![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nekokoban posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
kinkfestTitle: Up Seven Times
Author/Artist:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nekokoban
Rating: PG
Prompt: 07-Ghost, Castor/Frau/Labrador: companionship - when I thought that I fought this war alone/you were there by my side on the frontline
Word count: 859
Summary: "If only one of us was needed, the Lord would not have made seven Ghosts."
+++++
After Teito falls asleep, curled in a compact ball with Burupya cuddled against his chest and his back pressed against Frau's, Lab says, in his soft voice, "Let me see your arm."
It's on the tip of Frau's tongue to refuse--he aches clear down to his bones, and the scythe's hunger is a burning, restless heat that does nothing to warm his corpse's body. Lab meets his eyes serenely, without judgment but with expectation. Castor says nothing, ostensibly occupied with tending the small fire, but Frau knows him too well to believe that facade. With a sigh he tugs off his gloves and starts rolling his sleeve up, gritting his teeth against the desire to wince when it's exposed to the air. From elbow to wrist his skin is painfully sensitive, as if layers have been peeled off to leave behind nothing but rawness. There are black streaks under his skin now, as if the scythe's corruption is in his blood at this point.
Lab does not comment as he peels off his gloves and rests his fingertips on Frau's arm; even that delicate touch makes him hiss and pull away for a moment. Something quietly sad flickers in Lab's gentle eyes, but the symbol on his hand glows faintly, and a moment later the pain subsides. The restless angry muttering of the scythe doesn't fade, but it grows muffled, as if more walls have gone up between it and his own awareness. Frau pulls away first, flexing his fingers in and out of a loose fist, then nods his thanks before he tugs his sleeve back down.
Before he can say anything, or even pull his own gloves back on, Castor thrusts a thermos at him so that he's forced to take it, or risk dropping it. It's warm enough that he actually can feel it, spreading from his fingertips and into his hand itself. "--Ah?"
"Tea," Castor says pleasantly. "Even a dead man needs something every now and then."
"It's a pain," Frau mutters, but he wraps his hands securely around the thermos. "Did you two really need to come all the way out here?"
"I think Teito-kun could use an adult that actually does his job," Castor says. "Surely without any sort of stimulating conversation, the poor boy's just going to regress."
"Oi," Frau says, though without much heat. "I'm plenty stimulating, Four-Eyes."
"I don't want to hear about your bad habits," Castor says. "Drink your tea."
"Just because you don't appreciate it--"
"Now, now," Lab says, though he smiles at them both, "if you argue, you'll wake Teito-kun."
Automatically Frau looks back at the boy curled up behind him; to his relief (which he will never admit aloud, both Teito and his little pink shadow are still fast asleep. Castor pushes his glasses up his nose and smiles at Lab, which is his way of apologizing--only to Lab, though, because then he slants Frau a much sharper look, then very pointedly drops his gaze to the thermos. Frau hunches his shoulders further and brings it up to his mouth and just rests his lip on the rim instead. After that, there is nothing but a heavy silence punctuated by a boy's breathing. Castor pulls a small book and begins to flip through it, and Lab seems entirely content to watch the fire, his usual tiny smile on his lips.
"... Look," he says finally, because he himself can't stand the silence, and though he falters when they both look at him, he takes a deep breath and goes on: "What happened, I didn't--I mean--I stopped, okay?!" The last comes out more strongly than he meant, in the face of their now-placid expressions. "I wasn't going to hurt him, I'd never--"
"Frau," Lab says, gently as always--so damn gentle even though his soul was stripped bare for Teito just a short time ago--"we're not here because of that."
"I'm just saying, I don't, I wouldn't--"
"If only one of us was needed, the Lord would not have made seven Ghosts," says Castor. "Drink your tea."
"That's fighting dirty, Four-Eyes," Frau mutters. He sinks a little lower in place, and against his back Teito moves and stretches, still asleep, rolling until he's less against Frau's back and lying against his leg. In sleep, the brat looks almost gentle, softened out of his habitual sullen scowl into a boy that looks younger than his actual age; in one hand, he grips the hem of Frau's jacket, as if his small human strength would be enough to enough to anchor a god. "Bringing that guy into this, when I don't think he's been paying attention since this whole damn mess got started ..."
"He works in mysterious ways," Castor says, which somehow sounds suspiciously like an argument. "Your tea."
It's on the tip of his tongue to argue again--to argue more because the one thing he really hates is how damn smug Castor gets when he wins, but he just sighs and drinks his tea, and pretends he doesn't like the way it warms him all the way through.
Author/Artist:
nekokobanRating: PG
Prompt: 07-Ghost, Castor/Frau/Labrador: companionship - when I thought that I fought this war alone/you were there by my side on the frontline
Word count: 859
Summary: "If only one of us was needed, the Lord would not have made seven Ghosts."
+++++
After Teito falls asleep, curled in a compact ball with Burupya cuddled against his chest and his back pressed against Frau's, Lab says, in his soft voice, "Let me see your arm."
It's on the tip of Frau's tongue to refuse--he aches clear down to his bones, and the scythe's hunger is a burning, restless heat that does nothing to warm his corpse's body. Lab meets his eyes serenely, without judgment but with expectation. Castor says nothing, ostensibly occupied with tending the small fire, but Frau knows him too well to believe that facade. With a sigh he tugs off his gloves and starts rolling his sleeve up, gritting his teeth against the desire to wince when it's exposed to the air. From elbow to wrist his skin is painfully sensitive, as if layers have been peeled off to leave behind nothing but rawness. There are black streaks under his skin now, as if the scythe's corruption is in his blood at this point.
Lab does not comment as he peels off his gloves and rests his fingertips on Frau's arm; even that delicate touch makes him hiss and pull away for a moment. Something quietly sad flickers in Lab's gentle eyes, but the symbol on his hand glows faintly, and a moment later the pain subsides. The restless angry muttering of the scythe doesn't fade, but it grows muffled, as if more walls have gone up between it and his own awareness. Frau pulls away first, flexing his fingers in and out of a loose fist, then nods his thanks before he tugs his sleeve back down.
Before he can say anything, or even pull his own gloves back on, Castor thrusts a thermos at him so that he's forced to take it, or risk dropping it. It's warm enough that he actually can feel it, spreading from his fingertips and into his hand itself. "--Ah?"
"Tea," Castor says pleasantly. "Even a dead man needs something every now and then."
"It's a pain," Frau mutters, but he wraps his hands securely around the thermos. "Did you two really need to come all the way out here?"
"I think Teito-kun could use an adult that actually does his job," Castor says. "Surely without any sort of stimulating conversation, the poor boy's just going to regress."
"Oi," Frau says, though without much heat. "I'm plenty stimulating, Four-Eyes."
"I don't want to hear about your bad habits," Castor says. "Drink your tea."
"Just because you don't appreciate it--"
"Now, now," Lab says, though he smiles at them both, "if you argue, you'll wake Teito-kun."
Automatically Frau looks back at the boy curled up behind him; to his relief (which he will never admit aloud, both Teito and his little pink shadow are still fast asleep. Castor pushes his glasses up his nose and smiles at Lab, which is his way of apologizing--only to Lab, though, because then he slants Frau a much sharper look, then very pointedly drops his gaze to the thermos. Frau hunches his shoulders further and brings it up to his mouth and just rests his lip on the rim instead. After that, there is nothing but a heavy silence punctuated by a boy's breathing. Castor pulls a small book and begins to flip through it, and Lab seems entirely content to watch the fire, his usual tiny smile on his lips.
"... Look," he says finally, because he himself can't stand the silence, and though he falters when they both look at him, he takes a deep breath and goes on: "What happened, I didn't--I mean--I stopped, okay?!" The last comes out more strongly than he meant, in the face of their now-placid expressions. "I wasn't going to hurt him, I'd never--"
"Frau," Lab says, gently as always--so damn gentle even though his soul was stripped bare for Teito just a short time ago--"we're not here because of that."
"I'm just saying, I don't, I wouldn't--"
"If only one of us was needed, the Lord would not have made seven Ghosts," says Castor. "Drink your tea."
"That's fighting dirty, Four-Eyes," Frau mutters. He sinks a little lower in place, and against his back Teito moves and stretches, still asleep, rolling until he's less against Frau's back and lying against his leg. In sleep, the brat looks almost gentle, softened out of his habitual sullen scowl into a boy that looks younger than his actual age; in one hand, he grips the hem of Frau's jacket, as if his small human strength would be enough to enough to anchor a god. "Bringing that guy into this, when I don't think he's been paying attention since this whole damn mess got started ..."
"He works in mysterious ways," Castor says, which somehow sounds suspiciously like an argument. "Your tea."
It's on the tip of his tongue to argue again--to argue more because the one thing he really hates is how damn smug Castor gets when he wins, but he just sighs and drinks his tea, and pretends he doesn't like the way it warms him all the way through.
