Page 31 of Hansel and Gerhardt (The GriMM Tales #3)
Sweet Like Sugar
T he blinding white of blazing sun on powdered sugar walls overwhelmed Hansel’s senses. He pressed his head into his pillow, scrunching his eyes against the pain, feeling over the bed.
Cold.
He must have been gone for some time.
Twice now, he’d awoken without Gerhardt by his side, after so many declarations.
He grasped his way to sitting, squinting around the room.
The dresser was back in place. The door was there again, ajar. He wasn’t even locked in. The window had rebuilt itself, and the meadow beyond was as peaceful and cheery a sight as anyone ever laid eyes on.
But Hansel wasn’t to be fooled.
It was real, every last terrible memory. For here he was, in Gerhardt’s room, in Gerhardt’s bed. It had all happened. And as his mind unmuddled from sleep, restored from the short rest, he knew as clear as the candy wall behind that sugar powder, this was a fight to the death.
He dropped his feet to the floor, stood, and even if the room swayed with his weakness and hunger, he forced one foot in front of the other.
His shoulder smashed into the doorframe as he stumbled through.
He slipped on the first step, but held the railing hard enough to prevent a broken neck from a fall.
He descended the stairs fast, bolted around the corner to the kitchen, and pulled to a sharp stop, his mouth dropping open at the sight before him.
There, on the floor, on his hands and knees, was Gerhardt.
He was clad only in tight leather shorts, his top half almost naked, on full display.
His perfect, pert ass wiggled delightfully as he scrubbed the floor with an old brush.
His arm muscles flexed with every push and pull, and Hansel had never seen such an expanse of those delicious thighs on display like they were that morning.
Gerhardt looked over his shoulder, and with a bright smile, sang out, “Guten tag, Hansel!” He jumped to his feet and bounded over. He looked around quickly to see they were alone, then placed a fast kiss on Hansel’s lips. He asked quietly, “Are you feeling better?”
Astounded, thrown at the sight of romantic perfection he’d never known to dream of, he whispered, “Much better. What are you wearing?”
Gerhardt took a few steps back, a coy smile peeking out from beneath that curl of dark hair. He ran a hand down a leather strap, over his naked pecs, letting it drift softly to land on his hip. “Do you like my lederhosen?”
A hungry tongue swept Hansel’s lips. “Yes.”
He shook his head, trying to return to their dangerous reality.
But those shorts would drop open at the front with the mere pull of a button. Gerhardt could keep it on while Hansel was on his knees— “Gerhardt, this is very serious!”
“More serious than my lederhosen?” He stroked the soft leather.
“I’m afraid so,” Hansel said regretfully.
His eyes scanned the room, landing on the table, stacked near to the ceiling with enormous pancakes.
Pancakes wide and thick and fluffy, dripping with butter.
Side plates loaded with more pancakes still, and little porcelain jars of honey, every type of jam, chocolate powder, and cream.
Then Gerhardt looking up at him with his guilty face. Gerhardt’s sweet fingers threading through his.
“You ate, didn’t you?” Hansel asked softly.
“I couldn’t resist,” Gerhardt whispered. “He’d made it all. He came and woke me, and he was so excited.”
“He woke you? He-he found us there?”
“Um…” Gerhardt looked down with a blush. “He didn’t say anything. He just… wanted me to come and eat. And I felt bad, because he’d gone to all this effort…”
“Yeah. I bet you did.”
“I’m sorry.” Gerhardt’s worried eyes shot up, but Hansel calmed him with a kiss on his forehead.
“It’s okay. Do you know where is he now?”
“Right here,” said Herr Candy. He was leaning against the doorframe just behind them, as casually as if he’d been there all day. His eyes were locked onto the two of them, and only shifted to follow Gerhardt when he stepped away to take up his scrubbing brush.
“Don’t let me interrupt,” said Herr Candy.
“Oh, no,” Gerhardt called, throwing Hansel a shy look. “We were just talking.”
“Hmmm.” A laughing, mocking sound. “And you said you’re stepbrothers?”
“We are,” said Hansel. “We’re just very close.”
“We’re close,” agreed Gerhardt.
“Close,” added Hansel.
“So now I see why you have such an influence on him.” Herr Candy walked over to the table. “But, as you see, Gerhardt has made himself quite at home here, and I don’t want you—”
“I’m sorry,” Hansel cut him off.
“You’re sorry?” Herr Candy stilled with his shiny egg flip halfway to a pancake.
“I am sorry.” Hansel lowered his head in a solemn nod. “I want to apologise for my behaviour.”
Gerhardt paused his cleaning. His eyes shone so fondly it made Hansel’s chest ache.
“Gerhardt explained some things to me last night, and I think I’ve been very ill-behaved.”
Herr Candy didn’t seem to know how to respond to him. He clearly didn’t trust the answer entirely. He looked quickly between the two, as if Gerhardt might have known it was coming. Yet all he said was, “Did you eat?”
“Not yet,” Hansel replied, aware of his shaking hands that betrayed the fact.
That lurid grin stretched wider across Herr Candy’s face. “So… will you eat?” He rounded the table to Gerhardt, and dipped his fingers into Gerhardt’s hair, patting his head as he scrubbed the floor. “Because I don’t want any bad atmosphere upsetting dear Gerhardt.”
How Hansel wanted to snap the man’s fingers. “I understand. And I won’t behave like that again. And I want to make it up. Perhaps we can chop some more wood for you? Out in the yard?”
Herr Candy scanned the green expanse through the window, his cruel hand ever stroking that soft hair.
“Yes, I suppose you could. I will need to burn a lot of wood today to have my oven ready for our special lunch. Though…” He suddenly clapped his hands together, and both Hansel and Gerhardt jumped.
“I have an even more important task for you. And for your brother.”
He came to Hansel’s side, and Hansel tried not to shrink when his ice fingers closed around his biceps, squeezing him, feeling over his muscles as if assessing them. “You will dig me a hole. A nice, deep one. A large, rectangular hole.”
Hansel gave a slow nod, licking his dry lips. “Very well. How big do you want it to be?”
Herr Candy slid back a few steps, appraising Hansel from head to toe. “About six feet, five inches. And broad.” He dropped those cold fingers onto Hansel’s shoulders. “Just as broad as your shoulders.”
The meaning was not lost on Hansel. He had dug his own mother’s grave. Then Gerhardt’s mother’s too.
He was well aware of the way Herr Candy tracked the movement of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed. “I’ll get to work at once. With Gerhardt.”
Herr Candy slapped his hands down on both arms, throwing a full-body shudder through Hansel, before he pulled back. “Of course, you can get started now. Unless you would prefer to eat?” He cast a hand towards the table.
Every muscle in Hansel ached at the thought of digging that hole on two days without food, and barely anything for days before that. His empty stomach clawed at him for the feast on the table. But he forced out, “I’ll eat when I’m done.”
Herr Candy clicked his tongue, yet he soon recovered with a light shrug of his shoulders.
“You must see that you do. Because if you don’t join us soon, you will have to go.
” He walked over to Gerhardt, those foul fingers stroking through his hair again.
“And Gerhardt won’t be going with you. He wants to stay, don’t you Gerhardt? ”
“Yes!” Gerhardt yelled back cheerily, scrubbing away. “Yes, I want to stay! I’m so happy down here. Just look at my tiles! They’re shining!”
“They’re very nice,” Hansel said gently. Then to Herr Candy. “I understand. I will eat. As soon as I’m done.”
“Well then….” Lips grimacing right at the corner, he gave Hansel a final once over. “Off you go.”
Hansel made for the door, but was halted by Herr Candy’s voice. “Aren’t you going to get changed?”
Hansel looked first to Gerhardt, who looked up hopefully at Hansel, then he looked to Herr Candy for explanation.
“You’ll find something laid out on your bed.”
Gerhardt took his meaning faster than Hansel ever could have. He jumped up, he ran to Hansel, and breathlessly begged him, “Oh do, Hansel. Do get changed. Do! I want to see you!”
Even now, it hurt Hansel to deny Gerhardt. He tried his best to keep that smile on his face. “I’ll put it on as soon as I’m done. I wouldn’t like to make a mess of it.”