Sevastyan
Lisa woke Rei up at intervals, which woke Sevastyan, but by the time the sun started to peek into the windows in the living room, casting a glow towards the bedroom, Lisa declared both himself and Rei safe from obvious traumatic brain injury and turned off the alarms, letting them all sleep.
Ellisandre came in at one point and the sound of Alice’s voice filtered through a closed door.
But it was Ellisandre. And Ellisandre meant safe.
Sevastyan curled himself around Rei and hooked one finger into the top of the pants Lisa was wearing, and slept on.
The pants belonged to him, after all. Lisa had just appropriated them.
At some point Ellisandre came in and stuck a needle in his arm.
He could barely raise his head to look; he felt so ill.
They had shushed him. “Just blood and antibiotics.”
They roused Lisa and Rei long enough to make both of them swallow medication and let them fall asleep.
He didn’t truly open his eyes until mid-day when he felt Rei move.
His ears tracked his boy going to the bathroom and coming back, and he immediately wrapped Rei in his arms again.
He pried his eyes open enough to see Lisa completely dead to the world beside him.
Instead of climbing in the middle, Rei had just slid into the empty space on Sevastyan’s other side, leaving Sevastyan in the middle.
There was a note and pill bottles on the bedside table.
Sevastyan felt for his arm, but the IV was gone.
Only a small plaster remained, or bandaid, as they were called in the US.
Sevastyan pushed himself up on one arm and found his phone. He texted Alexi:
The phone rang almost immediately. Sevastyan held it against his ear. Alexi’s voice sounded tight. “I’m in a private space. What happened to you? If you were okay, you would have called yesterday.”
“Drugged and shot.” Sevastyan eased himself up against the headboard.
Rei whimpered and readjusted. Sevastyan laid a hand on him.
“They caught me leaving a meeting. It was a trap. They fucked up and used a drug I’m resistant to. Got away and hid in some trash before I passed out. Lisa and Rei fought off the other attack on their own.”
“Fought?” Alexi’s tone turned up.
“Yes. When I got there, Dirk’s men were dead. Our boys are hurt. Bruises, contusions. Lisa was stabbed in the leg. I have him on antibiotics.”
Alexi swore quietly.
“I failed you,” Sevastyan whispered. “Whatever price . . .”
“No!” Alexi’s voice came out harsh. “No. I know what your security is like. This is a betrayal. You said they were Dirk’s men?”
“They mentioned Dirk during the attack.”
“Did any of them get away?”
“I killed three, I’m pretty sure. There may have been a fourth who got away. Rei and Lisa took out three. Everyone that came into the condo.”
“How are you?”
“Battered. Gunshot wound. Bled out heavily while I was unconscious. We’re in a new location with medical care. I’m using private resources, not Merchari.”
“Obviously,” Alexi growled. “Thank you for still trusting me.”
“I’ll take credit for the kills,” Sevastyan said. “I won’t let that fall on Lisa.”
Alexi was quiet for a moment. “How is little Rei?”
Sevastyan looked down at Rei, curled up against his leg. Then over at Lisa. The other slave had rolled over and was watching, sleepy intelligent eyes fixed on Sevastyan.
“It’s going to be a while,” Sevastyan said. “Broken ribs. Wrecked ankle. If they weren’t already dead, I’d hunt them down and gut them.”
“As you should. There was no reason. Rei would never fight unless pushed.”
“He fought for me,” Sevastyan said, letting his head fall back against the headboard. “I need to know what’s going down in the Yadro. This might come from the very top. I don’t think leadership is in agreement with what’s going on in Seoul.”
“They touched what is mine,” Alexi said softly. “I’ll find you answers.”
“I’d understand if you wanted Lisa back.”
“How’s his headspace?”
“Fixated on Rei. Full protector mode. It’s going to take time to see the full outcome.”
Alexi took an audible breath. “You still trust him?”
“With Rei, I do.” Sevastyan let out a long breath. “He’s the only reason Dirk didn’t tear through my lair.”
“You’re the only one after me to say that.” Alexi gave an unsettled laugh. “Take care of our boys and tell me if you need anything. Rest. Recover. Tell me how it goes. I’ll poke the Yadro, find out where Dirk is.”
“Gracias.”
“The pleasure is mine. It will be good to take Dirk down. And now he’s given me a reason.” Alexi hung up.
Lisa relaxed. Rei reached across Sevastyan and curled one finger around Lisa’s thumb. Lisa wrapped his hand around Rei’s, holding him loosely over the cuts and contusions.
“We need water. Food.” Sevastyan looked between Rei and Lisa.
“Shower.” Lisa blinked at Sevastyan and wrinkled his nose. “You smell like a reaper.”
“You killed as many as I did yesterday,” Sevastyan retorted.
Lisa smirked. “Not as many as your sugar mommy.”
Sevastyan raised an eyebrow.
Lisa’s lips split into a full grin.
But Rei was holding very still, not breathing. Sevastyan didn’t look at him, careful to not bring attention to him in a moment of distress.
“Ellisandre will be back later with food. Do you want to meet them naked or clean and dressed?”
“Haven’t decided,” Lisa said.
Sevastyan prodded Lisa towards the edge of bed. “Out. I’ll help you first, then Rei.”
“I can do it,” Rei whispered.
“No.” Sevastyan and Lisa said at the same time. They both turned to him.
Rei stared up at them from the tangled sheets, eyes wide.
“You’re hurt,” Sevastyan said, reaching out and touching Rei’s face gently with one finger.
“So are both of you,” Rei whispered. He pulled the sheet up until it covered everything but his eyes, shoulders hunched.
“Yes,” Lisa replied. “But Sev and I are big pussies who can’t admit when shit is fucked up, so we have to take care of you so we can pretend.”
Sevastyan blinked at Lisa. Lisa shrugged, the bruising on his face giving his lips a twisted, sardonic tilt.
“You . . . you . . . twat!” Sevastyan spat.
Lisa cackled. “Oh, was Rei not supposed to know that?”
Sevastyan swiped at Lisa. Lisa ducked, falling on the bed, then gasped, grabbing at his ribs.
“You’re going to hurt yourself,” Sevastyan grumbled. He reached out, stabilizing Lisa before he jostled his ribs again.
“I always do.” Lisa forced himself to sit up again but held his hand out to Sevastyan for help. “Come on, let’s shower. We can help each other and then look after Rei together.”
“I’m going to strangle you before this is over, aren't I?” Sevastyan muttered.
“Please . . . don’t fight,” Rei whimpered.
Sevastyan dropped Lisa’s hand, turning back towards Rei to comfort him.
Lisa spoke faster. “We’re playing, not fighting, ReiRei.”
Rei blinked slowly, looking between Sevastyan and Lisa.
“I’m not going to strangle Lisa,” Sevastyan said. “If he bites me—” Sevastyan shrugged, then winced when the bullet wound pulled. “It would be understandable.”
Lisa licked his lips and eyed Sevastyan up and down.
Rei pulled the covers fully over his head. “Please shower. And don’t die!”
Lisa chuckled and hopped towards the bathroom, supporting himself on furniture. Sevastyan leaned over the bed and pulled the edge of the sheet just enough to see one of Rei’s eyes. “I’ll be careful.”
Rei blinked slowly, and nodded, eyes large and haunted.
Having to fight and at least help kill if not outright kill another human being had done a number on his boy’s psyche.
Sevastyan kissed Rei’s forehead, keeping his face bright and reassuring.
If he wasn’t so worried, seeing Rei hiding behind the sheet and expressing himself would be cute, but Rei wasn’t acting this way because he was relaxing.
He was regressing. Regression, at least, was probably better than a complete shutdown and retreating into robotic submissive behavior. It was a place Rei had gone at times.
Sevastyan brushed his fingers through Rei’s hair and kissed him again. “I’m proud of you.”
Rei dropped the sheet and sat up, reaching for Sevastyan.
Sevastyan sat on the edge of the bed and helped Rei crawl into his lap.
They clung and there was nothing regressed about how Rei’s body felt against his, or the weight of the world he could feel on Rei’s shoulders as Rei rested his forehead on Sevastyan’s.
He liked it when Rei was like this, when protocol crumbled and they were two creatures together. No, not creatures . . .
A bonded pair. Partners. Two souls tied with red string.
Sevastyan closed his eyes and held Rei as close as he dared around Rei’s ribs and his own wound.
Someday he would have to let Rei go. His heart might not survive.
Lisa was right. Too right. But until that day, until the last moment, he was going to hold this man in his arms as much as he dared.
It was already too late for Sevastyan. Had been too late for years.
There was no protecting himself from Rei. He could only love him until the end.