"So this is my home." Ivan said, unlocking the door and letting Gil inside the large estate. Gil drew his coat around him even tighter as the temperature dropped a drastic amount.
"Sheesh. Don't you have heat in this place?"
"We like it cold." Gil glanced quizzingly at Ivan.
"We?"
"BROTHEEEEER!" The joyous cry echoed around the spacious foyer room as a figure flashed quickly into view. A girl with dirty blond, shoulder-length hair was latched onto Ivan in an instant; hugging him tightly. A look of boredom and mild agitation befell Ivan's features, the smile drooping somewhat as the air was squeezed out of him. Pushing the enthusiastic girl away gently, Ivan turned her to face Gil.
"This is my sister. Katyusha, this is Gilbert." Stepping forward, Katyusha took Gil's hand in both of hers, exclaiming excitedly.
"Hi! I'm Katyusha, but you can call me Kat. I don't know why my little brother is so obsessed with using full names." Gil saw Ivan roll his eyes in the background.
"Um…hi. I'm Gil." Gil was finding it rather difficult to focus on Kat's face; she was well-endowed to say the least. 'My God, what humongous boobs…' Gil felt his face flushing and quickly looked away, thinking of anything he could to distract himself.
"Welcome home, brother." An eerie whisper sounded from some hidden corner of the house and Gil looked around; searching for the being capable of such a terrifying voice. Moving faster than Gil had ever seen him do before, Ivan grabbed Gil's hand; wrenching his other from Katyusha's grasp and yanking him across the room. Gil's heart skipped a beat at the contact; he could not stop staring at their entwined fingers even as he was made to run up a seemingly endless flight of stairs. 'I didn't react like this when his sister grabbed my hand, and she's the one with the awesome figure. What the hell is wrong with me?!' Finally reaching the top of the stairwell, Ivan began zigzagging his way down corridor after corridor; making Gil's head spin with each unexpected turn.
"Hey! Where are we going?"
"Shh! Keep quiet and don't look back." Ivan hissed quietly. Being told that, of course Gil had to look over his shoulder; what he saw there alarming him deeply. A figure with hair almost as pigment-less as his was tearing down the hall after them; her dark, Azul dress flowing behind her in intimidating billows. 'Holy shit, that's scary!' Gil turned back around just in time to make yet another sudden curve, heading down yet another hallway. About halfway down the hall, a door stood ajar. Ivan roughly shoved Gil through the entrance, dashing in after him and slamming the door shut behind them; locking the five dead bolts attached to the wooden surface. Leaning on the locked door, panting slightly, Ivan rested the back of his head on the surface, closing his eyes. Gil could have sworn he saw him shudder. Panting heavily himself, Gil put his hands on his bent knees, his lungs expanding retracting with each labored breath.
"What…the hell…was that?!" Ivan peered down his prominent nose at Gil, his face leaned back and tilting towards the ceiling.
"My sister…" As if on cue, a horrible scratching noise sounded from the other side of the door, the ghostly voice muffled by the obstacle.
"Let me in, brother…Brother…Brother…" Gil definitely saw Ivan shudder as he backed slowly away from the door.
"There are two of them?" Ignoring the moans drifting from the hall, Ivan turned to face Gil, his smile gone completely for the first time in Gil's memory.
"Yes-"
"Broooooooooootheeeeeeeer…"
"That's Natalia-"
"I heard my naaaaaaame…"
"She has a small brother fetish-"
"Let me iiiiiiiiiiiin…Become one with me, brother…"
"It frightens me…" Gil fought the urge to laugh, a smile playing at his lips.
"What is funny?" Ivan did not look offended, just curious. Gil allowed a chuckle before answering.
"I don't know; I guess I didn't expect someone like you to have family issues like this."
"Well, this is the first time I've seen you smile, so I guess my sisters are worth something after all." The smile slowly faded as Gil stared intently at Ivan; worry mixing with confusion. Straightening back up, Gil turned to take in the room for the first time. Void of any decorations, the space was spotless and nearly empty. A bed, bookshelf, dresser and ancient-looking TV stand being the only furnishings. Everything from the books on the shelves to the VHS's in the TV stand were meticulously ordered, not a single thing looked out of place. Walking over to the outdated equipment, Gil picked up a movie; he had forgotten how bulky VHS's had been.
"What century are you living in? You know, DVD's are way better. You should really upgrade to the twenty first cen-HOLY CRAP! Is that a gamecube?!" Gil knelt down to examine the gaming system that had been the focal point of his childhood; nostalgic memories surfacing in his mind.
"Would you like to play it?" Gil whipped around to smirk at Ivan, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Depends. Do you have Mario Cart? Because I'm telling you now; I'll kick your ass." The following hours were a showdown as the two boys battled in every game Ivan possessed. Gil had been correct in his boasting; beating his opponent in every Mario Cart race they played. Natalia finally stopped her scratching and left as the pair became louder and louder in their trash talk and jeering. Ivan had his own set of skills; besting Gil in Mario Smash Bros.; his thumbs and fingers flying across the well-kept controller as he made hit after hit. Finally finishing the last game Ivan owned – a Pokémon duel that Gil lacked experience in – he placed his controller on the carpet in front of him, flexing his hands and leaning back against the foot of Ivan's bed. With a sigh, Gil admitted defeat.
"Whew…Alright, man; you win that one." Ivan chuckled, setting down his own controller and bending across the floor to turn off the console and TV; coming back to his original position beside Gil on the floor. Glancing at the alarm clock on Ivan's dresser, Gil started; the late hour surprising him. 'Wow…it's already twenty two hundred…'
"That was fun, Ivan, but it's really late and I gotta get home." A strong hand gripped his arm as Gil attempted to stand; pulling him around to face Ivan. Silence lapsed as lavender-hued eyes bore into anxious red; the hand moving up Gil's arm to his cheek. Gil had been expecting something like this to happen from the beginning and said with an annoyed voice that was trying desperately to mask fear.
"I was wondering when you would try something like this."
"Are you scared?"
"Past experience with you means I'm not feeling too safe…"
"I was informed that attacking someone you just met because you think they're cute is not a good way to get to know them." Gil chuckled nervously, swallowing his anger at being called "cute".
"Who told you that?"
"Katyusha."
"Well, she's right." Ivan's voice softened, his smile dropping slightly.
"I will try to take your feelings into consideration from now on." Gil stared at Ivan, surprise etched into his raised eyebrows. 'That's probably the closest thing to an apology I'll ever get from him…' with an exasperated sigh, Gil asked the question he had been longing to voice for a while.
"Why are you being so persistent about this?" Gil had to look away; the intent with which Ivan was staring making his skin burn.
"I don't know, but for some reason I can't keep myself away from you." The hand on Gil's moved to the back of his head, tangling in the silver strands. A surprised sound escaped Gil's throat as the hand pulled him roughly forward. Losing his balance at the other's forceful movement, Gil careened into Ivan, an arm circling around his waist to keep him from crashing to the floor. Once again, cold lips were pressed to Gil's, sending shivers up his spine that had nothing to do with the low temperature. Rotating both bodies to the side, Ivan lowered Gil to the floor; their lips never separating. One fist clutching at Ivan's sleeve, Gil's other hand was pushing feebly against the collar bone and shoulder of Ivan's hovering form; his half-hearted efforts at freedom being easily ignored by the other boy. Before he knew what he was doing, Gil had ceased his struggles, the once pushing hand now clawing at Ivan's scarf; pulling him as close a physically possible. Noticing Gil's surrender, Ivan picked up the pace; running his tongue across Gil's bottom lip. Opening his mouth slightly, Gil allowed Ivan in, a chilled tongue coaxing his own into movement.
Disconnecting at last, Gil attempted to recover from the extended period with little air; his lungs fighting for breath. Looking through clouded, half-closed eyes, Gil noticed Ivan smiling down at him; amusement shining in the lavender orbs.
"You know breathing through your nose is an option, right?" Laughing weakly, Gil replied between pants.
"Between…you…and Francis…I should be…getting used to…not breathing…" His expression becoming more serious, Ivan bent his head down again, placing his lips on Gil's neck and whispering.
"That Frenchman will never touch you again." Gil clung to the tan jacket above him as Ivan began running his lips lightly along the sensitive skin of his neck and collar bone. A calloused hand slipping under his shirt finally brought Gil to his senses; his hand gripping Ivan's wrist and gently removing the roaming fingers from his torso. Mild surprise sparked in Gil's mind as Ivan allowed his rejection without a fight. Glancing up once again at the clock, Gil struggled to speak as Ivan's lips continued their work on his neck.
"Ivan…Ivan, it's eleven…I have to go." A single syllable sounded, warm breath blowing over Gil's ear; a pleading tone in Ivan's voice.
"Stay." Gil gasped as teeth nibbled at his earlobe, the sensation sending twangs of excitement shooting through his body. Second thoughts flew through Gil's brain as he weighed the possible outcomes of spending the night.
"Se-Seriously, I…I have to go home." Gil slid out from under Ivan, sitting up as he did so. Ivan sighed deeply as Gil retreated.
"Alright." Getting slowly to his feet, Gil stretched his back, feeling kinks in his spine from lying on the thinly-carpeted hard-wood floor. Making his way to the door, Gil began unlatching each of the deadbolts. Just as the last one clicked open, a hand appeared form behind him, coming to rest on the door. Gil sighed as he felt an arm wind around his waist. 'I knew it wasn't going to be that easy.' The hand that had been on the door moved to Gil's face, turning his head firmly to the side.
"Ivan, I don't have time for thi-smf!" Gil found himself drowning once again in Ivan's kiss; the arm tightening around him and bringing their bodies together. Gil stopped his lips' movements as he felt something digging into his lower back, the blood running to his face as he realized what it was.
"Okaaaaaaaaay! Let go of me, Ivan!" His voice rose in pitch as he squirmed out of the taller boy's grasp. With the now familiar chuckle, Ivan allowed Gil to escape, the pair walking through the quiet house in what was a very awkward silence for Gil.
Finally making their way through the endless twists and turns to the front door, Gil turned to Ivan, not sure what to say.
"Well…bye." With a smile, Ivan stated lightly but firmly.
"I'm walking you home."
"No, you're not."
"I'm not letting you walk alone in the dark."
"Goodnight, Ivan." Without another word, Gil opened the door and started for home, slamming it shut behind him. The usual greens and blues were deluded in the moonlight; the entire world bathed in shades of grey. The only sound that reached Gil's ears was the steady rhythm of his feet on the pavement. Without warning, an unexpected root sent him pitching forward; his hands scraping painfully as they caught the full weight of his fall. A pained hiss passed through clenched teeth as Gil sat up, wiping the gravel off his hands. Squinting through the darkness, he saw faintly dark, syrup-consistency liquid running out of a particularly deep cut. 'Great. Just great.'
"You really are hopeless." Gil jumped at the unexpected noise; a shrill squeak escaping him as large hands encompassed his own. Kneeling next to him, Ivan brought Gil's palms closer to him – examining the injuries – seeming to have no problem seeing in the darkness.
"You scared the shit outta me!" Gil screamed, his heart pumping at the speed of light.
"I told you I wasn't going to let you walk alone in the dark; for this reason exactly." Ivan said as he began picking imbedded gravel out of the cuts. Gil jerked his hands away, getting angrily to his feet.
"I can take care of myself; I'm not a child!"
"Says the kid that can't even walk a familiar street in the dark." Gil fumed silently, feeling his face grow red as he stared down at Ivan's dim figure. Standing up himself, Ivan chuckled lightly.
"You're blushing. It's cute." Gil gasped, feeling his blush deepen.
"How could you possibly know that?! It's pitch black out here."
"I see better than most in the dark."
"Good for you. See your way home and stop stalking me." With that, Gil shouldered past Ivan and resumed his walk home. Again, he heard nothing but his own footsteps, but every now and then felt Ivan's jacket lightly brush against him; betraying the fact that he was not alone. Finally making his way to the house, Gil turned in the drive way to face Ivan. He was a barely-conceivable shadow in the darkness and Gil squinted through the space separating them; trying to ascertain some sort of feature.
"Okay. Thanks for walking me home. Goodnight, Ivan."
"Can I come in? I would like to help treat your injuries." Gil panicked at these words.
"That is probably the worst idea I have ever heard. Do you know what Lud would do to you?"
"I think, in a fair fight in which I was prepared, I would be a match for that junior."
"No! No fighting! I'm staying right here until I'm sure you're gone." The shadow moved closer and Gil felt a chilled hand cup his face; the thumb rubbing lightly against his as it had in their first encounter.
"Alright." Lips were brought slowly to Gil's, smoother and more gentle than before; as if Ivan was savoring something he wasn't sure he would ever taste again. His heart rate increasing, Gil fought the urge to wrap his arms around the body in front of him; sure that if he showed any signs of consent that Ivan would take it too far. After a few seconds of sweet sensation all contact vanished and when Gil opened his eyes, no trace of Ivan could be found in the black. Standing in the driveway for a few minutes to make sure he would not reappear, Gil listened to the insects and animals that make up the sounds of the night. Finally, he turned to the house; bracing himself to deal with his brother.
….
Lud paced quickly across the living room, Kiku following his movements from where he sat on the couch. Running his fingers frantically through his blonde locks – allowing the bangs to fall from their slicked-back style onto his forehead – Lud sighed, exasperated, his voice brimming with worry.
"We searched for hours; where else could he be?! What if he doesn't come back tonight? I swear I'm gonna kill that Russian bastard; god, I wish I knew where he lived." Kiku listened to Lud's ramblings, interrupting his panicking friend after a few minutes.
"Lud…LUD!" Lud turned on his heel to face Kiku, a surprised look on his face.
"He will come back; all we can do is wait. So please calm down; there's nothing else we can do…" Slumping over to the couch, Lud collapsed heavily into the springy cushions. Placing a hand on his forehead, he said in a calmer voice.
"I know, I know. It's just my imagination. Images of what might be happening to him…what the creep is doing to him…" the grip on his forehead tightened as Lud spoke, his nails digging into his scalp. The sound of the door latching open sent Lud jumping to his feet; both boys looking expectantly at the swinging door. Gilbert stood in the opening, staring wide-eyed between his brother and sensei.
"Hey, Kiku…What are you doing here?" Before Kiku could answer, Lud had sped across the room, crushing his brother in a forceful embrace.
"Oof! Lud, what's the matter with you?! Let go, you're killing me!" Lud backed away, hands grasping Gilbert's shoulders; his eyes wracking over the body before him, looking for injuries.
"Are you hurt? Where were you? What have you been doing? Godammit, Gil! You scared me shitless!" Gil stared blankly up at Ludwig, his face frozen in shock. He had expected his brother to be angry, not insane.
"Lud, I'm fine!"
"Where were you?" Gil looked uneasily at the floor.
"…I was just…"
"What did that Russian bastard do?!"
"N-Nothing! We just played video games…" Ludwig stared down at Gil disbelievingly; stating bluntly.
"Liar."
"I'm not lying! He had a GameCube and it took hours to get through all the old games. Can you believe that where he comes from, that's the new gaming system? I guess it's true what they say about Russia being a decade behind everyone else." Gil attempted to laugh; his voice dying away as he looked into Ludwig's unamused eyes. A large hand seized Gil's chin, tilting it angrily up and to the side.
"Hey! What're you-"
"For someone who's been playing video games all night, you have some interesting marks." Hands flying up to cover his neck, Gilbert wrenched his face out of Lud's grasp; storming to his room and slamming the door behind him. With a deep sigh, Lud made his way back to the couch, speaking quietly to its occupant.
"See, Kiku? You were wrong; he's obviously in a relationship with Ivan." Standing up, Kiku walked calmly towards the door, turning back to Lud with his hand on the handle.
"Well, at least he's not hurt. And he came home safely, so be grateful. Don't assume, just because he doesn't feel he can share his relationship with Ivan with you, that his entire alibi is a lie; maybe Ivan is making an effort to be friendly." Kiku smiled at Lud's skeptic expression.
"Just speak with him without anger. Keep an open mind." Lud called out as Kiku began closing the door behind him.
"Wait." The dark-haired head popped back into the house.
"Yes?"
"How do you know all this?"
"The atmosphere. Gil did not seem uneasy at all just now; though when I spoke to him earlier, he was absolutely terrified. Also, when you started asking about Ivan, he had an air of guilt; the only thing I could think of the make him feel guilty in this situation would be if he hadn't had as terrible a time with Ivan as he believes you assume he did. It's simple, really." And with that, the door clicked shut, leaving Lud alone to ponder the new insight on the situation. 'Okay. I have to talk to him calmly and with an open mind…but the thought of Gil being with him makes me want to hit something…' out of nowhere, a little voice sounded in Lud's head, reminding him vaguely of Kiku. 'Is it the thought of Gil being with Ivan, or him being with anyone other than you?' Lud shook his head violently, trying to clear his mind of these confusing thoughts. The epitome hit him like a ton of bricks and he fell back onto the couch; his face in his hands.
'Oh, God. I'm in love with my brother!'
….
A few hours passed before a knock sounded at Gil's bedroom door. His textbooks were laid out on his bed in an attempt to study, but he hadn't gotten far. The knocking came again, the same volume and rhythm as before.
"Go away! I don't wanna talk about it." The door opened anyway, Ludwig stepping silently into the room. Coming to the side of the bed, he pulled up Gil's desk chair and sat down; his face deliberately calm and emotionless. After a few moments of silence, he spoke.
"So…Are you dating him?" Gil could hear the suppressed anger in his brother's voice, the syllables cracking unsteadily. Gil became immediately defensive.
"NO!"
"Did you want to go with him today? Because Kiku said you looked terrible when you cancelled with him. He suspected blackmail or threats." Gil calmed somewhat, his voice losing some of its uneasy edge.
"No, I really didn't. He…He told me he would…m-molest me in front of everyone at lunch if I didn't agree to cancel with Kiku and spend the afternoon with him."
"Why didn't you tell me?! I would have kicked his ass." Anger slid back into Gil's words as he continued.
"Well, you're the one who said I need to take care of myself, so I really didn't want to run to you for help. Besides, with Kiku's training I figured I could slip out of his hold and run if I needed to; I've got some of those techniques down pretty well."
"So what happened?"
"We walked to his place, I met his sisters – one had some major boobage, man, you should have seen those things – and we went to his room and played the GameCube. I had really expected it to be another rape attempt, and was really surprised at how it turned out." Gil looked into cold, disbelieving blue eyes as Ludwig stared pointedly at his neck.
"What about those?" Looking uncomfortably at the textbook in his lap, Gil mumbled.
"He did get kinda weird at the end…"
"Did you use one of Kiku's techniques and run away?" and awkward silence followed as Gil fumbled nervously with a page of the book.
"…Not exactly…" Gil felt his face grow beet red. With a voice shaking with fury, Ludwig asked quietly.
"Just how far did you let him go, brother?" Gil's head snapped up, his eyes wide and earnest.
"Nothing like that happened, I swear! We just kissed-Ah!" Ludwig was on top of Gil before either boy knew what was happening. Something in him snapped and Lud found himself screaming.
"How could you?! Do you know what this is doing to me?! Is what we do nothing to you?!" Panting heavily, Lud stared down into Gilbert's terrified eyes; his own demanding an answer. Quietly and with much caution, Gil replied.
"Lud, I love you, but it's a brotherly love. You had to know that the experimenting we've been doing had to stop eventually, right? When one of us got a girlfriend, we would have had to end this."
"Who says we need girlfriends?! We make each other happy, right? And besides, it's that damn Russian you're rejecting me for; I wouldn't feel so bad if it was a girl!"
"I'm not rejecting you! Lud, please try to understand. This would have happened with or without Iva-Hey! Stop that!" Ludwig bent his head, taking the skin of Gilbert's already marked neck between his teeth; biting and sucking forcefully and causing the bottom boy to wince in pain. Stopping for a moment, he said.
"I have more of a right to this body than he does." Running a tongue up to Gilbert's ear, he whispered.
"We still haven't gone all the way yet. I was waiting until you were comfortable with it, but things are different now. I'll be damned if I'll let that bastard have your virginity." Gil felt his blood run cold as he registered his brother's words. All thought vanished in the panic that ensnared his mind; a stronger yet familiar feeling to when Kiku had him in a particularly constricting hold. His body moved before he could tell it to stop; his fists coming up to slam into the two major blood vessels in Ludwig's neck. His fists trained for this defense, the knuckles on Gil's middle fingers protruded slightly higher than the other clenched digits, striking exactly where they were needed. The weight of Ludwig's body landed heavily on top of Gil as he passed out, a strangled cry echoing around the small space as the blood flow to Ludwig's head was cut off. Rolling the dead weight off of him, Gil quickly got up from the bed, his mind shutting down as his adrenaline took over. 'Gotta get out. Gotta get out. Gotta…'
Faster than he had ever moved before, Gil sped around the room; throwing a change of clothes into a bag and sprinting out of the house before the threat could regain consciousness. Using the small flashlight he had remembered to snag on the way out, Gil rushed clumsily down the driveway; stopping to catch his breath when he reached the now-silent road. The panic dying somewhat, Gil began to wonder where exactly he planned to go. 'What the hell am I thinking?! Tomorrow's the weekend, so I don't really have school to worry about, but where else do I have to go?' Ivan flashed briefly into his mind and Gil rejected the idea immediately. 'If I show up at his door at this time of night, he'll definitely get the wrong idea…' Thinking of his pitifully small list of friends, Gil suddenly remembered his sensei. He had gone to Kiku's place a few times for additional training after school and was pretty sure he could find his way there, even in the dark. Making up his mind at last, Gil walked across the deserted street towards the only person he could turn to.