireworks glimmering in his beautiful sapphire eyes and making them look all the more enchanting. In Kurogane's opinion, Fai's eyes were far more captivating than any old meteor shower. Fai sighed contentedly and laid his head on Kurogane's shoulder.
"We sure are lucky, huh?" he whispered, his soft, pale lips grazing Kurogane's skin lightly. "I bet meteor showers don't happen on the Starry Night festival very often. I'm so glad that I could spend tonight with you, Kuropiko."
Kurogane cleared his throat nervously as he rested his cheek lightly on top of Fai's head, appreciating nature's beauty and this rare chance to spend time alone with the baker. The two of them stayed this way, watching the meteor shower in silence for a good hour before Fai got unsteadily to his feet.
"I'm sorry, Kurosama, but I think I have to get going," he said apologetically. "Spending so long in the bath is starting to make me feel a little dizzy…Ah!"
In his dizziness, Fai lost his balance as he tried to climb out and fell backwards into the bath again. Kurogane rescued the slender blond from the water and helped him get a dry towel wrapped around himself.
"Looks like I'm gonna have to walk you home," Kurogane sighed irritably. "What a pain in the ass."
"Sorry, Daddy," Fai repeated, starting to shiver now that he was no longer in the warm water. He quickly pulled his clothes on as Kurogane did the same. As soon as both of them were dressed, Kurogane looped an arm around Fai's shoulders to help steady him and escorted the baker back home.
Kurogane blinked in surprise when he opened his door the next morning to leave for work and found Sakura standing there, her fist raised as she prepared to knock.
"Ah! Kurogane san!" she panted, looking relieved. "I'm glad I caught you before you left!"
"What's up?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl who was still trying to catch her breath.
"It's Fai san…!" she said concernedly. "When I got to work this morning, he wasn't there so I knocked on the door to his apartment! Usually, he gets up at four to start making the bread and donuts, but today, I peeked into his room and his alarm clock was going off but he wasn't getting up! I think he's…!"
Kurogane's eyes widened in horror. Without giving Sakura a chance to finish her sentence, he dashed off towards the bakery, running as hard as he could.
"Kurogane san! Wait!" Sakura called after him in vain.
Kurogane threw open the door to Fai's apartment without bothering to remove his shoes or coat, halting abruptly at the blond's bedside where Fai still lie beneath the covers. When he realized that Fai was, in fact, still breathing, albeit rather uneasily, Kurogane let out a long sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his brow. The stupid guy wasn't dead after all; that foolish girl had went and got him all worked up for nothing.
Fai was shivering quite violently, though, and his cheeks were noticeably flushed. Kurogane laid a hand on the baker's forehead and found it blazing with fever. Worry rose up in his chest once again, but it was considerably less than what he had experienced before. Sure, Fai's fever was pretty high, but it wasn't going to kill him. Kurogane was sure that he could take a day or two off of work to care for the blond and thought he should be able to help Fai get back on his feet again at least by the end of the week. Shaking his head in exasperation, Kurogane left Fai's room with the intention of notifying his boss about his plans and returning home to get some supplies. Sakura stumbled back into the bakery as Kurogane was closing Fai's door behind him. She dropped into one of the booths, trying to get her breath back.
"Tch! You could've told me he was just sick," he said to her sullenly. "The way you said it, I thought the bastard had died or something."
"I'm s-sorry…" she panted. "You ran off b-before… I could finish…"
"Jeez," Kurogane grumbled. "Making me run like that for nothing… Well, looks like I've got no choice but to let my boss know I'm staying here to take care of that moron today. I'll be back in forty-five minutes or so."
"Thank you very much, Kurogane san," Sakura said, getting up from the booth to bow to him gratefully as he left the shop.
"Yes, can I help you?" Kazahaya asked, appearing from behind a row of shelves when he heard someone enter the shop. "Oh, hello, Kurogane san. Um, is there something I can help you find…?"
"I'm looking for cold medicine," he said shortly. "That idiot baker went and got himself sick."
"Ah, sure! Just a minute, I'll go get it!" Kazahaya disappeared down a different aisle and emerged with a small bottle of red liquid in his hand. "That'll be 1500G, please."
"Damn, this stuff's expensive," Kurogane groused as he dug into his wallet. "That bastard'd better appreciate this."
"Thank you for coming," Kazahaya said with a bow.
Now that he had the medicine, Kurogane headed for home to get some extra blankets. Maybe he would even make Fai some of the hot chocolate that his mother had always made for him and his sister when they had been sick as children. He was sure that Fai would probably almost have kittens over the fact that Kurogane had gone to the trouble of making him his mother's special homemade hot chocolate. Not that he was particularly interested in Fai's reaction; he just figured that the sooner the blond got better, the less days he would have to take off of work in order to take care of him. And of course with a fever like the one Fai had, he would probably be too weak to sit up and drink it, so Kurogane would have to hold him as he did so. The carpenter could feel heat rising in his cheeks at the very idea. Sternly, he forced himself to think of something else, telling himself that it was the chill that was making his face go red.
An hour later, Kurogane was back in Fai's apartment with an arm-full of extra blankets and a thermos of hot chocolate. He pulled a chair over to Fai's bedside and plunked himself down in it. Fai was still fast asleep, his brow furrowed slightly in the discomfort caused by his illness. Still, he managed to somehow look sweet and beautiful in spite of it.
Kurogane set the thermos on the floor and spread the blankets over Fai's slim, trembling body. Wanting to administer the medicine and have Fai drink the hot chocolate before it got cold, Kurogane brought a hand to the blond's feverish cheek and began to stroke it softly in order to wake him. After a moment, Fai moaned softly and reluctantly opened his eyes. He blinked up at Kurogane, apparently disoriented by sleep and his cold.
"…K-Kurochii…" he croaked, rubbing his eyes. "What are you…? …Oh, my head…"
"Hmph… Guess I should've known better than to take a wimp like you to the outdoor bath in the wintertime," Kurogane huffed, feigning annoyance as he brushed a lock of Fai's golden hair back from his burning forehead.
Fai smiled faintly. "Sorry, Kurorinta…" he said. "I suppose it p-probably wasn't such a good idea… f-for me to walk home after our date with wet hair, was it? …Ha-choo!"
Kurogane snorted and shook his head as he handed Fai a tissue. Fai coughed weakly and blew his nose.
"I brought medicine," the carpenter said, holding up the little bottle of red liquid he had bought from the potion shop. "It wasn't cheap, either, so you'd better appreciate it."
"I do, very much," Fai assured him. "Th-thank you, Kuroron."
"I brought hot chocolate, too," he continued, blushing. "Can you sit up?"
Without waiting for Fai's answer, Kurogane leaned down and scooped the fragile baker into his arms, wrapping him in two of the blankets to ensure that he stayed warm. Fai laid his hot cheek against Kurogane's chest as the carpenter measured out a spoonful of the medicine and tipped it down the blond's throat. Then he picked up the thermos of hot chocolate, removed the lid, and handed it to Fai. The blond took a sip and closed his eyes in relief as the warm liquid slid down his sore throat.
"I don't think… I've ever had this k-kind of hot chocolate before…" Fai commented.
"Of course you haven't," Kurogane replied. "It's my mother's recipe. She used to make it for me and Tomoyo when we were kids."
"It's yummy," Fai said, taking another drink. "Oh, but Kurokuro… d-don't you have to work today?"
"Well, thanks to a certain someone, I had no choice but to take the day off," he growled.
Fai was silent for a moment, blushing slightly, his heart warming immensely at the fact that Kurogane was willing to not only bring him medicine and homemade hot chocolate when he was sick but also to take a day off of work. "You're s-so sweet, Kuropipi…" he shivered. "Thank you."
Kurogane said nothing, but stoked Fai's hair gently as he drank his hot chocolate. As soon as Fai had finished, Kurogane took the empty thermos from him as the blond's head nodded tiredly against his chest.
"Mm…I'm s-starting to fall asleep, Kurochan…" Fai yawned. "Sometimes I… have bad nightmares when I have a f-fever, so… you'll h-hold me… while I take my nap, won't you?"
"Fine," Kurogane said, his face flushing as he cuddled Fai close.
"Thank you, Kurochuu…" the baker said as he closed his eyes. "You're always so… n-nice and gentle with me…"
"That's because I love you, idiot," Kurogane mumbled. Luckily, Fai was already asleep and didn't hear him. The carpenter graced his sleeping companion with a rare soft smile, kissing his cheek lightly and starting to stroke his hair again as he let poor, sick Fai rest.
-Spring-
"Oh, Kuronpyu!" Fai chirped as Kurogane walked through the door of the bakery. "Perfect timing; I just finished a new dessert I think you might like. It's my first time making it so I need someone to test it on."
"Get someone else," Kurogane grumbled. "You know I don't like sweet crap."
"You might like this, though," Fai insisted. "It's a dark chocolate cake so it won't be so sweet."
"Fine, whatever," he sighed as he sat down in his usual booth near the window. "But if you're just screwing with me to trick me into eating something gross, I'll kick your ass."
Fai laughed. "I wouldn't do something so mean, Kuromii! You know me better than that, don't you?"
"Hmph," Kurogane grunted doubtfully as Fai disappeared into the kitchen to get the carpenter's lunch.
Fai returned with a chicken salad sandwich, a bowl of udon noodles and a glass of ice tea as well as a plate bearing a slice of dark chocolate cake, humming as placed the items on the table in front of his customer. Kurogane frowned as sudden recognition flared up in his mind in response to the tune Fai was humming.
"What song is that?" he asked, picking up the sandwich.
"It's an old love song that my mother used to like," Fai replied with a hint of nostalgia. "Do you know it, Kuromyuu?
Kurogane shrugged nonchalantly. "Dunno. Sounds kinda familiar, though." This was an understatement. As Fai continued to hum, a rush of childhood memories came flooding back to him. Images of his eleven-year-old self and a four-year-old Tomoyo swam in his mind's eye…
"Kurogane! Kurogane! Look what my teacher gave me for white day!" Tomoyo called excitedly, running up to him with a small, polished wooden box in her pudgy little hands.
"What's that, a music box?" he asked.
"Yeah, and it plays a really pretty love song," she gushed. "Listen!"
She flipped back the delicate golden clasp and opened the lid carefully so that they could hear the tinkling melody.
"That's nice, I guess," Kurogane shrugged once the song had finished.
"Mm hmm!" she agreed cheerfully, closing the music box again. "It would make a really cool buried treasure, don't you think?"
"Huh? Now you wanna bury it?" Maybe Kurogane just didn't understand the way girls' minds worked yet but that seemed like a really strange thing to do to a brand new toy that you liked as much as Tomoyo seemed to like the music box.
"Yeah!" she squeaked eagerly. "Come on, Kurogane! Let's play pirates!"
Kurogane shrugged again. "Whatever. It's your music box."
"Help me make a treasure map, ok?!" she begged, pulling at the hem of her older brother's shirt.
"You like that song, huh?" Kurogane asked after Fai had repeated the song about five times.
"Hmm? Oh yes; it's one of my favorites," Fai answered with a small smile. "I heard it on the radio yesterday for the first time in years… It really brought me back!"
Kurogane dug into his udon noodles, making a mental note to pay Tomoyo a little visit to see if she still happened to have the treasure map they had made together all those years ago.
Kurogane leaned against his shovel, panting, and wiped the sweat from his brow. As it turned out, Tomoyo remembered exactly where they had hidden the treasure map: in a hole in a pine tree on the corner of their family's property. The paper they had made it on hadn't been in the best shape when they had found it, but luckily since they had written the directions in wax crayon, they hadn't been smudged or smeared. Kurogane was now in the small field off to the side of his family home, sifting meticulously through the dirt in search of the music box.
"Can't believe I'm actually doing this," he grumbled to his sister. "We were just kids when we made this map; there's a good chance it's not accurate. I could be digging in wrong spot altogether."
"You can't give up now, Kurogane!" Tomoyo urged. "You're doing it for Fai san, the love of your life! How can you expect to prove how deeply you love him if you can't even do something simple like dig up a music box?"
"Alright, alright!" Kurogane snapped, his face reddening as he reapplied himself to his digging. "I get it! And would you quit using that word?!"
"Which word would that be?" Tomoyo asked innocently. "Music box? Dig? Love?"
"Yes! That one!" he snarled, his blush deepening. "Cut it out!"
"What, am I embarrassing you?" she giggled. "My, my, Kurogane; twenty-six years old and you still get all flustered at hearing the word 'love'? That's a little immature, don't you think?"
"Shut up!" Kurogane howled. "If you're just gonna make stupid jokes then you can leave!"
"Poor Fai san," Tomoyo sighed. "It must be hard on him, being in love with someone so rude and childish."
"You little twit!" he snarled. "If you weren't my sister, I'd…Hey!"
"What, did you find it?" she asked eagerly, crouching down beside him.
Kurogane tossed aside his shovel and bent down to pull a filthy old shoebox from the earth. He ripped off the lid impatiently to reveal the music box inside. With trembling hands, he lifted the music box out and carefully undid the golden clasp so that the two of them could here its sweet melody once more. Only when he opened the music box, nothing happened. Frowning, he shut it and opened it again, but that, of course, didn't help.
"Dammit!" he hissed. "It's broken!"
"Hmm…" Tomoyo said thoughtfully. "Why don't you try taking it to Mihara san at the tool shop? He might be able to fix it for you."
Kurogane heaved a sigh. It looked like he wouldn't be giving the music box to Fai just yet; first he would have to go see that crazy bastard Mihara. The guy would probably make fun of him for wanting him to fix something girly like a music box, especially since it played a love song. With a feeling of dread and resign, Kurogane trudged back to town with the music box tucked under one arm.
"Well, well, well," Mihara said, grinning as Kurogane walked into his shop trying not to look as vulnerable as he felt. "If it isn't Kurogane. What can I do for you?"
"Need you to fix this," Kurogane grunted, shoving the music box across the counter at him without meeting his eyes. Mihara picked up the music box so that he could examine it more closely.
"A music box, eh?" he smirked. "Funny, I didn't really have you pegged as the music box-type. I mean, isn't this kind of sissy for a tough guy like you?"
"Spare me the commentary and fix it already," the carpenter growled. "Unless you can't do it."
Mihara bristled indignantly at the accusation. "Of course I can fix it! What kind of tool man would I be if I couldn't handle a job as simple as this?!"
Yeah, you're a tool, alright, Kurogane thought irritably, though he didn't say this out loud, figuring that it probably wouldn't do much to motivate Mihara to support his cause. Mihara mumbled to himself as he examined the music box's delicate inner workings, tightening a piece here, oiling a piece there. When he was finished, he closed the lid and opened it again to test his handy work. Kurogane's heart leapt as the familiar tinkling melody rose from it once again.
Mihara snorted in amusement. "Hey, this is a love song, isn't it? That's pretty cute."
"Shut the hell up!" Kurogane snapped, blushing as he threw a handful of coins at his face and stomped out of the shop.
"Hmm? Kurobun?" Fai said, his eyes widening in surprise as Kurogane entered the bakery for the second time that day. "You're back?"
Kurogane marched up to him, his face almost as red as his eyes, and thrust the music box out at him.
"Eh? What's this?" he asked, examining the music box curiously.
"Buried treasure," Kurogane mumbled.
Fai looked at him in puzzlement before taking the so-called treasure from him hesitantly.
"Open it," the carpenter ordered.
Fai opened the lid of the music box carefully. He gasped, his eyes sparkling with joy when he heard the love song begin to play. "It's that song…" he said slowly. "Are… are you giving this to me, Kurochan?"
"Hmph," Kurogane huffed, still refusing to meet his gaze.
"Thank you," Fai breathed, his face breaking into an absolutely breathtaking smile. "But why?"
Kurogane took a deep breath, forcing himself to look at Fai at last. He hesitated for a mere second before suddenly leaning forward and pressing his lips to the blonds in a soft, shy kiss.
"Any more questions?" Kurogane asked gruffly, folding his arms.
Fai stared at him for a moment in shock before smiling sweetly again and leaning across the counter for another kiss. "Nope!" he trilled happily. "That clears things up pretty well, I think!"
A/N: Aaaaand that's all she wrote. Don't forget to make a guess at which game this was based on. Happy speculating!
