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kurofai2012-01-12 04:12 am
/crawls in on my belly
Title: No story is ever fully told
Part: Prologue
Author: sweetjerry
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Nothing so far
Warnings: The failure of teenagers
Summary: The story of a foundling archaeologist, a monarch with something to tell, an exiled warrior and a fleeing mage, but not as if it was told once before.
Notes: I KNOW I shouldn't start something new while I still have BCWM running, but I seriously felt as if my writer's block was never going to ease up unless I got this off my chest. Hopefully this will help. Cut quote from "Alexandra leaving" by Leonard Cohen.
~*~*~
The desert wind, hot and heavy with dust, followed the young man into his home as he heaved the door open and stepped inside, and then had to spend a moment forcibly dragging the door shut behind him. He had been gone for quite a while, for the sand to have gathered in such droves on his front step, and he made a mental note of clearing it away later. There was no point now. He would be returning to the excavation-site soon, and the sand would only pile up again. It was always hard to tell for sure how long he would be gone.
On his dresser a fine layer of dust had gathered on a photograph, and with gentle fingers he wiped it clean, revealing the picture of a child version of himself leaning over the shoulder of a happily smiling man. His father, who had passed away three years ago, had always loved that picture. The two of them, together on the excavation-site, sharing in the joy of discovery. That is how he would’ve wanted his son to remember him, of that the young man was sure, and so he kept the picture there as a reminder.
The child in the picture, as well as the faint reflection of himself that he could see in its glass, were quite different from how he’d been when he’d first arrived in Clow country. His skin back then had been pale, almost white – at least for a couple of days. Then he’d spent a painful amount of time being lobster red and flaking all over, but once that had passed his skin had turned a more durable light gold. He was still paler than most people in the country, but not remarkably so. His hair, on the other hand, had done quite the opposite. There had once been a hint of gold to his fair locks, but the desert sun had burned them as white as ash.
One thing hadn’t changed, though. His eyes were still the fairest cerulean blue, a novelty in a land where most people had golden or brown eyes. He was aware that he turned quite a few heads wherever he went, and so was the prince; the younger boy frequently sneered at this, muttering things about brainless birds being attracted to bright plumage. He usually went a very fetching shade of pink when his friend pointed out that not all the people turning around to get a closer look were looking at him. He was easily flustered that way.
Speaking of the prince, it was strange to find he wasn’t there yet. Usually, the moment he arrived he would be there, abrupt and awkward as always, but always happy to see him. The absence was worrying, and he bit his lip as he pulled his cloak right again, resolving to go out and look for-
“You’re late, Fai.”
Ah, that explained it. Smiling blithely, Fai turned to face his scowling friend. “Lurking in the kitchen, your highness? Not very befitting for a prince.”
The young prince grimaced. “The damn highnesses? Drop ‘em. I’ve told you a million times.” The rough-edged street slur was just one of many tactics Kurogane resorted to in his battle against his older brother. Fai found it adorable.
“But it’s so much fun to tease you,” Fai protested, and then laughed at the angry snort he received in turn. Launching himself on the other boy so that he could attach himself like a barnacle to his arm, he made his voice syrupy-sweet and mock obedient. “But if that’s the way Kuro-tan wants it, then who am I to tell him no?”
The prince made a disgusted noise and tried half-heartedly to shake him off, but he also blushed slightly, which was what Fai had been trying to achieve. The older they got, the more interesting it was to make his best friend blush, and through a lucky coincidence Kurogane also seemed a lot easier to fluster.
No, Fai wasn’t so dumb that he hadn’t figured out what this was all about, or that what he really wanted was something quite impossible. But as long as they both kept it innocent, as long as no line was really crossed, there was no harm done, right? Fai knew his place, and wasn’t going to upset his already somewhat delicate position as the prince’s best friend and confidante by putting as much as a toe out of line. He might skirt it, from time to time, but that was all there was going to be. And he was quite sure Kurogane was far too aware of his duties as a prince to even consider it.
So they were safe. Nothing to worry about at all. And his stupid heart would just learn to accept that this was how things would be.
Kurogane, meanwhile, had given up on trying to detach Fai from his arm, and instead just scowled a bit tiredly at him. “Why you’ve always gotta be like this every time you come back? You get so damn wound up and… I don’t know. Are you trying to avoid talking to me, or what?”
There he went again, deconstructing even the most carefully put-together charade in a second and leaving Fai without an answer for just long enough for his mind to start working on auto-pilot and throw out the first reply that came to mind. “No,” he said, meaning Yes, but really wanting to say something about Kuro-muu always being so hurtfully suspicious. The words wouldn’t come, though, and Kurogane nodded shortly. Fai had a feeling the lie hadn’t fooled him even for a second, but he was nonetheless going to take this opportunity to bystep Fai’s defenses.
The older they got, the more it was like this. Fai tried to dance gracefully around things, while Kurogane seemed intent to catch him out every single time.
“Good. I wanted to talk to you about something, and it’s kinda impossible when you keep acting all… funny.”
“Something like what, hmm? Does Kuro-sama have some deep, dark secret to disclose?” He did try his best, he really did, but he was starting to feel cornered. And Kurogane keeping his gaze trained on him as if he was trying to look right through him certainly wasn’t helping.
“I don’t think it’s much of a secret.”
Fai blinked, confused for a moment. That wasn’t the rebuttal of his continued “funny” behavior or the exclamation of disgust that he’d expected. “What do you mean, it’s not a secret? Kuro-rin, I really have no clue what you’re talking about.” If he just smiled wide enough, if he just kept playing dumb, maybe his friend would give up on the idea of serious conversation for now. And if he brought it up later, Fai would be better prepared.
Kurogane made a small, impatient noise, but he didn’t seem to fall for it. “I mean it’s something I think we both know. And I’m getting sick and tired of acting like we don’t.” And then, before Fai could digest what he’d just said, before he even had time to get alarmed, and maybe try to think of some way of escaping the situation… then Kurogane grabbed his chin. It wasn’t a gentle touch, not really, but it was softer than anything his friend had ever done before. Fai froze, terror treacherously melting away to longing, and he leaned just a little bit into the touch at the same time as Kurogane tilted his chin up. They stood like that for a moment, and it was horribly awkward and Fai barely knew where to look, but he still didn’t pull away. Because awkward as it was, it felt wonderful, and he didn’t want for it to have to end.
“I’ve got something I’ve got to tell you, alright?” Kurogane said, voice low and just a little bit unsteady. “Will you listen?”
Despite his own best efforts, despite Kurogane’s firm grip on his chin, Fai still managed a small nod. A small smile pulled on the prince’s lips, then, and Fai had to forcibly stop himself from kissing him. Not because he didn’t want to, and not even because he shouldn’t, not anymore. He just really wanted to hear this.
“I-” Kurogane began, hesitating a bit despite obvious efforts to just say it. “I lo-”
The stern, steely ring of the palace bell almost caused Fai’s heart to fail, and he flew away from Kurogane, ashamed and disappointed all at once, feeling as if the King himself had just caught them red-handed. The prince stared at him, hurt registering on his face for one heart-breaking split second, and then he clenched his fists in impotent anger and glared out the window. His brother might as well have been present in the room. The spell was broken between them, and Fai couldn’t help but mourning it a bit.
“Mmm, I think it’s time for K… for his highness to go, perhaps?”
Kurogane’s shoulders instantly stiffened, and Fai regretted his words. It wasn’t fair. This was obviously as hard for his friend as it was for him, and he shouldn’t be making it harder.
“Please, Kuro-sama? We can talk… later.” It was a bit of an empty promise, and they both knew it. The next day, Fai would be back by the ruins, and after a week or so had passed he could just act as if nothing had happened.
Kurogane headed for the door without a word, but once he was there he turned his head slightly, enough to glare sideways at Fai. “Don’t think you got away now. This conversation ain’t finished, alright? So stop acting like a coward and just face up to it.” And with that, he was gone.
Fai was left to weakly sink into a chair, as his legs would no longer hold his weight, and tremulously run a finger over the skin Kurogane had just touched. It tingled still. “I’m afraid,” he mumbled to the closed door, “that that’s going to be a very hard thing for me to do.”
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It's a re-tell of TRC, with the roles all switched around. It's a shiny new fic. It's YOUR shiny new fic.
HOMG. HYPERVENTILATION. IT IS HAPPENING.
asdjkl;lkjhgfd
<3
(I just about died when Kuro-prince grabbed him by the chin, I swear to god. And I can't even anything about how I totally thought it was Syaoran at the start, and then it wasn't and HOMG HOMG HOMG *flails like a flailing thing*)
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And hsjfdhskhfdjs THIS IS ONE OF THOSE FICS WHERE YOU HAVE TO KNOW CANON WELL and it just occurred to me that kowing TRC well requires a brain like a corkscrew, but then again, screw canon, I am doing my own thing B|
Also. Kurogane has moves. Just saying. His princely milkshake brings all the archaeologists to the palace. Yes.
Also. I love you. Just so you know.
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I am totally not sitting here with my inbox open and alerts on, what are you talking about.*grins in a shark-like but no-less fangirly manner*I AM SO EXCITE. I CANNOT EVEN STAND HOW SO EXCITE I AM. I AM JUST GOING TO SIT HERE, FOREVER, UNTIL I CAN READ MORE OF THIS <33333 Doing your own thang is the best thang, and I sit her eagerly waiting to see more of it~
Oh, I do not doubt that Kuro-shake has the skills to pay the bills, no sir. <3
I love you too, bb~
no subject
You are the best fangirl-shark ever. Can you smell Fai and Kurogane being cute at a very great distance? Because that's an awesome skill.
.../opens Word LIKE A BOSS/ And I have actually been trying to make sense of everyone's backstory in the context of this story. Being as canon!clone!Syaoran's backstory is the most fucked-up thing, it is going to be... interesting...
/instant mental images of Kurogane covered in milkshake, what is my tired brain...
<3