Sevastyan
Sevastyan eased the door open and gazed down the hall and into the living room.
Rei sat on the couch, eyes fixed on the laptop.
He looked impossibly small for a man in his later twenties.
Even with the lattice work of scars on his cheek, the impression he gave off was young, as if time had stopped for him at twenty or twenty-three.
As Sevastyan approached, his eyes flickered up.
He pushed the laptop to the side and sank into a modified kneel, hand on the coffee table, bracing himself
Sevastyan reached down, pulling him from the floor and up into his arms.
Rei let out a surprised gasp. Sevastyan lowered himself to the couch, a lapful of his boy in his arms, and suddenly the world was a little more right.
The ache in his head eased. Rei moved, spreading his legs on either side of Sevastyan’s and curling against Sevastyan’s chest, his head on Sevastyan’s shoulder.
“Master?”
Sevastyan pressed his lips to Rei’s hair. “Are you in pain?”
“No.”
“Then let me hold you.”
Rei relaxed, sinking against his chest. Sevastyan let his head fall back against the couch and closed his eyes. Rei’s hand came up and rested against Sevastyan’s upper arm, his fingers moving in soothing motions.
Sevastyan pushed his hand up the back of Rei’s shirt, stroking his skin.
Ellisandre came out of the bedroom and disappeared into the kitchen.
Sevastyan started talking, telling Rei about his trip, killing Dirk, seeing Raska, and all the things that had passed between him and Alexi beyond Rei’s earshot.
At some point, Rei turned sideways in Sevastyan’s lap and lost his shirt, but his hands stayed on Sevastyan, moving softly, grounding Sevastyan in time and space with him in the Bolthole, never letting him drift into what-ifs and possibilities.
When all there was to say had been said, Sevastyan checked Rei’s healing injuries, urging him to recount his own time with Alexi.
Rei helped with the stripping of his pants and lay in Sevastyan’s lap, letting Sevastyan satisfy himself. He spoke of Alexi and Lisa, nothing he said a surprise. Ellisandre slipped out partway through to see to their other household.
In time, Sevastyan reached for the laptop.
Together, they caught up on the news bulletin and Sevastyan’s correspondence, legal and Merchari.
Rei had updated the database with more details Lisa had recounted and made new connections and suppositions to be checked.
He’d also started his background research on the possible party in New York.
There was enough chatter about it that he had been able to synthesize a partial list of attendees.
Sevastyan scanned the list, catching Bai, one of the Yadro directors.
Tolerable. It would be good to have more face time with the man and remind him that he was favored by Alexi.
But there were also a few names he detested, including one that he’d tagged a year before for early removal if possible.
Rei had highlighted the man’s attendance and linked him with Dirk based on recent internal Merchari chatter.
As they wound down, Rei smothered a yawn. Sevastyan gritted back one of his own. It was early for sleep but not too early for eating the evening meal. He stood up, lifting Rei in his arms. Rei squeaked and went limp.
“Master, I can hop,” Rei whispered. “You’re still injured.”
Sevastyan smirked. “I lifted Ellisandre this morning.”
Rei’s eyes widened. He almost didn’t notice Sevastyan nudging the door open to the bedroom. Lisa was just blinking his eyes open. Sevastyan set Rei down on the side of the bed. “Toilet and kitchen for both of you,” Sevastyan said. “Then dinner and back to bed.”
“Yes, Master,” two voices chorused back at him.