A/N: More humour than anything in this one. A funny idea I scribbled down, made it up as I went. Sometimes I have a basis for my idea's and other's like this, completely spontaneous... enjoy?
III
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: THE CAKE
III
It was in the middle of a particularly vulgar game of 'Snap' that Rei's head perked up. Tala watching in fascination as raven hair flew; the Neko-jin's head snapping around to stare at Bryan so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. Bryan was alert from the first hint of movement, watching Rei with cool lavender eyes, subtly assessing the room to see if anything changed in the few seconds it had taken the Chinese boy to tense. It was a dim reaction from training that Tala recognised well.
"What?" Bryan urged, voice giving no hint to how much he wanted to know, level and calm at all times, "What is it?"
Rei did not speak, instead choosing to lift his head higher, sniffing at the warm dry air of the room. Tala followed suit curiously, and over the nearly overpowering scent of burning logs in the fireplace, the deep musk of the fir tree strung with baubles and soft floral aroma of newly cleaned curtains, there was the barely-there scent of gingerbread and cookie dough rolling into the room through the partially open doorway.
Tala's eyes widened in horror as he looked back at Rei who was placing his hand of cards in a neat stack on the low coffee table they had perched around, face innocently devoid of any suspicious expression, thus inciting wariness.
"Bryan," Tala warned, not daring to look away from the suddenly too still Neko-jin as the redhead tensed up, coiling like a spring, "Kai's baking."
Those two words were like a gunshot to the ears, almost deafening in the silence and the reaction was immediate. The trigger for battle had been tripped, and battle it was as Rei leapt to his feet with all the agile reflexes of his heritage, attempting a near perfect dive over the table, the move only foiled as Bryan moved to intercept.
Tala threw himself down on the plush carpet as the two bodies collided over the table top, covering his head as the older Russian and the Neko fought with each other. Inhaling to huff out a sigh in frustration, Tala paused to savour the flavours seeping into the room. That scent was to die for. Kai's culinary skills were enough to drive anyone to distraction but few were allowed to sample the handmade delicacies. Rei was one of those few, and unfortunately, even the promise of Kai's sweets turned the golden-eyed boy into a sugar-fiend.
Kai had to be making cookies, at the very least, possibly mince pies with homemade pastry and rum-soaked fruit, perhaps even a Christmas pudding? It could be anything tempting them towards the kitchen.
Tala inched the fingers he had placed protectively over his face cautiously out of the way, peering up at Bryan and Rei. The former was trying to keep a solid grip on the slender body in his grasp which seemed to be failing as he tried to avoid pulling of long sleek raven hair. Rei easily wriggled his way free of the strong grip, dislodging the grasp Bryan had of the back of his shirt with a lightning fast blow to back of the lilac haired Russian's wrist and squirming free.
The redhead rolled out of the way and leapt to his feet, socks sliding on the fine carpet as Rei pounced, missing him by mere inches and leaving Bryan sprawled over the varnished walnut surface of the coffee table as he rocketed from the room. Tala looked back at his team mate as Bryan managed to right himself with a quiet grunt of annoyance, and the redhead followed the vexed form of the quiet man from the room with an amused smile. Serves him right for interrupting them the day before. Karma was a bitch.
"No backing out," Tala challenged as they followed the light pad of footsteps racing towards the kitchen at a quickened pace, "He's your responsibility if he gets his hands on anything sugary."
Bryan didn't reply, choosing instead to glare venomously at Tala in a brief display of his ire before he caught sight of Rei pausing by the kitchen door. Going for the kill, and irritated enough to risk the consequences, the elder Russian took a hand full of dark hair and yanked, Rei letting out a loud inhuman yowl as he turned and jumped upon his assailant, tumbling them both to the floor. Tala tried to stifle his laugh, but the sight of two fully grown men rolling on the floor pulling and kicking at each other, Rei with less finesse than his partner, just tickled him.
Through an unhappy misfortune, Tala did not laugh long as he found himself yanked into the fray, Rei's free arm curling around an unsuspecting ankle, sending him toppling down into the mess of the two, unable to escape as Bryan rolled over his arm. With an angry shout, Tala pushed at the heavier body with no way to dislodge him as Rei squirmed over his lap, pinned there on his back as Bryan tried to hold him still.
The ruckus that ensued was deafening so it was no surprise when light flooded the hallway and not one of them noticed. Kai pressed his shoulder to the painted wooden doorframe of his kitchen as he observed the tangle of limbs on the floor. Tala's face was hilarious as he tried in vain to claw his way out from beneath Rei while Bryan was trying to restrain the over-exuberant Neko, and the bluenette was hard-pressed not to laugh.
It didn't take long for someone to notice his presence though, and Kai was not surprised to find it was his beloved redhead. Tala was unable to do anything though as he wriggled, pinned under the weight of two bodies, Bryan still struggling to get a decent grip around the dark haired boy's wrists.
Kai merely stared at him, offering no aid or moving to assist, simply gifting the younger with a dark look as he lay trapped under the stronger Russian and his quarry, dipping a long pale finger into the mixing bowl Tala had only just noticed nestled into the cradle of Kai's free arm. His mouth ran dry as he watched Kai lift that finger to his lips, dripping with sweet cake mix and drawing it into his mouth with a wicked smirk at his lover.
Tala froze under the grappling couple, unable to do anything more than stare as his lover teased him and it was only then that the others stopped, first looking towards the still form stuck underneath them in fear they had killed or injured him in some way, and then looking up at Kai as they noticed the fall of light over them and the open kitchen door.
Kai simply laughed as Rei's eyes shot down to his mixing bowl and he let out a loud whine as he could move no closer towards it, Bryan crouched heavily on top of his legs, disabling his speed. Garnet eyes were mocking in their humour, "Here, kitty kitty..."
The fight continued as Kai turned back into the kitchen, trusting his team mates to keep the overzealous cat away from his cupcakes.
