13. Chapter Thirteen #2
The creep of those overwhelming emotions receded.
How Fin had known he needed the distraction, he wasn’t sure, but they could read him eerily well.
And they’d offered their own pain in response.
He ran his fingertips across the raised bumps on their leg, noticing other nicks on their thighs, their arms. His blood boiled.
How dare their dad take a hand to them? He couldn’t imagine living with that sort of terror as a kid.
Their expression was a little lost, a little distant, as if they trudged through a field of glass.
“Come on now,” he said. “You need a way better story for your scars. What about a motorcycle trick gone wrong?”
A grin split their face, followed by a loud laugh. “Whip accident could work. Or got in the way during a mass pup freak-out?”
“By pups, you mean…”
“The human kind,” they said, their eyes twinkling. “You’ve never seen pet play in action, have you?”
He shook his head. “New kid, remember?”
“I’ll have to drag you to one of the pet play nights that Whipped hosts. They’re not frequent, but they’re a ton of fun.”
Ollie swallowed hard. Here Fin was, talking with him about plans like he’d be around in their life for a long while. He liked that a little too much. “Sign me up. ”
“Shit, you need to finish your plate.” They reached to the side and grabbed the weird mish-mash they’d compiled. “At least have something else, so I know you’re not going to faint on me.”
“Want me shipshape for getting out of your hair?” he asked tentatively. After everything they’d peeled open tonight, he desperately didn’t want to go. He wanted to stay here, in their apartment. With them.
They lifted a brow. “Would you be in any condition to drive? The whole reason we came here was so you could take the time you needed to be okay.” They chewed on their lower lip, a brief flicker in their hazel eyes that told him everything.
They weren’t going to outright ask him to stay, but this was the chance if he wanted to claim it.
And fuck, he so did.
“I’ll be better after a night’s rest,” he said. “And I might just need to share the bed.”
Fin’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “Right, I wasn’t aware I let a princess in here. Too good for my couch?”
“Below my standards clearly.”
“The thread count too low? Pillows not fluffy enough for you?” they snarked, the slight tension in their shoulders relaxing.
“I wasn’t going to say anything, but…” He plucked at the comforter, which, honestly, was nicer than his. Fin had a cozy apartment, even if their shelves overflowed. Seriously, who crammed books rows two deep and then stacked more on top? Maniacs, probably.
Fin knocked their shoulder against his. “You’re such a little shit.”
“Maybe you like that.”
Their gaze darkened for a moment, and something potent brewed in the silence. He waited on a taut thread for a response. Except the seriousness faded away .
“I like that you’re nice and caged up for me.” They offered a shit-eating grin, and he rolled his eyes. The reminder sent a shudder of lust through him regardless, the reminder that for the next few days, they owned his orgasms.
“And how are we celebrating my release in a few days?” he asked.
They flopped back on their bed. “How about we check in, then? See how you’re doing. If you can make it a week, I might have something even better in mind.”
His curiosity was stoked. “Going to tell me anything?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Fin said, mischief sparking in their eyes.
God, every second with them made him feel lighter than he had in years.
Like the wear and tear of daily life washed away.
And combined with the kink they explored together, he’d never felt this alive.
The energy that burst through his veins was something he didn’t want to let go of.
And if he were being honest, he didn’t want to let go of Fin either.
“All right, if you’re crashing here, you’ll be naked,” Fin said. “Get comfortable on the bed, and we can watch something on my laptop.”
“Want to continue the Farscape run from the other day?” He scooted farther up the bed to get comfortable.
“Works for me,” they shouted as they walked into the other room. “Take the right side of the bed, and I’ll toss you out the window.”
“Man, it’s so easy to get defenestrated from your apartment.” He was tempted to move to the right side on purpose. However, he wanted to be comfortable, and even more so, he wanted Fin to curl up next to him. Still, he left his leg lingering on that side.
Fin stepped back in with their laptop and arched a brow. “Mmk, sass queen. I’ll sit on your leg. ”
His grin stretched his face unbidden. They plonked beside him with an utter lack of grace and popped their laptop farther down on the bed with Farscape already rolling.
They slid their arm around his shoulders and settled in. He leaned into the comfort they offered, the relief an ache in his chest he hadn’t realized needed to be soothed until it was absent.
Fin had said from the start they didn’t do commitments, but his heart refused to take the memo.
Even if he’d end up shattering in the aftermath.