Watching you two is even better than I thought it would be, and my expectations were high, he says. Also my fork is adorable, and you can count me in on being disappointed, if I'd been awake I'd've suggested you try it, as long as you had him on trust songs without warning anyway. How many opportunities are we ever going to get for you to have a Taliar on trust songs without warning? As soon as we've heard of the concept while sober it gets much easier to think around.

Well, there's no reason to think there's precisely two of me.

Fair enough.

He watches them some more. It is unquestionably true that Dawn-shining Taliar has the most beautiful husband in this or any world, and the sight of him with Sun-dark is mesmerizing.

Taliars are miracles. He's so happy.

Dawn-shining is contemplating trying to talk his soul into branching a power for reading his fork's memories just so he won't have to interrupt Maitimo to ask for a more complete summary. He needs it for strategic reasons, arranging his alt into the right shape is delicate work and he has to have as much information as possible, but Maitimo is busy right now and Taliar is extremely reluctant to substantially divide his attention. It's so beautiful, they're both so beautiful - the look on Sun-dark's face is amazing, is that what Taliar looks like on trust songs, he's so - he can't even think of a word for it, in any language - he looks like he's having the time of his life, but in a really calm dreamy way, and yet at the same time intensely focused -

He hasn't even noticed that Dawn-shining woke up. All of his attention is on Maitimo. Maitimo is perfect and beautiful, Maitimo is amazing, Maitimo can do such incredible things to him... this was the best idea, sex on trust songs is unbelievably good.

Is his husband feeling neglected because he can make his husband feel whatever he wants and 'neglected' is not what he wants.

His husband is not feeling neglected in the slightest. His husband is enjoying himself immensely. That's not to say that some attention wouldn't be welcome, of course, but he is entirely content to just watch Maitimo fuck Sun-dark.

He will hold him still, then, with just a fraction of his attention, and distract him occasionally.

His husband loves him so very much.

Good. ...exactly how much can he tease him and still get him to hold still.

Is that a challenge?

That does seem to be the way to get his husband to do literally anything, doesn't it.

Taliar has held perfectly still for an amazing variety of tortures, and he can hold perfectly still for this.

...with some difficulty.

...he loves his husband so much.

And his husband loves him too, so much he's giving another one to a version of him who doesn't even want one. Yet.

Speaking of which, guess who finally noticed his alt is awake? He has no idea what's going on that put that look on Dawn-shining's face, but whatever it is, he wholeheartedly approves.

Maitimo. It's Maitimo.

Well then he wholeheartedly approves of Maitimo. Not that he didn't already. Trust songs are amazing.

Sex on trust songs is amazing. Post-coital cuddling on trust songs is amazing. Idly teasing his husband during same is amazing. 

Sun-dark cuddles Maitimo contentedly and watches his alt be pleasantly tormented.

The song fades.

"Well, that was even more incredible than I expected," he says. "And apparently Dawn-shining agrees!"

"Pleased to be surpassing your expectations. You sure you don't just want to take the easy road and stay?"

He looks up at Maitimo with fond exasperation, and then kisses him.

When in my life have I ever taken the easy road? he asks, holding the memory of the emotion cascade in his mind until his pulse races with suppressed terror.

I adore you.

He giggles delightedly, which interferes with both the kissing and the deliberate cultivation of fear, but that's all right.

And he relaxes happily for a while and then decides it's really cruel to keep teasing his husband.