Who: Hansel hans & Gretel gretel What: An evening at home When: Backdated, Thursday, August 20, night Where: Hansel & Gretel's shared home Rating: Mature Audiences Only Warnings: Crude language. Sibling rivalry. Inappropriate conversations. Status: Closed/Completed GDoc
~*~
Breadcrumbs getting another store was all Hansel felt he talked about with Gretel when they were home. They'd been arguing about whether or not to keep the same name -which they'd already trademarked- to turn it into a franchise or to give the new shop a new name to have a new focus. Either option had the potential to draw in new customers, but they couldn't sort out which they wanted without tearing into one another for some reason or another. It was rare they fought, but when they did it was vicious.
They weren't the kind to go easy on each other.
Scrubbing his hair back from his face, Hansel slumped back in his chair in defeat, snapping, "I'm tired of talking about business. You getting lucky lately?"
Brothers and sisters who grew up with only each other to rely on tended to be close. Hansel and Gretel had been placed in more than one therapy session over how they interacted with each other. They'd refused to sleep apart for a time before they'd hit puberty; after, it'd been the opposite with Hansel being unwilling to be alone with Gretel while she took her frustration over the his shunning her out on everyone else. All therapy had managed for them was to make it obvious they weren't normal, never would be, and couldn't care less.
He had been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a few women in the store. They had sparked his interest, but none had felt right enough to ask out for anything other than a one-off which wasn't his style. Hansel wanted---he didn't know what he wanted. His dreams were out of control. He hated everyone's modern ideas more and more with each passing day. It didn't help they'd hired a climbing instructor who wore her pants as if they were stitched onto her every morning and cut off every night.
"I know I'm not so one of us should be getting some action. I'm getting stupid from it lately. Keep wanting to ask out Maleficent. I know, I know, she works for us. I'm not stupid. She just---she's a good-looking woman who isn't afraid to climb anything at all. It doesn't hurt she wears her pants. So. Spill it. Why you spending so much time ogling your phone like it's something other than a modern inconvenience?"
~*~
Gretel was sick and tired of fighting as it seemed to be the only thing she was getting accomplished with Hansel lately. It was strange that they couldn't settle on anything, normally they were so in sync when it came to decisions. Gretel had no idea what was going on with either of them, until Hansel opened his mouth.
Well, shit, that did make sense didn't it?
"No, not yet." She sat her phone down, an annoyed look crossing her features as she propped her heel against the ledge of their coffee table. "I might've met a very lovely doctor when I went in for stitches the other day." Giving Thirteen her number had been easy, talking to her had also been easy, but waiting to hear back from her was hard. "So yeah, I might be waiting on a text back from time to time." Gretel rolled her eyes at herself, feeling slightly foolish for her thinking.
There was something different about Thirteen, though. Gretel herself was fine with one night stands, but she hadn't even tried to make a real move on the woman just yet. She wasn't sure why either. Thirteen was beautiful, funny in a sarcastic way that Gretel understood, and fit which was always a plus in Gretel's book since she was extremely active.
"Yet, being the key word." She let out a long breath before settling back against the couch. "We'll see how it goes. I think we're both in need of a good fuck."
Blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face, she lolled her head to the side to look at him. "She does wear her pants very nicely, and I can say with confidence that she's not into women." Gretel couldn't help it, she had flirted with her after hiring her, but Maleficent had turned her down gracefully.
Lifting a shoulder, she pursed her lips in thought. "It could turn into a thing if you weren't careful. I don't think she'd be the type to take offense to it, or anything, but I'd just use caution if you're really thinking about going down that route." Neither one of them were the type to push anyone into uncomfortable situations, especially when it came to dating. Hell, it wasn't like they couldn't get laid on a regular basis if they chose to. "And no, I don't think you're stupid for thinking about it. I'd think about it too if I thought I had a chance."
~*~
"A doctor, huh?"
Hansel whistled. They tended to pick up easy lays in bars or stumbled onto welcoming outdoors people while out away from the world. There was a sense of freedom in the mountains which dropped inhibitions for people who might ordinarily have said no to a passionate fling with passing strangers. It helped Hansel and Gretel came equipped for any and all situations while out on their treks. He'd one surprised the Hell out of an older woman with a waterproof personal massager he'd had packed in one of his hiking bag's many pouches.
It was better to be safe than sorry, right?
They hadn't ever done the Scouts -Boys or Girls- seeing as they were in State Care until they reached majority, but they had learned more from being streetwise than any organization could have taught them. Hansel would have put hard money on that. It helped they'd learned how to rely on each other. Having someone to be there for them? That was nice. Hansel wouldn't take anything for the frankness he could share with Gretel. She was his other half, likely his better half if anyone was to get down to it.
"If I strike out with Maleficent, how likely do you think your doctor would be to want to spend quality time here? Unless you're not feeling like sharing. You feeling stingy with her? I don't think I can name another fuck who had you stalking your phone like a hawk after a field mouse."
He was smiling already thinking about it. Could Gretel be fancying the doctor lady for more than a fuck? That could be interesting.
~*~
That was because there weren't any. Gretel had dated in the past, although things had tended to peter out after a while. Most were pretty faces that were worth a fuck or two, but after seeing them for a little while, Gretel found that they couldn't hold up any sort of conversation so she grew bored with them.
That's yet to happen with Thirteen, and they hadn't even fucked yet.
"I'm hopeful that the chances are high that she'll want to spend some time here, but we'll see." She shifted in her seat, throwing one leg over the other to cross her legs at the ankles, "As far as sharing goes, I think I'm going to be stingy with this one." Gretel had no issues with sharing lovers with Hansel, they'd done it many times in the past, but there was something definitely different about Thirteen.
Gretel couldn't put her finger on why that was, but time would tell if her gut feeling is right.
"Well yet, we'll see how things go." She canted her head to the side while looking over at Hansel, "I don't think you'll strike out with her if you try. Just remember not to ramble on too much and I think you'll be just fine." Her brother and his tendency to ramble around pretty girls. Gretel found it endearing, really, but not a lot of women were into that. Still, her brother did have confidence in his favor, even if he talked too much sometimes, so it should even out.
Her phone vibrated on the couch beside her, and Gretel's eyes glanced over at it. Picking it up, Gretel tossed it back down after seeing it was nothing more than a twitter notification. "Shut up, I don't want to hear it."
~*~
Hansel held his hands up palms out in a sign of surrender. He wasn't going to razz Gretel too badly about her doctor obsession. It would do his sister good to have someone she wanted to be stingy with in her life. They'd both had lovers before. They'd been fine with sharing more than one of them---which was why none of them had ever lasted as far as he could tell. No one who mattered would have been someone they'd have wanted to share. It was each other they were possessive of and no one else.
He could say he was possessive of Maleficent. It bothered him to think Gretel looked at her, saw how beautiful she was, knew she was out of his league. Hansel didn't like to think about his sister comparing his past history with other women to what he wanted -or thought he could have- with Maleficent.
Maleficent wasn't an easy lay. She was no pick-up on a trail or in a bar. Hansel liked watching her work. She taught with an ease which astonished him though she was never overly friendly with their male clients even if it would have likely earned her a higher tip if she had been. Flirting wasn't something she did off-hand which was fascinating to him considering her looks. A woman who could have anyone? Who didn't want to flirt with anyone? What was that about? Did she have some dark history or was she not interested in men or sex or relationships or did she just not mix business with pleasure?
"I could spend a month looking at my phone for a text from Maleficent. Wouldn't be a waste of time at all. Not for me. She's my doctor, I guess. Now we're even---but at least you managed to get yours to take your number. I can't even say hello to mine without worrying she'll sue us for sexual harassment."
His grin didn't reach his eyes.
Hansel wasn't sure he was joking.
~*~
Gretel let out a heavy sigh, and gave a shake of her head. "I don't think that she would sue us for sexual harassment. She doesn't strike me as the kind of woman that would do that." At least, that was how Gretel felt about things. She eyed her phone again, "I say yet, and all I can think is how I would wait for her to text me back for a long time." Gretel would do just that if she had to, but something told her that she wouldn't have to wait too awfully long for a text.
Shifting in her seat, Gretel lifted a shoulder. Who knew what would happen? Gretel couldn't predict the future, although sometimes she wished that she could. Still, she could plan for the future. Planning was something Gretel was good at. No check that, she was great at it and she enjoyed it, come to that.
Taking in a deep breath, Gretel pointed her toes to stretch out her legs. "Worst case scenario with Maleficent is that she does sue us. Again, I don't think she will, and I think that you should try to make a move on her before someone else does." That was actually a thing that could happen if Hansel didn't make a move soon. "I mean, there's a lot of men that come in and eye all the girls. She's -- well," she gave Hansel a look and shook her head, "a very beautiful woman, so it might be in your best interest to go for it and see what happens."
They had good lawyers, and they could settle out of court if something happened. Gretel, again, didn't believe that it would but one could never tell.
~*~
Gretel made good points. She was a grounding rod for Hansel's life. It was nice to have her around to bounce ideas off; he wondered how Maleficent would care to know they lived together outside of work. Some people knew. Some didn't. It wasn't a secret. They had enough money to afford separate houses, but they'd spent their entire lives fighting to stay together. It felt wrong to try to drift apart when they were finally free to make their own choices without the say of any government do-gooders on the issue.
They had grown up with few real choices in their lives. Hansel had made most of his personal choices around school---namely how well he was willing to do in it based on how much work he'd put into the matter. There had been plenty of opportunities for him to get tutors, help. He could have gone on to do really well. All he'd thought had been what else could his time be better spent on than fighting to learn things he'd never use in his life? It'd been the reason he'd went the way he had while Gretel had powered through to become the educated one of the pair.
Hansel sighed, "I'm glad I have you to bounce ideas off. Think she'll care we live together? In the event she doesn't have a problem with me flirting with her while she's our employee and assuming I manage to give her a ring at all."
Flirting was easier for some men than others. Hansel was not one of those men who could stand to flirt with a beautiful woman. He wound up talking about how dangerous it was to fuck in fresh water due to parasites or the kinds of infection a person could get from skinny dipping in a hot tub. No one was comfortable when he was trying his hand at flirting. All-in-all? It was a better call for him to get right to the point with a woman. Some women appreciated it while others rang his ears with a good slap he figured he deserved.
The difference with Maleficent was Hansel didn't want her to ring his ears and he didn't want to know if she wouldn't appreciate him doing the best he could around her.
~*~
Gretel had to agree that it was a good thing that they had each other to bounce things off each other. She honestly didn't know what she'd do without Hansel around. She'd likely go crazy, that's probably what would happen, or find herself in some sort of crazy downward spiral. She didn't want to think about it. She couldn't think about it to be honest.
Stretching her arms over her head, Gretel let out a soft groan and then shook her head. "I don't think so. I mean, it isn't as if we don't have our own spaces." They hadn't shared a room in a long time, and come to it, their rooms were far enough apart to where they weren't up in each others business when they did have someone over.
"You had better ring her. That way you'll know if you have a chance or not." She knew her brother was capable of actually doing it, just as long as he didn't ramble on and screw it up. Which hopefully he wouldn't. "Seriously," she dropped her feet down on the floor, and moved to stand, "you should get on it because if you don't? You might miss out." Gretel pointed her finger at him, and tipped her head to the side with a look over at her brother.
"I'm going to grab us some beer." Now that she'd calmed down after their little spat, she felt that it was time to relax a bit more, providing they didn't talk any more about their newest store.
She moved to the kitchen, and pulled open the fridge. Reaching in, she grabbed two beers, one for each of them and she walked back into the living room, holding out one to him. "Maybe we should invite her out on the next adventure tour? From my understanding there's some good rock climbing chances out there, so it could be worthwhile." She offered Hansel a smile. Gretel could drop a hint to Maleficent, especially in regards to the rock climbing possibilities, she was certain that would grab her attention at the very least.
~*~
"I can do that," Hansel agreed as he took the beer from Gretel.
It wouldn't be hard to ask her to start working on a shot at a trip with them. The Adventure Weekends brought in a lot of money; they had booked more than anticipated for Labor Day Weekend. There was something about having the extra day which made people want to feel as if they were really doing something better than watching television on their couch for a change.
Hansel thought Maleficent would enjoy the trip even if she wasn't interested in him. She liked new climbing spots. The challenge seemed to excite her which made her almost glow in front of him. He liked seeing her when she was at the height of her excitement for something. Their enthusiasm for being outside was something they did share. Hansel tried not to think about setting up camp with Maleficent if she wasn't interested in being near him as anything other than his employee.
They went out with plenty of people. It wasn't a quiet group for the most part. There were often women on the tours who Hansel could find attractive without wanting to touch them. All he wanted was the ability to talk to her while making sense. Popping open the bottle cap, he took a deep drink to try to steady himself. Little was as steadying as beer. The hops were a comfort he couldn't put into words. They reminded him of something. Another life maybe. Another time. Simpler times.
"Want to play worst pick-up lines? It might make me feel better about asking out a woman so far outside my league as to be ridiculous."
~*~
That was good, she could definitely ask Maleficent to join them on the outing. Hell, the worst thing she could say was no, but something told Gretel that she wouldn't. Maleficent wouldn't want to pass up an opportunity to check out new places to go climbing, at least, that's what she'd learned about the woman since she'd started working for them.
Plopping back down on the couch, Gretel reached forward to pick up the bottle cap opener that sat on the coffee table to remove the bottle cap from her beer. It hit the table with a clink, and she took a long pull from the bottle. Everything would work out in the end for the two of them, Gretel had no doubts about that, but it was going to be an interesting journey she supposed.
With a chuckle, Gretel licked her lips and then nodded. "Sure, I'm game for it." She gave her brother a look, "And don't think she's far outside your league." Gretel did think highly of her brother, and would until the end of time. "Alright, bad pickup line." Pursing her lips thoughtfully, Gretel tried to think back on any she'd had used on her over the years.
"Oh, how about this one? 'I'm addicted to yes, and I'm allergic to no. So what's it going to be?'" She laughed after she delivered the line. The guy that had tried that one on her had gotten a stern look as she told him that he might want to go ahead and take some Benadryl since he was about to have an allergic reaction.
Yes, things would be fine. They would survive no matter what life threw their way because that was how they did things. Gretel was happy though that for now? They could laugh, enjoy each other's company and not worry about a damn thing in the world.