Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hero had been told on more than one occasion that his type of love is… unorthodox at best. For most people, love was something that came naturally and formed from affection and (for the most part) respect for another person. It was a heat that could burn passionately, warm the heart, or simply sustain someone through the coldest times in their lives. And Hero had all of that… except that there was more to it.

Hero had many types of love, but he didn’t know of many people who had the same “type” of love as him. As far as he was aware, it was something that ran in his family. It was, to put it in the gentlest of terms, an obsession with another person. The desire to protect, possess, adore, and care for someone he considered His came as naturally and as fiercely to Hero as passion and lust came to other people. Hero couldn’t control it. In fact, it drove him insane to work against his natural inclinations. So, rather than fight them, he leaned into them and learned to control them. At least, that was what he had been taught.

This obsession was something born to Hero’s bloodline and located on his paternal side. It was a guarded secret of the family since most people wouldn’t and couldn’t understand the depths of desire that those afflicted with this obsession could feel. They would consider it a mental illness. Hero and his family members like him saw it like a weapon to protect or hurt depending on the training they had and the way that they wielded it.

He’d heard the story before:

His father and mother had raised Hero like the normal little boy that he was, but then one day Kel was born. Hero had been three years old, had been sat down in the living room chair, and had been carefully handed his infant younger brother to hold for the camera. Hero had taken one look at Kel’s bright toothless smile and big round eyes and had fallen in love with him instantly. It was clear on his face and in the hunger in his eyes as he had curled himself around Kel protectively, had gently touched his red cheeks, and had let Kel suck on his hand. He had looked at his parents and had declared that Kel was His brother.

His mother had thought it adorable, but his father… his father had known what Hero had actually meant. He had known in that moment that his eldest son was just like him, and that meant he had to be raised a little differently.

It wasn’t a problem, really. It was only natural for older brothers to be protective and caring over their younger sibling. Hero often sought out his mother to spend time with the infant Kel, and had kept a close eye on him. He would share his toys, and demand to learn how to care for Kel himself even though Hero was far too young for it. He would trail on his mother and father’s heels when they walked around with Kel in their arms, and he would lay beside the baby to play with Kel on his blanket during Tummy Time. The love in his eyes was clear, and Kel loved his older brother in return. He grew up swaddled in his big brother’s protective warmth, and there were many family pictures to prove it. There was no need to temper this type of behavior, Hero’s mother said, except for when Hero got a little ahead of himself. So, Hero was hardly ever dissuaded from acting on his feelings for Kel.

But Kel and Hero were not the same. Their love was not the same kind. And Hero’s father had known that he needed to be the one to teach Hero how to wield this ‘weapon’ that he carried, just as he himself had been taught by his grandmother before him.

It wasn’t every generation that one of “their type” was born, but Hero had been lucky to have a father and a great-grandmother who were like him. His father had been taught by his great-grandmother, and his father passed those lessons down onto Hero. Experience from older generations made it easier to learn and know what to expect in terms of behavior for those who were obsessive, and Hero’s father wanted to make sure his son turned out like him. He wanted Hero to find someone that would be His , much like how Hero’s mother was his father’s person. Kel wasn’t exactly the best role… but there wasn’t much to be done except to keep Hero relatively under control for now. He probably would come to love his brother in a fraternal way with time, or so his father hoped.

Hero’s father had been sure to pass down the lessons to his son as Hero had gotten older. Hero was to protect anything and anyone that was considered His because that was exactly what Hero wanted. Those feelings were not considered bad. He was taught when it was appropriate to strike back, when it was acceptable to stake his position, and when to prioritize normality over his unusual impulses.

After all, Hero couldn’t be a slave to his desires. He had to live, and he could not under any circumstances give into the desire to lock what was His away from the world, destroying the autonomy that person had. Hero was to be a good boy, and if he was a good boy then he would have his father’s support.

Hero’s father desperately did not want to see his son become like some of his ancestors. He could protect him from many things, but not everything. Hero deserved better.

Hero’s father taught him the tips and tricks he would need as he got older. If he was going to have the unorthodox love that Hero’s own father had for Hero’s mother, then Hero needed to figure out how to control himself. He was secretly trained and mentored and scolded away from the eyes of his mother, who was unaware of her eldest son’s quirk. He was given advice on how to handle everyday life, and how to hide his facial reactions when things upset him too much. He was enrolled in martial arts, and secretly trained outside of the more official classes as well. He went on camping trips alone with his father to be taught how to start a fire, how to hide his tracks, how to skin an animal, how to cut so it would hurt but would heal fine, and how bleed something. He was taught how to plan and enact that plan, and what factors to look out for. And most importantly, he was taught when to utilize these tricks.

“We don’t kill,” Hero’s father told him sternly on the last day of their weekend camping trip that had been more of an expedition than a relaxing weekend with the family. All of the usual jovialness that his father presented before others was stripped away out here alone with his eldest son as he showed Hero just how serious he was. Hero understood that his father was the only one who truly understood him, and he respected him greatly for it. He took all of his advice to heart.

“We don’t kill, Hero, except as a final resort. You must be absolutely certain it’s necessary before you take a life to protect what’s yours. I will help you whenever you need it, but you need to always, always be certain that the actions you take are necessary and are not born purely of your emotions. Understand, son?”

“How can I tell the difference?” Hero had asked.

“You’ll know,” his father responded grimly. His hand squeezed his son’s shoulder. “You haven’t yet experienced true conflict. You’ve done a wonderful job protecting what’s Yours -” Hero straightened and preened at the praise, “-but one day you will be facing more people. And you need to keep my lessons in mind, for your sake and theirs. You can’t protect anyone if you ruin your life.”

Hero was a good boy. He was a fast learner who grasped concepts easily and committed them to memory. He took all of the advice he was given, and all of the feelings that he felt, and he would put them in a box to take out and examine during the times of meditation his father forced him to do every day in an effort to make his son more aware of himself. He was to get in touch with his own emotions, he was told, and so Hero did it. And through his contemplation of his circumstances, he reached an enlightenment of sorts.

It was like his father said: if he was to protect what was His , then he would need to arrange the world around him so nobody would ever consider taking him away from what was his.

He could control himself just fine, but there were some things he didn’t want to stop doing. And if he was going to allow himself to do those things – things that normal people shouldn’t do – then he needed to weave a web that obfuscated the views of those who would judge him, and only allow those who would understand him to see the truth.

From a young age he was already proving himself to be a perfect child with a mild-mannered personality. This proved to be the real him, Hero decided from an objective view of himself during meditation, because Hero felt this role came naturally to him without any kind of effort. He loved the praise that he got, and he thrived on the knowledge that he was good and that he didn’t show any signs of his strangeness. He sometimes struggled with his odder parts - such as when he threw a tantrum the first time he had to go to school and leave Kel behind. Or when his classmates started to get annoyed when Hero had kept talking about his little brother proudly, and Hero almost gotten angry enough to throw a punch – but he had done well in controlling himself. He recognized the labels and expectations that were put on him as a good, smart, caring boy… and he learned to manipulate those around him.

(In the future Hero would wonder at what point does it become manipulation when he’s simply tweaking himself to match the expectations already put on him, versus what came naturally to him… but that was a philosophical debate he would have at a much later date with his father when he was old enough to consider it.)

Hero - as defined by those around him - was gentle, smart, caring, and responsible. He did his homework, was scared of bugs, nurtured and adored his little brother, and would only occasionally cause problems like all little boys did. He would fight with Kel sometimes as Kel got bigger, but he was just as quick to settle things. He was a handsome young boy with a sweet smile and a pleasant attitude. His heart was filled with compassion and kindness, and he didn’t like conflict. He was quick to try to talk kids out of fighting, and he was a natural mediator when he tried. He did his chores around the house with gusto, loved his mom and dad, and was what all the neighborhood moms wanted their sons to be like.

Hero was, simply put, as perfect as a young boy could be. And Hero stopped trying to figure out how much of his personality was “true” and how much of it was “forced”. This was who he was now either way, and he couldn’t imagine being anything different. The only thing these people didn’t know about was the obsessive, dark part inside of him that he kept like a trained wolf. He had yet to let it stretch its legs. He hardly needed to. In fact, other than the training he got from his dad, Hero usually forgot about these feelings.

It was only when he experienced spikes of anxiety for Kel did he feel that wolf poke its head up. The obsessive urge to keep an eye on Kel because his brother was out of his sight for too long was what usually reminded him that maybe there really was a darkness inside of him. It was hard to fight against his natural instinct to want to keep Kel inside their house where he knew he could protect him. He had dreams of tying his little body to the bed so that he would stop scraping his knees, or tripping while running. He wanted Kel to stay by his side always, adorably clinging to Hero and telling him how much he loved him, and sleeping in his bed.

But Kel wasn’t like that. He didn’t understand . And worst of all: he was his own person. Kel loved to play outside, and he was brave enough to attempt things that would sometimes end up with him hurting himself. He recovered quickly, but Hero’s anxiety hated it. He felt like crying himself when Kel would burst into tears because he ran face-first into the edge of the table. He panicked the one time Kel climbed to the lowest branch of the tree in their backyard and got stuck. He was stung by a bee from the bushes, and Hero could only watch as his father took care of it.

Hero hated to feel helpless, and he couldn’t stand that he couldn’t control Kel. He fought with his brother about it over the years as he sometimes lost his temper in childish fits. Kel didn’t understand , but his father did. And Hero was scolded for it. Hero had to learn that Kel was his own person, and not the helpless infant Hero had fallen for. Hero loved Kel for who he was, and if Hero followed through on his desire to lock him away, then Kel wouldn’t really be himself, right?

His father drilled this lesson into his head many times, “If you hold a butterfly too tightly in your hands, you will crush it. You must let it fly, because that was what butterflies needed to do, and it was what made them beautiful and ‘them’.”

“But what if it flies away?!” Hero cried in response, distraught and still red-faced from his crying.

His father simply smiled. “Then you build a cage for it big enough so that it can fly, but it never feels trapped. That way it will stay with you forever, but you don’t destroy what it is.” He had glanced at Hero’s mother, then, who was completely happy and oblivious to the true nature of her husband and son. She had no idea how just last week her husband had taken Hero to break the security cameras and the front windows of the store whose owner had been scamming her for a month. If she ever found out, she would be horrified. Hero’s father would make sure she never found out.

His eyes came back to Hero. “Keep, but don’t do anything that would hurt them. You’d never want to hurt what’s Yours , right?”

Hero understood. And Hero learned.

His father suggested he add what he loved about Kel to his meditation reflections so that he never forgot why he didn’t give into his voracious desire to possess. And it helped. He loved everything about his little brother, including the parts that made him get hurt sometimes. He wouldn’t be Kel if he was stripped of those things, so Hero was good. He let Kel be free, and worked on building the cage around him instead.

But the older they got, the more exposed both brothers became to the dangers of the world and the personalities of others. Hero worried for a while about how people might treat his precious little brother once Kel was old enough to interact with strangers, but he didn’t need to worry. Kel was personable, happy, and rarely had problems with anyone that he couldn’t take care of. Bickering among kids was normal, and Hero had to learn to keep his hackles down. His desires – his weapon – must be kept and used only for more serious moments.

Hero could easily watch over Kel and not feel troubled once Kel was old enough to start to be reasoned with. He started to relax, and he felt his tight grip on Kel relaxing with it. His butterfly was allowed to fly around with the knowledge that it would always come to him when it needed. Kel adored his trusted older brother, who he would go to even before going to their parents. Hero didn’t need to worry about him as much. He started to feel an equilibrium forming between himself and the wolf inside of him.

And then when Kel was five and Hero was eight, Mari and Sunny moved in next door.

The brothers greeted their new neighbors on the sidewalk in front of their two houses as the families exchanged greetings and welcomes. Kel was thrilled to have someone his age right next door that he could make friends with. Hero was just as excited. There were a few neighborhood kids that they knew, but none they were particularly close to yet. It was exciting to have people right next door that they could visit that was both of their ages.

Mari, the elder sister who was only a couple months younger than Hero, was pretty and sweet with a smile like the sun and a kindness like a fresh-from-the-dryer blanket on a cold day. Her midnight black hair was long and straight and looked soft to the touch, and her eyes seemed to draw Hero in from the moment he looked into them. She was a little bit shorter than Hero himself as she had introduced herself to the brothers. Her English was a little rough and accented, but understandable. Hero had felt a spark between them immediately and had wondered if maybe… maybe…?

But he was distracted by her younger brother. He was shyer as he hid behind his big sister and peeked out at the brothers curiously. It made Hero wish Kel was like that more. His brother had always been so outgoing. He would’ve liked it if Kel clung to him more. The two of them had some trouble with English since they had only just moved from Japan, Mari’s parents explained to Hero’s parents, but neither brother minded much. Hero liked them both immediately.

“Sunny,” Mari called as she coaxed her little brother out from behind her, “say hi!”

The boy shuffled out, holding her hand tightly, while Hero kept a firm hand on Kel’s shoulder so he wouldn’t jump at Sunny and overwhelm him. Sunny shifted in his bulky sweater, brown eyes so dark they were nearly black, and he gazed up at Hero through his hair, eyes flicking back and forth between the brothers. Both he and his sister were pretty like dolls, but his hair was short and messy as if it had been cut by inexperienced hands a little while back. He was a little taller than Kel, but he seemed smaller because of his nervousness.

“H-Hewwo…” Sunny finally greeted, bowing his head a little. His voice was timid and high-pitched as his accent distorted the word some. He lifted his gaze to lock with Hero’s as he straightened.

A forest fire was set ablaze in Hero’s heart, and Hero had fallen for him instantly.

The world shifted on its axis in a way Hero barely remembered feeling before. If he had adored Kel, then this feeling was even more powerful than that. He felt as if in his very soul he had been latched lock and key to Sunny’s very being. He knew in that moment that Sunny – small, precious, sweet, weak, needing protection, needing Hero - was His.

He would never let this boy go.

No matter how he felt on the inside, though, Hero did not allow it to shine through to the outside. He beamed back, all friendly smiles while the tamed wolf inside of him scratched at the cage to get Sunny into his arms. There was joy on his face that had taken on a slightly manic edge due to his own young age and need of more training even as his eyes softened. Sunny stared at him as Mari and Kel failed to notice anything strange. “Nice to meet you, Sunny! I hope we all become great friends. Right, Kel?”

“Yeah!” Kel beamed, nodding. “We’re gonna be the best friends ever!”

And that was how it began.

Chapter Text

The two sets of siblings caught on like a house on fire. Language barriers couldn’t stop kids from playing and having fun together, and every moment that they could they were all playing with each other. Their backyards became filled with their footprints, and their laughter and voices vibrated deep into the trees and leaves and blades of grass. Mari and Sunny became their best friends, and the four of them were inseparable.

Hero had found some curiosity in Sunny and in comparing how he felt for the boy in reference to Kel. He loved Kel, and he wanted to protect him, but those feelings paled in comparison to the way the beast in him hungered to be around Sunny. The little boy wasn’t just guileless and weak, but he was also clumsy and danger-prone. Within one month of knowing Sunny, the boy had skinned his knees, had stumbled on the stairs of his house, had jabbed his finger with a fork, and had been scratched numerous times by stray cats. Everything about him set Hero’s nerves on edge. He liked Sunny a lot, but it got to the point he was anxious when Sunny was out of his sight. He didn’t know what to do about it.

He had gone to his dad for advice, who had been surprised to hear that Hero had more than one person he had claimed as His . There wasn’t much that he could do, unfortunately, his father had told him. Sunny and Hero were both still little, and Hero could only watch over Sunny when they were all together. He would just have to learn to temper his emotions, and care for Sunny whenever he was with him.

Hero listened, if reluctantly.

If he couldn’t always keep Sunny with him, then Hero would just need to be with him as much as possible. He and Kel hung out with Mari and Sunny as much as possible. Hero played with the push and pull of his desires in reference to Sunny as he touched him, held him, and cuddled him much like he did Kel. Sunny was shy and definitely kind of confused by Hero’s affection, but he had gotten used to it quickly when he saw that it was no threat. It became normal for him to crawl into Hero’s arms and curl up for a nap. He would sit in his lap as Hero cuddled him from behind. He would trail on his heels much like he trailed on Mari’s sometimes.

And with this, Hero was content. He grew addicted to the feeling of Sunny’s hand in his. He felt settled when he was granted permission to have a sleepover with Sunny, and he insisted that the boy share his bed with him. Sunny was truly at his safest and happiest in Hero’s arms, and Hero’s only competition for his affection was Mari.

Mari was Hero’s best friend. Even while he was wrestling with trying to balance out his immature, young desires for Sunny and Kel, he had Mari. She grounded him in a way only his own family had done before. She felt “normal” when Hero felt like his head was spiraling into irrationality. She made him laugh and smile. She had the prettiest eyes, and she treated him like he was normal but not better than anyone else. The girls in Hero’s class all looked at him with melting, puppy-love-filled eyes. It made it hard for him to hang out with them. But Mari never failed to cross that barrier.

In retrospect, Hero thought that was why he didn’t feel competitive against Mari for Sunny’s love. Sunny adored his sister in the same way that Kel adored Hero, although as Kel got older he was growing more independent. Unlike Kel, though, Sunny stayed obedient and listened to Mari. He treasured her in a way that Hero could empathize with. She was like sunlight and warmth on a cold day. It was hard not to want to be around her.

This was fine, Hero thought. The four of them together were perfect. He felt like he always had what was His always within reach. He was happier than he ever had been. He could put up with Sunny being a little clumsy and unlucky because Hero would protect him. He would kiss his boo-boos, and he or Mari would hold the boy until he was done crying. He told Sunny stories about how they would stay together forever, and Sunny nodded eagerly like he couldn’t imagine another future. Kel was Sunny’s best friend, Mari was Hero’s best friend, and Hero would keep all three of them close to him in any way that he could.

Outside of when Hero very occasionally had to help his father or while training, Hero never needed to use the skills passed onto him from his ancestors. His daily life was filled more with maintaining the fine control he was learning to keep a strong grasp on, and continuing to put up the face that everyone expected him to wear. The older he got, the more solidified his role became. He was beloved by his family, adored by his friends, and seen as praiseworthy by acquaintances and adults around him. Hero was strong because of the physical classes he took to teach him wrestling and martial arts, and because of the one-on-one practice he would get with his father. His plate would become more burdened with harder classes as he got older, but it was a steady build. Hero didn’t like exercise much, but he relished in the knowledge that he would be able to handle any obstacle that would be thrown at him.

If he was going to protect what was His , then he needed to be the most capable person around.

Still, though, his greediness grew. He thought of Sunny often, and fretted at the bus loop while waiting with Mari for their brothers to arrive so they could ride home on the bus together. He would wonder every time if something had happened to Sunny when he wasn’t looking. And he was right to worry.

Sunny was a quiet, shy boy. He had been teased because of his accent since he was young, and had stopped talking as much because of it. Hero had tried to hunt down those who had teased him, but he had found out too late about it, and they’d already changed classes as they’d all advanced a grade. Sunny didn’t always tell Hero or Mari about his troubles. He seemed to prefer to suffer than to tell them what happened.

And Hero… Hero couldn’t stand that.

No, he needed to know everything about Sunny. He needed information on him every day. Kel had already been well-trained to fill Hero in on his day since Hero had asked him every day since Kel started going to school how his day was. He knew everything about Kel, but it seemed that Sunny needed to be trained. Sunny seemed to think that when Hero asked, “What did you do today? Did anything happen?” that Hero meant it as a request rather than an order for him to tell Hero everything . Kel was a motor-mouth who gladly rambled about everything he could think of (his cute little brother was so well-trained. Hero loved him so much) but Sunny was close-lipped.

It itched at him. He needed to know, but Sunny wouldn’t tell him. Hero would train Sunny out of that habit slowly but surely, but he needed to know now what was going on with him. So, Hero needed to put cameras in his cage to watch his butterfly when it was out of his sight while he built the cage up.

He started with the easy idea first: Kel. Kel trusted Hero the most and had grown up with Hero’s overprotection. He expected Hero to act in ways that others would find off-putting. If he had talked about Hero’s obsessive closeness with anyone and they had expressed concerns towards him, Kel hadn’t taken them to heart. He heard Hero’s requests as the commands they really were, and he gladly indulged Hero knowing that Hero would never, ever do anything to hurt him.

If Hero told him to sleep in his bed with him, Kel might complain but would do it anyway. He’d eat the food Hero prepared for him. He’d let Hero look over all of his papers and forms from school, and he’d let Hero give him a peck on the cheek as a hello and a goodbye before returning them as well. He might question some of the strange things Hero had in their bedroom (“Whoa, Hero! Where’d you get a zippo lighter from?! That’s dangerous!”) but he would take all of Hero’s words to heart.

Yes, Kel was well-trained. So, when Hero told him that Kel was to tell him everything he knew and learned about Sunny, Kel listened. And when Hero told Kel to keep a close eye on Sunny and to tell him if he noticed anything wrong, well of course Kel would do it! Hero was just looking out for his best friend that Hero adored too. Kel worried about Sunny too sometimes when he saw how his friend was saddened when people made fun of him, so hopefully Hero could help him.

Hero heard all of this, noted the names and descriptions of the people Kel told him about, and he set about enacting justice for what was His.

Notebooks were trashed. Rumors were spread. Bullies turned on those who harassed Sunny. And Hero watched from the background as one of Hero’s acquaintances slammed against the wall the fourth-grade boy who had taken to stealing Sunny’s lunch. He had stood back as the boy had cried, and Hero’s fifth-grade acquaintance warned him against messing with people ever again.

Honestly, Hero thought, some people just needed to realize that they had no power. There were always bigger fish. And Hero, with his genius and brain that was becoming well-trained to manipulate and understand people, knew he was the one who fed those fish.

His fifth-grade acquaintance took Hero’s promise to clear his black mark from his record with the school as payment, and Hero felt his own network of control growing. He’d like to take care of matters with his own hands sometimes, but… he was still young. He had a reputation to maintain. If he could get others to do the dirty work for him now, then all the better.

“Dad,” Hero called one Sunday afternoon as he noticed his father playing a lot with his phone, “what are you doing?”

“Hm?” Dad looked up at Hero’s call and then gave his eldest son a smile. Hero had learned quickly that his father’s own affable personality was just as real as Hero’s was. It made him wonder if it was always the innocuous ones in their family who ended up being like them. He supposed that he would find out when he was old enough for his father to let him read their history book that would one day be passed onto him. “Hello, Hero! Back from visiting Mari and Sunny so soon? That’s a surprise.”

“Their parents are taking them shopping at the bigger store and said I couldn’t come when I asked.” He admitted it with a grudge in his tone. It frustrated him that he couldn’t simply join in on the family outings even if he understood why. He needed to become part of Sunny and Mari’s family. How much longer did he need to wait until he could get married to both of them?

His father laughed at his expression, perhaps reading his thoughts. Hero was normally easy to read, but he was even easier to read when he allowed his true self to shine through. So far only his father got to see it, but he had been letting Kel see it more as time went by. “You’re welcome to hang out with me, then.” He patted the spot on the couch next to him before reaching out to grab the TV remote. He held it out in offering.

Hero took it and sat with him, but gave his father’s phone a curious look again. His father wasn’t someone who was especially addicted to his technology despite the fact that he was very good with it. He had been the one who had been teaching Hero how to hack and code, and whatever Hero didn’t know he could supplement with readings. Hero didn’t understand everything, but that’s why it was a good challenge for him. In this growing day and age of technology, he knew he would need to be very capable with it. After all, he had already used it to protect Sunny once.

“Did you get a new app?” he asked as his father returned to whatever was on his phone. He couldn’t really tell what was going on on the screen.

“Sort of. It’s a new tracker for your mom.”

Hero perked up a little at that, interested. He’d always liked trackers and cameras. When he was younger, he had made it a game to find all of the cameras his father had hidden around the house. There were a lot in the living room and in the master bedroom. Hero didn’t really understand why his father would want a lot of cameras in the bedroom, though, when he was married and lived with the one that was His . However, when his father had given him access to the camera streams of all of the cameras (except the ones in the master bedroom) he had found a new appreciation for them. There was something thrilling about being able to watch Kel when he thought he wasn’t being watched. Kel played some adorable games in the bathtub that were fun to rewatch sometimes.

“New tracker? What happened to the old one?” he asked, leaning in to see what it looked like on this new tracker.

“Oh, it works fine,” Dad waved off the question. “But I wanted to test this brand since it had good reviews, and because I don’t trust Google to be accurate all the time. I prefer something directly to me.”

“How is it?”

A smile – purely hungry and pleased, like a tiger licking its chops after a kill – spread on the man’s lips. Hero felt that curl of pleasure in his own chest and stomach, understanding it. He had felt the same way when Sunny had started to show signs of learning to report his day to Hero. It was a satisfying feeling.

“ Excellent . It connects to her phone when I want it to so I can remotely trigger her camera to check on her whenever I want to.” His tone became warmer and longing, still so in love with his wife after so many years as he bragged, “She’s so cute when she’s focused on her phone. I can even hear Kel talking to her with the speaker.”

“Wow!” Hero cried, impressed. He didn’t have a cell phone yet himself – his mother insisted that Hero didn’t need one until he was in middle school – but he was already eager to start using one. “That actually reminds me, Dad…”

His father continued to gaze at his phone for a few moments longer, but then finally shut the screen off to give his full attention to his son with a questioning hum.

“Can I have my own cameras? Please?” He tried to do what Kel did with his precious puppy-dog eyes. Hero reluctantly fell for them every time, so surely his father would be weak to them too?

His father was more amused than moved, though, by his son’s attempts. “What for?”

“I want to put them in Sunny and Mari’s room,” he answered immediately.

“Whoaaa!” he held up his hands. “I understand where you’re coming from, Hero, but I’m afraid that’s a no.”

Hero’s face fell. “Why not? You do it with Mom.”

“That’s different because we’re married.” He put his hand on Hero’s hair and rubbed it. “You might be a little too young to understand, which is why you’re too young to have your own cameras yet. I might have considered it if Sunny had his own room, but you need to remember that Mari is a growing woman. And she doesn’t need a boy spying on her all of the time.”

“It won’t be all the time,” he said reasonably. “I would only check it sometimes. It’s more for Sunny than for Mari.” He trusted Mari to care for herself, though he still kept an eye on her too. She needed less of a guiding hand than Kel or Sunny did. Though he wasn’t quite sure why he felt this way for his best friend when she didn’t feel like His … but at the same time she was? It was strange. Maybe he just cared for her like he cared and was protective of his mom. He didn’t really know yet.

“No, Hero,” his father told him gently but firmly. Hero deflated, knowing when an argument was lost. “But… I’ll consider it when you’re older and you can really consider the consequences of putting cameras in someone’s bedroom.”

“What kind of consequences?”

“Exactly.”

Hero didn’t really understand it, but he supposed that he would with time. Next year he would get his own phone, and maybe then he’d understand exactly what his father was referring to. At least it wasn’t a complete ‘no’.

Hero was someone who avoided conflict when possible. He didn’t like people raising their voices, and he had never really had a stomach for violence. He would prefer it if people around him were calm and happy rather than at each other’s throats, so he always tried to mediate conflict when possible. He was known for being able to talk down two kids who were arguing on the playground. His easy smile and natural charm made people want to listen to him. He could deal with it if the conflict was with him, or if it was between people he was friendly or not-so-friendly with.

However, he could not and would not put up with anyone who touched what was His. That situation was completely different for him. His repulsion of conflict became null in the wake of the beast growling inside of him. He’d only felt mild cases of it towards Sunny and Kel when he heard about their problems, but he already knew how deep this feeling would go. He’d never seen anything bad happen to Kel or Sunny right in front of him yet, though, so he’d never had to deal with it right away.

That changed one day in the park.

He and Mari were eleven years old, and Sunny and Kel were eight and nine respectively. The four of them had gone to the park along with Hero’s other next-door neighbor Cris and her parents. Hero, Mari, and Cris had been on the basketball court playing a game of Three Square with the chalk boxes Mari had drawn on the ground while Sunny and Kel had been on the main playground. Hero was happy and excited, enjoying the intense game where he was in the King position and making up new rules on the go.

He was in the middle of saying “Line Safety is on” when they heard Sunny cry out and Kel’s voice raised with anger. Hero threw the ball aside as his feet automatically ran to see what was going on. Mari and Cris were right on his heels.

They found a scene where three middle-schoolers were facing off against Kel, who stood between them and a fallen Sunny. The middle schoolers were sneering at the younger boys as two of them sat on top of the monkey bars and one stood in front of Kel.

“You jerks!! Apologize to Sunny right now!” Kel was yelling.

“It’s his own fault he fell,” one of the older boys scoffed.

Hero’s eyes fell on Sunny, who was holding his elbow with tears in his eyes as he climbed to his feet. He was sniffling and trying not to cry, but he had sand on one side of his face. He had clearly fallen.

“You pushed him!” Kel accused before proceeding to push the bully away from Sunny. In response, the kid shoved Kel to the dirt.

Hero saw red. He heard the rush of blood in his ears. The beast – usually kept contained – broke free of its cage. A sense of furious calm, like the eye of a hurricane, filled his head. And he didn’t remember the next few moments well.

He recalled his fist slamming into the one boy’s face before his hands had grabbed the hanging legs of one of the friends sitting on the monkey bars. He remembered yanking the boy down and through the rungs of the bars, careless of how it hurt the older child before he hit the dirt. Hero was on top of that first boy right afterwards, and the next few moments was a flurry of fists, teeth, screaming, sand, hurt, and the feeling of someone’s nose breaking under his fist.

It felt like it lasted hours, but it was only about thirty seconds before Mari and Cris’s screams for help had summoned adults, and Hero was pulled away from his terrified victims. The dark look on his face didn’t go away even as he reluctantly allowed himself to be separated from his target. His father’s strict words about control, control, control rang in his head. Revenge must equal the slight against what was His , even if Hero wanted to do more. So, he let it go for now.

He still wasn’t satisfied, though. That beating wasn’t enough. Not for Sunny’s injured arm, and not for the injuries sustained to Kel when Hero saw that his brother had jumped in to help him at some point.

He was escorted home, scolded by his mother, and sent to his room. She had been more shocked to hear about the fight than anything, and had given him and Kel a light punishment when she had heard the full story. Still, though, she didn’t condone fighting, and so he had been sent to his room without dinner.

Hero had stewed in his bedroom, pacing as the anger had not faded. His mind filled with plans and ideas. He hated that he had been punished when he felt like he had done right . He was resentful of it. He was mad that he had been stopped. He didn’t feel content yet. It made him want to punch something very, very badly despite how his knuckles hurt and his cheek was swollen. It wasn’t enough. He hated that Kel apologized for getting him in trouble. Even his kisses to his brother’s face and holding him close hadn’t satisfied him. He needed to get rid of this feeling.

His father had called his sons into the hallway later that night and made Hero repeat the story with Kel once he had gotten home to hear what had happened. Then he had sent Kel away to talk alone with Hero after he had checked his youngest son’s injuries.

He kneeled down in front of Hero, took note of the dark expression still lingering on Hero’s face, and simply said, “You did good holding back, Hero. Now… go finish the job.”

It was nearly midnight when Hero snuck out of the front of the house dressed in black to get his bicycle out of the garage. His head buzzed with the thrill of the hunt, and his teeth were on edge as if waiting to sink into meat. He hungered to get back at those who dared to hurt what was His , and with his father’s blessing he felt completely justified. He didn’t know exactly where he needed to go, but he knew most of this neighborhood. He could figure out which houses he needed to go to.

Hero hadn’t heard her leave the house, so he startled badly when Mari’s voice called out, “What are you doing?”

He whipped his head to see her standing on the sidewalk in front of his house. She was dressed in a two-piece pajama set with a frown on her face. She was wearing slippers, and her hair was mussed from sleep. She had a confused frown on her face as she looked Hero up and down in the light of the streetlamp.

Hero forced a pleasant expression on his face to hide his rage, but his smile couldn’t fully contain the sharpness of the knives hidden there. His pocket was heavy with the switchblade his father had given him for his eleventh birthday. He had gloves on his hands, and a beanie in his pocket for when he arrived at his destination.

“Nothing,” he told her.

She gave him a doubtful look, not believing him in the least. “…Sure.”

“Don’t worry about me,” he told her. “Just go back to sleep, okay?”

“Hero.” Her voice was heavy with her seriousness as she walked over to join him. He couldn’t escape her gaze. His heart raced for more reasons than one near her. She repeated again softly, “What are you doing?”

And Hero… Hero didn’t want to lie to her. He didn’t like lying to the people he loved. He preferred to dodge the truth. But he was high-strung right now, and Mari was his best friend. She had known him for years. Maybe it would be alright to tell her the truth. Mari had always been able to keep a secret. He trusted her. He just wondered if she would accept him.

In his outrage, he wasn’t thinking completely clearly. Mari also had that effect on him. So, he told her the truth. “I’m going to slash the tires on the bikes of those middle schoolers from today because they hurt our brothers.”

Mari startled, eyes widening, and Hero instantly regretted his words. He opened his mouth to take them back with a “just kidding!” but then Mari’s face shifted into something curious.

Her eyes darkened a little. Her frown was pensive. She looked Hero up and down. And then, to his surprise, she said, “I know where they live. Let me put some shoes on and grab my bike. I’m coming with you.”

It was almost surreal to hear that, but he could hardly stop her. The two of them hunted down the houses of the boys, and Mari even helped lift Hero in through the garage window of one house to break in. She hid a few houses down when Hero told her to, and Hero took care of the dirty work. He slashed the tires, and carved an F and U into the paint of one of the bikes for good measure. Then, when he was sure his tracks had been covered, he and Mari returned home.

Mari hadn’t said much during the entire event, but her eyes had cleared when they were done. She held up a hand to high-five him despite how they were both tired from the long night, and then she asked, “Do you think we’ll get in trouble?”

“No,” Hero assured her as he put his gloves into his pocket. “I made sure that we wouldn’t. Don’t worry.” He was confident, and she recognized that.

A smile spread on her face, and she seemed to glow in the light of the streetlamp. Hero was struck by it. “Good. Hehe, I don’t think they’ll be messing with our brothers ever again, right Hero?”

And Hero… Hero fell in love with Mari then and there. In that instant he knew that she would be the woman he would marry.

Chapter Text

Hero’s alarm went off with a soft buzz and the gentle piano music that his mind had come to associate with the command to wake up. His eyes popped open with his hand automatically reaching out for his phone. A yawn cracked his jaw as he pulled the phone over, pressed the button to turn off the alarm, and then settled back down. The sun wasn’t even up yet, but the lightening of the sky could be spotted through the crack in the curtains. Dawn would break soon, which was the perfect time for Hero to wake up. Even so, he was already daydreaming about having a lie-in.

Mari was still fast asleep and curled loosely against Hero’s side. She shifted at his movement, but her body was used to this schedule just as much as Hero’s was and so she didn’t wake. Hero felt a smile pulling at his lips as he took a moment to indulge. He wrapped an arm over her and buried his nose into her hair. He breathed in her presence, grounding himself in the moment, and allowed himself to drift in the comfort of the familiar for just a few beats of his heart before he reluctantly slipped from her side and out of the bed. He stretched once more, abs straining as a chill of goosebumps bubbled on his bare flesh from the loss of warmth, before he adjusted the blanket over Mari’s shoulders.

The apartment was silent with the weight of the tail-end of the night time. Hero could practically feel the sleep that still lingered in the humans around him as he slipped on his half-moon glasses and moved through his apartment to get ready. First things first, he thought as he relieved himself and opened up his phone tracker app by habit. The familiar designs he had set for Mari, Sunny, and Kel were all in their places in their homes. Unsurprising, though it made Hero feel better to be certain. It made him smile when he saw the little sun emoji marker blinking steadily in an apartment that wasn’t too far from his and Mari’s place.

He put his phone away and went to grab his headphones as he pulled off his sleep pants to switch into his jogging clothes. A morning run was absolutely necessary to him, though it always made him think back to the days where he had first begun to really work out. Back when he had been younger he had dreaded having to work out every day. Cardio, some weight training, and more specifically practicing his kicks and punches on his punching bag had been simply the worst. He’d never really grown to like the sensation of sweat coating his skin or the burn of his body being well-used. If those feelings weren’t being associated with activities in bed, then Hero would prefer to turn his nose up at it. But he was consistent, and he had grown used to his routine, and on many occasions his fit body had assisted him where a lazy body would’ve failed him. And that was all of the motivation that he needed.

The pounding of his feet against the concrete sidewalks of the city that was slowly beginning to awaken around him with the sun marked a pace out that Hero unconsciously counted as the recording of his class from yesterday played in his ears. He paid more attention to the lecture so that he could absorb the information even while a part of his mind was already preplanning what he was going to be doing for the day. His morning jogs were the perfect time to mentally set up his schedule, even if he had already known what to expect before.

By the time he made it back home, the sun was well and truly up. Hero jumped into the shower to rinse off the grime of the city before he truly started his day. Teeth brushed, hair styled, and deodorant applied, he set to work on getting breakfast ready. Just in time too since Mari would soon be getting up and ready for her own morning class.

Hero made sure to prepare an omelet for her before he popped it into the microwave to keep it warm as he started to pack up Sunny’s breakfast. It had been at least two days since Hero had last brought him breakfast, so Sunny wouldn’t have a problem if Hero popped by before work to leave him something warm and good to eat. Honestly, Sunny couldn’t subsist off of sugary cereals all of the time! It made Hero shake his head. 

His mom always told him that food was the quickest way to a man’s heart, but so far Hero hadn’t been having a lot of luck on that part. If only his life was so easy that he could lure Sunny in with just his perfect cooking skills alone. Even if Mari insisted that his cooking could even convince the Devil himself to quit his evil deeds, apparently it simply wasn’t enough to sway Sunny’s heart.

He packed up Sunny’s food and took his time to decorate it, carefully making the food into a heart shape before lovingly packing it away into his backpack. Then he moved over to the dining room table so that he could enjoy his own meal. Only then did he take his headphones out of his phone and paused his lecture so that he could plug his headphones into his laptop instead. Time for a pick-me-up over breakfast.

His personal laptop booted up quickly, and it didn’t take long before he was clicking into familiar applications and applying layers of passwords to access hidden areas of his device. Within moments a couple of separate screens popped up. The first few were related to both his online tech job and his side jobs. Checking on the status of various money-making projects he had going as well as whatever assignments he would need to finish after clocking in for the day wouldn’t take him long, so he did so while the most important window appeared on his screen.

The feed from the various cameras in Sunny’s apartment always made something in his heart relax even though logically Hero knew everything was fine. He couldn’t really help that he worried about Sunny frequently when his poor friend had such terrible luck. If Sunny wasn’t accidentally getting hurt, then he was usually dealing with outside forces that actively made his life worse. If Hero hadn’t been with him for most of his life…

No, it’s better not to think about that. It would just upset him.

Instead he casually scanned the different angles from the cameras set up in Sunny’s house before pulling up another window with only the cameras in Sunny’s bedroom. He had every angle covered, and even had microphones set up. Here he could watch Sunny sleeping soundly while curled up hugging one of his Pet Rock stuffed toys that he loved so much. His soft breathing was easily picked up by the high-quality microphones that were positioned and strategically hidden in and around Sunny’s bed. It brought a sappy smile to Hero’s face.

Sunny and Mari looked a lot alike when they were sleeping. They had the same cute face that just screamed with the need for Hero’s kisses. It made his lips tingle with the very thought as he wished that he was already at Sunny’s place now. Honestly, it had been too long since he had truly gotten his fix of Sunny. When was the last time they had cuddled? Hero was feeling neglected.

No time to sulk about it, though. Hero had stuff to do, and the faster he got it done then the faster he would get to go visit Sunny himself. He was on a time limit anyway. He hoped that Mari would wake up and join him soon. 

He worked on his projects for a while, listening with half an ear for the occasional shift and hum Sunny made in his sleep. It made Hero pause once in a while with expectation for Sunny’s rare sleep talking, but the man stayed silent today. He sufficed with just taking a few screenshots of Sunny’s cute sleeping face to add to his collection.

Mari joined him only about twenty minutes later with her long hair messy and her nightgown clinging to her appealingly. Hero gave her an appreciative once-over as he felt the usual boiling in his blood. Both siblings riled him up and his feelings of neglect meant he wanted to hunt down some affection elsewhere, but he had to be good today. That animal couldn’t be allowed to roam free whenever it wanted or else he wouldn’t be able to function in society. Mari might be one of the very few people who knew the true him, but she still held the expectation that he would be normal when the time called for it.

“Good morning,” he greeted as he started to pack his stuff up. He got up to meet her as she placed her breakfast plate down on the table before she wrapped her arms around his waist. Her head tilted up to meet Hero’s good morning kiss where she lingered with the sleepiness of a long, well-rested night. Hero closed his eyes as he happily indulged, trailing his fingers across her ribs and hips before he hugged her to him. Mari giggled at the affectionate peck to her cheek.

“Good morning, Hero. Leaving already?”

“I have to.” He was at least a little mournful to go, but his schedule was packed. “I’m stopping by Sunny’s place to give him breakfast.”

“Aww, he’ll like that. He mentioned to me that he feels like you dropping breakfast off for him brings him good luck.” Her tone was a little sly as she said it, eyes sparkling with the knowledge of what her words did to him. A bubble of pride and possessive thrill built in Hero’s chest. He would ride that high all day.

He didn’t let it outwardly show even if he knew that Mari already knew how she affected him. “Did he? Maybe I should bring him breakfast every day, then.”

“You’ll spoil him.”

“He deserves to be spoiled.”

“I know,” she sighed wistfully, “but he doesn’t agree with it. He’ll just be upset if you do too much for him.” She trailed her hand idly over his chest before she brought her hands up to link loosely around his neck. “He’s trying to prove he’s an adult, Hero.”

“I know, I know,” Hero acknowledged. It was disappointing, but he liked that side of Sunny too. Sunny was growing up, and Hero simply had to accept that. “Growing pains,” he lamented half-jokingly.

“For both of us,” she agreed before pulling him down into another kiss. “Now then, go do what you need to. I can meet you for our lunch date at 1 after my class?”

“Absolutely. I’ll see you at… Hm… Want to grab something from the cafe next to the boba place?”

“Only if we can get some tea too!”

“I’ll get your favorite if I beat you there,” he promised while already knowing that he would beat her there. Hero was nothing if not always early for any promised dates with the ones he loved. 

“Thank you, handsome.” Mari gave him a pleased grin and released him with a wave of her hand as Hero departed with a jingle of keys.

Even though Hero owned his own car, he preferred to take public transit to everywhere that he could. In fact, most of his college buddies didn’t even realize he owned a car because of it. That was on purpose, though. His car wasn’t exactly registered with the state anyway, so he’d rather not risk driving it too often. His friends in the police force probably wouldn’t get upset with him, but he didn’t want to set any kind of flags down that might affect his pristine reputation. And so today like everyday Hero hopped on the bus that led directly to Sunny’s apartment.

He could still remember the day that Sunny had told Hero and Mari that his parents were helping him to get an apartment for himself. It had been a nasty shock for both of them since they had been certain that as soon as Sunny graduated high school and had been accepted to college he would move in with them. They had made sure to get an apartment with three bedrooms for that exact reason. Sunny had always seemed excited to move in with them too. Hero had waited a very long time to finally have Sunny under his roof on a more permanent basis. And yet, Sunny had changed his mind.

As… frustrating… as that was, Hero hadn’t protested too much. Sunny was his own person, and Hero and Mari’s attempts to persuade him otherwise had failed. Sunny had gotten it into his head that he needed time to grow alone. But Hero could read between the lines and see that Sunny was uncomfortable with “intruding” on his and Mari’s relationship. Maybe he thought that living alone would somehow allow his rather massive crush on Hero to fade with time.

As if Hero would even allow the plant in Sunny’s heart that he had been watering and caring for since they were children to ever wither. Hero did anything he set his mind to perfectly, after all.

He had decided long ago when he had first seen Sunny for the first time that Sunny was His. In his childish mindset he hadn’t cared to define exactly what kind of relationship he had wanted with Sunny so long as Sunny always wanted Hero by his side. Hero had done everything in his power to make sure Sunny not only didn’t want, but didn’t even think to question Hero’s presence in his life. Hero had long since claimed a place in Sunny’s heart, and he would never give it up.

For now, a platonic and familial relationship was perfectly fine. But Hero would make sure that Sunny was his. The goal was so close yet so far, but Hero was patient. He would wait for Sunny to come to him.

Besides, Hero thought as he exited the bus to head over to Sunny’s apartment, if Sunny wanted to exert some kind of freedom away from Hero, then he would let him maintain the illusion. Sunny had yet to push Hero away and even invited him into his space every chance he got. Whatever plans Sunny had had to “forget” about his love with Hero was clearly failing. Exactly as Hero planned.

He stopped on the sidewalk outside of Sunny’s apartment when he spotted his friend’s car. It was a small thing that Hero and Kel, with their longer legs, had to scrunch themselves into whenever they chose to ride around with Sunny. But it was sturdy and shiny and a good first car for someone who didn’t like driving all that much but needed it for his job-hunting, so Sunny kept it around.

Hero walked around it, checking the status of the machine to see if there were any changes to it. His fingers skimmed across a new scratch on it that hadn’t been there before. The tire pressure seemed good. And when Hero used his copied key to open up the door, it seemed everything was normal inside. Even everything under the hood was good. Excellent, Hero nodded to himself as he closed everything back up and locked it. Sunny hadn’t run into car troubles recently. Hero’s trackers were still in place and nothing was disturbed. It was always good to do a check on this once in a while when Sunny’s terrible luck resulted in some accidents with the vehicle. Nothing serious, luckily, but most of it was preventable as long as Hero took a little bit of time out of his day to give the car a check-up. No need for Sunny to stress over the vehicle when he didn’t understand cars at all. Hero could thank his dad for all of the knowledge he had and utilized with vehicles.

He used his copy of Sunny’s apartment key to quietly enter the house. He took off his shoes and brought his bag over to the fridge to put Sunny’s breakfast away into it. Then he grabbed one of the sticky notes he kept at Sunny’s house to write him a quick, loving note that let him know he had breakfast to eat and to have a good day before he found his way to Sunny’s room.

He was right where Hero had last seen him, though he had rolled back onto his back. Sunny’s fine hair was a messy halo around him and his mouth hung a little open in his sleep as his arms were spread out on his bed. His shoulder was peeking out from where his tank top had slipped down. It made Hero’s jaw clench at the sight, wishing that he could touch and kiss the exposed skin. But he resisted.

He put the sticky note down on Sunny’s bedside table before coming to sit on the edge of his friend’s bed. He reached over to gently brush the hair from Sunny’s face. His heart felt steadier in Sunny’s presence as his mind hummed with the knowledge that Sunny was safe and happy. He was completely unaware of Hero’s presence since he was such a deep sleeper. It was something that Hero would take advantage of (and god, did he imagine taking advantage of it in his fantasies many, many times) but he respected Sunny’s boundaries. Once Hero crossed into that territory – with Sunny’s consent or not – Hero knew there would be no going back for him. And he didn’t want to do anything that would upset the one he loved.

Just this was enough for now, though Hero promised himself some Sunny Cuddle Time soon. Sunny might be an adult trying to exert his adulthood, but he had never been able to resist the best hugs in the world that came from Mari and Hero. And with nobody to shame Sunny out of enjoying snuggling with Hero even though they were this old, Sunny allowed himself to indulge. And Hero would encourage it as much as possible. He needed Sunny Cuddle Time like he needed air, and he was starting to run out of oxygen.

Hero sighed longingly. One day he wouldn’t need to put up all of this resistance, but today was not the day. And so, he leaned over to press a kiss to Sunny’s forehead before he pulled away. He would make sure to see his friend later. After a long day of work and classes, he was sure Sunny would let him get some snuggling in. As much as Hero loved Mari as well, nothing quite compared. He supposed that was just what happened when Hero found what was His . His dad had warned him of this a long time ago, after all.

Hero left Sunny’s apartment not long after, locking up securely afterwards. Sunny’s security wasn’t as good as Hero would like it to be, but Sunny was resistant to Hero’s suggestions to get better locks. He couldn’t do much when the landlord would get mad at any changes, and unfortunately the landlord lived in another state so Hero couldn’t charm him. All the more reason for Hero to worry. He might need to set up more security in this area.

All the more reason to convince Sunny to move in with him and Mari as soon as possible. He would maybe bring it up to him tonight when he found a way to “coincidentally” run into Sunny so that he could go home with him. Maybe they could even all have dinner together. Hero would be sure to buy some groceries.

These were the thoughts in his head as he climbed back on board the bus to head to the nearest train station. The sun was fully up now, and Hero needed to get to his first class of the day.

He managed to find a seat on the train, but he gave it up to offer to an elderly woman to instead stand hanging onto a bar. He shifted on his feet with the rumbling of the train over old tracks as slowly but surely more and more people piled on. Hero didn’t live particularly far from his university, but Sunny lived a bit farther. At least he didn’t live in a bad area like Kel and Aubrey had managed to snag with their two-flat. It made him frown just to think about it. Kel’s place wasn’t very safe, but his place was well-protected after Hero had invested in a good security system for two people he cared about a lot.

Thinking about them made him want to check on them, so Hero pulled out his phone. He plugged in his headphones and logged into the security system in Kel’s place. The feeds were harder to look through on his phone, but he had a little bit of time so he didn’t mind. 

Unsurprisingly, Kel was still fast asleep in bed. He had purposefully signed up for classes that occurred in the afternoon, so he often slept the morning away. Hero was only a little surprised to see that Aubrey was just waking up in Kel’s bed. She was just dressed in a night gown and was utterly aware she was being watched. A blush stole across Hero’s face, feeling a little bad as he saw a little more than he meant to see as Aubrey adjusted herself in her outfit, and clicked through some of the other feeds to distract himself. As much as he was used to spying on Kel, he didn’t mean to invade Aubrey’s privacy that much.

Now he felt guilty. He would have to confess to Mari about having accidentally seen a little too much skin on Aubrey otherwise he would feel like he was cheating. There was a deep level of trust and understanding between him and his girlfriend, and Hero liked to keep the few boundaries that Mari had set up for him. 

(He would apologize to Aubrey too… but both of them were purposefully pretending that Aubrey didn’t know that Hero was… well, who he was. So, he wouldn’t bring it up. The less she knew about just how much Hero knew about her and Kel’s relationship, the better for her.)

Everything was good on security, so Hero switched over instead to his latest recordings that he had downloaded from last night. The recordings featuring Sunny and Kel were labeled in a way only he understood. Luckily, Sunny and Kel had hung out together yesterday and so he only needed to listen to one. Time to find out what was happening with two of his favorite people.

Technology truly was amazing, Hero thought as he closed his eyes and absorbed the casual conversation between the two best friends. Sunny didn’t speak much and allowed Kel to do most of the talking, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was the information that Kel could pull from Sunny. On the old, crappier versions of the application Hero had made just to listen into his friends’ devices Hero had barely been able to hear well. The background noise was usually too high, and Sunny’s soft voice couldn’t be recorded well unless his phone was basically next to his face. But now, with Hero’s updates and having taken advantage of Sunny’s phone falling into the river a few weeks back to give him a better phone, Hero was able to hear them clearly.

And it was worthy information. Sunny had apparently started a new part-time job. He had gotten the email in the middle of his hangout with Kel, so Kel had been the first to know. Still, though, it had been a few hours. Hero was frowned to himself, a little put-out. Why hadn’t Sunny told him or Mari yet? Hero would need to find that out. And he would have to check out where Sunny would be working. It was better to scope these places out early. Sunny often found his way into various part-time jobs, but that just meant more risk to him. He was a danger magnet, and Hero’s job was to protect him.

He would check out Sunny’s email later to get the address of the new workplace, he decided as he climbed off of the train. He had to mentally shift gears from his morning routine into something more grounded now that he was on university grounds. He had to take care of his classes so that he could finish his shift at the volunteer soup kitchen in time to go check on Sunny before the man headed off to work. Sunny preferred to work nights since most of his classes were during the day, so Hero would probably have plenty of time. He also had his lunch date with Mari after his second class.

There was a lot to do, but Hero liked to keep a very busy schedule. He had perfected balancing all of his work, hobbies, free time, Sunny time, Kel time, Mari time, volunteering, work, and side jobs. By the time he fell asleep, it was usually after feeling very fulfilled.

He was told all the time that people didn’t understand how Hero did it. Hero was just grateful he was born a genius, but he had worked hard to get to where he was. Now he just needed to wait to reap the rewards of his work.

Chapter Text

Hero loved his lunch dates with Mari. They were some of his favorite parts of the day in his schedule. Though he lived in the same apartment as her, their schedules just didn’t line up very often. So, Hero enjoyed the moments when he could see his beautiful girlfriend outside of their place clearly enjoying herself. Hero always made sure to pay close attention to her moods and expressions. He was sure he could figure out exactly how she was feeling even if she tried to hide it. He knew that she liked that about him too, which made it a point of pride.

He was spoiled to have her in love with him, he thought as the two of them shared their lunch together at one of the tables on the outskirts of the university campus. Mari’s leg occasionally kicked out and tangled flirtatiously with his before releasing once more. The sun helped to counteract the chill of the late autumnal air, though Hero’s trench coat helped to keep most of the cold out.

One of the first things Hero had been taught as soon as he had been old enough to comprehend that he was different from others was: Do not tell others about the obsession. His father had been regretful as he had taught Hero that rule. The pain that had been in his expression had told Hero more about his feelings on the matter more than anything else. There were some secrets that were better left kept because most people wouldn’t be able to understand. It was seen as a disease. And with the track record of the more noticeable people in his family, Hero had understood why they felt that way.

His father had journals and written history by their family members that were passed from one generation to the next generation about those who were like Hero. They had clippings from newspapers and articles and studies about people who were probably like them. They were called criminals, psychopaths, kidnappers, and rapists. Those were the ones left to their own devices and were a caution story for Hero about what not to become. Those were the people his father desperately wanted to keep Hero from becoming.

“You’re such a smart boy, bud,” Dad had explained as he had hugged Hero to him. “I don’t want your feelings of love to ruin you. Not when it can make you so much better than you are now.”

Hero had read everything over and over again as he got older and was able to understand more of the vocabulary. He had pictured doing some of that stuff to his beloved Sunny or even to his little brother Kel. He’d tossed and turned at night with wide eyes, skin bubbled with goosebumps, horrified with his own imaginations. And the worst part was that… he could picture the temptation of wanting to lock what was His away where others could not find them. He could see himself caving to the desires in his chest. And he promised himself to be better than his ancestors.

It’s not that people like him stopped becoming bad… But it was more that they got better about hiding it. As long as they weren’t hurting those they loved, anything went. So, Hero kept that promise to himself. He would never do anything that would hurt the ones he loved.

Even now, years later, Mari was the only one who knew the truth about him outside of his father. It was a conversation that had been too hard for a younger Hero to try to maneuver himself out of after Mari had helped him commit his first breaking and entering without his father’s help. He had told her everything, and Mari had taken it all in thoughtfully.

“I won’t tell anyone,” she had promised him that day on the swings, holding her pinkie out. Hero had stared at her with surprise before he had crossed his pinkie with hers. They shook on it as she had beamed. “It’ll be our secret. Just don’t leave me out all the time, okay?”

It made Hero grin with amusement to himself as he ducked his head over his boba tea. She had been so cute back then. That pinkie promise had been almost stronger than any other force to keep them together. Now here they were years later practically attached at the hip.

Mari stared at him as she moved her straw around in her drink to suck up a few boba. She chewed them silently before she asked, “What are you smiling to yourself about? Did you remember something good?”

“Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you,” Hero said smoothly as he leaned on his elbow to gaze at her with what was probably a sappy expression. Her hair shined purple in the sunlight where not all of the dark purple dye she had used had faded away. It would be time to renew it soon. “And that you love me despite my… everything.” He didn’t need to specify what he was referring to.

“Oh, Hero,” she crooned, reaching out to brush her palm against his cheek. “You silly boy. Your everything just adds to your charm. Besides,” she pulled her own hand back to lean against it as she giggled a little, “if that stuff makes you bad, then I’m just as bad. It’s not like I’m innocent either.”

“You’ve hardly done as much as I have.”

“No, but I’m still an accomplice. How else were you going to find out about that frat boy party Kel went to without me? You needed a girl to even get in.”

Hero’s expression twisted with disgust right away. Kel and Aubrey’s first few weeks of college had been rough as they had tried to find the right crowd. Hero didn’t know the other university as thoroughly as he knew his own since his brother had decided to go to the one that was easier to get into, but that also meant that other types of people found it easier to get into as well. It had been a good thing he and Mari had been there when the drugs had started flowing. Kel was someone who was very vocal when he was against something, but even he had been having trouble trying to ditch that shithole. 

Hero had decided to take care of the trash later once he and his friends were clear of that nonsense. No need for them to come back into his little brother’s life.

“And I’m grateful for it, even if I wish you would try to not get so involved,” he sighed.

“It’s fun though.” She reached out and trailed a finger up and down his arm, eyes filled with familiar temptation that made Hero’s insides twist with desire and anticipation each time. “I so rarely get to see you like that… It’s a side of you I wish would come out in bed more.”

Hero flushed, straightening. “N-No! I could never!” He ran a hand over his face. “I can’t even imagine…”

“I’m not saying I want you to hurt me or anything! I just think… It might be kind of… hot… if you used some of your, hm, skills on me?”

She was trying to persuade him, but he didn’t know how to explain the different mindset he was in when he was showing that side of himself. Although it didn’t feel much different from how he normally was, he didn’t want to direct any kind of negative energy at the ones he loved. The very thought of it made him unhappy.

Besides, he didn’t want to risk the possibility that he would like it. Just like how he refused to touch Sunny without Sunny’s permission despite how easy it would be, he refused to even roleplay the idea with Mari. He didn’t think that she understood just how much Hero struggled to keep his darker impulses and desires in check. He was afraid if she knew, she would become scared of him. Or worse, she would keep him away from Sunny, who was the real target of those darker desires. He loved Mari, but she wasn’t His in the same way that Sunny was.

She noticed his hesitation and frowned. “If it bothers you that much…” she started but didn’t finish.

He smiled apologetically at her. “I don’t want to hurt you, honey. I promised, after all.”

Mari tilted her head thoughtfully, brows furrowed. Then she said, “If bondage is done right, it doesn’t really hurt.”

Hero blinked at her. Blinked again. “Wait, bondage?”

She blinked back. “What did you think I was talking about?”

“I… Well, I thought you were talking about…” He paused. He rewound his own thoughts. Then he laughed. “Wait, I think I was thinking of something else. What were you thinking of?”

Mari knew better than to question his mind sometimes. She was well-trained to understand when Hero was dodging the particulars of his mindset. And luckily for him, she was thinking of something different. And she had some interesting ideas. Hero hadn’t really considered some of the things she seemed to be getting hot for. He didn’t really understand her clearly having a fondness for his “darker” side, but it might be something worth getting into. He just didn’t really understand why she seemed to want him to treat her like some of the people he’d had to deal with in the past to clear the trash from around what was His. But if it made her happy… he would consider it.

His phone alarm beeped three times to alert him that his time was up. He had to head off to his next class, sadly. He gave a sigh as he turned off the alarm and gathered up their trash. He tossed it out before Mari asked, “Time for you to go?”

“Yes, which means you can get an early start to the concert hall,” Hero told her with a peck on the lips. “Your classes are being held there today.”

“I know,” she told him with an amused roll of her eyes.

“I just wanted to make sure you knew!”

“And what about you? When’s dinner? Or should I prepare for myself?”

“Oh.” Right. He had totally forgotten to mention it to her. “Actually, I’m thinking we have dinner at Sunny’s place. He started a new part-time job, and I figured I could make him a congratulatory meal. I can text you when to meet me there?”

“He started a new job?” Mari said with surprise. “He didn’t tell me!”

“Me neither. I had to find out on my own.” He was still a little bothered by that. 

“Where is it?” 

“It’s a pizza place. I’ll send you a picture when I’m there. I think we’ve been there before, but a visual will help me.” He glanced at the watch on his wrist. He had to get going. “I wish I had time to scope the place out earlier, but I’m not going to get there until around the same time as Sunny anyway. Gonna see if he’ll be taking his car or transit. And since he works nights…”

“You have to make sure it’s safe,” she nodded in agreement. She cupped his cheek and pressed a kiss to the opposite side. “Thank you for always looking out for him, Hero.”

Hero smiled at her. “It’s my pleasure. Besides,” he paused to shrug on his black backpack as he turned to walk away, calling back to her, “I’ll make sure Sunny rewards me tonight too.”

Mari just laughed at that. “Good luck!” she called, waving him a goodbye as he set off. He waved back before turning away. No, he was certain he would get a reward from Sunny. It was just a matter of deciding what.

Evening was rapidly approaching as Hero finished with his school priorities. Just in time as he saw that Sunny was still sitting in his class on campus. All that Hero really needed to do was wait around for Sunny to leave. Knowing his friend, he would almost certainly be going straight to his first day on the job when he got out of class. And Hero was correct.

Following after Sunny was second nature for him by now. Sunny was usually unaware and uncaring about his surroundings as he often walked around with headphones in and didn’t check for any followers. Which Hero lamented because it would be good if Sunny was more cautious. He was an attractive man who he had heard people compliment on many occasions. Sunny had an unnerving knack for drawing the eye despite how he didn’t really have any outstanding features. But just as Mari was beautiful, so was Sunny. And combined with Sunny’s bad luck it meant that he had unsavory people that liked to float around him and find him.

Though, Hero thought as he noticed that Sunny was taking public transit today, that would be Hero’s fault. Sunny almost never became aware of the things that Hero rescued him from. People problems were Hero’s to handle whenever possible. Though even Hero couldn’t be by Sunny’s side all of the time, so slip-ups happened. He would hope those would be enough to make Sunny cautious, but Hero also supposed that because Sunny was so relaxed it meant that Hero was good at his job.

The pizza place was a train ride and a bus ride away from where Sunny usually lived. Based on the email correspondence and checking on the job requirements, Sunny would be occasionally acting as a delivery boy using the company’s moped. But otherwise Sunny would be rotating inside of the shop. A lot of work, but nothing Sunny hadn’t done before. And it paid alright for what it was while allowing flexibility for Sunny’s schooling. Not bad.

Across the street from the pizza shop was a diner that had a great view of the storefront. Hero was able to easily see in through the large glass storefront of the pseudo-Italian place. The diner was easy enough to hang out in too since it was meant for late night patrons. A little charming with the hostess, a small coffee and the waitress’s bashful and eager suggestion for a dessert to satisfy Hero’s “sweet tooth”, and Hero was set up and ready to be there for a few hours. And just in case he needed to leave for appearance’s sake, he had seen a pretty easy way to climb up onto a nearby building. He would just need to hack the cameras. That would be a job for tonight since now he had some free time between doing his online jobs.

Hero was actually rather proud of Sunny as he watched his friend nod as he was being instructed before being sent off. Sunny had taken Hero’s instruction on how to pick and choose his jobs well. It got Hero’s nod of approval as he popped open his laptop and got to work. Nobody was behind or around him since he had gotten the corner booth, so he could work without any problems as he connected to the pizza shop’s wifi and broke in. Time to get hacking.

Not many people would suspect that Hero was a bad person. His years of training with his father, his understanding of people around him, and a pristine reputation that he had built up everywhere he went through his helpfulness and friendliness had curated a person that people only looked at with the fondest of expressions. Hero had never met a person who didn’t like him unless they were an enemy of his. And the people who did realize that Hero wasn’t totally what he seemed couldn’t get their voices to reach far enough either through threat, manipulation, or simply the fact that nobody could believe such rumors of violence from Hero of all people.

Even Hero’s way of dressing was curated to push this appearance and mentality. Though he would actually consider himself to be a very kind, caring, and tender person, he’d had to tweak his outfits so that people also saw him in that way. He was well-dressed almost all the time except when he went out with friends. He hid the occasional flash of dark eyes beneath his half-moon glasses. He liked his button-down shirts, sweater-vests, and an occasional tie to wear. But he also liked to show that he was casual and not come off as stuffy, so he typically wore them with jeans and some nice sneakers. Even now he had his jeans rolled up a little to show off some of his legs. He was still young, so it wouldn’t do to look like he was in his thirties already (as Mari liked to put it). And when it was cold (like today) he wore his off-grey trench coat.  

Aubrey liked to joke with him that he looked like a college professor when he wasn’t wearing his t-shirts and shorts like he used to in high school. Hero couldn’t disagree. Based on the reactions he got from people around him, he was approachable and attractive without standing out too much. That was what Hero wanted. He wanted people to know him for him, but he wanted to be able to blend into a crowd as well. Who would look at him and think ‘dangerous’?

Hero beamed to himself as he successfully got access to the low-quality cameras of Sunny’s new workplace and was greeted with Sunny in a new uniform. It sent a thrill up Hero’s spine to see. His cute billed hat, apron, and striped red and white shirt was absolutely adorable. He could already just imagine Sunny covered in flour, or maybe with some pizza sauce on his face. He would look so cute and shy, embarrassed to be caught a mess, but Hero wouldn’t mind. He would gladly help to clean him off. Hero would love to be able to push him back against the nearest counter and lick the sauce from his cheek before kissing him to share the flavor. Sunny could reach up and pull him in even more as he whimpered Hero’s name in that cute voice that had deepened a little over the years but still sounded just as pleasant to Hero’s ears since the first hello. And Hero could just–

“Here’s your coffee and banana creme pie,” the waitress interrupted Hero’s idle fantasies just in time. He blinked back to himself as his eyes darted to her. He could tell that she was attracted to him by the way she smiled with just a hint of flirtatiousness. She had put on some more lipstick in a hurry since the time she had taken Hero’s order. “Is there anything else I can get for you?”

“No, thank you! I appreciate it. I’ll be here for a little bit since I’ll be doing work, but I’ll be sure to call you over when I’m ready for more,” he smiled at her, tilting his head in a friendly manner. He knew that he could be as charming as he wanted. It made him feel a little bit awkward to use it all of the time, but his dad had been right when he had explained it was their best weapon. He just had to be careful about using it in front of Mari since she didn’t like it. But he made sure to use it a little more in front of Sunny since it made him jealous.

“Al-Alright!” she stuttered briefly with a nod. “I’ll come back to check on you later. Enjoy!”

The coffee was alright and the pie was tasty, but Hero wasn’t exactly invested in either as he went back to work. Honestly, the camera quality in this place was bland. Hero desperately wanted to take some pictures of Sunny in his new uniform, but he couldn’t do it with screenshots of this quality. And his good camera, despite being in his bag, would be too obvious to use in such a public place even though the zoom was excellent. He would have to satisfy himself with his small palm camera to get a few sneaky shots in, or he would need to get closer. He could do that later.

It didn’t take him as long as he expected to dig up everything he needed to know about Sunny’s workplace and the people who worked there. Searching through social media was pretty easy once Hero had figured out how easily everyone put all of their information online, and there was nobody who seemed to be a problem around Sunny. No criminal records either, which was good. Only one gay person, but he seemed pretty happily taken. No threats to Sunny in the area, which meant that Hero could focus on just enjoying Sunny in his cute uniform.

Since he didn’t need to stress too hard about any peculiarities around his unfortunate friend, Hero could focus on his actual work. When he wasn’t communicating with online acquaintances who had helped to teach him to hack and assisted him in return for Hero helping them out, he was working actual online jobs to make money. He had a couple different accounts that he used for different reasons, and one of them was tied back to an old bank account that had been in the family since at least the 1800s. Hero made sure to help keep that one stocked since he would be helping to pass it onto the next generation of people like them, should they appear in the time that Hero was alive. He was always prepared in case maybe his own future child ended up like him.

Besides, he needed money to fund his endeavors. He couldn’t go dipping into the funds that he purposefully put into his and Mari’s joint account outside of simple purchases for the household. And he needed to keep a separate account as well just in case there was any trouble that occurred. He made good money doing what he did, and luckily he could speed through them with surprising skill. But Hero had always been excellent at anything he set his mind to.

He easily burned away a few hours at the diner, but chose not to eat too much since he had to plan for dinner. He made a shopping list for himself to grab before he headed over to Sunny’s place before he packed away his stuff. He checked his phone and grinned at Mari’s enthusiastic reaction to a candid photo of Sunny in his workplace. Then he paid for his meal, left a hefty tip, and exited. Time to act.

He pretended to be on his phone as he entered the pizza shop. It was empty except for the two employees as closing time was in ten minutes. The ringing of the bell above the door caused both employees to look Hero’s way (even he could hear the judgment of a customer coming into a food establishment ten minutes before they were supposed to close) so he put on a sheepish smile in apology before freezing as he pretended to notice Sunny for the first time.

“Whoa! Sunny?” he called.

Sunny looked startled to see him as well. It was always so cute to surprise him. Sunny just never seemed to get used to “running into” Hero out in the city. “Hero?”

“Hey!” He grinned and walked up to the front counter. Since Sunny was running the register, his coworker just eyed him curiously but didn’t approach. “What are you doing here? You work here?”

“I just started today,” Sunny explained. He ran his hands nervously over his apron. “What… are you doing here?”

“I was gonna grab a small salad or something since I’m starving and I still gotta go make dinner, honestly.” He shrugged a little helplessly. “But I didn’t know you started work here! You should’ve told me!” There was just a touch of scolding in his tone. Sunny didn’t seem to hear it, but he knew enough about Hero’s habits to nod in agreement.

“I just got it,” he murmured. “I was going to call you tonight.” He paused and looked Hero up and down. “So… A salad?”

“Actually,” Hero brushed the question aside, “you guys close soon, right? I won’t get anything then. You’ll be going home after?” Sunny nodded in agreement. “Alright! How about we have dinner at your place, then? We should celebrate your new job! I can let Mari know and we’ll all eat together. What do you think?”

Sunny’s coworker was looking a little more confused from where he was eavesdropping on the conversation and pretending that he wasn’t as he was sweeping. Sunny was unbothered by the question.

“You brought me breakfast this morning,” he said. It sounded like a mild protest. Hero ignored it.

“Did you enjoy it?”

Sunny’s cheeks turned just a bit pink. “I… always love your cooking.”

Hero’s heart felt like it was on fire as his smile widened. He might have already known this information, but hearing it directly from Sunny was always the best. “I’m glad to hear it! So, I’ll make you dinner too! I have something good planned. What time do you think you’ll be done? I’ll run to the store and meet you back here.”

Sunny had to look to his coworker for an approximate time, which was about thirty minutes past closing. That gave Hero plenty of time to run to the closest grocery store and come back, so he let them know that. If he was back early they agreed to let him hang out inside while waiting. And as Hero departed he heard Sunny’s coworker ask,

“Dude, is that your boyfriend? He’s… Whoa.”

Sunny’s voice was quiet, but Hero could hear anyway as Sunny protested a little nervously, “N-No… He’s my sister’s boyfriend…”

“What? But he…” But whatever else he had been about to say, Hero didn’t hear as he exited. Though he could just pull up the application on Sunny’s phone to listen in on him while they were speaking, it would be too late to hear anything else. Tragic, Hero thought, but not a big deal. He preferred when other people assumed he was Sunny’s boyfriend. It was always amusing to see how it affected those around Sunny.

Honestly, Hero lamented to himself as he shoved his hands into his trench coat pockets and glanced up at the streetlamps he passed, he hoped that outsiders would bring up the Hero was flirting with Sunny more and more. Sunny didn’t seem to understand the concept of a polyamory, and Hero was trying to get Sunny to make the first move. This was such a hassle, though. 

Well, he would get his reward for all of his hard work today after dinner that night. A little more forceful flirting would only help, right? He already couldn’t wait. His skin was tingling with the fantasy of having Sunny in his arms already. Soon, he thought, he would finally get his Sunny cuddles.

Chapter Text

Hero was dangerous for Sunny. He’d been a danger to Sunny ever since that first day they had met when he and his family had moved to Faraway Town and was greeted by their friendly next-door neighbors. Looking back Sunny could tell there was something different about Hero, but far too many years had passed for him to be able to properly put into words what it was. Maybe even at five years old he had been able to recognize the aura that emitted from him that drew people in. He was charismatic, boyishly handsome, charming, and one of the sweetest people Sunny had ever had the pleasure of meeting. He was the big brother that he hadn’t known he had wanted, and he was someone that Sunny knew he could always rely on to be there for him. He had comforted Sunny during rough times, encouraged him throughout his life, and always offered his arms for when Sunny needed some physical affection. He was, in essence, everything that Sunny could admire in someone.

The only problem was that he was dating Sunny’s elder sister Mari. And that relationship didn’t seem to be ending any time soon.

It was just another tragedy in the long list of Sunny’s absolutely abysmal love life. He had never been someone who had good fortune to begin with, though, unfortunately. Sometimes he felt like all of his good luck had been used up on the very important people who surrounded him in his life. Kel was his best friend right alongside Basil and Aubrey who had been friends with him since childhood. His parents loved him even if they were strict. And he had a great relationship with his beloved big sister Mari. And then there was Hero, who Sunny felt the luckiest to know despite his rather unfortunate feelings for him.

Whatever luck he had left was definitely minimal at best since Sunny was plagued by misfortune. Injuries, near-accidents, actual accidents, harassment, bullying, and failed attempts to get a lover were just some of the things Sunny had to deal with. It was enough that even Hero had joked that they needed to keep Sunny locked up somewhere safe and sound so that nothing and nobody could hurt him. But Sunny didn’t want to live like that, even if he was mostly a homebody anyway. He liked experiencing new things and meeting new people and trying out stuff that he had never tried before, which was why he occasionally went out of his way to do such things (though, usually with a friend by his side. Sunny didn’t like doing new stuff alone). It was one of the reasons that had led him to going to university in the city with his friends, though his friends and family were reasonably paranoid about Sunny living alone in a city where anything could and probably would go wrong for Sunny. Their worry was enough that even now, nearly a year after Sunny had moved out into his own apartment, Mari and Hero kept trying to convince him to move in with them.

He loved them, but Sunny didn’t think his heart could handle being in such close proximity to Hero all of the time. Even now as he helped to mince the garlic in the kitchen with Hero, Sunny thought it was all too domestic. It made his heart swell with affection as he imagined every day being by Hero’s side and doing such things as cooking together, living together, and even sleeping together. The fantasies that plagued his dreams extended into his daydreams as he worked, wondering how Hero would act if he was his boyfriend.

His coworker Paul had already questioned Sunny earlier thinking that Hero was his boyfriend, so Sunny thought maybe he wouldn’t act too much differently. Paul wasn’t even the first one to make that mistake as everyone at Sunny’s old part-time job in Faraway Town had been convinced that he and Hero had been dating no matter how much he had protested.

It wasn’t even that Sunny had a problem with people thinking he was dating Hero. It was flattering that people thought that he of all people could manage to snag Hero, who was a whole buffet of a man (as his sister Mari had put. He agreed with her). Sunny was just… Sunny. He’d never been one to stand out even in his own friend group. He got nice grades, but nothing spectacular. He could play the violin well, though he only did it as a hobby. And he was okay at making acquaintances pretty much anywhere he went. Even though he and his beautiful sister Mari shared a lot of physical features, Sunny’s deadpan face didn’t really invite others to look at him and think “Wow, he’s hot”. Mari insisted that it would be different if Sunny smiled more, but he’d never really liked smiling when it didn’t come naturally to him.

So, Sunny could let people think he was dating Hero. He would correct them every time, but he guessed that the way that Hero acted around him gave the impression that Hero was dating him. Which… was a problem because Sunny was trying to find a lover. Specifically a lover who wasn’t Hero.

Sunny looked over at Hero, who was wearing the checkered apron that Sunny had gifted him for his 20th birthday that he’d been keeping at Sunny’s apartment since he visited so often. His fringe was pinned back with a cute cat clip that Mari had kept from childhood that had ended up being left in Sunny’s apartment. His sleeves were rolled up to just below his elbows. The shirt flexed underneath the muscles that Hero kept well-hidden beneath his nice shirts and sweater vests. Sunny, who had seen his friend shirtless many times (and fantasized about touching that body so often that sometimes he wondered if it was enough to be considered sexual harassment just to look upon Hero’s abs and back) knew just how built he really was, though it was hard to tell based on the clothes he wore. His jeans fit his ass and thighs perfectly, leaving only a little to the imagination as Sunny’s eyes roved over it as Hero turned away to look in the fridge for an ingredient. 

Sunny swallowed with some trouble, feeling his heart rate pick up with a familiar longing as his blood flowed to tighten his loins a little.

Yes, he… somehow needed to find someone other than Hero to love. 

But Hero made it so difficult. He was dangerous for Sunny.

“All done?” Hero asked when he noticed that Sunny was no longer working. The younger man nodded, earning him a brilliant smile from Hero. “Great! Thanks for the help. I can take it from here.” He made a shooing motion with his hand. “Go relax. This is for you anyway!”

Sunny listened and decided to go take a shower. He reeked of greasy pizza, so he took the time to really clean up while Hero was cooking. 

The problem with trying to get over Hero was that Hero was basically impossible not to love. And Sunny knew that he really was in love with Hero. He knew the difference after years of being by the man’s side and noticing his own changes in his emotions. What was once a familial bond formed from a childhood spent together had transformed into Sunny’s first crush on a man. And his crush had lingered even as his heart had accepted other possibilities in and out of it. Hero was the only one who had consistently stayed and planted his roots, and now Sunny had a meadow in his heart that was impossible to remove no matter how hard he tried.

And god, did he try.

His first real crush had been on his friend Aubrey when he was eleven years old. He had fallen for how cute she was, and he had determined that the feeling was love. He had wanted to hold her hand and maybe even risk kissing her cheek like how he had seen Hero do to Mari. He had wanted some of that love for himself, so he had worked up all of the courage that he’d had in his young body to confess to her.

Aubrey had been surprised to hear his words that day on the playground. And then she said something Sunny had never expected:

“I’m sorry, Sunny, but I really don’t want to die.”

Sunny had stared at her, baffled, confused, and heartbroken. Why would she die if she dated Sunny?! Did she really think he would be such a bad guy to be with?!

But she had luckily backtracked when she had realized how harsh her words were by explaining that they were still best friends, but she was afraid of Hero and didn’t want to risk upsetting him. Sunny didn’t understand why she thought Hero of all people would get upset if Sunny started dating her. Did he think Sunny was too young for dating? But Mari and Hero had been practically dating at the same age Sunny was then!

Sunny had tried to confront Hero about it hoping that he or Mari might have insight into Aubrey’s rejection.

“You confessed to Aubrey?” Hero asked where he was sitting on the couch holding Mari’s hand. “I didn’t realize you had feelings for her, Sunny.”

Sunny rubbed his arm, a little shy. “I… I do…”

“Ow, Hero!” Mari hissed, yanking her hand out of Hero’s grip. “Too tight!”

“Sorry!” Hero apologized quickly, snatching her hand back to rub the knuckles. He kissed them once before turning back to Sunny. “And she said I would be mad if she dated you?” Sunny nodded. “Well… Hm.” Hero smiled and laughed easily. “She’s right! Dating takes up a lot of time, after all, and I’ll be really sad if I can’t hang out with you as much anymore!”

“Hero’s right,” Mari backed her boyfriend up. “I’m sorry that you got rejected, little brother. But we’re all here for you! There will always be other chances!”

Sunny was still kind of confused, but when Mari had held her arms out to offer him a hug he had accepted it. He had sat sideways on Mari’s lap, and Hero had hiked Sunny’s legs over his own legs to give them a pat as Mari cuddled her little brother. Sunny had felt his broken heart begin to heal under the comfort of those he loved the most.

Mari was right that there were other chances. Sunny developed other crushes that came and went with only a little progress. But all of his affections had failed in one way or another as his own feelings for Hero had blossomed into something more than platonic.

He had confessed to Kel, but Kel had turned him down apologetically stating that he wasn’t really interested in guys. The fact that he and Aubrey had soon started an on-and-off chaotic relationship soon after only solidified his words.

He had even tried dating Basil just because he wanted to give it a shot. And Basil, to his credit, had seriously considered it. But eventually he had turned Sunny down too. His face had been pale and sweaty, and he had looked near-ready to faint as he kept looking at something past Sunny’s shoulder as he told him, “L-Let’s just stay friends. Sorry, Sunny.”

Without any other options from his close friends, Sunny had sought affection from other sources. He’d actually had a girlfriend or two, and even a boyfriend for a little while in high school, but those didn’t last long. And the few maybe-romances that Sunny had been in since then had all ended rather abruptly too with a lot of ghosting and weird excuses. One even scolded Sunny saying that he should’ve told them that he had a boyfriend. But Sunny hadn’t been dating anyone! It was just a misunderstanding!

Hero and Mari were always the first ones to comfort Sunny when he went through heartbreak, and each time it only caused Sunny’s heart to reassert that Hero was the only one good enough for it. Hero, who had been his only consistent love, was a standard that was hard to hold anyone to. He had even managed to convince himself on more than one occasion that Hero would actually say yes if Sunny confessed to him.

But Sunny would never betray his sister like that. And his misunderstanding of Hero’s actions would only cause strife between two of his favorite people. He could never do that to either of them, no matter how much he longed to be the one Hero doted on like he did for Mari. His jealousy was old and aged now, but still stung. 

It made these dinners that he had with Mari and Hero both the best part of his day and the worst. Mari and Hero’s relationship had only gotten stronger over the years, and Sunny had watched it all feeling both happy for them and sad at the same time. He wanted what they had so badly. He felt like he was going to be eventually left behind at this rate if he didn’t get a partner for himself since Aubrey and Kel were together, and even Basil had an online relationship with a girl. Sunny was the only single one in their group now.

His celebration dinner went by easily, and was of course delicious. Hero made the best food, and Sunny was always quick to agree with Mari’s moaning compliments as she tried one of his new dishes. It made for a light atmosphere as the three ate cheerfully in each other’s company before retreating to Sunny’s small living room to pop on some movie. 

The couch was kind of too small for more than two people, but Sunny didn’t really have any other furniture since he wanted to personally add to his furniture with his own money. He didn’t feel like dragging over a chair from the dining room, so he made to sit on the floor. But he was cut off.

“Oh, Sunny, you don’t need to sit on the floor!” Mari said. “You can sit with us.”

Sunny gave her a confused look. There was clearly not enough room for him.

Hero was watching Mari too, though whatever he was thinking was hard to read. Mari just smiled and patted Hero’s thigh. “There’s plenty of room. Come on.”

Sunny’s eyes widened as Hero, who had caught on, beamed and spread his arms in offering. A flush appeared on Sunny’s cheeks right away. Wasn’t he too old and too big to be lapsitting? And in Hero’s lap of all things? He didn’t know how his sister could suggest such a thing.

He rejected the offer with a shake of his head.

Hero gave him a sad look. “I thought you liked cuddling, though? You don’t need to feel awkward. It’s just us three here.”

“I know how much you love Hero’s hugs, Sunny,” Mari agreed with an encouraging smile. “He’s always really warm, and his lap is comfortable. Come sit!”

Sunny still hovered, unsure. His desire to follow through and actually take the offer battled with the ingrained social boundaries in him. Hero really did have some of the best hugs. Sunny was small enough that even now Hero’s big body could almost fully embrace him like he did in childhood. Sunny and Mari were about the same size now, and Sunny knew just how comfortable Hero really was. But to do that with his crush in front of his sister…

Nevertheless, he got too close to them and Mari dragged him in. She didn’t hesitate to take his hand and pull him down, and soon Sunny found himself trapped and wrapped in Hero’s arms.

“Hehe, there we go!” Hero praised as he rested his head on Sunny’s shoulder from behind. His breath and his voice in Sunny’s ear made the fine hairs on his body raise. His skin was electrified with the proximity as his heart rate skyrocketed. He was hyper aware of everything around him now. 

Hero’s arms were wrapped around his waist where his fingers idly played with the material of Sunny’s shirt. He seemed content to keep his chin rested on Sunny’s shoulder, head tipped towards his, as the movie started. Sunny was partially sitting on the couch between Hero’s legs, bringing him down enough that when Hero turned his head it caused his nose to brush the shell of Sunny’s ear. His breath fanned against his jaw. And Sunny’s body tingled as lips barely brushed the sensitive skin of his neck.

He was covered with goosebumps.

Mari seemed unbothered by the intimate position that her boyfriend was holding her brother in as she shifted closer to lean against Hero’s side as the movie started. It was late, and she yawned. Sunny was terrified of what he might do if Mari fell asleep there.

Did Hero not understand just how close they were together? Yes, Hero had always encouraged Sunny to sit in his lap. In fact, Sunny grew up knowing that Hero’s lap was always a viable place to rest because Hero would never protest it. Kel had always had the option too, though when Kel had gotten too big he had stopped doing it. But Sunny had never grown anywhere close to the tall brothers’ size, so he’d never been discouraged to stop taking a seat on Hero. 

But over the years, it felt like the way Hero held him had become more and more intimate. And Sunny, selfishly, could never bring himself to protest.

He closed his eyes and ignored the movie, soaking in and pretending like Hero really was his boyfriend in this moment. He found himself unconsciously turning his head a little towards Hero. Their cheeks pressed together. He felt the smile that bloomed on Hero’s lips before the man’s nose skimmed down his neck. The soft pressure of lips on his pulse must be his imagination going wild as it tended to do, but Sunny didn’t mind as he gave those lips more access. A gentle kiss and then another was placed along the length, leading down to where his neck met his shoulder. One of the hands around Sunny’s waist had snuck just under the edge of his shirt, and the other had dipped down to brush the bulge of Sunny’s jeans. Hero nuzzled against the back of his neck where skin met hair, and Sunny jolted with a start as teeth scraped briefly there.

He snapped out of his daze, straightening away from Hero. His head whipped back to stare at Hero, unsure anymore of if he had been fantasizing or if it had been real as he rubbed at his neck. Hero gave him an innocent look of confusion.

“Everything okay?” he asked. Mari, next to him, was watching him with a hidden smile on a face that revealed nothing. There was a sparkle of excitement in her eyes.

Sunny looked down at his lap, but Hero’s hands were resting on his hips. They weren’t where he had thought they were at.

He was going crazy. He couldn’t be fantasizing about his sister’s boyfriend in this situation! He needed to save that for when he was alone. God, this was why he couldn’t move in with them. He would be a homewrecker in just one day!

“Bathroom,” Sunny murmured as he pushed himself up and fled. He needed to splash some cold water on his face and keep his focus. He had to clear his head of the desire he felt.

But god, what he wouldn’t give to have been able to turn his head to meet Hero’s lips. He wanted to grab Hero’s wrist and encourage that teasing hand over his bulge so he could rub his growing erection into his palm. He wanted Hero to open up his jeans and slip a hand inside as he palmed at his chest, teeth nipping at his lips as he said Sunny’s name in a sinfully dark tone Sunny had only fantasized about.

Save it for tonight, he mentally hissed at himself as he locked himself in the bathroom to give himself time to calm down. He would need to call it an early night tonight and go to bed early after gently but firmly kicking his guests out.

Hero just had a way of riling him up so badly. 

Out in the living room, Mari sighed as she dropped her head against Hero’s shoulder. “Damn. I thought it was really going to go somewhere tonight,” she bemoaned.

“He just won’t let himself get into it,” Hero lamented. His palms still tingled from where he had gotten to feel heated skin. The soft flavor of Sunny’s skin was still on his tongue where he had gotten the briefest of tastes. His blood was fizzing with his desire as he physically restrained himself from going after Sunny and cornering him in that bathroom. This kind of teasing was cruel.

“I was getting excited about watching too…” Mari murmured, put-out. She glanced at Hero and must have noticed his restraint in his expression. She gave him a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry, Hero. I’ll help you take the edge off when we get home.” Her hand rested on his crotch with promise.

Hero, knowing better than to kiss her then for fear his self-control would snap, gave her a firm kiss to her forehead instead in thanks. Sunny would probably make an excuse to get them to leave now. He always got that way when he snapped out of the spell Hero could put him under when he was trying to seduce him. Sunny was weak and fell for it often, but he snapped out of it too quickly. One of these days Hero would finally get to follow through. But Sunny needed to make the first move. Hero needed to know that Sunny was consenting every step of the way and wasn’t just going along with Hero’s desires.

He wondered if Sunny could unconsciously sense the animal that he played with. Maybe some part of him understood that the moment he gave Hero the go-ahead, there would be no going back. 

Not that Sunny had a choice anyway. Hero had decided from day one that he would never let Sunny go. Hero would always be in Sunny’s life. But Hero was respectful enough (and cautious enough of his heritage) to let Sunny decide what kind of position Hero would be put into. Hero might be the one actively trying to seduce Sunny into making the first move, but that was because Hero knew that Sunny was head-over-heels for him. So, really, it was only Sunny’s fault that he was ‘suffering’ like this.

The hunt was as frustrating as it was stimulating. And Hero didn’t dislike that.

“We should get ready to leave,” he told Mari. “And then…” his voice deepened with a growl that hovered just on the edge of it, making Mari’s eyes widen as her pupils blew wider, “I might be able to give you what you had asked for earlier.”

“Please,” Mari whimpered, eyes dropping to his lips. But Hero didn’t allow the kiss. His eyes darted to where Sunny had disappeared before coming back to Mari.

“Soon,” he promised her. “I hope you don’t mind biting.”

“ Hero ,” she hissed, hands gripping the front of Hero’s shirt. Then she forced herself away as she stood with a clearing of her throat. “Let’s make our goodbyes quick. Please.”

Hero was sad to leave Sunny, but he knew when Sunny was metaphorically closing the door between them. He would try again later. He couldn’t deny Mari when she was clearly so eager. He would pursue time with Sunny alone next time and see if he could push it further without Mari around.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

A month later and it was a rare day off for Hero. Which wasn’t to say that he didn’t have stuff to do, but that he had significantly less that he needed to do. It was a school holiday, so no classes. And Hero had already finished up his side jobs and got a jump on his schoolwork. He could go volunteer somewhere, or maybe go to visit Kel, but he was feeling like a lazy day in was in order. He could visit Kel later.

After checking his cameras and his tracker, he learned that Sunny seemed to be having a lazy day of his own and was gaming with some of his online friends. As much as Hero enjoyed watching Sunny have fun with his games, it wasn’t something he wanted to do a lot.

Mari was out of the house as well for a girls day with some college friends, so Hero was left completely alone until further notice. Which only really meant one thing when it was time for a lazy day.

As much as he loved Mari and enjoyed having sex with her, Hero liked having some one-on-one time with himself and his electronics. It was nice to handle himself once in a while, and he had some of the best porn in the world to touch himself to. The question was if he wanted to pull up an old video of Sunny having some fun of his own, or if Hero wanted to go with an old favorite.

He laid on the bed for a little while, eyes distant as he ran a finger up and down his bare chest thoughtfully. The gentle teasing helped to light his skin up, tantalizing him with the coming fun. It was enough to get his heart to start going a little faster as he contemplated his possibilities.

He actually had a delicious video of Sunny that he had managed to record just yesterday that he could use. Sunny, just like his sister, had a high sex drive, which meant Hero had plenty of good recordings of his favorite person writhing in bed or on his couch fantasizing. Those videos were always good, but Hero also preferred to watch them live. And he was feeling too lazy to even go and get his computer right now.

That left him with his oldie-but-goodie favorite to use. He just needed to grab his ipod for it.

It didn’t take much for him to get hard when it came to Sunny. Even just picturing the cute, aroused face of his younger friend would send a shiver through Hero’s body as his blood began to flow south. Just the anticipation was enough to get him worked up as he followed familiar paths to find the sound file he was searching for. Tissues and some lube were ready as he popped his headphones in and hit play. His pants were quick to be discarded as he got comfortable. He skipped forward a bit as he stroked himself steadily. Then, at 1:43 into the recording, he pressed play and closed his eyes.

The first thing he heard was the creak of Sunny’s bed and the sharp, captured gasp as Hero knew Sunny pressed his dildo into his ass. His heartbeat leaped at the sound as he moaned with Sunny’s soft, shuddery exhale. He could see it clearly in his mind’s eye as Sunny utilized the toy that Mari had bought for him as a “gag” gift. It was one of Hero’s favorite things that she had done for him. It was a dildo molded after Hero’s own cock. 

It was Sunny’s favorite toy. But in this case, it was the first time he was using it.

“B-Big…” Sunny whispered in Hero’s ear. The audio was clear enough that Hero had to bite his tongue as he played with himself. Still not at the main part yet, so he didn’t want to go too fast. “But… it’s in… Wow…”

“Sunny,” Hero murmured, squeezing his cock as he imagined it was Sunny tight around him. He knew that his friend was still a virgin even if he’d messed around with a few people. Hero’s cock was the one that was shaping that ass, and it was easy for Hero to picture himself right there with his cute little lover.

“You took it so well,” he imagined himself saying as he pressed loving kisses to Sunny’s cheeks. He could hike Sunny’s legs a little higher so he could sit deeper inside of him. He rocked just a little as Sunny gasped again and tightened around him, still unsure of how to handle a real cock instead of him. “It’s like you’re used to it… Do you play with yourself often?”

And Sunny would get the cutest embarrassed face. Even as Hero was buried hilt-deep in him, Sunny would still get flustered as Hero laughed into the air of his bedroom.

“Don’t worry,” he would tell him as he heard the creak of Sunny’s bed. The telltale sound of the dildo slipping out and then pressing back in filled his ears as he copied the motion with his hand and began to fuck Sunny steadily in his fantasy. “This is my first time with a guy too. I’ve touched myself plenty of times thinking of you.”

Where could they be, Hero wondered even as he fisted the head of his cock and rolled his balls in his hand. His legs bent at the knees as he fucked up into his fist in time for Sunny to let out a louder moan as he got more into his own head. Maybe they could be in Sunny’s bedroom while Mari was just in the other room. Or perhaps right on Sunny’s couch. Would Hero tell Sunny that Mari approved of their relationship, or would the fucking be so spur-of-the-moment that Sunny would feel wretched guilt over cheating with his sister’s loving boyfriend even as he begged Hero to keep going? That was tasty in its own right, though Hero would never cheat on Mari.

“Hero…!” Sunny whined in Hero’s ears, and Hero’s next thrust was that much harder. He gasped as he very nearly came to the sound of his name coming from Sunny’s mouth in such a lewd manner. This was his favorite part of the recording as Sunny murmured his name over and over, eagerly fucking his own ass with his Hero-shaped dildo. He didn’t even know that he was prepping himself just for Hero using that. But Hero doubted that Sunny would care as he fantasized about him anyway.

Hero threw his arm over his eyes as he bit his own lip, jerking himself off with speed now. He imagined himself right there bending Sunny over and slamming into him. God, he wanted to eat him up. He wanted to swallow his name from those lips as he bound together himself again and again with Sunny. He wanted to see that face flushed with only the love Hero could give him as their eyes met, and Hero wanted Sunny so desperate for everything he could give him. And Hero could and would give him everything Sunny could possibly want as he kissed him once more.

“Close,” he grunted out just as he heard Sunny give a sob. He could picture Sunny’s wrist moving as he fucked himself with his toy. His hips would be wiggling with his need even as he rutted up into his own fist. His eyes, dazed and open, would stare at the ceiling as he was seeing Hero in his mind’s eye. And Hero wished that he could be there.

He could time his own orgasm perfectly to this recording. He felt his body tense and his balls tighten as he waited on the edge of a knife for the signal. And it came with Sunny’s breathtaking sob of “Hero–!” before Hero was scrambling for a tissue and cumming hard into his fist. His moan echoed through the room unabashed as he worked himself through the intense orgasm. It left him feeling shaky and boneless as he collapsed onto the bed, crumpling the used tissue and letting his body relax as he panted.

His cock gave one final, interested twitch as he heard Sunny slide his dildo out with a soft pop and whimper. His own panting was loud in Hero’s ears over the microphone before the recording came to a stop. Then Hero was left alone in his room once more, half-naked and satiated.

He opened his eyes after a few minutes of soaking everything in before he stretched a hand up towards the ceiling. He clenched it thoughtfully, and then gave a sigh.

He hadn’t gotten the chance to really delve into that particular fantasy before he had gotten overwhelmed, but that was fine. He had taken the edge off and he’d had a good wank session. Now he could concentrate on doing something a little more productive.

If Sunny and Mari were busy, that just meant it was time to pay a visit to his favorite little brother. He’d been meaning to go anyway. He could use some Kel time.

“I don’t know…” Aubrey murmured to herself with a pensive frown as she considered the black crop-top in front of her. It was her size and it was cute, but it looked like it needed a nice accessory to pair with in order for her to wear it. And she didn’t think she had one that would work with it. She also simply didn’t have the money to pay for it right now. She sighed. “Kel–”

“I’m telling you that I’m paying for it!” Kel insisted for the third time, huffing. He was bordering on getting annoyed, but he had at least gotten a little better about not picking a fight with her about every little thing. Still, his tone riled her up a little. She couldn’t help it after years of habit. “If you want it, then get it!”

“I can’t just get it!” she insisted, spinning on him to hold up the shirt to herself. “Look at this cut. Don’t you think it needs a necklace?”

“Are you asking me to get you a necklace too?” Kel raised an eyebrow. “Which one? I can’t afford real stuff right now since we just paid rent–”

“No, I don’t want you to buy a necklace for me!” She shook her head and put the shirt back, crossing her arms. She always felt bad about using Kel’s money. He wasn’t much better off financially than her, after all. “Look, let’s just leave it. I don’t really need a shirt anyway.”

“Aubrey, c’mon,” Kel frowned at her. “I want to do this for you. You know I’m bad at picking out clothes for you, though! Just let me pay, alright?”

“I really don’t need–” Aubrey started to protest once more when a figure leapt out and grabbed Kel from behind. Kel yelped as Aubrey startled backwards before her anger at the attack flared up. She prepared to jump in to fight whatever bastard decided to grab her boyfriend, but froze out of sheer instinctual fear when she saw it was Hero. The man laughed as he dragged his little brother back against him. Kel flailed before giving a whining cry of,

“Hero! What the heck?!”

“Did I scare you?” Hero asked cheerfully as he loosened his playful tugging to just throw his arms around Kel from behind to hug him.

“You always come out of nowhere.”

Aubrey was still recovering from the shock of seeing Hero here. They were in the middle of a mall across the city from where Hero and Mari lived. There was no way Hero could’ve possibly stumbled across them by accident. And yet, like normal, Kel didn’t even question how Hero could be there. Though, Aubrey had also learned it was better to just assume Hero knew where they were at all times. He was scary like that. She had yet to see him use it in a bad way towards any of them, though, so she reluctantly relaxed.

“Hey Aubrey,” Hero smiled at her after he had planted a loving kiss on Kel’s cheek before releasing him with a satisfied air. “Did I interrupt a date?”

“Hey Hero… Uh, not really,” she admitted. “Just doing some clothes shopping.”

“I promised her a new purse and shirt,” Kel explained as he put up with Hero’s usual clinginess with him. Aubrey didn’t really understand their relationship all that much even after Kel had explained that Hero had always been really affectionate with him. As annoying as he found it sometimes, he just let Hero do what he wanted. Hero would “be a pain in the ass” (as Kel put it) if he didn’t get some hugs and kisses in every time he hung out with Kel now that they weren’t under the same roof anymore. That was just how Hero had always been.

“Oh?” Hero paused and then said, “Oh! Oh, right. Because of the robbery.”

Aubrey grimaced. The night she had been robbed on the streets was still a scar in her mind. It was only two days ago, and she wasn’t over it. She had ruined her shirt in the fight and in the end her purse with all of her valuables had been stolen anyway. It was infuriating because she had just gotten cash out to pay her half of the rent to the landlord. Kel had to cover for them both, which meant both of them were pretty broke.

“Yeah.”

“Well, that’s why I’m here!” Hero reached into the messenger bag that he always had on him and dug around for a moment. Aubrey spotted his laptop and camera that he carried around with him for his… job? She didn’t know. Then, to her surprise, he pulled out her purse and held it out to her with a proud smile. “Here you go!”

“Whoa! You found her purse?!” Kel cried, thrilled. Aubrey took the purse – which looked brand new – from him. When she opened it up she found everything that had been taken from her, including her wallet with her driver’s license and cash and everything. She was stunned.

“Yup! After you told me what happened, I wanted to see if I could get your stuff back. I managed to get it all, I think! Let me know if it’s missing anything. I even got all of your money back, plus extra!” His smile, despite being so friendly and kind, nonetheless made goosebumps bloom on Aubrey’s skin at his words. “I made sure they paid up for what they did. And I even cleaned your purse up. It’s not exactly brand new, but it’s nice and clean! I even repaired the shredding pleather. I hope you like it, Aubrey.”

And Aubrey felt an old, genuine unnerving feeling well up in her. She liked Hero a lot. He was a great friend, and he had been there for her on many occasions when she was younger. He scared her at times (especially when it came to his weird… obsession that he seemed to have with Sunny) but she had never gotten the vibe that he would hurt her. And yet, she wasn’t so naive as to think that she was exactly safe from him. After all, when Kel had announced that he had started dating her, Hero had gotten strangely serious with her before he had lightened up. And when she and Kel had moved in together, she had noticed that Hero had frequented their apartment and randomly just… found them like he did today. As if he was checking up on them.

She understood enough about Hero (with the help of Mari, and with some very secret conversations with Basil) to know that he was very protective of certain people. And she understood that Hero would go a long way to help people, and go much farther for those he loved and cared about.

The fact that Hero had tracked down her robbers, gotten her stuff back, and even made them pay reparations to her for what they had done just let her know where, exactly, she sat in Hero’s books.

In a way, she felt like Hero had happily accepted her. When she had told him about the robbery (while secretly wondering if maybe he could help her somehow with it) she hadn’t expected this.

It was touching. And it was terrifying.

She preferred not to think about how Hero could find her and Kel. She preferred not to think about what Hero might have done to those robbers and how. She preferred to be aware of Hero while giving him a respectable amount of space.

Hero was one of her best friends. And he scared the shit out of her sometimes.

She swallowed back the fear and gave a small smile. It was just a little tremulous. “This is… It’s amazing, Hero. Thank you. I seriously didn’t expect this.”

Hero looked pleased as he patted her head like he did often when they had been little. It made her feel warm. “You’re welcome! I’m just glad it worked out.”

“You seriously saved our butts, man,” Kel told him. “See, Aubrey? Now we can get you a shirt and a necklace!”

“Yeah… Hey, Hero, show Kel how to accessorize,” Aubrey said as she pulled the shirt back out. “What do you think about this top?”

Hero thought about it for a moment before pointing out, “It needs a necklace. Mind if I help you pick one?”

“Watch and learn, Kel,” Aubrey shot her boyfriend a smirk before following Hero over to the accessories. Kel just pooched his lips but did follow.

They ended up having lunch together in the mall food court. It was always a good time hanging out with friends, and Aubrey could even forget about the strangeness of earlier as she held out a fry for Kel to eat from her fingers as she asked Hero,

“So, did you just stop by to drop my stuff off?”

“Yeah, you’re usually attached at the hip to Sunny or Mari,” Kel agreed around a mouthful of the fries before he sucked down a few gulps of his soda. Hero brushed off some of the food that had flown from Kel’s mouth as Aubrey made a face at him.

“Swallow your food before talking, stupid.”

“Mari’s out with friends, and Sunny’s doing some kind of gaming marathon today,” Hero explained as he scooped another bite of his chicken through some BBQ sauce. “I didn’t really have plans until Sunny has to go to work, so I thought I would stop by.”

“Are you walking him to work or something?” Aubrey asked, confused. It wouldn’t be the first time that Hero had walked Sunny to or from work. He would do it a lot back in Faraway Town as well. She had a feeling that all of them living so far from each other now had only made Hero even more of a busybody in all of their lives.

“Or something,” Hero confirmed without answering her question.

“Maybe you’ll get to see that weird dude that Sunny keeps mentioning,” Kel pointed out with a lack of subtlety about his intention. “You know, his ‘frequent customer’?”

Hero straightened. His good humor had taken on a bit of an edge now as he frowned. “‘Frequent customer’? He has a couple of those. Who are you talking about?”

Aubrey had the distinct impression that Kel was throwing whoever this person was straight into a lion pit.

“I just know his name is Blake,” Kel explained with a frown of his own. “Sunny said that he comes in to order a lot, and even requests him specifically for deliveries. He sometimes even comes around just to say ‘hi’ or whatever and hang out at the place. I mean, I get being a pizza fan. Gino’s still knows my order by heart. But like… You know how it is with Sunny… And after what happened in high school…”

Aubrey nodded in understanding. Sunny’s bad luck was famous among all of them. It wouldn’t be the first time that Sunny had a stalker. Though Aubrey didn’t know exactly what happened to the last one, she had a feeling that they were chased off.

As Basil put it to her one day, Sunny was only allowed to have one stalker. And that position was filled.

“That’s really disturbing,” Hero said with that same focused gaze he had gotten not long after Aubrey had mentioned she had been robbed. “Have you warned Sunny at all?”

“I mean, I mentioned it. But Sunny’s Sunny, y’know? I can tell he’s a little nervous. You’re walking him home today, right?” Kel asked with genuine concern for his best friend. Aubrey wondered sometimes if Kel was willfully ignorant of his brother’s ‘quirks’ or if he genuinely didn’t know.

“Yeah, I’ll be sure to talk to him about it.” Hero pushed away from the table and wiped his mouth on a napkin. He had the air of a man on a mission now. “Thanks for telling me, Kel. I can always rely on you. And thanks for letting me hang out. But I’ll head out now.”

“Come over this weekend! We’re thinking about a beach trip!” Kel told him with a grin as he stood up. Hero hugged him before smiling at Aubrey as a goodbye as she gave a little wave.

“Beach trip? Sounds fun. I’ll see what my schedule is, okay?” He kissed Kel’s cheek before pulling his bag on. “See you, guys! Have a good day!”

Aubrey waited until Hero was well and truly far away and watched as he put some headphones in. Then she turned to Kel and asked, “Hey… Was that alright?”

“What?” Kel asked with confusion at her serious tone.

“What if it really is just a regular client? You just sicced your crazy brother on them.”

“He’s not crazy, Aubrey,” he said with an exasperated roll of his eyes. “If he really isn’t a stalker, then Hero will find out and reassure Sunny. Better safe than sorry, right?”

“Doesn’t that kind of freak you out, though?”

“What? Hero?”

“Who else? You’re not scared?” she huffed.

But Kel’s brows just pinched together like he couldn’t understand her. “Why would I be scared of Hero?”

There were millions of reasons why a sane person should be scared of Hero: the stalking, the fact that Kel was so sure he could just ‘track down’ and ‘take care’ of any stalkers, the way Hero had recovered Aubrey’s stuff, the ever-present question of what Hero did to keep so many irons in so many fires…

But in the end she knew it was a lost cause.

She just shook her head and sipped at her soda. “I hope it really is just a normal customer. Otherwise, that guy’s in trouble.”

Kel just shrugged it off. “As long as Sunny’s okay. He’s dealt with enough.”

Aubrey watched her boyfriend’s blasé attitude and kept her thoughts to herself while Kel cheerfully fed her some of his sandwich when she asked for a bite.

Crazy probably ran in the family considering Hero’s parents couldn’t possibly be totally ignorant of this strangeness with Hero. She was just happy she happened to be dating the more-normal brother and was in Hero’s good graces. She knew better than to complain about it. It wasn’t a bad place to be.

Chapter Text

The eerie calm like the eye of a hurricane when Hero felt a sense of danger towards what was His was a feeling that he would never fully get used to. It weighed in his mind like a numbing blanket that cleared all errant thoughts away and gave him a crystal clear mindset. Sometimes it caused him to move much like he did now with a knowledge that was built from years of practice. Checking cameras, diving into darker parts of the internet, and whiling his entire day away until the sun was beginning to set as he focused purely on the hunt was enough to wipe him out and invigorate him at the same time. If it wasn’t for his watch vibrating to let him know his Sunny alarm was going off, he would’ve kept searching for more information about this ‘Blake’ that Kel had mentioned.

Hero reviewed everything that he knew as he packed a dinner for Sunny and hurried his way out to his friend’s apartment. The man who had been frequenting Sunny’s store was a guy named Blake Carmichel. At six feet tall, he was a guy who went to the bars with his friends often, was single, and had a frankly absurd amount of anime porn on his computer. His recent purchasing history on his credit card told Hero exactly how often he really had been buying pizza from the pizza place, and it was a fairly recent choice. No history showed that he was that interested in pizza. It was possibly because he had only just discovered this particular pizza place, but the timing was too coincidental. And unlike what Kel might think, it wasn’t natural to have pizza that often.

It was easy enough to get a profile about this guy from his social media and purchases. He didn’t immediately come off as someone who was into men, but Sunny had features not too far off from Mari’s that could cause people to mistake him for a girl if they didn’t pay attention. But after being visited by Sunny so many times, he doubted that Blake was unaware of Sunny’s gender. And yet he was still going after him. Who requested a specific pizza delivery boy? Not anyone he wanted near Sunny.

He had a history with a few people in the university he used to go to. Some people had made passing references to someone who sounded a lot like Blake back when he had been attending school before his graduation over three years ago. He’d had past partners, some of who had complained about his possessiveness online. There wasn’t much to dig up on that front, though.

Hero would have to scope things out and pass a warning if this behavior kept up.

“...Are you okay, Hero?” Sunny asked as he looked up at Hero on the bus where Hero stood in front of him while Sunny stayed seated. Hero blinked down at him as he came out of his thoughts. Sunny looked a little concerned.

“Hm? Yeah, I’m fine,” he assured him with a smile. He carefully folded away his thoughts and encouraged that protective animal in his chest to relax its haunches. No need to get so serious in front of Sunny.

Sunny didn’t seem completely convinced, so Hero said, “I met Kel and Aubrey today at the mall. They passed on their love.”

The change in topic seemed to relax Sunny. “That’s nice,” he said.

Hero chuckled. “Did you hear about what happened to Aubrey?” Sunny nodded. “Well, it looks like she got her stuff back. Pretty lucky!”

“Kel said you found it.”

“Haha, did he? It wasn’t too hard to find. I’m just glad everything was still there. I would’ve bought her a new purse otherwise.”

Sunny’s eyes shined with the admiration that made Hero swell with pride and made him desperately wish he could taste that flavor for himself. “You’re amazing,” he breathed.

Hero just grinned back shyly. “I’m just lucky, I guess.”

They arrived at Sunny’s stop, and Hero walked him to his workplace. It was a good thing that Hero had already ingrained in Sunny that this was normal behavior for him because he didn’t even question all of the attention. He just waved before he went to the back to go get changed for his shift. 

Instead of leaving right away, Hero approached the counter as soon as there wasn’t another customer. “Hey Paul!”

Paul did a double-take at the sight of Hero before he beamed. “Yo, Hero!” He caught Hero’s hand and leaned over the counter to give him a friendly bump of their shoulders together in greeting. “Dropping Sunny off again?”

“Yup.”

He gave a little laugh. “You know, I told Jeffery about how you walk your boyfriend all of the time. You know what he said?”

Hero gave an amused smile as he didn’t bother to correct Paul’s mistake. Paul’s boyfriend Jeffery was a riot. It made it worth befriending the both of them so he could have more cute stories about Sunny while he was at work. “What did he say?”

“He told me to tell you to stop putting romantic ideas in my head and set the bar too high. Not everyone can be all cute like you are!” He pointed sharply at him. Hero could see Jeffery’s mannerisms in his words, making him laugh along with Paul.

“I can’t help it. It’s in my blood,” Hero shrugged.

“I don’t know how you manage two partners when you’re like that.” He shook his head. Then his eyes darted to behind Hero as the bell above the door rang. It was automatic for Paul to call a welcome greeting before he turned back to Hero to say, “Anyway, I’d love to chat more. Maybe we can get drinks after work today? We can bring Sunny too. Places around here don’t even card, and he’s old enough to skate by.”

“That sounds great, but I’ll have to take a raincheck. I’m gonna make sure Sunny gets home tonight right after work.” He put on the appropriate amount of ‘concerned boyfriend’ energy before he lowered his voice to ask, “I’ve, uh, heard that Sunny’s got a ‘fan’?”

Paul blinked at him. “Huh? Oh…” He frowned now too. “Actually… Now that you mention it, yeah. I don’t really see the guy myself, but Sunny’s mentioned him. ‘Black’ or something?”

“Blake,” Hero corrected.

“Yeah, that’s it. He’s told you?”

Hero nodded. “It just… It’s kind of ringing weird to me. Do you mind keeping an eye out?”

Paul frowned a little deeper. “What, do you think he’s a creep or something?”

“I don’t know…” Hero scratched at the back of his head, playing up his discomfort. “I’m just getting a bad vibe.”

“Well, I’m a pretty good judge of character,” Paul assured him with a thumb to his chest. He gave him a smile before patting his shoulder. “I’ll give him a vibe check next time I see him, a’right? And if anything’s weird, you’ll be the first to know.”

Hero gave him a relieved smile even as he noted that Paul would most likely be nothing but an extra pair of eyes. He wouldn’t be truly reassured until he scoped things out for himself. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

“Right. And sorry to kick you aside, but I gotta get back to work. Don’t worry, okay? Sunny’s not on delivery today, so rest assured.”

“Sure. Thanks again. I’ll see you at closing.”

Hero left the place after that and didn’t hesitate to stroll around the block. It was overcast tonight but there were plenty of people out. It was a busy enough part of town that had bars, clubs, and a few restaurants. The general stores weren’t yet ready to close up. Hero walked down the block, circled around, and then headed back from across the street to enter his usual cafe now. They recognized him and greeted him with a kind smile. His usual booth was open, so he was allowed to take it. Hero hardly had to even try to charm the staff as his waitress eagerly descended upon him. He might not buy a lot to eat or drink, but he always left a good tip for the services. Then he set up his computer and got ready to hang out for a while.

If Sunny was one of the misfortunate people that Hero had ever met, then Hero would argue that he was one of the most fortunate. Whether it was because luck was on his side, or because this Blake guy had somehow figured out Sunny’s schedule, Blake ended up showing up tonight. Hero knew right away who, exactly, the guy was when Sunny went to take his order. 

Sunny didn’t react to Blake’s cheerful greeting and not-so-subtle body language as he took the man’s order. Blake used his height to his advantage to lean down and get a little closer to Sunny. Even through the camera screen it was obvious what kind of eager expression Blake was wearing, and it was enough for Hero to feel a tremble of rage roll through him. How dare he covet what wasn’t his? He knew that Sunny was attractive, but Hero had no tolerance for people like him.

The conversation between Sunny and Blake was normal enough, though Blake tried to get Sunny to talk to him more. However, Sunny wasn’t much of a talker to begin with. If that turned Blake off, Hero couldn’t tell as Blake would just continue trying to chat up the cute pizza boy. It was infuriating enough that despite the automatic smile that spread across his face to cover up his feelings, Hero couldn’t stop himself from cracking the coffee mug in his hand. It was only when he felt the burn of the liquid leaking across his hand did he snap back to himself.

He cursed under his breath and hurried to put it on his plate to stop the liquid from reaching his computer before he called over the waitress to explain the accident. He was quickly given a new drink and an apology. He waved off any compensation, though. This was on him. Nobody’s fault but his own, he said. He just wanted to be alone again.

Blake was a tall man with average looks. Dirty blond – nearly brown – hair was on his undercut head. He could probably be handsome, Hero thought, but he didn’t have a good judge on the attractiveness of men. He wasn’t interested in them when he was into women and Sunny. From what he could see of Sunny it seemed that his friend wasn’t particularly interested in the flirting going on. He was strictly professional, if a little cold as he always was with his usual silent-treatment in a customer service environment, as he delivered the order. 

Blake, of course, shot his shot. He attempted to ask Sunny out for a drink after work. Sunny looked uncomfortable with the idea and opened his mouth to probably reject him, but that was when Paul stepped in.

“Sorry, man, he’s taken,” he said. 

Sunny startled next to him, baffled. And Blake shot him a minor glare.

“Taken?” he demanded.

“Yeah, he’s got a boyfriend. He’s not interested.”

He looked Paul up and down, which irritated Hero a little further. Paul was his buddy, and he didn’t appreciate the distasteful look he was getting from Blake. “You?” he asked with disbelief.

Paul wasn’t having that, though. He scoffed. “No, not me. My friend. So, here,” he smiled and pushed the pizza across the counter to Blake insistently. “Thanks for coming in! Have a good night.” He said the last words with finality before he motioned with his head to Sunny. “And you, quit chatting. You’re supposed to be making the pizzas. Go.”

It was a lie, but Hero felt a crow of victory inside as he hissed softly, “Yes! Good job, Paul!” He’d been right to put him on alert. Sunny was supposed to run the register, but Sunny was also not going to argue with his superior as he confusedly moved to the back.

Blake, as was expected, was irritated. He complained to Paul about the rude behavior towards a customer, but Paul kept up the polite but icy responses. And eventually Blake left as a line began to form. Paul didn’t even hesitate to shoot a text towards Hero right afterwards. Hero felt his phone vibrate, but he was too busy watching the windows now as Blake exited the building.

His body language showed how pissed he was, and Hero felt similar. He watched Blake climb into his car and drive off. Hero tapped his finger against the table as he checked his phone to read Paul’s quick update about what had just happened. He doubted that that would be the end of things. Blake seemed like the determined type, and one rejection wouldn’t be enough for him. Hero could just sense it.

He tapped his finger with more agitation against the table. Should he buy another car tracker? Hero already knew Blake lived around the area, but he hadn’t checked where exactly his address was. He typically didn’t try to find out more personal information like that unless it was required since he didn’t quite have all of the streets in this part of the city memorized. But maybe now would be a good time.

He was still considering it when his eyes caught Blake’s car returning. He stiffened, eyes widening, as he watched the man pull into the parking lot once more. This time, however, he parked in the rear where the lights didn’t quite reach the vehicle. If one wasn’t paying attention, they probably wouldn’t even notice it.

Hero knew exactly what he was doing. And he was filled with a cold fury.

He could unwillingly put up with people flirting with Sunny. He could put up with people fawning after what was Hero’s. But now this man was staking out Sunny’s workplace and was either going to corner him or follow him home. Both of them were terrible choices.

Hero would narrow it down to only one possibility, if only to minimize the chances that Sunny had to deal with the stress of it all. Hero would take care of it for him.

He called Jeffery first since he knew the man would be at home and decided to call in his favor that he had earned by helping him move in with Paul in the first place. It was easy enough to secure assurance from him that he would drive over and pick Paul and Sunny up from work and drive Sunny home on Hero’s askance. Sunny would hardly question it since Hero had texted him to let him know that he, personally, couldn’t pick Sunny up tonight so he had asked Jeffery to do it instead. That minimized the chance of Blake confronting him in the parking lot.

And then Hero made his second phone call.

“Hello handsome,” Mari crooned cheerfully as she picked up the phone on the second ring. “It’s rare for you to call me at this time.”

“Hi honey. I need a favor,” he said. Despite the cheer in his own tone, he was tense with his simmering fury.

“A favor?” Her playful tone changed to something a little more wary. “Is everything alright?”

“Nothing I can’t handle. Do you mind bringing your car here around… 10:30? I can send you my address.”

“Yes, of course.” Mari paused and then asked, “Do you want me to bring anything?”

Hero considered it for a moment. He didn’t really bring anything but his usual stuff since he hadn’t expected Blake to actually show up today. He had been ready for just a normal night waiting for Sunny to go through work.

“My black baseball cap and my black gloves. You know where I keep them. A face mask too. Disposable is fine.”

“Ah,” she said with understanding. “Something’s wrong.”

“It’ll be alright, sweetie. I promise.”

“I know. I’ll see you soon.”

He sent her a kiss through the phone and then hung up. There was still time left before Mari was to come, so Hero would continue his watch. It looked like it was time to do more research on Blake. Whether or not he was actually going to be a threat to Sunny, he had crossed the line. Hero would have to step in.

Hero threw his things into the back of the car and motioned for Mari to take the passenger’s seat as he climbed in with a greeting. Mari didn’t hesitate to move before she asked, “What’s going on, Hero?”

“A new stalker, I think,” Hero admitted darkly. He didn’t bother to restrain himself quite as much with Mari as he buckled up and put the car in drive. He had to go find another place to park and wait a little while since Sunny would be finishing his shift soon. Jeffrey had already shown up and was waiting inside of the building for his boyfriend and Sunny, so he didn’t need to worry about that. Still, though, anxiety prickled at Hero’s neck. He didn’t like letting Sunny out of his sight in these situations.

“Again?” Mari cried, aghast. “How unlucky can he get? Is it bad?”

Hero pulled the car around to park along a side street where he could just make out the edge of the parking lot at the pizza place. He couldn’t see Blake’s car, but he could see the singular exit from the parking lot. That was all he needed. He pulled out his binoculars to have on hand just in case. 

He nodded in that direction. “The guy’s parked over there. Probably waiting for Sunny.”

“What–”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got friends taking Sunny home. He’ll be fine.”

Mari let out a sigh of relief. Then she shifted in the seat to watch as well with an angry frown. “When did this start?”

“I think the actual stalking part is only just now starting. Sunny’s coworker told the guy off and said he was taken. I think that agitated him.”

“Great.” She looked at Hero with a serious expression. Her voice was a little dark and just a bit excited as she asked, “What are you going to do about this?”

Hero pulled on his gloves and adjusted his trenchcoat around his shoulders. Mari held his baseball cap in her lap, so he didn’t put that on just yet. He was unsmiling as he clenched the steering wheel a little hard. “The same thing I did with the last one. He gets one warning.”

“You’re too nice,” Mari huffed, looking away.

“He hasn’t actually done anything bad yet.”

“He’s stalking Sunny. That’s bad enough.”

“The more he tries, the worse he’ll get from me,” Hero promised sinisterly.

Mari didn’t respond to that, but Hero saw in the side mirror of the car the way that her lip was curled. That was enough to appease her.

They waited together for the next ten minutes, watching as the pizza place was shut down and cleaned up. Soon after, three men exited the building. Hero tensed in preparation in case Blake turned out to be a psychopath who would try to confront them, but the man was at least smart enough (or cowardly enough) not to make the attempt. But as soon as Jeffrey left the parking lot, a second car followed him. And with that, Hero began his own pursuit.

Blake was clumsy in his attempts to follow at a reasonable distance. He clearly didn’t have the experience in tracking cars in all of the traffic, and he very nearly lost Jeffrey along the way. Hero, on the other hand, knew exactly where they were going. And so he knew how to take other routes that would cross paths with them or go around them. Still Blake followed. It was clear what he was doing.

“He’s going to find out Sunny’s address,” Mari warned, angry.

“I know,” Hero responded.

Too many lines crossed. Hero’s blood was pounding in his ears. His teeth were grinding as he parked the car in the shadows outside of the streetlamps of Sunny’s place. He watched as Sunny exited Jeffrey’s car. He talked briefly with the men in it, nodding, before he left. Hero was irritated to see that they drove off before Sunny was safely inside. However, Hero was there to keep watch.

Sunny made it safely inside of his apartment, but he was completely unaware of the eyes that watched him from the car still in the street. Blake had yet to move as he stared at Sunny’s apartment. He was making some kind of notes on his phone.

Hero took a deep breath to calm down a little. If he didn’t control himself now, he would punch out Blake’s car window. He knew where Sunny lived now. 

This wasn’t the first time Hero had dealt with creeps around Sunny. Most of the time a single warning was enough to send them skittering. Hero could be very persuasive. 

God, he should’ve asked Mari to bring his bat. He wanted to do some damage.

“Stay here,” he commanded his girlfriend as he took his cap from her. He pulled it on his head along with his face mask as he stepped out of the car. Mari knew enough to duck down in the seat and watch without being seen as Hero fixed up his disguise. He took his time taking off the license plate of Mari’s car and dropped it into the backseat. He would add that back on later.

Despite his good looks, he was average in terms of build, height, and coloring. His plain clothing didn’t stand out. His hair style was covered by his hat. His glasses helped to hide his eyes, and his mask obscured his face. Even his voice wouldn’t be recognized by a stranger. With such a simple disguise he had gotten away with so much.

It was time to show Blake who really owned Sunny.

Hero glanced both ways before he crossed the street. He strolled right up to Blake’s car, adjusted his glasses on his face, and then rapped on the window twice with his knuckles.

Blake looked up and gave him a baffled and wary look. He frowned as Hero smiled widely behind his mask. He made a motion for him to roll down the window. Blake shook his head.

“I don’t got money,” the man said, shooing him off.

“I just want to talk,” Hero countered. “Two seconds of your time.”

“I said no. Go away!”

Hero sighed. Honestly, these kinds of people annoyed him. Though, admittedly, he wouldn’t open his door for someone like him either. But Blake didn’t have a choice. 

Hero flexed his hand for a moment, positioned himself, and then punched out Blake’s side mirror. The glass shattered and the plastic of the thing warped under the force of it, breaking it until it was hanging off.

“What the FUCK!” Blake yelled as he, predictably, threw his car door open. He attempted to hit Hero with it, but Hero side-stepped it. The first swung punch was always the easiest to dodge too. Between the sudden rage from Blake and the lack of expectation on Hero’s caliber, Hero already had the upper hand. 

Years of training in various forms of fighting styles had him knocking Blake’s feet out from under him before he was grabbing the man’s throat. He slammed him against the side of the car and pinned him. Blake’s eyes bulged with shock, clearly not having expected the sheer amount of muscle and strength that came from Hero’s slender form. He could barely even struggle.

“Listen here,” Hero said, voice steady and deep with his underlining fury and warning. He was smiling under his mask, causing his eyes to crinkle beneath the flash of his glasses in the lamplight of the streetlamps. His grip on Blake’s throat cut off all attempts for the man to yell even as he struggled in Hero’s hold. But Hero would not budge. “You are going to leave that pizza boy alone. You are not going to go near him ever again. Do you hear me?”

Blake looked confused for a second, then his eyes narrowed. “What–” he eked out, but Hero pulled him back and slammed him once more against his car. The man let out a cut-off cry of pain.

“Do you. Hear me?” Hero repeated.

Blake still didn’t respond. He couldn’t. There was fear in his face as even with his struggling he couldn’t escape Hero’s hold. Hero was sure his head was spinning a little from the impact, and he was sure the man’s back was hurting. Hero’s knee dug into the man’s thigh hard enough to really hurt, making Blake grimace. The man’s eyes darted around for help, but Sunny’s street was clear. Very few people walked this way so late at night.

“He is not yours,” Hero growled, fingers tightening around Blake’s throat until he was certain the man was starting to see stars. Cutting off air and blood flow will do that. “He is mine. And if I catch you near him one more time, I’m not going to let you off nearly as easily.”

And really, a verbal warning was typically enough. But this man had had the nerve to follow Sunny home. He knew where Sunny lived. And Hero was going to make sure to leave a distinct impression to make sure he heeded his warning and did not return.

So, he yanked Blake up until he was standing and spun him around. Blake gasped for air as his throat was released only for his hair to be grappled. Then Hero rammed his head against his rear driver’s side window. The glass spider-webbed from the impact but didn’t shatter. Blood welled up immediately on Blake’s forehead, but Hero paid it no mind. He threw the man down to the ground as he screamed in pain before he muffled him with his palm. Blake’s eyes were absolutely scared now as Hero’s shadowed face loomed over him as he said,

“Stay away from him. This is your only warning.”

Then Hero was up, and he was strolling away as Blake began to scream again. He moved quickly to abandon the scene, climbing into the car and starting it up. He drove off in a hurry, but did not speed. He didn’t need to go too far anyway.

Mari was silent as Hero calmed himself down. His breathing was steady but labored from his repressed bloodlust. He had wanted to do worse to Blake. But his training from his dad and his own morals kept him restrained. Knowing that Mari was there watching everything had helped to keep him in check. The monster in him would not get more blood tonight. And hopefully this would be the last he saw of Blake.

It was only when they were a few blocks away and Hero had replaced the license plate did Mari finally speak up and say, “You did a good job tonight.”

Hero let out a little laugh. Some of his tension left him, but it wasn’t completely abated. He glanced over at her. “Yeah?”

“Mm-hm.” Her hand slid into his where it was resting between them. Their fingers linked. She squeezed them. “And it’s always hot seeing you like that. I’m glad I came.”

Hero rolled his eyes a little. Mari could be so silly.

“You like seeing me assault people?”

“Only when they deserve it.”

Hero hummed. Well, he thought, it was probably good that she found it hot. It was one of the reasons they were still together to this day.

“Let’s hope I won’t have to do that for a while again yet.”

“Yeah. I hope he leaves Sunny alone.”

It would be just Sunny’s luck that one warning was not, in fact, enough to clear a man’s obsession with Sunny.

Chapter Text

Things seemed to settle down for a while. No reports of Blake from either Sunny or Paul were given to Hero. Checking his social media revealed very little, and even checking out his place showed that he seemed to have heeded Hero’s warning. In all, a great win for everything. Sunny had no clue as to why his fan had stopped coming around so much, but he didn’t seem particularly bothered. And so, Hero moved on.

Sunny was spending the night tonight. Hero always liked when Sunny stayed over because Sunny would never bring his washing supplies. He would just use what Hero had available, which meant that Sunny smelled like him for the entire night. And on top of that, Sunny sometimes ‘accidentally’ forgot to bring more clothes for his visit (despite the fact that Hero and Mari had long since filled one of the guest bedroom drawers with clothes that would fit Sunny) and so he would borrow stuff from Hero. Sunny was only slightly taller than Mari, which meant Hero’s clothes were big on him as well. Combined with the freshly-showered scent, it was enough to drive a man insane.

Hero’s shirt hung on Sunny’s thin frame exposing collarbones to the slight chill in the air as his towel hung off of his head. His eyes sought out Hero as his feet followed eagerly until he found the man sitting in his armchair in the living room. Mari had her feet up on the couch with the television on, but she smiled as she saw her brother enter.

“All done?” she asked, pushing herself to her feet. Sunny nodded. “Alright! I’m going next, then.”

“Ah,” Hero interrupted quickly, “I forgot to mention. I got that bath bomb you were eying while we were at LUSH the other day.”

“Oh?” Mari gave him a knowing look as he buried his smile behind a cup of juice. “Then maybe I’ll try it out. I could use a soak after a long day.”

“I thought you would.”

“Aww, you’re always so sweet, Hero!” She laughed a little before she departed, leaving Hero with plenty of time alone with Sunny now. As much as Mari wanted to play witness to Sunny eventually caving to Hero’s whims, Hero knew he would have an easier time if she wasn’t present. It would make things too awkward for Sunny, who still had yet to grasp that Mari was okay with their feelings for each other.

Sunny was still standing there silently. Hero placed down his cup and patted his thigh as he spread his legs. “Come here, Sunny,” he commanded kindly with a smile. It gave him flashbacks to many times they had done this when they were smaller. Sunny didn’t even hesitate to sit between Hero’s legs, back to the chair. Hero picked up the towel and began to thoroughly dry Sunny’s hair with gentle movements.

Sunny let out a pleased sigh at that as he relaxed into the touch. It made Hero’s heart swell with endless affection as he took his time. He was practically massaging the man’s head, neck, and shoulders as he worked. It made him long for more.

There was a comfortable silence between them for a while. Hero searched for something to talk about. It was harder than he expected to flirt with Sunny since if he pressed too hard then Sunny would get upset with him for “cheating”. So, he had to play with a reasonable amount of deniability while trying to guide the mood into a good place where Sunny might make the first move. It was all very tricky. Hero just wanted to kiss Sunny and get it over with.

Sunny, surprisingly, was the one to break the silence as he said, “Thank you for letting me stay over.”

“You’re always welcome here, Sunny. Our home is your home,” Hero responded right away. “Though you could save yourself a trip by just moving in. Our guest room is always ready.”

Sunny ignored the invitation as usual. So, Hero tried something different. He brought the towel down to wipe some of the water along Sunny’s neck while staring down the front of Sunny’s shirt hungrily. The clothing did little to hide anything in its depths. His hands itched to touch skin, he thought as he said, “We even have extra clothes for you here. You don’t even need to wear my clothes.”

Sunny ducked his head. It was impossible to see his expression. “...Your clothes are comfortable…” he murmured, shy.

Hero beamed. “I know they are. You’re welcome to keep borrowing them.” After all, Mari stole his stuff all of the time too. He loved the idea of Sunny dressed in his clothing and walking around smelling like him and comfortable in his home. It appeased the more animalistic part of him. They were basically dating already, but they were missing out on all of the physical intimacy that they both wished for. “I’m just surprised you forgot to pack your own stuff for the night. You’re usually good about that.”

Sunny lifted his head and grabbed the remote for the television. He changed it to a different channel before beginning to settle back between Hero’s legs. But Hero caught and stopped him with hands on his hips. He pulled him into his lap without asking this time, encouraging Sunny to sit sideways and lean against him. It was a little cramped on the armchair, but that just meant Sunny was snuggled up nicely against him and resting his head on Hero’s shoulders. As Hero had predicted, Sunny rebelled a lot less without witnesses around. He even rested his hands on Hero’s arm around his waist where he kept Sunny strapped in. 

Hero felt like he was practically glowing. Sunny’s warmth and weight was different from Mari’s. He didn’t have the long hair that she had, and he was a little harder where Mari was softer since Sunny was skinnier. He’d always been a little on the small side, and his bony hips dug a little into Hero’s stomach. But he didn’t mind as Sunny settled in, perfectly comfortable in Hero’s arms.

Anyone who looked at them would think they were a couple. Hero was sure Sunny’s mind was filled with reasonings why this was still ‘okay’ and ‘not flirtatious’ or ‘crossing boundaries’, but the truth was closer to Pavlovian training. Hero (with the help of Mari and their friends on occasion) had trained Sunny to accept any and all of Hero’s touches. His logical brain protested sometimes (it was so cute how loyal he was. Hero loved that about him. He just wished Sunny was less stubborn and a little more selfish) but his body was always the first to cave to Hero’s desires. 

It made him wonder what Sunny would be like if he got him drunk. He would be a very, very easy target. Hero could probably get him into bed and finally fuck him like he’d always wanted to. A drunk, needy Sunny would probably give sloppy smiles and maybe even give the cutest kisses as he clung to Hero. He would let his body control things instead of thinking, and Hero might just let his morals shut down long enough to follow Sunny’s lead. It might actually be attractive to see Sunny fully in control of the pacing while absolutely sloshed. It gave Hero the arousing image of Sunny shakily trying to climb on him, positioning his cock with a concentrated but dazed expression, while Hero just watched it all.

He turned his head to press his face to Sunny’s neck with a heated, shuddering exhale that had Sunny stiffening next to him. He could feel himself growing hard at the very thought. 

Maybe he should get Sunny drunk and alone. It was still consent if Sunny’s inhibitions were just lowered, right? And it would finally open the door to the conversation they’d been skating around for years now.

God, he wanted him.

“H-Hero…” Sunny gently pushed Hero’s head away. His face was flushed, and his eyes darted around nervously. Most of the time they flicked back towards the direction of where Mari had gone.

Ah, what he wouldn’t give to press further. Sunny might feel guilty about it, but Hero would love to fuck Sunny right here in this armchair or over on the couch next to them. He could imagine Sunny covering his mouth trying desperately to stay silent even as Hero sucked down his cock. He wanted to brag to Sunny that he had trained himself out of his gag reflex so he could take Sunny all the way down. He would even eat his ass if that was what Sunny wanted. And then he could press his cock into him as Sunny quietly begged him not to for fear of what Mari would say. Hero could ignore that knowing that Mari would be more upset that she wasn’t actually there to witness Hero taking Sunny’s virginity even as Sunny’s ass took him deeper and Sunny pulled him closer–

Sunny tried to leave Hero’s lap then, and Hero’s hands instinctively gripped him. His nails bit a little into the man’s clothes and skin, and a predatory glare flashed across Hero’s face at the thought of Sunny leaving him there. But then it was gone as Sunny blinked with confusion, doubting what he had just seen, as Hero relaxed right away back into his skin with a confused smile.

“What’s wrong?” he asked innocently.

Sunny shifted, and then swallowed. His mouth opened and closed. He seemed reluctant to answer.

Hero’s cock was throbbing in his pants. He was well aware of just how close Sunny’s heat was to him. He wished they were naked right then and there.

Instead of pointing out the hard-on under his ass, Sunny asked, “Aren’t I… too old to keep doing this?”

“What? Cuddling?” Hero asked.

“Sitting in your lap.”

“My lap’s made for lap-sitting,” he said with a teasing smile, purposefully turning on the charm.

That only flustered Sunny more as he looked away. He was adorably shy. No wonder so many people attempted to prey on him. But he was Hero’s prey only. No other eyes were allowed to see this without his permission. 

“But…”

“You can ignore it. You know these kinds of things happen,” he offered as an out. “Sorry if it’s bothering you. That’s just what happens when I have an attractive person in my lap.”

Sunny’s hands tightened where they were resting against his stomach. He glanced at Hero out of the corner of his eye, and there it was. The doubt once more. This was the area Hero wanted to stay in. He wanted Sunny questioning everything. Hero had always been affectionate with Sunny ever since they were little and long before Hero’s feelings had shifted into sexual. It was easy for Sunny to be confused by Hero’s actions when they had hardly changed over the years. Hero was just trying to be a little more forward with his flirting.

He teetered on the edge of hope that Sunny would pursue the topic. Maybe ask him what he meant by that. The natural follow-up would be to question if Hero had some kind of feelings for him. Hero could see how Sunny built his courage to do just that as his body instinctively turned into Hero’s grip. It was appealing to Sunny to know that Hero could get hard for him. His body language gave him away.

But Sunny chickened out before he voiced his thoughts. He changed the topic instead, much to Hero’s disappointment, as he said, “I didn’t bring my clothes… because I thought maybe I’d left them here.”

That was confusing. Where did that come from? Hero’s horny brain needed a moment to rewire itself and backtrack trying to figure out how that was relevant. And then he recalled his question from earlier. Sunny was bringing back the safer conversation to avoid the one Hero would rather be having.

“Left… them here? Uh, what do you mean?”

Sunny’s hand found Hero’s arm again. He ran his thumb over the light brown hair there, mussing it up before flattening it again as he watched. “I’m missing clothes. Usually they’re here when I can’t find them.”

Understandable, Hero thought, since usually the source of Sunny’s missing clothes was Hero himself. He liked to steal them away for his own usage sometimes when he knew he wouldn’t have time to meet with Sunny. He could watch Sunny from afar all the time and often followed him around, but there were some days where Hero just couldn’t spend time with Sunny personally. So, having some dirty laundry helped to calm him down. He’d been doing that since they were younger too. It was a habit. And yes, Hero typically returned them cleaned up after claiming Sunny had simply forgotten them at his place. Though it really just showed how much Sunny trusted him that he just accepted that he could accidentally leave his underwear, shirts, or even his shorts at Hero’s house even when he hadn’t spent the night recently.

But Hero hadn’t done that recently. He frowned. “You’re missing clothes?”

Sunny nodded. “They’re not here, though.”

“I haven’t found anything lately…” he agreed slowly. Then he shifted Sunny in his lap to sit a little straighter as he asked, “Hey, Sunny, how have things been at your workplace? Has that guy who had a crush on you come back?”

Hero had long since confronted Sunny about Blake and had warned him to be careful, so Sunny was unsurprised that Hero was asking again. He shook his head.

That only made Hero more suspicious. Sunny could misplace his clothing, but if he had assumed he had left it at Hero’s house then that meant there wasn’t another excuse.

Maybe he needed to check up on Blake again.

“When did this happen?” he asked.

“I only noticed today.”

“Has it happened a lot recently?”

Sunny shrugged. He had a strange expression as he held back. Hero wouldn’t allow that to slide.

“Sunny,” he murmured as he tilted his head to be sure Sunny could see him. The shadows from the lamplight made his face look dark even as his brown eyes had a sheen of severity to them. He was unsmiling as he said, “tell me what’s wrong.”

Sunny knew better than to hide anything from Hero. That wasn’t how Hero had trained him. He gave in at the slightest push. “I… There’s weird stuff happening to me.”

“What weird stuff?” he demanded.

Sunny hesitated once more before he pushed up and off of Hero. Then he walked out of the room. Hero stood as well, ready to pursue him, when Sunny returned carrying a piece of paper. He handed it to Hero.

It was a love letter, but it was on the creepy side. It was clearly going for romantic with its words and descriptions of Sunny’s beauty, but it fell off very quickly into the disturbing since there was a little too much focus on Sunny’s Asian features. Hero could recognize this from his profile of Blake. 

The bitch was back at it.

“Where did this come from?” Hero asked, containing his fury and outrage behind a wall as he maintained only a concerned and slightly-angry exterior. He didn’t want to scare Sunny. His glasses did a lot to help minimize the intensity in his eyes.

“It was in my mailbox yesterday.”

“Sunny,” Hero reprimanded, “you should’ve told me sooner.”

Sunny hunched a little at the scolding. Hero quickly pocketed the letter and pulled Sunny into his arms. He could see how unnerved his friend was. He placed a kiss on Sunny’s temple and rubbed his back. “Don’t worry. You should stay here for a bit.”

Sunny shook his head, though, as he pushed back a little to look up at Hero’s face. “I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.”

Sunny shook his head again. “I’ll… be okay. It was just a one-off, I think…”

“Sunny, whoever this is knows where you live.” Sunny stiffened at that.

“But… I can’t go to the police without evidence…”

“And what if they try to hurt you?” Sunny didn’t respond to that. Hero held him just a little tighter. Was Sunny really trying to get evidence? What would he do if Hero wasn’t here to protect him? Sunny truly didn’t know how to live alone. This is why he needed to stay with Hero always. He needed him here. The very thought of letting Sunny go back alone to that place was enough to make him want to go insane. He could only think of Sunny’s shitty security. Hero had cameras up everywhere around and in Sunny’s apartment, but that didn’t mean he was safe.

He needed to do something.

“...How about this,” Hero suggested. “I’m going to be busy the next few days and staying out late anyway. I’m going to come by your place a few times in the middle of the night and check things out before I come home. I’ll even stay over, if you want me to. What do you say?”

Sunny considered it before he buried his face into Hero’s chest. He nodded before quietly saying, “Please.”

Hero pressed another furious kiss to Sunny’s head as he sent his fiery stare towards a wall instead of inflicting it on Sunny.

Blake didn’t take his warning. Sunny was scared.

Hero would take care of this. Nobody messed with what was His.

Chapter Text

One would think that if someone was going to commit crimes that involved breaking and entering on top of stalking, they would at least secure their place more. For example, Hero and Mari’s apartment was very much enforced and protected. Hero had replaced all of the locks, had added extras, and had even secured a way out in case any danger somehow made it into their place. That wasn’t even speaking of the cameras and alarm system they had. It was unassuming, but Hero was always thorough. His dad was the one who had helped him out with it. Hero hadn’t even known how protected his family home was until his dad had shown him what to do and look for.

But Blake clearly didn’t have any of that in mind when he had started following Sunny around. It was easy enough to pick the lock to the house, hack any nearby cameras (of which there were few), and avoid the doorbell cameras on nearby homes. It had only taken about an hour to scope out the area and get it done when Blake wasn’t home, and then Hero was in.

There was a lot that Hero’s father had passed down to him during the many years he was training his son. It wasn’t just so that he could protect Hero from himself and others, but also so that he would end up being a good person. There was nothing that either of them feared more than those they loved leaving them and them giving into their darker sides. That was why his father taught him to give and return hurt with like hurt. Maybe a bit more pain to be sure that they learned their lesson and didn’t cause problems. That was why Hero had slashed the tires of the boys who had thrown Sunny and Kel to the ground. It was why Hero had helped his father bust up the storefront of the people who tried to swindle Hero’s mother. It was why Hero sent people to do the dirty work for him sometimes.

Hero was, admittedly, kinder than his dad was. If it was him dealing with Blake, he probably would’ve been at this point long before. But Hero liked to give people a warning since that was typically enough. It would be a crazy story for them to tell their friends and family and maybe the police, but they couldn’t do anything to get back to Hero. After all, even if Blake had tried to report to the police what had happened to him on the off-chance Blake somehow recognized him, the police would simply never believe him. Hero’s reputation with the local police was pristine from all of the times he had helped many people in the force personally.

Needless to say, Hero regretted his kindness now as he discovered Sunny’s missing clothes hidden in Blake’s bedroom along with a few pictures that were taken of Sunny. There were a few candid shots, but most of them were printed off from social media. It seemed that Hero’s warning had only made him more desperate or obsessed. It made Hero sigh. 

He could understand. Sunny was handsome, adorable, and sweet. His habit of not emoting as much as most people only made someone want to try to draw out those expressions. And the reward for earning those expressions were worthy as prizes. Hero understood the need to dominate and own him. After all, poor Sunny needed someone to protect him.

But Hero had claimed him first. And he would not allow any sort of competition.

It was enough that Hero wanted to destroy the bedroom he was in. He wanted to slash up the bedding and shatter the mirror. He wanted to light a fire to the kitchen and burn the photos and television with it. But he was reasonable enough to know that would be risky. And in the end it would only cause some emotional harm to Blake.

No, he wanted to hurt. He wanted to draw blood. He wanted to make Blake truly afraid. He wanted to be the Boogeyman who would haunt his dreams if he so much as thought about Sunny.

And so he would.

He took any and all of Sunny’s stuff. He would buy new versions of these clothes because he couldn’t stand the idea of Sunny wearing clothing that had probably been used by Blake. It would just infuriate him. He would just lie and say Sunny really had left the clothing at his house. Hero might use the new clothes for his own purposes just so he could feel better about Sunny wearing them. But that was for later.

He left Blake’s house without leaving a clue behind that he was there other than the fact that Sunny’s stuff was missing. Let Blake get desperate. If he really wanted Sunny’s clothing, then he would be back. Based on the video feed from the past few weeks, Blake liked to pop around at a specific time. Hero would be there to meet him.

It was nearly three in the morning a few days since Hero had recovered Sunny’s items. It had been an empty sort of satisfaction as he had lit the items up in the grill he kept on his apartment porch while Mari had watched, but at least now he felt the taint in his house was gone. It hadn’t been difficult to find new clothes to replace them with, and Mari had even been the one to tell Sunny that they’d found his missing clothes. It had done a lot to relieve Sunny, who had been genuinely terrified someone had broken into his house while he had slept.

It was good to reassure him, Hero thought as he watched his friend sleeping in the bed next to him. But really, it was pretty dangerous how deep of a sleeper he was. He had been able to enter Sunny’s house, enter his bedroom, and had even relaxed down on his bed for the past hour simply watching Sunny breathe and sleep. It was much more pleasant to do it in person than it was to do it over a screen. Here he could actually reach out and touch Sunny’s face. He’d even given him a soft, loving kiss on his lax lips.

But if Hero could do it, that meant that others could too. The thought that maybe Blake had dared to not only come into this room, but to touch what was Hero’s simply enraged him. But he took that rage and bottled it to use later. Soon, he assured himself as he kept an eye on the cameras in front of Sunny’s apartment. Soon he would be able to take care of this mess.

Sunny didn’t need to worry about some creep following him around and breaking into his home. Not while Hero was around.

He’d been doing this for the past couple of days without much luck in trying to catch the insect that kept buzzing around Sunny’s head. Blake was either more cautious than Hero had given him credit for, or he was a coward. Either way, Hero had been tracking his movements. He had a tracker on Blake’s car but hadn’t bothered to waste time setting up a camera in the man’s apartment. No, he just needed to keep an eye on the car, which he had used to follow Sunny on occasion. Hero had spotted the man loitering around Sunny, so he had made sure that Sunny was never alone enough for Blake to meet with him. He couldn’t use his own body considering his plans for Blake, so he had called in favors from Mari, some of Sunny’s college friends, and even Kel and Aubrey. Kel, who was already concerned about the possibility of a stalker, had dropped everything at Hero’s request to help Sunny out. Hero hadn’t given Blake an opening.

Why hadn’t he just taken out the man earlier? Well, Hero wanted to catch Blake in the act. He needed the man to be well-aware of where he had crossed the line. And Hero was, admittedly, spiteful. He wanted to make sure that Blake knew to fear coming anywhere near Sunny’s home.

Which was why he found himself slipping out of Sunny’s bed and into the living room as he finally spotted his prey on the cameras. He hid himself in a shadowed spot where the streetlamps didn’t shine in and pulled out the syringe from his trench coat. He uncapped it silently and double-checked the dosage before giving himself a nod. Yes, this would keep him out for just long enough for Hero’s needs. Now, he waited.

There was a jiggling of the back door lock. Hero pulled his gloves and black medical mask on. Of course he would go through the back. The alleyway behind the apartments normally didn’t have cameras, but that didn’t mean Hero didn’t have them. In fact, Hero had access to all of the nearby cameras whether or not they were his. He had long since commandeered them. The only exception was the doorbell cameras, but he typically didn’t need to worry about those.

The door creaked, and there was a muffled curse as some paper bags that Hero had purposefully put in front of that door crackled. Hero closed his eyes and listened closely, picturing it all. The bags were moved aside with as much caution as they could be before the floor began to groan with soft footsteps. Blake appeared as mostly a shadowed figure in the living room as he glanced around. Hero was sure he couldn’t be seen from where he was standing as Blake’s eyes slid past him. He seemed pleased with himself as his hands brushed over Sunny’s furniture and as he strided over to the few photos Sunny had hanging up.

He scoffed to himself. “Boyfriend…” he grumbled under his breath. “Fuckin’ liar. What boyfriend?”

Hero narrowed his eyes. His hands clenched at his sides. He had been right to cut back on the ‘acting as Sunny’s boyfriend’ stuff for just a little while. Less suspects since he was currently planning to let Blake live.

He waited, tense, as the man moved to scoot past the couch. His eyes were intent on Sunny’s bedroom door, which was cracked open just on the other side of the room. It was enough to make Hero snap into action just knowing that Blake clearly knew where Sunny was.

There was no hesitation as he moved forward smoothly like a snake. He only called out a simple, “Funny meeting you here.”

Blake spun on him with wide eyes as he gasped. He managed, “What–?!” but didn’t get to finish before Hero’s arm was around his head. He yanked it down and to the side, muscles bulging as he hauled the man’s weight against him, and sank the thin needle expertly into Blake’s neck. The man attempted to scream against Hero’s arm, but it was muffled. He clawed and struggled, but the drug was quick. His movements weakened a little more abruptly than Hero had expected.

“Whoa!” he cried to himself as Blake abruptly dropped. He hit the floor with a loud thud, making Hero cringe reflexively. Shit, that was noisier than he had expected, he thought as he knelt down. The force of his collapsing body had actually shifted the couch too, causing it to slide a little on the wood floor and off of the rug. But Blake was out when Hero checked on him. He placed his fingers on his pulse. It was still there. Excellent.

“...Who’s there?” Hero startled at the sound of Sunny’s voice. It was scared but hard. He ripped off his mask to throw into his pocket as he shoved himself to his feet right away as he saw Sunny pat the wall in an attempt to find the light switch. Shit; he couldn’t let Sunny get that light on or come any closer. He would see Blake.

“S-Sorry!” Hero called quickly, stumbling past Blake’s legs while casually kicking them to hide them a little better behind the couch so Sunny couldn’t see. “It’s just me!”

“Hero?” Sunny paused, lowering what looked like the bat from Mari he had been keeping near his bed. At least he had brought that with him.

“Yeah. I’m so sorry. I tripped over something in the dark.” He grimaced as he got closer to Sunny, reaching out to soothe him. His hands smoothed down his shoulders and arms where he held him. He was sure he was completely blocking what little sight Sunny had now as he smiled down at him. Sunny seemed relieved to see him. Hero wanted to kiss him, but he settled on just a forehead kiss. “I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“You’re here late,” Sunny murmured, unconsciously leaning forward into his touch. Hero hugged him as he realized Sunny was still partially asleep. His voice was deeper like it was when he typically first woke up. It was precious. He wondered what that graveliness would feel like under his lips if he kissed his throat as he talked.

“I just came to check on something. You can go back to bed.”

Sunny hummed in acknowledgement since Hero had been popping around often over the past few days (though he had been unaware that Hero had spent the night more often than not. He had been seeing Sunny more than Mari recently. Mari understood why.)

He rubbed his face to Hero’s chest with a tired sigh. Hero could feel him already starting to drop off again now that the adrenaline was draining away. It made something in him crow with pride that Sunny felt so safe around him. “...Do you want to stay over?” he asked a little shyly. “Since you’re already here…”

And Hero squeezed his eyes shut with agony over Sunny’s head where he couldn’t see him. What he wouldn’t give to sleep with Sunny tonight. With him in this state, he could get a full sleepy cuddle in. He could wake up in the morning with Sunny warm in his arms and looking positively delectable. If Hero positioned them just right, he might even get Sunny horny before he was fully awake. He could attempt to coax him into a kiss if he played his cards right.

But…

“I can’t,” he said mournfully. “I have to take care of something.”

“So late?” Sunny asked, pulling his head back to look at him with a frown.

“Yeah. And Mari’s expecting me home.” It was better to make sure Sunny knew as little of his movements as possible.

The reminder of Mari seemed to jolt Sunny, and he pulled away. Hero mentally screamed over it. He shouldn’t have mentioned Mari at all. “Right. I’ll… go back to sleep then.”

Hero smiled a little sadly. “Good night, Sunny. I’ll see you later. I’m just going to fix what I knocked over.”

Sunny nodded with a wide yawn and returned to his room. Hero moved around the living room and adjusted the couch while gritting his teeth. With nobody to watch him he was allowed to let his expressions free. He very nearly growled as he glared ferociously at Blake as he gave him a sharp kick in the side.

“Bastard,” he hissed under his breath where he was sure Sunny couldn’t hear him. “I’ll make you suffer more for making me miss out on cuddles.”

Blake didn’t respond.

Hero double-checked that Sunny was well and truly asleep before he pulled his mask back on and hauled Blake up into a fireman's carry over his shoulder. The cameras were utterly under his control, so he felt no worries as he only did a perfunctory check of his surroundings before he took Blake to his own car. He locked up Sunny’s place tightly, stole Blake’s keys, and then threw him into the back of the trunk. He grabbed his bag and metal pipe from the bushes outside of Sunny’s rear door before he pulled out his supplies.

He was nice enough to put some padding between Blake’s limbs and the couple of zip ties he used to bind him up. He stuffed plenty of muffling material into his mouth and gagged him before he put the blind fold on as well. Then he stole the beanie that Blake had been wearing to slip on before he closed the trunk up. He already knew there would be no easy way for him to try to break out of this thing since Hero had already broken into it to check on it just a few nights ago.

He slipped into the front seat of the car, took off his glasses (they were mostly decorative anyway), and adjusted his posture. Just a quick check in a mirror confirmed he mostly had Blake’s figure going on in case anyone happened to spot him. It was dark enough to be mistaken for just about anyone as long as he was careful.

With that, Hero drove off into the night.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t the first time Hero had kidnapped someone. He doubted that it would be the last time either. But every time he did it he always thought back to his very first time with his father.

It had been to a police officer who had unfairly arrested Hero’s mother back when Hero had been fourteen because she had been supposedly causing problems at an otherwise normal traffic stop. The results were that his mother was released, but Hero’s father hadn’t forgotten the offense. 

He had waited a few weeks, much to Hero’s confusion. He had prepared meticulously and had coached Hero through it all. It was the angriest that Hero had ever remembered seeing him, and it had been enough to put Hero into a stunned silence. He had wondered to himself if he had looked that angry that day he had fought those middle schoolers on the playground. He made sure to remember everything that his father taught him. He didn’t doubt he would need it eventually.

(Admittedly, though, kidnapping seemed like a hassle.)

(That particular officer had been blinded and deafened since, as Hero’s father put it, “he wasn’t putting his eyes and ears to good use”).

Hero wasn’t much of a fan of violence even if he enjoyed the satisfaction of using it in the right scenario. It wasn’t something that he decided on but rather something that came naturally to him the second he was provoked too much. He preferred to handle people quietly. That was why when he had first kidnapped someone on his own, it had been mostly as a warning. He had left that person out in the forest to fend for themselves after knocking them out. It had taken three days for him to be found. He was lucky that he was at least found with only dehydration and a chill for medical problems. He’d had no idea how he had gotten out there.

(Hero had been eighteen at that time, and it was someone who had locked Sunny and Kel in the gym storage so that Kel couldn’t get on the basketball team. The kid had been the little brother of a girl Hero had broken the heart of, and he had used Kel as revenge with Sunny having gotten caught up in it. It had been a harmless prank, so Hero had given him a relatively harmless retribution.)

(If the kid hadn’t been found after three days, Hero would’ve helped to find him.)

Kidnapping was a hassle overall, though. But Hero understood now what his father had been feeling that day with the officer. There was rage that boiled under his skin as he drove down long highways out of the city and took back roads towards the forests that existed in the area. He didn’t need to go terribly far, but he needed to go deep enough that they wouldn’t be bothered. It was going to be dawn in a couple hours, so he was on a time limit.

Hero had already scoped out exactly where to bring Blake, though.

The man was already making noises in the trunk by the time Hero had stopped the car and turned everything off. There were terrified tears that had soaked the blindfold when the trunk was opened, and Blake began to struggle in earnest as Hero grabbed onto him and hauled him bodily out of the vehicle. He wasn’t exactly careful as he carried the struggling man over to an open area and dropped him to the ground. The only lighting was from an electric lantern that Hero had placed nearby just so that he had something see by. They were deep in the forest now, and Hero knew for a fact nobody was around there.

He let Blake roll around on the ground for a bit as he tried to free himself from his restraints to no avail as he went back to the car and got out his stuff. The sound of the metal pipe dropping and clanging against the stuff in Hero’s bag had Blake freezing. Even in the warm light of the lamp, he looked pale and sweaty.

Hero took off the beanie he had stolen and tossed it onto the trunk of the car before adjusting his trenchcoat around his shoulders. It was his black one rather than the off-grey one he normally wore. He didn’t need bloodstains that could be shown. He made sure his gloves and face mask were secure before he walked casually over to Blake.

He pressed a boot (hiking boots, whose prints wouldn’t be unusual to find in this area) to the man’s chest and put his weight on it, making Blake groan as he was pinned to the ground with his arms still behind his back.

“Feeling okay?” he asked, and Blake froze at the sound. A smile widened on Hero’s face. “Oh? Do you recognize my voice? Interesting. I thought you had forgotten all about me… You know… considering you forgot. My. Warning!” He punctuated each of his last words with a sharp kick to Blake’s sides, making the man give a muffled cry. He rocked back and forth in an attempt to sit up, but with the way his arms and legs were bound, it was impossible. He should be glad that Hero was kind enough to give him some padding so the zip ties wouldn’t bite into the thin skin.

“See,” Hero continued as he put a boot to Blake’s throat and pinned him in place. He was careful not to exert too much pressure as he spoke, “I don’t typically like doing this stuff. But it’s a necessary evil sometimes since some people just don’t understand not to touch what’s not theirs.”

Blake was frozen. Hero watched him thoughtfully as he rolled the man’s throat under his shoe, and then he released him. Blake gasped for air as the pressure was released. Tears wetted his blindfold even more.

Hero crouched down. “I’m going to give you a chance to defend yourself,” he informed him kindly as he pulled his hunting knife out of his coat. He trailed the blunt edge of it across the man’s jaw, which only made Blake stiffen and whimper more. Then he brought it up and under the gag in Blake’s mouth, pulling it away enough to drop it to around his neck before he reached in and grabbed the stuffing in his mouth.

“Y-You fucking freak!” Blake cried right away as soon as the knife was away from his skin. “You can’t do this to me!”

“I already have,” Hero told him cheerfully. “In fact, even if you scream nobody will hear you. Listen closely.” And then he fell silent. Other than Blake’s harsh panting, only the sounds of nature could be heard. No cars, no people, and nothing around for at least a couple miles.

“...Where am I?” Blake asked, voice weak with his terror. “Are you really doing this j-just because of Sunny? Man, I’ll leave him alone! I swear!”

“We’re past that point, actually,” Hero said as he stood and went to grab his bag. “You have a list of offenses against me, and, worst of all, against Sunny.” He listed on his fingers as he dug one-handed through his bag for what he was looking for. “Stalking, breaking and entering, harassment, stealing, and… touching –” he gritted his teeth and clenched his hand into a fist as he pulled out a bonesaw, “him in his sleep. In fact, you were going to do more than just that tonight, weren’t you?” He spun towards him.

“No! No, I wasn’t! I swear I wasn’t!” Blake cried, struggling again as Hero returned to him. “I-I-I was just going to look!”

“Which is already crossing too many boundaries. Sunny rejected you already. And you had the… the… gall to do what you did!” Hero could feel his anger rising up quickly in him. The outrage that had been building in him in weeks was coming up as a murderous rage that demanded justice. He wanted so badly to end Blake here. His hands were shaking from containing the urge.

“What do you care?!” Blake squeaked, sensing the anger. “Who are you even to him?! His b-boyfriend?! He doesn’t have one!”

“You’re right in that he doesn’t have one. But Sunny is mine and nobody else’s!” He kicked Blake over onto his stomach and stomped on his back again as the man attempted to struggle. “And now, you’re going to pay for touching what’s not yours. I’d warned you. I told you that I don’t like doing this stuff–”

“Then don’t! Just let me go! I’ll never go near Sunny ever again! Please, I’m begging you!”

Hero took a deep breath through his nose. This guy was interrupting him now. He really was a rude fuck.

He grinned widely, eyes glittering with a manic edge behind his glasses, as he said, “I’ll make sure you never so much as let him enter your filthy thoughts ever again! So, Blake Carmichael, how would you like to repent? I’m nice enough to give you an option.”

“Please don’t kill me…” Blake sobbed. “Please…!”

“Since you asked so nicely, I won’t.” It was always good to set the bar high, Hero thought, though he hadn’t planned on killing Blake. “That leaves us with three options then:” He tapped his bonesaw to one of Blake’s thumbs, making Blake squeak with terror once more. “Both of your thumbs, so you can never use them to write your disgusting love letters again…” He tapped Blake’s right wrist next, “Your dominant hand, which you used to jerk your pathetic cock while fantasizing about someone who was never yours to begin with… Or…” he slid the saw between the gap in Blake’s legs. The sharp edge just dared the man to try to move with the teeth so close to his crotch, “the pathetic cock in question.”

There was a beat of silence as Blake, stunned, processed this. Then he yelled, “YOU’VE GOTTA BE JOKING!”

“I assure you I’m not,” Hero responded cheerfully, pulling the saw away. “I’ll give you one minute to think on it before I make the choice for myself. And I promise you that if you leave it to me… I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to stop myself from enjoying more than one option.” He beamed behind his mask as his saw shined in the lamplight, just imagining the pleasure he would get from making this man scream. It would be worth it just knowing that his fear would never be enough to repent for the fear and uneasiness Sunny had been living with for the past few weeks.

It should be reiterated that Hero really, truly, did not like harming others. In fact, unnecessary blood and gore always churned his stomach. Violent video games made him feel ill. The screams of people being murdered or attacked in horror movies made him want to faint, so he would typically hide his face against Mari or Kel when they were watching together. He hated spiders, and the thought of making people upset genuinely made him feel regret.

But that was how Hero normally was. The Hero that existed deep in him – the one that reared its ugly head when what was His was threatened or harmed – held no such qualms. Every reservation that he had almost completely flew out the window when he felt justified in his actions, and Hero laughed to himself as he shoved the gag back into Blake’s mouth and heated his bonesaw up.

“Don’t worry too much!” Hero assured Blake when, after wasting his time begging and pleading for Hero to change his mind, his arm was placed on the block of wood Hero had brought just for this purpose. “If you’re lucky, you’ll pass out in the middle of this! But even if you do, I’ll make sure you don’t die. I don’t need your death on my mind, hahaha! Sunny wouldn’t like it if he ever found out!”

Blake only screamed behind his gag.

“Struggling will just make the cut more difficult, you know! Oh well! Good luck to you, right?”

No, Hero didn’t like hurting people. But there was a deep, deep satisfaction he felt as Blake’s blood splatter across his grinning face and glasses at the first sickening slice and muffled shriek of agony.

He would sleep easily tonight with all of this catharsis. He was already looking forward to reassuring Sunny of his safety.

It was past dawn by the time Hero had returned home with a yawn and a stretch. The stuff in his bag clanged a little loudly as he placed it down in a cabinet to handle later on after a shower and a good sleep. He was glad he had been proactive in staying ahead of all of his duties so that he would get the chance to sleep in today. Blake had chosen just the right time to pull his little stunt. Hero hoped that he liked the hospital.

Between saving Blake’s life, getting rid of evidence, contacting some buddies of his who owed him some favors to take Blake and the car to a designated spot, double and triple-checking to make sure everything had worked well, and finally making it home, it had been a very long night. He had barely gotten any sleep, and now that the adrenaline rush of everything was over he was ready to crash.

He reflected on the evening under the delicious heat of the shower rinsing off the last bit of dirt on his skin and hair. Even though his clothes were fresh from when he had changed into something completely different from what he had been wearing earlier, Hero felt dirty in them. He wanted to toss these ones into the hamper now too and wash them up. He smelled of ash and fire.

He closed his eyes and grimaced, remembering Blake’s agony. Even if he had enjoyed it in the moment, he felt a little disgusted with himself now. Just a bit, though. He would never forget the sound of Blake’s leg snapping under the force of his pipe even after his hand had been removed. That one had been for ruining his chances with Sunny tonight. He should be happy that Hero was more charitable than he let on. He had even been nice enough to assure he had gotten proper medical attention since, obviously, leaving evidence behind that he himself could perform expert medical service on his victim would make it easier to profile him. It never felt good to bandage someone so sloppily, but it had been enough to let the unconscious man not bleed out. If he had been a little lower on blood than Hero had intended, then that was just a mistake. Things happened.

Hero dried his body and hair off with his fatigue weighing heavily on him now. He was ready to pass out. He barely had enough energy to pull on some clothing before climbing silently into bed next to Mari.

Coaxing hands found their way to his shoulders as Hero’s eyes stayed closed. A smile pulled at his lips as he was guided into Mari’s arms where he nuzzled against her chest with a pleased sigh. Her lips were sweet against his damp hair.

“Sorry…” he murmured, “didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Mm, it’s okay,” Mari assured him, just as sleepy as she cuddled him close. Her body was heaven that he could hold close. She helped to block out some of the light already coming through the curtains and brightening the bedroom. “You’re home very late. Or early.”

“Long night.”

Nails scraped pleasantly up and down his neck and back as he began to doze mid-conversation. But he had enough mind left of him to hear her as she asked, “Is everything done?”

He huffed a little in amusement. “No more worries now.”

“What happened?”

But Hero didn’t answer her. And he probably never would. The less she knew about these kinds of things, the better. He knew that if by any chance he had somehow slipped up and the police found their way to this place, then she would be his alibi every time. He knew that she would probably never judge him if she knew how Hero had handled the problem.

But Hero didn’t want her to know. There were just some things that weren’t exactly meant for pillow talk, or to converse about over dinner. So, Hero would keep it to himself.

“Fine, don’t tell me,” she teased, only a little disappointed. She hadn’t really expected many details anyway. She was sure there was a plethora of things that Hero kept to himself, and she trusted him enough to understand that was probably for the best. She couldn’t help her curiosity, though.

She shifted him a little so he was better cuddled against her. “Go to sleep, handsome boy,” she crooned softly. “I’ll take care of things today.”

“Mm… Thank you, honey.”

“Anytime,” she promised with a kiss to his forehead as he finally fell asleep. She would have to check in on Sunny later and start planting the seeds about how she believed that Sunny’s creepy admirer was probably a one-off since they’d never seen him again. Maybe she’d even plan an outing to Faraway Town soon to go see their parents and Basil. It had been a little while since then. They could all use a break from the city.

But that was for later. For now, she settled in to sleep a little longer as well. It was nice that she wouldn’t need to worry about Sunny for a little bit. Her adorable little brother was such a troublemaker sometimes. She was glad that he had someone so capable looking out for him.

Chapter Text

Mari fell in love with Hero when she was nine years old. It was on Halloween, and she had been dressed like a cat while Hero had been a puppy. They had trick-or-treated with their families around the neighborhood, but had fallen a little behind when Kel had rushed ahead while everyone had struggled to catch up to the wild boy. Somehow, Mari had gotten into some trouble with the local Big Kid (the kind that threw her weight around to physically overpower and intimidate others) and she had to argue to keep her candy. Hero had stepped in despite the fact that he had been clearly nervous and out of his depth. He hated confrontation, but he had still helped her out until the Big Kid had left. But not before half of Mari’s candy was stolen from her.

She had been angry, and upset, and she had started crying from the unfairness of it all. It was her first time trick-or-treating since they had come to America, and she had been so excited for it. Now it was all ruined!

But then Hero offered to go get her more candy and told her to wait right there before he had run off. Mari had waited because she didn’t know the area, and she knew that her parents would have to find her and Hero eventually, right? She expected that to happen before Hero would somehow get all of the candy back that had been taken from her. And so, she had continued to sniffle and wipe her eyes.

However, Hero did come back. And it was with pride that he dumped his entire bag of candy into Mari’s bag. She had looked at him, stunned, but he had just grinned at her.

“It’s okay,” he’d assured her. “I don’t really like candy that much anyway. Your smile is enough of a treat for me!”

And Mari… Mari had laughed. It was so ridiculous! What nine-year-old would say something like that? Especially since Mari knew that Hero was lying about the candy. He never had been a good liar even back then.

But the delighted pride in Hero’s smile (and Mari remembered that Hero had been missing a tooth too, which just added to his goofy, childish charm) as he listened to Mari laugh at him was something that Mari didn’t forget. And she fell in love with Hero right then and there. They had held hands as they had continued their trick-or-treating as they eventually met up again with their worried families. It was a secret between the two of them what had happened.

So it was at age eleven that Mari discovered that the boy she was in love with had a different side to him that others didn’t know about. It was a side that even Kel (as far as she knew) was unaware of, and one that was discussed only with his father. And it was a side that turned Hero’s cute, boyish smiles and shining brown eyes into a mask that tainted every expression with falsity and made the fine hairs all over her body stand straight up instinctively. Back when Mari had first seen it the day Hero had gone violent for the first time that she knew of on those boys who had hurt their brothers, Mari hadn’t understood the look. Now she understood it as one of a hunter.

It was… kind of hot. Not that she had understood the strange draw she had felt when Hero had told her he was going to slash some tires. And she certainly hadn’t understood the wild grin on his face as he had jumped onto those boys to beat them with a ferocity that had only been stopped by the adults pulling them away from each other. It was… It was…

Interesting.

Her curiosity more than anything had kept her coming back and not being afraid of him. He was just so… different! It was different from what she thought Hero was, and yet he was still very much Hero. His explanation of his mind and his feelings and this side of himself he seemed kind of ashamed and scared of only solidified Mari’s opinion of Hero: he was a good boy.

So, Mari just opened her heart up even more to this other side to Hero as she processed and figured out exactly who he was and how he was different from ‘normal’ people. And it was true that he simply had a much bigger type of love than other people. Hero loved and adored those he came to really care about, and that love and care was simply more encompassing and more flexible in the wake of social norms and morals.

She was aware of the two people who were differently loved than how Mari was even after she and Hero had officially started dating. He loved her, she knew, but he loved her in a way that was similar but different to Kel and Sunny. If Hero’s love was a Venn diagram, then the two circles would nearly overlap entirely. But there was a part of the second circle that stuck out just enough to show a significant change.

If Hero was in love with Mari, then he was obsessed with Sunny. And it had started innocently enough even in Hero’s eyes. He wanted to protect Sunny and care for him. He wanted to make him smile and hold him and never leave him. Hero said as much about Mari as well. But the difference between how he felt towards Mari and how he felt towards Sunny was that he gave the impression that Sunny… didn’t really have much of a choice.

If Mari was an outdoor cat who was allowed to come and go as she wished with Hero having the full knowledge that she would return happily and was given freedom in return, then Sunny was a cat Hero was attempting to capture to keep inside of his home where he could watch and play with him forever.

It took some time for Mari to understand why he treated Sunny and Kel differently when, supposedly, he felt the same obsession towards them both. But it came to her when they were teenagers and she caught him huffing at one of Sunny’s stolen shirts as he had fisted his cock in his shorts.

“When did this happen?” Mari had asked as Hero had stopped, mortified at being caught. It had made a rock sink to her stomach with dread of a betrayal. This was it. She should’ve expected that Hero’s love for Sunny wouldn’t stay platonic. She should’ve known.

“It’s… It’s not…” Hero had tried to protest before he gave in. He’d never been good at lying, and his and Mari’s relationship was built on trust and understanding that they would be honest. So, Hero was honest.

He wanted Sunny in every way possible. He wasn’t sure when it had switched over for him. It felt like natural progression, though he said he didn’t feel that particular way about Kel. It had confused him at first too. And the guilt he had felt in lusting after his girlfriend’s little brother had been clear on his face as he had waited for Mari to break up with him.

But Mari didn’t break up with him. She had just wanted to understand. Did he plan to touch Sunny when Sunny was still young? Did he plan to break up with her over this? Should she be worried for her little brother?

No, Hero had asserted firmly to all of them. No matter his own feelings, he didn’t plan on acting on any of them. He wasn’t able to help his urges, but he swore up and down he would never hurt Sunny.

And Mari believed him. And continued to believe him as he showed again and again that he meant every word.

That gave Mari time to think on their future together. There was one thing that was clear to her if she planned to be with Hero forever like she had originally planned back when she was nine: Sunny and Kel would be a frequent and major part of her life. Which wasn’t too bad. She adored her little brother Sunny, and she was used to Kel being around them all of the time too. She liked him as well. But the older they got, the more she understood that Hero was going to keep setting up strange boundaries to cross and uncross when it came to Sunny. And, ideally, Hero wanted to date Mari and Sunny.

Mari had to think about it. Hero had understood and never pressured her. He continued as normal, and Mari continued as normal. And she saw how Hero’s actions changed in response to Sunny’s growth. He took care of any problems that her misfortunate little brother ran into. He kept away bad people while encouraging Sunny’s attachment to him. He requested to put cameras in Mari and Sunny’s room with honesty about what he planned to use them for. Mari got used to the knowledge that her phone was being tracked and hacked, and she got used to knowing that Sunny’s phone was as well. She got used to Hero simply always knowing where her little brother was, and she got used to informing Hero of anything he asked for. She encouraged his affection for Sunny by cooing over cute candid pictures with him, and she turned a blind eye when Sunny’s clothing would disappear only to reappear later.

And one day she realized this was her normal life. And she didn’t mind it at all.

Hero’s heart was big enough to support a grand love for more than one person, and he was a skilled enough person to back up those big feelings by being active in his relationships. There was never a moment that Mari felt like Hero somehow cared for her less because he wasn’t obsessed with her in the way that he was for Kel or Sunny. He was just as affectionate and loving as he had always been. His only real request from her that required any sort of effort was her understanding that he wanted that with Sunny too.

The longer she thought about it, the more it had grown on her. And after watching Hero’s increasing pursuit of her now-of-age little brother, she found herself liking it more and more. She loved Sunny. She would love to have him around more. And Hero was happier and more relaxed when Sunny was in his arms and in his line of sight. She loved seeing the ones she loved happy.

She had dreamed of Hero having sex with her little brother. And she had woken up horny and unsatisfied until she had climbed on Hero and had coaxed him to hardness. The way his eyes had widened and lit up when she told him “Close your eyes and picture I’m Sunny” stuck with her forever.

The sex had been phenomenal. 

At this point in Mari’s life, she was used to seeing Sunny on Hero’s computer screen. She had seen her brother in every state of undress and had listened to Hero fanboy over how hot he was when he masturbated with the gift Mari had given Sunny knowing it would make Hero happy. She found herself more and more attracted to the beast she so rarely got to see come out in Hero, and she simply waited and encouraged Hero and Sunny orbiting affections for each other.

Once Sunny had been secured and understood that Hero had two hands so he could support two lovers, Hero promised Mari that they would discuss marriage. She looked forward to it.

So, now Mari placed aside the homework she had been working on for her university class to gaze at Hero in the kitchen. The sunset casted gorgeous orange light and deep shadows across the hallway as the light stretched to just touch Hero. It made the brown in his hair glitter gold and catch the frill of his apron as he hummed to himself while cleaning the dishes. It was strange for her to think how just a few days ago those hands were bloodstained through the gloves he had worn.

She had seen the news about a man who had been mysteriously assaulted. The police were looking for the perpetrator. They didn’t have many clues as to who it could be, though. Which – Mari had pointed out to Hero – didn’t make any sense. Why wouldn’t they interrogate Sunny?

Hero had just laughed it off and explained that Blake would have to confess his own crimes to do that. And chances are he’s scared of a round three if I find out Sunny’s been bothered by him again.

He was right. Sunny was completely unaware of what had happened to Blake. Mari had made sure to plant in his head that the love letter seemed to have been a one-off. Her little brother was reassured and back to acting like his normal self.

It wasn’t the first time Mari had seen Hero do something like this. But reading some of the details of what had happened to Blake…

She wondered how Hero had looked when he had done it.

It was hard to picture the psychopath that would do the injuries that the news reported on overlapped with the humming man in the pink apron in front of her. 

Mari’s eyes drifted over the strong back of the man she had grown up with as she quietly ate up the sight in front of her. Hero was dressed down today, which was rare for him unless he was already in for the evening. Whenever she saw Hero in his tee shirts and comfortable shorts, she knew that he was planning to be home for hours. It made something tingle in anticipation inside of her.

Hero was attentive and stuck to his promises, but that didn’t mean that Mari wished she had a little more ready access to him. They were both busy with university, and there were many other activities that both of them took care of separately. Mari was happy to have the freedom to wander where she liked while knowing that Hero never had to worry about her (and all while knowing that he would drop everything if she called for him), but she was feeling a little bit neglected lately.

Hero had been focused on helping Sunny with his stalker issue. It had been all he had really been doing any time he wasn’t at school or work, so Mari hadn’t actually seen much of him lately. It had been a few days since that situation had been resolved, but that just meant Hero was back to his normal routine. She knew he had been having to handle any possible loose strings too to keep this story away from Sunny’s ears while making sure nothing would get back to either of them. But now he was here, and Mari wanted some loving.

She sighed softly to herself as she admired the shape of Hero’s bare calves. She knew just how gorgeous he was under those clothes. He was more fit than he gave off, though people wouldn’t know unless they touched him or saw him with his clothes off. It was why it was such a treat to see all of this open skin, Mari thought as her eyes drifted up long legs to the tight ass that could be seen even in those loose shorts. Her gaze trailed lovingly up the length of his back and admired the way those muscles moved as he cleaned the dishes. She caught her lip between her teeth as her thighs tightened just a little while imagining sinking her teeth into that nape. It was looking dreadfully unkissed lately.

She was on her feet in the next moment and stalking towards her boyfriend from behind. The song he was humming became clearer as the music from his speakers became just loud enough to hear over the running water and clinking of dishware. He was bobbing his head while humming. Mari’s heart melted a little at the sight. He truly was too cute.

Her hands snaked around his waist and under the apron from behind, causing him to pause in his little dancing. He glanced at her over his shoulder as she hugged him, pressing her ear to his back as her eyes fell closed. She could feel his stomach muscles shifting under her touch as he straightened a bit.

“Hi,” he greeted.

“Mm, hi handsome,” she greeted back, not bothering to hide her flirtatious tone. She lifted her head to look up at him, chin resting against his back as she smiled. “Have I ever told you how good you look in an apron? You’re so delectable, Hero.”

She could see how his ears turned a little red. It was amazing how easily he got flustered with her flirting even after all of these years. She hoped that he never got used to it.

“H-haha,” he laughed a bit as he pulled his soapy hands from the water. He wiped them on his apron. “Once or twice, maybe… Delectable?” He shot her a questioning look.

“Mm-hm…” she hummed as a devilish hand slipped down his stomach, over the button of his shorts, and cupped him through his pants. Her fingers teased down between his legs before stroking upwards again. She rocked her hips against his ass as she cupped him fully and grinned at the shudder that went through him. “Very delectable… Edible, even.”

“Even though we just ate not long ago?” he asked, clearly being facetious while Mari rubbed him. Her other hand snaked under his shirt. Her painted nails scratched gently as she walked her way deeper up his chest. She kept rubbing herself against him, moving in a sensual wave that made eyelids flutter a bit. She grinned as she could feel his cock beginning to fill out under her touch.

“We haven’t had dessert yet, though,” she told him. She pressed a kiss to the exposed skin at the top of his spine before she stood on her toes to kiss higher. Hero’s head tilted to the side for more access as her teeth skimmed the juncture there before pressing another lingering kiss. “What do you think?”

“It, ah,” Hero inhaled a shaky breath as he gripped the counter and stepped his legs out a bit. Mari’s thumb pressed and petted the arch growing under her palm, “here?”

“I’ve missed you,” she said in response, nipping his neck once more as she stroked the hair beneath Hero’s navel. She teased it in small circles as her other hand went for the button of his shorts. “You’ve been giving Sunny all the attention lately.”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, tone just a little alarmed as if Mari was actually upset. He shot her a nervous look. “You know it’s because–”

“Shh,” she hushed him. She closed her eyes to focus on his breathing picking up and the sensation beneath her hands. She opened his shorts up and felt them slip a little on his hips as she reached into his underwear. “I know. But I’ve missed you.”

“Mari…” he whimpered as she smoothed her palm over the length of his cock, coaxing it up and out from its confinement before diving back in to tug at his balls. He hunched a little over the counter at her touch as her free hand banded around his stomach. His flushed face was hard to see from this angle, but she could feel him beginning to tremble as his thighs closed in an attempt to keep his shorts from falling off completely. She just smiled as she pressed kisses to his clothed back and took his cock in hand. Her finger pressed to the tip and rubbed as she gave a hum.

“Looks like you’ve missed me too, huh? I wonder how many times you fantasized about Sunny over the past couple of weeks while we were celibate?” she asked as she began to stroke him in earnest. She’d never quite get used to the power high that she got from feeling Hero completely in her control. He was adorable normally, but it was a thrill to have him under her hand. He positively melted and quivered with molten chocolate eyes that simpered for her. And now was no exception as he thrusted into her fist as she set a rocking pace. She gave a moan of her own as her hips rocked against his. God, it had been too long since she’d fucked this ass. Maybe she would demand that tonight. But for now, she had other ideas.

“I haven’t really…” Hero gave a moan as his hand dropped against the cabinets in front of him to support himself. He took in the lewd sight of that fist pumping him just under the apron, making it bounce. Then his head fell back as he fucked into Mari’s fist, utterly at ease with letting Mari take control from him. She loved this side of him too. It drove her crazy.

“No?”

“No time.”

“Haha, well then… Just think of me tonight.” She released and flipped him then, startling him. His flushed face was starting to become a little shiny as a sweat beaded there. It was him, not her, who reached with desperation and captured her face in his hands as he kissed her. His neediness had never faded, and his kisses had only become more experienced and sweeter with time. Mari grabbed the back of his head as their lips parted and eager tongues met. She rewarded him with a moan as they broke apart so he could mouth at her jaw. He nipped at the shell of her ear before pressing a kiss to the earrings she almost always wore to match with his own. His glasses were cool as they smooshed to her cheek, pulling a giggle from her before she tugged him back in for another kiss.

“You make it impossible to forget you,” he promised her with his silver tongue. She swallowed down the sight of love in his gaze as they pulled back. His lips were red with her teeth-marks and lipstick that she had worn today. Her tongue swiped the saliva off of it there before they kissed once more. He was positively irresistible.

“Your words are getting better every day,” she complimented with a murmur.

He grinned and chuckled. “Does that mean you’ll finally fall for my charm?”

“Silly boy.” She had long since fallen for his charm that Halloween day. She was simply used to it by now. But she wouldn’t tell him that.

She pressed her hands to his shoulders then a little sharply, separating them. He fell back against the counter as her index finger pinned him under her hooded eyes. “Now then… Sit on the counter for me, handsome.”

A wobbly smile appeared on Hero’s face, half-disbelieving and half-excited. “Are you sure?”

“Don’t question me.” She gave him a sharp slap to his hip before she grabbed the leg of his underwear. With one sharp tug, it was down around his thighs. His shorts fell to his ankles. “Up!”

And Hero was nothing if not eager to follow orders given to him as he did as she commanded. He hopped to sit up on the counter, but his dignity was still protected by the apron. The pink material tented lewdly, practically tempting Mari to give it a friendly kiss. But she resisted. She wanted to unwrap him.

She tugged his underwear down more so she could pull one of his legs free and coaxed him to plant his foot on the edge of the counter. And only then did she kneel down to grab the cloth of the apron between her teeth. He watched her without blinking, unable to miss even a second of it all as she smiled. She kissed him through the cloth, using her tongue to press it into his mouth, and Hero was smart enough to bite down and take it from her. It granted her the glorious sight of Hero’s cock standing and waiting as his stomach peeked out just under his shirt. He looked a little embarrassed, which was always an excellent look on his face.

“Perfect,” she crooned with praise. “My perfect little housewife. You keep that right there for me for a bit and make sure it stays out of my way, okay?”

“Okay,” he managed through the clench of his teeth. He normally would be more embarrassed at being called a housewife, but his arousal was clearly overwhelming his thoughts. He looked like he was aching just from teasing. He was just so easy to work up. It made Mari proud to know she had this kind of effect on him.

“Good boy.” And then she dropped down to take him in hand. There was no hesitation as she gathered spit in her mouth before running her tongue root to tip. She did it a second time before pausing to swirl her tongue against his head. Then she dove in, taking him until her mouth reached her fist. Then she really began.

Hero moaned where he gripped the counter and gasped as Mari worked him quick and fast. Her eagerness ran right through him as she worked him in just the way he loved the most. The counter was cold under his ass and his thigh strained from where her free hand pressed to it, opening him up wider. He felt exposed, but he couldn’t stop how good he felt as he watched his girlfriend swallow him down over and over again. Her eyes met his with a taunt to them as she paused just enough to let him watch in slow motion as she took him carefully deep into her throat in a practiced move that nearly had him screaming before she was coming back. He saw himself sliding off of her tongue where she opened her mouth wide, silently commanding him to give her what she wanted. And with the way her fist was working his cock, he knew it wouldn’t be long.

He couldn’t keep his mouth shut. “Mari…! Mari, god, it– Mari, please–!” he begged, hand scrambling to grip the apron out of the way. His hips jumped as she suckled on his head before she dropped down to lavish attention on his balls. She closed her eyes as she felt the heat and weight of his cock against her face, and Hero gave a little sob. His stomach bowed a bit as his free hand grabbed her head. He knew better than to grip or pull her around since she would only rebel if he did so, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t tempted. “Your mouth. I need your mouth.”

“Beg me a little more,” she told him, exhaling hotly in a tease as she kept jerking him off. She could tell by his expression that he was close. Her own panties were soaked as she throbbed with every suck she gave him. Yes, the pegging would have to wait. She wanted him inside of her instead.

And really it was a testament to just how different Hero was from that darker side to himself as he did plead with her over and over again, mouth moving without his full consent while his eyes met hers. His hand was big against her head, but he never forced her closer. And she knew that if the situations were reversed and Hero was really showing that side that she was desperate to experience for herself more often, maybe she would be the one begging him. That was arousing enough. But this side to him was just as, if not more so, delicious to her.

As a reward for obeying, she took him into her mouth once more. And this time she sucked him hard and fast, bobbing quickly as he gave a pathetic, whimpering sound. It was only when she felt him tense did she pop off and was greeted with him calling her name as he came across her face and mouth. He jerked as she pumped him through his orgasm, mouth falling open as he watched her with dazed eyes. And she grinned at the hot splatter and mess when Hero finished. She gave a sucking kiss to his head to clean it off before she stood up fully to trap him between her arms.

“Ah, I’m sorry–” he started to apologize for cumming on her face, but she just shushed him as her hand wrapped around the side of his neck. She tugged him down until he was off of the counter and on shaky legs, and then kissed him. He instinctively made a face as some of his own mess was transferred to him while they shared in his flavor. Mari laughed a little to herself. Poor Hero had long learned the taste of cock just from her. She joked that he would have to get used to it if he was going to fulfill his fantasies with Sunny.

“Clean me up a bit, handsome boy,” she murmured as she pecked at his cheek and guided his hand into the band of her own shorts. He didn’t need any more prompting than that as his fingers slipped over her swollen clit, making her whimper as he stroked her and rolled it under the pad of his finger before he shifted further back. Her hips tilted into his touch as two fingers slipped effortlessly into her soaked cunt, stroking and thrusting as his free hand followed the curve of her ass down to her thigh where he hefted it onto his hip. Her leg hooked around his thigh as she fucked herself onto his fingers while his tongue swiped away at the cum on her face without complaint before they were kissing once more.

She loved the way he took care of her. She would never get used to how thorough he was and how wanton he would appear as he moaned her name. His fingers pressed deep in her, dragging with each pull out as she ground herself against his palm. She panted against his mouth as he allowed her to rut against him, but he couldn’t last much longer.

A delighted squeak escaped her as her shorts and panties were yanked down as he dropped to his knees. His mouth was on her the next second as he gripped her ass, pulling her in as his tongue eagerly swiped through the mess between her legs. She threw her leg over his shoulder to open herself up more as Hero’s glasses became skewed on his face as he dove deeper. He suckled her clit like a man desperate for a meal as his fingers spread her open and fucked right back up into her.

“Hero!” she cried out breathlessly as she was consumed. Her head swam as she became lost in the sensations. Her focus was solely on him as Hero nipped at her inner thighs before kissing her once more on her lower lips before his tongue was inside of her again. It was enough to make her sob as her insides clenched while she was spread open.

“Mari,” he gasped as he gave her just a moment’s pause while shaky hands tugged off his glasses and folded the arms up. He dropped them clumsily into his apron pocket as her eyes locked with his. He was an utter mess, and more of a dessert than anything else she had ever eaten. “Mari, let me have you,” he begged. “Stop holding back on me.”

“Not like this,” she told him as she pulled back. The whine that left his throat was unintentional as he fell to hands and knees. He was desperate, she realized. She knew even without seeing that he had already been worked to hardness again. He could be quick about the reload if the circumstances were right. 

She bent over the counter and spread her legs as she reached back, holding her ass and lips apart to expose herself as she gave him the same desperate expression back at him that he had. “Like this.”

“I love you,” he said, words punched out of him without his permission as he shoved his apron aside. He didn’t need anymore coaxing as he grabbed himself and lined up into Mari, only to thrust straight inside of her. She gave a cry of, “Yes!” as he set the pace right away. This was going to be quick for them both as Hero fucked her hard and fast. His hands pawed at her chest before scrambling under her shirt, messing up her bra as he got a handful. Every powerful slap of his hips caused the counter to dig into her stomach as more and more of his weight pressed in on her, but she had no complaints as she reached back and gripped his head. Her nails bit into his scalp as she met his every thrust as her orgasm built quickly. She was nothing but a mess of moans and exclamations as Hero fucked her straight into oblivion. 

With the crashing of a wave, Mari nearly screamed before her voice caught in her throat as she finally came. “There, there, there!” she babbled as her hand found his under her shirt, and she held on as Hero’s brutal pacing stayed. She was washed away in the sensations, eyes falling shut as her mouth fell lax with every powerful pulse wiped her out. 

She only had enough mind left to scream for real when Hero suddenly pulled out of her and flipped her around. She gasped as he manhandled her partially onto the counter instead, taking most of her weight as he plunged back in and devoured her lips. His hands spread her legs wide as his thumb rubbed at her clit as he fucked her more. She sobbed against his lips, squirming as her stomach and cunt twisted with the second wave he tried to coax out of her knowing that he could do it. She felt every deep thrust in her stomach even as he couldn’t reach quite as far at this angle. But neither cared as their kiss was mostly teeth between the air they pulled into their lungs desperately.

Her hands clawed at his back, tugging his shirt and ruining his hair as he whispered her name once more. And then they were both slipping down to the floor where Hero fell against the cabinets. Mari rode him eagerly now, moaning his name as she was able to finally get him right where she needed him. Her head fell back as another one of her best spots was battered, and Hero’s tongue found her breast through her shirt. Her bra was uncomfortably positioned where it had gotten messed up, but she just pulled Hero against her chest as his hands gripped and dug into her ass, one leg bent to help him thrust into her.

“I’m gonna cum again, Mari,” he warned breathlessly as his sweaty face filled her vision. She just responded by allowing him to hold her where he needed her as he gave a few more quick, desperate thrusts, and then she slammed down to grind on him as he came hard with their mouths pressed hard together. His moan echoed through her body as she groaned at the feeling of him overfilling her. Her thighs were messy as she clenched around his throbbing cock, and with a shudder she finished for a second time that ungrounded her.

She couldn’t even bring herself to move other than the little grinding motions she made to milk herself to her completion. And it was only after it was over and the sounds of the world flooded back in did she recognize just how tired she was. Her shirt clung to her from her sweat, and Hero had collapsed entirely against the cabinet. He gasped for air, eyes closed and head resting against the cupboard doors as Mari’s legs protested all of the abuse she had giving them. They burned just past the edge of unpleasant, and her bad knee in particular was irritated. But Mari felt amazing as she pulled off of Hero and decided to lay down on the cool kitchen tile. Her leg was thrown over his legs as she tried to cool off.

“You drive me insane,” Hero finally said after a few long moments of them recovering.

She smiled, not bothering to open her eyes. “Good.” She sat up on her elbows and said, “And I’m not done with you yet tonight.” She might be sated now, but she was still determined to have that ass. Hero had the cutest crying face when Mari fucked him. She doubted even Sunny would get to see that for a long time.

Yes, she thought, Hero had been hers for a very long time. Both of her boys should just be happy she was always willing to share.

Chapter Text

There was always something thrilling and anxiety-inducing to try something new and completely out of his comfort zone. Sunny sought out those experiences no matter how much dread he might feel before or during the event. He was someone who felt like he had been very protected while he had been growing up despite his various misfortunes. It made him reliant on his friends and family because he knew they would be a safety net there for him whenever he needed them. He loved and adored them for that, but…

Well, Mari claimed that Sunny was in his rebellious phase. It had come later than others since it seemed to have waited until Sunny was in university rather than during puberty, but he supposed that was correct. He was rebelling and trying to show people that he didn’t need to be protected all of the time. Sunny was a mature adult who could try to boldly take on anything life threw at him!

Not that he didn’t turn to his friends for advice and assistance depending on the situation, of course. But instead of immediately turning to them, Sunny wanted to try things on his own first. And if it didn’t work out, then that was when he turned to help. That was why he lived alone and forced himself to face each day without anyone else. And he was rather proud to say that he thought he was doing pretty well!

He’d had a stalker scare there for a little bit, but it seemed to have been a false alarm. After that first love letter, the feeling of being watched went away. Even the clothes he had been missing had been rediscovered. He didn’t remember leaving them at Hero’s apartment, but he left stuff over there so often that he must have simply forgotten. And Hero was always kind enough to find that stuff for him. He wished he had his friend’s uncanny ability to look for lost objects and actually find them, like he did with Aubrey’s purse.

Anyway, other than that Sunny thought he was doing well on his own. He spent his days playing games, doing homework, going to class, going to work, and hanging out with his friends. But sometimes his university buddies might suggest something new, and Sunny was usually quick to jump on it. He wanted to get as many experiences done as he could while he was young.

(And, well, he wasn’t exactly going to get over Hero and find someone else to love if he stayed home all of the time fantasizing about him).

So, Sunny agreed to some after-school partying with some buddies from his astronomy club. They had already been out late because they had visited a night-viewing at the museum when they suggested that they go for drinks and dancing. Sunny had been assured that the place they had in mind didn’t card even at the bar, so Sunny could enjoy himself. Sunny didn’t actually plan on indulging in anything except maybe one drink because he had brought his car, so he needed to drive home.

The flashing lights were dizzying and the press of bodies had rapidly overwhelmed him upon entering. The pounding music seemed to vibrate through his whole body, and his quiet voice was impossible to hear in the building. It was confusing and interesting and too much all at once. He’d had to retreat to the bar right away in hopes that the alcohol would steady his nerves. The bartender hadn’t been able to hear him unless he shouted, and really that was all there was left for him.

He regretted coming to this place, he thought morosely as he spun his straw around in his now-empty cocktail glass. He watched the ice twirl, head hung, and felt the waves starting to form in his body as he glanced over at the crowds. They undulated as one massive creature to the music, and Sunny felt himself rocking a little with it. This drink, he realized, was a little stronger than expected. The buzz was already coming on.

It wasn’t awful to be there, he considered as occasionally his clubmates found him and coaxed him out of the booth and onto the dance floor. He danced with a few of them, got pushed and pulled around, and was swept up into the arms of strangers. His jacket had gotten shed somewhere along the way after his second drink, but he was pretty sure it was back at the booth. And by his third drink and first trip to the bathroom, the world was a pleasant spin and life truly wasn’t that bad.

He couldn’t help but think he would be having a lot more fun if Kel was here, though. Kel enjoyed places like this as long as they weren’t too rowdy. He was fun to dance with and didn’t mind the grind of his body to Sunny’s even though he wasn’t gay. Kel was comfortable enough to dance with anyone he wanted, and Sunny admired that about him. He would be able to make Sunny have a lot of fun. His best friend was great at that. Though if Aubrey was there, he would have to split the attention with her. The three of them could dance together. Aubrey was really fun and pretty and smiled a lot more freely when she had some alcohol in her. It reminded him of the cute girl he used to have a crush on before Aubrey had grown into her womanhood.

Thinking of Kel naturally brought on a longing for Hero. Hero wouldn’t really come to a place like this, Sunny thought, but then again maybe he might? It wasn’t really the first time Sunny had been at a dance place and Hero had shown up. It seemed like he enjoyed the party scene once in a while too. Sunny had been really happy to see him since it had started getting really couple-y during the time he had been there, and Hero had been a great partner to dance with. He still jerked off to the memorized sensation of Hero holding him close and swaying with him.

He wondered to himself in his bleary, drunken mind if Hero was somehow among this crowd as well. It was difficult to think any thoughts when his head was full of images and longing. He was horny, he thought, and gave a jealous, grumpy pout at the sight of a couple not far grind-dancing on the floor. God, that could be him with Hero if he was there right now.

He had his phone out and was typing messages to Hero without much of a thought then.

Miss yuo :( 

I wann a dance too hero

come get me plz

“Are you okay?” Sunny slow-blinked as he lifted his eyes from his phone to see his companion return with another set of drinks. It took Sunny’s slow mind a moment to register who they were before he remembered it was someone he had danced with on the floor earlier. They had been sort-of talking and sitting close and snuggly in the booth. They were a handsome, somewhat fem-presenting person with their longer hair. The colors that flashed in the strand could’ve possibly been there already, or they could’ve just been the lights from the club. It was hard to tell. Sunny knew how they felt in his hands, though, and he had been tempted to pull them in for a kiss.

They were pretty. He liked pretty people. And they didn’t seem to mind his barely-comprehensible voice and gibberish as they clinked their glass to his. They both took long drinks as they laughed at whatever Sunny’s face looked like.

“Lonely,” Sunny confessed nearly five minutes after hearing their question. He leaned on their shoulder and tilted his head towards them a bit. “Miss ‘ro…”

“‘Ro’?” They asked as their arm snaked around Sunny’s waist. It felt good there. How long had it been since he had been touched? Maybe tonight he would finally get to lose his virginity. The thought of fucking with his stomach being all wobbly like this wasn’t really appealing, but this person looked particularly kissable. They looked nothing like Hero, and Sunny was grateful for that. He didn’t have to keep thinking about Hero when he looked at them.

“Mmhm…” Sunny nodded as he shifted more into their grip. His thigh was thrown over theirs as he got in close, making them give a quiet, “Oh!” before laughing a little more.

“Oh, that kind of lonely. Well, I can help with that…” Their lips were on Sunny’s jaw before Sunny could really register what was going on. A tingle of excitement zipped through him, shivering down his spine as a pleasant heat of arousal twisted inside of him. The simmering desire for physical touch began to spark as he trailed a hand over his new friend’s shoulder. He wanted to be pulled into their lap more. The music rocked through him, coaxing him to join the undulation of the crowd. The atmosphere was as intoxicating as his drink was, and just as his hand cupped his friend’s cheek to pull them into a kiss, a new voice interrupted.

It was a beloved voice, full of cheer that felt a little forced as he called, “Excuse me!” Sunny turned his head away before his lips touched his friend’s, and he blinked like a light had flashed in his eyes when he spotted Hero at the edge of his booth. He didn’t look like he was dressed to be there, and there was a smile on his face that felt a little off. But the joy Sunny felt upon seeing him overwhelmed any possible alarms in his head.

“Hero!” he called, already falling away from the arms of this person to pull himself along the booth seat. His hand reached out, and Hero caught it. Ha-ha! He was real! It was like a dream coming true as Hero assisted a very unsteady Sunny to his feet. He supported him against his chest as Sunny hugged him and nuzzled into his chest. He smelled like home, standing out against the smell of bodies and alcohol he had become nose-blind to over time. He groaned as Hero spoke, not listening. He wasn’t sure if Hero was talking to him or not.

He had just been thinking about Hero. How had he known he had wanted to see him? It was like Hero could read Sunny’s mind, or maybe just knew how much Sunny always wanted to see him. His beauty outshined everyone in this room as he was guided somewhat-awkwardly out of the building. He didn’t like how the world was spinning now that he was standing, but he almost laughed as he stumbled. In response, he was scooped up into Hero’s arms.

“H-He’o!” he bumbled out, stomach shifting uncomfortably even as he wrapped his arms around Hero’s neck. Wow… He could really feel how strong Hero was when he held him like this. It had been a while since Hero had lifted him in this kind of hold, but it was just as fun. He wondered if Hero could support Sunny’s weight when he fucked Sunny against the wall. He bet that he could. Sunny was small enough for it, right?

“Haha, I probably could support you,” Hero informed him, though Sunny wasn’t sure what he was referring to. Did he say something? “We’ll try that sometime. Mari likes it too, so I shouldn’t be surprised if you do too.”

“Where’d y’come from?” Sunny murmured, baffled by what Hero was rambling about. Drinks, maybe? His head couldn’t keep up with it. Hero’s warmth was starting to really distract him. He wasn’t even sure where they were at the moment, but he liked that he could lean against Hero’s chest. His hand smoothed over his collar and dipped underneath to trace collarbones. What Sunny wouldn’t give to kiss them.

“You’re very drunk, Sunny,” Hero said as he pressed a kiss to Sunny’s forehead before lowering him to his feet to stand. “I’m holding myself back quite a bit right now. Your cute messages really have me going a little crazy, and you’re very open like this. It’s dangerous to leave you alone.”

“Dang’rous?” Sunny asked, frowning. He was a lot more expressive when he was drunk. It was harder to stand like this too, so he had to lean against the car they were next to. He watched as Hero pulled the keys from Sunny’s pocket. He jolted at the feeling of his knuckle skimming the semi in Sunny’s pants. Wait, could he just go back there?

Hero laughed and gave Sunny a strained smile. Under the streetlamp, it looked like his pupils were bigger and his smile held a hunter’s edge to it. It was exciting to see. “I’m trying to be good here, Sunny. Get in the car, okay?” He opened the door to the car ( Oh, Sunny realized, my car. ) and assisted Sunny into the passenger seat. He buckled him in before closing the door and going around to the driver’s side. Sunny rested his head back and closed his eyes, feeling the world spin a bit around him. He felt like he was back in Faraway Town plunging down into the depths of the lake at their secret spot. He had to take a purposeful breath to remember that he was not, in fact in water.

The drive was a blur that Sunny couldn’t bother to pay attention to. He was swept away and around in the alcoholic haze as his thoughts drifted in and out of his ears. He thought briefly about his clubmates that were left behind, but figured they’d find a way home. He wondered exactly who was that person he almost kissed, and he tried to remember how many drinks he’d had. The music from the car was humming in him. It was so much quieter here than the club.

“...Almost kissed them…” he mumbled half to Hero and half to himself.

Hero sighed. “I thought you knew better than to drink this much in public?”

Sunny turned his head and squinted at Hero, attempting to focus. The city lights behind him were pretty. Everything about him was pretty. He had thought that Hero had been wearing his usual trench coat, but Sunny realized that he was wearing it now instead. When had Hero given it to him? It gave Sunny a good view of Hero’s sweater vest straining a little over his chest and down to his stomach. 

He hummed as he admired the sight of Hero’s strong thighs. He was a little scrunched in Sunny’s smaller car. The front of his jeans had a nice bulge to them from the material there. Sunny wondered exactly how much he needed to press down in order to reach dick. What if it really was just the arch of his cock there? He couldn’t remember what Hero looked like naked. He wanted to change that.

Hero cleared his throat, startling Sunny from where he had started to lean over to do just that. He glanced up and saw Hero’s eyes dart to him and away. There was a smile on his face like always, but it was just a bit wobbly. He seemed a bit nervous. His bare hands gripped the steering wheel a little tightly.

“What are you looking at?” he asked.

“You,” Sunny confessed boldly.

Hero laughed. “Is that so?”

“You’re handsome.”

“And I wish you were this honest when you’re sober.”

Sunny thought he was always pretty honest, personally. But then again usually he tried to hide his feelings for Hero. Right now with his head and heart full of alcohol-infused bravery, he didn’t really see the point of doing that. He couldn’t even remember why he had been so hesitant to confess to Hero. He was always so sweet with him. Hero liked him back too, right?

He shifted in his seat and leaned on glovebox between them as a hand slipped to Hero’s thigh. “I can be hon’st,” he swore with more intensity as he tried to turn on his own charms. He could be arousing, right? He was attractive, right? He had seduced people before. Just look at what happened in the club!

“Sunny, I’m trying to drive. Please–”

But Sunny was past listening as his attention was diverted to Hero’s lap once more. He stroked his hand along the length of Hero’s inner thigh. He could feel it flexing as he tensed under Sunny’s touch. Sunny nearly fell face-first against Hero’s arm when the car turned, but Hero caught him to help keep him upright. Sunny latched onto that arm and nuzzled into his bicep. Wow… Hero really did feel good.

Hero made a strained noise as they pulled up to another red light. “We’re almost home. Sunny, just hang on–”

Whatever he was saying, Sunny wasn’t listening to. His hands trailed down Hero’s arm and caught his wrist before bringing his hand to his face. He kissed his palm and then rubbed his cheek against it. Hero’s fingers curled against his cheek as Sunny smiled a little. It brought back sweet memories of his hand holding him so gently. Tonight, though, he wanted these palms everywhere. He had always wanted to memorize their touch, and Hero seemed unresisting as those fingers brushed his cheek. His forefingers dipped down to trace Sunny’s lips as Sunny kissed the fingertips, then his mouth opened to allow them inside.

Hero cursed to himself in Spanish as he tried to maintain his focus on the road. Sunny paid it no mind as his tongue laved itself over the digits. He pulled him a little deeper, sucking the flavor off of them. How long had it been since he’d had a man’s fingers in his mouth? Too long. It was made all the better knowing they were Hero’s.

The car stopped and Hero pulled away from Sunny long enough to put the car in park before he stripped off his seatbelt. Sunny understood the signal without it being said. Whatever Hero opened his mouth to comment on, Sunny didn’t wait to listen to as he reached for him desperately. His seatbelt clicked away with one hand as his other caught the back of Hero’s head, and they met in the middle in a heated kiss.

It was all sloppy hunger and desire from Sunny’s end as he felt Hero return the pressure. His hands were on Sunny’s shoulders as he tugged him closer while Sunny moaned at the delicious slide of Hero’s lips against his. He returned every move with a more coordinated press of his own, cupping Sunny’s face and tilting it so they could slot better together. A shaky moan escaped Sunny as their mouth parted with a gasp, only to come back in. He nipped at Hero’s lips and murmured, “Please, Hero… Please…!” as he sought more and more.

“Anything,” Hero gasped back with a quick peck to his cheek before they were kissing again. Sunny melted under the tangle of their tongues as the scent and taste of Hero overwhelmed him. His body was lighting aflame as the wavy, watery feeling of the alcoholic haze both crystalized and intensified at the same time. Hero was his buoy in a rocky ocean, and Sunny was drowning with an eagerness as finally, finally he got to take this mouth.

His hands pawed at Hero’s shirt before foregoing trying to figure out how to get to skin. He dropped to the front of Hero’s pants instead as he shifted closer. It was impossible to crawl in this little space into Hero’s lap, but his hands were a bumbling raid on this belt and jeans. Hero hurried to assist him, reluctant to stop kissing him for a moment even as they parted and returned with their hasty movements. He slapped Sunny’s hands away to do the belt himself as he broke apart to look downwards. His chest heaved and his hair was a mess as his glasses reflected Sunny’s own hunger back at him. Their eyes met as the belt was undone. Sunny grabbed the back of his neck and yanked him in once more.

“God, Sunny, this isn’t what I thought but…” Hero gasped against his mouth as Sunny got the man’s pants open and reached inside. He gave a shuddery moan as Sunny’s fingers trailed through the molten heat and hair to grasp his hard cock. He couldn’t believe he was finally touching Hero like this. He had to be dreaming, but he didn’t want to wake up. If he focused on this, he could ignore the vaguely bad feeling building in his stomach.

Hero’s cock was hot and heavy in his hand as he pulled him out. Sunny looked down at it and blinked a few times to focus as Hero’s hands tried to encourage him closer, kissing his ear once. Whoa… this is what he looked like when he was erect. It wasn’t bad at all. It looked like a similar size to what Sunny was used to handling, actually. He could fit this in him. Was there enough room in this car?

“Touch me more,” Hero begged, bringing Sunny out of his trailing thoughts as he wrapped his hand around Sunny’s. His face took up Sunny’s entire vision as he pressed their foreheads together and gazed at him over the top of his glasses. Sunny had never seen Hero looked so wrecked before. His hooded gaze was dark with desire as Sunny felt his every breath on him. “Please,” he said as he coaxed Sunny’s hand to start stroking him. Sunny thrilled at the sensation of skin over his hard cock, “I need this.”

“Hero…” Sunny murmured, brain incapable of forming a coherent thought as he jerked Hero off. Their lips met in another kiss as Hero set the pacing he liked. Sunny felt giddy with the sensation knowing that he should help more and maybe do something other than just jerking him off, but Hero had released him and Sunny could only continue the pacing. He was too enraptured by Hero’s moans in his mouth as he sank into the feeling.

His head was becoming cloudy. That bad feeling in his stomach was building uncomfortably, but Sunny just wanted more and more. His own cock strained in his pants. He kept pushing deeper into Hero’s space as he tried to figure out how the hell he was going to ride Hero in the front seat. He wanted to melt into this moment forever with Hero’s breathy pants and moans of his name tattooed in his ears. All he needed was to feel Hero cum because of him. He wanted to permanently mark his body with Hero’s.

“Fuck me,” Sunny whimpered as his hand paused on Hero’s cock. It was the most sober he’d sounded. “Hero, please. I want to give it to you.”

Hero’s hands were desperate and quick as he grabbed Sunny’s face and smashed their mouths together. Then he broke away to shove his cock back in his pants. His button was hastily done up as he said shortly, “Out. We’ll go upstairs.”

Sunny was confused but followed his lead, leaving the car. “Upstairs?”

“We’re at my place,” Hero explained as he closed and locked up Sunny’s car before joining him on the other side of the vehicle. Sunny blinked and looked around him and realized that, oh yeah, he could recognize this. Thank god. He didn’t have to fuck Hero in his car (though he’d been willing to do it).

“Hero’s so smart,” Sunny said with a little laugh.

A strangled growl escaped Hero when he heard that, and Sunny was pressed back against the side of his car in another kiss. He squeaked and let out a groan as Hero’s thigh came up between Sunny’s legs to rub there. His hands found Sunny’s nipples through his shirt and he rubbed circles there, though he paused momentarily as if thrown off by the lack of breasts. Sunny disregarded it as his own hand found the open fly of Hero’s pants. His underwear tented lewdly through the crack, and Sunny found the damp head to rub a finger over.

“Don’t,” Hero begged as he pulled back. He was trembling a little and his eyes were wild behind his lenses. “I’m– God, I want you so badly. We need to go inside. Let’s–”

But Sunny’s ears began to ring then, and that bad feeling in his stomach coalesced into a sensation that he was very unfortunately familiar with. His face went pale and he paused, hoping that it wasn’t going to happen. He heard Hero call his name once, concerned, and then Sunny’s stomach finally gave up the fight. 

He stumbled over to a bush and vomited. And then he vomited again with a groan.

A hand rubbed at his back as Sunny coughed up the liquid in his stomach. It was like all at once all of his bodily issues were coming to him. What the hell were these status effects? Why had he drank so much? Oh god, he was going to be sick again.

“It’s okay,” Hero comforted him. “Get it all out, sweetheart. We’ll get you cleaned up.”

“I’m sorry,” Sunny mumbled, because what else could he say? There was nothing unsexier than someone throwing up in the middle of making out. God, his body was cockblocking him now. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He could feel the edges of his consciousness burning away too as the blood in his body left his cock and began to flow a little more normally. He was exhausted.

Hero’s sigh was the last thing that he really recalled as he was led up the stairs to his apartment. “Don’t apologize. This is probably for the best anyway… I guess…”

Sunny didn’t really remember anything after that.

Sunny was barely conscious when Hero got him stripped down and into the shower to get as much of the vomit off of him that he could. Sunny was wasted, and Hero had known that when he had gotten him from that club. His poor friend was hardly able to walk as he clothed him in Hero’s spare pajamas and brought him into the master bedroom to lay down. Sunny was out before his head touched the pillow.

Hero sighed to himself and changed as well before he sat down on the bed next to him. He would have to stay up for a while yet just to make sure Sunny didn’t choke on his vomit, so he didn’t plan to go to sleep. Sunny’s lips were still a little kiss-swollen, and there was a bite mark on his earlobe from Hero. He looked adorable when he was asleep, though his brows were a little scrunched from the discomfort of the alcohol still in his system.

He had been right that Sunny was adorable while drunk. He had a couple of phone recordings of Sunny getting buzzed with Basil and doing some high school drinking with their younger friends, but he’d never seen it in person. And he had certainly never seen Sunny so shit-faced. He was glad he had been following Sunny when he had entered that club.

It wasn’t Sunny’s usual scene, but he was in his rebellious phase. Hero knew his friend enough to know that Sunny wouldn’t like it, so he had been quick to get nearby and wait. It was hard to track one person in such a place, but it had been easy to find Sunny soon after he had read those messages from him.

He had originally gone over to “run into” Sunny and invite him for that dance (how could he turn down such an adorable invitation?) but he’d had the displeasure of seeing Sunny all over some person’s lap.

Needless to say, they had needed to get out of there.

And what a glorious choice it had been, he thought as his hand dropped to his crotch. Even just thinking about it was getting his blood boiling, and he reached into his pants to start to casually fist himself to encourage growth. He was more horny than he had been in a long time, and he wouldn’t be able to get any rest without getting off at least once.

Sunny had been desperate for him. He had gotten to taste those sloppy but delicious lips, and he’d gotten to hear Sunny moaning his name in person. Sunny’s eagerness had driven Hero wild. He was seduction personified as his beautiful, aroused visage had filled Hero’s vision. He had even gone as far as to get that hand around his cock too for a short, glorious time.

He had known that he shouldn’t take advantage of Sunny clearly not thinking straight, but Hero was only so strong. Sunny had come onto him, and that was enough consent for him because he knew Sunny was in love with him. God, maybe a drunken quickie would be enough to finally bring their simmering desire for each other to a boil, and then Sunny would have to acknowledge what was between them. And Hero could finally hear Sunny confess to him and make love to him and keep him forever. He doubted he would allow Sunny to leave the bed for an entire day.

Fuck. Hero had been so close this time! It was as frustrating as it was relieving that it hadn’t occurred, he thought as he tugged down Sunny’s covers. He pushed up his shirt and lifted up his arms so they were by his head. Sunny slept soundlessly on as his chest was entirely exposed and Hero straddled his hips. He pulled his cock out and quickly licked his hand. He wouldn’t need long for this.

He was glad that it had stopped where it did, he thought as he began to jerk off as he stared at Sunny’s face. He finally knew the taste of those lips, though it had mostly been of sweet drinks and alcohol. It was a corrupted first experience, but one Hero cherished nonetheless as he added the memory deep into his brain. He knew how Sunny kissed, and he had finally gotten his taste of him. Sunny had even begged him to fuck him.

“Next time,” Hero promised aloud as his hand moved faster. He bowed a little bit as his breathing came too quickly, imaging Sunny’s hand back on him. It had felt different from his own or Mari’s. It was bigger than Mari’s but not as rough as Hero’s. Sunny’s cute, pale hands were meant to hold a cock. They were meant to hold his cock. Hero wanted to kiss them and Sunny all over again, but now that his senses were mostly back he wanted to keep the line.

If he let that animal in him too loose too soon, he was afraid of what he might do to Sunny. This was as far as he could go tonight.

“Sunny… Sunny… Sunny…! Sunny…!” Hero groaned, and then he was cumming. His hips jerked into his fist as his seed splattered across Sunny’s stomach and chest. It pooled and spilled, and shined in the low light of the bedroom on Sunny’s pecs and nipple. Hero shuddered as a weaker wave hit him and let his head roll back, content with the knowledge he was marking what was his. Then he sat aside on the bed and caught his breath back.

His clean hand ran through his hair, pushing the sweaty fringe back as he casually examined his mess. Sunny looked pretty like this, he thought a little blearily. How was it that Sunny was possibly even more attractive now after Hero had kissed him?

God, he was in love with him.

He sighed to himself and got up to clean both of them up. There was a wry smile on his lips as he adjusted Sunny’s clothing and blanket before pressing a loving kiss to his lax lips. Then he rolled his friend onto his side. He highly doubted that Sunny would remember anything that happened today, though Hero could wish otherwise.

“Next time you might not escape so easily, Sunny,” he warned his sleeping friend. “You don’t know what I might do to you when you’re like this.”

He snapped a picture of Sunny with his phone and sent it off to Mari as a text explaining the situation. She was probably asleep now where she was staying the night with a friend who had recently broken up with her boyfriend. But it would be exciting to see her reaction in the morning.

Hero settled in for the night wishing that he would get to laze the morning away with Sunny and try to convince him about what happened tonight, but sadly he would need to leave early for his classes tomorrow. Sunny would not be awake in time.

Just his luck. He would just have to be happy with the treat he got for tonight.

Chapter Text

Sunny was pretty sure that something had happened between him and Hero the night he had gone out to the club. He remembered going out drinking, not liking the scene, and a lot about dancing, but not many details after a certain point. He knew he had to have texted Hero because he had proof of it on his phone, but he didn’t really remember ever getting to Hero’s apartment and definitely not falling asleep there. He wondered how, exactly, Hero had found him when Sunny didn’t have any proof that he had called Hero at all, but he supposed it didn’t really matter. He assumed that his friend had saved him from making a total ass of himself, which was good. Sunny wasn’t about to go clubbing again anytime soon. At least, not unless it was with his childhood friends. He was willing to try it a second time if it was with them.

Hero and Sunny hadn’t gotten the chance to talk the next day due to Hero’s busy schedule and with Sunny feeling so wretched from his hangover. He had slept most of the day away and had awoken to his sister chiding him for over-drinking while she forced him to eat and drink water. He had only seen Hero a few times briefly, and that was more to care for his health rather than to have any kind of conversation.

He’d been thinking a lot and tried to recover his memories, but all he really got was a lot of stuff he was pretty sure was a dream. After all, Hero would never make out with him in his car, and there was absolutely no way he managed to touch that cock. It seemed awfully convenient that Hero just happened to be about the same size and girth as Sunny’s favorite dildo, so chances were he was just mistaking what he had wished happened with what had actually happened.

But he was still pretty sure that something had happened, because Hero had kept looking at him with almost expectation yesterday. It was like he had been waiting for the other shoe to drop and for some kind of conversation to occur, but it never actually did. Sunny didn’t know what Hero wanted from him.

He would just have to ask Hero after his classes today, Sunny thought as he got up early the next morning. He needed to go home to get his stuff, and he couldn’t lay around his sister’s apartment all day again now that he wasn’t ill anymore. He would call Hero after school and see if he was busy and maybe he could ask him what happened–

Sunny’s mind screeched to a halt, though, as the bathroom door opened and revealed a glorious sight. The steam from a hot shower flowed out around the figure as the morning sunlight filtered in through the windows. And Hero, flushed from the heat and still a little damp around the shoulders and along his chest, emerged from the bathroom stark naked and rubbing a towel through his hair.

“Oh,” Hero said with a surprised blink before he smiled, either not noticing or not caring how Sunny panicked about where to look. His eyes had automatically dropped to his crotch before jumping to his stomach, chest, arms, legs, crotch again, and then finally to Hero’s face. “Good morning. You’re up early.”

Sunny was speechless. His mouth moved a little uselessly. He felt like someone had hard-reset his brain as all could think about was that Hero was naked. In front of him. Right there. Within touching range. He wasn’t even trying to hide his nudity either as Hero slipped past Sunny and wiped at stray water on his shoulders while he headed to the master bedroom. It gave Sunny a perfect view of his toned back and shapely ass. Hero really did look different underneath all of his clothes, and Sunny’s legs felt abruptly very weak. He was just as hot from behind as he was from the front.

“I hope you don’t mind the eyefull,” Hero said with a saucey(?!?!?!) wink over his shoulder as he opened the door to his bedroom. His glasses slid a little on his nose as his eyes sparkled. “I’m used to being the only one up at this time. I forgot my clothes.”

“It’s… okay…” Sunny managed, but it was so soft that he doubted Hero heard him. Though Hero did leave the door to his bedroom open as if in invitation, Sunny fled instead into the bathroom and closed the door. His face was on fire when he looked at himself in the mirror, cock already half-hard in his pants and his heart racing so quickly he thought that it might explode. The image of Hero’s naked body was seared into his brain, and Sunny was certain that he would not be able to function at all today because of it. 

Forget talking to Hero about the other night – Sunny couldn’t even look him in the eye without seeing his dick. Just the sight of him brought about the part of Sunny that was almost always salivating over Hero, and it had been turned up to max now.

(God, he wanted to run his fingers through that happy trail. He wanted to fall to his knees and choke on Hero’s cock. He wanted Hero to press that shower-warm naked body against his fully clothed one and reach into his pants and make him cum without stripping him at all.)

He had escaped that apartment not long after breakfast and he didn’t look back. Hero looked amused by Sunny’s shyness, but he gratefully didn’t bring up what happened and Mari never asked either. 

He had planned to brush it off as an accident. These things happened. After all, Hero was comfortable in his own home and he was dating Mari. It wasn’t weird for him to walk around naked. Even the wink could’ve just been him trying to lighten the mood. Sunny’s brain was too frazzled to even consider it to be anything different, and he was prepared to move on with his life while praying to God to thank him for his wonderful blessing.

Sunny knew that he was a dreamer. Of course he was since his imagination had always been vast and vivid, which meant he was able to fantasize about things so hard that sometimes they felt like reality to him. It made waking up from his dreams difficult sometimes since they had felt so real. Like, for example, that dream of fooling around with Hero in his car. And Hero touching him while he was in his lap. And many, many other scenarios where his brain had taken stuff that had been probably platonic situations and had skewed them through the rose-tinted and lust-scented lens of his desires.

He knew that these were all just things that he made up because he was, in his opinion, a horny loser who hadn’t been able to get over his sister’s boyfriend. Hero was loyal and wouldn’t do anything outside of stuff that was sometimes crossing boundaries, but that was because Hero was a touchy guy. He was always physically affectionate, and it wasn’t his fault that Sunny would take it the wrong way. It was hard when he mixed up dreams and reality. He’d always had a daydreaming problem.

But he wasn’t so dumb as to notice that something was different about Hero. He was pretty sure that Hero was messing with him now, though he couldn’t exactly figure out why. It didn’t happen often, but sometimes it just felt like… Hero was flirting with him. Like, aggressively flirting with him. His usual compliments came with an occasional touch now. He wouldn’t let Sunny leave without a kiss to the cheek. Sometimes he nuzzled Sunny, and he occasionally called him a pet name like “sweetheart” or “solecito” in a, well, definitely not a platonic way. And it wasn’t uncommon for Hero’s hugs to become a much more intimate cuddle or for Hero to walk around underdressed when Sunny was around. And now that Sunny thought about it, Hero had never actually denied being Sunny’s boyfriend around others. It was like he wanted people to think they were dating even when they weren’t. 

But Hero couldn’t be flirting with him. Hero would never do that to Mari. And Mari, who had been around for some of these more “aggressive” incidents, hadn’t even batted an eye. She just laughed and commented on how cute Hero and Sunny were together. Sometimes she would even join in on a cuddle pile, sliding right in on Hero’s other side as if it wasn’t abnormal for the three of them to cuddle together. This must be normal, right? Hero wasn’t even gay. Kel himself had said that Hero’s not interested in guys. So, he must be misunderstanding. His stupid hopes were getting the best of him.

Although, in the back of Sunny’s mind if anyone else treated him the way that Hero treated him, he would assume it was romantic. He wondered if maybe his own denial was too strong. But if, by chance, he was reading the signs correctly, what was he supposed to do? He was terrified of taking the chance and telling Hero that whatever Hero was doing was giving Sunny signals he wasn’t sure Hero wanted to give him. And if Hero stopped doing them… Sunny would feel heartbroken. Things would be okay like this, right?

He didn’t really know anymore. He thought it was about time for him to try dating around again in the meantime. He needed to get his mind off of things.

“Hmm…” Hero hummed thoughtfully to himself as he swiped aside yet another person who had attempted to match with Sunny on his dating account. There were a lot of guys and not as many girls as Hero would expect with how cute Sunny was, but maybe it was because the picture Sunny was using as a profile picture was something from Basil. He looked confident and casual in it, which suited him a lot. It was annoying that so many people were seeing it. “Do you think I would have an easier time if I was a woman?”

“Pffft…!” Kel spluttered and laughed as he took another shot of his basketball. The electronic scoreboard went up as he got the net and proceeded to throw the next one. “It’d be weird to have you as a big sister, man. Where’s this coming from?”

Hero leaned against the side of the basketball game, watching with a bit of admiration as Kel sunk pretty much every basket. He swapped his app on his phone to instead pull up a text message from Mari, who was hanging out with Aubrey and Sunny tonight. They were on a video chat with Basil while Hero was out on his date with Kel. “Sunny develops crushes on women 34% more than he does on men. He seems to like femininity more. He had that crush on Basil for a little bit too, so it’s not just restricted to women.”

Kel stopped and gave him a similar mix of a confused and baffled look. “Huh? How do you even keep track of that?”

“I can tell.”

Kel’s eyes rolled up to the ceiling, thinking that over, before he shook his head and put in more coins to start up another round. He had a pile of tickets at his feet. He hadn’t even touched his drink that Hero had bought for him. Maybe he should’ve just gotten him a soda. “I don’t think you could look anything like a woman.”

Hero considered that before ultimately agreeing. He just didn’t have the body for it. “But you agree I’d have an easier time with Sunny?”

“I don’t think it matters. Sunny likes guys and girls. Why don’t you just confess to him already and get it over with? Aubrey’s always complaining about how you’re everything but actually dating Sunny at this point. Just seal the deal, man.”

“I’ve been trying,” Hero insisted as he scooped up Kel’s drink to drink for himself. It was fruity and way too sweet for him, but it was tasty. “He’s finally realizing I’m flirting with him, which is why he’s started getting more aggressive with dating people again.”

“Even though he doesn’t ever manage a second date.”

Admittedly that was Hero’s fault, but he wasn’t going to tell Kel that. He was already annoyed enough that he had to let some people get in contact with Sunny or else he would get suspicious that the app wasn’t working. Hero liked to minimize the amount of apps he needed to download on his phone and log in as Sunny. 

“But…” Kel paused then as his game ended. His tickets printed out as he turned to Hero with a thoughtful frown, “you’re actually serious about him? Like… Dating and not just sex?”

Hero blinked at him. Blinked again. He was stunned, and just a little offended. “Wait, did you think I just wanted to… to, what? Just sleep with him?! Kel!”

“What!” Kel grabbed his tickets with a sweeping shrug. “Man, you’ve only been with Mari for years! How was I supposed to know this wasn’t, I don’t know, an experiment? You know, like how people sleep with someone else before they get married?”

“Ugh, Kel…” Hero ran a hand over his face. He didn’t exactly want to go into the details about his particular desires for Sunny, so he kept it simple and said, “Yes, I want to date him. Mari’s already agreed to a polyamory. It’s just a matter of seeing if Sunny is willing to join.”

Kel mouthed the word ‘polyamory’ to himself and tested it out. It was clear he hadn’t heard it before, but he wasn’t bothered by it as the two brothers sought another game to play together. There was a claw game that was catching Hero’s attention. That looked like a controller to Kel’s new game system. He could probably win that for him.

“So you’d be dating them both… That’s weird, but whatever works for you. I guess I should’ve seen it coming since you’re all over him all of the time.”

“Yeah, but it’s not working how I want it to.”

“You gotta be more obvious,” Kel insisted. “I still don’t get why you won’t just ask him out, but he probably doesn’t even realize you like guys. I didn’t even know you liked guys.”

“Even though you thought I wanted to sleep with Sunny?” Hero raised an eyebrow.

Kel’s cheeks turned a little red. “Uh, well, it’s not like you’re afraid to… touch another guy’s dick. That wasn’t the problem.”

Hero was impressed that Kel even brought that up. He hadn’t helped Kel masturbate in a very long time since Kel had figured out how to do it on his own. Kel had been surprisingly cute back then, though he had grown out of it quickly. Hero hadn’t even minded giving him a hand.

“It’s the dating part I didn’t know. I even told Sunny that when he asked me.”

That brought Hero to a stop as he spun on Kel. “What? Kel, you told Sunny I’m straight?!”

“I thought you were!” Kel cried defensively.

“I am, but not for him!”

“I don’t get you!”

“Kel, I love you, but you drive me crazy sometimes,” Hero groaned. “What if that’s the reason Sunny’s been in denial for so long despite everything I’ve done?”

“That’s why I’m saying that you should just confess to him! Or do something that he can’t misunderstand!” Kel crossed his arms with a frown. “Seriously, bro, for as smart as you are you can be so dumb sometimes.”

And Hero might need to give this one to Kel. If Sunny thought he was straight this entire time, then that was just yet another barrier he had to break through. Some admittedly intense flirting could be played off as guys messing with each other, because admittedly sometimes Kel did that to Sunny too. Sunny had been in denial about Hero’s feelings for a while now. Hero would need to get a little bit more desperate.

Well, he thought to himself, he’d already kissed Sunny before. Maybe it was time to do it when Sunny would actually be awake. 

His phone pinged with the notification of another person interested in Sunny’s profile, and he pulled out his phone again with an annoyed look. 

Yeah, he needed to do this as soon as possible before his jealousy drove him crazy. Luckily their beach trip that Mari had planned was coming up. He would take advantage.

Chapter Text

They were at the beach only two weeks later and enjoying the burst of warmth as a chilly spring finally gave way to the beginnings of summer. Although the group of friends had been planning on hanging out during the summer anyway when the spring semester was over, they had started to play early since it was a rare weekend off for all of them. So, Basil had come up and they all had gotten a hotel to stay at for the night while they enjoyed the beach.

Sunny didn’t normally mind sharing a room with Hero and Mari. He was used to it, after all, and he had expected to do so. But with the way Hero had been acting recently it had put him on edge. What if he did something that Mari might misunderstand? Sunny didn’t want to be a homewrecker! He loved Hero, but Mari had him first. No matter his desires, he wasn’t going to ruin the love between his sister and her boyfriend.

And it wasn’t that Sunny didn’t want Hero to flirt with him, but he was terrified of what it meant. If Hero was flirting with him, then that meant that the man that he loved and admired was a cheater. That was intolerable. There was no way that someone like Hero would ever be a cheater, so he couldn’t possibly be flirting with Sunny. Everything up until now must be a misunderstanding. Sunny couldn’t think anything but the best of Hero, who had always been there for him and supported him.

It was a nearly cloudless, sunny day when they finally did hit the beach. Most of the friends gladly charged into the water only to scream because it was still plenty cold, but that didn’t stop them from enjoying it anyway. They spent hours playing and living up their adult lives by acting like children all over again in ways that reminded Sunny of when they’d first gone to the beach together when he was twelve. The weirdness of the last few months burnt away underneath the bright sun and the brighter smiles of the ones he loved the most. Sunny didn’t even mind when, in a moment of his bad luck returning, he ended up choking on salt water when Kel threw him into the waves. He had been quick to be rescued and given fresh water and it did nothing to dampen his spirits.

They were staying at a hotel tonight together instead of heading home since they wanted a second day at the beach tomorrow, so Sunny retreated to the lounge chairs that Kel and Aubrey had dragged over and under their large beach umbrella to rest up. He didn’t need to burn himself out on one day, and he didn’t have nearly as much energy as his friends had. That, and he had spotted Kel stealing a playful kiss from Aubrey, and it had bummed him out a little with his jealousy.

The target of that old burn of jealousy was already under the umbrella reading a book looking baked from the sun. Even after all of these years, he still preferred the slower life since he had exited from the fun a little while ago. His salt-stiffened hair was messier than ever, but it still fell so tantalizingly around his face and glasses. It made him look younger than when he styled it into a cleaner appearance. Sunny wanted to know what it felt like to run his fingers through it. He was sure Hero would let him if he asked, but he felt like that would be very dangerous territory when they were both currently half-dressed. 

He sat down at the end of Hero’s lounge chair with a sigh and a drink from the cooler, chugging half of it down before closing his eyes and relaxing a moment. There were voices everywhere over the sounds of the waves, but the beach wasn’t quite as busy as it would be in the summer. If it wasn’t for the sun, Sunny was sure he would be cold. But this kind of weather was nice when he had gotten used to the chill of the ocean. 

He heard Hero’s feet shift against the plastic of the chair before he was pulling himself a little more upright. Sunny opened his eyes as the thump of the book closing and being dropped on the towel in the sand was heard. He glanced at his friend. Hero had one of his long legs stretched out behind Sunny’s back and the other leg bent as he leaned on it. His eyes were shining behind his glasses, causing the dark brown to glow with a warm umber. The warmth of the sun never could compare with the way Hero looked at him when he was pleased to see him, and it always sent a rush of pleasure through Sunny’s body.

“You’re looking red, Sunny,” Hero pointed out with a little concerned frown as his eyes scanned over his friend. He ran his hand over Sunny’s shoulder to demonstrate how the pink faded to white and then back under the slight pressure. The beginning sting of a sunburn was coming on. “You should reapply more lotion. You burn easily.”

It was unfortunately true. It had been a while since he had last done it, so now would actually be a good time to reapply. Sunny listened and grabbed the sunscreen to put on. He tried not to be as aware as he was of Hero’s eyes watching his every movement. His gaze seemed more intense. That, or Sunny was just hyper-aware of the fact that Hero was half-naked next to him. He could vividly imagine how he would look without those bathing suit bottoms on now that he had gotten an eyeful. He didn’t really know what was so interesting about Sunny anyway.

Sunny attempted to turn away, shifting so his back was to Hero, but that only seemed to cause more problems. Hero sat up more and scooted closer, his other leg coming up to bracket Sunny in. He didn’t know when that had happened. “Do you want me to do your back for you?” he asked.

Sunny’s ears were turning red, and he knew it wasn’t because of the sun. His eyes darted over to where Mari and Basil were sitting in the waves and chatting about something. His sister laughed with Basil at whatever was said before she caught an incoming wave and playfully splashed the other man.

There was some turmoil in Sunny’s heart. It wasn’t weird for a friend to help put lotion on him, but Hero was being weird. There was more of a tension to his every action, and Sunny’s skin prickled with desire and anxiety at the thought of his hands on his skin. He was more attracted to Hero than ever ever since the man had started messing with him more. Things that he could dismiss easily before were a lot more difficult to turn a blind eye to now. It felt like he was helping Hero cheat on Mari just because Sunny got physical pleasure out of the thought of Hero touching his skin.

He should say no. He knew he should say no. It was very, very dangerous territory for him to be longing this hard for one of his best friends who was not an option for him. He was only going to put his heart into more of a twist if he indulged.

But Sunny was a weak man. And Hero was very handsome. And it was just sunscreen…

It was with only a little hesitation that Sunny passed the lotion over to Hero. This gave the man permission to scoot in even closer so that Sunny was officially sitting between his legs before he got to work. Sunny couldn’t deny the jolt through his body at the first touch. Hero just laughed, though, and said, “Sorry… was it cold?”

Sunny shook his head. Hero’s hands were absurdly hot as they moved across his back. They dipped down the length of his spine before smoothing up with some pressure to his shoulder blades. Then they ran over his shoulders and neck, painting white onto where pink bloomed from Sunny’s reaction to it all. He felt like his breathing had become shallower as he focused on not moving too much. He was so aware of how big Hero’s hands were on his body. Sunny knew he was a little small for a man his age but… Compared to Hero’s 6’3” height and build to match, he felt positively tiny. And it was doing wondrous and dangerous things to him as his toes curled where they were in the sand. He could feel goosebumps trying to bloom under Hero’s palms, but he smoothed them away before they could. 

In fact, Hero was doing a lot to make Sunny melt under this heat because at some point what had been just rubbing lotion into his skin had become a massage. And Hero’s hands were amazing. Sunny knew that his talented crush could do anything he put his mind to, and it really shouldn’t have been a surprise to find out that Hero was great at massages as well. The pain he had felt in his upper back from hunching over at his desk all of the time writing notes or typing on the computer already felt better as fingers and thumbs kneaded knots out. The tiny thrills of pleasure he got from those fingers skimming up his neck and down again nearly made Sunny moan. He bit it back as his eyes fluttered shut, rolling forward just a bit to give Hero easier access. God, he wanted to fall asleep under these clever hands.

It brought back foggy memories of those fingers on his cheeks, and the weight of the pads of them in his mouth. What a fantasy he must have had to have dreamed of Hero’s hand wrapped around his while he’d stroked his cock. He wondered if Hero’s hands would feel just as good on his own cock. The pressure would probably be fantastic.

Hero’s hands smoothed up his back and down his shoulders before he repeated the motion. Sunny hummed with pleasure, head tilted forward to accept the circling fingers in his neck before those hands were down again and around his chest. Hero shifted closer and tugged Sunny’s hips back until his ass was snug between Hero’s legs. This gave him access to apply more lotion along his ribs and reached around to his front. His back was burning and humming from the rubbing motion. He didn’t even notice the way Hero’s body was now pressed to his.

That is, until he felt those fingers skate too low over his stomach and skim the edge of his swimsuit. That jolted Sunny out of the daze he had been falling into.

“Whoa,” Hero said with a laugh as Sunny stiffened and straightened. He gave a gasp as his back met Hero’s front, making them stick momentarily together from the sunscreen, “don’t get all tight now, Sunny!”

Sunny’s ears burned as he froze, panicking from their position and his words. What was with that phrasing?! It only brought to mind thoughts of what else could tighten, and his vivid imagination granted him a gorgeous flash of an image of Hero buried deep into him and panting those words into his ear. He felt his head spin from how quickly his blood rushed south with just that thought. He quickly shoved it away, but the damage was done.

“Hmm…” Hero hummed right into Sunny’s ear as he leaned over him. His nose brushed the hair right above Sunny’s ear, causing goosebumps to shiver across his skin. Sunny couldn’t possibly escape. He felt like he had slid straight into a honey trap. “What’s got you so tense all of the sudden?” His hands skimmed down Sunny’s bare sides. This… This was definitely not friendly behavior. And yet… But Hero…

Sunny bit his lip to stop an embarrassing sound from escaping him as his thoughts failed. He felt like he was lit aflame by Hero’s touch. What had been soothing before was electrifying now. The rush of his lust was filling every crevice of thought, and Hero’s hands continuing to massage him and coax his tension out wasn’t helping. 

“Um… Hero…” he called in a tiny voice, eyes dropping to glanced nervously around them. What if Mari or the others saw them? But he made the decision of glancing at Hero, and the sparkles of the man’s charm blinded him to consequences as Hero smiled at him from over Sunny’s shoulders.

“Looks like you need to relax…” Hero murmured, voice low as his lips brushed his ear with his words, “...with some laughs!” 

Sunny gave him a confused look, but he didn’t react fast enough in his sweet molasses haze. It was the only warning he got before Hero’s fingers were tickling his ribs and stomach, shocking a laugh out of him even as he gasped at the audacity. The atmosphere was disrupted immediately as Hero’s limbs pinned him in like he truly was a trap and he was subjected to the tickle torture as Sunny squirmed. It was just like when they were younger, and Sunny hated that it was still effective on him even at this age. But he couldn’t stop the helpless giggles as he twisted and turned and attempted to escape. 

Hero’s laughter was loud as he batted away Sunny’s limbs easily. Their struggle turned into a quick battle as Sunny tried to get those tricky hands away from him, but it only ended up with them rolling down and around so their positions were swapped on the lounge chair.

Suddenly, Sunny was trapped between Hero’s arms as the man loomed over him. He blocked out what sun had managed to penetrate the large beach umbrella they were under as Hero’s bright grin spread across his pinkened face. His shoulders and chest heaved with exertion as he was mere centimeters from Sunny’s face. Sunny’s eyes were wide and his heart stopped as he realized this.

They were so close together now having tumbled there without noticing during the playful wrestle. Their legs were tangled a bit on the lounge chair. Their chests were nearly pressed together. Hero casted a shadow across Sunny as he towered over him. And the abrupt playfulness before burned away to reveal an immediacy and intimacy that filled Sunny’s ears and lungs. It was no longer the haze from before, but rather the potential energy of a lightning strike before the bolt hit.

Hero’s eyes were even prettier up close. They seemed a warmer brown than normal with just tiny flecks of red and hazel in them. His pupils visibly expanded between one breath and the next as he also noticed their change in position. His brows were a little on the thicker end from his dad’s side, but they fit his facial shape well. His hair fell around his forehead attractively, and his boyish features came out more as his glasses slid a little down his nose. And as Sunny’s eyes drifted down to the man’s slightly-parted lips, he became enraptured with the pull of him. He was a boat caught in a riptide being hauled out to sea, and it would take a man stronger than Sunny to be able to resist the desire to pull the most handsome man he’d even had the pleasure of being physically close to like this down in hopes of tasting the smile that had softened there.

Days, weeks, years of Sunny admiring, longing, and fantasizing about this man crystalized into a single moment as he tilted his head up and leaned in.

And Hero… Hero didn’t even try to avoid it. In fact, he went in to meet him as Sunny’s eyes closed and their lips connected. The immediate desire to give a moan of relief hit him as his arms came up around Hero’s neck, and Hero pressed into their connection. The lightning struck as Sunny melted under the sweet and salty lips that ran over his. He got a taste of sunbaked lips as the scent of sunscreen filled his lungs, and he eagerly invited Hero’s tongue inside at the first swipe. He swallowed down Hero’s hum as their kiss deepened and Sunny’s hand ran into his hair finally. It was a cloying, delicious moment of heat and clarity as the two men’s desires met in the middle, and both melted from it.

He wanted more. He tried to pull Hero to lay down on him in his entirety needing that weight and touch. He wanted to be consumed as his fantasies started to materialize. Only this time he knew he wasn’t dreaming as his name on Hero’s lips didn’t sound nearly as good in his dreams. He didn’t even know Hero’s voice could get that deep naturally as their connection broke. Their eyes met, and Hero’s eyes closed once more as he went in for one more kiss as he pushed his glasses up and out of the way. Sunny prepared to meet him again when–

“Oh come on,” someone muttered as they passed by, and that person’s companion scoffed. The crunch of feet over sand too close to them startled Sunny right as their mouths met in a brief kiss. He jerked away from Hero as the couple passed by – two strangers, but their judgment was clear about their feelings of the intimate position the two men were in – and reality crashed in on Sunny quickly.

“Sunny?” Hero called, concern replacing the slightly-irritated side-glance he had sent the annoying couple as he noticed Sunny’s expression. “Hey, don’t worry about them. But we should probably–”

Sunny wasn’t listening though. No, his head was flooding with panic.

Oh god.

That wasn’t just flirting. That wasn’t even an accidental kiss! That was…!

Sunny covered his mouth with his arm, staring at Hero with a horrified expression. His face had lost all color. He’d kissed his sister’s boyfriend! No; he’d made out with Hero! And Hero had kissed him back! But Hero wasn’t gay?! And Sunny…

They’d betrayed Mari.

Hero hadn’t been messing with him. He was actually attracted to Sunny. And it was Sunny's dream and worst nightmare all in one moment.

“Move,” Sunny commanded, voice hard as he shoved Hero aside.

“W-Wait, Sunny–” Hero attempted to speak as he winced even as Sunny escaped from him. He reached out to grab him as he tried to say, “Let me talk to you about–” but Sunny shook him off. He couldn’t get past the betrayal. He refused to look back as he ran off, heart pounding in his ears even as Hero called after him again. He could hear the man chasing him, but Sunny ran faster. He just needed to get away from Hero! 

He was relieved that Hero, at least, gave him the space to leave. He knew that Hero could’ve caught up to him effortlessly with all of the exercise that he did. But he didn’t, and Sunny ran away.

Hero’s friends found him curled up on the lounge chair with his knees up and his hands in his hair. He was staring down at nothing in particular with a wretched expression on his face, and he didn’t really react when they called him. Sunny hadn’t come back, and his cell phone was still in his bag. All Sunny had on him was his sandals and the bathing suit he was wearing.

He should’ve gone after him even if Sunny didn’t want him to. But Sunny had always run away from his problems to cool off and then come back later. So, Hero had let him go. But his own worry and frantic need to constantly be aware of where his friend was was driving him into insanity.

Sunny had kissed him again. He had been sober this time. He had wanted Hero. But he had still run, and Hero wasn’t dumb enough not to know why. Sunny was no doubt dealing with many misunderstandings right now, and Hero was regretting not stopping that kiss earlier while Sunny had still been dazed and floating in his love of the moment. But Hero had been weak and had eaten too much of the meal in front of him too fast, and he’d lost Sunny before he had been able to clear up the misunderstanding.

He sighed and dropped his hands as he uncurled to see his friends watching him. He gave them a sad smile. “Sorry. What did you guys say?”

“What’s wrong?” Aubrey asked.

“And where’s Sunny?” Mari added as she put a hand on Hero’s knee. “He was with you.”

“Yeah, he was. But he ran off.” Hero motioned in the direction that Sunny had run in.

“What? Why?” Kel asked, confused.

“Obviously something happened,” Aubrey told him. “Hero and Sunny alone? It was bound to happen.”

“I thought it would be something good, though!” Mari said with a little bit of a sigh. “What happened, Hero?”

“He kissed me, we got a little too into it, and he ran off before I could ask him out properly,” Hero told them a little miserably.

“Oh come on, Hero!” Mari made a frustrated noise. “I love you, but you’re so bad about confessions! Honestly!”

“I’m sorry, okay? I messed up!”

“But where did he go?” Basil asked, looking worried.

“I don’t know,” Hero admitted with some frustration. “His cell phone’s still in his bag. I think he just went for a walk to cool off.”

“That sounds like him,” Basil nodded with understanding. But he moved to pull on his shirt and grab his stuff anyway. “I’m going to see if I can find him. I’ll try to talk him through his thoughts. I’m sure he’s confused.”

“Dude, I told you to be upfront, but come on,” Kel scolded Hero as he rubbed at his head. “Sunny’s skittish.”

“I know, I know,” Hero shook his head.

“Basil, we’ll stay here for a bit longer, but you know we were all getting hungry anyway since it’s getting late,” Mari told him. “So, if we’re not here when you and Sunny come back, we’ll be at the hotel room. And me and Hero will both be waiting to talk with him.”

“He probably thinks he was helping you cheat,” Aubrey pointed out. “Basil, you should tell Sunny that Hero came clean right away.”

“And that I’m not angry!” Mari added.

“Yeah, I will,” Basil agreed. “I’ll have my phone on me. I’ll call if it gets too late or I need help finding Sunny. I’ll take Sunny’s phone with me too.”

“Thanks, Basil. I mean it,” Hero said with a grateful smile.

Basil returned it with a thumbs up before he hurried off. Sunny probably wouldn’t go too far, but the beach was long and wide enough to wander for quite a while. Sunny would calm down if he was talking to Basil since Kel would probably only upset Sunny more considering he was Hero’s brother. Hero was just glad that all of his friends seemed to be on his side. They had been supporting Hero from the shadows for a while (even if Hero had known that Aubrey and Basil both had been leery about it in the beginning when they had realized) but now wasn’t the time for subtlety. Hero was determined to get this shit resolved.

“I’m sure he’ll be back soon,” Mari assured everyone.

“Yeah,” Aubrey agreed. “And, uh, I guess you’ll be dating him too now?”

“As soon as possible, yeah,” Hero said with confidence. There was no letting this go now. He was sure that Sunny would come to him once they finally cleared up exactly what kind of relationship Hero and Mari both wanted to have with Sunny.

“Uh, congrats… I guess…”

“No congratulations yet!” Mari huffed. She was irritated, which made Hero wince. Oh no. He knew what those hands on those hips meant. He was going to get chewed out. “I want to have a word with you, Hero, and about how you keep playing with my little brother’s heart!”

“Annnnd that’s our sign to go. C’mon, Aubrey,” Kel grabbed his stuff quickly, including one of the foldable lounge chairs so that there was less stuff to carry back later. “Let’s go eat something.”

“Sorry, Hero. Bye. Good luck,” Aubrey gave him a sort-of mock salute before she grabbed some stuff as well. Her and Kel fled the scene before any dressing down could occur.

Hero just grimaced. Well, it wasn’t like he wasn’t waiting for the earful anyway. Mari had been tired of his way of trying to court Sunny for a while now because it had been stringing Sunny along. Hero hadn’t known Sunny would be so difficult to capture, though! If he hadn’t found out from Kel that Sunny had thought he was straight, he would’ve been even more upfront! His teasing had backfired a bit and now he had to deal with an angry, overprotective sister.

Well, no big deal. He found an angry Mari to be attractive too. He could deal with it because the next time that he saw Sunny, it would be to confirm their love once and for all. They had a perfectly good hotel room to make full use of tonight too. All of this grief would be worth it. 

At least, that had been the plan. Except that the next time that Hero saw Sunny, it wasn’t in their hotel room with Mari. Instead it was under one of the large docks in a secluded section of the beach late at night.

Sunny was standing with Basil in the shadows where no streetlamps could reach them clutching his friend’s hand. The look of terror and numb horror on Sunny’s face blended with hope as he spotted Hero, and Basil had a scared but determined expression when Hero walked up. There were tears on his face. His hand tightened around Sunny’s as he said in a trembling voice,

“Hero… We need help.”

And in between them, lying where it had clearly been dragged from a nearby set of stairs, was the body of some man.

Chapter Text

There was a lot to be said about what happened that led up to this event. Sunny had run away with his thoughts a mess and his heart burdened with guilt over the act he had just committed, combined with the disappointment and betrayal that Hero, of all people, was a cheater. It was sickening enough to think that way, but he hated himself more for the moments he caught himself remembering just how beautiful of a moment it had been. If only Hero wasn’t dating his sister! Sunny could’ve been elated to find out that the man he had been in love with for years was attracted to him too! But this? This was the worst!

He hadn’t meant to wander far. He had just needed to get away and to get his head together. Sunny hated confrontation the most, and realizing that he would have to figure out what to do about this situation had him so stressed out that he wanted to break down over it. He didn’t even know who he should talk to first: Hero or Mari? Mari deserved to know what they’d done. But he hated himself even more for hesitating to do so at the risk of losing Hero too.

Why did Hero do this to him?! He didn’t want to be a homewrecker! His feelings weren’t worth it! Why hadn’t Sunny gotten over him sooner? God, he’d been the one to lean in first and everything! This was his fault!

That was the exact wretched mindset Sunny had been in when the sun had set so beautifully over the ocean, and he had found himself harassed by some guys on the street. Sunny didn’t know why he was such a magnet for aggressive guys, but it was unfortunate timing on his part that a bunch had found him. He couldn’t even remember the comments they made as they tried to pick him up, but Sunny had not been in the mood. He wasn’t looking for a rebound, and his stomach churned with his stress that made white noise hum in his ears.

Somehow, he had found his way away and had thought he was alone when he crossed over the sand and up some wooden stairs of a dock walkway. It wasn’t very crowded at this time despite it still being pretty early, but that seemed to be because there was some kind of club party going on not too far off. Everyone appeared to be going there. Sunny was grateful for the relative seclusion, but then his arm was caught.

It was one of the men from the group before, but he was alone now. He seemed more drunk than the rest had been, and his words were distorted through the filter of his slurring and Sunny’s shock and upset. He thought of nothing but trying to get away, and it had caused a struggle while on the stairs. One push was all it took for the drunken man to go tumbling down and crash into the sand.

Stillness overtook the moment, and Sunny had walked down on trembling legs. He tried to call out to the man, but he didn’t move at the call. Sunny reached the bottom and shook the man, but he still didn’t move. Rolling him over did nothing. Sunny couldn’t tell if he was breathing. 

Oh god. He was going to be sick.

He patted himself down quickly, but realized he didn’t have his cell phone on him. He couldn’t call for help.

He was going to panic.

Hands gripped his shoulders then. They shook him. Sunny snapped out of his panicked haze long enough for his eyes to focus on Basil, who stared at him with horror. Was he imagining this too?

“Sunny… Sunny!” Basil called to get his attention. He waited until Sunny was fully focused on him and shook him one more time. “Sunny, what happened?!”

Sunny’s mouth moved, but no words came out for a moment. His eyes dropped down to the unmoving man and then back to Basil. He couldn’t speak.

Basil, realizing this, grimaced. His eyes darted around them, but they were alone. Nobody had noticed anything. The fall had occurred with nobody to watch.

He grabbed the man under the arms and lifted him. Years of working in the gardening section had done a lot to help Basil bulk up so he had some muscle on him. He was able to drag the man’s body into the shadows under the dock when he laid him down. He checked the man as well while Sunny watched, hands running over each other as he focused on his breathing. He feared he’d be sick. He was hopeful that Basil could see something that Sunny couldn’t.

Basil checked the man’s pulse and waited. There was an odd angle to the man’s neck. It didn’t look right. He wasn’t bleeding other than some scrapes from the wood. Basil put his ear to the man’s chest too, as well as tried to wake him. Nothing worked.

There was a long moment of silence as the realization of what had happened really set in for them both. Sunny blinked away horrified tears as Basil’s blue eyes turned to him. They seemed to glow in the shadows as his own face crumpled. Sunny felt like his legs would give out when Basil’s expression suddenly changed. It hardened as his eyes widened. There was intent there now as he stood suddenly and grabbed Sunny’s shoulders. Sunny stared at him as his friend suddenly said,

“Sunny… We need to call Hero.”

“...What?” Sunny whispered. What did Hero have to do with any of this? Was it because he was training to be a doctor?

No, wait, that was a good idea. Maybe Basil had found a pulse where Sunny hadn’t. Yes, Hero would be able to help them. He couldn’t afford to go to prison over an accident. Who would believe it was actually an accident? Hero could help. Hero always helped.

He nodded with, admittedly, not the best state of mind occurring to him right then. His head was a mess and it was grasping onto a lifeline with the last bit of logic he could manage through the turmoil there. Even if he had been avoiding Hero before, he knew he could always rely on him. Hero had always, always been there for Sunny when he had needed him the most.

And, almost like magic, Hero was there in only a few minutes.

Hero and Mari had been sitting in the hotel room, changed from their day at the beach and waiting for Sunny after the dressing-down Mari had given Hero over his stupidity. She was very protective of Sunny and very, very pissed off about the distress Hero had caused him with his actions. She didn’t care about Hero’s (understandable, if unreasonable) excuses for why he’d approached things as he did because in the end he had very much upset Sunny. And that was intolerable for her.

Hero had taken it all with the right amount of apologies and promises to make it up to both of them. He would absolutely make sure Sunny would not be stressed for long, and he would give him plenty of kisses and loving to make up for his upset. Both he and Mari together would explain the situation, lay down the ground rules, and wait for Sunny’s decision on if he was willing to share Hero with his sister. It was, in all, meant to be a good end to the day.

That changed with a single buzz of Hero’s phone. He had expected a phone call from Basil at any time, or at least an update on a location. He and Mari had been watching the little tracker on Sunny’s phone move with Basil, but it had stopped a few moments ago. He must have found Sunny. The phone message should’ve been something good.

Instead, all it said was “SOS”.

Hero was on his feet pulling his shoes and jacket on before his brain had even fully processed it.

“Let me come with you!” Mari insisted, grabbing her own shoes to hurry after him.

“No,” he said with much more firmness and authority than he usually held. His eyes were flashing behind his glasses as he spoke sharply enough to make her stiffen and freeze. “I’m going alone, just in case things are really bad. The less you know, the less danger you’re in.”

“Henry–” Mari tried to protest, but Hero shook her off as he grabbed his bag – always ready with his stuff in it. He kept it packed separately from his luggage for the vacation – and pulled it on. He only stopped once to spin on her. His hand grabbed her neck to stop her, but not to hurt. It was enough to pin her in place as he leaned in and said in a low, dark voice,

“Whatever they need me for, I’m going to be sending them here afterwards. Here, or to a hospital, if needed. You need to stay here to receive them, Mari.”

Mari grabbed his arm in return. Her mouth was set stubbornly, but her fear and worry was clear just from her reaction to him. Hero never snapped into this mode so easily.

“Okay,” she finally said.

He gave her a quick, firm kiss and left without saying anything else. The keys to Mari’s car spun on his finger as he rushed. He had Sunny and Basil’s location, so he just needed to get there.

It didn’t take long. They were a decent walk from the hotel, but it was a quick drive in the car. Finding parking was more difficult before Hero was searching the area. He didn’t see any familiar figures on the half-abandoned boardwalk, so he jumped straight down the hills into the sand and rushed under the dock.

That’s where he found the three of them in the shadows. And Hero understood the situation right away.

“Hero… We need help,” Basil said in a weak but determined voice. He sniffled once and gripped Sunny’s hand hard. It seemed to be the only thing that was really keeping him grounded and present. The expression of hope upon the sight of Hero breaking through Sunny’s clear grief had Hero clearing the distance to pull both of his friends into his arms. Priorities, he thought as he said,

“It’s okay.” His arms tightened, tucking Sunny’s face to his shoulder as he squeezed Basil’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay, you two.”

He could see the way Basil’s eyes watered again, but it was how Sunny clung to him with fear and relief that really hurt his heart. He had supposed that one day Sunny would accidentally run into a much bigger issue with all of his bad luck, but he was still sad to see it had come to this. 

Luckily, though, Hero knew exactly how to handle this. He had been trained for this.

He pulled back from them after a moment and pressed a reassuring kiss to Sunny’s head much like he used to when they were little. Then he walked over to the body to examine it. He had to see if this guy was actually dead. And as he did so he asked, “So, what happened?”

Sunny’s tale was shaky as he explained the harassment, the struggle, and the fall. Basil confirmed that he walked up in time to see the man tumbling down and that they had called Hero soon afterwards. During that time, Hero checked the vitals that he could and grimaced a little at the bent neck. Yes, this man was dead for sure. He even used his glasses near the man’s nose to see if there would be breath fogging it, and he got nothing for it. He put his glasses back on and stood up.

“Okay, I understand,” he said as he rejoined his friends as he surreptitiously looked around. He could hear people on the dock, but nobody had found them. The drag marks were obvious, so he would have to clear that away a little. They were luckily on the beach where there was a lot of foot traffic. Not a big deal. There were a few people along the beach, but not close enough to them. Either way, he needed to get rid of these two.

“Is… Is he dead?” Sunny asked. He was still so utterly pale. The shock was clear on him. Hero pulled off his coat and wrapped it around Sunny in place of a shock blanket. It seemed to work to comfort him as he tucked it more around his shoulders and buried his nose into the collar where Hero’s scent was the thickest. Whether he knew it or not, he was utilizing Hero to calm down. It pleased the anxious part of Hero’s heart.

“He’s hurt, but still breathing,” Hero lied smoothly as he kept his expression reassuring and sympathetic. If he was too serious, Sunny would get upset, and if he was too blasé then he would expose his lie. “You did a good job calling me.” He directed the latter words at Basil, meeting his eyes over the rims of his glasses. Basil stiffened under the hand on his shoulder that told him he had gotten Hero’s message. Sunny would need to believe this lie, and if Sunny found out the truth then they knew who to blame.

“I-I’m glad,” Basil said, smartly following along with the lie as he added on, “I w-wasn’t sure when I checked.”

“It’s hard to notice, but it’s there. I’m going to call 911, but I want you two to leave.”

“What?” Sunny startled. “But…”

“It’s okay,” Hero cut him off. “I don’t need you here, and I’ve got some credibility at the nearby hospital because of my job.” It wasn’t a total lie. Hero had helped out at a couple different hospitals for a variety of reasons, and the one in this town was one of them since it wasn’t too far away from their city. “I’ll make sure everything goes okay, and I’ll explain what happened. You said the man was drunk, right? I’ll tell them I saw him fall. The police don’t need to know about him following you. It will just complicate things.”

Sunny still seemed unsure, but he nodded in agreement. Hero was trying to get this man help, so Sunny wasn’t needed.

“We’ll go back to the hotel,” Basil interrupted before Sunny could think too deeply and let his morals get the best of him. He had some hang-ups on the idea, but he wanted to get away as fast as possible too. Hero would take care of everything. He trusted Hero. “And… You can call us if you need us?”

“Good idea,” Hero said with a smile. He reached into his pocket and handed Basil the keys. “You’re okay to drive? I parked not far from here. And I’ll text Mari to meet you guys.”

That only made Sunny blanch again. Oh god, Mari. He still had to tell her what happened. What would she think about what Sunny did?! He seriously hurt someone! It was an accident, but what if this guy died?!

Unconsciously, his hand came up to grip Hero’s shirt. He didn’t know if he could do this alone.

“I can drive,” Basil assured him with a nod even as Hero took Sunny’s hand and squeezed it. 

“Hey,” he ducked down to get into Sunny’s face. The man gazed back at him with fear and reluctance. Hero smiled instead and ruffled Sunny’s hair, “Don’t worry too much, Sunny. Everything is going to be okay. Go back to the hotel with Basil, and we’ll talk about what happened later. Okay?”

Sunny stared into the face of one of his best friends and really took it in. Hero didn’t look concerned in the slightest other than for Sunny. His smile was bright in the dark shadows of this place. It was almost enough to reassure Sunny entirely as he wished for nothing more than to hug him again.

Hero had always taken care of Sunny’s problems for him. There was nothing that he couldn’t do. He would never steer him wrong. And he knew, more than anything, that Hero would always be on his side. No matter what happened, he could rely on him.

The tension untwisted in his shoulders. If Hero was smiling, it couldn’t be as bad as Sunny thought. The man on the ground was probably just knocked out. It would all be a bad memory soon.

He nodded in understanding, and Hero rewarded him with a brighter smile.

“Good job. Okay, so I parked the car in front of the grocery store over there.” He pointed in the direction as he gave Sunny a little push to go there. “Head back to the hotel. I might not be back at the hotel tonight depending on how long this will take, so don’t wait up for me. Also,” he walked a few feet with them and paused, catching their hands to stop them too. For once his smile dropped away as he told them with more gravatas when they looked at him, “don’t tell the others about this. If they ask, say that there was an accident and that I’m taking care of it.” He smiled again. “Okay?”

Sunny didn’t really understand the reason to hide it, but if Hero was asking him to do it then there had to be a good reason. He was sure he wanted to wait to tell everyone when he had the full story. 

Basil was a smart man. He and Aubrey had both come to learn over the years that Hero was dangerous. Exactly how dangerous was something that Aubrey didn’t know, but that Basil suspected. He had seen his anger before. He had heard the tales from the neighborhood. He knew about bullies that Hero had handled or paid off. He knew about property damage, and he remembered how the girl who had sexually harassed Sunny had been hospitalized only a week later. He could see a through line that Sunny himself hadn’t noticed either because he was oblivious, didn’t care enough to check on those people, or was in denial. 

He had seen how Hero had taken care of Sunny’s problems time and again. He had taken a bit of a gamble with calling Hero over this body since even if he knew Hero was not exactly what he appeared, he didn’t doubt who Hero was either. Kind, sweet, gentle, and loyal were only some of the words to describe him. He was always the first to seek reconciliation and mediation in arguments and escalations. He preferred to talk people down than to take action, and he shied away from anger.

But things were different when Sunny (and, on occasion, Kel) were involved. He knew Hero could, and would, do anything for Sunny. He had never known exactly how far he would go but… now he did.

He didn’t know what Hero was going to do with this body. He didn’t know how he was going to “take care of it”. And frankly as Basil glanced at the body and back to meet Hero’s dark eyes watching him, he knew better than to ask questions.

Aubrey lived with the mentality that the less she knew about this side of Hero, the better. And Basil was sure that she was right in this case.

(He wondered to himself, though, if Hero had done this before and how many times.)

“I’m glad we called you,” he told his friend then with a shaky smile. He couldn’t quite hide his own terror as he shoved his trembling hands into his pockets. “You’re the only one who could help us. I’ll… I’ll go get me and Sunny some food, and we’ll wait at the hotel.”

Hero’s lips curled into a more pleased smile, proud. Basil had made the right choice.

“That sounds like a good plan. Something sweet will help. Now get going. I need to call 911.”

Sunny and Basil both nodded, and Basil grabbed his best friend’s hand. He started running and didn’t look back, though Sunny did one time. All he saw was Hero pulling out his cell phone and typing with one hand as he watched them go. The light from a nearby streetlamp on the dock above made it impossible to see his eyes as his glasses glowed and his smile stuck around.

Sunny, inexplicably, felt like everything would be okay. He could already feel his worry going away.

Hero had always been there when he had needed him most. He was glad he had a friend like him.

Hero waited until his friends were gone as he finished his text to Mari. He only let her know that Basil and Sunny’s plan was, and that he wouldn’t be home tonight. He asked her not to ask questions and he would let her know later. He couldn’t leave anything incriminating in texts, so he worded it as him needing to go take care of some work. He knew she would understand. After all, he wasn’t lying.

Then he made a phone call as he shifted sand around to hide the drag marks. He dragged the body a little further into the shadows where it wouldn’t be easily seen as the phone rang and walked around the area to look for any cameras. He would have to take care of any evidence as soon as possible. They could leave the body here to be discovered, but it was easier to simply make this drunken man disappear. People disappeared every day.

“Howdy, son,” Dad greeted him cheerfully on the third ring.

“Hi Dad,” Hero responded in Spanish, because less people spoke Spanish and he would be unlikely to be overheard in case there was anyone in earshot. “I need your help.”

“Oh?” His tone changed, recognizing the strange cadence in Hero’s voice. Hero could hear his steps as he moved to a different area as he asked, “Is it serious?”

“Yeah.”

His father was quiet for a moment before asking without a hint of his usual jovialness, “Was it worth it?”

Hero gave a lamenting sigh. Of course his dad knew without saying what it was. Hero was a very self-sustaining kind of person when it came to this stuff. He hadn’t needed his father’s assistance since he was in middle school. “It wasn’t me, but Sunny.”

“Ah.” His tone changed then, sympathetic. “Is he…?”

“He’s okay. I’ll explain more later. I’m going to send you my location. Can you meet me? It’s kind of a tough spot for just me to handle on my own.”

“I’ll be there right away. I’ll bring my stuff.”

“Thanks. We’ll probably need it.”

They got off of the phone then in time for Hero to check Mari’s responding text of understanding, followed shortly by Basil shooting him a message too. It was short and sweet saying that he would distract Sunny in the meantime, and reassure him. He didn’t need a response.

Hero pulled out his hotspot and sat down where he wouldn’t be seen next to his new buddy here before pulling out his computer. He smiled to himself, feeling completely at ease as he planned his next steps. He would need to buy Basil quite the gift of thanks for helping Hero out since he couldn’t be there to reassure his friend on his own.

Once this thing was taken care of, he could finally focus on what was important. He had a new boyfriend waiting for him most likely with very relieved kisses. Nothing was a better distraction from a disaster than an even worse disaster. And when that one was cleaned up, the previous one will seem like child’s play in comparison. Which, well, it was because honestly he just needed Sunny calm and listening to him and Mari. Then he would get many, many kisses. And Hero would claim his reward for being ever so patient.

It was a shame that he probably wouldn’t be getting that hotel sex he had been looking forward to, but his bedroom was much more comfortable anyway. He would be sure to keep Sunny there for quite a while. This night would be out of his mind before he knew it.

Hero shot the body a wry smile. “Thanks for taking the bullet for me. You really saved me. And, hey! Now you don’t have to deal with what I would’ve done to you after you touched Sunny. A win-win for us both, right?”

The man didn’t respond, but then again Hero thought that was for the best. He didn’t need his good mood to be ruined. He would try to reward his new buddy with at least a less-shameful way of his body being discovered than having tumbled down some stairs like a drunken moron. Really, he should thank Hero.

Chapter Text

It really was a shame that it took so long to deal with this body. Even with his father’s help, covering up and hiding a murder wasn’t exactly easy. So, it wasn’t until midmorning the next day did Hero actually return to the hotel. By that time, his friends were back at the beach. Hero chose to sleep for a few hours rather than join them and was awoken to the sounds of Mari and Sunny returning. Both of them gasped when they saw him.

“Hero!” Mari cried, glad to see him as she hurried to his side. She smelled of the ocean and a long day in the sun as she climbed into the bed and hugged her sleepy boyfriend. Sunny stood nearby worrying his hands as Kel, Aubrey, and Basil – having heard the noise – barged in. They all looked glad to see him.

“Where the heck were you?” Kel asked as Hero yawned and stretched. He wished that he had gotten a couple more hours of sleep. He would nap on the way back from the hotel since they had to check out soon, judging by his clock.

Hero glanced at Sunny and Basil. Basil shook his head to let him know that they didn’t know anything. Good. That meant that Hero could lie through his teeth. It was the only time he was really good at lying. If it was to protect Sunny, lying came very easily.

So, he told the tale of Sunny and Basil before picking up the story with how he took the person to the hospital, talked to the police, and spent the night out worrying. He lied about what time he had come back and that he had been sleeping away the whole time. He claimed that the person had lived and that he would be hospitalized for a while with no memory about what happened due to the alcohol. Sunny was off scot-free.

The relief had been palpable on Sunny’s face after hearing everything. The weight of knowing he hadn’t killed someone had done a lot to help him to relax, and Hero was glad to see it. He would continue to let Sunny believe he didn’t have blood on his hands. His Sunny was always innocent, and it wouldn’t be fair if he thought he had killed the idiot who had gone and fallen down some stairs. 

It didn’t need to be said that half of the group didn’t fully believe Hero’s tale. Aubrey was always just naturally suspicious of him when it came to things like this, Basil knew the truth, and Mari was waiting for the real story. But the former two wouldn’t ask questions, and Mari understood why Hero hid the truth, so he didn’t need to worry any longer. Besides, they had to check out and head home, so that was what they all did. It was a weird end to a fun weekend, but school was going to start tomorrow morning, and Hero had stuff he wanted to take care of before that.

Basil was staying at Kel and Aubrey’s place for one more night before he returned to Faraway Town, so that left Mari, Sunny, and Hero to head back to their apartment. Hero had felt the entire way how Sunny had wanted to speak, but frankly he had been too tired to really deal with it. Sorry, Sunny, but another nap was necessary since Hero wanted to have the energy for what he had planned that night. 

And it was good that he did as when they had gotten back to Sunny’s place, they had all taken showers and started on dinner. And it was there that they finally held the conversation that they’d all been waiting for.

Hero could only assume that Basil never really got the chance to tell Sunny that Mari wasn’t angry, so he would be the one to say it instead. “Sunny,” he called after he had gathered the dishes and had cleaned them. Sunny had been acting nervous all night and sitting stiff next to his sister on the couch. His anxiety was still clear, even if it wasn’t nearly as bad as it was yesterday. He had been kind enough to wait patiently, so Hero would reward him.

“Sunny,” he said again as he sat down on the other side of Sunny and placed a hand on his shoulder, “I already told Mari what happened at the beach.”

Sunny stiffened, eyes widening. His head whipped to his sister, who blinked with surprise that that’s what they were talking about now, but she recovered quickly. She smiled at him softly. “It’s true,” she said. “You and Hero kissed at the beach?”

“I… I’m so sorry,” Sunny murmured, head dropping. “It… I mean…”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Mari placed a hand on his knee and squeezed it. “Don’t be so sad, Sunny. I’m happy for you two!”

“Huh?” That got his head to snap up.

Mari giggled a little behind her hand before sighing. She cupped her own cheek. “Little brother, did you really think I didn’t notice how in love with Hero you are?”

Sunny’s cheeks flushed bright red even as he balked a little. His eyes darted nervously to Hero and back. Hero just kept a smile on his face to not give Sunny a reason to feel like he might be in trouble. 

“I’d noticed it a long, long time ago,” Mari continued. “I know my little brother best, after all. And anyway, Hero’s hard not to love.” She reached past Sunny to squeeze Hero’s face as he gave a little laugh. “And the two of us have had a lot of time to discuss how we wanted to talk to you about it. So, this is me telling you that it’s okay for you to have feelings for Hero. And I’m okay with sharing with you.”

Sunny just stared at her. His brain needed time to process this.

Hero, on his other side, took Sunny’s hand and held it. Sunny’s head turned to him instead as Hero beamed. “If you want to and are comfortable with it, I want to date you as well as Mari. I want you both. And Mari’s agreed.”

“But only if it’s you!” Mari added, holding a stern finger up. “I don’t like sharing Hero, but I’m okay if it’s with you!” She paused and added, “Well, and Kel too. But that’s different.”

“Honey, you’ll confuse him.”

“Whoops! Sorry.”

Sunny’s gaze dropped to where Hero was still holding his hand. It was a warm weight. The callouses there always fascinated Sunny since she couldn’t figure out where they had all come from. But right now they simply felt good. The tension he’d had before was melting away as everything began to process.

“So… I would be dating Hero… while he’s dating you?” he asked Mari to be sure.

“Yes,” she nodded. “He would be dating two people. Just us two.”

“And you want this?” Sunny looked back and forth between the two of them.

“Yes,” both of them said, though Hero was a little more emphatic about it.

“But only if you’re comfortable with it!” Mari added with a sharp look of warning at Hero, who held his free hand up defensively as he gave a laugh. Even if Sunny said no, that didn’t mean Hero was going to give up. As long as Sunny showed romantic and sexual interest in him, Hero would continue to pursue him until he gave in. 

“Comfortable…” Sunny fell silent, thoughtful. He had never considered the possibility that he could share Hero before. He had always dreamed of having Hero to himself because he hadn’t known that Mari would be willing to share. And it was the conflict of breaking up his sister and Hero that had hurt his heart. He would rather his sister be happy with Hero since she had him first, and he had always planned to eventually forget about his love.

But to know he could have Hero and Mari would still be happy… and all he had to do was share a boyfriend with his sister…

He didn’t know how it would work out. But he could understand one thing, and that was that Hero would be Sunny’s boyfriend as well. Did that mean he could finally act on his desires? Or were there limits?

The silence stretched on as Sunny contemplated it all even as hope and excitement built like a bonfire in his chest. The understanding was rapidly culminating into something very desirable.

Mari stood up then and gave Sunny a quick hug. “Think on it, okay? I’ll give you guys some time alone to discuss things. Me and Hero have had plenty of time to talk, so just ask him whatever. He knows my opinions by now.” She shot Hero a knowing look as Hero’s eyes sparkled. He knew exactly what she was doing. He stood as well to guide her to the door as Sunny watched them curiously. She spoke back to her brother, “I’m going to head home. Just give me a call if you need me! Oh, and,” she grabbed Hero’s tablet out of his bag and waved it at him, “I’m taking this with me.”

“Do you need me to tell you the password to the cameras?” Hero asked her in a low murmur as he walked her to the door.

“No, I know it. But do me a favor and save sex for the bedroom.” She pulled him down into a lingering kiss before she whispered in his ear, “The view and sound is much better in there than the cameras in the living room.”

Hero chuckled and pecked her cheek. God, this is why he loved her. There was something thrilling knowing that she would be watching tonight. She had been just as excited to see Hero finally catch his prey as Hero was to finally bed Sunny. And they both knew that no matter what happened, Hero was leaving this apartment with Sunny’s virginity.

“You’ve got it,” he promised her. Then he pulled back to speak in a normal tone so Sunny could hear, “We’ll let you know what happens. Have a good night, honey.”

“Good night, boys!” She waved to them both before departing. The click of the lock of Sunny’s front door felt very final. Anticipation trembled in Hero’s very core. It was taking every ounce of his patience to walk back to the couch casually and join his friend. 

He needed Sunny’s go-ahead to date, yes, but Hero absolutely knew he could seduce the man out of his pants. And that desire was rapidly becoming too powerful to control the longer Sunny took to think things over. He needed answers. He needed to hear Sunny say that he wanted him. He wanted to hear Sunny beg him to fuck him like he did in the car weeks ago.

He rejoined the man on the couch with a sigh to break the silence between them. He leaned on his knees and tilted his head to glance at his friend. Sunny’s eyes met his, and then darted away shyly. Hero felt a goofy grin wobble onto his face. Sunny was always just so adorable.

“What are you thinking?” he asked softly hoping to coax him out of his head. He held his hand out on his leg in offering.

Sunny stared at it. He licked his lips before his mouth parted, hesitated, and then finally asked, “Do you… really want to date me too, Hero?” His hand came up and linked with Hero’s. Their fingers intertwined. 

Was that what he had been waiting for? Hero wouldn’t bother to hold back then. He turned to face him on the couch and reached forward with his free hand before he cupped Sunny’s cheek. He made him look at him before he leaned in, pressing his forehead to his. Sunny gazed at him with wide eyes as Hero told him gently but sincerely, “Sunny, I love you. I’ve loved you since the moment I first met you, and I’ve wanted you for longer than you could probably guess. Yes, I want to date you. I want all of you, so…” his eyes dropped down to Sunny’s lips as he pulled back just slightly. They were parted and waiting. Hero’s body was tense from holding himself back. 

His eyes were dark when they met Sunny’s eyes once more as he commanded, “Give me all of you.”

And Sunny didn’t hold back. He surged forward into a heated kiss, abandoning Hero’s hands as he instead grappled the front of his shirt. The force of it caused a whip of wind scented with Sunny’s shampoo and body wash that had been shared by them both to fill their noses while Hero happily toppled backwards onto the couch. His arms were full of Sunny within moments as hands pawed at each other, yanking and tugging to get as close as possible while lips moved and tongues tasted each other. Their moans and the slick sounds of mouths parting only to meet once more were only broken up by the slight creak of Sunny’s couch and the rustle of clothes as they shifted against each other.

Sunny was left breathless from it all as his mind spun and he followed on the impulses he had been containing for years. He only wanted this man in front of him, and he would like nothing more than to follow the command that had been given to him. He would give Hero all of himself.

“I love you too,” he gasped back as he watched Hero’s arms cross in front of him to pull off his shirt. The clothing was dropped carelessly aside as he gave a killer smile, practically sparkling. Sunny’s eyes were wide and hazy as he took in the large expanse of built muscle and torso in front of him, and his hands shook just a little as he was allowed to touch all he wanted. He patted handfuls of tensing skin and thrumming heartbeat in his palms. He soaked in the heat of him as his fingertips lovingly traced dips and valleys, and his cock hardened even more in his pants. He shivered at the rush of his blood south. He could really have this? This wasn’t a dream?

He kissed Hero’s chin and then his lips as Hero had to try to stop the grin from breaking them apart. He crawled into his lap and startled at the hardness he felt under his ass. He was dizzy with the knowledge that Hero was getting hard because of him.

“God, I’ve waited so long to hear you say that,” Hero responded as he arched into Sunny’s touch. His hair was mussed as it haloed around him on the couch cushion. His brown eyes were practically swallowed by his pupils as his teeth flashed in the lamplight. His fingers, however, were sweet to the touch as they trailed up Sunny’s neck and jaw to grip his chin and coax him closer. “I love you. I love you more and more every day, Sunny,” he crooned, kissing him with pecks that had Sunny shaking under the force of. His words rebounded in his head and drowned him. He’d never thought he’d hear those words spoken to him like that from this man.

He wanted to tell him that it was him who had wanted to say those words to Hero. The love that he had kept contained inside for the sake of peace was breaking out, and there was a part of him that couldn’t believe this was happening here and now. He was certain he would wake up back in his bed with this as a vivid fantasy even as he felt Hero’s big hands slip into the back of his sleep pants. Sunny gave a startled squeak and pressed further against Hero’s stomach, glancing back to see the intrusion for himself, and went a little cross-eyed as long fingers slipped between heated ass cheeks and teased his sack from behind as the other hand squeezed a cheek.

Hero’s chuckle was low and dark as Sunny hid his face into the man’s neck, granting Hero a beautiful view as he watched himself grope and touch Sunny. He thrilled at every twitch as he tugged his legs open further. It was an unbelievable heat as the humidity and a bit of damp from his shower clung to his crack. He bit his lip as he traced the soft furred skin of Sunny’s balls while he indulged in a strong squeeze of his cheek. He came close to groaning just from that. God, he had a perfect little ass. Hero had seen it so many times on camera, and he just knew that his cock would look amazing sinking between these sweet cheeks.

A glance at Sunny’s face showed it scrunched as tiny noises escaped him. The animal in Hero was scratching furiously at its cage. He was this close to simply flipping them and ravishing Sunny until they both drowned in each other, but that was when he remembered Mari.

A quick calculation told him that Mari would need more time to get back to their apartment. And it would be simply rude for him to really start the fun before she could at least have a chance of watching most of it. Yes, it would be recorded, but she had only really made one request of him. And he was nothing if not a very good boyfriend.

He hated to pump the breaks, but he did so as he slipped his hands across Sunny’s ass and out of his pants. His friend blinked his bleary eyes open, confused by why Hero had stopped. Hero nuzzled his ear as he murmured, “I’m glad you want this too. I’ve been thinking of you every night since the last time I’d felt your hands on me. And you’re not even drunk this time either.”

Sunny gave a shuddering gasp as one hand smoothed back under the band of his pants and over his hip to slip between their bodies. His cock was captured and petted as he lifted his hips for better access. He kissed the man once more, moaning at the squeeze of his length and the teasing finger that circled his tip. He wished that Hero’s fingers would be in him already. But he was dry, and the little bit of sweat between them wasn’t enough for more. The teasing was driving him insane though.

Wait, what had Hero just said?

He jolted up onto his elbows by Hero’s head, staring down at him with large, baffled eyes. His words had finally processed. Hero looked amused. With his glasses now placed onto the floor and out of the way, Sunny had an unobstructed view of the hungry expression on his face as his thumb rubbed circles over Sunny’s leaking head. 

“Drunk?” Sunny asked, twitching a little. He wasn’t used to someone else’s hand on his cock. It was very distracting. All of this was very distracting.

Hero hummed the affirmative, still smiling like he always did even as he freed Sunny’s cock from his shorts. It gave him a better angle to idly pump him as he watched. His mouth watered at the very sight. So, this was how Sunny’s cock felt. It was very different from his own. He’d never once been interested in dicks or guys in general, but Sunny was definitely the exception. It was strange how something he usually would be turned off by was now one of the most arousing sights he’d ever seen. Somehow, Sunny’s cock was just as cute as he was. Maybe Hero was just biased.

Sunny tried not to let the visual of Hero clearly enjoying jerking him off distract him. “What… ah… What do you mean?”

“I was afraid you had forgotten. You were very drunk.” Hero tucked his free arm behind his head looking for all of the world as relaxed as possible despite what his other hand was doing. He beamed up at him. “Do you remember when I picked you up from the club a few weeks back?”

The memory was completely hazy. But he did know of only one time that Hero could’ve done it. And he felt his mouth fall a little slack with shock.

Wait. Wait wait wait. How much of that had been real?! Hadn’t he imagined making out with Hero in the car?! What about the kisses?!

“You got completely wasted and were mumbling to yourself a lot that night,” Hero explained as he ran the tip of his finger up Sunny’s cock. It twitched a little. Cute. He wanted Sunny naked so he could get an unobstructed, up-close view of Sunny’s body. He wanted to take him apart with hands, mouth, and tongue so he could memorize every inch of his body to commit to his fantastic memory. It would be an adventure discovering what parts of Sunny’s body turned him on. He hadn’t seen him naked in front of him since they were kids, and he certainly hadn’t been hard at that time. Would Mari get upset if he got Sunny to cum down his throat before she could start watching? “I brought you back to my apartment, but you started to come onto me in the car. It’s a little sad you can’t remember our first kiss but…” His smile was devastating and heated as his voice dipped, “I liked our first kiss tonight too.”

Sunny shuddered. God, what else had he done? Maybe the things he had imagined weren’t his imagination? That meant that he had touched Hero’s cock, right? But his memory of that time was watery and unfocused.

Not fair. He wanted to touch Hero’s cock again.

“Also…” Hero continued as he sat up. He gripped Sunny’s hip and helped to adjust him to sit on the couch between Hero’s legs as they both sat up. Hero cupped the smaller man’s jaw and sprinkled kisses across his cheek and jaw before pausing at his ear. There he whispered, “you asked if I could hold you up and fuck you against a wall.” Sunny gasped sharply. “And yes,” he nipped his ear lobe, “I can.”

“Hero…!” Sunny whimpered as he threw his arms around him to kiss him hungrily. He dug deep as his heart raced in his chest. He could hear it in his ears as it spoke Hero’s name again and again, finally freed from its confines after years of torture. And he knew he would embarrass himself with his desperation, but he didn’t care. He could touch and taste and hear Hero speak clearer than his imagination could ever supply for him. And this was real. It was actually happening.

Hero chuckled between the deluge of kisses. He broke away to confess, “I can’t do that tonight, though. At least, not in the first round.” Sunny blinked at him, but then clutched himself to him as Hero’s arms wrapped under his ass. And then he was being lifted as Hero stood. Sunny marveled, starry-eyed, as he was effortlessly carried through the apartment by a beaming Hero. It only took a quick kick to the door to enter Sunny’s bedroom and drop him on the bed. He was quite the sight sprawled with his pants partially on and his straining cock standing erect despite being fully clothed. He seemed dizzied by it all.

“Not… this time?” he asked a little dumbly. He watched while Hero went for the bag he always carried around and pulled out a condom that he kept in it. He had other condoms that he kept stored in Sunny’s house, though some of them were hidden. He might need all of them since he had definitely not prepared fully for tonight. He knew that Sunny had plenty of other supplies, though. And he doubted that Sunny would care if they had to do it raw too, if he took at all after his sister. 

“Not this time,” he confirmed as he returned. He bit the edge of the condom to hold it while he used the curve of his thumbs to push down the band of his own sweatpants. Sunny sat up on his elbows and stared while Hero pushed his clothing down, freeing his cock to the air before he stepped free of the clothes. He preened under Sunny’s wide, lustful eyes knowing this was the product of his fantasies. Hero wanted nothing to be between them tonight, though he was settling with protection.

He stalked over to the bed and crawled on and over Sunny, never breaking eye contact with him as Sunny trembled a little, mouth hanging open. He was thoroughly captured. Hero just dropped the condom on the bed and leaned in to cup Sunny’s jaw before a slow, predatory smile curled his lips away from his teeth. Half-hungry, and fully beautiful, Sunny was enraptured as Hero said, “At least for your first time… I’m going to make love to you like you deserve, Sunny. And then maybe on the second…” He kissed his cheek, “or third…” He kissed his lips sweetly, “or maybe many more, I’ll fuck you however you want. Just tell me, and I’ll make your every desire come true. I’m yours, Sunny.”

Sunny had absolutely died, and he had reached the very top level of Heaven that night.

Hero pulled back as he saw Sunny grasp his hands in front of him in prayer. He blinked. “...What are you doing?”

“Praying,” Sunny responded simply. “And thanking God.”

His laughter was unabashedly loud at that. “Well, while you do that, I’m going to help you out of these.” He grabbed Sunny’s clothes and tugged them down his legs. Sunny didn’t break prayer as he lifted his hips to help, but he had finished by the time Hero had stripped him. He took care of his shirt himself as Hero dove back in, meeting him in a fiery kiss as his palms gripped and skimmed over Sunny’s thighs. 

Sunny’s hands grappled his shoulders and arms, squeezing and clearly feeling him up as he melted under the fire of Hero’s lips and tongue. He pulled him in and traced hardened muscle that was usually kept so hidden from the world, and Hero didn’t hesitate to return the favor as thumbs kneaded his hips and palmed his balls and shaft. Sunny shuddered and stiffened with a gasp as his orgasm curled so sharply in him that he very nearly came instantly, but Hero stoppered his hole with his thumb and a squeeze, chuckling into his mouth. Sunny only whimpered with a trembling body from how close that had been.

“Do you want to cum?” Hero murmured as he pressed lovingly slow, savoring kisses across Sunny’s cheekbones and eyes. It was everything like the sweet kisses Hero had always given him, but in this context it only made Sunny want to die happily.

“Yes,” he panted while turning his head to coax Hero’s lips back. His eyes were shining in the bright light of the bedroom. Hero hadn’t bothered to turn off any of the overhead lights. He wanted to see absolutely everything. It was worth it as he got rewarded with Sunny’s gorgeous flushed face. He was even more beautiful up close than he was over the cameras when he was touching himself.

“Do you want my hand? Or do you want my mouth?”

This time Sunny’s eyes snapped wide before dropping to Hero’s mouth. It curled upwards at the attention. How could Sunny say no to this? He feared he was going to cum right away, but Hero was really going to suck him? For real? This wasn’t just a dream?

Well, if that was how it was going to be…

“Can I… suck you too?” Sunny asked as he pressed away to glance down between them. Hero’s hardened cock stood as quite the sight near Sunny’s. Better than Sunny could’ve imagined, and everything that he had wanted. It looked like it needed some attention.

“Anything you want,” Hero promised with a kiss to his forehead before he pulled away. He grabbed one of Sunny’s pillows and patted it before flopping back to lay down. He raised an eyebrow and patted his chest invitingly. Sunny’s face felt like it was on fire immediately. Nevertheless he obeyed with only some hesitation while batting away his insecurities as he crawled over Hero. He didn’t turn around right away, nervous. He wasn’t sure about this suddenly even though he really wanted to do it.

Hero sensed this. He reached up and pulled him down into another reassuring kiss and decided to spark Sunny once more by asking, “Did you know I don’t have a gag reflex?”

“What?” Sunny asked, startled. Hero laughed a little.

“It’s true! Do you know what that means?” Sunny didn’t answer, still surprised, and Hero only grinned. “It means that you can use my mouth as roughly as you want. You won’t choke me or anything.” He kissed him again. “So… don’t you want to try it?”

It was enough. Sunny couldn’t move fast enough as he stumbled while crawling to spin around. The nerves he’d felt before about shoving his dick in Hero’s face was gone now as he set his eyes on his own prize. And Hero did the same as he guided Sunny back by his thighs and hips. The first brush of his tongue was almost enough to startle Sunny’s orgasm from him as he jerked, but it was the heat of his mouth and hand as Hero didn’t hesitate to guide him down and inside until Sunny could feel how his throat closed around his head that had him give a scream.

Hero popped off right away, coughing once as he asked, “Are you alright?!”

Sunny was struggling to keep his mind in place. “I– uh– guh…”

Hero waited a beat as he took in Sunny’s trembling form. Maybe it was too much? Or did he do something weird? “Uh, Sunny, just so you know… Just… Let me know if I do something wrong, okay? It’s my first time doing this kind of thing too.”

And for some reason that resonated through Sunny’s head. He had always thought of Hero as much more experienced since he’d been with Mari for so long (and he wasn’t nearly naive enough to think they hadn’t been sexually active), but now that he thought about it, Hero was right. Sunny had fooled around with others before, but Hero had never been with a guy either. Sunny might actually be the one with a little more experience in this area. 

It was kind of cute to see Hero being the unsure one. It strengthened something in Sunny.

“It… It was fine,” Sunny confessed as he glanced back at Hero. Oh god, even the sight of him in that position was glorious enough. “I’m just… not used to it.”

Hero stared at him with a strangely blank expression. “...Have you done this with others?”

Sunny glanced away so he didn’t see how Hero’s eyes darkened and his teeth gritted when the younger man admitted, “Just… a couple times… Not much.”

Hero was restraining himself. It was taking everything not to lose himself to the jealous animal in him. Just the thought of somebody else having seen Sunny in this vulnerable position was going to infuriate him. 

But no. He needed to stay calm. He could find out more later. Chances were that Hero had already dealt with those people anyway. It would be too late to revisit most of those issues.

“Alright.” He smiled, but it was strained. He hid his expression behind the meat of Sunny’s thighs as he stroked the man’s cock. He tried to focus on what was in front of him and the knowledge that Sunny was his now. Nobody else would have him. Nobody else would get to touch and taste him. He could leave his mark on Sunny, and he planned to do so. These milky thighs were already calling for his love bites. “Then I’ll follow your lead, haha!”

Sunny blushed but decided to just go for it as he got his hand around Hero’s shaft finally. He bit his tongue as he began to stroke while his free hand smoothed over the furred hips and over his thigh. He suckled Hero’s head, tongue curious as he dipped down and swirled around, before he started to really suck him. And in return, Hero did the same.

God, it wasn’t the best blowjob Hero had ever received. Mari had perfected how to drive him crazy a long time ago with the way she would tease him and suck him deep. She knew how to twist her hand on the upstroke that nearly had Hero cumming every time, and she knew how he loved when she would let him brush against her inner cheek on occasion. But Sunny knew none of that, and yet it was still just as wonderful. Sunny was more hesitant in his approach, but he had enough confidence in himself that he didn’t mind taking Hero deep or really burying his nose into his hair. He choked a few times when Hero would take him deep into his own mouth, but he was steady in his own movements. Hero felt like he could cum just from this as his eyes closed and he familiarized himself with the weight of cock right on his tongue. It was softer than the dildo Mari would use on him in bed, so it wasn’t completely unfamiliar. He much preferred the intoxicating musk of his cute lover to the plasticky rubber scent of a toy.

Sunny’s knees shifted on the bed as he gave a whimper. His orgasm was building too quickly. He knew he would finish soon and he wanted to hold it back, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Not when Hero had offered so kindly. If he didn’t cum now, he knew he would finish the second he finally had Hero in his ass. And that wasn’t what Sunny wanted. He just hoped Hero didn’t think him a little pathetic for cumming soon–

His concerns flew out of his head, though, as he felt the first slick press of a finger up along his balls and to his asshole. He gasp, stiffening, when Hero didn’t hesitate to circle his pucker and wiggle his tip right in. Sunny clenched, mouth hot against Hero’s shaft as his eyes squeezed shut with his distraction, and Hero hummed.

“Let me in,” he crooned, fingertip pressing in and out in a steady fucking. “I wanna open you up, Sunny.”

“H…Hero…” Sunny murmured in response as he relaxed himself. He felt Hero’s finger slip a little deeper into him, but he couldn’t get too deep at this angle. It seemed to satisfy him enough, though, as he gave a deep groan around Sunny’s cock plunging deep into his mouth. And between the presence of Hero inside of him and Sunny inside of Hero, Sunny finally broke.

He gave a sob as he locked around Hero’s finger and finished in his mouth. Hero made a surprised noise, but he didn’t jerk away as instead and sucked the cum from Sunny. He had the younger man whining as his hips stuttered into his heat. His finger sank deeper and curled, making Sunny yell again at the brief brush against his sweet spot. And still Hero did not stop his sucking until Sunny’s knees were slipping against the sheets. That was when he pulled off and rolled his lover down onto the bed, leaving him briefly as he sat up.

Hero felt manic now. The taste of Sunny’s cum was still on his tongue as he savored the sensation. He held his throat and closed his eyes, swallowing purposefully. God, he’d finally gotten Sunny inside of him. There was a piece of Sunny in him now that was undeniable. And soon Hero would combine them both together as Hero took Sunny’s first time from him. He was going to fill Sunny up with him as Sunny filled Hero up. He would give him everything. Hero wanted to consume him so nobody could ever look at his beautiful lover. He wanted to be one with him. The very thought of the two of them being separate was going to drive him utterly mad, and it was that desperation and hunger to possess that sent Hero devouring Sunny’s lips and tongue with haste.

Sunny was startled by the abrupt change that came over Hero as his loving movements became furious and starved. He felt like his very flesh and soul was being consumed as Hero kissed and bit his neck, shoulders, chest, nipples, and stomach. He moaned Sunny’s name as he tasted him in long, dragging laps of his tongue, and he suckled at his navel as he worshiped the body before him. Sunny’s head was spinning, bordering on concern but unable to tip over into it as Hero’s eyes met his.

He’d never seen that pure hunger in someone’s face before, let alone directed him. But still buried under the ravenous behavior, Sunny could see the utter desire and love Hero had for him. It had Sunny reaching for him, and Hero didn’t hesitate to meet him as he pulled the younger man up and hugged him. Their lips met next as Hero gave a needy whimper.

“I’m sorry,” he confessed breathily as he broke away from Sunny and scrambled for the abandoned condom that had been waiting on the bed. Next he went for the lube in Sunny’s bed stand (how did he know that was there–? Oh, whatever) and returned to him. He put a pillow under Sunny’s hips as he prepped himself with shaking hands. “I wanted to take my time with the first time but… God, Sunny, I can’t describe to you how long I’ve wanted this. I just need you. Is that okay?” He looked at his lover with genuine concern. “Can I have you? I’ll make it better next time, I promise, just give me you now. I need to be inside of you. Please.”

Sunny’s cock was rapidly getting hard again just from his words. His frantic behavior was hot in and of itself. But Sunny could understand how he felt. There was electricity in his veins that made him want to eat and eat and eat whatever Hero could give him as well. He felt like there wasn’t enough time in the world for them both. He couldn’t possibly go slow anymore either. Just the thought of his desperate Hero taking him had goosebumps of excitement blooming on his skin.

“Okay,” Sunny agreed as he adjusted himself on his pillow. He’d done this enough with his own dildo to know what to do here. It wasn’t like he had always prepped his ass when he had played with himself either. He didn’t mind some pain as long as it was Hero. He just lifted his thighs, face flushed, and used his hands to spread open his asscheeks. “I want you too, Hero.”

It was startling to hear the sudden, vicious curse from Hero’s lips, but that was nothing compared to the way Hero pounced on him with a quick, “I love you, Sunny!” His cock didn’t wait as he fumbled his way to Sunny’s asshole. He went a little high and skimmed his balls, smearing lube on him, before Sunny took him into his hand. He guided him inside where Hero pressed in quickly but steadily, swallowing Sunny’s groan as their mouths meshed together.

It was messy. It was going to be quick. But Hero only cared about the whispered “Finally!” that echoed through his heart, head, and dick as he began to rut into Sunny. His tight heat was unbelievably good even if it was a little bit of a struggle to set a pace when Sunny was gripping him so hard. He could feel how Sunny’s hands scrambled on his waist and back before settling on his shoulders, but Hero didn’t allow them to stay there. This was going to be a quick one for him, but it wouldn’t be their last. Hero planned to take Sunny again, and again, and again until the morning came. He wanted to make it so that neither knew where the other ended and they began. He wanted to keep these thighs wrapped around him, and their hands bracing themselves against him as Sunny cried out Hero’s name with every jolting thrust. Even in his haze of needy desire Hero took in the details of the angles he tried as he sought to memorize what places Sunny liked while he absorbed the expressions and sounds and delicious sensations of him claiming the body of the man who had been His for most of their lives. Now, he thought, now Sunny was truly His forevermore.

Sunny was overwhelmed. The pacing was quicker than he usually went for when he fucked himself. But the stretch was strangely familiar despite the different sensation from the silicone he was used to. But nothing compared to the sight of Hero’s sweat glistening on his reddened skin while he stared down at Sunny with half-lidded, darkened eyes. It was an impossible sight to see Hero’s muscled hips and stomach moving so sensuously as he rutted into him with the knowledge that Hero was attempting to claim him. There was something animalistic about it all. There was something delicious and heady about feeling both dominated and in control as Sunny latched his legs over Hero’s ass and thrusted back up against him. His cock bounced against his stomach and oozed with a weakened twist of orgasm building too soon after the last one. Sunny didn’t care as he simply enjoyed the ride.

Hero grabbed Sunny’s hands then and slammed them above his head to pin them. Sunny’s eyes flew open in surprise at the abrupt change in angle as Hero completely dominated him, pinning him down to the bed as he fucked deep into him with every long thrust. Sunny’s eyes brimmed with tears as his body tensed at the glorious and far-too-much sensation of Hero brushing and hitting a sweet spot inside of him. It left his gasping and dizzied, and it left him open to Hero’s every word as the man said between his gasping thrusts,

“So long I’ve waited for this, Sunny. I’ve been in love with you for so long. I’ve dreamt of taking your body. I’ve wanted to make you mine since the very beginning. I want you to give me everything. You can’t escape now. You’re mine, do you hear me? Mine. There’s no running away now. You chose this. You chose me. And I’m never letting you go. You’re mine forever. You always have been, but now you’re finally aware of it. Sunny, I love you. I can’t begin to put into words how much I love you. And from now on I’ll show you in every way possible. You’re mine forever.”

Sunny didn’t get a chance to respond as Hero sealed his vows with a kiss. And it was there that he finally came, hips slamming to Sunny’s as he groaned and emptied himself into his condom. His body twitched with his orgasm as Sunny’s hands clutched at his. Their fingers linked as Sunny took his lover apart as he fell deep into this pit of his obsession for the man in front of him.

He didn’t know the extent of truth or determination of Hero’s words, but he didn’t need to. He understood how much he had meant them. And in the moment as Hero pulled away in preparation to keep going with no plans to stop, Sunny could only agree. After all, he had wanted this for a very long time as well. As long as Hero wanted him, Sunny would be happy.

“Sunny and Hero are finally dating?” Kel asked with surprise as Aubrey cuddled against his side, clearly listening in on the conversation.

“Took them long enough,” Aubrey grumbled. She could just pick up what she was pretty sure was the sound of Sunny and Hero’s voices, but they didn’t sound like they were in a safe for work moment. It was faint enough, though, that she had some doubts. After all, Mari said that she was at home and that Hero and Sunny were at Sunny’s place.

“Yup!” Mari gave a giggle as she turned down the sound on her video feed. She was sweaty too after getting off twice now to the stream. Honestly, she didn’t know where her boys got the stamina. How many times was this now? Five? Six? Sunny looked half-passed out as Hero simply used his body. They both looked like they were having fun, though. That was a lot of condoms on the floor. “So next time you see them, be sure to congratulate them! Both of them had been looking forward to it for a long time, after all.

“Did Hero tell Sunny about the, you know, stuff?” Kel asked. Aubrey shot him a startled look, but he ignored her.

“Stuff?” Mari asked innocently.

Oh. Maybe Mari wasn’t aware of the cameras and trackers and stuff. Kel wasn’t going to be the one to tell her, then. He wasn’t going to be a homewrecker in case Mari would get upset over the lack of privacy. He had thought that she would’ve known by now. No point in risking it.

“Yeah, how long he’s been wanting to kiss him and stuff.”

Aubrey slumped with an annoyed look. She probably thought Kel was being stupid again. But Kel wasn’t about to talk about his brother’s personal stuff just to confirm her suspicions. There were probably cameras all over the apartment that she didn’t know about (and that Kel didn’t feel like trying to track down). He didn’t want to freak his girlfriend out either.

“Oh that. Yes, he told him. Everything’s all cleared up now! Though, I’ll be meeting with my little brother alone just to make sure we’re all on the same page.”

“That sounds good. Well, I’ll pass on the news to Basil! He was worried ever since the whole, y’know, beach stuff.”

“Thank you! I’ll get off now. I just wanted to let you guys know since we’ve all been cheering them all on for a while!”

They said their goodbyes and got off the phone. Kel dropped his cell aside and glanced down at Aubrey. She still seemed unamused with him.

“Are we really not going to talk about the fact that Sunny probably killed someone and that Hero most likely hid the body?” she asked him in a hissed whisper. “We’re all really going to ignore it?”

“Pffft, Aubrey! What body?” Kel laughed. “Hero said he was just really hurt. Stop being weird.”

Aubrey just shoved away from him with a roll of her eyes. She really knew better than to try to push it. Whatever, she thought. She could ignore it all as well. Kel clearly didn’t suspect anything when it came to his brother.

Kel watched her storm off and just shrugged it off as he turned on the television. He supposed now Hero would arguably get even worse with Sunny than he was before, but at least he’ll stop complaining about not being able to seduce Sunny. Honestly, his big brother was so hopeless over the easiest stuff. Hero was so capable, but he struggled just to get Sunny to confess to him. Sunny could be so stubborn. If it was Kel, he would’ve captured Sunny a long time ago.

But Kel knew better than to step into Hero’s territory. And even if he had lied about not being interested in guys (Sunny was a cute piece of ass, okay? Even Kel could see that), he knew that he would be testing Hero’s own torn loyalties between Kel and Sunny if Kel tried to get Sunny for himself. And Kel was a little pickier about sharing his own partners.

He was just glad he was like his mom and not like his brother and father. They seemed like they had a really complicated life. At least both of them were happy now. He would buy a cake for Sunny and prepare for the inevitable. Sunny would probably be moving in with Hero and Mari any day now.

Good. The security of Sunny’s apartment was a shithole. Hero would protect him now. It was a weight off of Kel’s worries.