Indecent Exposure (Private)(18+)

[-Hideki-]

“Who cares what my mother thinks, she’s a narcissist!” Devon retorted when Kario established that Ashfield’s mum would probably not be happy if his mum said she couldn’t take the invitation because the governor’s father was a sociopath. His mother definitely would not be happy and he knew that she’d either call him or appear in front of his door to yell at him and reprimand him to not run around saying that his father was a sociopath and the blond would argue that it was the truth though and his mother would get hysterical and probably start crying at one point to guilt trip him. It wasn’t like they had not had those moments before. Then again it always surprised him that after all the botox injections, face liftings and surgeries she had had done on her face Devlin Ashfield could still cry. It looked weird but she was able to.

 

It was unfortunate that Kario’s dad would not be able to overthrow Smith and Michalski to punch his father right into his face. Devon had hoped maybe the man had been in the Army before or something like that but apparently this was not the case and thus chances weren’t high that he’d get past only one of them. Michalski had been in the Ukrainian Army before and Smith had won his first martial arts championship as a child and many in many different types of combat followed. That the man triumphed in combat and sports was probably for the best because he wasn’t the brightest candle on the cake otherwise. “A shame.” The politician sighed. “I know I shouldn’t be in favour of violence and I normally am not but … my father, after all he caused me, kinda deserves this and needs this once in his life I think. To not get away with everything!” the blond expressed. And his father had gotten away with everything and was really confident in getting away with everything in the future too no matter what. To Andrew Ashfield rules were for the ordinary folks, he could break and bend them without fearing anything, because he was Andrew Ashfield the ruler of a billion dollars corporative empire. And if he was completely honest Devon himself had when he had entered his dad’s corporation thought that he could get away with everything and nothing could throw him off course and then he had entered politics and had learned rather quickly.

 

“Awwe nonsense!” Valentina declared waving her hand then rubbing Kario’s upper arm. “Don’t you say that! I’m sure you are technologically capable. And if you haven’t much experience with it yet your interest certainly will be awakened by learning and spending time with the guys from the IT department. They are on average a really young team too. Lots of young men you can make friends with. You can also make friends with Jeffrey, he’s a nice guy and a good department leader, but you know, he’s an old fossil.” She giggled. “Don’t tell him I said that when you’re there.” The woman was amused and looked up into the sky sighing. “I sometimes miss the Corporation.” She told him. Her work now was very different compared to back then. She had wanted that change, that new experience and to get an insight into another world but sometimes she missed her old job.

 

“But why would he insult you? Were you disrespectful to him?” Valentina asked because she couldn’t see how this young man could have given the governor’s father any reason to be mean to him and to even insult him. He seemed like a nice fellow to her and he quite obviously made Devon happy. She nodded when the other then agreed that long distance relationships weren’t easy and sighed looking at him. “They are incredibly lonely. They seem surreal even.” The woman remembered. She had hated the feeling of loneliness that had been a part of that long distance relationship and this had been the most unbearable thing for her and why she had never even considered a relationship with someone who didn’t already live in their city or moved in together with her if this was not given. And since she started to feel rather melancholic she was happy to joke around about the immaturity of men in her eyes and chuckled when Kario admitted that he thought Ashfield could be immature. “Haven’t you seen him being immature so far?” she wanted to know because she certainly had.

 

 

 

 

 

After he had called out for Kario with his face pressed into the cooling leather of the sofa he just lay there. He could get up and search for the young man but his limbs felt too heavy and it felt like too much of an effort to move right now. So he was going to lay there and wait, about to call his lover’s name again when he felt the touch of that familiar hand running through the golden strands of his hair that Jason had cut short. “Thanks.” He muttered when the other welcomed him at home and he wished the young man would sit on him and start to mangle his back with a decent massage as he felt like he could need that right now. He was quite tense after all. Tense and hungry! But to get food and eat he’d have to not only move but get up from the sofa to open the door when it was delivered and that felt like an incredibly bad deal at the moment and he wasn’t fond of bad deals. He didn’t make them either. At least he thought he didn’t. Did he? No he didn’t.

 

His boyfriend didn’t do that though. Climb onto him and knead him like bread dough, he instead sat down onto the sofa so considerately that Ashfield almost didn’t notice and was just aware of his position due to the direction the other male’s voice came from asking him how his day had been. “Urgh.” The politician made and then turned around from his belly onto his back looking at the other for the first time and a warm, fuzzy feeling of comfort was running through him when he saw him. “I don’t know how much you’ve followed my campaign on the media but my day was basically like all the other days just that I too had to head home at the end of this day what took some more hours.” He told the other, quite sure the young man would know at least some of the stuff that had been going on since if situations would have been reversed he’d have tried to see the other on the news as much as his time would have allowed considering that he had missed him quite a lot.

 

His golden eyes were glowing warmly and although he appreciated how considerate the other acted he was rather disappointed at the lack of touch. Hence he actually sat up, which was more movement than he had thought he could motivate himself to make and he took the water the other had offered him out of Kario’s hand and placed it onto the coffee table because it was a glass and he couldn’t just throw it somewhere before his arms closed around the other man’s body and he pulled him onto himself, laying back down with him, his lips searching for the other’s kissing him passionately and demandingly, feeling the warmth and weight of the man’s body on his own, his tongue swirling around the black haired man’s tongue, challenging it to a wild and heated dance.

 

A little out of breath gold peered into dark brown when their lips parted. “No water. You though.” he said, pressing his lips against the other’s jaw. “What have you been up to? How did you manage? Did you miss me at all?” he wanted to know, his hands roaming over the man’s back. “I did.” He whispered into his ear. “I missed you.” He told him but it was losing its dramatic, intimate effect because Ashfield’s stomach rumbled because he hadn’t really eaten the whole day. “We should order some food.” He said, trying to shove his hand into his pocket to get his phone. “What would be the best dish to be the first thing I eat at age thirty-nine?” he asked considering that the food certainly wouldn’t arrive before midnight since it wasn’t even an hour anymore.

[Sathenus]

For awhile he was silent as he thought about that knowing that his mother would mind what Devon's mother thought and not really seeing a good way out of it for them. "I know you say that, but if my mother was to refuse for them to go because your father is a sociopath then your mother would definitely come back and know you told her that. Not to mention my mother would certainly care that it'd leave a bad impression on yours." Kario admitted with a soft sigh. Thinking some more about this whole thing. "My mom will accept the invitation at least once, things probably won't go that well after and she can use it as an excuse not to accept any future invitations." He came to the conclusion that it was their best course of action. That this was the way they had to go, even if he as well as Devon would like to even stop that from happening.

 

"I know, love." He said softly knowing that governor just didn't want his father to continue to get away with everything. Wanting him to for once get what he deserved for everything he had caused him growing up, and who knows how many people even before him. Some day Kario was sure he'd pay for all of that, but right now that just wasn't going to happen. "Some day, Devon. Someday he'll get what's coming to him, but until then it's just a waiting game." With that said he pushed Devon's father and his and any issues that may arise at a holiday gathering where they where all present far away and out of his mind. They weren't important right now, he'd have to deal with it when the time came and he would not deal with it a second sooner. Worrying about it would only give him massive anxiety, something he had enough of on his own.

 

Valentina seemed quite convinced that he'd do good in the IT department and that his interest just wasn't awakened for it yet from lack of experience. As much as Kaine wanted to believe that she may be right and that he would gain an interest in it as he was exposed to it but that didn't change the fact that he was sure he was technologically incapable of being any kind of IT. When she indicated that she sometimes missed the corporation he grasped ahold of the subject change again and figured he'd ask Devon about career options again at a later time. "How long were you with the corporation before you were working as a member of Devon's political campaign?" Kario questioned wanting to take as much advantage of this opportunity as he could.

 

"Unless being with Devon is insulting him, then no." Kario said with a sigh not really wanting to discuss all of the reasons why Andrew Ashfield hated him and insulted him at every opportunity. The biggest one was probably because they were together, but the man also knew how they had met, the truth behind everything and that was even more of a reason to hate him. In a way, Kario assumed that the man could see that as an insult, but it wasn't one that Kario had done on purpose and it also wouldn't change either. He loved Devon, and as long as Devon loved him back and wanted him around he would continue to love him and continue to be there for him. Even if his father hated him and did whatever he could to try to bring them apart, he'd just have to keep his head up high and fight for it. Granted keeping his head up when the older man was around definitely wasn't easy. Remembering his reaction to the man when they had been at his office before going to visit his parents. That made him feel small and weak again, though he tried to fight the feeling it wasn't an easy one to fight.

 

 

 

The response he got to how Devon's day had been wasn't entirely surprising a small smile appearing on his face as he reached out and pat his back gently. A second later he was rolling onto his back and looking up at him, smiling instantly the moment their eyes met since he really was quite happy to see Devon and have him home again. "I'll admit I had the tv muted most of the time, really just had it on to see you. I missed you." Kario admitted with a blush. Though he had in a sense followed the campaign because the tv was on that station he had it muted most of the time, really only doing it to see Devon though there were times when he had it unmuted and paid some attention to the campaign since he wanted to show some more support to follow it a little as well.

 

Surprised when Devon sat up before he was taking the glass of water from him and putting it on the coffee table. Glancing towards the cup for a moment before he felt the familiar arms closing around him and pulling him against Devon immediately he felt himself relaxing into the touch but he had also felt how tense his boyfriend seemed to be too. His body moving with the governor's as he laid back down on the couch, their lips caught in a passionate and demanding kiss that Kario was rather happy to return. Having missed kissing Devon and being close to him while he was gone and enjoying the warmth of the other's body heat and the comfort that his presence alone managed to give him. When the kiss broke he was a bit breathless, his breathing now uneven and shaky as Devon spoke again telling him that he didn't want the water but him.

 

Smile brightening considerably at hearing that he laughed softly feeling the other's lips on his jaw. "I missed you terribly." Kario admitted leaning down to give him another kiss before he thought about the other questions he was asked. "I... managed. But I definitely would have liked to have you here instead." He admitted. Taking in a deep breath he rested his head against Devon's chest and let his eyes drift shut, "I got the tree planted, and the clothes arrived and are put away as well as the... other stuff we ordered." He informed his boyfriend as he kept his head on his chest. After he heard Devon tell him he missed him he heard the man's stomach growl causing him to laugh again before he was sitting up and smiling down at the other man, "Some things never change, huh love?" He asked a bit amused. So used to Devon coming home hungry, his stomach growling to prove that night after night.

 

Watching as the politician tried to get his hand in his pocket to get his phone out he reached down to place his hand over Devon's to stop him from doing so. "Why don't I make you something to eat instead? It still won't be done before midnight but... I'd like to do it for you anyway." Kario offered deciding that it was better than Devon ordering something. Especially since it was practically his birthday, and with how things were going to go come morning and how busy things would be he wanted to do this for him. He had originally planned to do so after the party and all when they had gotten home, but now he was set on doing both. "You can either stay here and relax, join me in the kitchen, or go upstairs and unwind with a bath. I'll go get some food cooking for you."

 

With that he leaned down for another deep kiss before he was slipping away and making his way to the kitchen. Gathering the ingredients he would need to make him boyfriend something nice but that wasn't difficult either and thus would make it so he wouldn't have to wait very long for food. A simple pasta dish that would fill him up, but wasn't too heavy on the stomach since he was sure that Devon was tired after everything he had gone through this past week and finally getting home. Cooking was enjoyable to Kario, it was relaxing in a sense as he was chopping some vegetables to put into the sauce.

[-Hideki-]

Valentina mused when the young man asked her for how long she’d been a part of the Corporation before she started to join Ashfield’s campaign. Devon Ashfield had already been the governor when he had searched for a new script writer and press officer for the governor’s office so it had been good three years now that she hadn’t been working for the Corporation anymore. As she was thinking further back she realised that it had been a little over twenty years since she had first started in the Ashfield Corporation what was about as long as the young man actually lived and breathed. The incredibly fashionable, beautiful lady coughed. “It’s been a while.” She said vaguely not wanting the other to know just how old she really was. It was different for a lady to get older than for a male after all. Then again the governor made quite the fuss about it too.

 

She laid her head to the side and her large round eyes were examining him with compassion in her gaze. He seemed a little tired when he commented that he hadn’t insulted his boyfriend’s father if him merely being with the old man’s son wasn’t an insult. She patted his shoulder. “I understand how it is to be seen as not good enough for your partner by his parents.” The woman said. “Although I do think I’m quite the catch and every man should consider himself lucky.” She stated confident and with a light chuckle. “You gotta prove him wrong! Not for his sake, for yours! Show him that you are the best his son can get and that he should be grateful, force him to admit that!” The successful woman told him although she wasn’t quite sure if Andrew Ashfield could even feel grateful.

 

 

 

 

There was a smile playing around his lips and he chuckled amused when Kario told him that he had the TV muted most of the time and just had it on to see him as he had missed him. “You missed my face and looked at it but turned out my voice and what I said? I hope you aren’t feeling like doing that when we’re face to face. That’s not exactly a compliment is it?” he jested and laughed looking into the cute face of his lover glad to know that he had missed him, glad to see him again. While he had been on his own the entire week his relationship with Kario had almost felt surreal. It had felt like the weeks with him prior had been a dream and it actually had been all like before where he had tortured himself to refrain from having an actual relationship and sex with another man because his father had commanded it. Only the phone-calls had reminded him that this was not the case anymore but they hadn’t been satisfying in multiple ways.

 

After he had pulled the black haired onto himself and they had shared a deep and longing kiss he let one hand trail over the other’s body and the other hand was brushing through the soft, black strands of hair, his golden eyes gloving at the other man lovingly when he answered his question as to whether he had missed him. And hearing him say how terribly he had missed him made him want to entangle his body even more with the other’s and he was wrapping his leg around the man as well holding him even closer. To not having been the only one missing him that much made him want to touch and feel the other more, to show him just how much he had yearned for him but he was hungry and tired and he didn’t really want to move much at the same time.

 

Hearing that the other man had managed was a relieve! He hadn’t been quite sure as to how well the other would get the week by without having sex. Being addicted to it, it must have been like being thrown into a freezing cold raging river for his boyfriend to have to abstain from partnered sex for an entire week. “I’m certainly glad to hear that. And I’m proud of you too.” He assured him kissing his cheek, nudging it with his nose afterwards. The governor nodded when he heard that the black haired had finished the task to find the place for their tree and that he had gotten the new clothing and that the sex toys had arrived as well.

 

“I’m certain you’ve found a great place for our tree. Would you like to show it to me tomorrow when we get home?” he asked because as much as he was curious which place Kario had decided on he wasn’t up to walking through the garden, which was the size of a large park, right now although it was especially beautiful at night where all the statues and the ways were lightened artistically. The tree wasn’t the only thing that made him quite curious though; there was something else that sparked an interest too. “You said the toys arrived. Did you try them? Did they help?” he wanted to know because the other man had been rather opposed to the toys and using them. It had even cost quite some talking him to trying out what might help him in the first place. Also, he found the idea that Kario was masturbating craving him, missing him, thinking about him really hot. And it would make him feel less like a horny brat for having secretly jerked off while on the phone with the other that one time.

 

An awkward grin was to see on the politicians face after his stomach had rumbled that loudly and the black haired started to laugh and to point out that some things never changed. And indeed this had happened more than once after he had returned home so far and it seemed like his stomach had the habit of making itself known in the most unfitting moments. “It probably won’t until I have enough time to eat properly throughout the day. So when I retire. Or if the voters throw me out of office and politics tomorrow.” He stated. Whether that would happen was a 50 to 50 chance. He had managed to climb up in the polls again, now approximately laying level with Claris Miller.

 

Questioningly he looked at his lover who was stopping his hand that was about to pull his phone out of his pocket but his facial expression was soon changing. His eyes were shining and he was smiling at the other when Kario suggested cooking him dinner instead. “That’s even better.” He told him and gave him a peek onto those sweet lips he had missed. “What better dish could be the first one to eat in the new year of one’s life than one one’s cute boyfriend cooked for oneself?” he asked, the smile growing wider when he heard the other say that he could stay laying on the sofa, take a bath or join him in the kitchen while he cooked for him before their lips met again in a deep kiss. Ashfield was pressing his lips and his crotch up against the other’s his hands were running down and he was grabbing and kneading the Kario’s arse-cheeks firmly while their tongues were battling and he slightly moaned into the kiss and was left a little breathless and turned on after they parted.

 

His golden eyes followed the younger male leaving the room and the governor smirked to himself, happy to be home again, which he hadn’t really been when he had been single as it had not mattered whether he had been in his mansion or in a hotel room. Neither had felt domestic in any sense of the word.

 

Getting up from the sofa he decided to take a quick shower and to then join his boyfriend in the kitchen. He was quite sweaty after all and he’d feel a lot fresher and smell better if he took a shower. When he had undressed in the bathroom and was washing his body the shower actually took away some of the tension he felt in his body. It was nothing compared to a decent massage but it was at least something and he actually was looking forward to the home cooked meal he was getting. No one had ever cooked for him if one didn’t count the boxes with home cooked food that Clarence’s wife made for Clarence and for him too sometimes.

 

Ashfield didn’t dry his short hair and he didn’t get dressed again other than in some fresh boxers and a loose white shirt. He was walking down the marble stairs on tennis socks and made his way into the kitchen where the sight of the handsome man cooking made a wide smirk appear across his face. The politician sneaked up to his boyfriend, slung his arms around the other’s hips from behind and laid his chin onto the shorter male’s shoulder, watching him cook before kissing his neck. “It smells amazing sweetie.” He said and his stomach seemed to agree as it was roaring another time.

[Sathenus]

A small amused smile was on his face when the other spoke and he couldn't help but laugh softly. "I wanted to see you, but I didn't necessarily want to hear about politics either." Kario mused leaning up to give the other a quick kiss. "Of course I don't do that when we are face to face. I love hearing your voice and talking to you, which is why I always loved talking to you every night before we went to bed while you were gone." He admitted. Though he had not wanted to hear the political talk and thus had the TV muted most of the time he had still wanted to hear Devon's voice every night and was quite happy to have the opportunity to do so when Devon would call. Having Devon here physically was definitely better, it was preferred.

 

Instinctively he leaned into the touch as Devon was running one hand through his hair while the other was trailing over his body. Enjoying the touch, the contact, something he had really missed while the politician had been away. Feeling the leg wrap around him made Kario smile happily at the older man, loving their closeness once more. It made him realize just how much he had missed this, missed the touch and contact even if it had only been a week. That week had been one of the longest weeks of his life, it had felt like it would never end and he would never see his handsome governor again. The way Devon was touching him again made him run his own hands along the other's torso, wanting to touch and feel again. Reassure himself that this was all real and that the blonde was back. Even if it wasn't for good and he knew there were going to be time they would have to spend apart especially if he won the election, it made him feel better knowing he'd always come home and they could have another moment like this.

 

"It wasn't easy." Kario admitted not wanting to lie to him about any of it. Even after the toys had arrived and he had used them to ease the ache it still hadn't been easy. The toys worked and were similar enough to Devon to help his body, but they weren't the same. Though it satisfied his body physically, it didn't do so emotionally and that was part of the many reasons why he loved the governor and enjoyed sex with him so much. But hearing that his boyfriend was proud of him certainly made a beaming smile spread across his face glad to know he had made the other proud even if it was over something as silly as this.

 

"Sure! I'd love for you to see the location of our tree." That he would. When they got home tomorrow he would be more than eager to show Devon where he had decided to plant the tree. It had been a nice spot, one he could see the two of them enjoying together for years to come and where he felt the Tree wouldn't make an impact, or at least not a negative one on the things around it. A moment later though Devon seemed to have become aware that he had said the toys had arrived though and was soon asking him if he tried them and if they had helped. This instantly resulted in a deep blush spreading across his face, "I did." The response was hesitant and it was clear that the fact that he had done so was still a bit uncomfortable to him. "They did." He added his face only seeming to turn an even darker red at admitting that. "Still wasn't the same though." The younger man whispered after, knowing that they were close enough that the blonde had heard him and he had wanted him to hear it but was embarrassed at the same time. Even if the toys did help, this was something he hadn't ever considered before, not even as a teen and it made him embarrassed to think they were necessary. But... maybe some day they wouldn't be. Kario just hoped that by that time he wouldn't be as embarrassed about it as he was now.

 

"Well... you could always call me when you're leaving your office and I could always make something for you here." Kario said with a large smile. He was more than willing to cook a meal for Devon and have it here for him when he got home if the older man was willing to let him know when he was leaving or getting ready to leave the office. That way it was still hot by the time he got home. "Even if you aren't re-elected I can still make you a nice dinner every night if you wanted unless neither of us feels up to it in which case we can order out." This suggestion was one he made a bit more hesitantly, because he knew that Devon had come to rely on delivery and catering services.

 

"Exactly." It made him happy to hear that his boyfriend was all for him cooking him a meal instead of ordering one. Which made him even happier to get up and do it for him. When he had leaned down to give his lover a deep kiss he hadn't been expecting the physical response from it as well, feeling Devon press his crotch up against him and the hands running down his body making it to his ass where they grabbed and kneaded his ass which in turn made him moan into the kiss which was returned as a moan from Devon as well. When it broke they were both a bit breathless, Kario flashing a smile and leaning down to give a much quicker one before he was wiggling away and darting off to get the food cooking.

 

Not wanting his boyfriend to have to wait for very long he was focusing on something more innocent to get his body to calm down. It had been awhile since they had been so close, so it seemed natural to him that his body would respond in that manner. He was in the middle of stirring the sauce which was almost finished when he felt the arms wrapping around his body and the head on his shoulder a kiss to his neck. This instantly caused a smile to appear on his face as he glanced towards him. "Good. I'm glad it smells good, it's almost finished." Kario said adding the cooked pasta into the sauce and stirring it together before he was turning his head to catch the other's lips in another kiss a bright smile on his face.

 

"I could definitely get used to cooking for you." He admitted. It was nice to be back in the kitchen doing something he had enjoyed doing even as a kid. Being able to do that now for the man he loved made it all the more special. Turning the stove off he turned in Devon's arms and leaned up to give him another kiss before he was slipping away from him and grabbing bowls and forks so they could eat. Dishing the food out he handed one of the bowls to Devon sticking the fork in it and smiling at him before he was asking the older man what he wanted to drink figuring they probably had it around here somewhere if he wanted something other than the water he had offered to him in the living room.

 

After getting a drink for his lover too he lead him back into the living room so they could relax and eat together while watching something. A perfect night to spend with his boyfriend after a long week separated from each other. It also felt like the perfect way to go into the older man's birthday. They were sitting on the couch together eating and it was after midnight so Kario put his food aside and leaned over to give Devon another deep kiss. "Happy birthday handsome." He whispered on his lover's lips with another bright smile before he pressed a gentle kiss to his neck and was getting comfortable beside him again. "We might have that election party in the morning but I'll be sure to make sure the day ends being all about you." Kario promised.

[-Hideki-]

There was a grin playing around his lips when the other explained to him that he had muted his voice because he hadn’t wanted to hear the political talk but that he didn’t feel like that when he was around and when Ashfield had made his jesting remark he had already known that. His boyfriend’s disinterest in what he was doing probably couldn’t have been greater. Even your average bloke had more of an interest in politics or at least political subjects than his lover had. Then again Devon also thought that if he was to lose the election and it’d be the Corporation and the Economy he’d then work for again his man would take just as much of a disinterest in that field too. The worlds the blond had been born into because they were connected and had been shoved into at an early age his lover didn’t even want to hear about. Then again that he wasn’t from this world was what made him different than the people he had known and it was one aspect that he had fallen for that deeply.

 

Having his lover admitting that it had not been easy to cope and manage alone wasn’t surprising and the politician let his hand and his fingers brush over the man’s cheek. “I can imagine.” He told him. “But you made it regardless.” The blond added in an acknowledging tone. “It means that you’re on a good way and you’ll manage everything else that is to come too.” He predicted and he really was seeing the young man succeed in what he wanted. Maybe with a little help but nothing spoke against that.

 

“Great. Then we have a date.” The governor smiled when Kario told him that he’d love to show him the location where their tree would be planted. “And while we’re at it you can show me the stable then too. I want to see how the construction is going and if they realise it the way I wanted it to.” Ashfield remembered about the horse and the drawing he had send over to the construction team and the architect of the stable he wanted. “And then, when it’s finished, we can get that horse over here for you. Have you visited it in the city stable?” he was curious to know whether his boyfriend had told the driver to get him there because the man at least hadn’t said any about that when they had been on the phone. “I didn’t manage to contact Sven by the way. His phone is turned off since over a week now. I think he’ll just drop by as planned straight from where ever the hell he is now and we’ll have to go to Ireland together afterwards and have to do the getting to know each other over here. You should have heard his voicemail… this damn guy…” He told Kario with an amused smirk. It was weird and hence something that Sven would do and his voicemail said:”I’m working. Am with a client. And taking a break from this bloody phone. And this bloody city. Leave a message or not. I’m out bitches!”

 

As soon as he had mentioned and asked about the sex toys his lover flushed an intense shade of deep red and it got Devon to chuckle, shaking his head. Kario still was that embarrassed about those toys. It was cute but not that understandable. Well, maybe Ashfield couldn’t understand it because he had been with Jeff before who was not only an open book when it came to sex but also enjoyed the strangest toys a great deal without any hesitation and fear of contact with those devices. And Kario was the polar opposite to that. Actually they were the polar opposite when it came to many things and Devon had already established that he was a hell of a lot more compatible with Kario sexually than he had been with Jeff.

 

When his young boyfriend than admitted that he had used the toys and that they had helped him an encouraging smile was to see on his face when his golden eyes locked with the dark embarrassed ones. “Good. That’s great. That was what we bought them for and I am glad they helped you.” He found and kissed the man’s lips on his red face. The smile grew into a smirk when he heard him mutter that it had not been the same in a quiet, embarrassed tone of voice. Ashfield wasn’t embarrassed about hearing that at all. He liked hearing that. “Of course not! I’d not be a good sign for me if I was that easily replaceable by a rod of plastic, or silicon or whatever they are made out of. It’s good to know you still need me for something.” he jested, whispering into Kario’s ear, pressing a kiss behind it.

 

“And I could get used to you cooking for me every day!” Devon winked after he had been given a quick kiss to his lips and his lover had told him that he could get used cooking for him while they were standing in the kitchen and Ashfield was annoying the other while he cooked by pretty much clinging onto him and placing random kisses to his neck, jaw and cheeks and sliding his hands over the other’s thigh or under his shirt. The governor found it kinda sexy to see the other cook for him and if he hadn’t been that hungry and looking forward to the food that much he might have seduced and taken him right there on the spot, in the kitchen while the sauce was boiling. But at the moment the man’s gastric acid was boiling much more in his empty stomach.

 

Since the blond man had no idea when food was ready, how it looked when it was he didn’t realise and he was a little surprised when the other turned around and kissed him and then rather quickly turned out the stove and collected all the stuff they needed to have in the living room to eat there. When asked what he wanted to drink the blond did at least that much. He pulled a bottle of champagne out of the fridge and took two glasses, taking them with him into the living room what looked definitely better than having the young man carry everything while he was walking back into the living room with empty hands.

 

As soon as they had sat down on the sofa and had turned on the TV in the background he was putting some of the food onto his plate and was starting to eat as if he wasn’t a billionaire but a starving man. “It’s good.” He complimented between the bites and he was so focussed on eating and drinking the champagne that he hadn’t even realised that midnight had passed and he was thirty-nine now. It was Kario who noticed and Devon had just poured himself another glass of champagne and had drunken some of it when his lover leaned over to him, kissed him and wished him a happy birthday. His thin lips were curling up into a happy smile. “Thank you!” he breathed, his golden eyes shining when he clinked glasses with the other and emptied his in one gulp. Regardless of the overblown, exhausting party and the tension the election would cause, this would be one of the best birthdays for him since a really long time now that he had someone to spend it with when the fuss was over.

 

Before he went back to the food he looked at the other with a cocky smirk though. “Would you give me a massage after that nice dinner for my birthday? Before we’ll be at that party the entire day and into the night?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

[Sathenus]

"Though extremely unwilling." Kario admitted as he pressed his face into the fingers that brushed over his cheek eyes drifting shut. He had made it regardless, but it had been extremely unwilling, having wished every step of the way that Devon had been there to help him out instead. "You have more confidence in my ability to succeed than I do." He admitted. Instantly after saying it his face flushed a light red feeling embarrassed at admitting he had little confidence in himself, even if he had made it through a week like this he didn't feel like that was any indication of how he would be able to succeed at other things. Not even feeling like he had succeeded now, he hadn't gone that whole time without sex like any normal person probably could, he had to get his relief from a toy that was just as embarrassing admitting to himself as it was to his lover.

 

Perking up when the blonde smiled and said it was a date to show him the location where their tree was going to be planted, a large smile gracing his features as he leaned forward to give him a quick kiss. The mention of showing Devon the stable as well made Kario nod slightly, he hadn't gone to the stable very much since it still wasn't ready for his horse and thus held little of his attention. But he'd be more than happy to stop by it with Devon, largely due to the fact that it meant that it would have the main object of his attention there beside him. "Once or twice." He admitted when he was asked if he had visited the horse in the city stable, not as often as he would definitely be spending time with it once on the property, something he'd make a daily thing for him. But it was better than not having gone to see the horse that his boyfriend had bought for him at all during the time he had been away campaigning. He was definitely excited about the aspect of having the horse here, where he could see it whenever he wanted and would be able to bond with the horse in a place he felt far more comfortable. The news that he hadn't been able to contact Sven made him not thinking about how awkward this statue may end up being without getting to know the artist first, but he had a feeling it was going to be awkward and slightly embarrassing regardless. So they might as well just jump right into things and see how it goes since it was someone that the governor trusted and was close with. It was better than if this was someone that they were both unfamiliar with and would make the whole thing at least a little better.

 

"I supposed getting to know him better later is better than never." Kario admitted with a small smile. He could wait to get to know Sven, especially with the knowledge that he'd get to know him for sure. It would be great to get to know him in general, not to mention the prospect of an Ireland trip with Devon much less Devon and Sven was definitely still quite appealing. The amusement that his boyfriend had when he mentioned the artist's voicemail made a small amused smile appear on his own face, "That great, huh?" He asked a little curious about it himself.

 

His embarrassed gaze was extremely hesitant to meet his boyfriend's despite knowing that was the reason behind them getting the toys. Sure they helped, and had done what they were bought to do, but he didn't want to come to rely on them for that relief. Knowing that it would be just as easy for him to go from trying to lower his sex drive to using the toys to make up for all of the sex he was missing. It would be quite easy for him to do so, and he was already working hard mentally to stop himself from doing just that. Resting his head against the blonde he let his eyes drift shut for a moment when he was told that it was great and that the older man was glad they helped him. After admitting that they definitely weren't the same he wasn't surprised that Devon responded the way he did, though the whispering into his ear made a soft groan escape him. Knowing that in the end there really was no replacing the politician and how good he made him feel. Though a toy could grant him the relief his body desperately seeked almost constantly, his boyfriend was able to give him more than just relief. In the end, that was what he wanted and looked for.

 

"I definitely need you for more than just that... but I like needing you for that too." Kario said a little embarrassed with admitting it but finding that he wanted to voice it. He had come to rely on the older man for more than just sex and the way he made him feel during that time. Though yes, he very much enjoyed the sex and was more than happy to jump head first into it whenever his boyfriend was in the mood or even whenever the mood struck him and the blonde didn't seem to tired or against such activities. But that wasn't the only thing he had come to rely on him, finding that he had grown attached to Devon in more ways over time, especially since he had started to live with him and be around him in a much more private and relaxing setting than that of the brothel.

 

 

"We'll see how things go." Kario said with a promise in his tone. He'd start cooking for Devon here and there, and maybe as time passed he could turn it into an everyday thing, cooking at least one meal for his boyfriend. Something he would probably greatly enjoy doing, a lot of the problems with that was not really knowing when Devon would come home. As the governor there weren't any strict hours that he was working and his handsome lover could come home at any hour if he wasn't working from home that day. Which would make having a hot meal for him ready when he got home difficult and would always cause a scene like this, with Devon starving and his stomach protesting the whole time he was cooking. Which would in turn make him feel a bit bad that the blonde had to wait for the food to finish instead of coming home to a hot meal already done and waiting.

 

As he was cooking he found himself becoming distracted rather easily by the clingy behavior of the older man, but he couldn't bring himself to mind much because he was definitely enjoying the attention. For the most part it was easy enough to keep an eye on the food while letting himself truly enjoy the touches, at least until Devon decided he wanted to move his hands to his thighs or slip them under his shirt. His body was finding itself far more interested in those touches and his mind becoming far more distracted and focused on the touch as well. Somehow he managed to keep focused enough to finish the food without overcooking it or burning it, a huge plus in his mind and a victory in itself since he hadn't thought he'd be able to pull it off.

 

After plating their food and asking his boyfriend what he wanted to drink he was watching the blonde curiously, Devon grabbing champagne from the fridge and two glasses before leading the way back to the living room. A small smile on Kario's face as he happily followed him back to the living room and they got comfortable to eat together, the TV on as background noise but not really holding either of their attention. When midnight hit he was quite excited to wish the other a happy birthday and it seemed that Devon was happy with the way his entrancing eyes seemed to shine. Clinking their glasses together in the form a toast he sipped from his amusement on his face when he noticed the other down his glass.

 

Kario wasn't the biggest drinker to begin with, of any type. But he was able to enjoy simple things like this with the governor and it was incredibly nice. He was taking another bite of his food when he noticed the cocky expression that crossed Devon's face giving his boyfriend a questioning look. Not having to wait long to hear what he had to say before the blonde was wiggling his eyebrows, finishing his bite and laugh softly he rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly. "I'll give you a birthday massage after dinner if you finish everything." Kario replied willing to humor Devon. As long as the older man finished his dinner he didn't see any reason not to give the other the massage he wanted, not to mention even that cocky expression was hard to resist for the younger man.

[-Hideki-]

“I know.” He breathed, the smile not fading from his lips. Ashfield was aware that Kario had little to no confidence in his own abilities and he too knew that no one had ever encouraged the other man or had told him that he could make it into someone and the blond was determined to be that person for him. “But you should have more confidence in yourself. You are a great guy. Maybe you need a little push, some encouragement but you already did well since you’re here with me. You were great at the farmer’s festival, the people liked you, you survived shopping with my mum, you have faced your parents, went to the park with me and stayed here on your own. And if you can survive a shopping tour with my mum, nothing can bring you down. You must have an iron will for that.” he winked and gave the other a peek onto his lips.

 

When the subject went to Sven, his turned off phone and the statue the young male said that it was probably better to get to know him later than never and Devon slightly shook his head. “You won’t be getting to know him later. You’ll just have to get to know him here in our city. It’s not like he’ll appear and be like ‘Get naked and show me what you’ve got’, that’s not him. He’ll arrive and then he’ll nest here and it’s likely that he’ll turn the world upside down although I kinda hope he’s grown out of that.” the blond described. “You’ll have enough time to get warm with him. And if you won’t, we don’t have to do it. Then I’ll just have seen an old friend of mine again.” the governor explained laying his hand onto Kario’s thigh, patting him before he went over to rubbing it. And when the other commented his mentioning of the voicemail Ashfield snorted. “Yes, it’s really encouraging to leave a message on his phone now.” He commented sarcastically.

 

A wide smug and cocky grin was forming on his face when the black haired man told him that he definitely needed him for more than he needed the toy for but that he liked to need him for that as well. It wasn’t surprising to him. A need for sex, his very own need for sex, was what had made them get to know each other and get together to start with and that Kario needed and wanted this from him too was actually a triumph, it had been from the start. The blond leaned over, laid his chin onto the shorter man’s shoulder and spoke near his ear. “I like that you need me for that too. I want you to need me for this.” he said, nibbling on his earlobe. “I have no issue in being your favourite sex toy as I need you to be mine as well.” he jested, teasingly licking and sucking on his boyfriend’s earlobe now.

 

 

 

 

 

“Deal!” Ashfield said when Kario told him that after dinner and when he had finished everything he’d give him a massage. There wasn’t much of the food left anymore anyway because he had basically inhaled it being quite hungry so it didn’t take him long to finish the food. What left the champagne! He filled Kario’s glass up again and then didn’t even bother to fill his again but just emptied the bottle what he had once seen McNeal, his father’s book keeper, do with whisky when he had thought he had messed up badly and lost the Corporation profit because he had been terrified to face his father who, if he had actually messed up, would have probably ended his life or so McNeal had feared.

 

 

Placing the empty bottle that was covered in shiny golden foil back onto the coffee table with a clink, he turned to his sweet young lover with a smirk, while the alcohol he had drunken too fast was shooting into his head. “Massage time.” He told the other in suggestive tone, opened the first few buttons of his shirt before he pulled it over his head and threw it behind himself where it landed over the head of one of his favourite statues, the one he had ripped from the missing female statue which Mei had later bought and which Ashfield had dragged all the way out into the garage with his bare hands.

 

Devon was turning around, laying himself down on his stomach with his naked torso, his head resting on the arm rest, waiting for Kario to mangle his tense body and make his muscles relax by giving him a massage. But while he was grinning into his beard the first minute of waiting that cheeky grin faded and maybe it was due to the alcohol but a sudden melancholy was hitting him. “Do you think I’ll get re-elected tomorrow? Be honest.” He asked his boyfriend muffled down by the upholstery.

 

It was ironic. During the last week where he had been campaigning, travelling through the state, he had not even thought about that. He had performed and had acted as though there was no doubt he’d win and he had certainly not though much about whether he would or not, despite Stewart constantly reciting the polls to him. There had been no time for those useless thoughts, for wistfulness and now that he was home again, where he wanted to relax it was hitting him. Election Day was technically there. There would be the huge celebration that he usually had on his birthdays just even bigger because it was now combined with the election party and if he didn’t win they could all see him fail and lose. Could hear his father insulting and shaming him! His party could brand him as their downfall since no one could remember that they would have ever lost in that state and all of that because he had gone to a brothel. Did the voters believe him when he had denied it? When he had claimed that the pictures had been taken in a hotel room? He didn’t know, couldn’t know.

 

Being branded a loser, losing, what was foreign to him, wasn’t the worst thing though. The worst thing was that he realised that he didn’t want to go back to just being a businessman, not at that point in his life anyway. Yes, he had had a much nicer and larger office in the Corporation of his father, he certainly had made a shit ton of money more, he had had more freedom, a lot more freedom, so trading that against being the governor was basically badshit crazy but he really liked to be the governor. He liked making politics. And he wanted to continue making politics. He didn’t want his career to end just there. But if he lost it would. It would end. He’d get nowhere in politics anymore and he would have loved to become the Secretary of State one day. Just as he would have loved to study political science, he had always wanted to be the Secretary of State. Not even the President. He had no ambition to become that. But just as he had never studied political science, he probably wouldn’t become the Secretary of State but the Commerce Secretary or the Treasury Secretary if anything. He might also go and fuck his boyfriend everywhere in the office in the government building after the election before he would be taking his stuff out of there moving it back into his office in the headquarters of the Ashfield Corporation for Claris fucking Miller becoming the new Governor. Governor Claris Miller! Fuck, that didn’t sound right at all and the mere idea gave him the creeps.

[Sathenus]

A questioning and unsure look crossed Kario's face when Devon told him that he should have more confidence in himself. Definitely not feeling like that was remotely true, feeling like he was always taking the easy way out of things even if the decision seemed difficult at the time. A bright smile was on his face though by the time that his boyfriend had finished speaking, naming the things he had done well and calling him a great guy. That was definitely a great confidence booster, and made him incredibly happy to hear even if it was possibly something that was just being said to make him feel better. Honestly, under any other circumstance he would probably have argued just that but he had missed his boyfriend and was glad to have him back. Thus not feeling like the politician would come home after a week away and only talking for a little while at night over the phone just to say something to make him feel better about himself. "Shopping with your mother really wasn't terrible. The clothes she enjoyed definitely weren't my thing but the whole thing could have been so much worse." Kario admitted with a laugh.

 

This time he couldn't help but laugh, "Well I would certainly hope it wouldn't be like that." It would make sense that Sven wouldn't show up and just tell them to get naked or anything, it'd be a little unnerving if that was what happened. Just as he knew they would get to know the man a bit before they got to the purpose of him coming all this way and the statue. That didn't necessarily mean he would get to know him as much as he'd prefer before such a thing happened, but it would be better than not knowing him at all. What the blonde said after though didn't make him any less likely to let the statue happen even if he wasn't entirely comfortable with Sven when it was time to get down to business. Knowing that he was important to his boyfriend and good friend he had for quite some time made it so that Kario already liked him. They would figure things out and this statue would happen no matter what, that was his final thought on the process. Drawn from his thoughts he felt the governor pat his thigh before he was rubbing it making him give his boyfriend a warm smile.

 

His heart definitely sped up like always when Devon whispered into his ear, knowing just as much as Devon did that his heart would probably always do that. It didn't get better when he was nibbling his earlobe, if anything it just started to pound more furiously. They definitely could see it as the older man being his favorite sex toy as well as him being Devon's, it was just hard for him to focus on that when the blonde was giving him any sort of attention like this. Turning his head he caught his boyfriend's lips in a deep kiss, wrapping his arms around the blondes neck far more interested in this than talking at the moment.

 

 

 

Finishing his food he watched as the older man tipped off his cup before he was downing the rest of the champagne making him chuckle softly as the empty bottle was placed back down on the coffee table soon joined by Kario's empty bowl. Watching him as he said it was massage time, an amused smile crossing his face before he rolled his eyes and moved to watch Devon get into position. But before he was doing that he was unbuttoning and removing his shirt making Kario let out a pleased hum of approval at the sight feeling like it had been years since he was able to admire that view even if it had only been a week.

 

Getting up Kario settled himself on the other's lower back gently, careful not to hurt him before he got down to the task of massaging his back and shoulders trying to help him relax. As he was doing this though he heard Devon ask a sudden question, his tone as well as the change in his body despite lying down made him frown. "Of course I do." Kario instantly replied leaning down to press a kiss to the governor's back. "I don't think you have anything to stress over, sexy." He added as he was running his hands over his lover's back gently before going back to massaging it.

 

The last thing that Kario wanted was for Devon to begin to worry and stress over the election, feeling like there was no way in the world that the blonde would lose even after everything that had happened. "You got this election in the bag." He purred as he continued to work on his boyfriend, when he had finished with the massage his hands still didn't stop this time admiring the beauty before him once more and running along the muscles beneath that lovely pale skin. He loved everything about his boyfriend, and wanted to love everything about him again and again. "I love you Devon... so much." Kario whispered with a small smile playing on his face before he was slipping off his back and leaning down to kiss his lips this time. "Why don't you go upstairs and get in bed. I'm going to take care of these dishes and I'll be right up." He promised as he was gathering the dishes quickly finishing the rest of the champagne in his cup before he was heading off back towards the kitchen not giving his boyfriend an option right now since he really needed to head upstairs so he could get some rest. It was going to be a long and eventful day come morning when they would wake up.

[-Hideki-]

Devon Ashfield let out a growl that came from somewhere in the depth of him when his lover was placing himself onto his lower back starting to knead his tense shoulders, closing his eyes. While he had wished for a massage he had not been quite aware of just how much he needed one. “Do it harder.” He uttered wanting the other to mangle his muscles like bread dough.

 

The words the young man had for him when he had asked him whether he thought he’d win the election, whether he had a chance after the scandal, were certainly the ones he wished to hear. But maybe Kario just wanted to offer him comfort and didn’t really mean them. Or he genuinely meant them because he saw Devon through rose coloured glasses and not through the eyes of the voters. Then again the governor hoped for it to be true. That the results would be as clear as his boyfriend suggested, that there was nothing for him to worry about, that he had already won.

 

The politician was purring when the other got back to massaging him and letting his hands travel over his back and he kinda wished for a full body massage. Feeling like it might be too much to ask in the middle of the night he brought out another question though. “Will you vote? For me?” he wanted to know if the other had decided to do so or not.

 

 

“I love you too sweetie.” Was what came back from him when the other told him how much he loved him before he got down from his back and stopped massaging him what made the governor leave out a disappointed groan as he could have stayed like that forever! The blond man was just remaining how he was. He was feeling too heavy and too sleepy to get off the sofa or to turn around at the moment. “Or I can just sleep here.” He said muffled down by the sofa he had pressed his face into when the other told him that he could go upstairs, to bed, and he’d soon follow after doing the dishes. “I never do dishes. Just leave them there. My staff is going to do it.” He mumbled tiredly but it seemed like his lover was pretty much ignoring him.

 

Thus Devon forced himself to get up, stood up from the sofa and dragged himself towards the stairs. “I’ll be waiting for you.” He called through the halls of the mansion for Kario to hear it in the kitchen as he stepped up the stairs. While he certainly was determined to wait for his lover, to hold him and fall asleep talking to him all he did was throwing his phone onto the bedside table and letting himself flop onto the mattress, his pants still on, in his favourite bedroom like a sack of potatoes and seconds later he was already snoring.

 

 

 

 

When he opened his golden eyes the other day it was midday already. Ashfield had forgotten to set the alarm and his body had just taken the sleep he had been lacking and the first time in a while he actually didn’t feel tired as he was blinking his eyes awakening. Instead he felt horny, his morning glory being the first thing to greet him. The blond turned to the side looking at his cute lover who was laying right next him.

Leaning in he pressed a kiss onto the black haired male’s lips to wake him up before moving and towering over him, letting his hand travel over his knee up his thigh to his crotch, groping the trapped cock with his hand, before he let it wander further upstairs, caressing the other’s torso, while he started to grind his crotch and his confined hardness against his boyfriend. He wanted him. He was hot for him. Was craving him! And he’d like their day to start like that, kissing Kario another time, with fire and passion, his tongue slipping inside the other’s mouth, while his free hand was fondling with his own belt desperate to get those pants off that were too restricting and hurting him.

 

 

And just then the phone on the bedside table ringed. The governor rolled his eyes and he would have loved to ignore it but he knew that he couldn’t just do that. That on a day like this he had to be available, reachable. Hence, with an annoyed groan, he reached for the phone and answered it. “Yeah!” his voice sounded as annoyed as he was. “Where the hell are you son?” his father’s voice was hissing at him. “It’s 11am. The first people have long voted, your first guests have arrived, some ugly wench from the fucking media is sniffing around here, your mother and I have been here since 6am and who’s missing? The fucking candidate! So I’ll tell you what you do now, listen closely Devon, I’ll say it only once. You’ll keep your gay hands off that dirty whore of yours, get yourself presentable and be here in an hour or woe betide you, you ungrateful brat!” Andrew Ashfield yelled his order at him before hanging up the phone.

 

 

The lust and desire he had felt was wiped off, his frown winkles were clear to see on his face that had gone cold. The phone in his hand Ashfield climbed out of his bed, snarling, “Good day dad, thank you for your kind birthday wishes, I’m so looking forward to meeting you today.” cynically and sarcastically while his insides were cramping and he felt a sting to his heart. They’d sure as hell have plenty of presents, expensive, exquisite presents for him, they always had. Even that one time when he had been a kid and his mother had spent the day in court and his father had been on a business trip to Japan and the nanny had shown him the mountain of gifts his parents had left for him. She had tried her best to make it a nice day for him, had invited plenty of his school friends over but he had felt sad regardless.

 

And as he had grown older and he had gotten those giant birthday parties his mother had always used them for self-dramatisation and pulling the attention onto herself with her drunk speeches and her over the top acting and congratulating him while his father had used it for business, for networking. His birthdays had never been about him and they never would be. He could grow sixty and if his parents were still around it’d all be the same old game.

 

“We gotta get going.” The politician told Kario, before he turned around found his way into the bathroom where he was taking a shower, trimming his three-days beard, doing his now short, slightly grey patched hair, sighing, feeling like he might better dye it after all, before he walked into the room with his suits and clothes. As he was grabbing the black tie he usually wore, he was putting it back, grabbing a red one instead, putting it on, looking into the mirror sighing deeply yet another time. Maybe he should ignore the birthday aspect, forget about it and pretend it was only Election Day.

 

 

 

 

 

After they had driven to the polling location, where the governor had to shake quite some hands, make some photos and had to give an interview, during the way to their luxurious hotel Ashfield was rather quiet. For one he wasn’t in the mood for that party and second of all, he still feared that he’d not get re-elected and was pent up, sexually, on top of that. When they drove into the rich part of the city, past the expensive, exquisite stores he knew so well, the Lamborghini he drove didn’t stick out anymore. The cars parking and driving in the district were all high-end products and unlike at the park or when they had visited Kario’s parents the blond felt comfortable and safe.

 

The hotel stuck out of the nice and expensive buildings though. It was screaming opulence over the roofs of the other buildings that it was built to tower over. It was shining in gold, a red carpet was awaiting the arriving guests and on its fa?ade cursive letters said “Ashfield Hotels”. Devon wasn’t so sure when exactly and why his father had started to become a player in real estate but it had always been like a hobby for him and he would still be filthy rich if he’d focus only on that.

 

After he had safely parked his car and they were entering the wide and welcoming, beautiful longue of the hotel a woman was rushing towards them from behind her marble counter. “Welcome to Ashfield Hotels, Governor! Your father and some of your guests are already awaiting you and your spouse in the event hall.” The model like woman in the black designer uniform with golden sleeves and ornaments said. “Thank you.” Ashfield who was holding Kario’s hand nodded, putting on a smile. The woman, who seemed nervous in his presence, was obviously thinking on how to word what she wanted to say but since the politician was moving towards the elevator she then quickly and way too loudly added:” I wish you a happy birthday Governor! I voted for you!” and when she realised how loudly she had spoken, how this sounded more unprofessional than on her mind her pale white face flushed intensely red and her hands made some helpless motion when she realised that she couldn’t play with her brown hair because it was meticulously arranged together with the small glamorous hat that belonged to the uniform. The politician’s smile however became more honest as he turned around to her while they were waiting for the elevator. “That is a great birthday present Ma’am, thank you for your vote.” with a wink, that made the young woman weak in her knees and relieved that it had no negative consequences for her career at the same time, since her superiors expected absolute perfection from her.

 

 

 

 

The elevator seemed to be made out of mirrors and crystal and no matter where he looked he saw himself and Kario from all angles possible. And while he still didn’t know how he felt about the grey patches at the sides that had gotten visible he was absolutely aware of just how stunning his lover looked. “You’re gorgeous.” He said, squeezed his hand and smiled when the elevator door already opened.

 

 

Entering the event hall one immediately felt as if one had time travelled. The hall that usually had a futuristic luxury to it was now decorated and designed in playful French rococo. Someone and the governor had a brief idea who that someone most certainly had been, had given it their all to make it resemble a castle. A band was playing classical music, ice sculptures, that as Ashfield knew were portraying his ancestors, were placed throughout the hall, there was a bar and an exquisite buffet and the chairs resembled thrones. With a raised eyebrow Devon turned towards his boyfriend. “No matter if I win or lose, the media will totally get off on this stating.” He worried. “I’m also not sure if my voters are fans of French rococo.” The man said. “And what if they don’t even notice what it is but just think it’s incredibly gay and stereotypical or whatnot.” He whispered, his brain running through different kind of scenarios he all didn’t like.

 

Looking through the hall he could see the usual people, his team, Smith and Michalski but many others were already there as well. His father was talking to Mister Chen, a Chinese business partner of his, he could see the ancient senator who had advised him to go to the brothel talking to Police Commander Mahler and a high ranking official from ICE, there were big wigs from his party, Congress people, his friend from the meat industry, the young IT genius Lukasz Kowalski whom and with him his invention his father wanted to win for his Corporation and about whom Jeff had said “He’s the plague! This entitled, arrogant, smart-ass, little brat! I don’t get why every Corporation and company is making such a fuss about him. He thinks he is the king of the world apparently, suffers from megalomania because he had one great idea and looks alright.” and Devon had said “You’re jealous.” What had made Jeff huff and cross his arms in front of his chest:”Damn sure I am!” he had admitted. There were plenty more people, also some whom Ashfield would avoid as though his life depended on it, the old Senator who had recommended the brothel to him and Harvey Flint for instance.

 

 

While he was checking the hall, a high-pitched voice was throwing him out of his thoughts and when his golden eyes turned to the side he saw his mother walking up to them. She was dressed in a rococo style dress, that looked historically accurate except for the red white and blue colour pattern that extended towards her wig, that was too historically accurate, falling over her shoulders in long red, white and blue curls, even her make-up matched the flag look and when she opened the fan she held it showed the American flag on one and their state’s flag on the other side. “Oh Lord…” the governor expressed upon seeing that outfit.

 

The small woman’s red, pumped lips tried a smile as she approached them. “Devon honey!” she called out and Ashfield had to try hard to not roll his eyes when she theatrically threw herself at him, pulled him into a hug and patted his back. “Happy birthday my sweet darling angel.” She said and kissed his cheek. “Look at you, you’re such a handsome man. Just like your father when he was young.” Ashfield smiled awkwardly while his mother who looked like a plastic doll was arranging his tie with her gloved hands before doing the cheek pull.

 

Devlin Ashfield then moved on to Kario and hugged him as well, not sparing him her plastic kiss onto his cheek as she greeted him. “You always look so adorable. You’re a treasure. You really should think about the modelling again darling.” She said patting him and then she was looking at both of them and was getting to the point she had been dying to address and Devon was sure she had already told every guest who was present in the hall at this point.

 

“How do you like the design and deposition of the hall? I chose the design and decoration all by myself.” She told them, spreading her fingers, laying her gloved little hand onto her chest. “It’s great mother. Looks wonderful.” Devon said with a smile and his mother’s eyes shone and her face was trying to beam but it was too numb and stiff from the botulinum toxin. “Doesn’t it! This rigid cow your father hired had awful taste and no feeling for great design. She said she was striving for discrete elegance…” Devlin rolled her eyes, “and I should let her do her work as she was the one with the degree in interior design. Can you believe it! I fired her! It was for the best. It would have been a disaster had she done it.” The former lawyer said waving her fan. “I can imagine…” Devon commented while he wished his mother had not fired the interior designer who had come up with something that would have been much more called for the event and would not have made the media jump on the spoiled, decadent, rich man with a golden spoon in his mouth who was completely detached from the living situations of the normal people and thought he was a prince narrative that this castle setting totally played into. He could already read the headlines:”Devon Ashfield, son of Andrew Ashfield, now thinks he’s le Roi Soleil.” Splendid!

 

 

“I’m happy you saved the day.” Devon complimented knowing full well that his narcissistic mother needed the praise and this was the reason why she’d bring that up the whole day and he could see how she was thriving on it. “Have you seen that your great uncle Cornelius and your great cousin are here? You should go and say hello to them.” His mother said and Ashfield shook his head. “Later.” He said although he couldn’t think of any time that he was up for hearing great uncle Cornelius’s same old stories again that the ancient man, who was the older brother of his deceased grandfather, always told.

 

“Now would be a good time though, they are over there at the buffet.” His mother said pointing at the old man who was holding himself upright on a cane. And when his golden eyes followed his mother’s finger he saw his great uncle and his butch great cousin standing at the buffet way too close to a slim female. This was a popular congress woman of his party and she was way too close to great uncle Cornelius for his liking. Way too close! He smelled trouble. “You know what, you’re absolutely right, I should go talk to them. I haven’t seen them in a while.” He said and didn’t wait for what his mother might say, he just rushed there, not even realising that he was still holding Kario’s hand pulling him with himself.

 

“Great uncle Cornelius and the only woman I know who can win a wrestling match with a bull!” Ashfield exclaimed and he saw his cousin turning around with a grin, the back towards her grandpa and then around together with Cornelius again. “Devon, happy birthday man!” she said, punching his shoulder collegially. “Thanks.” He smiled. Great uncle Cornelius however was still disoriented and his mind was still at the buffet that was overwhelming the man quite some. “How’re you doing?” he asked her. “Great. Won another championship! You would think my time as a boxer was over with thirty-six but those young chicks ain’t got no power it seems.” She was punching his shoulder again just because she could. “And you must be the guy who made the media go nuts huh?” she asked Kario. “They are crazy, let me tell you. You look a lot tinier than on TV though.” she joked boisterously, towering over the black haired man, punching his shoulder too.

 

 

Cornelius who had temporarily turned back to the food because he had just remembered what he had been wanting to put on his plate was now looking at Devon and Kario with his translucent, ancient eyes that once had been blue but were now nearly colourless. “I’d have never thought you’d run for President Andrew, you always said you didn’t like the politics and weren’t a politician.” He said. “I’m Devon great uncle Cornelius and I am not running for president.” He informed him. Cornelius looked confused and only managed to process one part of the information, turning to his granddaughter. “What did I vote for then now? And who is running for president then?” he wanted to know. “You voted for Devon to become governor. And we got a president grandpa. You voted for him do you remember? You said that woman is evil and you’d not trust her and you’d rather vote for the guy with the funny hair then.” she reminded the old man and Cornelius barked at her:”I know! I’m not a fool.”

 

It made Devon’s great cousin smile awkwardly when Cornelius pointed at Kario, looking at Devon. “And who is that black haired man?” he asked and the governor laid his arm around his boyfriend. “That’s Kario, he’s my boyfriend, we’re a couple, I am gay.” He told him and it took a while for the ancient man to gasp it. “I would have never thought you were a queer Andrew!” he commented. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think we should punish the queers or remove them from society. When I was a teenager I thought that we needed to punish their sins and make them repent. But when I saw how the Nazis tried to when I freed one of their camps, and a skeleton like homosexual was hugging me, thanking me I was changing my mind on that. Jesus would have not approved of their methods and how those people were treated. You gotta hate the sin but love the sinner you know, Andrew.” His great uncle who was still thinking that he was his father told him.

 

“How kind of you to say that!” Devon remarked awkwardly, changing a knowing gaze with his great cousin. “But Devlin was such a beautiful woman. And what is with your young boy, Devon. It’ll be tough on the kid to grow up having a father who’s queer. And I don’t think it’ll be good for the Corporation and what about the Aids epidemic Andrew. They all got Aids! I am really worried that this isn’t going to work out for you. And what if the people found out about it? We can’t have a gay president, that’s absurd!” the old man said and Devon didn’t even know where to start, what to say to this. “I am Devon! I am a grown man! My father is still with my mum.” He said but the old man looked at him perplexed but it seemed as though the information never arrived and he still didn’t know where and especially when he actually was, confusing the different eras of his life, mixing everything up, living in a confusing fusion of the past decades on his mind.

 

And while Ashfield was rather shocked how rapidly the ancient man’s condition had gotten that bad his great uncle was focussing on something more basic and simpler. Drinks. He turned to the congress woman, looked at her and said:”Hello there hun, I want some ginger ale. Bring me some please. Thank you.” And Cheryl Clarkson turned around, her black eyes staring at the old man, her eyebrow raised as high as humanly possible, her dark brown skin glowing from the make-up she had applied. “Excuse me!?” she asked and Cornelius repeated:”Ginger ale! Don’t you understand English!?” And the female politician shook her head. “I’m not a hotel servant! I sit in congress Sir! I went to Yale!” she explained calmly but clearly. Cornelius laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous hun! A negro woman isn’t going to sit in congress. I never hated you people. I am not your enemy but this is absurd. If you’ll be given a finger in our nation you shouldn’t chop off the whole arm lady.” He said and she just stared at him in bewilderment.

 

While Devon was torn between wanting to sink through the floor and panicking, he saw his great cousin demonstratively looking at the ceiling leaving the situation for him to handle. Ashfield put on a laugh, grabbed Cornelius by the shoulders and shoved him away from the congress woman towards his great cousin. “Your granddaughter will go and get some ginger ale with you. Alright?” He told him and Cornelius answered:”This isn’t good service Andrew, I’m gonna complain to the owner. She should get fired.” While his granddaughter was pulling the old man away after Ashfield had hissed:” Keep him in check and away from the media or members of my party.” towards her.

 

“I’m deeply sorry for his behaviour, I apologise.” The blond said. “You know he is, a senior, senior, senior citizen and he’s really sick and confused. He is a veteran of many wars and a war hero too though; he’s not a bad person.” He tried to explain. “Although nowadays he could use Claris Miller and her followers to tell him the current year but I fear he’d immediately forget it again.” Ashfield tried to joke and much to his relieve the congress woman was actually laughing about it. “He thinks you’re your father too?” she remarked. “Apparently.” Devon nodded, “And isn’t this your father’s hotel?” Cheryl asked. “Yes.” Ashfield nodded again, still rather tense what made the woman in her fifties chuckle. “Relax Governor. You don’t want to know what my mother got to say about you and your family. We all have embarrassing relatives, don’t we?” she gently patted his arm. “I have a whole lot of them.” Devon agreed starting to understand why this woman was so loved by her voters and the party. She was genuinely chill and friendly.

 

 

“Ashfield! There you are!” he heard a voice much deeper than his with a thick accent he knew all too well. But this was not the voice with this accent that was creating a feeling of familiarity and warmth within him, no it was the one that made chills creep up his neck. Congress woman Clarkson smiled at Devon and laid her hand onto his. “I won’t be stealing anymore of your time Governor. Happy birthday! And I hope that at the end of the day you’ll stay in office.” She wished him and he thanked her and would have actually liked her to occupy him further but he had to turn around eventually.

 

And indeed, his father had taken the liberty to invite his childhood bully, his rival, to his birthday party. Jens Benninghofen, Sven’s brother, was approaching him. The man was broad, muscular, light blond and shorter than Devon and Sven, dressed in an expensive navy coloured suit with a metallic blue tie, walking arm in arm with his wife. The Indian woman with the caramel skin, the long, pitch black hair that fell down to her hips in waves, was dressed in a royal blue and silver sari, a red dot on her forehead that reminded him of Sven describing her at ‘Not your feather Indians, the dot Indians’, holding their little daughter, who had pale skin, black hair and dark eyes on her other hand while their little son with the blond hair, the blue eyes and the caramel skin walked next to his father.

 

He so didn’t want to have a conversation with Jens and be reminded that this prick had a family and he had not. He’d rather face the old senator and Harvey Flint at the same time. But the family smiled at him so he professionally smiled back at them, although he was temporarily squeezing Kario’s hand too hardly.

 

 

Soon he was forced to let go of his lover’s hand though because Jens offered him his and he found himself trying to break Jens’s fingers while the other was doing the same, in order to be the one with the stronger handshake but that man who was, as he had already figured from the photo from his wedding, doing body building, was definitely beating the politician at that, grinning widely up into his face. “Happy birthday! And good luck for your election. I heard you badly need it Ashfield. You better don’t fuck it up I guess or else your state will be screwed by a communist twat.” He said. “I have absolutely no doubt that the voters will make the right decision.” Devon was exuding confidence, although he was worried and his fingers started to hurt badly at this point and he wished the guy would let go of his hand considering he had already won anyway.

 

At the same time Jens’s wife Anjali was gently shaking Kario’s hand, bowing her head slightly. “Hello, I’m Anjali Benninghofen, it’s nice to meet you.” She introduced herself, a slight smile playing around her full lips. “It’s a really lovely hotel and nice city. I’m honoured to be your guest.” She spoke further and it was clear that she was the diplomatic partner in the relationship and Ashfield wondered if this was strategy. That she was there to soften and even out Jens’s tactlessness and interpersonal faux pas.

 

When Anjali moved on to Devon, Jens was shaking Kario’s hand, saying “Speaking of the devil I suppose.” He jested, laughing. “I’m Jens.” He said nonchalantly, while Jens’s wife was first shaking Ashfield’s hand and then putting it between both of her hands. “Good day Governor Ashfield. I hope you have a nice birthday and I wish you a lot of happiness and health and everything that you wish in life. I put our gift where all the other gifts are placed, I’d be glad to know that you liked it.” She expressed and Devon smiled. “Thanks a lot Misses Benninghofen!” he said and she pointed at her daughter. “This is my daughter Annika. And this is my son Felix.” The woman introduced her kids. “Hallo!” it came from the little girl who was shyly waving her hand at him. “Hello Annika!” he said with an encouraging smile. “Where’s the youngest? How are they doing?” he asked Anjali as he remembered that Sven had said she had been pregnant when they had married. “She’s doing wonderful, thank you for asking. I left her with her grandmother, Jens’s mother, she’s taking good care of her.” She told him but got distracted by Annika as she was pulling on her mother’s sari. “Ich m?chte mir gerne die Eisskulpturen anschauen gehen. Komm bitte mit!” the kid asked her mother and the Indian lady smiled at her daughter. “She wants to see the ice sculptures. I’m gonna go with her now or she’ll be mewling about it the whole time. Excuse us!” she informed him and left with her daughter.

 

 

Felix the primary school boy however was finding Ashfield much more interesting than the ice sculptures. The ice sculptures weren’t government officials after all. “Governor Ashfield!” he nodded as if he was an adult what was kind of amusing but it was getting even funnier. The little boy reached his tiny hand out to him. “I’m Felix Benninghofen! I have done my research on you and I have read that you have been governor for four years now and have done an amazing job when it comes to economic policies and privatisation and to step by step getting back to a smaller government to the point that it lies within your competences of course. I think you have done an excellent job and I hope you will succeed at the election.” With his lips curled up in amusement Ashfield shook the kid’s hand and said:”Well, thank you Sir.” Not able to take him quite seriously although this was most certainly impressive for a little kid. Not to mention that Devon himself had not been that well versed in any of the foreign languages he had learned at that age.

 

“Do you have any plans to run for president next if you will get re-elected?” Felix asked. “I don’t currently hold any such ambitions.” Ashfield said. “How unfortunate! You’d be a lot better than your current president. My father says he has no clue about how the world’s economy works.” The child commented. “When I am an adult, I’ll become my nation’s next chancellor. I will be the youngest chancellor in German history. I’d already run now but apparently guys my age are not allowed to run for office nor be a member of a political party.” The little boy complained. “That’s a shame.” Devon said when the kid looked to Kario and then to Devon. “My uncle is gay too.” He stated. “He can get married in my country. I looked it up you could get married too. Do you want to get married? Or do you find marriage is unnecessary and overrated like my uncle?” he inquired. “I was married before, to a woman. And I’d get married again but only for love this time.” He told the kid who nodded and then turned towards Kario. “Are you in politics too? Or what do you do for a living? What is your qualification? I’m a student. I am in second grade of primary school. I’m class representative.” The boy was interested in knowing.

 

“OOOOkaaayyy!” Jens who was well aware that the media accusations were true as he had seen stuff like that going on quite a lot and thus knew that Kario was not a politician and what he had done for a living and what his qualifications were stepped in. “Felix, how about you go and join your mum and your sister and look at the ice sculptures.” He suggested. “But why? I am not interested in those stupid ice sculptures.” The kid nagged. “Because Ashfield and I have to talk business and that’s nothing for little kids.” Benninghofen said. “I am not a little kid, I am seven years old.” He protested, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Exactly! You are a little child, my son and you’ll do what I told you now.” Jens said. “If you don’t want me here I’m going to find another group to have interesting conversations with.” The boy stubbornly said. “You go to your mother and your sister, right now Felix!” his father raised his voice and pointed towards his wife and his daughter who were looking at an ice sculpture. Felix pouted but complied and went to go there.

 

 

The governor raised an eyebrow. “We have to talk business? What business could we possibly have to talk about? You do business with my father.” The man said rather displeased feeling some kind of tirade coming from the other and if there was someone who shouldn’t judge him for having slept with a prostitute and Kario for being one it was Jens. The muscular blond man waved it off though. “It’s not exactly business. But aside from the fact that I don’t want my son – who isn’t stupid and easily puts two and two together – to learn about the concept of prostitution and what you go to hookers for,” he paused and turned to Kario. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it at all. It’s everyone’s own business what to do with their bodies and what they wanna sell and buy after all. I personally think it should be treated like every other job and let’s be real it’s a needed service. Without hookers where’d we go and do all the shit that we’d never do to with our wives because we love and respect them too much for it, am I right.” The man said and while he was talking Devon remembered that the dude was a libertarian. He easily forgot that when around him. Somehow Jens gave of the impression of being more of a law and order, authoritarian type, but it wasn’t the case. “I do have something I want to talk about with you though.” the man from the steel industry ended.

 

 

“And what can that be?” the politician was still sceptical. “My brother.” Jens said. “Sven?” Ashfield was surprised. “No Gustav! Of course Sven, Ashfield, I only got one brother.” Benninghofen got sarcastic. “What about him?” Devon asked. “He told me that he’ll come over to you after the election, that you have work for him and I want to kindly ask you to keep him here for a while, get him back on track, distract and built him up.” The shorter man told him and Devon looked at him a little confused now, not quite sure why any of that would be necessary. “Don’t look at me like some stupid fish Ashfield, god damn it.” He cursed. “He’s not well. He’s depressed okay! And he’s compensation that emptiness or some shit.” Jens pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose.

 

“You know that stupid life philosophy book he’s written? Where he declares that the individual only has responsibility for itself and that one shall let go of the past, that it was irrelevant and unreal in the now. That the past was to the present technically merely like a story of fiction. And that one shall not let the past stop oneself from living to the fullest and loving the moment in the now, from moving forward into the future, to live for the future and all that crap?” Jens started out. “It sold incredibly well in our country and I even got tired of my brother’s face on various talk shows on television. But now he totally fails to take his own advice. Internally, he doesn’t get over that stupid Bavarian little tree hugger.” The blond snorted.

 

 

“After they had broken up and that stupid shit had moved out he wasn’t leaving his bed for two weeks. Then I stormed his loft and threw him out of it. What led to him sitting in our mansion every single fucking day but he at least was going back to helping at the animal shelter again, was talking to us and then when he went grocery shopping with my very pregnant wife he saw this dumb fuck in the store hand in hand with his dentist, whom he had apparently had an eye on for a while and had gotten together with right after they had broken up.” The German told him. “Oh shit!” Devon expressed feeling bad for his friend.

 

 

“You can say that again!” Jens nodded. “After that he was heart-broken for real. Devastated. Sneaking around like a ghost, playing with our dogs, telling my kids that love was a lie and life was lie and other such shit that was terrifying my daughter. I tried to do everything I could to make him feel better. Couldn’t see him like that because of that green-party shithead. I never liked that moron to start with. So I encouraged my brother to do all the stuff he knew would have upset that eco-clown. I bought him a truck. I had him participate in stunt flight right over the school that Bavarian arsehole is a teacher at. When he and that dentist were searching for a house I used my connections to make sure that they wouldn’t get one in the city. I made my friend from the real estate company that rented the office to the dentist claim owner-occupation and throw him out, when they settled for an apartment and I didn’t manage to keep them from getting it, I bought the neighbouring buildings and rented them to a biker gang, a fast food restaurant and a car dealership and a students’ fraternity. I made sure that those two wouldn’t be able to adopt a child anywhere in the country to ensure that this Niko fucker would never get what he wanted and what he had left my brother for. But those motherfuckers just adopted some Chinese kid after I’ve nearly made them crumble in desperation when they were refused by all German adoption agencies. But it didn’t help at all. It wasn’t making my brother who, was focussing on his work again and functioning by now, feel any better.” Benninghofen said without any understanding and Devon stared at him asking himself if that German younger version of his father was serious now.

 

 

“You honestly thought that making the man your brother loved and was with for eleven years miserable and trying to ruin his life would make him feel better. That he wanted some kind of revenge or whatever the hell that was what you did to them although they broke up on good terms?” the politician asked unbelieving. “Yes, it made me feel a lot better to see him suffer like my brother was suffering after all. But you know what Sven said, he said ‘Just stop already. I want him to be happy.’ I mean, what the fuck? Can you believe that?” the man asked shaking his head in disbelief. “Yes!” Devon answered immediately. Jens looked at him befuddled but then shrugged. “Anyway after my brother was incredibly down and made really creepy gloomy art, he pulled himself back up, was even getting quite overly enthusiastic and I think he was sliding right into a midlife crisis. Heck, I got the feeling he’s worse than a teenager. He threw weird parties, went to weird parties for months and then he was just gone. He didn’t say where, why, when he’d be back, he turned off his phone and gone he was. I think he’s practically running from his life. I think he tries to tell himself that he’s taking his own advice while in reality he’s still not over all of that, misses that prick and is afraid of ending up alone.” the man guessed and then added. “And I want you to fix that. I apparently can’t. Maybe you do better.” Benninghofen asked and Ashfield nodded. “I see what I can do.” “Thanks.”

 

Jens wanted to say some more but someone was tugging on the jacket of his suit and when he turned around he saw his daughter Annika beaming at him. “I met the governor’s mother, she has such a nice dress. She said I could have such dresses too and she can teach me make-up and that I was really pretty and could win beauty contests for girls my age because I was the prettiest girl she’s ever seen and she showed me pictures from the contests and I want to compete. Can I?” she asked and gave her dad a puppy face. “What the hell?” the German man hissed and threw a glare towards Ashfield. “No!” he then told his daughter. “My daughter doesn’t start a career as a brainless bimbo and learns to grow up into a self-loathing idiot defining herself over her face. What did I tell you about make-up and such things?” he stated. “I don’t need that.” “Damn right. And?” The little kid sighed. “I’d sell myself under worth if I was to focus on such stupid things as fashion, beauty and decoration. Because I am smart and I am going to become a successful business woman and inherit the company while my brother will be a politician. We will both honour the name of our family. I also really love the chess club, my violin lessons and maths will always be my favourite subject. I’m looking forward to going to school once I finally finished kindergarten.” She spoke and Jens nodded. “Good. Now go play with your brother.” Her father said patting her head and Devon whose future basically had always been clear and had been pre-determined as well couldn’t help but to disapprove.

 

“Don’t you think you should let her play what she wants, choose her hobbies and interests on her own, let her figure out who she is instead of telling her what’s good for her and who she should be? Aren’t you restricting her in her development, maybe she likes fashion and make-up!?” he argued and Jens’s blue eyes looked at him sharply. “How I raise my kids is none of your business. I want what is best for my daughter. And you are the last person who should open his mouth when it comes to raising kids because you have none and you never will. So leave that to the people who actually have families and a responsibility for other people than themselves. You live with your twenty years younger hooker because you think it’s fun, my brother went back to partying and clubbing like he was in college again and just disappeared and you two can do that, because you don’t have to care for a family, have no ties and responsibilities but you also get no say in how I raise my kids and what is good for my kids, because you have absolutely no clue about what it means to be a father, you have no idea about raising children and caring for a family, Ashfield!” the man said and it was like a dagger was piercing through his heart as the man was pressing his finger into the wound, rubbing salt into it to top it off.

 

“But I am a son. And was a kid once too.” He mumbled through his teeth. “All I am saying is that it won’t hurt if you let her try girly stuff too. Your wife is wearing make-up too, she’s wearing a fancy dress and all that.” Jens narrowed his eyes. “My wife is thirty-five and a neurosurgeon. When my daughter is thirty-five and has a PhD, she can play with make-up if she wants to. But since then I will do everything in my power to prevent her from becoming a pathetic, self-hating disaster with pathological body issues like your mother. I mean look at that woman! It’s pitiful and pathetic.” Jens found and it was rubbing Devon the wrong way, no matter how much he criticised his mother all the time. “Says the man whose mother is colder than a bloody fridge, has no humour and is so frightening that everyone hides when she enters the room!” he countered. “At least my mother had a brilliant financial mind and aged in dignity. Do you remember the dude my brother dated, who dressed up like a woman, he looked more like a natural woman than your mother Ashfield. It wouldn’t even surprise me if your mum’s brain was made out of plastic and silicon too.” Benninghofen grinned. “Is that so? Your mother doesn’t look like a woman at all, she looks like a man, a robotic man!” Devon returned the favour and a scene of two middle aged men making ‘Yo mama’ statements was unfolding before Kario’s eyes.

 

Until the displeased, cold voice of Ashfield’s father sounded behind them. “Devon!” he called out, leading the governor to turn around but not without rolling his eyes beforehand. “Yes!” the blond man said looking into the frowning face and the hard, silver gaze behind the glasses. “Why does uncle Cornelius spread the misinformation that I’d be gay, leaving my wife and would be running for president?” Andrew Ashfield demanded to know and in that moment the politician needed to fight to keep his continuance and to not bust out into laughter right away, even Jens, who respected Ashfield Senior couldn’t keep himself from smirking slightly.

 

“Because he thinks that I am you and he doesn’t exactly know what is going on, where he is or which year we have, nor the decade or the century.” Ashfield told his father who was biting his lip not happy about that at all. “I told his granddaughter to keep him in check and away from the press.” Devon informed his father and Ashfield senior nodded. “Good. Let’s hope she’s capable of doing that.” For then to get aware of Jens.

 

“Jens!” Andrew exclaimed, displayed something that looked like a smile, spread his arms out and hugged his business partner, whom he had always liked, even once said that he wished his son was more like him, patting him on the back. And everytime he saw that, saw his father being that collegial and fatherly to Jens, a wave of jealously was overcoming the blond against his will and he always hated himself for feeling jealous about that.

 

“Aren’t they a dream team! Two sociopathic friends!” Devon remarked cynically to Kario nodding towards his father and Jens. Fortunately he didn’t have much time to bath in the grudge he had always held against Jens and his father for that matter because a familiar voice sounded. “Governor! Happy birthday! It’s a really nice party. Your mum’s a talented decorator.” Jason said shaking his bosses hand while holding a glass filled with caipirinha in the other hand and the blond man noticed that his hair and make-up artist had managed to get drunk earlier than his mother. “Kario!” Jason just now noticed the younger man. “You look marvellous!” he complemented, shaking his hand too before taking another sip of the caipirinha in his hand. “And you get flamboyant when you’re drunk.” Ashfield remarked amused. “Mea culpa!” the man winked. “Ah, now I nearly forgot what I wanted to tell you.” The drunken man remembered. “And what’s that?” the governor wanted to know. “Sir Cornelius Ashfield is giving a low-key racist and low-key Anti-LGBT speech to Smith, some dude from ICE, Harvey Flint and a few others and that left wing journalist has been seen sneaking around them for a while now.” he informed him, took another sip from his glass as though he couldn’t be bothered, waved his hand around in front of his mouth because he had just swallowed a piece of lime and added:” And by low-key I mean he talks like a fusion of a Bible freak and an alt-right kid with a frog avatar on the internet. I just didn’t want to worry you.” A drunken laugh was to hear.

 

Jason had definitely not succeeded in not worrying him. Devon was scratching his chin, trying to stay calm when Jens, who had overheard their conversation because Ashfield senior had left somewhere else, was chiming in. “Shouldn’t be a problem. I mean, you people got freedom of speech. That’s one thing I always genuinely liked about your nation. You can say whatever you want. In my country, your great-uncle would be thrown into jail for hatespeech now for up to five years. Where I am from freedom is just a word. Often talked about but never heard of.” He cracked up in a snorting, cynic laugh. “My great uncle is 99 years old.” Devon said dryly. “Wouldn’t matter to our government, they’d throw him into jail for hatespeech anyway.” Jens answered and Ashfield shook his head. “He has Alzheimer’s disease.” The blond added finding the idea of the man getting thrown into prison for what he uttered completely ludicrous what distracted him from the issue at hand for a moment.

 

“Regardless of Cornelius not having to fear jail time this is a problem though. It’s my election party, he’s my great uncle, the vultures are lingering around him and I haven’t even recovered from the last scandal.” He said. “Jason, go and distract the journalist.” he told the man who pressed the fingers of his free hands against his chest in the same fashion his mother had done before. “Me?” he asked. “Yes, you!” he repeated. “I am a hair and make-up artist, how the hell am I supposed to distract the journalist?” the drunken man wanted to know. “Tell her she needs a make-over or something like that. I don’t care how, just do it.” The governor demanded and Jason said “Alright, alright.” Being on his way and then Devon rushed towards the group around his great uncle, leaving Kario and Jens behind!

 

 

When he arrived at the group Smith grinned at him. “Hey Ashfield! You should learn a thing or two from him. Your great-uncle should run for office. I’d vote for him.” The security man said and Devon mumbled a:” I’m not surprised.” And added:”But I am afraid Alzheimer patients can’t run for office.” Before he shoved his father’s bodyguard aside and got a hold of Cornelius’s fragile old wrist. “I’m sorry gentlemen but I have to abduct great-uncle Cornelius for a moment.” And saying that he could see some sort of relieve on Harvey Flint’s and the ICE dude’s faces who apparently had been a little annoyed by Cornelius hi-jacking the conversation by now.

 

 

“Where are we going Andrew! I had a really nice conversation with those young men over there.” Cornelius wanted to know. “To your granddaughter, she was searching for you.” Ashfield said. “Where is that bloody woman!” Devon mumbled into his beard until his eyes fell onto his great-cousin who was standing opposite to Valentina at the bar, casually, leaning there and having a relaxed conversation. Devon was grinding his teeth but when he arrived Valentina was the first one to see him. “Governor! Nice seeing you. I hope you have fun on your birthday and you like my present.” She said and patted his arm. “Thanks a lot Valentina, I’m sure I will, I know you have great taste. But can I borrow my great-cousin for a moment please?” “Yes sure!” Valentina smiled and Devon pulled the boxing champion away from the bar against her will, only for Valentina to call:”Is it true that you always lost against your cousin in wrestling when you were kids?” she was curious and Devon called:”I choose not to answer this question.” What made the speech writer chuckle.

 

 

“Hey, what are you doing?” his great-cousin complained. “No, the question is what are you doing? I told you to keep Cornelius in check and to watch out for him. And what do you do, leave him alone, where he gives some nutjob speeches to random guests while sensationalist journalists are sneaking around everywhere here. Why is that?” he barked at her and she at least looked a little rueful now. “I’m sorry. I was looking out for him but then I saw this lady and I thought ‘Damn she’s hot. I gotta get to know that hottie.’ You know. So I told grandpa to stay by the screen and talk to your father.” She explained. “Well, he didn’t! And you will stay with him and keep an eye on him now, instead of hitting on my speech writer or any woman here for that matter. She’s straight anyway.” Ashfield told her. “Okay.” His great-cousin sighed. “Are you sure she’s straight though? Like really, straight?” she tried. “100% sure.” The blond answered. “But I tell you what, if you take care of Cornelius and I won’t be hearing any complaints, I’ll introduce you to an attractive woman who might actually be interested in you after the party. Deal!?” he suggested. “Deal.” His great-cousin nodded and punched his shoulder again.

 

 

While Devon had gone over to fetch Cornelius a lean, attractive young man with short honey blond messy hair, freckles and green eyes was approaching Kario. He had a wide, distinguishable smile. “Hey, I’m Lukasz. Lukasz Kowalski!” he introduced himself to the other. “I already know who you are. You’ve become quite famous over the last weeks.” He winked. “And you look just as out of place here as I do. So I thought I’d go over and say hello.” He explained. “I’m new here in the city. I’m from Canada originally. I didn’t really have the opportunity to make many friends so far.” Lukasz told the other. “No wonder since I’m spending most of my time with old men who are trying to convince me to put myself or rather my invention into the services of their companies. Ashfield Corporation has made one of the more promising offers so I took Mister Ashfield’s invitation.” The young male said. “I can’t really imagine how it must be to become known and famous everywhere over night because you’re dating a high ranking politician though. Must be tough. No clue if I could deal with all the attention.” He continued to make conversation, struggling a little as social interaction didn’t seem to be his strong point either.

 

 

With a deep sigh Ashfield was on his way back to Kario but when he saw the lean, tall and young fellow next to his boyfriend he came to an abrupt halt, his eyes narrowing, his organs clenching, anger starting to boil within him and he remembered what Jeff had said about this guy. And in that moment Devon wanted to join the rant about him and declare what an entitled dumb brat he was and although Devon was in no way jealous of the guys accomplishments the reason was the same as to why his ex hated the man who had been referred to as a ‘young genius’ and had been praised by the media while Devon had been branded a rich pervy politician who slept with prostitutes.

 

The aura surrounding Ashfield junior matched Ashfield senior’s perfectly in that moment. He exuded dominance through every cell he had and his golden eyes showed no mercy. If eyes could kill, surely Lukasz Kowalski would be dead now. The governor grabbed the youngster by his collar from behind and pulled him back – like Jens other participants who stood in his way at a conference – taking the place next to his boyfriend. “Lukasz Kowalski. A guest of my fathers. I have already heard of your impertinence and entitlement. You indeed seem to have quite the nerve.” He addressed the man. “What? What are you talking about? He looked just as out of place as I did so I thought I’d say ‘Hi’, that’s all, it’s not a crime.” The man said.

 

“Of course.” Ashfield said in an ironic tone of voice before he turned to Kario. “You know little Lukasz here,” he addressed him by his first name as he would a child, to make clear he didn’t view him as an equal and he was no match for him, “is a special, highly-gifted kid who likes to play with his computer a lot and happened to develop some futuristic, revolutionary technology my father wants.” Then he turned back to Kowalski who frowned and looked rather displeased. “Kario fits in here perfectly. But I am inconsolable about the fact that you feel out of place. I will make sure to arrange you a seat next to our other highly-gifted child genius for dinner because my father’s guests are my guests as well and I want you to feel comfortable.” the politician said. “Maybe you want to go say ‘Hi’ to your equal.” He said pointing at Felix Benninghofen, who had tricked his mother and was now running loose with his phone, asking the guests questions, playing political documentary maker, not getting taken seriously by anyone at all.

 

The twenty years old Kowalski, who was an adult and not a child, shook his head looking at Devon who had slung his arm around the black haired man’s waist and then turned to Kario. “It was nice making your acquaintance.” He said, clicked his tongue, shook his head once more, and huffed:”Crazy old man.” At Ashfield as he walked away from them.

[Sathenus]

Kario chuckles softly in amusement when Devon told him to do it harder, rolling his eyes but doing as his boyfriend wanted. Massaging his back harder and more firmly, anything if it helped the older man relax and unwind after being gone for a week. A week that had felt more like a year to himself, he had hated it even if he knew it had been necessary and it was one of the things he was probably least happy about for when Devon was re-elected. Kario refused to believe that the blonde wouldn't win the election, wanting to be certain in his mind that he was the only one right for the job and that the voters knew that.

 

As he was focusing more on the massage and what he was doing he heard Devon speak again, this time asking him if he'd vote, adding the question of for him after. He didn't even have to think about it, a smile appearing on his face despite knowing that Devon was unable to see it in his current position. "Of course I will, love. I did say you'd be my first and only vote after all. Not to mention you really do deserve it." Kario admitted. Part of him would do it just because he loved Devon, another part because he knew being the governor was really important to the blonde and made him happy, while the final part was because he truly believed that Devon was what was best for the state. His reasoning behind it could be a bit biased but if his vote would improve the older man's chances of getting re-elected even if barely he'd do it. Not feeling like one vote ever really made a difference, but he'd do it regardless.

 

"You'll get the honor of knowing that you're the reason I vote at least." Kario mused with a soft laugh. It wasn't all that long before he had come to realize he had finished and thus was moving from on top of the blonde and taking a seat on the couch beside him. Just as Devon returned that he loved him too which made a beaming smile appear, having missed hearing it. Even if Devon had told him as much over the phone it wasn't much of a comparison to how it made him feel when it was said in person.

 

"Absolutely not." He chided when Devon expressed he could sleep there on the couch. That was not an option and he had already made it clear to Devon once before, the couch wasn't the best place for the two of them to sleep. While there would be nights he'd let it slide tonight was not one of them, wanting his boyfriend to be in bed beside him again for the first time in what felt like forever. A second later Devon was telling him to leave the dishes and his staff would do it but he was already walking away to do so and waved his hand dismissively. "I don't mind doing them!" He called behind him as he disappeared into the kitchen to get the dishes done. Having already started on them when he heard Devon call out that he would be waiting for him upstairs, that thought made a small pleased smirk appear on his face. Kario was eager to go upstairs to Devon but he was still working on washing the dishes and wanted to take care to make sure they were done properly before heading upstairs to bed. Having finally finished he went upstairs, not surprised to see a sleeping Devon in the bed, a small smile appearing as he just watched him for a minute. Shaking his head he stripped down to just his boxers sleeping much better like that before he was sliding into bed beside Devon and making sure they were both covered by the blanket. Curling up against the older man he let the sound of the blonde's breathing and his steadily beating heart be what lulled him to sleep.

 

 

 

The sleep Kario got sleeping curled up against his boyfriend was the best sleep he ever got, incomparable to anything else. Not having realized how tired he had been or how much he had truly missed and craved having him beside him. Aware of movement beside him the younger man just nuzzled into his pillow and let out an incoherent murmur before he was stilling again and falling back into a deeper sleep. Despite that his sleeping mind was definitely aware of the feeling of lips pressed against his in a kiss, instinctively returning the kiss his mind slowly being coaxed out of his dreams and back to the real world.

 

He was still somewhere between being asleep and awake when the older man moved over him feeling his hand travel over his knee and up his thigh, this was enough to pull him further from his sleep eyes fluttering open. Feeling the older man grope him was definitely a pleasant way to wake up, and Kario was telling himself that he could get used to waking up this way again and again for the rest of his life. Now fully awake Kario was happy and eager in returning the next passionate kiss he was given, moaning into it as Devon was grinding against him, making his body ignite and eager for what he knew they both really wanted and what he had been missing. It was unexpected of course, but that just made him want it even more.

 

Unfortunately, it seemed as though fate had other ideas as he heard the sound of Devon's phone ringing, groaning as the kiss was broken and the blonde stilled above him his dark eyes met the golden gaze of his boyfriend. Kario was just as aware of Devon wishing he could ignore it knowing he'd love too especially by the eye roll. That just wasn't possible though, and as the politician moved to answer his phone Kario let his eyes drift shut with a slightly frustrated sigh and relax back against the bed. Being aroused and knowing that they weren't going to start off the day with sex like they had wanted was definitely a bit depressing, but there was no point in complaining or whining about it since it definitely wouldn't change matters any.

 

The call apparently wasn't a very good one, something that he could tell from the look that appeared on his boyfriend's face, reaching over he rested his hand gently on Devon's thigh patting it a little. Not to mention the blonde's father was pretty much yelling into the phone and so it was actually quite easy for him to hear what was being said. "I like to think I'm pretty clean whore right now!" Kario chimed in when Devon had hung up the phone a small smirk appearing on his face. The only way he was going to be able to deal with his father insulting him all the time was to find a way to move such an insult in his favor. Right now he definitely wasn't as dirty as he'd like to be, his own erection proof of that, and though they wouldn't be getting lucky this morning like he had wished it would just make tonight all the better.

 

Getting up from the bed he leaned over to give the blonde a kiss, and despite the fact that they now had to behave themselves he insisted on showering with Devon. At this point he craved as much time with his boyfriend as he could possibly get, and wasn't going to let getting ready for the day be the reason why he couldn't have it. Despite being interrupted Kario was quite upbeat and happy, just having Devon back at his side seemed to improve his mood greatly, not to mention not having been woken early by an alarm definitely brought out his happier side. After they had showered he left Devon to shave and was getting dressed, feeling a bit happy that such a thing had never been something he had to face and not minding it in the least. Making sure he dressed nicely since it was an election party and the governor's birthday party all in one with a bunch of important people being invited. He wanted to look his best, even if their opinions of him continued to not matter, the only opinion that really did was Devon's.

 

 

 

The drive wasn't that interesting, and his eyes had remained outside on the scenery for most of it though he did make some small talk with Devon along the way and letting him know that he'd still do as he promised a week ago intent on making some part of his birthday about him and special. Wanting to give the blonde at least something to look forward to today, knowing that it would be a long dreary day otherwise.

 

Letting Devon lead him through the hotel and to where the party was being held allowed him to take in the building and it's atmosphere better since he was letting the hand holding his be his guiding and moving force. It really was a beautiful lounge they found themselves in, his gaze moving from the decor to the woman who greeted Devon. This was something he had already grown accustomed too, so she didn't have his attention for very long while he was being lead to the elevator. Even after she had said that she had voted for Devon, mainly because he was starting to stress about being part of this party and being present knowing that Harvey Flint would be there and feeling his anxiety quickly start to rise. Kario had a feeling that he would be avoiding the man like the plague and that he would most likely end up doing the same and avoid him. If that really was the case he could definitely say that he didn't mind, and it would make this whole thing easier. Not really sure how many of his old clients he had the chance of running into today, but knowing that it was probably greater than anyone really wanted to admit right now.

 

Drawn from his thoughts as they entered the elevator he was shifting nervously beside his boyfriend as it started to take them up to the right floor. Kario was sure he currently looked like a mess, and he would be sure to get a hold of himself before those doors opened and they entered the party. Suddenly he heard the older man tell him that he was gorgeous feeling his boyfriend squeeze his hand, this caused a beaming smile to appear on his face and his eyes to light up. Despite the elevator doors having opened already he leaned up for a quick kiss after being sure there was no one around them at the moment. "Thank you! You definitely look sexy." Kario replied his eyes raking over the blonde and liking the way he was dressed. Even if it was in many ways what the blonde normally wore it was still sexy and appealing to him, not to mention he definitely loved and admired the body underneath.

 

 

"It's definitely... interesting..." Kario commented when Devon made a comment about the decor for the party. Kario even had to admit this was a bit much, it definitely was impressive and looked lovely but he felt it was completely out of place for this type of party. "Breath and calm down. You're definitely overthinking it now, don't worry about the decor of the party." He commented feeling like it would be a pretty good night if the only problem anyone could find was with the party's decor. Knowing full well there would be other things they'd try to find problems with before the night was out.

 

"Definitely... eccentric." The younger man mused when his eyes fell on his boyfriend's mother, there was definitely no mistaking her for anyone else. No one else in their right mind would probably dress like that. A soft chuckle escaped him with how she greeted Devon though, his smile turning to a small smirk when she said he was a handsome man, he really was, so much so that Kario paid no attention to the addition of him being like his father at his age. Of course Kario knew Devon looked a lot like his father, but he definitely did not love or have an interest in Ashfield Senior. The man definitely didn't make him feel welcomed or great about himself, quite the opposite actually.

 

Suddenly her attention was for him though and he returned the hug she gave him though a slight blush sprouted up on his face when she told him that he was a treasure and should really think about modelling again. He had already voiced to her once that he didn't want to do that, having done so while Devon was away campaigning and she had come by to visit and keep him some company. Granted he definitely appreciated the company he had not appreciated that topic of conversation. Even now he wasn't a fan of it, thinking he wanted to delve away from anything that would bring attention back to his body for any reason, or himself for that matter.

 

While the two spoke about the decor of the party and how it had come to be this way Kario was allowing himself another chance to see who had arrived already and how many people he would have to avoid himself, though he was sure Devon had his own list of people to avoid. Feeling his attention being dragged back to Devon and his mother at the mention of the man's great uncle made Kario follow where she was pointing and notice the ancient looking man. His curiosity about Cornelius had developed when he had first been told about him, and it was still quite the burning curiosity to see if the man was as bad as Devon had said. It seemed like he was about to find out since the politician was heading straight for him dragging him along and making him wonder if Devon was even aware that he was still holding his hand and thus dragging him along after him at this point.

 

Watching the interaction between Devon and the woman made him a bit amused, since he knew they were family and hadn't really seen the blonde have much of an actual friendly relationship with any member of his family. Even if it could have been just for show, he felt like he at least had a better relationship with her than most. Suddenly she turned her attention to him and instead of really commenting he just nodded, though he felt like any little thing involving Devon would have made the media go nuts especially during the election. A smile of amusement appeared when she joked about him looking a lot tinier on TV, "I'm definitely going to take that as a compliment." He replied with a soft laugh. He didn't mind that at all, granted in comparison to her it didn't take much to make him, she definitely towered over him. In different circumstances that may have made him uncomfortable, but considering even Devon made him look tiny he didn't let it bother him.

 

Andrew? That definitely wasn't right and Kario watched Cornelius with slight interest and a little concern that he couldn't seem to tell Devon and his father apart. Even after Devon correcting him it didn't seem to change the fact that the old man seriously thought he was Andrew instead, and though that was an unnerving thought to him he didn't let it bother him since the man clearly couldn't wrap his brain around anything else. "Oh god..." Kario groaned when Cornelius once more addressed Devon as Andrew this time about being gay and that definitely made his skin crawl, super glad that he was not only not with the politician's father but that he wasn't the reason for any kind of relationship ending. Definitely not wanting to be that kind of guy, he ran a hand through his hair though as he tried to look anywhere but at Cornelius who had definitely made this awkward.

 

The little story that followed definitely didn't help make things less awkward, if anything they became more so, at least for him. Though the conversation had definitely sunk in enough for the man to continue with the conversation it had apparently still not sunk in enough to be able to tell Devon apart from his father even as he was once more telling his great uncle that he wasn't Andrew. Matters didn't seem to be improving as Cornelius turned to the woman nearby and practically demanded she get him a drink, even Kario who had never met or seen her before could tell she did not work for the hotel but was an important woman and a guest at the party. It made him wonder even more about just how bad Cornelius' mind really was to where he could make such a mistake, thankfully she seemed to take it rather well when Devon ended up apologizing after getting his great cousin to take the senile old man to get his drink. That was definitely really great of her to be able to brush it off like that, especially since he personally hadn't known anyone who would have handled it so well, except maybe his sister.

 

The next woman had seemed to make his boyfriend tense to where he was running his hand gently up and down the length of his arm in a soothing manner while the two spoke. She seemed nice, but he knew it was easy for people to present themselves as one thing and be the exact opposite. "Well... your great uncle Cornelius seems... interesting." Kario commented since they seemed to finally have a minute and he wasn't entirely sure how long that minute would last but was guessing it wouldn't. That seemed pretty accurate considering he noticed another person approaching them, this person he recognized from the photo that Sven had sent to Devon at his wedding and the stories that Devon had told him said it must be Jens. Kario wasn't sure how he personally felt about the man but his wife really did seem nice, and the children were quite well behaved it seemed.

 

At this point his lover had no choice but to release his hand for the first time since they had arrived, and while Devon was occupied by Jens he got to meet the man's wife as she offered a friendly handshake that he was happy to return a smile appearing on his face. "Kario Teschu, it's nice to meet you too." Kario replied happy to see a face that at least didn't seem to have an immediate problem with him, and considering he knew that Jens was here because of Devon's father it was definitely positive. If she did have some sort of problem with him she was very good at hiding it. Soon enough though they seemed to switch and he found himself shaking hands with Jens. "Kario." He instantly replied though he was sure just as he had heard about him that Jens knew about him as well. Especially from the previous comment, even if it was meant jokingly.

 

Moving his attention back to Jens' wife who was introducing their children to Devon, they were definitely cute kids, and the family did seem happy which made a small smile appear. It also reminded him that a year from today they would be sitting down to discuss this matter as well, a promise he had made to Devon. Knowing his boyfriend wanted a family and giving himself a years time to become re-accustomed to the outside world and discover if children was really something he would want. Watching mother and daughter go off to see the ice sculptures attention turned to Felix who seemed more than happy to stay behind with them and talk to Devon about his position and asking if he had any plans to run for president if he got re-elected. Kario knew it had been something Devon had at one time wanted to do, but he didn't know if it was still something he saw as possible right now. That concern left his mind quickly since Felix suddenly turned to him and asked him what he did for a living and his qualifications.

 

"Second grade has a representative?" Kario asked his eyes moving up to Devon as Jens was telling Felix to go look at the ice sculptures with his mother and sister. It was a bit impressive to think that was a thing at such a young age, and definitely not anything he had been aware of in second grade. It seemed that Jens was finally able to get Felix to listen and go off to his mother and sister the man turning back to them just as Devon asked about them needing to talk business and how he did business with his father, not him.

 

It made sense that Jens didn't want his son to to learn about the concept of prostitution and hookers but at the same time he felt a bit insulted that the other would think he'd even mention such things to a child. He didn't want to admit doing that to anyone, much less a child and probably would have figured out some sort of answer that was completely different from that if he had to answer. Granted he didn't mind being spared from having to think of something on the spot it was still a bit insulting. What he continued to say though made a blush appear on his face and he looked away from the man when he mentioned that it was a needed profession adding that without hookers where would they go to do all the things that they'd never do with their wives who they loved and respected too much for. It definitely wasn't helping matters if anything he felt even worse about himself and what he had done than he had before which he had truly thought impossible. Especially with how much Devon's father already liked to call him a whore and less than a man. Even if it seemed that Jens wasn't judging him for what he had done he had still managed to hurt him and make him feel ashamed for doing it, even if it had been an accident.

 

Kario did his best to keep his attention anywhere else at this point, his eyes averted and his head down a little as he let the two men talk about Sven and what he was apparently going through. As long as the attention was off him and prostitution he was fine and he took it as another chance to discreetly look around the hall and see who else had arrived at this point. His nerves getting a little high when he recalled that Devon had invited his parents to this, and he could only imagine how things would go then but at the same time at least he'd have someone to be with when Devon was occupied with the other guests or when things got awkward. His mind was focused on that until he heard an all to familiar voice. Even though it was not aimed at him but Devon it still made his blood run cold and he was sure to make himself even less noticeable at this point because he definitely did not want Ashfield Senior's attention for any reason.

 

The sound of the older Ashfield's voice being displeased wasn't all that surprising and until now they had managed to completely avoid him, but it seemed his attention had been brought to them for a reason. Cornelius apparently still was unable to tell Devon from his father and had been going around telling people that Andrew was gay and leaving his wife while also running for president. It was honestly a bit funny though, and while he tried to hide the amusement he had turned towards the room again so that Devon could handle his father. When the man finally seemed done with his son and instead seemed to be occupied by Jens he watched the two interact a bit stunned by how... fatherly it was. It was unnatural, at least it appeared that way to him who had never seen Andrew Ashfield act in any type of fatherly manner to anyone.

 

"It's definitely something." Kario replied watching the pair, but soon they were joined by Jason. It really did seem as if no time passed between one person and the next, and though that was probably true and it did seem to be making the time go by a bit faster but he really wanted to have at least a few seconds with Devon. It appeared as though that wasn't going to happen as the drunk Jason was bearing bad news and was soon running off to handle the journalist while Devon was rushing off to deal with Cornelius leaving him alone instead of with his boyfriend. It was definitely an unappealing prospect as he stood there a soft sigh escaping him, wanting to be with the politician but knowing this was something he had to handle before the journalist caught wind despite the fact that Cornelius probably didn't know half of what he was saying anymore.

 

At least it didn't seem like he was alone for all that long before someone had come over to him, the guy was definitely much closer to his own age which already made Kario perk up considerably. Though Kario could admit that he was an attractive guy he personally didn't take all that much notice since he was in love with Devon and while other men could still be attractive they never held his attention. Lukasz though seemed like a nice enough guy, especially since he saved him from being alone and came over to talk even if he wasn't all that good at starting a conversation. A soft laugh escaped Kario when the blonde told him that he knew who he was and how he had become quite famous over the last weeks. "If that's what you want to call it." Kario mused a small smile appearing. "I may look as out of place but I'm pretty sure I feel more out of place." He responded with sheepish smile this time, it was still really nice of Lukasz though and he had to admit that it did seem as though they were both out of place at this party.

 

Being told that he was originally from Canada sparked interest in Kario though, "What part of Canada are you from?" He asked quite interested in the other not really aware or minding how others may have felt about him. Kario was seeing this as a chance to make a friend his own age, someone who was apparently on good terms with his boyfriend's father to get invited to the party. Not caring how such terms occurred right now. But Lukasz was admitting that he didn't really have the opportunity to make many friends yet. "Really? I'd think a smart guy like you would have a bunch of friends." Kario admitted giving a friendly smile himself. It was really easy for Kario to see Lukasz having tons of friends, even if he was spending most of his time around older men who were apparently trying to convince him to put himself and his invention into the services of their companies. "What kind of invention? If you don't mind me asking." Oddly, Kario was finding it really easy to talk to Lukasz and was putting a lot of that into him being his age and having started with them both seeming to be out of place here.

 

It was a great move on the other's part, even if he wasn't the most proficient in social situations. "It was definitely a lot to handle at first, a bit overwhelming an suffocating but when you have a great guy around it's easy to ignore what the media is saying about you." Kario admitted with a small shrug. Sure this wasn't really what he wanted to discuss, and he had been honest. It was easy for him to ignore the media and how they portrayed him or what they wrote about him, other people not so much. "Devon's really great handling most of that." Kario added when Lukasz said he wasn't sure he could handle all that attention, Devon really had been great taking the brunt of that and for the most part handling any public matters of them. It was relieving, without Devon being there to do that Kario had to admit he wasn't sure he would be able to handle all of the attention either.

 

"You're pretty young and already successful. That must be a great accomplishment." Kario commented with a friendly smile on his face wanting the attention to return to Lukasz and not be on himself. But he also felt that it was quite the accomplishment to have invented something that seemed so important and revolutionary, something so many companies clearly wanted. He wanted to know how Lukasz felt about where he was today. While they were talking he was unaware that Devon had finished dealing with Cornelius and was on his way back to him at least until he was pulling Lukasz back by the collar and taking his place beside him.

 

The aura surrounding his boyfriend was unlike anything he had felt around him before though, more something he'd expect from Andrew and it made him a little unnerved and concerned as his dark eyes moved to look up at his boyfriend who seemed less than impressed that Lukasz had come over to talk to him. That was only more confusing to him, as he had enjoyed having the other man to talk too and thought that he seemed like a nice guy, someone he would like to talk to again and even see again. Devon telling Lukasz that he seemed to have quite the nerve just made him all the more confused and it seemed to confuse the other as well since he was quick to ask what Devon was talking about and explained he had just come over to say 'hi' since they had both looked out of place. "That's really all he did." Kario chimed in not wanting Devon to be upset or possibly angry that they had been talking or thinking that there was more to why Lukasz had been talking to him.

 

Devon didn't seem to let that change things though as he was turning to him and spoke, he didn't like how Devon referred to Lukasz himself and was sure that Lukasz didn't either it was clearly done to have that affect. "Happened? You make it sound like it was a complete accident." Kario replied feeling a little like Devon was trying to make Lukasz's invention out to be nothing but an accident and not as big or important as it was. The displeased look on the other's face was understandable, and Kario definitely felt for him especially when Devon said that he fit in perfectly. Kario did not feel like that was true, feeling as though he did not fit in at all and was sure it even seemed that was considering the fact that Lukasz had noticed. The whole exchange seemed a bit harsh and a small frown had appeared on his face as he felt Devon's arm wrap around his waist.

 

"It was nice to meet you too." Kario replied sincerely as he watched the other leave before his attention moved to Devon ignoring the comment about his boyfriend since he felt like Devon kind of deserved it. "That was a bit harsh don't you think?" He asked his voice making it clear he wasn't sure this was his place but that he hadn't entirely agreed with how Devon had handled things. They had just been talking and he had actually enjoyed talking to the other man.

 

The only bright side to the confrontation is it appeared as though he finally had a moment alone with Devon and so he was happy to lean into his side and rest his head on his chest for a moment before he was straightening up not wanting to draw too much attention to them. "So! I was thinking for your dinner tonight, when we get home we do something more simple but just as tasty!" He said with a bright smile and a gleam in his eyes really looking forward to making another dinner for his boyfriend and making his night all about him. "Not to mention, I'll have to give you my present later." He said in a whisper not wanting anyone else to hear that but was sure that the look that had crossed his eyes had made it clear what said present entailed.

 

Very much looking forward to making their own little tradition for the older man on his birthday since he definitely didn't feel like this was much of a celebration for his birthday. "I promised I'd end today with it being about you and make your day special, and I have ever intention of doing just that." Kario added as he slipped his hand back into Devon's.

[-Hideki-]

“No!” was the definite and clear answer to Kario’s remark that his behaviour towards Lukasz Kowalski had been too harsh. Ashfield thought the contrary that he had been too easy on him and should have aimed for destruction. “This little shit thinks he can claim everything and everyone for himself, he is entitled and arrogant. Jeff was absolutely right. Why are you even defending him? Did you find him charming? Because he obviously wanted you to.” Devon said spitefully, his jealousy boiling deep in his gut.

 

A deep laugh brought him out of his thoughts where the young intelligent attractive man was trying to pinch Kario from him on his own party and when the governor turned around he saw Jens who had stood there the entire time and had listened. “Ashfield! You’re gold!” the man laughed about him and it made the governor’s eyes narrow and pierce through Jens coldly who was completely unimpressed by the stare. “He wasn’t even hitting on him.” The German brought out between the laughter. “Lukasz Kowalski is straight. He’s got a girlfriend. Back in Canada.” The guy from the steel industry informed them and the governor hated that this guy was almost dying from lack of oxygen laughing about him once more, not to mention that he was obviously full of bullshit and was most certainly not right about this younster being straight. He had hit on his boyfriend! That was clear! Or else he’d seem like an overly possessive overly jealous moron…. In front of his lover…. and fucking Jens Benninghofen!

 

“And how would you know that? He was obviously hitting on him.” The billionaire hissed at the other billionaire who was trying to get a grip on himself although making fun of Devon had always been one of his favourite hobbies. “Oh I know everything about him. He was born in Toronto, Canada to a Polish immigrant working class family. He displayed behavioural problems in kindergarten already. Had no social skills. He never succeeded in school, he did incredibly poorly. Got bullied. He dropped out before he even reached high-school. His dog was almost his only friend. He was spending most of his time on his computer. He was basically a scrawny loser with severe acne issues and desperate parents who didn’t know how to help their son. However he had developed an obsession with the computer and IT stuff and first tried some programming and tinkering with his computer as a hobby but soon managed to program some apps and games he could actually sell. He soon got known internationally in the IT scene. And a few months ago he achieved his own breakthrough by inventing software that everyone wants for a reason. Lukasz enjoys pornographic fanfiction and Asian porn comics and is attracted to East Asian women. He met his girlfriend at comic con this year where he cosplayed Dr. Strange and she was Mystique from X-Men.” He let Ashfield know and Devon was trying to fight the blush that was spreading across his pale face since he indeed seemed to have made a fool out of himself, had misjudged the situation, because he had, other than he had wanted to make Lukasz believe, seen him as a threat. Because he was undeniably attractive, young and successful!

 

He didn’t want to admit that though, so he wouldn’t. “It’s absolutely safe to say that your lover isn’t his type. Your ex-wife probably would have been but I think she’d be too old for his taste.” Jens continued enjoying teasing the heir to Ashfield Corporation. “Oh, Ashfield! What do you want to do? Lock your guy up in a golden cage and keep him from finding friends because those younger men threaten you? Because you fear they steal your guy?” he asked and then grinned. “I tell you something, if you put someone or something in a cage they or it’ll try to break out of it and run.” Jens said and Devon too wouldn’t admit that something smart had come out of that dude’s mouth now although this was probably true.

 

“Why do you even know all this stuff about him?” he distracted the conversation. “I did some research with my friend who has an IT start-up. He was interested in him. However Kowalski might be a genius when it comes to programming, maths and physics but he is completely useless when it comes to learning languages. Thus he immediately declined all offers from nations that weren’t English speaking. This kicked out my friend but his Chinese and Japanese competitors too.” Jens shrugged and then his grin returned as he moved past them and slapped his hand onto Devon’s shoulder. “It seems like you once more managed to successfully make a complete idiot out of yourself. You always had a talent for that. Ah, good times!” he stated and Devon whose face looked like a tomato by now hissed:”99,9% of the time you were behind it though!” And Jens snorted. “Now, now, we don’t want to get melodramatic do we, Ashfield?” he stated and then said:”I’m gonna get myself a beer now.” and gone he was, leaving the two of them on their own.

 

Alone at last! “I’m sorry.” The blond said. “I didn’t mean to ruin this opportunity to make a friend for you. I will fix it. Somehow.” He promised his young boyfriend. And a wave of relieve was hitting him when the other leaned on him, because he had feared he’d be more angry about this. The governor let his hand run through the other man’s hair as he was leaning his head against his chest and enjoyed the closeness and the quiet moment they had.

 

When his lover announced that he’d make something simple for dinner Devon smiled slightly. “It’ll be more like a midnight snack or something. We’ll be having a large dinner in the other hall later.” He pointed to a huge door to the left of them. “I’m really excited for your gift though. I already know it’s gonna be the best gift of them all.” He quietly said, pressing his lips against his lover’s forehead, being a little disappointed when they were standing separately again, although he knew that it was certainly for the best because it’d be a little awkward if one of the guests decided to approach him and the blond knew that this was going to be the entire time with little exceptions and space for the two of them to be alone.

 

And as soon as they had parted they were approached by Police Commander Mahler. The man in his forties was wearing his uniform and was looking as attractive as he always had and while Devon liked him he thought that after what had happened in his office last time when he had seen the other this would be getting quite weird. “Governor!” Mahler said reaching out his hand . “Police Commander!” Ashfield greeted and took the hand, what was followed by the policeman looking over his shoulder to make sure no journalist would be around, before he pulled Devon into a hug. “Happy Birthday! I and my department count on you. But be assured that if you lose, my men and I won’t be giving Claris Miller an easy time. I promise you that. She won’t be able to deal with the pressure and leave the office crying, sooner or later. That’s my present for you, Governor. Of course I got an actual present for you too, in case you win and because you know how much I appreciate you.” The policeman breathed into his ear and the politician really asked himself if the other always hugged people like that and whether he was aware or unaware of where his hands were.

 

“Thank you Police Commander.” The politician said when the man in uniform had let go of him, nodded but kept standing there, treating Kario as though he didn’t exist. And while Ashfield had thought that the next time he’d see the man would be weird after that incident, he hadn’t thought it’d be quite as weird.

 

Luckily a befuddled Jason was reappearing. On the second look his tie was crooked, his hair looked out of place, what it normally never did and he seemed out of breath though. “Holy shit! Never again! Governor!” the drunken man exclaimed and Mahler looked at him questioningly. “What happened?” Devon asked rather concerned. “What happened?” the hair and make-up artist repeated dramatically. “I just got sexually assaulted by Ida James. That is what happened. That bitch is crazy! Totally insane! She’s constituting public danger for everyone! She’s a threat to national security!” he busted out, cursing and took a deep breath and continued to talk like a waterfall, a drunken waterfall. “As you recommended I told her she needed a make-over and she seemed interested, wanting me to help her out right here. So we went to her hotel room and I told her I needed my stuff to do her hair. So I was getting it and when I returned, and had closed the door behind me Ida was buttnaked and basically jumped me. I was confused; I asked her what she was doing and she blabbered something about that we both knew what I had meant with ‘make-over’ and when I insisted that ‘make-over’ had really meant make over, that I didn’t want to get intimate with her and that she shall put her clothes back on and stop this, let go of me, she had none of that. That cow placed my hand at her urgh, pulled my tie, shoved her hand into my pants and grabbed my cock and pressed her lips onto mine. I pushed her away, called her a lunatic and here I am!” the man explained and Ashfield was searching for words when the Police Commander already spoke.

 

“Now I’ve got her!” he triumphed, a grin on his thin lips. “Your birthday is surely a fortunate day.” He told Devon and then turned to Jason. “Not that I don’t think it is absolutely horrible and disgusting what happened to you.” He quickly added and then he was back at his victorious speech again. “Be assured, I will take her down. She’ll rot in some disgusting prison cell and the world will know just how much of a reprehensible hypocritical cunt and criminal she is. I promise you that my friend.” Mahler told him as he finally could make Ida James fall. He had wanted to lock her up and see her rot in a cell ever since she had defamed his nephew and his police department. Had written insulting articles against the police, had publically slandered the police force and the governor after the riot in their city had taken place. She had even called the rage and violence of the protestors justified and a result of the polices’ practices. How the Police Commander had cursed and hated her, how he had searched for anything that would justify persecuting her and now he finally had something and he got evidence for it, that evidence was Jason.

 

Jason, who hadn’t even noticed Mahler beforehand and whose cheeks turned slightly rosy when he turned around to face the man. “It’s the sexy police officer. Hi!” the drunken man winked and then sighed. “I need another drink… and a shower.” He then said but the Police Commander was protesting:”No! I will call my colleagues, they will arrest Ida James and you will testify. And you will let the hair this way, the tie too, even the sipper of your trousers. Did she leave any marks?” he wanted to know. “She left a scratch on my crotch I think. And she did this disgusting thing with my hand that I’d only be able to talk about over a bottle of rum and with the help of puppets.” The hair and make-up artist said and the Police Commander nodded, and then guided Jason away from the group. “I will get justice for you my friend. And everyone else who got ever wronged by Ida James. She is a reprehensible, gross person.” He declared. “I would already be happy with a drink. And if you accompanied me today. Watching movies on the sofa and snuggling.” The man who was too drunk to be aware of what he said stated. “First we bring Ida to justice, then, I’ll grant you whatever wish you may have.” The Police Commander declared before he handed Jason over to the guy from ICE, telling him that they would finally bring down left-wing, feminist journalist Ida James what confused Jason because he didn’t see why he was brought to ICE. He looked at the guy from head to toe and the tall, muscular man from ICE looked back at him. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re freaking hot too but I am not an illegal immigrant and neither is Ida James.” The man chuckled. “That’s true. But I hate Ida James as much as the next guy. She ran a smear campaign against my agency a while ago so I gladly help until the colleagues from the police force managed the situation with Miss James. Do you want a gin tonic ?” he invited Jason.

 

“I feel bad for having told him to distract her.” Devon told Kario, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I mean, I knew she was a twat and had some inane political believes but I didn’t think she was a sex offender.” The governor spoke a little overwhelmed but trusting the Police Commander to handle the issue professionally and get her arrested and convicted.

[Sathenus]

The immediate response he got from Devon made Kario instantly look down a frown on his face, not being able to understand why he was acting like that. The older man had told him he wanted him to make friends who belonged to this crowd, who were successful and going places, didn't that perfectly describe Lukasz? He had thought that it did, and was truly confused why Devon would then treat the only other person here his age in such a manner. What he said after though made him feel as though he had just been stabbed in the heart, like he couldn't be trusted and it made him feel like he had done or behaved in a manor that had been unacceptable. "Of course not! We were just having a friendly conversation. He's... a nice guy." Kario replied feeling upset himself that Devon would even say that.

 

The deep laugh that had broken through the silence that followed made his dark eyes move to Jens who had apparently been there the whole time. Kario couldn't bring himself to be upset though because he was taking his side in this and told Devon that Lukasz was straight and hadn't been hitting on him. This made Kario feel a bit better knowing that there was a witness to this and that he hadn't done anything wrong, neither of them had. Talking wasn't a crime and he still couldn't understand why Devon had behaved like he had or immediately assumed that the younger man had any such intention. Devon didn't seem to believe him though insisting that the younger man had been hitting on him which only made Kario want to roll his eyes, a reaction he barely managed to fight off.

 

Jens wasn't finished coming to his rescue though and went on this huge thing about Lukasz and his childhood up to who he was today, and while his childhood had seemed to be difficult he had turned out extremely well after all. Even if a little nerdy, that was something even Kario could appreciate in a sense. Though technology definitely wasn't an interest of his own it was an industry he did not see going anywhere but up, getting more and more advanced. Drawn from his thoughts though his eyes landed on Jens again, still glad that someone was able to see that Lukasz wasn't a bad guy and hadn't done anything wrong, at least not to him or tonight. What he did any other time and how he conducted himself was of no interest to Kario. Jens comment about keeping him locked in a golden cage made a soft blush appear on his face, though he didn't want to agree or disagree since this really was the first time Devon had behaved in this manner he really hoped it wouldn't turn out to be like that. He had been locked away so much as it was already, and he really wanted to branch out and make friends. Friends he could be proud of and who would keep him moving in a positive direction. His dark gaze moved up finally to meet Devon's, wondering how often he would need to worry about this behavior and how he would handle it on his own when there was no one around to set things straight.

 

Devon didn't seem to want to focus on his actions though and instead turned it around on Jens asking him how he knew all of this about the man to begin with. Jens, of course, was quick to come to his own defense and explained reasonably why he knew all of this and what else he had learned about Lukasz. Kario felt like it made sense that he would end up with Andrew Ashfield then, because his options seemed to be quite limited by immediately turning down any offers from non-English speaking countries. What he didn't agree with was Jens telling his boyfriend that he had succeeded in once again making a complete idiot out of himself. That was being a bit harsh and going a bit to far as far as Kario was concerned, and he was sure the look that crossed his face stated he clearly did not agree with Jens choice of words for Devon's behavior and how he had just jumped to conclusions. It seemed he wouldn't have to worry about him saying anymore though since Jens promptly excused himself to get a beer leaving the two of them alone.

 

They were only alone for a minute when he heard Devon say he was sorry, Kario's gaze instantly locking with Devon's again as the blonde told him that he didn't mean to ruin this opportunity to make a friend for him and that he'd make it right. "I'm more hurt that you think I would defend someone who was hitting on me or found him charming than your behavior." Kario admitted wanting to be completely honest. That was the part that had hurt the most, and he was still hurt that Devon had thought that and come to that conclusion. "I was just doing what you said... trying to make friends with successful people... but also someone my own age." He added much quieter this time as his gaze fell to his hands. He really did hope that Devon somehow managed to make this right, because he felt like he really could be friends with Lukasz when given a real chance.

 

Still, he was happy to take the chance to be close to Devon and rest his head on the blonde's chest. Feeling his boyfriend running a hand through his hair as they both just seemed to take this moment for them. Kario allowing his eyes to drift shut for a moment before he was mentioning his own idea for cooking for Devon. Laughing when the older man expressed that it would be more of a midnight snack, "That's true! Which is all the more reason to make something simple and light!" he eagerly replied. A bright smile on his face now that they were focused on something much more positive and interesting. "You'd say that anyway just because it's from me." He mused after his boyfriend expressed he was excited for his gift and how he knew it would be the best gift of all. Feeling like he felt that way just because they were together, but he wanted to believe it was true all the same.

 

It was with a slightly suspicious look that Kario was eyeing the police commander when he approached them. Watching how he interacted with his boyfriend a frown appearing on his face as he was quite clearly ignored, it wasn't like he was all that happy to see him either but at least he wasn't pretending that the police commander didn't exist even if it probably would have been a smart option. As the hug seemed to go on a little too long Kario cleared his throat as if to indicate that enough was enough with all the touching, without outright coming out and telling them to split it up. Who Devon hugged was his business after all, but he was aware that the police commander had flirted with and tried to get with Devon despite being with him, even going so far as to try to convince Devon he was a bad person. That was where Kario had to draw the line, he would never do anything to hurt his boyfriend and wouldn't allow anyone to convince the politician that he was.

 

The distraction that came was unexpected and even a worried and concerned look crossed Kario's face at the disheveled appearance of a drunk Jason who seemed almost as frantic as Clarence had been the day he had been freed from the brothel and the old man had run from the press with barney all the way back to the room where he had been with Devon. What Jason told them was incredibly shocking and he was sure it showed on his face, first of all that poor Jason had just experienced that but also that anything like that would occur here of all places. At such a party and when the poor make-up artist and hair stylist had been drunk and clearly not in his right frame of mind to begin with. For once, Kario could feel himself liking the police commander but only because it benefited Jason who clearly needed it even if the drunk man seemed to be a little too into the police commander tonight.

 

When the two had left to take care of matters and Jason was taken to another man Kario's attention was once more grabbed by Devon who was speaking. "It's not like you could have known she would do that to him." He instantly replied not wanting Devon to feel guilty or blame himself for what had happened. It was completely beyond his control and no one would have thought such an event would have unfolded. Slipping his hand into his boyfriend's he smiled up at him, "He's in good hands now."

 

Kario was enjoying being able to talk to Devon knowing that the police commander was well occupied and he would not have to worry about the man for the rest of the night. But what made matters even better was when he noticed his parents, instantly perking up even more considering he had not seen them since he had visited them that day with Devon and Michalski. "Let's go say hi!" Kario eagerly encouraged this time pulling Devon along to greet his parents instead of being pulled along by the older man. He was happy and excited especially since it meant he wasn't so out of place anymore and could always fall back on his parents whenever he was left alone by Devon who would need to continue to greet and visit with the guests.

 

"Mom! Dad!" Kario happily greeted them not being surprised that his mother instantly swept him up into a hug, though this time not quite as suffocating as the day he had been reunited with them. His father on the other hand was much happier to give a small friendly hug versus the long loving one of his mother. She insisted on giving Devon a hug as well wishing him a happy birthday and how they were both hoping for a positive outcome for him in the election. This meant a lot to Kario since he knew his parents weren't big fans of any politician but had probably made even more of an attempt to ensure they had gone out to vote since their son was now dating one of the candidates for governor. Kario watched as Kaine was happy to just shake Devon's hand wishing the man a happy birthday as well with a friendly smile, being much more accepting of the man during this meeting than he had their first encounter.

 

Enid was more than happy to start fussing over Kario, particularly about how long his hair was getting and how it needed to be trimmed as well as how thin he continued to be. The dark haired man complaining and telling her now was not the place or time to fuss and that he couldn't help it if he had a fast metabolism and was thin. Not to mention he mentally argued that Devon liked his body just the way it was and didn't seem to remotely mind that he was definitely more on the thin side. Kaine on the other hand was focused on his son's boyfriend, "I definitely hope once this whole election is behind us and your return to your busy life as governor that it won't mean we won't get to see you two." It was clear that even he had no doubts that Devon would be re-elected and be governor once the whole thing was over once more. But what was more important was that when Devon's life became busy again that it wouldn't mean he would lose his son again. Having just got Kario back, not to mention a third son in Devon even if the man was his own age. It was easy to put that aside when he saw how happy the man made his son, and Enid was always more than happy to fuss over the two of them as though Devon was her own as well.

 

Something she immediately ended up doing when she had finished with Kario straightening the man's tie and reminding him to make sure he took a moment for himself once in awhile as she could only imagine how stressful today could be. Being his birthday and election day it had to be quite straining on the emotions. "You two look absolutely dashing together." Enid commented with a loving smile as she looked between the boys. Though when Kario had been distracted by his father this time Enid gave Devon a loving smile before she spoke, "We got you a gift for your birthday of course, but it's one that I insist you wait to see until you're home. Mainly because it's more of for the two of you than just you." She said patting Devon's arm lightly. She had thought long and hard about what to get the governor and though they didn't have the money to go out and get an expensive gift she did have the time and resources to make one, or two that she felt would be just perfect for the two of them while also as a sign of their full blessing for their relationship. Something she felt they didn't get to express entirely when they had met.

[-Hideki-]

A deep sigh came from him when Kario truthfully said that he couldn’t possibly have known that Ida James would assault Jason. “I know. But I still feel bad about it.” He commented. “Having to see Ida naked must have been an incredibly traumatic experience already.” The blond man assumed but it didn’t really lighten up his mood to joke about the woman’s looks. “I mean we all knew she was a hypocrite with terrible double standards. But this? Do you know that she was one of the first journalists to accuse me of sexually exploiting you? She called me a ‘prime example of a disgusting rapy old white man’; she generally called men rapists all the time and even called looking at a woman’s arse sexual assault. But apparently it’s okay in her fucked up crazy mind when women grope and assault men.” Devon rambled the whole situation seeming a little surreal. “I definitely need to get something for Jason and visit him at home, look how he’s doing soon. You can accompany me if you want to.” The blond said and nodded when his boyfriend remarked that the hair- and make-up artist was in good hands. “No doubt about that. The police will handle it. I absolutely trust Police Commander Mahler and our police force. They always do an excellent job.”

 

Devon was deep in his thoughts somewhere between feeling bad because of Jason, hating Ida James even more than he already had although he had not deemed that possible, remembering the awkward situation in his office with the Police Commander that had left him aroused back then, how he had made an idiot out of himself in front of his boyfriend just now and had to find a way to make it up to Lukasz Kowalski and how he wished that something embarrassing would happen to Jens Benninghofen, just once, when his hand was suddenly grabbed and he was pulled into the direction of the entrance, losing the orientation for a moment. “Huh!” he made, looking were Kario was heading, seeing that his parents had arrived, what made a slight smile appear on his face.

 

The smile grew when he saw how Kario’s mother was hugging him tightly again and how happy the black haired man was to see his parents. He hadn’t seen it coming that the man’s mother would hug him too and had reached out his hand but he happily embraced her hug, feeling glad that she apparently liked him, since the other man’s parents seemed to be quite authentic and honest people. When his lover’s mother hugged him, it seemed real, much less theatrical than what his own mother had done when he had first arrived. He took both of Enid’s hands between his and thanked her wholeheartedly when she wished him a happy birthday and expressed that she hoped for a positive outcome for him tonight, what was a lot more than he had hoped for. He had only dared to hope that they might accept or even only tolerate him as Kario’s boyfriend considering that he was their own age and all. “I’m truly glad you could arrange it. It means a lot that you two are here today.” He expressed.

 

It was amusing how concerned Kario’s mother was with the other man’s hair and weight but he soon got into a conversation with the young man’s father who seemed a lot more positive about Devon than the first time they had met. The man apparently worried that Ashfield’s schedule might get in the way of them seeing their son and the politician could understand that. “Of course not! We will find enough time to invite you over and to visit together. And regardless of which career path Kario will end up choosing for himself there’s always a car with a driver ready for him to take him everywhere he wants so even when there is an emergency and Rome is on fire and I can’t possibly leave the office and barely find any time to sleep for a while, like back when those unholy riots happened, he can still always visit you or you can drop by the mansion, you’re always welcome.” He assured him with a friendly smile, just pretending that he’d certainly win, because a politician doubting his own victory didn’t look good at all.

 

“Thanks.” Devon smiled widely when Enid let them know that she found that they looked dashing together. And when Kaine talked to his son Kario’s mum turned to him and let him know that they had a gift for his birthday too. “That’s sweet, I really appreciate that.” he let her know when she told him that she insisted he’d open it at home as it was for the two of them rather than for him alone. “I promise.” The governor assured her. “There is no time to open gifts at those parties anyway, so I usually open them the other day but I will make sure to open yours tonight, right after Kario gave me his present.” He promised her with a wink that their present would be the second one and thus was of special importance to him, lightly patting her arm.

 

“Devon honey!” he heard the voice of his mother and remembered his own parents. And that his parents could both run into Kario’s during the party and the high-pitched voice sounded like the gates of hell suddenly opening. “Yes.” Devon answered and he felt his mother grabbing his arm, placing herself next to him trying to smile at Kario’s parents as much as the botox god allowed. “Well, who are your guests darling, won’t you introduce us?” she urged him, opening the fan she held in her hand that matched her whole stars and stripes attire. “Yeah, sure, sorry.” Ashfield complied feeling like he’d much rather not introduce them. “These are Kario’s parents Enid and Kaine.” He told her and then turned to Kario’s parents:” And this is my mother Devlin.” The billionaire let them know and the small, petit woman in the patriotic rococo dress made a step forward, reaching out her gloved hand. “I’m soooo pleased to finally meet you!” she said and shook their hands one after the other, her golden eyes subtly checking them head to toe, focussing especially on what they were wearing.

 

“I am so glad that our boys found each other. They are a perfect couple. Kario is such a lovely and well mannered young man, he’s a treasure. You must be really proud of him as well. And he’s so incredibly beautiful but so humble at the same time. We had a wonderful time together, shopping and at the hair-dressers.” She rejoiced and Devon wished she would stop talking but he knew she would not. “I hope you didn’t have a hard time getting here. How do you like our little hotel? And the assemble in the hall!? I designed it. Aren’t those ice sculptures terrific! Every good party needs an eye-catcher doesn’t it? And they are certainly really elegant. And you can get to know the Ashfield family by looking at them as well.” she joked and laughed and Devon kept himself from sighing and rolling his eyes when his mother had perfectly managed to make it about herself again. “My husband suggested if we’d get ice sculptures they should portrait the great history of the Ashfield family and now one can read all about all of Devon’s wonderful ancestors on the small golden plates in front of the sculptures. Isn’t that lovely!?” she found but she wasn’t finished yet. “It’d be an absolute pleasure if you’d be our guests at our family’s Thanksgiving dinner in our mansion this year. It would be fabulous if you’d manage to arrange it.” she invited them. “And don’t be surprised, our mansion isn’t a reptile zoo, it’s just my husband’s hobby. He’s a bit eccentric sometimes.” She whispered, looking as she did, and tried to wink, what didn’t work with her puppet face either anymore, as though she was telling them some family secret.

[Sathenus]

"But... you weren't raping me..." Kario replied not understanding how anyone could make that sort of accusation. Not to mention he didn't feel like Devon had been sexually exploiting him either, and was sure that those who still remained at the brothel didn't feel that way about their clients. Though near the end Kario wasn't happy at the brothel and regretted joining he always had consensual sex with his clients, they had his consent and never once was he taken without it. Even if there had been times in the beginning that it had been unwanted, it had always ended in him giving full consent. "Not to mention I think of you as anything but old." He mused with a small smile appearing on his face, not finding that the politician was the 'prime example of rapey old white men' like she had apparently said he was. "Sure, I'll accompany you." Kario instantly said when Devon said he should get something for Jason and check in on him to see how he's doing soon. Just giving a nod when Devon told him that he absolutely trusted Mahler and the police force, not commenting on it since there were things he absolutely didn't trust about them but they had handled that before once already. Especially since Mahler seemed to have a problem with him and thought he would end up hurting Devon, which still really upset him. Especially since he wasn't going to do anything to hurt the blonde, all he wanted to do was make the other man happy and give him whatever he could.

 

"Of course, it was so nice of you to invite us. We wouldn't miss it." Enid replied with a warm smile. She was more than happy to have come and even if it had taken her awhile to get Kaine to get ready they had gotten out the door and here. Her husband definitely wasn't one for a bunch of people but the governor had been so kind to invite them and she was going to make sure they had both arrived. Turning her attention to her son she had to tell Kario how long his hair was and how he should get it trimmed at the very least, making the younger man blush and complain that she was babying him and there were people around to see it. That didn't stop her from doing it though, instead she looked him over and made sure his clothes were nice and in order, wanting her boy to be presentable around so many important people reminding him to use his manners and behave himself.

 

"Good to hear. Family is important to me, and my family." Kaine said his eyes moving to his wife and son. Kario's face was a bright red but he was allowing his mother to fix his hair and make sure that he was presentable by her standards and not just anyone elses. This caused a loving smile to appear on Kaine's face as he watched the pair, his family meant everything to him and having Kario back in his life had made him the happiest he had been in years. Having thought he had truly lost him and would never see him again to suddenly having him back made spending every moment he could with his family all the more important. "The same goes for you of course." Kaine said turning his attention back to Devon now, "I know our part of town isn't as grand as you're used too, and it may not make you feel all that safe but don't be afraid to stop by. Not always with my son either, you're welcome anytime, with or without him." Kaine offered. He wanted the boyfriend of his son to feel welcome at their home, and though he had not felt that way when he had originally visited by the end of the visit he had been far more accepting of things.

 

Even if he wasn't the happiest that a man his own age was with his son, Kario seemed happy, and they both seemed to care for each other. That meant Kaine could put some of his own feelings aside if it meant that his son could continue to be happy, but he certainly wouldn't be as easy to convince if things went south between them. His attention as well as Kario and Enid's was grabbed when a voice broke out though calling the governor's name. Kario was used to the blonde's mother at this point and just stood between his parents who seemed a bit curious about the woman who was clearly looking them over. Kario was hoping that she wasn't analyzing them too much, having thought his parents had dressed up quite well for the occasion considering this was not something either of them were used to and it had been rather short notice that they had been invited.

 

Kario watched as his mother was the first to accept her hand trying to get a feel for the situation, but his boyfriend's mother was soon speaking again and he felt his face flushing when she was complimenting him in such a manner. Telling his parents that he was lovely and well mannered, not feeling like it was something that needed to be praised it really was just how he had been raised. His mother though seemed happy to hear that he had made a good impression on his boyfriend's mother and was quick to say so. "I'm definitely glad to hear Kario has been behaving and made such a good impression." The smile on her face made it clear she was genuine in saying so as well, always happy to hear one of her children being praised considering the son she had at home who she definitely did not hear praises about. "Oh no! It was quite easy." She was quick to say. Not having had a hard time getting there at all, even if they didn't drive they had a nice person in the neighborhood who had been more than happy to give them a ride.

 

At the mention of the hotel Enid was happy to say it was quite lovely and a really beautiful building, "It's quite gorgeous what you've done with it." Enid agreed. Though Kario felt like it was more of his mother being friendly than because she truly found the decor gorgeous but he was not going to say anything about it. As they were discussing the ice sculptures Kario's gaze moved to his boyfriend and he gave him a curious look, and though his father pretended to be into the conversation as well, he doubted that the man was truly interested but wanted to seem friendly as well. Then came the big question he and the blonde had already discussed once, the man's mother inviting his parents to Thanksgiving in their mansion. Kario wanted to object somehow, try to say his parents had plans or something but nothing came out and instead his gaze just remained on the blonde's wondering what his parents would say to such an invitation.

 

It turned out his mother had no problem accepting it and seemed to do so happily, "We'd be honored to come. It's quite nice of you." Enid replied. A soft laugh escaped his mother when Devlin told her that her husband was a bit eccentric sometimes and Kario knew that Devon would have been quick to say his mother was as well. But he wanted to avoid such a thing, but he had no idea how to pull his parents away from her and had a feeling any attempt he made would ultimately fail so he figured while they were occupied with her he could at least occupy his boyfriend and keep Devon from saying anything that would potentially upset his mother. "I think our moms have hit off." He mused even if his own mother might have been doing so just to be friendly he didn't know for sure. Maybe the two would really get along great? Kario had no idea but as long as it appeared at least to others that they got along and liked each other he could deal with any dislike or hatred they had of each other in private where it was out of the eyes of everyone else.

[-Hideki-]

“Of course not.” Ashfield agreed. “But what do you expect from a woman who says stuff like ‘All men are rapists’ and ‘We need to teach men not to rape’?” the blond man asked the other. “I wasn’t surprised about her defaming and slandering me.” Devon let his lover know. He had indeed not been surprised. And it wasn’t the first time Ida James had slandered him and insulted him. There also was a reason as to why she had come to his Election Party to report and not gone to Claris Miller’s. She had hoped that she could get her hands on some dirt to throw into the direction of the governor and the Ashfield family.

 

“I’m sure that Jason will be happy if you accompany me and pay him a visit as well.” the blond was glad to hear that the other would accompany him to Jason and he genuinely thought the man would appreciate it. “Do you know something one can bring as a present instead of filled chocolates? Something without carbs?” He asked since he had been planning on giving the hair- and make-up artist one of his expensive wines and some sweets and then he had remembered that the other didn’t eat carbs.

 

 

 

 

Devon Ashfield was way too touched by how Kario’s parents treated him as though he belonged to his family. They were like the family he had always wanted. A family to whom family mattered, who loved their son unconditionally and they were welcoming towards him. And when the black haired man’s father said that he too could always visit them, even alone, this was enough to create an impulse within him that wanted to hug Kario’s father but Ashfield knew very well how to fight such weird impulses. Him hugging the other now would also show what he had always lacked as a kid, a teen and a young adult back then. Not to mention how embarrassing it would have been and how he might have ruined things with the young man’s parents – who even were his age - especially with his father because he would appear like a pathetic needy weakling, as his own father would have put it. “Thank you Sir! It means a lot.” He stated instead, staying composed, with a charming smile.

 

That nice bubble the group had been in busted when his mother appeared and the retired lady didn’t only manage to make it about herself, she also invited Kario’s parents to their Thanksgiving shitshow what the blond had already feared. And as Kario had predicted his mother accepted and there was no way to prevent this event from taking place. Maybe his parents would invite some business friends over, maybe Olga’s father again, or his father’s bookkeeper’s family the McNeals, then he could place as many people between his father and Kario’s family as possible … who would then have a Russian oligarch as a conversation partner… or McNeal or worse, McNeal’s brainless wife Bethany.

 

His boyfriend interrupted his plotting and Devon turned his head towards him while his mother was telling Kario’s from the last fashion week in New York to inform her how many famous and great designers she was acquainted with. Ashfield raised his eyebrow unbelieving when the young man told him that he thought their mother’s were hitting it off. “You really think so?” he asked. The governor doubted it. “Don’t you just think that your mother is just too kind to tell mine that she’s obnoxious?” the billionaire guessed. One thing was for sure Kario’s mother didn’t play the game. The game he had always seen his mother and his friend’s mothers play since he had been in kindergarten. Bragging about their wealth, their experiences, their connection, their husbands achievements and connections, showing off what they got and trying to always stand in the spotlight.

 

Then Devon nearly startled when a large and strong hand was smacked onto his shoulder. “Why is there no beer Ashfield? What kind of political event is this if it doesn’t serve beer? They gave me this pussy-soda!” Jens Benninghofen complained holding up a glass of champagne. Ashfield’s mother who had her ears everywhere chimed in. “This was me honey! I told them not to serve beer. I just find beer drinking people extremely unfashionable and not classy at all.” She chirred and Benninghofen looked at her as if he was a religious person who had to fight the urge to call her a heretic right now.

 

Whether it was Jens’s willpower or the simple fact that his mother didn’t give him any opportunity, he didn’t say anything to it and found himself pulled to the side of Devlin Ashfield who presented him to Kario’s parents as though her husband’s business friend was a piece of jewellery. “This is Jens Benninghofen! He owns a long-standing steel empire and his family and ours are friends since a very long time. My husband was already friends with his father.” She told them. “Jens is from Berlin.” she said further and Jens Benninghofen raised his eyebrows confused. “No. I live in Hamburg.” He corrected and Devon’s mother was not amused at all. “Yes, yes, but you’re originally from Berlin.” It was nearly a threat that she hissed there. “No. From Essen.” Benninghofen answered. And Devlin let out a fake laugh. “From Essen, yeah, I forgot. Don’t they say about Essen that it is the Paris of Germany.” She said and Jens looked at Ashfield’s mother as though he was asking himself what drugs this woman was on. “No. It’s more like your Rust Belt with one mansion district. It was known for coal mining, steel, manufacturing. Heavy industries. Nowadays it’s mostly known for poverty.” The man once more corrected and Devlin looked incredibly displeased. Rust Belt equivalent and coal mining weren’t fashionable or impressive at all.

 

To overplay that faux pas Devon’s mother resulted to other means. “Devon and Jens know each other since childhood. They always played with each other when our families visited or when we were on vacation together; they were the same age and they were really close it was adorable. Like when we were at the cruise and they played tag.” Devlin told them and she really thought that because she hadn’t cared much about what had been up in Devon’s life back then at all. And Ashfield knew she just told all of this to show her lifestyle. The business trips, the international relations, the luxurious cruise but the blond really didn’t like where this story telling was going and feared something embarrassing would be told about him somewhere along the way. “Devon took it so seriously that he screamed so dreadfully when he ran away from Jens.” She said and there they were, at the embarrassing stuff. “Because Jens had stolen living lobsters out of the board kitchen and wanted to put them into my pants to see what would happen. We weren’t playing tag. I was running for real.” He defended himself and Jens laughed. “Hah, yeah, I remember. Good times.” And Devon’s face clearly said that he had never thought about spending time with Jens as good and he had avoided him like the plague while the one he had actually been incredibly close to had been Sven.

 

Devlin however wasn’t finished. “Or when he stayed over at their place for the first time alone when my husband and Jens’s father went on a business trip together and I had stayed at home because I had an important case – I was a lawyer, a top lawyer actually. Jens’s grandmother told me that my little boy got so scarred of the bedtime stories she translated for them while reading that he later after she had wished them a good night ran out of the room and sneaked into the bed of Jens’s elder brother Sven clinging onto him because he was so terrified. I never heard a kid getting scared of kid’s books before but apparently Devon was just a sensitive one and Sven was really caring about him, it was so sweet.” She told Kario’s parents and not only they could hear it, Kario had heard it as well.

 

“Those weren’t normal bedtime stories.” The blond explained to Kario’s parents and especially Kario himself. “All the kids died and got mutilated in them and there were pictures illustrating how they died or got mutilated. One got warned by the mother that if he’d suck his thumbs a tailor with a giant scissor would come and cut his thumbs off, he sucked on them when the mother was gone and the thumbs were cut off, the other got told to not play with fire, she did and burned until only ashes were left, one kid didn’t want to eat his soup but the parents didn’t make him something else so he starved to death in consequence of refusing the soup, a group of kids made fun of a black child, then a mage with a giant ink pot came, threw them into the ink pot, colouring them and the ink would never wash off again, another of those kids nearly drowned in a lake, the stories were just horrible… “ the politician defended his scared kid self. “Who would even read something like that to their little kids?” he argued.

 

“Every kid got read those bedtime stories since 1845 and no one made a fuss about it. You’ve just always been way too soft and easily terrified and thus that picture book scared you Ashfield.” Jens said in a snooty way and Devon crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Oh really, did you read those to your kids then? Would you? Should I buy them this book as a present for their birthday! I think it’s available online somewhere.” The blond suggested. “Are you bonkers? Keep that book away from my kids. I won’t ever read something to my children that was written to achieve obedience through fear! We call it ‘black pedagogy’, my grandparents and even my parents to an extend worked with that raising me and Sven and that is definitely not how I want to raise my kids.” Benninghofen admitted. “Oh really? But isn’t it a normal storybook? And wasn’t I not only too soft?” the blond asked because thanks to Sven he knew this was not the case. Sven had comforted him and because Devon had felt embarrassed he had told him that most children found the stories scary and unsettling and that when he had heard the stories for the first time he had not been able to sleep that night and he had developed a fear of fire as kid that he had had to overcome later as a teen. And he had also told him something about his childhood bully Jens. “By the way, Sven told me that your grandma read one of the stories to you after you mocked some kid – because I apparently wasn’t the only one, you were just a bully - and then you panicked because you feared a mage with a giant ink pot would hunt you in the night and dunk you into it. He had to help you smuggle your dog from the garden inside of your room, you would grab a wooden sword and sit on your bed wide awake for a few days and beg him to stay in your room with you and not leave you alone in fear of the mage, not sleeping until you fell asleep in school where your teacher told you that there was no mage with a giant ink pot after you.” Ashfield told Jens and all the other’s around and he really enjoyed it quite a little too much to expose Jens but the face the man made was pure gold. “That is not true.” He hissed through crunched teeth. “I will kill him.” The man mumbled in frustration and it made a satisfied grin cross Devon’s face.

 

“Enough with the childhood stories.” The man from the steel-industry said. Jens then reached out his hand to shake the hands of Kario’s parents. “Anyway, pleased to meet you.” He said. “And what business do you run?” he asked thinking that Devlin must have introduced and somehow – even if terribly – promoted him to Kario’s father for business. “He isn’t a businessman Jens.” Devon let him know and Jens looked at him questioningly. “They are Kario’s parents.” He let him know.

 

Amazement was spreading out on Jens’s face looking at both of them. “Wow.” He expressed. “You accepted all that this well and even came here? You’ve got my respect Sir and Madam! You’re handling this situation incredibly sovereign.” He complemented them. “I’ve got two little kids of my own and I don’t know what I’d do if one of my kids would ever end up in that business. I think I couldn’t deal with it. I’d feel deeply hurt, disappointed and I think desperate too. I don’t even wanna think about it. Can’t even handle the idea of my kids growing up and doing that! Don’t take me wrong I don’t judge, I think everyone can sell whatever they want, even if it’s themselves. But it’s different if it’s the own children you know. I wouldn’t want that. And the media attention, oh boy! I’d sue those networks into oblivion for publishing a photo like that of one of my kids, I’d destroy them. And I honestly could never accept one of my kids then being with one of the clients, much less could I talk to that dude, I’d punch out his teeth, he could call an ambulance. I swear.” The man fired out words like a machine gun. “So kudos to you two!”

 

Devon froze. He went from hot, to cold, to hot, to cold again. He felt like the bridge he had built with the other’s parents had just been burned entirely. He couldn’t breathe! And he couldn’t even be really angry with Jens this time. It might turn out to be the worst thing the younger Benninghofen had ever done to him but it had not been with malicious intent, he had not wanted to harm Devon, he just thought Kario’s parents knew their history, knew that the media had not been lying about the brothel. When Ashfield could think again and not merely stare in shock, he laughed theatrically and slapped his hand onto Jens’s shoulder. “You!? You even punch people because they smoke next to your kid!” what made Benninghofen raise his eyebrow. “Well yes! Whether someone wants to smoke or not is their decision, they are free to do it. But privately and not next to my kids! If they do that they are taking my bodily autonomy and that of my kids away, they are harming my kids and me, our health, and I won’t tolerate that!” he took the bait and Ashfield guided him slowly and discreetly away from Kario’s parents.

 

“You know, Harvey told me he wants to speak to you! It’s important.” Devon lied, Harvey Flint had just been the one person standing at the buffet alone and he would like to have him occupied too but it was the wrong name as it turned out. Jens stopped, in the middle of their group, between Kario, Devlin and Kario’s parents. “No, not Harvey! The guy is the plague. He always acts like total shit, completely arrogant, whenever we’re going on a business trip. He always brags about his sex life and how many women he fucks and once we’re in the …. bar… he gropes all the …. shrimps and … he always takes way too many of the shrimps with him to his room. It’s like he wants to prove something to us or something.” Jens said using bar for luxurious brothel/ strip clubs and shrimps for the whores because he technically wasn’t allowed to say what they did on their business trips and that they paid for their sex trips and whores with money from their businesses and deducted it from the taxes. “And every time he’s with us some of the shrimps complain because he must be into some crazy kind of shit and doesn’t treat them fairly, gets violent sometimes.” He then turned to Kario. “You must know what I am talking about don’t you? Since you too worked a … shrimp… you probably had those kind of clients too.”the blond said and this was when Devon pulled him away.

 

“Harvey just waved you over again. You really should go. How about you then take Harvey and go down to the hotel bar to get yourself some beer huh?” he urged the man, knowing full well that Harvey was unpleasant and that Harvey very much did try to compensate and prove something to the straight men he went on business trips with indeed and he also knew that Kario unfortunately had to experience how he treated prostitutes, what only made him angry on top of the fact that his nerves were a mess and he had no idea what would happen now. What Kario’s parents would do now! Punch his teeth out? Not to mention that he felt incredibly sorry for Kario who had never wanted his parents to know that or at least didn’t want to know if they knew or had believed the media. But now they knew. They could put two and two together. Jens had without knowing informed them that the media hadn’t lied this time.

[Sathenus]

"But... she does understand that women can and have raped before too, right?" Kario asked feeling like this woman thought that only men were capable of or did rape people. That just wasn't the case! Just as he truly felt it was not the case that men couldn't be raped, it didn't work like that either. He sighed softly when Devon told him that he hadn't been surprised about her defaming and slandering him, that didn't make him feel better about it feeling like he could add this to the file with the death threats that his boyfriend got that he wasn't okay with no matter how much they talked about it or how it was handled. Kario didn't want anyone to think of the older man as someone who would rape another person much less do so or to take advantage of and exploit him or others.

 

Hearing Devon tell him that he was sure Jason would be happy if he accompanied him and paid him a visit as well he became quite happy and perked up at the prospect of going to check up on the man and see how he was doing. When Devon asked him if he knew of something one could bring as a present other than filled chocolates he stopped to think about it for a moment. "Without carbs? I don't know..." He admitted giving it some thought before he gave a small shrug and said that they could always try to look it up when they got home tonight while he was making their late night 'snack'. "It's our best shot of finding something to bring him that wouldn't go against his diet, though... maybe he has a sweet tooth that he breaks his diet for once in awhile?" Kario wasn't sure if Jason was that kind of guy but he also didn't feel like the man had to go with a no carb lifestyle to begin with. It wasn't like he needed to lose weight and he felt he looked good enough to not have to worry about it in general.

 

 

 

Kaine truly felt and believed that Devon was good for his son, if for no other reason than the fact that he had brought him back to them. But there were other things he felt he did which was good for him too, and from their first visit he had seen how the two behave together and it really did seem like they cared for each other. As long as his son was being taken care of, and not taken advantage of he could care less about the difference in their ages or the fact that Devon Ashfield was their governor. Kario was in good hands, and as a father all he wanted was to make sure of that and make sure his son was happy. Seeing how it really did seem to have a positive effect on the governor to tell him that he too was welcome to stop by anytime and even without Kario. That made him feel better about offering it, even though he figured that Devon would rather visit with his son then without him he wanted the man to know that the option was there.

 

"Maybe." Kario admitted with a small shrug, "But in the end your mother can show off and boast about her accomplishments and all of her expensive things and wealth while saying them to someone who truly couldn't care one way or the other. My mother doesn't judge by the wealth someone has, or the way they flaunt it, it's by the way they treat others and show compassion. Even if your mother isn't the most compassionate person I really do see them getting along. At least for short periods of time, I don't know about any lengthy interactions." Kario explained. That was just how his mother was, but even if she did not like someone when faced with them she'd act as though they were good friends and let them talk about whatever while she nodded and went along with it. No one would truly be able to know if she liked someone in a public setting, that was just something his mother did. When Devlin Ashfield wasn't around and the four of them were in private they may be able to figure out what his mother thought of his boyfriend's. Until then though all Kario could say was it appeared as though they were hitting it off, even if he knew it was too early to tell for sure if that was genuine or his mother just putting in the effort to keep the peace and not seem rude.

 

He could hear his mother commenting on the things she said, but only with things stating that it sounded lovely or that was quite impressive. Not once did his mother try to list any of her own accomplishments or his father's such games as this wasn't something she played. That and they were from two completely difference income classes, as in his parents were as low as they could probably get without their income being nothing while Devon's parents were probably at the top if not close to it. At least that was how Kario saw their differences, and though he loved Devon to death there definitely were some big differences that still made him incredibly uncomfortable and feel out of place. Drawn from his thoughts he looked up when he heard Jens voice and gave the man a curious look when he seemed thoroughly disappointed that he had not been able to get himself a beer and instead was holding a glass of champagne which he clearly wasn't pleased with. Devlin was stepping in to say she was the one who made sure they were not serving beer tonight and for a moment Kario was sure he and his father exchanged identical looks not understanding why it mattered what the bar did and did not serve.

 

Suddenly Kario saw his boyfriend's mother pull Jens to his parents attention more so than that little exchange already had and Kario instantly wanted to step in but felt it was not his place. So instead he just anxiously watched on not really sure he liked how this was going especially as the older woman continually seemed to get exactly what part of Germany Jens was from incorrect. Groaning inwardly he glanced towards Devon as if half asking him what his mother was trying to do by introducing the man to his parents. It wasn't like his parents need business connections, they didn't even have a business! Hell... Kario didn't think his parents could afford the bus half the time and seemed to walk most places, so this was definitely unnecessary. Well... he supposed it depended on how often he was going to see Jens at such events and figuring that they were all occupied he decided to ask Devon that. "Exactly how often does Jens come to these parties?"

 

Enid however was listening intently to Devon and Jens and a small warm smile appeared at the disagreements about where Jens was from until the man decided to state it clearly himself. "Oh? That does sound quite sweet." Enid commented when Devlin painted the picture of the two being quite close as children and childhood friends. It seemed she didn't have to wait all that long to learn the truth of the game of tag they had played in that particular instance though and she had to admit it was a bit amusing even if she was curious as to why Devlin remembered this one way but the boys remembered it for what it really was. Devon didn't seem to be a big fan of what went on between the two of them as children, and that seemed all to clear to her by how he was responding and the look on his face making her feel a bit bad for the governor. It kind of showed that the parents in these events were preoccupied by something else for whatever reason and that made her wonder if anyone was watching the children at that point but her thoughts didn't show and she didn't voice them either.

 

Devlin seemed to be trying to take the attention again and changed it to bedtime stories instead, this was a bit more interesting to Enid though she felt her heart go out to the governor who had apparently been scared by these stories. Knowing a few unsettling children stories herself she could understand how Devon had probably felt about these stories as a child. A small frown appearing when Devon was quick to tell them to real reason why these stories scared him explaining the stories in a simplified manner and it definitely wasn't something she felt should be read or told to children. Something she noticed Kaine also seemed to not like and feel was not entirely appropriate even if they could understand that the culture and traditions of other countries were entirely different. Kaine had been a protective father though and hadn't even let his kids watch anything remotely scary until they were twelve at least. Even when other parents in their neighborhood or himself as a child had been watching such things from quite a younger age, he did not allow it near his children and always flipped a lid when something spooky even if a harmless story was said anywhere within earshot of them.

 

It appeared that he wasn't the only one though, when Devon asked if he should by the book and give it to Jens children as a present for their birthday after the man had said everyone got read those bedtime stories and no one made a fuss about it only to get a very strong response of to keep that book away from his children. It was easy for Kaine and Enid to see the double standard here, while the man seemed to like to poke fun at Devon and make him look like a scared little kid that was terrified by a children's book he did not want such a book around his own children. It also appeared that Jens too had been scared of these stories when he had been told them for the first time, and it was something that Enid and Kaine both felt was quite understandable and yeah over time as you heard these stories again and again they probably did lose their scariness. That didn't make them any better to be told to generation after generation, just because it was tradition and Jens seemed happy to stop said tradition with his own children. Kario couldn't help but be amused when he saw Jens reaction to the story that Devon got to tell this time, and after everything he had heard about their childhood it made complete sense that his boyfriend wanted to take this chance to turn the tables for once. It had worked though, and they were all now aware of how those stories had actually affected Jens himself, and his decision to keep them away from his children made all the more sense.

 

Jens was suddenly done with the childhood stories now that this event had been made known in front of everyone and instead turned his attention to his parents. Enid and Kaine exchanged glances when the man said he was pleased to meet them just to ask what business they run, Kaine was ready to say he didn't own or run a business but didn't need to as Devon was quick to chime in for them instead. Kaine didn't even care that Devon was answering this for them and bringing attention to the fact that they were Kario's parents something that Devlin had left out when introducing them in the first place and probably should have been lead with instead of trying to show the other man off.

 

A curious and confused look crossed both of their faces when Jens spoke and they exchanged looks but the moment he said that he didn't judge and thought everyone could sell whatever they wanted even if it was themselves Kaine gave Kario a sharp look just as Kario paled considerably. This was a nightmare! Kario felt like he could die especially with the sharp look his father had given him, and he could only imagine how much he had disappointed them at this point groaning softly and putting his face in his hands. "Oh my god..." He murmured feeling this situation getting worse and worse with the more Jens was saying and he was desperately hoping someone would shut him up! But then he had to speak about Devon having been one of his clients and he was sure his face went from pale to a dark red, and he didn't even glance towards his own parents at this point not just embarrassed but complete distress with the whole situation. His anxiety hit hard and he could feel himself just wanting to crawl into a corner and die there.

 

Devon seemed frozen for a moment before he was in motion trying to get Jens to leave them and go to Harvey Flint, and Kario could only imagine what would happen and unfold if that man got anywhere near his parents. His father might have warmed up to Devon quickly but Harvey he would definitely knock out or at least give it one hell of a go. But he was telling himself at least his parents had no idea what kind of people he normally dealt with there and Devon was doing what he could to get Jens to go over to Harvey even if Jens was trying to object. What he said made him want to die even more especially when he turned to him and spoke to him which only made his face get even redder and the look that his father was giving him turned suddenly concerned. Thankfully he did not have to response since Devon once more was quickly ushering him go over to Harvey watching as he was finally on his way and this gave Kario the chance to address his parents at least a little more privately even if this whole situation had taken a much different turn and he didn't want to have the conversation with Devlin here either but it was better now then letting them walk off with this information fresh in their minds.

 

"I didn't want you two to find out this way.... or at all." Kario started knowing his father would not be happy if he continued to lie to them and he wanted to be honest, as honest as he could in a place like this. "How long did you think you were going to be able to keep this from us?" Kaine asked his voice making it clear he wasn't happy right now, but at the same time while he hated what his son had done and finding out that it really was true at this point he wasn't mad or angry with Devon and didn't even spare him a glance because his current emotions were strictly for his son. As much as Enid wanted answers herself right now she felt this was something that needed to be had between her son and husband only so she was quick to turn her attention to both Devon and his mother a small smile appearing. "Well! Devon why don't you show me these lovely ice sculptures I've been told so much about? I'm sure you could tell me more about them than I could learn on a plate!" She said slipping her arm through his and leading him towards one of the nearest sculptures and patting his arm as she did so. "Don't worry about them, but this is a father son moment." She whispered as she lead him away so he wouldn't worry too much. "Kario will seek you out when they have finished." Enid added before she glanced towards Devlin and in an attempt to draw her along with them asked her to tell her more about the fashion in New York while they were heading to the ice sculpture.

 

Kario though wanting his boyfriend at his side knew his mother was doing this for all the right reasons and because of that he sighed and lead his father to a more private spot for them to talk knowing that this had to be done. Though Kario could sense how disappointed of him his father was and how much that knowledge alone was killing him he decided to just be honest about what lead him there despite knowing the option to come home had always been there. "You should have come home if that's what you were facing. Your mother and I always made it so clear that any of you kids were more than welcome to come back if you ever found yourselves struggling or needing a place to go." Kaine said his voice making it clear that knowing this was true about his son was painful. The last thing he wanted to think about was his boy selling his body to other men for money, especially when it all fell down to the fact that it was because he had struggled to support himself. "I never wanted any of you to fall so far that you felt it was necessary to sell your body." It didn't even bother him that Kario had sold himself to other men, it was that he had sold himself at all that bothered him.

 

"I know... but you and mom struggle enough and when I called that day to speak to you guys for the first time in all those years and learned that Rodger had moved back in I felt even sure that my decision had been right. Or... at least better with the knowledge that you guys were supporting him again. Having the two of us back at home only would make things more difficult and... I didn't want to make your lives more difficult." Kario rambled out the reason why, or the main reason. He had never wanted to make his parent's lives more reasonable, he had seriously just wanted to support himself and not feel guilty about his parents struggling to support him and themselves again. Not after he had left and been so sure he could make it on his own, but damn... living on his own had been such a nightmare. But now he had Devon, the most positive thing in his life and someone he loved unconditionally. Kario couldn't see himself falling so far again, or really that far at all, and if he did happen to fall he knew Devon was there to pick him up again. Having that support, having someone who believed in him so much and encouraged him was such a relief, such a nice change that Kario felt he could truly reach for the stars and make it.

 

This was all new territory for him but he decided to tell his father this in the hopes that it would make it so the man who raised him wouldn't turn again the man who loved him and who he loved. "Devon may have been a client... but he's not that anymore. I could care less if the governor was rich or poor, it's how he treats me and makes me feel that I love. I love him, and I've never felt so attached and drawn to anyone. He encourages me to be the best me, to keep moving forward instead of falling back." Kario explained. Seeing the way his father's tension seemed to be fading he came to realize this really was all the other wanted for him, for him to be completely happy. Devon made him incredibly happy, made him happier than anyone or anything before him ever had and it seemed like his father could see that.

 

Kaine certainly could see it, his son had never been so passionate about anything, much less anyone. Even though he was still upset that Kario had no intention of telling them the truth originally, at least he could respect the truth now and come to understand his son's reasoning behind such drastic measures. Even if he still wished Kario had just come home something positive had come from the whole thing and it had lead to his son being happier than ever before. Because of that he could overlook the fact that at one point the governor had paid for sex with his son, and as long as he was reassured that no money was involved in their current relationship then he could rest easily knowing they were together. After giving his reassurance to Kario the two moved to hunt down the others, a bright happy smile on Kario's face now that the initial embarrassment was over and happily talking with his father as they searched for Devon and his mother. Though Kario had warned his father that there was a chance that they could or would end up running into some of his other clients and made the man promise to not start anything. It had been a hard promise and Kaine had not wanted to agree because his son was so important to him but he eventually had. He wouldn't start anything... here.

[-Hideki-]

“She quite obviously doesn’t!” Devon told the other that in Ida James’s fucked up mind it wasn’t rape when women did it to men. “Ida thinks that all women are perfect little angles, always innocent simply because of their gender, who never do anything wrong but are inherently oppressed by an imaginary patriarchy. She probably also thinks that their farts smell like flowers or something but she definitely is of the opinion that women are superior to men and generally better people!” he explained what type of person they were dealing with. “But her crazy bulldyke catlady friend is even worse, she suggested locking men up in some kind of concentration camps with some cars and toys to ‘play with’ for the good of women and society. They are absolutely insane. Even people who sit in a padded cell would call them mental.” Ashfield had to stop himself to not go any further with this rant as his frustration with these type of people and especially the more extreme sort of nutcases like Ida James – who now even turned out to be a bloody sex offender – was about to unload itself and this was not the time nor place for that.

 

 

“Anyway,” he took a deep breath, “don’t bother about what the write and say about me.” He told the black haired. “Try to not let this stuff get to you. I always try although it’s difficult sometimes. I quickly had to learn that after I got voted into office. I had to get used to that. When you’re a politician one political side will hate you and they’ll slander you, they’ll tell abhorrent lies about you and you’ll get plenty of lovely mails send with death threats and insults with the general tenor of:’Get the hell out of here you dumb white piece of shit or I’ll blow your brains out. And fuck your police and the police commander by the way’. After a while, after the first few of them shock you, they get oddly amusing. Always makes my day to read them while drinking my coffee and then forwarding them directly to the police. And when you’re a gay politician you get twice as much ‘love’ apparently since some voters of your own party want you dead then as well, like that action with the printed out Bible verse has demonstrated. People can be incredibly charming can’t they!” he said. “As long as no one actually tries to go through with an assassination or nothing like what happened to a party friend of mine happens to me I’m good I think. Some chick sued him and said he’d have raped him in high-school to end his career. The judge knew he wasn’t guilty and all charges got dropped but the scandal around it destroyed his name, his family and he got nowhere politically anyway after that even though he had never raped anyone. His reputation was just forever burned completely.”Devon told the other thinking back about the man. “He committed suicide a while ago. But it really was that woman who killed him and I wish she would have been punished for what she had done.”

 

 

 

 

 

While his mother was showing off Jens as if he was a specifically exquisite item and Devon watched suppressing the urge to facepalm his lover turned towards him and Ashfield’s golden gaze met dark brown. “More often than I’d want to.” He grunted out the answer to the other lowly after he had asked how often Benninghofen was invited to these types of parties. “My father loves Jens.” Devon told the other disdainfully. “Says they got chemistry, it’s probably just the fact that they are both bloody sociopaths.” The governor explained in a tone filled with absolute bitterness.

 

 

Ashfield felt incredibly sorry and concerned for his boyfriend but even after he had managed to get Jens to finally go to Harvey Flint to not unintentionally make the situation even worse he couldn’t bring himself to reach out to him and take his hand although he would have liked to. There was just that feeling of shame lingering over him. He felt too dirty to touch the other in that moment, not knowing how the people around would conceive him touching Kario – even if he merely took his hand – now that they knew that he had paid the young man to have sex with him. They probably judged his morals and his character already, seeing some perverted rich horny man in him now who thought he could buy himself the world and he also ultimately feared that Kario’s father might actually punch his nose into a pulp if he saw him showing affection and closeness to Kario, his son now that he knew this about him, so his eyes just lay on his boyfriend who seemed anxious and overrun by the situation.

 

 

When his lover finally did speak and the man’s father was asking him how long he had wanted to keep this from them the governor was torn between wanting to have the back of his boyfriend and be there for him and wanting to pull his mother along and give them more privacy to talk this out amongst themselves. The decision however was soon made for him when Kario’s mother was addressing him and before the blond man even knew what she was about to say he managed to bust something out in a remarkable speed while also talking incredibly quietly, nearly a whisper but loud enough for her to hear:”I am terribly sorry and deeply ashamed of myself but I am genuinely in love with your s…” he broke off the sentence because he realised that she had not made any accusations or said a bad word yet and was actually asking him to show her the ice sculptures.

 

A rosy flush was appearing on his pale cheeks as he let the woman guide himself away from the scene. His mother didn’t have to be reminded or invited to join them because she immediately grabbed her son’s free arm and followed along. Devon who knew why Enid was doing that and asked about the ice sculptures and wanted to prevent his mother from talking anymore about the fashion week in New York at the same time was putting on a smile. “I most definitely can. My father taught me our family history incredibly well, fifty-zillion times and that history teacher he had planted into our school after he had demanded the young female teacher all of my classmates were in love with to get fired, happened to also be absolutely thrilled with my ancestors.” He jested although he was still feeling rather weird about the situation, not managing to not think that Kario’s parents saw some rich pimp in him now who had whored around and slept with multiple prostitutes in the past.

 

 

“But I don’t want to spoil my ancestors for you. You’ll have to suffer through that session soon enough if you’ll attend my parent’s Thanksgiving celebration where my father praises our family every year before dinner telling the same story from it’s very beginning to the present with all the details you never wanted to know. Like Carter Ashfield catching the largest fish in town back in the day that still can be admired on the wall in some bar.” He warned the woman about what she was signing up for there.

 

“So I’ll give you the short version. The Ashfields were settlers from England. Back in England my ancestor George Ashfield the third was a salesman and goldsmith and sold jewellery and silver goods. He tried to rebuild that business here but he wouldn’t get to the same wealth with it and it stayed a small business. Hence his offspring was looking for other business ideas, for higher grounds and eventually when the opportunity finally arose one of them bought a shit ton of farmland and a shit ton of workers and sold a shit ton of cotton and got extraordinarily rich.” He summarised as they came to a hold in front of the ice sculpture that showed George Ashfield the third, the Ashfield who came to America, who had been a man with a chiselled jaw, a thick beard, standing in front of a boat, looking straight ahead into his future that he was about to discover, his family, his lady wife and three kids, already on the boat, were happily and cheerfully looking at the party guests, as though they couldn’t wait to finally reach the new world.

 

 

An old slightly hoarse voice was sounding and he could hear great-uncle Cornelius’s walking cane click onto the ground, positioning himself next to Enid, looking closely at the ice sculpture of his ancestor. There was a lively glow coming back into his old, ghostly eyes when he saw it. “George Ashfield the third.” He said melodically. “Came here to be truly free. Us Ashfield’s we’ve got the spirit of freedom and the pulse of liberty in our blood. Every single one of us! That was why my great-grandfather Douglas Ashfield, the third son to Alvin Ashfield, went to fight for us during the Civil War. He saw how they threatened our freedom and he had none of that, let me tell you. The government would not tell his family how to run their plantation.” He paused and Devon was incredibly impressed by how clear he sounded telling them that and how he seemed to remember his great-grandfather and the stories he had told him as a little kid perfectly clearly while he couldn’t tell Devon from his father in the presence and was confused as to which year they currently had.

 

“My great-grandfather and grandfather would always say that we’d be a lot freer as people had we won that war.” He told them. “I think they might have been right.” The old man spoke and then he reached out his arm, past Enid and patted Devon’s forearm with his wrinkled, fragile hands. “That’s why I think that the country needs the free spirit of the Ashfield family. And even though our Andrew is an unholy homosexual – what only god can judge him for – he is still an Ashfield and thus we should all vote for him as our president because he won’t be telling the people how they should run their plantations and businesses. He’d not let the government trample on the people.” He said and Devon who was called Andrew by the other again looked at his great-uncle awkwardly. “Well, that’s … thank you great-uncle Cornelius.” He said, turned to Enid, “That’s my great-uncle Cornelius he’s … ancient.” and then looked around to find his great-cousin anywhere but she was nowhere to see again. “Damn it!” Devon mumbled.

 

“Cornelius! What are you talking about? This is not Andrew, this is Devon and nobody is running for president.” Devlin chimed in and Cornelius looked at her, baffled, shook his head and looked closer again. “And who are you darling? And what happened to your face? Is that some kind of disease going on there?” the old man suspected. And Devlin Ashfield had to bite her rubber boat lips hard. “I’m Devlin!” she screeched obviously offended and absolutely displeased. Cornelius laughed. “No you’re not! Who are you trying to fool? Although I was sceptical at first because she wasn’t from here, Devlin turned out to be a wonderful and extraordinarily beautiful young lady. She was graceful and had the most astonishing smile that would make every man go weak for her. I could see why Andrew fancied her. And it’s a crime that he is leaving that beauty for some man. But maybe the Lord will guide him back onto the rightful path before it’s too late.” The man said. “You on the other hand look nothing like her. You’re looking weird. I’m really sorry for whatever happened to your face. Isn’t there no cure for that? Poor thing.” Cornelius Ashfield found and that was too much.

 

“No one cares about your opinions or your stupid stories. You are a pathetic, repugnant, lonely, senile fossil. You look and smell like you should have been moved to six feet under a decade ago. You were always a pain in the arse!” she yelled at an old sick man because her narcissistic ego couldn’t deal with the attack of her appearance and yearned to destroy the one who talked bad about her looks, no matter if his cognitive ability was decaying and his mind was confused.

 

Devon had tried hard to not let the pain show on his face as his mother’s plastic claws had dug deeper and deeper into the flesh of his arm as Cornelius had spoken and a wave of relieve was coming over him when she let go and the stinging pain would end. Without a word, Devlin turned around and stormed away like a hurricane, mumbling unfavourable things about Cornelius Ashfield, shoving people out of the way, heading into the direction of the ice sculpture that was portraying Cornelius giving it a strong push, stronger than one would imagine the old petite lady who was looking like a plastic doll the age of her own son, was capable of, making it shatter on the ground and getting some guests to jump away, making Devlin mumble a fake “Upps”.

 

 

Cornelius didn’t look like he could make sense of many of it but he disapproved of the scene. “What a bitch. She certainly ain’t from here either.” He said and Devon gave Enid an apologetic look for their behaviour. He had wished that Kario’s parents would have never gotten to know his family… ever but it had been unrealistic from the start. Sooner or later they would have gotten to know the shitfest he called family.

 

“There you are grandpa!” Devon’s great-cousin’s voice sounded and seeing her appearing there now as careless as she did made him want to cause a scene but he of course didn’t do it. “Yes, here he is! And where have you been? I specifically asked you to not keep your eyes off of him and take care of him and not let him just walk around and tell people their faces looked like they got a disease!” Ashfield scolded her in a calm tone of voice and his great-cousin crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Oh sorry, but I had to go to the ladies room. I told grandpa to wait at the bar for me.” She said. “Well, he didn’t stay at the bar did he? We have already seen just how great he listens when you tell him to stay somewhere haven’t we?” the blond man hissed at her and she snorted. “Yeah, right. I obviously couldn’t have taken him with me into the ladies bathroom though could I?” she defended herself. “Yes you could! Why not! You could have taken him with you and left him by the basins. No problem!” he found and his cousin was getting more and more pissed with him. “Don’t be ridiculous. And then I should have had other women yell at me because I brought an old man into the bathroom who told them his world war two stories while they were washing their hands. Splendid idea, I totally see why you got elected governor now.” she barked back at him and Devon’s eyebrows narrowed as he got more and more displeased. “He is more about how great it’d have been if we had won the Civil War today.” Devon corrected her just to correct her about something.

 

His great-cousin however had enough and shook her head, taking Cornelius by the arm. “Come on grandpa, we’re gonna get some snack.” She said but Cornelius was staring at the shattered ice on the ground. When she turned around and followed his gaze she sighed and her face got stern. “What happened to grandpa’s sculpture?” she wanted to know from Devon. “My mother.” He said almost ruefully this time and his great-cousin shook her head. “You know, I always found that your mother was an incredibly arrogant, cold-hearted and entitled twat!” she said and guided Devon’s great-uncle away.

 

Ashfield ran his hand over his face. He already wanted this to be over. He hadn’t even managed to get half of it behind himself, no votes had been counted yet, and this was already tiring in multiple ways, not to mention that he still had no idea if his lover’s father would now absolutely loathe him, if Kario was in trouble now, or if he’d be trying to convince his boyfriend to leave him because of all this. It was an unsettling feeling.

 

 

When he spotted Kario and his father he was relieved and happy to see the man he loved smiling brightly and it made a smile reappear on his own face, creating a spark of happiness within all of the other mess. He waved them over and made a few steps towards them, reaching for his lover’s hand the moment it became possible, giving it a good squeeze. “Is everything alright? I apologise for Jens, even though I didn’t invite him. I never invite him.” He whispered towards Kario, pressing a kiss onto his cheek, hoping he’d still have his teeth in his mouth afterwards.

 

The governor took a deep breath and his golden eyes looked into Kaine’s eyes. “Sir, I am not proud of having visited a brothel. It was the first and last time. But I don’t regret it anyway because had I not gone to the brothel, I wouldn’t have met Kario and I wouldn’t have fallen in love. I… might not be what you have wanted for your son but I love him and I will always treat him like a king. I can assure you that.” he said clearly despite his internal nervousness and the shame he felt for knowing that his boyfriends parent’s knew he had paid for sex with their son at one point.

[Sathenus]

"That doesn't make me feel better or make it easy to not let it bother me." Kario replied when Devon told him about all of the things he dealt with, the lies, slandering and death threats. None of that made him feel better and all of it bothered him. Kario could understand and respect a person's right to like or dislike anyone they pleased, what he could not understand or really respect for that matter was the way they went about vocalizing their dislike or hatred of a person. Especially when that came down to death threats and blatant lies, it made no sense to him and if anything just made him truly concerned about the blonde. Especially at the mention of 'as long as no one actually tried to go through with an assassination' not liking to think that anyone would do so or could be planning to do so. "I just... don't understand why people need to express such hate in any shape or form, it's childish in many ways and just ridiculous in many more." Kario mumbled not liking it but knowing that it would only bother him further if he continued to let it take hold of his mind. So shaking his head he did his best to push it aside, at least until something completely different was brought to his intention and his heart seemed to stop for a moment or two.

 

"She definitely deserves to be." Kario had to agree. Such a lie like that, one that ruined another's life even ending in the cost of a life deserved to be punished. Too many lives were ruined by false accusations, not to mention a number of other things that often lead to suicide. Something that Kario always felt terrible about and had hoped that someone somehow could have offered that person the support they needed to avoid such an end. "I just can't understand why anyone feels the need to ruin another's life, or make someone feel unwanted, hated... or negative in general." He admitted wanting to be honest with that. Though he was sure that Devon was probably already aware of how such things were hard for him to understand. In many ways he had more innocent and loving outlooks on things, and thinking of someone doing harm, physically, emotionally or mentally to another just didn't fit in any of his outlooks.

 

 

 

 

Hearing that Jens was invited to such events more often than Devon wanted him to be made him groan inwardly himself. It meant that there was a chance -and a pretty damn good one apparently- that he'd end up running into Jens frequently whenever they had to attend such events. Even if it wasn't all that pleasant to think about, he tried to ignore it and instead just nodded thinking about how he was going to handle it from this point onward. "I'll just have to try to be prepared next time." He said with a small shrug.

 

 

Giving Devon a small smile Enid pat his arm as they were walking away from her husband and son. "It's okay, and I know you are." She commented on what Devon had managed to get out almost in defense of himself when she had spoke to him. It was clear to her that he truly loved her son, and though she wasn't entirely okay with how they had met at least her son was in good hands and seemed to b e really loved and cared for. That was more important than anything else to her, that and that Kario was happy and he very clearly seemed happy with Devon. It made it easy for her to forgive the man for paying for sex with her son. At least her little boy wasn't in such a situation again and it made sense that it had been so hard for them to find him, as in they never had. He had disappeared completely without a trace because such businesses would not want their workers to be found by anyone, unless it was their clients. But she had her little boy back, and she had Devon to thank for that.

 

"That sounds like an incredibly long story..." Enid admitted when Devon expressed not wanting to ruin his ancestors for her and how his father told the same story from beginning to end with a bunch of details that Devon was sure she never wanted to know. Or was it that even he had never wanted to know them? It seemed as though the governor wasn't all the much like his parents, except for certain parts of his appearance that he got from either parent. "How do you feel about your ancestors, Devon?" Enid asked wanting to know what the blonde thought about them, his own impression and maybe not that of what his parents had taught and tried to drill into him. "Also... I see it's more about your father's ancestors, aren't you the least bit curious about your mother's?" She asked not sure if she had the right to do so but a bit curious. Apparently the Ashfield ancestors were the most important, maybe they had the most success and were important. Enid felt that his mother's ancestors were just as important though, even if not as successful as they were all his ancestors as well.

 

Still Enid let Devon tell her about his ancestors in a shorter version, not wanting to push him to be in depth if he did not want too especially if he was telling her that she'd hear all about it one way or the other at Thanksgiving. Suddenly there was an old and slightly hoarse voice breaking into the conversation, she turned to see an elderly man coming towards them before he was beside her. What he started to tell her did seem quite interesting, and she listened intently to what the older man had to say about his great grandfather before he was continuing with his story adding his grandfather to the mix now. But while he had caught her attention with how he talked about his ancestors he had lost her at saying Andrew and running for president when her attention went to Devon as well knowing very well not only was this not a presidential election but that the other man's name wasn't Andrew and figured that had to be his father as they did look quite similar. Devon was quick to explain to her that the elderly man was his great uncle and that he was ancient making her let out a soft almost silent laugh before she was turning back to the man, Devon seeming to look around for someone.

 

What unfolded next was both shocking and amusing but she managed to hide her amusement at Cornelius thinking that Devlin's face was the result of a disease behind a look of shock. Since it definitely did shock her that he had said that out loud, ancient or not most people would not have been so bold, especially at such an event. The more Cornelius said the more Enid had to admit she was amused but what caught her attention was his description of the other woman before the work she had done and how beautiful she had been, how great her smile was. It made her wonder why the woman had done what she had done to her face if she was already so beautiful. Feeling that the best beauty was of course the most natural and while she was distracted with Cornelius she decided to ask Devon about. "Devon... dear... why did your mother get so much work done? Was it a trend or something?" She wanted to know not understanding why any woman would want to do that for any reason.

 

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted though and what was said to the poor old man made her want to step in feeling like that was entirely uncalled for. Clearly Cornelius was elderly and not completely aware of what was going on and thus had to be treated with more care than that. It was a bit upsetting to her and she had to admit that she was glad when Devlin left even if she had thrown a tantrum and pushed Cornelius' ice sculpture over making it shatter on the floor. Suddenly a new voice was breaking through the room and she turned to see another woman this one was actually looking for the old man.

 

"I must say... even I'm entirely surprised by your mother's behavior. He's a harmless old man after all." Enid said softly as she stared at the shattered ice a little longer before turning her gaze to Devon and giving him a small smile patting his arm gently. "Try to relax, it'll be over before you know it." She could see his stress and how he was probably wishing this whole night was over with already. What a way to spend ones birthday. Suddenly she was hoping that Kario had some sort of plan to make his birthday better after this party was over and the two of them had returned him, she deeply hoped so.

 

It wasn't more than a couple minutes after all of this had unfolded that Kario and Kaine had made a reappearance and were heading towards them when Devon motioned them over. Kario was beaming happily when Devon reached for his hand the moment he was in arms reach and he was more than happy to take it and take his place beside him. "Everything is fine, Love. Jens meant well... even if I should have probably taken the chance to warn him sooner. I just didn't think he would mention it to them." Kario admitted with a slightly sheepish smile but he was being entirely honest as well. He had talked things over with his father and sure there had been a small argument but it had been over him not coming home, not over him being with Devon. Kaine had been able to see his son was happy and loved, and that was the most important thing to him, not where or how they had met.

 

Devon turning to him meant Kaine met his gaze head on and listened to what he had to say without interrupting. When Devon had finished he waited a moment just watching the politician before he spoke, "The way you met my son certainly wasn't ideal. I don't like thinking that anyone has paid for sex with him, and I will never believe he made the right decision. But I can see that he loves you, and that you love him. All I want for my son is for him to be happy, and you clearly make him happy. So... I can look past the fact that you once paid him for sex and that you had been a client. As long as you treat him well." Kaine expressed wanting to just get that out of the way now while it was in front of him. "What I said before still stands, alone or together you're always welcome to stop by." This was important, something he felt needed to be expressed.

[-Hideki-]

Kario’s mother was treating him most kindly and she didn’t seem to harbour any malice against him for how he had come to meet her son. She even asked him a question when the topic went to his ancestors that no one had ever asked him before. How did he feel about them? Regardless of the opinion people had about his ancestors, whether it was positive or they hated them, they always assumed Ashfield’s stand on them without caring to ask him this. Actually he had to admit that he had never really thought about this question himself. How did he feel about his ancestors indeed?

 

His golden eyes looked into hers while he thought about it for a moment. Then accompanied by a small sigh he said:”Tired!” and then went on to go more into depth about why this was. “Now, I don’t really have any negative or positive feelings about them. I obviously never knew them. They were who they were, they lived their lives in their times as they did back then. It’s history. My family history! Every family has one.” The blond man explained. “What I am tired about is the overblown importance people put onto them. That they either demand accountability from me, that they hate on me because they condemn my ancestors, that they judge me based on people whom I have never known and who lived in a completely different era or that they glorify them like my father does and that old history teacher did. Because of what my father and my family taught me I felt incredibly insulted and mad and shocked when the young woman who had taught our class before had had this critical view on my ancestors from a modern day’s perspective. I reacted terribly. I threw a tantrum. I called her a dirty liar and terms I am not proud of and wouldn’t repeat with what I know now!” he let her know. “It had no official consequences for me because my father was one of the school’s main sponsors and when I had told him about the incidence, that was one of the rare times he praised me, went to my school with me and demanded the young teacher to get fired and to get a bad employment reference letter and that he’d get a say who’d be the new history teacher or he’d cut all funding and have me transferred to another school.”

 

Devon definitely could see why it seemed weird to Kario’s mother that only the Ashfield side of the family got any spotlight and asked about his mother’s family. “My mother doesn’t define herself over her family name as much as my father does. She would have probably made princesses and ballet dancers out of these ice sculptures had my father not wanted this instead.” He told her and he wasn’t quite sure what was worse to be shown on his election party. His controversial ancestors or stuff that would have definitely made his celebration seem effeminate. “My father also only talks about his father’s side of the family. He completely leaves out his aristocratic English mother, despite her looking back on a long and tradition-rich family history as the lady she was.” He informed her. “That’s because he doesn’t like to be reminded that one of his parents wasn’t American and that it technically makes him half European and the son of an immigrant mother. My paternal grandmother however moved back to England after my grandpa and grandmother got divorced.” He explained.

 

“My mother on the other hand is from a working class family from Philadelphia. She likes to speak more about how she made it from there to a top lawyer. Her family’s origins are mostly Swedish, German and French and their history is a lot more difficult to reconstruct. I did however take an interest in her side of the family too. Although my maternal grandparents weren’t exactly nice to me! They didn’t like to visit us anyway as they were no friends of my father and on top of that disapproval had never liked that she had moved here out of all places.” He told her.

 

“I also was curious about Kario’s family history but he couldn’t tell me anything about it, also saying that he’s never asked. Do you maybe know more about it?” he was curious.

 

After Cornelius had joined the party and while the situation with his mother and the old man was unfolding Enid Teschu took an interest into why his mother had had so much plastic surgery done, asking if it had been a trend. The blond shook his head, leaned closer to her and spoke quietly, that only she could hear it. “She didn’t used to do this when she was young. My mother however had a crippling fear of ageing and losing her beauty, of not being desirable anymore. Hence, when the first wrinkles started to happen she started with botox and since the signs of time were obviously not sparing her she felt the need to fight these signs with more and more drastic measures but it was never enough. She was paranoid about people being able to tell her age when looking at her and was mortified by it and now she is addicted to plastic surgery. It had taken me quite some time to deal with the fact that my mother’s face can’t really smile at me or do many expressions anymore and that people assume she’s my age. She also always wears turtle necks and gloves since years now.” he let her know.

 

The whole thing that had unfolded when his mother had reacted to what his great-uncle had said to her and after his great-cousin had come looking for Cornelius apparently bewildered Kario’s mother and Devon could certainly understand it when she expressed her surprised about his mother’s behaviour. “I’m not surprised.” He just said because he wasn’t. Ashamed, yes, embarrassed, most definitely, sorry, also yes but not surprised. He however appreciated her encouraging words, trying to relief his stress-level. “I really do hope so.” He sighed wishing it was over already but he knew that it wasn’t. There was too much time and too many opportunities left for more disaster.

 

Although he remained worried about this for a moment at least his mind was completely distracted when Kario came back over to them and he was absolutely glad that everything seemed to be okay. “I didn’t either.” He let him know, laying his arm around the younger man. “If I had thought he would mention this I’d have kept him away and got him to go over to Harvey way sooner.” He let him know and he would really like to be in a more private and quiet, a more cosy setting.

 

However the relieve couldn’t have been bigger when Kario’s father, despite expressing his understandable disapproval of how they have come to meet, made clear to say that he still was welcome in their home. “Thank you! A lot.” He expressed genuinely and it showed on his face although the slight feeling of embarrassment still remained. He really hoped that the whole brothel accusation – that was actually true – would soon be over and he wouldn’t have to be reminded of what he wasn’t proud of anymore and could just focus on what the black haired man and him had now.

 

It didn’t take long and he heard the loud voice of his father and although he didn’t believe in any deity he prayed to all gods people had ever made up that Andrew Ashfield would not come over to them. That he would stay wherever just away from Kario’s parents. And when he turned his head he saw the ruckus taking place near the buffet, where his father was looking at the screen of his phone outraged. “Now they have gone too far. These lying pigs from the fake press! ‘Business imperator Andrew Ashfield’s secret homosexuality and his plans for the presidency’” the man raged. “’Reliable sources have assured us that Andrew Ashfield is in fact gay, that he is in the middle of a divorce and will be running for president’” he quoted further. “This is slander! This is disgraceful! I will destroy them! I will send every one of them behind bars for life! They will regret this! I will sue their asses into oblivion!” he yelled and his face was read from anger and he was staring at the screen of his phone eagerly typing onto it, when his mother appeared in front of his father, grabbed the phone and tried to pull it out of his hands with all power she had in her tiny body.

 

“Andrew, stop!” she hissed. “This is one insignificant online news site and you will make this blow up unnecessarily if you comment on this. It is ridiculous and this network will lose all its credibility because they have taken an Alzheimer’s patient as their reliable source. You will say nothing about this, no tweet, nothing. We gave you a spokesperson for a reason Andrew!” she advised him but he wouldn’t let go of it. “Stay out of this! I will make them regret this!” he said, holding onto his phone but Devlin was leaning her complete bodyweight in now and because Andrew didn’t pull, she managed to rip it out of his grip although she was stumbling back, nearly falling onto her arse because of it but when she stood straight again a triumphing smile was curling onto her lips.

 

A frown was crossing Andrew Ashfield’s face and the man with the cold, steel blue gaze behind his glasses turned to his secretary whom he called Dolly but whose name wasn’t Dolly and who wished she had not gone over to the buffet now. “Dolly, give me your phone!” He ordered her and reached out his hand. “No, Dolly, you won’t!” Devlin hissed at her like a venomous snake. “Yes, she will. She is my secretary not yours.” Andrew said. “No she won’t because I’ll make her regret it every day of the rest of her life then.” his wife said and both Devlin and Andrew were piercing through the poor woman with their gazes simultaneously who was getting more and more scared and insecure. “I…I have left my phone at home ….And my name is not Dolly…. I am so sorry….!” She busted it out, overwhelmed and ran away from them. “What’s with Dolly today? Is she on her period?” Ashfield senior asked and Devlin slapped his arm with the fan in her hand for that before she walked away with her husband’s phone secure in her hand.

 

His father couldn’t be bothered though because something, or rather someone, else was catching his negative attention.

A woman around his age was entering the hall. Unlike Devlin she looked completely natural. Her long hair was falling down to her hips in long white, silver, grey and anthracite waves, she had well taken care of light-brown skin and dark almond eyes. The woman was dressed in a red, light gown that was still elegant and she was smiling happily upon entering.

 

Devon’s father however looked at her as though she was the devil in person. As though Satan had made an appearance at the party right now! Deep spite was to see on his father, he screwed up his nose and his eyes narrowed to slits and he was approaching her, cutting her way off. “What are you doing here you evil old witch!” he barked at her. “I don’t recall inviting you, you are not welcome here!” he told her and the woman’s face went blank as she sighed. “Andrew. You are around.” It was an observation; she didn’t seem too pleased about it. “I am here because Devon invited me to his birthday and I don’t want to miss it. So if you’d excuse me now.” she tried to just get past him and leave him behind not bothered by the freezing cold gaze he murdered her with.

 

“What do you want from Devon? Do you want to marry him now? What for? Isn’t the mansion in Hawaii and the green-card enough for you, you greedy, blood sucking Taiwanese old hag!” he accused her and she snorted. “Is that the newest of your ridiculous theories? That I want to marry your son? I am here for Devon, because I care for him. And I never needed a green-card. I am Polynesian, I am not from Taiwan – just as I told you the last fifty zillion times you called me Taiwanese – I am an American citizen. And I married your father because I loved him.” the widow of Devon’s grandfather who was the same age as his father said and Andrew Ashfield, who had never gotten over his father leaving his mother, marrying this significantly younger woman instead and who had always hated her and thus had come up with the most crazy theories about her snorted disdainfully. “Yeah right. We all know that you lie as soon as you open your mouth. You have absolutely no proof for your claim. We all know that you did all of this to escape this shithole you have crawled out of!” he barked and the woman raised her eyebrows. “Hawaii? Some people think it’s a paradise and not a shithole. Anyway, I think that my birth certificate that your father had to get from my mother’s place after you had had me arrested for being an illegal immigrant to try to prevent my marriage with your father would have been proof enough.” She remained unimpressed. “We all know that this was a fake birth certificate!” Andrew insisted that she was from Taiwan and she shook her head. “Whatever let’s you sleep better at night Andrew.” She just told him completely calm, much calmer than most people stayed who got targeted by Devon’s father and she just left him standing there and walked further into the hall even though Ashfield senior mumbled something about “This is my hotel. I don’t want her in my hotel.” Like a specifically stubborn infant.

 

“I don’t know this man. He is not my father. I have never once seen him before in my life.” Devon joked to express his embarrassment about his dad’s entire behaviour towards Kario’s family but then, when he looked into the dark eyes of the woman it seemed like the celebration had just gotten a lot better for him and he beamed at her, walking towards her. “Leilani!” he exclaimed and she spread her arms out embracing him in a tight hug. “Devon honey, happy birthday, I wish you all the best.” She said, rubbing his back before giving him a kiss onto his cheek, looking at him. “You look amazing.” She said, mustering his face. “And you have this shine in your eyes and around you. Are you lovestruck sunshine?” the woman guessed, her smile and her own eyes getting brighter when she looked into his golden eyes and when he nodded she laid her head to the side, cupping his face, going “Aww, this makes me so happy!”

 

And this time Devon was not reluctant or tried to prevent Kario and Kairo’s parent’s from meeting her, he was actually happily taking her over to them. “Leilani meet my boyfriend Kario and his wonderful parents!” he introduced them and the woman smiled at them, introducing herself, shaking Enid’s and Kaine’s hands. When she looked at Kario, her smile grew again. “It’s so nice to meet you. You have that same shine on you. This is great. I really love it when two people are in love.” She said and she just hugged him even though she didn’t know him, then she turned to Devon again. “I am so glad to see you happy again. The last time I saw that glow in your eyes was when you met this older boy, what was his name again, Jeffrey, right, it was Jeffrey.” She remembered despite Jeff and himself having been far from boys back then.

 

“Where are you staying? You can stay at my mansion if you want to. There is enough space.” He invited her and she smiled amused. “Thank you but I am fine. I have checked in into a lovely hotel not far from here. I don’t want to ruin your togetherness. But I am staying in town for a week and there will be plenty of time to do something lovely together. I would really love to get to know your boyfriend and his family.” she nodded towards Kario and his parents with a smile. “I would have been here earlier but my flight was delayed.” She told them and looked around at the decoration that screamed “Devlin” to her. When her eyes saw the ice sculptures and she looked at the one next to Cornelius’ broken one she saw her deceased husband portrayed next to his English ex-wife. “They left me out, what a surprise.” She commented ironically, laughing.

[Sathenus]

Enid was truly curious about Devon's outlook on his ancestors, how he felt about them and the response she got just seemed to elicit more interest from her. She was waiting for him to elaborate and he did so a few moments later telling her that he didn't really have any negative or positive feelings about them. Fair enough, it wasn't as though he had known them and she could understand it as well as felt that many people felt the same way. "That makes a lot of sense and it makes sense that you feel the way about it that you do. Too many people define each other based on their ancestors, how good or not so good they were, and how they lived. The importance put on one's ancestors doesn't only make little sense, but honestly makes it so people start to hate or feel ashamed of their ancestry." Enid replied and she gave a small shrug. That was her own little outlook on the whole thing, so she could understand how Devon felt 'tired' when it came to his own ancestors and how people judged him for their actions, actions he couldn't change even if he wanted to.

 

When the conversation moved to his mother's ancestry and how she would rather speak about how she made it to be a top lawyer she felt a little upset by that news. Though she did not feel that one should be definied by their ancestors, she felt that everyone should be proud of who their ancestors were, no matter what they had done as it helped forge things today even in subtle ways. "Well, at least you took an interest in her side of the family, regardless of how things had been and how your mother would prefer to focus more on her own success. Not that she doesn't have a good reason to feel like she had succeeded as she clearly does, but ones ancestry is special. "The fact that one does not want to define oneself over their family name is fine. But I can't help but wonder why it is she would have rather displayed princesses and ballet dancers instead of their ancestors does bring up some questions." She admitted being honest about it.

 

With their current topic of conversation Enid was not remotely surprised when she was questioned about Kario's ancestry, Devon expressing that her son had been unable to tell him anything about it saying he had never asked. "He's not lying. My son hasn't shown an interest in his ancestors, and being the parents we are we never forced it on him, if he wished to know he has the right just as anyone has the right not to know as well." She started thinking what side was best to start on. She decided his father's was the best route since Devon had pretty much started that way even if it was kind of because there was no choice thanks to the ice sculptures around them. "Well, Kario's father is mostly Irish and Native American, there is French and Scottish too I believe, but I will admit that Kaine doesn't hold much interest in his ancestors. He's far more focused on his living family." She stopped as she thought about her husband and his interest in his own ancestry, and it only went so far, very little to none it seemed. Shaking her head she turned her attention back to Devon and gave him a small smile.

 

"My mother was an Egyptian immigrant, her mother brought her and her siblings to America when she was eleven. Other than that I don't know much about my side of the family, my mother passed away when I was sixteen and my father died when I was four, I was raised by my godparents." Enid explained with a small shrug. She missed her mother but didn't really know or have many memories of her father. Though she was sure there was a way to figure it out she never really tried, and since none of her kids had been interested in their ancestry she had let it go rather easily. "You know... Kario probably is native enough to be claimed by the tribe. His grandfather is full native, what kind we don't know he was adopted." Enid added as she looked up at Devon and gave the man a small smile. "Maybe you could... get him involved in that? It could keep him on a straighter path if he was more in tune with his heritage." She was sure there were ways that Devon and Kario could figure it out and she was sure if the governor was interested in it that he could press Kario or at least encourage him to do so.

 

"Really? That's a shame... there is a beauty in aging." Enid said with a soft sigh feeling that it was quite the shame that Devlin seemed to have been so afraid of aging that she would have done that to herself. Enid found a beauty in aging, finding that many older people were simply lovely and beautiful. Inside and out, granted there were of course those who weren't beautiful inside but that was any age. "Everyone ages differently. Some age slowly and look young for a very long time, others age quicker. I don't think anyone should be afraid of aging or how they are going to look in the future. If someone loves you now, then they will love you as you age. Your father clearly doesn't have your mother's fear of aging and it shows. He's a good looking gentleman, even if he doesn't always behave that way." She mused nudging the governor gently and giving him a small smile.

 

Kario was happy to lean into Devon's side when he felt the arm wrapping around him smiling brightly up at his boyfriend. "Well... it was bound to come out eventually..." He mused thinking that even if Jens hadn't mentioned it then it would have come out some other way somehow and he would have had to face it anyway. At least now everything was out in the open between them and his parents and he was able to be more relaxed around them knowing that it was okay. Even if his father had expressed how worried about him he was and how he'd be keeping a better tab on him from now on. It was fine, with Devon at his side Kario had no interest in going down another path like that and he was sure Devon would keep him going down the right path too.

 

It was nice to be able to enjoy the four of them talking and spending more time with Devon after he had been gone for a week even if it was at his birthday/election party. At least until he heard the familiar voice of his boyfriend's father break through the room. His eyes instantly darted in that direction and the smile that had been on his face was quick to vanish as he noticed the man seemed to be quite pissed. There was some amusement though when the man read the headline and he had to admit he found it incredibly hilarious that anyone would even believe that enough to make it into an article of any kind. The events that unfolded couldn't have been any worse really and he felt bad for the older man's secretary who was clearly scared and didn't know what to do before she was saying that she left her phone at home, said her name wasn't Dolly before she was running away from them. "He did not..." Kario groaned when Andrew Ashfield had asked about her being on her period knowing that no girl liked that since he had grown up with two in the house and his sister had always flipped her lid whenever anyone asked that just because of something she had done or said.

 

Shaking his head he glanced towards his mother who didn't seem very happy with the comment after and though it seemed the situation had dissolved itself for the moment he tried to get his mother's attention and have her focused on something else. "What did you and Devon do while Dad and I were talking?" Kario asked a bit curious. "Oh nothing!" She said waving her hand with a smile, "Just about his family, a little about ours. Nothing special." Enid didn't want to go into detail and was sure that Devon would be more than happy to tell him about it at a later time if he so wanted to.

 

The woman who ended up joining them seemed nice and Devon was really happy to see her which made Kario all the happier about her presence and joining them as well. As Devon made the introduction he couldn't help but brightly smile at his boyfriend when he referred to his parents as wonderful, glad that the other seemed to like them since he had talked about it with his father. The man had assured him that they both liked Devon as his boyfriend and were glad they both seemed happy and in love. Turning his gaze to Lelani who had just finished introducing herself to his parents who had happily introduced themselves in return he was taken into a hug. Despite not having met her before Kario didn't mind the hug and returned it without any thought or hesitation. "It's nice to meet you too." Kario said happily with a bright smile.

 

Kario followed her gaze to the ice sculptures and couldn't find himself all that surprised that she was left out of it as well, having a feeling that she probably wasn't really the only one left out either. There was probably other people who like her had married in whether later on or not and were never displayed or mentioned. Lost to time, but she seemed really nice and even if Devon's grandfather was gone this seemed like another member of her boyfriend's family that he could love himself and enjoy seeing. "I think that's a great idea." He said in regards to them all doing something together and getting to know each other, since even Kario was sure this party wouldn't be a good amount of time for them to do so. "We'll definitely have to do that." He added as his dark eyes moved up to his boyfriend.

 

After some more socializing and feeling like today was dragging on forever Kario turned back to Devon and gave his boyfriend a curious look. "Are the results in yet?" It came out just like a child whining but he had to admit he just wanted to know who won already and was over everything else. There were a lot of people and he still wasn't used to being around so many people or the sounds that came with it. Having a headache that only seemed to be getting worse with every minute that passed, not to mention that annoying ache in his body again that made him want to crawl under a rock and die already. Though he seemed to be doing fine on the outside will all of the changes it was still a lot for him to take on, and with every day some things did better others seemed to be getting progressively worse. His tolerance of a lot of people and his ability to hide that anxiety for medium to long periods of time was getting progressively worse.

[-Hideki-]

Devon shrugged. He honestly didn’t think that there was anything deep behind the fact that had his mother chosen the theme for the ice sculptures it probably wouldn’t have displayed her nor his father’s ancestors. “Probably because she finds ballet dancers and princesses more ‘fashionable’ than her own or anyone else’s ancestors.” The blond man guessed. “The same reason she banned beer from the party for.” he reminded the woman about that highly peculiar action his mother had done. Well, at least he could have send Jens away to get himself some from the hotel bar and he also made him take Harvey, so that was a plus. “My mother even finds my dialect unfashionable and would like to change it!” He joked but it was actually true.

 

It was definitely more interesting to him to learn about Kario’s heritage than to think about why his mother thought how she thought and did what she did. And it turned out that the younger male’s ancestors were surprisingly colourful from all kind of different places. Especially compared to Devon who was very English! His father’s side was completely English after all and his mother’s family European. His black haired boyfriend however seemed to be not English at all and had some other Europeans but also Native American and even more surprisingly Egyptian.

 

“From Egypt!” he expressed said surprise. “Do you know what made your mother come here from Egypt?” the man took an interest in that. It got even more fascinating though when Enid told him that her son was apparently enough of a Native American to be claimed by a tribe. Ashfield didn’t know if that would have an effect on Kario’s life or on their life together but he thought that the other man should definitely know that, whether he would then take an interest in his family history was up to the other though of course. “I can try to talk to him about it. Maybe suggest it. I won’t push it on him though.” the governor stated when his boyfriend’s mother asked him if he could make the other focus on this as being in tune with his heritage would send him in a good direction. “Where does Kario’s name originate from and what does it mean? And what about your family name?” Ashfield was curious. He had asked Kario all of this but obviously the man had not been able to answer this as well.

 

Ashfield felt a little awkward when Kario’s mother talked about the beauty in aging and that she didn’t think that anyone should be afraid of it because he certainly was scared of looking old or becoming unattractive while at the same time being just as afraid that his fear of getting old would lead him down the path his mother had gone where the fear had become pathological and had resulted in a plastic surgery addiction. Devon certainly didn’t want to look like a plastic doll with an unmovable mask face and have great uncle Cornelius assume that he had a disease. It was very true that his father didn’t have this problem at all. Ashfield was almost certain that his father hadn’t ever thought about looking old or not desirable anymore once in his life and the blond wished he’d be like that too but he wasn’t.

 

It however made him smile although a little awkwardly still, when Enid said that his father who was in his seventies was a good looking gentleman although he didn’t behave as though he was sometimes. “Saying that his behaviour isn’t that of a gentleman sometimes is really nicely put!” Ashfield found. The woman apparently seemed to know his father from his media presence and Andrew Ashfield certainly wasn’t a prime example of diplomacy, more like a jackhammer in a dental clinic.

 

He was glad that his lover seemed to like Lelani. His grandfather’s wife had been one of the few people who had given Ashfield a feeling of warmth whenever he had seen her and she had been rather caring of him too unlike his father who had insulted him when he had not sucked up the pain when he had hurt himself or when he had been feeling sad as a child. “We will.” He assured Kario when the man repeated that they definitely had to do something together to get to know each other better. “I will think of something nice.” The politician promised. If he was to lose this he could definitely need every distraction he could get anyway. And if his father would forget to send him into exile in Sweden he might as well go to hide somewhere on his own account.

 

There was an amused laugh coming from Devon when his lover complained, asking him whether the results of the election were already in. “No.” the blond man let him know, still chuckling, shaking his head. “They will be sometime during the late evening. After dinner.” The governor let the black haired man know looking at the two large screens that showed the reports, commentary and interviews on the election. When he had gotten over his amusement though his expression got more serious and he said:”If it’s too much or you need a time out I can get you one of the hotel rooms and you can relax in there. I’ll make them call your room when it’s time for dinner then.” He offered his boyfriend.

 

Ashfield was aware that for Kario this was a lot and that his body was probably aching for sex as well. Especially considering that they had not done it for over a week now. And the good thing about owning hotels and hosting one’s own birthday parties and political events in them was that the politician could freely offer the other everything the hotel had in store. A luxurious room. A whirlpool. A massage and wellness temple. Everything. The only thing he couldn’t offer him in that moment was himself. He couldn’t just disappear from his own election party after all.

[Sathenus]

A small smile of amusement appeared when Devon told her that his mother's preference to have displayed ballerinas or princesses instead of the ancestors of herself or of his father because they were more 'fashionable' was quite amusing to her. Though she wouldn't express how odd it would be for such things to be displayed at Devon's election and birthday party not finding that either of those things had anything to do with the governor. "Yeah... banning beer from the party for such a reason may not have been the best idea either." She mused knowing many men enjoyed it, even if her own husband had never cared for the taste of it and would rather drink toilet water if it was the only other option. "Really?" She asked a bit interested when the politician mentioned his dialect also being something that his mother found unfashionable and would like to change. "I think it's lovely, and I'm sure Kario loves it too. He always did find an interest in different dialects." She mused thinking of her son again.

 

"I believe it was the assassination of the Egyptian president at the time that had caused my grandmother to make her decision in bringing her children here. Along with the death of her husband and not having close ties with the rest of her family, she felt that bringing my mother and her siblings to America would give them a better chance at life. Better education, better profession opportunities. Which she wasn't entirely wrong since the following economic stagnation that Egypt experience for decades after had proved her intuition right in getting out of the country while she had the opportunity." Enid explained giving Devon a small smile. "To be honest though, my mother never wanted to come to America. She tried to convince my grandmother to let her stay behind and give her best friend's parents full custody of her. My grandmother refused though, she was leaving with all of her children or not going at all."

 

She gave the politician a thankful look when he said that he would try to talk to Kario about his ancestry and the tribe, adding he might suggest it even though he added that he would not press it. "I know Kario has a love for culture, and it's a shame he doesn't have an interest in his own ancestors since there really is a lot of different cultures there he could explore. But I'm sure... you just mentioning it to him might be enough to spark an interest. Even if it's a minor one." Enid had a lot of hope that Devon would keep her son moving in a positive direction even if it was without Kario being more in tune to his ancestry. "I'll just be thankful if you mention it to him, I don't expect you to try to press matters. Kario can be quite stubborn when he feels he's being pressed into doing something." She admitted.

 

Devon asking her about her son's name and what it means as well as the family name made her give the man an amused smile. "I find it quite amusing you're more interested in him and this stuff then he is." She admitted to Devon. "Kario's name is a play on the capital of Egypt Cairo and roughly means victorious." Enid explained to Devon. "The capital's meaning is "The Vanquisher" or "The Conqueror" and while I do love the capital I didn't want to name Kario after it completely. It took me my whole pregnancy to convince Kaine to let me name Kario what I did, he was worried our son would be picked on for the name and other silly things." At this point Enid paused to think about their family name and think about if she knew where it came from and what it meant. "I can't tell you anything about the origin or meaning of our family name though. I know that it wasn't his grandfather's birth name or the one he was given when adopted. He took the surname on later after he left home wanting a fresh start that didn't tie him to his adopted parents. For some reason they didn't have a close relationship but talking to him about it gets you little more than a glare and being told it was none of our business." She admitted. Thinking about it a little more she sighed, "I tried to pin down it's origin at some point but couldn't find traces of it anywhere. There is Tsechu which is Dzongkha or Bhutanese for Tenth but that's the best I can tell you. Whether this is where he got his inspiration for the name or not only Kario's grandfather could tell you and I'm willing to bet everything my family has that he won't tell you anything."

 

She gave Devon a knowing smile when the other mentioned calling his father's behavior not being that of a gentleman sometimes was really nicely put. They both knew that Andrew Ashfield wasn't always a gentleman, and could often be called anything but. That didn't mean she wasn't going to try to ignore this since her son was extremely happy with Devon and she would do anything for her son to be happy. To her, Kario had been through enough in his young life to deserve this break even if she had a feeling that the Governor's father would not make it easy on her son. Gently patting the other's arm she spoke, "Just remember, every family has someone like your father in it. Maybe just... not as intense."

 

 

Being assured that they would get together with Lelani and that Devon would think of something really nice made a bright smile appear. He really liked her, even if she married into the family after his boyfriend's grandfather had divorced his first wife. She was nice, and other than how Devon's mother had been so warm towards him she was the nicest person he had met from the man's family. "I can see why your grandfather liked her, she's really nice and seems to be quite loving." Kario commented as well giving his boyfriend a small smile before he was resting his head on the governor's shoulder again enjoying the opportunity to be close to him.

 

A soft groan escaped him when Devon told him that it wouldn't be until after dinner and sometime during the late evening. That definitely wasn't very encouraging and he felt like today would be lasting forever at the rate it was currently going. A moment later the older man was suggesting that if it was too much for him or he needed a time out he could get him one of the hotel rooms and he could relax there. This wasn't an appealing thought because it meant he'd be alone, again. "But I want to spend time with you. No matter what." Kario responded with a determined look appearing on his face. It didn't matter how overwhelming this seemed to be, didn't matter how much his body ached or how long today ended up being. He absolutely refused to be separated from Devon again after having to spend a whole week without him. This was his chance to spend time with Devon, even if it was at such an event and wasn't exactly how he would have preferred spending his boyfriend's birthday.

 

"I'm fine. I'll be fine." He added after as he straightened up and offered the blonde a smile. He loved the blonde and didn't want to spend any part of this night away from him more than was absolutely necessary. Being sent off to one of the hotel's rooms even if it was just for a break was not an option, and he wasn't going to let it happen if he had any say in it. Even if the break would probably be good for him he didn't want it. Slipping his hand into Devon's he let his eyes dart around the room once more. "Besides, time will go by so much faster if you're at my side then if I was alone." Kario added with a bright smile liking to think along these positive lines.

[-Hideki-]

“It definitely isn’t a good idea.” Ashfield agreed with Enid on the statement that banning beer from the party had not been a smart move of his mother. “Especially considering the guest list my father wrote again.” he added thinking that inviting Jens Benninghofen was already a bad idea as it was but inviting the man without offering him beer was even worse. “My mother’s priorities are often incredibly off in general.” He added and his golden eyes looked at Kario’s mother who was about his age with a smile when she seemed to be quite surprised that his mother found her son’s dialect unfashionable. “Yes. She said it sounds so bad that the people in New York would make fun of me and deem me some bumpkin. And her Manhattan fashion scene friends are apparently a benchmark for everything in her opinion. She constantly compares everything to New York and Paris to start with. She finds our whole state unfashionable. She also once asked me to ban Walmart for being incredibly unfashionable as soon as I’ve been elected governor, and banning business would quite obviously have gone against everything I stand for.” the blond man said and he wished he was telling a joke but it was not a joke. His mother had seriously made this proposal alongside a list of other things that she had found ugly and had wanted gone.

 

“Thank you.” The politician said when the woman told him that she found his dialect lovely and a cheeky smile appeared on his face when she said that she was sure Kario thought the same thing and that her son had always shown an interest in dialects. “Well, he certainly loves the French language and the French accent.” He told her. “I had to accept that I apparently just sound cute to him.” The blond man jested, chuckling.

 

The decision the other woman’s grandmother had made seemed like a wise one to Devon. It surprised him all the more when he learned that her mother had not wanted to come to America. “Why wouldn’t she want to come here?” the blond man asked. Their nation was surely great and he was convinced that for everyone who decided to move to the United States this was an improvement of life.

 

A smile was to see on Ashfield’s face when Kario’s mother mentioned that her son had an interest in cultures and that there’d be a lot to explore within his ancestors’ cultures. “I think he unknowingly already has an interest in one of his ancestors’ cultures. When we first talked he told me that he has an interest in Egyptian mythology and culture.” Devon remembered. “So even if I won’t get him interested in the Native American tribe I think he’d certainly be fascinated to know that he’s part Egyptian.” The blond man told the younger man’s mother, thinking that she might be delighted to hear that her son already had an interest in his mother’s mother’s culture. “He also really loves East Asian culture apparently.” He informed her but she didn’t mention that they had talked about the younger man going to college and maybe studying one of those subjects since the other hadn’t decided on what he actually wanted to do yet and he thought that when he knew he should tell his parents himself.

 

While Enid found it amusing just how interested Devon was in Kario, more interested than the younger male himself, the blond found it rather natural to be interested in the man one was in love with. He wanted to know everything about the black haired man, this included. It surprised him however to learn that Kario’s name was apparently an invention of his mother who had based the name off on Cairo. The same seemed to be true for the other man’s last name which had been chosen by the man’s grandfather who was staying silent about the reasons and the meaning behind the name. “Your family seems to be incredibly creative.” The politician acknowledged. “I was named after my mother.” He told her but this was not difficult to figure out to start with. “My mother wanted a girl and she wanted to name her after herself. Then she got me instead, what was a massive disappointment to her to start with so she decided that she could at least give me a similar name as herself but it didn’t quite do much in decreasing the disappointment.” The man let the woman next to him know.

 

When having his arm patted and being told that every family had someone like his father in it there was a grin playing on his features. “Are you sure?” he asked her. “Except for having a Doppelg?nger in Jens Benninghofen I always thought that he was one of a kind!” the politician stated, his eyes automatically searching for his father who was bragging about something to Olga’s father.

 

 

 

 

The groan his boyfriend let out when hearing that it would take to the late evening for the results of the election to be in was not a surprise at all. Ashfield had reckoned with him not being very happy about this fact, the complete decline of his offer to take a break and rest or deal with his ache in one of the rooms should it be too much however he had not seen coming. But hearing that his lover wanted to be by his side this day no matter what made him smile widely and he pressed a kiss onto the younger male’s cheek upon hearing that. “Just consider it an option should it become too much.” Devon stated, the hand that was lying on the man’s hip affectionately rubbing his side.

 

He himself wished the results would be in already as well. Not merely because it would mean that the party would only remain to go on for a few more hours but also because it was torture not to know whether he’d keep his job or be voted out of office, having to see how that awful woman would take his place and ruin everything he had worked to accomplish the last four years.

 

There was a moment of calm where Lelani told them about her flight and that she’d have been there earlier but that it had been delayed but it was soon gone when his golden eyes saw Jens and Harvey both carrying two heavy boxes filled with ice and dozens of bottles of beer laying on it. Ashfield let his hand run over the stubble on his face “Oh Jeez…” he expressed thinking that this might cause trouble with his mother, getting even more displeased when Jens – together with Harvey Flint – was walking straight towards him, Kario, Kario’s parents and Leilani.

 

“Where should we put this!” Jens asked him. “We thought it was best to bring the beer here instead of having to go down to get it all the time.” The blond man found and Devon knew why he’d bring all the beer up to the party. Jens didn’t want to sit alone with Harvey the entire time, had Ashfield send him down alone he’d probably gladly stayed there, drinking beer, escaping the chatter. “Ashfield!” Harvey grunted, his face grimacing upon seeing the blond heir to Ashfield Corporation. Ever since he had learned that it had been Devon Ashfield he had met at the brothel who had taken him for a fool, pretending that he had been deaf –mute, and Harvey having raged about him, calling him a retard, Flint was incredibly furious about the governor, feeling humiliated and angry that the other knew that he slept with male prostitutes, afraid that he’d tell Andrew Ashfield or anyone else.

 

“Mister Flint.” He greeted back with a polite fake smile and Harvey screwed up his nose when his small eyes peered into the brown ones of Kario, leading Devon to hold tighter onto the young male, shoving his own body slightly in front of the former prostitute. Harvey was quite obviously not amused about having Kario run around freely considering that he could cause a massive scandal for him, professionally as well as privately. He turned back to Devon again. “I would have never thought that you would stoop that low. To date and associate yourself with a whore. Shamelessly presenting this prostitute to the public.” He provoked with clear enmity. Jens raised an eyebrow. “You constantly fuck prostitutes!” the man pointed out. “But I don’t date them.” Harvey barked. “And they are women!” he added. “That is irrelevant.” The German man said and Harvey was ever so close to a choleric attack.

 

That was when the old Senator who had recommended the brothel to Devon was walking over to them, drawn there by the boxes full of beer. “Ah great!” he expressed taking a beer out of Jens’ box. “I was already wondering why there was none.” The man in his eighties exclaimed. Then he looked to Devon. “Hello Governor!” he greeted him and laid his old, wrinkled hand onto the man’s lower arm. “I am sorry son. I wouldn’t have recommended it had I known it would turn into a political disaster for you. I have never had an issue you see.” He apologised without actually saying what he was talking about, even though it was quite obvious to Devon and probably the others as well. Then the old man turned around to Kario and reached his hand out with a friendly smile. “Hello young man, good to see you again! Seems like you’re doing great!” he said.

[Sathenus]

"Ban Walmart? Really?" Enid asked finding it completely absurd that anyone would have asked that of Devon. Sure a lot of people didn't like Walmart, but so many more did! Not to mention they were popping up everywhere and their prices really were some of the best for so many thing. Enid herself liked Walmart, the staff had always been friendly at the one she had gone too, and was it not for Kaine insisting that she just stay home and worry about the house's upkeep she'd still be working and probably at a Walmart. But a few years ago she had expressed how unhappy she was with her job and her husband had insisted she leave it and that he'd take care of them. It was so sweet... and she was surprised by his encouragement knowing that had their kids still been young he would have instead asked her to try to stick it out. "Walmart does also make quite a few jobs, their workforce is quite large. I can understand people not liking them, but they do good things for the community. At least as someone outside looking in. I of course have no idea what goes on behind the scenes just like most." Enid added but that was how she felt about the company that was sprouting up quite literally everywhere and was making more jobs with each new location.

 

She couldn't help but laugh when Devon told her about her son's love of the French language and accent letting her know that her son apparently just found Devon's dialect 'cute' which was adorable to her all the same. "He has always liked the French." She mused patting the other's arm once more. "Kario does have a thing for foreign guys, he's always been that way to be honest. Even before I think he realized it himself." She mused thinking back on her son before shaking her head. "I am glad you two found each other though, you both seem to be genuinely happy. That's something that can't be bought after all and is extremely hard to find." She added giving Devon an encouraging smile. She was sure that Devon and Kario would be together for a very long time, hopefully for the rest of their lives. They both seemed really happy together and she had seen people of the same age enter and commit to relationships that they weren't entirely happy in. Growing up she had always told and encouraged her kids to never settle, to just keep looking for that person that made them truly happy and that they actually loved. It didn't matter to her that Devon was her age and was with her son who was so much younger, because their love seemed to be genuine and she saw the way they looked at each other. Her own mother had always said love was blind, that it did not discriminate against, age, sex, race or religion.

 

"I honestly couldn't tell you. Other than the fact that she was being forced to leave behind everything she knew and loved. Moving towns or schools can be scary to a child, but moving countries? That's a whole different kind of scary, and no one could guarantee her or her mother that their lives really would be better here." Enid said as she was thinking about what her mother was probably feeling and thinking when she was given the news they were moving to America. How she had probably felt going to a completely different country, not only where she knew no one but where her whole family would literally have to start over.

 

Enid was a bit surprised but honestly flattered that her son seemed to already have an interest in a culture that was very close to him and her side of the family. "That is quite the coincidence but I'm glad to hear he has an interest in that. I'm sure my mother would have loved to know that too." She admitted with a smile. "I'm not surprised, Kario always told us growing up how he wanted to see China and Japan. Odd for a child to express that they didn't want to see the big cities either, but the small towns where he could experience their culture and nothing was tailored for tourists." She expressed with a soft laugh. "Kario had been a bit of an odd child growing up." Enid added as she thought back on her youngest son and how he had been as a child.

 

"I suppose that's one way to put it." She agreed with a nod after being told that her family seemed to b e incredibly creative. Though she figured Devon was right in some ways she wasn't sure it was them being creative more so just determined to be different it seemed. "I can't see why having you would have been a massive disappointment to her. A mother should be happy and excited for any and every child they have, no matter the gender." Enid said not really liking to hear that the politician's mother apparently liked him less or was disappointed for something completely out of Devon's control. The gender of a child shouldn't matter, and she had been excited and loved all three of her children despite their genders. "You know... when I was pregnant with Kario I was told that I was having a girl. Kaine and I had gone around preparing for a daughter, had a gender reveal party, a baby shower and everything. We had tons of cute little clothes for our new daughter and had gotten our third room turned into a nursery and painted pink. You can imagine our surprise when I went into labor and out came Kario. It was a bit hectic to try to change things in the room and get clothes for him before he came home but we somehow managed it." Enid said telling the politician a little bit more about their family, about his boyfriend and her son.

 

After a few moments of silence had passed between them she gave Devon a small smile, "Hopefully some day she'll realize that she was luck to have you as her child. Daughter or not." Enid really hoped that some day the blonde's mother would see that, if she hadn't already. "But... if your mother wanted a daughter so bad why didn't they have another child?" She asked hoping that she wasn't crossing the line by asking. But it would make sense that if his mother had wanted a daughter that they would have tried again. Plenty of couples did so, and granted her own daughter hadn't been planned and was a bit of a surprise she still loved her youngest. It just seemed odd that someone who had wanted a daughter so bad wouldn't have tried again. Or... maybe they had? Enid didn't really know in the end, all she knew was Devon was an only child, and apparently a disappointment to his mother just for being male.

 

"Maybe not quite as intense as your father, but yes. Essentially every family has someone like him." Enid laughed softly as she followed the other's gaze to his father. Another thought occurred to her though and she turned to face the politician better, "I also wanted to mention something to you. My daughter, she has two kids, a little boy whose four and a little girl whose about to turn one. She'd absolutely love if you and Kario could make some time to come to her little girl's birthday party. It's in two weeks." Enid said not having mentioned it to Kario yet since she had actually been a bit distracted and forgotten to mention it sooner. "It'd be a great opportunity for you to meet the rest of the family and she's really looking forward to meeting the man who makes her brother so happy." Enid added.

 

 

 

"I will." Kario said even if he was kind of lying since he was determined to wait out tonight at Devon's side and not give in and take the offer. It was election day, and his boyfriend's birthday, his place was at the blonde's side and not in one of the hotels rooms away from everyone else. No matter how much his body hurt or how overwhelming this whole situation turned out to be. Though he was more than happy to lean into the blonde especially as he felt the way he was affectionately rubbing his side.

 

Happily resting against Devon he listened to Lelani talk and they all seemed to be having a nice time together when he heard Devon speak glancing up at the politician before he was following his gaze to see Jens and Harvey each carrying a box full of ice and bottles of beers. The sight didn't bother him at first, it wasn't until they were coming in their direction that he felt his own anxiety build at the situation. Mainly because he had been thinking he was going to be able to avoid Harvey all night and had been doing a damn good job at it up until this point when he found himself shifting a little closer to Devon as though that was even possible. This whole situation just seemed unnecessary and painful, suddenly self conscious and wondering how many other old clients he'd end up running into tonight and how many more awkward encounters would come from it.

 

His dark eyes locked with Harvey's and though he wasn't surprised by his reaction it definitely wasn't a pleasing one. Even as Devon was stepping slightly in front of him, his gaze fell to the floor when the other man spoke and he felt his face flush not just embarrassed that he was again being called a whore this time in front of his own parents but feeling a bit ashamed about it again as well. There was a defiant part of him that wanted to object when Harvey said that they were women knowing how much of a lie that was, but calling him out on it wouldn't be smart and would only cause more problems so he just kept his gaze on the floor instead and tried to pretend that the man didn't exist and that this wasn't really happening to him.

 

At least... until another familiar voice was heard and he glanced towards the newest figure. This man was even familiar to Kario but unlike Harvey and many others he wasn't feeling an overwhelming sense of dread upon seeing him. This was actually a face he wouldn't mind seeing again and again and was actually quite surprised to learn that this was the man who had sent Devon to the brothel to begin with. His dark eyes moving up to his boyfriend's face when the man apologized knowing that Devon and maybe even the rest of the group understood completely what he was talking about. Suddenly he had turned to him and Kario couldn't help the smile that appeared more than happy to take the hand that had reached out towards him. "It's definitely nice to see you under different circumstances." Kario admitted with a friendly smile. He really had liked the man, he had always been nice and even now that didn't seem to change.

 

"What can I say? I have a really nice and caring guy." He mused when the older man had commented on him seeming to be doing great his smile brightening as he looked lovingly up at the governor. Kario really felt like the luckiest person alive with Devon at his side, and he wouldn't change anything. He'd even deal with Harvey for the rest of his life and whatever the man wanted to say about him if it meant that he had Devon at his side. At least it seemed like he had no ill feelings towards him even being a free man now and not working at the brothel anymore. Even Jens still didn't seem to have a problem with what he had done having chimed in when Harvey had made his comments.

 

In the corner of his eyes though he could see that his father was not as okay with such comments and while he was sure the man would be more than willing to give Harvey a piece of his mind and stick up for him this wasn't the place to do so. As their eyes met he was sure that it was made clear too as he was soon grumbling under his breath and trying to occupy himself with a nearby ice sculpture though he clearly had no interest in it. Glancing back up at Devon he gave him a slightly concerned look not having realized how quickly things could go south especially if any of his other clients were here that had the same opinion about him as Harvey and would be just as hostile or negative with him being free from the brothel.

 

"Maybe... I'll take my dad and go... walk around while you handle this?" Kario suggested and also seemed to ask since he would prefer not to leave Devon but he didn't want his father to end up causing a scene was sure the man was planning a bunch of different ways to make how he suddenly felt about the big gun of the automobile industry clear to the man. Most of which probably included punching him in the face and that was not something Kario was going to condone and allow to happen if there was anything he could do about it.

[-Hideki-]

Enid’s reaction to Ashfield’s mother’s ‘ban Walmart’ initiative was unsurprising to Devon. Granted the man had never ever sat a single foot into a Walmart but he knew just how many – especially people with a lower income – were regularly shopping and working there and he could think that Kario’s family had bought or was buying things there as well. Additionally he found himself agreeing with every point the woman made. “Exactly, I absolutely agree with you. It is a well going, globally acting corporation, one of the largest businesses worldwide, banning it from our state would have been completely ludicrous.” the blond pointed out. Well, Walmart had failed in Germany and South-Korea but other than that, it had an amazing success rate. Maybe it was a business the Governor would never purchase anything from but the heir to the Ashfield Corporation found the business model great nonetheless.

 

“But as I said, my mother’s priorities are oftentimes incredibly off.” the blond male told his boyfriend’s mother. He was certain that his mother didn’t care about the jobs and that there were people who liked to shop there because it was cheap and practical as one could buy almost everything there. Devlin Ashfield was rather calling the people who went there, especially those buying their clothing in that store, an eye-sore.

 

Somehow the notion that his boyfriend had always liked the French and that he had had a thing for foreign men before he had even realised it himself wasn’t exactly encouraging to Devon. The blond male was everything but foreign, much less exotic. He was a European-American, predominately Anglo-American guy from the South. If Enid had said her son had always liked the typical American guy the blond would have felt included – as he’d have just ignored that the average dude wasn’t a billionaire as he usually did. “It seems that I need to be careful when there are any foreign men around him huh?” he jested but he really didn’t like the idea of some Frenchman coming along enchanting his boyfriend with his accent and culture.

 

He turned towards her and looked her into her eyes with his golden orbs when she expressed that she was glad that the two of them had found each other and that they seemed happy together. A wide smile was appearing on the politician’s face. “Yes we are.” he confirmed that and Enid was certainly right that this was something one couldn’t buy. “It’s special to me.” he confessed. “While most things in life can indeed be bought…” and he’d know, he could buy everything he wanted, “…there are still some that definitely can’t.” the mad nodded and he was glad that the man’s mother saw it that way too. That she was happy about them being a couple and didn’t just feel like she had to tolerate it somehow despite actually being against it. Especially after she had learned where they had met it was relieving and encouraging to hear her say those words.

 

“Yeah, that’s probably very true.” the Governor realised listening to Kario’s mother speculating that her mother had probably found the implications of what it meant to go to a new country simply terrifying as a kid. And Devon could understand it to a point. A kid didn’t understand the reasons behind for leaving and wasn’t aware of the improvement and better opportunities that awaited it in the new nation. It made him smile all the more when Enid then said that it would have made her mother incredibly happy if she knew that her grandson had found an interest in her culture.

 

Devon’s eyes were glowing hearing the lady talk about how she wasn’t surprised that Kario was interested in all those cultures though since her son had always had an interest in East Asia and that he had always wanted to see the small places unlike the tourist centres, pointing out how he had apparently been an odd child growing up. “It doesn’t surprise me that he’s been like that from an early age on. Kario is still different as the adult man I have gotten to know. He is kind, considerate and his perception and values differ massively from everyone I know. Maybe one could describe him as a little odd but his different ways and his personality that might be peculiar and unlike that of other men is exactly what I have fallen in love with.” the politician beamed. And fallen in love he had! Hard!

 

The story he was told about Kario’s birth was rather cute and funny as well and he was glad that his parents had not been disappointed and had then made an effort to switch everything that had been made for a girl into a room for a little boy. “My floor in our mansion was empty when my mum moved into the hospital to give birth to me. She hoped till the end that she’d give birth to a daughter but she got me. Hence she called the interior architect into the hospital and told him exactly how she wanted my floor to be designed, she called a company that was specialised in equipment for babies and a fashion designer who designed baby and kid’s clothing and everything was done and prepared already when she brought me home without her and my dad having to buy or look for anything themselves.” he told her. “I was then demised to my father and a bunch of different nannies since I wasn’t the girl she had wanted to raise but a boy.” the man said as though it had been some kind of property transfer.

 

“I don’t know if she’s realised that she’s been lucky to have me as her son.” Devon told the woman. “But she’s changed since her retirement. She wants to spend time with me now, she even tries to cook for me – her food is horrible and not eatable but I appreciate the effort – and she tries to act motherly from time to time. It seems like she wants to be my mother now.” the politician told Enid amused. Sure, Ashfield was glad his mother made an effort and that they were getting closer but it wasn’t like his mother could even out the lack of presence and interest she had shown in him throughout his entire life in the last phase of hers, even though the woman seemed to think so! But Ashfield mostly didn’t care to tell her otherwise.

 

The question as to why his parents hadn’t tried to have another child and for her mother to get a daughter was a good one but one that Devon couldn’t actually answer. “Well, maybe she was too terrified she could give birth to another son?” the blond joked cynically and snorted. “No.” he shook his head. “I honestly don’t know. You’d have to ask my parents that.” the billionaire told her.

 

It still seemed a little unlikely that every family had someone like his father. He supposed that Enid was just trying to be nice. But he was listening really closely when the woman expressed that she had wanted to mention something to him. The Governor nodded for her to go ahead and tell him what she had wanted to say and he was rather surprised when the woman told him about her daughter and her two kids and that she invited Kario and him to the toddler’s birthday party in two weeks. “Of course, we’ll definitely be there. I’m looking forward to getting to know your family more.” the blond man took the invitation and he was immediately starting to think about what to get as a present. It probably wouldn’t be difficult to find something Kario’s sister and her husband would like but he had no idea of what present to give a one year old girl. “What would Kario’s sister like us to bring for her daughter?” he asked.

 

 

 

 

 

Despite the Senator being the one who had recommended him to the brothel Devon had never really thought about the fact that he had been seeing Kario too. And now it became clear to him that the young man hadn’t only served middle aged guys such as himself but also men who were incredibly old such as the Senator who was even older than Ashfield’s father. It was a weird and unpleasant thought and he somehow wanted to ask the other man if this had been difficult and unpleasant for him to do but he would ask him about that later on or another time.

For now he was glad that Kario seemed to have no ill feelings for the man and that it apparently didn’t cause him distress to run into him too. Harvey Flint was the actual issue.

 

His thoughts got distracted though when Kario was smiling at him this brightly, complementing the Governor in front of the old Senator. It led Ashfield to smile back at the young man and he leaned down to the other, laying his hand onto the man’s cheek, kissing him lovingly.

“I can see that. The Governor is a good man.” the older politician agreed with a nod, thinking that it might not have been that bad for the blond to have gotten caught. This way he didn’t have to hide anymore like the Senator had done his entire life, finding that now, that he was old, he didn’t actually care to hide it that meticulously anymore. He wouldn’t come out but he didn’t fear to be discovered any longer like he had all those decades. If they’d publish his gayness and that he was frequenting a brothel, well, he’d just retire sooner than planned.

 

“God, that acting all lovey-dovey makes me hurl!” Harvey spat. “No one wants to see you licking that gay whore’s face Ashfield. Gross!” the man barked displeased. Seeing the displayed affection between the two pissing him off, almost offending him. Jens raised an eyebrow again. “What consenting adults do together and whether they want to be in a relationship and display so is their private decision! It’s none of your nor the government’s business!” the man from the steel-empire pointed out a lot more annoyed by Harvey than anything else. “But they don’t have to rub this into other people’s faces!” Flint grumbled. “Why are you even getting involved in that discussion? I didn’t talk to you! Why would you care?” the man from the automobile industry wanted to know. “Are you some queer in secret too or what? Do you fuck dudes?” the guy provoked. “Now we know why you didn’t throw that hooker out back in Thailand when ‘she’ turned out to be a ‘he’! I’d have punched his face in for deceiving me!” Harvey declared.

 

Now both of Jens’ eyebrows were up but his facial expression unimpressed. “No, I am not a ‘queer’. I am straight. But my brother is gay! Do you have a problem with that Harvey, do you want to talk shit about my family. Go ahead, say one bad word about my family, my brother, Harvey!” Jens invited the man, puffing up, his bulky, muscular built on display, the blond’s fists forming, staring Flint down. What caused Harvey to avert his gaze mumbling a:”No.” displeased.

 

“And that hooker was a really pretty lady! Much prettier than your fat ugly wife Harvey!” Jens countered but Flint didn’t care to defend his wife. He knew she wasn’t exactly attractive, at least not anymore but what did it matter, he wouldn’t sleep with her either way. “That bloody hooker had a dick! Some giant, hard, throbbing, veiny thing! It was a dude!” Flint insisted. “Well, she had a penis but it was more like a tiny, soft one and I didn’t do anything with it, I just ignored it. Anyhow, that Thai woman’s penis was none of your business either. I accepted her service because she was hot and sweet so it was mine and her business.” the man from the steel-industry said and Ashfield blinked his eyes hoping no one from the press was listening in, realising that those guys were talking about sex trips, Thai hookers and dicks.

 

“Yeah, you accepted that! You’re actually just some kind of gay, that’s why you’re jumping to Ashfield’s little sissy male whore’s defence the entire time. You’re probably fucking male prostitutes yourself in secret when you’re not at the parties don’t you Benninghofen, just like Ashfield.”Harvey accused Jens, projecting his own behaviour onto the man. “No.” the other answered drily, still absolutely confident with himself. “I don’t because I am not gay. I am straight, I like women. If I wanted to have sex with or date men, I would do so, I wouldn’t hide it. I’d just say I was gay and do my thing.” the blond man shrugged.

 

“Stop projecting your own behaviour onto other people Harvey!” Devon called the man out loudly and he then bit his lip, realising his tongue had been quicker than his mind. He shouldn’t have said that. But the massive hypocrisy and blatant homophobia Harvey was displaying, even against the only man in the round – except for Kario’s dad – who was actually straight, was starting to piss him off immensely.

 

Harvey Flint’s face was torn into an angry grimace. His carotid was pulsing dangerously and his whole body was tensing. “Excuse me!? What did you just say Ashfield!?” Harvey hissed incredibly angry. “You heard me!” Devon spoke clearly looking straight into the man’s eyes. “The Governor just said that you are the one pretending to be straight but secretly sleeping with male prostitutes Mister Flint. And it’s accurate. I have seen you in the subterranean garage once.” the old Senator said, incredibly amused, taking a gulp from his beer.

 

That was when Kario asked Devon whether he should go somewhere with his father until he had handled the situation while Jens was simultaneously busting out into a fit of laughter, spitting out some of the beer in the process. “You went to the same gay establishment as Ashfield and that Senator! Now look at that! The guy who constantly cared to bash homosexual men whenever the opportunity arose is one himself.” Benninghofen found that incredibly amusing and it was absolutely certain that he’d make fun of Harvey for an eternity now. Not only that, he’d definitely tell his friends, considering just how much Harvey had annoyed most of them with his senseless gay bashing no one had cared for.

 

“You can go elsewhere with your father if you want.” the politician nodded towards Kario. If the other needed to get away from the scene he would not stop him and now that he turned towards the young man’s father he could absolutely see why this might not be a bad idea.

However, he soon got distracted because Harvey was about to explode now, from both anger and shame. His face was tomato red and Devon would have sworn that there was fume coming out of his ears. “I did not! You are all insane! I can’t see your stupid gay faces anymore!” Flint yelled, placing the box of beers down onto the ground and walking away, leaving Jens behind laughing so hard that the man was bending over, holding his ribcage.

 

“It seems as though it won’t be necessary for you to leave anymore though. Unless you want to go after Harvey!” Devon joked, nudging Kario with his elbow.