Title: Magnets
Fandom: Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE
Pairing: Kurogane/Fai
Rating: PG-13.
Word Count: 1,151
Summary/Description: It's the fourth date, and Kurogane's not even sure why he likes the guy. Maybe he doesn't want to know.
Warning/Spoilers: Shounen-ai. AU. Nekkidness. Spoiler-free.
A/N: For the record, I don't really like AU fics. No, that doesn't mean that you can ask me why in the Sam Hill I'm therefore writing one. I wouldn't have an answer anyway. BTW, I think they're about… just out of college, maybe?
Dedication: To Ego-chan. Happy Birthday, my love! May all bow down before your greatness. :D /megaglomp/ Enjoy the KuroFai goodness!
Disclaimer: You're making discreet fun of me, aren't you? Me, own TRC? Hah!
"Come in, come in, come in." The blond man, swathed in a white, fluffy robe, waved him through the front door breezily, and gave him a gentle shove in the direction of the sitting room. "Just give me fifteen minutes or so, and I'll be ready."
Kurogane grunted, and did as he was told, wiping his feet prudently on the welcome mat before stepping into the apartment. His hands were tucked into his pockets as he went in the direction that his date had pointed him. He found a seat on the couch, from where he could see clear into the hallway. The willowy young man hurried from the room not long after. Kurogane watched him go with a slight frown that was almost a smile.
This was his fourth date with Fai over the course of two weeks. After meeting each other at a seminar and getting into an all-out argument on Freudian principles, (admittedly, it had been rather one-sided; Kurogane had been shouting heatedly while Fai just smiled in a rather placid manner) they had exchanged numbers and began a series of baffling, yet strangely fun dates.
No, it didn't make much sense to Kurogane either, and he hoped to God it stayed that way. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the reason why this blond-haired nuisance drew him to him like a pin to a magnet. He was content to remain an observer for now, and see just where this roller coaster was going. He was taking him out to dinner tonight, to a fancy restaurant that probably defied protocol for fourth dates. Kurogane didn't care. He had never been one for rules anyway.
The blond head peeked round the corner at him in a sudden movement.
"Hungry, Kuro-wan?" he asked. "I made a bit of pasta, if you'd like."
He was hungry, Kurogane suddenly realised. He hadn't eaten since last night. It had been a hectic day, full of lectures and meetings and deadlines to be met and job interviews, and he hadn't given himself the chance to sit down and have a break. He wouldn't mind having something to tide him over before they went out to dinner.
"Yeah, thanks," he said, and Fai whipped out of view after giving him a sunny smile. In the blink of an eye, he was back, plonking down a plate of pasta and meat sauce and a glass of water onto the table before the brunet. And then he was off again, shouting that he wouldn't be twenty minutes. Kurogane chose to disregard the fact that that was a longer time span than he had previously stipulated, and dug into his meal.
It wasn't bad at all, he realised as he chewed, brows rising in surprise. Nice and meaty and full of flavour. Seemed like Fai had a few tricks hidden up his enigmatic sleeves.
Oh, and he was a secretive one, alright. In the few conversations that they had had beyond their initial squabble, the blond had opened up very little to him, deflecting questions on his childhood and past relationships with clever tact and skill. To be completely fair, Kurogane wasn't exactly an open book on the subject of his past, but while he was willing to give a little, Fai had shut that part of himself off almost completely. The blond seemed content to make chitchat, talk about school and work, and saddle Kurogane with a range of maddening monikers (the guy had called him by his full name exactly once, upon meeting him, and that had been the end of that). It was faintly disturbing.
What was probably most disturbing of all, was the fact that still, he wanted to know, just about everything about him, in spite of aggravating nicknames et al. In such a short time, the blond had nigh bewitched him, in the same way he annoyed him, and Kurogane was left with a niggling desire to figure the guy out. And for the life of him, he couldn't explain it. It was just the way it was supposed to be, he supposed. Opposites attract, or some other maxim like that.
He scooped up another forkful, leaving off his brooding in favour of inspecting the room which he occupied. There were two other couches identical to the one he sat in, pale blue with velvety cushions, and they all made a little cordon around the small table in the middle. Little armoires made pleasing decorations if serving no purpose as furniture, and the room was strewn with little frivolities like stuffed animals and little porcelain statues. Kurogane almost smiled, and could clearly imagine his date sitting smack dab in the middle of the neat little mess.
He shovelled down a few more bites, still wondering at how good it tasted. On hearing a scuffing sound, he looked up from his plate, with his hand halfway to his mouth, and got a shock that was equivalent to a backhanded slap across the face. His jaw dropped, he completely misjudged the location of his lips, and ended up stabbing himself in the cheek with his fork.
Fai had just walked into the hallway, looking beautifully shower-fresh, and wearing nothing save a million droplets of water all over his body. He spared the man in his sitting room a little smile before going back to sweeping the floor with his eyes, mumbling, "Now, where could it have gone to?" and eventually meandered into the next room.
Kurogane just about choked on what little food he had in his mouth, trying to dislodge it from his throat; a hard task while he was squirming uncomfortably in his seat. The hell? The blood was pounding at full force in his cheeks. Either the guy was totally bat-shit crazy, or he was trying to subtly tell him that maybe he didn't want to go on the date after all. The brunet's mouth went desert dry, and he found himself reaching for his water as he thought of the other possible ways in which Fai might want to spend the evening.
Fai wandered back into his line of sight, this time with a towel secured around the slim hips. He glanced over at Kurogane, and seemed to find the look of mutual befuddlement and want on his date's face to be amusing.
"Like what you saw, Kuro-pin?" he asked, hands on waist. When the only answer he got was an unblinking stare, he laughed gaily, and seemed to give the matter no more thought at all. "Give me twenty-five more minutes, and then we'll be set to go." And then he disappeared once again, leaving the brunet to contemplate all possible meanings and interpretations of his words.
…It was going to be an interesting night. Kurogane downed his water in one go, wiped a drop of sweat from his brow, and tried not to think of magnets.
A/N: Mwahahahaha. XD Making Kurogane suffer is fun.