Ficbits: The Ambassadors

These ficbits feature characters in the book and 'verse of The Ambassadors.

Choosing

Anike let himself into the sitting room quietly, still half-distracted by the painting one of the Maranan nobles had commissioned from him in an attempt to get close enough to Anike to proposition him. The man had been disappointed when he'd declined, but Anike was finally getting used to the near-daily propositions, six months after moving to Marana.

He was also getting better at saying no, Anike reflected, smiling as he set his portfolio on the dining table. At least this morning's appointment had still wanted the painting done after Anike had declined his offer. Stretching his arms above his head, Anike wondered where Calo and Reni were. It was nearly lunch time, and they usually made a point of dining with him. Even if half the time they didn't end up eating.

They'd both been acting strangely again, though. Anike frowned, crossing the sitting room to their bedroom. He could set out the clothes he'd wear this afternoon, since he planned on painting and didn't want to ruin any of his nicer things.

Usually, when Calo and Reni were acting oddly and changing the subject or just plain stopping conversations in his vicinity, it was because they were planning a gift for him or to do something they knew he wouldn't like. Their revenge on the man who'd gotten overly handsy and couldn't take no as an answer for his proposition came to mind.

This felt different, though; worryingly enough, it felt like the first time they'd kept something from him, way back when he'd believed they'd only wanted him as a plaything.

At least Anike knew that wasn't the truth now. Smiling briefly at the ring on his left hand, Anike wondered if he stood any chance of getting anything out of Calo and Reni when he saw them for lunch. Probably not, unless he played the big cards; every time he tried to hint or bring up what was bothering them, they'd change the subject or distract him.

Pulling out the clothes he wanted, Anike set them out on the chair, not bothering to change yet. There was a good chance he wouldn't get through lunch clothed, after all. Heading back to the front room, Anike smiled when he heard Reni and Calo arrive. He entered the sitting room just as Reni snapped, "—him choose!"

They both turned to look at him and Anike raised his eyebrows. Usually they were much more careful to not let him see them fighting, so he didn't end up taking sides or getting involved in their arguments about work.

"Let who choose what?" Anike asked into the sudden silence, managing to keep his voice level instead of giving in to the urge to throw his hands in the air and lock himself in the bedroom until Calo and Reni came to their senses and started talking to him.

"Good afternoon, lovely," Calo greeted, the tension leaking from his posture. "How did your meeting with Wrie go?"

"It went fine," Anike said, frowning at the redirect. If it had been to do with their work, Calo would have said as much, not changed the subject.

"He didn't do the staring?" Reni asked, either distracted himself or helping Calo with the distraction.

"Staring?" Anike repeated, baffled for a moment until it clicked. "Oh, no, same name, different person. This Wrie just wanted a portrait. What won't you let me choose?"

Calo exchanged a glance with Reni, then shrugged, moving further into the room and heading for the dining table. Reni followed, looking pensive, which did nothing to relieve Anike's worries.

"Come sit," Calo said, motioning for Anike to join them. Anike went, moving slowly and trying to not worry too much. Still, he couldn't remember the last time Calo and Reni had been so serious about something.

"As you know, a year ago Marana opened its borders and sent out ambassadors to each of the neighboring countries," Calo said, reaching out and taking Anike's hand in his. Anike smiled slightly, but didn't interrupt. "You're also aware of the restrictions—most importantly, that ambassadors can only serve six months consecutively."

"Right," Anike said, when Calo paused, glancing at Reni.

"The ambassadors to Athiel return in a month," Reni said, picking up for Calo. "A pair of replacements was selected and set to go, but…"

"They were arrested," Calo said, shrugging fluidly. "And Reni and I…"

"We've had a lot of training," Reni said, and Anike smiled again. He liked it when they finished each other's sentences.

"We're familiar with a number of cultures; Athiel is one of them," Calo said, and Anike thought he could see where this was going now.

"So you're the replacements?" Anike asked. It would make sense—and it would explain why they'd been hesitant to talk to him about it. They might not be able to take him with them.

"Maybe," Calo said, frowning briefly.

"We haven't said yes," Reni said, looking just as pensive.

"Do you want to go?" Anike asked, confused. Calo and Reni glanced at each other again before nodding.

"It's a good opportunity for us," Reni said. "But—"

"If you would rather not be uprooted again, we understand," Calo finished, and Anike blinked, startled. That was the source of their hesitation?

"I can go?" Anike asked, and that simple question was apparently all it took to make Reni relax and Calo smile.

"If you want to," Reni said, taking Anike's other hand and squeezing lightly. "You can stay here, or we can say no."

"You're not saying no," Anike said firmly. "And I'm not staying here without you. I'd miss you too much, and I'd get twenty propositions the minute you two left."

"If you're sure, lovely," Calo said, smiling slow and pleased.

"I am," Anike said, rolling his eyes. "You should have asked me to begin with. You worried me for nothing."

Calo and Reni glanced at each other again and grinned, a full-on predatory smile that meant Anike's earlier assessment about getting through lunch completely clothed had been accurate.

"We're sorry, pretty artist," Reni said, bringing Anike's hand to his lips and brushing a kiss against Anike's knuckles. "But don't worry."

"We'll make it up to you," Calo finished for Reni. Anike smiled and didn't protest as Calo and Reni dragged him to the bedroom to make the most of the rest of their lunch.

"Packing"

Anike studied the bag he was trying to fill, wondering what else he should pack. Anike couldn't pack much, as there wasn't much room for luggage on the trip. He'd already packed the sketchbooks and pencils and other supplies he'd thought he'd use; hopefully he could find anything he'd forgotten when they got to Athiel.

Now he just needed to sort out what clothing he needed to bring. Frowning thoughtfully, Anike yelped as he was suddenly pulled backwards, away from the bag he was trying to fill and flush against Calo's broad chest.

"That's not packing," Anike said, a token protest as Calo's sharp teeth scraped against the sensitive skin of his neck. Despite their morning deadline—they were supposed to be on the road first thing in the morning—Calo and Reni were not taking their packing duties very seriously.

"Packing can wait," Calo said, his hand dipping lower from where it had been curved over Anike's hip.

"That's what you said yesterday. And the day before," Anike said, tugging away from Calo's grip. Calo let him—because if Calo's hadn't let him, Anike would still be in Calo's grip. Turning, Anike put his hands on his hips and ordered sternly, "Pack."

"We don't leave until tomorrow," Calo said, smiling slowly, predatorily. Anike had a split second to wonder where Reni was, because invariably that smile meant Calo or Reni was about to do something untoward, and then a second set of hands was pulling him backwards. Reni went for the other side of Anike's neck, making him squirm again.

"We still have a few hours," Reni said, hissing on the sibilants more than he usually did. His breath was warm where it washed over Anike's skin, and Anike tried to ignore the way his heartbeat kicked up a notch in response.

"Packing first. We can't go to Athiel with nothing to wear because you two don't want to pack," Anike said firmly. "We pack first, then if there's time—"

Calo laughed, approaching Anike slowly and sauntering the few steps that separated them.

"Lovely, if we waited until we had time, we'd never get the chance," Calo drawled, brushing his fingers over Anike's cheek. Then he leaned past Anike's shoulder and kissed Reni hard and quick, one hand straying to the front of Anike's trousers at the same time.

Anike could feel his face heating—and how he had the blood to blush when it all seemed to be going straight to his cock was a mystery he'd never solve. Calo hissed something in Maranan at Reni, and that pretty much cemented it. Anike never lasted long when Calo or Reni started hissing.

"You're still helping me pack later," Anike said, somewhat unsteadily as Reni pulled him closer, the bulge in his trousers showing just how interested he was in the proceedings.

"Of course, pretty," Calo assured him before leaning in for a long, slow kiss that Anike swore he could feel straight down to his toes. Calo was firm and demanding, as always, and Anike was grateful for the support Reni was giving him, even if the attention Reni was lavishing on his neck was not helping the strength of his knees any.

"Mmph," Anike protested wordlessly when Calo pulled away, looking rather pleased with himself. In the next instant, Anike's pants and undergarments were on the floor, explaining Calo's smug expression. Before Anike could do more than blink, Calo dropped to his knees and took Anike's cock in his mouth.

Anike groaned, leaning back against Reni more heavily. Reni took full advantage, his hands slipping up under Anike's shirt, teasing along Anike's skin. Calo was rough, dirty, and fast, and Anike gave himself up to it, focused only on Reni's touch and Calo's mouth and on somehow breathing enough to not pass out. Calo didn't hold back, but he never did, and Anike couldn't do anything but hold on, one hand gripping Reni's arm and the other gripping Calo's short hair.

It all became too much, and Anike came with a shout, his vision going white for a few seconds. He came back to his senses after a moment, the aftermath of his orgasm thrumming through his body. Reni's arms were still holding him steady, his cock pressing insistently against Anike's ass. Calo was licking his lips, looking even more insufferable and smug, but Reni would help Anike wipe that look off his face before too long.

"We…" Anike began, but paused, clearing his throat when the word came out hoarsely. "We should—" Anike gestured towards the bed, not sure he could put it in words. That earned another slow smile from Calo, and Anike would bet the same smile was replicated on Reni's face. For all they were a few years apart in age, they could look remarkably similar at times.

"Excellent idea, lovely," Calo said, his voice a little hoarse as well. Anike's cock twitched at the thought of why, but was he was promptly distracted by Reni pulling away, fingers trailing slowly, tantalizingly across Anike's skin. Anike went easily when Reni turned him, half-helping Reni to remove the rest of his clothes and half-distracting Reni at the same time. Calo didn't help, stripping and throwing his clothes at them one by one as he removed them.

"We still have to pack," Anike reminded half-heartedly as Reni guided him towards the bed. It was a token reminder, since he doubted they'd get back to it any time soon. Calo laughed, drawing Anike close for a thorough kiss. Anike returned the kiss enthusiastically, more than happy to be thoroughly distracted by the two sets of hands touching and teasing along his skin.

"Later," Reni murmured, breath hot against Anike's ear as he pushed Anike back and down on the bed. Anike nodded, already distracted and more than willing to stay distracted for a while. Calo joined them, and Anike really couldn't think of a better distraction or a better way to spend an evening.

Meeting the Parents

"You really don't have to coddle me," Anike said, for the tenth time since Reni and Calo had dropped the news.

"We're not coddling you," Reni said patiently, crossing the room to where Anike was fussing with his jacket. He grabbed Anike's hands before he could straighten the fall of the jacket for the hundredth time. "We were distracted."

Anike flushed, remembering the distraction this morning. They'd only arrived at the Maranan palace late the previous evening; this morning had been…distracting…and then Reni and Calo had dropped the news that they'd be having lunch with their mother. All three of them, and Anike shouldn't be nervous, but what if she didn't like him?

"You knew, though," Anike said, jumping a little when Calo set his hands on Anike's shoulders from behind and squeezed lightly. "How did you know?"

Reni exchanged a glance with Calo over Anike's head, and he really hated when they did that. "She always makes us have lunch with her after a trip."

"So you knew, and didn't tell me," Anike said, shivering when Calo licked the shell of his ear. "Stop that."

"No," Calo drawled, right next to Anike's ear. "It's routine, pretty. We forgot to tell you because we're so used to it at this point."

"And used to you being with us," Reni continued, pressing a kiss to Anike's knuckles, next to the ring he still wore. "So it didn't occur to us that you wouldn't be aware of this, as well."

"Okay," Anike accepted, in no small part because of the way Calo's arms were wrapped around his waist or the way Reni was toying with the ring they'd given him. Reni flashed a grin, showing off his fangs, and Anike almost wished they had more time before they were supposed to go to lunch, but as it was they were probably going to be late. "We should go."

"Mmm," Calo said, not sounding particularly motivated to go. Reni laughed, but let go of Anike's hand, giving Calo a look over Anike's head again. "All right, let's go then."

"Did you tell her about me?" Anike asked, tucking his hands into his jacket pockets so he didn't start fussing over his appearance again. His jacket was wrinkled a bit from travelling—if he'd known, he would have tried to get it laundered—

"Of course, lovely," Calo drawled.

"All good things, we promise," Reni added, drawing Anike's left arm from his pocket and twining his fingers through Anike's. Calo repeated the gesture on Anike's right side, and Anike flushed a little. He was probably being completely transparent with his anxiety, but he was meeting their mother.

Anike let them lead him out of the room, noting more details as they went. The suite was decorated in sandy wood tones with large windows that overlooked the lush gardens outside. There were lush green plants tucked in various corners, some with brilliant flowers in bloom. There were bright splashes of color throughout the room, but Anike didn't get more than a brief glimpse of that before he was ushered out into the hallway.

The hallway wasn't particularly crowded, but there were a number of Maranans loitering about and Anike would swear they all turned to stare at him the minute they left the room. That was silly though; Anike was probably imagining things. Reni let go of his hand to latch the door properly, and Anike resisted the urge to flatten his hair.

Calo shifted closer possessively, so maybe Anike wasn't imagining it. Reni joined them a moment later, placing a hand on Anike's back before moving towards the end of the hallway. It was as brightly lit as their suite had been, with large windows along the opposite wall. The sun shone almost directly through them, but Anike could see enough of the view that his fingers itched for a pencil and paper to do a sketch. It was beautiful, but that really shouldn't surprise him. Marana was beautiful, as he'd discovered on the trip through the country to reach the capital.

Anike was never going to find his way around this palace, he decided, as Reni and Calo led him through a number of hallways and foyers. It was prettier than the palace they'd left behind nearly a month ago, though the prince would have had an apoplexy to hear that. Anike was definitely getting stared at, as well, though that really shouldn't surprise him. He probably looked just as unusual to the Maranans as Reni and Calo had to him when they'd first arrived.

It was a little disconcerting, but Anike ignored it, more nervous than he really cared to admit about meeting Reni and Calo's mother. What if she didn't like him? Would she try to get rid of him? At least he was certain Reni and Calo wouldn't stand for that. Fidgeting with the ring on his left hand, Anike wondered again why it would twist and move easily except when he tried to take it off, but there was no pinning Reni and Calo down on the subject and it really wasn't important. It wasn't like he wanted to take it off.

The room that they eventually arrived at was a pretty sun room. There were huge windows on three walls, and the room was filled with trailing, flowering vines and other lush, green plants. The plants here really were greener than Anike had thought possible. There was a small table set in the middle of the room, four chairs arranged around it. The woman sitting there stood as they entered, and Anike tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach as Reni and Calo led him over to the table.

"You're late," she announced crisply, her eyes narrowing slightly as Calo released Anike's hand to kiss her on the cheek.

"We're always late, mama," Calo said, stepping back as Reni followed suit, kissing their mother on the cheek.

"I suppose," she said, sniffing before turning to Anike. She held out a hand to him. "I'm Sari, these fools' mother. You must be Anike."

"Yes, ma'am," Anike said, taking her hand and pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. Sari's gaze softened, and Anike wondered why until he saw her eyes on the ring. It had been hers, if Anike recalled correctly.

"You will call me Sari," Sari ordered briskly, but she was smiling. "Sit, all of you."

Calo moved to settle his mother, holding her chair for her, and Reni did the same for Anike, which made him feel silly, but it made Reni happy, so he let it go.

"You're an artist, is that right, Anike?" Sari asked, letting Calo pour her a cup of tea from the pot sitting in the center of the table. "What kind of art do you do?"

"Sketches and paintings, mostly," Anike said, twisting his fingers together anxiously under the table. What if she didn't like artists?

"You will have to do a portrait of my boys for me," Sari decided, narrowing her eyes at Reni when he made a face. "They never would hold still for any of my portrait artists."

"They always sat still for me," Anike said, a little confused. Reni and Calo had been very cooperative; he'd assumed they'd done lots of sittings.

"I dare say they would," Sari said, smiling a little, and Reni and Calo definitely got their smiles from her. "How was the trip here?"

"It was annoying. It kept raining," Calo said, making a face, and Anike relaxed a little as Sari turned her focus onto Calo. Perhaps this would go okay after all.

A Proposal

Rhys lounged on the low settee, fingers tangling in the curls of the sweet young thing beside him as he watched Juha dance with his cousin in the middle of the room. Juha was as graceful and beautiful as ever, and Rhys briefly contemplated joining him, but dismissed it in the next second, content to watch from afar.

The ballroom was crowded with people just as happy as he was to get away from the drudgery of the cold season. It was noisy and hot, but Rhys almost wished they could leave already. Leaving off fidgeting with his companion's hair, Rhys straightened, his fingers seeking out the little box tucked inside his jacket.

He wasn't nervous, not really. Juha wouldn't say no. It had been nearly five years since they'd first hooked up. Rhys hadn't met anyone else who he'd gotten along with like he got on with Juha, and he knew Juha felt the same.

Rhys stood as the song ended and the band paused for a short break. He quelled his companion's protest with a brief caress—another night, any other night, Rhys would have invited him to join them, but tonight was for him and Juha alone. Slipping through the crowded dance floor, Rhys approached Juha from behind, sliding a proprietary arm around his waist and ignoring the glower Juha's cousin gave him.

"There you are," Juha said, leaning into Rhys' touch slightly. "I was wondering how long you were going to lurk in that corner. Who was your friend?"

"I don't think I got his name," Rhys said, completely ignoring the cousin. He didn't like Dari, never had, but Juha insisted on keeping on good terms to please his mother and aunt. "Would you like some wine?"

Juha smiled slowly; he never drank wine at these events, only champagne. The question was their clandestine way of asking the other to adjourn to more private quarters. Not that the question required a clandestine question; Rhys had had many straightforward propositions in much more public forums. Rhys fought to keep from smirking at the way Dari fidgeted, obviously waiting for Juha to pay more attention to him.

"I'd love some. Thank you for the dance, Dari," Juha said, allowing Rhys to escort him away as he spoke. If Dari replied, it was lost in the conversation and crush of dancers around him.

"I don't know why you continue to associate with him," Rhys said, leaning close and brushing his lips against Juha's ear as he spoke. To ensure he was heard, was all. Juha turned, flashing him a smile that was half fang and half amusement.

"He is my cousin," Juha said. "We've had this conversation, Rhys." Juha hissed a little on the 's' in his name, the only sign he was less than amused.

"I'm still jealous," Rhys said, unable to keep a straight face as he said it. Juha laughed, rolling his eyes, and Rhys prudently let the subject drop.

"No company tonight?" Juha asked, allowing Rhys to guide him towards the exit to the gardens. At the last moment, Rhys changed his mind—the gardens would be crowded, even with the evening's chill. He wanted more privacy.

"Just you and I," Rhys said lightly, lacing his fingers with Juha's and hoping he wasn't giving anything away. He wanted it to be a surprise. Juha made an agreeable noise, so he wasn't put off by it, but then, Juha never seemed to mind going along with Rhys' whims.

The trip to Rhys' bedroom suite took far too long for Rhys' taste, though Juha seemed to think it was hilarious the way he rushed them down the corridors, past various other couples and threesomes and the one group of five that really should have found somewhere more private for their tryst. Rhys tried not to feel the weight of the box in his jacket pocket, but it was impossible to not think about as he led the way through the corridors of the residential wing.

Opening the door to his suite, Rhys held the door for Juha, who gave him a curious look but stepped inside. Rhys followed, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"Would you like a drink?" Rhys asked, and he still wasn't nervous. Maybe a trifle apprehensive about looking silly when he asked, but not nervous.

"Would you like to tell me what has you so twisted up?" Juha asked, peeling off his jacket and draping it over the settee. Rhys smiled crookedly—he should have known he'd never fool Juha for long.

"That's easy," Rhys said, crossing the room to join Juha. Reaching into his jacket, ignoring the way his heart started pounding, Rhys pulled Juha close with the expedient of grabbing his shirt-front and dragging him close enough to kiss. "You," Rhys muttered, pushing the box into Juha's hand and kissing him hard enough to bruise. Juha kissed him back immediately, as ever willing to go with whatever Rhys was planning.

Rhys broke the kiss a moment later, licking the taste of Juha's sweet and fruity lip oil from his lips. Juha smiled distractedly, his attention focused on the little box.

"What's this?" Juha asked, already moving to open it and answer the question for himself. "Rhys—"

"It was my mother's," Rhys said softly, confirming it for Juha. "Will you be mine?"

"I already am," Juha said, offering Rhys the ring. "Put it on properly?"

"Of course," Rhys said, unable to keep from smiling widely as he took Juha's hand. He pressed a kiss to Juha's knuckles before sliding the ring on, murmuring the incantation as he did so. He let go of Juha's hand slowly, giving Juha a moment to admire the ring and taking a moment to admire the soft smile that Juha so rarely wore.

"Your father is going to pitch a fit," Juha said casually, winding his arms around Rhys' neck and pressing his lips to the corner of Rhys' mouth.

"The only person whose opinion matters to me is in this room," Rhys said easily, tangling his fingers in Juha's hair and stealing a proper kiss.

"Good answer," Juha said, smiling brightly and dragging Rhys close for another kiss.

Tangentially Related

"Hey," Anike greeted quietly, eyeing the drawn drapes worriedly. The drapes were rarely drawn in the bedroom this time of day—Calo and Reni were snake enough to enjoy basking in the sun as much as possible. "Where's Reni?"

"Not here," Calo said shortly, all but hissing the words. Anike blinked, startled. Setting down his portfolio, Anike pulled off his boots and crossed the room to the side of the bed.

Calo was in a full-on snit, Anike decided. He was buried in a tangle of blankets, one arm draped dramatically over his eyes, and there were pillows scattered about the room, mostly near the door. Add to that the drawn drapes and the snarled reply to the question of Reni's whereabouts…

"What did you fight about?" Anike asked, climbing over the edge of the huge bed. He sat cross-legged next to Calo, close enough to let Calo know he was there, but not close enough to suggest he wanted to be pounced.

"Nothing," Calo said, not moving an inch. He sounded decidedly less hostile, at least, so that was progress.

"Oh?" Anike asked, too curious to let it go. Reni and Calo rarely fought, and usually it was over things related to their diplomatic duties. They were very good about not letting those fights cross over into their personal life, especially when Anike showed up or drew their attention. "What kind of nothing?"

"The kind that doesn't exist," Calo said, moving his arm to peer at Anike in the gloom of the room. "Hello, lovely. How was your morning?"

"Fine," Anike said easily, then jabbed at Calo's leg beneath the covers. "Why are you and Reni fighting?"

"We're not," Calo said, flashing a fanged smile when Anike favored him with a flat, unimpressed look. "We did fight earlier."

"About?" Anike prompted, poking at Calo's leg again. "That silly woman from the… one province? She's not bothering you two again, is she?"

Calo snorted, sitting up suddenly and grabbing Anike's hand. He brushed a slow kiss across the back of it and drawled, "And if she was?"

That was a no. Tilting his head at Calo speculatively, Anike said casually, "My hands are covered in paint, Calo. Did it have to do with me?"

"No," Calo said, too quickly and with no drawl or flirty touches.

"What about me?" Anike asked, frowning briefly. "I thought we talked about talking if I do anything—"

"It was nothing to do with you, lovely," Calo reassured, leaning forward and darting his tongue out briefly at Anike. Scenting the air, Reni had explained to him once. "Reni and I have a difference of opinion on how to handle an issue that is tangentially related to you."

"How tangentially related?" Anike asked, repeating the phrase Calo had used slowly.

"I want to surprise you with it. Reni wants to consult you on it," Calo said, smiling slowly. "In my interests, I cannot divulge what it is."

"But you can fight over it," Anike said, frowning fully.

"I promise, lovely, we were only arguing because we both needed to fight, not because we truly disagree," Calo soothed, touching Anike's cheek lightly. "We are brothers, and brothers fight."

"Not over me," Anike said stubbornly. "I don't want—"

"Tangentially related to you, not you," Calo interrupted, smiling the slow, wicked smile that never failed to leave Anike blushing.

"You should tell me," Anike maintained, trying to be firm, but it was hard to keep his voice steady with Calo's hands slipping under his shirt.

"Eventually, pretty," Calo drawled, kissing Anike slow and sweet, easily pushing all thoughts of secrets and surprises and fights out of Anike's thoughts.

"Mmph," Anike protested after a moment, when Calo industriously tried to remove his shirt. "Oh, no, you don't get… you have to make up with Reni first."

"Are you sure?" Calo drawled, in a tone of voice that boded no good for Anike's ambitions to stay clothed for the moment.

Anike quickly clambered off the bed, nearly tripping in his haste, lacing his shirt back up as he moved. "Tell me what you fought about or go make up."

Calo slid off the bed, still clothed in just the loose lounge pants he'd worn to eat breakfast this morning, which really wasn't helping Anike's resolve.

"I suppose I shall have to go make amends, then," Calo said, smiling slowly at Anike but thankfully staying on the other side of the room. Anike wasn't sure he could hold onto his resolve if Calo pressed the issue.

Calo dressed quickly, and Anike stayed by the fireplace, pretending he wasn't watching Calo's every move. Calo barely put on enough clothing to maintain respectability before heading for the door. Once there, he paused, turned back to Anike, and gave him another slow, smoldering smile.

"Stay here and wait for us, lovely," Calo ordered before disappearing. Anike rolled his eyes, but smiled. Like there was anyplace else he'd rather be.

Dealing with an Ex

Anike hurried along the corridor leading to the tiny dining room where he was supposed to be meeting Reni and Calo for lunch. He was already late, held up by the idiotic young woman who would be replacing him as court artist after he left for Marana next month.

Unable to keep from smiling, Anike glanced down at the ring on his left hand. He was nervous about going, of course, but not as nervous as he'd expected to be. Calo and Reni were wonderful at explaining things about Marana, and then distracting him when explanations didn't help.

Turning the last corner before the dining room, still smiling, Anike glanced down the hallway. He immediately froze mid-step, coming to a startled, stumbling halt.

"Anike," Garil greeted, smiling brightly. He crossed the hallway to where Anike stood, still dumbfounded, and kissed Anike on the cheek.

"Garil? What are you doing here?" Anike asked, completely confused. Garil had left, nearly a month before Anike had become the court artist here. Ostensibly he'd left to make his fortune on the border, but Anike wasn't stupid. Garil had been trying to get into the bed of the baroness out there, and he hadn't even had the balls to tell Anike to his face that he was leaving; he'd left a note.

"Visiting a friend," Garil said, smiling prettily at Anike. Garil's smile had been what had first attracted Anike to him; it was bright and honest and made Anike think he was the only thing in the world to Garil. "I hear you've gotten quite the promotion—is it true you're now a court artist?"

It didn't have anywhere near the effect it used to, Anike realized, still confused because it made no sense. Garil didn't care about him, he'd made that clear with his actions. Why was he being so nice?

"Yes," Anike replied automatically, blinking when Garil smiled a little wider. Garil didn't seem to realize his smiles no longer had the effect they used to, either, as he hooked his arm through Anike's free arm. Anike tightened his grip on his sketchbook, frowning a little.

"Have lunch with me, Ani? For old time's sake?" Garil asked, tilting his smile just so. Anike frowned a little more at that nickname, wondering again what Garil thought he was about. Surely if he knew Anike was the court artist, he also knew what company Anike was keeping nowadays.

"I can't," Anike said. He put a step of space between himself and Garil, detangling their arms and frowning at him. "I have other plans. What do you want, Garil? You didn't leave on good terms, don't you remember?"

"Anike," Garil began, laughing a little. Anike just stared at him, because Garil being here, being nice to him, still didn't make any sense.

"I'm sorry, Anike," Garil said, apparently realizing that Anike wasn't going for his flippancy. "I should have told you in person that I was leaving, not left a note for you. I… I just knew I couldn't leave if I spoke to you in person."

"Then you shouldn't have left," Anike said, rolling his eyes and resisting the urge to fidget. He was even later now, and if Reni or Calo came looking… well, he didn't like Garil very much, but inflicting Calo or Reni on him wasn't very nice.

"You're right, I shouldn't have," Garil said, actually sounding sincere. "Give me a second chance, Ani? I promise I'm not going anywhere this time."

Anike laughed. He couldn't help it—apparently Garil really must have just arrived, to not have heard all the gossip about him.

"I mean it, Anike," Garil said, and then he was invading Anike's space, fingers touching the underside of Anike's jaw, and Anike blinked, completely startled as Garil kissed him lightly. "I missed you."

Anike scowled, shoving at Garil and backing away. "I'm leaving."

"Anike—" Garil began, as Anike turned and started storming away.

Anike scowled, furious at Garil for his assumptions and furious at himself for not just walking away in the first place. He only got a few steps before he realized Reni was right there, and Anike sighed, stalking right up to him.

"You couldn't have waited a few more seconds?" Anike grumbled, but he wasn't really annoyed. Garil deserved whatever he got, now.

"We were afraid that silly little twit was going to make you skip lunch again, lovely," Reni drawled, drawing Anike close. "You get cranky when you miss lunch. Who's he?"

"An old boyfriend," Anike said, scowling fiercely at the mention of Garil. "He just arrived in town, and he doesn't know—"

"That you belong to us?" Reni finished, a smirk curving his lips. Anike almost felt sorry for Garil. Almost.

"Don't be too mean," Anike said quietly, standing on his tiptoes to steal a quick kiss. He was completely unsurprised when Reni took it deeper, making a scene in the hall and leaving absolutely no doubt as to the nature of their relationship.

"Calo's waiting in the dining room," Reni said, smiling with fang as he let Anike go. "I'll join you in a moment."

"Don't be too mean," Anike repeated, flushed but ignoring that for the moment. "But be a little mean, okay?"

Reni laughed, stealing another quick kiss before turning his attention to Garil.

"Goodbye, Garil," Anike said cheerfully, unsurprised to see the dark look on Garil's face. He never had accepted defeat or competition for Anike's attention gracefully. Garil scowled at him then, instead of at Reni, but Anike didn't wait to hear what he had to say. Turning back down the hallway, he walked away.

Calo was sipping wine and reading a portfolio when Anike opened the door to the dining room. He immediately set both aside, giving Anike a slow, hot smile.

"Lovely," Calo drawled, then looked askance when Anike shut the door behind him. "Where's Reni? He should have met you."

"He's dealing with…" Anike trailed off, wondering if Calo would insist on going to help scare Garil off. Distraction was probably appropriate before he let Calo know. Setting down his sketchbook, Anike crossed the room and took the seat next to Calo.

Calo immediately pulled him close, as Anike had known he would, and kissed him lightly. "Dealing with what, pretty?"

"An ex," Anike admitted. "He's fresh back to down and thought…"

"You're ours," Calo said, as though Anike needed reminding of it.

"I know," Anike said, running his fingers along Calo's jaw. "He knows now, if Reni knows what he's about."

"Which he usually does," Calo murmured, then nipped with sharp teeth at the tips of Anike's fingers. "Shall I show you what I'm about, pretty artist?"

"Please do," Anike said, and he was all but sitting in Calo's lap, but he didn't mind at all. Calo kissed him deeply, fingers burying in Anike's hair as he was pulled even closer—and they probably wouldn't actually get to eating, but then, they never did at these lunches and Anike never minded at all.

Origins: Calo & Reni

Calo tipped the book he was pretending to read back, frowning slightly when he caught sight of his brother across the hall, laughing and chatting with an older advisor to the crown. A man he knew had expressed previous interested in Reni—and Reni looked to be enjoying the attention far more than Calo liked.

That put a wrinkle in his plans. Absently flipping a page of the book he wasn't paying any attention to, Calo debated what to do next. Or in the first place, since he hadn't really gotten past observing Reni. Twenty-four years and six brothers, but it took being thrown into ambassadorial training with Reni for Calo to finally take note of him. Calo was the oldest, but Reni was barely two years younger; he really should have noticed Reni long before this.

Still, notice him Calo had, and now he had to work out what to do about it, since the mooning wasn't helping any. Idly sprawling further across the bench he was occupying, Calo lazily watched his brother schmooze the advisor. They were getting rather touchy—the both of them, not just the advisor. He should probably manufacture some sort of interruption, but for now he was content to wait and see just how far Reni would let it go.

Not a moment later, Reni glanced over his shoulder, directly at where Calo was sitting. He smirked briefly before the advisor caught his attention again. Calo shut his book and stood, brushing imaginary dust off the front of his slacks. Reni obviously knew that Calo was watching him, and had deliberately let Calo know that he knew, so it was time to make a move.

Calo took his time strolling across the Great Hall, in no hurry and not wanting to seem particularly rushed by Reni's antics. They both had the afternoon off, a bonus, and Calo rather suspected Reni had either had a hand in that or planned it specifically because of it.

Calo stopped next to his brother, smoothly sliding a possessive hand against the small of Reni's back as he gave the advisor a charming smile.

"Excuse me, Chancellor," Calo all but purred the words, pleased when Reni couldn't quite suppress a smile. "I hate to interrupt your conversation, but I need to discuss something important with Reni."

"Oh?" The advisor—Drakus—asked, his eyes narrowing and his face taking on a rather pinched expression when he looked at Calo's arm. "Our conversation was not trivial—"

"It can wait," Calo said firmly, confident that Reni wouldn't have started anything if they'd actually been having an important discussion. "I, however, cannot."

"I'm sorry, Chancellor," Reni said, not sounding sorry at all. "We'll have to pick up another day."

Drakus looked like he was about to protest, but then bit his tongue and just nodded stiffly. He turned away without bothering to even say goodbye, and Calo didn't bother to hide his amusement as he turned towards Reni. They were standing much closer than politeness dictated, probably one source of Drakus' consternation.

"What did you promise him that has him in such a snit?" Calo asked curiously, gently guiding Reni into motion towards the nearest exit. What he had in mind wasn't necessarily appropriate for public forums. At least, not their current public forum.

"Nothing but that I was willing to speak to him," Reni said, shrugging elegantly and slowing his step so Calo's hand pressed more firmly against his back. "So what was so important that you had to interrupt?"

"I wanted to discuss the flavor of tea we should serve at the reception for the academy graduates next month," Calo said dryly, not buying Reni's innocent act for a moment.

Reni laughed, "Oh? What flavor were you thinking of?"

"Well," Calo drawled, "there are so many to choose from, and as I wasn't sure of your preferences, I thought I'd consult with you before moving forward with any decisions."

"And this consultation is occurring… where?" Reni asked, raising his eyebrows slowly.

"My rooms, of course," Calo said promptly, almost choking on a laugh when he followed that up with, "This is such a sensitive topic, after all."

"Of course," Reni said, shaking his head. "I thought mother was working out the details of the refreshments?"

"Not these details," Calo promised hotly, pulling Reni up the stairs and down the corridor that led to their rooms. Reni's was barely two rooms down from Calo's, so he really had no excuse for not noticing Reni earlier.

No sooner had he shut the door behind them was Reni pushing him up against it, apparently ready and willing to drop any pretense of discussing business for the more important task of kissing Calo senseless. Or nearly senseless—Calo still had enough wits about him to grab Reni by the hips and drag him impossibly close. Reni had no objections to that, by the pleased noise he made into Calo's mouth, and Calo fought the urge to grin. Apparently he should've made a move sooner; Reni obviously had no qualms about sleeping with a brother.

"Bed," Reni decided, more than a little breathless. He tugged imperiously at the front of Calo's shirt and headed back to the bedroom portion of Calo's suite, working on the buttons to his jacket as he went. Calo followed willingly, distracting Reni with teasing touches as they went, and all in all feeling pleased and rather smug about how his afternoon was shaping up.

Distractions

Anike pushed open the door with his foot, shuffling the papers he held absently. Where was his sketch of the prince’s insignia?

“Tsk,” an amused voice spoke up, and Anike blinked for a moment as the papers were snatched from his hands.

“Hey,” Anike protested, frowning at Calo. Calo just smirked, showing off his fangs. “Calo, I need those.”

“Not right now, you don’t,” Calo decided, flipping through them idly. Anike blushed, stepping closer and looking around warily for Reni. Calo’s brother never was far off, but Anike couldn’t see him through the stacks of books.

“Yes, now,” Anike frowned, running his hand through his hair in frustration. “I came here to work.”

“Hmm, all work and no play makes Anike uptight,” Reni drawled from behind him, and Anike jumped, startled badly even though he’d known Reni had to be around somewhere. “Did I scare you?” Reni asked, amused as he slid his arms around Anike’s middle.

“You’re cold,” Anike muttered, tugging at Reni’s scale-covered hands. “Let go.”

“No,” Reni refused, and Anike jumped again when kissed his neck lightly and then ran his fangs over the soft, sensitive skin there.

Calo set aside Anike’s papers (carefully at least – Anike had scared all three of them that time they’d accidentally knocked some new sketches into the fire), and Reni guided him across the floor to the chair Calo was sitting in.

“Come here, my pretty artist,” Calo enticed, sitting up properly instead of lounging across the chair.

“I have to work,” Anike protested again, even though he knew it was futile. “Reni…” Anike’s words ran out as Reni whispered something to Calo in their country’s language, the sibilant words making him shiver. Calo stood, slightly taller than his brother, and Anike could tell by the look in his eyes that he wouldn’t be working until much later.

At least he had a decent excuse for the prince; and Calo and Reni were good about getting him out of the trouble their frequent ambushings got him into.

“You can work later, Anike,” Calo told him, and Anike could only nod, his voice stuck in his throat as Calo leaned close and kissed him softly. “For now, you are ours.”

Noble Curiosity

“So, Anike.”

Anike looked up quickly, almost startled into poking his pencil through his drawing paper. He was usually overlooked at these little functions, hidden by the fact that he was there to work and wasn’t a noble lord or rich merchant.

Lord Fergu smirked at him, and Anike’s stomach sank. This wasn’t going to be good, judging by the look on his face, and the look on the faces of his two peers. They were waiting for the prince to arrive to discuss something about opening a trade route into the north mountains and apparently talking amongst themselves hadn’t been entertainment enough.

“Yes?” Anike asked cautiously, returning his eyes to the sketch in front of him. He set his pencil to paper again, lightly tracing the outline of the table again.

“Are you really… involved with both of them?” Lady Ethla spoke up after a moment, sounding scandalized. Anike flushed a dark red when her words sunk in, and he glanced up at them helplessly. Could he tell them to mind their own business? He wasn’t sure of the etiquette when it came to dismissing the nobles.

“Do they take turns?” Lord Fergu picked up, looking far too interested and Anike spluttered, dropping the pretense of drawing to stare at him. Where was the propriety? The manners, even!

“Oh, not like that,” Fergu assured hurriedly. Anike’s mouth fell open, and he struggled to figure out how to answer that truthfully and not die of mortification at the same time.

“Is their skin slimy?” Lord Liaq spoke up, drawling as he leaned around Ethla to smirk at him.

“Are they normal… down there?” Ethla asked, and Anike just gaped, wishing the prince would arrive so he could sink back into anonymity.

“What?” Anike finally managed to squeak out, tucking his sketchbook close. Ethla and Fergu laughed at him, and Liaq just smirked like he found Anike’s embarrassment endlessly amusing. Probably he did, the bastard.

“What’s it like being with the Maranan ambassadors?” Ethla demanded, tapping her fingers restlessly on the portfolio of papers set in front of her.

“Private,” Anike managed, the word strangled and his face was on fire. Surely there was something wrong with them, asking the questions they did. Climbing out of his chair, Anike quickly scooped up his pencils and made for the door. The prince could go without this first meeting being recorded for posterity. Anike needed to get out of here before they asked him something worse or tried to pester him for answers to the questions they’d already asked.

Anike ignored the laughter he could hear following him from the room. He walked away as quickly as he could manage without actually running, only slowing down when he was a few hallways away and his face started to cool.

It took him a minute to realize where he was headed, but it really only made sense. He’d been living in Calo and Reni’s rooms since they’d dragged him back to the palace nearly a month ago. Reni had tried tying him to the bed to keep him from going to this meeting, but Calo had let him go with a smirk (after a few moments of torture). They had the day off from meetings and the like, so Anike was going to hide there until Fergu and Liaq and Ethla disappeared or forgot he existed.

*~*~*

Calo smothered a smile, watching Anike lazily as he entered the bedroom. Reni stirred lazily next to him, but didn’t wake. Anike wasn’t supposed to be back for at least another hour, and usually it would’ve taken him longer so perhaps Calo had ruffled him more than Anike had let on.

They’d have to do ties when Anike had time to appreciate it.

Anike turned towards them, a shy, pretty smile slipping across his face as he crossed the room. He paused only to set down his sketchbook and supplies and to kick off his shoes, before climbing into bed and burying his face into Calo’s bare chest.

“What’s up, lovely?” Calo asked quietly, trying not to disturb Reni. This was not normal behavior – usually Anike hesitated a little before crawling into bed with them.

“When do we go to Marana?” Anike mumbled, his breath tantalizingly warm against Calo’s skin.

“A few months,” Calo murmured, running his hand soothingly through Anike’s hair. “Why are you back early?”

“They were asking questions. About you two,” Anike sat up a little, a blush staining his cheeks. “Lots of questions.”

Calo smirked, running his fingers teasingly along Anike’s jaw. “Tell them to ask us, next time.”

Anike laughed, catching his hand and jumping when Reni’s fingers snagged his wrist and tugged him that way.

“Morning, lovely,” Reni mumbled, stealing a lazy kiss.

“Ulgh.” Anike’s nose wrinkled, and he leaned back. “You ate something garlic, didn’t you?”

Reni laughed, wriggling next to Calo enticingly. “You’re early. I was going to have tea.”

“Tea won’t wash that away,” Anike muttered, but he was smiling as he dropped down to curl up next to Calo. Reni laughed again, but stilled, likely warm enough to be too lazy to pounce Anike.

“Send them to us,” Calo repeated, to be sure Anike got it. Reni was distracting, after all. Anike nodded, but didn’t move, meaning he was comfortable enough to keep from doing his own shy pouncing. Calo smiled, pleased with his position between them and more than content to laze the morning away.

Noble Aftermath

Anike’s face had maintained an interesting shade of pink for most of the evening. Reni was, of course, in a position to know, since he’d been keeping an eye on the pretty artist for most of the evening. He’d only looked away a few times for politeness’s sake. Anike tended to get (more) flustered when he was watched, too, and so Reni was watching covertly.

It was the first time they’d coerced Anike into attending one of the court functions with them. He looked stunning, dressed in simple dark blue. It wasn’t as fine as some of the outfits that the pretentious nobles wore, but it was striking nonetheless and Reni rather thought he’d find anything striking when Anike wore it. Even that awful drapery in the front hall.

Still, Reni was quite sure it wasn’t that they’d dragged him down from his secluded corner that was keeping Anike’s cheeks heated. There had been that dinner last week, but Anike hadn’t seemed to discomfited, just quiet. This was definite unease with a hint of embarrassment.

The way he’d meet Reni’s eyes on occasion and the smiles he kept gracing both Calo and him with said it wasn’t them he was embarrassed over. Calo was smirking at the nearby nobles, looking haughty and generally full of himself. Though he doubted the assembled nobles saw that – likely they thought Calo just looked bored and confident.

If they weren’t in public, Reni would enlist Anike’s help and they’d get rid of that look.

Maybe he’d do that anyway, once they got back to their rooms.

Grinning a little, Reni’s eyes drifted back to Anike, in time to watch his pretty artist blush a deeper shade of pink. Reni slowly sat up, following Anike’s gaze the short distance to where Lord Fergu was laughing at something the Lady Ethla said. They both cast significant looks at Anike, and Reni’s blood stirred in irritation.

They’d bothered Anike the other day, too, Reni half-remembered from the conversation between Anike and Calo that Reni had overheard, half-asleep. Reni stood up, setting down his glass and giving Anike a distracted smile when he glanced up curiously.

“Stay here, lovely,” Reni whispered, bending down to murmur the words in Anike’s ear. Anike’s fingers hooked in his sleeve though, and he stared at Reni for a long moment before speaking.

“Where are you going?” He asked, and Reni smiled because Anike looked distinctly nervous about being left alone. It was cute.

“Just to get a fresh drink,” Reni assured him, detangling Anike’s fingers and bringing them to his lips. Pressing a soft kiss to the back of Anike’s knuckles, Reni gave him a brief smirk and ghosted his thumb over the ring Anike wore for them. “And to check on Calo. Would you like us to switch?”

“I… I’d prefer you both,” Anike answered, blushing in a good, happy way. “But maybe it would be good to give him a break?”

“Mingling isn’t hard,” Reni countered, straightening. “But I’ll offer.”

“Okay,” Anike accepted, giving him a last shy smile. Reni slipped away quickly before he could talk himself into staying and drawing more smiles and pretty blushes from Anike. Crossing the ballroom swiftly, he drew Calo’s attention with a careful touch to his elbow. Calo made his excuses, easily charming the prince’s elderly aunt with a few well-placed words and smiles.

“I was wondering when you’d come to switch,” Calo commented, taking a healthy sip of his wine.

“Didn’t come to switch,” Reni denied, leaning closer. “Look over to your right, near Anike.”

Calo looked, giving a smile that could only have been directed at Anike. “Are they bothering him?”

“They’re being obvious in their talking about him. Or us,” Reni answered, frowning. “Anike isn’t saying, but he’s upset.”

Calo’s lips curved in a smirk. “Shall we chase them off?”

“Yes,” Reni agreed easily, turning with his own smirk. He almost felt sorry for the stupid nobles, but Anike shouldn’t be upset over a bunch of giggling, gossiping brats. Reni strolled across the ballroom, Calo at his side, and he deliberately didn’t glance at Anike, afraid he’d draw the lovely artist into this.

The two nobles looked up as they approached, and Reni almost laughed at the expressions on their faces.

“Word has it,” Calo drawled, and Reni wanted to kiss him because he always managed to get just the right tone for these things. “That you two were curious about… Marana.”

Lady Ethla actually squeaked, her grip on Lord Fergu’s sleeve tightening.

“Just simple curiosity,” Fergu replied smoothly, covering Ethla’s hand with his. “Harmless questions.”

“Harmless questions,” Reni repeated thoughtfully. “Questions you couldn’t ask us? Surely we know Marana better than the royal artist.”

“There was an opportunity to speak with him,” Fergu answered, his gaze darting off to the side nervously. “We hadn’t yet had the chance to speak with either of you.”

“Really.” Calo managed to drown the word with disbelief. Fergu nodded quickly, squeezing Ethla’s fingers so she, too, would nod.

“Well, since you didn’t manage to get answers to your questions before,” Reni began, smiling sharply and watching them fidget. “why don’t you ask us now? Calo and I would be more than willing to answer anything you’d like to ask.”

“No!” Ethla burst out, taking a step back. Her face was a bright red, brighter than Anike’s had been all night. “That’s – it’s okay.”

“I insist,” Calo crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing. Reni smirked – he was totally enlisting Anike to get Calo off his high horse later. “Ask me what you asked Anike.”

Fergu looked discomfited and Reni decided he was satisfied. They’d have to ambush the third one later, but this would do for now. Glancing over at Anike, Reni smothered a laugh to see their pretty artist had buried his face in his hands and was pointedly turned away from them.

“Calo,” Reni said, gesturing discretely over towards Anike.

“You will apologize,” Calo declared frostily, barely waiting for their mortified nods before stalking off. Reni followed, deciding as they approached Anike that they didn’t really need to spend more time here this evening.

“Are you enjoying your evening, lovely?” Calo asked, drawing Anike’s hands away from his face gently.

“You should’ve let it be,” Anike reprimanded wearily.

“They were upsetting you,” Reni refuted, unable to resist the urge to touch their pretty artist. “Come, we’ll go.”

“Too early,” Anike protested, but let Calo draw him from his chair.

“There will be other balls, lovely,” Calo assured him, playing with Anike’s hair for a moment before turning him towards the exit. “There are better things to be doing with our evening.”

Anike blushed, but willingly started across the ballroom. Reni hooked arms with him, a little amused when Calo did the same on Anike’s other side. There were definitely better things to be doing, Reni thought, not bothering to take his eyes off Anike.

Anike in Marena

Reni smirked, reaching out and snagging Anike around the waist as he wandered by. Anike nearly stumbled, dropping his sketchbook and nearly hitting Reni in the face as he flailed a little to keep his balance.

“Reni,” Anike huffed reprovingly, yelping a bit as Reni tugged him closer.

“Ani,” Reni drawled, stealing a quick kiss. “Where have you been?”

“Um.” Anike blinked a few times, looking distracted. “I was outside.”

“In the gardens?” Reni asked, when he really wanted to ask, ‘by yourself?’

“Yes,” Anike confirmed, not noticing when one of his mother’s servants slowed, discretely watching them until he turned down one of the corridors just past them. “There’s a tree…” Anike trailed off, blushing a little. “I climbed a tree and drew.”

“No one bothered you?” Reni confirmed, unable to keep from touching Anike. Anike squirmed a little, blushing, but he didn’t fight it as Reni’s fingers slid under his shirt.

“No one noticed,” Anike answered. “Reni…”

Reni smiled, doubting Anike’s words. Anike was the foreigner here, as unfamiliar looking as Reni and Calo had been in Anike’s home. Besides that, he was theirs and beautiful, so he would always be noticed.

“Where’s Calo?” Anike asked, hesitantly twining his arms around Reni’s neck. “I thought you two were doing that…” Anike’s nose wrinkling thoughtfully. “… that thing.”

Reni laughed, kissing the corner of Anike’s mouth. “You mean breakfast with our mother?”

“I don’t know if I’d call it breakfast,” Anike said, still smiling. Reni laughed a little, listening to the soft footsteps approaching where they were standing. Hopefully it was Calo, released from their mother’s grip – she could be tenacious when Calo brought up the south district.

“Breakfast with a side of governing,” Reni admitted distractedly, spreading his fingers flat against Anike’s back. Anike slid his feet closer, tilting his head up to meet Reni’s eyes.

“You promised me the afternoon,” Anike reminded softly, smiling shyly.

“All the afternoons in the world, pretty,” Reni promised, his eyes meeting Calo’s as his brother came into view. Calo stopped, his eyebrows quirking in amusement when he caught sight of them.

“Hah,” Anike muttered, glancing down at Reni’s collar instead of meeting his eyes.

“That’s no way to say hello, pretty artist,” Calo chided, stepping close and sliding his hands between Reni and Anike. Anike jumped, startled as always. Reni smothered his smile, watching Anike’s eyes slip to half-mast as Calo nipped lightly at his ear.

“Calo,” Reni discretely gestured down, to where Anike’s sketchbook was in danger of being stepped on. Calo nodded minutely, and Anike shifted restlessly between them.

“Have you eaten, lovely?” Reni asked, sliding his hands away before he gave into the impulse to do more than touch just a little. Calo leaned over Anike’s shoulder a bit more and pressed a kiss to his cheek before stepping away.

Anike blinked for a few seconds before shaking his head. He stooped awkwardly, scooping up his sketchbook and the pencil that had tumbled to the floor when Reni had snagged him.

“To our rooms? We can order food there,” Calo suggested with a bit of a leer. Anike blushed, but laughed, letting Calo take the sketchbook from him.

“And spend the afternoon there?” Anike suggested, blushing when Reni gave him a smirk he knew Calo was copying. “What? I’m sick of being stared at.”

“Of course, lovely,” Calo murmured, bringing the closer of Anike’s hands to his lips and kissing it.

“Whatever you want, lovely,” Reni chimed in, taking Anike’s other hand and repeating Calo’s action. Anike turned a darker shade of red, but he looked happy, and Reni really couldn’t ask for more.

Waking Anike

Anike laughed slowly, trying to detangle himself from sleep's grasp. Reni - no, Calo, Anike decided, squinting sleepily towards the foot of the bed - smirked at him, gently caressing the bottom of his foot again. Anike smothered another laugh, trying to twitch his foot away from Calo's firm, comfortable grasp. Calo snickered at him then, slow and lazy as he bent down and kissed the top of Anike's toes.

"Good morning, Anike," Calo greeted, placing extra emphasis on his name. Anike blinked, startled, and stubbornly ignored the way his cheeks were too warm.

"Good morning?" Anike offered, trying not to sound too confused. Calo smiled widely, showing his fangs as his fingertips casually stroked along the top of Anike's foot.

"Did you sleep well?" Calo asked, shifting a little to sit more upright. He didn't let go of Anike's foot.

"Yes," Anike said slowly, curling his toes a little as Calo's fingers traced a light pattern along his ankle. "Calo?"

"Yes?" Calo asked, smirking again, and Anike was definitely missing something here.

"What's going on?" Anike asked, pushing away the covers that had mostly been lost (or removed) while he slept. "And where's Reni?" Anike frowned a little, glancing around the bedroom he shared with Calo and Reni. "I thought you both had the morning off."

"We do," Calo reassured, looking smug. "I'm distracting you." Calo winked slowly, and Anike leveled a suspicious look at him. Calo was pretending to distracting, and blatantly not. His hand wasn't even above Anike's knee. Which meant Calo didn't really want to distract him, but couldn't not, so Reni had put him up to it. Reni was the only one Calo listened to when he didn't want to do something.

"Where's Reni?" Anike asked again, sliding his legs out of Calo's reach. Calo laughed, sliding along the bed to where Anike sat.

"He went to see a healer," Calo told him with a smirk. "He didn't want you to worry."

"Too late," Anike muttered, frowning at Calo a little anxiously. "He's okay?"

"He's fine, lovely," Calo drawled, infringing on Anike's personal space but not doing anything more than that. Anike relaxed a little at the silly adjective, leaning closer to Calo's warmth.

"Why is he seeing a healer, then?" Anike asked, making a soft protesting noise when Calo kissed him instead of answering. He wanted to know why Reni was seeing a healer. Calo pulled away with an amused chuckle, nipping playfully at Anike's lower lip.

"Just a twisted wrist, lovely," Calo soothed, running a gentle hand through Anike's hair. "Nothing serious."

"Oh," Anike frowned, sighing quietly as Calo drew him close for another kiss. "How long -"

"Soon, pretty artist," Calo promised. "But don't worry, I will keep you distracted until he comes back."

Anike laughed softly, shaking his head, but he let Calo kiss anyway.

Distractions, Take 2

Anike hummed softly under his breath as he added a bit of shadow to the sketch he was working on. It wasn’t anything special, just a simple sketch of the table in front of him. Anike was in the library, near one of the windows overlooking the practice yard below. He’d originally meant to draw some of the fighters, but that hadn’t held his interest for long.

They were fascinating to watch, to be sure – the style they fought with here was vastly different from how they fought in Anike’s country – but Anike couldn’t focus on drawing them and watching them. So he was idly sketching the table and its contents instead, which wasn’t taxing and didn’t move, so he could also watch the fighters out the window.

Reni and Calo weren’t out there. They were off in some meeting or another, doing political things. They hadn’t elaborated, and Anike had long given up trying to ask them about what they did because they always seemed to find some way to distract him.

Anike added a few lines to one of the books stacked on the table, smothering a smile as he remembered this morning’s distraction. Perhaps he could convince Reni and Calo to take him somewhere today – he was getting a little tired of wandering around the palace on his own, but he didn’t really think he was brave enough to venture out into town where he’d get even more stares for his strange looks.

Carefully sketching in the lettering of the title of the book, Anike paused when a shadow fell over his page. Glancing up, he smiled at Calo distractedly, unsurprised when a warm weight draped itself over the back of his chair.

“Pretty,” Reni whispered in his ear, peering over his shoulder to the sketch. Or talking about Anike, since he and Calo seemed to think that was his name half the time. “Did you have a good morning?”

“Good enough,” Anike replied, adding a last few lines before tipping his sketchbook shut. “How did your meeting go?”

“Good enough,” Calo said with a bit of laughter, kneeling next to Anike’s chair. He immediately reached out to touch, sliding his hand along Anike’s neck to tug him closer. Anike went without protest, meeting Calo’s kiss as Reni’s hands traced patterns along his back.

“Mmph.” Anike pulled away after a second, clapping a hand over Calo’s mouth before he could try to continue the kiss. “Do you two have anything to do this afternoon?”

Calo laughed against his hand, and Anike couldn’t suppress a shiver as Reni’s hands hit a sensitive spot on his lower back.

“Have something in mind, pretty?” Reni drawled from behind him, and Calo pulled back a bit, raising his eyebrows lecherously.

“I want to go to town,” Anike said before he got distracted. “And I want to go with both of you.”

“We can do that,” Calo agreed. “Later.”

“Later,” Reni repeated in agreement, his hands snaking around Anike’s waist and his chin coming to rest on Anike’s shoulder. “Shall we return to the room, pretty?”

“Yes,” Anike managed as Calo snagged his hand and kissed his palm. “If you crush my sketchpad I’ll go on my own.”

Calo laughed, tugging the sketchpad off of Anike’s lap and setting it on the table behind him. Anike’s pencil fell between the side of the chair and the cushion he sat on, but Anike didn’t care because Calo was settled between his legs, drawing him into another kiss and Reni was nipping playfully at his neck and he didn’t really think they were going to make it to their room.

Bets

Anike paused, huffing an annoyed breath through his teeth as he struggled to shuffle his sketches back into the folder without creasing any of them. It wasn’t working well, so he paused in front of the door to the rooms he shared with Calo and Reni, setting the folder on the floor and carefully sliding the sketches into order.

Sketches in order, he straightened and absently opened the door.

He barely had time to lift his head from his folder before he was pounced. Protesting wordlessly as Reni kissed him hard – and it was Reni, because Calo kissed harder and he was more forward. Calo never tasted of garlic either.

Reni broke away with a grin, his hands nimbly undoing the buttons to Anike’s jacket. Calo had relieved him of the folder of sketches at some point, and Anike caught a glimpse of him absently rifling through them as Reni tugged the jacket off his shoulders and kicked the door shut behind him.

“What –” Anike began, but Reni cut him off with another kiss, hot and consuming and Anike’s attempt at a question turned into a low moan instead. Reni’s hands slipped under his shirt, tugging it loose from his pants, and Anike gave up questioning, just clung to Reni.

Reni drew him backwards, hot hands never leaving Anike’s skin – but a second set of hands never joined his, and Anike fought to keep a clear head long enough to figure out why Calo was still looking through his sketches instead of joining them.

“Reni – mmph,” Anike tried again, only getting Reni’s tongue for his trouble. Twisting away as his shirt hit the floor, Anike backed away from Reni, unsurprised when Reni followed.

“Calo,” Anike said, managing to put a chair between himself and Reni. Calo looked up, smirking, but he didn’t so much as twitch a finger in their direction. Wondering what was with them, Anike lost his train of thought as Reni caught up to him again.

Reni’s fingers hooked in the front of Anike’s pants and he tugged Anike close to him, distracting him with a searing kiss as he quickly divested Anike of the remainder of his clothing.

“How long?” Reni broke their kiss to ask, and Anike blinked rapidly, his pleasantly spinning head trying to make the words make sense.

“Five and a half minutes,” Calo replied, setting down the folder of sketches he had been browsing through. Anike’s cheeks burned as he realized he was completely naked but Reni and Calo were both still completely dressed.

Reni scoffed, his fingers doing evil things against Anike’s skin. “Not more than two.”

“I was timekeeper,” Calo disputed as he reached them. His tongue flickered out, tasting the air around Anike’s head. “Hello, lovely.”

“What are you talking about?” Anike asked warily, not really sure he wanted to know. Calo laughed, brushing a soft kiss against Anike’s lips.

“We have a… wager,” Calo told him, looking smug as he eyed Anike speculatively.

“A wager?” Anike prompted, shivering as Reni’s hands ghosted over a sensitive spot on his back. Reni snickered, leaning a bit to nuzzle at Anike’s neck.

“To see which of us can get you undressed the quickest,” Calo divulged, winking. “I will win –”

“Oh, no,” Anike protested, shaking his head. “That’s not fair –” Calo cut him off with a kiss, his hands boldly sliding into intimate territory, making Anike’s thoughts scatter again.

“Don’t worry, lovely,” Reni purred, tasting Anike’s skin again. “We’ll get undressed with you.”

Sujay and Dagon

Dagon was taking tea on the balcony. Perfect, in Sujay’s opinion. Sauntering through Dagon’s bedroom, Sujay dropped into the chair next to Dagon and swung his legs up to rest on the chair next to him. The sun was warm and pleasant, much better than the shadowy recesses of the palace that Sujay had been stuck in all morning.

“Good morning, Dagon,” Sujay drawled, folding his hands across his stomach and raising a single, perfectly manicured eyebrow at the man.

“It’s only the second day,” Dagon said mildly, seemingly unimpressed as he sipped at his tea. “You have three more to go.”

“You’re looking at it all wrong, darling,” Sujay said cheerfully. He smiled, showing off his fangs. “I’ve already completed two whole days.”

“You won’t make it,” Dagon said confidently, setting down his teacup and leaning enticingly closer. Sujay’s tongue flicked out to taste the air near Dagon’s face, wholly without his permission. Delicious. “Especially if you keep seeking me out.”

“You doubt the depths of my devotion,” Sujay said, shaking his head sadly. “That’s all right, my dear. I do not blame you – you are only reacting as though I were like Ciro. I must prove my superiority –”

“Do shut up,” Dagon said, fondly, in Sujay’s opinion. He was rolling his eyes as he sat back, so he was more amused than annoyed at least. “I suppose it’s too much to ask that you stop with the pet names, too?”

“I shall try my best, dearest,” Sujay said gravely, then paused. “Oops. It’s a simple profession of my great affection for you?”

Dagon shook his head ruefully, helping himself to the tiny tray of biscuits set near his plate. An open book sat on the other side, a blue ribbon tracing down the center to mark the page.

“What are you reading today?” Sujay asked curiously, curling his fingers together more tightly to keep from reaching out and teasing at the stray locks of hair that fell around Dagon’s face.

“Poetry,” Dagon admitted, giving him a rare, wide smile. “Something from Karill. Anike recommended it to me.”

“Is it any good? I confess I don’t know much about poetry,” Sujay said, shifting a little so he could see Dagon properly.

“I like it,” Dagon said, shrugging. “Poetry is mostly a matter of opinion anyway. Would you like to –” Dagon set down his teacup and picked up the book. “Here.”

Sitting up, more curious than he cared to admit, Sujay reached out to take the book from Dagon – only to let it fall when his hand accidentally brushed against Dagon’s. Swearing softly, he bent to retrieve the book from where it had fallen to the floor, his heart sinking. How stupid – to be foiled by a touch he hadn’t even meant to make.

“There’s –” Dagon started, his voice a little wobbly. “Page twelve has a nice poem.”

Sujay frowned, setting the book on his lap. “Dagon –”

“Don’t be so careless with my books, Sujay,” Dagon reprimanded sternly. “They don’t appreciate being dropped and I won’t stand such abuse even if you manage to win this bet.”

“My apologies, dearest.” Sujay inclined his head in apology, but he couldn’t hide his grin. “I was overcome by your lovely smell. Did you bathe with that honeysuckle soap again?”

Dagon rolled his eyes, sitting back in his seat. “Page twelve.”

“Yes, darling.” Sujay winked, turning the pages of the book in front of him carefully. Three more days of not touching and then he’d have Dagon – and likely Dagon would let him. He’d been… not worried exactly, but perhaps he’d been a smidgeon nervous that Dagon was actually trying to get rid of him with the “five days of no touching” bet. Smiling at the book, Sujay settled into his chair and began to read the poem aloud.

*~*~*

Dagon strode from the conference room quickly, shuffling together the pages of notes he’d taken at the meeting. Lord Iser was being a stubborn, arrogant bastard again, but it wasn’t likely the Queen would side with him this time.

Lost in his papers, he failed to notice that the hallway wasn’t completely deserted until he ran straight into someone. His papers tumbled from his grasp and he was steadied with a firm, confident grip.

“My apologies,” Dagon muttered, annoyed at himself as he straightened. The man he’d run into just laughed, letting him go slowly.

“It’s as much my fault as yours, lovely,” the man said, and his tone and his words made Dagon’s spine stiffen, even as his voice – a rich, deep timbre – made Dagon want to melt into his arms. “I saw you coming, but alas, I was entranced by your beauty and found myself unable to move.”

Dagon barely held his tongue, stooping instead to retrieve his notes before they scattered too much further.

“Can I have your name, beautiful?” The bastard had the nerve to ask, watching Dagon collect his notes and not bothering to lift a finger to help.

“Dagon Wintris,” Dagon said stiffly, after a brief debate. But he couldn’t bring himself to be more than cool towards the man – even if he would dearly love to give into the urge to remove the smirk from the man’s face. With his fist.

“Dagon,” the man repeated with far too much familiarity. He said Dagon’s name slowly, as though savoring it, and Dagon really wanted to push him into the palace’s fountain. He was harassed enough in the course of his work; certainly he didn’t need further harassment now.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Dagon said, ducking around the man to continue on his way down the hallway.

“In a hurry to get somewhere, darling?”

Dagon sighed, wondering why he couldn’t just tell the bastard to leave him alone. That would teach him to wander the hallways without looking.

“I have work to do,” Dagon said shortly, resisting the urge to start looking over his notes again. It could wait until he got to his office, and he didn’t need to run into anything else.

“I suppose I can forgive that.” The man paused, giving him a slow smile that wasn’t rakishly handsome or charming or appealing. “Do you not care to know my name?”

“I don’t,” Dagon said, frowning because the man was obviously well of stature – his dress and his confidence gave that away – but he wasn’t from the palace. If he had been, Dagon would have recognized him.

“Lord Sujay DeNeris of the Raklaih province, at your service,” he declared with a short bow, still managing to keep pace with Dagon as he did it. Dagon swore under his breath, because of course the forward brat would be someone Dagon would shortly be working with quite often. “But you, lovely, can call me Sujay.”

“Lord DeNeris,” Dagon said, inclining his head and wishing that his office was closer to the conference rooms he so often had meetings in. “We were beginning to worry you’d faced trouble on the roads here.”

That made DeNeris stop, and Dagon almost, almost walked on without him. He couldn’t though, not when he knew who the bastard was. It was hard enough getting the councils to get along at the best of times; picking a fight with the newest member wouldn’t make his job any easier.

“So you’re the mediator?” DeNeris asked, a peculiar expression on his face.

Dagon sighed, shrugging. “If you want to call it that, yes.”

“I expected someone…” DeNeris paused, looking him up and down slowly. “…older.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Dagon said. Frowning, he turned away and started back down the hallway. DeNeris caught up to him quickly and reached out to grab his arm.

“No offense, lovely,” DeNeris drawled, his thumb stroking Dagon’s wrist improperly. Dagon snatched his hand away quickly, scowling at the impertinent bastard. “It’s a pleasant surprise. You’re much prettier than Jesza’s letters made out.”

Dagon flushed a little, and then promptly got annoyed at himself. And DeNeris – why in the world did the man persist with calling him those stupid names?

“Dagon, there you are,” a familiar voice spoke up from the end of the hall, breaking the stalemate he and DeNeris were locked in. Dagon immediately felt guilty – but he hadn’t encouraged DeNeris’s attentions, not in the least.

“Sorry, I’m running late,” Dagon said, half to DeNeris and half to Ciro. Inclining his head briefly to DeNeris, he headed down the hallway to Ciro.

“I’ll see you later, beautiful,” DeNeris called in that damnably alluring voice of his. Dagon winced but ignored him. Ciro looked startled, and then a little angry and Dagon sighed. Just what he needed.

“I ran into him outside the conference room,” Dagon said as he reached Ciro, rubbing at his eyes with one hand. What he wouldn’t give for a nap. “He followed me.”

“And called you pet names?” Ciro asked suspiciously, frowning over Dagon’s shoulder to where he hoped DeNeris was no longer. He possessively latched onto Dagon’s hand the moment he let it drop, tugging Dagon a step closer.

“Yes,” Dagon answered, frowning. “He’s Lord DeNeris, I couldn’t offend him.”

“I’m a Lord, too,” Ciro pointed out. “Next time, offend him or it’ll offend me.”

Rolling his eyes, Dagon glanced back, unsurprised to find DeNeris watching him with a smug smirk. Dagon sighed, hoping this was just DeNeris’s way of being friendly. He didn’t need two of the most important men in the country at each other’s throats for these negotiations. Especially not over him.

*~*~*

Dagon hesitated outside the door to Sujay’s suite. The hallway was deserted at the late hour, so there was no one around to see him make a fool of himself. Frowning, Dagon debated again whether he should wait until morning. Sujay was probably fast asleep by now.

He could still wait for Sujay to come to him again. It was tempting. Especially since Sujay had ignored him for most of the day. Dagon knew Sujay had no plans for the afternoon; he’d said as much at breakfast with the other delegates. Yet he hadn’t come to see Dagon like he usually did.

Maybe the five days of keeping his hands to himself had convinced him that he didn’t actually want Dagon after all.

Scoffing at himself, because that was a truly ridiculous thought, Dagon shifted restlessly… but he didn’t knock.

He could wait for Sujay to find him, but Sujay always came to him. Dagon wanted to be the one to instigate things this time, especially since he was giving in. He hadn’t exactly been open about Sujay’s affection and he certainly wasn’t going to pick up Sujay’s obnoxious habits – the pet names, the casual, nigh inappropriate touches, the borderline rude way he tasted the air near Dagon whenever he felt like it.

He could knock on Sujay’s door, though.

Sujay might be in bed, but if he was awake… Dagon hesitated a moment more before lifting his hand and knocking lightly on the door.

Nothing happened. Dagon sighed, loitering a moment. If Sujay was abed, he should probably let him sleep. He could always meet Sujay in the morning.

Turning away from Sujay’s door, Dagon frowned, wondering again why Sujay had ignored him all day. It was utterly unlike the man. Maybe finding Sujay in the morning was a better idea than finding him at the very end of the fifth day of the bet.

Lost in thought, Dagon absently turned the corner to head back to his own rooms – and ran straight into someone. A firm grip steadied him before he could tumble to the floor and Dagon almost smiled because this was how he and Sujay had first met.

“There you are,” Dagon said as the same words left Sujay’s mouth. Sujay laughed, looking delighted.

“You weren’t in your rooms, dearest,” Sujay said, brushing a feather-light kiss against Dagon’s lips before leaning away.

“You weren’t in yours, either,” Dagon pointed out, earning another delighted laugh.

“So?” Sujay asked, quirking his eyebrow teasingly.

Dagon rolled his eyes, hooking his hand in the front of Sujay’s shirt. Tugging the infuriating man close, Dagon muttered, “Day five is over.” Th, before he could think the better of it, Dagon kissed Sujay.

Sujay made a rough, indistinct sound before kissing him back fiercely, wrapping his arms around Dagon and pulling him close. He tasted sweet and sharp and Dagon briefly thought that it was a good thing he’d avoided this before – had Sujay kissed him like this any sooner, Dagon would have given in immediately.

“Finally,” Sujay hissed vehemently when he came up for air, his arms wrapped tight around Dagon like he was never going to let him go. Dagon smiled, one of his hands sunk into Sujay’s hair and the other curled around the curve of Sujay’s neck. He didn’t bother with a reply, just tugged Sujay closer and kissed him again.

Fitting

Anike tried his best to hold still, but he didn’t think he was doing very well if the muttering of the shop boy was anything to go by. Really, it wasn’t his fault he was so nervous. He’d never had an outfit formally tailored, just for him. His mother had taken care of making sure his clothing fit well – he hadn’t really grown out of that habit even when he’d gotten the position as court artist.

It didn’t help that he wasn’t wearing much. Just a thin shirt that was fit a little more snugly than he was used to and a pair of short breeches that were much more snug than he appreciated. He didn’t know where Calo and Reni had gotten them, but he was going to burn them later.

“Stop making that face, lovely,” Calo spoke up from behind him. That was another reason he couldn’t quite hold still – Calo and Reni were sprawled behind him on a loveseat of a particularly eye-burning shade of puce. Anike didn’t think that color existed in nature and he rued the dyemaker who’d created it.

“If you stop fidgeting, you’ll be done sooner,” Reni said, smirking at him. Anike glared at them in the mirror in front of him, unsurprised when neither of them were particularly cowed.

The shop boy took another, even more intimate measurement and Anike fervently hoped this was over soon. He wanted his real clothing back. He was going to have nightmares involving measuring tape.

Anike set his teeth, giving Calo and Reni another dark look in the mirror. Reni made a face back, baring his fangs and contorting his eyebrows and Anike nearly fell off the stool he was standing on. The shop boy sighed loudly, but stepped away, picking up a clipboard and making several notations.

Anike slouched, crossing his arms over his chest in vain. Calo was watching him with a speculative smirk in the mirror, and Anike flushed, shaking his head vehemently. Reni snickered, poking Calo in the ribs and leaning close to whisper something in his ear. Anike watched closely, and nearly tumbled off the stool when the shop boy set down his clipboard with a loud clatter.

“I’ll get the master,” the boy said, giving Anike a vaguely disapproving look. Probably because he couldn’t stand still. “You can get dressed.”

Anike nodded, flushing and flustered as he stepped off the stool. Crossing the room, he began to pull on the real clothing he’d worn over the things Calo had shoved at him this morning, hastily pulling shut buttons and tying laces.

Calo and Reni left him alone for it, and Anike turned to them suspiciously as he tugged on his boots, nearly tripping and falling on his face as he did so. They were still sprawled across the loveseat, Calo’s fingers casually tangled in Reni’s hair. There was a small gap between them, and Anike sighed, crossing the room and sitting down between them.

“Why do I have to do this again?” Anike asked plaintively, shivering when Calo nipped at his ear lazily.

“Because we want to dress you up,” Reni said, squeezing closer on the couch. “You deserve pretty clothes, lovely.”

“I -” Anike paused thoughtfully, well aware of what happened when he usually tried to protest such a statement. “Is there something I need pretty clothes for?”

“Mmm, maybe,” Calo all-but-purred in his ear. “Maybe we just want to have pretty clothes to take off you.”

Anike squirmed a little, flushing and resigned to not getting a straight answer yet. Perhaps he could get it out of them when they returned to the palace, provided he wasn’t distracted first. Deciding it was worth a try, Anike settled between them more comfortably as the master tailor swept into the room, his assistants behind him.

Clothing Hunt

“No,” Anike tried to say, but it was muffled by the shirt he was pulling over his head. Reni’s, he thought, because it was big, but not as big as Calo’s would be. Blinking as his view of the room was restored, Anike barely dodged a pair of grabby hands, hastily backing away from the chair where Calo was still sprawled bonelessly.

“No,” Anike repeated, more insistently as Calo smirked at him. “You’ve already taken me out to expensive dinners how many times this month?”

“Once?” Reni drawled casually, shirtless and shoeless, though at least he was wearing pants.

“Twice?” Calo guessed, snickering under his breath as Anike picked up a pair of pants and threw them at him.

“Six times,” Anike said. “What’s wrong with eating here?”

“You don’t eat enough when we eat here,” Reni said, his eyes following Anike as he headed for the next crumpled bit of clothing. Anike flushed a little, but doggedly continued the search for his pants.

“And we like to show you off, pretty,” Calo said, his tongue flickering out briefly to taste the air as Anike ducked behind his chair.

“You don’t let me eat enough here,” Anike grumbled, half-heartedly tossing a sock at Calo. Calo picked it up gingerly, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger before disdainfully tossing it away.

“You are distracting,” Reni said thoughtfully, slouching further against the bedpost he was leaning against. His eyes never left Anike, but Anike ignored that.

“You know, you don’t really let me eat enough when we go out, either,” Anike pointed out, ignoring the way the memories made his cheeks heat again. “I only ever get to finish a meal when I’m not eating with you two.”

Reni snickered, and Anike carefully made his way around Calo’s chair, giving it a wide berth – Calo had unnaturally long arms. Surveying the room, Anike frowned. They hadn’t been that enthusiastic earlier. Where were his pants?

“Looking for something, lovely?” Calo asked, and Anike sighed, fighting a smile because that would only encourage them.

“My pants,” Anike said, crossing his arms over Reni’s shirt and giving Calo a narrow look. Calo just raised one eyebrow innocently.

“What do you need pants for?” Calo wondered, pinning Anike with a look that made his stomach squirm pleasantly. “I thought we weren’t allowed to take you out.”

“I like pants,” Anike said, jumping when Reni’s arms wrapped around him from behind. And that was unfair – he hadn’t even heard Reni move.

“We like you without pants, pretty,” Reni said, all but purring the words into his ear. Anike shivered despite himself, and Reni nipped playfully at his ear.

“I like pants,” Anike stressed, then squeaked a little as Reni’s hands snaked down to take advantage of his lack of pants. Anike made a face, but didn’t protest further as Reni’s evil hands distracted him. Calo didn’t bother to get up, just watched through hooded eyes as Reni nipped lightly at Anike’s neck. Anike squirmed in Reni’s grip, but not too much – he wasn’t really that interested in finding his pants.