sinful_lynx

Title: Peaceful Slumber
Fandom: Tsubasa/FMA
Characters/Pairings: Fai, Kurogane; Ruby
Rating: PG
Warnings: RubyKitty! A little abuse of said kitty.
Author Note: It's been a while since I've done Fai or Kurogane, so forgive me. Man, I intended for this one to be happy, but it did not start out that way. D: Poor Rubykins.
Summary: He can have... a peaceful rest? It seems like a dream itself...
Disclaimer: Daddy made my icon and Ruby is hers and CLAMP owns Tsubasa, Fai, Kurogane and anyone else mentioned in here.

The wind howls loudly and the night sinks in as deeply as the cold. He's not entirely sure where he is or how he possibly got there, but he knows it's cold and he wants nothing more than a warm fire to curl up beside, perhaps a cozy blanket to curl up under and sleep the ages away without worry.

But the world can never be so easy. He can never expect to be happy because he is different, a monster in the eyes of humans and he's not entirely sure he can endure the trust it takes to look at a person, speak and hope they won't turn on him, beat him savagely or threaten death because he's not like them.

He doesn't hear the initial insults, but he certainly feels the stone connect with the side of his head, cold stone against cold flesh. Sensitized skin, stiff from the cold, feels like it's shattering and the only relief comes in the sudden feeling of warmth that rolls, tickles and causes an itch on the side of his head.

"Stupid freak!"

His ears fall back. He tells himself that he deserves this. People would like him if he weren't different and somehow, it must be his fault, but his instincts are to reach up and protect his face, to hide away from the harsh blows from little pebbles that will gradually grow in size. Those who don't have rocks throw snow, sometimes with ice lodged in them, though he's pretty sure that isn't their fault so much as the snows ability to hide its sister so capably.

They sound like nothing more than innocent children, feeding off of their parents fears, trying to look good in their eyes and he can't honestly say he blames them. The only validation someone has is to be looked upon with fondness from someone else, be they parents, friends, or even a stranger who recognizes the good graces inside someone. He hears their sneers approach, feels the sharp prod of some stick they must have found and barely represses a yelp.

On instinct, he curls, refuses to fight back, to hurt anyone. They have their opinions and while they are painful, he has no choice to respect them. After all, a monster doesn't have feelings.

Maybe he does look just a little pathetic, biting back his cries as innocent children take a page from their ruthless parents' books and resort to kicking and poking instead of throwing rocks. He bites his lips until it bleeds, hoping that they'll think he's dead, or they'll get bored and run away. It's his own fault, he wants to say, but even so, he doesn't like what he deserves.

"Hey!"

That voice makes him shrink even more. He knows that it's an adult from the sound of it, a strong male adult that would probably rip him in half if he came any closer. The kids scurry off, hurried whispers about running away before they got caught and the heavy footsteps in the snow are accompanied by lighter ones, approaching him. He makes sure his tail is still, his ears don't move and he doesn't breathe. If they don't think he's alive, they'll go away. He doesn't want to hurt anymore.

"Are you all right?"

The second voice is softer, with a very kind touch to it. In spite of his act, he flinches and recoils before he can stop himself, every muscle in his body trying to accept the numbness of the cold, his body and mind trying to shut down, but if he does, he knows he'll never wake up again.

A fake smile and bright blue eyes that aren't quite lit up but reflect, not malice but concern smile down on him, his hand covered in blue material he's never felt before and stretched out in a harmless greeting. The man beside him is scowling and he seems fearsome, grumbling about stupid kids and stupid mages, red eyes staring off in the direction he heard the children run. They, too, are absent of cruelty, though he does admit they look fearsome and full of irritation, which, to him, is no better than anything else.

"It's fine. We'll take you some place warm, won't we, Kuro-tan?"

"It's Kurogane!" Snaps the tall, dark and vicious looking man. He jolts involuntarily at the outburst, tries to force his body to move, to get away from him if he's so angry because he doesn't want to be in his way, but the blonde is already straightening, taking care of his friend by... stripping him of his heavily insulated coat. "Give him your own!" 'Kurogane' doesn't look happy and goes to protest but his friend doesn't give him time, either and soon, Alex feels nothing but the body heat from Kurogane and the same cheery smile from his blonde friend.

"Doesn't that feel better?" He says, scratching his ears kindly. "Kuro-puu will carry you inside. We can take care of you better, there."

The next few hours pass in a daze. He wants to sleep, to forget it all, but the cheery fellow simply won't let him sleep, chattering away about nothing at all and his friend, the Kurogane character, is standing against the wall, letting him chatter away as if it's normal behavior.

"Do you have a name?" He asks, tying the bandage around his head and placing the bowl of warm water aside. "I can't call you kitten all night, can I?"

"Not like you pay attention to it anyway," Kurogane mutters.

"Silly Kuro-rin," twitters his friend.

He hears Kurogane growl, but offer no retort this time.

He knows he had no choice. He has to give his name or it is entirely rude. After saving him, he can at least answer their questions. "It's... Alex. Alexander Rubens."

"A very nice name. You can call me Fai, Alex and that tall, dark and handsomely brooding man is Kuro-rin. Don't let his scowling expression fool you. Deep down, there's an adorable, huggable puppy wai--"

Fai ducks and Rubens freezes as a chair whizzes by, barely missing the two of them. Kurogane doesn't look the least bit pleased at the comments and Fai shrugs it off easily as he stands and dusts himself off, adjusting the beautiful white coat that is now laying in Alex's lap.

"I'll go and check on Sakura and Syaoran. I hope Kuro-pii didn't wake them."

"Fucking mage!"

Alex tenses as things calm down. He supposes that Fai can seem a little hard to deal with, but it's definitely something he misses from home, someone happy and lively to take care of him, someone who loves him more than anything in the world... he does miss it very much. "I'm sorry," he mutters, clutching the coat in front of him.

Kurogane regards him. "For what?"

He knows it's becoming a bother, his weakness, but he presses on because he wants to avoid making this man any more irritated than he already is. "For being such a burden to the two of you..."

"Feh." He hears clunking steps, the steps of booted feet, as they approach the door. He looks up shortly before the lights go off and he notices there's a defeated look there, a look that simply says 'I'm giving in before that idiot hounds me' but there's also a bit of sincerity, well hidden, but Alex has to know people well to avoid getting hurt. "Shut up and get some sleep. You're gunna need it for the cream puff and the idiot mage in the morning."

Alex doesn't see anything but a dark shadow move back towards the window and stop. Rather than argue he nods slowly, though it hurts a bit and slips gingerly beneath the blankets and coat, snuggling into the warmth. He can have... a peaceful rest? It seems like a dream itself...