Epilogue
Six Months Later…
Ezra peeked into the bedroom, the one they now shared. Moving into Sloan’s house had happened a few weeks after he’d offered, and not only were their monthly payments a lot easier, but also life in general was easier together.
Sloan handled the deep cleaning while Kai and Ezra took turns cooking, and all of them tidied up after themselves as needed. Of course the occasional bumps in the road occurred, like the fact that Sloan wanted him to use a hamper for laundry instead of rummaging through them on the floor, but they talked it through and figured out a way forward. The same went for Sloan’s tendency to sometimes gloss over his issues or Kai trying to push through his pain instead of taking care of himself. Ezra still struggled some days to accept this wouldn’t vanish in a puff of smoke, but when the insecurities made him snappier or withdraw, they discussed that too.
All in all, he was the happiest he’d been in his life.
“You look adorable.” Sloan worked on buttoning up his shirt.
Kai blushed and smoothed down his sweater, which looked very professor-ish. “I’m too old to go back for a master’s. Maybe I should forget this.”
“Breakfast is ready.” Ezra stepped inside and strode up to Kai. He grabbed him by the chin and lifted his head forward so their eyes met. “And you’re going to your classes. You’re going to do amazing in grad school, and then you’re going to become a fantastic history professor.”
“Someone needs to be subject to those lectures on the Meiji Restoration Era because I’ll be real, I’m still lost,” Sloan teased. He’d finished up on his buttons and looped the tie around his neck, quickly working on that with deft motions.
Ezra pressed a kiss on Sloan’s cheek. “Did I ever mention how hot the office attire looks on you? Fucking gorgeous.”
Sloan’s lips curled in a grin, and his blue eyes twinkled. “Hot enough for a quick fuck before work?”
Ezra swatted his ass. “You’ve got to get out the door in fifteen minutes, so that’s a no. Go eat your breakfast.”
“What if my breakfast was cum?” Sloan batted his eyelashes.
“Come on.” Kai tugged at Sloan’s hand. “I’ve got to get a move on too.”
Sloan wrinkled his nose. “Why did I decide to date two Doms? This seems like terrible planning on my part.”
“Hey, I’m on your side sometimes,” Kai said with a cheeky grin as he led Sloan out of the bedroom. Ezra followed.
“And on my back and my front…” Sloan’s eyes twinkled .
Ezra grabbed their plates from the kitchen counter and set them on the breakfast bar. The smooth black counters offset the white stools, and this whole place was nicer than anywhere he’d ever lived. He passed over the mugs of coffee he’d doctored up the way they liked them: Kai’s plain black like his own, and Sloan’s with cream and sugar.
“Coffee,” Sloan gushed. “You really do love us.”
“Damn straight I do,” he said, his voice a little hoarse. He was still getting used to saying it, but the more time he spent with Sloan and Kai, the more it came out effortlessly.
Kai sat on the stool and finished half his plate of a sausage and pepper omelet and toast.
Sloan perched on his spot and took delicate bites of his toast, and Ezra tucked in, even though he would be fine with just coffee. He’d still been up after his overnight shift, so once they left, he was going to crash out. The weeks of overnights, he didn’t get to see them as much as he liked, but moments like this made up for it.
“What’s on the agenda this week at Whipped?” he asked Sloan, who still nipped at his toast.
“I’ve got my regular cycle of filings for clients. Meg wants me to help with breakdowns of the dungeon expenses too, see if there’s anywhere we can scale back.”
Pride thrummed in Ezra’s chest at how damn intelligent both his boyfriends were.
“Okay.” Kai pushed his plate away. “I’m off. I don’t want to be late for my first class.”
“C’mere.” Ezra gestured him over. When Kai stopped before him, he sensed the jitters pouring off. “You’re going to kill it today. Call me when you’re done.” With that, he pressed a kiss to Kai’s lips, lingering there a moment. When he pulled back, Sloan dipped between them to lock lips with Kai next. Minx was doing it right in front of him on purpose. He reached around and pinched both of their asses.
Kai let out a yelp and broke off first. “I’ll see you both later.” He darted to the door.
Kai had reduced to part-time hours with his job to accommodate going back to college, and the second he realized a career shift was doable with their new living situation, a light had lingered with him that Ezra never wanted to see dimmed.
Sloan wrapped up the half an omelet left and popped it into the fridge. “Off I go too. Get some sleep, okay?” He kissed Ezra slow and sweet, adding a little tongue at the end.
Ezra reached up and gave his hair a light tug. “Go get ’em.”
He placed the dishes in the dishwasher. The front door clicked again as Sloan left. Ezra wandered toward the entrance of Sloan’s house and stepped outside, even though he still wore pajama pants and a tee. He plunked down on the stoop and stared out at the horizon stretching before him.
It was so early in the morning a remaining chill lingered in the air, and the sky was shaking off the last vestiges of night, a little paler and tremulous. He clutched his coffee mug and stared out at the familiar landscape of San Fransisco stretching out before him. He’d only been a town over his whole life, but this was where he’d found his stride.
This was where he’d come alive.
He’d been chasing after death for far too long, living only in the experiences that brought him to the edge. However, finding Sloan and Kai had helped him heal. They’d brought him to safety, and he’d discovered a joy in the thrill of a cup of coffee enjoyed in the morning. In falling asleep in a tangle of limbs next to the men he loved. In watching shitty horror movies with the new friends he’d made at Whipped. In shared dinners instead of eating a meal alone .
Sunbeams crested over the skyscrapers, lighting them up, and his heart grew buoyant.
The process of living was one he was still discovering, of experiencing a day to day that wasn’t just about survival, but he was managing that. One step at a time.
Sloan and Kai had brought him the sort of joy he hadn’t believed was real, and now that he’d captured that morning light in his palms, he was loath to let it go.
He wanted to savor it day after day, year after year, for the rest of their lives.