Page 14

Chapter 14

Pomping

Coming in through the side door by the dining room, skin itching with dried sweat and grime, Logan couldn't help but feel like an intruder. The halls of Minotaur House were unusually quiet. The formal living room, the den, and the dining room itself; all devoid of the usual scattering of guys studying, eating, or just simply hanging out.

Strange. Did everyone get Rapture'd or something? Aliens swing by with a teleporter beam? Or...wait — are those the same thing?

Despite the silence, Logan poked his head into the chapter room, expecting to find it as full and lively as the rest of the house was dead, but — no dice there either.

Huh. Maybe a fire drill no one told me about?

Every evening for the past two weeks, this room in particular had been a bustling hive of activity. Paired up with the tri-Pi sorority, the men of Mu Tau Rho were playing eager hosts as everyone worked together on the joint Homecoming house float. There was a hotly contested betting pool on what percent of it would be finished in time for the competition, versus how much would be propped up by duct tape and pledges both painted to match.

Logan had expected tonight to be more of the same when he got back from football practice, ready to roll up his sleeves and pitch in as well after he'd had a shower. But only a rainbow confection of tissue paper and chicken wire met Logan's sight, like a cage of pinatas had exploded across every surface and corner. This room was just as empty as the rest of the house.

Except — no, not empty. There was a faint humming coming from the other side of a wall of pomped flowers. More bloomed in the corner as Logan watched; squares of yellow and orange tissue paper steadily poked through with the eraser end of a pencil.

"Hello?" Logan called.

"Logan?" came Oz's voice, before his familiar head popped out from behind the colorful construction. "Hey! You're back already?"

Logan shoved down the warm glow that threatened to erupt at Oz's greeting, forcing his face into a scowl instead as he drew near.

"Yeah, man. It's eight pm." He looked around, confused. "Where is everyone?"

Oz frowned. "Over at the sorority house for a 'supply run' to get more paper," he said, making finger quotes.

Logan grinned, immediately recognizing the code for an impromptu party. "Cool. Let me grab a quick shower and change, then I'll be ready to go. Were you waiting for me?"

That was…kind of sweet, actually. The deal he'd made with Oz had come with a lot of unexpected surprises for Logan — a LOT of unexpected surprises. But sticking around for someone to get home before going to a party together? That was something couples did, not them. Still, Logan found he… He didn't mind it.

But Oz's face twisted up in a grimace. "No. The guys said I should stay here," Oz huffed. "That I'd 'be a waste of a good date.'"

The finger quotes had returned, as had Logan's answering scowl.

"A waste ?" he couldn't help but echo, even though he already knew what their frat brothers had meant.

A waste of a date… because Oz was gay.

Or, more accurately, that's he's O-U-T Out -with-a-capital-O

"You should go," Oz was saying over the roar of something dark and angry thundering in Logan's ears on Oz's behalf. "They'd love to see you show up."

"Well, they can kiss my ass," Logan decided. "We'll have our own party. Lemme clean up and I'll come help you with that."

Oz looked at him strangely. "You don't have to. You should go out and have fun."

"I don't think I'd be very 'fun' around those guys right now," Logan replied. A thought burned bright in his mind just then, of finding whoever had told Oz to stay here and offering them a choice of black eyes. "Just give me five minutes, and I'll be right back."

Logan started to turn, but Oz's voice stopped him.

"Hey, Logan?" Oz said, glancing around as if he expected to find someone hiding in the corners of the empty house, before motioning Logan closer.

"What's up?"

"Um…" Oz bit his lip. And no, Logan should absolutely not be finding that adorable. Damn, this deal of theirs was messing with his brain. "We've pretty much got the whole place to ourselves…"

"Yeah?" Logan asked, cocking his head as a grin stole across his face. "Here?"

"Why not?" Oz shrugged. "Get your fine ass over here, straight boy."

Logan grimaced. "I just had practice, man, and they shut the water off trying to fix something with the pipes. I am beyond gross."

Any of Logan's previous girlfriends would have turned their noses up at the news, but if anything, Oz actually looked more intrigued.

"I'll shower quick," Logan said, taking a pointed step toward the stairs as Oz began drifting over.

"Don't have to shower at all, on my account," Oz muttered. He was already reaching out as if to smooth his hands across Logan's shoulders, before suddenly yanking them back, glancing at the chapter room's enormous windows, and the darkness that lay outside.

With all the lights in here, it's about as good as a TV screen . Logan winced. If anyone's out there, they'd see everything

"Come on," Oz whispered, turning to where he'd been hidden from sight behind the panel of the homecoming float.

"Oz," Logan muttered, flushing when it came out more like a whine. "I know I said 'however', but — For real. I'm muddy, I reek, and I need a shower. Even if you don't seem to care, I do. It's… distracting."

Oz considered him for a moment.

"Then make sure and wash really well," he finally answered. " Everywhere . You understand what I'm saying, Logan?"

Logan sucked in a sharp breath, because — yeah, he thought he did.

"You want me to come help?"

Logan flushed hot, eyes dropping to the floor as he shook his head no.

"I, um — Oz, what are you planning?" he hissed. "No — "

"I know, no penetration," Oz flippantly finished. "I know, don't worry. Not going to break your rule. But still…wash REALLY well, okay? I…want to show you something. I think you'll like it."

Logan considered it, but… "Ten minutes," he allowed, before heading upstairs, taking the steps two and three at a time.

"Oz," Logan hissed. "Are you still here?"

Walking into the chapter room once more, Logan could not have felt more aware of a… certain part of his body than if it'd been hooked up to a neon sign. But he was clean all over now — very, embarrassingly clean — when he stuck his head behind the panel of pomping, looking for Oz.

It was dark, here in this very narrow, temporary space. Created by the float panel's framing as it leaned haphazardly against the wall, it colored what little dim light snuck its way back here like a hidden church window; the fluffy wads of colorful tissue paper making a cheap, homemade substitute for stained glass. It reminded Logan of something they might've made back in Mr. Hillsman's art class, though on a much bigger scale.

Logan startled as Oz's arms looped over his shoulders, feeling indecently exposed as the other man drew him in for a kiss. Here and there, he could see through the gaps in the chicken wire that hadn't been filled yet, and though they'd just proved he could see out better than anyone could see in…

"What if we get caught?" Logan whispered after Oz finally released his lips, all tingling and kiss-bruised.

"Relax. We'll have plenty of warning. They'll come stumbling in like a herd of elephants and you know it, all drunk and loud," Oz breathed, hands already sliding up under Logan's shirt and across the dips of his abs, making him shiver. "And we'll just tell them we've been pomping, what else?"

"Oh, 'pomping' , huh?" Logan chuckled, letting himself relax into the warmth of Oz's caress. "You think you can do that with a straight face?"

"I'll have you know my face hasn't been straight a day in my life." Oz grinned.

Logan felt something inside his ribs relax at the sight, giving in to the sudden urge to lean in and capture Oz's mouth again.

Oz made a small noise of surprise, but he didn't pull back, hands coming up to fist in Logan's hoodie as he practically melted against Logan's chest.

They traded kisses for a long, lazy moment — until Logan abruptly found himself shoved, grunting when his shoulders hit up hard against the wall. He swallowed down the protest that'd lept reflexively to his tongue at the sight of Oz's expression. Licking his lips, Logan held still as the other man's hands stroked down Logan's sides to tug playfully at the ties of his sweatpants.

"You, uh — said you wanted to show me something?" Logan remembered.

Oz grinned. "Yeah. Something . Turn around."

Logan frowned. "Oz…"

"Do you trust me?" Oz asked, a little more seriously.

"Yeah," Logan realized. "I do."

And he did. Even with their deal, no matter how much of an unexpected pain in Logan's ass Oz could be, he'd kept to their rules. And for all the fucked up stuff they'd done, Oz hadn't pushed when Logan said 'no'.

Oz had earned his trust and then some. There was something deeper woven through that thought as well, a thread both terrifying and hungry. It wasn't a string Logan wasn't sure he was ready to tug on quite yet, though, for fear of what might unravel.

"Okay." Oz grinned, leaning in to give Logan one last quick kiss. "Then turn around and drop 'em, straight boy."

Needing no more encouragement than that, Logan spun, shoving his sweats down to his thighs before letting his forehead press against the rough surface of the brick wall.

"Free balling it, Logan?" Oz murmured, his voice thick with an obvious grin as he palmed the globes of Logan's ass. "Pretty slutty of you."

"Just did laundry. Given what you said earlier… Seemed like a waste of clean boxers," Logan shrugged. He was trying not to sound as nervous as he felt, here with only a wall of tissue paper blocking the sight of them from anyone who might walk into the very public room.

Fuck, he was getting hard just at the thought of it.

"That's what I'm talking about," Oz purred, squeezing Logan's buttocks firmly. "Fucking look at you. So needy and easy, and ready to let me do anything I want to you."

"Oz…" Logan shivered as Oz's hands pulled his ass cheeks apart, now feeling really exposed.

"Shhh," Oz whispered as Logan's neck heated up, sensing the weight of Oz's gaze centered on — on that .

He jumped as the wide pad of a finger — Oz's thumb? — brushed over his hole, the muscle flinching and contracting.

"Wha — what are you…"

But then something thick and slippery was circling around the rim of his ass, and suddenly it was incredibly obvious just what Oz was doing.

"Fucking hell!" Logan whimpered, his knees buckling as his cock jumped eagerly between his legs. "Oz! Are you seriously — ? Ah!"

Logan gasped as what could only be Oz's tongue lapped gently at his hole, the tight muscle tingling with the unfamiliar sensation.

"Holy fuck," Logan managed, his heart pounding a staccato rhythm against his ribs as the pleasure of it washed over him.

Oz merely grunted, his hands tightening on Logan's hips as he laved at the sensitive skin with his tongue.

Logan couldn't help the soft moan that slipped from his throat as Oz's hand gripped Logan's cock.

"Jesus, I want to fuck you," Oz said, before licking a warm, wet line up the cleft of Logan's ass.

"You are not — ah, fuck — you are not fucking me," Logan groaned. His whole body was shaking, trembling with the effort it took not to push his hips back, seeking more of the incredible things Oz was doing to him. "No —"

"Penetration. I know," Oz murmured, his lips ghosting along the skin. "Your loss."

And Logan's thoughts were too muddled to do anything but agree, gasping as the thick, wet heat of Oz's tongue circled the rim of his hole.

"Oh God," Logan moaned, thumping his fist against the wall.

Oz didn't answer. Or maybe he did, his words a low rumble of vibration that Logan could feel all the way down to his bones.

"Oh, God," Logan gasped, unable to keep his hips from rocking forward, then backward, desperate for more of Oz's mouth, his hand, his… everything.

He couldn't stop his eyes rolling back, or his mouth from falling open. He couldn't stop his cock from aching, his ass from clenching. He couldn't stop his entire world from narrowing to nothing but this.

"Oz. Oz, please. Please, please, please," Logan babbled. "Do it."

Oz licked a long, maddening swirl that — Jesus, Logan did not just fucking whimper .

"Do what?" Oz teased innocently.

"Oz," was all Logan could bring himself to say. "Please."

He shuddered as the rough pad of Oz's thumb brushed once again across his now extra-sensitive hole. Squeezing his eyes tight, Logan held still as Oz pushed — not deep enough for the digit to go in, but just hard enough that Logan wanted it to.

"You want me to fuck you," Oz said in a wondering voice.

"No," Logan lied. "Yes. I… Please, Oz. I need — "

"You need me to take you. To fuck you on my fingers, my tongue. Would you take my cock too, if I asked?'

God, right now? Like this? Logan was riled up enough to try. He shifted, pressing back, asking in the only way he could just then. "Please. Please. "