Sevastyan
Sevastyan checked the last motion sensors and closed his laptop.
Across the room from him, on the floor, Lisa gazed back.
It was late. They were both exhausted, but the condo was secured.
It wasn’t in the ideal location, but it was close enough.
Sevastyan had his surveillance station back up and running on The Residency, though even he would admit it was halfhearted at best.
He was doing enough, but just that. All his energies were elsewhere.
Besides, with knowledge that he had an informant embedded, the Yadro was less worried about details like cameras and locations.
Gang Junseo wasn’t exactly staying out of the news anyway.
“Time to head back.” Sevastyan stood and crossed the room to Lisa.
The tall slave had been helpful. He had an eye for detail and caught on quickly to the electronics Sevastyan preferred to use.
He’d also unpacked new furnishings and organized the closets and kitchen when Sevastyan hadn’t been having him help with the security system.
And he hadn’t stepped out of line once since the choke out that morning.
As long as Lisa had a mission, he was better able to keep his rebel and dominant tendencies under wraps.
Lisa accepted the hand up. Sevastyan drew him in, holding the other man against his body and stroking his back. For a moment Lisa stayed stiff, then he relaxed, dropping his head to Sevastyan’s shoulder when urged.
“Good work,” Sevastyan pressed a kiss to the side of Lisa’s head. “Let’s get back to the Bolthole.”
Ellisandre and Rei hadn’t returned yet. Sevastyan set Lisa to doing laundry and he put together dinner. When Ellisandre and Rei did arrive, they were both filthy.
“We’ll shower,” Ellisandre said. Then they looked between Rei and Sevastyan.
Rei raised his eyes to Sevastyan and quickly dropped them, but put his hand in Ellisandre’s.
Sevastyan gave a nod to his goddex, even as his stomach tightened.
Whatever had happened today had drawn Rei and Ellisandre closer together.
Ellisandre stripped in the hall and Sevastyan helped Rei get out of the last of his clothes.
He was limping and favoring his ribs and his eyes were bloodshot and tired.
Sevastyan frowned, touching Rei’s dirt-smeared cheek.
Rei gave him a wan smile and smothered a yawn.
Ellisandre held out their hand. They helped Rei into the tub and turned on the shower, not closing the door or the shower curtain.
The shower mat was going to be soaked. Sevastyan crossed his arms and leaned against the door jam, watching the two of them together.
With him, Ellisandre was power and grace and mystery.
Watching them with Rei was to see a different facet of a person he already loved.
They were gentle, almost motherly, handling Rei like glass, turning him this way and that under the water and stroking away the dirt on his cheek instead of scrubbing at it.
Rei complied with each silent direction, his body aware and submissive, but without the prescription of his actions around Alexi.
He was reading Ellisandre and responding. Communication instead of protocol.
Ellisandre finished showering Rei and moved back, preparing to work on themselves.
Rei wrapped his hand around theirs. Then he held up one of the washcloths and started on Ellisandre’s arm, cleaning them like they had cleaned him.
Ellisandre’s lips parted in surprise. They didn’t move, but they also didn’t stop him.
They looked up, meeting Sevastyan’s eyes, a question in them. Did you tell him to do this?
Sevastyan shook his head. Ellisandre looked back down at Rei, and stroked their fingers through his hair as he lowered himself to one knee, washing their legs.
When he tried to come back up, his stance wobbled.
Ellisandre caught him and said something soft that Sevastyan couldn’t hear over the sound of the water.
Rei’s lips rose a little and he let Ellisandre move him into the spray.
When he was rinsed, Ellisandre nodded to Sevastyan.
Sevastyan grabbed a towel and stepped into the bathroom, bracing Rei as he came out. His ankle was certainly unhappy.
“Hold on, little one,” Sevastyan ordered. He wrapped the towel around Rei and lifted him off his feet.
“I’ll be out in five,” Ellisandre said, moving under the water to rinse their hair.
“Dinner’s ready to be served.”
“Be right there.”
Sevastyan took Rei to the couch and sank down, holding his boy in his lap.
A strain of tension that had been there all day, knowing that Rei was out in the world without him, melted away.
He started to rub Rei’s limbs with the towel, soothing himself with the motions.
Rei’s weight grew heavier and heavier. Then his head dropped against Sevastyan’s arm. Sevastyan looked down.
Rei was asleep. Mouth open, eyes closed, limbs completely limp kind of asleep.
Lisa came out of the kitchen carrying the pot of curry and stopped to stare.
Sevastyan motioned him to put down the pot and hand him one of the quilts.
Together they wrapped Rei in the dry material and Sevastyan arranged his smaller slave on his lap.
If Rei was this tired, he probably needed the sleep more than food.