Kota finished his bath and stepped out of the tub.
He grabbed a towel from the heated rack and dried himself off slowly, savoring the last few moments of peace before he had to face the chaos outside.
His muscles still ached, but it was a good ache now.
He pulled on his clothes, the same jeans and gray sweater from yesterday, and ran his fingers through his damp hair.
When he stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.
he noticed that most of the people had gone.
The mansion was quieter now, the distant sound of Camilo barking orders echoing from somewhere downstairs.
The pile of bodies on Theo’s bed had dispersed, leaving only Theo and Sebastian, still sprawled across the rumpled sheets.
Kota’s heart did a little flip.
There it was.
The bed hair.
That ridiculous, messy, impossibly endearing bed hair that made Theo look like a sleepy angel who had just rolled out of a cloud.
It was sticking up in every direction, the cowlick from yesterday somehow still going strong, and Kota felt a surge of affection so strong it almost knocked him over.
He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, the mattress dipping under his weight.
Theo stirred, his eyelashes fluttering, and then his eyes opened, those big, blue, glassy eyes that always made Kota’s chest feel tight.
He looked up at Kota and smiled, slow and warm and full of love.
“Morning, darling,” Theo murmured, his voice rough with sleep.
“You’re still here.
I was afraid you’d left.”
“I’m still here,” Kota said, leaning down to press a soft kiss to Theo’s lips.
“And I’m glad you’re awake.
I was wondering if you might be up for some fooling around before I have to go.”
Theo’s eyes lit up.
He reached up, tangling his fingers in the front of Kota’s sweater, and pulled him back down into another kiss, deeper this time, his tongue sliding past Kota’s lips with a sleepy, lazy confidence.
When he finally pulled back, his cheeks were flushed, and that familiar, flirtatious spark had returned to his eyes.
“I wish you could stay here forever,” Theo whispered, his voice thick with longing.
“Just stay in this bed with me.
We could forget about the world.
Forget about school.
Forget about everything.”
Kota sighed, pressing his forehead against Theo’s.
“I wish that too.
But you should probably stop slacking off being a principal and actually start class up again.
The students are going to forget what you look like.”
Theo let out a dramatic whine, burying his face in the pillow.
“I don’t wannaaaa.
I want to stay here with you.
Being a principal is so much work.
The paperwork.
The meetings.
The teachers who complain about the copier.
It’s exhausting.
Why can’t I just be your kept boyfriend who stays in bed all day and waits for you to come home?”
Kota chuckled, kissing the top of Theo’s messy head.
“Because you’re the youngest principal in the district and you have a reputation to uphold.
Besides, if you go back to work, we can have more office sex.
You said office sex was your favorite.”
Theo’s head popped up from the pillow, his eyes suddenly bright and interested.
“Office sex is my favorite.
I love office sex.
The desk.
The chair.
The way you bend me over the filing cabinet.
The risk of getting caught.
It’s all so thrilling.” He paused, biting his lower lip.
“Okay.
Fine.
I’ll go back to work.
But only because you promised office sex.
You better deliver.”
Kota grinned.
“I always deliver.”
Then he remembered.
His eyes went wide.
“Shit.
I almost forgot.”
Theo blinked.
“The Valentine’s present.” Kota scrambled off the bed, nearly tripping over a discarded towel.
“I left it downstairs.
Don’t move.
Don’t go anywhere.
I’ll be right back.”
He raced out of the bedroom and down the grand staircase, his footsteps echoing on the marble.
The living room was still decorated from last night, the candles burned down to stubs, the rose petals wilting on the floor.
He spotted the gift bag on the coffee table where he had left it and grabbed it, his heart pounding with excitement.
Then he raced back up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and burst back into Theo’s bedroom.
Theo was sitting up now, his curiosity piqued.
Sebastian had woken up too, blinking owlishly from the other side of the bed, his glasses askew, his dark hair sticking up in wild tufts.
“Kota?” Sebastian mumbled.
“What’s happening?
Is everything alright?”
“Everything’s fine,” Kota said, slightly out of breath.
He walked over to the bed, the gift bag clutched to his chest.
“I just…
I forgot to give you your presents last night.
With all the chaos, it slipped my mind.
But I want to do it now.
Both of you.
Close your eyes.”
Theo’s face lit up with anticipation.
He squeezed his eyes shut immediately, his hands clasped in his lap.
Sebastian looked confused for a moment, then nodded and closed his eyes as well, his fingers fidgeting with the edge of the sheet.
Kota pulled the two small black boxes from the gift bag.
His hands were trembling slightly.
This was it.
This was the moment.
He took a deep breath, then set the boxes on the bed between them.
“Okay,” he said, his voice quieter now.
“Open your eyes.”
Theo opened his eyes first.
He looked down at the boxes, his brow furrowing in confusion.
Then he reached out and picked one up, his fingers tracing the delicate red ribbon.
He untied it slowly, carefully, as if he was afraid of breaking whatever was inside.
When he lifted the lid, his breath caught in his throat.
Inside, nestled on black velvet, was a silver ring.
Simple and elegant, polished to a mirror shine.
Engraved on the inside in delicate script was his name.
Theo.
Sebastian opened his box at the same moment.
His ring was identical, silver and simple, but engraved with his name.
Sebastian.
Neither of them spoke.
The silence stretched, thick and heavy and full of emotion.
Then Sebastian’s face crumpled.
His eyes welled up with tears, and before he could stop himself, he was crying.
Not the dramatic, performative tears he sometimes used when he was overwhelmed, but real tears, streaming down his cheeks, his shoulders shaking with quiet sobs.
Theo wasn’t far behind.
His eyes went glassy, his lower lip trembled, and then he was crying too, clutching the ring to his chest like it was the most precious thing in the world.
Kota’s heart lurched.
“Hey, hey, don’t cry.
It’s okay.
They’re just promise rings.
I’m not proposing or anything.
I just wanted you to know that I’m serious about this.
About us.
All three of us.
I promise to take this relationship seriously.
I promise to be there for both of you.
And I promise that I see this going somewhere amazing in the future.
I don’t know where exactly, but I know it’s somewhere good.
Because I love you.
Both of you.
More than I ever thought I could love anyone.”
Theo launched himself off the bed and crashed into Kota, wrapping his arms around his neck, burying his face in his shoulder.
Sebastian was right behind him, still crying, still shaking, his arms wrapping around both of them.
Then Theo pulled back just enough to kiss Kota, deep and desperate.
Sebastian kissed his cheek, his jaw, the corner of his mouth.
The kisses grew more urgent, more heated, and Kota felt hands starting to wander, tugging at his sweater, dipping below his waistband.
“Wait,” Kota said, pulling back with a breathless laugh.
“Wait, wait.
I know where this is going, and I’m stopping it right now.”
Theo pouted, his hands still gripping Kota’s hips.
“But we want to thank you properly.”
Sebastian nodded, his glasses now completely askew.
“Extremely properly.
With enthusiasm.
Multiple times.”
Kota shook his head, still smiling.
“That’s for tomorrow.
Not today.
Today, I need to go home and sleep for about twelve hours.
My body is still recovering from last night.”
Theo and Sebastian exchanged a look, then sighed in unison.
“Fine,” Theo said, his pout softening into something more genuine.
“But tomorrow, we show no mercy.”
“No mercy,” Sebastian agreed solemnly.
Kota laughed and kissed them both one last time.
Then he gathered his things and headed for the door, Theo and Sebastian trailing behind him in their rumpled pajamas.
They walked him down the grand staircase, through the living room, and toward the front entrance.
As they reached the door, a figure emerged from the shadows of the hallway.
Beckett.
Still naked.
Still completely unbothered by his own nudity.
“Kota,” Beckett said, his voice flat and robotic.
“I have an Arch-Anal Coalition discussion to have with you.
It’s urgent.”
Kota rolled his eyes.
“What is it this time, Beckett?
Another crystal emergency?
Another monolith crisis?”
Beckett tilted his head.
“That will be revealed later.
For now, I require you to accompany me.
There is a matter of great importance that requires your immediate attention.”
Theo sighed.
“Beckett, can’t this wait?
Kota needs to go home and rest.”
Beckett turned to Theo, his expression blank.
“Actually, Theodore, I need you to call Corey.
He’s required for this as well.”
Theo blinked.
“Corey?
Why?”
“Just call him.”
Theo rolled his eyes but turned and yelled for him.
A few moments later, Corey came bounding down the stairs, his white hair still damp, his baggy jeans hanging dangerously low on his hips, a hopeful expression on his face.
“Someone need me?
Preferably for something sex related?
I’m always available for sex related things.”
Beckett nodded.
“You are required for a ride.
We’re going on a trip.”
Corey’s grin widened.
“I like where this is going.”
Kota stared at Beckett.
“Where are your clothes?
Are you seriously going to drive somewhere naked?”
Beckett stared back.
“I have many cars with tinted windows.
My state of undress is irrelevant to the operation of the vehicle.”
Kota stared at him for a long moment.
Then he sighed.
“Let’s just get this over with.”