Chapter 1: Surprise in the Dark
The bass from the party downstairs vibrated through the floorboards, a dull, persistent heartbeat that seemed to sync with the pulse thrumming in Gene's temples. He'd lost count of the shots somewhere around midnight, but the alcohol hadn't dulled his senses—it had sharpened them, honed them into something predatory and impatient.
Zenix emerged from the hallway, silver-streaked hair catching the dim light spilling through the cracked door. His grey eyes swept the room, landing on Gene with that knowing smirk that always made things interesting.
"They're in here," Zenix murmured, voice low and rough from the whiskey they'd been sharing. He tilted his head toward the bedroom at the end of the hall, where a sliver of warm light escaped through the gap in the door.
Gene followed, his footsteps silent on the carpeted floor. The party raged on below them—bodies grinding, glasses clinking, laughter rising and falling in waves—but up here, the air felt different. Heavier. Charged with something electric and unspoken.
Zenix pushed the door open without knocking.
There they were. A figure silhouetted against the window, backlit by the pale glow of streetlights filtering through sheer curtains. Long hair cascaded down their shoulders, dark and silky. A slim frame wrapped in something that hugged every curve.
The person turned, startled, eyes widening as they took in the two men filling the doorway.
"Didn't mean to interrupt," Gene drawled, stepping inside. His voice was honeyed with false apology, but his eyes never left the figure before him. "But you looked lonely in here."
Zenix clicked the door shut behind them, the latch settling with a soft, final click.
The person backed up a step, then another, until their knees hit the edge of the mattress. "I was just—" Their voice was breathy, uncertain. "I was looking for the bathroom."
"Found something better," Gene said, closing the distance between them. He reached out, fingers brushing against the fabric of their shirt, feeling the warmth radiating beneath. "What's your name?"
"Ender."
"Ender." Gene tested the name on his tongue, rolling it around like expensive liquor. "Pretty name for a pretty thing."
Zenix circled around the side, his lanky frame casting a long shadow across the bed. His nimble fingers found Ender's hip, squeezing once before sliding lower. "Real pretty," he echoed, his voice a low growl.
Ender let out a shaky breath, hands coming up to press against their chests—not quite pushing, not quite pulling. "Look, I think there's been a misunderstanding—"
"No misunderstanding," Gene cut in, stepping closer until their bodies were nearly flush. He could smell cheap perfume mixed with something cleaner underneath. Soap. Shampoo. The scent of someone who hadn't planned on staying. "We know exactly what we want."
His hand found Ender's chin, tilting their face up toward the dim light. Sharp jaw, full lips, dark eyes wide with something that looked like fear but might have been excitement. Gene leaned in, letting his lips hover just above Ender's ear.
"You want it too," he whispered. "I can tell."
His other hand dropped to Ender's waist, fingers curling into the fabric of their shirt. Zenix moved behind them, pressing his chest against their back, trapping them between two solid bodies.
"We're going to take our time with you," Zenix murmured, his breath hot against the nape of Ender's neck. His hands slid up Ender's sides, thumbs tracing the outline of their ribs through the thin material. "Make you scream so loud they hear it over the music downstairs."
Ender's breath hitched.
Gene's hand slid lower, palm pressing against the front of Ender's pants. He expected softness, curves, the familiar give of female anatomy.
Instead, his fingers met something hard. Something unmistakably, undeniably male.
Gene froze.
His eyes snapped to Zenix's, finding the same shock reflected there. Zenix's hands had stilled against Ender's chest, fingers hovering over flat pectorals that had been disguised by the loose-fitting shirt.
"Oh shit," Zenix breathed.
Ender took advantage of their momentary shock, ducking under Gene's arm and stumbling backward. Their face was flushed crimson, hands raised in surrender. "I tried to tell you. I'm sorry. I'm a guy. I should've—I didn't mean to—"
They turned, scrambling toward the door.
But Gene's reflexes kicked in before his brain caught up. His hand shot out, grabbing the back of Ender's collar, yanking him to a halt. The fabric stretched taut against Ender's throat, forcing a choked gasp from his lips.
"Where do you think you're going?" Gene's voice had dropped an octave, rough and gravelly. The initial shock had morphed into something else entirely—something hot and hungry that coiled low in his gut. He'd never been with a man before, had never even considered it. But now that the idea was planted, it bloomed like a weed, invasive and impossible to ignore.
Ender swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing visibly. "I—I should go. This was a mistake."
"You're right about that," Gene said, spinning Ender around to face him. His hazel eyes burned with a new intensity, raking over Ender's face like he was seeing him for the first time. "Your mistake was thinking we'd care."
Before Ender could respond, Gene closed the distance and sank his teeth into the junction of Ender's neck and shoulder. Hard. Not enough to break skin, but enough to leave a mark. Enough to claim.
Ender gasped, his body jerking against Gene's grip, but he didn't pull away.
Zenix appeared behind him again, having recovered from his own shock with admirable speed. His grey eyes glittered with wicked amusement as his hands slid beneath Ender's shirt, palms flat against the warm skin of his stomach.
"A guy, huh?" Zenix's fingers traced upward, mapping the ridges of Ender's abdomen. "I've never done this before either." He found Ender's nipple and pinched it, hard, earning a sharp intake of breath. "But I'm nothing if not adaptable."
Gene pulled back just enough to meet Ender's eyes, his thumb tracing the red mark his teeth had left behind. "You said you were looking for the bathroom. That's what you wanted?"
Ender nodded weakly, his chest heaving.
Gene laughed, a low, dark sound that rumbled from deep in his chest. "Too bad. We've got other plans for you tonight." He released Ender's collar only to grab his wrist, pulling him toward the bed. "And you're going to enjoy every second of them."
Zenix shoved Ender from behind, sending him stumbling onto the mattress. The springs groaned under his weight as he scrambled to sit up, wide-eyed and breathless.
Gene loomed over him, a predator who had just discovered an unexpected new prey. "Don't worry," he said, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper. "We'll figure this out as we go."
His hands found Ender's belt buckle, and Zenix crawled onto the bed beside them, his silver-streaked hair falling across his face as he leaned in close to Ender's ear.
"The night's just started," Zenix growled, his teeth grazing Ender's earlobe. "And we're not done with you yet."
Ender's protests died in his throat as Gene pulled his belt free with a sharp snap of leather. His dark eyes flickered between the two men, fear and something else warring in their depths. Something that looked suspiciously like anticipation.
Gene caught it.
And he smiled.
He didn't care that Ender was male. He didn't care that this was uncharted territory, that every instinct told him to stop, to think, to question what this meant. The alcohol had burned away all caution, leaving behind only raw, unapologetic want.
And right now, he wanted Ender. Badly.