Rei
Rei woke by degrees. There were voices in the room: his master and Master Alexi. A soft dream. He rolled towards the familiar warmth beside him in the blankets. Pain from his ribs radiated out. He choked on a gasp, curling inward, his head coming to rest against a warm naked body. Lisa.
“Precious.” Hands touched him from behind. Rei turned his head, blinking slowly. His master’s face filled his vision. He tried to smile through the pain.
“It’s just Master Alexi,” Sevastyan said. “You can sleep. I gave you medicine to make you rest.”
Rei blinked slowly. “Master?” His thoughts wouldn’t gather together clearly enough to know what he should do. So he offered up his confusion.
“No serving, not until you wake properly,” his master said. “Close your eyes.”
Rei blinked, trying to understand. He was supposed to be in posture. Master Alexi always meant postures. Maybe he was dreaming.
Sevastyan covered Rei’s eyes with his palm. “Rest.”
Rest Rei could do, but fall back to sleep completely he could not.
His ribs hurt too much. He snuggled into Lisa and lay still, letting the sounds of the other men speaking above him soothe him.
The drug faded by degrees. Eventually, he could track the conversation.
They were discussing Sevastyan’s recent trip to California and the galleries he’d visited.
Alexi wanted one of the pieces Sevastyan had examined.
At the rate he bought art through Sevastyan, his collection had to be vast.
Lisa stirred, his hands starting to come up to grip Rei as he always did when they slept together, and then falling away when they couldn’t grasp him.
Rei registered the exact moment Lisa realized Alexi was in the room.
His body tightened and he stopped moving.
Rei rubbed his face against Lisa’s shoulder. He opened his eyes. Lisa was looking back at him. His back was to Alexi. He couldn’t spy on his master. Rei reached for his friend, tangling their bodies together.
“Stay down, LiLi. Rest,” Master Alexi said from above. His voice was pitched low.
Lisa’s form collapsed against Rei, still not reaching for him, just resting against him, as if he could pull Rei into his body with his will alone.
“I see what you mean about his worry,” Master Alexi said to Sevastyan in English. Lisa barely understood any of that language, but Rei could comprehend it well.
Rei drifted as Lisa relaxed. The warmth of Lisa against his skin and the knowledge that, no matter what was happening, Master Alexi and Sevastyan were present lay over him like a comforting cloud.
In time, though, the sedative wore off completely and his body demanded facilities.
He pushed himself up on his hands and blinked up at his master.
Sevastyan paused in what he was saying and spread his legs, gesturing Rei to come towards him.
“His back,” Master Alexi breathed, shaking his head. “I keep forgetting how bad they were hurt.”
“Yes.” Sevastyan leaned down, spreading his hand over Rei’s bruised skin. Rei knelt up on his knees, following the pressure, but it wasn’t a signal. Sevastyan was being protective. Rei leaned into him.
“Do you need something, sweet boy?” Master asked.
“Toilet, please,” Rei whispered.
“I’ll take you. Alexi, my friend, excuse me. I don’t want him on this ankle just yet, and I hate the strain the crutches put on his ribs.”
“By all means,” Alexi said.
Rei leaned his head against Sevastyan’s shoulder as his master carried him into a bathroom in one of the bedrooms, still exhausted from the drugs.
It didn’t matter. If Sevastyan wanted him tired and hazy, that was Sevastyan’s prerogative.
They were under Merchari rules now. Whatever, and whenever Sevastyan wanted, that was what was done.
Feeling any way about it wasn’t necessary.
It wasn’t even necessary to push through the haze.
If Sevastyan had drugged him, then he was allowed to be hazy.
And he could trust that. Resistance was unnecessary.
Sevastyan’s hands were steady and gentle.
Once the toilet stuff was finished, Sevastyan let Rei comb his hair and brush his teeth.
He did it with his head against Sevastyan’s shoulder, eyes half shut.
Back in the living room, Lisa had moved off the blankets and was in a modified kneel in front of Alexi. There was tension, concern on Alexi’s part, fear on Lisa’s. Lisa’s head was down, and Alexi was leaning towards him.
“We can give you a moment,” Sevastyan said, still holding Rei.
“No, no, sit, sit,” Alexi said.
Sevastyan lowered Rei down onto a cushion he kicked into place, then settled. Rei followed the pressure of Sevastyan’s hands and reclined against the couch and Sevastyan’s inner thigh. “I have food here for dinner, or we can order room service.”
Alexi drew Lisa in between his knees, putting Lisa’s back to the front of the chair.
He carded his fingers through Lisa’s color-streaked hair.
The highlights were starting to fade, leaving hints of color through the black.
Alexi guided Lisa’s head to his lap and braced him.
Lisa went, body stiff and uncertain. Next to Alexi, the size of Lisa’s frame was more visible.
Alexi was shorter than Sevastyan. Lisa was all long limbs and underfed ribs, a vase-like waist and bony wrists, his skin marked by scars, old whippings, dog bites, and burns.
Parchment. Lisa was living parchment in faded colors, faded strength, hooded, uncertain eyes.
When they were close, the marks were less visible.
What remained most was the impression of his touch and his breath.
Watching him across the room left everything to be seen.
It felt like too much, an invasion of the other slave’s privacy.
But Lisa was looking at him. Rei met his gaze.
What did Lisa see? Could he even see, in this moment, with Master Alexi holding him?
The distance across the floor between them felt wide as an unbridgeable gulf.
Of his own volition, he could no more reach Lisa in this moment than Lisa could reach him.
After weeks of closeness, it was worse than being bare.
Lisa near was safer than wearing clothes, more necessary than food.
Rei dropped his eyes. He had to remember his place. Their masters were their shelter, their food, and their air. Until Master Alexi was gone, he could not let himself long for Lisa. Nor could Lisa long for him. They belonged to different men.