Karma Is Baby

3: Freedom and Gifts

"And good morning to my lovely comrades!" Nikolai tipped his hat as he entered the kitchen.
Karma had his mouth stuffed so full it was spilling over with drool. He made an attempt at talking but ended up almost choking.
Nikolai laughed, "I see someone enjoys Sigma's cooking!"
Sigma giggled, handing Karma a glass of milk, "don't eat so fast. Savor it, it's better that way."
"Don't listen to him!" Nikolai was beaming, "go ahead and choke! It would be so funny!"
Sigma rolled his eyes, "this is why he isn't your kid."
Nikolai frowned, "I was only joking. I'm a clown, remember." He frowned very deeply.
Sigma chuckled as he leaned over the counter, "and how is your dream husband doing this morning?"
Nikolai's lips parted into a toothy grin, "I don't know, he hasn't come out of his cave yet. Shall I go fetch him?"
Sigma smiled, "if you want him to be upset at you all day."
"That sounds like fun!" Nikolai scampered off.
Sigma and Karma giggled.
"To think someone as crazy as him would like someone as indifferent as Dostoyevsky," Sigma sighed as he stopped laughing.
Karma nodded, swallowing another bite that really shouldn't have fit in his mouth, "I think it's pretty funny. Gogol would probably drive him crazy after a while. I know I wouldn't be able to handle it."
Sigma chuckled, "I don't think anyone could handle Gogol as their spouse."
Karma nodded, stuffing his face more.
"But if anyone could, it would probably be Dostoyevsky."
Karma tilted his head as if to ask, "why do you say that?"
Sigma smiled, "no one knows what he's capable of. I know he's incredibly patient. No matter how annoying Gogol is, Dostoyevsky doesn't seem to care. Though he occasionally raises his voice, he's never had to actually yell at him."
"Wow..." Karma marveled at the sheer idea of having that much patience.
"I got him!" Nikolai sang as he came back in the kitchen. In his arms was a very tried looking Fyodor.
He sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes, "what time is it?..."
Sigma looked behind him at the clock, "almost 9:00."
Fyodor heaved a sigh, "too early..."
Nikolai had a huge smile, feeling very proud of himself, "he didn't even wake up until I was halfway down the stairs!"
"To be fair," Fyodor laid his head against Nikolai, "he used his ability to get there."
Nikolai shushed him with an offended look, "you weren't supposed to say that! You're a terrible assistant!"
Karma giggled. Then he turned to Sigma, "do you have an ability, too?"
He nodded, "I can transfer information, so to speak. If I touch you, I learn whatever it is that I want to know most from you, and visa versa."
Karma nodded, "okay... that's not too hard to understand..."
Sigma smiled, "it isn't all that useful right now and it's not as fun as Gogol's seems."
They both looked over at the clown.
Nikolai was staring down at Fyodor with a very interesting look on his face. He seemed to be both madly in love and madly filled with bloodlust.
Fyodor mumbled, "please, I don't want to get blood on the kitchen floor. Sigma cleaned it this morning."
Sigma froze, "how did you know?..."
Karma hadn't even known. Had Sigma gotten up that much earlier than he had?
Fyodor sighed, patting Nikolai's arm and asking to get down, "I can smell the cleaner..."
Nikolai reluctantly put Fyodor down, keeping his hands on his shoulders.
Karma realized just how opposite they were. Their hair were opposite colors... they had completely different personalities... and one liked the other so much, and the other didn't seem to care at all...
Sigma started making tea for Fyodor, humming something to himself. Karma didn't recognize it.
Fyodor slowly made his way over to the counter and took the stool beside Karma. He shivered as his put his arms over the marble surface.
Karma eyed him warily. What was he going to say?
Fyodor looked over at him with a small and tired smile, "did you sleep okay?"
Karma nodded, "yeah..."
Fyodor looked back forward as Sigma slid the mug to him, "thank you."
Sigma nodded, "can I get you anything, Gogol?"
Nikolai sighed as he laid down over the counter, "ugh, I can't believe I have to go back to that stupid guy in just a few days! I'm, like, the highest of all his secretaries, and I only get a few days leave!"
Sigma giggled, "just quit, then."
"You know I can't do that," he threw a glare at Sigma.
He just laughed, "suck it up, then."
Nikolai scoffed. Then, he turned to face Fyodor, producing large tears, "do you see how mean he is to me? I had to put up with this while you were gone."
Fyodor smirked to himself as he took a sip, "you poor baby."
"He even hit me!" Nikolai exclaimed, sobbing.
Sigma rolled his eyes, speaking to Karma, "he's such a Drama Queen."
Karma nodded, but he thought it was kind funny.
"What? Want me to kiss it better for you?" Fyodor made a sound that almost sounded like a laugh.
Nikolai just stared at him for a moment that was all too long. Then he went back to spluttering, "I don't even think that will help! It's so bad that I think I might die!"
Fyodor shrugged, "be my guest. You should be happy, and accept my offer." He was pleased with himself for throwing Nikolai's words from yesterday back at him.
Nikolai clutched his chest, "ah, the agony! Please, make it go away with your magic kisses!"
Fyodor smiled a little bit as he closed his eyes, "no."
Nikolai sat up, all semblance of being sad gone, "why not?! You said-"
Fyodor turned to face him, "you seem rather disappointed."
Karma and Sigma had to hold their mouths shut to keep from laughing.
Nikolai looked genuinely shocked and offended, "you're the one who was pressuring me to agree."
Fyodor shrugged as he faced the counter again, "it doesn't hurt to play along every once in a while."
Nikolai narrowed his eyes at him, "are you sure you didn't just want to kiss me?"
Fyodor's lips stretched into a hellish smirk, "are you sure you didn't just want me to kiss you?"
Karma found that expression pretty scary. Suddenly, he didn't feel like laughing anymore and his breakfast didn't like the idea of being digested anymore.
Nikolai closed his mouth as his hand tighter over his shirt, "no I didn't. I mean, yes. Yes, I'm sure I didn't." His face told another story. His cheeks were dusted with pink.
Fyodor rolled his eyes as he set his mug down on the counter again. He motioned for Nikolai to come closer as if to tell him a secret.
Nikolai didn't seem to want to. But he couldn't help himself! What if it really was a secret!? He leaned over.
Fyodor laid a brief kiss on his cheek, "there. Now stop whining." He moved back and flashed a smile towards Sigma, who giggled in response.
Nikolai abruptly sat up, desperately trying to hide his blushing by continuing his act. "I'm cured! You really are magic!"
"Mhm, but I don't do that for just anyone." He held his hand out, "pay up."
Nikolai's jaw hung open in shock, "with what?"
Fyodor shrugged, "how about we start with the medicine you stole."
Nikolai frowned as he reached into his cape and reluctantly returned the pill bottle, "you know, you don't exactly make it easy to kill you."
Fyodor nodded, "that's the point."
"It's just not fair," Nikolai folded his arms.
Sigma rolled his eyes, whispering to Karma, "he's gotten it into his head that he wants to kill Dostoyevsky. I'm pretty sure he's just in denial."
"Totally," Karma nodded as he giggled.
Fyodor turned to face Karma next, "I've figured out how to help you."