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 Posted: Thu May 05, 2022 4:39 pm
The day had been a grueling one — ever ill-tempered about being grounded to desk work, the wounded youma General fought his restless mind and body to accomplish any sort of work. Even a report would do, Faustite told himself. Some new advancement on youma training. Dusting the damn office. Even tracking down new office furniture that he would convince Taenite to buy for him.
He could stop by the dust-laden shithole he was renovating into a living space, summon up some youma, and put them to work. But even that left him irritable and agitated.
So it was no use forcing himself to work. Told himself it didn't matter; not every day had to be productive. Better that he got his mind off this irritability. He needed a special, seldom savored treat to motivate himself into working, and while he had many delectables in his repertoire, there was something special about stealing someone else's.
He decided he would pay a visit to Netherite. Specifically, Netherite's office.
The walk was a short one — the other General's office was on the same floor — which gave him time to think on the way. Faustite stopped to adjust his sling, too, and fussed around with it until his broken clavicle fell to a dull groan.
It wasn't enough time, he realized, when he reached the door and knocked. He still lacked a good reason for his reason for visiting the General's office. Instead, all he had was that reason, and a mounting uncertainty about his ability to ad lib something believable.
Because General Faustite would never visit a fellow General's office to stare at his subordinate's abs.
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2022 7:48 pm
It had been a long day even for the corrupt senshi, who was used to long days packed full of appointments and business. It was nearly time for him to put away the last of the work he'd finished and finally release himself from his tether to his calender, and for once, he'd let himself indulge a little with a glass of rather nice wine while he read the last of his reports.
The knock at the door found him lounged back in his general's large leather chair, long legs crossed at the knee and one elbow braced on the desk, swirling the wine in his hand. To his embarrassment, he'd actually jumped, the unexpected sound and the not-quite-professional drink mixing to send his heart racing in his chest. He had to remind himself, firmly, that he wasn't doing anything wrong, and General Netherite would hardly reprimand him with more than a sly look and a teasing comment.
Still, it left his cheeks faintly pink when he opened the door, blinking in surprise at the late visitor.
"Ah, General Faustite! I wasn't expecting you, did you have an appointment with General Netherite? Please, come in and have a seat..." He said as he backed out of the way, pulling the door open and gesturing to one of the guest chairs with an arm. He noticed, belatedly, the sling, and wondered about it, concerned at what might have hurt a General, especially when that general had a meat shield like Albite.
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 3:05 pm
Oh, look at him, blushing like that. Looking even cuter with some color to his cheeks. Has impeccable door service too, though the offer to sit in a chair was likely a reaction, instead of a well-thought invitation.
He stepped into the office, considered the chair, then decided that, if it did catch fire, it wasn't his office and he wouldn't have to look after the damages. So he paced around the thing, took a seat, and immediately began his restless fidgeting. There was a wine glass, still mostly full, on the table. Boy had been drinking, then. And he hadn't yet explained why he was here.
"Not here for Netherite." He was always out, doing whatever. Polishing his Negaverse career, or doing that human things where he worked, cultivated a family, and slept. Small wonder anyone managed to meet with him — or found him in his office. Truly, the only one worth visiting was Fafnir, who proved his worth more reliably and more consistently than his superior. And hadn't he and Albite bantered about the draconic one more than once? Albite was always keen to tease Faustite about him.
Now was the time to spit out his excuse, he knew, but he hadn't devised one. Lacked the ability to lie off the cuff.
"Came to see you." Which was true enough. He then pointed to the wine. "Going to share?"
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2022 7:47 pm
Truly, he hadn't actually expected Faustite to have come for Netherite. To his knowledge, he'd never had dealings with Fafnir's General, and every time he had come to this office, it had been for him. He could have asked Fafnir to come to him instead of trekking all the way here... but maybe there was a reason for that, something not apparent at the moment.
He let the door swing shut as Faustite moved to a chair, only belatedly remembering that fire and leather might not mesh well... but if he left singe marks, that was really Netherite's problem to deal with, as they were his chairs, and who was Fafnir to tell a General he couldn't use a seat in another General's office?
His eyes had returned to the full glass of wine and he'd been about to offer when the general beat him to it, pulling a faint quirk of a smile from him as he moved to the sideboard where the glasses were kept.
"Of course. I'd be a poor host if I didn't." He said as he paced back, the crystal glass in his gloved fingers. Setting the glass before Faustite, he bent to reach over the desk and snag the bottle, leaning a hip into the heavy wood. He poured with both hands, fingers light around the bottle neck and then set the bottle down again, NOT on his paperwork, before he held out the glass to the other man.
"Its rather late for a visit." He said smoothly, letting his hands settle on either side of his hips as he leaned back into the desk. "Did something urgent come up? You are, of course, always welcome here, for any reason... but I don't think you came for the wine. I am, as ever, at your service."
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 2:30 am
Faustite's brain went offline for a sizable thirty seconds while he watched Fafnir move about to serve. Look at him, being so graceful. Like he could've been a server if he wanted to make an extra stupid amount of money on the side. He'd almost forgotten to take the glass up on offer.
Then he did, and that he definitely shouldn't touch the boy — he was too pretty to scorch — so he received the glass by tenting his fingers over the rim. Faustite was twenty-one now, too, which meant he could drink legally, or whatever that meant in the Dark Kingdom. Mostly it didn't matter, he supposed; Fafnir hadn't asked his age, and neither had anyone else.
But he wasn't going to just let Faustite drop by, either.
Damn.
"Could say the same to you." He swirled the wine, tasted it. "I'm nocturnal. Normally keep my appointments to overlapping hours." And he hadn't thought anyone would be here this late.
And he'd stalled all he could without a reasonable lie in mind, so it might've been time to take Taenite's advice and apply it. He wasn't a soldier; he didn't have to relegate his visits to work-related tasks. "Don't have a work-related reason," he admitted, looking down at the glass. "Was told I should try to make —" friends seemed like a strong word with too much pressure "— connections. Was assured I wouldn't burst into flames for just visiting someone."
He shifted in his chair. "Think they were wrong," he finished with a loft of brows, then sipped the glass.
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2022 8:41 am
The admission, that Faustite had come here to... socialize, sent Fafnir's thoughts off in an entirely new whirl. He hadn't truly considered becoming social with Faustite, enjoying the professionalism of their encounters... save for that one, which he'd firmly put out of his mind as a freak occurrence brought on by too much alcohol. As ever, there was the consideration of what did he stand to gain from this? Being further in the general's good graces? Having someone with resources in the form of a team if he should ever need extra bodies? And of course, there was the risk of opening up to someone, and the things that had happened the last time he had tried to curry favor with someone he'd seen as advantageous for his career...
But he was not the same boy as the one who had buddied up to Chase Black, unmarred and naive. He knew what he was getting in to now, had his own limited power, and he was so close to the culmination of everything he'd been working for. And, he remembered what Albite had told him.
His lean form relaxed and he studied the General for a moment before he finally pushed off the desk and reached back to retrieve his wine glass. Flipping shut the folder on the file he had been reading, he snagged the wine bottle as he turned back.
"Then why don't we go somewhere else and enjoy this wine in better comfort. If you're willing to exercise your glamour, I will play host. I would imagine that whoever encouraged you to make connections, perhaps also meant getting some fresh air too." He said as he passed his glass into the hand with the bottle and offered the free one to the general in the plush office chair.
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 6:02 am
Oh. Right. People wanted to do people-things in Destiny City, not in the Citadel's dark halls. He knew Axinite meant for him to go out and enjoy himself, make friends, but Faustite usually interpreted 'enjoy himself' as 'get into a boy's pants' because he had not yet discovered another activity that guaranteed a couple hours of not thinking about his job. He had only three hours; what else was he supposed to do with that time?
He considered the offer, then turned that duplicitous magic about himself, weaving skin and clothes over fire and uniform. Found the room quite suddenly cold, and he had only the one green jacket to keep him comfortable. If this was how people felt normally, then he didn't know how Fafnir or Alkmene could show off so much skin without freezing to death. Boy didn't even show any goosebumps on those gorgeous arms.
Rolling his eyes, he downed half the glass. The warmth was pleasant, and he was sure he needed to suppress some of his wariness. And, he supposed, he just wanted to chug wine without spreading fire everywhere.
"Fine. Not picky about what we do. Warning you that I'm six years removed from living in the City. Don't remember my manners much anymore." He hadn't needed them in the Rift, and he supposed that rank disparities took care of the rest. If their roles were reversed, he doubted he could so easily barge in on Fafnir without him raising utter hell and throwing him back out into the hallway.
After all, Faustite had done so a number of times, with a number of people. It couldn't be that unusual of a response to nosy underlings.
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Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2022 8:41 pm
Fafnir tilted his head in acknowledgement, unable to keep himself from giving the human Faustite a once over despite having seen him this way at least once before. He tried, at least, to be subtle about it, but it always struck him how much younger Eion looked this way. No uniform, no fire or smoke, eyes that were dark wells rather than burning embers... And his fingers felt strangely cool as Fafnir took his hand in his own warm one.
"That's fine. I didn't intend to parade you around somewhere. I just figured I could provide a more comfortable place to drink a good wine than in my General's office." He said as he tucked the bottle into his free elbow and cradled his glass in his hand. Fafnir was very conscious this time of what he was doing and how he did it as he concentrated, forming the place in his mind he wanted to teleport to. He wanted Eion to see the skill in his control of it, not get jounced about like he'd never done this before. With anyone else, he didn't think he'd have cared so much.
It was to his disappointment that the wine in his glass sloshed a little when they arrived in the cool, dim night beside a pool lit from below, a large, stately house rising dark behind them. A sweep of concrete turned to pale gravel that turned to manicured lawn before meeting thick bushes and shady trees that shielded the little get away from any eyes outside the estate.
The moment they arrived, Trey dropped his powered form immediately, counting on the sense of his aura to be no more than a blip on the senses of anyone happening to be close enough to feel it. Still holding Eion's hand, but now with shorter hair, no horns, and a loose button up, he gave a gentle pressure to guide his guest towards the collection of wicker furniture next to the water. White, well padded cushions waited to welcome them, the chairs and couch arranged casually artfully around a waist-high electric fire pit filled with sparkling dark stones. It might have looked like a magazine set up, with throw pillows and a draped blanket, but Trey was casual about setting his glass down on the rim of the fire pit, followed by the bottle.
"Welcome to my home, Eion. Please feel free to treat it as your own tonight. If it gets too cool out here, we can take the wine inside, but I figured you'd appreciate the privacy more." He said.
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Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2022 6:22 pm
He wanted to ask what was wrong with an office, as that was where he usually drank, but decided against it. Fafnir had his own ideas of where to go, and they would be a break from Faustite's routines. He hadn't considered where Fafnir was taking them —
Until they were there, and Eion's world tilted as his head spun, and he had just started to take in their surroundings before Fafnir wasn't Fafnir anymore and —
Holy ******** that's Trey Cameron.
Suddenly he lost all interest in his surroundings, and he was staring openly at the boy before him, not only because he had that unearthly beauty endemic to many successful models, but also because he was Rowan's brother. And Faustite never knew. Never suspected, but now that he'd seen both sides of Fafnir, it seemed maddeningly obvious in hindsight.
He'd walked himself into the position of holding a potent secret. He could tell Trey about Aelius, but to what sort of danger would he be entrusting Trey, if Trey slipped but once when meeting Aelius? Rowan had been a part of the White Moon, they'd learned, and he'd forgotten that part of his life in joining the Negaverse. What friends had he made, and what allies had he gained, before Eion had him conscripted? Were those allies still staying vigilant for him? Would they catch Trey in an innocent slip and kill the family that Aelius left behind?
And what would such an admission mean for Aelius? Surely it wasn't his place to divulge that sort of thing —
So he simply nodded, feeling flushed between his astonishment and the wine and the beautiful boy tugging him along to a picturesque poolside with the promise of good wine and better company. He couldn't decide if it was harder to unfasten his tongue from the roof of his mouth, or unfasten his eyes from all of Trey. Maybe it was hardest for him to unfasten his mind from a few lascivious fantasies about romantic poolsides like this.
"Didn't expect this out of you," he stammered. "Thanks." Like that could begin to convey his shock and wonderment.
"Your home's a ******** marvel." Forcing himself to pull his eyes off of Trey, he looked from the pool to the fire pit to the chairs to the back of the house, finding all of it so picturesque that he thought he walked onto one of those scenes in the Home and Garden magazines he'd been peering into recently.
Eion seated himself on a wicker fainting couch, glass in hand, and took another liberal sip before he spoke. "How do you leave? Why do you leave?" They were tamer questions than the ones he truly wanted to ask. "Could spend my entire life right here and want for nothing."
Especially, he thought, if he could have Trey with it.whimsical blue boy fever reaches malignant hyperthermia levels
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2022 2:15 pm
"I don't actually spend my entire time in that office..." Trey said jokingly as he released his guest to the comfort of the couch. Some of him relaxed, being here, and he let himself settle into the seat beside him in a tidy sprawl, leaning on the arm rest as he set one ankle on the other knee. Wine in hand, he studiously ignored the fact that Eion had been staring at him like he'd... grown horns, instead of losing them. He didn't look that different out of uniform, did he?
"I spend as much time outside of it as in it. I can't take much credit for the house, but thank you. It's my mother's. I have some plan for my own eventually, but its easier to stay here..."
He laughed at the incredulous questions, shaking his head and shrugging. "Despite my apparently indolent manner, I have a lot of work to do that takes me away from the house. Part of that is... our work, as you know. Otherwise, I manage a lot of Joellen's affairs... She has plans to promote me to Vice President of her company this year." He took a deep pull of his wine before settling it on his knee and sinking deeper into his own couch. "Though, trust me, there are days I wish I were swimming or riding my horse rather than stuck in an office. Any office."
He was too old to still dream forlornly of spending all of his time doing those things, instead of the hundreds of other things that claimed his time, but he remembered it. It was childish to think of being able to do nothing, have no responsibilities, and he was certain Eion was too mature to really believe that either.
"You're certainly welcome to make use of this place whenever you wish. I can make sure Joellen knows, so she doesn't throw a dramatic fit about a stranger in our backyard. She's not around all that much anyway, since she's often over seas, and I certainly don't mind. The house is echoingly empty when its just me." He nodded towards the back door. "There is a code on the latch that I can give you too, so you don't have to use the... other way in."
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2022 7:12 am
Look at him, sitting pretty with his leg propped up and his wine glass hanging elegantly from his fingers. Eion thought, briefly, that this was either habit for him, or he was posing for a guerrilla photoshoot from some corner of his house. Eion spared a glance at the bushes, just in case he saw a lens glint from between the leaves.
Nothing, but it was worth a try. Could've been a fantastic photographer back there.
"You sound so resigned," he observed. Scooping up his own wine glass, he meditated on how to proceed as he sipped at the drink. "Vice President… Wonder if that's any different from a Sovereign's duties. Hessonite of SpecOps, she manages her affairs while having time to do as she pleases. Collect memories, chase thrills. Comes with delegation. Assume a VP can do the same." Which was, he hoped, a roundabout enough way to encourage Trey without sounding like he was disparaging him.
He knew what it was like to be shackled to responsibility, and knew how much he envied Schörl for managing her affairs in two lives with enough time left over to enjoy torturing others. Efficiency had been her game, and she spared no thought for others' feelings when she delegated. Accepted no failures, either.
Eion shifted to sit crosslegged, both to get a better view of Trey and busy himself while his face flushed with astonishment. That anyone would offer to spend time with him was itself a treasure, but for Trey to open his whole house to him? To speak of lacking time for leisure, for swimming or riding horses, and then spend those scant free moments with him?
If only he could express that gratefulness through action, instead of having to rely on words. However, he didn't know Trey well enough to tell him what else he could ride.
So he downed more wine, felt warm and pleasant for it, and assured that it might unstick his tongue a margin. It helped him to smile a little.
Eion decided he had no tact for being smooth the way that Waru could be. He hadn't needed any, yet. So he rose, half-finished wine glass in hand, and went to the fire pit to refill his wine. He was cold, too, despite the warmth in his gut, and as he looked at the pit, he found only a dial — no signs of a matchbook. Looked like they needed more wood, too; Trey's family home looked too perfect to have left something like this unaccounted for.
"I'm cold," he declared, as if it was obvious by virtue of him not being on fire, "does this thing work, or should I cuddle with you instead?" He turned, mindlessly swirling the wine in his glass as he awaited an answer.
[quote="whimsical blue"']unfortunately, he has the manners of a dumpster animal
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Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 7:18 pm
Trey waved his free hand to brush away that first comment, dismissing it with an air of someone who was, indeed, resigned.
"The position is a means to an end, and its actually always been the plan, so I've had years to get used to the idea. Its always been understood that I was Joellen's heir, and the only reason I wasn't promoted sooner was her and the company waiting until I turned twenty five." He sipped his wine, swirling the dark liquid about just to see how it moved. "Once I have that position, I should be able to delegate more of the work I'm doing now, though I'm under no delusions it won't come with its own set of duties and stressors. Its much like becoming a General."
The end goal. The thing he had been working towards for all the years he'd been part of the Negaverse. The thing that would free him, finally, and grant him the power over his own destiny that he so badly desired. It was so close... and he craved it, more and more. Itched under the restrictions he felt more keenly every day. It was the warmth of the wine that loosened his restraint enough to even mention it, he guarded that goal so jealously.
He looked up to see Eion smiling at him and he blinked slowly, suddenly wondering how often he'd actually seen that expression on the young general's face. It was pleasant, if a little... sad? His blue eyes followed as he rose to refill his glass and his first instinct was to immediately accommodate that declaration, until the playful question followed it. That question made him pause, feeling the gears in his head turning just a little sluggishly in the wine fog.
He'd never considered anything other than strict professionalism with Faustite... He was a General, and historically, he had had a very tumultuous relationship with Generals that were not Netherite. They'd never, before tonight, hung out in anything approaching the casual way they were doing now. Things clicked though, between this and what Waru had said and... that kiss, back during the party. He examined how it made him feel with a curious detachment supported by alcohol, finally able to pull up what had happened between himself and Labyrinthite and consider that as well, without the panic and dread it usually called up in him.
He was different than the young man Chase had brought into his home, he knew. Eion was not chase, and Faustite was not his general.
Trey leveraged himself to his feet and set his glass down with care, aware if he over corrected too much, that delicate class would be in shards on the ground. Approaching the shorter man, he stooped a little to feel under the outer, stone rim of the fireplace beside Eion for the ignition switch and flipped it, a line of small, cheerful flames dancing up through the stones behind him.
"There." He said as he straightened up, a hint of a smile playing about the corners of his lips with invitation. "But if you are still cold, I would not be a good host if I did not provide for my guest."
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Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 9:29 pm
Boy had his whole life mapped out for him. It would've been the same for Eion, too, if he hadn't gone out like a stupid, youthful thing and gotten himself on the wrong side of Umber. Strange that the Negaverse didn't shake that tired path up for Trey, didn't divert him to a wholly different one — only complimented the power and responsibility in his plainclothes life with more power and responsibility in the dark. Did he feel cheated for that, or did he collect power for the sake of power? Sounded like he coveted it, at least.
He must've felt powerless in the face of all those terrible responsibilities. They wore out all that youth, left him embittered at twenty-five. Poor boy, it would spoil his charm before long.
When Trey rose and reached for the dial, Eion sucked his teeth and sighed pure disappointment. Shut his eyes, for it, too; what a waste that Trey would be so aloof about it. Already so milked of life by his mom and his life path and his responsibilities that he had no energy left to look a good time in the eyes and say 'yes, it's broken'. But when he opened them again, when he started in on his fresh glass, Trey was still there. Still waiting, like Eion was fishing, and he used bait enough to get his dragonfish interested, but he had yet to dance the line about.
If he stayed human, he might've had that finesse. Might've had enough practice hooking fish that he could keep Trey's attention for a while. Enough for a couple trysts, maybe, before his lesser status would encourage Trey to break it off. He'd been part youma for more than a quarter of his life, now.
As a Youma General, he fished with bombs.
A heat sparked up at his back, and Eion found it inviting. And Trey — poor b*****d tried, truly did his best, but he was playing class to someone who saw roaches on a gas station floor as viable snacks. "So you want to be a good host." He spoke against the rim of his glass, which added an artificial sonorousness to his voice. Coal eyes diverted upward — and he wondered how many starseeds it would take for Metallia to give him taller heels — and they stayed on the perfect, well-kept boy. "Know exactly how you can provide for me.
"Sit," he urged, and gestured toward Trey's seat. His smile stayed, though its undertone shifted. Bet you've never seen a real fire before, pampered boy.
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Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 9:53 pm
Trey lifted his head in acknowledgement, watching with interest as Eion's lips moved against the rim of his glass. The situation had changed, shifted, and he still didn't know how he felt about it... but he knew he wanted to see where this would go. What was Eion thinking, behind those dark eyes?
"Yes, sir." He said, a playful emphasis on the title.
His shoes rattled the gravel under their feet as Trey stepped backwards, concentrating very hard on not tripping over them or the couch behind himself until he felt it bump the back of his knees. He sank slowly, gracefully, into it and let his body relax, as much as he could allow himself to relax, fingers curling around the base of his wine glass to steady it on the armrest.
A soft, cool breeze rustled through the trees and sent ripples across the glowing surface of the pool, making the flames dance behind Eion's silhouette. It was impossible to see his eyes from where he was, so Trey studied all of him from where he sat, his thoughts turning over themselves and circling, returning to the same questions, the same wondering.
Maybe the wine had been a bad idea, but it smoothed the edges of things, adding a sort of haze he was content to exist in, his full attention on the man before him.
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Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 10:43 pm
Look at him, being obedient. All that power and poise, those flashy titles to his name, and a boy just wanted to be told what to do. How fortunate for Trey that Eion was used to doling out orders. Not as a scrawny little unburnt piece of coal, but it was close enough.
He took a long pull of wine, felt the warmth of it, and set the glass back down at the edge of the firepit. It was then that he caught sight of it — that straight line of even, blue flames. Tame little things. Neutered, really.
Eion approached the boy, and he might've tripped on the transition between gravel and patio, but he'd pretend it didn't happen. He could still walk straight enough to reach the boy who was all focus, and all on him (or on the firepit behind him, but there wasn't really a difference between them). He liked them obedient and attentive, and — really, his brother was the same way.
Since Trey did him the service of sitting, Eion sat across his lap. It was like sitting on a pair of logs, he supposed — no give to them, though Trey wasn't particularly built. More the willowy type, the kind that was made for wearing ropes and flowers, for holding glass bowls with tea candles floated on the water. It was cute, Trey's willingness to waste an hour or two with him. Offer up his place to him. Open his wine for him.
He came back to the same thought — that perhaps Trey was too perfect, too lofty, to have been with anyone. To have learned what to do in situations like these. Maybe he only wanted to be pursued, not to pursue, but for someone to see past the status. Or, maybe he had everyone he could ever want, and this was a passing fancy that he could shut down at any time (and if he thought that, he would be surprised to find that Faustite had no dial with which to bank his heat).
But he decided to help out anyway. He took up Trey's free hand, guided it behind his back, rested it on his hip. Then he urged Trey's occupied hand to hover the wine glass near the boy's lips, and with his attention on Trey Cameron, he murmured, "don't swallow."
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