4
Miles
Miles finished his morning coffee seated out on their private balcony. Hal had left their stateroom earlier after a lingering kiss, off to his first meeting of the morning. Ramona first, Miles thought, then maybe with the executive chef after the breakfast service? He no longer memorized Hal’s schedule beyond knowing where in New Angouleme his fiancé might be, but there was only so far Hal could roam within the Pearl Star’s limited confines.
This journey was a truer vacation for Miles, having already addressed even the flimsy excuse that had taken him to Ramona’s office yesterday. Though tempted to remain in the private bubble of this space, to lose himself in the novelty of how streaks of sunlight broke through the clouds to sparkle over an endless stretch of dark blue, he also wanted more coffee.
The view wasn’t going anywhere. And once he served himself from the carafes in the observation lounge, the lure of an even more expansive view found him on the sun deck at the rear of the ship, clutching his warm mug as the salty breeze whipped through his hair. Most of the chairs and loungers remained empty this early in the morning, but a familiar face drew him farther into the open space.
“May I join you?“
he asked, gesturing to the lounger next to Kane when the other man popped open his eyes.
“Of course,“
Kane replied. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.“
Miles echoed as he left his slides on the deck and settled into his seat. The sun warmed his bare feet as he stretched out his legs. Comfortable track pants protected his legs, but he’d have to be careful of the rest of his fair skin outside his loose tank top.
No board shorts for him these days. He hoped Kane had slathered himself in sunscreen, regardless of his umber skin. Though for all he knew, the mage had more arcane methods of protecting himself from the rays. Miles couldn’t imagine exposing his scar-riddled legs to the public, but Kane apparently had no such reservations about the evidence of past injuries along his limbs and torso. Of course, Miles had also never been in such excellent physical condition except when endless hours of physical labor had worked him to the bone.
“Any grand plans for today?“
Kane asked, sitting higher in his seat and flashing Miles the same easy grin he’d used for the ship’s captain and dining room servers alike the night before.
He appreciated the lack of artifice, never once feeling the need to weigh Kane’s words the way he did with most people back in New Angouleme. Such security welcomed honesty, and he replied, “I have no idea what to do with myself. I brought along a few novels, but I’ve never been much of a reader. Never been much for relaxing at all, really.“
Many in his position might have happily used Hal’s wealth for a life of idleness, but Miles had never entertained the idea. His current position with Delacour Shipping provided the perfect mix of intellectual stimulation and flexible hours, the one perk he had accepted in deference to his physical limitations.
Kane chuckled. “At the moment, I’m enjoying the peace of not worrying that one of our apprentices is about to spring an emergency on me. I’m sure I’ll be bored out of my mind soon.”
“But you’ve done this a few times, haven’t you?“
Miles asked, stretching an arm out as if to encompass both the ship and the ocean beyond.
“A few,“
Kane said. “You’re already one up on me. My first time on a ship was miserable. Not so much anymore, but this still isn’t my favorite place to be.”
“You still manage to look more comfortable than I feel.”
“Nope, I’ve just resigned myself to my fate. Definitely not a fate I imagined while growing up, though.”
“Same.”
“Yeah, lots of changes for you, too.“
Kane rolled his head to the side, flicking his eyebrows at Miles.
Massive understatement. “Life-changing, even.”
“Funny how that works. You start out thinking your path is set, until someone comes along and shows you a direction you never considered possible.”
Kane would know more than most, wouldn’t he? A teacher didn’t acquire such an impressive collection of scars, even one who trained volatile teenage mages. “Right,“
Miles said. “You gave up being a mercenary for Archer.”
“Is that what Hal thinks happened?“
Kane asked. He paused, then shook his head. “I gave up being a mercenary for myself. Finding purpose and satisfaction teaching with Archer was more of a happy accident than anything else.”
The only thing accidental about Miles’s current life was the initial incident that led to his injuries. He’d seen a man in danger of being crushed. He shoved the man out of the way. Only later did he learn that man was a werewolf, who would have walked away without the significant injuries sustained by Miles. Hal manipulated everything that came after, from covering Miles’s surgeries to hiring him as a personal assistant so he wouldn’t lose the ability to pay for physical therapy.
“You don’t regret it?“
Miles asked. Hal made no secret of not regretting any of the decisions that brought Miles into his life. And Miles never regretted saving a stranger, but he sometimes wondered whether someone with more emotional competence—or sanity—might regret the loss of a life free from chronic pain.
Kane emanated competence from every pore, even if maybe a former mercenary, a man who literally traded his life for money, wasn’t the sanest person to ask. If the question surprised him or gave him pause, he showed none of it as he lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Nothing to regret,“
he said. “I value the skills I learned in that life, which is why I work hard to maintain them. But this new life means using those skills only to protect those I care about, or passing them on to others who might need them.”
His life couldn’t be more different from the man next to him, but Miles felt that in his fucking soul. Extended his fist to Kane, Miles said, “Heard, man.“
Kane met the fist-bump with another grin, and they lapsed into comfortable silence under the morning sun.
Most people who heard the word “fixer“
assumed Miles was out on the streets of New Angouleme, manipulating clients and competitors alike for Hal if not making obstacles disappear entirely. In reality, he spent most of his time in an office meeting with fellow employees. A traditional human resources department served the company; Miles served the very people who made the company successful. The out-of-the-box problem-solving that had made him a terrible personal assistant for the expectations of Hal’s position made him perfect for figuring out how to make their lives better, whether professionally or personally. Tracking down the culprit leaving inappropriate messages in female employees’ desks. Helping a sudden widower working swing shift at the dock figure out childcare arrangements until his schedule could be adjusted. Even, on one memorable occasion, badgering a nervous intern into completing their graduate school application.
The irony being, of course, that he had no clue how to fix his current problem.