Archive of Our Own

The bell rings, signaling two minutes left until class starts, and Viktor hears Lest before he sees her. She lets out the world’s most dramatic sigh as she sits down in the seat next to him—one that he had saved for her, in case she was running late.

It’s a good thing he did, as Lest looks worse for wear, not how he expected her to look on the first day of class. On the first day of senior year, no less. Lest has been looking forward to this moment since, well, probably kindergarten. Most of the time, Viktor’s best friend is composed and ready to take on the world, but today she seems frazzled.

“I’ve been awake for an hour and I already want today to be over,” she says, attitude and frustration laced through her voice. Viktor gives her a sympathetic look, his chin held in his palm as he nods his head in greeting.

“How come?” Viktor keeps his volume low—gentle for Lest’s sake, and for the tired students around them. It’s just past eight in the morning, after all, and based on the chorus of yawns echoing throughout the room, he can tell that most of them are not looking forward to this class.

Viktor doesn’t mind it. Math comes easy to him, and calculus seems like a language he will speak fluently. But he knows he’s one of the few students that feels this way; just another reminder to himself that he is more fast paced and excitable than most people in this small town.

Lest grabs his attention again as she pulls a spiral notebook out of her backpack and slides it onto the table in front of her. Viktor watches as she writes her name on the inside of the cover, and of course, it’s in beautiful, fluid script—as to be expected from a young woman as opulent as her. Her hand is shaking, though, and his heart pangs with sadness for his best friend.

“Well, maybe I don’t want the day to end so quickly, because then I’ll have to go home.” Another sigh, and she chews on the end of her pen for a moment. Viktor stays silent, waiting patiently.

“My mom and I got into it this morning. I don’t even remember why—something about her stupid fucking boyfriend.” She aggressively marks through a mistake in her writing with a huff. “And I didn’t get to eat anything because I was so busy arguing with her. Plus, my hair didn’t want to cooperate—” Viktor traces his eyes along the strands of long, chocolate hair that flow down over her arms, pooling in a silky curl on the tabletop where she’s leaned over it. Her hair always looks beautiful. No matter how much he disagrees with her, though, he doesn’t deny her the room to vent.

Lest continues her rant. “The outfit I had planned in my head for today didn’t turn out nearly as cute as I thought it would, so I was frantically digging through my closet for something that would work—all while my mom is bitching at me through my door.” She tries to relax her shoulders and sighs, as if exhaling everything inside of her lungs will help expel the stress she feels. With the way her eyes lack their usual glimmer, though, it doesn’t seem to work like she wants it to.

“I’m sorry,” Viktor offers. “I’m confident your day will get better, though. It’s so early, and something is bound to go your way.”

Lest turns and makes eye contact with Viktor for the first time since she sat down. Her eyes flick across his features, and Viktor feels a suspicious tingle on the back of his neck. She squints, and says nothing for a solid moment.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” He whispers, sitting up straight in his own chair. Lest is staring at him like he has something on his face, so he mindlessly swipes his hand over his nose. When she smirks, Viktor suddenly feels like he’s in trouble.

“I know exactly what will cheer me up.”

“Oh, no.”

Lest nods. “Do you remember that bonfire party we went to a few weeks ago?”

Viktor’s entire face blooms red, and he tries to hide it by snapping his head toward his own notebook, open on the table in front of him. He picks up his pen and starts writing nonsense on a blank sheet.

“The one you ditched me at?” he scoffs, trying to fight the heat away from his face by flipping it onto Lest.

Lest rolls her eyes and waves him off, her freshly manicured nails shining in the fluorescent lights of the classroom. “Semantics.”

Viktor rolls his eyes right back, squirming in his seat as he slumps. He tries to avoid her gaze, but it’s burning into the side of his face. Viktor can’t ignore it, and he knows she won’t let it go now that she’s brought it up.

“Why are you blushing, hm?” she calls him out, no shame in her nagging. “You know, I heard a teeny tiny little rumor about you. And I haven’t been able to confirm nor deny because you went MIA for the rest of the summer!”

That makes Viktor look her way again. He ignores the latter half of her statement. “A rumor? About me?” Lest nods her head, which makes Viktor’s stomach flip. He’s never had a rumor spread about him before.

Granted, this year will only be his second at this high school. His junior year went by quickly and quietly, and Viktor hadn’t made many friends to show for it. In a town this small, groups were knit extremely tight and sewn very early on. Most of the students in his grade have known each other since they were in daycare, and before then, they were probably born at the same hospital.

Viktor became an outsider the second he moved to town. He’s been here before–the new kid, always stuck moving when his parents find better jobs in order to pay for his medical care. He knew he was bound to be a loner, especially with such an insular community, but he hadn’t minded at the time.

Keeping to himself wasn’t something that bothered him, since it’s not as if he was disliked. He could say he had acquaintances—other students that he would occasionally chat with in class, or mingle with while he spent time in the library. They were kind to him, the curious new kid, but these relationships weren’t very strong; built mostly off of traded homework and convenience.

At least, that was before Lest came along.

Meeting Lest was like stepping through a doorway and into a thunderstorm, her friendliness and captivating nature an instant source of warmth for Viktor. They met, and no more than a few days had passed before they were calling each other and talking late into the night, making plans for their futures and adding new songs to shared playlists and sending each other online videos tagged #TransJoy. Lest had revolutionized Viktor’s world beyond what he had ever thought possible, the one jewel he found in this dull, quiet community.

Although Lest wasn’t born here, she’s lived in the little blue house next to the only church in town for several years. Viktor constantly wonders how someone as graceful and high-class as her can be happy in a place this small.

“What was this rumor?” Viktor mumbles, his curiosity getting the better of him as he focuses back on the present. He watches as a sharp, wicked smile grows on his best friend’s face, and knows he’s screwed.

“Maaaybe… something about you…” Lest pauses to pull her favorite lip gloss from her bag and applies a generous coat, just to torture him. “…and a certain college boy.” The end of her statement is punctuated by her sliding the applicator back into the small vial.

Viktor flushes to the tips of his ears, his stomach exploding with butterflies. Lest hums through a giggle, knowing that she’s hit the nail right on the head.

She leans in, her full, undivided attention on Viktor, even when the teacher starts to walk towards the front of the classroom. The bell overhead rings, and it’s like Lest doesn’t even hear it.

“Tell me everything.”

Viktor pouts. When the teacher speaks up and tells the class to spend the first twenty minutes attempting to solve the problem written out on the board, Viktor groans. He solved it before Lest had even sat down, so it won’t give him any cover from her prying.

“Fine.” Viktor sits up, deciding to indulge her.

It’s not like he hasn’t been dying to tell his best friend about the end of his summer.

He takes a deep breath. “So, do you remember Jayce Talis?”

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The side of the barn practically glows, the weathered, old red paint that splits along the grain of the wood shining with the light of the fire dancing several yards away. The flames curl up high into the night air, wood crackling as a cloud of sparks ignites and floats away like a hoard of lightning bugs, slowly carried by the breeze toward the river along the edge of the property.

Several loud, enthusiastic whoops can be heard as the wood shifts in the pile, each burst of flame from the surge of oxygen giving the young men and women that watch the bonfire a reason to yell in excitement.

Music rocks the glass of back windshields. A few of the dozen or so muddy trucks surrounding the fire have their tailgates lowered, and speakers are set into the beds with their volume turned up so high it vibrates the dirt. Groups of people crowd around the coolers and kegs that litter the nearby ground.

The summer air is permeated with the smell of spilled beer and smoke. Viktor can make out the scent of tobacco and marijuana tangling with the burning oak.

As Viktor looks around, it seems that everyone in town under the age of twenty-one has decided to be here tonight.

Here, as in the back forty of this farm, far away from whoever may live in the main house about a mile up the dirt road. Even calling it a dirt road is generous—it’s only a single pair of tire tracks that have carved themselves into the earth. Out in this field, there are more hoof tracks from cows and horses than there are shoe prints.

Here is a dreamlike space where anyone can partake in staining their livers with cheap beer and whiskey as they yell around the roar of the fire. Where minds can blissfully bend, consequences be damned.

And the fire. Viktor stares deep into it, the skin of his face tightening from the heat as he falls into a trance. He can’t look away—it’s beautiful, and massive, nearly the height of the dead trees that have been cut down to be swallowed by its flame. Wood is stacked into a large pile, new logs thrown on top as heat consumes those below. The ash is ground into the dirt with the remnants of last year’s bonfire.

Apparently, according to Lest, this is one of the town’s yearly traditions.

Once a summer, the start of a new school year is welcomed by a large bonfire, and people always gather to celebrate. It hadn’t started becoming a real party, though, until a handful of years ago. When the nephew of the farmer who owns the property had started high school, he decided to unite the town’s youth with alcohol and spoiled sobriety. This bonfire is one last hurrah before everything goes back to its usual state—business hours return to normal and students, well, resume their studies.

Two weeks are left until Viktor starts his senior year. So, as far as he’s concerned, this is probably his first and last summer bonfire in this town. At least he can say he’s experienced one of them.

There are a few faces he recognizes, along with a few he doesn’t. One or two of the partygoers he knows more intimately than others—including Lest, who’s sitting next to him on the wood of a fallen, stripped tree. After Lest had come into his life, Viktor had started feeling less on the periphery of most social circles, and he grew more comfortable with seeing other students outside of the classroom.

He’s been to parties, some small, some not-so-small.

But none ever like this.

None where mud cakes itself into the treads of tires as they spin out with ignorant, inebriated teenagers behind the wheel. None where the sound of broken glass doesn’t alarm everyone in the vicinity. None where Viktor can walk fifty feet behind him into the pitch of the forest and piss, then come back as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened.

But he can’t deny that the energy here is infectious, like a smile that spreads from one face to the next in a game of telephone.

Someone nearby shotguns a beer, and the loud crack of the aluminum can startles Viktor out of the trance he was pulled into by staring at the fire.

Viktor turns his head and watches as two of his classmates race to chug their beer. The winner cheers deep and loud after a disgusting belch erupts from his chest while the other bends over between two trucks to vomit, probably from the foam coating his throat. Viktor chuckles, then looks towards Lest with a raised brow.

Lest notices his attention, so she perks up and smiles at him.

“There’s a lot more people here than you said there would be, Lest.” There’s a chiding tone to his voice that he doesn’t really mean.

Lest shrugs, but nods. She sips from her plastic cup and Viktor copies her movement, drinking from his own. Viktor doesn’t really enjoy the taste of beer, but it’s something to do with his hands, so he will suffer through it for the time being. At least, until he’s too drunk to taste it. Or care about tasting anything, really.

“I’m not surprised. It’s a birthday party, after all.”

“Oh, whose birthday?” asks Viktor, scanning his eyes over the crowd. No one sticks out at the moment as the host.

“Someone who graduated. Went to the university a few hours away for his freshman year. That’s probably why so many people are here—since he’s back home for the summer.”

Viktor hums, even though he knows Lest can’t hear it over the noise surrounding them.

“And he knows… everyone?” Viktor looks around again in shock. He can’t imagine ever meeting this many people in his life, much less forming full-blown relationships with them.

“No, probably not,” she corrects his line of thinking, “But word around here spreads really fast. It doesn’t take much to get a party started, especially the end-of-summer bonfire.” Lest huffs a laugh, half-sarcastic, half-honest. “It’s better than hanging out in the grocery store parking lot until two in the morning.”

Viktor nods in agreement. “Or walking through the cemetery at night and chain-smoking.”

“Hey,” Lest gasps, “I love our ciggie cemetery time!” She acts offended, but Viktor knows she’s not. He leans into her shoulder, patting her head as she pouts dramatically.

“I know you do,” he comforts her, but his gaze wanders back to the party, his curiosity piqued. Now that Lest has given him more context, Viktor is pretty sure he’s never met whoever the birthday boy is, especially if he graduated from the high school before Viktor even moved to town.

He’s only here at the party because of Lest, after all—one of those word of mouth invites.

When their friendship was still brand new, Lest had always ensured Viktor’s comfort. He doesn’t know if it was the transness, or Lest’s empathetic nature, but she never forced him into anything he didn’t want to do, and he eventually began to trust her without reservation. Sure, she would try to emphasize how good it would be to get out, to act his age, as she put it, but she never pushed him beyond his limits. New to town and trying to find his footing, Viktor had felt small, tentative, even shy.

Over time, though, and with Lest’s support, Viktor felt more comfortable coming out of his shell. He had an easier time embracing the joy of what his youth could really mean, even in a town as small as this. Plus, she helped him come to terms with certain aspects of himself that he was unaware of before.

Like the fact that he feels more than comfortable wearing a low-cut, white, frilly halter top and what Lest calls ‘Daisy Dukes’ to this party, despite being surrounded by kids from his high school. Lest even pinned a flower behind his ear, the small, white daisy highlighting the blonde streaks that peek out from under the brunet of his hair.

He’s confident in himself enough that if a stranger were to give him a hard time—whether it was about his androgynous clothing, his disability, or both—he wouldn’t be afraid to stand up for himself. That, and Lest would probably kill them. Viktor chuckles at the thought when he adjusts his shorts.

As Viktor shifts on the log, he can feel his ass digging into the wood. So he finishes his drink, embracing the social lubricant for what it is, and decides that he needs to get up and move around before he becomes too stiff. Besides, he wants to find this hypothetical birthday boy, if only to snoop.

“I am going for a refill,” Viktor declares as he stands up. He stops Lest’s offer to go get his drink for him before she can even open her mouth, so she shrugs and smiles instead. He stretches his leg out and grabs his cane, turning and slowly making his way towards the trucks to find some more alcohol.

No one is standing around the first keg he sees, so he breathes a small sigh of relief as he approaches the bed of the truck it sits in. When he pulls the handle to fill his cup, though, nothing comes out—it’s tapped.

“Shit,” Viktor curses low to himself. He looks around for another, but the next keg over has someone doing a handstand on top of it, and it’s surrounded by onlookers. He’s not quite brave—or drunk—enough to intrude on their fun.

Just as he’s about to turn and walk back to the tree with his tail tucked between his legs and take Lest up on her offer, an unopened can of beer glides into his periphery. It’s so cold that a drop of condensation slides down the aluminum and drips over the large, tan fingers that hold it.

Viktor looks at the hand offering the beer, his eyes tracing along a bare, muscular forearm and the soft texture of a light grey t-shirt stretched over a broad chest, eventually landing on a very pleasing, profoundly handsome face.

“You know, I was going to say something smooth, but you’re so damn pretty that I forgot my pickup line.”

Viktor blinks, taking a moment to process the words coming from the stranger’s mouth. His very nice, gorgeous mouth, shaped around a velvet voice. The young man stands less than a foot away from him, his hand still holding out the cold drink for Viktor to take.

Then, his words click, and Viktor giggles, realizing that he didn’t forget his line at all.

“Smooth, indeed,” Viktor responds.

The young man smiles, and Viktor thinks he’s going to melt at the sight of the small gap in his teeth. His hazel eyes absorb the heat of the fire and reflect it right back onto Viktor’s face.

Viktor takes the beer and cracks it open. As he takes his first sip, the ice cold beer hitting his tongue, he watches the stranger’s eyes lock onto how his lips curl around the edge of the can. Viktor hopes that his blush can be explained away by the summer heat.

Although, Viktor can admit that he’s relishing in the attention from this handsome stranger.

“Why don’t I know you?”

His voice is low, alluring, and only loud enough for Viktor to hear. He crosses his arms—quite attractively, but Viktor doesn’t want to admit that he’s staring—and turns his body toward Viktor before leaning against the bed of the truck.

Viktor shrugs, playing down his nervousness. “That’s a good question. Do you know everyone else here?”

The young man glances around quickly, but his eyes land back on Viktor as if they didn’t mean to leave in the first place.

“To some degree.”

“Right. Someone knows someone that you know, who probably knows someone that knows someone else,” Viktor teases, taking another sip of his beer before speaking honestly. “Lest brought me.”

This time, when the stranger looks away, it’s intentional. His eyes latch onto Lest, as if he already knew exactly where she was before Viktor had even mentioned her. As if he’s been staring in that direction for some time before this.

Viktor tries not to get his hopes up about it.

“Right, Lest!” He snaps his fingers, having a revelation of some kind. “Her older brother and I used to play baseball together.”

Viktor’s eyebrows raise, his eyes also trailing over to Lest, who sits on the log next to her boyfriend, now.

“Used to?”

“Mhm. My senior year. She was only a sophomore, then.”

Viktor doesn’t respond, doing some quick math in his head. He feels the young man’s eyes on him.

“I go to the University of Piltover now. Just finished my freshman year.”

Viktor hums through a laugh, gladly bringing his attention back to the handsome stranger.

“That was going to be my next question.”

The young man raises an eyebrow and leans down towards Viktor. Not enough to make him uncomfortable, but enough to make his skin tingle from the proximity.

“Oh? You have questions? Well, consider me an open book, baby.”

The flirt makes Viktor’s insides flip, and he has to take another large swig of his beer to mask his reaction.

“Not sure this requires a whole book. Maybe we start with the title page.”

The young man nods, encouraging him to continue, as if he’s truly interested in whatever it is Viktor may ask.

“What’s your name?”

Viktor watches a smile almost too stunning to witness split across his face. Before he answers, he brings his own can of beer up to his lips, mouth parting slightly so that the honey colored liquid can flow in between his beautiful teeth. Viktor almost pinches himself.

The young man swallows, smacking his lips as he sets his can onto the tailgate. “Jayce,” he says, all golden and smooth. “What’s yours?”

Viktor’s eyes catch onto Jayce’s, and he smiles. “It’s Viktor.”

“Viktor,” Jayce repeats, as if he’s testing how the word feels on his tongue. “It fits you.”

Viktor chuckles, turning his body fully toward Jayce and leaning against the truck to take some weight off his leg.

“Is that a good or bad thing?”

Jayce’s smile never falters. “It’s a good thing. A beautiful name for a beautiful boy.”

Viktor doesn’t think that the sun could beat the heat growing on his face from the blatant compliment.

“You’re very forward,” he says instead, letting himself enjoy it.

“Is that a good or bad thing?” Jayce leans toward him with a smirk, and Viktor rolls his eyes, unable to stop his stomach from fluttering. He bites his lip, narrowing his eyes at Jayce in a teasing gesture.

“To be determined.”

Jayce laughs, grabbing his beer and tipping it back to let the rest flow into his mouth. Once it’s empty, he sets the can down onto the dirt and crunches it beneath his boot. Viktor blinks, chuckling as Jayce picks it up and tosses it into a large trash bag behind him. Viktor follows, finishing his beer. Without a word, Jayce takes Viktor’s empty can from his hand and sets it onto the ground next to Viktor’s shoe.

He stands back up straight and nods his head. Viktor smiles, lifts his foot, and stomps the can flat.

The crunch of the aluminum makes Viktor giggle, and Jayce’s eyes seem to light up from the sound.

“Looks like we need a refill.”

Viktor smiles. “Looks like it.”

Jayce tilts his chin, signaling for Viktor to follow him. Like a moth to flame, a lamb to slaughter—a boy to another, irresistible boy, Viktor decides to follow.

So they set off across the party, and Viktor would be lying if he thought the way that Jayce watched out for where his footsteps led—avoiding stones and logs and trash that would become obstacles for Viktor and his cane—wasn’t endearing as hell.

It doesn’t even matter that Jayce is leading them through throngs of other kids, because most of them either pay all their attention to Jayce, or part ways for him without batting an eye. Viktor watches with intrigue as some party-goers slap Jayce’s hand and greet him as he walks by, but he makes a straight beeline to the nearest keg with Viktor close behind.

When they get to a truck with a—supposedly full—keg of beer, Jayce jumps up to sit on the tailgate, and the whole vehicle bounces with the weight of his body. He grabs an empty cup, filling it nearly to the brim with cold, fresh beer. Viktor reaches out when Jayce offers it to him, but before he can take it, Jayce quickly pulls the cup back towards himself with a click of his teeth. Some of the beer spills onto Jayce’s jeans.

“You know, you should really sit down. Take a beat.”

Viktor raises an eyebrow. The few logs and chairs surrounding them are occupied by others, and Jayce takes up the only free spot on the tailgate.

But with a dirty smile, Jayce pats his thigh.

Viktor flushes, and he knows that the fire’s glow doesn’t hide it this time, because Jayce chuckles. The sound rocks low into Viktor’s chest.

He feels the previous drinks start to thicken his blood, filling him with a courage he doesn’t often get to utilize. Jayce’s lap looks warm. Inviting.

Plus, Viktor may be reserved, but it doesn’t mean he can’t put up a fair fight when it comes to flirting.

He walks over to Jayce, who spreads his legs in crude invitation. Viktor turns around—the edge of the tailgate between Jayce’s thighs pressing into Viktor’s lower back—and leans his cane on the bumper before placing his hands atop Jayce’s knees. The dusty denim beneath his palms is warm to the touch, worn and soft. As he rubs a thumb over one of Jayce’s kneecaps, Viktor looks over his shoulder, a smirk tinting his lips.

“Well, now wh—“

Viktor gasps as Jayce leans forward, wrapping his arms around his waist and lifting him like he weighs nothing. And just like that, with a soft whimper from Viktor, his ass comes down to sit upon Jayce’s thigh—thick and sturdy of a seat as any.

“Strong boy,” Viktor says, weaving his accent around the words, which, to his absolute delight, brings a cute redness to the surface of Jayce’s face. Jayce wears it with pride, though, lightly squeezing Viktor with the arm wrapped around his waist.

Viktor tilts his head. “Do I get my drink now?”

Jayce’s eyes flick down to Viktor’s lips, and Viktor would moan at the flush of warmth that surges through him from the look alone, but he’s stronger than that. Surely. He has to be.

But nearly every relevant thought leaves his mind as Jayce brings the full cup between them, gently pressing the rim to Viktor’s bottom lip. They lock eyes, and Viktor’s heart runs wild as Jayce smiles and slowly tilts it back. Viktor opens his mouth, letting the beer flow over his tongue.

The blaze in Jayce’s eyes burns brighter than the bonfire as Viktor drinks everything he is given, gradually emptying the cup of its pleasantly bitter contents, even letting some of the alcohol spill from the corners of his mouth and down the column of his throat. The wasted beer pools in the hollow of his collarbones and drips down into the deep neckline of his shirt. Chills crawl along his arms from the cool liquid gliding through his cleavage.

Jayce’s breath hitches as he watches every second of Viktor swallowing down the alcohol. Viktor almost chokes when he feels Jayce’s hand grip the exposed skin of his hip, but he pushes through it as the last of the drink flows into his mouth.

Jayce lets the empty cup fall to the ground, and Viktor keeps his head tilted back—back toward the smoke filled sky, the stars shrouded in a thin layer of cloud-cover, the warm summer air held within the atmosphere like the surrounding property is a whole world separate from the rest. As if here is somewhere that doesn’t exist past the fencing, past the dirt road, past the forest along the perimeter.

And when Jayce shamelessly drags his tongue up the length of Viktor’s neck, licking along the rivulets of alcohol that dampen his skin, Viktor’s eyes flutter closed and his jaw drops in a heavy sigh. Heat engulfs his entire body, and Viktor is grateful that Jayce’s arms are still wrapped around him, because otherwise he would surely float away—

“Talis, man, the hell are you doing?”

Viktor rips his eyes open, the familiar voice instantly coating his buzz in a layer of ice and dragging him back down to Earth.

Jayce sighs against Viktor’s throat, his warm breath fanning over the trail of saliva his tongue has left behind. The thrill that runs through Viktor is fleeting, though, because Jayce groans when he pulls away, annoyed at the interruption.

“What the fuck does it look like, D?”

Dmitri. Another incoming senior in Viktor’s class, with whom he has a… less than ideal relationship with. One that was more physical than anything else, before it spiralled into animosity. Viktor freezes, his body stiffening in Jayce’s lap. Jayce must feel it, because Viktor catches a concerned glance in his periphery. But Viktor’s eyes are locked onto Dmitri looking back at him with disgust.

“You really wanna spend your birthday with… him?” Dmitri waves his hand rudely at Viktor, and Viktor feels himself shrink. He snaps his eyes down to the ground, adrenaline and utter mortification filling his chest.

“Woah, man, what stick crawled up your ass today?”

Dmitri huffs, but after a tense moment, he rolls his eyes. “Tch,” he clicks through his teeth, giving Viktor one last offended look before he stops expending his mental energy on him.

He drops the hostility toward Viktor, deciding to pretend he simply doesn’t exist. Viktor should be grateful, but he would rather Dmitri just left them alone altogether.

“Anyways, man, you wanna fill my cup for me? Since you’re hoggin’ the keg, n’ all.”

Jayce looks curiously at Viktor, then at Dmitri, then back at Viktor.

“You got a problem with D, Viktor?”

The soft, straightforward question makes Viktor’s heartrate skyrocket, and his eyes dart to Jayce’s. He doesn’t want to cause any issues, doesn’t want this to become a big deal, so he frantically shakes his head. Jayce quirks an eyebrow, not falling for the absolute lie that it is.

“Be honest with me, baby.”

Jayce’s thumb rubs at the skin above the waistband of Viktor’s denim shorts. The touch, plus the pet name, sends electricity through Viktor’s heart, and he latches onto the feeling, using it to push away the anxiety trying to ruin his evening.

So he just nods, not looking over at Dmitri—only staring at Jayce.

Jayce nods back, and gives Viktor a smile. It feels genuine, and doesn’t leave his face even as he returns his attention to Dmitri, who’s still clogging the air around them with palpable annoyance. With a sarcastic laugh, Jayce finally responds to his earlier question.

“Nah, man. I’m not filling shit for you. Get the hell off my uncle’s property.”

Dmitri laughs back, smacking Jayce on the shoulder as if it’s the funniest joke he’s ever heard. Viktor, thankfully, hides his flinch.

“Ha-ha, hilarious as ever, Talis. Come on, I’m gettin’ thirsty here, man.”

Jayce’s face suddenly hardens, the smile falling from his lips in a cold instant. Viktor thinks the look alone could extinguish the bonfire.

“Fuck off, D. Before I throw your lame ass over the fence myself.”

Dmitri stills, anger slowly souring his features as he realizes that Jayce is being serious. Viktor blinks, shocked at the exchange, unable to process the sudden protectiveness Jayce is showing over him. He didn’t expect this at all.

After an intense few moments of the two young men staring each other down, Dmitri snarls a slur under his breath and throws his cup at Viktor. Jayce slaps the plastic mid-air so that it doesn’t hit him, but a few drops of sticky alcohol still splash across his face. Viktor wipes the beer with the back of his hand, trying to fight the embarrassment clawing at his gut by allowing himself to feel relief when Dmitri turns to leave.

“Fuckin’ dickhead,” Jayce mutters, his eyes locked onto Dmitri’s back until he disappears, stomping off down the dirt road.

The dirt road that leads off the property. Jayce’s uncle’s property. Jayce’s bonfire. Jayce’s party.

Feeling whiplash from the realization, Viktor snaps his head toward Jayce with widened eyes and a humiliated flush across his cheeks.

“Wait—it’s your birthday?” he asks, feeling like an idiot for not putting the pieces together earlier when Dmitri first mentioned it.

Jayce looks back at Viktor, the smile and easy expression he wore earlier falling back into place like nothing even happened.

“Sure is, beautiful,” he purrs, his thumb wiping one last stray drop of beer from Viktor’s cheek before sliding down to toy with the frayed denim of Viktor’s shorts. Viktor fights to suppress a shiver. Jayce’s calloused fingers graze over his thigh, and his face grows impossibly hotter. With Jayce’s eyes locked onto him so attentively, he can’t hide it.

Jayce continues, tilting his head with a deeper smirk that shows the endearing gap in his teeth. “Why? You bring me a gift?”

Viktor feels every single butterfly inside his stomach flutter when Jayce glances down to his lips, an unmistakable display of his intentions. Viktor licks them on instinct, watching Jayce’s pupils dilate.

Oh God, I want to kiss you. I want you to kiss me.

His mind spirals for a few moments, the tension in the air thick as honey. Viktor could probably bite through it with his teeth, if only to reveal two choices ahead of him. A fork in the road.

One path, leading somewhere comfortable; Lest sits at the end, her company is something he knows he can fall back into without a moment’s notice. A safety net. A parachute. But something regretful washes through Viktor at the thought of falling back.

In the other direction, the path trails somewhere that Viktor has never been before. Somewhere veiled in electricity, vice, and adrenaline. It curls his toes just to think about what might lay at the end of the road—if it ever does end. Viktor is by no means innocent, but he trembles at the thought of everything Jayce entails.

Never in his life has Viktor felt such intense desire from somebody before. Hell, in all his seventeen years, he’s never felt such a strong, outright want like this. It makes him want to buckle up and ride the courage as far down the road as it will take him, no matter how alcohol-induced it may be.

He still has his head on straight, but Jayce Talis is quickly thumbing at the screws.

Viktor forces himself to break eye contact with Jayce—one of the hardest things he’s ever done. Like ripping a dog from a bone.

He glances around the party grounds, looking for something that may give him the answer. The kids nearby pay him and Jayce no mind, the fire still roars violently at the center of the party, and Lest—

Lest is no longer sitting where he last saw her. The bared, fallen log is now a seat for other people, strangers to Viktor, and there’s no trace of her nearby. Viktor’s heart beats quickly in his chest; as he scopes out the entire area, she seems to have vanished.

Though when he hears a familiar ring of laughter and a truck door slam, his eyes catch long, wispy brown hair through the untinted glass of a passenger side window.

Lithe, pretty fingers wave at him, and Viktor’s jaw nearly falls off its hinges. Lest points at where he’s still sitting in Jayce’s lap and gives him a thumbs up. As the truck drives off, she sends him one last wink—a wink, for the love of God.

With his eyes locked onto the tail lights, Viktor watches as Lest leaves the party—and him, behind.

That fucking bitch, he thinks, a horrified laugh bursting from his lungs. Horrified, because as he tries to find the anger he wants to feel toward his best friend, he simply can’t. The warm body he is attached to gives him no room to be mad.

“Are you okay?”

And Jayce, the pinnacle of Viktor’s deliberation. Viktor brings his attention back to the young man’s face, and sees nothing but humored caution—the look of someone not understanding the gravity of what’s in Viktor’s head, but being careful nonetheless.

Viktor stares at him for probably longer than normal humans stare at each other. Not casually, at least. The electricity builds between them again as Viktor holds eye contact, and the fork in the road morphs into a one-way, single lane in an instant. He doesn’t need Lest to find the answer. The answer is right here, holding him in his arms, looking at Viktor like he’s the only thing in the world that he cares about right now. Viktor glances down at Jayce’s lips this time, locking on to his own target.

“That birthday gift,” Viktor starts, his voice calmer than he expected it to be. “How do you want it?”

Jayce’s hand tightens over his thigh. With his strong fingers digging gently into Viktor’s flesh, lightning shoots straight up through his spine and into his skull, nearly blinding him. A few more seconds of staring pass by, Viktor’s breath held in his lungs.

Then, Jayce Talis smiles, and it’s all boyish charm and ego.

“Oh, you’re coming with me.”

With ease, Jayce lifts Viktor off of his lap and back onto his feet, handing him his cane in the same fluid movement that he hops off the tailgate. Viktor can barely take a breath by the time that Jayce is crowding up against his back and clumsily leading him toward the barn, still glowing by the light of the fire.

With his fingers laced through the belt loops of Viktor’s shorts, Jayce leans down to kiss along the top of his shoulder as he walks them into the shadows. Jayce is laughing into Viktor’s skin, the low, vibrant sounds making him glad that Jayce is directing them, otherwise Viktor would probably lead them face first into a tree.

“I’ve been watching you all night,” Jayce whispers into Viktor’s neck as they turn the corner and shelter themselves in the darkness. The music from the party is muffled as it wraps around the barn, and now Viktor can hear everything clearly. His own heartbeat sings the loudest, followed by Jayce’s heavy breathing that washes over his skin.

“Yeah?” Viktor whines, moving to curl his hand up the back of Jayce’s head, lacing his fingers into the short strands of soft, dark hair.

He feels Jayce nod, but doesn’t have time to respond before he’s being twisted around, Jayce’s hands gripping his waist before his back is pressed into the wood of the barn wall.

His eyes snap to Jayce’s face, and even barely lit by the silvery light of the moon as it peeks between the clouds, he still can’t believe how handsome he is. As if Jayce was pulled straight from Viktor’s most indulgent dreams.

“Couldn’t take my eyes off you—” Jayce dives back into his neck, licking along the tendons of his throat and kissing every inch that he can reach. Viktor’s eyes flutter; Jayce’s mouth grazing over the sensitive underside of his jaw drives warmth straight to his core. “Was waiting so long for you to finish babysittin’ that fuckin’ beer.”

Viktor laughs, and he feels Jayce’s teeth press against his skin with a smile.

Jayce reels back, out of breath and stunning. His grin shines devilishly, his eyes dark and hungry as he gazes down at Viktor.

“Have you had a good birthday so far?” Viktor questions, a surge of arousal flushing through his gut from the stare. His own eyelids are low, heavy. Jayce bites his lip at the sight and nods—the absolute sex-eyes Viktor gives him are doing a lot more heavy lifting than Viktor expected them to.

“It’s about to get a lot better, though.”

Viktor tilts his head, his own smile small and flirty. “How so?”

Jayce glances back down to his lips, and Viktor sticks his tongue out to wet them once more—a show for Jayce. Viktor feels wild, fire burning its way deep into the small amount of space separating them.

“God, you’re such a tease.” Jayce’s hands grip Viktor’s waist so tight that Viktor is sure he’s going to have bruises tomorrow. It’s thrilling, and all he can do is think about how much he wants more. More bruising, more touch.

Pushing any hesitation from his mind, Viktor grabs one of Jayce’s wrists and leads his hand to the button of his shorts. Jayce hisses through his teeth, looking down between their bodies as he takes the hint and starts working the denim open. The sound of Viktor’s zipper blends seamlessly with his panting, and Jayce gives him one last look before Viktor nods his head.

Viktor tries to brace himself for the feeling of Jayce’s touch.

But he’s blindsided when, at the exact same moment that Jayce slides his hand down the front of Viktor’s shorts, he surges forward and catches Viktor’s mouth in a kiss so intense it makes Viktor’s head spin.

Jayce’s lips are soft and warm, and his fingers are big and calloused. They slip past the hem of his underwear and curl over his cunt, which flutters at the same tempo of Viktor’s racing heart. Viktor and Jayce both gasp into the kiss, and Jayce groans so loud that Viktor fears the people around the other side of the barn will hear it.

“Fuck, Viktor—you—” Jayce breathes a silent question against his lips, his hand exploring deeper between Viktor’s legs.

Viktor nods, unsure if Jayce was expecting this or not. “Yeah,” he whines, “hope that’s okay.”

Jayce pulls away, looking down at Viktor. His touch grazes over Viktor’s clit, and a shudder wracks through his entire body.

“It’s okay. More than okay. Fuck—” Jayce kisses Viktor again, and the energy that he brings to the kiss is more intoxicating to Viktor than any beer could ever hope to be. Viktor whimpers when Jayce licks along the seam of his lips, prying open his mouth to slide his tongue between his teeth. His fingers toy at his cock, slowly rubbing circles and prying louder and louder sounds from Viktor’s throat. Viktor is about to stop caring if anyone hears them with Jayce overwhelming him so perfectly like this.

The blood in Viktor’s body is pulled in two directions—a cruel game of tug of war as Jayce simultaneously swirls his tongue inside of Viktor’s mouth and his fingers glide over his slit. The dual, frictionless teasing causes Viktor to nearly lose himself, lightheaded from how worked up Jayce has made him. Jayce groans—the sound absorbing deep into Viktor’s lungs—and sucks Viktor’s bottom lip between his teeth before he breaks away to kiss along the edge of his jaw.

“Jayce—” Viktor pants, sighing his name just for the sake of it. Jayce smiles into the hollow of his cheek, a heady chuckle vibrating his chest where it’s pressed against Viktor’s.

Viktor is completely enveloped by Jayce, and it makes him feel strung-out. Like he’s downed several of his pain pills all at once, nothing but pure relief flowing along every nerve in his body.

“I know, baby,” he coos. “You’re so wet for me, aren’t you?”

Viktor’s head falls back to thud softly against the wood of the barn wall, allowing Jayce more room to explore his neck as he plays at Viktor’s entrance with his fingers. Viktor feels sparks start to shoot along his spine, his legs trembling from something other than discomfort, for once.

The thought brings him back to the forefront of his mind, just enough for an idea to crystallize. With a deep breath, Viktor puts his hands to Jayce’s chest and pushes him away.

For a split second, Jayce looks shocked, almost fearful, but Viktor quickly remedies his expression by turning their bodies and pressing Jayce’s back against the barn wall instead.

Viktor uses his cane to help him to the ground before he lets it fall to the dirt, his free hand gliding down the denim covering Jayce’s thigh during his descent. He looks at Jayce the entire time, their eyes locked so Viktor can watch heat thread impossibly deeper into his features. His eyes glaze over, drunk on what Viktor falling to his knees entails.

When Viktor drags his eyes away from Jayce’s face, only to latch onto the painfully large bulge in his jeans in front of him, he physically bites back a moan.

He pops the button. “I know it’s your birthday and all, but I can’t help but feel like this is a gift for me,” Viktor whispers. Jayce exhales in slight relief as Viktor drags the zipper down, some of the pressure on his cock alleviated.

“Sure, we’ll see if that statement holds while I’m stuffed down your throat.”

Viktor gasps, his thighs involuntarily squeezing together. Jayce huffs a quiet chuckle, dragging a palm up his stomach to pull his shirt out of the way. Viktor has to fight the urge to stare. Fuck, his abs—No, he needs to focus. Save it for another time.

They lock eyes just long enough for Viktor to pull Jayce’s jeans past his hips. Just enough to drag Jayce’s boxers down and for his cock to spring free in front of Viktor’s face.

“Shit.”

Jayce laughs at Viktor’s surprise, his free hand finding the top of Viktor’s head.

“Go on, cutie. Give my cock a little birthday kiss.”

Viktor’s cunt clenches around nothing—fluttering at Jayce’s dirty mouth. He wonders just how much he talks in the heat of it all, considering they are barely getting started. Hopefully. Viktor is so hypnotized by the young man that he would probably let Jayce fuck his ass dry if he wanted to, no matter that Viktor’s never actually had sex before.

But he’s getting ahead of himself.

Viktor leans forward, Jayce’s hand guiding him gently until his mouth grazes over the very tip of Jayce’s cock. Viktor feels the warm slick of Jayce’s precum spread across his lips, quickly sticking his tongue out to taste it.

Although Viktor might be a virgin in the technical sense, he’s given head before. That’s all he’s done, in fact—until now, no one but Jayce has been allowed to touch him lower than his waist. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but after his brief fling with Dmitri, he never really trusted anyone enough.

He doesn’t know why Jayce is different. He just is, in every way.

Even his taste is different. Salty, sweet, with a light tang that feels good on the tip of Viktor’s tongue. It instantly makes Viktor begin to melt, his mouth falling open to suck on the head of Jayce’s cock like it’s a treat. Jayce’s hand cradles the back of his head, his thumb rubbing slow circles into his scalp as he lets Viktor enjoy himself.

“Yeah?” Jayce teases, a moan clipping through the word when Viktor wraps a hand around the base. “A little cockdrunk already?”

Viktor rolls his eyes since he can’t really smile, his lips stretching with each inch Jayce slides further into his mouth. He squeezes his hand at the same time that he drags the flat of his tongue over the underside of Jayce’s shaft, earning a melodious sigh as a reward. Viktor isn’t sure what he enjoys more: the sounds Jayce makes as he slides his slickened lips down his cock, or the flavor and weight sitting heavy on his tongue.

Maybe he is a little cockdrunk. But he uses it as ammunition.

With a hum, Viktor starts to slowly glide his lips along Jayce’s length. Each forward movement pulls just a little more of his cock into the back of Viktor’s throat, the tip of his tongue toying along a vein he discovers beneath the head. Jayce goes silent—watching with all the attention he can muster through the haze of growing pleasure. Only the sound of Viktor’s throat beginning to open up for him and his heavy breathing can be heard. Mixed with the faded music of the party, Viktor thinks that it makes for a pretty good score.

Viktor can also hear Jayce’s boots scraping against the dirt as he adjusts his hips, leaning his upper back against the wood of the barn wall. Viktor opens his eyes just as Jayce tilts his head back, his mouth falling open in a deep groan, relief and static electricity seeping into the warm air. Viktor enjoys the sight—Jayce flushed and at peace, his cock slicked up, nice and warm. But he can do better than that.

Taking a deep breath, Viktor slides his lips forward as far as they can go, his nose brushing the soft hair at the base of Jayce’s cock as he buries deep into Viktor’s throat. Jayce hisses, snapping his eyes down to Viktor, his hips stuttering as if he can somehow press himself deeper.

Viktor brings his free hand up to his own neck, and chokes himself. Jayce gasps, enveloped by the constriction.

“Oh, fuck, Viktor—” Jayce’s voice cracks, and his fingers tighten in Viktor’s hair to hold him in place. “I’m gonna blow my load if you keep doing that.”

Viktor rips himself away with a gasp, air stretching his lungs as he takes a moment to breathe. He thumbs beneath the spit-slickened head of Jayce’s cock until the spots leave his vision, then does it again, and again, and again. Deep breath, deep throat, tight squeeze. Viktor’s jaw grows sore, but he doesn’t care. The fun he’s having dragging Jayce close to the edge and back is worth any pain he will feel tomorrow.

Viktor can already feel bruises blooming on his kneecaps from kneeling on the ground, but his heart thrums, for once excited about the discoloration.

“One more time, baby,” Jayce encourages through an exhale. The hand on his abdomen trembles, his words muffled through fabric and a clenched jaw when Jayce bites down on the hem of his t-shirt to keep it out of the way. “You got me real fuckin’ close, one more…”

Viktor happily sucks Jayce’s cock back between his lips. Before he even bottoms out, Jayce is lost, palming Viktor’s skull as he breaks. He pants through his orgasm, broken moans spilling from his lips and his legs shaking so violently that Viktor fears they will give out as Jayce explodes inside of his mouth.

Like choking on the barrel of a shotgun, Viktor feels his brains paint the dirt behind him as Jayce’s cock throbs and pulses on his tongue.

But he closes his eyes and swallows all he is given once again, a deliciously filthy replay of the beer Jayce had poured into his mouth earlier. Jayce just about growls with the feeling of Viktor’s throat constricting around him again, and Viktor’s head is soon ripped away by a fistful of hair.

Viktor looks up at Jayce with half-lidded eyes and swollen lips, a chuckle punctuating the yelp that comes from Jayce pulling him off his cock.

“Insatiable little thing,” Jayce whispers down to him, out of breath and in awe. Viktor licks his lips clean of any stray cum, even swiping his tongue across his teeth when he smiles wide up at Jayce. The moon glows in a harsh line across Jayce’s face for a moment, peeking between the clouds as if to emphasize the fire burning within his irises. The sight knocks the breath from Viktor’s lungs, the cool blue of the moonlight in stark contrast with Jayce’s absolute, haunting desire. Viktor can feel the heat singe the hair rising on the back of his neck.

He has to rip his eyes away from the sight, lest his heart bound from the confines of his ribcage. Adrenaline floods his bloodstream knowing Jayce’s gaze is locked onto him as he’s helped back to his feet.

Viktor had almost expected Jayce to grow some form of post-orgasm clarity, something that would drain his want for Viktor the instant his pleasure had peaked and gone. He’s prepared himself for what he assumes is inevitable.

But as Viktor rights himself, this doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact, when Jayce’s hands wander, his fingers toying with the hem of Viktor’s underwear beneath his undone zipper, Viktor thinks it may be the complete opposite. Now, Viktor’s skin tightens, his palms begin to sweat, and his legs shake as if he’s a single breath away from shifting his momentum. Crawl, walk, run for your life.

With the way that Jayce watches him, he feels like nothing more than prey, backed into a corner with his soft, fleshy underside exposed.

But Viktor likes it.

Jayce has had his orgasm. Now, the pendulum has swung, and Viktor can feel a blaring, blood-red target growing right between his legs.

Jayce brings a palm to Viktor’s cheek, tilting his chin up. He pulls him in close by the band of his underwear, and Viktor gasps when the elastic snaps against his skin. Jayce hovers his lips over Viktor’s, a cruel, satisfied smile spreading across his face. He’s within biting range, ready to snap his canines together and rip out Viktor’s jugular.

Viktor tries to steady his breathing, the oxygen hot in his lungs as Jayce sticks his tongue out only to flick the tip over the edge of Viktor’s teeth.

“Wanna ditch this patch of dirt?”

A whine spills from Viktor’s lips, his head spinning from the proximity—from Jayce’s heavy words sliding down the back of his throat and tasting like pure, white-hot oxytocin.

“You don’t want to stay for your own birthday party?” Viktor argues, weakly.

Jayce hums, shaking his head like the offer offends him. “Nope. Got someplace I’d rather be.”

Confused, Viktor tilts his head. “Where’s that?”

He gets another earth-shattering smile at the question, but his focus is torn away as soon as Jayce’s hand slides once more down the front of his shorts. This time, Jayce’s fingers move swiftly towards his slit, two of them instantly curling inside of his cunt. Viktor cries out from the sudden pressure, but Jayce swallows the sound with a rough kiss, pushing his fingers into Viktor as deep as he can from this angle.

“Right there,” he whispers into Viktor’s mouth. “That’s where.”

Viktor’s legs turn to complete liquid, and whatever argument he was attempting to conjure in his mind blows away with the breeze as Jayce fingers him in the shadow of the barn. He falls forward and Jayce catches him against his chest, which jumps from his deep laughter.

“Easy, baby. You don’t get to come just yet.”

But Jayce doesn’t relent, thrusting into Viktor’s cunt in a way that makes Viktor’s vision start to swim. Viktor has to muffle a moan that threatens to slice through the quiet air around them by biting into Jayce’s shoulder when he curls his fingers forward, prodding at a spot that Viktor had yet to discover on the few occasions he would shove his fingers into himself.

Right as Viktor feels himself begin to spiral out of control, when his mind starts to melt as if he was thrown directly on top of the pile of wood burning on the other side of the barn, Jayce pulls his fingers out. He presses the heel of his palm against Viktor’s cock, keeping his hand still, savoring the pulse of his arousal as Viktor is coaxed away from the precipice. Viktor whines, but Jayce merely noses into his hair, inhaling deep and exhaling with a contented hum.

“Is that a yes?” Jayce asks, and Viktor had completely forgotten that he was asked a question in the first place.

All he can do is nod, his tongue too thick in his mouth to respond out loud.

Viktor can feel Jayce press his lips against his temple, and he shivers. Jayce pulls his hand out of Viktor’s panties before the sound of his zipper filters through the air. Jayce even redoes the button for him, gently patting Viktor’s cunt through the denim of his shorts when he’s all done-up again. Viktor jumps, blinking himself back to reality when Jayce does so.

He wobbles on weakened legs, quickly grabbing his cane for balance. “Where are we going to go?” Viktor questions, a heavy slur in his voice.

Jayce chuckles, but does his own pants up and takes Viktor’s hand without a word.

Viktor forces himself to occupy his body again as they turn the corner of the barn, the party and the blazing bonfire coming back into view. A few people look their way as they round the perimeter of the trucks, but Viktor, for once, can easily ignore them.

Especially when they walk up to a large four-wheeler, its tires caked in mud.

Blinking away the last of his haze, Viktor laughs.

“You are a complete stereotype, Jayce.”

Jayce releases Viktor’s hand and he mounts the four-wheeler as if he would a saddle, roughly slapping his hand against the leather seat behind him with a wink.

“Come on, Viktor. Let’s go for a ride.”

The double meaning behind Jayce’s words slaps Viktor across the mouth, and Jayce knows it, because he grins wide and knowingly in Viktor’s direction.

Viktor bites his lip, and whether it’s the alcohol still buzzing in his system or the cum still tacky in the back of his throat, Viktor knows that he’s doomed. Or lucky. To be determined.

He swings a leg around the seat of the four-wheeler behind Jayce and tucks his cane between their bodies. Jayce grips his thigh to readjust him before he turns the key and the small vehicle roars to life. It’s loud, grinding harshly in Viktor’s ears, yet all Viktor can do is smile. Too giddy and high on adrenaline to care, he lets himself feel excited.

When he wraps his arms around Jayce’s waist, they take off.

Jayce drives the four-wheeler so fast that the air turns cold as it whips around Viktor’s face, his lungs tightening from the pressure of breathing in the harsh wind. He can’t see, trusting that the moonlight is enough for Jayce to get them to their destination safely, so he closes his eyes.

The speed at which they cross the field makes Viktor feel like he’s flying. The freedom, the thrumming of the engine beneath him, and Jayce’s broad back against his front—this one ride already feels addictive. The uneven ground that rocks their bodies sends little flares of thrill throughout Viktor’s chest, and Viktor screams when Jayce does an impulsive donut in the middle of the empty field they are crossing.

It’s terrifying, it’s exhilarating, and Viktor can’t hear his laughter over the rush of the wind.

When the tires finally meet concrete, rolling up onto the driveway of the house at the head of the farm, Jayce slows the four-wheeler to a stop next to other ATVs and unhooked trailers. With the engine cut, the noise comes to a near complete standstill, and it takes Viktor several moments for the world around him to come back to life.

There is no deafening music, no crackle of fire, no laughter—only crickets, wind, and silence. Viktor can hear Jayce’s breath mixing with the warm summer air; he can hear the way his jeans slide against the leather when he dismounts from the four-wheeler.

And his smile hums in the quiet. Viktor takes his hand when it’s offered, slowly led through the dark toward the house. When the moon slips through the clouds, Viktor can see the silhouette of windows, no brighter on the inside than it is outside. Every light seems to be off, the world within paused for the time being.

Viktor peeks up at Jayce, still leading him by the hand. When Jayce turns to look over his shoulder, he sends Viktor a wink and holds a single finger up to his lips in a hush.

So Viktor stays quiet when Jayce takes a key from his pocket and slides it into the lock of the back door. He stays quiet when Jayce holds his breath at the screeching hinges. He stays quiet when Jayce guides him with a hand on the small of his back through the threshold.

Viktor can barely see inside, but they seem to be entering through a kitchen. The air smells sweet, as if this is the heart of the home, the source, pumping love and life through the hallways and into other areas of the house with full bellies and warmth.

As his eyes adjust, he can start to see picture frames on the walls, vases with flowers stuffed to the brim, and bone-white antlers that decorate the interior of the home. Jayce’s uncle seems to live a comfortable life, and Viktor wonders for a moment if it’s just him in the house.

Jayce shuts the back door, and the house swallows Viktor whole with its pitch black silence. Jayce then comes up behind him and wraps his hands around Viktor’s waist, whispering against the shell of his ear and answering his unspoken question.

“Gotta stay quiet, my aunt and uncle are asleep upstairs. You gonna be able to do that for me, baby?”

Viktor shudders, tingling from the way Jayce’s breath slinks in his ear. He nods in response, unsure if he’s fully capable of keeping such a promise.

Then Jayce is pushing him gently through the house, the rubber tip of Viktor’s cane making quiet thups against the wood flooring, soon transitioning to carpet when Jayce brings them to a bedroom.

Here, the air smells different. Slightly stale and dusty. Viktor assumes this is a guest bedroom of some sort, unoccupied most of the time.

The door clicks, and the sound of the lock makes Viktor’s heart jump in his chest. Viktor takes a moment to find his bravado again, it having gone dormant in the time it took to sneak through the house. Being in someone else’s home always feels strange—like he’s doing something wrong, misbehaving in one way or another.

And maybe he is. But Viktor can’t really bring himself to care, especially when Jayce’s hand slides around his waist and his palm lies flat against Viktor’s stomach.

“You good, Viktor?” Jayce asks, and although his volume is low, the question sounds more genuine than anything he’s said so far tonight. Viktor hums, nodding his head and turning away from the bed to face Jayce behind him. Jayce’s hands slide around his body from the movement, settling on his lower back. Viktor feels his fingertips dip into the dimples above his shorts.

His touch is warm, and Viktor lets it saturate him. His body sits at the edge of intoxication, the alcohol slowly fading from his system in wait for another, stronger type of inebriation. One that is fueled purely by Jayce.

Viktor tilts his head up at Jayce, who traces his eyes slowly over his features.

“So, you got me here. Now what, birthday boy?”

Jayce grins, his teeth gleaming in the low light of the bedroom. His thumbs slip beneath the waistband of Viktor’s shorts.

“You really wanna know what I’m thinking? Everything I want to do to this pretty little body of yours?”

He emphasizes his question by sliding a hand down the curve of Viktor’s ass, pulling him in until their hips press together. Viktor inhales sharply, but nods into Jayce’s shoulder, his own hands coming to rest on Jayce’s chest. His skin is so warm beneath the fabric of his tshirt, and Viktor salivates at the thought of it coming off.

The temperature in the room rises when Jayce chuckles darkly and presses his lips against Viktor’s temple. Viktor inhales the thickened air, and although he can feel sweat beading on his nape, he relaxes, closing his eyes when Jayce leans in to speak directly into his ear.

“Well, first things first,” Jayce says, bringing his fingers slowly around to Viktor’s front and popping open the button of his shorts. “After giving me head like that?” Viktor smiles, allowing himself a tiny bit of pride at Jayce’s praise.

But it’s quickly wiped from his face when Jayce suddenly slides his hands beneath Viktor’s thighs to pick him up, transferring him to the bed in the center of the room. His back hits the mattress with a gasp, and Jayce stands at the edge above him with a downright offensive smile on his face.

“I have to return the favor. Besides, what’s a birthday without a little sweet treat?”

Viktor’s body burns hot, and he can do nothing but bite his lip between his teeth as Jayce slides his fingers under the waistband of his shorts and begins to pull them down his legs. Jayce is gentle, almost careful with it, like he can tell this is all new to Viktor.

“Jayce—“ Viktor starts, his voice serious, but no louder than a whisper. Jayce’s eyes flick up to his face. “I’ve never, uh—never actually made it this far before.”

His confession flashes dark in Jayce’s eyes, his pupils dilating although his expression remains the same—neutral and warm.

Jayce hovers his body over Viktor’s once his shorts are off, caging him in with his palms on the mattress next to Viktor’s shoulders. He leans down into Viktor’s space, Jayce’s lips mere centimeters away from his own.

“Are you telling me that you’re a virgin, Viktor?”

Viktor looks up at him, confessing with a slow nod. Jayce tilts his head in return, his eyes falling down to Viktor’s lips and back.

He hums. “Not gonna lie, that’s surprising, considering the way you sucked my cock earlier.”

Viktor shivers, squeezing his thighs together. “I’m not… totally innocent…”

Jayce chuckles, and it’s both condescending and exhilarating. “Oh, I know.”

With his own laugh, Viktor rolls his eyes. “If you want to call me a whore, just say it.”

Jayce closes the distance, pressing his lips gently to Viktor’s. Viktor’s chest explodes with butterflies.

“I would never,” says Jayce, dramatically. “Plus, you have to earn that title.”

He moves to kiss down the column of Viktor’s neck, sending sparks straight into Viktor’s gut. His legs fall open for Jayce’s body like it’s the easiest thing they’ve ever done. Jayce takes his time, licking into the hollow of Viktor’s collarbones, down the edge of his neckline—probably tasting the remnants of the beer that had spilled down his skin earlier in the night.

Viktor lets his head fall back to the mattress, still just drunk enough to push the nervousness away.

Although if he’s honest with himself, he’s not sure if it’s the drinks or Jayce himself that makes this all feel so… easy. Fun. Not at all like the way things felt with Dmitri, who made Viktor’s hands shake in anxiety any time he came close to insinuating anything more than Viktor going down on him. Perhaps it was intuition—foresight, knowing how Dmitri reacted once Viktor felt brave enough to undress in front of him for the first time. But even prior to that, Dmitri hadn’t made him feel sexy, vibrant, wanted the way Jayce does.

Viktor shakes his head, brushing the upsetting memory from his mind. Now is not the time.

Now, Jayce is kissing the gentle swell of his breasts that peek out of the neckline of his shirt, his hands gliding down Viktor’s sides over the fabric. Now, Jayce is treating him with reverence, like a full, hearty meal laid out before him, one he will sit at the head of the table and say a proper grace for. Now, Viktor feels bared, flayed open and vulnerable.

But when Jayce devours him, Viktor will be thankful.

Jayce reaches the hem of Viktor’s underwear—a plain white pair of panties; Viktor hadn’t necessarily assumed this was where he was going to end up tonight—and his eyes graze back up Viktor’s body as he bites it between his teeth, letting it snap against Viktor’s skin again.

Viktor lifts his ass off the bed, thinking that Jayce is going to start to pull them off, but Jayce’s hand wraps around his hip, his grip intense, and presses him right back down against the mattress. Jayce pulls Viktor’s thighs over his shoulders, his mouth barely an inch from the heat of his cunt beneath the fabric.

“Jayce—” Viktor starts, quickly interrupted when Jayce brings a single finger back up to his lips.

“Hush, Viktor,” he whispers, pulling the finger away from his lips and pressing it gently against the small bulge in Viktor’s underwear. Viktor gasps, but bites his lip to block the noise that wants to escape.

Jayce continues, slowly dragging the pad of his index finger up and down the short length of Viktor’s cock. “You gonna be quiet for me, baby?” Viktor nods his head, his body already in overdrive just from Jayce tracing a single finger over his cunt. “Yeah? You’re gonna be good for me, aren’t you?”

Viktor whines at Jayce’s teasing voice, his head falling back to the mattress below. He closes his eyes, focusing only on the feeling of Jayce’s touch, and the pretty words spilling from his lips.

“You’re so worked up, sweet boy,” Jayce whispers into Viktor’s thigh. When Jayce presses a second finger against him, the sides of his cock now being massaged through the fabric, Viktor has to cover his mouth with a hand. “Do me a favor, Viktor?”

Viktor opens his eyes again, looking down the length of his body at Jayce. The sight of his hand dragging up and down his cunt nearly hurls him through the roof—not to mention his pretty lips, split into that same beautiful smile, so close to his twitching cock. Viktor nods to Jayce’s question, curious what he wants.

“Hear that clock?”

Viktor sharpens his ears and is met with the sound of the large grandfather clock that stands tall next to the bed. The ticks of the pendulum are loud, deep, as if they’ve been counting the time for the last thirty straight years. When Viktor nods again, Jayce presses a kiss to the inside of Viktor’s thigh, right on the tendon of his groin.

“Count the ticks.”

Then Jayce’s descends, his hot, solid tongue replacing the fingers that were consistently rubbing against his clothed cock. Viktor gasps; his first instinct to someone’s mouth on his cunt is to try and pull himself up the bed by his elbows, but Jayce just wraps his hands around Viktor’s thighs to prevent him from escaping.

“Jayce, shit—”

Jayce pulls away, biting down gently on Viktor’s hip.

“Count.”

Viktor pants heavily, his heart beating frantically as he tries to calm himself down and focus. When he can hear the ticks of the clock again, his pulse no longer thrumming in his ears, Viktor takes a deep breath and obeys.

“One, two, three—”

Jayce hums, leaning in to give Viktor’s lips a gentle kiss through his panties. Viktor shivers, his voice wavering through his counting. But he continues, for whatever reason, unsure why Jayce is making him do this.

“…seven, eight, nine…”

Viktor’s voice cracks when he feels Jayce’s tongue drag up his cunt, knowing the material of his underwear is soaked with his arousal. Jayce groans at the taste, his mouth closing around the swell of his cock and greedily sucking at the fabric. Viktor’s body jumps at the pleasure that surges down through his legs, the messy noise heightening his sensitivity by several degrees.

“God, Jayce—ah,” he pants, “seven, eight—”

Jayce laughs against his cunt, the vibration sending pulses of heat across Viktor’s skin. He feels inflamed with Jayce, enveloped by his tongue, the pleasure grazing against every single nerve in his body slowly narrowing down to a singular, concentrated point.

“Fuck, twelve…” Viktor’s eyes roll back when Jayce gathers saliva into his mouth and spits it onto Viktor’s cunt, his underwear absolutely ruined by now. Jayce drags his lips over Viktor’s cock, his tongue grazing against the swollen, saturated head. Viktor’s legs are starting to shake, heat clawing at the base of his spine as he feels on the verge of splitting apart.

“Jayce, I—” Viktor pants, his hands shaking as they reach down between his legs, landing on his thighs. He almost wants to push Jayce away—some of the feeling is almost too much to bear—but finds himself using his grip to pull his knees up to his chest instead, spreading himself wider for the young man currently devouring his cunt.

“Yeah, baby, I know,” Jayce mutters, slurring the words from how intensely he’s focused on eating Viktor out. “You’ve never had anyone lick your cute pussy before, have you?”

“Ah, no, I—no—God, Jayce—” Viktor feels his brain leaking out of his ears as he shakes his head, full sentences escaping him as his thoughts are replaced by the pleasure that continues to build between his legs.

“Mhm, quiet, Viktor. Keep counting.”

Viktor wants to scream, to expel the pressure filling his chest cavity, the fire licking at his insides. Instead, he picks up where he thinks he left off, continuing to count the ticks of the grandfather clock.

“Twenty, twenty-one…” Jayce suddenly pulls the fabric of Viktor’s underwear to the side, and Viktor can’t help it—a loud whine escapes his throat. He bites down on the back of his hand to shut himself up; he doesn’t want Jayce to stop. He actually doesn’t think he would survive it.

Jayce chuckles again, but it morphs into a groan of his own when he presses his tongue flat to Viktor’s naked cunt and drags it up to his cock.

“Fuck, you taste good…”

Instead of responding, Viktor fully melts into his task, somehow making it to thirty. His teeth are biting down on his hand hard enough to definitely leave imprints, probably enough to burst a blood vessel or two beneath his skin, but with the way Viktor is quickly approaching the precipice, he doesn’t care.

Jayce seems to know it, too, because he traces two fingers down the outside of Viktor’s lips before sliding them inside of his cunt, his tongue lapping at Viktor’s cock in consistent, mind-numbing patterns.

“Oh, God—Jayce, I—” Viktor’s legs are shaking uncontrollably now, and he pulls his knees as tight to his chest as he can, almost in a comforting, soothing motion.

Jayce nods, his lips never leaving Viktor’s cunt. Instead, he looks Viktor dead in the eye, and winks.

Viktor’s entire world shatters down the center, the golden thread that was holding him together snapping as his orgasm hits him square in the gut. Pleasure rocks through his entire body as if he were drowning, waves pulling him under and not giving him any chance to breathe—no chance to gasp for air, or cry out for help. Viktor feels his teeth split the skin of his hand as it takes every ounce of will in his body to not make a single noise, blood tinting his lips as his head is thrown back into the mattress.

Jayce doesn’t stop, his fingers pressing into Viktor and his tongue swirling around his cock until Viktor is a broken, shaking mess on the bed. Viktor feels on the verge of passing out from the shock that slams into his chest, his vision swimming from a lack of oxygen. He doesn’t even realize he’s holding his breath until Jayce finally pulls away, kissing the inside of Viktor’s knee as he stands up. He gasps for air, and Jayce just sits there and grins like he didn’t just irrevocably change everything Viktor knows about pleasure.

Viktor stares, wide-eyed, as Jayce pulls his ruined panties down his legs, then drops them to the floor. He catches his breath, pulling his hand from his mouth and flopping it against the bed next to his face. He ignores the burn of his cut.

Jayce gazes down at him, dragging a thumb across his chin before lifting the hem of his shirt to take it off.

Viktor has to close his eyes, swallowing another moan at the vision of Jayce, shirtless, between his legs. His body twitches in aftershocks.

“You are infuriatingly sexy,” Viktor whispers, his voice weak even though he’s barely used it. Viktor pulls his own shirt off with a pout, throwing it to the ground like a brat.

When he hears Jayce’s zipper, he opens his eyes again, only to see a smug look still painted across Jayce’s face. He rolls his eyes, and Jayce laughs.

“So, how high did you count?”

“Hm? Oh—” Viktor blinks, plugging his brain back in. “Uh, thirty…ish. I think?”

Jayce nods his head. Viktor squints. “Why did you make me count?”

Stepping out of his jeans, left in only his boxers, Jayce crawls over Viktor’s body on the bed, looking down at him from above.

“I wanted to see how fast I could make you cum. New record, personally.”

Viktor looks up at him with a blank face. Although Jayce’s whole… everything is doing it for Viktor, he can’t let him know that his cockiness makes him, somehow, even wetter. Can’t let his ego grow bigger than it already is.

He does roll his eyes again, though, pressing a palm into the center of Jayce’s chest. Jayce sits back on his heels, but Viktor follows, maneuvering them until Jayce is laid back against the pillows at the head of the mattress. Viktor quickly swings a leg over his thighs, his eyes landing on the bulge in his boxers. Viktor shivers thinking about his cock, seeing it again, touching it again—feeling it inside of him.

He bites his lip as his thoughts catch up to him, for the first time all night starting to feel nervous about what he is doing.

What if he’s bad at this? What if he doesn’t feel good to Jayce? What if—

“Hey, hey, what’s goin’ on in that pretty head of yours?” Jayce quickly sits up, his face inches away from Viktor’s. They lock eyes, and Viktor tries to quiet the swirling thoughts in his head.

“I—” he starts, unable to really put into words why he’s suddenly so nervous.

Jayce seems to read his mind, and he softens for Viktor. “It’s okay, Viktor. We can stop if you need to—”

“No!” Viktor yells, not thinking, quickly covering his mouth as they both freeze and listen for anything outside of the room. After a few moments of pure silence, Viktor focuses back on Jayce. “No, it’s okay. I just need a moment to freak out, is all. We’re doing this.” He says it with finality, leaving no room for argument, even though his hands still shake.

Jayce huffs a laugh, leaning forward to press his lips to the hollow beneath Viktor’s ear. Viktor’s body warms from the gentle kiss, the anxious fluttering in his stomach settling to a quiet, low hum.

“We can do this however you wish,” Jayce whispers into Viktor’s skin. “I can fuck you hard, so rough that you can’t feel anything but pleasure.” Another kiss to his throat. Viktor shivers. “Or… I can fuck you slow, deep, until you beg me to go faster.” Jayce lifts Viktor away from his lap, just enough to pull his boxers off and throw them to the floor. He then drags Viktor back down until his cunt is pressed against Jayce’s bare length. Viktor gasps, Jayce’s cock hot against his sensitive skin.

The thought of either choice makes Viktor shudder, but something about Jayce grinding slowly into him makes his cunt clench around nothing, fluttering against Jayce’s cock.

“Would you like that, Viktor?” Jayce continues, feeling it. “Want me to make you beg for it?”

Viktor hums, dragging his hips forward until the head of Jayce’s cock catches on the edge of his entrance. Jayce cups a hand around Viktor’s nape, pulling him down as Jayce leans back to rest his head on the pillows again. Viktor sighs, and nods at the question.

“Good. You’re so beautiful. So good for me…”

Warmth flows through Viktor’s mind like liquid gold at the praise, his body feeling light as air. Jayce lifts Viktor’s hips, and aligns the head of his cock against his slit. Viktor’s breath catches in his throat.

Viktor pushes himself up onto his hands, looking down at Jayce. For once, he doesn’t have a smile on his face—instead, his cheeks are flushed, and his pupils are dilated, his expression nothing short of serious. Electricity hums in Viktor’s bloodstream.

Jayce’s eyes go dark, and he grabs Viktor’s jaw in order to press a palm over his lips.

“Don’t scream.”

Then Jayce uses his other hand to pull Viktor’s hips down, his entire cock sliding into Viktor in one single movement. Viktor gasps against the hand covering his mouth, his own fingers flying to wrap around Jayce’s wrist. His nails dig sharply into Jayce’s skin, but Jayce doesn’t even flinch.

The pain is intense. He feels like he’s being split in two, Jayce’s girth stretching him so much that it burns. Viktor’s entire body trembles, and Jayce pulls him in close, pressing his lips to the back of the hand covering Viktor’s mouth.

“Relax, Viktor. You’re way too fuckin’ tight—”

Viktor whines, closing his eyes in order to focus on relaxing his body. Chills flash along his arms, but he breathes through the pain, holding Jayce’s wrist as if it were grounding him.

He presses his forehead against Jayce’s, trying hard to not let the burning behind his eyelids turn into full blown tears.

But a few must slip through, because Jayce releases the hold he has of Viktor’s hip in order to cup the side of Viktor’s face, gently thumbing away at the streak of wetness on his cheek.

“You’re okay,” he whispers, kissing Viktor on the forehead. “You feel… God, it’s okay—” Jayce continues pressing his lips against Viktor’s heated skin, kissing him softly across his nose, and over his eyelids. Viktor feels himself start to relax from the sweet attention, his body slowly molding to the shape pressed inside of him. With a shaky exhale, he kisses the palm over his mouth.

“That’s it—easy, baby. I’m gonna make you feel so good,” Jayce says, his free hand finding Viktor’s hip again. He slowly lifts him, Viktor’s cunt sliding along his length until only the head of Jayce’s cock is still inside. Slowly, he pulls Viktor down, his hand tightening on Viktor’s face from the pleasure of sheathing himself back to the hilt.

Viktor pants through his nose, his eyelids low as he lets Jayce move his body, bliss beginning to flicker at the pressure of Jayce’s cock inside of him.

Jayce does it again, and again, and again—slowly building Viktor up until the pain fully recedes. Soon, Viktor is clawing at Jayce’s wrist and pulling his hand away from his face, his breath leaving his lungs in sharp, quick exhales as Jayce gently grinds up into the same spot over and over. Viktor feels dizzy, the pace Jayce fucks him at too much and too little all at once. Everything is so overwhelming. So consuming.

“Jayce,” he whispers, but bites his tongue to suppress a moan whenever Jayce kicks his hips up sharply, sending a flare of stars throughout Viktor’s chest.

“Yeah? Feeling good, baby?”

Viktor nods his head, looking down between their bodies to where they are connected. Another flare of heat knocks the air from his lungs at the sight. His jaw drops in a silent moan, mesmerized by the way Jayce’s cock disappears in and out of his cunt, his body wrapping so perfectly around him.

“More, Jayce, please—” he whines, his words cut off with a gasp. Jayce pulls him down fast, his cock slamming into Viktor hard, and deep. Jayce holds him there for a moment, and Viktor whines at the way his cunt pulses around Jayce.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” Jayce groans, then huffs a laugh. “Thank God you made me cum earlier. Otherwise I woulda been done for already.”

Viktor can’t help the moan that slips out, the thought of Jayce feeling that much already makes his chest swell with pride. He then grins with confidence and presses a palm to the center of Jayce’s chest.

Swatting Jayce’s hand away from his hips, Viktor lets his body take control, slowly dragging himself up before easing himself back down. Jayce’s hands rest on the pillow beside his face, and his jaw drops when Viktor clenches around him before moving his hips again. Viktor keeps his eyes locked onto Jayce’s, watching every single strangled emotion cross his features as he rides him, working in slow circles to drag his cunt along Jayce’s length.

“Fuck, Viktor—” Jayce sighs, his eyes rolling closed and his head tilting back. The look of pleasure is stunning on Jayce, more beautiful than anything Viktor has ever seen before in his life. His eyebrows stitch down his forehead and lips part in a soft moan as Viktor continues to push and pull himself along Jayce’s cock.

But as soon as Viktor starts losing steam—as much as he wishes to have sat upon Jayce’s lap all night long—Jayce rolls them over, the bed creaking as Viktor’s back hits the mattress.

Jayce grabs Viktor’s good knee, pushing it up towards his chest again. The new angle allows for Jayce’s cock to press inside of him even deeper, and Viktor nearly splits his lip from biting down so hard when Jayce starts fucking him in a faster, stronger rhythm. As ecstasy rockets through his core, Jayce stares down at him, that same, cocky smile right back where it belongs. Viktor almost slaps him across the face when Jayce raises his eyebrows crudely down at him, but his cunt merely clenches. Betrayal.

“You like that?” Jayce asks, his grip tightening around Viktor’s knee. “Yeah, I know you do—”

A cupboard slams in the kitchen, and Jayce and Viktor freeze instantly.

They both hold their breath, the smile wiping from Jayce’s face as horror floods Viktor’s system. Viktor looks over at the door, which he knows is locked, but still—

They wouldn’t really have a good excuse if someone were to knock. Viktor covers his face, breathing slowly as they listen to whoever is in the kitchen turn on the sink and fill something with water. For a few minutes, he tries to settle his racing heart, but when he peeks through his fingers up at Jayce, it shoots right back through the ceiling.

Jayce turns to look down at him, and—fuck—that damn smile splits his lips again, as if he just had the best idea slither into his mind. Viktor’s chest tightens, both of his hands dragging down his face to cover his mouth in anticipation.

Slowly, Jayce drags his cock out of Viktor, mouthing down at him a reminder to be quiet before he rolls his hips, sliding back into his cunt.

Viktor’s grip on his face tightens, refusing to let himself make a single noise as pleasure nips at the base of his spine again. Jayce thrusts into him slow and deep, watching intently down at the mess he’s quickly turning Viktor into. Whoever is in the kitchen pours the water out, and an appliance whirrs to life—Viktor thinks they may be making tea, or something, but the thoughts are fleeting.

Jayce angles his hips higher, and it feels so good that Viktor’s eyes snap to Jayce’s with pure fury. How dare he make Viktor want to scream, cry out, say fuck the consequences while he falls apart? Viktor wants to throw a fucking fit about it, but the head of Jayce’s cock is kissing his insides so perfectly that fire begins to build in his abdomen once more, and all he can do is glare at Jayce as it starts to suffocate him.

Knowing Viktor is close again, Jayce rocks his hips just a little faster, just on the verge of making the bed creak. But it doesn’t, so he maintains his steady, excruciating pace, fucking Viktor’s cunt until Viktor’s entire body feels like its being dragged underwater again. He shakes, his lungs nearly imploding from holding in his voice.

Viktor’s second orgasm washes over him, the heat that was building in his gut exploding outwards and sending ecstasy into the tips of his fingers. His mind goes blank—nothing but the euphoria of Jayce’s cock dragging him across the edge and back again able to manifest in his head.

As he shakes so hard his teeth chatter, Viktor catches the silent question in Jayce’s hazy eyes. He nods just in time for Jayce to snap, his body curling in on Viktor’s as he follows him across the line. His mouth latches to Viktor’s neck, muffling any noises that threaten the quiet by sinking his teeth into his skin. Viktor gasps into his hands, the last dregs of his orgasm flowing through his system as Jayce’s takes over.

Jayce’s body stiffens, his hips twitching as he spills deep inside of Viktor. Viktor feels his cock pulsing, and clenches tight around him to drag it out for as long as he can. Jayce bites down harder on his neck, and they both hear footsteps as whoever was in the kitchen heads back upstairs.

“Fuck,” Jayce pants, slackening his jaw. He gently drags his tongue over Viktor’s throat, the skin surely bruised. Jayce then lets his face fall into the pillow next to Viktor’s face, and Viktor can’t help but chuckle at him.

“You are so stupid, Jayce. We could have gotten caught!” he whisper-yells, but a laugh laces the words. Jayce pulls himself up, taking Viktor by surprise with a sweet kiss to his lips.

“But we didn’t.”

Viktor rolls his eyes, pushing Jayce until he flops over onto the mattress next to him. Viktor squirms, feeling Jayce’s release leak between his thighs, but he curls onto his side and ignores it the best he can.

Jayce notices, though, and flips over onto his stomach, facing the foot of the bed. He wraps his hand around Viktor’s calf and lifts his leg, not hesitating to lean in and glide his tongue over Viktor’s cunt, even slipping into his slit to swallow his own release.

“Jayce!” Viktor gasps, his jaw dropping as his sensitive nerves vibrate from the feeling of Jayce cleaning up his mess. Jayce ignores him, continuing to lick and suck along every sticky inch of Viktor’s skin until he’s sure there’s no more cum left.

With a satisfied hum, Jayce turns back around on the bed and crawls over Viktor, kissing him hard on the lips. This time, he licks into Viktor’s mouth, and Viktor can’t help but whine at the taste of himself and Jayce that explodes on his tongue.

They lie there for a few minutes, slowly making out until Viktor has to pull his face away to breathe. Jayce chuckles at him before pulling the blankets up around their shoulders.

Viktor yawns, his body melting dangerously fast into the mattress as Jayce curls his arms around Viktor from behind.

Jayce kisses the side of his face, so sweet and gentle that it knocks Viktor out almost instantly.

The next thing he knows, Viktor feels a hand rubbing up and down his arm to wake him up.

“Viktor…” Jayce coos, his voice quiet, and right next to Viktor’s ear. He groans in response, so warm and comfortable, and Jayce laughs. “I know, I know. You gotta get up though, I need to take you home.”

Viktor peeks his eyes open, seeing light outside the window next to the bed. He turns, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with a yawn. When he blinks himself more awake, Jayce is looking at him so fondly that Viktor’s heart flutters in his chest.

“What time is it?”

Jayce looks across the room and then back down to Viktor, his thumb rubbing small circles into his shoulder.

“Close to eight in the morning. My aunt and uncle just left, but they’ll be back soon.” He pouts down at Viktor—neither of them want whatever this is to end.

But Viktor sits up anyway, taking a deep breath. Sleepily, he dresses himself, trying to ignore the way that Jayce’s eyes are watching every move he makes as he pulls his clothing onto his body. When he turns around, Jayce is dressed, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

“See something you like?” Viktor asks, a small smile on his face.

Jayce shrugs. “I’d like it better the other way around, but just watching you in general is nice.”

Viktor flushes, heat burning his face from the words.

Jayce opens the door and holds his hand out for Viktor to take. He grabs it along with his cane, and they make their way through the house. When they leave through the back door, the sun is shining low in the sky, and the air is warm. Everything has a bright orange tint to it—the kind of color that signals the impending end of summer.

They walk along the driveway towards what Viktor supposes is Jayce’s truck, and Viktor looks down the length of the field toward the barn. The bonfire is burned down completely, but smoke still rises from the last embers that settle in the pile of ash. Everyone else is gone, and several tire tracks lead out of the nearby gate.

On the way to Viktor’s house, Jayce doesn’t let go of Viktor’s hand. Viktor rolls down the passenger side window, and listens to the soft reggae music that plays from the speakers. The wind blows gently as they drive along the back roads in town, and Viktor closes his eyes, letting the sun warm his face.

He smiles the entire time, up until Jayce parks the truck in front of Viktor’s house.

Viktor looks over at him then, unsure of exactly what to say.

But Jayce speaks first.

“I leave back for Piltover in a few weeks,” he starts, his voice assured. “You gonna be around?”

Viktor smiles fully, leaning over the center console to press his lips to Jayce’s.

“I’m all yours for the rest of the summer, Jayce.” Viktor feels butterflies flutter in his stomach from his own words. When he leans back into his seat, he grabs his cane and opens the truck door. He climbs out of the cab and closes it behind him, resting his arms on the open window.

“Happy birthday, Jayce,” he wishes as goodbye, blowing one last kiss toward Jayce and the beautiful, infuriating smile that shines in his direction. Rolling his eyes, Viktor laughs and turns away, heading up the path to his front door.

Jayce honks the horn of his truck, and Viktor whirls around.

“I’ll see you soon, Viktor,” he calls through the open window, to which Viktor nods, and then he drives off. Biting his lip to fight the glee on his face, Viktor waves Jayce goodbye.

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆

Lest’s jaw is practically on the floor.

“What?” Viktor asks, turning back to his notes.

“You’re kidding,” she says, shock heavy in her tone. “You lost your virginity and you didn’t tell me!?”

Viktor huffs, offended. “You ditched me!”

“Semantics!” she yells, again, earning a glare from the teacher. Viktor purses his lips to suppress a laugh. “Sorry, sorry, jeez.”

“Besides,” Viktor mutters, "I didn’t want to tell you over the phone. And I’ve been… busy.”

“Yeah, lemme guess—busy spending the remainder of your summer break bouncing on Jayce Talis’ cock.”

“Lest! Jesus, woman!”

“Am I wrong?”

Viktor feels his face heat, narrowing his eyes at her. “No,” he mumbles, to which Lest snaps her fingers. Just as she opens her mouth again, the teacher clears his throat, and Viktor sighs in relief when he starts the lesson.

Lest leans over into Viktor’s personal space.

“This isn’t over.”

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆

The sun is high in the Piltover sky as Viktor makes his way across campus. Birds scream from where they sit in the trees, the volume of their chirps prevailing over the amount of noise made by the students running to their first classes of the day. It’s overwhelming, and Viktor feels his nerves tingling from the amount of activity bustling all around him.

He has to take a moment, sitting down on a bench just outside the engineering building. Viktor folds his cane and looks at his schedule—written out on the first page of his notebook—in order to memorize it.

It’s the first day of his freshman year, and Viktor is bursting at the seams with excitement. He wants to learn his schedule quickly so that he can focus on other things, like the notes he’s going to take for his first class, or the projects he’s going to be assigned in his labs.

He laughs to himself, so giddy about the fact that he’s in college now that he can’t hold it in. There’s so much he wants to do, doors opening wide for him now that he’s out of that one stoplight town.

Maybe even—

“You know,” comes a voice. Familiar. Sweet.

Sure enough, Viktor looks up to see none other than Jayce, standing in front of him on the sidewalk with that gorgeous smile that he missed so much plastered across his face.

“I was going to say something smooth, but you’re so damn pretty that I forgot my pickup line.” Jayce beams down at him, nodding his head toward a nearby coffee truck and holding his hand out for Viktor to take.

Viktor smiles back, closing his notebook in his lap.

“Smooth, indeed.”