Dragon Fruit #14, #11, #4, #16, #15; Gummy Bunnies
Note: Otso is from the Mythical Lore 101 'verse. Though the two 'verses happen in the same continuity and share some characters, I'm trying to keep them apart for now.
Author: Lumelle
Title: The Magic of Raspberry
'Verse: Dragons
Challenge: Dragon Fruit #14: We are only human.
Toppings/Extras: Gummy Bunnies (500themes; "Darkness becomes me.")
Word Count: 539
Rating: G
Summary: Aarni doesn't understand why Raymond would invite a human over. Raymond has his reasons, though.
A/N: I really should learn to post things here when I write them, not ages later...
"So. Let me get this straight." Aarni frowned, looking at his adoptive father fussing around the living room. "The reason we're having this party is because it's autumn equinox and it's starting to be cold and dark and dreary."
"That's right." Raymond nodded. He appeared busy setting various kinds of snacks into bowls.
"Because you're a vampire and I'm a shadow dragon, so winter in the north is a good time for us both." Ah, sweet darkness. He still hadn't entirely recovered from the constant headache that was northern summer.
"Correct again." Was it really that necessary to make sure the snacks in each bowl were exactly equal in amount?
"And you decided to invite my brother and his family because he and his mother are ice dragons, so the cold is nice for them, too."
"I must say, Aarni, you really are a sharp young man." He could have at least tried to sound sarcastic when saying things like that. Obviously, Aarni had no choice but to ignore him. "Could you please get the cookies from the kitchen?"
"Of course inviting Pyry means asking Riku to come along, too," Aarni added even as he headed toward the kitchen. Just because doing so was easier than dealing with an angry vampire, of course. "Your friends are shady characters by nature, and of course the Guardians want to stop by to make sure such a mismatched crowd doesn't start any trouble. All of this makes sense on some level, I'll admit that."
"Why, I'm delighted that you approve of my plans." Still no hint of sarcasm in his voice. Damn, the man was good. "So was there something you wanted to take issue with, or are we just chatting for our good health?"
"Yes." Taking out the cookies, he closed the kitchen cabinet a bit more firmly than might have been entirely necessary. "After all of this, why would you even think about inviting Eva?"
"I'm shocked that you would take issue with that." Raymond did not sound especially shocked. "Eva is a charming young woman, and would be good influence on you if you weren't a more or less lost case already."
"Thanks." Not. "You know what I mean, Raymond. She doesn't even know about magic. She probably thinks we're playing make-believe. Why would she be in this party at all?"
"As far as I understood, she is of the opinion that there are never too many reasons to party." Raymond somehow managed to sound almost cheerful. "She was most delighted to accept my invitation, or so Pyry assures me."
"I did not mean why she would agree to coming," Aarni said, exasperated. "What I'm asking is, why would you even ask her in the first place?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Raymond flashed him a smile, which was strangely disconcerting from someone with fangs. "I'm craving a treat."
Aarni didn't deign such a ridiculous statement with a spoken response, merely giving Raymond a flat look.
"I'm craving a treat," Raymond tried again, "and she promised to bake chocolate chip cookies with raspberries."
"Sad as it is," Aarni sighed, "I think I will have to believe you."
At least Raymond could have had the grace not to smile even more.
Author: Lumelle
Title: Reason to Fight
'Verse: Dragons
Challenge: Dragon Fruit #11: Adventure is just one mistake away
Toppings/Extras: Gummy Bunnies (500themes; "There will always be a monster.")
Word Count: 827
Rating: PG+
Summary: Staying behind to fight may not be the smartest thing Aarni has ever done. However, right now, he doesn't feel he has a choice. He has something to protect, after all. Getting Otso to agree is another thing entirely.
Hearing the approaching beast, Aarni cursed, pausing to take in a full picture of the situation. It was more or less a worst case scenario no matter how he looked at it. A hungry beast at their heels, check. A more or less non-combatant to look after, check. Trees growing too close together for him to be very effective if he changed form, check. No idea when they were going to make it out of the woods, check.
Damn it. This was definitely the last time he agreed to come along as a body guard when the panda boy needed ingredients. At this rate he could collect dragon blood as well, except he couldn't since they'd both be slaughtered.
"Come on." Otso tugged at his arm, looking grim. "We need to get away."
"It's no use just running without a goal," Aarni sighed. "It's faster than us, it'll catch us before we make it out of the woods."
"It's our only hope, though," Otso pointed out. "You said yourself this is a bad place to fight."
"Yeah, well, when the only hope isn't much hope at all, it kind of loses its appeal anyway." Shaking his head, he tried to think fast. "Aren't there any clearings around you could lead us to? Big enough for me to stretch my wings?"
"Ah, let me check." Otso looked a bit absent for a moment, then snapped back to focus. "There's one, but it's still a little ways away. Closer than the edge of the woods, though."
"Close enough that we'll make it there before it catches up with us?"
"If we run, maybe."
Time for quick decisions, indeed. "Great. Now, show me the way there," he said, turning to run away from the beast. It was tricky, meandering through the mass of trees, but it sure beat the alternative of standing still and perhaps sprinkling some salt and pepper on themselves. After all, if they were going to make themselves an easy meal for a monster, they could just as well go the whole way.
Though the sounds of the monster forcing its way through the woods got closer, they did indeed reach the clearing before it reached them. Aarni breathed a sigh of relief as the foliage gave way to a patch of open sky. The moon and stars overhead didn't cast much light, but that was quite all right. Shadows were the best for him.
"Okay. Now listen closely," he said, turning to face the direction the noise was coming from. "I'm going to shift and take it down. You continue running and make damn sure you won't twist your ankle or something stupid like that."
"I can't do that!" Otso exclaimed. "You'll be lost in here! It's not like you have any idea how to get out."
"If you stay nearby, that's one more thing I have to look out for during a fight," Aarni snarled. His hands had started shifting, hard jet-back scales slowly creeping up his arms even as his fingers stretched out in vicious claws. The monster was getting closer. "Just get out. It'll be much easier if I don't have to watch out for anyone but myself." He wasn't even sure he was capable of considering others while he was fighting, and he quite preferred the potion maker in one piece.
"Ah, right." Otso nodded slowly. "And what then? You won't find your way out without me."
"Then you go over to my house, explain the situation to my parents, and show them the way back here," Aarni replied. "By then the battle should be over, one way or another." Preferably with him alive, but hey, he wasn't a fortune teller.
"Are you sure about this?" Did he think he was shifting for fun?
"Just get out of here," he growled. The sounds were growing much closer than he liked.
"Fine." Otso still sounded quite reluctant.
"Oh, and Panda?" It was a strange thought, an insane thought in fact, but now that it was in his mind he couldn't brush it away.
"Yeah?"
"If I live through this, what do you say our next date is somewhere with less mosquitoes and monsters?"
It took Otso a second or two to fully grasp his meaning. Then, however, he heard a soft chuckle behind him. "You name the place."
"Great. Now scram. I'm not exactly twisted enough to date a mutilated corpse."
He heard Otso running off again just as his wings popped out, drawing a slightly pained hiss from him. A moment later the beast appeared at the edge of the woods, looking at him with hungry eyes.
"Bad news, ugly," Aarni hissed with the deep, dark tones of a dragon. "I think I just got promised a date, so I have every reason to live through the damn night."
Then they both attacked, and all thought left his mind in a loud, blood-thirsty roar that echoed through the forest.
Author: Lumelle
Title: Eat Or Be Eaten
'Verse: Dragons
Challenge: Dragon Fruit #4: You think there will be no one to stop you.
Toppings/Extras: Gummy Bunnies (500themes; "Close your eyes")
Word Count: 1021
Rating: PG
Summary: Adrian is not very happy about having to patch Aarni up, or about his attitude about the fight. Fortunately, Aarni manages to distract hir with other matters.
"Do you have any kind of excuse for this?"
"I could say I do, but I doubt you'd listen to me anyway." Aarni winced as Adrian spread a blueish lotion over a scratch on his arm. "Oi, that hurts!"
"It hurts less than having your arm fall off." So very merciless. "Now stop being such a smart ass. What exactly possessed you to take on a lynx beast all by yourself?"
"Uh, necessity?" Another wince. He was certain Adrian had chosen the most stinging lotion on purpose. "We tried running off but it didn't work, so I decided to send the civilian off."
"Technically, you are a civilian, too." Adrian frowned as ze examined another wound. "It never crossed your mind to, oh, I don't know, take flight once you reached the clearing?"
"You know as well as I do that flying over the forest gives you no chance of exit," Aarni pointed out. "All I could have done would have been to bide for time, waiting for dawn and hoping it's no good in the daylight. And if I had done that, I would have had to come down eventually for us to get out. Considering that it's just as vicious in daylight, we'd have been stalked by the beast again, but this time with me exhausted and weak. I'd say I made the best decision given the circumstances."
"I hate it when you make sense." Adrian snorted. "Good thing it's quite a rare occurrence."
"Yeah, yeah." He winced again. "How much longer until you get done? That damn well hurts!"
"You've earned it for worrying us." So it was on purpose. Figured. "You're damn well lucky you came out on top in that fight. Minttu suspects it might have something to do with the disappearance of a couple of witches earlier this year."
"So you should be thanking me for getting rid of it instead of lecturing me."
"Oh, I'm going to lecture you until you're bloody well sick of it." Adrian rolled hir eyes. "Why did you go to the forest, anyway? And at night, no less? It's not like you don't know it's dangerous."
"Panda needed some ingredient for a potion of his. It had to be gathered under moonlight, and the forest is the only place nearby where it grows. But since he's only good at fighting humans, he needed someone to look after him. Especially because the forest is so dangerous." Really. They hadn't been ignoring the danger, they had been well aware of it.
"Still doesn't explain how he managed to rope you into this." Adrian eyed his arm critically, then reached for the bandages. Yay. No more stinging until ze moved on to the next part.
"He asked," Aarni replied, feeling a bit sulky. "Nicely."
"And since when has that worked on you?" Adrian raised hir eyebrows. "Asking nicely doesn't get you to pick up a dirty t-shirt from the floor, but instead you'll go and risk your life so the potion kid can pick up some plant?"
"Yeah, well, when the other option is getting him killed by some stupid monster, I'll take the reputation hit."
Now, Adrian paused, looking up from the wounds ze was bandaging. "Wait. That's the reason?" Hir voice was rather disbelieving.
"Thanks for thinking I would never risk myself for a friend."
"You're not as bad as you want to present yourself as, no, but you rarely go out of your way to put yourself in danger." Adrian shook hir head. "I'm sure it would have been less troublesome for you to convince him to go somewhere safer."
"Obviously you have no idea how stubborn he can be." Aarni shrugged. "And hey, it did get me a date."
"It got you what?"
"A date. You know. That thing where two people go out because they like each other? That thing."
"You have never been on a date before. Besides, I thought you liked Riku." Why did that almost sound like accusation?
"It was something of a spur of the moment thing." Aarni snorted. "Yeah, well, obviously I don't like him quite badly enough to try to steal him from my brother. I gave up on that front years ago. Just because I'm still fond of him doesn't mean I'm going to be pining after him for the rest of my life."
"So you go for the potion boy instead." Adrian continued bandaging now. "Well, good luck with that."
Aarni watched quietly as Adrian moved on to the other arm, trying to hold back his winces at the sting. The bite marks reminded him of something, though. "Hey, Adrian? What'd they do with the beast's body?"
"Why do you ask?" Why the suspicious tone?
"I got a bite or two of it during the fight." Or three. "Just thought it was quite nice."
"So you're suggesting that we eat it."
"Well, it would be an awful waste. Besides, I'm starving. Switching is hard work." Adrian didn't move hir eyes from the wounds. "Come on. I think I've earned a little treat."
"And what exactly makes you think that eating your opponent would be in any way appropriate?"
"Hey, it tried to eat me! Besides, it's not like it's sentient," Aarni whined. "You're married to a vampire and now you're complaining about my wanting to eat my prey? To the winner go the spoils and what not."
At last, Adrian's lips turned into a smirk, though ze still didn't look Aarni in the eye. "Calm down, kid. Raymond already took it to the butcher to be cut up properly. And yes, Otso's coming over for dinner too. Apparently he was quite insistent on getting to bite at the thing that hurt you."
"Great." Aarni managed a grin. "I'm starving."
"However, before you get to eat a single bite, you need to be patched up and get proper sleep." There was something akin to glee in Adrian's tone as ze announced this. "So now sit still and let me put you back together."
Sighing, Aarni closed his eyes. This was not fair in any way.
Besides, it still stung.
Author: Lumelle
Title: Tears in the Shadows
'Verse: Dragons
Challenge: Dragon Fruit #16: Did I bring this on myself?
Toppings/Extras: Gummy Bunnies (500themes; "Tragic moment.")
Word Count:
Rating: PG-13 (for language)
Summary: Aarni is certain he has driven Otso away by his aversion to intimacy. Raymond tries to reassure him, but in the end it's only Otso who can fix things.
There was no word, no greeting as Aarni returned. Just the sound of a door slamming shut and quick steps hurrying through the house. Raymond and Adrian exchanged gazes.
"It's far too early for him to be back yet." Adrian glanced at the clock on the wall. "And far too angry."
Raymond sighed, shaking his head. "I'll go see him." Taking off his glasses, he set them and his book aside and got up. "Would you get us something to drink?"
"I was thinking of preparing some mulled wine tonight. Would that be good?"
Smiling, Raymond stepped over to lean down and give Adrian a soft kiss. "Perfect, darling."
The door to Aarni's room was closed, not that he had expected anything else. Standing before it, Raymond raised his hand to knock, then waited. He got no response. After another moment, he tried again.
The voice was faint, barely enough for him to hear even with his vampire ears. "Go away."
"Not until you tell me what's wrong." He leaned against the door frame. "I don't care how old you are or how much of an adult you wish to think you are, as long as you live under my roof, I expect to be aware of anything that might lead to a big, nasty dragon on a raging rampage in my house."
"It's nothing that you can help." Aarni's voice was almost sad. This worried Raymond more than anything. His hotheaded pup never allowed himself to be brought to sadness. "Nothing anyone can do."
"Why don't you let me judge that for myself?" Raymond glanced at the door. Still closed. "I quite doubt it's anything I haven't faced in my time."
"It is. I know it is."
"All the more reason to tell me. You know I'm always curious for new things." He was met with silence. "Aarni? May I come in?"
"As though I could stop you."
The room was dark, the lights off, not that it burdened him much. Aarni was curled up in an armchair, slim arms hugging his knees. His white hair was like a bright light in the darkness to Raymond's sensitive eyes, face pale and strained even in the shadows.
"Deep realms, pup, you look terrible." Raymond sighed, closing the door behind him. "What happened?"
"Why do you think anything happened?" Now that he heard it better, he noticed Aarni's voice was harsh. If he hadn't known better, he might have concluded the boy had been crying.
"Because we did not expect you back for quite a while, perhaps? Or because something has upset you so badly, you have closed yourself off and smell of tears?" As much as his mind fought against the conclusion, his nose couldn't lie to him.
"I fucked up." Aarni hid his face, now. "I fucked everything up and I can't fix it and it's probably for the better anyway."
"With Otso?" There was no response beyond a soft tremble of his shoulders, which told just about everything Raymond needed to know anyway. "What'd you do?" He knew his son. Knew that for all his harsh ways and loud talk, he would never hurt someone he cared about, and he wasn't sure he had ever seen anyone be as dear to Aarni as Otso was.
"Does it matter?" Aarni's voice was muffled by his knees. "He probably hates me, now."
"Your darling bear likes you too much to hate you so easily, pup." Raymond walked closer, but not too close. "Tell me, Aarni. I can't help you unless I know what's wrong."
Aarni was quiet so long, Raymond almost asked him again. Finally, he spoke up. "I ran."
"Ran?" Okay, colour him confused. "From what? Why?"
"I ran from him. Couldn't stand to be near him." Aarni lifted his head, the smell of tears even more evident now. "I thought I could do it. Thought I could bear it for his sake, to make him happy. But I can't. I can't allow others in my personal space, not even him. And since I can't hurt him like I might someone else, I ran."
"Shh… it's all right, pup." Raymond crouched, reaching a hand to place it on Aarni's shoulder. He only let it linger for a second, then drew it back; he knew all too well that the only time Aarni allowed prolonged contact was when he was getting patched up from yet another fight. "It's all right, I'll make it all right, I promise. What'd he do?" The potion maker he knew would never do anything untoward enough to send someone as brazen as Aarni into such deep anguish. Yet the proof of his son's agony was clear.
"Nothing terrible. Nothing unusual. Nothing one would not expect to do after several dates. Hell, it was less than that." Aarni shook his head. "I… he held my hand before, and even though it made me uneasy, I could bear it. But now he tried draw me close, to hold me, and I turned tail and ran."
"Oh, Aarni." Raymond sighed. "It's all right, I promise. I'm sure Otso doesn't hate you. He'll understand if you just explain it to him."
"What use is it anyway?" Aarni's tone was flat. "I can't be what he wants, what he needs. Chances are I'll never be able to give him that."
"You care for him, though." Raymond held his son's dark eyes. "That you would react like this is clearer proof than anything."
"Yes, I do. I do care for him. He's sweet and strong and interesting and I wish I could have him by my side. I… I imagined I might care enough for him, like you do for Adrian. But I can't. There's just no way."
"Don't yet dive in the darkness, pup." Raymond was the one who shook his head, now. "There are many kinds of bonds between people. Perhaps you yearn for his friendship so much, you mistook it for love because you have never felt such a thing before. Or perhaps you do love him, who knows. At least it seems clear to me you desire companionship with him."
"Easy for you to say." Aarni closed his eyes, tears still streaking down his cheeks. "You can at least hold Adrian, touch hir, kiss hir to show how you feel. I can't. I can't put it into words or actions. He wanted to have me close and I pushed him aside and fled from him."
"So this is what you propose to do? Shut the lights and hide in your room until it all goes away?"
"All I want is to stay away from him." Aarni's arms tightened around his arms. "Go somewhere far away, where I can't hurt him any more. Can't mislead him again. High time I move out anyway, all the better to save him from me."
"Oh, pup." Raymond stood up again with a sigh. "If you wish to stretch your wings again, you know neither I nor Adrian will stop you. It's your choice where you dwell, as it has been for years. As long as you remember you can always return here."
"But I can't return. Not as long as it hurts like this."
"Which is why, even though I will not stop you, I will give you some solemn advice." Raymond reached out to touch Aarni's soft hair. "Don't leave with this between the two of you. Clear things out with Otso. Don't you think he deserves a say in this, too?"
"He wants what I can't give." Aarni's voice was almost inaudible again. "It's better for him to be free of me."
"And why exactly do you presume you know what I want?"
Aarni's eyes snapped up, staring at the source of the voice. Raymond was only a tad slower to turn, seeing Otso standing in the doorway, Adrian behind him.
"You," Aarni whispered, and seemed to shrink into himself.
"Yes. Me." Otso crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Aarni with admirable calmness, though from the look in his eyes Raymond could tell it was not all he felt. "If you meant to hide, coming back home was a damn stupid thing considering I know your address."
"Go away." Aarni lowered his head. "Just go away."
"Not before you tell me what I did wrong." Otso stepped further into the room. "I hurt you and I don't know how or why. At least give me a chance to mend my ways before you give up on me."
"You think you are in the wrong?" The disbelief was clear in Aarni's tone.
"Well, obviously, or you would not have run away." Another step closer, and then Otso came to a halt, far enough that there was no chance of either touching the other even if they reached out. Good boy. He learnt fast. "Tell me, Aarni. Let me make it up to you."
"It's no fault with you," Aarni murmured. "I'm the one who's all wrong, and I don't think I can change much."
"Then tell me, please." A sincere request. "Teach me."
"You should just go away." Raymond spied another tremble of the narrow shoulders.
"Well, tough luck, because I'm probably the only one you've met still who's even more pig-headed than you are." Otso shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere. Not unless you can look me in the eye and tell me without a shred of doubt that you don't want me around anymore."
Slowly, so very slowly, Aarni lifted his head, turning his dark eyes to meet Otso's. Otso stood his ground, silent and still in the shadows. He could not have seen much in the little sliver of light that entered through the parted door, yet his eyes were steady on Aarni's. Waiting.
"If that's what it takes to make you happy," Aarni said, slowly, "then no, I will not want to see you anywhere near me anymore."
"And if doing that would make me unhappier than ever?"
"In that case," a soft shake of the snowy-white mop he called hair, "you must be even more of an idiot than I ever gave you credit for."
With a faint smile, Raymond withdrew form the scene, padding his way to the doorway. Adrian glanced at the young, then at him, the question clear in hir eyes. Raymond allowed himself a small smile. The kids were stubborn enough to find a way through this.
With a small shrug and another smile, he settled an arm on Adrian's waist, leading hir away. Right now it would be for the best for them to be out of the way. His ears picked out the faint sound of speaking as they descended the stairs, though not the exact words.
As he ventured back upstairs an hour later to call the kids down for a warm drink, he found the door still ajar, the lights still out. Peeking inside, he saw Aarni still curled up in the chair, with Otso on the floor next to it, leaning against the side of the chair. Though they were close, neither made a move toward the other.
As though sensing his presence, Otso glanced up, then shook his head minutely. Glancing at Aarni, Raymond realised the poor pup had more or less cried himself to sleep. As he mouthed a question at Otso, the only response he found was another shake of the head. No, Otso would stay here and guard Aarni's sleep.
Well. The mulled wine could wait another while.
Author: Lumelle
Title: Christmas UnEventful
'Verse: Dragons
Challenge: Dragon Fruit #15: at the end of the day we are alone.
Toppings/Extras: Gummy Bunnies (500themes; "Waking slumber.")
Word Count: 990
Rating: G
Summary: Otso is waken up on Christmas Eve by Adrian. He then has to explain to hir just why he's staying over.
The scent of hot chocolate reached Otso's brain just moments before he heard the soft tone calling his name. "Time to wake up."
He managed a grunt that might have somehow passed for an answer, Forcing his eyes open. Blinking, he found a steaming cup right above his face.
Carefully moving past the cup, he sat up, then reached his hands to take it. Adrian offered it to him with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "A rough night?"
Otso yawned, glancing around. "Worse than I remember if I managed to end up on the couch. I could have sworn I went to bed at least."
"You did, far as I'm aware," Adrian chuckled. "You stumbled into the kitchen in the morning, mumbled something unintelligible, and ended up in the living room. I don't think you were entirely awake."
"Ah." He managed a sheepish grin. "Guess I should apologise. I'm not on my best in the mornings."
"Few of us are." Adrian shrugged, sitting down at the other end of the couch with hir own cup. "Raymond dragged Aarni off to deliver some Christmas cards and presents, in case you're wondering. They should be back soon, though. It's almost noon."
"Aarni doing a decent thing? I bet he'll have hives by the time they get back." Otso's lips twitched. He loved the guy, but he wasn't foolish enough to think that Aarni was a friendly person.
"Yes, well, his options were that or stay behind on porridge duty, so he volunteered me to stay." Adrian shrugged. "He might have stayed if you had been awake, but any attempts to wake you before this were in vain."
Otso gave hir a sheepish chuckle. "Should I apologise to him?"
"God no. It's about time the little grump sticks his nose out of the door for something else than a cigarette."
"Too true." Otso shook his head, though he was smiling. "Let's just hope he isn't too annoyed when he gets back."
"Oh, he'll settle down." Adrian paused. "I think he'll want to take you to the graveyard later."
"Graveyard?" Otso blinked. He got the feeling he should have realised something here, but his head was still half asleep.
"His father is in this town." Adrian turned serious for a moment. "He said something about how he wants you to meet his father, and the one in grave is better company than the one in jail. And since Christmas is a traditional time to visit graves, he wants to get it out of the way."
"Right." Otso nodded. He hadn't been exactly prepared for this, but then he had been vaguely aware it would come up sooner or later. "I suppose it would be best to go after lunch."
"Probably, yes. Oh, and Tuisku asked if you wouldn't mind playing Santa at their place. She thinks Nina might be less likely to recognise you than one of the other boys."
Otso gave hir a flat look. "Isn't Nina in middle school?"
"Try telling that to her mother." Adrian rolled hir eyes before giving Otso an almost sly gaze. "So. Why are you here, anyway? Not to say it is entirely unpleasant, it is quite refreshing to have a young man with actual manners in the house, but Aarni has been quite elusive." Because Adrian was such a shining paragon of model behaviour hirself. "Has there been some relationship upgrade we are not aware of, or do you have some other reason to stay here for Christmas rather than go to your hometown?"
"Far as I know, our relationship is the same as ever." Otso took a careful sip of his hot chocolate. It was nice and hot and sweet. "It's Ansa's relationship that's the key."
"Your friend's?" Adrian looked curious. "What does she have to do with this?"
Otso sighed. "My father announced a couple of years ago that if I wanted to follow in my grandmother's footsteps, fine with him, but I'd better not darken his doorway again," he murmured. "I've spent my breaks with Ansa's family since then. She and Elina are spending half of the break with Elina's parents this year, though. I know her parents would love to have me over anyway, but it would be kind of awkward."
"So you asked Aarni if you could stay with us instead?"
"Oh, no." Otso shook his head. "I probably would have headed over to Ansa's family anyway, but when I mentioned the matter, Aarni invited me over."
"Really?" Adrian's eyebrows shot up high. "Wow. The kid must like you for real after all."
"So I've been led to believe, yes." Otso's lips twitched before he frowned. Something didn't smell right. "Weren't you supposed to be keeping an eye on the rice porridge?"
"Oh, right!" Adrian blinked, then was on hir feet in an instant. "Hey, what do you say we play a round of Trivial Pursuit after the two of you get back from the zombie date? Let's rope Raymond and Aarni in, too. It's been far too long since either of them tasted defeat."
"You must be kidding," Otso snorted. "Raymond knows everything that happened within the last two hundred years and Aarni has read all the cards just so he can cheat." One time of playing with the two was quite enough for him, thanks. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.
"Oh, I'm well aware." Adrian smirked over hir shoulder. "Which is why I bought a new edition. Let's see Aarni cheat when he has never seen the cards before."
Otso chuckled. "And what about Raymond?"
"The theme of this edition? Pop culture." Adrian's smirk was almost cruel, now. "Let's team up and make them both weep in pain. I even set aside some chocolate for a prize."
Otso found himself returning the expression. "You're on."
A partly melted marshmallow slipped into his mouth as he took a sip. It tasted of winter and sweet, sweet revenge.
Author: Lumelle
Title: The Magic of Raspberry
'Verse: Dragons
Challenge: Dragon Fruit #14: We are only human.
Toppings/Extras: Gummy Bunnies (500themes; "Darkness becomes me.")
Word Count: 539
Rating: G
Summary: Aarni doesn't understand why Raymond would invite a human over. Raymond has his reasons, though.
A/N: I really should learn to post things here when I write them, not ages later...
"So. Let me get this straight." Aarni frowned, looking at his adoptive father fussing around the living room. "The reason we're having this party is because it's autumn equinox and it's starting to be cold and dark and dreary."
"That's right." Raymond nodded. He appeared busy setting various kinds of snacks into bowls.
"Because you're a vampire and I'm a shadow dragon, so winter in the north is a good time for us both." Ah, sweet darkness. He still hadn't entirely recovered from the constant headache that was northern summer.
"Correct again." Was it really that necessary to make sure the snacks in each bowl were exactly equal in amount?
"And you decided to invite my brother and his family because he and his mother are ice dragons, so the cold is nice for them, too."
"I must say, Aarni, you really are a sharp young man." He could have at least tried to sound sarcastic when saying things like that. Obviously, Aarni had no choice but to ignore him. "Could you please get the cookies from the kitchen?"
"Of course inviting Pyry means asking Riku to come along, too," Aarni added even as he headed toward the kitchen. Just because doing so was easier than dealing with an angry vampire, of course. "Your friends are shady characters by nature, and of course the Guardians want to stop by to make sure such a mismatched crowd doesn't start any trouble. All of this makes sense on some level, I'll admit that."
"Why, I'm delighted that you approve of my plans." Still no hint of sarcasm in his voice. Damn, the man was good. "So was there something you wanted to take issue with, or are we just chatting for our good health?"
"Yes." Taking out the cookies, he closed the kitchen cabinet a bit more firmly than might have been entirely necessary. "After all of this, why would you even think about inviting Eva?"
"I'm shocked that you would take issue with that." Raymond did not sound especially shocked. "Eva is a charming young woman, and would be good influence on you if you weren't a more or less lost case already."
"Thanks." Not. "You know what I mean, Raymond. She doesn't even know about magic. She probably thinks we're playing make-believe. Why would she be in this party at all?"
"As far as I understood, she is of the opinion that there are never too many reasons to party." Raymond somehow managed to sound almost cheerful. "She was most delighted to accept my invitation, or so Pyry assures me."
"I did not mean why she would agree to coming," Aarni said, exasperated. "What I'm asking is, why would you even ask her in the first place?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Raymond flashed him a smile, which was strangely disconcerting from someone with fangs. "I'm craving a treat."
Aarni didn't deign such a ridiculous statement with a spoken response, merely giving Raymond a flat look.
"I'm craving a treat," Raymond tried again, "and she promised to bake chocolate chip cookies with raspberries."
"Sad as it is," Aarni sighed, "I think I will have to believe you."
At least Raymond could have had the grace not to smile even more.
Author: Lumelle
Title: Reason to Fight
'Verse: Dragons
Challenge: Dragon Fruit #11: Adventure is just one mistake away
Toppings/Extras: Gummy Bunnies (500themes; "There will always be a monster.")
Word Count: 827
Rating: PG+
Summary: Staying behind to fight may not be the smartest thing Aarni has ever done. However, right now, he doesn't feel he has a choice. He has something to protect, after all. Getting Otso to agree is another thing entirely.
Hearing the approaching beast, Aarni cursed, pausing to take in a full picture of the situation. It was more or less a worst case scenario no matter how he looked at it. A hungry beast at their heels, check. A more or less non-combatant to look after, check. Trees growing too close together for him to be very effective if he changed form, check. No idea when they were going to make it out of the woods, check.
Damn it. This was definitely the last time he agreed to come along as a body guard when the panda boy needed ingredients. At this rate he could collect dragon blood as well, except he couldn't since they'd both be slaughtered.
"Come on." Otso tugged at his arm, looking grim. "We need to get away."
"It's no use just running without a goal," Aarni sighed. "It's faster than us, it'll catch us before we make it out of the woods."
"It's our only hope, though," Otso pointed out. "You said yourself this is a bad place to fight."
"Yeah, well, when the only hope isn't much hope at all, it kind of loses its appeal anyway." Shaking his head, he tried to think fast. "Aren't there any clearings around you could lead us to? Big enough for me to stretch my wings?"
"Ah, let me check." Otso looked a bit absent for a moment, then snapped back to focus. "There's one, but it's still a little ways away. Closer than the edge of the woods, though."
"Close enough that we'll make it there before it catches up with us?"
"If we run, maybe."
Time for quick decisions, indeed. "Great. Now, show me the way there," he said, turning to run away from the beast. It was tricky, meandering through the mass of trees, but it sure beat the alternative of standing still and perhaps sprinkling some salt and pepper on themselves. After all, if they were going to make themselves an easy meal for a monster, they could just as well go the whole way.
Though the sounds of the monster forcing its way through the woods got closer, they did indeed reach the clearing before it reached them. Aarni breathed a sigh of relief as the foliage gave way to a patch of open sky. The moon and stars overhead didn't cast much light, but that was quite all right. Shadows were the best for him.
"Okay. Now listen closely," he said, turning to face the direction the noise was coming from. "I'm going to shift and take it down. You continue running and make damn sure you won't twist your ankle or something stupid like that."
"I can't do that!" Otso exclaimed. "You'll be lost in here! It's not like you have any idea how to get out."
"If you stay nearby, that's one more thing I have to look out for during a fight," Aarni snarled. His hands had started shifting, hard jet-back scales slowly creeping up his arms even as his fingers stretched out in vicious claws. The monster was getting closer. "Just get out. It'll be much easier if I don't have to watch out for anyone but myself." He wasn't even sure he was capable of considering others while he was fighting, and he quite preferred the potion maker in one piece.
"Ah, right." Otso nodded slowly. "And what then? You won't find your way out without me."
"Then you go over to my house, explain the situation to my parents, and show them the way back here," Aarni replied. "By then the battle should be over, one way or another." Preferably with him alive, but hey, he wasn't a fortune teller.
"Are you sure about this?" Did he think he was shifting for fun?
"Just get out of here," he growled. The sounds were growing much closer than he liked.
"Fine." Otso still sounded quite reluctant.
"Oh, and Panda?" It was a strange thought, an insane thought in fact, but now that it was in his mind he couldn't brush it away.
"Yeah?"
"If I live through this, what do you say our next date is somewhere with less mosquitoes and monsters?"
It took Otso a second or two to fully grasp his meaning. Then, however, he heard a soft chuckle behind him. "You name the place."
"Great. Now scram. I'm not exactly twisted enough to date a mutilated corpse."
He heard Otso running off again just as his wings popped out, drawing a slightly pained hiss from him. A moment later the beast appeared at the edge of the woods, looking at him with hungry eyes.
"Bad news, ugly," Aarni hissed with the deep, dark tones of a dragon. "I think I just got promised a date, so I have every reason to live through the damn night."
Then they both attacked, and all thought left his mind in a loud, blood-thirsty roar that echoed through the forest.
Author: Lumelle
Title: Eat Or Be Eaten
'Verse: Dragons
Challenge: Dragon Fruit #4: You think there will be no one to stop you.
Toppings/Extras: Gummy Bunnies (500themes; "Close your eyes")
Word Count: 1021
Rating: PG
Summary: Adrian is not very happy about having to patch Aarni up, or about his attitude about the fight. Fortunately, Aarni manages to distract hir with other matters.
"Do you have any kind of excuse for this?"
"I could say I do, but I doubt you'd listen to me anyway." Aarni winced as Adrian spread a blueish lotion over a scratch on his arm. "Oi, that hurts!"
"It hurts less than having your arm fall off." So very merciless. "Now stop being such a smart ass. What exactly possessed you to take on a lynx beast all by yourself?"
"Uh, necessity?" Another wince. He was certain Adrian had chosen the most stinging lotion on purpose. "We tried running off but it didn't work, so I decided to send the civilian off."
"Technically, you are a civilian, too." Adrian frowned as ze examined another wound. "It never crossed your mind to, oh, I don't know, take flight once you reached the clearing?"
"You know as well as I do that flying over the forest gives you no chance of exit," Aarni pointed out. "All I could have done would have been to bide for time, waiting for dawn and hoping it's no good in the daylight. And if I had done that, I would have had to come down eventually for us to get out. Considering that it's just as vicious in daylight, we'd have been stalked by the beast again, but this time with me exhausted and weak. I'd say I made the best decision given the circumstances."
"I hate it when you make sense." Adrian snorted. "Good thing it's quite a rare occurrence."
"Yeah, yeah." He winced again. "How much longer until you get done? That damn well hurts!"
"You've earned it for worrying us." So it was on purpose. Figured. "You're damn well lucky you came out on top in that fight. Minttu suspects it might have something to do with the disappearance of a couple of witches earlier this year."
"So you should be thanking me for getting rid of it instead of lecturing me."
"Oh, I'm going to lecture you until you're bloody well sick of it." Adrian rolled hir eyes. "Why did you go to the forest, anyway? And at night, no less? It's not like you don't know it's dangerous."
"Panda needed some ingredient for a potion of his. It had to be gathered under moonlight, and the forest is the only place nearby where it grows. But since he's only good at fighting humans, he needed someone to look after him. Especially because the forest is so dangerous." Really. They hadn't been ignoring the danger, they had been well aware of it.
"Still doesn't explain how he managed to rope you into this." Adrian eyed his arm critically, then reached for the bandages. Yay. No more stinging until ze moved on to the next part.
"He asked," Aarni replied, feeling a bit sulky. "Nicely."
"And since when has that worked on you?" Adrian raised hir eyebrows. "Asking nicely doesn't get you to pick up a dirty t-shirt from the floor, but instead you'll go and risk your life so the potion kid can pick up some plant?"
"Yeah, well, when the other option is getting him killed by some stupid monster, I'll take the reputation hit."
Now, Adrian paused, looking up from the wounds ze was bandaging. "Wait. That's the reason?" Hir voice was rather disbelieving.
"Thanks for thinking I would never risk myself for a friend."
"You're not as bad as you want to present yourself as, no, but you rarely go out of your way to put yourself in danger." Adrian shook hir head. "I'm sure it would have been less troublesome for you to convince him to go somewhere safer."
"Obviously you have no idea how stubborn he can be." Aarni shrugged. "And hey, it did get me a date."
"It got you what?"
"A date. You know. That thing where two people go out because they like each other? That thing."
"You have never been on a date before. Besides, I thought you liked Riku." Why did that almost sound like accusation?
"It was something of a spur of the moment thing." Aarni snorted. "Yeah, well, obviously I don't like him quite badly enough to try to steal him from my brother. I gave up on that front years ago. Just because I'm still fond of him doesn't mean I'm going to be pining after him for the rest of my life."
"So you go for the potion boy instead." Adrian continued bandaging now. "Well, good luck with that."
Aarni watched quietly as Adrian moved on to the other arm, trying to hold back his winces at the sting. The bite marks reminded him of something, though. "Hey, Adrian? What'd they do with the beast's body?"
"Why do you ask?" Why the suspicious tone?
"I got a bite or two of it during the fight." Or three. "Just thought it was quite nice."
"So you're suggesting that we eat it."
"Well, it would be an awful waste. Besides, I'm starving. Switching is hard work." Adrian didn't move hir eyes from the wounds. "Come on. I think I've earned a little treat."
"And what exactly makes you think that eating your opponent would be in any way appropriate?"
"Hey, it tried to eat me! Besides, it's not like it's sentient," Aarni whined. "You're married to a vampire and now you're complaining about my wanting to eat my prey? To the winner go the spoils and what not."
At last, Adrian's lips turned into a smirk, though ze still didn't look Aarni in the eye. "Calm down, kid. Raymond already took it to the butcher to be cut up properly. And yes, Otso's coming over for dinner too. Apparently he was quite insistent on getting to bite at the thing that hurt you."
"Great." Aarni managed a grin. "I'm starving."
"However, before you get to eat a single bite, you need to be patched up and get proper sleep." There was something akin to glee in Adrian's tone as ze announced this. "So now sit still and let me put you back together."
Sighing, Aarni closed his eyes. This was not fair in any way.
Besides, it still stung.
Author: Lumelle
Title: Tears in the Shadows
'Verse: Dragons
Challenge: Dragon Fruit #16: Did I bring this on myself?
Toppings/Extras: Gummy Bunnies (500themes; "Tragic moment.")
Word Count:
Rating: PG-13 (for language)
Summary: Aarni is certain he has driven Otso away by his aversion to intimacy. Raymond tries to reassure him, but in the end it's only Otso who can fix things.
There was no word, no greeting as Aarni returned. Just the sound of a door slamming shut and quick steps hurrying through the house. Raymond and Adrian exchanged gazes.
"It's far too early for him to be back yet." Adrian glanced at the clock on the wall. "And far too angry."
Raymond sighed, shaking his head. "I'll go see him." Taking off his glasses, he set them and his book aside and got up. "Would you get us something to drink?"
"I was thinking of preparing some mulled wine tonight. Would that be good?"
Smiling, Raymond stepped over to lean down and give Adrian a soft kiss. "Perfect, darling."
The door to Aarni's room was closed, not that he had expected anything else. Standing before it, Raymond raised his hand to knock, then waited. He got no response. After another moment, he tried again.
The voice was faint, barely enough for him to hear even with his vampire ears. "Go away."
"Not until you tell me what's wrong." He leaned against the door frame. "I don't care how old you are or how much of an adult you wish to think you are, as long as you live under my roof, I expect to be aware of anything that might lead to a big, nasty dragon on a raging rampage in my house."
"It's nothing that you can help." Aarni's voice was almost sad. This worried Raymond more than anything. His hotheaded pup never allowed himself to be brought to sadness. "Nothing anyone can do."
"Why don't you let me judge that for myself?" Raymond glanced at the door. Still closed. "I quite doubt it's anything I haven't faced in my time."
"It is. I know it is."
"All the more reason to tell me. You know I'm always curious for new things." He was met with silence. "Aarni? May I come in?"
"As though I could stop you."
The room was dark, the lights off, not that it burdened him much. Aarni was curled up in an armchair, slim arms hugging his knees. His white hair was like a bright light in the darkness to Raymond's sensitive eyes, face pale and strained even in the shadows.
"Deep realms, pup, you look terrible." Raymond sighed, closing the door behind him. "What happened?"
"Why do you think anything happened?" Now that he heard it better, he noticed Aarni's voice was harsh. If he hadn't known better, he might have concluded the boy had been crying.
"Because we did not expect you back for quite a while, perhaps? Or because something has upset you so badly, you have closed yourself off and smell of tears?" As much as his mind fought against the conclusion, his nose couldn't lie to him.
"I fucked up." Aarni hid his face, now. "I fucked everything up and I can't fix it and it's probably for the better anyway."
"With Otso?" There was no response beyond a soft tremble of his shoulders, which told just about everything Raymond needed to know anyway. "What'd you do?" He knew his son. Knew that for all his harsh ways and loud talk, he would never hurt someone he cared about, and he wasn't sure he had ever seen anyone be as dear to Aarni as Otso was.
"Does it matter?" Aarni's voice was muffled by his knees. "He probably hates me, now."
"Your darling bear likes you too much to hate you so easily, pup." Raymond walked closer, but not too close. "Tell me, Aarni. I can't help you unless I know what's wrong."
Aarni was quiet so long, Raymond almost asked him again. Finally, he spoke up. "I ran."
"Ran?" Okay, colour him confused. "From what? Why?"
"I ran from him. Couldn't stand to be near him." Aarni lifted his head, the smell of tears even more evident now. "I thought I could do it. Thought I could bear it for his sake, to make him happy. But I can't. I can't allow others in my personal space, not even him. And since I can't hurt him like I might someone else, I ran."
"Shh… it's all right, pup." Raymond crouched, reaching a hand to place it on Aarni's shoulder. He only let it linger for a second, then drew it back; he knew all too well that the only time Aarni allowed prolonged contact was when he was getting patched up from yet another fight. "It's all right, I'll make it all right, I promise. What'd he do?" The potion maker he knew would never do anything untoward enough to send someone as brazen as Aarni into such deep anguish. Yet the proof of his son's agony was clear.
"Nothing terrible. Nothing unusual. Nothing one would not expect to do after several dates. Hell, it was less than that." Aarni shook his head. "I… he held my hand before, and even though it made me uneasy, I could bear it. But now he tried draw me close, to hold me, and I turned tail and ran."
"Oh, Aarni." Raymond sighed. "It's all right, I promise. I'm sure Otso doesn't hate you. He'll understand if you just explain it to him."
"What use is it anyway?" Aarni's tone was flat. "I can't be what he wants, what he needs. Chances are I'll never be able to give him that."
"You care for him, though." Raymond held his son's dark eyes. "That you would react like this is clearer proof than anything."
"Yes, I do. I do care for him. He's sweet and strong and interesting and I wish I could have him by my side. I… I imagined I might care enough for him, like you do for Adrian. But I can't. There's just no way."
"Don't yet dive in the darkness, pup." Raymond was the one who shook his head, now. "There are many kinds of bonds between people. Perhaps you yearn for his friendship so much, you mistook it for love because you have never felt such a thing before. Or perhaps you do love him, who knows. At least it seems clear to me you desire companionship with him."
"Easy for you to say." Aarni closed his eyes, tears still streaking down his cheeks. "You can at least hold Adrian, touch hir, kiss hir to show how you feel. I can't. I can't put it into words or actions. He wanted to have me close and I pushed him aside and fled from him."
"So this is what you propose to do? Shut the lights and hide in your room until it all goes away?"
"All I want is to stay away from him." Aarni's arms tightened around his arms. "Go somewhere far away, where I can't hurt him any more. Can't mislead him again. High time I move out anyway, all the better to save him from me."
"Oh, pup." Raymond stood up again with a sigh. "If you wish to stretch your wings again, you know neither I nor Adrian will stop you. It's your choice where you dwell, as it has been for years. As long as you remember you can always return here."
"But I can't return. Not as long as it hurts like this."
"Which is why, even though I will not stop you, I will give you some solemn advice." Raymond reached out to touch Aarni's soft hair. "Don't leave with this between the two of you. Clear things out with Otso. Don't you think he deserves a say in this, too?"
"He wants what I can't give." Aarni's voice was almost inaudible again. "It's better for him to be free of me."
"And why exactly do you presume you know what I want?"
Aarni's eyes snapped up, staring at the source of the voice. Raymond was only a tad slower to turn, seeing Otso standing in the doorway, Adrian behind him.
"You," Aarni whispered, and seemed to shrink into himself.
"Yes. Me." Otso crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Aarni with admirable calmness, though from the look in his eyes Raymond could tell it was not all he felt. "If you meant to hide, coming back home was a damn stupid thing considering I know your address."
"Go away." Aarni lowered his head. "Just go away."
"Not before you tell me what I did wrong." Otso stepped further into the room. "I hurt you and I don't know how or why. At least give me a chance to mend my ways before you give up on me."
"You think you are in the wrong?" The disbelief was clear in Aarni's tone.
"Well, obviously, or you would not have run away." Another step closer, and then Otso came to a halt, far enough that there was no chance of either touching the other even if they reached out. Good boy. He learnt fast. "Tell me, Aarni. Let me make it up to you."
"It's no fault with you," Aarni murmured. "I'm the one who's all wrong, and I don't think I can change much."
"Then tell me, please." A sincere request. "Teach me."
"You should just go away." Raymond spied another tremble of the narrow shoulders.
"Well, tough luck, because I'm probably the only one you've met still who's even more pig-headed than you are." Otso shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere. Not unless you can look me in the eye and tell me without a shred of doubt that you don't want me around anymore."
Slowly, so very slowly, Aarni lifted his head, turning his dark eyes to meet Otso's. Otso stood his ground, silent and still in the shadows. He could not have seen much in the little sliver of light that entered through the parted door, yet his eyes were steady on Aarni's. Waiting.
"If that's what it takes to make you happy," Aarni said, slowly, "then no, I will not want to see you anywhere near me anymore."
"And if doing that would make me unhappier than ever?"
"In that case," a soft shake of the snowy-white mop he called hair, "you must be even more of an idiot than I ever gave you credit for."
With a faint smile, Raymond withdrew form the scene, padding his way to the doorway. Adrian glanced at the young, then at him, the question clear in hir eyes. Raymond allowed himself a small smile. The kids were stubborn enough to find a way through this.
With a small shrug and another smile, he settled an arm on Adrian's waist, leading hir away. Right now it would be for the best for them to be out of the way. His ears picked out the faint sound of speaking as they descended the stairs, though not the exact words.
As he ventured back upstairs an hour later to call the kids down for a warm drink, he found the door still ajar, the lights still out. Peeking inside, he saw Aarni still curled up in the chair, with Otso on the floor next to it, leaning against the side of the chair. Though they were close, neither made a move toward the other.
As though sensing his presence, Otso glanced up, then shook his head minutely. Glancing at Aarni, Raymond realised the poor pup had more or less cried himself to sleep. As he mouthed a question at Otso, the only response he found was another shake of the head. No, Otso would stay here and guard Aarni's sleep.
Well. The mulled wine could wait another while.
Author: Lumelle
Title: Christmas UnEventful
'Verse: Dragons
Challenge: Dragon Fruit #15: at the end of the day we are alone.
Toppings/Extras: Gummy Bunnies (500themes; "Waking slumber.")
Word Count: 990
Rating: G
Summary: Otso is waken up on Christmas Eve by Adrian. He then has to explain to hir just why he's staying over.
The scent of hot chocolate reached Otso's brain just moments before he heard the soft tone calling his name. "Time to wake up."
He managed a grunt that might have somehow passed for an answer, Forcing his eyes open. Blinking, he found a steaming cup right above his face.
Carefully moving past the cup, he sat up, then reached his hands to take it. Adrian offered it to him with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "A rough night?"
Otso yawned, glancing around. "Worse than I remember if I managed to end up on the couch. I could have sworn I went to bed at least."
"You did, far as I'm aware," Adrian chuckled. "You stumbled into the kitchen in the morning, mumbled something unintelligible, and ended up in the living room. I don't think you were entirely awake."
"Ah." He managed a sheepish grin. "Guess I should apologise. I'm not on my best in the mornings."
"Few of us are." Adrian shrugged, sitting down at the other end of the couch with hir own cup. "Raymond dragged Aarni off to deliver some Christmas cards and presents, in case you're wondering. They should be back soon, though. It's almost noon."
"Aarni doing a decent thing? I bet he'll have hives by the time they get back." Otso's lips twitched. He loved the guy, but he wasn't foolish enough to think that Aarni was a friendly person.
"Yes, well, his options were that or stay behind on porridge duty, so he volunteered me to stay." Adrian shrugged. "He might have stayed if you had been awake, but any attempts to wake you before this were in vain."
Otso gave hir a sheepish chuckle. "Should I apologise to him?"
"God no. It's about time the little grump sticks his nose out of the door for something else than a cigarette."
"Too true." Otso shook his head, though he was smiling. "Let's just hope he isn't too annoyed when he gets back."
"Oh, he'll settle down." Adrian paused. "I think he'll want to take you to the graveyard later."
"Graveyard?" Otso blinked. He got the feeling he should have realised something here, but his head was still half asleep.
"His father is in this town." Adrian turned serious for a moment. "He said something about how he wants you to meet his father, and the one in grave is better company than the one in jail. And since Christmas is a traditional time to visit graves, he wants to get it out of the way."
"Right." Otso nodded. He hadn't been exactly prepared for this, but then he had been vaguely aware it would come up sooner or later. "I suppose it would be best to go after lunch."
"Probably, yes. Oh, and Tuisku asked if you wouldn't mind playing Santa at their place. She thinks Nina might be less likely to recognise you than one of the other boys."
Otso gave hir a flat look. "Isn't Nina in middle school?"
"Try telling that to her mother." Adrian rolled hir eyes before giving Otso an almost sly gaze. "So. Why are you here, anyway? Not to say it is entirely unpleasant, it is quite refreshing to have a young man with actual manners in the house, but Aarni has been quite elusive." Because Adrian was such a shining paragon of model behaviour hirself. "Has there been some relationship upgrade we are not aware of, or do you have some other reason to stay here for Christmas rather than go to your hometown?"
"Far as I know, our relationship is the same as ever." Otso took a careful sip of his hot chocolate. It was nice and hot and sweet. "It's Ansa's relationship that's the key."
"Your friend's?" Adrian looked curious. "What does she have to do with this?"
Otso sighed. "My father announced a couple of years ago that if I wanted to follow in my grandmother's footsteps, fine with him, but I'd better not darken his doorway again," he murmured. "I've spent my breaks with Ansa's family since then. She and Elina are spending half of the break with Elina's parents this year, though. I know her parents would love to have me over anyway, but it would be kind of awkward."
"So you asked Aarni if you could stay with us instead?"
"Oh, no." Otso shook his head. "I probably would have headed over to Ansa's family anyway, but when I mentioned the matter, Aarni invited me over."
"Really?" Adrian's eyebrows shot up high. "Wow. The kid must like you for real after all."
"So I've been led to believe, yes." Otso's lips twitched before he frowned. Something didn't smell right. "Weren't you supposed to be keeping an eye on the rice porridge?"
"Oh, right!" Adrian blinked, then was on hir feet in an instant. "Hey, what do you say we play a round of Trivial Pursuit after the two of you get back from the zombie date? Let's rope Raymond and Aarni in, too. It's been far too long since either of them tasted defeat."
"You must be kidding," Otso snorted. "Raymond knows everything that happened within the last two hundred years and Aarni has read all the cards just so he can cheat." One time of playing with the two was quite enough for him, thanks. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.
"Oh, I'm well aware." Adrian smirked over hir shoulder. "Which is why I bought a new edition. Let's see Aarni cheat when he has never seen the cards before."
Otso chuckled. "And what about Raymond?"
"The theme of this edition? Pop culture." Adrian's smirk was almost cruel, now. "Let's team up and make them both weep in pain. I even set aside some chocolate for a prize."
Otso found himself returning the expression. "You're on."
A partly melted marshmallow slipped into his mouth as he took a sip. It tasted of winter and sweet, sweet revenge.