It wasn't until the second night of staying with the Hummel-Anderson family that Hunter felt completely enfolded into their small clan. He had to adjust to the different voices, some of them booming and some of them trilling softly, like a bell, but each of them representing a personality a little different than the next. The night before Christmas morning, the pack of them had sluggishly dragged themselves home and propped the tree up in a bucket of sloshy dirt and water, and then retired to bed after kissing each other's cheeks and murmuring a few more congratulations to the newly engaged couple. Feeling Kurt's warm, squeezing hands withdraw from his and drape over his husband's chest, Hunter stepped back, placing his hand at Archer's waist. As they crept down the stairs, Hunter held onto Archer's hand, scraping his palm against the hard rock that jutted out from his finger. Just like when he had taken Archer's virginity, he wished he could have seen the glittery look on Archer's small face when he proposed. He couldn't tell if he'd been pleased by the ring, which had cost Hunter so much that he was glad he had saved up some money from his paychecks instead of burning it all on cigarettes and alcohol. He'd had just enough to leave himself only one hundred dollars in debt, which meant that he couldn't splurge on his bad habits for at least another two months. Maybe that wasn't a bad thing.
Sweeping his fiancé over to the bed, he helped Archer shrug his sweatshirt off, and then hooked his fingers into his jeans, feeling him wriggle them down his thighs. There was quiet between them, as there had been since the proposal. Archer had been pulled along by his pére, who seemed to want to call every Hummel or Anderson that lived within fifty miles of them. Hunter hadn't gotten a chance to speak to his soon-to-be husband, so he raised his hands from Archer's pants as they plopped around his ankles, and he touched his face, trying to figure out what mood he was in. Although his expression felt flat, Hunter could tell that his mind was working on overdrive. "Will you tell me what you're thinking about?" He muttered, placing his hands on Archer's firm ass globes, and squeezing them through the thin fabric that clung to them. Archer suddenly touched the collar of his shirt, sliding his thumbs just beneath where it was modestly buttoned to. He snapped open the top button, and Hunter exhaled deeply when a pointed tongue flicked the hollow of his throat. "Damn. Be careful, you're going to chance your luck."
Archer sucked on the nub that stuck out at the center of his neck, grazing his teeth over it. His hand drifted down Hunter's ridged stomach, hesitating at the waist of his jeans before sneaking beneath the hem. He palmed at the ridge of Hunter's flaccid cock, which quivered at the attention. "I came to Ohio not knowing what I wanted for myself. I thought, if anyone gave me the chance, I could befriend someone. I didn't know I would meet my future husband here." The word made Hunter shudder, and he clenched his hands into Archer's round buttocks, boosting him off of the floor. Archer's short, thick legs automatically wrapped around his waist, making his nearly naked cock rub against Hunter's clothed one. Now that he was higher up, Hunter reached his mouth easier, and he backed him into a wall. Both of them flinched when the entire house seemed to rattle at the impact of his body. "We haven't slept together since our first time. I want you again, Hunter."
Hunter's eyes rolled up into his head as Archer punctuated each word with a wet smack to his neck. Silently, he thought that this would be the last time he ever touched Archer under his dad's roof. But, tonight, he couldn't have cared less about propriety. Archer was promised to him now, a contract that Hunter had been itching to sign since he'd first met the sharp tongued boy. "Shit." Hunter dug his fingers into Archer's butt, careful not to squeeze too hard so he didn't leave fingerprints. Peeling off of the wall, Hunter staggered over to the bed and deposited Archer onto it, letting out a ragged noise when Archer quickly sat up, grabbing at Hunter's pants. He fiddled with the crotch, tearing down the zipper, and before Hunter could even shake out of them, Archer scooped up his throbbing erection and placed his mouth on the tip. Hunter ground his teeth, biting back a cacophony of noises as Archer poked his tongue out, licking up and down a particularly sensitive vein. It'd been so long since he'd felt Archer that he'd forgotten how warm and supple he was, so as he laid his hands on Archer's shoulders, he was cautious in gripping them too tightly. He shifted his knees onto the bed, forcing Archer to fall backwards as Hunter climbed on top of him, thrusting unconsciously at his face.
Archer slurped lazily, one small hand holding the stiff lever and gliding up and down the silky skin. When Hunter gave one hard jerk of his hips, Archer let out a throaty moan, smiling around his penis. Hunter didn't know how he kept himself from exploding. Archer sank farther onto his shaft, gagging as Hunter's tip hit the back of his throat, and then humming deeply. Hunter's hips stuttered, an uncontrolled movement that made Archer giggle, the vibrations in his throat making Hunter curl his toes. "Does this feel good?" He murmured after he pulled off of his cock, peppering light kisses on the underside of it.
Hunter released a slew of curse words, panting each one, and Archer laughed harder, finally letting go of Hunter's wobbling cock, which spilled whitish pre-cum onto his flushed cheeks. Archer grabbed Hunter's limp hand, dragging it along the hot droplets, and then sucking his fingers into his mouth. "I want you inside of me." Archer purred, letting go of Hunter's shaking hand and lounging back on the pillows.
Hunter slowly eased down onto Archer, laying down in the cradle of his thighs and feeling his arousal through the tent his boxers made. In a swift movement, he tore them in half and pulled them out from under his butt. Archer spread his legs farther, teasingly raising one of them and playing with Hunter's stiff cock with his toes. He laughed once more at the horrific noise Hunter breathed, flinging his head back. Hunter laid his arms down above his head, feeling his soft curls fanned out under his palms. He grabbed handfuls of the precious hairs. "Fuck you if you think it's funny to tease a man until he's aching with it." He growled, taking Archer's hand and placing it at the top of his jeans. Archer worked too slowly at pulling them down. Hunter knew he was greedily watching every inch of skin that was revealed as the pants lowered farther. Once he had them too far down for him to reach, Hunter kicked them the rest of the way off, and he leaned back down to Archer, who was fumbling with a button on his shirt. Snarling, Hunter swatted his clumsy hands away, and he ripped the article in half. Buttons flew across the bed and onto the floor.
"Oh." Archer said sadly, shifting the shirt off of Hunter's shoulders. "That was a nice shirt."
"I don't give a damn about the shirt." Hunter snapped honestly, pushing the shirt to the floor. "Not when I have your sexy body beneath me. You need to be punished." Hunter grabbed around himself, and he found a small bead, which had once been attached to his shirt. He smiled darkly, weighing it between two of his fingers.
Archer didn't sound intimidated, "For?" He asked lightly, scratching at Hunter's back before his stubby nails suddenly sank into his skin, a cry bursting from his lips as Hunter stuffed the bead into his tight hole. It was wide enough to stretch him out, his entrance now a gaping hole that Hunter circled his finger around. "Oh, Hunter!"
Hunter laughed deeply, glad to be the one to do the torturing. He would let Archer play his games, but in the end he was the one to know just the right spots that turned Archer into a quavering puddle. Grabbing half of the discarded shirt, Hunter ripped a strip of that off and snatched Archer's wrists. Although Archer shook, he didn't fight him off. "Good boy." Hunter grumbled, pinning his wrists to the headboard and winding the cloth around them. He tied them off, giving him just enough room that he didn't lose circulation. Archer yanked upward, trying to grab Hunter's head, but was restrained. "Will you tell me how that bead feels up your ass?" He quirked an intrigued brow, tearing off another bit of cloth that he lowered over Archer's face. As he covered Archer's eyes, Archer swallowed, unable to make any words. He smirked down at the blinded boy, feeling him twist this way and that as he tried to get used to the darkness. Sitting up, Hunter crawled down to the bottom of the bed and slid his hands between Archer's plump thighs, dragging them apart. He reached out and prodded at the hard object in his hole. Archer snapped his legs up, but held still as Hunter opened his mouth on his hole, suckling lazily at the overly sensitive spot. A high pitched mewl keened from Archer. Hunter flicked his tongue at the bead, touching the ring of muscle that it was pushed past. "Tell me, you sexy, little vixen. Tell me how good it feels inside of you. Tell me that you like to be stretched out."
Archer garbled incoherently, tugging at the band around his wrists. "H-Hunter… I want to touch you—"
Hunter lifted his head, his face dark with color and his lips swollen. He ruffled his damp hair, slowly sliding off of the crinkling sheets. Archer thrashed around, trying to figure out where Hunter had gone. Hunter snuck up to the top of the bed, kneeling down beside of Archer's moving head. He grabbed the side of it, pulling it to his lips. "I'm going to enter you." He whispered hoarsely, the hot air blowing onto the shell of Archer's ear. "I'm going to be slow about it. You'll beg me to go faster. But I'm not going to. After that, I'm going to bend over your chest and lick your nipples… slowly. Then, I'm going to slide completely in, and rub against your prostrate. You're going to want to scream, but if you do, I'll wring your neck. And when I feel ready to, I'm going to drive inside of you and bury myself so deep that you can feel my cock against your belly. Do you understand?"
Archer nodded frantically, making a squealing noise as Hunter dragged his tongue over his perspiring neck. Standing up once more, Hunter threw himself back onto the bed and held himself up above Archer's shivering body, one palm face down on the side of his head, while his other dug around for the bead, pulling it out of Archer with a soft pop. His mouth became perfectly round at the odd sensation. In one leisurely movement, Hunter bucked his hips forward, feeling Archer's slick walls squeeze around him as he filled him. He stuffed several inches into him before he paused, stopping just before he reached his sparking bundle of nerves. "Oh—" the weak noise slipped out of Archer's lips before Hunter covered his mouth, the kiss hot and deep. He spent a good amount of attention on Archer's bottom lip, sucking and nibbling, and when he rose up, a strand of saliva still connected them. He tasted his salty come on Archer's tongue, so he bent back down, sliding his own tongue into Archer's mouth and searching every crevice. At the rough sound that Archer let out, Hunter slid his hand between them and grabbed Archer's sac, gently massaging. "So sexy." He tickled the mound of flesh, lightly tracing his fingers around both of them. Archer gasped, his head stretching up as he searched for Hunter. His lips found his earlobe, teeth gnawing at the softest part of Hunter. "Damn you. I have the mind to spank you for what you do to me."
Archer cried out when Hunter unceremoniously raised both of his legs, giving him access to the bottoms of his ass cheeks. Hunter tenderly caressed both of them before pausing on a spot that made Archer whimper, and he tapped the heel of his hand against it hard enough to make him twitch, but not enough to hurt him. "You turn me on, you little nuisance. I'm so hard for you right now." Leaning over Archer's heaving chest, he swirled his tongue around both of his pointed nipples, drawing one of the red tips between his teeth. He sucked firmly, making the flesh raw and irritated. Releasing the nipple with a grunt, Hunter suddenly raised up, and he plunged forward so quickly that Archer raised up, a screech burbling out of him, and then fell back when the cloth snagged around his wrists. Hunter smothered the sound with his lips, hearing him cry his name against his lips. "Yes, yes. You can take it. Open your legs for me." He massaged himself on the inside of Archer, hearing him make whining noises as tears slipped from beneath the fabric of his blindfold. "Say my name. Tell me how much you want to come."
"Hunter…" Archer pleaded, clawing at his headboard, "so badly. I want to come so badly. I want to feel you come inside of me. I want it to dribble out of me. I want you to lick it out."
Hunter raised his brows, ceasing his thrusting before Archer bolted up, reminding him that he was on the brink of orgasm. Pressing him back onto the bed, Hunter drew all the way out of Archer, who squeaked at the uncomfortable emptiness, before slamming himself inside. Impacting Archer's prostate, he felt Archer fling himself as far forward as his hands would allow, screaming into Hunter's mouth as his feet scrambled against the bed sheets, pushing the blankets to the floor. Come poured out of his pink tip, spraying just as rapidly as the tears dripping down his cheeks. Hunter's sac tightened, his seed shooting out of him and coating the inside of Archer, who sagged forward, head falling against Hunter's pounding chest as he wept wearily. Hunter collapsed beside of Archer, breath puffing through his bruised lips. Turning toward Archer, who was shaking so hard that the bed moved with him, Hunter weakly grabbed at his hands, untying them from the post. After he removed his blindfold, he felt his deep, blue eyes on his face. Archer scrunched closer to him and kissed him, taking away his worry that it had been too much. "Love you." Archer's words were slurred, drawing a crooked smile onto Hunter's mouth.
He folded his arm under Archer, drawing the small boy onto his chest, where he happily curled up and tucked himself under his scratchy chin. "I gave you a fair warning of what would happen if you played your cards right." Raising his head, Hunter stared down at the damp sheets, which were twisted around his legs and half dumped onto the floor. Every time he shifted, a cold button moved against his skin, reminding him of all of the ruined clothing that he'd gone to such an effort to steal. He chuckled lowly, rubbing Archer's back, "Or wrong. We might want to get up and shower, so your dad doesn't find us like this. And… clean. Everything."
Archer giggled throatily, kissing the underneath of Hunter's jaw, "You clean. And then come and wash my back."
"A comment like that will get you another round of spanking in the bathroom… but I won't go easy on you." Archer laughed again, wiggling his butt as if to tempt him, so Hunter cracked his hand against it as he rolled away. He was still light with his touch, but he did lean over and kiss the area just to make sure he hadn't left a hot mark. "Get up. I'm going to strip the bed."
Archer grabbed his wrist, tugging him back down to him, and he expectantly puckered his lips on Hunter's. As Hunter pressed a series of kisses to his lips, he stroked his fingers through a smear of come on Hunter's chest. He could feel him writing his name in it. "Tell me you love me, and then I'll do whatever you want."
"Whatever I want, huh?" Hunter probed wickedly, an empty threat since he was too tired to keep going on. Archer knew that from the way that Hunter was standing with a slump to his shoulders, but he still laughed lightly. "I love you. Okay? You know that. I love this frizzy hair of yours, and those big, blue eyes, and, most importantly, this round ass."
Archer made a satisfied sound, stretching off the bed like a cat. He came to stand in front of Hunter, linking his arms around his neck and pressing his front to his. He moved so that his cock bounced against Hunter's. "I don't think that the shower will get into all of your secret spots." As if to warn Hunter of what was to come in the shower, he licked the place behind his ear, sending a zap vibrating through Hunter's body. As Archer swished away, his butt jiggling and cheeks spreading as he bent to collect the destroyed clothes, Hunter gazed after him, licking his lips. He couldn't have gotten hard again that fast, but he did, all of his blood flowing straight into his milked penis and sticking it upright again. His kitten was a dirty kitten who had no qualms about rolling around in the mud, but Hunter wouldn't have had him any other way.
The next morning, Hunter stirred to light flooding into the corners of his crusty eyes, making him flip his lids up and catch what he knew to be the curvy form of Kurt bounding across the floor. Snuffling into his pillow, Hunter groggily laid his head back down, scratching his face with the hand that wasn't supporting Archer, who was draped loosely across his chest. "Good morning." He heard him softly chirp, followed by a hushed giggle. "I hope it isn't too early to wake you. We always get a bright start on Christmas morning." Kurt set a clattering platter on the side table, and while Hunter looked over at it with a blank face, he lowered onto the edge of the blanket, lovingly smoothing his son's hair. Archer made a stuffy sound, and burrowed deeper into Hunter's chest. "Up, up, my pretty present." Kurt chirped happily, leaning closer to nuzzle Archer when he popped his head up at the sound of his musical voice. "Did you sleep well?"
Hunter immediately stiffened at the question, his hand slapping his chest, which was, to his relief, covered. His huge eyes flashed up to Kurt's face, and he gnawed at his lip, wondering if his overreaction to the simple question had provoked curiosity. There was no way Kurt could have known. Hunter had done everything he could to keep the two of them quiet. But Kurt made the blood drain from his face by whispering, "It's okay. I figured that the two of you would. It was the same thing Blaine and I did on the night that we got engaged."
Hunter felt Archer's skin become hot against his chest, so he shifted him slightly, his body sweating from the little heater that Archer had been all night, pressed against him. "I'm sorry, Pére." Archer whispered, but Kurt hushed him, stroking his hair off of his face. "We've been decent… besides last night. But we—"
"It's okay." Kurt said again, rising to his feet. "I know why you did it. I won't tell your dad." His voice became bright again, "The rest of the family is waiting upstairs. They're all eager to see your ring. Come up soon, but drink the tea that your grandma stirred up this morning. It's very good."
"Yes, Pére." Archer gave Kurt a tightlipped smile, feeling him pat his cheek before he spun around, hurrying back into the chatter and laughter that bellowed from upstairs. After the door shut, the muted sound slipped through the thin cracks, giving him enough noise to make out the sounds of Kurt being welcomed back into the crowd as if he'd been missed for fifty years. Beneath his chin, he felt Archer breathe out heavily, twisting around to grab a mug in his shaky hand and pass it over to him. He took one for himself and sipped the herbal tea. "Sometimes I wish I could handle people the way my pére does. He's always been a good host. He's always the family member anyone can run to for anything. It comes so naturally to him. No matter how many people are grappling for his attention, he never seems perturbed by any of it."
"You're like your dad in that way." Hunter pointed out, drawing Archer higher onto his chest so he wouldn't have to tilt his head so far back to take a drink without spilling. "What does it matter if you're withdrawn? You still have family members who love you more than anything else in the world." Archer pushed his mouth to the side of his face in consideration, so Hunter kissed the corner of it to soften it. "If it helps, I've always liked you better this way. It's nice to know that you don't smile at others as easily as you do me. And I'm not saying that your pére loves your dad any less than you do me… I think your dad needs to see his kindness, all of it. But… I'm selfish when I say that I don't want to share your attention with anyone else." Archer's lips perked up in a slight smile, making Hunter's own tilt up. "How did you sleep?"
"Very well, thanks." Archer said politely, finally bringing himself upright and stretching his arms above his head. "I always sleep better when I'm in your arms. You know that. Having a hot shower and climbing into a warm, clean bed really knocked me out, huh?"
Hunter drained the rest of his tea, "You were asleep before your head hit the pillow." Setting the cup aside, he scooted off of the bed and stood, towering over Archer's lithe figure. "So was I. I had a long day." Coming around to the side of the bed that Archer was standing on, Hunter bent over him and squeezed his shoulders. "But one of the best days I've ever had. I got to push you down when we were ice skating."
Archer chuckled lowly, shoving Hunter away, "I put the ring on. I can take it back off—"
"Don't you dare." Hunter said lowly, snatching Archer's hand and holding it so that he couldn't slide his ring around. "You're mine now. The ring will stay where it is."
Archer smiled at Hunter's possessiveness, a trait he hadn't thought would come along with him when he became his boyfriend. Hunter had always seemed very distant, but once he had his territory marked, he would shed blood if it were threatened. He stepped away from Hunter and rifled through one of his drawers, searching for something decent to wear. Hunter prowled closer to Archer, a humored grin twitching at his thick lips as he slid an arm around Archer's small waist. He pressed himself against his back, feeling the plump cushion of his rump against his skinny midsection. "Have you always been so bullheaded?" Hunter entertained the thought of Archer's childhood, as he nosed at a few curly strands. Even through all of the sweat that had poured out of them last night, Archer still smelled of his cherry shampoo.
Archer wiggled out of his thin boxers, which he'd put on because he couldn't stand any padding over his hot skin, and Hunter had thrown a royal fit over the idea of putting on any clothes at all, let alone bulky ones that would smother his fiancé's shapely body. He seemed to fit best against his long, narrow form when he was bare of all of his clothes. As he bounced into a pair of pants with the slippery material of khakis, he said laughingly, "Oh, I was quite the unreasonable child. I'm sure that I drove my parents to tears with all of my screaming and pouting." Hunter's smirk widened as he imagined his fierce, little fiancé, no taller than his parents' knees, stamping his feet and crossing his arms over his puffed up chest. The smile fell, though, and he released Archer, when he questioned, "What were you like as a child, Hunter? Even though some parts of you must have changed, I have an inkling that you were very much like the way you are now. A little impatient, very serious, quick-witted, short-tempered… finding humor in all of the things that aren't supposed to be funny. I think you were protective over anything you found important to you. Am I right?"
Hunter lowered his eyebrows, pondering over the traits that Archer had just listed off. None of them seemed familiar to him in the brief memories he had of his childhood. All of them involved paralyzing fear, and sharp needles bursting through his prickling skin, as he was cornered, trapped, unable to escape. Hunter swallowed thickly, bringing himself back to the present. Besides constantly having the agonizing moments of terror, Hunter didn't know what kind of a child he was. "Um… I don't remember, Arch. It feels like it was a long time ago."
Archer's body stopped moving against his, and Hunter felt his shoulder blades hit his back every time he took a shaky breath. "Hunter… do you think that your dad will ever be okay again? Or that he could attend our wedding?"
Hunter shook his head, returning his hands to Archer's waist as his head lowered to his shoulder, "No, sweetest, my dad isn't going to get better. He's been sick for a long time. He won't meet you or your family. He won't even be informed of our engagement. He'll never meet our children, if we have any." Hunter didn't have to see Archer's face to know that his cheeks had colored as he finally processed that, as a married couple, he and Hunter would eventually have to face the prospect of starting a family together. "Think about it this way, little cat. I let him know that I was going to take you to homecoming. How well did that turn out? It's easiest, and best for all of us, if I leave my dad out of my goings-on."
Sighing remorsefully, Archer shrugged into a thick, fuzzy sweater, and then twisted around to Hunter, folding his hands over his arms. "Let's go upstairs before my pére drags us up by the collars of our shirts." He ran his fingers over the straining muscles in Hunter's forearms, his veins pressing against his thin layer of skin. He folded his hands over Hunter's, giving them a tender squeeze before he let him go so he could change. After Hunter pulled on the clothes that Archer had laid out for him, he felt Archer's hands slide around to his chest, buttoning up the front of his shirt. "You look so good in this shade of green… like a deep moss. You don't think your vision will ever come back, Hunter? I want you to see the man that I do. Maybe if I told my parents, then they could pay for a surgery—"
Hunter pushed out of Archer's hands, turning around to face him. He would have given anything to see Archer standing there, hands on his shoulders, with his head tipped slightly to the side. Anything at all, except for his pride, which would have taken a lot of crippling damage to it if it turned out to be hopeless. He knew that it would be. He somehow knew that he would never see again. His mind suddenly etched out the image of Blaine's stern and chiseled face, but he shoved that away, knowing that he was probably just going crazy with his need to see his fiancé's face. "No, Archer. My vision isn't coming back. The effort and money would be wasted."
"How do you know that?" Archer spat out in one breath, his grip tightening on Hunter's wrist when he went to draw away. "Hunter, listen to me. You're going to be my husband one day! This is important to me. I want to put in the effort and money, whether or not it's all for nothing. At least I'll know that I tried to make your life better. It's not fair to me when you force yourself to live this way and act so doubtful that anything will ever change. I hate seeing you live like this!"
"Drop it, Archer." Hunter said tersely, kicking the topic aside as if it meant no more to him than a pile of dirt on the floor. "I don't want to talk about this anymore—"
"Well, I do." Archer retorted, his voice shallow, "You never want to talk about things with me, Hunter! You may be used to keeping things to yourself, but, like it or not, I'm your fiancé now! You were the one who proposed to me. My parents complete each other. They've never kept anything to themselves." He shoved Hunter's hands away when they reached for him, "You can't keep me out anymore. When I told you that I would marry you, I expected to be your other half… not something you keep on the shelf until you feel like toying with it." Hunter heard Archer storming off, his feet creaking up the stairs. Before he got to the top, he called down to him, "You might not believe me, but I do care for you. I want you to live the best life that you can… because I love you, Hunter."
Hunter winced when Archer shut the door behind him with a resounding bang. Scrubbing his scratchy hand over his face, he leaned his head back, and then trudged forward a few steps. He cautiously planted his foot on the first stair, realizing just how inhibited he was without his fiancé's supporting hands. Hunter knew how bad it would look for the newly engaged couple to enter the room separately, and in a huff. Although he couldn't see all of the strange expressions they would undoubtedly get, he felt a ping of remorse for Archer, who would be all too aware of all of the faces zeroing in on him. Hunter touched the cold door, hesitantly pushing it aside. He immediately heard Kurt's voice, nattering to all of his family members about what a gentleman Hunter was during his proposal, and how handsome the couple was together, and what an astounding ceremony he was already formulating together for them. Hunter didn't hear Archer's voice, even though he was the center of attention of all of the gasping people. Hunter paused, staring in the direction of the growing group, and wishing he could see Archer's small, blank face among them. It was obvious that Kurt only meant the best for his spoiled child, but it was even clearer to Hunter that his way of making a big display of every occasion sometimes overwhelmed Archer, who was naturally a very quiet and inconspicuous person.
Hunter moved away from the group when they started to drift apart, some of them settling into the couches, while others floated by Hunter, going into the kitchen to refresh themselves with beverages and snacks. Following the people who retreated into the kitchen, Hunter closed the door behind himself, glad to hear only two voices, Carole and Kurt's. When he took a few steps forward, he became aware of another presence, his back prickling as a package crinkled behind him. He knew, without having to even draw nearer to him to smell his perfume, that Archer was with his grandma and pére. The two of them resumed the conversation they must have been having prior to Archer and Hunter's entrances, because Carole whined, "You know, we ought to get those men in here to cook our dinner. Who always makes the food during these family gatherings? Us. I think it's high time that we get to sit down on the couch and watch movies with the rest of the family."
Kurt giggled lightly at her suggestion, chopping up what smelled strongly like onions. "Carole, my dearest, that sounds like a wonderful idea, if only any of them could cook. Blaine is quite decent at a stove, and he sometimes helps me when we have the house to ourselves. But you know that Finn and Noah are useless at anything more than oatmeal and toast. Besides, I like cooking. And Blaine always lets me rest at the end of a meal, and cleans up for me. And then he gives me a good foot rub. You mustn't let my dad be unmindful of his husbandly duties to you. You are not just his wife. You are his queen. Remind him to give you a nice massage at the end of each day."
Hunter's eyes flickered over to where Archer had been standing. He wondered if he was still there or not, or if he was looking back at him. He pushed his lips to one side of his face, almost wishing that Archer would leave the room and go to an empty part of the house, so that Hunter could follow him and get him alone for a few minutes. His head cocked to the side at the sound of the kitchen door swinging open, and he took a step in that direction, but instantly bumped into a short and ungainly figure that didn't feel like Archer. He shuffled backwards, searching the black silhouette of the form before it grabbed Hunter's wrist. "Can we talk?" The voice, a few octaves below Archer's, barked. The body, undoubtedly Dillon's, shuffled back to the door, hauling Hunter along with him.
As if too shocked to recall that they had been arguing, Archer tried quietly, "Dillon, what's going on—?"
He didn't get to finish his question before Dillon shut the door behind them, plowing through the other voices that asked of them, and then flinging open the front door. Hunter numbly went along with Dillon, shooting glances over his shoulder, before he was pushed around the corner of the house. He could have easily overpowered Dillon, and shoved him off before they got too far away, but the sudden aggression out of Dillon was like a plank down his shirt, making his spine stiff and rigid. Before he got two words out of his mouth as he questioned Dillon on his sanity, a firm hand collided with the side of his face. Hunter automatically flung his hands out, grabbing the neck of his attacker and peeling him off of his feet, before it hit him that this was Dillon. He immediately dropped the spitting boy. "What the fuck is the matter with you?" Hunter growled, grabbing at his stinging cheek. The pain was amplified by the bitter air, which crawled into his skin like a thousand needles. "Have you lost your mind?"
"Stop messing with my cousin!" Dillon yelled after a moment of silence, as if he was reconsidering his bold actions against a man who was twice his size, and who could pin him down with the heel of his foot. "I didn't think you had it in you, Hunter, but you've taken this game too far—"
"What are you talking about?" Hunter snapped, rubbing the ache from his face.
"You getting engaged to my cousin!" Pushing at Hunter's chest, Dillon made him rock back, before he dug his feet more firmly into the ground and reached up to thrust Dillon's shaking body backwards. "I was joking when I said all of that stuff about him being your only weakness! I did it because I knew that you were so similar. You're not going to marry Archer!"
"I am!" Ruffling his brows, Hunter snapped his head away from him, unable to believe that he was even bickering with Dillon, whose arguments were so weak that a child could have come up with them. It was just another case to prove his immaturity, and another reason that he and Dillon would have never worked out. "Dillon, be quiet for once. You were there for me to stop me from taking drugs and drinking myself into a stupor, but I don't need your input on this part of my life. Do you think I'm the type of man to completely turn myself around for a game? We're not children anymore, Dillon! Just because you were joking doesn't mean that I am. Sure, I shrugged your comments off. I scoffed at them. But then I met Archer, and I fell in love. Maybe someday you'll grow up and understand that concept. I'm an engaged man now. Accept that. Get it through your head that I'm not setting you up." Making out the sound of the front door creaking open, Hunter rolled his eyes and started to step in its direction. "My fiancé doesn't need you to protect him from me. I'm not evil, Dillon. You know that. I don't see why everyone seems to think that I'm out to hurt Archer—" He tilted his head to the side when another person crunched lightly over the snow, and he sighed heavily at Dillon. "Dillon, go inside. Stop meddling in my relationship. You wouldn't understand if you tried—"
"Why? Because I'm only fourteen?"
"Dillon." A hushed, airy voice breezed through the two men, standing chest to chest with one another, and seamlessly pulled them apart. "Dillon… I'd like a minute with my fiancé, please." Both of them whipped their heads over to where the melodic voice had rung from, and Hunter's face softened as his fiancé slunk closer to him, wrapping his pudgy arms around his torso. Archer tucked his head into the crook of Hunter's shoulder, watching Dillon fling his arms out, before he spluttered once more, and then stormed off to the house. Hunter heard Dillon's hollering dad intercept him, censuring him for leaving without his coat, and then telling him that he couldn't bother the engaged couple anymore.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Archer shuffled around in his arms, holding out a coat for him. Hunter quietly thanked him, sliding his arms into the thick sleeves, and noticed that Archer was making a sound, as if he was trying to come up with a sentence or two. Hunter cut him off, "Archer, I need to—"
"No." Archer shook his head, reaching up for Hunter's face with his gloved hands, "Let me talk. The things I said to you this morning weren't… weren't right. I shouldn't demand for you to talk about those things with me. These are your eyes… your vision. If you don't feel ready to have a conversation with me about your blindness, I need to be okay with that. I'm sorry. The way I treated you was wrong. We might be engaged, but you're still your own person. You're allowed to have secrets."
Hunter nodded his head to show that he accepted Archer's apology. "I'm sorry, too, sweetheart. I need to be more open with you. My blindness isn't something that affects just me anymore. I have to figure out how to have a decent discussion with you, if we're ever going to start talking about our wedding… where we'll live… if we'll have children. I don't know how to be a husband. I never had anyone to show me how. It's always been just me. I need to get used to you being a part of my life." He cupped Archer's small face in his hands, stroking his jawline with his fingers. "I know I'm asking a lot of you. Most people know how to do these things when they get engaged. But, please… be patient with me. I'm trying as hard as I can to understand. I don't want to talk about these things today, not with your entire family here. But I think it'd be good for the two of us to just be together one day, and talk about what's going to happen to us."
Archer nodded slowly, a soft giggle burbling from his lips as Hunter squeezed him in his arms, lifting him a few inches into the air. His arms lassoed around his neck, and he nuzzled his face into the side of Hunter's head. "I love you." He whispered in Hunter's ear, kissing the lobe of it, and Hunter smiled. In between his own words of endearment, he gently kissed Archer, feeling his cold lips move against his.
Suddenly, Hunter twisted around, with Archer still dangling from his arms, to the sound of Kurt's voice, chirping from the doorway, "You two, come inside before you catch a cold! We're about to start opening presents." Kurt laughed as his husband pulled him back in, kissing the pink that had colored his cheeks after those two seconds that he had popped his head out.
Hunter carried a squabbling Archer back into the house, feeling him burrow into him to hide his blushing face. Lowering onto a couch, Hunter plopped Archer into his lap, feeling him wind his short arms around his shoulders. He placed a hand at his fiancé's slim waist, while his other took the box that Kurt had dug out from under the tree. "Let's let the newly engaged couple open their presents first." Kurt said excitedly, coming to flop beside of Hunter, his soft thigh squishing against the rough material of Hunter's jeans. "Hunter, Archer, there are two gifts for each of you, and one for you as a couple… something to get you started on your new life together."
Since Hunter couldn't see the gift, he handed it over to Archer, who ripped the paper apart and flipped open the top of the box. After some crumpling and wrinkling, he pulled out something that he kept for himself. He inhaled deeply, touching what felt like a pile of papers to the back of Hunter's hand, just so he could know what was being spoken about. "Pére…" Archer murmured, pressing the papers into his chest, "How did you keep this for all of these years?" He handed the creased and folded papers over to Hunter, who pretended to squint at them, as if he could see anything written on the pages. "My love, this was one of the first stories that the little boy who used to live with us… the other Hunter… wrote." He turned his attention back to his parents while Hunter dragged his fingers down the papers, "Daddy, this was when Hunter started to get that big head, wasn't it? When he used to wave his papers in our faces and brag about how his stories would go down in history." Blaine chuckled deeply, admitting that as the truth, while Archer continued, "Oh, Pére, Daddy, you're going to make me cry."
Archer took the papers back from Hunter, flipping through them and pausing on one in the middle. He laughed lightly, "This was always one of my favorite scenes! Hunter used to complain that the story of Beauty and the Beast didn't have enough violence in it, so he wrote that, when the Beast got so angry at Beauty, he swallowed her whole! When I asked him how Beauty reappeared in the next scene, without a scratch on her, he simply shrugged and said that the Beast had thrown her up."
The other family members chuckled with Archer, who kept perusing through the pages, as Hunter leaned closer, eyebrows furrowed. "At the end of the story… that's how the Beast gets rid of the man who had been pursuing Beauty." Archer made an acknowledging sound at him, raising his eyes back up to his face, as Hunter went on, "That's how the villain died… the Beast ate him. I'm right, aren't I?"
Archer took a few seconds to answer him, and when he did, his voice was muted and measured, "Uh… yes, darling. That's the ending he wrote. How did you know that?"
Hunter stared at where the sheets of paper were sitting in Archer's lap, "I don't know, honey. I just felt like that was right."
Remaining very still, Archer watched Hunter carefully, and then snapped out of it when Kurt cried, "Next present! Archer, sweetest, grab the one that's for Hunter. The little, blue box."
Archer scooped up the gift, passing it over to Hunter, who thumbed at it until the top popped off. He scraped his finger over the hard piece of metal that was folded into the box, and he made out the names on the front, Hunter + Archer. "Oh, how beautiful, Pére. A locket necklace. Let me clip it onto you, Hunter." Hunter pinched his old locket between his fingers, a scrap of metal that he hadn't opened in years, and didn't know if it still could open. Archer seemed to understand that one of the only parts of himself, along with the teddy bear, that he didn't know where it had come from, but knew had something to do with his forgotten past, were forbidden topics. Luckily, as Archer pulled the collar of his shirt down and slipped the new necklace into place, no one made a comment about his old one. After it plunked between his sharply angled collarbones, Archer pried it open. "Hunter, it's a picture of all of us… your new family."
"We wanted you to feel like you belong, Hunter." A woman, possibly Carole, put in, as she returned to the room, passing out mugs of steaming hot chocolate. Archer took two of them for himself and Hunter, and then dug back into the box, pulling out a square frame.
When Archer set it against his chest, Hunter picked it up, turning it this way and that. His head jerked up at the sound of a quiet, smooth voice. After taking a moment to narrow down who he hadn't heard much from, Hunter figured that Keegan must have been speaking. "Um… that's one of your Uncle Everett's paintings. I used to have it hanging in my house in France. I figured I could give it to the two of you, to start you off wherever you choose to live."
"This is amazing, Uncle Keegan!" Archer put in politely, leaning over to hug the tall, blond man. "Thank you so much. This will be the first thing that we hang up."
Over the next fifteen minutes, the rest of the presents were passed out. Kurt hoarded a small pile of shoes, dresses, and bottles of perfume, most of which came from his doting husband, while Blaine collected a couple of books and music albums. After everyone else received their presents, the group of them herded into the dining room, where Kurt and Carole laid out a meal that could have fed each of them ten times over. Hunter sat beside of his fiancé, who automatically plated his food, and then pressed his silverware into his hands. The conversation was light, and most of it revolved around the newly engaged couple, who answered over and over that because Hunter had just proposed yesterday, they hadn't gotten a chance to discuss anything about a wedding. Hunter found himself laughing as Archer covered his face with his hands, embarrassed as his pére started to bargain with him about the flavor of the cake, the location of the reception, and what kind of music was going to be played.
While Kurt had probably put months of planning into his own wedding, and had probably pestered Blaine well into the night by constantly asking about their guest list, their outfits, and even the finger foods that were going to be served along with the cake, he knew that his own fiancé would spare a thought or two per day to their wedding, but would probably pass the torch back to Kurt, with only the regulation that the entire ceremony be simple and short. Hunter chuckled again, thinking that he wouldn't have him any other way. Dinner ended an hour later, and the stuffed group shoved away from the table, cleaning their plates and then retiring to bed. Hunter guided his fiancé down the stairs, hand at his waist, and once they were shut into their bedroom, he folded his arms around his hips, swaying him from side to side. "I'm going home tomorrow." He muttered sorrowfully.
Archer shook his head, fingering at Hunter's short hair, "Do you have to go? I can't get enough of you."
Hunter smiled wearily, "Yes, I have to go. My dad needs me, too. Besides, you're going to be my husband one day. We're going to have each other all the time. By the second year of marriage, you'll be sick of me."
"Never, ever." Archer rested his head against Hunter's chest, breathing softly into his fluttering shirt. "I already miss you."
"I already miss you, too." Hunter clutched Archer tighter, feeling his chest revolt uncomfortably. The very thought of letting Archer go, for any period of time, pained him. Suddenly, his head tipped forward as Archer played with the buttons on his shirt, kissing the inches of skin that he exposed after undoing each one. "Oh, no, no. I told myself that last night would be the last time that I touch you under your dad's roof. We're not doing that again—"
Archer sealed his lips over Hunter's, silencing him, and he mouthed at his full, bottom lip. "Please." He said softly, lowering his hands to Hunter's ass and cupping handfuls of it. "Please. I'll be quiet. I just need to feel your hands all over me. They're so muscular and strong… I don't feel safe unless I'm against your body."
Hunter groaned lowly, unable to believe that it was so easy to take him down a few pegs. Scooping Archer up, he carelessly deposited him onto the mattress, feeling his hands grab at him and pull him down. He kissed him lazily, working at sliding his shirt up his heaving chest. "I can't not give you what you ask for, Archer. It isn't in me to refuse you anything."
"I love you." Archer peeped, licking at the shell of Hunter's ear when he turned his head, making it easier for him to pull Archer free of his clothes. "I always will, even when we fight."
"I love you, too." Hunter grumbled, lowering his body in the cradle of Archer's thighs. He wrapped his arms around Archer, bringing him up to his mouth as he rubbed his clothed cock against Archer's naked one. "I love you, too, little fiancé of mine."
