Roots and Oxygen

Chapter 17 - Invasive Desires

Sage turned to see an approaching storm. The wind had picked up and the temperature was rising. He followed Taro back across the field, not wanting to spend his time at the Castle with a cold.

"Can I ask about what happened with you and the press?" Taro asked, watching Sage as he spoke. "Sounds like you took them down pretty hard and they've bounced back pretty hard too."

"I'm surprised you don't know about it. Every news reporter in the country mentioned it until it was over, and then some." Sage crossed his arms and slowed the pace, so he could talk to his Valet in the open air. "When my grandfather died, I cried at his funeral. The press took very close-up pictures and videos and turned my sorrow into a weakness. This was the first bad press I had received, and I took it hard. They said some really nasty things about me, so I sued everyone I could for defamation of character. I took down big names and I'm paying for it now."

Taro stopped walking, so Sage also stopped. "You really did that?"

Sage nodded.

"You must have known about this aftermath."

"I was warned about what it could cause, but I had to do something."

Taro's green eyes, brighter than the grass and the trees around them, now gleamed with something Sage would have assumed was curiosity. "That was a very brave thing to do."

Sage had rarely been called brave for taking down the press. Only Oxley thought he was doing the right thing. His father thought he should have silently waited for the drama to blow over, his mother frowned upon any actions that caused negative attention, and one of his grandmother's had called him a stupid fool to his face.

"I don't think I have the energy to do that again," Sage admitted.

"You do. I know you do." Taro smirked. "Do you know how I know?"

Sage shook his head.

"Because if I had that weight on my shoulders, I wouldn't be able to get out of bed, and I'm a pretty strong person." Taro's eyes flicked him up and down. "You're surprising, for someone who the whole world thinks they know."

Sage's eyes stared at the back of Taro's blond head as he continued towards the Castle. You're surprising too, he thought before following him across the rest of the field.

Telling Taro Vinea his problems seemed natural. Sage hadn't gone into detail, but Taro still knew more about him than his own family. The Valet had only been in his life for a week.

Sage tugged anxiously at the ends of his sleeves. He knew nothing about Taro Vinea. Because I haven't asked him anything.

He sat at the head of a long dark oak table. The chairs were calved with flowers along the back. The carvings were not comfortable, so Sage slumped over a bowl of soup and let his thoughts wander.

He sulked in the Castle's library for the rest of the day, picking up a book, reading a page, wanting something else, then spending almost thirty minutes looking for another book he wasn't in the mood to enjoy.

The bedroom at the back of the Palace was warmed by a fire when Sage returned. The day was getting late, and he hoped to have a decent night's sleep.

Taro Vinea joined him after Sage pulled a cord that rang a bell somewhere in the servant's hall. Taro hadn't yet emptied Sage's bag. Sage wanted to ask why he hadn't gotten around to it, but he didn't have the energy for a confrontation.

"I shoved a lot of stuff in here. It's all creased," Taro admitted.

"It's fine. I'm not too picky about my nightwear, but if we could pick an outfit for tomorrow, and get it ironed, that would be great." He unbuttoned his shirt. "And please get the rest of the clothes ironed and in the cupboards by tomorrow afternoon. I do believe my grandmother is visiting for dinner tomorrow."

"Alright. Does she live close?"

"Only a twenty-minute drive." Sage found the Castle eerily quiet; he was almost eager to have more company. "She's a bit mad with old age, though. She'll be a difficult guest."

"Is it normal for Valets and other staff to travel with Royal families?" Taro asked, taking Sage's shirt and giving him a black silk one. Instead of wandering off to put things away, Taro buttoned up the shirt.

Sage pursed his lips when Taro's knuckles touched his stomach.

"Prince?" Their eyes met. Sage diverted his immediately.

"Yes, it's normal to travel with your employer."

Taro slowed his fingers. "You blush when I do this. Is this not normal for a Valet?"

"You're really only meant to fix a tie and do the top button."

"Then why do you let me do it?"

Sage's heart throbbed in his ears. Taro Vinea was close. A finger had slipped on the inside of his shirt, touching his chest. His green eyes were intense and keen for a response. Sage didn't know what to say. Why had he let Taro act so intimate?

His silence was taken as some sort of answer. Taro's bruised hand moved inside Sage's shirt, slowly, tenderly. His palm was cold against Sage's ribs. He knew Taro could feel his thumping heart and the rise and fall of his anxious breaths.

Sage was frozen, until Taro stepped closer and tried to slip his other hand inside his shirt. Sage retreated quickly and spun around. "Leave," he said while fumbling with his own buttons.

Taro didn't move. "It's okay to-"

"If you don't leave my bedroom now, you're fired." The thumping in Sage's ears was a warning call. He didn't turn around until his bedroom door opened and closed, and he was once again on his own.

Sage groaned and flopped onto his bed in only his silk shirt and boxers. He stared at the patterned ceiling. He still felt Taro's cold palm on his chest, and the excitement that came with such a plain touch. "What are you doing Sage? What the fuck are you doing?" He cringed and buried his face into his duvet. He's my Valet, he's my Valet, he's my Valet.

Sage had too much to lose, yet the temptation of being touched by another man made him forget all that was bothering him, for a moment, but a moment too long. Taro knew the risks to Sage's future, but he still flirted as if they could afford to get caught.

Why do I hesitate every damn time? Sage curled up into a ball. Why won't I just fire him?