Page 70 of Hollow

Jack squinted at Dimitri, staring suspiciously.

“You are a very strong man.” Dimitri patted Jack’s shoulder. “The strongest man in the world. No man has ever possessed such powers.”

“Don’t patronize me.” Jack slapped Dimitri’s hand away, becoming adorably feisty. “Especially not with the truth. I am the strongest man in the world, and no one has ever possessed shadow powers at my level.”

“I do not understand why you are upset?” Dimitri’s cheeks ached as he resisted a grin. “I said all of this.”

“Yes, to appease me, but it’s the truth.”

“Of course, it is the truth.” Dimitri nodded affirmatively and a bit dramatically.

It only further infuriated Jack.

“That’s it, we’re settling this.” Jack stood up and stomped across the living room.

He moved the coffee table further from the couch and turned it at an angle.

“Get your ass over here.”

Dimitri obeyed, curiously seeing where this led.

Jack set up his phone so it could record and then positioned himself on the opposite corner of the coffee table. They each sat on the edge close to each other. Jack repositioned himself to sit on his knees and then placed his elbow on the table with his arm raised.

“Only one way to settle this.” Jack flexed his muscles. “I’m going to fucking crush you.”

“Oh? Bold words from a little man.”

“Yeah, this little man is about to bend you over and spank you.”

Dimitri’s ears perked up at that, and his cheeks burned a bit. There was something incredibly hot about Jack’s assertive streak that hit. It sent a surge of excitement rushing through Dimitri.

“Let us see.”

Dimitri lined up his arm, and they started their match. No doubt Jack attempted to play it cool for the cameras, but Dimitri forced his boyfriend to put in more effort almost immediately. While Jack possessed unmatched abilities, and his body could handle pretty much anything thrown at him, he didn’t have enhanced strength by any means. Jack was pretty on par with your average human, so that made this far easier for Dimitri. He toyed with Jack, making a game of it.

Whenever Jack started to get a slight push going, Dimitri would flex his muscles and apply real pressure. He would push Jack’s arm back almost all the way, teasing him with defeat, and then he’d relent just enough so Jack could push them back up to the starting point.

“Grrrah,” Jack groaned, clenching his teeth so hard that Dimitri heard the grinding beneath the enchanted pumpkin. “I’m gonna win.”

Dimitri teased yet again, allowing Jack a bit of fleeting hope, until a shadow opened beneath Dimitri’s elbow. It tilted the trajectory of his grip and gave Jack the edge needed to slam Dimitri’s arm down.

“That’s what I’m fucking talking about!” Jack jumped up in excitement and snatched his phone in his hands, twirling round and round as he gloated.

Jack roared victoriously. He flexed his arms, posing, kissing his biceps, and being all around the sorriest winner in the world.

“You cheated.”

“Whatever, baby.” Jack smirked for the camera. “A win is a win is a win.”

He tucked his phone into his pocket and flipped Dimitri off with both hands.

“And a loss is a loss is a loss.” Jack stuck out a shadowy tongue, mocking Dimitri. “Just admit it. I bested you.”

“You bested me with the magics, which is cheating.”

“Yeah, but my connection to the darkness is far superior to anything you could do so⁠—”

“Ah, very arrogant.” Dimitri rose to his feet, towering over Jack, who remained unfazed.