Page 43 of Martyr

He just hadn’t wanted to admit it. He’d convinced himself it was because they were both busy and both adjusting to their new lives. That they were growing as people separately but that they would always be the close-knit cousins they’d been.

“I thought we were unshakable,” he admitted. “But I was wrong. She became someone else, and I didn’t even notice.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. People show us the version of themselves they want us to see.”

Nix gave him a look. “Yeah? And what version of you are you trying to make me believe in?”

“Me?” He shook his head. “Nah, I don’t waste time pretending. Life is too short for that. This is who I am. I like to take advantage of people, like to mess them up. I also love Lake like a brother and want to punch him in the gut for always getting my father’s praise—even though I know it’s not his fault.”

“But you take it out on him anyway?”

“Can’t help it.” West shrugged. “My father has never been proud of me, not once my entire life. Only, it got worse once he took Lake in after his parents died. It wasn’t so much that I got replaced as I merely ceased to exist. And those were the good times. When he did acknowledge me, it was to put me down for not doing something as good as Lake could. On some level, I get it. Lake is an Imperial with ties to the throne. Lake will be able to take my father higher up the social ladder.”

“Doesn’t mean it sucks any less,” Nix said. “My parents don’t really know me either. They have no clue I can hack. They didn’t even want me to have anything to do with technology or computers. They’ve always assumed I’d follow in their footsteps and become small town lawyers.”

“Sounds boring.”

“Right?” He gave a mock shudder. “No thanks.”

“What’s your favorite game?” West asked. “I don’t think I’ve seen you play anything.”

“I haven’t since I got here.” Hadn’t since he’d found out about Branwen’s death, actually. “Promise not to laugh if I tell you truthfully?”

“Let’s keep things honest between us, babe.”

He snorted, because it was impossible to tell if West meant he couldn’t promise not to tease him, or if he was simply letting him know it was safe to be open with him.

“Vanity.” Nix dipped his head, unable to meet the other guys gaze after admitting to something like that. He’d never told anyone other than Branwen, and even she had poked fun of him a time or two.

“No shit.” West let out a low whistle and then wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer. His voice dropped into a sultry tone. “So you’ve secretly wanted to bag multiple dudes this whole time, haven’t you, Nixie?”

“No.” He tried shaking him off but the Demon held firm. “I mean…Not really? Would you believe me if I said I like the fight sequences?”

“Not even a teeny tiny bit.”

Vanity was an action RPG and otome game that was fairly popular throughout the several galaxies. It offered different modes so the main player could play as either female, male, or nonbinary, which made for more personal integration into the overarching story of the game.

“Isn’t the main plot fighting off robots?” West asked, sounding legitimately interested.

“They’re androids,” Nix corrected. “They’ve taken over the planet Tandum, and you play as a soldier sent to helpdefeat them and defend the remaining population from being overtaken.”

“And you meet a bunch of hot suitors in the process.”

“There are only four.”

“Only.” West snorted, and when he saw Nix blushing, he laughed. “Cute. Keep going. I want to know more about this game. So there’s a battle mode and, I assume, dating, right?”

“Yeah. There are a ton of side quests that offer up both as well, so players who prefer one over the other can invest more time in the part of the game they enjoy. You meet the four guys as the story progresses and get to level up your attraction meter with them.”

“Show me.”

“What?”

“Come on. It’s on your multi-slate, isn’t it?” West tapped the device on his wrist. “I wanna see.”

Nix couldn’t think of a reason not to, so he twisted the screen toward them and then scrolled until he found the game app. As soon as he clicked it, the familiar soundtrack music had him smiling as they waited for it to load.

He hadn’t realized it, but he’d actually missed playing. Before Branwen’s death, that was sort of the only other thing he allowed himself to do to unwind. That and hacking for fun were pretty much his only past times, but since he hadn’t wanted his roommate to discover either, he’d been careful what hours of the day he’d done them.

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