Yield Under Great Persuasion

by Alexandra Rowland

It was healing. It was a second chance. It was the kindest fucking thing that anyone had ever done for him.

But Idunet—poor, misunderstood, abused and mistreated Idunet—reminds us that we are powerful, that the choice to shape our own lives is ours, that there is always a way out, and that even as you care for others, you must always care for yourself.”

He was just plain old Tam Becket—the worst possible thing to be—and that truth was so unavoidable that it felt shocking, inevitable, wrong. He didn’t want to be Tam Becket, but there was no escape from the fact that he had to be, that he didn’t get a choice in it. The only thing as inevitable and certain was death.

Why did everything have to be so hard? Why did he have to try and try and try all the time and get nowhere?

in an act of absolute heroism, Nicolau whispered, “Can I kiss you?” and all Tam had to say was a little, broken, “Yes please.”

He just wanted... to lie here and kiss. With Nicolau. Gods, what was this shit? Who had he become?

University is good for some things, actually.” “Like ruining my goddamn life,” Tam muttered. “Mm, of course, giving you my cock definitely ruined your life. What a tragedy. That’s why you came back four days later, dragged me to the hayloft, and yelled at me for wasting your time on purpose when all we ended up doing was rubbing off against each other. And why every other time for the next couple months, all you wanted to do was shove me onto my back in the hay and ride me like a demon. Yes, I’ve done so many terrible, terrible crimes. I am filled with repentance.”

“Are you in love with me?” He seized up in horror. Fuck. Goblin, he was a goblin, he wasn’t fit for polite company— “Yes,” Nicolau said softly, immediately, as if it were as ordinary and unremarkable as a daisy by the side of the road.

“No. That’s awful, you don’t want any part of that.” “I want every part of that. I think it sounds marvelous. I don’t see a downside.”