“I couldn’t even put my pants back on, it was so torn up.” Gage forced a smile. “So I tried to make a joke out of it. Black eyes and all. The entire hall was so silent, you could hear a pin drop. And no one came forward to stop them.”
Gage remembered the betrayal he’d felt. The bewilderment. The sinking realization that he wasn’t strong enough to shove off all those guys. Then he’d felt the humiliation, he’d heard Ramsey’s laughter even before he left the stage.
“Weren’t they caught?” O’Neil asked, looking defeated.
Gage shook his head. “They had their scents suppressed. I should’ve realized something was up. No one tried to catch them.”
The emcees had told him to go and wash the piss and blood off. After Gage had left the stage, they’d given the Prom Alpha crown to someone else. The stares and jeers he’d received in the following weeks almost made Gage stop going entirely.
He brushed off the memories, exhaling. O’Neil looked shaken. So Gage reached out, squeezing his arm. “I’m fine. It happened a long time ago.”
For a moment there, he thought maybe O’Neil might’ve lost some respect for him, or maybe he’d lose interest in Gage entirely. But O’Neil just stared quietly at Gage for a long time. “I didn’t know people hated you.”
Gage shrugged. “Comes with the territory.”
That only seemed to upset O’Neil more. He set the popcorn bowl aside. Then he scooted across the couch and pulled Gage into a tight hug.
“I’m glad it’s over,” O’Neil murmured, his glasses bumping into Gage’s ear, his body warm and soft against Gage’s side. Despite his appearance, O’Neil’s embrace was tight, strong, and... there was no judgment in him at all. Just a quiet comfort.
Gage couldn’t remember the last time someone had given him a hug, just so they could comfort him. And a tension in his body—that he hadn’t been aware of—uncoiled, taking his anxiety away. Gage relaxed. “I’m fine, really.”
“Are you sure?” O’Neil’s breath was warm on his ear. “It’s okay to be upset.”
“It’s in the past,” Gage said. As comfortable as this was, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to return the hug. He thought... maybe he should. But he didn’t have it in him to reach out, to trust someone enough that they could hurt him again.
O’Neil released him some time later, pausing with his face right in front of Gage, as though... what, he wanted to kiss Gage on the nose?
Gage wasn’t sure how he felt about that. But O’Neil shook himself and pulled away, leaving cool air on Gage’s skin. Gage missed the heat and pressure of his touch.
“I should get the popcorn,” O’Neil said. “It’s probably already cold.”
“Nah, I’ll get it. I told you I’d make popcorn.”
O’Neil scowled. “No, you sit.”
Gage rolled his eyes. “Not gonna.”
O’Neil lunged off the couch, heading for the kitchen. Gage chased him and smacked him lightly on the ass. O’Neil yelped.
“What was that about?” He grabbed his asscheeks incredulously, as though he was trying to protect them from Gage.
“That was punishment,” Gage said. “I’m making the popcorn.”
O’Neil gaped. Then he turned and reached for the microwave, and Gage smacked his ass again. O’Neil grabbed the popcorn bag.
Gage alternated light smacks between his cheeks. O’Neil’s was soft. It jiggled with every impact. And maybe Gage wanted to pat him there again. Just to see the way his body reacted to his every touch.
“You know, I never thought an ass could be this bouncy,” Gage said.
O’Neil’s ears turned pink. “I’m going to get the popcorn bowl. Apparently neither of us remembered it.”
“No, I’m getting it,” Gage said.
O’Neil hurried out of the kitchen like this was some kind of a race and the bowl was his prize. So Gage followed him out and smacked his ass again. He tapped one cheek, then the other, and then he tapped between them. O’Neil spun around with the bowl pressed against his hips, his cheeks red. “What’re you doing?” he panted.
Right, Gage had gone too far. He held his hands up. “I figured it was just some bro fun. I’ll stop.”
O’Neil’s shoulders sagged a little. Did he... want Gage to continue? Gage stole the bowl out of O’Neil’s hands, and O’Neil squawked.
He hurried to the kitchen. He dumped the popcorn into the bowl, reheated it, and then sprinkled some powdered parmesan all over the popcorn. When he brought it back to the couch, O’Neil was back in his seat, a cushion tucked over his crossed legs.
There was a hint of musk in the air, but Gage couldn’t be sure if it was his own arousal, or O’Neil’s. “What’re we watching?”
“You pick.”
Gage scowled. Was this because of his prom memory? “I’m not picking a movie just because you pity me.”
A grin crossed O’Neil’s face. “How about we watch Bloody Hollows, then?”
Ugh. “Do we have to?”
“What about Teddy Comes Alive?” O’Neil scrolled to the poster of that movie.
“Hell, no. That’s fucking creepy.”
“The Birth of Dinosaurs?”
Gage frowned. “This is movie night, not documentary night.”
O’Neil flipped through the movie reel, purposefully skipping over all the superhero movies. “What do you want to watch, then? What about this one about a rockstar—”
“I don’t know. Something interesting.” Because like hell Gage was going to admit what had caught his eye.
“What about...” O’Neil flipped back through the movie posters. “This one. The children’s movie about meatballs.”
Damn it. Gage’s ears prickled. He wasn’t going to ask for it. Animated movies were something he watched by himself, or when he was with his siblings.
O’Neil’s smile grew. “That’s it. We’re watching this one.”
Before Gage could stop him, he hit the Buy button.
“Hey,” Gage protested.
“You like cartoons.” O’Neil looked delighted. “You just can’t admit it.”
“They aren’t cartoons,” Gage muttered. “It’s 3D animation. I did an animation class once when I was in school. It’s pretty neat.”
“Why do you get so embarrassed about it, then?” O’Neil watched him, but there was no judgment in his eyes. Just fondness. “Are you afraid
