Page 98 of Xerxes Ascendant
“And we love him.” Sarah’s face eased back into the original warm smile. “There is room in a heart for more than one love,Kyle. Adding more does not diminish the love already felt for others. It just...calls on a different piece of that heart.”
He stared at her, feeling her words resonate within him. Kyle had never thought about that before. Ethical non-monogamy had always been assumed between him and Akira, what with their jobs requiring them to fuck other people, but it was theemotionalpart of their relationship that they’d struggled with the most. The expectation that they were exclusive emotionally but not sexually had been a secondary contributor to how betrayed Kyle had felt in learning Akira had a wife, and having subsequently understood the reasoning for Akira’s failure to be forthcoming, it left only the doubt of whether he could truly share his boyfriend with another woman.
But this...stars, it was obvious how fucking wrong he’d been. ‘Husband and wife’ was only a label. A societal expectation that was not always the truth of it, and Kyle had been so blindsided by the idea of Akira beingmarried, that he hadn’t been listening to what was being said.
But he was listening now. Sarah was no more a threat to their relationship than Indira was: a treasured and loved family member whom Akira would do anything for, and who was welcoming Kyle into their collective with open arms.
Love was love. But it could also belove.
“Oh,” he choked out. “I...I would be honoured.”
“Kira,” Sarah called out softly, and Akira moved to kneel beside Kyle at the base of her chair, one hand resting on his wife’s knee and the other entwining with Kyle’s. He gave his thumb a quick, affectionate stroke.
“So it’s sorted?” Robby said dubiously, eyebrows wriggling on her expressive face. “Dad gets mum and me and Kyle? What doIget? More pocket money?”
“We’ve created a monster,” Akira said affectionately, dragging his daughter close. Giggling, she let him pull her tothe floor and then took her mother’s other hand, securing the connection between the four of them.
I love you,Kyle thought happily, his soul soaring and his heart full. He leaned into his boyfriend’s shoulder, willing the unspoken words into his head.
The way Akira squeezed his hand told him he’d heard.
What I don't understand is why Mackenroth would blow the city apart. I know he didn't account for the Engineers getting in his way that night, but why risk it at all? Why not just cut the environmental controls, kill us all that way?
It's gotta have something to do with the Lower city itself, not only its population.
I just can't figure out why.
-Anonymous musings
CHAPTER 29
Kyle
“Has this not been the perfect day?” Kyle said dreamily to Akira, extending a lazy foot to bring his spinning office chair to a halt.
The other man peered over the monitor at him and raised a sceptical eyebrow. “Sweetheart, it began with Benedict Mackenroth carving up your skin for his personal enjoyment.”
Kyle waved an arm. It happened to be his injured arm, and his resulting wince only enforced the reminder wrought by the Master’s words. “I don’t mean the midnight-to-midnight kind of day-”
“Youdon’t meanthe only meaning of day?” Akira commented acerbically. He returned his attention to his work.
“Hush. I mean, since we woke up.Thatday.”
His boyfriend’s expression softened, and Kyle internally cheered. Scary, abrasive Master Epsilon, going all gooey just for Kyle? Fuck yeah.
“It…has been rather enjoyable,” he conceded.
The pair of them had caught up on some much-needed sleep in that big soft bed of Akira’s, dozing for most of the day until they heard Robby return from school. The loud declarations and complaints about her day had echoed through the many roomsof the Miyasaki household, restoring life to the beige carpets and bland walls. Sarah had emerged from where she had been resting in turn, her already low energy levels depleted from the morning’s excitement, and the carer who assisted her each day had already come and gone while they’d been asleep.
It seemed a lonely existence, lamented Kyle, and hemayhave floated the idea of enslaving Sarah to a cat. He of course meant getting her a cat for a pet, he’d clarified when met with multiple bemused expressions from the family, although he really hadn’t. A creature like Havoc, Kyle had described, the perfect nap buddy who didn’t need – and would abjectly refuse – any attempts to engage him in lively play or exercise.
“A nap buddy,” Sarah had repeated, and Kyle bit his lip, fearing he’d overstepped. Yet her expression had been curious and delighted. “I’m keen.”
“Then a cat you shall have,” had been Akira’s immediate declaration, causing Robby and Kyle to erupt into loud cheers.
“Breakfast was acceptable?” the man asked now, all formal and stiff where he was seated behind the desk in House Epsilon’s office.
Kyle pulled a face at him. “Breakfast wasexceptional,” he corrected. Breakfast for them, and dinner for Sarah and Robby, catered for by the only food acceptable for both meals: pancakes.
