Page 102 of Suffer No Fools
"You've still got the weight of the world on your shoulders."
Tovey's voice in Stan's head startled him out of his thoughts. They stood at attention several feet behind the couch where Hugo and the sovereign sat.
The sovereign's guards stood on the opposite side. Thankfully, their weapons remained belted to their waists. Coryn's guards always had their weapons drawn, which had put Stan on edge, even when he'd thought they were on the same side.
"I worry he's trying too hard to do the impossible."
"That's not your concern."Tovey met his gaze with a leveling gaze of his own."We support him how we can, with earth, air, and love. Anything more will come from him."
Love. They both loved Hugo. That had never been a question between them, but now Stan wondered if Tovey would ever love him the same way. The thought made his chest ache.
"All right," Sovereign Oton said in a far louder voice than before. "It's settled. We will set sail for Stony Eel Island within the week. Emperor Hugo and I will inspect the shipyards together tomorrow morning. If all goes well, we'll sail for Embertide the following day."
Their smile seemed strained as they glanced over their shoulder at Stan, and then Tovey before dipping their head behind the cover of the couch to whisper something to Hugo.
"You don't need to worry," Hugo said. "We're earth weavers. We can combine the beds."
The sovereign's laugh sounded genuine. They cut their eyes at the guard standing near the pitcher of water, a placeusually reserved for servants. "I told you they were resourceful. That doesn't excuse you from assigning them the wrong rooms."
The guard was dressed like the others in chain mail beneath a yellow tunic and wearing a full helm with a horsehair plume. The helm's shield was down, obscuring their face. They bowed their head and turned to escort them to the room when the sovereign ordered.
The guest suite was set up with a living room with a side table for food, a bathroom with a large marble tub, and two bedrooms. The first had a double bed, and the second had two single mattresses bunked one atop the other. He supposed that was the normal sleeping arrangement for a lord and his two guards, but it wouldn't do for them.
Once they'd toed off their boots and Tovey had closed the door behind them, Stan expanded the bed, so it was both wider and longer than the original.
"Thank you," Hugo murmured. "Apparently, the staff doesn't like the idea of us sleeping together in the same bed, even though the sovereign has no objection."
"What did the guard say to get into trouble?" Tovey asked.
"They said there was a perfectly good brothel down the hill if we needed a bed for three." Hugo shook his head. "I need you with me. It's not about the sex." He met Tovey's gaze, and he blushed. "Not always, anyway."
"How long before the evening meal?" Stan asked, taking Hugo's hand and leading him to the bed.
"Not long enough." Hugo's voice was low and husky as he pushed Stan to sit and straddled him.
"I thought it wasn't always about the sex." Tovey's knowing laugh and the way Hugo ground against his cock as he undulated his hips had Stan thinking about sex, but he wanted more.
"I want to take care of you tonight." He caressed Hugo's cheek and beckoned Tovey to join him on the bed. "Both of you. I want you to feel as cherished as you make me feel."
"You never have to worry about that," Tovey whispered in his ear.
"But I do," he insisted, finally voicing his fear. "I let you think I could cheat on you, that I had cheated on you. I want you to know that's impossible."
Tovey kneeled beside him on the bed. He worried his bottom lip with his teeth as he met Stan's gaze. Finally, he spoke. "I was scared I would let you down. You're so wonderful, and I'm nothing but a pain in the ass."
"You're you," Stan said. He almost followed it up with those three words, but he recognized the edge of fear in Tovey's gaze. He looked away so he wouldn't have to face Tovey's disappointment.
"Take off these clothes," Tovey said. "We don't want to make a mess before dinner."
Hugo removed Stan's shirt. "It's our turn to take care of you, for once."
Even though they'd had plenty of time, they were almost late for dinner.
#
Tovey
The next morning, Jermain met them at the shipyard. Even with his minimal earth weaving ability, Tovey recognized Jermain's hard work, along with the other earth weavers, over the last few months.
