Paladin, page 15
When Arsen stepped back, he reached for the hem of Ever’s t-shirt.
He snatched his wrists, panic clawing at him. “No.”
Arsen frowned at him. “What’s wrong?”
Ever froze. What was wrong? Arsen had seen Ever’s back before but not the rest. Not the other scars. “It’s bad.”
“What’s bad?” Arsen asked, brow furrowed.
Ever swallowed the lump of sand in his throat. “The…damage. The…scars. It’s worse in the light.”
Arsen blinked at him then kissed his forehead. “It’s okay.”
Ever’s heart hammered in his chest. It didn’t feel okay, but he nodded, releasing his wrists. Arsen peeled Ever’s shirt off, dropping it to the floor, then hissed as he saw Ever’s back in the mirror.
Ever looked up just in time to see Arsen’s expression grow dark. He didn’t know what it looked like since the last of his injuries had healed, but even before then, his back had been a road map of pain. Long tracks of scar tissue criss-crossed his shoulders and trunk where the belt buckle had torn his skin. There were random burn scars on his upper arms, a puncture wound from where Jennika had jabbed a screwdriver into his shoulder for burning dinner.
It was all so ugly. He was ugly.
Arsen hugged him again, hard, like he was trying to say something without words. Ever just sat there, limp in his arms. Those scars were permanent. They would never go away. He would look like that forever. It was humiliating.
Arsen stepped back and pulled his own shirt off in one fluid motion, then turned to show Ever his back. There was a strangely-shaped scar on his right shoulder—two wide marks side by side.
Ever reached out and touched them. They were smooth.
“My father shoved me into a steam pipe when I was little. We all have scars, besenok.”
When he turned to face him once more, Ever’s hands fell on his torso, fingertips tracing the scorpion tattoo on the right side of his chest. “Why is this the only tattoo not in color?”
“We all have it. Seven, Lake, Cree, Nico, Levi, Felix, all of us. We got it for Jericho. So he’d know what he means to all of us.”
“Why a scorpion?”
“‘Cause he’s a Scorpio,” Arsen said then added, “And ‘cause it looked cool and was cheap enough for all of us to afford at the time.”
Ever smiled at that. It was all so sweet and normal. Except, it wasn’t. Arsen was a killer and so were his friends. So was Jericho. It seemed so surreal to think that Ever lived among killers but had never felt safer.
He trailed his hand across Arsen’s chest to the tattoo encircling his nipple. The words “Press Start” surrounded the areola. What did that even mean? Before he could ask, Arsen took his hands and brought them to his lips. “Shower,” he said, like he was reminding himself.
He pulled Ever from the counter. Once he was on his feet, Arsen’s thumbs hooked in the waistband of his pajama pants. Ever closed his eyes. He didn’t want to see Arsen’s reaction.
There were more jagged scars across his ass, his thighs, and a few across his hips from when the belt got away from her. He stood, trembling, eyes squeezed shut as he waited for Arsen to say something. Anything. To ask what happened. But he didn’t.
Ever sucked in a breath, eyes jolting open, as Arsen’s lips trailed over the scar on his hip, then one across his ribs. He was on his knees in front of Ever, looking up at him with those pool blue eyes. He reached back and gripped the counter, not at all sure what to do with his hands in this situation. He wasn’t entirely sure what the situation was.
Arsen kissed Ever’s belly again then his thigh, then his tongue traced the dip of his hips, hands sliding behind Ever to cup his ass, squeezing gently. Ever didn’t know anything about refractory periods, but he was already half-hard again. Arsen watched his face as he placed open-mouthed kisses over Ever’s belly.
Ever nodded. He didn’t really know why. It just felt like Arsen was asking him something. Arsen took him in hand, tongue darting out once more to run along the underside of his cock, before his mouth closed over him, engulfing him in the most perfect heat.
Ever’s knees buckled at the first pull of Arsen’s lips. Arsen’s hands dug into Ever’s hip bones, holding him up even as he sucked him. He was so strong. It was so hot. Ever had to be dreaming. A low moan escaped, but he clamped down on his lip, trying to muffle it.
Arsen pulled off with a pop. “Don’t be quiet on my account.”
Ever blushed, squeezing his eyes shut once more. If he kept watching Arsen’s head bobbing, he was going to come in three seconds. He was already getting that same intense heat pooling in his stomach, his spine tingling. It just felt so fucking good, each movement sending sparks over every nerve ending. The sound of Arsen sucking was obscene. And so fucking sexy.
Ever’s fingers threaded through Arsen’s tresses without thought, gripping tighter every time Arsen took him to the back of his throat, the muscles there convulsing around him, encasing him in the tightest, wettest heat. Soon, he was fucking into Arsen’s mouth without thought, desperate to come for a second time. He was so close…he just needed a little more.
“Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. Arsen…” He didn’t know why he said his name, only that he needed to say it. Then he was coming a second time, his release spilling onto Arsen’s tongue before he could even warn him.
Arsen didn’t stop, though. He just kept sucking until Ever shivered from oversensitivity, pushing him back with a hiss. Arsen got to his feet, then captured Ever’s lips in another kiss, letting him taste himself on his tongue.
“Now, we can shower,” Arsen said, reaching over to turn on the water.
Arsen didn’t realize how rare it was for all his friends to be in one place until they converged on him as a group while he stood at the counter searching for a part for a vintage Mustang. Seeing them together made him instantly uneasy, like he was about to be confronted like in those old intervention shows. Even though he eyed them warily, he continued to search for the part in the system, refusing to acknowledge out loud how weird it was to see them there midday.
In high school, they’d practically lived in the back of Jericho’s shop, haunting his ratty, oversized sofa while they played video games long into the night, costing him a fortune in food. This garage had always been their safe space, their real home, but jobs, school, and family got in the way lately.
Jericho still insisted they all meet twice a month at his place for “family” dinner but, day-to-day, it was rare to find more than one or two of them together unless there was an emergency. It wasn’t that they weren’t still close, they just mostly kept in contact through texts and while they played games at night.
Arsen’s lack of greeting did nothing to deter his friends. Nico hopped up on the counter, leaning over and sticking his head in front of Arsen like he wanted to see his screen.
“What are you doing?” Arsen asked, irritated.
Nico grinned, blond curls bouncing. It was hard to believe someone who looked so angelic could be such an asshole. “You were staring at that screen so hard I was sure it was porn.”
“Oh, Arsen wouldn’t do that. He’s in lurvveee,” Seven cooed, swooning dramatically against Nico’s dangling legs. Seven had recently cut his hair down to almost nothing, breaking hearts everywhere, but despite that, his tawny skin and sea glass eyes still were enough to pull any guy he wanted. Not that Seven cared about that stuff. He was too busy with school.
Arsen rolled his eyes at their teasing but didn’t say anything. It was pointless. They would have their fun regardless. He couldn’t even be mad. They all knew he would have done the same. Hell, he had done the same when Jericho had come home madly in love with Atticus after one hook-up in the murder cabin. Or when Felix had fallen for his husband even while they were hate-fucking.
This was just what family did.
“Where is your angel-faced boo? I’m dying to meet him in person,” Felix asked, looking behind Arsen like Ever might be hiding back there.
Felix was dressed down for a change. Normally, his outfits were handmade and wild, as expected for an up and coming designer, but whenever he came to the neighborhood, he toned it down. Well, toned down for Felix. He wore baggy jeans and a crop top with his mom’s falling-apart cardigan hanging off one shoulder like he was Ariana Grande, his long, wavy chestnut hair pulled into a ponytail.
Arsen glanced behind him to the apartment. “Upstairs. Sleeping. He was up late.”
Lake and Seven exchanged knowing glances.
“Was he now?” Lake asked, a smirk on his face.
Lake looked like a douche with the hood of his Gucci hoodie pulled up, his light brown hair barely visible. The sweatshirt was a hand-me-down from Felix but with his bone structure and perfect features, Felix said he was just destined to look like a frat boy forever.
Lake batted his lashes. “Doing what?”
“Doing who?” Seven corrected, arching a brow.
Cree was the only one not teasing him. But that was just Cree. He never spoke unless he had something important to say. He just stood, tall and silent, hair pulled into a knot on the top of his head, watching silently. He would text in their threads, but even while gaming, they rarely heard his voice. Ever might actually talk more than Cree. He had always been more of a thinker than a talker. But given how he grew up, he probably hadn’t really been given much chance to voice his personal opinions.
“Why are you all here?” Arsen asked warily.
It was Levi who spoke, holding up a plastic shopping bag. “We brought stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?” Arsen asked, instantly suspicious.
“Stuff for Ever,” Levi mumbled, refusing to look at Arsen.
Arsen’s heart tripped in his chest, and he looked at each of his friends in turn. “I swear, if there are condoms or lube in that bag, I will toss every one of you in the car crusher at the edge of town. Nobody will look for you.”
Seven snorted. “Like we would ever do that.”
“You did do that. To me. On my fifteenth birthday. In front of Jericho,” Arsen reminded them.
“Yeah, but that was different. You were determined to get laid,” Felix reminded. “It was hardly a secret. We were just helping make your birthday wishes come true.”
“Yeah, so that your first hook-up wouldn’t leave you with a birthday gift that kept on giving, you know?” Nico said.
“Yeah, we wouldn’t do that to Ever,” Lake said. “He’s too…cute and squishy.”
He mimed squishing Ever’s face. Arsen hated the jealousy that instantly shot through him. If any of them tried to squeeze any part of Ever, Arsen would remove their hands with a rusty saw.
“Yeah, like one of those silly little stuffed animals Noah has,” Nico agreed.
“A Squishmallow!” Levi said, snapping his fingers. “That’s what Ever looks like. A Squishmallow.” Then he looked at his hand. “Even if he bites like a hellhound.”
Arsen rolled his eyes. “Now that you’ve told me what isn’t in the bag, maybe tell me what is?”
“That’s for Ever to know and you to find out,” Seven said. Before Arsen could stop him, he cupped his hands in front of his mouth. “Ever! Ever? Wherefore art thou?” he shouted dramatically.
Felix slapped his arm. “You’re going to scare him, dick. He’s really shy.”
“How do you know?” Levi asked. “I’m the only one who’s met him.”
“I just… I just do,” Felix said, waving a hand like he refused to justify his answer.
Arsen was about to tell them to leave when Ever popped his head out of the door at the top of the stairs, eyes sleepy and hair standing on end. He was wearing Arsen’s hoodie, which went almost to his knees, and a pair of pajama pants with fish all over them. As soon as he saw the amount of people gathered downstairs, his guard went up. His stiffening shoulders only relaxed when he realized Arsen stood with them.
“The guys brought you some…stuff, besenok,” Arsen said just loud enough to be heard. “But you don’t have to come down if you don’t want to.”
Ever hesitated then disappeared. For a second, Arsen thought that was the end of it. The disappointed looks on his friends’ faces let him know they did, too. Just as they started to hand the bag over, Ever returned, wearing the ugly black flip-flops Arsen had given him his first day there.
He slowly made his way downstairs, studying them all as he made his way to Arsen. He crowded against his back, hiding from them.
“Shit,” Lake said, sort of wondrously. “He’s even cuter in person.”
“What do you have for him?” Arsen asked. “Show me first.”
“Bro, what do you think we have in here? A live cobra?” Nico asked. “Calm down.”
Felix chuckled, seemingly amused by Arsen’s overprotectiveness. “Yeah, we were talking about how Ever has never gotten to try certain things so we bought stuff for him to try. Some of our favorite things.”
Arsen blinked at them. “Things?”
Ever peeked his head out from behind Arsen. “Like what?”
“Candy,” Seven said, voice saccharine sweet. “So much candy you’ll have a sugar rush for a week.”
“Could you attempt to sound less like you’re trying to coax him into a white van?” Nico asked. “Creeper.”
Ever moved to stand in front of Arsen, standing on his tiptoes to peer over the counter at the generic white plastic bag. “Is a sugar rush a good thing?”
“It’s the best thing,” Lake promised.
Ever looked at Arsen, who nodded. “Up to you.”
He wasn’t going to deny Ever the chance to continue trying new things. When Nico hopped off the counter, Arsen took Ever by the hips and plopped him down in the empty space. He crossed his legs in front of him, looking over all of them, now more curious than scared.
“What should he try first?” Felix asked.
“Pop rocks. Definitely pop rocks,” Seven declared, then looked at Ever, voice smug. “I picked that.”
Ever nodded, taking the pink package Seven offered. He kept one for himself. He tore it open, showing Ever what to do. Arsen tried not to smile as Ever followed suit. Seven put the candy in his mouth then waited for Ever to do the same.
They all watched him keenly. Ever shrank a bit under their scrutiny but finally dumped some of the candy into his mouth. Arsen didn’t know what pop rocks were. He only knew that Seven loved them. Arsen had never been someone who ate candy—not because he didn’t like it but because it reminded him of his father. He used to bring it home whenever he was sorry for the previous night’s beating.
Arsen shook the thought away. This was about Ever. As soon as the candy hit his tongue, Ever’s eyes went wide. For a moment, he looked horrified, like he was contemplating spitting it out. Seven dumped more into his mouth then opened it wide for Ever to see. A weird sound escaped. The closest thing Arsen could think to compare it to was the sound the jumper cables made when they touched the connectors on a car battery. A…crackling sound?
Ever parted his lips, his face lighting up as his mouth also made the same noise. The others laughed, easily falling under his spell. Even Levi looked…fond. Seven closed his mouth, loudly crunching the candy so Ever did, too. Baby see, baby do.
When the packet was empty, he looked sad.
Nico snatched the bag. “Mine next. Mine next.”
He pulled a large bag free then tore it open, taking one and eating it before he offered the bag to Ever. It occurred to Arsen then—they were each trying the candy they offered to prove to Ever they weren’t trying to trick him or give him something dangerous.
Arsen’s chest felt tight. He made eye contact with Cree, who smiled and nodded, like he knew what Arsen was thinking. Maybe he did. There was something almost magical about Cree. There always had been since the day they’d met.
Ever took the candy—a sugar-coated worm—then popped it into his mouth. It took about thirty seconds before his whole face contorted, like he’d sucked on a lemon, his body shivering.
Ever blushed as the others laughed.
“Sour gummy worms,” Nico said. “They’re the best.”
Arsen smiled as Ever continued to chew thoughtfully. “Do you like it?”
Ever nodded and reached for another, popping it in his mouth then repeating the shiver that came once he started to chew, smiling the whole time. Arsen felt himself smiling, too. Just seeing Ever happy made Arsen happy.
Was that love?
The taste test continued for almost an hour. Cree brought Reese’s Pieces and Milk Duds. Felix brought Starburst. Ever liked the pink ones the best. Lake brought Skittles and Life Savers. The only thing Ever didn’t like was the Milk Duds, but he hid it well. Only Arsen knew he was faking it. He always did.
Just when it seemed like the taste test was winding down, Levi stepped forward, a sulky look on his face. He didn’t say anything but thrust the large plastic bag at Ever. “Here.”
Ever took the bag, a guarded look on his face. He peered inside, then pulled the last items out one by one. Jolly Ranchers, Gummy Bears, and two Pixy Stix. Ever tried the gummy bears first, popping two in his mouth and chewing, then going back in for more.
Arsen gently plucked the bag from his hand. “You’re going to make yourself sick. Here.” He handed him one of the sugar-filled straws. “Try this and one of the Jolly Ranchers and then maybe we take the rest of the day off from sugar, yes?”
He wasn’t trying to parent Ever, but he had a hard time getting Ever to eat three times a day as it was, much less feed him his body weight in candy. Arsen didn’t want Ever making himself sick attempting to appease his friends. Even now, Ever made a show of upending the sugar-filled straw into his mouth, nodding at the others to let them know he liked it.
Disaster nearly struck when Ever attempted to bite the Jolly Rancher and almost broke his teeth, but soon, he figured it out, tucking it into his cheek like a chipmunk.
The guys stayed a few more minutes, each of them making small talk before they disbanded, giving various excuses from school to work.
As soon as they were alone, Arsen stepped between Ever’s open knees, hands finding his waist to help him down. Ever wrapped his arms around Arsen’s neck, gazing at him, lips puckered, clearly expecting a kiss. Arsen smiled, then plopped a kiss on his perfect mouth. When he didn’t deepen the kiss, Ever made a disappointed sound.
He snatched his wrists, panic clawing at him. “No.”
Arsen frowned at him. “What’s wrong?”
Ever froze. What was wrong? Arsen had seen Ever’s back before but not the rest. Not the other scars. “It’s bad.”
“What’s bad?” Arsen asked, brow furrowed.
Ever swallowed the lump of sand in his throat. “The…damage. The…scars. It’s worse in the light.”
Arsen blinked at him then kissed his forehead. “It’s okay.”
Ever’s heart hammered in his chest. It didn’t feel okay, but he nodded, releasing his wrists. Arsen peeled Ever’s shirt off, dropping it to the floor, then hissed as he saw Ever’s back in the mirror.
Ever looked up just in time to see Arsen’s expression grow dark. He didn’t know what it looked like since the last of his injuries had healed, but even before then, his back had been a road map of pain. Long tracks of scar tissue criss-crossed his shoulders and trunk where the belt buckle had torn his skin. There were random burn scars on his upper arms, a puncture wound from where Jennika had jabbed a screwdriver into his shoulder for burning dinner.
It was all so ugly. He was ugly.
Arsen hugged him again, hard, like he was trying to say something without words. Ever just sat there, limp in his arms. Those scars were permanent. They would never go away. He would look like that forever. It was humiliating.
Arsen stepped back and pulled his own shirt off in one fluid motion, then turned to show Ever his back. There was a strangely-shaped scar on his right shoulder—two wide marks side by side.
Ever reached out and touched them. They were smooth.
“My father shoved me into a steam pipe when I was little. We all have scars, besenok.”
When he turned to face him once more, Ever’s hands fell on his torso, fingertips tracing the scorpion tattoo on the right side of his chest. “Why is this the only tattoo not in color?”
“We all have it. Seven, Lake, Cree, Nico, Levi, Felix, all of us. We got it for Jericho. So he’d know what he means to all of us.”
“Why a scorpion?”
“‘Cause he’s a Scorpio,” Arsen said then added, “And ‘cause it looked cool and was cheap enough for all of us to afford at the time.”
Ever smiled at that. It was all so sweet and normal. Except, it wasn’t. Arsen was a killer and so were his friends. So was Jericho. It seemed so surreal to think that Ever lived among killers but had never felt safer.
He trailed his hand across Arsen’s chest to the tattoo encircling his nipple. The words “Press Start” surrounded the areola. What did that even mean? Before he could ask, Arsen took his hands and brought them to his lips. “Shower,” he said, like he was reminding himself.
He pulled Ever from the counter. Once he was on his feet, Arsen’s thumbs hooked in the waistband of his pajama pants. Ever closed his eyes. He didn’t want to see Arsen’s reaction.
There were more jagged scars across his ass, his thighs, and a few across his hips from when the belt got away from her. He stood, trembling, eyes squeezed shut as he waited for Arsen to say something. Anything. To ask what happened. But he didn’t.
Ever sucked in a breath, eyes jolting open, as Arsen’s lips trailed over the scar on his hip, then one across his ribs. He was on his knees in front of Ever, looking up at him with those pool blue eyes. He reached back and gripped the counter, not at all sure what to do with his hands in this situation. He wasn’t entirely sure what the situation was.
Arsen kissed Ever’s belly again then his thigh, then his tongue traced the dip of his hips, hands sliding behind Ever to cup his ass, squeezing gently. Ever didn’t know anything about refractory periods, but he was already half-hard again. Arsen watched his face as he placed open-mouthed kisses over Ever’s belly.
Ever nodded. He didn’t really know why. It just felt like Arsen was asking him something. Arsen took him in hand, tongue darting out once more to run along the underside of his cock, before his mouth closed over him, engulfing him in the most perfect heat.
Ever’s knees buckled at the first pull of Arsen’s lips. Arsen’s hands dug into Ever’s hip bones, holding him up even as he sucked him. He was so strong. It was so hot. Ever had to be dreaming. A low moan escaped, but he clamped down on his lip, trying to muffle it.
Arsen pulled off with a pop. “Don’t be quiet on my account.”
Ever blushed, squeezing his eyes shut once more. If he kept watching Arsen’s head bobbing, he was going to come in three seconds. He was already getting that same intense heat pooling in his stomach, his spine tingling. It just felt so fucking good, each movement sending sparks over every nerve ending. The sound of Arsen sucking was obscene. And so fucking sexy.
Ever’s fingers threaded through Arsen’s tresses without thought, gripping tighter every time Arsen took him to the back of his throat, the muscles there convulsing around him, encasing him in the tightest, wettest heat. Soon, he was fucking into Arsen’s mouth without thought, desperate to come for a second time. He was so close…he just needed a little more.
“Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. Arsen…” He didn’t know why he said his name, only that he needed to say it. Then he was coming a second time, his release spilling onto Arsen’s tongue before he could even warn him.
Arsen didn’t stop, though. He just kept sucking until Ever shivered from oversensitivity, pushing him back with a hiss. Arsen got to his feet, then captured Ever’s lips in another kiss, letting him taste himself on his tongue.
“Now, we can shower,” Arsen said, reaching over to turn on the water.
Arsen didn’t realize how rare it was for all his friends to be in one place until they converged on him as a group while he stood at the counter searching for a part for a vintage Mustang. Seeing them together made him instantly uneasy, like he was about to be confronted like in those old intervention shows. Even though he eyed them warily, he continued to search for the part in the system, refusing to acknowledge out loud how weird it was to see them there midday.
In high school, they’d practically lived in the back of Jericho’s shop, haunting his ratty, oversized sofa while they played video games long into the night, costing him a fortune in food. This garage had always been their safe space, their real home, but jobs, school, and family got in the way lately.
Jericho still insisted they all meet twice a month at his place for “family” dinner but, day-to-day, it was rare to find more than one or two of them together unless there was an emergency. It wasn’t that they weren’t still close, they just mostly kept in contact through texts and while they played games at night.
Arsen’s lack of greeting did nothing to deter his friends. Nico hopped up on the counter, leaning over and sticking his head in front of Arsen like he wanted to see his screen.
“What are you doing?” Arsen asked, irritated.
Nico grinned, blond curls bouncing. It was hard to believe someone who looked so angelic could be such an asshole. “You were staring at that screen so hard I was sure it was porn.”
“Oh, Arsen wouldn’t do that. He’s in lurvveee,” Seven cooed, swooning dramatically against Nico’s dangling legs. Seven had recently cut his hair down to almost nothing, breaking hearts everywhere, but despite that, his tawny skin and sea glass eyes still were enough to pull any guy he wanted. Not that Seven cared about that stuff. He was too busy with school.
Arsen rolled his eyes at their teasing but didn’t say anything. It was pointless. They would have their fun regardless. He couldn’t even be mad. They all knew he would have done the same. Hell, he had done the same when Jericho had come home madly in love with Atticus after one hook-up in the murder cabin. Or when Felix had fallen for his husband even while they were hate-fucking.
This was just what family did.
“Where is your angel-faced boo? I’m dying to meet him in person,” Felix asked, looking behind Arsen like Ever might be hiding back there.
Felix was dressed down for a change. Normally, his outfits were handmade and wild, as expected for an up and coming designer, but whenever he came to the neighborhood, he toned it down. Well, toned down for Felix. He wore baggy jeans and a crop top with his mom’s falling-apart cardigan hanging off one shoulder like he was Ariana Grande, his long, wavy chestnut hair pulled into a ponytail.
Arsen glanced behind him to the apartment. “Upstairs. Sleeping. He was up late.”
Lake and Seven exchanged knowing glances.
“Was he now?” Lake asked, a smirk on his face.
Lake looked like a douche with the hood of his Gucci hoodie pulled up, his light brown hair barely visible. The sweatshirt was a hand-me-down from Felix but with his bone structure and perfect features, Felix said he was just destined to look like a frat boy forever.
Lake batted his lashes. “Doing what?”
“Doing who?” Seven corrected, arching a brow.
Cree was the only one not teasing him. But that was just Cree. He never spoke unless he had something important to say. He just stood, tall and silent, hair pulled into a knot on the top of his head, watching silently. He would text in their threads, but even while gaming, they rarely heard his voice. Ever might actually talk more than Cree. He had always been more of a thinker than a talker. But given how he grew up, he probably hadn’t really been given much chance to voice his personal opinions.
“Why are you all here?” Arsen asked warily.
It was Levi who spoke, holding up a plastic shopping bag. “We brought stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?” Arsen asked, instantly suspicious.
“Stuff for Ever,” Levi mumbled, refusing to look at Arsen.
Arsen’s heart tripped in his chest, and he looked at each of his friends in turn. “I swear, if there are condoms or lube in that bag, I will toss every one of you in the car crusher at the edge of town. Nobody will look for you.”
Seven snorted. “Like we would ever do that.”
“You did do that. To me. On my fifteenth birthday. In front of Jericho,” Arsen reminded them.
“Yeah, but that was different. You were determined to get laid,” Felix reminded. “It was hardly a secret. We were just helping make your birthday wishes come true.”
“Yeah, so that your first hook-up wouldn’t leave you with a birthday gift that kept on giving, you know?” Nico said.
“Yeah, we wouldn’t do that to Ever,” Lake said. “He’s too…cute and squishy.”
He mimed squishing Ever’s face. Arsen hated the jealousy that instantly shot through him. If any of them tried to squeeze any part of Ever, Arsen would remove their hands with a rusty saw.
“Yeah, like one of those silly little stuffed animals Noah has,” Nico agreed.
“A Squishmallow!” Levi said, snapping his fingers. “That’s what Ever looks like. A Squishmallow.” Then he looked at his hand. “Even if he bites like a hellhound.”
Arsen rolled his eyes. “Now that you’ve told me what isn’t in the bag, maybe tell me what is?”
“That’s for Ever to know and you to find out,” Seven said. Before Arsen could stop him, he cupped his hands in front of his mouth. “Ever! Ever? Wherefore art thou?” he shouted dramatically.
Felix slapped his arm. “You’re going to scare him, dick. He’s really shy.”
“How do you know?” Levi asked. “I’m the only one who’s met him.”
“I just… I just do,” Felix said, waving a hand like he refused to justify his answer.
Arsen was about to tell them to leave when Ever popped his head out of the door at the top of the stairs, eyes sleepy and hair standing on end. He was wearing Arsen’s hoodie, which went almost to his knees, and a pair of pajama pants with fish all over them. As soon as he saw the amount of people gathered downstairs, his guard went up. His stiffening shoulders only relaxed when he realized Arsen stood with them.
“The guys brought you some…stuff, besenok,” Arsen said just loud enough to be heard. “But you don’t have to come down if you don’t want to.”
Ever hesitated then disappeared. For a second, Arsen thought that was the end of it. The disappointed looks on his friends’ faces let him know they did, too. Just as they started to hand the bag over, Ever returned, wearing the ugly black flip-flops Arsen had given him his first day there.
He slowly made his way downstairs, studying them all as he made his way to Arsen. He crowded against his back, hiding from them.
“Shit,” Lake said, sort of wondrously. “He’s even cuter in person.”
“What do you have for him?” Arsen asked. “Show me first.”
“Bro, what do you think we have in here? A live cobra?” Nico asked. “Calm down.”
Felix chuckled, seemingly amused by Arsen’s overprotectiveness. “Yeah, we were talking about how Ever has never gotten to try certain things so we bought stuff for him to try. Some of our favorite things.”
Arsen blinked at them. “Things?”
Ever peeked his head out from behind Arsen. “Like what?”
“Candy,” Seven said, voice saccharine sweet. “So much candy you’ll have a sugar rush for a week.”
“Could you attempt to sound less like you’re trying to coax him into a white van?” Nico asked. “Creeper.”
Ever moved to stand in front of Arsen, standing on his tiptoes to peer over the counter at the generic white plastic bag. “Is a sugar rush a good thing?”
“It’s the best thing,” Lake promised.
Ever looked at Arsen, who nodded. “Up to you.”
He wasn’t going to deny Ever the chance to continue trying new things. When Nico hopped off the counter, Arsen took Ever by the hips and plopped him down in the empty space. He crossed his legs in front of him, looking over all of them, now more curious than scared.
“What should he try first?” Felix asked.
“Pop rocks. Definitely pop rocks,” Seven declared, then looked at Ever, voice smug. “I picked that.”
Ever nodded, taking the pink package Seven offered. He kept one for himself. He tore it open, showing Ever what to do. Arsen tried not to smile as Ever followed suit. Seven put the candy in his mouth then waited for Ever to do the same.
They all watched him keenly. Ever shrank a bit under their scrutiny but finally dumped some of the candy into his mouth. Arsen didn’t know what pop rocks were. He only knew that Seven loved them. Arsen had never been someone who ate candy—not because he didn’t like it but because it reminded him of his father. He used to bring it home whenever he was sorry for the previous night’s beating.
Arsen shook the thought away. This was about Ever. As soon as the candy hit his tongue, Ever’s eyes went wide. For a moment, he looked horrified, like he was contemplating spitting it out. Seven dumped more into his mouth then opened it wide for Ever to see. A weird sound escaped. The closest thing Arsen could think to compare it to was the sound the jumper cables made when they touched the connectors on a car battery. A…crackling sound?
Ever parted his lips, his face lighting up as his mouth also made the same noise. The others laughed, easily falling under his spell. Even Levi looked…fond. Seven closed his mouth, loudly crunching the candy so Ever did, too. Baby see, baby do.
When the packet was empty, he looked sad.
Nico snatched the bag. “Mine next. Mine next.”
He pulled a large bag free then tore it open, taking one and eating it before he offered the bag to Ever. It occurred to Arsen then—they were each trying the candy they offered to prove to Ever they weren’t trying to trick him or give him something dangerous.
Arsen’s chest felt tight. He made eye contact with Cree, who smiled and nodded, like he knew what Arsen was thinking. Maybe he did. There was something almost magical about Cree. There always had been since the day they’d met.
Ever took the candy—a sugar-coated worm—then popped it into his mouth. It took about thirty seconds before his whole face contorted, like he’d sucked on a lemon, his body shivering.
Ever blushed as the others laughed.
“Sour gummy worms,” Nico said. “They’re the best.”
Arsen smiled as Ever continued to chew thoughtfully. “Do you like it?”
Ever nodded and reached for another, popping it in his mouth then repeating the shiver that came once he started to chew, smiling the whole time. Arsen felt himself smiling, too. Just seeing Ever happy made Arsen happy.
Was that love?
The taste test continued for almost an hour. Cree brought Reese’s Pieces and Milk Duds. Felix brought Starburst. Ever liked the pink ones the best. Lake brought Skittles and Life Savers. The only thing Ever didn’t like was the Milk Duds, but he hid it well. Only Arsen knew he was faking it. He always did.
Just when it seemed like the taste test was winding down, Levi stepped forward, a sulky look on his face. He didn’t say anything but thrust the large plastic bag at Ever. “Here.”
Ever took the bag, a guarded look on his face. He peered inside, then pulled the last items out one by one. Jolly Ranchers, Gummy Bears, and two Pixy Stix. Ever tried the gummy bears first, popping two in his mouth and chewing, then going back in for more.
Arsen gently plucked the bag from his hand. “You’re going to make yourself sick. Here.” He handed him one of the sugar-filled straws. “Try this and one of the Jolly Ranchers and then maybe we take the rest of the day off from sugar, yes?”
He wasn’t trying to parent Ever, but he had a hard time getting Ever to eat three times a day as it was, much less feed him his body weight in candy. Arsen didn’t want Ever making himself sick attempting to appease his friends. Even now, Ever made a show of upending the sugar-filled straw into his mouth, nodding at the others to let them know he liked it.
Disaster nearly struck when Ever attempted to bite the Jolly Rancher and almost broke his teeth, but soon, he figured it out, tucking it into his cheek like a chipmunk.
The guys stayed a few more minutes, each of them making small talk before they disbanded, giving various excuses from school to work.
As soon as they were alone, Arsen stepped between Ever’s open knees, hands finding his waist to help him down. Ever wrapped his arms around Arsen’s neck, gazing at him, lips puckered, clearly expecting a kiss. Arsen smiled, then plopped a kiss on his perfect mouth. When he didn’t deepen the kiss, Ever made a disappointed sound.
