fic: That time of year
Title: That time of year
Author: Seraphim Grace
Series: Weiss Kreuz - Nekojita’s shadowverse
Rating: U - Ed has a potty mouth
Pairing: none really
Notes: Nekojita owns everything that’s not owned by some large conglomerations in Japan.
I wrote this weeks ago for nekojita promptly forgot about it, but she reminded me yesterday and said it was okay to share
Crawford sat in the inn's common room in a mood foul enough he had driven everyone else out without a spoken word. He sat drinking very expensive twenty five year old whiskey like it was water and it was still hours until noon. He hadn't shaved, and Jo suspected he hadn't even brushed his hair. The other bounds who lived in the inn were crammed into her kitchen for the most part avoiding him. Jo had never seen him so dishevelled, or the curt manner in which he ordered the bottle be left, or the way he stared so disconsolately into the flames in the fireplace.
“We have to do something,” Yohji said, rolling out pastry. Jo was damned if she was going to have all these able bodied men in her kitchen without making use of them, except Ed who had a tendency to eat more of the vegetables he peeled than put them in the cook pot. Roy, however, was a godsend to any kitchen. “We can't just lurk in here like criminals on work release,” he said, Jo glowered at him, “there are other things we could all be doing.”
“I was half way through a translation.” Ed said, “but I daren't cross the common room to the stairs. He looks at me funny.”
So far only Aya, clinging to the shadows, had managed to make his escape to the library with the words that he was not coming down again until Crawford was gone. Jo thought that this was ironic, that the great and terrifying Kage was running from one man who sat by the fire drinking and saying nothing.
She had to admit, though, that Crawford didn't normally strike her as being dangerous, living mostly in his own wits, but right now he did look like he would rip out the throat of anyone who disturbed him and leave what was left of the meat to Ken.
That reminded her she needed to take the beef out to baste it - maybe add more honey.
“Ed,” she said turning, “bring that tray of sandwiches out to Crawford,” she said, so far Ed was the only one he hadn't snarled at, instead he just stared at the boy.
“no,” Ed said backing off, “he can go hungry.”
“and you can clean the twenty five year old whiskey vomit off the walls.” Jo said putting her hands on her hips, “and help him to bed because you weren't prepared to feed him enough that it doesn't happen.”
“Roy,” Ed said ducking behind his lover, who was stirring a broth, “protect me.”
“Sorry, love,” Roy said patting him on the head, “You're on your own.”
“He's your brother.” Ed protested.
“I'll defend you from him” Roy said and then bent down to kiss his mate on the crown of his golden head, “but not Jo”
“Fucking coward,” Ed snarled, somewhat appeased by the kiss, “don't know why I ended up mated to an old pervert, can't even protect me from an old woman.” He stomped across to the tray of sandwiches and with a scowl that should have curdled milk carried them out to the common room.
Yohji never got the chance to count to five before he was back in, pale and shaking. “He says, thank you, Jo, for your consideration.” He moved over to Roy and wrapped his arms about his waist, “I wanna go home now, fuck my translation, Al can finish it tomorrow.”
Roy put his spare arm about his mate, “After we have the soup, promise.” he said and then kissed Ed on the forehead, never once losing his concentration on the pot he was stirring and maintaining the constant flame under.
“Why is everyone hiding in here?” Duo asked from the doorway, he wore his cape and had stopped in for a bite to eat before his shift, which started mid morning, with Trowa loping along silently behind him.
“Crawford.” Yohji said, “he's taken over the common room and driven everyone out.”
Trowa narrowed his green eyes for a moment and then made a small oh shape with his mouth, “it's that time of year.” He said, “Ed, will you help me for a moment?” Ed, who was never one to back down from a challenge went white and shook his head. “I could go and get Al from the Rockbell's, he can do this too.”
Jo poured him a cup of coffee as she watched this, it wasn't surprising that Trowa would know what was wrong, and how to help it, if not solve the problem completely. Trowa thanked her for her generosity with a bow of his head, “is there an empty room, upstairs? we need some privacy for this.”
“I'm not going to let you sacrifice him.” Roy said tightening his grip around Ed.
“I'm not going to.” Trowa said, “but sometimes you need...” he looked at Duo then reached across and squeezed his hand, “he'll be fine, I'll be there.”
“He fucking looks at me like I'm something nasty stuck to his shoe,” Ed said, “and he wants to wipe me out of the world like some kinda stain and then at the same time he wants to fucking eat me, it's fucking creepy. I mean he doesn't normally even fucking notice me.” He reached out and took Trowa's coffee from his hand knocking it back in a single swallow. “Fucking tall fucking Crawford, fucking bad temper, fucking,” after that it devolved into a quiet and rather foul mumble that Jo couldn't make out any more apart from the occasional fucking.
“Do you mind,” Trowa asked lifting the cooking brandy, “if I take this,” he stepped across to Duo and kissed him softly on the lips, “tell Birman I need to take a personal day, I'll be in tomorrow, it's nothing to worry about, really,” he kissed him again, “and Roy, won't the army miss you?”
“No,” Roy said rather huffily, “I got the day off for good behaviour.”
“Well go shopping,” Trowa who was normally so quiet that he could blend into a room had taken charge, “out the lot of you, come back after lunch, it's going to be fine.”
“But,” Ed protested, “my soup.”
Duo laughed from the doorway, “looks like someone has to take one for the team.” Roy, who because of his bound nature barely got on with Duo at the best of times, growled the flames under the pot surging.
Jo batted him quickly about the back of the head with her spoon. “You're burning the soup.”
Trowa carried the cooking brandy in one hand and pushed Ed with the other as he sat down beside Crawford, making Ed stand beside him. “You're scaring them, you know.” He said softly. “They don't understand. It's that time of year again.” He poured himself a glass of the brandy and swallowed it, appreciating the burn. “I brought you a peace offering, I thought it would be better if you went upstairs.”
“You're a good friend,” Crawford said, “Ed,” he looked at him, “just go away, please.”
Ed didn't need to be told twice, he made for the door at just short of a run.
“I thought he'd help.”
“Not really. I want to,” he stopped, “Roy would kill me, and I wouldn't blame him and it's not even Ed I see.”
“I know.” Trowa said, “it's her.”
“Yeah, and they don't even look alike” he lifted the glass and saluted the empty air with it, “happy birthday,” he said, and looked down at the fireplace again. He had taken off his glasses and looked strangely vulnerable without them.
“I never knew her.” Trowa said, “and I imagine what it would be like without Duo and...” He took another sip of the brandy, “I don't know how you did it.”
Crawford emptied his glass. “Neither do I,” he said, “neither do I.”
Trowa returned to the kitchen long past supper when Crawford was asleep in one of the upstairs rooms. Ed and Roy had been sat in the common room when he came down playing cards but followed him into the kitchen. “He's asleep.” Trowa said, “he said I should tell you.”
He sat down at the kitchen table and sighed. “He had a mate,” he started, “no, he should have had a mate.”
“But,” Yohji protested. “I thought that once they met...” He left it open.
“He made sure never to meet her because the alternative was better than watching the Elders have her.”
“I didn't know.” Roy said, “we keep secrets, our family.” He sounded lost and tightened his grip about Ed who said nothing but allowed himself to be held which was unusual.
“He didn't want you to know, but it's her birthday, or it would have been her birthday.” He corrected himself, “and when Crawford saw the future he saw her happy with him, even briefly, he loved her, he was part of her.”
“What happened to her?” Ed asked quietly.
“She married someone else and had a daughter, and he did what he could to keep her safe but knew that her children's children would be more important than his own happiness so he let her go. She died.” He said softly and then stopped, lowering his eyes. “So he watched over her daughter and then her sons,” he looked up and matched Ed's golden eyes with his own even stare. “And sometimes it gets too much and he he mourns her, in his own stubborn way.”
“Why didn't he tell us?” Aya asked quietly from the shadows.
“Which is sweeter,” Trowa said, “love or it's loss?”
Aya went quiet. “S'fucking rubbish.” Ed said, “I asked Crawford why he didn't get himself a woman and he said he had a mate coming, that she wasn't born yet.”
“It's not unheard of for a bound to have two mates you know,” Yohji said, “look at Masato.”
“Who was she?” Roy asked quietly.
“It doesn't matter.” Trowa said, “she's gone, and he's asleep and in tomorrow it will be like it never happened.” He stepped up and ran his hand over Ed's hair as he passed, “just go easy on him tomorrow, eh, Ed? or I'll kill you.”
Author: Seraphim Grace
Series: Weiss Kreuz - Nekojita’s shadowverse
Rating: U - Ed has a potty mouth
Pairing: none really
Notes: Nekojita owns everything that’s not owned by some large conglomerations in Japan.
I wrote this weeks ago for nekojita promptly forgot about it, but she reminded me yesterday and said it was okay to share
Crawford sat in the inn's common room in a mood foul enough he had driven everyone else out without a spoken word. He sat drinking very expensive twenty five year old whiskey like it was water and it was still hours until noon. He hadn't shaved, and Jo suspected he hadn't even brushed his hair. The other bounds who lived in the inn were crammed into her kitchen for the most part avoiding him. Jo had never seen him so dishevelled, or the curt manner in which he ordered the bottle be left, or the way he stared so disconsolately into the flames in the fireplace.
“We have to do something,” Yohji said, rolling out pastry. Jo was damned if she was going to have all these able bodied men in her kitchen without making use of them, except Ed who had a tendency to eat more of the vegetables he peeled than put them in the cook pot. Roy, however, was a godsend to any kitchen. “We can't just lurk in here like criminals on work release,” he said, Jo glowered at him, “there are other things we could all be doing.”
“I was half way through a translation.” Ed said, “but I daren't cross the common room to the stairs. He looks at me funny.”
So far only Aya, clinging to the shadows, had managed to make his escape to the library with the words that he was not coming down again until Crawford was gone. Jo thought that this was ironic, that the great and terrifying Kage was running from one man who sat by the fire drinking and saying nothing.
She had to admit, though, that Crawford didn't normally strike her as being dangerous, living mostly in his own wits, but right now he did look like he would rip out the throat of anyone who disturbed him and leave what was left of the meat to Ken.
That reminded her she needed to take the beef out to baste it - maybe add more honey.
“Ed,” she said turning, “bring that tray of sandwiches out to Crawford,” she said, so far Ed was the only one he hadn't snarled at, instead he just stared at the boy.
“no,” Ed said backing off, “he can go hungry.”
“and you can clean the twenty five year old whiskey vomit off the walls.” Jo said putting her hands on her hips, “and help him to bed because you weren't prepared to feed him enough that it doesn't happen.”
“Roy,” Ed said ducking behind his lover, who was stirring a broth, “protect me.”
“Sorry, love,” Roy said patting him on the head, “You're on your own.”
“He's your brother.” Ed protested.
“I'll defend you from him” Roy said and then bent down to kiss his mate on the crown of his golden head, “but not Jo”
“Fucking coward,” Ed snarled, somewhat appeased by the kiss, “don't know why I ended up mated to an old pervert, can't even protect me from an old woman.” He stomped across to the tray of sandwiches and with a scowl that should have curdled milk carried them out to the common room.
Yohji never got the chance to count to five before he was back in, pale and shaking. “He says, thank you, Jo, for your consideration.” He moved over to Roy and wrapped his arms about his waist, “I wanna go home now, fuck my translation, Al can finish it tomorrow.”
Roy put his spare arm about his mate, “After we have the soup, promise.” he said and then kissed Ed on the forehead, never once losing his concentration on the pot he was stirring and maintaining the constant flame under.
“Why is everyone hiding in here?” Duo asked from the doorway, he wore his cape and had stopped in for a bite to eat before his shift, which started mid morning, with Trowa loping along silently behind him.
“Crawford.” Yohji said, “he's taken over the common room and driven everyone out.”
Trowa narrowed his green eyes for a moment and then made a small oh shape with his mouth, “it's that time of year.” He said, “Ed, will you help me for a moment?” Ed, who was never one to back down from a challenge went white and shook his head. “I could go and get Al from the Rockbell's, he can do this too.”
Jo poured him a cup of coffee as she watched this, it wasn't surprising that Trowa would know what was wrong, and how to help it, if not solve the problem completely. Trowa thanked her for her generosity with a bow of his head, “is there an empty room, upstairs? we need some privacy for this.”
“I'm not going to let you sacrifice him.” Roy said tightening his grip around Ed.
“I'm not going to.” Trowa said, “but sometimes you need...” he looked at Duo then reached across and squeezed his hand, “he'll be fine, I'll be there.”
“He fucking looks at me like I'm something nasty stuck to his shoe,” Ed said, “and he wants to wipe me out of the world like some kinda stain and then at the same time he wants to fucking eat me, it's fucking creepy. I mean he doesn't normally even fucking notice me.” He reached out and took Trowa's coffee from his hand knocking it back in a single swallow. “Fucking tall fucking Crawford, fucking bad temper, fucking,” after that it devolved into a quiet and rather foul mumble that Jo couldn't make out any more apart from the occasional fucking.
“Do you mind,” Trowa asked lifting the cooking brandy, “if I take this,” he stepped across to Duo and kissed him softly on the lips, “tell Birman I need to take a personal day, I'll be in tomorrow, it's nothing to worry about, really,” he kissed him again, “and Roy, won't the army miss you?”
“No,” Roy said rather huffily, “I got the day off for good behaviour.”
“Well go shopping,” Trowa who was normally so quiet that he could blend into a room had taken charge, “out the lot of you, come back after lunch, it's going to be fine.”
“But,” Ed protested, “my soup.”
Duo laughed from the doorway, “looks like someone has to take one for the team.” Roy, who because of his bound nature barely got on with Duo at the best of times, growled the flames under the pot surging.
Jo batted him quickly about the back of the head with her spoon. “You're burning the soup.”
Trowa carried the cooking brandy in one hand and pushed Ed with the other as he sat down beside Crawford, making Ed stand beside him. “You're scaring them, you know.” He said softly. “They don't understand. It's that time of year again.” He poured himself a glass of the brandy and swallowed it, appreciating the burn. “I brought you a peace offering, I thought it would be better if you went upstairs.”
“You're a good friend,” Crawford said, “Ed,” he looked at him, “just go away, please.”
Ed didn't need to be told twice, he made for the door at just short of a run.
“I thought he'd help.”
“Not really. I want to,” he stopped, “Roy would kill me, and I wouldn't blame him and it's not even Ed I see.”
“I know.” Trowa said, “it's her.”
“Yeah, and they don't even look alike” he lifted the glass and saluted the empty air with it, “happy birthday,” he said, and looked down at the fireplace again. He had taken off his glasses and looked strangely vulnerable without them.
“I never knew her.” Trowa said, “and I imagine what it would be like without Duo and...” He took another sip of the brandy, “I don't know how you did it.”
Crawford emptied his glass. “Neither do I,” he said, “neither do I.”
Trowa returned to the kitchen long past supper when Crawford was asleep in one of the upstairs rooms. Ed and Roy had been sat in the common room when he came down playing cards but followed him into the kitchen. “He's asleep.” Trowa said, “he said I should tell you.”
He sat down at the kitchen table and sighed. “He had a mate,” he started, “no, he should have had a mate.”
“But,” Yohji protested. “I thought that once they met...” He left it open.
“He made sure never to meet her because the alternative was better than watching the Elders have her.”
“I didn't know.” Roy said, “we keep secrets, our family.” He sounded lost and tightened his grip about Ed who said nothing but allowed himself to be held which was unusual.
“He didn't want you to know, but it's her birthday, or it would have been her birthday.” He corrected himself, “and when Crawford saw the future he saw her happy with him, even briefly, he loved her, he was part of her.”
“What happened to her?” Ed asked quietly.
“She married someone else and had a daughter, and he did what he could to keep her safe but knew that her children's children would be more important than his own happiness so he let her go. She died.” He said softly and then stopped, lowering his eyes. “So he watched over her daughter and then her sons,” he looked up and matched Ed's golden eyes with his own even stare. “And sometimes it gets too much and he he mourns her, in his own stubborn way.”
“Why didn't he tell us?” Aya asked quietly from the shadows.
“Which is sweeter,” Trowa said, “love or it's loss?”
Aya went quiet. “S'fucking rubbish.” Ed said, “I asked Crawford why he didn't get himself a woman and he said he had a mate coming, that she wasn't born yet.”
“It's not unheard of for a bound to have two mates you know,” Yohji said, “look at Masato.”
“Who was she?” Roy asked quietly.
“It doesn't matter.” Trowa said, “she's gone, and he's asleep and in tomorrow it will be like it never happened.” He stepped up and ran his hand over Ed's hair as he passed, “just go easy on him tomorrow, eh, Ed? or I'll kill you.”