It was Sunday, 7:40 in the morning, when Shatterstar finished his daily training session and walked out of the gym. A warm, spicy aroma filled his nostrils, and his stomach rumbled almost immediately. His mind traveled back to old dusty memories of narrow streets, pebbled roads, and colorful, crowded little houses, as an overwhelming sensation of lazy joy filled his chest. He indulged in a deep inhalation before sniffing his way to the kitchen, his energy drink forgotten somewhere.
Shatterstar stopped at the kitchen door and peered inside. A young, shirtless Latino man was bouncing rhythmically in front of the stove, moving side to side and back and forth, over and over again. He held a spoon in his hands, a blue apron tied around his waist, and the plug in his right ear let the muffled voice of a singing woman escape, pacing his movements. A steamy pan hissed on the fire.
Since the return of his powers, Rictor's mood had improved notably. He shaved more regularly, smiled constantly, and his levels of bitterness and irony had decreased to an almost bearable level. Shatterstar could even say that Julio's skin, normally a little dry and rough, had smoothed. The entire X-Factor team was amazed and grateful for this change—no more drunken angry Spanish shouts at midnight or sudden encounters with the Mexican version of The Hulk, as Madrox had secretly named him. Rictor was not only less cranky, but he was also utterly happy, even more than during those rare calm days in their teen years. The saying about truly valuing something only after losing it was proving true.
Rictor joyfully mumbled something about a saint in sorrow. There was something weird about some Latino music that perturbed Shatterstar a little.
His silver eyes perched on those permanently tanned hips. If he didn't know better, he could swear that Ric had just popped his hips out of his spine just to dance like that. There was a little hairy spot at the base of the Mexican's lower back that peeked over his pajamas, Shatterstar's second favorite place to nuzzle. The first was Ric's hairy butt cheeks. Rictor's body hair was a major turn-on for the Mojoworlder.
His stomach growled again.
The warrior moved silently to reach his lover, but a threatening spoon stopped him in his tracks. Little drops of red sausage landed on his face and hair.
"Don't you dare... it's not finished yet!" There was a menacing look in Rictor's eyes, but a smirk on his mouth. Shatterstar felt proud of being able to read and understand Julio's expressions so easily, a difficult skill learned and almost mastered. He mentally patted himself on the back.
"I promise I won't eat it from the pan."
Rictor stared at him in disbelief but lowered the spoon.
The redhead wrapped his arms around Ric's waist. He recognized the song and the singer; Lila Downs was one of Julio's favorites. Shatterstar rested his chin on Ric's left shoulder and received a kiss on his cheek.
Lila Downs sang something about a dead black rooster.
"Hungry," he whispered in the Mexican's ear.
Thin strips of steak curled in the pan, diving in a bubbling red sauce amidst a very spicy-scented cloud. Something inside the oven also smelled really good. The shorter man reached for a chip from a leftover bag forgotten on the table and fed it to Star.
"It's Nanny Julianita's Moyetes. Want some?"
Star nodded, chewing his chip, then slowly kissed Julio's shoulder, neck, and ear.
"Don't make me lose my concentration! If you make me burn this, I'll kill you, I swear!" Ric pushed him away, a smile on his face. Star smiled too and pulled him back into his arms. These little rough games before training always made his day. Rictor grabbed his lover's chin almost painfully and planted a wet kiss on his lips that tasted like chips and coffee. Then he covered the Mojoworlder's mouth with his hand and pushed him away, laughing. "Let's avoid traumatizing Tier as much as possible, sí?"
Shatterstar glanced at the other side of the room. There, chewing on a rubber sandal, the young werewolf stared at them with big curious red eyes.
"G'morning, Uncle 'Star," said the boy.
"Good morning," said Shatterstar. "He's eating your shoe."
"Yeah… he wanted it… and I couldn't say no..."
Delicious spicy steam filled the room, and Star hoped Ric would finish cooking Tier's breakfast before Rahne woke up. He wasn't sure that rubber sandal was on her list of healthy foods.