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Payton was tempted to pinch himself. He couldn’t believe this was finally happening. He finally had Boone on his knees for him. He glanced at their reflection in the mirror for a moment. He looked…debauched. His hair was a mess—even for him—his lips were swollen, his makeup smudged.

Boone’s hands slid up Payton’s thighs to squeeze his hips, then nosed the fabric of his shirt up, sinking his teeth into his belly until he gasped. Payton yanked Boone back by his hair, forcing his gaze upwards.

“Not getting enough attention, Daddy?”

“Just want to taste you,” Boone rasped, pressing a kiss to the teeth marks he’d left on Payton’s abdomen.

Payton’s whole body felt electric, like one of those glowing orbs that shot lightning to your fingertips wherever you touched it. He lit up under Boone’s touch, warmth pooling in his core like candle wax. Nobody had ever made him feel this way before.

The steamy room had nothing on Payton’s insides; he was so hard he ached from it and they had barely even started. He’d wanted this for so long, from the moment he’d laid eyes on his new headmaster. And now, he finally had him.

The moment Payton loosened his grip, Boone’s gaze returned to his leaking cock, staring at it like a dog salivating over a raw steak, eyes shiny and lips wet. When he looked back up, his gaze was pleading.

Payton wrapped his hand around himself, slowly stroking himself as he stared down at Boone.

“You want this?” Payton asked.

“Yes,” Boone rasped, close enough for his breath to puff against Payton’s skin.

“Maybe I’ll just jerk off on your pretty face instead?” he taunted, running the head of his cock across Boone’s mouth, smearing the fluid gathered there over his soft lips. When he pulled back, Boone’s tongue darted out to taste the bitterness left behind.

Payton soothed his fingers through Boone’s hair. “So good for me.” Boone’s eyelids fluttered at the praise, but he said nothing, just waited. “Open,” Payton demanded.

Boone’s lips parted, his pink tongue peeking out. Payton bit his lower lip as he slid his cock into the exquisite heat of Boone’s mouth. His breath hitched as he immediately closed his lips around him, encasing him in warm, wet silk, wasting no time before he began to suckle him greedily.

“Fucking hell,” Payton moaned.

Boone didn’t bob his head, just nursed at him, sending shocks of pleasure zipping along his spine with every pull. Payton’s eyes rolled behind his lids. It took longer than it should have for him to realize Boone was waiting for Payton to take the lead. He bit back another moan at that, using Boone’s hair to guide him along the length of Payton’s cock.

“You look so hot with your mouth full,” he praised. “I want to fuck your throat.”

Boone groaned in response, sinking down until his lips pressed against Payton’s skin, gagging around his length, throat convulsing around him until he couldn’t stop his hips from bucking up, making Boone heave once more.

Payton tried to pull Boone off, but he made a grumpy sound, refusing to move, his soft tongue working the underside of Payton’s cock. “That’s it. Fuck, your mouth is so hot inside, feels so good,” he babbled.

Payton tightened his fingers in Boone’s hair, dragging his mouth up his cock. Boone hollowed his cheeks as he went, sucking all the way to the tip, the slurping sound obscene in the bathroom’s echo. He couldn’t stop himself from holding him in place and forcing his cock deeper until it was in the tight clench of Boone’s throat once more.

Boone convulsed around him, fighting the intrusion. Payton didn’t let up, alternating between watching him in the mirror and watching Boone struggle to keep his dick nestled in his throat. There was something so hot about watching him struggle.

“Your mouth is criminal,” Payton moaned, eyes locking on the image in the mirror.

It was heaven. It was hell. His mouth had Payton’s thighs quivering and his knees weak. He fucked his throat in tiny aborted thrusts, chasing a rapidly approaching orgasm. Seeing Boone naked on his knees, feeling his mouth, his hands…it was all too much.

Only when Boone’s eyes grew unfocused did Payton release him. He fell back on his knees, a string of saliva connecting his swollen lower lip to the head of Payton’s cock. Boone wrapped his palm around him, stroking him as he sucked in much-needed air.

Payton almost came on the spot when Boone opened his mouth once more, looking up at Payton with pleading eyes. He wanted more? Fuck. Who was he to deny his Daddy what he wanted?

He fed his cock back into the velvety heat, finally giving in and using Boone the way he wanted, fucking himself deeper with each thrust. He didn’t want to hurt him, but it was easy to get lost in it. They looked filthy, obscene, like something out of a bad porno. Boone on his knees, his back muscles on display. Payton, smudged makeup and equally swollen lips, button-down shirt hanging off his shoulders, fingers knotted in Boone’s hair as he fucked his mouth. They were so hot.

Payton wanted to keep watching but he couldn’t not look down, couldn’t ignore his cock disappearing between Boone’s pretty lips. He pressed his palm to Boone’s scratchy cheek, earning another groan. Boone sucked him off like Payton was doing him a favor. Once more, Payton’s hips kicked forward, his blood singing as Boone gagged again, drool pouring from the corners of his mouth.

“So sloppy,” Payton crooned. “Feels so fucking good, though.”

Boone’s eyes flicked upwards, lashes wet with unshed tears, holding his gaze as he once more forced Payton’s cock as deep as it would go. This time, it was Payton who moaned, head slamming against the bathroom wall. Boone held himself there, throat spasming around Payton’s throbbing length, as his body fought his gag reflex.

Payton had to force himself not to hold him in place and just wreck him, fuck into him until his throat was destroyed and Boone was swallowing his release. It just felt so good, this delicious heat churning in his belly. Boone’s cock-sucking game was God-tier.

When Boone pulled off once more, Payton panted, “Done already?” just to hide how close he was to coming.

Boone rolled his eyes, but then dove back in, swallowing Payton’s cock, letting Payton use him how he liked. He fucked into the wet cavern of Boone’s mouth with abandon. He bit down on his lip, his hips working faster, fucking Boone’s throat hard and deep, rapidly losing track of why it was a bad idea to let Boone choke on him.

“Oh, fuck…your mouth…it’s so good. So good. I’m gonna come soon.”

Boone made a pained sound, bringing Payton back to reality. He released him, wincing. “Sorry. Got a little carried away. Are you okay?”

Boone didn’t answer, just gripped Payton’s hips hard enough to bruise, spinning him around. Payton hissed as his bare chest hit the cold wall, his nipples tightening painfully. Boone chuckled, likely at Payton’s pain. Turnabout’s fair play, Payton supposed.

Boone yanked Payton’s shirt—Boone’s shirt—causing buttons to fly across the bathroom as he tugged it down and off, tossing it aside.

“You’ve had your fun,” Boone murmured. “Now, it’s my turn.”

Payton blinked, thoughts dripping, slow and sticky sweet like syrup. How had he lost control of the situation so quickly? “What?” he managed.

Payton sucked in a sharp breath as a loud crack of skin-on-skin filled the smally steamy room, fire blazing across his ass cheek.

Had Boone just…spanked him?

“You heard me,” he rasped, throat wrecked.

Another sharp slap landed when Payton didn’t obey fast enough, ripping a low noise from Payton’s chest, his cock twitching at the sting of pins and needles.

Would he take orders from Boone? Of course. It wasn’t even a question. He loved Boone submitting to him, but he loved submitting just as much. He loved Boone putting him in his place. It was just so much fun battling for dominance.

Boone smoothed rough palms over Payton’s throbbing behind, then squeezed, dragging a moan from him. “Bend over for me, pretty boy.”

Payton struggled to make his body follow his brain’s commands. Boone seemed to take pity on him, guiding his hips away from the wall. Payton let him. He braced his forearm against the drywall, then rested his forehead there, spreading his legs and arching his back, wiggling his ass in Boone’s face.

Boone gave a satisfied grunt. “Fuck, that’s it. Arch for me. You look so pretty like this. Good boy.”

Payton sank his teeth into his bottom lip, biting back the whine creeping up his throat. Boone’s words stoked a fire deep in his belly. He’d pictured this a million times, but none of those fantasies had included Boone bending him over in his bathroom. But maybe they should have.

Boone spread him open, then…nothing. Payton peeked over his shoulder, an embarrassingly desperate noise escaping when he found Boone just hungrily staring at his hole. He couldn’t remember anyone ever looking at him like that before. Payton shook his hips again in what he hoped was an enticing manner, inviting Boone to do more than look.

Boone huffed out a soft laugh, then blew on Payton’s hole. He clenched on nothing, then whined. Boone needed to do something fast or Payton would risk a spanking to wrestle back control. He flinched as something warm and wet hit his rim. Boone had spit on him. He squirmed as Boone pressed his finger in just to the first knuckle, flinching at the slight discomfort. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had something inside him. When Payton tried to push back on it, he retreated.

Payton’s noise of frustration became a gasp as the flat of Boone’s tongue licked him from his perineum to his rim. “ Hnf. ”

Boone did it again, then again. Payton sank his teeth into his forearm to keep from giving voice to the pleas bubbling up inside him. Boone kitten-licked around his entrance, then flicked his tongue in a way that had stars dancing behind his eyelids. When he closed his mouth around him and sucked, Payton couldn’t control his response.

His hand slapped the wall. “Boone,” he gasped.

Boone pulled back, releasing him. Payton chased the feeling, arching his back, not the slightest bit embarrassed about shoving his ass in the man’s face.

Boone laughed at him, giving him another hard slap that had a storm raging in his core. “Make yourself useful. Hold yourself open for me.”

Boone’s words ripped through him, pleasure throbbing in his core. Payton’s thoughts and skin felt sticky. He reached back, spreading himself for Boone, resting his cheek against the wall. Boone dove back in, dropping little kisses around the perimeter of his entrance, biting the inner skin of his cheeks, then soothing it with his soft tongue.

Payton whined as he used the flat of his tongue to prod at his rim before returning to licking and sucking at it. By the time he speared the tip of his tongue against the tight furl, Payton’s legs were shaking, his knees weak.

“You’re so tight here,” Boone marveled. “Come on, pretty boy, let me in.”

Payton’s breath sounded shuddery, even to his own ears. He tried to relax more, but it just felt too good. Boone’s tongue was soft and warm and it stroked over his most delicate parts like silk.

Boone closed his mouth over Payton’s rim and sucked, dragging something close to a scream from him. He hummed in approval, raising goosebumps on Payton’s flesh.

“Please,” Payton begged, ears burning crimson at his own pleading. “Please. I need you inside. Please, Boone.”

Payton jolted as Boone bit down hard on his ass cheek, right over the spot where he’d spanked him. Then he was on his feet again, pulling Payton against him, his back to Boone’s chest, one meaty arm around his chest and the other across his waist.

“Please,” Payton said again, head falling to the side as Boone began to kiss his naked shoulder.

Payton’s eyelids fluttered as Boone dragged his lips up the slender column of his throat, breath hot against his skin. He gripped Payton’s hair, then twisted him so he could capture his mouth in a filthy kiss. “Okay, little monster. I got you.”

Payton hated how much hearing him say that soothed him. Boone pivoted them both, then caught Payton’s gaze in the mirror. “You know what to do.”

Payton bent over the sink, pressing his naked ass against Boone’s pelvis, groaning as his cock slotted between his ass cheeks. Boone gripped his hips, pulling him back hard, like he couldn’t help himself, dragging his cock along the cleft, using his own spit to slick his way.

“Boone…” Payton whined.

Boone bent over to sink his teeth into Payton’s shoulder blade. “Yeah. Yeah, okay. Fuck.”

Payton watched in the reflection as Boone opened the medicine cabinet, tossing the lube into the sink in front of him. When Boone pulled out the box of condoms, Payton twisted around to look at him, face falling. “Do we have to?”

“We should. It’s the responsible thing to do.”

Payton refrained from rolling his eyes. “Please?”

Boone blinked at him. “You really don’t want to?”

“Do you?” Payton countered, incredulous.

“Of course not.”

Payton felt something unknot within him. “Then don’t. They test us all here every three months. I’m negative. I’m on PrEP.” He could see Boone slowly caving. “Please, Daddy. I want to feel you come inside me.”

“Christ, Payton,” Boone muttered. “It’s gonna get messy.”

“It’s my ass,” Payton said. “I want you to make a mess of me.”

He could see Boone cracking like a shattered mirror. Payton caught his gaze in the mirror, eyes pleading. “Don’t you wanna breed me?”

Boone snarled, hips snapping against Payton’s ass almost like a reflex.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Payton murmured.

Boone snorted. “Like you ever let me say no, anyway.”

Payton’s heart stuttered behind his ribs, warmth flooding his chest. What was wrong with him? He’d never had this feeling with anyone else before. It was confusing, foreign, but so, so addictive. Payton couldn’t get enough of Boone, of the chemical reactions his presence caused inside him. It was starting to become a problem.

When he realized Boone was waiting for an answer, he tried to pretend he was nonchalant. “Good point. Finger me. I need your dick inside me, like, yesterday.”

Boone huffed out a surprised laugh, and his smile was almost…fond. “You’re so fucking bossy.”

Once more, Payton’s belly swooped. Boone had never looked at him the way he was right now. He’d seen him stern, irritated, disapproving…but never like he wanted Payton in anything but a carnal way.

Boone landed another hard slap on Payton’s ass, driving the breath from his lungs. Payton glared at him in the mirror, charmed by the single raised brow he got in return.

Payton’s head spun. He felt weirdly untethered. “You’re more into this Daddy thing than I thought,” he forced himself to say.

Boone smirked at him in the mirror. “You have no idea.”

Boone took the lube, his ravenous gaze holding Payton hostage in the mirror. He watched him coat his fingers, rubbing them together to warm it. The fog of steam was long gone, the mirror clear but for some droplets clinging to the outer edges. Something wet still clung to the air, making the bathroom warm and cozy despite the marble countertop propping up Payton’s forearms.

He jumped as a finger probed at his rim, circling it almost delicately. Payton grunted in frustration, trying to help Boone by pushing back on it.

“Boone…” he whined, dragging out his name. “What are you waiting for?

Boone smirked at him, gaze dropping to where his finger teased him. “Now, it’s Boone, huh? What happened to Daddy?”

Payton huffed. “Da?—”

The honorific became a soft cry as Boone’s finger pushed inside without warning, sinking to the third knuckle. Payton’s head dropped, squishing his cheek against his forearm.

“Better, bossy?” Boone teased, pumping his finger in and out, still watching where they were joined, like watching him disappear inside Payton’s body turned him on. It turned Payton on, too.

He rocked back on Boone’s thick digit, relieved that Boone didn’t stop him. “I can take another.”

Boone pulled out, then pushed back in, a second finger tucked up next to the first. Payton moaned at the stretch.

“You’re so tight,” Boone muttered, scissoring his fingers as he worked him open. “How are you this tight?”

Payton assumed it was a rhetorical question, but he answered it, anyway. “It’s not easy to finger myself or use toys when I have two roommates. We’re close, but we’re not that close.”

Boone’s gaze flicked to his, fingers thrusting faster. “And before you came here? Did you play with yourself a lot? Fuck yourself on your fingers? Use your toys to get off?”

“All the time,” Payton shot back, rolling his hips, trying—and failing—to get Boone’s fingers where he needed them.

Boone tsked. “Look at you, trying to fuck yourself on my fingers. Such a slut. Calling me Daddy while you try to do everything yourself.”

“You’re taking too long, Daddy ,” Payton taunted, swiveling his hips. “Fuck me faster and I wouldn’t have to try to do it myself.”

Boone pulled out only long enough to add another finger, then pressed back inside. This time, the stretch had Payton’s eyes going wide, the burn taking longer to subside. Boone didn’t wait, though, forcing his fingers deep, like it was a punishment. Payton’s cock throbbed, leaking at the rough treatment. It really had been a while since he’d had anything inside him. And he’d topped for most of his hookups. It was less intimate that way.

Boone met his gaze in the mirror, fingers curling inside him as he dragged them over his inner walls. Fireworks sparked along his nerves as he found his prostate. “Fucking hell. Oh… Oh, that’s a little…”

He cried out again, back bowing. Boone’s fingers knotted in the mess of Payton’s hair, forcing him to look straight ahead as found the spot once again, this time massaging it with purpose.“What’s wrong, little monster?” he crooned. “I thought this was what you wanted?”

“No, I—Yes, but—” Payton couldn’t think. He was on fire, mouth gaping, all thoughts obliterated, the tiniest bit of drool leaking from the corner of his mouth as Boone probed so deep inside him.

“Which is it?” Boone demanded, clearly enjoying having Payton at his mercy for once. He released Payton’s hair. He collapsed like a marionette with cut strings, resting his forehead against his arm once more, feeling like he was floating.

Boone’s fingers disappeared, leaving Payton feeling open and empty. The tell-tale squelch of Boone slicking himself up was music to Payton’s ears. “Please.”

Boone chuckled. “I should have known the key to getting you to behave was to put my dick in you, slut.”

“Tried to tell you…” he mumbled, earning another soft laugh.

Payton didn’t have it in him to be embarrassed. He wasn’t built that way. He would be a slut for Boone if that was what he wanted. He’d be anything. He shivered as Boone leaned over him, placing a barely-there kiss between his shoulder blades.

Boone began to slowly press inside. The searing burn had Payton grimacing. He curled his hands into fists, trying not to tense up, but Boone felt huge, like he was literally splitting him in half.

“So tight,” Boone muttered almost to himself. “Relax, baby.”

“Sorry,” Payton managed, voice tight. “You’re just…bigger than you look.”

Boone soothed his hands over Payton’s now sweaty back, breaching him an inch at a time.

“Is it in?” Payton asked, watching Boone watch himself press into Payton in the mirror. It weirdly made the pain lessen just a little.

“Not yet,” Boone said, gritting his teeth. “‘bout halfway.”

Only halfway? Payton couldn’t take it. He squeezed his eyes shut and pushed his hips back, crying out softly as he impaled himself on Boone’s length. “How about now?”

Boone hissed, grabbing Payton’s waist, holding him still. “Such an impatient little monster. You so desperate to get fucked that you’re willing to hurt yourself?”

“Yes,” Payton hissed, nodding frantically, proving it by fucking back on him just like he had his fingers.

Boone groaned, hands squeezing Payton’s ass cheeks, pulling them apart.

“Look at you. Using me like one of your toys.” Boone chided. Payton gave a soft cry as Boone’s hand came down on his ass cheek again, still working himself on Boone’s cock.

There was disgust in his voice, but one look in the mirror and Payton knew it was all lip service. Just a game they were playing.

“Sorry, Daddy,” Payton simpered. “I just needed it so bad.”

Boone gripped his waist tight enough to bruise, holding him still as he began to fuck him, rolling his hips in slow, deep strokes. Each drag of his cock along Payton’s walls lit up his insides, making his own neglected cock pulse.

“You don’t sound sorry at all. It’s almost like you don’t need me.” He punctuated each sentence with a snap of his hips, making Payton’s toes curl with pleasure. “I should have just sat you on my lap so you could bounce on my cock until you came.”

Payton’s eyes met Boone’s in the mirror. “You still can.”

Boone slowed his thrusts, arching a brow at him. “Yeah?”

Payton nodded, the idea of having total control of Boone far too intoxicating to ignore. When Boone slipped free, Payton grabbed his hand. Boone had just enough time to snatch the lube before Payton was pulling him into the bedroom. He pushed him down on the mattress, eyeing the mirror over the dresser.

“Sit,” he said. “Back against the headboard.”

Boone propped two pillows behind his back. Payton crawled onto the bed as Boone added more lube to his straining erection, now so flushed it looked purple. Payton wasn’t doing much better. He was so hard, he was sure one stroke would have him popping off like an out-of-control garden hose.

Boone watched his ass in the mirror’s reflection.

Payton threw a leg over Boone’s thighs, facing away from him, hovering over his cock. “Put it back in for me?”

Boone groaned. “Jesus.”

Payton sank down, biting his lip at the feel of Boone filling him once more, his hole already aching. By the time he was fully seated, he was breathing heavy, damp with sweat and so, so full. “You’re so much deeper like this.”

“Yeah?”

“Mm,” Payton managed, rising up until only the tip remained, then slammed back down, both of them moaning. “Oh, fuck. This is what I needed.”

Payton began to move, sliding up and down Boone’s cock with abandon, doing whatever made him feel good. When he swiveled his hips, Boone moaned, placing his hands on Payton’s hips but not helping, just touching him.

“Fuck, baby. You feel so fucking good bouncing on me like this. You’re so fucking hot and wet inside, can’t wait to make you wetter. Gonna fuck you full of me.”

Payton whined, working himself over Boone’s cock faster as Boone’s hands slid around to tease his nipples, rolling them between his fingers. Payton arched his back, dropping his head on Boone’s shoulder, letting him lick and suck at the juncture where his neck and shoulder met.

“Fuck, Daddy. So good. So deep. Fuck me so well. So full. Can’t wait for you to fill me up,” Payton babbled, drunk on Boone’s cock even as his thighs burned and his own dick slapped painfully against his belly every time his ass met Boone’s pelvis.

Payton took himself in hand, using his wetness to make the glide slicker.

Boone groaned, still abusing his nipples as he traded licking for biting, teeth sinking into the tendon of his neck, growling into his ear, “You feel so fucking good. Daddy’s gonna give you what you want. Gonna breed you then hold you open so I can watch my cum leak from your fucked out little hole.”

Boone’s words shocked through Payton, his release barreling towards him like a wave. “Oh, God. I’m gonna come.”

“Go ahead, pretty baby. Let me feel you come on my cock.”

Pleasure erupted inside him, spreading to his limbs, his head filling with static as his release spilled over his fist, and he rode out the most intense orgasm of his life before collapsing against Boone’s chest. Boone started to slow his thrusts, but Payton quickly shook his head no.

“No, I want you to come inside me.”

“You’re too sensitive, baby. It will hurt.”

“Good. Use me. Let me be your sex toy.” When Boone didn’t say anything, Payton continued. “Please. I want it to hurt. I want you to fuck me so hard and deep I feel it for days. Come on, Boone. Please. I’ve been good.”

“Fine. Just remember, you asked for this.”

He slipped free of Payton, getting to his knees, bringing Payton with him, putting him on all fours. He thought this was how he’d stay, but the moment he thrust back inside, he grabbed Payton’s wrists and tugged him back, forcing him to bare his whole weight on his shoulders and Boone began to pound into him, his thrusts short and deep.

Every thrust was more painful than the last, Boone’s cock dragging over his swollen prostate, sending jolts of electricity down his spine like he was being shocked again and again. He couldn’t stop the way he whimpered.

“Does it hurt?” Boone grunted, the sound of his hips meeting Payton’s ass loud even with their ragged breathing. Payton could only whimper. “Good. I’m glad it hurts. You’re so fucking stubborn. You deserve this.”

Payton’s cock twitched with interest even as his shoulders burned from the strain.

Boone let him go, then pulled free, flipping him over roughly, throwing Payton’s legs over his shoulders, practically folding him in half before slamming back in.

“Stubborn little shit. Always have to have things your way,” he muttered, voice strained as he fucked Payton hard and fast, lube squelching obscenely. His thighs were sticky and they were both sweaty enough that their bellies were slick with it. Payton focused on anything but the way Boone’s cock was taking him apart from the inside, tearing at what was left of his sanity.

Tears streamed down Payton’s cheeks. He tried to wipe them away, but Boone caught his wrists once more, pinning them to the bed. Payton couldn’t tear his eyes away from Boone’s face. His features were tense, like he was the one in pain. He stared at Payton hungrily, his hips finally falling off-rhythm.

“Gonna come,” he managed before he gave two more small thrusts, then ground his hips against Payton’s ass. He’d never seen anyone’s face when they came before. It had really never mattered if they did or not. But Boone was beautiful. Wrinkles forming between his brows, eyes squeezing shut, lips parting as his mouth fell open in a silent scream. Payton closed his eyes, feeling Boone’s cock pulse as he spilled inside him.

Boone released his wrists and eased his legs back on the bed before collapsing on top of him, dead weight. Payton drew patterns on Boone’s back as they both tried to catch their breaths and come down from their high. Payton grimaced as Boone’s softened cock slipped free, unable to ignore the mess leaking from him onto the mattress.

“I warned you,” Boone muttered, voice muffled.

Payton scoffed. “Whatever. You’re the one who has to sleep in it.”

Boone’s fingers dug into Payton’s side until a giggle erupted, more of Boone’s cum escaping. Payton slapped a hand over his mouth, flushing to the tips of his ears, not from the mess but the laugh itself. If anyone else had attempted to tickle him—with the exception of Gift—Payton would probably be in prison. But with Boone, it was different. Everything was. He didn’t know why or how, but…it just was.

Somehow, in Payton’s head, Boone had been added to the same category as Gift, and Gift was more important to Payton than family. Gift was the only important thing in his life…and now Boone. Payton really wanted to study this phenomenon more, but he was too exhausted.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Boone finally said. “It makes me nervous.”

Payton laughed softly. “You wore me out.”

Boone scoffed. “I doubt that. I’m old.”

Payton rolled his eyes, his hands roaming over the muscular planes of Boone’s back. “Shut up. You are in way better shape than me. You work out all the time. I only do whatever they force me to do as part of the curriculum.”

Boone folded his hands on Payton’s chest, resting his chin there to look up at him. “Am I too heavy?”

Payton let his fingers pet through Boone’s messy hair. “No. It feels nice.”

Boone gave a fond smile, then said, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why did you come here?”

Payton frowned. “Here? Here as in your room?”

“Here as in the school,” Boone clarified.

Payton shrugged. “Why not?”

“Why not?” Boone parroted.

It wasn’t a very interesting answer, but it was the truth. “What else was I gonna do? I was a serial killer in the eyes of the law. It wasn’t like I had many options. Joining the Watch meant I could keep killing. The program is going to crash and burn eventually, but it’s better than prison.”

“What? You think it’s going to crash and burn?” Boone asked, sounding more curious than offended. “You don’t think psychopaths can stick to a code?”

Payton shook his head. “It’s not the students I don’t trust. It’s the people in charge of the program. The ones we never see. The board. The idea behind the program sounds noble, but there’s so much room for manipulation by those in power. Not by foreign governments, but by our own.”

“You think they’ll use the assets for something other than the program intended?”

“Of course, they will. You know the saying: absolute power corrupts absolutely. They’ll find the most disturbed of all the assets and they’ll use them for all the dirty, dirty jobs they could never ask anyone with a conscience to do.”

Boone seemed to chew that over, pressing kisses to Payton’s chest, wherever he could reach.

After a moment, he asked, “You think they’ll ask you?”

Payton nodded almost immediately. He was exactly the type they’d look for. “They’ll ask.”

“But you don’t think you meet their criteria?”

Payton cupped Boone’s cheek, thumb dragging across the stubble on his chin. “Do you think I’m disturbed?”

The moment he asked, he regretted it. Not because he dreaded the answer, but because he was selfish enough to not want Boone thinking too hard about all the reasons he shouldn’t be with him.

“No,” Boone said honestly. “Do you think you’re disturbed?”

“No,” Payton said quietly, then gave a humorless laugh.

“Then why would they ask you?” Boone murmured.

Something churned in Payton’s belly, something ugly. “Because they don’t know me at all. Nobody does,”

He tried to sound casual but saw the way Boone’s brows drew together. “No?”

“I have no interest in doing black ops work,” Payton assured him. “All the people I killed deserved it. That’s why Thomas Mulvaney made an exception for me. Killing doesn’t bother me. I think it’s necessary. Everyone here thinks I don’t have a moral compass, but that’s not true. My true north is just different from others’. I don’t think that everyone deserves the privilege of living.”

Boone studied him for a long moment. “And how do you determine who has lost the privilege?”

That was an easy answer, at least.

“When their existence becomes a detriment to those who can’t defend themselves.”

“Meaning?”

“The people—the people I killed—” Boone pressed another kiss to his sternum, then over his nipple. “Fuck, I can’t think when you’re touching me.”

“Want me to stop?” he asked.

“Do you want me to cry?” Payton countered.

“A little,” Boone admitted. “It was pretty hot.”

Payton flushed. “Shut up.”

“What? You don’t like people seeing you cry?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Payton shot back. “I’ve never cried before.”

Boone’s startled gaze met his. “Never?”

Payton sighed. “Not that I remember. I’m sure I did as a baby, but I couldn’t say. Why? Does that freak you out?”

Boone hesitated, then said, “I don’t know.”

Great. Now, Boone really thought he was a lunatic, psycho killer. He found himself needing to explain. “Look, the people I killed were serial rapists, child molesters, abusers. They weren’t going to change. The longer they were alive, the more harm they would cause.”

“Payton…”

Payton shook his head. “No. Just hear me out.” When Boone nodded, he continued, “Their crimes don’t exist in a vacuum. They ripple outward, destroying not just one life but dozens. If you look at the history of most violent offenders, you’ll find the abuser started as a victim, generation after generation. Dead abuser means no more victims. It breaks the cycle.”

Boone’s teeth worried at his bottom lip before he said, “But where does the line between victim and abuser begin?” Boone asked. “There are fourteen-year-old killers. Fourteen-year-old rapists and pedophiles. Do they deserve to die?”

“It’s not a matter of whether they deserve to die,” Payton said.

“Isn’t it, though?” Boone asked.

Payton knew Boone was just trying to understand. Boone had spent two decades killing any target they put in front of him. Like most agents, he likely didn’t question his orders. There was no doubt Boone had killed someone who some people thought didn’t deserve to die. Still, he struggled to find a way to explain it to him.

Finally, he said, “Think of it like a zombie outbreak.”

Boone huffed out a soft laugh. When Payton stared at him with serious eyes, he gave him a solemn look. “I’m sorry. I’m listening.”

“Say you’re trapped in a building with hundreds of innocent people, all the doors are barricaded so nobody can get in, opening the doors means letting in the hordes, but then you see that someone is infected. There’s no cure, there’s no slowing down the progression. There’s a clock ticking down and soon they’ll turn and everyone will die or be turned themselves. Would you save the one and sacrifice everyone else? No, you’d shoot the infected person because they’re already dead.”

“You think pedophiles and rapists are…already dead?” Boone said.

Payton shook his head. “I think people like that are infected. It sucks, but the moment they developed that predilection, that compulsion to hurt others, they forfeited the right to live. For the greater good.”

“Why not just lock them up?” Boone countered. “Couldn’t you just shove your infected person into a locked room until they die?”

“If the law doled out punishments that meant bad people never got out, that might work. But a pedophile can walk in four months on good behavior. Less than one percent of reported rapes even see jail time. The laws weren’t made to protect the vulnerable. The laws were created back when they thought women and children were property. Did you know, once upon a time, rape was considered a property crime? Like…vandalism? Because it made the woman less valuable to her father or husband.”

Boone was studying him now. Payton blinked back at him, waiting to see if he understood what he was saying.

Boone surprised him when he asked, “Do you…feel bad for the victims?”

“Are you asking if I am capable of compassion?” Payton asked.

Boone seemed to think about it. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

Was he? No. But that didn’t mean he had no feelings at all.

“I’m capable of feeling a lot of things. I don’t feel empathy, but I logically understand the concept of it. Gift says when he hurts for someone, he feels this squeeze in his chest like a physical ache. I don’t have that. I do have anger. I do have rage. I know that people harming the vulnerable pisses me off. But I wasn’t killing for vengeance or to appease some indignation I had. I was doing it because it needed doing and I enjoyed it.”

Boone’s pulse thudded a little harder against his skin. “You…enjoy killing?”

“Didn’t you?” Payton countered. “During all those kills, are you saying you never once felt any kind of rush or thrill when you hit your mark? When you executed a job flawlessly?”

“I don’t know if enjoyment is the right word. I felt the adrenaline rush when things didn’t go to plan, but I don’t know if I enjoyed actually taking a life. Honestly, I didn’t feel any way about it at all. Maybe that makes me the bad guy.”

Payton tilted his head, studying Boone this time. “Does it bother you that I like it?”

“It doesn’t bother me. It…concerns me a bit,” Boone admitted.

Payton’s gaze found his, and he hesitated before asking, “Because you’re worried about me going on a killing spree, or because you think I can’t love you?”

Boone froze. Payton’s heart rate soared, his blood rushing in his ears. Was that the wrong thing to say?

Boone picked up Payton’s hand and kissed his knuckles. It was a painfully old-fashioned gesture, but it made something flutter in his belly.

Finally, Boone said, “I-I see how you are with Gift…with your friends…and I do wonder,” he admitted. “It seems like you love them.”

“I don’t really know what love feels like, but I know what I feel for you and what I feel for Gift are different…but the same. I want to protect Gift. I find him amusing, adorable, fascinating. I like when he’s wrapped in my arms because he’s warm and smells good and he makes these cute little sounds when he’s happy. He’s my best friend.”

“And me?” Boone asked.

Payton wrapped his legs around Boone, cupping his face in his hands and forcing him upwards until his face hovered over Payton’s. “I am…territorial. Possessive. When other people look at you, I want to claw their eyes out. I crave your touch, your voice, the little twitch your mouth makes when I’m annoying you. I value your opinion of me more than anyone’s. I want you to think I’m worth something. Maybe I don’t get that chemical response some neurotypical people do, but when I look at you, I know you’re mine.” Boone stared down at him, pupils almost fully eclipsed. Payton dragged his teeth over his own bottom lip, tongue darting out to wet it before he dared to ask, “Is that enough for you to love me?”

Boone crashed their lips together, swallowing Payton’s startled noise before feeding Payton his tongue in a dirty kiss that started hot but burned out quickly. Payton clung to him as they lazily explored each other’s mouths, lips meeting again and again until Boone finally broke the kiss for good.

“It’s enough,” Boone finally whispered.

Something like relief washed over Payton. “Okay.”

Boone kissed his forehead. “Stay the night?”

Payton shook his head. “I shouldn’t.”

“Fine. Let’s shower together before you go. That way you can go straight to bed. It’s after midnight.”

Payton nodded.

They spent the next hour kissing and exploring each other’s bodies as they washed up. They tried to behave, but it ended with Payton dropping to his knees and blowing Boone while jerking himself off. By the time Payton was dressed, he felt loose, like he would just collapse bonelessly into bed and fall into a dead sleep.

They kissed a few more times at the door before Boone finally pushed him out with a grin. Payton stepped into the darkened hallways, walking back to his dorm on auto-pilot. The dim security lights didn’t provide much help in navigating the empty buildings, but most people weren’t out of their rooms this late, anyways.

Payton used his keycard to get into the dorms, the quiet almost overwhelming. He was passing by the common room when he heard it: a masculine grunt, a soft cry, and then another noise Payton couldn’t put his finger on. A slow smile spread over his face. Was someone having a conjugal visit in the common room? Maybe there was something in the air.

He only made it two steps before he heard a girl say, “Is that supposed to scare me?”

The voice was familiar. He walked back, trying to see into the room, but the door had only been left open about an inch. Whoever was inside was in the corner of the room where they couldn’t be seen.

The person who answered seemed much more aware of the fact that they weren’t supposed to be in there, their words a hissing whisper that Payton couldn’t make out.

“Fuck you. I could just tell them everything, you know. I’m not gonna get in trouble for this. It has nothing to do with me.”

The response was lost.

“I won’t keep my voice down,” she said, raising her voice as if to prove her point. “This wasn’t the deal. You said the only person who would get in trouble was Remi, but now, I’m the one going before the board. I could get kicked out of here because of you.”

Was that…Navy? What was she doing? Who was she talking to? Were they the blackmailer? Fuck. He needed to know who she was talking to. But he couldn’t push the door open. He looked around for some place to hide until they came out, but there was nothing adjacent to the room that would provide any shelter.

“No. No. I trusted you. I don’t care if it’s— guh. ”

Navy’s words died on a wet grunt and a garbled sound, then there was a grunt and a low whimper. Payton fell through the door, stopping short at the scene before him. Navy was on the ground, blood bubbling from her lips, a growing crimson puddle beneath her.

She reached out her hand to him, eyes lighting up like she thought she was saved. “Payton…” she whispered, blood misting in the air at his name.

Payton caught a movement, eyes darting to Navy’s attacker. They weren’t very tall, their shoulders narrow, but the serrated blade in their hand made them larger than life as far as threats went. When he raised his eyes to meet the assailant’s, his brain glitched as he took in huge black eyes and a creepy red grin. They were rushing at him when he realized they were wearing a mask. A doll mask. Payton vaguely thought of Lady Watchtower with her weird plastic smile.

He surged towards the masked stranger, hoping to catch them by surprise. He grabbed their arm, digging his thumb into their wrist until they dropped the knife. The attacker shoved Payton off them. Payton lunged forward, fist drawn back to punch them. But before he could, something met his head. The hollow thunk reminded Payton of an overly ripe melon. He hit his knees, vision doubling before righting itself. Pain exploded in his head, then throbbed along with his rapid heartbeat. He crumpled to the floor, eyes landing on Navy, who was staring right at him, unblinking.

As he fought to stay conscious, he couldn’t help but notice the once white dog on her sunshine yellow pajama top was now completely red, the stain bleeding outward. It would soon overtake her whole top. Snoopy, his brain supplied unhelpfully.

Then everything went black.