As a host, Alcy was well versed in literature of all kinds. Where Beez knew a person’s body, Alcy knew their minds.
“Oh? What’s your favorite anime?”
Those eyes brightened. “I loveThis Boy Suffers From Crystallization! I mean, I know you probably never heard of it, but—”
“Oh! You mean the one where Tamari Ayumu suffers from Crystallization Syndrome?” Beez’s brow furrowed, and Alcy gazed at him, unable to hold back a hint of smugness. “It’s a crippling illness,” he informed Beez, “which causes his body to start turning to crystals whenever he becomes anxious or depressed.”
“That’s right!” Carter squealed. “No one I know has ever even heard of it. I’ve got it on Amazon to be streamed.”
“You should seeThis Boy is a Professional Wizard.It tells the story of Kashima, who is a wizard working for the government's Department of Magic. One day, he's approached by Toyohi, a charming and carefree backpacker. Romance begins to bloom, but misunderstandings and Kashima's own punishing work ethic threaten to tear the two apart. It’s by the same director, and has a similar feel, but there are so many emotions at work.”
It didn’t escape Alcy’s notice that Carter slid off Beez’s lap and inched closer to him. He didn’t miss Beez’s look of frustration either. As much as he hated to admit it, Alcy didn’t like doing this to Beez. Sure, he was frustrating and arrogant, but it wasn’t as if he hadn’t been summoned to do a job, same as Alcy.It’s just that he’s so damn good at it. Of course, when faced with the proposal of spending eternity doing whatever—or whomever—you wanted, it made what Alcy offered pale in comparison, and he knew it.
“What’s your favorite anime?” Carter asked, nearly breathless.
Carter’s excitement was palpable. There was so much eagerness in him that Alcy could tell all thoughts of sex had gone out of his mind.
“Well, it’s pretty cliche, but I really liked Yuri on Ice. There’s another that I enjoy, calledClassmates. It’s an adaptation of Asumiko Nakamura's first boys' love manga series. His work has attracted many fans of the boys' love genre, focusing on the romantic relationships between male characters. What made this one interesting is within the first eleven days of opening in Japan, the film grossed over a million dollars at the box office.”
“You’re kidding!” he squealed, then turned to Beez. “For a movie of this type, that’s unheard of.”
“Oh yeah?” Beez murmured, but his gaze was roaming over Carter’s backside. He reached out and slid a finger down the seam of Carter’s pants. “Why don’t you take those clothes off? We should be comfortable, right?” he suggested, his voice raspy.
It was obvious to Alcy that Carter was torn. He’d never met anyone who didn’t simply strip down and throw themselves at Beez. Not that he could blame them. As a host, it was Beez’s job to know the ins and outs of all things sexual. Every part of his body could be used to bring joy to anyone who summoned him.
Not for the first time, there was a niggle in the back of Alcy’s mind.What kind of existence does Beez lead?Whereas Alcy had friends he could sit and talk with, Beez had nothing in common with the people he dealt with beyond sexual gratification. It wasn’t as though he could call them up on a Friday night and ask them to watch a movie or discuss the latest Grisham novel.
For Beez it was sex, twenty-four hours a day, every day. Not that Alcy could understandthat, either. As a host, his focus was on the purity of thought and deed. He’d never had sex, because that wasn’t something he cared about. Though he would never tell anyone, he did wonder at times which of them was happier. It was obvious Beez enjoyed his job, and so did Alcy.
Maybe that’s the point. Each of us has a purpose, and it fulfills us.
But still…
What if, for just one day, he could swap places with Beez? What would it feel like to have hands on him? To feel lips brushing against his own? To feel the rush of orgasm as his partner stared into his eyes, a lopsided grin making him even more beautiful. And why did he harborthatfantasy? He’d spent centuries seeing the blissed out look on Beez’s charges.
Not that it mattered. Supreme had created Alcy with one singular goal— to bring knowledge to mankind. To show them there were things more important than carnal pleasures.
Watching Carter and Beez, however, Alcy had to wonder just how true that was.
The look on Alcy’s face didn’t escape Beez’s notice. He was hurting, and for some reason it bothered Beez to see that expression. It wasn’t as though he’d intended to steal Carter away. Hell, the kid had summoned both of them, right? Was ithisfault that Beez wanted to introduce Carter to pleasures he could only dream of?
But Carter had somehow gotten both of them. Which, as far as Beez could tell, meant the kid could go either way, metaphysically speaking. He’d never met anyone who’d been so evenly split between Heaven and Hell, and for some reason, he knew he had to give Carter the chance to choose what would make him happiest.
Plus, there was that hangdog expression on Alcy’s face. Beez couldn’t stand it. In the many millennia they’d known each other, Beez had never seen that look of… defeat. It tugged at him, even though he knew he could sway Carter. But what good would that do, especially if he cheated Alcy out of a fair chance?
“Okay, I have an idea,” he mumbled. “Alcy? Can we talk a minute? I need your input in this.”
“Mine?” Alcy’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
A sigh rolled out of Beez. “Because Carter somehow got the both of us, and if this is going to be completely equitable, we have to come to an agreement. I propose we each spend some time with Carter, without interference from the other. Show him what pleasures only we can provide. You can talk with him about anime and manga, and I can show him what his body can do or, more importantly, what I can do to his body.”
That didn’t seem to make Alcy happy, judging by his furrowed brow and the crinkles at the corners of his eyes. And Beez understood. The modern world was more hedonistic. Those who sought the spiritual or the path to knowledge were few and far between, and they were getting rarer all the time. Still, Carterhadsummoned both of them, so it wasn’t like Beez couldn’t do his job. Right?
“I suppose that’s fair,” Alcy finally admitted. “But how long will each of us have?”
“That’s a good question. Carter, do you have anything pressing coming up?”
Carter pursed his lips. “Just some school stuff. The nice thing is, we’ll be finishing up in two weeks, and then it’s vacation time. My folks want me to go with them to some retreat, but I’m trying to think of a way to avoid it.”