Page 55 of Martyr

“Get the door for me.” Lake stopped in front of it and Nix reached out and twisted the handle. Once inside, he brought him straight to the bed, frowning when he went to lower him to the mattress and Nix clung to his neck.

“It’ll get dirty.”

“West cleaned you off already.”

He didn’t remember that either. Nix narrowed his eyes. “Did he use his tongue to do it?”

“He used a washcloth,” Lake reassured, setting him down and waiting patiently for Nix to finally let him go before stepping away. He went to the dresser and pulled out a set of clothing.

Nix dropped the pants in his lap and held up the oversized sweatshirt. “Why do these always have your waif number on the back?”

“Because I like seeing you in them,” Lake said shamelessly.

“Possessive freak.” Nix shifted so his legs hung over the side and slipped into the pants, pausing when he got the sweats up to his thighs.

“It’s a good thing you’re needy then, isn’t it.” Lake grabbed the waistband. “Lift.”

Nix stuck his tongue out pretending not to notice when that earned him a warning look, too busy shoving his head through the hole of the light gray sweatshirt. As soon as he was wrapped in the warm clothing, he laid back on his side and sighed.

He’d never tell him, but Lake’s bed was probably the most comfortable surface Nix had ever been on.

His room was nice, too. Quiet and…cozy. Books lined the shelves, and the skylight above them showed a darkening sky and heavy raindrops pinging against the glass in a tune that he could easily drift off to.

“Sleep if you want to.” Lake sat at his desk, a large slab of wood built into the same wall the bed’s headboard was resting against. He pulled his holo-pad from his backpack on the floor and started to flick through it.

“What are you doing?”

“Studying.”

“For what class?”

“It’s not for a class.”

Nix adjusted the pillow beneath his cheek. “What’s it for then?”

“Becoming emperor.”

“There’s a test for that?”

Lake smiled. “No. I’ve been away for a year, I need to go over any political changes that were made by the late Emperor during that time.”

Nix watched him for a moment and then, “You said the two of you weren’t close.”

“We weren’t.”

“Were you ever?”

Lake pursed his lips, then shook his head. “Not that I can recall.”

“Is there a reason?”

“Not really. We just weren’t.”

“Boring.”

He snickered. “I’m sorry my family relations aren’t amusing enough for you, Songbird.”

“I don’t forgive you.”

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