ITOSHIGO
Marron’s body flowed, wavelike, with each movement the body beneath him. The hair in the front of his head had worked itself free of its ponytail and was falling in the man’s face. His skin was damp, shining. The black-haired man didn’t notice, however, as his attention was fixed absolutely on the task at hand. Marron pulled on the reigns, and whispered words of encouragement.
Gateau did understand why horse was spooking. “We’ll be late,” he called to Marron.
“It’s the thunder,” Marron called back, as though he had read Gateau’s thoughts. “It’s scaring him.”
Gateau scowled. “It’s still far off, how can it be scaring him?”
“Horses are sensitive. Bad weather will make them jumpy.” Marron’s horse,a young mare, bucked nervously again and Marron drew the reigns sharply and whispered to the horse again. She bucked again, and Marron almost lost the reigns.
Gateau urged his older horse forward so that he was at Marron’s side. The drizzle was driving him mad. Why couldn’t it just all-out rain, already? How could Marron be so patient? Even after all the years, Gateau never failed to be amazed by Marron’s limitless patience, whether it be with Gateau himself, a confused student, or a spooked mare. It was just one of Marron’s many endearing qualities. If it had been him, Gateau would have already shouted at the horse, maybe even gone back and exchanged the animal for another that was older, less nervous. But Marron was content to spend a little extra time on the black mare.
Finally, they were on the road to Sargento, the next town over. Although Marron said nothing, it seemed that he might have - just maybe - cast a simple spell to calm the black mare down. They were walking at an easy pace down the dirt road which led from Collintos to Sargento.
Gateau got his wish a half-hour into the trip when it began to rain in earnest. The blonde groaned and put up his collar, but his lover simply smiled as the rain fell on his head. Gateau couldn’t help but think how beautiful Marron looked there, seated on the horse, a simple smile on his face, slick with rain.
There was a knock at her door, and Eclaire took a deep breath before marching over and opening the door. She let a gasp that was half laugh as she saw the two soaked men standing on her doorstep.
“Gateau!” she said happily, and stepped aside to let them in. “Come in, both of you, you must be freezing out there.”
They both stepped into the warm, glowing home. Eclair embraced Gateau, smiling broadly. The front hall was long and ran across the entire front of the house. The door to the study was open, letting in the warm glow of the lit fireplace, which was all Marron could notice before Eclaire wrapped him warm hug.
“I’m so glad to see you, Gateau! It’s been a while, ne?”
“A few months... Not since the holidays.”
“Yes,” said the woman, “that’s right! I came to visit you in Collintos, and we spent the night with Carrot’s family.”
Marron looked up, a rather apologetic smile on his face. “How did that burn heal up?”
Eclaire laughed, looking at the back of her right hand. “Fine.” She turned it so that they could see. “Hardly even a scar.”
“Rye didn’t mean to do it, really,” Marron said. “He’s just a little clumsy sometimes, like his father... and fire excites him a bit...”
“It’s fine, really,” Eclaire assured him with laugh. “Here... Let me take your coats.” She removed their drenched jackets and ushered them into the study where she hung the coats on hooks at the side of the fireplace. “Sit down, please...”
They sat in quiet silence for a few minutes before Eclaire asked, “Are you hungry?”
Gateau looked to Marron with his eyebrows raised, and Marron made a bit of an indifferent face and shook his head slightly. “No, thanks, sis,” Gateau replied.
“Something to drink?”
“I don’t think so,” said Gateau, throwing another glance at Marron, who just smiled as he shook his head again.
“So,” said Marron politely, “how are things in Sargento?”
“Placid, as usual. The shop has been doing well, Dorothy suggested that we open another branch.”
“That sound like a good idea,” mused Gateau. He held shares in the business, a small health store in downtown Sargento. Dorothy was Eclaire’s rather over-dramatic business partner. “If I weren’t at the school, I’d offer to open one up in Collintos.”
Eclaire thought about it for a moment. “Do you think you’d be willing to supervise if we decided to hire some people in Collintos? You know, while we got it established?”
“I don’t see why not... As long as it didn’t interfere with my teaching schedule...”
“It’d be fantastic, Gateau. We’ll have to work out the details with Dorothy some time soon.”
“Sure,” replied the blonde, smiling at his sister. “But we can’t talk business all night.”
“No, we couldn’t do that.”
The siblings looked to Marron, who had been silent during the discussion about the business. He often served as the social grace, for some reason. But at the moment, he couldn’t think of anything to say. He felt sort of frozen-up, for some strange reason.
Noting his distress, Gateau came to the rescue. “I’m taking the position of Combat Master soon. I’ve discussed it with the Master of the School, and the Board, and Bracken, though soldier though he may be, is retiring soon. They want me to fill his place.”
“Congratulation, brother!” enthused the younger blonde.
“Of course, we knew it would happen sooner or later,” Marron said, regaining his tongue.
“Oh, and I hear you received some honors from the Board,” Eclaire said to Marron.
Marron nodded humbly. “Yes,” he said. “Nothing too prestigious...”
“Nothing prestigious!” scoffed Gateau proudly. “Only the Laureate for Outstanding Magical Education!”
Marron coloured slightly. “Yes...”
“Wow!” said Eclaire, grinning.
“There aren’t many other mages teaching magic,” he pointed out.
“Why’s that?” asked the woman. “One would think you would have to be a mage to teach magic...”
“Most of the Magi are sorcerers. Sorcerers will only teach other sorcerers. Go to a sorcerer-only school, and you’ll only find Magi. Every sorcerer has a mage to tutor his children. But take a look on the educator list at any Parsonner school, even a school for magic, and you’ll be lucky to find one mage.”
“You really feel strongly about this, don’t you?” Eclaire looked touched.
“It’s my profession. I should feel strongly about it.” After a pause, he resumed. “We may have made some minor political changes to the sorcerer’s positions, but they’re still managing to oppress us by keeping our children uneducated. It isn’t just magic. In any branch of education, the sorcerers have snapped up all the qualified teachers and left the dregs to the Parsonners.”
“I get this rant from him about once a month...” Gateau joked.
“The only reason the School gets any sort of Laureates is because the Board has scoured the Continent looking for the best teachers. The unfortunate part is that the Collintos School is private, and expensive, by Parsonner standards, anyway. Tuition for four years would just barely pay for one year of private tutoring for a sorcerer child.”
“That’s awful!”
“It’s sad, is what it is...”
“Collintos School is the only school in our diocese with a mage anywhere on the educator list,” Gateau put in, a proud smile on his face. He placed one arm around Marron and held him close.
“It’s not anything to be proud of,” Marron said. “I just worked hard, got an education, as stupid as that sounds.”
“Not stupid,” Eclaire said, seeming to share her brother’s pride. “That certainly is something to be proud of.”
“... If I could, I would open my own school...”
“Really?” exclaimed both the siblings.
“Marron, you never told me that!” said Gateau.
Marron shrugged and smiled slightly, looking a little sad. “It doesn’t matter. Just idle fantasy. I’d never be able to do it, just something I’ve thought of...”
Gateau notice that he had his hand wrapped around a gold chain around his neck. Gateau wondered what they... Then he realized: their wedding rings. He felt flustered for a moment, and the he got that warm, fuzzy feeling inside... He was going to marry Marron... God, he was an idiot! He was just sort of sitting there, staring at Marron’s long, elegant fingers like some sort of funny-farm patient...
“Are you tired at all?” Eclaire asked, breaking the silence. Gateau and Marron both stiffened, knowing what that meant.
Swallowing, Marron spoke up. “Perhaps it would be best... It’s been a long day.”
They all got up from the sofa. Marron was about to follow Eclaire upstairs when Gateau took his hand and pulled him into a big bear hug. Once the man was close, he kissed him and whispered some gentle encouragement into his ear, letting his lips sensually brush Marron’s skin. “You’ll be fine.”
As Gateau released him, Marron wondered how Gateau had meant that.
Upstairs, in the master bedroom, Marron was more nervous than he could ever remember being in his adult life. He was shaking slightly, and though it was barely perceptible, he felt like a fool.
“You can sit down if you like,” Eclaire said, motioning to the bed.
Glad to be off his feet, where his shaking wouldn’t be so obvious, Marron complied, and sank onto the bed. No sooner had he done so than Eclaire was removing his boots and socks. He stifled a small gasp of surprise - he hadn’t been expecting this, not nearly so quickly.
“Are you alright?” the blonde woman asked.
“As well as can be expected,” he mumbled, not really sure what answer she was looking for.
She smiled gently. “Scared?”
He frowned slightly. “I thought not, but...” He held up his hand, which was shaking quite obviously now, and grimaced. “My body seems to be betraying me. I was trying for stoic. I’m getting schoolgirl...”
“It’s okay... I’m not going to judge you for this, and no one else will either.”
“If only it were really that easy,” Marron sighed. “My brother is going to have a conniption fit. He’s finally gotten used to Gateau and my relationship... This will certainly throw him for a curve.” He let out a harsh half-laugh. “We should probably...”
“Let’s make this as easy for you as possible... I don’t want to make you even more uncomfortable, but... Boy, this is something most little sisters never want to ask...” Marron raised on eyebrow. “When you and Gateau have sex, how do you do it? I mean, what sort of foreplay, who’s on top...?”
Marron made a rather startled face. Massaging his neck a little nervously, he said, “Well... Usually... Obviously, we’ll kiss each other... It can take some time, we’ll both do a one-over, you know, kissing ever part of the other’s body... It’s quite maddening, but I’m sure you know...”
“Actually, no one’s ever done that to me,” Eclaire replied contemplatively. “Straight sex can be a lot more straight forward sometimes, which is sort of a let down. Even worse when it’s one sided, and you’re just giving, and getting nothing in... Okay, never mind, continue...” It was so casual for her, Marron thought, as though they were discussing a grocery list, or a class schedule.
Blushing slightly, Marron resumed. “A lot of the time, he’ll push me just to the breaking point with his mouth before he enters me.” Quickly he added, “It’s usually him on top, yes, but I’ve had my turn a few times over the years. He just seems to know exactly what he’s doing.” After pausing for a moment and swallowing, he continued with the rather embarrassing play-by-play. “From there, it all depends on what sort of mood he’s in... Sometime’s it’s over like - that! - and then other times the orgasm seems to build for hours... I don’t know - Is this helping any?”
“Yes, yes it is,” Eclaire affirmed, smiling gently.
Marron laughed a little. “You know, I think that’s the most I’ve ever said about sex to anyone besides Gateau.”
Gateau shifted in the bed, feeling it sink beneath his weight. He was determined to get to sleep, but he just couldn’t. Although he’d tried to be the affirmative one, Gateau was just as worried about that night as Marron was worried.
And, worried though he was, he had to admit that the thought of Marron with another sort of... excited him. It was disgusting to him, that he thought that, but it was true... Disgusting or not, it was how he felt. He’d learned long ago that any attempt to change how he felt could fail miserably.
They were in the next room over. Soon, he knew, he would hear them. He knew form years of first-hand experience that Marron was fantastic in bed, and he was fairly sure it didn’t matter what sex it was that he was sleeping with.
His heart flinched a little at that thought. He knew he was a little, if not very, jealous of his sister at that moment. Not only did he want to take Eclaire’s place in that bedroom with Marron, be he also felt saddened by the fact that he couldn’t do what his sister could. There was no way that either he or Marron could ever foster life inside themselves. Granted, he had absolutely no desire to be a woman. It was just this twinge he felt at failing. Something women could do that no man could ever do. Something a woman could have given Marron that Gateau could never give. Something Marron had decided didn’t matter as much as true love.
That thought picked up Gateau’s heart. To Marron, it didn’t matter whether or not his love could foster life in such a way. And Marron was completely content with the fact that his love couldn’t produce life with him, and he’d chosen to love him anyway.
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