Chapter 12
Nix was going to throw up.
No.
No, he could do this.
It wasn’t a big deal, right?
He was overreacting.
Overthinking and—
“Hey, Mom!” He forced the biggest smile he could muster the second the video call connected, and his mother’s familiar face appeared on the projected screen of his multi-slate. “How are you? How’s dad?”
“Explain this.” She held up a holopad, and a picture of him from a news article lit up the screen. “Please tell me this is some kind of sick prank, Phoenix. There’s no way you’re involved with someone like Lake Zyair, isn’t that right? Not my quiet, well-mannered boy…”
“Mom.” Nix bit his lower lip and scrambled to recall even a fraction of the speech he’d rehearsed before gathering the courage to make this call. Since the announcement had been made yesterday, he’d been trying to work himself up to the point he could do this, but now that it was happening…
“We couldn’t bring ourselves to call you,” she continued when it became clear he was going to remain silent. “We kept waiting and waiting for you to reach out and explain, and now that you’ve finally called, this is it? Why aren’t you denying it? Say something!”
“Let’s give him a moment, dear,” his dad’s voice trickled through the line a second before he appeared in frame. He looked a lot like Nix, with the same sandy blond hair and soulful brown eyes. But that was mostly where the similarities ended.
His father had been popular in school, both high school and university.
He’d been on several sports teams, was homecoming king, and graduated with high honors, all while maintaining his social life.
When Nix had been a rising swim star, the two of them had been closer than ever, but the second Nix had quit…
There’d always been a note of resentment and disappointment between them, no matter what his dad claimed, and Nix had felt it strongly enough he’d run off for college and never looked back on the past. They’d both just pretended that awkward period in their relationship had never happened.
Until now.
Because the disappointment wasn’t so hidden this time around. The way his dad was looking at him—the way both of his parents were—made their feelings on the matter abundantly clear.
There was one rule their family had always had and strictly followed, and that was to not get involved with politics or Club Essential.
Nix had broken both rules.
And he’d kept it a secret.
“I understand why you’re upset,” he tentatively began, finally finding his voice, “but I didn’t mean for this to happen, it just sort of…did. And I love him. I love them. I’m happy. So—”
“What do they have on you?” his mother cut him off sternly. “What did you do to draw their attention like this? What mistake did you make? I knew we should have never allowed you to transfer to Foxglove Grove.”
“Mom.” Nix’s only mistake had been attracting Lake in the Enigma forums, which, albeit was a big deal, he refused to take responsibility for the rest of it. At least, he wouldn’t feel bad about it, since he couldn’t exactly come out and tell her the truth either.
That her son had initially been forced and threatened, and despite all of that, had eventually fallen for his antagonists.
“Please,” he blew out a breath. “Can we just talk calmly? This isn’t as big a deal as you’re making it seem.”
“You’re about to move into the palace!” she shouted.
“You’re official title is now Royal Consort Phoenix Monroe!
It doesn’t get bigger than this, mister.
There is no downplaying the world of trouble you’ve gotten yourself into.
Do you understand what this means? Truly?
There’s no going back now. Even if you wake up and realize what an epic mistake you’ve made, you can’t undo it.
It’s not like marriage. There is no divorcing the emperor! ”
She swayed a little dramatically and his father ended up having to steady her with an arm around her shoulder.
Nix would never say this to them, but he knew they were hamming it up to try and make their point.
That he was a terrible son who’d caused them all this unnecessary stress.
The problem was, he didn’t even blame them.
Getting this deeply involved with the Imperial family was foolish.
Becoming a Royal Consort, giving the world access to his information, and making his relationship with the Demons public knowledge was foolish.
Hell, his cousin’s death was what had brought him to this place, and she’d arguably been pushed to the edge by the very power play Nix now found himself in the middle of. Juri had used her because of the Club and his need to shove Lake and the others down a peg.
They were all members of Club Essential, the very club Nix was now a part of.
He decided not to tell his parents about how he’d agreed to turn their family Imperial if anything ever happened to his boyfriends. It didn’t seem like the right time and, in any case, he doubted it would ever come to that. They never had to know, because it was never going to happen.
“I’m not going to want to divorce him, Mom.”
“You don’t know that!”
“Do you want to divorce Dad after all this time?”
She bristled. “That is not the same and you know it.”
“No,” he shook his head. “I think it is. You fell in love with Dad, not because you wanted to, but just because you did. Well, that’s what happened to me. I love them. It was unexpected, and I tried to resist, but I…couldn’t.”
“There are three of them,” his dad reminded then, giving him an odd look. “You never even seemed interested in dating one person, let alone having three at once.”
Nix was sitting in the kitchen with his device set on the center of the granite island.
When he heard the sound of the front door opening and closing, his eyes darted in that direction, but he didn’t allow his gaze to linger for long, so he missed when Yejun entered the living room from the foyer and spotted him.
“Can we not get into that?” Nix felt his cheeks start to pinken. The last thing he wanted to discuss with his parents was his sex life. Even if it was all over the news, along with the rest of his business. “Can’t you both just be happy for me?”
“This isn’t the future we wanted for you,” his dad said.
“Maybe not, but it’s the one I’ve chosen for myself.” This had gone about as well as he’d expected, and since there wasn’t much more he could say, Nix figured it was probably better to end it and give them all a chance to cool off. “I’ve got to go.”
“Why?” His mother’s gaze hardened. “Is one of them there with you now? Put him on.”
“No.” Nix shook his head, and it took all his willpower not to look up and over to the man standing in the living room, quietly waiting.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I just wanted you both to know that I’m sorry it came out this way, but I’m happy, and I’ve chosen this. I’ll call you again later, okay?”
“Phoenix, this isn’t—”
He clicked the end button before his mom could finish scolding him and let out a loud groan, dropping his head into his hands.
“That sounded like a time,” Yejun said, slowly approaching him as though he wasn’t quite sure whether or not Nix wanted company at the moment. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to walk in and ruin your call.”
“You didn’t.” He snorted. “It was already going terribly. If anything, you saved me from having to put up with it any longer.”
“Not our biggest fans, huh?”
“We didn’t even get into that,” he admitted.
Nix hadn’t wanted to hear them badmouth Yejun or the others, and definitely didn’t want to have to talk about what he could possibly see in any of them enough to want to give them his future.
That was where the conversation had been heading, he just knew it.
“Briant is talking to his parents in his room. We’re hoping he’ll have better luck with them, and then they can talk to mine. ”
“Utilizing the whole family,” Yejun hummed in approval. “I like it. It’s smart thinking.”
“It’s manipulative at best,” Nix dropped his hands to find the Demon standing directly across the table from him, “but I’ll do what I have to at this point. I just want to smooth things over with them before the coronation.”
“What if they don’t want to come?”
“Briant already promised me he’d be there, so you don’t have to worry. I’ll have a family representative for the ceremony.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about, Firebird.
” Yejun licked his lips. “Come on, this is me you’re talking to.
If anyone here can relate to having parents not agree with their personal life choices, it’s me.
Even if it’s coming from a good place, that doesn’t make them right.
My mom also thinks she’s doing what’s best for me every time she insists she’s right and I’m wrong, but that doesn’t make it true. ”
“It doesn’t make it any easier to deal with,” Nix added, and Yejun nodded.
“Exactly.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “They’ll come around. I have to believe that.”
It sucked too much to think otherwise. He and his family had always been close…for the most part. Had he always felt the need to keep secrets from them? Sure. They didn’t know about his hacking skills, for one. But that didn’t define their entire relationship.
“I don’t want to lose them, too,” he whispered.
“You won’t,” Yejun reassured. “You’re right. They just need time to sit with it, that’s all. They care about you. It’d be weirder if they reacted any other way.”
“You think?” He lifted a brow.
“Yeah. Their only child just told them he’s joining the Imperial family, taking on three boyfriends, and is willingly stepping into the limelight. It’s not exactly safe being a Royal Consort, Nix. If ever a war were to start, you’d be a target.”
True.
“What about your family?” Nix shamelessly turned the tables. “Were they at the meeting?” Yejun and the others had gone to the Club House, leaving Nix behind to deal with this.
Of course, he’d put off calling until the last possible minute, partly knowing one of them would most likely be walking through the door, giving him an excuse to end the call early.
Pathetic.
And also a little ironic. He’d stared down the barrel of a gun and had one of his closest friends basically die in his arms, but when it came to talking to his parents about his chosen mates…the anxiety was too great to handle.
“They were conveniently absent.” Yejun came around the table and opened the cabinet. “Coffee?”
“A world of yes.”
He started getting all the things together, going over to the coffee maker in the corner. Unlike Lake, he didn’t bother with fancy espresso machines, and he didn’t have the level of patience West had to wait for the French press.
Nix watched him move about, enjoying the momentary silence. “This feels…comfortable.”
“Hmm?”
“This,” he repeated. “Us. We’ve felt…homey all week. It’s nice.”
“Homey?” Yejun chuckled and added sugar to both mugs he’d pulled out. “No one’s ever accused a member of the Sang family of that before.”
“It’s not an accusation.”
“It’s too…ordinary, not to be.”
Right, because according to his mother, Yejun couldn’t be anything less than spectacular.
“You’re about to become the right hand of the emperor,” Nix said. “Shouldn’t that be enough?”
“You mean in the same way that becoming the Royal Consort is enough for your parents?”
“That’s different.” Nix turned and boosted himself onto the countertop, watching as the coffee finished brewing and Yejun set to filling the mugs. “My family has always been wary about power, that’s not the case with yours. You’re bringing even more prestige to them. They should be grateful.”
Yejun handed the first mug to Nix and shook his head. “They’re worried it means I’ll stop painting.”
“Will you?” There was a bit too much sugar in his, but Nix kept that to himself. Out of the three of them, only West paid attention to minor details in the kitchen.
Nix didn’t like the boxer more for it, and he wasn’t annoyed with Yejun for not getting it right.
Considering Yejun’s upbringing, it made sense that he lived in a world where everyone liked everything the exact same way he liked it.
His parents were like that too, after all.
For them, art was everything, so it only made sense in their minds that their son should consider it everything.
“Of course not,” June stated, finishing making his own cup and then sipping at it lightly for a moment before adding, “I’ll oversee all of the charity divisions for the Imperial family. Art will obviously take center stage, and I’ll keep working.”
“You just won’t have as much time.” Nix had spoken to them a bit about their plans once Lake took the throne, but he didn’t have all of the details.
He’d come into this last, so that was to be expected, but he’d like to get a full rundown of what to expect, and what would be expected of each of them, before the coronation, so he could better prepare. “Does that bother you?”
“No. I love drawing and painting. But it doesn’t need to make up my entire personality. I want a life outside of that, even if I do pursue it as a career.”
Yejun just wanted a choice.
“Kind of ironic, huh?” Nix smiled when Yejun frowned. “We both want the same thing.”
He flinched. “I’m sorry for my part in forcing you—”
“That’s not what I meant,” he stopped him. “You can quit bringing it up. I might not have been willing in the beginning, but I am now. I’m in this, all in. I only meant, we both wish our parents would accept that we’re individuals with our own hopes and dreams.”
“Sorry. We were talking about you, and I somehow made it all about me.”
“That’s all right. I’m used to it.”
“Ouch.”
“I know a way you can make it up to me.”
A glint entered Yejun’s amber eyes. “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
Nix carefully set his mug aside and then reached for June’s, placing that next to his on the counter out of the way.
Then he looped a finger through Yejun’s belt and tugged him closer, spreading his legs so the Demon could move to stand between them.
Once he had him where he wanted, he leaned back, resting his head against the cabinet.
It’d been a while since the artist had blown him, and while he might not be the keenest when it came to Nix’s taste in the kitchen, he definitely got straight A’s where bedroom activities were concerned.
Without any more prompting, Yejun slipped to his knees.