Fic - Weiss Kreuz - Black Sheep
Fandom: Weiss Kreuz
Challenge: Week 1 - Fill a Prompt
Title: Black Sheep
Author: lady_ganesh
Pairings: Nagi/Mamoru, a little past Ouka/Mamoru
Prompt/Summary: AU in which Mamoru was never kidnapped as a child. Reiji Takatori's spoiled yet detested youngest son sets out to seduce one of his father's bodyguards, Nagi, to spite his father (initially). I messed with the prompt a little, but not too much.
Warnings: Off-screen underage sexuality.
Points: Sanzo.
Notes: Unbetaed because deadline's a comin'. There might be more of this.
It's the time-honored cliche: if you want to break a chain, apply pressure to the weakest link.
Mamoru should know. He'd been considered the weakest link for years.
So. Two questions. Who would they think was the weakest link, and who actually was?
Crawford was in charge. Easy to rule out on both fronts. Schuldig and Farfarello were harder to peg.
Then there was Nagi Naoe. No doubt he'd be ruled out as the weakest link. Mamoru hadn't even seen him with a gun.
Hirofumi--who was allowed in the meetings Mamoru was summarily barred from--said he was quiet, subdued. Farfarello was just as quiet but less stable, nervous, twitchy. Schuldig and Crawford acted like they owned the world. "You don't need to know all of this," he said. "Dad wants you kept out of it."
"Thanks for thinking of my innocence," Mamoru said wryly.
"Father...I know he's distant, sometimes. It's not that he doesn't care for you--"
"I know," Mamoru said. He just wants to keep you safe. It was a pretty lie. Hirofumi was still naive enough to believe it, but Mamoru had given up on that ridiculous dream when he turned fourteen and he and Ouka broke into Father's stash of European wine.
"It's 'cause he thinks you're a bastard," she'd said. "Like me. But not his."
He'd believed her, of course. He'd felt the truth of it, had known it every time Father's gaze had hardened when he glanced in Mamoru's direction. "That mean we're not related?"
She shrugged. "Dunno. I heard him telling Mom he knew your father?"
He'd kissed her anyway. They'd both been pretty drunk and they both pretended it hadn't happened the next morning, but he'd held it. Ouka was one of the few good things in his life, one of the few family members who didn't either try too hard to protect him or treat him like something they'd just scraped off their shoe. Maybe if things had been different....
But there wasn't anything to be done about that. He had enough worries keeping his own neck intact. Something was coming, fast and dangerous. Father's plans kept getting broken up. Mamoru kept hearing a German word: Weiss. It was related, somehow, to what Father wanted to do, but Mamoru wasn't even sure Father himself could see the connections.
He was fairly certain Schwarz did.
And, of course, there was also the prospect of embarrassing Father. That was an incentive in and of itself. He'd already built up a hell of a reputation over the years. The little spoiled brat who never had to do any work. Why not add a little more scandal to the mix?
It wasn't like they weren't pretty. Naoe was awkward, but not entirely unattractive.
Making a connection shouldn't be too difficult.
The hardest part, in the end, was getting him alone. Father guarded his assets carefully, after all. In the end, Mamoru resorted to the time-honored trick of catching him when he was leaving the men's room. "You're Schwarz," he said, feigning surprise.
"Yes," Naoe said, his face guarded.
Mamoru had dressed for this. Ouka had recommended he pick a shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes. His tie was artfully loosened. "Takatori Mamoru," he said, bowing enough to show respect but not deference. "I hope working for Father's not too difficult."
Naoe's shoulders dipped, raised. "He pays."
"If he ever stops...." Mamoru looked left and right. Not really a sham. Father had ears everywhere. "Let me know."
Naoe's mouth twisted. Not quite a smile. "What exactly are you offering?"
"That we can negotiate," Mamoru said carefully. "I don't want to compromise your loyalty to your current employer," he said. "But...if conditions change, please keep me in mind."
"How do I find you?" Naoe said. "Pucker up my lips and blow?"
People had definitely been underestimating Naoe Nagi. "I hear that works," Mamoru said, taking a card from his breast pocket, "but I suspect my phone will be more effective." If he took a little extra time pressing the card into Naoe's hand, well, what was the harm in that? "Thank you for your time," he said, and disappeared into the men's room.
He was washing his hands for the sake of appearances when Crawford came in. Mamoru's card appeared from between his fingers like a magician's trick. "Thank you," he said, reaching over Mamoru and tucking it back into his breast pocket. "We'll be in touch. Takatori-san."
Mamoru dried his hands and considered it a win.
It was luck--well, probably luck--that he next saw Naoe studying in the castle library. "You've got homework?"
Naoe looked up from the book he'd been staring at. "Sort of," he said. "You don't?"
"Tutored," Mamoru said. "I've got as much education as anyone in the family will require of me. You need a break?"
Naoe shook his head.
"You sure? There's a pond behind the castle. No one goes down there. It's nice."
"I don't have trunks," Nagi said, turning a page.
"I told you," Mamoru said, "no one goes down there."
Naoe's eyes darted to Mamoru, then back to the page. "I don't know," he said.
"It'll help you focus," he said. "Get a little exercise, come back here refreshed. Get twice as much done."
Naoe's mouth twisted in thought. "What's it like outside?"
"Hot," he said. "The water's cool. Come on."
He closed the book and stood up. "Yeah, all right."
The pond was safe from scrutiny; forgotten, like Mamoru himself. He'd dressed carefully today, a short-sleeved polo shirt and pants that could handle getting dumped on the bank. He'd brought towels, too. He was courteous, after all.
He stripped down first, not wanting to make Naoe any more self-conscious than he already was. Besides, all that time at the gym had to be worth something.
"What's the water like?" Naoe asked. "It looks muddy."
"Sometimes," Mamoru said. "It's not bad, though. He stepped in, cupped the water, and poured it over his chest to demonstrate. "See?"
Naoe was watching him, not the water. "Okay," he said.
Mamoru turned, smiling to himself, and jumped in. The water was nice, cool and pretty clear, for a pond. He was a good swimmer, though this little pond wasn't much of a challenge.
He heard a splash a little later as Naoe entered the water. "You're right," he confessed. "This isn't bad."
They swam for a while, mostly in silence, and when the chill on Mamoru's skin got too unbearable, he got out and grabbed a towel. He watched Naoe swim for a little while, and then Naoe got out, walking close to him, and took the second towel. "Thanks," he said.
"Everyone needs a break sometimes," Mamoru said. "Can I ask you something...kind of personal?"
"I might not answer," Naoe said. "But you can ask."
"I know Crawford has some kind of foresight. Schudig claims he can read minds. But what about you? What do you do?"
Naoe looked over at him. "You're not curious about Farfarello?"
"A little," Mamoru said. "But he's not here, and you are."
Naoe watched his face, like there was some kind of clue hidden there. Then he lifted up his hand, and turned his face toward the pond. "Watch," he said.
A hail of raindrops rose from the surface of the pond, and then began to dance in the air, like magic.
How much weight was that--how could one person--"Wow," he stammered. "You--that's all you?"
Nagi's grin was smug. "Who else do you see here?"
"That's amazing," Mamoru said, flattery enhanced by the fact it was the truth. "Does it...hurt or anything."
"No. It's...like lifting up something with your hands. Don't spread it around," Naoe said, wrapping the towel around his waist and dropping to Mamoru's side. "Our...masters don't know all I can do. We want to keep it that way."
"But you're telling me."
"You're trying to keep me secret too," Nagi said, pulling his knees up. "You don't mind if people think we're fucking--you pulled me out of there in front of half a dozen guards. You don't want them to know you tried to hire me."
"All of you," Mamoru said. "Technically."
Nagi grinned. "Technically, you came to me." He glanced over at Mamoru. "Why are you such an afterthought?"
"Spoiled youngest child," Mamoru said dismissively, waving his hand. "Usual story. I can't be trusted with anyone."
"That's not true," Naoe said. "Not the whole truth."
"Enough of it," Mamoru said. "You're not telling me the whole truth either."
Naoe laughed. "I shouldn't like you," he said. "But you're all right."
"Is that enough? Mamoru said.
"For now," Naoe said.
Mamoru reached up and brushed Naoe's hair back from his face, wet, dark. "All right. Thank you, Naoe-kun."
"Nagi's fine," he said, and kissing him felt like the first normal thing that Mamoru had done in years.
Challenge: Week 1 - Fill a Prompt
Title: Black Sheep
Author: lady_ganesh
Pairings: Nagi/Mamoru, a little past Ouka/Mamoru
Prompt/Summary: AU in which Mamoru was never kidnapped as a child. Reiji Takatori's spoiled yet detested youngest son sets out to seduce one of his father's bodyguards, Nagi, to spite his father (initially). I messed with the prompt a little, but not too much.
Warnings: Off-screen underage sexuality.
Points: Sanzo.
Notes: Unbetaed because deadline's a comin'. There might be more of this.
It's the time-honored cliche: if you want to break a chain, apply pressure to the weakest link.
Mamoru should know. He'd been considered the weakest link for years.
So. Two questions. Who would they think was the weakest link, and who actually was?
Crawford was in charge. Easy to rule out on both fronts. Schuldig and Farfarello were harder to peg.
Then there was Nagi Naoe. No doubt he'd be ruled out as the weakest link. Mamoru hadn't even seen him with a gun.
Hirofumi--who was allowed in the meetings Mamoru was summarily barred from--said he was quiet, subdued. Farfarello was just as quiet but less stable, nervous, twitchy. Schuldig and Crawford acted like they owned the world. "You don't need to know all of this," he said. "Dad wants you kept out of it."
"Thanks for thinking of my innocence," Mamoru said wryly.
"Father...I know he's distant, sometimes. It's not that he doesn't care for you--"
"I know," Mamoru said. He just wants to keep you safe. It was a pretty lie. Hirofumi was still naive enough to believe it, but Mamoru had given up on that ridiculous dream when he turned fourteen and he and Ouka broke into Father's stash of European wine.
"It's 'cause he thinks you're a bastard," she'd said. "Like me. But not his."
He'd believed her, of course. He'd felt the truth of it, had known it every time Father's gaze had hardened when he glanced in Mamoru's direction. "That mean we're not related?"
She shrugged. "Dunno. I heard him telling Mom he knew your father?"
He'd kissed her anyway. They'd both been pretty drunk and they both pretended it hadn't happened the next morning, but he'd held it. Ouka was one of the few good things in his life, one of the few family members who didn't either try too hard to protect him or treat him like something they'd just scraped off their shoe. Maybe if things had been different....
But there wasn't anything to be done about that. He had enough worries keeping his own neck intact. Something was coming, fast and dangerous. Father's plans kept getting broken up. Mamoru kept hearing a German word: Weiss. It was related, somehow, to what Father wanted to do, but Mamoru wasn't even sure Father himself could see the connections.
He was fairly certain Schwarz did.
And, of course, there was also the prospect of embarrassing Father. That was an incentive in and of itself. He'd already built up a hell of a reputation over the years. The little spoiled brat who never had to do any work. Why not add a little more scandal to the mix?
It wasn't like they weren't pretty. Naoe was awkward, but not entirely unattractive.
Making a connection shouldn't be too difficult.
The hardest part, in the end, was getting him alone. Father guarded his assets carefully, after all. In the end, Mamoru resorted to the time-honored trick of catching him when he was leaving the men's room. "You're Schwarz," he said, feigning surprise.
"Yes," Naoe said, his face guarded.
Mamoru had dressed for this. Ouka had recommended he pick a shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes. His tie was artfully loosened. "Takatori Mamoru," he said, bowing enough to show respect but not deference. "I hope working for Father's not too difficult."
Naoe's shoulders dipped, raised. "He pays."
"If he ever stops...." Mamoru looked left and right. Not really a sham. Father had ears everywhere. "Let me know."
Naoe's mouth twisted. Not quite a smile. "What exactly are you offering?"
"That we can negotiate," Mamoru said carefully. "I don't want to compromise your loyalty to your current employer," he said. "But...if conditions change, please keep me in mind."
"How do I find you?" Naoe said. "Pucker up my lips and blow?"
People had definitely been underestimating Naoe Nagi. "I hear that works," Mamoru said, taking a card from his breast pocket, "but I suspect my phone will be more effective." If he took a little extra time pressing the card into Naoe's hand, well, what was the harm in that? "Thank you for your time," he said, and disappeared into the men's room.
He was washing his hands for the sake of appearances when Crawford came in. Mamoru's card appeared from between his fingers like a magician's trick. "Thank you," he said, reaching over Mamoru and tucking it back into his breast pocket. "We'll be in touch. Takatori-san."
Mamoru dried his hands and considered it a win.
It was luck--well, probably luck--that he next saw Naoe studying in the castle library. "You've got homework?"
Naoe looked up from the book he'd been staring at. "Sort of," he said. "You don't?"
"Tutored," Mamoru said. "I've got as much education as anyone in the family will require of me. You need a break?"
Naoe shook his head.
"You sure? There's a pond behind the castle. No one goes down there. It's nice."
"I don't have trunks," Nagi said, turning a page.
"I told you," Mamoru said, "no one goes down there."
Naoe's eyes darted to Mamoru, then back to the page. "I don't know," he said.
"It'll help you focus," he said. "Get a little exercise, come back here refreshed. Get twice as much done."
Naoe's mouth twisted in thought. "What's it like outside?"
"Hot," he said. "The water's cool. Come on."
He closed the book and stood up. "Yeah, all right."
The pond was safe from scrutiny; forgotten, like Mamoru himself. He'd dressed carefully today, a short-sleeved polo shirt and pants that could handle getting dumped on the bank. He'd brought towels, too. He was courteous, after all.
He stripped down first, not wanting to make Naoe any more self-conscious than he already was. Besides, all that time at the gym had to be worth something.
"What's the water like?" Naoe asked. "It looks muddy."
"Sometimes," Mamoru said. "It's not bad, though. He stepped in, cupped the water, and poured it over his chest to demonstrate. "See?"
Naoe was watching him, not the water. "Okay," he said.
Mamoru turned, smiling to himself, and jumped in. The water was nice, cool and pretty clear, for a pond. He was a good swimmer, though this little pond wasn't much of a challenge.
He heard a splash a little later as Naoe entered the water. "You're right," he confessed. "This isn't bad."
They swam for a while, mostly in silence, and when the chill on Mamoru's skin got too unbearable, he got out and grabbed a towel. He watched Naoe swim for a little while, and then Naoe got out, walking close to him, and took the second towel. "Thanks," he said.
"Everyone needs a break sometimes," Mamoru said. "Can I ask you something...kind of personal?"
"I might not answer," Naoe said. "But you can ask."
"I know Crawford has some kind of foresight. Schudig claims he can read minds. But what about you? What do you do?"
Naoe looked over at him. "You're not curious about Farfarello?"
"A little," Mamoru said. "But he's not here, and you are."
Naoe watched his face, like there was some kind of clue hidden there. Then he lifted up his hand, and turned his face toward the pond. "Watch," he said.
A hail of raindrops rose from the surface of the pond, and then began to dance in the air, like magic.
How much weight was that--how could one person--"Wow," he stammered. "You--that's all you?"
Nagi's grin was smug. "Who else do you see here?"
"That's amazing," Mamoru said, flattery enhanced by the fact it was the truth. "Does it...hurt or anything."
"No. It's...like lifting up something with your hands. Don't spread it around," Naoe said, wrapping the towel around his waist and dropping to Mamoru's side. "Our...masters don't know all I can do. We want to keep it that way."
"But you're telling me."
"You're trying to keep me secret too," Nagi said, pulling his knees up. "You don't mind if people think we're fucking--you pulled me out of there in front of half a dozen guards. You don't want them to know you tried to hire me."
"All of you," Mamoru said. "Technically."
Nagi grinned. "Technically, you came to me." He glanced over at Mamoru. "Why are you such an afterthought?"
"Spoiled youngest child," Mamoru said dismissively, waving his hand. "Usual story. I can't be trusted with anyone."
"That's not true," Naoe said. "Not the whole truth."
"Enough of it," Mamoru said. "You're not telling me the whole truth either."
Naoe laughed. "I shouldn't like you," he said. "But you're all right."
"Is that enough? Mamoru said.
"For now," Naoe said.
Mamoru reached up and brushed Naoe's hair back from his face, wet, dark. "All right. Thank you, Naoe-kun."
"Nagi's fine," he said, and kissing him felt like the first normal thing that Mamoru had done in years.