Two and One [Aywas World] [1/1]
Jun. 4th, 2010 04:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snarkhuntTitle: Two and One
Fandom: Aywas World
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Profanity
Summary: Short story for Aywas Scavenger Hunt #71. Shoe decides to make Kaz super happy.
Shoe loves a lot of things. He loves shoes (shoes are the best!) and puppies and rainbows and the color blue and candycandycandy! Most of all he loves Kaz and Chaos and Ebony, and life in general because it is fabulous and it has all of his favorite things. He tries hard to not think of the things he doesn't like, the things that hurt, the things that disappoint him because there's not much he can do about it. Pain happens, but if he doesn't think of it, maybe then it wouldn't happen so much.
Or maybe he's becoming just as callous as Kaz can be, but Shoe tries hard not to think of that either.
He knows that Kaz is lurking about in his mind, a sleek presence that will never ever leave him (and Shoe is very happy about that! Because he loves Kaz and this way he'll never be alone). He also knows that a lot of the time Kaz is sleeping or resting because sometimes Shoe can't help but tire him out. That or maybe he had a difficult time with his experiments (and Shoe doesn't like thinking about that either).
He also knows that he and Kaz are powerful. So, so powerful it is scary and sometimes awe inspiring at the same time. He knows that people love him or pretend to love him (and he doesn't like to think about that either), and that they'll do a lot of wonderful things for him, and sometimes they'll do terrible, terrible things for him too.
But most of the time people are shiny! And happy! And they are all so awesome, even if Shoe doesn't notice them all of the time in favor of their pretty shoes and ohhh, is that a melo?
He loves the sun and daylight and the warmth it flickers down his face, like it's greeting him and loves him and would wrap him up in a sunnily happy hug. Too bad for Kaz that most of the time it's night when he's out and awake because the sun is one of the best things ever, and he secretly thinks (so carefully!) that maybe Kaz needs a little more sun to perk him up.
Maybe Kaz wouldn't be so grumpy then…?
What an interesting thought!
---
Shoe thinks and thinks and thinks some more. It is exhausting. He doesn't know how Kaz could think so much, about so many complicated things, and be happy about it. Shoe is happier not thinking much at all and has the attention span of a gnat, but for Kaz! Well, Shoe would try. Because he loves Kaz!
He has a few options. He's sure that Kaz would have more, one of them probably being like moving the world closer to the sun (somehow. He is sure that Kaz would figure it out because Kaz is a genius like that), but Shoe isn't Kaz and just thinking about all of the different ways he can have Kaz out lots in the sun is tiring.
He could just force Kaz outside when Shoe is in control. Shoe tries to remember if there was ever a time when he forces himself back inside, back to being a passive member of the body they share, but usually it's the other way around. Usually he forces his way out himself when Kaz is in charge (not often, but sometimes it's important like there was something realllyyyyyyy cute or shoes! new shoes!), but he can't remember the last time he has forced Kaz out when he was in charge. And especially when Kaz doesn't want to come out (well, doesn't know he wants to come out. He can convince him!). Or isn't forcing himself out (was there a difference?).
And maybe when it's time to switch out at noon Shoe would just not. Not come out, not switch, just stay stubbornly entrenched in their mind, and make Kaz live out the day too. But he doesn't like that idea so much because Shoe likes being outside where it's sunny and pretty and everything is so bright with all of the colors and he can see the shininess of his shoes better in the light.
When he asks Chaos for his opinion (but only when he's pretty sure that Kaz isn't paying him any attention, in their version of 'sleep'), Chaos just sort of stares at him.
"You want Kaz to come out?" Chaos asks, cautiously, like he isn't sure that Shoe knows what he's saying.
Shoe knows what he's saying! That's why he's saying it! Chaos is so silly sometimes.
"Yes! To see the sun!" Shoe flings his hands around, bringing his palms together and fluttering his fingers out to mimic the sun's rays.
"But doesn't Kaz see the sun?" Chaos picks over his words carefully and leans against his scythe. He must be terribly warm in his cloak, Shoe doesn't know how he can stand it, but Chaos would never take it off. Too bad. Chaos is probably roasting!
Shoe contemplates this and wonders if he should dump ice down Chaos's back. Just to keep him cool, of course! And okay, it would be terribly funny too.
"--oe! Shoe!"
Shoe blinks and focuses back on Chaos. He smiles hugely and pretends he's heard everything that Chaos had said in the past thirty seconds.
Chaos doesn't fall for it because Chaos is a smart guy like that.
"I said," Chaos begins patiently, "that Kaz sees the sun. It begins to get light out early in the morning, you know."
"But he needs more sunlight! Then maybe he wouldn't be a grumpy gus!" Shoe argues, his hands exploding apart.
"Grumpy gus," Chaos says, words coming out slowly, like he's tasting each one before saying it. His face screws up and for a moment his lips tremble. Then he begins to snicker. "Grumpy gus. Yeah, that'd work for Kaz."
Chaos can be so weird sometimes.
"So it's a great idea, right? Right!"
Chaos lifts a shoulder in a half hearted shrug. "Well, it's not like you're trying to break into a candy store this time." He pauses and mutters to himself, lowly, but Shoe can still hear every word! "This should be fairly harmless."
"Humph!" Shoe says, and then forgets it the next second, enraptured by the butterfly that is drifting towards them. "Pretty!"
---
Shoe is lurking in the back of their shared mind. It's almost noon and he could feel Kaz get ready to settle back, to let Shoe out for the day. But Shoe isn't going this time! Nosiree! He's going to dig in his (figurative) heels and just let Kaz see more of the sun because he's such a great guy like that! And maybe Kaz would get less grumpy and then the world would be brighter and shinier.
He knows Kaz isn't quite sure what Shoe's up to, only that Shoe is planning something. He feels sharply suspicious, but always with the edges somewhat blunted, because he likes Shoe too, even if he never says anything about it. That's one of the reasons why Shoe loves Kaz, because Kaz is silly like that.
Between one moment and the next, not even the span of a heartbeat, Kaz tries to switch them back. Their thoughts touch, that half-second that can last for an eternity.
"Shoe?" Kaz sounds impatient, but Kaz always sounds impatient.
"Kaz! You stay out!"
"What?" Instant suspicion, like a black cloud. "Why?"
"I want you to!"
Kaz should be okay with it, or at least shouldn't mind, except he knows that Shoe is plotting something (imagine that! Plotting! Shoe is definitely learning new and exciting things from Kaz) and has already decided he doesn't want any part of this.
"No, I'm going back."
Shoe tries to resist with all of his might and feels Kaz's consternation. It is like being huffed at by a stiff breeze.
"Shoe," Kaz says sternly now.
"Kaz," Shoe mimics and metaphorically crosses his arms.
Kaz presses inward and Shoe tries to hold position, tries not to be swept away with the force of Kaz's will.
Shoe blurts out, "You need more sun! You need to be outside and smell the fresh air and frolic in the flowers and roll around in the grass!"
"What the fuck."
"And then you wouldn't be so grumpy all the time," Shoe rambles because his hold is slipping and concentrating so much is so tiring. He isn't used to concentrating. "And then you'd be happier! And I want you happier because I love Kaz! Kaz is the best!"
"You—" And wow! Kaz at a loss of words! How exciting! "Dumbass." Kaz says and Shoe ignores that because Kaz calls him that all the time. "Look," he says, "A little sunlight isn't going to make me any less grumpy."
"Ehhhhhh?"
"I am grumpy because I like being grumpy."
"Ehhhhhh?"
"Now stop being an idiot and switch with me already."
Shoe sighs and gives up because he's getting tired of fighting anyway, and as he goes out he finds that his lips are smiling weirdly. Weirdly because when Kaz almost never smiles, but Kaz was definitely smiling before they switched, even if it was an awkward, kind of lame, smile.
Oh! Oh! He did it! He doesn't know how he did it but he did it! Why this calls for a celebration! Shoe was going to buy so many new shoes in congratulations for himself!
He was so happy!
---
Kaz doesn't like a lot of things, and loves even less.
But, and he'll never ever admit it out loud, sometimes he does love Shoe.
Fandom: Aywas World
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Profanity
Summary: Short story for Aywas Scavenger Hunt #71. Shoe decides to make Kaz super happy.
Shoe loves a lot of things. He loves shoes (shoes are the best!) and puppies and rainbows and the color blue and candycandycandy! Most of all he loves Kaz and Chaos and Ebony, and life in general because it is fabulous and it has all of his favorite things. He tries hard to not think of the things he doesn't like, the things that hurt, the things that disappoint him because there's not much he can do about it. Pain happens, but if he doesn't think of it, maybe then it wouldn't happen so much.
Or maybe he's becoming just as callous as Kaz can be, but Shoe tries hard not to think of that either.
He knows that Kaz is lurking about in his mind, a sleek presence that will never ever leave him (and Shoe is very happy about that! Because he loves Kaz and this way he'll never be alone). He also knows that a lot of the time Kaz is sleeping or resting because sometimes Shoe can't help but tire him out. That or maybe he had a difficult time with his experiments (and Shoe doesn't like thinking about that either).
He also knows that he and Kaz are powerful. So, so powerful it is scary and sometimes awe inspiring at the same time. He knows that people love him or pretend to love him (and he doesn't like to think about that either), and that they'll do a lot of wonderful things for him, and sometimes they'll do terrible, terrible things for him too.
But most of the time people are shiny! And happy! And they are all so awesome, even if Shoe doesn't notice them all of the time in favor of their pretty shoes and ohhh, is that a melo?
He loves the sun and daylight and the warmth it flickers down his face, like it's greeting him and loves him and would wrap him up in a sunnily happy hug. Too bad for Kaz that most of the time it's night when he's out and awake because the sun is one of the best things ever, and he secretly thinks (so carefully!) that maybe Kaz needs a little more sun to perk him up.
Maybe Kaz wouldn't be so grumpy then…?
What an interesting thought!
---
Shoe thinks and thinks and thinks some more. It is exhausting. He doesn't know how Kaz could think so much, about so many complicated things, and be happy about it. Shoe is happier not thinking much at all and has the attention span of a gnat, but for Kaz! Well, Shoe would try. Because he loves Kaz!
He has a few options. He's sure that Kaz would have more, one of them probably being like moving the world closer to the sun (somehow. He is sure that Kaz would figure it out because Kaz is a genius like that), but Shoe isn't Kaz and just thinking about all of the different ways he can have Kaz out lots in the sun is tiring.
He could just force Kaz outside when Shoe is in control. Shoe tries to remember if there was ever a time when he forces himself back inside, back to being a passive member of the body they share, but usually it's the other way around. Usually he forces his way out himself when Kaz is in charge (not often, but sometimes it's important like there was something realllyyyyyyy cute or shoes! new shoes!), but he can't remember the last time he has forced Kaz out when he was in charge. And especially when Kaz doesn't want to come out (well, doesn't know he wants to come out. He can convince him!). Or isn't forcing himself out (was there a difference?).
And maybe when it's time to switch out at noon Shoe would just not. Not come out, not switch, just stay stubbornly entrenched in their mind, and make Kaz live out the day too. But he doesn't like that idea so much because Shoe likes being outside where it's sunny and pretty and everything is so bright with all of the colors and he can see the shininess of his shoes better in the light.
When he asks Chaos for his opinion (but only when he's pretty sure that Kaz isn't paying him any attention, in their version of 'sleep'), Chaos just sort of stares at him.
"You want Kaz to come out?" Chaos asks, cautiously, like he isn't sure that Shoe knows what he's saying.
Shoe knows what he's saying! That's why he's saying it! Chaos is so silly sometimes.
"Yes! To see the sun!" Shoe flings his hands around, bringing his palms together and fluttering his fingers out to mimic the sun's rays.
"But doesn't Kaz see the sun?" Chaos picks over his words carefully and leans against his scythe. He must be terribly warm in his cloak, Shoe doesn't know how he can stand it, but Chaos would never take it off. Too bad. Chaos is probably roasting!
Shoe contemplates this and wonders if he should dump ice down Chaos's back. Just to keep him cool, of course! And okay, it would be terribly funny too.
"--oe! Shoe!"
Shoe blinks and focuses back on Chaos. He smiles hugely and pretends he's heard everything that Chaos had said in the past thirty seconds.
Chaos doesn't fall for it because Chaos is a smart guy like that.
"I said," Chaos begins patiently, "that Kaz sees the sun. It begins to get light out early in the morning, you know."
"But he needs more sunlight! Then maybe he wouldn't be a grumpy gus!" Shoe argues, his hands exploding apart.
"Grumpy gus," Chaos says, words coming out slowly, like he's tasting each one before saying it. His face screws up and for a moment his lips tremble. Then he begins to snicker. "Grumpy gus. Yeah, that'd work for Kaz."
Chaos can be so weird sometimes.
"So it's a great idea, right? Right!"
Chaos lifts a shoulder in a half hearted shrug. "Well, it's not like you're trying to break into a candy store this time." He pauses and mutters to himself, lowly, but Shoe can still hear every word! "This should be fairly harmless."
"Humph!" Shoe says, and then forgets it the next second, enraptured by the butterfly that is drifting towards them. "Pretty!"
---
Shoe is lurking in the back of their shared mind. It's almost noon and he could feel Kaz get ready to settle back, to let Shoe out for the day. But Shoe isn't going this time! Nosiree! He's going to dig in his (figurative) heels and just let Kaz see more of the sun because he's such a great guy like that! And maybe Kaz would get less grumpy and then the world would be brighter and shinier.
He knows Kaz isn't quite sure what Shoe's up to, only that Shoe is planning something. He feels sharply suspicious, but always with the edges somewhat blunted, because he likes Shoe too, even if he never says anything about it. That's one of the reasons why Shoe loves Kaz, because Kaz is silly like that.
Between one moment and the next, not even the span of a heartbeat, Kaz tries to switch them back. Their thoughts touch, that half-second that can last for an eternity.
"Shoe?" Kaz sounds impatient, but Kaz always sounds impatient.
"Kaz! You stay out!"
"What?" Instant suspicion, like a black cloud. "Why?"
"I want you to!"
Kaz should be okay with it, or at least shouldn't mind, except he knows that Shoe is plotting something (imagine that! Plotting! Shoe is definitely learning new and exciting things from Kaz) and has already decided he doesn't want any part of this.
"No, I'm going back."
Shoe tries to resist with all of his might and feels Kaz's consternation. It is like being huffed at by a stiff breeze.
"Shoe," Kaz says sternly now.
"Kaz," Shoe mimics and metaphorically crosses his arms.
Kaz presses inward and Shoe tries to hold position, tries not to be swept away with the force of Kaz's will.
Shoe blurts out, "You need more sun! You need to be outside and smell the fresh air and frolic in the flowers and roll around in the grass!"
"What the fuck."
"And then you wouldn't be so grumpy all the time," Shoe rambles because his hold is slipping and concentrating so much is so tiring. He isn't used to concentrating. "And then you'd be happier! And I want you happier because I love Kaz! Kaz is the best!"
"You—" And wow! Kaz at a loss of words! How exciting! "Dumbass." Kaz says and Shoe ignores that because Kaz calls him that all the time. "Look," he says, "A little sunlight isn't going to make me any less grumpy."
"Ehhhhhh?"
"I am grumpy because I like being grumpy."
"Ehhhhhh?"
"Now stop being an idiot and switch with me already."
Shoe sighs and gives up because he's getting tired of fighting anyway, and as he goes out he finds that his lips are smiling weirdly. Weirdly because when Kaz almost never smiles, but Kaz was definitely smiling before they switched, even if it was an awkward, kind of lame, smile.
Oh! Oh! He did it! He doesn't know how he did it but he did it! Why this calls for a celebration! Shoe was going to buy so many new shoes in congratulations for himself!
He was so happy!
---
Kaz doesn't like a lot of things, and loves even less.
But, and he'll never ever admit it out loud, sometimes he does love Shoe.