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Catarina (catdevigri) wrote in no_true_pair, @ 2010-03-24 23:38:00

A Lot to Learn (Tales of Rebirth, Eugene/Mao)
Title: A Lot to Learn
Author/Artist: catdevigri
Fandom: Tales of Rebirth
Pairing/characters: Eugene Gallardo/Mao
Rating: PG
Warnings: contemplation of a cross-species, relationship with a big age gap, but nothing happens worth warning for
Prompt/challenge you're answering: Used to managing alone, Mao is reluctant to work with Eugene.


Eugene was a leader, and before that, he had been among the rank and file himself. He knew plenty about getting along with others, as well as convincing difficult people to overcome their differences and work together. He was the leader of the King's Shield, after all. No one was going to claim Saleh or Tohma was easy to work with.

But that didn't mean he was immediately able to manage the small amnesiac who had fallen so unexpectedly into his hands. He appeared to have wandered into the palace in a daze (he didn't even know his name). Who could explain how he had gotten past the guards without alerting them to his approach much earlier?

It wasn't as if Eugene had much experience taking care of children. What general knowledge he possessed would have to suffice. The boy was friendly enough, and curious. He needed a name, and Eugene dubbed him "Mao." When he went into exile, they left Balka together.



They crouched down in a snowy thicket. The distinctive footprints dappling the snow gave away the presence of rabbits on the mountain. Eugene felt saliva building up eagerly beneath his tongue. Skilled as he was, both at foraging and stretching his supplies, their meals had been marked more for their meagerness than any positive quality these last few days.

"Psst," Mao leaned towards him, cupping his hand around his mouth and directing his words squarely at his alert black ear, "Eugene, what are you waiting for?" His breath formed a string of clouds, linked together loosely like pennants at a fair. The snow they were kneeling in stung his bare knees. Could being out in the elements too long hurt someone? If it could, he was certain he would be suffering before Eugene. He wasn't so strong or conditioned, and he didn't have the protection afforded by a thick coat of fur either.

"Sooner or later, a rabbit will leave its warren. Hopefully it will not be expecting us. I may not be as spry as I once was, but I still believe I will be able to catch it."

Mao nodded, rubbing his palms together briskly before stuffing them under his armpits in an attempt to conserve heat. He could see how every muscle in Eugene's body tensed for action. He was ready for that rabbit. Mao was glad he wasn't the rabbit.

Of course, further thought revealed somewhat mixed feelings on the matter. He didn't want to be injured, and he obviously didn't want to be eaten, but the idea of being pounced upon by Eugene didn't sound all that bad. His strong paws might prove a sanctuary and his stern body a welcome break from the buffets of the icy wind. Then there was the secret yearning that gripped him to touch and be touched by that sleek black fur. Eugene had touched him once or twice before, but all that had done was kindle in him a desire for more. It was strange to wish for someone to come closer and respect one's personal space less.

When Mao sneezed, Eugene's sensitive ears flicked back in response to the unexpected sound, and afterward they slowly slinked around to face forward again. His focus was so intense he wasn't even consciously aware of his reaction to the noise. His yellow eyes were narrowed into tiny slits to keep out the blinding brilliance of sunlight reflecting off the snow.

Mao's reaction to the painful sheen was to close his eyes, keeping his face tipped down. He could still feel the sun on his eyelids, but that he could tolerate.

Eugene couldn't help but notice each flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye as Mao twitched and shivered, but he wouldn't reprimand the boy. It was cold by anyone but a polar bear's standards and impatience was to be expected of one so young. Just as long as he kept quiet... Aha! A rabbit at last. It sniffed the air, hopping clear gingerly from the cover provided by a rocky overhang to the west that likely concealed the tunnel it had exited from. "A little closer...a little closer..." Eugene mentally urged the fluffy white creature. He would only get one chance at this and he would hate to mess it up after spending so much time caught up in the limbo of preparation.

"You know, it just occurred to me," Mao spoke up thoughtlessly. With his eyes still closed he hadn't even seen the rabbit.

"Ugh." Eugene gasped in mental pain as his quarry heard and swiftly escaped to safety. Didn't Mao understand that being absolutely silent was one of the main components of a successful hunting trip?

"Do you think maybe it would be better for me to attack the rabbit with my Force of Fire? Then we could have our dinner caught and cooked all at once," he smiled.

Eugene relaxed his tense body, allowing his fingers to fall free form the fists he had been making and hang limply in the snow. He tried to keep his sigh subdued. He would gain nothing by injuring Mao's feelings. This only showed how many, many things the boy had yet to learn.