THE WITCH AND HIS FAMILIAR [TINCAN AU]

CHAPTER 4

The following days passed by slowly, each one growing hotter and lazier with summer now in full swing. Plan found it to be too hot to spend too much time outside gardening so he would go out in short spurts, coming inside before Mean had the chance to run after him with water.

Despite everything he'd worried about when Mean temporarily moved in with them, Plan found that not much changed around the house. He still went about his day as normal, doing housework or cooking dinner or cleaning while Mark worked on his new long-lasting nail polish and Gun worked his part-time job at the gym as a trainer and went hunting with Wolf.

Only now, a small man with black hair and feline-like features would emerge from the office every once in a while to grab a drink, use the bathroom or assist Plan in whatever he was doing. It was a nice break for Plan to see someone around the house other than Mark and Gun - he loved them dearly but Plan spent all of his time with them. Having Mean around was a breath of fresh air.

He'd just finished putting the dishes away when Gun walked into the kitchen followed by Wolf, who was carrying a large and very dead rabbit in his mouth. Plan cringed, his shoulders hunching inwards.

"Gun, I just mopped the floors," he groaned. "Wolfie's getting blood everywhere and it's gross."

Gun froze in his tracks and had the decency to look shamefaced. "Sorry. I'll clean it up." He grabbed a plastic grocery bag from the pantry and held it out for Wolf to deposit the dead rabbit into.

"What are you going to do with that thing anyway?"

Gun wondered how much detail he should go into lest he saves the tender-hearted witch's feelings. "Mark needed some rabbit parts for a potion and he wasn't willing to get it himself, and Violet isn't exactly a hunter... so...."

Wolf made an adorable little awroo noise and wagged his tail. He was so proud to have helped his witch.

"No need to elaborate, thanks," Plan said with a slight gag. His stomach rumbled and he realized it was well past noon and he had only had coffee this morning. "You hungry?"

"Umm..." Gun peered into the bag with the rabbit and shook his head. "Not right now. Maybe in a bit, after I deal with this thing."

"No problem Gun, I'll make some noodles later-"

"I wouldn't mind something to eat, Plan."

Mean shuffled into the kitchen looking haggard. His hair was sticking up everywhere and he was still in his sleeping shirt and boxers, and there were purple bags under his eyes. And he hadn't shaved for a couple of days, a five o'clock shadow beginning to form on his chin and up to his jawline.

"Good morning, Mean," Plan giggled as Gun waved hi and bye and scampered out of the room before the rapper could see what was in the bag, Wolf close on his heels. "Did you just wake up?"

With one eye cracked open, Mean yawned and stretched. "No, whatever gave you that idea."

Plan giggled again and walked up to Mean, attempting to flatten his hair but not succeeding in the slightest. He sighed dramatically. "You stayed up late working again, hey?"

"It's when I'm the most inspired," Mean mumbled, swatting Plan's hand away. "And it's cooler at night. Daytime is too hot."

"That's true. I hope you got a lot accomplished, at least!" Plan said hopefully. He had been so worried about taking the famous rapper away from his work that he was constantly checking to see that Mean had everything he needed.

But the hope quickly faded when Mean refused to respond, instead of humming noncommittally and walking over to the fridge. He started pulling out cheese and meat and mustard to make himself a sandwich.