There was a slight pause. “If you wanted…” As Jak’s voice trailed off, he leaned back to look Hen in the eye more directly. “And it’s just an idea, but…you could keep me.”
Hen felt like an absolute idiot of a sudden. But at the same time, Jak, who had earning potential and options galore for the rest of his cushy life, was far, far out of Hendrik’s league. Both money-wise and influence-wise. If not for Kass, he never would’ve gotten a glimpse of a man like Jak, let alone had one ride his dick. “You mean. Like, after Kass inherits,” was all he could squeeze out.
Jak nodded. “You’ll be busy, at first; you’ll have a career leap, and that’ll become your life for a few years. But after that, you might get lonely.”
Hen had to look away.
Jak squeezed his hand. “I’m a terrible housekeeper but I know how to hire good ones. And I could make you happy.”
“I know.” Hen’s eyes burned. He tried to blink the feeling away, and when that failed he just shut them tight. “I know you would, Jak. But come on. You can do better than me.”
“You’re a man on the rise. Everyone knows you’ll go far. Maybe even to the top.” Jak shrugged. “A handsome keeper is a luxury, but a powerful one—that’s something else. Something more essential. You could be security; I could be comfort. We could be happy.”
What would that look like? To leave the Guardhall—or wherever he was stationed with whatever elite corps—and walk home through the upper city to his own little house. To come home every day to a living room festooned with colorful silks and pillows and Jak greeting him with a firewater, wearing nothing but a sheer robe and a grin?
It was impossible to imagine without Kass right there beside him, was the thing.
But there would be no Kass, not that Hendrik could see or touch, not ever again. And since the last full moon, nothing, absolutely nothing in the entire City, could let Hendrik forget it.
They were quiet for a long moment. They both opened their mouths to speak again at the same time, but Hen really wanted to tell him, “I’m flattered you’d even consider it, honestly. Did Kass ask you to?”
Jak hesitated. “Not exactly. He told me he was worried about you being lonely, even though he’d be with you the whole time. He knows you’re a practical man who won’t be soothed by impractical things.” He smiled, bestowing a sweet, appreciative look at Kass’s face.
Hen was touched in ways he hardly understood. “I didn’t know he was worried.”
“He knows you’ll be alright, in his heart, but he can’t help himself. He cares about everything and everyone but no one more than you, honey.”
Although this was obvious and entirely by design of hundreds of years of Stone City civilization, it still made Hen flush a little.
“And I said, only half-joking, maybe I’ll be looking for a keeper by then. And his eyes lit up, and I realized I wasn’t even half-joking.”
“He has that effect,” Hen said wryly.
“I wasn’t, though. I was pretending to joke because it seemed…absurd. Like I expected to be some kind of replacement. But we both know there’s no replacing him.”
Another moment of silence.
And then Jak added, “But it might be nice to remember him with someone who knows. What it was like when he was mortal.”
Hen swallowed hard, eyes suddenly swimming and threatening to overflow. “Fuck, Jak. That’s really sweet.”
“It is. I even impressed myself with it,” Jak said with a sideways smile.
Hen barked out a laugh, and a hot tear slid down his face. “Fuck,” he said again, reaching up to wipe it away.
Jak took his hand before he could reach it, leaned in, and kissed the tear away. Didn’t say a word about it, just kissed it into oblivion and went on as if it had never been. “Anyhow, I bring it up because I would consider it.”
“It wouldn’t be as glamorous,” Hen said, still unable to fathom it ever happening. To fathom a world after Kass inherited. His mind just couldn’t make it make sense. “As all this. As having your own place. Or finding some blooded boy to foot all your bills.”
“There are other kinds of glamor. You might have noticed my attraction to power.” Jak gave a little laugh. “It’s even better than money. Harder to lose and easier to use.”
“Or a nice dick?”
“It is not better than a nice dick, no, but it is alas more important.” Jak sighed and collapsed into the pillow. “And anyhow, you have other qualities to recommend you. Loyalty, for one. I sometimes think you don’t know what that’s worth, in the world.”
“I’ll think about it if you will,” Hen said, because although his instinct was to say no, he couldn’t. It didn’t even make sense to; it did seem to be a heartfelt offer, on both Jak’s and Kass’s parts. And that, he couldn’t turn down cold. “But if something better comes along—”
“Oh, I’ll jump right on it, I promise.” Jak snuggled up to him, and Hen adjusted to put an arm beneath his neck and around his shoulders. “We should not consider ourselves bound by any agreement. But I did think you should know. That I would consider it.”
“Honestly, Jak…” Hen sighed heavily before he could make himself continue. “That’s kind of the best part.”
“What?”
“That you’d even consider me keeping you when you have all the options in the City at your fingertips. That’s really a morale booster, you know? I’d never have thought.”
“You undervalue yourself, soldier boy,” he chuckled, using Kass’s nickname for him. “But I wouldn’t. Kass would never forgive me.”
*
Hen wondered if Kass had heard the conversation about keeping Jak someday, but when they re-emerged into the downstairs hall, the girls had seemingly merged with another party of guards and charges who were drinking firewater in the same private room.
“She looks happy,” Kass said brightly.
“So do you.”
Kass smirked and marched up to their table. “How’d it go?”
“Oh, it was delightful,” Kajja replied immediately. “They helped me find the nicest boy, and he explained everything so well.”
