Mirror, Mirror [2/2 - Xigbar and Braig, PG]
Title: Mirror, Mirror
Pairing: 2/2 - Xigbar and Braig
Written For: the month of February! It's a little late, but I'm catching up.
Type: food for thought
Rating: PG
It took a long time for Braig to fall asleep. He felt unbalanced, disoriented - and even Ansem's medicines couldn't dull the throbbing pain on the right side of his face.
He woke up several times - his eye flew open and he'd sit up in bed, only to feel sick again as his utterly familiar room was perceived by only one eye instead of two.
He flew up again, sweating, from an ambiguously horrifying dream. The breaking glass was exploding again, only his parents were there, and he had to watch them get cut to pieces, knowing it was his fault...
Braig groaned and slid out of bed. No more, he thought. No more dreams.
He shuffled over to the dresser, dragging a hand through his hair, and looked up at the mirror -
Pause.
What?
Braig whipped around, then turned back. What?!
He looked closer. His 'reflection' - for lack of a better word - looked back at him, cocking an eyebrow. He looked different. Not too different - mostly changes in clothing, and the streaks in his hair were gray and not blond, but the eyes - well, their lone matching eye was the same.
Braig wasn't stupid. He didn't flip out, nor did he ignore it and go back to sleep. "Hey... uh..." he tugged on his ever-present ring necklace. "Who are you?"
"Smart kid." The reflection grinned. "Always knew you were."
Braig blinked. Was that... But, they both only had one eye, and he was pretty sure exploding experiments were hereditary. But still...
"Rough night, huh? Don't worry, the pain goes away." He tapped a black-gloved finger on the glass, smirking. "There's benefits to having only one eye, kid."
"S-sure," Braig muttered, bewildered.
"Aw man, don't disappoint me now. Use your brain, Braig."
Think. What was better with one eye? "Um..."
"What do you love to do most?"
"Dilan?" Braig clapped a hand over his mouth and blushed furiously.
The reflection cackled approvingly. "Yeah, yeah. Besides that."
"Uh... hm..."
An epic smirk, the kind Braig had always tried and failed to accomplish. "...Kiss kiss bang bang."
Then it dawned on him. "OH! You can aim better if you're used to seeing with only one eye!"
"Score one for the shorty! Though..." And suddenly, that gloved hand reached through the glass, somehow, and took a hold of his chin, tilting it to the right so he could rub a thumb over his unblemished left cheek. "...There's downsides to it, too."
Braig realized, with a widening of his eye, that his 'reflection' had a scar there - right where his thumb was - a nasty one, too, stretching up from his jaw almost to his nose. He gulped a little, feeling a strange sense of... deja vu.
"Yup, life won't get any easier for ya. Live while you can." The figure in the mirror was blurring slightly. "And your dreams won't make any more sense, either."
"Is this a..."
But the world around him swirled, and faded to black.
{ + }
Braig pushed himself out of bed, feeling groggy. "Hnngh..." There was a knock on his door, and he went to answer it, stumbling over his feet and feeling disoriented - oh yeah, no right eye. Heh. He pulled open the door.
Dilan was standing there, books tucked under one arm. "Were you still asleep? You're going to be late!"
Braig looked up at him... then smiled broadly. "Dilan, I love you."
Blink. Blink. "Uh... love you too... but if you don't get a move on..."
He laughed and turned away, heading for his dresser to change clothes. "I'm gettin', I'm gettin'! Hold your horses."
As he grabbed his book bag and shoved his feet into a pair of beat up sneakers, he snuck a glance over his shoulder, back at the mirror... but there was nothing strange there, simply his own reflection, and Dilan making impatient faces. Nothing... out of the ordinary.
...Weird.
Pairing: 2/2 - Xigbar and Braig
Written For: the month of February! It's a little late, but I'm catching up.
Type: food for thought
Rating: PG
It took a long time for Braig to fall asleep. He felt unbalanced, disoriented - and even Ansem's medicines couldn't dull the throbbing pain on the right side of his face.
He woke up several times - his eye flew open and he'd sit up in bed, only to feel sick again as his utterly familiar room was perceived by only one eye instead of two.
He flew up again, sweating, from an ambiguously horrifying dream. The breaking glass was exploding again, only his parents were there, and he had to watch them get cut to pieces, knowing it was his fault...
Braig groaned and slid out of bed. No more, he thought. No more dreams.
He shuffled over to the dresser, dragging a hand through his hair, and looked up at the mirror -
Pause.
What?
Braig whipped around, then turned back. What?!
He looked closer. His 'reflection' - for lack of a better word - looked back at him, cocking an eyebrow. He looked different. Not too different - mostly changes in clothing, and the streaks in his hair were gray and not blond, but the eyes - well, their lone matching eye was the same.
Braig wasn't stupid. He didn't flip out, nor did he ignore it and go back to sleep. "Hey... uh..." he tugged on his ever-present ring necklace. "Who are you?"
"Smart kid." The reflection grinned. "Always knew you were."
Braig blinked. Was that... But, they both only had one eye, and he was pretty sure exploding experiments were hereditary. But still...
"Rough night, huh? Don't worry, the pain goes away." He tapped a black-gloved finger on the glass, smirking. "There's benefits to having only one eye, kid."
"S-sure," Braig muttered, bewildered.
"Aw man, don't disappoint me now. Use your brain, Braig."
Think. What was better with one eye? "Um..."
"What do you love to do most?"
"Dilan?" Braig clapped a hand over his mouth and blushed furiously.
The reflection cackled approvingly. "Yeah, yeah. Besides that."
"Uh... hm..."
An epic smirk, the kind Braig had always tried and failed to accomplish. "...Kiss kiss bang bang."
Then it dawned on him. "OH! You can aim better if you're used to seeing with only one eye!"
"Score one for the shorty! Though..." And suddenly, that gloved hand reached through the glass, somehow, and took a hold of his chin, tilting it to the right so he could rub a thumb over his unblemished left cheek. "...There's downsides to it, too."
Braig realized, with a widening of his eye, that his 'reflection' had a scar there - right where his thumb was - a nasty one, too, stretching up from his jaw almost to his nose. He gulped a little, feeling a strange sense of... deja vu.
"Yup, life won't get any easier for ya. Live while you can." The figure in the mirror was blurring slightly. "And your dreams won't make any more sense, either."
"Is this a..."
But the world around him swirled, and faded to black.
{ + }
Braig pushed himself out of bed, feeling groggy. "Hnngh..." There was a knock on his door, and he went to answer it, stumbling over his feet and feeling disoriented - oh yeah, no right eye. Heh. He pulled open the door.
Dilan was standing there, books tucked under one arm. "Were you still asleep? You're going to be late!"
Braig looked up at him... then smiled broadly. "Dilan, I love you."
Blink. Blink. "Uh... love you too... but if you don't get a move on..."
He laughed and turned away, heading for his dresser to change clothes. "I'm gettin', I'm gettin'! Hold your horses."
As he grabbed his book bag and shoved his feet into a pair of beat up sneakers, he snuck a glance over his shoulder, back at the mirror... but there was nothing strange there, simply his own reflection, and Dilan making impatient faces. Nothing... out of the ordinary.
...Weird.