Chapter 10 Nerion
Nerion
Ihad no idea who this Theo guy was, but I was having more fun with him than I’d had in a very long time.
He wasn’t like the other guys I’d hooked up with around campus.
Something about him seemed quiet and genuine despite the mask and fake name.
When we returned to the party, he kept his hand firmly in mine, pulling me through the crowd like we were actually a couple instead of just a hookup.
And weirdly… I didn’t mind at all.
“Another drink?” he asked as we approached the punch bowl again.
“Definitely,” I nodded, feeling the warmth of the previous cups beginning to fade slightly. I needed to maintain this perfect level of inhibition. That’s what made parties like this fun.
The raven-costumed witch gave us a knowing look as she ladled out fresh cups. “Having fun, I see,” she commented with a wink.
“The best,” Theo replied, his voice carrying a confidence that made me wonder if this was truly his first time letting loose. He seemed transformed from the awestruck guy who’d first spoke to me, and was now radiating an easy charm that was incredibly attractive.
We took our drinks and found Forest talking with a group near the enchanted bonfire that burned without heat at the center of the quad. The flames shifted colors in time with the music, casting everyone in an ever-changing glow.
“There you two are!” Forest called, waving us over. “I was beginning to think you’d disappeared for good.”
“Just getting some air,” I replied with a smirk that made Forest’s eyebrows rise behind his leafy mask.
“I bet,” he muttered, low enough that only I could hear.
The music shifted again, the band launching into something with a heavier beat that vibrated through the ground beneath our feet. Theo’s hand tightened around mine.
“Dance with me again?” he asked, his eyes bright behind his golden mask.
I couldn’t resist him. There was something intoxicating about his eagerness, his newfound boldness.
Each time he touched me, I felt a strange flutter in my chest that I’d never experienced before.
It should have terrified me. My kind didn’t get to have these feelings without consequences.
But the punch and the night’s magic made it easy to ignore the warning bells.
Besides, it was only for tonight.
We moved into the crowd, bodies pressing against us from all sides as the party reached its peak. Theo pulled me close, his back to my chest this time as we swayed to the music. My hands found their way to his hips, guiding him against me. I leaned forward, my lips brushing against his ear.
“You’re driving me crazy,” I whispered, feeling him shiver at my words.
He turned his head, our lips meeting in a searing kiss that tasted of enchanted punch and desire. When we broke apart, his pupils were blown wide behind his mask.
“Then let’s get out of here,” he said, his voice rough and eager. “I’m ready for a round two.”
My cock hardened instantly at his words. “My room isn’t far,” I offered. “Forest is my roommate, so he won’t be back anytime soon.”
Theo nodded eagerly, and we made our way through the crowd, barely able to keep our hands off each other. The cool night air did little to dampen the heat between us as we hurried across campus toward my dorm.
“Wait,” he said suddenly as we approached the building. “The masks—should we take them off?”
I hesitated. The masks had given us freedom, allowed us to be versions of ourselves unburdened by expectations or reputations. Taking them off meant revealing our true selves, and I wasn’t sure either of us was ready for that.
“Hell no,” I said, pulling him closer. “Tonight we’re Neptune and Theo. Besides, it’s hotter this way, right?”
Relief flooded his features. “Yeah, it is,” he admitted. “I like this version of me better, anyway.”
I understood completely. Whatever persona he’d adopted behind that golden mask, it was clearly liberating for him. And for me, being Neptune instead of Nerion meant I could pretend, just for one night, that I wasn’t cursed to destroy anyone who fell in love with me.
We stumbled into my room, lips locked and hands exploring.
I kicked the door shut behind us, ignoring the pile of dirty clothes on the floor and my unmade bed.
The room was bathed in soft moonlight streaming through the window, illuminating our masked faces as we fell onto the covers, the springs squeaking below us.
“I’ve never done this before,” Theo confessed as I straddled his hips, my hands working at his belt. “Not all the way.”
I paused, looking down at him. “Do you want me to stop?”
“No,” he answered quickly, reaching up to touch my face. “Please don’t. I… I want to know what it’s like.”
The sincerity in his voice made that strange flutter return to my chest. I leaned down to kiss him gently, a stark contrast to the frantic passion of moments before.
“I’ll take care of you,” I promised, meaning it more than I’d meant anything in a long time. “Do you want me to ride you or fuck you?”
The bluntness of my question seemed to stun him for a moment. “I… uh… I guess I’ve always fantasized about being the bottom?” His words came out as more of a question. “If that’s okay with you.”
“Are you kidding?” I laughed. “I love both, but it’s not every day you get to ruin a virgin.”
I gave him a wink and he smiled back, his cheeks blushing bright red around the edges of his mask.
I bent down to kiss him again, hungrier this time.
My hands slid under his shirt, pushing the fabric up to expose his toned stomach and chest. He was built like a swimmer, all lean muscle and smooth skin.
When I pulled his shirt over his head, careful not to disturb his mask, I couldn’t help but admire the view.
“You’re gorgeous,” I whispered, tracing my fingers along the defined lines of his abs before placing a few kisses down his torso. “I’m going to make sure you never forget this night.”
Theo shivered beneath my touch, his breathing quickening as I worked my way down to his jeans.
I unbuttoned them slowly, dragging out the moment, watching his chest rise and fall with anticipation.
When I finally pulled them off, along with his underwear, his cock sprang free, already hard and leaking, just like last time.
“So eager, aren’t you?” I teased, wrapping my hand around his length.
“Can you blame me?” he gasped as I began stroking him slowly.
I slid down his body, maintaining eye contact as I took his thick cock into my mouth again. He moaned, his head falling back against the pillows, one hand gripping the sheets while the other tangled in my hair. I worked him slowly, thoroughly, wanting him on the edge but not over it. Not yet.
When I pulled away, he whimpered at the loss of contact. I reached over to my bedside drawer and retrieved a bottle of lube and a condom.
“Turn over,” I instructed gently. “On your knees.”
He hesitated only briefly before complying, positioning himself as I’d asked. The sight of him like this… masked, vulnerable, and trusting… it made my cock throb painfully. I squeezed a generous amount of lube onto my fingers, warming it between them.
“This might feel strange at first,” I warned him, trailing my slick fingers down the cleft of his ass. “Tell me if you want me to stop.”
“I won’t,” he breathed, his voice muffled against the pillow.
I circled his entrance with my thumb, applying gentle pressure without pushing in, letting him get used to the sensation. His whole body was tense, anticipating the unknown. I leaned forward, placing soft kisses along his spine.
“Relax,” I murmured against his skin. “I’ve got you.”
As I felt him begin to loosen under my touch, I slowly pressed one finger inside. He gasped, his body instinctively tightening around the intrusion.
“Breathe,” I reminded him, my free hand stroking his back soothingly. “It gets better, I promise.”
Gradually, he relaxed, and I began to move my finger carefully, searching for that spot that would make him see stars. When I found it, his reaction was immediate. A sharp intake of breath was followed by a low, guttural moan that made my cock throb.
“Oh my god,” he panted. “What the hell was that?”
“That,” I said with a grin, “is why guys like getting fucked.”
I continued working him open, adding a second finger, then a third, taking my time despite my own desperate need. I wanted his first time to be perfect. I wanted him to remember this night, to remember me, long after our masks came off and we returned to whoever we really were.
When I finally deemed him ready, I rolled on the condom and applied more lube. Positioning myself behind him, I leaned over to whisper in his ear.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes,” he nodded eagerly. “Please, Neptune. I want you inside me.”
The sound of my fake name on his lips should have reminded me this was just a one-night stand, a fantasy we were both playing out. Instead, it made my chest ache with something I couldn’t identify.
I pressed against his entrance, the blunt head of my cock pushing past the tight ring of muscle. He tensed again, his breath catching.
“Easy,” I soothed, running my hands along his sides. “Just breathe through it. I’ll go slow.”
True to my word, I eased in inch by inch, pausing whenever he seemed uncomfortable. It took a moment, but when I was finally fully seated inside him, I stilled, giving him time to adjust to the fullness.
“How does it feel?” I asked, my voice strained with the effort of holding back. He was so tight and warm… I just wanted to fuck him with reckless abandon.
“Full,” he gasped. “Different. But... good. Really good.”
I began to move then, slowly at first, shallow thrusts that gradually deepened as he opened up for me. I shifted my angle, searching for that sweet spot again. When I found it, his whole body jerked, a strangled cry escaping his lips.
“There?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
“Yes,” he moaned. “Oh fuck, right there.”
I established a rhythm, my hips rolling against him, one hand gripping his hip while the other reached around to stroke his neglected cock. The dual stimulation had him writhing beneath me, pushing back against my thrusts, wanting more.
“Faster,” he begged, his voice thick with pleasure. “Please, Neptune.”
I obliged, picking up the pace, driving into him with more force. The sound of skin against skin filled the room, punctuated by our heavy breathing and occasional moans. I could feel myself getting close, the tight heat of him threatening to push me over the edge too soon.
“You feel amazing,” I groaned, my fingers digging into his hip. “Such a good boy taking my cock like this.”
He responded with incoherent sounds of pleasure, his body trembling as I continued to hit that spot inside him with each thrust. I could tell he was close too, his cock pulsing in my hand as I stroked him in time with my movements.
“I want you to cum for me,” I urged, tightening my grip slightly. “Cum for me, Theo.”
My words triggered something in Theo. He cried out, his entire body shuddering as he came hard across my fingers and onto the sheets below.
The sight of him coming undone, combined with the rhythmic clenching around my cock, sent me hurtling toward my own climax.
I gripped his hips with both hands now, driving into him with abandon as pleasure built at the base of my spine.
“Fuck, I’m gonna cum,” I growled, my movements becoming erratic as I chased my release.
When it hit, it was like being swept away by a tidal wave. I buried myself deep inside him, my body tensing as I filled the condom. For a moment, the world seemed to blur around the edges, nothing existing except the pulsing pleasure and Theo’s warm body beneath mine.
As we both came down from our high, I carefully pulled out, tying off the condom and tossing it into the trash beside my bed.
Theo collapsed onto his side, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.
I lay down next to him, reaching out to brush a strand of hair that had fallen across his mask.
“You okay?” I asked, suddenly concerned that I might have been too rough for his first time.
He nodded, a lazy smile spreading across his face. “Better than okay. That was... probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
I felt a surge of pride at his words. “Good. I wanted it to be special for you.”
Why had I said that? This was supposed to be just another hookup, another body to warm my bed for a night before we went our separate ways. But something about Theo made me want to be... gentle? Caring? It was unsettling.
“Can I...” he began hesitantly, “can I stay for a while? I know this is just a one-night thing, but I don’t think I can walk straight yet.”
I laughed, the tension in my chest easing slightly. “Of course you can stay for a bit,” I heard myself say for the first time. I wasn’t a ‘cuddle after sex’ kind of person. But with Theo, I found myself not wanting to let go just yet. “I’d like that.”
I pulled him closer, wrapping an arm around his waist as he nestled against my chest. His breathing slowly evened out, becoming deeper and more rhythmic. Was he falling asleep? I should probably wake him, send him on his way before things got complicated. That’s what I always did.
But I didn’t. Instead, I found myself studying what little I could see of his face behind the golden mask. His lips were slightly swollen from our kisses, his skin flushed with the afterglow of sex. He looked peaceful, content in a way that made that strange flutter return to my chest.
“Who are you, Theo?” I whispered, not expecting an answer.
He stirred slightly, murmuring something unintelligible before settling back against me. I sighed, closing my eyes and allowing myself to enjoy the warmth of another body against mine. Just for a little while, I told myself. Just until he woke up.
But the enchanted punch and the exertion of the evening were taking their toll on me as well. Despite my best intentions, I felt myself drifting off, lulled by Theo’s steady breathing and the comforting weight of his body against mine.
My last thought before sleep claimed me was that I should have asked for his real name, for a chance to see him again outside of this magical night. But that would have broken all my rules, wouldn’t it? No attachments, no feelings, no risk of love that could turn me to seafoam.
Still, as consciousness slipped away, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something about Theo was different. Something that made me want to break all my carefully constructed barriers.
And that terrified me more than any curse ever could.