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Shades of Grey: 17th of March
by Icka! M. Chif

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There were ups and downs to having been raised out of the country. It was the small things mostly, not the big things like his appearance, that makes him feel like an outsider. Such as being ignorant or forgetting little details, such as purifying yourself at a Shinto Shrine or an old nursery rhyme.

However, it's those same small differences that occasionally gave him the leeway to do things that could be considered improper.

Such as today's small ritual and it's oh-so tempting target.

He and Kuroba had gotten used to walking together. Sometimes it was because of the girls --either in their company or avoiding the Terrible Twosome-- but most of the time it was simply because it was nice to walk with a friend, even if they didn't end up saying anything or if they were bantering back and forth. Or chasing each other, but that was another story.

What was important was that they were both used to having each other in their personal space. It was, for the most part, safe.

Usually.

Sometimes.

But not today.

At least not for Kuroba.

A surreptitious glance around their location revealed that they were the only ones around. Which was exactly what he was hoping for.

It was hard to keep from smirking as he casually reached out, grabbing a bit of fabric, skin and muscle between his thumb and forefinger and pinched it.

Kuroba let out a magnificent squeak, jumping into the air and grabbing the offended part of his anatomy. The dumbfounded look of betrayal on the magician was just too much and Hakuba grinned in return.

"You pinched me!" Kuroba was outraged.

"Yes."

He got a glare in return that was more of a question than an effort to shoot him full of daggers from Kuroba's eyes. "Are you wearing green?" Hakuba asked patiently.

"No." The outrage faded slightly into petulance. "What's that got to do with it?"

Hakuba gestured expansively. "It's the Seventeenth of March."

Kuroba frowned, still rubbing the offended part of anatomy before the eyes widen as he -got- it. Trust Kuroba to know something so silly from the other side of the world. "Oh." The petulance was quickly replaced by something quite devilish looking.

He quickly held up an arm, the sleeve falling back to reveal a green string around his wrist. Hakuba had also taken the precaution of wearing boxers with green on them.

Fortunately for him, the devilishness was replaced by sulking. He nudged Kuroba with a shoulder, prodding him into movement again. They still had to get to class after all. After another mock-glare, of the 'how am I supposed to feel safe around you NOW?' variety, Kuroba followed him, watching Hakuba out of the corner of his eye.

Hakuba chuckled. It was so much fun to get his own comeuppance for a change.

Kuroba grumbled to himself. "... my ass."

"Yes." He agreed to the obvious. That was the part of Kuroba's anatomy he had pinched. And if he wanted to keep that particular part of his own anatomy safe, he should probably distract the churlish magician. Such as with the two very lovely people who just began on to their street about a half block up.

"Hey." He motioned casually towards the girls, more of an incline of a head than anything else. "I wonder if they are wearing green..."

The manic grin was back and Kuroba took off like a shot. Hakuba merely smiled to himself as he followed stately behind, his own safety temporarily assured. "And a Happy St. Patrick's Day to you too."

• • •

-Later that night, just as he was dozing off, he was vaugely unsurprised to find a late night visitor in his bed. One wearing a shit-eating grin.

And waving a green charm with a four-leaf clover on it.

Payback.

Hakuba pulled the pillow over his head. "Aw, shite."

-fin-

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