Ever nodded. “Mm. What does it mean?”
Arsen grinned, his cheeks turning a bit pink, then he lifted his arm and flexed, the muscles popping in a way Ever found…pleasing. “Virile. Strong,” he said in an exaggerated deep voice before deflating back to normal. “My father had high expectations for me.”
Arsen’s father. He rarely talked about him. Not that Ever blamed him. Who wanted to talk about the man who killed your mother?
“Your father’s in jail, right?” Ever asked.
Arsen nodded. “‘Til he dies.”
“Do you ever go visit him?”
Arsen’s lip curled. “I tried. A couple of times after I turned eighteen. Jericho thought it would be a good way to give me ‘closure.’ Whatever that means. But…it just made me angry.”
“Angry?” Ever repeated. He was hearing the word a lot.
“Yeah. My father… He’s never apologized. I know that seems like a ridiculous thing to say. How does someone apologize for killing your mom? But I thought he’d be…remorseful at least. But he wasn’t. Not even a little bit. If anything, he blamed me. Took every opportunity to tell me he was ashamed of me, even during our visits. It was always, ‘Sit up straight, stop holding your hand like that. Why are you wearing pink? Are you trying to embarrass me?’”
“He was ashamed…of you?” Ever said, breathless.
How could anyone be ashamed of Arsen? He was perfect. Smart. Sweet. Hardworking. Funny. Sexy… Ever’s hand moved by itself, his fingertips skimming over Arsen’s jawline, his cheekbones, his lips.
“He couldn’t handle having a gay son. He said he was embarrassed we shared a last name.”
“What an asshole,” Ever muttered.
Arsen chuckled, his features shifting beneath Ever’s fingers. “I’ll never get used to you swearing.”
“Should I not?” Ever asked.
“You should do and say whatever you want. I’ll always find you adorable.”
Ever grew hot until the tips of his ears felt like they were on fire. He steered the subject back to Arsen. “But you kept his last name anyway?”
“Mostly for spite, partially because a name change is a really difficult process. Expensive, too. Especially for someone who’s immigrated here.”
“What does your last name mean?”
“Lebedev?” Arsen said. “It means swan.”
Ever’s lips twitched. “So, your full name means horny swan?”
“Hey!” Arsen scraped his teeth across Ever’s stomach until he flinched away with a laugh. “It means…well, yeah, I guess it kind of does. My dad said it meant ‘swan bringer’ after a man who used to raise swans for the nobles. But my father was often full of shit.”
Ever laughed, his finger tracing the bridge of Arsen’s nose. “Why do you call mebesenok?”
Arsen grinned, reaching up to boop Ever’s chin. “Because it suits you.”
Ever rolled his eyes. “But what does it mean?”
“It means little demon.”
Ever’s mouth fell open. “You think I’m a demon?”
“You did hiss at a girl just yesterday,” Arsen pointed out. “Besides, I mean it like…a term of endearment. Like baby or honey or sweetie.”
Sweetie.Ever loved hearing certain words in Arsen’s accent. It made them sound special, even when they were very generic. “Should I callyousomething? A term of endearment?”
“What do you want to call me?” Arsen asked gently.
