The estate was silent in the way only places with too many secrets ever were.
Neo stood in the middle of Lucas's bedroom, barefoot on cold marble, heart still racing from the drive back. The adrenaline from the club hadn't worn off it had only sharpened, turned into something tight and restless under his skin.
Behind him, the door clicked shut.
Not slammed.Not soft.Final.
Neo didn't turn immediately. He didn't have to. He felt Lucas there the weight of his presence, the controlled fury coiled just beneath his calm.
"Sit down," Lucas said at last.
Neo blinked, then slowly lowered himself onto the edge of the bed. His fingers dug into the sheets, knuckles pale.
Silence stretched.
Lucas circled him like a predator that hadn't decided whether to strike or walk away. His footsteps were unhurried. Deliberate. Each one made Neo's spine straighten further.
"Do you know," Lucas said quietly, "how many people touched you tonight?"
Neo's throat went dry. "I didn't let them."
"That wasn't the question."
Lucas stopped directly in front of him.
Neo lifted his head.Big mistake.
Lucas's eyes were dark, controlled, yes, but burning with something dangerously close to possession. His gaze dropped. Tracked slowly. Took in Neo's bare thighs, the faint marks left by hands that had no right.
Lucas exhaled through his nose.
"You walked into a room full of strangers," he said, voice low and steady, "wearing almost nothing. You let them look. Let them reach."
Neo's voice shook despite himself. "You didn't stop them either."
That did it.
Lucas leaned down until his hands were braced on either side of Neo's hips not touching, never touching but close enough that Neo could feel the heat of him, could smell him, could feel himself trembling.
"I stopped them," Lucas said quietly, "before they forgot who you belonged to."
Neo sucked in a sharp breath. "I don't belong to anyone."
Lucas's jaw tightened. His voice dropped even lower.
"Then don't look at me like that."
Neo laughed breathless, broken. "Like what?"
"Like you want me to lose control."
Lucas straightened abruptly, stepping back as though proximity itself was dangerous.
"You have no idea," he said, tone clipped now, "how close I am to doing exactly that."
Neo stood too, unable to stay seated, the tension buzzing painfully between them.
"Then why don't you?" he whispered.
Lucas's eyes snapped to his.
For a long moment, neither of them breathed.
Then Lucas turned away.
"Because if I touch you," he said, back to Neo, hands clenched at his sides, "I won't stop."
The room felt smaller. Hotter.
"Go to bed," Lucas ordered, not looking at him. "Now."
Neo hesitated just a second too long.
Lucas's voice cut sharper.
"Neo."
Neo flinched at his name, but instead of backing away, he did the opposite. He stepped forward, closing the space Lucas had been so careful to keep, his voice trembling but firm. "Why do you keep doing this to me, Lucas?" he asked, tears glossing his eyes, spilling before he could stop them. "Why do you make me feel like this,like I'm constantly on edge? In my head, in my heart…" his breath hitched, his voice dropping to a raw whisper, "…and in between my thighs." The words stunned the air between them. Lucas sucked in a sharp breath. "What did you just say?" he asked, disbelief threading through his control. "You heard me," Neo pressed on, hands clenched at his sides as if that was the only thing keeping him standing. "You start things you never finish. You look at me, talk to me like I don't matter then turn around and unravel me so badly I can't even breathe right anymore." He paused, swallowing hard. "When I see you in action… when you're fearless, holding a gun like the world bends for you it..it turns me on and drives me insane. Everything you do does." His tears fell freely now. "I don't even know why I'm crying, but stop it. Please. Don't mess with me, Lucas. Don't mess with my feelings. Don't turn me on and then walk away and leave me aching like I don't exist." Lucas stared at him, stunned, something fractured in his chest at the sight of Neo like this. He moved before he could think, closing the distance completely, cupping Neo's face with both hands, thumbs brushing away tears. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Neo laughed weakly through it. "Don't be. I'm the idiot falling for you." Lucas's voice was steady when he replied, even if his hands betrayed him. "I won't make promises just to ease your pain," he said softly, foreheads nearly touching. "But I will take responsibility." Neo's breath trembled. "How?" he whispered, neck aching from looking up at him.
Lucas broke first.
His hands moved before his mind caught up one sliding to Neo's waist, firm, grounding, pulling him in until there was no space left to pretend they were still standing on opposite sides of a line. Neo sucked in a breath, sharp and shaky, his fingers curling instinctively into Lucas's shirt.
"Lucas—" he started, but the rest dissolved when Lucas leaned down and kissed him.
It was slow at first. Careful. Like Lucas was testing himself, testing Neo. Their lips brushed, barely there, enough to make Neo's knees weaken. Then Neo tilted his head, chasing the contact, and something in Lucas snapped.
The kiss deepened, turning rougher, desperate and then a tongue fight for dominance. Lucas took control without asking, mouth claiming, tilting Neo back until his shoulders brushed the wall. Their breaths tangled. Neo tried to keep up, tried to push back but Lucas didn't yield, his presence overwhelming, his grip tightening at Neo's waist as if to anchor them both.
When Lucas finally pulled away, it wasn't far. Just enough to drag his mouth along Neo's jaw, down to his neck. He lingered there, breath hot against skin, teeth grazing not enough to hurt, but enough to make Neo gasp, he sucked hard on skin as though he'd been finally set free to roam. He sucked hard to leave not one but a lot of marks there
A soft sound slipped from Neo before he could stop it.
"Lucasss..ngh..too much," he whispered, though his hands betrayed him, clinging tighter, the more Lucas bit and sucked the more sounds came from neo "arghh...too hard...y-your going to leave a mark on me"
Lucas paused, breathing hard, forehead pressed against Neo's shoulder. When he pulled back, Neo's lips were swollen, eyes glassy, chest rising fast.
"This," Lucas said quietly, voice low and controlled again, "is me taking responsibility."
Neo laughed breathlessly, the sound shaky but real. "Are you satisfied" Lucas asked but instead neo looked at him then moved closer to his ears even though they we're the only ones in the room and no one else could literally hear them, he just needed the words he wanted to speak to sink in into him.
"I can't be satisfied not until you're inside me"
Lucas's gaze darkened but he stepped back anyway.
"What did you take at that place," he said.
Neo laughed, whole heartedly holding his stomach. "Am joking Lucas you should've seen your face just now." He said and continued laughing"don't play with something like that" "am sorry".
"Go take a shower you reek a little bit of alcohol" "okay".
In the other side it was bo different,
Kellan didn't raise his voice.
That was what made it worse.
Aiden stood in the middle of the room, still wrapped in the borrowed clothes he'd been given after the chaos, hands tucked behind his back like he was bracing for impact. Kellan leaned against the desk across from him, sleeves rolled up, jaw tight, eyes unreadable.
"Do you understand," Kellan said calmly, "how close you came to getting hurt tonight?"
Aiden scoffed, but it came out weak. "We were fine."
Kellan pushed off the desk in one smooth movement and crossed the room in three long strides."Don't lie to me."
He stopped inches away.
Aiden's breath hitched despite himself. Kellan smelled like clean soap and gun oil and something warm underneath it dangerously familiar. His presence filled the room, pressed in on Aiden from all sides without ever touching him.
"I watched you," Kellan continued quietly. "From the moment I walked into that club."
Aiden's throat bobbed. "Then you saw we were handling it."
"I saw hands where they didn't belong."
That did it.
Aiden lifted his chin, defiant and shaken all at once. "So what? You're mad because I didn't wait for you to save me?"
Kellan's jaw flexed. "I'm mad because you looked at me when you realized I was there," he said, voice low, "and you ran."
Silence slammed between them.
Aiden opened his mouth, then closed it. His pulse was loud in his ears. "I didn't want you to see me like that."
Kellan's hand came up slow, deliberate and stopped just short of Aiden's waist. He didn't touch him. Not yet.
"Like what?" he asked.
Aiden's voice dropped. "Exposed."
Something dark flashed through Kellan's eyes.
"You don't get to decide that for me."
His fingers finally made contact, settling at Aiden's side, warm and solid. Not possessive. Not gentle either. Just… there. Anchoring.
Aiden sucked in a breath. "Kellan—"
"You think I didn't notice?" Kellan murmured. "The way you move. The way people look at you. The way you pretend it doesn't affect you."
His thumb brushed once. Barely.
Aiden's knees weakened. He hated that his body betrayed him so easily. "You shouldn't talk like that."
"And you shouldn't tempt me," Kellan shot back.
Their faces were close now. Too close to pretend this was still about discipline or safety.
Kellan leaned down, forehead resting against Aiden's, breath uneven for the first time all night. "You make it very hard to remember my place."
Aiden's hands twisted into Kellan's shirt before he could stop himself. "Then don't."
The kiss didn't happen immediately.
Kellan hovered there, breathing him in, fighting himself. Aiden knew this so he decided to take matters into his hands, "kiss me" he said looking at kellan in the most seductive way he could think of. Kellan hesitated but charged forward immediately those words left Aiden's lips he finally kissed Aiden, it was restrained controlled but it carried heat, promise, and warning all at once. Not claiming. Not consuming. Just enough to leave Aiden dizzy.
When Kellan pulled back, his hand was still at Aiden's waist. He didn't let go.
"This doesn't go further tonight," he said, voice rough.
Aiden swallowed. "Why?"
"Because if it does," Kellan admitted quietly, "I won't stop."
Their eyes locked.
And neither of them slept easily that night.
The estate slowly sank into silence, lights dimmed, guards settling into their night rotations. As far as everyone knew, the chaos had been contained. The boys were back. Order restored.
Almost.
Because there was still one lost sheep.
Ethan slipped out long after midnight, moving with the ease of someone who'd learned how to disappear when he needed to. Cealan had called him earlier voice low, clipped, too controlled. He had begged outright. Cealan never did even though he did there was always a bit of sarcasm but tonight there was none. But the need was there, buried under irritation and pride.
I need to see you before I leave.
That was all he'd said.
Cealan was traveling again. Another trip. Another month of distance. And Ethan hated how predictable it all was the way Cealan would vanish into work, into flights and meetings and silence. No calls. No late-night check-ins. Just absence, stretched thin and sharp.
He would never admit he missed him. Not out loud. Not to anyone. He'd rather snap, argue, push Cealan away just to see if he'd stay anyway.
And Ethan knew that. Knew it so well it hurt.
So when the call came, he didn't hesitate.
He hadn't told anyone. Hadn't left a note. He just grabbed his jacket and went, heart pounding with a mix of annoyance and relief. Because as much as he hated being pulled back every time, as angry as he was about being left behind.
He still showed up.Every time.
And somewhere across the city, Cealan was waiting pretending he wasn't counting the seconds, pretending this didn't matter more than he'd ever say out loud.
Cealan was already pacing when Ethan arrived.
Arms crossed. Jaw tight. The kind of posture that screamed I'm angry you came and I would've been worse if you didn't.
"You're late,are you good" Cealan said immediately.
Ethan scoffed, kicking the door shut behind him. "I came that's all, didn't I? You didn't even explain why you needed me. Just snapped your fingers like I'm—"
"Like you're what?" Cealan cut in, eyes sharp.
Ethan laughed, humorless. "Like I'm something you can pick up and put down whenever it's convenient. Like I don't notice when you disappear for weeks."
Cealan stiffened. "You knew I had to travel."
"That's not the point," Ethan shot back. "You always travel. And then you go quiet. And I'm just supposed to what wait?"
Silence stretched, heavy and brittle.
Cealan exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. "You think I don't know that?"
Ethan's voice cracked despite himself. "Then why do you keep doing it?"
Cealan stepped closer. Not crowding. Just close enough that Ethan had to look at him.
"Because if I admit how much I hate leaving," Cealan said quietly, "I won't be able to."
Ethan froze, because he knew Cealan better than anyone else and what he said was true.
Cealan's expression softened, just a fraction. His voice dropped, losing its edge.
"Come here, princess."
Ethan bristled on instinct. "Don't call me that."
But he didn't step away.
Cealan reached out, thumb brushing Ethan's wrist gentle, grounding. "You hate it so much you came out in the middle of the night for me."
Ethan swallowed, anger draining into something warmer. Dangerous. Familiar.
"I hate when you leave," he muttered.
"I know," Cealan said softly. "That's why I needed you tonight."
The fight had nowhere left to go.
They stood there for a second longer before Cealan tugged Ethan closer not forceful, not rushed just enough to rest his forehead against Ethan's.
"Sit with me," Cealan murmured. "Please."
They ended up on the bed, legs tangled, the earlier tension easing into quiet proximity. Cealan's arm draped around Ethan's waist, absentminded fingers tracing slow patterns like he was memorizing him again.
"You know," Cealan said after a while, voice low and warm, "no matter where I go… this is home."
Ethan huffed softly. "You're bad at saying things like that."
"I'm saying it now," Cealan replied, pressing a kiss into Ethan's hair. "My princess deserves the truth."
Ethan sighed, finally giving in, curling closer. "I hate that name."
Cealan smiled against his temple. "You love it."
"…maybe," Ethan admitted.
They talked quietly after that. About nothing important. About everything. About trips and stupid memories and things they'd never say in daylight.
Eventually, words faded.
Ethan fell asleep first, breathing evening out, tucked securely against Cealan's chest. Cealan stayed awake a little longer, holding him like something precious, something he was afraid to lose.
When sleep finally claimed him too, the world felt just for that night steady.