Arsen could handle pretty boys, but Ever wasn’t just pretty. He was painfully shy, impossibly sweet, excruciatingly broken, and when he pouted—like he was just then—Arsen was literally helpless. He’d give him anything. Not that Ever would believe that.
Ever was Arsen’s fucking kryptonite, custom-made in a lab to test his resolve. As if to prove Arsen’s point, he puffed out his cheeks then made fish lips, like he couldn’t decide what to do to distract himself if he couldn’t chew on that perfectly plump lower lip. Just looking at him was making Arsen uncomfortably hard and his pants were far too loose for that. Luckily, his hoodie covered the worst of it. He needed to get online and distract himself.
Quickly.
“My game is a little loud, but you can bring your headphones and sit on the bed in there or you can go watch TV in my room.” Ever shook his head. “No, none of that. Talk to me. Tell me what you want.” When Ever looked uncomfortable, Arsen decided to do some pleading of his own. “Please? I love hearing your voice.”
Ever’s eyes went wide and Arsen got to watch a blush run from his neck to the tips of his ears. “I want to stay with you,” he said softly.
Arsen’s heart did somersaults. The guys were never going to let him hear the end of this. He was already fucking gone over Ever. Completely overtaken. “Okay. But let’s bring your headphones just in case. Okay?”
Ever gave a hesitant nod then followed Arsen into the spare room, sitting cross-legged on the bed. Arsen placed the pink cat ear headphones over Ever’s ears, then handed over his phone once more. He matched the neon lights of the room perfectly, like he was another accessory.
Arsen watched, curious, as Ever selected the green Spotify app and then began to push random buttons, almost like he knew what he was doing. Did he know how to use a cell phone? It seemed like a stupid question. Everybody in this day and age knew how to use a cell phone, right? But did he? Arsen didn’t know how long Ever had been held prisoner in that room, by that woman. He didn’t know if she’d taught him the basics of how to survive.
She’d clearly sent him on errands and knew he’d come back because he was chipped. Like a dog. And beaten like a dog. And caged like a dog. Just thinking of it had Arsen’s blood running hot. He should have killed that bitch slowly.
He dropped into his chair and put on his headphones, pulling his mic into place. He hit a series of buttons, bringing up his screens and signing into his account. His left screen allowed him to see what his audience saw, namely him. His middle screen was for gameplay. His right screen allowed him to read the rapid-fire chat as he played the game.
He made sure he remembered to hit record. He’d put it up on YouTube later after he edited their gameplay. Almost immediately, his screen began to fill with messages. Some handles familiar, many not. He didn’t pay them much mind, just kept up a running commentary with both the audience and his friends, who signed on one at a time in rapid succession. Seven first, then Felix, Nico, and finally, Levi. Arsen wasn’t sure if he was going to show or if he was still sulking over a tiny bite.
Most of the chat had no linear flow. There were men and women alike telling Arsen all manner of contradictory stuff. He was hot. He was ugly. His accent was cute. His accent was grating. He took the bad with the good. For every one negative comment, there were twenty positives and his regulars tipped well.
Knowing Ever was three feet away made it all but impossible to concentrate on the game, but he did his best. At least Ever was safe where he could see him.
Once the others signed online he relaxed, forcing himself to focus. He didn’t want to be the reason they lost this battle.
Arsen didn’t have to worry about Ever. Twenty minutes in, it became apparent that Felix was going to be the reason they lost the battle.
“What are you doing?” he shouted into the mic.
Felix had gone completely rogue. He wasn’t listening to the others. This always happened. Arsen was almost positive it was Felix’s husband’s fault. He was also a huge distraction.
“We’re fucking getting creamed here, bro. What the fuck?” Seven said. “Are you blind? The bad guys are over there.”
Arsen was jabbing his finger down on the button hard enough to bruise it, hoping to make up for Felix’s sudden defection.
“Blayablayablayablay.”
“Are you having a stroke?” Nico yelled.
Arsen assumed that was directed at Felix as well.
“Fuck you,” Felix shot back. “My hand slipped.”
Arsen shook his head. “Your hand slipped? Is it still slipping? Why are you facing the other way? Are you trying to lose? Tell Avi to fuck off.”
Avi was Felix’s husband and was a bit of a psychopath but he wasn’t allowed to kill nice people and nobody was nicer than Arsen. At least, not in their inner circle so he felt safe enough to speak his truth. And that truth was that Felix’s horny husband was going to cost them some much needed fucking leverage.
“You need me way more than I need you,” Felix said.
Arsen rolled his eyes. Usually, that was true but he was playing like it was his first day. “Go left. Your other left. Sometimes, I swear English isyoursecond language, not mine.”
Felix scoffed. “English isn’t my second language, dick. It’s my third. I speak Spanish and Cantonese, too.”
Oh yeah.Their neighborhood really was a melting pot of millions of different backgrounds and ethnicities. Felix’s mom was Chinese but his father had been Mexican. Seven’s mother was from the Islands while his dad was Polish. Levi and Nico just called themselves mutts, which Arsen assumed meant they were just varying degrees of white.
They won the battle, thanks to Seven’s magic skills, but Arsen was mentally worn out. He encouraged the others to do a side mission so he could focus on those who watched. This was supposed to be fun.
