Max stretched and sat up in bed. He glanced next to him. Tala was
missing. Rubbing his eyes, the blond pushed the duvet off his legs and
stood up.
"Tala?"
No answer. Max didn't worry about his missing partner. Instead, he got dressed for the day. Just as he pocketed his beyblade, the smell of cooking and burning caught his attention. Making his way down to the kitchen, Max saw Kai leaning against the wall by the kitchen door.
"Mornin' Kai."
"Morning."
"So, er.... what's going on in there?" Max asked, pointing to the kitchen.
"Well..."
A crash of pots and a string of Russian and French swearing answered. Max raised an eyebrow. Kai smirked.
"I said this once and I'll say it again, Tala never was one for cooking."
"Tala's cooking again?"
"If you call burning our breakfast cooking. Oliver's in there coaching him."
The boys were interrupted by Tala. "I'm sure this isn't supposed to be on fire...."
"How can you burn water!?" Oliver yelled. The sound of a fire extinguisher hissed.
Max finally decided he should see what was going on. Poking his head round the door, Max stifled a smile. Oliver was wearing his chef's hat and an apron, putting out a smoking pot with a fire extinguisher. Tala was behind him, wearing the same, looking a little lost in the kitchen.
"Everything alright, Tala?" Max said with a giggle, wrapping his arms around Tala's middle.
Tala turned his head slightly to smile at Max. "Yes. Just giving Oliver his dose of stress of the day."
"Stress nothing..." Oliver spoke up, critically analysing the cooker. "I can deal with stress. I just can't deal with incapable cookery students!" Satisfied the pot won't light up again, Oliver lowered the extinguisher. "Are you sure all you put in that pot was water?"
Tala smiled and shrugged at his foster brother. "I might have added something else by mistake."
Oliver sighed and steered Tala out of the kitchen. "Out out out! I'll have to make sure we don't starve today. As if Tyson wasn't bad enough in the kitchen...."
Tala turned and leaned on Max's shoulders, smirking at the now closed kitchen door. "I don't know... I thought I was improving. At least I didn't blow up the oven this time..."
******
"Mon Dieu.... what a mess. Teaching Tala to cook was like teaching Johnny to appreciate art." I commented.
"Looks like you could use my help in here, clearing up."
"Merci, Kai."
I rolled up my sleeves and threw Kai a pair of oven gloves from the counter. Whilst he dealt with the charred pot, I searched for another, cleaner one. I got cooking, with Kai fetching things I requested. Now this is how cooking was supposed to be.
Soon, Kai and I had four bowls of oats out on the table. I took up a bottle of honey and squirted some onto my oats. Everyone else chose their own favourite. Max had sugar, Kai added salt and Tala ate his plain, just as I thought. I couldn't help but smile. Here we were, all four of us, eating our breakfast in the kitchen; like the family, friends and lovers we were.
"What are you smiling about?"
I shook my head and smiled at Kai. "Nothing at particular. Just happy, I suppose."
I went back to eating my breakfast. Yeah... everything was perfect to me. Like a beautiful painting.
After breakfast, everyone spread out to do their out to carry out their own plans. I grabbed my coat to go out. We needed to replenish some of our supplies now that Tala had burnt half of the contents of our kitchen. Kai gave me a kiss on my forehead. "See ya later."
"See you later, Kai." I smiled and left the house, a shopping list in hand.
Oui, I know, I'm loaded, so why do my own shopping when I have half a manor full of servants to do it for me? Well, I prefer to hand pick my own produce and buy them. I don't carry them home though. I get the stores to deliver it to my house, so I suppose that's not too bad. I found my way to the supermarket not too far from home.
Pushing the trolley around the store, I was encountered with all the usual decisions that had to be made when grocery shopping. I pondered whether to opt for the chocolate variety cereal I found Kai to be fond of, the honey and nut cereal Tala and I like or the sugar packed kids' cereal that was so obviously Max; should I get the goat's milk, soy or full fat milk? Will it be white, granary or brown bread? I shrugged. Why have trouble choosing? I put everything in the trolley. Finally, I stopped at the end of an aisle, looking at the bags of flour. Three bags... Since when does it take three bags of flour to make pancakes? Only Tala...
I felt someone crash into my side from around the corner. I managed to stop myself from crashing into the trolley, luckily. I turned around. On the tiles was a guy my age, with short and spiky brown hair and shiny brown eyes. He shook his head clear for a moment before looking up at me, smiling sheepishly.
"Oh... sorry."
"No problem." I replied with a smile, holding out a hand. "Any faster and you would have broken the sound barrier."
The guy stood up. He was slightly taller than me, by an inch, I would say. He picked up what little groceries he had in his basket and smiled back at me. "Sorry. I was behind schedule. Had to hurry."
"No problem. No harm done."
We parted ways after that. People are always in a hurry nowadays... Amazing how being in love can make you want to just slow down and take the world in. I smiled to myself as I searched for the price on a bag of self rising. Six months down the line and I still am in love. Some might call it dumb; some might say delusional or even obsessive. Oh well. Might as well enjoy the feeling whilst I can.
Once my shopping was done and arranged for them to be delivered, I left the store, running through whatever plans I had for the day. Nothing planned, so I suppose I could always go home and spend some time with Tala... or find where Kai and Max are meeting the rest of their team, the Bladebreakers and hook up with them... Enrique's in town, maybe I should pay a visit at his hotel...
Or, judging from the shove I had just received and the car that was screeching towards me, maybe a rendezvous with the hospital would be in order...
******
"Is he alright?!"
"Monsieur, please calm down! We'll give you more information when we know mor..."
"I will not wait! I want to see him right now!"
Tala grabbed Kai before he pushed past the receptionist and ran off on his own private search for Oliver. Max was nearby, having arrived with Kai. Kai shook Tala off his shoulders and leaned against a handy, nearby wall, folding his arms.
"Listen, Kai. You need to cool it. We won't be any good to Oliver if we panic like this." Max said.
"I can't help but panic, Max... not since the last time we were all in here, we were admitted in Intensive Care..."
Tala sighed. "I know what you mean. I, personally wish I could see the back of this place. I've been in here too often in the past few months." Tala changed his tone to something a little more calm and mature. "But I agree with Max. We need to stay calm. This has nothing to do with the past."
Kai shut his eyes and remained silent, but turmoil ran through his mind.
What happened to Oliver!? How did he get involved in that accident!? All he did was go to the supermarket... Damn chauffer... why didn't he arrive at the training park sooner? It wasn't like he had to drive around the whole of France and back.
"I just wish someone would let us know how he's doing..." Kai said finally.
"Guess I'm the best person for the job, then."
"Oliver!"
Kai grabbed Oliver and held him, as if he was afraid Oliver would collapse if he didn't. Oliver winced a little and instinctively pushed Kai back a little with his left hand. Tala and Max were close by, talking a mile a minute.
"What happened!? The hospital..."
"...and we came as soon as we could; are you alright!?"
"We heard you were run over..."
"..didn't know what to think..."
"...worried sick!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Oliver said, a little overwhelmed but smiling. "One at a time... and back home. I want to get away from here as soon as possible. And Kai, I know you mean well, but please let go; I didn't get any broken ribs, but with your grip, you'd take care of that."
Kai nodded and released his hold on Oliver but held his hands instead. "I'm glad you're not too badly beat."
"Me too. Can we go home now?"
Everyone held their questioning until they got home. Once everyone was back at the manor and seated in the front room, the questions began.
"First of all, what did the doctors say?" Tala asked.
"I'm not as bad as everyone thought I was. I managed to jump out of the way in time." Oliver began. "I just sprained my wrist..." Oliver pulled up his right sleeve to reveal the bandage around the wrist, "and got a few scratches and bruises. They mostly wanted to keep me in longer in case of shock."
"What happened?" Kai asked.
"I was walking out of the supermarket after I got everything we needed. Then I wondered where I should head next. The next thing I knew, I was shoved into the road and a car was inches away from my face."
"Man, I'd have frozen to the spot." Max commented, curling onto Tala's lap.
Oliver shook his head. "Oui, I would have, too, normally. But my legs just coiled on their own and pushed me out of the way. So the car only skimmed and gave me the sprain and the landing gave me the bruises and scratches."
Kai snaked an arm around Oliver and pulled him closer. "I get that sometimes..." he muttered. "The Abbey had ways to make sure you never forget to move..."
Oliver nuzzled into Kai and yawned. "All this excitement can wear a guy out. 'least I have you guys to help calm everything down."
Kai kissed Oliver on the forehead and stroked his hair. "Well, that's one more scare we could add to your list of heart-stopping moments..."
Oliver pursed his lips for a moment, thinking. "I wonder why they're called 'heart stopping' moments...? If moments like that really stopped your heart, then I'd have been dead a long time ago..."
"Hey, don't say it like that."
Oliver smiled at Kai's protective tone. He obliged the Phoenix with a reassuring kiss. "Don't worry. I'm fine, really. It was just an accident."
________________________________________________________________________
Anime: But was it really? Hmm... Well, not much for me to comment here, 'cept for one thing... Tala was trying to cook!!! How sweet; a brother bonding session. Pity he burnt the water. A friend of mine actually did that once, so it IS possible....
Chibi Anya: I wanna do that!
Verbrennen: I'll help.
Rauchen: Same here!
Drache: What about me!?
Anime: Ack! No way! I am NOT letting a permanently sugar crazed chibi and family of pyromaniacs loose in the kitchen! Anyway, I need the kitchen to do the Christmas surprise I was planning...
Kai: *calls 999* Hello? Just wondered if it was possible to book a fire engine for Christmas morning...
Anime: HEY!
Wufei: Might as well keep a fire extinguisher handy, too.
Anya: Better get some indigestion tablets whilst you're at it...
Anime: ¬_¬ You don't want my yami side to explode now, do you...
Duo: O_O I know what she's capable of when she's like that... RUN!!!!!
"Tala?"
No answer. Max didn't worry about his missing partner. Instead, he got dressed for the day. Just as he pocketed his beyblade, the smell of cooking and burning caught his attention. Making his way down to the kitchen, Max saw Kai leaning against the wall by the kitchen door.
"Mornin' Kai."
"Morning."
"So, er.... what's going on in there?" Max asked, pointing to the kitchen.
"Well..."
A crash of pots and a string of Russian and French swearing answered. Max raised an eyebrow. Kai smirked.
"I said this once and I'll say it again, Tala never was one for cooking."
"Tala's cooking again?"
"If you call burning our breakfast cooking. Oliver's in there coaching him."
The boys were interrupted by Tala. "I'm sure this isn't supposed to be on fire...."
"How can you burn water!?" Oliver yelled. The sound of a fire extinguisher hissed.
Max finally decided he should see what was going on. Poking his head round the door, Max stifled a smile. Oliver was wearing his chef's hat and an apron, putting out a smoking pot with a fire extinguisher. Tala was behind him, wearing the same, looking a little lost in the kitchen.
"Everything alright, Tala?" Max said with a giggle, wrapping his arms around Tala's middle.
Tala turned his head slightly to smile at Max. "Yes. Just giving Oliver his dose of stress of the day."
"Stress nothing..." Oliver spoke up, critically analysing the cooker. "I can deal with stress. I just can't deal with incapable cookery students!" Satisfied the pot won't light up again, Oliver lowered the extinguisher. "Are you sure all you put in that pot was water?"
Tala smiled and shrugged at his foster brother. "I might have added something else by mistake."
Oliver sighed and steered Tala out of the kitchen. "Out out out! I'll have to make sure we don't starve today. As if Tyson wasn't bad enough in the kitchen...."
Tala turned and leaned on Max's shoulders, smirking at the now closed kitchen door. "I don't know... I thought I was improving. At least I didn't blow up the oven this time..."
******
"Mon Dieu.... what a mess. Teaching Tala to cook was like teaching Johnny to appreciate art." I commented.
"Looks like you could use my help in here, clearing up."
"Merci, Kai."
I rolled up my sleeves and threw Kai a pair of oven gloves from the counter. Whilst he dealt with the charred pot, I searched for another, cleaner one. I got cooking, with Kai fetching things I requested. Now this is how cooking was supposed to be.
Soon, Kai and I had four bowls of oats out on the table. I took up a bottle of honey and squirted some onto my oats. Everyone else chose their own favourite. Max had sugar, Kai added salt and Tala ate his plain, just as I thought. I couldn't help but smile. Here we were, all four of us, eating our breakfast in the kitchen; like the family, friends and lovers we were.
"What are you smiling about?"
I shook my head and smiled at Kai. "Nothing at particular. Just happy, I suppose."
I went back to eating my breakfast. Yeah... everything was perfect to me. Like a beautiful painting.
After breakfast, everyone spread out to do their out to carry out their own plans. I grabbed my coat to go out. We needed to replenish some of our supplies now that Tala had burnt half of the contents of our kitchen. Kai gave me a kiss on my forehead. "See ya later."
"See you later, Kai." I smiled and left the house, a shopping list in hand.
Oui, I know, I'm loaded, so why do my own shopping when I have half a manor full of servants to do it for me? Well, I prefer to hand pick my own produce and buy them. I don't carry them home though. I get the stores to deliver it to my house, so I suppose that's not too bad. I found my way to the supermarket not too far from home.
Pushing the trolley around the store, I was encountered with all the usual decisions that had to be made when grocery shopping. I pondered whether to opt for the chocolate variety cereal I found Kai to be fond of, the honey and nut cereal Tala and I like or the sugar packed kids' cereal that was so obviously Max; should I get the goat's milk, soy or full fat milk? Will it be white, granary or brown bread? I shrugged. Why have trouble choosing? I put everything in the trolley. Finally, I stopped at the end of an aisle, looking at the bags of flour. Three bags... Since when does it take three bags of flour to make pancakes? Only Tala...
I felt someone crash into my side from around the corner. I managed to stop myself from crashing into the trolley, luckily. I turned around. On the tiles was a guy my age, with short and spiky brown hair and shiny brown eyes. He shook his head clear for a moment before looking up at me, smiling sheepishly.
"Oh... sorry."
"No problem." I replied with a smile, holding out a hand. "Any faster and you would have broken the sound barrier."
The guy stood up. He was slightly taller than me, by an inch, I would say. He picked up what little groceries he had in his basket and smiled back at me. "Sorry. I was behind schedule. Had to hurry."
"No problem. No harm done."
We parted ways after that. People are always in a hurry nowadays... Amazing how being in love can make you want to just slow down and take the world in. I smiled to myself as I searched for the price on a bag of self rising. Six months down the line and I still am in love. Some might call it dumb; some might say delusional or even obsessive. Oh well. Might as well enjoy the feeling whilst I can.
Once my shopping was done and arranged for them to be delivered, I left the store, running through whatever plans I had for the day. Nothing planned, so I suppose I could always go home and spend some time with Tala... or find where Kai and Max are meeting the rest of their team, the Bladebreakers and hook up with them... Enrique's in town, maybe I should pay a visit at his hotel...
Or, judging from the shove I had just received and the car that was screeching towards me, maybe a rendezvous with the hospital would be in order...
******
"Is he alright?!"
"Monsieur, please calm down! We'll give you more information when we know mor..."
"I will not wait! I want to see him right now!"
Tala grabbed Kai before he pushed past the receptionist and ran off on his own private search for Oliver. Max was nearby, having arrived with Kai. Kai shook Tala off his shoulders and leaned against a handy, nearby wall, folding his arms.
"Listen, Kai. You need to cool it. We won't be any good to Oliver if we panic like this." Max said.
"I can't help but panic, Max... not since the last time we were all in here, we were admitted in Intensive Care..."
Tala sighed. "I know what you mean. I, personally wish I could see the back of this place. I've been in here too often in the past few months." Tala changed his tone to something a little more calm and mature. "But I agree with Max. We need to stay calm. This has nothing to do with the past."
Kai shut his eyes and remained silent, but turmoil ran through his mind.
What happened to Oliver!? How did he get involved in that accident!? All he did was go to the supermarket... Damn chauffer... why didn't he arrive at the training park sooner? It wasn't like he had to drive around the whole of France and back.
"I just wish someone would let us know how he's doing..." Kai said finally.
"Guess I'm the best person for the job, then."
"Oliver!"
Kai grabbed Oliver and held him, as if he was afraid Oliver would collapse if he didn't. Oliver winced a little and instinctively pushed Kai back a little with his left hand. Tala and Max were close by, talking a mile a minute.
"What happened!? The hospital..."
"...and we came as soon as we could; are you alright!?"
"We heard you were run over..."
"..didn't know what to think..."
"...worried sick!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Oliver said, a little overwhelmed but smiling. "One at a time... and back home. I want to get away from here as soon as possible. And Kai, I know you mean well, but please let go; I didn't get any broken ribs, but with your grip, you'd take care of that."
Kai nodded and released his hold on Oliver but held his hands instead. "I'm glad you're not too badly beat."
"Me too. Can we go home now?"
Everyone held their questioning until they got home. Once everyone was back at the manor and seated in the front room, the questions began.
"First of all, what did the doctors say?" Tala asked.
"I'm not as bad as everyone thought I was. I managed to jump out of the way in time." Oliver began. "I just sprained my wrist..." Oliver pulled up his right sleeve to reveal the bandage around the wrist, "and got a few scratches and bruises. They mostly wanted to keep me in longer in case of shock."
"What happened?" Kai asked.
"I was walking out of the supermarket after I got everything we needed. Then I wondered where I should head next. The next thing I knew, I was shoved into the road and a car was inches away from my face."
"Man, I'd have frozen to the spot." Max commented, curling onto Tala's lap.
Oliver shook his head. "Oui, I would have, too, normally. But my legs just coiled on their own and pushed me out of the way. So the car only skimmed and gave me the sprain and the landing gave me the bruises and scratches."
Kai snaked an arm around Oliver and pulled him closer. "I get that sometimes..." he muttered. "The Abbey had ways to make sure you never forget to move..."
Oliver nuzzled into Kai and yawned. "All this excitement can wear a guy out. 'least I have you guys to help calm everything down."
Kai kissed Oliver on the forehead and stroked his hair. "Well, that's one more scare we could add to your list of heart-stopping moments..."
Oliver pursed his lips for a moment, thinking. "I wonder why they're called 'heart stopping' moments...? If moments like that really stopped your heart, then I'd have been dead a long time ago..."
"Hey, don't say it like that."
Oliver smiled at Kai's protective tone. He obliged the Phoenix with a reassuring kiss. "Don't worry. I'm fine, really. It was just an accident."
________________________________________________________________________
Anime: But was it really? Hmm... Well, not much for me to comment here, 'cept for one thing... Tala was trying to cook!!! How sweet; a brother bonding session. Pity he burnt the water. A friend of mine actually did that once, so it IS possible....
Chibi Anya: I wanna do that!
Verbrennen: I'll help.
Rauchen: Same here!
Drache: What about me!?
Anime: Ack! No way! I am NOT letting a permanently sugar crazed chibi and family of pyromaniacs loose in the kitchen! Anyway, I need the kitchen to do the Christmas surprise I was planning...
Kai: *calls 999* Hello? Just wondered if it was possible to book a fire engine for Christmas morning...
Anime: HEY!
Wufei: Might as well keep a fire extinguisher handy, too.
Anya: Better get some indigestion tablets whilst you're at it...
Anime: ¬_¬ You don't want my yami side to explode now, do you...
Duo: O_O I know what she's capable of when she's like that... RUN!!!!!