Disclaimer: Sorcerer/Bakuretsu Hunters is not mine. I'd like it to be, cause then there'd be a lot more Marron/Gateau stuff. *grinnnn* But alas, I don't own it. Woe be I. Anyway, on with the fic. By the way, I know that the title on the FF.net page doesn't match the title of this chapter. There's a reason for that. I think you can figure it out. Have fun reading!
Warnings: Shounen-ai, fluff, humor. Some underpants humor. Literally.
LIFE, AS OF NOW
BY:
Maxy Steel
Given the chance, would you turn back time, to save yourself from an unspeakable horror? To spare your friends, family the agony and fear? What if it was possible to turn back the clock? Would you take that chance?
It had been five years. Five years since Zaha Torte had made his move, and tried to raise the Destruction God from it's resting place within the body of a young man, a boy, and almost succeeded. Five years since that youth had been forced to watch the four closest to him fall. Only to find them by his side when he needed them most. His prayers had been answered. Carrot sighed, shaking his head slightly, a faint grin crossing his tanned features. He wasn't complaining. His eyes turned to the left, watching from his vantage point on the rooftop, Marron and Gateau settled under one of the trees in the yard. From below, within the house, the sound of a shattering plate, followed by Tira's chiding of Chocolate to be more careful, and the elder sister's sharp retort. The brown-haired young man chuckled softly to himself. No, he wasn't complaining at all. Inside the house, another dish was broken.
"Hey, Marron, Gateau, Carrot! Get inside for dinner, before Chocolate breaks all the dishes!" Tira's call came from within the structure.
"Excuse me?! I believe the last dish was in your hands before the floor, sister dear!" Chocolate's objection was fast on the first girl's voice. There was more bickering, but the girls brought it down to quieter tones, and weren't heard. Carrot turned his head to watch the sunset a moment longer, even as his brother called up to him as he entered the house.
"Brother, aren't you hungry?" the long-haired brother queried. The tall blonde beside him stopped as well, looking faintly impatient. The elder brother flicked a hand in acknowledgement of his sibling's call.
"Yeah, when am I not? I'll be down in a sec, Marron," he added with a playful grin. Five years, and not much had changed.
"Suit yourself. We'll save you some scraps," Gateau returned, then slung a muscular arm around Marron's shoulders, directing the younger man inside the house. Things had slowed considerably since Zaha's attempt to destroy the world. Quieted enough that the five Hunters had been able to take up a permanent residence. Their staying together wasn't at all by chance. Marron hadn't wanted to be far from his brother, and Gateau would have gone to live in a cave if that was what his lover wished. Tira and Chocolate had both insisted that there was no way they were going to leave Carrot to just go "hook up with any old floozy that came along". In the end, it had been the tank-top toting member of their group who had suggested that the five should try to put up with one another in one house. Just a few months after Zaha's disappearance, the home had been built, and the five had been staying there ever since, only leaving for the surprisingly few missions they received. Carrot shook his head a little, frowning thoughtfully as he recalled the past four and a half years. He had been thrilled for his brother when he and Gateau had admitted their feelings for one another to the rest of the group. Tira's reaction had been the same, and Chocolate had made a comment about knowing all along. Building the house had been fun. Hiding in the hole for the foundation from Tira and Chocolate, helping his brother put down the floor boards, teasing Gateau about being able to lift and set the walls. He looked down at the roof. He had, at his own insistence, shingled the roof entirely on his own. The well outside had been dug out by the five Hunters for their own use, as they had chosen a spot somewhat close to a town, but still far enough that it was a bother to travel back and forth in the name of collecting water. Also because of the location, Tira and Chocolate had backed off a bit on the possessiveness of their favorite perverted partner. Carrot, in turn, had stopped chasing girls quite as much as in the past. Life had been relatively quiet, time frames of weeks or months between each adventure. The dark-eyed Hunter trotted to the edge of the roof, and hooked his hands on the ridge, and swung down, landing with a soft thump on the ground, then hurried inside the house.
Carrot leaned back contentedly, curling his fingers over his stomach, grinning happily.
"Man, that was great!" he announced appreciatively, stretching his arms back over his head.
"Did you enjoy dinner, Darling?" Chocolate asked, giving him a sultry smirk, leaning over to collect the dishes before both of the Glace brothers. Tira rolled her eyes as she bore her load over to the sink. The elder sister followed after a moment, depositing her share into the basin as well. The pink-haired girl moved to go outside to retrieve water to clean the dishes, when a light hand on her shoulder stopped her.
"Tira, you and Chocolate have been working very hard already today. Gateau and I can do the dishes. Take a break, you two," Marron's gentle voice commanded firmly. The blonde man made a faintly surprised noise.
"We can?" he half-choked. His dark-haired partner turned his head slightly, so that none of the others saw, and winked at his lover. Gateau caught the look, and grinned. "Yeah, sure, we can do the dishes. You girls relax," he added. Tira smiled warmly at both of the young men.
"That's so nice of you, Marron, Gateau," she replied gratefully. Chocolate beamed, literally.
"That's so sweet of you two! Come along, Darling!" she exclaimed, latching onto Carrot's biceps and dragging him out the front door, Tira on her heels, yelling that Carrot wasn't only hers. Gateau gave voice to a rumbling chuckle.
"Think he'll ever pick one of them?" the tall man questioned bemusedly. His lover stepped up beside him, observing, through the window, Tira and Chocolate each trying to woo Carrot, in their own way.
"Perhaps, but I doubt it. He wouldn't be able to break either's heart by choosing one, and he obviously enjoys the attention from both," the quiet young man commented thoughtfully, crossing his arms, the fabric of his sleeves fluttering against his sides, a fond smile gracing his features. The more muscular of the pair nodded in agreement, then clasped an arm around his shorter lover's shoulders for a moment before heading outside to get the water.
The short trip to cover the distance between the front door and the well was made dangerous by one having to dodge Tira's cape, Chocolate's hair, or just Carrot in general, but Gateau managed, despite not moving quick enough to avoid a run away Carrot after dodging Tira. Ignoring the threesome in the yard at his back, the blonde man collected the bucket and dropped it down into the well. He tugged at the cord until he was certain that the pail had filled, absently sticking out his arm to stop Chocolate's badly timed jump at Carrot to end with her in the watery pit. She bounced off his shoulder, and landed in an undignified sprawl on the grass, looking surprised.
"Darling!! See what you almost made me do! I'll have to punish you for that!" she cried, jumping up and dashing off, disappearing around the side of the house. Carrot's screams of "PRINCESS!! PRINCESS!! PRINCESS!!" echoed a moment later, mixed with Tira's laughter. Gateau snorted to himself, drawing the bucket up and transferring the contents to the pail not attached to the well. Fortunately, Carrot was still hiding in the back, so the tall Hunter wasn't bothered by any errant partners on the way back to the house. Stepping back inside, the first thing that caught his attention was that Marron had removed his tunic, leaving himself bare-chested and in only his pants, his hair tied back in a loose ponytail to keep it somewhat out of the way. The top covering was neatly folded and sitting on the table.
"You're trying to tease me, aren't you?" Gateau asked with a wolfish grin. His lover looked up from the basin, and smiled warmly.
"Of course not. I simply didn't want to get my robe damp," he explained, stepping over to the taller man. Taking the bucket from his partner's hand, the long-haired young man set it down, then set about removing the spike bracelets and gloves from Gateau's hands. "Wouldn't want to get your wrist bands rusty, would you, Gateau?" he asked innocently, looking up at his lover. The taller man snorted softly, his now bare hand ghosting up to cup against the back of his lover's head, leaning his head down to press their lips together for a brief moment. When they parted, the shorter man smiled up at his partner, then turned and set the gloves aside next to his tunic, and picked up the pail to empty the contents into the basin.
For almost a whole blissful half hour, everything was calm. Indoors, at least. Gateau was cleaning out the last of the bowls, when the front door slammed open, spitting Carrot inside to fall in an ungraceful heap on his rear. He was up in a second, dashing through the kitchen, barely missing crashing into Marron, and thudding up the stairs.
"DARLING! Get back here!" Chocolate's voice rang out, the only warning Gateau had to wrap an arm around Marron's waist and pull him out of the line of fire, before both Misu sisters charged through the door, and after the spiky-haired Hunter.
"There he is! Under the bed!" Tira shouted from upstairs, followed by a whip cracking, and Carrot screaming bloody murder.
"Oh, come on, Darling. Get out off the ceiling! I'll be gentle, I promise," the elder Misu sister's sultry tone carried down the steps. The whish of the red-haired Hunter's line.
"MAAAAARRON! GATEAAAAU!!! HELP!" was screeched immediately. The younger Glace brother merely chuckled quietly. The muscular blonde man glanced up at the ceiling, looked down at his lover, whose waist he still had his arm around, shrugged and stayed put. There was a suspicious silence following the racket.
"Think they caught him?" Gateau mused, looking at the stairs leading up to the bedrooms. His long-haired partner covered his mouth to somewhat muffle a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snickering cough.
"If that was the case, wouldn't there be more noise?" he asked innocently, hazel eyes sparkling with mirth. His lover gave him a surprised look, then snorted.
"True. We may as well use the lull to finish up," he commented, finally removing his arm from the younger man's side, and turning to put away the last of the dishes. Marron hefted the bucket of dirty dishwater, and headed outside. On cue, all three of the trouble-makers came thundering downstairs. The long-haired Hunter dodged his brother, and Chocolate, but was slammed into by Tira, who hadn't been able to slow or stop. The water pail flew up in the air, and came down, straight on Marron's head, upside-down, splashing him with a considerable amount of filthy water. Drawn by the crash, Chocolate and Carrot's heads appeared in the doorway, peeking in. Tira was picking herself up off the ground, Marron was still sitting on the floor, and Gateau was leaning against the counter, doing his best not to snicker too loudly. Presently, the younger Glace brother slowly lifted the bucket off his head, revealing the most surprised expression any of them had seen on him before. The elder Misu sister snickered madly, clasping her hands over her mouth. Carrot erupted in laughter.
"Y-you okay, Ma-Marron?" he gasped around his snickers. For his part, the long-haired Hunter calmly set the bucket aside, his facial expression adjusted to a slight, devious smirk, stood up, and flung his head forward, sending a large arc of dishwater straight at his sibling. Chocolate saw it coming, and was well out of the way when Carrot took the spray head on. The laughing hyena of a Hunter was sputtering indignantly a second later, spitting water from his mouth and wiping it from his eyes. With a self-satisfied smirk, the younger brother moved to retrieve a rag to mop up the spilled water. Tira plucked it form his hand a second later.
"Go change. You're sopping wet, and we're in the cold season," she ordered authoritatively, then grinned at the other Hunter. "Besides, I don't think Gateau would be too happy if you caught cold," added with a wink. A faint blush colored Marron's cheeks, and he headed upstairs, his lover on his heels, carrying the tunic and the gloves. Soon as the couple had disappeared, Chocolate was pointing her line at Carrot, who immediately started backing up, hands raised in surrender and peace.
"Now, Darling, look at the mess on the floor.... clean it up," she commanded sharply. A pitiful look came upon the spiky-haired young man's face.
"But Chocolate," he whined pathetically, "I'm all wet, too. You don't want me to catch cold, do you?" he asked in a pleading manner. Both sisters appeared to give the question serious thought.
"Well, if he's sick, he would be easier to catch," Tira observed with a smirk. Carrot's eyes went huge.
"But we couldn't be as rough with him," Chocolate added in a thoughtful voice. The dark-eyed object of discussion perked up a bit.
"And he'd be all but useless for assignments," the younger Misu noted, tapping the handle of her whip on her lower lip. Carrot nodded his agreement eagerly. After a moment, the elder sister made a gesture of dismissal towards the tank top wearing member of their troupe.
"Very well, Darling. You may go change," she told him. With a whoop, Carrot charged upstairs. The sisters chuckled, and set about cleaning up the mess themselves. Minutes later, the girls were almost finished with their task, and the dark-haired Hunter was trotting downstairs, clad in clean khakis and tank top.
"DAMN! My ass was freez--hey, I thought you wanted me to do that," he piped brightly, a little confused. Tira shrugged, wringing out another rag.
"You took too long," she replied, kneeling down to mop at the floor again. Chocolate stood up, depositing her own cloth in the wash basin.
"Besides, Darling, we can use this as an excuse to punish you," she smirked. Carrot eep-ed, backing up.
"Uhh... I-I'm gonna g-go start the la-laundry," he stuttered, then bolted up the stairs. "Hey, Gateau! Throw Marron's pants out here!" came from the upper floor a moment later. A pause while the younger Hunter listened to something his partner was saying. "Whaddya mean he's still wearing them?! It's been ten minutes since you guys went in there! What're you two doing in there?!" the spiky-haired man's voice came from the hall, followed by the sound of an irate Gateau, a door-opening, and a pair of pants hitting Carrot. The perky Hunter was grumbling all the while as he moved from room to room, collecting clothes.
"That'll keep him occupied for a while, at least," Chocolate muttered, scrubbing at the floor. Tira nodded her agreement, wringing out another rag into the wash basin. She looked down at the floor, still holding the scrap.
"Since we're already down here, should we just do the whole floor?" she questioned of her sibling. The older Misu studied the surface for a moment, then shrugged agreeably.
"Holy shi--Gateau! What the HELL did you do in your pants?!" came from upstairs a few minutes later, followed by an indistinguishable, but definitely threatening, comment from the muscular blonde man, directed at Carrot. After a minor bit of squabbling, the upstairs was quiet again, save Carrot's not-so-quiet muttering about the way people left their clothes laying around. The Misu sisters were just finishing up, when they heard the thumping of feet down the steps. A moment later, the dark-haired Hunter appeared in the entryway to the kitchen, holding a piece of dark red cloth.
"Hey, Chocolate. Is this yours?" he asked, holding it up. The sister in question snorted, while her sibling flushed bright red.
"Of course not, Darling. I don't wear a bra," she returned smugly. Carrot was busy examining the inside label as Tira stomped up to him.
"Whoa! It's a DD! Can't be yours, huh Tira...aaah!!" the spiky-haired young man was commenting, only to have the bra snatched from his hand, and then be belted by it upside the head, thanks to the furiously blushing pink-haired Hunter.
"You don't wave women's undergarments around like that, Carrot!" she yelled. The spiky-haired troublemaker cringed back from the irate young woman, hands protectively over his head.
"Geez, Tira! You coulda just said so! Didn't have to hit me like that! Man, I'm gonna have a mark there," Carrot whined, rubbing the side of his head that had been whacked. The younger Misu sister sighed, and threw the bra back at the dark-eyed young man, then turned and stomped back over to finish cleaning. The elder Glace brother shrugged, then plodded back up the stairs. A few minutes later, several rolls of bundled up clothing came bouncing down the steps.
"It's been a while since we did laundry! Look at all this," the tank top wearing Hunter gestured to the heap from mid-way down the stairs as he made his way down them, another bundle under each arm. One of the rolls under his arm slipped, and bounced down the stairs. The Misu sisters ignored their loud-mouthed partner as he trundled the laundry into the other room. For almost ten minutes, there was silence as the spiky-haired young man busied himself with sorting out all the clothing.
"Think the idiot accidentally strangled himself with a sock?" Tira ventured, just before the aforementioned idiot charged back into the room, and up the stairs.
"Forgot to check Marron's room!" he explained pointlessly. Chocolate opened her mouth to remind him that Gateau and Marron were both still in the younger Glace brother's room, but Carrot had already disappeared up the steps. Both sisters sighed simultaneously, and waited for the yell. They heard Marron's door open, footsteps, the awaited threatening sounds from Gateau, then rapidly retreating footfalls.
"He walked in on them," Chocolate observed wryly. Tira snickered, nodding.
"Whoa! Geez, Gateau! No need to get so bent out of shape!! I didn't see anything, I swear!!" Carrot was heard yelling, followed by the tank top clad Hunter appearing on the stairs, jumping the last five, rolling as he landed, and bolting for the laundry room. If the sisters had been able to see up the staircase, they'd have seen a shirtless Gateau retreating back into the bedroom.
"Maybe Darling will be brave enough to go back upstairs by sunrise or so," the elder Misu sister chuckled, gathering up the rags use to clean the floor, and taking them into the laundry room. She found the spiky-haired Hunter sitting on the floor amid the piles of clothes he had hauled down, sorting things out and muttering to himself.
"Just saw them kissing... it's not a big deal... sheesh," the dark-eyed boy grumbled. Chocolate raised an eyebrow, and walked over, dropping the rags on a pile.
"If you were in Gateau's position, you'd be a bit paranoid yourself, Darling," was all she said before turning and walking out. The male Hunter blinked a few times at the retreating back, then shrugged, deciding to ponder the comment later, and went back to the clothes.
Gateau turned on his back, staring up at the ceiling, absently rubbing his hand in abstract circles on his lover's bare back. Marron shifted a little, nearly asleep, laying on his side, his head resting on his partner's shoulder, one arm flung haphazardly across his lover's chest. Both men were shirtless, but that was the extent of their nudity. The blonde Hunter frowned slightly as the hand on his dark-haired lover's back snagged in the sleeping man's hair. Turning his head, he grimaced at the tangled mess Marron's hair was quickly becoming.
"Knew we should've brushed it out earlier," he muttered, then sat up, bringing the other young man with him. He shook the other Hunter gently. "Marron? Wake up for a minute. I can't remember where we left your brush," he said in a low voice.
"Mmm.... huh? Oh. Over on the desk. I'll get it..." he trailed off, shifting and slipping off the bed. A large yawn caught him, and his hand automatically came up to the back of his head. He froze, feeling the tangles. "We forgot to brush it out?" he said in a perturbed tone.
"We forgot to brush it out," Gateau affirmed solemnly. The black-haired member of the lovers sighed heavily, retrieved the brush, and came back to the bed, situating himself between his partner's thighs. The taller man, who had moved until he was leaning up against the wall the bed was against, took the brush and set about doing his best to detangle the semi-damp mess as painlessly as possible. Time passed in long, comfortable, silence.
"Is it that late? I haven't heard my brother or either of the girls yet," Marron commented finally, breaking the silence. His lover voiced a low rumbling chuckle, the fully untangled bottom two feet of his partner's knee-length hair pooling around his upper thighs as he started on the next section.
"I heard Chocolate and Tira not too long ago, but that brother of yours hasn't made a sound since after he walked in on us earlier," he explained, setting down the brush to work out a particularly stubborn knot with his fingers. Marron laughed lightly.
"Amazing. I didn't think he could go more than a short stretch without saying something," the younger Glace brother noted. The older man shrugged, taking up the brush again.
"Death threats from me can do amazing things," he grinned. Another foot completed.
"So I've noticed," the golden-eyed Hunter replied, a note of amusement in his voice. Another few minutes passed in silence, before the younger of the couple started to ask something, but instead yawned hugely. His partner chuckled.
"I'm almost done," he answered the cut-off question, now brushing through the full length of the midnight strands on each down stroke. There were still some minor snags, easily taken care of.
"Mmm... good," the younger man muttered, fighting to stay at least vaguely awake. The blonde Hunter went through the entire length of hair a few more times, then set the brush aside, wrapping his powerful arms around his lover's waist and pulling him back, closing the gap between their bodies. The dark-haired of the couple started a little at the move, then turned his head, observing the position. "Are you going to be comfortable sleeping like that?" he asked sleepily.
"I'll be fine. What about you?" the taller man queried in response. Instead of answering, the shorter of the lovers shifted about a bit, settling himself. One hand came up to rest upon the limbs around his waist, while the other laid limply on the side of his lover's thigh. He tilted back his head, resting it on Gateau's shoulder. He heaved a relaxed sigh, and seemed to melt against the larger man.
"Good night, Gateau. I love you," he murmured vacantly, closing his eyes. The blonde man leaned his head down to kiss his lover's cheek.
"Love you, too. Night, Marron," he replied, readjusting his head to a comfortable position, and relaxing, falling asleep almost immediately after his lover.
To be continued.....
Well, there you have it. My first Sorcerer Hunters fic. Well, the first part, anyway. Yeah, I know that the title and summary don't really match this part. That's cause this was just some cute stuff I wanted to write, and also, we all know how much fun the longer fics are. The next part starts to deleve into the actual plot, so stay tuned if ya don't believe me. Review if you liked it and want me to post more. It's a bit of a pain in the pa-tushie to html this stuff, so I'm only gonna do so if the public demands it. *grins* Catch ya later! Luv ya all!
-Maxy Steel
Warnings: Shounen-ai, fluff, humor. Some underpants humor. Literally.
BY:
Maxy Steel
Given the chance, would you turn back time, to save yourself from an unspeakable horror? To spare your friends, family the agony and fear? What if it was possible to turn back the clock? Would you take that chance?
It had been five years. Five years since Zaha Torte had made his move, and tried to raise the Destruction God from it's resting place within the body of a young man, a boy, and almost succeeded. Five years since that youth had been forced to watch the four closest to him fall. Only to find them by his side when he needed them most. His prayers had been answered. Carrot sighed, shaking his head slightly, a faint grin crossing his tanned features. He wasn't complaining. His eyes turned to the left, watching from his vantage point on the rooftop, Marron and Gateau settled under one of the trees in the yard. From below, within the house, the sound of a shattering plate, followed by Tira's chiding of Chocolate to be more careful, and the elder sister's sharp retort. The brown-haired young man chuckled softly to himself. No, he wasn't complaining at all. Inside the house, another dish was broken.
"Hey, Marron, Gateau, Carrot! Get inside for dinner, before Chocolate breaks all the dishes!" Tira's call came from within the structure.
"Excuse me?! I believe the last dish was in your hands before the floor, sister dear!" Chocolate's objection was fast on the first girl's voice. There was more bickering, but the girls brought it down to quieter tones, and weren't heard. Carrot turned his head to watch the sunset a moment longer, even as his brother called up to him as he entered the house.
"Brother, aren't you hungry?" the long-haired brother queried. The tall blonde beside him stopped as well, looking faintly impatient. The elder brother flicked a hand in acknowledgement of his sibling's call.
"Yeah, when am I not? I'll be down in a sec, Marron," he added with a playful grin. Five years, and not much had changed.
"Suit yourself. We'll save you some scraps," Gateau returned, then slung a muscular arm around Marron's shoulders, directing the younger man inside the house. Things had slowed considerably since Zaha's attempt to destroy the world. Quieted enough that the five Hunters had been able to take up a permanent residence. Their staying together wasn't at all by chance. Marron hadn't wanted to be far from his brother, and Gateau would have gone to live in a cave if that was what his lover wished. Tira and Chocolate had both insisted that there was no way they were going to leave Carrot to just go "hook up with any old floozy that came along". In the end, it had been the tank-top toting member of their group who had suggested that the five should try to put up with one another in one house. Just a few months after Zaha's disappearance, the home had been built, and the five had been staying there ever since, only leaving for the surprisingly few missions they received. Carrot shook his head a little, frowning thoughtfully as he recalled the past four and a half years. He had been thrilled for his brother when he and Gateau had admitted their feelings for one another to the rest of the group. Tira's reaction had been the same, and Chocolate had made a comment about knowing all along. Building the house had been fun. Hiding in the hole for the foundation from Tira and Chocolate, helping his brother put down the floor boards, teasing Gateau about being able to lift and set the walls. He looked down at the roof. He had, at his own insistence, shingled the roof entirely on his own. The well outside had been dug out by the five Hunters for their own use, as they had chosen a spot somewhat close to a town, but still far enough that it was a bother to travel back and forth in the name of collecting water. Also because of the location, Tira and Chocolate had backed off a bit on the possessiveness of their favorite perverted partner. Carrot, in turn, had stopped chasing girls quite as much as in the past. Life had been relatively quiet, time frames of weeks or months between each adventure. The dark-eyed Hunter trotted to the edge of the roof, and hooked his hands on the ridge, and swung down, landing with a soft thump on the ground, then hurried inside the house.
Carrot leaned back contentedly, curling his fingers over his stomach, grinning happily.
"Man, that was great!" he announced appreciatively, stretching his arms back over his head.
"Did you enjoy dinner, Darling?" Chocolate asked, giving him a sultry smirk, leaning over to collect the dishes before both of the Glace brothers. Tira rolled her eyes as she bore her load over to the sink. The elder sister followed after a moment, depositing her share into the basin as well. The pink-haired girl moved to go outside to retrieve water to clean the dishes, when a light hand on her shoulder stopped her.
"Tira, you and Chocolate have been working very hard already today. Gateau and I can do the dishes. Take a break, you two," Marron's gentle voice commanded firmly. The blonde man made a faintly surprised noise.
"We can?" he half-choked. His dark-haired partner turned his head slightly, so that none of the others saw, and winked at his lover. Gateau caught the look, and grinned. "Yeah, sure, we can do the dishes. You girls relax," he added. Tira smiled warmly at both of the young men.
"That's so nice of you, Marron, Gateau," she replied gratefully. Chocolate beamed, literally.
"That's so sweet of you two! Come along, Darling!" she exclaimed, latching onto Carrot's biceps and dragging him out the front door, Tira on her heels, yelling that Carrot wasn't only hers. Gateau gave voice to a rumbling chuckle.
"Think he'll ever pick one of them?" the tall man questioned bemusedly. His lover stepped up beside him, observing, through the window, Tira and Chocolate each trying to woo Carrot, in their own way.
"Perhaps, but I doubt it. He wouldn't be able to break either's heart by choosing one, and he obviously enjoys the attention from both," the quiet young man commented thoughtfully, crossing his arms, the fabric of his sleeves fluttering against his sides, a fond smile gracing his features. The more muscular of the pair nodded in agreement, then clasped an arm around his shorter lover's shoulders for a moment before heading outside to get the water.
The short trip to cover the distance between the front door and the well was made dangerous by one having to dodge Tira's cape, Chocolate's hair, or just Carrot in general, but Gateau managed, despite not moving quick enough to avoid a run away Carrot after dodging Tira. Ignoring the threesome in the yard at his back, the blonde man collected the bucket and dropped it down into the well. He tugged at the cord until he was certain that the pail had filled, absently sticking out his arm to stop Chocolate's badly timed jump at Carrot to end with her in the watery pit. She bounced off his shoulder, and landed in an undignified sprawl on the grass, looking surprised.
"Darling!! See what you almost made me do! I'll have to punish you for that!" she cried, jumping up and dashing off, disappearing around the side of the house. Carrot's screams of "PRINCESS!! PRINCESS!! PRINCESS!!" echoed a moment later, mixed with Tira's laughter. Gateau snorted to himself, drawing the bucket up and transferring the contents to the pail not attached to the well. Fortunately, Carrot was still hiding in the back, so the tall Hunter wasn't bothered by any errant partners on the way back to the house. Stepping back inside, the first thing that caught his attention was that Marron had removed his tunic, leaving himself bare-chested and in only his pants, his hair tied back in a loose ponytail to keep it somewhat out of the way. The top covering was neatly folded and sitting on the table.
"You're trying to tease me, aren't you?" Gateau asked with a wolfish grin. His lover looked up from the basin, and smiled warmly.
"Of course not. I simply didn't want to get my robe damp," he explained, stepping over to the taller man. Taking the bucket from his partner's hand, the long-haired young man set it down, then set about removing the spike bracelets and gloves from Gateau's hands. "Wouldn't want to get your wrist bands rusty, would you, Gateau?" he asked innocently, looking up at his lover. The taller man snorted softly, his now bare hand ghosting up to cup against the back of his lover's head, leaning his head down to press their lips together for a brief moment. When they parted, the shorter man smiled up at his partner, then turned and set the gloves aside next to his tunic, and picked up the pail to empty the contents into the basin.
For almost a whole blissful half hour, everything was calm. Indoors, at least. Gateau was cleaning out the last of the bowls, when the front door slammed open, spitting Carrot inside to fall in an ungraceful heap on his rear. He was up in a second, dashing through the kitchen, barely missing crashing into Marron, and thudding up the stairs.
"DARLING! Get back here!" Chocolate's voice rang out, the only warning Gateau had to wrap an arm around Marron's waist and pull him out of the line of fire, before both Misu sisters charged through the door, and after the spiky-haired Hunter.
"There he is! Under the bed!" Tira shouted from upstairs, followed by a whip cracking, and Carrot screaming bloody murder.
"Oh, come on, Darling. Get out off the ceiling! I'll be gentle, I promise," the elder Misu sister's sultry tone carried down the steps. The whish of the red-haired Hunter's line.
"MAAAAARRON! GATEAAAAU!!! HELP!" was screeched immediately. The younger Glace brother merely chuckled quietly. The muscular blonde man glanced up at the ceiling, looked down at his lover, whose waist he still had his arm around, shrugged and stayed put. There was a suspicious silence following the racket.
"Think they caught him?" Gateau mused, looking at the stairs leading up to the bedrooms. His long-haired partner covered his mouth to somewhat muffle a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snickering cough.
"If that was the case, wouldn't there be more noise?" he asked innocently, hazel eyes sparkling with mirth. His lover gave him a surprised look, then snorted.
"True. We may as well use the lull to finish up," he commented, finally removing his arm from the younger man's side, and turning to put away the last of the dishes. Marron hefted the bucket of dirty dishwater, and headed outside. On cue, all three of the trouble-makers came thundering downstairs. The long-haired Hunter dodged his brother, and Chocolate, but was slammed into by Tira, who hadn't been able to slow or stop. The water pail flew up in the air, and came down, straight on Marron's head, upside-down, splashing him with a considerable amount of filthy water. Drawn by the crash, Chocolate and Carrot's heads appeared in the doorway, peeking in. Tira was picking herself up off the ground, Marron was still sitting on the floor, and Gateau was leaning against the counter, doing his best not to snicker too loudly. Presently, the younger Glace brother slowly lifted the bucket off his head, revealing the most surprised expression any of them had seen on him before. The elder Misu sister snickered madly, clasping her hands over her mouth. Carrot erupted in laughter.
"Y-you okay, Ma-Marron?" he gasped around his snickers. For his part, the long-haired Hunter calmly set the bucket aside, his facial expression adjusted to a slight, devious smirk, stood up, and flung his head forward, sending a large arc of dishwater straight at his sibling. Chocolate saw it coming, and was well out of the way when Carrot took the spray head on. The laughing hyena of a Hunter was sputtering indignantly a second later, spitting water from his mouth and wiping it from his eyes. With a self-satisfied smirk, the younger brother moved to retrieve a rag to mop up the spilled water. Tira plucked it form his hand a second later.
"Go change. You're sopping wet, and we're in the cold season," she ordered authoritatively, then grinned at the other Hunter. "Besides, I don't think Gateau would be too happy if you caught cold," added with a wink. A faint blush colored Marron's cheeks, and he headed upstairs, his lover on his heels, carrying the tunic and the gloves. Soon as the couple had disappeared, Chocolate was pointing her line at Carrot, who immediately started backing up, hands raised in surrender and peace.
"Now, Darling, look at the mess on the floor.... clean it up," she commanded sharply. A pitiful look came upon the spiky-haired young man's face.
"But Chocolate," he whined pathetically, "I'm all wet, too. You don't want me to catch cold, do you?" he asked in a pleading manner. Both sisters appeared to give the question serious thought.
"Well, if he's sick, he would be easier to catch," Tira observed with a smirk. Carrot's eyes went huge.
"But we couldn't be as rough with him," Chocolate added in a thoughtful voice. The dark-eyed object of discussion perked up a bit.
"And he'd be all but useless for assignments," the younger Misu noted, tapping the handle of her whip on her lower lip. Carrot nodded his agreement eagerly. After a moment, the elder sister made a gesture of dismissal towards the tank top wearing member of their troupe.
"Very well, Darling. You may go change," she told him. With a whoop, Carrot charged upstairs. The sisters chuckled, and set about cleaning up the mess themselves. Minutes later, the girls were almost finished with their task, and the dark-haired Hunter was trotting downstairs, clad in clean khakis and tank top.
"DAMN! My ass was freez--hey, I thought you wanted me to do that," he piped brightly, a little confused. Tira shrugged, wringing out another rag.
"You took too long," she replied, kneeling down to mop at the floor again. Chocolate stood up, depositing her own cloth in the wash basin.
"Besides, Darling, we can use this as an excuse to punish you," she smirked. Carrot eep-ed, backing up.
"Uhh... I-I'm gonna g-go start the la-laundry," he stuttered, then bolted up the stairs. "Hey, Gateau! Throw Marron's pants out here!" came from the upper floor a moment later. A pause while the younger Hunter listened to something his partner was saying. "Whaddya mean he's still wearing them?! It's been ten minutes since you guys went in there! What're you two doing in there?!" the spiky-haired man's voice came from the hall, followed by the sound of an irate Gateau, a door-opening, and a pair of pants hitting Carrot. The perky Hunter was grumbling all the while as he moved from room to room, collecting clothes.
"That'll keep him occupied for a while, at least," Chocolate muttered, scrubbing at the floor. Tira nodded her agreement, wringing out another rag into the wash basin. She looked down at the floor, still holding the scrap.
"Since we're already down here, should we just do the whole floor?" she questioned of her sibling. The older Misu studied the surface for a moment, then shrugged agreeably.
"Holy shi--Gateau! What the HELL did you do in your pants?!" came from upstairs a few minutes later, followed by an indistinguishable, but definitely threatening, comment from the muscular blonde man, directed at Carrot. After a minor bit of squabbling, the upstairs was quiet again, save Carrot's not-so-quiet muttering about the way people left their clothes laying around. The Misu sisters were just finishing up, when they heard the thumping of feet down the steps. A moment later, the dark-haired Hunter appeared in the entryway to the kitchen, holding a piece of dark red cloth.
"Hey, Chocolate. Is this yours?" he asked, holding it up. The sister in question snorted, while her sibling flushed bright red.
"Of course not, Darling. I don't wear a bra," she returned smugly. Carrot was busy examining the inside label as Tira stomped up to him.
"Whoa! It's a DD! Can't be yours, huh Tira...aaah!!" the spiky-haired young man was commenting, only to have the bra snatched from his hand, and then be belted by it upside the head, thanks to the furiously blushing pink-haired Hunter.
"You don't wave women's undergarments around like that, Carrot!" she yelled. The spiky-haired troublemaker cringed back from the irate young woman, hands protectively over his head.
"Geez, Tira! You coulda just said so! Didn't have to hit me like that! Man, I'm gonna have a mark there," Carrot whined, rubbing the side of his head that had been whacked. The younger Misu sister sighed, and threw the bra back at the dark-eyed young man, then turned and stomped back over to finish cleaning. The elder Glace brother shrugged, then plodded back up the stairs. A few minutes later, several rolls of bundled up clothing came bouncing down the steps.
"It's been a while since we did laundry! Look at all this," the tank top wearing Hunter gestured to the heap from mid-way down the stairs as he made his way down them, another bundle under each arm. One of the rolls under his arm slipped, and bounced down the stairs. The Misu sisters ignored their loud-mouthed partner as he trundled the laundry into the other room. For almost ten minutes, there was silence as the spiky-haired young man busied himself with sorting out all the clothing.
"Think the idiot accidentally strangled himself with a sock?" Tira ventured, just before the aforementioned idiot charged back into the room, and up the stairs.
"Forgot to check Marron's room!" he explained pointlessly. Chocolate opened her mouth to remind him that Gateau and Marron were both still in the younger Glace brother's room, but Carrot had already disappeared up the steps. Both sisters sighed simultaneously, and waited for the yell. They heard Marron's door open, footsteps, the awaited threatening sounds from Gateau, then rapidly retreating footfalls.
"He walked in on them," Chocolate observed wryly. Tira snickered, nodding.
"Whoa! Geez, Gateau! No need to get so bent out of shape!! I didn't see anything, I swear!!" Carrot was heard yelling, followed by the tank top clad Hunter appearing on the stairs, jumping the last five, rolling as he landed, and bolting for the laundry room. If the sisters had been able to see up the staircase, they'd have seen a shirtless Gateau retreating back into the bedroom.
"Maybe Darling will be brave enough to go back upstairs by sunrise or so," the elder Misu sister chuckled, gathering up the rags use to clean the floor, and taking them into the laundry room. She found the spiky-haired Hunter sitting on the floor amid the piles of clothes he had hauled down, sorting things out and muttering to himself.
"Just saw them kissing... it's not a big deal... sheesh," the dark-eyed boy grumbled. Chocolate raised an eyebrow, and walked over, dropping the rags on a pile.
"If you were in Gateau's position, you'd be a bit paranoid yourself, Darling," was all she said before turning and walking out. The male Hunter blinked a few times at the retreating back, then shrugged, deciding to ponder the comment later, and went back to the clothes.
Gateau turned on his back, staring up at the ceiling, absently rubbing his hand in abstract circles on his lover's bare back. Marron shifted a little, nearly asleep, laying on his side, his head resting on his partner's shoulder, one arm flung haphazardly across his lover's chest. Both men were shirtless, but that was the extent of their nudity. The blonde Hunter frowned slightly as the hand on his dark-haired lover's back snagged in the sleeping man's hair. Turning his head, he grimaced at the tangled mess Marron's hair was quickly becoming.
"Knew we should've brushed it out earlier," he muttered, then sat up, bringing the other young man with him. He shook the other Hunter gently. "Marron? Wake up for a minute. I can't remember where we left your brush," he said in a low voice.
"Mmm.... huh? Oh. Over on the desk. I'll get it..." he trailed off, shifting and slipping off the bed. A large yawn caught him, and his hand automatically came up to the back of his head. He froze, feeling the tangles. "We forgot to brush it out?" he said in a perturbed tone.
"We forgot to brush it out," Gateau affirmed solemnly. The black-haired member of the lovers sighed heavily, retrieved the brush, and came back to the bed, situating himself between his partner's thighs. The taller man, who had moved until he was leaning up against the wall the bed was against, took the brush and set about doing his best to detangle the semi-damp mess as painlessly as possible. Time passed in long, comfortable, silence.
"Is it that late? I haven't heard my brother or either of the girls yet," Marron commented finally, breaking the silence. His lover voiced a low rumbling chuckle, the fully untangled bottom two feet of his partner's knee-length hair pooling around his upper thighs as he started on the next section.
"I heard Chocolate and Tira not too long ago, but that brother of yours hasn't made a sound since after he walked in on us earlier," he explained, setting down the brush to work out a particularly stubborn knot with his fingers. Marron laughed lightly.
"Amazing. I didn't think he could go more than a short stretch without saying something," the younger Glace brother noted. The older man shrugged, taking up the brush again.
"Death threats from me can do amazing things," he grinned. Another foot completed.
"So I've noticed," the golden-eyed Hunter replied, a note of amusement in his voice. Another few minutes passed in silence, before the younger of the couple started to ask something, but instead yawned hugely. His partner chuckled.
"I'm almost done," he answered the cut-off question, now brushing through the full length of the midnight strands on each down stroke. There were still some minor snags, easily taken care of.
"Mmm... good," the younger man muttered, fighting to stay at least vaguely awake. The blonde Hunter went through the entire length of hair a few more times, then set the brush aside, wrapping his powerful arms around his lover's waist and pulling him back, closing the gap between their bodies. The dark-haired of the couple started a little at the move, then turned his head, observing the position. "Are you going to be comfortable sleeping like that?" he asked sleepily.
"I'll be fine. What about you?" the taller man queried in response. Instead of answering, the shorter of the lovers shifted about a bit, settling himself. One hand came up to rest upon the limbs around his waist, while the other laid limply on the side of his lover's thigh. He tilted back his head, resting it on Gateau's shoulder. He heaved a relaxed sigh, and seemed to melt against the larger man.
"Good night, Gateau. I love you," he murmured vacantly, closing his eyes. The blonde man leaned his head down to kiss his lover's cheek.
"Love you, too. Night, Marron," he replied, readjusting his head to a comfortable position, and relaxing, falling asleep almost immediately after his lover.
Well, there you have it. My first Sorcerer Hunters fic. Well, the first part, anyway. Yeah, I know that the title and summary don't really match this part. That's cause this was just some cute stuff I wanted to write, and also, we all know how much fun the longer fics are. The next part starts to deleve into the actual plot, so stay tuned if ya don't believe me. Review if you liked it and want me to post more. It's a bit of a pain in the pa-tushie to html this stuff, so I'm only gonna do so if the public demands it. *grins* Catch ya later! Luv ya all!
-Maxy Steel