Sorcerer Hunters Fan Fiction ❯ Perpetual Thoughts ❯ Bonds Of Deception ( Chapter 14 )

"Mmm... what about this one?"

 

"Oh, that's very nice! It suits you really well! Turn around... yeah, that's really nice! Oh, I think you should get that one..."

 

"You really think so?"

 

"I do, I do! Man, I really gotta find a dress that looks as nice on me as that one does on you, Tira. Don't you think, darling?"

 

"Mmh."

 

"Darling, what was I even just saying!?"

 

Carrot looked up from where he'd been looking out of the window of the current clothes shop that he and Tira and Chocolat were in. He looked at Chocolat with an impatient stare, then noticed that Tira had changed into yet another dress. This one was long and white and the skirt seemed to ruffle... it cut off just above the chest, and straps held it over the shoulders. It was a pretty dress and Tira did look quite good in it; Carrot tried to look interested and managed a smile.

 

"Oh, very nice, Tira. You should get that one."

 

Tira blushed slightly, "Oh, you like it? Yes, I should get this one, then... please wait for me, I'll try not to be too long!"

 

Chocolat sat down next to Carrot on the bench next to the dressing rooms as Tira dashed off to change back into her original clothes and pay for the dress. Opposite to Tira's enthusiasm, Chocolat let out a growl.

 

"Darling, you weren't listening at all! Jeez... seeing pretty ladies like me trying on nice new dresses, you should feel honoured to come clothes shopping with us!"

 

"Hey, I never asked to come clothes shopping!"

 

It was true. At Carrot's feet were a few bags of groceries and catfood, the latter the primary reason for Carrot's trip down to Facade in the first place. It had been a nice, sunny day... no missions, nothing to do... Marron had been trying to meditate, but Carrot had been bored, so had decided to go and visit Marron and that kitten of his.

 

Carrot had been surprised, at first, to find out that Marron was keeping a kitten. It didn't seem the kind of thing that Marron would do, but things made a little more sense when he was told that Milphey had given the kitten to Marron. Seemed at least something that Milphey would do. Along from that, if Marron had been given a kitten, he could only look after it, couldn't he? While he didn't seem the kind to look after an animal as such, Marron was far from heartless, and was also not the kind to leave an animal outside to decline and die, especially if the animal had been entrusted to his care in the first place.

 

Mi-chan and Carrot had bonded a lot more quickly than Mi-chan and Marron had; Marron was content to sit and meditate while the kitten lounged around the room and pounced on sunbeams, but Carrot proved to be a far more suitable distraction, to both the meditation and the kitten. Carrot would dangle bits of cloth for Mi-chan to bat at, pull them along the floor for him to stalk... eventually, Marron agreed to Mi-chan being allowed into the bedroom, at Carrot's request. He didn't know whether to be somewhat put out that the kitten chose to sleep on Carrot's bed when it was supposed to be his kitten in the first place, but supposed that, given the amount of attention Carrot lavished on Mi-chan, that couldn't be helped. Carrot was far more the type to appreciate an animal, at any rate.

 

So, more often than not, it fell to Carrot's shoulders to buy the catfood, find toys, all of those sorts of things. Marron didn't mind if Carrot was going to offer, it just gave him more time to meditate and study magic, his two usual activities. He knew that Milphey had given him the kitten in order for him to look after it and take care of it, but... well. It could be his and Carrot's pet. Marron couldn't help it if the animal preferred his brother, after all.

 

On that morning, Carrot had been about to refill the food dish that he kept at the side of the door to his bedroom for Mi-chan, only to realise that the food supply had run out. There was no other solution - he had to go out and buy some more. Well, it was a nice day, Big Mama hadn't said anything about a mission, so Carrot supposed it was alright! Marron was already meditating by then, so when Chocolat and Tira had said that they wanted to go clothes shopping down in the city too, Carrot didn't have any excuse not to go with them. He could buy catfood, Tira and Chocolat could shop for clothes. Everybody got what they wanted.

 

However, unfortunately, this meant that Carrot ended up dragged around the many stores and boutiques of Facade. He'd never been a one for clothes shopping, and had eternally remained unable to understand how Tira and Chocolat could spend an entire afternoon seeming as if they were trying to try on every damned dress in the shop. Three times. Each.

 

This time seemed to be no exception, and so he was left to stare out of the window feeling as if his brain was going to melt out of his ears to the tune of Tira and Chocolat squealing about how wonderful they looked in each of the millions of dresses they seemed to want to try on. Why couldn't they just see a dress they wanted, try it on to see if it fitted, and buy the damn thing? What was it about clothes shopping that took hours to do?!

 

Outside was one of the town squares that seemed to litter Facade. The large open area with a fountain in the middle, the shops and buildings forming the shape around that fountain... it was a busy day. So far fifteen people had walked past wearing red shirts, Carrot had noticed. He sighed. That was certainly a sign of boredom, when you were counting something so menial. There went another. And another. Then someone wearing a shirt that had patches of both blue and red. Did that count? Carrot's brain felt too numbed to care. What number had he been on? He sighed again, louder. He'd lost count. Where had all the pretty women gone?

 

Probably retreated to Euran Island.

 

Silently, Carrot chided himself; this was not the time or the place to be thinking of the things that had happened during that mission. It'd been at least a week, if not longer, since that whole strange mission had taken place... however, despite the time spent back at Facade, back in Eden, Carrot still couldn't help but feel that part of him remained on Euran Island...

 

It didn't take much thought to think which part, either.

 

Alright, so it hadn't been sex sex, but it had still all been a kind of sexual experience...! He'd had enough orgasms on that day that he hadn't had the will to jerk off for a couple of days after that, and to Carrot, that was quite a monumentous occurrence. Well, he had had the will, but when it came to the physical, his body tended to disagree with him and the constant stimulation of that time had started to hurt just a little, so Carrot had sadly decided that he should leave it for a few days and let his body get back to normal.

 

Still... even if all those girls had actually been demons at the time, or whatever... that didn't matter, because Carrot had barely been aware of the existence of demons on the island at all, until Marron had turned up... Carrot couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that Marron had chosen that time to turn up, still. Of course, if it hadn't been for Marron Carrot knew he would have probably discovered himself being eaten before the night was out, but... apart from the whole demonic eating... thing, that night had been so... so wonderful!

 

Carrot still stared out of the window, not really looking at anything outside anymore. He remembered when he'd been pissed off at Marron for doing sexual things with Gateau, how it seemed just a little wrong that Marron was younger than him but had a more active sexual lifestyle... he'd been angry at the time and it had made him even more confused to see Marron and Gateau kiss, but... he didn't have to worry about that anymore, Marron and Gateau seemed firmly apart, now. That, and Carrot may have spied on Marron and Gateau while they kissed, but... Marron walked right in on Carrot getting oral sex from some ladies! So they were even. Sort of. Carrot wrinkled his nose, maybe it wasn't something you could really compare.

 

Marron had been pretty angry, though...

 

Well, that was only because Carrot had run off stupidly for a stupid reason and got himself into a stupid situation. Carrot tapped his fingers against the wooden back of the chair he leant against; there wouldn't be any other reason for Marron to be so angry... there had been those weird suspicions that even Gateau and Milphey hadn't disagreed with, wondering if perhaps Marron... felt... anything for Carrot, but... now that Carrot looked back on things, he felt less inclined to seriously wonder on that point. Odd that both Milphey and Gateau didn't seem to be arguing, but... Marron just wasn't the kind of person to show much for anybody, really. He'd been in the thing with Gateau, he wasn't in that anymore, that was that, really. Carrot sighed once more, louder. Marron was such a weird person...

 

Chocolat still sat next to Carrot, keeping an eye on him as he fidgeted, shuffled and tapped on his seat. All she was able to judge from Carrot's thoughts was from his repetitive sighs, obviously a sign of displeasure on his part... how could he act like that on such a nice day?

 

"Darling, do you have to keep sighing in that annoying way!?"

 

"I'm bored..."

 

"You could at least pretend to be interested! Okay, if you're so bored, let's go do something you want to do, next. And not chase girls, because I'm not interested in that kind of thing and Tira certainly isn't either. Are there any shops you want to go to?"

 

Carrot shifted over on his seat, moving from where he'd been staring out of the glass windowpane to sitting on the seat as one was supposed to. He looked across the shop to the shopkeeper's desk... Tira was fifth in the queue. It seemed as if the person who was first in the queue was having a disagreement with the shopkeeper. It seemed as if they could be waiting there for quite some time.

 

"I dunno, figured I should just head back once I got the catfood. Can't let that cat starve, after all."

 

Her mood lifting, Chocolat giggled softly, "I think it's sweet how you're taking care of Mi-chan! Does Marron mind? I thought he said that it belonged to him..."

 

"Well, you know how he is. He'll sit and pet Mi-chan if Mi-chan wants to stay still, but he never plays with him, you know? When you have an animal like that you should have fun playing with it! So, I do that instead."

 

Chocolat laughed, "I see. I can't really picture Marron acting so playfully, even with an animal... though, is there really nowhere else you want to go? We can go anywhere you want...!"

 

"Can't really think of anywhere..."

 

However, just as Carrot spoke, his stomach gave an elongated growl; he glanced down at his stomach, then looked to Chocolat, who was smiling.

 

"Seems darling's tummy answered that one for him. Let's go and buy some lunch or something, hm? I'm sure it won't matter if you take a while getting back... there's no rush, is there?"

 

"Sure, I guess so. Mmmn... where should we go..."

 

"Depends what you want to eat, really. We could go and buy some cake, perhaps... or some biscuits, and take them somewhere else and eat them... or we could go to one of the cafés, and eat inside... it's a choice between hot food and cold food I suppose."

 

Carrot shook his head, "It's too warm for anything hot..."

 

"Mmm, I know what you mean... something we can take outside, then?"

 

"Yeah, sounds good to me. We can have a look around once we get outside, can't we? Walk around a bit, see what places there are, what they have..."

 

Chocolat smiled and stretched, "Yeah! Mmm, I love days like this. It's so warm and nice, and we could do anything if we wanted to... it's so nice to come out to the town and... well, buy things! Even you should be able to admit that it's a nice day, darling... maybe you should get a pet yourself! Something you can take for walks, like a dog, or something... ah, has Tira finished?"

 

Looking back over to the desk at the front of the shop, Tira had indeed managed to get to the front of the queue; holding the dress she'd bought in a bag, she walked back over to Carrot and Chocolat with a happy smile.

 

"Thank you for waiting for me! Oneesama, did you want to buy anything, or...?"

 

Chocolat shook her head, "There wasn't really anything I saw I really liked on me, so... no, we're ready to go if you are. Darling was hungry, so I was thinking we should go and get something to eat. I'm a bit hungry too, really..."

 

Tira nodded, "I think it is getting close to lunchtime, anyway... mm, I'd like to get some food as well!"

 

"So that's decided... let's go, then!"

 

The shop's doorbell jingled as the three of them left the shop; it was nice to be back outside again. Carrot had been watching for the past little while, but it was different to watch and actually be outside... there was something invigorating about the sun, about the blue cloudless sky... people were hustling and bustling around with their own shopping and their own daily activities, it really was just a nice day.

 

Walking down the street, Chocolat glanced back and forth from one side of the street to the other, looking for somewhere that sold food that they could go to. Facade had a generous supply of cafés and bakeries and other such shops, but nothing seemed to have caught Carrot's eye just yet... of course, that depended on whether Carrot was paying attention or just walking without noticing things - when it came to Carrot, he could easily be doing either. Not discouraged, Chocolat still kept her vigil. Somewhere where they could take food away...

 

"Oh!"

 

Chocolat looked up at Tira's exclamation; had Tira found somewhere that would be appropriate?

 

"Tira, what is it?"

 

Tira had stopped walking, looking up at the building they were currently standing in front of.

 

"Ah... would it be alright if we went in here, first?"

 

Chocolat looked at the shop; it seemed to be a bookshop, the glass panes of the windows displaying the multitude of books on the inside... several books were on display in the window, and one of them seemed to have caught Tira's eye. Chocolat looked from the shop to Carrot, "Darling, is it okay?"

 

"Huh? Oh, uh... yeah, I guess?"

 

"Thank you, Carrot!"

 

Tira lost no time, quickly stepping into the shop. Chocolat smiled at Tira's enthusiasm, and followed her inside, Carrot slightly behind her.

 

The bookstore, on the inside, seemed very dark; it took Chocolat a few moments of standing at the doorway to even be able to see anything beyond the glare of the sunlight through the windows, but eventually she could see Tira standing at one of the tall bookshelves, holding a large book and thumbing through it eagerly. Idly curious, Chocolat approached Tira and stood beside her.

 

"You were all excited, all of a sudden... what book's that?"

 

"Hm? Ah! Here!"

 

Tira offered the book to Chocolat, who accepted it. She looked at the front cover, then flipped over to the back of the book, reading over the white lettering on the reverse side.

 

"'Angelfish', 'A sweeping love story of passion and social standing'... ahaaa, so it's a soppy one, is it?"

 

Taking the book back, Tira mock-glared at Chocolat, "Oneesama, it's not just soppy... I heard about it from Eclair-chan, actually. Apparently it's really good, so... I wanted to buy it. Eclair-chan enjoyed it, anyway. A Sorcerer falls in love with a Parsoner..."

 

"There are millions of books like that, Tira."

 

"Yes, well... this one was written by a Sorcerer! Apparently the family of the Sorcerer didn't like him writing it, and you can't buy it anymore in their region of the Continent..."

 

"Hmm, whatever happened to free speech, eh? Well, if you want to get it, get it quickly, I'm sure darling is getting hungrier by the minute. I'll wait near the door for you, okay?"

 

"Mmm!"

 

Tira padded off to pay for the book, still flipping through it as she did so. Chocolat walked back over to the front of the shop, keeping an eye out for Carrot. She found him behind one of the middle bookshelves, looking up with a vague admiration at the sheer amount of books in the tall bookshelf. Chocolat smiled and prodded him on the shoulder, making Carrot jump slightly.

 

"Ah! Oh, Chocolat, s'you. You scared me!"

 

"Ahaha, sorry, darling. Tira's just buying her book."

 

"Oh... uh... is it a good book?"

 

"Probably not the sort that darling's interested in! It's a love story. Actually," Chocolat dropped her voice to a whisper, "I heard about that book too... it made waves for being between a Sorcerer and a Parsoner from a Sorcerer's point of view, but I heard that in the end the Parsoner woman goes off with a Parsoner guy... I was thinking of reading the book but I got put off when I heard that, I thought it was a bit of a cop-out ending... but, don't tell Tira about that, I'm sure she wants to read the book without knowing what happens in the end!"

 

"Ah... yea... jeez, though. I mean... all these books! I bet even Marron doesn't have as many books as this..."

 

"I don't know, he has a lot of books!"

 

"Yeah... still... all these books! And they're all so thick, too! I don't get how someone can sit down and read a huge book like, I don't know, this one here, or - man, lookit this one here! It's... it's... look, it's seven hundred pages! How can someone read something that's seven hundred pages long?! I always tend to lose interest by page ten or whatever... if I was gonna read a book like this, I'd have forgotten what happened in the beginning by the time I got to the end!"

 

Chocolat nodded and ran a finger over the tops of the books on the bookshelf in front of her, it seemed as though she was looking for something in particular.

 

"Oh, darling... you just need to find a book that's about something that interests you, that's all! People write books about all sorts of things. There are long books and short books and happy books and sad books... I'm sure there's something out there that even you would enjoy! Like... hmm... ah, here's one I've read!"

 

Taking the book from the shelf, Chocolat leant the book over one arm and flicked through the pages with her other hand. She quickly scanned from page to page, then seemed to find what it had been she'd been looking for. Smiling brightly, she handed the open book to Carrot, indicating a paragraph with one finger.

 

"Here! Read from this bit here, down to the bottom of the next page."

 

"Uh, okay... 'Away from the prying eyes of the party, they were alone, now. The barn was somewhere they wouldn't be disturbed, and it was quiet enough for the both of them. Not even an animal would interrupt them.

'My love,' Diamondia exclaimed!

'Please - say nothing...'

Diamondia flushed beneath the gaze of Araould's dark eyes, her hand working against the catch of her dress, letting it fall to the dusty floor. Standing there naked, she couldn't bring herself to look at him, but she knew that he watched her... her ample bosom hea-"

 

Chocolat threw her hand around Carrot's mouth, laughing loudly and nervously.

 

"Darling!! Don't read out loud like that in public...! Read it in your head!"

 

"Uh, okay..."

 

Silence for a few moments as Carrot's eyes scanned over the text, learning more of Diamondia and Araould's tryst in the barn away from the party. Quite an explicit tryst, as it turned out; Carrot's eyes widened as he read, Chocolat happily watched his reaction. Eventually Carrot seemed to have had enough, he slammed the book shut and handed it back to Chocolat, quickly pressing it against her chest in an effort to get rid of the shocking tome. Carrot seemed to be blushing, though Chocolat couldn't quite tell in the darkness of the shop. Blushing or not, he was definitely flustered.

 

"That, that, that-... that... that was... that was porn!"

 

"Ah-ah, it's classic literature, darling. There's a difference!"

 

"Like what?!"

 

"Well, I don't read porn so I wouldn't know. But, if you like books with that in then there are loads out there to choose from! I'm sure some would have even steamier scenes in, if you were going to look for that sort of thing..."

 

"Woah..."

 

"Ehehehe..."

 

At that point, Tira returned to her sister and Carrot, having purchased her book.

 

"What are we all looking at?"

 

Carrot quickly grabbed the book back from where Chocolat hadn't taken it from him and pushed it back onto the shelf; Chocolat just smiled, "I was just showing darling a book I read a while ago. Né, once you're done with that one you'll have to tell him if there are any sex scenes in it, I'm sure he'd enjoy them!"

 

"Oneesama, there's more to a book than it's sex scenes..."

 

"I'm just trying to get him into books a bit, that's all!"

 

"Honestly..."

 

Carrot followed after the Misu sisters, still feeling flustered as he followed them out of the shop. Obviously he probably seemed like even more of a pervert in Tira's eyes, but... he hadn't known that that had been what Chocolat was going to show him...! He'd never really looked at a book long enough to see if they'd ever had any scenes like that in them, but... that which Chocolat had said, some got even steamier...?

 

Carrot wondered if he should resist the urge to go book-hunting once they all returned to Eden. The prospect was vaguely attractive, but on the other hand, it did seem an awful lot of work, looking through loads of books just to find a little gratification. After all, most of the books in Eden seemed to belong to Marron, and most of those were his magic books, anyway. Tira and Chocolat probably kept books in their room, but Carrot didn't make an active habit of going into their room too often. Even if his motives were innocent, he knew he'd be accused for something.

 

Walking along the street, Carrot idly mused on the point a little longer. He assumed that most of Marron's books were magical tomes, at least... those were all he ever seemed to be looking at, but as far as that went, Carrot usually never really noticed...

 

Tira and Chocolat were chatting about something or other, Carrot wasn't really listening. Maybe there was somewhere else those two wanted to go, perhaps they'd go back to Eden... there had been the thought of getting something to eat, but Carrot wasn't sure if he could really be bothered. It was one of those lazy days... there was nice enough food back in Eden, anyway...

 

The thought of Marron keeping a secret collection of pornographic novels somewhere drifted across Carrot's mind. He grinned widely; that wasn't very likely. Was it?

 

All those books, Carrot never knew what Marron was reading... and he did always like to be alone while he 'studied' his 'magic'...

 

Carrot paused, then cut across Tira and Chocolat's conversation.

 

"Oh my god, what if Marron had porn!?"

 

In retrospect, Carrot wondered if he'd said that a bit loudly. Tira and Chocolat had stopped in their conversation and their walk, just staring at Carrot. Chocolat frowned. Tira blinked with wide eyes, then frowned also.

 

"Carrot... why... would Marron-chan keep... things... like that...?"

 

"Well, he's always studyin' magic and stuff but if it wasn't magic and it was actually porn, nobody would know, would they?! Cause like, I mean... who's ever actually looked at anything Marron's ever read!? It could be porn and we wouldn't know about it!"

 

Chocolat put her hands on her hips, "I don't think he's the sort to really keep such a collection, darling. If anybody was going to keep porn around here, it'd be you!"

 

"How do we know he's not the type?!"

 

A sigh, "It was probably a mistake to show you that book..."

 

Losing interest, Tira and Chocolat turned on their heels and carried on walking. Carrot sighed lightly himself, he hadn't quite meant to say that out loud, and it wasn't really something he could discuss with the girls, anyway.

 

Carrot heard Chocolat's voice in his direction, "... and don't go asking Marron if he keeps porn when we get back to Eden, either!"

 

"Hey, I wouldn't do something like that!!"

 

"I wouldn't put it past you..."

 

Honestly in his mind, the thought had occurred to perhaps do that. Just bring it up in the conversation, enquire as to just what books it was that Marron read, whether any of them had any... risqué content...

 

Though, Marron didn't like girls, did he? Perhaps he kept gay porn.

 

The mental image of before was replaced with a new one, and Carrot supposed he should let the subject go. Tira was right, Marron wasn't really the type... not really. Or at least, he didn't seem it. Though, even Chocolat seemed to have healthy knowledge of such things, did the Misu sisters really seem the type either...?

 

Chocolat looked up as the three of them walked past a cafe. Her walking slowed slightly, she gave a thoughtful "Hmm...".

 

"Oneesama?"

 

"Hm? Oh, I was just thinking, perhaps we could get something cold to drink... we've been walking around town all morning, maybe it'd be good to go to the upstairs balcony and just sit for a while..."

 

"Mmm, that would be nice... Carrot, did you want to do that?"

 

"Uh..."

 

Chocolat smiled, "My treat...!"

 

Carrot wasn't one to give up the prospect of free things. Even if it was Chocolat manipulating him into spending more time with her... she was right, they had been walking for a while, and the prospect of a cold drink and somewhere to sit was a nice one. Perhaps it'd be easier to spot cute girls from the balcony? It'd catch the wind, too. There wasn't any real hurry to get back to Eden, after all... Carrot nodded his agreement.

 

"Sure, we can do that. Nothin' else I gotta be doing, anyway..."

 

The Misu sisters were quite visibly happy at Carrot's decision. Carrot found himself dragged by the arm into the darkened shop by Chocolat, Tira following a short distance behind him. Once inside, Chocolat let go of Carrot, "Darling, did you want to go and find us a table upstairs? If we're not quick, we might have to sit downstairs."

 

"Okay, okay..."

 

Letting Tira and Chocolat go to order the drinks, Carrot made his way from the darker lower room of the cafe to the staircase that led to the upper balcony; the rooms seemed reasonably full, but not entirely so... looking out to the balcony, there still seemed to be two or three tables empty. Feeling accomplished for finding what he was looking for, Carrot quickly zoomed in on one closer to the edge of the balcony, and sat down. Now he just had to wait for the Misu sisters.

 

Carrot looked down from the balcony. It really was a lovely day... so many people going about their day-to-day business, some people with market stalls, people buying, people selling... it was a nice atmosphere, Carrot couldn't help but feel relaxed; he smiled, leaning his head on his hands. It was nice to be able to go outside, be able to sit somewhere, just appreciate the lazy hazy day... Carrot leant back on his chair and stretched out leisurely, then slumped back against his chair. So nice.

 

"Carrot...!"

 

Looking up at hearing his name called, Carrot saw Tira approaching, Chocolat a few steps behind her. He smiled in greeting, seemed that the Misu sisters had brought the drinks. Tira sat down on one side of Carrot and Chocolat sat down on the other, Chocolat setting her and Tira's drinks down and Tira setting down Carrot's; Tira also appeared to have something else with her, Carrot pointed idly.

 

"What else did you get there?"

 

"They had ice lollies too! So, I thought that since it was a hot day, we could have some. Ah... Carrot, what flavour would you like?"

 

Tira offered the three sticks of coloured ice to Carrot. He looked them over... as far as flavours went, there appeared to be red flavour, blue flavour, and green flavour. He mused for a moment or to, then plucked the blue one from Tira's fingers.

 

"Blue's always good. Thanks, Tira."

 

"Ahaha, it's not a problem..."

 

Chocolat took the red one, and Tira kept the green one. The drinks were cold enough but the ice was colder, the three of them sat quietly sucking their ice for a few moments. Carrot wasn't thinking of much at all as he looked out over their little patch of Facade, holding the ice in his mouth until it got too cold, holding it out of his mouth for a few moments then replacing it... then, just as a matter of chance, he looked back towards the Misu sisters. That, he later felt, had been his mistake.

 

The movement was only basically innocent, of course. Chocolat was looking out over the balcony as Carrot had been, Tira was staring straight in front of her back at the people in the cafe, her back towards the balcony... Tira had her ice held in front of her, licking at it and occasionally taking it into her mouth to suck on it as she felt she wanted to. Perhaps it was too cold for her, but she seemed content just to sit and lick at it as she watched the world go by... Chocolat had hers held in her mouth, occasionally moving it back and forth to catch the drips that were melting away.

 

For a moment, Carrot just gawped at the Misu sisters. Watching them like that... watching them do things like that...! Okay, so it was only to flavoured ice, but the events of Euran Island had been nicely occupying Carrot's thoughts more or less constantly since they'd left the island. More than anything, Carrot had felt a little empty... he knew that the girls had actually been demons and everything, but that didn't matter... it'd been his first sort of sexual experience with a woman! Or fifteen... it'd been his first experience, and he sure as hell wanted more. He also knew that he wouldn't easily be able to get more, not from his immediate surroundings, anyway... he'd supposed the best thing would be not to mention it, and to at least try to get on as if nothing had happened. He, Milphey and Marron were the only three who knew, anyway...

 

That didn't prevent his mind replaying every little thing that had happened that night on the island over and over and over, though. In quiet moments, Carrot would find himself considering sweet demure tanned girls who were only too willing to consent to a bit of light oral sex on an afternoon...

 

For at least a few days, Carrot hadn't been able to keep his concentration at all. Everything seemed to be a phallic symbol and he was mishearing people in the strangest ways... and people like Chocolat and Tira especially, he'd seemed to have developed a kind of mania for just staring at people's mouths... especially girls. Well, only girls; Carrot didn't really want to consider Gateau's lips, or anything.

 

Carrot would stare at the lips of any girl he saw, consider their softness, their fullness, how they might feel on his body, kissing at him, licking at him, sucking on his hard straining prick until he just couldn't stand it anymore-

 

And those were the thoughts that were frustrating. Much as Carrot knew he couldn't return to the island or anything like what had happened, still those thoughts seemed to occupy far too much of his waking time. So it didn't help when the Misu sisters, who were girls, were sitting right in front of him making with the licking and the sucking and the gentle slurping sounds every once in a while... of course, they couldn't help it, it could be hard to eat something that was melting so quickly in a graceful way at all, but... the more they continued, the more Carrot found himself staring. His own ice lolly was almost forgotten, dripping down onto his hand... Tira and Chocolat's lips were lightly stained bright red and vague green respectively, still just sucking... and the more they carried on with that, the more Carrot's thoughts continued down a path to do with the Misu sisters that he really didn't feel comfortable with.

 

"GYAAAAAAAAH!!"

 

After a few minutes of that, Carrot couldn't stand it any longer. He couldn't let his thoughts go like that, and not in public! His thoughts could only multiply in on themselves... with that sudden yell, Carrot made his escape from the cafe, bolting away from the Misu sisters as fast as was possible.

 

Snapping out of their reverie, Tira and Chocolat just stared at where Carrot had been, quite confused. Chocolat frowned, glancing under the table.

 

"Darling even left his shopping...! He must have really been in a hurry..."

 

"I wonder what made him suddenly run off like that?"

 

Looking over the balcony, Carrot was visible. Running down the path that would lead him to Eden, he wasn't losing any speed... Tira and Chocolat leant over the balcony, blinking and confused.

 

"How strange... darling's moods change so often, honestly..."

 

"Maybe he saw a pretty girl?"

"I don't know, he's run quite far now... if he could see a pretty girl at that distance, I'd be impressed by darling's eyesight. I guess we can't know, can we? He's so strange sometimes... I guess we'll have to take his shopping back for him, won't we?"

 

"Mmm..."

 

"We can stay here for a bit longer, though. Darling even left his lemonade...! I'll drink it for him."

 

Chocolat happily picked up the lemonade and placed it in front of her. No point in letting it go to waste, after all... if only Carrot hadn't thrown his ice lolly up in his sudden shock when he'd screamed and run off; Chocolat wouldn't have minded finishing that off for him either...

 

****

 

One frenzied run later, Carrot found himself back in Eden. Not wanting to risk being caught by anybody who might strike up conversation with him he'd run up the path, quickly in through the door calling greetings to Big Mama as he rushed past her (out of anybody in Eden he especially didn't want to be stopped by her for any reason), up the stairs to the bedrooms, eventually along the corridor to his bedroom. It was a nice sunny day, there wasn't any reason for anybody to be inside, was there? The only person who would feasibly be in the bedroom could be Marron, but Carrot supposed he'd just have to take his chances and hope Marron was off doing something on his own somewhere else. Maybe reading porn. Ah, no! Couldn't think about that!

 

Carrot was too relieved to return to his bedroom to care about the noise he made. He stamped along the corridor in his run and slammed the bedroom door open and shut in his rush - oh, nobody would notice or care, anyway. Even if Big Mama heard, she was unlikely to come all the way upstairs just to berate Carrot for slamming doors.

 

Holding himself on the other side of the door, Carrot knew that that was just the kind of stupid thing that would usually happen to him. He stood silently for a few moments, listening keenly for any sound of movement from outside. Would the Misu sisters choose this moment to return? Would Marron choose this moment to walk in? Would Big Mama need him for anything...?

 

A few minutes of silence... nothing. Carrot let out a deep breath he'd been holding, kicked his boots off, and launched himself face-first at his bed. He lay there silently, breathing against the fabric of the sheets before lifting his head up. He was alone, now...

 

Alone and horny as hell. That seemed a slightly more agreeable situation than being horny as hell in the company of the Misu sisters, at any rate.

 

Further along the corridor, Marron and Milphey had heard the commotion of Carrot's running, the door slamming... they'd looked up, but nothing was said for a short while.

 

It was one of those lazy days, really. Marron, as usual, was taking part in his morning meditation. These days since the Euran Island visit had been somewhat difficult to bear. It was hard enough to deny the thoughts of Carrot that often seemed to tempt him, but... when most nights involved Carrot trying and failing to get himself off quietly, that nudged at Marron's determination just a little. How was he supposed to sleep when Carrot was masturbating so furiously just a short distance away?! If anything, it was infuriating and made for a lot of sleepless nights. Marron just tried to think of other things with a pillow over his ears, but it was often a losing battle...

 

Come the morning he was at least a little determined, still. He'd use his meditation to shake off his nightly thoughts, and eventually Carrot's own problems would pass. Eventually. Hopefully.

 

Currently, Marron was sitting cross-legged in his little room, with Milphey and Mi-chan to the side. Marron preferred to partake in his meditation on his own in a quiet environment where he could concentrate, but he had little reason to tell Milphey to go away, and if Milphey wanted to play with the kitten, Marron supposed he couldn't stop him. He half wished that Milphey would find somewhere else to play with it, but... that couldn't be helped. The meditation was a distraction from his thoughts and Milphey was a distraction from his meditation... anything that distracted him from his thoughts was a good thing, he supposed.

 

Milphey had Mi-chan laid out on the floor, scritching at the kitten's soft underbelly. The kitten allowed him to do that for a few moments before closing in on Milphey's hand, all claws and teeth suddenly; Milphey just laughed, leant forward on his stomach, leaning up on one elbow.

 

"He's certainly a sprightly thing. So, Marron-chan... what do you suppose Carrot-chan was storming around for?"

 

"Nn? Ah... you said something?"

 

It seemed as if Milphey had disturbed Marron from his thoughts again. Milphey just smiled kindly, closing his eyes.

 

"You'll be saying you didn't hear all that stomping and slamming, next... I can only assume that was Carrot coming back from Facade. He must be in quite a mood to be making such a noise!"

 

"Oh, he came back... do you suppose he brought the cat food?"

 

"It's what he went to Facade for in the first place, so... I don't know, with Carrot you can never really tell. I can go and check, if you want me to."

 

"You don't have to-"

 

"Ah-ah, you're meditating. Carry on, it's not far for me to go."

 

"Well, alright..."

 

Carrot was unaware of the exchange between Milphey and Marron. Indeed, he'd been quite unaware of anything but his own painful arousal... sometimes he'd described his arousal as being painful, usually to try to win the favours of pretty girls they met; that had only been theoretical pain, though. It wasn't as if Carrot didn't usually masturbate a lot, but until recently he'd at least subconsciously known when to stop. An orgasm was an orgasm and after that came sleep. It was usually his little kind of night-time ritual... he'd go to the bathroom, let out his frustrations there where he could clean up quickly, then sleep, feeling that bit more exhausted. Nowadays it never seemed like one was enough, but the more he tried to touch himself, the more it seemed to hurt... it wasn't as if he was masturbating at every possibly opportunity he could grab away from the others, but -

 

No, actually. It was exactly that, he shamefully admitted to himself.

 

Had the mission on Euran Island turned him into even more of a pervert than he'd previously been? If so, Carrot was somewhat surprised by that. Even more of a pervert! He hadn't thought that was even possible, really.

 

So, after slumping on the bed for a good few moments, Carrot supposed he could either attempt to hump the bedsheets beneath him, or roll onto his back and at least take his trousers off before he did anything. It'd be that little less laundry to do, so he undid his belt after rolling over, sitting up against the headboard of the bed as he undid his trousers and slipped them down to his knees.

 

After that, he leant back on the bed. He stared at his penis.

 

He was almost sure that, had it sentient life, it would have stared back. Hell, as things were it was almost as if the thing did have sentient life, governing his every thought and move, controlling him so deeply...

 

Ah, but things had always been like that.

 

Carrot continued to stare, feeling the pulse of his blood around that sensitive area. A little too sensitive; he knew that if he were to touch himself, the movement would only lapse into that dull pain. Orgasm was good to reach, but if it hurt, then that wasn't so good...

 

Carrot frowned at his penis. What the hell was it thinking, anyway? Something like that, taking control of him... what right had it got to do that?! It was his body, Carrot felt he should be in control of it! All of it, even his libido!

 

He went to raise his hand towards it...

 

"... No!"

 

Unable to express shock of it's own free will, Carrot's erection just sat there. Carrot was glaring at it, holding his hand away. He was going to take control of his body! He wasn't going to give in just because he was feeling a bit horny... he always felt horny, what made this any different? Yess... Carrot was going to be in control!

 

Seemingly unaware of the fact that talking to bits of his anatomy was a little strange, Carrot laughed triumphantly.

 

"Ah-HAH! See, you thought you'd won! What with all those orgasms and all... but, see, I can be strong and I'm going to be strong! I'm not gonna let you decide what I do! I even came back from Facade because of you... but no! See, I'm gonna take control here. Even if you beg, I'm not gonna touch you! I'm the master of my own DESTINY and I can control my own dick if I want to! HAH! Ya hear that?!"

 

No reply, and as far as Carrot's destiny went, he was at least destined to lose the staring competition between himself and that thing between his legs. Growling in annoyance, Carrot grabbed a pillow and grabbed it over his crotch. It felt too much like he was being stared at, it was a little bit creepy.

 

However, pillows were soft and for a moment, Carrot lost himself; he moaned gently. Soft and warm, so nice...

 

Suddenly realising what he was doing, Carrot threw the pillow aside with a growl. There really didn't seem to be any way to escape from what he was feeling... he'd never really had a reason not to masturbate in the past, but... couldn't he just stop for a few days?!

 

Folding his arms with a loud sigh, Carrot stared pointedly up at the ceiling. Perhaps if he didn't look anywhere near his groin, the problem would go away... perhaps if he fell asleep or something, he could sleep his thoughts off. Sleep... think sleepy thoughts...

 

On the other hand, did it really matter if he had an orgasm or not? If he put it off, it would only make him more frustrated... perhaps just one would be alright... just one, then he'd be able to calm down a bit...

 

No! He'd vowed to be a master of his own destiny, to be in control of his body!

 

However... it was a nice prospect...

 

The door opened, allowing sunlight from the hallway in; Milphey smiled, then looked around.

 

"Goo-ood morning, Carrot-chan! Gosh, it's a bit dark in here, isn't it? You should pull back the curtains. A-... oh, my."

"G-GYAAHH!! MILPHEY!!"

 

"Ahaha... I disturbed something, didn't I."

 

The second he'd realised he wasn't alone in the room, Carrot had grabbed the pillow from where he'd discarded it to the side, and sat up with it pressed against his lower body. Why did people always have to barge in without even knocking?!

 

"Milphey, I was... I was-...!"

 

"I thought I heard you talking, so I thought it'd be alright to come in... who were you talking to, Carrot-chan?"

 

Carrot blushed and looked to the side, "Nobody, nobody, I wasn't talking to anybody, I was just... just... just thinking out loud..."

 

"I see. Oh yes, I remember why I came... since you're back, I thought I'd come and check while Marron-chan still meditates... you got the cat food, didn't you? Mi-chan's been nibbling at my fingers all morning."

 

The realization of where he'd left his shopping hit Carrot, he fell back against the bed with his wrist over his eyes.

 

"Oh, crap..."

 

"Carrot-chan?"

 

"I... I think I left it... somewhere..."

 

"Oh, you did? That's a shame..."

 

Carrot didn't sit up, "Ask Chocolat and Tira when they get back, maybe they saw I left my shopping, or something... musta been when we were in the café I guess... kinda left quickly..."

 

A pause in the room. Milphey just stared at Carrot... was he going to say anything else? It didn't seem like it, but the sight of Carrot with his trousers down was slightly amusing, to Milphey's mind. Realising he was being stared at, Carrot shifted his wrist from his eyes.

 

"Milphey, why are you still standing there...? I'm kinda... occupied, here."

 

"I'm sorry, just, you ended your sentence so suddenly, I thought you were going to say something else...! I'm sorry for disturbing you, Carrot-chan. I'll leave you to your fantasies."

 

Milphey was at the door. Carrot watched him as he left, as if to make sure he really was leaving... it seemed that Milphey couldn't resist a last jibe though, he poked his head around the door with a wide smile.

 

"Of course, if you wanted any help with that, I'd be more than willing...! I'm sure I make a much more convincing girl than your hand does. Ah-!"

 

Milphey managed to close the door before he was hit in the face with a pillow; the pillow hit against the door with a slight 'whumph' sound, then fell to the floor. Carrot stared at it, stared at where Milphey had been... he fell back against the bed. He'd been in such a hurry, earlier... in so much of a hurry, he'd forgotten why he'd been out in Facade in the first place! It wasn't surprising that at least somebody would try to find him about the whereabouts of his shopping... if not Milphey then it would have been Marron. Carrot supposed that it wouldn't have been quite as embarrassing if Marron had walked in, Marron at least had the dignity to be embarrassed in such a situation... but, Milphey was shameless, that was just how he was.

 

He even had the audacity to offer himself under the pretence of helping Carrot! How annoying.

 

He was right, though... Milphey was at least attractive in his own way, definitely moreso than Carrot's own hand, and Carrot had more or less convinced himself that it was sort of okay to think of Milphey like that. After all, Milphey dressed to impress, didn't he? Carrot couldn't help being impressed. That was the whole point of it...

 

Carrot shook his head. He'd gone to Milphey that time before, but... that had been a long time ago, Carrot had been confused and horny, and done things without thinking. Well, he had thought about what he'd wanted to do, but his thoughts had only gone as far as 'I need help, Milphey can help me'...

 

That said, since then he'd received random oral sex from a bunch of women he didn't even know, surely after that he could at least go to Milphey for, well, things... at the very least, Milphey had a mouth of his own, then the feeling would at least be replicated somewhat... Carrot brought one hand up to his face, studying it intently. Milphey acted so flirtatiously half the time, it was hard to know when he was being serious... but it did seem that he could be serious when he wanted to be.

 

He could help Carrot, if Carrot just asked...

 

Letting his hand fall back to the bed, Carrot sighed and shook his head. He was thinking with his groin again; best to think on the situation when he wasn't quite so horny. He didn't quite trust himself to make a capable decision in his current frame of mind.

 

Back along the corridor, Milphey returned to the little room. Marron looked up on hearing the door, "Ah, Milphey... did my brother bring back the cat food?"

 

Milphey sighed, "Unfortunately not, no. Seems he accidentally left it in Facade... he's waiting on Tira and Chocolat to come back now, hoping that they can bring his shopping with them. Hm, I wonder why he ran off from them so quickly..."

 

Stretching lazily, Milphey collapsed onto his chest beside Marron once more. Mi-chan had been sat on the windowsill; noticing Milphey's return, he gently hopped back onto the floor, and circled around Milphey's crumpled form for a few moments. Milphey reached out to stroke the cat.

 

"Né, Marron-chan..."

 

Going back to his cross-legged position, Marron answered without opening his eyes.

 

"Yes, Milphey?"

 

"... How is Carrot-chan these days?"

 

"How is he...? He's fine, why do you ask?"

 

Milphey sat up, leaning back on his hands.

 

"Marron-chan, surely you can't say that so easily... I don't mean in general, I mean... well... you know as well as I do what happened during that last mission..."

 

Marron spoke evenly, "It's something I prefer not to think about."

 

"Ah-hah... I bet you can't help it, though...! Why, it seems that Carrot-chan certainly treasures his memories of that time. Even when I went in there just now, it seemed as if I'd caught him in the middle of something..."

 

"Milphey, you didn't annoy my brother, did you?"

 

"I can't help it if he chooses to do things like that when people want to talk to him! Anyway though, I was just curious as to whether you'd noticed anything about him... perhaps I just caught him at a bad time, but... I would have thought that Carrot would have been affected just a little by the things that happened on Euran Island. Perhaps those things are forgotten now, but..."

 

"He won't stop touching himself."

 

Feeling as if he was getting somewhere, Milphey nodded at Marron's reply, sitting up in a similar position to the young mage.

 

"Ah, I see... you sound annoyed about that though, Marron-chan... why, I thought you'd enjoy noticing something like that...!"

 

Marron sighed short-temperedly, falling out of his seated position and shifting around to face Milphey while he spoke.

 

"Not when I'm attempting to escape such feelings of him..."

 

Mi-chan hopped onto Milphey's lap. He looked down at the kitten, then up at Marron with a slight smirk.

 

"Come, now... surely someone as clever as you could turn the situation to their advantage...?"

 

Not understanding Milphey's expression or tone of voice, Marron frowned and shook his head; "I don't know what you mean..."

 

"It would seem that Carrot-chan's been walking around in quite a haze since that Euran Island mission... he only has his own hand to comfort him in his thoughts, but... I think if somebody else was to offer their support, or their touch, he wouldn't refuse. Why, while he's in such a tizzy, I would have thought that now would be the perfect time to strike...!"

 

Such emphasis caused Marron to glare and then look away, "I'm not going to seduce my brother, Milphey."

 

His voice was obstinate but he couldn't hide that ever-so-slight blush from spreading over his cheeks. No, but something like that was impossible! He couldn't just decide to seduce his brother, that... that would be...

 

It was quite an appealing idea. Obviously impossible, but appealing. The more attractive aspects of such a prospect had worked their way into Marron's imagination before he even spoke; however, even if Carrot was in such an easily-aroused mood these days, that was no reason to take advantage... he looked away from Milphey, not wishing to be persuaded. Milphey could be quite persuasive when he wanted to be.

 

Milphey shook his head, tutting lightly.

 

"Tsk tsk, Marron-chan. And there I was thinking that you had such strong feelings for Carrot-chan... perhaps you would just leave him to suffer from his arousal, then?"

 

"It's not like that...! I-... of course I have such feelings for him, but... I couldn't just..."

 

"You couldn't just what? Why, I'm sure if Chocolat-chan knew of the situation, she wouldn't hesitate to turn it to her advantage, use it to get Carrot-chan sharing her bed..."

 

"I'm not Chocolat Misu."

 

"No, but I'd imagine that Marron-chan could be quite the adept seducer if he really tried... we'd only have to go as far as dear Gateau-chan to find evidence of that. Don't you think?"

 

Marron didn't have anything to say to that. The situation as it had been with Gateau, the situation as it was with Carrot... those were two entirely different things! How dare Milphey compare them!

 

Milphey's gaze darkened somewhat, "Marron... if you're really not willing to pursue Carrot, then surely you have to look at the situation and seriously figure quite what you wish to gain from it. You say you desire him so fiercely, but when there's a situation like this and you don't even wish to take that chance... if you just sit aside and let everything pass by you, you may as well let Carrot to his own devices and find somebody else; we all know you are his as much as is expected, even he realises that... you have to be a little more determined to stake your claim on him, I think."

 

"I..."

 

Marron's look fell somewhat, "I... perhaps it is true that I am not willing to pursue him... though, I think that perhaps that's for the best...!"

 

"Why so?"

 

"He... he trusts me, Milphey. Outside of everything and everybody else, I'm... I'm somebody he can come to when he's upset, I'm somebody who can hold him innocently... I can't bring myself to risk my current standing in his eyes just to indulge in my own feelings. I would rather be strong for him and be what he wishes me to be rather than scare him and try to turn him into what I want..."

 

Milphey's voice was sympathetic, "Do you think he'd be so scared if you told him honestly about your feelings? I think, more than anything else, he wouldn't want to see you hurt, or know you were being hurt. Remember how he reacted with Gateau, all that time ago...!"

 

"It would only hurt him that he'd hurt me so, especially since at the moment, he can't even realise... I think I would rather hold the pain for myself than risk tainting my brother. I wish for him to live a painless and carefree life, I don't want to be a source of pain to him."

 

Looking away then back at Marron, Milphey's gaze was one of frustrated confusion. He reached out, stroking Marron's cheek with the back of his hand.

 

"You say that, yet still you wish for him to be yours... to be closer is to risk things like that, Marron. To take both the happiness and the pain, to become stronger for it. At the moment, it seems to me as if you wish to be close to him while remaining distant at the same time... you seem to at least have noble intents, wishing to shield Carrot from pain... but how long can you continue with that? Surely you have enough problems of your own without trying to cope with all of his as well..."

 

"I do my best."

 

"I know you do, I'm not saying you don't, but... isn't that exhausting? You want Carrot to live a carefree life, but in exchange for your own, it seems... don't you want to be carefree too? Don't you want to be happy? Whenever I look at you, you always seem so pained..."

 

It seemed that Marron didn't have anything to say to that. Milphey's words were true, painfully so, but... what was there to say? What could he say? Even more than that, what could he do?... Any way he looked at the situation, Marron couldn't help but feel trapped. It was true that he wished to be closer to Carrot, he was sure that that was what he desired most, yet... it seemed a typical case of desiring exactly what you couldn't hope to have; was he really only chasing an unattainable dream?

 

"... I don't know..."

 

"Mmn?"

 

Marron shook his head, "I... I don't know what I should do... indeed, it seems that I can't have my brother. But then, even with Gateau, it seems that I can't-"

 

Milphey pressed a finger to Marron's lips, "Hush a moment, Marron-chan. I do wish for you to sort your head out, but I also don't want you forcing yourself into anything you don't wish to. Nobody says you need somebody else, do they...? Perhaps you're somebody happier by themselves. Some people just are."

 

"Mm..."

 

"You're also still young, though. Don't let me talk down to you, tell me if I sound patronizing, but... perhaps there is just a person you haven't found yet. Maybe you'll meet somebody who sweeps you off your feet next year, or perhaps in ten years... perhaps it's a bad example, but look at me! I'm much older than you, and I'm single!"

 

The atmosphere in the room relaxed somewhat for Milphey's easier tone. Marron found himself able to relax in Milphey's presence, even allowing a slight smile as he spoke.

 

"Milphey, you're not that much older than me."

 

"Oh no? Come on, then. How old do you think I am?"

 

"How old...? Hmm..."

 

Marron took a few moments to look at Milphey, to muse on that point. Milphey was undoubtedly older than Marron himself, older than their group of Sorcerer Hunters... his looks were more refined from age, but still youthful somewhat. That said, even Gateau was only two years older than Marron, and he especially looked older... perhaps looks couldn't be a good judge of age, people frequently thought Marron older than he really was, but... Milphey? From his looks and his behaviour... Marron frowned in concentration as he thought about it. Probably somewhere in his... mid-to-late twenties?

 

Going for the middlepoint, Marron spoke. "I'd say... twenty-five?"

 

Milphey smiled and shook his head, "Ah-ah, Marron-chan... aren't we forgetting something?"

 

"Forgetting something...?"

 

"Remember, I walked at your father's side when he was a Sorcerer Hunter! If I was twenty-five now, I would have been, what, not even ten during that time! Ruthless as Big Mama can be sometimes, I don't think she'd send such a child out on missions somehow. So, with that in mind, how old do you think I am, hmm?"

 

Wide-eyed as he looked at Milphey again with this reminded information, Marron was quietly amazed. That was true, Milphey and Onion had been close back in the day... so just how old did that make Milphey!? He certainly didn't look as old as Onion...!

 

"I... I don't know... though, if you and my father were around the same age, and my father had my brother and I when he was in his late teens or early twenties... Milphey, you'd have to be close to forty...!" Marron frowned, "That definitely doesn't seem right..."

 

Milphey laughed happily, it was amusing to see Marron so confused. He reached out and ruffled Marron's hair, "I'll let you pick your brains on that one for a while. Well, it seems that my original point was lost, doesn't it... I suppose it doesn't really matter how old you are, just, you can never know what'll happen in the future... and that's true for anybody or anything, really. I am, however, flattered that you think I look so young! Thank you, Marron-chan. It's things like that that brighten up my day. However, while we're thinking about things like that... just out of curiosity, where do you see yourself being in... mm, five years?"

 

"In five years? Well... as far as I can imagine, I can only see life continuing on as it is at the moment, life as a Sorcerer Hunter... the dangerous life that that is..."

 

Recalling the conversation he and Marron had had the night of Saint Mother's Day, Milphey nodded.

 

"I see... you're right, it is dangerous... and I suppose it's hard to look outside your immediate surrounding for companionship... I understand how things would be difficult. Things could change or they may remain the same, and in any case, how do you really know? It's hard to have control of your own destiny when it's governed so heavily by somebody else."

 

Marron couldn't help but notice that Milphey sounded strangely heavy somehow when he spoke on that point. He noticed that, but he didn't say anything on it.

 

"I-indeed..."

 

Clapping his hands together, Milphey's mood brightened all of a sudden.

 

"Right! So, if we assume that things are always going to stay the same here, that you guys are always going to be hunting Sorcerers, that nobody here dies or anything... let's look over things as they are. First, there's Carrot-chan. Marron-chan has the hots for him, but due to the fact that the relationship would be both homosexual and incestual, there appears to be reluctance for anything to be consummated. Secondly, there's Gateau-chan! A relationship with him would be normal in comparison, but he and Marron-chan have quite the potted history of situations. If Marron-chan could calm down then perhaps it would work, but it seems that while Gateau-chan remains as being not Carrot-chan, that's impossible."

 

Milphey pointed a finger at himself with a grin, "Then there's me, your friendly local crossdresser."

 

He didn't say anything more than that. Marron glanced over at him with a vague curiosity, wondering what Milphey would have to say about himself... he didn't continue with that line of thought, though. Marron was idly curious why... perhaps Milphey didn't know what Marron thought about him? Though, thinking about it, Marron wasn't sure what he thought of Milphey himself... Milphey continued on with a different line of thought.

 

"... Though as I said, nobody says you need to be with somebody else. You're the kind of person who likes to be solitary, right? I mean, everybody needs somebody, but you need a good deal of personal space... don't you?"

 

"Well... that's true. I don't think I can truly rest until I'm a master of Eastern Magic..."

 

"And when might that be? You've already surpassed everything Hourai taught you, and you do have the Tenrinoh Yaksha within you..."

 

Marron smiled, "I can't afford to be lax with myself just because of those factors, Milphey. If somebody was at the peak of physical fitness and decided that that was the end for them, they'd only soon lose that status through their lack of dedication. I need to practice to hone my skills and so that I may not forget anything. That's a lifelong task."

 

"I know, I know. So you do a lot of things on your own, I understand that, I respect that. However..."

 

"However?"

 

Trailing off, Milphey picked himself up off the floor, from where he'd been sitting. Mi-chan jumped from Milphey's lap to the floor, finding the aforementioned lap suddenly vertical... now on his hands and knees, Milphey slowly approached Marron, saying nothing. Marron watched him with curiosity... however, however what? Marron flinched as Milphey crept close to him, reaching up and taking hold of Marron's cheek with his hand.

 

"Milphey, what...?"

 

With a few swift and sudden movements, Milphey leant himself heavily against Marron, and quickly had the mage on the floor. Holding Marron's right arm down by the wrist with one hand and still cupping Marron's cheek in the other, Milphey's only answer was a smirk as he leant down and briefly pressed his lips against Marron's own.

 

Marron felt a rush of emotion; what was Milphey planning? Was Milphey trying to seduce him...? No, but he came to this room to try and get away from all things like that...! Marron tensed in preparation for escape, but Milphey grabbed Marron's other hand before he could make a push away.

 

"However, Marron-chan... some things are just more fun with two people."

 

Milphey spoke with such a confident, sneaky attitude... thoughts of escaping left Marron's mind momentarily as he stared at Milphey, who just smirked. Neither made any move for a couple of moments, then Marron shifted away and Milphey didn't stop him. Feeling flustered, Marron adjusted his robes and nursed his pride, "Don't tease me like that, Milphey."

 

"Ahaha, but Marron-chan's so fun to tease!... However, when it comes to the matter in hand, it's really up to you. If you can decide between your sexuality and your solitude, then go for whatever you want... I'll listen to you either way, but I think you already knew that."

 

"A-ah, indeed. ... Thank you, Milphey."

 

Milphey nodded then stood up, stretching happily as he did so.

 

"Mmmmnnh, it's a nice day outside, it's a shame that Carrot-chan chooses to stay inside and wank himself silly when he could be running around a field or playing tig or swimming in a river..."

 

"What my brother chooses to do in private is none of our business."

 

"True, but sometimes it's good to make it our business. Especially with circumstances involving Carrot-chan... since he seems just so torn apart by his lust, these days..." Milphey laughed slightly, "... it must run in the family, don't you think..."

 

Marron regained his meditation position on the floor, settling back down and closing his eyes in concentration.

 

"What my brother chooses to do, my brother chooses to do. We can't help that. He'll get over it eventually, he's resilient."

 

A short silence. Milphey walked across the room, standing near to the bookshelf underneath the window, and looking out onto the grounds below. He leant against the shelves, then glanced over his shoulder back at Marron.

 

"We should help him."

 

Marron opened one eye, "'We' should do nothing of the sort, Milphey... I don't know what you're implying, but we should leave him alone as much as is possible. I wouldn't want to embarrass him by letting him know I hear his nightly habits..."

 

Sighing, Milphey looked back to the window.

 

"Come on, Marron-chaann... I want to do something interesting, and this seems like the perfect chance! It'll be interesting for me and beneficial to both you and Carrot-chan. Don't you even want to hear my idea? I think it could work!"

 

Supposing he wouldn't be able to meditate in peace until Milphey was placated, and his idea heard out, Marron opened his eyes again and relaxed his position.

 

"Alright, what is it?"

 

"Mm hm hm, I knew Marron-chan would want to listen! Now, it would have to take place once Carrot-chan was ju-ust falling asleep..."

 

****

 

Marron closed his bedroom door as quietly as possible; it made a slight noise in the silence of the corridor, but after holding still for a few moments, Marron was confident that nothing on either side of the door had been disturbed. He kept his ears alert for any noise from Carrot's side of the door, but... no, there was nothing. Nodding to himself, Marron quietly made his way down the left side of the corridor, heading towards the staircase... the last room before the stairs, that was where Milphey had said he'd be waiting. Opening that door with the same amount of care, Marron slipped inside.

 

The room itself was dark. Most of Eden was wrapped under the shroud of night, but it seemed that Milphey hadn't even lit any lamps... Marron stood still and silent for a moment, before his concern urged him to whisper to the room.

 

"... Milphey...?"

 

There was the light 'ka-chink' of an oil lamp being lit. It flared to life somewhere in front of Marron, suddenly illuminating the room with a dim, flickering light. Milphey held the lamp, he put it onto the cabinet beside the bed. Once that was taken care of, Milphey turned his attentions to Marron, gazing upon the mage with keen eyes.

 

He spoke in a whisper also, "You brought them, didn't you?"

 

"Yes, yes... it always seems to come down to these. Milphey, though..."

 

"What is it?"

 

"I... I'm still not entirely sure about this."

 

Despite his words, Marron held forth the two robe-cords that Milphey had requested earlier on in the day. Standing up from the bed, Milphey took the cords from Marron's hands and ran them through his own. He pulled them taught, inspecting them for length and strength... they seemed to please him for their purpose. Milphey nodded to himself then looked at Marron, his voice quiet and serious.

 

"I'm not forcing you to do this."

 

"You certainly seemed excited earlier..."

 

"Just because the idea interests me doesn't mean I want to put you under any pressure, Marron... however, I do think we could at least help that brother of yours with this. If he carries on obsessing over that mission, it'll only drive him crazy... and he may do things with other people that you wouldn't approve of."

 

"Milphey..."

 

"As much as you say his business is his business, you'd still be hurt if he went to the Misu sisters for the kind of help that you could easily give him, wouldn't you?"

 

Marron's silence was Milphey's answer; his expression somewhat softer, Milphey patted Marron on the shoulder.

 

"If his desperation carries on he'll only go mad, and if he goes mad, he may not be entirely responsible for his actions. So, we need to act before he does... you need to get there first, if you wish to stake a claim. Maybe carrying out the plan on the same day I told you could be seen as being a bit soon, but... I thought that, the longer we left it, the more likely you'd be to say no. You should refuse if you're not comfortable, though."

 

Marron looked torn for a few moments, his arms folded quietly thinking over the situation. Milphey said nothing, allowing him his thoughts.

 

Tapping his fingers against his arms, Marron walked a little closer to Milphey, touching one of the cords that he held.

 

"It..."

 

"Mm?"

 

"It won't... hurt him... will it?"

 

"You mean, with these? It shouldn't do. Ah, if you wanted me to, I could do a demonstration before we start... I've been practicing for the last couple of hours, I think I'm pretty good now... but, it helps to have experience. I can show you how quickly I can do it, too..."

 

A moment's consideration then a decisive nod, "Alright, show me."

 

Milphey nodded, indicating to the bed he'd been seated on a short while previous. Marron walked over and sat himself onto the bed, pulling his legs up and making as if he was lying in the bed... a thought occurred to him - Carrot wouldn't sleep on top of the sheets, or at least, he hadn't been when Marron had seen him last, not long ago. Supposing that accuracy couldn't do any harm, Marron slipped beneath the clean sheets, and took up what he supposed was a typical Carrot sleeping position.

 

Quiet and swift, after a few moments of silence Milphey pulled back the bedsheets and had the cord pulled over Marron's lower chest; he wrapped them around Marron's wrists and pulled it upward, the two hands connected... Milphey tucked the ends of the cords under the loops at Marron's wrists, and pulled those a little tighter. Kneeling onto the bed, Milphey tied the cords to the bedposts... he smiled down at Marron, who was now quite caught by his hands.

 

"You see? It's not painful now, is it?"

 

"N-no..."

 

"Would you like me to do it to your legs as well? It's much the same really. I don't know though, do you think I should tie back his arms or his legs first? He might kick me if he's scared. Though, he could fight back with his hands, so... unnn, I think it'd be best to tie back his hands first. Take advantage of the disorientation, you know."

 

Marron said nothing, lying against the bed with his hands tied up against the headboard. What a delicious position; all that time with Gateau, and he'd never managed to end up in such a situation. Now, here he was with Milphey, tied to a bed... it'd take Milphey to untie him. Well, he could probably work himself free if he set his mind to it, but just skimming the surface of the situation, he was trapped and oh, he treasured the feeling.

 

If everything went to plan, then they'd soon have Carrot in a similar position. Carrot would be the one who was tied up and vulnerable... Carrot would be the one who wouldn't be able to escape. The situation would be different for him, though... Milphey and Marron both knew the situation, both had it planned. Carrot would see it as...

 

How would he see it? Some kind of attack, some kind of harassment? The thought was a colder one to Marron; more than anything, he didn't want to hurt his brother. Physically, emotionally... even if Carrot wasn't to know it was him, Marron would still know, and the guilt would be as terrible as anything...

 

Such thoughts snapped Marron out of his 'I'm tied up' thoughts. He looked to Milphey, eyes curious.

 

"Milphey... just what is it that separates what we're planning to do to my brother from... that is..."

 

"Mm?"

 

"We shouldn't inflict ourselves upon a person like that. It..." Marron couldn't prevent the word from rising to his lips, "There seems to be little to separate this from rape, Milphey."

 

Milphey's expression softened, "We still don't have to do this if you don't want to. Plus, you can't rape the willing, can you?"

 

"Even without knowing I'm involved, I highly doubt that my brother would be too 'willing', faced with the prospect of receiving oral stimulation from a man..."

 

"I don't think he'd really care by this point, given how he's been behaving recently..."

 

"The people in his dreams are always women..."

 

Sitting on the bed once more, Milphey set about untying Marron from where he was still attached to the bed. Occupying himself with untying the knot for a few moments, Milphey's look of concentration could be disguised... once the cord ran free and Marron had control of his limbs returned, Milphey sighed and shook his head.

 

"Carrot-chan's so homophobic, is he...?"

 

Marron seemed to take the question almost as a rhetorical one, not answering.

 

"Marron-chan. Do you really think he's like that?"

 

"I wouldn't call him homophobic as such... any problems he had with Gateau and I were to do with anything but our sexual orientation, to be honest. However, when it's my brother himself... when it's him, his feelings, his body... he's the sort of person who would tolerate homosexuality unless it brushed too close. You should know yourself, from all the times he's hit away your flirtation..."

 

Milphey's voice was firm, "Would he have come after me in the efforts of sexual exploration if that was really the case?!"

 

That question really did strike Marron speechless. He stared at Milphey, as if trying to comprehend... saying something like that, that meant... Carrot had gone after Milphey in the efforts of sexual exploration? Marron frowned.

 

"He... went to you...?"

 

A sigh, "I know something like that is totally secret and confidential, but I'm sure it's alright for you to just know what happened... nothing happened happened, don't worry about that, I managed to talk him out of things he might have regretted later... but the fact still stands that he came to me to ease his desires, and I am quite definitely a man. Surely somebody so completely against being touched by a man wouldn't have gone to such an extreme?"

 

"When... when was this...?"

 

"Oh, that's going back a while now. It was before that beach trip we went on, I remember that..."

 

"Before the beach trip..."

 

Before Marron had been able to lay claim to Carrot's body, even in such a slight way... Marron felt something intense and burning inside of him. He'd touched Carrot, he'd even brought his brother to climax that time, drugged though Carrot had been... however, all of that... he'd treasured the time and drawn some small comfort from the fact that he had touched his brother and nobody else had had the chance - he had been the first person to bring Carrot to climax, or so he'd assumed...

 

"What did you do to my brother?!"

 

Marron's voice was somewhat accusing. Milphey held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, "I already told you, nothing happened! Well, maybe there was a bit of stroking and kissing, but nothing more than that!"

 

"He never said anything..."

 

"No, well... I suppose he wouldn't want to mention it to anybody, would he? I doubt he's exactly proud of what he did, or anything... I'm sure he had his reasons for not telling you."

 

Milphey wasn't willing to tell Marron the exact reasons for Carrot hunting him out in the first place, definitely not. Trust was trust, and Milphey knew Carrot would be annoyed just for Marron knowing that Carrot had sought Milphey in the first place... but, to know the reasons... Milphey didn't know how it'd affect Marron, to know that it seemed to have been Carrot's jealousy for Marron himself that had driven him in the first place, but... he knew that, if Carrot wanted Marron to know something like that, he'd tell him himself. If he dared.

 

The silence was heavy for a few moments, both Milphey and Marron seeming to be caught in silent contemplation. Knowing that nothing would happen if they just sat around musing for the night, Milphey looked up with a wide smile, wrapping the robecords absently around one hand.

 

"So! We should go over how we're going to do this, shouldn't we."

 

"Mm?"

 

"We need to be perfectly working together. If I accidentally say something while your mouth is... otherwise occupied, Carrot-chan's going to get suspicious quickly, isn't he?"

 

"Mmm, if he noticed... don't you think he'll be suspicious in the first place, though? If you're standing to the side, then... he'll know the voice is from somewhere different..."

 

"I'll lean in as close as I can... I'll hold your hair back, too. Your hair isn't quite as thick as mine... I don't know if Carrot-chan could tell the difference, but if I can and you can, then there's always the risk... we should be prepared for when we're going to act, too. If I'm going to say something, I'll poke you. You should grab at me when you're going to do something too, okay?"

 

Marron nodded, "Y-yes..."

 

"Still unsure?"

 

Unable to hide the truth, Marron's eyed belied the truth more than anything he said. He nodded quietly, causing Milphey to lean over and give him a sidewards hug.

 

"We don't have to..."

 

"I don't want my brother seeking comfort with... with..."

 

"With them?"

 

"M-mm..."

 

Another moment of silence. Marron wanted to look up to Milphey, talk about how his feelings were so wrong, weren't they? And oh, how unforgivable... however, Milphey was standing up already, he had an air of finality about him.

 

"If we're going to do this, then we should do it now."

 

"Ah..."

 

Holding the bedroom door open, Milphey indicated for Marron to leave the room before him. Marron looked up at Milphey, then at the door... he didn't want to back out. He was still unsure about subjecting his brother to something so subversive, but he couldn't help but feel that Milphey was right - if things continued on as they were, Carrot would only get more and more frustrated... he'd never been one to hold his sexual feelings back in the first place, and that last mission had at least been some kind of sexual awakening... and it was almost amazing that Carrot's libido could be given any more drive than it already had...!

 

Then there was what Milphey had said... about how Carrot had gone to him in the past... that thought still seemed strange, to Marron. Carrot had gone to Milphey... if he'd gone to Milphey before, then what was to stop him going again... perhaps Carrot was already planning something? If anything, given what had happened in the past, Marron felt Carrot more likely to go to Milphey than to either of the Misu sisters. Milphey was trustworthy and understanding, and perhaps Carrot understood that as Marron felt he did also. Marron felt slightly more lenient of the thought of letting Milphey at Carrot rather than the Misu sisters, if Carrot went to either of them then likely he'd be lost to anybody else forever, but... as the two of them quietly stepped down the corridor, Marron watched Milphey as they walked.

 

Just a little kissing and stroking...

 

What kind of kissing? Where kissing? Where stroking... were clothes still involved, or had Marron's hand indeed not been the first to touch Carrot's skin?

 

Milphey was hardly a rival, but Marron still felt that vague jealous feeling within himself... and even now, the two of them were going forward to deliver an experience to Carrot that he would consider entirely by Milphey's devising... of course, both Milphey and Marron knew better, but... perhaps Carrot would be enthusiastic about the idea?

 

What if, afterward, Carrot went to Milphey in the hopes of some more relief from his hormonal cravings?

 

Would either Milphey or Carrot tell Marron at all? Would this be another secret?

 

They stood in front of the bedroom door, now. Marron had been so lost in his thoughts he'd almost walked straight past his own bedroom, Milphey had pulled at Marron's shirtsleeve to alert him. Marron was shaken from his thoughts somewhat, but... still not entirely...

 

This situation had to be treasured, though. Carrot's body had already technically been sullied by those whores from Euran Island, monsters or demons or brainwashed though as they'd turned out to be... Carrot could be touched in any number of ways by any number of people. Marron felt he should treasure the ways that he was able to touch Carrot while he was still able.

 

Milphey's voice was barely audible, "... Ready?"

 

Marron nodded, "Mm..."

 

A nod in reply, then Milphey opened the door. He held the doorhandle tightly, trying to mute any squeak or click it might make... the door creaked slightly as Milphey tentatively pushed it open, but nothing more than that. Milphey walked into the room, let Marron do the same, then pushed the door shut with only the slightest sound of impact against the doorframe.

 

The room was dark, as dark as any room across Eden. The window to the side wall showed the darkness of the night outside, the pinpoints of stars somewhere millions of miles away... no moon. Perhaps the night was cloudy, perhaps it chose not to show itself that night, but Marron was silently relieved. The moonlight was often quite bright into their window, and if it had been too bright, then there wouldn't have been any way to trick Carrot... unless of course they blindfolded him...

 

As for Carrot himself, only vaguely visible in the darkness, he was sleeping quite soundly on the rightmost bed in the room. He seemed to be tangled in his bedsheets, but a leg poked out to the side and his arm clasped over his chest... both Marron and Milphey seemed to be taking silent stock of the situation. Carrot breathed loudly, his breathing turning into a snore... he hadn't been disturbed at all, not just yet.

 

Milphey looked from the silhouette of Carrot to where he knew Marron stood to his side. He bit his lip then leant down to Marron's ear, murmuring softly.

 

"... I'll go first... wait here."

 

A nod from Marron and a slight touch to his cheek from Milphey, the understanding was shared between the two of them. Marron heard Milphey's light step on the carpet, picked out Milphey's shape in the darkness as he advanced towards Carrot's bed.

 

Milphey considered Carrot's position for a few silent moments. Carrot seemed peacefully rolled onto his side, gripping the bedsheets in random places... however he moved, he had to be quick. Milphey wasn't sure how quickly Carrot would wake up once he started, but he knew time would be against him... he held the cord taught in his hands. Milphey frowned his concentration... he nodded to himself, then acted.

 

Quickly, he nudged Carrot so that he lay on his back; the sheets were tugged away from his hands with little effort, Carrot's body subconsciously adjusting to the movement allowed Milphey to take momentary advantage. Then the cord... Milphey slipped that under Carrot's arms, where they'd held against the bedsheets... he formed a quick yet tight knot to bind Carrot's wrists together, then pulled Carrot's arms back, feeling them knock slightly against the headboard of the bed. Aware that his time was likely running short, Milphey looped the other end of the cord around the bedpost, tying that securely and tugging on it to make sure that Carrot wouldn't escape... he hoped it'd hold. Carrot's arms tied, Milphey stepped back for a moment... was Carrot waking up?

 

"Nnn... nnnh..."

 

He seemed to be doing something, but not quite waking up, not just yet... Milphey allowed himself a moment of relaxation. This would perhaps be easier than he thought it'd be... quickly he set to work on Carrot's legs, subjecting them to the same kind of bind he'd given to his wrists.

 

Marron stood to the side, just unable to see quite what was going on... he held his arms together, wondering how long he should stand there like that, right in front of Carrot's bed... he edged to the side, edged closer to Milphey. If Carrot were able to see him in the darkness... Marron hoped Carrot would be disorientated enough not to. Oh, there were so many things that could go wrong...

 

"GYAAH!! GY-fhhn!!"

 

He looked up swiftly at Carrot's cry, supposing that the second cry was muffled through Milphey's intervention somehow. Marron heard Milphey's voice, whispered and insistent.

 

"Carrot-chan, Carrot-chan, hush!"

 

"Fghnyynn!!"

 

"Hussshh!"

 

Carrot obeyed; Milphey removed his hand from Carrot's mouth, "Now, then..."

 

Carrot's whisper was quite forced, "Mi-Milphey!?"

 

"Nobody else, Carrot-chan!"

 

Marron advanced a little closer to where Milphey was stood to the side of Carrot's bed, edging so he stood behind Milphey. Nobody else as far as Carrot was aware...

 

"Mi-Milphey... what the hell are you doing?! I... I'm tied up!"

 

Carrot's voice was loud in the silence of the room; Milphey drifted his hand over Carrot's mouth once more, "Carrot-chan should be quieter when there are other people sleeping in the bedroom..."

 

Silence as this sunk in. Marron reached to Milphey, touching against his shoulder to let Milphey know he was there. Milphey didn't say or do anything in reply, but that was to be expected.

 

As for Carrot, he suddenly fell deathly silent. Of course, he wasn't alone in the room... as far as Carrot knew, Marron was still in the bed to his side, still sleeping, still peaceful... it was a little surprising that he hadn't woken up already, sometimes Carrot only had to move funny and Marron would be at his side, but... no, for the time being, only he and Milphey were awake in the room. He looked from side to side, but realised this was difficult with how his arms were bound together... realising the need for whispering, Carrot's voice dropped substantially.

 

"Milphey, what the hell?"

 

"Now now, Carrot-chan... you don't have to get so flustered! It's just, I hear that you've been quite... frustrated, since the trip to Euran Island... I thought that perhaps I could help you."

 

"Are you insane!?"

 

"Possibly. Why, what's the problem?"

 

"Not in my own bedroom! Not with... not with Marron right there!"

 

Milphey reached out and stroked Carrot's cheek, "Marron-chan won't wake up if we're quiet enough. Come, now... think of it like one of the many dreams and fantasies you've had recently, just with that degree of reality... I only want to help you, after all."

 

Stepping back from the bed, Milphey felt Marron behind him. He nudged him forward, allowing Marron access to the bed... Marron stood there for a moment, feeling rushed somehow. Was it really alright? Would this really work? He couldn't back out of it now, but...

 

He was shaken from his thoughts by Milphey's hand on his neck... ah, that was him pulling Marron's hair back, holding it steady. Of course, that was a good idea. Supposing he was expected to move, Marron carefully climbed onto the bed, feeling where Carrot's legs were, moving so he hovered on all fours over his brother's bound body...

 

Another nudge from Milphey. Marron haltingly moved his hands from where they pressed against the bed, moving them until he felt Carrot's body against them; he felt the fabric of a nightshirt, felt the warmth of Carrot's body beyond that... nervously, he felt down Carrot's body until he found the edge of the nightshirt. Tugging it upward, he lifted it to around Carrot's waist... placing his hands down, he felt the smooth surface of Carrot's stomach. Marron's ears twitched on hearing a whimper from Carrot; he resisted the urge to say 'Niisan?', but only just. That would be difficult, he felt...

 

"Hnn... hhn..."

 

"Carrot-chan?"

 

"I... I... what if... what if I cry out...? I... I really don't want Marron to wake up..."

 

"Does he usually wake up? Just do what you normally do!"

 

"Normally I'm in the bathroom... or at least against a pillow...!"

 

"Well, if Marron-chan wakes up, I'll take total responsibility. Blame it totally on me, I don't mind."

 

Another silence, then Carrot spoke again.

 

"I... I don't want him to see me like this, though..."

 

Marron paused in his actions, and Milphey felt that. A longer silence, nobody spoke for a moment or so... Milphey glanced from Carrot's shadow to Marron's shadow; perhaps... perhaps Carrot would say something telling during this? He hadn't really thought of that... he'd been working for Marron's benefit of course, hoping that pulling such a stunt would give Marron the courage to do things he wouldn't normally, but... if Carrot said something, then that could have an entirely different outcome...

 

Milphey smirked to himself. It'd be interesting, in any case.

 

"Oh...?"

 

"I... I mean... if he woke up and he saw me with you... he was... you saw how he reacted when we were on Euran Island, and he just stormed off suddenly...! And I-... I..." Carrot's voice became softer somehow, "Milphey, I got jealous ages back just 'cause I saw Marron and Gateau kissing, you know? I got jealous and I'm not even... uh... I... if even I was jealous then, how's he supposed to react if he saw me and you!? You know how he gets about things..."

 

"I do, Carrot-chan. I do. I... don't think we have to worry about that, though."

 

Milphey nudged Marron again, urging him to continue on. For a moment, Marron wasn't sure what to do... hearing those words from the mouth of his brother, how was he supposed to react?

 

Carrot had been jealous?

 

Marron felt a conflict of interest within him. Half of him felt guilty for causing negative feeling in the mind of his brother, but... the other half... the other half whispered sadistically to the first half, Carrot had been jealous! If Carrot had been jealous, what did that mean? Jealousy, envy, the sadistic need of wanting... even Carrot had felt something like that? For him? For Marron?

 

Feeling a hazy kind of desire to comfort, Marron leant down, familiarizing himself with Carrot's lower body, somewhere he'd been only once before, but many times in his dreams. He curled up against the bottom half of the bed, feeling his feet hanging off the edge... he shifted, his hands framing Carrot's hips and his head leant against Carrot's stomach. He moved his head, pressing a kiss against the smooth skin... Carrot's body was warm, and lower down would be a more potent heat... Marron shuddered pleasantly, stroking lower, dancing his fingers as low as Carrot's groin, stroking against Carrot's thighs, almost unsure about touching higher than that...

 

With a blush, Marron realised there was something hard pressing against his wrist; he retracted his hand, supposing that he'd have to provide less stimulation than he originally thought he'd have to... he regarded Carrot's current state with mixed emotions. On one hand, he had no argument on being able to touch Carrot in such ways, but on the other... just the situation that was, as far as Carrot knew, entirely by Milphey's devising - that was entirely enough to bring Carrot to this point already? That was the sway Milphey had over Carrot? Marron didn't know what to think of that.

 

Carrot felt the brush of a hand over his erection and tried to thrust his hips forward; it was difficult, he was bound so tightly...! His pulse seemed to echo throughout his body and he was nervous, but he couldn't deny the feeling... the memory of those girls, but brought into the present... he let out a slight gasp, tensing slightly.

 

"Mi-Milphey..."

 

"What is it, Carrot-chan?"

 

"I... be... gentle, okay? I... it's a bit painful... kinda... kinda done it a lot recently..."

 

Milphey laughed softly, "Alright, alright. I'll be as gentle as possible."

 

Marron felt as if Milphey were talking to him just as much as he spoke to Carrot; yes, Carrot had been quite rampant with his masturbation recently, even Marron had been able to notice that. Perhaps it was unfair to subject him to more of such feelings, perhaps it would have been better to wait a week or so, hope that Carrot could reign in his feelings, and just let him recover for a while... but there was no easy way to communicate such a thought to Milphey, and with the situation as it was, it seemed as if it was now or never. Enticing as the prospect of what he was about to do was, Marron wasn't sure if it was a situation he'd want to repeat; all the secrecy, and the risk of being discovered... shaking fingers wrapped around Carrot's arousal, Marron felt his heart (and lower) give a slight jump. Especially since that feeling was matched by Carrot's loud gasp... Marron felt a vague sense of power within him; Milphey had the power of speech, but Marron wielded the power of touch, and to have that kind of power over Carrot... to be able to make him gasp in such a way... Marron felt deliriously weak with his power.

 

Memories of the past surfaced, a similar kind of reaction to the power Marron had held over Gateau... that had been different, though. The power over Gateau... it was alright to be shamelessly powerful and do whatever he wished, Gateau - at the time - had a weakness for Marron and would likely have bowed to anything Marron chose to do... anything except for that which Marron asked for. Nevermind. That was in the past and a situation entirely different.

 

Mesmerized by the motion of his hands, by the heat and the hardness combined to his touch, Marron was incapable of making any other movement. All the times Carrot had commanded him to do things in his dreams... most of Marron's dreams were of his own submission, but even now, he only acted to bring pleasure to his brother... Carrot had no inkling of that of course, but that didn't matter...

 

Another groan, "Uhnnn... nnn!..."

 

"How's that, Carrot-chan?"

 

"Mi... Milphey, you're... you're teasing me..."

 

Marron looked up slightly as Milphey and Carrot continued.

 

"Oh?"

 

"D-don't just... um..."

 

"Don't just what, Carrot-chan? Tell me what you want me to do. I'll do whatever you ask...!"

 

"It... it's awkward... I can't... it's just weird... don't want Marron to wake up..."

 

Milphey could almost sense the frustration radiating from both Glacé brothers in front of him. He sighed softly, his mind racing. How could he put Carrot at ease...

 

"Marron-chan won't wake up, Carrot-chan. Earlier on in the afternoon, he... he and I had a cup of tea together. I happened to slip some certain herbs into his tea without him noticing. He won't wake up until the morning."

 

"You drugged him?!"

 

"I want to be disturbed just as much as you do, Carrot-chan. Why, I want you all for mysel~f..."

 

Another silence. Milphey wondered if suggesting something like that was going too far... still, what else could he say? Carrot knew little about herbs and concoctions and things like that, likely he'd accept whatever Milphey told him... when it came to forgiving though, that was something quite different - it was quite a subversive suggestion. In theory, poor Marron really hadn't done anything to deserve being drugged... but of course, such a plan was only theoretical. Marron still stroked at Carrot while listening to the conversation.

 

"Damn... you're so sneaky..."

 

"Ahaha, I try, I try. Don't worry about Marron-chan, though... he's in a deep sleep, it'll probably be the best night's sleep he's had in months... so just concentrate on yourself. Tell me what you're feeling... I like to hear Carrot-chan's voice saying such wicked things."

 

Carrot closed his eyes tightly, concentrating on what he felt. Milphey was a tease... if this was supposed to help him relieve his frustrations remaining from that island mission, well, surely he'd want to use more than just his hand! Not that his hand didn't feel wonderful, though... the touch was light and gentle, and the fingers felt so slender... they wrapped around him, but not too tightly... it felt wonderful, but Carrot couldn't help but crave more. If Milphey's fingers felt like that, then just what would his mouth feel like?

 

How was he supposed to tell Milphey something like that, though...

 

"Uhmn..."

 

"Come on, Carrot-chan... I want to know if I'm doing things right, after all. What does it feel like?"

 

"UHNN... nnn... you've got damn good fingers, Milphey... tea-... teasing me... but so nicely..."

 

"Hmhm, I'm glad. Though, I'm sure you're not content with just my fingers, are you?"

 

"Um..."

 

Milphey's whisper became a degree huskier, "You can tell me, Carrot-chan. I don't mind."

 

"U-uh... well... s-sometimes when it's just me... um... sometimes I'll stroke my balls, too... 'cause like, um..."

 

"Alright then," another nudge on Marron's shoulder. Marron complied, moving one hand down to where his touch was needed... he felt the softer skin of Carrot's balls, almost guiltily holding them with one hand. He let his fingers stroke and his hands squeeze, just softly... he'd rub one then the other with the pad of his thumb, revelling in Carrot's continuous groans and cries.

 

"Oh GOD..."

 

"That's good, then?"

 

"M-mm, mm... so much... so much so... god... oh god..."

 

Marron was aware of Carrot's tight shudders and jerking movements; obviously being tied back was quite, quite frustrating... he was half-tempted to reach over and perhaps untie Carrot from his binding, but then it'd be all to easy for Carrot to reach out and realise that Milphey was not the only one seducing... one day, Marron fancied there'd be a similar situation that wouldn't require such methods to get Carrot to stay still in the first place... this could be the teaser for that time, if that time ever came.

 

Thinking of things coming, Marron couldn't help but think that Carrot himself was quite close... every movement was a shudder, a gasp, a clench, a cry... surely he wouldn't last much longer, and it seemed that the exact same thing was on Milphey's mind also.

 

"You're close... aren't you, Carrot-chan..."

 

"U-uhhnn..."

 

"I can't wait. But... perhaps I'd want to taste you, hmm?"

 

"Uh-hh?"

 

Another prod from Milphey, that was all the bidding Marron needed. Feeling slightly nervous, he leant across and closed his mouth around Carrot's erection. Marron moved his head fractionally up and down for a few moments before relaxing, seeming to realise that this was how Carrot tasted...

 

That thought was a pleasing one, and Marron didn't stop. He moved his two hands to either side of Carrot's hips, holding them as he continued... so different to what it'd been like with Gateau in so many different ways. Alright, so Gateau's cock had been large and quite impressive, and Marron had grown used to it's pulse and taste and behaviour... but that was Gateau. Size or anything else didn't matter to Marron at that moment... the knowledge of what he was doing and who he was doing it to was starting to weigh heavily on his mind, and his own arousal pressed helplessly against the soft bed. What was he supposed to do, though? Despite the heady warmth of the situation, he just didn't trust himself to be able to come... and there was no way he could allow himself stimulation while still in the presence of his brother. To allow his own arousal would be to say his brother's name in his own voice would be to let Carrot know exactly who it was causing the pleasure that he felt - and then how might he react?

 

The frustration pooled within Marron. He didn't dare even moan for the hint of his voice that might carry in the air, but so badly he wanted to... he wanted to moan, let Carrot feel the vibration, wanted to cry out and be aware of the reason why his voice was muffled... but he had to remain silent. Milphey wasn't saying or doing anything either... all that remained in the room were Carrot's own cries and Marron's muffled breathing. He didn't allow himself anything more than that.

 

Carrot clenched his hands into fists, trying desperately to thrust into the warm wetness he could feel around the most sensitive part of his body... he wanted to hold Milphey's head still and thrust as he wished, but that was impossible. Still Carrot felt he was being teased, the mouth against him moving with a frustrating gentleness, an elongated suck then a deeper movement... then pulling away, allowing Carrot to feel the chill air of the room against him. He'd gasp when he felt that, then again when he felt warmth turn to burning around him... he couldn't hold it for much longer, he really couldn't. Oh, and Milphey's tongue... he moved so slowly, moved as if he was relishing every touch and every taste... the memory of Euran Island was with him always, but now in the present there was something that was so much more real and so much... so much better... the girls of the island had been wonderful, but somehow this was very different, being in his own bed, his own bedroom... it was strange that it was with Milphey, but at that moment in time, Carrot really didn't care. It didn't matter that Milphey wasn't a girl - male or female, it felt wonderful.

 

"Oh GOD... oh... Milpheyy... Milphey... don't... don't stop... please..."

 

Marron had no intention of stopping. He'd built up a comfortable rhythm of moving, licking, stroking and sucking... his ears twitched on hearing Carrot's voice and he felt so slightly empty for that voice speaking on Milphey's behalf, but... that couldn't be helped, he told himself. Better to concentrate on were the little moans and cries that Carrot made, high and low and all of them recorded in Marron's mind for later use. Surely there could be no sound sweeter on the entire Continent...

 

That thought was replaced when Carrot was evidently unable to stave off his orgasm for much longer; those sounds were sweet, but Carrot's singular strangled cry on reaching his peak was the sound that Marron treasured over all others he'd heard. Carrot came and powerfully, Marron moving diligently to taste and swallow all that which Carrot gave him, moving his hands to Carrot's erection and licking against it as his orgasm faded, just in case there was any more that could be teased out... Carrot's entire body seemed to slump back against the bed, he panted as he lay there.

 

"Hahhn... hhnn... Mi... Milphey..."

 

Marron reached out to touch Milphey's arm as he leant back, signifying that it was safe for Milphey to speak.

 

"... Yes, Carrot-chan?"

 

"That... that was..."

 

"Mm?"

 

"... that was fucking excellent... damn, you... um..."

 

"Yes~?"

 

Carrot's voice sounded embarrassed, "You... you really need to do that again sometime. I-... I wouldn't mind it."

 

Milphey laughed softly, "Why, whenever Carrot-chan asks. Don't be afraid to ask, I have little reason to refuse, after all! I-"

 

Caught up in his own conversation, Milphey stopped suddenly when he felt hands pushing strongly at him. It seemed as if Marron was pushing Milphey away, pushing him back to the doorway... perhaps he was trying to say that he wanted to leave already? Milphey wasn't sure, but Marron's hands were surprisingly insistent. Milphey managed to call his leave to Carrot before being almost forced out of the door.

 

"- I have to go now! Sleep well, Carrot-chan. Nighty-night! Oof-"

 

The sound of the door opening quickly, and sharply shutting. Carrot blinked to the darkness, wondering quite what had caused Milphey's sudden exit... surely he was somebody who had all the time in the world to stay and talk, or at least - at least to untie Carrot from his bonds! Realizing he was still tied up, Carrot fidgeted, the sound of the cords seeming to rustle but do little else. Perhaps pulling... no, that did nothing either. Carrot sighed deeply, wondering if there would be any way to untie himself... maybe Milphey'd come back soon? He hoped so. He had little desire to be found in the morning in such a position; how were you supposed to explain that to anybody? There seemed no other explanation than the truth, and... did Milphey really want what he did in the dead of night told to anybody who asked?

 

Carrot tried to look to his side, but couldn't quite manage it.

 

"Marron?"

 

No reply.

 

"Oi, Marron?"

 

Still nothing.

 

"You're really gone, aren't you... Maaarronnn... wake uuuppppp..."

 

He didn't.

 

"Dammit... Marron, wake up? Uh... Milphey, are you still around? Can you hear me? Anyone's fine... uh... um..."

 

Another sigh; Marron wasn't going to be waking up and Milphey seemed to have escaped from earshot. There seemed to be no other choice than to attempt sleep, despite the vaguely uncomfortable position... Carrot supposed he should sleep before pins and needles, cramps or any other kinds of annoyance revealed themselves. He knew he'd never get to sleep in that case.