Tsubasa: Four Times Fay Pretended To Smile, And One Time He Didn't
Title: Four Times Fay Pretended To Smile, And One Time He Didn't
Author: papered
Fandom: Tsubasa
Characters/Pairing: Fay D. Flourite
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 509
Notes: For the 31_days March 17th prompt: "Paper-thin smile." Spoilers up until Chapter 167, and for Fay's past.
1.
"Yuui! Are you alright?"
Fighting the urge to cry, he pulls himself up from where he'd fallen when the mountain of bodies had collapsed from underneath him during one of his numerous attempts to climb up to his brother. Knowing that his twin would worry if he doesn't respond, he aims the brightest smile he can skywards, his eyes stinging as he replies, "I'm fine."
2.
Ashura had once told him that he should smile more.
Fay had taken it to heart, like he would treat any other command from his king. If smiles were what Ashura wanted, then smiles was what he would get. He could hardly refuse his saviour such a simple request, after all.
Over time, he fooled even himself into thinking his smiles were genuine.
3.
When he closes his eyes, Fay dreams.
He dreams of a long-forgotten boy, a boy with sad eyes whom he'd buried years ago. Sometimes, he hears the name ringing in the back of his mind, and wonders who it is.
Yuui.
He dreams of a tall ivory tower in a distant country, a country where time is frozen and sin is forever. His subconscious remembers it all - the perfectly preserved corpses, the unending chill, the walls stained with crimson as a boy tries and fails to claw his way up.
When his thrashing grows too obvious and Syaoran comes to wake him and ask him what's wrong, Fay gives the young man a smile and tells him that he was dreaming of flying sheep.
4.
Standing in front of the mirror, he is numb. The man in front of him is unrecognizable, with a patch on one eye and shadows in the other, and yet the stranger follows his movements without effort.
Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, Fay turns to Kurogane, his lips curving automatically. He knows that the ninja can see through his façade without a second glance, and yet he cannot let down the masks without falling apart.
"I like it better this way," he whispers, and wonders whom he's trying to fool, Kurogane or himself.
5.
"This is payback, Kuro-sama."
"You bastard, I'll beat you up -"
At those words, he knows for certain that Kurogane would be all right, and Fay can't stop his lips from curving up anymore. For once, his smile is as real as the ninja who is sitting beside him.
He'd surprised himself with how relieved he'd felt to hear that the other man would be fine. During the whole trip, he'd tried to distance himself as much as possible, and Fay hadn't realized how badly he'd failed until those moments when the sword had flashed, and then Kurogane was lying collapsed against the ground with red flowing from where his arm had been.
There's a laughter building up inside him now, bubbling under the surface and threatening to break free.
Is this how it feels like to be alive?
He isn't sure, but Fay knows in that moment that this is the closest he will ever come.
+ Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
+ Like what you've read? Please friend!
Author: papered
Fandom: Tsubasa
Characters/Pairing: Fay D. Flourite
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 509
Notes: For the 31_days March 17th prompt: "Paper-thin smile." Spoilers up until Chapter 167, and for Fay's past.
1.
"Yuui! Are you alright?"
Fighting the urge to cry, he pulls himself up from where he'd fallen when the mountain of bodies had collapsed from underneath him during one of his numerous attempts to climb up to his brother. Knowing that his twin would worry if he doesn't respond, he aims the brightest smile he can skywards, his eyes stinging as he replies, "I'm fine."
2.
Ashura had once told him that he should smile more.
Fay had taken it to heart, like he would treat any other command from his king. If smiles were what Ashura wanted, then smiles was what he would get. He could hardly refuse his saviour such a simple request, after all.
Over time, he fooled even himself into thinking his smiles were genuine.
3.
When he closes his eyes, Fay dreams.
He dreams of a long-forgotten boy, a boy with sad eyes whom he'd buried years ago. Sometimes, he hears the name ringing in the back of his mind, and wonders who it is.
Yuui.
He dreams of a tall ivory tower in a distant country, a country where time is frozen and sin is forever. His subconscious remembers it all - the perfectly preserved corpses, the unending chill, the walls stained with crimson as a boy tries and fails to claw his way up.
When his thrashing grows too obvious and Syaoran comes to wake him and ask him what's wrong, Fay gives the young man a smile and tells him that he was dreaming of flying sheep.
4.
Standing in front of the mirror, he is numb. The man in front of him is unrecognizable, with a patch on one eye and shadows in the other, and yet the stranger follows his movements without effort.
Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, Fay turns to Kurogane, his lips curving automatically. He knows that the ninja can see through his façade without a second glance, and yet he cannot let down the masks without falling apart.
"I like it better this way," he whispers, and wonders whom he's trying to fool, Kurogane or himself.
5.
"This is payback, Kuro-sama."
"You bastard, I'll beat you up -"
At those words, he knows for certain that Kurogane would be all right, and Fay can't stop his lips from curving up anymore. For once, his smile is as real as the ninja who is sitting beside him.
He'd surprised himself with how relieved he'd felt to hear that the other man would be fine. During the whole trip, he'd tried to distance himself as much as possible, and Fay hadn't realized how badly he'd failed until those moments when the sword had flashed, and then Kurogane was lying collapsed against the ground with red flowing from where his arm had been.
There's a laughter building up inside him now, bubbling under the surface and threatening to break free.
Is this how it feels like to be alive?
He isn't sure, but Fay knows in that moment that this is the closest he will ever come.
+ Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
+ Like what you've read? Please friend!