🚨Mature Readers 18+ ONLY 🚨
All characters are consenting adults.
Previously: | CH. 1 | CH. 2 | CH. 3 | CH. 4 |
CHAPTER FIVE
Ethan pulled on a new jock. It sat low around his waist as he stepped out of the bathroom after a shower and walked into the living area of his and Cade’s new apartment, finding Cade flipping through a simple white binder with “INSTRUCTIONS” in bright red, large, bold letters. He couldn’t imagine what might be written in there.
“Holy shit, no way!” Cade exclaimed.
“What?” Ethan asked.
“This can’t be for real …” He stood and walked over to his claimed side of the room, right next to his bed, and palmed a circular black protrusion. “That’s it!” He pressed the button, and a section of the wall started moving.
“What the hell?” Ethan asked.
The wall rotated to reveal the most badass PC gaming setup Ethan had ever seen. A curved monitor sat atop a sleek black desk, paired with a glowing RGB keyboard, high-end mouse, a controller, headset — the works. Even a reclining gaming chair with an extendable leg rest.
Cade’s jaw dropped.
Ethan’s followed. “Holy shit,” he muttered.
“Holy shit is right. And look — on your side of the room, same place as my button.”
“No way.”
“Yes way.” Cade gestured toward it.
Running and nearly tripping over the couch, Ethan gave it a press. And sure enough, a matching setup appeared. His eyes lit up.
“Let’s fucking play,” Cade said from behind him.
Hours later, the apartment was filled with the dramatic game soundtrack and Ethan coughing from the monster dab hit he’d just taken. Left in a closet was one of the most bodacious electronic dab rigs ever made, along with a fridge full of different color-coded containers of THC waxes. Ethan was currently smoking something called “Beta Busters.”
He was feeling busted, all right — and braver by the minute.
Sinking back into the couch next to Cade, Ethan deliberately brushed their knees together. The lack of any kind of response from Cade was noted.
“Alright, a new round’s starting,” Cade said. “Lock in.”
Ethan rolled his eyes and chose his character.
Cade let out a bit of a giggle.
“What?” Ethan asked.
“Nothing … it’s just, Red Witch? You pick the gayest characters, man. That’s, like, peak gay.”
Ethan punched Cade in the shoulder but laughed. “Oh, I’m sorry, but you chose American Captain? More like Basic Captain!” he said. “What’s next, your favorite dessert is apple pie and your favorite way to fuck is missionary?”
Cade shook his head aggressively. “No. Cap is objectively S-tier. Great shield, great moves, amazing ass.”
Ethan nodded in agreement. “That is America’s ass. Still, you know she is the strongest, right? Full of trauma and chaotic magic — but a bad bitch witch that will easily cut your team up.”
“Yeah, ‘cause you don’t even have to aim her abilities,” Cade snarked. “So gay.”
“You were just reveling in Cap’s ass a minute ago!”
Cade shrugged. “Yeah, that doesn’t count. That’s patriotism.”
Ethan snickered, then sobered just a little. “Honestly, I don’t think we can get much gayer than Coach’s cock up our asses. Or, y’know, the whole team, for that matter.”
Neither were laughing now.
“I’m not … gay,” Cade insisted, but there wasn’t enough heat behind it.
“I might be …” Ethan admitted, looking at Cade.
Cade met his gaze, eyes widening a fraction. He didn’t tease. Instead, to Ethan’s shock, he placed a hand on his own — warm and steady. A silence, more real than any noise before, lingered for a moment. Then, suddenly, Cade pulled away, looking to a blank wall.
“How did you know?” Cade asked, breaking the silence. “When did you know that you might … like guys?”
Looking down at the white socks scrunched at his ankles, Ethan pondered the question. “As far back as I can remember, before I even had the words for it, I knew I was … different.”
Staring at his hands, Cade stayed quiet, knuckles white. His next words came out raw, a confession dragged out from somewhere deep. “I think I know why I pick fights with queers.” His laugh was humorless. “It was easier than asking myself the questions they had clearly answered.”
Ethan’s mouth opened, closed. For a minute, all he could do was nod.
“I’ve been pretending to crush on girls, practicing smiles in the mirror, hoping no one would notice how fake it looked,” he said finally.
Their knees touched again.
Cade’s hands clenched; Ethan’s fingers tapped a nervous rhythm on the couch.
“You ever feel like you’re living someone else’s life?” Cade asked. “Like you’re playing a part you never auditioned for?”
Ethan nodded, a breath shivering out of him. “Every day … until recently.”
“I guess our new little … deal … has changed that a bit. There’s some freedom in the bondage and submission, ironically enough.”
“I’m realizing that.”
“I’m realizing a lot of things.” Cade let his gaze linger on Ethan for a moment — before standing up abruptly. “You want a beer?” he asked, walking over to the fridge.
“Sure,” Ethan answered.
When he came back and dropped down next to Ethan — closer than before, thighs fully aligned, shoulders touching — the smell of resin, sweat, and Cade’s deodorant filled his nose. The whole moment made Ethan’s heart stutter; he had to let out a shiver that took over his body.
Fingers brushed as Ethan took his drink from Cade. The touch lingered.
Neither spoke for a few minutes, just sipped, the game music looping in the background.
Cade looked over, eyes dwelling, haunting — when his beer bottle slipped. He caught it, but it was already fizzing out, splattering onto Ethan’s lap, wetting the front of his jock and his bare thighs.
“Shit! Sorry—let—fuck.” Cade jumped into action to grab a towel.
Ethan just laughed. “It’s fine!”
Trying to blot at the mess, Cade didn’t register that he was nudging Ethan’s crotch until it stiffened with a soft pulse under his palm, evident even through the towel.
Looking up at Ethan, Cade saw the red rushing to his cheeks from embarrassment, and flung his hand away. “Sorry.”
Ethan smirked. “Please, feel free to keep going.”
Nervous laughter escaped Cade’s lips. “Fuck, what are we doing?”
“I don’t fucking know,” Ethan stated.
Kneeling between Ethan’s knees now, Cade looked up. They locked eyes again, neither looking away for what seemed like hours as Ethan’s cock hardened at the tension. Cade’s cock was flushing as well.
“Can I … kiss you?” Ethan finally asked, nervous as hell but caring less the more he stared at Cade’s lips.
Unable to trust his voice, Cade just nodded.
That was all it took. Ethan grabbed at Cade’s arms, lifting him closer, bringing him face to face, with either hand finding a resting place on both of Cade’s cheeks.
He kissed him — and Cade kissed back.
It was clumsy, messy, a little desperate. Their noses bumped. Ethan laughed, breaking the tension. Cade went in for another kiss; their teeth clashed.
“Sorry,” Cade muttered.
Ethan answered by pulling him in from the back of his head for another kiss. They began to find their rhythm, began melting into one another. Everything else faded to the background: the game music, the red and blue light from the TVs, the deal they’d made with Coach, and the damn university. Everything.
The world outside meant nothing compared to this kiss.
They stood. Cade’s hands moved to Ethan’s bare hips. Ethan’s fingers curled in Cade’s black hair.
A hand moved to Ethan’s chest, Cade’s thumb sliding against the steady thrum of Ethan’s heartbeat.
Breaking the kiss, Cade made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a moan. He leaned his forehead against Ethan’s, their breaths mingling, hot and fast. A dramatic flourish in the game’s soundtrack seemed perfectly timed to their own internal climax of tension.
“Holy shit,” Cade finally managed, voice thick and uneven.
Ethan looked into those eyes — the color of whiskey in the dim light. They were wide and searching, a mixture of disbelief and a raw, startling joy. He didn’t speak, just tightened his grip on the back of Cade’s neck, pulling him in for a softer, lingering kiss, slower than before, savoring the taste — the promise of what was to come.
Lingering on Ethan’s chest, Cade’s hand felt the frantic, heavy beat of his heart.
“So … maybe we’re both a little gay,” Ethan said, a shaky grin spreading across his face.
Cade breathed out a quiet laugh. “Shut up,” he mumbled, but his eyes were shining, revealing how much he was enjoying this.
He stepped back, just enough to get a good look at Ethan — and the wet pouch of his jock where the beer had soaked in. “I’m still sorry about the beer.”
“Don’t be,” Ethan murmured. “It helped speed things along.” He winked.
Cade’s hands found Ethan’s hips again. He shook his head, a small, genuine smile curving his mouth. He pulled him in and kissed the nape of Ethan’s neck.
Lost in the pleasure, Ethan groaned.
“So, now what?” Cade whispered into his skin. Ethan couldn’t help but think about how the bravado from the other day was startlingly replaced with this vulnerability.
“What do you mean?” Ethan asked.
“Do you still want to play?” He gestured toward the TVs.
Knowing the question was bigger than a video game, Ethan took one of Cade’s hands and laced their fingers together, feeling the calloused roughness.
It felt right.
Ridiculously, impossibly right.
“Yeah, we’re still going to play,” he confirmed, squeezing the hand tighter. “But not with video games.”
