Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warnings: Yaoi pairings. Established Kurofai. Also other pairings on the side. Art school AU. Ignorant author pretending to know shit about the performing arts. Angst, fluff, hurt comfort, stressed out art majors, etc. etc. Innuendo and sexual implications.

A/N: My own little piece of self indulgence.

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin,
Dance me through the panic, till I'm gathered safely in.
Lift me like an olive branch, and be my homeward dove
And dance me to the end of love.

- Leonard Cohen, Dance me to the end of love

If there's anything Kurogane Suwa loves most in the world, it would be three things: performing, the theatre, and Fai.

'Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!'

Theatre. It is about letting go, laying bare the hidden facets of his soul. What he would never show as Kurogane Suwa, he shows as Romeo, Claudius, Sebastian, Hamlet—just to name a few that he's played before. The school has a preference for Shakespeare, and while the director of theatre would definitely burn him at the stake for saying this, Kurogane doesn't really like Shakespeare much. He doesn't like not understanding what he is saying, and judging from the blank looks on his audience's faces, they have no idea what he's saying either.

Then again, he only ever has eyes for one. The rest of the sea of people in the darkened theatre blurs into faceless ghosts, background noise that frames that pale face alight in adoration, if tinged with a bit of blank incomprehension. He wants him to understand. He turns away from the brunette girl whose name he can't quite remember, mingling across the stage from him, and turns to those fond blue eyes. And now when he speaks, his voice softens tenderly, and he says to those porcelain features what he would never say offstage. Here, he is Romeo and not Kurogane, and Kurogane has nothing to be embarrassed of because on stage he can lay himself bare, under the guise of being someone else.

'For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.'

Though Fai has never quite been fooled by that.

'Kyaa~! Kuro-romeo is so romantic~!'

'Bastard! I was just saying my lines, goddammit!'

Afterwards, they go out for a late dinner at Fai's favorite Italian bistro. Tomoyo—the crazy fashion design major who's always in charge of the costumes—will hit him on the head tomorrow for missing out on the after-show party, but Kurogane will withstand her wrath for this. Fai holds his hand in his own mittened one as they walk through the falling snow. At the bistro, the snow continues to flutter on the other side of the windowpane amidst the blurred lights of the street-lamps. Fai's face in the candlelight… It is beautiful.

(and o, he doth teach the torches to burn bright.)

"Brilliant! That was brilliant! You have real talent, Kurogane-kun!"

That's Subaru, the literature major who stays in the room next to Fai's off the art dorms. Fai in his usual blithering air-headedness had applied late for dorms when he first came in, and the art dorms had been full. He'd been shuffled off to the dorm in between the academic blocks and high school section's school field, where the academic majors and some of the high school jocks stayed. Listening to Subaru rant, Kurogane revises his opinion that no one in the audience understands a word of Shakespeare, because Subaru definitely does. The way he rattles off about symbolism, and motifs, and dramatic irony with Watanuki, his fellow literature major, blows Kurogane's mind. He'd thought that he couldn't understand Shakespeare, but this sounds like rocket science in comparison. And he's a theatre major, not a scientist.

Fai finally sweeps into the canteen, as graceful as always (even in that horrendously fluffy white turtleneck that looks two sizes too big) with his chin aloft and his eyes half-lidded. The snow blows in as he does, and he brushes a lock of his blonde hair behind his ear after the doors swing shut after him. Kurogane finds that irrationally sexy. Tomoyo stands and waves him over; she loves Fai. Because Fai (unlike Kurogane) lets her dress him up, and play with his hair, and put powder on his face. She insists that Kurogane must wear makeup onstage, but Kurogane refuses, squirming and yelling like a stubborn child. Fai is a lot more compliant when she brushes eyeshadow on his eyelids to compliment his costume. Sometimes when neither has any deadlines to rush for, they giggle and talk about the latest fashions together.

"Kuro-rin!" he announces as he plops himself down at the table, "I want a chicken-tuna sandwich!"

Kurogane bristles.

"Go and get it yourself, bastard!" he yells, and some of the nearby students giggle at the familiar spectacle of their squabbling. Kurogane does not think this is funny, just for anyone's information. This is serious business that is not amusing in the slightest. But he does not tell them off, because Fai would laugh at him and call him a serious puppy if he ever said that out loud.

"But my big, strong, romantic Romeo is here," he wails melodramatically as he jumps to his feet with a hand over his forehead, "Save me, Romeo! Help me get my lunch!"

His legs are shaking and he has forgone his shoes, which are hanging by their laces from his backpack, in favor of thick woolen socks. Kurogane sighs and stands. Fai grins and makes as if to start running, but the theatre major only grabs him by the tassels of his (adorable) bobble hat, and kisses him. There is some high-pitched squealing going around, but Kurogane doesn't really care. Lots of people in this school have done more than this in full sight of everyone else with no reactions, so he doesn't know what the difference is here. (They aren't drop-dead gorgeous, Tomoyo says, that's the difference.)

Fai blinks at him for a few moments, looking confused and criminally cute with his big blue eyes and long lashes fluttering as he blinks like a goddamn doll. Kurogane kisses him again. Chastely. Because there are other people around. Then he drops the tassels and turns on his heel, walking towards the direction of that stall Fai likes to get his sandwiches from. He nods towards the table over his shoulder.

"Go and sit the hell down," he orders, "I'll go get lunch."

"Kuro-sama?" Fai whispers, and a wondering, loving smile cracks across his face like the dawn after a storm. Even though he will be teased later (by Fai, by Tomoyo, and by everyone else), it was worth it to see that look on his face.

"Bubble bath~!" Fai wails from the tub, Kurogane winces, "Bubble, bubble, bath! Rubber ducky, rubber ducky in my bath!"

"That's not even a song!" roars the theatre major from the bedroom.

Fai pretends not to hear him (it must be pretense, because the bathroom door is wide open), and continues in a screech.

"Oh, but even with my rubber ducky, I feel so looooooonely!"

An infuriating quack of the duck being squeezed.

"Ohhh! Won't my puppy come and sit here with me?"

Quack.

Quack.

Quaaaaaaack.

"Shut up!"

"Woof, woof?"

Kurogane turns and collapses face-down into his pillow; Fai giggles from inside the bathroom and he fists his hands in the covers so that he won't storm the bathroom and strangle his stupid boyfriend. Even if he decided to let Fai live, the damned blonde might slide down into the tub in unconsciousness, and drown anyway. And he likes Fai (the majority…. minority…. when he's not being an ass), and would miss him if he died.

Later, Fai comes out quietly and climbs onto the bed, snuggling into a tanned back. He noses into the back of Kurogane's neck, then kisses his shoulders. Kurogane rolls over and Fai starts.

"Bad puppy," he says softly, "Pretending oh-so-sneakily to be sleeping."

Kurogane makes a noncommittal noise, and shifts to the centre of the bed. Fai makes a strange sound of complaint when he reaches for his arm, and scoots slightly away.

"I have to get back to my dorm," he says with a disapproving pout, "Don't tempt me with your big, soft bed."

When Fai makes as if to leave, Kurogane stands up and throws him back into bed.

"Your feet hurts," he says bluntly, "Your dorm room is far. Stay here."

Then he pulls Fai's feet into his lap, and runs a finger over the angry red blisters. Fai giggles when he lifts them by the ankles and kisses them. Fai's feet are soft like a baby's, and they smell like his own vanilla and honey soap. Kurogane blinks.

"Why do I have your soap in my bathroom?"

"Because you looooove me," Fai sing-songs. Kurogane gives him a look, and he giggles, "I left them here a long time ago since I'm here all the time."

Now that he thinks about it, there has been an extra bottle by his tub for a pretty long time. It's quite disturbing that he hasn't properly noticed it. Kurogane kisses Fai's ankles, then puts them back in his lap, and begins to rub his thumbs into the soles. The blonde moans happily.

"Is Kuro-horny trying to bribe me into his bed for some unmentionable reasons?"

"Shut up. I'm not, okay?"

Fai closes his eyes and chuckles tiredly.

"Can you do my calves later?" he murmurs, "They really hurt."

After doing his feet, Kurogane does his calves, and finally—though that really wasn't his ultimate goal—does Fai. In his defense, Fai seduced him first.

The stars are out, and the snow gently falling by the time Fai emerges from the studio with his bag slung over his shoulders and his shoes in one hand. His winter clothing is still draped over one arm, which is really stupid of him because its cold outside tonight. His pale skin is gleaming with sweat in the moonlight, and his hair is sticking to his forehead. His chest is visibly expanding with his every breath, and he is shivering from the cold and the sweat and his lack of clothing.

Kurogane takes his bag for him and throws his own coat over Fai's shoulders. Fai breathes a thank you, still sounding breathless.

"Put on your pants."

Fai begins to hop around trying to get his pants on, so Kurogane takes the rest of his things from him.

"And your shoes."

Because his feet are pale and blistered and a little bruised in the snow, and he's shifting them even as he stands there. They are turning white from the cold, but Fai still shakes his head.

"It hurts to put them on," he says, softly, because it's late and everyone in the art dorms are sleeping, "And the cold soothes the aching."

Kurogane hands him his shirt, then his coat, after he pulls his shirt on.

"Don't blame me if you freeze your feet off and don't get the scholarship."

Fai shrugs his coat on, and tucks his hands under his armpits. He has forgotten to bring his mittens.

"I can't walk in shoes," he admits, and hands Kurogane his coat.

Kurogane eyes it for a moment.

"Hold it for me," he says, then turns and drops to one knee, "Up."

"Kuro-sama?"

He can feel his cheeks heating up, so he scowls and hopes Fai can't see in the dim light.

"Hurry up!" he growls, "I'm not gonna kneel here in the snow all day, or do you want me to carry you like a damn girl?"

Fai chuckles quietly, and slides his arms around Kurogane's neck, turning the side of his face into Kurogane's back. The theatre major stands, bounces Fai once to get a better grip on him, then begins to walk. Fai's breath is misting out by his face, and he can feel his boyfriend's breathing, warm against his back.

"I take it Kuro-gentleman is walking me home?" Fai teases tiredly.

"Whatever."

Fai laughs breathlessly, and winds Kurogane's cloak around the both of them.

There's a big commotion in the hallway around the noticeboard. A crowd is straining, jumping, craning their necks to try to see past everyone else. Kurogane scans the crowd, and makes his way straight to that mop of blonde hair. He twines their fingers together, and Fai smiles shakily at him, and continues to try to see over the sea of bobbing heads. Even Kurogane, who is half a head taller than even Fai, can't see anything. Fai drops into a demi-plié, then gracefully lifts up onto the very tips of his sneakers.

"I can't see anything," he says, and his voice is weak.

He drops back onto the flats of his feet.

"Can you?"

Kurogane shakes his head. Fai wrings his hands together nervously, and his face is so white (on top of his already white complexion) that he looks green. He looks like he could be breaking into a cold sweat, even in this blasted cold. Kurogane brushes his thumb over the back of the blonde's hand in reassurance.

"No, I can't," he replies, but turns back towards the noticeboard.

There are people walking out of the crowd crying, Fai blanches, and he looks like he's about to burst into nervous tears.

"You worked hard for that scholarship," Kurogane tells him quietly, "Stop looking at them."

"They worked hard for it too," Fai murmurs back, but drops again into a lower plié before springing up off the floor. He's always been able to jump insanely high. He lands on the balls on his feet, absorbs the impact down into another plié before springing up again.

More and more people are coming away from the noticeboard, crying, sobbing, cursing, some shrugging despite the stricken looks on their face. They see Sakura pushing out of the crowd, looking a little crushed, but smiling brightly at Syaoran, who waits a short distance away with her bag at his feet.

"Well," she said, "I knew I wouldn't get it."

Syaoran looks worried as she reaches him.

"It's alright," she tells him, "Everything will be alright."

She reaches for her bag, but he simply slings it easily over his shoulder.

"I'll hold it for you," he says, "Let's go for lunch."

Kurogane can make out a little bit of text over the thinning crowd. Beside him, Fai's jumping gets a little more rigorous. The scholar for music… is that voice student called Kobato. Finally, the tall guy standing right in the middle of the board and blocking everything decides he has stood there enough, and moves away. Kurogane skips right over the theatre scholarship (he knows he didn't get it because he didn't apply; he's already gotten the scholarship the last year) and right down to the dance scholarship.

Fai D. Flourite. DA3.1

Fai screams and flings his arms around Kurogane's neck. After a moment of incoherent yelling, he pulls back, grins like the sun, bursts into laughter, dances a little, then quite suddenly, he throws himself back into Kurogane's arms and begins to sob dryly into the side of his collar.

A/N: I know. I KNOW I should be writing From the Ashes right now. I'm sorry! I'm suffering from a terrible case of writer's block. (As I have said, FtA is the first fic I am publishing as I'm writing, so things may be going slow.) Anyway, I was like PLOT BUNNY. So, this is my little bit of self-indulgence trying to get over my block. This is actually a little bit of a writing exercise. Again, it's supposed to be a oneshot, but nowadays with my schedule I can only find the time to type up segments of 2k words or so. Perhaps when my school hols start for real, I can start writing 6k+ chapters or 10k+ oneshots again like I used to. For now, enjoy my short chapters. Btw, because this was supposed to be a oneshot (like Frailty etc) it'll probably be a lot more Kurofai-centric, so the other characters have less development. Anyway, 2 in the morning and I'm lazy to check for typos.

Comment and review. Goodnight, world.