Page 63 of Suffer No Fools
"That's a mean trick."
"It works both ways." A piece of bread disintegrated from the main plate and rebuilt itself on Tovey's. "You're welcome."
"Thank you." He took a bite, and it was just as good as the piece he'd cut from the loaf the day before. If Tovey had tried the same weave, the bread would have tasted terrible, or been a lumpy mixture of bread parts. He'd never be as good at delicate earth weaves as Stan.
"And for you." Stan provided a third piece for Hugo, and his forehead glistened with sweat from the effort. He could move bread around the table, but Tovey doubted he could move it much farther before it ceased to be bread.
"Thank you!" Hugo took a bite of the piece on his plate. "When Gultan used to do that, it tasted like dirt. How do you keep the right taste and consistency?"
"Practice. I like to eat."
Hugo ate his portion faster than they did. Tovey knew to savor it, but Hugo probably assumed it was an island staple they would have daily instead of a Solstice treat eaten once a year.
Hugo planted his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "What should I expect from this banquet? Obviously, there's food. Dancing? A play?"
"You don't want the elders to perform any plays," Tovey said. Beatrice and her ex-husband had put on a show for them the year Tovey started school. They got to the gods creating Aquarion and couldn't decide who would play what god. They ended up shouting at each other with their backs turned.
Stan shuddered. "No. No plays."
"A dance would be fun, but we usually do that in the summer. Tonight is all about the banquet. Everyone will eat and waddle home to sleep for a week. When we wake, the days will be longer again."
"I never noticed the short days in winter. We always had lamps lit, even in summer."
"It is dark in the palace," Stan agreed. "Very little natural light." He smirked. "I could change that for you."
Hugo's smile brightened the dreary gray morning. "I would like that. You'll still be my guards at the palace, yes?"
Tovey could only bring himself to answer in his thoughts. They would be his guards only if they survived the war, and if Hugo still wanted them by his side.
Chapter 10
Hugo
Hugo spent the shortest day of the year in bed with his guards, at least, the part after their bath and breakfast. Stan and Tovey reversed their positions from the night before. Stan fucked Tovey while Tovey sucked Hugo's cock and shoved two fingers in his ass, prodding his prostate until he came down Tovey's throat. He'd come so much in the last few days, he felt lightheaded. He fell asleep until someone knocked at the door.
Tovey was already on his feet, rushing down the stairs while pulling on his pants. When he returned, he had two boxes. "This is for you," he said, handing one to Hugo. "And this is for you."
Hugo's box was tied with string he recognized from Gulde's shop. He carefully pried it off the corners and opened the box to find a beautiful full-length silk robe in white and green.
"That's from both of us," Stan whispered. "The white is from a handkerchief and the green piping was from a silk jacket too small for Tovey."
"Thank you," Hugo said. Stan had cleaned Hugo up after their last round, so he felt comfortable pulling the soft fabric over his shoulders and tying the green belt at his waist. "This is perfect."
"What is this, Tovey?" Stan frowned at his opened box.
"Take it out." Tovey prodded his arm.
Stan pulled a second silk robe from the box. It was green with white edges and a white silk belt. "How ... there wasn't enough fabric."
"Gulde said Trin enjoyed the challenge."
"What about you?" Hugo asked. He wanted Tovey to have a robe like theirs, too, so they matched.
"This must be for you," Stan said, drawing another robe from his box. It was yellow, like a sunflower. "You gave Gulde your mom's handkerchief?"
Tovey shrugged. "I wasn't using it." Stan held the robe up for him, and he slipped it over his shoulders. It was shorter than Hugo's and Stan's, showing off his perfectly shaped knees.
Hugo was glad to hide his beneath the white fabric. His knees were knobby, though his legs were starting to fill out again.
