Page 26 of Stop and Seek (Our Childish Games #1)

The silence pressed in hard, like the whole world forgot how to function.

Noah only felt Theo’s heartbeat—fast and panicked under his fingers, trying to punch out of his throat. His own chest squeezed too tight. Too small for the size of the fury boiling inside him.

Aaron made Theo feel like hurting himself.

Aaron got into that beautiful head and broke it.

No wonder Theo didn’t trust anyone. Jesus, how could he?

His hand stayed where it was—curved around Theo’s jaw, gentle. He brushed his thumb along it, catching a tiny shaving cut. That little stupid thing broke him. Made his stomach flip. Made something huge and helpless crash around inside him.

“I’m sorry you had to go through all that shit on your own,” Noah murmured. It burned on the way out.

Theo didn’t answer. His lashes were wet. Eyes glassy. Pupils blown wide. His lips were parted just enough for Noah to see how hard he was breathing—like it hurt to do something so simple .

Noah’s whole body ached to fix it. His muscles screamed for action— do something , say something , be everything .

He wanted to hold Theo down and kiss his sadness out of him, fuck all the broken pieces back into place, or wrap him up and never let anyone near him again.

He could do either. Both. All of it. Whatever Theo wanted.

Because Theo was his . Plain and simple.

Theo blinked furiously. “I just—I don’t really feel like talking about it anymore.”

Noah leaned in, forehead almost brushing Theo’s. He could feel the heat rolling off him—like they were both seconds away from catching fire. His own heart was hammering, wild and stupid.

“Can we… uh,” Theo’s eyes dropped to Noah’s mouth. “Twenty questions. It’s my turn, isn’t it?”

That lip-lick was lethal.

Noah kissed him. Hard. Desperate. He didn’t think. Just lunged. His mouth slammed into Theo’s on instinct, as if the hesitant pieces of himself said fuck it all at once. Theo tasted like chili and soda. Panic. Something sweet underneath.

Theo made a sound—high and shocked—but his mouth opened like he needed Noah to lose control first.

Maybe neither of them knew how to ask for it any other way.

Noah groaned and yanked him closer, hand gripping the side of Theo’s neck, fingers spread wide. He tilted Theo’s face, angled him right, got deeper. His tongue slid in and he took and took and didn’t stop.

And Theo kissed him back.

No bullshit preamble. No questions. He grabbed at Noah’s shirt, yanked him closer with fists full of fabric.

Their knees knocked together. Their teeth hit. The couch creaked loud as hell. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered. It was messy. Sloppy.

It was perfect .

Noah never knew the right thing to say. To do . But this—this he could. He could kiss Theo like he was the only thing left on earth that mattered.

He shoved Theo down onto the couch, hard enough that the cushions wheezed under them. Climbed on top. His head was a mess—white noise and Theo’s mouth and the way his body felt under Noah’s hands.

Fuck Aaron. Fuck everyone else.

Theo groaned, loud and full-bodied, chest arching against Noah’s.

Noah rolled his hips down once—and holy fuck . His cock ground up against Theo’s through two layers of fabric and it was almost too much. His breath caught in his throat. He did it again, slower. Harder.

“I wanna make you feel good,” he panted. Cracked like a teenager on the last word. “Tell me what you want.”

“Hurt me,” Theo whispered. His voice went quiet, weirdly calm. “Don’t… don’t stop unless I tell you to.”

Noah’s brain stuttered, but his hands didn’t. He grabbed Theo’s hips, fingers digging in deep, dragging them together again. Friction burned. His thighs shook. His hand slipped under Theo’s shirt and—skin. Hot. Soft. Ribs like bird bones.

He scraped his nails down Theo’s sides and felt him jolt, muscles twitching.

“Shit,” Theo gasped. “Do it again.”

Noah did it again. Left red trails that would turn dark by tomorrow. He wasn’t thinking about sex anymore. Not really. He was thinking about claiming. About staying.

Theo arched off the couch like Noah had lit a fuse under him.

“ Harder. ”

“I’m gonna hurt you for real if it’s any harder, baby—”

Theo grabbed his throat, thumb pressed right against the notch of his collarbone and he choked. Couldn’t breathe right for a second.

“Give me something else to feel, Noah. Please.”

Yes. Yesyesyesyes. Anything. Whatever you want. I’ll give you everything.

Noah grabbed the back of Theo’s neck and bit down on his shoulder—through the hoodie first, then yanked it down to get at skin. He didn’t stop until Theo hissed, shoulder pushing up into Noah’s mouth.

“You like that?” Noah mumbled, pressing their foreheads together, panting so hard it hurt.

Theo nodded, sharp, wild-eyed, huge glasses sliding down his face. He ripped them off and tossed them without looking.

Noah shoved his thigh between Theo’s legs and ground up again, watching his face the whole time. Bit him again, just above the collarbone, canines sinking in until they clicked together. Until his mouth tasted like warm, wet blood.

Theo cried out , loud— real —hands dragging up under Noah’s shirt, nails raking down his spine like claws. Like Theo needed to mark him, too.

“I’m gonna come in my fucking pants,” Noah groaned. “Jesus. You’re so—fuck— look at you . You like it when I manhandle you, huh? Like it rough?”

“ Don’t stop. ”

That was the only command he needed.

He gripped Theo’s thigh and yanked him up, grinding hard. His other hand slipped under Theo’s waistband and dragged nails over the sharp dip of his hip, the space just above his cock.

Theo sobbed out a noise, wet and broken, and Noah kissed him again, teeth digging into his lower lip. Their bodies moved together, hips grinding in brutal rhythm. Desperation and friction and heat.

Theo came first—loud, shaking, his whole body spasming under Noah’s.The wet heat of it soaked between them, and he gasped Noah’s name like it hurt.

Noah followed seconds later. His hips stuttered, his voice broke into a long groan he bit into Theo’s shoulder. Cum soak through his boxers, through the joggers Theo lent him. His whole body locked up, trembling so bad he couldn’t stop.

Moving wasn’t a fucking possibility. He stayed draped over Theo like a human blanket, breathing in the coconut-blood scent of him. His lips pressed to the bite mark, his hand smoothing over Theo’s hip.

“I’ve never—” Noah started, but the words caught. Scrambled in his throat and turned to jibberish.

Theo didn’t say anything .

Just lay there beneath him, sweaty, chest rising and falling fast enough that Noah could feel every heartbeat press up into his ribs. His nails stayed curled against Noah’s spine, half-moon dents carved deep.

His gaze caught on Theo’s mouth. Red. Swollen. A tiny smear of blood stained the curve of his bottom lip. He looked down farther—to the bite mark just under his collarbone, teeth prints turning purple already, raised and raw.

“Are you—” His voice cracked. “Shit, are you okay? I didn’t—I didn’t go too far, did I? You said harder, and I just—”

“You didn’t.”

Theo’s voice was quiet. Barely there.

He squinted at the ceiling, staring like he expected it to cave in any second.

“I’m waiting for you to go, actually.”

Noah couldn’t have heard that right.

Something must have dislodged in his head.

“What?” he managed. “Why would I leave?”

Theo looked at him then. Just a flick of his eyes—brief and unreadable.

“You got what you wanted.”

Noah’s stomach flipped. Cold water over a still-burning fire.

“What—I didn’t come here to fuck you,” he said, sitting up, still breathless. The pants clung in all the worst places. “I mean—I’m not against it , obviously, but that’s not why I—I brought Chinese . That’s a love language .”

A beat of silence.

Then Theo’s lips twitched. Not quite a smile, but it was close enough that Noah clung to it .

“Don’t you have plans or something, Noah?”

“ With who? ”

Why the hell was nothing making sense ?

Theo stretched out his arm, feeling around on the floor. His fingers curled around his glasses and he put them back on.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I just…”

“You just what ?”

“I assumed you had a date. Alyssa said you might.”

“ What the fuck ,” Noah said under his breath, already spiraling. “Why would she—”

“At the hotel,” Theo added. “She said you had a crush on someone. Thought she heard Max on the phone talking about a date you had to meet.”

Noah opened his mouth. Closed it.

Jesus fucking christ.

Alyssa mixed up personal and work shit and now look at the mess he was in.

“It was you , dipshit,” he burst out.

Theo blinked. Red crept up his neck again, blooming slow across his cheeks like a rash.

“I don’t—”

“No, you don’t get to act shocked!” Noah waved a hand between them, gesturing wildly. “Do you think I go around sharing my favorite noodles with everyone? I don’t food-bond and leave, Theo.”

Theo looked like he might actually combust.

“You told me to ask if I wanted to get to know you. So I did! I came here , brought food, and fucking asked ! This—” He motioned to the creaky cushions. To them . “—this is a bonus !”

Theo’s whole face went bright red. Like someone stuck a heat lamp directly under his skin.

“You’re screwing with me,” he mumbled, but his voice dipped. His eyes darted away too fast.

“I’m not !” Noah dragged both hands down his face. “I’m not fucking Aaron . I’m not—whoever the hell else left you thinking this is all you deserve.”

He swallowed hard.

“I like you. All of you. I—” Was this too much? Probably. But he was already spiraling, and when Noah spiraled, he committed . “I think about you a lot, Theo. Like… an obscene amount.”

Theo’s mouth twitched again. “That’s kinda creepy.”

“But in a hot way, right?” Noah grinned, all shaky relief and the dizzy thrum of hope clawing at his ribs.

Theo didn’t answer.

But he was still smiling.

Theo changed in the other room.

With the door locked.

Why?

What was the point?

It seemed so silly.