Chapter 28 Mini Game
Mini Game
Levi’s eyes snapped open to the familiar sight of concrete walls and the single bare bulb overhead.
The safe room. He was back in the safe room.
But how? He pushed himself up from where he’d been lying on the floor, his mind racing. The last thing he remembered was falling, the floor giving way beneath their feet, and the realization that they ran into a trap.
We died. We all died.
But here he was, alive and unharmed in the storage closet Jasper found.
The cases of water and energy bars were exactly where they left them.
Even their makeshift chalk drawings on the concrete floor remained—the schematics compared to Dr. Faine’s notes, the areas they mapped, Jasper’s careful observations about the automated systems.
Things left in this room carry over. Whatever force controlled the loops, it preserved this space and everything in it.
Asher was already awake, sitting against the far wall with that alertness that never seemed to fade.
“Where are Jasper and Maddie?” Levi asked, looking around the small space.
“Not here,” Asher said mildly. “Interesting, huh?”
They’re not here. Which meant what—that they spawned somewhere else in the building? That they were still alive, wandering the corridors without memory of what happened?
He pulled out Dr. Faine’s journal, flipping to the pages where he documented the safe room’s location. The notes were still there, written in his own handwriting. Everything from the previous loop carried over.
Turning to a fresh page, he began writing:
Spike trap?—corridor split, middle path. Three-way junction after running from surgical creature in atrium approach. AVOID.
He studied the schematics, trying to correlate their path with the systems Dr. Faine designed. The maze of corridors and the building’s shifting architecture made it impossible to pin down exact locations.
At least we know to avoid that area, he thought, making additional notes about the surgical amalgamation and its location near the atrium.
As he worked, he became aware of movement beside him as Asher settled beside him.
Too close.
Then he felt it—warm fingers settling on his leg, just above the knee. The touch was light, almost casual, but unmistakably possessive.
“Don’t!” Levi jerked away from the contact. He scrambled to put distance between them, his back hitting the concrete wall. “Don’t touch me.”
Asher’s expression flickered—disappointment mixed with something darker. The smile faded, replaced by a look that was almost petulant.
“But we had a deal,” he said quietly, his voice carrying that confusion that somehow made everything worse.
“I said something in the heat of the moment,” Levi snapped, his heart racing. “I just wanted you to let me go so I could help Jasper and Maddie.”
“Going after Jasper and Maddie got us killed. Again.”
The casual dismissal of their deaths, of Jasper’s brutal murder, made rage flare in Levi’s chest.
“Besides, it’s not all that bad.” His mismatched eyes swept around the small room with obvious contentment. “We have this safe room all to ourselves. No monsters to interrupt us this time.”
Oh God.
“We don’t have time for this,” Levi said, pressing himself back against the wall like he could melt through it. “Jasper and Maddie are out there somewhere. We need to find them and figure out what happened—”
“We have all the time in the world,” Asher said. “We’re safe in here. No building trying to kill us, no creatures hunting us. So how about you make good on our deal?”
“Look, we can talk about this,” Levi said quickly, “Maybe we can work something else out, find another way to—”
“We made a deal. I’m trying my best to be extra good for you, Levi. I really like you, and I want you to like me too.” He moved closer still, his hand moving up Levi’s thigh. “I’ve never been one to not get what I want. And right now, what I want is for you to honor our agreement.”
Shit.
Levi’s mind raced, looking for some kind of leverage, some way to maintain control of the situation.
“Fine,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I said you could touch me. But I didn’t specify how long.”
Asher’s eyebrows rose. “What are you proposing?”
“One minute,” Levi said. “I’ll give you one minute.”
“An hour.”
“You haven’t earned an hour,” Levi shot back, surprising himself with his boldness. “You want me to trust you? Prove you can respect boundaries.”
Asher furrowed his brow and ran a hand through his hair. “What would you consider fair?”
Think. What feels manageable? What gives me some control?
“Five minutes,” he said finally. “And I set a timer.”
“Five minutes,” Asher agreed, his voice warm with contentment. “To properly get to know you.”
The way he said it made Levi’s stomach flutter with something that wasn’t entirely fear. With shaking hands, Levi pulled out his phone and set the timer. Five minutes felt both impossibly long and terrifyingly short.
“There,” he said, showing Asher the screen. “When it goes off, you stop. No matter what.”
“Of course,” Asher said, settling beside him with careful movements. “I want to do this right.”
He reached out slowly, telegraphing his intentions, and cupped Levi’s face with one warm palm. His thumb brushed across Levi’s cheekbone with devastating tenderness.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, studying Levi’s features with fascinated attention. “I’ve wanted to touch you like this for so long, without you pulling away. It’s nice, right?”
Like this. As if all the previous violations didn’t count, as if this was their first real moment of “intimacy”.
Asher’s other hand came up to thread through Levi’s hair, fingers combing through the auburn strands in a way that made Levi wish Asher would just be violent with him again. Violence Levi could resist, could hate cleanly. This careful tenderness made something treacherous unfurl in his chest.
“Do you like gentle touches?” Asher breathed. “I think you do. Someone as sweet as you probably needs lots of affection.”
Don’t respond. Don’t give him anything to work with.
Asher’s fingers traced the line of Levi’s jaw with the careful attention of an artist studying a masterpiece. Despite everything, Levi found himself leaning slightly into the touch.
The timer showed three minutes remaining.
Asher’s hands moved lower, one sliding down to rest against Levi’s throat. The touch was feather-light, just fingertips ghosting the jut of his Adam’s apple. “Your pulse is racing,” he observed, thumb pressing gently against the rapid flutter. “Are you scared, or excited?”
Levi’s breath hitched at the contact, and something shifted in Asher’s expression. His eyes darkened with interest.
“Oh,” he murmured, applying more pressure. “You like this too.”
The increased pressure sent an unwanted spark of heat through Levi’s belly. His body’s betrayal was immediate and horrifying, a flush spreading down his neck.
“I want to touch everywhere,” Asher groaned with barely restrained hunger. “But so little time...” His free hand dropped to Levi’s chest, palm pressing flat against his sternum.
Don’t react. Don’t move. Don’t breathe in his direction. Just let the clock run out.
“Two minutes left,” he said, glancing at the timer. “Tell me, Levi—do you prefer gentle? Or do you like it when I’m a little rough?”
To demonstrate, his fingers tightened slightly around Levi’s throat.
Levi’s eyes went wide as a quiet moan escaped his throat.
Asher leaned forward, his breath warm against Levi’s ear. “Please answer me,” he whispered, his voice coaxing. “I like hearing your voice.”
Levi shook, caught between the pressure on his throat and the impossible question. His mind felt fractured, unable to process what his body was telling him. “I... I don’t know,” he admitted in a broken whisper.
The confession seemed to electrify Asher. His grip on Levi’s throat tightened, and his other hand pressed firmer against Levi’s chest. “We can learn together. I’ll teach you what you like.”
No…
His hand moved lower, sliding down Levi’s chest. The combination of tender touches and firm pressure was overwhelming. Levi found himself caught between wanting to pull away and leaning into the contact, his body responding in ways that made shame burn through his chest again.
“Good boy.” Asher’s fingers found the hem of Levi’s shirt. “Just let yourself feel.”
His hand slipped beneath the fabric, palm pressing against warm skin. The direct contact made Levi arch, his back lifting off the wall. “So responsive…I wonder what sounds you’ll make when I really touch you.”
The anticipation was killing him. Every careful caress, every whispered word was building something inside Levi that he didn’t want to acknowledge. His breathing was becoming ragged, and when Asher’s fingers brushed over his hip bone, a quiet, needy whimper escaped his lips before he could stop it.
The sound seemed to shatter something in Asher’s careful control. His eyes went dark with hunger, and his voice dropped to a rough growl, “Fuck, Levi. You sound so pretty when you’re desperate for me.”
The crude words sent heat spiraling through Levi’s core, and he bit his lip hard to keep from making another sound. Asher’s hand moved with more intent now, mapping the sensitive skin of his abdomen while his other hand maintained that possessive grip on his throat.
“Thirty seconds,” Asher whispered. “Not nearly enough time to do everything I want to you.”
His grip on Levi’s throat tightened possessively while his other hand shoved Levi’s shirt up, exposing his chest to the cool air. Before Levi could process what was happening, Asher’s mouth was on him, hot and wet against his nipple.
Oh God. The shock of it hit Levi like lightning. Asher’s tongue circled the sensitive peak with devastating precision before his lips closed around it, sucking with just enough pressure to make Levi clench his thighs together in a futile attempt to stop himself from getting hard.
“Asher—” Levi gasped, but the protest died as teeth grazed against oversensitive skin.
The combination of the grip on his throat and the wet heat of Asher’s mouth was too much. Despite every rational thought screaming at him to resist, heat was pooled low in his abdomen, and breathless sounds were escaping from behind his pressed lips.
No, no, no. It’s not supposed to feel good.
His body was betraying him, arching into the contact as Asher alternated between tender licks and harder suction that made stars burst behind his closed eyelids.
Asher switched to the other nipple, his tongue flicking against it before biting down just hard enough to make Levi cry out.
BEEP BEEP BEEP.
The timer’s harsh sound cut through the haze of sensation like a blade.
Asher immediately pulled back, his mouth leaving Levi’s skin with a quiet pop. He sat back on his heels, breathing hard and his cheeks flushed.
“Time’s up,” he said, his voice rough but controlled. “I told you I’d respect your boundaries.”
Levi’s breath came in harsh pants, his chest still exposed and flushed from Asher’s attention. Tears gathered in his eyes—whether from shame, frustration, or overwhelming sensation, he couldn’t tell. His lip quivered as he stared at Asher, completely at a loss for what to do or say.
What the hell is wrong with me? His body still hummed with arousal, still craved the contact that had just been taken away. The realization made the tears threaten to spill over.
Asher’s pupils dilated as his gaze drifted down Levi’s exposed chest to the obvious evidence of his arousal straining against his jeans. He bit his lip.
“Levi,” he said, leaning forward with careful movements. “Do you want to set another five minutes?”
The question hung between them, loaded with possibility and danger. Asher’s mismatched eyes were bright with hunger, but there was something else there too—a twisted kind of tenderness, as if he believed he was offering something precious.
“I can be even better for you,” he whispered, his hand hovering just inches from Levi’s skin. “I’m learning what you like.”
Levi’s mind raced through his options, each one feeling impossible. Say yes and prove he was as fucked up as Asher thought? Say no and deal with the aching need still thrumming through his body? Lie and pretend he didn’t want more?
There’s no good choice here.
Asher watched his face with careful attention, as if reading every micro-expression. His fingers drifted down to trace along Levi’s stomach, the touch feather-light and maddening.
“It’s okay if you’re too embarrassed to say what you like,” Asher murmured, his voice understanding.
Despite himself, Levi found himself nodding. The admission felt like another piece of himself being stripped away.
Asher’s touch drifted lower, fingers running down his right hip and then down his thigh. When his hand squeezed hard against the muscle there, Levi didn’t try to suppress the sound that escaped his lips—half moan, half sob.
“Levi...” he said as his eyes widened suddenly, “do you not know what you like because you’re a—”
The hidden door burst open with a crash.
Jasper, Elliot, and Tyler tumbled through the entrance, all three of them covered in blood and looking absolutely terrified. Their eyes were wild, clothes torn, and they were breathing hard like they’d been running for their lives.
Thank God. Relief flooded through Levi so powerfully it made him dizzy.
“Fuck,” Asher swore under his breath, his hands pulling away from Levi.