This is my second GS fic, a GaretxIvan. A highly underrated pairing, I am afraid, but I love it nonetheless. Anyway, those of you who dare to read it, prepare yourself for much sap. If you can dive through it and make your way to the surface, congrats. Love you long time.
I must warn that this is malexmale love, that if it offends, you shouldn't read...blah, blah, blah...
Also, I do not own. I merely borrow. Now, enjoy!
Gems of Fire
Ivan sighed in relief as a cool breeze wafted over his sweaty skin. The summer sun had beat down upon his small body for three weeks solid, and the storms that often accompanied the season added humidity to the mix, making the outside air nearly unbearable. However, here in the valley where Hama's temple in the mountains resided, the winds were often caught between the peaks, and as he sat on a rather large windowsill and breathed them in, it ruffled through his hair, blowing through his loose, silk tunic.
He and his friends had departed recently on their summer visit to Lama temple, where Ivan's sister lived, waiting and meditating. They were always welcomed warmly, though the gesture was hardly necessary in the summer heat. It was like a paradise to them, contrary to the dry, searing heat of the Lamakan Desert, and the muggy humidity of the mining city of Altin, which was still recovering from their massive flood, mosquitoes spreading like the plague. To Ivan, however, it was much more than a reprieve from the heat of summer; it was a venture into himself. He learned something new every day, about his past; his homeland, which he had seen only once; about his mother, whom he had never met.
Ivan had eventually familiarized himself with the many caverns of the surrounding mines and terrain and befriended the monks, mullahs, and mages who struggled to find their inner nirvana while bathing under the fresh spring waterfall. He had sometimes helped the more inexperienced to develop their powers, discovering something about his own at times. Something else, though, drew him to the temple, something he had only briefly heard of in Xi'an, but saw many a time in Kalay: fireworks.
The temple itself had no such things, of course. The truly devout inhabitants deemed fireworks and the like frivolous, a distraction from their path to the gods' paradise. (He had, however, heard the thoughts of a couple of monks, who had planned to travel up the mountain to watch in secret.) Over the Mountain Pass, the trading city of Xi'an was quite convinced that the beautiful "gems of fire", as some of the elderly called them, were absolutely wonderful. Their craftsmen had made an art form of filling the many colourful containers with gunpowder and a mixture of unknown ingredients that gave the fireworks their magic.
Only in the summer would they fly them; the night sky, clear and dusted with stars was the perfect backdrop for the explosive splashes of colour that Xi'an had masterfully crafted. This was Ivan's most anticipated aspect of the visit, and through his journeying among the wild caverns and lofty peaks, he had found the only place that did justice to their fiery majesty.
He had found a perfect set of craggy handholds, most likely constructed by erosion or an aspiring explorer, that led to a small section of rock fashioned in the shape of a bowl. Ivan later discovered that it had once been the site of a large nest; upon closer inspection he found a couple of eggshells, broken and discarded. He cleared the brush and debris with a quick gust of air, then sat down and examined his work.
On his way down, he met Garet, whom was more than a bit curious as to his presence on the mountain. Garet himself was killing off the last few demons that had slipped through the rocky barrier with his huge Claymore. Ivan could smell the leather of his much larger companion's gloves and scabbard, and heard his barking laughter as another demon fell to a simple flame attack. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, joining the others and making his flesh gleam in the bright sunlight.
"What're you doin' here, pipsqueak?" Ivan jolted in surprise; where had his mind gone? Somehow he didn't want to admit just where. His eyes wandered from Garet's dark ones to his tanned skin, under which well-toned muscles rippled with the aftershock of the short scuffle. The slighter boy gulped and answered in his usual scathing tone, which dripped with feigned contempt.
"Obviously something of more interest than you." That was a total lie, he admitted to himself. Garet was of great interest to him: as stupid and brusque as he was. Ivan thanked the gods that it was he, not his Mars Adept friend who had been gifted with mind-reading; that was for certain.
"Thanks a lot." The other snorted. "Seriously, shouldn't you be down there, doing whatever pipsqueaks like you do?"
"Shouldn't you be trying to think of better insults? That one's getting kind of old." That seemed to shut him up for a while, and Ivan smirked with victorious glee. He sat down for a moment on a flat rock, waiting for a response; when none came, he continued.
"If you must know, I was looking for a place to watch the Xi'an fireworks festival tonight. Last year I could hardly see them over the mountain." The taller Adept's interest seemed to be piqued, and he blinked at Ivan and spoke.
"Fireworks? Never seen 'em." Amethyst eyes widened in surprise.
"No?" Garet merely shook his head. "You really don't know what you've missed, then. They're…amazing." The two sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while, each thinking to themselves of what the other thought. Finally, Ivan spoke again.
"I suppose I could…"
"Huh?" Garet interjected.
"Well if you're not going to let me finish a sentence, I-" Before he could finish, he heard the distinct, high-pitched whistling of a flying firework. His face lit up, and before he knew what he was doing, he pulled Garet by the hand, leading him up the craggy ledge to his haven. He glanced up at his companion, whose eyes had widened in awe and wonder, jaw slack.
The two of them stood there together, watching the "gems of fire" for a while, silent as the loud booming of the fireworks' explosions filled the air and echoed throughout the mountains. Even now, it was obvious where they had gotten their name. Finally, Ivan spoke after what seemed like hours.
"So? What do you think?" He hardly noticed his head rest against Garet's shoulder.
"Mm, it beats listening to Felix and Picard's ruckus all night."
"Isn't that the truth…" He rolled his eyes. Those two were such idiots-especially Felix. He was so ridiculously obvious about his feelings; Ivan could practically see the pheromones with his waking eyes. He was going about it totally wrong-pretending that you hate someone is NOT going to get the point across--
What was he SAYING?!
How hypocritical could he get?
"Hey, Ivan?" The rough voice of his companion woke him from his thoughts.
"Mm?" Ivan blushed as amethyst met dark ruby. Good thing it was night; he could feel the heat rising against the cool night air in his cheeks.
'They really are nice…'
Hm? A thought? Boy, he really knew how to protect himself, this one. As he listened, his stomach did a back flip.
"Hey! I thought you said no more mind-reading!!" Ivan frowned indignantly.
"Well?! When you broadcast louder than a spider monkey, it's hard not to, you big ape!"
"Yeah? Well…" The fireworks seemed to have stopped for a moment, and all that was heard was the chirping of crickets. "…yeah. I mean, they are."
"What? I don't even…the fireworks?"
"Nah, forget it."
Garet turned, about to descend the handholds to the temple. It really was getting late; Ivan yawned and prepared to follow the larger Adept. Suddenly though, the air filled with high-pitched whistles, and he turned to find the entire sky filled with fireworks of every color and intensity, his mouth gaped at the sheer brilliance of them. He turned to invite Garet over, but he had disappeared from the edge of the cliff. A shadow much taller than his own had aligned itself next to him, and he looked to find Garet smiling and watching alongside him. Another thought wafted into his mind. (I'll let you use your imagination. )
"HEY!" He turned to face a raging Mars adept, whose face had taken on the hue of his hair. "I TOLD you not to do that!!"
"Well, you're an idiot! There's no other explanation!"
The sound of their arguing echoed in the mountains, along with the booming of the remaining fireworks that had brought them to a certain point that neither really understood. They left for the temple and acted as nonchalant and derisive as ever. However, it soon became a habit for them both to just-so-happen to meet every year at the mountain sanctuary to watch the gems of fire light up the skies.
-owari