Lucas awoke with a start to muffled shouting coming from the next room. He sighed quietly, sensing the all-too-familiar tension between Paige and his mom. After sitting up and rubbing his eyes, he grabbed his phone to check the time. 7:21. Almost ten minutes of sleep lost to their bickering. Again! Ugh.

Upon opening his closet door, he was met with empty hangers and barren shelves. Laundry always seemed to take a backseat when his mom was busy. With a frustrated sigh, he dug through his hamper to find the least dirty clothes he could wear for the day and reluctantly dressed in a wrinkled shirt and a pair of shorts with a stubborn stain.

He ignored the sound of his mom and sister arguing as he made his way past his mom’s room to the kitchen, wishing they would just shut up for once. Turning the corner, he almost ran into Bella who looked up at him with a crestfallen expression in a pair of pink pajamas.

“There’s nothing for breakfast,” she said.

Lucas growled. If only Mom would focus on feeding her kids over arguing over something as stupid as a curling iron. He opened the fridge and grabbed a carton of eggs, cracking the remaining two into a frying pan. As he was scrambling them, he idly glanced over and saw the family beagle squatting over the floor.

“No, Apollo!” he shouted, but it was too late. Smacking his head in frustration, he ripped off a handful of paper towels and despondently dropped them on the puddle of dog pee on the floor. “Bella, go get dressed while I make breakfast. Paige is gonna take you in,” he looked up at the clock, “ten minutes!” he croaked.

While he was cleaning the last of the mess, his heart sank as he smelled the unmistakable odor of burning eggs, and rushed over to the stove. With a frown, he tossed the burned mess in the trash.

“Paige!” he shouted, desperate for a little help. He could hear them still arguing, and frustratedly scrounged around for something else to eat, finally finding some bread and popping two slices in the toaster. It was far from an ideal breakfast, but what else could he do?

Once they popped out, he smeared them with butter and quickly scarfed one down, leaving the other for Bella on a plate, then grabbed his backpack and sprinted out the door towards the bus stop. His legs pounded against the pavement as he sprinted down his street, heavy backpack bouncing against his back. The burnt smell lingered in his nostrils as he wished he could enjoy a less stressful morning for once. Instead, it seemed like every morning was a chaotic race out the door.

The bus pulled up just as Lucas reached the stop, its doors hissing open. He hurriedly made his way down the aisle, scanning the back for Ray. There he sat, his immaculate hair a sharp contrast to Lucas’s disheveled blond bedhead, seemingly lost in thought. His deep blue hoodie seemed to exude tranquility, the color reminiscent of a serene ocean. Lucas wondered if Ray’s mornings were genuinely more relaxed, or if he was simply better at finding calm amid the chaos. Either way, he was envious.

“Sup, bitch,” Lucas greeted.

Ray looked up and smiled as he moved his backpack over. “Hi.”

Lucas plopped down next to him. “Hope you’ve had a better morning than I had,” he grumbled.

Ray thought for a second. “Um, it was fine. Ash woke me up early again. He’s been doing that a lot lately—”

“Who’s that, your boyfriend?” Lucas said, raising an eyebrow.

“Ash is my cat!” Ray scrambled to clarify.

“Oh,” Lucas said, a mix of disappointment and relief in his tone.

“Then I had oatmeal, and waited for the bus.”

“Must be nice,” Lucas remarked, a trace of envy in his tone.

“What about your morning?”

Lucas shrugged dismissively. “It was whatever,” he replied, staring at the back of the bus seat. “Where’s our suspects? I still wanna get to the bottom of this secret club thing,” he said, giving Ray a pat on the shoulder.

“I don’t think any of them ride the morning bus,” Ray said, scratching his chin.

“Damn! I was ready to crack some skulls. Guess I gotta wait ‘til later,” Lucas said, slouching and folding his arms.

“Ava’s in my English class this morning,” Ray offered, pausing as a smile crept onto his face. He was looking forward to finally having an excuse to talk to her.

Lucas forced a smile, the mention of Ava’s name grating on him. “Yeah, I dunno about her. But you know what,” he said, trying to draw away Ray’s focus. “I bet Dylan knows something. Short people are always keeping secrets.”

Ray giggled. “Why do you think that?”

“Think about it,” Lucas grinned. “Y’know goblins? Dwarves? It’s like being closer to the ground gives them a connection to secret things.”

Ray folded his arms, a playful smirk on his face. “Alright, but I don't think he's either of those. I actually thought he was kind of nice! So, are you gonna ask him?”

“Of course! But I gotta find him first. I just hope my neck doesn’t give out from looking down so much.”

“That’s a little harsh,” Ray laughed.

“It’s not harsh at all! You’re just too nice.”

“I’m not—hey!” Ray shouted, blushing.

“And you’ve probably apologized to me about two-hundred times by now. It’s only the second week of school!”

“Well, sorry, I don’t do it on purpose.”

“See, that's exactly my point! You’re too nice—you won't be able to get answers from anyone like that.”

Ray nodded, yet a quiet resolve grew within him to prove to Lucas that he was more than capable of doing just that. After all, how could being nice be a bad thing?

During math, Ray watched Ava from the back of the classroom as she rummaged through her backpack for class materials. Her long blonde hair was simply stunning, catching glimmers of sunlight through the window, and he noticed how the pink ribbon in her hair perfectly matched the color of her lips. Suddenly, she stood up, and Ray quickly averted his gaze, afraid that she might have caught him staring. His palms grew damp as she began walking towards him, but to his relief, she veered off towards the pencil sharpener located just behind him. As she sharpened her pencil, he tried to think of a way to start talking to her, but his mind went completely blank. Taking a deep breath and clearing his throat, he decided to just go for it.

“Hey, Ava,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. Crud, why was this so hard?

She turned and gave him a polite smile. “Hi,” she responded, her voice melodic and gentle.

Ray tried to think of something else to say, but his mind went blank again. He wanted to ease into the question, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say. "Did you, uh, lose something on the bus last week?"

“Oh gosh,” she said, her eyes wide with excitement. “You really found it?”

Ray tried his best to keep his composure and smiled, but inside, he was freaking out. He knew being nice was the key! Lucas was going to be so thrilled—oooh, and Jonah too! A sense of pride swelled within him. “Yeah! I have it in my bag. I just wanted to know one thing before I give it back,” he said, unzipping the front pocket of his backpack. “What exactly is the Omen—”

“I swear I lose at least one scrunchie a week,” she interrupted, a sheepish grin on her face. “It’s impossible to keep track of those things. That was my favorite one, too.”

Ray's stomach dropped at the mention of a scrunchie. A hair scrunchie? Oh no. He felt his hand fumble inside his backpack, grazing the card, and gulped. “Um, yeah,” he mumbled nervously, his mind racing to find a solution. His hand brushed against a rubber band, and although it was far from an ideal solution, he knew he had to do something. “Here,” he said, dropping it into her hand. “I gotta go do something, actually, real quick.” Avoiding her eyes, he quickly got up from his seat and made a beeline for the door.

Outside the classroom, the door swung shut behind him, and he stamped his foot in frustration. That was so humiliating! He had no idea how he’d ever face her again. She must have thought he was totally weird! Not only did he fail to find the culprit, but he completely blew his chances with her. A massive failure on all fronts! After taking a minute to calm himself, he made his way back into the classroom. Luckily, she was back at her desk, talking with another girl. Hopefully Lucas was having better luck than he was.

Lucas peered around the bustling hallway, his eyes darting back and forth as he scanned the crowd of students moving in all directions. The air was thick with the sound of chattering voices, the shuffling of feet, and the slamming of lockers as students rushed to their next class. As he walked past the bathroom, he spotted Dylan trying to shove a pile of books into his already overflowing backpack and pulled him aside. Dylan scowled, his buzzed brown hair only serving to emphasize his simmering anger.

"What do you want?" Dylan demanded, trying to yank his arm away from Lucas's grip.

"Just got a quick question," Lucas said calmly, his voice dripping with faux innocence.

"I don't have anything to say to you," Dylan snapped, trying to turn away.

“What do you know about the card?” Lucas asked, ignoring his attempted escape.

“What?”

“The black card we found on the bus. I’m guessing someone probably wants it back,” Lucas said, tightening his grip.

“Then you should probably give it back to them,” Dylan said with a roll of his eyes, once again trying to pull away in vain. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Lucas leaned in closer, his grip unyielding. "That's exactly what a suspicious person would say."

“Leave me alone,” Dylan growled.

“So you never lost a very important-looking card on the bus?”

“I. Don’t. Know. What. You’re. Talking. About!” he emphasized, his voice growing louder. “Now let me leave, please!”

“What, you gonna sic Sir Fluffington on me?”

Dylan’s face flushed a deep shade of red, and his hands balled into fists. "Screw you, jerk!"

“What’s the problem? Still sensitive about that?”

Dylan’s scowl deepened. “Yeah, maybe I am!”

Lucas rolled his eyes dismissively. “It’s not even a big deal.”

“Says you! You made fun of me in front of everyone!” Dylan exclaimed, the anger in his voice rising.

Lucas shrugged, unfazed. “Come on, nobody keeps a stuffed animal in the sixth grade! That’s on you.”

With a final burst of strength, Dylan wrenched his arm free from Lucas's grip. “Screw you,” he spat, shouldering his heavy backpack. He stormed off down the hallway, fury propelling his every step.

Lucas folded his arms as he watched him go. Was it something he said?

“C’mon, at least tell me what she said!” Lucas said, poking Ray in the ribs.

The cafeteria was abuzz with activity as the boys stood in the winding lunch line, surrounded by other chattering students. The line inched forward, and Ray slid his tray along, a cafeteria worker piling on a freshly made turkey sandwich and a soft bread roll.

“It doesn’t matter!” Ray insisted. “It’s not hers.”

“Yeah, but you, talking to a girl,” Lucas teased. “I just can’t even picture it.”

“Shut up! What about Dylan? Was it his?”

Lucas thought for a second. “Eh, probably not. He didn’t seem like he cared all that much.”

Stepping into the sun-drenched courtyard, Ray and Lucas were embraced by the warmth. They spotted Finn and Nico already seated at the lunch table, engaged in what appeared to be a lively conversation. Finn, animated and enthusiastic, seemed to be delivering some sort of passionate lecture to Nico, who listened with rapt attention. As they approached, Finn’s voice gradually became clearer.

“You're like a blazing inferno, a spirited ram!” he was saying, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. “Your spirit is brimming with energy and passion, which makes you very very magnetic. But you have to be careful because you can easily become angered with just as much intensity.” He paused for a moment, his eyes searching Nico’s face before he continued. “Also, you seek a sense of adventure in your love life, looking for a partner who can keep up with your fire. Maybe that’s why you’re chasing that man.”

“His name is Logan,” Nico said.

Lucas playfully bumped Nico with his elbow as he sat down next to him. "Uh oh, gypsy alert! You didn't tell me you're one of those weirdo fortune tellers, Finn!"

"It's his astrological sign," Finn muttered.

“Oooh, do me! Show me your cosmic wisdom!” Lucas exclaimed, waving his hands dramatically with a sarcastic flourish.

“Honestly, if you ever listened, I’ve told you what your astrological sign is like five times already.”

“Read my palm, nerd!” Lucas shouted, sticking his hand out.

Finn let out a sigh. “You’re a Leo: an overly-confident leader who can be quite stubborn and, as we can see, loves being the center of attention,” he said, swatting away Lucas’s hand.

“Psh, that doesn’t sound right at all. What about my love life?”

“Nonexistent,” Finn replied dryly.

Lucas scowled as Ray and Nico erupted into laughter. “I don’t think I’m a Leo. What else can I be?”

Finn shook his head. “That’s not how it works…”

Intrigued by the conversation, Ray joined in. “What about me? What's mine?”

Finn perked up, shifting his attention to Ray. “Oh, yes! When is your birthday?”

“June 2nd.”

Finn thought for a moment. “I’m pretty sure that’s Gemini.”

"A Gemini?" Ray echoed, his curiosity piqued as Lucas rolled his eyes. “What’s that one like?”

Finn nodded. “Geminis are smart and curious, always looking for something new to learn. Geminis tend to have really wild imaginations, which is probably why you like to draw.”

Ray lifted an eyebrow. “How did you know I like to draw?”

Finn chuckled. “Do you think Lucas is capable of keeping his mouth shut about anything? Classic Leo behavior.”

“You’re lucky you’re sitting over there,” Lucas said between bites of his sandwich.

“What’s Logan?” Nico asked. “His birthday is October 12th.”

“Libra,” Finn said. “They're super social, charming, and diplomatic, but they can be indecisive too.”

“What’s diplomatic?” Nico asked, puzzled.

“It means he likes to keep the peace,” Ray explained. “You know, stop the fighting and stuff.”

Nico’s eyes lit up with understanding as he nodded. “Ohhh. Yep, that’s him.”

“Since you’re an Aries,” Finn said to Nico, “you and Logan have opposite signs.”

“Is that bad?” Nico asked.

Finn shrugged. “Not really. You can still get along well, but it might be challenging at times. It just means you’re quite different from each other.”

“What signs am I compatible with?” Lucas asked Finn, trying to sound casual.

Finn thought for a moment before replying, “Well as a Leo, you’d be more compatible with,” he squinted, “probably Libra.” He looked over at Nico. “Or Aries.”

Lucas tried to hide his disappointment, but his face betrayed a hint of a frown. No compatibility with Ray’s Gemini? He took a good look at Nico, the Aries, noting his crisp white shirt and light beige cargo shorts—a complete turnaround from the previous day. Maybe there was still some hope for a connection with Nico, Lucas thought, trying to find solace in the idea.

“Wow Nico, no more doom-and-gloom today?” he commented.

Nico grinned. “Oh man, you bet! Logan was just super busy yesterday. We’re totally fine now!”

Finn rolled his eyes. “I told you, Nico. There was no need to worry.”

“Stunning!” Lucas said, throwing his arms up. “Wanna come over, then?”

“Sure!” Nico replied, taking out his phone. “I’ll text my mom and tell her I’m coming over!”

“Perf,” Lucas said, peering at Finn. Time to put this stupid astrology crap to the test, he thought.

Mr. Bennett looked around the classroom, his gaze settling on Ray. Ray never said a whole lot, but his grades so far were stellar. “Ray,” he said, pointing towards him. “You’re with…” His voice trailed off, his eyes meeting Elijah’s. With a subtle nod, Elijah was already gathering his things and moving to the empty seat next to Ray.

Ray glanced nervously at Elijah, who offered a friendly smile to help ease the tension. The boy had shaggy brown hair that framed his face in a playful, tousled manner, expressive eyes, and a smattering of light freckles adorning his cheeks. Compared to most of the other kids in his grade, Ray might have even considered him cute. As they began setting up their microscope and preparing the slides, Ray’s nerves began to settle.

For a while, they worked diligently together and eventually found a natural rhythm in their collaboration. They took turns examining the specimens under the microscope, writing down their observations on the lab sheet. Ray noticed how meticulous Elijah was in handling the slides, and took the opportunity to sneak a glance at Elijah’s backpack, spotting a deck of Pokémon cards peeking out from the side pocket. It was the perfect time to ask Elijah about the card, but he didn’t want to make a fool of himself like he did with Ava. Mustering up his courage, Ray decided to subtly and casually broach the subject.

“Hey, uh, you like Pokémon cards?”

Elijah looked up surprised from the microscope. “Yeah, I do! Do you collect them too?”

Ray shook his head. “Well, not really, but I saw them in your backpack and they reminded me of this card I found on the bus the other day.”

Elijah’s expression soured as he turned to Ray. “A card?” he asked, his voice full of surprise and recognition.

Ray was taken aback by the sudden urgency in Elijah's tone. Had he just found the culprit? “Um, yeah. A black card. It was in the—”

“That’s mine. I need it back really bad. Do you have it?”

So it was him!

“Er,” Ray said, “yeah, I just want to know—”

“Please give it back to me,” he said, looking over his shoulder. “I’ve been looking everywhere for it.”

“Sounds like it’s really important,” Ray said, hesitantly opening his backpack to retrieve it, hoping that his carefully chosen words would encourage Elijah to elaborate.

“Dude, just give it back. It’s not yours,” he said, his posture stiff and tense.

Darn it. He tried. “Well, can’t you tell me more about it first? The Omen Rose?”

Elijah’s eyes widened in a surge of panic as he quickly scanned his surroundings. “No,” he said quietly yet firmly, “and don’t mention it again.”

“How come?” Ray asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Is this some kind of blackmail?” Elijah snapped.

“No! It’s not like that at all! I’m sorry! Here,” Ray said, handing him the card.

Elijah swiped it and stuck it in his bag, then returned his focus to the lab as if nothing had happened. Ray felt a mixture of confusion and curiosity. He’d found the culprit, but now what? Was there any further chance of getting Elijah to talk? Maybe if they were friends it would be different. He was starting to regret giving up his only bargaining chip. 

“I didn’t mean to be nosy or anything,” Ray said. “Sorry again.”

Elijah seemed to relax a little but remained guarded. “It’s okay,” he mumbled, not looking up from the microscope.

Sensing he needed a new approach, Ray tried changing the subject. “So, what Pokémon cards have you collected?”

“I have a ton in a binder at home, but Toby said he wanted to trade something good for my shiny Charizard at lunch. As if,” he said dismissively.

“Is that a good one?”

Elijah snickered. “Yeah, my dad bought it for me on eBay. It wasn’t cheap.”

“Do your parents have a lot of money?”

Elijah shrugged. “Something like that.”

Throughout the rest of the lab, their conversation shifted rapidly between Pokémon, the lab assignment, other kids, and just general light-hearted banter. Ray was surprised by how talkative Elijah was, and as the minutes ticked by, he felt like maybe he had enough trust to try asking about the card again.

As they were starting to put away the microscope, Ray’s heart raced with anticipation as the moment quickly approached. He’d mentally rehearsed the words, trying to find a good balance between satiating his curiosity and respecting Elijah’s privacy. With a deep breath, he decided to seize the opportunity before class was over.

“Hey, I know I probably shouldn’t ask, but… can’t you tell me anything about the Omen Rose? I promise I won’t tell anyone else!”

Elijah tensed. “Look, thanks for giving my card back, but I’m not allowed to talk about it. It’s… complicated.”

“That’s okay,” Ray said, trying to mask his disappointment.

“How do you even know the name anyway?”

“Um, it’s kind of a long and weird story.”

“Well, don’t go blabbering about it like that. It’s strictly forbidden.”

Forbidden, huh? “Alright,” Ray responded, his tone deflated. He wasn’t ready to give up, but he knew he’d need Lucas’s help to get through to Elijah, and it was too bad they didn’t share any classes for the rest of the day. Maybe he could catch him before he and Nico went home. Why couldn’t his stupid parents just buy him a phone? Mystery-solving was a hundred times harder without one.

Lucas led Nico up the front steps of his small home, excitement building in him. With a quick twist of the doorknob, he ushered Nico inside, the door clicking shut behind them. The house was unusually quiet, yet the stillness seemed to hum with excitement and anticipation.

“Paige took Bella to dance, and Mom’s still at work, so we’ve got the place to ourselves,” Lucas explained, grinning.

The sound of tiny paws skittering across the hardwood floor filled the air as Apollo bounded up to them, tail wagging wildly.

“Apollo!” Lucas exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement as he knelt to greet the dog. Apollo responded with a series of high-pitched barks, then showered Nico’s legs in enthusiastic licks. “Whoa, he’s actually being cool with you! He’s never like this with Ray or Landon.”

Nico smiled at Apollo as he scampered off towards the kitchen, and the boys headed to Lucas’s room, casually tossing their backpacks onto the floor and taking off their shoes. While Lucas flopped onto his bed to unwind, Nico made a beeline for the desk.

“Can I go on your computer?” Nico asked, jumping into the desk chair.

“Yeah sure, just don’t break anything.”

“It’s like a personal movie theater compared to watching stuff on my tiny phone screen,” Nico said as he navigated to YouTube.

“Bigger is better,” Lucas said, folding his hands behind his head.

The computer screen bathed Nico’s face with the light of various Minecraft videos, and he stared almost in a daze as he watched them in high definition. Time passed, the room filled with the sound of YouTubers narrating their Minecraft adventures. Eventually, Lucas grew restless, the boredom creeping in as he listened to the videos playing in the background. He thought Nico was on the same page as him, but as he glanced over at Nico, whose face was nearly pressed up against the screen, he realized he had to speak up. 

“Alright, enough videos!” Lucas said. “Let’s dance or somethin’. I know you got moves!”

Nico didn’t look up. “Do you have Minecraft on here?”

Lucas frowned. “No, I don’t, and—”

“That’s okay, we can play on my account!” Nico suggested excitedly, but Lucas let out a groan. He was never gonna be able to test Finn’s astral sign theory if Minecraft was going to be cock-blocking him. “Fine, I have another idea,” Nico conceded.

Lucas watched from the bed as Nico opened up the web browser and navigated to some website. “Oh great, what kind of viruses are you downloading now?” he teased, half-jokingly.

“It’s a chat site with random strangers, but with video!” Nico explained.

Intrigued, Lucas got up from the bed and walked over to the desk, adjusting the webcam on top of the monitor. The window showed a loading animation for a moment before a girl with long brown hair and glasses popped up.

“That's a girl,” Lucas complained.

“I know, right? Boooring!” Nico said and clicked the ‘skip’ button.

The next stranger was an older man with graying hair and a beard. He appeared to be in his late fifties, his eyes crinkling with warmth and curiosity as he noticed the two boys.

“Hey there, young fellas,” the man greeted them in a friendly tone, his voice slightly raspy yet comforting. He leaned back in his chair, giving them a better view of his surroundings, which seemed to be a cozy study filled with books and memorabilia.

Lucas and Nico shared a look of uncertainty before ultimately agreeing, through unspoken understanding, to chat. “Hey there,” Lucas replied cautiously, trying to gauge the man's intentions.

“What brings you boys to a site like this?” the man inquired, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “Just looking for some interesting conversations or something else?”

Lucas leaned over to whisper in Nico’s ear. “This guy sucks.”

Nico nodded in agreement and grinned. “Something else,” he said before skipping him.

As if to answer his wish, the next stranger was a naked man’s waist, with a huge, circumcised penis filling up half the window. Lucas’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Holy shit!”

Nico, however, seemed entirely unphased, except for a small smirk. “Yep, there’s a lot of this on here.”

“Dude!” Lucas shouted, grabbing the back of Nico’s chair. “His dick is massive!”

“Looks like at least seven inches,” Nico said, licking his lips.

The man in the video waggled his penis like a huge slab of meat, then reached his hand forward towards the camera, ending the video stream and connecting the boys to a new person.

“Damn,” Lucas said, still amazed. “I wish he didn’t leave. Was Logan’s like that?”

Nico smirked. “Bigger!”

Lucas eyed him cautiously. “Bullshit!”

“It was!”

“Yeah yeah, if he put something that big in you, you’d be dead!” Lucas exclaimed, his gaze traveling up and down Nico's long, slender frame. The combination of his nicely tanned skin and messy, boyish hair certainly gave him an air of fragility.

“Well, he did, and it was awesome!”

“You could not take a monster like that,” Lucas reiterated. “You probably weigh less than it does.”

“Can so! I practice a bunch.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow, as arousal began to stir within him. “With what? Your tiny-ass fingers? A skinny little Sharpie? Even a hairbrush couldn’t prepare you for something like that.”

Nico shook his head and hopped out of the chair with his back to Lucas and pushed his shorts down. Extending out of his butt was a strange black object, and Lucas glared at it with a mixture of shock and intrigue. Below it, he noticed Nico’s balls peeked out from between his legs, causing Lucas’s penis to twitch in his underwear.

“The fuck is that?” Lucas asked, mildly intrigued by the object but thoroughly enthralled by Nico’s smooth and hairless nutsack. Not only that, but he could barely make out the base of his dick. It took every ounce of self-control to resist the urge to grab it.

“It’s this awesome toy that Logan got me!”

Filled with excitement for the unfolding events, Lucas asked, “Like, a dildo?”

“Sorta,” Nico said. “Logan can control it with his phone and make it vibrate!”

“Please tell me you’re fucking with me.”

“He’s fucking with me!”

“Is it big?” Lucas asked, trying to gauge the size of the thing.

Nico gripped the base of the toy and smoothly slid it out of his butt with a grunt and a moan. It didn’t look like anything Lucas had ever seen before—the weirdly curvy and bumpy black object was surprisingly clean and looked to be close to six inches long. To Lucas’s displeasure, Nico pulled his shorts back up before turning to him, grabbing his phone from his pocket.

“Whoa, that is not what I thought it would look like!” Lucas said.

Nico tapped his phone, and the toy began to vibrate with a barely-audible buzzing sound. Lucas watched, captivated, as Nico got up on the chair on his knees and tugged his shorts down. Now he could see Nico’s wide-open hole, the skin around it clean and pink. With minimal effort, Nico slid the buzzing toy inside, grunting as he used his palm to push it in deeper.

“Uhhh, that’s good!” he moaned in his raspy voice. 

Lucas’s mouth felt dry, and his penis strained against his underwear as he watched. It was rare for him to find himself at a loss for words, but apparently, all it took was one unbelievably hot live-action scene starring his friend. The room had grown eerily quiet, save for the soft vibration of Nico’s toy. The subtle sound seemed to amplify in the silence, making Lucas acutely aware of his pounding heartbeat. The atmosphere had shifted dramatically, replaced by an aura of uncertainty about what might happen next, until Nico broke the silence.

“Wanna watch porn?” Nico asked, swiveling around to type on the keyboard.

Lucas swallowed and nodded emphatically, excited as to what that might lead to. Nico swiveled the chair and navigated to a porn website, loading up a video of four naked men, three of them standing over one of the guys. Both Lucas and Nico’s erections freely strained against their shorts as they watched, wide-eyed as the three handsome men jerked off over the one guy on the carpet as steamy moans played through the speakers. The moans increased in intensity until one of the men started ejaculating over the guy on the floor, white fluid gushing out of him like a plug had been pulled. Moments later, the other men came as well, completely coating the man’s naked body. Lucas watched in awe, holding onto Nico’s shoulder as the scene unfolded.

“Fuck,” Lucas said. “That’s so hella hot.”

Nico nodded, rubbing his palm against the bulge in his shorts. “I know, right?”

“Did Logan ever cum on you like that?” Lucas asked, looking down at Nico rubbing himself.

Nico took a second to think, then shook his head. “Nope, but I really wanted him to. He cummed inside me the other day, though.”

Lucas looked at the video, then back at Nico. “So you’re a bottom?”

“Uh, I dunno. I guess?”

“It seems messy.”

“Well, I kinda like being messy,” Nico declared. “It feels hot.”

Lucas couldn't contain his laughter as it gently shook the chair. “Oh, as if you could make a mess!” he exclaimed, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Nico looked up at him. “Wanna bet?” he asked, his tone serious, eyes narrowing as he met Lucas’s gaze with newfound intensity, the corners of his mouth lifting into a daring grin.

Lucas mirrored his grin. “Five bucks you can’t do more than a couple drops,” he challenged, his voice shaky.

Nico's lips curled into a sly grin. “Wanna jack off, then?”

Lucas nodded, and Nico lifted his shirt and tossed it to the floor. As his tan skin and taut preteen muscles came into view, Lucas felt a tug of admiration. Matching Nico's bold move, Lucas also stripped off his shirt. Nico spun around in his chair to face Lucas, and the two quietly observed each other in mutual wordless understanding. Though the two possessed the same smooth and tan skin, Lucas’s chest was starting to develop, while Nico’s was skinnier with the outline of his ribs more visible under his olive skin. In one swift motion, Nico lifted his legs and shucked down his shorts. His stiff penis slapped against his belly, his balls jiggling from the sudden reveal.

Lucas’s eyes nearly fell out of his head. “Dude!” he shouted, his jaw dropping as he searched for words. They had seen each others’ upper bodies before, but this was a whole new level. His eyes traveled up Nico’s slightly crooked pole of skinny flesh and along the tight foreskin that climbed the bulbous pink head, stopping just short of the little slit. “Your foreskin is fucking fab!”

“Thanks!” Nico said, his face lighting up with the same enthusiasm as if Lucas had just complimented his shirt. He slid down his foreskin, showing Lucas the cherry on top, the comprehensive inspection of his private parts adding to his pounding preteen arousal.

Lucas stared, wide-eyed, and shifted his focus to Nico’s dangling ball sack. He could even see the little grapes inside the loose flesh. “I love that your balls are totally dropped, too.”

Nico cupped his balls, giving them a gentle squeeze. “Yours aren’t?”

Lucas shook his head, then tugged down the front of his shorts. His girthier erection sprang out at a forty-five degree angle, and Nico licked his lips.

“Hot,” Nico said, noting the plump beige circumcised head and small mole on the underside of his shaft. “It’s like a mini-version of Logan’s.”

“Hey! Mine is not mini,” Lucas protested, his lips forming a pout.

Nico looked down at his erection, then back at Lucas’s. “Compare?”

Lucas dropped his shorts the rest of the way and stepped up to Nico, who grabbed and placed their penises together, the heads poking each other in the belly. Lucas suppressed a gasp, never having had his dick touched by someone else before. The two looked down and stared at the stark differences: Nico’s was slender and curvy, with tight skin and a variety of exotic colors varying from creamy tan to red to purple, while Lucas’s was much straighter and bulkier, with a mostly consistent skin tone throughout. Nico could see what he’d meant about his balls, as Lucas’s were still drawn up in a tight little bag.

“Mine looks bigger,” Lucas said in a hushed tone, and Nico could feel his hot breath against his skin. 

“But mine’s longer,” Nico replied, his voice low and sultry as he shifted his grip. His sensitive penis tip brushed Lucas’s warm belly, making him shudder and squirt out a tiny spurt of clear liquid.

“Yo, what the fuck?! Did you cum?”

Nico shut his eyes and shook his head. His blushing glans flared inside the wrinkled lip of foreskin. “Nope,” he said, biting his lip to quell the burning intensity inside him. “That just felt really good.” He looked up into Lucas’s eyes.

Lucas touched the warm goop Nico squirted on him, and rubbed it between his fingers. Warm and sticky. Huh. “I’ll get lotion,” Lucas said, separating. He wiped it away on his thigh.

Nico’s amused smile played subtly on his lips while Lucas rummaged through the cluttered desk drawer in search of his precious lotion. He slunk down in the chair, watching his friend’s skinny ass shake as he looked through the drawer. He found it and returned to Nico’s side, applying it to his boner while Nico watched.

“Is your shit still vibrating? I can feel it through the chair!” Lucas said, his hand on the arm rest.

“Mmm,” Nico purred in response, rubbing the exposed skin around the base of his toy with his fingers, causing his erection to burp out another gob of precum.

“Here,” Lucas said, offering Nico some leftover lotion from his open palm, but Nico shook his head.

“Don’t need it,” he said, returning to stroking himself.

Lucas rolled his eyes. “Mr. Foreskin over here,” he said, watching Nico’s hand glide up and down.

“Mom said I still have it because she’s ‘educated’ and ‘most parents are dumb’,” Nico quoted. “No offense to your parents.”

“My mom is dumb,” Lucas said with a frown. He rubbed his dick, the lotion making a squishy sound, then looked over at Nico, watching the extra skin repeatedly slide over and off the crest of his penis. “Lemme touch yours!”

Nico smiled gleefully and pushed his hips out, placing his hands by his side. His penis throbbed eagerly, and Lucas reached out to wrap his fingers around it. “Urgh,” he groaned as he felt the warmth envelop him.

Lucas explored the skinny stick with fascination, feeling the life stir within it as it pulsed and throbbed. He pulled on the foreskin, stretching it with two fingers. “Wow, it’s so flexible!”

“Ow!” Nico cried when Lucas stretched it a little too far. “Careful!”

“My bad,” Lucas said, letting go and watching the skin slide back into place. He was amazed by the fierce redness that tinged Nico’s tip, and rubbed his thumb over it, the precum making it slippery. Nico grunted, then began to pant as Lucas made circles. When Nico began to breathe faster, Lucas let go. “Jizz on the desk,” he instructed, clearing some of the papers and books from it. “I’ll shoot mine next to yours, and whoever has more is the winner.”

“Kay,” Nico said, grabbing his dick. The video on the computer had ended, so he restarted it from the beginning.

The boys stroked themselves, eyes glued to the video, occasional grunts and groans escaping them. Nico was rubbing around his ass, then pushed the toy further inside himself in his hunt for additional pleasure. It grazed his prostate, and he cried out.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Was that the toy?”

“Yep,” Nico said, panting and blushing. “Hit my spot.”

“Lemme try it!”

“No way! This is Logan’s gift to me.”

“But I’m the host,” Lucas protested. Nico shook his head. “Use your dick then!” he demanded. He went to his bed and crouched on his knees, his ass facing Nico as he looked over his shoulder.

Nico stood up and admired his perfectly-round ass, grabbing the lotion and licking his lips as he walked over. His dick led the way, pointing directly at the pursed hole between the cheeks Lucas was spreading with his hands. “What about the contest?”

“Fuck the contest! I’m so horny right now, I wanna get fucked!”

Nico frowned. He was hoping to show off in front of Lucas because as Logan had once said, you already cum a lot for a twelve-year-old. Still, the offer was too enticing to pass up, and Nico squirted some lotion into his fingers, smearing it all over Lucas’s puckered anus.

“That’s cold, bitch!” Lucas complained, tensing up.

“Open wide,” Nico instructed, pushing his index finger against the ring. It was very tight, and Nico wriggled his finger until it finally gave in and the tip popped inside. Lucas groaned, partially in pain. “Relax!”

“You relax!”

For whatever reason, annoyance washed over Nico, and he pushed his finger, feeling the resistance give way as he slipped in all the way to his knuckle.

“Ahhh!” Lucas cried out as his whole body convulsed, contorting his face in a mix of surprise and discomfort.

“How’s that?” Nico asked, watching Lucas’s slowly deflating penis as he tried wiggling his finger inside his warm tunnel.

“It hurt! Are you gonna fuck me or not?”

“You need prep,” Nico said simply, sliding his finger in and out, careful not to go too hard, and Lucas moaned girlishly. “Turn over,” he said, flipping Lucas onto his back, keeping his finger inside him the whole time. He caught a glimpse of Lucas’s face, contorted with pleasure, and looked down at his trembling dick which was finally showing signs of light moisture at the tip. He grabbed Lucas’s balls and played with them as he watched his dick pump back up to full hardness. As he finger-fucked him, enthusiastic, erotic sounds engulfed the room. Nico’s dick was drooling precum, and his empathetic moaning began to blend in with Lucas’s boisterous chorus. He curled his finger, touching a little bump inside Lucas that made him cry out in utter ecstasy.

“OHHH!”

Nico felt Lucas’s body clamp around his finger, and he increased his speed, pounding the spot over and over. Lucas was shivering, mustering his energy in a weak attempt to remain upright through the intense and hammering pleasure. His dick was throbbing, begging for attention. It looked so delicious, and Nico couldn’t help but devour it. He started at the tip, the sweet fluid gracing his tongue as he swirled it around the head. 

“Unhhh!” Lucas cried, overjoyed that his penis was finally getting its turn. Nico sucked the rest into his mouth, letting his tongue wander all over the steel pole, feeling every little crease and ridge. “Oh yeah!”

He wrapped himself around Nico’s head, forcing himself deeper into his mouth. Nico continued fingering his hole, feeling Lucas’s penis swell in his mouth at the climax of each thrust. His own dick bounced along with the intense action, feeling like it was ready to burst all on its own.

“Nico!” Lucas said, sudden worry plastering his face. “I’mma cum if you don’t stop, but don’t stop!”

“Then cum!” Nico said, pressing hard into his prostate.

Lucas squealed as a jet of whitish semen fired into Nico’s mouth, and Nico quickly pulled his mouth off and began pumping the slippery rod with his fist. Gasping and groaning, Lucas clenched the bedsheets as another spurt shot onto Nico’s cheek, narrowly missing his eye. He continued jerking him, rubbing the smooth head with his thumb as it swelled and fired off one last spurt onto his hand.

“Oh shit!” Lucas gasped, recovering. “I couldn’t hold it.”

Nico examined the viscous whitish substance clinging to his hand. “Cool,” he said, grabbing his dick and using the new lubrication to hastily jerk himself.

It didn’t take him long as the past few minutes already had him at the edge from sheer eroticism. With the toy still buzzing against his prostate, he hobbled over to Lucas’s desk, slammed his eyes shut, and emptied his balls onto the wooden surface, moaning with each hefty pump. When his orgasm finally subsided, he opened his eyes to the six watery spurts left on the desk.

Lucas witnessed the whole thing from the bed with wide eyes. “Dude, what the fuck!” he shouted, his lingering hard-on jiggling as he ran over to the desk.

Nico, still catching his breath, turned to Lucas with a languid, contented smile. “Oh yeahhh,” he crooned.

“How does that much stuff come out of those little balls?” he asked, pointing at them.

Nico slung an arm around Lucas’s shoulder, a sly grin spreading across his face. “Looks like you owe me five bucks!”

Lucas pushed his hand away. “Your hand is all jizzy!

Nico ignored him, sitting back down at the desk, his attention returning to the computer screen. He closed the porn tab and went back to watching Minecraft videos. Lucas sighed and went to put his clothes back on. As he was tugging his shorts up past his wilting erection, he wondered if Ray would be up for the kind of fun he and Nico just had. Ray said he’d already done stuff with Paris, so he’d be open to it. Right?

He glanced over at Nico, whose eyes had glazed over, his focus absorbed by the pointless video content. As much as he enjoyed hanging out with Nico, he felt much more at ease with Ray. Ray was just easier. Also, Finn was full of shit. Big surprise there. Astral signs were a total load of crap.

He walked over to the desk, glancing at the sticky mess Nico had left on it. “You gonna clean that up?”

“Um, yep,” Nico said, looking up from the screen. “Got tissues?” Lucas handed him a box.

“Man, you could really spray someone with jizz like in that vid,” Lucas said, watching him mop up the mess. “We should try it sometime.”

“Yeah, but we'd need more people,” Nico said, his voice low and conspiratorial, his eyes glinting with a mischievous spark.

Lucas caught his gaze and a mirrored sly grin spread across his face. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” he asked, his voice low and conspiratorial.

Nico grinned and cracked his knuckles. “Let’s do it.”