Chapter 4: The Morning After
The first thing Jason became aware of was the weight. Not unpleasant—actually, the opposite—but there was a lot of it. A solid, warm mass pressed against his back, an arm slung heavy over his waist, and breath ghosting hot across the nape of his neck. The second thing was the cold. A cool hand resting on his hip, fingertips tracing idle patterns over the thin cotton of his shirt, and the faint, almost imperceptible hum of stillness that Vald carried with him even in sleep.
Morning light filtered through the blinds in pale golden stripes, painting the cluttered bedroom in soft focus. Half-unpacked boxes lined the walls, a testament to the chaos of their shared living situation, and Jason's wrinkled jeans hung off the edge of the dresser where he'd tossed them sometime after midnight.
The memories flooded back in a warm, dizzying rush. The wine. The cake. Two kisses that had tasted different—one like fire, one like frost—and the way Daren and Vald had looked at each other over his head. Not acceptance, not quite. But something had shifted. Something had cracked open.
Jason's face burned. He tried to slip out from between them, moving slow and careful, but Daren's arm tightened around his waist with a possessive, almost predatory instantness.
"Where do you think you're going?" Daren's voice was a low rasp, rough with sleep and something darker.
"To make coffee," Jason whispered. "You two sleep like the dead and the—"
"Watch it," Vald murmured from behind him, his voice silk-smooth and amused. His hand slid higher up Jason's thigh, fingers brushing the hem of his boxers. "I've been called many things, but I draw the line at that particular comparison."
Jason's breath hitched.
Daren pressed closer, his mouth finding Jason's neck, hot and insistent. A growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating through Jason's whole body. "Stay."
"That's not a word I respond well to," Jason managed, but he wasn't moving. His body had apparently decided it was very comfortable exactly where it was, sandwiched between two impossibly magnetic creatures.
"Fine." Daren's teeth grazed his skin, just shy of biting. "Then let me convince you."
His hand slid up Jason's stomach, under his shirt, Calloused fingers splayed across his ribs, thumb tracing the curve of muscle. The touch was deliberate, exploring territory that had only been hinted at before.
And Vald's cold hand pushed the waistband of Jason's boxers lower, fingertips dipping beneath the fabric, tracing the jut of bone with methodical patience.
"Quite a predicament," Vald observed, his lips brushing Jason's shoulder. "Two very different kinds of heat. Which one will you chase?"
Jason's brain short-circuited.
He was pinned between them, a human sandwich of supernatural muscle and supernatural grace, and both of them were looking at him with that same intense, hungry expression. Daren's amber eyes glowed faintly in the half-light, and Vald's silver-blue gaze was dark with something that made Jason's mouth go dry.
"Both," Jason said, and the word came out breathy, surprised.
Daren's growl deepened. His hand tightened on Jason's hip, pulling him flush against his body, and Jason could feel the hard line of him through his sweatpants, pressing against the curve of his ass. "Greedy," he muttered, but there was approval in his voice.
Vald laughed softly, cold fingers closing around Jason's half-hard cock, stroking with maddening slowness. "He's human. He gets to be greedy."
Jason moaned, his head falling back against Vald's chest, his hips bucking involuntarily into that cool grip. Daren's mouth was on his neck again, kissing, sucking, marking a path down to his collarbone. The contrast was dizzying—Daren's heat searing against his skin, Vald's cool touch sending shivers down his spine.
"Can we," Jason started, and his voice cracked in a way that made him want to sink into the floor. He tried again. "I want—"
"What?" Vald asked softly, his thumb pressing against the sensitive head of Jason's cock, coaxing a shuddering breath. "Tell us what you want, Jason."
"Everything," Jason gasped. "I want everything."
Daren pulled back just enough to meet his eyes. The possessiveness in his gaze was primal, almost feral, but there was something else there too—something careful, something that looked terrifyingly close to love. "You're sure?"
"Yes. Fuck, yes. I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
Something in Daren's expression shifted. The careful restraint cracked, and what was left was pure need. He claimed Jason's mouth in a kiss that was all teeth and hunger, swallowing Jason's groan as Vald's hand continued its slow, torturous work.
Vald pulled back just enough to speak, his lips brushing Jason's ear. "Lie back. Let us take care of you."
Jason let himself be maneuvered, guided, laid down on the rumpled sheets. The bed dipped on either side of him as they settled around him, bracketing him, their bodies a cage of warmth and cold. Daren's hand pushed his shirt up, baring his stomach, and Vald's fingers traced the line of his hip, dipping lower.
"You're so beautiful," Daren murmured, his voice rough and honest. "Like something I dreamed up."
"Shut up," Jason said, but the words came out soft, broken.
Daren's mouth curved into a wicked grin. "Make me."
Jason reached up, grabbing the collar of Daren's shirt, pulling him down into another kiss. At the same time, Vald's fingers hooked into his boxers, peeling them down his legs, baring him to the morning light. The cool air hit his skin, and he gasped into Daren's mouth.
Vald made a sound low in his throat, almost a purr. "Beautiful indeed."
Jason's face burned, but he didn't have time to be embarrassed. Vald's hand closed around him again, stroking slowly, deliberately, and Daren's mouth found his neck as his hand slid down, past his stomach, fingers brushing the sensitive skin of his inner thigh.
"Oh, god," Jason breathed.
"No," Vald corrected, his voice silky with amusement. "Just us."
Daren laughed against Jason's skin, but the sound was strained, barely restrained. His hand moved lower, fingers circling Jason's entrance, making Jason jolt. "Is this okay?"
"Yes," Jason gasped. "Please, yes."
Daren's fingers pressed inside him, slick with something that must have been lube, and Jason's back arched off the bed. He was trembling, overwhelmed, caught between the heat of Daren's mouth and the cold precision of Vald's hands. Daren worked him open with patient, fierce fingers, and Vald kept stroking him, drawing out every broken moan.
"You're doing so well," Vald murmured. "Taking him so beautiful."
Jason's face was on fire. "Shut up—"
Vald's fingers tightened, just enough to make Jason's words dissolve into a moan. "Make me."
Jason's hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of Vald's slicked-back hair. "Maybe I will."
Vald's eyes sparked with something dangerous and delighted. "Please do."
Before Jason could respond, Daren withdrew his fingers, and the loss made him whimper. But then Daren was settling between his legs, and the weight of him, the heat of him, pressed against Jason's entrance. Daren's forehead dropped to Jason's, amber eyes blazing.
"So goddamn beautiful," Daren repeated, and then he pushed in.
Jason cried out, head falling back as Daren filled him with a slow, deliberate thrust that seemed to go on forever. The stretch was exquisite, burning, perfect. He clutched at Daren's shoulders, nails digging into skin, and Daren was trembling above him, holding himself still.
"Fuck," Daren breathed. "You feel— Jason, you feel incredible."
"Move," Jason demanded, his voice wrecked. "Please, Daren, move."
Daren moved. Slow at first, then harder, each thrust punching a gasp out of Jason. Vald's hands found his, pinning them above his head with gentle, implacable strength. Vald's lips brushed Jason's ear.
"So eager," he whispered. "But we're not done with you yet."
His cold hand closed around Jason's neglected cock again, stroking in time with Daren's thrusts. The double sensation was overwhelming, and Jason's vision went white at the edges. He was babbling, broken words and pleases, and he didn't care. He could feel everything—Daren's heat, Vald's chill, the perfect, punishing rhythm.
"I'm close," Jason gasped. "I'm going to—"
"Let go," Daren growled, slamming into him. "Let go, Jason. I've got you."
Jason came with a cry, spasming, his body clenching around Daren. Vald stroked him through it, and the cool air on his oversensitive skin made him sob. Daren buried his face in Jason's neck as he followed, his hips stuttering, his release spilling inside Jason with a shudder that seemed to shake his whole body.
For a moment, there was only breathing.
Daren collapsed on top of him, warm and heavy and still twitching. Vald released his hands, smoothing his hair back with a gentleness that made Jason's chest ache. The morning light poured over them, painting everything in shades of gold.
Jason laughed, breathless and disbelieving. "Well."
Daren lifted his head, mouth quirking. "'Well'?"
"That was—"
"Incredible?" Vald offered, his voice smug.
"Insane," Jason corrected. "That was insane."
Daren nuzzled into his neck, placing a soft, reverent kiss against the skin there. Vald pressed his lips to Jason's temple. They stayed like that, tangled together, the quiet sounds of the apartment settling around them.
Jason's stomach growled, ruining the moment spectacularly.
Daren burst out laughing. Vald's deadpan expression crackled into something almost fond. Jason threw an arm over his face, mortified.
"I wasn't that hungry," he protested.
"It's okay," Daren said, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "We can make breakfast. Round one's over, anyway."
Jason peeked out from behind his arm. "Round two?"
Vald smiled, sharp and dangerous. "There's always a round two."
Jason's heart raced. Then his stomach growled again.
Daren laughed harder, and Vald's hand found Jason's, squeezing gently. "Come on," Daren said, hauling himself up and pulling Jason with him. "Let's feed you, then we'll see about round two."
Jason let himself be dragged toward the kitchen, his body aching in all the best ways, his heart so full it felt like it might burst. The fragile peace of the night before had solidified into something solid.
He didn't know what this was. He didn't know where it was going.
But for now, that was more than enough.