Abandoned Driveways

9 - Crush Me Up, I'm Your Amphetamine

A/N: This is a little shorter and probably sloppier than I wanted it to be, but now that I'm on some sort of schedule, I don't want to let it slip again. You'd think I have more time to work on it now that it's summer, but no, I have an acting class and my job taking up all my time now...Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it and you know the drill-let me know if there's anything wonky!

~Saya

Abandoned Driveways

9-Crush Me Up, I'm Your Amphetamine

It was a surprisingly gentle knock on his front door that woke Kurogane the next morning. He rolled off the couch and stretched, feeling his blunt nails scratch his scalp gently as part of a familiar morning ritual. There was a pain in his neck and a dull throb across his hip and shoulder, but he ignored them as he stumbled around the couch and pulled the door open.

Ashura stood on the other side. It couldn't have been past nine in the morning—on a Sunday, no less—but the other man looked like he'd gotten dressed for tea with royalty. His long hair gleamed in the sunlight, not a strand out of place, and he wore a white button-down shirt with black slack, which, Kurogane happened to notice, were perfectly creased. His dark eyes ran up and down Kurogane's own form, clearly judging what he saw.

Kurogane couldn't say he blamed him either. There were probably circles under his eyes, and he could feel a dry patch at the corner of his mouth that must have been drool. His short, spiky hair was probably messier than usual and it was probably flat on one side. His clothes were definitely going to be wrinkled as well, seeing as he'd slept in them.

"My cousin wouldn't happen to be here, would he?" Ashura asked finally in a tone that was too smooth for Kurogane's liking. He didn't say anything about the other's appearance, but he didn't have to—the look in his eyes did the talking for him on that front.

Kurogane just stared at him for a moment. He knew it probably wouldn't do any good to lie, but he couldn't bring himself to just tell the other that Fai was there. The silence dragged on, balancing on the line between awkward and hostile.

"Kuro-chan?" came a familiar voice from behind him suddenly, "Whoever could be coming to your door this early in the—"

He broke off as he suddenly spotted his cousin over Kurogane's shoulder. In the reflection in the window next to the door, Kurogane could see the beautiful sapphire eyes widen in the pale face. The fakest smile he'd seen yet quickly followed, and a part of Kurogane cringed inwardly.

"Good morning, Ashura," the blond chirped as if he hadn't just been caught in a possibly awkward situation by the last person either of them wanted to see.

"Good morning, Fai," Ashura replied. Kurogane could tell he was trying to make his voice sound warm, but the ice underneath was obvious even with their essentially nonexistent relationship. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Of course," Fai assured his cousin. He straightened the pale blue t-shirt he wore, which was just as wrinkled as Kurogane's. Kurogane caught the suspicious glance Ashura swept over the pair of them, but he ignored it. They had done nothing wrong, from his point of view or anyone else's.

As Fai passed him, Kurogane couldn't stop himself from murmuring, "It wasn't your fault."

Fai stiffened, but he didn't stop. He didn't even slow or glance at Kurogane, which the darker-haired man found a bit insulting, considering the work he'd put into finding the rest of the story. Instead, Fai simply followed his cousin out the door, and Kurogane let him go.

Despite the recent turmoil in his life, school on Monday seemed almost like a return to normal for Kurogane. As usual, the teacher drawled on and on, and as usual, Kurogane ignored him in favor of staring across the room at Fai. He wasn't even trying to be secretive about it anymore. Fai, on the other hand, was mostly ignoring him. Every now and again he would look up and wink or something equally flirtatious, causing giggles to go rippling through the female population in the room. Still, Kurogane was less than convinced about the boy's health.