When Aminri’s eyes opened calmly to the warm morning sun embracing his face, he let out a half-troubled, half-tired sigh. All of the previous nights, his mind had been running in circles, constantly repeating the same images time and time again. No matter how happy and content Aminri managed to be in his new home, the phantom-like nightmares that haunted him in his dreams were a never ending cycle. The days were always quite normal at the Bennington household, and every evening he’d have his alone time with Zane, sometimes erotic and other times not. But when he slept, it was as if his mind was an opening to another world. For hours he would relive the previous month, over and over, until finally he woke to Zane sleeping soundly beside him. He never told his fiancé about his troubles. Instead, he found silent comfort in the man’s presence alone as he lay beside him in bed, his body warming his otherwise chilled emotions.
But this morning, his solace was not there. Aminri felt at the opposite side of the bed, feeling not flesh but only a solid, clothed bed. The boy sighed yet again and sat up, rubbing his face with his hands as he fought his grogginess away. He thought for a bit, and briefly wondered what Harold was up to since he left. He figured it was nothing worth contemplating, and stood from the bed, the floor creaking beneath his feet. A soft pattering of skin against wood came from behind him, quick at first but stopping when it was far enough away. “Yes, Vanessa?” Aminri turned and looked at the small girl, who was dressed in a long white night gown.
The child’s morning intrusions had become routine by now. Vanessa straightened her back as she gazed at the older man before her with pouty eyes. “Ari, father’s making me and Gabe read a really big book for homework. Tell him he shouldn’t.”
“I’ve told you before, Vanessa. Your father’s making you do it for good reason. Listen to him, won’t you?” was Aminri’s soft reply.
Vanessa hopped onto the bed stomach first and landed with her arms spread in front of her. “But Ari, I hate reading books. They’re so boring and stupid. Why do people write them?”
“You shouldn’t say that, it’ll hurt the feelings of the author. After all, there are many good books out there. You just have to find them. I’m sure there’s got to be
one you like.”
The girl said nothing and only dug her face into the sheets of the bed, groaning stubbornly. “He’s making us write about it, too. He always makes us work so much,” Vanessa whined as she kicked her feet back and forth against the mattress.
“But writing is fun, isn’t it?” Aminri smiled as he sat upon the bed beside her.
“No it’s not, not when it’s about a stupid book.”
“But you write in your journal every night, don’t you?”
“Yeah, just like you said I should.” Vanessa rolled onto her back and stared at the boy next to her.
“Well, just write about it like you usually do, then. You’re a very good writer, so I’m sure your father will like it.”
The door to the room abruptly opened as Zane entered, fixing his jacket. The two turned to him then, Vanessa’s eyes looking resentfully at her father. “Vanessa, go get dressed and start doing your math with Gabriel. I need to speak with Ari,” Zane said.
The girl said nothing and walked sullenly away with heavy footsteps, shutting the door behind her. Zane walked over to the boy and gently laid a kiss upon his forehead when his daughter was gone. Aminri looked up at him and smiled as he brushed away the hair in the man’s eyes. “Ari, I have something to tell you.”
“What about?”
“Something I was thinking you’d like to know about.”
“Yes?” Aminri leaned inquisitively towards his lover.
Zane placed his hands onto Aminri’s shoulders and gently pushed him away. “…it’s about your family. Specifically, it’s about your brother, Harold.”
The silence that came after these words were cutting, like a dagger being thrust into Aminri’s throat. After a long pause, the boy managed to croak, “Has something happened to him?”
“Yes, well. Your father, for some reason, found it appropriate to get your brother some…’help.’ As of a week or so ago, Harold was admitted into an asylum not very far from your town. Your parents visit him on the weekends, apparently."
For a long while, Aminri simply stared up at his lover with wide, blank eyes, his thin lips pressed gently together. When the information had finally processed in his mind, a single soft chuckle left him. One morphed into two, and two changed to three, until finally the boy was laughing hysterically upon the bed, his hands gripping the sheets like claws. Zane gave the boy a perplexed and concerned look, wondering if his fiancé had gone insane himself. He gave the boy a sharp shake, saying, “Ari, what’s so funny?”
The boy fell over onto the mattress, spreading his arms out like wings as he stared up at the ceiling. He felt guilty about finding the situation so extremely gratifying, but at the same time he considered it justified. For every action, he thought, there was an equal or opposite reaction. In other words, this was karma. He didn’t have to take care of the situation; nature had taken care of it for him. The boy didn’t think he had such an intense bitterness boiling within him, but he was also glad that it had finally been released into one burst of revenge. “Ari,” Zane said, “Are you alright?”
“I’m just fine,” the boy giggled, rolling onto his side with his hair spread like a disarrayed halo about his head.
Zane joined him and sat beside the boy, stroking his hair. Aminri placed his head on the man’s lap and looked joyfully up at him, a smile on his face. The man was glad that his fiancé was so happy, but he also couldn’t help but feel disturbed at the blatant sadism he was seeing. He didn’t think that Aminri had it in him. “Let’s go down to breakfast, Ari. Onnin is probably wondering what we’re up to.”
The boy nodded and sat up. “But, Zane.”
“Yes?”
“Why didn’t I hear about this earlier?”
The man paused before answering. “Well, my father only heard about it from the Earl himself until yesterday. Your father’s, apparently, trying to keep quiet about this. He’s spreading the rumor that Harold was sent off to the military.”
Aminri nodded, thinking the notion was quite like his father. He stood from the bed and left the room, trailing behind Zane like a shadow, a grin on his face.
~ * ~ * ~
In the afternoon, Onnin informed Zane of the package that had arrived. Aminri, confused, watched as Zane untied the strings that held the box closed. When the man peered inside, he said, “Our wedding clothes are here.”
“Really?” Aminri asked eagerly, walking over and looking into the box, his cheek pressed against Zane’s shoulder.
The man pulled out the first garment with gentle fingers. It was a black chiffon shirt that seemed fragile at the touch and had a row of round buttons down the front. Due to its small size, Aminri assumed that it was his and immediately was filled with joy as he felt at the material. When Zane pulled out the rest of the set, barely even glancing at them, the boy was only even more eager as he placed each piece together on the table. He had never worn clothes of such high quality and grandeur, and the fact that the clothes were slightly feminine in style didn’t faze him as much as he thought it would. “We should try them on,” Zane commented. “Just in case she might have gotten our measurements wrong.”
Aminri nodded as he carefully folded the clothes into a pile and carried them with him. But when he realized that Zane wasn’t following him, he turned. “Aren’t you going to come see?”
The man shook his head. “I want to be surprised at the wedding. Go try them on yourself and see if they fit.”
Nodding, Aminri turned back around and walked to the room. Unsurprisingly, the clothes fit almost perfectly onto his body, with the shirt fixed at the waist and the pants the exact length. When the boy put on the headpiece and stared at himself in the mirror, he thought that although the outfit was quite flashy, he was excited to be getting married in them. But then he thought twice. Staring into the mirror like this, fixing the button at his neck, seemed like an oddly familiar scene. The emotions were far too different, though. At the very beginning, he had a sick feeling, like maggots hatching and crawling about in his stomach. It was a sickly mixture of fear and twisted duty. But now, he only felt joy and excitement. “Hey!”
…The young man turned attentively towards the doorway. Vanessa and Gale stood leaning against the doorframe, looking curiously at him. “You look pretty,” Vanessa commented.
“Thank you, Vanessa.” Aminri smiled at the girl.
“Why?” Gabriel couldn’t help but ask.
At that Aminri walked over to the two children and placed a hand on the doorframe, his eyes bright as stars. “This is for the wedding, Gale. Your father and I are getting married quite soon.”
The small boy nodded as he eyed the clothes that his soon to be step father was wearing. Realizing that he was making Zane wait, he ushered the children away and closed the door, then undressed. The boy carefully hung the clothes in the closet and returned to where his lover was waiting. Zane smiled at him as he appeared and grabbed his own clothes to try on. “Do they fit?” he asked.
“Yes, they’re perfect. That tailor is quite skilled at her job, don’t you think?”
The man laughed. “Yes, quite. That’s why I’ve been using her all these years and not someone else.” Zane patted the pile of clothes in his hands. “I’ll go try on my set.”
The boy nodded at him and sat down in a nearby chair. As he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, he called for Onnin and requested that a cup of tea be made. Just like always, Aminri expected the servant to reject his orders, but also like always the brown haired man bowed respectfully in reply. Although it had been almost two weeks since Aminri moved in, the boy still found it uncomfortable to ask for things to be done for him, rather than doing it himself as he had always done. When Onnin returned with a teapot and cup, the boy thanked him and sent him away. He took one small cube of sugar and watched as the white block was submerged into the dark orange tea. As he waited for his lover to return, he mindlessly stirred the liquid with a small, thin spoon, letting his mind drift into random thoughts and reveries. He tried his best not to, but no matter what his conscience would always float back to one person. The more Aminri thought about him, the more the boy questioned the blame that he put on him for all of his troubles. And in the end, he found that he missed him dearly.
~ * ~ * ~
Detra wiped the table top with wide, circular movements as the damp cloth left dark traces in its wake. The otherwise silent room was filled with his joyous, upbeat humming as he cleaned and waited for his husband to return home. Today, he was officially 27 years old. Today, he was also seven years away from home.
The front door opened with a creak, a tall, muscular man entering the room with an excited presence. “I’m home,” he said, kicking off his shoes as he closed the door behind him.
Detra walked over to him with a smile and kissed his lips affectionately, his husband having to bend slightly down in order to reach him. “You were late today, Hector,” the blonde commented, his face only inches away from his husband’s.
Hector grinned. “Well, unless you don’t like presents for your birthday, sorry.”
The taller man pushed a bouquet of roses into Detra’s chest at that. “Flowers?” the blonde took them into his hands and smelled them. “They’re pretty. But couldn’t you be a bit more original?”
“Oh, give me a bit more credit, would you? Doctors aren’t extremely creative these days, you should know that.” Hector ran a gentle hand through his lover’s pale blonde hair, gazing into the shorter man’s hazel eyes. “I have another gift for you, too.”
“Really, now? I wonder what that could be.”
The doctor rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a small, wrinkled note that had a set of numbers scribbled onto it in black. “You know the rumor about the upcoming marriage with the Benningtons, right?”
“Of course, it’s all over the newspapers nowadays.” Detra raised an eyebrow, unsure of where his husband was getting at.
“Well, some more news came out recently about it. Zane Bennington isn’t getting married to your brother Bram like you thought, Detra.”
The blonde looked quickly up, his eyes widening slightly. “Then, who…”
Hector said nothing and silently slipped the note into Detra’s palm. “There isn’t anyone in the way, anymore, so you’re free to mail him. I did a lot of digging while I was at work and found Bennington’s address. You can thank me later.”
Detra looked up at his husband, shocked and also flattered at his efforts. Now, he only hoped that this letter would actually get to his younger brother. In the past, he had sent a total of five to the Parselle household in a desperate attempt to contact Aminri. It was only after the fifth that he actually received an answer. It had been from Harold, stating that he was wasting his time trying to speak with the boy. It had also gone on to say that the runaway son of a whore didn’t deserve a reply. Detra had spent that night crying in Hector’s arms. “But…” the blonde began. “What if Ari doesn’t
want to talk to me? What if Harold was speaking for him?”
“Hush, Detra,” Hector sharply retorted, slapping his husband’s arm. “We’ve been over this, haven’t we? Your brother probably didn’t even get your letters in the first place. I’m sure he misses you as much as you do.”
Detra walked away from his husband, the folded note in one hand and the flowers in the other. As he moved about the dining room and fetched a vase, Hector scratched his head, wondering what his lover was thinking. But his curiosity was quite brief, for only seconds after Detra returned to the front door the blonde threw himself at his husband and pressed his thin lips passionately against Hector’s. The doctor’s surprise dwindled quickly as he wrapped his arms around the blonde and pressed him against the nearby wall. Detra gently sucked on the man’s tongue as he grasped his head, blanketing his fingers in the man’s soft brown tresses. With both men completely infected by the moment, Hector lifted his husband into the air and carried him down the hall. As Detra let out a joyous laugh, Hector grinned as he kicked the bedroom door closed.
~ * ~ * ~
Aminri was confused when a sharp ring came abruptly from the front hall. The two children looked towards the entrance to their room, as if expecting the visitor to enter through there, and saw Onnin walking quickly to answer the door. “I wonder who that could be,” the boy said to himself.
He turned back to Gabriel and continued to help him with his reading. “Is he in his office right now? How typical of him,” a faint, unfamiliar voice commented from down the hall.
“Well, Lord Zane has quite a lot of work to finish these days. I’m sure he still has time to speak with you, though.”
Onnin and the visitor’s conversation continued as they passed the children’s bedroom door. “Hi, Clovis!” Vanessa remarked, briefly spotting the man.
A broad-shouldered, auburn haired man poked his head through the doorway with a grin. “Vanessa! It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?” Clovis spotted Aminri at the center of the room, the boy’s back turned towards him. “Oh, are you the new governess?”
Knowing that the visitor was speaking with him, Aminri crossed his arms and turned around, revealing his face. “No,” was his flat answer.
“I’m sorry! It’s just, from the back you look…” the man stopped, realizing that he was making things worse. He cleared his throat. “Let me…rephrase. I don’t believe I’ve seen you around this house before.”
“It’s alright,” the boy relaxed and dropped his tense shoulders. “My name is Aminri. I don’t believe I’ve seen you, either.”
“Let’s just say that I’m quite a…frequent visitor. I’m Clovis, a friend of Zane.” He nodded his head and winked at the boy. “Well, I suppose I’ll be seeing you around.”
Before leaving the room, he smiled at Aminri, then left as Onnin lead the way to where Zane was. The boy scratched his head and raised an eyebrow skeptically. He wondered if the man knew who he was.
~ * ~ * ~
Zane set his glass of whiskey down on the coffee table and smiled as Clovis sat down on the coach across from him. “So,” he began, crossing his legs. “Where have you been?”
“Mavalia, if you’re so curious. And you?”
Zane laughed. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Clovis leaned in closer to his old friend. “Well, I
have heard about Aaron. Are you alright?”
“You’re about a month too late to ask that, Clovis. I also found your note, by the way, and I’d like to say I’m rather fond of that book.”
“Then I’d have to say your taste is questionable. Let’s not change the subject, though. What happened?”
“Well, it was just like any other meeting. We played cards, drank a bit, until we get a knock on the door. Long story short, we managed to take Aaron down and report him to the police. Danny was injured, though.”
The auburn-haired man frowned. “I heard about that as well, though I haven’t gotten a chance to visit him. He’s alright, isn’t he?”
“Quite. We’re lucky that some of the others live near him. That way we can make sure he doesn’t get in an accident at home.”
“Well, that’s good.”
The two were silent for a while. Clovis sat back and relaxed on the couch, looking around at the room to see if anything had changed from his last visit. Onnin entered with the newly filled porcelain teapot and filled their cups, to which both men thanked him. “So, marriage, is it?” Clovis finally said as he watched Onnin set a plate of cookies on the table.
Zane looked up. “Yes, it’s coming quite fast. Though I will admit, things are going better than what I first expected.”
“You should be thankful that the Parselles let you marry one of their sons and not a daughter.”
“Oh, come now. You make me sounds like a misogynist with those words. I’d
prefer a man, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they had made me marry a woman.”
“Who
is he, anyway? You must introduce me to him. Is he attractive? How old is he?”
“Calm down, Clovis, you’re acting like Lydia with all of that hype. He’s about 20, blonde, hazel eyes. Quite attractive. His name’s Ari.”
“Ari, eh? Hm, is he home right now?”
“You saw him on the way in, sir,” Onnin replied as he turned to leave.
“I did?” the man asked, puzzled.
It was then that he remembered the boy who had been helping Gabriel with his homework. At first he let out a soft “oh” as the events began to click, but then frowned as he began realize further. “What?” Zane inquired.
“Um, it’s nothing,” Clovis flatly replied, hoping that he hadn’t made the wrong impression.
Zane looked curiously as his friend, but dismissed his troubled look and assumed that he was alright. It was when a sudden thought crossed his mind that he leaned quickly forward and asked, rather gravely, “How has my father been? At the palace, I mean.”
Clovis took a cookie from the plate on the table and took a large, unceremonious bite. He swallowed before answering. “I’m not sure what you mean, Zane. Don’t you call him every day?”
“Well, yes, but I feel like he’s hiding something from me. His anxiety has most definitely been better than a few years ago, but lately it seems like something’s been bothering him. I’ve already tried asking him about it, but he always says he’s alright. But I
know there’s something wrong. And that…Melissa character doesn’t make matters any better.”
“Ah, so it’s Melissa you’re worried about.”
“Ha, always. Don’t you think the way she acts around your father is
odd? Her actions aren’t just out of love. It’s a damn obsession!”
Clovis frowned. “I’ve thought that as well, ever since he first took that woman in. Even my mother agrees with me, and she hardly cares about the other woman the king keeps. But lately the situation’s been getting worse. I’ve heard of arguments that have broken out between her and your father, though it’s mainly her on the raging end.”
“That’s what you get from polygamy,” Zane scoffed.
“Well, it’s not like it’s uncommon, Zane, no matter how much you disagree with it. In fact, it would be
odd if my father didn’t keep more than one lover. Many of the aristocrats do it. Hasn’t
your father done it? Just once?”
“Never, though I’m not if he’s ever considered it. How does your mother stand it, anyway?”
Clovis sat back in his chair and let out a steady breath. “She used to care a long time ago. When I was young she’d always rant to me about how untrustworthy the king was. But it seems she’s gotten used to it. In fact, my father’s been letting her have lovers of her own, so long as they were woman. She’s only had one other this entire time, though. I think it’s been about five years since my mother’s taken her, though I can’t complain. I actually rather like her.”
“I think I’ve met her, very briefly. But my father…it’s not like him to be with a married man. I know he’s been madly in love with the king, but enough to interrupt a marriage? It’s just not his character.” The room fell silent at these words, with Clovis only staring distantly at the inside of his tea cup. “…perhaps I’ve said too much?”
“No, it’s alright. It’s not like I didn’t know, anyway.”
“…Well, I should probably going back to work,” Zane regretfully said, stretching.
“Oh, you and your work. Can’t you just relax for a bit?” Clovis laughed.
“I’ve
been relaxing, believe it or not, and because of it all of my paperwork’s gone and piled up.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll leave you be. I’ll see you in a few days, then?”
Zane nodded and stood to embrace his old friend, smiling. The two men parted ways, with Zane watching from the second story window as he watched Clovis climb into his private coach from a distance. With a great sigh, the man turned from the scene and left to his office with his head hanging.
~ * ~ * ~
When night had finally come, Zane and Aminri returned to bed, thoroughly exhausted from a day of work (and, for the boy, far too much play with the children.) The two of them crawled into bed, both dressed in their typical evening attire. The mattress screeched beneath their knees as they tucked themselves into bed, too tired to fool about and too tired to converse. Instead, they silently shut off the lights besides their bed and lay down. Zane snuck his arm around his fiancé and pulled him closer, almost like a child holding their blanket. With the room engulfed in darkness and the two men near the end, they whispered their ‘good nights’ and ‘sweet dreams’ as they drifted off to sleep. The next day, Aminri found that he no longer dreamt of Harold and the small, rank cellar. In fact, he had no dreams at all. It seemed like seconds after he had fallen asleep that he woke up to the sun streaming from the open window. A small, white bird stood on the pane of it, saying nothing and only cocking its head back and forth as it curiously eyes the awakened boy. The bird let out a single, beautiful note before flying away towards the sky. Aminri thought the sight was oddly fitting and a wonderful start to his day.
------
Whew! So I finally got the format to be where I kind-of want it to be , thank goodness. I know, about a good 90% of this is dialogue, but the wedding's going to be coming up soon! Happy early Valentine's day, everyone!
