While Rowan rolled his eyes and pursed his lips in disdain, Ruben did not appear bothered by his companion’s lacking decorum. Given Ruben’s history of sleeping around, he must not have any issue with sharing those he bedded.
The brief idea ofsharingmade the new heat in Milo’s central parts twist hotter.
“Vincent, this is my baby brother Rowan,” Ruben introduced them.
“Babyis an interesting term for another jolly ginger giant,” Vincent said. “You anything else like your brother, handsome?”
“It stops at our size and coloring,” Rowan said coldly, not offering a hand to shake, but then Vincent hadn’t either. He seemed more interested in other parts of Rowan, which continued to bother Milo. A lot. He didn’tlikeit one bit.
“And who’s the pretty boy twink?” The artist turned his piercing gaze on Milo.
While Milo maintained that he was not technically a boy, despite preferring male pronouns, he supposed he was pretty. He had been designed that way. He wasn’t familiar with the other word, however. “Pardon me, but what does—”
“We’d really like to continue our museum visit,” Rowan rushed to speak over Milo and moved in closer against his side, taking his hand. “In private.”
Milo almost might have believed Ruben could tell their secret with how penetratingly he kept looking between them, but if so, he didn’t outright ask whether Milo was Rowan’s bot with the same name as his model delineation.
“If you change your mind,” Vincent said, grabbing hold of Ruben’s arm, but not in a possessive way. It somehow looked the opposite, almost inviting for others—for Milo?—to look at Ruben and want him too, “there’s an after party later for the new exhibit’s artists and their friends. Thenmuchlater, our own private get together if—”
“Nope,” Ruben cut in this time, jostling Vincent with a tug on his arm. “That is one line I don’t cross.”
Milo felt the same relief as what appeared in Rowan’s expression.
Vincent looked disappointed, but Ruben ignored him and took out his vape pen for another hit, either forgetting or not caring that he had nonverbally agreed with the museum worker that he would stop, but while she was hovering near enough to notice, seeing him with Vincent, who also didn’t appear to care, caused her to deflate and stay where she was.
“I expect to learn more about boytoy next time,” Ruben said, steering Vincent away from them.
“As I said, my name is—” Milo tried, but Ruben called over him much like everyone else kept overlapping.
“Bye, boytoy! Bye, RoRo!”
“Does your brother have auditory issues?” Milo asked, after the pair had disappeared into the next room.
Rowan snorted. “Yeah, it’s called selective listening.”
“I am not familiar with—”
“Never mind, Milo. But thank you for holding your cover.”
Cover? Meaning their secret, their lie that Milo wasn’t a bot. Milo felt something unexplainable about that, neither good nor bad, which made it strange, yet he was glad to not be getting those apathetic or sometimes downright hostile looks from people. “Of course,” he said. “Your sister, Riley, is slightly rude, but Ruben seems very rude.”
Rowan’s next snort erupted as more of a laugh. “Nailed it in one.”
“You are not rude.”
“Depends on who you ask.”
“I… um…”
“Yes?” Rowan turned toward Milo to look at him more directly, still holding his hand.
Milo liked when Rowan held his hand. “I believe I am experiencing more things that I like and dislike,” he whispered.
Rowan glanced around them, as if to ensure a whisper was enough to prevent them from being overheard. No one else was near them at the moment. “That’s great, Milo,” he whispered back. “You mean the art—oh.” Rowan paused, blinking rapidly several times upon taking in Vincent’s half of the display. “Wow, that’s… graphic.”
“I do like the art!” Milo put in, moving with Rowan to more closely examine the piece and take in its details. The male formwas very appealing to Milo, though specifically Rowan’s. Only Rowan’s? One of the men in the painting was big and burly like Rowan but dark-haired. Milo would have liked the depiction even better if the man’s hair was ginger, he was certain of it. “But yes, it is a very detailed representation of men in various states of arousal. Also… I do not like that Ruben’s artist friend propositioned you.”
“Noticed that, huh?” Rowan asked. “Well, technically, he propositioned us.WithRuben.”
