Even A Benign Sleepover Can Be A Place to Work An Agenda or Two
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Darius DiFueure was early for the party by design. He sat in Geoffrey’s sitting room, nervously fiddling with the teacup Geoffrey had given him, obviously resisting the urge to physically lean on his companion Aleksander, who sat beside him. They were a little younger than Giacomo, but not so young that anyone would find it strange that they’d be invited to a party Giacomo was hosting. People knew them to be friends, after all.
“You, um, don’t have to sit here with me, Lord Geoffrey,” Darius told him. Geoffrey was sitting a decent distance away, because getting any closer had just seemed like it would worry Darius even more. “I’m sure you must have things to do, and I’m content to wait until Giacomo comes back.”
Geoffrey smiled at him. “It would be profoundly rude to leave you by yourself, Darius. I can sit with you at least until some of Giacomo’s other friends arrive. I know Pietro and Terry and Raoul are coming, and Janus, I think?” Giacomo had also invited Uri, who Geoffrey happened to know was coming, because Lydia had told him.
Darius nodded, sipping at his tea to avoid answering for a second. “He, he told me he was also inviting Hector DiWynn and Dimitri and Deiter Chesthower. And…maybe a few other people? He didn’t say who.”
Geoffrey hadn’t known about those last additions to Giacomo’s growing harem. He wondered who the others were, though he probably wouldn’t wonder for long if they were coming here tonight to the party Giacomo was throwing. The Chesthowers were a good addition especially, he thought. Their family had a lot of sway in economic matters and Dimitri and Deiter were friends with Dahlia as well. Also, they were obviously brothers, so Geoffrey was going to want a report on what they did together, just for interests’ sake. He smiled. “Sounds like it should be a lot of fun. It’s a nice opportunity for you guys all to relax and have fun together.”
Darius nodded. “I think it will be fun.” He darkened a little.
“You look nervous about that.” Or embarrassed.
“He wishes Giacomo would invite some girls,” Aleksander put in, his teacup empty. “Instead of just boys.”
“Aleksander!”
“What, that’s what you said earlier.”
Poor Darius looked like he wanted to die. “I didn’t mean…just that…girls are fun too.”
Unable to relate, Geoffrey nodded. He supposed girls were fun, if not for the same reasons boys were. “They are,” he said. “But you know how it is. You have fun with a girl and the next thing you know, you parents are talking to you about getting married and securing a lineage.”
Darius nodded pretty enthusiastically at that. “I know! It’s so annoying. I guess it is kind of nice to just be around some other boys.”
“And have fun with them,” Geoffrey finished for hm. “Your uncle’s been talking to you a lot about lineage and marriage, hasn’t he?”
Darius sighed, setting his cup down. He looked like his mother, who’d been pretty, instead of like his father’s family, who weren’t. “Yeah.”
“It’s not so bad. You like Dahlia, don’t you?”
Darius blinked, looking up at Geoffrey. “How did you know about that? Uncle Hans said it was supposed to be a secret.”
He was so cute. Maybe Geoffrey would get to have fun with him later tonight if he was up for it. He was planning to mostly stay out of Giacomo’s way, though. It was for the best. “You’re the king regent’s nephew and she’s the queen. It was an easy thing to figure out.”
Darius looked at the floor. “Her companion Andre. He’s Aleksander’s brother.”
Geoffrey hadn’t known that. It was unusual for more than one member of a family to become a companion. “You don’t see that very often.”
“I have nine brothers,” Aleksander explained. “So, uh, well. My parents were happy to have some of us be well-placed.”
“Nine brothers,” Geoffrey repeated. “That’s quite something.” The pervert in him had to wonder what went on in that house. He was definitely going to have to tell Giacomo about this if he didn’t already know.
“That’s what my mom says too,” Aleksander said with a small smile.
“So you’d like it if Darius and Dahlia courted, you’d get to see your brother more often.”
Aleksander shrugged. “I guess. I’m glad he’s okay, I was worried about him. I mean.” He smiled. “I’d like it if Darius became the king.”
Darius was looking increasingly uncomfortable. “You don’t want to be the king?” Geoffrey asked him. Of course he didn’t want to be the king. He didn’t like people looking at him.
“I…I don’t know,” Darius admitted in a murmur.
“You should probably tell your dad that,” Geoffrey suggested.
“My, my uncle is…”
“Your uncle is the king regent, but your dad is the head of your family. And if you marry into House DiGorre, House DiFueure won’t have any more heirs.”
Darius blinked. “That’s true. But my dad said I have to listen to Uncle Hans.”
Geoffrey nodded. “Does Hans treat you well?”
“Yes,” Darius said. “He’s very nice, and he hired me better tutors than I had, and he gave me a horse.”
That was too bad. This would be a lot easier if Hans had been abusing Darius. “But you don’t like that he gets to decide your future for you.”
“Well…I guess not.”
Aleksander was looking at Geoffrey, so he smiled. “Then maybe you should tell your father you don’t like how Hans treats you.”
“But…”
“Sometimes as nobles, we learn to say things that aren’t completely true if they help us get what we want,” Geoffrey suggested, patting Darius’s shoulder. He could hear voices in the hallway, so he got up. “I think your friends are here. I’ll leave you alone.”
“I’ll be right back, Dari,” Aleksander said, following Geoffrey into the hall. Pietro and his companion Eduardo were here, and Geoffrey smiled at them and pointed them into the room.
“Giacomo’s still at supper with the queen,” he told them. “But he’ll be back soon.”
Pietro nodded. “Cool. Thanks for having us all over.”
“Anytime.”
Pietro and Eduardo went into the room, and Aleksander looked up at Geoffrey. “What are you doing?”
There was no point in bullshit. “I’m trying to help your companion.”
“By instigating a fight between his father and his uncle?”
Geoffrey smiled. “By making sure he doesn’t end up a puppet for his uncle for the rest of his life. You’re not stupid, you know that’s what would happen.”
“He’d be king of Kyaine.”
Geoffrey played his trump card. “But he’d be miserable.”
Aleksander didn’t look happy, but after a second he nodded. “Is that…is that why Giacomo befriended him? Just for this?”
“No,” Geoffrey lied. Well, it wasn’t a lie, really. “Giacomo likes him. He wanted to be friends because he thought you and Darius were lonely. And cute.”
Aleksander made a face between a pout and a scowl, which Geoffrey took to be embarrassment. “Darius likes girls.”
Geoffrey smirked. “Is that going to stop him from joining in when people start getting naked later tonight?”
“No.” Aleksander shuffled his feet on the carpet. “I just want to protect him.”
“So do Giacomo and I. Promise.”
“I’m not sure I believe you.”
Geoffrey patted his arm. “Good. He’s your companion. You should always be wary. Go back in there, you know Pietro’s teasing him.”
“Yeah.” Aleksander took a step towards the room, watching Geoffrey. “Thank you.”
Geoffrey nodded. “Nine brothers?”
“Yeah.”
“Must have been a fun house to live in.”
Aleksander shrugged. “It’s probably why I don’t care as much about girls as he does.”
“Experiences growing up?”
Another shrug, this one with a smile. “I should go back in. I’ll see you later.”
“I hope so.”
Buoyed by knowing—or at least heavily suspecting—that there were other brothers fucking each other out there, Geoffrey made his way down to the foyer, where Giacomo’s other friends were arriving. Raoul and his companion Walter, and the Chesthower boys, whose companions Geoffrey didn’t know, but who were also twins. Geoffrey smiled when he saw them. If Giacomo with all his talents couldn’t get at least one twin-fuck going tonight, Geoffrey was going to spank him until he couldn’t walk.
Janus DiCrawe came in next, with his companion, already looking abashed. “Lord Janus.”
“Lord Geoffrey. Um. I hope you don’t mind the intrusion.”
“Not at all, you were invited. They’re all congregating back there.”
Janus nodded, took a step, stopped beside Geoffrey. “Whatever you’re planning to do…we’d like in.”
“We?”
Janus nodded, didn’t explain, and went back. Interesting. Geoffrey greeted the rest of Giacomo’s friends—including three more noble boys and their companions he hadn’t known were coming—until finally the boy of the hour came in the door.
And behind Giacomo and Alfie were Uri and Fabien. “Look who I found wandering outside,” he said, with a smile.
“At this time of night? Good thing you brought him in, he might have been eaten,” Geoffrey teased. “You can add him to the pack of other boys who’ve wandered in out of the dark.”
“I hope you fed them.”
“Never. They’d come back.”
“That’s the idea, fuckhead,” Giacomo said, taking his hat and gloves off.
Uri surprised Geoffrey by running up to him and giving him a kiss on the mouth. “Hi,” he said, smiling, arms around Geoffrey.
“Hi,” Geoffrey said, kissing him one more time. “Ready to have fun?”
Uri nodded. “Thank you for letting me come over.”
It had been Giacomo’s idea. “You can come over whenever you want.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m going to talk to Geoffrey for just a second,” Giacomo said. “Can you guys go back with Alfie? I’ll be there in a second.”
“Sure,” Uri said, letting Alfie lead them back.
“Keep your pants on until I get there,” Giacomo joked, and Uri and Fabien both giggled as Alfie led them away.
“They do know they’re getting gangbanged tonight, right?” Geoffrey asked.
“They know that. They can’t wait.” Giacomo kissed Geoffrey too, hard and deep. “Dahlia wants us to help her kill Hans.”
“That can be arranged,” Geoffrey said. It was a bit surprising, but there it was.
Giacomo nodded. “She’s also curious about our ties to Ech’kent, so don’t be surprised if she interrogates you about Henry soon.”
“Okay. I got started on Darius for you.”
“I got started on Darius weeks ago,” Giacomo corrected. “But thank you for finally helping. You’re a great service to this family.”
“I try my best. Did you know Aleksander and Andre were brothers?”
“Yes. I’m almost sure they’ve fucked before.”
“They apparently have eight other brothers.”
“Fuck me. Nevermind, let’s go over to their place.”
“Do you know if the twins have ever fucked?”
“Course they have. I watched them.” Giacomo sighed. “It’s like you have no faith in me at all. It’s also like the only thing you were doing while I was gone was perving on my friends.”
“I have nothing but faith,” Geoffrey promised. He kissed Giacomo again. “And yes, that’s not inaccurate.”
“Good. I admit one fault. I tried to get Hector to bring his little brother, but he didn’t think it was a good environment for him.”
“For shame.” That really was too bad, Geoffrey thought. “Maybe Uri can help convince him otherwise for next time.”
“Here’s hoping. Anyway, I have a party to host. Give us about…two hours, then if you want to come down and have fun…”
Geoffrey chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind. Have fun.”
“Always.” Giacomo headed back, blowing Geoffrey a kiss.
With a sigh, Geoffrey headed for his bedroom, where Javier was sitting in his bed, reading. He looked down at Geoffrey. “You’re making your horny face.”
Geoffrey nodded. “Giacomo’s got thirty friends down there and I’m not allowed down for two hours.”
Javier put his hand on Geoffrey’s back. “Please. You know one of them will be up here in thirty minutes looking for you.”
Geoffrey did know that, and he rested his head in Javier’s lap. “You’re the best companion I could have asked for, you know?”
“I could be a lot fucking better.”
“I’m serious. You put up with me being a depraved pervert. You don’t complain that I’m fucking my little brother and his friends. You join in even if you don’t like boys like I do.”
“I like boys just fine, I just like them older than you do.”
Geoffrey blinked. “I…never thought of that.”
“You never thought that I actually liked boys?”
“No, I…” Geoffrey swallowed. “I never thought about the…liking them younger part.” Or what it might mean.
“I’m…I’m sorry,” Javier said, hand on Geoffrey’s cheek. “I didn’t mean to upset you or…”
“No, no,” Geoffrey took Javier’s hand. “You might have a point. I have to…think about that, but you might have a point. And if it’s true that makes you even better, because you still put up with me.”
“You’re my companion,” Javier said, hand still on Geoffrey. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
And they sat together quietly, Javier reading and Geoffrey just thinking, for about a half hour until Terry came up in a shirt and loincloth and asked if he could hang out with them for a bit. After that Geoffrey didn’t think hard about much else for the rest of the night, but that was okay. It had been a really productive one so far, he thought.
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How Best to Use a Sword 