Nico stuck his tongue out, giving Mal an unfettered view of whatever cum was still in his mouth. Mal bit his lip, working himself faster, Nico’s saliva drying on his skin just this side of painful. He was so close. Fuck. Just a little more.
His orgasm punched out of him, fireworks exploding behind his eyes as waves of pleasure rolled over him, goosebumps erupting over his skin as he painted Nico’s lips and tongue with his cum. He continued to stroke himself until it grew painful.
“Swallow,” he said, voice low.
Nico obeyed, then opened his mouth to show Mal he’d complied. Mal shifted until he sat on Nico’s hips, noting the other boy was already half-hard again. When he cocked a knowing brow at him, Nico slapped his shoulder. “Shut up.” Mal laughed, earning another pout. Nico’s voice was destroyed, his tone raspy. “Stop making fun of me.”
“I didn’t say anything,” he teased, voice far gentler than he had been. Nico rolled his eyes, laughing softly, the blue of his irises looking more denim than usual. “Are you alright, Fidget?”
Mal leaned forward, kissing Nico’s sweaty forehead, his cheeks, his nose, then, finally, his lips. Nico’s smile faltered, his face suddenly uncertain. Mal’s stomach churned. He could read his friend’s mind better than his own. He could see the way he was playing every possible way this would destroy their friendship.
Sex destroyed relationships. Nico believed that with the same conviction that made him believe the sky was blue and grass was green.
Mal cupped his cheeks, forcing him to meet his gaze. His anxiety was palpable. “Hey, look at me.” Nico blinked hazy eyes at him, his rapid descent from his sub-space obvious in the way his lower lip immediately wobbled.
Mal pressed his forehead to his. “Relax, baby. Nothing’s changed. We’re still us. Just because we played like that doesn’t mean you’re not my best friend. It doesn’t mean the end of our anime nights or movie nights or anything else we’ve done since we met. You know that, right?”
Nico nodded, trying to force a smile onto his face. It rapidly crumpled as tears welled up in his eyes then spilled down his cheeks, over Mal’s fingers.
Nico’s skin grew pink as he tried to slap Mal’s hands away and push the other boy off him. “I’m fine. I’m fine,” he said, voice tight. “I don’t know why I’m crying. It’s stupid. It’s just sub-drop, you know? It’s nothing.”
Mal’s heart twisted. He should have been more careful with him. Fuck. “It’s not nothing. Your feelings are not nothing. This is all my fault, Fidget. I pushed you too hard. It was super irresponsible of me.”
Nico blinked, their mouths so close his whispered words puffed air against Mal’s lips. “But I liked it.”
Mal smiled. “I liked it, too. I promise. So much. You were amazing. Youareamazing. I’m going to get a washcloth and a snack for you and then we’ll watchHowl’s Moving Castleuntil we fall asleep, okay?”
Nico was already shaking his head, clinging to Mal’s arm. “I don’t want you to leave.”
There was so much more to unpack in that statement, far more than Mal simply leaving the room. He was sure that was partially what Nico meant, but the desolation in his eyes when he looked at Mal told him everything. Nico thought he’d blown up their whole friendship for an orgasm. He thought this was theday he pulled the pin from the grenade. They’d talk this out, but not right now. Not when Nico was in sub-drop and Mal was too cum-drunk to think straight.
Mal pressed a soft kiss to his lips then sat back up. “I’m just going to the kitchen. Sixty seconds, baby. Count them. Out loud if you have to.”
Nico released his arms and Mal crawled off the small bed, stuffing his legs back into his underwear. He stopped at the bathroom just long enough to wet a washcloth, then hurried to the kitchen, grabbing the pineapple from the top shelf and two bottles of water.
He was back to their room with four seconds to spare. He flipped the light off, then helped Nico sit up, forcing him to drink both bottles of water before grabbing the laptop. He set up the laptop between his knees, pulling up the movie and hitting play before he scooped Nico up and laid him sideways across his lap. Nico nestled as close as possible, pressing his cheek to Mal’s bare chest, eyes closed.
As the movie played, Mal fed Nico the leftover pineapple, then set the container aside, squeezing him tight as he pretended to watch the movie. Mal kissed the top of Nico’s head, played with the curls at the nape of his neck, whispered to him that he was pretty and sexy and perfect. He told him he’d been so good for him, so sweet. That he’d made him feel so good.
After a while, Mal closed the laptop and set it between the bed and the small table beside them, then manhandled Nico onto his back, rolling to his side and opening his arms. Nico hesitated for only a moment before slotting into his usual spot, tucking his face into Mal’s neck and breathing deep, opening his thighs so Mal could slide his knee between them.
Mal was dozing when Nico whispered, “Promise me this didn’t change anything. Promise me sex with you won’t change us.”
The way his voice shook broke Mal’s heart. Nobody knew how secretly soft Nico was, how fragile. How much his mother had fucked him up. The things she’d done to him all in the name of protecting him.
“There’s no way, Fidget. You’re always going to be my person. Sex or no sex. I promise.”
Mal could feel tears on his neck, but he ignored them, knowing that acknowledging them would only make Nico more self-conscious. Mal already knew how this would go and he’d accepted it before he’d kissed him hours ago.
Tomorrow, Nico would wake up and pretend none of this had happened, that it was all some kind of wet dream. He’d go right back to their usual routine, calling Mal his platonic bestie, acting like he had no idea what Mal’s dick tasted like. He would be resolute in his determination that this wouldneverhappen again.
Right up until the next time it happened again.
And it would happen again…and again…and again. Nico was his. Just his. He was Nico’s, too. They were magnets. There was no way they could be this close and not touch each other, not now that they knew how their bodies fit together like puzzle pieces.
And if Mal had to strip him bare and lay claim to every inch of his body, that was what he would do. He was going to have to peel back layers and layers of trauma to get Nico to believe that they truly were soulmates and that it wasn’t just some cute, silly thing they told people.
But Mal had time. He had his whole life. He hoped it wouldn’t take quite that long, but he was patient. Mal was great at playing the long game. Especially if the payoff was as sweet as his best friend.
